As you may or may not know, I do a little podcast for the PJ fan called All That's Sacred. We play lots great music as well as offer some context and commentary about the fan experience. Some time ago on ATS #10 [http://www.allthatssacred.net/2009/07/all-thats-sacred-10.html], we went completely commentary-free and recreated the album Ten with listener-suggested live tracks. It was one of the most popular early episodes. Here more recently, there seems to be a groundswell for giving No Code the same treatment. So I'm asking for your help. What, in your opinion, are the best live versions of the songs off No Code?

Thanks in advance. I look forward to diving into this and cranking it out in the coming weeks.

they're probably all from the Jack Irons years.

The first thing that comes to mind is any Who You Are from 2008. Maybe DC or NY.

Also Hail, Hail from MSG 2 1998.

And In My Tree from Australia 1998.

I've never heard Ed sing "Off He Goes" better than London '05. I can post an mp3 sometime in the next couple days if you'd like. He just really experiments with the melody, and ends up pulling off some really impressive soul moves. Otherwise:

"Sometimes"--Berlin '96 or Charlotte '03
"Who You Are"--Toronto '96 or Mansfield '08 (both MSG versions have slight screwups)
"Smile"--Noblesville '03 or Chicago '09
"Red Mosquito"--Inglewood '98

There aren't many "I'm Open"s to choose from, but it seems like one's as good as the next. Has there ever been a truly great live "Around the Bend?" Most of them are nice enough, but still pale compared to the studio version.

I think any Jack Irons-era version of Who You Are is vastly superior to the 2008 version, but for the sake of argument, I thought Washington DC was the only passable version they did on that tour.

The version of Hail, Hail from the Sydney show on the 11th of March '98 has always been a favourite of mine.

Present tense, In my tree and hail hail from both cork and dublin 96 are incredible. Honorable mention to who you are, mankind and habit from those same shows. If your goin completist.

Oh and Education hot its first ever live playing in Dublin 06 too. Think Its a No Code era song. Just a little late to the party. Its on gremmie.net listed as letter to the dead so that could be one too.

Education is a Binaural era track.

...and Letter to the Dead was the original title for Sad.

My mistake.

Smile - Jones Beach III 2000

I agree.

In My Tree form 9/5/2000 is a great version.

Present Tense is going to be the hard one to nail down as best version, so many great ones.

9/16/98 for Present Tense

And honestly, if Eddie didn't fuck up the lyrics so badly, Buffalo's 03 Hail Hail would be the best...the band fucking kills it

MattCamFan dislikes this

I've given this some thought and the correct version of Present Tense to use is from the Letterman fan show of 2006.

wasnt this done years ago with a very in depth selection process by green habit

There are a few to consider...

Are you looking for old or new? Will you consider multiple versions of the same song? Like some with Matt, and some with Jack? Are outtakes / b-sides included?

Some that come to mind for me:

Hail Hail - David Letterman 1996
Hail Hail - Live On Two Legs
Red Mosquito - Portland 2009
In My Tree - Chicago 2009
In My Tree - Detroit 2000
Who You Are - Germany 1996 (forgot the city)
In My Tree - Buffalo 1996
Off He Goes - Live On Two Legs (for me, this is the best version of the song)
Around The Bend - Benaroya Hall
Present Tense - St. Louis 2003
Smile - Katowice 2 2000
Mankind - Greenville 1998
I'm Open - DC 2008
Who Your Are - DC 2008
Habit - Charlotte 2000
Sometimes - Jones Beach 2000

Really? I have not heard them nailing that one that often. If he fucks up the single guitar part, I wont listen to this version again (not because I am a perfectionist, it just spoils it for me somehow). He fucks that up often.

Feel me, fuckers.