Drag It Up

Drag It Up is the sixth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on July 27, 2004 (see 2004 in music). The album's title comes from the fourth track, "Smokers".

This album sees the band return to a less-polished form than its predecessor, 2001's Satellite Rides. Ken Bethea, the lead guitar player, said the following in a press release:

"It’s hard not to compare an album with those that came before it. Drag It Up is our most personal. We recorded it on 8 tracks, which pretty much means there was very little studio trickery. What you’ll hear, or maybe I should say, what you won’t hear is second-guessing, sleight of hand or revisionist thinking. Whereas Too Far To Care was an idealistic album made for big cars and air guitars, Drag It Up is better served by thinking and driving on Sunday afternoons in the middle of nowhere. Fight Songs was urban, Hitchhike to Rhome was a giant demo and Satellite Rides was hitchhike's opposite, that is to say, for us (four hacks from Texas) a wonderful recording of near-perfect performances. Wreck Your Life was the spiritual predecessor to Drag It Up - punk rock recorded over the course of a few days in a Chicago attic. We have grown - albeit kicking and screaming - into a complex, philosophical and mortal band." (taken from old97's.com)

Track listing

All tracks by Old 97's

1. "Won't Be Home" - 4:48
2. "Moonlight" - 3:40
3. "Borrowed Bride" - 2:08
4. "Smokers" (vocals by Murry Hammond) - 3:52
5. "Coahuila" (vocals by Ken Bethea) - 2:27
6. "Blinding Sheets Of Rain" - 3:20
7. "Valium Waltz" - 4:39
8. "In The Satellite Rides A Star" (vocals by Murry Hammond) - 4:40
9. "The New Kid" - 3:41
10. "Bloomington" - 3:27
11. "Adelaide" - 3:30
12. "Friends Forever" - 3:08
13. "No Mother" - 4:59

Personnel

• Ken Bethea - guitar, accordion, vocals, backing vocals
• Joel Bluestein - engineer
• Johnny Buzzerio - photography
• Traci Goudie - artwork, design
• Kevin L. Gray - mastering
• Murry Hammond - acoustic guitar, bass guitar, guitar, electric guitar, harmonium, tambourine, vocals, backing vocals
• Mitch Manker & his Brass Section - trumpet
• Rhett Miller - guitar, vocals, backing vocals
• Mark Neill - producer, engineer, mixing
• Craig Packham - tambourine
• Philip Peeples - drums, tambourine, backing vocals, shaker

References