Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Discuss any aspect of Soul Asylum, their music, and the band's members.

What album would you give a non-fan to convince him/her?

And the Horse They Rode In On
5
20%
Candy From A Stranger
1
4%
Clam Dip & Other Delights
0
No votes
Grave Dancers Union
2
8%
Hang Time
2
8%
Let Your Dim Light Shine
2
8%
Made To Be Broken
0
No votes
Say What You Will, Clarence... Karl Sold the Truck
0
No votes
The Silver Lining
4
16%
Time's Incinerator
0
No votes
While You Were Out
0
No votes
Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum
5
20%
Closer To the Stars: Best of the Twin/Tone Years
0
No votes
Other (unofficial compilation, single, bootleg, etc.)
4
16%
 
Total votes: 25

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Homesick
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Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by Homesick »

If you had a friend with no previous knowledge of Soul Asylum whom you wanted to turn into a fan, which album would you give him or her?

Please note that the two official compilations are included in the list of poll options.

This kind of choice depends on the musical taste of the person in question, of course, but here's how I would reason:

Although I enjoy the selection of songs on Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum and would seriously consider Hang Time, I would probably choose Grave Dancers Union because I feel the three opening songs are memorable and diverse enough that at least one of them will appeal to the listener and draw him/her in. Runaway Train in this case could be an incentive to keep listening (if he/she likes it) or a contrast to the other songs on the record, showing that there's a lot of variation to the band's music (if he/she doesn't care for it all that much). It also represents a mid-point in the band's career and musical style that's exciting to start collecting from because there are at least two distinct styles (pre- and post-GDU) to discover.
Jakob Kallin, webmaster of EnterTheSoulAsylum.com

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zany
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by zany »

i was surprised i thought of my answer really quickly (the silver lining). i think it's because it's the most current and won't sound as ... dated? i'm not sure the other albums would sound dated, but i wonder if they might...

i briefly considered blackgold compilation but IDEALLY i'd make my own 'mix tape' for this person with ... i don't know maybe 5 songs (assume a short attention span on my friends)

let's see.... off the top of my head:

Can't Even Tell
whatcha need
Runaway Train
somebody to shove
Cartoon

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Monolith Maniac
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by Monolith Maniac »

zany wrote:i was surprised i thought of my answer really quickly (the silver lining). i think it's because it's the most current and won't sound as ... dated? i'm not sure the other albums would sound dated, but i wonder if they might...
I also immediately thought of The Silver Lining by just reading the title but since you included Black Gold: The Best of Soul Asylum in the list I would probably have to choose that since it contains a mixed bag of almost all their styles of music. Granted it doesn't have any material of The Silver Lining on it, I actually think it'd be a wiser choice then just having them listening to more or less one style of their music which is usually on their album.

Listening to Lonely For You on the Black Gold album could possibly lead them into liking material on Candy, or The Silver Lining. Listening to Cartoon might make them enjoy Hang Time or Horse.

If they purchase one of the albums because of one or two songs they liked on the compilation they might actually find they like another style of their music even more (buying Horse for We 3 but loving All The King's Friends even more). This could eventually lead them to buying a whole bunch of albums and becoming a huge fan.

Overall, I think Columbia actually did a fairly decent job on the compilation; too bad it didn't come out now so it could include The Silver Lining (though unfortunately I can't see Columbia/Legacy releasing one today even if it was SA's first compilation).
Jim Metz, Webmaster of EnterTheSoulAsylum.com

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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by mystic_spiral_3 »

I voted for "Horse." I actually did use that one to get a friend into listening to SA. We were 16, stressed out over-achieving high school juniors and I lent her my tape because I found it helpful and soothing. She did too, so I ended up dubbing it for her. She never became as big a fan as I did, but she did like alot of Horse and LYDLS, and selected other songs.

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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by Yaz McBoo »

I've done this a few times and have always gone with the homemade mix. The last person I did this for has no real interest in rock music, or any knowledge whatsoever of the band or what their hits are. That person still wasn't too keen on the band after hearing the mix, but offered up that the newer stuff was more likeable, and particularly made note of Runaway Train and Oxygen. My most recent mix:

1. Somebody to Shove (Grave Dancers Union, 1992)
2. Bittersweetheart (Let Your Dim Light Shine, 1995)
3. Gone Forgotten (Let Your Dim Light Shine B-side, 1995)
4. Misery (Let Your Dim Light Shine, 1995)
5. Whatcha Need (The Silver Lining, 2006)
6. Can’t Go Back (Made to Be Broken, 1986)
7. Cartoon (Hang Time, 1988)
8. Easy Street (And the Horse They Rode In On, 1990)
9. Black Gold (Grave Dancers Union, 1992)
10. Without a Trace (Grave Dancers Union, 1992)
11. Sometime to Return (Hang Time, 1988)
12. Closer to the Stars (orig. While You Were Out, Live 1995)
13. Black Star (Candy From a Stranger outtake, demo pre-1998)
14. We 3 (And the Horse They Rode In On, 1990)
15. Freak Accident (The Silver Lining outtake, Live 2001)
16. Be On Your Way (And the Horse They Rode In On, 1990)
17. Freaks (While You Were Out, 1986)
18. Never Really Been (Made to Be Broken, 1986)
19. Runaway Train (Grave Dancers Union, 1992)
20. Oxygen (The Silver Lining, 2006)
21. Just Like Anyone (Let Your Dim Light Shine, 1995)
22. Stranger (Say What You Will, 1984)

If I had to choose only an album for the sake of a vote, I'd probably go for Horse.

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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by sheryl »

I picked Silver Lining, only because it's the most relevant to now, but I've had friends i've wanted to convince and i made them mixes. The caveman (so named because he was my toughest sell) mix has never failed.

Nobody I've given that mix to has disliked the band at all and several of them , including Caveman, turned into full on fans.

To quote him "Those are some good tunes! I never would have thought it from Runaway fucking Train."

The Caveman Mix

Lately
Crazy Mixed up World
Whatcha Need
Success Is Not So Sweet
Oxygen
Fearless Leader
Blood Into Wine
Misery
Promises Broken
Bittersweetheart
String of Pearls
Somebody to Shove
Without a Trace
Nice Guys Don't Get Paid
Something out of Nothing
Gullibles Travels
Easy Street
Grounded
P-9
Sometime to Return
Cartoon
Twiddly Dee
No Mans Land
Crashing Down
Closer to the Stars (several versions)
Miracle Mile
Passing Sad Daydream
Never Really Been
Long Way Home
Stranger
Candy From a Stranger
Gone Forgotten
One Way Conversation
Little House on the Edge
Black Star
Lucky One

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jasonC
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by jasonC »

I'd have to go with Let Your Dim Light Shine, first of all because its my personal favorite SA record and second Misery is one of the most mind-blowingly good rock songs ever especially if you've never heard it before. If that song doesn't generate any interest then we don't have anything in common anyway and I don't even know why this particular person is listening to music anyway, unless its for some shit like apple bottom jeans.

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sayeeda
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by sayeeda »

Hmmmm...I dunno what to vote for. :?

As I mentioned before in another thread, I was able to collect all the albums GDU and after, and Closer to the Stars, before I left the country. If I had Horse or maybe even Hang Time, you bet I'd pick one of those two...most likely Horse. I love practically all the songs on that album, from what I've heard so far thanks to Jim, Mike, and anyone else who's posted videos of SA playing songs off of Horse.

I've generally gone with GDU because it starts out with Somebody to Shove. That song just straight up caught the ear of all who I gave the album. They've come back to tell me how that song so totally rocks and SA is so melodic! My one cousin, Jul, practically fell for Shove with "this is great! this is exactly the kind of stuff I love!" Interestingly enough, when April Fool came on, he told me he'd heard it before. Turns out my other cousin Tahsin (who used to live in Dhaka and last year moved to Virginia) owned GDU and played that song for Jul. :P

As for Jul's sister, I found out what she fell for one night when she asked me whether I'd ever heard of Soul Asylum and this one awesome song called Runaway Train. (She'd borrowed GDU from her brother.) Hmmmmmmmm......8-)

For non-fans, like my cousin Zaheen, who likes punk, I hand them Closer to the Stars. That particular song, followed by Never Really Been, have never failed to hook anyone whom I gave it to. When I mentioned there was a slower version, Zaheen had a horrified look on his face. "Noooo...this is perfect as is!" he said. Well, I haven't had a chance to play the slower version for him yet. Let's see what he makes of it. :P

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So complicated. Changes every day.

So the darkness fades
And the light, will come shining through.

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Cordelia
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by Cordelia »

I have klicked "Black Gold" because there are all the great famous songs on it.

But if the someone likes loudly and punk-like music I would give him/her "Say what you will ....".

And if someone ask me for the album which running up and down at (the last) time, I would give him/her "And the Horse ....". ..... But no! I wouldn`t can give him/her this album because it can`t leave my CD-player! That would make me cry! :lol:
Last edited by Cordelia on Thu Apr 02, 2009 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Many Greetings from Germany
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Re: Which album would you give a non-fan to convince him or her?

Post by Closer »

It would depend on the person's preference. I gave Black Gold to a few of my friends because it's a good introduction, a little bit of everything.

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