Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down Til I Hear It Seeing Stars (4 tracks) +Album Reviews

Good for fans...

Jeff Wilson | 03/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Seeing Stars is a great lost track... better than half of the album it wasn't put on.Fans should look for the Gas Giants - Robin's new band--record is out now."

Literally the only single I've ever bought

09/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, the Gin Blossoms are touring again! It's a wonderful thing, and last night I saw them for the second time since their reunion. They're really in top form, and are going to start recording a new album! They played one of the new songs, and it was unbelievably good.But the reason I bought this single is due to the first time I saw them. They played a little song called "Seeing Stars," one not many people had heard, because this is the ONLY place to get it. It was amazing. It is not, as some people believe, about a romantic relationship, but rather about the relationship between singer Robin Wilson and the late great Blossoms guitarist Doug Hopkins. "We'll drink together in a different light" is really the most telling line in the song--if you see them live, you'll notice every member of the band drinks and smokes during the set, and if you know your facts, you'll know alcohol is one of the things that drove Hopkins to the depression that led him to suicide. It's brilliant to include "Seeing Stars" here and nowhere else, because this way it really is a hidden gem.Of course, "Follow You Down" is a great song, and so's "Idiot Summer" (but I prefer the version on "Dusted" to both this version, even though they perform this version live), but the real head-scratcher is "'Till I Hear It From You." The song was a hit for the band, but was only on the UK release of "Congratulations...I'm Sorry." It's not on any other US release except this one, where it's relegated to B-side status. Well, that's not totally true, it's on the "Best Of" album. Anyway, there's 4 great songs here, it's really closer to an EP than a single. Get into the Gin Blossoms, get into some of the best pop music in the past 20 years."

Seeing Stars

Jeff Wilson | Florida | 08/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the best bands of the '90s, the Gin Blossoms - out of Tempe, Arizona - always amazed me with their songwriting ability. It's worth buying this CD just for "Follow You Down" and "Til I Hear It From You" alone - 2 brilliantly written songs. "Follow You Down" has been edited from 4:30 to 3:45 on this single, which is closer to an EP. "Seeing Stars" really surprised me; it's one of their best songs. Robin to Scotty at a show in Hallandale Beach, Miami - earlier this year, "we're playing 'Seeing Stars'....do you know it?...it's the one with the G." Written by Robin Wilson, the song takes you through the painful end of a relationship; the chorus changes from "take me, take my, hide it away" to "take me, take my....hurting away." "The right words...lately, I keep 'em in the luggage that you gave to me," Robin sings at one point. This is one of my personal favorites. The song probably should have been included in the release, "Outside Looking In: The Best Of Gin Blossoms" and definitely on "Congratulations I'm Sorry." But, for some reason, it's hidden here on a "Follow You Down" single. "Idiot Summer" is a pleasant surprise as well. "Three, four peaks...all I could see/In the morning it's a hundred and ten degrees............There's no telling I was so confused/I try but I can't help you choose/Tucson is so far away/I lie awake half the night/Autumn is coming it seems like it's in sight/Wasn't it like an idiot summer"...It's simply vintage Gin Blossoms. As usual, the lyrics simply flow through clever rhyme schemes and hooks. A rougher cut can be found on the Gin Blossoms' album, "Dusted" - 1989-1990. The newer version of the song was originally released on the "Wayne's World 2" soundtrack in 1992, but it seems fitting to be re-released on a Gin Blossoms' CD. "Idiot Summer" could have easily fit onto "New Miserable Experience." The guitar play by Jesse Valenzuela and Scott Johnson is very tight and so are Robin's vocals on all of the songs. I felt that "Til I Hear It From You" should have been put on the US version of "Congratulations I'm Sorry" as well; it was included on the UK version. "Til I Hear It From You" is a gem - a hit song that was co-written by Marshall Crenshaw, Jesse Valenzuela & Robin Wilson. The song ended up on some movie soundtrack for a movie that probably very few people have ever heard of. Overall, you have 4 very solid songs on 1 disc at a very reasonable price. You couldn't ask for anything more.On a side note, the Gin Blossoms are back together again, touring and currently writing and trying out new songs that they'll soon release on a new record, expected out in the near future. I saw them play in Miami, and then again in Tampa. They played 2 new songs at the Tampa show; one of the songs - Robin singing & playing rhythm guitar. Both new songs sounded great."

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	Gin Blossoms Follow You Down / Til I Hear It / Seeing Stars Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (4) - Disc #1 Follow You Down [Edit] - Gin Blossoms, Johnson, Scott [Gui Til I Hear It from You [LP Version] - Gin Blossoms, Crenshaw, Marshall Seeing Stars Idiot Summer
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