Those Five Bonus Tracks: AKA Dragon Pants EP

[Gang Green]

If you're on a Mac and having trouble downloading the EP, try this:

Go to Safari > Preferences > Security > Manage Website Settings > Java

You should see the URL of the download site. Highlight it, and on the drop-down menu select "Run In Unsafe Mode"

Hit your download link again and refresh the page, then re-try the download. Trust/accept any warnings you get.

Worked for me!

Dude, thanks, this worked. The last two days I almost went insane trying to download these tracks.

[Markalanbishop]

Nice. Love Rock Solid and Grandpa Rock City. Never been enamored of Dragon Pants--saw one of the very early versions at Eddie's Attic with Brad and Jay, back before it changed titles. Cooley in his Barry White/Prince mode is always enjoyable. And that was a live vocal on Natural Light, right? Sounds like they were having fun. I give it a 173.26 out of 189.71 with points off because it was so fucking hard to figure out how to download.

[heartbreaker1976]

I'm glad none of these were on EO.

The Patterson songs would've all worked on a solo album, or maybe a different DBT album but not this one.

[Tequila Cowboy]

I'm glad none of these were on EO.

The Patterson songs would've all worked on a solo album, or maybe a different DBT album but not this one.

Absolutely agreed. Personally I think Rock Solid is a very strong song but it didn't belong on EO.

[paulc]

Is this gonna be available to purchase as a CD or download?
I'm in the UK so didn't buy EO from the official site due to the ££££ shipping costs.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

Is this gonna be available to purchase as a CD or download?
I'm in the UK so didn't buy EO from the official site due to the ££££ shipping costs.

I believe it's going to be for sale on vinyl on Record Store Day (4.19.14).

[Iowan]

I get the impression that "Grandpa Rock City" is jokingly written from the perspective of Patterson's kids 15 years from now.

[paulc]

Is this gonna be available to purchase as a CD or download?
I'm in the UK so didn't buy EO from the official site due to the ££££ shipping costs.

I believe it's going to be for sale on vinyl on Record Store Day (4.19.14).

I binned my turntable 20 years ago.
Still got my vinyl up in the roof through, can't get rid despite the wife moaning at me.

[Cole Younger]

I'm kind of surprised Rock Solid didn't make it onto the album. Very good song.

I've never cared for Dragon Pants. Everything about it just feels like a throw away song. They definitely made the right call on it.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I haven't heard any of these bonus cuts yet but I have heard "Dragon Pants" in concert so in that regard, I can understand it not making the record. That said, I can very much appreciate what Patterson was getting at with the song as well as the story behind it. In fact, there's several DBT's tunes where I actually enjoy the story more than the song itself. "Tornadoes" would be one though I've found myself gravitating closer to it recently.

[allisonsdc]

I really like all of the songs on the Dragon Pants EP. I don't consider any of them "throw-away" tracks. And I prefer the version of Natural Light on the EP to that on the album, just my two cents.

[dbtfan4life]

agree really diggin every song on the EP. Truckers just fuckin rock!! nuff said

[lajakesdad]

These tunes are perfect for a bonus ep. Wasn't Trying to Be the Boss released last year sometime? I immediately knew it and know I had it at some point but can't find it on my computer. That song would go perfect on his RSD 7" from a couple of years ago. I love the funky-drunken spoken word side of Cooley.

[Tequila Cowboy]

These tunes are perfect for a bonus ep. Wasn't Trying to Be the Boss released last year sometime? I immediately knew it and know I had it at some point but can't find it on my computer. That song would go perfect on his RSD 7" from a couple of years ago. I love the funky-drunken spoken word side of Cooley.

It was posted on the DBT site shortly after the shitstorm about the band playing a party in conjunction with the Republican convention in 2012 (which they didn't play after all). Cracks me up.

[Beaverdam]

I don't feel particularly clever admitting this, but i just heard the bonus tracks last night. I've had the e-mail with the tracks for quite a while, but I had to get my engineer wife to help me with the download and java update process. I tried a few times and was ready to kick the computer...give it an Alabama Ass Whippin' to be more precise! To some of you the process may have seemed simple, but to me it was not.

I was so glad to hear "Trying to be the Boss on a Beaver Brown Budget;" this song was released on the website a while back, because I remember a discussion on 3DD during which I thought the lyrics were "Beavertown Budget".

I'm glad to have the songs, but I do not believe they belonged on the album. Far and away, I think that "Grandpa Rock City" is my favorite. Some have said that EO represents DBT's more mature side. I hope I never see the side represented on "Grandpa Rock City," but it is a really humorous take on musicians (and all of us) getting older!

Bump up the volume on my hearing aids!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like the guy in the song, how many of us one day won't be able to remember our names, but we'll remember the words to "Zip City"? It won't be so bad maybe I'll be the rock star of my old folks home one day!

I think this song is hilarious!

[Beaverdam]

I could be wrong, but could a person not receive an MP3 file as 128, 192, 256 or whatever and then rip it to be whatever quality they want, eg 256kb at source but then rip to their computer as 320kb? I am positive I have read about this before, but the end result is the MP3 file wont sound any better no matter what bit rate you tell it that it is. So Justin, you might not necessarily have a 320kb file after all, the source you leaked it from may just have converted it to 320![/quote]

Regarding the download process I looked on 3DD for help and found advice such as the above written in Sanscrit or is this Greek????

[gepman]

I could be wrong, but could a person not receive an MP3 file as 128, 192, 256 or whatever and then rip it to be whatever quality they want, eg 256kb at source but then rip to their computer as 320kb? I am positive I have read about this before, but the end result is the MP3 file wont sound any better no matter what bit rate you tell it that it is. So Justin, you might not necessarily have a 320kb file after all, the source you leaked it from may just have converted it to 320!

Regarding the download process I looked on 3DD for help and found advice such as the above written in Sanscrit or is this Greek????[/quote]

I believe...
320 is the highest bit rate for an MP3 (best sound quality)
The lower you go, the sound quality declines.
I honestly can't tell the difference between 192 and 320 (to my 48 year old ears anyway). Anything less than 192, I can tell.

Also, you can convert a 128kbps MP3 to "320", but it'll still sound like a shitty 128kbps MP3...
You can convert anything to anything these days, but the "lowest quality" version will be passed along. This is why Tapers do not want their FLAC recordings converted into MP3 and posted, the lower quality can get passed along, intentionally or not.

[notdaryet]

all that is correct. no, the download i received was i 320 and it was from a friend. that is what was offered officially. i never transcode audio files. the leaks i had were in various sound qualities and some of them may were well have been unconvereted with shit sound quality, but even the really early lossless leak had that buzz on a couple of tracks. i just made a perfect rip of my actual CD when it arrived.

-justin

[lotusamerica]

would be happy to just pay for an ep hardcopy or download. don't have a good enough vinyl setup to make it worthwhile to get it that way and didn't want to wait weeks through pre-order. is there an option? can someone pm me?

[Tequila Cowboy]

10 days til RSD and motherfuckers already have it on Ebay for $99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DRIVE-BY-TRUCKE ... 4d1b511154

[heartbreaker1976]

10 days til RSD and motherfuckers already have it on Ebay for $99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DRIVE-BY-TRUCKE ... 4d1b511154

Capitalism I guess...but what a jackhole anyway....

[sactochris]

10 days til RSD and motherfuckers already have it on Ebay for $99.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DRIVE-BY-TRUCKE ... 4d1b511154

Capitalism I guess...but what a jackhole anyway....

I just pray that isn't the real cover art.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I'm not sure if it'll be the case this time but when Cooley's Too Pretty To Work was released as a Record Store Day "exclusive" last year, it was for sale at the shows shortly thereafter, which means it wasn't really an exclusive release after all. I'm glad everyone that wanted one was able to secure a copy but it was one of the reasons I got up at 3 am to stand in line for RSD last year.

[Fatah Ruark]

You're a fool if you pay more than the in store asking price for that EP. I think it will be pretty easy to get.

Even if you can't get one locally I would expect to be able to get one for a fair price if you're patient. The initial price on eBay will be inflated, but when those people realize people aren't going to pay $100 for a $10 record the price will come down.

[brett27295]

You're a fool if you pay more than the in store asking price for that EP. I think it will be pretty easy to get.

Agreed. Very, very few RSD releases over the years have held their first weekend "eBay prices". The first few days after RSD always sees the highest prices on eBay. If you wait a few weeks something that sold for $80 is oftentimes available for $10. Many releases sit in record stores for months. Be patient!

[RevMatt]

I'm glad none of these were on EO.

The Patterson songs would've all worked on a solo album, or maybe a different DBT album but not this one.

Absolutely agreed. Personally I think Rock Solid is a very strong song but it didn't belong on EO.

In some of the interviews Patterson has alluded to the fact that he'd had one concept in mind for the next album but after Craig died he went in a different direction. Listening to some of these songs makes me wonder if the original concept was sort of a celebration of rock combined with an awareness of the absurdity of being a true believer in all of that once you are past a certain age. (Young boys believe the lies rock and roll tells them but what about men who are old enough to know better?) EO turned out to be something deeper than all of that. It is more of a meditation on aging and an awareness that we have more days behind us than in front of us.

[Gaetzi]

TC, I'm going to be at the in store DBT performance on 4/19 and will be at the Friday 5/2 NOLA show.. I'd be happy to get you the EP and hand it off in NOLA if you think those logistics will work (and assuming they dont sell out that day, etc) I could probably also just mail it out to you.

[Tequila Cowboy]

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I'd love a copy of that Dust and Grooves book, though I have no idea how much it'll be going for.

[sactochris]

The Dave Alvin thing looks kinda cool.