What are those songs that when you hear them on an album you go "oh-fuck, this would have been a perfect album except for this..."
Prominent examples that I can remember: "Lily, Rosemary, and Jack of Hearts" on Blood on the Tracks The last techno track on Postal Service's "Give Up" album "Smackwater Jack" on Carole King's tapestry "Fitter Happier" on Ok Computer "Unbelievable" on Ready to Die "Brand New Cadillac"
Also, some albums just don't need that last song. I'm sure that there are several examples, but one that immediately comes to mind is Beautiful Girls on Van Halen II. Don't get me wrong, I love the band and the song, but the song just doesn't conclude the album the way that Women in Love does.
I can't think of any albums that would have been perfect except for one song. Maybe it's because I'm excited to find a cd that is so very near perfect that I cut slack for any one defective song. That said, Wilco's "A Ghost is Born" would have been more perfect for me were it not for that annoyingly long drone tacked at the end of "Less Than You Think".
"The Old Black Hen" from Songs: Ohia's Magnolia Electric Co. Amir Nezar did an absolutely terrific and hilarious review of this album for Cokemachineglow and he hit it dead on.
-------------------------------------------------- Anatomy to me is a homesick stomach and a broken heart
The only problem with "The Old Black Hen" is that it's a country song on an alt-country album. No offense, but the most country I've seen in an indie kid's collection is some Johnny Cash greatest hits disc and a near pristine copy of Van Lear Rose. Indie-rockers don't really like country, even a pretty decent country song like "The Old Black Hen", although they'll make you believe it's well-represented on the top shelf (it's usually behind the stacks of brit-pop, I hear). Except Amir Nezar. No, he just comes right out and admits he "fucking hate[s] country music." Well goddamn! What a shock he'd spend so many words berating the only country song! But I digress. This "country schmuck" will retire to his corn-pipe and fiddle and leave the criticism to the titular professionals. Let me know when they're out of Journalism 240 so I can get a good look at 'em. Yeehaw.
Ok, I may catch hell, but "Yellow Submarine" on Revolver. I like the song, but I just don't think it fits on that album with those songs. I mean, look at the songs it is in between, "Here, There and Everywhere" and "She Said She Said."
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"O'Malley, Former Underdog" isn't just the worst song on Deerhoof's The Runners Four; it might be the worst song of the year. I get through the rest of the vocals largely without issue, although I find them a (t)wee bit annoying. The music's still pretty good, though.
Originally posted by Peewee: "Shiny Happy People" -- R.E.M.'s "Out of Time"
"Shiny Happy People" is a good example of a song that's just out of place. I don't think it's as bad of a song as people make it out to be, but it defititely doesn't fit the pastoral mood of "Out of Time". However, this album features another WTF song in it's opener, "Radio Song". Why R.E.M. thought that a guest rap by KRS-One was a good idea, I'll never know.
----- We were wasps with new wings, now we're bugs in the jar.
I was gonna put the cat among the pigeons and suggest "Do You Realize" from Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi ...". I really hate that song. I totally do not get why people don't think it is utterly annoying.
But I decided to be mature and not mention it, so I didn't, and I haven't, and I won't.
I liked "The Old Black Hen;" Leland makes a good (and funny) point as to why it tends to be the recipient of so much ire. I also like "Fitter Happier" and "Electioneering," for what it's worth.
Originally posted by m.leland: No offense, but the most country I've seen in an indie kid's collection is some Johnny Cash greatest hits disc and a near pristine copy of Van Lear Rose.
Hah, I think those are the only country albums I own. Does that make me an "indie kid"? I guess so...
"Van Lear Rose" is one of the more overrated discs of the past few years. The songs are pretty mixed. It was an interesting experiment, and I give credit to Jack White for trying to expose Lynn to a new audience.
However ... I know lots of people who bought it and professed to "love" it, even though not one of them had ever bought a Loretta Lynn record before -- which is fine -- but what was a little annoying is that not one of them (then went out and bought another Loretta Lynn record after enjoying "Van Lear Rose". Was what they were enjoying about the record Loretta Lynn, or the cool image that they thought listening to that record gave them? If it was really Lynn, then why not go out and buy some of her classic country records? Or are those records just too "square"?
Ill tell you why, Peewee: because it was produced by Jack white. I guarantee you that if that album were mixed by someone whose name held no significance with people, few would have bought it. Another classic example of perception ruling the day.
I'd have to disagree there....Van Lear Rose is easily my favorite record of 2004. And while the name 'Jack White' may have attracted more purchases, if the record sounded exactly the same and was produced by somebody else, it still would have gotten a 97 on metacritic and #3 on the pazznjop poll.
