Long Gone Dead is the second album by the American band Rank and File, released in 1984.[3][4] Founding member Alejandro Escovedo left the band prior to the recording sessions for the album.[5]
| Long Gone Dead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Roots rock[1] | |||
| Label | Slash[2] | |||
| Producer | Jeff Eyrich | |||
| Rank and File chronology | ||||
| ||||
The first single was "Sound of the Rain".[6] The album was a commercial disappointment.[7]
Production edit
Recorded in Austin, the album was produced by Jeff Eyrich.[8][9] Stan Lynch played drums on the album; Richard Greene played fiddle.[10][11] The band made a point of engaging with any musical idea that came to them, rather than sticking to one style.[12]
"I'm an Old Old Man" is a cover of the Lefty Frizzell song.[13] "John Brown" is about the abolitionist.[12]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [15] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [16] |
Robert Christgau wrote that, "in a disquietingly cerebral way the music is very moving, with the Kinman brothers' wide-spaced close harmonies adding a unique sweet-and-sour lift to their defiantly doomy tunes."[14] Trouser Press opined that, "lacking the first LP's lost and lonesome prairie feel, Long Gone Dead is appealing but disappointing."[9] The New York Times stated that the band "should stick to country-rock, at least for the time being; the closer they get to authentic country music, the more plastic they sound."[11]
The Washington Post concluded that "Rank and File is certainly pleasing enough as a pop band and sincere enough as a country act, but the band needs to rediscover the link between the two."[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that the songs "too often sound like parodies of country songs rather than the homages they apparently intend, and the vocals are frequently dolorous drags."[16]
AllMusic wrote that, "while a more ambitious and musically diverse album than Sundown, Long Gone Dead just doesn't have the same tight focus and sharp impact of the debut."[10] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide called the album "a vitally important [document] of the rebirth of an entire genre of American music that, watered down and pasteurized, resurfaced later in everything from John Mellencamp's first post-Cougar releases to the entire current crop of alterna-twangers."[15]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Gone Dead" | |
| 2. | "I'm an Old Old Man" | |
| 3. | "Sound of the Rain" | |
| 4. | "Hot Wind" | |
| 5. | "Tell Her I Love Her" | |
| 6. | "Saddest Girl in the World" | |
| 7. | "Timeless Love" | |
| 8. | "John Brown" | |
| 9. | "Last Night I Dreamed" | |
| 10. | "It Don't Matter" |
References edit
- ^ Righi, Len (30 Dec 1984). "The Year in Review". The Morning Call. p. F1.
- ^ Pollock, Bruce (March 18, 2014). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. ISBN 9781135462963.
- ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (June 3, 2019). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2018. McFarland. ISBN 9781476670331.
- ^ Lacey, Liam (5 July 1984). "Long Gone Dead Rank and File". The Globe and Mail. p. E5.
- ^ "Rank and File: The Slash Years Album Review". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ Barton, David (June 8, 1984). "Rank and File: A Lively Mix of Punk, Country". Scene. The Sacramento Bee. p. C.
- ^ Righi, Len (10 May 1986). "Rank & File: Still Working". The Morning Call. p. A63.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 767.
- ^ a b "Rank and File". Trouser Press. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Long Gone Dead". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Palmer, Robert (10 June 1984). "Young Bands Make Country Music for the MTV Generation". The New York Times. p. A23.
- ^ a b Toombs, Mikel (May 18, 1984). "Rank and File is true to its socially conscious ideals". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. A29.
- ^ Hart, Chris (Aug 23, 1984). "'Rank and File' Has Rejuvenated Sound". The Republic. Columbus. p. A12.
- ^ a b "Rank and File". Robert Christgau.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 921.
- ^ a b Tucker, Ken (3 June 1984). "Rank and File Long Gone Dead". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I4.
- ^ "Less Comfortable the Second Time Around". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 April 2022.