Guest evenflowDDT Report post Posted January 21, 2003 A true, timeless rap classic that I listened to for the first time in its entirety today. I was at Tower with my sister and she asked me if she should get this or the 8 Mile soundtrack. I then of course had to give a mini-lecture on N.W.A.'s importance in gangsta rap history, and even then I had to talk her out of buying N.W.A.'s "greatest hits". My argument: "N.W.A. has a greatest hits album, it's called Straight Outta Compton. Buy that!" Total contrast to the above? Probably. But it's Van Halen. What else do you need to know? Although it might just be my ego and love from anyone named "Edward", Eddie Van Halen's guitar work is some of the most unique and easily recognizable in "classic rock" or "arena rock" or "hard rock" or however you want to classify the band, even such that Michael Jackson's producers paid attention (his solo in "Beat It" is one of my all-time favorites, as cheesy as that sounds). "Runnin' with the Devil", "Eruption", "Jamie's Cryin'", shoot, even the cover of as stylistically simple a song as "You Really Got Me" is nothin' but hard-rockin' excellence. Period. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Not an accurate reflection of today, but whatever. It may've cheesed off the jazzholes back in the day, but lawsy, this is some wonderful 70s funk. I've been listening to this repeatedly since picking it up, and I don't think I'll ever tire of it. On vinyl. Solid power pop stuff, but I wish my future wife, Neko Case, sang lead on more that just two tracks (she does get the title track, though, which is the best song on the album). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest treble charged Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Does she sing in "Letter from an Occupant", too? That video got a lot of play on MuchMusic's indie spotlight last summer, and that (besides their cover of Toronto's "Your Daddy Don't Know") is their only song I'm familiar with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Flyboy Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Yes, I listen to Fiona Apple every day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Does she sing in "Letter from an Occupant", too? Yes. Also, I'm fairly certain she'd want to spend the rest of her life with me were we to ever meet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Amazing Rando Report post Posted January 21, 2003 me thinks that Inc needs to start sending me lists of kick ass songs to download... I am always willing to expand my music horizons Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Based on conversations with you on the board and on IM, Rando, I think you should steer yourself more towards musical depth than width. I find it more fulfilling to know a great deal about certain acts rather than to name off minute things about several acts. Just try getting to know more about particular bands/artists that interest you; I've been going that route for nearly a decade now. My assistance isn't much needed for that, though I'm still willing to help whenever I can. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Amazing Rando Report post Posted January 21, 2003 well right now I am looking toward studying the following bands next: 1) The Pet Shop Boys 2) The Sex Pistols 3) The Smiths All the while I am still picking up newer punk, ska, and metal artists, because sometimes there is a diamond in the rough to be found. I think most pop bands/artists today are just facades for money hungry record execs. I want to hear something that sounds good, original, melodic, and makes me think about the music and not whether or not the artist/band is going to be on MTV today or not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AzkulKazul Report post Posted January 21, 2003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted January 22, 2003 np: on deck: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Flyboy Report post Posted January 22, 2003 You guys should know at least my 2 by now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted January 22, 2003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted January 22, 2003 Ugh again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted January 22, 2003 Ugh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted January 22, 2003 QUADRUPLE POST~! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted January 22, 2003 Now that's a jolly day's listening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest evenflowDDT Report post Posted January 22, 2003 THE CARS~! You know, I never really got big into Beck (though I own two of his albums and the Loser import... despite HATING the song [bought for the b-side, baby!]), and have never heard Odelay's non-single tracks. How do they sound, and which do you recommend? AllMusic tells me what I already assumed, that there's an eclectic blend of song styles. Well, duh, it's Beck. Why not tell me something more informative guys, like in your other reviews? EDIT: Oh, right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted January 22, 2003 That Cars album is all I ever need to get through life. As for Odelay: I'm just getting back into it after not having even touched it for probably a year and a half. They're right in that it's highly eclectic--very all over the place. "Hotwax" is rappy, but the best rap track on the album is "High 5 (Rock The Catskills," which is cheesily beautiful. "Jackass" and "Ramshackle" are great mellow pop songs. "Novacane" is all over the place, and has a pastiche feel similar to "Where It's At," albeit with less vocal samples...really, it's quite hard to pigeonhole a lot of them into genres. If you've heard the singles (all of which still hold up well, I might add), I'd recommend at least "Jackass" and "High 5" for a further sampler. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest evenflowDDT Report post Posted January 22, 2003 "Jackass" isn't a single? I thought it was, because I know that one, unless I'm thinking of a different song... "It's a strange invitation..." right? I have a mariachi version of that song in Spanish, titled "Burro". Good stuff. EDIT: Speaking of which... Add that to the deck. Well, you would if I had it on vinyl... alas, the CD import was more than enough. Is the album even on vinyl? Probably not. That'd be a really big Obi strip. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest treble charged Report post Posted January 23, 2003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Kotzenjunge Report post Posted January 23, 2003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AzkulKazul Report post Posted January 23, 2003 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest evenflowDDT Report post Posted January 25, 2003 I used to detest most of this album, skipping ahead to the "poppier" (if such a word can be used to describe VU) "Run Run Run" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" (which I still think sounds a little TOO much like The Doors' "The End"), but now I can easily listen to it all the way through, though I still think Nico's contribution is totally unnecessary and that the band would've never been who they were today were it not for Andy Warhol's name being tacked on. One thing I know now that would've saved me a LOT of money in 1996-1998; 95% of all "alternative rock" sounds exactly the same, moreso than perhaps any other genre I can think of right now. What makes an "alternative" band good or bad depends not on musical ability, since most songs feature very similar chord/riff structure, but a bunch of elements that makes a song "likable" and thus the otherwise-cookie cutter band that sings it "good". As is, there a few likable songs on this album (I like "Future's Gone" and "Sweet Charity" the best), but obviously not enough for anyone to pick up on the band otherwise they would've recorded a follow-up by now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted January 25, 2003 The album could've easily been recorded without Nico, but her icy delivery gives a meaning to the songs that Reed's nasal snarl would've been unable to. "All Tomorrow's Parties", in particular, is fantastic, and Nico's vocal performance deserves a great deal of credit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted January 25, 2003 Today was a day of rediscovering stuff that, well, I thought I hated. It's the least Pixies-sounding of the Pixies albums, and I'd really neglected it upon first purchase...but returning to it, I'm delighted at how much of a straight-ahead tour de force nutbag slab of rock action this really is. And I was thinking of selling this one, too--foolish me. The cover of Jesus and Mary Chain's "Head On" is slick, and "U-Mass" and "Lovely Day" are high-water marks. And this is the great rediscovery of the day. When The Moon and Antarctica first came out, I dismissed it because it wasn't the Modest Mouse I knew--the raw, screamin', underproduced, detuned guitars of The Lonesome Crowded West and their early singles. Today I rifled this one up on the iPod and listened to it through headphones, and my first reaction was: 'am I fucking nuts?' This is transcendant, lush weirdness, and it astounds me that I had let this one just slip out of memory. "Gravity Rides Everything," "I Came As A Rat," and "Lives" all stand as evidence that these guys took the money and ran with it to make something new, thick, and beautiful--a major-label debut that doesn't blow. Rawk. I guess it sometimes just takes a year or two to really realize what frickin' gold you have bouncing around your CD binder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest saturnmark4life Report post Posted January 28, 2003 heh. That's the most effort I've ever put into a post and it didn't work. Ah well, you'll be left pondering what I listened to today for the rest of your miserable lives. Me go eat now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted January 28, 2003 So far and Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Edwin MacPhisto Report post Posted January 28, 2003 How is the Ugly Casanova album, Loose Cannon? I was obviously drawn to the idea by the Isaac Brock presence, but I haven't heard a lick of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LooseCannon Report post Posted January 28, 2003 It's pretty good. I have a burned copy and have no idea what the song titles are. But it basically sounds like Modest Mouse, and there are some really good tracks on it. A couple tracks could be described as filler, but mostly it's pretty solid all around. Track 6, though, has inspired quite a bit of controversy among my friends. Some maintain it's "one of the worst, stupidest songs" they've ever heard, while some of us like it just fine. I don't think there's anything bad on the album, and I did think it was among the better albums that came out last year, so I'd definitely recommend it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Eyeball Kid Report post Posted February 1, 2003 (2x) Shut up. Already. Damn. It's rare when I get giddy listening to an album, but Sign O' the Times can do it. To not like this album is to be a boring, drab and dreary person. Imagine the Talking Heads when they're exploring their world music love, mixed with the ambience of mixed-media aesthetics of Brian Eno, and there you go. Enthralling stuff, and way better than the high profile Eno/Bryne (and Heads) collaboration that is the overrated Remain in Light. "Ný Batterí," "Olsen Olsen" and the title track swept me up instantly, and I suspect I'll eventually love the other tracks, too. It took several listens for () to grow on me, after all. (np) A double live album recorded in Japan, and the last thing Davis did for six years. The first track is outstanding, while the rest is really good fusion, but nothing mindblowing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
