"I'm drowning for your thirst/Drowning for your thirst": The official WOWEE ZOWEE REISSUE anticipation thread

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That's right - it's ON, late 2006 or early 2007.

Hate, appreciate, er, anticipate, say what live/rare/b-side material you'd like to see included.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 10:52 (nineteen years ago)

because it's been so long since the last reissue

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 10:54 (nineteen years ago)

I was secretly hoping that they were going to put them all out ten years after the original release dates so that young'uns like me could vicariously experience the thrills and chills of Pavement's career arc, and now I'm obviously very disappointed that this one slipped so far.

― bernard snow (sixteen sergeants), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 11:48 (nineteen years ago)

man i remember wishing the Star Wars special editions had been released 3 years apart, so i could fully appreciate the Ewoks' first appearance.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:03 (nineteen years ago)

My main memory of this album is that I got it the day it came out, and was very disappointed to discover that they'd left an entire side BLANK! Lame

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:04 (nineteen years ago)

I was wondering about this only the other day. Fab news!

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

u mad

― Roughage Crew (Enrique), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 12:09 (nineteen years ago)

u madd doggie

― autovac (autovac), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:07 (nineteen years ago)

spritzer
on ice in new york cit-ty

― jacques lu c on t (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:12 (nineteen years ago)

can we seee some documentation on this pls?

― Jimmy Mod: NOIZE BOARD GRIL COMPARISON ANALYST (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 16:31 (nineteen years ago)

The only people pissed off are the ones who sold their original CD copies a year and a half ago assuming the reissue would come out last year, and now don't have Wowee Zowee to listen to at home until next year. The tears be rollin'

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:06 (nineteen years ago)

That said, I'm happy that there is a reissue coming out. Some of their best B-sides came from this period... Live material from this period would be a bonus. (I'm in the "Wowee Zowee would have clearly been their best album had they edited it down to regular album length" camp)

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:08 (nineteen years ago)

i think its the best one.

― ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ¨ˆ (chaki), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

(I'm in the "Wowee Zowee would have clearly been their best album had they edited it down to regular album length" camp)

no way - the "lack" of editing is precisely why it's their best album!

― rajeev (rajeev), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:11 (nineteen years ago)

can we seee some documentation on this pls?

from the matador discography:

OLE-722 2 dbl CD Pavement -- Wowee Zowee DELUXE Fall 2006

― rajeev (rajeev), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:38 (nineteen years ago)

chaki otm, and also i like the sprawling extended jamness of it.

― jacques lu c on t (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:48 (nineteen years ago)

Sprawl is a good word when describing this record. That's why the reissue has such great potential. Double the sprawl.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

so...what will the extra material be? is there a bunch of heretofore unknown material from these sessions like there was for CRCR? obviously, the various b-sides..."Easily Fooled" i think is my favorite, but I recall being slightly disappointed by it when it came out, having heard a better live rendition. And the Peel session is better too, I think...

― Tyler W (tylerw), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

yeah great record - its one of those ones where the immediate standouts slowly absorb the between parts, until the whole thing sort of glistens like the new day

― SQUARECOATS (plsmith), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

their very breast album!

― FAN DEATH (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 18:00 (nineteen years ago)

i love wowee zowee and all but i really think slanted/enchanted was their best album.

― Pop Ryan (Rebelwordsmith), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

how many people (here or in general) who now claim it's the best Pavement album actually thought that when it was released?

Next question: when did the WOWEE ZOWEE critical revisionism take place?

― Jacobo Rock (jacobo rock), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 19:50 (nineteen years ago)

um i seem to recall it being extremely popular from the get-go with pretty great reviews. has their been a revisionist take stating 'no, actually it's their worst' or 'no, actually it's the record pavement fans agree on least?'

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

"how many people (here or in general) who now claim it's the best Pavement album actually thought that when it was released?"

*raises hand*

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 19:56 (nineteen years ago)

As I recall, when WOWEE ZOWEE came out it was widely considered a disappoinment after CRCR and S&E.

― Jacobo Rock (jacobo rock), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 19:57 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, and I actually do remember WZ-is-the-worst being the CW whenever I talked to fellow Pavement fans in the late 90s.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 19:58 (nineteen years ago)

the only bad thing I can recall about it was that SPIN kinda dissed it, I think...?

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

I don't think the RS review was very kind either (not that I was paying attention at the time)

― FAN DEATH (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:01 (nineteen years ago)

Pukement shouldn't've made albums. They weren't good enough. They should've made eepees.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:03 (nineteen years ago)

hmmm - cr, cr is the karaoke motherlode for obv reasons, s+e was the houseparty dj wants to pander/own indie crowd touchstone once upon a time though not anymore really :(, but wowee zowee was definitely the college radio and (more importantly) restaurant kitchen fave by far down here at least and also the one exception 'everything post-gary young was awful' types would always grant. rolling stone trashed it, said they'd gone back to their pre-cr, cr sound which sucked, spin raved, said it was their big star 3rd/sister lovers.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

My joint fave Pavement album(With Slanted). can't wait for this reissue.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

I think there's one thing everyone can agree about with WZ - it has Spiral Stairs' best songs on it.

Although if you consider CRCR flawed because of "Hit the plane down", how can you excuse "Best Friend's Arm"? I guess I found it mildly amusing when I was 20 or so but it must be one of Malkmus's worst Pavement songs...

I guess I thought WZ was the best Pavement album when it came out and now barely listen to it.

What constitutes a restaurant kitchen fave?

― Jacobo Rock (jacobo rock), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:22 (nineteen years ago)

I seem to recall a fairly heavy collective disappointment with WZ. I've still never given the album a fair shake to this day.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:23 (nineteen years ago)

weird. i'm sensing a poseur divide over this album.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:25 (nineteen years ago)

I like "Best Friend's Arm"!

― gooblar (gooblar), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:28 (nineteen years ago)

If by 'poseur divide', you mean that WZ alienated a lot of the people who jumped on the Pavement wagon when they were *cool* circa "Cut Your Hair", I'd say you are correct. It definitely did that. I'm sure it sold less than CRCR and even S & E at the time. I think that's why I loved it when it came out. But then again I worried too much about what other people were listening to back then. Thankfully, I don't give a shit about such things anymore.

― Jacobo Rock (jacobo rock), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

Spin gave it a 7, not quite a "rave" really

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:31 (nineteen years ago)

or maybe I'm thinking of the album guide and not the mag; I do remember the review having a lot of qualifications. (actually, maybe it was a 6. I don't have the issue, so I can't double-check.)

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:32 (nineteen years ago)

they did compare it to big star 3rd though right? i seem to recall a (aaron penned possibly) 'rattled by the rush'=ingrid bergman analogy somewhere along the line, though that may have been circa btc.

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:36 (nineteen years ago)

S&E and CRCR was a dynamic one-two punch (and following up on those early singles and eps - I had only heard Demolition J-Plot and Perfect Sound Forever prior to the Westing comp).

WZ didn't come close! There was the novelty aspect, and it felt thrown together. It totally lacked the cohesiveness that made S&E and CRCR stand out

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:38 (nineteen years ago)

who in god's name listened to pavement for cohesiveness?????

― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:40 (nineteen years ago)

I did. S&E is very cohesive. CRCR less so, but still an incredibly strong album.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:41 (nineteen years ago)

It was their last good album.

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:42 (nineteen years ago)

xpost

That's incredibly likely. I bought all of their albums, but only out of some form of respect. Nothing after CRCR did much for me.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

Crazy talk. They went downhill after WZ, but were still very great of course. In terms of album composition and cohesiveness they probably just got better.

― strom (strom), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 21:34 (nineteen years ago)

its always been my fav - ive owned it on tape, and currently have the original cd and the reissued 3-side lp. the reissue could be fab - its the apex of their weirdness whilst being the cusp of their poppiest moment (i love the 1-2-3 punch of brighten the corners) - i never understood why it wasn't universally hailed as their best - s&e is far too dry for my tastes (though still being a cracker of an album). i've always stood by that WZ was my fav with S&E, CRCR and BTC being tied for 2nd... terror twilight was the only dissapointing moment in their career for me, they quit at the right time.

― chris andrews (fraew), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 21:42 (nineteen years ago)

Wowee Zowee was a hit with the fans, but was panned by the critics... so jblount otm re: "poseur divide"... well, sorta.

I've grown to nod to the songs on WZ that I used to always skip over... I wished they replaced those songs with the singles B-sides instead still, that's all.

Terror Twilight is still my favorite Pavement album... despite it being "the first Steve Malkmus solo record" not unlike the analogy to Trompe Le Monde.. (in that I didn't care for the actual solo records that followed at all.)...

Brighten The Corners, aside from "Stereo", still evades my attention.

― San Diva Gyna (and a Masala DOsaNUT on the side) (donut), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

It's all a matter of taste, isn't it? Throwing around terms like "poseur divide" doesn't account for that.

I preferred them when they were borrowing more from british post-punk/Sonic Youth (Westing & S&E), and was more than happy to join them in the classic rockisms that crept into their sound on CRCR.

After that, they lost (or so it seems to me) the more obscure, jagged elements and became more of an indie pop band. More jangle, more structure to the songs.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

or maybe I'm thinking of the album guide and not the mag; I do remember the review having a lot of qualifications. (actually, maybe it was a 6. I don't have the issue, so I can't double-check.)

I'm pretty sure Eric Weisbard awarded it a "6"; it was the first serious blow to Pavement's popularity, and as such I didn't buy it unitl 1998 despite loving "Rattled by the Rush" (still my favorite Pavement song).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

Xgau was one of the few major critics to recognize its worth:

Despite their disavowals of "progress," this proceeds as you'd figure--toward lyricism rather than commerciality or some such chimera. It's seldom hard or fast or chaotic, and if it was their sacred mission to humanize guitar noise, they've betrayed it like the reprobates they no doubt are. But if their vocation is beguiling song-music that doesn't sound like anything else or create its own rut, this reinforces one's gut feeling that they can do it forever. They can't, of course--nobody can. But the illusion of eternity has been music's sacred mission for a good long time Grade: A

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 23:02 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 91 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

a never-before-heard concert from the WZ tour

Kool!

They should reprint, in the liner booklet, that song-by-song rundown SM did in Raygun: "Fear of aging, fear of Limbaugh"...

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 24 July 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

I bet they will--they did with the CR CR release. I remember that he claimed Brinx Job was based on an idea for a bank heist movie w/Bob Hoskins or something.

I was pretty dissapointed by a lot of the extra songs on the CR CR re-release.

― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Monday, 24 July 2006 19:59 (nineteen years ago)

Me too!

And I'm never a big fan of "alternate takes" as bonus tracks.

(I'll still buy this, of course!)

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Monday, 24 July 2006 20:03 (nineteen years ago)

"a never-before-heard concert from the WZ tour"

So wait, there was no audience? The band wore earplugs?

[/pedant dork]

― jonviachicago (jonviachicago), Monday, 24 July 2006 20:10 (nineteen years ago)

It was a metaconcert.

― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Monday, 24 July 2006 20:15 (nineteen years ago)

Westing... (if you count this collection as an album)
Slanted
Crooked
Wowee

Aside from the White Stripes, or maybe Modest Mouse, no rock band has since come out of the gate with such greatness on their first four releases.

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 05:53 (nineteen years ago)

"All My Friends" is THE BEST Pavement song, and it blows my mind that they left it off of CRCR.

Just needed to say that.

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 13:31 (nineteen years ago)

wait wait wait, nicky, what?
try black sabbath! or the grateful dead! or the ramones, or the byrds, or neil fucking young? hawkwind? black flag? butthole surfers?

― the eunuchs, Cassim and Mustafa, who guarded Abdur Ali's harem (orion), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 13:53 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah let's not get crazy here.

― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

no rock band has since come out of the gate with such greatness on their first four releases.

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

...but I'm probably still wrong about this...

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

(unsurprisingly?) this question has been amply discussed previously

"the greatest four-record run in rock history"

― Matt Sab (Matt Sab), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 20:23 (nineteen years ago)

I hear there's a super-deluxe edition where Westy will show up at your door one night, drunk on Southern Comfort, and kind of attempt to hum what parts of the album he can remember, although he might also just hum Thriller. Then he will hand you a dubbed VHS copy of Meatballs and stumble off into the darkness.

― Eppy (Eppy), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 20:27 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Eppy do you have a link to that? I don't see it in the Matador catalog.

― Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 25 July 2006 20:28 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

this album sounds great

there's a lot of hardpanning going on with a lot of the instruments, interesting

― m@tt (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 15:35 (fifteen years ago)

yeah, i think this is their best-produced record, even though it has the reputation of being the weirdest/most difficult. nice guitar tones, lots of layers.

― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 18:17 (fifteen years ago)

This is the Sordid Sentinels edition? The booklet was fucking great, makes buying albums worth it.

― kelpolaris, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 19:39 (fifteen years ago)

I've never compared the Sordid Sentinels version with the original issue, but either way you slice it, this is hands down my favorite Pavement record. I've heard several people express how much they like it on shuffle, but for me it's perfectly sequenced, just a great ride all the way through.

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 19:49 (fifteen years ago)

i just bought the regular vinyl version available on the matador site, was only $12 for a double LP, looks about 120 gram vinyl, and all of matador's vinyl is pressed at RTI iirc, so it's dope official on wax

― m@tt (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 20:06 (fifteen years ago)

This is cute:

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwurhvtxMK1qz87jlo1_400.jpg

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 21:10 (fifteen years ago)

really only $12?! huh kinda want it now.

― I won't vote for you unless you acknowledge my magic pony (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 21:15 (fifteen years ago)

is Wowee Zowee on vinyl still 3 sides? The original release had etchings on the fourth side ...

― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 21:37 (fifteen years ago)

I have what I thought was an original release (it's not the recent reissue anyway)...it's blank on side 4, no etching.

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 13 April 2010 22:25 (fifteen years ago)

eh, maybe i'm thinking of something else ... i don't have it on vinyl, a friend did ...

― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 April 2010 22:27 (fifteen years ago)

tylerw, now you've got me confused. i know psychic hearts (released the same year?) had etchings on the fourth side, but now i wonder if wz had the drawing from the inside of the gatefold etched on the fourth side. of course i'm at work so i can't verify the latter.

― Trollmatic Reflexions (ojo), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 00:36 (fifteen years ago)

maybe i'm thinking of psychic hearts? i'm confused too.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 00:48 (fifteen years ago)

both had side 4 etchings.

― ✌.✰|ʘ‿ʘ|✰.✌ (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 05:57 (fifteen years ago)

thread title keeps beckoning

― dipster purpies (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 06:47 (fifteen years ago)

i never realised it had three sides! the flow of it kind of makes more sense to me now

― thomp, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:35 (fifteen years ago)

lol mp3 generation

― thomp, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:35 (fifteen years ago)

My copy side 4 has no etchings, it's just blank.

― Mark, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:58 (fifteen years ago)

(purchased around 1998)

― Mark, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 12:59 (fifteen years ago)

i bought mine the day it came out - no etching

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 14:25 (fifteen years ago)

Maybe only certain copies had the Steve Keane etching?

― ✌.✰|ʘ‿ʘ|✰.✌ (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 15:29 (fifteen years ago)

and says a bunch of Malkmus slogans.

― ✌.✰|ʘ‿ʘ|✰.✌ (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 15:30 (fifteen years ago)

yeah my copy does not have an etching, bought it when it came out

― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 15:30 (fifteen years ago)

mysteeeeeerious

― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 15:31 (fifteen years ago)

My copy had an etching when I bought it, but now the etching has vanished!

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 17:39 (fifteen years ago)

http://frooliemew.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/cast.jpg

― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 17:39 (fifteen years ago)

lol no etching on mine either

― bug holocaust (sleeve), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 17:41 (fifteen years ago)

it's possible i was high as a teenager listening to this and etched something on it myself.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 17:45 (fifteen years ago)

hahaha, i need to find my copy. pretty sure about this dudes!

― ✌.✰|ʘ‿ʘ|✰.✌ (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 20:59 (fifteen years ago)

OK thanks to ILM I am going to listen to this RIGHT NOW for the first time in years

― bug holocaust (sleeve), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 21:01 (fifteen years ago)

You will NOT be disappointed.

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 22:27 (fifteen years ago)

it's a great record! i remember when it came out, my family was going to cooperstown to visit the baseball hall of fame. i made my dad stop at a random mall where there was a record store -- The WALL, I think? -- and I bought it there. So I kinda associate it with Willie Mays and Lou Gehrig and so forth. Memories.

― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 22:30 (fifteen years ago)

I've definitely seen the etching and remembered it being a Steve Keane thing as well. But I don't own one. It might have been my college radio station's vinyl copy. Maybe it was only on promos?

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 22:52 (fifteen years ago)

it's weird that I can't google up anything about this existing

― dmr, Wednesday, 14 April 2010 23:00 (fifteen years ago)

the one i just received from matador has a blank fourth side, no etchings of any kind

but this is obv a repress, has the new Low Price sticker that says free download on it

― fischer-price my first chukkas (M@tt He1ges0n), Wednesday, 14 April 2010 23:07 (fifteen years ago)

favorite pavement album no contest--and one of the great stoner records

― iago g., Thursday, 15 April 2010 00:41 (fifteen years ago)

one of the great stoner records

YESSS... I think one reason is that the production is so varied. That huge tube sound on Half a Canyon---so cool.

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, 15 April 2010 19:16 (fifteen years ago)

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