Old 97's appreciation thread

[Napoleon 8660]

1 hour ago, hullabelew said:

I know it's not a contest, but Isbell and Felker gets a lot of love for their lyric writing but Rhett is just as strong in my book.   And they continue to put on full-bore rock and roll parties at their shows.  Wouldn't attempt to guess how many times I've seen them, but never a bad show.  

I have never heard of Isbell or Felker, but in addition to Rhett’s lyrics, Murry* Hammond does a good job too. 
 

*the spelling of Murry's first name will always seem wrong to me. And to my iPhone. 

[4th&Five 41506]

43 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

I have never heard of Isbell or Felker, but in addition to Rhett’s lyrics, Murry* Hammond does a good job too. 
 

*the spelling of Murry's first name will always seem wrong to me. And to my iPhone. 

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

I love Rhett’s lyrics. Funny as hell. Wistful. They have a way of making you feel nostalgic and smile, but hurt a little too.

It’s not quite the jaw dropping twists of Isbell songs, or Felker’s gut punch vignettes, but they’re great, and certainly more fun.

[baboso 6054]

13 hours ago, Napoleon said:

I have never heard of Isbell or Felker, but in addition to Rhett’s lyrics, Murry* Hammond does a good job too. 
 

*the spelling of Murry's first name will always seem wrong to me. And to my iPhone. 

You have never heard of Jason Isbell or Evan Felker?  Really?

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

2 minutes ago, baboso said:

You have never heard of Jason Isbell or Evan Felker?  Really?

It's especially hard to fathom in an Old 97's thread given that they've played a shit ton of shows together over the last 8-9 years (last time I saw either of Old 97's or Turnpike they were playing together), Rhett produced a Turnpike album, and Turnpike covered "Doreen" on said album.  And Rhett and Evan played some acoustic gigs together as well.  The two artists have been extremely intertwined for some time.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Al_4_ISU

[Napoleon 8660]

3 hours ago, baboso said:

You have never heard of Jason Isbell or Evan Felker?  Really?

No.

🤷‍♂️

Most of my Old 97s shows were from 1996 to the mid 2000s.

The most recent one was in Dallas the Saturday of their 30th Anniversary tour.

I arrived later after birthday dinner for my old mom and then met up with a friend waiting to take me in through security in the back. Watched from the VIP section, and then said “Hi!” to Rhett on the way out. 

I did not see an opening band. 

I may have only seen them one other time in the last decade plus. I lived out of state and/or in Argentina for most of the last 25 years. 

I have heard of Garfunkel & Oats though. 

 

[hullabelew 3723]

New album out in 4/5.

First single with Peter Buck on guitar. 

  

[hullabelew 3723]

https://shop.atorecords.com/

Pre-order info

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

I dug that.

[hullabelew 3723]

"You could have died that day". Wow.  

[pops 6980]

They talked about it on the hardline yesterday and I'm assuming Rhett told corby this,  but it is a song to his 14 year old self when he tried to commit suicide unsuccessfully. 

Maybe that's obvious or  everyone knows that but I didn't. 

[Celery Man 20931]

I remember hearing Rhett on some podcast talk about a suicide attempt when he was a teenager - I assume that's what that line references? Just listened through the song, but fairly passively.

 

Old 97s is a formative band for me, although i haven't dug too much into their releases since the grand theater albums. I think I'm probably missing some stuff but I feel like Rhett is flanderizing himself a bit in his older age (leaning too far into being kinda adorable, which was always part of his schtick) and I also heavily suspect that a) there used to be a healthy creative tension between Rhett and Murry and b) now these guys meet up and learn each others songs before laying down an album. I don't know if that's right, but it feels less like albums of Rhett pop songs that Murry has seasoned up with country western (and one or two of the exact opposite).

Anyways, I'll try to give the new album a few good shakes before I just go back and listen to Too Far To Care again. Which is just pure bangers front to back.

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

Too Far to Care is one of the best albums of that entire genre.  I heard it my freshman year at ISU and it blew my mind.  It completely changed how I viewed music and even though it wasn't my catalyst to fully embrace country (getting into Drive-By Truckers a couple years later did that) it set the stage.

Comparing other stuff to it is only setting yourself up for a letdown.

[irishtexan 11512]

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Too Far to Care is one of the best albums of that entire genre.  I heard it my freshman year at ISU and it blew my mind.  It completely changed how I viewed music and even though it wasn't my catalyst to fully embrace country (getting into Drive-By Truckers a couple years later did that) it set the stage.

Comparing other stuff to it is only setting yourself up for a letdown.

I mean, I get it. But if I want to listen to the Old 97s, I want to listen to the good shit that I like that got me into them. I know every note, every lyric to every song on their first three records. I dig Fight Songs and Satellite Rides, but don't listen to those albums as much. And Drag it Up was good but all I really love off that record is "won't be home." 

Everything after that felt/feels like the Rhett Miller-easy-listening-pop-experience where the songs could be used in the reconciliation scene of a rom com. 

They set a standard that was impossible to maintain.

I still want to see them live again though. 

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

2 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

I mean, I get it. But if I want to listen to the Old 97s, I want to listen to the good shit that I like that got me into them. I know every note, every lyric to every song on their first three records. I dig Fight Songs and Satellite Rides, but don't listen to those albums as much. And Drag it Up was good but all I really love off that record is "won't be home." 

Everything after that felt/feels like the Rhett Miller-easy-listening-pop-experience where the songs could be used in the reconciliation scene of a rom com. 

They set a standard that was impossible to maintain.

I still want to see them live again though. 

Most Messed Up is absolutely classic Old 97's.  If you haven't listened to that album much, you should.

[utee94 15804]

Wow I like that song after one listen, and there's no doubt it'll continue to grow on me.  Old 97s songs tend to do that to me in a way that not many artists do.

I had no idea of an attempted suicide but the moment I heard that lyric it really hit me, I knew exactly what he was saying.  Then sure enough I read the responding posts.

Anyway, looking forward to another album release.  I'm getting tired of my usual "new listens" and ready for something a little older and warmer feeling.

[irishtexan 11512]

13 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Most Messed Up is absolutely classic Old 97's.  If you haven't listened to that album much, you should.

I'll give it a spin. I actually don't think I've ever listened to the whole record.

I guess that's the record they made right before Rhett got sober. I read an interview somewhere that Jason Isbell was a resource for him when quitting drinking/weed.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

6 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

I'll give it a spin. I actually don't think I've ever listened to the whole record.

I guess that's the record they made right before Rhett got sober. I read an interview somewhere that Jason Isbell was a resource for him when quitting drinking/weed.

 

Yeah, that's all accurate.  Most Messed Up is pretty damn autobiographical from what I understand.

[strangulation! 1712]

is that jeff ament at 2:50?

[hullabelew 3723]

38 minutes ago, strangulation! said:

is that jeff ament at 2:50?

I thought that was just some guy at the venue.  Out of my top 20 shows ever, probably 8 of them are Old 97s shows.  Then add in some of the Ranchero Brothers shows....

[Celery Man 20931]

oh yeah I wouldn't really compare against Too Far to Care or expect any subsequent album to match that. Just, I think with some of their newer albums I've gotten a track or two in and have decided I just want to go listen to the albums I love. I'll have to go give Most Messed Up a fair shake, though - I don't know if I ever did.

I would compare newer albums to Rhett solo albums a bit. I actually always liked this one off of The Believer - 

 

[Snake Diggity 4619]

On 4/6/2020 at 1:59 AM, UTCzech III said:

You're right, they are good guys.  I'll probably out myself by posting this but I don't give a fuck.  These are the end times and I'm drunk on margaritas right now.  

I posted this on the old (shit) site, but my brother was a roadie for them, and when he was killed by a drunk driver, they wrote a song for him.  (BTW, I'm sitting at home right now, so no irony, ok...) Probably the most depressing song they ever wrote, I've listened to it maybe 3 times ever, it literally describes his death, but in a peaceful way.

It's such a vicious circle , my brother is the one who got me hooked on them, and then they're chronicling his death...  Yeah, my head is pretty fucked up right now...  

But fuck, I can put on Broadway or Ray Charles or If My Heart Was a Car, or Doreen (the original bluegrass version) or In the Satellite Rides a Star and crank that shit up.  I really quit listening after my brother died, but I'll catch up.  Life rolls on, but I know someday I'll see them live again and shake their hands and connect the circle once again.  And tears will be shed, just as they are now, sorry...

(ETA: this song is what set me off, nothing to do with my brother but it just hits me in the heart...)  

 

I was at the benefit show they did for your brother and cried when Rhett played the song he wrote for him.  Sorry for your loss.

[Snake Diggity 4619]

Old 97s have been my favorite band since 1999 and Rhett Miller was probably top 3 people in the world that I would’ve wanted to trade places with at that time.  They haven’t released a song that I don’t like and they’ve never put on a bad show.  They showed their age a bit the last time I saw them but it was still fun.  The last few years I’ve seen too many quotes from Rhett lamenting how little money he makes compared to his St Marks classmates and that makes me extremely sad to think he’s that insecure.  But from all accounts they are all really nice guys, and like I said they write nothing but good songs and put on nothing but good shows.  Rare for a band to stay together and sustain the “popular but not overhyped” level of fame as they have.

[UTCzech III 2907]

10 minutes ago, Snake Diggity said:

I was at the benefit show they did for your brother and cried when Rhett played the song he wrote for him.  Sorry for your loss.

I appreciate you being there.  Got to meet a lot of Joel's friends that night, an did a lot of shots/toasts, so there was some good mixed in with the sad.  Thanks again for your thoughts.

[hullabelew 3723]

13 hours ago, Snake Diggity said:

Old 97s have been my favorite band since 1999 and Rhett Miller was probably top 3 people in the world that I would’ve wanted to trade places with at that time.  They haven’t released a song that I don’t like and they’ve never put on a bad show.  They showed their age a bit the last time I saw them but it was still fun.  The last few years I’ve seen too many quotes from Rhett lamenting how little money he makes compared to his St Marks classmates and that makes me extremely sad to think he’s that insecure.  But from all accounts they are all really nice guys, and like I said they write nothing but good songs and put on nothing but good shows.  Rare for a band to stay together and sustain the “popular but not overhyped” level of fame as they have.

I doubt any of those St. Marks folks love their jobs as much as Rhett.  😁  There is a GREAT interview with Rhett and Rosanne Cash talking that just makes me so happy.  They joy those two have between them is so enlightening.  

Heard Bob Schneider talking with Joe Pug about this.   Bob said he was talking with Todd Snider about it and they were going on and on about how cool it was that they got to travel around and play music.  Then Todd said, "But don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy."   Funny dude.  

[TwiceHorn 31438]

28 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

I doubt any of those St. Marks folks love their jobs as much as Rhett.  😁  There is a GREAT interview with Rhett and Rosanne Cash talking that just makes me so happy.  They joy those two have between them is so enlightening.  

Heard Bob Schneider talking with Joe Pug about this.   Bob said he was talking with Todd Snider about it and they were going on and on about how cool it was that they got to travel around and play music.  Then Todd said, "But don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy."   Funny dude.  

Steve Miller or Boz Skaggs probably. At least for a longer while. 

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

51 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

I doubt any of those St. Marks folks love their jobs as much as Rhett.  😁  There is a GREAT interview with Rhett and Rosanne Cash talking that just makes me so happy.  They joy those two have between them is so enlightening.  

Heard Bob Schneider talking with Joe Pug about this.   Bob said he was talking with Todd Snider about it and they were going on and on about how cool it was that they got to travel around and play music.  Then Todd said, "But don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy."   Funny dude.  

Todd’s the best.  Just hope he’s done making funk albums.

[Napoleon 8660]

22 hours ago, irishtexan said:

I mean, I get it. But if I want to listen to the Old 97s, I want to listen to the good shit that I like that got me into them. I know every note, every lyric to every song on their first three records. I dig Fight Songs and Satellite Rides, but don't listen to those albums as much. And Drag it Up was good but all I really love off that record is "won't be home." 

Everything after that felt/feels like the Rhett Miller-easy-listening-pop-experience where the songs could be used in the reconciliation scene of a rom com. 

They set a standard that was impossible to maintain.

I still want to see them live again though. 

The reason that you like “Won’t Be Home” (2004) so much is that it was written back in the meth-a-billy* mid-to-late 1990s.

I had probably heard that song 7 to 10 times over a number of years when i saw the Old 97s at TREES (in Deep Ellum in Dallas) in late 2003 to 2004. 

Rhett announced that this next song was on their upcoming album.

I was singing along in the middle of the crowd (no VIP for that show) and the guy next to me asked me how I knew the words. I told him that I’d heard it a ton of times over the years. 

I don’t know when it was first performed, but i think that Rhett had tinkered with the lyrics a bit and it didn’t fit the vibe of “Satellite Rides” and the stuff that Jon Brion produced for them, but it’s a great song live.

*”meth-a-billy” is not a factual description, but a joke on my part to describe the speed rock-a-billy songs when Rhett would whip his sweaty head back in forth that led a doctor to tell him to stop and Philip would wail on the drums at a pace that must have been more than 200bpm. “Doreen” & “Time Bomb” are also fine examples of that era.

[Celery Man 20931]

Probably 504 and If My Heart Was a Car as well.

i saw somewhere, probably Ken on some video or even a livestream where he was talking about how they made their setlists and that he would always lose to Philip’s veto on 504 because it was such a beating to play.

heart was a car was always a kinda middle tier Old 97s song for me 20 years ago but it has grown on me a lot.

[Snake Diggity 4619]

Streets of Where I’m From not getting enough love on this thread.  Fantastic song.

If I made a set list:

Melt Show

Doreen

Niteclub

Nineteen

Rollerskate Skinny

Indefinitely

The Other Shoe

Color of a lonely heart is blue 

Jagged

W-I-F-E

Designs on You

Mama Tried

Four Leaf Clover

Wont Be Home

If My Heart was a car

Most Messed Up

State of Texas

 

Encore 1:

Question

Barrier Reef

Stoned

Big Brown Eyes

Encore 2: 

Valentine

Streets of Where I’m From

Murder (or a heart attack)

Time bomb

[Celery Man 20931]

2 hours ago, Snake Diggity said:

Streets of Where I’m From not getting enough love on this thread.  Fantastic song.

If I made a set list:

Melt Show

Doreen

Niteclub

Nineteen

Rollerskate Skinny

Indefinitely

The Other Shoe

Color of a lonely heart is blue 

Jagged

W-I-F-E

Designs on You

Mama Tried

Four Leaf Clover

Wont Be Home

If My Heart was a car

Most Messed Up

State of Texas

 

Encore 1:

Question

Barrier Reef

Stoned

Big Brown Eyes

Encore 2: 

Valentine

Streets of Where I’m From

Murder (or a heart attack)

Time bomb

needs more victoria

[hullabelew 3723]

I was at a show once and about the 3rd song some chick screams out, "Play Time Bomb". People started booing and Rhett looked at the girl and said, "you don't know how this works do you"

[hullabelew 3723]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

needs more victoria

"She started on Rohypinol and ended up with me."
First time I heard Isbell's "Relatively Easy" and his lines about

"His woman took the kids and he took Klonopin
Enough to kill a man of twice his size"

I thought of that line from "Victoria"

I wonder how many songs we can list that have drugs listed by name.  

[Celery Man 20931]

there's the one off Southeastern where Isbell rhymes... benzodiazapine

then you got MF DOOM - 
One for the money, two for the better green, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Edited February 22 by Celery Man

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

Isbell does it twice on the same album doesn't he?

Also The White Stripes "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine".

Acetaminophen, you see the medicine.  Oh girl, you have no faith in medicine.

[Celery Man 20931]

But seriously though.... there was some discussion upthread about Miller not getting his due as a lyricist, and that's absolutely right. I don't know how to describe what he's the master of, but it's that thing where there's just a fucking line that's great. And fun to sing. Victoria has a bunch of them - the percodan and rohypnol ones, but "She lived in Berkeley till the earthquakes shook her loose - she lives in Texas now where nothin ever moves."

Streets of Where I'm From was mentioned upthread, I think that's where he says "I've been had, well at least that's how it looks. But it's not funny like on TV and it's not smart like it is in books".

St Ignatius - I mean that whole song is fun to sing, every line. I guess the "We're just shadows" line where he refers to Plato's allegory of the cave and then says he'll bring the kerosene to burn down the Palace.

We could just name songs and the most fun line from the song. Maybe he's the master of song lines that you can deliver with a wink.

My name's Stuart Ransom Miller, I'm a serial lady killer. She said I'm already dead, that's exactly what she said.

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

If you die fearing God and gainfully employed you will not go to heaven, you'll go to Champaign, Illinois

Legitimately one of the funniest lines I've ever heard

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

19 has always absolutely slayed me, especially this couplet

I was only 19.  Finished up with high school.  Headed to a state school.  Walked right into you.

That will always immediately take me to my first major college fling/crush.

[Celery Man 20931]

Big Brown Eyes has some great ones -

and the cherry burns the corner of the page that says the end is coming soon - not soon enough, restring all your guitars and pack up all your stuff 

A box of red and a pill or three and I’m calling time and temperature just for some company

[Al_4_ISU 12447]

Big Brown Eyes has some great ones -
and the cherry burns the corner of the page that says the end is coming soon - not soon enough, restring all your guitars and pack up all your stuff 
A box of red and a pill or three and I’m calling time and temperature just for some company

I always liked the simplicity of “you’ve made a big impression for a girl of your size”.

My daughter has big brown eyes and I sing the chorus to her when I’m rocking her to sleep. I wasn’t sure if it’s creepy or not, but the chorus could easily be platonic on its own. It’s just such a great melody that I can’t resist.

[Celery Man 20931]

44 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I always liked the simplicity of “you’ve made a big impression for a girl of your size”.

My daughter has big brown eyes and I sing the chorus to her when I’m rocking her to sleep. I wasn’t sure if it’s creepy or not, but the chorus could easily be platonic on its own. It’s just such a great melody that I can’t resist.

Ours is Salome, which is even less appropriate but was effective for getting her to chill. “My blood’s turned to dirt, girl you broke every part of me” 

super low tier 97s song but Curtain Calls was one too. “You believe in cards and you believe in signs. And I’ll be leaving soon but I’m here tonight”.

[hullabelew 3723]

My name's Stewart Ransom Miller, I'm a serial lady killer.

[Napoleon 8660]

“Doreen”

-the whole fucking song.

[CleverNickname 1308]

Probably easy to find now, but Making Love With You is great. 

[Celery Man 20931]

6 hours ago, Napoleon said:

“Doreen”

-the whole fucking song.

guy that plays the banjo keeps on handing me the old crow which multiplies my sorrows I can’t take it anymore

[hullabelew 3723]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

guy that plays the banjo keeps on handing me the old crow which multiplies my sorrows I can’t take it anymore

When was the last time anyone saw a Fina?  😁

[hullabelew 3723]

One of my favorite things he did was write the same story from two perspectives.

Dance With Me is about a chick on vacation who hooks up with a local and her boyfriend is trying to locate her.  

And he takes your hand, tenderly
And he whispers sweet surrender
Nothing, is how he feels about girls like you
With your flip flop smiles
And your big blue eyes on vacation

Then "Guadalajara", with the dude on a business trip, hooking up with a 'holiday girl' is sort of the 'get back'.   

[utee94 15804]

16 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

19 has always absolutely slayed me, especially this couplet

I was only 19.  Finished up with high school.  Headed to a state school.  Walked right into you.

That will always immediately take me to my first major college fling/crush.

Same here, it's pure nostalgia.  

All I ever wanted to do... was lie around in bed with you... I was only nineteen

 

[Napoleon 8660]

Just saw this and thought that it was pretty cool.

[ABZ 58]

Bumping, as I am excited to see them for the umpteenth time here in Austin next week. They're playing in Austin/Dallas/San Antonio/Houston.

 

My favorite line has always been: "You could save the highway if you'd crash with me tonight"

The nostalgia comment above is spot on for so many of their lyrics.