Track Listing

1. River In The Pines
2. The Trials Of Harrison Hayes
3. Beyond The Shore
4. The Ghost Of The Girl In The Well
5. Twistification
6. Another Man Is Gone
7. Soft Hand
8. Rosalee
9. Fare Thee Well
10. Day Is Passed And Gone
11. The Suffering Song

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83936 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-09
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
The cover of Regard the End depicts a leafless tree struggling for life in arid soil. The photo inside the sleeve is a black and white portrait of a snow-covered weatherboard house, the kind of place where you'd be surprised to wake in the middle of the night and not find the pale ghost of a young girl at the foot of your bed. Even by the fabulously bleak standards of Willard Grant Conspiracy, Regard the End (a title which clearly should be interpreted as an instruction) is gloomy, less an album than a wake--almost every song is a rueful reflection on death, decay or departure. It is also, in keeping with previous WGC offerings, absolutely splendid.

The 11 credited WGC players on Regard the End are augmented by guest vocalists Kristin Hersh, Jess Klein and Blake Hazard. The knelling balladry created by this formidable lineup is a conscious echo of such old-school miserabilists as The Louvin Brothers, and also finds WGC strengthening their spiritual kinship with fellow outsize country ensemble Lambchop: "Beyond the Shore" especially shares something of Lambchop's fragile grandeur. "River in the Pines" and "Fare Thee Well" summon up memories of the Triffids, and it's not just the title of the climactic "The Suffering Song" that brings Nick Cave to mind.

Mostly, however, Regard the End just sounds like Willard Grant Conspiracy, which is no problem at all. For an album so completely preoccupied with death, Regard the End is curiously life-affirming. --Andrew Mueller

Customer Reviews

Atmospheric and engaging.
This is a quality slice of 'Southern Gothic' that moves from the country folk of 'River in The Pines' to the Lambchop-like richness of 'Soft Hand'. Songs of loss and sorrow, hauntings and poverty roll by without a flicker of irony but variations in tempo and background make a cohesive whole that is always interesting. Compared to their last (Mojave) this album is a real step up, more varied and consistent. Highly recomended-my album of the year.

Wonderful
Given that the subject matter is Death, this is a surprisingly upbeat album. I regard the marvellous Mojave as one of the finest albums in my collection. Regard The End has a different feel, but in its own way is a masterpiece. Its a mixture of reworked traditional songs and new material penned by Robert Fisher. 'River in the pines' (Nick Cave eat your heart out) and 'Rosalee' would be worth the price of the CD themselves, but the rest of the album is also superb.

everything's wonderful
If you are already familiar with WGC and own their albums, this review will come as no surprise to you. Regard the End is a natural progression from the Mojave and Everythings Fine albums and shows how really great bands just get better and better. Here Robert Fisher's emotive, deep oak voice is right to the fore and sounds magnificent. If you have not heard WGC before, but like artists ranging from Nick Cave to Tindersticks to Lambchop, Steve Earle & 16 Horsepower you must buy this album. These are songs that really mean something, death is a constant theme but this album is uplifting rather than depressing. If you want an album that you can put on late at night when you are feeling mellow after a few glasses, then this is it - don't expect a barrel of laughs but do expect to be deeply moved. I challenge you not to feel the hairs on the back of your neck rise when you hear the opening strains of the Suffering Song, possibly the greatest song they have ever recorded. Other highlights, well they are all stunning but The Trials of Harrison Hayes, Ghost Of The Girl in the Well and Fare Thee Well are all awesome. Fisher's vocals (and lyrics) are simply overwelming throughout and the musicianship is of the highest quality. If you want songs of love & death just buy this album, you won't regret it - then buy Mojave & Everythings Fine - then go & see them live, you know it makes sense! Don't forget, sufferings gonna come to everyone, someday.