Customer Reviews

Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In this 2-disc set you get a remastered version of Slanted and enchanted a few choice cut singles from the pre-matador sessions, a couple of alternate studio out-takes from the Slanted Era, the first John Peel sessions, the Watery Domestic EP, the song 'Greenlander' from the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack, the b sides from all singles released during that era, an entire concert from the Brixton Academy, and to top it all off you get an incredible packaging job w/original art work and incredible set of liner notes full of pictures and anecdotes from the band and those that were there. All I can say is that I'm an old time Pavement fan and I pretty much already own this stuff from bootlegs, and through tracking down singles and various other compilations. For the most part all of the material compiled is A+ material except for maybe the two studio outtakes and the repeat of Summer Babe 7" version I found to be a little redundant as I can't even notice a difference from the original. The early pre-Slanted singles (Mercy Snack: The Laundromat, B.Blackstick, and My First Mine) may all sound a little too primitive to the uninitiated ear and fit best on the Westing By Musket and Sextant compilation. Outside of that you have an incredible album, with some of the funnest and wittiest songs to come out of the 90's. It's a classic album that spear headed the indie rock revolution. I believe that over time this band will fall right behind Nirvana is the most influential band to come out of the 90's (they've already left those nature kids STP and S.Pumpkins in the dust).

Pavement was the reigning indie band of the 1990s, with their vibrant rock and Stephen Malkmus's deliciously strange lyrics. And at the 10th anniversary of debut "Slanted and Enchanted"'s release, devoted fans were rewarded with "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe," with a wealth of live tracks, new tracks, B-sides and more.

The original recording itself is a masterful creation: its includes the whooping "Life Singed Her," intricate "Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17," droning "In the Mouth of a Desert," gently poppy "Zürich Is Stained" and jangling, shimmering "Loretta's Scars," before wrapping up with the solid acoustic "Our Singer."

But no sooner has the rat-a-tat percussion of "Our Singer" faded out than the new stuff begins: The "Slanted Sessions," which include the droning "Mercy Snack: The Laundromat," the catchy rocker "Baptist Blacktick," a rawer, rougher alternate mix of "Here," and the shimmery indie "Nothing Ever Happens" (which sounds a bit like the Beatles). The first disc fades out with the John Peel Session #1 -- which has never been released before -- four fuzzy, solid renditions of their songs.

The second disc is almost as good, kicking off with the Watery, Domestic tracks: the ear-tingling feedback that opens "Texas Never Whispers," the sweeping "Frontwards," and the poppy "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)." The Watery Sessions are on a somewhat grimmer note with the melancholy "Greenlander," the gothic-sounding "Sue Me Jack," and the drizzly "So Stark (You're A Skyscraper)."

A second John Peel session -- also never before released -- which starts off on a grey, drizzly note but builds up to the muffled shrieks and roars of "List of Dorms." Finally, the second disc rounds off to a live performance at London's Brixton Academy in late 1992: A surprisingly clear, sharp-sounding rendition of their songs -- you can almost feel the energy crackling from Malkmus's voice.

And accompanying the two discs of music is a thick little booklet the size of a skinny CD jewel case. It doesn't really provide many new insights into the songs themselves, but it does give a look into where the guys from Pavement were before rocketing to indie-godhood. It looks like a bunch of notes pasted together, especially with some scrawled lyrics in the middle of it, written in marker with lines crossed out.

Pavement is one of those wonderful bands that have a subtle influence on many of the bands who come after them, such as, for example, Weezer. Their fuzzy, roiling guitar was offset by creative flourishes that can make your heart bleed and your ears tingle. And don't be deceived by the seeming simplicity of these songs -- under the fuzzy guitar and machine-gun percussion are outstanding melodies.

Pavement may be gone, but it's not forgotten. And "Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe" is among the best rereleases I've seen yet, with its overwhelming wealth of extras and bonuses. Vibrant and timeless -- and the rarities and B-sides make it even better.

Run out and buy this on principle alone. This is the Sgt. Pepper's of the 90's (or Revolver, or White Album, or whatever). On a personal note, I credit this album alone for my introduction and long-standing love affair with indie music. I'm sure most people reading this remember the first time they heard it too, sitting there with your jaws on the floor. It is that good, the hype is real.

Anyway, Matador, one of the premier indie labels in the country, has finally released the remastered disc including live footage and unreleased tracks. I believe it's to celebrate S&E's 10th anniversiary. The studio album itself remains revolutionary, even upon it's 5,000th listening. It might be ten years old, but each track still reaffirms everything that is wrong with commercial radio and its cohorts. I'll take Steve Malkmus' lyrical obscurity over just about anything out there. The live versions are pure fun, a nostalgiac trip back to the days when grunge was king. Of course, if you like Pavement, you probably laughed at anyone wearing flanel, but I guess that's half the enjoyment in reliving their old, live shows. Summer Babe is still the best song ever to sing along to.

This disc should be to music fans what combat boots are to Marines - standard issue.

If you're just getting into Pavement, and haven't already heard much of the stuff on this disc - buy it. It has some of the best music ever made. For those who have been down the road with the boys, though, and are wary of paying twice for the same songs - your concerns are justfied.

On the plus side, the sound quality of the Peel Sessions is better than on the (awesome, near-canonical) "Stuff Up the Cracks" bootleg. It's great that, at last, there's a legitimate way to own these songs. They're some of Pavement's best ever, and finally they're accessible (and affordable) to everyone.

Unfortunately, so much other great stuff remains exclusively on "Cracks," including the third Peel Session (from a few years later), that the bootleg will remain mighty tempting to new listeners - which sort of defeats this set's "beat the boots" purpose. (If you want the tinny live stuff on disc 2, better I guess to get it this way than on "Stray Slack.") Presumably, the "Crooked Rain"-era stuff will see official release when THAT album gets the reissue treatment on its 10th anniversary.

But this gets to the core of the problem: beyond the profit motive, why bother? What the world needed was a single, excellent Pavement rarities set. The mighty "S&E" is cheapened (if such a thing is possible) when it's slapped carelessly on a disc with one Peel Session and the few weak tracks from the (must-have) Drag City early years CD. (Just because "Mercy Snack" and "My First Mine" are from the "Slanted sessions" doesn't mean they should show up here.) I don't care how great the LP - it's going to lose its punch when, right after its final note is struck, it's followed up by a reprise of its very first track (in a basically identical "7-inch version"). Blech!

It is cool to have "Watery, Domestic," the "Trigger Cut" b-sides, and the so-so-excellent "Greenlander" all in a row: new Paveheads are in for a treat. For the rest of us... well, like me, you'll probably buy it anyway. But I bet that when I put on "S&E" in the future, this won't be the disc I reach for.

And so here it finally is...the glorious Slanted and Enchanted digitally remasted, considerably beefed up with bonus tracks, and packaged with a 60+ page booklet. The bulk of the bonus material will already be familiar to Pavement's legions: the Summer Babe single tracks were on Westing, the Peel sessions on the Stuff Up the Cracks bootleg, the concert on the Strayslack bootleg, and various other tracks on cd singles and compilations. (The only two really unreleased songs are the new mix of "Here" and "Nothing Ever Happens"). ... The sound quality of all of these recordings is so much better than their previous incarnations that it is a joy to listen to. The Slanted album tracks sound crisper and clearer, and to hear the peel sessions in full, clear stereo is amazing.

We all know that Slanted and Enchanted is a great, great album; from beginning to end, an absolute classic. When included with the rest of the material on the discs, it really paints a vivid portrait of Pavement circa 1991-1992. The alternate mix of "Here" adds a dreamy, spacey guitar line throughout, while "Nothing Ever Happens" is a catchy, poppy Spiral-sung tune. The live show is alse nice to hear, as it really showcases Pavement's ragged, off-kilter glory at the time. For my money, though, the real treats of this album lie in the Peel Sessions. They comprise eight songs, of which seven were not heard in any form on any Pavement album. "Circa 1762" is an awesome, upbeat song that I can't even believe never showed up on an album. Likewise the subdued "Secret Knowledge of the Backroads", a Silver Jews cover, with its Casio-sprinkled musings. "Kentucky Cocktail" is also great. The second Peel Session had two instrumentals ("Drunks w/ Guns" and "The List of Dorms") along with "Rain Ammunition" an upbeat, wandering tune that name checks Primal Scream, and "Ed Ames", which tells a convoluted story of a detective. These sessions really show a loose, spontaneous side of Pavement and they alone are worth the price of admission...

Here's the problem. The remastering of the original Pavement Slanted & Enchanted album, IMHO the best noise-pop album ever, ruins almost all the original album tracks. Whoever remastered the album put TOO MUCH emphasis on the bass/mid-bass. The consequence? Classic tracks like Summer Babe, Trigger Cut, Here, Zurich Is Stained, Loretta's Scars, end up sounding very muddied. Remember, there was no bass guitar recorded for most of the original album tracks; so why did the studio engineer emphasize the bass portion so much in this remaster?. Not surprisingly, the only track that actually sounds better in this remaster is In the Mouth a Desert, no doubt due to the song's driving bass line.

The wealth of additional content on this double disc edition is absolutely essential. And fortunately, they don't suffer from the same remastering issues as the the S&E tracks. The inclusion of the live concert shows Pavement at their frenetic, energetic best.

The bottom line:

If you are a Pavement fan and already own the original S&E CD, BUY this album, but KEEP your original S&E CD. Trust me.

If you are relatively new to Pavement, buy the ORIGINAL S&E CD first, then purchase the remaster for the bonus material later.

Cheers.

pavement is the best band ever. people who don't like pavement should be taken out in a field and gingerly kicked in the head by forty million kids with resin on their joy-stick worn hands and indentations on their parents couches that they just got off of after forty million weeks just to do harm to someone who doesn't like pavement. because, if you do not agree with me that pavement kicks one cubic ton of balls, you suck-- you are destine to die from sucking so very much.

Okay, most of you have probably heard "Slanted and Enchanted" and you want to know about the bonus material on this two disc set. Let me first touch on the album itself...Since you probably already know the songs I won't bore you with a description and if you have heard the album you know that not only was it one of the most important albums of the 90's but also one of the most enjoyable (enjoyable and important do not go hand and hand) the reissue however brings everything up a level and the sound improvement alone is enough of a reason to buy the reissued version...now to the bonus material...amazing, every bit as important as the original album, the live stuff shows that not only were Pavement an amazing album band but also just as good live and the Peel sessions are great! Put down the Hives cd, throw away your Strokes albums and go ahead and take you Vines cd to a used store (that is where its going to end up anyways) and go out and buy this...Let it take you back to a time when indie rock was exciting, fresh and original. (If you don't own any other Pavement albums go ahead and pick up all of their albums along with Steve's solo album you won't be disappointed)

Few 90s albums are as groundbreaking as this. But because an album is influential, doesn't qualify it as being good or listenable. This is, however, in addition to influencing a lot of below-par indie rock acts, is great, catchy, and definatly warrents repeat listenings. I can see easilly why indie and alt rockers were taken by this album. The briliantly lo-fi recording only enhances the feel (not exactly sure why this needed to be remastered, it sounded good the way it was). Also, this is a rare album without any filler. Not a single skipable track on this disc. Despite the fact that Pavement may has paved the way for many horrible bands (Bright Eyes), you can't hold it against them. I'm sure Steve Malkmus never meant to lay the groundwork for them. As for the songs themselves, they're some of the catchiest I've ever heard. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the recording sometimes obscures the fact that these are perfect pop-rock songs. Weezer could only dream of being this catchy. What can I say? If you considor yourself an indie rock kid, this should already be in your collection if you have any appreciation of your roots.

I love Pavement, and I love this album. But it's also my least favorite of all of their albums... they improved with each release.
If you're new to Pavement and want to know where to start ask yourself this: do I like rock music that is wonderful and is lo-fi and a little abbrasive? If yes, start with Slanted and Enchanted (and this rerelease). If you prefer rock music that is wonderful, and a little more accessible and cleaner, get any other Pavement release. They're all really great.

And what about those familiar with Pavement? Well, those people must buy this album. It's great! All of the B-sides and live tracks are at least as good as anything that ever made the real album (which is really rare for these types of collections). The John Peel sessions are essential, and the forty minute live show is blessed with clean sound and has the band in fine form and playing with incredible energy.

I know this review is a bit brief and to the point (if I had the time I'd do a song by song review of each track) but just know that this isn't some thrown together collection; this is a beautifully compiled historical document of the band's lo-fi days, with unreleased material that actually ranks along with the band's best.