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Post by billbones80 on Feb 19, 2018 12:57:21 GMT -5
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Post by muzzleofbees on Feb 21, 2018 4:58:39 GMT -5
That's a fan, allright! I've been sort of looking forward to the 10th anniversary myself. Not because I rate Stay Positive that high (compared to the three records preceeding it), but because there's something special about that first album of a favorite band you get to know as a fan. I got into Boys And Girls through the reviews and recommendations, but I followed the release of Stay Positive from the first live versions of the songs through the singles and the videos and the leak till it's offical release. To me, those journeys is in some way a more important "meeting" with a band than that first thrilling listening when I first discovered them.
I think I've come to like Stay Positive more in the value of it's parts than the sum of them. I think the album is a little bit too dark and gritty - not just in the lyrical sense, but also the general sound, production and feeling of the album. And I think it in retrospect refletcs where they were a as a band. A bit tired and weary after years of cranking out albums and going on crazy tours, band members starting to get on each others nerves and differences in musical approach. This isn't audible or visible in the songs as songs, and for the most part, I think the songs are great. But the overall sum of the album is a bit to dark and murky to me. It reflects the colours of its album cover, in the same way every Hold Steady album does in some way.
It's still a solid 9/10 too me, but I still think AKM, SS, BAGIA and to a certain degree HIW ranks above it.
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Post by saintjoe on Feb 22, 2018 16:35:28 GMT -5
Stay Positive is probably my favorite THS album. I got into THS between BAGIA and Stay Positive (The FUV dj introduced a song from a Brooklyn band that counts Springsteen as an influence, and then played Chips Ahoy), so Stay Positive was the first THS album that I listened to more or less as soon as it came out, not after the fact. I bought the CD, I hadn't heard any of it except for maybe Sequestered in Memphis, and got in the car with my wife and two kids. Popped the disc in and heard that guitar intro to Constructive Summer. And the rest, as they say, is history.
There's a lot that I love on it - Constructive Summer, Sequestered, Slapped Actress, Stay Positive, Adderall (If she happens to suggest, a love based on trust and respect, tell her I've been wasted since last week) and a few others. Even Navy Sheets is growing on me (it's only been 10 years!).
Anyway, can't believe it's 10 years. Makes me feel kind of old.
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tbob
True Scene Leader
Posts: 548
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Post by tbob on Feb 22, 2018 16:49:39 GMT -5
Now we’ve had time with Teeth Dreams I think it’s time to do a rank the albums thing again!
For what it’s worth...
1. Separation Sunday 2. Boys and Girls in America 3. Stay Positive 4. Heaven is Whenever 5. Almost Killed Me (yeah, I know, and I can feel the hate coming...) 6. Teeth Dreams
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Post by Rattlesnake Gospel on Feb 22, 2018 20:44:13 GMT -5
I always get crap for my order too... though to be fair, any list that doesn't start with SS is asking for trouble.
1. BAGIA 2. SS 3. TD 4. SP 5. AKM 6. HIW
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Post by muzzleofbees on Feb 23, 2018 2:41:56 GMT -5
Ranking is always fun!
1. Separation Sunday 2. Almost Killed Me 3. Boys And Girls In America 4. Heaven Is Whenever 5. Stay Positive 6. Teeth Dreams
Allthough I have to say that it's a coin toss between AKM and BAGIA for the 2nd spot, and the same with HIW and SP for the 4th.
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charlie
Sniffling Indie Kid
Posts: 214
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Post by charlie on Feb 26, 2018 12:50:49 GMT -5
I love rankings.
1. Stay Positive 2. Separation Sunday 3. Boys & Girls in America 4. Almost Killed Me 5. Teeth Dreams 6. Heaven is Whenever
I know SP isn't their *best,* but as Muzzle stated above, there's something about the first record released after becoming a fan that makes that time exciting and memorable. For that reason, SP will probably always be my favorite.
Also: I still regularly listen to 1-5 and select tracks from HiW (Sweet Part remains one of my favorite THS songs and Our Whole Lives bangs, as examples)
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Post by maaskesr on Mar 5, 2018 13:09:11 GMT -5
1. Stay Positive (those first two songs!) 2. Boys and Girls 3. Separation Sunday 4. Teeth Dreams 5. Almost Killed Me 6. Heaven is Whenever
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Post by dustinthespotlights on Jul 15, 2018 11:40:12 GMT -5
Happy birthday stay positive! Right around the time I first discovered you guys
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john k
Midnight Hauler
Posts: 2,035
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Post by john k on Jul 15, 2018 17:42:31 GMT -5
I listened to the vinyl today cos it has adderall as an album track and not an add on at the end. Their last decent album although HIW has some good songs
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parock
Midnight Hauler
Posts: 1,000
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Post by parock on Jul 15, 2018 19:47:03 GMT -5
Still love this album and also still not a fan of the title track. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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john k
Midnight Hauler
Posts: 2,035
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Post by john k on Jul 16, 2018 13:54:34 GMT -5
I got into the band thru the review for bagia in uncut. It mentioned the replacements and thin lizzy so I was hooked before I heard a note. It hadn't been released in Europe at that stage so I downloaded it from emusic. Blown away. Then a couple of weeks later when it was being reviewed on Irish radio one of the panel said people should check out their previous album and that it was superior. So I got it off emusic as well and it quickly became one if my all time favourites. So
1. SS 2. BAGIA 3. AKM 4. SP 5. HIW 6. TD
Looking at the picture that accompanied the uncut review I thought Franz had to be the singer and that Finn was the nerdy keyboard player. So wrong. I told Finn this and he said loads of people thought the same
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Post by doctoracula on Jul 16, 2018 14:46:15 GMT -5
Got into them via “cattle and the creeping things” on a mix CD I got by trading on a message board. SS became all I listened to once I picked it up. Still my favorite.
1. SS 2. SP 3. AKM 4. HIW 5. BAGIA 6. TD
I know my BAGIA placement is not what most would agree with but honestly that record hasn’t held up as well for me. Very front loaded and I just don’t go back to it that often. Ah well. There are some truly great songs on it, obviously, but as a whole I’m not crazy about it these days.
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hurricanejoe
Sniffling Indie Kid
I recite lines from movies when I'm trying to be funny.
Posts: 182
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Post by hurricanejoe on Jul 17, 2018 11:01:43 GMT -5
Got into them after reading an old Total Guitar magazine that gave Separation Sunday a good review. Before that I knew Hoodrat from Tony Hawk's Project 8. What's weird is that I didn't even like the song from the soundtrack (possibly even unchecked it) but downloaded it anyway and now it's my favourite song and album.
1. SS 2. BAGIA (think it rose a place after the London shows) 3. SP 4. AKM 5. TD 6. HIW
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Post by krickhoff on Jul 19, 2018 22:49:40 GMT -5
Confession... I didn't know for a few months that Adderall, Cheyenne and Handshake are bonus tracks. A friend gifted the CD without the case. I ignored the track count for too long.
Hoping those 3, 40 Bucks and Spectres are included in a re-release. It's weird to hear the album end on Slapped when I stream it. Fine ending track; just odd for me.
I walked into a free THS on the SP tour. I only knew their Dylan cover of "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" from I'm Not There. While in the queue for the show, a friend taught me the sing-a-long parts of Memphis and Chips.
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Post by steveo41ths on Jul 20, 2018 7:34:11 GMT -5
I got into the band towards the end of 06. I read a blurb about BAGIA on some critic's list of the 10 or 20 best albums of the year, decided to check it out, and was pretty much instantly hooked.
I've always had a soft spot for Stay Positive. When it was released I was just finishing up college and, like many people in 2008, was finding the job market less than welcoming. Something about those songs hit me like a sledgehammer. It's obviously a darker album - you got the feeling that, after all the parties and the drugs and the shout-along choruses, this where shit hits the fan and the chicken come home to roost so to speak. Transitioning from college to the harsh realities of the real world, I could definitely relate.
Except...mixed in with all the talk of crucifixions and interrogations and ominous premonitions there is this constant sense of positivity and empowerment. We can all be something bigger. We gotta stay positive. We make our own movies. I don’t think that there has ever been an album that I connected with so viscerally at the time of its release. Just a fully realized masterpiece of an album from front to back.
Still when you’re talking about a band like The Hold Steady, a fully realized masterpiece is only good enough for 2nd best album in the catalogue. 1. SS 2. SP 3. BAGIA 4. AKM 5. TD 6. HIW
3 and 4 trade places depending on how I'm feeling on any particular day.
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Post by doctoracula on Jul 20, 2018 20:41:09 GMT -5
I've always had a soft spot for Stay Positive. When it was released I was just finishing up college and, like many people in 2008, was finding the job market less than welcoming. Something about those songs hit me like a sledgehammer. It's obviously a darker album - you got the feeling that, after all the parties and the drugs and the shout-along choruses, this where shit hits the fan and the chicken come home to roost so to speak. Transitioning from college to the harsh realities of the real world, I could definitely relate. Except...mixed in with all the talk of crucifixions and interrogations and ominous premonitions there is this constant sense of positivity and empowerment. We can all be something bigger. We gotta stay positive. We make our own movies. I don’t think that there has ever been an album that I connected with so viscerally at the time of its release. Just a fully realized masterpiece of an album from front to back. YES YES YES to all of this
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Post by thedreadedlaramie on Jul 22, 2018 13:53:03 GMT -5
First post here! Stay Positive was the first record of their's I ever heard, and I love it deeply to this day, flaws and all. Weirdly enough, I even saw them on tour promoting this album while opening for Dave Matthews Band, of all groups. I remember being blown away when I heard Sequestered in Memphis for the first time, and there was a point where that was the only song I would listen to. Luckily, there's so much more to this record. Slapped Actress is probably my favorite song in their catalogue, while Magazines, Sequestered, Constructive Summer, and Discouraged are among their best. Really hope they do a deluxe version of this soon as well with all the great bonus tracks from this era!
And since everybody here is ranking...
1. Boys and Girls 2. Stay Positive 3. Separation Sunday 4. Almost Killed Me 5. Teeth Dreams 6. Heaven Is Whenever
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Post by maaskesr on Jul 27, 2018 12:19:24 GMT -5
Has there been ANY talk about a vinyl re-issue? It nears 200 now for a new copy. Sure would love to get it, especially if it had Adderall (not to mention the other bonus tracks).
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Post by muzzleofbees on Jul 27, 2018 13:52:09 GMT -5
Has there been ANY talk about a vinyl re-issue? It nears 200 now for a new copy. Sure would love to get it, especially if it had Adderall (not to mention the other bonus tracks). Haven't heard anything about it. Would have been a quite obvious candidate for last Record Store Day. I've understood that these things are often quite complex deals between bands, labels and rights to this and that. But a re-issue would be nice. I'm still curious on wheter there's an recorded version of songs like Ballad Of The Midnight Hauler (when was that one first played live?), Separate Vacations and Going On A Hike (those two is surely from around Heaven Is Whenever). Would be nice to see some of them included. Or a surprise out of nowhere, like The Most Important Thing from the re-issue of Separation Sunday.
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charlie
Sniffling Indie Kid
Posts: 214
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Post by charlie on Jul 27, 2018 23:03:06 GMT -5
Has there been ANY talk about a vinyl re-issue? It nears 200 now for a new copy. Sure would love to get it, especially if it had Adderall (not to mention the other bonus tracks). Haven't heard anything about it. Would have been a quite obvious candidate for last Record Store Day. I've understood that these things are often quite complex deals between bands, labels and rights to this and that. But a re-issue would be nice. I'm still curious on wheter there's an recorded version of songs like Ballad Of The Midnight Hauler (when was that one first played live?), Separate Vacations and Going On A Hike (those two is surely from around Heaven Is Whenever). Would be nice to see some of them included. Or a surprise out of nowhere, like The Most Important Thing from the re-issue of Separation Sunday. Craig confirmed at soundcheck today that they're working on a reissue, and that it's taking longer than he expected because there are a lot of great demos and extras from this period that are being considered.
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Post by nosferatu on Jul 28, 2018 15:27:08 GMT -5
Controversial.
1. AKM 2. SS 3. SP 4. HIW 5. BAGIA 6. TD
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Post by gunnerbill on Jul 28, 2018 19:48:35 GMT -5
Im surprised that people value TD so low...I like it
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Post by timmytva on Jul 29, 2018 8:08:18 GMT -5
I can't be the only who who got into THS after hearing "Girls Like Status" at the end of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. (Can I?) Googled the song, bought BAGIA the next day. Blown away. Picked up SP when it came out. Liked it, but not as much as BAGIA. From there, I got AKM, consumed it fully, dug everything about it, and then got SS. Spent weeks poring over the lyrics and connecting the dots, many of which are still not connected ... LOL. After that I got everything in order. My ranking: - AKM
- SS
- BAGIA
- HiW
- SP
- TD
Probably an odd ordering, but these are intensely personal exercises. The narrative on SS is undoubtedly superior, I just dig the riffs, progressions, and melodies on AKM a little more. For me, BAGIA is solid from top to bottom. I know I'm in the minority that rates HiW so high. Sweet Part is one of my favorite THS songs. I like Rock Problems, probably because it describes my teenage life so well (LOL). The lines about Jim Carroll and Cheap Trick are spot on to me. I've lived the title track - "Heaven is whenever we can get together / Sit down on your floor / And listen to your records". SP has some of the best THS songs, and the greatest 1-2 opening punch with Summer and Memphis but it also has some of my least favorite songs - Cutters, Sheets, and Crosses. I get their place in the overall story/concept of SP but musically they don't click for me. (Tim dons his teflon suit for the incoming barrage ...). TD is a distant sixth. Not a fan of the production at all. Favorite songs are The Ambassador and Oaks. There are some good riffs, and some good lines, but the songs just don't come together as a cohesive whole for me. Did I mention that I don't like the production at all? I wish they'd release all the bonus tracks together. For someone that got into the band in the middle and worked backwards then forwards, it's hard tracking things down. Fave THS moment - the anniversary show in Harrisburg in 2014. Starting with Killer Parties was amazing. Tim
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Post by maaskesr on Jul 30, 2018 9:47:20 GMT -5
Haven't heard anything about it. Would have been a quite obvious candidate for last Record Store Day. I've understood that these things are often quite complex deals between bands, labels and rights to this and that. But a re-issue would be nice. I'm still curious on wheter there's an recorded version of songs like Ballad Of The Midnight Hauler (when was that one first played live?), Separate Vacations and Going On A Hike (those two is surely from around Heaven Is Whenever). Would be nice to see some of them included. Or a surprise out of nowhere, like The Most Important Thing from the re-issue of Separation Sunday. Craig confirmed at soundcheck today that they're working on a reissue, and that it's taking longer than he expected because there are a lot of great demos and extras from this period that are being considered. This is wonderful news (other than the "taking longer than he expected" part)! Can't wait to hear more...
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