Culled from over 40 hard drives of recorded live shows spread out across years of touring behind multiple critically acclaimed records, LIVE DRUGS is unlike anything previously available in The War on Drugs’ catalog.
The first volume to capture the band’s live interpretations, LIVE DRUGS is a document showcasing the evolution of the band’s live show over the years. Additionally, LIVE DRUGS is a portrait of the enduring relationship between Adam Granduciel and Dominic East. A longtime friend, guitar tech and stage manager, East is LIVE DRUGS’s co-producer and the presence Granduciel credits as holding everything together.
Work on LIVE DRUGS began in late 2018, then fell by the wayside until this past March, when Granduciel stumbled upon the mixes in a Dropbox folder. Inspired to finally finish with fresh ears, Granduciel and East poured through the vaults of live multi-tracks, sending final selections for mixing to Jonathan Low at Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond Studio.
Sequenced to reflect how a typical 70-minute set would flow, LIVE DRUGS thrives on live set staples immortalized on record for the first time. This includes “Buenos Aires Beach” from the band’s 2008 full-length debut, Wagonwheel Blues, and the longtime musical interlude flowing between “Under the Pressure” and “In Reverse” - which bookend 2014’s Lost In The Dream. There’s also the band's essential cover of Warren Zevon’s “Accidentally like a Martyr” – a song “so true, you should ever be lucky to write a song that simple,” Granduciel says.
Track listing
| A1 | An Ocean In Between The Waves | |
| A2 | Pain | |
| A3 | Strangest Thing | |
| B1 | Red Eyes | |
| B2 | Thinking Of A Place | |
| C1 | Buenos Aires Beach | |
| C2 | Accidentally Like A Martyr | |
| C3 | Eyes To The Wind | |
| D1 | Under The Pressure | |
| D2 | In Reverse |
Catalogue number - SHQ01LP
