PYLON! C or D?

They're plugging it as Gyrate +, so I'm assuming the usual remastered-with-bonus-tracks thing

1. Cool
2. Dub
3. Volume
4. Feast On My Heart
5. Precaution Listen
6. Weather Radio
7. Human Body
8. Read a Book
9. Driving School
10. Recent Title
11. Gravity
12. Danger
13. Working Is No Problem
14. Stop It
15. Danger
16. Functionality

Just skimmed a review of it in MOJO by, I think, Peter Buck. Looking forward to picking it up!

yeah, do that! The different covers above probably because there were two slightly different versions: the second had "Recent Title" in place of "Driving School," but as you can see in the track list up there, both are on this, with the single sides killing in front, and the finale, "Functionality, " is prev unissued. My review'll be in Voice soon. (Anybody heard the Method Actors, also from late 70s/early 80s Athens, right?)

Yep, I quite like the Method Actors, as does fellow ILM poster Dan Selzer.

Outdoors at Athfest '05 where they unleashed hundreds of balloons with the pylon symbol on them, and many people were in a total frenzy dancing almost like you see Athenians used to do in the Inside/Out movie; at Popfest later the same summer..

I think my back is STILL feeling the impact of dancing like a madman on the paved surface of Washington Street. I WAS THERE! much more importantly: THEY WERE AWESOME! Just like every time. What a fantastic band...

liked their singles but when I saw them live in 1981 it was pretty underwhelming IIRC. maybe a bad night?

now Love Tractor, there's the great lost Athens band.

ugh, Love Tractor. The loster they are, the better.

I used to know Love Tractor's bass player, Armistead Wellford.

What was that one song they were famous for, Love Tractor? Damnit I can't remember it now.

they were great until they started singing.

Here's my Gyrate Plus review. Not exactly deathless prose, but it gets the word out, incl. re upcoming NYC show:
http://www.villagevoice.com/0742,allred,78085,22.html

erk, now you see it, now you don't (link *was* working). For now, might just check villagevoice.com/music

Ah, speaking of "music", D'oh! I left that word out---this is the full link, working or not:
http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0742,allred,78085,22.html

the added-on ringwear is kinda stupid.

I thought that too at first, but now that I have the actual CD, the cover is actually a photograph of an old LP. Still a bit silly (I mean, it wouldn't be that hard to recreate the album art from the separate elements, jeeze) but at least the marks weren't added on for effect.

but sometimes with a reissue it's fun to show that history, whether it be ringwear, or the old tapes or whatever.

Anyway, you wouldn't have to recreat the art, just retouch it. Either way it would've been easy.

The cover to the Acute release of Glenn Branca's the Ascension was a painstakingly retouched composite of two well-aged copies of the original LP.

Do you know why I sold the CD? Because I must have been on crack, that's why.

Yeah but I've still got the crucial vinyl records on that, so...

No wonder you don't get Alice Cooper.

Ha! Fuck you! A friend I've had for ten years just GAVE me the fucking Mascara & Monsters CD last weekend. Yeah, that's right he just GAVE it to me. I have it on my iPod now but unfortunately no I have not listened to it yet. Give me time.

This song triggers some really hard realizations for me, In a lot of ways I see myself as that Killing Joke.

Hahaha! Amen to that!

Just wanted to let everyone know (and yes, shameless self promotion as I am the program director at WNYU) that Pylon will be headlining our 35th Anniversary concert tomorrow night at the Knitting Factory. Psychic Paramount, Grouper, Christmas Decorations, Halflings, Starkey, Zola Jesus, and Ehnahre are also playing. Come down and say hi!

This is in NYC obviously.

Cool, goddamnit. Cool:

POST PUNK PEOPLE GET ON BOARD NOW

I wonder if I could still be so into performing a song I wrote almost 30 years ago as Vanessa is.

Amen.

Dan Selzer? You out there? What would YOU say about Pylon?

R.E.M. did a cover of "Crazy".

You can't even compete.

I like Pylon. Can't say they're my favorite thing ever. I like REM, the B-52s and the Method Actors better.

Thanks Dan Selzer. Pleae call me on the phone someday

Method Actors were very cool, post punk wise.

'The Method' is a classic. I always think it's Billy Ray Cyrus on the cover though.

Get well soon!

Pylon guitarist Randy Bewley suffered a heart attack while driving in an Athens neighborhood and is in the cardiac intensive care unit at Athens Regional Medical Center, bandmate Vanessa Hay said in an e-mail to supporters.

Bewley was driving on Barber Street on Monday evening, and his van drifted off the road and tipped over, Hay said.

Rescue workers treated him at the scene and took him to ARMC.

Shit... (reposting from http://athensmusicjunkie.blogspot.com/ Twitter stream at http://twitter.com/blueshades )

My thoughts and prayers to Randy Bewley's family and friends. We have lost a great man and dear friend in Athens tonight.
20 minutes ago from web

@Pampelmoose Randy Bewley died shortly before 5 pm. We have lost a dear friend in Athens today.
about 1 hour ago from web

@Pampelmoose Heart attack was on Monday morning, family and band with him now. Planning to take him off life support this afternoon.
about 4 hours ago from web in reply to Pampelmoose

Man, RIP. I only ever finally heard Gyrate in full quite recently and was astounded at just how fantastic it was. A damn shame.

My God! What?! Way, way too young. One of my favorite guitar players EVER. I always feel ineffectual posting "RIP" on a message board, but...

Rest in peace Randy.

So sad. A nonpareil guitarist. RIP.

Fuck. Such a great guitar player, in such a great band. RIP.

So sad. He had such a great sound. I will treasure my memories of seeing them live back in the early '80s and dig out my vinyl.

:-( RIP

God, this is terrible. I only got a chance to hear Pylon after the DFA reissue, so I can't claim any deep connection with them, but it sounds like Bewley was a great guy. Nobody deserves to go that young.

It's hard to overstate how well loved this band is in Athens. RIP and condolences to his friends and family.

Amazon listing confirms DFA are reissuing Chomp (as Chomp More) on October 20.

awesome

gyrate plus is one of my favourite reissues of the last few years

Recently found Gyrate in the stacks at the community radio station. Fantastic!

Amazon listing confirms DFA are reissuing Chomp (as Chomp More) on October 20.

And on eMusic today. Pylon's Crazy is a force of nature.

Well, upon listening to Chomp today for the first time in many years, all I can say is . . . "eh." It's clear they couldn't write songs. I'm crazy about "Crazy," but it's more an accident the way it (sort of) hangs together than anything else. There are a few interesting little nuggets on Chomp, but it's clearly a weaker record than the debut album, which in itself was pretty limited. They had a cool sound, but they didn't know what to do with it after a while, they didn't evolve much, and Vanessa's vocals start to grate, as she can't really sing and the yelping / barking / grwoling / Lene Lovichist stuff wears thin. All of this would have been more forgiveable if they band actually had something to *say* - but the lyrics aren't much and don't convey any point of view beyond, "it's new wave! time for spastic dancing!" This is the band that jocks were grasping for when they saw you in your punky clothes and badges and, for lack of anything more accurate, yelled "Devo sucks!"

It's clear they couldn't write songs

Maybe not in a Brill Building or Gershwin sense, but "Cool" and numerous others all sound uniquely penned to me.

but the lyrics aren't much and don't convey any point of view beyond, "it's new wave! time for spastic dancing!"

That's fine with me. Not every group should sing about politics or life in Compton or Athens or whatever you are defining as "something to say".

Yeah really, they have some great lyrics! This is one of those bands where it's all about delivery, if you're not into her vocal style I understand that it all leaves you cold but, I mean, "Iyyeat DUB FOR breakfUUUUST!", so great.

My favorite is "Stop It." Coincidentally, there's a scene in Motherhood where Uma Thurman as dowdy housewife rocks out and jumps around to this song.