Deserter's Songs

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Deserter's Songs
Studio album by Mercury Rev
Released	September 29, 1998
Recorded	Tarbox Studios, NRS Studios, Six Hours Studios
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	44:39
Label	V2 Records
Producer	Dave Fridmann, Jonathan Donahue
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Pitchfork Media (8.5/10) link
Mercury Rev chronology
See You on the Other Side (1995) Deserter's Songs (1998) All Is Dream (2001)

Deserter's Songs is the fourth album by the rock band Mercury Rev, released in 1998. British music magazine NME awarded Deserter's Songs album of the year for 1998.

The album is currently out of print. A 10th anniversary edition of the album^[1] was rumored to be released on March 5, 2007 (ironically, only the album's 9th anniversary). The album's actual 10 year anniversary will be September 29, 2008.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Deserter's Songs: The Film 3 Deserter's Songs Bonus EP 4 Singles 5 Personnel 5.1 Mercury Rev 5.2 Additional Musicians 6 Miscellanea

[edit] Track listing

1. "Holes" – 5:55
2. "Tonite It Shows" – 3:40
3. "Endlessly" – 4:25
4. "I Collect Coins" – 1:27
5. "Opus 40" – 5:10
6. "Hudson Line" – 2:54
7. "The Happy End (The Drunk Room)" – 2:06
8. "Goddess on a Hiway" – 3:45
9. "The Funny Bird" – 5:51
10. "Pick Up If You're There" – 3:05
11. "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" / (Hidden Untitled Instrumental) – 6:17

The Japanese version appends two bonus tracks: 34 seconds of silence at track 12, and a closing instrumental, "Ragtag" (2:44) at track 13.

All music by Jonathan Donahue and Sean "Grasshopper" Mackiowiak. All lyrics by Jonathan Donahue, except "Hudson Line" by Sean Mackiowiak, and "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" by Jimy Chambers.

[edit] Deserter's Songs: The Film

A special edition of the album was released in 2005 with a bonus DVD, featuring an album-length companion film to Deserter's Songs as well as two music videos (directed by Anton Corbijn) and an audio remix track:

1. "Deserter's Songs: The Film" (44:39)
2. "Opus 40" music video (3:36)
3. "Goddess on a Hiway" music video (3:44)
4. "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" (The Chemical Brothers Remix) audio track (6:22)

[edit] Deserter's Songs Bonus EP

Upon the album's release, a 6-track promo EP was issued, featuring covers recorded as B-sides from live recording sessions:

1. "He Was a Friend of Mine" - 3:36
2. "Motion Pictures" - 3:28
3. "Silver Street" - 4:41
4. "Philadelphia" - 3:07
5. "I Only Have Eyes For You" (featuring Sean O'Hagan) - 4:22
6. "Caroline Says Pt. II" - 3:33

[edit] Singles

• Goddess on a Hiway (November 2, 1998)
• Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (January 25, 1999)
• Opus 40 (May 10, 1999)
• Holes (Australia-only tour EP) (July 7, 1999)
• Goddess On A Hiway (re-issue) (August 16, 1999)

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Mercury Rev

• Jonathan Donahue – vocals, acoustic guitar, chamberlain strings
• Sean "Grasshopper" Mackiowiak – guitar reels, vocals on #6, woodwinds
• Jimy Chambers – clavinet, harpsichord, drums
• Dave Fridmann – piano, bass, mellotron, backing vocals
• Suzanne Thorpe – flutes
• Adam Synder – B3, Mellotron, wurlitzer

[edit] Additional Musicians

• Levon Helm - Drums on "Opus 40"
• Garth Hudson - Tenor & alto sax on "Hudson Line"
• Amy Helm & Marie Spinosa - Female vox and whistling
• Mary Gavazzi Fridmann - Female soprano
• Jeff Mercel - Drums
• Joel Eckhouse - Bowed saw
• Rachel Handman - Violins
• Matt Jordan - Flugelhorns
• Jim Burgess - Trombones
• Aaron Hurwitz - Piano
• Scott Petito - Upright electric bass
• Garrett Uhlenbrock - Slide guitar

[edit] Miscellanea

• The success of this album was a pleasant surprise for the band. After the commercial failure of See You on the Other Side, which Donahue considered to be the band's best album, they decided to make one more record entirely for themselves, ignoring commercial influences, and expecting to split up shortly afterward. Surprisingly, Deserter's Songs was their most successful album, and made them big celebrities in the UK and Europe, also making a smaller mark in the US.
• If one rewinds at the beginning of track 12, there is a hidden instrumental track. It is played on the Tettix Wave Accumulator, an instrument built by Donahue and Grasshopper. Reportedly, two versions of the instrument exist--one for recording that takes up half Grasshopper's basement, and a smaller one for the road.
• Limited edition copies of the album came in a brown cardboard envelope-like package, with a stamp on the cover postmarked with the release date.
• The song "Holes" was used in the film Panic starring William H. Macy and Neve Campbell.