Satellite Rides
Encyclopedia
Satellite Rides is the fifth studio album
by American
country
/rock band
Old 97's
, first released in the second quarter of 2001 (see 2001 in music
). Though track 9, "Weightless", refers to outer space while the chorus croons "ride on, ride on" to an unspecified audience, the album's title does not appear in the lyrics but was later used for the song "In The Satellite Rides A Star" on the band's followup album, 2004's Drag It Up
.
Satellite Rides is much criticized by fans as a pop album at odds with the band's roots in country-influenced rock. This has more to do with the production of the sound than the songwriting, as many of the songs are quite popular, in more rocking form, in live shows.
Lyrically, the songs have Rhett Miller writing about characters other than himself, albeit personal references remain. "Rollerskate skinny" refers to Holden Caulfield
's description of his sister in J. D. Salinger
's seminal novel, The Catcher in the Rye
, while "Buick City Complex" refers to workers affected by General Motors
' decision to close its failed mega-factory
in Flint, Michigan
. Miller wrote the song "Am I Too Late" for his grandmother, Ahnece Pugh. Miller re-recorded "Question" and "Singular Girl" with a full band for his 2006 solo album, The Believer. The album features two songs sung by bassist Murry Hammond, "Up The Devil's Pay" and "Can't Get A Line".
Satellite Rides is also a pseudonym under which that the band plays shows, including a show at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle, Washington, on August 31, 2008.
"Question" was recently used in a commercial
for Fuse TV
network in the United States. It featured sock puppets. "Question" was also used in the season 2 episode 15, "His Story" of Scrubs
, when Turk proposes to Carla, originally broadcaston January 16, 2003. "Question" is often performed live with a French verse.
"King of All the World" was used in the film Out Cold
.
Early pressings of the album included an EP
of five songs recorded live at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
on September 25, 1999 for local radio station, KFOG
, and one leftover studio track:
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
/rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Old 97's
Old 97's
The Old 97's are an alternative country band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1993, they have since released nine studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is The Grand Theatre, Volume Two...
, first released in the second quarter of 2001 (see 2001 in music
2001 in music
See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
). Though track 9, "Weightless", refers to outer space while the chorus croons "ride on, ride on" to an unspecified audience, the album's title does not appear in the lyrics but was later used for the song "In The Satellite Rides A Star" on the band's followup album, 2004's Drag It Up
Drag It Up
Drag It Up is the sixth studio album by American country/rock band Old 97's, first released on July 27, 2004 . The album's title comes from the fourth track, "Smokers"....
.
Satellite Rides is much criticized by fans as a pop album at odds with the band's roots in country-influenced rock. This has more to do with the production of the sound than the songwriting, as many of the songs are quite popular, in more rocking form, in live shows.
Lyrically, the songs have Rhett Miller writing about characters other than himself, albeit personal references remain. "Rollerskate skinny" refers to Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
's description of his sister in J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
's seminal novel, The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world's major...
, while "Buick City Complex" refers to workers affected by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' decision to close its failed mega-factory
Buick City
Buick City was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northwest of Flint, Michigan. Elements of the 235 acre complex dated from 1904, but it became known as Buick City in 1985. The Buick Site is still producing components for GM facilities and outside buyers. Operations ceased on the...
in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. Miller wrote the song "Am I Too Late" for his grandmother, Ahnece Pugh. Miller re-recorded "Question" and "Singular Girl" with a full band for his 2006 solo album, The Believer. The album features two songs sung by bassist Murry Hammond, "Up The Devil's Pay" and "Can't Get A Line".
Satellite Rides is also a pseudonym under which that the band plays shows, including a show at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle, Washington, on August 31, 2008.
"Question" was recently used in a commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
for Fuse TV
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
network in the United States. It featured sock puppets. "Question" was also used in the season 2 episode 15, "His Story" of Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, when Turk proposes to Carla, originally broadcaston January 16, 2003. "Question" is often performed live with a French verse.
"King of All the World" was used in the film Out Cold
Out Cold (2001 film)
Out Cold is a 2001 American comedy film about a group of snowboarders in Alaska. It is the first feature film by the music video directing team The Malloys. The movie presents itself as something of a parody of 1980's "ski school" movies and makes a number of references to the film Casablanca...
.
Track listing
- "King of All the World" - 2:52
- "Rollerskate Skinny" - 3:52
- "Buick CityBuick CityBuick City was a massive automobile manufacturing complex in the northwest of Flint, Michigan. Elements of the 235 acre complex dated from 1904, but it became known as Buick City in 1985. The Buick Site is still producing components for GM facilities and outside buyers. Operations ceased on the...
Complex" - 3:39 - "Bird in a Cage" - 3:48
- "Up the Devil's Pay" (vocals by Murry Hammond) - 3:49
- "What I Wouldn't Do" - 3:47
- "Question" - 2:15
- "Am I Too Late" - 2:32
- "Weightless" - 3:45
- "Can't Get a Line" (vocals by Murry Hammond) - 2:52
- "Designs on You" - 3:49
- "Book of Poems" - 3:32
- "Nervous Guy" - 3:56
Early pressings of the album included an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of five songs recorded live at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
on September 25, 1999 for local radio station, KFOG
KFOG
KFOG is an FM radio station in San Francisco, California, broadcasting on 104.5 and sister station KFFG 97.7 FM MHz. The 97.7 transmitter is located near Cupertino, California, and it is a simulcast of 104.5 KFOG....
, and one leftover studio track:
- "Barrier Reef" (Live) - 3:47
- "Victoria" (Live) - 4:02
- "Nineteen" (Live) - 3:27
- "Timebomb" (Live) - 3:37
- "Valentine" (Live) - 3:18
- "Singular Girl" - 4:15
Personnel
- Ken Bethea: acoustic, 6-string, 12-string, slide, and lap steel guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Rhett Miller: electric, acoustic, 6-string, and 12-string guitars, mouth trumpetMouth trumpetMouth trumpet is a vocal technique that imitates the sound of the trumpet.The mouth trumpet sound is produced by using the vocal cords to produce the desired pitch and passing the sound through the lips that are held together with just enough tension so that they vibrate at the same frequency as...
, vocals - Murry Hammond: bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Can't Get a Line" and "Up the Devil's Pay" - Philip Peeples: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, shakersShaker (percussion)The word shaker describes a large number of percussive musical instruments used for creating rhythm in music.They are so called because the method of creating sound involves shaking them—moving them back and forth rather than striking them. Most may also be struck for a greater accent on certain...
, maracas, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....