Favorite Reivers Album Poll

The people have spoken. In early 2015 there was a poll here on the website where you could vote for your favorite Reivers album. Translate Slowly took off with a big lead, but within a week or so, End of the Day moved to the front. It stayed that way for a while, with Translate Slowly, Saturday, Pop Beloved and Second Story following, in that order. Somewhere in the third week or so, Saturday pulled to the front (this is starting to sound like a horse race), though a few more votes for End of the Day brought them to a tie. Then Saturday leaped ahead again until the last day when End of the Day once again caught up, bringing it back to a tie. Here’s how the final results played out:
Total votes: 67
Saturday: 21 (31.34%)
End of the Day: 21 (31.34%)
Translate Slowly: 17 (25.37%)
Pop Beloved: 8 (11.94 %)
Second Story: 0 (0%)

What does this all mean? Well, on one level, nothing. It doesn’t mean Saturday or End of the Day are the “best” Reivers album, because “best” is such a subjective term. However, they do seem to be the most popular and as such, a good place to start if introducing new listeners to the band’s music (I voted for Saturday myself). It’s also interesting to see where other’s tastes lie, especially in the relatively small world of Reivers fans.

I’d venture to say that those first four Reivers albums (and especially the first three) were the favorites of the five because they were the albums most fans heard first. These were albums that were the soundtrack of their/our lives during college and high school years in many cases. As such, we have fond memories associated with the music. Let’s face it, the average Reivers fan (not all, but most) is aging – we’re over 40 at this point and have been listening to those first four albums for decades. The music has become part of us, ingrained. We know it by heart in some cases.

Second Story is also a strong album. Yet, in actuality, Second Story never had a chance when put against the first four Reivers albums. We were holding it to such a high standard, how could it compete with the music of our formative years? I suspect Second Story would have rated higher if it was released in 1988 instead of 2013.

Thanks to all who voted!