A young'uns guide to purusing extensive artist discographies

[bmack86]

Don't be shy, do the whole Boredoms side projects canon. I'll start.

OOIOO - Yoshimi P-We. Five yeses.
Shock City Shockers Vol.2 - This is a bunch of OOIOO mixes. I give it two yeses.
Shock City Shockers Vol.1 - A bunch of awesome noises. Three yeses.
DJ Pica Pica Pica - One and one half incomprehensible yeses.
ROVO - 6 yeses and a hollowed-out gourd.
Z-Rock Hawaii - Boredoms and Ween. Not as good as it sounds. Zero yeses.

Rovo is awesome, but for my money it all goes to Omoide Hatoba. Seven yeses. Some awesome psych.
Hanatarash-Really noisy, not much good.
Noise Ramones-Pretty boring. They just stretch a track to its breaking point.
AOA-It's good, they did an album with Australian rhythms. Eye is in it.
Karera musication-The rest of the Bore besides Eye. They did the soundtrack to Ichi the Killer.
Psycho Baba-some cool sitar drones with good rhythyms.
Seiichi Yamamoto-He did a few solo albums, and they're jazzy. Who woulda thunk.

And, i like DJ Pica Pica Pica for what it's worth.

[PotVsKtl]

I'm not entirely clear on what the difference is between Voordoms and Boredoms. So I may or may not have heard them. I guess. Also, I should mention I had Sun Kich at some point and would have ranked it but it's mysteriously disappeared.

[bballarl]

I'm not entirely clear on what the difference is between Voordoms and Boredoms. So I may or may not have heard them. I guess. Also, I should mention I had Sun Kich at some point and would have ranked it but it's mysteriously disappeared.

I believe Voordoms is Eye on turntables and someone else doing percussion and shit.

[PotVsKtl]

I have yet to hear Omoide Hatoba. I just ordered Rovo's Tonic 2001 2 disc live set along with Otomo Yoshihide's ONJQ + OE disc. Yasuhiro Yoshigaki is a fucking lunatic.

Hey look, Japanese hippies.

[bballarl]

Someone should do Fushitsusha.

[PotVsKtl]

I have plans to educate you godless fucks on Squarepusher and Venetian Snares in the near future.

[J~$$$]

Songs About My Cats....tee-hee.

[bmack86]

I believe Voordoms is Eye on turntables and someone else doing percussion and shit.

Voordoms is Eye on Vocals and electronic manipulation with Yoshimi and the other two drummers from Vision Boredoms. Seiichi and the bassist left after Vision.

[bballarl]

I have only heard one Venetian Snares record, called Exillon. It was good.

[Tylerdurden31]

I have plans to educate you godless fucks on Squarepusher and Venetian Snares in the near future.

Squarepusher
Go Plastic - Awesome
Big Loada - Awesome
Ultravisitor - Awesome
Hello Everything - meh

Venetian Snares
I have hospitality and it's pretty cool. I've heard a live show...most likely a radio show. Educated this godless fuck.

[TomAz]

That Rolling Stones post is mostly awesome, but i dock a few points for your review of Exile, because I love the fact that the album has that sound thruout. Thats what makes it awesome.

Believe me, I've had this argument a few times in my life and I know that I am wrong, but I just can't get over myself. If an album like 'Exile' came out today, I would be going ape-shit over it....

I gotta agree with bmack on this one. Exile is my favorite Stones album, and I've got a lot of 'em. I also disagree with your take on 'Tattoo You', which I really don't like very much ("Start Me Up" -- talk about cloying!). But I agree with most everything else you wrote. very solid.

[TomAz]

I guess I'll try my hand at this.

Talking Heads:

In the case of Talking Heads, I was told to listen to Remain In Light. I would not, however...

I meant to say earlier, Andrew's take on THs is excellent. I think I like Fear of Music more than he does, but other than that, it's a good description. I definitely agree that Remain In Light is not the place to start.

[breakjaw]

That's simple. Buy the three before Road to Ruin, the Pet Semetary single, watch Rock 'n Roll High School, and then move on to the Damned.

This advice is absolutely perfect.

[amyzzz]

Next, Come Down. Skip directly to the song Green, and then to Minnesoter. Done that? K good. You are now free to move about the album.

I dunno, I think I like all the tracks on The Dandy Warhol's Come Down.

[amyzzz]

I can't believe bmack took on The Cure. I still only have a select few of their albums Wish, Pornography, and Staring at the Sea....

I could do Depeche Mode if anyone wanted. Heck, that would take a while, but I do have every single one of their albums. I even have the Martin Gore and Dave Gahan solo albums.

[Hannahrain]

I dunno, I think I like all the tracks on The Dandy Warhol's Come Down.

I'm not saying I don't. I just meant that those are the two I would listen to first, if I had never heard it and had some mysterious prior knowledge about how good they would be.

[TomAz]

That's simple. Buy the three before Road to Ruin, the Pet Semetary single, watch Rock 'n Roll High School, and then move on to the Damned.

This advice is absolutely perfect.

I would have said the first four are worthwhile. otherwise yes this is solid advice. If you want to pick just one I say Rocket to Russia just cuz it's fun.

[bballarl]

I agree with Tom in regard to the Ramones.

[breakjaw]

I would have said the first four are worthwhile. otherwise yes this is solid advice. If you want to pick just one I say Rocket to Russia just cuz it's fun.

It's even more fun if you buy the LP,with the cartoons all over the lyrics on the inside sleeve.I would add that if you can find It's Alive you might agree with me that it gives Get Your Ya-Ya's Out a run for it's money for best live album of all time.

(From the Notes on CDUniverse):
The Ramones: Joey Ramone (vocals); Johnny Ramone (guitar); Dee Dee Ramone (bass); Tommy Ramone (drums). Recorded live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, England on December 31, 1977. This is the Holy Grail of live concert recordings. Long unavailable in the U.S., IT'S ALIVE captures the Ramones in peak form, having the time of their lives before an appreciative British audience. From Joey's slow drawl "Weeeeeeellllll, it's great to be back here in...") to Dee Dee's "1-2-3-4," this disc pummels the listener into submission with the complete live Ramones experience to the point where you can practically feel the sweat. All the classics from the first three albums are executed with an enthusiasm the Ramones rarely mustered years down the line. The live version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" will send shivers down even the hardiest Coney Island strongman's spine, and "We're a Happy Family," "Teenage Lobotomy," and "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World" express what it is to be young and dumb better than a thousand John Hughes films ever could. IT'S ALIVE is the next best thing to actually seeing the Ramones live and, as that's not likely to happen, this set will go a long way towards satisfying your Ramones fix.

[bballarl]

I love when Joey tells DeeDee to count it off and sometimes he counts in German.

[Tylerdurden31]

I meant to say earlier, Andrew's take on THs is excellent. I think I like Fear of Music more than he does, but other than that, it's a good description. I definitely agree that Remain In Light is not the place to start.

I actually started with Remain In Light and I love it front to back.

[bballarl]

I actually started with Remain In Light and I love it front to back.

So did I. But it really isn't the best way to start off. Watching Stop Making Sense is. Though if you hate Stop Making Sense, you have no soul.

[thinnerair]

Im gonna try and tackle this one. Not sure if anyone has any interest...

FAITH NO MORE.
I would start with the "THE REAL THING" before going on to other albums. Let this record sink in after a few listens. This is an interesting record because it was written and recorded before Mike Patton was in the band, after original singer Chuck Mosley left the band. The Real Thing features FNM's biggest hit "Epic" and one of the best covers ever put on tape, their rendition of the Black Sabbath classic "War Pigs” This album is right before the band started getting dark and super experimental and their songs still adhere to somewhat of a basic pop structure. It’s a very consistent record front to back. A very solid record.

Then, Id go into “ANGEL DUST” which is where Mike Patton really started to get involved with the writing of the band. This album is a very twisted dark and moody step away from “THE REAL THING” and has Patton taking on different personas in his lyrics. Part of this was due to the pin-up boy image he got with the success of “Epic” and this would be the last record written as the core line-up.

Third, I would check out their final record, “ALBUM OF THE YEAR” which really displays the band’s strength in melody and writing excellently crafted songs clinging on the line of pop music. The production is glossy and it’s a great record, it’s just not as groundbreaking as its predecessors. Most people would say to check out “KING FOR A DAY…” before checking out “ALBUM OF THE YEAR” but it’s a great record.

KING FOR A DAY is an excellent record and the first record using new guitar players and alternate musicians. It’s a good record, but not their best.

Then, id check out INTRODUCE YOURSELF and WE CARE A LOT. These are the two records they recorded with their original singer. The band would go on to perform some of these songs with Patton singing, but not too many.

[bmack86]

That's a helpful one.

[thinnerair]

Failure
An excellent band from the 90s whose members would go on to start Autolux and Year of the Rabbit. Troy Van Leeuwen of A Perfect Circle/Queens of the Stone Age was a guitar player with this band for a while and you can hear some of Failure’s stuff in a lot of APC’s material.

I’d start off with FANTASTIC PLANET, which was their final album. It’s a great dark and spacey record. The production is solid and there are some very melodic songs along with their only hit “Stuck on You”

“Magnified” would be my second choice. A very driving and raw record .

Then I’d check out “Comfort” though you might end up just digging the first two.
Also, check out their version of “Enjoy the Silence” on
FOR THE MASSES: A TRIBUTE TO DEPECHE MODE

[breakjaw]

OK,I had a hard time deciding whether to do this one or Husker Du,but I decided someone like Andrew or possibly Mr. Nipples would know more about Husker Du.I've only ever owned Candy Apple Grey,Warehouse,and New Day Rising,and while I love them,I have to profess very little knowledge of their other albums.
So here goes....
Magazine
This is one of the most criminally overlooked bands of the early British post-punk era,standing alongside JAMC,Psych Furs,Echo,and standing above PiL for total quality output.
Howard DeVoto was the original lead singer for The Buzzcocks(he sang on their Spiral Scratch EP and fronted them when they opened for The Pistols on their first UK tour),but it was only after he left that he began to make truly great albums.
First off in 1978 they released this album,entitled Real Life:

To quote Legs McNeil's excellent review of it in NME June 3,1978:

But then - who wants to be a boring old new wave band anyway? Not Magazine - for a start. Like The Stranglers - the only thing they share with punk rock is an audience.
No question - these guys can play (just as well - as none of 'em will ever figure in a Sun Pretty Punks line-up). Their concerted power - in particular - is a continual buzz. A better drilled squad hasn't reared its head for a long time.
The songs - lyrics by Devoto - music usually by Devoto plus guitarist John McGeoch - all seem to be arranged to the last quaver - and very expertly arranged they are too. Meshes of riffs replace one another in meticulous - kaleidoscopic order - using the classic guitar/bass/drums/keyboards line-up to its full.
McGeoch is a fine - fierce - controlled guitar player - and Dave Formula - despite his soppy name - is a thoughtful keyboard player whose repertoire ranges from Mike Garson cocktail surrealist piano through subliminal organ chordings to android synthesizer riffs - often - as for instance in the opening 'title' track "Definitive Gaze" - all within the space of one song.
Martin Jackson and Barry Adamson likewise deploy their drums and bass with minimum flash and maximum effect.

I couldn't agree with this assessment more.You just know from listening to this album that this is a great band.My favorite songs on here are "Shot By Both Sides"(a classic),the aforementioned "Definitive Gaze",and "The Light Pours Out Of Me"(another classic,later covered by Peter Murphy solo).
Grade:A
This album is now usually packaged with Secondhand Daylight:

which,to me,is kind of a letdown from the first record.It's got a lot of the feeling of Low-era Bowie,but not as many classic songs.Songs I do like on here are "Back To Nature" and "Permafrost".
Grade:B
And next was an album that I can't believe I left out when I listed the reasons why 1980 was one of the greatest years in popular music ever,The Correct Use Of Soap:

If you are just going to get one Magazine album,and I hope you do,get this one.To quote Sounds review from April 26,1980:

Throw aside all those prejudices and misconceptions. for 'The Correct Use Of Soap' is from any aspect a magnificent record - a brilliantly rounded and complete set of songs that marginally clarify the Devoto myths and at the same time establish many more ghosts and spirits for the curious.
Almost certainly - it will come as a surprise. For Magazine followers - the album is a severe swerving away from the grandiose and intense trail that 'Secondhand Daylight' was apparently setting - and for the uninitiated or the neglected it must sound an unusually urgent - sparse - immediate and hopeful Lp. From the opening white heat raciness of 'Because You're Frightened' - through the short sharp body punches of 'Model Worker' and 'I'm A Party' - you're left in little doubt as to the new and compressed Magazine sound. where of the 'soap' of the title initially suggests all the benefits of a good - thorough spring-clean.

This has my favorite all-time Magazine song on it "A Song From Under The Floorboards",along with the fantastic songs already mentioned,a great cover of the Sly and the Family Stone song "Thank You(Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again)" and 2 more slow but sizzlingly romantic tunes "I Want To Burn Again" and "You Never Knew Me" ( a song that was on one of the Board Mixes on the old board).
Grade:A++
They then followed with an excellent live album,that I'd say is quite essential,called Play:

If you like live albums,this is a pretty good one,with a good sampling of songs from the other 3.
Grade:A+
It was after this(in June of '81),shortly before the release of their next album,that Howard DeVoto announced he was leaving,after earlier deciding he didn't want to play live anymore.
The next release was posthumous,Magic - Murder And The Weather:

This was,by all accounts,their weakest album.I've never heard any of the songs on it except for the single "About The Weather" (which is pleasant enough but not great) but since everyone else agrees it's sub-standard I'll go ahead and grade it anyway.
Grade:C
Finally,there was the "Greatest Hits" album entitled After The Fact:

which had radically different tracks on the US and UK versions.
The U.S. one:
Shot By Both Sides
Touch And Go
TV Baby
Rhythm Of Cruelty
I Love You You Big Dummy(the Captain Beefheart song)
Give Me Everything
Upside Down
My Mind Ain't So Open
The Light Pours Out Of Me
A Song From Under The Floorboards
About The Weather
Goldfinger(the James Bond tune)
The Book(a really weird spoken word song)
The UK one:
Shot By Both Sides
Rhythm Of Cruelty
You Never Knew Me
This Poison
Back To Nature
A Song From Under The Floorboards
The Light Pours Out Of Me
Motorcade
About The Weather
Feed The Enemy
I've never heard the UK one,but the US version is how I was introduced to Magazine.It has a few too many B-sides to be a good introduction,for that I would recommend The Correct Use Of Soap.
Grade:B/A

[J~$$$]

wow.

[bballarl]

I will do Husker Du later if I get bored trying to write my 15 page history paper.

[mob roulette]

wow.

seconded.

also good job on sy, yo la tengo, and the roots. nice. not if you were the last dandy on earth though, hannah. i'm telling anton.

kidding.

also,

7. Aftermath (1966)---A stone-cold fucking classic. Opens with "Paint It, Black", the snotty "Stupid Girl", the beautiful "Lady Jane" and flows right to "Under My Thumb". Brian Jones run amok in the studio, playing everything he can get his hands on and it all works. Also contains the haunting "I Am Waiting" used superbly in Rushmore. (Now that I think about it, Aftermath came before "Live", but I'm not changing it). A+

11. Beggar's Banquet (1968)---Inspiration for Trans-Europe Express.....just kidding. The Stones "return to roots" album. Only they never sounded this good. While "Aftermath" was a fantastic album, it was within the times. Banquet's opening salvo, "Sympathy For The Devil" remains one most lascivious travelogues put to tape. Throw in "Stray Cat Blues" and probably their best country song (No Expectations), this makes Brian Jones last album with the band a must-own. Oh, and any album with "Street Fighting Man" on it must rule. A+

13. Let It Bleed (1969)---The first album with Mick Taylor. The album with the best intro ever (Gimme Shelter) and Ray Liotta's freak-out music (Monkey Man). Beggar's Banquet starts the Stones ruling of the universe. Let It Bleed is just a referendum. A+

14 Get Your Ya-Ya's Out (1969)---Studio overdubbed live album recorded a week before Altamont. Simply put, the best live album I have ever heard. The Stones on stage at this time were raw and rude. The live version of "Jack Flash" trumps the studio version, even with Bill Wyman screwing up his bassline. The only live Stones album one needs to buy. A

15. Sticky Fingers (1971)---Andy Warhol designed album cover (with the zipper and the hard-on). The music inside is as sleezy as the cover. And this is good. Songs about bad things with slaves (Brown Sugar), names you wouldn't call your mama (Bitch), odes to O.D.'ing (Sister Morphine) and true love (Wild Horses)---and no, the Sunday's version is not better. I know it's getting repetitive, but by this time the Stones were on top of their game. A+

21. Some Girls (1978)---Out of nowhere...and I mean nowhere. With the exception of the cloying "Far Away Eyes" this is as solid an album as the Stones would ever record (ok, a bit of a stretch---but damn, it's good). "Miss You", "Shattered" "When the Whip Comes Down" and "Beast of Burden" showed the Stones had some fight in them against disco. A.

exactly right. thank you. i was going to namecheck goodfellas and rushmore too but you beat me to it. ironically enough, "monkey man" and "i am waiting" are quite possibly the two most UNDERRATED songs in their entire catalog. next to "prodigal son" and "turd on the run" of course. anyway, buy these and the two hot rocks and that's all the stones you'll likely ever need. except for maybe tattoo you but that one's kind of meh for me personally. in any case, really really nice work here. really well done. thank you for this.

[TomAz]

OK,I had a hard time deciding whether to do this one or Husker Du,but I decided someone like Andrew or possibly Mr. Nipples would know more about Husker Du.I've only ever owned Candy Apple Grey,Warehouse,and New Day Rising,and while I love them,I have to profess very little knowledge of their other albums.
So here goes....
Magazine
This is one of the most criminally overlooked bands of the early British post-punk era,standing alongside JAMC,Psych Furs,Echo,and standing above PiL for total quality output.
...

I saw John McGeogh play with Siouxsie. He was a trippy looking dude and he barely moved, but he could play. Didn't he also play in Visage for a while? and isn't he dead now?