Jagged: Old 97's Best Of Is Enjoyable But Flawed

If you've lived in Austin for a while, you've surely heard the twang-pop of Dallas' Old 97's by now. While the group is currently on hiatus due to Rhett Miller's solo career, they were absolutely one of the best alt.country outfits of their era. The band eventually outgrew (or chose to downplay) most of their country influences, becoming more pop-rock oriented with each new album. By the time their last major label record "Satellite Rides" was released, the 97's were totally radio friendly, though we suppose that means XM or Sirius these days, since they never really got any airtime.

Despite the band's limited commercial success, Rhino has decided to issue a single-disc overview of their career titled Hit By A Train. The 18 track disc includes 14 studio cuts, two live songs and two rarities. While we love the band, the song selection for the disc is ultimately flawed and frustrating. Career highlights such as "Victoria", "Rollerskate Skinny", and "Timebomb" are included, but other classics are needlessly omitted. The most egregious of these is "Big Brown Eyes", a live favorite and unquestionably one of the band's finest moments. Other fans may bristle at the exclusion of "Designs On You", "Streets Of Where I'm From", or anything off their latest New West record Drag It Up. The decision to instead include a cover song from the King Of The Hill soundtrack and to replace two great album tracks with inferior live versions compounds the irritation of the disc. It is still quite enjoyable as an album, but one senses a desire to be too many things: a rarities disc, a live album, and a greatest hits all in one. Given the fact that iTunes can handle any rarities and that the band just released a live album two years ago, the lack of continuity here is totally unnecessary.

Setting these problems aside, it is great to revisit this music. The band has a real knack for literate story songs about relationships, troubled nights out, and the rigors of a life in music. Miller is a great writer, and his pithy, funny lyrics are remarkably fresh and sharp a decade later. Ken Bethea's guitar playing is also nearly perfect, consistently giving the songs punch and momentum without overwhelming the lyrics. Like another act we admire, Los Lobos, the 97's make notable shifts in tone from record to record, something that is easy to admire when you hear the band evolve as the disc progresses. In sum, Hit By A Train is a noble effort, but those wishing to catch up on one of Texas' best bands might be better served by heading to Amazon or Half.com for used copies of a couple of the full albums.

Photo of Old 97's at ACL Fest via raveller on Flickr.