It's hard to notice through the leering, though.
― I'm crossing over into enterprise (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:30 (fifteen years ago) link
back dat abyss up
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:43 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah Flowers sounds like it's all up in the abyss's guts IMO
I don't think it's as good as Metal Box...but I think it's close and perhaps even braver.
God, Lydon is so unhinged on this with the weird UK yowl half gone arabic...crazy ass vocal performance....
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:49 (fifteen years ago) link
I know, I know, but can we see it on You Tube?
― To Float Away On A Lifelong Song (Bimble), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:54 (fifteen years ago) link
what, the abyss?
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:58 (fifteen years ago) link
now that you mention it, watching youtube *is* kind of like staring into the abyss
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Monday, 6 April 2009 19:59 (fifteen years ago) link
when you stare into the youtube, the youtube also stares into you
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Monday, 6 April 2009 20:01 (fifteen years ago) link
youtube comments make the abyss seems like caddyshack
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Monday, 6 April 2009 20:10 (fifteen years ago) link
There really should be a DVD of all of JR's TOTP Appearances.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Definitely my favorite PiL album, by a wide margin. I love Wobble elsewhere (like with Czukay) but don't find I miss him with Ltd.
― Soundslike, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Starts off Classic, but palls after a while, Lydon's melodic limitations are rather exposed
― Sacco, Vanzetti, Passantino... (Tom D.), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:35 (fifteen years ago) link
tevs geir jr!
― d20 riot tard (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:38 (fifteen years ago) link
LOL, but it is amelodic and rhythm dominate, to coin a phrase
― Sacco, Vanzetti, Passantino... (Tom D.), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:41 (fifteen years ago) link
pulled this out for the first time in a long while cos of this thread, it wails!
― goole, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:44 (fifteen years ago) link
all the songs seems like they're a year long even tho they're all ~3 mins, but then the endings all seem very abrupt
― goole, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 14:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Levine's electronics on this record are superb.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 7 April 2009 15:03 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't know, I think a lot of that has to do with the obvious lack of Wobble -- his bass is 'supposed' to be there, it isn't, therefore it seems unfinished. Taking it on its own terms isn't easy (maybe isn't entirely feasible?).
was thinking about this thread of missing wobble - I love wobble's playing on metal box but I'm not sure if his bass is 'supposed' to be there on the flowers of romance?
always thought both "albatross" and "four enclosed walls" were perfect lead off tracks on their respective albums, laying down the rules of engagement. "four enclosed walls" is just drums + vocals + odd noises, and it's a complete song - when I listen to it and I don't think there's anything missing, in fact it's quite perfect.
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, 7 April 2009 17:04 (fifteen years ago) link
I only pull this out every once in a while, but every time I do, it really hits the spot.
― Austin, Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:03 (eight years ago) link
35 years old today
― adam, Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:05 (eight years ago) link
So fucking good
― lute bro (brimstead), Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:06 (eight years ago) link
Wow, really?! I had no idea when I revived. . .
― Austin, Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:42 (eight years ago) link
this is embarrassing, but i scored a cheap copy of flowers of romance yesterday, then got home and realized i bought the 12" single. no wonder it was $8. :(
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:45 (eight years ago) link
I saw DJ Shadow do his "pass me a record and I'll mix it" routine at Other Music a few years ago. Somebody passed him Flowers of Romance, and he didn't get anywhere. After a couple minutes of fussing with the crossfader, he handed it back, flustered, and said something like "I'm not into that."
surprised he couldn't do anything with Atkins' drums on "Four Enclosed Walls"...I mean, that bass drum
― Master of Treacle, Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:46 (eight years ago) link
/I saw DJ Shadow do his "pass me a record and I'll mix it" routine at Other Music a few years ago. Somebody passed him Flowers of Romance, and he didn't get anywhere. After a couple minutes of fussing with the crossfader, he handed it back, flustered, and said something like "I'm not into that."/surprised he couldn't do anything with Atkins' drums on "Four Enclosed Walls"...I mean, that bass drum
I was thinking the same!!
― lute bro (brimstead), Sunday, 10 April 2016 23:53 (eight years ago) link
My mate was looking for a nice phono amp for his system and brought a bunch of records to the store to test out, of which one was this. It was a sweet setup, probably a $20-30k demo system in one of those acoustically treated rooms, no angles, just a couch, etc.
This record sounded ungodly.
As if I had never heard it before, my reaction was "so THIS is what John was going for!"
Not that you need that kind of environment to appreciate it, but it helped reveal a different aspect.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 11 April 2016 01:49 (eight years ago) link
It's not really a good album but I appreciate it as gesture. Context matters too: at last night's Pearl Jam show it played -- LOUDLY -- over the PA system.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 11 April 2016 02:20 (eight years ago) link
it = title track
I remember buying this on the first day and taking it home and playing it.
How to make an album that's minimal, but huge at the same time.
I was marginally disappointed that the "Pied Piper" lineup didn't do more stuff, but then PIL have a whole bunch of "didn't do a lot" about them, up to "Commercial Zone"
― Mark G, Monday, 11 April 2016 08:59 (eight years ago) link
It took close to 30 years, but this album finally clicked for me.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 30 November 2019 06:04 (four years ago) link