Deserter's Songs (studio album) by Mercury Rev

Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev
Year: 1998
Overall rank: 649th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 492 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1998 (8th)
Award Top albums of the 1990s (110th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (649th)

Mercury Rev bestography

Deserter's Songs is ranked as the best album by Mercury Rev.

Mercury Rev album bestography « Higher ranked This album (649th) Lower ranked (1,016th) »
-Deserter's SongsYerself Is Steam

Upcoming concerts

Mar
23
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18:30
Planet Mercury, Hush Club, Valoria, Gaurdrail
Middle East - Upstairs, Cambridge, United States. United States
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Apr
20
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18:30
Five Headed Cobra , The Mercury Riots , Failure By Proxy, Hollow Crown
Whisky A Go Go, West Hollywood, United States. United States
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May
08
Wed
21:00
Malice K Live at Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge, New York, United States. United States
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Deserter's Songs track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Rating: 88 (119 votes)Comments: 0
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2.
Rating: 84 (90 votes)Comments: 1
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Rating: 84 (87 votes)Comments: 0
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Rating: 78 (76 votes)Comments: 0
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Rating: 85 (99 votes)Comments: 1
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Rating: 82 (77 votes)Comments: 0
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Rating: 85 (86 votes)Comments: 1
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Deserter's Songs rankings

Deserter's Songs collection

Deserter's Songs ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 492 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 492 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
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03/02/2024 10:48 thenat  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,22175/100
 
65/100
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03/01/2024 20:28 Hyggevinyl  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,92373/100
 
80/100
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02/28/2024 18:55 Gavin Cook  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 24965/100
 
90/100
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01/22/2024 10:50 swed  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,13980/100
 
70/100
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01/12/2024 01:34 idiotican  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,37871/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.9/100, a mean average of 78.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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Deserter's Songs comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 28 comments |
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Rating:  
80/100
From 06/17/2023 14:13
Maluquice boa.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 01/15/2023 00:00
There are 3 brilliant songs on here that are surrounded by mostly average filler tracks that don't really provide anything for the record. The 3 tracks that stand out in my opinion are Holes, Opus 40 and Goddess On A Highway. The rest of the songs don't match the atmosphere or quality these songs create. I do think the voice is very unique as well and adds a special twist on this album that makes it stand out. Overall, a few brilliant tracks surrounded by mostly decent songs doesn't make for a bad album but its not one I will be rushing back to.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 12/06/2020 14:26
Didn't do much for me.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/03/2019 20:45
100/100

I think this album is underrated, so much similarity with Soft Bulletin (Flaming Lips) wich is on top 20 (and the best of the decade for me) best of the 1990's and this is #127

Awesome music and lyrics, very atmospheric

Top 20 best albums of the 90's for me
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 07/19/2019 20:52
Favorite Tracks:The Funny Bird, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 06/30/2019 05:01
The music is quite beautiful. But it's hard to get past the singer's voice. It's a bit cringey. I don't know what to rate this. I give the music 4.5 stars, and the singing 2 stars.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/29/2019 05:24
The legendary 'Deserters Songs' who's sum is greater than its parts

I became obsessed with this album around the time it came out in 1998 and in many ways I still am obsessed. Need proof I was obsessed ?. I have 3 physical CD copies of 'Deserters Songs' - the original standard CD , a Limited Edition release with Bonus 5 track EP and finally a special numbered release with cardboard cover and post cards included

Why do I love this album so much ? Well much like Neutral Milk Hotels 'In the Aeroplane ..' it has that X factor I struggle to put into words , its weird and wonky and feels old (but isn't ) and is almost perfect

How I feel about 'Deserters Songs' is best encapsulated by the following Grasshopper liner notes from the demo's release 'Deserted Songs'

“As we pulled these Deserted Songs to the surface whatever had been holding us hostage cracked and withered in the blistering power of this music, and these songs allowed us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time… It is the magic of the vibrating universe; the music of the Angels”

As I write this late June 2019 'Deserters Songs' shamefully sits in the 600's on BEA All-Time album list , if ever an album deserved to be in the top 500 this is it
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 10/24/2018 23:36
Consistently good. Flaming Lips comparisons make sense considering they shared studio time sometime between 1997-99 (the making of this and the Lips' Soft Bulletin) and probably used much of the same gear, equipment, and recording/engineering personnel.

Probably a grower...
Top tracks: Holes, Tonite It Shows, Goddess Of A Hiway

76/100
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/09/2017 04:08
Easily their best album Goddess On A Highway, Funny Bird, Holes, Hudson Line & Bottleneck Stomp are some of the best things they have ever delivered. I still prefer Flaming Lips though,as they do this style of music the best.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/12/2016 15:53
The best Mercury rev album. Bar none. Excellent.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1998
1. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
2. Mezzanine by Massive Attack
3. Moon Safari by Air (FR)
4. Aquemini by OutKast
5. The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
6. Music Has The Right To Children by Boards Of Canada
7. XO by Elliott Smith
8. Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev
9. Electro-Shock Blues by Eels
10. Ray Of Light by Madonna
11. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams
12. Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo
13. Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins
14. The Shape Of Punk To Come (A Chimerical Bombination In 12 Bursts) by Refused
15. The Boy With The Arab Strap by Belle And Sebastian
16. This Is Hardcore by Pulp
17. TNT by Tortoise
18. Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star by Black Star
19. Yield by Pearl Jam
20. System Of A Down by System Of A Down
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