Demolition

Tracks include the pleasant country tracks, but mildly disappointing, 'Desire' and 'Hallelujah', which is nothing more than a second rate 'Firecracker' from 'Gold'. In contrast, acoustic ditties such as the Nick Drake-like 'You Will Always Be The Same' and the brilliant and emotive 'Cry On Demand' rank among Adams' best work. The albums highlight is 'Tomorrow', and the fact that it was co-written with Carrie Hamilton, a friend of Ryan's who appears on the sleeve of 'Gold' who later died from cancer, makes the song seem even more touching. It is a beautiful solo acoustic track with excellent duel vocals from Ryan and Gillian Welch. Elsewhere, 'Jesus (Don't Touch My Baby)', although one of the weaker tracks on the album, is another emotional song about when the author first found out about Carrie Hamilton's cancer.

Other highlights include lead single 'Nuclear' is an excellent opener which ranks with Ryan's best songs, and 'Starting To Hurt' is a bass-line lead rocker about a woman jumping from the top of a building, which is another touching moment once you know the story behind the song. However, for every good track, there is one which disappoints. 'Gimme A Sign' is pedestrian and easily forgotten, and 'Tennessee Sucks' is quite nice but again not very memorable. However, considering that this is a collection of "unfinished demo's" (which is hard to believe when you listen to this record) then these are only minor flaws, as 'She Wants To Plays Hearts', 'Dear Chicago' and 'Chin Up, Cheer Up' are all welcome on the record.

Therefore, not as complete as his previous two "proper" studio albums but at only 13 tracks it makes it a bit easier to listen to than the 16 tracks of 'Gold'. As far as albums go, this isn't bad at all, but as far as demo collections go, this is excellent. Another essential Ryan Adams record.


Can't wait for the new album!   January 12, 2003
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Demolition is an excellent taster for Ryan's next full album- although it doesn't flow like an album because what was intended is a collection of demos. Some high quality individual tunes show a slight change in direction for Ryan while remaining true to the style which fans know and enjoy. Recommended for fans of Ryan Adams, but people new to him should perhaps try Gold or Heartbreaker first.


Cool   January 9, 2003
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I am writing this review as it seems this album is getting a bit of a hard deal on amazon. Having owned and loved heartbreaker and gold before buying this album i was very excited about the prospect of getting my little hands on this gem.

And what a gem it is! songs like Cry on Demand and She Wants to Play Hearts are great heartbreaker songs but the best songs on the album are the more uplifting ones. Chin up, Cheer up and Hallelujah are quite simply absolutely gorgeous, putting them on really does cheer me up and make me ready for my day.

This is a great albuma and while i would agree that perhaps this is not one for Ryan Adams beginers, it will be loved by the more seasoned fans. If you like Ryan Adams you will love this!


Good, but has done better   December 7, 2002
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

There are some great songs on this album that would be a worthy addition to any songwriters resume. Cry on Demand, Dear Chicago, Game of Hearts are incredible, but this album just doesn't offer the same feeling of completeness as Ryan's previous stuff. I suppose that is only to be expected given that it is a compilation of demos recorded over a number of years. For fans of this great mans work, I would recommend it. For newcomers, get Gold and Heartbreaker (gotta get both!!) and work your way to this.


He can't be stopped...thankfully!   November 11, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Pitching this as a collection of songs cobbled together from a series of unreleased albums wouldn't normally sound particularly inviting; but then this is Ryan Adams, an artist currently so prolific that you'd imagine even Bob Pollard from Guided By Voices might soon give him a call and advise him to slow down a little.

Seemingly unstoppable at present, Adams managed to record a number of different albums over the last few months with a number of different bands, and rather than releasing a box set of the lot, the highlights were picked to make up "Demolition". Considering a supposed trip to a nearby Alanis Morissette gig last year inspired Adams to record one of the albums makes you wonder whether simply making a cup of tea could now unleash another flurry of song writing activity from The Boy Wonder.

Whilst "Demolition" doesn't quite match the brilliance of "Gold" this is still an extremely fine album. It won't perhaps win over his critics, but for the fans it's just another corking collection of tunes.

Starting with the highlights: "Nuclear", "You Will Always Be The Same", "Chin Up Cheer Up", "Cry On Demand" and "She Wants To Play Hearts" rate up their with his best compositions yet, and generally on this record Adams seems at his best when he keeps it low key and simple. The rockers (which served him well on "Gold") fall slightly flat here - namely "Starting To Hurt" and "Gimme A Sign", which both sound rather forced and out of place. "Tennessee Sucks" smacks of being a bit of a novelty tune, but still has a good vocal and sweet melody, whilst "Jesus (Don't Touch Me Baby)" is a slight foray into Radiohead territory that ultimately back fires.

If we're being honest it could be said this is a bit of a mixed bag - but when he's on form Adams just can't be beaten. Quite what direction the "official" follow-up to "Gold" will take we will have to wait and see.