Track Listing

1. Round and Round
2. Home to Stay
3. Sister Susan
4. Hip Hip Hop
5. Half a Heart
6. Mystery Train (of Love)
7. Luck Don't Know My Name
8. Simon Templar
9. Fate Comes Along
10. Don't Walk Away
11. 400 Miles from Nowhere (bonus track)
12. Nowhere Town (bonus track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #564496 in Music
• Released on: 2002-04-08
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Da Capo is a collection of previously-released and never-before-heard songs, some dating back from the early days of Smoke Ring Days, and others culled from the archives of Barbarian Lovers, the band's previous incarnation. These ten (plus) tracks are amongst the band's catchiest and most melodic, with an audible emphasis on vocal harmonies, country-tinged guitar and harmonica riffs, and driving rhythm lines. The opening 'Round and Round,' originally released in Europe on Italy's Cruisin label, was a Gavin Report 'Spotlight Pick of the Month' upon its initial release, and numbers such as the hipster paen 'Simon Templar' and Yardbirds-influenced 'Don't Walk Away' received much airplay and positive press in Europe. For a limited time, the CD includes the special preview song 'Nowhere Town,' an anthem to escapism from the band's upcoming album.

About the Artist
Comprised of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Rick Eppedio and lead vocalist C. R. Keyser-Posner, rock indie Smoke Ring Days' line-up first surfaced as the studio collective Barbarian Lovers. Following seven single, LP, and CD releases by the band on various foreign and domestic record labels- including London-based Aura Records, where labelmates included Alex Chilton, Steve Marriott, and Nico - the Barbs went on extended hiatus, leaving the two to continue writing and recording as a duo, and building on the ardent fan base they had cultivated in European radio. Lauded by Billboard's Music & Media and The Gavin Report for their "exceptional folky vocal harmonies [and] layered acoustic guitars," Smoke Ring Days creates aural commentary that spans the gamut from heartfelt emotional outpourings to powerful political punches.

Customer Reviews

Nifty lil' ol' album
Having been checking out up-and-coming bands in a lot of online music magazines lately, I came across mentions of Smoke Ring Days in several, including, I think, Pitchfork, whom I usually trust to have fairly discerning taste in new music. With 'Da Capo' the reviewers were fairly on the money - this album is good, with world-weary and knowing lyrics set in upbeat musical arrangements to a winning effect. I like hearing a female lead vocal that didn't sound prepubescent - the warm tones here are a welcome contrast to the screachy voices usually favored by radio today. Musicianship all around is tight, with good performances on guitar and bass the standouts. Check out 'Sister Susan' and 'Home to Stay' as well as the harp solo on 'Don't Walk Away.' They are a band to keep an ear on.

Good American pop/rock
This is a pretty good CD by a group that is not that well known in America but certainly should be. Most CD's that I buy I usually end up ripping the one or two good songs on the disc to my hard drive or iPod and filing the others away in a storage cabinet, but I play this one from beginning to end. there is not a bad song on the disc. "Round and Round", "Luck Don't Know My Name" and "Don't Walk Away" are my favorites, "Home to Stay" is a beautiful song and I even like their remake of "All of the Good Ones Are Taken (on the "Sins of Commission" album)". This is goog American pop/rock . I just wish more people were familiar with The Smoke Ring Days and their music. They are proof that some really fine music was created in this genre. These guys are so much better than several other bands in the rock & roll genre that do get noticed. I first heard about SRD a couple years ago, when I got a copy of "Songs of Simple Dreams" as a gift. I have seen them in concert a while back and I was really impressed by the fact that what you hear on CD is what you hear in concert. I feel that one of the traits of a good band is the ability to get your feet moving and the air guitar going as soon as you hear them.

nice, big sound - is this a new band?
I was amazed to read on the liner notes that this band is a duo, like the White Stripes or the Brunettes, as their sound is so totally different and so BIG for just two people (yes, I know about multi-tracking, but still.....). Anyway, I really liked the poppy aspect of this album, especially the eighties-ish verve of Round and Round and the bopping Hip Hip Hop and Don't Walk Away, with their layers of vocals and fast-blues guitar riffing. And any band that writes a song about the old TV show The Saint (Simon Templar aka Roger Moore) is cool by me. All in all, a fun and really listenable record. Is this a new band?