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.

Lucero - That Much Further West (bonus disc)

Happy Franksgiving, everybody! As soon as I shit, shower & shave, I'm packing up the fam and driving north to my folks' house, for a bounty of bourbon, pork and potatoes. Hooray!

If you like toys, and you want the dope on what's new, I'd recommend stopping by Plastic Jungle, which I'll be writing for. It's pretty cool; in theory I'll be getting paid to talk about designer toys. Who says there's a recession on?!?

As part of my Lucero bounty, here is the relatively-limited bonus disc from Lucero's That Much Further West. If you preordered the CD from Insound/Tigerstyle, you got this second disc of rarities & live product. Set in the same order as Lucero's 4th record, you get 12 alternate versions that add up to pretty good times. Worth downloading for the piano-driven version of "Mine Tonight" alone. This is one that I'll throw on my iPod if I'm driving late at night.










Lucero - That Much Further West (bonus disc)

RIYL: turkey, stuffing, wine, football

Lucero - The Coldwater Sessions

There's a short list of things I never expected to do. Most of the activities I never expected to participate in involve home ownership. Today, I did two of them:

1) Pay a shitload of money for heating oil.
2) Restart a furnace that had been out of heating oil.

Party people, please buy solar, or use gas heat. Getting covered in 24 oz. of heating oil is no fun, no matter what the Hollywood stars tell you from the red carpet...

What you have here is Memphis, TN's Lucero, and the demos from their self-titled record, otherwise known as The Coldwater Sessions. Better men than I can clarify a couple of the song titles; I know a few might be off. And cheers to Gregor at Captain's Dead for the original post. This is in honor of the cold house I've had for the past week. Pour yrself a glass of Booker's and strap those headphones on REEEAAAALLL tight. Cuz, baby, it's cooooold outside...

Lucero - The Coldwater Sessions

RIYL: mid-September, porch swings, rusty chain link