Jandek - 20 for $80

(I'm sorta hard with this in that I think just about all the albums have their virtues. Hmmm...)

Here's what I've got so far:

Glad to Get Away
Lost Cause
Blue Corpse
Foreign Keys
Chair Beside a Window
Glasgow Sunday
Telegraph Melts
Modern Dances
Interstellar Discussion

Any mistakes there so far? Any obvious omissions?

Blue Corpse, Telegraph Melts and Interstellar Discussion are the only really interesting ones that I remember. But, I never listen to them. I think Modern Dances and Chair Beside A Window were really good too. For Jandek, I mean.

Could someone at least tell me what's good about the actual music? None of the stuff I read even had anything good to say about it.

0739: Ready for the House (1978)
0742: Chair Beside a Window (1982)
0743: Living in a Moon So Blue (1982)
0744: Staring at the Cellophane (1982)
0745: Your Turn to Fall (1983)
0750: Telegraph Melts (1986)
0751: Follow Your Footsteps (1986)
0753: Blue Corpse (1987)

Your Turn To Fall & Chair Beside A Window are really highlights.

I second what Tim said above. I'm totally thriving on the live discs after some initial resistence to the changes. I vastly prefer the ones with a backing band to the solo ones, but they are all very interesting listens.

Today would be a good day to listen to Jandek.

To be a bit more specific:

Manhattan Tuesday & Portland Thursday have my ass pretty thoroughly kicked. In fact, all the others with Matt Heyner, Chris Corsano, Richard Youngs, Alex Neilson, Heather Leigh Murray and/or Loren Connors are more than worthy listens. These folks accompany The Rep superbly.

Not really on board with London Tuesday, Hasselt Saturday or Helsinki Saturday. The latter is particularly problematic, but I think it might require a very specific headspace to be fully heard.

I recently sent off a check to Corwood for the first five albums. Anybody have an idea of about how long it takes to see a turnaround?

Well, I got the package. . . but my check still hasn't cleared.

. . .weird.

I recently sent off for another five, but this time I did not go in chronological order. Just looked at the allmusic listings and did a random assortment of five 80's albums. I don't even remember which five I got, to be honest. I think they were:

Your Turn to Fall
Interstellar Discussion
Blue Corpse
On the Way
The Living End

Anybody have any thoughts on these guys?

(if I'm even remembering which ones I got — guess we'll see when that package shows up)

I like On The Way a lot! A side has him jamming with some more conventionally rock musicians, but it's still Jandek. B side is very quiet, mellow folk stuff.

Blue Corpse is pretty sad in tone, Seth Tisue's theory is that he broke up with "Nancy" who appears on the earlier records occasionally. It's really good, just a bit of a bummer.

Intestellar Discussion is an early "rock" Jandek album, which has a song called "Hey," with the lyrics all being "HEY!" and it's followed by "Why Did I Change a Word in the Last Song?"

Blue Corpse is like his Berlin or something - very sad, very good

which track is his 'the kids'??

Blue Corpse is my favorite!

which track is his 'the kids'??

"Only Lover"

I really like all of those except Interstellar Discussion, which gets a bit rough, and I can't remember much about Your Turn To Fall. "On The Way" has that "I'll Sit Alone And Think A Lot About You" or whatever track, which I adore.

I have The Living End on LP and that's a good one too.

Got the package today!

The ones I picked were:
Interstellar Discussion
Follow Your Footsteps
You Walk Alone
On the Way
The Living End

Oh yeah!

he gives his first face to face print interview in the current issue of the wire.

So, after one listen to each disc, I have a general question:

What do you all think of the theory that the majority of Jandek's music was recorded many years before it was actually released?

(read about the theory on Seth Tisue's page)

I think it's clearly not true but is an interesting "what if" story

Can you expound on why it's "clearly" not true?

Just wondering, because as far as I can tell, either side is just as plausible.

I would say it doesn't seem true because the sound of his records changed a lot, his voice changed a lot, and there's no real reason to suspect it was all done at once (making records as you go rather than during shot period of time seems like more of the default mode).

I noticed he has the cover of The Wire this month. Not been keeping up with him at all so don't know what that ties in with.

He's doing three consecutive shows in London in mid-February.