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Post by Nudeviking on Jul 13, 2017 2:28:06 GMT -5
I also like Rites of Spring quite a bit more than Minor Theat or Black Flag; this is a legitimately great album. Also, I'm like >99% sure the "documentary" stuff at the end of the final song is a reference to the well-known Stravinsky ballet from which the group clearly took their name, given that that's the plot of said ballet. That makes sense. I'm a pleb and have never actually seen the ballet, just heard the score(?) from it, so I have no idea what the plot to Rites of Spring (the ballet) is.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Jul 13, 2017 2:34:42 GMT -5
I also like Rites of Spring quite a bit more than Minor Theat or Black Flag; this is a legitimately great album. Also, I'm like >99% sure the "documentary" stuff at the end of the final song is a reference to the well-known Stravinsky ballet from which the group clearly took their name, given that that's the plot of said ballet. That makes sense. I'm a pleb and have never actually seen the ballet, just heard the score(?) from it, so I have no idea what the plot to Rites of Spring (the ballet) is. I don't think I've ever seen the ballet itself either, I just happen to be familiar with the premise, as "Rite of Spring" is one of the ~3 classical pieces that I'm vaguely knowledgeable about.
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Post by ganews on Jul 13, 2017 8:21:27 GMT -5
I also like Rites of Spring quite a bit more than Minor Theat or Black Flag; this is a legitimately great album. Also, I'm like >99% sure the "documentary" stuff at the end of the final song is a reference to the well-known Stravinsky ballet from which the group clearly took their name, given that that's the plot of said ballet. That makes sense. I'm a pleb and have never actually seen the ballet, just heard the score(?) from it, so I have no idea what the plot to Rites of Spring (the ballet) is. It's the one with the dinosaurs.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 7, 2017 20:54:24 GMT -5
Duran Duran - Rio (1982)It's been awhile since I've written words about music albums by bands and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps it was just the summer doldrums. Who knows? Anyway I'm back with words about music albums by bands with this review of Duran Duran's Rio, an album that is stylistically about as far from the last album I reviewed here as you could possibly get. Pre-Existing Prejudices
When I was in high school (before vinyl became trendy again) I bought a copy of this album for maybe a $1, possibly less. I'd known all the big hits off it prior to purchasing it and listened to it in full after purchasing it, but it was never an album that was on my phone so there are songs I haven't listened to since 2003 or so when I had a dubbed copy of the album in my car. If memory serves correctly the bulk of this album is really good and I have a favorable view of it. Songs"Rio" This song was huge when I was a small lad. I've probably heard it nine bajillion times at this point in my life and it's still great. I never really noticed how important the bass line is to this song before but there's some wild bass going on. Also I know in the past I've talked shit about saxophones in rock songs, but if you're a band and you're going to have a saxophone part in one of your songs you can't do much better than the saxophone part in "Rio." It shows up plays a competent solo and then disappears until the ending. "My Own Way" I dig the funky slap bass going on here. Other than that though it's kind of a generic new wave song. "Lonely in Your Nightmare" The jangly guitar riff during the verses kind of sounds like an R.E.M. b-side. This is a pretty solid track. "Hungry Like the Wolf" I've probably heard this song a thousand times in my life and it's still awesome. It's such a great pop song. The massive guitar chords that punctuate the chorus, the bass part, the synth swells...it's all tremendous. "Hold Back the Rain" I want all music to sound like the chorus of this song. Just huge tom fills and synth riffs and big triumphant vocals. It's the best. "New Religion" The beginning of this song starts off all like, "Time for some dark shit!" but then it fakes you out and is like, "Nope, even though we've got some weird goth synth shit going on this is a Duran Duran song! Here's some funky bass slapping and big tom drum fills!" "Last Chance on the Stairway" This certainly is a Duran Duran song. It's not a bad song, but the only thing that makes it stand out from any of the other songs on this album is the fact that there's a vibraphone solo in it. I assume this song is about fucking in a stairway. As far as songs about fucking in a stairway go this is better than "Stairway to Heaven." "Save a Prayer" Is there a better synth part in a song than the one in the beginning of this song? I don't believe there is. "The Chauffeur" Kind of a mellow closer to end the album here. I assume this song's about fucking in a car. As far as songs about fucking in cars go this is better than "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car." Final ThoughtsRio's a great album by a pretty fantastic band. It's got a bunch of really great pop songs that somehow managed to stay fresh and enjoyable in spite being massively overplayed these past 35 years. This is easily the best album I've reviewed since starting the 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s project and to be honest, I'm kind of disappointed there aren't more Duran Duran albums featured on Pitchfork's list. Best Song: "Save a Prayer" Worst Song: "My Own Way" For those of you wishing to play along at home the next album on deck is Meat Puppets II by the band Meat Puppets. If you were into alterna-rock in the mid-90s you probably owned this album at one point because Nirvana covered three songs off it during their MTV Unplugged deal.
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Sept 7, 2017 21:06:41 GMT -5
Duran Duran - Rio (1982)"The Chauffeur" Kind of a mellow closer to end the album here. I assume this song's about fucking in a car. As far as songs about fucking in cars go this is better than "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car." "The Chauffeur" is also better than songs about actually fucking a car, like Queen's "I'm In Love With My Car".
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 8, 2017 3:34:40 GMT -5
Duran Duran - Rio (1982)"The Chauffeur" Kind of a mellow closer to end the album here. I assume this song's about fucking in a car. As far as songs about fucking in cars go this is better than "Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car." "The Chauffeur" is also better than songs about actually fucking a car, like Queen's "I'm In Love With My Car". I think you should not remind Nudie of the trauma of having listened to "I'm In Love With My Car" (for he does not have a feeeel for his automobeeeeel"). I've never been the biggest Duran Duran fan, and there's something undeniably cheesy about both them in general and this album in particular. But objectively speaking there's no denying that they can knock out killer pop songs, and this album is a good representation of that. "Hungry Like The Wolf" is the only Duran Duran song I unabashedly love, but though they're not a band I'm in love with, they're certainly one I have nothing against, and given how well crafted this album is it's tough to argue it doesn't earn its place on this list.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 8, 2017 3:42:09 GMT -5
"The Chauffeur" is also better than songs about actually fucking a car, like Queen's "I'm In Love With My Car". I think you should not remind Nudie of the trauma of having listened to "I'm In Love With My Car" (for he does not have a feeeel for his automobeeeeel"). I've never been the biggest Duran Duran fan, and there's something undeniably cheesy about both them in general and this album in particular. But objectively speaking there's no denying that they can knock out killer pop songs, and this album is a good representation of that. "Hungry Like The Wolf" is the only Duran Duran song I unabashedly love, but though they're not a band I'm in love with, they're certainly one I have nothing against, and given how well crafted this album is it's tough to argue it doesn't earn its place on this list. I actually laughed out loud at the callback to "I'm In Love With My Car," and feel like I should probably give it another spin now that I'm nearly a year removed from listening to nothing but Queen for a period of like 3 months.
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 8, 2017 5:11:38 GMT -5
Well, Nudeviking, you also gained an appreciation for Roger Taylor as a songwriter as you went on through Queen, whereas at the time you kind of despised him, so maybe coming to it with fresh ears will make you enjoy it more. FWIW, I think it's a completely shit song which I do also kind of love, just because it's so utterly dreadful (I think it's also aware of how dreadful it is - I think (hope) it's meant to be at least partially tongue-in-cheek). The very definition of a guilty please.
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Dellarigg
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Post by Dellarigg on Sept 8, 2017 5:17:05 GMT -5
Hungry Like The Wolf is a better title than Hungry Like A Wolf. That's all I've got to say, other than this was the band to like if you wanted to talk to girls in the mid-80s.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 8, 2017 8:07:00 GMT -5
Well, Nudeviking , you also gained an appreciation for Roger Taylor as a songwriter as you went on through Queen, whereas at the time you kind of despised him, so maybe coming to it with fresh ears will make you enjoy it more. FWIW, I think it's a completely shit song which I do also kind of love, just because it's so utterly dreadful (I think it's also aware of how dreadful it is - I think (hope) it's meant to be at least partially tongue-in-cheek). The very definition of a guilty please. I've re-listened to it and it's still a terrible song, but removed from an three month binge of a multitude of terrible Queen songs, it's the sort of song I could probably like ironically.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 10, 2017 23:29:42 GMT -5
Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II (1984)Like many people that were teens in the 1990s my favorite band was Nirvana. For whatever reason, much like Guy Fieri champions small off the beaten path eateries, Kurt Cobain ended up championing a bunch of bands that would have been pretty obscure to a suburban teenager in the 90s. They'd cover bands like the Wipers and Vaselines, talk up Shonen Knife in interviews, and play shows with Bikini Kill and Mudhoney, and I would dutifully seek out albums by these groups. Sometimes it worked out well and the band would become a longtime favorite, other times I'd have to force myself to listen to the CD because $18 was a lot of money. Pre-Existing Prejudices
I purchased this album at some point in the 1990s because Nirvana covered three of the songs off it during the MTV Unplugged thing. It ended up being an album I had to force myself to listen to because $18 was a lot of money. Was I perhaps a bit to hard on this album back in the day? Let's find out! Songs
"Split Myself in Two" Generic 80s hardcore with quasi-50s rock n' roll vocals and noise rock guitar solos. It's not terrible, but not something I really feel the need to listen to more than a couple times. "Magic Toy Missing" Hillbilly hoedown bullshit devoid of vocals. Pretty inconsequential. "Lost" Hillbilly hoedown bullshit with vocals. "Plateau" This song's decent enough, but I, for the most part, prefer the Nirvana cover. "Aurora Borealis" Meedly meedly southern rock guitars. Sounds like punks trying to do a Lynard Skynard panache. "We're Here" Just a song. There are guitars and drums and a dude mumble singing. "Climbing" Hillbilly hoedown bullshit with mumblecore vocals about climbing shit. "New Gods" This songs got a pretty decent 80s hardcore riff and wild noise guitar solo. This might be the best song on the album that Nirvana didn't cover. "Oh Me" This is a pretty decent mellow slow jam. Again though I prefer the Nirvana cover to the original version. I don't really like the dude that's singing's voice that much. It's kind of thin and weak sounding. "Lake of Fire" This is pretty good. Better than the Nirvana cover. The guitar riff's a lot chunkier here than it was when Nirvana played it. "I'm a Mindless Idiot" Backwoods guitar fuckery. Kind of pointless. I hate it. "The Whistling Song" They whistle during this song which is a shame because it wasn't an awful song before the whistling kicked in. Fuck whistling and fuck this goddamn album and fuck this goddamn band and fuck Nirvana for tricking me into buying this and fuck Sam Goody for charging me $18 for it. Bonus Tracks
I got some kind of bonus tracks going on this time around. As always I try not to let these songs color my overall opinion of the album too much. "Teenager(s)" Generic hardcore for like 30 seconds and then some Carlos Santana guitar fuckery. "I'm Not Here" Honky tonk bullshit. I've had enough of this goddamn album. "New Gods (Demo Version)" It's "New Gods" sans vocals. I liked the album version well enough. This doesn't add anything to it, but since the vocals are generally the worse part of every single Meat Puppets song, this doesn't really lose anything by taking away the vocals either. "Lost (Demo Version)" Hillbilly hoedown bullshit with vocals. I honestly can't tell this one apart from the album version. If anything this one might be a little bit more competently recorded. "What to Do" I guess this is a cover of a Rolling Stones song. God these vocals are awful. It's making me angry. "100% of Nothing" Half these songs sound exactly the same. This might be a demo version of one of the other songs on this album, I can't even tell anymore. "Aurora Borealis (Demo Version)" Sounds like a worse recording of the album version, but stylistically it's not any different from that better recorded version. Final Thoughts
This is still a shitty album that I'm angry that I spent $18 plus tax on back in 1999. I'm sure if I had grown up in the Southwest and was doing a shit ton of acid this would probably be the goddamn greatest album ever, but neither of those things are true of me, so it's just country-western inspired shitrock I really don't want to ever hear again. Best Song: "Lake of Fire" or "New Gods" Worst Song: Anything besides the songs Nirvana covered and "New Gods." Take your pick. Next up on deck was David Bowie's Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) but I already reviewed that during my time spent exploring the discography of David Bowie so I'm not going to redo it. You can read my review of it at the link over to the left and tell me how wrong I am about things if you like. If you're playing along at home the next album I'll be listening to is Kate Bush's Hounds of Love.
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Post by Desert Dweller on Sept 11, 2017 0:49:32 GMT -5
I haven't listened to that Meat Puppets album since a high school friend loaned it to me. Ugh, I hated it. And this was in the Southwest. Although, there was no acid involved. Maybe that would have made a difference? After listening to this, I stopped seeking out the stuff that Nirvana covered/promoted.
In conclusion, this being ranked even one step higher than Duran Duran "Rio" irrationality annoys me. Why is "Rio" ranked 95 in the first place? Sigh, Pitchfork.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 11, 2017 1:14:55 GMT -5
I haven't listened to that Meat Puppets album since a high school friend loaned it to me. Ugh, I hated it. And this was in the Southwest. Although, there was no acid involved. Maybe that would have made a difference? After listening to this, I stopped seeking out the stuff that Nirvana covered/promoted. In conclusion, this being ranked even one step higher than Duran Duran "Rio" irrationality annoys me. Why is "Rio" ranked 95 in the first place? Sigh, Pitchfork. I think you answered your own question with "Sigh, Pitchfork." Right now Rio is in my top ten 80s albums of all the times. It's so good. Meat Puppets II is not.
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 11, 2017 13:02:49 GMT -5
Meat Puppets suck. That is all.
But WOOOO Hounds Of Love next! Such an awesome album, though I could understand it not being Nudie's thing
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 11, 2017 17:48:36 GMT -5
Meat Puppets suck. That is all. But WOOOO Hounds Of Love next! Such an awesome album, though I could understand it not being Nudie's thing I actually own that album because the local alterna-rock station was still playing "Cloudbursting" and "Running Up That Hill" alongside Pearl Jam and Beck in 1994 and I assumed it was a new album. Like a lot of albums I bought when I was 14 I haven't listened to it recently but I recall liking it well enough and know that the singles at least were awesome enough to make me buy the album.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2017 18:18:23 GMT -5
God, I haven't heard Meat Puppets II in a hound's age. I recall liking its shamblingness*, though I suspect I might find it to be Fisher-Price's "My First Indie Album" these days in its brain-damaged simplicity. I feel like it might have been some kids' gateway to better bands, like Grateful Dead to Flying Burrito Brothers, so I can't hate it on those merits, but let's be real, it's the Nirvana connection that landed it on this list. I will say that "I'm a Mindless Idiot" made a terrific music break on NPR the other day.
*It's worth noting that I never gave a damn about Nirvana
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Sept 12, 2017 8:54:11 GMT -5
The Meat Puppets are great, you troglodytes. Like most people my age I first became aware of them thanks to Kurt Cobain, but as I wasn’t really a Nirvana fan I didn’t follow up on the whole Meat Puppets thing until many years later when I started filling in the gaps in my ‘80s hardcore knowledge and checking out some of the things I’d missed on account of being 8 years old when they were released. So, maybe I went into it with different expectations, and when listened to on its own merits and alongside some of its contemporaries it sounds a lot better. To get it out of the way first – yes, Curt Kirkwood is a pretty “bad” singer. And yes, a lot of this album could be described as “country-influenced”, but if you can get beyond that there’s a lot to love about it. Personally, I’m a big fan of the sort of child-like, primitive dream logic found in the lyrics and I think Curt’s cracked, damaged voice suits it perfectly. While the instrumentation could be described as simplistic, there’s still a surprising level of proficiency there – the interplay of the guitar picking with the bass on “I’m a Mindless Idiot” is a thing of beauty, and Derrick Bostrum’s drumming throughout the album is tight as fuck. As pantsgoblin noted, bands like the Dead are definitely a touchstone for the Meat Puppets but that noodly jam band sound is filtered through a lens of SST hardcore – this is Jerry Garcia by-way-of Greg Ginn. This is also a bit of a transitional album for them – their first album is more in the vein of the spazzed-out hardcore of “Split Myself in Two” and “New Gods”, while the follow up leans more towards the dreamy, noodly sounds here so this is the only time they really bridged that gap (and then they made another left turn into ZZ Top worship on the albums after that). And finally, “The Whistling Song” is the greatest song to feature whistling, Non-“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” Dvision, ever recorded.
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 12, 2017 11:07:57 GMT -5
There are no great songs featuring whistling you lunkhead, except for "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life". Sorry, but that's just a fact.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 12, 2017 21:52:39 GMT -5
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (1985)Time for some Kate Bush. She always seemed to me like one of those singers that was a much bigger deal in the UK than she was in America though I don't really know why. Sure she had songs on the radio and her albums were easy enough to find in record stores in the States but she seemed to be far more popular and critically received across the pond in her native Britannia and so I don't really know anything about her. Time to revisit her biggest(?) album and see what's up with her. Pre-Existing Prejudices
They were still playing singles off this on the local alterna-rock station well into the 90s alongside Smashing Pumpkins and The Offspring and stuff like that. I ending up buying this album at some point in the 90s because "Running Up That Hill," was a fantastic song, so I've heard all these songs before and have mostly positive memories of them. Songs
"Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" Goddamn is this an awesome song. Why don't all songs sound like this song? The rest of this album could totally suck for all I care and I would still walk away singing the praises of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love for this song alone. The synths and drum machines are pretty solid and even Bush's "I'm a fore reals pixie" vocals during the verses work because of her bombast during the choruses. One of the greatest album openers of all times. "Hounds of Love" This is pretty good. I like that the bulk of the music is just pounding 80s drums with occasional chugga chugga string section stuff. This sounds remarkably modern. "The Big Sky" I'm kind of digging how low in the mix the instruments are besides the pounding drums. Like there's wild 80s metal guitar heroics in this song but I didn't notice them until the third or fourth time I listened to the song since the vocals and drums are so dominant. "Mother Stands for Comfort" Pianos and creepy bass lines and broken glass drums. I wonder if Tori Amos had to pay Kate Bush royalties for ripping off her gimmick wholesale in the 90s. This is a pretty good ballad that doesn't go too long and wear out its welcome. "Cloudbusting" It occurs to me now after all these years that Utah Saints sampled this song in their song, "Something Good." I unironically loved that song and believe a cassingle of it is still probably in a shoebox of tapes in the basement of parents' house. As for the source material, this is a pretty good song in its own right though not as rockin' as the Utah Saints track since it's all orchestral maneuvers and fart synths instead of buzzsaw guitars and 90s Eurodisco beats. "And Dream of Sheep" Mellow piano jam. It's okay for what it is and is short enough that it doesn't bore me. "Under Ice" Sinister string section stuff. Holy fuck that menacing cello shit! This is awesome. I want more songs that are just evil sounding cellos and British ladies singing like they are for real pixies. "Waking the Witch" Sounds like a scene from a movie or something. British people having conversations for a minute and a half before it glitches all out and we get demon grumbling and chimes and 80s drum machine chug. This is a weird ass song that kind of goes on too long for what it is. I thought it was funny for like two minutes but it just kept going and going. "Watching You Without Me" How do you follow up guest vocals from Beelzebub? A downtempo number with minimalist music, whispering, backmasking, and glitchy vocals apparently. "Jig of Life" Does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a jig. There are fiddles and drums and flute-o-phones and a place to dance in a circle before there's weird spoken word stuff. "Hello Earth" This one is kind of a slow burn. I was ready to write it off as a boring, overlong song, but it gets so bombastic and awesome in the middle that I can't. The end is creepy as fuck. "The Morning Fog" Kind of a comedown after the past 30 minutes or so of creepiness and audio fuckery. I guess everything from "And Dream of Sheep" up to "The Morning Fog" was conceived as a single piece about dreams or some shit which I guess kind of makes sense. If that is truly the case this works well enough as a closing track. Final Thoughts
I'd forgotten how good of an album this was in the years that have passed since I bought it. The first half is a bit stronger than the second half but overall it's a pretty solid since even the less good songs are at least trying to do interesting things. I should probably check out the rest of Kate Bush's discography since this is the only album of hers I've heard in its entirety. Best Song: "Running Up That Hill" Worst Song: "Waking the Witch" Coming up next we head back Stateside for some punk fucking rock as we listen to X's outstanding album, Los Angeles. It's a good one, so join me in heaping praise upon it or come and try to explain why I'm wrong and Los Angeles is actually a terrible album. The power is yours!
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Post by Prole Hole on Sept 13, 2017 2:45:32 GMT -5
I'm so glad/relieved you like this one, because this is one awesome album. You are, of course, correct to say that the second side is conceived as a single piece, it's basically about someone lost at sea and drowning, only to be rescued come the morning fog. How much it adds to the piece to know that I can't say (I've always known that about it), but it explains the weird creepy stuff and the bizarre lyrical approaches and experimental sequencing (it says here). Either way it's a fantastic piece, but the first side is also just awesome. I can understand if you're used to Utah Saints (and I also unironically love that song) the Cloudbursting might seem not as rockin', but really, Cloudbursting is beyond amazing - one of the most perfectly conceived and executed songs I've ever heard in fact (give it a few more listens and let it worm its way into you head). And yes- Running Up That Hill is one of the best album openers ever. I'm going to do something I wouldn't normally do (I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing?) and post a mash-up, which is Placebo, Kate Bush and Pet Shop Boys, which (apart from being a surprisingly good cover), i just kind of love (Kate's vocals finally exploding out at "come on baby, come on darling, let me steal this moment from you now" make the whole thing worthwhile on its own, though her and Neil Tennant's voices are surprisingly compatible).
Anyway, enough from me now. Great album, so happy you like it!
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Dellarigg
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Post by Dellarigg on Sept 13, 2017 3:07:07 GMT -5
Obligatory mention that Kate Bush features on Big Country's song The Seer, from the album of the same name, released in 1986. Apparently they were shy and nervous around her, and she worked phenomenally hard - spending hours and hours - on getting her parts just so.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 13, 2017 3:23:33 GMT -5
Obligatory mention that Kate Bush features on Big Country's song The Seer, from the album of the same name, released in 1986. Apparently they were shy and nervous around her, and she worked phenomenally hard - spending hours and hours - on getting her parts just so. *Grumbles about a grand total of zero (0) Big Country albums being on this stupid Pitchfork list.*
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Sept 13, 2017 3:55:51 GMT -5
Weird guy drive by to add that "Cloudbusting" is about Wilhelm Reich. Speciously speaking, Wikipedia gives us a reference that implies Reich as basis for the Barbarella villain Dr. Durand Durand. Dr. Durand Durand of course is the basis of your biggest highlight on this list so far, Nudeviking.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 13, 2017 3:57:24 GMT -5
Weird guy drive by to add that "Cloudbusting" is about Wilhelm Reich. Speciuosly speaking, Wikipedia gives us a reference that implies Reich as basis for the Barbarella villain Dr. Durand Durand. Dr. Durand Durand of course is the basis of your biggest highlight on this list so far, Nudeviking . Those are the kind of fun factoids that I like reading when doing these things!
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 14, 2017 19:16:13 GMT -5
X - Los Angeles (1980)Time to listen to some 80s punk rock. I probably learned about the band X in the least punk way imaginable: a PBS documentary on the history of rock and/or roll in the mid-90s. It was probably just called Rock & Roll or something, but I don't know. If memory serves correctly they played clips of "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and maybe another song. I thought they were solid jams and so purchased it a short while later. Pre-Existing Prejudices
I have heard all these songs numerous times and think they are pretty good. I still put this album on, on occasion and listen to it in full because it's short and kind of monolithic. Songs"Your Phones Off the Hook, But You're Not" 1950s rock n' roll guitar riffs. Boy and girl vocals. I wonder if the youth of today understand what they're talking about in this song since phones are no longer really things you can leave off hooks. "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" More 50s rock n' roll riffs complete with Chuck Berry guitar solos. It's pretty upbeat which is weird because this is a song about rape. It's gritty and unflinching and might ick people out. "Soul Kitchen" This is a cover of a The Doors song, specifically the song, "Soul Kitchen." The Doors are awful. I hate them. This cover's not bad though. Way more rocking than the original. Ray Manzarek, The Doors' organist, produced this album and actually plays the organ on this track (and other songs throughout the album) which is kind of weird. "Nausea" Rock organ in the house! Grungy guitar chug. Random glockenspiels. This song is pretty awesome. "Sugarlight" There's a pretty rad guitar solo in here, but this song's more or less generic 80s punk rock. "Los Angeles" Los Angeles apparently turns you into a racist. Having never been in LA I don't know if this is true or not. "Problematic" lyrics aside this is a pretty good song. "Sex and Dying in High Society" I like the keyboard shit and zany cowbell nonsense that happens during the chorus. Lyrics about young upper crust ladies marrying dudes old enough to be their dads and partaking in kinky sex. As timely today as it was in 1980. "The Unheard Music" Chugga chugga blues riffs. Here comes the rock organ! Aw ye ye! This is probably the most mellow track on the album. "The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss" Wild rock organ all up in this mug. A solid album closer. Final Thoughts
Most of the punk bands I listened to in high school are now relegated to Music That I Know Isn't Really That Good, But Reminds Me of My Youth So Sometimes I Still Listen to It status, but Los Angeles is that rare thing: a punk rock album that's actually pretty good, even devoid of teen angst. The male/female vocals give them more range than a lot of their contemporaries as does their willingness to use decidedly unpunk instruments. All in all this is a really solid musical album of songs by a decent band. Best Song: "Nausea" or "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" Worst Song: "Sugarlight" Coming up next we've got some Jane's Addiction with their debut(?) album, Nothing's Shocking. I never really cared for Jane's Addiction or Perry Farrell so come see me complain about how shitty of an album it is and then tell me why I'm a stupid idiot for thinking it's a shitty album! Fun for the whole family.
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repulsionist
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Post by repulsionist on Sept 14, 2017 20:13:44 GMT -5
I love X's Los Angeles a whole lot, too, Nudeviking. It's Ray Manzarek doing the organ, which may tarnish the work for some and present a tetchiness considering the band covered "Soul Kitchen" (e.g. they're sucking up! Flipside/MMR sort of insular anger). As a veteran poseur, I bought this as the Rhino re-release from 2001. Self-aggrandising segue: the album totally gives me room to plug book Disco's Out...Murder's In (2015) and The Flesh Eaters; also, check out Dangerhouse Records' founders Black Randy and the Metrosquad. Re. Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking. A pretty major soundtrack to my senior year of high school in Florida. I got to see them in early 1989. It was quite a show. Alt-rock Led Zeppelin kinda thing, you see. [to be heard in the voice of Top Cat]
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Rainbow Rosa
TI Forumite
not gay, just colorful
Posts: 3,604
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Post by Rainbow Rosa on Sept 16, 2017 14:16:10 GMT -5
Just want to give this thread a thumbs up for reminding me of Utah Saints.
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber
This is a public service announcement - with guitars
Posts: 7,499
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Post by Dellarigg on Sept 16, 2017 15:32:58 GMT -5
You want a fun factoid? The female singer from X was married to pre-fame Viggo Mortensen. Absolutely true.
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 16, 2017 20:13:51 GMT -5
You want a fun factoid? The female singer from X was married to pre-fame Viggo Mortensen. Absolutely true. That is a fun fact!
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Post by Nudeviking on Sept 18, 2017 3:55:21 GMT -5
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (1988)This is some kind of vinyl version cover because the real cover has tits and that's not cool with Prudeboards...Time for Jane's Addiction. I never really cared for them or Porno for Pyros or anything Perry Farrell did to be honest. His voice always bugged the shit out of me. I haven't heard any of his songs since I left America in 2003 and stopped listening to my local alterna-rock radio station though. Maybe it's not as bad as I remember it. Pre-Existing PrejudicesI know that I've heard "Jane Says" and "Mountain Song," before. I don't care for either of them. My local radio station use to play "Mountain Song" behind their ski report for local mountains during ski season so it's going to be weird to hear it without a guy talking about the snow conditions at Stowe and Stratton. If there were other singles off this album there's a chance I heard them as well since Jane's Addiction was all over alterna-rock radio in the mid 90s. Songs"Up on the Beach" Slow drum clubbering. Meedly meedly guitar nonsense. "Woo woo woo," vocals. Perry Farrell's voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard when he sings high. Fuck this. "Ocean Size" Acoustic guitar fuckery in the intro and then it's all 80s cockrock riffs and wailing vocals. There's an acoustic rock cooldown in the middle right before the guitar heroics part. Perry Farrell sucks though and doesn't preface the guitar heroics with a shout of "GEEEEE-TAAAAAH!" like a good hardrock frontman should. So much meedly meedly guitar shit going on. "Had a Dad" Perry Farrell's dad was big and strong. This is a song about that fact. It's more generic late 80s hard rock. God his yelping is annoying. "Ted, Just Admit It..." Is this dub reggae influenced? It's all reverby and random samples of shit. I have no idea what this fucker's singing except for "Nothing's shocking." I guess this is the quasi-title track. The reverb's gone and now it's just generic hard rock riffs again. Why is this song so goddamn long? "Sex is violin!" "Standing in the Shower...Thinking" Boring funk rock. I stopped paying attention about a minute in and can't be bothered to go back and listen to this again. Maybe it became the greatest song ever after the first minute. Probably not... "Summertime Rolls" Requisite slow jam. Bass in the forefront. Why are all these songs so damn long? If you're going to have a 7 minute song at least be prog rocky about it and have different movements and shit so it's not boring. This is like 7 minutes of the same goddamn riff and Perry Farrell's nasally whining. "Mountain Song" 90s gnarliness. This song's probably indirectly responsible for the Winter X-Games. I'm of the mind that Snowboarding would not exist if this song hadn't been recorded. It's not as terrible as I recalled it being. "Idiots Rule" Fuck it's a horn section and 80s hard rock guitars. This is so fucking awful and annoying. "Jane Says" One of those songs that tells a super direct story. Jane's on dope. There are steel drums involved and acoustic guitars. This was on the radio all the time when I was in middle school and high school. I didn't like it then. I don't like it now. Like all the songs on this album it's too goddamn long. "Thank You Boys" Some kind of jazz piano bullshit. This is like all those weird ditties Queen used to do that sucked so much ass. This sucks a similar amount of ass but maybe a little bit less since Jane's Addiction had the good sense to keep it under a minute. "Pigs in Zen" Sounds like all the other quasi-funky 80s hard rock songs on this stupid album. God Perry Farrell's voice gets so annoying at this end of this song. I want to stab myself in the ear. Fuck it's over. Thank goodness. Final ThoughtsThis was really bad. Even if Perry Farrell's voice didn't make me want to die (which it did) this was easily the most dated sounding thing I've listened to since beginning this stupid project. It sounded like every single local rock band from 1989 to 1993 everywhere in America. There are countless other bands that sounded exactly like this but better, but since they didn't have a shirtless snakeman sexgod vocalist that 90s alterna-rock chicks wanted to bang no one remembers those bands today because sounding like a local hard rock band from somewhere in America that was active between 1989 and 1993 is a shitty way for a band to sound. Best Song: "Mountain Song" Worst Song: "Idiots Rule" Next time on Nudeviking vs. The Best Albums of the 80s it's time for some pretentious Japanese noise rock with the Boredoms. It's Soul Discharge next time right here in this very column...
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