Sloan albums ranked

[@coryserratore5951]

Great video, Peter. My all time favourite Canadian band, and an act I've seen far more times than any other. I'm not going to pull out my discography now, so this is all off the top of my head, but my thoughts: 1. Between the Bridges - we're on the same page here. This what OCTA and Navy Blues were paving the way to. It took me by surprise, as it was released rather low key from I recall and before I was really expecting anything from them after such a strong album with Navy Blues. Interesting is that this was the band's first dip into the the world of digital recording (it's a hybrid, according to Patrick). This album reminds me of everything I can vaguely recall from growing up in the era of 70's AOR on the FM dial. Timeless, and Andrew's tour de force, as far as I'm concerned with very strong openers, closers and, as you mentioned, a kick ass epic in the middle. 2. Navy Blues - What can I say, this album kicks off strong and carries on through just as well all the way. Now we're squarely into the FogHat/Kiss/AC/DC vibes of the 70's. I can almost smell the weed on the set of Dazed and Confused while listening to this album. Incredible 1-2-3 punch of the opening then Andrew takes it to his usual deep cut groove (man I miss when he played keys more often). 3. One Chord To Another - My introduction to the band around the time I first saw them live at the infamous EdenFest in 96. I was looking for something "Indie and different" and this album was exactly what I was looking for. A fascinating example of their willingness to experiment with new sounds at the time, as Andrew's drums were recorded remotely (from Toronto) on a 4-track cassette, contributing to the "low-fi" garage band/retro vibe of the album. Love it. Am I the only one to notice the Stones vibe on Take the Bench? 4. Twice Removed - I backed up to catch this one after the fact, so I guess I'm not an OG fan. But it stands the test of time as a true classic. Coax Me reminds me of all of the classic Canadian songs I grew up listening to on am radio as a kid from the likes of the Guess Who, Anne Murray, and Gordon Lightfoot. You neglected to mention My Generation and Snowsuite Sound which, by the way, I have sequeing perfectly from C'mon C'mon (We'e Gonna Get It Started) a Jay Ferguson "mix tape" playlist I'm still proud of to this day. 5. Never Hear The End Of It - the kitchen sink of what Sloan has to offer. Call out to two under appreciated highlights of their catalog on here, with the album opener, trading verses with each member of the "Avengers of Canadian Rock" (I just made that up) and Jay's absolutely gorgeous Light Years piano ballad (I had to learn to play it(. This album marked the point where Sloan locked in their sound fairly consistently from here on in, which is both a blessing and a curse, as far as I'm concerned, as I still miss the experimentation and diversity of their first 4 albums. 6. Steady - yep, I've given it enough time to confirm my initial impressions. This is a very strong outing just when I was beginning to fear an inevitable drop off was in the cards for some reason (surely, no band can continue so consistently this long - and don't call me Shirley). Patrick offers up some very strong and varied contributions, making a very strong return to form. Jay as well, making it look easy. Andrew and Chris... what can I say, it's a very solid Sloan album. 7, The Double Cross - another very strong 1-2-3 punch and plenty more very good tracks. 8. Action Pact - It's an odd one, but a strong one. A bit samey in parts, especially the first few tracks, largely due to Andrew's absence to mix it up a bit more. This strikes me as the rock album Patrick was going for - and a very cool take from the band. Very cool album cover which, by the way is an excellent seque to... check out the very cool mashup of Live On with The Other Man (kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYjciYZ9ocaCaqc) 9. Commonwealth - Jay shines here with his suite (You've Got a Lot On Your Mind is a stone cold pop masterpiece), but hang on here... what Andrew has pulled off is masterful - absolutely a highlight. Chris comes in predictably strong here as well. Sorry, but I find the running order in particular of Patrick's side to be too samey, making it feel relatively mailed in. 10. Pretty Together - a transition album. They're still going for the arena anthems with the opener, but also searching for new styles and sounds. Their first full digitally recorded album, which somehow sticks with me as to maybe why their albums started to sound less varied from this point forward, at least in production. BTW, it's criminal the title song was left off the tracklist. The "demo" from one of their b-sides compilation is absolutely gorgeous! 11. Smeared - Since I came into Sloan with One Chord To Another, it took me some time to get into this, as it's so different than everything else I associated with the band at the time. But it's a grower, and where I'm more inclined to look to these days when I'm looking for a "deeper cut" Sloan that sounds different than contemporary Sloan. 12 - This album has some distinct highlights: Another strong showing from Andrew, Right To Roam from Jay, Spin Our Wheels and Satellite from Chris. However, this is where the list starts to reflect the downside of the style and sound that Sloan seems to have locked into by this point. The variety in production, as compared to their 90s albums, is what I think I miss most. 13. Parallel Play - Sloan's Beatles For Sale - even the album art looks tied and uninspiring. This is an album of leftovers from the massively ambitious Never Hear The End Of It and, unfortunately, it feels a bit like just that. Solid, but not as varied, interesting and compelling as others.

[@musicisajourney]

@@coryserratore5951 First, thank you so much for your reviews of each album! I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, and I was delighted to know you made a Jay mixed playlist. I don’t know why but I feel a Jay-song playlist is more enjoyable than anyone else’s. Sloan is Sloan, but Jay can stand alone in that way. I didn’t mentioned I Hate My Generation and Snowsuit Sound but I like those songs! There’s so much you said that I agree with. One thing is Patrick’s side on Commonwealth. Under a Bad Sign is a great start, but the next song sounds very similar, and the experimental track is okay but needs more support from other tracks. Keep Swinging gets better in the second half, but then we’re done. One more track would have made his side better. Well, I’d love to comment on each of your album comments but I might be repeating what I said in the videos. And I’m typing on my iPhone now and so I can’t keep scrolling back up to your comment. But I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and impressions! Thanks so much!

[@aymericmurer56]

What I need is their unreleased songs from Action Pact, to see what were Andrew and Jay doing at that time

[@musicisajourney]

@@aymericmurer56 I don’t know about Andrew. I heard he was not writing anything. But maybe he was! Jay, I’m sure he would have had more than two tunes ready.

[@curly_wyn]

My ranking! 1. Never Hear the End of it (2006) 2. Between the Bridges (1999) 3. One Chord to Another (1996) 4. Steady (2022) 5. Navy Blues (1998) 6. 12 (2014) 7. The Double Cross (2011) 8. Parallel Play (2008) 9. Pretty Together (2001) 10. Action Pact (2003) 11. Commonwealth (2012) 12. Twice Removed (1994) 13. Smeared (1992)

[@musicisajourney]

I"m glad to see Between the Bridges way up there! Steady is high, and nice to see someone who thinks 12 is not near the bottom. I like seeing other people's rankings. Thank you for sharing yours!

[@finslaw]

Great video, my thoughts on each album in the order you presented it: Commonwealth - Kind of surprised it is lowest, but the latter 2 guys do drag it. 12 - I feel less of a difference between the guys here, more upbeat power pop. Action Pact - Expected spot, but I like how different it is from the others. Parallel Play - This one grew on me, but too much Andrew. Pretty Together - A good start and great finish, but the middle drags. The Double Cross - Great first half and closer, but the punk/disco middle is redundant. Smeared - Some great tracks, some kind of bad tracks, but a curious diversion. Between the Bridges - A very consistent album, nothing too bad or amazing. Never Hear the End of It - I love this, but I admit it is more fun turning into a single disc. Twice Removed - This one grew, their more mellow slacker album. Navy Blues - This is their big rocker album, but a bit too many are midtempo. One Chord to Another - A very different sound (and mastering), many big classics here.

[@musicisajourney]

Great observations. I'm tempted to comment on each one but I'd probably end up repeating what I said in the video. I generally agree with most of your points, though. Even if I don't share your opinion, I can understand what you mean. One thing I take away from your remarks is that a lot of the albums have some strong sections and some weaker sections. They often start out strong but then might hit a weaker section in the middle or at the end. I like songs on all of them, but there are some albums I enjoy listening to all the way through and others where I prefer specific tracks and can skip some others.

[@omcdadi]

Thanks for this. You noted that Andrew's only ever single was People of the Sky... but 500 Up off Smeared was also a single, as was I've Gotta Try from Never Hear the End of It.

[@musicisajourney]

Yes, that's true. 500 Up is an Andrew song. But he gets only a little lead vocal time. I didn't know I've Gotta Try was a single. Thanks for filling me in on that.@@omcdadi

[@keithkoenig5320]

BETWEEN THE BRIDGES is easily # 1 for me.

[@musicisajourney]

@@keithkoenig5320 I’m glad someone else likes it, too! It gets passed over a lot or criticized for not being as good as Navy Blues. But I love that album - BtB - from start to finish!