Lambchop have been one of my favorite bands for quite a while, and I have recently been going back and listening to each of their albums over again. While all of their albums are great, I think my favorites are Is A Woman and Thriller, with Nixon being my least favorite. What do you all think of this great band?

Amen, Brother Trev.

And kudos for putting the 'chop in Indie and not alt-country, where they are often unjustly pigeonholed.

I like Is a Woman and Aw C'mon/No You C'mon a whole lot. I got into them via Nixon, but it might be one of their weaker efforts. Thriller is good, as is What Another Man Spills. Even the odds and sods collection, Tools in the Dryer, is great, although it barely scratches the surface of the rarities and b-sides they put out. I have at least 10 more 'chop b-sides on various collections and tribute records.

Kurt Wagner's ep with Josh Rouse is very good, as well.

I really enjoy that Chester ep with Josh Rouse. I don't generally like him, but Kurt Wagner seems to improve everyone that he works with. As for other odd songs, I really like their cover on the Lee Hazlewood tribute. Probably my favorite song on that comp. What are some of the other b-sides you have pE? I hear they have a killer sisters of mercy cover out, but it is one of the few things of theirs that I have heard of but do not own.

As for Aw Cmon/No you Cmon, I also really like them, and was surprised they weren't more popular last year. I wish though that I could get ahold of some demo versions of those songs. I think a few great songs are slightly lessened by bad string arrangements.

The version of Is a Woman that I have is a 2-disc version with the Sisters of Mercy cover, plus a Stones cover, and a third original. They do an American Music Club cover from an AMC tribute, there's a Kurt solo song on one of the Bloodshot comps, there's a live version of "Butcher Boy" from a UK magazine comp, there's a Kinks cover on the Kinks tribute. Those are the ones I can think of...

Awesome to see other Lambchop fans. Of their early albums, How I Quit Smoking is my favourite. Innocent-sounding opener "For Which we are Truly Thankful" sets the tone for what is a very unsettling record that sounds soothing at first, till year hear the lyrics. "The Man Who Loved Beer" and "The Militant" are also great songs.

Of their more recent albums, "Is a Woman" is, for me, the one essential purchase. Probably overall my favourite Lambchop album. "Nixon" was highly praised by never clicked for me. "Aw C'mon/No, You C'mon" was a little too long and rambling to have the impact of the single disc albums.

So tell me, do L'chop fans not particularly like Nixon? Wasn't too popular, was it? It was my intro to them and I still love it - Grumpus, Up with People, etc.
No, You Cmon is even better though.

I got into the 'chop thru Nixon, as well, and I still hold it in high regard. But I think they've got better albums, on the whole. "Up with People" is a great song.

Up With People might be my favorite Lambchop song. On the other hand, I would pick Nixon as my least favorite of their albums. It always seems odd to me that Nixon is often sighted in magazines as their best album. I guess that it was quite a big deal in Britain, and since they seem to have a pretty big following over there, that could explain why it continues to be highly thought of.

With all that said, the worst Lambchop album is still way better than the best album most bands will ever put out.

Not just Britain klt, Nixon is a big deal everywhere except on this board it seems.

I've been prone in the past to claiming preference for earlier, more obscure albums from artists that become popular. Then I snub the albums that break them (Automatic for the People comes to mind). I'm sure we're above that sort of snobbery on here

I'm bringing this one back to the top for two reasons:

1. Frank Valeron, Esq. has been proclaiming his love for the 'chop recently, and I wanted to make sure this thread (buried on page 3 of Indie) was apparent again.

2. There's a new Lambchop comp due on Merge in April, consisting of rarities and singles. It may or may not be the same as another comp, due the same day, on City Slang.

On KLT's recommendation, I listened to some Lambchop, but I can't really say I liked it much. His voice is a real minus for me, and it seemed a little too...flat, I suppose.

I've gotta say though, I find that a good 80% of the artists I listen to I don't like. I'm beginning to think that I don't really like music and can only find 15-20 albums a year that I like by downloading and listening voraciously. If I ever start enjoying reading more or find another hobby, I can see myself abandoning music altogether.

Kurt's voice is very much a deal-breaker for some. I can understand why you'd react the way you do, RL.

Thanks for that pE. I never would have found it in the cavernous depths of the metacritic forums. I agree that Wagner's voice is a love it or hate it affair. A lot of people who I play Lambchop for say they really like it, but his low, at times near mumbled delivery is certainly not for everyone.

Is A Woman is my favourite Lambchop record by a long way, although I think The Saturday Option off What Another Man Spills is a super song. There's some great stuff on that album too. Does anyone else agree that Aw C'mon had far more to it than No You C'mon. It would be interesting to hear comparisons...

Bringing this thread back so we have a place to talk about Lambchop's new album Damaged.

I only just picked it up late last night, so I've only had two runthroughs of the album, but it's exactly what I was hoping it would be. How Kurt Wagner continues to pull out great song after great song I'll never understand. This is easily one of my favorite albums I've heard this year.

I don't think I've ever actually heard Lambchop at all. What do they sound like?

I don't know who they sound like to be honest. But the new album is excellent, and could even be a contender to take the second best 'Chop record slot in my book, right after the peerless, life-changing Is A Woman. Time will tell. Good man Kurt I say, once again. What songs have really jumped out for you so far Trev? I think Beers Before The Barbican is gorgeous, but , really, they all are...

I'm only a new fan of Lambchop but each album I have heard is terrific. Nixon is a more gospel approach and Is A Woman seems more stripped down to the bare bone with an acoustic guitar and not as much soul. But if I could choose my favorite of what I've heard it would be Nixon because I feel it's not as depressing and more joyous than Is a Woman. But Is A Woman is as good as Nixon in every way possible. Now I probably don't have enough insight to post this but this is how I feel about these albums so far. I'm glad that these albums were recommended to me by a select group of metacritic members because I think that they were worth the purchase...
How is that double album that Lambchop did that was for a silent film and should be looked at as two seperate albums?
I believe it's called Aw C'mon, No You C'mon

Aw/No isn't a double album, per se. They released them as single albums because they didn't cohere as a larger project, but both are great. Lots of big flourishes and a very BIG sound compared to Is a Woman.

Damaged is fantastic, as expected. The 'chop may be the most consistently excellent band going...they haven't disappointed me yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Valeron Esq.:
Does anyone else agree that Aw C'mon had far more to it than No You C'mon. It would be interesting to hear comparisons...

I've changed my mind on this of late. I think it might actually be the other way round.
And Damaged keeps getting better and better...

quote:

Damaged is fantastic, as expected. The 'chop may be the most consistently excellent band going...they haven't disappointed me yet.

This is my favorite thing about lambchop. With (i think) 10 official albums, and tons of unoffical music as well, you would think they would have a drop in quality at some point, but they just keep turning out great music. I can't think of another band with as large a quantity of music as lambchop who also have as high a percentage of quality music.