The '59 Sound - sounding dated already?

I'm still trying to sort thru my feelings on American Slang vs 59 Sound. I'm senstive to the fact that AS is the new shiny toy, and inherently will be liked b/c it's new. I think the verdict is still out whether it will have the lasting power that 59 sound does / did. But I can say this, I don't remember liking 59 Sound at any point as much as I'm digging AS right now. Again, it could be that it's new, not overplayed, but we'll see as time moves on. I think there's more variety on AS vs. 59 Sound.

steady now steady now wrote:

My original post, which started this thread, focused on the sound and the production of T59S, not the merits of the lyrics or the songs as such (which, as I thought I made clear, I consider as good as any they have written). This is what intrigued me; did others think it sounded dated.

I never really paid attention to the sound of the album before since I'm mostly singing along at the top of my lungs in the car. But now that you bring it up I'll definitely give it a listen and focus on the production

i love everything about this album, the production, the music, the lyrics, its the first album of theirs i got and is without doubt my favourite, everything about it just sounds perfect

Hendrix94 wrote:

i love everything about this album, the production, the music, the lyrics, its the first album of theirs i got and is without doubt my favourite, everything about it just sounds perfect

same here.

Did The Clash's self-titled sound dated when London Calling came out?

Progression and change in production is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. The last thing I'd want Gaslight to do is stagnate and stick with the same thing.

Sure, it sounds different, but that's a good thing IMO.

I still love The '59 Sound. In fact, I think it's still growing on me after all this time.

Jaywalk wrote:

Did The Clash's self-titled sound dated when London Calling came out?.

No, it didn;t, but then again The '59 Sound was quite deliberately an exercise in nostalgia, as given away by its title. As such, one could argue that it always sounded dated by its own definition.

But, as they say, nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

NDTGA wrote:

It's funny because to me The 59 Sound is growing and growing in stature every time I hear it. I had always like Sink or Swim more, but I think T59S might be the better record- its the perfect combination of all of Gaslight's influences (punk, soul, heartland rock, etc) together with their own brand of sound.

Its funny to me how much they've talked about "finding their own sound" on this 3rd record, because I think T59S was the perfect "sound" and American Slang (like it or not) sounds to me like it could have been written by any of numerous punk/alternative bands. In their search to make their own sound, they've partially abandoned what made them so unique (wearing their influences on their sleeves and being the perfect blending/combination of these influences) and gone to more of a generic sound. They could have still made a record that was THEIRS by just abandoning the direct Springsteen/Waits/Strummer quotes and keeping their sound the same. Things like using the same type of re-verb that Springsteen used in Born to Run to create the echos in the vocals was a really cool touch that, though coming from one of their influences, helped to establish clearly THEIR sound.

Sorry for the rambling post, but I guess, if anything, The '59 Sound continually gets more impressive as to how everything came together perfectly in those 40 or so minutes. I don't think it can possibly be dated because it TRANSCENDS TIME with the combination of all the influences from different eras of music. If anything, American Slang is already dated because it sounds like a record that many 2008-2010 alternative bands could have written.

The '59 Sound is a modern classic and I think it might be hard for some to appreciate that now because American Slang is the new shiny toy distracting us from the old one that we played with for two straight years. While we grew to love that toy, we've witnessed and grown bored of its (very few) flaws and are happy to have something new to play with and may have forgotten just how near-perfect that other toy actually was.

I'd basically agree with this. I prefer t59s to AS anyday. And, to my ears, it's more refreshing and original than AS.

I agree with the OP.
The 59' Sound was my favourite album, but now that I've given American Slang some time to sink (or swim) in, I prefer it and think it will yield more replay value.

Sink or Swim, Senor and the Queen, and American Slang all stand the test of time better, IMO of course.

I kinda see where you're coming from with this - the first time I listened to '59 after giving AS a proper listen to, it really hit home how much of an advance AS is in terms of the 'sound' of the songs. 'The album sounds far from dated to me though, I still haven't managed to get all the way through The Backseat without turning the volume up as loud as possible! AS seems gets better with every listen, and I've tried comparing it with the others but in the end I just figured it detracts from the enjoyment of what are three and a half sublime albums.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for one, sometimes for another...but I don't think I'd ever be able to truly pick a favourite.

Midnight Rambler wrote:

I kinda see where you're coming from with this - the first time I listened to '59 after giving AS a proper listen to, it really hit home how much of an advance AS is in terms of the 'sound' of the songs. 'The album sounds far from dated to me though, I still haven't managed to get all the way through The Backseat without turning the volume up as loud as possible! AS seems gets better with every listen, and I've tried comparing it with the others but in the end I just figured it detracts from the enjoyment of what are three and a half sublime albums.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for one, sometimes for another...but I don't think I'd ever be able to truly pick a favourite.

Do you have your avatar as a full size pic?

SmilinSkullRing wrote:

Midnight Rambler wrote:

I kinda see where you're coming from with this - the first time I listened to '59 after giving AS a proper listen to, it really hit home how much of an advance AS is in terms of the 'sound' of the songs. 'The album sounds far from dated to me though, I still haven't managed to get all the way through The Backseat without turning the volume up as loud as possible! AS seems gets better with every listen, and I've tried comparing it with the others but in the end I just figured it detracts from the enjoyment of what are three and a half sublime albums.

Sometimes I'm in the mood for one, sometimes for another...but I don't think I'd ever be able to truly pick a favourite.

Do you have your avatar as a full size pic?

Here's as big as I've got:



I think I first found it here somewhere.

Awesome. Thanks a lot!

I agree with the guy who said the 59' sound is timeless. It sounds weird to say it in a year like 2010 and for a band that only has 3 albums, but it really is true and I do believe it will stand the test of time and still be one of those albums that people will love for years and years to come.

Okay, so I gave the cd another listen (never a hard task) and did notice a difference in sound quality compared to AS and SOS. Since SOS was their first record the sound is raw and rough, which is completely fitting for the tone of the record. Perfection. However, AS is on the other side of the spectrum entirely. It's clear, polished, and appropriate for the transition from Jersey to New York imagery. However, T59S is in that awkward (but let me be clear, this is still one of my favorites so don't you dare try to sass me) phase between their past and commercial future. Compared to the other two, the sound on T59S sounds almost underwater.
Example: I was in my car blasting my radio to "Orphans" and the sound was loud (very loud) and crisp. But then "Film Noir" came on and the volume went way down and the difference between the two was blatant.
While this has no influence on my opinion of the records on the whole, I just wanted to agree with steady now steady now for arguments sake and the original intention of the post.

your response is alright, actually.

amberfoyd wrote:

your response is alright, actually.

Just wanted to give a warning. You know how defensive we can get

haha yes i do. i hate when people talk shit about something i love a band or not.

Any time you start playing with reverb, echoes etc. you run the risk of sounding dated very quickly (see: the 80's). Only time will tell how the production holds up on T59S, but as we've said, the songs themselves are timeless.

Sandinista! and Combat Rock sound much, much more dated than the earlier Clash records simply due to the overproduction.

just gonna say. i keep seeing this thread in the top. i feel like i really need to read everyones posts. but my response to the original topic question; i wouldnt say their timeless, only because it needs to be more than id say at least a decade before one can call a song timeless. like jesses girl, thats a fucking classic right there haha. i digress. maybe one day it will sound completely dated, or only some songs will. beats the hell out of me when those happen, i know ill still be listening to the guys then.