I'll respond for the first time -- Stephen Brown here in Atlanta -- and I've
been talking with Ed at Black Park Management about the new album -- it actually
looks more likely to be a Jan/Feb release -- I'm sure we'll hear official news
as they put a revamped theconnells.com back live within the next week or so --
Sounded like the band was putting finishing touches on nearly 12 songs for the
new release -- among which are Rusted Fields, Gladiator Heart, Radio, Put Down
and Back in Blighty -- I think this is kick-ass material ("Put Down" is far
better than work by genre colleagues such as The Wallflowers who've recently put
out new albums), completely in line with their best work -- seems like Mike and
the gang have been quite prolific lately. I know they'll rely heavily on fans to
get word out once they know a release date. Now will be the time to rally all
our Connells fans and colleagues to come out in support of this possible
"curtain call"/"swan's song" album now that the guys are pursuing other ventures
too.

As for the mid-'90s song "Waiting for the World," I'd love to get my hands on
that -- I've never heard it -- and I'd love to hear anything else from that
era.  I'm probably one of the few fans who loves absolutely everything these
guys have done. My favorite albums in order are Ring, Boylan Heights, One Simple
Word, Fun & Games, Weird Food, Still Life, Darker Days -- although it's hard to
quantify since I love nearly every song. I think every one of their album shows
more maturity -- it's hard to track them against traditional musical standards
since they've thrived through '80's rock, grunge and even an N-Sync-or-Swim Top
40 radio pop era. I've also never heard "Julie" but am reluctant to pay $40 for
the Japanese WF&D album just for that bonus track. The "Cruel to Be Kind" and
"Insane in the Brain" covers are two I'd eventually like for my collection. I've
also never seen the "Fifth Fret" video.

I know the band will soon splash us with some information about the album title,
exact release date, cover art, you name it. Ed said they're eager to get the
album in the hands of critics and regional newspapers that match a possible
mini-tour. We'll all wait with baited breath for the impending opps (I'll try to
keep myself occupied with the new U2 and Radiohead, my second and third favorite
groups after The Connells, in the meantime). Let's keep each other posted about
any rumblings so we can all get excited about this great album on the horizon!

Jeff Brenneman wrote:

> I found this to be a fascinating post!
>
> My thoughts:
> I recall seeing the guys on the Ring tour and making an inquiring into
> releasing an old Connell's song "Waiting For The World". Mike's response was
> something along the lines of, "why not? we can't write anything new
> anyways." I don't know why there's the gap before Ring & WFAD but I do
> believe if the gap did NOT exist that both of those releases would be
> significantly different (for better or for worse). I must say at this point
> RING has grown on me very much and I might even say it may have passed OSW
> as my favorite...maybe not. I still think Dede and I are the sole OSW fans!
> CLASSIC CD!
>
> take care y'all!
> jeff
>
> >From: Cheryl Wolf <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Connells <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: October is the cruelest month....
> >Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2000 10:09:27 EDT
> >
> >Last evening was the second anniversary of Peele's final show as a
> >Connell.....  the follow-up album to _Still Life_ was originally scheduled
> >for release in "fall 1999" ... and the 'October' that the self-released cd
> >was supposed to be released in is obviously not *this* October.
> >
> >Anyway..... for the past few months, I've been engaged in a fascinating
> >e-mail dialogue regarding the "when's and where's and why's" of the
> >Connells'
> >commercial stumblings and musical direction;  more and more I see the
> >culprit
> >to be an inablity (for various reasons) to seize upon (and build on) the
> >various small successes they did have.  And tangentially, I wonder where
> >the
> >band would have ended up musically had their recording history not been one
> >of fits and starts....
> >
> >For example, BH, F&G and OSW were all released within a three year period;
> >each album built on the sales of the one preceding, and while each album
> >also
> >has a distinctive "sound" (for good or bad), I think there is a real
> >continuity within that group of recordings.
> >
> >Had there not been a protracted legal thang betwixt the band and TVT in the
> >early part of the 90s, there most likley would have been another album in
> >'91
> >or '92 - let's call it _5_, shall we? ;)   What would _5_ have sounded
> >like?
> >Surely it wouldn't have been the same as _Ring_, would it?  I mean, some of
> >the songs from _Ring_ would have been on _5_, but I think the approach
> >would
> >have been very different;  the albums up to and including OSW  bespeak
> >'youth;'  _Ring_ is just achingly about being an adult... the logical
> >thematic and musical transition between the two albums is simply not there.
> >It's lost in that blank three years....
> >
> >And then there is the three years between _Ring_ and WFAD.... and again,
> >presumably, a 'lost album.'  (Can't really call that one _7_, can I? ;)
> >Best
> >settle for _Son of Ring_ or SoR for short, methinks....)  So....what would
> >SoR have sounded like?  Would it have built upon the commercial and
> >critical
> >success of _Ring_?  Would WFAD have even *happened*???
> >
> >It's probably just the Nyquil talkin' -
> >caw
> >
> >n.p.  Teenage Fanclub - Howdy!
> >
> >__________________
> >
> >October is <A HREF="http://www.nbcam.org/">National Breast Cancer Awareness
> >Month</A>.
> >
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--
Stephen M. Brown
Account Supervisor
Ketchum
404-879-9262
fax 404-879-9007
mobile 404-277-3467
Promenade II
1230 Peachtree St. Suite 2100
Atlanta, Georgia 30309

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