Love Is Hell (Ryan Adams album)
| Love Is Hell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Ryan Adams | ||||
| Released | May 4, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | New York, September 2 to September 6, 2002; and New Orleans, February 2003 | |||
| Genre | Alternative country | |||
| Length | 68:01 | |||
| Label | Lost Highway Records | |||
| Producer | Ryan Adams, John Porter | |||
| Ryan Adams chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| NME | (9/10)[2] |
| Q | |
| Mojo | |
Love Is Hell is the fifth studio album by alternative country artist Ryan Adams, released on May 4, 2004. The album was originally released as two EPs, Love Is Hell pt. 1 and Love Is Hell pt. 2, at the insistence of Lost Highway, who deemed that the album was not commercially viable.[3][4] A full-length version of the album was released when the EPs proved to be more of a commercial success than anticipated.
The Oasis cover, "Wonderwall", was released as a single in the UK on June 28, 2004. A shorter version of "Anybody Wanna Take Me Home" originally appeared on Rock N Roll. However, the 'longer' version of the song on Love Is Hell does not fade-out/back-in as it does on Rock N Roll. Love Is Hell was released in Japan on June 27, 2007 with a bonus disc of tracks recorded during the same sessions as the album.
Adams describes the album as sounding "a lot like Heartbreaker, but better and more severe. It's complex and it's damaged,"[4] and states that it "was the record [he] needed to make."[5] In a 2007 interview, Adams notes that he loves to play songs from the album live, and that the songs are "usually tunes that The Cardinals and myself get really excited about when they come up in the set."[6] Love Is Hell features guest contributions from Marianne Faithfull (backing vocals on "English Girls Approximately") and Greg Leisz (guitar throughout), and the bonus tracks feature Fabrizio Moretti (drums on "Halloween") and Leona Naess (vocals on "Caterwaul").
Ryan Adams' version of "Wonderwall" can be downloaded for the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. The track "The Shadowlands" was written backstage in Belfast on 26th November 2002, with Adams performing it as his opening song.
Track listing
All tracks written by Ryan Adams, unless otherwise stated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Political Scientist" | 4:33 | |
| 2. | "Afraid Not Scared" | 4:13 | |
| 3. | "This House Is Not for Sale" | 3:53 | |
| 4. | "Anybody Wanna Take Me Home" | 5:31 | |
| 5. | "Love Is Hell" | 3:19 | |
| 6. | "Wonderwall" | Noel Gallagher | 4:09 |
| 7. | "The Shadowlands" | 5:18 | |
| 8. | "World War 24" | 4:17 | |
| 9. | "Avalanche" | 5:09 | |
| 10. | "My Blue Manhattan" | 2:23 | |
| 11. | "Please Do Not Let Me Go" | 3:37 | |
| 12. | "City Rain, City Streets" | 3:49 | |
| 13. | "I See Monsters" | 3:57 | |
| 14. | "English Girls Approximately" | 5:42 | |
| 15. | "Thank You Louise" | 2:52 | |
| 16. | "Hotel Chelsea Nights" | 5:10 |
| Japanese version bonus disc | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Halloween" | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Caterwaul" | 5:41 |
| 3. | "Fuck the Universe" | 7:29 |
| 4. | "Twice as Bad as Love" | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Father's Son" | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Gimme Sunshine" | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Black Clouds" | 4:48 |
| French version | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Political Scientist" | 4:33 | |
| 2. | "Afraid Not Scared" | 4:13 | |
| 3. | "This House Is Not for Sale" | 3:53 | |
| 4. | "Love Is Hell" | 3:19 | |
| 5. | "Wonderwall" | Noel Gallagher | 4:09 |
| 6. | "The Shadowlands" | 5:18 | |
| 7. | "World War 24" | 4:17 | |
| 8. | "Avalanche" | 5:09 | |
| 9. | "Caterwaul" | 5:41 | |
| 10. | "Halloween" | 3:52 | |
| 11. | "My Blue Manhattan" | 2:23 | |
| 12. | "Please Do Not Let Me Go" | 3:37 | |
| 13. | "City Rain, City Streets" | 3:49 | |
| 14. | "I See Monsters" | 3:57 | |
| 15. | "English Girls Approximately" | 5:42 | |
| 16. | "Thank You Louise" | 2:52 | |
| 17. | "Hotel Chelsea Nights" | 5:10 | |
| 18. | "Fuck the Universe" | 7:29 | |
| 19. | "Twice as Bad as Love" | 4:14 | |
Chart positions
Album
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Flanders)[7] | 87 |
| UK[8] | 62 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Wonderwall" | UK Singles Chart[8] | 27 |
Personnel
- Ryan Adams – vocals, guitars, piano, and other instruments
New York Band on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 14
- Paul Garisto – drums
- John Pisano – bass
- Joe McGinty – piano
- Johnny McNabb – lead guitar
New Orleans Band on tracks 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16
- Greg Leisz – lead guitar, pedal steel
- Ricky Fataar – drums on all except 10, 11, 13, 15
- Hutch Hutchinson – bass on all except 10, 13, 15
- Ian McLagan – B3 organ, Wurlitzer electric piano on all except 11, 13, 15, 16
- Jon Cleary - piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, rhythm guitar on all except 10, 11, 13
- Ruth Gottlieb - violin on all except 11, 16
- Sarah Wilson - cello on all except 11, 16
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ NME review
- ↑ Spitz, Marc (2003-11-24). "Who The F**k Is Ryan Adams?". Spin. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- 1 2 Simmons, Sylvie (2003-11-21). "I've been jumping off bridges". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ↑ Uhelszki, Jaan (January 2004). "Ryan Adams: Saved By R’n’R". HARP Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ↑ Klein, Joshua (2007-07-23). "Interview: Ryan Adams". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ↑ "Belgian Love Is Hell position". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
- 1 2 "UK Chart Log". zobbel.de. Retrieved 2008-11-22.