For me it's Thumbing My Way....

...I think this is a song with fantastic lyrics and a nice groove.

That said, the vocal performance is piss poor in my humble opinion (well, in respect to Ed's other work). Also, the speed of the song is way too slow. I know he was going for depressed, but I don't think speed necessarily translates that.

I'd love to see it restructured. Speed it up from ridiculously slow to mid-tempo, and alter the chorus vocals. See if that makes it work.

Lukin.

It's too complex.

Just get rid of the chorus on Pilate.

I'd restructure Light Years.

Very good call. That song is a disappointment. I'd say Gone b/c there's really no pay-off, but I'm not sure what could've been done with it. I think the chorus is the weakest part of the song.

This. Go with your original idea on this one...it was really, really good.

TMW is perfect. It would sound really fucking stupid any faster, imo.

That said, I would re-structure and re-record the entirety of Avocado.

Not perfect in my ears. Best part of the entire song is the last twenty-thirty seconds.

Aye Davanita.

It's a great groove, and I think, with some work, that it could be a killer "proper" song.

Bushleaguer.

The music's cool, Ed killed it with the spoken-word ham-fisted political jargon.

how can you say you want to restructure TMW, its perfect! not the studio version im talking the live version. def wouldn't change it

that'd be interesting to hear, at any rate. I guess it would make it more Speed of Soundish


But my vote is also for light years

Erm... the last 20-30 seconds which speeds up? I don't remember that happening. Same tempo all the way through. Or do you mean volume? You want it less small and intimate, and maybe more contribution from the band?

The studio version of Thumbing My Way would be a better song if Eddie sang some of the verses up an octave the way he does live.

they could redo all of Riot Act for all I care.

I was just thinking today how Aye Davanita would make a great "proper" song.

green disease - i'd tell Ed to go home and write another chorus.
MITS - same as above.
fuck me in the brain - make it into a song.
otherside - move it a few frets upwards.

i think it already is a proper song.

i love Love LOVE thumbing my way, but the idea of an even more somber re-imagined version of it is quite masturbation worthy. (and i realized your point was that it should be sped up, but an even slower, more bare bones version would be haunting, and remind me of a lonely zombie singing it in on the porch of a smoke filled shack in the deep deep south while crying big whiskey flavored tears)

a long time ago, someone on RM suggested how a lot of the closing tracks on pj's albums would have sounded great if johnny cash had covered them. certainly true for everything up til avocado.