The Freed Man (1989)

When Lou Barlow first started recording as Sebadoh with his pal Eric Gaffney in 1986, he was still playing bass in Dinosaur Jr., and the group's early work practically defines the "side project syndrome" -- since Barlow was already a member of another, more "serious" band at the same time, Sebadoh gave him the opportunity to be as silly, as cryptic, or as obsessively personal as he wished. Not long after Sebadoh's The Freed Man first surfaced as a cassette-only release, Barlow was fired from Dinosaur Jr., and what was once ... Read More

When Lou Barlow first started recording as Sebadoh with his pal Eric Gaffney in 1986, he was still playing bass in Dinosaur Jr., and the group's early work practically defines the "side project syndrome" -- since Barlow was already a member of another, more "serious" band at the same time, Sebadoh gave him the opportunity to be as silly, as cryptic, or as obsessively personal as he wished. Not long after Sebadoh's The Freed Man first surfaced as a cassette-only release, Barlow was fired from Dinosaur Jr., and what was once his creative safety valve suddenly became his primary musical forum, and the rough, purposefully distorted textures of Sebadoh's primitive early work (recorded on inexpensive four-track cassette decks and then dubbed down to even cheesier tape) would become the early hallmark of their music, along with the rage, puzzlement, and melancholy that defined Barlow's lyrical world-view. However, on The Freed Man, while Barlow hardly sounds sunny most of the time, he was clearly able to embrace the playful side of the group's music, and Gaffney was more than willing to bring his fair share of goofiness into the formula; add the periodic barrage of audio clips from television broadcasts, old children's records, and assorted noise, and you get the template for much of what would emerge in the "lo-fi revolution" (and like thousands of bands that would follow in Sebadoh's wake, much of The Freed Man was recorded in a college dorm room, with sounds from the adjoining rooms occasionally bleeding onto the tape). While stretches of The Freed Man sound like the pot-addled meanderings of a semi-bohemian college sophomore with a little too much time on his hands, both Barlow and Gaffney display enough songcraft and imagination to show they were several cuts above most folks following a similar path, and the fact that the nerdy but confessional "Soulmate," the bare-bones pop of "Drifts on Thru," and a mock-hardcore cover of "Yellow Submarine" could peacefully coexist on the same album suggests Sebadoh's budget-minded eclecticism was reaping potent rewards right from the very start. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi Read Less

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• CD, Very Good 2007, Domino UPC: 801390015229 See Item Details ▾

  Theophilus Books BEST Knoxville, TN, USA

  $15.95 Add to Cart Add this copy of Freed Man to cart. $15.95, very good condition, Sold by Theophilus Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Knoxville, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Domino.

  	Edition: 2007, Domino CD, Very Good	Details: UPC: 801390015229 Discs: 1 Label: Domino Released: 07/2007 Alibris ID: 17584217234	Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $4.99 Trackable Expedited: $9.19 Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
  Seller's Description: Very Good. CD, jewel case, and inserts all in very good condition. No scratches or skips. Cardboard slipcase has light shelf wear and a hole punched in the barcode on bottom edge of slipcase (remainder mark). Buy with confidence. Guaranteed skip free or your money refunded.
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2007, Domino UPC: 801390015229 CD See All from $15.95