Drive-By Truckers are bringing back Decoration Day with a brand new release this November.
This time, The Definitive Decoration Day is dropping both online and as a giant 4-vinyl set, and it’s not just the old tracks—there’s a fresh remix and remaster of the album, plus a handful of live songs from Flicker Bar in Athens, Georgia, way back in 2002. If you want to hear “Sink Hole,” there’s both the shiny new version and the raw Flicker Bar recording for you to check out.
David Barbe, who worked on the album the first time, handled the remixing, while Greg Calbi took care of remastering. The box set is loaded with extras: a 40-page color book full of photos, art, and a new essay. There’s something fun about finding surprises in music packages, right?
Patterson Hood shared some memories about that Flicker Bar gig: “We decided that it would be fun to go play an acoustic late-night show at the tiny Flicker Bar, less than a block away from our beloved 40 Watt Club,” he said. “We ended up playing a set that included all but one song off of our new, but still unfinished album. I didn’t even know until recently that there was an existing tape of the show. This is a beautiful document of our band at a very crucial and joyous moment in time. I’m so happy that it exists.”
Fans think it’s cool when old shows get found and shared.
Decoration Day came right after Southern Rock Opera and was the first time Jason Isbell joined the band. Isbell said, “The legacy of the band has definitely grown, and there’s a new appreciation for the Truckers and especially for that era of Decoration Day. Without them, you wouldn’t have the kind of work being done by MJ Lenderman and Wednesday and Waxahatchee and a bunch of other acts. I can hear the Truckers in all that music.”
Last year, the group also brought back The Dirty South as a special edition, and before that, they released a deluxe version of Southern Rock Opera. Sometimes it feels like they’re always finding new ways to celebrate their old records.
Here’s what’s on The Definitive Decoration Day:
01 The Deeper In (Remixed / Remastered)
02 Sink Hole (Remixed / Remastered)
03 Hell No, I Ain’t Happy (Remixed / Remastered)
04 Marry Me (Remixed / Remastered)
05 My Sweet Annette (Remixed / Remastered)
06 Outfit (Remixed / Remastered)
07 Heathens (Remixed / Remastered)
08 Sounds Better in the Song (Remixed / Remastered)
09 (Something’s Got To) Give Pretty Soon (Remixed / Remastered)
10 Your Daddy Hates Me (Remixed / Remastered)
11 Careless (Remixed / Remastered)
12 When the Pin Hits the Shell (Remixed / Remastered)
13 Do It Yourself (Remixed / Remastered)
14 Decoration Day (Remixed / Remastered)
15 Loaded Gun in the Closet (Remixed / Remastered)
