http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/si/silver-cross-sleepover-classic-pram.jpg
― Autumn Almanac, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 23:48 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/health/images/lemonade.jpg
- le
― Autumn Almanac, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 23:49 (eleven years ago) Permalink
great work, Milton!
― sleeve, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:00 (eleven years ago) Permalink
This http://www.yellowmelodies.com/e-zine/numero5/portadas/Stereol7.jpg
is supposed to be based on the comic series Pravda la Survireuse by Guy Peellaert. http://www.bedetheque.com/thb_couv/pravda.jpg
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:00 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Yes, this is a nice thread. Milton rocks.
nabisco, do they really reference _À Rebours_? That's one of my favorite books ever.
― Turangalila, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:04 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Here are the YouTube dissections of musical origins I was talking about. Apart from a couple things that seem too basic to see as steals (e.g., the Canned Heat), they're mostly pretty clear lifts or pastiches, without too many stretches -- and a couple disappointing "oh man, I can't believe you lifted the melody" parts. Mostly it's rhythmic grooves and feels they're snipping from things and using as a basis for their own stuff.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IrFdR7I_kjM http://youtube.com/watch?v=s9N1uwNEraM http://youtube.com/watch?v=E9iiJy0jWSg http://youtube.com/watch?v=LNAO-vqa6R0
Artists mentioned: Faust, Piero Piccioni, Canned Heat, Gal Costa, Krzystzof Komeda, Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre, Sun Ra, Snapper, Wanderlea, Laurie Anderson, the Association, the Archies, Serge Gainsbourg, Neu!, Silver Apples, Steve Reich, and Plastic Ono Band (as source of "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" bass line -- this was the only one that kinda surprised me!)
― nabisco, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:09 (eleven years ago) Permalink
xpost turangalila I'm not 100% sure. 'against nature' is the title in translation and a direct reference would have used the original french. the lyrics do seem to me like a commentary or response to the book, I linked them upthread
― Milton Parker, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:26 (eleven years ago) Permalink
if it is a reference it's admittedly not a very direct one (though I'm sure they've read it) -- with those lines about 'war', probably something else made the song's orbit as well
I actually liked this translation better, but I went for the pop edition to underscore the reference
― Milton Parker, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:31 (eleven years ago) Permalink
You're talking about the bass line to "Metronomic Underground," I take it? Yup, that's what I'm talking about, jaymc.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 25 October 2007 00:53 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Milton I can't believe you didn't post this -
http://files.myopera.com/E.%20Driver/albums/35120/JohnCage.jpg
― Stormy Davis, Thursday, 25 October 2007 01:58 (eleven years ago) Permalink
xxpost Milton
Hmm... yes. "Living fantasy of the immortal"
thanks!
I've actually only read it in Spanish. Going to buy this version you recommend!
― Turangalila, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:01 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Gastr del Sol opened for Stereolab at the Metro in Chicago back in the mid-90s, and a couple weeks before the show I bumped into David Grubbs at the Hyde Park Kinko's on 57th St. He showed me the gig flyer he was printing up which read "Stereolab - 'John Cage Bubblegum' / Gastr del Sol - 'Steve Reich n Roll'"
― Stormy Davis, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:03 (eleven years ago) Permalink
I didn't actually go that show tho. Dumb! I never saw Stereolab.
― Stormy Davis, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:04 (eleven years ago) Permalink
I HAVE THAT FIRST RECORD!
― jaxon, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:21 (eleven years ago) Permalink
it's been so long, but they ripped the bassline for a song directly from a yoko ono tune from her first or second solo album
― jaxon, Thursday, 25 October 2007 02:22 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://www.zenker.se/Books/the_stars_my_destination.jpg
― dad a, Thursday, 25 October 2007 04:17 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://www.see.com.au/blog/archives/Darren%20002.jpg
― Mark Rich@rdson, Thursday, 25 October 2007 04:26 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Prokofiev's Symphonie Diabolique: http://website.lineone.net/~dmitrismirnov/image020.jpg
― dad a, Thursday, 25 October 2007 04:32 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51It1cvE6cL._SS500_.jpg
― dad a, Thursday, 25 October 2007 05:27 (eleven years ago) Permalink
This is the future of an illusion Aggressive culture of despotism Living fantasy of the immortal The reality of an animal
― These Robust Cookies, Thursday, 25 October 2007 06:27 (eleven years ago) Permalink
One of their tracks is based on "Disco Rough" by Mathématiques Modernes.
― Raw Patrick, Thursday, 25 October 2007 09:20 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Can't think of anything less obvious right now (I thought I was a genius for spotting the 100 Years of Solitude thing once and then googled it and nabisco had already written about it on Pitchfork, thus I lose), but "Enivrez-Vous!" from Peng! takes its lyrics from a Baudelaire prose-poem.
I'd always wondered about some of these! Thanks.
― a passing spacecadet, Thursday, 25 October 2007 10:27 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Maybe someone knows what that French Disco line really is: Bubble Withdrawal?
― Mark G, Thursday, 25 October 2007 10:33 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia_Pamela
― zeus, Thursday, 25 October 2007 11:21 (eleven years ago) Permalink
I have her CD somewhere, it is bats!
― Mark G, Thursday, 25 October 2007 11:23 (eleven years ago) Permalink
a lot of that youtube series of comparisons are a little on the vague side, but they're fun
I would not have compared 'Emperor Tomato Ketchup' to 'Why?' by the Plastic Ono Band, I'd have used "Les Histoires D'A" by Les Rita Mitsouko
Stereolab guilty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML9PWVm0wEQ
― Milton Parker, Thursday, 25 October 2007 23:20 (eleven years ago) Permalink
& I will post these anyway
Sylvie Vartan - Cette lettre-là (1965) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOlx2MxC6eQ
Sylvie Vartan - Par amour par pitié (1966) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3uL8M0svSQ
Sylvie Vartan - Irresistiblement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZCbwg6VmnI
― Milton Parker, Thursday, 25 October 2007 23:21 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Pack Yr. Romantic Mind: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille
― Bill in Chicago, Thursday, 25 October 2007 23:42 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://www.bigoven.com/uploads/margarine.jpg
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 26 October 2007 03:15 (eleven years ago) Permalink
that was feeble, sorry
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 26 October 2007 03:16 (eleven years ago) Permalink
brilliant thread, that Jirí Trnka film is mindblowing. good work!
has anyone mentioned family fodder yet?, as a general influence and specifically savoire faire and it's uncanny resemblance to (i think) wow and flutter. was it milton who mentioned upstairs somewhere that sterolab steals seem a bit disingenuous? i dunno if i could go along with that, their references generally seem pretty overt, if obscure. i think it's pretty key to the appeal of stereolab that you just know everything is pilfered.
― cw, Friday, 26 October 2007 11:51 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Yet nothing sounds quite like Stereolab. Sort of like a robot made of all sorts.
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 26 October 2007 11:59 (eleven years ago) Permalink
holy shit this thread. overwhelming amount of info. more pls!
― CharlieNo4, Friday, 26 October 2007 12:22 (eleven years ago) Permalink
What Charlie No4 said above.
thanks, people
― Daniel Giraffe, Friday, 26 October 2007 12:51 (eleven years ago) Permalink
"All good things to come.."
― Mark G, Friday, 26 October 2007 12:57 (eleven years ago) Permalink
MBV,Spacemen 3, Astrud Gilberto, Nico, Francoise Hardy.
― Zeno, Friday, 26 October 2007 13:12 (eleven years ago) Permalink
"Pause" samples the "Swedish Rhapsody" numbers station transmission. (Numbers stations transmission consist of transient noise bursts with announcements.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVqaoxxsN7Q More info: http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page30.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_station
― dad a, Friday, 26 October 2007 14:03 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Wouldn't it be quicker to just list the things that aren't a direct influence on Stereolab?
Like uh........ummmmm........
― PhilK, Friday, 26 October 2007 14:07 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Corn Flakes
― Autumn Almanac, Friday, 26 October 2007 23:52 (eleven years ago) Permalink
You obviously haven't heard the obscure 1996 comp-only track "Kellogg Oberheim Fondle"
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 27 October 2007 00:01 (eleven years ago) Permalink
i'm not on board with a lot of these, but ... http://youtube.com/watch?v=IrFdR7I_kjM http://youtube.com/watch?v=s9N1uwNEraM http://youtube.com/watch?v=E9iiJy0jWSg http://youtube.com/watch?v=LNAO-vqa6R0
― jaxon, Saturday, 27 October 2007 00:23 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Does it count that they play this record sometimes before they go on mean it's a reference, or just a somewhat similar sound?
http://perso.orange.fr/vivonzeureux/Images/familysavoir1.jpg
― Soundslike, Saturday, 27 October 2007 00:32 (eleven years ago) Permalink
-- jaxon, Saturday, 27 October 2007 10:23 (53 minutes ago) Bookmark Link
Some of those are either acknowledged influences (Gane has said Flower Call Nowhere is based on Fearless Vampire Killers, which is obvious when you hear the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH bit) or incredibly tenuous links. Quite a few are disturbingly close though.
― Autumn Almanac, Saturday, 27 October 2007 01:19 (eleven years ago) Permalink
http://www.seafriends.org.nz/photolib/shows/snapper.jpg
― keythkeyth, Saturday, 27 October 2007 01:46 (eleven years ago) Permalink
And from an NZ domain too.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 27 October 2007 01:47 (eleven years ago) Permalink
You poopheadz, I posted those just upthread!
The really tenuous ones are the things that seem common to a million songs, too common to count as a "steal" even if they're directly referencing the original -- the Canned Heat one is pretty free-floating in the whole world of music at this point, and the Archies one is like, umm, pretty common rhythm guitar sound.
― nabisco, Saturday, 27 October 2007 22:30 (eleven years ago) Permalink
now i see snapper, sorry.
― keythkeyth, Saturday, 27 October 2007 23:58 (eleven years ago) Permalink
astrud gilberto - "summer sweet"
listen to the verses and tell me that the organ sound and chord changes aren't like a total mid-era Stereolab sound.
― Steve Shasta, Sunday, 28 October 2007 00:38 (eleven years ago) Permalink
Jon, amazingly comprehensive -- nice work. I will admit I had no idea of the extent to which their music was referential.
Should we start a thread about the 'Lab aesthetic -- ie, what the point of all this is? Because for me, the mind has always been engaged by the sum total of their work -- in particular, the (frankly unprecedented) vigilance of their postmodernism. But the heart, which has to judge Stereolab records on their musical merits, is altogether less convinced.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 28 October 2007 15:10 (eleven years ago) Permalink
The whole thing started collapsing under its own weight when they started collaborating with fellow derivative bricoleurs, the High Llamas.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 28 October 2007 22:49 (eleven years ago) Permalink