What's the verdict on the Crooked Rain reissue?

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I think the best parts are the 'early' versions of CRCR songs with Gary on drums. Hearing different lyrics makes Malkmus's words as we know them seem even more tossed off than usual.

I have to say that I actually remember liking the album, as a whole, a lot more, but then again, I pretty much burned out on this completely over ten years ago. I can still sing almost every word.

The packaging is great (one eensy weensy little gripe - why no explanation of the slightly different titles on the cd, tape, and presumably, lp versions?) and the second disc is easily worth the $15 I paid for the whole shebang.

Pfork giving it a '10,' when they freely acknowledge the album's weak points, is confusing, though

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

This is tremendous and excellent.
I have a packaging gripe too, though -- like the Slanted reissue, they only print the tracklisting on the outer slipcover of the whole package, rather than on the thing that holds the CDs itself. So you have to keep that handy for reference, which can be a pain.

Oh, yeah - and this is probably an iTunes gripe though it's never happened before - it won't let me import "Nail Clinic" (last song on disc 1) -- anyone have any idea why that would be?

But yes, I am in love with this reissue right now, and would genuinely love to take a weekend in the woods by myself to absorb it all.

― Clusterfuck at the Baja Fresh Salsa Bar (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a tad disappointing that some of the "new" songs/snippets on disc 2 are just variations on familiar songs, with different titles.

But "All My Friends" and "Hands Off the Bayou" = yayyyy! And the "Beach Boys" version of "Pueblo" is interesting.

The remastering of the original album sounds nice, too!

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Currently SUPER into "Same Way of Saying" off disc 2 - "Let's smoke some butts / come on!"

― Clusterfuck at the Baja Fresh Salsa Bar (Ben Boyer), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with being SUPER into "Same Way of Saying" ... that was the first song I kept playing over and over. 'Steve lets some smoke some bud'.

I miss that old Pavement guitar sound (C-G-D-G-B-B)

"Hands of the Bayou", "Fucking Righteous" and the "Strings of Nashville" instrumental are standouts. "Colorado" and "Flood Victim" are cool sounding.

They smoked a lot of weed making this record.

― tk, Friday, 29 October 2004 08:07 (twenty-one years ago)

is this out in the UK yet? I haven't seen it but I want it bad!

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 29 October 2004 08:13 (twenty-one years ago)

The version of "Flux=Rad" kicks major ass.

gary young >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> westie

(duh)

― tk, Friday, 29 October 2004 08:17 (twenty-one years ago)

would genuinely love to take a weekend in the woods by myself to absorb it all.

gygax is doing just this!

I think it's amazing. I put it on and I get emotional. Will be listening to it on iPod all day at work today for sure.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I had no trouble importing "Nail Clinic."

Can't say enough about how much I am enjoying this, but I fly the flag for indie rock '90-'95 so much that it is getting sort of embarrassing.

― BlastsOfStatic (BlastsofStatic), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

My only real problem with this reissue is that I'm in more of a Wowee Zowee mood these days.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I listened to WZ last night and it sounded almost flawless.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

almost

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm SUPER into "heaven is a truck (egg shell)"

― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Wowee Zowee is my favorite album by anyone.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

(From what I've heard, the WZ reissue is in the works.)

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm waiting on the four disc reissue of Slanted and Enchanted in 2012.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

i wish "jmc retro" was more than 52 seconds. :-(

― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sure that they have some live recordings and enough video footage to make that a possibility, Ned.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

You will excuse me -- therefore I will wait on the eight disc reissue in 2022.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 October 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Last time I listened to Wowee Zowee (which is pretty much my favorite album by anyone, too), it sounded almost flawless. ("Kennel District" feels a little out of place to me now, interrupting the flow from "Fight This Generation->Pueblo." I like the song, but I feel like it doesn't quite belong.)

The way the songs on that album are structured... the way they're played... I wish so bad there was a band that somehow based an entire career on playing songs like that (as if one band doing it for one album isn't miraculous enough).

"Extradtion->Best Friend's Arm->Grave Architecture->AT&T" = my favorite sequence on any record ever ever ever!

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

That's the sweep of songs that I'm obsessed with too, Morris, but I throw in "Flux = Rad" and "Fight This Generation." I think that "Kennel D" is necessary to switch gears and pick things up after FTG.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

matthew OTM

― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Dancing/air guitaring/flailing your way through "WZ" is an amazing experience.

You know, I always took "Flux=Rad" to be pointedly "in the style of Nirvana" (--"styles, they come and go") - the early version on the "CRCR" reissue seems to indicate that it wasn't originally conceived that way, since it has different lyrics and isn't so faux-Nirvana-y.

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

God, yeah, the "Strings of Nashville" instrumental is a glorious epic - it's really a whole nother song.

"(From what I've heard, the WZ reissue is in the works.)"
Yes! These make me so happy... so glad I have this to look forward to.

― Clusterfuck at the Baja Fresh Salsa Bar (Ben Boyer), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Any guesses as to why they cut off the intro to "Raft" on the reissue? (I have the full single version on my blog right now.)

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

'Instrumental' is real nice too. If only the bass drum was a bit more in time...

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 29 October 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

i always took "flux = rad" as kind of a sonic youth steal (i.e. the early '90s sonic youth when they were trying to be punky-alternative).

― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 29 October 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I miss that Sonic Youth!

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for the tip, Matthew. Still looking for that blender thing? I've got it at home, but won't be able to scan it until Monday.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 29 October 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you think Malkmus regrets "Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence"? I've always admired the song, if not the subject.

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Any guesses as to why they cut off the intro to "Raft" on the reissue? (I have the full single version on my blog right now.)

the length of CD1 = 79:59

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, that's the obvious answer. I haven't looked at the length of the cds.

(Pleasant Plains - yeah, I still need that. If you can send that to me Monday or Tuesday, that'd be perfect.)

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

G-g-g-g-g-g-Georgia!

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

When I first heard "Unseen Power" as a teenager, I didn't realize that it was about R.E.M., which doesn't make much sense to me in retrospect. I mean, I was really into Reckoning around the same time.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Isn't the first line something like, "There are bands I like to name-check, and one of them is R.E.M."

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:22 (twenty-one years ago)

yes

― adam... (nordicskilla), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I am listening to CRCR:LADO right now.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I have some intense nostalgia issues linked to that No Alternative comp. I got shivers listening to "Unseen Power" flashing back to early college... (I know the same thing will happen the next time I hear "Glynis," or even "Take a Walk," the Urge Overkill song... I'll know I'm in a bad place when the Goo Goo Dolls cover of "Bitch" hits me in the gut, though...)

― Clusterfuck at the Baja Fresh Salsa Bar (Ben Boyer), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"REM" is said 3 times in the song I think.

That Barbara Manning cover of the Verlaines is really one of the greatest things ever. I heard it in K-Mart a very long time ago... no censor of "fuck" either... I ROFL-ed.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I know that he says R.E.M. in the very first line, that's why I can't believe I didn't pick up on it. I think that I misheard a lot of the lyrics. I don't think that I was paying very much attention to lyrics in general until I was a bit older, maybe 16 or 17.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I really love that Verlaines song on No Alt - I think it's called "Heavy." I can't remember. That Straightjacket Fits song is fantastic too.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

No Alternative compilation: Gather here, corny old indie fux

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

This is quite great, but it really isn't anywhere near as good as the S&E re-issue. The bonus tracks here are more standard re-issue fare: fun but unexceptional b-sides, so-so peel sessions, and lots and lots of demos and alternate versions. S&E had a new great song for me at every turn.

I'm spoiled, I guess. By the standards of any other re-issue this is still aces, aces shit, but it's just not the greatest thing ever the way S&E: L&R was.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

It'd be kinda funny if they included some kind of alternate version of "Dick Sucking Fool At Pussy Licking School" in the liner notes of the WZ reissue. It'd make me smile, anyway.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I yearn and yearn for an ahistorical moment, plus to hear the Pavement song "David's Gone," which was on some comp tape and I've never heard it.

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a great WZ demo called "Stray Fire" that will probably turn up on the WZ reissue. It will be great to have a nice, clean version of that song.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 29 October 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Christmas in France, I don't wanna...have no pants!

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 29 October 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

ditto on any and all wz luv - i sing 'at&t' at karaoke every week

― cinniblount (James Blount), Friday, 29 October 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

fave part so far (from Dark Ages)

in a poncey English accent: "But before you go, make sure you bring a helmet\NOT THE BAND!"

― Michael B, Friday, 29 October 2004 21:28 (twenty-one years ago)

and then he sheepishly goes "sorry"

― motown modown (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 30 October 2004 02:26 (twenty-one years ago)

in a poncey English accent: "But before you go, make sure you bring a helmet\NOT THE BAND!"

a song on robyn hitchcock's new album has the lyric "so haggard, and i don't mean merle."

― results not typical (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 30 October 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

it won't let me import "Nail Clinic" (last song on disc 1) -- anyone have any idea why that would be?

I noticed a skip in this song when I listened to it last night. Lucky I still have the Drag City comp.

The Young tracks sound great, though it's easy to picture SM and Spiral rolling their eyes and trying to ignore the noise behind them. And I never knew that the first part of "Fillmore" was recorded at Gary's studio with SS on drums. So that's why the first part of the song sounds so much different from the rest of the song.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Monday, 8 November 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

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