River City Rebels - Hate to Be Loved (Audio CD - Sept. 21, 2004)

With Hate to Be Loved, River City Rebels -- who have long treaded the same water as Rancid and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones -- put their Clash loyalties on ice and look to the sound of vintage NYC punk. The less-than-subtle "subtle" style shift has a lot to do with producer Syl Sylvain -- best known for his guitar work with the legendary New York Dolls -- who gives the impressionable Rebels a new lease on life. Defying expectations on album number four, RCR don't come out of the starting gate with a riotous chant-along as they have on previous efforts, but instead offer the unguarded, mid-tempo "Hurt Like I Do." It's a brave approach that succeeds with the help of frontman Dan O'Day, who sings with a previously unheard sincerity that also finds its way to the bluesy "Die Young." It's an engaging homage to the hard living ways of rockers through the years, but soon enough the pain gives way to raw, rollicking numbers like "No Easy Way Out" and "Cloudy Times."
Condition:NEW. Punched upc

TRACK LISTINGS

1 Hurt Like I Do 3:26
2 Cloudy Times 3:05
3 Hate to Be Loved 3:50
4 I'm So Vain 3:18
5 No Easy Way Out 3:37
6 Dreamy 17 2:56
7 Don't Mess With Cupid 3:14
8 Die Young 4:20
9 I Wilt 3:22
10 Glitter and Gold 3:15
11 Her New Man 2:30
12 Bloody April 3:03