Slanted and Enchanted (Luxe & Reduxe)

by

Pavement

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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).

I'm not sure how retroactively Pavement's status as definitive indie rock band of the 90s has been awarded but it seems like they became a much bigger deal after they broke up than they ever were when they were together. This debut album could hold it's own against the albums Unrest and Sebadoh released around the same time, but Dinosaur Jr, Yo La Tengo, Buffalo Tom, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver, Superchunk and Archers Of Loaf were making similar more substancial albums. This could be a worthwhile doucment of how ramshackle indie rock can get while still being tuneful some of the time, but it's not a genre landmark or a satisfying listen from start to finish which most fans even seem to admit.