English Oceans Discussion Thread

[OldCloverdale]

http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2014/03/30/drive-by-truckers-perform-in-the-current-s-studio

[TW_2.0]

http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2014/03/30/drive-by-truckers-perform-in-the-current-s-studio

Nice. Thanks for posting.

You from Montgomery ?

[Markalanbishop]

Now I'm loving the little, arguably non-musical, things on this album: the sound of the tape machine getting up to speed on Natural Light; Brad's fourth drumstick click not quite resonating like the first three when he's counting off SSC; the tape hiss here and there. It's all just comforting to me, like chicken soup. And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

[RMD]

I love this album and it is top tier DBT for me. Best album since TDS, some days DD. May sound strange but I am proud of them for bringing this release to the table at this point of their career.

[Smitty]

And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

"Hanging On"

[dbtfan4life]

where exactly on Hanging on?

[roland]

I don't have the attention span to go through the whole thread, but could someone PM me the Cooley tracks without the whine? I've been listening to an 8K song playlist until this morning, and EO was the first thing I picked on the iPod, and Natural Light and First Air of Autumn are killing me.

Thanks.

[Markalanbishop]

And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

"Hanging On"

Excellent, thanks! Now I have something to do on the commute home.

[OldCloverdale]

http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2014/03/30/drive-by-truckers-perform-in-the-current-s-studio

Nice. Thanks for posting.

You from Montgomery ?

Yep -- War Damn Eagle

[Markalanbishop]

And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

"Hanging On"

Damn it, Smitty I fell for that one hook, line, and sinker. I was so excited I didn't even think about what you were saying. I put the song on in the parking deck and immediately started laughing and cursing you. Well done, sir, well done.

[Markalanbishop]

Just read a quote by Patton Oswalt that echoes what Patterson and Cooley have been saying in the press about EO and their current thinking: "I'm trying to make my language simpler and my ideas bigger."

[Penny Lane]

http://therevue.ca/2014/04/mundo-15-our-favorite-albums-of-the-first-quarter-of-2014/

great first quarter list!

[Gang Green]

http://therevue.ca/2014/04/mundo-15-our-favorite-albums-of-the-first-quarter-of-2014/

great first quarter list!

Pretty nice list, I had most of these albums on my Spotify, but a few I didn't, thanks for posting this list. Besides English Oceans, which was awesome to see, I've been enjoying the Dap Kings and the Damian Jerado. And, as much as I have problems with Beck personaly, his album is pretty good. I want to hate it, but I can't.

[Penny Lane]

i think the Beck album is good but i don't think as good as Sea Change ...

So hard to imagine Cooley shooting a video!

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2014/04/video-premiere-the-drive-by-truckers-made-up-english-oceans.html

[Clams]

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2014/04/video-premiere-the-drive-by-truckers-made-up-english-oceans.html

Two things crossed my mind afetr finishing that interview:

1. I finally get what this song is about.
2. No wonder it takes Cooley so goddam long to write his songs. That's some pretty deep, complicated stuff to sort through and whittle down into lyrics.

[cortez the killer]

When it comes to winning the hearts and minds of the South, it's all about The Three Gs: god, guns, and gay stuff.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

For those that may have missed it, Patterson and Cooley get into the stories behind their Lee Atwater songs in this video interview.

Interview: Drive-By Truckers Tip Their Hats to Republican Liars, AC/DC and Old School Hip Hop

[lotusamerica]

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2014/04/video-premiere-the-drive-by-truckers-made-up-english-oceans.html

Two things crossed my mind afetr finishing that interview:

1. I finally get what this song is about.
2. No wonder it takes Cooley so goddam long to write his songs. That's some pretty deep, complicated stuff to sort through and whittle down into lyrics.

Uhhhh... I think I've got it now... boobs and bibles!

[beantownbubba]

http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2014/04/video-premiere-the-drive-by-truckers-made-up-english-oceans.html

Two things crossed my mind afetr finishing that interview:

1. I finally get what this song is about.
2. No wonder it takes Cooley so goddam long to write his songs. That's some pretty deep, complicated stuff to sort through and whittle down into lyrics.

Uhhhh... I think I've got it now... boobs and bibles!

You peeked.

[Cole Younger]

That shot of her sitting in the tub eating the pages from the Bible gave me the creeps.

[Duke Silver]

File under brain dump...

I still love EO, but I wish there was a harder rocking song in the #2 spot. SSC comes roaring out of the gate, then WHG slams on the brakes and the album never really recovers that initial energy. I like WHG, but it almost feels too...refined. Like the Heat Lightning band trying to interpret a DBT song, or something. I wish it had some of SSC's reckless energy.

[bovine knievel]

File under brain dump...

I still love EO, but I wish there was a harder rocking song in the #2 spot. SSC comes roaring out of the gate, then WHG slams on the brakes and the album never really recovers that initial energy. I like WHG, but it almost feels too...refined. Like the Heat Lightning band trying to interpret a DBT song, or something. I wish it had some of SSC's reckless energy.

I can get behind this but I feel like its nitpicking.

[Duke Silver]

File under brain dump...

I still love EO, but I wish there was a harder rocking song in the #2 spot. SSC comes roaring out of the gate, then WHG slams on the brakes and the album never really recovers that initial energy. I like WHG, but it almost feels too...refined. Like the Heat Lightning band trying to interpret a DBT song, or something. I wish it had some of SSC's reckless energy.

I can get behind this but I feel like its nitpicking.

80 pages into this thread, it's getting harder to find things to bitch about.

[Tequila Cowboy]

80 pages into this thread, it's getting harder to find things to bitch about.

Don't worry, be happy.

[beantownbubba]

File under brain dump...

I still love EO, but I wish there was a harder rocking song in the #2 spot. SSC comes roaring out of the gate, then WHG slams on the brakes and the album never really recovers that initial energy. I like WHG, but it almost feels too...refined. Like the Heat Lightning band trying to interpret a DBT song, or something. I wish it had some of SSC's reckless energy.

I can get behind this but I feel like its nitpicking.

80 pages into this thread, it's getting harder to find things to bitch about.

I'm thinking that this somehow ought to be turned into a question for the snob/nerd quiz.

[cortez the killer]

We've got nitpickers, pedantic folks, old assholes, snobs, and nerds. Where does "whiny fucksticks" fit into this spectrum of categorization?

[beantownbubba]

We've got nitpickers, pedantic folks, old assholes, snobs, and nerds. Where does "whiny fucksticks" fit into this spectrum of categorization?

Pedantic folks are actually called pedants.



See what I did there?

[hpz4]

Now I'm loving the little, arguably non-musical, things on this album: the sound of the tape machine getting up to speed on Natural Light; Brad's fourth drumstick click not quite resonating like the first three when he's counting off SSC; the tape hiss here and there. It's all just comforting to me, like chicken soup. And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

What is tom fill?

[Duke Silver]

Now I'm loving the little, arguably non-musical, things on this album: the sound of the tape machine getting up to speed on Natural Light; Brad's fourth drumstick click not quite resonating like the first three when he's counting off SSC; the tape hiss here and there. It's all just comforting to me, like chicken soup. And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

What is tom fill?

+

[John A Arkansawyer]

Now I'm loving the little, arguably non-musical, things on this album: the sound of the tape machine getting up to speed on Natural Light; Brad's fourth drumstick click not quite resonating like the first three when he's counting off SSC; the tape hiss here and there. It's all just comforting to me, like chicken soup. And has anyone figured out where the mythical tom fill is on this album, or is this gonna be one of those Loch Ness monster deals?

What is tom fill?

+

'

Oh, come on. Let's be straight here. He's a newbie, okay? Cut him (or her--who knows?) some slack.

Thomas T. Phillips was Sam Phillips' nephew. He played drums on many of the Sun sessions and was the first person to play percussion at the Grand Ol' Opry (sandblocks and shakers, backing up Patsy Cline in 1957). He was a master of all percussion, but especially liked playing the kit.

He had an exciting life. When Pete Seeger travelled to the Carribean to learn how to make and play the steel drum, Tom Phillips went along. This nearly ended his career, since the first fifty-five gallon barrel he took the welding torch to had been used to store very powerful moonshine. He recovered fully from the explosion, but did have a nervous breakdown upon seeing The Who on the Smothers Brothers show. He's one of the uncredited percussionists who played with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. He is also the first person to use a triple bass setup, which the Tom Tom Club (huge fans, as you can see by the name) lightheartedly wrote about in their last significant single, "The Man with the Four-Way Hips". He never used a quad bass set in public, but there was one found in his studio after his tragic death at Woodstock '94. And here's a fun fact: Before Cozy Powell, he was considered for the P in ELP, as he had a larger drum kit than Carl Palmer. This was abandoned when it turned out the stage lift that turned Palmer over in the air wasn't sound enough for Phillips' kit, due to the number of very large symbols involved.

What he's most famous for is being the person who first shrunk down a bass drum down into a tom-tom, using a combination of water treatment, ever-tighter tension rods, and (this part he managed to keep a secret until after his death) and a strain of very small termites. The tom drum was probably his favorite part of the kit, and he developed many, many ways to use it. Originally, he called those little drum licks rrifferrs (you're supposed to roll the Rs, so he spelled it that way), but that was a silly name, so others, who admired the man despite his funny ways named them after him--Tom Phils, now spelled tom fills.

I hope this little history has engaged your interest in the tom fill. Here's a tutorial on them: