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Tremendous Efforts
Sadies
Tremendous Efforts
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

On their first two albums, the Sadies--decked out like Tarantino gangsters and dabbling in surf and spaghetti Western sounds, bluegrass, and rock--had a great concept but couldn't quite deliver the goods. Happily, the thir...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Sadies
Title: Tremendous Efforts
Members Wishing: 7
Total Copies: 0
Label: Bloodshot Records
Release Date: 3/20/2001
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock
Styles: Americana, Country Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 744302007021

Synopsis

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
On their first two albums, the Sadies--decked out like Tarantino gangsters and dabbling in surf and spaghetti Western sounds, bluegrass, and rock--had a great concept but couldn't quite deliver the goods. Happily, the third time's the charm: with Tremendous Efforts, the Canadian quartet finds just the right mix of surf and turf, deftly juggling jaunty instrumentals ("Pass the Chutney"), garage nuggets ("FLASH"), and country shuffles ("One Million Songs"). Importantly, bandleaders and brothers Dallas and Travis Good have discovered the advantages of economy: where the previous Sadies discs brimmed with 20 cuts apiece, this one is kept to a baker's dozen, and it's the rare tune among them that exceeds pop's magical three minutes. Even still, there's room for plenty of surprises, including "120 Miles Per Hour"--a subtle weeper with a tasty turn on steel guitar by Bob Egan and a pace that spites its title--and a blooming, buzzing cover of "Wasn't Born to Follow" that one-ups even those definitive cosmic cowboys, the Byrds. --Anders Smith-Lindall

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CD Reviews

Tremendous is an understatement!
Cassi Patterson | Davis, CA | 10/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Surf-a-billy meets the beatles. i love this disc and cant stop listening to it's infectious and moody treasures. One minute you're slow dancing at that sleazy bar on main street (you know, the one with the neon pool cue) the next it's a clam bake on the beach under a godzilla moon. I hated for this ride to end."
Wow.
Nate Weatherington | Birmingham, AL United States | 11/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"These Canadians have as good a sense of Americana and its music as any other band out there. This album is musically fulfilling and flawlessly executed to boot. I can't stop listening to it. Styles cover the full spectrum: from Doo-wop in 'Loved on Look' to an epic western vibe (a la Calexico) in 'Empty the Chamber' to lounge flavored splendor in 'The Creepy Butler' and a psychedelic cover of Carole King's ballad 'Wasn't Born to Follow' all wrapped up with a good old cry in your beer country song at the end ('Before I Wake'). This combination makes this album the most diverse and interesting I have heard since Chocloate and Cheese by Ween. Unlike the brothers Ween, though, the brothers Good play and sing like grownups who have studied and mastered their craft of song for decades, thus achieving the kind of actualization most musicians are not even aware of (and their live show is extraordinary, for those who have the opportunity to see a gig). If you like American music at all, you will enjoy this album for its majesty, energy, and diversity."
A Quickie But A Goodie! The Sadies MakeTremendous Efforts
Peter Walenta | Long Island, New York USA | 06/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"With eleven songs recorded in six days in late March 2000 under the tutelage of Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor and with two tracks recorded in Moncton, New Brunswick under the supervision of Eric's Trip's Rick White, Tremendous Efforts is the product of a band feeling the pressures of being on tour but still being able to stop long enough and collect its' thoughts to deliver creative instrumentals, original songs, and a couple of nice covers without sounding forced or hurried. This record marked a significant departure from Pure Diamond Gold in that the tempo is more relaxed even on the rave-up instrumentals that have become the Sadies' trademark sound. Clocking in at just 35:55, Tremendous Efforts shows a young band that was growing and willing to try, if not entirely new, then at least different styles in the alt-country genre. Greg Keelor delivers righteously indignant and impassioned vocals on the great cover of Elvis Presley's "Loved On Look". The Sadies received 'tremendous' back up from all the members of Blue Rodeo as well as from their own relatives, The Good Brothers. Even their mother, Margaret Good, lends vocals on

"Before I Wake". The Sadies also do a very respectable cover of The Byrds' classic psychedelic country rock anthem "Wasn't Born to Follow". More of the instrumentals are acoustic bluegrass pickin' numbers than on previous efforts, but all are done tastefully. While not as zany an outing as Pure Diamond Gold, Tremendous Efforts shows a more mellow Sadies who can still rock out when necessary. A Good job!"