over the rhine beginner

[amalgamate]

Okay, so after frequenting the cmc board for a few months and this board for a few days, i've noticed over the rhine mentioned a lot in a very good light. I've not heard this band (don't hurt me) but i'm very interested in picking up one of their albums seeing as i'm apparently missing out

so for an over the rhine beginning listener, what's a good first album to pick up?

thanks guys for the input (in advance) and for welcoming me to the boards (which some have already done...but i anticipate maybe a couple more...)

[Tom]

welcome to the board! boy, i'm almost jealous that you're going to get to experience Over the Rhine for the first time.

what to listen to first?

actually, i think "Drunkard's Prayer," (the new one) is a great place to start.

it has all the elements that make them great and it is listener friendly while still retaining artistic integrity.

if that one floats your boat, then i'd recommend some more in this order:

Good Dog, Bad Dog
Films For Radio
Ohio
Eve
'Til We Have Faces
Amateur Shortwave Radio
 

[bloop]

Generally, I start with the latest and work backwards with bands that are new to me, and I think that's a good way to deal with OtR as well.  Just make sure you don't stop going backwards before listening to Good Dog, Bad Dog.

[enemy anemone]

I echo Drunkard's Prayer as being a good place to start.
so far I only have that one, Ohio, and Good Dog, Bad Dog. I want to order Films for Radio and Amateur Shortwave Radio soon.

you can download a few mp3s from their site. Paste also has a few downloads under some of the albums.  

[amalgamate]

great, thanks guys!

i will be sure to let you know what i think.  

[murlough23]

I started with Films for Radio, and while I think that's the easiest OtR album to get into and it's still my favorite (though not for reasons of more immediate accessibility), I will admit it's not representative of their usual sound. It might be better to start with Good Dog Bad Dog. I think their newer records, Drunkard's Prayer and Ohio, are good but might be more difficult for newcomers to appreciate.

If you're not opposed to downloading stuff (and can actually find it), I could recommend a good list of songs from across their 4 most recent albums for you to sample.

 

[Josh]

I recommend the 2000 re-release of Good Dog Bad Dog. Not only is it the best place to start, but, for this longtime OtR fan, it's still their masterpiece.

[murlough23]

Oh, if it helps, here are all the Over the Rhine reviews I've done so far:

Films for Radio - 2001
Ohio - 2003
Drunkard's Prayer - 2005
Concert Review - April 30, 2005

I still need to review Good Dog Bad Dog.

NP: "Art in Me (Frail Version)", Jars of Clay

[DvChWi]

I recommend the 2000 re-release of Good Dog Bad Dog. Not only is it the best place to start, but, for this longtime OtR fan, it's still their masterpiece.

I second this.  I asked a similiar question when I was new to OtR, and was pointed to Films for Radio.  This album, while pretty good, is not nearly as impressive as some of their other stuff.  As a result, I was kind of disappointed in OtR, since Films of Radio didn't live up to what I was expecting.  That all changed when I heard Good Dog, Bad Dog.  This album is so much better than FIlms for Radio, IMO.  Then I got Ohio(my favorite OtR) album) and that was enough to instantly put OtR into my all time favorites list.  So, while Ohio is my favorite, I'm going to recommend Good Dog, Bad Dog, since it is also very excellent, but a bit easier to digest if you're new to the band than the double album Ohio.

[enemy anemone]

how is the re-release different from the original (the one that I have)? I noticed that the original has a couple songs that the other doesn't and doesn't have one that the other does.

what songs would you guys put on a sampler cd to give to friends to introduce them to OtR?

[murlough23]

what songs would you guys put on a sampler cd to give to friends to introduce them to OtR?

I'd probably go with my three favorites from each disc (counting Ohio as 2 discs):

Latter Days
All I Need Is Everything
The Seahorse
The World Can Wait
If Nothing Else
The Body Is a Stairway of Skin
B.P.D.
Professional Daydreamer
Lifelong Fling
Nobody Number One
How Long Have You Been Stoned?
Bothered
Born
Who Will Guard the Door
Firefly

NP: "The Story of Our Lives", The Echoing Green

[amalgamate]

i downloaded some mp3's off of their official site and also off of paste. I'm really liking what i've heard so far. I think i like born and drunkard's prayer the most so far, but i haven't had a chance to listen to the songs more than a couple times. Oh, and moth is really good too.

Thanks for all the input guys.

[danny316]

I'm going to go against the grain and say I think the 1996 (indie) version of Good Dog Bad Dog is their best. I thought that "Jack's Valentine" and "A Gospel Number" made the album feel a bit more diverse and exciting, where otherwise it might have gotten stuck in a beautiful acoustic rut. I can't really compare with the 2000 rerelease, but I have a hard time imagining the album without those songs. Additionally, some of the charm of the album is that it is a batch of home recordings - if you listen closely, you can hear the furniture. I'm willing to bet they mixed that out of the rerelease.

Something went terribly wrong with my attempts to order Films for Radio and Drunkard's Prayer, but I've heard DP and it's pretty good. It's a bit jazzier than their usual fair. I guess if you're looking for an introduction that shows off the newer, jazzier stuff, and still has a little of the older, folksier feel, Ohio would probably be a good start.

I started with Ohio, but I can attest that Good Dog Bad Dog (1996), Patience, and Changes Come (live) are all solid albums as well. Patience is the weakest of the batch and it still sounds completely unique and exciting to me. Their older stuff tends to rock out a bit more than you'd expect them to.

Oh, and just so you don't get surprised - the band throws in a few things here and there that might offend you. A well-placed "naughty" word here and there mostly, but a few political tunes and artfully sensual tunes that might rub you the wrong way too. Usually this stuff is handled well and conveys emotion more than it pisses people off, but i figured it's better we let you know beforehand.  

[amalgamate]

Oh, and just so you don't get surprised - the band throws in a few things here and there that might offend you. A well-placed "naughty" word here and there mostly, but a few political tunes and artfully sensual tunes that might rub you the wrong way too. Usually this stuff is handled well and conveys emotion more than it pisses people off, but i figured it's better we let you know beforehand.

thanks for the heads up. I had heard that, but that kind of thing doesn't really bother me so long as it IS indeed used more to convey the emotion of the situation than it is in some off handed "why the heck is that there?" type of manner.  

[Josh]

I'm going to go against the grain and say I think the 1996 (indie) version of Good Dog Bad Dog is their best. I thought that "Jack's Valentine" and "A Gospel Number" made the album feel a bit more diverse and exciting, where otherwise it might have gotten stuck in a beautiful acoustic rut. I can't really compare with the 2000 rerelease, but I have a hard time imagining the album without those songs. Additionally, some of the charm of the album is that it is a batch of home recordings - if you listen closely, you can hear the furniture. I'm willing to bet they mixed that out of the rerelease.
 

Hey, no shame in that. Jeff Overstreet is the guy who first got me into OtR, and he prefers the original GDBD as well. Certainly understandable, but, for me, the new version just coheres better as an album, both thematically and musically. The two songs they cut out felt like amusing but somewhat out of place interludes, at least to these ears. But fine songs both, no question.

And no, actually, I don't think much extra mixing or polishing was done for the re-release... they pretty much left the music be, furniture and all.