17 Comments

I remember having the cassette in late 94 and in the summer of 95, that red American Recordings cassette was part of my shuffle of cassettes and bootlegs I listened to daily.

Many things make this album great. One reason is that the production is top notch and it's mixed brilliantly.

Then you have the tremendous performances captured here, especially the phenomenal drumming and guitar playing.

Guitar Solo in 4th of July is a chef's kiss! The guitars used and the amps and tone are so refreshing to hear thirty years later, when modern guitars sound dated to this digital period.

You also have 4 bangers, really huge songs in the first 4 tracks.

If You Don't Love Me, Northern Bound Train, Straylin, Fourth of July,

Huge.

And it's owed to the writer and creator and performers,

so thank you, Pete!

Just a brilliant piece of art. I love this record.

Expand full comment
May 25Liked by Pete Droge

it's a joy to hear this live version. i love that whole album and can't really believe it's 30! i'll second the idea of the entire live set being released. thanks for sharing the story and the song!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, pvz... Nice to know this live version brought you some joy. And thanks for encouraging me to release more.

Expand full comment
May 24Liked by Pete Droge

So good! Great recording. As for Necktie it’s on a pretty short list of my very favs.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Travis!

Expand full comment

Your writing this song at 19 years old is astounding. I am the same age you are and I admire your creativity! I have bought Necktie Second several times in several formats as I wore them out from playing them so much (yes, even bought the cd twice!). I still listen to a random track from this album almost daily. Thank you for creating it with your helpful friends and wife👍

Expand full comment
author

Hi Brian- Creating this record was a dream come true for me. I'm happy to know you still are listening to it all these years later. Thanks for that!

Expand full comment
May 24Liked by Pete Droge

Necktie was such a wonderful album. I can't properly express how much enjoyment I took from it. It doesn't seem like thirty years. Man how they go by in a blink. When I listen to these songs, which I do often, I am back in the mid 90's. No phone. No money. No real worries. The world was so big.

Glad your album was there. Thanks again Pete.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Jeff. Indeed... the time flies. It means a lot to me to hear that you derived so much enjoyment from the album. We really enjoyed making it too.

Expand full comment

Great song Pete. Your guitar playing and vocal phrasing is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Peter. I appreciate the kind words. It's my pleasure to share it.

Expand full comment
founding
May 24Liked by Pete Droge

The best part about all this is the love you have for writing and performing music is still so clear in everything you share today. Necktie Second is such a great album from start to finish, as they say "timeless".

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Sylvan. I sure do have a love for making music. I'm deep into the new record and as excited as ever by the process.

Expand full comment
May 24Liked by Pete Droge

Gotta tell you, the videos from this show sound incredible. Is it possible the whole set will be posted at some point?

Expand full comment
author

Hi Brian- I'm glad to hear that you are digging the videos from the show. We'll keep chipping away at mixing songs from the show. Not sure if we will ultimately get them all done or not... but more to come for sure.

Expand full comment

Awesome story, Pete! Man, I'd love to see this reissued on vinyl!!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks. We'll make a vinyl release happen one day!!!

Expand full comment