Post by orzelc on Nov 29, 2020 20:27:53 GMT -5
So, I got the deluxe re-release, and have been listening to it repeatedly for the last several days. Thoughts on the new tracks (well, new to me-- I know some of these have been around in other versions, but I didn't have any of them):
-- Separate Vacations: This is awesome, and I'm not entirely clear why it didn't make the album. I already like it better than a handful of tracks that are on there. Maybe it's just that the lyrics skew a little older than their typical? The whole "Your friends think you've settled" thing has more of an old-and-married vibe than most of their songs. But then again, so does "Soft in the Center," so it would be less thematically awkward here than on, say, AKM. Then again, maybe it's just helpful to have a legendary extra track that's hard to find (see also "Curves and Nerves").
-- Beer on the Bedstand: This one I know why it's not on there: because any royalties would've needed to go to Warren Zevon's estate, because the melody is straight up the same as "Carmelita." Which is not a complaint, really, because I like "Carmelita" a lot. I probably slightly prefer the piano version to the guitar demo.
-- At Least Not Tonight: This is really good, but feels like it needed... something. I like the idea of it more than the execution, but there isn't anything obviously _wrong_, it just feels like it could be better than it is. Maybe it just needs to be live?
-- Wonderful Struggle: In contrast to "Separate Vacations," this one maybe tries to skew too young. It's kind of interesting that a ghost of it lingers in "A Slight Discomfort" ("Our struggle still feels wonderful most days"); Craig said in the listening party thing on Twitter today that they'd thought about calling the whole album some variant of "Wonderful Struggle."
-- Going on a Hike: Musically pretty good, but might be trying to be a little too cute lyrically.
-- We Can Get Together (Alternate): Big solo! I'm not sure what I think of this; on the one hand, if it had always had the big solo, I probably would've thought it was awesome, but having lived with the solo-less version all these years, I can totally see why they did it that way, too.
-- Various demo versions from the "Avatar Sessions": As always with demo tracks, two things jump out at me. First, Craig's vocals on demo tracks are always kind of dialed back-- he's done the same thing at the sound check events before Brooklyn Bowl shows-- in a way that makes it a little more clear how hard it must be to get the intensity needed for the final vocal takes. Second, most of these have a few extra lines in the lyrics that are sort of interesting to hear, but ultimately the album versions are a little better for the streamlining.
I didn't notice anything unusual in the main album tracks (unlike the weird extra backing vocals on the STAY POSITIVE reissue), but it's been fun to revisit the record. It's got some shaky stuff on it (I'm not big on "The Smidge"), but the high points are up there with their best ("Our Whole Lives" is one of my favorite Hold Steady tracks).
-- Separate Vacations: This is awesome, and I'm not entirely clear why it didn't make the album. I already like it better than a handful of tracks that are on there. Maybe it's just that the lyrics skew a little older than their typical? The whole "Your friends think you've settled" thing has more of an old-and-married vibe than most of their songs. But then again, so does "Soft in the Center," so it would be less thematically awkward here than on, say, AKM. Then again, maybe it's just helpful to have a legendary extra track that's hard to find (see also "Curves and Nerves").
-- Beer on the Bedstand: This one I know why it's not on there: because any royalties would've needed to go to Warren Zevon's estate, because the melody is straight up the same as "Carmelita." Which is not a complaint, really, because I like "Carmelita" a lot. I probably slightly prefer the piano version to the guitar demo.
-- At Least Not Tonight: This is really good, but feels like it needed... something. I like the idea of it more than the execution, but there isn't anything obviously _wrong_, it just feels like it could be better than it is. Maybe it just needs to be live?
-- Wonderful Struggle: In contrast to "Separate Vacations," this one maybe tries to skew too young. It's kind of interesting that a ghost of it lingers in "A Slight Discomfort" ("Our struggle still feels wonderful most days"); Craig said in the listening party thing on Twitter today that they'd thought about calling the whole album some variant of "Wonderful Struggle."
-- Going on a Hike: Musically pretty good, but might be trying to be a little too cute lyrically.
-- We Can Get Together (Alternate): Big solo! I'm not sure what I think of this; on the one hand, if it had always had the big solo, I probably would've thought it was awesome, but having lived with the solo-less version all these years, I can totally see why they did it that way, too.
-- Various demo versions from the "Avatar Sessions": As always with demo tracks, two things jump out at me. First, Craig's vocals on demo tracks are always kind of dialed back-- he's done the same thing at the sound check events before Brooklyn Bowl shows-- in a way that makes it a little more clear how hard it must be to get the intensity needed for the final vocal takes. Second, most of these have a few extra lines in the lyrics that are sort of interesting to hear, but ultimately the album versions are a little better for the streamlining.
I didn't notice anything unusual in the main album tracks (unlike the weird extra backing vocals on the STAY POSITIVE reissue), but it's been fun to revisit the record. It's got some shaky stuff on it (I'm not big on "The Smidge"), but the high points are up there with their best ("Our Whole Lives" is one of my favorite Hold Steady tracks).