The Sebadoh

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Sebadoh's two songwriters, the tragically inclined Lou Barlow and the testy Jason Lowenstein, have often been at musical odds. Their albums, several of which are indie-rock classics, are sometimes out of balance because of this dueling dynamic of lovesickness and aggression. With The Sebadoh the band finally evens out this discrepancy and strikes a more unified mood. "Color Blind" is an atypically introspective look at race relations. "Flame" faces life changes with a catchy, metronomic chorus, and the rolling dissonance of "Decide" confronts a loss of trust with kickin' rock muscle. Fans of Barlow's hangdog yearnings may have a new standard in the moving "Love Is Stronger," a song that elegantly states the primacy of love. The Sebadoh, you might say, is like Prozac. It has ironed out the bipolar characteristics of a band and left us with a strange but welcome elation. --Lois Maffeo --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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The Sebadoh sounds like everyone's been drinking from a very communal well. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

The Sebadoh

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The Freed Man
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Domino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000RGSOP0
Release Date: 2007-07-24

Tracks:

Healthy Sick
Level Anything
Soulmate
Ladybugs
Close Enough
True Hardcore
Julienne
Wrists Sebadoh
Amherst Hanging House
McKinley's Lament
Solid Brown
Narrow Stories
Bridge Was You
Drifts On Thru
Overturns
Yellow Submarine
Squirrel Freedom Overdrive
Little Man
Land Of The Lords
Bolder Sebadoh
Believe
Deny
Wall Of Doubt
Crumbs Sebadoh
I Love Me
K-Sensa-My
Lou Rap
Punch In The Nose
Resistance To Flo
Stop The Wheel
Loose 'N' Screw
Oak Street Raga
Last Day Of School
Jealous Evil
Moldy Bread
Made Real
Cindy
Nest
My Decision
Fire Of July
Jaundice
Design
Dance
Cyster
Powerbroker
Lorax, The
Pig
Hung Up
Slow To Learn
Elements
Attention
Your Long Journey

Amazon.com

The first Sebadoh album feels like a prized artifact from an era when a couple of emotionally wracked college kids could lock themselves in the bathroom with a guitar, drums, and four-track recorder and emerge a few hours later with something truly revolutionary. With 52 tracks crammed in just over an hour, this deluxe reissue of The Freed Man--originally released on cassette tape in 1988 for $1--captures everything that made Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffney progenitors of a lo-fi movement that inspired countless other maverick musicians from Kurt Cobain to Beck. Matching tongue-tied folk confessionals with unruly punk noise and primitive samples, it doesn't really give a good indication of the sharply conceptual work that would follow so much as offer an invaluable insight into the inner workings of one of the most important acts of the DIY era. --Aidin Vaziri

Album Description

"The Freed Man" was one of the first and most crucial releases in the burgeoning lo-fi movement, which would peak in media attention in the mid-90s with the success of Beck, Guided By Voices, and Pavement. But while it helped inspire and define a global movement, there's little trace of that ambition within these tracks. Sebadoh in this incarnation are a cherishably intimate experience. The 70-odd minutes of wayward brilliance collected here offer the listener a rare and recommended opportunity to transport themselves to the weed-hazed bedroom where these scraps, songs, and pranks were recorded, to imbibe deeply of the haywire creativity that went on in these sessions. This deluxe edition re-issue has been re-mastered and includes a whopping 52 tracks on a single disc, including many that haven't seen the light of day until now. Liner notes by Lou Barlow and Eric Gafney.

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Sebadoh best
My First, Their Best
Dirty
Easy rockin'
adequate enough

Bakesale
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Sub Pop
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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One Part Lullaby
III
Beyond
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Without a Sound

ASIN: B0000035GN
Release Date: 1994-08-23

Tracks:

License To Confuse
Careful
Magnet's Coil
Not A Friend
Not Too Amused
Dreams
Skull
Got It
S. Soup
Give Up
Rebound
Mystery Man
Temptation Tide
Drama Mine
Together Or Alone

Amazon.com

It was only a matter of time before the return of the sensitive singer-songwriter. However, the 1990s style requires that the introspection be broken up with a little tomfoolery. Sebadoh are masters of the game. Lou Barlow is the inquisitive and earnest leader who delivers the heartfelt "Not a Friend" and "Together or Alone" with all the hurt and pain he can fit on his sleeve. Jason Loewenstein is the guy with the captivating guitar line. Put together, they're something like Donny and Marie--one is a little bit sensitive, the other a little bit rock 'n' noise. And just to prove they're a democracy, they give drummer Bob Fay some with his lone composition, the surprisingly tuneful "Temptation Tide." --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

Sebadoh best.......2006-09-13

Please listen to this dark masterpiece, guitars flow so beautifully into Barlow's words, the sometimes Sub Pop grungy of III disappeared completely, instead we have an Sonic excursion. In my bedroom next to Dinosaur Jr's first three.

My First, Their Best.......2006-07-23

1994 was a good year. A very good year.
Jon Spencer wailing 'Dang' showed me their was another world in music I had yet to discover. On TV Jay Mascis in a golf cart singing 'Feel the Pain' and the Weezer guys being dorks in front of a blue square are just performing in Arnold's quickly became the images of my youth. But there was more, underneath were also the incredibly fuzzy but superious songs by Guided by Voices, the genious of Pavement and the perfect pop song "Skull".

Did I know that Lou Barlow used to be in Dinosaur Jr? or that they released many albums before this? no, but this album blew me away when I bought it. The rolicking "License to Confuse", the uptempo gems "Magnet's Coil" and the 2 chord song "Rebound" were instant classics. Lou Barlow immediately became one of the most lauded singer/songwriters in indie circles. Perfect songs like "Skull" (a drug song), "Together or Alone" or "Mystery Man" are still great today.

Sebadoh has always been a 2 1/2 man deal. Lou Barlow writes the best songs and Jason Loewenstein can chime in with some songs as well. On many albums this means unevenness because Loewensteins songs are clearly not as good as Barlows. But "Bakesale" also has the best of Jason's work with "Careful" and the brilliant "Not a Friend".

It's their heaviest album I think, no acoustic lo-fi songs, heavy guitars even on the slower songs and a clear sound that defines every song.

I still think this is the most even Sebadoh album they ever made. Barlow's songs may have gotten more sophisticated afterwards, but the overall equality of "Bakesale" they never reached again.

Dirty.......2006-02-04

This is invariably the best Sebadoh album. It gives you all of the jagged, messed up guitar parts you could ever really need. You really have to love the erroneous discription given below: I am also dusting off my copy of Bakesale, having not listened to it in a long time, and I can assure you that there is nothing hi-fi about it. If you're not convinced, you only have to listen to the first two seconds of magnet's coil to realize: those are acoustic guitars being played through distortion. Nice. I just would have liked to see these guys before they split. Oh, well.

Easy rockin'.......2004-06-23

This actually is one of the best albums Sebadoh would release. The music and sound is totally laid-back compared to something like Bubble and Scrape or Smash your head on the Punk Rock. One reviewer said it was a "subtle pop classic" and that is the exact definition of the album itself. It's way more subtle and easier then other Sebadoh albums.

This actually had the first Sebadoh tune I've heard and this is the second last album I bought. The song was Skull and I heard it in the opener of the skateboarding video Anthology (by Transworld magazine). I liked the song at the beginning and thought it flowed really well with what was going on. I would later find out after about 2 years that it was from one of my favorite bands.

Even though this is way more relaxed then the other albums, it doesn't mean that Lou won't deliver some harsh (But cynical) lyrics and some pretty powerful songs. Tunes like Careful, License to confuse, Not a friend and Magnet's Coil all have a unique sound with some very, very good lyrics. Careful is almost devastating to hear but it's all so simple at the end. Not a Friend is something we all can relate too sometimes with friendships. License to Confuse is just 2 minutes of cynsism from Lou. Magnet's Coil isn't as harsh as most of the album, but the opening base line is extremely catchy. Then there's the easier songs with the easier sound. Skull, Got it, S Soup, Rebound, Dramamine and Together or Alone. Together or Alone just gives me a feeling of emptyness but it's a great song. Skull is the first song I heard from Sebadoh, great tune but nothing to crank. Rebound is just awesome. S Soup and Dramamine somehow connect within listens.

One song that sticks out though is Give Up. Starts off like a heavy metal track then goes right into the normal Sebadoh type ranting. It's my favorite track on the album next to Careful and Not a Friend.

Totally recommended for some great songs with even better lyrics. I wish Sebadoh were still around....

adequate enough.......2003-12-15

This is my second Sebadoh album. My first was "III."

I actually owned "III" for a very long time before even liking it. It's not like I hated it in the first place; I just sort of disregarded it for some completely dumb and idiotic reason. A few weeks ago, however, I actually blew the dust off of the disc and placed it in my CD player. It was incredible, nearly perfect. Lo-fi at it's best.

I am assuming it is, with this album, where Sebadoh made the transition from lo-fi to medium-fi (is there such an expression?). While they do a good job, playing catchy music that gradually grows on you, not much of it is all that compelling (musically). Lyrically, Barlow is probably at his peak -- especially in songs like "Not a Friend" and "License to Confuse."

But what's with the radio friendly production? It doesn't sound or feel intimate anymore... you know what I mean? When I listen to "Hassle" or "Kath" from the album "III," I feel like Lou really means what he's saying, and the low-fi production emphasizes the feelings in both the music and the lyrics. It has a certain charm, too -- the vocals would waver and occassionally go off-key, the music sounded rough but just lovely at the same time. Almost all of that is gone on this record.

Not that there's no good songs -- there's almost a good enough amount to warrant a purchase. "Temptation Tide" (the sole song by drummer Bob Fay) uses the shiny production in the best way possible; it sounds dream-like and ends way too quickly. "Not a Friend" is probably the closest this album comes to a Barlow "III"-ish masterpiece. "Got It" is incredibly catchy, with a guitar line that is really infectious.

And there is, of course, "Skull." I sort of have a love/hate thing with this song -- it's really pretty, and well made to boot, but the chorus is simply ... uninspired. It was the one song on here that got any radio airplay, and it's easy to see why -- it's the most mainstream-ish song on the record. It's a good song, regardless; not great, but good.

Eric Gaffney, who, in my opinion, was as good as Barlow in the songwriting department, is notably absent here. And it shows. I've read somewhere that he left in 1993, a year prior to the release of this. Which is unfortunate; I miss him and his wonderful songs. Whereas Barlow wrote quiet (albiet beatiful) confessions, Gaffney wrote some really messed up tunes. They were loud, scary (sometimes not), and incredibly interesting. "As the World Dies, the Eyes of God Grow Bigger" (from "III") is one of my favorite songs, ever. It has an incredible story (the lyrics are nothing short of spectacular) and, musically, the flip-flopping between jangly guitar pop and heavy metal is simply infectious. You must hear it if you haven't yet.

Without Gaffney, "Bakesale" is almost a one-note affair; the songs are mostly mid-tempo, and none really distinct from one another (save for a few). Like I said before, though, it does grow on you. There are no standouts, but there are no bad songs either.

I think that if "III" (or anything else before this) had never been released, and Sebadoh debuted with this record instead, my perception of it would of been entirely different. I would of liked it a lot more.

Tracks:

The Freed Pig
Sickles And Hammers
Total Peace
Violet Execution
Scars, Four Eyes
Truly Great Thing
Kath
Perverted World
Wonderful, Wonderful
Limb By Limb
Smoke A Bowl
Black-Haired Gurl
Hoppin' Up And Down
Supernatural Force
Rockstar
Downmind
Renaissance Man
God Told Me
Holy Picture
Hassle
No Different
Spoiled
As The World Dies, The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Great Lo-Fi with historic value.......2005-12-31

Along with Pavement's "Slanted & Enchanted", "III" helped Lo-Fi garner respect as a credible subgenre. It's pretty uneven, but overall it's very good. Most of the tracks are more interesting than fun, though (but with 23 tracks that's not a problem). Because of the number of its highlights, as well as its historical importance, I give this 5 stars (but with caution, except for "The Freed Pig" its a very acquired taste and only for fans of the genre). Highly recommended for Lo-Fi fans as well as music collectors and historians.

Highlights include:
"The Freed Pig"
"Total Peace"
"Truly Great Thing"
"Kath"
"Perverted World"
"Wonderful, Wonderful"
"Limb By Limb"
"Rockstar"
"Renaissance Man"
"God Told Me"
"Violet Execution" (parts of)
"Scars, Four Eyes" (parts of)
"Holy Picture." (parts of)

don't pay $40 or $30 or $20 for this disc.......2005-11-02

Domino Record Co. (UK) will be reissuing this disc in the very near future for much less than people are trying to sell it here for, and as a reissue, it will likely have a lot of bonus stuff on it. wait to buy this, and get much more for much less.... Great disc, one of Sebadoh's best (but they're all very, very good).

Totally, totally amazing.......2004-06-16

Even though this isn't the first legit album from Sebadoh. It still is the first complete album Lou and co. released. This is just insanity at times. Even though this album is out of print (it has been for a while), copies are still floating around. Even if you have the slightest interest in Sebadoh or Lou Barlow's work, pick this album up. The standout song for me is the closing track "As the world dies, the eyes of god grow bigger" which is a 7 minute scream-fest of disturbing lyrics and vocals that just put everything you believe in down. The lyrics are really hard to get in the song because Lou and Eric are singing different lines at the same time until they just start screaming and wailing. Gaffney is at his best here and it shows so much. But it's not just Gaffney, Lou and Jason also contribute the best that they would ever make on this album.

Either way, get this album if you can, you WON'T be dissapointed at all.

My Favorite Sebadoh Album.......2004-06-10

I LOVE this album. I have all sebadoh's albums except for freed weed (yeah i know, ill order it right now) and this seems to be the one i listen to and enjoy the most. It is a very consistent album and it is eric's best. I love all sebadoh albums, but this is their greatest.

Sebadoh-III.......2003-03-23

Sebadoh III is one of the top ten unknown albums of all time. It moves along with ease considering it has 20+ songs. Listening with earphones is suggested as Barlow and Lowenstein set there own tones through the hard to the soft. Songs such as "Kath", "Perverted World", "G-d told me" and the epic "As the world dies" are great moments in Sebadohs III and I feel myself listening to III over and over. As Lou Barlow once said, "The music is written so that words can be heard." Great match!

Average customer rating:

I'm sorry
Sebadoh - 'III' (Domino) 2-CD
best indie rock record ever?
Awesome
EASILY ONE OF THE BEST OF THE 90'S

III
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Domino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rather Ripped

ASIN: B000EPFCLI
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Tracks:

The Freed Pig
Sickles And Hammers
Total Peace
Violet Execution
Scars, Four Eyes
Truly Great Thing
Kath
Perverted World
Wonderful, Wonderful
Limb By Limb
Smoke A Bowl
Black Haired Gurl
Hoppin' Up And Down
Supernatural Force
Rockstar
Downmind
Renaissance Man
God Told Me
Holy Picture
Hassle
No Different
Spoiled
As The World Dies The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger

Tracks:

Gimme Indie Rock
Ride The Darker Wave
Red Riding Good
New King
Calling Yog Soggoth
Stored Up Wonder (Supernatural Force)
Melting Wall (Holy Picture)
Design
Attention
Stars For Eyes
Unseen Waste
Violet Execution (Remix '04)
As The World Turns
Cranberry Bog
'The Devil's Reggae'
The Freed Pig (4-Track)
Never Jealous
Showtape '91

Album Description

It's hard to call this the shot heard 'round the world, but in its own way, "III", along with "Slanted And Enchanted", opened up a creative way by ransacking the vestiges of the 80's American underground. The original album is a schizophrenic adventure, from Lou Barlow's plaintive songwriting to Eric Gaffney's noisier psychedelically minded etudes. Long out of print, this landmark album contains the 23-track original album on disc one and a whole album's worth of additional bonus material.

Customer Reviews:

I'm sorry.......2006-09-21

I'm sorry for writing a review here on amazon where i said Bakesale was Sebadoh's best record. I'm discovering SEbadoh just now (late i know but better now than never) and only now i bought III. And i was wrong indeed. The brilliant Bakesale is surpassed by this one because it has that originality feeling, that you-had-never-heard-nothing-like-that -before feeling. Bakesale doesn't have that. Buy both, believe me now i won't be wrong.

Sebadoh - 'III' (Domino) 2-CD.......2006-08-25

They've apparently remastered the original and added a second disc,with eighteen(18) unreleased songs and bonus tracks. A total of 41 cuts for your listening pleasure. Just all around good alternative rock. Tunes I found to be most inspiring were "Sickles And Hammers","Black Haired Girl","As The World Dies..." and too many others to list here. Might appeal to fans of Guided By Voices,Sugar,Dinosaur Jr. and Apples In Stereo.

best indie rock record ever?.......2006-08-20

Lots of claims could be made for best indie rock record ever. Pavement's Slanted And Enchanted is an obvious choice. But there are tons of other contenders, records by Dinosaur Jr., Galaxie 500, Seam, Archers Of Loaf, the Pixies, the Breeders, Unrest, Slint, Yo La Tengo, Superchunk...

But what about Sebadoh? Originally Lou Barlow's bedroom side project while he was playing bass in Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh went from soft 4-track sad boy ruminations to full on rambunctious indie rock without losing Barlow's tender hearted, mopey moodiness. This record, III, is where they really clicked. To be totally honest, the first two are my absolute favorites (c'mon, somebody reissue The Freed Weed!!!) but until those are available again, I'll just have to cast my lot with III. Not entirely fair to compare them though. The first two Sebadoh records were just Lou, in his bedroom, singing and strumming, a ramshackle collection of sweet sad songs and freaked out tape experiments, where as by the time of III, Sebadoh was a real rock band, with not just two other band members, but two other songwriters, Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein. Giving Sebadoh a distinctly schizophrenic sound, veering from introspective to noisy and annoying depending on whose song it was.

Years before Conor Oberst ascended to the weepy, slouchy indie throne, Sebadoh's Lou Barlow was already the king of the lo-fi tearjerker. He ruled the roost of unabashed romantics in his rumpled threadbare cardigan, spectacles and tousled mop of hair. However, as III proved beyond a doubt, Sebadoh wasn't confined to lovey-dovey bedroom balladry; nope they could tear sh-t up a-plenty providing both cathartic heartbaring sadsack sweetness and blistering noise rawk for indie kids near and far.

The copious liner notes are a bit confusing though. As far as I was concerned, Sebadoh WAS Lou Barlow, who was later joined by Eric and Jason. But the liner notes, especially Gaffney's, paint a quite different picture. Gaffney goes on and on about how it was basically his band and his songs. But a quick listen to the record (and a look at each member's subsequent sonic track record) reveals the truth, that Lou was still the quiet mastermind. Eric has some killer tracks for sure, and Jason's songs are wild and chaotic (this was before he would grow into a songwriter to rival Lou on later Sebadoh discs) but almost without exception the perfect pop gems here are penned by Lou. Just check out the opener "The Freed Pig", hard to imagine a more perfect indie rock song. Jangly and catchy, a little ramshackle, a teensy bit melancholy, but exuberant and hopeful. With a killer crunchy chorus.

III is peppered with sweet soft acoustic numbers that sound like they were plucked from old Sebadoh cassettes. Each one sad and lovely, perfect mix tape material way back in 1991 (Yeesh, has it really been fifteen years?!), the prototype for EVERY home recorded bedroom record since. Jason contributes some Minutemen sounding instrumental jams ("Sickles & Hammers"), some slow motion druggy stoner jams ("Smoke A Bowl"), a killer twangy acoustic hoedown ("Black Haired Girl") and most of the really esoteric tunes. Eric offers up some lilting minor key jangle ("Violet Execution"), some super fuzzed out jangly tribal psych rock ("Limb By Limb") and the super lengthy bizarre drugged out psych jam "As The World Dies The Eyes Of God Grow Bigger".

Between all of these musical flights of fancy, Lou gives us perfect pop song after perfect pop song, whether it's in the form of a whispered mumbly song fragment, or a glorious rocked out jangly jam. Somehow these disparate elements mesh perfectly into a totally rollicking chaotic indie rock masterpiece.

First up on the extras disc is "Gimme Indie Rock" a tongue in cheek slam on their more popular indie contemporaries, which inadvertently became a hit and somehow sounded like, but better than, all the bands it was poking fun at (check out the very Dinosaur-like leads!) Speaks volumes that a tossed off f-ck around track can be this good. Next up is quite possibly the best Sebadoh song ever "Ride The Darker Wave" a loping groove, with a totally catchy guitar part and an instantly unforgettable melody. Heavy and sludgy but perfectly poppy. The rest of the disc is jam packed with outtakes and alternate versions, a whole bunch of Gaffney tracks, as good as anything on the record proper, as well as a few other Lou gems. Also, tacked on at the very end is "Showtape '91" a 12 minute experimental tape piece, the band used to play at shows before they came on stage. It features the band reading various reviews (positive and negative), repeating the various mispronunciations of the band name, all amidst a cacophonous soundscape of tape manipulation and guitar grind. Very annoying but very very funny.

As befits a classic record like III, the packaging and reissue extras are amazing. Besides the wealth of extra and unreleased tracks, there are extensive liner notes from all three band members, tons of photos, and the whole thing is housed in a snazzy slipcase with the band name and album title embossed in metallic gold ink. We feel like we're 21 again!!!

Awesome.......2006-08-10

I own the original Homestead Release on CD, but had to buy this for the extras. They are worth the purchase. All very unique. I enjoyed these extras more than the pavement extras... The notes included are also a very interesting read... Jake is especially funny saying that in true seBADoh fashion Lou and Eric were arguing over the contents of the re-release. Long live seBADoh. By the way based on the friendly nature of the comments.... I predict they will tour soon that is if Lou can get a break from Dino. All fans new and old must buy. Very well priced too.

EASILY ONE OF THE BEST OF THE 90'S.......2006-08-09

THIS IS EASILY THE BEST SEBADOH ALBUM EVER RELEASED. ALSO ONE OF MY MANY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME. IT WAS LIKE A RELIGION FOR ME IN THE 90'S. I TURNED ALL MY FRIENDS ON TO IT WITH A VENGEANCE. JUST BOUGHT THE REISSUE & THE QUALITY OF THE REMASTER IS PERFECT. MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE MAGIC SAMPLE AT THE END OF "CALLING YOG SOGGOTH" IS CUT SHORT. THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS. WHAT HAPPENED?!! AT LEAST I STILL HAVE THE 7" WITH IT. BUT THE ADDITIONS TO THE "SHOWTAPE 91" ARE HILARIOUS. LOVE THIS CD SO MUCH THAT I WILL KEEP MY ORIGINAL HOMESTEAD COPY AS WELL. TOO MANY GREAT MEMORIES. IF YOU LOVE REAL INDIE ROCK, BUY THIS & WORSHIP IT & PRAY THAT THESE 3 GUYS REFORM & PLAY AGAIN. TRULY HOPE SO.

Average customer rating:

Loud and fun but underwhemling.
A very good CD
Uneven but has it's Moments
a great tribute to punk and noise!
Advice

Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Sub Pop
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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III

ASIN: B0000035FE
Release Date: 1992-11-06

Tracks:

Cry Sis
Brand New Love
Notsur Dnuora Selcric
Vampire
Good Things
Cecilia Chime In Melee
Everybodys Been Burned
Junk Bonds
New Worship
Mean Distance
Pink Moon
Mind Meld

Customer Reviews:

Loud and fun but underwhemling........2004-07-01

I wasn't really expecting much from this album because it was the last Sebadoh album for me to get and I didn't really hear anything from it. So I went with what people were saying here and listened to it. The opening track Crisis got me confused if this was the same band actually until the middle part. Crisis sounds more like metal then punk rock with Eric screaming his mind out. But then everything switches paces with Brand New Love which is a redux version only with the guitars plugged in, it's probably one of the standout tunes on the album and is really loud with the feedback near the end. The next song Notsur Dnuora Selcric is a confusing song with a weird title that makes it out to be another screamfest from Eric. But it's a solid song. Track four Vampire is pretty good, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. Good Things is a short but good song. Cecilia Chime in Melee is a loud instrumental that kinda drags on with the noise. I wasn't a huge fan of Everybody's been Burned. Junk Bonds is probably the most punk-sounding song on the album, I really like the lyrics and the sounds of it. Great song. Another standout song is Mean Distance which starts pretty mellow but goes totally nuts in the last minute with Eric literally screaming his heart out. Standout track #3 is Pink Moon which is really catchy and really done well. But the closing track made the album to me. The song Mind Meld which is a 7 minute noise-fest is just awesome. It saved the album from being so-so.

I don't know how to recommend this. The sound was alot like the Pixies actually only with Barlow on vocals.

A very good CD.......2003-03-19

I've never really been too big a fan of the Sebadoh. When I went through my early 90s sub-pop phase, I bought one of their albums at random (Bubble & Scrape), and although I liked it, I didn't think it was fantastic, and I thought (and still think) it goes on too long, so I never bought another. But a few days ago, I learned that the wherehouse music here was closing and discounting everything, so I went to see what they had. At 5.99, minus 20%, I figured this would be a good buy. Anyway, when I thought of Sebadoh before putting this in, I always thought immediately of Soul and Fire. Suffice it to say, track 1, Cry Sis, was a surprise. I managed to make it through, somehow, but I thought I'd have to just get B&S back out when I got home. But then, Brand New Love sounded like I remembered Sebadoh sounding, so I took it in and listened to it. Cry Sis was, the second time, not only better, but enjoyable. Brand New Love is the best song on the album, and maybe my favorite Sebadoh song, but the whole thing is good, and I believe, consistently good.

Uneven but has it's Moments.......2002-02-10

The inherent problem in this recording is inconsistentcy. At times it almost reminds me of a "previously unreleased" comp recording. The opening track will do nothing but confuse the uninitiated--a noisey number titled "Crisis" that abrubtly slows down and is in fact hard to listen to. However one should continue on because the next track "Brand New
Love' is amongst the best songs of the 90's. It accurately projects Lou Barlows--folk come--punk attitude.Other standouts include the Nick Drake cover of "Pink Moon", "Vampire" and the amazing closing track "Mind Meld". This record would have been a 5 star ep if some of the fat and filler had of been trimmed. However it still has it's moments of genius and is worth buying if just for 'Brand New love".

a great tribute to punk and noise!.......2001-08-09

well before you go buy any of the last sebadoh albums this is one you might want to start with first! before they went a little to mainstream and got off the beaten path of good music this album was one of there finest....this is is when they where still underground and full of awesome ideas and energy and great songs....with a mixture of sounds like husker du ,flipper and maybe even a little nirvana and sonic youth,its just that good .founding members lou barlow and eric gaffney were still colaberating at this point...they were kind of the lennon. mcartney or simon and garfunkle of alternative(i say altenative because this is when it was like that not 2001 alternative)there personalites just bounce off each other making this a kind of an rollar coaster ride of an album not leaving any thing out of our ears to bleed.or sounds to either cringe at or take you away.(best albums are made of uncertainy) so to put it great great album buy buy buy and play it for your friends and they will think you are cool.if not get new friends!

Advice.......2000-10-26

"Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock" is a stripped down version of the UK release of "Vs. Helmet". The UK version of ".vs Helmet" also contains the album "Rocking the Forest" and is a way better value. You get all of these songs plus more. If you can find it, buy it. If you can't... well, then get this. The special import version of "vs Helmet" is on City Slang Records if i am not mistaken.

Average customer rating:

They thank lynyrd skynyrd, y'know
Very, very different.
LOVE AT FIRST SOUND
best since bakesale
A shame existing fans can't get with it

The Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Sub Pop
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Take a Look Inside
One Part Lullaby
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Dare to Be Surprised

ASIN: B00000I428
Release Date: 1999-02-23

Tracks:

It's All You
Weird
Bird In The Hand
Break Free
Tree
Nick Of Time
Flame
So Long
Love Is Stronger
Decide
Colorblind
Thrive
Cuban
Sorry
Drag Down

Amazon.com

Sebadoh's two songwriters, the tragically inclined Lou Barlow and the testy Jason Lowenstein, have often been at musical odds. Their albums, several of which are indie-rock classics, are sometimes out of balance because of this dueling dynamic of lovesickness and aggression. With The Sebadoh the band finally evens out this discrepancy and strikes a more unified mood. "Color Blind" is an atypically introspective look at race relations. "Flame" faces life changes with a catchy, metronomic chorus, and the rolling dissonance of "Decide" confronts a loss of trust with kickin' rock muscle. Fans of Barlow's hangdog yearnings may have a new standard in the moving "Love Is Stronger," a song that elegantly states the primacy of love. The Sebadoh, you might say, is like Prozac. It has ironed out the bipolar characteristics of a band and left us with a strange but welcome elation. --Lois Maffeo

Customer Reviews:

They thank lynyrd skynyrd, y'know.......2004-10-21

This is a great album. The trilogy of Bakesale, Harmacy and The Sebadoh was kind of made out to be like the Godfathers. Getting built up and built up and....let down.

But it's not like that at all. It's more like the great Hunters and Collectors trilogy - H&C, The Fireman's Curse, The Jaws of Life - except this time the self-titled album comes last. But it's the same balance between consistency and innovation. The consistent theme is the musical tension between Barlow and Loewenstein, and it brings an energy to all three albums. But it really bristles on this album, just like a good finale should. The drumming is thunderous, and their songs play off against each other like siamese fighting fish.

Unless you like teenage poetry, Barlow's lyrics on paper are, frankly, dire. But like the maestro that he is, it all works here. He turns the angst up to 11 on 'Tree' and 'Love is Stronger' and makes barbara striesand sound like EPMD. But it's so charming, and has been built-up-to so much over the last two albums that...like Buffalo Tom sing: he is allowed.

Bakesale is pure genius, Harmacy is brilliant, and this album just rocks.

Very, very different........2004-06-22

After the hard-rocking but somewhat held back Harmacy. Lou provides his fans with a two year wait until the new album. IN between he did some good stuff with Folk Implosion but that's it really. This would be my second Sebadoh album I got. I found this for a cheap price and since I liked Harmacy so much, I picked it up and enjoyed this alot.

But after hearing the rest of the Sebadoh albums, this PALES in comparasion to any of them. The sound is there the lyrics are somewhat there, but the emotional depth and raw anger isn't there at all. Most of the songs veer off into weird exprimental-type songs with synth and keyboarding. But it's not the generic run-of-the-mill keyboarding, it actually sounds pretty clean and it still flows very well with the music. A very good example is the opener "It's all you" where at first starts like a normal punk song but steers clear of that and goes right into exprimental mode.

The reason why alot of Sebadoh/Barlow fans hated this was because of the lack of emotion and depth like I said before. Those factors made Sebadoh what they were, and angry indie band. But by this, it's been turned into mushy almost love songs and different tones. It's ok to try new stuff, but if it's the bands last album then make it a good memorable one.

As for the tunes on the album. Most of the tracks are divided into two sounds, the Barlow sound and the Jason sound. Jason does punky, harder songs that have pretty good harmless lyrics. Lou does easier less hard songs with harsher lyrics, it's weird. But to say that this album does have it's share of great songs. Thrive, Tree, Flame, It's all you, Dragdown and BreakFree are the prime examples of how good this album is. I actually LOVE the song Thrive from the great lyrics and singing from Lou to the upbeat guitaring, but the other attempts at "beautiful" songs like Love is Stronger, Colorblind and Decide kinda fail at what they're trying to attempt.

In conclusion, this would be good for someone who knows Barlow's work and can put up with a change in the music.

Recommended.

LOVE AT FIRST SOUND.......2001-07-20

There is not one song on here that cannot escape the label of "catchy". Lo-fi, guitar-driven, melodic and fun, it's a work of art that is easily embraced and fits well into any day. Sebadoh is an honestly enjoyable rock band whose songwriting is A++, as well are their lyrics. You have probably already heard of what a gem the song "Flame" is with a ready-set-go start and race to it, or how "Love is Stronger" glorifies the power of love (they refined such a ubiquitous cliche!) with a downtrodden beat that belongs etched into the heart of every romantically-confused individual. "Sorry" is also a smart little tune to absorb once in a while. Don't fool yourself: this is an album you should own.

best since bakesale.......2001-02-08

Not being a big fan of Harmacy, I wasn't expecting much of this album. But I was pleasantly surprised. As good as my favorite, "bakesale".

A shame existing fans can't get with it.......2000-12-07

Lou Barlow said in an interview when this came out that it was no longer 'Lo-Fi' but now 'Mid-Fi'. That sounds accurate to me. Jason Lowenstein's songs are still edgy, nervy and powerful, but a little more controlled. It's All You is a particularly superb bouncy, punky, funky epic, with a great insistant guitar line and an unconventional structure. It gloriously ends when you least expect it, making you want to ehar it again. I also loved Decide, Cuban and Bird In the Hand (short but sweet) out of Jason's repetoire.

But I think Lou Barlow is one of the most oconsistantly under-rated songwriters in the world today, and The Sebadoh found him on top form. Flame's rythm sets it apart from so much around today, and Tree has a subtle but memorable melody. When he writes slow songs he connects as well- look at (or better yet listen to) Love Is Stronger is the top proof of this. But its in writing subtle guitar pop like Weird and Colorblind where his real talent is. Sebadoh have moved on from their earlier sound, no queastion. But to me they're still one of the most vital bands going.

Harmacy
Average customer rating:

One of the best albums ever.

The genius of Lou

Different sound, same songwriting

harmacy equates harmony

Tugging

Harmacy
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Sub Pop
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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One Part Lullaby

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ASIN: B0000035IB
Release Date: 1996-08-20

Tracks:

On Fire
Prince-S
Ocean
Nothing Like You
Crystal Gypsy
Beauty Of The Ride
Mind Reader
Sforzando!
Willing To Wait
Hillbilly II
Zone Doubt
Too Pure
Worst Thing
Love To Fight
Perfect Way
Can't Give Up
Open Ended
Weed Against Speed
I Smell A Rat

Amazon.com

Lo-fi no longer, Lou Barlow and friends come on like early R.E.M. with their most melodic, produced and likable album. --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews:

One of the best albums ever........2006-11-30

Basically, lou has all the slow songs and jason has the more fast punk
and unique songs. Best song by lou is, " on fire," best song by jason is
every song. Jason's songs here, are some of the best collection of songwriting skills placed on a album. Jason wrote some of my favorite sebadoh songs, "Prince-S." " Hillbilly II,"(rockin'instrumental) "Crystal gypsy," "Mind reader." Not too say lou's are all a let down, but, "perfect way," is just kinda boring. It took me a while to get used to the more slower songs. However, Jason's contribution here is just outstanding.

The genius of Lou.......2006-03-18

The main thing that has been in the way of Barlows excellent songwriting were other bandmembers. Now also only half of the songs are from his hand while the others were penned by Jason Loewenstein. Loewenstein certainly not is a bad writer, he just is not in the same league as the fragile songs of Barlow.

There are some great faster songs like 'Ocean' and 'Beauty of the Ride' but it's the slower songs like 'Too Pure' and 'On Fire' and most of all 'Willing To Wait' that are among Barlow's best.

It doesn't have the overall quality of Bakesale (Loewensteins best Sebadoh songs are on there) but Barlow's songs make it worthwhile.

For every fan of great songwriting.

Different sound, same songwriting.......2004-06-21

After the semi-success of Folk Implosion in 1995 with the song Natural One. Fans were eagerly waiting to see what Lou Barlow would do next. The result is this.

Harmacy is a total indie sound. No more low-fi, no more Eric. We're in the NORMAL stage now. With songs like On Fire, Willing to Wait, Beauty of the Ride and Open Ended making this seem more like an almost different band but the songwriting is still there as is the hard rock/punky songs to fill in for these more pop sounding songs. The harder songs are actually the better ones, but something comes to mind. Without Eric writing these, they sound disturbingly close to Mudhoney or Nirvana especially Crystal Gypsy and Love to Fight which have the grungy guitar sounds and the Mark Arm-like signing. Then there's Can't give up, Worst thing and Nothing like you which sound like Nirvana-esque tunes. Can't give up actually reminds me of Pearl Jam a bit in some cases. A few instrumentals on here also, Weed against Speed (I'd take speed), Szforando! (don't quite get it) and Hillbilly II (hilarious Mudhoney-type song) which make for some jammin songs with no signing. The whole album is worth listining too if you're a new fan to Sebadoh (This was the first I got from Lou) the sound is there and so is the soungwriting but it does lose a star for the lack of ANGER. The past albums had more emotion and anger to fill the void of these depressing love songs goen wrong. And without Eric there, I think half the anger is gone (if you don't believe me, then listen too "As the world dies from Sebadoh III). But still Sebadoh snowballs as you progress into their catalouge of music.

What's next after this? Try the Freed Weed or Bakesale if you're a new fan.

I highly recommend this awesome piece of indie rock.

harmacy equates harmony.......2001-11-26

Prior to purchasing this album, I had heard so much exasperated to-do from other fans about how it was "below" anything else Sebadoh had put out, that I became all the more attracted to it, and knew it was likely to be favored by my unconventional self.
Likewise I was correct. Anymore it seems like albums aren't worth taking a chance with, but this little treasure clearly defied that weary statement. Putting the collective opinions aside, and focusing on the pinnacle of the music, the tragically restless crooning of Lou and glimmering guitar strums magnifies, the catchiness prevails and Jason sanctifies his frustrated cries.
"Prince-S" conveys amusingly honest lyrics, but the music that supports it is an intangibly firm ballad of the lonely, cool quality that is indie rock. My personal favorite on the album :)

Tugging.......2000-10-31

Of all Sebadoh's albums, this is the one that I found hard to leave behind. Bubble and Scrape is probably the most indicative of Sebadoh's style, but Harmacy is chokeful of heart stringing songs, the ones that make you wish you did not have that breakup, the ones that make you wanted to go back and listen to with your head between the speaker, post-breakdown. While most of their contemporaries have gone down extra-weird, split or gone into some uncharted territorries, Sebadoh's up there in the place they know best. We're not worthy, Lou!.

Average customer rating:

The definition of lo-fi

Sebadoh III
Sebadoh
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001MYYB8
Release Date: 2006-07-11

Album Description

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD reissue of this 1991 album by former Dino Jr. member Lou Barlow and bandmates Eric Gaffney and Jason Lowenstein. Disc One features the original 23 track album, filled with lo-fi genius while Disc Two features an additional 18 tracks including previously unreleased songs, a few remixes, demos, etc. Domino. 2006.

Customer Reviews:

The definition of lo-fi.......2007-02-16

This is one of the best Sebadoh albums out there. They had previously released "the freed man" and "weed forestin", but this is the better of the three. It's a totally scizophrenic album, Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffney has a very different approach to their songwriting. Lou's songs are mostly very heartfelt and acoustic, for example "Kath" or "Total Peace" and "Spoiled" while Gaffneys often are brutal and noisy, but still very poppy("scars, four eyes", "limb by limb" and "as the world dies the eyes of god grow bigger"). If you like this kind of music you should try out other artists like Daniel Johnston or the Microphones.

Average customer rating:

more diverse than ever
fantastic disaster.
one of my favorite albums. lovely.
Could be their best....
Wish they were always this good.

Bubble and Scrape
Sebadoh
Manufacturer: Sub Pop
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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III
Dare to Be Surprised
Whatever's Cool With Me

ASIN: B0000035FO
Release Date: 1993-04-23

Tracks:

Soul And Fire
Two Years Two Days
Telecosmic Alchemy
Fantastic Disaster
Happily Divided
Sister
Cliche
Sacred Attention
Elixir Is Zog
Emma Get Wild
Sixteen
Homemade
Forced Love
No Way Out
Bouquet For A Siren
Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)
Flood

Customer Reviews:

more diverse than ever.......2007-03-04

This is the weirdest sebadoh album. Especially all of eric's song. Jason has a few weird ones too. And as usual lou, mellows things out. but
this album split apart three songwriters into one musical mirage of sounds. the album starts off with two from barlow, two from gaffney, and then two from loewenstein. and then goes back to barlow and the rest in that order again. except for the end then it's a little different.its kinda like three seperate albums. its all over the place and pretty crazy. im still getting used to it. harmacy is by far my favorite. but bubble and scrap is there when i need a break from the other ones.

fantastic disaster........2006-06-13

This album kind of presents the band as three pretty different kinds of songwriters, which can make it feel frustratingly choppy and schizophrenic, but also makes it entertainingly unpredictable. Lou Barlow presents himself as the sensitive, heart-on-sleeve one, with melancholy melodies and emotionally direct lyrics like "guilt is a stupid thing, don't let it make you stay/ leave me if you're wanting someone else, I'll be okay". Though his lyrics occasionally approach lovelorn cliche, his sincere delivery mostly manages to make them believable and affecting, and he also provides most of the album's more immediate melodies. Jason Loewenstein is overall fairly compatible with Barlow; though his lyrics can be little more abstract and his material can get a little bit noisier, his songs are prett sympathetic in tone to the Barlow ones. But then completely out of left field we have the oddball noise-punk of Eric Gaffney. While his contributions are pretty acquired taste, and usually don't end up making much musical sense, he always brings some interesting ideas to the table, and unlike the Barlow and Loewenstein numbers, I honestly haven't heard anything quite like this. There's a few clear traces of Minutemen and Sonic Youth influences, but he makes it fully his own with queasy chord changes, psychotic screaming, and unpredictable shifts in structure and even genre ("Fantastic Disaster" keeps jumping into bizarre out of tune harmonica/piano breaks, "Emma Get Wild" starts out as a surf/jazz instrumental before suddenly turning into a slightly unhinged Daydream Nation rocker, "No Way Out" fades out after about a minute, then devotes half of it's run time to a bizarre collage of unintelligible sped up voices and clips apparently taped off the radio). There seems to be an attempt to make it flow a little better by pairing off songs by whoever's singing lead at the time (i.e. two Barlow songs, then two Gafney ones, then two Loewenstein ones and so on), but in a way this emphasizes the differences in approach even more. Honestly it feels a little like listening to the a and b-sides of singles by three different bands that are only similar in that they all feature lo-fi production and ragged playing. Still, overall this is a pretty good listen for anyone exploring mid-90's underground rock.

one of my favorite albums. lovely. .......2005-09-17

sebadoh always rocks. always. and i would have to say that this is definitely their strongest album. the band demonstrates its versatility, executing tender love songs like "think (let tomorrow bee)", hard-rocking, balls to the walls tunes like "flood", and weird, dissonant, folkcore fests like "bouqet for a siren" and "elixir is zog" with equal ability. this is also one of sebadoh's finest line-ups, with lou barlow, jason loewenstein, and eric gaffney on drums. gaffney is a great drummer and he brings some strong material to the album. sadly, this is, as another reviewer noted, his swan song. bob fay, the drummer who succeeded him, just doesn't cut it.
bubble and scrape combines the discordant, lo-fi sounds of earlier albums like the freed weed (which is definitely less listener-friendly and requires a little patience to get used to) with the slicker production quality of later albums like the sebadoh. if you can own one sebadoh album, this is the one.

Could be their best...........2004-06-19

Sebadoh did alot of different things with their sound. First it was the ultra low fi stuff then the insane verbal assaults from Eric then this.... Which is like an in-between of a clean cut indie sound mixed with a raw anger-filled punk band. Most songs have normal beginnings but then move into Sonic youth territory with lots of incoherent screaming and guitar. Take the opener Soul and Fire. It's a tight normal sounding song, then as we move on with the album we find ourselves covering our ears over Eric's literally insane over-the-top screams like in Elixir is Zog, Flood and Telecosmic Alchemy. Flood is about drug use or doing drugs from what I heard in Eric's offbeat screaming. Elixir is Zog makes little sense but I think it's about date rape for some reason. Telecosmic Alchemy is just another weird punky song. Eric said it's about a comic book ad. Uhhh.

But then there's the songs that board the line of weird and actual music like Bouquet for a Siren, which is one hell of a song, but the off line singing and rampant guitar make it pretty weird within first listen it is a highlight of the album though. Fantastic disaster is another one, starts like a normal song then drives into harmonicas and screaming and alot of weird pedal use. Still it seems to flow and work so damn well. Another weird-ish song is Emma get Wild which reminds me highly of the Minutemen with a different vocalist.

But Barlow can strike back with some REALLY good songs like Cliche, Two years, two days, Forced Love, Hassle, Sacred Attetnion and Happliy Divided. Cliche is actually one of the BEST Sebadoh songs i've personally heard. Soul and Fire seems to be the winner of the best sounding/written song on the album, but I seem to love Cliche a whole lot more. Sacred Attention boarders grunge as does Two years Two Days.

Recommended if you know Sebadoh from the early onward. If you're new then start with The Sebadoh (1999) or Harmacy.

Wish they were always this good........2003-01-07

I got into Sebadoh backwards. I hated The Sebadoh so much, I thought I'd never like anything this band ever did. I kinda liked Bakesale, and sice I was able to get Harmacy for cheap, I got that one too. That one I liked, so I bought Bubble and Scrape. That was good. Too darn good. These guys rock in that passionate, incompetant way that is just so satisfying when done right. They may have become victims of their own maturity in the meantime. I also like The Freed Man, even though it's totally insane.