Rotation

Old 97’s
Early Tracks
Bloodshot Records

The Old 97’s aren’t exactly ancient. The band started in 1993 when drummer Philip Peeples joined the rest of the crew, Rhett Miller, Ken Bethea and Murry Hammond. After that, the band played a few gigs around Dallas until it got signed by Elektra. Since then, the Old 97’s have put out four albums and a handful of singles.

Still, at this point it seems a little premature to release an early tracks album. It’s not like there has been a loud cry from completists to release every recorded note from the Old 97’s vaults. Early Tracks appeals more to the recent fan, if anyone. Die-hard followers, on the other hand, might be a little let down.

The album contains four songs that were recorded in 1995 but never released, as well as four older songs. This is an opportunity to hear the band during its initial stages, when it solidly mixed country (but not too country for Yankees) with rock (but not too rockish for Texans).

Miller, lead singer on most of the material, belts out twangy tunes that drip with sentimentality. Combine that with a mélange of slightly out-of-tune harmonies, and you have classic wailin’-and-cryin’-in-yer-beer music. The aptly titled “Cryin’ Drunk” is rendered in typical 97’s fashion, complete with Bethea’s sliding guitar. The song’s so sad it almost sounds like a parody.

Also included are the peppy, fast-paced stylings of Bethea, who uses his instrument effectively to buoy riff-heavy numbers like “Por Favor” and “Let the Train Blow the Whistle.” Veteran fans will appreciate the velocity of Bethea’s fretwork, compelling you to tap your boots. If nothing else about this album excites old Old 97’s fans, this will: The band includes one of its extinct songs, “Ray Charles,” which it hardly ever plays anymore.