Lucero - The Coldwater Sessions

Lucero, circa 2017 (photo from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

I had thought about waxing poetic over how in love with Lucero I was from 2003 to 2011. The first time I heard them, I thought it was a perfect mix of the Replacements, Jawbreaker, and Waylon Jennings...the perfect answer to the question, "What happens when punks want to make country music?" I booked them on their "That Much Further West" tour into a warehouse called the Broasis; it was probably the largest gate I'd ever done, but I only made money off of beer. The final time I saw them was in 2011, and involved breaking up a fight between my girlfriend's best friend and a bouncer three times her size. I haven't really listened to anything of theirs since "1372 Overton Park"; I suppose I just got fixed on diving into old RCA records from the 50s, Gram Parsons and "Outlaw Country", Sturgill Simpson and Kitty Wells.

I think I downloaded this from the wonderful, greatly missed blog Captain's Dead back when they posted it in 2007. While the title makes reference to the now-legendary "Coldwater Recordings" tape, this is actually a combination of early demos and different mixes of songs from their early history; I'd guess it was recorded in 1998 and 1999, based on when the songs would appear on a general release. I thought it'd make sense to annotate what you're downloading today. I can't claim this is perfect information, so if you have better or different information, feel free to share it in the comments. Cuz knowledge is power!

1. "Heart So True" - originally appeared on the "A Heart So True" demo. Also known as "Poor Heartache".
2. "All the Same To Me" - originally appeared on the 1998 "Cowboy" demo and 2001 comp "Listen To What I'm Made Of: Songs By and For Shannon Yarborough" on File 13. Later re-recorded for "Nobody's Darlings"
3. "Dangerous Thing" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
4. "Dodging Bullets" - otherwise unreleased or re-recorded.
5. "Drink Till We’re Gone" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
6. "No Title" - also known as "Was That You I've Been Kissing?" Appeared on "The Coldwater Recordings" demo.
7. "It Gets Worst at Night" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
8. "All Sewn Up" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
9. "Raising Hell" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
10. "Banks of the Arkansas" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
11. "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
12. "All These Love Songs" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
13. "Hold Fast" - an alternate mix of the track that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release.
14. "Ain't No Roses No More" - an alternate mix of "No Roses No More" that'd appear on Lucero's self-titled release. 
15. Instrumental - otherwise unreleased or re-recorded.
16. "Blue and Grey" - an alternate mix of "The Blue and the Gray" that'd appear on "The Attic Tapes".

As an added bonus, please enjoy the flier for the Lucero show I booked 17 YEARS AGO! Goddamn I'm getting old. I think the Spark was the fourth band on the bill, making it a real punk rock show. Nolen from Double Dagger was my photo model; I snapped this tightly cropped shot of him the night DD opened for the Buzzcocks. Crack a cheap pilsner and listen to this one on the porch.

Click here to download.