Eric Church - "The Outsiders"

[bamafan2102]

Is that a "4 pack" of of Eric's first four CD's on the right of that picture? If so, I must have it. I have worn out those disc and need replacements!

[blueguitar]

Wow! So much great material here. I think "Chief" is better, but I may just need to get more connected to these new songs! Love "Dark Side", "Devil, Devil"! "Talledega" and "Roller Coaster" have to be singles! I hope EC can push Luke Bryan off his hip shaking, partying and drinking, dirt road truck driving perch! ;)

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2014 10:05:25 GMT -5 bamafan2102 said:

Is that a "4 pack" of of Eric's first four CD's on the right of that picture? If so, I must have it. I have worn out those disc and need replacements!

Yep! It was a 4-pack of Sinners Like Me, Carolina, Chief, and the Caught In The Act: Live album. They had quite a few of the 4-packs on sale next to all the copies of The Outsiders. And I think it was only $19.88 or something like that...a pretty good deal!

[onebuffalo]

Feb 12, 2014 14:22:00 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Feb 12, 2014 10:05:25 GMT -5 bamafan2102 said:

Is that a "4 pack" of of Eric's first four CD's on the right of that picture? If so, I must have it. I have worn out those disc and need replacements!

Yep! It was a 4-pack of Sinners Like Me, Carolina, Chief, and the Caught In The Act: Live album. They had quite a few of the 4-packs on sale next to all the copies of The Outsiders. And I think it was only $19.88 or something like that...a pretty good deal!

Only beaten by Garth Brooks' Blame It All On My Roots.

[kim8]

From hitsdailydouble:

CHURCHGOING FOLK: Eric Church's The Outsiders, the week's one major new release, is set to have the biggest bow of the year so far—in the 280-300k range—when it splashes down on the HITS Album Sales Chart next week. The EMI Nashville Outlaw Country trailblazer has earned stellar reviews and a passel of new fans (including several folks in this office) for his fourth studio album, while his radio story starts up with "Give Me Back My Hometown." The second single is #15 on the Mediabase Country chart and a Top 5 Greatest Gainer at the format. It follows the very hard-rocking title track, which established the set's genre-busting bona fides as leadoff single; "The Outsiders" had a world premiere across all Clear Channel Country stations last year, and Church brought the house down with it at the CMAs (see the above clip). A listen to the entire album shows that Church is perfectly comfortable channeling everyone from Hank Williams and Willie Nelson to Metallica and the White Stripes. Noted one major-label exec to us recently, "I wondered where all the rock fans were until I went to an Eric Church concert." (2/12p)

[Deleted]

I wouldn't be surprised to see it outdo expectations, but 280-300k is already very good...twice what Chief opened with. I've seen a few places online where EC fans are saying that they've been with him since the beginning and that he's completely lost them now, but the majority of the responses seem very positive. The critics' reviews have been great and I think Eric is going to draw in a lot of rock and country fans with this one. I can see word-of-mouth really helping this and I wouldn't be surprised if it pushed into the 300-350k range.

[matty005]

Feb 12, 2014 20:27:31 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

I wouldn't be surprised to see it outdo expectations, but 280-300k is already very good...twice what Chief opened with. I've seen a few places online where EC fans are saying that they've been with him since the beginning and that he's completely lost them now, but the majority of the responses seem very positive. The critics' reviews have been great and I think Eric is going to draw in a lot of rock and country fans with this one. I can see word-of-mouth really helping this and I wouldn't be surprised if it pushed into the 300-350k range.

I could be totally off but I feel like hitsdaily always predicts lower for country albums.

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2014 21:28:17 GMT -5 matty005 said:

I could be totally off but I feel like hitsdaily always predicts lower for country albums.

I think it might be more due to the fact that country albums aren't as front-loaded as many albums from stars of other genres, so sometimes the numbers wind up being higher for country artists and Hits always winds up 'surprised' then or w/e you want to call it (because country albums often 'trend' differently through the week than albums from other genres do). But for what it's worth, Billboard is going with a 275-300k opening as well.

ETA: The Wikipedia page for The Outsiders has a good compilation of reviews so far, and links to those reviews as well. The critics are just loving this one. My favorite line so far comes from Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly:

"On the terrifyingly creative The Outsiders, Eric Church pulls off what so many before him have tried: successfully merging the bedrock sounds of country music (plinking banjo, crying Dobro and a Hank Williams twang) with those of seemingly disparate genres like rock, heavy metal and especially R&B to create an utterly unique product."

That's about spot-on to me.

The Outsiders currently has an 88/100 at Metacritic right now, the same ranking that Same Trailer Different Park has. The only recent releases I can recall that have higher Metascores are 12 Stories by Brandy Clark (89) and Like A Rose by Ashley Monroe (90) (though, to be fair, I am sure there have been other recently-released critically-acclaimed country albums that haven't made it on to my radar). Anyway, since those albums (Brandy's & Ashley's) didn't receive much mainstream attention from radio, they naturally have fewer reviews, so chances are that if more sites had reviewed them there would be one or two reviews not quite as good, which would effectively dilute the overall rating a bit and drop it a couple numbers lower.

Absolutely incredible for Eric.

[rjz]

^^ 88 is nothing to sneeze at :)

I added to the 'late' totals of Hits by picking up my hard copy yesterday at Target (low supply there). I was unable to stream the whole album ahead of time and I kind of like to leave the actual albums I know I will buy for sure as a surprise. OT-Target sucks for album supplies, couldn't even find Crickets there.

I've made it through half so far (home late from work). At this point I don't think I will like it as much as Chief-it doesn't instantly grab me like that one did and like 'Fuse' sometimes it seems like there are hard rock riffs thrown in there just for the sake of it and they don't blend well. So far loving Cold One as my favorite, which is an odd production blend, I know.

But from what more than one person here has said it sounds like an album that needs a second listen to fully appreciate so I look forward to that and seeing how I feel about it at that time

[jaseboyhyde]

Feb 13, 2014 7:49:54 GMT -5 rjz said:

^^ 88 is nothing to sneeze at :)

I added to the 'late' totals of Hits by picking up my hard copy yesterday at Target (low supply there). I was unable to stream the whole album ahead of time and I kind of like to leave the actual albums I know I will buy for sure as a surprise. OT-Target sucks for album supplies, couldn't even find Crickets there.

I've made it through half so far (home late from work). At this point I don't think I will like it as much as Chief-it doesn't instantly grab me like that one did and like 'Fuse' sometimes it seems like there are hard rock riffs thrown in there just for the sake of it and they don't blend well. So far loving Cold One as my favorite, which is an odd production blend, I know.

But from what more than one person here has said it sounds like an album that needs a second listen to fully appreciate so I look forward to that and seeing how I feel about it at that time

This is an acquired taste for most. Once it grabs you though, you're gonna be sold. It clicked for me on about the 10th listen. Before that I loved 50% of it, could do with or without 25% and really didn't like at all the other 25%. (That's damn rock and roll, devil devil, the joint---hated those 3)

Funny, now the Joint is one of my top 5 favorites.
I'm telling you, give this thing a few listens, know the lyrics, and familiarize yourself with the stories behind the writing and making of the album before you rank this album against chief. Eric said they could have made another chief type album, but he's already done that. He wanted to do something different. . .
Mission accomplished.

[rsmatto]

He's also now saying how he doesn't know how he'll be able to record another album after this because how can he keep 'challenging' and 'expanding' his sound (paraphrasing of course).

I still think 350k is a reasonable guess for this album.

[Deleted]

Feb 13, 2014 8:18:48 GMT -5 jaseboyhyde said:

Once it grabs you though, you're gonna be sold. It clicked for me on about the 10th listen. Before that I loved 50% of it, could do with or without 25% and really didn't like at all the other 25%. (That's damn rock and roll, devil devil, the joint---hated those 3)

Funny, now the Joint is one of my top 5 favorites.
I'm telling you, give this thing a few listens, know the lyrics, and familiarize yourself with the stories behind the writing and making of the album before you rank this album against chief. Eric said they could have made another chief type album, but he's already done that. He wanted to do something different. . .
Mission accomplished.

This is exactly how it was for me. I did like "Damn Rock & Roll" from the start and yet now it's one of my favorites from the whole album. My first thoughts were "hmm, there are some really solid tracks here but also some really strange ones" but now I just love all of it, and I only needed 4-5 listens before all of it 'clicked' with me. I've probably listened through the whole thing at least 10 times now, too.

Feb 13, 2014 13:09:35 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

He's also now saying how he doesn't know how he'll be able to record another album after this because how can he keep 'challenging' and 'expanding' his sound (paraphrasing of course).

I saw where Eric said that as well but it was more of a "wow, we've done this crazy record and we feel so good about it...how can we possibly top it?" type of comment rather than a "I don't think I'll ever try/I'm definitely not making another record." I don't know Eric personally but I am sure he will make more albums, even if the next one isn't for another 3-4 years. He was kinda lightheartedly smirking as he said the things he said. Basically I think they'll ride out The Outsiders for a long time but I am sure that that creative itch will present itself again sometime down the road. Like he sings in "A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young"...he's only 36. A guy that loves music this much will not just stop making music for the rest of his life.

Feb 13, 2014 13:09:35 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

I still think 350k is a reasonable guess for this album.

I agree. I think the album can cross 300k and it would not surprise me at all to see it approach 350k. Rave reviews, lots of word-of-mouth, etc.

[rsmatto]

Oh, I have no doubt that he not only will record another album but that he owes his label at least one more before re-negotiations (standard 5 album deal, live albums don't count).

[43dudleyvillas]

I'm taking the reviews of The Outsiders with a grain of salt. Not because I don't like the album (I do; more on that in a bit), but because I think a year or two of increasingly formulaic releases from male country artists have left the media thirsty for something that they could embrace. I also think that critics tend to be conditioned by pre-existing narratives to look for reasons to like music from certain artists -- the New York Times' Jon Caramanica has described this phenomenon as "institutional decisions regarding an artist’s worthiness, and...those institutions’ desire to be seen acknowledging an artist’s worthiness". Eric, thanks to Chief and a marketing push that has him screaming to the high heavens about taking risks/not playing it safe, is one of those artists. In fairness, I think that he has earned some of that consideration, at least relative to his peers. I have no trouble agreeing that Eric Church has generally better taste and is generally more adventurous than Florida-Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and all of the wannabes who are chasing their commercial success.

But how much does that really say? I land more or less where Caramanica lands in his review of The Outsiders:

Eric Church is...an old-school values guy passing for rebellious in neutered times.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being an old-school values guy; it just seems odd to claim to be revolutionary at the same time. I disagree with several reviews (including the ones from American Songwriter and Spin) that have referred to "Dark Side" as "race-baiting." But I think the Eric Church persona has had an overwhelming presence in the marketing of The Outsiders, to the detriment of conversation about the album. I simply don't buy into Eric Church as he presents himself. I think he makes very good, sometimes excellent (and sometimes awful) mainstream music, better mainstream music than most of his commercially successful peers. But it's still mainstream music, not nearly as edgy for those of us whose boundaries aren't defined by what radio plays.

If there is one artist in country music who could have pulled a Beyoncé and released a surprise (successful) album, it is Eric Church. He has built up that kind of media regard and he has built that kind of fanbase, to his credit. And given how tired I am of how impressed Eric Church is with his "rebellious" (but not really) ways, I really wish he had. There was a chance I could have believed in The Outsiders as a concept record without the hype.

About The Outsiders, for all the talk in this thread about the album being "out there" sonically, it is the sound of the album that has appealed to me much more than the songs from the very beginning. I really like the swampy blues of "Broke Record," and the wooziness of "The Joint" adds a welcome light touch to the menace in the lyrics. "The Cold One" is elevated by the sardonic tones from the slide guitar and horns. "Like a Wrecking Ball" isn't the most elegant lyrically, but the organ in particular is a great touch, and the slow, slinky groove works. It really is a pleasure to hear instrumentation with such personality on this album. Meanwhile, the title track remains a poorly written song that is somewhat rescued by an excellent instrumental outro.

With apologies to those who like "That's Damn Rock & Roll," the lyrics strike me as hollow. I do see the value of the song as a concert anthem, though. The fundamental mistake that I think Eric makes on "The Outsiders" and "That's Damn Rock & Roll" is that he's too declarative. I prefer writing that shows rather than tells, and there's too much "telling" in those two songs. Being badass, being "rock & roll," those things are states of mind, and the more that Eric tries to define those terms, the more it seems like he is trying to lay claim to an identity that doesn't fit him. At its core, the "rock & roll" attitude is about the rejection of boundaries, definitions and rules, and yet here is Eric Church trying to lay some down. It doesn't work, or rather, I don't find it believable here. The "Princess of Darkness" poem that precedes "Devil Devil" feels similarly silly.

Meanwhile, songs like "Give Me Back My Hometown," "Talladega," and "Roller Coaster Ride" are solid and well-executed hits. However, the three songs sit at odds with the guy who is all rebel/outlaw/rulebreaker/"Nashville is the corporate devil" for a portion of this album (and for most of the advance press for the album). There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting or writing a hit, and I'll take all three songs over most of what country radio is turning into an airplay hit these days. I suppose those three songs are Eric and his collaborators crafting a hit on their own terms, and I support that idea. But that doesn't make him a rebel in my eyes, because I've never bought into the idea that the mainstream country market has to be as artistically stifling as many of today's males have made it. "Talladega" in particular is a good example of what happens when Eric gets out of the way of his commercial instincts and trusts the song to distinguish itself.

Eric was at an interesting place after Chief. It was inevitable, I think, that he would feel awkward after such a breakthrough. I believe that Eric genuinely didn't want to try to recreate that album so as to recapture that album's success -- I think he realized that even if he had tried, he was doomed to fail. He has also admitted, I think, that he feels more comfortable being "left of center" rather than being embraced by the mainstream. And so I don't think it's a coincidence that the most persuasive moments of The Outsiders come when Eric grapples with the tension between his old and new identity -- on "A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young" and "Dark Side." On both, I think his personal happiness and the birth of his first child serve as a vehicle to understand that Eric is a man in transition. Perhaps he is not entirely sure who he is at the moment, but he is grateful, a little fearful, and perhaps not wholly comfortable with the idea that he was already won the fight he has been fighting for much of his life. I think that tension between old and new identities offers a fertile ground for interesting music. I wish that instead of inventing enemies no longer especially relevant to Eric, The Outsiders had mined that life/artist transition territory a bit more.

That said, what I like about The Outsiders is that for the most part, Eric treats his age and life experience as a defining part of his music. He is an adult making music for people who think of themselves as adults. Eric and his co-writers are as adept with good, catchy melodies as ever, and though their lyrics aren't as taut as those on Chief, songs like "The Joint," "A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young," and "Talladega" all feature evocative imagery, while "Cold One" is playful fun and "Broke Record" has some fun rhythmic word play. Eric's phrasing has generally been a strength of his, and he delivers his lyrics on the ballads and midtempos quite convincingly. And as I said before, the production of the album gives the songs dimension and life, to the point that as long as I skip Track One and tune out the lyrics of Tracks Eight and Ten, the album is never anything less than a pleasurable listen.

All things considered, I don't think Eric made an album that is as free or that works as well as Chief, but he has done enough here to shore up both his reputation and his place in the market. I hope that The Outsiders takes the pressure off Eric to try to reinvent the wheel with another album, because linear growth from its better songs could really lead somewhere special.

[rjz]

^^^^ Dudleyvillas, I agree with much of your review, personal observations of Eric aside (which I have no knowledge of).

I do really like this album, and there are only two 'skippers' on it for me, which is my own indication of an excellent album.

"I'm telling you, give this thing a few listens, know the lyrics, and familiarize yourself with the stories behind the writing and making of the album before you rank this album against chief. Eric said they could have made another chief type album, but he's already done that. He wanted to do something different. . .
Mission accomplished."

Aww, Jaseboyhyde that sounds like way too much work ;) I do think (although I haven't neared the 10 listens yet) I will always like Chief better; not because it is a 'better' album-that is in the eye of the beholder, I just personally like its style better. I do understand why he felt artistically he had to go another way on this album, although I am in agreement with Dudley- Eric's insistence that he is such an outlaw always strikes me as silly and a marketing ploy for the most part.

But I have to say....Thank God for Eric Church and MUCH happiness and respect from me for finding not a single remotely 'Bro-Country' song on the album!!!

I've listened to the whole thing twice today and it really is a fun/interesting/creative album. I think my initial criticism of the rock feel thrown in at random was mostly directed at the end of The Outsiders-once I heard that Damn Rock and Roll.......I just love the blend and I don't mind the cliche imagery of Rock and Roll put forth in that song-it fits right in with the mood of the track.

Skippers:

Devil,Devil
Ok, Mr. Church I understand your artistic drive and kind of understand your need to put Corporate Music Nashville down, but heh- they helped make you famous. I love Devil, Devil-but listening to your intro once is enough (I really don't like talking in songs in general) so that prelude will have to make the song a skipper if I don't want to take the effort to fast forward

The Outsiders
I like the chorus and heavy metal sound (although the jam session at the end while helping create the perfect concert song seems piecemeal in the recording to me) but the lyrics are unimaginative/unappealing to me so I could see skipping sometimes.

Love:

Everything else-In no particular order since I love songs for different reasons:

Dark Side-Great lyrics, imagery and mood. I see no Race Baiting at all (I never did with Home Boy either).
Cold One-Fun and different. Love the purposely discordant sound dispersed among the playful lyrics
Roller Coaster, Man Who Was Gonna Die Young, Talladega, Give Me Back My Hometown-Nothing too different but Classic Eric; very well done in all respects
Broke Record-Very Clever-love the music effects that complement the song and define it
Wrecking Ball- The organ in there is almost kind of a 'wink' in a nod to 70's style get it on love songs, it made me think Eric doesn't ALWAYS take himself so seriously
Damn Rock & Roll- Why did he have to put the rap-ish section in? Otherwise it would be my favorite on the album, maybe because I am of the Rock & Roll generation and it was my first love
The Joint-I really like this one, unique sound, great story-too bad it isn't radio friendly in this climate because it is just a unique, stellar song

[Deleted]

Feb 13, 2014 17:52:44 GMT -5 43dudleyvillas said:

With apologies to those who like "That's Damn Rock & Roll," the lyrics strike me as hollow. I do see the value of the song as a concert anthem, though. The fundamental mistake that I think Eric makes on "The Outsiders" and "That's Damn Rock & Roll" is that he's too declarative. I prefer writing that shows rather than tells, and there's too much "telling" in those two songs. Being badass, being "rock & roll," those things are states of mind, and the more that Eric tries to define those terms, the more it seems like he is trying to lay claim to an identity that doesn't fit him. At its core, the "rock & roll" attitude is about the rejection of boundaries, definitions and rules, and yet here is Eric Church trying to lay some down. It doesn't work, or rather, I don't find it believable here.

"That's Damn Rock & Roll" is definitely a concert anthem but I think it's more than that as well. I interpreted the song as sort of a narrative account of rock & roll and its history, with tones that are both wistful and lamenting, and even some serious and almost-comical moments. Admittedly I don't know a lot about rock & roll music and its history, but I didn't find the song to be all that declarative. Rather, I found that, in the verses, Eric was trying to dismiss all the stereotypes of the genre. In the first verse he sings about all the stereotypes that the genre isn't, and the only 2 things that he says it IS are "having the balls to tell the establishment to go to hell" and "doin' it [making music] for nothing, 'cause it lives in your soul".

Up through this point I can definitely see how it's presented mainly as an anthem-type of song, and in the second verse it would seem that he does place a bunch of parameters on rock & roll music; however, I didn't feel like he was placing rock & roll music within certain parameters, but rather that he was giving a narrative account of the genre's history (or at least that's how I interpreted it).

Second verse lyrics:

It's a rock through a window, it's a riot in the street
It's a rebel revolution that's fightin' for peace
It's burn-baby-burn, it's a brick in the wall
It's the first one to stand and the last one to fall
It's a hip shakin' devil on a stage in Tupelo
It's doin' what you want 'stead of doin' what you're told
It's a preacher burnin' records tellin' folks they oughta pray
'Cause the shepherd bought a Gibson and led the flock astray

That's damn rock and roll
Give all you got 'til there ain't nothin' left

Again, I don't know much about rock & roll and its history but this second verse strikes me more as a narrative account of the genre's history rather than a bunch of declarative statements. I am assuming that the "hip-shakin' devil in Tupelo" lyric is a reference to Elvis. And I remember my parents used to tell me how some preachers would burn records because they thought that rock music was too 'out there' and it was wrong to listen to it. I don't know what the shepherd/Gibson reference means but again, I'm no expert on the genre--born in 1990 here! ;)

But it's the 3rd verse/bridge lyrics--the part where he's singing fast--that I found really interesting:

Yeah when The Clash crashed the party and the party got loud
And the party turned into an angry crowd
Drowning demons feel no pain, found Nirvana wasted shame
Gone too soon just like a song
Hendrix, Joplin what went wrong
Need some answers, right or wrong
Need some band to blame it on, blame it on, blame it on...etc.

I know enough to know that The Clash was a popular band (and Wikipedia tells me they were a British punk-rock band that heavily affected the genre from 1976 through the mid-80's), that Nirvana was huge in the late 80's/early 90's (and again, Wikipedia tells me that they really popularized alternative rock/grunge music), and that both Hendrix and Joplin died very young back in 1970.

And today we often hear about how "rock music is dead" and so I think that's what Eric is singing about here. I know a singer from The Black Keys made some comments a couple years back about how Nickelback was to blame for the demise of the genre and it just seems like there's this conversation of "what happened to rock & roll music?"

Anyway, that's why when he sings "That's damn rock & roll, give all you got 'til there ain't nothin' left" right after the 'blame it on x10' part, I interpret it to be more of a "damn it, what happened to rock music?" with the give all you got 'til there ain't nothin' left part basically saying "they gave everything they got but there ain't nothin' left [of rock music] anymore"...etc, or "rock music isn't popular anymore...it's gone".

And then finally, in the 'outro' verse, I interpret it to be Eric singing about a revival of rock music:

Another day in another town
Loadin' the stage and the lights and the sound
Here they come boys, they opened doors
Count us off now Craig...1, 2, 3, 4

That's damn rock & roll
Give all you got 'til there ain't nothin' left
That's damn rock & roll
Every ounce of your blood and your sweat

etc.

So I definitely do think the main goal of the song was to be a real concert rocker, an anthem for his live show, but I guess I don't find it to be super declarative (and therefore I can enjoy it more) because of the tidbits of rock & roll history that are weaved into the song's lyrics. Basically I feel like he's singing about the genre of rock & roll music--some of its biggest moments and the big changes and heartaches--rather than the 'attitude of being rock & roll'.

Hopefully my post made sense :)

[countrygirl918]

^ I believe the "it's a brick in the wall" lyric is a Pink Floyd reference, also.

I actually have yet to listen to this album a second time, but after reading those jhomes87's analysis of the lyrics for "That's Damn Rock & Roll" I really want to. I'm a huge rock fan as well as country, which is probably why I love Eric's music so much.

[Deleted]

Feb 15, 2014 15:43:10 GMT -5 countrygirl918 said:

^ I believe the "it's a brick in the wall" lyric is a Pink Floyd reference, also.

I actually have yet to listen to this album a second time, but after reading those jhomes87's analysis of the lyrics for "That's Damn Rock & Roll" I really want to. I'm a huge rock fan as well as country, which is probably why I love Eric's music so much.

Ah, thanks for pointing out the Pink Floyd reference.

I didn't grow up on rock & roll music but I've always liked a lot of the popular 'oldies' rock songs. And I really like the lyrics and the sound in "That's Damn Rock & Roll". Eric has always had some rock in his country and I like that there are some rock songs on The Outsiders as well as some really great country songs. He sounds completely at home doing both types of songs, imo.

[tvoss20]

AN interesting sounding album. Not bad, but not nearly as good as his other 3. My favorites are Give Me Back My Hometown and Talladega. That's Damn Rock & Roll is pretty good and I like Devil, Devil if you skip past all lame talking part.

Everything on the cd is at least decent, however I will always skip past The Joint.

[jaseboyhyde]

Feb 15, 2014 20:39:43 GMT -5 tvoss20 said:

AN interesting sounding album. Not bad, but not nearly as good as his other 3. My favorites are Give Me Back My Hometown and Talladega. That's Damn Rock & Roll is pretty good and I like Devil, Devil if you skip past all lame talking part.

Everything on the cd is at least decent, however I will always skip past The Joint.

That was my initial reaction. Now I find myself skipping TO the joint. It's best listened to, in my opinion, cranked loud so you can hear all the intricate percussion and doubling of Eric's voice at times.

Knowing the lyrics makes it much more enjoyable to me.

Since the lowest comfortable note in my register is a low E, it's fun to see what mornings I can hit that D flat with ease. I like to pretend Eric recorded that early one morning with a slight cold or after a night of one Jack too many. (Not saying that's true, just how I would have had to do it).
Kind of like Jerrod Niemann saying he had to record the low harmony on Lover, lover after a night of drinking, as that was the only way his voice would cooperate. :)

[countrygirl918]

Took a second listen to the album last night and it's definitely going to be one of those albums that grows on me with each listen. I enjoyed it the first time, and I really enjoyed it the second time.

The only track I can't get behind is the "Princess of Darkness" prelude. I appreciate the lyrics in it, but it's just not something I'd care to listen to much. I will probably see if I can edit it on my iTunes so that it plays "Devil, Devil" right away instead of having to listen to "Princess of Darkness" first. The vocal effects on "Like a Wrecking Ball" will take some getting used to for me, but I love the song aside from that. It took me a while to love Miranda Lambert's "Fine Tune" also due to the weird vocal effects, but now I love that song. So I'm pretty confident I'll feel the same about "Like a Wrecking Ball" eventually.

I absolutely love "That's Damn Rock & Roll," "A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young," "Cold One," "Broke Record," "Dark Side," "Give Me Back My Hometown," and, yes, "The Outsiders" (the musical outro gets me every time - that guitar is just fantastic). As far as radio-friendly songs, I think the current single is the most radio-friendly, and I could see "Talladega" doing very well also. "Cold One" and "Broke Record" could do very well also, despite having a different sound.

Overall I think I still prefer 'Chief,' but we'll see how my opinion evolves as I get more used to this record. I think it's safe to say that Eric is my favorite current male country artist, though, and will be for a good long while.

[phil1996]

Roller Coaster Ride is fantastic in every aspect. Joint is growing on me, but still don't wanna see it hit radio.

I'd say this is one of the best Lyrical albums I've ever heard. Tremendous work. If I was EC, here's what I'd do for singles:

3. Talladega
4. Cold One
5. Roller Coaster Ride
6. Broke Record
7. Dark Side.

I truly believe there will be 7 singles from this album, as we know how Eric feels about making new records.

[jaseboyhyde]

I still haven't found any solid numbers on sales yet, though there are lots of sites doing predictions and projections of anywhere from 250K to 350K depending on who you believe.
I was told that it sold 130K the first day. I posted earlier that I expected it to outsell Chief in 2 days. I didn't expect it to come that close on the first day!

Phil, I agree with very nearly your entire post above. I might change the order of the Singles, but I don't think you're far off.

I think he'll mix the vibe of the singles up. For instance, The Outsiders was crazy, rock-infused and up-tempo. Give me back my hometown is slower and softer. I think the next single will be something more up-tempo and fun, like Cold one or Roller Coaster Ride. Then probably Talladega to peak in late summer.

[Andy]

I've only listened to this album once, but I like it so far. I'm not yet sure where I'd rank it in Eric's discography, but my opinion of it is definitely positive. My favorite tracks as of now are likely "Broke Record", "Dark Side", "Devil, Devil", and "The Joint."

"The Joint" certainly isn't for everyone, but I think it tells a very cool story. I recommend reading the lyrics in the liner notes if you own the CD, because Eric is extremely hard to understand in this song, and all of the lyrics sites I consulted had some pretty egregious errors. The song is much better when you understand what it's about.

[jaseboyhyde]

Parked in old man Taylor's woods so she wouldn't be found out...
and
All the small town Barney Fifes and Bloodhounds in this town...

I love those two lines. Make of them what you will. :)

Also, the heart of the story for me is this part:

"Just like someone flipped a switch dad started coming home. No more eatin' late cold suppers with that Tavern gone.
I had my suspicions til one night when we said grace, dad said forgive us our transgressions, that smile lit up momma's face"

I've also noticed some bad errors on lyric sites. People just post whatever they feel like online. It's aggravating.

[Andy]

I found a lyrics site that has the line "No more eatin' late cold suppers with that Tavern gone" as "No more eating late cause supper's with that tater gone." I was like, what?

[Deleted]

Feb 16, 2014 13:53:29 GMT -5 jaseboyhyde said:

Give me back my hometown is slower and softer. I think the next single will be something more up-tempo and fun, like Cold one or Roller Coaster Ride. Then probably Talladega to peak in late summer.

"Give Me Back My Hometown" is well on its way to #1 (or a top 5 peak at the very least), but it won't peak until mid/late April at the earliest, so if they want "Talladega" as the 'summer single', then it will have to come 3rd.

phil1996, I highly doubt they send "The Joint" out as a single...it's just not radio material. But I agree with you and jaseboyhyde that it is a great song. The first time I listened to it I immediately labeled it as a skipper but now it is one of my favorite songs. I just love the smoky production and the horns. The lyrics are really good and Eric couldn't sing that one any more perfectly.

RE: the comments on lyric sites, I've found so many incorrect lyrics as well. Most lyric sites aren't that good, unfortunately. One of them always tries to be the first with new music lyrics and then all the other sites just copy the incorrect lyrics, and rarely do they go in and edit them later.

When I was listening carefully to "That's Damn Rock & Roll", there were a few spots where I wasn't sure what the lyrics were--I didn't immediately catch the Clash reference or what he was singing in the line about the Gibson. I had the CD booklet but I checked online first. The first site I went to was Lyrics Mania and they had it horribly wrong. I definitely wouldn't have typed the lyrics up this poorly after just one listen. From Lyrics Mania, incorrect lyrics in bold:

It’s a hip shaking devil on the stage at 2 below,
It’s doing what ya want instead of doin’ what your told,
It’s a preacher by the wreck tellin’ folks they outta pray,
Cause the shepherd boy gets them,
And led the flock astray,
That’s damn rock and roll,
Give all ya got ‘till there ain’t nothin’ left,
That’s damn rock and roll,

Get some grass cause the party,
And the party got loud,
And the party turned into an angry crowd.
Drowning demons feel no pain,
Found a lot of ways to shame.

I only needed the CD booklet for clarification on two lines.

"2 below"? No, try "Tupelo"
"preacher by the wreck"? No, try "burnin' records"
"the shepherd boy gets them"? Lol, what? Try "shepherd bought a Gibson"

And then "get some grass cause the party"? Wow. It's "Yeah when the Clash crashed the party"

Final bolded line should be "found Nirvana wasted shame".

Every other lyric site I checked had all the same laughably bad errors. And the worst part is that all of these sites or the people who visit them aren't understanding the meaning of the song. Most of the errors had to do with references to rock & roll artists/legends from the past. "Hip shakin' devil in Tupelo" is Elvis. The Clash and Nirvana were big bands. Eric is singing about those artists, not about grass at a party or some guy shaking his hips in sub-zero temperatures.

[jaseboyhyde]

Feb 16, 2014 18:58:25 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Feb 16, 2014 13:53:29 GMT -5 jaseboyhyde said:

Give me back my hometown is slower and softer. I think the next single will be something more up-tempo and fun, like Cold one or Roller Coaster Ride. Then probably Talladega to peak in late summer.

"Give Me Back My Hometown" is well on its way to #1 (or a top 5 peak at the very least), but it won't peak until mid/late April at the earliest, so if they want "Talladega" as the 'summer single', then it will have to come 3rd.

Yeah that's true about the peak time. I guess I was thinking they would send another one to Radio in April...and Talladega would come to radio in late summer, July/August. Then again, Late summer in East Texas is September/October. haha.

We'll see. I'm excited to see what they do here. I'm assuming that these songs have quick climbs and are replaced very soon after their peak. I could be way off.

[zjames]

Yeah the lyric sites are terrible. For "Talladega", they have:

Rocking rando, getting rowdy
Shooting roman candles at the man in the moon

I'm pretty sure Rocking rando should be Rockin' Randall but hey, what do I know?

[Deleted]

Feb 16, 2014 19:06:06 GMT -5 jaseboyhyde said:

Yeah that's true about the peak time. I guess I was thinking they would send another one to Radio in April...and Talladega would come to radio in late summer, July/August. Then again, Late summer in East Texas is September/October. haha.

We'll see. I'm excited to see what they do here. I'm assuming that these songs have quick climbs and are replaced very soon after their peak. I could be way off.

Most songs are on the chart for about 20 weeks, give or take a few, so it can be tough to fit even 3 singles into a calendar year. Guys like Eric, Blake, and Luke are really among the few who have even a chance of fitting 3 full chart runs into a single year.

I'm being technical here, so bear with me :)

GMBMH has only been on the chart for 6 weeks, and in terms of audience (20.5 million on Billboard), it's a little less than halfway to #1. If it could gain 3 million a week for the next 7 weeks, it would be close to a #1 total. But that's a pretty steep rate of gain...not every week will be a 3 mil week, nor will the gains stay that consistent. My guess is that GMBMH will need at least 8 more weeks to contend for #1, possibly as many as 10-11. That gives us a peak in mid/late April. Then there is usually a a couple weeks before the next single is sent out. Let's assume a Monday, May 5 "adds date" for the 3rd single. Twenty weeks from May 5th puts us around the 21st of September. The time-frame for the 4th single will likely be sometime from October through January, probably not peaking until about this time (February or March) in 2015 :) And that's assuming the standard ~20 weeks or so per chart run.

The quickest chart climbs these days are usually around 14-16 weeks to #1. "Drink A Beer" needed 14 weeks to go #1. "When She Says Baby" will be #1 on Billboard tomorrow in its 17th chart week. Every now and then, Kenny or Blake or one of the big names can hit the top in 11-13 weeks, but it's been a while since we've seen one of those ultra fast-climbers, and while GMBMH is going up fast, it's not going up that fast.