Silver Jews Album Poll

another vote for 'bright flight', tho i probably listen to certain tracks on 'starlite walker' the most

"People" is a song that I thought stank when it came out and now I realize how great it is.

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

i feel bad for david that his evil corporate lobbyist dad is one of rachel maddow's top punching bags lately.

(i missed this poll but would have voted for natural bridge.)

bright flight deserved that #3 spot imo. didn't realize people actually dug tanglewood numbers that much.

richard berman will be a guest on maddow next week btw

^^this is on tonight.

We don't get much news on this stuff in England- has DB scored any strikes on Vader yet?

Miss him. Listening to Natural Bridge tonight.

can't speak to his relations with the Empire, but in an interview a few months ago, he said he's "going into a totally new project right now. I have a feeling you'll hear about it when the time is nigh."

missed out on this but def would have voted for Tanglewood. American Water is a close second though. Lookout is half great.

a "Random Rules" video consisting of slides from the movie version of "The Name of the Rose"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx8d8-YPLW0

alternately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZGxeswa728&feature=related

people are weird

has DB scored any strikes on Vader yet?
seems that's all died down since his retirement announcement? maybe this "big project" he's working on is a 'daddy knows best' style roman a clef?

yes, it's listed as an ep. i'm quite surprised that drag city hasn't issued some sort of odds n sods comp.

― mizzell, Wednesday, September 2, 2009 11:27 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

finally
http://pitchfork.com/news/46093-silver-jews-collect-early-recordings/

Were the other early singles and EPs not on DC? Hot as Hell and Silver Jews and Nico come to mind....

'starlite walker' shouldve won

show yr work

'new orleans', 'rebel jew', 'advice to the graduate'

the least loved one is pretty much perfect imo

It’s really well put together, but too studied and impersonal.

The brilliance of Lookout Mountain only really hit me the week after he died, oddly. Lately the "We're coming out of the black patch! We're coming out of the pocket! We're calling into question such virtue gone to see-eeeed" section seems to enter my head every few days, for some reason.

Would have voted for Lookout Mountain if I was voting in polls back then.

It was my first, so that could be why I'm partial to it. I've never understood why it seems to get little love from Jews fans. It definitely is the least Pavementy of their albums and is less shaggy than the others.

When I look at the tracklist, it's perfect. The opening cut which is a beautiful statement of purpose. Maybe the most optimistic Bergman song? Then the Bluegrass Drummer (!) song that goes by so fast with so many great details that I'm still picking out, especially "Suet, tallow, LIQUID SQUEALS, Great mounds of plastic lard." SUFFERING JUKEBOX!!!!!! Which I think is about a miserable musician in a bar taking requests. Maybe? Cassie's best vocals in a Jews song? My Pillow Is The Threshold, a portrait of a depressive longing for sleep so he can dream of his lost love. Every fucking stanza has gems in it. "I throw my thoughts like tomahawks into this world which I disown." Strange Victory with the bit about the young band proclaiming"We're coming out of the black patch!
We're coming out of the pocket! We're calling into question such virtue gone to seed!" Open Field, the lone cover that seems to express the freedom of childlessness with a slight melancholy. San Francisco BC! Bergman's best short story of a song? "It wasn't New Wave it was human error." Candy Jail! Kettle Drums, swedish fish! A heartbreaking sugar coated portrait of addiction. Party Barge makes me think of the guys from Smith & Jones carrying on and floating down a river on a busted raft, longing for a St. Bernard to bring them some booze. Then an affirming closer that in a perfect world would have been covered by George Jones. All this in just a hair over thirty minutes.

It's the best one from start to finish. Except for maybe Purple Mountains.

I was thinking last night that a Drag City Troubadours poll would be interesting, if I knew how to make polls. Callahan vs Oldman vs Bergman. Bergman would probably get it but I'm not sure how I'd vote.

agree with most of that. i love lookout mountain.

i think that poll has been done.

I've probably put the most hours in listening to Lookout Mountain, although I expect Purple Mountains will surpass it in time. San Francisco BC is def in my top 10 Jews songs

My favorites are the albums with Malkmus -- not necessarily all because of his involvement, though I guess it doesn't hurt. The others never really connected with me too strongly.