Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Will Oldham, Mick Turner, David Grubbs, Jim White, Ned Oldham, Tiffany White-Pounders, Colin Gagon.
Engineers include: Steve Albini.
LOST BLUES was a collection released under the Palace moniker that collected various non-album singles and other rarities. Its successor finds the man behind Palace using his own name for a second grouping of hard-to-find cuts. The tracks span the life of Oldham's Palace ('93 to '98) and include live tracks, BBC sessions, and a number of songs released only on 45s.
Songs such as "Drinking Woman" and "Gezundheit" are textbook examples of Oldham's trademark twisted folk sound, sometimes labeled as "Southern gothic." His sense of humor show as well, though, on a radically retooled cover of AC/DC's notorious "Big Balls" and a daringly unironic version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Every Mother's Son." Early songs such as "Oh Lord Are You in Need" get a more electrified live treatment, while "The Risen Lord" and "Boy, Have You Cum" feature stark electronic backing that stands in marked contrast to the rootsy sounds of the other selections. The uninitiated should start with LOST BLUES 1 (or the original studio albums, for that matter), but rabid Oldham admirers will find much to appreciate here.

Professional Reviews

Uncut (3/00, p.84) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...His songs are made up of glancing asides, frozen whispers and raucous and forlorn requiems that draw on ghost images of America's past..."

Alternative Press (5/00, p.100) - 4 out of 5 - "...May be one of the best entrance points to Oldham's unique musical universe; populated with desolate ballads, odes to alcoholic lovers, and salutes to all that we keep hidden away deep in our hearts..."

Magnet (4-5/00, p.89) - "...fresh insight into his restless musical mind....a jumble-sale companion to Palace Music's LOST BLUES, containing an assortment of unfindable singles, compilation tracks, Peel sessions and alternate takes from throughout his career..."

The Wire (3/00, p.51) - "...The emphasis is on the slow gait of Oldham's acoustic guitar and sometimes convincing...overplayed hillbilly drawl....mining the faded, world-weary seam between folk, rock and indie experiment..."

CMJ (2/14/00, p.19) - "...offers Oldham's raw, unpolished sound in even rawer and more unpolished settings....his stark vocal and guitar approach grab ahold don't let go..."

Melody Maker (3/7/00, p.47) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...mournful, fractured, minimal country, with that reedy whine telling tales of incest, drunkeness, death and other 'Brookside' storylines....this compilation [may] appeal beyond the hardcore fans."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.96) - "...this is beautiful music for anyone wishing to escape bland standard country and enjoy its tart, salty and bitter margins....this epic CD will bring both joy to the faithful and a strange sense of existential indigestion to everyone else..."

NME (Magazine) (2/19/00, p.34) - 8 out of 10 - "...highlights the depth and acuity of his talents....showcasing that great mismatch of Appalachian style and Bon Scott content, proving again the surprising warmth and flexibility of his parched materials..."