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

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Listyguy
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by Listyguy »

3EPs - 7/10

EPs 1 and 3 are pretty solid, but I can't say I'm as high on the second one. There's certainly good music throughout though, and I like the Dunedin/jangle sound on songs like "Starry Eyes & Wooly Brained." There's definitely some songs I could do without though.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by DaveC »

Catching up again...

25. Anthony Braxton - For Alto (1970): 3/10
The slow/quiet tracks are enjoyable, but most of these tunes are lost on me. More power to those who can hear the magic.


26. Hayden James - Between Us (2019): 5/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by Safetycat »

My next 5 ratings:

11. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock(1978-79) - 2

12. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black (2017) - 7

13. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 (2011) - 6

14. Defunkt - Defunkt (1980) - 6

15. The Elgins - Darling Baby (1966) - 8
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by DaveC »

27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs (1994): 8/10

Favourite track: Entropy or Self-Deluded Dreamboy (In a Mess)
Least favourite track: Two Dozen Lousy Hours

Toy Love was my highest ranked to date, but they just top it here.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by Rob »

Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs: 7

A bit all over the place, which the Tall Dwarfs almost disguise by good sequencing. Mostly this flows so well that you hardly notice that it is basically a band trying out very different modes, although with a surprising sixties bend most of the time. What keeps me from fully loving it is, like Listyguy also said, the second EP, which contains some weaker tracks that kill the mood. Main offender is Two Dozen Lousy Hours, which is also the one moment the sequencing fails, because after the very enjoyable Neusyland, which gets a nice rhythm going, it brings everything to a halt. This lasts until the last song on the second EP, Ain't It Funny, which kicks of a run of Beatlesque tracks, followed by some other stuff that remains enjoyable.
Last edited by Rob on Sat May 08, 2021 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by mileswide »

Tall Dwarfs - 3 EPs 7.1 (my #17 for 1994)

My highlights: Entropy, Neusyland, Starry Eyed & Woolly Brained, Self-Deluded Dreamboy (In a Mess), Bob's Yer Uncle, Two Dozen Lousy Hours
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by Honorio »

27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs (1994) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by FrankLotion »

26. Hayden James - Between Us - 5/10 [So-So]

This was fine, for the most part it's just pretty inoffensive pop music that I could see serving as background music at a party but there's nothing that really grips me about it.

I remember when I first put it on I was super excited by "Hold Me Back," which is just okay but it felt like this was going to be like Disclosure's Settle with a mix of thumping house music and solid hooks but unfortunately the album never quite gets to that level for me. Still, the most successful songs for me generally were the singles, which hit a sweet spot with danceable grooves and some decent melodies to keep the energy up.

As a quick aside, at first I didn't care much for "Feelin'" because it felt pretty incomplete even as an alleged interlude but after a while I came to really enjoy the very funky guitar playing throughout, definitely has a Nile Rodgers via Random Access Memories feel to them.

Favorite Tracks: Hold Me Back, Just Friends, Feelin', Better Together, Numb

27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs - 7/10 [Good]

I feel bad because the first time I listened to this I thought it was fantastic but after a few repeat listens the magic was kind of lost. There's still parts I like a whole lot, like the intro "For All the Walters in the World" which reminds me of the Kinks or "Neusyland," which sounds like if early Animal Collective tried to write an LCD Soundsystem song (which given it was written in the early 90's is pretty impressive).

These three EP's cover a lot of stylistic ground in general which is what keeps them interesting, for good and bad. I'll agree with what others have said that the psychedelic first EP is great but the second EP, while I appreciate the strangeness, ends up just being pretty taxing to listen to, though "Ain't it Funny" is a really nice palate cleanser. The third EP goes off a little better with the more traditional song strictures but these are probably the songs that benefitted least from re-listens for me, since now some of them kind of sound like incomplete vignettes, but not very captivating ones like you could find on something like 69 Love Songs.

All in all there's an impressive range of styles and some real highlights, I just wish I got more consistent enjoyment throughout. If I were to rate each EP separately it would probably like go this:

A Question of Medical Ethics - 8/10
Up the Down Staircase - 6/10
Sam's Spaniel - 7/10

Favorite Tracks: For All the Walters in the World, What Goes Up, Starry Eyed & Wooly Brained, Neusyland, Ain't it Funny, Senile Dementia, Bee to Honey, Kid Stuff
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by Schüttelbirne »

27. Tall Dwarfs | 3 EPs: 6/10
I disagree with people's ranking of the EPs. The second one is the best by far, and the first one is rather boring.

Highlights: "Entropy", "Neusyland", "Archaeoptery", "Self-Deluded Dreamboy (In a Mess)"

"Neusyland" could be both a graphically abridged version of both New Zealand and Noisyland, which fits quite well.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs

Post by spiritualized »

This being my nomination, I cannot give The 3EPs less than a 9/10.
I've always been impressed by the capacity of Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate to pen down very simple, immediate melodies in a lo-fi environment. They wrote catchy tunes at the rate of knots and their whole solo/band discography is always worth a listen.
There is not much use of kazoos in the 3EPs, but other albums feature that gizmo to great effect.

Definitely a keeper and a top 1000 for me !
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 27. The Cult - Electric

Post by spiritualized »

Another newcomer of a nominator, with Whuntva who nominated a classic, acclaimed Cult album

Image


28.The Cult - Electric (1987)
Nominated by whuntva (#393)
Genre : Hard Rock (# 412 in the RYM Hard Rock chart)
Descriptors : love, melodic, triumphant, energetic, passionate, rebellious, male vocals, hedonistic, playful, sexual
Length : 11 tracks, 39:02 mins

AM ranking : #1540
Artist Ranking : #596
RYM ranking : #207 for 1987, unranked overall (1851 ratings @ 3.59 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
93.5k unique listeners and 1m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Love Removal Machine / Wild Flower / Lil' Devil


Biography from Allmusic

Following a succession of name and stylistic changes, the Cult emerged in 1984 as one of England's leading heavy metal revivalists. Picking up the pseudo-mysticism and Native American obsessions of the Doors, the guitar orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, and the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, while adding touches of post-punk goth rock, the Cult gained a dedicated following in their native Britain with mid-'80s singles like "She Sells Sanctuary" before breaking into the American metal market in the late '80s with "Love Removal Machine." Though they managed one Top Ten in America with 1989's Sonic Temple, the Cult were plagued with off-stage tensions and problems that prevented them from retaining their popularity. The band split in 1995 following a pair of unsuccessful records, but returned on an occasional basis for new records -- always anchored by vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy.

A fan's review
Strawdog - Feb 26 2003

"People who don't like this album are going to say it's haunted. There are enough ghosts floating around the grooves to crowd Jimi Hendrix's old studio, Electric Lady (where, not coincidentally, this was recorded). But despite the hovering shades of Zeppelin, Bon Scott and others, Electric does more than pilfer bygone metal mayhem." – Rolling Stone magazine, 1987

The Cult’s reinvention from a third-rate Bauhaus into a world-class AC/DC must surely rank as one of the most curious career turns in rock ‘n roll. The band started out life in the early 1980s as an England-based Goth band called The Southern Death Cult and ended the decade living the L.A rock ‘n roll lifestyle, zooming around Californian highways in convertibles, wearing headbands, leathers and expensive shades.

Electric was the album at the crossroads of that change and it was a product of a chance meeting between Rick Rubin and The Cult. The record bears the clear stamp of Rubin, a now legendary producer, who also spun the dials on albums such as Licensed to Ill (The Beastie Boys), Blood Sugar Sex Magick (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and Reign in Blood (Slayer). At his urging, The Cult threw out material from their earlier sessions and started over with Rubin in the producer’s seat.

Rubin’s characteristic production means that this is a stripped to the bone rock n’ roll record, free of the gloss that makes many 1980s albums sound dated today. There’s not much room for nuance here: the album is an end-to-end sledgehammer to the cranium. There’s no solo you can’t predict, no lyrical rhyme you can’t anticipate, no riff that will startle you, no strings and synths and perhaps most importantly of all, no ballads.

Like the blues on which it based, this sort of rock music is as timeless as a mountain or the desert highways of American road movies – from Blue Cheer to AC/DC to the Cult to L7 to The Datsuns, no one has ever seen any need to change the formula. The lack of originality doesn’t matter - this is driving, primal rock at its best, great in the same way as a pair of blue jeans or a vintage American muscle car.

Lead singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy took their rawk ‘n roll pretty seriously, which meant that you had to, too, no matter how silly it got at times. Indeed, Electric often approaches This Is Spinal Tap levels of self-parody, between Astbury’s macho chest-beating and yelping, the super-cheesy sex, rock, wild West n’ mysticism lyrics and the guitar licks that sound like they were bought at a no-name brand Riff-O-Rama. But the crisp drum and tight interlock of Billy's blazing guitar with the bass and Ian's vocals bring most songs back down to earth with a crunch.

Some critics, especially those looking back on the album now, are generous enough to attribute some of the funniest lyrics to a well-developed sense of irony. While Astbury, Duffy and co did seemingly have a wry sense of humour, it’s probably misguided to see Electric as a self-conscious parody in the vein of Spinal Tap or The Darkness. This record isn’t effete enough to be ironic.

Astbury was enamoured with rock n roll and the idea of stardom, and devoured all manner of drugs like a hoover as part of his solemn duty as a rock star. Like idol, Jim Morrison, he was fascinated with Native American mysticism and saw himself as something of a shaman. On Electric, he evokes the spirits of Zeppelin and AC/DC, the desert of the American South, sex, lizards, leathers, tequila and fast drives down the highway. There are missteps on Electric – the ill-conceived cover of Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild is singularly awful – but as a package of riffs, solos and beats, this is the business.

There were better records released in 1987 – Prince’s Sign o’ the Times, Sonic Youth’s Sister and Tom Waits’ Franks Wild Years are all certainly greater artistic successes. But there was no record that year was quite as much fun as this rock ‘n roll juggernaut. Throw the devil’s horns, take a blonde supermodel for a spin in your Mustang, turn Electric up to full, and party like it’s 1987. Man.

If you like this, also listen to :
Eat 'Em and Smile - David Lee Roth (1986)
Cuerpo a cuerpo - Sangre Azul (1988)
Ten - Pearl Jam (1991)


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


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.618 (11 votes) [Brad]
2. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.344 (9) [Spiritualized]
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.018 (9) [CupOfDreams]
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 7.000 (9) [SL3]
5. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.927 (11) [antonius]
6. Hood - Cold House : 6.843 (13) [CupOfDreams]
7. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (11) [Zombeels]
8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.808 (12) [Toni]
9. James - Laid : 6.778 (13) [Zombeels]
10. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.670 (10) [FrankLotion]
11. The Band - Stage Fright 6.660 (10) [Henry]
14. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
12. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
13. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.511 (9) [sonofsamiam]
15. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.418 (11) [bonnielaurel]
16. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
17. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.359 (11) [bonnielaurel]
18. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.204 (13) [Brad]
19. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.054 (13) [Brad]
20. Cybotron - Enter : 5.966 (12) [Moonbeam]
21. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.920 (10) [sonofsamiam]
22. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
23. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
24. Prince - For You : 5.310 (10) [Moonbeam]
25. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
26. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.067 (9) [Moonbeam]
27. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]

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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Listyguy »

Electric - 7/10

Not a huge surprise considering how well acclaimed the album is, but I was already familiar with this one. And it's a pretty decent album. There are better albums in the genre (Appetite For Destruction) and none of the songs on this album really defined the band's career the way that "She Sells Sanctuary" did. But almost every song is nice (I say "almost" because the "Born to Be Wild" cover did cause me some pain).
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Schüttelbirne »

28. The Cult | Electric: 5/10
Highlight: "Aphrodisiac Jacket"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Brad »

28. The Cult | Electric: 5.75
I remember seeing one of their first videos in an NYC club (I believe the intermission of a Golden Palominos show) and thinking these guys were gonna be the next big thing. I was a little off.

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by mileswide »

The Cult - Electric 3.4 (my #35 for 1987)
My highlights: N/A, though Outlaw might get so much as a 6 on the right day
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Madzong »

28. The Cult | Electric: 8
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Rob »

Brad wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 9:54 pm 28. The Cult | Electric: 5.75
I remember seeing one of their first videos in an NYC club (I believe the intermission of a Golden Palominos show) and thinking these guys were gonna be the next big thing. I was a little off.
I dunno, they were quite popular for a while, weren't they? Or was She Sells Sanctuary their only claim to fame?

The Cult - Electric: 6
I didn't expect a masterpiece or anything, but I did expect to like it more than I did, because I do have a soft spot somewhere for this type of hard rock. This one scratches the itch well enough, but in the end the album doesn't really stand out. It doesn't have a personality of its own, nor any truly memorable riffs. Except perhaps on Love Removal Machine. Their cover of Born to Be Wild is also quite the atrocity.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by DaveC »

28.The Cult - Electric (1987): 3/10

Favourite track: None really..
Least favourite track: Memphis Hip Shake (yes even worse than their ruination of Born To Be Wild)
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Brad »

Ian Astbury turns 59 today!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by Honorio »

28. The Cult - Electric (1987) 8/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 28. The Cult - Electric

Post by spiritualized »

I already listened to this - but another listen confirmed my initial thoughts.
Ian Astbury has a great voice and the band rocks - far ahead of G n' R shrieking's hair rock, this is based on hard rock without the glam and it's all the better for it.
I still prefer their 1994 eponymous masterpiece and I must say that I'm now curious to listen to their original goth roots !

8/10
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by spiritualized »

And yet another newcomer ! Rumpdoll nominates a somehow acclaimed German rocker with 23 albums to his name, a song of which (Mensch) is acclaimed. His 1994 release is on offer here.

Image

29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders
Nominated by rumpdoll (#125)
Genre : Deutschrock (# 16 in the RYM Deutschrock chart)
Descriptors : uplifting, male vocals, melodic, urban, poetic
Length : 11 tracks, 50:07 mins

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #3284
RYM ranking : #unranked for 1998, unranked overall (65 ratings @ 3.65 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
36.1k unique listeners and 236.7k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Bleibt Alles Anders / Ich dreh mich um dich / Nach Mir


Biography from Allmusic

Celebrated in his native Germany as one of the most successful rock singers of his generation, musician and actor Herbert Grönemeyer is perhaps best known to international audiences for his performance in Wolfgang Petersen's highly acclaimed film Das Boot. After starring in the 1981 German war film, Grönemeyer began focusing on his musical career, which had begun two years prior with the release of his eponymous debut album. He broke big in 1984 with the arrival of 4630 Bochum, which would in time be certified quintuple platinum. He found huge success again in 2002 with his 11th studio long-player Mensch, which featured the chart-topping title cut. He continued to dominate the German charts with subsequent outings like Dauernd Jetzt (2014) and Tumult (2018).

A fan's review
sultan - Mar 17 2007

'Bleibt alles anders' ("Everything remains different") is my all time favourite song from Grönemeyer: brilliant and contemporary arrangement, real intelligent modern rock, lyrics stuck in your ear for years. The video for this song shot by Anton Corbijn is simply one of the most brilliant symbolic videos ever: even the video is a must have (I have it on an Anton Corbijn video dvd collection). More energetic songs are ‘Letzte Version’, ‘Energie’, the stunning ‘Neue Welt’, more emotional ones are ‘Ich dreh mich um dich’, ‘Selbstmitleid’ and the closer ‘Schmetterlinge im Eis’. A lot of great songs, shame they hardly come after each other perfectly. This album is simply too diverse. Besides this I own 4630 Bochum that is definitively more consistent in sound and production. But this is still very good with some real remarkable moments + the masterpiece titletrack..
If you like this, also listen to :
Affentheater - Westernhagen (1994)
Unsterblich - Die Toten Hosen (1999)
Himmel & Hölle - Pearl Jam (1995)


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


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.618 (11 votes) [Brad]
2. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.344 (9) [Spiritualized]
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.018 (9) [CupOfDreams]
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 7.000 (9) [SL3]
5. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.927 (11) [antonius]
6. Hood - Cold House : 6.843 (13) [CupOfDreams]
7. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (11) [Zombeels]
8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.808 (12) [Toni]
9. James - Laid : 6.778 (13) [Zombeels]
10. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.670 (10) [FrankLotion]
11. The Band - Stage Fright 6.660 (10) [Henry]
14. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
12. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
13. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.511 (9) [sonofsamiam]
15. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.418 (11) [bonnielaurel]
16. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
17. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.359 (11) [bonnielaurel]
18. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.204 (13) [Brad]
19. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.054 (13) [Brad]
20. The Cult - Electric 6.0167 (9) [whuntva]
21. Cybotron - Enter : 5.966 (12) [Moonbeam]
22. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.920 (10) [sonofsamiam]
23. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
24. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
25. Prince - For You : 5.310 (10) [Moonbeam]
26. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
27. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.067 (9) [Moonbeam]
28. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by Schüttelbirne »

Listened to this for the Non-English poll. It doesn't sound like I expected it to, knowing the whole stuff like "Mensch", "Kinder an die Macht" and of course "Flugzeuge im Bauch". This is better.

Herbert Grönemeyer | Bleibt alles anders: 5/10
Highlights: "Letzte Version", "Schmetterlinge im Eis"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by Listyguy »

Bleibt alles anders - 7/10

The album starts out hot, with its two best tracks right off the bat. Obviously when that happens there's going to be a drop in the quality afterwards, and while that does happen here it isn't massive. There are some songs that I liked and some that I could do without, but overall this is a nice rock album.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by rumpdoll »

8.5/10

His most indie record (and as far as I know one of his worst selling ones). Of course that makes it the only one that I like ... but its still one that my mates back then that listened to mainstreamy and me could agree on.

and by the way don't listen to Westernhagen or anything by Die Toten Hosen (at least after 1996)
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by mileswide »

rumpdoll wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 8:36 am and by the way don't listen to anything by Die Toten Hosen (at least after 1996)
:( But I love Auswärtsspiel and like parts of Unsterblich! Granted, Opium fürs Volk is better than the latter. Never knowingly heard any Westernhagen, mind you.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by mileswide »

Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders 6.4 (my #15 of 1998)

My highlights: Stand der Dinge, Energie, Neue Welt

This month's highlights ranked:
Entropy
Neusyland
Starry Eyed & Woolly Brained
Stand der Dinge
Self-Deluded Dreamboy
Energie
Bob's Yer Uncle
Two Dozen Lousy Hours
Neue Welt
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by spiritualized »

Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders 4/10

Pretty run-of-the mill German pop-rock without much grunt or soul. The language barrier doesn't really help.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by Rob »

Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders: 6

I was already familiar with Herbert Grönemeyer through the album Mensch, which also managed to get some popularity in The Netherlands as well. As did his song Halt Mich. So I kind of knew what to expect, even though I don't think I heard a song from this album before.

It's actually rather comparable with some music made by some Dutch artists at the time. For those few among you who know about this, think Marco Borsato or Guus Meeuwis (the latter who covered Der Weg from Mensch in a Dutch translation). I can't really think of an English language equivalent, but it is a type of pop rock that is founded on the everyman status of the singer and his special brand earnestness, that is almost too much. The only thing that Grönemeyer is missing in contrast to his Dutch colleagues is any pretense that he is about the end poverty in Africa.

It's al very okay. The music and the performance aren't all that interesting to talk about, but it isn't bad listening. I don't think i'll ever return to it though.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders

Post by Honorio »

29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders (1998) 6/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by spiritualized »

A second helping of M24's Australian favorites. A bit of Pop never hurts, does it ?

Image

30. Bluejuice - Company
Nominated by M24 (#868)
Genre : Indie Pop (# unranked in the RYM Indie Pop chart)
Descriptors : N/A
Length : 12 tracks, 32:47 mins

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #unranked
RYM ranking : #unranked for 2011, #unranked overall (65 ratings @ 3.65 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
9180 unique listeners and 117.8k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Act Your Age / Shock / On Your Own


Biography from Allmusic

The prosaic nature of Bluejuice's back-story -- they met at school and formed a band -- has led them to invent a biography for themselves more suited to their quirky nature. According to the story, half of them are former members of rock band Sherbet, and the other half consist of lady boys from Thailand. Fortunately, Sherbet's tour manager appreciated the joke when he discovered it. The original lineup of Bluejuice consisted of vocalists Jake Stone and Stavros Yiannoukas, drummer Ned Molesworth, keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Craib, and bass guitarist Jamie Cibej. Stone and Yiannoukas alternated between energetic rock singing and rapping, sometimes pseudonymously as MCs Velocity and Kinetic, respectively. They were markedly different from the other bands of Sydney's underground scene in 2001 when they formed, with punkish prankishness and sense of humor dominating over the city's defining indie rock seriousness or hip-hop's façade of toughness. Their first two releases were EPs, Zebraaazz in 2003 and The Good Luck Pig in 2005. Their first album, Problems, followed in 2007, with all three of its singles placed in high rotation on JJJ Radio. Their innovative videos, one of which was shot while the bandmembers were skydiving and another capturing an impromptu performance in a mall, also earned them acclaim. Bluejuice's live shows and the energy that went into them were responsible for the biggest buzz: Jake Stone was arrested for wearing part of a police uniform on-stage (charges were later dropped) and broke a hand and leg in separate incidents in 2008. That year, the E.L.F. (better known as Darren Cross, formerly of Gerling) remixed their popular single "Vitriol" and they were left drummerless when Molesworth left for the United States.

A fan's review
dabbycool Dec 05 2011

Not a lot of depth sonically, but utterly infectious and upbeat.
If you like this, also listen to :
Moctezuma - Porter (2014)
God Help the Girl - God Help the Girl (2014)
Lady's Bridge - Richard Hawley (2007)


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


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.618 (11 votes) [Brad]
2. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.344 (9) [Spiritualized]
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.018 (9) [CupOfDreams]
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 7.000 (9) [SL3]
5. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.927 (11) [antonius]
6. Hood - Cold House : 6.843 (13) [CupOfDreams]
7. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (11) [Zombeels]
8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.808 (12) [Toni]
9. James - Laid : 6.778 (13) [Zombeels]
10. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.670 (10) [FrankLotion]
11. The Band - Stage Fright 6.660 (10) [Henry]
14. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
12. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
13. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.511 (9) [sonofsamiam]
15. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.418 (11) [bonnielaurel]
16. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
17. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.359 (11) [bonnielaurel]
18. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.204 (13) [Brad]
19. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.129 (7) [rumpdoll]
20. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.054 (13) [Brad]
21. The Cult - Electric 6.0167 (9) [whuntva]
22. Cybotron - Enter : 5.966 (12) [Moonbeam]
23. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.920 (10) [sonofsamiam]
24. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
25. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
26. Prince - For You : 5.310 (10) [Moonbeam]
27. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
28. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.067 (9) [Moonbeam]
29. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by DaveC »

29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders: 5.5/10

Favourite track: Nacht Mir
Least favourite track: Fanatisch
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by Safetycat »

16. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion (1966) - 4
17. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (2017) - 8
18. Bee Gees - Main Course (1975) - 7
19. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn (1969) - 5
20. The Band - Stage Fright (1970) - 8
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by Listyguy »

Company - 6/10

Pretty generic indie music. There are some catchy songs, but that's about it.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by Brad »

29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders: 6
Finally secured a CD copy of this as I had difficulty finding it online. Interesting album - a bit hit or miss. Sometimes very hip-sounding, sometimes very shlocky. Something about his vocals distract me - maybe a limited range that feels like it needs to break through?

30. Bluejuice - Company: 5
Not terrible, but gets annoying after awhile... not enough variety I think. Also, a little bit "poppy" for my tastes. My 13 year-old walked in while this was on and gave me a sarcastic "Nice music, Dad."

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by mileswide »

Company - Bluejuice 5.2 (my #33 of 2011, just above Floral Shoppe incidentally)
My highlights: Cheap Trix

This month's highlights ranked :
Entropy
Neusyland
Starry Eyed & Woolly Brained
Stand der Dinge
Self-Deluded Dreamboy
Energie
Cheap Trix
Bob's Yer Uncle
Two Dozen Lousy Hours
Neue Welt
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by Rob »

Company - Bluejuice: 7

Maybe that grade is a bit generous as this is indeed rather generic. It reminds me a lot of pop rock of the late nineties. Very bright and energetic. The thing is, it works. I really did get a solid energy boost from it. Good moods prevail and its rather short length gives it exactly the punch it needs. Very likable.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by Honorio »

30. Bluejuice - Company (2011) 5/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 30. Bluejuice - Company

Post by spiritualized »

30. Bluejuice - Company (2011) 6/10. I really thought this was quite OK. Fun, no hassle, short and to the point. The hooks are there and instantly hummable.
It won't change the world, but for its duration, it's hitting the right spot.
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by spiritualized »

First Nom from LiveInPhoenix, no less than the famed G'n'R with their least acclaimed, final record

Image

31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Nominated by LiveInPhoenix (#205)
Genre : Hard Rock, Industrial Rock (# 1436 in the RYM Hard Rock chart)
Descriptors : male vocals, melodic, love, political, urban, passionate
Length : 14 tracks, 71:32 mins

AM ranking : #bubbling under
Artist Ranking : #96
RYM ranking : #1484 for 2008, #unranked overall (4319 ratings @ 2.45 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
408.3k unique listeners and 7.9m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Chinese Democracy / Better / This I Love


Biography from Allmusic

At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop-metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts. They were not nice boys: nice boys don't play rock & roll. They were ugly, misogynistic, and violent; they were also funny, vulnerable, and occasionally sensitive, as their breakthrough hit, "Sweet Child O' Mine," showed. While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city. Meanwhile, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section who kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid, hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be. There was something refreshing about a band that could provoke everything from devotion to hatred, especially since both sides were equally right. There hadn't been a hard rock band this raw or talented in years, and they were given added weight by Rose's primal rage, the sound of confused, frustrated white trash vying for a piece of the pie. As the '80s became the '90s, there simply wasn't a more interesting band around, but owing to intra-band friction and the emergence of alternative rock, Rose's supporting cast eventually left, and he spent over 15 years recording before the long-delayed Chinese Democracy appeared in 2008.

A fan's review
mexal Apr 11 2013

This is the best material ever to come from Guns n Roses ... that just didn't sit well with the public, because they didn't get what they wanted (or when they wanted it). There aren't any radio friendly rock anthems; instead we get progressive songwriting, along with great instrumental performances and vocals. It was such a coup to enlist Buckethead's participation; he is a gifted guitarist that always had a devoted cult following, but never did (or perhaps will) enjoy mainstream appreciation.

Guns n Roses has been a public relations disaster since their Use Your Illusion heyday, providing critics with further fodder. But haven't real rock stars always been aloof and inaccessible? And Chinese Democracy is indeed the work of real rock stars.
If you like this, also listen to :
Graveyard - Graveyard (2007)
Hundus - Burning Saviours (2006)
Nightfall Overture - Nightingale(2005)


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


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.618 (11 votes) [Brad]
2. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.344 (9) [Spiritualized]
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.116 (10) [CupOfDreams]
4. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.927 (11) [antonius]
5. Hood - Cold House : 6.843 (13) [CupOfDreams]
6. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (11) [Zombeels]
7. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.808 (12) [Toni]
8. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 6.800 (10) [SL3]
9. The Band - Stage Fright 6.782 (11) [Henry]
10. James - Laid : 6.778 (13) [Zombeels]
11. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.670 (10) [FrankLotion]
12. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
13. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
14. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.418 (11) [bonnielaurel]
15. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.412 (11) [bonnielaurel]
16. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
17. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.260 (10) [sonofsamiam]
18. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.204 (13) [Brad]
19. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.054 (13) [Brad]
20. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.044 (9) [rumpdoll]
21. The Cult - Electric 6.0167 (9) [whuntva]
22. Cybotron - Enter : 5.966 (12) [Moonbeam]
23. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.920 (10) [sonofsamiam]
24. Bluejuice - Company 5.700 (6) [M24]
25. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
26. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
27. Prince - For You : 5.310 (10) [Moonbeam]
28. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
29. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.067 (9) [Moonbeam]
30. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Listyguy »

Chinese Democracy - 4/10

If this is at the bottom of the standings at this time next week, I won't be even a bit surprised. My affection for Gun N' Roses pretty much only applies to their debut album, which has a number of songs that I love (and I consistently put the album in my all-time top 50 whenever I make a list). While Chinese Democracy probably gets more hate than the Use Your Illusion albums, if it's worse than those albums, it's not by much. The main difference is the lack of a "November Rain," really. And outside of the music itself, the lack of any original members of the band other than Axl Rose and the very long time it took to actually get the album made didn't help the cause.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Schüttelbirne »

30. Bluejuice | Company: 5/10
Highlight: "Can't Keep Up"

The other album later, hopefully...
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Live in Phoenix »

After the 1991 Use Your Illusion set (which in a way was a quadruple album), there wasn't an original album from any version of Guns N' Roses for 17 years, which is maybe a record for a group that is together in some form and could be releasing popular material...they just aren't. (My Bloody Valentine's m b v took 22 years to come out after Loveless -- also from 1991 -- though the band also went on hiatus.) Axl Rose surprisingly turned out to be a head case as much as Kevin Shields or any other alternative rocker. In fact, we're getting close to another 17 years.

Chinese Democracy may be the most consistent album released under the group's name, even if it's not the best, and even if a band's legacy often rests on major moments instead of something like consistency. Appetite for Destruction is the "classic," though I really only care about four songs; regardless, it made them legends. G N' R Lies was wretched. Use Your Illusion certainly added to their legacy, and the second volume is probably the best thing they ever did, though there was also a kitchen sink mentality to these two volumes. "The Spaghetti Incident?" came out at a bad time, when alternative rock seemed to have the market cornered for complicated personalities in rock music, and the band responded with a skippable covers album.

The "band," of course, is more like Axl and Friends, including the bass player from the Replacements, of all things, pseudo-Slash guitarist Buckethead, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who actually stuck around throughout the years. It basically sounds like Guns N' Roses, though without the rowdy songs or a Solo That Only Slash Could Play.

When I played this, I used to think that Axl was devastated by his romance with Stephanie Seymour. Maybe? Something seems to have rocked him to his foundation. Highlights include "Better" (sample lyric: "No one ever told me when I was alone / They just thought I'd know better, better."), "There Was a Time" ("If I could go back in time to the place in my soul, there all alone / Lonely tear drops / Ooh, are calling you. / But I don't wanna know it now"), "Catcher in the Rye," and "Prostitute." Most of those songs are around 6 minutes. There aren't any "November Rain" marathons, but the songs are generally dense; when this album first came out, it was streaming on the band's MySpace (lol ... wait, that used to be great for showcasing musicians), and even after a half-dozen listens, I felt like I hadn't absorbed it. I had waited forever for this album, goddamn it, so I unusually just kept listening and listening until I liked it. By a dozen listens, I thought it was pretty great. I liked it much more than albums that year from Portishead, Vampire Weekend, or TV on the Radio, and thought of it as the album of the year, though now it's a toss-up with Fleet Foxes. "There Was a Time" topped my 2008 songs list.

I wasn't exactly surprised that Chinese Democracy was solid, since any album by a popular act with 17 years of work behind it should be good, right? I hope I don't have to listen to m b v 8 more times to prove that right, though (let alone the recorded works of Boston). Anyway, the album didn't sell like the days of old, and maybe because of that, Axl would later drop his 20-year death stare at Slash and get back with a lot of his old bandmates for their version of the Hell Freezes Over tour. I caught one of those shows in 2016, and now that the shock has worn off, I've pondered that the reunited-ish band would have had another blockbuster album if it had come out somewhere during that 3-year tour. I've heard there's not a lack of material. If it came out this year (ha ha), it would still hit Number One, unlike Chinese Democracy's #3 placing; but like with Chinese Democracy, we continue to wait...

Per usual, I'm not rating my own Biggest Fan selection. Not that it'd be impossible, but the point seems to be for the album or song to be subjected to peer review.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Safetycat »

I'm catching up! 6 behind now.

21. Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott ? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000) - 6
22. Jay-Z - American Gangster (2007) - 5
Both of these albums had the same issue for me, which was that they were fairly solid but lacked anything that stood out to me.

23. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel (1983) - 4

24. Prince - For You (1978) - 7

25. Anthony Braxton - For Alto (1970) - 6
This man murdered a saxophone and dedicated it to John Cage. I won't listen to this album again but I do respect it.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Brad »

31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy: 5
Buckethead's a formidable guitarist. To me (and maybe this is partly hindsight) it sounds like an album over-produced with the intent on sounding precisely like a Guns & Roses album, and that ship had sailed long ago.

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Madzong »

Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy: 7
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Schüttelbirne »

31. Guns n' Roses | Chinese Democracy: 4/10
Highlight: "There Was a Time"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by DaveC »

30. Bluejuice - Company: 5/10

Favourite track: Can't Keep Up
Least favourite track: Cheap Trix

Uplifting sunny pop songs that work quite well individually, but 12 in a row is way too much for me.


31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy: 5/10

Favourite track: There was a Time
Least favourite track: Street of Dreams

They put a lot of energy into being a bit dull, but nothing here is bad.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Honorio »

31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy (2008) 6/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by spiritualized »

Live in Phoenix wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:44 pm After the 1991 Use Your Illusion set (which in a way was a quadruple album), there wasn't an original album from any version of Guns N' Roses for 17 years, which is maybe a record for a group that is together in some form and could be releasing popular material...they just aren't. (My Bloody Valentine's m b v took 22 years to come out after Loveless -- also from 1991 -- though the band also went on hiatus.) Axl Rose surprisingly turned out to be a head case as much as Kevin Shields or any other alternative rocker. In fact, we're getting close to another 17 years.

Chinese Democracy may be the most consistent album released under the group's name, even if it's not the best, and even if a band's legacy often rests on major moments instead of something like consistency. Appetite for Destruction is the "classic," though I really only care about four songs; regardless, it made them legends. G N' R Lies was wretched. Use Your Illusion certainly added to their legacy, and the second volume is probably the best thing they ever did, though there was also a kitchen sink mentality to these two volumes. "The Spaghetti Incident?" came out at a bad time, when alternative rock seemed to have the market cornered for complicated personalities in rock music, and the band responded with a skippable covers album.

The "band," of course, is more like Axl and Friends, including the bass player from the Replacements, of all things, pseudo-Slash guitarist Buckethead, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who actually stuck around throughout the years. It basically sounds like Guns N' Roses, though without the rowdy songs or a Solo That Only Slash Could Play.

When I played this, I used to think that Axl was devastated by his romance with Stephanie Seymour. Maybe? Something seems to have rocked him to his foundation. Highlights include "Better" (sample lyric: "No one ever told me when I was alone / They just thought I'd know better, better."), "There Was a Time" ("If I could go back in time to the place in my soul, there all alone / Lonely tear drops / Ooh, are calling you. / But I don't wanna know it now"), "Catcher in the Rye," and "Prostitute." Most of those songs are around 6 minutes. There aren't any "November Rain" marathons, but the songs are generally dense; when this album first came out, it was streaming on the band's MySpace (lol ... wait, that used to be great for showcasing musicians), and even after a half-dozen listens, I felt like I hadn't absorbed it. I had waited forever for this album, goddamn it, so I unusually just kept listening and listening until I liked it. By a dozen listens, I thought it was pretty great. I liked it much more than albums that year from Portishead, Vampire Weekend, or TV on the Radio, and thought of it as the album of the year, though now it's a toss-up with Fleet Foxes. "There Was a Time" topped my 2008 songs list.

I wasn't exactly surprised that Chinese Democracy was solid, since any album by a popular act with 17 years of work behind it should be good, right? I hope I don't have to listen to m b v 8 more times to prove that right, though (let alone the recorded works of Boston). Anyway, the album didn't sell like the days of old, and maybe because of that, Axl would later drop his 20-year death stare at Slash and get back with a lot of his old bandmates for their version of the Hell Freezes Over tour. I caught one of those shows in 2016, and now that the shock has worn off, I've pondered that the reunited-ish band would have had another blockbuster album if it had come out somewhere during that 3-year tour. I've heard there's not a lack of material. If it came out this year (ha ha), it would still hit Number One, unlike Chinese Democracy's #3 placing; but like with Chinese Democracy, we continue to wait...

Per usual, I'm not rating my own Biggest Fan selection. Not that it'd be impossible, but the point seems to be for the album or song to be subjected to peer review.
Thank you Live In Phoenix for this review, I do enjoy knowing a bit of personal opinion or history about what makes the record so special to our forumers
I think you should rate it though, as everyone else tends to, the overall grade without your rating will be skewed otherwise, but it's up to you !
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