Guadalcanal Diary - Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (1984) /Jamboree (1986) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED 2003]

Guadalcanal Diary was one of the most underrated bands to come out of the Athens, GA music scene of the 1980s. Their unique brew of lyrics focusing on left-of-center subject matter married to irresistible melodies with a bedrock foundation of thrashing drums and rhythmic bass lines, resulted in a sound that set them apart from their peers R.E.M., Pylon and the B-52's. The two albums on this Audio CD two-fer are the first two of the band's four total major label releases. The first, originally released in 1984, was produced by R.E.M. and Don Dixon. The second, released two years later, was produced by Rodney Mills (.38 Special, Atlanta Rhythm Section) and Steve Nye (XTC, Bryan Ferry, The Cure).
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After developing a reputation on the Georgia music scene thanks to frequent gigging in Atlanta and Athens, Guadalcanal Diary cut its first record, a four-song EP called Watusi Rodeo, in 1983 for the Athens-based DB Records label. A year later, DB and the band followed it up with a full-length album, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, produced by Don Dixon. Filled with rich but moody songs about faith, doubt, and the legacy of life in the Deep South, and driven by thundering drums and the clarion call of electric guitars, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man quickly won an enthusiastic reception from critics and college radio programmers, and in 1985 Elektra Records signed Guadalcanal Diary and reissued the album. More touring followed, as did a cameo appearance in a best-forgotten youth comedy called Rockin' Road Trip.
In 1986, the band released its first album financed by Elektra, Jamboree, which was produced by Rodney Mills, best known for his work with the likes of .38 Special and the Atlanta Rhythm Section. While Mills brought a greater polish to Guadalcanal Diary's approach and the band displayed a greater stylistic diversity, it lacked the force and impact of Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man and was not as well received. Guadalcanal Diary returned to the studio with Dixon for 1987's 2x4, which coupled the energy of the first album with Jamboree's sense of musical adventure and spawned a minor alternative rock hit, "Litany (Life Goes On)." However, Guadalcanal Diary's busy touring schedule was beginning to take its toll when the group cut 1989's uneven Flip-Flop, and by the end of the year, after a long stretch on the road, the bandmembers amicably parted ways.
Following Guadalcanal Diary's breakup, Murray Attaway signed to Geffen as a solo artist, and released the well-reviewed In Thrall in 1993. Walls played guitar with Hillbilly Frankenstein and Dash Rip Rock, and produced recordings for Southern Culture on the Skids, the Woggles, and Man or Astro-Man? Poe pursued a low-key solo career, and Crowe retired from music after a short spell with Ottoman Empire to raise her children. In 1995, Attaway began recording a second album and decided to invite Walls, Poe, and Crowe to join him on a few songs, and while the album was never released due to a change of management at Geffen, the four were happy enough with the tunes they recorded to play a few reunion gigs in Atlanta. In late 1998, the band self-released a live album, At Your Birthday Party, recorded at one of its reunion shows; in 2000, the bandmembers announced they'd gone back on hiatus, but had not ruled out working together again in the future.
- Mark Deming, All Music Guide


TRACKLIST:

1. Trail Of Tears
2. Fire From Heaven
3. Sleepers Awake
4. Gilbert Takes The Wheel
5. Ghost On The Road
6. Watusi Rodeo
7. Why Do The Heathen Rage?
8. Pillow Talk
9. Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man (Part 1)
10. Kumbayah
11. Pray For Rain
12. Fear Of God
13. Jamboree
14. Michael Rockefeller
15. Spirit Train
16. Lonely Street
17. Country Club Gun
18. T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
19. I See Moe
20. Please Stop Me
21. Dead Eyes
22. Cattle Prod

Songs 1-10 : from Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man (1984)
Songs 11-22 : from Jamboree (1986)

download links http://rapidshare.com/files/43225899/Guadalcanal_Diary_links.txt

If you like REM, you may like this group also.
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