Description
Mimes of the Old West is the sophomore album by the American alt-rock/rockabilly trio This Train, released on Organic Records in May 1998, a Pamplin Music label manufactured and distributed by Pamplin Music Distribution in the US. On this recording the band featured Mark Robertson on vocals and bass, Jordan Richter on guitars, as well as new member Joe “Cobra Joe” Curet on drums. (Trivia: Mark Robertson played in Rich Mullins‘ backup band, A Ragamuffin Band; Jordan Richter was Mullins’ sound man and Joe Curet was part of Mullins’ road crew.) The album features covers of both Hank Williams’ “I Saw The Light” and The Louvin Brothers’ “The Great Atomic Power”, the latter featured as a hidden bonus track.
Making powerfully melodic but strongly rhythmic rock which mixes ’50s rockabilly with a chunky ’60s surf guitar sound courtesy of Jordan, This Train deserve to break big time with ‘Mimes Of The Old West’. The lyrically self deprecating humour of former Ragamuffin Mark Robertson alone makes this a totally cool experience. «We’re Getting Nowhere (Fast)» is the perfect anthem for this slacker generation band but unfortunately it’s going to turn out a false prophecy because there is so much good stuff to be discovered here. It isn’t all fun and games here, though, the powerful «I Don’t Want To Know» is a prompt to our consciences to be compassionate towards the poor while «The Wailing Wall» seriously swings without missing a punchy lyrical beat! «Who’s Stopping You» features a duet from Ashley Cleveland giving it some serious soul and «I Saw The Light» is the old Hank Williams song given a rip roaring interpretation. This Train manage to create a huge buoyant rockabilly beach sound on the superbly humorous title cut. More sobering, the late Rich Mullins wrote «A Million Years» which features a wonderful vibe, poetic lyrics and background vocals from Mullins himself on what was his last recording session. This is poignant when it was Rich himself who so strongly encouraged Mark to get the band off the ground. Earthy swinging rock’n’roll which is able to be funny and poignant simultaneously is a wonderful rarity but now I’ve found it, I’m hoping this is one band who’ll soon make it to these shores because I bet they’re even hotter live!! [Mike Rimmer, Cross Rhythms, October 1998]
This album has spent way, way too much time in my player. Why? They have such a knack for blending humor with the serious. They laugh at themselves in «We’re Getting Nowhere (Fast)» as they poke fun at the slowness of their musical career. They pay tribute to the least of the world in «Mimes of the Old West». Then there is the song, «The Missing Link». Underneath everything is the Gospel. All this is done to a mixture of rockabilly and surf music. This is fun stuff. Maybe the song «A Million Years», written by the late Rich Mullins, will get This Train’s career out of the station. These guys deserve it. If they come to your town, see them as they are even better live. [Shari Lloyd, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1998]
Last January, This Train did a preview concert of possible songs for their second album, letting the audience determine by secret ballot which to include. While listener feedback was important and rockabilly and swing continue to be This Train’s backbone, ‘Mimes of the Old West’ is a collage encompassing all of This Train’s varied interests. Opening with sound bites related to UFO sightings, «Hanger 84’s» synthesized sounds and surf guitar neatly encapsulate much of what fascinates the group about their favorite decade, the 1950’s. «Sandee» demonstrates their production expertise as they take what most would consider an annoying technical difficulty and turn it into an elegant interlude. The vocals are all handled by Mark Robertson now that Beki Hemingway has left the group to pursue a solo career. Ashley Cleveland does a commendable job filling in on background vocals, contributing a special bluesy rawness in the duet «Who’s Stopping You». «The Wailing Wall» and «The Great Atomic Power» will be familiar to anyone who’s ever heard the band live, while newer tunes like «Goodbye» and «The Missing Link» are fresh takes on their distinctive sound. There’s more to the title track, «Mimes of the Old West», than meets the eye, but I’ll leave the discovery of its deeper significance to the listener. «We’re Getting Nowhere (Fast)» may attempt to summarize their career, but is overly pessimistic as the initial 1,000 unit run of this CD is almost completely sold out. To get this project to the audience it deserves, plans for making more and wider distribution are already in the works. Their deep exploration into all things 50’s creates a lens to closely examine a variety of societal and spiritual issues. These guys are a lot of fun, but they also mine real gold. Or is that “Mime”? [Linda Stonehocker, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1998]
CD tracklist:
01. Hanger 84 – 2:37
02. We’re Getting Nowhere (Fast) – 3:44
03. The Missing Link – 3:31
04. Who’s Stopping You – 3:10
05. Mimes Of The Old West – 3:16
06. A Million Years – 3:04
07. I Saw The Light – 2:50
08. Seafoam Green – 1:38
09. I Don’t Want To Know – 4:48
10. Sandee – 1:08
11. The Wailing Wall – 3:28
12. I’ve Got Half A Mind – 3:22
13. Goodbye – 5:29
51. (Are You Ready For That) Great Atomic Power – 2:58
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Organic Records.
“Great Atomic Power” (feat. Rich Mullins), Live at Cornerstone, 1997
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