The LUNA Album Poll

they never bettered the debut for me, though pretty much all the albums are at least 'good'

Between Penthouse and Romantica for me, though Pup Tent has a high concentration of favorite Luna songs (it just doesn't hang together all that well).

Oh God I don't even know where to begin with. One of my favorite groups ever. I've seen them live more than any other band. Gut reaction is to say "Bewitched" but that's more because of what the album meant to me and the things going on when I first heard it than the quality of the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO2MhMVzjwM

obv the first one

i was at this show, they were known at the time as Luna² and they were opening for the Screaming Trees lol.

I think the first time I saw them may have been the best - on my birthday at Maxwells in Hoboken 1996. For some reason I managed to see them at Maxwells a total of five times.

as a galaxie 500 fan who never made the leap to luna, i pledge to download whatever wins this. so vote carefully!

(not that i had anything against the luna that i heard, it just wasn't what i was into at the time.)

Penthouse. Easiest poll ever.

SS I am jealous you were @ that show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF98-HN9AyM&feature=PlayList&p=84789F2ECEE6DEBF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28

Think I've said it before, but Luna is probably the band I've listened to most in the past ten years, since my wife and I both love 'em. Penthouse is probably the best -- a classic through and through. The others are wonderful, but not as cohesive. That said, Days of Our Nights is the sleeper of the catalog. Some of the lyrics on that one were ridiculously on the mark for me circa 1999.

"Lunapark" has a rockier edge than the rest of their catalog which I love, but "Pup Tent" really knocked me out when it came out. I bailed after "Days Of Our Nights".

I recently put together a playlist of all their non-lp tracks and it REALLY satisfied.

OK voted Penthouse as best album because it's just really fucking solid.

Although I'm now doubting myself because damn I really do love both Bewitched and Lunapark. :/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2D_4ODZ6DE&feature=related

Penthouse, though Pup Tent always turns out to be better than I remembered it. When I think of it I always think of that jokey "doctor in the house of pancakes" opening line, and forget that the album that follows is pretty solid.

Penthouse came out just as I was leaving my job at the Strand for something a little more formal, and still hits me as a farewell to lazy days in the world of slacker New York.

i was always partial to the "sideshow by the seashore" ep, whatever it's called. their cover of "thank you for sending me an angel" is my favorite song of theirs. ep length is good too because dean's nasally vocals can get a little trying

that's the one with the 'kids'-homage sleeve innit?

They actually did a lot of really great covers but I don't think that most of the ones that come to mind were ever released.

When it's on, "Black Postcard" off Romantica is the greatest song ever.

Never cared for Galaxie 500 except for their New Order cover.

which of their covers weren't released? Thought that the "Lunafied" CD/Download had everything ...

Oh it very well might - I don't have that!

yeah, that one
xp
each song is really good on there

x- post Checking now . . .

OK yeah, that's pretty complete. Off the top of my head I know that I saw them do both "Cars" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" live but I guess those were more jokey/fun covers than serious ones. Still good.

That Lunafied thing is worth the $$ -- I think it's on iTunes? Their "Neon Lights" is great. Weirdly, so is "Waiting On A Friend" ...

I'm retarded - I do have it. Completely forgot that I'd downloaded it. ha.

The Days Of Our Nights for me. Listened to the first three a whole lot at the time, but whether it is just familiarity or something else I don't really enjoy them anymore.

Sweet Child O' Mine was on Days of Our Nights. xpost. That's the one album of theirs that I can barely remember.

lol. I guess I can barely remember it too.

Oh yeah, I do recall that one track from the promo version of Days of Our Nights didn't make the final release. Damned if I can remember anything more about that...

Opposite of Tipsy: Big into Luna/Dean & Britta but haven't been able to crack much interest in Galaxie 500. Any suggestions where to start?
Also fantastic on the covers alb: "Outdoor Miner"

This is Our Music is my favorite G500 album, but a lot of people swear by On Fire (I like it just fine too).

i'd start with today. it's got all the haze of great g500 plus the wit dean would bring to luna later on. the "king of spain" bonus track on the ryko reissue is fucking sublime. my favorite album he, damon, and/or naomi has ever been involved with

Voted for Penthouse, even if my two favourite Luna songs are on Bewitched.

'penthouse' narrowly pipping 'days of our nights' to the post.

Like ENBB, this is easily the band I've seen live the most and there's nary an album I don't like one way or another but I've got to go with Penthouse.

One thing that can't be overstated is how sweet Luna's rhythm section was for those first three records (the ones with Stanley Demeski/Justin Harwood). So many great basslines, such cool/simple drumming. Still love the way Demeski comes out of the solo section of "23 Minutes in Brussels" ... Not a flashy drummer, but totally effective and powerful.

i am a little unsure about luna these days. i used to love bewitched and penthouse. maybe i overdosed on them, there is something extremely boring and annoying about their sound. it is music to fall asleep to and snore to. and the inoffensive singing does not really help.

I like Britta even, but there's no doubt that the initial rhythm section with Harwood's demonically steady base gradually mesmerizing the crowd was better.

yeah, Britta was great (and easy on the eyes certainly), and even the drummer who replaced Demeski was fine, but those first three records just have some wonderful playing on them.
also, dunno if "inoffensive singing" is the way I'd describe Wareham -- plenty of people would find his singing offensive!

One thing that can't be overstated is how sweet Luna's rhythm section was for those first three records (the ones with Stanley Demeski/Justin Harwood). So many great basslines, such cool/simple drumming. Still love the way Demeski comes out of the solo section of "23 Minutes in Brussels" ... Not a flashy drummer, but totally effective and powerful.

― tylerw, Tuesday, November 24, 2009 12:16 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

I was going to write something to this effect last night. Britta is good bassist and yeah she's exceptionally hot but they were never the same for me once she came on board.

Basically I always missed Justin.

yeah those last couple Britta-era records are good, but I got the feeling Dean was kinda coasting, lyrics-wise. Actually the best thing they did during that time was probably the Close Cover While Striking EP.
This thread is making me sad that I won't see them live again (until a reunion?). Saw some great shows in Boston earlier this decade. One of the few bands I'd just automatically buy tickets for whenever they came to town.

Do you remember which shows you saw in Boston? I think I only saw them twice here, once at either Avalon or Axis and once at the Middle East which may have been the last time I saw them. Both those shows would have been around 2001-2002.

I definitely saw them at the Middle East, maybe 2002? Also at the Paradise around the same time, probably. The Romantica tour?

Fwiw, I saw their Dean & Britta Warhol Screen Tests thing and then Dean and Britta again, not that long ago, and they're still fun to see.

Yeah I'd love it if that show came through my part of the world. The pics I saw of it looked amazing. And I've actually liked the live stuff I've heard from Dean & Britta better than the studio albums. They're ok, maybe a touch boring.

I wanted to see that but couldn't go the night they did it here.

First one.

Best song = Roll in the Sand by a wide, wide margin

http://c.ilike.com/w/0407/997/0407997053_l.jpg
Would've loved to be at this show

tylerw - I was at the Dunfermline version of the show, it was really charming, engaging and generally lovely.

Oh and I voted for Betwitched, but I'll probably wish I'd voted for any of them - maybe slightly less keen on the last two.

Me too for Bewitched

No one's mentioned Rendevous, but I think it's a very strong finish (the album is not my fave, but I'd say "Astronaut" is as strong as anything they've done). May vote for lunapark just because Penthouse is getting so much love.

I think my faves on Rendevous are the ones Sean Eden sings! Too bad he hasn't done a solo album yet.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Didn't even notice that Luna Live was on here -- that one is really nice. Still, I just voted Penthouse.

Penthouse

http://c.ilike.com/w/0407/997/0407997053_l.jpg

saw this at the walker, it was fuckin great, such a satisfying evening

i'd vote bewitched, but that is for nostalgic reasons. never heard anything after days of our nights!

lol i hit q instead of img, whoops you get the idea

Fuck me, this is hard. These guys were sort of the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers of the 90s, only sub V.U. for The Byrds as the primary inspirational factor. I really love both g500 & Luna & think of Luna mostly in terms of their gigs rather than their albums (I saw them probably close to 10 times). I think Bewitched had the highest peaks, but Penthouse was the most consistent. I've gotta give props, tho, to the largely overlooked 00's albums, at which point they'd been completely marginalized critically, but Rendezvous & Close Cover Before Striking had some of their best toons.

TBH, I'll be boring & vote for Penthouse, tho I'd vote for the Slide ep if I could.

I am a Luna SuperStan!

Listening to Romantica constantly the last week has convinced me: their second-best, thanks to "Lovedust," "1995," "Black Champagne," and the title track.

Yes, "Black Champagne" is one of their best, I think -- that solo at the end! So gorgeous.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Damn. I mean, I'm not entirely surprised and voted Penthouse myself but still, damn.

That seems ok to me...I'd bet that most people who picked Penthouse (I'm one of them) have at least one or two of the others close behind.

What's funny is I loved this band live, but like everyone else would never have picked their live album as a favorite. Though I did go to the trouble of buying the vinyl version to get the extra tracks.

"Cindy Tastes of Barbecue" was a major late-career hilight.

kinda sad that no one voted for Luna Live. The version of "23 Minutes in Brussels" on that is slammin.

Romantica (2002) 1

Alright then. I'll just take this cd back home and never let any of you listen to it again!

x-post - Though I did go to the trouble of buying the vinyl version to get the extra tracks.

Ha. Me too.

what are the extra tracks?
the "23 Minutes In Brussels" on there is great, I agree. When I interviewed Sean Eden a few years ago, he talked about how pissed he was when he learned Tom Verlaine was going to do the solo on the studio version. But then he heard what Verlaine did -- in one take, apparently -- and was floored. Eden gets his chance to shine on the live version though. Such a great guitar player. The solo on "Bewitched" on the live album is something else as well -- not even sure how he's doing what he's doing.
This brings up an interesting point -- TS: Sterling Morrison guesting on Bewitched vs. Tom Verlaine guesting on Penthouse

Bonus vinyl tracks:

California
Double Feature
Bobby Peru
Indian Summer

hmm, the only one I have is "Double Feature" which was actually in place of "Friendly Advice" on the CD I bought...

Oh, I vaguely remember something weird like that. I took the tracklisting off of their old website, as my albums are all in storage...

anyone get that RSD Penthouse deluxe reissue? Bonus tracks worth it?

Finally managed to get hold of a copy of Rendezvous last week. I genuinely thought I had a copy, it came out around the time I was buying an album per week listening to it a couple of times and moving on to the next one. Anyway,what a fantastic album, should have been higher up the poll. I must check out their new album of covers.

the covers album is quite nice. i like that vu song "friends" from the squeeze album which was featured here, the video is fitting:
https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2017/10/18/luna-a-sentimental-education-friends-doug-yule-vu/

i love the YES cover

instrumental EP is A+ too

Had no idea they did an instrumental EP. Perfect band to do so.

some more covers coming on a couple singles on Feral Child (Great Pop Supplement/Polytechnic Youth Side-label): California Blue (Orbison/Petty/Lynne), George McCrae’s Rock Yr Baby, and two versions of Lonesome Cowboy Bill (Luna and Cheval Sombre).

excited to see them in a couple weeks