Controversy my ass...

For crying out loud, CoffeeWhore, I would never have agreed to do this if I'd known it was going to become an extended battleground for the brunch table and that you were going to misrepresent what I said. ::sigh:: I can see I'm really going to have to keep an eye on you here if anyone actually starts reading this randomness.

What I said was that you lose AlternaCred for not owning - or at least being familiar with - "Gordon." That has nothing to do with messing up the title of "What a Good Boy." That merely earned you the raised eyebrow. I certainly never gave you a score... were you over-caffeinated? Having aural hallucinations, perhaps?

And it's not about live versions versus album versions. The importance of "Gordon" is about the entire album. The construction of the whole thing is a work of, in my opinion, genius. Very few bands can take you from a snarky, silly song about Yoko Ono directly into a dark, brooding song about murdering your lover and have the transition feel so seamless and natural. Not every song is a work of art, but the way they are placed in the wild mood swing trajectory of the whole makes them fascinating nevertheless.

Now on the important thing... what to DO about it (because no, obscure electronica doesn't redeem you... to do that it would have to be ::ahem:: good).

1) for god's sake, just buy the freakin' album already, 'cause we've been having this little tiff for ages now;
2) listen to it (and I do mean LISTEN to the album from beginning to end without shuffling or letting any of the songs languish individually in the vacuum of random Ipod playlists); and
3) mourn the loss of fifteen years' worth of "Gordon" enjoyment, because "Grade 9" belongs on every geek's life soundtrack, and when it comes to music-induced chills, "What a Good Boy" has got nothing on "Wrap Your Arms Around Me."

It also wouldn't hurt to pick up a copy of the Beach Boys' album "Pet Sounds" before I start berating you about that one too...