Search - Sadies :: Pure Diamond Gold

This is a good CD

Virditas | Tokyo | 04/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Sadies' second album is lke their first in many ways: there are 20 songs crammed into 40min of music. However, this particular CD has more vocal songs, less instrumental. Yes, most of the songs are still instrumental, but even how! Each instrumental song commands deep respect, for they are like short stories, each one an idea.For those of us used to 13 song, 50min CDs, this one (and the Sadies' others) will be something to get used to, and if you dislike instumental tracks, this CD may not be for you.Their musical skill is second to none, and the gravelly voice of the Good brothers offer an excellent contrast to polished, "clean" voices.The vocal songs are good, too. On this CD, they still mostly cover the songs, but two of their own (where *they* wrote the lyrics) are on the CD. The songs are everything from traditional yokel country (Higher Power) to inimitatable ballad (Eastwinds, a hauntingly beautiful song) to dark humor (Nothing to Me). All in all, my biggest beef with the CD is that, like all The Sadies CDs, it is too short! But what is on this CD is quality music, and I hope others enjoy it as much as I do. I also reccomend their other two albums just as much."

Eureka! It's Pure Diamond Gold!

Peter Walenta | Long Island, New York USA | 06/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you stumbled upon The Sadies by reading reviews of some of their records in No Depression magazine, this record is where they first successfully blended their revved up Spaghetti western instrumentals ("Rat Creek", "Starling Auto") with fairly accurate renditions of some traditional bluegrass tunes ("Higher Power", "Walking Boss") to create an immensely listenable and cohesive picture of their musical visions. If you happened onto The Sadies because you saw them listed as one of the bands in the Bloodshot Records stable of outlaw country musicians and you wondered what they were about, you should know that these guys are not from the back woods of Tennessee (despite the hilarious extended coyote howl in "Cloud Rider"), but rather they hail from the steel and glass canyons of Toronto, Canada. If like me, you've seen them live in concert on more than one occasion, you'll know that this record fairly accurately captures the weird melange of songs that Dallas Good, Travis Good, Mike Belitsky, and Sean Dean will serve up on any given night.



This is a late night party record and if nostalgia for 60's garage band, surf and western instrumental guitar rave-ups is what you have a hankering for, then you've come to the right place buddy! Freakwater's Catherine Irwin adds some spooky but pretty vocals to "Eastwinds". Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor adds guitar and Mekons' Jon Langford adds the cover illustration and in subsequent years both musicians would collaborate with The Sadies on several excellent records. But on Pure Diamond Gold the essence of a truly weird but fun Canadian alt.country band is revealed in all of its' gory glory which rewards with repeated listens. Dig `em!

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