PAVEMENT • TRAX • POLL rEsULtS!!!

57 people voted for 118 different Pavement songs. Here are the top 61!

(Starting with #61 tonight as something of a bonus. Will count down #60-41 during the day Monday. You're gonna love the images I hope.)

61. ALL MY FRIENDS (1993) [115 points, 4 votes, 2 first-place votes]
http://youtu.be/p6JK4p_vnqo

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lYNYk6L3OKc/TfWT4ug8fSI/AAAAAAAAAuk/ckzkeKoHgDk/61.jpg

2 first place votes for #61!?!?

"All My Friends" was known as "Sebadoh/Helen Stones" in it's infancy during the S&E tour (via a setlist I have).

wau @ TWO #1 votes, this is going to be fucking epic. cheers JF!!

That is the best song with the title "All My Friends."

you closed the voting at 9PM tonight and started the results at 9:40PM! Welcome to the Guiness Book my friend.

which 2 lunatics think AMF is the very best Pavement has to offer?!

j/k i love you guys because you love this band

wau jfever with custom art

Working on the art for 41-60 right now. Kinda fun, all things considered. All baby/cute animals!

haha for a sec i was like wtf i never saw that cover (for a song that was unreleased, i think)

good start. i felt bad about missing off the CRCR deluxe tracks from my ballot, I also missed Soiled Little Filly and Same Way of Saying.

and all those young girls are cryin',
cryin', "why, why, why johnny fever?"

but i say, "go, go, go johnny fever"

boring song tho. congrats to whoever loves this above all other pavement.

^ sb

2 first-place votes is serious trollin

I'd never even listened to this song until I was finding the youtube link. It's okay. I should probably get around to buying the CRCR deluxe edition (I don't have any of the deluxe editions).

^ This. I think I first heard it yesterday via the voting thread, but was kinda underwhelmed tbh.

[But I'm someone who got kinda burnt out on Pavement some point between Terror Twilight and the reissues. Only this poll has managed to draw me out of a decade-long refractory period after over-listening in my youth.]

if you lasted up through TT then you're ripe for reappraisal (sorry dog latin)

i haven't heard this song before.

good start!

Hey that song is not bad and I might have got into it at the time but it's too late now.

i voted for that! far from my #1 though. i think it's a great track even if it's only half finished, sort of CRCR condensed into one song.

i think it's hanoiing

The CRCR reissue is totally worth it, I think it's got the best selection of extras (though it does seem a bit weird that demos of WZ tracks are on the CR deluxe and not the WZ - anyway, CR/WZ is my era of Pavement obsession, so that's my bias showing too)

(and I didn't realise this was "Helen Stones" which I remember liking in my Pavement-bootleg-collecting days - but I had a fair few "other" tracks included anyway, so)

anyway, psyched for results, thank you JF!

Oh man I dilly-dallied far too long on putting my list together! V v v excited to watch this unfold, esp considering the two(!) #1 votes for #61 tune.

Another little factoid/tidbit about "All My Friends", an edited fade-in of the last 1:12 of the song showed up on the Gold Soundz b-side under the title "Exit Theory (Edit)".

At 2:18, things get downright into "Stop Breathin" territory.

...ready?

yes yes let's do this

Go for it!

60. FAME THROWA (1992) [115 points, 6 votes]
http://youtu.be/M23G5bXckAI

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hDkPWZ_3FyA/TfWvxtJMroI/AAAAAAAAAv8/015EvkcgCpQ/s800/60.jpg

Yea! I had "Fame Throwa" and "Perfume V" vying for the same spot - ultimately gave my vote to the latter. Glad this got props, though.

Shouldn't the picture for this one be a chicken with no feathers? I'll leave you to work out the terrible pun.

fame throwa pass out the gold, the diamond watch, the last reward, all the things we had before you sold us out and took it all

love this song

i voted for it too. there isnt another song like it in their catalogue...

It was all about the fake ending for me. That, and those fuzzy synths and the chorus and the drums and...

After Saturday's S&E reappraisal, this was a standout track.

its the fuzzy synths and the submerged "lalalalala" harmonies

Was Mata Hari the zenith slut?

59. JACKALS, FALSE GRAILS: THE LONESOME ERA (1992) [117 points, 4 points]
http://youtu.be/T0Ydxg-gB-U

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dDikofVF76k/TfWvxH7KqzI/AAAAAAAAAv4/fG2KCliUzy4/s800/59.jpg

Love both of the above and didn't even vote for them. Just so many great songs this band has, this poll made me realise again

deep into s&e territory now. I'm not sure I even remember how this song goes. One of the reasons I've always found S&E (and to a much lesser extent Wowee Zowee) impenetrable is due to the song titles not really linking lyrically with the songs. Not that I normally complain about this kind of thing.

The images are A++++, awesome work JF!

Loving these images!

Jackals is one of my all-time jams ever. I had it at #2. Early Madchester via the Fall/Swell Maps. Incredible drumming by Gary. Oberheim OB-8 squelch on rapid fire.

I had it at #2.

Your very last-minute ballot got it here.

Yes, the images rule Johhny!

One of my favorites from S&E, shasta OTM.

Slanted & Enchanted sounds like listening to a distant college radio station -- melodies and hooks keep floating in and out of the mix, with individual lines instead of full lyrics surfacing through the murk. --- I was never much for amg reviews, but this line always stuck with me, and JFGLE is pretty much the epitome of this.

It was my only Scott song that made the poll, I don't know if he wrote it but that's him singing.

S&E will always be perfect to me. I'm one of those people who usually can't enjoy a band live if I haven't already heard their recorded stuff previously. First saw/heard of Pavement when they opened for Sonic Youth at Brixton Academy way back when and they were absolutely amazing, so much so that I had to get S&E and Westing the very next day.

thanks, y'all. they're fun to make, but I'm taking a photoshop break for a few days when this is over, ha.

True story, in college I put together four issues of a zine named Fame Throwa that never saw the attention of anyone beyond me.

58. SPEAK, SEE, REMEMBER (1999) [120 points, 6 votes]
http://youtu.be/jeLRwRfXptA

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--prtJr6YYus/TfWvwgIc8_I/AAAAAAAAAv0/WVCEQePYDhw/s800/58.jpg

Now wishing I'd voted for both these despite the fact that I already had 5 S&E tracks on my ballot!
xp

these images :-O :-D

Both SM & SS get songwriting credit for Jackals.

(^^ have no idea if that link will actually work.)

was going to vote for "speak, see, remember"! this track really swings...

Speak See Remember though? This is looking up for Terror Twilight, as that's one of the least good songs off it.

worst songs off TT - "folk jam" and "platform blues"

Did you loot a funny cuet animals picture archive for this?

I totally voted for this! love the descending riff near the end.

Platform Blues is great - the lyrics alone...

Folk Jam is okay.

Worst song is Ann Don't Cry.

Yes, several. xps

oh and Cream Of Gold - not great.

Cream of Gold is great! The riffs, dude!

Huh, haven't heard Speak See Remember in over a decade, maybe since the record came out... writing's on the wall w/r/t band imminent break-up on this one. That isn't SWest on drums, is it Malk?

Speak See is one of the better songs off of TT, that breakdown at the end though always made me think they were trying a Half A Canyon redux in a way.

57. STRINGS OF NASHVILLE (1994) [120 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/2J3chIeNbXc

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QEwgJ3Z3DcI/TfWvv_VUIUI/AAAAAAAAAvs/PNhdT0T_pEs/s800/57.jpg

Stand back - expansion is what we do the best

Strings of Nashville always reminded me of some early Silver Jews (Trillion Story Walk-Up, Dime Map, ?) song. PP will probably know...

It's the same tuning as "Secret Knowledge Of The Backroads"... maybe that's it.

didn't vote for them but great to see both fame throwa (as someone said probably their weirdest track) and jackals on here. don't care much for speak see remember

xp feel like we're gonna have a lot of different first place votes

Love this song - think I submitted my ballot before I remembered it.

many xxps but bmi.com gives kannberg credit for all of s&e, so that can't be right. or relevant.

I noticed that after I posted it. "Embassy Road" is credited to all members of Pavement except SM. So I don't know.

I think you got it, Shasta i.e. Secret Knowledge. It's hard for me to remember all those songs since some sound alike and they have titles that don't match up.

56. KENTUCKY COCKTAIL (1992) [136 points, 8 votes]
http://youtu.be/UUm9eZ9F2_I

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P9N7vnaMYkw/TfWvzqh4fWI/AAAAAAAAAwA/33-hAAMcFyQ/s800/56.jpg

SoN is my most regrettable omission (totally forgot it). Surely Pavement's quietest song, so pretty.

I had no idea I was so bad at recognising Pavement songs from their titles...

replaced circa1762 with kentucky cocktail in the last minute. no regrets. that whole peel session is essential imo.

http://ribbonboxevents.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/derby-hats.jpghttp://i2.crtcdn.net/images/asset/900/236/54/d30581_260x195.jpg

55. TYPE SLOWLY (1997) [141 points, 9 votes]
http://youtu.be/egS5AjIZbzo

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2BYpSI0JTUg/TfWvvd7SlzI/AAAAAAAAAvw/AxMXZ7eknDY/s800/55.jpg

I like this song but I wouldn't distinguish it over half the songs on BtC.

I have some love for Type Slowly, but it's one of those songs that, when I just think about it (instead of actually playing it), bores the hell out of me.

Always got a kick out of the jauntier version.

I voted for speak see remember. i like this line: "there's blood in the butter the kitchens have closed for the holidays" for some reason.

Though it does have the "One of us is a cigar stand/And one of us is a lovely blue incandescent guillotine" line that always struck me for some reason.

Uh xp!

love the jammy live versions of type slowly, middle section is so great. remember seeing them on the BTC tour in 97 and this song just killing.

so theres a jauntier version of this on the deluxe versh of BTC?

there's the live free tibet performance...

here ya go :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Ci6g28lZI&feature=related

54. TRANSPORT IS ARRANGED (1997) [142 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/oqi4l__r0Hs

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gYrkxVMw_yQ/TfWvujbRzMI/AAAAAAAAAvo/M8mcAhR1lGM/s800/54.jpg

or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtIixiYOuOw

why only a top 61 songs? their 5 albums had a total of 67 tracks, you should've at least made room to rank them all, this is just stingy.

(yes, I realized after I'd already made these that the driving dog would be better for "transport is arranged"...but I didn't want to remake it.)

xp oh ha, i forgot about that. yes, that is jauntier.

Somebody voted for Transport Is Arranged as their all-time favorite Pavement song.

Well, God bless you, I guess.

why only a top 61 songs?

Just because that's how many the Blur poll did.

yeah but the clear flaw of the Blur poll is that it didn't account for 100% of the band's output

I like this song but I wouldn't distinguish it over half the songs on BtC.

What flaw? People could vote for whatever Blur or Pavement songs they wanted to (and did), but the countdown only covers 61 of them.

Yeah, I can't even distinguish Type Slowly from Transport Is Arranged... midtempo band-on-cruise-control phish-fan-friendly numbers?

Somebody voted for Transport Is Arranged as their all-time favorite Pavement song.

Well, God bless you, I guess.

― Pleasant Plains, maandag 13 juni 2011 18:46 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

What Steve Shasta says, too. I like both ok but they seem to blend into one another and don't at all stand out.

Number One voter, come forward and explain the attraction plz!

Johnny i like you too much to troll your thread with total commitment, fyi i was being sarcastic but i'll stop it now i've had my fun

Transport opens with that cool flute (or whatever it is) part. It's cooler than Type Slowly imo. I didn't save my ballot, though, so I don't remember if I voted for it.

Half expect the next track to be "Old To Begin".

lol

Johnny, that's a mellotron on the "flute" setting (as used on "Stairway To Heaven". "Thumb", etc.)

I didn't vote, but if I had I would've voted for Transport Is Arranged tbh, that song is a standout track on BtC for me. But then I don't think I get that album the same way other people do. I think Shady Lane is terrible, for instance.

ah right xp

transport is my first vote to show up! great lyrics, good vocals

the livelier version of "type slowly" is "slowly typed" iirc, it's on the BTC reissue and one of the EPs, i forget which

53. PUEBLO (1995) [144 points, 8 votes]
http://youtu.be/dcPIXKHrqKQ

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qq_Ph7pVxVA/TfWvvK-5RPI/AAAAAAAAAvk/qvs_-iASYdw/s800/53.jpg

shady lane xp

Gotta love Pueblo

i mean

i swung my fiery sword
i vent my spleen at the lord
he is abstract and bored: too much milk and honey

^^if you don't recognize these as awesome you're listening to pavement wrong

actually i don't think I voted "transport" now that i think of it, lol, great song still

"pueblo" otoh i definitely did

pueblo is the type slowly/old to begin/transport is arranged of WZ, is it not

that's utter crazy talk

Kevin k otm, although I prefer type slowly to transport.

Would've liked to heard a song called "Arranged Transportation".

replaced circa1762 with kentucky cocktail in the last minute. no regrets. that whole peel session is essential imo.

― sonderangerbot, Monday, June 13, 2011 12:24 PM (40 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

me too! sort of wish i could have left them both on.

sort of surprised by the terror twilight showing so far

one song?

i'm more surprised by all the crooked rain showings so far.

I'd be confused at people voting for the tracks I barely remember off BtC, but I guess they're just getting out of the way for the real good stuff later. Right?

(I tried to reevaluate BTC/TT for this poll, but ended up not voting for any of their tracks at all. They'd have done better from me if I hadn't relistened to them, as I'd have thrown at least Stereo a vote. But with the wealth of high quality recordings of Peel sessions and b-sides I previously only had on nth-generation tapes, even the best tracks on the last two albums sounded just a little too limp to bother with.)

Pueblo! Pueblo was also on my long list but not my final vote. The "Beach Boys" version on the CRCR reish doesn't do anything but is a pretty funny curio through 00s chillwave/Animal Collective-tinted spectacles too

one song?

― Alpaca Lips (Johnny Fever), Monday, June 13, 2011 1:07 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

my bad, i always combine btc + terror twilight in my mind because they're the albums i know least well

Transport opens with that cool flute (or whatever it is) part.

Mellotron, I think.

I think the best Pueblo version is from the Peel Session, let me try to find it.

52. FROM NOW ON (1991) [148 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/oImCRdZYYPU

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Uf6hVkdx-eU/TfWvuTzDtqI/AAAAAAAAAvg/QQAxKtDZ1rA/s800/52.jpg

awesome song, what a great EP

Was kind of confused by the consensus in the noms poll that TT was an outlier--it does tend to blend in with BTC for me.

I always had a (totally unfair) dislike of "Type Slowly" because the chorus reminded me of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRr310chhwY

A great song I didn't vote for... Was it in Spin that they compared the outro to "Joe McCarthy's Ghost"?

shasta, the peel version of pueblo was on the expanded CRCR as well i think, called pueblo domain

wow, i dont know the early eps very well.

two songs so far I can't remember hearing

51. PAINTED SOLDIERS (1996) [152 points, 6 votes]
http://youtu.be/QT9JxkiLImU

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-v2S9xMCC_w8/TfWvt7QkiMI/AAAAAAAAAvc/xxgjX0b45oM/s800/51.jpg

aw yes! very nearly my #1 until a reshuffle.

kudos to the from now on #1. ppl should fess up their #1s as they get revealed.

What I've learned from the polls I've conducted is that far more people vote in them than actually comment on them. Dunno why.

I want to hear the story of how Veruca Salt got mixed up in this

painted soldiers definitely had the best video

i had never seen that video before!

Yeah, the best part of Painted Soldiers is the video. I love my share of bad/primitive/untrained singers but Scott's voice is nails on chalkboard for me... :-(

"Unabomber nonplussed"

Good to see this one show up! Love Mark Ibold as a bitch-slapping pimp.

50. CONDUIT FOR SALE! (1992) [159 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/GOStqtwmD6s

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y4UPVrBLWig/TfWvtYTaHuI/AAAAAAAAAvU/Gv1V_Svt1YM/s800/50.jpg

And people say they don't get the Fall comparisons

easily one of the top two pavement songs with "for sale!" in the title

feel like that should be a little higher. my fault, since i didn't vote for it.

i should have made my whole ballot the entirety of s + e plus watery, domestic plus box elder plus kentucky cocktail.

"Take this rotten old tree and make it bear fruit"

I had to start finding reasons to disqualify songs from my too-long list, and this one didn't make the cut only because this one's too close to the Fall bone.

Also, I prefer the live versions with Bob having a stroke on the "I'm trying!" parts.

oh hi I just found this

"All My Friends" was known as "Sebadoh/Helen Stones" in it's infancy during the S&E tour (via a setlist I have).

― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Sunday, June 12, 2011 11:54 PM (12 hours ago) Bookmark

WAHT?!?!? When I was huge into tapetrading I spent soooooo much time looking for a performance of this song, it's not even funny.

i just want you to know that "all my friends" made my ballot, stevie, so don't kill me.

best photo yet. will make me appreciate CFS! more

This was my favourite Pavement song for a while, but then I heard New Face In Hell and now I don't care for it much at all (but it is always better than I think it is, all the same)

xxp ok good. It was my #1 tbh

I'm very certain my #2 won't even be on here and my #3 will be in the top 10 or 5.

I'm rly surprised "AMF" didn't rank higher! I also still cannot figure out why the fuck it didn't make the album.

49. YOU ARE A LIGHT (1999) [159 points, 9 votes]
http://youtu.be/u7Csn8y00do

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sQ7uMOVXORg/TfWvtB-H8II/AAAAAAAAAvQ/o1IdxcDQvb0/s800/49.jpg

omg that pic

Great song, could've been higher. Maybe one of my faves off terror twilight

Holy shit. I just realized that I submitted my list backwards.

I think it's my favorite song on TT, case closed.

oh no, PP!

lol @ pp

it is crazy to me that 1 in every 6 ppl who voted thinks you are a light is one of the 22 best pavement songs

http://reasonradionetwork.com/images/posts/PatrickJBuchanan.jpg

It's okay. Jackals probably deserved more love than it was supposed to get.

me, too; but i think my bias against btc + terror twilight might merit reexamination

xxp lol

Listening to "You Are A Light" again for the first time in a very long time. The first guitar solo is the most rote, vanilla solo on a pavement song I've heard. The second solo is pure Malk "whole lotta love" weirdness. This is where Malk started in with his rare obscure psych phase ya? Coloured Balls, Groundhogs, ISB...

err... no, there's stuff like Saganaw a few years earlier... I take that back.

48. GRAVE ARCHITECTURE (1995) [178 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/SgTx50A9Y9Q

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jNUpLDlU5hA/TfWvtfi4rlI/AAAAAAAAAvY/OBHFNnAqW70/s800/48.jpg

almost voted for that because of

stroll
past the strip
is it old?
am i clipped?

glad it made it

This was on my shortlist somewhere. None of my votes have placed yet! I guess I'm going to end up being consensus dude.

This has always been one of my favorites on WZ, but I couldn't tell you why.

because it goes GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE. Architecture.

and a terrific gnarled solo.

Love love love "Grave Architecture".

both excellent reasons xps

Noticing how many of these songs have "weird"/dubby middle sections? has chuck eddy ever commented on that?

Esp that solo! That solo!

Pissed that I don't have this with me right now.

the only track i voted for that i thought might miss out and would've really bothered me if it had was fame throwa so i am cool from here on out, altho if something other than one of my top 5 is #1 then i will rail with furious foul-mouthed invective against the injustice of the world.

47. AND THEN.../THE HEXX (1997/99) [195 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/s7y5MU58xPg • http://youtu.be/9vp4JZBIS6I

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xxZVqOZcKtQ/TfWvsDg5fWI/AAAAAAAAAvM/b0rHz2JzonM/s800/47.jpg

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

First of mine to show!

i don't really get this song

me neither

Relistening to all these TT songs for the first time in a very long time... Godrich's production sounds horribly dated in just 12 years.

w/o knowing the story on how/why it was actually created, I'd guess it just evolved from a jam into something they knew would come across really well live. The only time I saw them, in 1997, it did. But any studio recording I've heard of it, in either incarnation, leaves some to be desired.

xp yeah, half of TT's problem is the production. Even in 1999, I thought it sounded too flat and restrained.

xp ^^otm. it hurts my ears. and the performances are soooo stiff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DFgC-Z_fE

listen to "and then..." it is a great song. i voted for it and I am obvs very biased toward their earlier material.

Don't understand how people don't get the Hexx. It's fantastic dubbed out jammy haunted house prog with all these wonderful piano tinkles and shivery echo. What's not to like? Second best track on Terror Twilight

I guess I see The Hexx as the title track, which is not what alot of ppl want in their Pavement. And it still rocks slowly AND throws in a wicked little solo.

I saw you rallying round the parking lot.

What Johnny said… by the time it got to Terror Twilight, it had become really watered down.

it is just kind of plodding to me

but yeah i can see how this version comes across a little stiff

i am having severe voter's remorse about leaving "fight this generation" off my ballot

some cool additional percussion on that live version that never made the TT version for instance

Look, they couldn't just sit around pretending they couldn't play their instruments and recording everything on dictaphone all their lives, jeez you lot.

terror twilight is your favorite pavement album y/n

It's the album I ended up voting most tracks from, but I don't consider it my fave. I've liked them all a lot to some extent, but I'd have to say it's either BTC or CRCR.

46. HALF A CANYON (1995) [207 points, 10 votes]
http://youtu.be/MwjkC3wnxAQ

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zZfqrbEHvGg/TfWvr5_sC3I/AAAAAAAAAvI/nLKsfunzND8/s800/46.jpg

i can't believe i'm still going!

can't believe this got more voters than the hip hop poll

can't speak for anyone else but my not voting in the hip hop poll was 100% to do with ilx and 0% to do with my feelings towards hip hop.

i am having severe voter's remorse about leaving "fight this generation" off my ballot

― horseshoe, Monday, June 13, 2011 8:31 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

I got you covered on this one

:D

:-)

ace song, so so great

hip hop poll was actually a really nice experience, as some goons didn't participate and ones who did were on their best behavior.

half a canyon is the craziest song

Half a Canyon I always thought would make a great source for hip hop sampling.

I wanted to vote in that one, had a 100+ first selection of both songs and albums. But then holiday struck...

45. BAPTISS BLACKTICK (1992) [210 points, 13 votes]
http://youtu.be/eaDoOz78JgM

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CxyKt4gCPW8/TfWvr7KwDlI/AAAAAAAAAvE/UAz24hmgxtg/s800/45.jpg

haha. i didn't realised he was saying "i can't believe i'm still going" til this thread.

yay! it killed me leaving this off my ballot

xp

61. All My Friends
60. Fame-Throwa
59. Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era
58. Speak, See, Remember
57. Strings Of Nashville
56. Kentucky Cocktail
55. Type Slowly
54. Transport Is Arranged
53. Pueblo
52. From Now On
51. Painted Soldiers
50. Conduit For Sale!
49. You Are A Light
48. Grave Architecture
47. And Then.../The Hexx
46. Half A Canyon
45. Baptiss Blacktick

Thanks to this poll I've finally reapproached the Westing material and I like it a lot more now than way back when, Baptiss Blacktick included.

A motley selection so far. Some tracks I don't even think I've heard yet. Sad/glad to see the best Tt non-album tracks place already

baptiss blacktick is some of the most high-quality malkmus yelling

voted for 4 of these so far including baptiss. think i really "got" that one first when i saw slow century

... because there's an awesome live version on it iirc

Just listening to From Now On and first thought is: "in a mouth kept shut, in a tongue twist tied, you're the web in front..."

Only 2 of mine so far... Jackals + Canyon/2

44. DATE W/ IKEA (1997) [213 points, 10 votes]
http://youtu.be/O7mp9n8o1XM

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8JxYBJQheuo/TfWvrRcBYxI/AAAAAAAAAvA/_PjC6c7CRsY/s800/44.jpg

Just listening to From Now On and first thought is: "in a mouth kept shut, in a tongue twist tied, you're the web in front..."

― ledge, Monday, June 13, 2011 11:54 AM (1 minute ago)

you should listen to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzzSLxQADI

okay wtf @ date with ikea

btw 3 of mine so far: all my friends, strings of nashville and kentucky cocktail

^^ voted for all of those :)

but also for date w ikea :(

I like Date w/ IKEA. It's fluff, sure, but appealing fluff imo.

i mean

i swung my fiery sword
i vent my spleen at the lord
he is abstract and bored: too much milk and honey

^^if you don't recognize these as awesome you're listening to pavement wrong

― bite this display name (k3vin k.), Monday, June 13, 2011 10:58 AM (1 hour ago)

You just quoted my all-time favorite Pavement lyric in full. Pretty much the reason I voted for "Transport."

maybe i'm wrong. i'll listen to it now.

xp

I'm a Spiral fan, but it kinda gets me that "Date With IKEA" is the song he's probably best known for.

Hey, something I voted for! I was kind of surprised myself that Date w/ IKEA is my 4th favourite track off BtC.

Should have voted for Half a Canyon.

i guess the thing i keep coming back to is, i am v cool with folks liking songs like date w ikea, but to not be able to think of 22 better pavement songs??

ok, apologies, i am done with thumping this particular tub of incredulity. for today at least.

re: minutemen, not quite the same to my ears but yeah there is nothing new under the sun. you could probably find some not dissimilar gregorian chant if you looked hard enough.

date w/ikea is not the *worst* ss song...

i guess the thing i keep coming back to is, i am v cool with folks liking songs like date w ikea, but to not be able to think of 22 better pavement songs??

ok, apologies, i am done with thumping this particular tub of incredulity. for today at least.

― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, June 13, 2011 3:03 PM (53 seconds ago) Bookmark

you're otm. i just re-listened to "date with ikea." it's slight.

i can't even remember how date w ikea goes

Dunno, we all love our own personal Pavement wtf songs.

43. GREENLANDER (1992) [217 points, 11 votes]
http://youtu.be/5NPeykShUVA

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pIEsy0z02_Q/TfWvq8PljqI/AAAAAAAAAu8/RBufwaSBbDU/s800/43.jpg

you can't thresh the snow

Everything I did was wrong...

date w/ikea is not the *worst* ss song...

― ledge, Monday, June 13, 2011 2:04 PM Bookmark

Yeah, let's not run that poll.

would get high and endlessly quote pavement songs with all this ilxors

In my fanboy opinion: Gary Young's finest moment with the band. The tension of his fills against the slow tempo, it's sublime. Great progression too, CGDGBB 4eva.

didn't vote for it but great song hey

wtf you guys are crazy

j/k

i didn't vote for it either because of some rule i made up that it and "ed ames" belonged in the same pavement category and no one was going to vote for "ed ames" so i had to, but "greenlander" is gorgeous.

maybe the sequencing on BtC makes date w/ikea stand out more than it should i dunno i'm not apologizing

greenlander really should have been on an album

The only Spiral Stairs song that belongs anywhere on this list is "Two States."

i am just being a jerk about date with ikea i'll stop

Date w/Ikea was one of my favourite songs on relistening to BtC, but that's not really high praise, more of a warning sign, if a Spiral song that isn't Kennel D is the only song from an album that gets stuck in my head

(actually I think I'd rather listen to Hit The Plane Down on repeat than BtC, which probably puts me in a very small minority)

Wouldn't be surprised if Kennel District appears. And I would be ok with that (I voted for it after all.)

I voted for Ed Ames, horseshoe. And Greenlander!

kennel d is great; always surprises me when i'm listening to wowee zowee

xp yay i never know if other people even like ed ames. i LOVE it

In my fanboy opinion: Gary Young's finest moment with the band.

― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Monday, June 13, 2011 12:10 PM (2 minutes ago)

I should have added it was also his last recorded release with the band, at least until the CR,CR demos showed up on the reissues.

i am just being a jerk about date with ikea i'll stop

― horseshoe, Monday, June 13, 2011 1:13 PM (0 seconds ago)

No dude, you're OTM.

yeah, kennel district is my favourite spiral, and the only one i voted for.

Two States is good but I did not vote for it and I DID vote for Kennel District so (xps probably)

Early prediction based on poll results thus:

Crooked Rain is gonna dominate the top 20... it's been a no show so far.

Is Two States really a Spiral song besides on the record? Malkmus always sang it live...

None of mine placed yet. Grave Architecture and Half A Canyon narrowly missed out.

I'm with some of the WTF? here but I always knew voters on this poll would be a contrary bunch.

42. BLUE HAWAIIAN (1997) [224 points, 10 votes]
http://youtu.be/2IVToqYzBQo

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iMGG6u8-RtM/TfWvqxMl8TI/AAAAAAAAAu4/6u-D68Kct4o/s800/42.jpg

10 votes! Wow.

this is tied in my mind with Stereo as the best BTC track.

Blue Hawaiian is great! I don't seem to have voted for it though.

Is Two States really a Spiral song besides on the record? Malkmus always sang it live…

I saw SS sing it on the BtC tour.

blue hawaiian was cruelly dropped from my list.

Crooked Rain is gonna dominate the top 20... it's been a no show so far.

I'm still horrified by my upside-down ballot. It's like how this weekend, I took Beeps to the amusement park and put her on a rocket ride backwards.

But, when Embassy Row beats out Stop Breathin', I'll really kick myself.

Is there video of this? xp

I think we've been trolled.

But, when Embassy Row beats out Stop Breathin', I'll really kick myself.

You are now the whole thread's whipping boy.

haha i don't think i understand brighten the corners at all tbh

ok greenlander is cool

blue hawaiian was cruelly dropped from my list.

― spellcheck is really advanced these days (cajunsunday), Monday, June 13, 2011 9:22 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark

"Blue Hawaiian" is mine.

"Date with Ikea"'s problem is Spiral Stairs singing it. He could never be the lead singer.

(Ha, no video, Fever. None of the boy going off the side of the deck in his foot-powered car either.)

Embassy Row and Stop Breathin both great stop this fite immediately

Last one for today...

xps i hate to validate the football->groin theory of comedy, but that image just made me actual lol

41. DEBRIS SLIDE (1991) [226 points, 12 votes]
http://youtu.be/iTJOfQkZVvs

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nCdrViNKXKw/TfWvqVTySuI/AAAAAAAAAu0/SMmXJGzQtzc/s800/41.jpg

Men in dashikis and their leftist weeklies

Maybe we is
Wheeze hack cough
Wheeze hack cough

prefer this version of blue hawaiian really

Debris Slide, my favorite from the Westing era.

BA BA BA BA BA BA DA BA

always hated the way he says duBREE slide over and over. kills the song.

that's the chorus!

so very awesome

lol i know
xp

You must really hate Kool Keith then...

Debris Slide is my first to place - and the one I gave least points to. Lovely song - I've been singing the BA BA BA BA bit in my head on and off for nearly 20 years. Eek.

Recap...

61. ALL MY FRIENDS (1993) [115 points, 4 votes, 2 first-place votes]
60. FAME THROWA (1992) [115 points, 6 votes]
59. JACKALS, FALSE GRAILS: THE LONESOME ERA (1992) [117 points, 4 votes]
58. SPEAK, SEE, REMEMBER (1999) [120 points, 6 votes]
57. STRINGS OF NASHVILLE (1994) [120 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
56. KENTUCKY COCKTAIL (1992) [136 points, 8 votes]
55. TYPE SLOWLY (1997) [141 points, 9 votes]
54. TRANSPORT IS ARRANGED (1997) [142 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
53. PUEBLO (1995) [144 points, 8 votes]
52. FROM NOW ON (1991) [148 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
51. PAINTED SOLDIERS (1996) [152 points, 6 votes]
50. CONDUIT FOR SALE! (1992) [159 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
49. YOU ARE A LIGHT (1999) [159 points, 9 votes]
48. GRAVE ARCHITECTURE (1995) [178 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
47. AND THEN.../THE HEXX (1997/99) [195 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
46. HALF A CANYON (1995) [207 points, 10 votes]
45. BAPTISS BLACKTICK (1992) [210 points, 13 votes]
44. DATE W/ IKEA (1997) [213 points, 10 votes]
43. GREENLANDER (1992) [217 points, 11 votes]
42. BLUE HAWAIIAN (1997) [224 points, 10 votes]
41. DEBRIS SLIDE (1991) [226 points, 12 votes]

eyes in the socket
eyes in the socket
so I'm gonna sock it

love debris slide but it kinda needs bob

a.k.a. "Nasty" Nastanovich

Good first run, y'all!

yeah this is fun!

Current songs that gained the most from my weird ballot:

GREENLANDER
JACKALS, FALSE GRAILS, LONESOME ERA
FAME THROWA

Alright I want a cigarette.

i have 3 so far. not too bad i guess. good first day, something for everyone unless you only like CRCR, i am sure there is someone out there. good job johnny

Like someone said upthread, prep for this poll has done more to reignite my interest in the band than the reunion last year did. Cool way to really assess individual songs by breaking them out of their native albums via the process.

^^ how I feel about Palin

Haha, wat

ba ba ba-da ba! (air-drums)

OK, it's been fun, hoping for a CR+WZ-fest tomorrow (though weirdly I gave those two albums fewer votes than S&E and Westing, maybe because it was too hard to separate them out - nearly voted for like the entire second half of WZ but felt a bit silly about it)

I mean I voted Kennel District (not sure if we're meant to talk about votes for things which haven't placed yet but I already said this upthread so I may as well say it again) but it felt kind of wrong to have Kennel D and not also have Pueblo, Half a Canyon and Western Homes

Western Homes?! c'mon.

the "Her Majesty" of Wowee Zowee

BTC and TT got a bad deal on my list. i think i had one track from each.

i'm curious to see how the watery domestic tracks do.

Greenlander - such a great song!!

47. AND THEN.../THE HEXX (1997/99)

JF, this should be all '99.

Wikipedia said it showed up in a 1997 Peel session.

synth noises + snappy riff + underwater vocals = yes to Western Homes, screw the haters etc

(yes, it was a BBC session in 1997, though it was for a different BBC radio show and not John Peel, if you feel really pedantic)

oh you're right. my brain automatically associates BBC sessions with Peel, being a 'mercan and all.

Western Homes is pretty much my favorite Spiral song. Still would NOT make my ballot, nor any other of his.

Whoever said upthread Spiral vocals = nails on chalkboard was otm

About "Western Homes" ending Wowee Zowee…

I always thought this was a great final track. It's the epilogue to the rest of the album. It's the fluffy mint you have after the coffee that follow the rack of lamb. If you want every Pavement album to end with some indie-classic-rock dirge, then go listen to Crooked Rain or Brighten the Corners.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, May 11, 2004 3:38 PM Bookmark

I want every Pavement album to end with some indie-classic-rock dirge.

And God help me, Perpetua's even otm.

I love "Western Homes," especially as the ending for that record. I like its weird bounce and the way Spiral's voice trails off like a ghost at the end. "This is what I always wanted / a new home / and a place to breathe" - the song just has a great sentiment to end the album on, and where else are you going to put it? It's kind of an epilogue after the climax of "Half A Canyon."

― Matthew Perpetua! (Matthew Perpetua!), Tuesday, June 20, 2006 11:09 AM Bookmark

(I cut out the part where he starts patronizing Dog Latin.)

western homes >>>>>>>>> fillmore jive

how dare you!

he's right tho

dont listen to pavement for epic dirges tbh

although it has grown on me over the years. cant deny those lyrics

songs i love and voted for:

52. FROM NOW ON (1991) [148 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
45. BAPTISS BLACKTICK (1992) [210 points, 13 votes]

songs i love but did not vote for:

60. FAME THROWA (1992) [115 points, 6 votes]
59. JACKALS, FALSE GRAILS: THE LONESOME ERA (1992) [117 points, 4 votes]
55. TYPE SLOWLY (1997) [141 points, 9 votes]
41. DEBRIS SLIDE (1991) [226 points, 12 votes]
50. CONDUIT FOR SALE! (1992) [159 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
48. GRAVE ARCHITECTURE (1995) [178 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
46. HALF A CANYON (1995) [207 points, 10 votes]
43. GREENLANDER (1992) [217 points, 11 votes]

(in the cases of "jackals, false grails" and "grave architecture", this was mere & criminal negligence on my part. both top 20 pavement jams, no two ways about it.)

songs i like a lot, but w/e:

57. STRINGS OF NASHVILLE (1994) [120 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
56. KENTUCKY COCKTAIL (1992) [136 points, 8 votes]
54. TRANSPORT IS ARRANGED (1997) [142 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
53. PUEBLO (1995) [144 points, 8 votes]
44. DATE W/ IKEA (1997) [213 points, 10 votes]

live version of and then/the hexx is awesome (!), album version such a drag in comparison

when i was younger i hated western homes because it was so silly. i think i like it now because its silly. PP is right on about the "fluffy mint" thing. having such an oddball song finish WW is the perfect way to finish it.

"fillmore jive" is great! hated it at the time, but it's grown on me over the years

generally speaking, tho, i'm in the "dont listen to pavement for epic dirges" camp

Western Homes - There's no other song that I'd rather sing into a box fan on a hot summer's day.

I've hesitated to comment on songs that haven't appeared on the list yet, but Western Homes, come on, even I know where that's not going to place.

Plus Western Homes makes for killer laser performances inside your local planetarium, according to this awards list - 2nd place ISP Graphic Module, you better believe it!
Think that was from "Lollapalaser 2".

Nothing on YouTube… CURSE YOU, 1996!

bloody hell, only one of my picks so far. for sure 'dancing with the enemy' has no chance now...

this is great, johnny, a really good opportunity to reappraise and redigest.

(forgive the redundancy, but...)

"jackals, false grails" and "grave architecture" are the two songs i most regret omitting. "jackals" i just plain spaced on when compiling my short list, and "grave" i thoughtlessly cut in hasty deference to earlier albums/tracks. former would/should have gone top 5, and the latter top 10. so, blame me for the low placement of two GREAT songs.

two others i'm having second thoughts about: "debris slide" and "fame throwa". both were cut because the releases in question were already overrepresented on my ballot, and something had to go. but why those songs? i guess i let "debris slide" go because it feels a little too easy, too simple in comparison to the three PSF tracks i did include. it was the first pavement song i fell in love with, so perhaps i now take it for granted?

the omission of "fame throwa" mystifies me. i think in refining my list, due to the whim of the moment more than any deep conviction, i emphasized the melodic/ear-pleasing pavement tunes over their indie-punk rockers. so yes to "zurich", "here" and "mouth of a desert", no to "fame throwa" and "two states". a shame, really, as i love both sides of the band equally. a pavement divided against itself...

'Glee' on the tv in the other room really kills the vibe of this thread :/

Could totally hear the big gay dude singing "Billie."

a pavement divided against itself...

^^^
there's one on both sides of the road

voted for only "pueblo" so far, but glad to see "all my friends", "strings of nashville", "transport is arranged", and "half a canyon" appear - all were late cuts from my ballot

i'm going to assume i'm the only one who voted for their cover of "the killing moon", haha

I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say "The Killing Moon" won't make it, but you weren't alone.

nice!

haha i thought about putting it at #1 to try to sneak it onto the list

cu cumber cu cucumber ca ca ca ca cabbage

btw think it's kiiiind of lame to lump "the hexx" and "...and then" votes together but whatever

The bones of it are the same song. It just morphed over time.

I've listened through the list so far, a lot of these I couldn't remember from title alone... The one I'm really regretting not voting for now is 'Date w/ Ikea' even if that and 'Kennel District' do sort of merge together in my head.

Cool to see "Speak, See, Remember" show up...very narrowly made it onto my list and I really had no idea if anyone else cared about it at all. "Do it do it do it do it [descending riff]!"

How did I not vote for Debris Slide?

Speak, See, Remember was high on my list. I don't get the Goodrich hate. I think it sounds great. Hoping Billie makes the cut too.

voted for:

transport is arranged
pueblo
from now on
grave architecture
half a canyon
debris slide

also i enjoy epic dirges

I voted Transport Is Arranged #1. It's one of the few Pavement songs that moves me these days. Mainly I listen to Phish.

I think we've been trolled.

― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Monday, June 13, 2011 12:25 PM (3 hours ago)

i voted for it too... narcisssm of small diff. goin on here.

but i don't know what half the songs here are, anyway

so awesome watching a PAVEMENT song countdown. so far most happy about "from now on" making it, and most sad about "conduit for sale" way down at #50. It was my #1.

When each result comes up I'm just like =O "PUPPIES!!" and then like 2 seconds later I'm like "oh cool, Date w/ IKEA..."

=O this is supposed to be a happy face like =D but with more surprise

btw think it's kiiiind of lame to lump "the hexx" and "...and then" votes together but whatever

Wait until you see the Loretta's Scars/Elevate Me Later results!

First saw/heard of Pavement when they opened for Sonic Youth at Brixton Academy way back when and they were absolutely amazing...

― pandemic

would have killed to have been at that gig.

One first place vote for 'Grave Architecture' That would be me then :)

See I like grave architecture but when people go like "type slowly is your 22nd favorite pavement song really??" it's like... narc of small s etc

Small d, soz

'Type Slowly' was actually my no. 2. Wonder what that says.

Sorry to see 'Jackals, False Grails' so low on the list. Probably the meatiest S&E tune in my opinion.

yeah, i wish they had done more songs like that.

S&E vibes strongly with me playing the NES X-Men game in the early 90s.

this is basically "chicken vs egg" buT the cover of S&E is one of those covers that is most compatible with the music itself.

but when people go like "type slowly is your 22nd favorite pavement song really??

wait I don't believe this did someone actually do this? All I remember is ppl (including me!) having their brains broken by certain #1s

Lol wut? Someone did say that in this thread.

debris slide is your #41 most favorite pavement song really??

Gee, had completely forgotten about "Painted Soldiers", and am not sure I ever saw that clip. Much guffawing did ensue.

Pretty varied so far innit. Only three of my votes though: "Fame Throwa" (Shoulda been top ten, what's wrong with you people, etc, etc), "Pueblo" and "Debris Slide". No sign of Watery Domestic content yet. Must mean it will account for places 1, 2, 3 and 4, right?

i'm glad fame throwa made it at all!

GODDAMMIT can't believe I forgot to vote in this.

"Transport" really is a standout on BtC. I think of it and "We Are Underused" as two very similarly shaped columns on which the record stands. "Type Slowly" doesn't sound like those two at all!

And they are both the heirs of "Summer Babe" -- songs built on an utterly traditional chassis, with a lot of STUFF piled on it in a rickety way. Both "Summer Babe" and "Debris Slide" meant everything to me in 1992 but in the end I think "Debris Slide" is greater -- "Summer Babe" is a slanted campfire singalong and "Debris Slide" is just not a campfire singalong. Far too low here, surely.

This inspired me to listen to some Pavement last night. The intention was to listen to the songs that have polled thus far, but I just ended up listening to Wowee Zowee twice through. Such a goddman great album.

yeah ive been listening to the records again. CRCR and BTC. fuck, i love pavement.

I have found that playing Wowee Zowee on shuffle/random is superior to playing it straight thru 100% of the time.

Wowee Zowee was 55 minutes long, according to Wikipedia.

Did any of you ever rearrange the order (and maybe add a four-minute b-side) to fit on a 60-mintue cassette tape?

Recap...

61. ALL MY FRIENDS (1993) [115 points, 4 votes, 2 first-place votes]
60. FAME THROWA (1992) [115 points, 6 votes]
59. JACKALS, FALSE GRAILS: THE LONESOME ERA (1992) [117 points, 4 votes]
58. SPEAK, SEE, REMEMBER (1999) [120 points, 6 votes]
57. STRINGS OF NASHVILLE (1994) [120 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
56. KENTUCKY COCKTAIL (1992) [136 points, 8 votes]
55. TYPE SLOWLY (1997) [141 points, 9 votes]
54. TRANSPORT IS ARRANGED (1997) [142 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
53. PUEBLO (1995) [144 points, 8 votes]
52. FROM NOW ON (1991) [148 points, 6 votes, 1 first-place vote]
51. PAINTED SOLDIERS (1996) [152 points, 6 votes]
50. CONDUIT FOR SALE! (1992) [159 points, 7 votes, 1 first-place vote]
49. YOU ARE A LIGHT (1999) [159 points, 9 votes]
48. GRAVE ARCHITECTURE (1995) [178 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
47. AND THEN.../THE HEXX (1997/99) [195 points, 9 votes, 1 first-place vote]
46. HALF A CANYON (1995) [207 points, 10 votes]
45. BAPTISS BLACKTICK (1992) [210 points, 13 votes]
44. DATE W/ IKEA (1997) [213 points, 10 votes]
43. GREENLANDER (1992) [217 points, 11 votes]
42. BLUE HAWAIIAN (1997) [224 points, 10 votes]
41. DEBRIS SLIDE (1991) [226 points, 12 votes]

40. MOTION SUGGESTS ITSELF (1995) [241 points, 11 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/yiKsEBcDLJE

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EcA4KZl1Wek/TfcBcrMO2uI/AAAAAAAAAx4/0CrnxIEOr9w/s800/40.jpg

too low, even though correct placing is going to get increasingly impossible due to too many great songs

The start of this one always reminds me of one of the short fairgroundy throwaway tracks Blur put on MLIR or Parklife.

Great song that I never think about until I put WZ on.

I do hate circus intros though.

39. CARROT ROPE (1999) [245 points, 12 votes]
http://youtu.be/G53DW71BlNk

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cqx7bLjL7zA/Tfb1Flr247I/AAAAAAAAAxk/j0AKWUUvb_4/s800/39.jpg

These pictures are killing me. Johnny Fever must participate in all countdown threads from now on.

Worst song in the whole Pavement catalogue, imo, but that's just me being judgy I guess.

Thanks!

i can't figure out how i feel about carrot rope, which i guess means i kind of like it

Pavement's one of those bands I'd love to see a studio biography on -- who was playing what, who was actually in the studio, and stuff like What other songs features Mark Ibold's vocals?

"hey little boy would you like to know what's in my pocket or not?" made me crack up when I first heard it, still does sometimes.
extra points for cricket ref as well

38. HARNESS YOUR HOPES (1999) [256 points, 14 votes]
http://youtu.be/w9NRu0aniqk

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-znunBcwd6XA/Tfb1FQiWwvI/AAAAAAAAAxg/B32RPW4pXcQ/s800/38.jpg

^^^^i know ive heard it but cant for the life of me remember it

sup with "motion suggests" always being called good ol' "motion suggests" throughout the history of my pavement fandom up until last week when i suddenly noticed a few references to it as "motion suggests itself"

carrot rope more like carrot nope, cause, nope

I honestly couldn't remember the "itself" part of the title, but apparently it's there? Sold the cds off a long time ago, so I couldn't verify firsthand.

Ha, I was equally surprised to see "itself" behind it! So strange.

xp

The song is mistitled "Motion Suggests" on the original release due to a transcription error and was not corrected until the expanded reissue eleven years later.

PP: yeah i'd read that. though i guess it's mostly on TT that they switched it up. maybe malkmus played some drums on BtC i'm not sure.

Love the woozy organ and guitar gnarl on "Motion Suggests."

37. NEWARK WILDER (1994) [262 points, 12 votes]
http://youtu.be/SohFI38ScW4

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8tpQv89QE1A/Tfb1E7zbZYI/AAAAAAAAAxc/wQFEUcV4iU4/s800/37.jpg

^^^First Crooked Rain entry^^^

xxp excuse me, but i believe you mean "motion suggests itself"

i like any song with one of those wooden washboard percussion instruments. i forgot the name but they were included in the bucket of instruments the 5th grade music teacher would pass around

LOVE this song, top 5 for me

Harness Your Hopes! One of the alltime great How could they leave this off the album songs.

The song is mistitled "Motion Suggests" on the original release due to a transcription error and was not corrected until the expanded reissue eleven years later.

This is making me lol pretty hard, if this were a common occurrence... "yeah, that's Bizarre Love Triangle Ointment, fanboy"

To be fair, with Pavement titles/lyrics it's rarely obvious whether there's a bit missing.

Voted for Newark Wilder.

True, title works with or without the "itself"

excellent image for Newark Wilder btw

which is not to say that I endorse stuffing animals

Side One of CRCR flowed so well from one song to the next that although it's my favorite Pavement record, I'm still not sure what the song titles are.

"Newark Wilder" made my list, but it would've been a lot easier if they called it "Lane Driver".

I saw them on the Crooked Rain tour and Malkmus referred to that song as "Lane Driver"

36. SPIT ON A STRANGER (1999) [265 points, 13 votes]
http://youtu.be/JJFGhFtKxPc

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FApLpciy0Ik/Tfb1El7rebI/AAAAAAAAAxY/pMF5WTYg71E/s800/36.jpg

amazing pic

yeah newark wilder is fab, my #3. i'm a sucker for those guitar breakdowns.....

and when he sings "i'm rushing..." i expect him to sing "...on my run"

That's one's actually a still from a video I found. Two baby chinchillas hanging out in wine glasses! xp

Like two bitter strangers.

Pavement's one of those bands I'd love to see a studio biography on -- who was playing what, who was actually in the studio, and stuff like What other songs features Mark Ibold's vocals?

― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 4:14 PM (39 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

The song is mistitled "Motion Suggests" on the original release due to a transcription error and was not corrected until the expanded reissue eleven years later.

― mizzell, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 4:32 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i nominate mizzell

unhygienic and rude that last one

Don't know TT that well -- you guys think this song may be that album's highest placement? The reunion shows I saw last year, they only played this one and The Hexx.

"spit on a stranger" wayyy too low

major leagues would have been my highest placed TT track, had i voted

35. KENNEL DISTRICT (1995) [275 points, 15 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/jYA_pIRASQs

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9kjf5ce0qCQ/Tfb1Ef1l09I/AAAAAAAAAxU/-yXxfNW4mXk/s800/35.jpg

major leagues will probably show xp gahh this thread moves fast

I anticipate Major Leagues showing up big.

xp

that will surely be the highest placing SS song though

Kennel is a great song and fits in perfect in the WZ sequencing.

Love Kennel District!

true, but trying to imagine it as the best pavement song of all time gives me a headache
xp

I adore "Major Leagues," and it and "Billie" made my final list, but, man, whoever said upthread that the TT production has dated is otm. All that echoey piano on "Major Leagues" grates something awful.

Used to play in a band that used Drop-D tuning. Only time I ever got to play Kennel District to warm up.

don't think dated is the right word, i've always hated it
xp

If only even half of Spiral's output were as memorable as Kennel D

why didn't i ask?

alfred you didn't vote for "stranger"?

34. UNSEEN POWER OF THE PICKET FENCE (1993) [281 points, 14 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/8bhmDjEUu9U

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tAc_oRPZs-k/Tfb1EMIEVnI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/sdIhtsEOgsM/s800/34.jpg

Voting this as No. 1 is like picking "My Ding-a-ling" in a Chuck Berry poll.

"Second Guessing" is my least favorite song

ASA ASAAAA

I dunno. It's got a novel charm about. I know someone whose favorite Violent Femmes song is "Fat," and that's kind of the same thing.

its hilarious. my friend johns fave pavement song. a friend who dsnt like pavement counts "spit on a stranger" as his fave.

You know, namechecking Sherman in a song about Georgians is a pretty big bitch move.

Context yo...

Now let's go way back to those ancient times
When there were no 50 states
And on a hill there stands Sherman
Sherman and his mates
And they're marching to Georgia...

And there stands REM.

Yay! Harness was my single post-WZ vote. Voted Kennel District too obv, and just kicked myself for not voting for Motion Suggests (Itself).

I used to love Newark Wilder but had come to the conclusion that that was a strange and unusual state of affairs, so I'm interested to see it up here. Though I think a high percentage of CRCR is going to place, so maybe it's still lagging behind much of the rest of the album.

Judgement rescinded then.

Should've believed that a Virginian would've known better.

33. MAJOR LEAGUES/MAJOR LEAGUES DEMO (1999) [293 points, 14 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/YpekGiLkn-A

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BFXtrhGuf9I/Tfb1Dq-Zy-I/AAAAAAAAAxM/fw8VzLlFK2o/s800/33.jpg

Oh, I do think we need to link this version of this video instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13DfvdeH-io

Only TT track I voted for (at #21)...worth its placing imo.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/8539/screenshot20110614at124.png

All the Major Leagues convo happened prior to it placing I guess...

32. STARLINGS OF THE SLIPSTREAM (1997) [321 points, 16 votes]
http://youtu.be/-xGtwy39QYY

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WqNKC4GYUcY/Tfb1Duxo_4I/AAAAAAAAAxI/ZtP2yO5XBcc/s800/32.jpg

and I put a SPYCAM
in the SO RO RI TYYYYY

'Major Leagues' was my #1. Had 'Starlings...' high up on my ballot too!

unseen power of the picket fence at 34? gtfo

motion suggests (itself) is better than all these songs in the 30s tbh

though i love major leagues and voted for it

If you're implying it shouldn't even been in the list you are correct. xxpost

i was just listening to unseen power of the picket fence (i have listened to nothing but pavement since this poll came to my attention) and it's nice and it makes me smile but come on

'Starlings' was def in my top 10 somewhere, good to see it here!

Yeah, it's a joke song basically

"why didn't i ask" always makes me want to hug spiral

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/legacyimages/thedishrag/images/2009/02/17/bristolpalin.jpg
http://a601.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/102/l_cce4414e88f5f2a38dcb8ea3d909ab38.jpg
http://www.lasr.net/images/lake/main_img/NE06lk001.jpg

A-OOOOHHH DARLINGS ON THE SPLIT-SCREEN

"why didn't i ask" always makes me want to hug spiral

― horseshoe, dinsdag 14 juni 2011 20:05 (22 seconds ago) Bookmark

Awwwww <3

"why didn't i ask" always makes me want to hug spiral

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 1:05 PM Bookmar

He needed one.

I think "Unseen Power" (the music) was written by Spiral... Where's my fact checkin PP?

Yeah, it's a joke song basically

This may be true, and if so, that means it's great by accident. Even more deserving of a place here.

*I voted for it.

"Starlings" was another pre-BTC live staple that was ruined in the studio, most eloquently by:

and I put a SPYCAM
in the SO RO RI TYYYYY

― darlings on the splitscreen (ledge), Tuesday, June 14, 2011 11:00 AM (7 minutes ago)

31. AT&T (1995) [321 points, 19 votes]
http://youtu.be/FfwQjgWztC4

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YM8XFIeFDoc/Tfb1DE89VzI/AAAAAAAAAxE/hqbR_5bSn7o/s800/31.jpg

now there's one i really don't get

Room service calls, Sonderangerbot, room service calls

my heart is made of gravy

Levi's
Guess?
Levi's
Guess?
Levi's
Guess?
Levi's
Guess?

yeah, my heart is made of gravy tbh

high mdq (malkmus dreaminess quotient)

The sped up ev-ev-ev-ev-ever totally turns me on every time

i didn't vote for it and no way is it better than MOTION SUGGESTS but it's nice

xp

I think "Unseen Power" (the music) was written by Spiral... Where's my fact checkin PP?

Sounds right, but after seeing all those BMI credits yesterday, my memory is starting to play tricks on me.

Spritzer… on ice in New York Ci-ty

you make an excellent point

not like it's bad but it's a parody of a song basically. but sure, it's got gravy. and breathing

Jacob Javitz = Random Falls... this was not recorded in Easley/Memphis... want to say it's just Malk and Ibold and maybe SWest?

It's a charming song, and like so many fits into album sequence wonderfully, especially on the vinyl where his echoed 'stories and ghosts' fades the second side out.

"Starlings" was another pre-BTC live staple that was ruined in the studio, most eloquently by:

and I put a SPYCAM
in the SO RO RI TYYYYY

― darlings on the splitscreen (ledge), Tuesday, June 14, 2011 11:00 AM (7 minutes ago)

― it's a meme i made and i like (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, June 14, 2011 6:08 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

harsh, man. it's a yuksome throwaway line.

I never had WZ on vinyl. To me, Grave Architecture would have been a good side starter with AT&T as a track 2.

30. UNFAIR (1994) [333 points, 16 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/8GqGNmcjWDY

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Wj9szT1mWOo/Tfb1Cx7vnoI/AAAAAAAAAxA/tWNPxskJpRw/s800/30.jpg

too high

Pavement at its rockin' tightest, love it but had to drop it from the 22

who – the kitty?

Incredible lyrics

I say it's "slingin' nachos", btw.

;_:

:-)

xp

it sounds like nachos to me, too

Nice reversal on Two States though.

What number are we counting down to today, 20?

Down from Santa Rosa over the bay
Across the grapevine to L.A.
We've got desert, we've got trees
We've got the hills of Beverly
Let's burn the hills of Beverly

Walk with your credit card in the air
Swingin namchakus like you just don't care
This is the slow sick sucking part of me
This is the slow sick sucking part of me
And when i suck in kisses dour (?)

Up to the top of the Shasta gulch
And to the bottom of the Tahoe lake
Manmade deltas and concrete rivers
The south takes what the north delivers
You film hack, i don't use your air

Lost in the foothills of my bike:
A trick enduro
Say good night
To the last psychedelic band
From Sacto northern Cal
From Sacto northern Cal

Take it neighbor, cuz you're my neighbor
And i need favors, and you're my neighbor
You've done me favors, cuz i'm your neighbor
I'm not your neighbor, you're Bakersfield trash
Trash
Trash

Lost in the foothills on my bike:

of my mind

your mind is not a trick enduro imho

the windmills of your bike

xps 21

just ask these guys:
http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-936730.html

29. PERFUME-V (1992) [340 points, 16 votes]
http://youtu.be/wrU6sO9D-rI

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IOzIDh1XMO0/Tfb1CqXZCsI/AAAAAAAAAw8/6FCf9VetYww/s800/29.jpg

thought this was called "Parfum-V"?

http://www.quickly-shopping.com/userfiles/editor/image/chanel_100ml_320.jpg

aw. was my #3, wish it placed higher. the "shivered like a vein slashed bright and blue" part with the shimmery guitar is so beautiful 2 me.

nice! didn't vote but i like seeing the odd S&E tracks placing

"She's got the radio active, and it makes me feeeel ok"

also:

like a docents lisp, like a damsels spit, like a dry gins twist...OF LIME!

listening to this album right now; thank you this thread!

― horseshoe, Friday, October 17, 2008 4:19 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it's like an early pixies song: whores, murder, plots.

that is one ace line, I give you that

xp

your mind is not a trick enduro imho

ok you win. aw i liked the foothills of my mind.

i always thought it was foothills of my mind too

My No. 2 song … so I only gave it 11 pts.

omg PP together we could have gotten it in the top ten ;_;

"Starlings" was another pre-BTC live staple that was ruined in the studio

I remember liking a previous incarnation and being v disappointed by the album version, but on the other hand I didn't really need Pavement not quite doing Werewolves of London when I could listen to the original

Did any of you ever rearrange the order (and maybe add a four-minute b-side) to fit on a 60-mintue cassette tape?

No, because CRCR and WZ fit perfectly together on a 100-minute tape, forming the best summer travelling tape ever (possibly)

also, "Jacob, Jacob Javits, I want to thank you for everything, primarily your glass house" tied with "we'll cover all the rugs with cheap perfume" for lines which appear in my head at random times

omg PP together we could have gotten it in the top ten ;_;

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/0/e/1/gore_oscars3.jpg

lol

xp totally with you on jacob javits' glasshouse appearing randomly in my head

28. FIGHT THIS GENERATION (1995) [348 points, 18 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/cyGbBCc8aU0

http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B4ps1SlrjKk/Tfb1B95-pGI/AAAAAAAAAw4/OTWgHPWPyKI/s800/28.jpg

^^^My #1^^^

yay! should have voted for it.

I <3 this song because the band I was in used to warm up with it in practice.

OMG that is appearing WAY too soon!

This was a song to be played at a mythic awards ceremony. The singer/emcee asks people to come on up and accept their prizes but it becomes apparent that there is no reason to award anyone. The ceremony becomes a sort of self examination, but the audience is too weak to raise their voices until a snake charmer takes the stage and gets a pathetic rage going. People mumble along, but no one gets very excited so “the song” ignores the audience and goes where it wants until a PUMA escapes from a cage and mauls the singer/emcee. The song ends without fanfare.

Appeared on an early set-list as "The crucification of Jonathan Yardley"

Just finished listening to Perfume V in headphones; for a "lo-fi" song, it sure has outstanding production!! Everything's so clear and distinct, the scrap guitar, the shimmer guitar, the bass sinew. So classic.

Oh man, I dig Fight this Generation too. It's gonna be all winners from here on in ain't it...

This is the song that confused either RS or SPIN's critic in '95.

I like that scenario.

It's gonna be all winners from here on in ain't it...

― Spectrist, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:45 PM (53 seconds ago) Bookmark

We're all winners in this one

:D

god damn the guts and the gore

love the sotto voce before the chorus, and how each 4th chorus line is just a fragment.

for a "lo-fi" song, it sure has outstanding production!! Everything's so clear and distinct, the scrap guitar, the shimmer guitar, the bass sinew. So classic.

S&E was recorded at Louder Than You Think which had a huge 72 track board (i just made that up, but the point is that the studio was very hi-fi)

When was that epic, super stoned session of a Fight the Generation performance where SM's babbling this stream of metamorphosis, like it's "I know everything" --> "I've no evidence" --> "And my Karlheinz debt" --> "A Nico holiday" etc etc. I'd kill to hear that again today.

27. FIN (1997) [352 points, 16 votes]
http://youtu.be/cO7P6vXbnok

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7YxrwecWLuw/Tfb1BrhYa5I/AAAAAAAAAw0/C_usdy5zeoc/s800/27.jpg

can i just admit that btc tracks placing higher than perfume-v enrages me

i can't remember atm but the WZ version doesn't have bob (?) going GENERATIOOOOOOOOON right?

Sort of already knew that. xp

until this poll i forgot that btc ends with *two* epic stoner jams.

can i just admit that btc tracks placing higher than perfume-v enrages me

Fight this ILM poll.

haha johnny i'll stop! i am getting a little more into btc trying to hear what the rest of y'all hear

xp thanks shasta
guess that lo-fi tag that followed them after S+E was from them choosing to document horribly scrappy guitars (with such clarity!), and not because of limitations of four track imparting tape hiss

Fin was my #4. I can not ever get enough of that song. It annoys me that it's probably lower than Stereo, the diametrical opposite of Fin on BTC.

Fin destroys in un-Pavement like ways

until this poll i forgot that btc ends with *two* epic stoner jams.

― ledge, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:54 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

Oh man you're in for a TREAT re-discovering Starlings and Fin!

WGW-esque conspiracy theory:

Was BTC their biggest selling album *gulp* overseas?

(Please no SBs)

CRCR was the first Pave album I bought, not too long before WZ came out. By the time BTC was coming out, I was a diehard and was there at 9am when the record store opened. One of the only albums I've ever done that for. I guess I treat it differently because it was like an event album for me (one that didn't lose any of its shine for me over the last 14 years).

Overseas from which end of the planet speaketh thou? xp

Fin placed right behind Perfume V on my ballot so this is looking perfectly fair.

i haven't really listened to brighten the corners enough tbh

Horseshoe, please do! Skip everything till Starlings, you'll be grand ;-)

maybe that's why i've had a hard time before

LOL I voted for Fin

(nah, that's harsh tbh) xp

Oh man you're in for a TREAT re-discovering Starlings and Fin!

i already have! i think i'd conflated them and starlings basically ate up fin in its entirety, was indeed a joyous thing to discover it there standing proud and glorious and not making a fool of itself.

oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god

xp to self, that was

i voted for fin, it's like a beautiful coda to starlings

it's everybody's god!

i voted for shady lane tbh is that the lol noob btc pick

I like Shady Lane. It was up high on my ballot somewhere.

Oh man you're in for a TREAT re-discovering Starlings and Fin!

i already have! i think i'd conflated them and starlings basically ate up fin in its entirety, was indeed a joyous thing to discover it there standing proud and glorious and not making a fool of itself.

― ledge, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:59 PM (8 seconds ago) Bookmark

They're two odd songs at the end though, so completely different from all the rest on BTC. If it weren't for Starlings and Fin I'd not've even glanced at BTC anymore (even though I do enjoy several other songs)

26. GIVE IT A DAY (1996) [357 points, 17 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/ZbQxGtqSnQk

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-70d_RT4Z6gU/Tfb1BU0KRqI/AAAAAAAAAww/wIB5Sg-0NtU/s800/26.jpg

totally is xxxxp

love this track

f'real you guys, I want a pygmy goat.

so reassuring

whatta jam! My favorite Pave lyric. Rollicking awesome song.

f'real you guys, I want a pygmy goat.

― Alpaca Lips (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:01 PM (26 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

so reassuring

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:01 PM (6 seconds ago) Bookmark

<3 <3 <3

mmm kebabs

haha i actually meant "give it a day" but that works

Perfume-V, Fin and Fight This Generation should have all been top 20

Was BTC their biggest selling album *gulp* overseas?

hey, I am British and did not vote for any BtC tracks, thanks

horseshoe otm re BtC vs Perfume-V
(try explaining that sentence to yr gran)

haha i actually meant "give it a day" but that works

― horseshoe, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:02 PM (19 seconds ago) Bookmark

Knew that, but couldn't resist ;)

should have had a pic of an eyeless lamb or a kebab sta

nd

Still so weird to see the BtC hate. I mean, its a totally different animal (pygmy goat, iirc) than the rest of their discography, but it still has some jams on it.

Give it a Day is just way too low iirc

"We see our lives as situations"

^^reassuring!

"Give It a Day" was my #2.

Still so weird to see the BtC hate. I mean, its a totally different animal (pygmy goat, iirc) than the rest of their discography, but it still has some jams on it.

― the fey bloggers are onto the zagat tweets (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:04 PM (14 seconds ago) Bookmark

I feel like I may have contributed to this image, but it's not hate! Not form my part, anyway. But it does at times feels like the album of a Pavement that turned 45+ and started to take afternoon naps.

(only to drift into a coma with TT, but that's another story)

woot! love "give it a day". my last real favorite pavement song.

every song on brighten the corners sounds the same to me >:[

"Fight This Generation" sounds like an REM Monster song before Monster even came out.

Also liked its sequence in Slow Century.

I haven't seen as much of it in this thread, considering this is a Pavement <3 fest, but I've seen a lot of it on ilm before.

25. WE DANCE (1995) [375 points, 17 votes, 1 first-place vote]
http://youtu.be/dcJ7GpHQT24

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-71tuYPnZVmY/Tfb1A0XM3PI/AAAAAAAAAwo/RYrkacX9feA/s800/25.jpg

my #1

pretty song. i think i may have over-listened to it. it's not my favorite on wowee zowee but "there is no castration fear" one of the great opening lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jAAft_Kjjc

But it does at times feels like the album of a Pavement that turned 45+ and started to take afternoon naps.

Wasn't that also the assessment regarding CRCR when it came out as a follow up to S+E? That they'd skipped making their second record and gone straight to their fifth?

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/5023591398_78b04943a7_z.jpg

Mr. & Mrs. Nastanovich dance during "We Dance" @ Rumsey Playfield, NYC, 9/24/10

I need to walk away from the computer b/c there are not many songs better than these last 2

aw!

xp

But it does at times feels like the album of a Pavement that turned 45+ and started to take afternoon naps.

Wasn't that also the assessment regarding CRCR when it came out as a follow up to S+E? That they'd skipped making their second record and gone straight to their fifth?

― Spectrist, Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:09 PM (34 seconds ago) Bookmark

I'm not sure, I didn't follow it's reception at the time tbh. I do think that CRCR has a lot more going for itself, even though for Pavement standards it's pretty heavy handed (esp the first side). BTC just seems rather dull to me at times

Love love love We Dance <3 So much packed into those two minutes, what a way to start WZ too

chimp chimp chimp sing a song of praise

i thought it was chim-chim-chim like chim-chiminy chim-chiminy chim-chim-cheree

Good run! The last three trax were all on my ballot...

referencing JF's pic lol xp

oh lol

great pic

lol good one

haw, I always thought it was "Chin chin chin", which I hear now, is definitely wrong

in this...
zany town

AWWW AWww ahh

malkmus is so cute sometimes

xp

One could poll every line in "We Dance."

^^ YES

let's do this

all pavement polls all the time

i'll do it!