Wikipedia

The Way We Were (Babe the Blue Ox album)

The Way We Were is an album by the American band Babe the Blue Ox, released in 1998.[1][2] They supported it with a North American tour.[3] Like most of the band's releases, The Way We Were was named for a Barbra Streisand album.[4] "Basketball" was released as a single.[5] The band was dropped by RCA Records shortly after the album's release.[6]

The Way We Were
Studio album by
Babe the Blue Ox
Released1998
GenreRock
Length55:37
LabelRCA
ProducerSteve Thompson
Babe the Blue Ox chronology
People
(1996) 		The Way We Were
(1998) 		Guilty
(2013)

Production

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The album was produced by Steve Thompson.[7] The band appreciated his more direct approach to producing, often taking his advice to give tracks a harder sound.[8] Most of the lyrics were written by guitar player Tim Thomas; he chose to sing them in a lower voice, a decision partly inspired by Captain Beefheart.[9][10] Babe tried to compose songs that had the potential to be added to radio playlists.[6] Many of the songs are about life in New York City.[11] "T.G.I.F.U." addresses the uniformity of American culture and geography, with lyrics describing the chain restaurants that are located off highway exits.[12] A version of "Tattoos" first appeared on the Je m'Appelle Babe EP.[13]

Critical reception

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Guitar Player stated that Thomas "generates an assortment of guitar sounds that include dirty riffs, ringing arpeggios, three-note whines, ambient jangles, snotty wahs, and driving rock progressions."[14] The Columbus Dispatch determined that the band "nails the debilitating psychological impact of suburban sprawl."[12] The Plain Dealer noted that "the Babe crosses every style imaginable: straight riff-rock, shimmering, soaring pop and loopy funk."[15] The San Diego Union-Tribune dismissed the album as "little more than a schizophrenic stew of indie-rock conventions".[16]

Bass Player said that "Babe continues to refine its style; this album is less in-your-face and mathematical but perhaps grittier than previous efforts."[17] The Charleston Daily Mail concluded that "the group has become noticeably tighter and its playing even more economical—something the current crop of 'jam bands' would do well to note."[18] The Salt Lake Tribune called the album an "engaging kaleidoscope of rock, dance and funk rhythms and influences."[9] The Tallahassee Democrat praised the "slinky sound that's got a hint of skewed menace and a solid, funky base thanks to Hanna Fox's solid drumming."[19]

In 2007, The Village Voice labeled The Way We Were a "relentlessly glorious lost classic", writing that "Babe developed and perfected a vibrant, volatile blend of catchy melodies and spastic, rambunctious noise, like Captain Beefheart making children's records, Tom Waits auditioning for Kool and the Gang, the Minutemen meeting girls."[6]

Track listing

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The Way We Were track listing
No.TitleLength
1."My Baby 'n' Me"4:21
2."Betty Davis"3:26
3."Heartbreak #1"4:19
4."Lotto Train"3:20
5."T.G.I.F.U."4:24
6."If You See Me"5:14
7."F-Train"2:26
8."The Monday After"3:17
9."Tattoos"4:16
10."Sheila"6:25
11."Basketball"4:39
12."I'm Not Listening"2:27
13."Mensy"3:34
14."Plan B"3:29
Total length:55:37

References

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  1. ^ Guarino, Mark (September 11, 1998). "Concert Picks". Time Out. Daily Herald. Arlington Heights. p. 4.
  2. ^ Blush, Steven (2016). New York Rock: From the Rise of the Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 364.
  3. ^ Simmons, Carol (September 4, 1998). "Soundcheck". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 11.
  4. ^ "Music & Dance". Democrat and Chronicle. April 8, 1999. p. E4.
  5. ^ "Lineup for 104 Fest". Hartford Courant. May 30, 1999. p. G10.
  6. ^ a b c Harvilla, Rob (May 30, 2007). "The Main Event". The Village Voice. Vol. 52, no. 22. p. 80.
  7. ^ "Huntington club hosting band". Charleston Daily Mail. September 10, 1998. p. 2D.
  8. ^ Pantsios, Anastasia (September 25, 1998). "Babe the Blue Ox Comes Out Swinging". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 14.
  9. ^ a b Renzhofer, Martin (October 16, 1998). "Male-Female Tension No Burden to Babe the Blue Ox". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. E14.
  10. ^ Lambert, Yon (February 12, 1999). "Art Rock: The Way Babe Was". Weekend. The State. Columbia. p. 9.
  11. ^ Wildermuth, Kurt (February 2006). "Babe the Blue Ox: A lament for Brooklyn's late, great BOX". Perfect Sound Forever. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Babe the Blue Ox". Weekender. The Columbus Dispatch. September 24, 1998. p. 8.
  13. ^ Hurwitt, Sam (October 28, 1998). "Sharps & Flats". Salon. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Swenson, Kyle (October 1998). "The Way We Were". Guitar Player. Vol. 32, no. 10. p. 114.
  15. ^ Petkovic, John (September 26, 1998). "Timeout". The Plain Dealer. p. 1E.
  16. ^ Gillespie, Tarleton (October 8, 1998). "Alternative". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 21.
  17. ^ Leigh, Bill (October 1998). "Babe the Blue Ox The Way We Were". Bass Player. Vol. 9, no. 10. p. 68.
  18. ^ Lipton, Michael (October 15, 1998). "Babe the Blue Ox The Way We Were". Charleston Daily Mail. p. 2D.
  19. ^ Schardl, Katie (February 26, 1999). "Blue Ox clocks in". Tallahassee Democrat. p. F10.
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