I personally think Open All Night is better than See You On The Other Side, not to say the latter is bad by any stretch though. The closing of Open All Night just kills me every time. "And I will never know the town where you finally settled down With the top back on a Cadillac and your sunglasses on And you can't make me whole, I have to find that on my own But I held you, babe, a long, long time ago, and we were open all night long"
That was the song off Painkillers that took the longest to "hit" for me, but when it did, it shot up my personal rankings of that album.
The little story/explanation Brian gives before this performance of "Open All Night" gives me chills. "I don't think that has to be a young man's game, I think that can be anybody's game. So maybe once in a while you stay up all night talking to somebody about nothing."
I legitimately just got all teared up watching that video of Brian playing Open All Night on acoustic guitar. Crying by the end of the song. Not sure what it was about that version, but I think it might've been his intro about it not being just a young man's game. I love the song and it's probably my favorite on Painkillers, but I've definitely never had that reaction before.
The only new, still shrink-wrapped, non-RSD record I've bought in the last five years that didn't have one was Sheer Mag last year, and when I emailed them they said it was a mistake and emailed me a link. And I didn't harass anybody, I emailed them asking for it and they just said no.
Both are fantastic for different reasons. Brian really knows how to wrap up a record with the last song or two.
Yeah, the whole “And I will never know the town...” section features some of my favorite lyrics and imagery he’s ever written.
Agreed—that end section of Open All Night “and I will never know the town where you finally settled down” is top tier Brian lyricism
"Open All Night" has to be in my top ten Fallon because I've been wearing this hat almost every day for a year and a half.
It's. Just. So. Beautiful. The art prints that came with it are awesome too. Gotta make a nice collage with those.
Revisited Sink or Swim for the first time in a while and yeah I stand by ranking it above Handwritten. It has some of Brian's best lyrics which is incredible given how young in his career he was. "I was gonna get this real big engine, I was gonna get them broadway stars. You were gonna be Judy Garland, We were gonna share your tin man heart."
The 59 Sound Handwritten Elsie American Slang Sink or Swim Painkillers Get Hurt But I like them all. I will say I haven't heard Handwritten on vinyl and was shocked when I read Too Much Blood opened the second side. Always assumed it closed the first then the second breezed in with Howl. Not sure how I feel. On one hand it would break up Keepsake and Too Much Blood which is the most controversial section of the album. On the other hand I like both those songs a lot and feel like they would close the first side really well...
59 Sound Sleepwalkers American Slang Painkillers Handwritten Sink Or Swim Elsie Get Hurt Love all of them apart from Get Hurt(but even that has some good songs)
Yeah I’m pretty surprised he went there again since he sold it out last time (especially the same night Against Me was in town) But I went to AM! So I’m stoked to see him this time
I'll be honest, I was never a Gaslight or Brian Fallon listener, but I checked out this new album and dug a few songs on it a lot. I think my favorites are - If your prayers don't get to heaven - sleepwalkers - Forget me not - See you on the other side
Direct quote from my 13 year old son: "Dad, of all the terrible music you listen to, this See You On The Other Side song is by far the most catchy."