| Lived to Tell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Atlantic [1] | |||
| Producer | Paul McKenna | |||
| Eleventh Dream Day chronology | ||||
| ||||
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]
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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Austin American-Statesman | [6] |
| Calgary Herald | B+ [10] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [12] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [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]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |