Saw him live the other day - he was awesome. Should I just buy them all?

I'd recommend buying them all, but maybe you should pick up the latest first and work backwards since they probably played more newer songs at the concert.

I would not have recommended starting with Shake the Sheets, but mark's suggestion is really smart. It's likely you heard a lot of that album the other night, so it's probably a lock that you will enjoy it.

I'll second the suggestion that you buy Ted Leo's entire catalog. There's not a bad album in the bunch. I am, however, personally partial to Hearts of Oak if for no other reason than my deep and abiding love of the song "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone?"

I understand there is an iTunes exlusive Ted Leo EP out right now. The only track I've heard from it is his cover of the Kelly Clarkson hit "Since U Been Gone," which is the best cover he recorded the Split Enz's "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" on the excellent Tell Belgeary, Balgury Is Dead EP.

Now Playing: "Assessment" The Beta Band Heroes to Zeros (Astralwerks)

I bought the iTunes ep, and it's quite good, but I'd really like to hear the Kelly Clarkson cover. I actually like that song a little. The iTunes ep has a full band version of "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" and a great version of Stiff Little Fingers "Suspect Device"!

I'd second (third?) the recommendation: start with STS (b/c you heard it live) and then hit HOA and finally get TTOD. I think "Rude Boys" is an ace track, maybe his best (although "Me and Mia" never gets old, either)

While I love Tyranny of Distance, and like Shake the Sheets well enough, I think Hearts of Oak is horrible. I've listened to it numerous times, but it sounds just as bad every time.

I'd pick Living with the Living just barely over Shake the Sheets. But that could change. Haven't heard The Tyranny of Distance or even much about it.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
Haven't heard The Tyranny of Distance or even much about it.

This was where I hopped onboard, and it is still my favorite Ted Leo Album-- I've liked them all though. The latest is the least consistent, but still has some amazing songs-- especially the first half of the CD.

I bought Shake the Sheets based on the strength of "Me and Mia", and was happy with it overall. I wasn't too impressed with the few tracks off Living with the Living that I heard. However, I'm a little addicted to the Amazon.com audio samples of The Tyranny of Distance. I nearly bought it last week at best buy, but I decided against it because I have spent too much money on music recently, and my wife is going to get suspicious.

definitely pick up Tyranny of Distance, best marriage of lyrics to virtuoso guitar on any of his albums in my opinion. plus that opening song is too perfect.

Heard some sniplets off Tyranny of Distance earlier tonight. I was impressed with what I heard, so I'll be picking up the album.

I loved Ted Leo until I heard his albums other than Tyranny of Distance. I was pretty disappointed.. his other albums do nothing for me.

I really like Hearts of Oak, Living with the Living, and Tyranny of Distance.
His latest has lots of great songs, and is probably what I would start with. Hearts of Oak has some killer and some filler.
Tyranny is practically perfect, and is worth the price for Biomusicology alone.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
I'd pick Living with the Living just barely over Shake the Sheets. But that could change. Haven't heard The Tyranny of Distance or even much about it.

Oh, wow. I'm surprised you haven't heard anything about it. I think it's easily his best, followed by Shake the Sheets. I really liked the new one through 9 tracks, but it didn't do much for me after that. Still, 8 good songs (plus an intro) isn't a bad album at all.

I am a HUGE ted leo fan- I started listening to him when "hearts of oak" came out, but my favorite from him, hands down, is "shake the sheets". i really feel like this is ted leo at his pinnacle as a songwriter. hearts of oak and tyranny of distance i highly recommend... but his new album was highly disappointing to me. "bomb.repear.bomb" is embarassingly awful, and most of the songs just don't live up.

Shake the Sheets came off to commercialized to me. Like radio pop, trying to take his music to F.Y.E. and Wal-Mart and your early-twenties sister who is kinda hip but only in the Garden State soundtrack kinda way.

That's why I like his latest a little bit more than the others- Tyranny of Distance aside- because it's more of a return to his Tyranny sound.

I agree that Shake the Sheets is a little more glossy-sounding than the rest of his work, but I also think that it's easily his most urgent and also his most fun. A short, fast, awesome punk-rock record that I really enjoy.

Tyranny of Distance is definitely my favorite. There are fast rock songs, epic slow songs... it's his most inventive and he's at his best there.

Hearts of Oak I have a weird relationship with - I love some songs, dislike others, and sometimes I'll just latch onto a song from it and listen to it religiously. Right now that song is "Bridges, Squares."

Living with the Living is very good, I just felt a little let down on the first few listens. Some great music, some so-so music ("The Unwanted Things," Ted? Really?) but overall pretty good. I think I'm one of the few who love "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb."

Whoo. I could talk about and listen to Ted all day.

I came on to Ted Leo a little late, my first album of his that I heard was Shake the Sheets and I like it quite a bit. I then heard his back catalog and I really love The Tyranny of Distance, yet I am not quite sure on Hearts of Oak. I have never heard the whole thing but what I have heard my thoughts went from “This is OK” to “I don’t like this much at all.”

With that said, I haven’t heard the new one at all. I’ve seen it at the stores from time to time but I never got into hearing some samples or buying it. So does the new one sound like his most previous album or maybe even Tyranny or does it sound like Oak?

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
glossy-sounding

punk-rock record

Those two terms don't go together... except in todays market where Good Charlotte is called punk.

And I would never consider Ted Leo punk.

quote:

Originally posted by Jglass:

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
glossy-sounding

punk-rock record

Those two terms don't go together... except in todays market where Good Charlotte is called punk.

And I would never consider Ted Leo punk.

Fair enough. Note that I said "more glossy-sounding," not "squeaky-clean," though.

But he makes a terrible punk. "But I respect and prize the covenant. I respect the process, I respect the rules!"

He was in a pretty solid punk band called Chisel before this, though.

(Also, did anyone else find that story about him and Taco Bell on Pitchfork hilarious?)

I'll have to check Chisel out.. and the Taco Bell thing is hilarious. I wanna know who entered him!