The Gaslight Anthem Band • Page 39

That's how i feel about Taking Back Sunday's New Again, it gets a bad rap from a lot of folks but for what i was going through in life when that record came out, it meant a lot to me.

 

New Again and GH are similar records in that the subject matter is very similar in terms of it being the breakup record and probably the most polarizing in terms of fan reaction.

Adam once said "you just dont follow up a record like Louder Now with New Again" and I feel the same way about Get Hurt following Handwritten.

 

Way back when, when we became friends, I was you, you were my defense and quiet was the night.
You showed me that bridge, and it brought you home.
You told me about it and I never let it go, and I guess I might've been doing the same.
Anyhow, quiet was the night

 

That's true. Although I think he may have been speaking in terms of production, but I could be wrong. In that regard, I think Handwritten and Get Hurt are sound great sounding records. The production of Louder Now vs. New Again is pretty jarring though.

 

45
1000 Years
American Slang
Blue Dahlia
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts

That was easy honestly

 

For sure I think they both sound great, I just think Get Hurt was, almost a forced album. I won't go so far as to say I wish we never got it, because there are some GREAT songs on it. I think "Dark Places" rivals "Backseat" as the band's best album closer, "Helter Skeleton" is such a fucking fun song haha, and "Have Mercy" is IMO the bands best b-side that never made it's way to an album.

 

I dig the random matchups

45

1000 Years

American Slang

Biloxi Parish

Boomboxes & Dictionaries

 

Liking this 45 come back...

 

Agreed on all fronts. "Dark Places" is definitely a spiritual follow-up to "The Backseat", "Helter Skeleton" is a great song to run to and "Have Mercy" crushes me whenever i hear it still

 

Have Mercy is definitely my favourite on Get Hurt

 

I dig the random matchups:

45

1000 Years

American Slang

Blue Dahlia

Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts

 

Thanks @RobJGolde for running this!

 

You're welcome! Thanks for participating

 

The ambivalence towards Biloxi has always been the hottest take to me. I adore it, it’s a top 3 on Handwritten imo. I remember this live performance being it’s debut recorded or otherwise, the band sounded great, and it was professionally recorded. Ripped it from YouTube and jammed it in my sister’s pool all summer. I sometimes still sing this original bridge just from sheer repetition:

I ain’t seem my home in half a year.
I miss my mother and my friends.
Please tell Rita I’ve been praying for all that trouble to finally end.
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 nothin’ cause that’s how I know your heart.

 

original demo/whatever version of Biloxi >>>>>>>>>

 

That whole performance is a blessing, I revisit it so often!

 

yeah man, for sure. To me The Backseat is talking about young love or the time spent together before developing an actual relationship, and Dark Places is burning that all down. Reminds me of Springsteen's 'Thunder Road' & 'The Promise'. The Promise is essentially the followup to Thunder Road years later, in a much more pessimistic point of view on what happened to those characters.




but yeah brackets do nothing and encourage no good conversation

 

Yeah that version on "Biloxi" is gold. I love the album version, but I wish it still had that bridge.

 

Handwritten is an incredible arena rock record. That's probably not what a lot of people wanted them to do, but it is a terrific realization of that kind of sound.

 

I never noticed that about Thunder Road and The Promise. I'll have to go back and listen to the 2 more closely. Thanks!

 

1930
1000 Years
American Slang
Biloxi Parish
Boomboxers & Dictionaries

 

The arc of Brian over the course of Gaslight’s tenure is really interesting. Up until Handwritten, he was so loud and proud with his desire to end up playing arenas every night. Then we get to Get Hurt and he has sold his muscle car, moved out of the city and to the island, and views success on a much smaller scale. Someone get me the biopic.

 

I agree with this hot take


And I will never understand the flack Get Hurt got. The album is fantastic, and I revisit it very often. Hits me hard lyrically, and I think they tried a lot of awesome things on it.

 

Can we get a vote count?

 

yeah it's even interesting to watch interviews with him over the years, it's like almost watching him grow up from the kid who wanted nothing but to be bruce springsteen, to someone who is so over the comparisons, so over the hype, and wants to just make music and be left alone lol