Young Despite the Years - Continuing Sonic Explorations by Your Friend Rickenbacker

Engine · 07-25-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

There's nothing arrogant about "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle", or "Nebraska" for example. Yet these albums are overlooked because the majority of the American public prefers the "ass in the face" that was "Born in the U.S.A."

Previously you said that you wanted to discuss why people don't like the "idea of Bruce Springsteen, not why people dislike his music" and I gave you my reason. Yes I do hate the image he projected during the Born era - and that's when I first heard of him. His other music is a separate topic. It's true that because of his American flag draped ass I was not interested in hearing any more of his music. On the other hand, I have been hearing and reading for well over a decade about how amazing Nebraska is and when I finally get around to listening to it I am convinced that I will like it. I do think Born in the USA is garbage that I would rather never hear, but if his other music is good, I'll give him credit for it.

Quote:

My problem with the whole deal is just that, are you, as a dismisser of Springsteen's over the top American antics, also dismissing these albums? Or is it justified for you to say that the worst an artist does represents the true colors of the artist?

I admit that the USA debacle has left a stain on my consciousness that will be difficult to remove. Maybe it is the reason that I haven't gone out of my way to hear Nebraska so far. It certainly didn't help.
However, no, it is not at all justified to judge an artist overall by his worst work. And that's why I will listen to his other (good) music one day. Maybe I'll even become a huge fan and stick a worn red cap in my back pocket.

Rickenbacker · 07-25-2009, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the discussion and interesting points.

I reviewed R.E.M.'s new album Accelerate, from 2008, yesterday.

I'll paste it here, but here's a link to the original post.

Living Well Is the Best Revenge
Man Sized Wreath
Supernatural Superserious
Hollow Man
Houston
Accelerate
Until the Day is Done
Sing for the Submarine
Horse to Water
I'm Gonna DJ

The fourteenth album by the Athens G.A. alternative rock group R.E.M. is somewhat of an enigma. Their first album since the commercial and largely critical failure that was Around the Sun in 2004, Accelerate is, as a whole, stylistically different from anything they have made since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Despite what the album's title may suggest, the material here is not particularly forward thinking musically, though it does lyrically call for a sort of metaphorical "acceleration" in the United States particularly. Instead, where Up was melancholic balladry, Reveal was an effort at creating an R.E.M. version of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, and Around the Sun was... more melancholic balladry, Accelerate feels almost like a sort of fresh piece of garage-rock revival, a la the Strokes. For the first time since the early nineties, Michael Stipe doesn't sound like he's 50 years old. And, for the first time since the late 80s (!!!), I don't picture Michael Stipe singing these songs with his blue makeup and three piece pinstripe suit.

The album opener, entitled Living Well Is the Best Revenge effectively dismisses whatever taste was left in the mouth of a listener to any recent R.E.M. music. After "Living Well", no track on the album ever gets as poignantly raw or lyrically biting as it was. As a plus, it features bassist Mike Mills on backing vocals for the first time since 1996, and shows just how important his vocal presence was.

Code:

You savour your dying breath
Well, I forgive but I don't forget
You work it out, let's hear that argument again
Camera three... Go... Now!

Man Sized Wreath is a song in the same vein, and doesn't offer much else, but is fortunately followed by the lead single, Supernatural Superserious. And wow, what a song. From the perspective of someone who's followed R.E.M. for a long time, this song really makes me do a double take to make sure this isn't Monster or New Adventures in Hi-Fi that I'm listening to. Peter Buck lays down more straight up power chords on this track than he has in his entire career. This is certainly not a return to the jangly sound of R.E.M.'s 80's work as some critics have praised, but it is a fresh sound from R.E.M.'s mid nineties stadium rock days, a sound which has been all but forgotten with their past three albums.

Ironically, the next track, Hollow Man, would fit right in on Reveal, and with it's bare piano verse and soft guitar-led chorus, seems very out of place when surrounded by the heavy Supernatural Superserious and the dark Houston, a song about life Post-Katrina: (If the Storm doesn't kill me the Government will). Because of this great difference in style, Hollow Man could have ruined the album. But, because it's actually a pretty great tune, it somehow works.

R.E.M.'s first title track ever comes along right after that. Essentially a straightforward rock song, it is led by a fantastically distorted guitar riff from Peter Buck, that which will stick in your head for hours afterwards. The lyrics are dark, yet as the name suggests, forward thinking and political. It is followed by the equally dark and political song Until the Day is Done, which features a haunting acoustic riff, plus Michael's best vocal performance on the album. This sets the pace for the next two songs, Mr. Richards and Sing for the Submarine, the former of which may be the most outright and radically leftist song in the R.E.M. catalogue. Gone are the days in which Stipe would postulate his political ideals through abstract pieces like Fall On Me from Lifes Rich Pageant [sic] it seems. I guess that's his idea of forward thinking.

Anyway, Sing for the Submarine is a great track for big R.E.M. fans, as it quotes the titles of many R.E.M. songs as it gradually progresses. Stipe's most haunting lyrics on the album appear here.

Code:

The city did not collapse in a shudder
The rain it never came
At least my confessions made you laugh
I know it's a little crazed
But these dreams... 
they seem so real to me

The next and final tracks are easily the worst on the album, providing little with Horse to Water, and absolutely nothing with I'm Gonna DJ, the latter of which is totally a throwaway song that should have been replaced with one of the songs created during the Accelerate sessions. Unfortunately, because of the albums very short length, these two songs take up a large enough percent of the album that they really detract from its quality.

All in all, Accelerate is a quick listen, over in a flash, with some very memorable moments throughout. It seems that it was created less to be a really good album, and more to prove a point that R.E.M. could still produce heavier songs even without former drummer Bill Berry.

7.4/10

Must buy tracks: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Houston.

TL;DR: Get it if you like R.E.M.'s material from the mid-90s, or if you like garage rock revival style music.

Gavin B. · 07-26-2009, 11:25 AM

I've owned a copy of Accelerate since it was released last year. I've done nothing more than listened to short samples of each song on Accelerate before hitting the next song arrow on my Windows Media Player. R.E.M. was a hugely important band to me in the Eighties but every album they've made since they left IRS records in 1987 has disappoined me. The quintet of albums the band made on IRS, Murmurr, Rekoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant, and Document are as close to a sucession of perfect albums as any American band has ever gotten.

On Springsteen: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Nebraska, Glory Days and Tunnel of Love are brilliant songs. I would have been proud to claim authorship of any one of those five songs. I'm not a rabid fan of Bruce Springsteen but he deserves recognition for the things he does well. I admire Springsteen's passion for music and his sense of human decency.

I think Springsteen fans who call him The Boss and yell "Yeee Haw!" whenever Born In the USA is played, are far more offensive than Bruce Springsteen's music. They're the same buffoons who think Huey Lewis is a musical genius.

I think there's plenty of room in the world for populist rock. I will publicly confess to loving Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes. Ditto for John Hiatt's Slow Turning . John Prine's brilliant self titled debut album is a brilliant collection of populist anthems and Prine's first album is as good as any album Dylan ever made, including Blood on the Tracks.

Rickenbacker · 11-30-2009, 03:15 PM

The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker

This is a recording of a song called "Montague Terrace (in Blue)," recorded by American singer Scott Walker for his 1967 solo debut album, the simply titled "Scott."

One might note the rich imagery Scott utilizes, or the unusual orchestral instrumentation. Perhaps most notable is Scott's resplendent baritone voice; flawless by any definition of the word. Indeed, "Montague Terrace" is a beautiful song. With a four-album catalog of fantastic pop music like this it is nearly impossible to believe that Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel, did not become a massively successful pop star; a legend still remembered today. Yet perhaps Scott's relative anonymity is due to his own reclusive nature. After Scott 4, his first record to feature only his own compositions failed to chart anywhere, he released a series of fairly uninspired albums largely composed of covers of other people's songs. While Scott the singer lived on with limited success, Scott the songwriter all but disappeared.

Then, in 1983, after nearly ten years without recording a solo record, Scott released the polarizing "Climate of Hunter," which featured original compositions and a dark sound that divided listeners and critics. It was to hint at incredible things to come for this enigmatic singer/songwriter.

Twelve years later, Scott Walker released the most haunting album ever made. Eleven years after that, his next release, titled the Drift, was even more so.

There's nothing else to be said about this man, simply because words can't describe his masterfully composed and meticulously recorded works of art which adorn his albums. The music speaks for itself.

Get Your Mind Blown

Bulldog · 12-01-2009, 06:45 AM

It's weird, I'd completely forgotten about this journal 'til now. Glad you bumped it though Mr. Rickenbacker sir, especially with a post like that

It's always great seeing someone else giving Scott Walker the praise he deserves around here. I just can't get enough of his stuff to be honest - the best of it just sounds so original, and his lyrics have such a vibrant sense of imagery about them. His voice is quite possibly my favourite in music too, bar none.

Anyone reading this who doesn't know who Scott Walker is, get yourself copies of Scott 4, Tilt and especially the Drift and either be amazed or completely turned off! Funnily enough, that's another reason to admire the chap - for how he polarises opinion, especially his later, darker, more experimental work, you know there's gotta be something special in one way or the other underneath it all.

FETCHER. · 12-01-2009, 10:25 AM

I never even knew you had a journal. But the opening post was quite an interesting read. It was different and such. Good review also, it always surprises me how smart a kid you are.

07-25-2009, 12:20 PM	#12 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	Thanks for the discussion and interesting points. I reviewed R.E.M.'s new album Accelerate, from 2008, yesterday. I'll paste it here, but here's a link to the original post. Living Well Is the Best Revenge Man Sized Wreath Supernatural Superserious Hollow Man Houston Accelerate Until the Day is Done Sing for the Submarine Horse to Water I'm Gonna DJ The fourteenth album by the Athens G.A. alternative rock group R.E.M. is somewhat of an enigma. Their first album since the commercial and largely critical failure that was Around the Sun in 2004, Accelerate is, as a whole, stylistically different from anything they have made since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Despite what the album's title may suggest, the material here is not particularly forward thinking musically, though it does lyrically call for a sort of metaphorical "acceleration" in the United States particularly. Instead, where Up was melancholic balladry, Reveal was an effort at creating an R.E.M. version of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind, and Around the Sun was... more melancholic balladry, Accelerate feels almost like a sort of fresh piece of garage-rock revival, a la the Strokes. For the first time since the early nineties, Michael Stipe doesn't sound like he's 50 years old. And, for the first time since the late 80s (!!!), I don't picture Michael Stipe singing these songs with his blue makeup and three piece pinstripe suit. The album opener, entitled Living Well Is the Best Revenge effectively dismisses whatever taste was left in the mouth of a listener to any recent R.E.M. music. After "Living Well", no track on the album ever gets as poignantly raw or lyrically biting as it was. As a plus, it features bassist Mike Mills on backing vocals for the first time since 1996, and shows just how important his vocal presence was. Code: You savour your dying breath Well, I forgive but I don't forget You work it out, let's hear that argument again Camera three... Go... Now! Man Sized Wreath is a song in the same vein, and doesn't offer much else, but is fortunately followed by the lead single, Supernatural Superserious. And wow, what a song. From the perspective of someone who's followed R.E.M. for a long time, this song really makes me do a double take to make sure this isn't Monster or New Adventures in Hi-Fi that I'm listening to. Peter Buck lays down more straight up power chords on this track than he has in his entire career. This is certainly not a return to the jangly sound of R.E.M.'s 80's work as some critics have praised, but it is a fresh sound from R.E.M.'s mid nineties stadium rock days, a sound which has been all but forgotten with their past three albums. Ironically, the next track, Hollow Man, would fit right in on Reveal, and with it's bare piano verse and soft guitar-led chorus, seems very out of place when surrounded by the heavy Supernatural Superserious and the dark Houston, a song about life Post-Katrina: (If the Storm doesn't kill me the Government will). Because of this great difference in style, Hollow Man could have ruined the album. But, because it's actually a pretty great tune, it somehow works. R.E.M.'s first title track ever comes along right after that. Essentially a straightforward rock song, it is led by a fantastically distorted guitar riff from Peter Buck, that which will stick in your head for hours afterwards. The lyrics are dark, yet as the name suggests, forward thinking and political. It is followed by the equally dark and political song Until the Day is Done, which features a haunting acoustic riff, plus Michael's best vocal performance on the album. This sets the pace for the next two songs, Mr. Richards and Sing for the Submarine, the former of which may be the most outright and radically leftist song in the R.E.M. catalogue. Gone are the days in which Stipe would postulate his political ideals through abstract pieces like Fall On Me from Lifes Rich Pageant [sic] it seems. I guess that's his idea of forward thinking. Anyway, Sing for the Submarine is a great track for big R.E.M. fans, as it quotes the titles of many R.E.M. songs as it gradually progresses. Stipe's most haunting lyrics on the album appear here. Code: The city did not collapse in a shudder The rain it never came At least my confessions made you laugh I know it's a little crazed But these dreams... they seem so real to me The next and final tracks are easily the worst on the album, providing little with Horse to Water, and absolutely nothing with I'm Gonna DJ, the latter of which is totally a throwaway song that should have been replaced with one of the songs created during the Accelerate sessions. Unfortunately, because of the albums very short length, these two songs take up a large enough percent of the album that they really detract from its quality. All in all, Accelerate is a quick listen, over in a flash, with some very memorable moments throughout. It seems that it was created less to be a really good album, and more to prove a point that R.E.M. could still produce heavier songs even without former drummer Bill Berry. 7.4/10 Must buy tracks: Living Well is the Best Revenge, Supernatural Superserious, Houston. TL;DR: Get it if you like R.E.M.'s material from the mid-90s, or if you like garage rock revival style music. __________________ last.fm rym Talk About the Passion - R.E.M.'s Discography Reviewed Last edited by Rickenbacker; 11-30-2009 at 02:18 PM.

07-26-2009, 11:25 AM	#13 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	I've owned a copy of Accelerate since it was released last year. I've done nothing more than listened to short samples of each song on Accelerate before hitting the next song arrow on my Windows Media Player. R.E.M. was a hugely important band to me in the Eighties but every album they've made since they left IRS records in 1987 has disappoined me. The quintet of albums the band made on IRS, Murmurr, Rekoning, Fables of the Reconstruction, Life's Rich Pageant, and Document are as close to a sucession of perfect albums as any American band has ever gotten. On Springsteen: Thunder Road, Born to Run, Nebraska, Glory Days and Tunnel of Love are brilliant songs. I would have been proud to claim authorship of any one of those five songs. I'm not a rabid fan of Bruce Springsteen but he deserves recognition for the things he does well. I admire Springsteen's passion for music and his sense of human decency. I think Springsteen fans who call him The Boss and yell "Yeee Haw!" whenever Born In the USA is played, are far more offensive than Bruce Springsteen's music. They're the same buffoons who think Huey Lewis is a musical genius. I think there's plenty of room in the world for populist rock. I will publicly confess to loving Tom Petty's Damn the Torpedoes. Ditto for John Hiatt's Slow Turning . John Prine's brilliant self titled debut album is a brilliant collection of populist anthems and Prine's first album is as good as any album Dylan ever made, including Blood on the Tracks. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

11-30-2009, 03:15 PM	#14 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker This is a recording of a song called "Montague Terrace (in Blue)," recorded by American singer Scott Walker for his 1967 solo debut album, the simply titled "Scott." One might note the rich imagery Scott utilizes, or the unusual orchestral instrumentation. Perhaps most notable is Scott's resplendent baritone voice; flawless by any definition of the word. Indeed, "Montague Terrace" is a beautiful song. With a four-album catalog of fantastic pop music like this it is nearly impossible to believe that Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel, did not become a massively successful pop star; a legend still remembered today. Yet perhaps Scott's relative anonymity is due to his own reclusive nature. After Scott 4, his first record to feature only his own compositions failed to chart anywhere, he released a series of fairly uninspired albums largely composed of covers of other people's songs. While Scott the singer lived on with limited success, Scott the songwriter all but disappeared. Then, in 1983, after nearly ten years without recording a solo record, Scott released the polarizing "Climate of Hunter," which featured original compositions and a dark sound that divided listeners and critics. It was to hint at incredible things to come for this enigmatic singer/songwriter. Twelve years later, Scott Walker released the most haunting album ever made. Eleven years after that, his next release, titled the Drift, was even more so. There's nothing else to be said about this man, simply because words can't describe his masterfully composed and meticulously recorded works of art which adorn his albums. The music speaks for itself. Get Your Mind Blown __________________ last.fm rym Talk About the Passion - R.E.M.'s Discography Reviewed Last edited by Rickenbacker; 01-05-2010 at 12:50 AM.

12-01-2009, 06:45 AM	#15 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	It's weird, I'd completely forgotten about this journal 'til now. Glad you bumped it though Mr. Rickenbacker sir, especially with a post like that It's always great seeing someone else giving Scott Walker the praise he deserves around here. I just can't get enough of his stuff to be honest - the best of it just sounds so original, and his lyrics have such a vibrant sense of imagery about them. His voice is quite possibly my favourite in music too, bar none. Anyone reading this who doesn't know who Scott Walker is, get yourself copies of Scott 4, Tilt and especially the Drift and either be amazed or completely turned off! Funnily enough, that's another reason to admire the chap - for how he polarises opinion, especially his later, darker, more experimental work, you know there's gotta be something special in one way or the other underneath it all.