Lived to Tell

Lived to Tell is an album by the American alternative rock band Eleventh Dream Day, released in 1991.^[2][3] Like the band's other two Atlantic Records albums, Lived to Tell was a commercial disappointment.^[4] The band supported the album with a North American tour.^[5]

Lived to Tell
Studio album by Eleventh Dream Day
Released	1991
Genre	Rock
Label	Atlantic[1]
Producer	Paul McKenna
Eleventh Dream Day chronology
Borscht (1990) Lived to Tell (1991) Two Sweeties (1992)

Production

Produced by Paul McKenna, the album was recorded in Cub Run, Kentucky, in a studio that had been built in an old barn.^[6][7] All four band members contributed to the songwriting.^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Austin American-Statesman	[6]
Calgary Herald	B+[10]
Robert Christgau	A−[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	B[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[14]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that the band "sport a wild instrumental attack, oblique lyrics, and a sturdy, unflinching belief in the healing effects of a silky, soaring guitar."^[12] Robert Christgau thought that "a notable guitar sound evolves into an undeniable band sound, roots/trad sonics (steel and slide under lead) and rhythms (buried hints of r&b strut and shuffle) just barely keeping their balance."^[11] Trouser Press opined that some songs "waver instead of stampede; for the first time, the band seems to know where they’re going, and that takes some joy out of the ride."^[1]

The New York Times wrote: "When the tempos are fast and the guitarists strum at top speed, the songs emerge in a passionate rush. But when songs grow more leisurely, collegiate pretensions emerge; songs called 'Daedalus' and 'It's All a Game' are just the clichés their titles promise."^[15] The Chicago Tribune deemed Lived to Tell "an album that ranks as one of the best ever made by a Chicago band."^[16] The Boston Globe concluded that "the band's cleverly oblique lyrics are often lost in the guitar din, but for pure energy, you won't find a hotter new band."^[17]

AllMusic wrote that "[Rick] Rizzo and Beveridge Bean make a fantastic pair of front singers, strong without being overbearing, on joint harmonies hitting something not far off from the brilliant combination of X's John Doe and Exene Cervenka."^[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rose of Jericho"	3:42
2.	"Dream of a Sleeping Sheep"	3:15
3.	"I Could Be Lost"	3:38
4.	"It's Not My World"	4:58
5.	"You Know What It Is"	3:41
6.	"Frozen Mile"	4:22
7.	"Strung Up and/or Out"	3:14
8.	"North of Wasteland"	3:16
9.	"It's All a Game"	4:32
10.	"Trouble"	2:41
11.	"There's This Thing"	4:00
12.	"Daedalus"	3:41
13.	"Angels Spread Your Wings"	2:54

Personnel

• Janet Beveridge Bean - drums, vocals
• Baird Figi - guitar
• Douglas McCombs - bass
• Rick Rizzo - guitar, vocals