Museum Musica

Zhanteimi · 09-19-2018, 08:35 PM

0008 The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
(USA, 1966, experimental rock / satire)

I'm sure plenty of Zappa fans out there will disagree with my assessment of the man as a musician, but to me, his music always strikes me as meta-music. Like, he can't switch off. He can't just make a song for normal enjoyment and consumption. There's always a sense of him standing just outside a group of musicians and saying, "hey guys we're musicians. We make music. That's what we do. That's what we're doing. We're making music. We're musicians, and we make music." Instead of just making music. I mean, he does make music, of course, but it's always conscious of it being music, which is why he plays in so many styles and is always experimenting. It's all a kind of puzzle to him. I've listened to a lot of his music--a lot--and I've seen Baby Snakes and other nonsense. He's not a rock star. He's not enjoying himself. He's like a marionette master, manipulating his fans and micro-managing his band. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just why Zappa stands apart from every other artist in my collection. He is an outsider. He's too smart for his own good. I guess that's the hallmark of every good satirist.

**Frownland** · 09-19-2018, 09:23 PM

I dig a good number of his albums but I basically agree with that. A lot of the time it seems like he's working backwards from the genre or style and forgets to inject some emotion into the mix. One Size Fits All is probably my favourite if only because of how wild Inca Roads is.

Zhanteimi · 09-19-2018, 09:38 PM

Good choice, that. I'd have to go with Joe's Garage, especially Act I. I guess I'm a sucker for a unifying narrative. I'm definitely more of a concept album kind of guy.

Spoiler for Joe's Garage (full):

Zhanteimi · 09-20-2018, 06:20 PM

0009 Archaïa - Archaïa
(France, 1977, zeuhl)

This is one of a small number of albums in my collection that tickles me pink because of its obscurity. I don't like an album simply because it's obscure, of course. I actually have to like the music. But when I find a band that made only one album before disbanding, I pay attention. In my experience, it's going to be either really good or really bad. This one falls in the former camp. I'm a huge zeuhl fan, first off. This album has a dark, haunting, rather chant-like beginning, almost as if it's an invocation of sorts before progressing into guitar territory more familiar to the casual ear. Still the cryptic nature of the music continues with unsettling synthesizer use. Whereas Magma is bolder as far as zeuhl is concerned, Archaïa strikes me as more sombre and definitely more disturbing, almost as if there's a touch of the Occult present.

rostasi · 09-20-2018, 07:29 PM

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Nice seeing this mentioned. Very under-appreciated goodie.
L'arche Des Mutations sounds a little like Harmonia meeting
up with Canterbury sound. This and the Phaedra you mentioned
earlier were bedtime albums for me back then.

Zhanteimi · 09-20-2018, 09:10 PM

Bedtime albums? How charming! I'll have to give that a try.

Zhanteimi · 09-22-2018, 12:25 AM

0010 Clivage - Regina astris
(France, 1977, jazz fusion, raga rock)

This album is a long trippy ambient jazz jam fest of East meets West sitars dueling with saxophones. Everything that was right about the 70s. Raga rock is very much an unexplored genre for me, but the hypnotic allure of the music beckons me deeper. This is soothing.

Zhanteimi · 09-22-2018, 05:06 AM

0011 Tom Waits - The Black Rider
(USA, 1993, experimental rock / dark cabaret)

In some ways, this is like a lot of Waits' other work, but in other ways, it's completely different. It's got all his grit, of course, but as far as I know Waits doesn't have another operatic concept album like this. Also, this is the only time he strikes me as creepy (not throughout, just in spots). This album isn't as highly regarded as his giant albums, but I think it's worth anyone's time to give it a close listen. It'll make you wince until it goes down smooth and you're craving more.

Here's hoping you have a lucky day today...

Zhanteimi · 09-23-2018, 06:29 PM

0012 Pink Floyd - Meddle
(UK, 1971, progressive rock)

You can really hear on this album the direction they're about to take with The Dark Side of the Moon. Of course, this is exemplified in the concert documentary film, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, a must-see for any Floyd fan. "Eiderdown" is the perfect word that evokes the feeling of the second track of this album. Actually, I've heard the word "eiderdown" come up on other songs in my collection, but I can't place them right now. Anyway, it's a good word. It seems to be one often associated with psychedelia. I guess there are good trips, and then there are better trips. There's something so soothing about this album, like the chord progression of "Fearless". I think it could calm down the most manic personality. Apparently this album separates Floyd fans into two groups: those who like psychedelic Floyd and those who like prog Floyd. And never the twain shall meet? Well, they meet in me, because I adore this album. I rate it right up there with the band's early psych and latter prog. This isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last time I say this, but 1971 was a magical year that's never been matched. This album is part of the reason why. Of course there are better albums from other years, but overall, if I could listen to music from only one year for the rest of my life, I'd have to go with 1971. Finally, the last track, "Echoes": the band really comes together here. It's got that epic length like many prog rock classics, but it's not dominated by either Rogers or Gilmour. Everyone's playing together perfectly here.

Zhanteimi · 09-25-2018, 04:58 PM

0013 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
(USA, 1973, jazz fusion / jazz-funk)

I've listened to this album more times than I can remember. Just this year. It's my boy's favorite album, and whenever I ask him what he wants to listen to, he chooses this. At first he would say "that one with the orange face", but now he asks for it by name. I'm not a jazz aficionado, and I don't think I ever will be. The genre is just too big, and I know so little about it. I know what sounds good to me, and this is one of my favorites. Although I prefer straight jazz fusion, the funky elements on this album carry an infectious happiness I cannot deny. I guess my tastes run more toward the mainstream. I dunno. All I know is this album gets everyone moving, no matter how much melanin may or may not be in your epidermis.

09-19-2018, 08:35 PM	#871 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0008 The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out! (USA, 1966, experimental rock / satire) I'm sure plenty of Zappa fans out there will disagree with my assessment of the man as a musician, but to me, his music always strikes me as meta-music. Like, he can't switch off. He can't just make a song for normal enjoyment and consumption. There's always a sense of him standing just outside a group of musicians and saying, "hey guys we're musicians. We make music. That's what we do. That's what we're doing. We're making music. We're musicians, and we make music." Instead of just making music. I mean, he does make music, of course, but it's always conscious of it being music, which is why he plays in so many styles and is always experimenting. It's all a kind of puzzle to him. I've listened to a lot of his music--a lot--and I've seen Baby Snakes and other nonsense. He's not a rock star. He's not enjoying himself. He's like a marionette master, manipulating his fans and micro-managing his band. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just why Zappa stands apart from every other artist in my collection. He is an outsider. He's too smart for his own good. I guess that's the hallmark of every good satirist. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:36 PM.

09-19-2018, 09:23 PM	#872 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	I dig a good number of his albums but I basically agree with that. A lot of the time it seems like he's working backwards from the genre or style and forgets to inject some emotion into the mix. One Size Fits All is probably my favourite if only because of how wild Inca Roads is. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

09-19-2018, 09:38 PM	#873 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	Good choice, that. I'd have to go with Joe's Garage, especially Act I. I guess I'm a sucker for a unifying narrative. I'm definitely more of a concept album kind of guy. Spoiler for Joe's Garage (full): __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

09-20-2018, 06:20 PM	#874 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0009 Archaïa - Archaïa (France, 1977, zeuhl) This is one of a small number of albums in my collection that tickles me pink because of its obscurity. I don't like an album simply because it's obscure, of course. I actually have to like the music. But when I find a band that made only one album before disbanding, I pay attention. In my experience, it's going to be either really good or really bad. This one falls in the former camp. I'm a huge zeuhl fan, first off. This album has a dark, haunting, rather chant-like beginning, almost as if it's an invocation of sorts before progressing into guitar territory more familiar to the casual ear. Still the cryptic nature of the music continues with unsettling synthesizer use. Whereas Magma is bolder as far as zeuhl is concerned, Archaïa strikes me as more sombre and definitely more disturbing, almost as if there's a touch of the Occult present. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:36 PM.

09-20-2018, 09:10 PM	#876 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	Bedtime albums? How charming! I'll have to give that a try. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic

09-20-2018, 07:29 PM	#875 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,014	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nice seeing this mentioned. Very under-appreciated goodie. L'arche Des Mutations sounds a little like Harmonia meeting up with Canterbury sound. This and the Phaedra you mentioned earlier were bedtime albums for me back then.

09-22-2018, 12:25 AM	#877 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0010 Clivage - Regina astris (France, 1977, jazz fusion, raga rock) This album is a long trippy ambient jazz jam fest of East meets West sitars dueling with saxophones. Everything that was right about the 70s. Raga rock is very much an unexplored genre for me, but the hypnotic allure of the music beckons me deeper. This is soothing. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:26 PM.

09-22-2018, 05:06 AM	#878 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0011 Tom Waits - The Black Rider (USA, 1993, experimental rock / dark cabaret) In some ways, this is like a lot of Waits' other work, but in other ways, it's completely different. It's got all his grit, of course, but as far as I know Waits doesn't have another operatic concept album like this. Also, this is the only time he strikes me as creepy (not throughout, just in spots). This album isn't as highly regarded as his giant albums, but I think it's worth anyone's time to give it a close listen. It'll make you wince until it goes down smooth and you're craving more. Here's hoping you have a lucky day today... __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:26 PM.

09-23-2018, 06:29 PM	#879 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0012 Pink Floyd - Meddle (UK, 1971, progressive rock) You can really hear on this album the direction they're about to take with The Dark Side of the Moon. Of course, this is exemplified in the concert documentary film, Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii, a must-see for any Floyd fan. "Eiderdown" is the perfect word that evokes the feeling of the second track of this album. Actually, I've heard the word "eiderdown" come up on other songs in my collection, but I can't place them right now. Anyway, it's a good word. It seems to be one often associated with psychedelia. I guess there are good trips, and then there are better trips. There's something so soothing about this album, like the chord progression of "Fearless". I think it could calm down the most manic personality. Apparently this album separates Floyd fans into two groups: those who like psychedelic Floyd and those who like prog Floyd. And never the twain shall meet? Well, they meet in me, because I adore this album. I rate it right up there with the band's early psych and latter prog. This isn't the first time and it probably won't be the last time I say this, but 1971 was a magical year that's never been matched. This album is part of the reason why. Of course there are better albums from other years, but overall, if I could listen to music from only one year for the rest of my life, I'd have to go with 1971. Finally, the last track, "Echoes": the band really comes together here. It's got that epic length like many prog rock classics, but it's not dominated by either Rogers or Gilmour. Everyone's playing together perfectly here. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:26 PM.

09-25-2018, 04:58 PM	#880 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,873	0013 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters (USA, 1973, jazz fusion / jazz-funk) I've listened to this album more times than I can remember. Just this year. It's my boy's favorite album, and whenever I ask him what he wants to listen to, he chooses this. At first he would say "that one with the orange face", but now he asks for it by name. I'm not a jazz aficionado, and I don't think I ever will be. The genre is just too big, and I know so little about it. I know what sounds good to me, and this is one of my favorites. Although I prefer straight jazz fusion, the funky elements on this album carry an infectious happiness I cannot deny. I guess my tastes run more toward the mainstream. I dunno. All I know is this album gets everyone moving, no matter how much melanin may or may not be in your epidermis. __________________ Zhanteimi LetsTalkMusic Last edited by Zhanteimi; 10-24-2018 at 10:27 PM.