When I heard this song by The Gaslight Anthem for the first time it was at their show at The State Theater here in St. Pete. When it first started I was sure they were doing a cover of Drag The River’s song “Having A Party”. Turned out that wasn’t the case but I made a mental note to compare/contrast the songs when I got home.
Well, Mr. Beam made that mental note get lost in the annals of shit I think about when I am drunk until today.
Today, I was finally getting around to checking out the back catalog of The Gaslight Anthem and I heard the track again and everything came rushing back.
Now, I am not gonna say The Gaslight Anthem stole anything…but I will say I imagine there are some Drag The River cds on someone in the bands iPod. Perhaps it’s just a tip of the cap to Drag. Gaslight Anthem made liberal of such things on their latest effort, The ‘59 Sound.
Listen and tell me what you think. Tip of the hat to Drag, coincidence? What say you?
The Gaslight Anthem – Say I Won’t (Recognize)
Drag The River – Having A Party
Edit: Or, as Kevin pointed out in the comments….they could both be related to Sam Cooke’s song.
Sam Cooke – Having A Party
So yeah, now I look like a dummy….but sticking to my steadfast rule of never deleting anything I’ve posted no matter how wrong I am this post will now hang out as a testimate to the fact theat I indeed, do not know everything.
Normally I avoid “blog bands” like the plague, and when I succumb to the hype enough to give them a listen I am presented with some crap like Vampire Weekend or The Fleet Foxes most of the time.
Thanks, but No Thanks.
So, when it came to all The Gaslight Anthem hype I was just considering the sources and ignoring them. Then, as the 2008 year end lists started rolling in and I kept seeing their name, I finally decided to give the band a look-see. It is my pleasure to announce that these guys are worthy of the hype they’re getting.
There are plenty of words and breathless praise already out on the internets so I’m not gonna get carried away, besides, I’m probably the last person in the world to hear the album. However, in case someone else out there hasn’t checked them out yet, I’ll post some basics.
The Gaslight Anthem come from New Jersey and have garnered a ton of comparisons to another New Jersey native, Springsteen. A full-length and an EP preceded The 59 Sound and apparently both had a grittier sound than this release. I’ve not heard either to be able to comment on that, but I soon will. The 59 Sound is a rock and roll record without any gimmicks. In a sentence, I’d say it’s the album The Killers were trying to make when they grew mustaches and wrote Sam’s Town.
Check it out. IMO, it’s Essential Listening and I think you’ll like it.
The Gaslight Anthem – Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
The Gaslight Anthem – Here’s Looking At You, Kid
The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
The Gaslight Anthem’s Official Site, The Gaslight Anthem on myspace, Buy The 59 Sound
