Din of Ecstasy

by Chris Whitley

Overview

On his second album, Whitley abandons the atmospheric acoustic blues-rock of his debut for a hard-hitting, grungy guitar attack. Appropriately, the songs are all about losers and hard times -- it's a dark, bleak album, twisting through its songs with a grim determination. The problem is, it doesn't always work. Whitley's lyrics are still rooted in the folk-blues storytelling tradition, while his music follows the rules of contemporary hard rock, complete with start-stop dynamics and thick layers of distortion. However, he can't write riffs that equal the best of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, nor does he have melodies to rival theirs. His music works best a lyrical level and the musical approach on Din of Ecstasy obscures his lyrics, making the record a muddled affair. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/21/1995
Label:	Work Group / Work Music
UPC:	0074645297026
Rank:	104130

Tracks

1. Narcotic Prayer
2. Never
3. Know
4. O God My Heart Is Ready
5. Can't Get Off
6. God Thing
7. Din
8. New Machine
9. Some Candy Talking
10. Guns & Dolls
11. WPL
12. Ultraglide

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chris Whitley   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Andy Rosen   Mellotron
Alan Gevalet   Bass
Louie Lepore   Guitar
Dougie Bowne   Percussion,Drums

Technical Credits

Chris Whitley   Composer,Producer
Steve Melton   Engineer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Laura Wiley   Collage
Nicky Lindeman   Art Direction,Artwork
Trixie Whitley   Artwork
Christopher Austopchuk   Art Direction,Artwork
John Custer   Producer
Kent Bruce   Assistant Engineer
Danny Kadar   Assistant Engineer
Toby Wright   Mixing
Dougie Bowne   Producer
John Seymour   Mixing