Review of The Walkabouts - Death Valley Days
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(This may not be actual album art)
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The Walkabouts, named after Nic Roeg's Walkabout movie, came out of Seattle in the mid-1980's. Their first recordings were released by Sub Pop, the label that gave us Nirvana and Soundgarden, but the Walkabouts had little in common with what would become known as Grunge. Rather, their music draws on the classic traditions of American roots - country, folk, blues, and rock-n-roll in some of its purest forms.
Death Valley Days is a collection of outtakes, demos, and rarities recorded between 1985 and 1995, the most interesting of which is a blistering cover of Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane." There is also a sublime version of the Bob Dylan classic "Maggie's Farm." On tracks like "Yesterday is Here" and "Prisoner of Texas," founding members, guitarist Chris Eckman and lead singer Carla Torgeson, flesh out rudimentary aggression into a thick maelstrom of coagulated sand. There is also a superior alternate version of "Break It Down Gently," which originally appeared on their 1990 album Scavenger.
The Walkabouts play honey-drenched petal steel country that warms your heart, melts your soul, and aims a few subtle stabs at your conscience.
Released Date: 1996
Glitterhouse Records
Germany
Tracks:
Drunk (On a Civilized Rule)
1 + 1
Barnstorming
Chain Gang
On the Beach
Big Black Car
Cello Song
Maggie's Farm
Break It Down Gently
Train To Mercy (Italia version)
Yesterday is Here
Prisoner Of Texas
Inauguration Day
Pass Me On Over
Like a Hurricane
House Of The Rising Sun
Loswerden
Sand & Gravel Strings
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