Love Avalanche, my only complaint is it's too short. It may be mostly an "Other Two track" but I don't care, I'm sure thare are plenty of tracks that are primarily Barney tracks, but we don't complain. If there turned out to be a longer version of this (a la Elegia - although maybe not
that long), it might just be enough to tempt me to buy a physically reissued Republic (although if it's gonna be a box set that costs £60 - £80 like the Led Zep album box sets...maybe not).
It's the combination of cold (like the snow of an avalanche) and the warmth of the guitar (setting it off?) that makes it special. Quite often it's those ambiguous vibes that make you take notice of NO. Dancable-tracks-tinged-with-indie-misery was pretty much a genre invented by them after all.
Sooner or later someone has to use this as the bittersweet music to soundtrack the death of a movie hero; all slo-mo and tragi-heroic as he/she saves someone and loses their life in the process. Dying a beautiful, flawed death, as perhaps NO seemed to be doing at the time.
Originally Posted by: Dennis Remmer 
On a side note... The Light are currently downunder - catching their Substance(s) gig this Sunday night. Makes me think how Hooky's going to handle Avalanche when he gets around to touring Republic? 'Faith' repeated in a low growl? erm...
Having seen his Movement/PCL and Low Life/Brotherhood gigs, I have actually spared a some time to think about this (sad!). He's doing the Substances as one big gig, so that leaves him with Technique + ?? up next. Ok the ?? should be Republic. BUT as the quality of albums dropped after Technique, I think he should do a "best of the rest" + Technique:
From Republic: Regret, World, RIAD, Avalanche.
From Get Ready: Crystal, Primitive Notion, Someone Like You, Here to Stay (well HTS was from that era, and it's a close second to Crystal for me).
From Sirens: Krafty, WFTSC, I Told You So, Turn.
Do the "best of the rest" tracks first , make us wait for Technique (maybe hold Regret back for the encore, especially as Hooky considers it the last proper NO song).
Also don't do any post-sirens stuff, despite previous "threats". That would be a bad idea.
As for Avalanche in particular I 'm thinking of The Beach at the Movemner/PCL gig. It was played loud but not live. It was in a gap between the end of PCL and the encore. Put it in the gap between "best of the rest" and Technique, but don't play it live. Or else do play it live but either don't sing that word, or hire a female vocalist who could sing "faith" and help out on World, Crystal & Someone Like You.
I imagine this post may attract some ire. Let's see.
