A Certain Ratio

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I didn't even know they knew about timbales. But I guess I'm the one who didn't know about timbales back in the early 80's.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:30 (twenty years ago) link

Do they have one with funny voices?

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:31 (twenty years ago) link

I think that's the one I like.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:31 (twenty years ago) link

This band has always been exhibit A in my "if your band's name eats ass, your band will forever seem second-tier" diorama

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:32 (twenty years ago) link

But I like their name.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:33 (twenty years ago) link

i seem to remember the dead dull "i'd like to see you again" bore the inscription "not recommended for those with a limited thrill capacity"

rockist i think simon wosname (topping?) studied latin percussion in ney york. i have a 12 on factory by him which is well smoochy on the timbales (but still crap)

― mullygrubber (gaz), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:33 (twenty years ago) link

oh i like the name!

(and yes i know what it means.)

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:33 (twenty years ago) link

It depends on whose ass is being eaten, I guess.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:34 (twenty years ago) link

That's one vivid diorama.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:35 (twenty years ago) link

die-o-rama

(My psychoticism quotient is high tonight.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:39 (twenty years ago) link

In that case the 'sex and food' thread on ILE urgently needs you.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:40 (twenty years ago) link

I forced my Joy Division-obsessed roomate to listen to them a few days ago and he said "It's like Joy Division, only...bright."

"So, not like Joy Division at all, then."

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:43 (twenty years ago) link

The early stuff sure isn't bright!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:46 (twenty years ago) link

if anything it sounds like a joy division parody.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:48 (twenty years ago) link

i heard one of those the other night

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:50 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah, the earlier stuff is Joy Division parody-ish, especially the voice.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:54 (twenty years ago) link

**Yeah, the earlier stuff is Joy Division parody-ish, especially the voice**

Oh jesus wept. In WHAT WAY is it 'JD-parody-ish'? WHAT WAY? WHICH 'Earlier Stuff'. Alright I'll concede that the voice is low-register kinda tuneless and not exactly a million miles from Curtis (of course ST stood in for IC a couple of times) but musically, apart from the original All Night Party/Thin Boys it's nothing like. DoJo's drumming makes sure of that.

BTW - All Night Party on the 'Ballroom' side of G&B has the best intro ever. Droning guitar noise, huge pop as a jack is plugged in, a mumbled word from Topping and a fucking great explosion as DoJo's drums come in insanely fast and syncopated. 'My Life Is Just/An Angry Blur'. Indeed.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 08:20 (twenty years ago) link

Just in case you missed it on the 'So what have you bought recently? March+ 2004' thread, To Each... is also reissued by Universal Sound/Soul Jazz as of yesterday.

I could wibble on for hours, but I'll just say "Go buy" and leave it at that. Sextet to follow soon, I hope.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 11:46 (twenty years ago) link

Hmm both sides of the Sir Horatio single added as bonus tracks. Nice.

Go on, Jeff. WIBBLE!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:16 (twenty years ago) link

I am stunned to find anybody willing to defend "A Certain Ratio" as a band name. It's the original emo band name, practically. Ugh, I sez. Ugh.

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:40 (twenty years ago) link

... that depends on which story you believe on how the band got their name: the Nazi one (which strikes me as bollox) or the Eno one (which strikes me as non-bollox).

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:43 (twenty years ago) link

It may be the orig Eno bandname cos I've forgotten the others. Emo and Nazis seem um an odd mix, anyway

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:44 (twenty years ago) link

No, not Emo, Eno as in Brian Eno - blame him.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:46 (twenty years ago) link

what's the name?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:46 (twenty years ago) link

Yeah I know, sorry I didn't write more. Do you remember any of the other Eno derived bandnames I've forgotten? There's a few, I think.

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:48 (twenty years ago) link

Actually Eno/Emo seems almost as odd a mix

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:50 (twenty years ago) link

801! From the same song!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:50 (twenty years ago) link

That's it! Thanks!

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:53 (twenty years ago) link

You're! Welcome!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 12:53 (twenty years ago) link

MCR is way underrated. Come on, "Good Together"! Shaun and Barney.

A.C.R.

M.C.R.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 13:42 (twenty years ago) link

Hey TT could you explain the Emo thing tho?

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 13:48 (twenty years ago) link

I haven't heard about the Nazi thing, but I just always assumed the name was from the Eno song.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:36 (twenty years ago) link

It was dreamed up by some git of a journalist in the midst of the "Factory Records are all Nazis" kerfuffle.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:38 (twenty years ago) link

I seem to remember that it came from Private Eye, which seemed to have a thing about Factory Nazis. They implied that there was something about 'A certain ratio' of pure blood to make you Aryan, or something crap like that. Of course, it's bollocks, it's from "The true wheel" as any fule know. Obviously Private Eye didn't listen to Eno.

― Rob M (Rob M), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:45 (twenty years ago) link

But "True Wheel" is probably a reference to Crowley's "True Will" and Crowley did say some racist things. So there you go.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:50 (twenty years ago) link

Anyway, "Graveyard and Ballroom" is probably my favourite ACR album. I was amazed the first time I heard it - there's so much going on, I can't believe side one was recorded in a four track studio. Personal fave song? "Flight", from side one. The single version is nowhere near it - it's just so minimal, it doesn't need anything else. A typical cycle ride to school in early '86 would be side one sung out loud, cycle ride home was side two.

― Rob M (Rob M), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:56 (twenty years ago) link

eight months pass...

Does anyone know if Soul Jazz are going to release 'I'd Like to See You Again' in 2005? I've just discovered that my vinyl copy has some nasty surface noize that I've never noticed before. The CD would be a nice replacement.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 15:46 (nineteen years ago) link

Just got Graveyard & Ballroom on CD for the first time. It's been quite awhile since I've heard it. What a drum sound!! "Flight" especially kills me. ACR had an awful lot of ups and downs in their career. Things like Sextet and MCR I simply can't deal with. I was glad and somewhat amused that the 24 Hour Party People film didn't try to gloss them over. They could be awful, but they sure as hell had high points and I've raved about them to people for years. Other than Graveyard & Ballroom/Shack Up, my faves are the "Old & The New" comp. which is probably pretty hard to find now, and "Force".

Their best stuff is far, far better than anything Section 25 did.

― Bimble..., Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link

I dug up the casse the other month. Marvellous. It's my favourite ACR album, as it is the only one I have.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 16:23 (nineteen years ago) link

Their best stuff is far, far better than anything Section 25 did.

oh, come on. acr could be a mighty band, but nothing they did touches "hilltop". (and nothing in the entire universe touches the hilltop megamix. an album in a song! genius.)

that said: i did go through a small period of genuinely believing "i won't stop loving you" to be the greatest song in the whole world, so ask me again in a year's time.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 20:01 (nineteen years ago) link

"Won't Stop Loving You" is indeed phenomenal. There are several gems on that record "Good Together" as I recall, but sadly everyone seemed to say that album was crap. I must disagree. To me it continued a tradition begun with the Force album of doing things with horns more beautiful than anything I'd ever heard done with horns. There was something about that era of theirs, those two records that doesn't sound like anyone else I've ever heard.

― Bimble..., Thursday, 23 December 2004 08:33 (nineteen years ago) link

the two earley 12's (the shack up one and the flight one) to each and sextet thankyou goodnight.

― bulbs (bulbs), Thursday, 23 December 2004 08:39 (nineteen years ago) link

I enjoyed the hell out of To Each, too, especially since my brother absolutely HATED it when I would put that on full blast to pay him back for subjecting me to his awful loud guitar playing. I knew he especially hated To Each, so of course I put it on nearly every night for awhile. It was great.

― Bimble..., Thursday, 23 December 2004 08:44 (nineteen years ago) link

I met my gf thanks directly to "Shack Up", so I'd recommend that if you want to pull her.

Oh, wait.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 23 December 2004 09:16 (nineteen years ago) link

Yes, Good Together is a v.good album. I like the fact that they've obviously tried to do something more smooth and pop. No two consecutive ACR albums are the same, which I greatly admire - they were always trying something, always moving on.

Bimble - is the 'horns' thing you refer to Tony Quigley's soprano sax work? If so, yes it's great and unique. The solo in And Then She Smiled is wonderful.

It's interesting that SXXV were mentioned - I think both bands are cut from the same cloth - experimentalists wh0 never stayed still. In fact that's really the Factory ethos. I think of ACR and SXXV in the same way as I think of Can. In fact Can must have been really important influences on both bands. (look out for the cheeky steal of the Aspectacle bass line in Knife Slits Water! There's also a ley line direct from Monster Movies to Aways Now)

Bimble - what is it about Sextet that makes it hard to deal with for you? I agree about MCR - it's kinda dull.

I agree with grimly's comments re : Hilltop and it's megamix. Staggering!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 23 December 2004 12:24 (nineteen years ago) link

I wanna hear what Bimble sez about Sextet!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 24 December 2004 10:12 (nineteen years ago) link

I just heard that LTM are going to reissue ILTSYA very soon, with singles (presumably Guess Who parts 1&2 and I Need Someone Tonight/Don't you Worry 'Bout a Thing) and live stuff.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 10:51 (nineteen years ago) link

heh, I had some testy e-mail exchanges with S**l J*** about the Sextet reissue (don't ask) so I'm quite pleased that it's LTM doing the next one

― Jeff W (zebedee), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Every time I see "A certain ratio" here, my mind goes "Toom! Toom! boom boom tsk a tsk a bbm bbmm" and so on.

Do the Du if anyone cares.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:33 (nineteen years ago) link

What happened Jeff? (Sorry, I *had* to ask).

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 4 January 2005 16:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Skipping 148 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Oh look they just did.

new:acr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=220&v=wrwjo2v-F3s

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 19:48 (five years ago) link

try again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrwjo2v-F3s

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 19:49 (five years ago) link

also featuring Tony Wilson at the start!

acr:set incidentally is a career-spanning comp that will be released on October 12th

― Jeff W, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 19:51 (five years ago) link

seven months pass...

acr:box to be released next month, including:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc_7s3G_IIc
Fairly faithful to the original, sounds great though I wish Grace Jones would have finished her vocal take..

― willem, Thursday, 4 April 2019 14:21 (five years ago) link

Two versions as well, I wonder what the difference is?

― MaresNest, Thursday, 4 April 2019 14:35 (five years ago) link

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIRGhm8KKbk

― Maresn3st, Sunday, 17 October 2021 23:51 (two years ago) link

one month passes...

This is surprisingly great, not familiar with their 21st century work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vIQafS1RQE

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Wednesday, 17 November 2021 19:29 (two years ago) link

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