Music Writing Challenge: A Crib in the Attic

in #music4 years ago (edited)

Surely it has to be David Bowie. Especially with the beautiful gift he left us the day before he parted this world. But that would be too obvious. And ★ (Blackstar) is probably too young too. Plus, it was an emotional love.

It definitely isn’t Nirvana and I wouldn’t confess my liking for RHCP on the blockchain just as I wouldn’t admit to love Adele’s Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Although having grown up as an adolescent through the grunge era and subsequent sounds, Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a strong contender which still gets its regular airtime here at Mayhem HQ.

Luckily, it isn’t about singles or single tracks as my eclectic different music periods would result in me having to admit to liking Van Halen, AC↯DC, and way too much Glam Rock from that era too. No one knows how my love for them developed or why. Especially not because many of that music are rather recent “discoveries” to me. Except probably for AC↯DC who know Rock ‘n Roll rather well.

I probably should be cultivating my metalhead image more. But my preference for Five Finger Death Punch, and their often split personality albums could show a slightly darker me than I am willing to share. It would, inevitable, also lead to a huge amount of Industrial and Goth music. Things no one who hasn’t seen my Hive banner would expect.

The Background

Why am I going through music artists here? As links previously shared show it isn’t too uncommon a thing for me to talk music on Hive, yet I rarely do so.

It all started some days ago when @nathen007 tagged me in one of those daisy-chain alike initiatives reminiscent of the personal blogging world in 2003-05 when everyone was part of “traffic rings” and proudly displayed their membership with ribbons on their blog. A thing I have consistently rejected participating to — both the ribbons and the chain-initiatives.

Yet, some initiatives are fun and this Music Writing Challenge — initially started by @slobberchops — appealed to me. Plus slobberchops’ entry was a Sisters of Mercy one. How could one not join?

Especially because I love music. In fact, music — as a listener — is the most important and ever-present thing in my life.

Where Things Get Hard

After having been invited to join because, apparently, I’m an enigmatic character [bullcoughshitcough], it didn’t take me long to know which was the album which this entry to the daisy chain would revolve around. There truly was only one choice.

It wasn’t RHCP’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik and neither is it FFDP’s excellent The Wrong Side or Heaven which opens with a collab with Judas Priest’s Rob Halford. Nor is it the gorgeously poetic Vespertine by Björk.

Maybe the true confession would be Prince. But I would struggle with which album to chose and would probably opt for 4ever, which is a “Best of” compilation and thus probably doesn’t count.

It is a shagging album though. But it doesn't contain any of Prince’s dirty songs. Little MF.

It’s also a great album to test new headphones with. Headphones, those huge things, not earphones or in-ears.

Part of the challenge is to tell the background story how one discovered that album — or at least the artist. This is where things get hard. While I have been able to narrow it down to a period in time, and country, I was in then, I haven’t been able to further narrow it down to which of both towns I lived in that country. Or the exact discovery of the discovery. Days of thinking, trying to remember still leads to the same result: a blank.

It was whether that shag fling which lasted more than one night or that shag fling which also lasted more than one night. Neither turned into a genuine relationship though but the next shag fling did.

While she wasn’t too big a fan of the album, she never minded it. Even not in the bedroom. Definitely not in the bedroom. Which isn’t to say we listened to only one album in the background or that I am going to share my preferred sex music playlists with you.

I was in Germany. Totally unbeknownst to me I discovered a new music genre in my life which would quickly become one of the most prolific ones in my listening habits and still is to this day.

That much that according to my last.fm profile to which I have been scrobbling my listening ON/OFF since 2006 — and which has recorded more than 314,00 scrobbles — two of its main artists represent the tracks I’ve listened most to.

Despite both bands having only few albums, they even feature in my Top 10 most listened artists. With one band definitely being underrepresented because I didn’t always have a connected bedroom.


A Crib in the Attic: Mezzanine

As already said, I don’t know what lead to discovering the amazing Mezzanine by Massive Attack, or Portishead and Tricky. To this day I can even not remember whether I was in a specific emotional state which could have lead to the darker explorations of Tricky or Beth Gibbons. But all three artists — and trip-hop — took me by surprise and became a mainstay in my life.

But I do know that Mezzanine is without a doubt one of the best shagging albums ever. From Angel to Man Next Door, over Inertia Creeps to Exchange the album is a total win from first to last second.

More so, it’s one of those albums which are perfect, meaning they can be played for almost any occasion and mood. Just like Pearl Jam’s Ten and The Cure’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me.

Mezzanine, by Massive Attack on Spotify

The Nitty-Gritty

To keep the chain daisied up, this is where I am supposed to copy and paste a list of rules such as posting your entry to the Music community and a whole ‘nother list of rules — which would make it obvious I didn’t fully follow the rules myself (Black Milk is probably the chosen track) — you can find them in slobberchops’ post.

I am also supposed to tag at least three more people. While I would love to know what @tarazkp listens to, I fear the man is way too busy thinking to actually sit down to actively listen to a whole album. Another candidate, @fredrikaa is most likely wallowing the end of the nice outdoor drinking weather in Scandinavia and @blocktrades most definitely has a no time for this type of posts.

Thus I will resist tagging anyone, that also because historically I myself tend to ignore that type of daisy chain letter tags. But feel free to tag yourself and keep the links flowing. ;)

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People keep mentioning Massive Attack and still I have not gotten around to listening to them outside the amazing Unfinished Sympathy. A shagging album sounds damn good to me, I shagged my way through Simply Red's, A New Flame many years ago.., very wishy-washy I know.. but it was from a different time.

The Chilli's album you mention is also great, especially.. Sir Psycho Sexy hehe...

Simply Red not INXS?

I think BSSM was the best and also the last album of RHCP. After that they became a bit too much "super band" and just too good at what they do. While they've written a bunch of solid tracks since, it's their performer skills which carried them ever since. Or should that be Kiedis' relentless performer focus? BSSM was still fun, mixed with the odd moment of introspection (Under the Bridge).

!ENGAGE 35

Under the Bridge was awesome and what got my attention.. and yes, A New Flame was Simply Red.. I distinctly remember shagging while the album was playing hehe...

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I would give you a @curie for this post.. but due to the fork, fuck all is working... grrrr...

I remember the track, also the sleeve actually. But I was on the continent and while Simply Red were big, it was all about Michael Hutchence on the continent.

And no worries, I appreciate a solid related comment as much as I do the upvotes. Plus writing this post was fun in itself. 🤘

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I can never remember albums I liked, I usually like one or two songs at most from one artist

I usually need to hear them several times because music is a constant background presence. Even when I play a new release, I easily get distracted with things I have to actually do. Generally the overall sound of the album will define whether I replay it and whether I will remember it later.

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Ten was a really good album. Massive attack is just made for dystopic movies, so perfect for the bedroom :D

I think that this might be a "challenge" I could take part in - though I am not sure what will come of it and you are right, I don't listen to whole albums much these days :)

Btw, when I met @fredrikaa in Poland, he was constantly requesting this at the bars.

I love me some good folk. Especially when played (live) in bars. Folk is fun and lively.

The Pogues (punk folk?) are in my top 50 scrobbled artists. Rum Sodomy & The Lash, of course. There’s few other Irish bands with a folky sound ranked in the next 150 as well.

I have never been overly into folk music - I think I was damaged by it as a child, going to concerts where people played sticks with bottlecaps nailed to them as rattles.... :D

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Sorry for the late reply, I've been listening to lots of new music and having a "I don't want to communicate with anyone week" which I have from time to time.
Anyway, let's crack on....
I'd have simply been happy with anything Bowie or Prince, but what you've done is take me on a magical musical discovery and rediscovery tour, Whilst not talking to anyone this week I've been listening to all things Portishead for the first time this millennium probably, Massive Attack and the Chillies just a couple of the usual notable singles each. I also listened to Vespertine for the first time since I actually excitedly bought the CD back whenever, turn of the century I guess and whilst I was disappointed then, although impressed with the originality, that disappointment turned into abject boredom now! A sad reflection on me!....
Shagging tracks....I get it, but don't do it. I love the cans on and total concentration....shagging with background music just forces me to ignore the girl and focus on the music!!

Just listening to Mezzanine for the first time. ( I started writing this comment on Wednesday!) I think its more sinister than shaggy.....but I will return and listen again. It does sound incredible through my headphones though!

Thanks for writing this. Strangely, or probably to be expected, I can't decide whether your level of enigmatisism has increased or decreased but I do think you're 43!

Hope your health is on the up. Stay safe and sane :-)

One last thing I forgot to mention! Royal Albert Hall. Adele was excellent but don't you think EVERY gig by whoever seems to be great there?

Yeah, I guess soundstage wise it's up there with the best locations in the world. I would normally not listen to Adèle but that performance in that location did it for me. I was disappointed with Robbie Williams' Swing When You're Winning gig at the RAH though. But it did sound great.

Would definitely also get the Blu-ray for a P!nk or even Shakira at the RAH performance. Not sure The Cure would fit there though.

!ENGAGE 35

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Glad to read your silence was self-imposed and not related to all things happening over there.

Solid guess re-age but... wrong.