Jay Farrar - ThirdShiftGrottoSlack

Jay Farrar's Sebastopol was easily among the finest rock releases of 2001, an eclectic showcase of the Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt founder's rough and smoky voice, willfully obscure lyrics, slow-churning rhythms, and petulant melodies. Sebastopol is Farrar's most accessible work to date--and his most adventurous, bringing keyboards, loops, and sampled strings into the mix. It sounds a bit like Steve Earle and Crazy Horse collaborating with folk-blues deconstructionists and studio wizards Califone. ThirdShiftGrottoSlack consists of four songs originally slated to appear on Sebastopol, but that were cut for space. From the sparse, Palace-like "Greenwich Time" to the beautiful, elegiac "Station to Station," these cuts perfectly complement that splendid, slow-churning album. The fifth tune is the real winner, a remix by celeb producer Tom Rothrock of one of Sebastopol's strongest cuts; it's a slinky, Big Beat-ish version of "Damn Shame" that suggests new avenues for Farrar to explore. --Mike McGonigal Amazon.com

 Good, short..
Not a bad track on here. Greenwich Time is a GREAT track, Dues is as well. I like the Memphis Mix of Damn Shame better than the original.

Hell, I think I listen to this CD more than I listen to Terrior Blues.

The 4 Stars is for the cost/benifit ratio.. 5 songs @ 8 bucks? (and you can get the memphis mix for free at jay's website)

Nope. You lose a point for that.. June 3, 2006

 Should Have Been a Bonus Disc
It should be noted that "ThirdShiftGrottoSlack" contains only five songs and a mere thirteen minutes of music. The songs were all recorded during the sessions for Farrar's "Sebastopol" album (including a remix of "Damn Shame"). If you like "Sebastopol," there's no reason to think you won't like what little is included here.

I have one question though: why is Jay Farrar making fans shell out extra coin for such a slight package? Caitlin Cary, Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks, just to name a few, have all released recent albums including bonus CDs that are as long or longer than this EP without tacking on additional costs to their fans. Seems to me that Jay Farrar could have done the same or maybe opened his vaults and thrown in some old demos or something to beef this package up a little bit.

Overall, a way too brief EP, even at the reduced price it lists for. April 14, 2003

 A [] Post Script
This little catch of songs is for collectors/wool-dyed fans only. It has nice tunes, but those songs (plus one re-mixed song) were cut from Jay Farrar's Sebastopol (sp?). If you absolutely loved last year's cd and you simply have to hear more, dig in your pockets for the few bucks this will cost. However, I would advise searching for other music (Have you heard Caitlin Cary's cd? It's wonderful.) while listening to the wonderful cd Mr. Farrar sent last year. ThirdShiftGrottoSlack is only a post script/post-it note to Sebastopol. October 30, 2002

 For Jay's move forward
That is why I give this release 5 stars. I have been listening to Jay and Jeff for a long long time, as well as Paul (Westerburg) and Bob (Mould) and Dave (Priner) and all of those midwest rats that stirred things up with a potent mix of punk, folk and country back in the 80s and early 90s. But like the musicians, most of their audiences have grown and expanded...and hopefully that means musically as well as numerically. Jay is an amazing songwriter, I would claim he is one of the best of his generation. But great songwriters don't settle for formula and Jay has proven with Sebastopol and ThirdShift that he is willing to apply what he does best to differant formulas and for that I say Jaylelujah!

This release shows Jay is willing to create great music despite all those fans (and previous reviewers) who would pigeonhole him forever into being that guy from Uncle Tupelo. The fact is that Jay is still writing brilliant songs that fit into his familiar framework, but he is progressing and these "purist"/reactionaries can't seem to handle progression. Well, they can have the "Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, meanwhile, I will be happy with great songs like "Greenwich Time" and "Dues".

I too loved Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo, but I absolutely love Jay solo. I can only imagine what his present critics here have to say about Wilco...God forbid they ever start listening to Jazz, Stanley Crouch would be put to shame I would imagine. October 20, 2002

 Another step in the right direction
Forget the last two reviews from San Diego and Jackson Hole ... This is the same individual who pines for a return to the days of Whiskey bottle. I've got news for you, it's 2002 and it ain't gonna happen.

Anyway, back to the music. Aside from the remix of Damn shame, not much studio trickery involved here. Greenwich time is a strong acoustic number which does harken back to past UT days. The Damn shame remix kind of grows on you, much like the original. Station to station is the best song here, quality lyrics from Jay and somewhat uplifting piano from Drozd. Kind of Madness is yet another showing of Jay's dark humor that showed up on Sebastopol. Dues shows us that Jay does still know how to play lead guitar.

I hope Jay continues his recent approaches to making music. Son Volt was a creative dead end for him and I hope they never reunite. He needs to get Mark Spencer into the studio for his next full release. August 29, 2002

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