Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle is the second solo album by Bill Callahan under his own name, released on April 14, 2009 via Drag City.[1] It was recorded by John Congleton and arranged by Brian Beattie.[2] In an interview with Uncut, Callahan described the recording of the album:
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I recorded the basic tracks with a band, in August I think. Then gave the tracks to the arranger Brian Beattie to write some string and horn parts while I was on tour in South America and North America. When I got back we put the overdubs on, in an old fashioned way - four or five string players gathered around one microphone. The basic band is a couple fellers who I'd been touring with a bit lately, Jaime Zuverza on fine and pretty guitar - Brian described his playing style as "unmacho" which I thought was great. And Luis Martinez on special drums. The bassist was Bobby Weaver who was a friend of the engineer John Congleton. I could go on but this is supposed to be a short blurby interview, right?[3] |
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Track listing
All songs were written by Bill Callahan.
- "Jim Cain" – 4:39
- "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" – 4:19
- "The Wind and the Dove" – 4:34
- "Rococo Zephyr" – 5:42
- "Too Many Birds" – 5:27
- "My Friend" – 5:12
- "All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast" – 5:52
- "Invocation of Ratiocination" – 2:41
- "Faith/Void" – 9:44
Reception
The album received very positive reviews and made many best of year lists, notably 2nd best album of 2009 in Mojo Magazine.
In 2013, NME listed the album at 443 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [12]
Charts
Chart |
Peak |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) |
90 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Bill Callahan - Vocals, Classical Guitar, Acoustic Steel Guitar, Electric Guitar, Piano, Hammond Organ, Keyboards
- Brian Beattie - Electric Guitar, Organ [Pump], Electric Piano, Keyboards, Percussion, String and Horn arrangement
- Jaime Zuverza - Electric Guitar
- Bobby Weaver - Bass
- Luis Martinez - Drums
Additional musicians
- Douglas Edward, Maureen Nilsen, Becki Howard, Tamara Cauble - Violin
- Buffi Jacobs, Chris Youmans - Cello
- Brian Brown, Heather Test - French Horn
- Deanna Sarkar - Soprano Vocals
Recording personnel
Artwork
- Chris Taylor - Front Photograph
- Bill Callahan - Lettering and Drawings
External links
Notes
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| Studio albums | |
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| Singles | |
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| Compilations | |
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