Whiskeytown, Faithless Street (1998 Reissue), ORPD-30002.

A Review

by Annzaunt

The way I see it, there are two ways to approach Faithless Street, Outpost's 1998 reissue of Whiskeytown's 1995 MoodFood disc which has been out of print for a couple of years: Is the glass half full or half empty?

First, a little background info. Whiskeytown is that Raleigh band with constants Ryan Adams and Caitlyn Cary and a cast of revolving supporting players. (At the time of recording Faithless Street, Phil Wandscher, Skillet Gilmore, and Steve Grothmann were with the band.) Their music has been classified as "alternative country" for lack of a better term, but it's an edgy blend of country rock with great writing, fabulous vocals, and enough fiddle and guitars to keep everyone honest.
So back to that glass.

Is it full? Absolutely! If you're one of those poor slobs who hasn't been able to find a used copy of the original disc or who's been reduced to listening to a taped copy that some kind soul gave you, finally, you've got your own disc! In addition, Faithless Street has been re-mixed, so the sound is much cleaner, and you can really hear those melting harmonies of Ryan Adams and Caitlyn Cary.

Perhaps the coolest thing--the thing that fills the glass right to the brim, up to a meniscus--is the inclusion of 11 additional tracks, all recorded with the early Whiskeytown. "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight," "16 Days," and "Yesterday's News" are "original" versions of songs that went on to appear on Strangers Almanac. Also on the new Faithless Street is previously unreleased material, some of which comes from the "Baseball Park Sessions." In the liner notes, Cary notes of the new material, they were "songs we maybe didn't appreciate then, but have since come to care about." "Lo-Fi Tennessee Mountain Angel" and "Empty Baseball Park" highlight Adams' gifted song writing along with the band's vocal--if not personnel--harmony. Adams himself has described "Here's to the Rest of the World" as "sick good"--a fair analysis--though my favorites of the new stuff are "Lo-Fi" and "Empty Baseball Park," songs which are true to the desolation that has always been the Whiskeytown vision. Of course, the cleaner mixes of "Midway Park," "Drank Like a River," and "Faithless Street" are also treats, and Cary's "Matrimony" is not to be missed. (Caitlyn, we're waiting for that solo disc!)

There are, however, a couple of drawbacks--that "empty glass" stuff.

First, "Oklahoma" has been taken off the re-issue. Adams says he's never liked it, so the song isn't there. (On the other hand, 11 new tracks seem like a pretty fair trade.) And, second, the new Faithless Street loses some of the original's focus. Faithless Street 1995 was lean, its vision unified and desolate. It was scrappy, a survivor despite everything. Faithless Street 1998 seems better fed and groomed. It has manners, and the glossy new artwork just doesn't seem to fit with the disc's theme. There's a part of me that really misses that old, ragged disc--poor production and all--that illustrates so eloquently the desperation of the human condition.

In the end, though, it's great to get Faithless Street back in circulation, and the new stuff is a find. So let's call the glass full. Grab some beer nuts, and enjoy this disc.