Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing

Last updated
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
Crystal Gazing Cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 20, 2000
Genre Garage rock
Length31:48
Label Sympathy for the Record Industry
Compulsive Gamblers chronology
Bluff City
(1999)
Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
(2000)
Live & Deadly: Memphis-Chicago
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing is the third and final studio album by The Compulsive Gamblers. The album was released June 20, 2000 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album's lineup consisted of Gamblers mainstays Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber on guitar and vocals. The Compulsive Gamblers began recording the album following their first European tour, which saw the addition of bassist Jeff Meier and keyboardist Brendan Lee Spengler to the Compulsive Gamblers' formerly three-piece outfit. The track Rock & Roll Nurse was covered by the band The Von Bondies on their 2001 debut album Lack of Communication .

Contents

The closing number, "Two Thieves" is dedicated to the memories of Jack Taylor (Gibson Bros, '68 Comeback) and Alan K. Crichton (The Male Nurse, Country Teasers), both of whom died drug related deaths.

Two songs off the album have been covered by Swedish rock band The Hives in live performances. The first of these was "Stop and Think it Over" at the Rock am Ring in Germany in 2003. The next song covered was the final song on the album "Two Thieves" in a performance on Musikbyrån on October 20, 2006.

Track listing

  1. The Way I Feel About You (Cartwright) - 2:29
  2. Pepper Spray Boogie (Yarber) - 2:23
  3. Whole Lotta Woman (Gordon, Hoggs, Robinson) - 3:15
  4. Negative Jerk (Cartwright) - 2:14
  5. Stop & Think It Over (Cartwright) - 3:19
  6. I'm That Guy (Cartwright) - 2:57
  7. Wait a Bit, Joe (Yarber) - 2:58
  8. Your Happiness (Brown) - 2:30
  9. Rock & Roll Nurse (Yarber) - 4:10
  10. Two Thieves (Cartwright) - 5:32

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Detroit Cobras</span> American garage rock band

The Detroit Cobras are an American garage rock band from Detroit, Michigan, which was formed in 1994 by guitarist Steve Shaw, guitarist Mary Ramirez, bassist Jeff Meier, drummer Vic Hill, and singer Rachel Nagy. The group was later known for a constantly changing assortment of musicians. Rachel Nagy died on January 14, 2022.

Reigning Sound was an American rock and roll band originally based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2019, along with fronting Reigning Sound, Cartwright also reformed his past band Greg Oblivian and the Tip Tops. In 2020, he also reformed with the original "Memphis lineup" of Reigning Sound is once again playing shows with the outfit's first incarnation. In a June 8, 2022, message on the group's Facebook page, Cartwright formally announced the end of Reigning Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Reatard</span> American rock musician

James Lee Lindsey Jr., known professionally as Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was signed to Matador Records. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of the Reatards and Lost Sounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goner Records</span> Memphis, Tennessee based record label Goner Records

Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk, garage rock, and more recently post-punk and synth-oriented bands, such as the King Khan & BBQ Show, Nots, Low Life, and the late Jay Reatard. The label also hosts Gonerfest, an annual Memphis music festival.

Gregory Johnathon Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. From 2001 to 2022 he fronted Reigning Sound which was signed to Merge Records. After moving away from Memphis in the mid-2000s, he has since lived with his family in Asheville, North Carolina.

<i>...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron</i> 1997 studio album by Oblivians

...Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron is the third studio album by the Oblivians, released in 1997 on Crypt Records. The album features noted Ninth Ward nightclub organist Mr. Quintron playing organ and percussion on a number of tracks.

<i>Popular Favorites</i> 1996 studio album by Oblivians

Popular Favorites is the second studio album by the Oblivians. It was released in 1996 on Crypt Records.

Compulsive Gamblers were an American garage rock group formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1990 by Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber, both future members of the Oblivians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Friedl</span> American musician

Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is a musician and the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jack Yarber, also known by his stage name Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivians and currently fronts Jack O & the Tennessee Tearjerkers.

'68 Comeback is an American garage rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1992 by singer, songwriter, and musicologist Jeffrey Evans. For the purposes of the band, Evans is frequently billed as either "Monsieur Evans" or "Monsieur Jeffrey Evans". The group contains a revolving cast of musicians, the only constant member being Evans himself.

<i>Walter Daniels Plays with Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians at Melissas Garage</i> 1995 studio album by Oblivians, Walter Daniels, Jeffrey Evans

Walter Daniels Plays with Monsieur Jeffrey Evans & The Oblivians at Melissa's Garage is a 10" album by Memphis garage-rock band the Oblivians. The album was released in 1995 by Texas record label, Undone. The album features Austin-based harmonicist Walter Daniels and Memphis-based vocalist Jeffery Evans. In 1999, it was rereleased with additional tracks as Melissa's Garage Revisited.

<i>Gambling Days Are Over</i> 1995 studio album by Compulsive Gamblers

Gambling Days Are Over is the debut studio album by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released in 1995 by Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album, with the exception of the last three songs, was recorded on an 8-track recorder in vocalist Jack Oblivian's apartment. The album was released after the band had already broken up, and was essentially a collection of the group's three 7-inch releases, "Church Goin'," "Joker," and Goodtime Gamblers." During the recording of the album the Compulsive Gamblers lineup consisted of Jack Oblivian and Greg Oblivian on guitar and vocals, Bushrod Thomas on drums, Fields Trimble on bass, and Greg Easterly on violin. The first three songs on the album are cover songs reflecting the band's diverse influences; the album contains covers by The Tornados, the Bar-Kays, and Tom Waits. The song "Sour and Vicious Man" was covered by Jay Reatard of the Reatards on their third album, Not Fucked Enough.

<i>Break Up, Break Down</i> 2001 studio album by Reigning Sound

Break Up, Break Down is the first studio album by the Reigning Sound. It was released on May 15, 2001, by Sympathy for the Record Industry.

<i>Bluff City</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Compulsive Gamblers

Bluff City is the second studio album by the Compulsive Gamblers. It was released on April 27, 1999, by the independent music label, Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was recorded after the band returned from a four-year hiatus in which members Greg Cartwright and Jack Yarber were recording under the name, the Oblivians. Bluff City was written while the Compulsive Gamblers were a threesome, with Cartwright and Yarber joined by Bushrod Thomas on drums. After the recording of Bluff City, the group recruited bassist Jeff Meier for a European tour in support of the album.

<i>Live & Deadly: Memphis–Chicago</i> 2003 live album by Compulsive Gamblers

Live & Deadly: Memphis–Chicago is a live album recorded by the Compulsive Gamblers. It is the final release by the band, released on April 15, 2003 by the independent record label Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album contains 16 tracks recorded during two May 2002 performances, one in Memphis, Tennessee, and the other in Chicago, Illinois. Live & Deadly was released just prior to the second and final time the Compulsive Gamblers disbanded. The album contains cover songs by the Bar-Kays, Tom Waits, and Nolan Strong & The Diablos. The song "Sour and Vicious Man" was in turn covered by The Reatards on their third album, Not Fucked Enough.

Jeffrey Evans is a singer and songwriter best known for his Memphis, Tennessee based bands: '68 Comeback, The Gibsons Bros., South Filthy and his current solo career. Evans' musical style combines elements of rockabilly, blues, garage rock, punk and rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oblivians</span> American garage punk band

The Oblivians are an American garage punk trio that has existed since 1993. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scene.

Greg Roberson is a Memphis, Tennessee-based session drummer, songwriter, producer, independent-record-label owner, and SiriusXM Radio host for Deep Tracks with Greg Roberson. The show focuses on classic rock's "lesser played songs and forgotten gems."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Reatards</span>

The Reatards were an American garage punk band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1995. Originally a one-man project by guitarist Jay Reatard, the group's sound was marked by raw, stripped-down instrumentals and lo-fi recording quality. After distributing privately pressed cassettes and EPs, most notably Fuck Elvis, Here's the Reatards, the band released their debut album Teenage Hate in 1998, followed by Grown Up, Fucked Up a year later. By 1999, the group only sporadically performed as Reatard began exploring other endeavors, but in 2005 he reformed the band for their third and final studio album. Much of the Reatards' discography remains a subject of interest, leading to reissues of their work years later.

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Evert. Compulsive Gamblers. "www.grunnenrocks.com". Accessed July 12, 2007.