Jim O_x001A_Rourke - Bad Timing (VINYL LP) | NEW

Personnel includes: Jim O'Rourke; Ken Champion (pedal steel guitar).
Released in 1997, Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing is the first in a trilogy of solo releases to be named after films by British director Nicolas Roeg. O'Rourke's significance as a guitarist and experimental composer had already been well established, and by the time of this solo outing his work with David Grubbs in the post-rock group Gastr del Sol had begun to show elements of the organic, fingerpicked guitar style he explores more deeply on these four lengthy tracks. Entirely instrumental and mysteriously packaged with no track titles, Bad Timing was a bit of an enigma for its time. The most obvious influence is that of American Primitive guitarist John Fahey, whose spirit imbues O'Rourke's wayfaring compositions with a strange but good-natured folksy charm, especially on the front half of the wonderful second track. Also present are avant-garde fragments of the Chicago indie scene to which he was closely associated. Tracks that take five or six minutes to develop suddenly change on a dime with an audible tape splice, dramatic rhythmic shift, or the addition of a horn section. Tortoise drummer John McEntire makes a guest appearance, as does ace steel guitarist Ken Champion, whose long, breezy parts act as a perfect foil to O'Rourke's staccato punctuations. Tempos and rhythms wobble and flutter, varying from one moment to the next and suggesting a good deal of improvisation on the initial guitar tracks, which often receive warm layers of organ, piano, bells, and accordion, as in the midsection of the near-mystical third track. Each track acts as its own little suite with sections that are as unpredictable as they are enchanting, hanging together in a sort of cerebral level that feels loosely organized yet beautifully orchestrated. For all its eccentricity, it seems like it should be more of a challenge to enjoy, but the wonderful thing about Bad Timing is how surprisingly palatable it all is. By the time the final marching band/Western swing collision winds to a close on track four, the natural reaction is simply to press play and begin the record again. ~ Timothy Monger

Label:
Drag City – dc120, Drag City – DC120CD
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country:
USA & Canada
Released:
2017
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Country Rock, Avantgarde, Acoustic
A1        There's Hell In Hello But More In Goodbye
A2        94 The Long Way
B1        Bad Timing
B2        Happy Trails
Copyright © – Drag City
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Drag City
Published By – Field Code Music
Published By – Rough Trade Publishing
Recorded At – Steamroom, Chicago
Mastered At – Record Technology Incorporated – 39892
Lacquer Cut By – Saff*
Painting [Cover Painting] – Brian Calvin
Painting [Inside] – Steve Keene
Comes in a single sleeve with a one-sided A5 insert (credits, acknowledgements, song titles).

©&℗1997 Drag City P.O. Box 476867 Chicago, Illinois 60647-6867

©1997 Field Code Music (BMI) / Outside of USA/Canada ©1997 Rough Trade Publishing
Barcode (Stickered): 781484012016

• Condition: NEW
• Format: Vinyl
• Internal ID: 781484012016
• Format Detail: LP
• Genre: ROCK
• Label: Drag City
• Catalog Number: dc120
• Format Type: LP
• Handling Note: **Please allow an additional 72 hours for this item's shipment.**
• Released: 1997-08-25