Discography
Brighter Than Creation's Dark
(released January 22, 2008 - New West Records)SONGS:
Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife, Three Dimes Down, The Righteous Path, I'm Sorry Huston, Perfect Timing, Daddy Needs a Drink, Self Destructive Zones, Bob, Home Field Advantage, Opening Act, Lisa's Birthday, The Man I Shot, Purgatory Line, The Home Front, Check Out Time In Vegas, You and Your Crystal Meth, Goode's Field Road, A Ghost To Most, Monument ValleyRead Lyrics
Read song-by-song writeup by Patterson Hood
Not only is this our finest album, but it sounds better on vinyl by an
even bigger margin than any of the others.
It was written, learned, played, mixed and mastered for vinyl.
It's how it was meant to be heard and it shines like Rain Dance Car Wax
on a 69 Camarro.
It may not be as fast around the curve as your modern hybrid but that long road trip will be as fine a ride as you ever experience. As a bonus, an included MP3 will provide the digital impetus to make you iPod quake with it's fine sounds and it is pretty fine in that format also.
Best of both worlds, vinyl sound, big beautiful packaging and portable iPod sounds for a hopefully reasonable price. Gatefold sleeve to separate what needs to be separated. Big Beautiful artwork by Wes Freed seen in the size it was intended to be seen in.
Technicolor horizons. Indeed.
It may not be as fast around the curve as your modern hybrid but that long road trip will be as fine a ride as you ever experience. As a bonus, an included MP3 will provide the digital impetus to make you iPod quake with it's fine sounds and it is pretty fine in that format also.
Best of both worlds, vinyl sound, big beautiful packaging and portable iPod sounds for a hopefully reasonable price. Gatefold sleeve to separate what needs to be separated. Big Beautiful artwork by Wes Freed seen in the size it was intended to be seen in.
Technicolor horizons. Indeed.
COMING SOON:
All Drive-By Trucker titles (except for Alabama Ass Whuppin') will be available on vinyl!
DETAILS AND DATES OF VINYL REISSUES COMING SOON.
(Southern Rock Opera available NOW)
Bettye LaVette (w/ Drive-By Truckers): The Scene of the Crime
(released September 25, 2007 - Anti Records)SONGS:
Take Me Like I Am (Still Want To Be Your Baby), Choices, Jealousy, You Dont Know Me At All, Somebody Pick Up My Pieces, They Call It Love, The Last Time, Talking Old Soldiers, Before the Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette), I Guess We Shouldn't Talk About That NowI know this one isn't an official DBT record, but we all are on it, it is out on vinyl, and it was an important piece of the puzzle that tied what we've done in the past with what we're doing now. Making it was one of the toughest things we've ever done, but I'm extremely proud of the finished album. It shows off a different side of our band, one that
has always existed, but has usually been overlooked (or over shadowed).
Bettye is as fine a singer as anyone on earth and this album captures her at her finest hour (so far). The album also features 3 great performances by my Dad (David Hood) and the cover if Elton John's "Talking Old Soldiers" may be the most primal and intense performances you'll ever hear. It is a great CD but it sounds about twice as good on it's vinyl release, so dust off that table and let it spin. (Vinyl release comes with free mp3 download for your iPod, so it's WIN WIN).
Bettye is as fine a singer as anyone on earth and this album captures her at her finest hour (so far). The album also features 3 great performances by my Dad (David Hood) and the cover if Elton John's "Talking Old Soldiers" may be the most primal and intense performances you'll ever hear. It is a great CD but it sounds about twice as good on it's vinyl release, so dust off that table and let it spin. (Vinyl release comes with free mp3 download for your iPod, so it's WIN WIN).
A Blessing and a Curse
(released April 18, 2006 - New West Records)SONGS:
Feb 14, Gravity's Gone, Easy On Yourself, Aftermath USA, Goodbye, Daylight, Wednesday, Little Bonnie, Space City, A Blessing And A Curse, A World Of HurtRead Lyrics
Our most controversial and polarizing album.
I'm frequently told it's someone's favorite one of our albums. Then ten
minutes later someone tells me how much they hate it.
I've been through periods of both emotions at different times myself.
Upon listening to it 2+ years later I still have decidedly mixed
feelings.
I always loved Big Star and The Replacements and side one is sort of our attempt at making that kind of record. (With a little Faces and Blue Oyster Cult thrown in for good measure). We had an agenda and were trying to find common ground at a time when it was a little hard to come by. I can kinda see why some folks hate it and why some folks love it.
Side two is less controversial to me. Space City is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and A World of Hurt is probably my 2nd favorite song I've written. Wednesday sounds like Adam's House Cat and I always liked that band.
It's hard to write about a cliche' without sounding cliched' and the title cut pushes that to the edge. I still don't know if I like that song, but I really love the guitars. Vinyl seems to make the least difference on this one but as I said, side 2 is pretty good.
I always loved Big Star and The Replacements and side one is sort of our attempt at making that kind of record. (With a little Faces and Blue Oyster Cult thrown in for good measure). We had an agenda and were trying to find common ground at a time when it was a little hard to come by. I can kinda see why some folks hate it and why some folks love it.
Side two is less controversial to me. Space City is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and A World of Hurt is probably my 2nd favorite song I've written. Wednesday sounds like Adam's House Cat and I always liked that band.
It's hard to write about a cliche' without sounding cliched' and the title cut pushes that to the edge. I still don't know if I like that song, but I really love the guitars. Vinyl seems to make the least difference on this one but as I said, side 2 is pretty good.
The Dirty South
(released August 24, 2004 - New West Records)SONGS:
Where The Devil Don't Stay, Tornadoes, The Day John Henry Died, Puttin' People on the Moon, Carl Perkins' Cadillac, The Sands of Iwo Jima, Danko/Manuel, Boys From Alabama, Cottonseed, The Buford Stick, Daddy's Cup, Never Gonna Change, Lookout Mountain, Goddamn Lonely LoveRead Lyrics
Read song-by-song writeup by Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell
This is our best selling album and I think it's aging really well. This one sounds quite different on vinyl and in the best of ways.
It almost sounds like different mixes on some songs.
It came out on vinyl in the UK a few years back.
Their packaging was better than the new reissue, but I think this
generation (with mastering by Sterling) sounds a little better.
No mp3 inclusion (not my fault) but I still highly recommend this one.
Tornadoes, Danko / Manuel and Carl Perkins' Cadillac all sound
especially fine.
Patterson Hood - Killers and Stars
(recorded March 2001 / released by New West Records 2004)SONGS:
Uncle Disney, Rising Son, The Assassin, Pay No Attention to Alice, Belinda Carlisle Diet, Fire, Hobo, Miss Me Gone, Phil's Transplant, Frances Farmer, Old Timers Disease, Cat PowerGo to Patterson's Website
Finally Out. Killers and Stars was my homemade exorcism tape. I recorded it in my dining room, during the bleak days of early 2001.
Bootlegged a few copies out and got busy with DBT. Last year, the fine folks at New West approached me about releasing it.
Mastered it, and put a nice cover on it, but otherwise left it alone and spooky. A black-humored document of a shitty time.
Decoration Day
(released June 17, 2003 - New West Records)SONGS:
The Deeper In, Sink Hole, Hell No, I Ain't Happy, Marry Me, My Sweet Annette, Outfit, Heathens, Sounds Better in the Song, (Something’s Got to) Give Pretty Soon, Your Daddy Hates Me, Careless , When the Pin Hits the Shell, Do It Yourself , Decoration Day , Loaded Gun in the ClosetRead Lyrics
Read song-by-song writeup by Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell
This one probably makes the biggest difference on vinyl of any of the reissues.
I'm thrilled with how well this album has aged and how good it sounds on vinyl.
Glen Schick in Atlanta remastered it and did an excellent job.
Please note, it was too long for 1 disc, but too short for 4 sides, so it is three sided. Sequenced that way, it flows like the suspension on a 76 Eldorado, burns a little too much gas, but tops out at around 120.
Loaded Gun in the Closet is still one of the best songs I've ever heard. I couldn't be happier to see this album finally getting it's needle-dropping due.
Please note, it was too long for 1 disc, but too short for 4 sides, so it is three sided. Sequenced that way, it flows like the suspension on a 76 Eldorado, burns a little too much gas, but tops out at around 120.
Loaded Gun in the Closet is still one of the best songs I've ever heard. I couldn't be happier to see this album finally getting it's needle-dropping due.
Southern Rock Opera
(2001 - Soul Dump Records, rereleased 2002 - Lost Highway Records)SONGS:
Days of Graduation, Ronnie and Neil, 72, Dead Drunk and Naked, Guitar Man Upstairs, Birmingham, The Southern Thing, The Three Great Alabama Icons, Wallace, Zip City, Moved, Let There Be Rock, Road Cases, Women Without Whiskey, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Cassie's Brother, Life in the Factory, Shut Up and Get on the Plane, Greenville to Baton Rouge, Angels and FuselageRead Lyrics
Read song-by-song writeup by Patterson Hood
This one shouldn't have ever been released in any other format.
The album was set in the 70's, recorded like it was the 70's and ...well you know.
If you can find one from the original issue, it had a great 24 (or so)
paged "libretto"
which I take to be italian for "booklet telling about it".
Lost Highway didn't bother to reproduce that when they did the reissues
last summer, but it's still way better on vinyl.
This album put us on the map and while it's far from my favorite of our albums, it changed my life forever (long before it was even finished) and since I lived to tell the tale, I'm proud of the tale I told.
We're going to perform it live once in 2011 so mark your calendars.
This album put us on the map and while it's far from my favorite of our albums, it changed my life forever (long before it was even finished) and since I lived to tell the tale, I'm proud of the tale I told.
We're going to perform it live once in 2011 so mark your calendars.
Alabama Ass Whuppin
Live and Loud Way Down in Georgia, 1999recorded LIVE in Athens and Atlanta fall 1999
(2000 - Second Heaven Records, rereleased 2002 - Terminus Records)
SONGS:
Why Henry Drinks, Lookout Mountain, The Living Bubba, Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus), Don't Be in Love Around Me, 18 Wheels of Love, The Avon Lady, Margo and Harold, Buttholeville, Steve McQueen, People Who Died, Love Like This
This one is out of print right now and probably will be for a while.
Burn it if you can find it.
I'm quite proud of this album, and will see to it that it gets reissued
one of these days, but this just isn't the time.
OUT OF PRINT
Pizza Deliverance
(1999 - Soul Dump Records)SONGS:
Bulldozers and Dirt, Nine Bullets, Uncle Frank, Too Much Sex (Too Little Jesus), Box of Spiders, One of These Days, Margo and Harold, The Company I Keep, Tales Facing Up, The Presidents Penis is Missing, Love Like This, Mrs. Dubose, Zoloft, The Night G.G. Allin Came to TownRead Lyrics
I'll always have an extra soft spot for this one. We recorded it in my
living room on Jefferson Rd. n Athens GA in five days in mid-january
1999. You can hear my dogs fighting over which one gets to eat the other's
puke in the background of Mrs. Dubose. (True story).
On that Sunday afternoon we invited a bunch of friends over and got plowed and recorded takes of Nine Bullets, The Company I Keep and a drunken, unplanned The President's Penis is Missing, which we ended up laughing so hard at we put it on the album only to see most early reviews concentrate on how terrible it was. That's alright, I still think it was the right call nearly ten years later.
Cooley came into his own with Uncle Frank, One Of These Days and Love Like This. PD captures an earlier incarnation of this band at a turning point and I'll always love this one.
The Night GG Allin Came To Town was written as a birthday present to Cooley at a time when we weren't speaking.
On that Sunday afternoon we invited a bunch of friends over and got plowed and recorded takes of Nine Bullets, The Company I Keep and a drunken, unplanned The President's Penis is Missing, which we ended up laughing so hard at we put it on the album only to see most early reviews concentrate on how terrible it was. That's alright, I still think it was the right call nearly ten years later.
Cooley came into his own with Uncle Frank, One Of These Days and Love Like This. PD captures an earlier incarnation of this band at a turning point and I'll always love this one.
The Night GG Allin Came To Town was written as a birthday present to Cooley at a time when we weren't speaking.
Gangstabilly
(1998 - Soul Dump Records)SONGS:
Wife Beater, Demonic Possession, The Tough Sell, The Living Bubba, Late For Church, Panties in Your Purse, Why Henry Drinks, 18 Wheels of Love, Steve McQueen, Buttholeville, Sandwiches for the RoadRead Lyrics
This is our weakest album and we didn't really know how to do what we
were trying to do yet.
It does, however have The Living Bubba, which is still the best song I've ever written, Panties In your Purse, which was one of Cooley's earliest creations, and Late For Church, which was written by our original bass player Adam Howell and is one of the weirdest and sublime things we ever recorded.
Jim Stacy's artwork was great, appropriate and misunderstood. I still love it.
On the original CD we tried to make it sound like 2 sides of vinyl. Here on vinyl, it is actually 3 sides and sounds so much better than the original release that it is like a much better album to me. I wrote Demonic Possession during Pat Buchanen's speech at 1996 GOP convention, which was on the TV in the kitchen where I was (hardly) working at the time.
It does, however have The Living Bubba, which is still the best song I've ever written, Panties In your Purse, which was one of Cooley's earliest creations, and Late For Church, which was written by our original bass player Adam Howell and is one of the weirdest and sublime things we ever recorded.
Jim Stacy's artwork was great, appropriate and misunderstood. I still love it.
On the original CD we tried to make it sound like 2 sides of vinyl. Here on vinyl, it is actually 3 sides and sounds so much better than the original release that it is like a much better album to me. I wrote Demonic Possession during Pat Buchanen's speech at 1996 GOP convention, which was on the TV in the kitchen where I was (hardly) working at the time.
Bulldozers and Dirt / Nine Bullets (45 single)
recorded June 10, 1996 / released spring 1998(SDR-001) out of print (for now)
Adam's House Cat - Town Burned Down
recorded november 1990 / Still unreleased as of now.We recorded 13 songs, live, in the upstairs of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios complex. This album is the closest we ever came to capturing what was right about that band (and is basically all Cooley and I have to show for 6 years of hard work from 1985-1991).
Some of the vocal performances make me cringe, but the album otherwise kicks a lot of ass. Over ten years later, I'm still knocked out by what a great drummer Chuck Tremblay was, and John Cahoon's bass playing kicked ass. Chris Quillen's high harmony at the end of Long Time Ago still gives me chills.
Town Burned Down included the "original" versions of "Lookout Mountain", "Buttholeville" and a song called "Runaway Train" that should have been a hit.
We still hope to put the album out on Soul Dump Records in the not too distant future.
Some of the vocal performances make me cringe, but the album otherwise kicks a lot of ass. Over ten years later, I'm still knocked out by what a great drummer Chuck Tremblay was, and John Cahoon's bass playing kicked ass. Chris Quillen's high harmony at the end of Long Time Ago still gives me chills.
Town Burned Down included the "original" versions of "Lookout Mountain", "Buttholeville" and a song called "Runaway Train" that should have been a hit.
We still hope to put the album out on Soul Dump Records in the not too distant future.
OTHER ALBUMS OF NOTE:
Adam's House Cat - Trains of Thought
(4 track recording from December 1988) Released independently in 1989. Unavailable.A collection of "train songs". More important as a piece of mythology than as an actual album.
Adam's House Cat - "ep"
Recorded fall 1989 / released spring 1990. Unavailable.A five song "ep". Contains a really good version of "Troubled Waters". Otherwise, this album was generally regarded as crap by the band and most of our tiny following.
.
VINYL NOTES (and other assorted comments on DBT catalog by Patterson Hood)
Generally, once an album comes out, I hardly ever hear it again.
Occasionally I might hear it playing somewhere (sometimes a cringe-inducing experience).
We, of course play songs, but they take on a whole different life LIVE and it's not like I sit around the house listening to my band.
New West has finally come around to our way of thinking in terms of putting our albums out on vinyl.
For those of you firmly entrenched in the digital age, pull that turntable off the top dusty shelf of that closet or go find one used at that downtown record shop that you used to frequent before they built the megabox store in the burbs with all the latest releases and digital cameras. Dust off that vinyl and listen to ROCK in the way that The
Devil intended.
Nice and warm with occasional crackles. Bass in a frequency that human ears can actually relate to.
Treble that defines without piercing the eardrums (even at DBT caliber volumes).
AHHHHHH YEAH. That's what I'm talking about.
I digressed, but what I'm leading up to is I had to approve each and every one of the vinyl reissues to insure MAXIMUM ROCK and minimum bullshit.
Therefore, I sat in my office, rolled a fatty (whatever that may be) and listened to our catalog.
ON VINYL.
The way The Devil intended.
I took the following notes, which I will now share with you: