I agree with you Hayden (and Tilly). It's fantastic. I gave Vs another go today. I like it more than before when I first tried it years ago. No doubt in my mind their debut is superior though.
dihansse wrote:
I couldn't help myself listening to it and indeed it's very good and already rose to a top spot in my personal 1981 chart. There's much better tracks than That's when I Reach for my Revolver I already knew.
I'm glad I inspired you to give it a listen 😁
And I couldn't help but see look at your '81 chart. I'm glad Signals, Calls and Marches is so high. However I am concerned by the bottom placement of My Life In The Bush of Ghosts, and even more so seeing Fire of Love so near the bottom. Do you just not have much feeling for Fire of Love? Personally I adore it. _________________ -Ryan
Today there a couple albums perhaps more significant or popular than the one I've decided to dip my feets into to start. None of them (including the one I settled on) has a sexy 10, 25, 30, etc year anniversary. One that I am thinking I'll pass on today is Debut by Bjork. I am not a huge fan of that album. Plus today is its 24th anniversary. If I am still doing this next year, I figure it will be fun to give it a few spins on its quarter century birfday. (I feel so responsible and sensible and adult thinking in futures like that. Mom would be so proud).
Also today is the 49th anniversary of CCR's self-titled debut. Again, along with not being a fan of CCR in general, I tried listening to it today and just wasn't feeling. I actually went numb as I listened to it. So, those reasons along with the fact that next July 5th will be its 50th ANNIVERSARY, I decided to pass.
So today I am "celebrating"...
Today is the 34th anniversary of the seminal Hardcore/Thrash crossover act's debut album - SUICIDAL TENDENCIES by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES!!!!!
Listening now as I put into words my general thoughts on this album and band.
I feel like Suicidal Tendencies is the quintessential band to represent the insanely great and silly slew of acts that straddled the line between Thrash Metal and Hardcore punk. Other bands like Bad Brains with I and I, S.O.D. and D.R.I. are great examples of this as well. But in my opinion Suicidal Tendencies is where this genre is most exemplified.
On their debut though they are pretty squarely in the Hardcore Punk arena. There are some slight metal influences in there, but this came out in '83 so there was no chance for peers like Metallica or Slayer to have much of an influence on their sound. Instead this record sounds to me like a Circle Jerks album but louder and a bit more showy with the occasional longish solo, much more protracted teenage rants, and songs that go over 2 minutes regularly (imagine that).
Actually, this album is fudgin' awesome! I mentioned Circle Jerks earlier, and that is what I keep thinking of as I listen. Group Sex is one of my favorite albums ever, so I am loving the fact that large sections of this seem to be extended cuts that could have been on that album. At the same time there are moments here where the Tendencies break away from such influences, such as in the beautiful soaring vocals on "I Want More", the hilarious extended teenage argument and rant with mom on "Instutionalized", and the slowed down trudging gloom of "Suicidal Failure" which adds some really interesting guitar parts layered on top - Before the last 30 seconds of the song and album where the speed doubles or triples and we say goodbye to this record.
The ridiculous noisy screaming intro to the album is excellent. Then the call and response vocals which pan back and forth on my headphones is sooooo goooood in sort of a dumb way. Dumb may be the wrong word. I want this atmosphere of sheer release of aggression in my early 80s Cali hardcore. It just feels right.
A couple weeks ago I revisited Group Sex and The First Four Years by Black Flag, and I was instantly happier. I had forgotten how much I just love this sound and style. I then forgot about my sudden reacquantance with this life long love. This album today has yet again revitalized my adoration. There is just something about this stuff that makes me feel so pumped. Its also good to listen to this now instead of when I was angry and 16. Back then I really related to all the drama. Now I can just look back and laugh. It's like re-reading a piece of bad poetry you wrote when you rhymed "cry" and "die" and thought you'd really opened up a doorway to your deep, dark heart. Its like looking at a picture of yourself when you were 15 and had a mohawk and were flipping off the camera, and you can tell by the look on your face that in that moment you really thought you were the second coming of Darby Crash or something. There's just something so therapeutic seeing how far you've come. IDK, maybe that's just me.
Anyway, back to this log thingie. This album, as a hardcore punk album with some metal crossover sprinkled on, is a MUST listen. Its so fucking pure and adrenalized and AWESOME! It's an A-Grade west coast hardcore album. Their later albums (which are the ones I am more familiar with) such as "Lights...Camera...Revolution" and "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today" may be better, more interesting, heavier and accomplished albums. But this is a solid, really solid debut.
"Institutionalized" is a must listen if you wanna experience the general awesomeness of this album. Do it.
Do it. right now. It's in your best interest.
"Wait, what are you talking about? 'WE decided' what MY best interest is?! How can YOU decide what MY best interest is?!!!..."
Glory glory hallelujah!
(also "I Saw Your Mommy...", is a must listen. Spoiler alert...your mommy's dead) _________________ -Ryan
And I couldn't help but see look at your '81 chart. I'm glad Signals, Calls and Marches is so high. However I am concerned by the bottom placement of My Life In The Bush of Ghosts, and even more so seeing Fire of Love so near the bottom. Do you just not have much feeling for Fire of Love? Personally I adore it.
All albums which appear in my personal top charts are albums are albums I really like. Some may be lower ranked than others but I like them all and certainly also My Life In the Bush Of Ghosts. There are a few tracks on this one I like not so much (Moonlight in Glory, A Secret Life, Mountain of Needles) so that's why it's lower ranked than some others.
I like The Gun Club very much but my personal favorites are Miami (my third album of 1982) and especially Pastoral Hide And Seek (11th on my chart of 1990 but that year there was a lot of competition) maybe because that's the one I discovered first. In my view it is also terribly underrated on BEA (overall rank: 29764 which I just can't believe) so what's your view on that album?
But when I see that it's the highest ranked in the BEA community maybe I should listen back to Fire Of Love to see if I missed something.
Anyway good to see that there still are different tastes on this site with only love of music as common denominator.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
All albums which appear in my personal top charts are albums are albums I really like. Some may be lower ranked than others but I like them all and certainly also My Life In the Bush Of Ghosts. There are a few tracks on this one I like not so much (Moonlight in Glory, A Secret Life, Mountain of Needles) so that's why it's lower ranked than some others.
I like The Gun Club very much but my personal favorites are Miami (my third album of 1982) and especially Pastoral Hide And Seek (11th on my chart of 1990 but that year there was a lot of competition) maybe because that's the one I discovered first. In my view it is also terribly underrated on BEA (overall rank: 29764 which I just can't believe) so what's your view on that album?
But when I see that it's the highest ranked in the BEA community maybe I should listen back to Fire Of Love to see if I missed something.
Anyway good to see that there still are different tastes on this site with only love of music as common denominator.
Yes indeed its alwasy good to have a source of varying opinions on art and life in one place. An example of the benefits of such a scene is your post. I have never heard (or really heard of) Pastoral Hide and Seek, and I shall be listening to that soon. And yes it may have siomething to do with what album we hear first (talking about Gun Club and in general, this situation where the first album is often your fave of any discog or even genre). I heard Miami first, but didn't finish it. Then I read a mag interview with Jack White when The White Striped were at their height in influence on my life. And in that interview/article, Jack mentioned Fire of Love as being a big influence on the Stripes' music. So I went and bought it and fell in love. In that same interview Jack White mentioned Captain Beefheart and The Sonics, so i also got into those artists. He was a very influential person musically to me for several years.
Anyway, I'll check out that 1990 Gun Club record soon. _________________ -Ryan
Thx Mercury, I'm very curious about your opinion on it: my favorite tracks are Humanesque, The Straits Of Love and Hate and The Great Divide but to me there is not a weak song on this album. And I think that's the difference between this one and Miami. The latter one has some of my most favorite songs ever (I have a kind of a top 1000 of songs and three Miami tracks appear in it: Carry Home, Brother And Sister and John Hardy) but it also contains some weaker tracks.
Like I said I think Fire Of Love is overall very good but I don't have a real favorite track on it.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Okay, i'm cheating. Its just that this album has been the only album i've been returning to for a couple weeks now. I am obsessed. And their aren't any anniversaries today that can break through to me with my mind obsessing over this album.
So I just listened to it all the way through, all 76 minutes of glory, and made notes as I went on each track. Now those types of reviews are usually (for me, anyway) quite boring. So, the basic gist is that I adore this album! It captures all the immensity of the cosmos as a human usually sees it - the various huge phenomena of outer space seem to evoke in me and in these musicians deeply intimate human emotions. The meloncholy loneliness of this record just absolutely dominates the whole thing.
The ambient pieces are stellar, the pop or "Normal" songs are stunning in the extreme. The lyrics are absolutely essential. The soundscapes are nothing short of miraculous to me. This is my favorite album since at least To Pimp A Butterfly.
I'm so smitten and inspired by this album. I didn't expect to adore it so very much.
Okay, you can read over my notes that follow if you are so inclined. Bless this album, these musicians, this moment in time, this location in space, Bless all of you and all of me.
"Neptune" starts the album off with such tender, raw emotional vocal delivery with such perfectly simple sad piano chords. It takes my breathe away and gets me completely into the groove of the album. What follows for the remainder of the opening track is just more and more beautiful, heartfelt vocals. The music here is all so delicate and beautiful. Then when the wordless crescendo happens at the end, I'm just absolutely moved.
"Jupiter" starts similarly, insofar as there are a few seconds of ominous ambient sounds, then that drops out and the beat comes in. This song also has this excellent space. Its austere to start, then the beep boopy synths play and the guitar plays its magic. This all mixed with the unparalleled brilliance of Sufjan's vocals and melodic touch. This song is just too good. I can't even.
"Jupiter" is also a restless, mesmerizing track. Its mercurial shifts from one beautiful idea to the next is just awe-inspiring. The most beautiful strings come in at about 3 minutes, then a minute and a half later, the auto-tuned, robotic, sad vocals just kill, this then abruptly leads to a percussive battering that comes out of nowhere, but works impossibly well. The vocals over top this more intense last 2 minutes are the standard excellence that is all throughout this album. Then the Horns! Bombastic, epic, emotional. Then the song ends. "Jupiter" is so freakin' good.
40 second ambient track with one swelling note is "Hailey's Comet". Okay. Love it. I love it cuz it evokes so simply the comet. It comes and goes on its way.
Ah yes "Venus"...echeoy, sad, somber, beautiful percussion parts with little guitar tinkling, Sufjan's vox - seriously, I think Stevens may be my favorite vocalist of all time. And this album is perhaps his greatest album vocally (okay, i'll just say it, this is his greatest album. Period.)
"Uranus" - It's excellent and beautiful and spacey. Relaxing, thought-provoking, I quite enjoy it. And the songwriter wisely avoided any asshole jokes, which is commendable. The choral vocals 1 minute in is just gorgeous, and the way that leads into the horns and the next development of the electronic percussive part with more of that amazing guitar tinkling. The textures and details of this song (and album) is what makes this so absolutely incredible.
The last 2 and half minutes or so of this song is the first we hear of an extended ambient stretch. And this is just such introspective work. It's so absolutely engrossing. The amount of gorgeous detail packed into these last minutes is impressive. It evokes the barren space, the ominous silence, the human emotion that is added when observing and contemplating such a massive reality as the cosmos. Any fans of the ambient works of Eno or Budd or Rich I think will at least appreciate this. Anyone saying "Gosh, what's with these pretentious, time-wasting ambient parts?" I think has a point IF THEY DON'T LIKE AMBIENT, or ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC. If the album incorporated country music or Opera or Hip Hop, then the people who think those genres are pretentious would say "What's with all these pointless, pretentious ____ parts in this album?". That sentiment means next to nothing to me. This is an album of music. It is its own thing. If you were expecting something else than what these people made, then that is on you. Personally as someone who likes all the artistic choices - very definitely including the loooooong, (the longer the better methinks) atmospheric, ambient works - I find this album and this song ending a miracle of human creativity. Okay, that's all on that.
"Mars" has some serious;y distorted vocals, which are pretty cool. And the music continues to be intricate, with a heavy dose of horns floating in and out, a staticy soundscape, lots of little tinkly effects from something or other, a nice dash of movie score dramatics, and other stuff. This song may be a wee bit overstated for my tastes. But its interesting and when I listen to it closely more and more nice touches are revealed. "Mars" sees itself out with gorgeous guitar and very auto-tune pop vocals. While this may be my least favorite track thus far its still quite fantastic.
Now by this time, most people are thinking "Give me more atmospheric ambient soundscapes!". And this album delivers with the eerie sounds of "Black Energy". This could come straight from "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks". (I think I will be re-listening and reviewing that Eno classic soon, as that is Planetarium's clearest analog and influence.) Its that minimalistic, yet inspiring and deliberate. It does what it seems to have been made to do; makes me contemplate the massiveness of space, the mysteries, the awesome power.
"Sun" starts and is beautiful, as per usual. I just love this stuff. More absolutely beautiful, shimmery ambience. Sheets of tone, small shafts of higher pitched notes cutting into the awesome, foundational sounds.
"Tides" is another shimmery little 55 second gem.
"Moon" is the first "song", y'know with vocals and melodies in some time. Its a testament to the beautiful construction of this album, that I don't even particularly notice the absence of Sufjan's vocals. I am just looking around the soundscapes for 12 minutes, enjoying it and fascinated by every second.
As for "Moon", its got this little prominent percussion, like little clicks throughout which is so fun. It's like a little, hyperactive creature, giving off the occasional beep. The synths create stunning melodies with a nice tinkly (that freakin' word again?!) piano. Sufjan's vocals are nice. Then gone. The real star is that aforementioned little cute creature.
"Pluto". ah, "Pluto". Words can't express how much I love this track. I think its the greatest track I've heard this year. Its so absolutely stunning. The guitar is such brittle ascendancy. The vocals are soft, and cut to the heart of the human soul, the crescendo of the vocals bring tears to my eyes. Then those epic, kinda syrupy synths/"strings" come in and just feel so good . Followed by the horns. This is just such a gorgeous song. This track is to Planetarium what "An Ending (Ascent)" is to Apollo. This song should be the proverbial hall of fame of music. I can't fully express how magical this is to me. 4 and a half minutes of musical wonder.
"Kuiper Belt" follows on the heels of "Pluto". And its super cute. I get the idea of the Kuiper Belt while listening. I can "see" the ices zipping around all around me, as symbolized by the little beep sounds and rapidly popping, crackling rhythm. Very well done, gang.
"Black Hole" is scary. And short. I likes it.
"Saturn" is another standout. Its the most radio friendly song here perhaps. The auto tuned vocals are used perfectly. The synths are fascinating and invigorating. Ear candy. And the vocals are so catchy and emotional. The beginning reminds me of a pop song from the 90s. Despite listening to this song about 20 times, I can't place it. That feeling of familiarity continues throughout this song. Then it jumps into pop high gear. Its a beautiful, accessible lil gem.
I don't get much from "In The Beginning". I suppose its a 1:15 audio representation of the beginning of planet earth. Its okay. But it mostly just is a beautiful lil build up to the most ambitious (and close to greatest) track on this album of albums...
..."Earth" is a 15 minute sonic journey. The beginning comes in, and it feels like you're soaring through fog, with brief glimpses of the inception of life, short visions of the gradual rearrangement of the surface of this massive rock we call home. All is not idyllic, for mixed in with the beautiful, come more and more prominently feedbacky distorted sounds. Never "Ugly" or hard on the ears, but disconcerting. This something troublesome brewing here, the music seems to be making clear. Then the wail comes in and drowns all, a state of utter terror, then ah yes, the angelic voice of Sufjan comes in, seeming to document the first arrival of life.
I don't wanna continue the play by play on this song. Its too long, too overpowering. It needs to be experienced. But lets just say the vocals, and instrumentation are all so beautifully composed and built up and up, and express such profound feeling and thought, that I may even possibly call THIS the greatest piece of this album. It's so different than "Pluto". The whole album should be listened to on repeat, but these 2 are the moments of highest divine inspiration.
The shifts throughout "Earth", I can't stress enough, are mindbogglingly inspired and inspiring. This is the kind of track that makes me feel truly revitalized in all artistic pursuit. The guitars are gorgeous, the percussion is so intricate and "right", the way the vocals warp and change from section to section, and the 2 minutes of ambient beauty with its eerily muffled spoken word is excellent and gives one time to take in what you've just heard, before the final song...
then, soft, absolutely gentle piano comes in and marks the majestic "Mercury" (my new theme music). And finally Sufjan comes back like an old friend, no effect on his voice, just singing all whispery, like a galactic nursery rhyme. I reassuring, life-affirming acknowledgemnt of the inate loneliness that mankind feels when taking in something small or something as HUGE as the galaxy. Just pure, plaintive, human emotion to bring this masterpiece home. Simple guitar, simple piano, the simplest of bassline, and Sufjan's vocals, that's all I need, This is a perfect closer to a near-perfect album.
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In closing this is my favoite album in years. I truly am in awe of it. The album manages to take in such a huge concept, such an ambitious idea, and just nail it through and through. The 4 people who droive this album managed to express the immensity of the Cosmos by playing in to the strange feeling of smallness and loneliness that can overtake a individual human when he starts really taking in the allness of all.
The lyrics, which I haven't touched upon, are brilliant. They aren't dry, they take in the literal objects and their features that exist Out There, but also quite brilliantly they speak eloquently of mythology in its relationship to man's ancient conception of space and the objects in the sky they've so long wondered about. They are poetic, visually beautiful, nuanced. Sufjan along with being one of the great living musicians, a genius of meoldy and vocalization, is also an other-worldly lyricist.
This album is such a godsend. And its my fave album since at least To Pimp A Butterfly _________________ -Ryan
I listened to it yesterday and I really liked it. For some reason in all my years of listening to punk and new wave etc I had never listenbed to this very famous and "landmark" album. It was a bundle of fun. It was a quirky extravaganza. I suppose I just had a stigma attached to this album from "Rock Lobster" and the other really popular song by them not from their debut which I also thought was dumb. Also I didn't like the cover.
But I overcame those silly problems and listened and it was quite good. Yay!
Also, Yesterday was the 46th anniversary of Surrender by Diana Ross!
I listened to it and it was alright. Diana was such a musical force of nature! Her vocals are absolutely stunning. The songs on this set are really good. It was good. Just didn't blow me away.
I feel like a lot of these albums just weren't interesting me due to my extreme obsession with the Planetarium album. So that is why I posted that MASSIVE write up about that piece.
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Today! Today! is a new day.
Today is the 30th Anniversary of Paid In Full by Eric B. And Rakim!!!
I have listened to this album several times, and tried to get through it many other times. Its good, and I know its INSANELY groundbreaking, but I have never really particularly enjoyed it. The beats and music always sounded (and still do after today's listen) flimsy and silly. The rapping is really good. GREAT, in comparison to what was happening at the time. But I always just had a respect for this album for influencing such a shift in the art of rhyme, more than a real enjoyment of it. Also, I have always been more, much more, a fan of the following year's album Follow The Leader. THAT album never fails to get me pumped. Maybe cuz the beats are more bombastic and intense and "modern". The Rakim flow and style is just as great there too. IDK. Basically, while I admire this classic, I don't love it.
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July 7th 1987 gave us at least 2 maybe even 3 or 4, relatively cool albums. So I may get onto those later if time allows.
Okay, after cheating yesterday, a huge amount of interest was generated in Planetarium. So I'll continue cheating.
Mercury: Don't you dare to think there's a lack of interest in your writing especially when you are so enthusiastic about an album as you were on Planetarium.
I read it completely with much interest and was again enticed to listen to the whole album and I think I'll need to listen to it a second time. I certainly like the general atmosphere and the lyrics but there are some things which annoy me a bit: I don't like autotune at all and on this album it is used a bit too often for my taste. The ambient pieces on some of the tracks are maybe a bit too long.
But the orchestral parts especially when the horns join in are nevertheless fantastic.
Like I said maybe I'll need a second listen to see if I really enjoy if I get so far of course because it is a fairly long album.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Okay, after cheating yesterday, a huge amount of interest was generated in Planetarium. So I'll continue cheating.
Mercury: Don't you dare to think there's a lack of interest in your writing especially when you are so enthusiastic about an album as you were on Planetarium.
I read it completely with much interest and was again enticed to listen to the whole album and I think I'll need to listen to it a second time. I certainly like the general atmosphere and the lyrics but there are some things which annoy me a bit: I don't like autotune at all and on this album it is used a bit too often for my taste. The ambient pieces on some of the tracks are maybe a bit too long.
But the orchestral parts especially when the horns join in are nevertheless fantastic.
Like I said maybe I'll need a second listen to see if I really enjoy if I get so far of course because it is a fairly long album.
Oh thank you. I was just kidding. I figured someone read it. The fact that you did and enjoyed it makes me happy.
And yeah I hear you on the auto tune. I don't generally mind it. And I definitely like it here on this album. I hope you get a chance for a relisten. Have you ever heard Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks? It's great too. Also all space themed. No lyrics, straight forward Ambient brilliance from Eno. _________________ -Ryan
I listened to this for the first time today and I liked it so much I listened again. It's so unflinchingly Country. Traditional, earnest, beautiful honky tonkin' Music of the highest order! There is some excellent down-on-his-luck Yoakam lyrics all over, some pristine country guitar, earthy down to earth production. It was really good.
Okay, and ....
TODAY IS THE 45th anniversary of the release of The Harder They Come!!!
This is a beautiful, inspiring, emotional masterpiece! I adore it! It's been on and off my overall for the last 5 years and it may go back on soon. The production is so alive and boisterous and, again, inspiring and life affirming. I think it's an ideal album to listen to when you're feeling a bit haggard, a bit beaten down. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" WILL make you feel better, it's that goddamn beautiful. And the version here of "Many Rivers to Cross" is such a pristine tear jerker, the title track is similar to the opener in its ability to reinvigorate your soul. The version here of "Johnny Too Bad" is a total classic. Gosh, I just really love this album!
Go listen to it if you haven't. You won't regret it. Also read The Mellow Zone diary entry a few days (or weeks? I can't remember...) about this album. Tilly puts a lot of this album's charms into writing there. 😉
And this also holds a special place in my heart cuz like many people, it was my first Jamaican music album I ever heard. I still am no expert on the region or the various genres that originated there, but all that I have since fallen in love with in that sphere of music was in part thanks to this album.
I have to get to work. So apologies for any typos that no doubt exist. 😄 _________________ -Ryan
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Mercury
dihansse
