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

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

Post by Rob »

Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy: 7

I never listened to this before. Most of Guns 'N Roses output I like a lot, but this one has such a bad reputation that it never seemed worth the time. Now I have gone through it twice I'm almost confused as to where all the hatred came from. This is very solid hard rock! Of course, Guns 'N Roses have always courted extreme reactions, be they positive or negative. Probably because they are so unapologetically white trash. Maybe for the fans this didn't live up to the long wait and for the haters, well, they would hate anyway. To me this is just a very energetic rock record. Perhaps it doesn't scream 2008 exactly, but it also doesn't seem outdated or as if Axl Rose and his band are phoning it in. The only thing it lacks in comparison to the best GNR is some really transcendent solos. You can call Buckethead a good imitator of Slash, but he also proves that imitators aren't generally the ones with the true inspiration. Otherwise, I found this more than worth a listen, even for it's full 70 minute length.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by Live in Phoenix »

spiritualized wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:23 am 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 !
I think it skews the grade the other way; that everyone knows the biggest fan is going to give it a 9 or 10, and it's really about what others also think. But if you'd really like a rating, I'll give it a 9.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by spiritualized »

Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy: 6

I was actually really quite pleasantly surprised by this album. A bit of background - I loathe GNR and especially Axl Rose. They represent the epitomy of white trash indeed. Beside the attitude, I have never been able to stand Rose's exceptionally nasal screeching, even in acclaimed songs like November Rain.
So I was not looking forward to an album exclusively written by GNR's frontman. And yet, the beginning of the album is surprisingly decent with an industrial metal flavor which I never detected in the past from the hard rock band. It rocks hard and the songs are quite catchy.
Sadly, it peters out later and the length of the album certainly devalues it. It would probably garner an additional point in my rating if Rose had been willing to cull a few below par song.
As it stands, it remains a rather interesting discovery, albeit from one of the biggest hard rock band in the world...
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 31. Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy

Post by mileswide »

Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.6 (my #26 of 2008)
My highlights: If the World, Shackler's Revenge
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by spiritualized »

Another serving of hip hop from schaefer.tk, this time in German, which seems to be a popular language in this game and another 2008 album after Chinese Democracy

Image

32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe
Nominated by schaefer.tk (#93)
Genre : Hip Hop, Pop Rap, Dancehall, Pop (# 638 in the RYM Hip-Hop chart)
Descriptors : melodic, urban, rhythmic, conscious, male vocals, eclectic, party
Length : 12 tracks, 42:44 mins

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #3718
RYM ranking : #341 for 2008, #unranked overall (324 ratings @ 3.47 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
159.8k unique listeners and 6.1m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Alles Neu / Schwarz Zu Blau / Haus am See


This is unavailable in my country, so I add a YT playlist which misses "Haus Am See"

[youtube-https]https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLKx ... ICT3Yqbp50[/youtube-https]
[youtube-https]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqIuAJ92tM&t=17s[/youtube-https]


Biography from Allmusic

Taking a break from his day job as one of three frontmen in the internationally popular dancehall orchestra Seeed, Pierre Baigorry (aka Enuff aka Peter Fox) entered his Kreuzberg-based studio in early 2006 to start working on a solo album. Always more of a producer than a natural-born singer, Baigorry intended to pull the strings in the background, giving his strained vocal chords some well-deserved rest. The spotlight was to be left to Atlanta soul-rapper Cee-Lo Green, whose voice had left a deep impression on Baigorry a year earlier when working with Green on Seeed's third full-length, Next! The American soul singer had readily agreed to collaborate with Baigorry and promised to come to Germany right after his work with producer Danger Mouse on a side project had ended. Just a few weeks later, however, Gnarls Barkley's very first single, "Crazy," had turned into a worldwide über-hit -- and the favored candidate was left with little time to contribute to his German friend's solo project.

StadtaffeNever a stranger to improvisation, though, Baigorry quickly got his act together, adapted a new alias for good measure, and went back to work. Instead of targeting a more international audience (as originally intended), the native Berliner decided to stick to his guns and write his lyrics in German (as always with a strong and proud local accent). Assisted by longtime writing partner Monk, Peter Fox's first solo album Stadtaffe (Cityape), was produced with the help of Seeed's DJ Illvibe and some voluminous use of the Berlin-based Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg. The album was accompanied by massive promotional activity from Warner, Fox's record label, which consequently boosted the singles "Alles Neu" and "Haus Am See" into the upper regions of the country's radio charts. With a live band rivaling his main employer Seeed in terms of sheer size (taking along a good part of the album's orchestra instead of saving a few euros and employing samples), Fox went on tour to promote the album in late 2008. The huge success of that tour spawned the 2009 live album, Live aus Berlin.

A fan's review
KildareJohn - Nov 03 2012

Default position for listening to German music - reference the performer’s urban environmental angst at all times. Clarity now being abundant, Berlin is one of many metropolitan tropes that 'Stadtaffe' roundhouse kicks around in a spinning out of control industrial pop-rap frenzy, 'Schüttel Deinen Speck' that moment when turbulence stops at the click of a finger and everyone wonders just what happened. Peter Fox presents himself as that consummate artiste chewing on plasticity that entombs him, his quest to present his masterpiece partly fuelled by a 1970s German cityscape smog and grime that dissipates to pin pricks of 1980s American street walk sounds, Fox's incessantly bouncy histrionics like someone desperate to jump up and catch everything this curiously colored merger of jagged sounds bestows upon him. Nice of him to insist upon only prime cuts, stale blood from the carcasses rapidly descending into the gushing drains.
If you like this, also listen to :
Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition - Murs & 9th Wonder (2004)
Crime Rate Sky-High - Player 1 & Bloody Bones (2006)
Mista Thug Isolation - Lil Ugly Mane(2012)


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. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
12. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.609 (11) [FrankLotion]
12. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
14. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.412 (11) [bonnielaurel]
15. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [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 : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
24. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.860 (10) [Live In Phoenix]
25. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
26. Bluejuice - Company 5.600 (7) [M24]
27. Prince - For You : 5.464 (11) [Moonbeam]
28. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
29. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
30. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.060 (10) [Moonbeam]
31. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by Listyguy »

Stadtaffe - 5/10

I can't claim to be a big hip-hop fan, and this album being in German probably didn't help me here. Some of the production appealed to me, but that was about it.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by Schüttelbirne »

32. Peter Fox | Stadtaffe: 7/10
Highlights: "Alles neu", "Schwarz zu blau", "Haus am See" [very top-heavy]

I've never listened to the album, but "Haus am See" was one of the most overplayed songs on the radio for a while. It's much better than I remember, especially the production with the strings. The lyrics are pretty good, at points great, with "Haus am See" completely subverting all expectations one has to rappers' attitude. "Schwarz zu blau" is a modern classic.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by Brad »

32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe: 3.5
Hey, I'm sorry but just didn't relate to this one. I really tried but man the longer it went on, the more I craved an end to the madness - it was driving me nuts. Sounds like a German Pitbull (the bald dude not the dog). Will not return.

Thanks!
Last edited by Brad on Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by Rob »

Peter Fox - Stadtaffe: 2

I seem to be even harsher than Brad, but for me this was torture and I listened to it twice for some reason. Haus am See was not only big in Germany, but around these parts too. It goes a bit far to call it overplayed in The Netherlands, but it is certainly a radio staple and a popular song. I always hated it, but it is also a song I have a hard time of naming the reason why it grates so on me. Perhaps it is a bit facile, but I find Peter Fox' voice very ugly. I don't refer to his vocal skills, but purely to the sound of his voice. He also sounds oddly serious, even dour for what seems otherwise to be a upbeat song, with a goofy video clip to boot.

Perhaps that is part of the problem here: Fox' grim voice that contrasts weirdly with the more playful nature of the songs. Normally I would be all for playfulness, but there is an odd tackiness to the whole thing that is more annoying than fun. Maybe Brad is right to see a connection to Pitbull. I like some of the strings in the earlier songs, but not anything else. Things get worse as the album progresses. Even the strings fail and the last four songs just get under my skin in a bad way. The final track Zucker might well end up in my list of 100 worst songs of all time if I could ever collect the mental strength to make such a list.

No offense to schaefer.tk and the many people in both Germany and The Netherlands who loved this album, but it is not for me.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by DaveC »

32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe: 6.5/10

Favourite track: Alles Neu
Least favourite track: Der letzte Tag

I barely understand a word, but I quite enjoy this.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by Honorio »

32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe (2008) 4/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe

Post by spiritualized »

I will do all the calculations soon, but here is my rating

32. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe (2008) 6/10. Like DaveC, I have been taken by surprise. Guttural German rap doesn't seem to attract as a first proposal, but it works to a certain level, because the music is more than breakbeats, I really quite like the dancehall vibes that Fox powders through the album. There is a hint (or maybe more) of humor in the whole album, at least to my level of understanding and judging by the videos.
Last edited by spiritualized on Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by spiritualized »

More hip-hop influenced music, but this week, it's all New York, New York with the Fun Lovin Criminals, courtesy of your host.

Image

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself
Nominated by Spiritualized (#657)
Genre : Alternative Rock, Rap Rock, Hip Hop, Funk, Rap Rock (# 705 in the RYM Alternative Rock chart)
Descriptors : N/A
Length : 13 tracks, 49:58 mins

AM ranking : #bubbling under
Artist Ranking : #2568
RYM ranking : #813 for 1996, #unranked overall (759 ratings @ 3.38 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
202.7k unique listeners and 1.5m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Scooby Snacks / The Fun Lovin' Criminal / We Have All The Time In The World


Biography from Allmusic
Much like G. Love & Special Sauce, the New York trio known as Fun Lovin' Criminals hit the alternative airwaves with a blend of hip-hop beats, alternative style, and bluesy rhythms. The group was formed in 1993 by bassist Brian Leiser (Fast) and drummer Steve Borgovini, who had met in Syracuse while going to school; the pair formed a techno group but later moved back to New York City, where they hooked up with vocalist/guitarist Huey Morgan. FLC played around the area, and released their self-titled debut album in 1995 on the Silver Spotlight label. Signed to Capitol the following year, the group gained an alternative radio hit with the single "Scooby Snacks," from Come Find Yourself. In 1997, the band played stateside dates as U2's opening act on their Popmart tour.

FLC returned 18 months later with 100% Colombian, their first for Virgin. "Love Unlimited" and "Korean Bodega" were red-hot hits across Europe and moderate favorites at college radio in the States, but FLC failed to gain critical acclaim in their native country. Trouble was brewing, for 1999 was a year of major changes for the Fun Lovin' Criminals. Founding drummer Borgovini left the band in February and was replaced by ex-Bad Brains/Cro-Mags Mackie Jayson. The B-side collection Mimosa appeared, and the Loco LP, but FLC parted ways with EMI soon after. The label then issued the compilation Bag of Hits without their permission. FLC landed on Sanctuary for Welcome to Poppy's, which appeared in September 2003, and they returned two years later with Livin' in the City. Classic Fantastic followed in 2010.

With Huey Morgan becoming a successful radio DJ for BBC's 6music in the U.K., the group would play select dates at festivals and clubs throughout their hiatus, but it wouldn't be until 2018 that the three-piece returned to the studio. After successful sessions, the group put together the follow-up to 1999's Mimosa album. Featuring reworkings of old songs, covers from the likes of Neil Diamond and Notorious B.I.G., as well as a newly recorded piece for the album, Another Mimosa was issued at the beginning of 2019.

A fan's review
HeyGrace - Jan 16 2006

No matter what it is; a bit of surf, soul, hip hop, rock and soundtrack; first of all these are a few guys who obviously have fun in making music and using their guitars. And I like the super cool and diverse result. I admire for example "Coney Island Girl" in which a lot of energy comes out of the speakers in a very short time (1.50).
If you like this, also listen to :
To Bring You My Love - PJ Harvey (1995)
The Hot Rock - Sleater-Kinney (1999)
Kocorono - bloodthirsty butchers (1996)


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. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
12. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.609 (11) [FrankLotion]
12. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
14. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.412 (11) [bonnielaurel]
15. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [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 : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
24. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.860 (10) [Live In Phoenix]
25. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
26. Bluejuice - Company 5.600 (7) [M24]
27. Prince - For You : 5.464 (11) [Moonbeam]
28. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
29. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe : 4.857 (7) [schaefer.tk]
29. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
30. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.060 (10) [Moonbeam]
31. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by mileswide »

Peter Fox - Stadtaffe 9.1 (my #8 for 2008)

The sound design for this.album inhabits its own world, not harmed at all by the constantly tight and propulsive drumming. While Fox's rhymes are hardly peppered with insight, he delivers them with the élan and flair for the deadpan that renders such concerns insignificant. Every track is an immediate earworm. The outstanding album of this game so far for me and that includes my own entry, what a find!

My highlights: Alles neu, Zucker (feat. Vanessa Mason), Das zweite Gesicht, Der letzte Tag, Schwarz zu Blau, Fieber

This month's highlights ranked:
Alles neu
Zucker
Das zweite Gesicht
Der letzte Tag
Schwarz zu Blau
If the World
Shackler's Revenge
Fieber
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Listyguy »

Come Find Yourself - 6/10

Another album that I've heard before this game. There are a few nice songs, but the band is stuffing too many genres into a confined space. And really, there's not a lot of overlap. There are rap songs and there are rock songs. The two very rarely occur in the same song. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the synergy doesn't work for me a whole lot.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Brad »

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself: 5.6
Has some enjoyable moments, but also brings to mind that "frat-boy" alt-rock so prevalent in the mid-90's, which kind of spoils it for me.

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Madzong »

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself: 6

Used to own this on CD back in the day. I bought it basically for Scooby Snacks. There was nothing as awesome as that track but a few others came close. Every time I listened to the album I found all the different styles a bit jarring. Some tracks definitely worked better than others.

Not bad but not great.
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by mileswide »

Not gonna deviate massively from the norm here:

Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself 6.1 (my #21 for 1996)
My highlights: Scooby Snacks, I Can't Get with That, King of New York

This month's highlights ranked:
Alles neu
Zucker
Scooby Snacks
Das zweite Gesicht
Der letzte Tag
Schwarz zu Blau
If the World
I Can't Get with That
Shackler's Revenge
Fieber
King of New York
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Rob »

Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself: 8

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. I expected something different and honestly something a little obnoxious, but this sounds quite special to me. Yes, there are many ingredients and genre mixes here, but I feel that the album actually gels pretty well and the band actually manages to create a distinct sound out of it. In a way they made a rap rock record that is very different than you might find with for example Run-DMC, Rage Against the Machine and early Beasty Boys, who mixed the hardest elements of rock with the toughest of hip-hop, but Fun Lovin' Criminal focus more the cool and relaxed parts of hip-hop and their rock mostly follows suit. Despite the clear 90's vibe this still manages to feel fresh, full of memorable and surprisingly clever songs.

And yes, I did already know Scooby Snacks, but I never really paid attention to it, because of my deep hatred of Scooby Doo. If that sounds irrational, imagine being the only person on the world who thinks that cartoon is bad beyond belief (and I love cartoons!). But yeah, listening again that is a fine song.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Rob »

mileswide wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:14 pm This month's highlights ranked:
Alles neu
Zucker
Goodness! I'm sorry, Mileswide, but I'm cancelling your booking as a DJ at my wedding ;)
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by DaveC »

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself: 6/10

Favourite track: I Can't Get with That
Least favourite track: Bear Hug
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by Honorio »

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself (1996) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by spiritualized »

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself (1996) 9/10

FLC have a lot going for them. They're funky and rock, fun but can be dark and gangsta, know how to write catchy tunes without galavauding their influences and mix hip hop and rock masterfully. Of course you can't avoid Scooby Snacks but for all the plays it had, it still is a great song, but there's a lot in the album to enjoy. The great opener puts you straight in the mood and I like the bad boys attitude without using much profanity, which is usually totally unnecessary. Then you got the rap rock of Passive Agressive which could be a Beastie Boys/Run DMC mashup.
The genres are indeed quite diverse, with funk, soul, rock, rap getting a NYC treatment by the trio.
A fun, catchy 90s album - why does it sound that the 90s are rapidly becoming as uncool as the 80s ?
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 33. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself

Post by mileswide »

Rob wrote: Sat Jun 19, 2021 8:22 pm
mileswide wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:14 pm This month's highlights ranked:
Alles neu
Zucker
Goodness! I'm sorry, Mileswide, but I'm cancelling your booking as a DJ at my wedding ;)
These are certified wedding reception jams, you should pay me double :happy-partydance: We can't spend the whole party sitting crossed legs nodding our heads along to Dylan as much as I'd like to!
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by spiritualized »

The next album is the first entry from Henry - we go back into the territory of soul music, but with a blues twist

Image

34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off
Nominated by Henry (#580)
Genre : Blues Rock (# 1123 in the RYM Alternative Rock chart)
Descriptors : N/A
Length : 12 tracks, 52:58 mins

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #1526
RYM ranking : #unranked for 1999, #unranked overall (68 ratings @ 3.34 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
6376 unique listeners and 32.3k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : All The Way / Love Gone To Waste /24/7 Man


Biography from Allmusic
The most commercially and critically successful blues artist of his generation, Robert Cray took his music to the upper reaches of the pop and rock charts when many major blues acts were counting their sales in the tens of thousands. On the strength of his breakthrough album, 1986's Strong Persuader, Cray landed eight singles in the Top 40 of the American Rock Singles charts between 1986 and 1992, with two of them ("Smoking Gun" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") rising to number two and number four, respectively. One of the most important things that set Cray apart from his peers on the blues scene in the '80s and '90s was his focus on songwriting rather than guitar heroics. While he was an impressively strong player, his soloing was clean and concise for the most part, without excessive showboating, and his songs were more closely related to vintage Southern soul in their storytelling and sense of character than in the typical 12-bar paeans to whiskey and women favored by most blues acts of the era. 1983's Bad Influence was the album that first earned Cray a major buzz among blues enthusiasts, while 1986's Strong Persuader was a near flawless set of songs that made him a star and allowed him to cross over to the mainstream on his own terms. A hard-working performer, Cray recorded and toured steadily once he became a major headliner, and the consistency of style and quality among most of his subsequent albums meant that few were major standouts, but 1993's Shame + A Sin dug deeper into traditional blues than most of his '90s efforts, 2001's Shoulda Been Home saw him giving himself a change to stretch out on guitar, 2010's Cookin' in Mobile was a potent document of Cray and his band in concert, he dipped his toes into topical material on 2015's Nothin' but Love, and 2017's Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm was an inspired collaboration with one of the great soul studio bands of the '70s.

A fan's review
skirmani - Jun 20 20146

A decent release by Robert cray in line with what he does best. i.e sing them blues and play them blues. I would not have considered it Grammy Worthy, but maybe the competition in the Blues category is weak these days.
Highlights: "What about Me"; "Love Gone to waste"; "There's Nothing Wrong"; "Pardon".
What About Me is where Cray really let's his guitar playing loose and the song gives enough room for him to shine.
Good album.
If you like this, also listen to :
Blue Drops of Rain - Corey Stevens (1995)
Rebel Radio - Calvin Russell (2002)
The Big Come Up - The Black Keys (2002)


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. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself 6.713
12. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
13. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.609 (11) [FrankLotion]
14. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
15. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.412 (11) [bonnielaurel]
16. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [bonnielaurel]
17. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
18. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.260 (10) [sonofsamiam]
19. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.204 (13) [Brad]
20. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.054 (13) [Brad]
21. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.044 (9) [rumpdoll]
22. The Cult - Electric 6.0167 (9) [whuntva]
23. Cybotron - Enter : 5.966 (12) [Moonbeam]
24. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
25. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.860 (10) [Live In Phoenix]
26. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.618 (10) [antonius]
27. Bluejuice - Company 5.600 (7) [M24]
28. Prince - For You : 5.464 (11) [Moonbeam]
29. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe : 4.857 (8) [schaefer.tk]
30. MUNA - About U : 5.316 (12) [votingbloc]
30. Hayden James - Between Us 4.089 (9) [M24]
31. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 4.060 (10) [Moonbeam]
32. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.730 (10) [prosecutorgodot]
Last edited by spiritualized on Mon Jun 21, 2021 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by bonnielaurel »

I think this is a mistake. My #580 was Ritchie Valens.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by spiritualized »

Yes sorry, made a column mistake, I'll correct it !
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Henry »

34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off: 8.1

In addition to the songs recommended by skirmani above, please listen to "Living Proof."
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Listyguy »

Take Your Shoes Off - 7/10

Cray's guitar work on this album is definitely a highlight for me. It's weaved into songs like "There's Nothing Wrong" with great skill. The album probably could've been cut down by a few tracks, but it's not detrimentally long either.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Schüttelbirne »

Finally got to it:

33. Fun Lovin' Criminals | Come Find Yourself: 5/10
Highlight: "Passive / Aggressive"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Schüttelbirne »

34. Robert Cray | Take Your Shoes Off: 5/10
There are no bad songs here, but also few really good ones.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Safetycat »

26. Hayden James - Between Us (2019) - 3

27. Tall Dwarfs - 3EPs (1994) - 7
I wish I liked it more, this is probably a light 7. I'd personally go 2-1-3 on ranking the 3EPs.
Overall I prefer Toy Love to Tall Dwarfs but it's all pretty decent.

28. The Cult - Electric (1987) - 7
I wasn't prepared for this. Their album Love was a favourite discovery of mine from the 1980's poll, so hearing such a transformation in sound was quite jarring. It's good, too, but not my favourite in the genre.

29. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt alles anders (1998) - 8

30. Bluejuice - Company (2011) - 8
Oh, hey, Bluejuice! I like some of their stuff. I remember my Aussie friends putting on possibly this album and being surprised I knew them. As for the album, not as weird as Head of the Hawk, which means it loses something and just becomes normal indie for the 2010s, but I like that sound.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by mileswide »

The Robert Cray Band - Take Your Shoes off 5.4 (my #21 for 1999)
My highlights: It's All Gone, Love Gone to Waste

My DJ set list this month:
Alles neu
Zucker
Scooby Snacks
Das zweite Gesicht
Der letzte Tag
Schwarz zu Blau
It's All Gone
If the World
I Can't Get with That
Shackler's Revenge
Fieber
Love Gone to Waste
King of New York
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Rob »

Robert Cray | Take Your Shoes Off: 6
Sadly for an artist known as a blues player this leans far more to soul; or it is just the most mellow blues ever played. Only a few times does the guitar really draw attention and these tend to be the best moments. For the most part though, this is a well-made album that just doesn't have any really great heights, but also no lows. That makes for a nice listen, but if you will ask me in a year whether I heard this I'm glad I have this topic as proof, as I doubt I'll remember anything about it by then.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by DaveC »

34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off: 4.5/10

Favourite track: What About Me
Least favourite track: Let Me Know

The extra .5 is for those last two tracks which sound as if they are from a completely different album that would be much more to my taste.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by Honorio »

34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off (1999) 7/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by spiritualized »

34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off (1999) 7/10

A surprisingly good album.
But, contrary to my forums peers, I am not enamored with the blues which gradually permeates throughout the album.
No, it's the first few songs which stand out to me. The brass and keyboards are so reminiscent of Hi Records-era Al Green, it's spooky.
His voice doesn't reach Green's levels, but this is a refreshing take on the soul from the 70s. As the album progresses, it becomes more and more bluesy, which is less to my liking, but good nonetheless. Special mention to It's All Gone, a track where you can almost wish to put Green's voice on the instrumentation.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 34. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off

Post by mileswide »

^ Have to concur with the soul cuts triumphing over the blues numbers and with the Hi Records feel to the arrangements!
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by spiritualized »

I won't have the time to tally up the scores, but will catch up later in the week
Sorry about the slight delay.

This is the second entry from whuntva, back to Canadian rock, definitely a popular one if you consider the number of scrobbles !


Image


35. Three Days Grace - One-X
Nominated by whuntva (#449)
Genre : Post-Grunge, Alternative Rock (# 246 in the RYM Post-Grunge chart)
Descriptors : male vocals, angry, lonely, introspective, melodic, love, anxious, pessimistic, breakup, drugs, passionate, self-hatred, heavy, aggressive
Length : 12 tracks, 43:41 mins

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #unranked
RYM ranking : #1302 for 2006, #unranked overall (2122 ratings @ 2.81 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
825.3k unique listeners and 15.1m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Animal I have Become / Pain / Riot


Biography from Allmusic

The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. Three Days Grace were formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada, in 1997 by Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Brad Walst (bass), and Neil Sanderson (drums). The group was originally called Groundswell, a five-piece that lasted from 1992 until transforming to a trio five years later. Gontier and Walst were raised in Norwood, and many of their songs were inspired by living in a place with a population of around 1,500. The bandmembers were still in high school when they had their first gig, and they performed anywhere that would accept them -- including opening for a movie.

Three Days Grace eventually relocated to Toronto and were introduced to producer Gavin Brown by their old manager. The band gave Brown a private set, and he selected what he felt were the most promising tracks. The group then produced a demo for EMI Music Publishing Canada. With Brown at the helm, Three Days Grace recorded "(I Hate) Everything About You." The tune got them a publishing deal with EMI, and soon they were signed to Jive after being courted by the company's president. Brown and Three Days Grace were sent to a studio in Boston, Massachusetts, to start the group's debut album. The band completed its self-titled full-length in Woodstock, New York, at an isolated location free from big-city distractions. Heavily influenced by Kyuss and Sunny Day Real Estate, the dark, angst-ridden tales of small-town love and hate on Three Days Grace brought the group a Next Big Thing tag.

Three Days Grace was released on July 22, 2003, by which time "(I Hate) Everything About You" was already a hit on alternative radio stations in Canada. The band toured extensively behind the record for the next two years as both a supporting act and headliners, but after a while, life on the road left the band, especially Gontier, feeling isolated and alone. Consequently, this theme of disconnection -- coupled with the realization that one was, in fact, not alone -- would serve as the basis for their follow-up album. Getting back to their roots by writing the record in the Ontario countryside, One-X was released in June 2006. The album, which hit number five on the Billboard Top 200, marked the recorded debut of the band's second guitarist, Barry Stock. Three Days Grace supported One-X throughout the summer on dates alongside Staind, Hoobastank, and Nickelback, while "Animal I Have Become" became a number one modern rock hit.

In 2009, the group released its third full-length album, Life Starts Now, which reached number three on Billboard's album chart. After heading out on tour with bands like Nickelback and Avenged Sevenfold, the band returned to the studio to record its fourth album, the more atmospheric, electronic-tinged Transit of Venus. Again, they charted in the Top Five of the Billboard 200. In early 2013, Gontier left the band, citing a health issue, and was replaced by Brad Walst's brother, singer Matt Walst of My Darkest Days. After touring and recording with their new singer, two singles, "Painkiller" and "I Am Machine," were released in 2014 and both reached number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The band's fifth album, the darker, loss-inspired Human, followed in the spring of 2015. In July 2017, Three Days Grace issued the single "The Mountain" in anticipation of the release of their sixth studio long-player, Outsider, which arrived in early 2018.

A fan's review
barnowiren - Sep 08 2020

An underappreciated mid-2000's classic
If Three Days Grace was a solid album than One-X is completely and without a doubt good, one of the best made by any of these mid-2000's radio rock bands really. The formula they established in their self titled was basically perfected here I think, slowing down the tempos and aggression a bit in favor of a more moody, emotionally-driven album that still has enough edge to make it worthwhile. Honestly? There's some emotion in this album that I can relate to even now. Specifically Riot and Never Too Late are like... So much more relatable to me now than they were back then.

There's really not a bad song on here and while the same was true for the self titled I can say there's barely any tracks that aren't highlights. Is it the best album I've ever heard? Certainly not, but of all the albums I used to listen to in middle school this is probably the one that holds up the best. Animal I Have Become is the song that got me into rock music, and from there there's also Never Too Late, Riot, Pain, Time of Dying, Gone Forever, One-X, Get Out Alive, On My Own.

Honestly I think this albums holds up super well and I'm sorry I said anything bad about Three Days Grace's earlier work, cause even in the more purely angsty sections that I can't really relate to Adam Gontier makes it feel like raw emotion cause he's just really fucking good.
If you like this, also listen to :
Daydream Anonymous - InMe(2007)
Actor - St Vincent (2009) - ???!?
Alligator - The National (2005)


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


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.629 (12 votes) [Brad]
2. Tall Dwarfs - The 3EPs 7.282 (11) [Spiritualized]
3. Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun : 7.260 (10) [CupOfDreams]
4. Mavis Staples - If All I Was Was Black : 6.882 (11) [antonius]
5. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.829 (12) [Toni]
6. Pretty Things - Parachute : 6.827 (12) [Zombeels]
7. Hood - Cold House : 6.800 (12) [CupOfDreams]
8. James - Laid : 6.725 (12) [Zombeels]
9. The Band - Stage Fright 6.718 (11) [Henry]
10. The Elgins - Darling Baby : 6.650 (10) [mileswide]
11. Four Tet - FabricLive.59 : 6.609 (11) [Krurze]
12. Fun Lovin' Criminals - Come Find Yourself 6.522 (9) [Spiritualized]
13. Jay-Z - American Gangster 6.518 (11) [FrankLotion]
14. Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? 6.383 (12) [bonnielaurel]
15. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.369 (13) [schaefer.tk]
16. Herbert Grönemeyer - Bleibt Alles Anders : 6.340 (10) [rumpdoll]
17. Bee Gees - Main Course : 6.268 (11) [bonnielaurel]
18. Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion: 6.260 (10) [sonofsamiam]
19. The Cult - Electric 6.240 (10) [whuntva]
20. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.221 (12) [Brad]
21. Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn : 6.177 (11) [SL3]
22. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.142 (12) [Brad]
23. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off 6.078 (9) [Henry]
24. Bluejuice - Company 6.020 (10) [M24]
25. Anthony Braxton - For Alto : 5.927 (11) [sonofsamiam]
26. Guns 'n Roses - Chinese Democracy 5.860 (10) [Live In Phoenix]
27. Cybotron - Enter : 5.827 (11) [Moonbeam]
28. Defunkt - Defunkt : 5.780 (10) [antonius]
29. Prince - For You : 5.660 (10) [Moonbeam]
30. Peter Fox - Stadtaffe : 5.388 (8) [schaefer.tk]
31. MUNA - About U : 5.164 (11) [votingbloc]
32. Hayden James - Between Us 3.891 (11) [M24]
33. Sharon Redd - Love How You Feel : 3.844 (9) [Moonbeam]
34. Schoolhouse Rock! - Science Rock : 3.664 (11) [prosecutorgodot]
Last edited by spiritualized on Sat Jul 03, 2021 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Listyguy
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Listyguy »

One-X - 5/10

Subpar, over-angsty rock music really isn't my cup of tea. The band isn't Limp Bizkit-level bad, but I won't be going out of my way to listen to their music any time soon.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Schüttelbirne »

35. Three Days Grace | One-X: 6/10 [but rather close to a 7]
Highlights: "It's All Over", "Gone Forever", "Running Away"
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Rob »

Three Days Grace - One-X: 5

With Incubus on Tournament of Champions and this one here this week turned into an oddly nostalgic one. Oddly, because the post-grunge sound was one of the most common in my personal environments during say 1999 to 2008, even if I never put it on again. Those were basically my teenage years and where I grew up none of my peers were listening to hip-hop. I wouldn't learn of the likes of Arcade Fire, The White Stripes or The Strokes until much later. No, if you'd ask me what was popular around that time you'd have pop acts like Maroon 5 and Keane on the one hand and on the other those post-grunge acts like obviously Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, but also things Three Doors Down, Shinedown and indeed Three Days Grace; the latter of which I had actually kind of forgotten about. I never knew of Incubus, because apparently The Netherlands were the one country they didn't break through. Looking back at all this, I notice that the discrepancy between what was popular in the mainstream and what did well with critics was enormous.

All this is to say that although I was never a specific fan of post-grunge myself (nobody called it post-grunge back then by the way), just hearing that general sound takes me back. There is something oddly comforting about the familiarity of an album like One-X. However, like much nostalgia, I find that the effect wears off very quickly. By the end of the record I'm dead tired of it. For this same reason I have never understood our current culture's deep obsession with everything nostalgic, as it is always a rather shallow effect in the long run. Or maybe that's just me.

But I digress. One-X isn't very good. It is a late album in the genre and it feels like we finally reach the most watered-down version of the grunge sound and its topics. It's hard to find anything in the genre were the lyrics are more trite and shallow. In fact, songs like Pain or Riot could have been what a parody of actual grunge would sound like, based on the writing. The music itself is also a dime a dozen. The few songs from the genre I still like had at least some appealing melodies, but not this album. I think if there was no nostalgia at all for me here it would go even lower. But the post-grunge sound seems to have faded off the face of the Earth completely (or else my surroundings), so it does feel like a quaint reminder of what once was, for better or worse.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Brad »

4. Robert Cray - Take Your Shoes Off: 4.7
I was afraid I would be faced with another "Strong Persuader" - AOR fodder for aging Clapton fans. Like spiritualized, I was pleased there was more non-blues stuff on this album. Unfortunately, I just don't think the songs are very good.

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by mileswide »

Three Days Grace - One-X 2.4 (my #36 for 2006)

My highlights: 'Riot' earns a 6 ('good') but nothing gets any nearer to an 8 ('excellent'), which is my baseline for a highlight.
All I got inside is vacancy!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Honorio »

35. Three Days Grace - One-X (2006) 5/10
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by spiritualized »

35. Three Days Grace - One-X (2006) 3.5/10

Never heard of Three Days Grace before. And yet this album garnered 15.1m listens on last.fm. Did I miss something ? Not really. It's a run-of-the-mill, post-grunge by numbers, similar to Nickelback (I find Limp Bizkit far better, simply by the sheer agression and sometimes dumbness of the band). This pretends to be clever, emotional, whereas Limp Bizkit is frat nu metal, stupid, but fun.$
By no means is it bad. It's just less than average but I will turn to LB, Billy Talent, Papa Roach or even Linkin Park for my weekly dose of nu metal.
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by Brad »

35. Three Days Grace - One-X: 2

Thanks!
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 35. Three Days Grace - One-X

Post by DaveC »

35. Three Days Grace - One-X: 5/10

Favourite track: Get Out Alive
Least favourite track: On My Own
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Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 36. Selda - Selda

Post by spiritualized »

A first entry for Panam, and certainly a first Turkish entry for this game, not to be confused with the popular game series.
Image

36. Selda - Selda
Nominated by panam (#416)
Genre : Anatolian Rock, Turkish Folk Music Psychedelic Rock (# 2 in the RYM Anatolian Rock chart)
Descriptors : political, psychedelic, female vocals, protest, folklore, raw, passionate, melancholic
Length : 12 tracks,

AM ranking : #unranked
Artist Ranking : #unranked
RYM ranking : #119 for 1976, #5517 overall (1009 ratings @ 3.69/ 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
11.4k unique listeners and 165.9k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Yaz Gazeteci Yaz / Ince Ince / Yaylalar


Biography from Allmusic

Protest Anatolian pop/folk/psychedelic singer Selda is the leading female artist in a male-dominant world. Her intense voice and impressive skill at reinterpreting hundred-year-old Turkish folk tunes have supplied her a well-deserved fame all around the world, even though she was a bit late to be received. On the other hand, because of her political views, she was banned, imprisoned, and abandoned in the chaotic years of Turkish history.

Selda Bagcan was born in 1948. She grew up in a well-educated family, where she showed interest in music at an early age. She played the guitar for pleasure, until her first two singles recorded in 1971 sold almost a million copies. That was the turning point for her, and step by step, she became one of the most influential female figures in the Turkish folk scene. She recorded a single with Mogollar in 1972. Same year, she was sent to Bulgaria by the Turkish government to participate in the Golden Orfeus Festival. The 1970s were the peak years of Selda's career as she heavily toured Turkey and Europe while she was building up a large fan base. Her self-titled first LP was released in 1976. Her much-anticipated debut is one of the most precious items of every collector. This LP showcases her more psych-prog side more than her later works.

After the infamous military coup in 1980, her passport was seized by the government and she couldn't leave the country until 1987. Meanwhile, she missed the opportunity to attend the WOMAD Foundation Festival, which was inspired by Peter Gabriel. She was imprisoned in 1982 and again in 1984. After 1987, Selda took the stage in numerous festivals in both Turkey and Europe. In 1990, she bought the rights to her own recordings. In 1994, she started re-releasing them in a series of albums named Turkulerimiz from her own record company Major Muzik -- latest being Turkulerimiz 6 which was released in 2006. Her most recent album of original material, Anne Ben Geldim, was released in 2002.

After surviving a serious accident in 2000 while she was touring, Selda was relatively lucky in the new millennium with the rediscovery of Turkish psychedelic-era music by European and American collectors. Her first LP, Selda, was re-released in 2006 by Finders Keepers, but was met with grave reviews.

A fan's review
The_DeepBlue - May 12, 2011

Selda was banned by the Turkish government for her protest songs. And while I do not understand the lyrics that Selda sings in her native Turkish language, I can still feel the tense emotion, anger, and sadness that she poured into her self-titled 1976 release. Harboring an eastern-like sound, Selda is a heavy hitting album on all fronts. The guitar playing is excellent, such as on the opening "Meydan Sizindir", containing several distorted guitar solos with the third one slowing to a slow, rough edged tempo. "Yaz Gazeteci Yaz" is pop supremacy with its brilliant bounciness contained within the hook. "Nasirli Eller", the album's first ballad, may be the most impressive song. The keyboard is illuminating, and Selda's voice is filled with passion-I daresay it's heartbreaking.

The woman knew how to belt it out. For a language filled with so many consonants and coca-phonic words, she makes the language sound as pretty as Spanish or French. The audio quality is not top-notch however, but for some of you it may add to the realism and rawness of the album. Sometimes her voice can seem a little overpowering. Such is the case with "Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar", where a good guitar riff takes the back seat to Selda's glass shattering vocals. "Gine Haber Gelmis" is the album's throw-away tune, as it never really lifts off the ground and ventures into any place that is interesting. "Yaylalar" kicks the album back into gear with its bizarre eastern sounds. "Selda" is a gem of an album. Its audio quality is a bit on the rough side, but for what its worth, there are some superb tracks and unforgettable moments on this record. A reissue of the album which contains four extra bonus tracks is available for about ten bucks on Amazon.com. Even if you do not go the way of the reissued disc, the original songs that comprise Selda's eponymous sophomore album is worth your time.
If you like this, also listen to :
Safinaz - Cem Karaca & Edirdahan (1978)
Nick the Chopper - Barış Manço (1976)
Erkut Taçkın - Erkut Taçkın (1975)


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Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
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Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 36. Selda - Selda

Post by Listyguy »

Selda - 7/10

A nice album, the traditional Turkish music gives a nice twist to your typical psychedelic folk sound. It's not amazing or anything, but it's certainly interesting.
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