| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 03/11/2010 : 17:40:40
All the new release activity has got me all fired up about some Black, and I've been spinning FMRM lately. I really love this album. It's a big sprawling mess, and a lot of fun. There's so much to love about it. It's sure as hell not perfect, and there are some real duds on it, but overall it's great... It's Just Not Your Moment, Highway to Lowdown, Fitzgerald, Elijah, Sad Old World, El Ray, Kiss My Ring, Don't Cry That Way - so many awesome tracks and that's only on disc 2... And I have to say, My Terrible Ways just kills me - very sincere, beautiful song. I'm going to listen to it again now. (My girlfriend is at work and I'm bored at home listening to disc 2 and drinking some wine at the moment, if you couldn't tell!)
Sorry, I know there used to be a thread similar to this... guess it's gone along with many others.
FMRM thoughts??
Ayerigvlagabriga-Raraaaargh!-Rumbahl-Jumbahl! |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Troubles A Foot |
Posted - 08/13/2019 : 21:28:29
I had a long car ride the other day and listened to both discs and really got into this album all over again. Me and my girlfriend had been kind of cranky at the start of the trip and this album seemed to solve all our problems and this weird air of calm entered the car. My advice for anyone who hasn't gotten into it, PUT IT ON IN THE CAR.
Here is my obligatory whittled down tracklist, while I do appreciate the long and winding scope of this album. I HIGHLY favor disc 2, it's nearly flawless. I tried to be a bit harsh and keep it tight, mostly failing because I am too fond of even songs I'm not crazy about, because you grow attached to them over time. Anyway:
If Your Poison Gets You
Johnny Barleycorn
Fast Man
You Can't Crucify Yourself
Wanderlust
Raider Man
In The Time Of My Ruin
Down To You
Highway To Lowdown
Kiss My Ring
My Terrible Ways
Fitzgerald
Elijah
It's Just Not Your Moment
Where The Wind Is Going
Holland Town
Sad Old World
Don't Cry That Way
----
What I cut out and I wouldn't mind as b-sides:
Dirty Old Town
Seven Days
The End Of The Summer
Dog Sleep
When The Paint Grows Darker Still
I'm Not Dead (I'm In Pittsburgh)
Golden Shore
The Real El Rey
Fare Thee Well
----
Another option in a parallel universe is for the Honeycomb rejects to simply remain Honeycomb rejects or b-sides and not be on this album at all, which would make it an even tighter album (though I do generally really like those songs, I'm only thinking for some kind of time/place consistency.) I almost didn't put Fare Thee Well in the reject pile, because it's a solid album closer, but I feel the melody is too generic to really excite me, and I think Don't Cry That Way makes a fine little end credits song after the big movie climax of Sad Old World (something Frank does on a few of his albums.)
And now, songs from FMRM that I consider Frank's all time best and would easily go on a best-of playlist I would make:
If Your Poison Gets You
Wanderlust
In The Time Of My Ruin
It's Just Not Your Moment
Don't Cry That Way
and I think my #1 would be Wanderlust. It is just such a damn sweet, perfect little song. It's both melodic and classic sounding but still has those Frank quirks in the timing and melody. Also for some reason I am often taken with songs about being on the road and missing your significant other. For other examples see If You Only Knew by Moxy Fruvous (a band I barely enjoy anymore but that's a sweet song) and Here To There To You by Rheostatics. All very similar in sentiment and feel.
I have a weird emotional connection with some of this album. When it came out originally I was in a really bad relationship with a girl who lived about a 3 hour drive away. I would drive to visit her every few weeks and listen to this album. I remember a few key things, like one time the drive was through pouring rain and Frank sang "it was raining like the end of the world." Another time the coda of "gun to my head, got to get moving" really captured the feeling I had racing to this girl that I did not even want to be with, especially on a musical level. It is absolutely impossible for me to hear that song without thinking of this time.
On reading through the three pages here, I agree that Time of my Ruin is an all time great Frank song, would have been a rocking amazing Catholics song, I think.
I'm pretty confused why some think Honeycomb and this are opposites, to me it's like a three-disc album pretty much. I love about half of Honeycomb and I love about 2/3rds of this.
I also thought this album got kind of spit on in the Pixies documentary Loud Quiet Loud. All we get regarding Frank's solo career (as I recall) is a quick cut to a low key moment of a mixing session for one of the more sleepy songs on this album. Frank gives a kind of indifferent "yeah, sounds good" and the producer seems tired and this is a big contrast with the EXCITEMENT!!! of the Pixies music. What you've got is an out of context moment (being in a studio is a loooong and sometimes boring process even when you're making your art that you are 10000% passionate about) that feels depressing and aimless, and to a fan who knows nothing of his solo work, they probably come away from the doc thinking they might as well not bother. That always annoyed me. What's remarkable is that Frank in one moment could be screaming songs during a Pixies reunion to thousands of fans, and then recording a double album of relaxing road music that sounds absolutely nothing like the Pixies on basically every level, it doesn't even sound like the same voice singing (still don't know how he does that.) This should be applauded and be a reason for intrigue about his solo work, if anything. If they had used a track like Time of My Ruin in the doc, showed Frank recording it and the band rocking out and etc, being happy, having fun, how big of a different mood would that be than what's in the movie?
Anyway, I think those are a big handful of my thoughts on FMRM.
Oh, one more thing, me and my friend used to laugh a lot about the line "I'm sorry to hear about your sister / She went too far down in the drain / She was trying to dull her pain." It seemed weirdly invasive and oft-putting. "Stay out of my life, Frank!" That's another memory associated with this album.
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| The Maharal |
Posted - 12/23/2018 : 09:32:33
That would be a fun game indeed. Can we throw in b-sides? Atlantis could be a contender. |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 12/21/2018 : 15:28:46
My Terrible Ways > Fitzgerald > Elijah > It's Just Not Your Moment > The Real El Ray is just a killer run of excellence.
I'm on the record somewhere as saying I love the warts and all, White Albumish approach of FMRM and wouldn't have it any other way, but some selective editing would make it even better. There are a couple runs on the album though that are perfect as is, imo. The above is one.
...I might dust off the old cassette deck tonight and make a mix the old-fashioned way.
Say - I think this has probably been done around here before, but if you could make a super mix of Honeycomb and FMRM, how would it flow? You don't have to use all tracks. I'll have to think about how I would arrange it and get back to you. Fun game? Maybe?
I had a bad reaction to your public hobby writings. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 12/10/2018 : 06:04:37
quote:
Originally posted by The Maharal
What is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bcdk0t_HCo
I quite like FMRM - the two title tracks are crackers and In The Time of My Ruin a possible TOP TEN BEST EVER FRANK SONGS contender. Then there's the likes of Fitzgerald, My Terrible Ways, Golden Shore, Pittsburgh (my funeral song - well done Mr Paley for crafting some insanely fun and poignant lyrics), Poison and Wanderlust - all top work. I like or love the majority of the songs - only When the Paint Grows Darker Still and End of the Summer leave me empty. It's Charles doing his deep voice thing like he did on Silver Snail or The Water, it doesn't do anything for me. But they're minor complaints. The first section of It's Just Not Your Moment goes on slightly too long but it's catchy as feck and there's the 'Gun to my head - got to keep moving' coda which is all kinds of fantastic and totally quintessential Frank. Whoever is playing guitar on that totally deserved whatever money they got. Bloody hell. Elijah is another one I often roar along to, a nice stomper.
"Living hammered is always hit or miss" - some powerful stuff on this album and that Fitzgerald is possibly the most powerful of them. Up there with Here Comes A Regular by the Replacement for best song about alcoholism or pub-goers.
I would almost give up my right nut to have Black do another album similar to this. Heaven's boys protect those who neglect this album. It is the most rewarding in his back catalogue.
Great post. I agree, Fitzgerald is savage, in a Dylan sort of way? And In the Time of My Ruin indeed has proven to be an astonishingly good song that continues to sparkle. |
| danjersey |
Posted - 12/09/2018 : 06:04:00
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
quote:
Originally posted by The Maharal
What is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bcdk0t_HCo
Looks like someone named Cyril Chmiel records instrumental keyboard versions of songs (mostly Sinatra) and posts them on youtube.
Take me to the vineyards of Lavaux
Want to see the mountains where the waters flow
yeah, that seems to be what's happening there |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 12/06/2018 : 04:32:10
quote:
Originally posted by The Maharal
What is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bcdk0t_HCo
Looks like someone named Cyril Chmiel records instrumental keyboard versions of songs (mostly Sinatra) and posts them on youtube.
Take me to the vineyards of Lavaux
Want to see the mountains where the waters flow |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 12/05/2018 : 11:45:27
If he ever re-releases all his music at once I really hope he refers to it collectively as his Black Catalogue. I'd chortle. |
| The Maharal |
Posted - 12/05/2018 : 11:43:11
What is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Bcdk0t_HCo
I quite like FMRM - the two title tracks are crackers and In The Time of My Ruin a possible TOP TEN BEST EVER FRANK SONGS contender. Then there's the likes of Fitzgerald, My Terrible Ways, Golden Shore, Pittsburgh (my funeral song - well done Mr Paley for crafting some insanely fun and poignant lyrics), Poison and Wanderlust - all top work. I like or love the majority of the songs - only When the Paint Grows Darker Still and End of the Summer leave me empty. It's Charles doing his deep voice thing like he did on Silver Snail or The Water, it doesn't do anything for me. But they're minor complaints. The first section of It's Just Not Your Moment goes on slightly too long but it's catchy as feck and there's the 'Gun to my head - got to keep moving' coda which is all kinds of fantastic and totally quintessential Frank. Whoever is playing guitar on that totally deserved whatever money they got. Bloody hell. Elijah is another one I often roar along to, a nice stomper.
"Living hammered is always hit or miss" - some powerful stuff on this album and that Fitzgerald is possibly the most powerful of them. Up there with Here Comes A Regular by the Replacement for best song about alcoholism or pub-goers.
I would almost give up my right nut to have Black do another album similar to this. Heaven's boys protect those who neglect this album. It is the most rewarding in his back catalogue.
|
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 12/05/2018 : 09:53:17
Back from the dead! I haven’t listened to FMRM in quite some time - throwing it on now! |
| vilainde |
Posted - 12/03/2018 : 07:06:07
I don't think I've listened to FMRM since that post I made in this thread in 2010.
Denis
|
| pixiestu |
Posted - 12/03/2018 : 07:01:05
I have a feeling this will be unpopular due to the apparent love for Fitzgerald, Elijah and The Real El Ray but they just don't make the cut for me.
If Your Poison Gets You
Johnny Barleycorn
Fast Man
Kiss My Ring
Dirty Old Town
Wanderlust
Seven Days
Raider Man
Dog Sleep
In the Time of My Ruin
Highway to Lowdown
Where the Wind Is Going
Don't Cry That Way
Fare Thee Well
I wish they didn't cut the drum intro on Fare Thee Well, I always preferred that from the Honeycomb sessions. I prefer Honeycomb in general to be honest. It's more coherent and the songs to me individually are just more interesting.
Also just to add, even though I cut some songs to make this shortened version of FMRM, I don't dislike any of the songs. These are simply the ones I listen to more.
"The arc of triumph" |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 12/03/2018 : 01:17:46
Now that Apple Music added these I’ve been listening to them recently again.
I think the outro of In the Time of My Ruin is amazing, very powerful, hypnotic, could have been a great song on its own.
There’s a lot to explore on these albums and I’m often finding something new. |
| coastline |
Posted - 05/12/2018 : 06:36:28
"My Terrible Ways" and "Fitzgerald" has always been one of my favorite back-to-back pairs of FB tracks. (Others include "Cult of Ray"/"Shazeb Andleeb," "Horrible Day"/"Massif Centrale," and "Coastline"/"Manitoba.")
__________________________________________________
If all you see is violins, then I make a plea in their defense. |
| Bedbug |
Posted - 03/27/2018 : 00:31:51
Oh man I love these albums. Gotta be in the mood though.
Apple music still doesn't have them up, so it's been a while for me. Fast Man is such an awesome song. |
| Stevio10 |
Posted - 03/25/2018 : 02:46:33
Loving some Fast Man Raiderman these days. When it was released I wasn't too fussed but getting a lot of listens recently. It's not TOTY but if Steve Earle released this album he would have got rave reviews. |
| gotmeamovie |
Posted - 11/19/2011 : 10:25:04
great album
raiderman is one of his best songs!
"I could take a walk and really wonder, really wonder" |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 11/14/2011 : 14:22:06
quote:
Originally posted by Jose Jones
fuck tha haterz
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Hahaha! Indeed. 
Ayerigvlagabriga-Raraaaargh!-Rumbahl-Jumbahl! |
| filmcode |
Posted - 11/13/2011 : 13:49:37
This is cool, Frank Black in his Fast Man, Raider Man mode on Conan! Note Jack Kidney on saxophone of the legendary Numbers Band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAcIW4IQYkE
If you wanna know why Frank picked Jack Kidney to play in his band, look no further than this clip of Jack playing with his longtime megagroup The Numbers Band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUaPm4zu4qk&feature=related
note Terry Hynde on saxophone with Jack, that is Chrissie Hynde's (from The Pretenders) brother |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 11/13/2011 : 12:50:20
quote:
Originally posted by trapperj
I like to think of Kiss My Ring as Frank's version of the technique (mainly used in hip-hop) of making a song about how awesome you are.
flow boast.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 11/13/2011 : 12:49:26
i've listened to my edit of this album countless times this past week. plus HC a few times. i'm hooked in a way that is very familiar to for frank albums, but never for these 2. i'm having such a blast with these. plus i now have paley&francis to throw into the mix, which i'm also digging after 3 listens.
fuck tha haterz
------------------------------
they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| oldmandavid |
Posted - 11/13/2011 : 08:40:27
quote:
Originally posted by houstonguthrie
a little love for "Fast Man"........ please??? I love it - Am I the only one? come on guys - that's an awesome tune - I can't believe it's so overlooked. If you don't like that tune well then there's something wrong with you
I definitely agree with this. Fast Man is one of the top of all albums! Love seven days too. Sad old world. I think it depends a lot on what you relate to emotionally. |
| DruggedBunny |
Posted - 11/12/2011 : 14:15:37
Vilainde's edit would do fine for me:
quote:
If Your Poison Gets You
Johnny Barleycorn
Dirty Old Town
Wanderlust
Raider Man
Dog Sleep
Golden Shore
In The Time of My Ruin
Fitzgerald
Elijah
It's Just Not Your Moment
The Real El Rey
Sad Old World
Don't Cry That Way
Fare Thee Well
However, a good live version really can turn you around -- I didn't like Cult of Ray at all until I saw the proto-Catholics playing it 3 days after its UK release!
And so, to that end... have some LIVE Raiderman!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/9461fo
|
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 11/10/2011 : 12:47:17
fast man's the best, brother. and i added Seven Days and Fitzgerald to the official lineup. i can't get enough of this new old album!!
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| vilainde |
Posted - 11/10/2011 : 02:59:29
Yeah you got that quite right. Except Fast Man.
Spot on about Barleycorn, since I discovered that video the other day I've gained more respect to that little gemm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAcIW4IQYkE
Denis
Obsidiana Bijoux |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 11/10/2011 : 02:10:27
i'm really into this album this week. i listened to [various incarnations of] it 3 times yesterday alone. first i listened to the whole thing. then i took out the songs i don't care for, which left me with 18 songs. then i cut that down to 12. if this album were released like this it would be a favorite:
if your poison gets you
fast man
you can't crucify yourself
wanderlust
raider man
dog sleep
in the time of your ruin
elijah
it's just not your moment
the real el ray
don't cry that way
fare thee well
i figure these could have been excellent b-sides:
seven days
fitzgerald
golden shores
holland town
sad old world
these songs should be done to be made good:
johnny barleycorn
where the wind is going
dirty old town
my terrible ways
highway to lowdown
i'm not dead i'm in pittsburgh
the rest can be discarded.
------------------------------
they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| joe FITZ of molly BANG |
Posted - 03/29/2010 : 05:09:00
i concur. blonde on blone is a must. top four best dylan albums.
________________________________
my band: www.myspace.com/mollybang
|
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 17:56:47
Blonde on Blonde is fantastic... Hell, everything Dylan did up till Self Portrait (IMO) was amazing, things became off-and-on after that. Blonde on Blonde is a standout among standouts, though. I still can't draw much comparison between it and FMRM other than the session style recording and meandering vibe.
Ayerigvlagabriga-Raraaaargh!-Rumbahl-Jumbahl! |
| houstonguthrie |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 15:50:54
on a side note - "Blonde on Blonde" came up tonight on random and I had to listen to the whole thing - holy smokes what a record!!! |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 06:12:47
i LOVE "where the wind is going" but the production is so lackluster. the sound does seem to get better on later sessions.
i've finally accepted HC for what it is and it has grown on me immensely.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| trobrianders |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 03:46:02
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
FB, vocally, sounds a littletired on a bunch of the takes (hadn't he played a full Pixies show the night before one of the sessions).
What bothers me more is that it sounds like he was aiming for that type of lacklustre vocal performance on a few of the songs (the paint grows dryer still). And from the Pogues cover I get the feeling that Paley's voice is just better suited to that kind of playing than FB's. What's weird is FB's singing is usually terrific across so many genres. I'd be more alive to those few songs on FMRM if FB's vocal were more alive. But I'll probably come around, I usually do in the end.
_______________
Ed is the hoo hoo |
| Ziggy |
Posted - 03/28/2010 : 02:09:08
quote:
Originally posted by johnnyribcage
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
Yeah I like it too.
The LA songs sound a lot better though. I read that they put a lot of efforts trying to establish a uniform 'sound' for the record during the mixing stage, but didn't have much luck.
I would definitely agree there is a big problem concerning a lack of a "uniform sound" on this one. It doesn't bother me... much. With a notable exception or two. There's a Hi-hat on Holland Town that sounds like an overdub that is totally inappropriate.
The biggest offender (IMO) is Where the Wind is Going. It sounds just plain awful to me, and it's a shame because it's a cool tune. The vocal mix is just garbage on this particular track. It sounds like a monitor mix for Charles while he was singing or something. Bone dry, loud as fuck, and entirely too upfront. Personal opinion? Yes. Indisputable? Hell Yes.
Ayerigvlagabriga-Raraaaargh!-Rumbahl-Jumbahl!
Yeah, and the mix across both albums is largely at fault. It's so insipid and muted, that at times, it makes the backing bands sound like a bunch of pub players. FB, vocally, sounds a littletired on a bunch of the takes (hadn't he played a full Pixies show the night before one of the sessions).
I feel a bit bad criticising it so openly, but there are a good many songs across HC/FMRM that aren't really done justice by the recordings. |
| Brank_Flack |
Posted - 03/27/2010 : 20:54:05
If i hadn't known that it was recorded during a bunch of different sessions, i honestly wouldnt be able to tell. I still can't really tell the difference between the tracks and the sessions. Funny how these things are so different from person to person.
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Golem Survivor Round 1 http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20079 |
| johnnyribcage |
Posted - 03/27/2010 : 20:43:41
quote:
Originally posted by Ziggy
Yeah I like it too.
The LA songs sound a lot better though. I read that they put a lot of efforts trying to establish a uniform 'sound' for the record during the mixing stage, but didn't have much luck.
I would definitely agree there is a big problem concerning a lack of a "uniform sound" on this one. It doesn't bother me... much. With a notable exception or two. There's a Hi-hat on Holland Town that sounds like an overdub that is totally inappropriate.
The biggest offender (IMO) is Where the Wind is Going. It sounds just plain awful to me, and it's a shame because it's a cool tune. The vocal mix is just garbage on this particular track. It sounds like a monitor mix for Charles while he was singing or something. Bone dry, loud as fuck, and entirely too upfront. Personal opinion? Yes. Indisputable? Hell Yes.
Ayerigvlagabriga-Raraaaargh!-Rumbahl-Jumbahl! |
| Ziggy |
Posted - 03/27/2010 : 10:24:50
Yeah I like it too.
The LA songs sound a lot better though. I read that they put a lot of efforts trying to establish a uniform 'sound' for the record during the mixing stage, but didn't have much luck. |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 03/27/2010 : 08:06:20
quote:
Originally posted by Brank_Flack
Yeah, Fast Man and You Can't Crucify Yourself are my least favourite part of Disc 1 - really kills the momentum after poison/barleycorn
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Golem Survivor Round 1 http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20079
love both of them. the lead on crucify is real nice.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
