Ewww, why did I buy this?

[Davey]

Yeah, we all make the occasional mistake. Some a lot more than others, I'm sure. I've been pretty lucky lately and have really liked almost everything I've bought. Partly because I haven't been buying much, but also partly because I haven't made any impulse buys recently. I was just looking at the list of CDs that I've bought recently and the only one that stands out as something I probably wouldn't buy again if I could live that day over is the latest from Mary Lou Lord, <i>Baby Blue</i>. In all fairness, it is a nice enough album and nothing really distasteful about it, but it just doesn't do much for me. I don't feel that her disaffected vocal style quite lends itself to some of these songs the way it did on her first album, <i>Got No Shadow</i>.

Anyway, what about you? Got one you'd like to get your money back on? Extra points if it's something one of our Rave Recs buddies recommended ;)

[tentoze]

Anyway, what about you? Got one you'd like to get your money back on? Extra points if it's something one of our Rave Recs buddies recommended ;)I've been really lucky lately, as well, but that latest Magnetic Fields release, i, hasn't much done it for me, for reasons already posted somewhere down below. Tossed-off stuff, to my ears. Might be willing to send it a new home if anybody gives a damn about it, or thinks they do.

:rolleyes:

[Davey]

I've been really lucky lately, as well, but that latest Magnetic Fields release, i, hasn't much done it for me, for reasons already posted somewhere down below.
Ya know, I still feel that I haven't fully absorbed 69 Love Songs, 4 or 5 years down the road. Can't help feeling that I <i>need</i> to condense it into a 1-disc streamlined collection, but it seems like such a daunting task. One of the reviewers at Stylus wrote an article about his attempt at doing exactly that, and while interesting, it still left out some of <i>my</i> favorites. Maybe we should have a thread about it sometime. I wonder how many people around here have that 3-disc collection?

As kind of a converse to my original post, I've had The Decemberists <i>Castaways and Cutouts</i> playing for what seems like days now. Do you ever get in a mood where it seems like there's only one album you really need, and so you just listen to it over and over? I've always really liked this one since my good buddy Slosh turned me on to it almost exactly 1 year ago (http://archive.audioreview.com/10/0EF9B40E.php), but I think it wasn''t until this past week that it officially became love. Totally, completely and without reservations. Sounds nearly perfect to me now, whereas I initially thought it meandered toward the end. If I was to do a top 5 of the Double Ought, this just might be one of them. Along with <i>Neon Golden</i> and <i>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</i> and <i>The Moon & Antarctica</i> and maybe <i>Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons</i>. Or something like that. Oops, maybe some Black Heart Procession or Califone instead of Blonde Redhead, I don't know, there's always a few that could fill that 5th spot and YHF will likely fall to <i>A Ghost Is Born</i> based on what I've heard so far. Guess it depends on the phase of the moon. Anyway, really interesting to see how some albums go from initially good to an all time fave, while others only go down after a short initial infatuation. Hard to pinpoint the exact qualities that give an album that growth potential. Certainly varies from person to person, but sure would save a lot of money if we could pick only those albums we knew would be favorites a year or two in the future :)

[Stone]

I'm sure there are some more recent, but the one that comes to mind is this loser:

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drg000/g055/g05547q2htv.jpg

I guess The Rising Tide should have been some indication of where these guys would go (i.e., to a place I don't like), but I had high hopes for this one being great. Instead, I have a pretty dust collector.

[WmAx]

Anyway, what about you? Got one you'd like to get your money back on? Extra points if it's something one of our Rave Recs buddies recommended ;)

Hmm. I have few that I don't like, since I usually just reshrinkwrap and relabel the ones I don't like and return them. I recommend that any one who buys lots of CDs to get a shrinkwrapper. :-)

Hoewver, one I would like to return(but have lost the labels and receipt) is Tierney Sutton's Dancing In The Dark CD. I like the performance, but ultimate sound quality(poor micing) and technicl issues(improper mastering, allowing clipping on peaks) make this a CD I can't tolerate to hear. Wasted $$$$.

-Chris

[Dusty Chalk]

I was really bored to tears by Nobody (Pacific Drift), which is surprising, because I listen to a lot of music that would bore others to tears...I don't know, glitch per se just doesn't do it for me, it has to be either interestingly done (and by "interesting", I am being deliberately vague, and acknowledge that that is a completely personal bias) or has to contain other elements.

I'll still give it another chance, so perhaps I shouldn't list it in this thread...oh, well, too late...

[Slosh]

Crap Power, err, Cat Power - You Are Free
Aside from one really good song (He War) it blows hippo genitalia. It's just so goddamn boring. Would ya know it's on a super quiet slab o' vinyl but that doesn't save it from gratuitous blandness. Why is it the best music is almost invariably on lousy vinyl?

And that Pee Tree DVD-A ain't no picinic either but I managed to unload it pretty quickly.

Funny, but I really like SDRE - The Rising Tide and IMO think it's their best album by a wide margin (it reminds me of JA's Ritual de lo Habitual in a loose sense). Maybe I should snag that Fire Theft album.

But hey, the new McLusky easily makes up for those few mistakes :)

[mad rhetorik]

Queensryche: <b>Empire</b>
After listening to their opus <b>Operation Mindcrime</b>, I bought this. I couldn't believe my ears--it was like going from a quality fusion of Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd to a hair band trying to sound "prog." Wow, they sold-out big time. This went back to the store after a couple listens. I did save the title track and "Della Brown" to my computer, though. Only two respectable songs on the whole disc.

Blood Brothers: <b>Burn Piano Island Burn!</b>
Despite the overwhelming critical praise, I was sorely disappointed with this one. It was <i>too</i> chaotic and dissonant for me to appreciate. Yes, I normally love that sort of thing, but this was just too much. All banging on instruments with no direction whatsoever. That, along with the annoying vocals, made me sell this one back post-haste.

Sublime: self-titled
I tried getting into this a million times. While I loved Brad Nowell's voice (still do), it was wasted on mostly uninteresting material and stupid meathead lyrics that get all the Sigma Tau boys singing along. I saved the best six songs out of 18--"Garden Grove," "What I Got," "Santeria," "Wrong Way," "April 22nd 1992," and "Summertime" before handing off the disc to some fratboy schmuck for a couple bucks.

Bush: <b>Sixteen Stone</b>
Ultra-bland and derivative beyond belief. Sold this after I bought my first Pixies album, <b>Doolittle</b>. Not much use for Gavin and crew once you've got the Pixies in your collection, right?

Kid Rock: <b>Devil Without A Cause</b>
Uh...yeah. I really don't have to explain this one, do I?

Korn: self-titled, <b>Follow The Leader</b>
Davis' fake angst makes me want to break sh<a>it. Specifically any disc with his music on it.

Tool: <b>Undertow</b>
After listening to <b>Lateralus</b>, this album was a huge dissappointment. Saved a few songs to my computer, like "Sober" and "Six Degrees."

Captain Beefheart: <b>Trout Mask Replica</b>
Yikes. This was just migraine-inducing. Atonality for its own sake. This didn't even make it all the way through the first spin before I decided to rid myself of it.

Ornette Coleman: <b>Free Jazz</b>
This is the album that soured my dad on Coleman forever. After buying it and trying for a week to get into it, I decided it wasn't my thing. Too much going on, with no real harmonic center. I can stand some chaos, but 40-some-odd minutes of horns shrieking was too much for me to bear.

Miles Davis: <b>Bi<a>tches' Brew</b>
This is one of my least favorite fusion albums. It rambles on forever and has no real purpose or direction. Listened to both discs twice and decided that was enough for me. When it comes to Miles, I draw the line at <b>In A Silent Way</b>. <b>Jack Johnson</b> is tolerable, though.

Cave-In: <b>Antenna</b>
I don't hate this album. It's got some decent tunes--"Seafrost," "Stained Silver," "Woodwork," and "Lost In The Air." However, being that it's the band that gave us <b>Jupiter</b> I expected a <b>LOT</b> better than Foo Fighters-esque mainstream rock (complete with sh<a>itty-sounding compression for radio consumption).

[Dusty Chalk]

Kid Rock: <b>Devil Without A Cause</b>
Uh...yeah. I really don't have to explain this one, do I? Yeah, ya do. Specifically, why'd you buy it in the first place?

J/K...

[Slosh]

Sublime: self-titled
I tried getting into this a million times. While I loved Brad Nowell's voice (still do), it was wasted on mostly uninteresting material and stupid meathead lyrics that get all the Sigma Tau boys singing along. I saved the best six songs out of 18--"Garden Grove," "What I Got," "Santeria," "Wrong Way," "April 22nd 1992," and "Summertime" before handing off the disc to some fratboy schmuck for a couple bucks.

I'm with ya on the stupid lyrics but musically I find nearly the whole disc to be just about perfect. BTW, I was never in a Frat. I can live with being a schmuck though ;)




Korn: self-titled

This, along with their next album (Life Is Peachy), and Helmet's Meantime and Deftones' Adrenaline are among the first nu-metal albums and are all great. This genre quickly turned to s<a>hit however, but these albums are the exceptions.



Tool: <b>Undertow</b>
After listening to <b>Lateralus</b>, this album was a huge dissappointment.

I have the opposite reaction. I liked Opiate when it was new. Undertow was a great leap forward and Aenima was even better still. Lateralus is a massive disappointment on this end. They ran out of ideas and turned into a drawn-out prog-metal wankfest. It's truly sad. This was really a shock since the first APC album was so solid. After Lateralus it didn't come as much of a surprise when the next APC album sucked as well.

[skeptic]

Because of a series of postings by DMK and others last summer, I went out and bought John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." Not just any version but the deluxe edition for $30 with other "out-takes." Many people said it would be the one recording they would want if they could only have one recording on a desert island. If I were in that situation, I'd chuck it in the ocean when the tide was going out. Peace and quiet are preferable. A mediocre recording of a poorly conceived, poorly written piece not too well performed. Back last fall, I wrote a very extensive analysis and review of it after I took the thing apart musically. There's not much too it so it is very hard for me to accept that this a landmark in the history of jazz composition and recording. On the other hand, if you'd like to get into the head of a heroine addict and experience the viscissitudes of life through the emotional bleakness and mental distortions of junkie right up to his suicidal dispair and death, this might just be the music for you. Frankly, if I want to hear music that reflects that feeling of suicidal dispair, I much prefer Tchaikowsky's sixth symphony.

[Dave_G]

I have bought a buncha crap over the years but the latest was a 20 dollar two disc set by Bunny Wailer, it's real weak.

I hope to resell it on ebay.

And Steve Hacketts Feedback 86. What a piece of crap this is, paid 20 bucks for it, too, a single cd import.

I hope to resell it on ebay too.

Conspiracy - a Chris Squire/Billy Sherwood (Yes) spinoff. I figured their two recordings would be good but these are real crappers.

Dave

[tentoze]

Crap Power, err, Cat Power - You Are Free
Aside from one really good song (He War) it blows hippo genitalia. It's just so goddamn boring. Would ya know it's on a super quiet slab o' vinyl but that doesn't save it from gratuitous blandness. Why is it the best music is almost invariably on lousy vinyl?

:)
It is indeed a colossal terd.

;)

[DarrenH]

Frank Zappa - Jazz From Hell Sorry Frank but this whole synclavier thing didn't make it for me.

Rain Fell Within - Believe Female fronted gothic music. Extremely boring and samey. This crap would put a hardcore insomniac to sleep. Every song sounded the same and was sung in the same slow, droning fashion. I was very happy that my local used CD shop took this off my hands. Hell, I woulda paid them to take it.

Leonard Cohen - The Future This guy reminds of a cross between Barry White and Chris Rea and that's not a good thing. This left me feeling cold and empty. Like realizing you just polished off your last beer and it's only 10 pm and you still want to party but you check your wallet and it's empty so you figure no prob, I'll just hit the ATM but the ATM eats your card without giving you any cash. This actually happened to me btw.

Jethro Tull - Under Wraps I can't get into this. Lord knows I've tried but I just can't. I only keep it because I'm such a damn completist when it comes to Tull. I wonder if this will be in the next round of remasters. :eek:

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Darren

[Davey]

Crap Power, err, Cat Power - You Are Free
Aside from one really good song (He War) it blows hippo genitalia. It's just so goddamn boring.


It is indeed a colossal terd.
OK, you both get extra points for picking on a favorite of mine, but those points sadly come at the expense of any musical taste I may have credited to each of you in the past. And how can you take seriously the comments of someone that can't even spell turd?

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/party.gif

[Troy]

Jethro Tull - Under Wraps I can't get into this. Lord knows I've tried but I just can't. I only keep it because I'm such a damn completist when it comes to Tull. I wonder if this will be in the next round of remasters. :eek:
Darren

I always liked this one for some reason. I liked Anderson's solo album from around the same time too. Weird, I know.

Jazz from Hell was a great idea let down by the limited technology of the day.

[tentoze]

OK, you both get extra points for picking on a favorite of mine, but those points sadly come at the expense of any musical taste I may have credited to each of you in the past. And how can you take seriously the comments of someone that can't even spell turd?

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/party.gifFrom The Normal Digit Quantity New World Dicitionary:

terd: (n.- trrrd)(variant of turd, a steaming pile)- as in turd, only blacker and shinier. Specifically applied to directionless yowling.


:D

And to show ya that I ain't a snob about it, I'll play it one more time just to see if it got any better...........

[Davey]

From The Normal Digit Quantity New World Dicitionary:

terd: (n.- trrrd)(variant of turd, a steaming pile)- as in turd, only blacker and shinier. Specifically applied to directionless yowling.
Hehehe, but what's a Dicitionary?

;)

[tentoze]

Hehehe, but what's a Dicitionary?

;)
If ya can't spell, ya can't tell...........

:)

[Dave_G]

I also like that Tull album, but I like electronicy kind of stuff, and ya like Troy said it's real similar to the IA solo album that's him and that Peter-Vitesse synth dude or whatever his name is...

Darren, since I have been successful in getting you interested in some 80's new wave synthy stuff, maybe you can give it another try when the remaster comes out.

But I do know what you are saying about that particular album...

Dave

[ForeverAutumn]

For me it's Mark Knopfler's The Ragpicker's Dream. I loved his previous release, Sailing to Philadelphia. So I picked up Ragpicker blindly, the week it came out. Well, if the Ragpicker's Dream is to bore everyone to death then he certainly may achieve his dream.

It now sits in a pile of disks waiting until the day that we run out of wood and are in desparate need for fuel for the woodstove.


Queensryche: Empire

I know that you'll probably scoff at this but Silent Lucidity would be on my list of all-time favourite songs. I can never hear this song too many times.


Leonard Cohen - The Future

I have never understood the attraction to Cohen's music. It's like music to commit suicide to. Listening to Leonard Cohen makes The Ragpicker's Dream sound like Power Pop!

[dld]

Hey darren, was that Under Wraps the one I gave you? Or was that another turd, Stormwatch?

I've got some E Pluribus Stinkers stinkers, to wit:

PT's Coma Divine. unlistenable

Geraldine Fibbers, Butch. Oone good song, the rest are *#$@ing bad

Gentle Giant, Giant For A Day. I may like Coma Divine more. Its that bad. As an added bonus, its criminally poorly recorded.

Yes, Tormato. *****, pee uuuu

Broadcast, Noise For People. OK, not a disaster, actually some good songs on it. But a little too drowsy for me. Might listen again this weekend

Johnny Lang, Wander This World. Wonder why I bought it.

Jefferson Airplane, Long John Silver. Dave G sent it to me. Promised me it was awful. For a change, he was right.

I like the one Cat Power I've got. Its not the newest. However, the one old Mercury Rev I have? I don't like it a lot.

[DarrenH]

Hey darren, was that Under Wraps the one I gave you? Or was that another turd, Stormwatch?

Gentle Giant, Giant For A Day. I may like Coma Divine more. Its that bad. As an added bonus, its criminally poorly recorded.

Yup, it was Under Wraps, on vinyl. I see you're just as impressed with it as I was. I think Stormwatch is a good album actually. Not up to par with say Heavy Horses or Songs From The Wood but certainly better than Under Wraps.

I'm also finding it very difficult to enjoy Gentle Giant. The two that I have are Octopus and In A Glass House and I just can't connect with them. In fact, some of it is just plain awful. I don't think I'll be exploring Gentle Giant any further.

Darren