"Ancient Roomer." In reference to the creative process of the album, the liner notes provide a synopsis: "Little Buck McCoy wakes up born in the middle of a wheatfield. He decides to carry on alone, despite his many acquaintances, until dying years later." The songs did not actually constitute a narrative or refer to these characters at all. Critics took note of the haphazard nature of the proceedings, which included Small Faces pastiche "Popsycle Shoppe" and a cover of John Lennon's harrowing "My Mummy's Dead." No Depression called the album "Surprisingly bitter froth...Most of the record's 12 songs quake with the severely compressed intimacy and hazy chamber-ballad tension of recent R.E.M. (no surprise) and John Lennon." In early 1997, R.E.M. began the process of writing demos for a new album both in Athens in February and Buck's Hawaiian residence in April. The three albums Buck had contributed to in 1996 were all released within weeks of one another. Tuatara's Breaking The Ethers was released March 1, 1997, followed by Eitzel's West and The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy on the same day: May 5, 1997. A U.S. tour was assembled that would allow Buck to tour both coasts with all three acts, under the title The Magnificent Seven vs. The United States. The Magnificent Seven referred to McCaughey, Stringfellow, Eitzel, Martin and the three remaining members of Tuatara—though counting Buck there were actually eight. American Music Club bassist Dan Pearson later joined the tour to augment Eitzel's sets. For this tour The Minus 5 consisted of Buck, McCaughey, Stringfellow, Martin, and Tuatara's Justin Harwood. The tour kicked off May 1, 1997 with two hometown gigs at the Crocodile. Each show featured Tuatara and Eitzel performing two sets each, with a short Minus 5 set between and occasionally McCaughey performing solo. The 22-date tour continued for two months, with many media appearances along the way. Buck and Eitzel performed on KFOG in San Francisco, Late Night With Conan O'Brien and then on WBCN radio in Boston. All three groups played Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW in Santa Monica and Idiot's Delight on WNEW in New York. Near the end of the tour all three groups played a free in-store at New York record mecca Other Music. The East Coast leg of the tour was peppered with surprise guests: Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and John Wesley Harding showed up in New York,