New West Motel

Last updated
New West Motel
New West Motel.jpg
Studio album by The Walkabouts
Released 1993
Genre Alternative rock, alternative country
Length62:41
Label Sub Pop
Producer Ed Brooks, The Walkabouts
The Walkabouts chronology
Scavenger
(1991)		New West Motel
(1993)		 Satisfied Mind
(1993)

New West Motel is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band The Walkabouts. It was released in 1993 on Sub Pop Records. [1] It is a double album, where all songs are credited to Chris Eckman or/and The Walkabouts except for a cover of Texan cult musician Townes Van Zandt's "Snake Mountain Blues". [2]

Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock. Although the genre evolved in the late 1970s and 1980s, music anticipating the sound of the genre can be found as early as the 1960s, with bands such as The Velvet Underground.

The Walkabouts

The Walkabouts were an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984. The core members were vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. Although the rest of the line-up changed occasionally, for most of the time the other members were Michael Wells, Glenn Slater and Terri Moeller.

Townes Van Zandt American singer-songwriter

John Townes Van Zandt, better known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American singer-songwriter. He wrote numerous songs, such as "Pancho and Lefty", "For the Sake of the Song", "Tecumseh Valley", "Rex's Blues", and "To Live is to Fly", that are widely considered masterpieces of American folk music. His musical style has often been described as melancholy and features-rich, poetic lyrics. During his early years, Van Zandt was respected for his guitar playing and fingerpicking ability.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Jason Ankeny writing in a positive review for AllMusic said that it features "edgy juxtaposition of blistering guitar workouts and plaintive acoustic cuts." [2]

AllMusic Online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web.

Track listing

All songs written by The Walkabouts, except where noted. All lyrics written by Chris Eckman, except where noted. [2]

  1. "Jack Candy" – 4:41
  2. "Sundowner" – 3:38
  3. "Grand Theft Auto" – 5:41
  4. "Break It Down Gently" – 3:36
  5. "Your Hope Shines" – 4:14
  6. "Murdering Stone" – 3:18
  7. "Sweet Revenge" – 5:44
  8. "Glad Nation's Death Song" – 4:21
  9. "Long Time Here" – 4:19
  10. "Wondertown (Part One)" – 1:23
  11. "Drag This River" – 4:02
  12. "Snake Mountain Blues" (Townes Van Zandt) – 5:47
  13. "Findlay's Motel" (string arrangement by Mark Nichols) – 6:36
  14. "Unholy Dreams" – 5:21

The album was produced during November and December 1992. It was engineered at Clearwater Productions, Gig Harbor, Washington and Bad Animals Seattle, Washington.

Washington (state) State of the United States of America

Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Named for George Washington, the first president of the United States, the state was made out of the western part of the Washington Territory, which was ceded by Britain in 1846 in accordance with the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital; the state's largest city is Seattle. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.

Personnel

The Walkabouts

Violin bowed string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths

The violin, sometimes known as a fiddle, is a wooden string instrument in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the family in regular use. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino piccolo and the kit violin, but these are virtually unused. The violin typically has four strings tuned in perfect fifths with notes G3, D4, A4, E5, and is most commonly played by drawing a bow across its strings, though it can also be played by plucking the strings with the fingers (pizzicato) and by striking the strings with the wooden side of the bow.

Lap steel guitar type of steel guitar which is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position on the performer’s lap or otherwise supported

The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar which is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position on the performer's lap or otherwise supported. The performer changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings as opposed to a traditional guitar where the performer's fingertips press the strings against frets. The bar placed against the strings is called a "steel" or "tone bar".

Mandolin musical instrument in the lute family (plucked, or strummed)

A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison, although five and six course versions also exist. The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass.

Bravura String Quartet strings on "Findlay's Motel"

String instrument musical instrument that generates tones by one or more strings stretched between two points

String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when the performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner.

King Jesus Disciples

vocals on "Your Hopes Shines"

Additional musicians

Technical

Design

Release history

Source [1]
RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
Germany 1993 Sub Pop Records 2xLP SP 81/252
CD SPCD 81/252, RS-CMD028 [3]
February 19, 1993 Glitterhouse Records GRCD 252 [4]
United States 1993 Creativeman Disc CMD-028
Greece 1999 ΠΟΠ + POK (Magazine)GRCD 252

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References

  1. 1 2 The Walkabouts at Discogs
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jason Ankeny (1993). "New West Motel, The Walkabouts > Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-05-28.
  3. ↑ "Sub Pop, The Walkabouts, New West Motel". Sub Pop Records . Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  4. ↑ "Glitterhouse, The Walkabouts, New West Motel". Glitterhouse Records . Retrieved 2012-11-13.
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