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direwolf74 · 06-27-2006, 11:44 PM

Anybody else into these guys?? This album kind of slipped under the radar. I didn't even know they had a new record out until somebody mentioned it over at the Pearl Jam forum the other day. So I picked it up this morning, and it's a fantastic album. Probably the best thing they've done since the early 90s. I've always been a fan of David Lowery's songwriting, and their albums are always top notch. It's a shame they're so underrated. I remember them opening a string of shows for the Hip during the U.S. leg of the Phantom Power tour back in '98, and I thought to myself, "shouldn't it be the other way around?" I could've sworn Cracker were bigger than the Hip in America. I guess I was wrong.

Spycouple · 06-28-2006, 12:02 AM

good call!

Quote:"What the world needs now, is a new Frank Sinatra... so I can get you in bed" - D. Lowery

Johnny Hickman could be the most underrated lead guitarist going, i think. Legendary leads. Also of note is Beck's dad doing the strings on "Bicycle Spaniard". Dave Lowery's lyrics are always good for a twist or three. With their double shot of ironic country feedback, they really should've beat Wilco and Blue Rodeo to the punch (only to spike it with LSD).

cferneyh · 06-28-2006, 12:10 AM

Geeze, I had no idea they were still around. I thought David Lowery had closed up the Cracker shop and was doing the Camper Van Beethoven thing again.

Gentleman's Blues is one of my alltime faves....but I was disappointed with Countrysides and Forever. What would you compare Greenland to?

direwolf74 · 06-28-2006, 12:20 AM

cferneyh Wrote:Geeze, I had no idea they were still around. I thought David Lowery had closed up the Cracker shop and was doing the Camper Van Beethoven thing again.

Gentleman's Blues is one of my alltime faves....but I was disappointed with Countrysides and Forever. What would you compare Greenland to?

I'd say it's more closely related to Kerosene Hat and The Golden Age.

Spycouple · 06-28-2006, 12:50 AM

cferneyh Wrote:Geeze, I had no idea they were still around. I thought David Lowery had closed up the Cracker shop and was doing the Camper Van Beethoven thing again.

Last time I saw them was at the Commodore, where Lowery was doing double duty by having CVB open for Cracker. Good stuff.

note to DW74, I was going to say that if if you could create one masterful album out the songs from Kerosene Hat and Golden Age, it would be on par with anything else. Is Greenland this lost continent??? I haven't heard it yet.

direwolf74 · 06-28-2006, 02:16 AM

Spycouple Wrote:
cferneyh Wrote:Geeze, I had no idea they were still around. I thought David Lowery had closed up the Cracker shop and was doing the Camper Van Beethoven thing again.

Last time I saw them was at the Commodore, where Lowery was doing double duty by having CVB open for Cracker. Good stuff.

note to DW74, I was going to say that if if you could create one masterful album out the songs from Kerosene Hat and Golden Age, it would be on par with anything else. Is Greenland this lost continent??? I haven't heard it yet.

I wouldn't say it's exactly like those albums, but it's definitely got the general feel and spirit of some of their early work. A good dose of rock, a little bit of country, a bit of the blues, and some killer riffage from Johnny Hickman. I was just listening to it again earlier tonight and I'm really enjoying it. If you like the band, you'll definitely like the album. From top to bottom, it's a very solid record.

NMAS · 06-29-2006, 11:58 AM

They are in Toronto on July 20th I think. It is at the Mod Club

Spycouple · 07-16-2006, 12:40 AM

Greenland is EXCELLENT!

Wasn't sure about it on the first few songs, as I was hoping for an opener like "Low" or "I Hate My Generation" to kick things off. However, from the song "Riverside" onward especially, there is some fantastic songwriting and lead guitar work on this album. Johnny Hickman has EPIC riffs and leads going on in "Gimme One More Chance" (I'd have take him over Robbie Baker in the Rock Band Fantasy League draft). There is also some spacey head trip stuff going on in the production at times.

Thanks for the suggestion. It's a solid listen.

-jf

Spycouple · 07-31-2006, 03:50 PM

This is a fantastic show...

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.archive.org/details/cracker2005-11-01-flac">http://www.archive.org/details/cracker2005-11-01-flac</a>

It's just David Lowery and Johnny Hickman in some small club in Nebraska. Hickman's lead's are monstrous at times.

even just the first song is well worth it..

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.archive.org/download/cracker2005-11-01-flac/Cracker2005-11-01d1t01_vbr.mp3">http://www.archive.org/download/cracker ... 01_vbr.mp3</a>

-jf

direwolf74 · 08-01-2006, 02:19 AM

Glad to see this thread is still kickin' around. I've been listening to this album quite a bit lately, and it's definitely one of my favorites of 2006 so far.

AndGraceToo · 08-01-2006, 10:04 AM

They just played down here this weekend..
They were great! Free music festival..they opened for Train (which..**meh**) but Cracker ruled!

Billy · 08-01-2006, 12:27 PM

direwolf74 Wrote:
cferneyh Wrote:Geeze, I had no idea they were still around. I thought David Lowery had closed up the Cracker shop and was doing the Camper Van Beethoven thing again.

Gentleman's Blues is one of my alltime faves....but I was disappointed with Countrysides and Forever. What would you compare Greenland to?

I'd say it's more closely related to Kerosene Hat and The Golden Age.

I bought Kerosene Het back in the day and thought it was so terrible that I haven't bothered to listen to anything else by them. Perhaps now, after all the accolades, I will give them another listen.

Spycouple · 09-12-2006, 02:02 PM

For those interested , there was a pretty sweet event down near Joshua Tree featuring Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, Gram Rabbit, and others.

I like Cracker. My wife likes Gram Rabbit. It was her birthday on the 10th so we made a trip from the greenery of the Pacific Northwest to the strange surroundings of Pioneertown desert. Shot some video; didn't know there were other birthdays going on apparently. Here's a clip from the show...

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.karmafia.com/thesis/travelogue/Cracker.html">http://www.karmafia.com/thesis/travelogue/Cracker.html</a>

(needs Quicktime, btw)

Enjoy! It's a classic tune.

[edit] here's another stream of a few more Cracker tunes tunes...

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.karmafia.com/thesis/travelogue/Cracker2.html">http://www.karmafia.com/thesis/travelogue/Cracker2.html</a>

[/edit]

-jf

laliber · 10-19-2006, 02:48 AM

Finally picked up Greenland and it provided a great next listen after a week or so of the Hip's WC...
I sort of lost track of Cracker after 98/99 - so it was great to hear the lean voice and subtle lyrics of Mr. Lowery again!

direwolf74 · 10-19-2006, 06:33 AM

laliber Wrote:Finally picked up Greenland and it provided a great next listen after a week or so of the Hip's WC...
I sort of lost track of Cracker after 98/99 - so it was great to hear the lean voice and subtle lyrics of Mr. Lowery again!

Yea, it's a really cool album. I like it so much that it might sneak into my top 10 of 2006 at the end of the year.

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