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Post by stamper on Nov 3, 2011 6:09:04 GMT -8
i haven't listened to that album in about 15 years. well done, ky!
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Post by weenie on Nov 3, 2011 7:54:12 GMT -8
Thanks Friendly! As I was doing my write-up, I figured some of you might've had similar experiences as kids and I was kinda hoping I might prompt a story or two out of a few you. Extra cool that you actually had a similar experience with Concrete Blonde. I've always found it intriguing that what can seem like such small actions, like listening to some music or being given an album, can end up making a huge impact on a kid. And that we carry those moments with us into so many other areas of our life. Well said. As much as I hated my mom playing incredibly loud music until four in the morning every night until I moved out, it's amazing how much has seeped into my consciousness and formed the basis for what music I listen to and how I appreciate it. I haven't been participating in the write-ups for these albums but I've been trying to listen to as many as I can. Great choices pretty much across the board. Just being a part of this place has expanded my music knowledge so much. Thanks guys.
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 5, 2011 14:31:28 GMT -8
OMG, CONCRETE BLONDE! WHAT'S GOING ON? LOL. Something looked very different when I first saw the cover of this album posted. After giving it some thought, I recalled buying it from a pawn shop about fifteen years ago, but I never removed the yellow price tag in the upper left corner, so whenever I picture this album cover, the yellow sticker is there. I don't really like half the songs on the album, but I love "Caroline," and "Lullabye." Then there is "Joey," which in my mind is one of the top 50 songs ever created. It still gets stuck in my head for weeks at a time, including this past week. I don't spend a ton of time trying to figure out the meanings of songs, so in my head this song was sung by a mother of runaway child. Joey being such a juvenile name probably had a lot to do with it. "Woah!" Turns out it is about a bad relationship? Crap. Cut me some slack though, I was a little kid when it came out, so getting pissed at your parents and thinking about running away was a more common thought than anything dealing with relationships. What ever happened to Concrete Blonde anyway? (and to this day I still have a weakness for husky female voices) You'll love Peter Gibbons then.
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Post by Pea on Nov 5, 2011 15:41:54 GMT -8
Hahaha I just made a new mixed cd with a bunch of random new songs and then I decided to throw Joey on there just for the hell of it. Coincidence??? ABSOLUTELY
Oh and this is my first post ever in this thread. K bye.
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 7, 2011 21:53:55 GMT -8
The Cure - Disintregation (Stamper)
The first track "Plainsong" still excites me, because it's a sound I'm not used to, and a sound I know I get to experience over the next hour whenever I press play on this album. I agree with Stamper, "Facination Street" is my favorite song, but every song on this album is catchy. It seems obvious this sound would be ripped off by anyone trying to make a name, but no one seems to replicate it (except Wild Nothing, a Pitchfork favorite who is shittier than shit stuck to the inside of a shitter).
Another reason I love this album so much is because I don't really like the Cure. I listened to Boys Don't Cry a couple weeks ago, and wondered why I even like the band? I've been casually looking for a number two Cure album for many years, but I always want to listen to Disintegration. I guess I am overly into catchy songs.
Also, one of the greatest reasons to attend music festivals is to see bands you wouldn't normally pay money to see. The Cure were amazing at Sasquatch, all three hours of them. It's probably the reason I like them so much, and spend so much time looking for other Cure albums I like. I'd pay a gigantic amount to see them perform live again.
I'll also agree with Stamper that this is one of the greatest albums ever made. I think Pea would even agree.
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Post by Pea on Nov 7, 2011 22:06:57 GMT -8
I bought Disintegration on a whim years ago, having only ever heard Lovesong on the radio a few times. I'll never forget the record store clerk smiling as he looked at the CD cover and saying "Good purchase. This is the greatest album of all time." Sadly, I didn't think it was good at all the first time I listened to it and tossed it into the CD pile for probably 2 or 3 years. Not sure what caused me to try and give it another shot, but I did, and now I fully agree with you, Stamper, and that clerk. It's been in my top 5 for quite a while now. Within the past few weeks I've finally begun exploring the rest of their catalog. As much as I love Disintegration I've never had the desire to learn more about the rest of their music, but I'm slowly catching on.
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 7, 2011 22:54:08 GMT -8
ROUND TWO: THE SIXTIESRules:1. You should intend to listen to each album twice to participate. It's okay if you get behind, we all get busy. 2. The album you choose can't be your band, or your friend's band. It has to be somewhat accessible, so we can all track it down. As a rule of thumb, if it's not on Grooveshark (http://grooveshark.com/), it's probably too rare. 3. The album doesn't have to be your favorite, it should be an album that will generate discussion. There is no problem listing your favorite underrated album, but picking a classic album we've all heard is also encouraged. 4. Post your album as close to the Sunday you are signed up for. Don't post it before the previous work week is over (so Friday night is okay). If you are running behind, and can't write a review until later in the week, post your album early in the week, then write the review later. Part of the reason we want the album posted Sunday is so we all have a chance to find it. 5. Once we cycle through everyone who wants to play along, I'll start round three, and make the schedule in roughly the same order as listed below. New To The Board/Late To The Game:You can still sign up. Again, you should intend on listening to the albums submitted. The more, the merrier. Many have to wait months to post their selection, so that gives ample time to catch up. Reviews are welcome, even if they are weeks/months later. It is never too late to sign up, or write a review, even if we are 100 albums deep. If we get that far deep, and you are new, you can always sign up, as long as you intend to keep up moving forward, and maybe check out a couple of the older albums if you have time. Schedule:1. N.A.S.A. - Spirit of Apollo (know ID yuh) 2. Slint - Spiderland (cbats) 3. Circulatory System - Circulatory System (drew) 4. The Lowest of the Low - Shakespeare My Butt...(bradberad) 5. Self - Breakfast With Girls (stormypinkness) 6. Brian Eno/David Byrne - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (J-Dawg) 7. Frank Black - Teenager Of The Year (lumpy) 8. The Joel Plaskett Emergency - Down at the Khyber (wompwomp) 9. Man or Astroman? - Destroy All Astromen! (Comeswithasword) 10. Tom Waits - Mule Variations (FriendlyD) 11. Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (HornedGramma) 12. Sloan - Twice Removed (Rustneversleeps) 13. Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream (Geno) 14. At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command (EMptY) 15. We Are The City - In A Quiet World (Souly) 16. The Tea Party - Splendor Solis (blacksmile) 17. The Cure - Disintegration (Stamper) 18. Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (kymess_jr) Round 2: The 60s19. Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico (know ID yuh) 11/13 cbats 11/20 drew 11/27 stormypinkness 12/4 J-Dawg 12/11 Lumpy 12/18 wompwomp 12/25 Friendly 1/1 Horned Gramma 1/8 Rusty 1/15 Geno 1/22 Empty 1/29 Blacksmile 2/5 Stamper 2/12 Kymess 2/19 Souly Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground And NicoSince I stated the 60s are the era when hipsters didn't exist, I went ahead and picked the most hipster band from the 60s. Sorry. I actually didn't have a clue which album to pick when I decided the 60s theme, so I've been hurrying a bit. I wanted to pick a Bob Dylan album, partially because Gramma hates him, but my favorite Dylan albums are from the 70s. Same thing with a couple other bands who were around in the 60s (the Who, Led Zeppellin, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake). There are a couple classic songs on this album. "All Tomorrow's Parties" is one of my favorites, albeit creepy. Didn't a giant music festival get their name from that song? "I'm Waiting For The Man" is cool as hell. Then there's the song "Heroin," which everyone recognizes from that movie I can't name, because I don't watch movies. "Femme Fatale" is a mind numbing tune everyone should also recognize. They end the album with a long song filled with psychedelic noise, which is pretty obscure considering the time frame. The early sixties were dominated by jazz and vocalists like Frank Sinatra. The gap in popular music between 1960 and 1969 is infinitely larger than the gap in popular music between 1981 and 2011. Part of the reason I picked this album is because it's somewhat relevant right now. It's not unheard of to know the name Lou Reed, or know the name The Velvet Underground, but not know he is the lead singer of the band. I never knew they were the same until I spent several hours listening to them. It seems obvious to those who pay attention to music, but try naming every Spencer Krug act without being a fan? Lou Reed is the laughing stock of the hipster music industry right now, but do you think he cares? The parents of some of these people talking smack about him weren't alive when this album came out. Like he gives two shits what the lead singer of Best Coast thinks of him (sorry, I pulled that directly from Pitchfork, I blame cbats). Lou Reed made an album with arguably the greatest metal band of all-time, and even if it sucks, that's pretty cool for a guy who is 69 years old.
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Nov 8, 2011 6:41:47 GMT -8
Good pick Know!
A lot of credit also goes to John Cale who was kind of like the "Brian Eno" of this album. Him and Reed were a pretty potent combo on this one. There are a pile of The Velvet Underground and Nico demo recordings that were released a while ago of just Lou Reed and his acoustic guitar, it really shows off how catchy and tight a lot of the melodies were for the songs. Cale then added most of the psychedelic tone, experimental sounds and instruments as well as having the band jam through many songs with no clear direction other than trying to draw your mind into the speakers through tunings and patterns that were based loosely on meditational teachings then amplified by high drugs. This album might initially sound like a bunch of amateurs fucking around, but everything was very intentional and supposedly very focused. I once read that the whole thing was recorded in 3 days.
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 8, 2011 19:13:14 GMT -8
That's cool. I read somewhere this album was a flop upon release, but later became respected. So whoever was into them in 1969 might have been the first documented hipster.
You should move to Portland and get drunk with me once a week talking music.
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Post by Lump on Nov 8, 2011 20:15:02 GMT -8
GODDAMMIT Gunthy, now I gotta start back from scratch on this '60's stuff.
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Nov 9, 2011 6:28:42 GMT -8
That's cool. I read somewhere this album was a flop upon release, but later became respected. So whoever was into them in 1969 might have been the first documented hipster. You should move to Portland and get drunk with me once a week talking music. There's a corny quote out there that says something to the effect that the album only sold a 1000 copies, but every single one of those people started a band the next day. Here's a cool demo of "All Tomorrow's Parties",
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Post by Cbats on Nov 15, 2011 21:29:45 GMT -8
completely forgot I was up for this week but here is my pick: Van Morrison - Astral Weeks I'll put a review up tomorrow or something when I have some time. I'll just say the album is an absolute classic and hopefully a few of you haven't heard it yet. I guess the album isn't on grooveshark? if there's some other way to make it available to you guys im happy to....
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 15, 2011 22:27:09 GMT -8
I know you picked this album because it fit the criteria, but I've often wondered if Van Morrison fans like Astral Weeks more than Moondance (which came out in 1970). I think my favorite songs of his are on Moondance, even though I'm not a fan of the title track.
Another thought, he is still alive, yet I've never had a chance to see him perform?
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Post by Cbats on Nov 15, 2011 22:42:12 GMT -8
It may be because I grew up listening to my parents play Van Morrison's more accessible stuff but I've never found it half as compelling as Astral Weeks. This one is easily my favorite (60's or not).
I got really into the idea of seeing him perform a couple years ago but the reviews I read of the shows were fairly lackluster. I'd still love to see him but I doubt I'd go out of my way
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Post by wompwomp on Nov 16, 2011 7:00:50 GMT -8
I love both albums, but Moondance is definitely my favorite. The first half of Moondance is out of this world (And It Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic).
But Astral Weeks has Sweet Thing....and man I love that song.
Don't bother going to see Van live. Really disappointing. His performances are on the same level as Bob Dylan these days.
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Post by Friendly Destroyer on Nov 16, 2011 9:21:05 GMT -8
I know you picked this album because it fit the criteria, but I've often wondered if Van Morrison fans like Astral Weeks more than Moondance For me it's Astral Weeks all the way. The title track alone makes this my favorite Van Morrison album. The only word that ever comes to mind to describe that song is, masterpiece.
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Post by know ID yuh on Nov 16, 2011 9:44:03 GMT -8
I love both albums, but Moondance is definitely my favorite. The first half of Moondance is out of this world (And It Stoned Me, Moondance, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic). Don't bother going to see Van live. Really disappointing. His performances are on the same level as Bob Dylan these days. "Into The Mystic" was my first favorite Van Morrison song, so I've listened to Moondance at least three times more than Astral Weeks. I guess that would make it my favorite. I saw Dylan live last summer, and it wasn't as bad as everyone says. I probably caught him when he was on, but his voice was at least consistant, even if it sounds much different than it did fifteen years ago. I can imagine a young Van Morrison's voice would be tough to replicate though.
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Post by J-Dawg on Nov 16, 2011 17:45:36 GMT -8
My pick would be for Moondance over Astral Weeks, personally. Although to be fair I haven't listened to Astral Weeks in quite some time. Guess I'm due.
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Post by Blacksmile on Nov 22, 2011 10:45:53 GMT -8
We Are The City - In A Quiet World
I am loving this album and I can't get enough of it. I have listened to it at least once a week since it was put forth. When I was planning my Sled Island schedule, Souly recommended that I do my best to see We Are the City, unfortunately they did not make the cut and now I am kicking myself for not listening.
This is one of the best pop rock albums I've heard in the last couple of years. There are certain aspects of the album that remind me of Local Natives, particularly the vocal interludes and percussion fills. The singing on this album is beautiful, especially on "My Old Friend", which for me is the album standout.
If they come back this way I will NOT miss them. Thanks for picking this Souly.
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Post by Drew on Nov 23, 2011 9:37:24 GMT -8
Shit guys, sorry I forgot it was my week. Thanks know, and also sorry I haven't done a great job of keeping up. Anyway, here's my two-days late entry: The Moody Blues - Days of Future PassedI grew up on this album, and it has shocked me later in life to discover how many people have never heard it and have never listened to the Moody Blues. So I'm sure when we get to the 70's we'll see some prog rock and concept albums, but to me, this is the original. (Now I'm sure there are a lot of proggy concept albums that predate this, but in my mind this was the firestarter.) The concept - the music of a complete day, from dawn to night. Two fairly popular singles came from this album: "Tuesday Afternoon," and "Nights in White Satin." The London Festival Orchestra enters and exits the album at intervals. To be honest, it's a little cheesy, but it's also beautiful, and for the time it's incredibly forward-thinking. I hope all of you have heard this and can just go back and enjoy it again, but if you haven't, let me know what you think. I'm interested to know what it would be like to come to this album with virgin ears.
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