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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 09:39:03
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so, i've come to the conclusion that this may very well be my favorite Frank Black album, when all is said and done.. obviously it's impossible to chose such a thing because there are too many variables invoved.. but this is one album that, whenever i go for a while without listening to it, and then randomly pop it in, it always excites me .. almost the same way as when it first came out.
yes, TEENAGER is fucking amazing.. and i would even accept arguments that that is a "better" album.. just because of it's scope and size and ambitiousness...
but there are songs on there that i definitely burnt out on (abstract plain, headache).. whereas i can listen to anything off FB self-titled and i'm still not sick of it. seriously, all those songs are so well-written.. and i just think it sounds so fucking good. the production quality / mixing etc..
which brings me to a small comment on live to 2-track.. i think it's cool, and respectable, and i'm all for it.. but i have to say, i'm also a fan of artificiality in music. i love how complex those first albums are.. there's some pretty sophisticated stuff going on..
i totally understand and respect why frank does what he does now, an i enjoy it. but i guess my point is, wouldn't it be cool if he went a little crazy in the studio again? put him in a room with Eric Drew Feldman for a while and let them go at it..
just a thought.. i'm rambling..
anyway, just expressing my love for FRANK BLACK ("the yellow album", "self-titled", what have you).. and it occurs to me that this year is the 10th anniversary of the album. maybe we should have a party..
i live in a studio apartment so i wouldn't be able to have too many people over.. plus my cat might get scared.
mijn vriendin kan geen orgasme krijgen |
Edited by - floop on 10/30/2003 10:20:59 |
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Cheeseman1000
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Iceland
8201 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:02:00
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Hoorah for 'Frank Black'. It's definitely my favourite out of the solo stuff, and its vying for the top spot overall alongside SMYT. How can you argue with an album featuring Los Angeles, Fu Manchu, I Heard Ramona Sing, Hang Onto Your Ego, Parry The Wind High, Low and Don't Ya Rile Em.
I guess it was the sound of where the Pixies were heading, which means it stays close to my heart.
"I have joined the Cult Of Frank/And I have dearly paid"
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:06:48
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i love fb too. i think i put it as my favourite some list ago. but it's orange, not yellow.
"I joined the Cult of Trippy/just pretend that pencil is a joint and the girl has red hair" |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:08:55
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I was just going to say, hey its orange, Americans eh?
I was just starting to wonder where you've been sassy girl. |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:13:53
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hah. i was in finland and estonia. i posted a topic about it a week ago! oh well.
"I joined the Cult of Trippy/just pretend that pencil is a joint and the girl has red hair" |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6182 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:14:32
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Orange? the back yes, but I think the front is yellow
the whole ''orange-album''-idea came from Cult of Frank if I'm not mistaken, I always thought it was a bit weird, although lot's of people quoted him after that, so let's give him credit therefore...
hooray cult of frank
"I joined the Culf of Frank/ And now I do not know what...to do" |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:15:50
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oops, missed it. I think they (whoever they are) should change your title from soul eater to sassy girl. |
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floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:19:21
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yeah, it looks pretty yellow to me.
want to arm wrestle about it?
mijn vriendin kan geen orgasme krijgen |
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the swimmer
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1602 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:20:58
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I honestly said at the time of buying the first solo album and still believe it to be tru that that was the best 13 bucks I ever spent on a piece of music ever. |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:23:10
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i'll ask dave. dave, can i be sassy girl? i don't like souls so much now.
"I joined the Cult of Trippy/just pretend that pencil is a joint and the girl has red hair" |
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True Blue
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
14 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 10:33:48
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I think Floop raises some interesting points. I don't think Frank has done himself any favours by recording the last six albums live to 2-track. I understand his reasons for doing it, but it is a hit-and-miss affair and doesn't do a lot of his recordings the justice they deserve. I think his records would have been more commercially successful had he gone down the multi-track route. 'Frank Black' the album, does sound pretty slick and maybe even over-produced when put against a very raw-sounding album like Pistolero. To people who are unaccustomed to listening to raw music and 2-track recordings, Frank's Catholic albums are not easy to get into. That said, Dog and SMYT are excellent examples of how great 2-track recording can go when all the levels are perfect. I would love to see Frank go back to the way he traditionally recorded, but the budget would have to be enough. Teenager is so good, yet the quality suffers from a smaller budget than say Trompe or 'Frank Black'. I don't reckon he'll ever go back, but it would be great just to hear what the band would sound like through a digital multi-track process.... Meantime, happy birthday 'Frank Black'! |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6182 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 11:27:07
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uhm going to two track is in my eyes his best move yet...
I like the production (especially nick vincents production) 10 times better
"I joined the Culf of Frank/ And now I do not know what...to do" |
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cigarinthesky
- FB Fan -
USA
24 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 12:35:16
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I'm also a 2 track fan, though it took Dog in the Sand to finally win me over. I think he's really fighting the good fight. What I mean by that is he's taking rock or pop or whatever you want to call it (music) down to it's most essential level. Some of my favorite American pop music comes from the late 50's and early 60's when they were really restricted with recording techniques and had to rely on talent and songwriting to carry the recording. It's a purist way to go, what FB's doing, for sure ... but the results are worth it. To my ears, the sound comes across as more real.
Having said that, I can definitely relate to what's been said about him getting back into a studio and going for it with Feldman -- that would be really cool. And it's only a matter of time before it happens, though we could be in for a real wait.
Oh yeah, the original topic of the thread: the first album! I've always loved it, from the day it was released to right now. It has this wonderful, detached quality to it which I have recently learned had to do with the computerized "virtual" production of it .. a very appropriate first album, especially back in 93 (nice counterbalance to all those idiot "grunge" bands, sorry if I'm offending any Mudhoney fans or anything but do you really listen to that stuff anymore anyhow?)
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NimrodsSon
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1938 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 13:53:01
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I don't listen to it that often as I'm a bigger fan of his more recent stuff, but yes it is truly amazing, and contains one of his greatest songs ever in my opinion: Places Named After Numbers. It's a very beautiful album and truly a pop masterpiece.
"I joined the cult of Frank / and...umm..." |
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cvanepps
= Cult of Ray =
USA
442 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 19:41:11
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Floop, I can say that I agree with every letter of your post including the views on multitrack vs. 2 track. Good post. Has it been 10 years?? As Keanu Reeves would say, "Whoa"
[edit] If this forum had a polling feature, this would be a great one: Multitrack or 2-track? I bet it would be close!!
-= It's not easy to kidnap a fat man =- http://christophervanepps.iuma.com |
Edited by - cvanepps on 10/30/2003 19:43:04 |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2003 : 20:03:51
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I remember seeing it at Rhino Records when it came out. I had to put 2 and 2 together: "Hmmm, Frank Black... Black Francis? Cover art looks similar to Pixies albums...Elektra. I'll risk it."
I still reckon Teenager is to me what this album is to floop. I've been a little tired of it for a few years now, but I've never felt that way about Teenager (especially tracks 14-22). |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1034 Posts |
Posted - 10/31/2003 : 00:59:08
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I could'nt agree more. I still remember the day I bought it, a cold autumn day in 1993. With the Pixies gone, I was very curious about it and slightly afraid. Frank Black solo, will it be at least half as good as my favourite band ? I went home, put it on the record player, and then... Los Angeles. It was like the sun rays on the fantastic sleeve shone right through everything and made the Pixies long forgotten, at least at this moment. I fell in love with FB from the first seconds on. There is so much artistic freedom and pure musical brilliance in this record, and I think, very much heart and soul of the man himself. Ten Percenter, Two Spaces, Fu Manchu, Don't ya rile 'em, and Los Angeles are my favourites on this album.
And also, the cover art is so fucking good. The photos, and the best thing of all, this logo. Only the idea, that this man means needs a logo, is both self-ironic and uptight at the same moment. Okay, this would be uninteresting, if the logo wouldn't be so great - just an F, an B, and at the same it shows the man playing guitar. This double-meaning in pictures is truly Dali-style, proving the thesis, that Charles K. Thompson is the great and gifted surrealist of pop/rock.
Sorry for my excursions mixed with bad english, but still I'm so excited about the beginning of FB's solo career. And before I forget, I could say the same about Teenager. Both records are one big thing for me, the belong together in my opinion. 1993/1994 were very good years....
Anyway, some kind of party or reverence to this album resp. to 10 years of FB is a good idea...how to do it ?
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