Welcome to Club XIII

[Tequila Cowboy]

Oh, I remember having the conversation and your issue with the “big old brain” line. Equivocal opinions are not your way lol. I guess what I'm asking is how does not enjoying that song relate to it's nearly direct sequel in Every Single Storied Flameout.

[beantownbubba]

Oh, I remember having the conversation and your issue with the “big old brain” line. Equivocal opinions are not your way lol. I guess what I'm asking is how does not enjoying that song relate to it's nearly direct sequel in Every Single Storied Flameout.

Oh. Why didn't you say so? I understood Doc's original comment to be about the substance of ELG, not it's position as ancestor to ESSF. The answer is that yes, ELG is nearly a direct sequel to ESSF. I don't disagree w/ that at all.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Bubba, we’ve known each for a long damned time when we can pinpoint conversations from over a decade ago. I won't even mention our running feud/joke that begins with the ack sound and ends with the noise Horschack made

[beantownbubba]

Bubba, we’ve known each for a long damned time when we can pinpoint conversations from over a decade ago. I won't even mention our running feud/joke that begins with the ack sound and ends with the noise Horschack made

Feels like just yesterday <3 <3

And I have no idea what you're referring to

[Jonicont]

From Bobby Christgau

Drive-By Truckers: Welcome 2 Club XIII (ATO) Set to tour Europe after their spell in virtual quarantine, they holed up in an Athens studio and recorded seven of these nine mostly excellent if less than far-ranging songs all in a flurry. For Patterson Hood there’s kind of a concept, not ordinarily one with much juice in it: the vicissitudes and occasional delights of the touring life—safe driving tips, drug casualties on both sides of eternity, success settling into something more like survival, and a title number in which Foghat tribute bands and local miscreants covering “People Who Died” enliven Muscle Shoals’s only punk club. And for Inspirational Verse there’s this Mike Cooley stanza: “All those well-intentioned lies/That I myself romanticized/Believably enough to pass as love songs/With more than one man on one knee/It never stops amazing me/How easily the heart hears what it wants to.” A MINUS

[Tequila Cowboy]

That last line is both profound and amusing. Nothing new for Cooley.

[Vincent]

Just picked up the vinyl. Great Wes artwork, as usual. Super nice insert with Patterson's Club 13 story and some great individual photos.

As for the music, I was excited to hear these songs on the record after hearing a good many of them live.

Wake you up is a true gut punch. Did Patterson say he wrote it for Justin at one of the rock shows?

Quite a bit of sweet slide work throughout and as Dave said, paraphrasing, Margo Price is like bacon, she makes everything better.

When all is said and done, I'm greedy and I want more of the same.

[Mundane Mayhem]

Wake you up is a true gut punch. Did Patterson say he wrote it for Justin at one of the rock shows?

99% sure he said it at one of his COVID livestreams. Not the one where he debuted it (September 2), but the next time he played it, iirc. September 30, maybe? Paging Glenn's setlists...

[Clams]

Interesting factoids I've learned from the last 24 hours of this thread:

Eyes Like Glue and Storied Flameout have basically the exact same theme, except the former has the dad singing to a toddler and the latter to a 20 year old.

Also, over the last 10 years, most of Cooley's songs can be put in either the "family observations" category* or the "right wing/conspiracy" category**



* eyes like glue, primer coat, filthy & fried, storied flameout (and to a lesser extent, first air of autumn and get downtown)

** made up english oceans, grievance merchants, kinky hypocrite, maria's disclosure, ramon casiano, surrender under protest,

[beantownbubba]

Very interesting. So Eyes Like Glue and Storied Flameout have basically the exact same theme, except the former is the protagonist singing to a toddler and the latter to a 20 year old.

Also interesting that over the last 10 years, most of Cooley's songs can be put in either the "family observations" category* or the "right wing/conspiracy" category**



* eyes like glue, primer coat, filthy & fried, storied flameout (and to a lesser extent, first air of autumn and get downtown)

** made up english oceans, grievance merchants, kinky hypocrite, maria's disclosure, ramon casiano, surrender under protest,

If filthy & fried is in the family observations category, does that mean Birthday Boy belongs there too? There would seem to be a better case for Pulaski and maybe The Weakest Man (where's Smitty when we need him?). And in the political category, Sarah's Flame.

The exceptions category seems pretty big (Shit Shots, Jimmy, Slow Ride, etc) but even with the exceptions and the possible question marks, I think your observation holds up very well. Kudos.

[Jonicont]

Very interesting. So Eyes Like Glue and Storied Flameout have basically the exact same theme, except the former is the protagonist singing to a toddler and the latter to a 20 year old.

Also interesting that over the last 10 years, most of Cooley's songs can be put in either the "family observations" category* or the "right wing/conspiracy" category**



* eyes like glue, primer coat, filthy & fried, storied flameout (and to a lesser extent, first air of autumn and get downtown)

** made up english oceans, grievance merchants, kinky hypocrite, maria's disclosure, ramon casiano, surrender under protest,

I think your observation holds up very well. Kudos.

X2

[Mundane Mayhem]

The exceptions category seems pretty big (Shit Shots, Jimmy, Slow Ride, etc) but even with the exceptions and the possible question marks, I think your observation holds up very well. Kudos.

I think “Slow Ride” fits into the “family observations” category. Better than “Filthy and Fried” does, probably. I don’t think you write “Slow Ride Argument” without having been in a pretty steady long-term relationship.

[Tequila Cowboy]

The exceptions category seems pretty big (Shit Shots, Jimmy, Slow Ride, etc) but even with the exceptions and the possible question marks, I think your observation holds up very well. Kudos.

I think “Slow Ride” fits into the “family observations” category. Better than “Filthy and Fried” does, probably. I don’t think you write “Slow Ride Argument” without having been in a pretty steady long-term relationship.

Slow Ride Argument absolutely belongs in the family observations category. Oh, and big props for the concept, Clams. Spot on!

[beantownbubba]

The exceptions category seems pretty big (Shit Shots, Jimmy, Slow Ride, etc) but even with the exceptions and the possible question marks, I think your observation holds up very well. Kudos.

I think “Slow Ride” fits into the “family observations” category. Better than “Filthy and Fried” does, probably. I don’t think you write “Slow Ride Argument” without having been in a pretty steady long-term relationship.

Slow Ride Argument absolutely belongs in the family observations category. Oh, and big props for the concept, Clams. Spot on!

You guys are right.

[litdimly]

Thanks to all for links to articles, backfill and your thoughtful analyses. I’ve been away for most of the week and see that I missed a lot of fun.

Glenn and TC - you have created listening guides. Hopefully this weekend I’ll set aside time to use them properly.

My thoughts during my first listen last weekend (certainly inspired by reading here or somewhere): heavy… and beautiful.

The album art is well done which is not a surprise but is such a treat. All the photos are good but that one of Jay is exceptional.

Love the Cooley categories Clams! Continuing on BTB and Mayhem's thoughts, there is perhaps a family observations subcategory for “Cooley’s Women” if we go all the way back, more than 10 years: Panties In Your Purse, Birthday Boy, Pulaski, Filthy and maybe Loaded Gun.

[litdimly]

You know where this is going, right, these categories? DBT Jeopardy at Homecoming 2023!

Cooley's Women
Patterson's Preachers
Guts and Glorified
People Who Died
History
Geography

Oh, it's been a long week.

[Sterling Bigmouth]

Not much I can add that hasn’t already been said. My main takeaway is that even though comparing DBT albums is almost impossible at this point, I think this is one of their tightest albums ever. With the possible exception of the title track, every song just feels like it belongs, and I couldn’t imagine a universe where these songs aren’t out there.

[Flea]

You know where this is going, right, these categories? DBT Jeopardy at Homecoming 2023!

Cooley's Women
Patterson's Preachers
Guts and Glorified
People Who Died
History
Geography

Oh, it's been a long week.

Smitty would rock the fuck out of that game.

[Tequila Cowboy]

You know where this is going, right, these categories? DBT Jeopardy at Homecoming 2023!

Cooley's Women
Patterson's Preachers
Guts and Glorified
People Who Died
History
Geography

Oh, it's been a long week.

Outstanding! We’re doing this for the fundraiser next year!!

[Tequila Cowboy]

Elizabeth Nelson weighs in

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -club-xiii

[Zip City]

That was excellent, thank you

[beantownbubba]

You know where this is going, right, these categories? DBT Jeopardy at Homecoming 2023!

Cooley's Women
Patterson's Preachers
Guts and Glorified
People Who Died
History
Geography

Oh, it's been a long week.

Love this.

[Clams]

Elizabeth Nelson weighs in

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -club-xiii

She's fantastic. One of my favorite twitter follows and her band The Paranoid Style is pretty awesome too. Actually that whole crew over at Lawyers Guns & Money is really good and really smart.

[beantownbubba]

Elizabeth Nelson weighs in

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -club-xiii

Love this.

It always surprises me when people who aren't as steeped in the band's legends and minutiae "get it" anyway and get it so fundamentally right. E.g. it appears that Ms. Nelson is not aware of the jimmy c background to "Shake" or the JTE connection on "we will never" yet she gets to the heart of both songs anyway.

But what I really want to know is whether DBT is really an "American institution." Let's take the substance of their musical contributions as a given and let's even take some of the myths, legends and lore about the band as being more widely known that I suspect they are, but outside (a)heAthens and (b) music critics and the diminishing number of rock music industry insiders are DBT well known enough and listened to enough to be called an American institution? To be clear I hope the answer is yes, but I still spend an awful lot of time simply explaining who the band is.

[Zip City]

No, I don’t think they are, though they may be remembered as such (a la Big Star)

[Tequila Cowboy]

Elizabeth Nelson weighs in

https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/20 ... -club-xiii

Love this.

It always surprises me when people who aren't as steeped in the band's legends and minutiae "get it" anyway and get it so fundamentally right. E.g. it appears that Ms. Nelson is not aware of the jimmy c background to "Shake" or the JTE connection on "we will never" yet she gets to the heart of both songs anyway.

But what I really want to know is whether DBT is really an "American institution." Let's take the substance of their musical contributions as a given and let's even take some of the myths, legends and lore about the band as being more widely known that I suspect they are, but outside (a)heAthens and (b) music critics and the diminishing number of rock music industry insiders are DBT well known enough and listened to enough to be called an American institution? To be clear I hope the answer is yes, but I still spend an awful lot of time simply explaining who the band is.

She's a huge fan so I think the general descriptions of those two songs is most likely by design, although she probably doesn't know the Jimmy C. connection. In turn Patterson is fan of hers as well.

[Tequila Cowboy]

No, I don’t think they are, though they may be remembered as such (a la Big Star)

If they aren't they're well on their way to being that. Their fans include fiction writers, filmmakers, historians and television personalities. In the past few years Heather Cox Richardson, George Pelacanos and others have attended live shows. Even pop artists like Taylor Swift have mentioned their respect for what they do. You're also starting to see younger bands like Wednesday, who covered Women Without Whiskey and are opening some shows this fall, talk about them as influences. They're well known among those who pay attention, which also sort of describes us as fans. Does that make them an American institution? I don't know but the idea is not absurd.

[Zip City]

No, I don’t think they are, though they may be remembered as such (a la Big Star)

If they aren't they're well on their way to being that. Their fans include fiction writers, filmmakers, historians and television personalities. In the past few years Heather Cox Richardson, George Pelacanos and others have attended live shows. Even pop artists like Taylor Swift have mentioned their respect for what they do. You're also starting to see younger bands like Wednesday, who covered Women Without Whiskey and are opening some shows this fall, talk about them as influences. They're well known among those who pay attention, which also sort of describes us as fans. Does that make them an American institution? I don't know but the idea is not absurd.

Institution is one of those words that has a different meaning to everyone. Not sure how much general popularity factors into it. I also don't have the perspective to know how DBT fits in with/ranks among contemporary bands like Wilco, MMJ, GBV, Avett Brothers, or even JI & the 400 Unit. Is Wilco an American Institution?

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I met Elizabeth and her husband Timothy several years ago when they were working at Schoolkids Records in Durham, NC. At the time, I had no idea they were both musicians and writers but we did connect over DBT's almost immediately. They have known Patterson for years. However, now I forget exactly how they first met but it may have been when Timothy was a member of the Mendoza Line who were based out of Athens for a time. Still, I could see how she might miss the ties to Jimmy C. and Justin Townes Earle if she doesn't follow the band as closely as some of us do.

On the "American Institution" front I believe DBT's are more well known than we may think sometimes but I'm sure it goes without saying that more have likely heard of Isbell than them.

[Clams]

She's a huge fan so I think the general descriptions of those two songs is most likely by design, although she probably doesn't know the Jimmy C. connection. In turn Patterson is fan of hers as well.

If I'm reading Patterson's comments correctly, he didn't write Shake & Pine with Jimmy in mind but rather he drew the connection to him after the song was written.

"Seven months later, Hood was performing "Shake and Pine" solo in Asheville, North Carolina. Right then, he had a lightbulb moment. "I had a friend pass away suddenly around the first week of November in 2020," he tells GRAMMY.com. "I realized: Wow, this is about my friend Jimmy. It's all here. All these different lines are codes for various things about him and our friendship and my sense of loss with him dying and our last conversation."