Epic Soundtracks Poll

(inspired by his mention on the Paris 1919 thread, and by the fact that I've finally tracked dow Debris - http://totalwire.blogspot.com/2010/02/request-epic-soundtracks-debris.html)

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:54 (3 years ago) Permalink

Rise Above is the only one I've ever owned/heard all of, but it's indeed nice. I'm voting for it out of ignorance.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 21:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, I didn't even know he had this many records. I only know Rise Above.

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:00 (3 years ago) Permalink

Debris, Everything is Temporary and Good Things are all kinda odds n sods records (the latter 2 being posthumous). Rise Above is probably the best overall, though the other two have some real high points ...

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:03 (3 years ago) Permalink

I didn't realize it had been that long since he died. Time flies.

― Johnny Fever, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:04 (3 years ago) Permalink

yeah, he died in 1997? jeez.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:06 (3 years ago) Permalink

His best record is "Jelly Babies," with Robert Wyatt singing . . . shame it's not on CD.

― deedeedeextrovert, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:53 (3 years ago) Permalink

that's the Popular Classical EP? Just heard that one for the first time, recently.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:56 (3 years ago) Permalink

^^ yeahbut what about the fantastic Rain Rain Rain 12" w/ Jowe Head?

― nerve_pylon, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 22:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

don't know that one! what's it like? Swell Maps-y?

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 23:01 (3 years ago) Permalink

That's the "Popular Classic" EP. I think the b-sides, which are of lower quality, are bonus tracks on various Swell Maps CDs. Ditto *most* of the stuff with Jowe Head, which is much more Swell Maps. "Jelly Babies," though, is haunting and beautiful and unlike anything else any of the Swell Maps folks attempted. I'd have killed for an LP of similar stuff, but Epic said it didn't sell, so . . .

The closest thing to it is Wyatt's version of Chic's "At Last I Am Free." Sort of orchestral and dramatic easy-listening.

― deedeedeextrovert, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 23:25 (3 years ago) Permalink

tyler: link to Rain Rain Rain ep: http://www.mediafire.com/?oiyhmyl3oti
very Swell Maps-y, female voice... i forget who... anyway, check it out!

― nerve_pylon, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 23:31 (3 years ago) Permalink

aw yeah, thanks!

― tylerw, Wednesday, 10 March 2010 23:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

Hearing RISE ABOVE again, I'm buzzed by how well it conjures the sepia-tinted magic of the early-70s So-Cal singer/songwriter without yielding to pastiche on one extreme or a smirking irony on the other. Did his subsequent albums sustain this effect?

― doug watson, Thursday, 11 March 2010 02:33 (3 years ago) Permalink

I love them all -- Sleeping Star is maybe a little bit lacking in the production department (a little lo-fi), but Change My Life sounds like he got an actual recording budget. Nice strings, Spector-y percussion, some beautiful songs "Stealaway", "Sweet 16" ... I think if you like Rise Above you'll like those. No Sonic Youth cameos, though.

― tylerw, Thursday, 11 March 2010 03:12 (3 years ago) Permalink

Just discovered this: http://www.tripledownrecords.com/main/shop.php?content_id=19

― tylerw, Thursday, 11 March 2010 03:16 (3 years ago) Permalink

Some good info here: http://www.epicsoundtracks.com
Though the latest update is sad ...

― tylerw, Thursday, 11 March 2010 03:18 (3 years ago) Permalink

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Wednesday, 24 March 2010 00:01 (3 years ago) Permalink

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

― System, Thursday, 25 March 2010 00:01 (3 years ago) Permalink

lol, had a feeling this would not be a terribly popular poll!

― tylerw, Thursday, 25 March 2010 00:22 (3 years ago) Permalink

hee hee

― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 25 March 2010 02:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'd have voted if I knew about this poll. I own and cherish all those albums. Change My Life is the one I listen to the most.

― henry s, Thursday, 25 March 2010 02:23 (3 years ago) Permalink

In fact, the first thing I thought when I read that Nikki Sudden had died was "damn, now who's gonna release all the old Epic material?". Selfish bastard, I am.

― henry s, Thursday, 25 March 2010 02:24 (3 years ago) Permalink

It's never really about the poll.

― doug watson, Friday, 26 March 2010 00:01 (3 years ago) Permalink

I'm grateful to this thread having shone some light on the rest of Epic's discography, even if it was too soon for me to vote for anything other Rise Above.

― doug watson, Friday, 26 March 2010 00:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

And exposing my craptastic grammar, apparently.

― doug watson, Friday, 26 March 2010 00:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

glad it got at least one person to check some of Epic's other records out -- they're all pretty special to me -- I always have a great time listening to them. Wish there was more! One thing I'd love to hear is a full live gig -- the concert recordings on Everything Is Temporary are nice.

― tylerw, Friday, 26 March 2010 15:22 (3 years ago) Permalink

Forever kicking myself for not going to see him when he opened for Evan Dando in the mid-90's...

― henry s, Friday, 26 March 2010 20:13 (3 years ago) Permalink

was that really the only time he toured the US?

― tylerw, Friday, 26 March 2010 20:15 (3 years ago) Permalink

I think it was. Certainly the only time I ever saw a notice for him. And I lived in Detroit in those days. Pretty much everybody came through there.

― henry s, Friday, 26 March 2010 23:09 (3 years ago) Permalink

haha missed this but it just would've been one more vote for "rise above"

― And guess what? I think Pitchfork is going to give it a BM. (M@tt He1ges0n), Friday, 26 March 2010 23:10 (3 years ago) Permalink

I bought that CD by The Gist simply because it had Epic on it. Same with These Immortal Souls. Seems like there's a long and rich tradition of drummers releasing out-of-the-blue sensitive singer/songwriter fare (Dennis Wilson and that guy from Comets On Fire immediately come to mind).

― henry s, Friday, 26 March 2010 23:25 (3 years ago) Permalink

guess this is out. had been hearing about it for a while, but missed that they actually released it. one greatest hits disc + another disc of rarities. need to get.

― tylerw, Thursday, 25 October 2012 19:19 (6 months ago) Permalink

Thumbs way up. Be not afraid. Listened to it with folk and gospel.

― โตเกียวเหมียวเหมียว aka Fake Asian Guy (Mount Cleaners), Thursday, 25 October 2012 19:32 (6 months ago) Permalink

beatles cover is beeeyootiful.
funny, he's so limited as a vocalist, but he's soooooo good at the same time. really makes those limitations work.

― tylerw, Thursday, 25 October 2012 20:42 (6 months ago) Permalink

http://ow.ly/g3hrJ - wrote a little something about wild smile/epic.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 12 December 2012 22:57 (5 months ago) Permalink