i was gonna say that, but i didn't want to state the obvious.

---

We belong dead.
[www.last.fm]
[sordidalley.blogspot.com]
[popwreckoning.com]
[blog.kexp.org]

Someone mentioned looking for a more 'acoustic' version of Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod. I think you are looking for the 4-track Peel session John did before he released The Sunset Tree. There are early versions of Dance Music, Broom People and Magpie as well. I prefer them over the album recordings due to how lively the piano sounds in them. Except Magpie since the mandolin tears it up on the album.

2 words: Milk Song

garbage

synonyms?

Maybe this is a stupid idea, but we, as a community, could try out something that has never been done before on the internet.

Actually is has been done over and over throughout history, but in a different context and it's called Damnatio memoriae.

This subject will come up again and again on theses forums and one way to deal with it could be to try and erase all references to it wherever we come across them or simply deny that it ever existed in the first place.

Remove this album from all tMG discographies or kindly ask the people who maintain them to remove it.

Ask people who share the album on Soulseek or any other p2p-service where you can adress the filesharer directly to unshare it. (I don't think there is a torrent for it somewhere or you can find it on any of the one-click hosters. But you could come up with a remedy for those as well: create fake torrents, eg.)

We could set up links on all websites we maintain with the title of that album that lead to a certain page that only states that it doesn't exist, never has and never will. If this generates enough traffic, that page could take care of search engine results.

Maybe Lalitree can even delete this very thread.

Or each and everyone of us could boldly delete the files in question from his or her HD and destroy all copies we made.

We probably won't succeed to completely erase the album from the collective memory of the net (or even the people), but this could help to at least restrict/slow-down further distribution.

I'd say John's opinion on this for once doesn't really count, as nobody asked him for permission to leak it in the first place.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2008 07:22AM by Netzhaut.

it's an interesting idea whether my opinion counts or not, but my experience shows me that such an effort would only encourage people to seek out the songs and say how great they are. I really appreciate people who respect my position on this & thank you for your sympathy, but the fact is that many people get an especial thrill out of knowing that I didn't condone the release of this material. That makes the material better for them - Q.E.D., the material is garbage and would have been condemned as such had I released it; any fool can hear that the tape is running at the wrong speed and my voice is sped up, but people like to say how good the tape is anyhow. But the special sheen it gets from my condemnation only makes it more appealing for people, and any attempt to erase it from collective memory would only increase that sheen for those same sorts of people.

every time this question comes up I do however feel like a chump for turning down offers to license my songs for commercials etc. It's like, why should I care? Still, we soldier on.

I dont think a Grand Deletion plan would work. In fact I think it would backfire and probably generate even more interest.

the only grand deletion plan that'll ever be effective is the one I reembark on every time somebody mentions this so-called "album"

its a fun idea tho. prob best to refrain from sharing it on p2p sites and maybe give people dirty looks every time they talk about it here.

it sounds curious, to me. I don't know much about it 'cept what's been said here. The cover looks good, though, and I like the song titles. If it came my way, I would listen to it, more out of curiosity, now. Although I do actively try and listen to as much as tMG as I can get, which is so far only all the 4AD stuff and Ghana, Bitter Melon Farm, Nothing For Juice, Sweden, The Coroner's Gambit, All Hail West Texas, Protein Source, Full Force Galesburg and Zopilote Machine. I like all that so it seems reasonable I'd like HAFG if it ever turned up in my lap. But I don't use file sharing software so it's unlikely it ever will.

I guess I'm saying, I can understand why people listen to it even though they shouldn't - cos they plain like it. There are plenty of things people do that they really shouldn't, for the benefit of themselves or other people, and I guess it's in a way selfish, but, hell, who isn't?

I can also understand why John wouldn't want it released for whatever reason, and why it's upsetting when people flaunt it - shows a lack of respect.

There's this kinda lo-fi artist called Lone Pigeon who's cult but niche, nowhere near as big as tMG so it's not that comparable, but he had two CDs full of unreleased songs and demos stolen out of his house - stolen out of his house, under his nose! That's gotta smart. It's not on any filesharing, as far as I know, I doubt his name'd turn up anything there anyway, but a CD has turned up on ebay and someone always knows of someone with a ripped copy. That'd really piss you off, I think.

im a jackass.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2009 03:24PM by Wild Creature.

Mine is: stop talking on this thread. I know I'm contributing. But still. I think it'll certainly help the grand plan.

---

The Recognition Scene - reviews and other writing

Quote
John
the only grand deletion plan that'll ever be effective is the one I reembark on every time somebody mentions this so-called "album"

This makes me cry and writhe in pain.

I just now read this entire thread (hearing about Hail and Farewell Gothenburg for the first time). When I first heard about "the lost album," my first thought was, "Wow! I'd love to listen to that." But after reading this thread there is no way in hell I would listen to the album, even if someone tossed it in my lap.

Side note: My brother and I recorded about 10 songs awhile back and called it, "Death Poodle Improv." I would never want anyone to hear these ten songs. So I think I have a sense of how you feel, John.

Death Poodle Improv may just be the worst album you ever wont hear.

This might be going a little far. But this is a facebook group called "I promise to never listen to 'Hail and Farewell Gothenburg"

[hs.facebook.com]

Not at all.
On a similar note, this is a facebook I made called "I promise to do everything in my power to listen to Death Poodle Improv"

{hs.facebook.com}

wait a minute
those are just those adorable lolcats

i feel like i have been had

That was good aftm

i've heard it & yeah you can definitely tell it's mastered too fast.

i dont think it's garbage, i actually kind of like it, though it's certainly not the best mountain goats record never released because that was jack & faye. srsly.

hail & farewell does have a nice little cover of your so vain & i love you lets set ourselves on fire. so i mean, it's not that bad.


edit: if you think everyones just gonna delete their little treasure, you're probably pretty dumb & naive, but hey that's just me!

& yeah, this facebook group garbage is nonsense.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2008 12:50AM by juggatard.

Don't take the facebook group too seriously. I don't plan on listening to the album, and I just wanted to see who else is refraining.

hey, I can only speak for myself, but after going through all this, I deleted my copy...I don't think it's too far-fetched for others to do the same

mad props for you skittixch

Alright, just joined the forums today and saw this thread and am going to just say that I'm posting in a dead thread against all your wishes instead of saying "sorry to post but I feel so compelled" like I'd like to say and have you all slam me for it later. we'll just avoid the formalities.

This thread is fascinating for many reasons.

First probably being that I've never seen an artist get so involved in community stuff and just start posting whatever he feels on the board, I feel like you guys are all sitting around having a fireside chat!...not to mention it's still here and not deleted. Maybe I don't get around enough though..

John you are the man, if I were in your shoes I think I'd let the "aggro" get the best of me! ...and don't ever doubt yourself for not selling out your material to "the man" to be put in commercials, we wouldn't want to "take you off the artistic roll call" as Bill Hicks would say.

I do think it's sad though that you've deemed it necessary to destroy things because of your fans...there's something creepily bass ackwards about that, and this thread reeks of it.

Glad to hear you're not too upset about it though, the "human condition" is quite a bitch sometimes and when you love someone's work as I'm sure everyone here does it makes it hard to look away.

I feel like I could type about all the last 6 pages for a while but I'll stop now...

Hope you all have a great day!
-Jake



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2008 05:38PM by GoodOldTimes.