| Ballad of a Thin Line Man | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Studio | Baby'O Recorders, Granny's House, West 3 Studios | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock | |||
| Label | Zippo | |||
| Producer | Giant Sand, Eric Westfall | |||
| Giant Sand chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Select |   [3] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10 [4] |
Ballad of a Thin Line Man is the second album by American band Giant Sand. [5] [6] It was released in 1986 by record label Zippo. [7]
AllMusic opined that the album "documents a band that hadn't yet reached greatness, but was well on its way to something special." [1] Trouser Press wrote that "Gelb shines on the ringing, Neil Young-inspired rockers." [7]
"Whiskey in the Jar" is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.
Miscellaneous T is a B-side and remix compilation album released by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants in 1991. It is a US re-release of Don't Let's Start, with different cover art, track order, and the additional song "Hello Radio".
Calexico is an American indie rock band based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1996, the band's two main members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, first played together in Los Angeles as part of the group Giant Sand. They have recorded a number of albums on Quarterstick Records and City Slang, and their 2005 EP, In the Reins, recorded with Iron & Wine, reached the Billboard 200 album charts. Their musical style is influenced by traditional Latin sounds of mariachi, conjunto, cumbia, and tejano mixed with country, jazz, and post-rock.
Ribbed is the third studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX, released in 1991 through Epitaph Records. It was their last album to feature Steve Kidwiler on guitar; he was replaced by El Hefe. Ribbed is also the last NOFX album produced by Brett Gurewitz, who also produced their first two Epitaph albums. The album sold 8,000 copies upon its release.
Giant Sand is an American musical group from Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its most constant member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. The groups have developed idiosyncratic sound rooted in alternative country, but touching on a wide range of other styles and featuring Gelb's beatnik-influenced vocals and songwriting. Since about 2012, they have also performed as Giant Giant Sand when featuring a larger ensemble than their traditional four to six musicians.
Naked Prey was an American rock band from Tucson, Arizona. United States, which was formed in 1982 by the former Green on Red drummer Van Christian and David Seeger, who had been in the original line-up of the Giant Sandworms as well as The Pedestrians, a band credited with having performed the first punk rock show in Tucson. Other artists who recorded or performed with the band included members of Green on Red and the Sand Rubies, John Convertino and Joey Burns, later of Calexico, Chuck Prophet, Rainer Ptacek and longtime drummer Tommy Larkins, who currently plays with Jonathan Richman, famously appearing with him as half of the two-man Greek chorus in There's Something About Mary. Christian himself also performed with The Band of Blacky Ranchette and was in the original lineup of The Friends of Dean Martinez.
Barbara Manning is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist whose albums blend elements of rock, folk, pop and proto-punk. She is also known for her cover versions of often obscure pop songs. In addition to an acclaimed solo career, Manning has been active in a number of bands, including 28th Day, World of Pooh, SF Seals, and The Go-Luckys!.
A Dream in Sound is an album by the indie rock band Elf Power. It was released in 1999 via Arena Rock Recording Company/Elephant 6.
Howard “Howe” Gelb is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer based in Tucson, Arizona.
The Dusty Chaps was an American country rock band based in Tucson, AZ from 1969 through the early 1980s. In 1975 they released their first album Honky Tonk Music on a small Tucson label, Bandoleer Records. The band subsequently signed with Capitol Records and rerecorded Honky Tonk Music with an added track in 1977. They released another album on Capitol, Domino Joe (1978). Band members included Peter Gierlach ; George Hawke ; Pat McAndrew ; Leonardo Lopez ; Steve Solomon ; Bill Emrie (violin); Red Davidson ; and Ted Hockenbury. For some time the Chaps were the house band at Tucson's renowned Stumble Inn as well as the Poco Loco.
Formed in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1980, the band Uncle Green consisted of Matt Brown, Jeff Jensen, Bill Decker, Pete McDade (drums), and Danny Giordano. Brown and Jensen were the principal songwriters and vocalists for the group.
Cover Magazine is an album by the American band Giant Sand. It was released on Thrill Jockey Records in 2002. Eleven of the songs are covers.
Chore of Enchantment is a studio album by the alternative rock band Giant Sand. It was released in March 2000 by Thrill Jockey.
Silver Sail is the seventh studio album by punk rock band Wipers, released in 1993. After disbanding Wipers in 1989 and releasing a 1991 solo album, Sacrifice , Sage decided to release a new album under the Wipers name.
"Pay the Devil " is a song written by Berton Averre and first released by the Knack on their 1981 album Round Trip. It was also released as a single, and reached #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It continued the descending patterns of the Knack's singles from "My Sharona" which reached #1 to "Good Girls Don't" which reached #11 to "Baby Talks Dirty" which peaked at #38 to "Can't Put a Price on Love" which only reached #62. However, it was the last Knack single to chart at all until "My Sharona" re-entered the charts at #91 in 1994 in the wake of its appearance in the soundtrack of Reality Bites. "Pay the Devil" was later included on Knack compilation albums The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack and Very Best of the Knack.
The Setters was a collaborative musical project between rock-n-roll songwriters Walter Salas-Humara of the Silos, Alejandro Escovedo of True Believers, and Michael Hall of the Wild Seeds. The band originated when Hall told a music festival he wanted to play at that he was in a band with Salas-Humara and Escovedo. Hall came up with the band name "The Setters" off the top of his head when the festival organizers asked him what the band's name was. Hall then called up Salas-Humara to ask him to perform with him at the festival, and Salas-Humara agreed. They released a single, self-titled album in 1993 on the German Blue Million Miles record label, and which was released the following year in the United States on Watermelon Records. The album was produced by Gurf Morlix, and featured performances by accordionist Lisa Mednick and bassist Scott Garber. The tracks on the album are all new recordings of songs originally written by Salas-Humara, Escovedo, or Hall. Brian Beatty gave the album 3 stars out of 5, writing, "Though there's no arguing with the quality of the songs here, most of them have appeared on albums much better than this one. Purchase those albums first."
Swerve is an album by Tucson, Arizona-based rock band Giant Sand. It was first released in 1990 on the Amazing Black Sand label, and was re-released in 1993 by both Amazing Black Sand and Restless Records. It features performances by guest artists such as Chris Cacavas of Green on Red, Juliana Hatfield, and Steve Wynn. Its music has been described as "Sticky Fingers country-rock".
"World's Greatest Lover" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1981 as the second and final single from their fifth studio album All Shook Up (1980). The song was written by Rick Nielsen and produced by George Martin.
Ramp is an album by the American band Giant Sand, released in 1991. The album was released via frontman Howe Gelb's Amazing Black Sand label, before being picked up by Restless Records.
The Shadow of Your Smile is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Friends of Dean Martinez, released in 1995. The band included members of two Arizona bands: Joey Burns and John Convertino, of Giant Sand, and Bill Elm, Tom Larkins, and Van Christian, of Naked Prey. The band changed their name from Friends of Dean Martin right before the album's release, after threat of legal action by Martin's representatives.
