Two-Fisted Tales
Studio album by
The Long Ryders
ReleasedJune 1987 (June 1987)
RecordedNovember–December 1986
Studio
Genre
Length41:35
LabelIsland
ProducerEd Stasium
The Long Ryders chronology
State of Our Union
(1985)		 Two-Fisted Tales
(1987)		 Psychedelic Country Soul
(2019)
Singles from Two-Fisted Tales
  1. "I Want You Bad"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Gunslinger Man"
    Released: 1987
Alternative cover
1996 Deluxe Edition
Alternative cover
2018 Expanded Edition

Two-Fisted Tales is the third studio album by American band the Long Ryders, released in 1987 by Island Records.[1] It was their last studio album for 32 years until 2019's Psychedelic Country Soul.[2] The album yielded two singles, a cover of NRBQ’s "I Want You Bad" and "Gunslinger Man".[3] On Two-Fisted Tales, the Long Ryders moved further away from their country rock origins towards a more college rock direction.[4][5]

Background

The recording sessions for Two-Fisted Tales took place in November and December 1986[1] at A&M Studios and Eldorado Studios in Hollywood, California, and were produced by Ed Stasium (known for his work with the Ramones, Talking Heads, Motörhead, the Smithereens and Living Colour).[6] Guitarist Sid Griffin said of working with Ed Stasium, "He crafted a radio-friendly record that did not sacrifice our Americana/alt-country principles one iota. Ed drilled us and rehearsed us like the U.S. Marine Corps, even down to deciding kick drum patterns. It was terribly exciting."[7] The album features guest appearances by David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Debbi and Vicki Peterson of the Bangles. Head of Island Records, Chris Blackwell, gave the band almost complete artistic freedom. "He just told us to give him two songs that AOR could play and we could live out our Hank Williams fantasies for the rest", Griffin said.[4]

The band's cover of NRBQ’s "I Want You Bad" was released as the album's first single. "Our label wanted a cover to help break us," drummer Greg Sowders explained, "and we picked an obscure one".[8] The single's B-side, "Ring Bells" – recorded but not finished at the Two-Fisted Tales sessions – was completed during mixing sessions in February 1987 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas.[1] The finished album was delivered to Island in March but the release was delayed for two months. "Tom Waits was selling better than Island expected, U2 were still shifting units, and so we were told to wait", Griffin said. In the two years since the Long Ryders signed with Island, several key employees had left the label's A&R department, and the new team, according to Griffin, showed little interest in the band and the release of Two-Fisted Tales.[1] Griffin: "The guy at Island that signed us ... they let him go. So, our defender at the record label was gone".[9] When the band's rough album cover mockup was accidentally printed and went out as the final cover, they saw it as further proof of their label's indifference. Griffin: "No cleaning it up, no equalising the borders, no attempt to make our broad idea into something focused."[1]

The album was finally released in June 1987 and despite "I Want You Bad" getting radio airplay, neither single nor album charted. By the end of the year, after the departures of bassist Tom Stevens and guitarist Stephen McCarthy, the Long Ryders had disbanded.[10]

According to Griffin, Two-Fisted Tales contains more Long Ryders songs that were covered by other acts than any other of their albums.[7]

Musical style and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Americana UK10/10[12]
Classic Rock[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
God is in the TV8/10[15]
Los Angeles Times[16]
Mojo[17]
Record Collector[18]
Scottish Daily Express[5]
Shindig![19]
Trouser Pressfavourable[20]

AllMusic described the album's sound as "a unique blending of McGuinn-esque guitar figures" with country-rock and traditional roots rock. They wrote that the Long Ryders' instrumentation, which includes mandolin, autoharp, lap steel and accordion, "reflects their allegiance to traditional Americana music."[11] In their artist biography, AllMusic wrote that the album blends "the upbeat jangle" of bands like R.E.M. with the Long Ryders' love of "classic twangy sounds."[3]

Shindig! wrote that Two-Fisted Tales "ramps up the rock quotient somewhat and is musically a far harder-edged album" than the band's previous releases.[19] The Los Angeles Times wrote, "The title of the album reflects why it's a lot better than the L.A. quartet’s 1985 major-label debut, State of Our Union. Whereas last time the band was making proclamations about the resurgence of American rock, this time it just wants to get tough. And that's just what it does with a variety of guitar-rock styles ranging from the rollicking riffing of "Gunslinger Man" to the moody, Byrds-like delicacy of "Baby's in Toyland" ... Ed Stasium's power-packed production gives the band's sound more dimension than it's had before, especially Greg Sowders’ strong drumming."[16]

Record Collector noted the band's "social conscience" on "Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home", and its political side on the anti-Ronald Reagan "Gunslinger Man" and anti-war "A Stitch in Time"."[18] Louder Than War felt that the album has a good balance, "seamlessly blending hard-driving country rockers like "Gunslinger Man" with slow-burning numbers like ... epic ballad "Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home" and melodic love songs such as "I Want You Bad"."[21]

Mojo thought the music ranks as some of the band's finest[17] and Trouser Press called it "an enjoyable album nicely produced in a variety of appealing styles".[20] Americana UK wrote, "Any subsequent lack of sales is clearly not the fault of the album itself".[12] God is in the TV wrote that the album at times shows "flashes of visionary creativity" but that "all too often it's difficult to pin down any definite musical direction." They felt that the album settles into a "safe radio-friendly sound" and that it isn't "coherent or cogent enough to be considered a stone cold classic."[15]

Track listing

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[22][23]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gunslinger Man"Sid Griffin3:14
2."I Want You Bad"Terry Adams, Phil Crandon2:42
3."A Stitch in Time"Tom Stevens4:09
4."The Light Gets in the Way"Stephen McCarthy3:56
5."Prairie Fire"Griffin, Greg Sowders2:48
6."Baby's in Toyland"Griffin4:16
7."Long Story Short"Griffin3:46
8."Man of Misery"McCarthy3:34
9."Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home"Griffin3:35
10."For the Rest of My Days"McCarthy4:45
11."Spectacular Fall"Griffin4:50
Total length:41:35
1996 Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Ring Bells" (B-side)Griffin2:12
13."State of My Union" (B-side; live at the Bottom Line in New York City, May 7, 1987)Griffin, Sowders4:50
14."Time Keeps Travelling" (5x5 demo sessions, recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California, February 1985)Griffin4:09
15."Baby, We All Gotta Go Down" (Live at the Mean Fiddler, London, December 1985)Dan Stuart, Steve Wynn4:31
Total length:57:17

2018 Expanded Edition

Disc one: The original album
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gunslinger Man"Griffin3:14
2."I Want You Bad"Adams, Crandon2:42
3."A Stitch in Time"Stevens4:09
4."The Light Gets in the Way"McCarthy3:56
5."Prairie Fire"Griffin, Sowders2:48
6."Baby's in Toyland"Griffin4:16
7."Long Story Short"Griffin3:46
8."Man of Misery"McCarthy3:34
9."Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home"Griffin3:35
10."For the Rest of My Days"McCarthy4:45
11."Spectacular Fall"Griffin4:50
12."Ring Bells" (B-side)Griffin2:12
13."17 Ways" (Outtake; previously unreleased)Stevens3:06
14."Blues Theme" (Outtake)Davie Allan, Mike Curb3:28
Total length:50:21
Disc two: Demo sessions
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording date and locationLength
1."Prairie Fire" (Previously unreleased)Griffin, SowdersApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles3:07
2."He's Got Himself a Young Girl"GriffinApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles2:59
3."Baby's in Toyland" (Previously unreleased)GriffinApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles4:53
4."Man of Misery" (Previously unreleased)McCarthyApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles4:04
5."Flak Jacket"GriffinApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles5:22
6."Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home" (Previously unreleased)GriffinApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles3:42
7."17 Ways"StevensApril 1986, Control Centre, Los Angeles3:15
8."Gunslinger Man" (Previously unreleased)GriffinJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:08
9."How Do We Feel What's Real?"StevensJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:16
10."Basic Black"GriffinJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:11
11."Light Gets in the Way"McCarthyJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:53
12."A Stitch in Time" (Previously unreleased)StevensJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank4:20
13."Long Story Short" (Previously unreleased)GriffinJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:15
14."He Can Hear His Brother Calling"McCarthyJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank5:12
15."The Upper Hand" (Previously unreleased)StevensJuly 17, 1986, Score One, Burbank3:30
16."Pushin' Uphill"McCarthySeptember 1986, Penguin Studios, Pasadena3:25
17."Ring Bells" (Previously unreleased)GriffinSeptember 1986, Penguin Studios, Pasadena2:14
18."Sad Sad Songs"StevensSeptember 1986, Penguin Studios, Pasadena2:31
19."For the Rest of My Days" (Previously unreleased)McCarthySeptember 1986, Penguin Studios, Pasadena4:23
20."Spectacular Fall" (Previously unreleased)GriffinSeptember 1986, Penguin Studios, Pasadena3:51
Total length:73:44
Disc three: Oasis Water Park
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gunslinger Man"Griffin3:25
2."Man of Misery"McCarthy3:30
3."Prairie Fire"Griffin, Sowders2:56
4."Lights of Downtown"McCarthy2:51
5."A Stitch in Time"Stevens4:00
6."State of My Union"Griffin, Sowders4:50
7."Baby's in Toyland"Griffin4:11
8."Harriet Tubman's Gonna Carry Me Home"Griffin4:26
9."The Light Gets in the Way"McCarthy3:53
10."Long Story Short"Griffin3:32
11."Capturing the Flag"Griffin, McCarthy, Stevens, Sowders, Will Birch4:13
12."I Had a Dream"McCarthy3:53
13."Spectacular Fall"Griffin4:34
Total length:50:22

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[22]

The Long Ryders
  • Sid Griffin – guitar, vocals, harmonica, bugle, autoharp
  • Stephen McCarthy – guitar, vocals, mandolin, lap steel guitar
  • Tom Stevens – bass, vocals, cello, acoustic guitar
  • Greg Sowders – drums, percussion, trombone
Additional musicians
Technical
  • Ed Stasium – producer, engineer, mixing[1]
  • The Long Ryders – additional production on "Ring Bells"
  • Paul Hamingson – engineer, mixing engineer,[1] mixing on "Ring Bells"
  • Mark McKenna – assistant engineer
  • Tom Root – assistant engineer
  • Vince McCartney – assistant mixing engineer
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Paul B. Cutler – engineer (Control Centre demos)
  • Bill Inglot – engineer (Score One and Penguin Studios demos)
  • Greg Allen – cover photo, design (1996 reissue)
  • Kevin Stokes – remastering (1996 reissue)
  • Sid Griffin – remastering (1996 reissue)
  • Andy Pearce – remastering (2018 reissue)
  • Matt Wortham – remastering (2018 reissue)
  • Tom Stevens – compilation (2018 reissue)
  • Sid Griffin – liner notes (2018 reissue)
  • Stephen Hammonds – product manager (2018 reissue)
  • Philip Lloyd-Smee – package design (2018 reissue)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Two-Fisted Tales (Expanded Edition CD liner notes). The Long Ryders. Cherry Red Records. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Psychedelic Country Soul – AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "The Long Ryders – AllMusic Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Tamarkin, Jeff (October 1987). "The Long Ryders: Bye Bye Byrdie". Creem. Retrieved September 6, 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
  5. 1 2 "Scottish Daily Express – Two Fisted Tales review". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ Ed Stasium Biography. edstasium.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Hammershaug, Bjørn (27 March 2019). "Album by Album: Sid Griffin Tells the History of The Long Ryders". read.tidal.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  8. ↑ Final Wild Songs (CD liner notes). The Long Ryders. Cherry Red Records. 2016.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ Clarkson, John (March 8, 2016). "Long Ryders Interview". pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  10. ↑ "The Long Ryders Biography". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  11. 1 2 Leaver, Jack. "Two Fisted Tales – AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Aird, Jonathan (January 15, 2019). "Two Fisted Tales – Americana UK Review". americana-uk.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  13. ↑ Sharp, Johnny. "Classic Rock – Two Fisted Tales review". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Concise (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  15. 1 2 Spithray, Steve (November 29, 2018). "God Is In The TV – Two Fisted Tales Review". godisinthetvzine.co.uk. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Hochman, Steve (June 21, 1987). "Two Fisted Tales – Los Angeles Times Review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  17. 1 2 Wilson, Lois. "Mojo – Two Fisted Tales review". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  18. 1 2 Harrington, Jon. "Record Collector – Two Fisted Tales review". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  19. 1 2 Hutton, Henry. "Shindig! – Two Fisted Tales review". thelongryders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Robbins, Ira; Schinder, Scott. "TrouserPress.com :: Long Ryders". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Tim (December 11, 2018). "Two Fisted Tales – Louder Than War Review". louderthanwar.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  22. 1 2 Two Fisted Tales 2018 expanded edition on Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  23. ↑ Two Fisted Tales 1996 Deluxe Edition on Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
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