Demolition

Ryan Adams

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lost Highway
• ASIN: B00006IRHZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,863 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Former Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams claims to have written and recorded enough songs over the past several years to fill a four-CD collection--and that's in addition to his acclaimed 2001 breakthrough Gold. Wisely, Adams decided to skip the box set--hey, he's only 27--and issue a sort of "best of" compilation comprising 13 unreleased demos. Recorded at four different studio sessions in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Stockholm, with a cast of musicians that includes his road band the Pinkhearts, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Ethan Johns, Chris Stills, Bucky Baxter, and Greg Leisz, Demolition proves that Adams is still a work in progress: brilliant one moment, sloppy the next. When he's good, he's very good: the rousing country-rocker "Hallelujah," the brooding acoustic ballads "Dear Chicago" and "Tomorrow," and the jangly power-pop number "Gimme a Sign" are as fine as anything on Gold. But Adams sometimes lapses into mimicry, as he does on "Nuclear" and "Starting to Hurt," both of which could be outtakes from a U2 album. "Tennessee Sucks," a chronicle of a boredom-filled summer day in Nashville, sounds half-baked, while the closing track, "Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby)," which finds Adams (on synthesizer, guitars, bass, and drum machine) droning on like Leonard Cohen, falls in the "failed experiment" category. Despite its bright spots, Demolition ultimately comes off as a mixed bag. --David Hill

Product Description

Extremely limited European pressing of his 2002 demo album includes a bonus CD that features four non-LP tracks, 'New York, New York' (Live In Amsterdam), 'To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)' (Live In Amsterdam), 'Blue' & 'Song For Keith'. 17 tracks in all. Universal. Lost Highway. 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars While we are waiting for the proper follow-up to "Gold", September 29, 2002

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the long-rumored "best of" CD of various recording sessions Ryan collected during 2001, and while it is a mixed bag, and certainly not up to par to either "Heartbreaker" or "Gold", it contains enough good stuff to tie us over to the proper follow-up to "Gold", due Spring 2003.

At 45 min. (compared to the sprawling "Gold"), this is a more focused serving of Ryan's wandering mind and music. "Nuclear" (issued as a single in Europe) is a great start. The Ethan Johns-produced and influenced tracks (3 of them) are great and could have fitted nicely on "Gold", particularly "Hallelujah". The best track on the album is the intimate "Reason to Cry". Haunting also is the sad "Tomorrow" (co-written by Carrie Hamilton (Caroll Burnett's daughter), then Ryan's significant other, who subsequently passed away and to whom the album is dedicated). Other great tracks are "Dear Chicago" and "Chin Up Cheer Up". Not good at all is "Starting to Hurt", with Ryan sounding like a Bryan Adams clone (urrghh), raspy voice and all.

I am really looking forward to the next "real" Ryan album. Meanwhile we will do with this.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and rocking, September 27, 2002

By	Randy (Olathe, KS United States) - See all my reviews

I am an old Whiskeytown fan, and since they are gone have really enjoyed Ryan's work. Heartbreaker is one of my favorite recordings, but I must admit last year's Gold cd didn't thrill me, though it had some awesome moments. I probably need to re-listen to that, given that since I picked up this new Demolition cd yesterday I have listened to it over and over. The first listen I thought "interesting". Some good rockin' numbers and a number of slow, haunting songs. By the third time I was hooked.

There may not be any "hits" here (although "Nuclear" and "Hallelujah" are both wonderful, upbeat, catchy tunes) but every song (with maybe the exception of "Tennessee Sucks", which does definitely seem like a song for an outtakes album, even though it's not bad) is interesting. What especially continues to grab me about Adams is his voice. It can just sound so different from song to song, cd to cd. Always strong, resonating, sometimes pained sometimes joyful and hopeful.

Don't dismiss this as an outtakes or demo cd...this is strong stuff. Only took me two listens to fall in love. It definitely caught me much quicker than Gold.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Demolition & Construction, May 9, 2005

By	S. J. Grindrod "So Alive" (Runcorn, Cheshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ryan Adams `Demolition'


`Demolition' is Ryan's collection of demo's "left over" from the various recording sessions in Nashville, Los Angeles and Stockholm circa `Gold'. Indeed, this album seems to be the flipside of his second album proper and is best described as `a bit of a mixed bag, but mostly good'. On the record he works with backing band the Pinkhearts, Gillian Welch, `Heartbreaker' collaborator David Rawlings, `Heartbreaker' and `Gold' producer Ethan Johns, Carrie Hamilton Chris Stills, Bucky Baxter and Greg Leisz.

Tracks include the pleasant country tracks, but mildly disappointing, `Desire' and `Hallelujah', which is nothing more than a second rate `Firecracker' from `Gold'. In contrast, acoustic ditties such as the Nick Drake-like `You Will Always Be The Same' and the brilliant and emotive `Cry On Demand' rank among Adams' best work. The albums highlight is `Tomorrow', and the fact that it was co-written with Carrie Hamilton, a friend of Ryan's who appears on the sleeve of `Gold' who later died from cancer, makes the song seem even more touching. It is a beautiful solo acoustic track with excellent duel vocals from Ryan and Gillian Welch. Elsewhere, `Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby)', although one of the weaker tracks on the album, is another emotional song about when the author first found out about Carrie Hamilton's cancer.

Other highlights include lead single `Nuclear' is an excellent opener which ranks with Ryan's best songs, and `Starting To Hurt' is a bass-line lead rocker about a woman jumping from the top of a building, which is another touching moment once you know the story behind the song. However, for every good track, there is one which disappoints. `Gimme A Sign' is pedestrian and easily forgotten, and `Tennessee Sucks' is quite nice but again not very memorable. However, considering that this is a collection of "unfinished demo's" (which is hard to believe when you listen to this record) then these are only minor flaws, as `She Wants To Plays Hearts', `Dear Chicago' and `Chin Up, Cheer Up' are all welcome on the record.

Therefore, not as complete as his previous two "proper" studio albums but at only 13 tracks it makes it a bit easier to listen to than the 16 tracks of `Gold'. As far as albums go, this isn't bad at all, but as far as demo collections go, this is excellent. Another essential Ryan Adams record.