That being said, I still like the way the Mahaffey (sp) versions sounded much better. Why didn't they stick with him?

Because, Joey, most of the world is not ready for the genius that is Matt Mahaffey.

You can hear the keys more on the two Mahaffey songs than you could on the older versions I have.  I'm not sure if I like that yet or not.

I still like the way the Mahaffey (sp) versions sounded much better. Why didn't they stick with him?

also, i saw where you can buy it for $25 on amazon.com.....

it's cheaper to import it from amazon.co.uk. i got exhibit a and the blow it out single for $28 after shipping.

Some bands take the studio thing a little bit too far (names won't be mentioned)

Name one overproduced Self track and I'll make a counterpoint (excepting "Stay Home," which is indeed quite overproduced, but as it was going to be the theme song for Shrek, you can't blame the guy for making it as pretty and saccharine as possible. And taking it as the little pop confection that it is, it remains a very enjoyable song).

Oh, I know (though ironically, if introduced to the right single song, anyone could be a Self fan)...I just find the claim that Self's music is overproduced as a complete surprise (citation of CFP's debut album as being an example of Mahaffey overproducing is a little more expected, and I contest that claim [which has been made previously on these boards, if I do remember correctly] as well...though that's neither here nor there). The thought's never crossed my mind, and believe me, it has many a time for several other bands I love. I'm interested as to what song(s) could possibly evoke such an opinion, and why. I just like debating these things.

This is really sad news, but according to the Self messageboard, Mike Mahaffey passed away this morning.

For what it's worth, I still like the Mahaffey Sessions better than Exhibit A. Yes, I'm a big fan of Self (best band ever, simply because of their/his variety, style, and sheer volume of flawless material), and yes, that probably does affect my opinion a little. Still, the songs are great, and Mahaffey's presentation of them are excellent. You can bitch and moan about how it doesn't capture their "live sound" all you want, but if I want their live sound, I'll get a fucking bootleg. Know what I mean? Bands go into studios to make albums, and that, to me, means that they'll be doing at least a couple things that they can't pull off live. You know, to make it special, to put it over the top, and to not...well, make it sound like it was recorded in an empty club somewhere. Some bands take the studio thing a little bit too far (names won't be mentioned), but by all means, you could only make complaints about that with the Mahaffey Sessions in the slightest of degrees. And I'd still disagree with you.

And yet, the Mahaffey Sessions were never completed. I think it was made clear, either by the Features' loss of interest in those songs (they had already canned at least two "completed" albums previously, so that might be the most probable reality), or by the apparent disintegration of Spongebath and an assumed lack of interest from whatever labels they shopped the thing around to, that these songs would never be released. If the album's release was ensured, I'm sure Matt Mahaffey would've finished mixing them, and that the end product would sound much clearer and louder than the current bootleg. Just listen to the Katies EP he recorded the same year (or was that in 2001?)...I've never heard Mahaffey produce a band poorly, and the Features are no exception.

Self's great. One of my favorite bands. Bar none. Introduced me to Spongebath, and thus, The Features. But the Mahaffey sessions don't just not sound like The Features live experience, they don't even sound like The Features. They sound like this crazy Features-Self collaboration.

Sounds much more like straight up old Features to me (which I prefer, to be honest). Not quite as winsomely new wave and exuberant like the original EP songs (which I'm assessing on the songs only, as I only have early bootlegs of them...I still don't have the studio recordings themselves), but sort of in-transit between Old Features and New Features. Pretty damn similar to the only available bootleg of the era I know, 1999 @ Sebastian's. If the Features' sound at that time sounded at all undeveloped or "a little off," that was just them recovering from losing two key bandmembers (they do sound a little unsure of themselves on said bootleg). And if you want to make an argument about the songs of the Mahaffey Sessions, that's a whole different deal altogether, although I remain steadfast in saying that they're probably the best collection of tunes the band's ever brought to the studio all at once. It might be a little misleading of what they would come to sound like just a year later, but at the time, that's just what the Features were.