Lived to Tell

Last updated
Lived to Tell
Lived to Tell.jpg
Studio album by
Released1991
Genre Rock
Label Atlantic [1]
Producer Paul McKenna
Eleventh Dream Day chronology
Borscht
(1990)
Lived to Tell
(1991)
Two Sweeties
(1992)

Lived to Tell is an album by the American alternative rock band Eleventh Dream Day, released in 1991. [2] [3] Like the band's other two Atlantic Records albums, Lived to Tell was a commercial disappointment. [4] The band supported the album with a North American tour. [5]

Contents

Production

Produced by Paul McKenna, the album was recorded in Cub Run, Kentucky, in a studio that had been built in an old barn. [6] [7] All four band members contributed to the songwriting. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [9]
Austin American-Statesman Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Calgary Herald B+ [10]
Robert Christgau A− [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Entertainment Weekly B [12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that the band "sport a wild instrumental attack, oblique lyrics, and a sturdy, unflinching belief in the healing effects of a silky, soaring guitar." [12] Robert Christgau thought that "a notable guitar sound evolves into an undeniable band sound, roots/trad sonics (steel and slide under lead) and rhythms (buried hints of r&b strut and shuffle) just barely keeping their balance." [11] Trouser Press opined that some songs "waver instead of stampede; for the first time, the band seems to know where they’re going, and that takes some joy out of the ride." [1]

The New York Times wrote: "When the tempos are fast and the guitarists strum at top speed, the songs emerge in a passionate rush. But when songs grow more leisurely, collegiate pretensions emerge; songs called 'Daedalus' and 'It's All a Game' are just the clichés their titles promise." [15] The Chicago Tribune deemed Lived to Tell "an album that ranks as one of the best ever made by a Chicago band." [16] The Boston Globe concluded that "the band's cleverly oblique lyrics are often lost in the guitar din, but for pure energy, you won't find a hotter new band." [17]

AllMusic wrote that "[Rick] Rizzo and Beveridge Bean make a fantastic pair of front singers, strong without being overbearing, on joint harmonies hitting something not far off from the brilliant combination of X's John Doe and Exene Cervenka." [9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Rose of Jericho"3:42
2."Dream of a Sleeping Sheep"3:15
3."I Could Be Lost"3:38
4."It's Not My World"4:58
5."You Know What It Is"3:41
6."Frozen Mile"4:22
7."Strung Up and/or Out"3:14
8."North of Wasteland"3:16
9."It's All a Game"4:32
10."Trouble"2:41
11."There's This Thing"4:00
12."Daedalus"3:41
13."Angels Spread Your Wings"2:54

Personnel

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References

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  2. "Eleventh Dream Day | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. "Spins". SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. March 1, 1991 via Google Books.
  4. Petrusich, Amanda (August 19, 2008). It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American Music. Farrar, Straus and Giroux via Google Books.
  5. Abbott, Jim (1 Feb 1991). "New Tix". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 3.
  6. 1 2 McLeese, Don (31 Jan 1991). "Eleventh Dream Day offers musical catharsis". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 18.
  7. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. pp. 254–255.
  8. Robins, Wayne (27 Jan 1991). "Four Dream Day Believers". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
  9. 1 2 "Lived to Tell - Eleventh Dream Day | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" via www.allmusic.com.
  10. Muretich, James (3 Feb 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. F5.
  11. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: CG: Eleventh Dream Day". www.robertchristgau.com.
  12. 1 2 "Lived to Tell". Entertainment Weekly.
  13. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 384.
  14. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 223.
  15. Pareles, Jon (17 Feb 1991). "Recordings View: Gazing Into an Opaque Crystal Ball". The New York Times. p. A26.
  16. Kot, Greg (31 Jan 1991). "Eleventh Heaven". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 9.
  17. Morse, Steve (31 Jan 1991). "Recordings". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 10.