Apart from one or two tracks, this album drops off considerably after "all the world loves lovers" imo
― Well bissogled trotters (Michael B), Friday, 14 July 2017 12:31 (six years ago) link
idk how you could possibly choose just one
― joshywinty (josh), Friday, 14 July 2017 18:02 (six years ago) link
Given that it's divided into four suite, how do you rate them? I'd go 4>1>3>2, 'Jesse James Bolero' and 'The Wedding March' are the weak points for me, but even they have their pleasures.
― Dan Worsley, Thursday, July 13, 2017 1:40 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
hmmmmmm
2>3>4>1
no that's not right
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 14 July 2017 19:24 (six years ago) link
every song is great
i think i'm gonna go with "we let the stars go"
― joshywinty (josh), Saturday, 15 July 2017 00:00 (six years ago) link
end of the road i'm traveling
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Saturday, 15 July 2017 00:02 (six years ago) link
Michael was my favourite when the album came out and on a recent re-listen it struck me as being weirdly beautiful. Probably not actually the best song on the album but my choice for this poll anyway.
― treefell, Saturday, 15 July 2017 11:17 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Sunday, 23 July 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Monday, 24 July 2017 00:01 (six years ago) link
Good results. Can't really argue with that top three.
The biggest surprise is that Looking For Atlantis didn't get a single vote.
― kitchen person, Monday, 24 July 2017 00:04 (six years ago) link
"One Of The Broken" deserved a vote too.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 24 July 2017 01:50 (six years ago) link
Yeah, pretty rare album poll where the first track doesn't get a single vote.
― henry s, Monday, 24 July 2017 03:07 (six years ago) link
this album is good
― k3vin k., Monday, 24 July 2017 18:36 (six years ago) link
did they tour at all on this record? i'd like to hear wild horses live
― flappy bird, Friday, 13 April 2018 05:48 (six years ago) link
a soundboard recording of a show from that tour recently surfaced
http://www.sproutology.co.uk/concerts/jordan-the-soundboard-dublin-point-december-9th-1990/
― ufo, Friday, 13 April 2018 06:25 (six years ago) link
wow, amazing!!!!!!!! thank you!!!
― flappy bird, Friday, 13 April 2018 06:52 (six years ago) link
i think this is my favorite album of all time now
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Sunday, 14 October 2018 15:47 (five years ago) link
Wild Horses came up on my shuffle yesterday and it sounded so heavenly. I think this album has finally caught up with how much I love Steve McQueen.
― kitchen person, Sunday, 14 October 2018 16:48 (five years ago) link
That soundboard Dublin show is great, thanks ufo. Paddy sounds quite the showman which I wasn't expecting for some reason.
― piscesx, Monday, 15 October 2018 11:03 (five years ago) link
No way to download that gig for safe keeping?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 15 October 2018 16:43 (five years ago) link
Most repeated stretch recently - “Jesse James (both)” - “Moon Dog” - “ATWLL”
― Master of Treacle, Monday, 15 October 2018 20:00 (five years ago) link
I consider this one of the great "autumn" albums, probably because that's the time of year it was released...
― henry s, Monday, 15 October 2018 20:19 (five years ago) link
Mercy getting no votes makes some sense since it's 82 seconds long but imo it's one of the best songs here
But Looking For Atlantis getting none too!? how!?!?
― josh az (2011nostalgia), Thursday, 8 November 2018 04:31 (five years ago) link
I've only just discovered this album, but is there an actual backstory behind the character of Jordan?
― josh az (2011nostalgia), Thursday, 8 November 2018 04:33 (five years ago) link
There are some great songs on this but Mercy is by far the greatest of them. I thought I’d voted in this poll but obviously not. Fwiw, I find wild horses weirdly awkward.
― brokenshire (jed_), Thursday, 8 November 2018 18:34 (five years ago) link
Wow
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Thursday, 8 November 2018 18:36 (five years ago) link
Sorry wrong thread but weirdly right
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Thursday, 8 November 2018 18:38 (five years ago) link
Wild Horses is weirdly awkward but that's what makes it so great imo - the syncopation in the choruses specifically.
― flappy bird, Thursday, 8 November 2018 19:33 (five years ago) link
I assumed you were talking about the lyrics cos...
― Number None, Friday, 9 November 2018 14:21 (five years ago) link
"I'm a wolf with an eye for the ponies" is an all time second verse closer line
― flappy bird, Friday, 9 November 2018 20:22 (five years ago) link
This album!
― yugi ex, Saturday, 29 December 2018 23:25 (five years ago) link
the greatest album ever made
also an album somewhat ruined by the digital/streaming era (the last time i checked the spotify version is full of single edits)
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Sunday, 30 December 2018 00:02 (five years ago) link
are those actually single edits tho? they're labeled as such, but the song lengths are all pretty much the same as on the track listing from discogs. i don't have a digital copy to compare them to at the moment...
― J. Sam, Sunday, 30 December 2018 00:44 (five years ago) link
at any rate this record is amazing and kind of overwhelming.
also have yall heard nicholas krgovich flip wild horses into sleigh ride?? tis the season... https://nicholaskrgovich.bandcamp.com/track/sleigh-ride
― J. Sam, Sunday, 30 December 2018 00:55 (five years ago) link
― J. Sam, Saturday, December 29, 2018 5:44 PM (thirty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
iirc the between-track transitions are all fucked up for he most part. gotta try again though
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Sunday, 30 December 2018 01:15 (five years ago) link
This was a Xmas pressie for me so I am still unpeeling the layers.
It amazes me that records such as this were released at a time when I was already deeply into music yet never appeared on my radar at the time (either due to the Melody Maker and NME not espousing it or, if they did, me discounting it). I can't help thinking that King of Rock and Roll did PS no favours as I probably thought of them as a bit of a novelty act when Jordan was released back in 1990.
Anyway, this sounds amazing and, at times, makes me think that Eitzel must have listened to a lot of PS as AMC's sound softened around the edges in the early to mid 90s.
― yugi ex, Monday, 31 December 2018 10:18 (five years ago) link
I can't help thinking that King of Rock and Roll did PS no favours
McAloon alludes to this in an interview in this months Mojo
― . (Michael B), Monday, 31 December 2018 12:42 (five years ago) link
Missed this thread. This is an all-time favorite play start to finish set the mood album of mine.
If it was released today, maybe with a few subtle bells and whistles added, it would be...
― nicky lo-fi, Monday, 31 December 2018 17:14 (five years ago) link
listened to this a lot this time last year and their ability to explore emotional spaces both musically and lyrically is extraordinary. i had something of a damascene moment regarding them listening to We Let the Stars Go on a tube from Ealing. Wd agree with yugi ex that i missed out on them when reading the music press, feel i overlooked them rather than them not being represented tho. sure that Jordan made either the NME or MM EOYs.
― Fizzles, Monday, 31 December 2018 18:17 (five years ago) link
You're right, mm had it at 27, mms at 23. Pills 'n Thrills topped both lists! Hmmmm.
― yugi ex, Monday, 31 December 2018 18:39 (five years ago) link
ok so i double-checked and yeah: the single edit of "ice maiden" does not transition properly into "paris smith"
this is why i hate streaming btw
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 8 January 2019 17:17 (five years ago) link
well actually it's probably apple's fault tbh, it's the same version of the record that's available on itunes. so i actually just hate the entire digital music era
try listening to sign o the times on any streaming service without constantly adjusting the volume
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 8 January 2019 17:21 (five years ago) link
the drive to have only one version of a song available on digital/streaming services was so fucking destructive
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 8 January 2019 17:22 (five years ago) link
sign o the times is a great example of a record where the vinyl vs. cd/digital is night and day
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 17:22 (five years ago) link
Funnily enough I keep thinking of Sign O'The Times as I am getting to know this, something about the scope, ambition and realised vision makes them seem aligned.
At the moment Jordan edges it as it doesn't have a Starfish & Coffee on it!
― yugi ex, Tuesday, 8 January 2019 20:26 (five years ago) link
I worked in a record shop in the summer of 88 and we had everything on cd, tape and vinyl. I remember doing a vinyl v CD sound test on Lovesexy and vinyl won by miles. The sound was indeed richer and more consistent but my abiding memory was how the snares crunched and smacked whereas on CD they just seemed to keep time.
― Daniel Giraffe, Wednesday, 9 January 2019 13:37 (five years ago) link
Well, I'd never heard this (or had forgotten) before today. I've always had a troubled relationship with PS, finding them right on the cusp of the kind of arch and whimsical stuff that I struggle with. Anyway, talk about missing the obvious: it's glorious. And, stating the obvious, but I assume Dan Bejar has heard this once or twice.
― Good cop, Babcock (Chinaski), Wednesday, 9 January 2019 14:33 (five years ago) link
Wow - did not know Natalie Prass was covering this - was made for the Spacebomb treatment now I think of it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1jcxlnEK9Y
― Stevie T, Wednesday, 9 January 2019 14:58 (five years ago) link
iirc dan bejar said this was one of the main influences on kaputt
― ufo, Wednesday, 9 January 2019 15:01 (five years ago) link
xpost (Following Pure Bathing Culture's whole album cover of Hats, maybe 2019 is the year the sophistipop revival goes overground)
― Stevie T, Wednesday, 9 January 2019 15:02 (five years ago) link
Definitely pushing into that time of year again.
It's time to admit when I listen to this for the first time in a while, I sometimes feel like I'm not making it past 'Machine Gun Ibiza'. "Voodoo up rollmo' down" makes me die a bit inside. Then 'We Let the Stars Go' comes on and I realise everything is going to be fine.
― I would prefer not to. (Chinaski), Tuesday, 26 September 2023 19:09 (six months ago) link
"machine gun ibiza" is silly but the bass is sumptuous
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 26 September 2023 20:15 (six months ago) link
there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. rollmo forever.
― brimstead, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 20:17 (six months ago) link
But “hot dog jumping frog” didn’t bother you? I love Machine Gun Ibiza. Their lyrics are sometimes corny and sometimes sublime.
― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:12 (six months ago) link
oh yeah, extreme sincerity boldly crossing over to corniness is certainly a feature, not a bug on this album. wouldn't have it any other way
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:16 (six months ago) link
Machine Gun Ibiza is BAD. The Ice Maiden into Paris Smith is the PEAK.
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:49 (six months ago) link
Criminal "looking for atlantis" received no votes. A perfect opener, that running baseline, "rain or shine", the acoustic guitar that seems like another synth background layer until you listen closely, "lesson 2 the worlds a cherry, but tomorrow maybe not, lesson 3 come on and taste it". That chorus melody, the inflection on the word "AND" a thing of beauty. A harmonica solo outro?!?!?!? And those lyrics. It might be my favourite prefab song
― H.P, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:55 (six months ago) link
xp the very essence of this band to me is "corny + sincere"
as I mentioned upthread, I would've given "Looking for Atlantis" a vote if I'd heard this album when the poll ran. probably my favorite Prefab song too
― Vinnie, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:58 (six months ago) link
Especially love it's message as described by the mouth of Paddie, "Go find someone to fall in love with and fall in love". With all the love songs in the world, that's a message that isn't very common!
― H.P, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 23:37 (six months ago) link
it would never have occurred to me that a prefab fan could dislike machine gun ibiza
― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Wednesday, 27 September 2023 01:05 (six months ago) link
it’s prob my least fav on jordan, but still good. i like the way he sings “nitro-glycerine”
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 27 September 2023 01:08 (six months ago) link
A perfect opener
Indeed!
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 27 September 2023 01:10 (six months ago) link
Listening to this album for the first time in a while thanks to this thread. It's one of those rare albums that can move me to tears.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 27 September 2023 01:43 (six months ago) link
Not really fan of "Ibiza" either TBH. IIRC it wasn't all that popular in the ballot-based poll three years ago either.
*checks notes* Okay, it got 4 mentions there too. ( From 27 voters with up to 30 ballot slots to fill; ultimately tied for #57 across their whole oeuvre. )
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 02:21 (six months ago) link
Play this in a moving car and I will sing most of it loudly and mostly in tune.
― Psychocandy Apple Grey (Pyschocandles), Wednesday, 27 September 2023 05:27 (six months ago) link
love jordan so much. I wrote the wikipedia page for it because it used to be a stub.
― houdini said, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 07:38 (six months ago) link
Thanks for your work. Had a good read today
― H.P, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 10:17 (six months ago) link
I will NOT countenance this criticism of Machine Gun Ibiza. Dude's a stone dead-a bluesman! And like you're getting that hurricun sound anywhere else.
― henry s, Thursday, 28 September 2023 14:51 (six months ago) link
Hard for me to imagine listening to this album in the fall! I always think of it as basically Christmas music. Real sun-glinting-off-the-snow vibe.
Also can't believe "Looking for Atlantis" got zero votes.
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Thursday, 28 September 2023 16:18 (six months ago) link
It's a great autumn album as this is the time of year when it was released.
― henry s, Thursday, 28 September 2023 18:06 (six months ago) link
Machine Gun Ibiza is towards the bottom of this album for me, but it is undeniable that he is a top rollmo star.
If someone uploaded this to soulseek as "Ween - Machine Gun Ibiza (1999)" I would not doubt it for a second
― H.P, Thursday, 28 September 2023 23:50 (six months ago) link
Machine Gun Ibiza is BAD. The Ice Maiden into Paris Smith is the PEAK.― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Tuesday, September 26, 2023 10:49 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Tuesday, September 26, 2023 10:49 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink
otmfm
― woof, Thursday, 28 September 2023 23:56 (six months ago) link
PADDY JOE, say PADDY JOE runs through my head most weeks. What a perfect pop song. Every bar full of novelty. Those synth bells at "leeeeet theeee staaarrrrs gooooo" elevate me everytime they cut through. The backward guitar in the outro, the breath noises coming from the synth's filling the background of the 1st verse. The "aaaahhahahah" at remembering her. The harp and church organ halfway through the 2nd verse as "the light is gone", the beautiful snare roll leading into the 2nd chorus. That wobbly, "future days"-esque sound rolling through the final refrain. I love it all
― H.P, Friday, 29 September 2023 00:02 (six months ago) link
Baffling that they left Looking for Atlantis of the Greatest Hits album two years later.
― piscesx, Friday, 29 September 2023 00:04 (six months ago) link
If you're looking for AtlantisYou should cast your eye on me
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Friday, 29 September 2023 01:07 (six months ago) link
we let the stars go is perfect, no doubt. my favorite part is when the reverie ends and paddy’s acoustic plays us out
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Friday, 29 September 2023 01:37 (six months ago) link
the second verse is such a gut punch
but the light is gone and it is darkand what used to be the skyis suddenly embarrassing to the naked eye
― is he disgruntled adrian? (voodoo chili), Friday, 29 September 2023 01:40 (six months ago) link
Paddy’s acoustic guitar an undeniably great element of all prefab songs. Man knows how to play
― H.P, Friday, 29 September 2023 01:50 (six months ago) link
Listening to the title track as I read that . . . otm.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Friday, 29 September 2023 01:53 (six months ago) link
I think 'suddenly embarrassing' gets close to how Machine Gun Ibiza makes me feel. There's something very specifically English in it, something I've felt at holiday camp talent shows, pantomimes and end-of-pier shows. It's a mythic (small r) romanticism that tips into something else; it's a zone McAloon has been exploring for decades.
― I would prefer not to. (Chinaski), Friday, 29 September 2023 12:59 (six months ago) link
This may be my favorite couplet of all time:
You and I won't lose our heads the way some lovers doSaying "This will last forever" when it's just a year or two
― henry s, Friday, 29 September 2023 13:06 (six months ago) link