Jackson wrote:I am surprised NMH isn't higher, it would have been top 10 anywhere else on the Internet (it's 4 for the decade on RYM). When I revisited it for the 1998 poll I expected to like it less, but nope...it's a masterpiece
Well, so we're not the internet and I'm not unhappy about it. I still can't realize why this band/album is so loved. Maybe it's a generation thing? Not that they're utterly bad (there are some decent songs in the lot), but I just don't see the point and the lyrics and concept seem somewhat very pretentious to me.
So I think our AM community reflects the debate around that album, summarized in the three comments that I posted in my presentation.
I'm not sure I would call Aeroplane pretentious. I mean, the lyrics sound a little like they were written by a college age kid who has never held a job, but I don't mind that too much, I was in that position once. What bugs me is that the album really needs better guitar playing to support the strong melodies. When I feel like I could do a better job on guitar than the band did, it's a problem.
I suspect rateyourmusic is most frequented by college age kids who have never held a job, so I understand why it does so well over there.
"One of the most groundbreaking albums ever, constructed completely from samples of old vinyls creating a brand new sound" Honorio
"Using hip-hop, not only its rhythms but its cut-and-paste techniques, as a foundation, Shadow created a deep, endlessly intriguing world on Endtroducing, one where there are no musical genres, only shifting sonic textures and styles. AMG
Place in year poll: 3
Place in the 2007 poll: 34 (+15)
Acclaimed Music 1990s rank (top 200): 13 (-6)
Acclaimed Music all-time rank: 95
18 . PJ Harvey | To Bring You My Love | 1995 | 1443,03
Biggest fans:
Henrik #5, HRS #7, Moonbeam #7, Honorio #8, Gillingham #13, Stephan #14, Harold #14, Michel #14, sonofsamian #15,
Not a fan:
none
Comments:
"Polly Jean diminished a little the rawness of her previous works and transforms herself into a glamorous, theatrical and sophisticated diva. And not losing the edge along the way, replacing the explicit representation of female sexual desires by no less disturbing tales of twisted loves and unsettling religious imagery." Honorio
"PJ Harvey on a theatrical bent. Marred by a few less than par songs, but her genius shines through. (Schwah) And nearly every song is just so damn catchy! Schwah (2007)
The clear production by Harvey, Flood, and John Parish makes these growths evident, which in turn makes To Bring You My Love her most accessible album, even if the album lacks the indelible force of its predecessors." AMG
Biggest fans:
Stephan #6, listyguy #7, Chris K #7, Dan #7, kingoftonga #7, Henry #10, Henrik #10, Moonbeam #12, Michel #12
Not a fan:
beefsupreme 124/125
Comments:
"The most ambitious U2 album. They tried to reinvent themselves and succeeded. Going all postmodern on us, they incorporated a variety of fairly avant-garde styles. But they didn’t lose their essence, and some of the melodies are exquisite. Dan
"Probably U2's best album (I never could get completely behind The Joshua Tree), and the one where all the band's stadium-rock motions don't feel contrived or out of place. The songs that aim for sweeping grandeur succeed largely because it feels like the band has earned it. kingoftonga
"A drastic turn for U2. Not unsuccesfully so. Gillingham
"Few bands as far into their career as U2 have recorded an album as adventurous or fulfilled their ambitions quite as successfully as they do on Achtung Baby, and the result is arguably their best album." AMG
Biggest fans:
Rodneyontheblock #5, Harold #6, chris K #12, Stephan #12, HRS #14, Zorg #14, Romain #15
Not a fan:
none
Comments:
"2nd best surprise of this poll, another album I did not expect to be this fun, tight and musically accomplished, I assumed that most of its acclaim came from Jarvis Cocker's lyrics and that the music would not follow, I'm glad I was wrong." Nassim
"Not bad, but I think the success of "Common People" has elevated this album beyond the stature it deserves." kingoftonga
"Pulp don't stray from their signature formula at all -- it's still grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes, but they have mastered it here. Not only are the melodies and hooks significantly catchier and more immediate, the music explores more territory." AMG
Biggest fans:
Nassim #2, Harold #5, Listyguy #9, HRS #13, Miguel #15, Michel #15
Not a fan:
none
Comments:
This has been my favorite album of all time for so long that I feel a bit guilty retrograding it, there still not much in the world that can compare this the uncanny beauty of « Between the Bars », « Angeles » or « Say Yes », though the anger of « Pictures of Me » is a very welcome change in the mood of the album." Nassim
"Everything about this album is haunting; the ghostly vocals and lo-fi aesthetic work so well here." kingoftonga
nicolas wrote:
Comments:
This has been my favorite album of all time for so long that I feel a bit guilty retrograding it, there still not much in the world that can compare this the uncanny beauty of « Between the Bars », « Angeles » or « Say Yes », though the anger of « Pictures of Me » is a very welcome change in the mood of the album." Nassim
Nassim, for an AMer changing your old #1 album of all time for another is like cheating on your wife or girlfriend
More seriously, I really prefer XO or the one after (the title with 8, I don't remember) to Either/or that I find too gloomy and skeletal. "Angeles" and "Between the Bars" are great songs though, but I'm not a fan of this aesthetic of self-deprecation that is constant in 90's rock (Nirvana, Portishead, Radiohead...).
Great presentation, great Top 40 and great comments from so many voters (that's awesome, I think it's the poll with more people writing comments, am I right?).
I prefer "XO" to "Either/Or" too (but the latter is a wonderful album too) but not for the self-deprecating tone, I prefer the arrangements and the more polished tone on "XO".
And sorry Henry but I'm really glad that Björk performed so well this time, last poll shen did much worse (at least on the songs poll if I remember well). And, as Zorg, nicolas or Moonbeam pointed before, it's not a question of musical genre, maybe it's even the opposite, it's about her ability to jump easily into genres and (as Zorg perfectly pointed) her uniqueness. One could say that she built her perfect staircase to heaven with the sequence of "Debut" / "Post" / "Homogenic" / "Vespertine", each album more ambitious, more acomplished and more focused, if it wasn't because the first step of this staircase was already so high (it's still my favourite but maybe because of its personal significance to me). Sadly the albums after "Vespertine" were not so good...
Honorio wrote:And sorry Henry but I'm really glad that Björk performed so well this time, last poll shen did much worse (at least on the songs poll if I remember well). And, as Zorg, nicolas or Moonbeam pointed before, it's not a question of musical genre, maybe it's even the opposite, it's about her ability to jump easily into genres and (as Zorg perfectly pointed) her uniqueness. One could say that she built her perfect staircase to heaven with the sequence of "Debut" / "Post" / "Homogenic" / "Vespertine", each album more ambitious, more acomplished and more focused, if it wasn't because the first step of this staircase was already so high (it's still my favourite but maybe because of its personal significance to me). Sadly the albums after "Vespertine" were not so good...
No need to be sorry Honorio. I was merely noticing a preference among those polled.
When it comes to Bjork, I am presently in the searching mode as I attempt to understand why others enjoy her music so much more than I do. My enjoyment of her music has already grown substantially over the past 3 years and I am hoping that (unlike my continued lack of enjoyment of many Velvet Underground songs) further listens will help me appreciate and enjoy her music more.
I have a theory that Björk's success is more based on the idea that, unlike previous female artists, she never attached herself to a particular instrument, so her spirit of restlessness was much increased. I guess she's only rivaled in this aspect by PJ Harvey, who basically is adopting a new instrument per album since revamping her sound in the great and underrated White Chalk. And although I believe that a contemporary like Joanna Newsom is capable of years of great songwriting and strong albums, she's too much attached to a particular instrument - or two - to actually jump into another completely different sound aesthetic -- unless she unexpectedly pull off a later career Tom Waits. The same can be said of previous female singers from Kate Bush and Patti Smith to Joni Mitchell and from Rickie Lee Jones to Nico or Tori Amos - they are all terrific in their own way, but, unlike Björk, they had to face first the limitations that their own main instruments set to them before their more creative momentum ceased.
Yes, the new Björk will be a cover album of Lynyrd Skynyrd songs
I once read (was it in an interview? I can't remember) that there are no guitars in her records. Maybe that's why people often label her music as electro but she's more than just that.
After reading more about Bjork on wikipedia and how Radiohead singer Thom Yorke called the song "Unravel" from this album his favourite song ever, I listened to Unravel again, and started to appreciate its powerfully interleaved vocals. I still think that Bjork will win me over in time.
nicolas wrote:"Oh christ, I'm happy I gave this album a couple of proper listens. One of the best things about Bjork in my opinion is that you can listen to a song of hers 20 times and you still wouldn't be able to sing along with it and predict when this drum-fill enters or those trumpets. Every song is full of so many curveballs, that repeated listening isn't not only useful, but mandatory. I love the ending too, with the crazy crazy song "Pluto" bringing in "All is Full of Love" perfectly. Zorg
All Is Full of Love is indeed wonderful, but the best version is definitely the single version, which apparently is the "original" version although it wasn't released until long after the album.
Biggest fans: Listyguy #1, Beefsupreme #3, Jonathon #6, Miguel #7, Chris k #11, Superfurry #14
Not a fan:
stephan 128/141
Comments:
"Some of the songs are too abrasive for me, but there's also some of the band's best work on here. I can't say it entirely works as an album from start to finish, but it's better than any follow-up to Nevermind had a right to be. Kingoftonga
"Far from being as good as the previous one, it feels likes an attempt to destroy the careful balance between pop and violence of Nevermind. The anger and alienation are clearly palpable but the problem is that Some songs are totally inaudible, just pure noise and aggression, even if "All Apologies" or "Pennyroyal Tea" are really good. So I can't say I like somethnig that's half unpleasant and abrasive lilke that. " nicolas
"In Utero remains a shattering listen, whether it's viewed as Cobain's farewell letter or self-styled audience alienation. Few other records are as willfully difficult as this.." AMG
"An album made by a suspicious band, which seems to pile up provocations in order to burn bridges with the general audience (...) Musically, In Utero is a much rawer following to Nevermind, but in the end more touching, as in "Heart-Shaped Box" or "All Apologies" Dictionnaire du rock (France)
Am I right in sensing that Nevermind's general love is going down while concurrently In Utero's is going up? It seems a bit like the Revolver/Sgt. Pepper debate.
Comments:
"Who ever imagined an album that sounds like it was made by a bunch of junior high school students could be so poignant?"VanillaFire1000
"A Scottish band commanded by Stuart Murdoch that brought back the sensitivity and fragility to 90s indie pop, brought to the scene influences like Nick Drake or Burt Bacharach not so usual till then and conquered the bedroom and the heart of many young people with the smart but heartfelt songs from "If You're Feeling Sinister." Honorio
"There was a period when I preferred "Tigermilk" to If You're Feeling Sinister, but it didn't last long. IYFS has the style of "Tigermilk", but with better songs, amongst them "Judy and the Dream of Horses" and "Fox in the Snow". Murdoch's almost whispery, sing song and confessional tone fit the music and the lyrics PERFECTLY. Zorg
"Subtly poetic, wickedly funny, gorgeously melodic, steeped in ramshackle C86 jangle and the pop classicism of Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground, it encapsulates everything I've come to treasure in music." Malcom Jack, The Guardian
Place in year poll: 2
Place in the 2007 poll: 10 (-3)
Acclaimed Music 1990s rank (top 200): 37 (+24)
Acclaimed Music all-time rank: 234
12 . Magnetic Fields, The | 69 Love Songs | 1999 | 1506,34
Biggest fans: Greg #1, Zorg #3, Rodneyontheblock #4, Honorio #5, Harold #7, Miguel #10, Brad #13,
Not a fan:
Beefsupreme 125/125
Comments:
"A beautiful album full of wildly inventive songs. The imagination and fun involved with listening to all three discs is extraordinary. And the lyrics are hilarious (A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off being a prime example) Zorg
"This triple album is an ambitious tour de force that widely succeeds. From Cole Porter to Abba, from roots to avant-garde, from laughter to tears, no style or sensation is missing in this trip with "love" as common thread. I completely agree with James Hunter from New York Observer about Stephin Merritt: "The greatest living American songwriter right now." Honorio
"I've only listened to this one once, so its placement on this list is still sort of a guess. So overstuffed and brimming with riches it's almost impossible to assess." Kingoftonga
"What is stunning with this record is that when I listened to it, I was sure there were three songwriters in this band instead of one" nicolas
"Even from the outset, Stephen Merritt’s 69 Love Songs resembles a masterpiece in all of its faculties; after its subtle and delicate layers are peeled away with every listen, no doubt is left in one’s mind that this truly is a monumental record." Sputnikmusic
Biggest fans:
Harold #4, Superfurry #10, beefsupreme #11, Kingoftonga #11, Zorg #13, Michel #13, Romain #14, Jonathon #14
Not a fan:
Stephan 136/141
Comments:
"The wonderful thing about this album is that, even though every song is structured like a joke, Beck plays it straight and sincere. It's a difficult balance to reach, but I think this is the perfect balance between the sincerity of Sea Change and the tongue-in-cheek irony of Midnite Vultures." kingoftonga
"It's the middle section that wins it for Beck. Jack-ass, Novacane and Where It's At turn this good album into a great one." Zorg
"The trademark Beck musical melting pot never got better than in "Odelay," with apparently disparate styles fluidly intertwining." Honorio
"Like a mosaic, all the details add up to a picture greater than its parts, so while some of Beck's best songs are here, Odelay is best appreciated as a recorded whole, with each layered sample enhancing the allusion that came before." AMG
Zorg wrote:Am I right in sensing that Nevermind's general love is going down while concurrently In Utero's is going up? It seems a bit like the Revolver/Sgt. Pepper debate.
I don't think you're right. Nevermind is still immensely superior IMO. I think In Utero wouldn't have been noticed as much if there hadn't been any Nevermind, while Nevermind is the true unprecedented classic.
I go back and forth between liking one better and the other.
Yeah, it's true In Utero would not have gotten as much recognition if it weren't for Nevermind, but that's mostly because of Nevermind's accessibility. In Utero is obviously the far less accessible album, intentionally abrasive as if rebelling against the pop culture phenomenon of Nevermind. Nevermind has songs on it that are masterpieces, but sometimes In Utero with its overall feel grabs my attention more.
Zorg wrote:Am I right in sensing that Nevermind's general love is going down while concurrently In Utero's is going up? It seems a bit like the Revolver/Sgt. Pepper debate.
I don't think you're right. Nevermind is still immensely superior IMO. I think In Utero wouldn't have been noticed as much if there hadn't been any Nevermind, while Nevermind is the true unprecedented classic.
"Nevermind" is probably why "In Utero" is as well regarded as it is, but I prefer the later (obviously, considering it's my favorite album from the decade). However, I don't feel fame indicates greatness. Let's take Nick Drake, for example. Very few people appreciated his music during his lifetime, but he made some classic albums. Had "Five Leaves Left" been as popular as "Nevermind", would we attribute the success of "Pink Moon"' to it?
Jirin wrote: Nevermind has songs on it that are masterpieces, but sometimes In Utero with its overall feel grabs my attention more.
I personally feel that there are songs on "In Utero" that are better than their "Nevermind" equals (I'd say "Heart-Shaped Box", "All Apologies" and "Dumb" are all better than anything on "Nevermind"), but the I'd say the general consensus would agree with that statement.
I never said that fame indicates greatness. In Nevermind's case it's a well deserved fame because I think this album is great and better than its more aggressive follower. I don't like being aggressed by music. That is the feeling I have when I listen to In Utero. It 's too much of a reaction album to me and avery destructive one whereas the violence in Nevermind serves the power of the songs. I like the first song in Utero but Steve Albini is probably one of the producers I like the less. I know I sound like a conservative prepunk guy but that is really what I think. I like noisebut when it serves melodies like in Sonic Youth records but otherwise I just wanna hit the stop button lol
I really like the production in Nevermind that draws a bridge between the past and the future.
I can see where you're coming from. Songs like "Tourette's" do nothing for me; what compels me towards "In Utero" is the sheer brilliance of songs like "Pennyroyal Tea" and "Dumb". I find it incredible that half of the album is absolutely brilliant, which can compensate for some weaker "filler" songs.
I think "Nevermind" is similar in that sense, with it's own piles of crap like "Territorial Pissings". However, I feel there aren't really any amazing, mind-blowing songs on "Nevermind" (actually, "Lithium" is brilliant) that make "In Utero" what it is. Don't get me wrong, "Nevermind" is damn good too, but it's not on the same level as it's successor.
nicolas wrote:Yeah great performance by DM! ! I was listening to a few tracks while I was preparing the post and I really liked it. I especially like Dave Grohl vocals. They are not cold or robotic at all unlike Kraftwerk or New Order. This poll made me appreciate a few works that are far from mynatural alley.
I think you mean Dave Gahan. Dave Grohl fronting DM would be pretty interesting!
nicolas wrote:Yeah great performance by DM! ! I was listening to a few tracks while I was preparing the post and I really liked it. I especially like Dave Grohl vocals. They are not cold or robotic at all unlike Kraftwerk or New Order. This poll made me appreciate a few works that are far from mynatural alley.
You mean Dave Gahan. Dave Grohl is another musician...
nicolas wrote:Yeah great performance by DM! ! I was listening to a few tracks while I was preparing the post and I really liked it. I especially like Dave Grohl vocals. They are not cold or robotic at all unlike Kraftwerk or New Order. This poll made me appreciate a few works that are far from mynatural alley.
You mean Dave Gahan. Dave Grohl is another musician...
Yeah sorry again. I knew it was a Dave G with a H in the middle... Now I understand your puzzlement Henry
Biggest fans:
Romain #2, Superfurry #6, Zorg #6, Gillingham #8, Moonbeam #10, Brad #11, Chris K #14
Not a fan:
beefsupreme 119/125
Comments:
"One of the first albums that I listened to that didn't place a high emphasis on vocals and lyrics, with almost all of the songs being 6+ minutes long. I've never stopped listening to it since. Sigur Ros have the most magnificent gift for creating the most wholesome songs with a slow crescendo to a huge peak (Ny Batteri and Vidrar especially)." Zorg
"Just beautiful and singular music." Gillingham
"After an introduction just this side of one of the aforementioned Stone Roses' backward beauties, the album pumps in the morning mist with "Sven-G-Englar" -- a song of such accomplished gorgeousness that one wonders why such a tiny country as Iceland can musically outperform entire continents in just a few short minutes." AMG
"Children will be conceived, wrists will be slashed, scars will be healed, and tears will be wrenched by this group. They are the first vital band of the 21st Century." Pitchfork
Place in year poll: 1
Place in the 2007 poll: 39 (+29!!)
Acclaimed Music 1990s rank (top 200): 36 (+26)
Acclaimed Music all-time rank: 232
9 . Flaming Lips, The | The Soft Bulletin | 1999 | 1544,10
Biggest fans: Kingoftonga #1, sonofsamian #4, VanillaFire1000 #8, Jonathon #8, Harold #9, Dan #9, Nick #12
Not a fan:
Nassim 122/134, Michel 136/137
Comments:
"The best album of the 90s. Here, the Lips manage to hit the perfect balance between sincerity in spectacle. I love Yoshimi as much as the next guy, but I don't think they ever topped this one. I love "Race for the Prize," but I also think it's one of the weakest songs on the album - it only gets better from there." Kingoftonga
"I looooooove the symphonic approach and the rich textures." Dan
"The eccentric world of The Flaming Lips found in Dave Fridmann the perfect ally for fully realizing its adventurous projects." Honorio
"There's no telling where the Lips will go from here, but it's almost beside the point -- not just the best album of 1999, The Soft Bulletin might be the best record of the entire decade." AMG
Biggest fans:
Brad #6, listyguy #8, Chris K #9, HRS #9, Nick #9, Harold #12, Dan #15, Jonathon #15
Not a fan:
none
Comments:
"As a whole, it doesn't blow me away the way that some of the band's other efforts do, but I don't think any other band of the 90s has a one-two punch in the manner of "Just" and "My Iron Lung." kingoftonga
"Fake Plastic Trees and High & Dry are transcendent. Some other of there songs on this album are not so good. I realize how heretical this is, but I could never tell too much difference between "Street Spirit" and a 70's ballad from Kansas. And yet it's in my top-20. I guess that's how good Radiohead are." Schwah (2007)
"Their second album married a majestic and somber guitar sound to Thom Yorke's anguished-choirboy vocals, drawing on the epic grandeur of U2 and the melancholy of the Smiths." Rolling Stone
"But what makes The Bends so remarkable is that it marries such ambitious, and often challenging, instrumental soundscapes to songs that are at their cores hauntingly melodic and accessible. It makes the record compelling upon first listen, but it reveals new details with each listen, and soon it becomes apparent that with The Bends, Radiohead have reinvented anthemic rock. " AMG
Biggest fans:
Moonbeam #4, kingoftonga #5, Romain #6, Dan #6, Rodneyontheblock #10, sonofsamian #11, Henrik #12, Gillingham #15, nicolas #15
Not a fan:
Greg 123/134
Comments:
"Excellent album, though never tops the first two tracks - "Army of Me" and "Hyper-ballad," the latter of which may be my favorite Björk song. Almost a bit too stylistically diverse ("It's Oh So Quiet" always feels out of place), but that's part of the fun." Kingoftonga
"I love how unique, quirky and genuinely eccentric Björk’s music was in the 90s, and to me this album displays her invigorating creativity best of all." Dan
"I like all the 90s Bjork albums, but while Debut is the funniest and the first few songs of Homogenic are the best she ever sang, here is the only album that never disappoints from start to end." Nassim
"ISOBEL. I heard it because of Moonbeam's list thing, and I've listened to it every day since, I'm pretty sure. And the other nine songs aren't just filler, thankfully. With "Headphones", "Hyper-Ballad" and the sublime "It's Oh So Quiet", the entire album is a treat." Zorg
"It was one of my wife's favorite records when we met. Now I'm in love with two women." nicolas (well, that comment is from 2007, now they are more )
"The work of a constantly changing artist, Post proves that as Björk moves toward more ambitious, complex music, she always surpasses herself." AMG
Biggest fans:
Greg #2, Brad #2, Olivier #4, HRS #5, beefsupreme #8, Nick #8, Chris K #10, Jonathan #11, sonofsamian #13, VanillaFire1000 #14
Not a fan:
Listyguy #43/45, Nassim 132/134, Honorio 140/150,
Comments:
"The early 90s saw not only a revolution in electronic/dance music, but concurrently a return to the days of good old indie rock. The 80s had become too bloated, full of hair metal and posturing lead guitarists, with a focus on attitude rather than expression. My Bloody Valentine is the weird result you get when you mix the anti-guitar-heroism of the Smiths with the FUCKINGNOISYGUITARS of bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground before them all. MBV were a revolution in what noise sounds like - the pioneers of the "shoegaze" genre, they'd stare at their shoes and fiddle with their amps - musicians, not performers. It comes across in the music too - like the album cover, MBV are full of fuzz, creating a simultaneously warm and foreign sound, which can be seen in songs like "When You Sleep", "Only Shallow", the sobering "Sometimes" and the masterpiece of a closer "Soon". Zorg
I've never ben able to love this album the way that others do. It has some moments of pristine beauty that sound like nothing else in the 90s, yet it never manages to hypnotize me the way that I think Kevin Shields is hoping I'll be hypnotized. kingoftonga
"I’m going to be honest, the first time I heard Loveless, I said to myself “that was just about the worst twelve bucks I’ve ever spent.” After many repeated listens since then, I’ve come to love the crafted distortion of it. From the punch-in-the-face opening of “Only Shallow” all the way to the dance-off of “Soon”, we’re treated to an emotional rollercoaster that treats the word “alternative” like a son. (Rendle)" Rendle (2007)
"From a free flowing river, the music of MBV has turned into an endless roug sea, an indescribable wave where samples, guitar parts, and voices plaintive like the wind intertwine" Dictionnaire du rock (France)
"Isn't Anything was good enough to inspire an entire scene of My Bloody Valentine soundalikes, but Loveless' greatness proved that the band was inimitable. After two painstaking years in the studio and nearly bankrupting their label Creation in the process, the group emerged with their masterpiece, which fulfilled all of the promise of their previous albums. " AMG
Another love/hate album. To be #6 with three "not a fan" rankings is quite an achievement.
And you'll notice the big gap in points between #7 and #6
To me this album is a grower. It's undeniably rich and evocative. Like Rendle, I thought when I first heard it that it was one of the worst things I'd listened to, but now as I'm getting accostumed to its sound (the low mixed vocals were a real barreer for me in the beginning) I'm starting to like it more with each (rare) listen
"The early death of Buckley turned his debut album into his testament, an ambitious and sweeping record with a voice in state-of-grace. Honorio
"Very good, but sometimes I feel that the myth has outgrown the man." kingoftonga
I don't think the myth has outgrown the man. I remember what a thrill this album was when it came out, especially here in France. This young dark haired guy with the voice of an angel, or of his father, that played the guitar so fluidly. I saw him live at the Olympia and I'm telling you the myth was already there. I remember when this record came out, my girlfriend fell immediately in love with the singer, but I didn't blame her. I found on the contrary that she had lots of taste, and Buckley was not a big threat. I remember when we parted, I cried alone in my dark room and I listened to Lilac Wine and Hallelujah. And there is "Grace", the song and its incrdible guitar riff and final. The end of the album is a little weaker but the first 6 tracks are an incredible succession of masterpieces. Some critics now ad then may find it a little too swollen and demonstrative, in an era when to be cool in the alternative underground (lol) you had to do everything but sing so openly and play the guitar like that, and also because it looked more towards the past, jazz, Piaf or Led Zep" nicolas
"Grace is an audacious debut album, filled with sweeping choruses, bombastic arrangements, searching lyrics, and above all, the richly textured voice of Buckley himself, which resembled a cross between Robert Plant, Van Morrison, and his father Tim. AMG
I have sometimes thought of Grace as one of my favorite albums, but not anymore. I find the rocking moments to be downright awful. Can anybody like the middle section of "So Real" for example?
Everyone you meet fights a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
it's funny how everyone has his own perceprion of an album that can be entirely different from other peole.
I think there is a great unity in sound and athmosphere in Grace
Henrik if you're thinking about the noisy bridge around 2:30 it's not great, but excess is the other name of this album. Almost baroque. So a little too much doesn't bother me.
Biggest fans: Henrik #1, Dan #3, Nassim #3, Gillingham #4, Michel #5, Romain #7, Honorio #9, Moonbeam #15
Not a fan:
Greg 124/134
Comments:
"I remember the first time I heard Dummy. I was 19, had travelled to London from South Africa for the first time in my life, and found myself in a candle-lit living room with some friends I had made. A joint was being passed around, and then one of my friends put Dummy on. The music took me by surprise; I had never heard anything like it. I loved the restrained tempo, the slightly eerie and otherworldly sound, the stylish production and the sensual mood of it all. It suited the candle-lit room perfectly. I bought the CD the next day and listened to it again, and I was pleased to find out that it hadn't just been the effects of the cannabis that made me fall in love with it the day before." Dan
"The Bristol scene was an essential part of the 90s sound. Massive Attack were undoubtedly the pioneers of the style and Tricky took the sound further, but it was Portishead with its debut album and its dark but smooth mixture of electronic and organic, of eccentric pop and soundtrack music who gave a masterpiece to the trip-hop style. Honorio
"Enjoyable on a cerebral level (and I love "Glory Box") but the emotions are never immediate enough; everything seems detached and reserved and filtered to me." kingoftonga
"But to many, Dummy is the group’s defining work – and even if you disagree with that, what can’t be doubted is that this is one of the greatest debuts of the 1990s.. BBC Music
Woah I had no idea that Dummy was THAT popular I guess...and I thought Blue Lines' relatively low positioning meant that there was a trend away from triphop.
I've always found Grace bombastic MOR pop that doesn't make justice to its name and is abrupt and excessive on second thought. Jeff Buckley loved his voice -- he was even caught in an angel-voiced couple along with Liz Fraser -- but I feel like the songs don't make it any justice. Jeff Buckley is what Liz Fraser would sound like if she hadn't forward-thinking members on the Cocteau Twins -- or Tim without any of the interesting experiments. His father had a voice as much effective -- personally I found it even more richer -- but he used for terrific effect on many of his albums (his string of records from Goodbye and Hello to Starsailor contains many of my favorite songs ever) and had not only great material to back it up, but also a contagious feel of restlessness while experimenting with his folk music. I'm not going as far as to say that is because of Buckley that we tend to see these bombastic singer/songwriters around the pop scenario for the last 10 years, but even his Hallelujah doesn't strike me as much as the gorgeous John Cale's version. I feel like Buckley had a lot of potential, but Grace is not the showcase of it. If he hadn't died maybe he would have went on and record an album that I could fully support its received attention, accolades and, most important of all, share the love that so many others feel; Instead of it he died, this uneven debut album was canonized in a way that I disagree and Rufus Wainwright came out to take the worst of Grace's bombastic parts to new insufferable levels that even made Jeff's debut look better in retrospect. Still, Jeff doesn't sound so graceful to my ears -- or even to the eyes.
Grace at number 5 seems off to me, but Dummy at number 4 is great. That album is simply ear candy. I think my vote would have swapped Loveless and Grace, not that it really makes that much of a difference. I'm a little surprised there are some people who say they don't 'get' Loveless or that it is a grower. I loved it from first listen, in fact, I went right back and listened to it again. Sure, it got better over time, and even still sometimes surprises me (I just realized a few months ago that "Blown a Wish" is an awesome song, and it might be one of my favorites ever were it not for several superior songs on the album), but the quality of the melodies and the uniqueness of the sound and production values should be very apparent.
nicolas wrote:This album hasn't been canonized afterwards, that's not true. I was 24 when it came out and I can tell you that he already was a sensation and a shock
Well, that's exactly why I selected this particular word. As much as the album might have been a shock or sensation at the time, "Jeff, the myth; Grace, the untouchable classic" was, just like the saints, born out of his death -- even if, like the miracles, the arguable quality of the music was what ultimately led him to deserve it.
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