If the Hold Steady quit after 2006's magnificent Boys and Girls in America, no one could have blamed them.
After all, they had recorded three brilliant records.
In 2004, THS issued the guttersnipe punk meets classic rock Almost Killed Me -- recorded mostly live since the band had little wherewithal in using a studio.
They upped the ante with Separation Sunday, where songwriter Craig Finn's post-Catholic guilt and confusion led to lyric lines that were pregnant with self-mythologizing.
The melodies were more intricate, the guitars referenced Led Zeppelin and Cheap Trick, and the stories about himself with busted heroines and drunken heroes -- all fallen former Catholic angels -- were as memorable as the Beat Generation icons rock & roll immortalized.
Finally, 2007's Boys and Girls in America added new studio savvy -- along with the same crazy energy and chanted refrains that referenced more than just rock & roll clichés (they hinted at the confused self-mirroring universe Finn was trying to figure out) -- and an expanded band sound (with keyboards no less) drawing from Thin Lizzy's dual lead guitars, the Replacements, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, Bruce Springsteen of the '70s.
Over three records, they'd done almost everything.
To boot, they had a smoking live show that captured everything they did on record even better.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Constructive Summer | The Hold Steady | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Sequestered in Memphis | The Hold Steady | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | One for the Cutters | The Hold Steady | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Navy Sheets | The Hold Steady | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Lord, I'm Discouraged | The Hold Steady | Play | 05:29 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Yeah Sapphire | The Hold Steady | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Both Crosses | The Hold Steady | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Stay Positive | The Hold Steady | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Magazines | The Hold Steady | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Joke About Jamaica | The Hold Steady | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Slapped Actress | The Hold Steady | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 44 mins | 101 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Agnello | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 2 | Judson Baker | Photography |
| 3 | Dean Baltulonis | Engineer, Vocals |
| 4 | David Barbe | Engineer |
| 5 | Yula Beeri | Vocals |
| 6 | Emilyn Brodsky | Vocals |
| 7 | Caleb Burhans | Strings |
| 8 | Greg Calbi | Mastering |
| 9 | Hubert Cheh | Strings |
| 10 | Jean Cook | Strings |
| 11 | Lloyd Debonis | Horn |
| 12 | Craig Finn | Art Direction, Group Member |
| 13 | James Frazee | Assistant Engineer, Vocals |
| 14 | Doug Gillard | Guitar, Vocals |
| 15 | Christian Helms | Art Direction, Design |
| 16 | Peter Hess | Horn, Horn Arrangements |
| 17 | The Hold Steady | Primary Artist |
| 18 | Patterson Hood | Vocals |
| 19 | Tad Kubler | Art Direction, Group Member, Guitar |
| 20 | J Mascis | Banjo |
| 21 | Pat Mucmore | Strings |
| 22 | Ben Nichols | Vocals |
| 23 | Franz Nicolay | Group Member |
| 24 | Larry Nieroda | Guitar Technician |
| 25 | Scott Norton | Track Engineer |
| 26 | Justin Pizzoferrato | Engineer |
| 27 | Galen Polivka | Group Member |
| 28 | Maria Sonevytsky | Vocals |
| 29 | Ted Young | Mixing |
| 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. |