Galaxie 500 - Classic or dud?

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Sorry Nick, I haven't actually heard Yoko's version. Must check it out.

― David Gunnip, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sorry - I've never been able to phantom Galaxie 500. That voice! Even worse than the muppet out of Mercury Rev! I've tried to listen to them several times with charitable intentions but I...Just...Don't...Get...It. I think their classicist reverence for the VU lineage irritates me, particularly. Unanimity begone!

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sort of agree with this in a small way. Recently put This Is Our Music on the record player for the first time in 8 years and the voice did annoy me a little although between the ages of 20-23 I thought they were one of the coolest and precious treasures. And yes, the VU reference is a bit one dimensional with hindsight. Will always love them however.....

― David Gunnip, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know, I would just like to say that VU was about the most boring influential band that ever existed. I sort of like "Loaded" and I think the Andy Warhol banana one was decent, but that's not much. And even those have their lame spots, for sure. Galaxy 500 never reminded me of them until I heard their first album, and then I think it was more because I'd heard the comparisons or read comparisons in the liner notes. Lou Reed is really terrible on his own, as well. So, am I a VU fan? Two albums?? Not really.

― Nude Spock, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You lose a lot of credibility saying that you can't hear the VU in Galaxie 500. It's pretty blatant. Although I always thought Galaxie 500 was ripping off the Dream Syndicate, ripping off the Vels.

― Dave225, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Galaxie 500 are great. Lou Reed solo isn't great - unless you're talking about Metal Machine Music. Which is the fourth best album i've ever heard - roughly

― Tony, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know how Tom can say that Alex from NYC has the worst taste on this board when Nude Spock is around to talk his happy horseshit all the live long day. Dissing the VU while raving abt one of their most glaringly obvious sappy imitators - talk abt yr reevaluation of all values!

― Andrew L, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The VU influence is evident in style but largely absent when it comes to tone and mood, which I think is much of what makes G500 valuable. VU = dark, seedy, abraisive, and then rather mannered and baroque on non-dark/seedy/abraisive tracks like "Stephanie Says" or "I'll be Your Mirror" -- G500 = airy, gray shot through with bright colors, lazy loose and intimate. The affect (not a typo -- psychological affect, not effect) is completely different. VU are like walking down a dirty sidewalk in shiny new boots, G500 are like a parader's wave in slow motion. VU strut, G500 could never.

Admittedly, I tend to focus on that sort of thing more than direct technical or structural links ...

― Nitsuh, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Me too, Nitsuh, and that's why the VU thing doesn't bother me. Anyway, I'm sure that if the VU hadn't existed that kind of sound would have evolved anyway. Going on about the VU in reference to Galaxie 500 seems to me to either be pointless parading of rock history knowledge or else insensitivity to the kind of mood/tone issues that Nitsuh mentions.

― Nick, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nitsuh, that's fantastic!!!

Hi, Mrs. Welthorpe! I think you should cast the next muppets movie.

― youn, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blimey Nick. I do think 'rock history' is important, a bit. For me, music's a continuum rather than just a series of isolated events and explosions. It's interesting/useful/relevant to know how we got to where we are now. Pop and rock acts promise us 'the new' the whole time - are they delivering? Or are they giving us the same old same old, a watered down, second-hand imitation of something done better once before? And how are you going to find out if you don't at least have SOME interest in 'rock history'?

I know that too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and that people who have never heard the VU can have interesting and enlightening things to say abt a Galaxie 500 rec or whatever. Prob. more interesting, 'cos they haven't drowned in all the cliches, received ideas, half-truths etc. of VU rockwrite. But I really don't buy your argument that G500 might well have existed w/out the VU. God knows I'm as sick of the whole VU 'myth' as anyone who was once a fan, but I think that that sound is far more original than you're suggesting, this almost unique coming together of folk, the avant- garde, free jazz, r'n'b, rock and pop. And, you can still hear all those things going on in Velvets recs, whereas all I hear in G500 - bits of loverly 'texture' notwithstanding - is one DOMINATING influence (there, gulp, I said it!) that isn't made use of in an esp. interesting way. I mean, it's more than a fair cop to point out that some kind of relationship/similarity exists between the two groups, isn't it? Just for the sake of erm 'the historical record' or whatever. And don't you like it when new groups can turn you onto old groups and you end up liking the old group better sometimes? I imagine there are B&S who will one day hear a Nick Drake rec and kick themselves!

Maybe I just don't like G500 because they copped an alb title from Ornette Coleman.

― Andrew L, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Andrew: I'm not saying we should ignore the technical history, which is interesting in its own right. I think what I'm saying is that when evaluating a specific band -- what makes that particular band unique and valuable, or what makes their music resonate with their fans -- it's important to look past those historical concerns to how they were employed. There are hundreds of bands that sound a lot like VU, and dozens that sound a lot like them in the same way that Galaxie 500 does; what's interesting about G500 in particular isn't the VU blueprint that underlies some of their material, but where they're trying to take it.

The way I read Nick's comment -- that G500 could have existed without VU -- isn't that G500 would necessarily have sounded exactly like they did in the formal sense, but that they quite likely would have been able to create the same tones and moods using different tools.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah. But his "On Fire" was nowhere as good as theirs.

ahem.

Seriously, I think the VU influence was precisely the feel. It was as if Cale had stuck around for the s/t album, & they had gone all acoustic-ish anyway.

― Sterling Clover, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've got nothing against people knowing about rock history per se. I was just objecting to it being used to pigeon hole a band as sappy imitators when for me it is, for reasons such as Nitsuh outlines, doing something distinct and worthwhile. I don't get the influence beyond a similar slowburning guitar sound. And I'm suggesting that would have developed anyway. There were lots of other unique things that the VU did, I know, but I was talking about their influence on Galaxie 500.

― Nick, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sterling: I think this might go back to my whole theory of What Indie Is -- the whole slanting-a-blueprint concept. G500 are clearly picking up on a VU-based blueprint*, which is all well and good, but what makes them uniquely G500 -- as opposed to, say, uniquely Yo La Tengo, who pick up on the VU blueprint as well -- is the distortion built into their actual construction, which completely replaced the spirit/attitude that seemed to underly VU records. This is maybe best summed up by Naomi's design work for Today, an image that has everything to do with G500 but is completely inapplicable to VU.

* Although I'd argue that the VU elements they borrow aren't the ones that, in the end, actually defined VU: it's pretty hard to imagine them doing faithful covers of "Waiting for the Man" or "Sister Ray" or even "Sweet Jane," which is a lot closer to the influence they're taking. And the influence is slightly indirect -- the most they've ever sounded like VU was while covering a Jonathan Richman song.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Galaxie 500 is unique next to Yo La Tengo as White Light/ White Heat is unique next to The Velvet Underground.

― Dave225, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I remember reading an online article that interviewed Dean and Ira Kaplan (separately) where the interviewer asked them about the VU influence - something like "You are the clearest example of the VU sound today." Dean got pissed at this and insisted there was no comparison, and Ira acknowledged it gracefully. I don't think either band is so similar to the Velvets that a big deal should be made about it.

― nickn, Friday, 7 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two weeks pass...

The first 2.5 songs on On Fire are a total cringeworthy dud. At least the Magic Hour had guitar solos and a singer who doesn't sound like Kermit. Not that I plan on listening to them soon either though.

Even my sister, who by her own admission has never heard a slowcore band she disliked, thinks On Fire is sort of a cute, enjoyable, OK album, not a masterpiece of any sort. What's so exceptional about it?

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sundar --

I'm thinking your question deserves a thoughtful reply, so I'll offer this: the value of On Fire lies in the fact that it's surprisingly un-like "slowcore," as that particular genre happened to accrete. "Slowcore" gradually became concerned with its own sonic smoothness: low bubbling organ lines, richly-processed guitars, a pervasive sense of stillness, comfort, a fluffy-pillow phenomenon. On Fire has some resemblances in this sense. But On Fire is one of few records I can think of which are tagged as "slowcore" despite sounding surprisingly real, almost garage -- despite the only processing being reverb, really, and tracks like "Strange" letting you hear the band very much as you'd imagine them sounding in a really large garage. "Slowcore" went for this richness and softness, whereas G500 had a hollowness to their sound that's always really appealed to me.

More importantly, On Fire is not really slowcore, when you get down to it: if you get a chance, go back and listen to "Strange" and notice how really active and passionate it is. (The guitar solo practically makes me imagine fireworks launching.) Quite a bit of the record feels this way to me: what I tend to marvel at is the way three instuments, free of much processing or adornment, lock together to form these fairly dramatic constructions. Hyperbolic as it sounds, the word I'm looking for is probably "glorious." Honestly, the starts of those guitar solos on "Strange" sum it up: they come sweeping in so gloriously.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 28 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three weeks pass...

Everybody Felix! it's Felix's birthday everybody Felix He's old in the best way.

― Zack, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

CD80 "portable" Galaxie 500 go!

Tugboat
King of Spain
Flowers
Pictures
Parking Lot
Don't Let Our Youth Go to Waste
Oblivious
It's Getting Late
Instrumental
Blue Thunder
Snowstorm
When Will You Come Home
Another Day
Isn't It a Pity
Victory Garden
Ceremony
Fourth of July
Listen the Snow is Falling

(my faves, weighted towards the first album and b-sides, 81:15)

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 6 November 2003 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

i couldn't do a CD80. my selection would look like the box set, except it would include their peel sessions too

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 6 November 2003 01:55 (twenty-two years ago)

that's mostly chronological too, btw.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

nabisco and sterling upthread arguing about the VU influence compounded with spencer's omission of "summertime" from his best of makes me sad (ie, "summertime" is straight out of the 2-chord VU songbook).

"summertime" was my favorite song of theirs... i put it on every mix i made for myself for a period of about 5 years. i haven't listened to them in forever but if I did, it would be "summertime"".

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:27 (twenty-two years ago)

i think "this is our music" is a perfect album. obviously dean's lyrics are dodgy at times but other than that there is not a single mis-step on that record.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

spencer's indie c80 revival spree is coinciding nicely with my revisiting the early-mid 90s this week

― strongo hulkington's ghost (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

What an insane revival!! I just listened to the first two CDs from the box this afternoon, and actually read through this whole thread not 3 hours ago. Actually thought about reviving it myself, but wanted to relisten to the other discs in the box first. Weird coincidence.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

this was one of my first three threads

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I wonder if my reviews are still up. *checks AMG* Yup. Opinion unchanged.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:52 (twenty-two years ago)

i think AMG used to rate This Is Your Music much lower than 4 stars... those stars ratings change all the time right?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 6 November 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

remember gygax, I've only got 80mins! I love "summertime" too!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 6 November 2003 05:51 (twenty-two years ago)

love that band. love how on their first album nearly all the songs open i the same one or two chords. you're thinking, "didn't i just hear that song?" and that bass playing. everything there is so simple, kept at such a minimum but without ever getting tiresome. i have that box set on cdr's, and i've never had any problems playing through it in one sitting.

― tod (tod), Thursday, 6 November 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

five months pass...

Voila

http://www.plexifilm.com/galaxie.html

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 01:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Man, that looks ridiculously good. I mean really

(Jay Vee, got a copy of the live disc to longtime ILXer Arthur, one o' Kid's friends and acquaintances, who also knows Little Annie from them late seventies/early eighties days.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 01:30 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is like Nitsuh's greatest hits.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 13 April 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

So, got that DVD Jay Vee linked to the description above, and am reviewing it for the AMG, which is keen since I reviewed all the albums and the box set (well, aside from the single-disc comp). It's very good, though to be fair the band really weren't a visual explosion of energy live and much of the footage is a bit murky or dully professional -- when not actually being bootlegs -- so it's almost like this is more a very enjoyable visual souvenir that can easily just be heard rather than heard and watched. That said, the performances alone do merit chasing down if you're a fan, all four of Sergio Huidor's videos are great, the interview in the booklet by James McNew's keen and it's an all region NTSC release, for what it's worth.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 July 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

thanks for the info. i was wondering if it would be worth buying, now i'm definately going to.

― willem (willem), Sunday, 25 July 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, there's no reason not to if you're a fan already.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 July 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

So is 'On Fire' the place to start then? Do we need a S/D thread?

― The TAO that can be Posted is not the TAO! (The Tao that can be Posted is), Saturday, 23 October 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

This is one of those if-you-like-those-bands-you'll-love-this-band-bands. And I recently saw one of their video's and enjoyed it. so: I'm interested.

― The TAO that can be Posted is not the TAO! (The Tao that can be Posted is), Saturday, 23 October 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

It's really hard to go wrong with them. They only have the three proper albums and they're all very good. Today is my favorite, but most people seem to love On Fire more. I would definitely put the third album last, but it's still excellent.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 23 October 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd listen to them in order, so Today first. I think On Fire is my favourite, but Today has something golden about it. It sounds like the start of something wonderful.l

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 24 October 2004 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i consider their three albums to be almost perfection.

― the surface noise (slight return) (electricsound), Sunday, 24 October 2004 03:13 (twenty-one years ago)

they have very nice cover art

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Sunday, 24 October 2004 03:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe the Galaxie 500 perceived wisdom states that "On Fire" is their best. Personally, I think it's "Today".
But I think Alba's right -- start with "Today" and work forward chronologically.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 24 October 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd be hard pressed to say, which of their first two is their best album, although I usually go with 'On Fire'. However, I think they hit their peak on the second half of 'Today' (last six, really, minus 'King of Spain') and first half of 'On Fire'. There are some great songs on 'This Is Our Music' as well, but to me it isn't quite as good an album overall as the first two.

― Jens Aage Pedersen, Monday, 25 October 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Today is the only one I like, esp. with bonus song "King of Spain." All friends can fuck off and die, I'm the king of Spain. The others are borers.

― batoh, Monday, 25 October 2004 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

its ALL good.

― ALLMUSIC.COM (ddb), Monday, 25 October 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Been listening to Today a lot lately and it reminded me that there was a serious dip with the last album. First two are a lot better.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 25 October 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

For sure. I haven't listened to This Is Our Music for ages actually. I suddenly have a craving for 'Sorry' and (of course) 'Fourth Of July' .

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 25 October 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 145 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

so 8 tracks of 24 actually previously unreleased

― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Thursday, 11 July 2024 17:28 (one year ago)

nice, thanks for that!

― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 11 July 2024 17:42 (one year ago)

g500 is the rare band where I want to pretty much hear every note they played ... b-sides, demos, outtakes, radio sessions, etc.

same. there's something about the elements being so simple that it's hard for me to imagine what a bad or uninteresting Galaxie 500 song would even sound like

― waste of compute (One Eye Open), Thursday, 11 July 2024 20:21 (one year ago)

Otm

― Thrapple from the Apple (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 July 2024 20:25 (one year ago)

Luna was fine but a whole different thing

― Thrapple from the Apple (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 July 2024 20:25 (one year ago)

ditto Damon and Naomi

― henry s, Thursday, 11 July 2024 23:56 (one year ago)

I love the whole extended galaxie — some of my favorite music ever, I guess

― tylerw, Friday, 12 July 2024 00:23 (one year ago)

classic

― well below the otm mendoza line (Hunt3r), Friday, 12 July 2024 00:44 (one year ago)

four weeks pass...

Love how “I wanna live” kicks in and Naomi just starts soloing

― calstars, Friday, 9 August 2024 23:58 (one year ago)

one month passes...

Dean & Britta touring NZ playing Galaxie 500 songs:

https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/21701/Dean--Britta-Play-Galaxie-500-New-Zealand-Tour-Announced.utr

Is this something they've done before? Feels kinda weird/off when Damon & Naomi are still around, but everyone I know seems unreservedly excited.

― etc, Wednesday, 25 September 2024 03:18 (one year ago)

they have done it before, saw them in LA do this 2019? 2018? Was great.

― encino morricone (majorairbro), Wednesday, 25 September 2024 03:38 (one year ago)

see also: Uncollected Noise New York ’88-’90 out last friday

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 25 September 2024 05:34 (one year ago)

Oddly enough, the only time I saw Wareham et al it was G500-themed. A bootleg suggests that it was late 2011/. I guess I was hopelessly inattentive when Luna toured these parts, which I see they definitely did at least twice. I liked Luna plenty.

― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Wednesday, 25 September 2024 08:56 (one year ago)

got my Uncollected Noise in the mail yesterday, happy to finally have their version of "Here She Comes Now" on vinyl

― waste of compute (One Eye Open), Wednesday, 25 September 2024 12:25 (one year ago)

damn, every vinyl version sold out. hope that gets a repress.

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 25 September 2024 13:17 (one year ago)

I got my LP in the mail yesterday too

― Toshirō Nofune (The Seventh ILXorai), Wednesday, 25 September 2024 13:47 (one year ago)

eight months pass...

Well here's a surprise!

https://galaxie500.bandcamp.com/album/cbgb-121388

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 10 June 2025 14:57 (one year ago)

great show — sonics are much improved from the bootleg I've heard (which sounded slightly underwater)

― tylerw, Tuesday, 10 June 2025 15:09 (one year ago)

TAKE MY MONEY!

― Blood On The Knobs, Tuesday, 10 June 2025 16:34 (one year ago)

Nice

― completely suited to the horny decadence (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 10 June 2025 21:21 (one year ago)

Done.

Man, I remember getting that collected purple and silver box that had almost everything for Christmas one year. That was one of the best presents.

― Cow_Art, Wednesday, 11 June 2025 03:18 (eleven months ago)

still one of the nicest designed box sets ever.

― encino morricone (majorairbro), Wednesday, 11 June 2025 04:19 (eleven months ago)

two months pass...

This CBGB show is phenomenal! Thought there might be more shouting from the rooftops about it, but guess folks knew it from the bootleg.

― better than ezra collective soul asylum (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 21 August 2025 21:22 (nine months ago)

it is great — what a weird/magical band. it almost shouldn't work, but it really really does.

― tylerw, Thursday, 21 August 2025 21:24 (nine months ago)

one month passes...

previously uncirculated audience tape — halloween 1989! sounds fab.

https://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/796396519421050880/galaxie-500-ecstasy-berlin-germany-october

― tylerw, Friday, 3 October 2025 17:09 (eight months ago)

oh wow! Thanks, tylerw!

― completely suited to the horny decadence (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 4 October 2025 00:34 (eight months ago)

two weeks pass...

i stood in liiiiiiiine and ate my twinkie

― maelin, Friday, 24 October 2025 05:03 (seven months ago)

one month passes...

Two test pressings with hand-drawn art from Naomi Yang. If I had a pile of cash, I'd be in for one.

― the way out of (Eazy), Friday, 28 November 2025 04:07 (six months ago)

Those are amazing! To quote myself from further upstream in this thread:

that Mike McGonigal oral history book did come out and it's really good, with lots of graphic content showing how Naomi cut and pasted all of their early visual content (fliers, cassette covers, band stationary, etc.)

― henry s, Friday, 28 November 2025 13:36 (six months ago)

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