Iron & Wine Around the Well ( vinyl 3LP )

released date: 19-05-2009

2009 EU issue vinyl 3LP - Around the Well is a compilation of out-of-print and previously unreleased tracks. Named after a lyric from "The Trapeze Swinger," Around the Well collects two discs' worth of B-sides, rarities, and discarded tracks from the Iron & Wine catalog. These kinds of compilations can be tricky to assemble, but Around the Well is both comprehensive and conveniently presented, with each disc representing the two amorphous halves of Iron & Wine's career.

Tracks: (3LP )
A1 Dearest Forsaken
A2 Morning
A3 Loud As Hope
A4 Peng! 33
A5 Sacred Vision
A6 Friends They Are Jewels

B1 Hickory
B2 Waitin' For A Superman
B3 Swans And The Swimming
B4 Call Your Boys
B5 Such Great Heights

C1 Communion Cups & Someone's Coat
C2 Belated Promise Ring
C3 God Made The Automobile
C4 Homeward, These Shoes
C5 Love Vigilantes
C6 Sinning Hands

D1 No Moon
D2 Serpent Charmer
D3 Carried Home
D4 Kingdom Of The Animals
D5 Arms Of A Thief

E1 The Trapeze Swinger

Disc one is limited to the group's early days, meaning it's filled with soft bedroom whispers, homespun acoustics, and the lo-fi production that fueled Sam Beam's home recording sessions. Material from those same sessions would later form the track list of The Creek Drank the Cradle, but Around the Well pays attention to the songs that were cut from the album, offering several genuine gems amidst a constant stream of pleasant, stay-in-bed songcraft. Meanwhile, the second disc highlights Iron & Wine's shift from intimate solo project to collaborative indie folk band, beginning with the Our Endless Numbered Days sessions and culminating in the pastoral psychedelia of The Shepherd's Dog. Some of these selections are already familiar to Iron & Wine's biggest fans, including Beam's cover of "Such Great Heights" (heard on the Garden State soundtrack, as well as an oddly trippy M&Ms commercial) and the gorgeous concert staple "The Trapeze Swinger." Even so, few fans outside of Beam's social circle have heard standout tunes like "Kingdom of the Animals" and the vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding "Arms of a Thief," and Around the Well serves as a helpful reminder that a discarded Iron & Wine song is still better than most fine-tuned cuts from other bands.

Tracks:
A1 Dearest Forsaken
A2 Morning
A3 Loud As Hope
A4 Peng! 33
A5 Sacred Vision
A6 Friends They Are Jewels

B1 Hickory
B2 Waitin' For A Superman
B3 Swans And The Swimming
B4 Call Your Boys
B5 Such Great Heights

C1 Communion Cups & Someone's Coat
C2 Belated Promise Ring
C3 God Made The Automobile
C4 Homeward, These Shoes
C5 Love Vigilantes
C6 Sinning Hands

D1 No Moon
D2 Serpent Charmer
D3 Carried Home
D4 Kingdom Of The Animals
D5 Arms Of A Thief

E1 The Trapeze Swinger