This week's poll is about Let Your Dim Light Shine, the album that effectively signalled the end of Soul Asylum's time in the limelight. Sell-out according to some, masterpiece in the minds of others. I'll go with the latter. I'll also choose Promises Broken as my favorite, because it's a great single and at the same time a song that grows on you.

Second and third place are probably Shut Down and I Did My Best. All in all, though, I think this album flows seamlessly from beginning to end in a rare way. To do it justice, you have to listen to all of it.

I did My Best. I absolutely adore this song. Then String of Pearls and Promises Broken.

Let your dim light shine is a brilliant album, IMHO.

I agree with Homesick that this is a great cd top to botttom; I believe the word was "masterpiece", I agree as there isn't a clunker in the bunch. I have often heard rumors that the band either didn't like this cd or didn't like the process of making the cd (what I mean is that the record company was constantly looking for another runaway train.) Anyone?

I know some die hard fans were disappointed with the "direction" of the band at this point. I vehemently defended the "direction" of the band at this point; I always argued that they were bridging the past with the present/ future.

The order of the songs just flows; Caged rat and crawl in the middle perfectly connect the beginning and the end of the cd. Picking a favorite song on any of these polls is always difficult. So; as much as I love "rocking out" to crawl and caged rat and enjoy the sweet melodies of I did my best and eyes of a child, I chose another sweet melody and great story in sting of pearls.

My favorites on LYDLS seem to be the more slower songs. I'm going with To My Own Devices as my favorite. Its got a great melody which seems to change (ever so slighty) thoughout the song until after the bridge ("save it up for a rainy day...") which is over 2 minutes.

To My Own Devices ranks high on the songs I'd really like to hear live. I Did My Best and String of Pearls follow very close behind.

Everytime I hear this song though, I always want to know whats up with that segue into Hopes Up thats attached to the end of this track. I know the drum sticks are for time keeping, but whats up with the noises one of the band members is making and why was that was included on the album (I'm just assuming for the segue, which makes it the only one in their discography, right?). Though after hearing the album with it so many times, I can't really imagine the album being without it.

Also agree in that this is just a great album. May even be my favorite SA album. I voted for Misery even though I usually would go for a non single cut. Why? Because the song is simple and flat out rocks. And in concert this song just kicks ass. As a matter of fact I think I am going to listen to it right now to get my blood flowing.

"This song is about pondering the meaning of life.... or maybe it's about a girl taking a shit... you decide"

I had to go with Just Like Anyone. Not so much for the album version, but from memories of seeing this live. The only downside to seeing this song live is that you knew the show was almost over, which sucked. The song is so energetic, and Dave goes crazy playing it. I have memories of watching them play this song and karl is hiding behind danny for fear of being impaled by dave's guitar.

The song in general is really great. It's powerful, and the video is really cool.

Phil

Definitely the toughest one yet!!! I LOVE String of Pearls and Misery and all of these songs. But I Did My Best makes me laugh out loud from the opening line......LOVE the lyrics! So that gets my vote.
Pat
Sure would like to hear it live!

Promises Broken gets it for "can you tell your troubles to someone who won't laugh at you." It's a good line...sometimes your "troubles" may not really be all that big, but at the time they are big to YOU and you don't want someone to dismiss that. That's why I like the line.

Ah, LYDLS...brings back memories of high school times: Watching the Misery video on MTV with my friends and talking about how we thought the guys were cute. Watching the Just Like Anyone video and cheering when Claire Danes' angel wings poked the eye of the snobby bitch who teased Claire in the video. Driving around the neighborhood with my friend with LYDLS in the tape deck the night I got my driver's license. Dubbing my SA tapes for that same friend because I thought the music would cheer her up, and it did!

This is the first Soul Asylum album that I bought the day it came out after waiting so long for it and I remember MTV playing Misery over and over. I was slightly disappointed when I first listened to this album, maybe because I expected so much from it, but just like the Silver Lining I think it is a grower and after several listens it grew on me. That being said... I always felt two ways about it. On one hand it has some of my favourite Soul Asylum songs, and on the other I think it has a couple of songs that are mediocre.
I voted for String of Pearls.

I love this whole record. When it first came out I was a little lukewarm on it, because it had a really strong country flavor, and I wasn't sure I liked that. It didn't really take me long to decide I did.

The only song I ever didn't care for was "just like anyone" and not so much because of the song itself. Even though I knew the lyrics and knew he wasn't going to say anything gross, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to.

I do love the way they'd segue Just Like Anyone into Closer to the Stars, live.

Having babbled all that, I went with Misery. I love the song, I've always loved the song, and it became a theme song at a job I had that involved horrible horrible customers by the thousands. We'd put Misery on repeat and laugh while the obnoxious customers wondered why.

Frustrated incorporated indeed.