Defend the Indefensible - Alanis Morissette

Fair point, Ian, but Ani's easier to ignore.

Her appearance at some strange Hyde Park concert that also featured Gary Glitter with The Who meant that one person tried to get our motley breakfast stoned hungover losers there in time to see her. We failed, of course, but had we not tried to see Morissette, we'd probably have missed Dylan too, which was the point of the day.

Ken L OTM. This is worth it.

Alex in NYC OTM (as always).

I've been scared to find out what she sounds like (I'm sure I've heard her, but I really genuinely don't remember any particular song or even sound), because of the way Shiina Ringo's early music is said to be similar in some ways, but now I find I kind of like "Ironic."

(Why does everything I listen to all sound like it has doumbeks in it? Is it just me?)

So maybe 90s revival critical reassessment time is at hand.

Is this guy playing a Duesenberg guitar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR6mEu5-egA

I think this is okay. A couple other songs were just kind of boring.

I like "You Oughta Know." I'm relieved to find out what she sounds like, not embarrassed.

I raise a Zima to the 90s.

This is wild:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUmQXnBPeb0

This is amazing.

Memorable as image, sexual politics, lyrics, whatever but as music?

Better as music than any of those other things. I like the rhythm and energy and crescendos and so on. I remember this song, but I can't remember at all whether I liked it at the time.

"How about getting off these antibiotics" is the first line of the song, that's wild.

I think "You Oughta Know" reminds me a bit of Neil Young's "Mr. Soul" (in terms of vocal rhythms, not nec. anything else).

I love "Thank You" so much :)

Some of these old Alanis Morissette threads are pretty mean.

This shit is fucking awesome. So weird that I am only reconnecting performer and music now.

The only ones I really don't like at all so far are the ballads.

ILM's poppism in revealed-as-largely-theoretical shockah.

gypsy mothra otm.

(at least at the time he made that post.)

"Hands Clean" is better than you remember.

I like that one. I guess I wasn't including that. Thinking especially of the ballads with piano.

I wasn't going to say it, but since so many people have put down her looks in comments on ILM, I think she's cute.

1995 was a peak year for me being out of touch with anything current (musically) in the English-speaking world, so in some ways the mystery is how I even heard some of these songs. (First half of the year was dominated by not being able to breathe through my nose thanks to sinus problems; the second half was when I tried to recover from being an invalid: taking Brazilian dance classes and that sort of thing.)

You Oughta Know that you made me imagine 1970-era Burton Cummings singing that song.

Burton has a light touch next to Alanis: "You Oughta Know" would need Rare Earth or Blood, Sweat & Tears or the Ides of March.

OK, it's not necessary to bring out the big guns.

Actually, I was never bothered by her vocal affectations - they seemed a lot more playful and eccentric than the oversouling of Clayton-Thomas or Joplin.

I’ve been in a room with her twice (once professional, once incidental). She seemed cool both times.

One can't say that about Burton Cummings.