Introducing your friends to MMJ.....

[Prom King]

i agree with the idea of Acoustic Citsuoca. i have turned alot of people on by starting with that version of Bermuda Highway.

i also like to start people off by showing them Acoustic Chorale.  Once they are blown away I direct them to an Okonokos dealer on the corner.

but really it depends on the person.  for classic rock older folks i normally start with One Big Holiday, or I like to show them the Conan experience.

be smart. know your audience.

[Killgies]

Random People--You know the people who kind of know who MMJ but not really all love "One Big Holiday".  
Me-----The song that opened my eyes was "The Bear". Once I heard Jim's voice it was over. Amazing how simple that song is but the power that it packs is amazing.
Wife---Bermuda Highway. My wife always says he has such a beautiful voice I wished knew what he was saying! Hahah

[slimkim]

i personally like the softer side of the band.

so i go with Golden from Acoustic Citsuoca, a near perfect song and rendition...

or

Where to Begin, beautiful melodic song with great lyrics.

[EC]

this thread is gay.
tracy, you're dead to me.

[wilco]

From this list I would vote Gideon and Dondante; Gideon for its heavenly melody and singing and Dondante because it stands for everything MMJ is (passionate, slowly working to a climax, guitar driven).
BUT, my first option to hear to my friends would be Knot comes loose, closely followed by It beats 4 U and Lay Low. Not only because I like them so much, but they represent MMJ in all ways.

[ycartrob]

tracy, you're dead to me.

well, I never liked you anyway. And what happened in the summer of 93? Remember all that?
All lies as far as I'm concerned.

(I want my Mazzy Star album back too)

[Love Dogg]

i'd prefer to sit them in a nice big chair, dim the lights, give them some wine, and plug them in.

no, no, no, Meg! How would you introduce MMJ, not yourself!

Unless you were doing a "special" dance to Cobra...then you would be introducing you and MMJ!    ;)

[EC]

ooooooooooooooooooooook you nerds, can we all please go back to talking about jim and patrick's gayness/panda bear non-sequitor, please?

what i do during at dawn in the privacy of my own home with one (or two) special people is my business, thank you very much.

[Coltrane]

ooooooooooooooooooooook you nerds, can we all please go back to talking about jim and patrick's gayness/panda bear non-sequitor, please?

what i do during at dawn in the privacy of my own home with one (or two) special people is my business, thank you very much.

"real dolls" don't count as people......



p.s. I shit my pants, literally, when i found out we could conduct polls on this forum. The possibilities are infinite!

[Don Dante]

One Big Holiday is always good for the rockers, as others have pointed out.  I find that sneaking What A Wonderful Man on a mix is a great way to get people headbanging without even knowing what they are listening too.  The end of Way That He Sings (Oko) serves the same purpose.

But having said all that, Lowdown has proven time and time again to work for me.  Not too hard a rocker that it scares people off, great melody, lyrics that make newbies sing along.  Plus you know you got a ton of versions to choose from, so you can cater it to the listener.  A Jim solo gem for the chill acoustic folk, At Dawn version for simple melody-lovers, and then of course the ballin' Oko intro will grab the rockers' attention.

[Love Dogg]

I think it depends on the person. Obviously, you can find a MMJ song that someone would like.  But if they are an average Joe, you gotta go with a trifecta:

Golden-it hits 'em with some softness, but not too much.  Definitely consistent.

Off The Record-it hits 'em with some pop, but ends with that "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" jam at the end that makes your hair stand up!

Cobra-it hits 'em with...well, it's Cobra.  It definitely shows their diversity.  

And as Cobra gets to the 7-8 minute mark, you can start talking to them about how many more sounds and waves MMJ has.  Maybe talk them into listening to __________________ (insert At Dawn, It Still Moves, Okonokos, Z, Acoustic Citsuoca, etc.-whichever is appropriate to that listener).  And then let them borrow a copy of that album (don't burn a copy).  That way they are required to listen to it, take care of it, give it back, and report to you about their review.