8.04.2005
So much younger then
OK, I'll add some constructive criticism to that last post. What, exactly, should Pollard do when faced with a box full of old tapes and a rabid fan base that will buy anything he releases? First, some quality control would be nice. Second, why not cull through those tapes in search of good songs to re-record? Who knows if there are actual good songs lurking somewhere amid the hiss on that Hazzard Hotrods disc? Rather than release the whole thing as is, he could mine that tape (and the many others he surely must have cued up for the Fading Captain series) to create better, more listenable compilations. He's halfway there with the Suitcase collections that serve to skim the cream off the top, but he should go all the way and re-record the best of the bunch.
Thinking on this reminded me of R.E.M., particularly the song "All the Right Friends," which showed up a few years back on the soundtrack to the film Vanilla Sky. The movie was an odd misstep from Cameron Crowe, but the soundtrack was compelling, buoyed by that R.E.M. chestnut. The song is familiar to those of us with bootlegs of the first recorded R.E.M. shows. The band had a set of bar-ready material that was fast, fun and simpler than what the foursome would create for its debut disc less than two years later. Thing is, those songs were good, and it always seemed a shame that, other than the occasional appearance on early bootlegs, they seemed lost forever. It was great to see the band rescue one for the soundtrack. Another of those early favorites, "Permanent Vacation," saw official release with a live version around Christmas 2004 through an iTunes Originals collection that gathered some R.E.M. hits, live performances and interview material. It's clear they have a fondness for the stuff and actually remember how to play it. I've long said the band would do well to go into the studio for a couple of days to knock out a quick 10-song disc featuring the best of that early set. They could do it as a fanclub-only release so as not to confuse the marketplace. Heck, bring Bill Berry back for the weekend while you're at it. "Lisa Says," "Scheherazade," "Narrator," "Baby I," "Body Count," "Mystery to Me," "Dangerous Times," "Action"... I'd buy that in a heartbeat.
Thinking on this reminded me of R.E.M., particularly the song "All the Right Friends," which showed up a few years back on the soundtrack to the film Vanilla Sky. The movie was an odd misstep from Cameron Crowe, but the soundtrack was compelling, buoyed by that R.E.M. chestnut. The song is familiar to those of us with bootlegs of the first recorded R.E.M. shows. The band had a set of bar-ready material that was fast, fun and simpler than what the foursome would create for its debut disc less than two years later. Thing is, those songs were good, and it always seemed a shame that, other than the occasional appearance on early bootlegs, they seemed lost forever. It was great to see the band rescue one for the soundtrack. Another of those early favorites, "Permanent Vacation," saw official release with a live version around Christmas 2004 through an iTunes Originals collection that gathered some R.E.M. hits, live performances and interview material. It's clear they have a fondness for the stuff and actually remember how to play it. I've long said the band would do well to go into the studio for a couple of days to knock out a quick 10-song disc featuring the best of that early set. They could do it as a fanclub-only release so as not to confuse the marketplace. Heck, bring Bill Berry back for the weekend while you're at it. "Lisa Says," "Scheherazade," "Narrator," "Baby I," "Body Count," "Mystery to Me," "Dangerous Times," "Action"... I'd buy that in a heartbeat.
