The Album Review Club - Week #144 - (page 1893) - XO - Elliot Smith

Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Friends of mine who saw them claimed Black Crowes was one of the loudest shows they've seen back in the 90's as an opening band.

Most shows I see these day are at small, intimate venues, so I use my ear plugs without question as I'm usually very close to the speakers. I will take them out from time to time to compare, and I find I can hear the music *just fine* with them in.

Glad I had them recently for front row DBT, mewithoutYou, Jason Isbell, Dawes, the Church, My Morning Jacket, etc...
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You should consider contributing nominations and getting Rob to add you to the list btw.
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
This is my first reply to this thread in being both new here and way behind in seeing/reading these reviews.

I’ve seen many stellar albums covered in this thread - from Jason Isbell's Southeastern, DBT's Southern Rock Opera (a personal labor of love made on the cheap!), The Macabees, Oasis' the Masterplan, Bruce’s E Street Shuffle, and many others I've enjoyed reading up on this week.

This album came out when I was still only single digits old, and the past few days was my first listens to it from start to finish. They reminded me of Spinal Tap before that was even a thing 9 years later, and I’m not surprised from the link above they opened for Bowie. Very appropriate.

I knew of the Tubes from the early 80's with “Talk To Ya Later”, “Dancin’” from Xanadu, and especially "She's a Beauty" in my teenage years. The only song I recognized in advance here was “White Punks on Dope”.

As soon as this album ended on Spotify, it went straight to tracks I know very well from the Cars first 2 albums, Roxy Music, Donnie Iris’s “Ah! Leah!”, and early Joe Jackson. A few being more radio friendly offerings that just got more airplay outside of San Fran.


Track by Track thoughts below.

Up From the Deep – loved the opening: “San Francisco, here we go!” Had a Gabriel Genesis vibe to it. Prog/glam rock offering.

Haloes – a strong song I immediately liked, it reminded me of early 70’s Chicago when I first heard it, especially the vocal harmonies. A good rocking song, heavy guitar licks, a strong effort.

Space Baby – atmospheric mid-tempo song. Nice keyboards near the end, but not my favorite.

Malagueña Salerosa – the more I’ve listened to this, the more I like it. This one has grown on me the most. Loved the lyrics and tempo.

Mondo Bondage – reminded me of Led Zep’s Rock And Roll drum intro, heavy synths, a good funky number, perhaps inspired Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom”?

What Do You Want from Life? – might be my favorite never heard song on the album, just on the strong lyrics alone. The song is really good, from start to finish. “A Las Vegas wedding, a Mexican divorce”

Boy Crazy – smart lyrics, but just didn’t like the song as much as others.

White Punks on Dope – from what I’ve seen online, this song was great to experience live. I remember hearing this on AOR radio in the late 70’s and early 80’s well after this album came out. Strong final track to end the album.


I’m rating The Tubes a 6/10 as a debut album. I can understand how this would mean much more to those who either saw them live or were teens who could relate to this when it came out. The Tubes from this album are a group I need to listen to more, and not just the songs I've been familiar with.
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Nice review.

I was going to mention Zep’s R n R. I’m sure that would have been a deliberate homage.
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Friends of mine who saw them claimed Black Crowes was one of the loudest shows they've seen back in the 90's as an opening band.

Most shows I see these day are at small, intimate venues, so I use my ear plugs without question as I'm usually very close to the speakers. I will take them out from time to time to compare, and I find I can hear the music *just fine* with them in.

Glad I had them recently for front row DBT, mewithoutYou, Jason Isbell, Dawes, the Church, My Morning Jacket, etc...
Click to expand...

Seen the Crowes a couple or three times As headliners; don’t recall them as being especially loud. I think though bands may have tended to be louder in the U.S.

I’ve seen Crue indoors over here in the UK more than once and they were never anything like as loud as that Nashville gig.
 
Well after a contentious post in the Liverpool thread, I thought I would come and hide back here for a little while.

So, another new one for me. makes me realise I did indeed have a very sheltered or blinkered musical upbringing. Or that I am simply not that "experimental".
Overall I must say I was amazed at the muscianship on this, but for some reason I just felt I didn't "get it". The first 2 tracks I thought were OK but I did think were perhaps a little dated. As others have said, I did get a little Led Zep on Mondo Bondage and did also think abit of Bowie/Modern Love on Boy Crazy.
White Punks On Dope was just madness.
An enjoyable listen but I must confess that I will probably not revisit this one, unlike Fantastic Negrito which has been on a few times since.
So its going to be only a 5 from the Derry jury on this one.

I'm also starting to think that my eventual pick will be far removed from the liking of fellow reviewers/listeners.
 
When people started reviewing this and mentioned the rocky horror show I was filled with mild trepidation because I've never 'got' it.

That trepidation was partly but not wholly justified. I thought the 10cc comparisons were interesting because I think of them as a great band but also one that could become a bit self-indulgent and a bit self-satisfied with their own cleverness and I felt that at times here too.

The first side got off to a bad start for me with the let's be a bit meta Up From The Deep. Then Haloes and Space Baby convinced me they knew what they were doing musically but could also make a 4 minute song sound like it had been going on for 8 minutes. Normally I'd quite like something like Maleguena but by now they were just beginning to wind me up.

However, I don't know if it was simply I'd got used to them but the second side perked things up considerably for me. Mondo Bondage wasn't trying to do too many things and then the strongest track imo What Do You Want which despite my reservations was successful in merging together quite a few things in what was a surprising enjoyable theatrical melange with a slightly distopian AOR feel to it. For some reason it put me in mind of something like a twisted version of The Love Boat! Boy Crazy and White Punks nearly tipped it over the rocky horror edge but just about avoided it.

So a mixed bag from my perspective, clearly talented but a bit alienating for me personally at times. I will happily listen to about half of it again. 6.5/10
 
threespires said:
You never know and something a bit different sometimes results in non regulars popping in with an opinion, which personally I quite like.
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The Fatima Mansions still the biggest surprise for me in it was a very quirky and eclectic record that somehow held together and received a very high overall score. The scores are all secondary — I enjoy everything new because I learn and occasionally run into great stuff and even when not at least I’ve tried something new. Looking at the list other than my own picks there are only about a half dozen I already knew backwards and forwards and another dozen where I knew some but not all songs. The majority have been literally brand new or had maybe one song I knew.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
The Fatima Mansions still the biggest surprise for me in it was a very quirky and eclectic record that somehow held together and received a very high overall score.
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I need to check out Viva Dead Ponies after seeing it well reviewed earlier here.

Others on the list I'm not familiar with I'm looking forward to hearing too - no matter what the reviews are.

I saw The Fatima Mansions back in Nov 1994 as they opened for Weezer (the Blue Album) and then Live (Throwing Copper) at a standing room only triple bill at the Ritz (1K capacity). I was going for the latter 2 in being a big fan of both groups in their early days, but I remember TFMs being a good opener with a strong fan following (sometimes surprising for a band I didn't know of).

My buddy lost his shoe in the mosh pit, and I had no thoughts of ear plugs that night - being in your 20s was great.

www.concertarchives.org

Nov 12, 1994: Live / Weezer / The Fatima Mansions at The Ritz Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | Concert Archives

Live / Weezer / The Fatima Mansions info along with concert photos, videos, setlists, and more.
www.concertarchives.org www.concertarchives.org
 
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