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

DaveC
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium

Post by DaveC »

78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium: 7/10
Favourite track: Question Time for the Proles
Least favourite track: Belly Laugh
Brad
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium

Post by Brad »

78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium: 6.5
I imagine I would have enjoyed these guys live back in the day.

Thanks!
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spiritualized
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium

Post by spiritualized »

No need to review this for me, my review is in the presentation of this awesome record and I'm glad it's resonated with some of you. Compulsion disappeared from the radars soon after this album, but I have to pay attention to their debut.

(9.5/10)
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by spiritualized »

A first nomination from Cetamol who has only SIX entries in this game, two of them are from this Argentinian band.

Image

79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (1974)
Nominated by Cetamol (#236)
Genre : Progressive Rock, Progressive Folk Art Rock, Symphonic Prog, Jazz-Rock (#89 in the RYM Progressive Rock chart)

Descriptors : conscious, concept album, male vocals, melodic, political, protest, sombre, poetic, urban
Length : 9 tracks - 40:05

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #2052
RYM ranking : #61 for 1974 and #2248 overall (905 ratings @ 3.79/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
12.8k unique listeners and 125.1k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : El Tuerto Y Los Ciegos/ Instituciones / Tango En Segunda



Biography from last.fm

Argentinean folk-rock band Sui Generis was formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1971 by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Charly García and singer/instrumentalist Nito Mestre, who met while being high school students. Their first record, called Vida, was released in 1972, followed by 1973's Confesiones de Invierno. The following year, bassist Rinaldo Rafanelli and drummer Juan Rodríguez joined the act, soon recording Pequeñas Anécdotas Sobre Las Instituciones. Due to internal discrepancies, the group decided to perform for the last time at Buenos Aires' Luna Park on September 5, 1975. That farewell concert was recorded and later issued as Adiós Sui Generis, a double album and documentary considered to be a major event in the Latin American Rock history. The band reunited temporarily in two occasions: One in 1980 to play shows in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Santiago de Chile and in the year 2000, in which Sui Generis returned with the album "Sinfonía Para Adolescentes" and an brief tour.

A fan's review

4.5 stars

A progressive rock album with plenty of synthesizer and plenty of dramatic flair. Keyboard and synth effects dominate every song, though the vocals are at the forefront as well. There's some folk mixed around here, and the occasional bit of jazz-rock, but at its core I'd say this album is prog rock. Even though the songs do tend towards a certain intensity, the album's never dark, just, um, emotional I guess.

Might not be up everyone's alley, but it's up mine pretty well.
If you like this, also listen to :
The World of Genius Hans - Moving Gelatine Plates (1972)
Open Spaces - CMU (1971)
Enigmatic - Czesław Niemen (1970)



Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - The Church - Heyday - CupOfDreams - 7,963 - ( 8 ) - 211.7k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
3 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
4 - Tinariwen - Tassili - bonnielaurel - 7,550 - ( 10 ) - 494.2k
5 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,450 - ( 10 ) - 372.3k
6 - The House of Love - Babe Rainbow - Spiritualized - 7,386 - ( 7 ) - 71.8k
7 - Compulsion - The Future is Medium - Spiritualized - 7,333 - ( 6 ) - 14,6k
8 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,330 - ( 10 ) - 118.4k
9 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
10 - Motörhead - No Sleep' Til Hammersmith - Holden - 7,238 - ( 8 ) - 3.6k
11 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
12 - The Fall - The Real New Fall LP: Formerly 'Country on the Click' - Michel - 7,143 - ( 7 ) - 349.2k
13 - Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity - Moonbeam - 7,013 - ( 8 ) - 19k
14 - Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - bonnielaurel - 6,986 - ( 7 ) - 500.5k
15 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,933 - ( 9 ) - 121.9k
16 Jane Siberry - The Walking - DocBrown - 6,888 - ( 8 ) - 35.6k
17 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
18 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
19 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
20 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
21 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
22 - Twin Shadow - Forget - Moonbeam - 6,763 - ( 8 ) - 6.4m
23 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
24 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
25 - Courtney Marie Andrews - Painter's Hands and a Seventh Son - LiveInPhoenix - 6,725 - ( 10 ) - 17.5k
26 - Eddie Cochrane - 12 of His Biggest Hits - M24 - 6,667 - ( 6 ) - 217.2k
27 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
28 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
29 - Graveyard - Graveyard - Gillingham - 6,625 - ( 8 ) - 1.5m
30 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
31 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,605 - ( 10 ) - 131.8k
32 - Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels - SL3 - 6,545 - ( 10 ) - 197.4k
33 - Solaris - Marsbéli Krónikák - DaveC - 6,539 - ( 9 ) - 35.2k
34 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
35 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
36 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,450 - ( 10 ) - 77.1k
37 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
38 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
39 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
40 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
41 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
42 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
43 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
44 - Tocotronic - K.O.O.K - rumpdoll - 6,328 - ( 9 ) - 931.9k
45 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,300 - ( 9 ) - 4k
46 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
47 - Gazelle Twin - Unflesh - bonnielaurel - 6,278 - ( 9 ) - 391.7k
48 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
49 - The Living End - State of Emergency - M24 - 6,207 - ( 7 ) - 3.6k
50 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
51 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
52 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
53 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
54 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
55 - William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II Gillingham 6,129 - ( 7 ) - 90.3k
56 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
57 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
58 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
59 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
60 - Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra - PlasticRam - 5,925 - ( 8 ) - 23.2k
61 - Moderat - II - schaefer.tk - 5,914 - ( 7 ) - 6.6ml
62 - Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom - notbrianeno - 5,814 - ( 7 ) - 1.1m
63 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
64 - Roscoe Mitchell - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples - sonofsamiam - 5,700 - ( 9 ) - 191
65 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
66 - Sean McCann Music For Private Ensemble sonofsamiam 5,657 - ( 7 ) - 12.3k
67 - Ásgeir - In The Silence - whuntva - 5,633 - ( 9 ) - 1.1m
68 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
69 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
70 - Kim Wilde - Close - bonnielaurel - 5,336 - ( 11 ) - 220.3k
71 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
72 - The Choir - Chase The Kangaroo - Father2TheMan - 4,989 - ( 9 ) - 17.7k
73 - High Fashion - Make Up Your Mind - Moonbeam - 4,614 - ( 7 ) - 3.9k
74 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
75 - Future - Pluto - PlasticRam - 4,144 - ( 9 ) - 920.3k
76 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
77 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
78 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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Listyguy
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by Listyguy »

Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones - 7/10

Is it maybe a bit melodramatic? Sure. But at the same time, there are some pretty interesting musical ideas coming from the blend of progressive folk present.
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mileswide
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by mileswide »

Compulsion - The Future Is Medium 5.4 (my #31 for 1996)

My highlights: Juvenile Scene Detective, They're Breeding the Grey Things Again

This month's highlights ranked:
Lena Is a White Table
Juvenile Scene Detective
They're Breeding the Grey Things Again
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Honorio
Higher Ground
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Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by Honorio »

79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (1974) 8/10
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spiritualized
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by spiritualized »

6.5/10

Not usually fussed about psychedelic/prog rock from the 70s but this is rather catchy with unpretentious tunes. The Spanish language suits the music well.
Brad
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Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by Brad »

79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (1974): 7

Thanks!
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mileswide
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones

Post by mileswide »

Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones 6.1 (my #24 for 1974)

My highlights: Tema de natalio, Tango en segunda

This month's highlights ranked:
Lena Is a White Table
Juvenile Scene Detective
Tema de natalio
Tango en segunda
They're Breeding the Grey Things Again
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by spiritualized »

Henry comes back to the table with a fourth serving of American Rock. Can Grand Funk beat his best nomination, the Cowboy Junkies ?

Image

80. Grand Funk - We're An American Band (1973)
Nominated by Henry (#512)
Genre : Hard Rock Blues Rock, Heavy Psych (#357 in the RYM Hard Rock chart)

Descriptors : heavy, playful, energetic
Length : 8 tracks - 39:48

AM ranking : #bubbling under
Artist Ranking : #1290
RYM ranking : #308 for 1973 and #unranked overall (1095 ratings @ 3.59/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
98.6k unique listeners and 390.6k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : We're An American Band / Black Licorice / Stop Lookin' Back

First 8 tracks



Biography from last.fm

Grand Funk Railroad is an American hard rock band that formed in 1969 in Flint, Michigan, United States. Known for iconic rock hits such as the number ones "We're An American Band" and their cover version of "The Loco-Motion", the band initially consisted of Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Mel Schacher (bass) and Don Brewer (drums), with Craig Frost (keyboards) joining in 1972. During their career, the group has released 14 studio albums and their career sales total over 25 million records sold, including 10 million records sold in 1970 alone.

The band split in 1977 and reunited in 1980, splitting again in 1983. Since reuniting in 1996 they have remained active, although Farner left the band in 1999. The group currently consists of Max Carl (vocals), Bruce Kulick (guitar), Mel Schacher (bass), Tim Cashion (keyboards), and Don Brewer (drums, vocals).

Despite their name, their music is far from the style known as "funk"; the name "Grand Funk Railroad" is a play on Michigan's "Grand Trunk Western Railroad" line, and it was chosen before "funk" had become the name of a music genre. In 1968, suburban Michigan teens Don Brewer and Mark Farner quit Terry Knight and The Pack and recruited ? and The Mysterians bass player Mel Schacher to form a power trio inspired by contemporary rock n roll.

Early in their career, they headlined a much hyped free concert in Hyde Park, wowing the audience whilst being virtually unknown in the U.K. They also opened for Led Zeppelin in Michigan, their home state. Originally produced and managed by former band leader Terry Knight who brought the group to Capitol records in 1969, they split from Knight in 1972 after money issues left the group nearly bankrupt despite massive commercial success which began after an successful appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival.

After releasing 12 albums on Capitol (10 platinum), they intend for their final release to be Born To Die in 1975. They actually reunited & recorded one last effort in 1976 with Frank Zappa called "Good Singin' Good Playin' " and then called it quits.

Farner released two solo albums, Mel & Don recorded as Flint with Craig before Craig joined Bob Seger's band. In 1981 Mark Farner & Don reformed the band without Mel and released a song on the animated Heavy Metal soundtrack and new album Grand Funk Lives. They toured until 1983.

In 1996 all three original members reunited for a summer tour in which they played to over 250,000 people, and a slate of Bosnian relief dates in 1997 including several TV performances. In 1998 they did a 65+ date tour listed as one of the 10 top grossing tours of the year. In 1999 Capitol issued a 3 disc box set called "Thirty Years Of Funk" 1969-1999, including recent recordings made in 1997.

Original Grand Funk Railroad members Don & Mel still tour and write new material to this day although the group have seen various line up changes, including the absence of original lead singer Mark Farner. Mark is active with his New band Nr'G. They have released 3 CD's since 1999 with For The People released in 2006.

Studio Albums:
* On Time (1969)
* Grand Funk (The Red Album) (1969)
* Closer to Home (1970)
* Survival (1971)
* E Pluribus Funk (1971)
* Phoenix (1972)
* We're an American Band (1973)
* Shinin' On (1974)
* Monumental Funk (1974)
* All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (1974)
* Born to Die (1976)
* Good Singin', Good Playin' (1976)
* Grand Funk Lives (1981)
* What's Funk? (1983)

Live albums:
* Live Album (1970)
* Caught in the Act (1975)
* Bosnia (1997)
* Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999 (1999)
* Live: The 1971 Tour (2002)

Compilations:
1972 Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71
1976 Grand Funk Hits
1990 The Best of Grand Funk
1991 Capitol Collectors Series
1992 Heavy Hitters!
1999 Thirty Years of Funk: 1969-1999
2002 Classic Masters
2006 Greatest Hits

A fan's review

5.0 stars

The pretentious music critics universally hated (the hate word may not be strong enough) the blue collar boys from Flint, Michigan, known as Grand Funk Railroad, while the unwashed, long hair, denim clad teens throughout the heartland of America craved the group's primal music. Fuck the critics! Following a long line of big-selling albums and successful tours, GFR cut We're an American Band, which is a '70s hard rock classic and hot property in any aging boomers collection of well-worn LPs.

The red, white and blue title track is an anthem of epic proportions, that will forever withstand the test of time, while "The Railroad" is a personal favorite, as the sweat-soaked working man track bleeds emotion. "Black Licorice", driven by newest Funkster Craig Frost's grinding keyboard work, pays homage to a beautiful ebony woman, while the tough struttin' "Walk Like a Man" is an infectious track, featuring chest beating vocals from drummer Don Brewer.

After severing ties with greedy manager Terry Knight, Grand Funk hit the studio to cut the tracks for We're an American Band with produced Todd Rundgren. The inspired album moved major units upon it's release in 1973, much to the dislike of the high-brow members of the music press.

Re-issued in 2002, the remastered set of hot songs is augmented by the inclusion of four bonus tracks, which features an acoustic version of "Stop Lookin' Back", and an updated mix of the group's signature rocker "We're an American Band".

RUSTBELT APPROVED!
If you like this, also listen to :
Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Ash (1970)
Råg i Ryggen - Råg i Ryggen (1975)
2112 - Rush (1976)


Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - The Church - Heyday - CupOfDreams - 7,963 - ( 8 ) - 211.7k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
3 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
4 - Tinariwen - Tassili - bonnielaurel - 7,550 - ( 10 ) - 494.2k
5 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,450 - ( 10 ) - 372.3k
6 - The House of Love - Babe Rainbow - Spiritualized - 7,386 - ( 7 ) - 71.8k
7 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,330 - ( 10 ) - 118.4k
8 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
9 - Motörhead - No Sleep' Til Hammersmith - Holden - 7,238 - ( 8 ) - 3.6k
10 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
11 - The Fall - The Real New Fall LP: Formerly 'Country on the Click' - Michel - 7,143 - ( 7 ) - 349.2k
12 - Compulsion - The Future is Medium - Spiritualized - 7,057 - ( 7 ) - 14,6k
13 - Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity - Moonbeam - 7,013 - ( 8 ) - 19k
14 - Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - bonnielaurel - 6,986 - ( 7 ) - 500.5k
15 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,933 - ( 9 ) - 121.9k
16 Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones - Cetamol - 6,920 - ( 5 ) - 125,1k
17 - Jane Siberry - The Walking - DocBrown - 6,888 - ( 8 ) - 35.6k
18 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
19 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
20 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
21 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
22 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
23 - Twin Shadow - Forget - Moonbeam - 6,763 - ( 8 ) - 6.4m
24 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
25 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
26 - Courtney Marie Andrews - Painter's Hands and a Seventh Son - LiveInPhoenix - 6,725 - ( 10 ) - 17.5k
27 - Eddie Cochrane - 12 of His Biggest Hits - M24 - 6,667 - ( 6 ) - 217.2k
28 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
29 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
30 - Graveyard - Graveyard - Gillingham - 6,625 - ( 8 ) - 1.5m
31 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
32 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,605 - ( 10 ) - 131.8k
33 - Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels - SL3 - 6,545 - ( 10 ) - 197.4k
34 - Solaris - Marsbéli Krónikák - DaveC - 6,539 - ( 9 ) - 35.2k
35 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
36 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
37 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,450 - ( 10 ) - 77.1k
38 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
39 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
40 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
41 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
42 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
43 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
44 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
45 - Tocotronic - K.O.O.K - rumpdoll - 6,328 - ( 9 ) - 931.9k
46 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,300 - ( 9 ) - 4k
47 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
48 - Gazelle Twin - Unflesh - bonnielaurel - 6,278 - ( 9 ) - 391.7k
49 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
50 - The Living End - State of Emergency - M24 - 6,207 - ( 7 ) - 3.6k
51 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
52 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
53 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
54 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
55 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
56 - William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II Gillingham 6,129 - ( 7 ) - 90.3k
57 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
58 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
59 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
60 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
61 - Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra - PlasticRam - 5,925 - ( 8 ) - 23.2k
62 - Moderat - II - schaefer.tk - 5,914 - ( 7 ) - 6.6ml
63 - Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom - notbrianeno - 5,814 - ( 7 ) - 1.1m
64 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
65 - Roscoe Mitchell - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples - sonofsamiam - 5,700 - ( 9 ) - 191
66 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
67 - Sean McCann Music For Private Ensemble sonofsamiam 5,657 - ( 7 ) - 12.3k
68 - Ásgeir - In The Silence - whuntva - 5,633 - ( 9 ) - 1.1m
69 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
70 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
71 - Kim Wilde - Close - bonnielaurel - 5,336 - ( 11 ) - 220.3k
72 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
73 - The Choir - Chase The Kangaroo - Father2TheMan - 4,989 - ( 9 ) - 17.7k
74 - High Fashion - Make Up Your Mind - Moonbeam - 4,614 - ( 7 ) - 3.9k
75 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
76 - Future - Pluto - PlasticRam - 4,144 - ( 9 ) - 920.3k
77 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
78 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
79 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
Average Grade
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Henry »

I give this album a rating of 8.7

Ain't Got Nobody and Walk Like a Man are also pretty good songs for me.

A review by William Ruhlmann provides:

Having made several changes in their business and musical efforts in 1972, Grand Funk Railroad made even more extensive ones in 1973, beginning with their name, which was officially truncated to "Grand Funk." And keyboardist Craig Frost, credited as a sideman on Phoenix, the previous album, was now a full-fledged bandmember, filling out the musical arrangements. The most notable change, however, came with the hiring of Todd Rundgren to produce the band's eighth album. Rundgren, a pop/rock artist in his own right, was also known for his producing abilities, and he gave Grand Funk exactly what they were looking for: We're an American Band sounded nothing like its muddy, plodding predecessors. Sonically, the record was sharp and detailed and the band's playing was far tighter and more accomplished. Most important, someone, whether the band or Rundgren, decided that gruff-voiced drummer Don Brewer should be employed as a lead singer as often as guitarist Mark Farner. Brewer also contributed more as a songwriter, and the results were immediate. The album's title song, an autobiographical account of life on the road written and sung by Brewer, was released in advance of the album and became a gold-selling number one hit, Grand Funk's first really successful single. Despite the band's previous popularity, for many, it must have been the first Grand Funk record they either heard or bought. Elsewhere on the album, Farner contributed his usual wailing vocals and guitar, singing of his heartfelt, if simpleminded, political concerns. But We're an American Band really belonged to Brewer and Rundgren, and its success constituted a redefinition of Grand Funk that came just in time.
Last edited by Henry on Mon May 30, 2022 6:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Madzong »

Grand Funk - We're An American Band (1973) 7.5
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Rob »

Didn't have much time last week, so to catch up:

79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (1974): 7
A bit uneven as there are some unengaging moments, but when it gets good it is really great. Tango en Segunda is a real highlight.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Listyguy »

We're An American Band - 7/10

There are two Grand Funk songs that I love: "Bad Time" and "I'm Your Captain - Close to Home," neither of which is present on this album. It does, however, feature two tracks that are nearly as good in "Walk Like a Man" and the title track. Beyond those two biggies, the album maintains a level of competency that you'd want, and ultimately is a solid record.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Brad »

80. Grand Funk - We're An American Band (1973): 6

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by spiritualized »

This is really good stuff.
I already heard this album and it really, relentlessly, rawks.
A touch of Zeppelin, a fair amount of Skynyrd, a sprinkle of Hendrix, Grand Funk released here a gem of an album - quite ahead of its time for a 1972 release. I particularly appreciate the lack of ballads.

8/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Rob »

Grand Funk - We're An American Band: 7
I agree with Listyguy that this is more solid than great. It finds its style from minute one and delivers on that front. But the bands that Spiritualized mentions all deserve the comparison and come off better, by having a more varied and personal approach to the style. This is just competent hard rock and I like the genre, but there are groups who did it with more of a unique character.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by DaveC »

79.  Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones: 7/10
Favourite track: Música de fondo para cualquier fiesta animada
Least favourite track: El show de los muertos

80. Grand Funk - We're An American Band: 5/10
Favourite track: Creepin'
Least favourite track: Ain't Got Nobody
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Honorio »

80. Grand Funk - We're an American Band (1973) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Rdwdbob »

80. Grand Funk - We're An American Band 7.5/10

Still have the original vinyl purchased when I was in Junior High School (yes I'm that old - yeesh). Spent many a night in my room rocking out with Dad periodically yelling to 'turn that Sh!t DOWN!' :music-rockon:

Highlights for me: The Railroad, Creepin', We're An American Band, Walk Like A Man

As an aside: One of my favorite underrated live albums of all time is Grand Funk's 'Caught In The Act'. If you like THIS one you'll love THAT one!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by mileswide »

Grand Funk - We're an American Band 4.6 (my #44 for 1973)

Closest song to being a highlight: Stop Lookin' Back
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by Henry »

mileswide wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 6:07 pm Grand Funk - We're an American Band 4.6 (my #44 for 1973)

Closest song to being a highlight: Stop Lookin' Back
Ayup me duck. I would have predicted an even lower rating from you.

44 albums deep in a single year is pretty comprehensive :-)
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 80 - Grand Funk - We're An American Band

Post by mileswide »

Henry wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:24 pm
mileswide wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 6:07 pm Grand Funk - We're an American Band 4.6 (my #44 for 1973)

Closest song to being a highlight: Stop Lookin' Back
Ayup me duck. I would have predicted an even lower rating from you.

44 albums deep in a single year is pretty comprehensive :-)
Ow do mi oad? Our tastes don't always diverge, I love that Utopia album that was in last year's MAA!
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by spiritualized »

Bonnielaurel's 7th nomination thus far and we get a piece of Contemporary R&B

Image

81. Brandy - Full Moon (2002)
Nominated by bonnielaurel (#436)
Genre : Contemporary R&B Electropop, Dance-Pop, Wonky, Smooth Soul (#23 in the RYM Contemporary R&B chart)

Descriptors : female vocals, lush, futuristic, playful, sensual, warm, romantic, love, passionate, soothing, introspective, sentimental, nocturnal, bittersweet, ethereal, suite
Length : 17 tracks - 73:32

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #1946
RYM ranking : #171 for 2002 and #8471 overall (607 ratings @ 3.63/ 5.0)
Metascore : 60
11.1k unique listeners and 71.6k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Full Moon / What About Us? / He Is




Biography from last.fm

Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979 in McComb, Mississippi), known professionally as Brandy, is an American rnb singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, television entertainer, film producer and as of 2010 rapper, Bran'Nu.

The RIAA ranks Norwood as one of the best-selling female artists in American music history, having sold over 8.5 million copies of her five studio albums in the United States and over 30 million records worldwide, to date. Additionally, she has won over 100 awards as a recording artist. In 1999, Billboard ranked Norwood among the top 20 of the top pop artists of the 1990s.

During the early production stages of her debut album, Norwood was selected for a role in the ABC sitcom Thea, portraying the twelve-year-old daughter of a single working mother, played by Thea Vidale. Broadcasted to mediocre ratings, the series ended only eight months after its premiere, but garnered her a Young Artist Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble alongside her co-stars. Norwood recalled that she appreciated the cancellation of the show as she was unenthusiastic about acting at the time and the taping caused scheduling conflicts with the recording of her album, stating: "I felt bad for everybody else but me. It was a good thing, because I could do what I had to do, because I wanted to sing."

Williams hired producer Keith Crouch and R&B band Somethin' for the People to work with Norwood, and within eight months, the team crafted her debut album, Brandy. A collection of street-oriented rhythm-and-blues with a hip-hop edge, whose lyrical content embraced her youthful and innocent image in public, Norwood later summed the songs on the album as young and vulnerable, stating: "I didn’t really know a lot — all I wanted to do was basically sing. You can just tell that it’s a person singing from a genuine place, and also a place of basically no experience. I was singing about being attracted to the opposite sex, but I had no experience behind it." Released in September 1994, the album peaked at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200. Critical reaction to Brandy was generally positive, with Allmusic writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy "a lower-key Janet Jackson or a more stripped-down Mary J. Blige with good songs and crisp production." Anderson Jones of Entertainment Weekly asserted, "Teen actress Norwood acts her age. A premature effort at best, that seems based on the philosophy 'If Aaliyah can do it, why can't I?'."

Brandy went on to sell over six million units worldwide, and produced three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including I Wanna Be Down and Baby both of which reached the top of the Hot R&B Singles chart and were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Brokenhearted a duet with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men became a number-two hit on the charts. The album earned Norwood two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance the following year and won her four Soul Train Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, and the New York Children's Choice Award. In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the opening act on Boyz II Men's national tour, and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale, with single Sittin' Up in My Room becoming another top two success. In 1996, Norwood also collaborated with Tamia, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight on the single Missing You released from the Set It Off soundtrack. The single won her a third Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.

Beginning producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins was consulted to contribute to Norwood's second album Never Say Never, which was released in June 1998. Brandy co-wrote and produced six songs on the album which yielded her first number-one rated song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, The Boy Is Mine, a duet with singer Monica that has become the most successful song by a female duo in music history. Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers, the song was one of the most successful records in United States of all time, spending record-breaking thirteen weeks on top of the Billboard charts, and eventually garnered the pair a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". The album's success was equally widespread, and after extensive radio play of the single overseas, the label released it globally during the summer. Never Say Never eventually became Brandy’s biggest-selling album, selling over sixteen million copies worldwide; and critics rated the album highly, with Allmusic`s Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Brandy and her team for wisely finding "a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige — it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge". Altogether the album spawned seven airplay and CD singles respectively, including Norwood's second number-one song, the Diane Warren-penned Have You Ever?.

Full Moon, Norwood's third studio album, was released in February 2002. It once again comprised a row of R&B and pop-oriented songs with adult contemporary, many of them co-created with Jerkins, Warryn Campbell and Mike City. While its lead single What About Us? became a worldwide top ten hit, the album's title track failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States and the United Kingdom, where it managed to enter the Top 20 of charts. Media reception was generally lukewarm, with Rolling Stone describing the album as "frantic, faceless, fake-sexy R&B." Within the coming year, Norwood and Robert "Big Bert" Smith began writing and producing for other artists such as Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland, Tarralyn Ramsey, and Kiley Dean.

Returning from yet another hiatus, Brandy's fourth album Afrodisiac was released on June 29, 2004 in North America, amidst the well-publicized termination of her short-lived business relationship with entertainment manager Benny Medina. Norwood ended her contract with his Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation following controversies surrounding Medina's handling of the lead single Talk About Our Love, and failed negotiations of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher. Upon parting Norwood admitted her switch to Medina made her appreciate what she had with her mother, stating that "it was such a drastic change that it didn't work for me. Nobody out there can match her passion for me." Despite the negative publicity, Afrodisiac became Brandy's most critically acclaimed album to date, with some highlighting the "more consistently mature and challenging" effect of Timbaland on Brandy's music, and others calling it "listenable and emotionally resonant," comparing it to "Janet Jackson at her best". Norwood described the CD as her most mature and versatile effort by then: "I just wanted to sing my heart out and connect with people. I wasn’t old enough or mature enough before to get into people’s hearts. Now I am." Nevertheless Afrodisiac became a moderate seller: While the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling only 416,000 copies to date, it generally failed to chart or sell noticeably outside the United States. Talk About Our Love reached number six in the United Kingdom but later singles failed to score successfully on the popular music charts.

Norwood's fifth studio album Human was released in December 2008, involving production by Toby Gad, Brian Kennedy, and RedOne. Distributed by Koch Records and Sony Music, the album marked Brandy's debut on the Epic Records label, and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album. Generally well-received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 73,000 copies. With a domestic sales total of 196,000 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors and became the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. While leading single Right Here (Departed) scored Brandy her biggest chart success since 2002's Full Moon, the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting into lackluster sales in general and the end of her contract with the label, following the appointment of Amanda Ghost at Epic Records and her split with rapper Jay-Z's Roc Nation management. In December 2009, she officially introduced her rapping alter-ego Bran'Nu with two credits on Timbaland's album Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2.
A fan's review

4.5 stars

In a less capable singer’s hands, Full Moon would not be considered the bible of 2000s Contemporary R&B. Not to discredit the producers & songwriters that create the album’s often funkified robotics, but the brilliance of this album stems from Brandy’s vocal pyrotechnics. I mean, sheesh. She belts, swivels, jazzes, aerates, coos. Her runs are ingenious at the level of counterpoint. Listen to the choruses & you’ll often discover her in the background, improvising melodic phrases that color & shade main vocal lines in astonishing ways, lending nuance to songs that venture in several musical & erotic directions, from the veiled gospel of “He Is”, the UK garage of “All in Me”, the digifunk flavors of “I Thought”, “Can We”, & “What About Us” to AC pop like “Come a Little Closer”, & the quiet storm classic, “When You Touch Me”. At 73 minutes, this album can feel labored if you’re not in the mood to really listen to it. But like its namesake, Full Moon best reveals itself through phases.
If you like this, also listen to :
Wildcard! - The Jokers' Edition - Terence Trent D'Arby (2001)
Juslisen (Just Listen) - Musiq (2002)
Ashanti - Ashanti (2002)


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12 - Compulsion - The Future is Medium - Spiritualized - 7,057 - ( 7 ) - 14,6k
13 - Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity - Moonbeam - 7,013 - ( 8 ) - 19k
14 - Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - bonnielaurel - 6,986 - ( 7 ) - 500.5k
15 - Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones - Cetamol - 6,943 - ( 7 ) - 125,1k
16 Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,933 - ( 9 ) - 121.9k
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21 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
22 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
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24 - Grand Funk - We're an American Band - Henry - 6,756 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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38 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,470 - ( 10 ) - 4k
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40 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
41 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
42 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
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44 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
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52 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
53 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
54 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
55 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
56 - Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra - PlasticRam - 6,156 - ( 9 ) - 23.2k
57 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
58 - William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II Gillingham 6,129 - ( 7 ) - 90.3k
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66 - Roscoe Mitchell - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples - sonofsamiam - 5,700 - ( 9 ) - 191
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80 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by Listyguy »

Full Moon - 5/10

I've never been a fan of the early 2000s pop-combined-with-R&B scene, and Brandy's album fits that description perfectly. So, unsurprisingly, I'm not really a fan of the music within. The quality of any one song isn't terrible or anything, but they're all just not that great. And the album being as long as it is really just adds to my displeasure.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by Rob »

Brandy - Full Moon (2002): 5

I know this is a type of R&B that is praised a lot of music criticism (although this otherwise highly rated album somehow never makes all-time critic lists), but I struggle with it. There are lot of beats, few discernable melodies and Brandy's voice floates above it all in a way that to my ears frequently holds little rhyme or reason. Currently, Solange works in a more soft and more expansive version of the style, but I don't get Solange either. There is something lacking to hold on to in most songs. When Brandy's voice devolves into some sappy woo-woo-woo's in Nothing she finally totally loses me.

In contrast with the RYM reviews I actually like the love ballads the most as they seem to have a form I can recognize better. Otherwise, this might be as accomplished as it gets, but I don't connect.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by mileswide »

Brandy - Full Moon 5.2 (my #38 for 2002)
My highlights: Can We, I Thought
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by Honorio »

81. Brandy - Full Moon (2002) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 81 - Brandy - Full Moon

Post by VacantJoy »

81. Brandy - Full Moon (2002) 5/10
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by spiritualized »

One of the three eligible James Taylor albums in this game, we start their discovery with 1988's Never Die Young, courtesy of LiveinPhoenix's 4th nominatio. Is it better than LiP's best positioned album, Oingo Boingo's Dead Man's Party ?

Image

82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young (1988)
Nominated by LiveinPhoenix (#63)
Genre : Singer-Songwriter, Folk Pop Yacht Rock (#unranked in the RYM Singer/Songwriter chart)

Descriptors : male vocals, mellow, melodic
Length : 10 tracks - 40:13

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #402
RYM ranking : #490 for 1988 and #unranked overall (214 ratings @ 3.27/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
21k unique listeners and 94.6k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Never Die Young / Sweet Potato Pie / Sun on the Moon



Biography from last.fm

James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.

He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".

Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.

After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.

Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.
A fan's review

5.0 stars

I love _Never Die Young_. There aren't many albums from the 80s which qualify for the 5-star treatment, but this album is just phenomenal. It is like a soft-assault. The production is a masterpiece, and JT offers up one of his finest, most mature collections of songs in his entire career. The song _Valentines Day_, a powerful metaphor for love being a massacre of the heart, pins the album at the centre, and by the time JT sings "The churchbell still rings on Sunday/The old folks still go/Young ones listen on the radio" I am transported into the back seat of my Dad's car 15 years ago, driving down to the ocean on a hot afternoon in July.
If you like this, also listen to :
Le nuvole - Fabrizio De André(1990)
Amnesia - Richard Thompson(1988)
The Thief of Sadness - Cassell Webb (1987)


Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - The Church - Heyday - CupOfDreams - 7,963 - ( 8 ) - 211.7k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
3 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
4 - Tinariwen - Tassili - bonnielaurel - 7,550 - ( 10 ) - 494.2k
5 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,450 - ( 10 ) - 372.3k
6 - The House of Love - Babe Rainbow - Spiritualized - 7,386 - ( 7 ) - 71.8k
7 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,330 - ( 10 ) - 118.4k
8 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
9 - Motörhead - No Sleep' Til Hammersmith - Holden - 7,238 - ( 8 ) - 3.6k
10 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
11 - The Fall - The Real New Fall LP: Formerly 'Country on the Click' - Michel - 7,143 - ( 7 ) - 349.2k
12 - Compulsion - The Future is Medium - Spiritualized - 7,057 - ( 7 ) - 14,6k
13 - Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity - Moonbeam - 7,013 - ( 8 ) - 19k
14 - Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - bonnielaurel - 6,986 - ( 7 ) - 500.5k
15 - Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones - Cetamol - 6,943 - ( 7 ) - 125,1k
16 Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,933 - ( 9 ) - 121.9k
17 - Jane Siberry - The Walking - DocBrown - 6,888 - ( 8 ) - 35.6k
18 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
19 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
20 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
21 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
22 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
23 - Twin Shadow - Forget - Moonbeam - 6,763 - ( 8 ) - 6.4m
24 - Grand Funk - We're an American Band - Henry - 6,756 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
25 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
26 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
27 - Courtney Marie Andrews - Painter's Hands and a Seventh Son - LiveInPhoenix - 6,725 - ( 10 ) - 17.5k
28 - Eddie Cochrane - 12 of His Biggest Hits - M24 - 6,667 - ( 6 ) - 217.2k
29 - Graveyard - Graveyard - Gillingham - 6,667 - ( 9 ) - 1.5m
30 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
31 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
32 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
33 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,605 - ( 10 ) - 131.8k
34 - Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels - SL3 - 6,545 - ( 10 ) - 197.4k
35 - Solaris - Marsbéli Krónikák - DaveC - 6,539 - ( 9 ) - 35.2k
36 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
37 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
38 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,470 - ( 10 ) - 4k
39 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,450 - ( 10 ) - 77.1k
40 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
41 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
42 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
43 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
44 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
45 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
46 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
47 - Tocotronic - K.O.O.K - rumpdoll - 6,328 - ( 9 ) - 931.9k
48 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
49 - Gazelle Twin - Unflesh - bonnielaurel - 6,278 - ( 9 ) - 391.7k
50 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
51 - The Living End - State of Emergency - M24 - 6,207 - ( 7 ) - 3.6k
52 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
53 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
54 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
55 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
56 - Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra - PlasticRam - 6,156 - ( 9 ) - 23.2k
57 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
58 - William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II Gillingham 6,129 - ( 7 ) - 90.3k
59 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
60 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
61 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
62 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
63 - Moderat - II - schaefer.tk - 5,914 - ( 7 ) - 6.6ml
64 - Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom - notbrianeno - 5,814 - ( 7 ) - 1.1m
65 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
66 - Roscoe Mitchell - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples - sonofsamiam - 5,700 - ( 9 ) - 191
67 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
68 - Sean McCann Music For Private Ensemble sonofsamiam 5,657 - ( 7 ) - 12.3k
69 - Ásgeir - In The Silence - whuntva - 5,633 - ( 9 ) - 1.1m
70 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
71 - Brandy - Full Moon - bonnielaurel - 5,440 - ( 5 ) - 3.6k
72 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
73 - Kim Wilde - Close - bonnielaurel - 5,336 - ( 11 ) - 220.3k
74 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
75 - The Choir - Chase The Kangaroo - Father2TheMan - 4,989 - ( 9 ) - 17.7k
76 - High Fashion - Make Up Your Mind - Moonbeam - 4,614 - ( 7 ) - 3.9k
77 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
78 - Future - Pluto - PlasticRam - 4,144 - ( 9 ) - 920.3k
79 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
80 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
81 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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spiritualized
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by spiritualized »

81. Brandy - Full Moon (2002) 5.5/10
Typical R&B pop, I knew of Brandy when she started as a teenager in a duo with Monica in 1998's The Boy is Mine.
By no means bad, I actually reasonably enjoyed the upbeat songs but was bored by the ballads.
She's got a good voice too, but the length of the album weighs the rating down.
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Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Listyguy »

Never Die Young - 5/10

Soft rock, yacht rock, whatever you want to call it, this style does James Taylor a disservice, if you ask me. His strength comes from bareness, and the music here is anything but.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by VacantJoy »

82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young (1988) 5.5
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Brad
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Brad »

81. Brandy - Full Moon (2002): 4.5

Thanks!
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Rob
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Rob »

James Taylor - Never Die Young: 3
James Taylor, what happened? Well, I guess James Taylor was always a corny sentimentalist at heart, but seeing that come to full fruition on Never Die Young is still somehow disappointing. I guess I don't mind all that much that this is either cheesy or sappy, but that it is so unearned and meaningless. By the time Taylor sings some horribly fake 'Haha's' in the final song I got the feeling that this many had definitely lost something real to say. It's not even the low point of the album. That has to be either his homage to his Sweet Potato Pie or the weak Bible allegory of Home By Another Way. These two are back to back, for heaven's sake. Musically Taylor also doesn't quite decide which way to go, although there are very obvious copies of Paul Simon anno Graceland and Bruce Springsteen anno Born to Run here. Two very successful albums that preceded this one. Nonetheless, the artist this most reminds me of is Brian Adams at his most shamelessly sentimental. A bad album if you ask me, from an artist clearly in an uninspired phase of his career.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Safetycat »

My archival listening has slowly continued between other games:

61. Gazelle Twin - Unflesh (2014) - 6 - not the kind of weird I was hoping for
62. IglooGhost - Neō Wax Bloom (2017) - 5 - youtube gamer intro music
63. High Fashion - Make Up Your Mind (1983) - 7 - better than I expected, consistently fun
64. Eddie Cochran - 12 of His Biggest Hits (1960) - 6 - Completely fine, title is maybe stretching the truth a bit
65. Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity (1972) - 5 - I could vibe with some of it but not a style of jazz I'm huge on
66. Sean McCann - Music for a Private Ensemble (2013) - 3 - Meanwhile didn't vibe with this at all
67. Motörhead - No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981) - 8 I think this is the first album here that I already knew. Something about the live setting improves Motorhead for me.
68. The Fall - The Real New Fall LP: Formerly Country on the Click (2003) - 7 - Nothing too special in here but I always enjoy The Fall's rantings and ravings.
69. The Living End - State of Emergency (2006) - 7 - I have about half of this album on my iTunes. I agree that it goes too long but I had fun with it for most of the time. They're kind of a less interesting Fall Out Boy, but definitely not a bad lesson by any stretch.
70 - Moderat - II (2013) - 8 - Best album of this group.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Honorio »

82. James Taylor - Never Die Young (1988) 5/10
Brad
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young

Post by Brad »

82 - James Taylor - Never Die Young (1988): 3

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

Post by spiritualized »

And it comes back to your host.
This time, we are going into uncharted Psychedelic territory with a little known band, but an album which got some recognition. Although I believe the opinions may be polarised on this one.

Image

83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse (2003)
Nominated by spiritualized (#976)
Genre : Psychedelic Rock, Space Rock Drone, Shoegaze, Jam Band, Noise Rock, Post-Rock (#381 in the RYM Psychedelic Rock chart)

Descriptors : repetitive, noisy, heavy, female vocals, surreal, raw, dark, melancholic, psychedelic, deadpan, lo-fi, poetic, avant-garde, meditative, sombre, atmospheric, ethereal, lush, hypnotic, dissonant, ominous, lethargic, lonely
Length : 6 tracks - 53:08

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #unranked
RYM ranking : #273 for 2003 and #unranked overall (460 ratings @ 3.56/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
8068 unique listeners and 64.1k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Every Man / Walking Clouds / Jd



Biography from last.fm

Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in Philadelphia, PA, United States in 1991. They are currently signed to London based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Clint Takeda (bass guitar), Jason Kourkonis (drums), and Aaron Igler (synth/electronics). Bardo Pond's drug-inspired music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegaze or noise rock. Many Bardo Pond album titles have been derived from the names of esoteric psychedelic substances. Their sound has been likened to Pink Floyd, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine.

Allmusic describes Bardo Pond as having "lengthy, deliberate sound explorations filled with all the hallmarks of modern-day space rock: droning guitars, thick distortion, feedback, reverb, and washes of white noise." Bardo Pond are a taper-friendly band who encourage fans to make recordings of their shows.

A fan's review

4.5 stars

After a lengthy and meaningful trip I usually find myself in a state of ease and contentment and that's what this album feels like - a really mellow comedown. Occasionally the guitars explode into loud and heavy to wake you from your stupor, but for most of the running time they drone on and make for some serene background scenery behind Isobel's ethereal voice and heavenly flute concoctions, plus whatever the hell else the band throws into the song (those guitar effects are fucking wonderful!). Like most dips into the Pond, this is a pleasant soundtrack for those quiet introspective days when you don't feel the need to "accomplish" anything and are content to just be. Turn inward, reflect, write some shitty poetry, and let a haze of Bardo Pond wash over you completely. Oh and I'd have to say Every Man is one of their all-time best songs.
If you like this, also listen to :
Korai Öröm 2005 - Korai Öröm (2005)
There's Always Someplace You'd Rather Be - Sianspheric (1998)
The Man With the Lamp - Yeti (2006)


Number - Artist - Album - Nominator - Grade - Votes - Popularity
1 - The Church - Heyday - CupOfDreams - 7,963 - ( 8 ) - 211.7k
2 - Toy Love - Toy Love EP - Brad - 7,629 - ( 12 ) - ??
3 - Selda - Selda - panam - 7,567 - ( 9 ) - 165.9k
4 - Tinariwen - Tassili - bonnielaurel - 7,550 - ( 10 ) - 494.2k
5 - Salif Keita - Moffou - Gillingham - 7,450 - ( 10 ) - 372.3k
6 - The House of Love - Babe Rainbow - Spiritualized - 7,386 - ( 7 ) - 71.8k
7 - Cowboy Junkies - Miles from Our Home - Henry - 7,330 - ( 10 ) - 118.4k
8 - Motörhead - No Sleep' Til Hammersmith - Holden - 7,322 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
9 - Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - Spiritualized - 7,282 - ( 11 ) - 46.2k
10 - Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun - CupOfDreams - 7,236 - ( 11 ) - 1.8m
11 - The Fall - The Real New Fall LP: Formerly 'Country on the Click' - Michel - 7,125 - ( 8 ) - 349.2k
12 - Compulsion - The Future is Medium - Spiritualized - 7,057 - ( 7 ) - 14,6k
13 - Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel - bonnielaurel - 6,986 - ( 7 ) - 500.5k
14 - Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones - Cetamol - 6,943 - ( 7 ) - 125,1k
15 - Marva Whitney - It's My Thing - schaefer.tk - 6,933 - ( 9 ) - 121.9k
16 Jane Siberry - The Walking - DocBrown - 6,888 - ( 8 ) - 35.6k
17 - Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black - antonius - 6,882 - ( 11 ) - 72.9k
18 - Pretty Things - Parachute - Zombeels - 6,842 - ( 12 ) - 450.3k
19 - Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - Toni - 6,829 - ( 12 ) - 1.3m
20 - Cochemea - All My Relations - nicolas - 6,800 - ( 9 ) - 35.1k
21 - Hood - Cold House - CupOfDreams - 6,800 - ( 12 ) -
22 - Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity - Moonbeam - 6,789 - ( 9 ) - 19k
23 - Twin Shadow - Forget - Moonbeam - 6,763 - ( 8 ) - 6.4m
24 - Grand Funk - We're an American Band - Henry - 6,756 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
25 - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party - LiveInPhoenix - 6,750 - ( 10 ) - 1.5m
26 - James - Laid - Zombeels - 6,725 - ( 12 ) - 1.7m
27 - Courtney Marie Andrews - Painter's Hands and a Seventh Son - LiveInPhoenix - 6,725 - ( 10 ) - 17.5k
28 - Graveyard - Graveyard - Gillingham - 6,667 - ( 9 ) - 1.5m
29 - The Band - Stage Fright - Henry - 6,658 - ( 12 ) - 340.5k
30 - The Elgins - Darling Baby - mileswide - 6,650 - ( 10 ) - 7.4k
31 - Four Tet - FabricLive.59 - Krurze - 6,609 - ( 11 ) - 128.9k
32 - Japanese Breakfast - Psychopomp - VanillaFire100 - 6,605 - ( 10 ) - 131.8k
33 - Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels - SL3 - 6,545 - ( 10 ) - 197.4k
34 - Solaris - Marsbéli Krónikák - DaveC - 6,539 - ( 9 ) - 35.2k
35 - Eddie Cochrane - 12 of His Biggest Hits - M24 - 6,525 - ( 8 ) - 217.2k
36 - Jay-Z - American Gangster - FrankLotion - 6,517 - ( 12 ) - 3.1m
37 - Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion - sonofsamiam - 6,509 - ( 11 ) - 10.7k
38 - Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - DocBrown - 6,470 - ( 10 ) - 4k
39 - The Impressions - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - Carlos74 - 6,450 - ( 10 ) - 77.1k
40 - Madlib - Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note - schaefer.tk - 6,438 - ( 8 ) - 3.8m
41 - The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave - nicolas - 6,433 - ( 9 ) - 7.7m
42 - Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol 1 - bonnielaurel - 6,431 - ( 13 ) - 814.5k
43 - Grandaddy - Under The Western Freeway - Zombeels - 6,410 - ( 10 ) - 2.2m
44 - KRS-One - KRS-One - schaefer.tk - 6,369 - ( 13 ) - 671.6k
45 - Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Ander - rumpdoll - 6,340 - ( 10 ) - 236.7k
46 - Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself - Spiritualized - 6,336 - ( 11 ) - 1.5m
47 - Tocotronic - K.O.O.K - rumpdoll - 6,328 - ( 9 ) - 931.9k
48 - The Living End - State of Emergency - M24 - 6,306 - ( 8 ) - 3.6k
49 - Bee Gees - Main Course - bonnielaurel - 6,288 - ( 12 ) - 298.1k
50 - Gazelle Twin - Unflesh - bonnielaurel - 6,250 - ( 10 ) - 391.7k
51 - Rush - Fly By Night - Brad - 6,242 - ( 13 ) - 2m
52 - Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance - Brad - 6,190 - ( 10 ) - 1.6m
53 - Anthony Braxton - For Alto - sonofsamiam - 6,183 - ( 12 ) - 52.4k
54 - Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn - SL3 - 6,177 - ( 11 ) - 319.7k
55 - Moderat - II - schaefer.tk - 6,175 - ( 8 ) - 6.6ml
56 - Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off - Henry - 6,170 - ( 10 ) - 32.3k
57 - Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra - PlasticRam - 6,156 - ( 9 ) - 23.2k
58 - Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken - Brad - 6,142 - ( 12 ) - 32.1k
59 - William Basinski The Disintegration Loops II Gillingham 6,129 - ( 7 ) - 90.3k
60 - Cybotron - Enter - Moonbeam - 6,050 - ( 12 ) - 39.8k
61 - Bluejuice - Company - M24 - 6,020 - ( 10 ) - 117.8k
62 - The Cult - Electric - whuntva - 6,013 - ( 12 ) - 1m
63 - Defunkt - Defunkt - antonius - 5,936 - ( 11 ) - 30k
64 - Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy - LiveInPhoenix - 5,717 - ( 12 ) - 7.9m
65 - Iglooghost - Neō Wax Bloom - notbrianeno - 5,713 - ( 8 ) - 1.1m
66 - Roscoe Mitchell - L-R-G/The Maze/S II Examples - sonofsamiam - 5,700 - ( 9 ) - 191
67 - Prince - For You - Moonbeam - 5,691 - ( 11 ) - 587.9k
68 - Ásgeir - In The Silence - whuntva - 5,633 - ( 9 ) - 1.1m
69 - The Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute - Henry - 5,573 - ( 11 ) - 904.9k
70 - Peter Fox - Stadtaffe - schaefer.tk - 5,344 - ( 9 ) - 6.1m
71 - Kim Wilde - Close - bonnielaurel - 5,336 - ( 11 ) - 220.3k
72 - Sean McCann Music For Private Ensemble sonofsamiam 5,325 - ( 8 ) - 12.3k
73 - Brandy - Full Moon - bonnielaurel - 5,314 - ( 7 ) - 3.6k
74 - MUNA - About You - votingbloc - 5,164 - ( 11 ) - 1.2m
75 - The Choir - Chase The Kangaroo - Father2TheMan - 4,989 - ( 9 ) - 17.7k
76 - High Fashion - Make Up Your Mind - Moonbeam - 4,913 - ( 8 ) - 3.9k
77 - Three Days Grace - One-X - whuntva - 4,433 - ( 9 ) - 15.1m
78 - Future - Pluto - PlasticRam - 4,144 - ( 9 ) - 920.3k
79 - James Taylor - Never Die Young - LiveInPhoenix - 4,083 - ( 6 ) - 94,6k
80 - Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock - ProsecutorGodot - 3,942 - ( 12 ) - 4k
81 - Hayden James - Between Us - M24 - 3,891 - ( 11 ) - 397.3k
82 - Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel - Moonbeam - 3,844 - ( 9 ) - 3.6k
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Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by Listyguy »

On the Ellipse - 6/10

Most of the tracks are more length than substance, but "JD" is a pretty good track. I know the genre is meant to be about stretched out tracks like what we have here, I just don't think the execution is good enough to justify it in this instance. But again, "JD" is absolutely great. It's just kind of on its own in that regard.
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Honorio
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by Honorio »

83. Bardo Pond - On the Ellipse (2003) 7/10
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Rob
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by Rob »

Bardo Pond - On the Ellipse: 7
Moody lo-fi stuff. Hard to keep my thoughts to for the whole duration as everything gets a bit the same after a while, but I can't deny it creates a consistent atmosphere that is dreamy and hard at the same time.
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spiritualized
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by spiritualized »

Hello to all
Due to life changes which I need time to arrange, I will put this on hiatus until further notice.
Sorry about this, but I just do not have the time anymore to cater for this.

If anyone wants to take over, I can forward the spreadsheet I have used up until now.
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mileswide
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by mileswide »

I'm sorry to hear that spiritualized, hope all's well. It's a shame this couldn't continue but life has to take precedence. I'm not offering to take up the responsibility for running this but I'll try to dive in to the Biggest Fan list for my own use when I've got the time...

Here's what I rated the last two anyway:

James Taylor - Never Die Young 5.3
My highlights: First of May, Letter in the Mail

Bardo Pond - On the Ellipse 6.1
My highlights: Dom's Lament, Walking Clouds
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Rob
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by Rob »

Sad to hear this, spiritualized, but I hope you are alright.
I think managing one Biggest Fan is enough for me, though I would like to see this continue in the future.
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Safetycat
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

Post by Safetycat »

While the game has gone on hold, I've kept on catching up.

71. The Church - Heyday (1986) - 8
72. Twin Shadow - Forget (2010) - 7
73. William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops II (2003) - 5
74. The House of Love - Babe Rainbow (1992) - 8
75. Minnie Riperton - Perfect Angel (1974) - 7
76. Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra (1965) - 6
77. Jane Siberry - The Walking (1987) - 6
78. Compulsion - The Future is Medium (1996) - 8
79. Sui Generis - Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones (1974) - 7
80. Grand Funk - We're An American Band (1973) - 8

In general I enjoyed all of the albums, even the challenging Disintegration Loops II. The House of Love or The Church are probably my favourites of this group.
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