|
Unsung Forum » Revolutionary Suicide |
Log In to post a reply
|
|
|
|
| Topic View: Flat | Threaded | |
MARTASE 602 posts |
Jun 10, 2013, 17:55
|
||
|
Have to say that the samples of R.S http://www.headheritage.co.uk/revolutionary-suicide/ are making me reconsider not buying!
|
|||
|
Daniel 277 posts |
Edited Jun 10, 2013, 22:23
Jun 10, 2013, 18:44
|
||
Definitely it's a grower. I think The Armenian Genocide alone worth the price of the admission. Disc 1 is a beauty rural folk with great lyrics. Disc 2 is different and has typical elements of Cope's music in more than one tune. Is it me or the keys at the beginning of Paradise Mislaid sounds a bit like Genesis? Am I mad or in a coma? Either way, great song. There's even certain distant spirit to Plastic Ono Band's Instant Karma period in the mood of a couple of songs. Beyond the dispute of opinions seems to me that it's a great record. What is certain is that Cope doesn't seem to be willing to make the album that most of his fans expected and decides to do what he wants to do. In my opinion that is more than commendable and that's why I follow him for so many years now. I'm fed up of musicians who repeat their formula indefinitely and taken sabbatical years between albums, thanks but not my cup of tea. Julian is a fine artist true to himself.
|
|||
|
keith a 9570 posts |
Edited Jun 10, 2013, 23:14
Jun 10, 2013, 23:13
|
||
|
I'd only played it once until now. Wow! It sound so much better second time around. There's some great Cope stuff here. Yes, really...
|
|||
Andfurthermoreagain 696 posts |
Edited Jun 12, 2013, 11:47
Jun 12, 2013, 11:45
|
||
|
Daniel wrote: Definitely it's a grower. I think The Armenian Genocide alone worth the price of the admission. Disc 1 is a beauty rural folk with great lyrics. Disc 2 is different and has typical elements of Cope's music in more than one tune. Is it me or the keys at the beginning of Paradise Mislaid sounds a bit like Genesis? Am I mad or in a coma? Either way, great song. There's even certain distant spirit to Plastic Ono Band's Instant Karma period in the mood of a couple of songs. Beyond the dispute of opinions seems to me that it's a great record. What is certain is that Cope doesn't seem to be willing to make the album that most of his fans expected and decides to do what he wants to do. In my opinion that is more than commendable and that's why I follow him for so many years now. I'm fed up of musicians who repeat their formula indefinitely and taken sabbatical years between albums, thanks but not my cup of tea. Julian is a fine artist true to himself. You're not wrong about the Paradise Mislaid thing - the chords did remind me of a Genesis tune (not sure which one as I'm not a fan but possibly Turn It On Again?). I also thought the lyrical subject matter quite surprising as Julian's not usually one to tackle the Davies/Weller/Dammers/Albarn social commentry thing so to speak. Not sure what angle he's coming from (ie, withering contempt a la Albarn, outright hostility a la Weller or passive sympathy a la Davies) as not used to hearing this kind of concept through Cope's songs. Really good tune though - almost classic Cope in a Tamworth-era style. In fact I love this album (and Psychedelic Revolution) - I hadn't bought an 'official' Cope solo album since I guess Interpreter (alhtough I did get the first two Brain Donor albums and I have Floored Genius 3) so decided to get the new one on a slightly influenced (see below) whim and got the last one too as they seemed to be companion pieces. Was expecting to be underwhelmed but hey, I was rather pleasantly surprised and entertained. See, I've found Cope's latterday stuff to be a bit hit and miss to my tastes but always meant to go back and check stuff out that seems to have been righteously praised and discussed positively in hindsight (so Black Sheep and Unruly may be next up). Essentially I don't normally fall into the catagory of a non-objective fan who'll buy anything with his name on it (although I was until Queen Elizabeth ha ha). Funnily enough it was someone on this forum who said they might have to listen to Revolutionary Suicide along with Fried to help with their appreciation that swung it for me and yes, there are lots of elements that remind me of mid/late-80s Cope in these last two albums (Psychedelic Revolution the title track is a psychotic Jellypop Perky Jean and Xmas In The Womens Shelter has that Saint Julian b-side/Torch (Get Next To Me) vibe down to a tee, various Casio sounding keys and rhythms, his voice and harmonies on some tracks etc.). I also like the fact that Cope still employs what I term as the 'fade-out-tease', ie. interesting musical things start to happen during the fade out of a song (see Hymn To The Odin particularly - that bass keyboard as it fades out is lovely) making you wish the song lasted that little bit longer. Oddly, I sort of find the over-used (ha) explosion noise quite amusing in a twisted way - I think being a not-quite-successfully-out-grown attention-seeking only child it reminds me of my own childhood necessity to continue doing something until I'm told (in no uncertain terms) to stop immediately! And then do it again. Makes me chuckle really. I wonder if its a noise from the effects bank of one of his Melltrons. It certainly gets some use though (I imagine as I delve deeper I will hear it more and more. It's his equivalent of Kevin Ayers' 'banana' I guess. Now going back to back-tracking, I was warned off Citizen Caind and Dark Orgasm by a fellow Cope fan who loved similar Cope stuff to me so took his advice-to-avoid as probably having some merit but perhaps other recommendations would now be welcome as I'm feeling I've missed out seriously the last 15 years. Basically, I really like (maybe love) PR & RS and my favourite period is WSYM through to Jehovahkill with heavy bias towards Fried and Peggy - so where next?
|
|||
|
Moon Cat 9577 posts |
Jun 12, 2013, 11:57
|
||
I think Black Sheep would appeal to you quite a lot.
|
|||
|
Andfurthermoreagain 696 posts |
Edited Jun 12, 2013, 12:20
Jun 12, 2013, 12:14
|
||
|
Moon Cat wrote: I think Black Sheep would appeal to you quite a lot. It is definitely on my list to get next (it seems to disappear from the merchandiser every now and then but I can track it down quite easily). The other thing I meant to express was that given that I haven't bought any 'new' (as opposed to reissues) Cope-related release since the second Brain Donor album is that I can probably understand - from a lot of what has been written on this thread - is that there are possibly certain melodic, conceptual or lyrical themes (or explosions) that people are beginning to find repetitive or tiresome now. I think coming in at this stage means a lot of these are still quite 'new' to me. Religion, politics, neolithic concepts, Norse mythology and revolution were already pretty strong from Peggy onwards (and the monthly Drudions from the past decade atest to the fact that these are certainly continuing passions/concerns in Cope's output), so I can imagine that having this 15 year gap in my listening means I've missed out on a lot of potential repetition which has probably acted in my immediate advantage with the new record. I do however feel that Cope tackles such subjects honestly (sometimes contradictorarily - contrariness is something I am quite used to with Julian) and often with a sense of humour lacking in many of his more po-faced peers. I'm thinking particularly of Steve Mason in this respect whose last album - the political/revolution themed concept album Monkey Minds In The Devil's Time is quite thrilling musically but quite tiresome lyrically - a little self-righteous and very very serious about itself. Sure, Cope gets deadly serious when he needs to but I think his unique humour and wordplay makes for a more thoroughly enjoyable experience (to these heathen ears anyway). Perhaps this is because Cope at least has the benefit of first-hand experience in terms of protest/revolutionary action added to the gift of being a skilled storyteller, whereas Mason (a self-confessed armchair-anarchist) is merely an introverted and embittered onlooker. I remember my partner (at that point a 'live-Cope' virgin) turning to me at the 2011 Liverpool gig and asking (in the most respectful sense) "are you supposed to take this seriously?". My reply was simply "possibly not as much as you might think". Cope then played Julian In The Underworld and I think she understood.
|
|||
IanB 6761 posts |
Edited Jun 12, 2013, 12:31
Jun 12, 2013, 12:29
|
||
|
Andfurthermoreagain wrote: Basically, I really like (maybe love) PR & RS and my favourite period is WSYM through to Jehovahkill with heavy bias towards Fried and Peggy - so where next? Last 15 years? I am an unashamed Black Sheep sceptic (The Unruly Imagination is the only record of this era I find tolerable under the microscope of repeated listening) so I would say Rome Wasn't Burned In A Day, Concert Climax & Citizen Cain'd are must-haves. I would normally swear by Odin and Dark Orgasm too but you probably have to have a pre-tolerance for those sound worlds before going there. In their own way they are both quite unforgiving albums.
|
|||
|
Andfurthermoreagain 696 posts |
Jun 12, 2013, 12:43
|
||
"In their own way they are both quite unforgiving albums." - see, whilst this may or may not be an influence to investigate, just hearing this description of ANY album reminds me whay I love Julian so much as an artist. The Drude couldna put it better himself!
|
|||
|
Andfurthermoreagain 696 posts |
Jun 12, 2013, 12:50
|
||
|
MARTASE wrote: Have to say that the samples of R.S http://www.headheritage.co.uk/revolutionary-suicide/ are making me reconsider not buying! It is (to me) as good as the snippet makes it sound. I did enjoy the radio-spot too as I love Cope's affected 'self-promotion' voice, reminded me of those clips on Copulation ("Julian Cope, his brand new album World Shut Your Mouth" - ha, promoting himself in the 3rd person - love it")
|
|||
|
keith a 9570 posts |
Jun 12, 2013, 18:49
|
||
|
Moon Cat wrote: I think Black Sheep would appeal to you quite a lot. I'd second that, but really most if not all of the 'proper' albums have something any Cope fan needs to hear.
|
| Pages: 16 – [ Previous | 1 … 8 9 10 11 12 13 | Next ] | Add a reply to this topic |
|
|
|
| Unsung Forum Index | |
