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Red Letter Days

 
Album Review: Red Letter Days

  • Artist: The Wallflowers
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: November 05, 2002
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The Wallflowers' long-awaited third album, Breach, was a strong, confident record that demonstrated clear growth from Jakob Dylan as a songwriter and the Wallflowers as a band. Thing is, everybody ignored it. Critics wrote it off and the large audience Bringing Down the Horse attracted shunned it, leaving the band in an awkward position of having to prove themselves yet again with their fourth album, Red Letter Days. The first striking thing about the album is that its production is a clear reaction to the failure of Breach. Glistening where its predecessor had a semblance of grit, this is a polished mainstream rock record, designed to win back listeners who loved the band by hearing "One Headlight" on the radio repeatedly. Dylan has adjusted his songwriting slightly, too, playing up the hooks and the melodies, which is hardly selling out. Even so, it's hard not to wish that the album had a bit more of the quirks and muscle that gave Breach its backbone. Without it, Red Letter Days isn't quite as forceful, but it is accomplished, melodic, and attractive, especially since the simple fact is, there are very few bands making this kind of post-Tom Petty classicist rock in the 2000s, and those that do don't do it as well, which is why this album is welcome, no matter how glossy the production is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
When You're on Top (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:54)
How Good It Can Get (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (4:11)
Closer to You (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:17)
Everybody Out of the Water (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:42)
Three Ways (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (4:19)
Too Late to Quit (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:54)
If You Never Got Sick (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:44)
Health and Happiness (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (4:03)
See You When I Get There (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:09)
Feels Like Summer Again (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:48)
Everything I Need (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:37)
Here in Pleasantville (Lyrics) Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (4:10)
[Untitled Hidden Track] Jakob Dylan The Wallflowers (3:31)

Credits

Robert Vosgien (Mastering), Jakob Dylan (Vocals (Background)), Tobias Miller (Producer), Miles Wilson (Assistant Engineer), Tobias Miller (Engineer), Jamie Caliri (Packaging), Jakob Dylan (Group Member), Greg Richling (Bass), Val McCallum (Guitar), Jakob Dylan (Guitar), Mike McCready (Guitar), Femio Hernández (Assistant Engineer), Louie Teran (Editing), Dave Reed (Engineer), Rami Jaffee (Group Member), Ed Wong (Studio Technician), Jamie Caliri (Art Direction), Darrell Thorp (Assistant Engineer), Rich Tosi (Assistant Engineer), Greg Richling (Mini Moog), Mario Calire (Vocals (Background)), Bill Appleberry (Programming), Tim Durfey (Tour Manager), Mario Calire (Drums), David Campbell (String Arrangements), Bill Lane (Engineer), David Reed (Engineer), Ken Kraus (Legal Advisor), Stephen Marcussen (Mastering), Courtney Kaiser (Vocals (Background)), Jakob Dylan (Vocals), Bill Appleberry (Producer), Jamie Caliri (Photography), Bob Salcedo (Engineer), Rusty Anderson (Guitar), Rami Jaffee (Vibraphone), Moe Z.M.D. (Vocals (Background)), Bill Lane (Engineering Consultant), Rami Jaffee (Keyboards), The Wallflowers (?), Mark Anthony Williams (A&R), Greg Richling (Group Member), Mario Calire (Group Member), Mark Williams (A&R), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Moe Z M.D. (Vocals (Background)), Ed Cherney (Mixing), Bill Appleberry (Engineer), Ben Peeler (Lap Steel Guitar), Marina Chavez (Cover Photo), Tom Lord-Alge (Mixing), Mike McCready (Voices)
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Wikipedia: Red Letter Days (album)
Top
Red Letter Days
Studio album by The Wallflowers
Released November 5, 2002
Genre Rock, Pop-rock
Length 49:28
Label Interscope
Producer Tobias Miller & Bill Appleberry
Professional reviews
The Wallflowers chronology
(Breach)
(2000)
Red Letter Days
(2002)
Rebel, Sweetheart
(2005)

Red Letter Days is The Wallflowers fourth album, which peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200. RLD was the first Wallflowers record that featured Jakob Dylan playing a majority of the lead guitar parts. The album had a much more aggressive sound than any of their previous releases, especially the song "Everybody Out of the Water," which they performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. The first single and only music video shot was for "When You're On Top." Though the album contains some profanity in "Everybody Out of the Water", it does not carry the Parental Advisory sticker.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Jakob Dylan.

  1. "When You're on Top" – 3:54
  2. "How Good It Can Get" – 4:11
  3. "Closer to You" – 3:17
  4. "Everybody Out of the Water" – 3:42
  5. "Three Ways" – 4:19
  6. "Too Late to Quit" – 3:54
  7. "If You Never Got Sick" – 3:44
  8. "Health and Happiness" – 4:03
  9. "See You When I Get There" – 3:09
  10. "Feels Like Summer Again" – 3:48
  11. "Everything I Need" – 3:37
  12. "Here in Pleasantville" – 4:10
  13. "The Empire in My Mind" – 3:31

Other media

"Everybody Out of the Water" has been used in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and "The Empire in My Mind" was the main theme of the television series The Guardian.

Band

References


 
 
Learn More
Festivals (Quotes About)
Brent Helwig and Red Letter Days (1998 Album by Brent Helwig and Red Letter Days)
Ferenc Kardos (Director, Writer, Drama)

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Red Letter Days (album)" Read more

 

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