I've gone Ted Leo bonkers!

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Let me explain why this is so weird. I finally heard some Ted Leo stuff I liked a few days back - some of you may remember my request for a POX (which helped a lot, thanks e'rbody). After downloading some of that stuff, I'm kicking myself for not keeping up - now I gotta drop about $100 to get all the stuff I missed.

Anyway, the weird part: The 'connotation' that goes along with artists like Ted Leo is something I try to avoid. Unapologetically 'indie,' and, politically speaking, dude's so left, if he played right field he'd trip over third. Not usually my cup of joe.

But his songwriting prowess (and kickass singing voice!) really can't be denied, even by an ol' liberal-hating, Wire reading, anti-indie fuxor like myself.

So far I've downloaded all the suggested tracks from the other thread, and bought the DVD and the "Tell Balgeary..." CDEP (because I love "The High Party" so much) - so, what do I get next? Hearts of Oak?

And shit, come on - he does look almost EXACTLY like Christopher Meloni! (Law & Order SVU, Oz, etc)

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Saturday, 6 November 2004 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Hearts Of Oak. Kicks the Balgeary EP's ass cuz there's actually a BAND. And its a great one with some Thin Lizzyish touches.

― miccio, Saturday, 6 November 2004 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Hearts of Oak but can't get in to Tyranny or any of the Chisel I've heard. I still want to hear the experimental EP that is supposed to be really bad.

― Magic City (ano ano), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Hearts Of Oak stands proud and tall in his discography for me (though I haven't heard the new one and Tyranny is pleasant if much less memorable, personally).

― miccio, Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I caught him last night in LA. It was great. However, I do miss some of the fullness that you get with a 4 piece band. Especially when they played certain songs from the first two records.

― still bevens (bscrubbins), Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

just my 2 cents

― you all suck, Saturday, 6 November 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

So 2001.

― Spinning Down Alone You Spin Alive (ex machina), Sunday, 7 November 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

weren't you into Jimmy Eat World then? Oh wait that was 2002.

― miccio, Sunday, 7 November 2004 01:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I STILL LIKE JIMMY EAT WORLD.

Seeing Ted Leo Summer 2002 = best Ted Leo show ever.

― Spinning Down Alone You Spin Alive (ex machina), Sunday, 7 November 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Fucker's playing UTAH but not Tennessee. Bummed.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 7 November 2004 01:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Hearts of Oak is the best.

I'm still kicking myself for not pre-buying tickets for his Nov '02(ish) Bowery Ballroom and ending up in line behind the guy who got the last ticket.

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Sunday, 7 November 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

nah, Tyranny's still terrific, those songs still kick live, I saw him a couple of weeks ago and he did several of 'em, like "The Great Communicator" and "Biomusicology."

i'm not really seeing the resemblance b/w him and the dude from SVU though, maybe to the passing observer, but I've watched too much of that show and spent too much time gazing longingly and pictures of Ted to ever get the two mixed up ;)

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Sunday, 7 November 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Tyranny of Distance better than Hearts of Oak, though it's close. Stopped paying attention after that. Check his Thin Lizzy cover--"Little Girl In Bloom." I think that's on the Treble in Trouble EP, the title track of which is also amazing.

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 8 November 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm really enjoying Shake The Sheets right now, esp. Me And Mia, The One Who Got Us Out, Counting Down The Hours and the title track.

Should I see him on Wednesday, even if I'm not feeling into it?

― derrick (derrick), Monday, 8 November 2004 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Fucker's playing UTAH but not Tennessee. Bummed.

Welcome to the TVA triangle! Bands will hit Louisville, Atlanta and Memphis, but often go right past Knoxville and Nashville.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 8 November 2004 08:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Shake the Sheets just clicked big time for me.

― C0L1N B3CK3TT (Colin Beckett), Monday, 8 November 2004 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm assuming the "experimental e.p." referred to above is the 1st album - on Gern Blandsten, released under the name "Tej Leo (?), Rx/Pharmacists." It's definitely different than the rest of his stuff - it's basically home demos of him fucking around on an echoplex, solo -- but it has some excellent nuggets on there as well, most notably "Walking Through," which he still plays sometimes.

Also search his few non-LP songs - one comp. has a song called "You Only Hate the One You Love" which is amazing.

My Leo love has been well documented on other threads on here, but I will state it firmly again. Guy is terrific.

Also again, I beg him in this public forum to record and release his cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." I BEG YOU, T.L.

― Nostalgia for the Old Cineramadome (Ben Boyer), Monday, 8 November 2004 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

The drummer's brilliant, by the way.

― briania (briania), Monday, 8 November 2004 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

amen to "You Only Hate The One You Love" being amazing, that was the first Ted Leo track I heard and it got me hooked.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 9 November 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

eighteen years pass...

Seeing that Chisel show last night kind of shook into me how much I have been taking Ted Leo for granted, especially considering he hits so many sweet spots for me. He's a great singer-songwriter, a great bandleader, a great guitarist, and part of the proud tradition of unabashedly earnest political punk cornballs as Joe Strummer and Billy Bragg. Listening to "Shake the Sheets" right now makes me wonder if anyone else is listening to "Shake the Sheets," ever. I know the answer is yes, probably, but I sort of feel like by dint of fate or luck or whatever, this guy's sort of been nudged to the periphery.

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 February 2023 23:26 (three years ago)

It certainly feels like his level of notoriety is at an all time low at the moment maybe? I don't actually know, but I'm sure he'll be rediscovered at some point again if that isn't already happening yet.

― Evan, Friday, 17 February 2023 23:31 (three years ago)

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