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From: as010b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (andrew david simchik)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 20:56:18 GMT
Subject: Re: Rolling Stone Needs Real Music Critics
Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
References: <1992Oct11.175229.8958@galileo.cc.rochester.edu> <1992Oct12.152102.19692@cs.nott.ac.uk>
Sender: news@galileo.cc.rochester.edu
In <1992Oct12.152102.19692@cs.nott.ac.uk> pcxkrm@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (K.R.Marshall) writes: >In article <1992Oct11.175229.8958@galileo.cc.rochester.edu> as010b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (andrew david simchik) writes: >> >> If anyone has seen the October 1 issue of Rolling Stone, they will >>have noticed that 10,000 Maniacs' new album Our Time In Eden received ****, >>while Peter Gabriel's Us received *** and Suzanne Vega's 99.9 F received >>***1/2. Now whereas I agree that Vega's latest deserved its rating (and >>probably more), Our Time In Eden is the least satisfying album by the >>Maniacs to date; lyrics and music are eminently inferior. Us deserved at >>the very least ****; I like it much better than So, as a matter of fact. >>It's lush, gorgeous, otherworldly...RS's criticism totally missed the point. >>Our Time In Eden has nothing to hold on to, and is really much more >>"background music" than Us. My feeling was that the ratings should have >>been reversed, if not totally rethought. But then, this is the magazine >>that gave the Cure's inconsequential and unpleasant Wish ****. >> While I'm on the subject of new albums, what are the thoughts on >>REM's Automatic for the People? I'm impressed by what seems to be a welcome >>lack of pop-chart fodder. >> >>Andrew D. Simchik >>Whose brain and U of R's run on totally different schedules. >> >>"If he treats you horribly, he's probably a Scorpio" >>Robyn Hitchcock, "The Devil's Coachman," Queen Elvis >I'm sorry, I have to disagree with some of this - I found Wish a great album >that I listen to a lot - I also found Automatic for the People simply boring >compared to Murmur and Out of Time, my favourites by REM. I do, however, >agree with the comments on Us and 99.9 F, they represent steps in the right >direction for both artists concerned. I have Wish and found it to be OK in places, but on the whole it was not a progressive move for the Cure, in my opinion. I was hoping for a cross between Disintegration's lush sonic ambience and The Head On The Door's playful dabbling. Instead, I found Wish to be rather abrasive and boring, to be honest...but my musical tastes are, after all, my own, and it'd be a dull world if we all agreed. Still, I was hoping for some lyrics which were a bit more intelligent than "How did we get so far apart?/We used to be so close together."...I found that song to be utterly vapid. I mean, really. Anyway, sorry to be so abusive of an album you appear to like. However, I think Automatic for the People is an interesting, if difficult (or, as you put it, boring) step for REM. And whereas I agree with Murmur, I think Out of Time was good in spots (namely "Losing My Religion," "Endgame," "Belong," and "Half A World Away") it tended to suffer a bit on some other cuts. Out of Time seemed more like a departure point than a destination, and I think the surrealist lyrics and oddball tunes of Automatic for the People represent a welcome weirdness after some dangerously poppy movements on the last few albums by REM. Fortunately, we agree on Us and 99.9 F, which were splendid and spend a lot of time in my CD player. Any thoughts on Our Time In Eden, anyone? --Kashka DISCLAIMER: Oh, you know how it goes. >Keith.