Guadalcanal Diary - 2x4 (Lmtd. Ed. ) (1987)

Guadalcanal Diary was one of the most underrated bands to come out of the Athens, GA music scene of the 1980s. Their unique brew of lyrics focusing on left-of-center subject matter married to irresistible melodies with a bedrock foundation of thrashing drums and rhythmic bass lines, resulted in a sound that set them apart from their peers R.E.M., Pylon and the B-52's. The two albums on this Audio CD two-fer are the first two of the band's four total major label releases. The first, originally released in 1984, was produced by R.E.M. and Don Dixon. The second, released two years later, was produced by Rodney Mills (.38 Special, Atlanta Rhythm Section) and Steve Nye (XTC, Bryan Ferry, The Cure).

Some reviews (5 stars ) from amazon.com

- Almost Flawless, August 5, 2005
By J. P. Leenaarts "Mabrymusic" (Nashville, TN USA)


I got turned on to this album when I was about 11 or 12 years old by a friend of the family. The "Diary" came from the same Athens, GA camp that spawned R.E.M., but obviously Stipe and the boys got much further up the food chain. If you're a fan of jangle-pop or just a fan of anything even remotely influenced by the Beatles, this is a true gem. Ironically, they do a great cover of the Fab Four's "And Your Bird Can Sing". Murray Attaway has one of the best voices in rock and for all of the right reasons, I don't think this album will ever truly age.

- One of my all-time favorite albums, period., November 4, 2004
By James Poulakos (Decatur, GA USA)


Reviewers on Amazon of another Guadalcanal Diary album put it best: this reminds us of having a great time in a small club with a steamy hot rockin' band, and 5 stars isn't enough for this. It's a genuine masterpiece, beginning to end. Fans of well-crafted pop songs and experimental rock a la the Beatles Revolver will dig it; fans of rockabilly and psychobilly will dig quite a few tracks on it, too. I got to see them back in the day, at 688 in Atlanta, and I cherish the memory. I've got this one on vinyl and can't wait to get it on CD – and I usually don't buy CDs of stuff I've already got on vinyl. I've just about worn out the vinyl of this one, though. You've got to hear it to believe it.

- Underappreciated Gem, September 12, 2006
By T. Fout "Music Lover" (Naptown,USA)


I had all of GD's cassettes back in my college days and it's nice to see these albums re-issued so that I can add them to my current disc collection. There are lots of winks and nods to obvious influences but tons of originality. Really nice dynamics within the basic band structure and good singing. I always enjoyed the pure jangly guitar pop of the 80's and this CD is a really fine example. Fave tracks are "Litany(Life Goes On)","3AM", and "Little Birds".
I caught them at The Vogue at Broad Ripple in Indianapolis circa 1988. It was a really high energy, great sounding show. I remember Jeff playing in what appeared to be big silk pajamas.
It would be nice to catch them again someday. Until then, I'll dig on the re-releases.

- Return of A Classic: Guadalcanal Diary's Best Album, June 26, 2007
By John Werner (Cullman, AL USA)

This band never put out a bad album and I humbly submit 2x4 is their best. That being said, the release of 2x4 on CD corrects a great music injustice perpetrated by the EMI braintrust who likely thought it was either too regional or too alt to sell(further evidence record company executives have wooden ears separaed by a vacuum).

Where to start??? One must first address the great writing. Murray Attaway can write introspective and accessible songs. Quite spiritial with dark tones yet never out and out depressing, probably because the melodies lift and the guitars ring out. Then there's the wicked spot-on doses of humor that come in time to help shift the mood in a differnt direction, keeping the listener interested.

Music, more than many forms of art, is time period dependent in both the artist's and listener's life. That said, this stuff holds up pretty well because it is rich with multiple interpretations for the listener…And it's a real sonic treat with great guitar based melodies to give any Kinks fan a thrill. Pop music can get more complicated, but it can not get much better than this slice of musical nirvana.

I urge any fan of melodic pop with an edge (think Kinks) to purchase this. It's a pop classic that deserves it's due and we, the listeners, are the benefactors of this great sounding re-release. Justice is better late than never!


Tracklist:

1. Litany (Life Goes On) (LP Version) 3:42
2. Under The Yoke (LP Version) 3:25
3. Get Over It (LP Version) 2:55
4. Little Birds (LP Version) 4:00
5. Things Fall Apart (LP Version) 2:44
6. Let The Big Wheel Roll (LP Version) 2:41
7. And Your Bird Can Sing (LP Version) 2:11
8. Where Angels Fear To Tread (LP Version) 3:13
9. New Born (LP Version) 4:47
10. Winds Of Change (LP Version) 3:00
11. Say Please (LP Version) 2:12
12. 3AM (LP Version) 4:18
13. Lips Of Steel (LP Version) 3:23
14. Home (Joe Blaney Mix) 2:40
15. Shango (Previously Unissued) 4:29
16. It's Time (Demo) 2:29
17. Carrying The Torch (Demo) 2:55
18. Just An Excuse (Demo) 3:01
19. Lips Of Steel (Demo) 3:35
20. Under The Yoke (Demo Version #1) 3:04
21. Winds Of Change (Demo) 3:21
22. Get Over It (Demo) 2:18
23. 3AM (Demo) 3:53
24. Tutti-Frutti (Demo) 1:52

Total time: 76:33

Personnel:

Terry Allen - photography
Murray Attaway - guitar, harmonica, vocals
Joe Blaney - mixing
Rhett Crowe - bass guitar
Don Dixon - producer
Guadalcanal Diary - artwork
George Pappas - engineer
John Poe - drums, vocals
Dan Vaganek - engineer
Jeff Walls - guitar, keyboards, vocals, kalimba, lap steel guitar


Download links (5% recovery)

RS folder
pwd: www.AvaxHome.ru


Another gem from this group….

Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (1984) / Jamboree (1986)