Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Dearest Forsaken
2. Morning
3. Loud As Hope
4. Peng 33
5. Sacred Vision
6. Friends They Are Jewels
7. Hickory
8. Waitin' For A Superman
9. Swans And The Swimming
10. Call Your Boys
11. Such Great Heights

Disc 2:

1. Communion Cups And Someone's Coat
2. Belated Promise Ring
3. God Made The Automobile
4. Homeward These Shores
5. Love Vigilantes
6. Sinning Hands
7. No Moon
8. Serpent Charmer
9. Carried Home
10. Kingdom Of The Animals
11. Arms Of A Thief
12. Trapeze Swinger

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2854 in Music
• Released on: 2009-05-18
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
Delving deep into the Iron & Wine discography, the 23-trackAROUND THE WELL compilation unearths rarities from indie-folk singer-songwriter Sam Beam's considerable catalogue. The first half of the Sub Pop collection focuses on spare, hushed bedroom recordings, many from Beam's formative CREEK DRANKTHE CRADLE era--most notably the melancholy, God-fearing "Dearest Forsaken" and the achingly intimate "Sacred Vision." In relative contrast, WELL's latter half showcases Iron & Wine in full-band form, particularly on tracks written for theIN GOOD COMPANY soundtrack--"The Trapeze Swinger," a quietly expansive epic, and previously unissued companion pieces such as the romantic "Belated Promise Ring."

Customer Reviews

Well Good!
"Around the Well" is a substantial compilation of B-sides, unreleased tracks and rarities that span the entire career of Iron and Wine thus far. It is a most welcome offering for us listeners to feast upon whilst waiting for the next album proper. In fact, it's one of the best compilations I've heard in some time (up there with Elliot Smith's "New Moon", dare I say it).

Over the course of 2 CD's, we hear clearly the evolution of the Iron and Wine sound. Disc one focuses on the early, lo-fi home recordings that were built around just acoustic guitar, slide guitar and Sam Beam's breezy whisper of a voice. Disc two presents the more polished and embellished but no less beautiful material of later years.

Highlights on disc one include "Morning", with its honeyed harmonies and intricate guitar picking. "Peng!33" is a Stereolab tune that Sam Beam interprets to stunning effect, making it his own. "Hickory" is another light, airy melody that evokes Texan landscapes. "Such Great Heights", that closes the disc, is so melodically powerful and intimate that it causes me to well up with tears!

On disc two, the differences are immediately apparent, with the presence of percussion, bass and piano and even a vaguely warped synthesiser (on "Arms of a Thief").
Highlights on this disc include "Belated Promise Ring", an upbeat, jaunty, buoyant piece that features a rather fetching piano solo. "God Made the Automobile",meanwhile, is astonishing, with a killer melody and charming "ooo-whoo" backing vocals. Elsewhere, we have "Serpent Charmer", a bongo-driven barnstormer. "Love Vigilantes" is a worthy rendition of a New Order classic. "The Trapeze Swinger", the album's closing tune, lasts for an epic ten minutes and not a moment is wasted. It contains one of Sam Beam's finest vocal melodies, a catchy guitar riff and more of the addictive "oo-whoo" backing vocals that added so much to "God Made the Automobile". It's a truly glorious number to bow out on.

So, all in all, "Around the Well" is a superb compilation. Granted, there are are a few tunes that come across as slight on the first listen, but these even these lesser numbers start to cast their spell after a few spins. This album is a must-have for established fans and any lovers of intimate acoustic music or Americana in general.

Speaking for myself, I could listen to these simple, stunningly crafted melodies for eternity. I hope you feel the same way!

top notch b-sides and rarities
simply put iron&wines b-sides and cast offs are better than most other artists albums great value double cd alsowith lovely artwork

Beam's Endless Numbered Off Cuts
'Around the Well' is a daunting compilation of 23 non album tracks presented in a roughly chronological order. As you'd expect the first disc is made up of stripped down acoustic material and much of it is fairly forgettable. This is highlighted by the inclusion of some cover versions that manage to strip all the excitement and passion from the source material (Flaming lips 'Waitin for a Superman' is just about ok but not a patch on the original, the Postal Service's 'Such Great Heights' is just dull beyond belief). Listening to these recordings I conjured up a nightmare fantasy in my head where in a 'Be Kind Rewind' scenario all of my music is wiped by a magnetised Sam Beam who then panics and re-records the entire collection using only a guitar, a banjo and his understated croon turning everything into an indistinguishable folk mush.

So the second disc comes as a bit of a relief all told and in particular the songs that make up the latter half sound somewhat similar in style to 2007's 'The Shepherd's Dog' and are pretty solid. The expansive, blissful 'Trapeze Swinger', hypnotic 'Carried Home' and refreshingly different, piano driven 'Kingdom of the Animals' stand out.

I wouldn't recommend this as an entry point into the Iron & Wine discography - this is really of most interest to hardcore fans or completists.