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 | Title : Demolition
Author : Adams, Ryan
Release Date : 20020924
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $13.98
Amazon.com Price : $10.97
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Editorial Reviews :
Former Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams claims to have written and recorded enough songs over the past several years to fill a four-CD collection--and that's in addition to his acclaimed 2001 breakthrough Gold. Wisely, Adams decided to skip the box set--hey, he's only 27--and issue a sort of 'best of' compilation comprising 13 unreleased demos. Recorded at four different studio sessions in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Stockholm, with a cast of musicians that includes his road band the Pinkhearts, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Ethan Johns, Chris Stills, Bucky Baxter, and Greg Leisz, Demolition proves that Adams is still a work in progress: brilliant one moment, sloppy the next. When he's good, he's very good: the rousing country-rocker 'Hallelujah,' the brooding acoustic ballads 'Dear Chicago' and 'Tomorrow,' and the jangly power-pop number 'Gimme a Sign' are as fine as anything on Gold. But Adams sometimes lapses into mimicry, as he does on 'Nuclear' and 'Starting to Hurt,' both of which could be outtakes from a U2 album. 'Tennessee Sucks,' a chronicle of a boredom-filled summer day in Nashville, sounds half-baked, while the closing track, 'Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby),' which finds Adams (on synthesizer, guitars, bass, and drum machine) droning on like Leonard Cohen, falls in the 'failed experiment' category. Despite its bright spots, Demolition ultimately comes off as a mixed bag.
Buyer Reviews :
Ryan Adams can write a tune. This has never been in question. His ability to decide what to release and what to hold back has been, though.
After the back-to-back creative peaks of Heartbreaker and the posthumously released Whiskeytown album, Pneumonia, 2001's Gold was an ambitious and mostly-excellent encore, though signs of Adam's declining discretion started to show.
Demolition is said to be the best material from five recording sessions spanning December 2000 to October 2001.
Instead, Demolition sounds like exactly what it is: a hodge-podge of distinct sounds. With this diversity come the great, the good, and the clichéd songs that Adams is capable of producing.
As much as I want to dislike the opener and first single, 'Nuclear,' it does have an undeniable hook. But poorly mixed metaphors masquerading as verses shouldn't do for the man who wrote 'Oh My Sweet Carolina.'
'Hallelujah' and 'Chin Up, Cheer Up' are as good country romps as Adams has ever written, while 'You Will Always Be the Same' treads lightly in the best way with its cello and lo-fi acoustic guitar. The River-era Springsteen track, 'Desire,' could easily be sappy, but Adams pulls it off well with soaring harmonica and pedal steel. Yet, the requisite Winona-inspired track arrives with 'Cry on Demand,' and fairs only moderately well.
A previously untapped song style, The Replacements-style garage-pop, is explored by Adams on 'Starting Hurt,' and is continued later with 'Gimme a Sign.' While neither track will let 'Mats fans forget that Tommy Stinson is now in Guns N' Roses, the new sound works for Adams; however, both would sound better without the heavy-handed production of Dave Domanich.
The low point of the album is reached with the combination of the hopelessly trite acoustic number 'She Wants to Play Hearts' and the downright awful jazz-tinged nonsense of 'Tennessee Sucks.' The latter marks the first time that a state of the union 'sucking' has warranted the penning of a song.
The banks of reverberating acoustics on 'Dear Chicago' help to pick up the pieces left from 'Tennessee Sucks.' 'Tomorrow' is certainly one of the albums standouts. With help from David Rawlings on acoustic guitar and Gillian Welch on background vocals, the song captures some of Heartbreaker's intimacy.
Closing the album, 'Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby)' is an interesting experiment with synthesizers and drum machines by Adams, but the track is never quite fully realized.
When the album ends it leaves fans wondering: where are 'Hey, There Miss Lovely,' 'Give Me Sunshine,' and (insert favorite unreleased Adams tune)? Demolition is certainly not the best album that could have been put together from Adam's back catalogue, but the standout tracks, and the knowledge that there are still better ones sitting on a tape in some studio, gives Adam's fans hope. But, maybe Gillian and David should give you some help selecting the track list next time, Ryan.
(by Josh Mound)
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