Too Far to Care

Old 97s

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 1997)
• Original Release Date: June 17, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002HPH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,185 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

If the Waco Brothers sound like the Clash playing country music, an Old '97s song like "Barrier Reef" sounds like Rancid doing the Wacos. That's not a bad thing, but lead singer Rhett Miller is more distinctive pining for his gal on the sweetly beautiful "Salome" and "Streets of Where I'm From," a jazzy number about living in a place where romance ends as roadkill. The band--Miller, lead guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, drummer Phillip Peeples--sounds most like a rock outfit on the album-opening "Time Bomb," and most like a country crew on "West Texas Teardrops," featuring banjo and Hammond's nasal twang.

On at least half his songs, Miller reveals himself to be a guy who falls in love easily but takes getting dumped hard. The subject matter might get old, but the '97s vary things enough musically to steer clear of trouble. If the story of a guy scared to death of Manhattan on "Broadway" is too obvious, Miller easily redeems himself on the album's closer, "Four Leaf Clover." Sung as a duet with Exene Cervenka, it sounds like X riding a Bo Diddley beat, but the bitter lyrics send it to the moon. "I got a four-leaf clover, but it ain't done me a single lick of good/I'm still a drunk and I'm still a loser/And I'm still living in a lousy neighborhood." After all the crying he's done, it's nice to hear Miller get good and pissed. --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, November 5, 2001

By	Jeremy P. Meyers (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this album. "Too Far to Care" is fantastic, a near-perfect blend of punk snarl, pop energy, great hooks, and clever wordplay, with just enough twang to let you know that these guys hail from Dallas. A lot of pop music is about catharsis: an outpouring of emotion meant to help one cope with loss or regret. This album is no different; the characters in these songs have seen hard times and bad luck. What is unique about this album is that the catharsis that is yielded not only mitigates the pain, but obliterates it. These songs are capable not only of making you feel less bad about hearbreak, but maybe even to feel better than you did before you got your heart broken in the first place. How? With great songs that will burrow their way into your subconscious, sing-along melodies, great harmonies, runaway-train drumbeats, and arrangements that strike a perfect balance (and tension) between acoustic pop perfection and electric snarl. Rhett Miller is a fantastic songwriter, occasionally going for the funny, too-clever phrase ("she's gonna kill me/and I don't mean softly") and sometimes just cutting right to the heart of the matter: ("My blood's turned to dirt, girl/You broke every part of me." ) What elevates this album above and beyond being just a songwriter's showcase, though, is that they work as a *band.* The harmonies between Rhett and bass player Murry Hammond are so tight that they seem to be forged intuitively, Ken Bethea's guitar are melodic while skirting the sharp edge of distortion, and Philip Peeples's drumming is propulsive and accomplished. The songs are concentrated at the hyperfast end of the tempo spectrum, but they slow things down with the haunting ballad "Salome" and demonstrate that they can pull that off as well as anyone (a demonstration that will be proven out again on subsequent albums "Fight Songs" and "Satellite Rides.") Long-time fans often lament the loss of twang on their follow up albums, but what I miss is the unbridled energy that percolates through most of these songs. I defy you to play "Timebomb" a time or two without feeling compelled to turn up your stereo very loud and sing along. Four years after its release, this album still demands heavy rotation in my CD player, and comes the closest to capturing the energy and sheer joy of seeing this band perform live.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Old 97's reach the summit, April 20, 2001

By	"[e-mail]" (Boise) - See all my reviews

The Old 97's 1997 release Too Far To Care is, simply, their best album ever and one of the very best released by anyone in 1997. Similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1991 Blood Sugar Sex Magik release, they created a timeless gem that can appeal to more than just their core fans. Unfortunately, they also set a standard of greatness that they will never be able to replicate.

What makes it so good? Unlike so many other bands, the Old 97's are able to switch styles seamlessly. The best songs on this CD are fast and slow, fierce and sweet. Many of these songs are simply the best in the Old 97's catalog - witness the rollicking "Timebomb", the beautiful and doleful "Salome", Murry Hammond's homesick western rave-up "W TX Teardrops", the sublime "Niteclub", marvelous re-takes of "Big Brown Eyes" and "Four-Leaf Clover" from previous albums, the powerful "Streets Of Where I'm From", and of course the anthemic "Barrier Reef", which is brilliantly both boastful and self-doubting at the same time.

But even the non-spectacular songs on this CD are good, almost great songs, and have their merits - the fury of "Melt Show", the melancholy of "House That Used To Be" (and it sounds like Rhett is going to spit out a lung singing "Broadway" and "Curtain Calls"). These songs tie the entire album together perfectly. There is no lull, no weak moment on this album at all. And it is not strictly for fans of Alt-country either! If you are a music fan at all, you will enjoy this classic from the Old 97's.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums I have ever heard, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This is one of the most incredible works of music I have ever laid ears on! I would recommend that anyone who likes Son Volt, Wilco, or even the now-defunct Uncle Tupelo, listen to this recording. It's amazing how Rhett makes you really feel like he knows what you feel when you take a bad turn in a relationship (as in "The House that Used to Be"), or, in the case of "Four Leaf Clover," don't get into that relationship at all. This music is perfect for doing anything...driving ("West Texas Teardrop" works really well with an open road), partying with friends ("Timebomb" and "Barrier Reef" ar great up-tempo songs) or just being ("Niteclub" and "Curtain Calls" just have a wonderful mood about them). Ols 97's rock, but with a twang. You have to hear it to believe it.