''Satellite Rides'' is the fifth studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

Old 97's Old 97's is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is ''Twelfth''. The ...

, first released in the second quarter of 2001 (see

2001 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2001. Specific locations *2001 in British music * 2001 in Norwegian music * 2001 in South Korean music Specific genres * 2001 in classical music * 2001 in country music * 2 ...

). Though track 9, "Weightless", refers to outer space while the chorus croons "ride on, ride on" to an unspecified audience, the album's title does not appear in the lyrics but was later used for the song "In The Satellite Rides A Star" on the band's follow-up album, 2004's ''

Drag It Up ''Drag It Up'' is a studio album by American country/ rock band Old 97's, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). The album's title comes from the fourth track, "Smokers." The album peaked at #120 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Critical reception ...

''. Lyrically, the songs feature singer and songwriter

Rhett Miller Stewart Ransom "Rhett" Miller II (born September 1970) is the lead singer of the country rock band Old 97's. He also records and performs as a solo musician, and has been published as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Early life Mille ...

writing about characters other than himself, although personal references remain. "Rollerskate Skinny" is a song about actress

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

, whom Miller very briefly dated; the title refers to

Holden Caulfield Holden Caulfield (identified as "Holden Morrisey Caulfield" in the story "Slight Rebellion Off Madison" , and "Holden V. Caulfield" in ''The Catcher In The Rye'') is a fictional character in the works of author J. D. Salinger. He's most famous ...

's description of his sister in the novel ''

The Catcher in the Rye ''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angs ...

'', while "Buick City Complex" refers to workers affected by General Motors' decision to close its failed mega-factory in Flint, Michigan. Miller wrote the song "Am I Too Late" for his grandmother, Ahnece Pugh. The album features two songs sung by bassist Murry Hammond, "Up The Devil's Pay" and "Can't Get A Line". "Question" is often performed live with a French verse. Miller re-recorded "Question" and "Singular Girl" with a full band for his 2006 solo album, '' The Believer''. "Satellite Riders" is also a pseudonym under which the band plays, including a show at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle, Washington on August 31, 2008.

Soundtrack appearances

"Question" was used in a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

for

Fuse TV Fuse is an American pay television channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyle programming targeting multi ...

network in the United States. It featured sock puppets. "Question" was also used in the season 2 episode 15, "His Story" of '' Scrubs'', when Turk proposes to Carla, originally broadcast on January 16, 2003. "Question" was used in the season 1 episode 19, "Young Hearts Spark Fire" of ''

Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always endi ...

'', originally broadcast on March 23, 2015. "King of All the World" was used in the film '' Out Cold''.

Track listing

Original release

Bonus EP

Early pressings of the album included an EP of five songs recorded live at Fantasy Studios in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

on September 25, 1999 for local radio station,

KFOG KNBR-FM (104.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. Both ...

, and one leftover studio track.

Personnel

*Ken Bethea – electric, acoustic, 6 string & 12 string guitars, slide guitar, lap steel, accordion *Murry Hammond –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Can't Get a Line" and "Up the Devil's Pay" *

– electric, acoustic, 6 string & 12 string guitars, mouth trumpet,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

*Philip Peeples –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

, shakers,

maraca A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thou ...

References

{{Authority control Old 97's albums 2001 albums Elektra Records albums