Pneumonia (album)
| Pneumonia | ||||
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| Studio album by Whiskeytown | ||||
| Released | May 22, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | Dreamland Studios & House of Blues Studios | |||
| Genre | Alternative country | |||
| Length | 57:11 | |||
| Label | Lost Highway Records | |||
| Producer | Ethan Johns | |||
| Whiskeytown chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
  [1]
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| Pitchfork Media | 8.1/10 link |
| PopMatters | Highly favorable link |
| Rolling Stone |
link
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| Uncut |
link
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| Robert Christgau |
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Pneumonia is the third and final studio album by the alternative country band Whiskeytown, released on May 22, 2001 on Lost Highway Records. The album is noted for its troubled history which saw the band lose its record deal in the midst of the merger between Polygram and Universal Music Group, and the already volatile band fell apart as a result. The album sat on the shelf for nearly two years and it was said that over 100 songs were recorded during the 3 years. It was bootlegged heavily and gained a reputation as a great "lost" record from fans, before getting released by Lost Highway Records as something of an appetizer for Ryan Adams' 2001 album Gold.
Adams chose the album title Pneumonia for symbolic reasons. He felt it reflected the album's themes of being lovesick and succumbing to love. Plus, he saw the recording of the album as Whiskeytown "falling into this very slow and sleepy finality".
By early 1999, Whiskeytown band members Ryan Adams, Caitlin Cary, and Mike Daly had started recording their follow-up to Strangers Almanac at an abandoned church in , called Dreamland Studios. Ethan Johns, son of legendary producer Glyn Johns, was tapped to produce the album. Originally planned to be a double-album entitled Happy Go Bye Bye, the music recorded was intended to be a departure from the band's previous alt-country sound, prominently featuring Adams on piano, with classic pop arrangements featuring strings and horns. Notably, Mike Daly co-wrote seven songs on the album with Adams; Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha contributed guitar and co-wrote a song; ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson added guitar and dobro; and producer Johns played several instruments. Adams envisioned this collective effort to be in the vein of "those Woodstock albums, like The Band made in the '60s."
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Wikipedia