remind me: what was so good about tricky again?

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he had some interesting, off key, dissonant beats, but who the fuck can understand anything he was saying
also, half his beats are just shit, aimless, meandering, slow and moody for slow's sake prob cos tricky prob couldnt be bothered to do anything more to them to make them fuller (and some of them were just normal hip hop loops but slowed down - how did people think trip hop was a good idea??!?!), people romanticise him too much, a lot of that stuff was totally out of tune. he would chuck samples together that werent a good fit. yeah jarring is good and weirdness is great but at least make it in tune for gods sake
plus, on makes me wanna die, martina's voice isnt even in tune with the aimless noodly keyboard playing
did nobody think to tell him?
hes fine when theres no singing, and some of the singing is fine, but hes kinda hit and miss i find
LOL@people saying maxinquaye was the 90s sly stone-riot
also, black steel remake was much better than lyrics of fury, on the latter, the rapping was too 'normal', no body wants to hear a straightforward rakim cover, not really
anyway, im glad i finally got round to hearing him, hes still good, just nowhere as good as people made him out to be

― moneyhungry, Monday, 29 August 2005 11:43 (7 years ago) Permalink

I can't argue with any of that.

He should have recorded a lot more "Money Greedy"'s (one-chord, polyrhythms, bugged-out chanting) -- emerging from the rut that you described.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 29 August 2005 11:52 (7 years ago) Permalink

in some ways, *musically* at least, i think angels with dirty faces is his best album.

― moneyhungry, Monday, 29 August 2005 12:20 (7 years ago) Permalink

All I can say is that I saw Tricky perform two songs (Christiansands and Black Steel) on a lame TV show around the time PMT was released and it completely blew me away -- the voices, the sounds, the dissonance, the pop hooks, the utter impossibility of having Martine do Public Enemy. I went out and listened to everything remotely trip-hoppy. Most of it wasn't as good. But I still really like PMT. (More than Maxinquaye: You're right about Black Steel vs. Fists of Fury. And you're right technically about Make Me Wanna Die, but that's still a stunning song, especially when the key issues go away, as they do at a dramatically important point. In general, though, the first half of that record still sounds great.)

Yeah, Angels was his best album, except for being pretty boring to listen to (which I do from time to time anyway). I like Vulnerable, too.

― Vornado, Monday, 29 August 2005 12:23 (7 years ago) Permalink

i think juxtapose was maybe his last great album
i never heard vulnerable or blowback properly though

― moneyhungry, Monday, 29 August 2005 12:29 (7 years ago) Permalink

yeah listening to lyrics of fury now, it just sounds like weird uk hip hop. the musics god, but cos its the same speed as the original, more or less, it doesnt sound too hot. shes rapping more or less like a normal rapper. the fact she didnt do that on black steel is what made that one great. oh well. moment i feared is still great.

― moneyhungry, Monday, 29 August 2005 12:36 (7 years ago) Permalink

I really like "Christiansands," but generally can only dig him in small doses.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Monday, 29 August 2005 12:47 (7 years ago) Permalink

I agree that he's overrated. There's a big disconnect between reading the sort of salivating praise that you find for instance in the All-Music Guide review of "Maxinquaye" and actually listening to the drab and somnambulant reality of the record. Stephen Thomas Erlewhine should be embarrassed.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 29 August 2005 13:14 (7 years ago) Permalink

he should start eating sugar again.

― nathalie's pocket revolution (stevie nixed), Monday, 29 August 2005 13:27 (7 years ago) Permalink

7 years pass...

"Black Steel" version, genius

― cancer, kizz my hairy irish azz (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 6 October 2012 15:27 (7 months ago) Permalink

plus, on makes me wanna die, martina's voice isnt even in tune with the aimless noodly keyboard playing
did nobody think to tell him?

looool wtf

― wk, Saturday, 6 October 2012 16:48 (7 months ago) Permalink

I love him live in the late 90s anyway. I have a set filmed for Channel 4 in around 98 where he spends a lot of the time looking possessed.

Also love the 1st 2 Tricky lps & Nearly God's lp.

― Stevolende, Saturday, 6 October 2012 19:58 (7 months ago) Permalink

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