I was in college in 1994 and Mark Ibold's Dad was one of my art instructors. I remember him talking about his son's band, and that they had a new album out that was getting some good reviews. Pretty cool that it became an indie staple & classic.
"Synth-driven" "Hit The Plane Down"? I mainly hear bass, drums and Malkmus's and Sprial Stairs' distorted vocals, with angular guitar. I don't hear anything that could even be a synth, much less "synth-driven".
Great video on what is probably my favorite album of all time. Kind of odd to focus on Hit the Plane Down and Heaven is a Truck over Elevate Me Later and Gold Soundz though.
“Range Life” will always be my favorite Pavement song.. just so many great memories, such beautiful longing, great lyrics, that country twang.. it’s perfect. They went on to produce “better” songs and albums, but this album, and particularly that track, is what I love most about this band. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that Billy Corgan was the one upset by “Range Life”, not the whole band. I don’t remember if it was Iha, or who it was from the band, but they definitely have talked about Billy being VERY upset about it, and being obsessed with Pavement’s success (or lack thereof), following that.. I mean, Corgan is basically a sociopathic lunatic, or at least a serious narcissist, probably on a clinical level, so it’s no surprise whatsoever that he’d be that upset by those lyrics...
at least stephen malkamus cares about his fans and doesn't try to bullshit them whenever pavement reunites. corgan is just a bitter old has-been who still thinks his shit doesn't stink.
thevoid99 Word, and I’m agreeing as an admitted Smashing Pumpkins fan, or at least a fan of their first three albums. Seeing the Smashing Pumpkins live in 2008 (I think it was then, it was somewhere between late 2007- early 2009) for the “Zeitgeist” album, was one of the worst live shows I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of dingy, poor, small time bands with bad equipment, perform in dingy little hole in the walls with bad acoustics (which was admittedly part of the issue with the Pumpkins, which was at the AJ Palumbo Center, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, just in case you’re ever thinking of seeing a concert there by chance). It can’t all be blamed on the acoustics of the venue, though. Frankly, Jimmy was the only one playing very well. Even the tracks like Cherub Rock, Zero, 1979, Tonight Tonight... the shit you’d have expected them to be able to play perfectly, given that they’re hits, were just performed so incredibly sloppily, and not in a good way. I like sloppy when it’s done right, but this was sloppy at keeping in time, and that’s just not something I can handle. It wasn’t a complete waste of money, but it was close. I just really expected that, even if they don’t play my favs, they’ll play well. Nope. PS - Fuck Billy Corgan..
Ben Do you not know the song? You should definitely listen to it. STP, he calls them elegant bachelors and golden boys, nothing really viscous, just kind of silly and ridiculous. Smashing Pumpkins, he sings about not understanding their music and they have nothing to say and that he really couldn’t give a fuck, which triggered the fuck out of bitch boi Billy “I’m The Most Talented Man On The Planet” Corgan (the vid says the whole band was upset, but it was Billy). I mean, the jabs weren’t even that brutal; like the music as a whole, they’re slacking in the shots they take.. lol.. Anyway, I can’t remember the verbatim lyrics, but you can look them up, if you want the exact words. You should definitely listen to the song/album too, though. ✌🏼
Nope, don't know the song, I'll give it a listen. I just read apparently Billy Corgans songs, a lot of them were very personal about his life, his disabled brother, his abusive dad etc. so I could see why he'd be upset, but they're also pretty cryptic if you'r not really listening and trying to discern the lyrics, I mean I never realized either. Radiohead is also like that, it took me a while to realize Hail to the Theif was a very political album about Bush, but maybe I'm just not that observant. It's great because the music stands up on it's own and if you want to delve deeper into the meaning, you can.
Really would be, I'd like to see Pitchfork dig deep for this gorgeous album. Deserves so much recognition, deserves a wider audience. Pitchfork wrote a pretty lengthy and eye opening piece on Mark Linkous in 2015.
Warning! Stop reading now if a minute or so single-spaced read is too much for you to digest. You've been warned. Here goes: Mark Linkous' debut Sparklehorse album is truly the work of a genius. I always loved the fact too that vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot remained available on vinyl through Slow River (Rykodisc distributed boutique label) for $6 or $7 bucks postpaid through mail order for almost a decade (extra bonus track included!) after it's original release!?! But then again, up until maybe 10 or so years ago almost every American indie label (Drag City, Matador, Merge, Thrill Jockey, kranky, Touch & Go, et al.) sold most records for $8 bucks, oftentimes postpaid. I really miss buying records blind (meaning unheard), just based off maybe reading a good review in a 'zine or even just based off the LP jacket design aesthetic & song titles. I'll never forget hearing the tale of how Linkous passed out in his hotel room, almost dying the _exact day before_ he was scheduled to open for Radiohead on tour. Such overwhelming sadness & dismay. I can't fathom being that close to possibly achieving stardom. They say in life there are few happy endings. But so it goes.. Mark Linkous was one of the greatest songwriters, imho. It's kind of a bummer though that he had to de-map himself in the manner in which he chose. "But thou shalt not judge." Nobody knows the pain he lived with. The man may be gone, but we still have plenty of fond memories & a great back catalog. Though I'm honestly surprised a "new" Sparklehorse collection of demos, rough mixes, etc. has yet to be released. But maybe thats a good thing. For real though, Sparklehorse deserves to still be listened to. I don't think I could ever get those choruses from the "vivadixie.." songs _Cow_ & _Someday I Will Treat You Good_ outta my head even if I wanted to. Such great, sadly beautiful music. To the original poster: Thank You for helping keep Linkous' spirit alive. Peace&JahBless
Daniele Milazzo best road trip album if you ever get the pleasure of driving across Kansas and just listening to that album with a storm behind you and the sun setting
Well yeah...seems to have basically copped a melody there...it somehow messes up the song for me.... I love the intro but cannot separate things sufficiently when I hear that verse lyric kick in.
just noticed somethin... they say in the video mark ibold and steve west joined pavement for the recording of this album. ibold joined pavement wayyyy before steve west replaced gary young
Malkmus is a second generation UVA grad, like his father (Stephen Malkmus Sr.). UVA is the CIA recruiting school of choice. After graduation, and an initial double-blind selection process, Malkmus Jr was picked up by a handler and deployed to monitor and report on the potentially maoist forces of indie rock led by Kim Gordon. If you have ever wondered why Pavement's music was just not good enough, it's because it didn't need to be. It needed to be incompetent enough to gain the trust of Kim and Thurston. I lived on Bleeker street between 1987 and 2003 and I've seen the war on drugs and the war on art rock first hand. Most of it was because the CIA considered the avant garde activities of the Lower East Side to be seditious and would happily put agents into CBGB or wherever to keep a casual eye on it. Half of your favourite NYC records from 1977-1982 are funded or performed by CIA operatives. Have a good night!
Behind Slanted and Enchanted and Wowee Zowee, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain stands solid as my third favorite Pavement album. They may have matured at the time and produced the greatest single of the 90's in "Gold Soundz", but I still feel "5-4/Unity" (I'd rather listen to "Take 5" by Brubeck), "Heaven Is A Truck" (sub-"Range Life"), and "Hit The Plane Down" (hands down my least favorite Kannberg song) were inferior. Especially since Wowee Zowee, for all of its breadth, never reached those lows itself.
The fact that Pitckfork has to explain Pavement is really sad... YOU DON' HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS GOOD. IF THEY DON'T GET IT THEN THEY ARE NOT WORTHY
Filip Bergström melody is similar/ the same but it is an entirely different song and could very well be a coincidence. I think pavement/SM proved they are creative geniuses and don’t need to be accused of plagiarism. Emblematic of the whole album??! Delete silence kid they are still and incredible band who never wrote a bad song
Matt Mayo nah, I doubt it's accidental, but don't get me wrong; I don't mind the fact that they used its melody, and when I called it emblematic of the record I meant to say it goes hand in hand with the slacker ethos and vibe of it all. it's a great album!