The Baseball Project, Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails

Be the first to write a review

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Steve Leggett
The Baseball Project actually began back in 1992 when musicians Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn met and discovered they shared a passionate interest in baseball and its fascinating history of quirky, eccentric personalities with amazing stories that could make you laugh or cry, and sometimes both at once. The plan to make an album of original modern rock songs about all of this sat on the back burner, though, until 2007, when the pair sat down in earnest to write and record the project. Drafting in drummer Linda Pitmon and longtime friend and guitarist Peter Buck from (R.E.M.), McCaughey and Wynn recorded The Baseball Project, Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails at ...
See more details below
CD (Digi-Pak)
$16.99
BN.com price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (6) from $2.91   
  • New (5) from $11.36   
  • Used (1) from $2.91   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Steve Leggett
The Baseball Project actually began back in 1992 when musicians Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn met and discovered they shared a passionate interest in baseball and its fascinating history of quirky, eccentric personalities with amazing stories that could make you laugh or cry, and sometimes both at once. The plan to make an album of original modern rock songs about all of this sat on the back burner, though, until 2007, when the pair sat down in earnest to write and record the project. Drafting in drummer Linda Pitmon and longtime friend and guitarist Peter Buck from (R.E.M.), McCaughey and Wynn recorded The Baseball Project, Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails at Jackpot! Studios with engineer and producer Adam Selzer, and the result is an often tongue-in-cheek set of frequently brilliant narrative songs about baseball legends Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Satchel Paige, and others. This isn't a set based on nostalgia, exactly, but is instead a full-blown piece of jangly modern folk-pop, and each song plays like it's an individual piece cut from the same quilt. The songs are witty, varied, and full of more authentic baseball detail than a month of Sunday sports sections, and McCaughey and Wynn are also keenly aware of the broader sociological impact baseball has on the American psyche. "Gratitude," for instance, is a song for Curt Flood, the player who challenged baseball's early plantation structure and single-handedly ushered in the modern era of free agency, a move that effectively ended Flood's playing career but has undeniably benefited every single professional ball player since. Another striking tune here, "Broken Man," is an astute assessment of the public figure of Mark McGwire, who went from being the savior of baseball in 1998 when he was chasing -- and eventually surpassed -- Roger Maris' (and Babe Ruth's, this being the era of the asterisk) single-season home-run record to a pariah a decade or so later after his unconvincing appearance before a Senate committee investigating steroid use in baseball. No, these aren't the kind of songs you sing during the seventh-inning stretch. Perhaps the most striking track here is the brilliant "The Death of Big Ed Delahanty," which could almost be an authorized movie script of Delahanty's life, so detailed are the lyrics. The song itself is the baseball version of an Appalachian murder ballad as it tells the odd and mysterious story of how Delahanty, a slugging left-fielder who played from 1888 to 1903 with Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Washington, met his demise at Niagara Falls in 1903, having apparently been booted off a train for being drunk and disorderly. It makes for a fascinating song, one of many such gems here. Far from being a throwaway side project, this unique album is as refreshing as a gapper to right center, providing, of course, it's your team up at the plate. Such is baseball.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 7/8/2008
  • Label: Yep Roc Records
  • UPC: 634457217829
  • Catalog Number: 2178
  • Sales rank: 134,345

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Past Time (2:57)
  2. 2 Ted Fucking Williams (3:04)
  3. 3 Gratitude (For Curt Flood) (3:23)
  4. 4 Broken Man (2:52)
  5. 5 Satchel Paige Said (2:25)
  6. 6 Fernando (3:47)
  7. 7 Long Before My Time (3:14)
  8. 8 Jackie's Lament (3:25)
  9. 9 Sometimes I Dream of Willie Mays (3:33)
  10. 10 The Death of Big Ed Delahanty (3:35)
  11. 11 Harvey Haddix (4:25)
  12. 12 The Yankee Flipper (3:40)
  13. 13 The Closer (4:24)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
The Baseball Project Primary Artist
Scott McCaughey Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion, Piano, Accordion, Vocals, farfisa organ
Peter Buck Bouzouki, Guitar, Mandolin, Electric Sitar, 6-string bass
Linda Pitmon Percussion, Drums, Vocals
Technical Credits
Scott McCaughey Composer
Steve Wynn Contributor
Kurt Bloch Mastering
Adam Selzer Engineer
Kevin McCaughey Composer
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously