One Hundred Albums ...

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 25 2005,09:14)]I would also quite confidently say that the new Coldplay album will be on the list for most people before long.

Harsh... I've listened to it a lot over the weekend (11 hours' worth of driving from London to Durham and back); and whilst most of the "Y" part of the album is a bit indifferent; the "X" part of the album is inspired.

"What If?" is Martin at his vulnerable best... simple stuff, but it really tugged at my heartstrings. "White Shadows" and "Fix You" are also crackers.

The only disappointment is that the Y part of the album is full of songs (such as the single, Speed of Sound) which have in no way represented a step forward from Rush of Blood... - it's the same ole' Coldplay by numbers.

But there's enough on the X part of the album to make it very worthwhile, IMHO. Not quite sure how NME worked out that it was their "best yet" and worth 5 out of 5; but it still doesn't make it a crummy album.

I'm off to see them tonight (although perhaps that says more about their boring MOR ageing white middle class demographic than the fact that I'm still in touch wiv' da kids), so I'll report back on how well they perform the stuff in a live setting.

Matt

 

[Olisadavey]

i don't think the new coldplay album is one of the worst 100 ever. granted, its not good, but worst 100 ever is a bit harsh.
scissor sisiters is truly awful. ive not let my mum out of the basement after buying that. that was eight months ago. mind you, the punishment has to fit the crime. and the scissor sisters album was a crime against humanity. everytime i hear their comfortably numb i vomit into my bucket of tears.
celion dion... do i actually need to bother saying why this sucks? (no.)
nevermind is the most overrated album ever. whilst it is undoubtedly good, if cobain hadnt shot himself they would not still be held in such high regard.
a bit contreversial im sure, but elephant by white stripes was overrated too. it was quite fun in its own quirky way but not particularly good. a couple of decent songs but it is full of songs that if they come up on an ipod you skip straight over them.
but the worst ones are surely a whole host of sh*te pop groups who cover already sh*te material and make it ever so much more sh*te, then release a greatest hits of it. like boyzone and steps and all those bands that polluted my youth. surely you need at least one great hit to have a greatest hits album? unfortunately bands like these have proved that statement wrong countless number of times.

 

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ June 27 2005,13:06)]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 25 2005,09:14)]I would also quite confidently say that the new Coldplay album will be on the list for most people before long.

Harsh... I've listened to it a lot over the weekend (11 hours' worth of driving from London to Durham and back); and whilst most of the "Y" part of the album is a bit indifferent; the "X" part of the album is inspired.

"What If?" is Martin at his vulnerable best... simple stuff, but it really tugged at my heartstrings.  "White Shadows" and "Fix You" are also crackers.

The only disappointment is that the Y part of the album is full of songs (such as the single, Speed of Sound) which have in no way represented a step forward from Rush of Blood... - it's the same ole' Coldplay by numbers.

But there's enough on the X part of the album to make it very worthwhile, IMHO.  Not quite sure how NME worked out that it was their "best yet" and worth 5 out of 5; but it still doesn't make it a crummy album.

I'm off to see them tonight (although perhaps that says more about their boring MOR ageing white middle class demographic than the fact that I'm still in touch wiv' da kids), so I'll report back on how well they perform the stuff in a live setting.

Matt

I can sum the album up in four words Matt, quite simply -

'The Emperors New Clothes'.

 

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Olisadavey @ June 27 2005,20:19)]i don't think the new coldplay album is one of the worst 100 ever. granted, its not good, but worst 100 ever is a bit harsh.
scissor sisiters is truly awful. ive not let my mum out of the basement after buying that. that was eight months ago. mind you, the punishment has to fit the crime. and the scissor sisters album was a crime against humanity. everytime i hear their comfortably numb i vomit into my bucket of tears.
celion dion... do i actually need to bother saying why this sucks? (no.)
nevermind is the most overrated album ever. whilst it is undoubtedly good, if cobain hadnt shot himself they would not still be held in such high regard.
a bit contreversial im sure, but elephant by white stripes was overrated too. it was quite fun in its own quirky way but not particularly good. a couple of decent songs but it is full of songs that if they come up on an ipod you skip straight over them.
but the worst ones are surely a whole host of sh*te pop groups who cover already sh*te material and make it ever so much more sh*te, then release a greatest hits of it. like boyzone and steps and all those bands that polluted my youth. surely you need at least one great hit to have a greatest hits album? unfortunately bands like these have proved that statement wrong countless number of times.

I think the point of this list isn't the worst 100 ever but more the 100 most over-rated, over-hyped but actually not very good albums.

Not saying I agree with the list though, but certainly feel 'X&Y' will in time fall very much in that bracket.

 

[Olisadavey]

it is the 100 you shouldnt own. i take that as being the worst 100.
with that said x and y is horribly overrated

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 27 2005,20:20)]I can sum the album up in four words Matt, quite simply -

'The Emperors New Clothes'.

Well, I tell you what, they're feckin' brilliant live. They really put on a superb show tonight - new and old stuff. Absolutely fantastic.

As for X&Y, I'm sticking with my original diagnosis: it's half excellent, half mediocre (X and Y respectively).

Matt

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 27 2005,20:22)]I think the point of this list isn't the worst 100 ever but more the 100 most over-rated, over-hyped but actually not very good albums.

Not saying I agree with the list though, but certainly feel 'X&Y' will in time fall very much in that bracket.

That was my reading of it

Those albums which were the "must haves" of their time or a touted as "classics " when they actually aren't.

As for Worst Albums , Milli Vanilli Live in New York takes some beating......

 

[Ron Manager]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ June 28 2005,01:19)]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 27 2005,20:20)]I can sum the album up in four words Matt, quite simply -

'The Emperors New Clothes'.

Well, I tell you what, they're feckin' brilliant live.  They really put on a superb show tonight - new and old stuff.  Absolutely fantastic.

As for X&Y, I'm sticking with my original diagnosis: it's half excellent, half mediocre (X and Y respectively).

Matt

According to the -

'MOR ageing white middle class demographic'

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ June 28 2005,01:19)]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 27 2005,20:20)]I can sum the album up in four words Matt, quite simply -

'The Emperors New Clothes'.

Well, I tell you what, they're feckin' brilliant live.  They really put on a superb show tonight - new and old stuff.  Absolutely fantastic.

Personally they are not my cup of tea, and the thought of a gig in an enormous arena where you are miles from the stage and the performers are mere dots just doesn't appeal (mind you my son reckoned that the Green Day gig at MK the other week was brilliant)

Give me a small, smokey dive with people playing because for the love of performing over a bunch of over priced poseurs fuelling their own "fame trip" any day

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ June 29 2005,09:38)]Give me a small, smokey dive with people playing because for the love of performing over a bunch of over priced poseurs fuelling their own "fame trip" any day

Is that the lure of Roots Hall over the Premier$hite or music you are talking about?

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 28 2005,22:46)]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ June 28 2005,01:19)]

Quote[/b] (Ron Manager @ June 27 2005,20:20)]I can sum the album up in four words Matt, quite simply -

'The Emperors New Clothes'.

Well, I tell you what, they're feckin' brilliant live.  They really put on a superb show tonight - new and old stuff.  Absolutely fantastic.

As for X&Y, I'm sticking with my original diagnosis: it's half excellent, half mediocre (X and Y respectively).

Matt

According to the -

'MOR ageing white middle class demographic'

Actually Ron, to be fair, I was surprised at how young the audience was. I was probably on the wrong side of the mean age of the audience on Monday night...

And middle class...? Probably - although a bit hard to tell. There was definitely a fair-sized element of chavs there as well. But it was a very, very white audience...

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ June 29 2005,09:38)]Give me a small, smokey dive with people playing because for the love of performing over a bunch of over priced poseurs fuelling their own "fame trip" any day

Oh, I'm with you there Mr. C. I reckon most of the best gigs I've been to have been of less well-known artists in smaller venues - especially Ronnie Scott's and the Jazz Cafe, where I've always hugely enjoyed the acts I've gone to see. Betty Carter, Roy Ayers and Roby Lakatos at Ronnie's have all been very special gigs; Outside and Courtney Pine at the Jazz Cafe have been awesome.

But that still doesn't detract from the Coldplay gig at Crystal Palace - a great atmosphere, a great gig (they are accomplished performers and musicians) and a bunch of guys who came across as remarkably self-deprecating, normal and not in the least bit poseurish or fame-trippy...

 

[Firestorm]

I feel a best gig thread coming on........