"Rev" by ultra vivid scene

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maybe i'm alone in thinking so, but isn't this an underrated classic ? i couldn't find much good to say about ralske's finished product before this, but in it's own way this is one of the better 4ad albums from that period.

thoughts ?

― michael bott, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

My least favourite of his three albums, I always thought this sounded like Led Zeppelin.

Isn't Kurt Ralske doing 'electronica' nowadays?

― Baxter Wingnut, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Have to agree with Baxter, the worst of the three UVS LPs, a let down after the first two were so good. Is there such a thing as 'too organic'? Well "Rev" is that. And spoiling the best song on the album with unnecessary needle / vinyl noise makes me hate the record more.

― Rob M, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'll have to add to the chorus of boo's here and also say it's my least favorite of the three - and Rob makes a good point - the other albums had a very stylish otherworldly gauzy crunch to them while Rev was very, ehm, "dorky" sounding - when "Candida" started up with what sounded like blunted cowbells for fucks sake, I couldn't believe I was listening to UVS and the lamest, indiest retreading of "Low Rider" possible at the same time. The clean 'organicness' of Rev's sound is the worst possible backdrop for the awkward, intensely "white" shoegazerboy vocal style. I tried listening to the whole thing straight through a few times but ended up feeling intensely icky and clodlike and sold the thing.

― Dallas, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

And my feelings about the voice thing are consistent, I hope - there's that airy timidity to male shoegazer vocals that makes them sound absolutely unbearable and wussy unless there's thick-as-a-brick waves of noise cementing them, right? I don't know how anyone can listen to very early MBV, for example - it feels useless and insubstantial, like wearing clothes made out of newspaper. I know someone's going to make a shitty joke about how newspaper underwear can be a good thing, teehee, but you know what I mean about the sound.

― Dallas, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

no 'joy' is the classic. god i haven't heard that for years. is the mercy seat off 'rev' that's ace too.

― piscesboy, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

The first UVS album has "Crash", "Mercy Seat" and "Hail Mary" - Ralske's three best J&MC tributes. Joy had the best and worst - "Special One" (feat. Kim Deal) is definitely a "September Gurls" ripoff, but his finest pop moment. "Staring at The Sun" (ultra-bland pop) is his worst. I liked "Poison" when I was a teen, I think it's fatuous now. Rev looked great, but I agree with the classic rock dismissals - "Blood And Thunder" is a catchy enough pop tune, but all the promise of its B-Sides went unfulfilled on the album.

He now records as Cathars, and it's pretty unbearable "minimalist electronic music". There's an obnoxious interview with him in Sound Collector, a well-produced, over-the-top indie zine here in America, where he talks about the smallest possible amount of sound necessary for something to be considered music. Original!

― Chris Ott, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

oh ! that bit in the video for 'special one' after kim deal belts him and he just looks at her with his long hair in his face like a little lamb. dead funny.

― piscesboy, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

IIRC Mr. Perry is a huge fan of this album, so he'll have something to say to you scoffers shortly. ;-) But more to the point, the Led Zep comparisons are misplaced -- you're right about classic rock, but the obvious role model (to me, at least) is T. Rex. Breathy, 'wimpy' vocals vs. boogie stomp = worthiness. Nothing on the album might have been "Buick Mackane," perhaps, but it still tries.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

great album, especially "Thief's Love Song" which is my fave track of his besides "Bloodline" (off the debut). I caught him live on the tour for this album and there was definitely an edge to the music. since I was never that big a fan, but this album renewed my interest - I would agree it's under-rated.

― Paul, Friday, 12 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

two years pass...

I can't believe I never saw this thread before.

Anyway, yes, this album is a lost classic and yes, almost every song on it is flawless. "Blood And Thunder" alone makes the album great but add "Thief's Love Song", "Portion Of Delight", "Medicating Angels" and "Mirror To Mirror" into the mix and you've easily got one of the top albums of the 90s.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 20:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh yes, this is a belter of an album. A real slow burner too. You'd be rude not to get a hold of it!

― KeefW (kmw), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 21:05 (nineteen years ago) link

my favorite uvs tune is the remix of "kind of a drag" that uses the drums from "when the levee breaks". so maybe the led zep comparison upthread is apropos after all.

― prada robot (disco stu), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 23:46 (nineteen years ago) link

Rev is a good record, really unique sounding. 'the portion of delight' or whatever it's called was a minor dancefloor hit back in the day. was also listening to the first UVS (with the toothbrush on the cover) the other day for the first time in years, and my god it's great! better than the crappy old JAMC by miles!

― debden, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 07:35 (nineteen years ago) link

In college, I started to write an a capella arrangement of "Blood and Thunder" but stopped once I realized that no one besides me would ever be interested in doing it.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 15:17 (nineteen years ago) link

i hate this record with an irrational hate

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:17 (nineteen years ago) link

:-(

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:20 (nineteen years ago) link

*is irrationally saddened, all of a sudden*

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 13 April 2005 16:22 (nineteen years ago) link

one year passes...

I've been playing the shit out of this album for the past two weeks. It is gorgeous and it is fatal.

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 18:34 (seventeen years ago) link

I liked it as a 23 year old in 1992. Especially "Thief's Love Song".

It's totally weird that EVERY pawnshop/used record store here in town (Asheville, NC) has a beat up copy of the 2 disc version. I ran across 6 consecutive copies recently, as if they had been placed purposely. I couldn't bring myself to part with the 2 to 4$ for it, though. Which, I guess, says all I need to say about how I feel about it now.

― Sum Fitch, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

I knew you were going to be the one reviving this, Dan.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 18:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Odd, I just re-ripped my UVS collection to lossless...sorry about the bitchiness above Kurt. Thanks for recording all those Swell records.

― Chris Ott, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:02 (seventeen years ago) link

(the band Swell, you see).

― Chris Ott, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Kurt actually made his appearance on here via this thread.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:09 (seventeen years ago) link

i still don't like this album!

― akm, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:14 (seventeen years ago) link

You're still a big doodyhead!

(j/k)

(...or AM I???????)

― HI DERE, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 19:25 (seventeen years ago) link

I've always loved this record..."Mirror To Mirror" is ace, always welcome when it pops up on the iPod...I read an interview with Ralske a while back, and he said the record was originally going to be wholly electronic, but he couldn't get the hang of the software, and so the trad instruments...I have no complaints...

― henry s, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 20:03 (seventeen years ago) link

That 2 disc version is well worth picking up for the Crash cover "Don't Look Now." It's too bad he never did a cover of the whole Crash discography.

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 21:15 (seventeen years ago) link

four years pass...

IT BEGGARS DISBELIEF

― I HAVE ISSUES (DJP), Monday, 23 May 2011 22:05 (twelve years ago) link

four years pass...

another man we had discovered
a cross would bear him
a cross would crush him
we saw him fall in blood and thunder
and even now won't be forgotten...

― I Am Curious (Dolezal) (DJP), Tuesday, 3 November 2015 21:13 (eight years ago) link

btw I now can see why people would dislike the glossy sheen on this album compared to the previous two but, to my ear anyway, the songwriting itself remains unchanged

― I Am Curious (Dolezal) (DJP), Tuesday, 3 November 2015 21:22 (eight years ago) link

six months pass...

bump this thread whenever you play "Blood and Thunder" or "Thief's Love Song"

― DJP, Thursday, 26 May 2016 20:08 (seven years ago) link

Kurt is kind of a strange case. Extremely talented songwriter, guitar player, producer. Knew and worked with at least one star who didn't live to fulfill his potential (Dumais). Gave things a shot, and then walked away, which was probably the smartest move. He seems to have an incredibly good sense of UVS's place in things. Basically, he lacks the tragedy that everyone likes to see in a musical icon. He gave us some great guitar solos and then three great albums, and then got on with his life. He should (assuming he ends up well) be used as an example of how to have a music career if you have a lot to say but don't want to destroy yourself doing so. He and Richard Davies could probably teach a college course on "How to be a genius songwriter without screwing up your life."

― dlp9001, Friday, 27 May 2016 16:30 (seven years ago) link

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