The '59 Sound

The Gaslight Anthem | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Side One Dummy
• ASIN: B0017V7GTY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,783 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #9 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Hardcore
  • #29 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Punk Revival
  • #37 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > General AAS

Editorial Reviews

Although New Brunswick, NJ's Gaslight Anthem have only been around a couple years, they've become one of the punk underground's most celebrated acts. They've toured with Against Me, The Loved Ones, and The Bouncing Souls. Their Side One Dummy debut reconciles their love of classic rock and soul icons Bruce Springsteen, Otis Redding, and Tom Petty with their NJ punk roots to create a unique musical amalgam.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When's the last time you felt like this? October 4, 2009

By A. M. Lewis

Format:Audio CD

If Social Distortion met The Strokes and invited over the Kings of Leon where they jammed out to Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty all night, you just might have an idea of what you're going to hear when you drop the needle on "The '59 Sound" by the Gaslight Anthem. From the very moment Great Expectations kicks in, you know you are in for something special. The next two songs only help to further that notion, and by the time you get to the Counting Crows references on the fourth track ("High Lonesome"), you know you're hearing a potentially life changing record. That's a feeling I haven't had in a very very long time, and truth be told, I didn't know if I would ever have it again. Now whether or not this is that kind of album remains to be seen, but it certainly has the potential. Every song is good if not great, and often the songs on this record transition seamlessly into each other, such as when "Miles Davis & The Cool" crashes right into "The Patient Ferris Wheel", which features guest vocals by Dicky F'n Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

"The '59 Sound" sounds like a tribute to all of the bands that The Gaslight Anthem enjoys from another generation. There are obvious hints throughout the record of Tom Petty and especially Bruce Springsteen, and even Creedence Clearwater Revival ("Casanova Baby" starts off suspiciously similar to "Looking Out My Back Door"). Even the titles of the songs ("Meet Me by The River's Edge", "Old White Lincoln") sound like something you'd see on the back of a record from your mom or dad's vinyl collection.

"The '59 Sound" is ultimately one of those unique albums where you feel sort of torn. One part of you wants to call up everyone you know and tell them to go buy it. Another part of you wants to keep it for yourself. In the end, it's an album that you can enjoy by yourself driving down the highway with the windows down, or with a car full of friends singing along at the top of your lungs down that very same road. That's what makes records like "The '59 Sound" so special. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Purely amazing. Music with so much heart August 19, 2008

By Christopher T. Witham

Format:Audio CD

This album is made of the songs you would hear the band play in some bar and get lost in the sway of the music with some other aimless soul or just get lost riding into the lonely nights with a pack of cigarettes and a half tank of gas.

This band has amazed me from my first listen, always inspiring the hopeless romantic in me. It's just as well suited to night drives as either of their other albums and continues to deliver exactly like these guys do. I can't say enough for how good they are. Their Sink or Swim and Senor and the Queen albums were my top two albums to listen to both this and last year. I can't get enough.

Trust me, it's worth it. I recommend them to everyone. Three thumbs up!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A new classic September 2, 2008

By Derek

Format:Audio CD

Alright, to start with the Gaslight Anthem isn't a punk band. They're on a punk label (more or less) and tour with punk bands, but don't think you're getting a straight up punk cd. This is a classic rock record that falls firmly in between some of the classic songs of Springsteen and Tom Petty. Bouncy, catchy rock tunes about teen loves and '50's culture. It's good. It's real good.