The Gourds - Old Mad Joy (2011) {Vanguard 180g} 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip plus Redbook CD Version

is the major label debut of The Gourds. The Gourds are the national band of Austin. Their junkyard sound crisscrosses the roots-music spectrum with a whacked-out, independent spirit. For their 10th studio album, , the fivesome recorded in Woodstock, N.Y., relinquishing production duties to Larry Campbell, an associate of Bob Dylan and Levon Helm. What you get is vintage Gourds with a coat of polish. "It has the best of both worlds in that we are playing with a familiar passion to our live shows, but still all the parts are clear, present and well-placed within the arrangements," said Kevin Russell, the band’s guitarist and co-singer-songwriter. "I don’t know that we have ever gotten it this perfect."

LP track listing

Side One

1. "I Want It So Bad" (Kevin Russell) - 3:41
2. "Drop The Charges" (Jimmy Smith) - 3:35
3. "Two Sparrows" (Kevin Russell) - 6:01
4. "Drop What I'm Doing" (Jimmy Smith) - 4:19
5. "Haunted" (Max Johnston) - 3:50
6. "Melchert" (Jimmy Smith) - 2:55

Side Two

7. "Ink and Grief" (Kevin Russell) - 5:15
8. "Peppermint City" (Kevin Russell) - 4:08
8. "Marginalized" (Jimmy Smith) - 5:30
8. "You Must Not Know" (Jimmy Smith) - 3:04
8. "Eyes Of A Child" (Kevin Russell) - 4:12
8. "Your Benefit" (Jimmy Smith) - 4:15


Released: September 13, 2011
Recorded: March 21 through April 1, 2011 at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY
Genre: Country Rock
Length: 50:45
Label: Vanguard
Producer: Larry Campbell

Personnel

* Kevin Russell - guitar, mandolin, vocals
* Jimmy Smith - bass, vocals
* Keith Langford - drums, vocals
* Claude Bernard - piano, organ, guitar, accordion, vocals
* Max Johnston - violin, guitar, mandolin, vocals
* Larry Campbell - guitar, percussion, lap steel