The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

threespires said:
Trite you say? - makes mental note for when Bimbs nominates SWW :-)

In fairness she does sound her age but I think if it's a bit hit and miss for that then it's actually part of its appeal. To me it sounds like her authenticate voice and I think that's almost always a good thing. Even a dodgier track like You Learn has moments that pull it back and it doesn't plumb anywhere near the depths of vacupop in say the way that galactically despicable 4 non blondes song does.
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Her vocals were done in one or two takes. There was no overdubs in the production. They are pretty raw but for me that adds rather than annoys. She has a strange upward inflection at the end of a line which you either like as part of her vocal delivery or, for some it becomes irksome.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Her vocals were done in one or two takes. There was no overdubs in the production. They are pretty raw but for me that adds rather than annoys. She has a strange upward inflection at the end of a line which you either like as part of her vocal delivery or, for some it becomes irksome.
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At the risk of stereotyping, that's a common North American thing isn't it? If a spent a prolonged period working there, I would get off the plane at home and within an hour be having a row with Mrs Spires because "everything you say sounds like you're questioning me" (bit bleeding rich coming from a lawyer but hey ho).
 
threespires said:
At the risk of stereotyping, that's a common North American thing isn't it? If a spent a prolonged period working there, I would get off the plane at home and within an hour be having a row with Mrs Spires because "everything you say sounds like you're questioning me" (bit bleeding rich coming from a lawyer but hey ho).
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Must be a Canadian thing too or she assimilated an LA accent v quickly :-)
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
You'll give it a 7, as you did the trite record we just listened to :)
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Interesting and varied. Definitely not trite.

I've had a listen whilst cooking tea. My Wife came into the kitchen with a look of astonishment. When I told her why I had it on she laughed and said..." you don't have to listen to it you know".

I don't think she's got the idea of this thread at all.

Mind you, chopping tomatoes violently gave me a nice thrill.
 
BimboBob said:
Interesting and varied. Definitely not trite.

I've had a listen whilst cooking tea. My Wife came into the kitchen with a look of astonishment. When I told her why I had it on she laughed and said..." you don't have to listen to it you know".

I don't think she's got the idea of this thread at all.

Mind you, chopping tomatoes violently gave me a nice thrill.
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Careful not to lop off any fingers.
 
BimboBob said:
Interesting and varied. Definitely not trite.

I've had a listen whilst cooking tea. My Wife came into the kitchen with a look of astonishment. When I told her why I had it on she laughed and said..." you don't have to listen to it you know".

I don't think she's got the idea of this thread at all.

Mind you, chopping tomatoes violently gave me a nice thrill.
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Ha. My wife came in during my first listen to Supertramp (I think the song was Rudy) and said "That must be your record this week. It's really awful." And she LIKES Supertramp.

I give her and my daughter props for encouraging me to nominate Ms. C. Roan though.
 
Too busy (so forgot) last week, however Supertramp would not have been affected up/down by my score ;).

Alanis.......one of the few female singers whose voice I really like! JLP is one of those albums that imo has nearly all 'killer' very little 'filler"....put a 9 on the board for me.

A shame that, imo, after this, like so many artists/bands....she fell off a cliff, and became boring as hell, lost the grit/hooks/edginess ;)
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
How the fuck did you get that!?! :-)
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Two weeks ago, we were researching a possible Canada holiday in 2027 and had looked at videos of Ottawa. The photo looked familiar and then I googled “artists from Ottawa” - guess who was top of the list?

Somebody lent me this album soon after its release and I listened to it quite a few times. Liked it, but not enough to buy it at the time. I was surprised by how many of the choruses have stuck in my head for nearly 30 years.
 
BimboBob said:
I've had a listen whilst cooking tea. My Wife came into the kitchen with a look of astonishment. When I told her why I had it on she laughed and said..." you don't have to listen to it you know".

I don't think she's got the idea of this thread at all.
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"You dont have to listen to it"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does your wife not understand the trust, the solidarity, the responsibility, almost the brotherhood (even if it does include and Iron & a Dipper), that comes with the "The Album Review Club"
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Ha. My wife came in during my first listen to Supertramp (I think the song was Rudy) and said "That must be your record this week. It's really awful." And she LIKES Supertramp.
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Something that Mrs IO has repeatedly said over the last year or so.

I think Mrs IO will actually enjoy this one as this was something that she was playing alot when we first got together in '95...so it also has a few good memories for me from that "honeymoon phase".
 
BimboBob said:
Interesting and varied. Definitely not trite.

I've had a listen whilst cooking tea. My Wife came into the kitchen with a look of astonishment. When I told her why I had it on she laughed and said..." you don't have to listen to it you know".

I don't think she's got the idea of this thread at all.

Mind you, chopping tomatoes violently gave me a nice thrill.
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A jagged little thrill.
 
LGWIO said:
"You dont have to listen to it"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Does your wife not understand the trust, the solidarity, the responsibility, almost the brotherhood (even if it does include and Iron & a Dipper), that comes with the "The Album Review Club"

Something that Mrs IO has repeatedly said over the last year or so.

I think Mrs IO will actually enjoy this one as this was something that she was playing alot when we first got together in '95...so it also has a few good memories for me from that "honeymoon phase".
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So far, the most positive reaction I've gotten was during Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks."

"It's not as good as I remembered it", said she.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
T few and started skipping to something recogniseSo far, the most positive reaction I've gotten was during Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks."

"It's not as good as I remembered it", said she.
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I put it on during dinner.
Mrs. was non plussed by the first few and skipped forward to something recognisable.
Son, 23 yo, thought, that’s shite.
His girlfriend 20yo, thought she’s good. Her mother used to play her a lot.
Both myself and the missus are kind of thinking…… meh!
A lot of it bland to be honest.
I never really got into her back in 1995 and can’t see that changing.

She’s always struck me as quite average but trying hard to be profound.
Isn’t it ironic?

Sorry Sadds.
I’ll see if she grows on me, but she hasn’t in the last thirty years.
Don’t dislike her. Just think ‘meh’, sums her up.
 
I've had another listen...

Firstly. Voice. Fucking awful. Up and down and all kooky for no apparent reason. And the inflection. Christ alive.
Secondly. Lyrics. Putting aside the quite frankly moronic "Ironic" the rest is a mixed bag of utter drivel. Rhyming child with while should deserve high praise but anything sung in a kooky voice will rhyme.
Thirdly. It's a break up album. An utterly banal break up album. God I hate break up albums...oooh you were mean and I'm just getting over you...but I'll write this pile of shit and sing it in a weird voice because it's the 90's and that's what us strong women do...go us.
Forthly? I'm back in the Friends generation again. This period of music, especially across the pond produced the most utterly tiresome and dull music in the history of utterly tiresome and dire music. It's all so nice. Yes nice. It doesn't matter how mean you find the lyrics, they are all very twee and nice lyrics. Instead of going round to the ex and sorting it out like any normal person would do, or fucking move on, we have to listen to her bang on about how great she is and what a bastard the ex was. Of course. It's all his fault. And not the skinny mental bitch he left for a normal woman.
Fifthly. It's a word. Honest. There are some hooks here. But it's ruined by the production. Lovely 90's production. Throw everything at it. And her going all weird every now and then. And the lyrics. Which just don't hit now...and never did.
Sixthly. I'm sticking with this now. FUCKING DINNER PARTY MUSIC.

At least I got that out of the way and can now go back to 1973, or my 3000+ album collection on vinyl that doesn't include this pile of shit and never will.

Hateful stuff.

1/10

(And that's being really really nice)
 
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