PO5: Worst Pavement and Malkmus tracks

I probably haven't even heard the worst ones cuz it's not like I've dug through b-sides and stuff.

1. Fillmore jive
2. The second Malkmus record is growing on me now, I listened to it there recently (for the 1st time in ages) and I think I was overly harsh about it at first, it's pretty enjoyable....I'm just not too gone on his really proggy stuff like "Witch mountain bridge"
3. Dark Wave is annoying too
4. AT&T is bog-standard indie rock
5. Platform blues

I forgot that I was a big Pavement fan. Carey's right.

I keeeeeel you!

I picked "Type Slowly" for my least favorite Brighten track because of the lyrics ("one of us is a cigar stand and one of us is a lovely blue incandescent guillotine"... uh, right, whatever, Steve). Although I freely admit that there are a number ocontenders for the lazy-songwriting crown on Brighten.

As for "Gold Soundz", "Fillmore Jive", "AT&T", and maybe "Date w/IKEA"... well, I have a feeling that I'm not going to be making any new friends in this thread.

You hate pop, Nick Mirov. Or at least it doesn't fit in your definition of what Pavement SHOULD have been doing.

God I love those four songs. "Gold Soundz" SOLD me on the band.

Slanted And Enchanted: Fame Throwa
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: Hit The Plane Down
Wowee Zowee: Grave Architecture
Brighten The Corners: We Are Underused
Terror Twilight: hell if I can remember, probably "cream of gold" if it's the one I'm thinking of. There's one with this nagging stumbling fucked rhythm part. Hate it!

Once I realized this lyric probably wasn't meant to be as nonsensical as it sounded, I grew to like it a lot.

There are so many boring songs on Terror Twilight that I would have to sit through it again to figure out the titles and that's just too damn depressing.

Slanted+Enchanted: No really bad songs here.
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: Either Hit the Plane Down or Fillmore Jive
Wowee Zowee: I can't remember the titles but there are several weak numbers on this one, mainly in the second half
Brighten the Corners: None of these are really terrible, but the singing on Passat Dream almost ruins it.
Terror Twilight: Either Cream of Gold or Platform Blues.
Stephen Malkmus: Probably Black Book.
Pig Lib: Sheets

(The answer is "Range Life.")

2. Range Life
3. Range Life
4. Range Life
5. Probably some solo Malkmus thing

Then pick any 5 from Terror Twilight. I am with the camp that can't sit through this, much less remember any songs or titles.

Oh, I was the biggest Pavement fan on the planet once.

Am I the only one who thinks Pig Lib is a massive step forward from the self-titled solo record?

"Major Leagues" is the worst Pavement album track jmho

you're killing me!

"camera" is the best/worst pavement cover

you're killing me

the song? becaus that's not a bad vote either!

haha it was a joke

I'm kind of curious what the point of Pavement is

Of course, I'll be happy to share with you my least 5 favorite Pavements songs. No Westing, B-sides or anything from the deluxe reissues.

Type Slowly
Hit The Plane Down
Speak, See, Remember
Platform Blues
We Are Underused

what fall album or track sounds most like conduit for sale (this is an rfi not a snarky rejoinder)?

no xmas for john quays

i think it sounds more like "new face in hell"

Hit The Plane Down
Date With Ikea
Passat Dream
Kennel District
Major Leagues

you're right, mike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eckzjxXvcQ4
i guess i was thinking more "fame throwa"

lpz just wrote my 5 except i might replace major leagues with western homes. maybe. Ugh they both suck.

"hopscotch willie" x 5

I just don't like Shady Lane.

Neptune Avenue

whichever one that has the line "never looked hard at a foetus in a jar"

Saginaw is great! Malkmus impersonating/parodying Will Oldham.
― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, February 27, 2007 9:52 AM (eleven years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The "liberaaaaals" vocal in Type Slowly is clearly a Will Oldham pastiche as well.

?

"Fame Throwa"? Seriously? While "Chesley's Little Wrists" is a thing that exists? High school me is terribly upset by some 2003 posters.

2003 posters generally think everything is shit and has gone to shit

Here are my least-fave Malkmus-penned Pavement songs:

Range Life
My First Mine
Shady Lane
Embassy Row
Ann Don’t Cry

(Im not too familiar w/solo Malk; and including Spiral songs in a “worst-of” list doesn’t seem fair 😜)

worst SM Pavement song is Saganaw

Pacific Trim is all pretty good IMHO. There's a whole bunch of other B-sides from the second half of Pavement's discography I can't even bring myself to check now. Most tracks that aren't named 'Harness Your Hopes', probably. Any thoroughly researched PO5 of mine would surely be dominated by that stuff.

Yeah I dig Pacific Trim... was just thinking the other day how cool it was when it came out, as kind of a chaser to Wowee Zowee. The songs on the EP are all unique and distinctive — fully realized, yet not really like any other songs in the band’s repertoire.

(I remember a guy in a class of mine declaring that Pacific Trim was “a mini Beatles album”... like he had discovered a skeleton key. I was like, OK...)

Embassy Row and Range Life are among my top favourite Pavement songs, morrisp

I like those 2, but I hate Shady Lane and loads of people love that one.

Shady Lane was my intro to them I think? I have a hard time listneing to it objectively

This thread has inspired me to do a deep dive into the Pavement catalog. I was never all that into them.

Embassy Row and Range Life are among my top favourite Pavement songs, morrisp

You must like that album, then! I’ve always liked it... I would probably skip those songs if I played it today, though.

they're on different albums though?

Embassy Row is definitely a highlight on BTC. One of the only fast ones

agreed ^^

and Range Life is a highlight on one of the best rock albums ever

and i agree with everyone that Pacific Trim is good (including I Love Perth) EXCEPT Saganaw, which is a DIRGE

xxp
Haha, sorry — somehow I thought you said “Shady Lane”!

“Saginaw” is a dirge, but dirges aren’t necessarily bad (and uptempo tracks aren’t necessarily good)...

Otm Some crazy fuck above mentioned Fillmore Jive. That's a dirge but it's beautiful.

Ok. Here's my challop I've never enjoyed Cut Your Hair. I always skip it on one my favourite albums.

you and every indie dude in the 90s lol. I go back and forth on it and right now I like it

Whenever I ask Alexa to "play Pavement," it invariably starts off with their cover of the Descendents' "It's a Hectic World" -- which may be the least Pavement-sounding Pavement recording (and probably the last one I'd ever want to hear).

Xp sure yeah. But it was such a disappointment after Watery Domestic.

I did however fully embrace and still adore Stereo, which I guess was their nearest equivalent. And a great tune.

I guess this isn't that thread though.

Just Scott's songs right?

revived because i was listening to btc for the first time in ages and i heard that line and it struck me immediately as a will oldham take. that said slowly typed is one of the worst ever pavement songs.

Shady Lane is p good but would be p great if second half was chopped off

The spacey outro? That part's good!

Listening to "TT" now (Godrich track order) -- I'm gonna take "Ann Don't Cry" off my list, and sub in "Major Leagues." I know this is really important stuff!

For a long time I would have told you that "TT" is a weaker album than "BTC," but I now hold the opposite p.o.v. (also really important for you to know)

yeah I think that's become the more accepted view & I agree

Gotta make another revision to my list above -- I realized that "Mercy: The Laundromat" is the track I dislike most at the end of Westing (...not "My First Mine").

the foregoing has been another quality thread revive by morrisp

Least favorite, eh? *cracks knuckles gamely*