Record Store Day was split into two days this year, the first of which was this past Saturday, June 12th. Among the many interesting records released that day was a new album from Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Our Back Pages, in which they revisit some of the material they performed in The dB’s. But if you missed it, do not despair, for the album is being released on CD on June 18th, and the CD version has two extra tracks. The album’s title is a nod to Bob Dylan’s “My Back Pages,” which features the line “Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey deliver delicious acoustic renditions of some of their favorite dB’s songs, focusing on harmonies. The two musicians play most of the instruments on this release, though do get a bit of help from John Teer on violin and Libby Rodenbough on violin.
The album opens with “Today Could Be The Day,” which was written by Peter Holsapple, and originally appeared on 1987’s The Sound Of Music. This new rendition has a wonderful, positive energy and vibe, and features some great work on fiddle. Sure, it might not be as lively as the original version, but there is a sweet aspect to it that I love, and the vocals are excellent. They follow that with “From A Window To A Screen,” from Repercussion, this one written by Chris Stamey. There is something beautiful about this song, particularly because of the vocal work. And check out these lines: “Some would say we were friends/I won’t make that mistake again/I won’t make that mistake again/Careless at the start/Cautious at the end.”
“Black And White” is the lead track from the band’s debut album, Stands For Decibels. This version really stands out for me. It is interesting, for the song still has an edge, but it’s different now. The sense of the song has changed. It feels more introspective, more thoughtful, and maybe it is that there is something sadder now in the line “I guess I don’t enjoy you anymore,” because presumably there is more history behind it. “Love, love is the answer/To no question/Yeah, but thanks for the suggestion/I know I don’t care at all/Yeah, I know I don’t know anything at all.” On that first album, “Black And White” is followed by “Dynamite.” And it is likewise followed by that song here, where, as you might guess, it has a different feel, mainly because the strumming on acoustic guitar has a sweeter sound. And I love the way they handle the bridge in this version. This song was written by all four members of The dB’s.
“Molly Says” originally was included on The Sound Of Music. I’ve always appreciate the humor of this song, like how Molly says that he reminds her of her old man, and then he says “I never liked her old man that much to be begin with.” But the lines that really stand out for me are “She could stand at the top of the world/And still complain that she could not see/She could stand in a deep dark hole/And still look down on me.” This one was written by Peter Holsapple. It’s followed by “Happenstance,” written by Chris Stamey. For some reason, the line “One day in your cul-de-sac, you’ll realize what it meant” always makes me smile. Is it just the use of the word “cul-de-sac”? Not sure, but I love the line. And this version features a really nice lead on guitar.
“Big Brown Eyes” comes from the first album. A couple of years ago I was fortunate to see these guys perform this song at The Federal Bar (they also did “From A Window To A Screen” at that show). Also from that first album comes “She’s Not Worried,” one of my personal favorites on this new release. This rendition is a total delight, making me smile right from the beginning and that first line “She’s not bothered by the foolish way I lead my life, ‘cause she knows it’ll be over soon.” That is certainly a fantastic opening line. And the instrumental section near the end is adorable. “Sometimes I don’t say the silly words she wants to hear/But you know it’s always on my mind.” This one was written by Chris Stamey. Then “Picture Sleeve” is a totally cool song that was released as a single for Record Store Day a decade ago, and is a song that Peter and Chris wrote together. I love this new rendition, this song working so well in this stripped down setting. It’s another of the disc’s highlights.
“Depth Of Field” is song that was written for the Repercussion album, but not included. It wasn’t included on any album by The dB’s, but was included on Chris Stamey’s It’s A Wonderful Life, released in 1982. Libby Rodenbough plays violin on this beautiful rendition, which is part of the reason this track ends up being another of my favorites. The vinyl edition of this album concludes with “Nothing Is Wrong,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and originally included on Repercussion. The version here features the full band (Will Rigby on drums, Gene Holder on bass), and was originally included on a 2006 compilation, Songs For 65 Roses. The dB’s are joined by Andy Burton on keys. The CD version contains two bonus tracks, the first of which is “Darby Hall,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and originally included on re-issues of Like This. This new version features some excellent vocal work. The disc concludes with “In Spain,” a song from Repercussion. This is yet another highlight, and contains what might be the best vocal performances of the entire album.
CD Track List
- Today Could Be The Day
- From A Window To A Screen
- Black And White
- Dynamite
- Molly Says
- Happenstance
- Big Brown Eyes
- She’s Not Worried
- Picture Sleeve
- Depth Of Field
- Nothing Is Wrong
- Darby Hall
- In Spain
Our Back Pages is scheduled to be released on CD on June 18, 2021 through Omnivore Recordings. It was released on vinyl on June 12, 2021.
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