The Power and the Glory

by Bad Ends

Overview

Calling the Bad Ends a "supergroup" could conceivably be a stretch as there's only one genuine rock star in the band. That would be Bill Berry, who gained fame as a drummer and songwriter for R.E.M., the biggest band to ever come out of Athens, Georgia. Five Eight, a group led by guitarist/vocalist Mike Mantione, followed in the footsteps of R.E.M., occasionally sharing bills with the band, yet there's no comparing the popularity of the two musicians: one is a cult figure, the other toured the world and elsewhere. Despite these varying levels of notoriety, Berry and Mantione occupy a similar status in Athens, where they're both fixtures in the city's rock scene. The Power and the Glory, the debut album from the duo's band the Bad Ends, not only serves as a celebration of all things garage and jangle, it effectively continues a story begun over 40 years ago, as it finds these veteran rockers wrestling with the consequences of aging. It's not accidental that the record's first single is "All Your Friends Are Dying." Mantione spends the record grappling with loss, change, and decay, finding the world changing as he remains still at the center. Sometimes, he addresses this quiet tumult in an earnest, quiet fashion. More often, he creates a righteous noise, not so much battling against the twilight as celebrating the moment. This is where Berry comes in. He's a subtle, sympathetic drummer on the ballads, but he still plays with a mighty thunder on the rockers, his rhythms enlivening songs that are unapologetically throwbacks to the glory days of college rock. The enthusiasm of the execution helps keep The Power and the Glory from sounding like an exercise in nostalgia, as do Mantione's earnest, unguarded songs: this is music that exists entirely in its own moment, not as part of the past. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/20/2023
Label:	New West
UPC:	0607396563012
Rank:	118298

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bad Ends   Primary Artist
Geoff Melkonian   Piano,Viola,Guitar,Violin,Vocals,Accordion,Keyboards,Glockenspiel
John Neff   Pedal Steel,Guest Artist
Sean Dunn   Guitar,Guest Artist
Dave Domizi   Bass,Cello,Piano,Vocals (Background)
Mike Mantione   Guitar,Vocals
Christian Lopez   Banjo,Guitar,Mandoline
Mike Albanese   Guest Artist,Analogue Synthesizer
Bill Berry   Drums,Guitar,Percussion,Sitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Gladys Knight   Photography
Bob Weston   Cut
Geoff Melkonian   Group Member
Dave Domizi   Group Member
Mike Mantione   Group Member
Christian Lopez   Group Member
Mike Albanese   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Joel Hatstat   Mastering
Bill Berry   Group Member
Mike Rizzi   Lyricist
Bad Ends   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Jeremy Ray   Design,Typography,Illustrations