The Minus 5 - Stroke Manor - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Cult hero Scott McCaughey is one of rock n' roll's greatest comeback stories. As a member of more bands than you can name (R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Filthy Friends, Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 to list a few...), Scott's underground and ever-rotating supergroup of The Minus 5 has remained one of the most enduring projects of his storied journeyman career. After Scott suffered a nearly-fatal stroke in 2017, it was under the The Minus 5 name that he put out the recordings of Stroke Manor, featuring the original songs that detail his recovery through music therapy. Oar On, Penelope! Is The Minus 5's first album of original material in over half a decade and features help from some of his most trusted allies Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), Debbi Peterson (The Bangles), Kurt Bloch (The Fastbacks), Spencer Tweedy and was recorded and mixed by legendary engineer Ed Stasium (The Replacements, Ramones, Talking Heads, you name it!). McCaughey's breadth of musical knowledge and appreciation is on full display, ranging from addictive power pop (InchWords & BirdsInch), gnarly garage rock (InchThe Garden of ArdenInch), Neil Young-influenced Americana (InchBison QueenInch) and bite-sized psychedelia (InchSharktoothInch). Scott McCaughey has never sounded more inspired, and that's something to celebrate.

Limited heavy metal grey colored vinyl LP pressing. John McCauley, III wrote, arranged, played, and recorded the album at the tender age of 21. The album is full of songs wiser and more nuanced than John should have been able to produce according to natural law. The words are deliberate and heartfelt, and follow the lead of singer/songwriter heroes of John's like Townes van Zandt, Neil Young and Richie Valens. And the album concludes with a cover of the 1962 GRAMMY? winning Song of the Year InchWhat Kind of Fool Am IInch made famous by Sammy Davis, Jr. It can safely be said that this debut album is a genre defying classic; it's a hook filled barroom rock album that is as connected to 90's Seattle catchy gloom as it is to left-of-the-dial late 80's Minneapolis and 70's Austin honky tonk. This version of the album finds us returning to the original '07 illustrated cover. This cover will become the new standard version of the album across all formats. The music and track listing remains the same.

Dungeon Golds was recorded primarily in the basement (a.k.a. The Dungeon) of Scott McCaughey, leader of The Minus 5. These songs are the product of sporadic spare moments of inspiration over the last few years. This collection was artfully curated, by McCaughey, from the extremely limited edition (500 copies) Record Store Day 2014 vinyl only box set, Scott The Hoople In The Dungeon Of Horror. In the process of compiling these tracks, McCaughey could not resist reworking several of these songs. As a result, half the songs are different versions than what appeared on the box set. This is the first digital/CD of any of these tracks. Guests include, Peter Buck, Jeff Tweedy, Ian McLagan, Jon Moen and Nate Query (The Decemberists), Linda Pitmon, and many others.