Like most supergroup projects, Golden Smog's Down By the Mainstream is a loose, relaxed affair that sounds like it was a lot of fun to record.
Unlike most supergroups, the members of Golden Smog improve on their regular bands.
Comprised of a number of alternative country-rock stars -- including Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the Jayhawks' Gary Louris, and Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy -- the musicians are releaxed and loose, giving the songs a raw, rootsy kick.
Since the album wasn't carefully considered, it has an offhand, relaxed charm that is sometimes lacking from Jayhawks and Soul Asylum albums.
Not all of the songs are first rate -- "Pecan Pie" and "Red Headed Stepchild" are a bit too cute to be effective -- but the performances are full of grit and fire, which is what makes Down By the Mainstream such an engaging listen.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VKraig Johnson, Gary Louris | Golden Smog | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Ill FatedDan Murphy | Golden Smog | Play | 03:42 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Pecan PieJeff Tweedy | Golden Smog | Play | 02:54 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Yesterday CriedKraig Johnson | Golden Smog | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Won't Be Coming Home | Golden Smog | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | He's a DickKraig Johnson | Golden Smog | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Walk Where He WalkedJeff Tweedy | Golden Smog | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Nowhere BoundKraig Johnson, Dan Murphy, Marc Perlman | Golden Smog | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | FriendKraig Johnson | Golden Smog | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | She Don't Have to See You | Golden Smog | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Red Headed StepchildDan Murphy, Marc Perlman | Golden Smog | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Williamton AngelKraig Johnson | Golden Smog | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Radio KingGary Louris, Jeff Tweedy | Golden Smog | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Glad and Sorry | Golden Smog | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 49 mins | 114 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodney Amber | Organ (Hammond), Piano |
| 2 | Jim Boquist | Guest Artist |
| 3 | Sir James Bunchberry | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 4 | M. Center | Sound Effects |
| 5 | Andres Conlee | Vocals (Background) |
| 6 | Jarret Decatur | Chamberlin, Drums, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Harmonica, Harp, Mandolin, Piano, Slide Guitar, Tambourine, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Golden Smog | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 8 | Michael Hacklyn | Guitar (Electric), Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Scott Hull | Mastering |
| 10 | Anthony James | Vocals |
| 11 | Kraig Jarret | Art Direction, Design |
| 12 | Kraig Johnson | Composer |
| 13 | James Bunchberry Lane | Engineer |
| 14 | Ronnie Lane | Composer |
| 15 | Ken Lau | Photography |
| 16 | Gary Louris | Composer, Photography |
| 17 | Michael Macklyn | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Piano, Slide Guitar, Vocal Harmony, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | Clive Mills | Executive Producer |
| 19 | Dan Murphy | Composer |
| 20 | Rip Nordhaugan | Photography |
| 21 | Marc Perlman | Composer |
| 22 | Dave Pirner | Guest Artist |
| 23 | Leonardson Saratoga | Drums, Sound Effects, Tambourine, Vocals (Background) |
| 24 | Brent Sigmeth | Assistant Engineer |
| 25 | Michael Sommens | Drawing |
| 26 | Davis Spear | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Slide Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Scot Summit | Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 28 | Jeff Tweedy | Composer |
| 29 | Raymond Virginia | Bass, E-Bow, Fuzz Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Mandolin, Vocals (Background) |
| 30 | Derek Vista | Executive Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |