''Two-Fisted Tales'' is the third studio album by American band
the Long Ryders
The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album †...
, released in 1987 by Island Records. It was their last studio album for 32 years until 2019's '' Psychedelic Country Soul''. The album yielded two singles, a cover of
NRBQ
NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...
’s " I Want You Bad" and "Gunslinger Man". On ''Two-Fisted Tales'', the Long Ryders moved further away from their country rock origins towards a more
college rock
College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream ...
direction.
Background
The recording sessions for ''Two-Fisted Tales'' took place in November and December 1986 at
A&M Studios
The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serv ...
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
, and were produced by
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour.
History
Stasium began his recording career in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine. ...
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...
,
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
,
the Smithereens
The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drum ...
and
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...
Sid Griffin
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in t ...
said of working with Ed Stasium, "He crafted a radio-friendly record that did not sacrifice our
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
/
alt-country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
principles one iota. Ed drilled us and rehearsed us like the U.S. Marine Corps, even down to deciding
kick drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
patterns. It was terribly exciting." The album features guest appearances by
David Hidalgo
David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...
Vicki Peterson
Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their foundation in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...
of
the Bangles
The Bangles are an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. The band recorded several singles that reached the U.S. top 10 during the 1980s, including " Manic Monday" (1986), " Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), "Hazy Shad ...
. Head of Island Records, Chris Blackwell, gave the band almost complete artistic freedom. "He just told us to give him two songs that AOR could play and we could live out our Hank Williams fantasies for the rest", Griffin said.
The band's cover of
NRBQ
NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...
’s " I Want You Bad" was released as the album's first single. "Our label wanted a cover to help break us," drummer
Greg Sowders
Gregory Michael Sowders (born March 17, 1960) is an American drummer and music publisher. He is a founding member of alternative country and Paisley Underground band the Long Ryders, and Senior Vice President and Head of A&R at Warner Chappell Mu ...
explained, "and we picked an obscure one". The single's B-side, "Ring Bells" – recorded but not finished at the ''Two-Fisted Tales'' sessions – was completed during mixing sessions in February 1987 at
Compass Point Studios
Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producer ...
in Nassau, Bahamas. The finished album was delivered to Island in March but the release was delayed for two months. "
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
was selling better than Island expected, U2 were still shifting units, and so we were told to wait", Griffin said. In the two years since the Long Ryders signed with Island, several key employees had left the label's A&R department, and the new team, according to Griffin, showed little interest in the band and the release of ''Two-Fisted Tales''. Griffin: "The guy at Island that signed us ... they let him go. So, our defender at the record label was gone". When the band's rough album cover mockup was accidentally printed and went out as the final cover, they saw it as further proof of their label's indifference. Griffin: "No cleaning it up, no equalising the borders, no attempt to make our broad idea into something focused."
The album was finally released in June 1987 and despite "I Want You Bad" getting radio airplay, neither single nor album charted. By the end of the year, after the departures of bassist Tom Stevens and guitarist Stephen McCarthy, the Long Ryders had disbanded.
According to Griffin, ''Two-Fisted Tales'' contains more Long Ryders songs that were covered by other acts than any other of their albums.
Musical style and reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
described the album's sound as "a unique blending of McGuinn-esque guitar figures" with
country-rock
Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...
and traditional
roots rock
Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...
. They wrote that the Long Ryders' instrumentation, which includes mandolin, autoharp,
lap steel
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional a ...
and accordion, "reflects their allegiance to traditional
Americana
Americana may refer to:
*Americana (music), a genre or style of American music
*Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States
Film, radio and television
* ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...
music." In their artist biography, AllMusic wrote that the album blends "the upbeat jangle" of bands like
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
with the Long Ryders' love of "classic
twang
Twang is an onomatopoeia originally used to describe the sound of a vibrating bow string after the arrow is released.Hensleigh Wedgwood, ''A Dictionary of English Etymology: Q - Z'' (1865), p. 433. By extension it applies to the similar vibrati ...
y sounds."
''
Shindig!
''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles, The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' wrote, "The title of the album reflects why it's a lot better than the L.A. quartet’s 1985 major-label debut, '' State of Our Union''. Whereas last time the band was making proclamations about the resurgence of American rock, this time it just wants to get tough. And that's just what it does with a variety of guitar-rock styles ranging from the rollicking riffing of "Gunslinger Man" to the moody,
Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
-like delicacy of "Baby's in Toyland" ... Ed Stasium's power-packed production gives the band's sound more dimension than it's had before, especially Greg Sowders’ strong drumming."
''
Record Collector
''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide.
History The early years
The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...
'' noted the band's "social conscience" on "
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, u ...
's Gonna Carry Me Home", and its political side on the anti- Ronald Reagan "Gunslinger Man" and anti-war "A Stitch in Time"." ''
Louder Than War
''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
'' felt that the album has a good balance, "seamlessly blending hard-driving country rockers like "Gunslinger Man" with slow-burning numbers like ... epic ballad "Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home" and melodic love songs such as "I Want You Bad"."
''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
* Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* ' ...
'' thought the music ranks as some of the band's finest and ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' called it "an enjoyable album nicely produced in a variety of appealing styles". ''Americana UK'' wrote, "Any subsequent lack of sales is clearly not the fault of the album itself". ''
God is in the TV
''God Is in the TV'' is an independent music and culture online magazine founded by editor Bill Cummings in Cardiff in 2003. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interviews, podcasts and media. The webzine's coverage varies from un ...
'' wrote that the album at times shows "flashes of visionary creativity" but that "all too often it's difficult to pin down any definite musical direction." They felt that the album settles into a "safe radio-friendly sound" and that it isn't "coherent or cogent enough to be considered a stone cold classic."
Track listing
Adapted from the album's liner notes.''Two Fisted Tales 2018 expanded edition on Discogs'' Discogs.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.''Two Fisted Tales 1996 Deluxe Edition on Discogs'' Discogs.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
Adapted from the album's liner notes.
;The Long Ryders
*
Sid Griffin
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in t ...
Greg Sowders
Gregory Michael Sowders (born March 17, 1960) is an American drummer and music publisher. He is a founding member of alternative country and Paisley Underground band the Long Ryders, and Senior Vice President and Head of A&R at Warner Chappell Mu ...
David Hidalgo
David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...
– accordion on "The Light Gets in the Way"
*
Debbi Peterson
Deborah Mary Peterson (born August 22, 1961) is an American musician and the drummer of the band The Bangles. She sang lead vocals on two of the band's released singles, "Going Down to Liverpool" (1984) and " Be with You" (1989). She is the you ...
– background vocals on "I Want You Bad"
*
Vicki Peterson
Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill (born January 11, 1958) is an American rock musician and songwriter. She has been the lead guitarist for the Bangles since their foundation in 1981. After their first disbandment in 1989, she has returned ...
– background vocals on "I Want You Bad"
*W. Pleasure – organ
;Technical
*
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and audio engineer, who has worked on albums by the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour.
History
Stasium began his recording career in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine. ...
– producer, engineer, mixing
*The Long Ryders – additional production on "Ring Bells"
*Paul Hamingson – engineer, mixing engineer, mixing on "Ring Bells"
*Mark McKenna – assistant engineer
*Tom Root – assistant engineer
*Vince McCartney – assistant mixing engineer
*
Greg Calbi
Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey.
Biography
Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...
– mastering
* Paul B. Cutler – engineer (Control Centre demos)
*
Bill Inglot
Bill Inglot is an American music engineer and producer, best known for remastering older recordings to high quality digital standards.
Inglot worked for Rhino Entertainment and other Warner Music Group labels from 1982 to 2007. He was largely ...