OLD 97'S
''HITCHHIKE TO RHOME, DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 18 2014
1994
93:23
DISC ONE (50:56)
1 St. Ignatius 04:13
2 504 03:39
3 Drowning In The Days/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 04:03
4 Miss Molly/Cindy Walker 02:17
5 Dancing With Tears/Joe Burke, Al Dubin 02:55
6 4 Leaf Clover 03:15
7 Wish The Worst 04:31
8 Old 97's Theme 01:40
9 Doreen/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 03:18
10 Hands Off 04:26
11 Mama Tried/Merle Haggard 02:28
12 Stoned 03:59
13 If My Heart Was A Car 03:29
14 Desperate Times 03:52
15 Ken's Polka Thing/Old 97's 00:33
16 Tupelo County Jail/Webb Pierce, Mel Tillis 02:11
Tracks By Rhett Miller, Except 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 15, 16
DISC TWO (42:27)
1 St. Ignatius (Demo)/Old 97's 03:34
2 Drowning In The Days (Demo)/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 03:53
3 Making Love With You/Old 97's (Demo) 04:00
4 Stoned (Demo)/Old 97's 03:50
5 Dancing With Tears (Demo)/Joe Burke, Al Dubin 03:01
6 Ivy (Demo)/Old 97's 04:16
7 Eyes For You/Old 97's 03:14
8 Crying Drunk/Old 97's 03:14
9 Victoria/Old 97's 03:43
10 Old 97's Theme Spgeddi/Rhett Miller 01:18
11 Alright By Me/Rhett Miller 04:35
12 Desperate Times/Old 97's 03:43
Ken Bethea/Accordion, Guitar (Electric)
Murry Hammond/Banjo, Bass, Vocals
Rhett Miller/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Andy Owens/Banjo, Mandolin
Philip Peeples/Drums
Reggie Reuffer/Fiddle
Clark Vogeler/Guitar (Electric)
Alan Wooley/Guitar (Electric)
We’re pleased as punch to finally release the new, expanded Hitchhike to Rhome today!
Courtesy of Omnivore Recordings, the 2-CD version of Hitchhike To Rhome contains the original album, coupled with a second disc of those 12 rare and unreleased tracks, many mixed from the original multi-tracks for the first time by longtime Old 97’s engineer Rip Rowan. The double LP (limited edition first pressing on translucent orange vinyl) features the LP on three sides with six of the recently unearthed tracks on Side 4. The download card included gives the buyer the complete 2-CD program. Both formats include rare photos, memorabilia and notes from Ken Bethea.
The entire album has been remixed from original session tapes by Rip Rowan.
By Official Website
REVIEW
by Mark Deming (AllMusic)
Many bands blend country and rock, but few brew this concoction as well as the Old 97's on Hitchhike to Rhome. Energetic frontman Rhett Miller commands attention as a charismatic vocalist and clever songwriter on tracks such as "St. Ignatius" and "If My Heart Was a Car." On the album's highlight "Stoned," he even manages to successfully infuse the adjectives "dope" and "fly" into a country song. Bass player Murry Hammond supplies smooth harmonies throughout the album, in addition to lead vocals on the excellent Merle Haggard cover "Mama Tried." Musically, the Old 97's are capable of shifting comfortably between bluegrassy honky tonk ("Doreen") and the occasional serene ballad ("Dancing with Tears"). Ken Bethea's guitar leads the band throughout its rowdy ride while Philip Peeples' steady drumming manages to somehow hold everything together. Other standouts include "Drowning in the Days," "Hands Off," and "504." Further demonstrating their country roots, there is even a secret hidden version of Webb Pierce's "Tupelo County Jail" after the last listed track. Though their debut sounds more sparse and simplified than their subsequent releases, Hitchhike to Rhome showcases the spark of a truly original band with endless potential.
[In 2014, Omnivore Recordings released an expanded edition of Hitchhike to Rhome in honor of the album's 20th anniversary. The new version was newly remixed from the original 24-track session tapes, and while the stylistic pull of the performances isn't especially different, the audio is cleaner and more full-bodied than on the original Big Iron Records edition. If this still sounds like a rough draft of what the Old '97s would later accomplish in the studio, the strong points -- particularly Rhett Miller's sly, witty vocals and Ken Bethea's lean, gutsy guitar lines -- prove the Old '97s were already a band worth watching. A second disc includes 12 bonus tracks, including six from 1993 demo sessions prior to Philip Peeples joining the band, four outtakes from the Hitchhike to Rhome sessions -- including early versions of "Victoria" and "Crying Drunk," both of which the group would re-record for Bloodshot Records -- and two tunes Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond recorded together before the band came together. The demos sound spare compared to the album, with the bass and drums barely there in the mix, but the band's basic character is there, and the pre-'97s "Alright by Me" is one of Miller's funniest and boldest statements about his "serial lady killer" persona. Overall, this edition of Hitchhike to Rhome is a significant upgrade over the original release, and fans who love this album as well as those who never heard it will find it a worthwhile purchase.]
ABOUT
By Official Website
Although they became one of the most enduring bands in the alternative country-rock catalog, Old 97's drew inspiration from a broad range of genres, including the twangy stomp of cowpunk and the melodies of power pop. Formed in 1993 by frontman Rhett Miller and bassist Murry Hammond, the group spent the bulk of the decade posed on the brink of mainstream success, issuing albums that often drew warm reviews but never yielded a substantial hit. Old 97's tightened their sound as the decade drew to a close, retaining their bar-band vigor while introducing a stronger pop/rock sound on albums like Too Far to Care and Satellite Rides. Miller also mounted a solo career in the early 2000s, but the band remained together nonetheless, continuing to release material with their original lineup intact into the following decade.
Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond first partnered up in 1989, when Miller enlisted the latter’s help in producing his debut solo album, Mythologies. Although six years younger than Hammond, Miller proved to be a dedicated musician as he canvassed the Dallas club circuit, playing an blend of folk and British-styled pop to local audiences. He also displayed a knack for storytelling, having previously earned a creative writing scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College. One year after Mythologies‘ release, Miller and Hammond teamed up once again, this time as part of the short-lived Sleepy Heroes.
Although the Sleepy Heroes disbanded after issuing one album, the band’s mix of pop and Texas-styled twang helped lay the foundation for Old 97's. Continuing to build upon that sound, Miller and Hammond linked up with lead guitarist Ken Bethea and recorded a demo tape at the Cedar Creek studio in Austin. Drummer Philip Peeples climbed on board shortly thereafter, and Hammond’s childhood obsession with trains inspired the band’s new name, which paid homage to the country ballad “Wreck of the Old 97.” With their lineup intact, Old 97's released the debut album Hitchhike to Rhome in 1994. It garnered positive reviews and began to build the group’s alt-country fan base, which they consolidated on the album’s follow-up, Wreck Your Life. Issued in 1995 by the newly formed Bloodshot Records — a label that would also launch the alt-country careers of Neko Case and Ryan Adams — Wreck Your Life presented Old 97's as a sharp, eclectic country-rock outfit with a pinup-worthy frontman. Such positive attention led to a major-label deal with Elektra Records, who hoped to translate the band’s underground buzz into mainstream success.
Old 97's made their Elektra debut in 1997 with Too Far to Care, a muscular album that balanced the band’s Texas traditionalism and pop leanings. Many publications placed the band among the leaders of the alt-country movement, and Old 97's toured extensively in support, joining the Lollapalooza tour that summer and playing alongside Whiskeytown for a series of shows sponsored by No Depression magazine. Arriving two years later, 1999's Fight Songs offered another polished, pop-friendly set of songs, allowing the band to sell out 1,500-seat venues during its return to the road.
By this time, Miller had moved to Los Angeles and shed the thick, ’50s-style glasses that had become a major part of his image. He and Hammond also began performing in an informal side project dubbed the Ranchero Brothers, although a proposed album never materialized. Instead, the musicians returned their focus to Old 97's, releasing another pop-influenced record with 2001's Satellite Rides. Miller took a temporary leave after its release to work on a solo power pop record, The Instigator, which was released in late 2002. A period of relative inactivity followed, as the band members found themselves in different cities, with several of them starting families.
The hiatus ended in 2004 with the release of Drag It Up, whose subsequent tour featured prominently on the double-disc live album Alive & Wired. Afterward, Miller returned to his solo career with 2006's The Believer, which found the frontman experimenting with strings and orchestral arrangements. Old 97's returned to the studio once again in 2008, though, this time holing up in their native Dallas to help channel the energy of their earlier records. The move worked, and the resulting album, Blame It on Gravity, delivered some of the band’s strongest songs in years. While touring the country in support, Murry Hammond launched his own solo career, packaging a wealth of old-timey gospel ballads and locomotive imagery onto the album I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m on My Way. Miller also found time to release a solo album, 2009's self-titled Rhett Miller, which appeared one year before the ninth Old 97's record, The Grand Theatre Volume One. Originally intended as a double-album, The Grand Theatre was followed in mid-2011 by a companion record, The Grand Theater Vol. 2. Ever prolific, Miller then released The Interpreter in 2011 and The Dreamer in 2012.
Following the 2013 release of the EP Waylon Jennings, featuring songs the band recorded over a decade earlier with the man himself, the Old 97’s have confirmed the April 29 release of their new album and ATO debut Most Messed Up — a revealing, 12-track meditation on 20 years in music that finds them at their raucous, boozy best. It’s “a rock opera, a way-off Broadway musical about a musician’s life, loves and lubrication,” says music critic Bill Flanagan. Recorded in Austin and produced by Salim Nourallah, Most Messed Up also features guest appearances by Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses) and Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case) on lap-steel.
- See more at: http://old97s.com/about/#sthash.pFQR5BUu.dpuf
OFFICIAL SITE
''HITCHHIKE TO RHOME, DISC ONE''
NOVEMBER 18 2014
1994
93:23
DISC ONE (50:56)
1 St. Ignatius 04:13
2 504 03:39
3 Drowning In The Days/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 04:03
4 Miss Molly/Cindy Walker 02:17
5 Dancing With Tears/Joe Burke, Al Dubin 02:55
6 4 Leaf Clover 03:15
7 Wish The Worst 04:31
8 Old 97's Theme 01:40
9 Doreen/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 03:18
10 Hands Off 04:26
11 Mama Tried/Merle Haggard 02:28
12 Stoned 03:59
13 If My Heart Was A Car 03:29
14 Desperate Times 03:52
15 Ken's Polka Thing/Old 97's 00:33
16 Tupelo County Jail/Webb Pierce, Mel Tillis 02:11
Tracks By Rhett Miller, Except 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 15, 16
DISC TWO (42:27)
1 St. Ignatius (Demo)/Old 97's 03:34
2 Drowning In The Days (Demo)/Murry Hammond, Rhett Miller 03:53
3 Making Love With You/Old 97's (Demo) 04:00
4 Stoned (Demo)/Old 97's 03:50
5 Dancing With Tears (Demo)/Joe Burke, Al Dubin 03:01
6 Ivy (Demo)/Old 97's 04:16
7 Eyes For You/Old 97's 03:14
8 Crying Drunk/Old 97's 03:14
9 Victoria/Old 97's 03:43
10 Old 97's Theme Spgeddi/Rhett Miller 01:18
11 Alright By Me/Rhett Miller 04:35
12 Desperate Times/Old 97's 03:43
Ken Bethea/Accordion, Guitar (Electric)
Murry Hammond/Banjo, Bass, Vocals
Rhett Miller/Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Andy Owens/Banjo, Mandolin
Philip Peeples/Drums
Reggie Reuffer/Fiddle
Clark Vogeler/Guitar (Electric)
Alan Wooley/Guitar (Electric)
We’re pleased as punch to finally release the new, expanded Hitchhike to Rhome today!
Courtesy of Omnivore Recordings, the 2-CD version of Hitchhike To Rhome contains the original album, coupled with a second disc of those 12 rare and unreleased tracks, many mixed from the original multi-tracks for the first time by longtime Old 97’s engineer Rip Rowan. The double LP (limited edition first pressing on translucent orange vinyl) features the LP on three sides with six of the recently unearthed tracks on Side 4. The download card included gives the buyer the complete 2-CD program. Both formats include rare photos, memorabilia and notes from Ken Bethea.
The entire album has been remixed from original session tapes by Rip Rowan.
By Official Website
REVIEW
by Mark Deming (AllMusic)
Many bands blend country and rock, but few brew this concoction as well as the Old 97's on Hitchhike to Rhome. Energetic frontman Rhett Miller commands attention as a charismatic vocalist and clever songwriter on tracks such as "St. Ignatius" and "If My Heart Was a Car." On the album's highlight "Stoned," he even manages to successfully infuse the adjectives "dope" and "fly" into a country song. Bass player Murry Hammond supplies smooth harmonies throughout the album, in addition to lead vocals on the excellent Merle Haggard cover "Mama Tried." Musically, the Old 97's are capable of shifting comfortably between bluegrassy honky tonk ("Doreen") and the occasional serene ballad ("Dancing with Tears"). Ken Bethea's guitar leads the band throughout its rowdy ride while Philip Peeples' steady drumming manages to somehow hold everything together. Other standouts include "Drowning in the Days," "Hands Off," and "504." Further demonstrating their country roots, there is even a secret hidden version of Webb Pierce's "Tupelo County Jail" after the last listed track. Though their debut sounds more sparse and simplified than their subsequent releases, Hitchhike to Rhome showcases the spark of a truly original band with endless potential.
[In 2014, Omnivore Recordings released an expanded edition of Hitchhike to Rhome in honor of the album's 20th anniversary. The new version was newly remixed from the original 24-track session tapes, and while the stylistic pull of the performances isn't especially different, the audio is cleaner and more full-bodied than on the original Big Iron Records edition. If this still sounds like a rough draft of what the Old '97s would later accomplish in the studio, the strong points -- particularly Rhett Miller's sly, witty vocals and Ken Bethea's lean, gutsy guitar lines -- prove the Old '97s were already a band worth watching. A second disc includes 12 bonus tracks, including six from 1993 demo sessions prior to Philip Peeples joining the band, four outtakes from the Hitchhike to Rhome sessions -- including early versions of "Victoria" and "Crying Drunk," both of which the group would re-record for Bloodshot Records -- and two tunes Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond recorded together before the band came together. The demos sound spare compared to the album, with the bass and drums barely there in the mix, but the band's basic character is there, and the pre-'97s "Alright by Me" is one of Miller's funniest and boldest statements about his "serial lady killer" persona. Overall, this edition of Hitchhike to Rhome is a significant upgrade over the original release, and fans who love this album as well as those who never heard it will find it a worthwhile purchase.]
ABOUT
By Official Website
Although they became one of the most enduring bands in the alternative country-rock catalog, Old 97's drew inspiration from a broad range of genres, including the twangy stomp of cowpunk and the melodies of power pop. Formed in 1993 by frontman Rhett Miller and bassist Murry Hammond, the group spent the bulk of the decade posed on the brink of mainstream success, issuing albums that often drew warm reviews but never yielded a substantial hit. Old 97's tightened their sound as the decade drew to a close, retaining their bar-band vigor while introducing a stronger pop/rock sound on albums like Too Far to Care and Satellite Rides. Miller also mounted a solo career in the early 2000s, but the band remained together nonetheless, continuing to release material with their original lineup intact into the following decade.
Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond first partnered up in 1989, when Miller enlisted the latter’s help in producing his debut solo album, Mythologies. Although six years younger than Hammond, Miller proved to be a dedicated musician as he canvassed the Dallas club circuit, playing an blend of folk and British-styled pop to local audiences. He also displayed a knack for storytelling, having previously earned a creative writing scholarship to Sarah Lawrence College. One year after Mythologies‘ release, Miller and Hammond teamed up once again, this time as part of the short-lived Sleepy Heroes.
Although the Sleepy Heroes disbanded after issuing one album, the band’s mix of pop and Texas-styled twang helped lay the foundation for Old 97's. Continuing to build upon that sound, Miller and Hammond linked up with lead guitarist Ken Bethea and recorded a demo tape at the Cedar Creek studio in Austin. Drummer Philip Peeples climbed on board shortly thereafter, and Hammond’s childhood obsession with trains inspired the band’s new name, which paid homage to the country ballad “Wreck of the Old 97.” With their lineup intact, Old 97's released the debut album Hitchhike to Rhome in 1994. It garnered positive reviews and began to build the group’s alt-country fan base, which they consolidated on the album’s follow-up, Wreck Your Life. Issued in 1995 by the newly formed Bloodshot Records — a label that would also launch the alt-country careers of Neko Case and Ryan Adams — Wreck Your Life presented Old 97's as a sharp, eclectic country-rock outfit with a pinup-worthy frontman. Such positive attention led to a major-label deal with Elektra Records, who hoped to translate the band’s underground buzz into mainstream success.
Old 97's made their Elektra debut in 1997 with Too Far to Care, a muscular album that balanced the band’s Texas traditionalism and pop leanings. Many publications placed the band among the leaders of the alt-country movement, and Old 97's toured extensively in support, joining the Lollapalooza tour that summer and playing alongside Whiskeytown for a series of shows sponsored by No Depression magazine. Arriving two years later, 1999's Fight Songs offered another polished, pop-friendly set of songs, allowing the band to sell out 1,500-seat venues during its return to the road.
By this time, Miller had moved to Los Angeles and shed the thick, ’50s-style glasses that had become a major part of his image. He and Hammond also began performing in an informal side project dubbed the Ranchero Brothers, although a proposed album never materialized. Instead, the musicians returned their focus to Old 97's, releasing another pop-influenced record with 2001's Satellite Rides. Miller took a temporary leave after its release to work on a solo power pop record, The Instigator, which was released in late 2002. A period of relative inactivity followed, as the band members found themselves in different cities, with several of them starting families.
The hiatus ended in 2004 with the release of Drag It Up, whose subsequent tour featured prominently on the double-disc live album Alive & Wired. Afterward, Miller returned to his solo career with 2006's The Believer, which found the frontman experimenting with strings and orchestral arrangements. Old 97's returned to the studio once again in 2008, though, this time holing up in their native Dallas to help channel the energy of their earlier records. The move worked, and the resulting album, Blame It on Gravity, delivered some of the band’s strongest songs in years. While touring the country in support, Murry Hammond launched his own solo career, packaging a wealth of old-timey gospel ballads and locomotive imagery onto the album I Don’t Know Where I’m Going But I’m on My Way. Miller also found time to release a solo album, 2009's self-titled Rhett Miller, which appeared one year before the ninth Old 97's record, The Grand Theatre Volume One. Originally intended as a double-album, The Grand Theatre was followed in mid-2011 by a companion record, The Grand Theater Vol. 2. Ever prolific, Miller then released The Interpreter in 2011 and The Dreamer in 2012.
Following the 2013 release of the EP Waylon Jennings, featuring songs the band recorded over a decade earlier with the man himself, the Old 97’s have confirmed the April 29 release of their new album and ATO debut Most Messed Up — a revealing, 12-track meditation on 20 years in music that finds them at their raucous, boozy best. It’s “a rock opera, a way-off Broadway musical about a musician’s life, loves and lubrication,” says music critic Bill Flanagan. Recorded in Austin and produced by Salim Nourallah, Most Messed Up also features guest appearances by Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses) and Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case) on lap-steel.
- See more at: http://old97s.com/about/#sthash.pFQR5BUu.dpuf
OFFICIAL SITE
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