The Power of Independent Polling – A Selection of Steve Albini'ed LPs

Ocean Songs

Seamonsters. So much is Gedge's melodies, but also so much is Albini

I love many of the options but Rid of Me is the most amazing capture of the slam and breath of a trio in a room I’ve ever heard. So that for the Albini-ness pick.

Had no idea Albini produced Advaitic Songs. Still going with Pod, though, because goddamn I love that record.

Pod is gonna run away with this

Link with a bigger list to consider.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Albini_discography

Probably one of the most obscure listed on the site is Captain Blood which was?/is a band from Indy. They were this vet band that usually played biker shows for like 3-4 hours. We played a show with them and I thought they were really cool and they put out this CD a few months later and then split up and this one isn't really available now at all.

My single favorite would probably be the Shellac 'Uranus' 7 inch with Doris and Wingwalker. I was pretty obsessed with that single and listened to it every day for a year.

rid of me is the best sounding rock record of all time

i may vote for seamonsters bc it feels like he had a pronounced effect on the sound of the wedding present for that record

feeling american don a lot atm

Songs: Ohia w/o a doubt

Low

might go for Blackened Air, that's about as good as music can be produced imo

Between mclusky, the breeders, Seamonsters, and Goat, which I’m thinking is the GOAT here

Jesus Lizard sort of the ideal band for Albini's trademark sound.

The drums on Goat crush so hard, and the guitar sounds like a feral dog

if we're going for favorites musically i prefer liar! but voting times of grace

Liar and Goat are equally incredible, but I prefer the production on Goat ever so slightly

wait is this a vote about best production? i.e. not about best or favorite of these albums?

in that particular case (liar v goat), production is a tiebreaker--so i guess goat is my favorite JL album

Voted Pod, but write-in for this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Es-bGRYkj4

Britt's drums on Pod are maybe my favorite drum sound ever recorded, honestly Albini's best recording ever imho... also, you need to hear the LP not the terrible CD mix, apologies for being an analog stalwart.

even on youtube the sound immense:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eC1MJjxD8Y

not a single note of distortion on this song and it's so much more fierce for it, Tanya's such a totally underrated guitarist.

I cannot BELIEVE Sloy were not included in this poll

At Action Park for me, but other strong contenders were Jesus Lizard (both records), Palace, McLusky, Nirvana, Om

Maybe I need to get my ears checked but I feel like almost every song on Pod has a much better-sounding version that's not on Pod: whether on the demos or through live version scattered here or there

Just a friendly reminder that you should vote for your favourite, but if you'd rather pick the best-engineered, that's fine too.

They're all the best-engineered tbf

Rid of Me is a great record but it sounds like shit.

Think I went for Low but could as easily have been ‘Seamonsters’ or Songs:Ohia or ‘Mclusky do Dallas’ or one of the Nina Nastasia records or...

Write-in: Poster Children, Daisychain Reaction.

I cannot BELIEVE Sloy were not included in this poll

"Pop" is a jam!

hah yeah I was being tongue-in-cheek but that one is a banger!

I figured that! tbh I can't really remember the rest of the album, but Sloy will always be fine by me for that one track.

In theory I like Albini a lot, so it's interesting how many of these I don't like as much as other records by the same bands, sound-wise.

I generally prefer the Albini'ed version to its counterparts (In utero over Nevermind, Surfer Rosa over Doolittle), although that may also come down to what the band was aiming for in choosing to work with him.

Albini was the secret ingredient in making GY!BE really good imo, might vote for that if I don't fancy the write-in

BTW you're not a philistine for not having heard of Cheer-Accident but you probably should check out that album

I most certainly will.

I voted for GY!BE. Albini really got the best out of them, somehow.

Will check out Cheer-Accident as well, never heard of them before.

Rid of Me is a great record but it sounds like shit.

McLusky Do Dallas is one of the best albums ever made by anyone.

So, that.

Songs:Ohia for me. One of my all time favourites

I'm tempted to go with In utero because it's the record that turned me on to heavy music forever at the not-so-tender age of 13. But we've all got plenty of time to mull it over – there's much I haven't heard yet, and I'm especially curious about the write-ins.

gastr del sol's mirror repair might be my fav thing not on this list. I've definitely listened to american don the most

voted Ocean Songs, maybe not my #1 favorite Dirty Three record but it's a good one and the record sounds fantastic.

no Silkworm?

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, May 27, 2019 11:31 AM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

To my great shame, I've never heard them. Is Firewater a solid starting point?

yes. only issue with firewater is it's pretty long, but i love it

Noted, thanks.

My only addition would be Labradford - Fixed:Context.

I mean he did record The Stooges - The Weirdness, but no-one would vote for that.

Songs About Fucking by a country mile

Maybe I need to get my ears checked but I feel like almost every song on Pod has a much better-sounding version that's not on Pod: whether on the demos or through live version scattered here or there

― think the toledo mud hens but for twitter (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, May 28, 2019 12:29 AM (eight hours ago)

shortly after posting last night re: Pod I looked up a few Albini interviews re: his own recording career and in two he claimed Pod as his best engineering work.

He loves Britt and he loves Kim. He may be grading on a curve.

Forgot he did ‘Fixed:Context’!

Has Albini ever worked with a band that had... *checks notes*... a turntablist member?

He did the space streakings album which featured some wayward scratching but it didn't sound as good as the one produced by KK NULL.

Finally going for American Don, though it's my 2nd favourite Don Cab after What Burns, but 2nd best Don Cab is still pretty damn good.

Was tempted by Pod but it doesn't seem very quintessentially Albini to me - too murky, or something. I think someone said elsewhere on ILX that it's just the CD that sounds murky and the vinyl sounds way better, but hey, I have the CD, or had - lent it to someone and haven't seen it or them since.

Tomorrow I may feel guilty for not voting for Low or Pixies. And I just spotted Palace in there and thought how much I loved that record but I haven't listened to it in nearly 20 years so I'm not going for that one (must revisit it soon).

would've voted for a silkworm album, but picked mclusky from the available options

Has anyone he has ever recorded not owned a turntable?

This thread got me to thinking about this song that I have not listened to in years. Mind boggling to think how many years have passed since the time I got a shot to see the Dirty Three at Sudsy Malone's in Cincy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw6j_etAiW0

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

That was considerably closer than I expected. And only six votes for Pod?

Run to Ruin deserved way better.

One vote for each of these 'official' write-ins:

Cheer-Accident - Introducing Lemon
Pussy Galore - Sugarshit Sharp
Superchunk - No Pocky for Kitty
Tad - Salt Lick
Ut - Griller

Or not so official since only three people clicked on 'write-in'.

Jesus Lizard, The Goat

I can live with the results of this poll, "Rid of Me" is such an amazing sounding album, I can't believe it got released on a major label. No one voted for "Empire Inward" ?! wtf

Quibbling here but, "At Action Park" sounds great, but I think technically that's a John Loder/Iain Burgess joint.

there's something off about those early albini productions, namely surfer rosa and pod, that does not sound great to me. maybe the compromise between the (unformed) albini style and the gauzier 4ad sound?

Those are like peak Albini productions imo. Love the way those sound.

Yeah no, if those records don't sound not great to you.... shrug.ascii

i think i just came to them too late, i heard the albums that were influenced by them and mid-period albini productions before i heard them.

Shana Cleveland/La Luz

yes please!

― Jeff the grown man (voodoo chili), Wednesday, May 29, 2019 3:06 PM (one month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Agreed!

It is profoundly disappointing that Electrelane is nowhere to be found on this list, they are the best rock band of all time, and they'd beat out The Breeders any day,

i have almost no problem saying that this is among the most wrong things i've ever read on this board.

Well, nobody appreciates Steve Albini in the fashion I do, apparently, which is to listen to "Axes" and "Times Of Grace" on repeat

ig i forgot to vote for the neurosis, oh well

Always thought it interesting that the guy known for getting these awesome room drum sounds started out using a drum machine for his first project. (Ed. note - There are a couple Big Black tracks that were cut with a live drummer.)

Pretty much anything before '97 was recorded in Steve Albini's basement or an external studio. After that I would figure the lions share is all recorded at Electrical Audio. Albini really likes Abbey Road and has done a couple projects there.

xpost to flamboyant goon tie, i mean...i like Electrelane all right, haven't listened to them in maybe 15 years tho. whereas Pod is one of the only rock records i have on tape, LP, CD, and digital, and i also have the demos.

I prefer Last Splash! idk, I think Albini's soundworld works incredibly well for certain artists and others? not-so-much, but I clearly have somewhat of an outlying idea about What's Good, I mean, "Kidnapped By Neptune" would also make my top 5 Albini records but I know everybody here hates that stuff. Flip-side of the coin, I don't care for what Steve Albini does for Nina Nastasia, really

'Tis time for me to catch up with the Albini'ed LPs so many of you have graciously singled out as highlights, and that I haven't heard yet. Cheer-Accident and Tad and others, here I come.

Love both of those - you're in for a treat

Been on a kick listening to a couple of Tar Cds (Jackson & Toast) in the car the past couple of weeks. Still don't know what the heck most of their lyrics are about, but they got cool drums and feedback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghzzqQWbb-A

Impossible, but would vote for Firewater because more people need Silkworm in their lives