Rough Travel for a Rare Thing (2010) 1. Our Anniversary 2. Diamond Dancer 3. Bowery 4. Held 5. Say Valley Maker 6. In the Pines 7. Cold-Blooded Old Times 8. Rock Bottom Riser 9. Let Me See the Colts 10. The Well 11. Bathysphere Bill Callahan's first live album reflects his approach to music. It's a 2xLP set (also available as a download, no CD), and the packaging is minimal-- two slabs of vinyl, no notes, and all credits and recording info are printed on the disc labels. The functional nature of the package says, "The music is what's important here." Callahan kicks off the album by mumbling, "We're gonna get right down to business," and then he and the band-- guitar, bass, drums, violins-- proceed to do just that. It's 2007, they are in a small club in Australia, and Callahan is drawing from a catalog of songs any songwriter would envy. Turned out to be a good night. Though Woke on a Whalehart, Callahan's first album under his own name after leaving the name Smog behind, was! just about to come out when Rough Travel for a Rare Thing was cut, the setlist focuses heavily on his previous full-length, 2005's A River Ain't Too Much to Love. Five of the 11 songs come from that release, with stops at Supper, the "Rock Bottom Riser" single, and Knock Knock along the way. There's one reach back to 1995's Wild Love ("Batheysphere"), and one tune from Whaleheart ("Diamond Dancer"). Heard together, with this band providing lean and effective accompaniment, the songs sound like they ...
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