Customer Reviews

Golden

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- 40 minute documentary covering the band's entire history
- Commentary by the band members
- Slideshows featuring recording, touring, concert, and publicty photos
- Unreleased songs and videos
- CD: includes 11 unreleased original songs by Failure

Side #1 -- DVD

Documentary
- Commentary by Ken Andrews
- Commentary by Greg Edwards

Videos:
Failure - Undone
- Commentary by Ken Andrews
- Commentary by Greg Edwards

Replicants - Destination Unknown
- Commentary by Ken Andrews
- Commentary by Greg Edwards

Failure - Stuck on You
- Commentary by Ken Andrews
- Commentary by Greg Edwards

Slideshows
Tour Photos
Recording Photos
Concert Photos
Press, Ads, & Flyers
Publicity Photos

Side #2 -- CD Audio

01. Shrine (4-track demo)
02. Golden (4-track demo)
03. Pennies (4-track demo)
04. Petting the Carpet (Comfort outtake)
05. Gone (4-track demo)
06. Mange (4-track demo)
07. Perfect Prisons (rehearsal)
08. Untitled (4-track demo)
09. Lucky Shoreline (4-track demo)
10. Wake Up (Fantastic Planet outtake)
11. You're Too Much (4-track demo)

Most of these songs came from the time period after Failure's 1st album, Comfort, while they were demo-ing songs for their 2nd album (Magnified). (But, oddly, Magnified has a slew of different songs.) Failure were sharing an apartment in southern California, recording songs at home with a drum machine. Although Failure's frontman, Ken Andrews, has gone onto higher and higher sound quality, I really like the homey, warm feel of these lo-fi songs.
Golden: Unreleased Songs and Images has that wonderful 4 track charm and some of Failure's darkest, most haunting, and most beautiful material. "Pennies" is hands down one of Failure's best songs. "Mange" is a compelling but harrowing account of animal abuse. There is also a hidden track in which Failure don't take themselves too seriously. This compilation attests to the genius of Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards, a writing team I would argue are the Lennon-McCartney of our postmodern age. The documentary -- especially Edwards's commentary -- chronicles the rise and fall of the band, and Edwards's sad, sometimes bitterly funny descent into drug addiction. This 2 disc package is a must for Failure fans, and the "lost" music tracks are like a whole "new" album from a band that disbanded prematurely. Simply excellent. This CD/DVD set may become hard to find or expensive, but is completely worth it, especially for the Failure, Replicants, On, Year of the Rabbit, or Autolux fan.

If you like Failure you'll love this documentary about them. Theres lots of home footage of the evolution of the band, live stuff, and recording in the studio. Whats really cool is that you can change the audio track to hear just Greg or just Ken narrate. It also comes with a bonus cd of demos and outtakes (11 tracks).