The Gaslight Anthem - History Books (October 27th 2023) Album • Page 18

59 Sound is their best album, but I feel Handwritten is the best sounding album and I’ve always wanted to hear what they would have done with Brendan O’ Brien as a follow up.

 

Handwritten’s production is excellent. Still enjoy it more than most do, but everything was clear while not sounding overproduced.

 

Handwritten is my favorite album. I was jamming the new singles today and they’re great but the production is definitely a little muddy I guess? Still legendary to have the boss on a track though.

 

The only song I bump on from a production standpoint from Handwritten is “National Anthem”. Feels a little too clean to me, even if it fits the rest of the record.

That said, the best Gaslight has ever sounded on record imo is American Slang. Perfect amount of punch, has that vintage/classic feel without sounding dated. I don’t know anything about microphones or equipment but part of that is definitely the way Brian’s vocals and the guitars are amplified.

 

well no, it is good though

 

I’m slightly hungover and making coffee listening to the three new songs loudly on my headphones and idk I absolutely adore them especially history books and little fires. I pity those who can’t get over how they’re mixed, etc. what an incredible band I’m so happy they’re back

 

From a technical standpoint, I agree that Handwritten sounds absolutely incredible - but at the same time I also think there's the aspect of it exemplified by the changed lines in "Biloxi Parish" where they were chasing this thing that didn't exist anymore, namely a rock & roll band hitting it big on the radio.

I absolutely love Handwritten, but something is lost going from "but when this whole thing is over, and we land in Asbury's arms, when the bands all quiet down and it's just you and me in the dark, I won't say nothing cause that's how I'll know your heart" to "and all of our heroes were failures or ghosts, burnt out in brilliant explosions alone, and all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, we took it all and we threw it away" in a love song already heavily playing in imagery of light and dark.

 

But “Biloxi Parish” was never a single, right? I don’t think “we wanted a hit” is the right explanation for why they changed those lyrics. “45” was the song they were hanging those hopes on.

 

You're probably right - I just could never shake the idea that someone told him those lyrics were just 'too Jersey' and he had to change them.

I'm not trying to crap on Handwritten or "Biloxi Parish" too much - Handwritten is probably my wife and I's 'album', and "Biloxi Parish" was the song I played for her before we were even dating when we were just coworkers, like some nerdy kid making a mix tape for the girl he likes. I just mean that a 26-year-old guy from Jersey absolutely swinging for the fucking fences because he doesn't want to work construction for the rest of his life sounds awesome to me too, even if they couldn't afford a fancy studio or one of the most sought after A-list producers in the world.

 

Oh, I definitely like the original lyric better, but I think there could be any number of reasons they changed it beyond "We need this to be more general for a radio audience."

 

They're still pretty awesome lyrics, they just don't seem to fit an extremely personal love song quite as nicely.

 

I do also wonder if the whole "Tell Rita I've been praying" line is part of why it got cut too. Like someone told them to remove the more explicit religious reference.

still makes me feel like such a hipster to be like "one of my favorite lyrics from one of my favorite bands isn't even found in the official album version of the song you can only find it in 12 year old you tube videos"

 

Did someone actually tell Brian to change the lyrics or did he just change them?

 

Craig might have some actual inside knowledge - I just completely made that story up in my head.

 

I honestly think there's nothing more to the Biloxi change than Brian deciding it worked better musically. It's not just the lyrics that are different. The original version has the solo and then gears back down into a third verse. The final version goes from the solo to a shorter, more propulsive bridge that keeps the momentum of the solo going. That song had been around for years before it was recorded, and there were multiple versions with both a third verse and a bridge, so I think the song just evolved over time.

I do like the original version better, but I definitely don't think it was a calculated decision to remove certain lyrics. (My beef with Handwritten is that I do wish a few lyrics had been interrogated by Brian a bit more lol.)

 

I still think Handwritten may be my favorite album, lyrically, of all time. It’s in the Mount Rushmore for me.

 

And to ease the loss of youth
And the many, many years I've missed you
Pages plead forgiveness
Every word handwritten

This always gets me

 

Yes, Peter Katis, who has produced some of the best albums in recent memory. Just look at this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Katis#Discography

 

Yep and probably most famously has been involved in every album by the National except the new one (which interestingly is my least favorite album of theirs except for the first two)

 

He was involved, just for additional recording. But no engineering or producing.

 

I see, we’ll regardless the least involved than any other albums I guess

 

Katis also did the first pup record so it makes sense that stef is on little fires

 

Early early early first impressions in this week's newsletter. https://chorus.fm/linernotes

 

This would be a fun feature.

 

So interesting that History Books is mellow (same for the new Menzingers) when
a) the early release tracks are reasonably up-tempo,
b) both frontmen have launched solo careers giving outlets for their softer work

I am excited for anything approaching the brilliance of the Honey Magnolia melody though!!