Oedipus Schmoedipus

Naming the first track on your record “Set Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis” is statement. Of what, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s cool that he got Austin Powers to do a guest vocal. If you like the electronic lounge-pop of bands like Air and Stereolab, but wish they did it with a less deft touch, Oedipus Schmoedipus’ first few tracks might be for you. Perhaps you prefer Lynchian horror soundscapes, might I direct you to “It’s Business as Usual” or “Dirty Barry”? Coincidentally, “Something Wicked This Way Comes” appears in “Lost Highway” - it took me a minute to figure where I had heard it before. Speaking of David Lynch, the overtly digital jazz on “Miles” could’ve earned a spot in Mulholland Drive, perhaps as the soundtrack for the dance sequence on the soundstage of “The Sylvia North Story”. I’m doing my best with this one, but fuck me, it’s taxing. I mean, I could talk about David Lynch all day, but he’s not the focus here. A few days ago, in a review of Red Snapper’s “Our Aim is to Satisfy”, I bemoaned the list maker’s inclusion of albums for the late 90’s and early aughts that haven’t aged particularly well. Add this record to that pile. Not that this record doesn’t have its moments, but I suspect having a high tolerance for film noir-cheese is a requirement for full enjoyment. If you spend your evenings skulking around dimly lit alleys in a trench coat…boy, have I got an album for you. If you’re still reading this after all my shit-talk, let me recommend 3 records that occupy a similar musical space to Oedipus Schmoedipus, that have held up well and are actually worth hearing before you die. Two of the three, shockingly, are not included on the 1001 albums list: Air - The Virgin Suicides Stereolab - Dots & Loops (possibly the most egregious exclusion from the list) Tortoise - TNT (another glaring omission, imo) Or, you could just watch a David Lynch film or two.

Cool! Then weird.. Then cool! Then scary

What a fun, weird ride. Some great sax work here. Business as Usual was miserable to listen to. The whole project was strange, but at least he was trying something. At least it's not another "Debut album by British pop band" like 500+ of the albums on here.

Nice enough background music. In a list of 1001 albums I must listen to before I die, though? Let's let "background music" be a disqualifier, shall we?

It's like if Tom Waits was mediocre.

A brilliant surreal genre defying album. Part sleazy lounge music, part funk, part jazz - will be back for more

Soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist

wowwwww!!! I had never heard of this artist, album, or any of these tracks before. This is most definitely an Elaine album. Weird, sometimes MJQ, sometimes frightening. Eclectic. Spotify played Badalamenti’s Dance of the Dream Man (from Twin Peaks) right after. All you really need to know.

Very atmospheric album, some great compositions, and also lots of crazy weird stuff. I enjoy the variety while still maintaining a sort of mysterious vibe throughout.

Making another soundtrack to an imagined film because nobody will let me make a soundtrack to a real film

I was not expecting this on the list. I thought this was an underrated oddity that no one actually listened to aside from anal music geeks. I had assumed that no one really cared about an album from that fella from Magazine that isn't the main fella from Magazine, clearly not. It's the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist, featuring Nick Cave, Billy Mackenzie and Jarvis Cocker, and it's every bit as quirky, sleazy and kitsch as the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist, featuring Nick Cave, Billy Mackenzie and Jarvis Cocker, should be. If the movie was real, it would for sure be directed by David Lynch. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this gem.

Simultaneously groovy, clever, funny, surreal, and odd. Super interesting!

So glad this popped up. Never heard of the guy before, now this album is in my playlists. Brilliant stuff

Haven't you heard, my name rhymes with Elvis

What's that cover? Am I listening to black metal today? Oedipus Schmoedipus? This must be weird AF. Maybe weird for the sake of being weird. Oh. Experimental music. I'm excited. I expect to hear some bells and electric drills and shit. A soundtrack to an imaginary movie? I heard something like that before... Was that a Barrett-era Pink Floyd cover? Wow. Wait a minute. It says... pelvis. So it's trip hop but it's actually trippy. A Miles Davis impression? Daring. A bit scary sometimes, ngl. Lol. I've never had an album that constantly surprises me for a while. What an experience. What a treat.

A brilliant surreal genre defying album. Part sleazy lounge music, part funk, part jazz - will be back for more

had to listen to it like 4 times to make up my mind and it got better each time

Some cool stuff in this album. But mainly instrumental and weird. He is trying to make something different and that he achieved.

Struggling to get through this one. Every time one of these songs starts to develop into something good, he introduces something cheesy and it all comes crashing down. If the idea is to be the soundtrack to an imaginary film, I keep thinking it's a disappointing sequel to The Saint (which to be clear is already a pale imitation). The strongest feeling I get from this is that I'd much rather listen its influences (blaxploitation soundtracks, Madchester/electronica). Calling it a 2, but that's generous.

very good album - enjoyed it - a hidden gem and want to listen to more.

As with Moss Side Story, I loved this. It's amazing, I think. Each track paints such a picture. I'm going to listen to Soul Murder now because I want more Barry Adamson!

with an name like Oedipus Shmoedipus this album had high standards to live up to and it did it so well. absolutely crazy from start to finish. from truly uncomfortable techno/spoken word to melancholic piano led orchestral arrangements. crazy. so good

Interesting album; some nice Primal Scream esque grooves and abstract storytelling. Favourite song is 'The Sweetest Embrace' sung by Nick Cave.

Dit doet me aan Air denken. Beetje film-achtige muziek. Heel interessant project. Ik vind de melodietjes soms een beetje lift-muziek maar in combinatie met film-geluiden of een relaxte beat heeft het toch iets speciaals.

Hands up who has owned this for nigh-on 30 years? Just me then?! Surprised to see such an obscurity here, still play it quite regularly for the vibes (literally). I really enjoy its "cinematic" style even though this has its detractors in the peanut gallery here; also features one of Nick Cave's finer tunes and the fabulous voice of Billy Mackenzie. Funny how I knew Barry Adamson from this but not Magazine until recently! Hope you all enjoyed it

So ... what is this ?! The album seems to be all over the place in terms of tone and genre. I think it starts on "psychadelic 70's summer of love" then goes to "light goth" with some "trance 80's" and I just can't work out if I like it or not.

From the other reviews on here, I was expecting some sort of hellishly unlistenable soundscape, but that wasn't too bad. At least it was trying something. It would have scored higher but one of my least favourite things in music is a horny Jarvis Cocker

Entirely too much moaning. Adamson’s album, styled as a soundtrack to an imaginary movie, works well when it leans into the instrumental aspects of a score. The spy/noir jazz is smooth, deadly, and bombastic, and definitely worth listening to again. However, some of the more experimental tracks are too avant garde for the casual listen, and are deeply creepy and/or sexual. Overall, a tongue-in-cheek, darkly comedic noir soundtrack that lands in some places and misses in disturbing ways. Stand out tracks include “The Vibes Ain’t Nothing But The Vibes”, “In A Moment of Clarity”, “Vermillion Kisses”, “The Big Bamboozle”, and “The Sweetest Embrace”.

Like a lot of others, I’m intrigued at this albums inclusion on the list. Another reviewer made the point that most of these odd picks are late 90’s, early naughties, usually British albums that have not been vindicated by history. I am left wondering whether or not this was nixed from later editions. As music, this is mostly enjoyable. The weirder tracks worked well at telling what little story is discernible and the more regular tracks were mostly fun little cod-Jazz, although I could have done without the version of Miles, the only actual Jazz standard on here, which Adamson has misnamed, intentionally or not, I can’t tell. My biggest problem is with the concept rather than the music. Making a soundtrack to a fake movie is unique, or would be if Adamson hadn’t done it four or five times by this point. But it doesn’t actually sound like any film scores I’ve ever sat down to. It’s supposed to be a Noir I guess, but so much of the songs sound so un-Noir-ish that it took me a couple of tracks to get that concept. Although, I praised the use of weirder tracks to tell the story, thinking specifically about the tracks with narration, I’m not sure they actually work as either music to be listened to independently of the album’s context, or as incidental music for a film. It’d be a little weird to have scenes from a film just pasted over the soundtrack with little rhyme or reason. The only album I can think to compare Oedipus Schmoedipus to is the other late 90’s British mostly instrumental music I’ve had the chance to listen to recently, Fatboy Slim’s Better Living Through Chemistry. And I think the difference is ultimately down to personality. I get more of Norman Cook in his music than I do Barry Adamson. The only thing that we have to base Adamson’s personality on is the concept, which is just a bit weird, and the titles, which are just a bit weird. And I’m not even sure he wrote all of the titles himself, because Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis is 100% a Jarvis Cocker line. It just doesn’t feel as if Barry Adamson puts much of himself into his music, and for that I’m not sure how I feel about the album as a whole. I’m gonna go 3 stars out of five, because I enjoyed it more than I didn’t, but this is the instance so far that I most wish we could give half rankings, cos this is definitely a 2.5 if ever there was one

Some great jams counterbalanced by some absolutely bat shit ones. Best track: Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis

Self indulgent garbage. Might have been cheaper than therapy.

I respect Adamson - especially for Magazine - and admire the craft in this, and understand how this might work well as a film soundtrack. The words I caught are funny and entertaining; Jarvis Cocker’s opening turn is a grabber. Those elements aside, this left no more impression on me than passing air.

A concept album I really didn't enjoy. It's really trying to act like it is saying something. Disliked the spoke word stuff (like really, making me listen to a 4 minute 30 second creepy voice message?) Redeemable only by the instrumental tracks.

Electronic-avant-garde-jazz fusion? The answer to a question I never would have asked.

Strange mix of songs. I'm also mortified that a bass player would try to make a bass sound like it. It sounds like General Midi on Miles(tones). Jarvis, while a national treasure is a creepy man. I don't like him ejaculating out of my headphones.

Well, once again I have to say, this just isn’t my thing. I’m not sure whose thing this would be, and I am not too sure that I would want to meet them either. I only listened to a minute or two of most of the songs, with the exception of “it’s Business As Usual”. I was intrigued by this disturbing track, and had to see how the voice message ended. For me, the best thing about this album was its title. I’ll be trying to forget about this album.

Oh this is awesome - one of my fave discoveries from this project so far! Starts off sounding like it's going to be a "Screamadelica"-era Primal Scream knock off, and then gets properly weird, I love it. Proto doom jazz! 💀 Fave track - "The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes" and "It's Business As Usual" for being that one two punch that lets you know this album is not what you thought it was. "Dirty Barry" is awesome too. And I love a bit of Nick Cave, so "The Sweetest Embrace" is another highlight....

Experimental music. Brit oscuro.

i want this to play in the background of my life 24/7

This album is terrifying. It's been a long while since we had an album so shocking, disturbing and well... surprising. This album was a mystery, I'd never heard of it before, and after it was finished, I wasn't sure what I had listened to. Some of it I really liked, no questions asked. But, other tracks sounded as if they were hanging on the precipice of madness and horror... and were inviting me in. Taken as a whole, it gave me goosebumps, it was a moving and a wholly unsettling experience. Highly recommend.

That was strange and surreal. From dark to jaunty and upbeat at the drop of a hat. I’ve never heard anything like this. Great album.

Wow. Front to back I've never been able to feel a story through music as vividly as this album. Set the Controls as the front and ending credits does a great job. Something Wicked feels like a character introduction. It's business as Usual introduces conflict and dirty Barry turns it up a notch. The track is noisy, claustrophobic, sinister, and kinetic. Achieved in the Valley of Dolls is clever and triumphant. Vermillion Kisses is a worthwhile interlude. The big bamboozle is big and boisterous. The Sweetest Embrace is the finale and mourns the ending of the story and the death of innocence. Then the album ends with a well-timed credits track, it doesn't overstay it's welcome and leaves the listener on a positive note. I think that the three songs with lyrics were all excellent. The album gives enough space that it isn't a 50-minute assault. It builds things up and the transitions, like that between the smooth tracks like Miles or a moment of Clarity, feel organic. Rather than a roller coaster with twists and turns, it feels like a lifetime with ups and downs, fasts and slows. This album surprised and impressed me over and over again. I won't be listening to it often, but I will certainly revisit in whole when I want to experience the rich soundscape that it is. As a concept and as it is executed, I believe that it is near perfect.

very cool

I spent my entire time listening to this album completely at a loss trying to figure it out. It is very much all over the map. It's in one moment blissful, then funky in the next, then sinister, then depressed, then cheery. At times it feels like there's an unspoken narrative and at time there's a very explicit narrative. But the narratives, said or unsaid, don't seem to match. Is it meant to be a collection of stories or one very winding road telling all the stops of one person's story? I really don't know. I don't know how to put this album into words. All I know is that it is by far one of the most interesting albums I've received on this album generator project. For that I really enjoyed it.

Way way way better than Moss Side Story, despite this one having now Dave Graney input. Can see a lot of these being perfect soundtrack tunes

Before we talk about this album we need to talk about movies. David Lynch is probably my all time favorite director, and I just watched Lost Highway for the first time about a month ago. Such a weird and creepy movie, highly recommend if you like weird art films. Something Wicked This Way Comes plays in the scene where the mystery man is first introduced (great scene!). I can see why Lynch likes this album and if I had to guess Lynch's favorite song from this album it would probably be Business As Usual. Ok, now the album. First off, Oedipus Schmoedipus is such a funny title. I think this is the only time I've ever actually laughed at an album title. Not really sure why I am seeing so many 1's and 2's this is just a chill little trip hop album. Never mind some of these songs are not so chill (still very good though). I don't want to be a contrarian, but I did really enjoy this album. It is really weird and it is something you will never forget. I wish this list had more stuff like this album. I am definitely going to need to check this one out again. Low 5.

1996 - Genre: Alternative/Indie (jazz, beat, hip-hop)

I am totally diggin’ what this Barry Adamson cat is puttin’ down!

Damn, Adamson is a beast. What a strange, yet cohesive album.

Very very cool

So groovy. Loved learning the history behind this record and the strange context it came from

10/10 album full of so many different moods, it can be dark and tense or fun and upbeat just such a great work of art overall

No idea what I was getting into, but Set Controls For the Heart of the Pelvis came out of the gate with such a groove that pegged my ranking needle on a 5. Incredible! Then that familiar Spooky sample opened Something Wicked This Way Comes and I added that to my favorite Halloween songs playlist in the first thirty seconds. Really nice, atmospheric, right up my alley. Barry Adamson was sorely missing from my consciousness. Terrific!!!!

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Barry Adamson before. I’m not entirely sure what to expect of this album. The name Oedipus Schmoedipus makes me a little wary. Oedipus was a bit of an odd fellow, wasn’t he. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Sweetest Embrace This was a really pleasant album. It felt alt-rock at times, and instrumental jazz at others but somehow it works really well. It even has tracks that sound closer to an orchestral soundtrack. The lack of vocals in a lot of the songs really helps the music shine, and the tracks that do include singing can be appreciated all the more for it. This album is so versatile, spanning many genres yet tying together fantastically. This surprised me, and I like it a lot.

Emotional rollercoaster. 4 Holy shit this is one unique album. I love it. Though some songs give me that bad 90s film feeling that I also get when seeing that DVD-ad: "You wouldn't download a car", I think it more than makes up for it with eeriness and diversity. "Vermillion Kisses" hit me like a train. 5

This was not my first taste of Adamson, but wow is this one incredible. He mixes so many different styles on this one. There is a DJ Shadow like quality to this, only more in the "art rock" vein. Not his best, but an excellent part of his catalog 9.1/10

A lot of fun listening to this one.

Can't believe I'd never heard of this guy before now. Had to look him up and see more of his works. Saw this came out early 90s. Sorry I missed it then, it would have been a staple of my more drug-addled days.

Great discovery. He also listened to Massive Attack

Fabulous album of potential movie soundtracks, a complete surprise to me as no idea who Barry Adamson was. Now I can't get tracks like Miles out of my head. It's not just the memorability of the tunes, it is their diversity and the imaginative arrangements. Instantly likeable

Eeeeeediupis. Smeeedipus

burner!

Wowee! Whatever I was missing in Adamson's Moss Side Story, I have found in spades in Oedipus Schmoedipus. A compelling listen from start to finish. Hands down, this is a thumbs up!!

кино ебаное. буквально. Барри Адамсон рил гений, сделать альбом как фильм это надо уметь. я в целом люблю такую кинематографичную музыку, арт рок или вроде того, под которую закрываешь глаза и музыка визуализируется у тебя в голове. а концепция этих альбомов вообще заключается в том, что это саундтрек к несуществуещему фильму. тут блин в альбоме скримеры есть, саспенс какой то. я реально пару раз шуганулся. очень сильная атмсофера, погружает шо пиздец. ещё и музыка на некоторых треках разрыв ебала. но только как же сложно послушать этот альбом. я не нашёл его ни на одном стриминге, на ютубе он забанен, даже блин в перезаливе в вк, где у него 2 прослушивания (реально 2), и то заблокирован второй трек альбома. но в целом остался прям под впечатлением. короче пизда оценка - 9/10

Experimental music. Brit oscuro.

Hey, this is surprisingly good. I even knew a couple of the tracks. Also fun to hear Jarvis Cocker.

Kinda all over the place but . . . very much not bad!

This is such great fun. The whole album is a fun trip. No real standout tracks but keen to give this another spin.

пока что первый гем из кучи помойки, альбом-саундтрек к несуществующему фильму

Funky sound. Jazzy, instrumental. 2nd half of album is kinda strange.

Previous to today, I cannot say that I have heard of Barry Adamson. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pretty hooked from track 1. The middle section of the album got a bit dark for my tastes (especially 'It's Business As Usual', the stalker-y answering machine piece), but I'll give it a pass being that it's spooky season. Speaking of spooky... I enjoyed the sample of Spooky on Something Wicked This Way Comes. Overall, I probably won't listen to this again as a full album, though I do intend on adding some of the tracks to my 'Music To Work To' playlist. This was a fun find for me. Smug side note. 'In A Moment Of Clarity' was reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks score, so I was right chuffed to find that not only is Badalamenti listed as a similar artist to Barry Adamson, but Adamson also contributed to the score of David Lynch's Lost Highway.

90s cool experimental jazz

Bien aime, ca commence fort, pour tomber dans le bizarre et finir fort. Jazzy et experimental on dirait parfois. 4

Interesting one. Jazzy, harrowing, boring, funky, weird, annoying. Skipped through a few but generally enjoyable.

4+

He did it! I’m wildly uncomfortable! Going to It’s Business As Usual to Miles felt like a crime.

Set the controls for the heart of the pelvis: accurate song name haha Something wicked this way comes: i feel like this is walking downtown music. Very jazzy, especially with the organ sounds The vibes ain't nothin but the vibes: i love this intro. One of my favorite instrument selections on a keyboard, and the light snare rustle and deep bass are perfect companions Its business as usual: wow, very creepy. And very cool creepy how the music strongly enforces the mood. Well done Miles: what a change of pace😂, always a huge fan of a fast walking bass line and sax solo. I wonder if the title "miles" has any correlation with miles davis or if miles just made sense Dirty barry: chaotic. Playing music like this was always hard for me cause you have to count so many rest and remember when to come in. Unless they are just freebaring it then its just fun chaos. Either way enjoyable In a moment of clarity: so jazzy. Like if you were to give somebody three song to describe swing style jazz I really think this would be a solid choice. Achieved in the valley in the dolls: love the intro and hip hop vibes. Very concrete jungle Vermillion kisses: The big bamboozle: State of contraction: The sweetest embrace: Set the controls again: Very creative, very jazzy, kinda experimental but also lots of class. 4 stars, close to 5. Treads a little to close to cringy experimental in one or two songs. It's really good, but because I dont like the way it aims to make me feel, even though I can appreciate it

Really enjoyed listening to this excellent album. I am familiar with Adamson's work only through his band Magazine, which did not prepare me at all for the music on this album. Full of funky rhythms, jazzy flourishes and a huge sound. Check out the Big Bamboozle for Ellington style big band jazz. 4 🌟

Post-punk if instead of punk it was jazz fusion Favorite Tracks: Set The Controls..., The Vibes..., Vermillion Kisses 4/5

Quando a pretensão se confirma de maneira satisfatória. Com uma habilidade notável em criar atmosferas envolventes a partir de camadas complexas de texturas sonoras, este álbum leva o ouvinte em uma jornada emocionante. Conseguiu usar o som para criar um universo imaginário e nos coloca meio de uma narrativa cinematográfica.

Yeah man, digged this lots of weird and unusal sounds took me into chilled and disturved places. Very much enjoyed the spoken word peice as well. Top drawer.

A total mix of different bits. I have no idea yet what I think about this, but ought to listen again.

You would have thought that making one album that is a soundtrack to a movie that doesnt exist is enough for most artists. But here's the second one from this man. And this one was great fun. First track is some Madchester/Acid House fusion with Jarvis Cocker singing and then its just a wild ride into weird jazzy and funky tracks until suddenly Nick Cave is appearing on The Sweetest Embrace with his lovely vocals. Nice!

This does sound like a soundtrack album. Really atmospheric & interesting.

Wow, something different and awesome

By far the most unique record I've gotten so far in this project. Extremely cinematic and cool, in the old-school sense of the word. Almost certain I hear a string sample on "A Moment Of Clarity" that's also in some N64 games. Anyway, this album is cool as hell. Neo-noir filmic jazz with an experimental turn. I dig it.

what WAS this album?! i didn't hate oedipus schmoedipus, but i think i received whiplash. actually, i can say with confidence i enjoyed this. that being said, i'm not entirely sure what i listened to or how to write my review. this definitely is experimental, considering it sounds like nothing i've heard, but more evolved than a lot of other experimental music on this list. a fair amount of these songs were instrumentals! and there was a heavy amount of jazz throughout the album. there's "miles," an extremely jazz-y song (with such horns!), followed up by "dirty barry," which sounds like it's straight out of a horror film. "vermillion kisses" has a fairytale-like narrator. "the sweetest embrace" sounds like a tom waits song in lyrics, tone, and voice. "the vibes ain't nothin' but the vibes" contains a beautiful piano, a fake audience, and a narration deeply spoken so close to your ears--again, a little waits-like. "the big bamboozle" is a jazz song that could have been used in an ocean's eleven movie. with all of this, i don't know what adamson's end goal was, but at the end of the day, i had a good time listening to the different songs here.

The concept of writing an album as a soundtrack to an imaginary film is kind of wild. I can totally hear it. Maybe the film plot goes something like this: A woman dies and the whole movie takes place in the time between when her body is no longer living and when she crosses over into the after life. The whole thing feels like one nights worth of an intense dream sequence, interacting with her past lovers. She starts out remembering how hot Jarvis was in Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis. How she, and many other women, lusted after him. How she get lucky to be one of the ones that experienced Jarvis. But now in retrospect, she sees that he is a conceited asshole. She recalls the torrid one night stand instigated in Dunkin Donuts. It was a love/hate connection, one of the most intense and transient of her life. They enjoyed and maneuvered against each other. It gets weird in Business As Usual, but so was Dirk. He thought he possessed her. He couldn’t handle being rejected. He obsessed. Dirk was intense too, but in the creepiest way possible. Is he why our protagonist has died? Strong possibility. Miles kicks in as the transition leaves her awfulness behind and the afterlife reminds her that she doesn’t have to deal with that shit anymore. (Great song.) Dirty Barry is her being made aware of the hallway to hell. It’s dark, confusing, and sprinkled with improve jazz bits. She witnesses treachery. In Vermillion Kisses it is revealed to the audience that our protagonist is not innocent herself as she takes the role of manipulative maiden. She has used and destroyed. The Sweetest Embrace is all these men from her past letting her go. Acknowledging her sudden and complete vanishing from the world. (Bonus: Nick Cave didn’t tank this track!) “It’s over babe. And it really is a shame.” This is a shit plot, but one thing I do know is that David Lynch should make this movie. Or a creative film student should give it a go. I’m not going to listen to this album very much in the future, but kudos for the creativity.

At first feels a bit off - but it’s a grower - eclectic, tongue in cheek and creative, it’s unique, a bit oddball yet highly listenable and overall a good record. Nice surprise.

This is just plain weird. But good. It could be from the 70s, 80s or 90s or even the noughties......it borrows from everywhere. Lounge musak, Gospel, a John Holmes soundtrack (not that i've ever seen one of his of course), 60's psychadelia........ Ashamed to say he's from a few miles away from me and I've never heard of him. I also like Lynch and Cave. Oh the shame. One of life's real originals.

I felt like we already reviewed one of his albums but apparently not! I hadn't heard of him but I see he was one of the bad seeds and has some big dog connections from the collaborators on this album. I really like the idea of writing a soundtrack for a non-existent film. But also good for Barry because Something Wicked This way Comes did end up on Lost Highway, David Lynch of all people!! Excellent work. It's delightfully strange and takes all kinds of spooky experimental twists and turns. It's actually really fun to listen to for me :-) in parts it's like literally sexy jazz haha. The Sweetest Embrace is an absolute tune, love the old school bluesy vocals and saloon vibes lol.

This really won me over as the album wore on. These tracks are so commanding, they're so different from each other. Yet another album that was conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, interesting.

Cinematic, reminiscent of John Barry, Death in Vegas , David Holmes,(maybe t'other way round for the latter 2) in parts. Was always a big fan of Magazine, and his collabs have always been great. Top notch

An interesting listen, but not sure it makes my list. The acid jazz, trip hop and industrial influences raises this above many other releases from the early 90s. What distinguishes this is the downright creepy mood. He incorporates dark instrumentals in a manner that makes this sound like a soundtrack. The guests - Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave don't hurt.

I really shouldn't judge an album by its cover. This was phenomenal, the biggest surprise of this 1001 albums project so far. The more conventional tracks see Adamson harness the sounds of the 90s and somehow fuse them seamlessly with bits of jazz and big-band and trip hop? The weirder ones feel like I'm listening to a surreal Lynchian horror film, which present an unfortunate road block for this album's replayability but also are very impressive interludes that succeeded in spooking the shit out of me while still successfully twisting the jazz I loved so much in a fucked up way. standout tracks: anything with that sax goDDAMN 4 stars; the jazzier tracks are going to get SO MUCH replay from me, but I can't see myself enjoying the album casually without the removal of tracks like Business as Usual, bc how do I explain that when it comes up on shuffle

It was a very unusual album. Whole record in the form of a soundtrack for a non-existent movie. Songs include plenty of unconventional pieces, like a spoken word, noir tracks with dialog from some kind of movie, funky style car chase songs or even something that would fall into a category of Bond-song. It is certainly and interesting concept, where by listening to the tracks, you can imagine a type of movie it represents or describe. Also, the songs themselves are of very high quality, a lot of very atmospheric pieces, transporting you to a dark, winter alley, with couple strange looking thugs, in full coats and a hat, of course. I know I can't change the rating later, but I think I will give it a 4 stars now, but it would probably change to 5 after few more listening sessions.

This is the perfect album for inspiration. I put it on while writing up a product proposal and it was great background music, but didn't get annoying or monotonous. I felt a littler braver while listening.

8/10

interesting album, some songs are compositions over random recordings, some are upbeat piano pieces others are just stories like it alot

Never heard it before. Enjoyed it. Probably listen thru his catalog.