Search - Widespread Panic :: Til the Medicine Takes

Til the Medicine Takes
Widespread Panic
Til the Medicine Takes
Genres: Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

Athens, Georgia's second most popular band does a little redecorating here, tightening up its patented sprawling jams into more manageable soundscapes and adding strings and horns to its already expansive musical palette. ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Widespread Panic
Title: Til the Medicine Takes
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Capricorn Records
Original Release Date: 7/27/1999
Release Date: 7/27/1999
Genres: Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
Styles: Jam Bands, Rock Jam Bands, Southern Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 731454620321

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Athens, Georgia's second most popular band does a little redecorating here, tightening up its patented sprawling jams into more manageable soundscapes and adding strings and horns to its already expansive musical palette. While losing some rough edges and quirky spontaneity, Widespread Panic manage to provide an intriguing bridge between the old and new sounds of the South. While the band is quick to shrug off comparisons to the Allman Brothers, there's still a loose rhythmic groove that recalls their Macon forebears, especially on "Climb to Safety," which follows a beautiful loser through his loss of faith and attendant redemption. The dark subject matter is what you'd find in any Southern Gothic, but there's a modern twist, a dash of sinister organ, and some undeniable emotional fire. Unlike some of the other entrants in the jam-band school, Widespread Panic are as likely to incorporate a Black Sabbath lick or a Talking Heads rant into a song as they are to purloin a Grateful Dead riff, proving they're more children of the '70s than just another Southern boogie band. --Jaan Uhelszki

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CD Reviews

First impressions definitely make a difference!
N. Johnston | Music City, TN USA | 01/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first discovered Widespread Panic back in 2001, this was the album I listened to. I was blown away with the first and second tracks, "Surprise Valley" and "Bear Gone Fishin'". It just got better and better as the album went on. Panic might take some cues from their rock n' roll predecessors, the Grateful Dead, Allman Bros. and Talking Heads, etc., but they mix it up into a sound that's all their own. After putting this album on repeat for about a month, I finally got to see them live for the first time in Jackson, MS. I was so impressed with them that I went to the next show in Little Rock, AR and I've been addicted ever since! These boys know how to make music from their hearts and souls(which is rare in this Brittney Spears plastic world)!! Some may say this type of music draws the "neo-hippie" crowd. All I know is that you meet some of best and kindest people in the world at WSP shows. Cheers to friends so near!!"
Southern Fried Comfort Music
Drifting Along | 05/23/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)

"After nearly ten years of listening to "Til the Medicine Takes," I still have to say, "amazing" to this deeply involving studio gem by Panic. Sure, they are supposed to be a live act, but their studio efforts really showcase their compositions as densely layered and complex, leading to deeply involving listening sessions, from which you emerge feeling transported plateaus from where you began--a true meditation of inner space. But, you need a high-end audio system to resolve the many instumental tracks laid down on "Medicine," or else it comes off as muddy and fatiguing. I think that is why so many like their live albums, which present a more basic sound that is playable on any system. A live production is forgiven for its loose, sloppy mood, crowd noise, strung out jams, etc. Problem is, the band sounds drunk on live productions compared to their artistic brilliance on studio efforts, and one would say, "they should, because they can record until it is perfect," which is why I love this brilliant album, and I am not sure where all this fan criticism comes from. "Weekend hippies" or not, Panic's lyrics attract folks who relate to their earthy, down-home messages. "Mama talkin' the water," "like a fresh-skipped stone," "bringin' you the morning sun," "he may not be a toker, but he always knows what's goin' on," etc evoke feelings of the divinity of nature and our place in it as a holy experience. At age 58, I have been at a lot of shows going back decades--not to say I have heard it all, but, I hold Panic right up there with all the jam legends."