The Gaslight Anthem Band • Page 186

Haha. I've played around with sequencing a ton as well. I never had Have Mercy first until someone on this blog said they had sequenced it that way. Love having it first.

 

I tried it out, and it definitely works as a cool opener - but I think I got really attached to Stay Vicious as kicking off the album. I remember listening to the Molly & the Zombies songs and just not understanding why they weren't just Gaslight songs. They were so good, I couldn't figure out what Brian and the other guys were thinking. Then I put on Get Hurt and Stay Vicious kicked me in my ears and I was like holy shit, I guess that's why.

 

I love Break Your Heart. Songs like that are on Get Hurt for me.

Sweet Morphine and Mama’s Boys would never have fit on Get Hurt and feel like an example of what else Brian had been working on as Molly songs (which is totally fine).

Have Mercy is lovely too. And Underneath The Ground is a side of Brian I was happy to see back again

I am surprised more people didn’t like the song Get Hurt. I still think that song is huge and kind of summoned up the album quite well (like most of the title tracks did).

 

Get Hurt the song is absolutely phenomenal. Amazing song. I was just listing the ones that people seem to argue about or say are bad.

 

I agree about Mama's Boys not really fitting the album, but I've always been very curious about how Brian seems unhappy or dissatisfied with the direction they ultimately went on the album and seems like he wishes they went another way. Kinda how I've looked at playing around with the tracklist.

Sweet Morphine and especially Have Mercy are such good songs that if they don't fit the album you change the damn album and make them fit.

 

They HD originally booked to work with Brendan again or something for the album. I remember hearing that in a video interview. I am not sure what changed or if a scheduling issue existed.

As for the album that became “Get Hurt”, Brian takes about a weird, Pearl Jam’s No Code style record for this I believe. Lots of songs with no chorus, or different structure. When Halloween was released as an RPM club thing I though, we’ll this is cool. Lyrics are deep and personal sounding in that song.

Get Hurt ended up being a mashing together of songs, but I really really like most of the songs. Honestly, that scattered feel probably makes sense in hindsight. The album is less cohesive and the transitions are weird, but there seemed like no lack of ideas from the band. Get Hurt opened the door for a lot of directions on a follow up if they wanted.

Maybe going solo just allowed Brian to focus and have a fresh start. I really do love all the releases he’s been involved in for very different reasons, and he always seems to stay true to himself which shows.

 

Get hurt the song is amazing

 

I think you're crazy, no offense. DARK PLACES is the best song on the album and the perfect closer.

 

Yeah, ending on any song other than “Dark Places” would subtract at least a full letter grade from this album.

 

All of this talk made me go back and listen to Get Hurt again, and now I have it like this -->

1. Stay Vicious
2. 1,000 Years
3. Get Hurt
4. Selected Poems
5. Helter Skeleton
6. Halloween
7. Underneath The Ground
8. Rollin' & Tumblin'
9. Red Violins
10. Ain't That a Shame
11. Sweet Morphine
12. Mama's Boys
13. Have Mercy
14. Dark Places

I've been swayed by all of the talk about Dark Places being a great closer. Have Mercy is just too good not to be on the album. I won't argue that Mama's Boys is a fantastic song, but I really love it and want it to have a home.

I've always been (perhaps overly) attached to the fan club live-ish recording of Halloween, as I saw them play it live at the House of Blues in Boston when they were touring Handwritten, so I don't think I ever gave the Get Hurt version a proper chance. It's a really good version of the song. I think the way they did it for Get Hurt fits well with the lyrics and themes of the song.

 

I wish more happened with the RPM Club

 

most band member clubs suck ass

 

I am also on board with Have Mercy being the opening track. Would have been very cool.

I just wish Have Mercy was on Spotify.

 

stray paper, red violins, and selected poems arent great. the rest ranges from good to great

 

I like those songs a lot. I’d have them I’m my really good category.

 

I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation at least six times.

 

But I enjoy it each and every time!

 

I find it kind of funny that we’ve been trying to “crack” the tracklist over and over for seven years now.

 

It’s the Chorus equivalent of Sisyphus.

 

I am not really into the live stream things he's been doing - for any artist, not just Brian Fallon - but tackling Get Hurt has me intrigued. I'm definitely gonna pony up the money and watch.

 

The only other thread that is as repetitive in discussion cycles like this is the TBS thread with whether or not people like new again.

 

How’s we talk about this record and and not even hit on how cool 1,000 Years. Also, Rollin’ and Tumblin’s energy following the such a more mellow cool track like Underneath The Ground is the best transition on the record.

With the variety they put out in this era there was so much room to see what was next.

I wonder if they have any vaulted tracks yet to hear our ears. Handwritten and Get Hirt had lot of bsides to enjoy.

 

I think gaslight would be the type of band to record a record in secrecy and just announce a single and incoming album.

I know they’re not going to, but there’s always this 1% lingering chance they do.

 

It's interesting to me that Get Hurt is so polarizing to TGA fans. Admittedly, it took me years to get into The Gaslight Anthem. Wasn't a fan of them when they were an active band, despite trying to get into them because they were all the rage but they just never clicked for me. To my surprise, I really, really enjoyed Brian's solo albums so after falling in love with Painkillers and Sleepwalkers I thought for sure TGA would finally click and still they wouldn't. Then when COVID hit, and shit shut down and I had to work from home, I was determined to finally get into TGA, played them nonstop in the background while I worked and funny enough, Get Hurt was the album that initially clicked with me the most. It's not a favorite of mine, probably not in my top 3 TGA albums, but I feel like it was finally the gateway album for me to get into all the rest of their stuff.

Bizarre, I know.

Will definitely purchase a ticket to this tho.

 

Also, Break Your Heart absolute rules. I'll hear no slander.