Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

DaveC
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 45. Salif Keita - Moffou

Post by DaveC »

45. Salif Keita - Moffou: 8.5/10

Favourite track: Yamore (#878 AT)
Least favourite track: Katolon
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 45. Salif Keita - Moffou

Post by spiritualized »

45. Salif Keita - Moffou: 7/10

I listened to this album previously and gave it this rating. I'll keep it so until I listen to it again (no time last week)
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by spiritualized »

And another first from one of our forumers : VanillaFire100, and a favorite from his/hers at that, number 67 in their ranked list and a bubbler in the album AM list

Image

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp
Nominated by VanillaFire100 (#67)
Genre : Dream Pop, Indie Pop Synthpop, Shoegaze (# 426 in the RYM Dream Pop chart)
Descriptors : female vocals, lush, death, sad, love, lo-fi, bittersweet, romantic, ethereal, longing
Length : 9 tracks, 25:11

AM ranking : bubbling under
Artist Ranking : #2293
RYM ranking : #495 for 2016 #unranked overall (3006 ratings @ 3.35/ 5.0)
Metascore : 76
131.8k unique listeners and 2.1m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Everybody Wants To Love You / The Woman That Loves You / In Heaven



Biography from Allmusic

A solo moniker for Philadelphia musician Michelle Zauner, Japanese Breakfast is known for her artfully experimental, deeply intimate brand of indie pop. Taking a break from her band Little Big League, Zauner debuted in 2013 with the melodically lo-fi cassette release June. Along with further work with Little Big League, she has continued to expand her sonic palette, weaving in atmospheric synths, electric guitars, and electronics on 2016's Psychopomp and 2017's Soft Sounds from Another Planet. In 2021, she hit number two on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list with her memoir, Crying in H Mart, which found her exploring her Korean heritage in the wake of her mother's death from cancer. That same year, she released a companion album, Jubilee.

Born in 1989 in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and Jewish-American father, Zauner grew up in Eugene, Oregon, where her parents moved when she was still an infant. Later, she attended Bryn Mawr college and played in several indie rock bands before forming the group Little Big League around 2011. In 2013, she moved back home to Oregon to help care for her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. It was during this period that she initially started Japanese Breakfast as part of a month-long, song-a-day writing challenge. The result was 2013's June, an intimate set of melodic, electric guitar-accompanied lo-fi tunes issued on cassette by Ranch Records. She continued to write solo and with her band, releasing Japanese Breakfast's sophomore album, Where Is My Great Big Feeling?, and the Seagreen Records cassette American Sound, in the summer of 2014. Little Big League's Tropical Jinx arrived that October.

With a varied palette including markedly bigger, synth-boosted sounds that bridged lo-fi and indie pop, Japanese Breakfast's Yellow K Records debut, Psychopomp, was released in the spring of 2016. The album dealt with the emotional fallout of her mother's death, and was, in Zauner's mind, the one and only Japanese Breakfast record. She soon changed her mind, signed with Dead Oceans (which re-released Psychopomp to a wider audience), and began work on another album with the help of producer Craig Hendrix, who had also helmed Little Big League's debut LP. The pair played the bulk of the instruments on the record and went for a much bigger sound, taking the project out of the bedroom and into a large space. An expansive mix from indie pop alchemist Jorge Elbrecht made it sound even larger, as Zauner delved into themes like grief, dead pop stars, outer space, and moving on. Soft Sounds from Another Planet was released by Dead Oceans in July 2017, hitting the upper reaches of multiple critics' end-of-year lists.

Further sessions with Hendrix -- this time with a sprightly, pop-focused, string- and horn-bolstered sound -- led to the completion of another record in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Jubilee's release to be delayed until 2021. Productive as ever, Zauner used the downtime to write a memoir, Crying in H Mart, which found her exploring her Korean heritage in the wake of her mother's death. Released several months prior to Jubilee, the book reached number two on the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list.

A fan's review
Chuck_Succin Jul 01 2020

A bittersweet little package, at times reflective, at times refreshing
Upon a casual first listen, it might be easy to dismiss this album as generic contemporary jangle pop. You know, that class of the forgotten Bandcamp album that relies too heavily on fuzzy, shoegaze-tinged vibes of nostalgic summers past. But give Psychopomp a closer listen. It’s a watertight 25 minutes of well written, stylistically varied, often understated tracks imbued with Michelle Zauner’s affecting lyrics and soaring vocals. It’s nothing mindblowing, but nonetheless a short-and-bittersweet jewel in a saturated genre.

Things open predictably enough with “In Heaven,” a track that wears no façade over its dream pop roots. But Zauner’s breezy vocals and the contrasting pensive lyrics on her mother’s passing prove there is more to appreciate here. The subtle rise of the pre-chorus and the following blissful release show her solid writing chops. The outro drifts seamlessly into “The Woman That Loves You,” which spices things up with some tasteful synths that fit well into the established soundscape. “Rugged Country” doubles down on the ‘jangle’ with its stomping intro, setting the tone for a track you gotta play on your next road trip (through rugged country, of course). The story behind the lyrics surely fits the name too. “Everybody Wants to Love You” is pure dream pop goodness, with the album’s simplest, sweetest lyrics… and you gotta appreciate just how casually explicit they are.

Just as the status quo of the soundscape starts growing tired, the instrumental interlude of the title track switches things up with its electronic elements. It comes out of left field, but not enough to throw you off your feet. Immersion isn’t broken, and your interest is still piqued. Now that attention is refocused, “Jane Cum” brings us back with its reverb-rich guitar, but it’s apparent the atmosphere has changed. The instrumentation through the first verse is more outwardly somber than anything thus far. With the help of some shoegaze-esque distortion, Michelle erupts into the album’s emotional pinnacle. Her impassioned vocals in the chorus uplift the track into a trance that is both blissful and crushing. And when she jumps the gun right before the second chorus… gets me every fuckin time. The obliquely visceral, sexual lyrics are just icing on the cake for this beautiful, enigmatic piece.

Musically, “Heft” is a straightforward comedown that most closely matches the 2010s jangle pop stereotype. The opening guitar really makes this apparent. But after the heft ( h a ) of the previous track, the simplicity of “Heft” functions fine. However, the lyrics surely live up to the name, with more rumination on her mother’s final days and Michelle’s concern over the potential of cancer elsewhere in the family. The outro makes a brief callback to the solo of “Everybody Wants to Love You,” a cute little continuity. “Moon on the Bath” works well as a gentle instrumental that settles us into the reflective, melancholic closer “Triple 7.” The climatic chorus vocals of “Jane Cum” are back, but the calm instrumentation this time around strikes an effective contrast. Seems like the brief, dreamy day of this album has ended and you’re readying for bed, still as wistful as ever. It all ends on the perfectly vague repeating refrain “In the night, I am someone else.”

This album isn’t a game changer, but it’s still a well-assembled bite-sized LP that explores a range of styles and feelings while never drifting far from its central aesthetic. It discusses themes of death, regret, and longing, but the drama is never overbearing. There aren’t really any bad tracks, just ones with varying degrees of impact. It’s a bittersweet little package, at times reflective, at times refreshing. Just long enough to capture these ideas, just short enough to avoid boredom. If you want some fuzzy, summer-day-golden-hour vibes with a needed splash of variety and authenticity, you can’t go wrong with Psychopomp.

8/10
If you like this, also listen to :
Computer Savvy - The J. Arthur Keenes Band (2011)
Paradise Valley - Grouper (2011)
Ideal Corners - Candace (2020)


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Salif Keita - Moffou : 7.786 (7 votes) [Gillingham]

2. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.629 (12 votes) [Brad][/b]
3. Selda - Selda : 7.567 (9 votes) [panam]
4. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.282 (11) [Spiritualized]
5. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.260 (10) [CupOfDreams]
6. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.882 (11) [antonius]
7. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.829 (12) [Toni]
8. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (12) [Zombeels]
9. Hood - Cold House : 6.800 (12) [CupOfDreams]
10. Cochemea - All My Relations 6.800 (9) [Nicolas]
11. James - Laid : 6.725 (12) [Zombeels]
12. The Band - Stage Fright 6.718 (11) [Henry]
13. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself 6.522 (10) [Spiritualized]
14. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
15. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
16. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.518 (11) [FrankLotion]
17. Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party 6.500 (9) [LiveInPhoenix]
18. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave 6.488 (8) [nicolas]
19. Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note : 6.438 (8) [schaefer.tk]
20. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [bonnielaurel]
21. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
22. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.340 (10) [rumpdoll]
23. Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway : 6.214 (8) [Zombeels]
24. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone : 6.027 (8) [DocBrown]
25. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.268 (11) [bonnielaurel]
26. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.260 (10) [sonofsamiam]
27. The Cult - Electric 6.240 (10) [whuntva]
28. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.221 (12) [Brad]
29. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 6.177 (11) [SL3]
30. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off 6.170 (10) [Henry]
31. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.142 (12) [Brad]
32. Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance 6.113 (8) [Brad]
33. Bluejuice - Company 6.020 (10) [M24]
34. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
35. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.873 (11) [Live In Phoenix]
36. Cybotron - Enter : 5.827 (11) [Moonbeam]
37. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.780 (10) [antonius]
38. Prince - For You : 5.660 (10) [Moonbeam]
39. The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute 5.573 (11) [Henry]
40. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe : 5.344 (9) [schaefer.tk]
41. MUNA - About U : 5.164 (11) [votingbloc]
42. Three Days Grace - One-X 4.238 (8) [whuntva]
43. Hayden James - Between Us 3.891 (11) [M24]
44. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 3.844 (9) [Moonbeam]
45. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.664 (11) [prosecutorgodot]
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Listyguy
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by Listyguy »

Psychopomp - 8/10

The most recent Japanese Breakfast release, Jubilee, has been garnering a decent amount of acclaim this year. Certainly more than any of her other albums to date. And yet I find myself preferring Psychopomp by a pretty decent margin. It's a short album, but it makes the most of the time it uses. Pretty much every song is worthwhile, with the likes of "Everybody Wants to Love You" being gems.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by Safetycat »

I'm almost caught up... almost there...
41. Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance (2015) - 7

42. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave (2008) - 6

43. Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note (2003) - 5

44. Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party (1985) - 9

45. Salif Keita - Moffou (2002) - 8
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by Honorio »

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp (2016) 8/10
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Rob
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by Rob »

Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp: 7
This might have gotten an 8 if I already didn't know Soft Sounds from Another Planet, the follow-up. That great album developed this sound much further and makes Psychopomp seem like a dry run. Still a good dry run, with some of the warmer examples of the shoegaze sound. Everybody Wants to Loves You is perhaps the giddiest song the genre ever saw and will hopefully still be seen as a career highlight even as Japanese Breakfast's star keeps rising and her style goes into different directions.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by mileswide »

Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp 5.8 (my #29 for 2016)
My highlights: Triple 7, Moon on the Bath (more or less an intro for Triple 7 but still packs equal amounts of beauty and turbulence into its 1-minute runtime)

This month's highlights ranked:
Madan (Remix)
Madan
Here
Triple 7
Koukou
Moon on the Bath
All I got inside is vacancy!
DaveC
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by DaveC »

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp 6.5/10

Favourite track: Heft
Least favourite track: Triple 7
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by Brad »

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp: 6.75

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp

Post by spiritualized »

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp: 7.5

I learned that a Psychopomp God is a "driver" of the dead souls to the afterlife. Of course, the title is fitting as this album was written after the passing of Zauner's mother. Strangely, musically, Psychopomp is not as subdued, reflective or sad as one would expect. It packs a punch, but the fist is covered with a layer of dream pop and shoegaze, even some jangly indie pop. The instrumentals are well sequenced and allow a moment of breathing in these short 25 mins.
Good record.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by spiritualized »

Yet another first, this time for Carlos74. A bit of soul after your Japanese Breakfast ?

Image

47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story
Nominated by Carlos74 (#372)
Genre : Chicago Soul Pop Soul (# 7 in the RYM Chicago Soul chart)
Descriptors : male vocals
Length : 10 tracks, 25:23

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #460
RYM ranking : #113 for 1969 #4322 overall (586 ratings @ 3.73/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
15.2k unique listeners and 77.1k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Choice of Colors / Seven Years / The Young Mods' Forgotten Story



Biography from Allmusic

The quintessential Chicago soul group, the Impressions' place in R&B history would be secure if they'd done nothing but launch the careers of soul legends Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield. But far more than that, the Impressions recorded some of the most distinctive vocal-group R&B of the '60s under Mayfield's guidance. Their style was marked by airy, feather-light harmonies and Mayfield's influentially sparse guitar work, plus, at times, understated Latin rhythms. If their sound was sweet and lilting, it remained richly soulful thanks to the group's firm grounding in gospel tradition; they popularized the three-part vocal trade-offs common in gospel but rare in R&B at the time, and recorded their fair share of songs with spiritual themes, both subtle and overt. Furthermore, Mayfield's interest in the civil rights movement led to some of the first socially conscious R&B songs ever recorded, and his messages grew more explicit as the '60s wore on, culminating in the streak of brilliance that was his early-'70s solo work. The Impressions carried on without Mayfield, but only matched their earlier achievements in isolated instances, and finally disbanded in the early '80s.

A fan's review
goldwax317 - Jun 21 2018

My favorite Impressions album
In 1968, Curtis Mayfield started his own record label, Curtom. The first act he signed was the Impressions, the soul trio he had fronted for the last decade. They had just ended a lucrative seven years with ABC Records, a partnership that yielded such classics of Windy City Soul as "Gypsy Woman," "It's All Right," "Keep on Pushing," "People Get Ready," and "We're a Winner."

With his newfound independence, Mayfield took to writing songs with politically and socially conscious lyrics. The Impressions' Curtom debut LP, "This is My Country," came out in November 1968 and reached #5 on the Billboard R&B Album charts. On the pop side, it topped out at a modest #107. The ostensibly controversial title track was a #8 soul single that also hit #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. So far, so good.

May 1969 saw the Impressions' second Curtom LP, "The Young Mods' Forgotten Story." While the name and the title track suggest a concept album, it's not one. Instead, Mayfield presents the message songs "Choice of Colors" and "Mighty Mighty Spade and Whitey," two calls for empathy implying that one race need not suffer for the other to thrive.

The remaining tracks focus on romance and love, ranging from the doe-eyed chastity of "The Girl I Find" (complete with cloying bird calls) to chronicling the end of a love affair on "Seven Years." There's also the dictatorial "Jealous Man," told from the point of view of a fella with serious control issues. Then there's the undiscovered gem, "My Deceiving Heart." Donny Hathaway's piano intro sounds like it came from a religious service, while Mayfield's meticulous delivery drips with self-reproach ("My deceiving heart has torn us apart.") It plays out like a sequel to "Jealous Man," and was the closest the Impressions ever came to deep Southern-styled soul.

The album contains a single anomaly, "Wherever You Leadeth Me," which sounds like something out of 1964.
If you like this, also listen to :
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield (1972)
The Fabulous Impressions - The Impressions (1967)
Ridin' High - The Impressions (1966)


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Salif Keita - Moffou : 7.813 (8 votes) [Gillingham]

2. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.629 (12 votes) [Brad][/b]
3. Selda - Selda : 7.567 (9 votes) [panam]
4. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.282 (11) [Spiritualized]
5. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.260 (10) [CupOfDreams]
6. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp : 7,079 (7) [VanillaFire100]
7. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.882 (11) [antonius]
8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.829 (12) [Toni]
9. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (12) [Zombeels]
10. Hood - Cold House : 6.800 (12) [CupOfDreams]
11. Cochemea - All My Relations 6.800 (9) [Nicolas]
12. Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party 6,750 (10) [LiveInPhoenix]
13. James - Laid : 6.725 (12) [Zombeels]
14. The Band - Stage Fright 6.718 (11) [Henry]
15. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself 6.522 (10) [Spiritualized]
16. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
17. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
18. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.518 (11) [FrankLotion]
19. Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note : 6.438 (8) [schaefer.tk]
20. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave 6.433 (9) [nicolas]
21. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [bonnielaurel]
22. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
23. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.340 (10) [rumpdoll]
24. Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway : 6.214 (8) [Zombeels]
25. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone : 6.027 (8) [DocBrown]
26. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.268 (11) [bonnielaurel]
27. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.260 (10) [sonofsamiam]
28. The Cult - Electric 6.240 (10) [whuntva]
29. Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance 6.211 (9) [Brad]
30. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.221 (12) [Brad]
31. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 6.177 (11) [SL3]
32. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off 6.170 (10) [Henry]
33. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.142 (12) [Brad]
34. Bluejuice - Company 6.020 (10) [M24]
35. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
36. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.873 (11) [Live In Phoenix]
37. Cybotron - Enter : 5.827 (11) [Moonbeam]
38. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.780 (10) [antonius]
39. Prince - For You : 5.660 (10) [Moonbeam]
40. The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute 5.573 (11) [Henry]
41. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe : 5.344 (9) [schaefer.tk]
42. MUNA - About U : 5.164 (11) [votingbloc]
43. Three Days Grace - One-X 4.238 (8) [whuntva]
44. Hayden James - Between Us 3.891 (11) [M24]
45. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 3.844 (9) [Moonbeam]
46. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.664 (11) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by Listyguy »

The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - 7/10

Like most of the Impressions' music, it's a nice soul album, but it doesn't amaze me in the way that Curtis Mayfield's best solo work does. The title track is awesome, and there are a few other standouts sprinkled in, which is enough for me to like but not love this.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by Safetycat »

46. Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp (2016) - 7
Overall a highloy enjoyable album, it managed to do a bunch of interesting stuff in its very short runtime. None of the songs really grabbed me the way their work from this year has, however.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by Honorio »

47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by mileswide »

The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story 6.0 (my #26 for 1969 though likely to change after I've done my listening for the year poll)

My highlights: Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)*, Jealous Man, My Deceiving Heart

*The version on Curtis/Live is punchier, mind you.

This month's highlights ranked:
Madan (Remix)
Madan
Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)
Here
Jealous Man
Triple 7
Koukou
My Deceiving Heart
Moon on the Bath
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by Rob »

The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 7
Nothing groundbreaking for the soul genre perhaps, but it is a very consistent collection of songs. Also, Curtis Mayfield may have my favorite voice of all soul singers. He really elevates everything he sings.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by DaveC »

47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 5.5/10

Favourite track: Seven Years
Least favourite track: Love's Miracle
sonofsamiam
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by sonofsamiam »

Think I'll catch up all at once here, I've been derelict in rating these. Just rating and ordering what I've heard.


Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 9
Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 9
The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 8.5
Cybotron - Enter : 8.5
Salif Keita - Moffou : 8
Defunkt - Defunkt : 7.5
Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway : 7.5
Pretty Things - Parachute : 7
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7
Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 7
Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? : 7
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone : 6.5
Rush - Fly By Night : 6.5
Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.5
Jay-Z - American Gangster : 6.5
The Band - Stage Fright : 6
Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance : 6
Prince - For You : 6
Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp : 5.5
The Cult - Electric : 4
Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy : 4
Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself : 3
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by spiritualized »

Thanks SonofsamIam !
Delighted to have your participation here... welcome to the fold !
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story

Post by spiritualized »

I will admit utter ignorance on my part...

The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 6.5

I had no idea Curtis Mayfield had a band before his solo work. And of course, it made absolute sense when I listened to Young Mods'. His voice is so warm and cuddly and yet has an air of underlying menace, it had to come from somewhere. This album is pure Chicago Soul, but you get a feeling Mayfield wanted more than this (cue the cover, hardly a soul music cover). It's almost meek in its lovey dovey message (Love's Miracle, Jealous Man, Soulful Love). Mayfield would go onto better things later.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by spiritualized »

More from Henry, this time from a band who is known by most of us...and yet who knew they had about 20 albums to their credit ?

Image

48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home
Nominated by Henry (#910)
Genre : Alt-Country, Country Rock Slowcore (# 594 in the RYM Alt-Country chart)
Descriptors : #N/A
Length : 10 tracks, 48:09

AM ranking : #N/A
Artist Ranking : #1071
RYM ranking : #910 for 1998 #unranked overall (196 ratings @ 3.38/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
14.5k unique listeners and 118.4k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Miles from our Home / New Dawn Coming / Good Friday



Biography from Allmusic

One of the most unique and enduring bands in alternative rock, Cowboy Junkies embodied a sound that had its roots in traditional folk, blues, and country music but was performed with a placid, languid pace that belied the slow-burning passion of their performances. The honey-infused, ethereal whisper of lead singer Margo Timmins was matched by the spare but thoughtful accompaniment of guitarist Michael Timmins, bassist Alan Anton, and drummer Peter Timmins, and their most successful recordings played heavily on that dynamic, documented in a naturalistic and unobtrusive manner. Cowboy Junkies experienced an international breakthrough with 1988's The Trinity Sessions, featuring their hit cover of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane," and their daring earned them an audience in alternative rock circles, while their embrace of a low-volume traditionalism would pave the way for the Americana movement and earned them the approval of noted singer/songwriters such as Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and Butch Hancock. The Trinity Sessions and 1990's The Caution Horses epitomized their trademark sound, and 1996's Lay It Down found them adding rock guitars to their formula. 1998's Miles from Our Home embraced a more polished production style without spoiling their formula, and their steady stream of albums released in the 2000s and 2010s (in particular 2006's Long Journey Home and 2018's All That Reckoning) were the work of a group working the boundaries of their style while finding new wrinkles in the music. The four-part Nomad Series issued between 2010 and 2012 saw them giving themselves permission to explore unexpected directions.

A fan's review
mathompson Jan 08 2009

I've always taken a strange liking to the Cowboy Junkies, their not really my style of music (tend to like heavier more aggressive bands) yet there is something about Margo Timmins that lures me so completely into their stuff. This while not a classic has some incredible material none the less, I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of this style of music.

Recommended: Blue Guitar, Miles From Our Home, Hollow as a Bone, The Summer of Discontent
If you like this, also listen to :
Revival - Gillian Welch (1996)
Olden - 16 Horsepower (2003)
Down by the Old Mainstream - Golden Smog(1996)


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)

Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,833 - 9 - 372.3k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - 12 - ??
3 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - 9 - 165.9k
4 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - 11 - 46.2k
5 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - 11 - 1.8m
6 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,894 - 9 - 131.8k
7 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - 11 - 72.9k
8 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - 12 - 450.3k
9 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - 12 - 1.3m
10 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - 12 -
11 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - 9 - 35.1k
12 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,786 - 7 - 77.1k
13 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - 10 - 1.5m
14 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - 12 - 1.7m
15 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - 12 - 340.5k
16 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - 10 - 7.4k
17 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - 11 - 128.9k
18 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - 12 - 3.1m
19 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - 11 - 10.7k
20 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - 8 - 3.8m
21 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - 9 - 7.7m
22 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - 13 - 814.5k
23 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - 10 - 2.2m
24 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - 13 - 671.6k
25 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - 10 - 236.7k
26 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - 11 - 1.5m
27 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,300 - 9 - 4k
28 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - 12 - 298.1k
29 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - 13 - 2m
30 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - 10 - 1.6m
31 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - 12 - 52.4k
32 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - 11 - 319.7k
33 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - 10 - 32.3k
34 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - 12 - 32.1k
35 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - 12 - 39.8k
36 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - 10 - 117.8k
37 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - 12 - 1m
38 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - 12 - 52.4k
39 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - 11 - 30k
40 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - 12 - 7.9m
41 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - 11 - 587.9k
42 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - 11 - 904.9k
43 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - 9 - 6.1m
44 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - 11 - 1.2m
45 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - 9 - 15.1m
46 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - 12 - 4k
47 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - 11 - 397.3k
48 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - 9 - 3.6k
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Listyguy »

Miles From Our Home - 7/10

My previous experiences with the Cowboy Junkies hadn't really impressed me much, but there's a few tracks here that I really enjoyed, and the album had a much better style than the more county-heavy sound of some of their other work. The sadness of tracks like "The Summer of Discontent" and "Blue Guitar" also make the music more compelling.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Henry »

Miles From Our Home - 8.4/10

Best songs for me are: The Summer of Discontent, New Dawn Coming, Darkling Days, Hollow As a Bone, and Someone Out There.

I prefer their 1996 album - Lay It Down.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by DaveC »

Henry wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:09 pm
I prefer their 1996 album - Lay It Down.
Me too. But this one will also get a good rating.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Safetycat »

The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969) - 7
Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home (1998) - 8

I caught up! This has been a fantastic journey through a very wide range of albums. Looking forward to the rest!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by DaveC »

48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home: 8/10

Favourite tracks: Hollow as a Bone & The Summer of Discontent
Least favourite track: Blue Guitar

I could be mellowing with age, yet while I still haven't developed much enthusiasm for Rumours, some of the Cowboy Junkies albums seem to deftly sidestep the pleasant background music niche and deliver an affecting kind of adult blues, all the better for it's subtlety.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Honorio »

48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home (1998) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Brad »

47. The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 6
48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home: 7.1

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Rob »

Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home: 8
I only know this group from their famous Trinity Sessions. That album is a 10, one I return to regularly. However, I never checked out their other albums. Miles From Our Home proves that this might be my mistake, as this is another gem. It mostly has the same strengths: a tranquil calm and pleasant warmth, with Margo Timmins as the enchanting guide. This album isn't quite as sedated as The Trinity Sessions, but how could it be? The band even has some actual rock incorporated in there, as on the opener New Dawn Coming and Hollow As a Bone. Those songs work pretty well, but it are some of the very melodious softer songs that bring the real magic. Darkling Days and Someone Out There are the highlights for me.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by mileswide »

Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home 6.8 (my #12 for 1998)

My highlights: At the End of the Rainbow, Someone out There, No Birds Today, Miles from Our Home
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by spiritualized »

Cowboy Junkies - Miles From Our Home: 8

I really couldn't have put it better than Rob (thank you !) Those are exactly my feelings. A good follow-up to the Trinity Sessions, a bit more rock-oriented but still with Margo Timmins' soothing voice.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 48. Cowboy Junkies - Miles from our Home

Post by Brad »

A great thing about Cowboy Junkies is you always know you're getting quality with their work... they don't cut corners.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by spiritualized »

Schaefer.tk strikes again with 1960s funk this round !

Image


49. Marva Whitney - It's My Thing (1969)
Nominated by schaefer.tk (#372)
Genre : Funk, Soul, Southern Soul (# 110 in the RYM Funk chart)
Descriptors : #N/A
Length : 12 tracks - 33:15

AM ranking : #N/A
Artist Ranking : #N/A
RYM ranking : #340 for 1969 #unranked overall (321 ratings @ 3.59/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
25.4k unique listeners and 121.9k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Unwind Yourself / Things Got To Get Better / Get Out Of My Life



Biography from Allmusic

Although she's not a household name, Marva Whitney is fondly remembered by funk devotees as one of the rawest, brassiest, most powerful divas the music ever produced. Along with fellow funk belters Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson, Whitney made her name singing with the James Brown Revue for a few years, and her limited, much-sampled recordings for Brown-associated labels now fetch astronomical sums on the collector's market. Born in Kansas City, Kansas, Whitney began performing at the age of three with her family's touring gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. She studied music in college and caught on as lead singer of the R&B group Tommy Gadson & the Derbys. In 1967, she signed on with the James Brown Revue as a featured female vocalist, meaning that she would perform her own small set every night while Brown took a break. Whitney accompanied Brown on his late-'60s tour of Vietnam, and made other international appearances with him as well. In 1969, Whitney made her first solo recordings for King, Brown's label at the time. She scored a Top 20 hit on the R&B charts with "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)," a rewrite of the Isley Brothers hit; the follow-up, "Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)," just missed the R&B Top 20. Far too gutsy and funky to cross over to the pop charts, Whitney remained with the Revue until 1970, without scoring any more significant hits on her own. Still, cuts like "Unwind Yourself" (now very recognizable through several hip-hop samples) and the duet "You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work)" helped cement her reputation among record collectors. Her only studio LP, It's My Thing, was released in 1969 and has been heavily bootlegged and sampled by numerous DJs; her Live and Lowdown at the Apollo LP also commands hefty price tags. Whitney went on to record for the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label, as well as Nashboro, but her prime material is from the James Brown years. Seven of those tracks were compiled on the Polydor collection James Brown's Original Funky Divas. Whitney passed away in December 2012 from complications of pneumonia.

A fan's review
Goregirl Feb 20 2009

Wow so I'd never even heard of Marva Whitney until I was researching Women in funk, and am I ever glad I did come across her. Firstly she toured with James Brown as part of his revue, and she was the leading female vocalist on his tour. Her vocals are impressive, she's spunky, aggressive, funky and full of soul, truly she is the female James Brown. Most of her songs are either covers of songs from Mr. Brown, or he co-wrote and or produced just about everything too, so really this is his album in a big way. The fact that she can sing a song as popular as his "It's My Thing" and put her own twist on it and still have it sound incredible is a real testament to her vocal ability. I even recognized parts of her song "Unwind Yourself" from various samples over time, I'll bet you recognize it as well. It's probably one of the highlights on the album, but really there are no dead spots, it's a very engaging album. There are really only a few ballads and most of the time we are in the funk zone but anything she tackles, she does well. The musicianship is pretty fantastic as well, I believe these are the same folks who also back Mr. Brown making for even more similarities, and you'd better believe they know what they are doing. Even the instrumental track "In The Middle" is entirely funky and easy to enjoy. The album ends with a duet between her and James Brown called "Sunny" (which I knew from Boney M. even though this came first). Anyhow, if you find Betty Davis too vulgar, and Lyn Collins too subdued, this is the album for you. This one should be a household name!
If you like this, also listen to :
Live It Up - The Isley Brothers (1974)
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - James Brown (1965)
Curtis - Curtis Mayfield(1970)


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)

Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,833 - ( 9 ) - 372.3k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
3 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,589 - ( 9 ) - 118.4k
4 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
5 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
6 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
7 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,894 - ( 9 ) - 131.8k
8 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
9 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
10 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
11 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
12 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
13 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
14 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
15 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,722 - ( 9 ) - 77.1k
16 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
17 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
18 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
19 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
20 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
21 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
22 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
23 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
24 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
25 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
26 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
27 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
28 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,300 - ( 9 ) - 4k
29 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
30 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
31 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
32 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
33 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
34 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
35 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
36 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
37 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
38 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
39 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
40 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
41 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
42 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
43 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
44 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
45 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
46 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
47 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
48 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by Schüttelbirne »

Catching up...

45. Salif Keita | Moffou: 4/10
46. Japanese Breakfast | Psychopomp: 4/10
47. The Impressions | The Young Mods' Forgotten Story: 4/10
48. Cowboy Junkies | Miles from Home: 5/10
49. Marva Whitney | It's My Way: 6/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by Listyguy »

It's My Thing - 7/10

A tale of two sides. The first 7 tracks were really great, but nothing after "Unwind Yourself" left much of an impression on me. Which is a shame, because the album has some astounding tracks early on, including both parts of the title track.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by Honorio »

49. Marva Whitney - It's My Thing (1969) 6/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by Brad »

49. Marva Whitney - It's My Thing: 5.8

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by Rob »

Marva Whitney - It's My Thing: 8
Don't curb your enthusiasm, people. This is great. Immediately I thought that here we have a woman who as a funk master could give James Brown a run for his money. Mr. Dynamite himself must have known as he produced this song himself and he duets with her on You Got to Have a Job. I'm not saying they are all hits, but most of this is worthy of James Brown at his peak. Unwind Yourself is really cool and Things Got to Get Better is about as good as funk gets for me.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by mileswide »

Marva Whitney - It's My Thing 8.6 (my #12 for 1969)

Mine too, Marva!!! This may just creep into my all-time list if the songs imprint themselves on my memory a little more- my listening for 1969 is showing that Southern soul is killing it for that year!

My highlights: I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired (Things Better Change before It's Too Late), Get out My Life, Things Got to Get Better (Get Together), Unwind Yourself, In the Middle

This month's highlights ranked:
I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired
At the End of the Rainbow
Someone out There
Get out My Life
Things Got to Get Better
No Birds Today
Unwind Yourself
Miles from Our Home
In the Middle
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 49 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing

Post by spiritualized »

Marva Whitney - It's My Thing (7/10)

I'm with Rob on this hell of a funky record. From the first few bars, this could easily be a Godfather of Soul record. Everything that made James Brown who he was could be found on this. The attitude, the funky rhythms, the sassiness.
The one let down is her shouting rather than her singing. I guess she took a bit too much from the JB's rulebook. After all, she was part of his entourage and performed on stage whilst he was taking his break.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by spiritualized »

And for our 50th nomination, a second helping from rumpdoll and it's another German artist !

Image

50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K. (1999)
Nominated by rumpdoll (#16)
Genre : Hamburger Schule, Indie Rock Noise Pop, Art Rock (# 6 in the RYM Hamburger Schule chart)
Descriptors : #N/A
Length : 17 tracks - 70:51

AM ranking : #N/A
Artist Ranking : #862
RYM ranking : #279 for 1999 #unranked overall (293 ratings @ 3.59/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
42.3k unique listeners and 931.9k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Let There Be Rock / Jackpot / Tag Ohne Schatten



Biography from Allmusic

Influenced by American bands like Nirvana, R.E.M., and Galaxie 500, German indie rockers Tocotronic started in Hamburg in 1993 when drummer Arne Zank and bassist Jan Müller, who had previously played together, added singer and guitarist Dirk Von Lowtzow to complete their lineup. Taking their moniker from the German name for the Nintendo-made precursor to Game Boy, Tricotronic (elsewhere called Game & Watch), Tocotronic released their debut single, "Meine Freundin und Ihr Freund," in 1994, and soon they had signed to L'Age d'Or Records -- a label right at the heart of the Hamburger Schule movement -- which issued the band's debut album, Digital Ist Besser, in 1995. Nach der Verlorenen Zeit, Wir Kimmen Um Uns Zu Beschweren, and Est Ist Egal, Aber followed, and in 1999 K.O.O.K., a slightly more introspective record, came out (as well as its own remixed version and English version a year after that). In 2002, Tocotronic released their self-titled album, and in 2005, after longtime touring member Rick McPhail had joined the band on guitar and keyboards, the 12" Pure Vernuft Darf Niemals Siegen hit shelves. In 2007, Tocotronic parted ways with L'Age d'Or and signed with the Universal-distributed Vertigo Berlin label; their first album for Vertigo, Kapitulation, was released in the summer of that year, with a live album taken from their supporting tour appearing in 2008. In early 2010, Tocotronic returned with Schall & Wahn, which became their first album to rise to number one on the German charts. In 2013, Tocotronic scored another chart hit with the album Wie Wir Leben Wollen, while a limited-edition collection of rare recordings and live tracks, >20<, appeared later the same year.

A fan's review
arara Feb 26 2007

A friend of mine has been nagging me for years to listen to Tocotronic in general and to this album in particular. I always appreciatedTocotronics lyrics and attitude, but the music I knew was just too amateurish. Annoying for me because of their fans and epigones trying to sound cool whilst beeing totally inept at their instruments. Tocotronic had some kind of bad effect in taste and aspiration on many people in my opinion. However I did Tocotronic wrong, maybe not so to some of their fans.
Finally I gave in. This album led me to appreciate and love Tocotronic. It is dense with history, there is reminiscences of Brian Eno, David Bowie, Can and thousand other things which I could not lay my finger on. The lyrics are great, but never one-dimensional. And naturally there are some catchy songs as well. Well that is Tocotronic. They are multi-dimensional with simple means. As you can see I am a 100% convertite now, and I worship their holyness. Heretics will be prosecuted merciless.

I wonder if this kind of music can be appreciated by non-german audiences.
If you like this, also listen to :
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (2002)
Psycho - Element of Crime (1999)
Black Black - Chokebore (1998)


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)

Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
2 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
3 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,450 - ( 10 ) - 372.3k
4 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,330 - ( 10 ) - 118.4k
5 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
6 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
7 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,914 - ( 7 ) - 121.9k
8 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
9 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
10 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
11 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
12 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
13 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
14 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
15 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
16 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
17 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
18 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,605 - ( 10 ) - 131.8k
19 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
20 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
21 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,450 - ( 10 ) - 77.1k
22 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
23 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
24 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
25 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
26 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
27 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
28 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
29 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,300 - ( 9 ) - 4k
30 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
31 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
32 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
33 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
34 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
35 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
36 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
37 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
38 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
39 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
40 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
41 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
42 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
43 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
44 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
45 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
46 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
47 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
48 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
49 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Listyguy »

K.O.O.K. - 6/10

There are some great tracks on this album ("Rock Pop in Concert" and "Jackpot" among them), but it really does overstay its welcome. There's not enough good music to warrant 70 minutes of runtime, in my opinion. This does take away from my overall opinion of the album, but the best stuff here is worthy of praise.
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Schüttelbirne
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Schüttelbirne »

50. Tocotronic | K.O.O.K.: 7/10
Highlights: "Das Unglück muss zurückgeschlagen werden", "Let There Be Rock", "Die neue Seltsamkeit", "17"
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Safetycat
Feeling Good
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Safetycat »

49. Marva Whitney - It's My Thing (1969) - 7
I was impressed by this album and Marva, she should have been a star. Not going higher than a 7 just yet but it could increase.
50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K. (1999) - 5
Without any lyrical knowledge this was just fine - I can do slow or long but both at once can make an album drag and this did by the end.
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spiritualized
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by spiritualized »

I really liked this album initially. Tocotronic is a bit of a UFO on the indie rock scene, mostly due to their choice of using their mother tongue to perform. I guess this restricts them severely to their home market and reduces the interest abroad.
Nonetheless, the hooks are there, and aplenty. Musically, Tocotronic matches the best out there with their brand of basic guitar/bass/drums indie rock, but I find the singing weak, as it is most of the time spoken and drone-like.

Nonetheless, still a good, if a bit long, rock record. (7/10)
Brad
Higher Ground
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Brad »

50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K. (1999): 6.75

Thanks!
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Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Rob »

Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.: 5

It really is a nineties type of indie rock album, but with the exception of a couple of songs a lesser one. There are hooks, but the much of their sound is a little too non-committal and calm to make me notice. The singer is also very bad. There are singers in especially indie who do not have the greatest range, but get by on character. Dirk von Lowtzow has neither and his voice really removes any kind of flow or immediacy that songs might have had. The guitars make up for some of the lack of spirit, but they are not remarkable enough to win me over. Like I said, a few songs stand above all this, like Jackpot and Rock in Concert, and even Let There Be Rock, which for some reason pays homage to The Final Countdown. That's too little for 70 minutes though. I really felt that length.

It's kind of interesting that this one isn't on Acclaimed Music, although most of their albums are, while at the same time this is the one that has the most songs on the site. It seems to be a fan favorite album as far as I can judge that.
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Honorio
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by Honorio »

50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K. (1999) 7/10
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition 50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.

Post by DaveC »

49. Marva Whitney - It's My Thing: 7/10

Favourite track: It's My Thing - Pt.1
Least favourite track: Shades of Brown


50. Tocotronic - K.O.O.K.: 7/10

Favourite track: Das Geschenk
Least favourite track: Tag ohne Schatten
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