I don't find Violator an angular or cold record at all. There was a bit of a trend of synthpop acts returning to analogue synths in the early '90s. Behaviour and Chorus being a couple of other examples of this.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Monday, 11 September 2017 16:19 (six years ago) link
Well, you're wrong. :-D (I am busy and can't get into this further right now.)
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 11 September 2017 16:22 (six years ago) link
Heh! I agree that the record feels minimal by comparison... Black Celebration and Music for the Masses are quite layered records and there's quite a fair bit going on under the surface, whereas Violator is simpler - not that this is a bad thing.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Monday, 11 September 2017 17:36 (six years ago) link
whereas Violator is simpler - not that this is a bad thing.
This said, I still prefer the many layered and huge sounding approach of Masses over everything else.
― yesca, Tuesday, 12 September 2017 14:46 (six years ago) link
I don't agree with the characterization of Violator as "stripped down". It only really describes "Waiting for the Night" and mmmmmmmaybe "Blue Dress". The other 8 songs build and layer in much the same way the songs on Music for the Masses do.
― this iphone speaks many languages (DJP), Tuesday, 12 September 2017 15:02 (six years ago) link
The big difference for me is that Violator is a lot crisper, whereas the previous two albums (and some before) are very reverb-y. Violator is still quite layered though
― Vinnie, Tuesday, 12 September 2017 15:33 (six years ago) link
Violator is still quite layered in places but I think yesca is kinda OTM and that it is much less symphonic and a simpler record than the two albums before it.
Take something like 'Fly on the Windscreen - Final' for example, the mix on that is so dense and there's a lot going on that's buried in there, whereas something like 'World In My Eyes' gets by with a bass synth, percussion and a string synth that either provides the chords but just as often just provides these sustained single notes. Of course, there's things that pop up here and there as the track moves along - the backwards sound going into the chorus or the dink-dink dink-dink's in the chorus itself but bass synth, string synth and drum programming is the core of that track.
― more Allegro-like (Turrican), Tuesday, 12 September 2017 16:09 (six years ago) link
Well this is cool -- first time Martin's sung "The Things You Said" in thirty years. In fact, quite literally the first time since the 101 show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLM8BpG-AyY
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 18:52 (five years ago) link
The newly updated only-3-songs-from-the-new-album idea, is a winner. I got a glum text from a pretty big fan who was at the London show; “Half an hour in, nothing pre-Ultra..” so its good to see there’s been a bit of a shake up.
Great to hear The Things You Said again, easily in my Top 10.
― piscesx, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 19:33 (five years ago) link
I think the 101 show is still the last time they did 'People are People', too... their biggest hit thst they don't play.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 19:40 (five years ago) link
*that
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 19:41 (five years ago) link
And for a long time 101 was the last lap for Just Can’t Get Enough too but then they started doing it as an encore in the ‘98 ‘Singles’ tour era. That 101 show was really the end of .. something.
― piscesx, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 19:56 (five years ago) link
Yeah, it's strange... like, 101 must have felt like the band were at their absolute peak at the time, but after Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion and all the success since then, in the rearview mirror that whole period feels weirdly transitional.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 20:04 (five years ago) link
As I muttered in my Quietus piece. :-)
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 20:15 (five years ago) link