Fight Songs (Old 97's album)

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Fight Songs
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 27, 1999
RecordedKingsway in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
GenreCountry rock, alternative country, alternative rock, power pop
Length46:45
LabelElektra
ProducerAndrew Williams
Old 97's chronology
Too Far to Care
(1997)
Fight Songs
(1999)
Early Tracks EP
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Austin Chronicle[2]
The Boston Phoenix[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Pitchfork4.0/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin7/10[9]
The Village VoiceA[10]

Fight Songs is the fourth studio album by American alternative country band Old 97's, first released on April 27, 1999. It features the song "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)", which was ranked #176 on Blender magazine's list of "500 Greatest Songs From 1980-2005."[11]

The group's second record on Elektra Records, Fight Songs is more slick and pop-oriented than the group's previous efforts, a trend continued on 2001's Satellite Rides. The song "Crash on the Barrelhead" is rumored to be targeted at alt-country rival, Ryan Adams,[12] while "Murder ..." was inspired by a cat owned by singer Miller's roommate in Los Angeles.[13]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Rhett Miller, Ken Bethea, Murry Hammond and Philip Peeples.

  1. "Jagged" – 3:27
  2. "Lonely Holiday" – 4:08
  3. "Oppenheimer" – 3:28
  4. "Indefinitely" – 3:41
  5. "What We Talk About" – 4:10
  6. "Crash on the Barrelhead" (vocals by Murry Hammond) – 2:39
  7. "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)" – 3:41
  8. "Alone So Far" – 4:17
  9. "Busted Afternoon" – 3:11
  10. "19" – 3:41
  11. "Let the Idiot Speak" – 3:43
  12. "Valentine" (vocals by Murry Hammond) – 3:08

Personnel[edit]

Old 97's
  • Ken Bethea – guitar
  • Murry Hammond – bass, vocals
  • Rhett Miller – vocals, guitar
  • Philip Peeples – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
  • Jon Rauhouse – steel on "Jagged", "Lonely Holiday" and "Alone So Far"
  • Jon Brion – Vox organ on "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)"
  • Andrew Williams – odds and ends

References[edit]

  1. ^ Johnson, Zac. "Fight Songs – Old 97's". AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  2. ^ Caliguiri, Jim (April 23, 1999). "Old 97's: Fight Songs (Elektra)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Martin, Richard (June 3–10, 1999). "Old 97's: Fight Songs (Elektra)". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  4. ^ Hermes, Will (April 30, 1999). "Fight Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  5. ^ Weingarten, Marc (April 30, 1999). "Old 97's, '20 Fight Songs,' Elektra". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Lieberman, Neil. "Old 97's: Fight Songs". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  7. ^ Moon, Tom (May 27, 1999). "Old 97's: Fight Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  8. ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "Old 97's". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 602–03. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ Schone, Mark (April 30, 1999). "Old 97's: Fight Songs". Spin. 15 (6): 144. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 18, 1999). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Blender Magazine".
  12. ^ Falatko, Daniel (29 March 2018). "Dissing Ryan Adams: An Emerging Songwriting Genre". Niche Apparel.
  13. ^ Browning, Laura (4 August 2015). "Old 97s Hid A Missing Cat Sage in a Love Song". AV Club. Retrieved 18 May 2019.