…And Back to Earth Again
MeteorCity – 3 CD box set + liner notes
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…And Back To Earth Again: Ten Years of MeteorCity is a three-CD retrospective from MeteorCity’s founders as they prepare to depart the label. The oversize custom package contains forty-five fully remastered tracks, including previously out-of-print material and a few new surprises, along with extensive liner notes and rare photos commemorating MeteorCity’s first decade at the forefront of the heavy rock underground.
Includes my essay, “All’s Well That Ends.”
Reviews
“Too few words will be used in the following review to try and capture the enormity of this massive, fantastic collection from MeteorCity. The truth is, two factors make the details of writing at length difficult if not also unnecessary. The first is the sheer quantity of tuneage on this bulging three disc, nearly four-hour compilation. The second reason is that …And Back to Earth Again: Ten Years of MeteorCity practically speaks for itself, and the bottom line is as simple as this: you need this collection….”
“EMusic.com Review of the Day
“Compiled by label founders Aaron Emmel and Jadd Shickler, …And Back to Earth Again is a three-disc, 45-track testament to the amazing (and amazingly heavy) sounds that the MeteorCity has unleashed upon an unsuspecting world….”
“AMG Album Pick / 4.5 out of 5
“This lavishly appointed, extensively annotated, DVD-shaped, three-CD box set celebrates the first decade in the life of Albuquerque, NM’s Meteor City — arguably the definitive stoner rock record label, given its longevity (only England’s more doom-leaning Rise Above and Detroit’s Small Stone come close), and strict devotion to the various heavy rock subgenres (metal, classic rock, desert rock, space rock, etc.), orbiting the greater stoner rock galaxy. Like most everyone in any way associated with the stoner rock scene, Meteor City founders Jadd Schickler and Aaron Emmel were originally inspired to action by Kyuss, whose seminal releases of the mid-’90s managed to coalesce nearly three decades of far-flung hard rock and metal influences under this popular new heading that Gen X’ers looking beyond grunge’s confines would readily embrace. And so the duo launched their label with 1997’s Welcome to Meteor City compilation, following it with some 40 releases during the ensuing decade, from which 45 standout tracks have been judiciously excerpted for And Back to Earth Again: Ten Years of Meteor City‘s three discs….
“In sum: thanks to Meteor City’s impressive catalog and commendable dedication to their chosen stylistic muse, And Back to Earth Again delivers as broad and rich a survey of the stoner rock field as one is likely to obtain from any single record label; simultaneously offering an ready-made stoner rock collection for neophytes, and an authoritative summary for genre completists. So until the next launch sequence counts down to see off another ten years, this voyage has already been quite a trip.”
“10 out of 10
“I cannot think of any circumstance in which I would have guessed that I’d be giving a compilation album a perfect score. There are some great collections out there, but one always seems to find a reason, no matter how small, to take the rating down at least a notch. Then again, I never thought I’d come across a compilation as compelling and genre defining as “…And Back to Earth Again: Ten Years of MeteorCity”. I’m hesitant to even call it a compilation album, as this three-disc, 45-track juggernaut is far more than a mere collection of songs; it is a journey deep into the heart of the stoner rock genre from a beloved label that always delivered the goods. In fact, “stoner rock” doesn’t really capture the essence of this music. I rather prefer co-founder Aaron Emmel’s description of the music that makes up the MeteorCity catalog as “heavy, spacious, melodic rock”, as noted in the comprehensive story of MeteorCity told in the extensive liner notes. Indeed, this is music that shakes the earth with hard rock fundamentals, passionate performances that emanate from the soul, splashes of the psychedelic, and the heavy blues foundation that is often found in this style of music….
“To make it perfectly clear before jumping into the details, this comp is beautifully arranged and absolutely bursting with GREAT stoner tunes. Even if you’re like me and already own something like half the material on this comp, you will find at least one or two bands whose albums you need to buy. There’s just that much quality material here….
“If you’re a Kyuss fan, stoner rocker or simply need to shift gears away from death metal for a while, you’ll do very well to check …And Back to Earth Again: Ten years of MeteorCity, because it’s more than some label simply cobbling a bunch of their bands’ stuff together. These discs flow, they have many of the groups’ best works on them (though personally, I would have liked to see Lowrider’s ‘Flat Earth’ on here somewhere), and there’s plenty of material that you’ll love but would otherwise probably not find out about. Just like the label itself, this comp feels like it was assembled by huge fans of these bands, and that makes all the difference….
“Buy this set, it’s pure, sweet bliss!”