slint -- _spiderland_: classic or dud

The version of "Glenn" on the box set is different from the version that was released in 1994. This version was recorded during the Spiderland sessions - essentially the same but played slower, and the overall mix isn't as good (as the title indicates - "rough mix"). They recorded "Glenn" and "Pam" in the Spiderland sessions but then left them off the final version. "Pam" is very much in the vein of Tweez stuff.

"Todd's Song" and "Brian's Song" are works-in-progress after Spiderland. Based on just a couple listens I think they are a bridge between "For Dinner..." (which was one of the last things they wrote for Spiderland) and Brian's For Carnation stuff. Repetitive, slow, quiet.

As with pretty much everything else Slint-related, there is no lost "just-as-good-as-Spiderland" song. ("Glenn" was it, and it's been available for 20 years now.) But it's still fascinating to me to hear the various demos, and to imagine where they might have gone next.

I haven't seen the book that comes with the box set - anyone have more to say about that?

I am still miffed "King's Approach" isn't on here in any form and that it will probably just be lost forever

book is nice, it's got a one-page foreward by will oldham and the lyrics to spiderland are interspersed throughout. the rest is a mix of show posters, pics of slint as tweens/teens, etc. there's a pic on the lsst page of three of them with an older guy who is clearly supposed to be somebody, but not sure who he is.

and yeah someone really needs to ask about kings approach in one of these interviews.

As I understand it "King's Approach" is from a totally different era - something they wrote when they briefly reformed in 1994.

oh interesting, thanks for that info

Why was James Murphy in the documentary? Why does James Murphy involve himself with everything? Post-LCD Murphy really isn't tickling me right.

James Murphy was in Pony who had a song that was a major Slint rip (but nobody remembers Pony nor James' awful hairstyle at the time)... and then James produced Evergreen's record.

Later, Britt lived in James' apartment for a year or two when he worked at Old Devil Moon cafe (RIP) and then MasterBakers.

It is very obscure trivia that Britt was the very first LCD Soundsystem drummer, for their first live show (I.Was.There).

From earlier tonight:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BlOmESYIAAAOQQT.jpg

I think I met the drummer when he was in the uk drumming for the False Prophets before Slint and only found out that he went onto Slint around the time of the 1st Palace Brothers lp. Trying to work out if he was the same guy who was on the '97 Royal Trux tour playing tambourine and looking like Paul Kantner.
Have always wondered what the story on somebody being payed to tour to play tambourine and not really do anything else, unless he was also doing tshirts or something.

Thanks for the info Jersey AI. Any source on Britt drumming with LCD? Couldn't find anything with a google search.

He.Was.There. Ergo, he's the source.

Yeah, at first I had a similar thought about Murphy in the film, like "This guy's not from Louisville or the Chicago scene! What's he doing here?!" But in the end there's enough of a connection, and what he brings to the interviews is totally worth it.

Highlights of the film for me are the interview segments with Britt's mom and dad.

going to see this tonight followed by a q&a with director + 2 slints!

Cool! I was hoping to go to that too, but I wasn't able to swing it. Enjoy!

An additional source on the LCD thing, in case anyone was legitimately skeptical:

http://larecord.com/interviews/2014/03/11/lance-bangs-and-slint-sasquatch-folklore-legendry

I'm really hoping for a 2-disc issue of this, no way can I justify $150 on this thing any time soon.

Liked the pitchfork review a lot

Movie is great. Two immediate impressions:

1. Britt Walford is a genuine, real-deal weirdo
2. There are background vocals on "Breadcrumb Trail?"

More later, still processing.

The LCD thing came up at the doc screening in LA and Britt confirmed it was true.

yeah, this was great. v much enjoyed the parent interviews. kind of agree with HP that James Murphy didn't need to be in this. but it was all about the practice footage, demo excerpts and parent interviews for me. (the performance at the church was particularly tickling).

Very good documentary overall. Loved it, if I had a critique, it would be that it seemed overly preoccupied with Britt. Barely seemed to cover Todd's contributions.

there is an extremely funny story you don't get if they leave james murphy out.

best single moment tho may have been matt sweeney's britt impression.

re: backing vocals on spiderland, i was listening to the cd remaster in the car this morning and thought i caught something new in the second full time through the loud part. need to try again at home.

I loved Drew's story about Slint playing at his high school battle of the bands and taking an hour and a half to set up.

best single moment tho may have been matt sweeney's britt impression.

― call all destroyer, Friday, April 18, 2014 6:57 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this

Also, Drew was really great in this, too.

the end of this lp is one of the best there is, 'devastating' is such a cliché but something like that

I also like one of the Slint members confirming that battle of the bands story by saying they did spend a lot of time tuning at that point in the band's history.

And they show footage of them slowly and awkwardly tuning and tinkering!

There are a lot of reasons Slint made for a compelling documentary, but one of them is it combines the "band makes visionary record" narrative with the fact that this was a teenage band, and as a result there are a number of hilarious high school band stories.

Re the battle of the bands thing, this zine from the era corroborates the story too. There's a review of that concert on p. 2

http://www.louisvillehardcore.com/zines/Conqueror%20Worm/conquerorworm_issue_three.pdf

Oh yeah also two more Slint live reviews deeper into the zine - one was a show with Big Black and Urge Overkill, the other was with Killdozer.

Wasn't Drew Daniel there? Is he in this doc?

can someone explain the exact origins of the chicago-louisville pipeline/relationship?

xp yes he is!

there were four bands at the St. Francis High School battle of the bands. one was called Potential energy, another was mine, called Gil Thorpe: These two were very shitty cover bands. and there was a stevie ray vaughn style band with two guys that had been in a hardcore band with ethan buckler called Dot 39. Then there was slint.

Not to blow my horn unduly, but I had seen their first show opening for Killdozer a month or so prior: everyone was expecting, based on their prior bands Maurice, Squirrel bait and Solution Unknown, the meanest hardcore/metal band to have ever been— but man was it ever a shock to see what they did instead. I told my pals booking the BoB that they should get those guys.

the footage encompassed all four acts: I cannot express how glad I am that no one will ever me prancing around in ball-hugging shorts singing bad CCR and James Brown. It is true that they took 1 1/2 hours to tune: the parents, regular school kids and hardcore kids were annoyed as such, and then when the Tweez shit went down it was absolutely "what the living shit is this?" but yeah me, Drew, my pals and like five other kids were dumbstruck. After I had done like really really shitty covers, I felt like a gnat observing celestial beings creating events of inscrutable majesty.

Conqueror Worm was drew's zine. I wrote something for it once.

I would take that over being at the first Suicide practices.

haw haw haw…hadn't looked at that issue of Conqueror Worm in a couple of years…drew was being ludicrously generous to the stupidly dubbed Gil Thorpe: if a band not comprised of me and two other of his buddies did the same things we done, he woulda shat down our necks. same thing for

and yeah, therein is my review of Pleased to Meet me, which was much much too conventional for Drew. just chuckled when I read that lil jibe: ultimately, I was probly a bit too conventional for him. he and I were in school together and thus close from grade 1 to senior year: I drove him to school sophomore through senior year. his evolution since the 80s is quite poignant for me.

upthread there's more shit from me re: slint and 80s Louisville.

Wow that's awesome Thx for sharing

Really enjoyed this. Laughed stupidly hard at some of the anecdotes. I've read the Britt house sitting for Albini story a half dozen times, but it was great to see him actually telling it. Probably totally fucked up paraphrase: "I guess Britt... never really lived in a house by himself before and didn't really know how a house worked..."

Love the deadpan way Albini says that too; he sounds completely serious, and not at all like he's joking.

It seems a questionable decision by the Wire to let Drew Daniel review the box set, although it was an enjoyable piece to read.

I kinda tried to acknowledge my speaking position with the "i can be honest but not objective" line- I thought that was making clear that I have some bias- I see what you're saying tho.

happy to see that this movie is making the rounds, stoked to see Slint play in Baltimore on the 2nd

I learned a lot from veronica moser about music and how to care about it and how to talk about it, more than I ever let on at the time certainly- hello again! xxoo

Probably the most surprising takeaway from the doc: Steve Albini wears an earring?

Was he wearing his wolf T-shirt?

about the doc:so much talk about Will Oldham and no interview or something?!

Further I get from my teens less I feel the need to ever hear this, am I wrong

I only ever listen to "Washer" and "Good Morning Captain" #emo

And "Nosferatu Man" sometimes. I can't remember what the other tracks sound like.

xps

Will Oldham was thanked at the end, so he definitely contributed in some capacity. I was hoping he'd show up too, but I guess talking head in a doc doesn't really fit into his MO.