''Old Ramon'' is the sixth and final studio album by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band Red House Painters, released on April 10, 2001 on

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

. Originally completed in 1998, band leader

Mark Kozelek Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of ...

had to wait until 2001 to release the album. The band had previously been signed to Island/Supreme Records, but a series of major label

mergers Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

in the late '90s left the band without a label. This meant the album had to be shelved until three years later, when Kozelek managed to buy back the album from Island Records and

signed the group. During the wait for the album's release, ''Old Ramon'' built up a reputation as one of the greatest "lost" albums of the modern era, and one of the saddest cases of a band being left in limbo during the major label mergers. Once it was finally released, reviews were generally very positive.

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

gave the album a perfect 5 out 5 rating, praising its "timeless beauty." Many regard ''Old Ramon'' as a more lighthearted, optimistic recording than previous Red House Painters releases. The first track, "Wop-a-Din-Din" is Mark's tribute to his cat, while "Byrd Joel," "Michigan" and "Kavita" are love songs. Elsewhere, however, the languid, lengthy "River" and "Void", and the melancholic "Smokey", confirmed that Kozelek hadn't lost his touch for articulating regret and sadness. The album also retained ''

Songs for a Blue Guitar ''Songs for a Blue Guitar'' is the fifth studio album by Red House Painters, released on July 22, 1996 in the UK, and a day later in the US. It is effectively a Mark Kozelek solo album, since no other members of the band are listed in the liner ...

s mix of introspective acoustic folk-rock and heavier electric rock.

Track listing

Personnel

;Red House Painters *Mark Kozelek *Anthony Koutsos *Jerry Vessel *Phil Carney with: *Craig Ross *David Perales *Michael Urbano *Mike Hardwick *Paul Revelli

Release history

References

{{Authority control Red House Painters albums 2001 albums Sub Pop albums