The '59 Sound

The '59 Sound is the second studio album by American punk rock band the Gaslight Anthem, released on August 19, 2008, by record label SideOneDummy.

The '59 Sound
Studio album by
The Gaslight Anthem
ReleasedAugust 19, 2008 (2008-08-19)
Recorded2008
Genre
Length41:32
LabelSideOneDummy
ProducerTed Hutt
The Gaslight Anthem chronology
Señor and the Queen
(2008)		 The '59 Sound
(2008)		 Live at Park Ave.
(2009)

In December 2008, eMusic named The '59 Sound the best album of 2008.[3] NME rated it as the 47th best album of the year.[4] The title track was number 62 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[5]

In July 2009, following Bruce Springsteen's guest appearances with the band at Glastonbury and Hyde Park, sales of the album doubled.[6] In 2018 The Gaslight Anthem released The '59 Sounds Sessions, a companion album to The 59 Sound featuring early versions of songs from the album as well as rarities and b-sides.[7]

Recording

Regarding the differences between The '59 Sound and their first full-length album, Sink or Swim, guitarist Alex Rosamilia noted that, "For Sink or Swim, we had a week or so and what we brought to the studio. For [this] last record we had about 5 weeks and quite the arsenal of gear to tear through. Which did lead to a couple ideas I don't think we would've had otherwise."[8] The album was produced and mixed at Sage and Sound Studios and Mad Dog Studios, and was mastered at Precision Mastering, all in Los Angeles, CA.[9]

Release

The album was released on August 19, 2008, and peaked on the Billboard 200 at #70.[10] A 7" vinyl single was released on July 22, featuring the title track and the song "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" on the B-side. "Old White Lincoln" was released as the second single on December 1, 2008, in the UK. Opening track "Great Expectations" was released as the third single in the UK on March 23, 2009. In 2014, the bonus track "Once Upon a Time" was featured in the opening sequence and during the end credits of the 20th Century Fox film Devil's Due.

Influences

Allmusic described the album's sound as a "heartland rock version of Social Distortion."[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Alternative Press[12]
NME9/10[13]
Now4/5[14]
Pitchfork8.6/10[15]
PopMatters7/10[16]
Q[17]
Slant Magazine[18]
Uncut[19]

Absolutepunk.net raved about The '59 Sound, writing: "Packed full of vivid imagery and storytelling that resembles Born to Run/Darkness on the Edge of Town-era Springsteen, The '59 Sound is an impeccable work of punk-rock art where each listen offers something new, never taking any hint of imagination or personal effect away from the listener; this is the album The Killers wanted to make with Sam's Town but were unsuccessful at."[2] Mark Deming of AllMusic was generally favorable and concluded that "If Fallon often comes off as a youthful Springsteen wannabe on The '59 Sound, he also happens to be pretty good at it."[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brian Fallon, Alex Rosamilia, Alex Levine, and Benny Horowitz, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Great Expectations"3:05
2."The '59 Sound"3:09
3."Old White Lincoln"3:23
4."High Lonesome"3:05
5."Film Noir"3:29
6."Miles Davis & The Cool"4:11
7."The Patient Ferris Wheel"3:34
8."Casanova, Baby!"2:57
9."Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"3:30
10."Meet Me by the River's Edge"3:19
11."Here's Looking at You, Kid"3:36
12."The Backseat"4:14
Total length:41:32
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Once Upon a Time" (Robert Bradley; originally performed by Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise)3:58
Total length:45:30

Personnel

The Gaslight Anthem

Additional personnel

  • Chris Wollard – additional vocals
  • Joe Sirois – additional vocals
  • Dicky Barrett – additional vocals
  • Hollie Fallon – additional vocals
  • Joe Sib – additional vocals
  • Kim Yarbrough – additional vocals
  • Gia Ciambotti – additional vocals
  • Ryan Mall – samples

Production

References
  1. Deming, Mark. "The '59 Sound – The Gaslight Anthem". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  2. "chorus.fm". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  3. The Best Albums of 2008, eMusic Archived 2009-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  4. NME's Top 50 Albums of 2008 - Stereogum.com (originally printed in the December 11, 2008 issue of NME magazine)
  5. "The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2008). Retrieved 2009-01-12
  6. "Bruce Springsteen – Hyde Park Calling (Apocalypse Sound AS 178) – Collectors Music Reviews".
  7. "The Gaslight Anthem announce The '59 Sound Sessions, featuring unreleased tracks". Consequence of Sound. 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  8. "stereokill.net - life without a pause // alternative music criticism, news, reviews, features". Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  9. "The Gaslight Anthem – the '59 Sound (2008, CD)". Discogs.
  10. https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-gaslight-anthem/chart-history/
  11. "Reviews for The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem". Metacritic. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  12. Welbers, Aubrey (September 2008). "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". Alternative Press (242): 148. Archived from the original on April 11, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  13. "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". NME: 47. August 23, 2008.
  14. Keller, Jason (October 1, 2008). "Gaslight Anthem". Now. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  15. Breihan, Tom (November 25, 2008). "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  16. MacNeil, Jason (November 23, 2008). "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". PopMatters. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  17. "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". Q (266): 107. September 2008.
  18. Adams, Nate (August 25, 2008). "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  19. "The Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound". Uncut (140): 94. January 2009.
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