Would you be a fan if only Eventually existed?

[nowwesayitoutloud]

And the Lay It Down Clown single has Gary's Got a Boner on the flip side

[TomT]

I'd be rockin' the B-Side. ;D

Actually, I just finished making a comp. of the 4 remastered cd's and lead off with Gary's... Follow it up with Color Me Impressed then Take me Down to the Hospital and it's on a roll.

It's very cool cause I intersperse the little talking blurbs throughout. Usually after a slow number. Those are some funny quotes. I especially love what Chris says.

[wiser's deluxe]

i don't understand what the perceived knock is against Eventually, it's a smart, mature album that should have -- in a perfect world -- become a commercial breakthrough. (and maybe in Bizzaro World, it was.)
of course, this is Paul, and that was never going to happen in this world, especially not when considering how the music industry was two steps behind, focusing it's money-making vision on a lot of real junk -- some of which was copying what the The 'Mats had done before.
it's difficult to separate Eventually from the progression of where Paul was going and where he had been. as in, placing that album in a vacuum is near impossible if you're a fan.

that said, Eventually was my wife's first true exposure to Paul and The 'Mats, and she regards this as her favorite album.
the fact that she has pop and country-leaning tendencies is not something that should count against her. in fact, she probably has a better perspective on pop and what's good in some cases than many of us inclined to have a 'Mats/Paul bias.

so, for what it's worth (and as i'm re-listning to Eventually right now) i think the album stands up now, and did then. no, not his best, but perhaps his most complete attempt at making a "popular" record.
and funny, while listening to it again, i got a kick out of line from "Good Day," the subdued, "hold my life one last time" lyric, a tribute to the past, which i seem to have missed during my first few dozen listens. (ok, shoot me for missing it ... but ...)


as for "Lay it Down ..." well, let's not bring that up. however, the saving grace is having "Boner" on the B side, which, had i heard it the first time, would've become distinctly my A side.

[who?]

WTF?! All this smack about Lay it Down Clown?! The only excercise I ever get is the shakes! That's a great line! And the playing is pure, sloppy blues 'Mats, which is one of the reasons why we love 'em, isn't it? With that great slide lick to close it out right before the anthemic LOTD. C'mon, you guys are lettin' me down.

[FreeRider]

I liked Eventually, I never had a problem with those songs.

[daddybrave]

I am ashamed to say that I did not give this collection of songs the proper attention when they came out...my kneejerk reaction was a shrug...I filed it under mediocre until many years later...probably after 'folker' came out...

all of a sudden I heard them differently.

In an odd way, this album means more to me now because I underestimated it. It reminds me to dig deeper, not to rely on first impression.

[scoOter]

if there were no mats, no 14 songs, no singles soundtrack, and i heard eventually, yes, i would have definitely dug it all by itself. hearing it in context just makes it better. and worse.

[gage]

I might have noticed it but...the major label solo years and the "rockers" post LIB were a bit too forced sounding for me, great lines like "the only exericise i get is the shakes" not withstanding. Plus, even for a Paul Westerberg, he sounds depressed on this record.

[Placemat]

Y'know what's fucked up?

Until I pulled my copy, I couldn't even remember what songs were on Eventually (Love Untold & Good Day excluded). I haven't looked at, much less spun this in a long time.

Looking over the track list:

"Ain't Got Me", "You've Had It..." & "Hide N Seekin" stand out.

"These Days" & "... Around the Weekend" only really started to shine for me on the CMT tour.

I'd completely forgotten about "Time Flies...", until that hub cap line came back to haunt me.

I liked it enough when it came out, but I also remember hating the whole suit & tie, Elvis Costello look.

[bigbak]

This is a joke, right? Good one...Lay It Down Clown kicks it, and how many songwriters would give their left arm to be able to pull off Eventually?

[scoOter]

Jun 11, 2008 23:41:29 GMT -5 bigbak said:

This is a joke, right? Good one...Lay It Down Clown kicks it, and how many songwriters would give their left arm to be able to pull off Eventually?

i cede the floor to bigbak. nice job.

[brianlux]

Absolutely. Some of these songs (for me anyway) are indispensable:

"You've Had it With You"- Listening to this song is way better than beating my head against a wall when dealing with lifes frustrations.

"Once Around the Weekend"- One of my favorites. I play it most every time I pick up my guitar.

"Trumpet Clip"- Not essential, but Tommy on Trombone? Too cool!

"Angel's Walk" Anyones who's ever known a sweet kid knows it's true.

[matsrule]

I still would have gone to Omaha to see Paul open the tour at Paradise Bowl ( I actually thought it was a real music venue and not a combo bowling alley and club) and then on to Iowa.......... It was awesome

[Cathy]

I listened to Eventually all the time when it came out. I think "Ain't got me" is one of Paul's best songs and cannot figure out why it wasn't a big hit.

[kgp]

I like Eventually, but to be honest, had it been Paul's only album, it probably would have slipped under my radar.

To answer the other question: no.

[worldclassfad]

Eventually is a good album, but not a great one. 14 Songs was better in my opinion, but I have a place in my heart for both of those albums, as well as Suicaine. I think i'd still be a fan, especially if the Mats had existed, but I'd probably be pretty pissed at the fact that he only put out that one album. As for a 45 of LIDC, hell yea! I love that song, a good sloppy rock tune with one of the best piano solos of the 80's (haha).

[pm]

I'd rank the first 3 "studio" solo PW albums as:

1. Eventually
2. SG
3. 14 songs

I do love them all, and it's hard to answer the question at this point in my life. I do remember, though, that SG was the release that I hesitated (briefly) to buy... so maybe at the time eventually wasn't that great for me?

Lay it down clown is great, but i used to consider it a lesser song on Tim, not sure any more.

[nazareth]

I wouldn't be obsessed like i am now, but i'd still love 'em. I'd chalk LIDC as a fun silly punk band and Eventually as a good 90's pop/rock record. Eventually was the first PW solo album i ever bought and there are some great songs on there: Mammadaddydid, Angel's Walk, Good Day, Love Untold, hell...it's all good.

[FreeRider]

i'd certainly be a fan....i had no problem with it when it first came out. To me, it was power-pop at its best. The melodies weren't too sugary or sachharine sweet and it had an edge. And for me, it was all worth it just for a beautiful gem like "Good Day".

Too bad that Bobcat didn't use LIDC for "Shakes the Clown". A classic and under rated film, by the way.

[worldclassfad]

I do like Eventually alot, the first 5 songs are a non stop block of greatness, plus songs like Hide N Seekin and Angels Walk make it all the more listenable. I really wish they woulda included 'C'mon Little Bitch', the album needed at least one more rocker.