Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust was the first time I paid for digital music. It was released as a sort-of experiment of pay-what-you-like - similar to how Radiohead released In Rainbows. I think there were two options: free or $5. I'd been a fan of Saul Williams for a few years at this point so felt it was important to support him. I was also incredibly excited at the collaboration with Trent Reznor. 

At this point, Radiohead still hadn't released a physical version of In Rainbows and Saul Williams wasn't planning any physical either. It was quite an exciting but strange time; would musicians really start moving away from physical media? Would these albums really never be pressed into vinyl? My own guesses to those questions formed my paying-decisions - Radiohead I downloaded for free, figuring they'd probably release a cd/record fairly soon (they did, and I bought a copy) but I was less sure about Saul Williams. A year later I found this double 12" in Spillers and was proved wrong. $5 is less than a pint, so I don't feel cheated. If I met Saul Williams, I'd definitely buy him a pint, so it's fine.

I suspect there's quite a few people for whom the same is true, but it was Trent Reznor that introduced me to Saul Williams. In July 2005 I went to see Nine Inch Nails in Brixton with Saul Williams supporting. Slightly off-topic, but it was the first I'd ever seen NIN and I was very excited. I'd just come back from Roskilde and there were only 3 days between returning from Denmark and moving to Australia for a year, but I decided to spend one of the few nights I had remaining seeing NIN. They'd played a very sold-out show a few months ago but other than that, these shows were the first NIN concerts in the UK in many years. I had tickets to the night before too, but our flights from Roskilde meant we couldn't go that night. Anyway, Trent had picked Saul Williams as the support act and, judging by the crowd, most of the people weren't that fussed. Hugh and I (and a handful of people down the front) were hugely impressed by Saul's show that night; the mix of hip hop and industrial music was really exciting and he had some mind-blowing raps. One of the things I've enjoyed most about Saul every time I've seen him since has been the intense spoken word/rap/poem moments. It always takes my breath away.

So from that day on, I was a Saul Williams fan and picked up his two albums that were out at the time. Niggy Tardust was then quite a different record to both of those. Maybe it's because my background isn't so heavily based in hip-hop, but the title of Producer on a hip-hop record means a lot more than it does in other genres. In this case, Trent is credited with writing the music on most of the songs. In a lot of cases these could basically be NIN songs with Saul rapping (and, in the case of Skin of a Drum, it apparently is). Trent Reznor has a very particular sound - when watching The Social Network I kept thinking that someone was playing NIN in the other room (less so with Gone Girl). That sound is very evident here, but that's both the albums charm and its problem.

There are some incredible songs across the 15 that make up the main album - Black History Month is a huge opener, Tr(n)igger and Niggy Tardust are two of the most notable songs on the album. There are some slower moments that lose the pace a bit too, like Raw and No One Ever Does. Generally, Saul does a lot more singing on this record than previously, which I think might be a product of Trent's involvement. In itself, that's not an issue, but I do really like the raps on the other albums, which is probably why in the years since the first two albums have had a lot more play than this one. Sometimes the collaboration does come together in great ways, like WTF!, Skin of a Drum and Raised to Be Lowered. Interestingly, Scared Money, the only song that Trent isn't credited on, has both one of the best raps and is the only song that feels it would fit on any other Saul Williams album. 

Of course, no piece of writing about The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust would be complete without mentioning the cover of U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday (which has the fairly-prime position of track 4). It's just strange. I get the idea behind the song itself, but I still see it as an odd choice. There's also the fact that it's unusual to put a cover at the start of an album at the best of times, let alone when it's an album that, either by association or release method, is going to see your music reach far bigger audiences than ever before. It's a little jarring on the first few listens, mostly because it's such a well-known song, but it doesn't really hurt the flow of the album; there are quite a few ups and downs so the notion of flow doesn't really apply here.

Anyway, less than a year after the album came out, I stumbled across this copy in Spillers.I was excited to finally have a physical copy of the album - owning mp3s on their own really does nothing for me. As a nice gesture, the fourth side has some bonus tracks, mostly from the same sessions, and a version of List of Demands. Gunshots By Computer is the highlight, but it's mostly just nice that they added something extra - feels like a treat for everyone who paid to download the album. Looking at Discogs, it seems that there weren't too many of these pressed and they sell for a lot more than I paid for it, which is always nice.

Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 20
Cost: £16.50 new
Bought: Spillers Records
When: 22/07/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

Siamese Dream is a huge album. I think everyone knows that, but sometimes it's worth restating these important facts. Each Pumpkins album hit up a slightly different niche, but Siamese Dream is the one that everyone agrees is one of the most important albums of the 90's. I've always had a strange relationship with it, because I came to the Pumpkins as a Mellon Collie fan and I couldn't understand how people could consider Siamese Dream better - how could they possibly not love the epic that was Mellon Collie? But, in a lot of ways, Mellon Collie was an album you had to love as a teenager to really love, but Siamese Dream was for everyone. That's how I've always seen it anyway.

Very nearly half of my life has passed since I first heard Mellon Collie and Siamese Dream. I still love them both, but they've changed over the years; MCIS remains one of my all-time favourite albums, but Siamese Dream is the one I play more often. Maybe it's because it's shorter, or perhaps it's more instant - can you think of an album with a stronger opening three songs than Cherub Rock, Quiet and Today? Those first two alone are quite something then Today appears. Genius. And it just stays strong - Hummer, Rocket, Disarm, Soma and that's just the first record.

I can't really remember the first time I listened to Siamese Dream (I remember the first time I listened to MCIS vividly). I do remember getting less out of it on those first few listens. I knew the singles and a lot of the rest wasn't quite what I hoped. I was 16 and wanted excess and drama like on Mellon Collie. Of course, I wouldn't change a moment on it; it's the Pumpkins album no one can judge you for liking in your thirties.

I found this copy in FM Music in Southampton, a small independent record shop in a fairly shitty shopping centre at the far end of town. It was a year and a half since I'd bought the cd and knew it would be a great album to have on vinyl. The fact it was on double orange, slightly marbled vinyl only drew me in further. At the time, £14 was a lot for an album, but I was a huge Pumpkins fan and knew I'd always feel pleased to have it in the collection, which I do.

I've probably not listened to the vinyl itself very many times. I've played the cd to death (and since bought the reissue boxset) so I rarely needed to. It does sound nice and it's kinda strange having the three natural breaks that you don't get on cd. It's quite nice sometimes to take that pause and reflect on how brilliant the three or four songs you just heard were for a moment.

Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 13
Cost: £14 new
Bought: FM Music, Southampton
When: 03/05/03
Colour: Orange
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Cursive - The Ugly Organ

The Ugly Organ is one of my all-time favourite albums. I've written before about how I got into the band (see here) and that Domestica is also one of my all-time favourite albums (see here) so I'll save repeating those stories. When I saw Cursive, in the summer of 2006, they were touring with a cello player who would come out for the songs from The Ugly Organ. I've always been a sucker for classical instruments in rock music, so I think that definitely added to the appeal of this album for me. I'd read about the band and figured I'd definitely enjoy The Ugly Organ, so asked for it as a Christmas present that year (which I received, along with Yank Crime by Drive Like Jehu and A Flight and A Crash by Hot Water Music - quite the strong year).

The Ugly Organ didn't disappoint. The slightly harsher sound of Domestica was largely made a bit friendlier by the cello and song structures, but The Ugly Organ still had balls; the opening (proper) pair Some Red Handed Slight of Hand and Art is Hard explode and are both over in minutes. The Recluse follows hot on their heels and still hits pretty hard too. The self-referencing, anger and bitterness from Domestica and Burst and Bloom were all still there too. Until I heard it on the album, I didn't realise that I'd actually heard A Gentleman Caller before, on a mix-tape given to me by Hugh. Somehow, out of the context of the album, I wasn't that impressed and entirely forgot that I'd heard Cursive years before. Listening to it now, with it's outro that matches that of Staying Alive, I can't see how it passed me by. I wish it hadn't.

The Ugly Organ is beautiful record, one of those albums where each song stands out on it's own merits and is instantly recognisable. It finishes as strongly as it starts, with Sierra (a song that regularly find in my head) and Staying Alive, a long song that doesn't want to end and a fitting end to an album that can't wait to start. I love this album.

This copy is the remastered Deluxe Edition. My main gripe here is that it's been remastered and basically sounds terrible. So bad that when I first started playing it I thought my needle had broken. Then I downloaded the mp3s and they sound just as bad. It's not always noticeable, but when it is it really takes away from my enjoyment. The dodgy sound definitely reaches a peak during the outro of Staying Alive. I'm not a musical person, so my description of how it sounds off isn't very technical: it sounds woolly - like the needle has picked up a huge amount of crap from the grooves on the record (which it hasn't - I check every time); everything sounds dulled - the drums are fuzzy and strange; the cello and tune and "do do do do do do's"come through ok, but the flat, horrible sounding drums over the top really ruin it. It's like listening to music in a storm. The original album has such a clear, strong sound, I can't understand why anyone would intentionally make the album sound like this.

But other than that (although, let's not miss the point - the music is the main part of an album), they've done a great job on this reissue. Firstly, there's a bonus 12" of 8 extra songs from the era (which are all pretty great in their own ways, especially Excerpts... and Nonsense). The artwork has been redone (although I do prefer the original) and there's a 16-page book of photos, lyrics and tour dates included. If it wasn't for the dubious audio on the album itself, I'd have to give it full marks. However, I feel there's still basically an Ugly Organ shaped hole in my collection because I can't listen to this and enjoy it fully. I know copies of the original version are fairly easy to come across, so I will try to pick one up at some point. If you're not familiar with the album, seek out the original.

Format: Double 12", gatefold sleeve, 16-page booklet
Tracks: 20
Cost: Free, new
Bought: Gift
When: 16/01/15
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code

Manic Street Preachers - Tsunami

Remixes. I still believe that indie music doesn't lend itself to being remixed as well as people like to think it does. The Manics were pretty keen on remixes throughout their career, but especially so at their peak in the late 90's. The bonus disc of their first Greatest Hits album was entirely remixes, mostly from the last two albums. They were good at getting some pretty big names, but rarely did I feel they added much. But maybe I'm not the target audience.

This 12" contains two remixes of Tsunami, one by Cornelius and the other by Stereolab (with a bonus instrumental version of the Cornelius remix). I think it originally came with a sticker over the top of the sleeve, sealing the record in, although my copy neither has one, nor any signs that it ever was there. I picked the 12" up on eBay during a period when I was pretty addicted to eBay. I already had the songs on the cd single and the Greatest Hits album, but it was another record for the collection and a reasonable price. I probably listened to it a few times back then, filed it away and neglected it until today. They're fine remixes, but the original was never one of my favourite songs and I can't say either version offers much more for me.

Format: 12"
Tracks: 3
Cost: £7 second hand
Bought: eBay
When: 13/02/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Manic Street Preachers - Australia

We've all been conned once or twice. I'm glad that this one only cost me £35 and not my house. This record is a one-sided white-label promo of the Lion Rock remix of Australia. The sheet included with the record states that it was sent out to only 20 DJs, which is certainly a small number. A number small enough to make you think "wow, that would be a great one to add to the collection", which I did, and was why I was willing to spend £35 on a record of a song I knew I wouldn't actually like that much (not a big fan of remixes of rock songs). Still, what a great one to add to the collection, eh?

Of course, a quick search of Discogs shows a further six copies in their marketplace, which would represent (along with mine) over a third of all the copies ever made. The scepticism should be building. Mine has the title handwritten on the label which is different to the one pictured there. Either way, it's probably not one of only 20 and I probably paid well over the odds. I don't mind that I own a copy, but I do wish I hadn't paid so much; £35 would go a long way back then. As for the song, not as good as the original.

Format: 12", white label, promo insert
Tracks: 1
Cost: £35 second hand
Bought: eBay
When: 07/12/02
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Manic Street Preachers - Repeat / Love's Sweet Exile

The 90's were quite a time. This single was a double-A-side (something unheard of these days) released on cd, 7" and two different 12"s. Sadly, this is the less exciting of the 12" versions - without the gatefold sleeve and live version of Stay Beautiful. But it's nice nonetheless. The two A-sides are both songs everyone is familiar with and the third song, Democracy Coma is one of the more readily-found B-sides, being on Lipstick Traces and Stars and Stripes, the (Japanese version of the) US version of Generation Terrorists. A nice song.

I found this for a very reasonable £4 at a record fair in Southampton 15 years ago. It's not in the best shape, but it had already been knocking around for 10 years at that point.

Format: 12"
Tracks: 3
Cost: £4 second hand
Bought: Record Fair, Southampton
When: 01/06/01
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Manic Street Preachers - New Art Riot E.P.

I'd never heard of the New Art Riot E.P. before I saw a copy of the cd in the HMV in Bournemouth in 1999. I'd just started getting into the Manics and only had their newest album at the time, This Is My Truth, and their first, Generation Terrorists. It was £5, which was quite a lot for four songs especially since I had only just started working and really needed to be spending any money I did have on Christmas presents for my family. I distinctly remember my friend Chris laughing at me for spending so much on a "single".

Of course the joke got worse when I got home and played the cd. New Art Riot is not the Manics at their finest. It's only when you appreciate the EP in the broader context of the history of the Manics that you get the most out of it. This was them at their scrappy beginnings, before they got picked up and convinced they could write good songs. There's not a huge amount of time that passed between this EP and songs like Motown Junk and Motorcycle Emptiness, but the change is pretty extraordinary. After a while, you can start to see the potential hidden behind the terrible production, slightly ridiculous lyrics and dubious vocals (from a man who often has an incredible voice). The songs aren't bad - each has it's merits in some way - but they're not as easily enjoyed as the songs they'd go on to write.

When I bought that cd I was very confused, and 16 years later, I'm not much wiser; why was a copy knocking around in the Bournemouth HMV nine years after it had been released? Surely it hadn't been sat there for nine years. I think the answer is that the label has just never really stopped printing copies of it; why would you if you had music by one of the bands that went on to be one of the biggest bands of the 90's? From what I can tell, it's basically impossible to determine whether a copy is an original 1990 copy or a subsequent repress from the many years that followed. It's quite nice in a way - much like the quote about cans of Coke on the back of the sleeve: "all Cokes are the same and all Cokes are good".

Anyway, a year and a half later I found this very (suspiciously) mint 12" copy at a record fair in Southampton. My Manics collection was in full swing my that point so it obviously had to be bought. I certainly don't play it often, but it's nice to be reminded of the bands early days every now and again.

Format: 12"
Tracks: 4
Cost: £5.50 second hand
Bought: Record fair, Southampton
When: 29/07/01
Colour: Black
Etching: Side B: "Motown wot!"
mp3s: no