Good To Be Born
THE STORY BEHIND GOOD TO BE BORN
John Common’s debut record, GOOD TO BE BORN, is a classic headphone album from start to finish. Smart, introspective songs and layered arrangements combine with artful production choices to create a fully realized record that documents Commons exploration into new territory.
GOOD TO BE BORN is a chronicle of a group of artists and friends experimenting and using the studio to define a new voice. “The only rule we had was that any obvious choices had to be challenged. And that meant hours of trying different things, looking for how the puzzle of each song might fit together in new ways,” says Common.
PRESS FOR GOOD TO BE BORN
“A brilliant, extremely ambitious disc… Denver’s finest rock recording of the past decade.” — WESTWORD MAGAZINE (Good To Be Born)
“Raw, yet sophisticated pop.” — THE ONION
“Is something really going on in Denver’s music scene? If we need any more evidence that speaks to the vitality of our expanding catalog of acts, John Common’s new album, “Good to be Born” is that kind of prescription…It’s out. And not to be forgotten. ” — SYNTAX
“A rich mix of samples, guitars, and lyrical intensity in a quieter version of ‘Bends’-era Radiohead or the missing step in Wilco’s leap from ‘Being There’ to ‘Summerteeth’. The music is complex and innovative without sacrificing catchy hooks or raw energy in a wide range of styles and tempos. ” — COLORADO MUSIC BUZZ
“Denver’s John Common has cracked the code of modern-day songwriting and delivered us something surprisingly refreshing… “Good To Be Born,” is full of energy, passion, creativity, variety, personality and most importantly, sounds you’ve never heard before. He is a damn good songwriter. ” — KCSU MUSIC DIRECTOR / ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGIAN
“The auspicious debut of former Rainville frontman John Common shares intellectual shelf space with mid-period Remy Zero and Radiohead. With supple vocals that glide from intoxicating purrs to forceful croons, Common weaves his way through intelligent, cinematic material that’s thoughtfully augmented by well-placed samples, subtle brass accompaniment and murmuring keys.” — WESTWORD MAGAZINE
“This album portrays a band with the skills to embellish a writer who has a foot in the motherlode of great songs.” — AMERICANA UK
“Common has achieved the musical equivalent of picking up seven tiles in a game of Scrabble and being able to lay down “bezique” on the first turn. ” — FIVE MAGAZINE, TAOS, NEW MEXICO
“It would be much too easy to use John Common’s last name as a pun to describe his ‘uncommon’ skills as a singer-songwriter, but what the hell.” — SANTE FE REPORTER
“John Common has a keen melodic sense and the requisite ability to take the basic pop formula and turn it on its head. The mix of goodies on his new release, Good To Be Born, bring together a host of elements and styles that, although diverse, avoid the abrasion that many artists suffer when trying to blend too much The blossoming Denver scene should be plenty proud to have Common in its quiver of emerging artists.” — KAFFEINE BUZZ
“Drawing as much from Radiohead and Yo La Tengo as it does from Wilco and the Jayhawks, the group folds elegant melody into brooding experimentalism — an epic, adventurous sound that will be showcased on an upcoming full-length debut.” — WESTWORD MAGAZINE
“Common writes a great song just about every day… ‘Good To Be Born’ is a Matthew Sweet-meets-Queen rock opus filled with catchy songs and layers of clever vocals… Damn him.” — 5280 MAGAZINE
“Common is a gifted songwriter with a playfully weird sensibility.” — DENVER POST
“Good To Be Born is a compilation of 11 powerful songs with multiple layers and complexities…” — NORTH DENVER NEWS
“There are songs that make me want to drink till morning you see… Songs that make me wish I’d somehow gone home with that handsome stranger who smiled when I looked up from my book… Songs that make me want to be loud and messy and get into lots of trouble, when normally I am quiet and neat and only get into medium amounts of trouble… Songs I’ve caught myself putting on repeat when it’s 2 am and I have to wake up at 6…”
— A GIRL
credits
released August 11, 2006
LINER NOTES FOR GOOD TO BE BORN
JOHN COMMON | GOOD TO BE BORN
All songs by John Common (BMI), except for ‘The Other Side of Town’ John Common and Sara Thorpe.
Produced by John Common, Scott Davies
Engineered by Scott Davies, John Common
Recorded at Emmasaurus Sound
Mixed by Jeremy Lawton
Mastered by Andrew Vastola
Art direction and design by Nick Jackson
Copyright John Common Music / BMI. All rights reserved world wide.
John Common
vocals, guitars, wurlitzer, piano, toy piano, glockenspiel, samples
Scott Davies
drums, samples, typewriter, backing vocals
Jed Marrs
piano, wurlitzer, organ, backing vocals
Kevin Meyer
bass, glockenspiel, backing vocals
Also
Steve Millin – Bass on ‘Anyway’
Chris Eagleton – Samples on ‘Call Me Right Now’
Jeremy Lawton – Conjunculator on ‘Anyway’
Paul Ewald – Trumpet on ‘In A Bookstore’
Briley Brown – Backing vocals on ‘The Other Side of Town’
P & C 2006 Free School Records
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freeschoolrecords.com
