Sold Date: August 23, 2024
Start Date: November 3, 2023
Final Price: $26.99 (USD)
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The Mountain Goats' All Hail West Texas is the final installation in their series of albums solely comprising home recordings. Uniquely, it's the only one where such a claim is entirely accurate. Originally, the album saw its release as an autonomous compact disc on the now-defunct Emperor Jones label about a decade ago. The songs, originally saved on cassettes, were transferred to 1/4" reels at Tiny Telephone by Alex Newport, a member of Fudge Tunnel. This connection to Fudge Tunnel sent waves of exhilaration through John Darnielle.

Having been remastered from those reels, coupled with seven previously undiscovered songs from the two remaining tapes of the same period, All Hail West Texas emerges as the pinnacle of the Mountain Goats' home recording era. This period is often referred to as "when John Darnielle had his four-track," albeit inaccurately since John didn't use a four-track. His tool of choice was the condenser mic of a Panasonic boombox, with no overdubbing involved. All songs were recorded on the same day they were written, often mere moments after composition. The album boasts gems like "Jenny," "Fall of the Star High School Running Back," and "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton," the latter of which has spurred global audiences to fervently shout "Hail Satan," and truly mean it.

1. The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton (3:37)
2. Fall of the Star High School Running Back (2:49)
3. Color in Your Cheeks (3:40)
4. Jenny (3:51)
5. Fault Lines (3:38)
6. Balance (2:3)
7. Pink and Blue (3:30)
8. Riches and Wonders (4:58)
9. The Mess Inside (4:36)
10. Jeff Davis County Blues (3:15)
11. Distant Stations (3:5)
12. Blues in Dallas (4:16)
13. Source Decay (4:47)
14. Absolute Lithops Effect (4:8)
15. Hardpan Song (Bonus Track) (2:0)
16. Answering the Phone (Bonus Track) (2:29)
17. Indonesia (Bonus Track) (2:29)
18. Midland (Bonus Track) (3:16)
19. Jenny (alt. take) [Bonus Track] (3:52)
20. Tape Travel Is Lonely (Bonus Track) (3:36)
21. Waco (Bonus Track) (3:7)