Shootenanny!

Recording

The album was recorded in November 2002 live in the studio, with minimal production.

Content

The album's name comes from a neologism coined by Eels front-man Mark Oliver Everett for "a social gathering at which participants engage in folk singing and sometimes dancing [a hootenanny], but mostly the shooting of guns."

Release

"Saturday Morning" was released as a promotional single with the B-sides "Her", "Waltz of the Naked Clowns", and "Sad Foot Sign".

Shootenanny! was released on June 3, 2003 by record label DreamWorks. The album peaked at number 145 on the Billboard 200.

Critical reception

Shootenanny! received a generally favorable response, though some critics were divided.

Greg Kot of Entertainment Weekly called the album "downright moving at its best". A negative review came from Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork, who wrote: "Musically and lyrically, E is spent – out of ideas, out of innovation, unable to cough up anything but by-the-numbers pop in the fourteen originals he wrote for this disc." Dom Passantino of Stylus opined that the album "suffers from a lack of identity".

Track listing

All songs written by E, except as noted.

1. "All in a Day's Work" (E, Koool G Murder) – 3:24
2. "Saturday Morning" (E, Koool G Murder) – 2:55
3. "The Good Old Days" – 3:03
4. "Love of the Loveless" – 3:32
5. "Dirty Girl" – 2:41
6. "Agony" – 3:07
7. "Rock Hard Times" (E, Joe Gore) – 4:00
8. "Restraining Order Blues" – 3:11
9. "Lone Wolf" – 2:37
10. "Wrong About Bobby" – 2:46
11. "Numbered Days" (E, Gore) – 3:44
12. "Fashion Awards" – 3:07
13. "Somebody Loves You" – 3:02

Personnel

In popular culture

The song "Agony" was used on the soundtrack of the SyFy TV show Stargate Universe in the 17th episode of the first season.