____twoism

One of the best things about Boards of Canada's albums I think is their introductions, in each instance they perfectly set the vibe for the adventure ahead.

What is your favourite?

I decided on my drive to work this morning that 'Ready Lets Go' is possibly the best intro to an album ever... But then again, the the intros to the other three albums are perfect too. Tough decision man.

Rainbow vein for me. That is my favourite in terms of enjoyment, not necessarily what I consider the best though. That would be ready let's go.

Ready Let's Go for sure. Something about it just prepares you so well for the trip ahead. Wildlife Analysis is a very close second.

I like every one on the list, really they are allspecial in their own way, but yeah, ready lets go is something, I remember reading somewhere that Geogaddi is not warm album, it's boiling... it captures that very well, it's pretty subtle, but it's max your senses very well

Rainbow Vein for me, as I'm totally obsessed with TCH.

Ready Lets Go is like being woken up by the humming of the machinery you're strapped to as the images of all your repressed memories start being extracted and projected before your clamped open eyes. You'll come out of it wiser and more complete but it won't necessarily be easy.

Had to give it to Gemini, the real answer is Wildlife Analysis but nothing can ever top it. It's the first BoC I ever heard and it sums up their mission statement perfectly. Gemini is a marvel of genius, the sense of growing dread and alarm as the song progresses is palpable and sets up the rest of the album perfectly, which is what an opener is supposed to do on a BoC album.

Gotta love Ready, Let's Go...

But I had to go with Into the Rainbow Vein because, to me, that intro stabs me in the heart repeatedly then kisses the wounds.

Gemini you me over when I watched this.

I always liked their album intros, and the way they're short and to the point, but Gemini blows them all out of the water. Not only it shows pretty much what the album is like, but it makes you damn sure that you cannot be prepared for what's coming.

Definitely Wildlife Analysis, but I was wayyyy more excited to play Ready Lets Go on vinyl when I got them

IMO Gemini performs a different function than the rest of the BoC LP openers--indeed every BoC album begins with some intro music that welcomes you into the world of the record, but in Gemini we recieve that entire introduction in the form of the fanfare. This provides a false sense of security and ultimately leaves us as listeners emotionally suspended and without proper footing as the album rolls in. The rest of the track has multiple sections which is generally more development than we see on the BoC openers and thus ive always percieved it more as a fulfilled 'track' than the other three.

That being said, my favorite opener is a tie between Wildlife Analysis and Ready Lets Go : ) Gotta love the tritone in the melody of ready lets go

Wildlife Analysis without doubt! Into The Rainbow Vein is a very close second I must say. Both intros are filled with warm, fuzzy analog sounds.

It depends what you mean, if you're saying best track of all those four, I'd have to say Gemini. But best introduction is an odd one since I'm not sure exactly how to compare them. For example, I think Wildlife Analysis is a better intro when it goes into Chinook rather than when it goes into An Eagle In Your Mind. In that respect, I reckon it'd have to go to Ready Let's Go, it's subtle enough but has enough energy to it to bring you into the album. Into The Rainbow Vein would have to be my second, since it just sounds fantastic and gives you a taste of the mature production and particular subtle sound there is on the album.

hi im the new kid for today.
it has to be Wildlife analysis. I remember as a child seeing the National Film Board of Canada movies on Saturday morning and afternoon tv on BBC2 in the uk when sports were on the other channels. It brought back a warm wave of nostalgia when I first heard it,and right away new where Mike and Marcus were coming from . MHTRTC will always be my favourite BOC album. Although I do Like Ready Let's Go as it reminds me of the dark electronic soundtrack at the end of the movie Deliverance. Check it out.

Into the Rainbow Vein for me.. its so saturated and fuzzy.. completely preps you for the pastoral voyage that you are about to take. Though all of the openers set the tone very well.

each one opens its respective album very well. i think "ready let's go" is slightly ahead of the rest in terms of how it performs as an album opener. however, if i look at them as standalone tracks, "gemini" is my favourite—though, as with "ready let's go," it's only ahead of the others by a hair

Ready Lets Go by far. It is the (almost) perfect opening for such an (almost) perfect album. Just those first four notes express so much not only in BoC's theme about nostalgia and childhood but in a reflective and intrusive way as well. It invites you in whether you want it to or not, and I've never heard of someone who heard it and didn't listen to the album at least once.

i enjoy wildlife analysis


it seems to be the most layered of the choices


and there's something about that wind chime like effect in the background that really gives a mysterious outdoor feeling.

What? No love for Spectrum? I voted for Into the Rainbow Vein, though. Pure distilled bliss.