You know what we need soon? A Mark Lanegan list. That guy has put together quite a catalog. In the Fade, Song for the Dead, and Hanging Tree might be the best songs he's ever done, but there are a lot of gems to be found in the rest of his stuff. He fronted Screaming Trees for a few decades, he has made at least half a dozen mostly superb solo albums, and he has done three albums with Isobel Campbell of Belle and Sebastian. Oh, and Mad Season with Layne Stayley. And guest appearances all over the place. And don't get me started on his instantly recognizable voice. It's time he got some recognition from the indie community.
"This isn't a side project for me. I'm in two bands. I have musical schizophrenia, and this is one of those personalities." Josh Homme on his band, Eagles of Death Metal. They might have been low on the list, but it would have been hard for me to separate Eagles of Death Metal from the rest of his catalog. That said, I don't have many problems with the sequence of this list. I generally loved what you had to say about Homme and all of the records.
My list:
Songs for the Deaf
Rated R
Like Clockwork
Blues for the Red Sun
Welcome to Sky Valley
Lullabies to Paralyze
Queens of the Stone Age
Them Crooked Vultures
Era Vulgaris
And the Circus Leaves Town
Wretch
I love Like Clockwork. I hope to see people appreciate it more in time. I think Kalopsia and I Appear Missing are some of the best songs in QOTSA's catalog.
No love for "I Appear Missing" by Queens of the Stone Age? My favorite song of the year so far. I'm loving that record. I guess "Get Lucky" is a good choice, and it seems like its a slam dunk here on Stereogum.
Ugh. I'd downvote myself if I could. Here's the link I forgot to post in the above comment: http://rateyourmusic.com/lists/list_view?list_id=163725&show=50&start=50
Someone posted this up above, but I wanted to post it again down here where it's easy to find. Someone put a shitload of work into this and it's some good reading if you're a Modest Mouse mega-fan like me.
Fuck Yes. Everything about On the Beach is amazing. The three "blues" songs blow my mind. And yes, Ambulance Blues might be the most mournful thing ever put to tape.
Does anyone care about No One's First and You're Next? I think it's kinda weak overall but King Rat is one of my favorite Modest Mouse songs. The Whale Song is pretty damn good too.
I know you're new here Sasha, but I'd better fill you in: I'm the only former Laker here, and I don't know that Stereogum wants another one. Also, weren't you playing in a Turkish Basketball League at the time of this comment? Your coach can't approve of you surfing the web from the bench. Unless he does, in which case I am done playing in the Dominican Republic and am headed for the Turkish League.
You know what else would start a fire on Stereogum? A Tom Waits worst to best. I don't think there's a ton of fans on here, but man are we passionate fans. Tons of material to sort through too.
I'm sure it would be ranked too low. It should be top three, if not number one. And Rust Never Sleeps might be a top five. Personally, I like On the Beach and Tonight's the Night.
Not a bad list, I was sorta hoping you’d have M&A in the number one spot, but there’s nothing wrong with calling Lonesome Crowded West the best Modest Mouse album. I like that you guys gave Good News for People Who Love Bad News the credit it deserves. It’s not a top-to-bottom masterpiece, but it’s a damn fine album. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is also not as bad as some Modest Mouse fans will try to tell you. It has some major misfires but it has some really great songs as well.
I do agree that if you’re going to include one EP, you might as well include the rest. Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks/Night on the Sun? The Fruit that Ate Itself? No One’s First and You’re Next? Some of their best work is on the EP’s. And Building Something out of Nothing might as well be an album. You decided on the Smiths list that compilations count, and you listed Interstate 8 here. What gives? Let’s try for a little consistency.
Not a bad list, I was sorta hoping you'd have M&A in the number one spot, but there's nothing wrong with calling Lonesome Crowded West the best Modest Mouse album. I like that you guys gave Good News for People Who Love Bad News the credit it deserves. It's not a top-to-bottom masterpiece, but it's a damn fine album. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is also not as bad as some Modest Mouse fans will try to tell you. It has some major misfires but it has some really great songs as well.
I do agree that if you're going to include one EP, you might as well include the rest. Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks/Night on the Sun? The Fruit that Ate Itself? No One's First and You're Next? Some of their best work is on the EP's. And Building Something out of Nothing might as well be an album. You decided on the Smiths list that compilations count, and you listed Interstate 8 here. What gives? Let's try for a little consistency.
Well put. I happen to be more of a sound guy than a lyrics guy so I slightly prefer Moon & Antarctica, but I can't argue with preferring the wit of Lonesome Crowded West.
Fuck you for grenading my plans for the night! I'm gonna need a couple white boards, a tennis ball to bounce off the wall, a cup of coffee that may later be replaced by Maker's Mark, and my Ipod.
No fucking way! I can't believe you guys did this list. I'm tingling with anticipation. I haven't read it or any of the comments yet. I hope the EP's are included. If not, then I don't know that their body of work is large enough to warrant this conversation. Also, if something besides Lonesome Crowded West or Moon and Antarctica is number one, I'm gonna throw my laptop out the fucking window.
I guess I completely failed to communicate my point. Scratch what I said completely. It was complete word vomit because I was in a hurry. Obviously, this album has a sterling reputation. However, I often come across people who don't "get" this album or who will tell me it is overrated. They will often argue in favor of Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, or Sticky Fingers. They will throw out song titles like Gimme Shelter, Wild Horses, Sympathy for the Devil, etc."What great songs does Exile on Main St. have?" they might say. They are thinking more about individual songs than they are thinking of the album as one long artistic statement. That is how most music fans are. Us music nerds on stereogum might worship Exile on Main St., but I think the average Rolling Stones fan goes with another album. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I would have been ok with either Beggars Banquet or Exile on Main St. at the number one spot. Exile on Main St. might be the most cohesive and perfectly flowing album I've ever head. No track really stands out because they're all so good. I think it actually hurts its reputation that it doesn't have any obvious "hits" that sound separate from the rest of the album.
I like your tier theory. They look a lot like my tiers. I probably have Goats Head Soup in my second tier though. And Satanic Majesty might be lumped into the "everything else" category.
This leads to several questions: Why does Morrissey think that Staples Center is going vegetarian? Did they lie to him, or did he manufacture the whole thing in his head? As for the thing about McCartney being angry, I would assume that Morrissey heard from somebody that he was annoyed. Or else we have another thing that Moz possibly made up. Has Morrissey become completely delusional?
I don't think that Morrissey is a stupid person, and I assume that he believes the Staples Center is going completely vegetarian for him because that is what he was told. I assume the same about the McCartney thing. If he has reason to believe both of these things to be true, I don't think his statements are out of line at all.
I don't quite get the negative reaction here. I think Morrissey is dead on about McCartney. Moz can definitely be overly sensitive sometimes, but I like that he sticks by his principles and doesn't participate in the celebrity ego-stroking game like everyone else. I don't understand Michael's analysis: did the Staples Center not agree to go vegetarian for Morrissey?
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