Bjork - Post Remixes - 1995-96

Another random post (no pun intended.)

I felt like posting this last night, but I held off, hoping to save this one for when I came back, working on building my buffer again, and wanting to keep my "break" up so I would be 100% when I came back.  But, I woke up this morning and this is the first thing I thought about, so I felt compelled to bring you something new.

I had really enjoyed Debut when it came out, so I really had high hopes for the original album when I knew it was going to be released.  You can read about my thoughts on it here.  Although I did like the album, I wasn't 100% impressed.  That's okay, it was more for my fiance than anything.

This album had 187,943 remixes.  Of course I'm being facetious, but it did have an awful lot.  And the singles, not limited to one version, came out in twos and threes, with a host of variations between.  It made collecting them that much more exciting, and made Bjork a hell of a lot of money, I'm sure.  Quite alright.  I've always been about what's NOT on the album more than the album itself (hence, this blog.)  AND, I did enjoy (again, no pun intended) these singles immensely.  

I only put my ultimate favorites on here.  I could have easily filled three discs, but a lot of the mixes were only marginally good.  And there was a fuckload of Army Of Me mixes that I just couldn't get into.  I mean, a Beastie Boys remix of Army Of Me?!  That's like bacon and ice cream, to quote Lou Reed.  It just don't work. There was a lot of good mixes, though, and I had to be selective on what I wanted on this mix so I could include them all, and still have it flow smoothly.

The cover I used for this compilation was actually supposed to be the original cover to Post.  The reason why they chose not to use it escapes me right now, but that's why we have Google.  Go look it up if you're interested.  I will say, upon making the cover for this, I felt that it captured more the feel of Debut than it did Post, so I figure in some sense they may have changed it to show some growth or separation from what she had previously done.

So, I'm planning on officially coming back on Friday, June 2nd, and I will be posting two great albums then, and another on Saturday the 3rd.  After that, I will be posting every Tuesday and Friday evenings, so you can mark your calendars.  For those of you in Europe, more than likely, you will be needing to check me out on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, unless you feel the need to be looking in on what I've put up at 2 or 3 in the morning.  If you choose to do that, maybe you should get some help because the shit ain't that good.

Bjork - Post Remixes - 1995-96 

Madonna - Ray of Light - 1997

 

 

 The final post for my Pop Music Week!  I hope you have enjoyed it, I'm sure some of you have hated it.  But, have no fear, when I return, it will be back to it's original format!!!!

Just so you all know, I hate Madonna.  I hate her style, hate her image, hate "most " of her music, especially her 80s crap and that Vogue bullshit.  I really think she's something of a whore now, ever since Erotica, but possibly even as far back as Like A Virgin. I can't help now, but think of Quentin Tarantino's translation of that song, Like A Virgin, whenever I hear or see "Madonna".

BUT, there was a shift in my attitude toward her music starting SPECIFICALLY with the song Bedtime Story, written by Bjork (amongst others), and more precisely the mix by Orbital, surprisingly.  The song and video are beautiful and extremely well performed, the writing and mixing are stellar.  Holy Cow!  Is this fucking MADONNA?!  Well, I got the gatefold single of that song, and treasured it as a Madonna anomaly. 

During that time, I was already very interested in William Orbit and any collaborations he was doing at the time.  Strange Cargo Hinterland and that Torch Song album had been out since 95, but that really was it for his own personal music.  I think he was mixing a few random Blur tracks, right before this album, Ray of Light, was released...  Co-writing, producing and mixing a Madonna album of all things was a fucking shocker in my book.

Many people have considered this to be an entry in his "Strange Cargo" catalog, as this album is definitive Orbit in it's concept, performance and production.  It is a prime example of WO at his best.  Every track has his signature sound written all over it.  I've included the instrumental versions below so you can get the full impact of the absolute high quality of his work.  Madonna actually sounds mature, coherent and somewhat intellectual in her lyric and performance.  She even seems less slut-like than almost every album before or after.  Wow, is that even possible?!

I really enjoyed the album from the beginning.  All I could think of was WO's work on this, and the fact that it was a Madonna album really didn't mean a whole lot.  As an album, it really didn't impact me emotionally or spiritually, or change my views on life or any of that crap.  But, I did realize that opening my thoughts on specific artists or genres isn't a bad thing at all, given the chance.  Hell, yeah, you'll get burned sometimes, but it's better than missing something really great that you might have never considered before.

I know that many fans of WO will already have all of this material.  But, to those of you who don't follow either Madonna or WO, you may want to give this one a shot.  You might be surprised...

 

Madonna - Ray of Light - 1997

Madonna - WO Instrumentals - 1997

Madonna - WO Remixes - 1997

Madonna - Other RoL Remixes - 1997

I'll be posting throughout this next week, but no new albums or covers.  I'll be out of town, working on my rental property one last time for the whole week.  New albums will resume on the 18th.

Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bjork - Post - 1995

I remember when this album came out I was living in a highrise apartment complex across the street from my state capitol building.  My wife and I were engaged, and preparing for our wedding, and I was a manager at a newly introduced restaurant chain that wasn't fast food, but wasn't full service either.  When it came out, I ran down to Best Buy and got it for my wife, handing it over to her without even listening to it.  I didn't get it back until we were married a year later.

I did get to listen to it, though.  She had it in her car all the time, and I even suggested listening to it, if she ever didn't already.  The two of us really liked her music, my wife a little more than me.  I really didn't care that much for this album in particular, but it grew on me over time as my wife and I listened to it over time.  I actually prefer the b-sides and remixes to the album better than the album itself.

The best songs on the album (in order of their appearance on my sleeve above) are Hyper-ballad, It's Oh So Quiet, Enjoy, I Miss You, Karvel, Charlene and Visur.  There are some incredible remixes of Hyper-Ballad, Enjoy, Possibly Maybe and I Miss You, but those will have to wait until I decide to do the remix disc.

The worst song on this album, and possibly the worst single she's ever released (IMHO) is Army Of Me.  I hate that fucking song.  It's irritating and grates on my last nerve.

Bjork - Post - 1995

Bjork - The Homogenic B-Sides - 1997-98

IMHO, this was Bjork's last good album.  Her newest one, Vulnicura, isn't bad.  But it doesn't compare to the masterpiece that was Homogenic.  A dark, personal album, it spent a vast majority of the time talking about her deepest, innermost thoughts and feelings.  Poetically, her lyrics were unbelievably fantastic (I'm a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl).  And the execution of the album was flawless.

I had already been collecting all of her work, but this album became a particular obsession to find every little piece related to it.  I had a poster of the particular I used for the cover above, there, hanging on my wall for nearly three years.  And, I still own it, rolled up in a tube downstairs, protected forever.

The disc I've collected today is one of the first b-side compilations I made when I got my first CD Burner.  I've burned it, listened to, worn out and reburned this disc three times in the last 20 years.  I've changed the cover several times since I first made it, but this is the first time that I've considered changing the green cover to red.  I think it turned out well.  Obviously, this is simply the b-sides and the remixes, as it was the original set that I compiled.  Plus, I didn't want to mess with the structure of the original album.  It would only pollute it's perfection.

With that, sod off. (It's the name of one of her songs.  I'm not literally telling you to sod off ;) )

Bjork - The Homogenic B-Sides - 1997-98

Sugarcubes - Stick Around For Joy - 1991

Two covers again on this one. Print one side,  flip it over, and print the other side.  I couldn't decide the best way to do it with Just the single cover.  I think they both look pretty sweet.  B-sides all included, but no mixes, as I'm saving those for It's It.

Anyway, this album came out at the end of my freshman year, or beginning of my sophomore year in college.  But, I didn't start listening to Sugarcubes until It's It.  It's It is plug full of fabulous remixes (will post that at a later date, as there are dozens of hidden mixes released across a variety of media to consolidate.)  So, I got that, and felt that I HAD to go back and get the original albums.  Of the three albums, Stick Around For Joy was by far the best.

I love Bjork's vocals, the melodies are fantastic, the music is upbeat and happy, the sound is very Indie.  But, that guy.  I hate that guy's freeking stupid ass vocals that seem disjointed and stupid mixed in with the music.  It's out of place.  OF COURSE, many of you will disagree with me on this point, and I understand, feel free to tell me.  It's just my opinion that I don't like him.

Walkabout is the best, followed by Hit then Leash Called Love.  The singles, obviously.  But, I also LOVE the Carpenters cover song too, only wish it was a studio recording.

Sugarcubes - Stick Around For Joy - 1991