a simple question, not asked till now..

[juan_rodriguez]

first of all,
gday!

im new, briefly acquainted with john (once again, those live shows are spectacular, thanks dude!), but am otherwise an aussie prawn swimming helplessly through an american alt country sea!


anyway, the simple question i pose is..

what is your favourite mmj tune?

now this question may seem to lack creative forethought at first, but being a new comer not only to this forum, but to the sort of human who listens to mmj, i figure this question will give an insight into the types of mmj tunes that recieve most attention; and therefore which tunes are considered to shape mmj's 'aural image'; as opposed to those tha are considered more 'obscure' experiments in the mmj catalog.

your participation is welcome!

cheers,
juan

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

yo my man juan

once upon a time, I believe this question was explored (if memory serves me correctly), but hell, I'll bite.

It is sooooo hard to make a judgement as to what my favorite tune is.  I think it changes with time, the release of new material, and seeing the songs live certainly has an influence.

"It's about Twilight Now" was my fav for the longest time.  Then, the entire At Dawn demo disc.  Then, "Cobra"....

Right now, I'm leaning towards "Mahgeeta"...the crystallized memory of seeing it performed live at the Live Lunch and the privilege of having it as an MP3...

It's like choosing your favorite memory...too many good ones!!

[wordawg]

For me its 'The Way That He Sings' most of the time, but really I'd go for 'Honest Man' which kicks me in the 'nads every time.
Interesting question, and nice to hear from you.

[fakeplasticspivey]

My judgement may not be worth as much, as I have still yet to track down a copy of Tennessee Fire, but I think Hopefully is simply one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard...  Off At Dawn I also really love Phone Went West.

[fakeplasticspivey]

Juan, where in Australia you from??  I'm in NY but I lived in Oz for a while, in Wollongong.  Wish I was still there.   :(

[marktwain]

For me, too, the favorite changes.  Right now it's either "O is the One that is Real" or "Strangulation" - The live version of the latter at Boulder (downloaded from John) is about the saddest, most beautiful thing I've heard.

[Oz]

If I were asked to make a MMJ best of, this would be the tracklist. With these songs, it'd probably take two CD's, the last 6 or 7 tracks would be the second disc.

1. Heartbreakin' man
2. Rocket man
3. Phone went west
4. If all else fails
5. O is the one that is real
6. Mahgeeta
7. Strangulation
8. The bear
9. One big holiday
10. I needed it most
11. Can you see the hard helmet on my head?
12. Steam engine
13. Cobra
14. Alabama come clean
15. At dawn
16. I will be there when you die
17. Phone went west (demo version)

[Oz]

And if you'd put a knife to my throat and force me to pick 1, it'd be "I will be there when you die". That's an untoppable classic. They'll never make a song like that again and they shouldn't.  :)

[hipkink]

"I Will Be There When You Die" was the first song I heard. Therefore, it has a special place in my heart. It's also an incredible song. But my favorite right now is probably... Steam Engine. Johnny playin' that slide kills me everytime, and the lyrics are heavenly. That song is pretty damn close to perfect. :)  

[otter]

My 3 Favorites are War Begun, X-mas Curtain, and Run Thru

And there are 15 tied for fourth.

[juan_rodriguez]

Juan, where in Australia you from??  I'm in NY but I lived in Oz for a while, in Wollongong.  Wish I was still there.   :(

live in sydney dude.. do you know the northern beaches at all? avalon? up there anyway, bout 2-2 1/2 hrs north of the gong!


interesting and pleasing to see such a wide range of responses. Always great when every fan has a different selection of favourites.

what the fuck is this at dawn demo disc?!
sounds stunning..

y'all keep replying ya hear! (hehe, sorry couldnt help taking the piss..had to get it out of my system, hopefully havent alienated myself!)

cheers,
juan

[jacksoncooper]

While I'm certainly having a trist with the songs from the new album (especially Golden), I hold a fixed and unshakeable place in my heart for tracks 2&3 from At Dawn (Lowdown & The Way That He Sings).  These were the two that got me in the gut at my first show, a gig at Barrettones, packed to the gills.  And they still get me every time.

I was just driving home tonight from the Outlook Inn and the air was cool and crisp for the first time in what seems like months. I had The Band s/t cued-up in the car, but opted for At Dawn to take me home instead.  The sheer beauty of these two tracks were what gave me chills on the first listen and that beauty still moves me every time.

It is on a night like this, when the humidity breaks and the heat subsides that I remember how wonderful Louisville can be while driving at night. I can think of no better songs to play over and over while driving than Lowdown & The Way That He Sings.

[Repulsive Monkey]

Difficult to say just one but heres my few:

Happy Holiday
Come Closer
Lowdown
and already.....Dancefloors

[fakeplasticspivey]

live in sydney dude.. do you know the northern beaches at all? avalon? up there anyway, bout 2-2 1/2 hrs north of the gong!

Nah, don't really know that beach...  When I was in Sydney we usually went to Coogee b/c my buddy lifeguards there!!

[wordawg]

Just looking back....
For me now it has to be 'Phone Went West' in view of the live versions I've been part of.

[Justin Archer]

I had The Band s/t cued-up in the car, but opted for At Dawn to take me home instead.

to choose any other band over that cd is quite a compliment to that band.  i do say that mmj does deserve it though.

[lfish]

Hey O,

Which song is "Alabama come cleaner".  I never heard from this one.  And where can you find it?

I definitely agree on your list overthere.  But my list of favorites is changing all the time.  I think that says a lot of mmj's music.  

[Oz]

'Alabama come clean' is the instrumental at the end of The Tennessee fire, Ifish. By the way, I now consider it a bit of a silly idea to make a 2-CD best of of a band that only has 3 full length CD's, so let's strip it down to these:

1. Heartbreakin' man
2. Phone went west
3. If all else fails
4. O is the one that is real
5. Mahgeeta
6. The bear
7. One big holiday
8. At dawn (demo version)
9. Steam engine
10. I will be there when you die
11. Cobra
12. Chills

Still not sure if it would fit, though, but I couldn't live without any one of these songs.