Loveless

starrynight · 04-18-2011, 04:43 AM

You were talking about yourself being objectively right so I gave the reply to counteract that.

If you have read this thread you would see that have I already spoken about others like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins. I'd add Julee Cruise as well perhaps. More melodic and I suspect more likely to be enjoyed by more people.

Gregor XIII · 04-18-2011, 05:38 AM

I have read the thread. You never ever spoke comittingly about your favorites. Just with question marks. I had no idea whether you actually preferred those bands, or whether you were just proposing those ideas. And you miss the 'why' part. Why do you prefer Slowdive and Cocteau Twins (whom I'm not sure I'd categorize as shoegaze, but whatever). Not that I'd disagree, I think you have fine taste, and probably prefer Pygmylion to Loveless myself. It's just so amazingly chill and freefloating. It immediately relaxes me when I put it on. Hm, I'm going to put it on right now.

And I did no such thing as claiming I was objectively right. Some things are implied and doesn't need to be drawn out. So let's drop that discussion.

Gregor XIII · 04-18-2011, 05:39 AM

Oh, I missed your explanation. Sorry. Melody... Hm... Then I'm not sure we'll agree...

debaserr · 04-18-2011, 04:11 PM

I recently got a nice vinyl rip of this. It's amazing how many more layers there are to this album that I'd never heard before.

I'm with streetwaves, Loomer is the best track here, but Sometimes is right behind.

Phantom Limb · 04-20-2011, 11:34 PM

This is my personal favorite off this album.

Loveless is actually the only MBV album i've listened to, is anything else worth mentioning?

debaserr · 04-21-2011, 12:53 AM

if anyone wants to hear this on vinyl I'd be happy to up if for you.

Phantom Limb · 04-21-2011, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric generic

if anyone wants to hear this on vinyl I'd be happy to up if for you.

I'd like it for sure.

~~Farfisa~~ · 05-09-2011, 06:45 AM

God damn, it sucks that this album isn't always being printed on vinyl. I mean, if it receives universal praise and is often called "One of the best albums of the 90's" then why isn't it being reprinted? It must have to do with Creation going under and the painstaking process that goes into trying to re-issue it. I looked for "Loveless" on vinyl via ebay and they go up to 100 bucks, shiiiiiiit. I want to play the record, not frame the damn thing. Please, just hurry up and re-issue this so I can buy it and listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to.

starrynight · 05-09-2011, 08:41 AM

I wouldn't say universal as that just ignores those who don't like it. And alot of people don't play vinyl anymore I suppose and it was released in the cd age so some might say it was meant to be listened to on cd as well at least.

Sneer · 05-15-2011, 12:05 AM

Downloading Loveless via rar/zip is great, but getting it on vinyl and playing it through decent headphones thrusts the listening experience into new dimensions.

My Bloody Valentine were influential and are important in the context of alternative music history. These are fact. The experimentations and manipulations carried out by Shields in the recording sessions, as well as on EPs such as Glider and Tremolo hadn't been done before, they were highly original. His use of pitch-bending, backwards phasing, loops, reverb and pedal effects inspired a plethora of bands, with many trying to imitate the sounds created on the album. Shields did things like customise the tremolo arm so as he could manipulate his strumming in order to achieve the chord bending that's a ubiquitous characteristic of Loveless. He's also said in interviews that up to 30 pedals have been used during live performances to achieve his sound. He pretty much left Creation bankrupt due to the sheer time-scale required to create Loveless.

Yes, there were some great albums released during the shoegaze movement, and there is much more to the scene than MBV, Slowdive, Chapterhouse and Ride. Likewise, the importance of bands such as The Velvet Underground, J&MC, Cocteau Twins, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr cannot be overlooked in terms of influence (although MBV themselves fit into that category following Isn't Anything?), but Loveless defined the genre, and that is something that has stood the test of time. It's quite telling that nobody to my knowledge has ever quite managed to reproduce that sound, despite the best efforts of pretty much an entire musical scene. Strangely enough, Dalek have come closest in my opinion, and Oktopus uses all manner of samples and production methods to achieve that.

As Gravity has said, the album's influence stretches across all manner of genres, whilst the likes of Robert Smith, Trent Reznor, Brian Eno, Radiohead and GBV have all remarked upon what they perceive as a brilliant album. Those aren't journalists, they're all (arguably) respected musicians in their own right.

All in all, if it's not your bag, fine. Personal opinion is the elixir of life after all. Sometimes people do come off as being contrary for the sake of differentiation though.

04-18-2011, 05:38 AM	#42 (permalink)
Gregor XIII Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 57	I have read the thread. You never ever spoke comittingly about your favorites. Just with question marks. I had no idea whether you actually preferred those bands, or whether you were just proposing those ideas. And you miss the 'why' part. Why do you prefer Slowdive and Cocteau Twins (whom I'm not sure I'd categorize as shoegaze, but whatever). Not that I'd disagree, I think you have fine taste, and probably prefer Pygmylion to Loveless myself. It's just so amazingly chill and freefloating. It immediately relaxes me when I put it on. Hm, I'm going to put it on right now. And I did no such thing as claiming I was objectively right. Some things are implied and doesn't need to be drawn out. So let's drop that discussion. __________________ Agnes Varda's Le Bonheur + thoughts on women in Akhmatova and Mizuguchi: The Centrifugue

04-18-2011, 05:39 AM	#43 (permalink)
Gregor XIII Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 57	Oh, I missed your explanation. Sorry. Melody... Hm... Then I'm not sure we'll agree... __________________ Agnes Varda's Le Bonheur + thoughts on women in Akhmatova and Mizuguchi: The Centrifugue

04-18-2011, 04:11 PM	#44 (permalink)
debaserr eat the masters Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,470	I recently got a nice vinyl rip of this. It's amazing how many more layers there are to this album that I'd never heard before. I'm with streetwaves, Loomer is the best track here, but Sometimes is right behind. __________________ Last.FM

04-21-2011, 12:53 AM	#46 (permalink)
debaserr eat the masters Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 5,470	if anyone wants to hear this on vinyl I'd be happy to up if for you. __________________ Last.FM

05-15-2011, 12:05 AM	#50 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	Downloading Loveless via rar/zip is great, but getting it on vinyl and playing it through decent headphones thrusts the listening experience into new dimensions. My Bloody Valentine were influential and are important in the context of alternative music history. These are fact. The experimentations and manipulations carried out by Shields in the recording sessions, as well as on EPs such as Glider and Tremolo hadn't been done before, they were highly original. His use of pitch-bending, backwards phasing, loops, reverb and pedal effects inspired a plethora of bands, with many trying to imitate the sounds created on the album. Shields did things like customise the tremolo arm so as he could manipulate his strumming in order to achieve the chord bending that's a ubiquitous characteristic of Loveless. He's also said in interviews that up to 30 pedals have been used during live performances to achieve his sound. He pretty much left Creation bankrupt due to the sheer time-scale required to create Loveless. Yes, there were some great albums released during the shoegaze movement, and there is much more to the scene than MBV, Slowdive, Chapterhouse and Ride. Likewise, the importance of bands such as The Velvet Underground, J&MC, Cocteau Twins, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr cannot be overlooked in terms of influence (although MBV themselves fit into that category following Isn't Anything?), but Loveless defined the genre, and that is something that has stood the test of time. It's quite telling that nobody to my knowledge has ever quite managed to reproduce that sound, despite the best efforts of pretty much an entire musical scene. Strangely enough, Dalek have come closest in my opinion, and Oktopus uses all manner of samples and production methods to achieve that. As Gravity has said, the album's influence stretches across all manner of genres, whilst the likes of Robert Smith, Trent Reznor, Brian Eno, Radiohead and GBV have all remarked upon what they perceive as a brilliant album. Those aren't journalists, they're all (arguably) respected musicians in their own right. All in all, if it's not your bag, fine. Personal opinion is the elixir of life after all. Sometimes people do come off as being contrary for the sake of differentiation though. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show Last edited by Sneer; 05-15-2011 at 12:27 AM.

04-18-2011, 04:43 AM	#41 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	You were talking about yourself being objectively right so I gave the reply to counteract that. If you have read this thread you would see that have I already spoken about others like Slowdive, Cocteau Twins. I'd add Julee Cruise as well perhaps. More melodic and I suspect more likely to be enjoyed by more people.

04-20-2011, 11:34 PM	#45 (permalink)
Phantom Limb Chocolate Homunculus Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 1,293	This is my personal favorite off this album. Loveless is actually the only MBV album i've listened to, is anything else worth mentioning?

05-09-2011, 06:45 AM	#48 (permalink)
~~Farfisa~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 2,773	God damn, it sucks that this album isn't always being printed on vinyl. I mean, if it receives universal praise and is often called "One of the best albums of the 90's" then why isn't it being reprinted? It must have to do with Creation going under and the painstaking process that goes into trying to re-issue it. I looked for "Loveless" on vinyl via ebay and they go up to 100 bucks, shiiiiiiit. I want to play the record, not frame the damn thing. Please, just hurry up and re-issue this so I can buy it and listen to it the way it was meant to be listened to.

05-09-2011, 08:41 AM	#49 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	I wouldn't say universal as that just ignores those who don't like it. And alot of people don't play vinyl anymore I suppose and it was released in the cd age so some might say it was meant to be listened to on cd as well at least.