Train CD 1998 Rock, roots rock. Contains the singles “Meet Virginia”, “Free”, “I Am”.

Description

While easily comparable to R.E.M., Train travel a little farther south, stopping in Allman Brothers country. Ballads like “If You Leave” and “Homesick” could be mistaken for early demos by Athens’s most beloved sons, but when the guitar solos kick in, it’s classic Southern goodness. Luckily, Train don’t derail themselves by sticking solely to greasy jams and high-wire guitar acrobatics. The San Francisco-based five-piece keep their slice-of-life sound simple and lean, never overdoing what doesn’t need to be overdone. Frontman Patrick Monahan has a voice that was made for this material. Bearing an uncanny vocal resemblance to Blues Traveler’s John Popper, he slip-slides from one drunken heartbreak to another, but always gets up, brushes the dirt off his jeans, and keeps on living.

Product details
Run time ‏ : ‎ 55 minutes
Released February 24, 1998
Genre Rock, roots rock
Length 56:38

Train is the self-titled debut studio album from the American rock band Train, released in 1998. The album was self-produced for $25,000 and three singles from the album were released. The first single released, “Meet Virginia”, peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second, “Free”, was largely a hit on rock stations, and the third single from the album was “I Am”. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Track listing
All tracks are written by Train
No. Title Length
1. “Meet Virginia” 4:00
2. “I Am” 4:29
3. “If You Leave” 3:29
4. “Homesick” 4:39
5. “Free” 3:58
6. “Blind” 5:01
7. “Eggplant” 3:11
8. “Idaho” 4:57
9. “Days” 4:39
10. “Rat” 4:32
11. “Swaying” (actually 3:11 long, followed by a minute of silence) 4:13
12. “Train” (hidden track) 5:34
13. “Heavy” (hidden track) 3:49

5.0 out of 5 stars Train’s Best Work to Date
Somewhere between 1998 and 2001, the Train switched tracks and headed full steam into sugar-sappy adult pop-rock, radio friendly music. No doubt, it’s been good for their careers. Monster hits like Drops of Jupiter and Calling All Angels keeps their concerts sold out and their banks accounts filled. Luckily for us, they recorded their self-titled release before heading off in this direction.

The album starts with the song that put them on the map, ‘Meet Virgina’. While this track may hook you into their music, the best is yet to come. ‘I Am’, ‘If You Leave’, ‘Homesick’ and ‘Blind’ drip with lyrical emotion and have the riffs and hooks to keep them fresh and memorable. The quirky tracks, ‘Eggplant’ and ‘Idaho’ are fun to listen to and very original in this genre of music.

Where Train really shines is on the rocking track ‘Free’ and the two hidden tracks, ‘Train’ and ‘Heavy’. ‘Free’ is a song that is not easily described, but should be experienced. Like 3 songs in one, it grooves, rocks, and soothes throughout the spin. Not sure what the logic was behind making the final two tracks hidden as they are both solid songs.

Sadly (in my opinion), Train went with the ‘Meet Virgina’ formula for their future releases. If you want good, 90’s version of Southern Rock, look no further than Train.

5.0 out of 5 stars Train Your Ear
I have loved Train from the beginning of their early success. I love all of their songs, some more than others. The best thing about Train is not only the groups music, their lead singers vocals but it’s pure poetry to your ears. Each of the writers have a great talent for writing great songs and create good songs. I have seen the original band and the newest group live several times. If you haven’t seen them, do so.