Gold (Limited Edition) [LIMITED EDITION] [EXTRA TRACKS]

Ryan Adams

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2001)
• Limited Edition Bonus CD edition
• Original Release Date: September 25, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Extra tracks
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00005NWRS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  DVD Audio  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (269 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,343 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Torrential creativity has fast-forwarded the artistic evolution of former Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams from country-rock boy wonder (see Faithless Street) to despondent troubadour with a 1960s fixation (his solo debut Heartbreaker), but it may also explain why listeners often need to wade through some pedestrian material just to find a few pearls of poetic excellence. Gold is no exception to that trend, a sometimes engaging middle-of-the-road roots-pop album that's both overlong (70 minutes) and at times overindulgent. There are high spots--such as the bouncy, breezy opener "New York, New York" and the plaintive ballad "When the Stars Go Blue" (which features a vocal turn reminiscent of Morrissey)--but much of the disc gets lost in forests of indistinct guitars and plodding percussion that never nudges Adams into actually rocking. Gold is the work of a notoriously prolific songwriter who hasn't yet learned to play to his strengths, one whose execution doesn't yet match his vision. --Anders Smith Lindall

Product Description
European limited edition of the Whiskeytown frontman's second solo album from 2002 includes a bonus CD featuring five bonus tracks, 'Rosalie Come & Go', 'The Fools We Are As Men', 'Sweet Black Magic', 'The Bar Is A Beautiful Place' & 'Cannonball Days'. 21 tracks in all. Lost Highway. 2003. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Classic, August 23, 2005

By	J. Chasin (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Gold (Audio CD)

Gold came out in the late summer of 2001. The opening track, "New York New York," became something of a rallying cry for me (and other New Yorkers and Americans) after 9/11, even though the song-- as one colleague described it, "Tangled Up in Blue" played fast-- is about a girl, not a city. (Adams sometimes writes about a girl by using the name of a city he associates with her; see also, "Dear Chicago.") But the very fact that this tune evoked the familiar Dylan song is precisely what makes this work so compelling and timeless.

OK, so given the timing, that tune sucked me into the record, in a very visceral way. But the whole thing had masterpiece written all over it from the very first spin at my home in September of 2001. As my wife so aptly said, "It has that sweet familliar ring of every album you ever loved as a kid." Which, if you are our age, means it feels like Van Morrison, Neil Young, Dylan, Exile-era Stones, like that. It hits you in that "Into the Mystic," "Brown Sugar," "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" place. Do you like that place? Yeah, me too.

Adams is so prolific an artist that he is generally an album or two ahead of his fans; by February of 2001 he was playing these rockers to rooms full of alt.country romantics who wanted to moon with him over the Heartbreaker songs. But now, four years on, "New York New York," "Answering Bell," "Stars Go Blue," and "Rescue Blues" sound like songs you've known all your life, and are warmly greeted in concert as the masterworks they are.

Adams is a polarizing figure; people tend to have strong opinions toward him, either way. I obviously lean toward the "love everything he touches" camp. But divorced from the public persona, the music on this disc stands up to the closest scrutiny, taps into a classic vein defined by the artists listed above (and more recently, by Lucinda Williams and Counting Crows). I hate to compare one artist to others, but I find it a helpful construct in providing buying advice; its the "recommended if you like..." concept. If you've read this far, I think you know whether you want to buy this or not.

If not, I'll add that if I were to suggest a single title to someone interested in getting their ears wet with Adams, this would be the one. I think you can find traces of every direction he's gone in, before and since, on this album. It is long (70 minutes or so), but in a sweeping sort of way; I can listen to it all the way through and not find a single song I want to cut.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars SACD merely a 4.0 mix - a Lost Opportunity for Lost Highway!, December 30, 2002

By	Bill Porter "thenexte" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gold (Audio CD)

I was very much looking forward to this Ryan Adams multichannel SACD release - supposedly one of the first ones from Lost Highway Records, expecting this to be a true surround feast with all the layers of instruments in the original stereo mix.

Imagine my surprise when I popped it into my SACD player and the center channel stayed mute for the duration of the whole album, I simply could not believe my eyes (i.e. ears)!

Folks beware, this is a 4.0 quad mix as opposed to the more common 5.1. SACD mix (which usually provides a much richer sound stage especially in the front) and that's not even credited anywhere in the liner notes or CD inserts, yikes!

Essentially there is not much of a difference between the stereo mix and this quad mix, the front image is very similar, the only difference being that some overdubbed multitracks (e.g. piano, strings) have now gone to the rear channels, and that's about it!

The voice could have been expanded much more (especially into the center) but this way it stays muddied in the front speakers - just like in the stereo mix. Very sad indeed, such a missed opportunity, it's hard to believe!

Why people would still produce quad mixes (a relict of the 70's) when they could have a much richer surround mix is simply beyond me. Unfortunately there is now little to recommend this SACD release over the original stereo album...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Album!!, July 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Gold (Audio CD)

I have never written a review on here before but I knew that I had to after I got this CD. I originally bought the CD because I heard "La Cienega Just Smiled" and "Harder Now That It's Over" on the TV show Felicity. Then I kept hearing a lot about Ryan Adams so I decided to go out and buy the album. I am soo glad that I did!!! It is always in my CD player and there are songs on this album to fit any kind of mood that I am in. There is something unique and enchanting about each and every song. The lyrics are so thought provoking and refreshing. I love all the songs but my favorites are "New York, New York", "La Cienega Just Smiled", "Answering Bell", "Rescue Blues" and "Harder Now That It's Over." I honestly recommend this album to everyone!! I think Ryan Adams is incredibly talented and I can't wait until his next album comes out!!!