Stereolab: Classic or Dud

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my heirarchy is opposite of Pete's(viva la McEntire!) but yeah, CLASSIC

1. Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night
2. Sound-Dust
3. Emperor Tomato Ketchup
4. Dots and Loops
5. Mars Audiac Quintet
6. Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements
7. Peng!
8. The Groop Played Space Age Bachelor Pad Music
9. First of the Microbe Hunters
10. Refried Ectoplasm: Music for the Amorphous Body Study Center
11. Margerine Eclipse(it's official:yuck)
12. ABC Music

best EP: Instant '0' in the Universe
worst endeavor: that Uilab thing

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 14 February 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Just so's you know, my 1-10 was a chronology, not a hierarchy. My favorite album is Peng!.

― Pete Scholtes, Monday, 14 February 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

oops duh
So many Stereolab fan lists look like that I didn't even bat an eye.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Piscesboy, you're going to want Transient Random-Noise Bursts for sure (one of the peak musical experiences of my life was hearing the full-length "Jenny Ondioline" played at maximum volume through enormous club speakers). Also Refried Ectoplasm, a comp of some of the awesome early singles from around that time.

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

12. ABC Music

Are you crazy? Do you just not like live Stereolab as opposed to studio Stereolab?

I think "ABC Music" contains the definitive versions of "Wow and Flutter" (the second one, the one that boogies more), "Contact", "Les Yper Sound", all of the "Sound Dust" tracks, and possibly "Changer" and "Anamorphose".

Piscesboy, Disc 1 + first two tracks of Disc 2 cover the early singles through to "MAQ". The rest of Disc 2 covers "ETK" and "Sound Dust" (nothing from the years between those albums is covered).

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

worst endeavor: that Uilab thing

Wha'?! Their "St. Elmo's Fire" gives the original a run for the money (and that's saying a lot)...

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

(hence the drastic change of direction, as you noted)

xpost

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

re: ABC
I do prefer studio 'Lab, no question. Moogin', marimb-ey, funky loungey 'Lab at that. Honestly, that was my point of entry and if I'd heard the guitar-heavy stuff first they'd have had slim chance to hook me. ABC definitely has some great versions(Les Yper Sound was a standout) but too much early period material makes it sloggy and samey after awhile. I'd probably enjoy it more on random shuffle, that's about the only bone I can throw you. Anyway, I only dislike it in context of their other work, and probably dislike Margerine Eclipse even more cos in my mind it represents them turning their back on their most gorgeous, fruitful work because it proved unpopular.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

Stereolab are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. So all of ABC is live versions? - I recognize almost all of the songs (and own the albums) but this is still worth purchasing? Hmm...

― Christian, Monday, 27 June 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)

V. much so, it's an excellent collection. Grab Oscillons... as well if you've not already.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

I do have Oscillons, and it's really excellent. I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk about it, but I guess it's just because it's all older material.

― Christian, Monday, 27 June 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

Actually there's a thread on it...

Stereolab- Oscillons from the Anti-Sun

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

Always rated Emperor Tomato Ketchup as their best, and might stand by that -- but these days I'm back to being most taken with Mars Audiac Quintet. Maybe it's that it's the end-point of their drone, and makes a good contrast to where they've been lately; maybe it's that the EP material from that era just leaped out of Oscillons as something remarkable. It's sounding terrific lately. This and the earliest stuff -- Peng, Switched On -- have been in my CD player a lot lately.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:20 (twenty years ago)

Even I like ETK!

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

Hmmm. Isn't Emperor Tomato Ketchup the consensus pick these days? Like if Spin wanted to include a Stereolab album on a best-of-the-90s list, that's the one they'd choose. For me, it's the first album of theirs I heard, and I do like it, but I hardly ever listen to it apart from a few stand-out tracks. It's more interesting to me now as a transitional album between Mars Audiac Quintet and Dots and Loops, which are probably my two favorite Stereolab albums.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

Even at the time, I felt a bit distant from ETK because, for lack of a better way to put it, they were getting too "cute". Fierce drone-rock was on its way out, and seductive, wistful, merely pleasant French pop was on its way in.

MAQ is the greatest krautrock space boogie album ever.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

MAQ has always sounded really SOLID to me.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

I felt like they were really growing up through MAQ, which was a tremendous album. ETK seemed about equally great, but more of a sort of continuation of grebtness than more growth, so therefore less exciting than MAQ.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

What's Dots And Loops like? More of the same? Why do I feel like I need to own another Stereolab record? I'm quite sure I don't.

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

I think Dots and Loops is fairly different from almost anything they've done! You might like it, Adam.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

Is it "cute"?

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

Josh had a couple of interesting posts about it a few years ago. (Start at the bottom.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

Dots & Loops is excellent!

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

Is it "cute"? I don't think so. There's something very submerged about it, sort of like ... Luomo. I say this better here.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

Dots & Loops is excellent!

*cracks knuckles*

Let us humbly say there is no consensus.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

I'm fairly sure that we've argued about "Dots and Loops" on other threads, but ILM is extremely divided on that album, definitely.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

I'm curious what the criticism of it is. I remember really liking about the first two-thirds of it or so (?), but thinking it dragged a little beginning with that super long track.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

If you go to the Oscillons thread you'll find the most recent example of the debate (with some v. good posts from Josh and others).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

This record makes Ned crack his knuckles!

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

As warming up for breaking your neck.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Apparently you will like Dots and Loops if (a) you like / don't-mind Tortoise sounds, (b) you like / don't-mind Mouse on Mars sounds, and most importantly (c) you don't see what would be wrong with Stereolab trying out a few of those sounds, in the form of, say, faux-Brazilian faux-drum'n'bass. Also if you don't mind their sound getting kinda super-clean and micro and precise.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

(a) is urgent, key and crucial.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

I like it when they get dirty

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I don't really feel either way about Tortoise. I only heard TNT and quite liked it at the time, I suppose.

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

I don't know Tortoise very well. I think D&L has some great songs on it, but I can see what some people on the other thread are getting at - that's it's not as aesthetically fantastic as their earlier music.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:02 (twenty years ago)

Which of their albums sounds the most like Mary J Blige?

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

Also if you don't mind their sound getting kinda super-clean and micro and precise.

This is why I thought Adam would like it.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

Not really. I like micro but I think of/prefer Stereolab as a rock band. ETK is a great rock album. MAQ is a solid pop album.

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

All right, whatever.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

CLASSIC.

As testimony, a well-considered selection of tracks across most of their releases to fill up at least 3 discs;

Super Falling Star
Contact
Super-Electric
Laisser-Faire
Our Trinitone Blast
Crest
Analogue Rock
Heavy Denim
Mountain
Sadistic
French Disko
John Cage Bubblegum
L’Enfer Des Formes
Wow And Flutter
Transona 5
The Noise Of Carpet
Motoroller Scalatron
Metronomic Underground

Les Yper-Sound
Percolator
Fluorescences
Parsec
Brakhage
Contronatura
Check And Double Check
Get Carter
Fuses
Infinity Girl
The Free Design
Puncture In The Radar Permutation
Come And Play In The Milky Night
Pain Et Spectacles
Escape Pod
The Black Arts
Hallucinex
Captain Easychord

Nothing To Do With Me
Suggestion Diabolique
Double Rocker
Need To Be
Moodles
Canned Candies
With Friends Like These
Long Life Love
Jaunty Monty And The Bubbles Of Babble
Sudden Stars
Mass Riff
University Microfilms International
Banana Monster Ne Répond
Margerine Rock
Margerine Melodie

― bkjj40a (bkjj40a), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:31 (twenty years ago)

All right, whatever.

Don't get upset about it!

― I'm bad and dirty and going to hell (nordicskilla), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

I'm not!

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

YOU ARE NOW.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

Ned, you just hate vibraphones, DON'T YOU?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 27 June 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

After my tirade upthread this sounds stupid but *I think* that I may have finally got into S'Lab. I've picked up some other bits and pieces in sales etc, but what really did it for me was the third CD of the Oscillons box. Jesus - it's all fantastic.1 For the first time ever I found that I was engaged with the music instead of waiting for it to finish! The Noise Of Carpet - compact, punchy, direct! The Free Design - is the single version different from the album version? The brass sounds thicker and the mix slightly heavier. Pain Et Spectacles - hovering, gliding pop with a great chorus. Long Life Love - Mary+electric piano+glock = heaven. Heavy Denim, not my favourite, but a lovely distorto-groove. Miss Mod - again, is this s different mix compared to the LP version. Much better.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:02 (twenty years ago)

The other day I realized that I've managed to purchase about eight Stereolab albums over the years without ever thinking of them as the kind of band I'd want to buy eight albums from. This seems pretty charming to me. The nice thing about them is that although they definitely wear their influences on their sleeves, the resultant music always sounds like Stereolab first and foremost. So, even though ETK is the latest I think they were any good, classic.

― Zack Richardson (teenagequiet), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:06 (twenty years ago)

I own three (MAQ, ETK, D&L) and like them all just about equally, for differing reasons - with maybe a slight preference for Dots & Loops. I'm not sure I need any more, but if I did - where to next? In all honesty I'm not particularly into the Jenny Ondioline-style noise freakout.

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

i think Dots and Loops is excellent and dont' understand why so many people see it as a dropping off point. It's a very blue sounding album, with a lot of warm tones. Really it sounds like the album cover, the same way MAQ sounds like that cover.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

i think Dots and Loops is excellent and dont' understand why so many people see it as a dropping off point.

You *must* understand my universe, Kyle:

* Tor-twah = the suck aside from maybe a minute of "Djed"
* The vast majority of D&L tracks = produced by one John M. of Tor-twah
* live/radio sessions of the McEntire-produced tracks >>>> the D&L versions
* Ergo, foo on D&L

Other universes are different.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

John M. also worked on ETK though

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 745 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Great answers, Kate! "Tish" to me is reminiscent of 'Tisch School of the Arts' I guess, but that's because I live in New York. Does Tim Gane smell European?

― The 25 Best Songs Ever Ranked In Order (Deflatormouse), Wednesday, 15 June 2022 20:43 (four years ago)

lottery emails going out

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Thursday, 23 June 2022 09:41 (three years ago)

For Switched on Vol 5? How does one get in on this, if one is not already on their mailing list?

― joni mitchell jarre (anagram), Thursday, 23 June 2022 11:33 (three years ago)

you needed to be on their mailing list and opted in to the lottery
this is just for the limited edition though

tracklist

Simple Headphone Mind’ b/w ‘Trippin’ With The Birds’ was the second collaboration between Nurse With Wound and Stereolab. A 12” disk released on yellow vinyl [1000 copies] and black vinyl [4996 copies] The sleeve was made from a 'Mylar style’, aluminium coloured, material that was glued and sealed – each purchaser had to open the sleeve to discover which colour vinyl they had bought. The CDs were also released in a sealed sleeve. Originally released 28th April 1997 via Duophonic Super 45s. Catalogue numbers DS33-11 / DS45CD-11.
The ‘Low Fi’ EP - ‘Low Fi’, ‘[Varoom!]’, ‘Laisser-Faire’ and ‘Elektro [he held the world in his iron grip]’ was originally released as a limited edition clear vinyl 10” [approx 500 copies], black vinyl 10” and CD. Released 28th September 1992 by Too Pure. Catalogue numbers Pure 14 / Pure CD14.
‘Robot Riot’ and ‘Unity Purity Occasional’ were both written for sculptures made by Charles Long - an artist that we had previously collaborated with on the ‘Music For The Amorphous Body Study Center’ project. ‘Unity Purity Occasional’ was used in 2000 for Charles' sculpture of the same name - "Unity Purity Occasional is a sculpture with six hand-blown, tear-shaped glass cups filled with antibacterial hand gel that the visitor can pump out and disinfect their hands with. The song is channeled through three tubes that simultaneously blow the visitors’ hands dry with warm jets of air." [Text by Niki Kralli Anell]. ‘Robot Riot’ is previously unreleased.
‘Spool of Collusion’ and ‘Forensic Itch’ were originally released on August 18th 2008 as a black vinyl 7” that was given away with the initial pressing [5000 copies] of the ‘Chemical Chords’ LP. Released via Duophonic UHF Disks / 4AD. Catalogue number AD2820. ‘Spool of Collusion’ was also added, as a bonus track, to the Japanese CD release of ‘Chemical Chords’.
‘Symbolic Logic Of Now!’ was one side of a split 7” with Soi-Disant. 100 copies on blue vinyl and 2000 copies on black vinyl. Originally released in 1998 by Luke Warm Music. Catalogue number LWM001.
‘Ronco Symphony’ demo – a demo version of the track from 1993’s 'The Groop Played "Space Age Batchelor Pad Music"’ album. Previously unreleased.
A cover of the track ‘ABC’ by The Multitude from The Godz album ‘The Third Testament’. The track was originally recorded for a Godz tribute album called ‘Godz Is Not A Put On’ and released in an edition of 500 copies by Lissy’s Records in 1996. The track was later released as one side of a yellow glitter 7” that was part of an exclusive Japanese box set edition of ‘Aluminum Tunes [Switched On Volume 3]’. Yellow glitter 7” – approximately 3000 copies. Catalogue number D-UHF-D21.
‘Magne-Music’ and ‘The Nth Degrees’ were added as bonus tracks to the UK limited edition CD of ‘Chemical Chords’ released 18th August 2008 via Duophonic UHF Disks / 4AD. Catalogue number CADD2815CD. Both tracks also appear on the Japanese edition of ‘Chemical Chords’.
‘Blaue Milch’ was recorded for a Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra compilation album – each artist on the album was sent a Peter Thomas audio track and was asked to build it into a new track. Originally released in 1998 by the Bungalow record label. Catalogue number Bung 048.2.
The original recording of ‘Plastic Mile’. The re-recording was released as a 7” b/w ‘I Was A Sunny Rainphase’ and subsequently compiled onto Stereolab’s ‘Fab Four Suture’ album. Previously unreleased.
‘Yes Sir! I Can Moogie’ was originally released in 1995 as part of a single sided 3 track 7” flexi-disk via Wurlitzer Jukebox. Catalogue number WJ03 - 1000 copies were pressed.
‘Refractions In The Plastic Pulse’, a track from the ‘Dots And Loops’ album remixed by Autechre. A 12” disk released on 20th April 1998 via Duophonic UHF Disks. Catalogue number D-UHF-D19. 500 copies pressed on translucent yellow vinyl and 2972 copies on black vinyl.
‘XXXOOO’ was originally released in 1992 as part of a single sided 3 track 7” flexi-disk via the Encore! label. The flexi-disk was given away with edition #6 of the 'Tea Time' fanzine. Catalogue number Encore 001.
A live version of the ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ album track ‘Cybele's Reverie’. Recorded 26th September 2004 when Stereolab supported Air at The Hollywood Bowl, CA. USA. Previously unreleased.

― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Thursday, 23 June 2022 11:37 (three years ago)

This is likely the last Switched On, isn’t it?

― Legalize Suburban Benches (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 23 June 2022 13:15 (three years ago)

Probably? Apparently due to licensing issues the Low-Fi EP tracks on Vol. 5 are not on the digital release, just on the CD and Vinyl versions.

― J. Sam, Thursday, 23 June 2022 15:10 (three years ago)

After five volumes, Switched On series to be Switched Off, and here’s why/that’s ok.

― Michael F Gill, Thursday, 23 June 2022 15:13 (three years ago)

Not true that Ronco Symphony Demo had never been released! I got this flexi somewhere: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/stereolab-submariner/space-watch/

― dan selzer, Thursday, 23 June 2022 15:50 (three years ago)

nice to see Low-Fi get a high quality vinyl re-release

― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Thursday, 23 June 2022 15:51 (three years ago)

lol that was my reaction, I have that 5” flexi with the Ronco Symphony demo on it

― Jaime Pressly and America (f. hazel), Thursday, 23 June 2022 15:51 (three years ago)

Just listened to Robot Riot - would fit right in on MAQ so I'm a bit surprised that it was actually planned for one of the Charles Long collabs (or, to put it another way, it makes sense that it wasn't used for such in the end).

Really pleased that Unity Purity Occasional is going to be on this comp; that's the one ultra rare Lab "release" I've never heard. This is what the sculpture looks like:
https://www.magasin3.com/en/artwork/unity-purity-occasional-2/

― Jeff W, Thursday, 23 June 2022 16:45 (three years ago)

three months pass...

Saw them at Roadrunner in Boston last night, which is a terrific venue. Enjoyable but the absolutely terrible sound (their live sound person's fault as the opener had great sound and a very similar lineup) made the experience a lot less pleasant than it should've been. Current band is pretty tight tho and the song selection was very good.

Gerald McBoing-Boing to thread?

― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 5 October 2022 16:35 (three years ago)

Y'all want this thread. :-D

The future of Stereolab

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 5 October 2022 17:08 (three years ago)

three months pass...

Oh, Refried Ectoplasm! I love thee so.

― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 1 February 2023 12:34 (three years ago)

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