Desert Island Album Draft - 15th Anniversary Edition - 50 Rounds in the books, sign up now for KP's listening program (2 Viewers)

[KarmaPolice]

It is apparently the "Remastered Deluxe Edition," which is Welsh for "twice as many songs."

Lol.  

I had to do a double take when I was looking at The Band too.  first glance it looked like there were 20 songs on this thing.   

 

[KarmaPolice]

So... everybody going to be ready for a different island assignment by next Thursday night?  

 

[krista4]

Lol.  

I had to do a double take when I was looking at The Band too.  first glance it looked like there were 20 songs on this thing.   

I am not reading anything about the albums before I listen; maybe I need to change that strategy to avoid this happening.   

 

[simey]

Change the band to LTD, please.  I can tell no one knows who they are

Everytime I move I lose, when I look I'm in

And everytime I turn around, I'm back in love again

That song was popular by them in the 70s

 

[Buffaloes]

I gave @Eephus 20th round selection Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' on a spin based largely on a comment eephus made after I took a D'Angelo album, noting that D'Angelo sounded influenced by Sly. This piqued my interest and so when I capsized on eephus isle, I figured why not? Coming into this I knew really only the big hits like Everyday People and was kind of hoping that although I enjoyed those hits, that the entire album would be devoid of those hits. I wanted something totally fresh. It was.

From the moment Luv n Haight  drums kicked in I was sucked in. This is funk, but not dance floor funk. It rocks and it's got soul. But it's a lot denser than I anticipated. As I listened I heard so many acts that came after influenced by Sly and his fam. Prince, D'Angelo, Outkast's Liberation. The instrumentation on this is great, but what really elevates this thing are Sly's vocals. Sly croons, he wails, he digs deep, his falsettos hit high. And although I had a hard time following the lyrics, his vocals were more emotive than I anticipated. On one cut, Sly gives a James Brown type scream followed by horns and on another he reached low for something that sounds near guttural. But in nearly all he elevates and lowers pitch, drawls, shouts, mumbles, harmonizes, etc... The lyrics themselves seem sparse, but with all the vocalizing going on, Sly does some serious work on this thing. I think Sly does a lot of the instrument playing too although I'm not sure.

The funk on this is funky. Deep bass lines drive a good number of the grooves. The harmonies with female vocalists work so well in several of the songs. The penultimate track Sly takes a break and lets the Family Stone(?) (female singer) sing over a poppier horn-filled track that lightens the mood just before the 7+ minute finale. Both Africa tracks are the longer tracks on the album and both seem to work as the pieces the peripheral songs sort of orbit around. Maybe not. But they are long and meandering without overstaying their welcome.

The sequencing on this album is really good. Luv n Haight kicks off funky and segues smoothly into the next 2 songs which are slower, moodier numbers. This sets the table for what's to come. As I said earlier, this was a more dense album than I had anticipated. I listened to it once and then came back again to listen to the first quarter to first half again afterward. This is a really good album. It doesn't have any of the big radio hits that I knew and instead of being an album full of peaks and valleys, it's a steady ride whose plane of travel manages to stay pretty high. I've got much love and much respect for the artists who made this and influenced many of the acts that I've grown to like and listen to since this thing came out.

this is one I can see myself revisiting.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I am not reading anything about the albums before I listen; maybe I need to change that strategy to avoid this happening.   

Not reading about, but I just had to do a double take since it was the remastered version.  Looks like a lot of doubles of titles, so I assumed demos/outtakes and wanted to quick verify that.  Trying to go in as blind as I can to these albums.  

 

[krista4]

So... everybody going to be ready for a different island assignment by next Thursday night?  

Is this what it will take to keep you out of the PSF? 

Not reading about, but I just had to do a double take since it was the remastered version.  Looks like a lot of doubles of titles, so I assumed demos/outtakes and wanted to quick verify that.  Trying to go in as blind as I can to these albums.  

This one was all different songs!    If different versions I would have noticed.  Dammit.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Is this what it will take to keep you out of the PSF? 

I am not sure, but it's worth a try.   I took myself off social media, so I guess that's my fix? 

Between the PSF and watching docs like LA '92 and Crime + Punishment, my anger level is rising.  I have been using this draft and music to balance me out.  Unfortunately the movie club got pushed aside in the last week or so, and I do feel bad about that.  

 

[krista4]

I am not sure, but it's worth a try.   I took myself off social media, so I guess that's my fix? 

Between the PSF and watching docs like LA '92 and Crime + Punishment, my anger level is rising.  I have been using this draft and music to balance me out.  Unfortunately the movie club got pushed aside in the last week or so, and I do feel bad about that.  

Have you watched 13th?  I assume you probably have.  It's another great but anger-inducing one.  And of course one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, which I've pimped around here for a few years, I Am Not Your Negro.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Have you watched 13th?  I assume you probably have.  It's another great but anger-inducing one.  And of course one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, which I've pimped around here for a few years, I Am Not Your Negro.

I was going to fire that up tonight.  

 

[krista4]

To answer the question, though, that timing (Thursday) would work for me, but I'm not sure I'll re-up.  I feel like I hit the jackpot in the first lottery:  an island to visit with lots of interesting and varied albums most of which I wasn't familiar with, and an island visitor who's genuinely excited about exploring new stuff (whether he ends up liking it or not) and not trying to out-cool everyone, plus has smart and funny posts.  Thinking maybe I should go out on top.   

 

[KarmaPolice]

It's fine.  I might keep going a bit even if there is little interest from others.  

I am enjoying the rekindling of a love of music, and I am liking the listening to new albums now more than I was the draft since I end up taking similar stuff and want to break that funk.  

 

[Buffaloes]

It's fine.  I might keep going a bit even if there is little interest from others.  

I am enjoying the rekindling of a love of music, and I am liking the listening to new albums now more than I was the draft since I end up taking similar stuff and want to break that funk.  

I am in for whatever. This thread has been a positive outlet and I'm enjoying listening to new stuff that I haven't delved too deeply in. Talking music has been a nice diversion tbh

 

[krista4]

Lookie here!!

RECENTLY BROWSING   6 MEMBERS

krista4 

Buffaloes 

KarmaPolice 

Chaos Commish 

Abrantes 

Eephus

 

[simey]

It's fine.  I might keep going a bit even if there is little interest from others.  

I am enjoying the rekindling of a love of music, and I am liking the listening to new albums now more than I was the draft since I end up taking similar stuff and want to break that funk.  

I know you have said you don't like twang, but what exactly is the twang you don't like? Is it a vocal twang, or a pedal steel guitar twang, or something else? 

 

[KarmaPolice]

I know you have said you don't like twang, but what exactly is the twang you don't like? Is it a vocal twang, or a pedal steel guitar twang, or something else? 

I'll be honest- I am not sure I could 100% describe what I dont like, just know when I hear it.  It does seem like I have a little more patience with it if it's a female voice.  A Rosanne cash song came up on a shuffle and didn't mind that.  

 

[Ilov80s]

Ok, good buzz here and ready for my next @Abrantes album...

 

[krista4]

Ok, good buzz here and ready for my next @Abrantes album...

Ooooh, that would be a fun island to visit.   

 

[Abrantes]

Heh. I did want to catch up on @KarmaPolice's island with some METAL, but had myself a Bee's Knees and am ready to crash. 

 

[Ilov80s]

Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (1990) 

I personally chose this because I have heard a little of it and I liked this band but never gave the full album a spin. I have very high hopes. Right off the bat, Cherry-Coloured Funk is so good. 

 

[simey]

I'll be honest- I am not sure I could 100% describe what I dont like, just know when I hear it.  It does seem like I have a little more patience with it if it's a female voice.  A Rosanne cash song came up on a shuffle and didn't mind that.  

I remember when Roseanne had a hit with "Seven Year Ache." She wrote it in her early twenties. It was a big crossover song back at the beginning of the 80s. It's a good song. 

 

[Ilov80s]

I love this Cocteau Twins album- right in line with Galaxie 500. Maybe better?

 

[Abrantes]

Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins (1990) 

I personally chose this because I have heard a little of it and I liked this band but never gave the full album a spin. I have very high hopes. Right off the bat, Cherry-Coloured Funk is so good. 

 Man, love to hear that. They have a such a special sound. Wish I could find some proper Liz Fraser isolated vocals too, though, 'cause she's out of this world. 

 

[Ilov80s]

 Man, love to hear that. They have a such a special sound. Wish I could find some proper Liz Fraser isolated vocals too, though, 'cause she's out of this world. 

I am really loving it and will listen to this album many more times- real smooth vibe 

 

[krista4]

I clicked on the last page of the "destroy things that offend you" thread and every post was hidden.    I have a healthy ignore list.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

@Mrs. Rannous

After listening to this on background yesterday, I started really listening to Out of the Blue this morning.  Will continue with it later, but I guess I will give my  thoughts on where I've gotten so far.  Overall, I do like it.  I know ELO, but probably couldn't have necessarily picked out a song of theirs as opposed to other bands.  Here are the thoughts on the first 6 songs which I wrote down while listening in real time...

Turn to Stone - Nice upbeat little number.  Verse sounds a little like an 80s TV theme song.  What are they talking about?  When you come home, I turn to stone?  Like emotionally he can't open up?  Or like he hates her and just kind of blocks her out when she gets there?  Wait, did he say he turns to to stone when she is gone?  So he's like ####ed either way?

It's Over - Is that a guitar or a harpsichord?  Ok, I guess it's a guitar.  I guess he's become stone and now realizes the whole thing is over?  It sounds like he might be saying that it's over, but we will wait to see how many more times he says it just to be sure.  Do they use real strings or is this all synth based?  Is that why they are called Electric Orchestra?  Ok, I'm now inclined to believe that it is, in fact, over.  It's over, Johnny!  It's over!

Sweet Talkin' Woman - Hey, another bus has come along!  Opening sounds totally like a Beatles thing.  If you had played just that first 10 seconds, I would swear it was those lads from Liverpool.  Wait, lonely nights and i gotta get back to you, is he still talking about the same lady from before?  Wow, he is more hung up on this chick than Trent Reznor on Pretty Hate Machine.  Some of the other music and melodies sound Beatles-y as well.  This is my favorite of the first 3.  See, so like there at 2:49, is that synth strings or real strings just run through like a talkbox or something?

Across the Border - Horns!  Gotta get across that border!  I'm not sure exactly why.  I assume from the horns that we are talking about the Mexican border?  Gotta get the train south tonight?  The music is cool, but overall the song doesn't seem to necessarily go anywhere.  What happened to the girl?

Night in the City - Opening sounds like Boston or maybe Journey (?)  These sound like real strings to me.  I have no idea what this song is about.  I like a lot of the music, but overall the start and stop and repeating of different sections make it feel a little muddled.  Just kind of feels like some cool musical riffs thrown together without a real progression.

Starlight - What happened to the girl from the beginning?  Does he now want to go to outer space, evoking the cover?  Across the border not good enough?  Overall, kind of repetitive and feels like 70s easy listening type stuff.

I know that there were some other good songs later in the album, so will dive in again later.

You do realize that the instruments and personnel are listed on Wikipedia?  I just found out that one band member plays a fire extinguisher on "Wild West Hero".  If you don't like it, move on to something else.  I won't tell.

 

[Eephus]

I gave @Eephus 20th round selection Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' on a spin based largely on a comment eephus made after I took a D'Angelo album, noting that D'Angelo sounded influenced by Sly. This piqued my interest and so when I capsized on eephus isle, I figured why not? Coming into this I knew really only the big hits like Everyday People and was kind of hoping that although I enjoyed those hits, that the entire album would be devoid of those hits. I wanted something totally fresh. It was.

Very nice writeup.  Glad you enjoyed the record.  The female singer is Sly's sister Rose. 

Stand! is the other Sly & the Family Stone album I was considering for the island.  It has deep grooves but with a brighter sound and (mostly) sunnier disposition.

 

[Eephus]

I remember when Roseanne had a hit with "Seven Year Ache." She wrote it in her early twenties. It was a big crossover song back at the beginning of the 80s. It's a good song. 

It's a world weary song from someone so young.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Trying to go in as blind as I can to these albums.  

I'm doing the opposite.  I want context with my tunes.  I'm also reading the lyrics as I go for maximum fun.

I will be taking an unplanned break here.  My computer decided to crap out in the headphone jack area.  My in-house computer tech is building me a new system, and we're waiting for a part to come in.

Also, the previous headphones had issues with the ear muffs shredding while on.  I looked like I had five o'clock shadow after a while.  Got new headphones.

And we went out and actually ate in a restaurant.  We wouldn't normally do that because we aren't there yet, but the BBQ place we went to is mostly selling take-out.  Since there was no one near our table, we ate there.  Sweet.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Have you watched 13th?  I assume you probably have.  It's another great but anger-inducing one.  And of course one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, which I've pimped around here for a few years, I Am Not Your Negro.

We are documentary addicts here.  We can sucked into some weird stuff.  Try Good Hair.  It's both informative and funny.  Also, it might not trigger KP as much.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I clicked on the last page of the "destroy things that offend you" thread and every post was hidden.    I have a healthy ignore list.

PSF slowly starting to trickle back into the FFA 

Had to take a quick break from 13th... 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Just finished Girls Can Tell and it's my new fav by them. Moonlight has my fav song ( the way we get by) but overall think this is a stronger album- 8/10

That's my favorite Spoon album as well.  They're all pretty great, though..

 

[simey]

It's a world weary song from someone so young.

It is, and I remember an interview with her a long time ago where she said that she wasn't expecting the success from that song, and the expectations placed on her after it. The pressure led her down some wrong paths, but she found the right ones eventually.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

That's my favorite Spoon album as well.  They're all pretty great, though..

These are my favorites from each of their albums.

 

[Yo Mama]

I’m down to doing some more visiting, but I might only be able get to 2-3 albums next Island. This next weeks going to be pretty crazy. 
 

The other thing I was thinking about doing is shuffling through the playlist and listening to the full album of the first new/interesting song I land on. 
 

This has been a fun distraction for me and I don’t mind keeping it going. 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Oh, I agree, though it's a great song.  I'm glad to see that KP enjoyed that record so much!  I don't know the other one reviewed so might need to check that out.

What are your faves?

This would be my quick top 9 plus a great cover from Built to Spill.

 

[Buffaloes]

Very nice writeup.  Glad you enjoyed the record.  The female singer is Sly's sister Rose. 

Stand! is the other Sly & the Family Stone album I was considering for the island.  It has deep grooves but with a brighter sound and (mostly) sunnier disposition.

I will probably give that a spin as well. Really enjoyed this last album and I'm planning to explore further

 

[zamboni]

This would be my quick top 9 plus a great cover from Built to Spill.

That Cortez the Killer cover is insane. Discovered that from here (maybe you and Bonzai) awhile back. 

 

[krista4]

We are documentary addicts here.  We can sucked into some weird stuff.  Try Good Hair.  It's both informative and funny.  Also, it might not trigger KP as much.

Documentary addict here, too.  Have not seen this one, though!  

This would be my quick top 9 plus a great cover.

I knew what the cover would be!  So great.  I don’t know all their stuff well enough to put together a list, so I’m excited to listen to this tomorrow.

 

[simey]

Have you watched 13th?  I assume you probably have.  It's another great but anger-inducing one.  And of course one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, which I've pimped around here for a few years, I Am Not Your Negro.

I'd like to see both of those. 

My grandmother's roommate for most of her time at the nursing home was a black woman named Clarice. She was a few months younger than my grandmother, but died a few months before her. Anyway, we loved her. My mom was especially close to her. She had a great sense of humor. Her son came twice a week to come get her laundry, and her daughter came just about every weekend. Her daughter lived in Durham, which is an hour away, or else she would have come all the time. My mom was Clarice's every day ray of sunshine, and mom would raise hell if the aids were slacking off on Clarice, like taking her into the dining room without putting on her wig, and not cutting up her food, or not bathing her, etc. 

Clarice died on my mom's birthday. My sister, mom, and I all went to her funeral. We were the only white people there, but I didn't feel like a white person there except for once. Clarice's niece spoke up on stage, and at one point said her aunt told her,  "Don't ever let or blame white people for holding you down. When someone tells you there is no way you can do something, you make your own way. You find your way." People in the congregation were saying yeah, amen. That was the only time during the service where I thought about being a white person there. I loved all the songs they sang during the funeral, and mom burst into tears when they sang "One Day at a Time," which was Clarice's favorite song. The service ended with "I'll fly Away" and that is a good upbeat song to end it on. She was probably looking down and singing. Every time I pick up a hand held mirror I think of her. She used to call her mirror her "looking glass."  Anyway, she was awesome.

 

[simey]

It's Sunday morning so today's service song is One Day at a Time for Clarice, my grandmother (who loved the Gaither singers) and everyone else out there. This song was co-written by Kris Kristofferson. My paypal account can be used as an offering plate. 

 

[northern exposure]

I've always loved their debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams.  I'm a native Wisconsinite so that probably has something to do with it.

Beau and Sammy had one of the ugliest splits in Rock n Roll history.  They're right up there with the Smiths as band least likely to reunite.

I loved their debut as well and lost track of them after the release of "Blend" in 1996. 

I was unaware of the split of Kurt and Sammy. I did some research and with the allegations against Sammy of sexual abuse by Kurt's step daughter, things definitely ended in an ugly way.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I gave @Eephus 20th round selection Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' on a spin based largely on a comment eephus made after I took a D'Angelo album, noting that D'Angelo sounded influenced by Sly. This piqued my interest and so when I capsized on eephus isle, I figured why not? Coming into this I knew really only the big hits like Everyday People and was kind of hoping that although I enjoyed those hits, that the entire album would be devoid of those hits. I wanted something totally fresh. It was.

From the moment Luv n Haight  drums kicked in I was sucked in. This is funk, but not dance floor funk. It rocks and it's got soul. But it's a lot denser than I anticipated. As I listened I heard so many acts that came after influenced by Sly and his fam. Prince, D'Angelo, Outkast's Liberation. The instrumentation on this is great, but what really elevates this thing are Sly's vocals. Sly croons, he wails, he digs deep, his falsettos hit high. And although I had a hard time following the lyrics, his vocals were more emotive than I anticipated. On one cut, Sly gives a James Brown type scream followed by horns and on another he reached low for something that sounds near guttural. But in nearly all he elevates and lowers pitch, drawls, shouts, mumbles, harmonizes, etc... The lyrics themselves seem sparse, but with all the vocalizing going on, Sly does some serious work on this thing. I think Sly does a lot of the instrument playing too although I'm not sure.

The funk on this is funky. Deep bass lines drive a good number of the grooves. The harmonies with female vocalists work so well in several of the songs. The penultimate track Sly takes a break and lets the Family Stone(?) (female singer) sing over a poppier horn-filled track that lightens the mood just before the 7+ minute finale. Both Africa tracks are the longer tracks on the album and both seem to work as the pieces the peripheral songs sort of orbit around. Maybe not. But they are long and meandering without overstaying their welcome.

The sequencing on this album is really good. Luv n Haight kicks off funky and segues smoothly into the next 2 songs which are slower, moodier numbers. This sets the table for what's to come. As I said earlier, this was a more dense album than I had anticipated. I listened to it once and then came back again to listen to the first quarter to first half again afterward. This is a really good album. It doesn't have any of the big radio hits that I knew and instead of being an album full of peaks and valleys, it's a steady ride whose plane of travel manages to stay pretty high. I've got much love and much respect for the artists who made this and influenced many of the acts that I've grown to like and listen to since this thing came out.

this is one I can see myself revisiting.

Great write up. It's nice to hear some of these hoary old classics through the ears of someone just finding them.

Believe it or not, "Family Affair" hit #1 on the pop charts.

 

[mphtrilogy]

Finishing up one of @Long Ball Larry selections this morning, a great Sunday Morning spin ...

Fleet Foxes

 

[Northern Voice]

Happy 25th birthday Jagged Little Pill

 

[zamboni]

Happy 25th birthday Jagged Little Pill

Doesn’t look a day over 24.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Great write up. It's nice to hear some of these hoary old classics through the ears of someone just finding them.

Believe it or not, "Family Affair" hit #1 on the pop charts.

the greatest tribute to Sly's talent is how long folks would wait to hear him. Saw them a month after Woodstock and we had already been treated to some righteous tunage by Wikkid Pickett, then the Rascals but waited til almost midnight for Sly's 9pm showtime to kick off. totes worth it.

 

[Northern Voice]

Spoon is one I am peripherally familiar with.  I think @Northern Voice needs to put together a primer like people did for Bowie in this thread. 

I don’t think Transference was drafted and I don’t recall if A Series of Sneaks was. Maybe NV doubled up on it late? Pretty sure everything else got picked. 

I can do a primer for sure. As I've mentioned before theyre my #1 favourite band. 

A Series of Sneaks was my top near miss and I wrote it up a bit but I didn't officially draft it. 

 

[Bonzai]

Get to the couple that I listened to before I forget.  Listened to 2 off of @Bonzai island.   One of my choosing and one of his 3.   

ROYAL HEADACHE - HIGH (2015)

COVER:  I think it's a water tower?  no extra info on what I would be listening to.

ALBUM:   So this is one of the 6+ that I am tackling that I had zero clue what I was going to be listening to.   Like I posted earlier, my guess was a garage rock album that was more on the punk side, and that's basically what I got?  I didn't know anything about the band, so I was a little surprised what I thought was a British accent on the vocals, but after looking up I think they are from Australia?   Besides being a pretty consistent rockin' record all the way through, there were some mixing of styles and influences that really kept it fresh.   Wouldn't You Know has more of an older-swing feel to it that I liked.   Carolina was giving me quite the Replacements vibe.  Anyway, the rest was damn good with some blistering songs on there like the album closer.  It was just what I needed on a grumpy morning at work.  7/10

BUILT TO SPILL - KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET (1999)

COVER -   interesting one here.  not sure why, but I was getting an androgynous vibe as I was obsessed the shoulders of the person on the cover.

ALBUM -   I was under the impression that I knew more about this band than I did, but after a couple listens of this album I looked up the discography and nothing really stood out besides a passing faith idea that I probably have heard a couple off Perfect From Now On?   Spoiler alert - Bonzai island is 2/2 for now, as I really dug this album.  Probably a tad more than the one above.  I think the music and guitar sound on this one are more in my current wheelhouse, I also liked this one almost from the beginning.  Took me about 40sec to click with the vocals and I think it matches with the guitars well, so when they kicked in on The Plan I was on board.   Really liked how the album flowed, but the standouts for me were a pair of back to back songs:  Carry the Zero/Sidewalk and You Were Right/Temporarily Blind.    The only slight blemish for me on the album was thinking that the album closer Broken Chairs maybe went on a tick too long, but that is a mild nitpik here.  7.5/10

Glad you dug them!

I'm on the same page with your takes here. If you dig these you'll likely find other records by them worth a listen. Royal Headache have one other album that's a little more punkish, but just as good as High. I had a hard time deciding which one to take. At the very least crank up "Psychotic Episode" sometime. BTS has several other records (as you discovered from your research), all of them good to great. My other favorites are Perfect From Now On and You In Reverse, but a lot of folks claim There's Nothing Wrong With Love as their favorite.

Looking forward to the other write ups. 

 

[Bonzai]

These are my favorites from each of their albums.

Nice. I'm not sure if it's their most popular tune (probably), but I think Carry The Zero is still my favorite. It just soars.