The Album thread.

[Qu Klaani]

Now this isn't me ignoring the Listening post or anything, this isn't just a different kind of music thread. This is for talking about an Album you're listening to, and mebbe talking about them a bit, and recommending them to others.

I've always liked listening to whole albums on CD, I think it's just the best way to enjoy music. It's also worrying that they seem to be losing their importance, though I think mebbe thats exagerated. Anywho, enough me rambling, I shall start us off.



Setting the bar high at the start, I'm not going to get into any lengthy comment about it (cause I'm lazy,) but it really is an utter classic.

[Darragh]

Not an instant classic or anything but this is the only album that managed to keep my attention for more than a day for a good while.



It's alot more accesible than more recent Radiohead stuff. Radiohead embarress alot of other bands with their perfect simplicity. Standout tracks: Faust Arp, Nude and Videotape. The bonus cd that came with the In Rainbows megapack (Cd's. Vynals. Art/lyricbook) was slightly dissapointing but it has 2 tracks that could well be on the main album. Last Flowers and 4 Minute Warning.

Critically it was well recieved but critics clamber over each other to fellate Radiohead.

I agree that albums have become less important. Bands seem to get elevated to superstars without having to make a completely solid album. U2, for example, get by on their singles.

[Diolmhain]

U2! Shower of bastards !

[Leif]

Good idea, Qu Klaani.

When I listen to music I almost always listen to whole albums at a time. If a band can only produce one or two good songs, I usually don't bother with them. Here's a very short list of albums I'm currently in to:

A. C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
The Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
The National - Boxer
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The New Pornographers - Challengers, Twin Cinema, Electric Version, and Mass Romantic
Okkervil River- Stage Names
Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
White Rabits - Fort Nightly
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

That's what's hot at the moment in Leif's world.

[Mr. Absentia]

Sigur Ros - Takk...




Good idea for a thread.

I think it's kind of sad the way that the album is dying off, and mainly blame I-pods, and the internet for it's death (although I have and use both ). Unfortunately the internet, and even the i-pod has become a mandatory part of living, so the album may eventually come to pass. People really do need to see though that, a song not listened to in the proper context of the album, is not being properly listened to at all.

[Pausert]

Sigur Ros - Takk...




Good idea for a thread.

I think it's kind of sad the way that the album is dying off, and mainly blame I-pods, and the internet for it's death (although I have and use both ). Unfortunately the internet, and even the i-pod has become a mandatory part of living, so the album may eventually come to pass. People really do need to see though that, a song not listened to in the proper context of the album, is not being properly listened to at all.

I disagree about the album dying off. I have an Ipod and I rarely listen to a song out of its album. I've done it to a point that if I hear a song on its own I become confused when I don't hear the "right" next song playing. The disconnect between songs can be a good thing in some cases. It can force artists to make a songs that must stand on their own instead of simply being able to throw a song in and hope its lost among the more complete songs.

I'm not listening to anything interesting, just The Best of Kansas.

[zemarl]

*glares at Qu Klaani* if you're trying to make friends by suddenly coming up with topics i agree with...

i have yet to make more useful statements than 'still great' but the eagles' new(est) album made me happier than almost anything put out by other artists i'm familiar with. radiohead were starting to drag on my nerves a bit from over-listening but in rainbows refreshed the spirit ^^ hmm... more later i think.

mr absentia has a point about the ipod being a destroyer of the good. i recently bought a new cd player, because i happen to like the artists i listen to enough to buy their albums, and the lady who sold it to me complained that i ought to be upgrading to a more modern technology such as the mp3 player or ipod (maybe she was on commission, they cost at least 3 times as much). were it not for being pressed for time i would have liked to enlighten her, but i gave it up as a lost cause with the simple "i like cds." there's something so much more valid about them, and someone whose music is worth listening to will never fail to provide you with affirmation on the superiority of whole albums to singles. i become used to the order of the songs as well :p thought i was maybe just strange.

[Leif]

mr absentia has a point about the ipod being a destroyer of the good. i recently bought a new cd player, because i happen to like the artists i listen to enough to buy their albums, and the lady who sold it to me complained that i ought to be upgrading to a more modern technology such as the mp3 player or ipod (maybe she was on commission, they cost at least 3 times as much). were it not for being pressed for time i would have liked to enlighten her, but i gave it up as a lost cause with the simple "i like cds." there's something so much more valid about them, and someone whose music is worth listening to will never fail to provide you with affirmation on the superiority of whole albums to singles. i become used to the order of the songs as well :p thought i was maybe just strange.

You know you can listen to whole albums on MP3 players. I buy albums too, but my Zune is much more convenient than a CD player.

[zemarl]

but i don't WANT to. it's like those bluetooth mobile phones, the ones you clip on your ear. people think smallest tech is best, which is incredibly stupid. so you can use your microscopic phone to pay bills, park or start your car, listen to music, watch tv, get email, sell things on ebay, walk your dog, tell time in 150 countries, set an alarm, nuke your tv dinner and even talk on the phone. what happens if you lose it?

and that is why i like cd players, because they fit in your purse/backpack/winter coat pocket, nobody wants to steal them, and you can actually find them. not to mention the headphones are like a zillion times better - rather pinch some clips onto my ears than stab my brains out with those damn earbuds any day. (yes, i know you can get different headphones for the ipod if you want. how dumb does it look to have a bite-sized music playing device paired with surround sound headphones though?)

[Peter]

You used to have to listen to half an album at a time, and very often the two sides had very different characters. Two examples will serve:

Small Faces - Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. Side one is a collection of great songs, side two a bizarre narrative.

David Bowie - Low and Heroes. Side one is short songs, side two longer mostly instrumental pieces.

The late-90s digital remix of Pet Sounds is very nice indeed.

[zemarl]

You used to have to listen to half an album at a time

*huggles peter* the only records we still have are like, the smurfs... and i can't say much for their quality since only children and people on drugs could possibly enjoy them at any length. my dad used to have a ton of classic rock, awesome stuff, but he sold them all

[Mr. Absentia]

mr absentia has a point about the ipod being a destroyer of the good. i recently bought a new cd player, because i happen to like the artists i listen to enough to buy their albums, and the lady who sold it to me complained that i ought to be upgrading to a more modern technology such as the mp3 player or ipod (maybe she was on commission, they cost at least 3 times as much). were it not for being pressed for time i would have liked to enlighten her, but i gave it up as a lost cause with the simple "i like cds." there's something so much more valid about them, and someone whose music is worth listening to will never fail to provide you with affirmation on the superiority of whole albums to singles. i become used to the order of the songs as well :p thought i was maybe just strange.

You know you can listen to whole albums on MP3 players. I buy albums too, but my Zune is much more convenient than a CD player.

You're right MP3 players aren't all evil. People still can listen to full albums on them. My problem with it is that, the internet, and i-tunes have made it so much easier for people to buy/illegally downlaod single songs. Back before the MP3 player people were forced to spend a good amount of money on full albums, and to get their money's worth they were more likely to become acquainted with the whole CD. Today if you can download a single song song for a 99 cents or a whole album (illegally) for free, people see no harm in just listening to a couple of songs.

[Peter]

Of course compressed audio is going to sound worse than uncompressed audio. MP3 and AAC and their chums only win when you have storage constraints to worry about.

Vinyl crackles and pops and wears and sounds progressively worse as the needle progresses towards the centre of the record. All part of its charm, I suppose.

Anyway, back to the original topic:

This - Associates - Sulk. I have it on the original vinyl and also the remastered mylar. Both sound impossibly wonderful. This is an LP that has outlived the 80s - whose influences are nevertheless clear to see.

I have many fond memories of listening to this album when i was younger....recently my dad (who owns the cd, hence its not gonna be listed in my collection) was playing it again...I recognised "Its Better This Way" almost immediately and I remembered all about this great album. To me it sounds way ahead of its time (1982), I always thought it came out in 1985 for some reason.

What we have here is some quality pop/rock, with great use if synthesizers and guitars, and one of the best voices in the music industry. Its a little similar to The Smiths (its a popular belief that Morrisey wrote "William, it Was Really Nothing with Billy Mackenzie in mind) in places, but also very unique.

I haven't heard this album in a while (once i'm finished here I'll go downstairs and find it, then rip it to my PC without hesitation) but "Arrogance Gave Him Up", "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country" are songs I'll always remember.

Bloody brilliant, this.

[Jamie]

[In Rainbows]'s alot more accesible than more recent Radiohead stuff. Radiohead embarress alot of other bands with their perfect simplicity.

Not to suggest it's simple music though, it's a meticulously and delicately created sound and a lot of the unorthodox time-signatures/chord-progressions show creativity defunct in most mainstream music nowadays.

The bonus cd that came with the In Rainbows megapack (Cd's. Vynals. Art/lyricbook) was slightly dissapointing but it has 2 tracks that could well be on the main album. Last Flowers and 4 Minute Warning.

Hmm, good choices but I think Up Is The New Down is fantastic too, it always grabs my attention

***

I am listening to THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES, by Rage Against The Machine at the minute. It's riff-tastic! Lyrics are awesome but yeah, a great all round album.

[Leif]

I bought In Rainbows online when they had their "pay what you think it's worth" deal. I gave them $15 but for some reason the first track didn't download for me, and I can't listen to an album without the first song! Anyone wanna help a guy out?

[clarion]

Yeah. I paid zero dollars for In Rainbows. But I did pay for the double disc, so I guess it all balances out. I like Bangers and Mash a lot, even though Thom mumbles a lot and I can't understand a damn thing he's singing... but it's a fun song to run around in circles to. My favorite on the album is probably Last Flowers to the Hospital. Here's 15 Step, Track 1: http://www.sendspace.com/file/pmv2sm


Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Joanna Newsom's Ys.



I love this album. Joanna's voice is a mix between Bjork and Lisa Simpson. There are 5 songs. The shortest in length being about 7 minutes long and the longest 17 minutes. There are stories of death and love and loss, backed by harp and string instruments and other instruments that I don't know the name of. It's not for everyone, but to me it's musically and lyrically brilliant.

[Darragh]

I bought In Rainbows online when they had their "pay what you think it's worth" deal. I gave them $15 but for some reason the first track didn't download for me, and I can't listen to an album without the first song! Anyone wanna help a guy out?

Add me on msn (d_g@vodafone.ie) and just mention it to me.

[AlexSP]

bestalbumever

[Townie]

Are Skinny Puppy still going then?

Well, I don't listen to much rocknroll music there days, but when I was a nipper (I started getting into music in the 80s) this is what really influenced me:

Bend Sinister - The Fall (1986) Played this to death

Bedtime for Democracy - Dead Kennedys (1986) Played this to death

The Queen is Dead - The Smiths (1986) I remember buying this on holiday in Scotland and not being able to play it for a week. Its still great now.

Doolittle - Pixies (1989)

Fired from the Circus - Doctor & the Crippens (1988)

The Only Good Punk is a Dead One - Electro Hippies (1988)

The above were all new when I bought them. If I were to list all the albums I love from whenever I'd be hear all night and bore you all to death...

[Peter]

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)



Amazing what going through a breakup can do for you. David Crosby left the band in disgust because Roger McGuinn vetoed one of his songs. He's the horse up there . Michael Clarke was fired because his drumming wasn't up to scratch. The poor sod had only been recruited in the first place because his hair made him look like Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. It should all have been a disaster, but it's not. It's great.

And why is this a great album? Because it's full of great songs, fine singing and playing, and because it's where the Byrds sound is most fully integrated. McGuinn's trademark Rickenbacker 12-string jangle is still present, but it's part of the sound, not just its defining feature. The country elements that would dominate the following year's Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Notorious was recorded in late 1967) are all there, but this isn't an album of country music. Even McGuinn's shiny new Moog synthesiser is (with one glaring exception) used wisely.

And there are the songs. No Bob Dylan this time, but two brilliant Goffin / King numbers instead. Here's the track listing:

1. Artificial Energy: An unexpected opening, with punchy brass and phasing.
2. Goin' Back: Rivals Dusty Springfield, while being completely different in sound. Absolutely beautiful.
3. Natural Harmony: The spirit of 1967 in one song....
4. Draft Morning: But there was Vietnam and the draft too. Play this next to the Doors' Unknown Soldier.
5. Wasn't Born To Follow: Another great Goffin / King song. Featured in Easy Rider (1969)
6. Get To You: Every Byrds album has a hidden gem. This delicate country waltz is it.
7. Change Is Now: OK, but sounds like a hangover from Fifth Dimension (1966)
8. Old John Robertson: A superior remix of a B side.
9. Tribal Gathering: More Summer Of Love stuff.
10. Dolphin's Smile: Amazing guitar effects open this gorgeous David Crosby song.
11. Space Odyssey: Every Byrds album has a total clunker. This Arthur C Clarke-inspired number is it.

Bonus tracks

12. Moog Raga (Intrumental): Dire mucking around with the Moog.
13. Bound To Fall (Intrumental): Ordinary. It might have turned into a decent song if they'd stuck with it.
14. Triad: The Crosby song that didn't make it. Eventually recorded by Jefferson Airplane
15. Goin' Back (Version One): An interesting version featuring vibes rather than steel guitar.
16. Draft Morning (Alternative Take): Not essential.
17. Universal Mind Decoder (Instrumental): The track is OK, sorta, but the real interest lies in the hidden track that follows it in which the band falls out over Dolphin's Smile. Raw, nasty and true.

The excellent remastering for CD retains the airy, bass-light sound of the original vinyl, the bonus tracks are at least listenable, the sleeve notes are extensive and informative and the whole package sells at mid-price.

An album to lift the spirits and, IMNSHO, essential. Buy it!