Hip-O Records
2000
Ultimate Collection
About This Album
Atlanta's Drivin' n' Cryin' is one of the more perfect bands for Universal's spotty "ultimate" series, since all but one of their albums were recorded for either Island or Geffen, two of the mammoth label's sublabels. So instead of licensing tracks from other labels (which the "ultimate" series in the past has been reluctant to do to an adequate extent), all of Drivin' n' Cryin's best work can be efficiently represented here. Unfortunately, the strict chronological order that is followed here isn't necessarily the best way to present a group with as many diverse sides as Drivin' n' Cryin'. A mix of laconic country, folk, and bluegrass with hard-driving, occasionally metallic rock was the band's unlikely calling card. It was also probably the reason they never attracted a widespread audience despite tours opening for Athens buddies R.E.M., as well as Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, Neil Young, and Cheap Trick, all of whom are influences on their sound. Like the original albums, the drastic shift on this anthology between their pounding electric side and shuffling acoustic side is frequently jarring. A compilation that transitioned more logically between the band's styles would have been far more listenable.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,14,16 and 18)

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