First of all, I've not changed my mind about this band, so don't play Handel's Hallelujah Chorus just yet.
I read Jim's words in the shout about possibly removing some of the Don Cab, and as the donor of the material, and as probably the only AMer who is intimitaly familiar with every note on all five albums, I'm going first in an attempt to, as the most knowledgeable one on this band, say what I feel is a definitive word. (Of course, true definitiveness is PDJ's opinions.)
If any Don Caballero is removed, it should be these songs:
"Please Tokio, Please This Is Tokio"
"Cold Knees (In April)
"From the Desk of Elsewhere Go"
--and possibly---
"P, P, P, Antless"
These four are long and purposefully abrasive. But the rest of the catalog should definitely stay. "American Don" is mellow and intricate. "What Burns Never Returns" is relatively mellow and just as intricate. They are both pretty. "For Respect" and "Singles Breaking Up, Vol. 1" are made up of shorter, punchier songs, but no less talented. They are taut and complex loud instrumentals.
Whenever I see someone doing the old "Oh crap it's Don Caballero" it's usually about a song from "2," which is admittedly the hardest of the five to listen too. That's the one with "Tokio," "Knees," and "Antless." The short songs from "2" are great, and the last long track, "No One Gives a Hoot About Faux-Ass Nonsense," is relatively mellow - like a slightly louder outtake from "American Don."
Now I realize Don Caballero is not everyone's cup of tea, but neither is any other group here. I'd like to point out that as I was loading next week's BR, I saw "Tokio" pop into the request list. I.e. someone who is not me requested it. There's been this vibe I've noticed that when Don Cab plays, it's assumed that I requested it or that I'm deejaying. Well, I never deejay, and I don't request Don Cab that often. With five albums, they get a random SAM grab quite often, or are requested by someone else.
I will always be amazed by one aspect of human nature. The naysayers speak louder than the supporters. I'm not the only one on the Moon who likes Don Cab, or they wouldn't be requested by others. But, they aren't power posters like R.L, KW, RnR, and others. So the hatred of Don Cab is vastly over-exaggerated. But I'll be a good sport. If Don Cab songs have got to go, I say those four above and then let it lie and see what happens. I'll admit that "Tokio" and "Knees" have gotten a lot of play lately compared to other Don Cab stuff, but, don't let the four abrasive tunes spoil the whole barrel.
As I said at the top, I've not changed my mind on Don Caballero, but I know that this discussion can potentially deteriorate into "Kill it all!" pretty fast (in fact I expect it to). When someone hates something, as a few power posters do, there's little objectivity. As someone who likes the band, I feel I can be objective and make a realistic suggestion about the removal of these four songs.
Spaz out, and let the debacle begin
