Human Canon Ball Relaunched: A Trip Through Time

[Repo]

Happy Birthday!

I'm supposed to do 1993 next, but 1994 is close enough so I'll join ya!

[baystateoftheart]

[Repo]

[baystateoftheart]

[baystateoftheart]

Blunted On Reality by Fugees

Unsuccessful at the time and out of step with the sound Fugees became famous for, this debut is deeply underrated. The best tracks here are nothing short of fantastic, but the album is overlong and suffers from a lack of quality control. Cutting the homophobic "Living Like There Ain't No Tomorrow" and the nine-minute shoutout track "Shout Outs From The Block" would have turned a good album into classic material. 3.5/5


Tical by Method Man

The first major Wu-Tang solo album brings Method Man's signature flow, a good batch of RZA beats, and a mix of amazing bangers and lackluster tracks. 3.5/5


Definitely Maybe by Oasis

Oasis is simultaneously one of the most overrated and one of the most over-hated bands. Yeah, the songwriting is a bit thin at times, but this album also has some really good tunes. 3.5/5


The Main Ingredient by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

It's a step down from Mecca And The Soul Brother, but none of that can be blamed on Pete Rock's impeccable production. C.L. Smooth has buttery flows as usual, but he's in a lyrical rut here, focusing only on being the nicest on the mic and being the nicest in bed. And at 76 minutes, the album overstays its welcome. 3.5/5


Amber by Autechre

My first experience with Autechre was a great one. Both intricate and atmospheric, this is some seriously beguiling electronic music. 4/5


Chapter 214 - Old School by DJ Screw

I just added this to the BEA database, and at the moment it has a higher average rating than any other Screw tape on RYM. This time, he chops and screws r&b instead of the usual Houston hip-hop. I knew zero of the originals, so I don't have a ton of context on this. Some of the tracks are truly sublime. Others are a chore to listen to, like "President's Rap". It also didn't need three tracks totaling 19 minutes from One Way. This could have been much better with some trimming, but it's still worthwhile for anyone who wants to hear the signature DJ Screw sound in a different setting. 3.5/5


Gideon Gaye by The High Llamas

Well-done Beach Boys worship with good vocals and some absolutely beautiful instrumentation. I liked this a lot, and it may grow on me with time. 4/5

~~~~~

1994, Phase 1 Conclusion:

1. Illmatic - Nas 4.5/5
2. The Charm Of The Highway Strip - The Magnetic Fields 4.5/5
3. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik - OutKast 4.5/5
4. I Could Live In Hope - Low 4.5/5
5. Holiday - The Magnetic Fields 4.5/5
6. Blowout Comb - Digable Planets 4.5/5
7. Gideon Gaye - The High Llamas 4/5
8. Mars Audiac Quintet - Stereolab 4/5
9. Stress: The Extinction Agenda - Organized Konfusion 4/5
10. Resurrection - Common 4/5
11. Weezer (Blue Album) - Weezer 4/5
12. Unisex - Blueboy 4/5
13. The Pendulum Vibe - Joi 4/5
14. Amber - Autechre 4/5
15. The Decline And Fall Of Heavenly - Heavenly 4/5
16. Bee Thousand - Guided By Voices 4/5
17. Emmerdale - The Cardigans 3.5/5
18. The Main Ingredient - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth 3.5/5
19. Word...Life - O.C. 3.5/5
20. Hard To Earn - Gang Starr 3.5/5
21. Blunted On Reality - Fugees 3.5/5
22. 76:14 - Global Communication 3.5/5
23. Tical - Method Man 3.5/5
24. Chapter 214 - Old School - DJ Screw 3.5/5
25. Ready To Die - The Notorious B.I.G. 3.5/5
26. The Sun Rises In The East - Jeru The Damaja 3.5/5
27. The Diary - Scarface 3.5/5
28. Definitely Maybe - Oasis 3.5/5
29. Melodica (EP) - Blackalicious 3.5/5
30. Selected Ambient Works Volume II - Aphex Twin 3/5

~~~~~

1994, Phase 2, Round 1:

Ambient: Selected Ambient Works Volume II - Aphex Twin [Ambient, Electronic]
Blues: Talking Timbuktu - Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder [Songhai Music, Blues]
Country: American Recordings - Johnny Cash [Americana, Country, Contemporary Folk]
Electronic: Dummy - Portishead [Trip Hop]
Experimental: 悲愴 (Pathétique) - 不失者 (Fushitsusha) [Noise Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Noise]
Folk: same as country
Hip Hop: #1 album already scored track by track
Jazz: 50th Birthday Concert - Evan Parker [European Free Jazz]
Metal: Welcome To Sky Valley - Kyuss [Stoner Rock, Stoner Metal]
Pop: Weezer (Blue Album) - Weezer [Power Pop, Alternative Rock]
Psychedelia: Chocolate And Cheese - Ween [Alternative Rock, Neo-Psychedelia]
Punk: Let Love In - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds [Post-Punk, Alternative Rock]
R&B: Do Right Man - Dan Penn [Country Soul, Southern Soul]
Regional Music: Da Lama Ao Caos - Chico Science & Nação Zumbi [Mangue Beat]
Rock: MTV Unplugged In New York - Nirvana [Acoustic Rock, Alternative Rock]
Singer/Songwriter: Grace - Jeff Buckley [Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Rock]
Grab Bag: The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails [Industrial Rock]
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[baystateoftheart]

Another modification to my trip through time listening project: As I've said before, there are a lot of albums in my collection that I have never heard all the way through, collected before I was into albums as experiences. So alongside slowly working my way through 1965 and 1994, I will be bringing this list down to zero, moving in chronological order by year. I will be ranking and rating all albums for each year as I go. So in effect, I will be doing half of "Phase 1" for each year in order, as I work on "Phase 2" for '65 and '94.
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[baystateoftheart]

Scored Re-Listens For The Week Ending 10/6

The Amazing:

Dummy - Portishead 93.7

The Strong:

Weezer (Blue Album) - Weezer 77.6
Rubber Soul - The Beatles 76.4

~~~~~~~~~~

New Listens / Non-Scored Re-Listens [*] For The Week Ending 10/6

The Amazing:

Awakening - The Pharaohs
Game Theory - The Roots

The Strong:

Quit The Curse - Anna Burch
Hunter - Anna Calvi
Amber - Autechre
Bringing It All Back Home - Bob Dylan*
Two Steps From The Blues - Bobby Bland
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield
World Of Sleepers - Carbon Based Lifeforms [x2]
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash*
A Piece Of Strange - CunninLynguists
Follow The Leader - Eric B. & Rakim
Soul Food - Goodie Mob
Djarimirri: Child Of The Rainbow - Gurrumul
Gideon Gaye - The High Llamas
Variations IV - John Cage & David Tudor
Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 - Sam Cooke
Here Are The Sonics!!! - The Sonics*

The Solid:

Selected Ambient Works Volume II - Aphex Twin*
Live At The Regal - B.B. King
Mermaid Avenue - Billy Bragg & Wilco
Ultraglide In Black - The Dirtbombs
Chapter 214 - Old School - DJ Screw
50th Birthday Concert - Evan Parker
Blunted On Reality - Fugees
The Village Fugs Sing Ballads Of Contemporary Protest, Point Of Views, And General Dissatisfaction - The Fugs
Orpheus Vs. The Sirens - Hermit And The Recluse
Joy As An Act Of Resistance. - IDLES
Orange Blossom Special - Johnny Cash
[+ +] (EP) - 이달의 소녀 [LOONA]
Tical - Method Man
A Crow Looked At Me - Mount Eerie*
Definitely Maybe - Oasis
The Main Ingredient - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

The Good, But Flawed:

Talking Timbuktu - Ali Farka Touré & Ry Cooder
Disraeli Gears - Cream
悲愴 (Pathétique) - 不失者 [Fushitsusha]
American Recordings - Johnny Cash
Welcome To Sky Valley - Kyuss

~~~~~~~~~~

Totals:

42 albums & 43 album listens
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[Repo]

[Repo]

Psyched you LOVE ...


Dummy by Portishead

It's in my HOF for the year. All three of their albums are 5 star classics.

ps. What does the asterixes mean?

My HOF for 1994...

1. Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
2. GBV - Bee Thousand
3. Aphex Twin - SAW II
4. Blur - Parklife
5. Portishead - Dummy
6. Sebadoh - Bakesale
7. Beck - Mellow Gold
8. Nirvana - Unplugged
9. Soundgarden - Superunknown
10. NIN - The Downward Spiral

[Repo]

Two recs that I nk you'd dig...



The Sea And Cake by The Sea And Cake


Cardinal by Cardinal