What is your favorite album by Soul Asylum?

[sayeeda]

I couldn't possibly decide now. I don't have all the albums...yet. Hmmm.

[Monolith Maniac]

I forgot to post a reply the other day when I chose my answer, but I went with The Silver Lining. Even though I had felt it was a tough decision which album to choose, I actually feel that their latest work has been their best yet. I kind of felt bad that I could only choose one, but the others definitely aren't far behind. In my opinion, I can see The Silver Lining holding up just as good 20 years from now, just as Hang Time and Horse have been.

[CrazyLittleWoman]

It's Grave Dancer's Union.

I've hemmed and hawed over the contenders: Hang Time, And the Horse They Rode In On, Grave Dancer's Union, and Let Your Dim Light Shine. All of the albums, even the non-contenders, have plenty to love about them. But in the end, it's Grave Dancer's Union.

It's simply the most perfectly paced album you will ever hear in your life, from that incredible, memorable riff of Somebody to Shove that opens it to the lullaby quiet of The Sun Maid that closes it down.

Most of the songs are great. All of them are good.

And Runaway Train is severely underrated due to overexposure. It's one of the great songs if you come to it with fresh ears and open mind.

Grave Dancer's Union is the one Soul Asylum album I almost always listen to from start to finish, even when I didn't intend to.

[lune ellise]

Whoa! Looks like Horse is dominating the polls! That's quite unexpected... SWEET!

I chose (finally!) Hang Time. I will post a review of it later on (because I have to give chance to another fave band of mine), along with a list from my most favorite to least favorite SA albums. I did review the "Columbia 3" and The Silver Lining though...

[Sometime to Return]

CrazyLittleWoman
And Runaway Train is severely underrated due to overexposure. It's one of the great songs if you come to it with fresh ears and open mind.

I couldn't agree more; I have done my fair of vacillating on this song. I don't listen to this cd much because Sara has it in her SUV because the kids love it so much.

However; we recently took a road trip. The road trip music selection consisted of GDU, Johnny Cash and Bob Marley. Even though I listed to Runaway Train 250,000 times on this trip; I really found new appreciation for it especially the second verse and the "Pirnerism's" in it.

So tired that I couldn't even sleep
So many secrets I couldn't keep
Promised myself I wouldn't weep
One more promise I couldn't keep.

It is interesting that "Horse" is running away with the favorite album title. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great album but it only sold to sell 70,000 copies or so. So; through 1990/ 1991 they have a impressive set of albums, are loved by critics by, can’t find a mass audience and hated by their record company (A&M).

Luckily; the sign with Columbia (I think) and GDU comes out. GDU has a different sound than anything previous. If you put out great album after great album and can't sell them; why not try something different? Banging your head against a well with out a helmet on hurts after a while, if you what I mean.

GDU is a great cd from top to bottom; but the opening two songs make it for me and if “Runaway Train” isn’t the monster hit it is; there might not be a LYDLS/ CFAS (that might be ok with some) and a TSL. Thanks to my recent road trip; I have found “my fresh ears and open mind” and a new appreciation for Runaway Train.

I am still trying to make sense of this post as well; but it’s interesting that the cd that almost led them to breaking up is the favorite amongst us.

[zany]

i'm one of the many horse-voters. after thinking about it long and hard, i decided it was the most well-rounded album (has good mix of fast rock-ing-ish songs plus slower ones like we3 and gullible).
plus there's only one song on there i only like 'just ok' (brand new shine - sorry i don't like that drum part) and the rest i love.

i might have voted for gdu years ago but even though i took a loooong break from it, even now when i listen to it i still feel like i overplayed the whole thing (my own doing) and while i still love many songs on their own the whole album is more nostalgia for me than music?? if that makes any sense. it has too much emotional attachment from listening it to it during my more emotional years over and over.

so it is a biased vote but that's the point

[Sometime to Return]

When horses was released in 1990 or so; the dominant music..sigh was crappy ass hair bands, you know the offenders. Soul Asylum wasn’t a “hairband” and “alternative” music hadn’t reached its audience yet. The A&R guys/ gals and record companies didn’t know how to market Soul Asylum; they couldn’t be labeled.

Certainly respect your opinion, but the reason why I like brand new shine is I think Dave was thinking the same thing. I think the song is a direct shot at crappy ass hair bands; the record companies for pushing this stuff as music or/ and the A&R guys who were on “easy street” making lots of money without having to do a damn thing but "follow the formula." Three chords and crappy song writing doesn’t make you good or listenable; just because you sell a million albums.

Now they're cranking 'em out by the millions
They look and act exactly just the same
And each one's one in a million
And each has got its own elusive game

[zany]

if the drum part were just taken away completely i'd like the song - i like the lyrics and melody parts. but the drumming... ugh. it just grates on my nerves for some reason.

anyways, why don't you name some of those hairband offenders? i wasn't really in on the music scene back then and don't know much except what lasted on bad dj's playlists at crpy bars.

[Sometime to Return]

zany
if the drum part were just taken away completely

You appear to be insulting the great Grant Young The audacity, take the back.

It doesn’t come across as funny or humorous (after I re-read my post) when I say crappy hairbands, really it’s meant to be in jest or mock or poke a little fun or rib etc…with out the intention of insulting anyone who likes them. I just didn’t.

zany
i wasn't really in on the music scene back then

How old are you?...wait; don't answer that, just consider yourself fortunate.

[zany]

it's not the drummer's ability i dislike it's ... well i guess whoever writes the drum part (if the drummer gets no writing credits doesn't that mean the drum part's also written by dave? not sure!) it's just that alternating bass/snare beat thing that just ... resonantes in me the wrong way or something!!

i'm 27 (i was about 12/13 when runaway train reached my ears and had just started getting into what was popular at the time)