Biggest let down you felt - mats/pw releases

[pm]

i remember being very exicted when these were first released but felt let down when i heard them:

Mats: PTMM

PW: Folker

still my least favorites; although they both have great songs on them...

[timtoast]

Dead Man Shake still doesn't do anything for me

[daddybrave]

i never trust my first response anymore. this after totally dismissing 'eventually' and then having it wallop me about 8 years later.

[kgp]

Mats - Let It Be

Okay, I should probably explain this: at the time (mid 90s or so), I had every record of theirs but LIB, and when I finally got my hands on it, it was a bit of a let down because I'd built it up to be this big, life-changing thing and it was just a good (at times great) record.

Solo - The bits and pieces released after 49:00. To be honest, I'd include 49:00. I know that's not going to win me any popularity points, and I swear I'm not being a contrarian. I think that by the time PW started doing his online only, basement tapes thing, I had already begun to move away from the whole "indie = good, everything else = bad" mentality.

[scoOter]

i thought there a fair amount (this is paul westerberg afterall - it's relative) of hype for folker. it has great songs on it, but overall it was a real let down in terms of everything else beyond the songs themselves.

the title track could've been a great rocker, but as it is it is sorely lacking. sorry.

[Placemat]

Mats-Hmm...DTAS

Solo-Folker, without a doubt.

[thetwilitekid]

Feb 20, 2010 16:00:13 GMT -5 @kgp said:

Mats - Let It Be

Okay, I should probably explain this: at the time (mid 90s or so), I had every record of theirs but LIB, and when I finally got my hands on it, it was a bit of a let down because I'd built it up to be this big, life-changing thing and it was just a good (at times great) record.

Verbatim for me, except it was in the late 90s.

[raccoon]

There is no such thing as a disappointing Mats/Westerberg release for me. The re-issues could have been much better though. Ghosts gloves is building up steam. Why is it that his material always seems to grow stronger over time?? Did anybody really like Suicaine the first time that they heard it? Paul foretold the future when he predicted that it would be underappreciated initially then later be embraced...

[ndesimon]

Feb 22, 2010 15:29:16 GMT -5 raccoon said:

Did anybody really like Suicaine the first time that they heard it? Paul foretold the future when he predicted that it would be underappreciated initially then later be embraced...

Suicaine was released during one of the saddest periods of my life: nearly every song tore away at my broken heart and I put it away for ages before giving it another listen. Now it's probably my favorite PW solo work.

So far, anyway.

[Placemat]

Feb 22, 2010 20:07:44 GMT -5 ndesimon said:

Suicaine was released during one of the saddest periods of my life: nearly every song tore away at my broken heart and I put it away for ages before giving it another listen...

Same thing for me. At the time, it felt like the fucker had climbed into my head. I shelved it after a while because it got unhealthy to hear.

[jmunj]

nothing... it's ALL good!

[bigbak]

It's sounds a bit stupid to say an album that I've played eleventy-billion times is a let down, especially considering that I've owned the album in question in three different formants, but, yeah, DTAS.

[TomT]

I think the only time I was let down was with these latest internet offerings post 49:00.

[brianlux]

I've been let down a couple of times by 'Mats/P.W. releases but then they grew on me- sometimes to the point of being favorites. So in the long run- no let downs really- just differing levels of taken up.

[DaveinDK]

I was pumped for Suicaine after hearing a couple of snippets before official release. When I got it finally, I found it mostly very bad, and I still think, aside from a few songs, it is the worst thing he's put out overall with some of his weakest material ever:

Self Defense
Sunrise Always Listens
Actor in the Street
Bookmark
Tears Rolling Up our Sleeves

I basically found these tunes unlistenable when I bought the album, and still can't stomach any of them.

[worldclassfad]

I think Suicaine stands up on its own better than Eventually, but I think Eventually is a more professional record. Eventually is more of a power pop album, while Suicane finds itself all over the place, and I like that about it.

[holeinthedrapes]

Dead Man Shake was unlistenable to me.

[tims]

Feb 23, 2010 17:54:40 GMT -5 TomT said:

I think the only time I was let down was with these latest internet offerings post 49:00.

ditto. ready for a band.

[A Regular]

maybe DTAS, but I still sung along to half the songs.

[lampshadesunset]

Sorry for the lack of introduction, thought I'd just jump right in

Feb 22, 2010 15:29:16 GMT -5 raccoon said:

Did anybody really like Suicaine the first time that they heard it?

From the first time I heard Wonderful Lie SG has been my favourite PW record. After years of listening to it I still can't get my head around how good or underrated I think it is (although I do agree his stuff only improves with hindsight.)

An important note, I think, with PW records (and I suppose I could include The 'Mats stuff in this) is that each record encapsulates something which will entrap one listener or another. For every fan who found Folker to be a disappointment it will top someone else's recently played list, for each person standing militantly by 14 song's claims to first place there's another who feels it's the most overrated. It's really interesting to see different reactions to the records though. I think something unique about The 'Mats and Westerberg is that with a discussion like this, there isn't any of the usual posturing and elitism with people choosing their favourite album on the basis of how it reflects on them. Well.. I'll quit rambling now.