Customer Reviews

A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005 [Bonus DVD]

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After the last couple albums (Pretty Together and Action Pact, neither of which did much good for anyone), it was easy to forget how frickin' awesome Sloan was on albums 1 through 5. This comp does a very fine job of doing that.

But one point: There are two versions of the DVD, one for Canadian release and one for Americans. Because of licensing issues, the Canadian version has a ton more stuff on it -- live performances, TV appearances, etc. So if you really want the full Sloan experience, go buy it at Amazon.ca or some other fine Canadian online music vendor.

I've been lucky to have lived in Detroit (well nobody is truly lucky to live in Detroit) where alternative radio is based in Canada and therefore is required to play a certain percentage of canadian acts. As a result I've been exposed to the best that Canada has to offer with bands such as The Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies, Doughboys, The Grapes Of Wrath, 24 Gone, Sarah McLachlan and the almighty Sloan.

If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Sloan you're missing out on one of the truly great alternative pop bands of the past 20 years. And while Sloan are huge in Canada, sadly America hasn't had the honor of being properly exposed.

Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sloan first burst on the scene with Geffen Records' 1993 release "Smeared". The power pop grunge like "Underwhelmed" received a fair amount of airplay on Alternative radio but it was not followed up with any significant airplay on a 2nd single. By the time "Twice Removed" hit a couple years later, those in the loop knew that Sloan were a special band. The album failed to produce a huge single and attain commercial success, but it did achieve critical acclaim and was loaded with great songs in "Penpals", "Coax Me", "I Hate My Generation", "People Of The Sky" & "Snowsuit Sound".

Still flying slightly under the radar, record #3 "One Chord To Another" was another artistic achievement the boasted the lead single "The Good In Everyone". And while OCTA was another great Sloan record it possibly wore its influences (Beatles) a bit too close to the sleeve.

Well 4 studio records later Sloan is still making great music and still haven't made it in America. Their fanbase has reached almost cult status and those that love the band are really into them. If you're a fan of guitar based alternative pop with great melodies then you can do no wrong by picking this record up and discovering one of the truly greatest pop bands of the past 20 years.

I really like Sloan. And I would give it a 5 star... (the DVD was pretty good too.)But when I tried to rip the music onto Windows Media Player, it would keep skipping and some stupid download thing kept coming up. That was rather annoying. Although this is a very good album, with all the hits on it.
Recommended.

For the life of me I don't know where I learned about Sloan. But I confess it was only recently and I must further admit some shame at never before having heard of such a magnificent band. I started doing some research and discovered that when they were first breaking out in a big way in Canada, their record company decided that the kind of power pop they played would not go over well in the United States, where post-Nirvana grunge was dominating the rock scene. This was certainly my loss, since some of my all time favorite bands--the Beatles, Big Star, the Shoes, and the Smithereens--were all power pop bands. I started asking some of my more musical savvy friends about Sloan and was surprised that none of them had heard of the band either. And after poking around on some chat boards, I'm convinced that Sloan may be the greatest band around that the United States remains in complete ignorance about. Since first finding out about Sloan, I've been frantically rushing about getting as many of their albums as possible and am now convinced that except for the New Pornographers, they may be the best band out of Canada in the past couple of decades at least.

A SIDES WIN is a superb overview of Sloan's albums, but I have to add a qualifier. Some best-of anthologies can distort a band, making them sound better on a single disc than they do on individual albums. What is astonishing about Sloan is that most of their individual albums are very nearly as good as this greatest hits disc. There is no sharp drop off in quality between the songs that made the A-Sides discs and those that didn't. In fact, many of the songs that I have most enjoyed on individual albums did not make this disc.

This is power pop, a genre that has wide but not universal appeal. I absolutely love it. To me there is nothing more exciting than a band that can combine a strong of marvelous hooks, catchy lyrics, and great musicianship to craft easily accessible and joyous pop songs. Sloan absolutely excels at this form. They have a sort of genius for hook-driven songs, with precisely the right enhancements to put the song over the edge towards perfection: a guitar riff here, some horns there, some tight harmonies, a thick and lush guitar chord, an organ or hand clap. On top of all this they are a wonderfully tight, talented group. They don't quite reach the level of the New Pornographers in their playing, but then who does?

Every song on this disc is stellar and the disc moves from one stunning gem to another. "Underwhelmed" starts the disc off marvelously, but instantly gives way to the equally superb and very upbeat "500 Up." The next song is the wonderful "Coax Me," and a couple of cuts later is "The Good in Everybody." As they say, the hits just keep on coming. Other highlights include "Friendship" about the end of a friendship, "The Rest of My Life" in which the singer expresses grown up thoughts about maturing, and the unusual "The Other Man," in which the singer tells a woman with a boyfriend but with whom he is sleeping while supposedly just a friend expresses his side of things ("I'm the other man/No one's rooting for me").

The only reason not to own this album is if you already own all of Sloan's other albums. And actually, that is not even right, because this version of the album comes with a DVD extra that contains videos of all the songs on the CD. The short of the matter: if you don't own this, get it.

I've become a fast fan of the band after downloading this compilation. Sloan may be "power pop" but the hooks are smart and addictive and the the hard-driving guitar riffs still come off clean without losing any edge. Essential tracks: All Used Up, The Rest of My Life, The Other Man, If It Feels Good Do It, and Underwhelmed.

If you like bands like Allister or Something Corporate but haven't heard of Sloan, start with this collection and you won't be disappointed.

OK, so this is the album containing every single they have released and therein lies it's only flaw, it's a singles collection and not a best-of. I know that some may feel these songs feel better within the context of the original albums. I think these songs fit together in a compilation. It's very strong songwriting and it documents a band's growth and changing from album to album over the years and the shift of rock music in the meantime. Since this band plays a straightahead style of powerpop that's well known people may think they have no merit because they sound like others, but do they sound superior to the others, I think so. They at least hold their own here and cut their own niche. The harmonies and melodicism are something not seen much in today's popular scene, outside of Fountains of Wayne. Yes, their sounds goes from raw straight ahead rock to studio sheen at the end, but I find that both eras fit them well. As for the DVD, I find it interesting and good in the same way I find the CD to be, and the extended documentary for the videas is very illuminating and informative about the personalities of the band and their intelligence, concepts, etc.

Although most Sloan fans doubtlessly have all these songs on the CD, the DVD included in the set makes it all worthwhile. Two hours of videos--every one released thus far--and documentary info on the making of the videos make this a must-have for any fan of the greatest band in the hemisphere. If you're unfamiliar with Sloan, there's no better way to get an introduction to what these guys are about. Tell you what--just stop reading the reviews and order this, already.

"Best of" compilations are funny things. If you're a fan of the artist then you would (or should!) probably already own everything that would conceivably make up a "Best Of". So are the compilations meant more as an introduction for new fans? I guess so (see more later) BUT the popular trick of throwing in a couple of new songs means that serious fans (aka completists like me) end up buying the compilation too.

In any event, all this discussion is a side issue to the fact that "A-Sides Win" is an awesome reminder of how great the Canadian band Sloan are. Fact! Fans of the band will all agree that they should be massive and deserve to enjoy the heady heights of fame and success achieved by Weezer, Fountains of Wayne and other more successful exponents of what would probably be described as the Power Pop sub-genre of alt rock. Nevertheless, they do remain a best kept secret and maybe the band wants it like that after their ups and downs of the last 10 years?

Listening to their development from the tuneful indie types who successfully emerged from the Nova Scotia alternative scene, through to a more mature, harmony-laden and serious Power Pop band is a little like listening to a various artist compilation of mixed 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's power pop. Which is not to say that:-
(a) they don't have their own identity - even with 4 different singers, every song is a "Sloan song"!
OR
(b) they don't sound current - in fact, despite the throwbacks to decades of yesteryear, it is remarkable to me that early singles like "Underwhelmed" stand up as well as later songs like "The Other Man" (the best Crowded House song that Crowded House never wrote).

The inclusion of all the bands' videos and various other DVD extras however is the thing that to me, makes this an absolute MUST BUY for not only Sloan fans but any fans of Power Pop or the broader spectrum of melodic alternative rock. As I said earlier, if you're new to Sloan then don't delay, order this NOW. If you already know that G turns to D, then you should also know that A-Sides most definitely do WIN.

To say that I was underwhelmed (if that's a word) the first time I saw Sloan perform is not an exaggeration. It was summer of 1992 and, living in Halifax at the time, had heard nothing but great things about the band many considered to be the next coming of the Beatles (or, at least, of April Wine, the last great Nova Scotian-fronted rock band). I don't know if it was the particular performance (opening for Sass Jordan, Extreme, and Brian Adams), but the sound was bad, the band obviously tight and uninteresting (or stoned, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt). It was like listening to Nirvana through a transistor radio.

13 years later, they are a much better band!

The most obvious thing you notice about this compilation is that Sloan has found the fine balance between having a distinctive "sound" and having all their songs sound the same (something the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, etc. have never quite achieved). There is a range from bippy pop-rock to hard rock, which makes this album enjoyable to listen to, even if you are unfamiliar (as I was) with many of the songs. And when they are good, they are very good, as the sublimely perfect "Underwhelmed" and "Losing California" demonstrate. I can't help but feel deep affection for anyone who (a) writes a line like "But one thing's for sure: her spelling's atrocious" and (b) shamelessly uses slang local to their roots (e.g. talking about going to the "L.C." which is Nova Scotia slang for the liquor store).

And, along with 16 songs, you get a bonus DVD with the album. How's that for value!?

Unfortunately, the record company (Koch) has, in their wisdom, put an anti-piracy software protection on the CD. I like to listen to CD's in my office, but I cannot abide the necessity of loading copyright spyware onto my computer. I question the judgement of any record company accusing me of music piracy as soon as I put on the album. Need I point out that I, in fact, BOUGHT the album?!? If I wanted these songs for free, I know exactly where to go to get them. Perhaps this is petty, and perhaps I am wrongfully taking out my anger on one band for the sins of an archaic dinosaur of a record company, but I can't help but get angry, just for a moment, every time I pick up the album.

Sloan is a pretty good band. They are the type of hometown boys who one hopes will make good. They are not extravagantly talented, but among the four of them, they know how to write really good - sometimes very good - songs. And while their albums are always a bit uneven, several tracks (not only the singles) from each of them have emerged as favorites of fans and critics.

For these reasons, Sloan's singles collection is especially useful to the curious listener. Of course, a band's singles are not necessarily their "best" songs. However, knowing a band's singles is the most effective way to learn what made them popular. On A Sides Win - named after a track from their 1996 album One Chord to Another - each album is represented by at least two songs, except for 2003's Action Pact. Two very worthwhile new recordings are also included. (The hard-rocking "All Used Up", which isn't quite as good as "Try To Make It", was released as a single.)

One Chord to Another, considered among many critics to be their best album, is the only one to have three of its songs featured on this collection. Among these is the (early) Chicago-esque "Everything You've Done Wrong" and the short and snappy "The Good In Everyone". One Chord's predecessor, Twice Removed (which was voted best Canadian album ever in two separate polls by the same magazine) is represented in part by "Coax Me", which is probably the best power pop song of their career. As long as I am working my way backward, I should mention that wonderfully clever "Underwhelmed" and "500 Up" are only two of several really good songs from their underrated debut LP, 1992's Smeared.

However, the singles-only approach causes the band's 1998-2003 output to be represented less effectively. Three adjectives can be used to describe any almost any Sloan album: "rocky" (as in rock 'n roll), "poppy", and "pensive". The "rocky" might be a bit overrepresented on this compilation at the expense of the other adjectives. Granted, the tongue-in-cheek "Money City Maniacs" is the best rock song from Navy Blues (1998). However, "She Says What She Means", with a chorus made up of dipstick puns, is probably the same album's worst one. A Sides Win would have benefited from something poppy or pensive from that album, such as "Stand By Me, Yeah", "Suppose They Close the Door", or "I'm Not Through With You Yet".

1999's Between the Bridges is similarly represented by two rock songs, "Losing California" and "Friendship". These are definitely good songs, especially the former, but that album's best tracks are "Waiting for Slow Songs" (poppy) and "The Marquee and the Moon" (pensive). "If It Feels Good Do It", from the underrated album Pretty Together (2001), is almost as bad as the title might suggest, especially its adolescent, I'm-a-carefree-rock star chorus. Fortunately, "The Other Man" is fine example of Pretty Together's more mature sound, as are that album's superb "Dreaming of You", "The Life of a Working Girl", and "Who You Talkin' To?" Finally, the one song from the underrepresented "Action Pact" (2003) is the perfectly pensive and poppy "The Rest of My Life".

In the end, A Sides Win is exactly what the title says it is: a collection of songs that were released as singles. It is not a Best Of. Still, by working at seemingly cross purposes, it achieves its objective. It gives a thorough picture of a band whose hits were sometimes good and sometimes not. However, the good songs are enough to convince the listener that Sloan is a better band than their lesser songs might suggest. While it is difficult for me to recommend any specific album without qualification, I highly suggest listening to them online (on a site like Soundpedia) and downloading the songs that you like the most (from, e.g., emusic). Eventually, you will find yourself with a playlist of at least two dozen songs that will assure you that Sloan is worthy of their popularity in Canada and of wider recognition in the U.S.