Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Ian MacKaye poll wrap up

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When Tim launched this poll, I fully expected that Embrace would be the landslide winner, and actually even wondered why Tim thought there may be any debate to this. After all, Embrace is a band of legendary status, the LP is in the all-time-top-5-records-list of at least a dozen people I know, and it's also the most "legitimate" of all the bands/records/projects done by Ian that isn't Minor Threat or Fugazi. So how would anything else come close?


As such, Embrace was the clear winner. I totally see it. I love that record and recognize its greatness, impact, inspiration, and legacy. In many ways it is perfect. And yet I chose the 1986 Egg Hunt record. "EGG HUNT?!?! SAY WHAT?!?!?"

Yep, Egg Hunt. Let me reiterate that nothing about Embrace is lost on me. Thing is, sometimes I can't listen to it. Depending on my mood, it can sound very irritating and very whiny...within one minute I'm trying to get the hell out of there and am scrounging for "Filler." Few records are so hit or miss to me...so in that sense it's a bit strange. Most of the time, I hear it and love everything about it.

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Embrace at the 9:30 Club, 1985, Washington, DC, Photo: Joe Henderson

On the other hand, I have loved that weirdo Egg Hunt record from the first time I heard it on a mixtape that was made for me when I was a young boy. It was weird, it was catchy, it wasn't even really hardcore. I didn't know what it was, and even now I don't know exactly what is going on - but I don't care. All I know is that I've loved that record for a very long time, have never tired of it, and always enjoy either of the songs - with "We All Fall Down" being lyrically and musically an all time fave (despite being rejected by Embrace originally). Throw in the goofy but perfect name, the great logo, the record cover and "is this serious?" artwork, recording, and pretty much everything else, and it's a total winner.

I don't want to speak for Tim but I know he voted the same and feels almost the same on this topic. Apparently 27 people shared our thoughts, so we can't be totally crazy.

There really were no terrible choices sans a few...so you could say that Ian has a hell of a personal discography. I even love Pailhead and Skewbald - so there's plenty of winners here.

"In search of the righteous life..." -Gordo DCXX

Embrace - 278
Teen Idles - 78
Egg Hunt - 29
Pailhead - 22
Skewbald - 19
The Evens - 16
The Slinkees - 2

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ceiling Ian is watching you masturbate

Froz said...

I agree. 'We all fall down' is the best Mackaye track ever including Fugazi and Minor Threat material. Heard it on WFMU in 87 and still crank it to ten all these years later.

Ben Edge said...

Are there any Slinkees recordings?

Anonymous said...

Don't let Ian know how much his actual project (I guess you can't speak of a "band"), the Evens lost...

Cheers/Pat

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that Pailhead got such little love.

Anonymous said...

Teen Idles would have been my next choice. Such a great band

Anonymous said...

"straight edge" was a teen idles song. "minor disturbance" is a hardcore classic, and fuckin' faster than embrace. what a great band.

Chris Schneider said...

I agree about Egg Hunt. Wish there was a whole full length of them. Funny thing about Embrace is I first heard them on a friends third or fourth generation cassette, way before it came out on record (One Last Wish was on the other side) and we thought it sounded so cool because it was so rough and raw. Of course all that changed when the clear production of the record ruined it for me.