Crooked Rain: Full Details

[Patrick]

'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins' is the long-awaited 2-CD deluxe reissue of Pavement's best-selling second album, originally released in 1994. The entire remastered original album plus all the B-sides, compilation tracks, rarities and outtakes and Peel sessions. Containing 49 tracks, 25 unreleased recordings, and 11 never-before-heard songs. In laminated, die-cut slipcase with 40-page perfect-bound book.

Here is the full, and very complicated, information on this document:

DISC ONE

[Tracks 1-12 are the original 'Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, released in January 1994. Tracks 13-24 are B-sides and compilation tracks.]

1. Silence Kit
2. Elevate Me Later
3. Stop Breathin
4. Cut Your Hair
5. Newark Wilder
6. Unfair
7. Gold Soundz
8. 5-4 = Unity
9. Range Life
10. Heaven Is a Truck
11. Hit the Plane Down
12. Fillmore Jive
============
13. Camera
14. Stare
15. Raft
16. Cooling by Sound
17. Kneeling Bus
18. Strings of Nashville
19. Exit Theory
20. 5-4 Vocal
21. Jam Kids
22. Haunt You Down
23. Unseen Power of the Picket Fence
24. Nail Clinic

DISC ONE tracks 1-12 from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, originally released by Matador Records, February 1994, OLE-079-1/2/4.

DISC ONE tracks 13 & 14 from "Cut Your Hair" originally released by Matador Records, January 1994, OLE-082-7/2/1

DISC ONE tracks 15 & 16 from "Range Life" originally released by Big Cat Records, January 1995, ABB77-S/T/CD. Used by permisssion

DISC ONE tracks 17-19 from "Gold Soundz" originally released by Matador Records, June 1994, OLE-101-7/2

DISC ONE track 20 from Gold Soundz Austral-N.Z. French Micronesia 94 , originally released by Fellaheen, July 1994, JACK-015-2. Used by permission

DISC ONE tracks 21 & 22 from the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain bonus 7", originally released by Matador Records February 1994, OLE-087-7

DISC ONE track 23 from V/A - No Alternative originally released by Arista Records, November 1993, 18737-2. Used by Permission

DISC ONE track 24 from V/A - Hey Drag City! originally released by Drag City Records, 1994, DC-20-1/2/4. Used by Permission

Tracks 1-12, 15, 16, 19, 20 recorded Aug-Sept 1993 at Random Falls, NYC, engineered by Mark Venezia.

Tracks 14, 17, 18, 21, 22 recorded early 1993 at Louder Than You Think, Stockton, CA

Tracks 13, 23, 24 recorded spring 1993 at Waterworks, NYC.

DISC TWO

[All tracks unreleased; * indicates a completely unreleased song. Tracks 1-8 are an early version of 'Crooked Rain' recorded with original drummer Gary Young. Some songs ended up in considerably changed versions on the third album, 'Wowee Zowee.']

1. All My Friends *
2. Soiled Little Filly *
3. Range Life
4. Stop Breathing
5. Ell Ess Two [early version of Elevate Me Later (Loretta Scars II)]
6. Flux = Rad
7. Bad Version of War *
8. Same Way of Saying *
9. Hands Off the Bayou *
10. Heaven Is a Truck (Egg Shell)
11. Grounded
12. Kennel District
13. Pueblo (Beach Boys)
14. Fucking Righteous *
15. Colorado *
16. Dark Ages *
17. Flood Victim *
18. JMC Retro *
19. Rug Rat [vocal version of KNEELING BUS, not an unreleased song]
20. Strings of Nashville (instrumental)
21. Instrumental *
22. Brink of the Clouds
23. Tartar Martyr *
24. Pueblo Domain
25. The Sutcliffe Catering Song [this ended up being called EASILY FOOLED and is not an unreleased song]

EVERY RECORDING ON DISC TWO IS UNRELEASED
* UNRELEASED SONGS

DISC TWO tracks 1-8 recorded early 1993 at Louder Than You Think, Stockton, CA. Gary Young on drums. PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

DISC TWO tracks 9-21 recorded at Random Falls Aug-Sept 1993, engineered by Mark Venezia. PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

DISC TWO tracks 22-25 Recorded for Radio 1's John Peel Show at BBC's Maida Vale Studio 5. Producer: Mike Hawkes. First Transmission Date: 26th February 1994. PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

[gygax]

disc 2, track 21 = untitled

is this the uncredited bonus track on the cut yr hair 12" which sounds a bit like "rain ammunition"?

[dmz]

Thanks for the info.

I know it says that everything on disc 2 is unreleased, but is "Grounded" the same version that's on the "Everything is Nice" compilation?

[sashwap]

that b-side "exit theory" seems to be an edit of a longer song. i've always wondered what song that was. is it, perhaps, one of the unreleased songs on disc 2?

also, i gotta ask again about the song on
stuff up the cracks called "sebadoh - helen stones." it starts with the lyrics "everybody's going out tonight..."
always been a favorite of mine, so i am excited to see whether it makes an appearance.

this release is gonna rule!!!

[cheesetea]

When I click pre order for matador at 15 and and crcr it doesn't find it? then i go to the store section and it doesn't have it? will it be up tomorrow?

[Patrick]

Both will be up on the Store for preorder today.

[Jesper]

Sashwap, you be in luck.

the Exit Theory thing is in fact from the last part of the song that opens disc two "All My Friends" which happens to be the "Everybody's Going Out Tonight" song you mentioned. I really should have left out Exit Theory as you get the whole original song now, and it would have freed up some space on the disc (it is 79:57!!!) but we printed the components before we mastered so I had no choice but to include it. You will see that disc one has some very short spaces between songs (not for the album, album spacing is the same as the orig album, but for the b-sides) in order to make it all fit. Might make the listening experience seem a bit choppy but in the name of Total Value there was no other way...

Grounded - ah, yeah, same version as on ole-400, but this one sounds better I think, we found a much better source for it.

[c. leo]

Yeah. Turns out Gary was using this particular "Grounded" master for insulation in his garage.

[george]

if i preorder this from matador, will i get it before it hits stores?

[Patrick]

george,

If you preorder from us, you're supposed to receive it by release date (possibly before) if you live in the United States. But given the vagaries of the Postal Service, we can't absolutely promise this.

Your best guarantee of getting it on release date is to buy it at your local retailer.

FYI, Insound does all the fulfillment for the Matador Store.

Patrick

[cheesetea]

As you know I live in montreal so when do you suppose I will be receiving it? I ordered it yesterday?

[cheesetea]

you guys posted a pavement picture in a june news thingy about pavement. It was black and white and said l'a's... century fox? can someone please post this picture if they have it?

[Patrick]

http://www.matadorrecords.com/news/2004-07.html

[cheesetea]

thanks patrick! can't wait to get my cr cr

[tinobeat]

So I just got my hands on this thing.

Holy crap! the die-cut cover, the book, THE CDS! and I noticed, in what may be its first appearance in a while from what I remember on recent matador releases, the "all rights reserved all wrongs reversed" slogan...

my head is spinning with nostalgia (and my hearty beef shwarma lunch I just ate)

[TheSadDebaser]

My only gripe is that I have to wait for this, since I'm trying to keep what little money I have left for the FMU record fair. What losey timing.

No sympathy for the consumer!


I need a job.

[interrust]

i finally got my brand new, sealed copy of cr,cr today [thank you fred at beggars!] and im in love with it.

best lyric, from "dark ages" -

but before you go, you better bring a helmet
not the band

[larry]

I'd just like to take a minute to say that I hate everything about these releases.

first, the CR/CR thing is in a fucking digi-pak (tm)...bad idea, always...

secondly, the idea of "reissuing" records that came out, like, yesterday, is just bogus. I mean, say what you will about the constant advances in sound reproduction or whatever....whatever, I'm sure this stuff ain't gonna slow down. what'r we gonna have - a new version every year. yeah, it's a classic record (although a letdown considering what came before it), but the original issue was fine.

I'm all for a big box of pavement rarites/b-sides. that would have been cool...as it is....cash grab, I'm sorry. it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[earl grey]

yep, a $14.00 double CD just screams "cash grab."

[tinobeat]

Originally posted by larry
I'd just like to take a minute to say that I hate everything about these releases.

first, the CR/CR thing is in a fucking digi-pak (tm)...bad idea, always...

I know! Shit looking totally awesome isn't punk rock!

secondly, the idea of "reissuing" records that came out, like, yesterday, is just bogus. I mean, say what you will about the constant advances in sound reproduction or whatever....whatever, I'm sure this stuff ain't gonna slow down. what'r we gonna have - a new version every year. yeah, it's a classic record (although a letdown considering what came before it), but the original issue was fine.

CRCR was a fucking LANDMARK record for both Matador and independent rock music in general. Why not celebrate its 10th anniversary? There's been no indication that any future reissues of this particular album (or Slanted, for that matter) will ever happen again. This was it, the big celebration that the album earned.

I'm all for a big box of pavement rarites/b-sides. that would have been cool...as it is....cash grab, I'm sorry. it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I myself think two $14 2CD sets in three years is a nice way for fans to get extra material and awesome reading material in an affordable manner rather than Matador compiling a big 4CD set that might cost about 3-4 times as much. This way, fans can get what they want for cheaper. I'm sure matador is making money off the releases (I mean, the nerve of them! running a business!), but not nearly as much as they could be. Its a wonderful service to present and future fans. Don't worry so much.

[johansen smith]

digipaks are awesome, what kind of tool complains about 'em?

[tinobeat]

I understand the complaint that if the center spindle breaks or any part of the plastic cracks, thats it, no easy replacing like on a jewel case.

But to those people I say: "Take better care of your CDs!"

I love digipaks. They give a much more unified feeling to the artwork/CD combo, what with no extraneous, replaceable vehicle (jewel case)

[johansen smith]

there is nothing more exciting then ordering a bunch of CDs and getting them and discovering some of them are digipaks. well, okay, there's probably lots of things more exciting, but you get the idea.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by larry
I'd just like to take a minute to say that I hate everything about these releases.

first, the CR/CR thing is in a fucking digi-pak (tm)...bad idea, always...

secondly, the idea of "reissuing" records that came out, like, yesterday, is just bogus. I mean, say what you will about the constant advances in sound reproduction or whatever....whatever, I'm sure this stuff ain't gonna slow down. what'r we gonna have - a new version every year. yeah, it's a classic record (although a letdown considering what came before it), but the original issue was fine.

I'm all for a big box of pavement rarites/b-sides. that would have been cool...as it is....cash grab, I'm sorry. it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don't understand this logic at all. By cash grab, you're simply referring to the act of producing a product that a lot of your customers want, and charging them a price that they're willing to pay (which, incidentally, is an entirely reasonable figure). I fail to see the problem. We're all free to not buy these reissues, and for those who choose not to, the original CDs are now a lot easier to get used.

[larry]

well, I think fucking digi-paks look like shit, so...

hey, making people buy the same record only ten years after it was originally issued is a cash grab. plain and simple. and you know pavement fans are gonna have to get these because of the bonus tracks...whatever...

I'm not a punk rocker, so...

[tinobeat]

so hey man, don't buy it. Don't give those corporate fuckers at Matador HQ any of those dollars you've been saving for every shred of Bob Pollard's output on Fading Captain (a cash grab label if there ever was one, though I do love some of the stuff that's come out on it).

no need to get all pissed about it.

[Elijah]

Originally posted by larry
well, I think fucking digi-paks look like shit, so...It's no plastic jewel case, I'll give you that.
hey, making people buy the same record only ten years after it was originally issued is a cash grab. plain and simple.Wait a minute. Matador is making me buy these reissues? And here I was thinking I was buying them of my own free will. I feel so duped.
and you know pavement fans are gonna have to get these because of the bonus tracks...whatever...Weighing the cost of these reissues ($14-) against the sheer volume of unreleased music they contain, I'm at a loss to understand how anyone who purchases them could feel ripped off... unless of course they're just in dire need of something to complain about.

If Matador put out a package consisting solely of the bonus material featured on these album reissues (sans the actual albums), they would still span two discs each, and would therefore still sell for the same price that they do with the album tracks included. Everyone who bought them would receive less music for their $15-. But that would be hardcore, wouldn't it?

[larry]

kids....I'm not a fucking punk. get it. learn it. embrace it. live it.

B: I've never claimed fading captain isn't somewhat dubious cash grab-wise. never. so claiming I blindly embrace it is just a little silly.

C. the jewel case ain't the thing, dude. it's the art that it houses...it's a vessel or however you spell that. I'm too punk to spell...

D. anyone who claims a person doesn't "have to" acquire unheard music by thier favorite bands is obviously not too into records. I envy the shite out of you.

E. I'd rather buy collections of unreleased material than a crassly repackaged album that came out ten years ago. call me fucked in the head.

F. I've never been much for name calling, so I'm dropping out of this subject. you guys need me too much to get hard feelings started here...hee...

matador is god. pass the kool-aid...

[Elijah]

Well, I guess that's one less Crooked Rain reissue they'll be selling.

[larry]

gear on up for the punch line....

naturally, I bought it...first day.


ha! you guys are okay.

[Elijah]

Wow, you showed them. Stick it to the Man!!

[tinobeat]

dude, relax! there's no kool-aid. I certainly don't think everything Matador touches is gold, but your indignation at this treat of a reissue just reeks of trolling and posturing.

I think Elijah put it best. The reissue has 2CDs worth of bonus material on it, which alone makes the $14 worth it. They were just nice enough to stick the album on too.

The Strokes reissuing their first album with a bonus DVD a year after it came out: that's a cash grab. Franz Ferdinand's reissue of their s/t album with the bonus disc with 4 songs on it a year after it came out, that's a cash grab. Adding 37 fucking bonus and unreleased tracks to an established classic of an album a decade later is not a cash grab. 37 tracks that werent there before. They quadrupled the album, and added a buck or two to the price.

[larry]

Originally posted by tinobeat
dude, relax! there's no kool-aid. I certainly don't think everything Matador touches is gold

I hope not! you seem to have pretty good taste, so I wouldn't think so.

no, really, we just disagree. there's no "posturing". I'm not sure what in the world I would be "posturing" about such a thing for...

[tinobeat]

Originally posted by larry
I hope not! you seem to have pretty good taste, so I wouldn't think so.

no, really, we just disagree. there's no "posturing". I'm not sure what in the world I would be "posturing" about such a thing for...

you never know, some folks on these message boards, just lookin to be cooler or something...

in any case, yeah, lets agree to disagree. I tend to roll my eyes at obvious cash grabs and hype-milking (the aforementioned Strokes and Franz Ferdinand ones, the "reissuing" of the 2nd to newest Modest Mouse album with 2 extra tracks 3 or 4 years after its release just to hype the newest one), and with the Slanted and Crooked reissues I was just so pleased that Matador was being so generous with so much hard-to-find stuff at such low prices. But to each their own...

shake?

[larry]

Originally posted by tinobeat
you never know, some folks on these message boards, just lookin to be cooler or something...

in any case, yeah, lets agree to disagree. I tend to roll my eyes at obvious cash grabs and hype-milking (the aforementioned Strokes and Franz Ferdinand ones, the "reissuing" of the 2nd to newest Modest Mouse album with 2 extra tracks 3 or 4 years after its release just to hype the newest one), and with the Slanted and Crooked reissues I was just so pleased that Matador was being so generous with so much hard-to-find stuff at such low prices. But to each their own...

shake?

*shake*, indeed. we're all good...perhaps I come off as a little stringent and dogmatic at times about stuff like this, I'm really not, just talkin', you know. I don't want to be the 'rabble rouser' of the matador board, huh?

cool.

[cle-rat]

fucking goddamn pavement!!

[Ladt]

Made larry new friends.

[dirty boots]

pavement effin rules!

that is all for now.

[R.Wilder]

I want a Wowee Zowee cash grab!!

[dirty boots]

Crooked rain, crooked rain

slanted and enchanted

brigten the corners

terror twilight

wowee zowee

that was really tough, but whats yours?????

[Lukas]

pig lib

face the truth

slanted and enchanted

stephen malkmus

crooked rain

brighten the corners [will be at the bottom shortly]

wowee zowee [was up there for a while]

terror twilight - finally really getting into

[MyHeart&IAgree]

http://www.matadorrecords.com/releases/discography.html
Scroll down to OLE 722. We got ourselves a Wowee Zowee cash grab. :D

[.:.impossible]

Not to dig up a dead horse and kick its tires or anything, but I kind of feel the same way about digi-packs. Every other digi-pack I buy is broken upon arrival. John Coltrane One Down, One Up at the Half Note for instance... fucking monumental discovery, one of the few really important releases to come out in recent years (and its from 1965 for fuck's sake), shows up at my house...















broken.

For the record: I thought the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain re-issue raised the ante for all future re-issues.

[johansen smith]

digipaks are great, fuck the whiners.

[.:.impossible]

mini-lps are great. digipacks are ok. jewel cases are jewel cases.