Seeing as how we started out with the band's latest album a week ago, I figure we'd start at the other end this time around and rank the songs on their very first record: Say What You Will. (I'm using the tracklist from Karl Sold the Truck rather than Everything Can Happen since the former is the one most commonly referred to.)

First off, I think I speak for many fans when I say that this is likely the SA album that's hardest to grow into; it definitely is if you started out with any of their stuff from the '90s. I wouldn't rank it higher than their later material, but it does have a unique quality that somehow puts it on a different level entirely, making comparison a little unfair. Suffice to say that it's a whole lot of fun to listen to when you've gotten past the first impression and realized that this album is a lot more than just obscenities and screaming.

As for the poll, I wouldn't be in the least surprised to find that one song in particular gets the most votes by a wide margin. I don't want to risk affecting the outcome, though, so I'll keep that to myself for now.

For me, it's a close race between Masquerade and Broken Glass. Masquerade is a hilarious, eccentric piece of pre-fame Soul Asylum coupled with Dave's witty and provocative lyrics while Broken Glass is, bluntly put, probably the "better" song of the two (and a brilliant contribution by Dan). As previously stated, though, I don't consider Say What You Will a typical album, and as such, I won't apply typical standards when rating it. Masquerade it is.

This would probably be the hardest album (for me) to choose for as all the songs off here are real gems in my opinion. The song I listen to the most off of here is definitely Stranger; probably because of the catchy solo sax chorus.

But my vote would have to go to the shortest song on the album (and SA's entire discography) Sick of That Song. Although half of the song is repetitive, (I think is part of the irony of the song too) the other half of lyrics of the song couldn't be more true and holds up just as well, if not even better to today's songs than the ones 20+ years ago. I think of this song whenever I hear a Eminem song on the radio; i.e. regarding the line about "your mother", and many rap songs. This was actually the first song I learned the lyrics to on SWYW (mostly due to the length and also I think they're a little easier to understand in this song than many others on the album).

Here's just a few other lines that would make the song a little longer and update it a little more (since this song came out before rap had become popular).

I'm sick of that song about all the women in your ring
I'm sick of that song about all of your God damn bling
Sick of that song about how you worship "that thing"

Yeah, I'm sick of that song about how you're the number one sinner
I'm sick of that song about how your label's the winner
I'm sick of that song about all your cars with the spinners

Again, I'll stop before I get too carried away.

in my opinion, this might be the easiest album to choose a favorite song off of. In my opinion, this album is better more for historical value than anything else. I kind of rank it up there with the first 'Mats albums. There are a couple good songs showcasing where the band is going, and lots of angry songs with lots of shouting etc. A lot of it is kind of "uninspired" punk rock, and quite different from most of what I listen to. If not for what the band did later, I doubt I'd even consider buying an album like this.

However, that being said, there are a few gems on the album, and after enough listens most of it can be tolerable. Occasionally I enjoy listening to this. Two songs in particular stand out: Stranger (of course), and Masquerade. Both kind of show a mellower side of the band, and things to come. Of course, I always wished (in retrospect) that later albums utilized horns a lot more. Having a sax in later songs could be be really cool, I always loved it in stranger.

Phil

"Stranger" is in a league by itself. One of their very best.

But "Black and Blue" and "Draggin' Me Down" are both great punk songs.

Monolith Maniac wrote:I'm sick of that song about all the women in your ring
I'm sick of that song about all of your God damn bling
Sick of that song about how you worship "that thing"

Yeah, I'm sick of that song about how you're the number one sinner
I'm sick of that song about how your label's the winner
I'm sick of that song about all your cars with the spinners

Dude, that is brilliant! You should go along with Dave on tour and start revamping their old songs one by one.

I don't think I need to point out that Stranger was the song I was referring to earlier.

Actually, I enjoy the Palais Royale version a lot more than the one on SWYW. It's not just that I think the harmonica sounds better than the sax (although the sax sounds great as well); I also find Dave's vocal performance more appealing—humility rather than frustration fits the song's themes and lyrics better, in my opinion. If this version were on SWYW, it would definitely receive my vote. (Stranger is still in my top three on SWYW, though—definitely.)

I LOVE this album and so many songs off of it. I voted for Reliavision but Stranger is also one of my favorite Soul Asylum songs of all time. Masquerade is right up there in favorites, but I think of it as a Times Incinerator song.

When I first bought this record it had come out pretty recently and I was in high school, so maybe the historical references it has for me in my life have something to do with why I love it.

this one was hard for me because there are two soul asylum records i truly don't like, and this is one of them. there is only one song on it that i like, and even having said that, the version of it on this record is the version i like the least.

but i voted for it, and of course it's "stranger".

this is the first soul asylum music i heard, and it never grew on me no matter how many times i was made to listen to it. i bought my own copy years later, after i'd developed a real liking for the band, thinking that i'd be more biased toward it. didn't work at all. it's the one record of theirs i own that i never ever listen to.

i wont get rid of it though

One of the things I really like about later versions of Stranger is that Dave switched "I feel like a stranger" for "Then I feel even stranger". Somehow, it fits the flow of the song so perfectly that you're amazed it wasn't there from the beginning.

I chose Stranger too.

Though if I'm pissed off, Draggin' Me Down and Broken Glass would be played first.