Entertainment For Lively Minds
In Praise of Wallflowers and Ugly Ducklings
Posted by Stephen G on 19 March 2010 - 10:54am.
Most artists' oeuvres contain at least one album which, whilst by no means being a career low, do not appear to be anyone's favourites and tend to get overlooked somewhat. I'm thinking of the likes of: Beatles For Sale; Black and Blue; Planet Waves; Lodger etc. Just wondering if anyone cares to speak up for underpraised albums, or do they deserve to be considered as minor works only?
My own example is the Pixies' Bossanova, which I think is superior to the more feted Dolittle and Surfer Rosa. Its a much poppier affair, and all the better for it I think.
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I'm always falling for ugly ducklings
Embrace is one big, honking, clumsy ugly duckling of a band and my favourite of theirs is the even-more-critically-overlooked-than-the-rest-of-their-output second album, Drawn from Memory. It contains some absolute gems such as the title track and I Had a Time, but people aren't exactly falling over themselves to praise either band or album.
If songs count, then Dishes off of Pulp's ugly duckling album This is Hardcore is a song of understated beauty to me, but I'm not sure if anyone else agrees.
And Diminished was relegated towards the end of Up by R.E.M. and as far as I know is hardly ever played live by them, but is one of their greatest songs ever IMHO.
A Cowgirl's Prayer by Emmylou Harris
Came before Wrecking Ball which was highly praised but I thought was ruined by Daniel Lanois' suffocating production.
A Cowgirl's Prayer had great songs with a simpler production which suited each song.
I would take Beatles For Sale above
A Hard Day's Night, for example, any day.
I'd venture to suggest that the only 'canonical' Beatles album which is not someone's favourite Beatles album is Yellow Submarine.
That's not a 'proper' Beatles album though, is it.
And sheesh, Lord love 'em and all, but can we not go three days here without discussing The Beatles?
psst...
this isn't really a thread about 'that' band, is it? At least, not any more than it's a thread about Pulp.
Of course if you're going to discuss whether a certain album is a 'proper' album or not, then you've nobody else to blame if it turns into a discussion about them, now do you?
Fair point
Sorry. May I have my gaberdine?
Autoamerican by Blondie
Really good! No-one else I know likes it.
I liked
Black and Blue. And Goat's Head Soup (which is similarly unpopular). Perhaps they just came out when I was the right age.
Gold Against The Soul
I think the Manics' sophomore record is lovely, with some of their best tunes. I don't love it more than The Holy Bible, but it's better than all their other albums, IMO.
British Sea Power's Open Season
Everyone rattles on about Do You Like Rock Music but its predecessor is a much better record I think. Look it up and have a listen to O Larsen B if you haven't heard it.