Hitchhike to Rhome

Last updated
Hitchhike To Rhome
Old 97s-Hitchhike To Rhome.jpg
Studio album by
Old 97's
ReleasedNovember 1, 1994
RecordedCrystal Clear Sound in Dallas, TX
Genre Country rock
Length59:10
Label Big Iron Records
Producer Alan Wooley
Old 97's chronology
Hitchhike To Rhome
(1994)		 Wreck Your Life
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
Elmore Magazine 72/100 [3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
PopMatters 7/10 [5]

Hitchhike to Rhome is the first studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on November 1, 1994 (see 1994 in music). The title comes from the song, "Stoned," and refers to Rhome, Texas.

Contents

The lyrics make numerous references to the band's Dallas, Texas, environs. "504" refers to the area code for New Orleans (see area code 504). The Robert mentioned in "Drowning In The Days" (as well as "Big Brown Eyes") is Miller's boyhood friend, Robert Jenkins. "Miss Molly" recalls Miller and Hammond's previous work with bluegrass band, Killbilly, with "Doreen" referring to a memorable fan of that band and referencing New York City for the first of many times.

"4 Leaf Clover" was re-recorded as "Four Leaf Clover" with Exene Cervenka for the band's 1997 album, Too Far To Care . Live favorite, "Wish The Worst", is the only Old 97's song with lead guitar played by someone other than Ken Bethea. "Mama Tried" is a Merle Haggard standard and is a favorite live song for bassist, Hammond. "Tupelo County Jail" is a hidden track, playing after a long pause at the end of the album.

A 20th-anniversary, 2-disc special edition of the album was released on November 17, 2014 by Omnivore Recordings. The special edition contains a separate disc of 12 rare and unreleased tracks. [6]

Track listing

(all songs composed by Rhett Miller except where noted)

  1. "St. Ignatius" - 4:14
  2. "504" - 3:39
  3. "Drowning in the Days" - 4:02 (Miller/Hammond)
  4. "Miss Molly" - 2:18 (Cindy Walker)
  5. "Dancing with Tears" - 2:55 (Joe Burke/Al Dubin)
  6. "4 Leaf Clover" - 3:14
  7. "Wish the Worst" - 4:32
  8. "Old 97's Theme" - 1:42
  9. "Doreen" (bluegrass version)- 3:18 (Miller/Hammond)
  10. "Hands Off" - 4:35
  11. "Mama Tried" - 2:29 (Merle Haggard)
  12. "Stoned" - 3:59
  13. "If My Heart Was a Car" - 3:29
  14. "Desperate Times" - 3:46
  15. "Ken's Polka Thing" - 13:34 (Bonus track "Tupelo County Jail" after a long pause) (Ken Bethea/Webb Pierce)

Personnel

Old 97's:

Additional Musicians

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References

  1. ↑ Frey, Michael. "Hitchhike to Rhome". AllMusic . Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  2. ↑ Caligiuri, Jim (2015-01-23). "Old 97's". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  3. ↑ Zimmerman, Lee (2014-12-18). "Old 97's – Hitchhike To Rhome". Elmore Magazine . Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  4. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . Simon and Schuster. p.  602. ISBN   9780743201698.
  5. ↑ Whitelock, Ed (2014-12-15). "Old 97s: Hitchhike to Rhome". PopMatters . Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  6. ↑ "Hitchhike To Rhome". Omnivore Recordings. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
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