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Bonny Prince Billy
Sings Greatest Palace Music
Drag City
Newt Lynn
 To know what
to expect from Will Oldham would be to know more than anyone,
including, possibly, Oldham himself. For a man who has reinvented
himself so many times that Madonna would have to shamefully tuck
tail and return home, a greatest hits album seems horribly out
of place. At least that is what I thought when I first heard
that Drag City was to release a collection of Palace Greatest
Hits.
Under the Palace banner Will Oldham released a collection
of LP's, split singles, 7"s and other obscure recordings
that still leaves the most dedicated fans searching for some
rare treasure. There is No One What Will Take Care of You
was released under the name Palace Brothers in 1994. It began
an underground buzz that fed on the album's haunted, low-fi feeling
and the way Oldham's voice painted a canvas of tortured characters
and scenes drug from the darkest hollows of Appalachia. This
album was soon followed by the even more sparse and naked Palace
Brother's release Days in the Wake. The next full-length
album, Viva Last Blues, was released simply under the
name Palace. Then came an album titled Hope attributed
to Palace Songs.
The Palace years are considered to be the first era of Oldham.
The next period began with the release of an album released
simply as Arise, Therefore, and was attributed to no one.
Arise, Therefore was followed by Joya, which was
attributed to Will Oldham. The next two releases were obscure
recordings and "B" sides released in two volumes.
The first was attributed to Palace, and the second was a Will
Oldham release. Several Will Oldham releases followed before
chapter 3.
Bonny "Prince" Billy, chapter 3, released I See
a Darkness in 1999. The title track, later recorded by Johnny
Cash as part of his American Recordings, revealed Oldham's talent
to a larger audience and increased the mystery surrounding the
artist. "Ease Down the Road" was the next Bonny "Prince"
Billy release and was followed by "Master and Everyone,"
a critically celebrated album in 2004. While the Bonny "Prince"
seems settled into this latest incarnation, he has not given
himself to predictability. He still records under various monikers
on the side, but the Palace name seemed to have been put to rest.
Then came the announcement by Drag City, Oldham's label, of
the impending release of Palace Greatest Hits. The idea seemed
so strange that many fans found it simply unbelievable. One
of the endearing traits of Will Oldham has been his unwillingness
as an artist to look back. Each album has stood as an exploration
of lyrical possibilities and musical uncertainties. Every fan
has their favorite album and most fans have the album that they
refuse to acknowledge, but it is the desire to explore with the
artist that keeps them coming back.
Bonny "Prince" Billy sings Greatest Palace Music
turned out not to be a return to the past, but rather a strong
musical version of revisionist history. Before recording began
Oldham asked fans what Palace songs they would most like to hear
on a greatest hits album. Then, in an unexpected move, he totally
reworked them. Gone is the low-fi vibe that permeated so much
of the Palace repertoire. Songs such as "Pushkin"
and "You Will Miss Me When I Burn" from Days in
the Wake, originally recorded with just a guitar and a voice,
have been reworked with Nashville studio musicians and full gospel
choirs. Some songs, such as "Riding" and "No
More Workhorse Blues," have retained all of their stark
power and even seem to have finally fully evolved with this attention.
Some songs feel a bit overdone, but it is undeniable that they
have all found fresh air. Overall, the album flows through the
Palace Songbook like a Log-Ride named Deliverance. The darkest
stories of Appalachia brought forth in a carnival atmosphere
with all of the lights, bells, and whistles. In the end the
listener is left with three minutes of silence to contemplate
everything they have just heard before they smile, reach down
and once more hit play as if they were reliving some past experience,
the echo of what was once Palace.
www.dragcity.com
Contact Newt Lynn at newt-at-rockzilla.net
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