Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia

Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
Studio album by The Dandy Warhols
Released	August 1, 2000
Recorded	December 1998 – March 1999 in Portland, Oregon, United States
Genre	Alternative rock[1] power pop[2]
Length	56:07
Label	Capitol
Producer	Courtney Taylor-Taylor Dave Sardy Gregg Williams
The Dandy Warhols chronology
...The Dandy Warhols Come Down (1997) Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000) Welcome to the Monkey House (2003)
Singles from Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia
"Get Off" Released: May 2000 "Bohemian Like You" Released: August 2000 "Godless" Released: July 17, 2001 "Horse Pills" Released: 2001 (Australia only)

Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia is the third studio album by American rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was released on August 1, 2000, through record label Capitol.

It is considered their breakthrough album, largely owing to the song "Bohemian Like You" being featured in a notable Vodafone advertisement.^[3] Four singles were released from the album: "Get Off", "Bohemian Like You", "Godless" and "Horse Pills" (the latter in Australia only).

Background and recording

Recording of the album commenced in December 1998 and concluded in March 1999.^[4] On the making of the album, frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor said that "we felt like we needed to make the last classic rock album. A record that would be, sonically, shaped somewhere in-between All Things Must Pass and Workingman's Dead."^[5]

Release

The album's first single, "Get Off", was released in May 2000.

Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was released on August 1 by record label Capitol. It is considered their breakthrough album due to the success of the album's second single "Bohemian Like You", released in August, which reached number 5 in the UK,^[6] despite the album only reaching number 182 in the US Billboard 200.^[7] It reached number 32 in the UK Albums Chart.^[6] A special edition of the album, titled Seven Tales for Urban Australia, was released at the band's Australian tour, containing a bonus disc of seven extra tracks.

Two further singles were released: "Godless", on July 17, 2001, and "Horse Pills" the same year, released in Australia only.

By 2003 the album had sold over 200,000 copies in the UK alone.^[8]

In 2013, a remastered version of the album called the 13th Anniversary Edition was released, featuring a bonus disc of previously unreleased material.^[9]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Alternative Press	4/5[11]
The Austin Chronicle	[12]
Chicago Sun-Times	[13]
Entertainment Weekly	B[14]
NME	7/10[15]
Q	[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[18]
USA Today	[19]

Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia was well received by critics and holds a score of 80 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[10] Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club called the album "an 800-pound gorilla of winning, eclectic rock 'n' roll" and wrote that it "may be the most joyous, instantly likable rock record you'll hear this year."^[20] Heather Phares of AllMusic called it a "bakers' dozen of their most focused and cohesive songs".^[2] Alternative Press called it "a scattershot bagful of wild rides and demented ditties and an album of maniacal depth and vision."^[11]

The Phoenix New Times's Brian Baker wrote, "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia is astonishing in its maturity and vision, coming from a band that is so young and so purposefully aimless."^[21] The Portland Mercury wrote, "while previous efforts have been somewhat schizophrenic in their ping-ponging between over-the-top atmosphere and dumbass pop, The Dandy Warhols' third record brings everything together in one tight package."^[22] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a two-star honorable rating and remarked: "Dandies have feelings too—no, strike that, tunes too."^[23]

Track listing

All tracks written by Courtney Taylor-Taylor, except as noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Godless"		5:20
2.	"Mohammed"		5:20
3.	"Nietzsche"		5:40
4.	"Country Leaver"		3:22
5.	"Solid"		3:08
6.	"Horse Pills"		3:24
7.	"Get Off"		3:11
8.	"Sleep"		5:57
9.	"Cool Scene"		4:07
10.	"Bohemian Like You"		3:31
11.	"Shakin'"		3:56
12.	"Big Indian"		3:34
13.	"The Gospel"	Taylor-Taylor, Peter Holmström	5:35

Limited edition bonus CD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"White Gold"
2.	"Phone Call"
3.	"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth" (live at the Reading Festival – 1999)
4.	"I Love You" (live at the Reading Festival – 1999)

Bonus disc: Seven Tales for Urban Australia
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Hells Bells" (AC/DC cover)	Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson	5:58
2.	"Bohemian Like You" (The Black Dog Lithium Carbonate 300mg Mix)		4:41
3.	"Dub Song"		6:31
4.	"Boys Better"		4:32
5.	"Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (Heroin Is So Passe)" (live)		3:07
6.	"Get Off" (video)
7.	"Bohemian Like You" (video)

13th Anniversary Edition bonus disc
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Later the Show"
2.	"Ras Tafar and I"
3.	"Godless" (alt. vox melody)
4.	"Cool Scene" (early mix)
5.	"Country Leaver" (early mix)
6.	"Bohemian Like You" (Courtney home demo)
7.	"Mohammed" (Courtney home demo)
8.	"Big Indian" (Courtney cassette 4-track)
9.	"Big Indian" (Courtney home demo)
10.	"Unknown"
11.	"Godless" (Courtney home demo)
12.	"Cool Scene" (Courtney home demo)
13.	"Dub Song" (Courtney home demo)

Personnel

The Dandy Warhols

• Courtney Taylor-Taylor – vocals, guitar, production (tracks 1–6, 8, 9, 11–13), mixing ("Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (Heroin Is So Passe) (Live)")
• Peter Holmström – guitar
• Zia McCabe – keyboards
• Brent DeBoer – drums, backing vocals, album cover photography

Additional personnel

• Phil Baker – double bass ("Country Leaver", "Sleep")
• Meg Bobbitt – additional vocals ("Shakin'", "The Gospel")
• Vince DiFiore – trumpet ("Mohammed")
• Erik Gavriluk – organ ("Bohemian Like You")
• Joe Kaczmarek – organ ("Cool Scene")
• Eric Matthews – trumpet ("Godless", "Cool Scene")
• Anton Newcombe – guitar ("Get Off")
• Troy Stewart – slide guitar
• D.J. Swamp – scratching ("Shakin'")

Production

• Steven Birch – album sleeve design and layout
• Tchad Blake – mixing ("Boys Better")
• Erik Gavriluk – mixing ("Hells Bells")
• Tony Lash – recording ("Boys Better")
• George Marino – mastering (Sterling Sound)
• Alan Narmore – sleeve artwork (production art)
• Rakin – sleeve photography
• Dave Sardy – mixing (tracks 1–8, 10, 12–13), production (tracks 7, 10)
• Clark Stiles – engineering (post-production), mixing (tracks 9, 11, "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth (Heroin Is So Passe) (Live)"), sequencing and additional recording ("Boys Better")
• Gregg Williams – production (tracks 1–6, 8–9, 11–13)

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24]	Gold	100,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Houle, Zachary (June 13, 2013). "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (Deluxe Edition) | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
2. Phares, Heather. "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia – The Dandy Warhols". AllMusic. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
3. Hamilton, Hannah. "The Dandy Aesthetic". hotpress.com. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
4. Basham, David. "The Dandy Warhols: Bohemian Rhapsody". mtv.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
5. "Welcoming (Back) The Dandy Warhols". slabtown.net. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
6. "Dandy Warhols | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
7. "The Dandy Warhols – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
8. "Melt Down in the Monkey House". Rock Sound. May 2003. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
9. Gothman, Sean (April 11, 2013). "'Thirteen Tales' 13th Anniversary Edition « The Dandy Warhols | The Official Site".
10. "Reviews for Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia by Dandy Warhols". Metacritic. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
11. "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". Alternative Press (146): 86. September 2000.
12. Savlov, Mark (October 27, 2000). "Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (Capitol)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
13. DeRogatis, Jim (July 30, 2000). "The Dandy Warhols, 'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia' (Capitol)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 5, 2012. (subscription required (help)).
14. Morgan, Laura (August 4, 2000). "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
15. "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia". NME. June 9, 2000. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
16. Henderson, Dave (August 2000). "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". Q (167): 97.
17. Chonin, Neva (August 1, 2000). "Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
18. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 208. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
19. Gundersen, Edna (August 1, 2000). "The Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". USA Today. Retrieved October 5, 2012. (subscription required (help)).
20. Phipps, Keith (August 1, 2000). "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
21. Baker, Brian (August 10, 2000). "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". Phoenix New Times.
22. Rich, Jamie S. (July 27, 2000). "Cooler in an Obvious Way: The Warhols Restart the Clock for Another 15". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
23. Christgau, Robert. "The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
24. "British album certifications – Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search

External links

• Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia at the band's official website
• Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia at Discogs (list of releases)