I’ve been trying to collect their back catalog for vinyl and have actually made some progress. Only missing One For The Kids, The Underdog EP, Lights and Sounds, and Paper Walls.
I was trying to sell One For The Kids for at least a couple years on here until I finally sold it to someone just a few months ago. I would have hooked you up!
Been listening to the Big If demos over the past couple days and I really wish they’d done more with this project. Besides the fact that the unreleased songs are incredible (Triple Please, You Went Gold, Temp Job, Always Almost), some of the ones that did ultimately get released just don’t have the same energy as these demos. All in all, I prefer the Big If version of Empty Street to the Yellowcard version, and I also like the demos of Monster and Bunny and Me better than the versions that got released. The buildup at the end of Bunny and Me may be my favorite thing from Big If, and turning Monster into a straightahead rock song lost some of its emotional weight for me. I love these demos though, I even think an album of just Big If songs could have cracked my top 3 Yellowcard records.
Totally agree with everything here. I love those songs and really wish they got full production treatment or were even available on streaming. Really a shame.
I enjoyed those Big If… songs and it would have been cool if they got formally released. I do think it’s cool some of those songs got released as Yellowcard songs and I have no idea how Triple Please never got released on a pre Lift The Sail album.
I think he is doing a white ink sleeve over the blacked out arm. Def not my thing either, but I don’t think it’s going to just be a black sleeve.
He was on Mike Herrera’s podcast recently and was talking about the decision to black it out and their plans to do the white ink stuff. Not really my thing at all, but more power to him haha.
I thought I was the only one! I agree with everything you said. It's strange- I loved the Big If version of Empty Street, but something about the mix of the Yellowcard version just really didn't sit right with me and I have a hard time listening to it. I wonder how I'd feel about it had I never heard the Big If version though. I was really surprised O'Donnell changed the ending to Bunny and Me so dramatically- the original ripped so hard. Loved his solo album though overall.
They lowered the tuning for the re-recording. Same goes for almost all of the album. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from some major music producers, lower tuning takes away the emotion and passion if not done appropriately or with the right song.
It definitely lost some energy from downtuning to drop C, both in the lead guitar and Ryan’s vocal, which both feel more relaxed on the Yellowcard version. I also think that all the reversed instruments that meshed it into the self-titled soundscape may take away some of the urgency. It’s not as raw.
I don't know, I've always felt that the lower tuning hit much harder whenever it came in after The Hurt Is Gone. More resonant for me, in a sense
I feel like "Shrink the World" has one of the catchiest choruses in all of Yellowcard's catalog, and doesn't get a lot of love. Been listening to Paper Walls for the first time in a while and wow does it still sound so crisp. My favorite album from them.
I was at emo night Brooklyn last night and Ryan Key came out and was the dj for an hour. Was fucking awesome lol