In My Room: The Best Of Book Of Kills, Volume One It's late. Listening to Big Star's "Jesus Christ". Been playing Sisters Lovers non-stop for a week. Not much I can tell you about this album. The songs fell out of my head and into my tape recorder. That's all I know. Winter was hard. Smashed friendships. Love gone to rot. Broken promises. Too many spinning wheels. Mud spattered on everything. I'm glad spring is here. -JS BOOK OF KILLS INSERT: Draft 2 By Aaron Farrington It was a long and strange winter. A winter that found me alone in New York City staring at Christmas shoppers, wondering when the snow was going to end. I had a lot of free time to think about the universe and count stars and feel rotten about the world. But I started thinking about Jim Shelley and Book Of Kills instead. Thinking about Jim sitting up in his attic by himself with his guitar and tape recorders and all the music he made for us up there. He didn't have to do it. He didn't have to give us any of his music. But he did. He spent a fortune on Maxell tapes and Kinko's copies to get this music to us. He used up a lot time and nerves getting everything to sound right and probably smoked more cigarettes than he wanted to in the process. In return he's gotten a couple of glowing reviews in Alternative Press and become something of a rock god in the minds of a few lonely teenagers. When I think of all the songs and all the memories that go along with those songs: Listening to For The Good Of The Cause for the first time in the high school library and then running to Jim's room between classes with a big stupid grin on my face, jumping up and down, trying to make him understand how great an album it was; driving through his home town of Dayton in the middle of the night with my bored best friend and our windows down and "Don't Stop The Scream" cranked all the way up as we drove past Jim's house so maybe he would know that were were listening; alone in the dark in New York and everything feeling dead, listening to Jim sing "I Wish I Was You" and Jim sounding like everything was dead...when I think of all the songs Jim has given us over the years... They really are great songs. When I first started listening to Jim's stuff, I thought that maybe I just liked them because I knew Jim. But five years have gone by and many great bands have come and gone from my tape deck. Book Of Kills is the only band that I've ever consistently listened to in my life. And I wouldn't have listened to them for so long if I didn't like them. So I rank BOK with The Pixies and Husker Du and Nirvana. When I think of all the songs Jim has given us...I don't know what to do. I guess I can only thank him and thank you, too. Because if it wasn't for you, then Jim might have gotten frustrated and not put out any tapes and my world would have been a much bleaker place. (March 4, 1994) Side One Cindy (You're A Fast Food Beauty) [4.03] Recorded 2.14.92. Previously unreleased. Don't Stop The Scream [2.28] Recorded 3.18.92. Remixed 2.18.94. From Don't Stop The Scream. In My Room [3.00] Recorded 9.12.92. Alternate take from The Haunted Life. Simple World [5.02] Recorded 5.1.91. Remixed 2.18.94. From For The Good Of The Cause. Bad Person [3.09] Recorded 1.22-23.93. Remixed 2.18.94. From Wee Jim's Blackeye. Wild Hog In The Woods* [2.50] Recorded 8.12.91. From 8 From The Attic. Shapes Of Things [2.21] Recorded 11.11.93. Previously unreleased. Religion Is That I Love You [2.32] Recorded 4.20.92. Remixed 2.18.94. From 8 From The Attic. If I Went Mad [2.11] Recorded 8.12.92. Remixed 2.19.94. From The Haunted Life. Cara Anne [2.23] Recorded 3.23.92. From Don't Stop The Scream. Hold On (What Am I Supposed To Do?) [3.07] Recorded 6.29.89. From Bloom Or Die?. ...Like Me [2.41] Record 2.5.94. From the unreleased album, Dogalypse. The Girl Can't Help It! [2.48] Recorded 4.29.91. From For The Good Of The Cause. (I'm Glad I'm Not A) Rock Star [3.05] Recorded 6.18-19.90. From For The Good Of The Cause. When Your Dreams [3.15] Recorded 3.28.92. From Don't Stop The Scream. Side Two Shady Grove* [2.32] Recorded live in the studio, 8.13.91. Previously unreleased. Wind And Rain* [4.09] Recorded 8.15.91. From For The Good Of The Cause. The Haunted Life [2.42] Recorded 9.1-2.92. From The Haunted Life. No Time For Love [2.58] Recorded 6.12.90. From For The Good Of The Cause. I Hang Heavy [2.48] Recorded 7.13.90. From For The Good Of The Cause. The Night John Lennon Died [2.33] Recorded 5.2.88. From Bloom Or Die?. The Girl Who Sets People On Fire [4.12] Recorded 2.27.94. Previously unreleased. This World Is Gonna Let You Down [2.35] Recorded 2.11.93. Remixed 2.19.94. From Wee Jim's Blackeye. Lullabye [5.05] Recorded 2.19.93. Remixed 3.2.94. From Wee Jim's Blackeye. When Are The Saucers Coming For Me? [2.34] Recorded 1.21.93. Previously unreleased. Pulling Strings [1.49] Recorded 3.30.92. Remixed 3.1.94. From Don't Stop The Scream. The Girl Whose Name [2.53] Recorded 8.6.92. Remixed 3.2.94. From The Haunted Life. (I Just Wanna Be) Normal [2.50] Recorded 8.12.89. From Bloom Or Die?. Sometimes I Get Happy [4.17] Recorded 2.6.94. Previously unreleased. All songs written and performed by Jim Shelley except (*) traditional compositions arranged and performed by Jim Shelley. Thanks for listening. More information: http://www.bookofkills.com.