6.8
Pitchfork loves reissues, because they give the site's writers a chance to evaluate albums that they are already pretty familiar with, allowing them to bask in the soft glow of nostalgia, correct the historical record, or bury that ax they have to grind square in someone's head. Hell, they've reviewed Pet Sounds twice already! So, as we eagerly anticipate having a stroke at the inevitably sub-10.0 review for the upcoming reissue of Unknown Pleasures, a random sampling of the reissue goodness that the Fork has bestowed on us thus far:
(Capitol 1967; r: 2007)
Piper is a trendy pick for favorite Floyd album because a) it is the only record to feature psych-savant and tragic acid/mental illness casualty Syd Barret and b) a lot of people really hate Roger Waters. This self-explanatory reissue comes in either a two or three disc package, the two disc containing the stereo and mono mixes of the record, and the three disc with non-album singles and b-sides. According to reviewer Joshua Klein, this is not a treasure trove: "This new edition underscores the reality that EMI and/or the surviving members of Pink Floyd-- especially since they shifted from band to de facto corporation-- have been either downright stingy with their unreleased archives or hopelessly coy about what may lie in there..." As for the record itself, the critical consensus is largely upheld: "Few would criticize the merits of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn itself (as reflected in the rating above)-- it's an essential album." Bonus anti-Wall drive-by: "By 1980's The Wall, Pink Floyd had become sterile and solipsistic."
RATING: 9.4
(Harvest 1977, 1978, Warner Bros. 1979; r: 2006)
Wire's first three albums constitute something of a rock snob holy trinity. Released within a three year span, each record displayed a marked evolution in sound over the last, with Pink Flag's articulate, minimal first wave UK punk spilling over into the Eno-inflected ambient experimentalism of Chairs Missing and terminating in 154's even more obscure foray into synth-layered post-punk. The reissues are most notable for stripping the bonus tracks off of the previously available (but difficult to find) CD editions, thus presenting the records as they were initially intended by the band. Joe Tangari uses his second bite of the apple to respectfully appraise Wire Mk. 1 (the band ceased making music for a time after 154, famously claiming to have run out of ideas), and affirm the idea that 154 is ever so slightly inferior to its predecessors; this is completely bullshit, as tracks like "Outdoor Miner", "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W.", and "The 15th" amply demonstrate.
RATINGS: 10.0, 10.0, 9.1
The Stooges - The Stooges/Fun House
(Elektra 1969, 1970; r: Rhino, 2005)
My biggest problem with Pitchfork is the arbitrary nature of its vaunted numerical rating system: can we possibly discern within a decimal place on a 1-to-10 scale how good a record is? Joe Tangari's review of the first two Stooges albums is case in point. Both albums are widely acknowledged as essential progenitors of the American glam and punk scenes of the 1970s - assigning a numerical value is kind of like saying the pyramids at Giza are 0.5 points better than Stonehenge. Plus a sub-9.0 rating for The Stooges ought to be enough to have your rock critic credentials permanently revoked. So we're saying that Strawberry Jam is better than the first Stooges record? Really?
RATINGS: 8.9, 9.4
Beck - The Information: Deluxe Edition
(Interscope 2006; r: 2007)
You've heard of inessential reissues: surely Elvis Costello's back catalogue does not require an new exhumation every time he jumps record companies. Well, this is an inessential review of an inessential reissue. To be fair to Interscope, this kind of ex post facto "value added" repackaging doesn't quite fall under the rubric of reissuing so much as it is an attempt to sucker Beck's most ardent fans into buying the same record twice, so that they might have the cursory bonus CD of six remixes. The review, however, is a clearly a second crack at The Information itself, which P'fork reviewed only six months earlier, with Ryan Dombal assigning the record a 6.9, saying "Although The Information contains some of his most aware, intriguing lyrical head-scratchers yet, the familiar musical settings are something of a letdown from an artist famous for complete reinvention." Curiously, Nate Patrin brings a tentative, "we come to praise Beck, not to bury him" approach to his write-up: "The Information's a pretty decent album, and time's been fair to it: After half a year's worth of exposure, the moments that sounded like blatant sore-thumb references on first listen...feel a bit more integrated into a greater sonic whole, while the album's less-immediate experimental tracks...have worked their way from dull, instant skip-overs into tolerable diversions." Wow. Sounds pretty...noncommittal. Luckily, Pitchfork is free, or else this review might be accused of serving solely as a space-filling cash-in.
RATING: 7.4
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica: Extended Edition
(Epic, 2000; r: 2004)
So you were wondering when we were going to get to that whole "ax to grind" bit I was talking about: well here it is. Initially, Pitchfork gave TM&A an eye-popping 9.8 review, with ex-Forker Brent "I made that story up about the Beastie Boys' publicist" DiCrescenzo capping off perhaps the most positive review written by anyone about anything ever by claiming that "OK Computer must be mentioned, for Modest Mouse just got invited to the same club." Well, four years after its initial release, a remastered TM&A (Modest Mouse's first record for major label Epic) was reissued with new cover art and bonus tracks in anticipation of the follow-up, Good News For People Who Love Bad News. Re-reviewer Stephen M. Deusner makes it clear that he has few quibbles with DiCrescenzo's original assessment; his take is all about the apparent sacrilege of the reissue concept itself. The new art's no good ("too abstract, muted, and minimalist"), the new mix is apparently sharper but evidently superfluous ("I doubt there have been any great strides in audio technology that would render the original primitive"), and the bonus tracks pointlessly extend an already-marathon listen while adding nothing new. Deusner characterizes this issue of TM&A as a "near-deluxe" edition, despite the paltry extras and the $12 price tag; I would suggest that it was a fair attempt by Epic to cash in on the new Modest Mouse fans garnered by "Float On".
RATING: 5.0
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe
(Matador, 1992; r: 2002)
Sadly, Chris Ott's review of Matador's super deluxe ten year anniversary reissue of Pavement's outstanding debut appears to no longer be available on the Pitchfork website. From what I recall, however, it was one of the few Fork meta reviews that actually worked really well (Nick Sylvester's take on Daft Club is pretty priceless too). Instead of turning in some sober reassessment or attempting to put his own critical stamp on Slanted, Ott's review was a fawning devotional to the album handwritten on yellow ruled notebook paper. He succeeds by communicating the idea that a record can be so beloved and idealized by the listener that any attempt at critical distance would be a total put-on; it's right up there with reviewing your first kiss.
RATING: 10.0
RATINGS: 10.0, 10.0, 9.1
The Stooges - The Stooges/Fun House
(Elektra 1969, 1970; r: Rhino, 2005)
My biggest problem with Pitchfork is the arbitrary nature of its vaunted numerical rating system: can we possibly discern within a decimal place on a 1-to-10 scale how good a record is? Joe Tangari's review of the first two Stooges albums is case in point. Both albums are widely acknowledged as essential progenitors of the American glam and punk scenes of the 1970s - assigning a numerical value is kind of like saying the pyramids at Giza are 0.5 points better than Stonehenge. Plus a sub-9.0 rating for The Stooges ought to be enough to have your rock critic credentials permanently revoked. So we're saying that Strawberry Jam is better than the first Stooges record? Really?
RATINGS: 8.9, 9.4
Beck - The Information: Deluxe Edition
(Interscope 2006; r: 2007)
You've heard of inessential reissues: surely Elvis Costello's back catalogue does not require an new exhumation every time he jumps record companies. Well, this is an inessential review of an inessential reissue. To be fair to Interscope, this kind of ex post facto "value added" repackaging doesn't quite fall under the rubric of reissuing so much as it is an attempt to sucker Beck's most ardent fans into buying the same record twice, so that they might have the cursory bonus CD of six remixes. The review, however, is a clearly a second crack at The Information itself, which P'fork reviewed only six months earlier, with Ryan Dombal assigning the record a 6.9, saying "Although The Information contains some of his most aware, intriguing lyrical head-scratchers yet, the familiar musical settings are something of a letdown from an artist famous for complete reinvention." Curiously, Nate Patrin brings a tentative, "we come to praise Beck, not to bury him" approach to his write-up: "The Information's a pretty decent album, and time's been fair to it: After half a year's worth of exposure, the moments that sounded like blatant sore-thumb references on first listen...feel a bit more integrated into a greater sonic whole, while the album's less-immediate experimental tracks...have worked their way from dull, instant skip-overs into tolerable diversions." Wow. Sounds pretty...noncommittal. Luckily, Pitchfork is free, or else this review might be accused of serving solely as a space-filling cash-in.
RATING: 7.4
Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica: Extended Edition
(Epic, 2000; r: 2004)
So you were wondering when we were going to get to that whole "ax to grind" bit I was talking about: well here it is. Initially, Pitchfork gave TM&A an eye-popping 9.8 review, with ex-Forker Brent "I made that story up about the Beastie Boys' publicist" DiCrescenzo capping off perhaps the most positive review written by anyone about anything ever by claiming that "OK Computer must be mentioned, for Modest Mouse just got invited to the same club." Well, four years after its initial release, a remastered TM&A (Modest Mouse's first record for major label Epic) was reissued with new cover art and bonus tracks in anticipation of the follow-up, Good News For People Who Love Bad News. Re-reviewer Stephen M. Deusner makes it clear that he has few quibbles with DiCrescenzo's original assessment; his take is all about the apparent sacrilege of the reissue concept itself. The new art's no good ("too abstract, muted, and minimalist"), the new mix is apparently sharper but evidently superfluous ("I doubt there have been any great strides in audio technology that would render the original primitive"), and the bonus tracks pointlessly extend an already-marathon listen while adding nothing new. Deusner characterizes this issue of TM&A as a "near-deluxe" edition, despite the paltry extras and the $12 price tag; I would suggest that it was a fair attempt by Epic to cash in on the new Modest Mouse fans garnered by "Float On".
RATING: 5.0
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe
(Matador, 1992; r: 2002)
Sadly, Chris Ott's review of Matador's super deluxe ten year anniversary reissue of Pavement's outstanding debut appears to no longer be available on the Pitchfork website. From what I recall, however, it was one of the few Fork meta reviews that actually worked really well (Nick Sylvester's take on Daft Club is pretty priceless too). Instead of turning in some sober reassessment or attempting to put his own critical stamp on Slanted, Ott's review was a fawning devotional to the album handwritten on yellow ruled notebook paper. He succeeds by communicating the idea that a record can be so beloved and idealized by the listener that any attempt at critical distance would be a total put-on; it's right up there with reviewing your first kiss.
RATING: 10.0
