Track Listing

1. Holes
2. Tonite It Shows
3. Endlessly
4. I Collect Coins
5. Opus 40
6. Hudson Line
7. The Happy End (The Drunk Room)
8. Goddess On A Hiway
9. The Funny Bird
10. Pick Up If You're There
11. Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12019 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
That Mercury Rev avoided a messy, chemically-assisted burnout in the middle of the 1990s is remarkable; that they should return in 1998 with an album as fine as Deserter's Songs is almost unfeasible. But working by the old adage that "what does not kill us makes us stronger", Deserter's Songs is an album of unparalleled scope. Drawing on the legacy of America's pioneers and the nascent scenes of folk-rock and psychedelia, Mercury Rev have formed a living, breathing piece of heritage. "Holes" is dizzied in America's vast scope, and warmed by woodwind instruments, mellotrons and a Wurlitzer organ. It sounds like a beautiful climax, but it's only the first song, and there's better to come, what with the weathered "Goddess On A Hiway" and "Opus 40". Deserter's Songs is one of the essential American albums at the end of the 1990s. It's hard to see that they--or anyone--can top it. --Louis Pattison

CD Description
A touching, majestic gem of a record, DESERTER'S SONGS raises the bar not just for Mercury Rev themselves, but orchestrated pop in general. There's a timelessness to both the compositions and the arrangements here. Grand sonic visions are realised with horns, keyboards, strings, even a bowed saw! No matter how big the sound gets, though, it's all carefully controlled, and the cinematic scope enhances the songs, rather than obscuring them. Simple--but never blunt--lyrics benefit from an infectious melodicism that speaks to the pop songcraft skills Mercury Rev has mastered. The sweeping scale of DESERTER'S SONGS never denies the small, intimate pleasures that pop up from song to song, as the band combines psychedelia, '60s pop, Flaming Lips-ish indie rock and a homey folk-rock sound (the Band's Garth Hudson and Levon Helm even appear here) for a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Customer Reviews

Eerie mix of Disney sounds and black-hearted America
This is an album that you hear and say "they can't be serious, can they?" as you listen to the singer's strangely cartoon like voice and impossibly twee mellotrons and ultra high strings. It's only when you listen to the complex orchestrations that you begin to realise this band is indeed serious. "Deserters Songs" sounds like candy but tastes like something darker, giving us glimpses of an american landscape full of despair, humour and hope. It's an emotional ride, and has the feeling of albums like OK Computer and Achtung Baby, that drift along and leave hundreds of layers of meaning, saying far more than they suggest but never appearing to be pretentiously profound. It even ends with a good ol' downhome footbanger in Delta Blues Stomp, that lifts the spirit and leaves you with a reflective, exciting and technically superb album.

The most important band of the decade!
This is possibly the most important band of the decade and thensome, they come from New York and surrounding areas. They began in a front room playing guitars to a wild life program about rivers, I know you cant believe it either but its true. They started with David Fridmann mostly on vocals with Jonathan Donahue on backup vocals Dave brought the more phycadelic side of Mercury Rev out while Jonathan aimed for a more commercial angle. Dave soon departed and Jonathan took over and they have gone from obscurity to absolute geniuses. I have to say it I personally think this is the best album of 1998/1999. Deserter's Songs is the predecessor of 'See You On The Other Side' this is the most refreshing album you will hear, Jonathan is a lyrical master with such words as 'Like a wave along the coast I feel the highs and the lows'. The opening song for the album is 'Holes' which shows Jonathan is in the right place and able to pull of playing guitar as well as singing. Singles of this album are 'Goddess on a Hiway, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp and Opus 40'. All you need to know is this is one of the most important albums of all time, if this was on a scoring system they would get 20 out of 10. This band deserves your attention I rest my case.

A Classic
I don't really understand people who wrote reviews for this album and didn't like it or get it. And how could you ever say anything like the Wannadies are better? It is true, if the kind of music that gets you going is the kind of drawl found on a over-produced Nsync or Britney Spears album then you'll find no joy for your narrow mind here. This album is a classic and should be on every normal persons playlist, just give it time, all the great albums are growers, if you want throw-away-pop look elsewhere, this album will be with you forever. I like all the tracks except Hudson Line which to be fair, was written by Grasshopper. I actually liked Funny Bird, quite an emotional song I thought and my fave off the album, Bottleneck Stomp isn't too bad either. You really have rate this as an album and not a collection of hits. The whole thing flows effortlessly as if it is one big piece of work, not some drab album thrown together with the one hit single and a few album fillers - like you see alot these days. It's atmospheric, it's beautiful, it's like the woman you love, only better. I wouldn't like to compare it to anything else, cause to me, Rev are Rev but if you like Radiohead, Grandaddy or even the Chemical Brothers you will probably like this. These bands might even have been influenced by early rev...buy it and look for the new album this year..