Reviews (page 7 of 8)
From a boring opening track, to weird, and dark. Some tracks are bright and happy too, but really, it's all a show. Barry is original and creative, the soundscapes might even be good for a movie soundtrack, but they are all kinda different, with nothing particularly important about them. Sorta like a relationship you wish you never had anything to do with? Maybe the Dude with grit? Pretty things are in the scene but be prepared for the fall because you'll need to be comfortable with the dirty things. No thank you.
weird. surreal. i kinda like it while also being creeped out.
Technically the 1st album for me that actually has Nick Cave on it First couple songs are a mixed bag, don’t really like Jarvis Cocker’s ‘cool sexy dude’ thing removed from Pulp’s music “The Vibes Ain’t Nothing…” is a step in the right direction, with its jazzy ambience Hm I’ll have to think on this one. Couldn’t really get a sense of the story of this fictional movie, if there was one. Barry Adamson really got Miles Davis sounding like the Undertale soundtrack Maybe round up to a 3 for its eclecticism, while withholding those other 2 stars for some bland mush in between HL: “Miles”, “Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls”, “The Big Bamboozle”, “The Sweetest Embrace”, “The Vibes Ain’t Nothing but the Vibes” Friday the (October) 13th
Interesting, but kinda weird
I did not finish the album. The first half was so bad imo that I couldn't go any further. I am disappoint.
Soundtrack de una película imaginaria. Está bien. Un 4, venga.
Experimental music. Brit oscuro.
Whole album is a giant trip. Varying range of styles - going from random funny monologue in Vermillion Kisses, to something kind of Nick Cave style in "Sweetest Embrace", to piano solos in Miles. It's a cool album, would give it a second listen. 7/10
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.
Ok...it got me. I didn't like it at first, but the weirdness just grew on me.
Very cool album
I don’t know what to really think about this. It’s an experimental instrumental album that’s horny as fuck. Meh is about all I have to say.
cool and creative but i need more heat
Interesting concept and a couple of the tracks were pretty enjoyable to listen to. Overall, not really for me.
I have a feeling I’m missing part of the puzzle here. That I haven’t seen the film or gotten the references. As an album, it wasn’t always creepy and unpleasant, but it sometimes was, and I’ve forgotten the rest.
Filing this under 'albums I was vaguely aware of but had never listened to, that I'm sort of glad to have listened to, but will never listen to again'.
Weird to say the least: not the first time I've had to listen to a song in a meh album describing sex in great detail but this took it to another level. Like a fairy tale? Funny but just odd. Other than that I only recognized one song and it's just background music so nothing much. Exactly what I expected coming from an album which peaked at 40 or smth high in the UK albums charts.
A little odd in places, beautiful in others, and at times problematic. I’m not sure what box to put this in.
Really enjoyed this album. It was like pop house with some R&B roots.
Really enjoying hearing the track "Miles". Pretty sure it's a cover of a Miles Davis song but can't place which one right now. Otherwise, Wikipedia says this was supposed to be a concept movie soundtrack and I definitely get that from a couple tracks.
2.5
I like the concept of a soundtrack to an imaginary film, but maybe I need to see the film.
Simultaneously interesting and uninteresting by throughout. 4/10
A pleasant surprise.
I liked the early jazzy one and the Milestones interpolation, but otherwise a thoroughly strange album that didn’t click with me. I certainly can’t knock it for diversity or atmosphere, though. Best song: Something Wicked This Way Comes
This album has a lot of quality tracks, and yet it lost me or rather I lost the thread, more than once. Maybe it just hit on the wrong day, but it's hard to even give it a three.
Hey, this is surprisingly good. I even knew a couple of the tracks. Also fun to hear Jarvis Cocker.
Pretty cool, kinda like fat boy slim
4.0
Kinda weird but pleasant to listen to.
Kinda all over the place but . . . very much not bad!
I didn't start there, but by the end of this album I realized it had a place on the list. Lounge, jazz, pop, and yes, horror create a very weird and unique atmosphere that was really creepy but left me very interested.
AJ: not for me
It’s a bit all over the place but some great stuff here. Highlights are the back to back tracks - It’s Business as Usual, Miles, Dirty Barry
This kind of experimental music can be a little too weird and annoying and this album is no different, but there is a lot of talent on display which makes up for the annoying parts. Good background music, but probably wouldn't seek it out.
Oedipus Schmoedipus (not to be confused with Nilsson Schmilsson) is an acid jazz record from the multi-instrumentalist Barry Adamson. Adamson had earned his stripes with the likes of Magazine and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. As such, his ability to experiment artistically had been stoked going into the 90's, allowing for a truly strange and fascinating run of albums, starting with a soundtrack for a film that doesn't exist (see: Moss Side Story, also on the list). Oedipus Schmoedipus reveals in a limbo-like ambiance. There are unexpected twists and turns that make for a surreal listening experience, with occasional grounding moments that bring us back to just jazz. It often feels as though Adamson is in a league of his own. Is the album a tad long? Yes, but I feel it is well-crafted and elegantly performed.
Beetje vanalles. Jazz, pop, hiphop, instrumentaal, zang. Maar toch een soort van samenhangend allegaartje
Frábær plata. Hvar hefur hún verið allt mitt líf?
No thank you
The second track is exactly like what would be used as a soundtrack for a thriller detective show in the 90s. An album with only soundtracks, I didn't know that those existed outside of movie soundtrack albums. A delightful surprise and will totally listen to this album again for distilled sounds of the 90s TV shows and music
Atticus Ross. Cool.
Better than Moss Side Story. Not better than an album not made as a fictional film score. Still not convinced of the merits of this album being on the list.
Is there's one thing this album isn't, it's "cohesive". I'm not sure what I just listened to, or what I think about it. It might take another listen to begin figuring that out.
Wow, something different and awesome
Interesting one. Jazzy, harrowing, boring, funky, weird, annoying. Skipped through a few but generally enjoyable.
пока что первый гем из кучи помойки, альбом-саундтрек к несуществующему фильму
Interesting ideas
Won’t be running back to this but it was enjoyable enough.
Didn't care for the creepy songs. The rest were not bad. Favorite track: Miles.
All over the place and generally not interesting
In the time I've been doing this list, I've not enjoyed something less than this. I usually give an album two listens and then additional if I am enjoying it or need more clarity. With this one, I barely got through one listen. There was some song with talking over the top which was the absolute low point. The one positive is that track 2 was good. But I will never revisit this album ever again. Didn't enjoy it whatsoever ONE
4+
A very eclectic album. The songs It's business as usual and vermilion kisses are the the hight of strange. Overall not terrible.
Well this is something different Feels like some days I could find this tiresome but today it made for an interesting listen
I don't think I need to listen to it again any time soon, but it was pretty good.
Atmospheric, weird, and even scary at points, this album was a real rollercoaster. I really enjoyed it but clearly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. But I deffo think this deserves to be on the list.
2.9 - I don’t know, dude, another “soundtrack for a fake movie”? The schtick may have seemed fresh a few years but it’s just sounding tired here. It doesn’t seem to create a story arc in my mind but feels like cinematic snippets from various flicks. And the spoken word bits often seem heavy-handed (e.g., Jarvis Cocker’s lusty whisperings on the opening track). I did, however, enjoy hearing Nick Cave on “The Sweetest Embrace.”
Super 90s vibes!
A soundtrack album to a movie that doesn't exist - it doesn't sound like a consistent album but only a bunch of songs thrown together, and this is my main issue with it. Some songs are good, the more experimental ones aren't that interesting though. Overall a good background music but nothing more.
Overrated crap. He should stick to bass in other peoples bands.
Soundtrack to a weird noir film that doesn't exist and doesn't seem like something I would want to watch even if it did
Track 1 might just be the most 1996 thing I have ever heard. I bet half of this is on the soundtrack to Killing Eve (Big Bamboozle [also John Barry, so that's a twofer], Something Wicked). Then it sounds like Air. I liked listening to this, not sure I would again - someone else said on here they'd much rather listen to its influences, and I very much get that vibe too. Like much of 90s pop culture, it's extremely backwards-looking, which sometimes has the benefit of highlighting lost treasures. But I'm not sure this is a treasure in and of itself.
I didn't enjoy this, but at least it was trying something. That's something given how much meh stuff there is on here.
I like it. Background film noir.
90s cool experimental jazz
Ok, so a soundtrack to an imaginary movie. The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes is a song? I guess? It's Business As Usual is not my cup of tea. The problem I am encountering is I am trying to treat this like an album when really its a movie, just without the movie parts. Fucking hell, what a chore. Vermillion Kisses is such a fucking tease. The Sweetest Embrace is the closest to an actual listenable song, because it has Nick Cave on it.
Was decent this. 3.4 maybe
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
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.
Have tried listening to this about 6 times at night and never made it all the way to the end as always fell asleep. Not objectionable but nothing I'm going to listen to our of choice
Heck yeah - Something Wicked This Way Comes. I was a avid listener to the Lost Highway soundtrack when it came out. You guys, I listened to that one a lot. I haven't heard this song in a handful of years now. But except for that song, this still did drop into the background for me. C'est al vie.
A couple of cool moments - opener, track I recognised from Lost Highway, track with Nick Cave - but much of this album faded into the background. A little quirky in places, but the gauzy nightclub jazz pieces don't quite land. Feels like this laid the groundwork for bands such as Public Service Broadcasting and Duckworth Lewis Method; artists I'd rather be listening to, even if the latter make albums about cricket, a truly shit sport.
Oh right - I listened the hell out of the Lost Highway soundtrack, too. Not sure I ever bothered to look at the name “Barry Adamson” though. My bad, Barry. So this was a really interesting one to listen to in the car driving down the interstate. Wouldn’t exactly call it road trip music, but it started promising enough and I like some of the dark jazz stuff. The song with “vibes” in the title was solid. I remember that one. I liked the Nick Cave song near the end of the record. That one, too. But there were a whole slew of tunes that had me reaching for the next button on my steering wheel. And while some of those, sure, might make for good mood pieces in a Lynch film… it felt like there were more that were better suited for soft core porn. TLDR: more Lynch, less soft core porn, Barry.
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.
Better than the last one!
80% genius.
Along with Moss Side Story and Soul Murder, the 1001 book calls them a loose trilogy, which is quite good... but it does all start blurring into one, confusing matters. Still, enjoyed it though.
Probably the weirdest album I have listened to, at least since his other one. I didn't know what was going on about half the time. Probably doesn't deserve to be on the list, but interesting at least.
That opening track is amazing
It has a roughness about it.... An urban jazz if you will. The edginess adds to it
Post-punk if instead of punk it was jazz fusion Favorite Tracks: Set The Controls..., The Vibes..., Vermillion Kisses 4/5
Occasionally a cool or tense or tuneful moment, but mostly pretty boring. Couldn't really get into it. 2.5/5
i hate jazz
This was strange most seemed to be score for a film or something. Not necessarily bad but not something I'd seek out really
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.
Meh. Some of it is listenable, but mostly washed over me. Voice (and some music) very similar to Nick Cave.
Weird but kinda interesting.
This album has no idea what it wants to be. Starting off with the most basic 90s British electronic music, it quickly turns to lounge music, experimental jazz, before moving to more conventional cool jazz and going back to experimental jazz. The Nick Cave feature was a welcome surprise, but overall, this album suffered from a total lack of identity; even when it stuck to a genre it didn’t do it well. The whole point of the album seemed to be a reference to the fact that others genres exist without feeling the need to do them well.
A total mix of different bits. I have no idea yet what I think about this, but ought to listen again.
Liked the instrumental jazz parts, but not much else. As a complete work it's kinda lacking too, but I'll still give it 3 swollen feet out of 5. 🦶🦶🦶
This one is out there! While I did like about half, there were also a lot of moments that had me shaking my head. I was however very pleased to discover the Nick Cave feature! 5,5 out of 10
total crap. very unsettling
Music is good until somebody decides to start mumbling over it.
wayy more experimental than i expected
That was a trippy eclectic experience. As long as he loves his mother...
Sone of this is very interesting and funky. Some doesn't hit very well. Overall, maybe worth one more listen.
Pretty weird, but not unpleasant for the most part (some exceptions). On the other hand, even at it's best, it never really went beyond pleasant background music either.
Listened Before? N This one reminds me a lot of Massive Attack in places, and is more experimental than they are. I didn't dislike it but I didn't love it either. I may try listening again later. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Achieved In The Valley In The Dolls
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 is intriguing: a soundtrack for an imaginary movie, existing somewhere in the realm between jazz club and psychological horror. This "soundtrack" is cool and smooth in places, but also creepy, atmospheric, weird, and even a bit disturbing in others. For not having actual real cinematic footage to link this to, Adamson and company do a great job of conveying cinematic vibes and projecting the general idea of certain imagined scenes. Given the alluring weirdness, I'm not surprised that David Lynch eventually went on to use a song from this album for an actual movie. Musically, the track "Achieved in the Valley in the Dolls" hit it all for me: it was atmospheric, esoteric, dark, ambient, and sexy. To me, this was the crown gem of the album. "The Sweetest Embrace" had Tom Waits-esque vocal qualities, which were perfect for the atmosphere on display on this album. This album certainly caught my attention and I am glad I got the chance to check it out. Ultimately, I'm not sure what makes it particularly significant as it pertains to this list (I usually try to understand the 'why' when it comes to these albums being included), but that didn't stop me from being fascinated.
Some creepy songs some good background ones. But as another review noted- this list is not for soundtracks and I don’t think this album have been included. Nice concept though- the album song’s were each supposed to be songs for movies.
p784. 1996. 3 stars. Meandering, vaguely subversive, jazz-based instrumentals. Well done of its kind, but hardly essential.
Pretty solid listen. I didn't realize the connection with the Bad Seeds at first, but overall an interesting sound.
Por lo que leí, parece que el álbum fue hecho como si fuera el soundtrack de una película imaginaria y se nota. La música es bastante buena y se siente la intención, por que cambia muchísimo de canción en canción. Es una montaña Rusa de emociones. A veces es animada, a veces es triste y a veces es hasta terrorífica. Todo el álbum está muy bien logrado, pero, por lo antes mencionado, de cómo fue hecho como si fuera soundtrack, también llega a ser una desventaja, pues puede llegar a sentirse como "música de fondo", una muy buena música de fondo, pero no deja de ser música de fondo. A lo que me refiero con esto es que no se sienten como canciones y no te puedes enganchar mucho con una en especifico por la misma naturaleza que tiene. Por último, creo que, en general, está bien hecho, pero es algo complicado escucharlo como un álbum normal y no como una banda sonora.
Woof. 1. Not listening again. It's cool, I guess, in the same way a banana taped to the wall is art. Not for me
There are deaths for worthy concepts: The honorable failure, but also the complete formal let-down. While I didn't come into this listen impressed by Adamson, I expected something much more cohesive, so Oedipus Schmoedipus, title aside, presents the latter pathology. Music is abstract, which is its strength. Kaleidoscopic work always ends as abstraction, too, but we can't forget the thing holding it all together. Refracting elements must be specific enough in isolation. In the album's case, specificity only comes with the words, which end up too divided to contribute to anything but a wish for something better.
Barry Adamson has a great ear for atmospheric melodies and arrangements that are more than droning, noising or loud sounds that dominate a lot of actual soundtracks these days. The problem of the album might be the too different styles. A better track order might've helped. I prefer him as part of the Bad Seeds.
I've tried to listen to this album 3 times and I'm trying so hard to just get through it this time.
Pretty interesting, but goes on too long. And just because Nick Cave is on it doesn't automatically make it cool.
Komisches Ding, komm net so recht dahinter
Pretty boring. Did not finish the album
This was a weird one and I couldn't quite get my head around it. I like a lot of the spooky lyrics and interludes. Quite a bit better than the worst we've heard!
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.
"Oedipus Schmoedipus" is tolerable as background until "It's Business As Usual." Almost turned it off then and there. Like ok, so this is supposed to be a movie soundtrack to a nonexistent movie? But the listener has been given no clue what the movie is about before the creepiness of "It's Business As Usual" sets in. And then the abrupt transition to "Miles" made what would have been a perfectly fine cover of a Miles Davis song seem weird. Did this movie have some kind of story in Barry Adamson's head? It's a rhetorical question. I don't actually want to know. And definitely don't want to watch that movie.
No
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.
Too much whispering
3/13, 23%
Pretty cool! Liked it much more than the dark gangstery Moss Side Story. This is funky, jazzy and has some good guest vocalists. Lots of vibraphone, but not too kitsch. Nothing links this to Adamson’s Magazine days!
shitty background music. the sweetest embrace of all caught me off guard, that was heavy. last of the album was just annoying
I really liked some of these songs and detested a couple others. A lot were just meh, but all in all nothing ever really blew me away. Definitely original and I enjoyed those bits. 3/5
There were some really beautiful and well-produced tracks here ('In A Moment of Clarity' and 'The Big Bamboozle') and then there were others that were incomprehensibly horrid and put me in a depressive episode. I'm torn, because this wasn't a good album. Their attempt to be creatively groundbreaking and attune to the dichotomy of the human condition felt forced at times and incohesive. But there were certainly highlights I would like to return to. Also, brownie points for album title itself. Sounds like something I have said and I appreciate that.
Remember when they aired Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC back in 2018? Yeah I don’t either, I don’t think anyone watched it. But it had John Legend, Sara Bareilles and Alice Cooper in the cast, which is really strange. It honestly feels like a fever dream, much like this album. It’s clever and deserves extra points for that, but if this was an actual soundtrack to a movie, I likely would not watch that movie. Much like how I did not watch Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. At least NBC assembled a star cast to feed their viewers.
“My mom used to be a jeans model, so y’know.😉”
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.
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.
Cool music and instrumental pieces. The story? Not so much.
per wikipedia, "conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film", although music from this was then actually used in David Lynch's "Lost Highway." Really fitting choice for that movie, though, there's an underlying spookiness to this that I really appreciated
I liked bits of this. But starting the day with Jarvis getting a bit saucy wasn't really my plan for my day. Kind of an all star cast, and so many different styles meant this didn't hang together as an album for me. It was helpful to show the Leonard Cohen influence weighs heavy on Mr Cave, if nothing else. By the time it got to Miles - sounding very much elevator music - my attention was wavering due to the constant moving goalposts. A lot of this felt too knowing and referential for me to immerse myself fully. It does kind of work as a soundtrack to an imaginary film, but I am not sure I would sit through the full feature, if so.
Well this was a WEIRD one. It started off as the ideal wfh music. I usually give any album described as 'a soundtrack for an imaginary film' a large swerve; but this was half decent. It then took a dark twist and got a little disturbing with Business as Usual. There was a sudden switch to light jazz on Miles. wtf is this imaginary film all about? I thought Vermillion Kisses what a stupid Spotify ad. An interesting sound collage, but not exactly a stadium filler.
The Nick Cave sound is almost immediately apparent, but the album has such a rich blend if sounds and elements of music together. More of an ambience album if anything.
Not quite sure what this was supposed to be......
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
Shocked this reached 51 on the UK charts. Mostly nonsense. Sweet Embrace was ok.
This was pretty trippy. I liked the jazz and atmospheric numbers and then skits were pretty weird but also pretty well done. I was really creeped out by the first one.
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.
Another head scratcher. Why is this on this list. No very good or interesting to me.
A imaginary soundtrack is a n interesting concept. The Miles Davis track was my favorite. The others…not so much.
This is an absolute wtf kind of album. There are some decent instrumental tracks that are jazzy and classical and then there are tracks of talking and then just noises I suppose. It was jumbled and disorienting and quite terrible at times. Not sure all these songs could be considered music. Puzzling how this made the list. 1.9/10
2.4/5 Best: Something Wicked This Way Comes Worst: Dirty Barry Interesting and creative, but a bit weird.
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.
I was simply bored until it got to "It's Business As Usual," then I actively began to dislike it. As for the concept of being a faux movie soundtrack, this pretense comes across more like a weak way to justify this hodgepodge of half baked musical ideas. The spoken word sections are particularly annoying. It would be one thing if this were all just background music that romanticized the past, but you have these periodic, but extensive, sections that are absolutely jarring to the experience of the music itself. This album is at once both loosely constructed and overdone.
First track was super annoying tbh. The rest just faded into background music, which isn't "bad" but pretty forgettable.
It was, OK - is also a shadow the magic of Melody Nelson from earlier this week, and for other similar sleaze lounge stuff that came on the shuffle afterwards
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.
Hilarious name for one! Sounds like a child thought of it. I don't even know where to start with this I feel like I need to understand something about it more. It was totally unexpected and I liked that. Weird mixed with quite easy listening jazz. Definitely an experience
This was mad but very imaginative and different, a wild ride.
1.5
This is okay but if you're gonna do something loungy then do something loungy don't be tongue in cheek. Funky instrumentals are cool let your funk flag fly. I get that it was the nineties and we were all about being ironic about literally everything back then but in hindsight it's annoying. This is good enough background music but it's also pretty forgettable.
Noise
Did we really need a second album for an imaginary film on this list? At least this one goes a little harder than the first one.
This one was interesting. Strangely the concept of the album is both its force and its weakness. While most of the music here is fine, I found the "movie soundtrack" concept with the spoken words pretty distracting overall, even if the concept is well executed. This concept is also what makes this album stand out in this genre I think. There are better albums in this style in the 90's. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a very cool song, even if it clearly samples the song "Spooky". 6,7/10
This was a weird album but enjoyable for the most part, some tracks were boring though. I really enjoyed "The vibes ain't nothin' but vibes" and "Achieved in the valley in the dolls". Rating: 2.5/5.
This started out interesting and proceeded to being weirder and weirder as it went on. I don't recall the last time I was so uncertain whether or not I even liked an album. There is no cohesion to this album whatsoever as one track would have a Beck vibe followed by a spoken word in Shakespearean style and then back to a Leonard Cohen sort of vibe. That sounds a lot cooler than it actually ended up being for me. I'd put this somewhere between a 2 and a 3 if I could.
This album is weird as hell. Just a total mishmash of random styles and crazy guest features. I can definitely see what David Lynch was saying about how cinematic it is. Lots of trip hop and jazz influence. I think I need more listens to really decide my feelings but as of now I think I'm a fan.
Upon first listen, I thought it was fine. Then it started really growing on me. After the day is over, I think I can honestly say that THIS is something I am grateful that was on the list of 1001 albums. I would have NEVER heard this otherwise. Is it weird? Yes. It is interesting? Yes. Is it something I would listen to again. Hell yeah! Yes, it is more 'mood music" or background music for much of it, but when you really just sit down and listen to it. It really makes me feel a certain way with each song. The Miles Davis remake is a really great fit for the album. I think it is situated right between the two different halves of the album. The first half being more melodic and the second half being more mood and feel.... hard to explain. I love the song "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and it took me a while to figure out that the melody was 'sampled' from Gary Walker's "Spooky". The two songs fit well together... :) I really enjoyed this one, and I think with time it will continue to score higher with me. For now, I'm putting it at 3.5 / 5 but "with a bullet" (Meaning it will only go up in my book). [Note: I listen to each album in at least three sessions (days). First listen/first impression scores are usually lower. The 2nd and 3rd will show progression for albums that I enjoy.]
Feels too much like background music
I’m usually much more forgiving of this style of music than most on this site, but virtually none of these songs ever came together for me in any worthwhile way. It was difficult for me to piece out even the barest fragments of ideas and it just sounded like someone making music just to do it, without any discernable motivation or end-goal.
Groovy. It’s Business as Usual actually terrified me, though. What the hell? That was creepy. I’m a lyric listener mostly, so I don’t usually listen to instrumental, but it was fine.
Kinda weird, occasionally disengaged and boring, but sometimes really atmospheric and evocative - in the end, I really liked the moods
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
Interesting music. Nothing I've heard before. I kind of like it. 3/5
Very interesting, very diverse, and very pointless. And for an album recorded in the mid-90s, somebody should have told Barry that the "sax" sound of the 80s sounded dated even when it was popular in the 80s.
There were some cool individual songs on the album, and the overall concept (separated from the songs) was interesting enough, but it wasn't an enjoyable album. There were songs that filled no purpose. The only song I really enjoyed was Miles, which was written by the one and only Miles Davis.
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.
Contrairement à ce que suggère son allure sinistre, cet album va finalement jazzer un max, et ce ne sera pas pour nous déplaire.
Barry échappe de justesse au 2/5, grâce à quelques morceaux très bien sentis, qui nous font oublier entre autres l'horrible interlude ou encore les multiples expériences sonores complétement ratées.
Really weird album.
If the Dust Brothers composed a Tarantino score with vocals by Leonard Cohen, you’d get this. Interesting.
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.
This was a rather good unconventional trip hop album! If you like Angelo Badalamenti and Massive Attack, I'd recommend this.
dramatic like the divine comedy but only slightly less horny during vocals mostly instrumental 2.5
Thanks to this 1001 list, I'm starting to grow convinced that music released in the 90s is either spectacular or horrendous. This album has background/elevator music on one track, nonsensical jibberish on another, and I don't know what else on the next. Guess where this one falls? 3/10.
Never heard it before. Enjoyed it. Probably listen thru his catalog.
Bit too self indulgent for me
some of it a little bit too "out there" for my tastes
Smooth - loved the vocal numbers with nick cave and Jarvis cocker most. Interestingly complex jazz at the end considering how chill the rest is.
What even is this?
The opener on this album doesn't sound very sound-tracky and this sets the town for the album, which seems more listenable on it's own than the last one did.
This was so unexpectedly good that I had to listen to it twice. I also learned that Adamson is ex Magazine, which explains his chops. I prefer the more experimental and jazzier numbers here, in particular his Miles which is a wonderful homage to Milestones. Miles Davis his royal self would approve I’m sure. Adamson’s soundtracks are so good that they should make movies based on his records instead of the other way around.
8/10
Certainly an interesting compilation that was put together
Very much an incoherent album. The jazz-influenced songs were very good but the atmospheric/soundscape stuff missed the mark.
Interesting weird but Interesting
I looked this album up, and it definitely hits the tone of a fake movie soundtrack. I really liked some of the songs, but Dirty Barry was unbearable. I think some of the ideas on this album were done better by other artists, but it still sounds relevant to this day. Best Songs: Vermillion Kisses, The Sweetest Embrace, Worst Songs: Dirty Barry
Prawie godzinny seans z eksperymentalna elektronika podczas dzisiejszego odsluchu Oedipus Schmoedipus od pana Barryego Adamsona, plyta z 96 miala byc soundrackiem do wymyslonego filmu i tak sie tez tego slucha, pan Barry buduje mroczny klimat kwasowego jazzowania z funkwymi nutkami przeplatanymi monologami i wszelakimi samplami, na uwage zasluguje drugi utwor na plejliscie albumu, czyli something wicked this way comes, bo tak jak zapowiada nadchodzi cos nieczystego, caly album wydaje sie kolekcja niepokojaco schludnie brzmiacych sennych opowiesci, a wiki wskazuje na odniesienia do historii kinematografii na poszczegolnych trakach, ale tutaj calkowicie mnie ominely referencje jakie podobno zostaly przemycone, tak jak elektronika nie byla moim ulubionym gatunkiem, tak nadal nim nie jest, a oedipus jest bardzo specyficznym nagraniem, do ktorego nalezy podejsc z odpowienim nastrojem, w ktory dzisiaj nie trafilem, bo o ile pierwsza polowa plyty byla sluchalna, to druga czesc juz raczej nudzila i nie potrafila przyciagnac na nowo uwagi
Interesting mix and experimentation. A good listen throughout.
I get what they were going for with this album, but a lot of didn't work for me. A bit too disjointed and erratic at times.
Some cool stuff in this album. But mainly instrumental and weird. He is trying to make something different and that he achieved.
Not for me.
It's like if Tom Waits was mediocre.
Super busy at parts, but I overall enjoyed the experience. Don't think I'd revisit as a project however.
An engaging mix of genres and moods; suffers due to its lack of cohesiveness (and is perhaps best understood as an compilation of sorts rather than a narrative), but this is also what keeps it extra interesting. This album is an odd journey, taking you through snippets of different fleeting movie scenes. The first track is a wild ride and it even seems that there will be consistency in the first few tracks... but the mood is harshily broken in "It's Business as Usual". After that, there are some dull moments here and there (as well as some really interesting ones) until we reach the gem "The Sweet Embrace". For its originality, experimentalist nature and some nice "lounge" tracks that I will revisit, this album is a four for me.
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.
Too complicated. Starts off well.
What the fuck is this shit?? Dated 90s weirdness.
Starter veldig bra, mister det etter noen sanger. Morsom sound.
Interesting
I normally like concept albums, but most of those are progressive rock albums. This album felt like one of the critics, and I'm not a critic.
Interesting listen, ranged between spoken word, some great tracks, and some that could have been IRD hold music.
Self indulgent rubbish.
No
A little sentimental,love the vibes ones and sax tone ones
One of the most unexpected listens from this list so far. Real haunting and unsettling music wrapped in an engaging narrative. I really need to check the rest of the music if it's like this.
The concept of soundtracking a nonexistent film is an interesting one, though it’s difficult to fathom what kind of film this might be. Some wild experimentation here, incorporating jazz, funk, and spoken word-it doesn’t always work, but when it does it’s an ear worm.
Mixture of uplifting and truly creepy
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?
I don't hate this but don't particularly love it either...It feels like a disjointed soundtrack to a non-existant film...and then reading further about it, almost seems like that was the intent...so getting an extra star for succeeding in the goal...but I don't think I would love this movie either....
A very accomplished album from an extremely talented guy. I get the impression from other reviews that most people were probably unaware of Barry Adamson before listening to this. As a long time admirer of his work with Magazine, I have to confess to being less familiar with his solo work, though I knew it always slanted more towards soundtrack work (for films, it should be added, which were never made). The album erects a sort of moving backdrop across its run time, almost like snapshots into a variety of film scenes which never quite form a coherent whole. One minute it’s a sensual neo-noir crime scene, the next a sinister foreboding befitting a psychological thriller. If, in this regard, Adamson is equal parts musician and illustrator here, then it might be argued that this album does the musical equivalent of labouring this point on certain tracks. But this album’s diversity is ultimately never too disparate as to feel incoherent. Plus, it has Billy Mackenzie doing vocals on “Achieved in The Valley in the Dolls” so it’s a winner for me.
Seemed like this was going to be a decent album at first, but it quickly descended into a self-indulgent "art project." A look at Wiki shows me that "Something Wicked This Way Comes" was featured in David Lynch's "Lost Highway," and that pairing seems perfect: two guys who spend way too much energy trying to be different rather than just getting on with things and entertaining people.
A few songs were chill & melodic, then it got creepy & off kilter. I did not enjoy this.
Parts of it I liked. Parts of it I hated. Usually a part I'd hate right after I'd heard a few things I liked, which would then put me off.
This was basically just elevator music
That was quite a ride. Melodic, jazzy, creepy as fuck, cool, weird.
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.
Yeah…. Detta ägde hårt…
Pretend soundtracks of varying styles (often jazz) held together by a consistent standard of quality
Väldigt intressant
This was leagues ahead of Moss Side story. There were a couple of great tracks, but it still veered into fair trade cocaine coffee table music a bit too regularly for me to love it.
The amount of the album that was like straight answering machine recordings was bizarre. I get they were going for a story of sorts but it didn't work for a casual listener like myself
Naming the first track on your record “Set Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis” is a 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 from 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.
weird but good. big band jazz meets avant garde. fun fact, oedipus was a mother shagger. married his own mum, albeit without knowing it was his own mum but still.
As a sparrow hums a nursery rhyme and a terrier shouts at a stick in the river, this record thumps me square between the eyes. I hadn't prepared for such a klaxon of obtuse clanking and tonking tones. My heart skips a beat like a plastic bag dancing around a set of temporary traffic lights, like a burnt out stripper trying to arouse a lonely businessman, who hasn't had an erection since 1998, like an unwashed chimney sweep eating doughnuts with his filthy hands, like a dying owl choking on a mouse, like an under pressure table tennis player serving for the match, like a hotel receptionist trying to check in an unruly group of teenagers, like a dropped baton in a relay final, like an unopened can of beans thrown into a lake, like a bridge over troubled water, like a worrying itch on a gonad, like a virgin, like a freshly shaven muff, like a piece of shit on the roof of your mouth. I like it.
Started strong, but lost me in the middle. Good nonsense overall.
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.
Interesting and weird enough for a low 4, has some weird scary parts
Dark, jazzy, occasionally dissonant and strange. If you imagine this album as Adamson did, like a soundtrack, some of these songs work really well, like "Dirty Barry" or "State of Contraction." The effort to sound dark and seedy is occasionally overwrought, but I appreciate the creativity overall. Fave Songs: In a Moment of Clarity, State of Contraction, The Sweetest Embrace, Miles, The Vibes Ain't Nothin' but the Vibes
It was good, not great just good.
Sounds like a fusion of downtempo, rock, and jazz, mostly the Madchester variety that was popular in the raves. There's also hint influences from other genres like gospel and disco in the first and soul in the second, then pulls a Tom Waits in the third. At this point you might be convinced its just one of the million electronic fusion albums of the decade until the fourth track hits you with a horror movie scene. Enjoyed the psychedelic elements, my favorite being the acid jazz "Big Bamboozle", but silly fairytales like "Vermillion Kisses" just gets kinda dumb. I was always critical of Nick Cave but he sounds quite ethereal in both his vocals the light mystical arrangements. Overall, has more than to like, but too long with several complete duds. Favorites: Set the Controls, Something Wicked, Big Bamboozle, Sweetest Embrace
I didn’t know what to expect with this album. No idea who Barry Adamson is but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Experimental. Curioso. Volver a escuchar
Doe mij maar Nilsson Schmilsson
Herkende een nummer van de Lost Highway Soundtrack, maar verder is er eigenlijk niets blijven hangen. Ook niet irritant of specifiek slecht, 2 sterren!
What the hell was dit!?
Dit was met recht 'eens iets anders'. Maar niet bepaald een prettige luisterervaring.
De helft vond ik geen muziek.
Hard one to judge. First couple of tracks didn't really do it for me despite the presence of Jarvis Cocker and Atticus Ross, but I was sort-of won over by the madness that followed. It reminded me of the David Holmes album that came up, but weirder. I may not return to it but the whole 'soundtrack to an imaginary film' schtick does appeal to me in some way and I think I have to respect the ambition... 2.5 / 3
Interesting album. I really liked the Jarvis Cocker track and the third track. Interest waned a couple of times, which seems inevitable with a soundtrack album, even if it's an imaginary soundtrack. But there was always a decent tune lined up to bring me back around 3.5 stars
Fun experiment, I guess
Best Song: Something Wicked This Way Comes. The right amount of chill while still being energetic. Pretty major deviation from the sex-obsessed nature of the first track. Good music for working. Worst Song: It's Business As Usual. I actually somewhat like this song as a bit of art. It certainly made me uncomfortable, and I think both vocalists/actors did a good job of conveying their respective emotions, but would I ever want to listen to this track again? Did it fit within the context of the album? Nah. Overall: It's weird. And it doesn't feel like a single album. From a starting track that is unspeakably horny, through muted jazzy rhythmic songs in the middle, plus the occasional spoken word theatre, I don't really understand what the artist was going for here. Some of the individual songs sound nice in isolation, but listening to the album front-to-back just gives you whiplash from the tonal changes.
Fine I guess. Getting real tired of these albums that are all about how people mash up samples to create soundscapes
Pretty cool. Sometimes I play an album from this list and I'm like, yeah it's alright, but then I let Spotify keep playing the radio station for that album and I'm like, man I could listen to this all day. This is one of those albums. 3 stars.
Go bang your mom dude
Probably would have gone three stars if it hadn’t been for business as usual
Damn, Adamson is a beast. What a strange, yet cohesive album.
Not nearly as interesting as the first one I got from him.
It had me and lost me a few times. I like it when the album gets darker and a bit experimental, kind of reminds me of what Burial or Four Tet would be doing a decade later. Otherwise, it's occasionally pleasing-enough background music. It just never really feels cohesive, bouncing from sound palette to sound palette. Favorite tracks: "Something Wicked This Way Comes", "It's Business As Usual", "Dirty Barry"
291225 10:21 2.5
Its "songs" have replaced most of the "cinematic", noir quality with loud and frantic body movement. (6/10) FT: State of Contraction, Miles
Very strange really enjoyed the firs two songs then the rest was borderline unlistenable. Generous 3
This is such great fun. The whole album is a fun trip. No real standout tracks but keen to give this another spin.
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....
very good album - enjoyed it - a hidden gem and want to listen to more.
This was a weird vibe, it jumped around from fun to bizarre to downright creepy, great names tho. At parts I was thinking 4, others a 2, so averaging it out to a 3. The vibes ain't nothing but the vibes
I listened to this at work and was on edge all fucking day
A soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. Not sure I'd want to watch it - you just know it would be all arty farty, just like this album. Best Tracks: Something Wicked This Way Comes; The Vibes Ain't Nothing But Vibes; The Big Bamboozle
Admirable more than enjoyable. Creating a soundtrack for an album that doesn’t exist, Adamson’s music certainly fits that style of soundscape but if the music serves a film which is not there you feel an archness and hollowness to the project. That isn’t to say some of the tracks aren’t enjoyable - Something Wicked This Way Comes has a groovy vibe and Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls has some nice vocals. Dirty Barry is a horrible track though. Overall, if you’re pastiching Morricone and John Barry, it reaches a point where the listener might as well go listen to them instead. Or watch the movie in context with the music. Can’t do that here.
I really didn't like this album. But I get the impression that that Barry Adamson doesn't want people to like this album. He's clearly capable of creating music that people will genuinely enjoy but, Adamson seems to be of the school of thought that "art" and "entertainment" are mutually exclusive. As such, he's made this album unenjoyable for more than a minute or so at a time by making a point to dial up the "nope" factor any time the album starts to get good. It's no surprise to learn that Nick Cave was attached this project as it has his distinctive stench smeared all over it. Adamson and Cave both seem to be cut from the same, soiled cloth and I just don't have the patience for the feces they try to sell as "art".
Experimental y agobiante a ratos, no creo que sea un disco imprescindible para mucha gente. No es malo, pero entiendo que a mucha gente pueda no gustarle. Los momentos más jazz son los mejores para mi gusto: "Something Wicked This Way Comes", "Miles", el cuento de "Vermillion Kisses" y "The Big Bamboozle".
Some of the pure jazz/blues/prog tracks are good, but most of the album feels half-baked, like a collection of unfinished song ideas.
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
shit
This was absolute pants. If I could give it minus stars I would. Minus one thousand stars for sounding like jellied tripe.
Experimental music. Brit oscuro.
very cool
That was interesting. All new to me -- artist, album, songs, etc. -- so I had no idea what the style or genre might be. Some superb beats and rhythms going on here, engaging harmonies and melodies, quite a mix of instruments, styles, and samplings...all added up to an album I enjoyed hearing for the first time. Some of the tracks at times get a bit chaotic and over-stimulating for my ear, but that's my own personal sensitivity and also I have a feeling it's on purpose. Same with the ones that are meant to invoke anxiety. Overall, though, some great grooves and catchy lines. Nicely done.
Rating: 6/10
This was an interesting combo. Big band meets psychedelic rock? It wasn't terrible, but I wasn't in love with it.
This album was all over the place. The style of music changed from song to song. There are little to no words and the songs themself are eccentric. Now I looked up the intent of the album, and it was supposed to be music for a movie that does not exist. Knowing that, it explains the different tones of the songs and is inventive in that way. Not sure I would want to see the movie though. I enjoy movie scores and I will relisten to them; however, at no point in time did I think that I absolutely needed to hear this album. I won't be listening again.
The greatest soundtrack to a movie that does not exist. Barry Adamson is a maestro. Side note, if you are a fan of the classic, first Bad Seeds album, this should appeal
bela descoberta. qnd aparece o nick cave é a mais
uma das melhores descobertas dos primeiros 50 álbuns
I can respect the artistry behind this album/artist, but I was listening to it in the wrong setting (work)
Nomas para saber
Originalitat, savoir faire, paisatgístic, evidentment molt cinematogràfic. L'ex Bad Seeds sap el que es fa i la seva barreja de soundtrack music, amb jazz, electrònica i rock alternatiu és d'un nivell força alt. Tothom es queda amb el tema de 'Lost Highway' 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', però a mi em sembla que 'The Sweetest Embrace', amb Nick Cave, destaca per sobre de la resta
Enjoyable, hugely varied. Standout tracks featuring Jarvis and Nick Cave. Need to listen to a couple more times really.
Never heard of him before, but then I read some and found out that I at least had heard him before - in the Bad Seeds. This record was very uneven, som songs are great other not so much. But I will listen to other records by Adamson, might find some gold.
Super weird - light jazz followed by groovy beats followed by straight up random.
Intéressant mais bordélique. Pochette incroyable. Prefs: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Miles, Achieved in the Valley of Dolls, The Big Bamboozle, The Sweetest Embrace Moins pref: Dirty Barry
Jep jep
Mahtava yllätys. Piti useamman kerran ihan kuunnella.
Hmmm. Good, then bad. Good, then bad. Sometimes jazzy, funky. Then noise. Interesting I guess, but would never listen again. 2
Loucura.
Soundtrack-agtigt, cinematisk, svingende
What? No.
This does sound like a soundtrack album. Really atmospheric & interesting.
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.
Funky sound. Jazzy, instrumental. 2nd half of album is kinda strange.
Cheesy ersatz soundtrack music. Cool at its best (set the control, something wicked this way comes), aimless in middle (dirty barry), just pointless jazz-lite noodling at worst (Miles). Nick Cave's cameo stands out as an actual song with charisma and presence.
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!
i want this to play in the background of my life 24/7
Idek how to tate this. It's just fucking weird. I didn't hate it but I also didn't like it.
Same basic issue for me as with the Bad Seeds Murder Ballads thing: I just find the drama and attitude kind of contrived and overly theatrical. Which I grasp is it working as intended, I’m just not personally into it.
What? "Set the controls..." sounds like a ripoff of Vogue and the Farm... Too much contrast between different instruments, melodies, Mix of bad jazz interlaced with bad lyrical poetry.
A lot of weird artistic expression... vermillion kisses is a weird interlude and others just don't seem like tracks that i'd want to listen to again. Bamboozle is the closest to something cool, but it's a big slog to get to that one nugget. An interesting adventure, but not very enjoyable.
Meh kinda lame
Interesting and enjoyable.