Heartbreaker [Four-LP/DVD]

by Ryan Adams

Overview

As Whiskeytown finally ground to a halt in the wake of an astonishing number of personal changes following Faithless Street (coupled with record company problems that kept their final album, Pneumonia, from reaching stores until two years after it was recorded), Ryan Adams ducked into a Nashville studio for two weeks of sessions with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. While arch traditionalists Welch and Rawlings would hardly seem like a likely match for alt-country's bad boy, the collaboration brought out the best in Adams; Heartbreaker is loose, open, and heartfelt in a way Whiskeytown's admittedly fine albums never were, and makes as strong a case for Adams' gifts as anything his band ever released. With the exception of the Stones-flavored "Shakedown on 9th Street" and the swaggering "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)," Heartbreaker leaves rock & roll on the shelf in favor of a sound that blends low-key folk-rock with a rootsy, bluegrass-accented undertow, and while the album's production and arrangements are subtle and spare, they make up in emotional impact whatever they lack in volume. As a songwriter, Adams concerns himself with the ups and downs of romance rather than the post-teenage angst that dominated Whiskeytown's work, and "My Winding Wheel" and "Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains)" are warmly optimistic in a way he's rarely been before, while "Come Pick Me Up" shows he's still eloquently in touch with heartbreak. Adams has always been a strong vocalist, but his duet with Emmylou Harris on "Oh My Sweet Carolina" may well be his finest hour as a singer, and the stripped-back sound of these sessions allows him to explore the nooks and crannies of his voice, and the results are pleasing. Whiskeytown fans who loved the "Replacements-go-twang" crunch of "Drank Like a River" and "Yesterday's News" might have a hard time warming up to Heartbreaker, but the strength of the material and the performances suggest Adams is finally gaining some much-needed maturity, and his music is all the better for it. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	05/06/2016
Label:	Pax Americana / Universal Music
UPC:	0811790025445
Rank:	49542

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Argument With David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey
2. To Be Young (is To Be Sad, is To Be High)
3. My Winding Wheel
4. Amy
5. Oh My Sweet Carolina
6. Bartering Lines
7. Call Me On Your Way Back Home
8. Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains)

Disc 2

9. Come Pick Me Up
10. To Be the One
11. Why Do They Leave?
12. Shakedown On 9th Street
13. Don't Ask For the Water
14. In My Time of Need
15. Sweet Lil Gal (23rd/1st)

Disc 3

16. Hairdresser On Fire [Outtake]
17. To Be Young (is To Be Sad, is To Be High) [Outtake]
18. Petal In a Rainstorm [Outtake]
19. War Horse
20. Oh My Sweet Carolina [Outtake]
21. Come Pick Me Up [Outtake]
22. Punk Jam [Outtake]
23. When the Rope Gets Tight [Alternate Take]
24. When the Rope Gets Tight [Outtake]
25. Goodbye Honey
26. In My Time of Need [Outtake]

Disc 4

27. Bartering Lines [Demo]
28. Come Pick Me Up [Demo]
29. To Be the One [Demo]
30. Don't Ask For the Water [Demo]
31. In My Time of Need [Demo]
32. Goodbye Honey [Demo]
33. Petal In a Rainstorm [Demo]
34. War Horse Demo
35. Locked Away [Outtake]

Disc 5

36. Oh My Sweet Carolina [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
37. Gimme Sunshine [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
38. Banter [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
39. To Be Young (is To Be Sad, is To Be High) [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
40. Amy [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
41. Banter [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
42. Call Me On Your Way Back Home [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
43. Banter [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
44. Just Like a Whore [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
45. Wonderwall (Fragment) [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
46. Wonderwall (Complete Song) [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
47. Banter [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
48. Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains) [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
49. Sweet Lil' Gal (23rd / 1st) [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
50. Come Pick Me Up [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]
51. My Winding Wheel [Live At the Mercury Lounge, New York 2000]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ryan Adams   Primary Artist,Banjo,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Emmylou Harris   Vocals
Ethan Johns   Bass,Drums,Chamberlin,Vibraphone,Glockenspiel,Vocals (Background)
Ethan Jones   Drums
David Rawlings   Banjo,Guitar,Vocals,Tambourine,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Kim Richey   Vocals
Gillian Welch   Banjo,Guitar,Vocals,Voices,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic)
Allison Pierce   Vocals
Pat Sansone   Organ,Piano,Chamberlin,Sound Effects,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Stephen Street   Composer
Ethan Johns   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Ethan Jones   Engineer,Producer
David Rawlings   Composer
Doug Sax   Mastering
Noel Gallagher   Composer
Merle Chornuk   Producer,Pre-Production Engineer
Morrissey   Composer
Ryan Adams   Composer
Vanessa Alston   Composer
David McClister   Photography
Patrick Himes   Assistant Engineer
Steven Morrisey   Composer
Gina Binkley   Design
Stephen Brian Street   Composer
Van Alston   Composer,Producer
Allen Midgett   Pre-Production Engineer