1000 Day Album Challenge (#67) Pavement: Slanted and Enchanted (1992) [07.03.24]
I was dressed for success, but success it never comes /
and I'm the only one who laughs at your jokes when they are so bad /
and your jokes are always bad / but they're not as bad as this…
iit seems to me that Pavement is the last rock band with whom I truly fell in love. hard to imagine given that it was over 30 years ago, but I think it’s true. it’s also possible that some day it will hit me, “I forgot all about them!” well, not Them, I fell for them during college, but you know them…
I saw Pavement live at the Kennel Club in San Francisco just after Slanted and Enchanted was released and then again later that fall at The Warfield. as I recall, both great shows. I already knew Pavement before this because I had bought both of their 7 inches – Slay Tracks: 1933–1969 and Demolition Plot J-7. I think I bought them at the same time. not sure, but it’s likely.
Pavement successfully straddles the tune / noise divide that from the perspective of the continuum of underground rock was first successfully mastered by the Velvet Underground. something about that balance has always appealed to me. many bands I love seem to stake a claim in this particular part of the musical spectrum.
Slanted and Enchantment was easily my favorite album of the year. I would also place it on any list of greatest debut albums ever. I’ve touched up on a few others already on this list – The Rolling Stones, The Clash, 3 Feet High and Rising, #1 Record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and Cymande. I’m sure there are more to come.
warning: some people might find Pavement lyrics self-consciously arty. in fact, I’m sure I’ve leveled this criticism against plenty of artists, at least inside my own head, if not out loud. I’m not skilled enough at expressing my own personal aesthetic to explain why here I find Pavement lyrically playful and am not bothered by the artiness in the least. even if I can’t figure out what the fuck they’re singing about.