Yeah, you're right, Alfred. I've had similar thoughts about "dated" myself. When I used it before, in my head it would have been shorthand for "marked by certain quite specific trends in music production associated, in my mind at least, with 1987, like thin metronomic rhythm tracks, mainly where Craig Leon was involved."
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 6 July 2019 14:51 (four years ago) link
I can't imagine being a fan but not wanting to hear Bow Down or Head Full of Steam again. They are totally swoonsome, totally marrying melancholy with melody, and top 10 tracks for me. It's a strange world, Sandy.
― Alba, Saturday, 6 July 2019 14:54 (four years ago) link
but nobody uses "dated" about Rickenbackers recorded in 1966 -- it's always synths and gated drums
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 6 July 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
I'll bet you they did the 70s.
― Orpheus Knutt (Tom D.), Saturday, 6 July 2019 15:05 (four years ago) link
Sure, but I guess the sound of Rickenbackers recorded in 1966 has passed into what's widely classed as agreeable and classic (though I bet if you asked younger people not into the rock canon they might well use the word or just say it sounds 'old'). People do talk about dated lyrics from that era though.
xpost - ha, yes
― Alba, Saturday, 6 July 2019 15:07 (four years ago) link
I remember writing a review along these lines on rateyourmusic in response to the countless existing reviews of Steve McQueen containing "dated". I've become everything I used to hate! :)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 6 July 2019 15:15 (four years ago) link
Full results, for stats fans, before I move on and forget...
Pts Votes #1s 1 Liberty Belle & the Black Diamond Express 202 24 10 2 Before Hollywood 161 20 5 3 16 Lovers Lane 157 20 4 4 Tallulah 148 22 2 5 Spring Hill Fair 146 23 0 6 Oceans Apart 103 18 2 7 The Friends of Rachel Worth 90 16 0 8 The Evangelist 68 14 0 9 Danger In the Past 34 9 010 Send Me a Lullaby 24 6 011 Horsebreaker Star 22 7 012 78 'TIl 79: The Lost Album 12 4 013 Metal and Shells 10 1 114 Bright Yellow Bright Orange 7 3 015 Songs To Play 6 3 016 In Your Bright Ray 6 2 017 Watershed 5 2 018 Calling From a Country Phone 4 1 019 I Had a New York Girlfriend 3 2 020 Inferno 2 2 021 Fireboy 1 1 0
1 Liberty Belle & the Black Diamond Express 202 24 10 2 Before Hollywood 161 20 5 3 16 Lovers Lane 157 20 4 4 Tallulah 148 22 2 5 Spring Hill Fair 146 23 0 6 Oceans Apart 103 18 2 7 The Friends of Rachel Worth 90 16 0 8 The Evangelist 68 14 0 9 Danger In the Past 34 9 010 Send Me a Lullaby 24 6 011 Horsebreaker Star 22 7 012 78 'TIl 79: The Lost Album 12 4 013 Metal and Shells 10 1 114 Bright Yellow Bright Orange 7 3 015 Songs To Play 6 3 016 In Your Bright Ray 6 2 017 Watershed 5 2 018 Calling From a Country Phone 4 1 019 I Had a New York Girlfriend 3 2 020 Inferno 2 2 021 Fireboy 1 1 0
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 6 July 2019 16:21 (four years ago) link
Warm Nights = nul points!
― Portsmouth Bubblejet, Saturday, 6 July 2019 16:25 (four years ago) link
And I was all alone with ...Country Phone. *weeps*
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 6 July 2019 16:30 (four years ago) link
Big shout out to the other person who voted for I Had A New York Girlfriend. Forster described the collection of cover versions as "the one mistake of my recording career", but it's a great album to relax to with a glass of wine in your hand. He interprets other people's songs with the same degree of empathy with which he writes about them as a journalist, and the band (including Mick Harvey, Warren Ellis, Clare Moore, Conway Savage & 'Evil' Graham Lee) are strong too.
― Portsmouth Bubblejet, Saturday, 6 July 2019 16:45 (four years ago) link
Quite happy with the results of the album poll - thought 16LL would walk it.
My favourite is Before Hollywood, but Liberty Belle sounds to me a bit like BH recorded on a rainy day. It's the best balance between the classic era's idiosyncratic and pop halves, so it makes sense as a winner.
― verhexen, Saturday, 6 July 2019 17:52 (four years ago) link
Based on the trend of earlier posted opinions, I expected Before Hollywood to win over 16LL. I'm surprised that Liberty Belle took it, although it got my #1 spot. It was the first GB album I ever heard, and it instantly made me a fan of the band. If I had heard BH first, it might have become my all-time fave, but it took me another 10 years to get to it. I love how BH combines their idiosyncratic group personality with post-punk nervouosness and intensity. And the flow of BH's sequencing is just breathtaking.
― punning display, Saturday, 6 July 2019 21:09 (four years ago) link
Iirc those beggars reissues sleaves could be turned inside out to display the proper album cover.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 6 July 2019 21:49 (four years ago) link
I voted Before Hollywood high as an album but I picked relatively few songs from it (well, my #1). It flows marvelously.
― L'assie (Euler), Saturday, 6 July 2019 21:50 (four years ago) link
All this Before HoIlywood talk is making me feel like a Go-Betweens tourist. I got started with the 78-90 comp, filled in 16LL, Liberty Belle and Tallulah but never went back to BH. So, hand up, I’m one of the 4 voters who didn’t rank BH.
― that's not my post, Saturday, 6 July 2019 21:59 (four years ago) link
Speaking of bad album cover art, that 78-90 comp really takes the cake. Every time I pull that one off the shelf, I wonder how they could have collectively decided: "Yep, that image is perfect for our career retrospective".
― enochroot, Sunday, 7 July 2019 01:12 (four years ago) link
Also, looks like I was the only "Metal & Shell" voter, which is fair enough, since it's both US-only and a compilation album. But, it was my first exposure to the band, and I like better than either of the albums it combines (BH and SHF), so I couldn't resist.
― enochroot, Sunday, 7 July 2019 01:19 (four years ago) link
One might almost use the d-word in relation to the 78-90 graphics. Feels distinctly turn-of-the-nineties.
I'll make a tiny start of the next section. Just a wee off-peak taster, to help ensure we get finished before Xmas...
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:16 (four years ago) link
http://i65.tinypic.com/315fln4.jpg
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:17 (four years ago) link
http://i63.tinypic.com/2h8a26d.jpg
#40GRANT MCLENNAN - Put You Downfrom Horsebreaker Star (1994) Points: 47Votes: 2 (0)
Youtube audio
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:20 (four years ago) link
http://i67.tinypic.com/vsiblk.jpg
#38ROBERT FORSTER - Crazy Jane on the Day of Judgementfrom Inferno (2019)
Points: 50Votes: 3 (0)
______
#39ROBERT FORSTER - Life Has Turned a Pagefrom Inferno (2019)
Points: 49Votes: 3 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:38 (four years ago) link
#37 ROBERT FORSTER - Don't Touch Anythingfrom The Evangelist (2008)
Points: 51Votes: 2 (0)
http://i65.tinypic.com/24gisg3.jpg
#36ROBERT FORSTER - 121 from Calling From a Country Phone (1993)
Points: 51Votes: 3 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:50 (four years ago) link
That's enough for now. :)
The parenthetical bit is the number of first-place votes from now on.
I've also used total votes, then total first-place votes, as tiebreakers.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 02:51 (four years ago) link
Nice to see a couple of Inferno tracks make it. I voted for both of them.
― kitchen person, Sunday, 7 July 2019 03:00 (four years ago) link
I don't think I'll ever understand the enduring popularity of Christgau's reviews.
That review is concise, snappy and enjoyably pretentious. It gives a good impression of what the record might sound like, without any indication of the writer's taste, and has a letter grade that reassures you of its quality despite said taste. it does a lot of work in a handful of words.
...if you can make it past the first line, which is nonsensical and has no relation whatever to the band or their music.
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Sunday, 7 July 2019 03:43 (four years ago) link
I think the ranking of the two Inferno tracks is the wrong way around, unless the points totals are in error.
― Alba, Sunday, 7 July 2019 05:24 (four years ago) link
Life Has Turned a Page one of those great late Robert as narrator songs. I prefer it to Darlinghurst Nights.
― Alba, Sunday, 7 July 2019 05:34 (four years ago) link
Don't Touch Anything near the top of my ballot. A song of so much pent-up power.
― Alba, Sunday, 7 July 2019 05:36 (four years ago) link
XP: The numbers are correct, I just confused myself when inserting two consecutive entries into one post for the first time.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 06:02 (four years ago) link
Oh yeah I see now!
― Alba, Sunday, 7 July 2019 06:11 (four years ago) link
This poll was probably always going to be unfair to Inferno. I for one take several thousand years to properly absorb twenty-first century Forster material.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 06:18 (four years ago) link
The guitars on Put You Down sound very dated.
― Alba, Sunday, 7 July 2019 06:34 (four years ago) link
Take the sourIf you take meI can scoff and lourAnd scold for an hour
an honest self-description if there ever was one or is he flirting with the image he gives? probably both.
― je est un autre, l'enfer c'est les autres (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 7 July 2019 06:46 (four years ago) link
http://i67.tinypic.com/a8ryt.jpg
#35 JACK FROST - Thought That I Was Over You from Jack Frost (1990)
Points: 52Votes: 3 (0)
Original promo video
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 08:34 (four years ago) link
http://i64.tinypic.com/5fkqk3.jpg
#34 ROBERT FORSTER - No Famefrom Inferno (2019)
Points: 53Votes: 3 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 09:37 (four years ago) link
That's a great Forster image for No Fame.
I'm not sure if anymore Inferno tracks will make it. I'll Look After You was my other highlight that ended up doing well on my list last minute.
― kitchen person, Sunday, 7 July 2019 13:50 (four years ago) link
This will have to be last for (my) Sunday evening. I'll pick up the pace during the week.
#32 --TIE--
http://i67.tinypic.com/23t5csl.jpg
#32 (i)GRANT MCLENNAN - Simone And Perryfrom Horsebreaker Star (1994)
Points: 54Votes: 4 (0)
#32 (ii)GRANT MCLENNAN - One Plus One from In Your Bright Ray (1997)
Points: 54 Votes: 4 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 14:31 (four years ago) link
http://i65.tinypic.com/2h38orc.jpg
#31ROBERT FORSTER - Falling Star from Calling From a Country Phone (1993)
Points: 55Votes: 3 (0)
Youtube audio, original versionYoutube audio, album version
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 21:54 (four years ago) link
"Simone and Perry," likable enough, gives an impression that Horsebreaker Star will be the glossy followup to Fireboy; it sounds like Party of Five bumper music.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 7 July 2019 22:08 (four years ago) link
I like 'Simone and Perry', but yes, it does sound like the contractually obliged single material on the album. Not many singles have titles that remind you of Israeli politician Shimon Peres, however.
― Portsmouth Bubblejet, Sunday, 7 July 2019 22:25 (four years ago) link
lol
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 7 July 2019 22:33 (four years ago) link
http://i63.tinypic.com/23t2ruf.jpg
#30GRANT MCLENNAN - Lamp By Lampfrom In Your Bright Ray (1997)
Points: 584 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Sunday, 7 July 2019 22:37 (four years ago) link
pretty
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 7 July 2019 22:44 (four years ago) link
Lovely song. This and One Plus One were on my list. Going through the solo albums before voting made me really appreciate how solid In Your Bright Ray is.
― kitchen person, Sunday, 7 July 2019 23:26 (four years ago) link
#29GW MCLENNAN - The Dark Side Of Town from Fireboy (1993)
Points: 59Votes: 4 (0)
Youtube audio (+ spooky fan video)
http://i65.tinypic.com/xlyqlc.jpg
#28GW MCLENNAN - Fingersfrom Fireboy (1993)
Points: 63Votes: 3 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 8 July 2019 00:12 (four years ago) link
ooh sexy
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 July 2019 00:14 (four years ago) link
"now you know what it's like to be a man"
"Fingers" was possibly his only single that I was utterly oblivious to until very recently. Not sure how I managed this, but it is quite affecting despite being not at all what I think I want to hear at the outset.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 8 July 2019 00:33 (four years ago) link
http://i66.tinypic.com/11tl66a.jpg
#27GW MCLENNAN - Surround Me1992 single, eventually on Fireboy (1993)
Points: 64Votes: 2 (0)
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 8 July 2019 00:54 (four years ago) link
surrou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-ou-nd
ME
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 July 2019 01:03 (four years ago) link
I love that song but have never seen that video. Now I wish I had never seen that video.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 8 July 2019 01:07 (four years ago) link