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Random Access Memories is the fourth and final studio album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It was released on 17 May 2013 through Columbia Records. The album pays tribute to late 1970s and early 1980s American music, particularly from Los Angeles. This theme is reflected in the packaging and promotional campaign, which included billboards, television advertisements and a web series. Recording sessions took place from 2008 to 2012 at Henson, Conway and Capitol Studios in California, Electric Lady Studios in New York City, and Gang Recording Studio in Paris, France. Following the minimal production of their previous album, Human After All (2005), Daft Punk recruited session musicians with the help of Chris Caswell to perform live instrumentation and limited the use of electronic instruments to drum machines, a custom-built modular synthesizer and vintage vocoders. It combines disco, progressive rock and pop, with contributions by Paul Jackson Jr., Giorgio Moroder, Chilly Gonzales, Julian Casablancas, Paul Williams, Caswell, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Todd Edwards, Panda Bear and DJ Falcon. Random Access Memories is the only Daft Punk album to top the US Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also topped the charts in twenty other countries. Its lead single, "Get Lucky", topped the charts in more than 30 countries and became one of the best-selling digital singles of all time. The album appeared on several year-end lists, and won in several categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Dance/Electronica Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. "Get Lucky" also won the awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Random Access Memories number 295 on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
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Reviews
Forever the music of the future
Another one of those albums I just assumed was in the main 1001 list. I’d still rank it below Discovery and the live album, but probably on a par with Homework. Listening back, there are so many great tracks Giorgio by Moroder, Instant Crush and Lose Yourself to Dance. As a big Strokes fan, Instant Crush is a standout for me, one of those songs that’s only got better over time. I’m still not convinced Get Lucky will ever fully shake off the “song of the summer” joke, but almost feels like a guilty pleasure now. Still, a brilliant addition to the user list.
Random Access Memories Is the final studio album by Daft Punk. It is certainly not their best one. On the previous album their music was fully evolved and this one does not add much to it. Of course it contains some good songs like the hit single “Get Lucky” and "Giorgio by Moroder". Too bad most of the orher songs are not of that level and are also much too long.
This album was an EVENT when it came out. I still remember it vividly. It 100% holds up too. Such an expansive and epic sound while still staying true to Daft Punk's roots.
Hard to believe this hadn't made this list before, harder to believe it's 13 years old. My wife bought it when it came out, and we listened to it a lot, for several years. It really is a great album. In retrospect it feels like a farewell to me, so much so that it makes me wonder if they knew, and if so why it took another 8 years to make it official. In any event, no notes really. Extra point, if it were needed, for a melancholy flashback to a couple of robots, interacting one last time on a desolate plain.
Rating: 10/10
Absurd that this isn't on the original list! Great addition.
This is another one of those albums that ended up radically formative to my music taste. I can't believe that before this record came out (I was about 14), I though electronic music was for hacks who couldn't write a real song or play real instruments. What a joke lmao. As for the album itself, it has become a modern classic for a reason. Embracing that disco vibe (hell, the great Nile Rodgers himself is here) ended up being very forward-thinking for the next 5 years or so, and the way they blend it with both modern and retro electronic sounds is just delicious.
An achievement of modern music wherein a trailblazing duo makes a final album that is effectively a love letter to their various influences. The disco of Nile Rodgers, the electronic music of Giorgio Moroder, the DJing of Todd Edwards, and a much greater mosaic of fantastic artistry across time. With these influences in tow, Daft Punk takes listeners on a journey through a wide range of music without every coming across as inconsistent or spreading themselves too thin. Each song tells its own story while also contributing to the larger story of popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is, in its own way, the perfect encapsulation of the 1001 album list and what it strives to convey in its endorsement of the greatest that music has had to offer over the past 70 years. For this reason, Random Access Memories is a rich, detailed piece of music that surely stands the test of time. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: I think so!
Disco, funk, electronic, soft rock, progressive pop. Un megahit. Un 4, venga.
My feelings on this LP have grown more conflicted over time – it is a beautiful record, brimming with fun instrumentation and put together with exquisite care. However, it feels less and less like a Daft Punk record as time goes on, more an R&B record with some Daft Punk elements. The grit and raw passion of Discovery or Homework doesn’t filter down to the more conventional instrumental palette really, and it feels like there’s a creative disconnect between this LP and the outfit’s earlier discography. The commercial abuse of ‘Get Lucky’ and general pop culture saturation of some other tracks hasn’t helped either. Maybe I’m just bitter/sad about never getting to see these guys or enjoy more of their music, I just wish we had gotten a different swan song from the duo.
I liked this when it was new, but in retrospect it's too samy. Every song is good, but the album doesn't have enough variation. Pretty much the same funky disco groove all the time.
Overrated I’m afraid- discovery and homework clears
I think I’m over Daff Punk by this album