Round 1D: Rearviewmirror vs. Of the Earth vs. Ghost

[stip]

Vote for your favorite

[B]

I don't really care for any of these 3. RVM, I guess, b/c it's on the greatest hits.

[stip]

These days I'd probably rather listen to Ghost just because I've heard RVM hundreds of times. But that's not really RVM's fault. It is heads and shoulders above ghost.


Maybe the studio version of of the earth will sell me on the song if it ever surfaces. The live versions have not.

[Kevin Davis]

One thing I love about "RVM" is how thoroughly the studio version bowls me over after a period of having accustomed to too-fast live versions where Eddie can barely be bothered to approach the microphone. This is one of the few "Vs." songs that, to my ears, advances the band's musicianship away from free-flowing lyrical rambles with choruses and towards something more tightly wound from a compositional standpoint. The song also has a dramatic climax like nothing else in their songbook -- by bottling up all of its catharsis into a moment of pure release (the first time the title line is shouted going into the outro), I find it actually ends up packing a far greater wallop than the more purely testosterone-based numbers on the record like "Blood" or "Leash," which have not worn half as well for me.

But fuck it -- I'm voting for "Ghost." The whole "Riot Act"-era vibe -- the warm, vaguely fuzzy, in-the-room ambience, the world-weary pseudo-philosophy of it all -- it just hits that sweet spot for me. "RVM" is a dramatic high point of PJ's early catalog, but "Ghost" is a simple rocker that I just never tire of.

"Of the Earth" is cool, but not really in the conversation for me.

[LoathedVermin72]

I love "Ghost", but come on, seriously. The answer here is RVM.

[Kevin Davis]

I love "Ghost", but come on, seriously. The answer here is RVM.

I just gotta be true to myself, LV.

[stip]

the best part of getaway is the very end when it does a pretty fair approximation of the finale of RVM

[tommymtcom]

the best part of getaway is the very end when it does a pretty fair approximation of the finale of RVM

That pretty much sums up what's wrong with PJ these days.

[tommymtcom]

RVM gets my vote. It would be Ghost if not for those weird backing vocals.

[stip]

the best part of getaway is the very end when it does a pretty fair approximation of the finale of RVM

That pretty much sums up what's wrong with PJ these days.

any band, at any stage in their career, could do worse than reproducing that moment

[tragabigzanda]

the best part of getaway is the very end when it does a pretty fair approximation of the finale of RVM

That pretty much sums up what's wrong with PJ these days.

any band, at any stage in their career, could do worse than reproducing that moment

The worse offense is that the Getaway pre-chorus riff ("But I found my place...") is nearly identical to the WWS chorus.

[stip]

i love the WWS chorus!

[PHATJ]

RVM by a long shot, and I'm not a huge fan of RVM.

[ABNorman]

RVM gets too much love here, I think, but it's the winner amongst these.

[Norah]

One thing I love about "RVM" is how thoroughly the studio version bowls me over after a period of having accustomed to too-fast live versions where Eddie can barely be bothered to approach the microphone. This is one of the few "Vs." songs that, to my ears, advances the band's musicianship away from free-flowing lyrical rambles with choruses and towards something more tightly wound from a compositional standpoint. The song also has a dramatic climax like nothing else in their songbook -- by bottling up all of its catharsis into a moment of pure release (the first time the title line is shouted going into the outro), I find it actually ends up packing a far greater wallop than the more purely testosterone-based numbers on the record like "Blood" or "Leash," which have not worn half as well for me.

But fuck it -- I'm voting for "Ghost." The whole "Riot Act"-era vibe -- the warm, vaguely fuzzy, in-the-room ambience, the world-weary pseudo-philosophy of it all -- it just hits that sweet spot for me. "RVM" is a dramatic high point of PJ's early catalog, but "Ghost" is a simple rocker that I just never tire of.

"Of the Earth" is cool, but not really in the conversation for me.

all of this

[Bammer]

RVM

I read a great story about the recording of Vs. and it specifically talked about Ed's vocal on this song...all the angst and whatnot at the time.

The more these Vs. songs come up, the more I realize it is my favorite album.

[Jorge]

"Rearviewmirror" is a special song. They tapped into an intensity there that they've never really matched.

"Ghost" is fine. "I never knew soap made you taller" is a stupid line,

I like the jazzy feel of the "Of the Earth" jam, but it's surrounded by what is an otherwise pretty forgettable song.

[Birds in Hell]

the best part of getaway is the very end when it does a pretty fair approximation of the finale of RVM

I can't hear any similarity at all.

Anyway, Ghost is great (and I love the soap line), but this has to be RVM.

[LetMeSleep]

I love "Ghost", but come on, seriously. The answer here is RVM.

This.

[Simple Torture]

Sorry, Of The Earth, I like you, but RVM.