The Gaslight Anthem – The B-Sides

If you’ve been following the growing discography of New Jersey mainstays The Gaslight Anthem then you already know that the band has left quite a trail of breadcrumbs when it comes to rare and hard to find tracks. When it comes to the band’s middle years on SideOneDummy Records (wedged between their humble beginnings on XOXO Recordings and current rise to Mercury Records), the number of iTunes exclusive bonus tracks, covers, and obscure radio sessions meant that a number of songs slipped through the cracks and likely went unnoticed from all but the band’s most attentive fans. 

Being the curator of such releases, SideOneDummy released a good chunk of them as b-sides for a limited edition vinyl box set, the Singles Collection: 2008-2011.  Aside from costing an arm and a leg, being limited to 2500 copies, and the minor detail that 7” records aren’t exactly the most convenient medium for songs in the digital age, the fancy wooden box set served as a solid collectable.  Granted, the absence of a digital released meant that the rest of us got snubbed.  Thankfully SideOneDummy is giving those that passed up the box set another opportunity to get those hidden gems with The Gaslight Anthem’s latest odds and end compilation, The B-Sides.

First up, the inclusion of the version-specific bonus tracks.  By and large these are some of the strongest studio tracks making up the disc.  “She Loves You” leads the compilation as the disc’s sole Gaslight Anthem original studio track.  Not surprisingly, the tender delivery serves as a great example of how even the band’s leftovers are strong enough to open an album.  The other studio tracks include a trio of covers, including “Once Upon A Tim” (Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise), “Songs For Teenagers” (Fake Problems) and “Tumbling Dice” (The Rolling Stones).  A hint of the original versions’ fire burning with a new flame in each new take.  “Tumbling Dice” stands out not simply because of it’s iconic status, but by how much Fallon’s vocals channel a young Rod Stewart – an unorthodox comparison, but he really nails it in the process.

Where things get surprising though is how strong the songs from Seattle’s KEXP live session from hold up.  “Antonia Jane” and “Great Expectations” are arguably some of the crispest acoustic songs in the compilation and are different enough from their original counterparts to carve a special place in the band’s discography.  “The 59 Sound” in particular benefits from Fallon’s inherent acoustic vulnerability in the form of altered time signatures and heightened emotion – the song trading the original’s upbeat swagger in favour of a melancholy tone echoing the track’s tragic content.  With the absence of the full band, most of these tracks could easily be filed under “Brian Fallon live songs,” but I doubt anyone will complain.

Oddly enough, the KEXP session tracks actually upstage the studio acoustic offerings.  Both “Boxer” and “American Slang” are recorded with all sorts of fancy effects intended to make them sound as if they are relics from a distant age.  But when placed alongside cleaner tracks, the muffled vocals and fuzzy production make them sound more like they were recorded in a dank sewer.  Though with only two instances to speak of, they make but a minor smudge on an otherwise well painted picture.

Sadly, one key omission prevents the compilation from becoming a truly definitive odds and ends collection.  The KEXP acoustic version of “The Diamond Church Street Choir” remains exclusive to the aforementioned vinyl Singles Collection: 2008-2011, and is entirely absent from the CD release.  Granted, the inclusion of “Songs For Teenagers (Acoustic)” tends to balance out the scale, but it will likely irk fans looking for one stop shopping.

As far as convenience goes, The B-Sides sure beats flipping a bunch of 7” vinyl records – even if that does make for a nifty collectors item.  But being a b-sides compilation makes it mostly recommendable to Gaslight Anthem enthusiasts rather than newcomers (if anyone is still living under a rock).  So while The B-Sides is far from essential, it’s certainly makes for a welcome addition to any Gaslight Anthem fan’s library.