The Reputation - Albums and Singles
The Reputation is my favorite band of the '00s, and it's not close. This is great stuff. Go get it. Go. I'll wait.
The Reputation
Initial Records IR49, released 2002
Elizabeth eventually got another band together, and this was the product. This album is freakin' fantastic. It is the best album to come out in the last decade. You cannot convince me otherwise. There I was, blithely going about my daily business, living an unenlightened Elmore-less existence. I was sitting at my computer in 2006 in Switzerland. I had my iTunes playlist on shuffle. Suddenly, the demo version of "For the Win" (from the Fields and Streams compilation) started playing. My head tilted a little in confusion. Then, I proceeded to listen to that song about 15 times in a row. My initial reaction to this album was that it sounded like the female subject of Greg Dulli's songs voicing her take on everything. It's really, really good. CD only.
| Version | Approximate value ($) |
|---|---|
| Initial IR49 | 10 |
To Force a Fate
Lookout LT0594CD, released 2004
The Reputation's 2004 follow-up to the S/T album does not pack as much of a punch as its predecessor, but it is still better than just about anything that's come out this decade. It doesn't seem like something that should have been on Lookout, but, then again...what does anymore? A solid release, only on CD.
| Version | Approximate value ($) |
|---|---|
| Lookout LT0594CD | 12 |
Either Coast EP
UNRELEASED
Planned as Synesthetic Recordings SYRE 009
The vinyl story for the Reputation is largely about what didn't happen. This single was planned as a 2004 Norwegian release, and was supposed to have contained demo versions of three songs from the first Rep album. The single never came to fruition. I have confirmed that there was never even a test pressing made. What you see above was going to be the artwork, though.
Mystery Split 7"
Lookout promo, released 2004?
Right. The existence of this one (or lack thereof) is maddening. Here's what I know: Elizabeth told me that there was a red vinyl promotional split 7" that was pressed for some Red Stripe promotion. We don't know what Rep song was contained therin (though it is likely "Some Senseless Day" or "Face It," the main ones promoted by Lookout). I have confirmed that the other band on this one was the Washdown, but that's the extent of my knowledge. Needless to say, I have never seen one of these. If you have any information on it, please .