Viva Last Blues is the third studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the moniker Palace Music on Drag City in 1995. The album features Oldham on vocals and guitar, and was recorded by Steve Albini.

Viva Last Blues
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 21, 1995 (1995-08-21)
RecordedAlabama, U.S.
GenreFolk rock
Length31:27
LabelDrag City
ProducerSteve Albini
Will Oldham / Palace chronology
Days in the Wake
(1994)
Viva Last Blues
(1995)
Arise Therefore
(1996)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Melody MakerRecommended[2]
NME8/10[3]
Q     [4]
Rolling Stone     [5]
Spin8/10[6]
Uncut     [7]

Pitchfork placed the album at number 60 on the "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s" list.[8] In 2007, Blender placed it at number 98 on the "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever" list.[9]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."More Brother Rides"3:18
2."Viva Ultra"3:18
3."The Brute Choir"2:43
4."The Mountain Low"2:44
5."Tonight's Decision (and Hereafter)"4:10
6."Work Hard/Play Hard"2:50
7."New Partner"3:54
8."Cat's Blues"3:18
9."We All, Us Three, Will Ride"2:56
10."Old Jerusalem"2:16
UK limited edition bonus 7"
No.TitleLength
1."Black/Rich Tune"3:19
2."You Have Cum... (Alt. Version)"2:51

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Liam Hayes – piano, organ
  • Jason Loewenstein – drums, additional vocals
  • Ned Oldham – bass guitar, slide guitar, additional vocals
  • Will Oldham – vocals, guitar
  • Bryan Rich – lead guitar
  • Steve Albini – recording
  • Eric Bates – engineering
  • Eugene Bates – engineering
  • Dianne Bellino – cover drawing
  • Cynthia Kirkwood – painting

References

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  1. ^ D'Angelo, Peter J. "Viva Last Blues – Palace Music". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  2. ^ Conway, Jamie T. (1995-08-12). "Where there's Will, there's a way". Melody Maker. Vol. 72, no. 32. p. 34. Retrieved 2024-03-06 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "Palace Music: Viva Last Blues". NME. August 19, 1995. p. 49.
  4. ^ "Palace Music: Viva Last Blues". Q. No. 108. September 1995. p. 118.
  5. ^ Panahpour, Nilou (November 2, 1995). "Palace: Viva Last Blues". Rolling Stone. p. 70. Archived from the original on March 27, 2002. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Hainley, Bruce (December 1995). "Palace Music: Viva Last Blues". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 9. p. 123. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  7. ^ Bonner, Michael (March 2012). "Palace: The Early Years". Uncut. No. 178. p. 100.
  8. ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s (page 5 of 10)". Pitchfork. November 17, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "Blender's 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever". Stereogum. November 14, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
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