MaryJanes2ndLastDance

Good point! That is an amazing progression. And I think it's what adds to the neglect, disregard, avoidance of Let Me Up. In some article I read, around that tour they had to throw a curtain over some areas of arenas because of the empty seats. I think, as with a lot of TPATH's work, if I'm in a certain mood this record works for me. And who knows? Maybe one day someone in the band will suggest a song off here, maybe even the title one. They did play When The Time Comes, after all...! cheers

That's a really good idea! I think the song would've worked nicely on that album and would've been a real gem.

Disappointment, yes! While not as great as with my initial listen years ago, I'm still disappointed with that transition even though I know it's coming. For my taste, The Damage You've Done would work nicely here, then you get Runaway Trains, less of a complete and sudden driving into a brick wall, more easing into it. Heck, Runaway Trains could work as a centerpiece in the album, as it's written but with the terrible production scoured off it.

I suppose the sketchy feeling is from Tom's spontaneous approach with the material. However, I still like the tracks you mention, they feel finished to me, though I get where you're coming from. Yes, there's nothing that I really dislike, in fact, I was surprised at how much I liked the songs on here and yet at the same time, I still don't have much of a desire to listen to this. It's odd.

Thanks. Interesting points. Looking back, despite Stan's departure, it's good that Tom went in a new upbeat direction for Full Moon Fever. Again, he's too harsh on this album, as he's been on Echo, the difference being his memories at the time of recording Echo vs. his, I'm presuming, low opinion of Let Me Up. Still, I think pulling out some songs from this neglected album, especially the title track, would be fun at a residency. I understand what you're saying about the production on Runaway Trains, "cool detachment" vs. "empathic involvement." It makes sense, I just don't like it. There's a live version somewhere out there of Runaway Trains that works a lot better than the album version for me. I wonder why Jammin' Me was left off Greatest Hits. Maybe because of the celebrity "cameos"? I could see why he wouldn't want to draw attention to that, but...he performed the song way after its release. There was room on there for it. And if anyone at the time mentioned those lines, he could've just said they were Bob's. The song would've fit right between Don't Come Around Here No More and I Won't Back Down. But back to the album. Yeah, I recall reading that in Conversations about the two different styles. It's pretty amazing when Tom would do that, I think on Wildflowers (the song) and Swingin'. Let Me Up got short shrift in Conversations too. I figure if anyone loves the album or really appreciates some of the songs, they would be on here... cheers

"What do you of it?" "Jamming" Whoops.

I think this is considered the weakest TPATH album. I think people dislike this more than Southern Accents. I could be wrong. But it's definitely their strangest all around record. 01---Jamming Me. It's a good song. Good riff, nice rhythm, I like the line "...let your tv bleed." The weakest bit is the references to Vanessa Redgrave and Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Leaving aside if it's a good idea or not to call someone out in a song like this, I wonder why Tom doesn't change those to more modern people, or some folks from ancient history. It's a shame this was left off the original Greatest Hits. 02----Runaway Trains. For all the talk of Jeff Lynne's production, whatever they did to this is terrible. There's a good song under all the synthetic production. I go back and forth on this one, I think with something like Wildflowers production and a bit shorter length, I'd enjoy this more. 03---The Damage You've Done. This is an all right rock song. The live version on the much circulated bootleg from South Carolina is a pretty good version. It's a slinky rock song, feels like something you'd hear at the corner bar. Again, I think a more grounded production would make this more enjoyable, this needs grit, Stan's drums should be punishing, but they sound a bit muted. Still, I like it. 04---It'll All Work Out. A good experiment. It's a sad song I have to be in the mood for, but I like it. Kind of like the sad version of Alright For Now. The lack of percussion aside from the tambourine (?) is an interesting approach. It suits the song; the outro is pretty, too. 05----My Life/Your World. Am I the only one who wants to hear more of that intro? I love the first thirty seconds of this one. That's just such a neat instrumental. Too bad they never worked it into the live set or the middle of a jam or something. I like the groove on this song. The opening lyrics are a bit too sad for me, though. I feel like this is another weird one, there's quite the distance between something like Listen to Her Heart and this. Once again, I think the 80s feel of the production inhibits the song. I like this one though, a weird grooving song. Benmont does some really nice playing that goes against the grain of the song, leading to yet another wonderfully tasteful solo by Mr. Campbell. 06---Think About Me. I really like this one. It's rollicking. Another really good bridge. Benmont's playing is subtle and well done. Much like the Damage You've Done, It feels like a good bar song. 07---All Mixed Up. Man! Another intro I really love. I could've listened to that for a good two minutes, would've been a neat song! Anyway, this is a very sweet song. Just sugary good. I like it, and I think it's a place where the 80s production works. I think, sitting here in the middle of this album, it inadvertently describes the record it resides on. I don't know what he's singing about with the line about "last picture show" but I like it. Same with the whoo-oohs at the end. They work quite nicely here. 08----A Self-Made Man. This reminds me of Spike mainly because of what Tom does with his voice and there seems to be some similarity musically. I like it, but as with much of this album, ti's not something I want to listen to very often. I guess this, much like some of the other songs has that solid midtempo groove. The verses are interesting and transition nicely into an interesting almost upbeat chorus all while the rhythm stays locked in. Nice solo, too. I like this one more than I thought. 09---Ain't Love Strange. Very good intro on this one. The barbwire line is good. Great bridge! This is a good song, feels likes a hit single that should've been. Such good playing by Benmont on the bridge. 10----How Many More Days. Another midtempo rock song. Maybe in a way, Tom was "getting this style out of his system." Going forward for a while, the songs would be either uptempo or a different version of the heavy groove song, like the majority of tracks on Wildflowers or She's the One. I really like what Benmont does at those notes from around 1:11 to 1:18, so sweet! And Mike's playing around 1:50, those riffs are great! I like the abrupt ending and Benmont's quick little flourish. 11---Let Me Up----I think it's a really good rock song and it's a shame it's never been played live. It feels to me, like the last gasp hurrah of the band before the changes in the 90s. It's both beaten down and defiant, with some really interesting playing during the chorus. A pretty good song they should premiere at a residency! Overall, and I realize I'm writing this with the benefit of hindsight but the record feels like a musical cul de sac, the band enjoying themselves ( I hope anyway) but with a sense of where do we go from here? Well, maybe Tom felt that way, who knows? Regardless, while Full Moon Fever was a new beginning, this does indeed feel like the end of an era. But really, I think that's knowing their history coloring my perception here. That said, it still holds true. The band wasn't the same after Full Moon Fever and never would be again. Do some people love this album? I think the songs work, to a degree, individually, but all together, I think the midtempo rock blurs a bit with the other songs; nothing really takes off the way Jamming Me does, except for Let Me Up. But they're still good songs. The production is its worst on Runaway Trains but overall isn't that great on this record. I haven't listened to this in years and it was better than I recalled but for some reason, just not something I want to hear very much. However, I do think it's better, song by song, than some of their other albums. For me, I'd probably condense it to an ep that I enjoy, as I do with most of TPATH's albums. It just occurred to me, but this whole album feels Nightwatchmanesque. It rocks but in a slightly askew way. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the album cover. It's an interesting idea and fits the music, the composite face, but at the same time, the garish colors and the finished face aren't exactly pleasant to look at; again, an interesting experiment but is it good? Kinda feels like the album to some degree. What does everyone else think? It really does feel like a forgotten album, though it is really interesting to listen to. cheers

4:13 to 4:25 is amazing! A definite highlight!

I sometimes think Mike's surf moment on the show, which seemed to vary quite a bit, was perhaps a friendly concession from Tom; sure the setlist is the same every night but you can do whatever you want for this period of time. Also, it was a good break for his voice. cheers

I'm going to watch this, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it before and it's EFFING GREAT! Glad you found it. cheers

Happy Birthday!

While this album has the most Tom/Mike collaborations, I wonder how many better songs were left off it, or how many more interesting riffs Mike has that haven't been used. I just realized that much like Highway Companion, this album starts with a song unlike the majority of the album. While Let Me UP has some good rock songs, I don't think any of them have the urgency of Jammin' Me. Bringing it back to this topic, even Let Me Up, while a very good song, doesn't have the propulsion of Jammin' Me. No that it should, but I remember hearing Jamming Me and expecting a really good rock album and the second song is Runaway Trains! Back to the topic, I also like how the tempo slightly speeds up at the chorus, the whole song tightens up! cheers

I agree with Marion, more separation between posts would be good. I've gotta say, so far I think you did a good job with the changes, it's pleasing to the eye and there wasn't really much of a transition period for me, sometimes a website will drastically change, which can be temporarily annoying. cheers

Hahahaha! Mike got to have a lead vocal! I wonder what the more divisive song is, I Don't Wanna Fight or It Ain't Nothin' To Me? cheers

Interesting martin. My first thought was "no" but when I went back and listened, I can hear what you're talking about. However, while there's some similarity I don't have the time right now to get into, I think their unique qualities outshine any resemblance. Perhaps your idea is the reason why the song wasn't released, especially if this was recorded during Echo. I don't know when it was recorded but I think it would've been good for them to add it to Hypnotic Eye. cheers

Haha, what can I say? I've got good taste! Let Me Up would be a good song back to back with I Won't Back Down. I plan on listening to the album soon to see how it holds up. Maybe you'll start a new topic and share your thoughts on the record since you just head it. A Self-Made Man is another odd little number, Tom's doing something different with his voice. My impression is it's a tie between Let Me Up or Southern Accents for what's considered the worst album. That's the vibe I think I've picked up on over the years. But back this song, the chorus doesn't do anything for you? I love whatever is going on between the tail end "Let me Up..." before it gets to "I've had enough." What the music is doing there is really good. It almost feels like it's moving in contrast to his voice. cheers

Let Me Up is another good TPATH song that as far as I know, has never been played in concert. It's not really surprising considering some think Let Me Up is a bad album, but it is a shame since the song is the last hurrah of the old band. Wait, wait, isn't Into The Great Wide Open the last hurrah of hte old band? Yes, but this is the last hurrah of the old band absent any outside producers. Surely the album (good, bad or somewhere in-between) deserves its own topic, but I'm focusing only on the title song. And it's a good one. From the strange opening, that sounds like the tail end of another song crossfading with the intro, to its defiant chorus, it's an interesting rocker. The riff has that slightly laid back yet rocking ease that kicks right into a good give and take chorus, the give under "Let me up" the take under "I've had enough." I guess it's a good bookend with Jamming Me, as if the emotions between track 1 and the closing number have led to this. It's catchy, it has a good groove and is a good example of the band's instruments blending together under Tom's voice. Per Conversations, I think the title came from something Stan said. The song feels ramshackle, as if it came together in one improvised take, per Swinging. Whether it did or not, that's how it sounds to me. What do you think?

This and Don't Treat Me Like a Stranger are two really good songs that never made an album. I wonder why this one didn't make it; it's quite good. Benmont's playing on the bridge is inspired.

TPATH are way past that point. They still want to be recording new music which is good but Tom believes the crowd is mainly there for the hits and he's right. It would take a monumental shift in their set lists to change things up now. At most hope they get even more daring at Residencies and with what few deep cuts they slide into the show. cheers

This is a really good song. I did a quick search but couldn't find a topic for it. What a great bridge, too. It sounds like it would fit perfectly on Hypnotic Eye or Into the Great Wide Open. If you've not heard it before, you're in for a treat! Enjoy:

Ha ha, I think most people who are on here feel the same! cheers

Try asking in the "Best of Everything" section. A cursory search online hasn't turned up anything.

Bump!

Southern Accents failed as a concept and I don't think it's that good as an album but that they recorded Don't Come Around Here No More justifies Dave Stewart's involvement. That is a great song. Sure, I've heard it a lot, maybe at some points I've listened to it too much, but after some time passes, I can appreciate it again. What's interesting is it became a big hit. Now, perhaps a lot of that is owed to the video (maybe most) but the song is far removed from their other music and other popular songs of the day. Heck, even now, it stands out as an odd tune. While I understand Shelter's point about removing it from the album and having it as a single only, an idea that brings the album more in line with the Southern concept while still recognizing the quality of DCAHNM, I think it does belong on the album. This goes back to an earlier point by TwoGunslingers, that an album called Southern Accents doesn't have to be filled with stereotypical southern sounds. And wouldn't that make a good album title! I digress. Don't Come Around Here No More could very well have been the perfect song to end Southern Accents, since it is about someone telling someone else to stay away but also, for me, has a feeling of departure for the singer as well. Whatever meaning you take from the song, it's all done in dramatic fashion. And the music fits this completely. It's grandiose, the first part of the song sounds like a procession, there's a solemn like quality to all of it, even the female voices are like a greek chorus, in this case, a southern chorus, a redneck choir. The song kicking into double-time is the main character of the album zooming away at last, an echo (no pun intended) to the driving away attempted in Rebels, perhaps this time with some wisdom gained. There's another angle to this song that I think fits the Southern concept as well, that I'll get to another time. cheers

Thanks for sharing this; that was really good! Good contrast between verses and chorus.