Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile (self-titled) released on July 12 2005, was the first full length studio album from the band (following the EP release in 2003 before Phil Hanseroth joined the band properly.)

The band had enough songs for two full length albums and split them into this one and the following album The Story.

The origins of the album (and of producer Rick Rubin’s guiding hand in it all can be found in Brandi Carlile’s memoir). The short story is the album came out while waiting for the never eventuating promise from Rick Rubin of signing to American Records. While waiting they asked if they could put out an EP to sell at shows and Rick agreed. But one thing led to another and Columbia signed them and released this album as their first official studio recording.

In the 2021 “pandemic” run of streamed album shows via the platform VEEPS, Brandi said that they were probably recording the songs for this album as far back as 2002/3. To finish up the album, they pulled a four-track recorder from Tim’s practice studio and recorded Tragedy. They originally recorded a version of The Story for this album, but it didn’t make it.

She states her influence at this time from listening to a lot of British music. (Radiohead, Muse, Coldplay, Travis)

The ‘true’ story of how Brandi Carlile came to be, perhaps can be found in this candid interview with Brandi Carlile for Vice during the tour of BTWIFY:

You got signed to Columbia for your first album. Was there a lot of pressure having your debut on a major or did it just seem normal?
Well, my debut was a chapter in a two-part thing. There’s a prequel to my time on Columbia and to The Story, which is that I had another life where I had met and worked with Rick Rubin. American Recordings was kind of on a freeze at the time. We were gonna sign to American Recordings but they couldn’t sign anybody because of their issues with their parent company. And Rick Rubin saw our need to work and have something to sell at our shows and earn a living. He took our songs we gave him and he divided them down the middle and said, “These are good songs, and these are the B-sides. If you want to record the B-sides so you have something to sell at shows, I’ll oversee it.” So we went in and made Brandi Carlile out of a list of reject songs for The Story. In the middle of that confusion, we gave it to Columbia and they released it for us. So it was this soft release. We didn’t even consider it an album, that’s why we didn’t have a name for it. Now, when I look back on it, I hear all that innocence and hope and ambition and gratefulness.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/gynq8q/rank-your-records-brandi-carlile

Song Notes:

Follow was the first song they recorded for this album. Brandi said, Follow, What Can I Say, Closer To You and Someday Day Never Comes where in the Robert Lang sessions (with Producer John Goodmanson). Although Follow is credited on the album as being written by Brandi Carlile and Tim Hanseroth, a previous version was recorded by The Fighting Machinists (the previous band of Tim & Phil) and credited to Tim & Phil Hanseroth.

What Can I Say – Written by Tim Hanseroth

Closer To You was a colliding of two worlds between Brandi and Tim. During the VEEPs special Brandi talked about how they had just done a one-off gig opening for James Taylor. Inspired by that show Tim wrote a riff that starts the song. Then Brandi took that home with her that night, and put the lyrics together about what it was like to be in a van together with the twins, and do what they love. Brandi also says it was partly her Indigo Girls fanatasism and Tim’s Paul McCartney fanatasism. They often perform the song, merging into “I’ve Just Seen A Face”, by the Beatles.

Throw It All Away -Brandi says everytime they sing Throw It Wall Away, she thinks about the late Rita Houston from WFUV, and credits her for the first time they were ever played on the radio. She said most other radio stations played What Can I Say. Austin (KGSN) played Closer To You. (See the list of live performances released by Radio Stations here). Throw it All Away, (along with Fall Apart Again and Tragedy) also appears on their EP from the previous year “Brandi Carlile Acoustic“. It’s credited to Brandi and Tim.

Happy was the first song she ever played after she learned finger picking. Emily Saliers from the Indigo Girls reached out to her at the time expressing she liked the song, then ten years later Saliers recognised it as a ‘rip off of Ghost! – Which Brandi admits it is. The ‘Amber Lee’ in the song is the name of her teenage school best friend. Written by Brandi Carlile.

Someday never Comes – Written by Brandi Carlile and Tim Hanseroth

Fall Apart Again (and Tragedy) was a re-record in the Austin studio (Matchbox Studio) having previously appeared on the Acoustic album in 2004. It was originally recorded by the Fighting Machinists and credited to Tim & Phil Hanseroth. The album version (2005) is the same as the early the Fighting Machinists lyrics, but the acoustic version (2004) the band leave out a small verse before the first chorus. This particular track was mixed by Martin Feveyear who would record the beautiful Live at Benaroya 6 years later. It was also released as a one-track cd single for the album release.

In My Own Eyes – Brandi wrote this song while they were making the first round of the record, in a little studio called Soundhouse. They rarely played it live, as it never worked. They say its not like anything else they have.

Gone is the only song on the album that is credited to all three writers.

Tragedy is written by Brandi Carlile, and recorded at their practice place. It was re-recorded in Austin for the bonus tracks below on the 2006 re-issue.

The Bonus tracks on the 2006 US re-issue includes :Tragedy – Austin Cello Version.

Sixty Years On – Live – and was recorded live at the Colonial Theatre, Keene, New Hampshire on December 12, 2005. It’s seems to be a solo performance by Brandi.

Tragedy – Austin Cello Version, features Josh Newman on Cello, who by this time joined the band.

The CD re-issue in 2006 has a different back cover photo of Brandi Carlile.

Full list of versions of album released :

Track List