Best Ever Albums

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Anonymous — Thu, 6 Apr 2017 07:17:52 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 04/06/2017 11:17

well seems I was a bit late here but I'm pleased with the outcome. Like others, I wouldn't mind at all seeing Newbuild take the whole thing. It's always interesting comparing it to later 808 State work; all their sonic signatures remain consistent but they get progressively more polished and practiced over the years. Newbuild is dirty, raw, made from shitty synths and whatever the fuck these guys could find that made music. I've heard it referred to as house's And Nico and I think that's apt. There's something going on here that really nobody had really touched on quite like this before, and nobody (not even 808 State themselves) has been able to fully replicate since. Possibly the most simply visceral house album in existence

also Flow Coma is a top 10 track fo serious

Chill Out is cool. Not something I love per se but it's nice stuff. I just don't have much to say about it I guess, which might be it's major downfall for me, it's just so nondescript. If anyone's interested, before they were the KLF, these dudes were The Jamz and The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and they did this absurd hip-hop/plunderphonics/bizarro house record that I prefer to anything they did after even though it's probably objectively worse 🤣

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Jimmy Dread — Sun, 2 Apr 2017 13:13:47 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 04/02/2017 17:13

Chill Out lads, Newbuild's going through 11-6

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Graeme2 — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 11:54:48 GMT

Author: Graeme2

Posted: 03/31/2017 15:54

Not heard newbuild for ages so need to find it as need to blast it in the car ha. I remember it being very punk in a way and full of enthusiasm and inspiration, maybe a bit samey overall but all good. I personally wouldn't call it a genius record, to me sounds like they had all the correct roland gear, set them off and messed about and had a great time. Nothing wrong at all with that though.
Couldn't get through chill out, feel a bit like what skinny said. Best bits the guitar but the whole thing just sounds naff. Like a bad version of the orb with the best bits taken out. Or a parody. Like Norman said, maybe they are clever and being ironic but at the end of the day it sounds naff to me, whether it's clever or not. Now don't get me wrong, if you heard this after clubbing all night off your head, getting home 4am, have a bong, then put this on and stare at the stars in the garden, it's probably incredible.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Skinny — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:09:29 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/29/2017 20:09

I'd be quite happy to see Newbuild win the whole tournament. Unapologetic acid house that just makes me want to dance. Really effortlessly mixes both very experimental, almost mathematic synth lines with something far more urgent and primal. There's a constant sense of forward motion, powering on like a juggernaut you'd be stupid to try to stop. A work of genius that still sounds modern today.

Whilst not unpleasant, I've never fallen in love with Chill Out. Whilst the flickers of pedal steel are great, it just feels way too silly for me. There's nothing subtle about the field recordings or the musical samples, and - despite its obvious links to the rave scene - I'd struggle to even consider it house or techno. Not a bad album by any means, but not really my thing.

Easy decision for me, but both are enjoyable.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

albummaster — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 14:55:57 GMT

Author: albummaster

Posted: 03/29/2017 18:55

There's a lot of other albums in this tournament that I also love so agree that the winner is unlikely to come from either of these two albums. Chill Out is a very down tempo album and it's difficult to compare and evaluate this in relation to 808 State (who I also love). I hadn't realised until now that A Guy Called Gerald (Simpson) appeared on Newbuild. I remember seeing him live at the Brain Club in London around 1990 playing Voodoo Ray etc, happy days. At the time Chill Out was released, the illegal rave scene was at its height, and this record was one of the first 'ambient house' albums that I owned and unlike anything I'd heard at that time. I've voted Chill Out, probably just for sentimental reasons.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

pa — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 09:29:01 GMT

Author: pa

Posted: 03/29/2017 13:29

no easy choice here but I slightly enjoyed more Chill Out.
I guess that if I'm in the right mood I can enjoy it even more.
voted for Chill Out

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Norman Bates — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 15:23:19 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 03/28/2017 19:23

Vote goes to Newbuild. While a more thorough relisten to Chill Out uncovered some beauties I hadn't really unveiled yet, that record still sounds too ironic to me, and I can't shake that feeling that 808 State might be the Randy Newman of ambient-house. Smart Alecs are fine, but don't expect me to back them up too much.

On the other hand, Newbuild, while flawed and possibly dated, has three proper bangers. Moreover, they seem to be more of what this tourney is asking for than Chill Out is.

Both enjoyable, none of them quarter-finalists in my book.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Jimmy Dread — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 03:58:18 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/28/2017 07:58

Tap wrote:

I can't speak for everyone, but I figured there'd be some people dipping their toes in via the tournament and I don't see any problem with participation there

Absolutely. Everyone's more than welcome. In fact I'd encourage people who haven't nominated anything to listen to whatever albums take their fancy.

Tap wrote:

How long is voting going to be open on these anyways? If it's like a week or something I'd definitely recommend letting things sit with you a bit and giving space between listens or you might risk burning out.

A week was my original intention, but was also thinking that once an album hits 10 votes then it goes straight through. We'll see how it pans out.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Tap — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 01:36:02 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 03/28/2017 05:36

I can't speak for everyone, but I figured there'd be some people dipping their toes in via the tournament and I don't see any problem with participation there, though it may get overwhelming to keep up with. How long is voting going to be open on these anyways? If it's like a week or something I'd definitely recommend letting things sit with you a bit and giving space between listens or you might risk burning out.

But even then yeah it makes sense to have a preference for Chill Out especially if you're new to Acid House, Newbuild is probably a bit more on the abrasive side for that. Though I'd still recommend you check out this later song from 808 State that's a bit easier to get down with I think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkOAiyLHXM8

That was actually my introduction to the group and for the longest time I'd only really listened to that stuff much like Norman and Jim, but then the AFX remix of flow coma came out and that caught my attention and pulled me in on Newbuild.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Rhyner — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 20:06:45 GMT

Author: Rhyner

Posted: 03/28/2017 00:06

I hope you guys don't mind me participating. I'm almost completely new to techno and house music and I figured this competition would be a good introduction for me. I'm sad I missed out on the metal one you just did.

Anyway, I voted for Chill Out. Newbuild sounded to my untrained ears like nothing more than an interminable barrage of uninteresting beats. Chill Out on the other hand was quite nice. I liked how chill it was, appropriately enough. I liked the samples. I liked the feeling of being on a journey. It felt postrock-y to me. Even if it loses this round, which looks very possible, I intend to come back to it in the future.

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Jimmy Dread — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 16:28:29 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/27/2017 20:28

Somewhat embarrassingly I never knew of 808's pre-Pacific period before this got nom'd. I bought Ex:El back in the day and found it a real hotch-potch mix of bangers and bollocks, and quickly ditched it and 808 State's output in general from thereon (especially after a UB40 rework and that dire track they did with MC Tunes, The Only Rhyme That Bites). Then again, listening to this for the first time and can't believe I let it pass me by for so long - acid house straight outta the Second Summer Of Love. Stick it on, dance in the garden whilst gurning and looking through a kaleidoscope and you may as well be at a rave somewhere off the M25. Ace.

If Newbuild is the soundtrack to an E-filled night of late 80s raving, Chill Out is the blissful stagger-home-wasted-and-drift-away-on-your-bean-bag aftermath. It's been years since I've heard it, and it still reminds me of coming home from seeing Danny Rampling at the Student Union and forsaking going onto another party to float into my own little paradise. Don't know why, but I've always seen it as an ambient LP that fans of Dark Side Of The Moon would get, Fleetwood Mac and Elvis samples and sheep bleating notwithstanding. It's a trip in every sense (which apparently the guys from The Orb had a hand in until Jimmy Cauty took all the beats away).

Two polar opposites, two very British records, two great choices. But the lapsed raver in me says I've gotta go with Newbuild, although Chill Out would beat a fair few other albums that are yet to feature. Great match-up even if I do say so myself...

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Tap — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 16:26:01 GMT

Author: Tap

Posted: 03/27/2017 20:26

That track was Flow Coma, one of the best tracks ever

Link

Even tho Chill Out is more of an ambient record, it made sense to me for it to be here, like it feels very connected to the rave scene and all.

But the way Flow Coma moves, it is so special, this album has to move forward. It manages to represent the oxymoron of the title and create this sense of constantly flowing progressive building while there's this sense of holding in place, it is incredible and I love it so much. And the other tracks aren't too shabby either. Vote Newbuild!

Re: BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Norman Bates — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:49:21 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 03/27/2017 18:49

Not the greatest fan of Chill Out tbh, I'll relisten though. haven't heard that 808 State LP (or any by them as I've lazily stuck to Pacific 202), but from the one track that was played the other night on Plug by Tap, I might be in for a shock.

BETH Round 1 - Newbuild vs (Chill Out)

Jimmy Dread — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:57:57 GMT

Author: Jimmy Dread

Posted: 03/27/2017 17:57

Best Ever House & Techno Album Round 1:

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Newbuild by 808 State

Nominated by Tap

some random blog wrote:

Much like the mutant machines of Survival Research Laboratories, these recordings demon-strate how technology can express the agony of life. Dance, but only if you dare

VS.

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Chill Out by The KLF

Nominated by Albummaster

Mercury wrote:

Ambient masterpiece. All done in one take from start to finish with lots of beautiful and varied samples laid over the original music of the KLF. It's just a really interesting album. I, clearly and emphatically, love it from start to finish.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE. PLEASE LISTEN TO BOTH ALBUMS BEFORE VOTING