The Long Winters | The Worst You Can Do is Harm

The Worst You Can Do is Harm

Released Feb 19, 2002
Barsuk Records - BARK22

Engineered by Chris Walla at The Hall of Justice in Seattle, WA. Produced by Chris Walla, Sean Nelson, and John Roderick.

This is our first record. It's full of ghosts and shipwrecked relationships. We spent a winter making it and threw our whole selves at it, crossing wires and passing out on couches with magazines for blankets. It can easily be mistaken for a pop record, but there are secret places in it that belong to whomever finds them and wants to claim them. There are pianos. And there's a dog.

Stories from the Band

John writes:

[Photo of John] The year 2000 was a very full year. The first thing that happened in January of that year was that I was asked to join Harvey Danger as the touring keyboardist. They knew me from around town and Sean and I had recently struck up a friendship based on eating steak and talking about how smart we were compared to other people. More »

Sean writes:

[Photo of Sean] When I think about the recording of what would become the first Long Winters LP, the first thing that comes to mind is an image of Chris Walla climbing physically inside the back of an Optigan keyboard. More »

Barsuk writes:

Simply stated, “The Worst You Can Do Is Harm” is one of the finest debut records in recent memory. From the subterranean menace of Give Me a Moment to the gothic country of Samaritan to the kitchen table post-mortem Unsalted Butter, the collaboration delineated by John Roderick's lyrical/melodic sense, Sean Nelson's lush harmonies and Chris Walla's totally messed-up production hits its mark almost too many times to be believed.

Guest players include Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, REM), Joe Bass (Sky Cries Mary, Sunny Day Real Estate), Jim Roth (Delusions, Built to Spill) and other friends.

Ten songs: Give Me a Moment; Carparts; Samaritan; Mimi; Medicine Cabinet Pirate; Unsalted Butter; Government Loans; Scent of Lime; Copernicus; Shanty Town

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