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Toast · Joined: 19 Jun 2015 Posts: 5

any update on that? im anxiously awaiting a new album. will "Sunbeams" be on it? I have a live version and think its fantastic and would like to hear how it comes together in the studio

jefflewis · Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 1486

Actually there's a studio recording of Sunbeams that's the B-side of the WWPRD single from 2013, I think the studio version came out really good! It's a hard song to do live because we need to be a four-piece band to make it work, it needs guitar and keyboard and bass and drums... (plus somebody who can share all the vocals with me) so we were only doing it on that 2013 tour when my friend Joe was traveling with us for a few weeks. Usually I'm traveling with the band as a trio, so we haven't been able to figure out a way to play it with just three people!

christian · Joined: 08 Jun 2015 Posts: 77

The studio recording of "Sunbeams" is available for purchase and streaming on Spotify, same as "The Fall of the Soviet Union", which I love.

I just looked at the tracklist - songs that I can remember hearing live are "Crackhead Ian", "Sad Screaming Old Man" and "Support Tours". All of those I liked a lot when I heard them. "Outta Town" is already available on Spotify - I love that one too but gotta say - I kinda prefer the version from the Jeffrey Lewis and The Jrams Tour Album!

So on iTunes it seems that there are two songs that you only get if you pre-order the Album? "What I Love Most in England" and "All The Birdies in the World" - are those not going to be on the record?

misshelenc · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 943 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

I just had a look on the lyrics page for What I love most in England but couldn't find it. What is there to love?!
I'm looking forward to this coming out and getting my copy. x
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christian · Joined: 08 Jun 2015 Posts: 77

misshelenc · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 943 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

No problem Christian, I do know of the song, vaguely, but wanted to read all the words and see if I agree with any of it.
British food isn't as bad as tourists make out, it's bad luck for them that they get encouraged to eat some really awful things in the main touristy places but if you look beyond there (and pay enough) it's not all horrendous. And that's coming from someone with a massively restricted choice of foods I will actually eat. I think we lead the world with the USA of vegetarians. Sorry, you don't care do you?! Have a good day X
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jefflewis · Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 1486

Hmm, interesting, I didn't even know about this bonus track offer thing, is it just being offered to people who pre-order thru a certain outlet, like iTunes?
Looks like there's no mention of it on Amazon...
But now I'm looking at the iTune store... and yes, I do see those two bonus tracks on the track-list... but it also looks like the track list is scrambled from the normal CD and LP order?
Well, anyway, glad those two extra songs are finding their way out into the world. I'm regretting not including them in the official album track-order! They are both very good recordings, I think. The reasons why I ultimately decided not to include them on the album were A) at a certain point I realized that the songs on the album could be considered a sort of thematic "concept album" about Manhattan, if I just left off those two songs... and B) the album length was starting to push the boundaries for what could be included on an LP without losing sound quality. If an LP side gets too long it becomes quieter or more distorted, and the only way to avoid that problem is by making the album into a double-LP which of course makes it a lot more expensive.
Also, I figured those two songs were the shortest pair of songs, so they could perhaps find a home as a nice little vinyl 45 someday, but if I left off any of the longer songs there would be no place else for them to surface.
BUT in addition to that, I do agree that I personally prefer the version of Outta Town that's on the original Jrams CD from 2014, the version that was recorded in one live take right after the song was written. One major difference is that Heather had a different tambourine during that recording day and I like the sound of it better; plus my own personal taste is usually for that sort of fast and rough recording, one take, all together in one room. The only reason I even re-recorded the song at all is because Dan Lucas the engineer in the UK said he really liked that song and he didn't want it to remain some kind of obscurity on a self-released album that would never be heard by most people. So he convinced me to re-record it for the new album. Even then I had actually decided to not include it on the final album track-list. But everybody at Rough Trade said they thought it should go on the album - they all had different opinions about what songs should go on the album and what songs should be left off, in fact every single person had a completely different opinion, the ONLY thing that everybody agreed on was that Outta Town should be on the new album. I felt fine with discarding all of the other random opinions about what to leave on and what to leave off, and just go with my own feelings, but I figured that since EVERYbody was in agreement about including Outta Town maybe I should give in and let them keep it on the album.
I'm am in fact glad that I let myself be convinced to include it, but I also wish I had included one or two of the other tracks that got left off, even if it made the album a little longer. SO I'm glad they are able to be found and downloaded a bonus tracks from somewhere.

misshelenc · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 943 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

It's mad that the artist himself has no idea what is going on with the tracklisting of his own album on iTunes, I have never used it myself but I know it's an industry main player and it seems bonkers that they of all of them can kind of do their own thing. How many more people's works have been -redone by iTunes?! x
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jefflewis · Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 1486

Maybe I just accidentally have my itunes store settings set to display the songs in alphabetical order or something? Or maybe they just display in some random way because the album isn't actually available yet, but when the album becomes available the songs snap into the official order?
Who knows... And hey, maybe the big-wigs at itunes have picked a better order for the track-list anyway! Drummer Dave said that the order I picked for the track list of A Turn in the Dream Songs in 2011 was the worst possible order anybody could have picked to put any of those songs in!

Ian Cockburn · Joined: 10 Mar 2015 Posts: 47

I just looked on itunes and to me the tracks appear in the same order they appear in all other announcements/promotions (except for the addition of the two pre-order only tracks), i.e.:
1. Scowling Crackhead Ian

2. Thunderstorm

3. Sad Screaming Old Man

4. Back To Manhattan

5. Avenue A, Shanghai, Hollywood

6. Outta Town

7. It Only Takes A Moment

8. Support Tours

9. Have A Baby

10. Atheist Mantis

11. The Pigeon

I want to buy the album physically so I hope I'll be able to get hold of the two tracks some other way.

Dav · Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 4:23 pm Post subject:

yeah it is sort of sad that you got to buy the itune version to get extra song, 12 inch got artwork at least
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CrackyMcCrackerson · Joined: 26 Dec 2007 Posts: 145 Location: Kansas

I guess everyone, just like me, is just waiting to hear the new record. Only 9 more days.

jefflewis · Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 1486

The album is finally out!
It seems that the download code that comes with the LP does include the two additional tracks.
I'm really happy with the CD packaging, and the LP packaging too.
Hopefully there will be some good reviews, or at least not too many bad reviews!
And our USA tour starts next Friday.
Now I need to get back to work on my Halloween costume!!

kevinjshipp · Joined: 14 May 2015 Posts: 6

Hey y'all! The LPR show was such a blast. All the sketchbook drawings were killer. Dan Dale for president!

So, I am unfortunately having issues with the vinyl download code - the album itself downloaded, but I seem to be missing the bonus material. Is there a step I am missing? Help! Smile

jefflewis · Joined: 21 Nov 2005 Posts: 1486

Somebody in Holland just emailed me having the same problem - the MP3 card with the vinyl SAYS it contains the 2 bonus tracks but then you just get the full album, no bonus tracks. I emailed the USA and UK Rough Trade offices, they are working on checking this out and fixing it.
If they can't get it fixed I'll try to just email you those two tracks. But hopefully Rough Trade can correct this easily and quickly!