d'angelo - voodoo - classic or dud?

(Then again I don't really look to music for sexiness. I only bring up all this sexiness stuff because of the way Tracer Hand and some others have talked about this album on other threads.)

maybe not obvious but the songwriting isnt as great as everything else on the record.

I could never get hugely into this record though everytime i read something by Tracer saying how magnificent it is i go back to it and WANT to love it but it never works.

right. in a way, voodoo is a little over laboured and thus hard to penetrate. difficult listening isnt always as great as it sounds in concept.

I'd definitely say Classic.

The S.E.X question

i prefer having sex to rock music or jazz like in a silent way than R&B.

totally disagree with shakey about the buried tracks/muddiness. that's exactly what I like about the album, and the fact that most modern rnb is brightshinyclean turns me off of it.
nick, you should know that the trick to getting those details to surface is to inhale drugas.

I think in that other thread I talked about this as non-climax sex music, which still sounds about right to me.

I won $5 on a bet with my roomy not too long ago on the fact that, yes Kevin, Charlie Hunter does play on this album. A lot.

This album on the boombox guarantees I will get something done around my house, be it the dishes or cunnilingus.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, March 1, 2005 2:20 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^^^thats a pretty good recommendation

i like voodoo but i get a sense it was dangelo really trying to make an album he thought he 'should' make, and be the type of artist he was trying to be, rather than just be him...

this album has a crazy detailed wikipedia page btw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_(album)

this thread is a bit sad

pretty much my favourite album of all time, the slow release hooks and choruses are masterful. So many fantastic tunes

Just listening to this today for the first time in years while cleaning the house. Great album.

i like voodoo but i get a sense it was dangelo really trying to make an album he thought he 'should' make, and be the type of artist he was trying to be, rather than just be him...

― uk grime faggot (titchyschneiderMk2), Monday, January 26, 2009 2:03 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

haha such a titchy post

maybe the single best album i've listened to due to ILM enthusiasm. heard it for the first time only a couple years back (smdh).

2nd best album ever.

dunno, maybe best album ever

These 'slow release hooks' must be really subtle because this album still washes over me. Must try harder (I loved Brown Sugar fwiw).

Geez, maybe I need to revisit. Bought it used three or four years back a looong time after I'd first considered purchasing it, and it just didn't connect for me. It might have something to do with D'Angelo's tic of singing every line a little more than hair behind the beat, a neat idea in theory which ends up ratcheting everything up another order of difficulty (it's forbidding enough to begin with with). Chances are that I just don't get it, but something Dave Marsh said in an interview a few years back stuck with me - he suggested that "Voodoo" was basically a failed attempt to capture the vibe of "There's A Riot Goin' On." Generally I don't trust Marsh on music after the 1980's, but I'm a giant "Riot" fan and "Voodoo" still kinda leaves me cold.

It took a long time to connect with me and Marsh is wrong.

i mostly see it as a successful attempt to capture the vibe of a d'angelo album

Ha, well I'll check it out again, then. Does he do that behind-the-beat thing on "Brown Sugar" too?

its a 'vibe' album largely, not a song one (though yes, it does have a few great songs on it).

its not really trying to recreate the riot atmosphere exactly, but it is something similar, that same sort of very slurred, hazy, drunken kind of vocals and ambience, though the clarity of the sonics are far too good to = riot. the main prob with voodoo is that cos it took so long to make and nothing has come after it you can throw a million things at it (fair and unfair) and it has to stack up to all of them, rather than simply be an evolutionary, feeling-my-way-around-for-something-new album which is what it seemed to be.

this album is so much more about sex than 'riot'

True true

Quit thinking about it so much and just vibe out to it.

There's A Sex Going On

when all the tiny d'angelos suddenly snap out of their unconnected mumblings and sing "i won't steer you wrong!" it still gives me shivers right down my spine.

his label should just do what labels used to do and release outtakes and leftovers from these sessions in place of anything new from him. id like to see what else they came up with, stuff that wasnt in the same mood as what made it on the album. have heard a few outtakes over the years but there must be more - apparently there was a title track that went on for about 20 mins. admittedly this might be better on paper than to listen to but id still like to hear it.

ohhhhh shiiiiiiit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etxFu7HgeB0

I'm glad he's actually working but... kinda weak tbh. he can't really do that James Brown showman stuff with any dexterity.

he hasn't played a show in over a decade? too bad you can't have a low-profile warm up show these days.

I was expecting something more low-key tbh! not this sort of classic soul revue schtick

well that's what he did (prince/jb worship) for the whole voodoo tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jajpnAAXJaI

i did wonder if he'd go back to it tbh, or do a brown sugar-era sitting-at-the-rhodes thing.

I love how the guitarists in these kinds of bands are always like statues

fwiw jesse johnson (of The Time) was supposed to play guitar on this tour, but i guess he had something else to do. so they got the dude with the most similar name, jef lee johnson.

lol

yeah I thought Jesse left the Time tour to do this...?

i'm just going off this: http://www.okayplayer.com/news/dangelo-2012-tour-diary-pt-1-he-got-on-the-plane.html (lol first time i've looked at okayplayer in years).

Then there’s the newbies; Chris Dave – Rick Rubin’s favorite drummer (sacrilegious I know); Ray Angry – our boy from The Roots who’s subbing for Cleo Pookie Sample (gotta love a n**ga named Pookie). Jesse Johnson; who’s a beast but had another commitment so we have Jeff Lee Johnson–killing it.

I'm glad he's actually working but... kinda weak tbh. he can't really do that James Brown showman stuff with any dexterity.

you're crazy, this is fucking great

so is "charade"

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/01/dangelo_stockholm_new_songs.php

aw man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs_2JKTHYJU

here's good audio of "sugar daddy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMS3pEIxDZo

I will pay top dollar to see this man.

Good to see Pino is still on bass.

oh shit

otm

piano medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu1etLden10

and uh bowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_Sw5Pl3mQY

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/mixtape-mondays-sam-champ-x-okayplayer-dangelo-live-mixtape.html

is that new live stuff or old?

think its all old

holy shit he's looking good, looking happy

this one is killing me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw4zJN-r_VM

Seeing him Friday night...looking forward to it but methinks he's been studying Prince a little too hard...

guys, you're getting me excited here.

methinks he's been studying Prince a little too hard

nothing new there!

please to be posting in this thread if anyone hears about D playing NYC; he is a big bucket list musician for me to see live.

Seeing him Friday night...looking forward to it but methinks he's been studying Prince a little too hard...

― The Pastiche Liberation Front (sonnyboy), Wednesday, 1 February 2012 19:17 (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

me too! i am so excited it is absurd. i think 'one mo gin' is my favourite song ever made, so if he doesn't play it i'll be disappointed

hype hype

damn, ilx london fap at d'angelo -- i'm jealous

if u see a 7 foot goonish looking german guy with diamond earrings by all means say hi

money boy in the building

lol

i didn't see this thread til now, i am totally going tonight - feel free to holla at me, anyone else who's going

been immersing myself in voodoo & brown sugar today :)

so rum is what you're saying?

that was last night :(

haha forks

half my twitter timeline reads "d'angelo"

i am so hyped! i have 45 minutes in which to coax my body into moving now

really really wish i was in britain right now and i NEVER say that

hah

the piano section was.............!!!!!

lmao still @ his outfit

lex we need to meet at one of these shows sooner or later!

so utterly jealous of you guys

OTM

fucking fucking FUCK

to make matters worse i actually was in brixton last night and still didn't go :(

so utterly jealous of you guys

― J0rdan S., Saturday, 4 February 2012 03:20 (6 hours ago) Bookmark

sad otm :(

the piano section was.............!!!!!

so lol. he's such a tease, all those false endings. how you gonna do the entire brown sugar album as a medley though!

lmao still @ his outfit

a swiftly divested jacket, a vest so oversized that it looked like a dress, and so low cut (well beneath the pecs) that he might as well not have bothered. girl next to me kept talking to herself between every song, "please let him take off his clothes please let him take off his clothes".

lex we need to meet at one of these shows sooner or later!

yes! god, getting there was such a trial for me though, nearly went to the O2 instead because i...hadn't bothered reading anything properly beforehand. then when i got to the venue just before his stage time was sent on a wild goose chase to like 3 different places to pick up press tkts. it was all good though cuz he came on half an hour late anyway (and played well beyond the 11pm curfew, haw - only other artist i've seen do that is erykah, naturally).

um anyway amazing show! that version of "shit, damn, motherfucker" was kind of epic. "devil's pie" another definite highlight. the new song "sugar daddy"!!!!! omg such fun to dance to, you felt your feet making all sorts of moves within four bars. i didn't quite expect him to be so RAW live - his seduction is so smooth on record and then live he's just wild.

to make matters worse i actually was in brixton last night and still didn't go :(

to make matters worse (for you), between us melissa and i had three spare +1s that the stupid PR neglected to inform us about, and i only realised when i was literally picking my tickets up (and was rushing to get inside before he came on). ugh so many people i know would've loved those

Tpp seven foot goonish type? I said hello and you blanked me! Unless there was a few different giants there. Was near the back. Couldn't see lex but never saw the thread when you posted, so I wasn't looking.

Omg the show was amazing. I went in just thinking I'd be glad if he was looking healthy and hadn't ruined his voice but god damn! He killed it. I've never seen someone have such control over the crowd. And voice was incredible, and sustained all night.

Otm on the shit damn motherfucker. Also he seemed to have been watching a lot of James brown and... Zeppelin maybe? That kind of wall of amplified blues guitar on some of the Voodoo stuff, plus the solo-ing stuff made me think of them anyway.

Great night, hope I don't have to wait twelve years to do it again.

He seemed to be really enjoying himself which made it even better, knowing the troubles from the Voodoo tour.

yeah he was totally full of life and seemed to be having a ball

some incredibly funky guitar riffs too - that live version of "brown sugar", the crowd had slightly thinned at that point (lucky i'd stuck around, i didn't think he was gonna come out again) so there was lots of room to dance

i was front right, good vantage point even if i did have to put up with some bad behaviour as detailed in show etiquette

Yeah had a pretty good time...Jesse Johnson was a pretty inspired choice as guitarist...he was great...some of the new material was great but I did feel like he was trying to mimic a Prince gig from '83 he's not quite in that league...got the feeling that great swarthes of the crowd weren't up for a 10 min drum solo and P-funk guitar theatrics when they paid to see some 90's neo soul loverman soul...and Brown Sugar don't work as a James Brown funk workout...The Parliament cover and solo piano section (very very Prince) was good though...

Yeah the people I went with weren't really down for the massive solos while I was lapping it up.

I was stood by a short dude w/ a fro, who I think was pilled off his face so you weren't the only one dealing w/ show etiquette bullshit lex. Amusingly he went for a piss and came back, losing his girlfriend and standing 10 feet from her/us, spending the rest of the show confused as to where she was despite being plainly right next to him.

Hold on

http://www.pitchfork.com/news/45337-listen-james-blake-remixes-dangelo/

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Mr. Blake on some sort of 'oh I'm so pure about my songs I would NEVER let them be remixed' trip? I guess he figures the other way around is all right by him...

wait what Parliament song did he do

ned i think he was trying to make a different point about artists doing remixes (and/or labels commissioning remixes) in a cynical way, i.e. just for marketing and $ reasons.

which i can totally see, since after he blew up i'm sure he was getting tons and tons of emails from people wanting to do or get a remix just to get in on the hype. but he's been doing these unofficial remixes for a long time.

btw i can't wait for a 10 min chris dave solo

i am gonna cop to liking this

ned i think he was trying to make a different point about artists doing remixes (and/or labels commissioning remixes) in a cynical way, i.e. just for marketing and $ reasons.

...yeah, call me not sold on that. (IE, I take the larger point, I just don't necessarily trust him to be the one saying it.)

not to derail the d thread, but i'm curious why you say that?

is someone gonna answer my question

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruz7qbcJsT8

OH SHIT

shakey mo otm

yeah that was def a highlight. damn

very well chosen, probably the most D'Angelo-esque song in Parliament's catalog

http://read.mtvhive.com/2012/02/16/dangelo-new-album/

How many songs will be on the album then?

All together, there’s over 50 songs that he’s cut since we started. I think he wants to put 12 songs on the album.

What’s your favorite song on the project at the moment?

I don’t think he’s done it live yet, but there’s an untitled song right now that I think is going to be like another “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” for this album. It’s going to be a monster song.

on the other hand, fuuuuuuuck

Does the new album have a release date yet?

He actually really wanted to finish a couple a years ago but he’s written a few new songs since that time, so now we have four new songs and we’ve been working on those for the past six months or so. He wants to finish it as soon as possible, but once he gets into the studio he gets into his own zone and he’s on D’Angelo time and nothing else really matters.

Actually, the Beatles is one of our blueprints, I think, for this album. This one is definitely gonna be soul, funk, rock — if there’s such a thing. It’s all mixed in there together — there’s a big fusion element in each song.

d'angelo doing the beatles, i'm crying y'all

as long as this album is in the Detox/Chinese Democracy phase of "only supporting musicians and producers give interviews about it, say lots and lots of exciting but vague things" i'm not really expecting anything

ha, i like that at the end of the interview they're all like "hey btw check out the video that sent d'angelo's life spinning out of control"

i think people are a little dramatic about that, most artists' biggest successes probably fucked with their head a little bit but it's not like you're personally goading them by continuing to enjoy that work

i can't blame anybody but D quite frankly; Erykah looked for a little while like she might jump the tracks but she was strong enough to get it together and it didn't look like D was
really hope he's got it back in order, will buy this album, will see him play anywhere anytime. still a little wary.

New Amerykah Part One and BLACKsummers'night are really the precedents i'll be folding my arms waiting to see if this can live up to, more than Voodoo

i'm not super excited by the idea of more rock & pop influences, although that's clearly been a part of the shows ('charade', the bowie cover, the guitar stuff, etc.). still totally confident that it's going to be a dope record. at the very least, it'll be interesting - the dude does not half-ass anything, and there's something really engaging about knowing that every note has been considered and obsessed over.

wahtever happened to maxwell? wasn't he all 'oh yeah ive recorded 3 albums to release in 3 years here is the first'?

yeah that is VERY frustrating to me, i loved that album and i'm like c'mon where's the rest

i know, right. clearly he did not have another two records in the can.

maybe he's just waiting for chris dave to be done touring with d'angelo, erykah, and everybody else?

nah, he's just got his cash in order and is probably working through his good times. man, to be maxwell and single...

wahtever happened to maxwell? wasn't he all 'oh yeah ive recorded 3 albums to release in 3 years here is the first'?

― a hoy hoy, Friday, February 17, 2012 4:26 PM (56 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah that is VERY frustrating to me, i loved that album and i'm like c'mon where's the rest

― some dude, Friday, February 17, 2012 4:27 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

THIS. I'm still going back to BLACKsummersnight regularly. 'Bad Habits' and 'Pretty Wings' are impeccable.

Looking forward to a new D'angelo album but listened to Voodoo again recently and well don't think it's very good to be honest...not terrible but not great...

so we don't have suggest ban anymore, huh?

d'angelo doing the beatles, i'm crying y'all

me too :((((((

luckily i assume it's just a bs comparison that doesn't mean anything and won't have anything to do with how it actually sounds

to be sure beatles influences do as much harm as good these days but y'know what lex just shut the fucking fuck up

yeah he's not gonna suddenly turn into oasis ffs.

another live show hit the net. this time Stockholm.

Setlist:

Playa Playa
Feel Like Makin’ Love [Roberta Flack Cover]
Ain’t That Easy
Devil’s Pie
Chicken Grease
The Line (Intro) > The Roots
The Charade
I’ve Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body) [Parliament Cover]
Shit, Damn, Motherfucker
Keys Solo
Tribute > Moment of Silence
D’Angelo Solo Medley
Another Life
Sugah Daddy
Space Oddity [David Bowie Cover]
Brown Sugar

link?

link via this site: http://www.heavysoulbrutha.com/2012/04/dangelo-live-in-stockholm-2-2-2012.html

ayy http://www.pitchfork.com/news/46392-dangelo-announces-first-us-show-in-ten-years/

every time a news item about D'Angelo is accompanied by a picture of young sex symbol D'Angelo, i picture ?uestlove shouting "no, you're going to make him go back into hiding!"

yeah... he should take some new press photos

yeah i wonder if any photos from him in the past 10 years exist that aren't that aren't that mugshot or concert pics shot from the audience

there was one i think i posted in here a while ago that he posed for backstage at some show last year but def not anything 'professional'

he's gotten pretty buff again

okay player ran this photo http://static.okayplayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Dangelo_Live_guitar.jpg

that guitar has a pretty irregular border, he should have a dermatologist check it out

couple of pictures from brixton

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQUwx1xTB44/Tz5D-k9_qyI/AAAAAAAAFs0/STPGziRfw8E/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2012-02-17%2Bat%2B12.10.59.png
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9e5Mk3IBAWg/Tz5EE_UCVaI/AAAAAAAAFtA/e6R8HqIh-BU/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2012-02-17%2Bat%2B12.11.08.png

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/201206/dangelo-gq-june-2012-interview?printable=true

http://www.gq.com/images/entertainment/2012/06/dangelo/dangelo-02.jpg

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2i0726Hnf1qdot54o1_500.gif

"Black stardom is rough, dude," Chris Rock tells me when I reach him to talk about D. "I always say Tom Hanks is an amazing actor and Denzel Washington is a god to his people. If you're a black ballerina, you represent the race, and you have responsibilities that go beyond your art. How dare you just be excellent?"

After Brown Sugar went platinum, Rock put D'Angelo on The Chris Rock Show. Later, when D was mixing Voodoo, Rock hung out some in the studio. No surprise, then, that the first thing out of Rock's mouth after "Hello" is a joyful "He's back!" But he adds a sobering downbeat: "D'Angelo. Chris Tucker. Dave Chappelle. Lauryn Hill. They all hang out on the same island. The island of What Do We Do with All This Talent? It frustrates me."

xpost lol I hope that GIF lives on forever

i'd kick it on that island

altho i think chris tucker moved to the island of Wait, I Owe How Much In Back Taxes?

he's housesitting for Wesley while he's away

d plays the guitar

http://www.gq.com/video/videos/dangelo-video

SHOW ME THE ALBUM

d's only 5'7"? now i love him even more.

he's playing my fav funkadelic song

haha wow that is an awesome random song for him to bust out

Could listen to him noodling around and singing allllllllll day.

that whole GQ story is quite excellent. highly recommended.

For all I know this is all over, but I've never seen this before:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU1CS_NKhlM

Nice.

echoing other comments, the GQ thing is great. he comes across as such a nice dude.

killing me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs_2JKTHYJU

http://soundcloud.com/funk-it-blog/dangelo-solo-medley-january-29

Gah, first time in 3 years I've missed Bonnaroo, and it's the one he shows up at:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/dangelo-back-in-the-u-s-a/

There was nothing tentative about D’Angelo’s performance. He took his place at keyboards and floated his voice into the opening of Hendrix’s “Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland),” pitched right where his tenor glides into falsetto. He had the yowl for Sly and the Family Stone’s “Babies Makin’ Babies,” the shout for the Beatles’ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” and a blues-rock wail for Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be”; his phrasing was spontaneous and sure. And when he was not singing, he was fully engaged in the instrumental jams.

this guy

his piano playing is so casually funky

what's up with all the covers

it was an unannounced appearance at an 'after-party' type tent performance after The Roots' main festival set, D is probably waiting for a proper headlining show to do his own songs

ah that makes sense

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/dangelo-performs-at-bonnaroo-thanks-to-questlove-video/2012/06/11/gJQA5apEVV_blog.html

fuck i wanna see this guy so bad

I was there, about 20 feet away from the man... it was utterly life-affirming. So much joy and effortless singing and playing. The highlight of the festival for me.

I mean... effortlessly brilliant singing and playing...

full set! http://soundcloud.com/hypetrak-1/dangelo-x-questlove-bonnaroo

wait D is performing at the BET awards tonight

thank you, tivoing now

i will be missing the jones beach show with melanie fiona and mary j with the solid hope that an nyc date is looming

what song is he going to do!!!!

Peep it:
http://gawker.com/5922750/heres-dangelos-first-televised-performance-in-twelve-years

yeeeaaaah

lol @ "25 1/2 y'all"

mad he didn't do untitled for longer but fuck that ruled

i'm glad that he did untitled at all!

quality soundboard recording from jazz fest set in the netherlands last week:

http://soundcloud.com/okayplayer/live-the-north-sea-jazz-fest-8

the whole thing is good, but really feeling the 2nd half (starting around 32:00)

The Liberation tour: Mary J. Blige and D'Angelo
Sun, 08/26/12
Washington, DC
Verizon Center

Tour dates for the D'Angelo/Mary J. Blige Liberation Tour are below (more expected to be announced):

Aug. 18 -- Virgina Beach, Va., Farm Bureau Live
Aug. 19 -- Wantagh, N.Y., Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach
Aug. 21 -- Boston, Bank of America Pavilion
Aug. 23 -- Holmdel, N.J., PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 26 -- Washington D.C., Verizon Center
Aug. 29 – Miami, AmericanAirlines Arena

20 shows total are planned

Hmmm, pre-sale on now. $104 a ticket for far end of arena lower down; $80 something for nosebleed seats; best seats -- a lot

aw that concert recording got taken down :(

:(

mary/d shows are outta my reach; guess i'm waiting for nyc show

hmmm missed his show tonight...

Gonna try to catch them here. MJB is always good, and D'Angelo was great years ago.

If you were going to trim this album down to approx 60 minutes in length, which tracks would you leave off?

I think I'd be tempted to get rid of:
3. "Left & Right" (feat. Method Man & Redman) 4:46
5. "Send It On" 5:57
11. "Greatdayindamornin' / Booty" 7:35

Leaving:
1. "Playa Playa" 7:07
2. "Devil's Pie" 5:21
4. "The Line" 5:15
6. "Chicken Grease"4:36
7. "One Mo'Gin" 6:15
8. "The Root" 6:33
9. "Spanish Joint" 5:44
10. "Feel Like Makin' Love" 6:22
12. "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" 7:10
13. "Africa" 6:13

Want to play this at our record club tomorrow, but we have a 60-minute time limit.

would switch out devil's pie and send it on with those restrictions.
and possibly untitled withgreatdayindamornin depending on what day you found me

Can't endorse the cutting of send it on

Yeah, don't leave out "Untitled." That's dumb.

i would cut zero seconds of this album least of all "send it on," jesus christ

anyway the re-issue of this is so great, the new liners were a great read

who wrote em?

Just take off your shirt and flex at anyone that tries to pull the album after an hour

Gotta leave Untitled in - the rest of the guys wont have heard it before, and I'd need to explain the album's legacy (and hence that video) in my introduction to it.

Left & Right just feels jarring to me now (mainly for Method and Red, though they might be good orienting devices for one guy who's a Wu fan).

No one else at our little club has heard it at all, and I think it'll be a very difficult record to get a handle on for them.

Switch in Send it On for Africa. Untitled works as a great closer.

man, africa is timeless; be real

yeah "Africa" is too great

love ?uestlove's homage to "I Wonder U" on that

nick i think it's nice you're starting a record club at an old-folks home, but really i think the time limit is unnecessary, what else are these people gonna do with their day

It's been pointed out to me that Send It On's the one with the mournful horns, so that's staying.

i am frankly not a fan of devil's pie in context of this album

How come?

feels awkward and rockish-y to me; always has

who wrote em?

― thomp ynchon (some dude), Monday, January 7, 2013 10:32 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark

jason king... which made it extra funny when people were trying to slander him for that r&b thing

also never a big fan of untitled, historical importance be damned

i mean some of it is of course redundant if you know the history/mythology of the album but there's still some really good technical stuff (a lot about the timing of the drums and the bass) plus some interesting historical connections made

for christ's sake, forks

I Love Africa but if time is a concern it makes sense to x it.

time being a concern is at odds with the very ethos of this album, so it doesn't even make sense to me to discuss it

Yeah, Voodoo kind of bends time.

I don't know. The mumbled lyrics in Devil's Pie are all "gotta get up, get outta bed, get some coffee, and go to work. I don't have time to kiss you there."

xpost

Read what ?uestlove has to say about working with D'Angelo here. Crazy shit.

http://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/8474-5-10-15-20-uestlove/

what the fuck could possess a human being to be hating on "devil's pie" and/or "untitled"

then there's this, which i remember reading years ago but was apparently written before voodoo came out:

http://web.archive.org/web/19991114212019/http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews.htm

at the time ?uest says that meth & red's verses had been taken off in favor of q-tip's original one, that lauryn was still going to be on "feel like makin' love" (also says that dilla was producing it, but it sounds like the regular band to me), and mentions a bunch of interludes that didn't make the cut.

not hating on either one; calling them the weakest tracks on a top ten all time album and thematically a little off

I made people turn up early, and played the whole thing. (I was gonna skip Greatdayindamornin but that was when the takeaway arrived, so it soundtracked the unpacking and eating of Lebanese food.)

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/dangelo-voodoo-round-44-nicks-choice/

questo sez

"If this record is not turned in by February, then something is extremely wrong. Because we worked to the bone in the entire month of January just to tighten up all the loose ends."

kept his dealers away?

Total dud.

Tuneless, meandering jams that I'm sure were a blast to witness in person. Tedious in all other instances.

I drank the Kool Aid with this album. But fuck that. Just sold my original vinyl copy (played maybe thrice) for $50 the other day (dude was in the record store and was like, "Name your price!" when he saw it — in retrospect, I should've aimed higher).

Love how Maxwell has released not one, but two, albums that are better in every aspect since Voodoo came out.

(yes, I went there)

smh

wow, Austin went there

kept his dealers away?

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, January 27, 2013 5:22 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

d'angelo's problem isn't drugs

smh

I know. I should've gone for at least 75.

well, not his only problem.

bummed i missed out on the voodoo vinyl reissue. ;_;

maybe not right now. but he has been in rehab twice for coke, booze, etc. xp

I thought his problems were drugs related to his problems with the perfectly cut image he'd created....?

xxpost

i mean the image thing i'm sure fucked with his head but i'm sure it's not like a Walk Hard "oh i hate how people want to see my six pack! ::picks up bottle::" scenario

i go through periods of being very "fuck this dude" like Austin tbh

i go through periods of being very "fuck this dude" like Austin tbh

Well, to be democratic about this, it's not entirely his fault that I never have liked him.

But it is his fault that he can't write a song to save his life.

I thought his problems were drugs related to his problems with the perfectly cut image he'd created....?

xxpost

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, January 27, 2013 9:32 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

i think his problems now are all creative

weren't you the same guy who hated that Mystikal record? your crazy opinions are inspiring

(except i too think Maxwell, especially BLACKsummer'snight, is waaaaaaaaaay overlooked, so uh you got me there)

xp

i mean the image thing i'm sure fucked with his head but i'm sure it's not like a Walk Hard "oh i hate how people want to see my six pack! ::picks up bottle::" scenario

I'm just quoting the PR, which like most PR has to find a psychological origin for indulgences.

(except i too think Maxwell, especially BLACKsummer'snight, is waaaaaaaaaay overlooked, so uh you got me there)

xp

― berner herzog (fadanuf4erybody), Sunday, January 27, 2013 7:46 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not overlooked on ILM. There is much love for Maxwell here.

Heard the reason behind that Blige tour was to test the water in a safe way, since she is post rehab, too, and keeps things clean.

i think his problems now are all creative

not from what i've heard from people who have been on tour with him, but whatever. none of us really know what's going on, i just hope he puts his record out and doesn't self-destruct doing it.

either/or love for artists confuses the hell out of me. who's forcing that dichotomy?

HEAR THAT, HELEN? It's the Mystikal - "Hit Me" thread

I think his problem more than anything is the pressure to live up to the genius of Voodoo.

he can't write a song to save his life.

― Austin, Sunday, January 27, 2013 6:40 PM Bookmark

This is the single wrongest thing ever written on ILM, even the Hongro oeuvre.

Agree xp

Pick any Maxwell song from Now or BLACKsummersnight and it's a more well-written overall song than anything D'Angelo has ever done.

And then, Maxwell has two other albums.

I'm just trying to level the playing field by saying: look what this guy has done and what D'Angelo hasn't.

And my crazy opinions can only be blamed on not listening to the radio enough.

(joking)

your false dichotomy game is outrageous

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that - joking - refers to everything you've written in this thread.

xp

^^^D'Angelo fanboys.

Slash apologists.

Max has done two near masterpieces/near sold out world tours and your boy has done a few shows that got lukewarm reception, if that.

For posterity, here's actual new Max material:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1OvxV3HFho

at least you're doing some service to this thread now

^^^The Rev just got converted, ya'll!!!

bummed i missed out on the voodoo vinyl reissue. ;_;

did you?

http://lightintheattic.net/releases/809-voodoo

^^^The Rev just got converted, ya'll!!!

― Austin, Sunday, January 27, 2013 9:42 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol. Maxwell is very beloved on here.

Slash apologists.

?

yes he went there

this is the only time Maxwell can ever be held up as a productive and prolific artist who tours and releases albums alllll the time

haha so otm

Yes, in comparison to D'Angelo, even a slacking, tour twice a decade, release albums as sporadically while promising so much more, infuriating-yet-ultimately-rewarding musical personality like Maxwell is obviously better.

Though I'd argue that, even if D'Angeo had hypothetically released three or four albums over the last decade, Maxwell would still have the better catalogue.

Which he does in reality as well.

Well no, not a fanboy. But the ridiculous hyperbole doesn't help. Only a fool would suggest what it is you're saying with a straight face.

Africa is my descent
And here I am far from home
I dwell within a land that's meant
For many men not my tone

The blood of god is my defense
Let it drop down to my seed
Showers to your innocence
To protect you for all eternity
And with this wood I beat this drum
And we won't see defeat

From kings to queens becomes a prince
Knowledge wisdom is
Understanding what we need

Ever since the day you came
My whole world began to change
I knew then to dedicate my life
For your own
Everyday I see you grow
And remember what you already know
I receive the love
That radiates from your glow

From which you came was love
And that's how it all should be
You and my soul are I
Though all the time and history

D'angelo vs Maxwell might be a tough poll tbf.

austin we looooove maxwell here and maybe if you looked at threads about him you'd know that instead of playing some bullshit "play the 'neo-soul' guys against each other" bullshit

go revive a badu thread to talk about jill scott

wish i could live in a world where it was possible to love both maxwell and d'angelo

me too, sad days

haha i said bullshit twice

worthy

Yeah, I get that critics really tried to turn that into a thing in the late 90's and Maxwell got shorter shrift out of the whole deal but it was unwarranted then and now the idea of fixating on it just seems ridiculous.

How obvious.

But I mean, people STILL fawn and romanticize over D'Angelo while there's someone who has been, in context, quite active in his absence. And better in every aspect.

I guess I just got converted like I haven't been a fan of Maxwell since "Ascension". Amazing evangelism on your part, Austin, and I thank you.

And, to be fair, I dislike Erykah and Jill for the same reasons I dislike Max.

wait, what?

You just hate everyone now

But I mean, people STILL fawn and romanticize over D'Angelo while there's someone who has been, in context, quite active in his absence. And better in every aspect.

― Austin, Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:23 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Havent got there yet actually, still too busy with my post no-limit romanticizing,

has Austin posted about Miguel

i think he wrote this about miguel: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/11/ocean-weekend-miguel-best.php

lol

^was coming here to post that piece, too slow

Is that really him?

nah jokes

No, not me.

I try to waste my time with people that are clearly only cogs.

And imagine writing for the Village Voice. I'd pretty much have to become the person that I want to punch on the bus every morning before even considering it.

I will, however, take this opportunity to plug my real blog: http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com/

Warning: no posts about D'Angelo v. Maxwell there.

TRY NOT.

Jeez, as if you guys didn't hate me enough already.

listening to blacksummersnight for the first time o_o

Flag post.

sorry, a little off-topic but at least i didn't post my blog. xp

listening to blacksummersnight for the first time o_o

That bad, huh?

Why don't you, Matt?

(and to be fair, at least no one accused you of writing for the Village Voice)

i'm just glad that i have so much more maxwell in my future. and d'angelo.

xp fuck off retard

Ooops, you actually *do* write for the Village Voice?

(my initial invitation to post your link was genuine)

troll

xp
Ahh. Seemed too convenient.

xp
Some fawn over Maxwell others fixate on D'angelo. Stop acting as if there's a stock narrative to this.

These are two fiercely talented, multifaceted artists and your boneheaded blanket declarations of Maxwell's superiority does neither any justice.

Troll?

Me?

Hardly.

Just a kid who bought Voodoo when it was being touted as the next big thing and felt duped.

I will argue that D'Angelo is not talented, nor "multifacted."

Besides, if I was trolling, don't you think I'd be the one accusing other forum members of authoring unfavorable blog posts?

stop

I will argue that D'Angelo is not talented, nor "multifacted."

And I will laugh at you.

Yeah I'm done.

your blog posts and postings in this thread make me wanna give you a big hug and introduce you to tessa netting

Oh dear, how outcast am I?

Woe is me.

What shall I do?

Oh right: listen to Maxwell's wonderful music. And think about how I saw him in concert.

I laugh when D'Angelo releases nothing in 2013.

pwn

I've seen Maxwell in concert too bubba, funnily enough it didn't make me hate D'Angelo.

That is funny because I don't hate D'Angelo.

I just see his ever so obvious flaws.

And that's without having seen him attempting to play a guitar in person.

(hiyoooo!)

But honestly, look at the songs writes: they're aimless and non-directional. Really not good.

xpost: still too busy with my post no-limit romanticizing
― queef ka queef (Spottie_Ottie_Dope), Sunday, January 27, 2013

I missed that. Glad to know someone's keeping tabs on me here.

And that's without having seen him attempting to play a guitar in person.

measuring guitar playing ability, if not entirely objective, is at least a bit quantifiable. he plays the fucking guitar.

Hey I brought brews for everybody, lets all chill and watch a Prince concert film from 1993

did you?

http://lightintheattic.net/releases/809-voodoo

― Garth Brooks In ... The Life of (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

THANK YOU

http://www.brooklynbowl.com/event/234209
AAAAUUUUUGHGGH just found out about this, not sure when it was announced but holy fuck i am making so many calls

whoa

i got a ticket, i hope it's not just a bunch of covers

it'll be a bunch of covers, but not "just". hopefully.

fucking hell, how'd you hear about it jordan? was this a twitter thing?

?uestlove tweeted a couple days ago that something big was happening at BB and tickets were going to go super fast.

over/under on "untitled" going longer than 90 seconds

fucking hell, how'd you hear about it jordan? was this a twitter thing?

― forks is lucky he didn't get stabbed over a marilyn monroe cd (forksclovetofu), Friday, March 1, 2013 2:16 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

yeah i saw someone in my timeline RT something about it so i rushed to get ticks

found a connect who could sell me a single; i'm doing cartwheels
i've literally been waiting fifteen years to see this guy live.
sarg u wanna meet up?

i can't believe you just called sarge "sarg"

i was g00glepr00fing, way to faux pas

sarg tankian

SargDun

well that was fucking great

so you kicked it with sarge

how does it feel

d and ?uest went on two hours late. did covers of cosmic slop and new position, lotsa new material and most of it sounded great. Africa, the root, lady, alright. was pretty much just what i wanted. very noodly, very jam session. dude sounds great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-FxVl6bM8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6OCTjET8aE

:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfTZ2p25c9k

the "lady" jam was amazing

his voice sounded great all night but esp on "the line"

https://soundcloud.com/soundbetter/dangelo-questlove-brooklynbowl-complete

less "new music" and more "songs that were covers that I couldn't name" than i thought

I passed on a brand new copy of this for £1 in my local pound-land today. I thought about getting it, because I've heard v. good things, but every time I listen to it, nothing sticks. What's the attraction for people (genuine question)?

I'm kinda regretting not buying it anyway, cause I feel I'm missing some crucial element.... but really, how come this is so acclaimed in critical circles?

if you wouldn't spend $1.50 on a new copy of anything involving d'angelo let alone voodoo i think you're beyond help

yeah...

in my defense, there is barely any room left to put new CDs atm.

this is not an adequate defense, i know.

because every song on it is a jam????! i mean, if you doesn't grab you don't sweat it but i am having a hard time imagining anyone, much less somebody who posts on a discussion board called i love music, not hearing anything in a tough and beguiling song like "spanish joint"

lol @ this thread started by poster called "the_splooge"

appropriate imo

Tracer: well, I've only ever listened to it on spotify, which is probably not the best medium, but it just seems to drift endlessly, my eyes glaze over and I'm lost.

Still, it'll probably sound better on my stereo, so I'll head back tomorrow and grab it.

If you need something extra to get you kickstarted on "Spanish joint" keep in mind that Charlie hunter is playing the bass and lead guitar parts simultaneously on a crazy custom guitar thing

You know, if you need to distract yourself, delay the_splooge

It took me a lot of time to understand this album before it became the greatest thing ever.

Yeah it's not really THAT immediate. Although if the groove of Devils Pie doesnt move you from the jump then something may be really wrong with you.

i heard "Spanish Joint" for the first time in forever outta nowhere recently, that song is pretty nuts.

this is one of those albums that doesn't make a ton of sense playing it at moderate volume via some lossy mp3s on your computer, pop in the CD and turn it up loud and it makes perfect, beautiful sense. it's all about the details.

which is to say, but that CD for fuck's sake

i played it so loud the other week that my downstairs neighbor started banging on the ceiling

it was only 9 PM, he can fuck off

also that weird descending flutter thing in devil's pie.

HOW
DOES
IT
FEEL

can't see much here but they used to start off the show with that devil's pie guitar thing, everyone wearing robes and hoods, so sick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr5nYtxUfxw

Went back and bought this today.

After one listen on my stereo, I can tell I was missing an awful lot of detail from listening on my meager laptop speakers. I'm appreciating the grooves a lot more. Like someone said upthread, there are a lot of details to absorb. I dunno if I can consider it one of the greatest albums ever just yet, but I'm willing to entertain the notion, and look forward to the next few listens ahead!

How's Brown Sugar?

i've said this before but this album is like a dance record, imo

It took me a lot of time to understand this album before it became the greatest thing ever.

― old homophobic boom bap rap traditionalist (The Reverend), Wednesday, October 16, 2013 9:53 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i_splooged the first time i heard it

but it's true that it does just keep getting better & better

nah this is totally a slow grower, still not sure i've fully appreciated it yet

woah

http://insideplaya.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/an-open-letter-to-dangelo/

Hell of a read.

i made it like 15mins in to that red bull npr interview but it was really boring

there was some discussion on the other d'angelo thread...idk, i didn't find this super revelatory but i've been reading everything i can about about the dude for awhile. it's so bitter...like, if D had given him a proper thank you, would he no longer be a 'charlatan and a pimp'?

It seems more than that, doesn't it? Like, this guy was key to giving the guy his career, but also the implication is that in his absence D'Angelo's reputation as some sort of reclusive genius has only increased, yet this dude basically calls that out as a ruse, and that D absolutely needs someone around him providing direction and guidance to write or write well and actual produce. So that ties in with his resentment as one of those folks absolutely (allegedly) essential to D'Angelo and yet absent from the story. The thing is, D'Angelo's songs themselves aren't terribly earth shattering, are they? It's really the whole package, from production to approach. Frankly, I could imagine putting, say, ?uestlove and Pino Palladino in a room together with only the sketchiest of a song idea and getting something awesome out of it by the end of the day. By turning his back on all the people who helped him, D'Angelo makes it seem like he's the reclusive mastermind rather than the holdup. The lesson I got from this missive/rant is basically: this is what happens when you turn your back on all the people who helped you.

The dude made it sound like he was the only one who really helped D. The rant would have been more effective without the disses of Nelson George and others, and all the sanctimonious self-praise and bitterness.

Oh, absolutely, but it sounds like he was pretty essential, and iirc, it ends with basically D'Angelo asking him for help again after years of blowing him off and then going back to ignoring him again. Basically the behavior of an addict, really, and also par for the course from an act; the comments are illustrative in this case, basically saying you shouldn't be in this for thanks and credit. Then again, it's been 15 years between albums, so clearly something is missing from the equation when even the ace, dogged direction of ?uestlove can't get results.

if anything Gary Harris doesn't take as much credit or discredit D'Angelo as much as he could've in that post. he was the person who put D in the studio with Raphael Saadiq, who co-wrote the biggest singles on BOTH of D's albums, which is something that always made me kind of look askance at D's songwriting abilities.

i'm totally comfortable placing his genius in interpretation/performance/style/production rather than songwriting.

it doesn't take a psychiatrist to sense bad blood in that essay. without an unbiased appraisal, i'm taking it with a grain of salt. Looks like a good jumping off point for an article about the powers that brought D'Angelo to prominence and have continued to keep him levitating through this extended (and apparently self-abusive) fallow period... there's a few people in this thread who should have a go at that piece!

also the whole penultimate paragraph about dissing d'angelo's lack of 'funk' makes me think that he's a little deaf to what makes 'voodoo' special. sure, the saadiq single + sexy video blew it up in the first place, but that's not why it's continued to find a new audience over the last ~14 years.

i think its a direct response to stuff that was discussed in the recent RBMA/NPR thing too tho

re: "funk"

also the whole penultimate paragraph about dissing d'angelo's lack of 'funk' makes me think that he's a little deaf to what makes 'voodoo' special. sure, the saadiq single + sexy video blew it up in the first place, but that's not why it's continued to find a new audience over the last ~14 years.

― festival culture (Jordan), Wednesday, May 28, 2014 11:33 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

isn't he arguing that d'angelo isn't responsible for that part of the record, not that his albums lack it altogether

it seems pretty evident to me that d'angelo's albums were always collaborative efforts. that's the soulquarians era ... obviously though he brought something to the table or itd be electric circus lol

wasn't D "yoda" in that round table?

didn't D produce & play almost everything on 'brown sugar' himself? and yeah, voodoo is definitely the ultimate result of that collaborative era/space, but i don't think that takes anything away from him. i've read a lot about D writing all the basslines for pino, nudging the grooves around in Pro Tools to get the feel just right (although i can't find confirmation of that right now), and basically being involved in every aspect.

but i'm also sure that he needs people to push him in just the right fashion and is probably a nightmare to work with in any sort of conventional, professional way.

do we have anything approaching an actual reason that the album is not out beyond "D is kinda crazy"? Did George seriously not ask when the album was due? If so, that omission had to be some sort of contractual stipulation for the conversation to take place.

^my assumption as well

I assume that when this album eventually comes out it will be some Chinese Democracy-style trainwreck. if it ever comes out. nothing that gestates this long is ever any good (I certainly can't think of any precedents)

probably only going to get a posthumous release

Jordan: your assumption on the former, the latter or both?
Shakey, I disagree: the new songs i heard from d'angelo from the brooklyn bowl show sounded pretty dang good to me. my guess is that his label needs reassurance that D's mental state to a place where he can tour before they release the album and that's the hold up.

this discussion is getting kinda rockist fwiw

from what i understand the songwriting process for 'voodoo' was a bunch of people in a room jamming off of prince or sly or soul train until they came up with workable bits that then were molded into songs? i could be misremembering/projecting

it no doubt seemed collaborative but who cares? what does that take away from the music or even his legend, i don't get it.

Jordan: your assumption on the former, the latter or both?

the latter. although i've also wondered the same thing about the label waiting for not just the record but a full promo campaign, i know people who were on the recent tours and uh yeah.

from what i understand the songwriting process for 'voodoo' was a bunch of people in a room jamming off of prince or sly or soul train until they came up with workable bits that then were molded into songs?

that happened too from what i understand. seems like it was one approach among many (solo writing, co-writing, jamming, working with dilla & premier, etc).

i've always kinda assumed that he has tons of really good stuff finished for album 3 and it's just personal setbacks/insecurities keeping him from mixing it all down and sending it to the label.

i don't think it takes anything away from his talent that he's gotten help from a lot of people, every big star has gotten help from a lot of people, even the total inarguable geniuses. but it seems like he's sheltered himself in his golden boy aura for so long that it was just a matter of time before someone he never gave much public credit to decided to pull his card.

btw i played a show at the Brooklyn Bowl the other night and near the end i had this (silly) moment of "oh shit, this is right where D'Angelo was on this stage." :)

sure but that myth isn't really self-created, it's been built up by a lot of respected -- often important -- people. so maybe gary harris is kinda just a jealous asshole?

ime the music industry (on every level) is composed almost entirely out of people who are angry that their contributions have been underappreciated. from intern to frontman, logo designer to journalist, caterer to AR, publicist to programmer; thus has it always been forever and ever amen

tbf questlove is a class-A Rockist

I'm cool with D'Angelo as a vocal genius almost on par with Prince, as far as singing and arranging goes. But musically, he's no Prince, which is why he needs to lean on so many others. But that's cool, that's how a lot of music is made. Zeppelin songs are credited Page/Plant, by and large, but no way would I credit anything that band did to just those two. So it goes.

also the whole penultimate paragraph about dissing d'angelo's lack of 'funk' makes me think that he's a little deaf to what makes 'voodoo' special. sure, the saadiq single + sexy video blew it up in the first place, but that's not why it's continued to find a new audience over the last ~14 years.

― festival culture (Jordan), Wednesday, May 28, 2014 9:33 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Word. When I read that paragraph I was like "this makes sense if you've only heard Brown Sugar"

Has a single song ever sunk an otherwise 'perfect 10' album like "Left & Right?" Lordy, what a vibe-annihilator.

uhhh, can't get with this at all. do you just mean Meth & Red? because it's one of my favorite grooves on the record.

I very much dislike Left & Right. Coincidentally, shuffle spit this album up yesterday, and I was loving it so much, especially after so much Black Messiah, and then it hit L&R, and I gonged it pretty soon in.

But yeah, I assume he (as do I) mean Meth & Red mess it up. The groove is impeccable.

iirc D himself wasn't too enthused about their input (and tried to replace them with Q-Tip but was even less satisfied with his efforts), but whatever it's not a dealbreaker

L&R is the only D'Angelo acapellas i've found (which is probably why james blake remixed it), but it's amazing to hear his isolated harmonies.

nah, left and right is still one of his funkiest songs. its also especially good live, or at least it was in 2000.

uhhh, can't get with this at all. do you just mean Meth & Red? because it's one of my favorite grooves on the record.

― virtuoso thigh slapper (Jordan), Saturday, December 20, 2014 12:44 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, delete the bobbsey twins and it's totally redeemed imo. But as it is, it's the only track I skip.

btw I am a fan of both MCs but both were well past their prime by this point

I have a soft spot for left and right for some reason

Always thought this was a great use of d'angelos voice

http://youtu.be/Z7ErWMKlM3I

That was the only full versh of that track I could find plz ignore the hprrible student film

Omg I just watched the whole thing

meth & red are great on "left and right" any other opinion is objectively wrong

I look back at this thread and can't believe I still missed this record in 2011. Granted, I didn't actually pick it up until a coupla years before that after having it on my list for maybe half a decade, but it sure feels like Voodoo clicked with me more than three years ago. One of the pleasures of listening is that some of the best records can sneak up on you like that, and then, holy shit, so that's what everybody was talking about. I think digging into Dilla's oeuvre helped, too - at some point you come to the realization of just how epochal it was for these guys to actually devise a new way to swing, 2 decades after "Rapper's Delight" no less. But that realization isn't just academic - it actually changes the way you hear rhythm, until you wonder how you ever heard the asymmetrical lope of, say, "The Root," as anything but funkier than shit. Once you learn to listen to D's music on its own terms, I don't think you leave that headspace - the new one took about two listens to click.

Yeah, it clicked for me a few years earlier but I had a similar experience with Voodoo. It took me years to wrap my head around it. I'm pretty sure there's some thread here with me going into detail about why it's so overrated but now it's probably one of my top 5 albums ever.

btw I am a fan of both MCs but both were well past their prime by this point

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Saturday, December 20, 2014 5:11 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"Left & Right" single dropped weeks after Blackout!, which is basically a classic (albeit the last classic either of them would make). the song has a bit of a sore thumb quality in the context of the album, though, i go back and forth about how much i like it.

xp Great post, Futuristic.

some dude, I'm one of those guys who believes Red never lived up to his potential. You'd have thought after the Hit Squad posse cuts and the singles from Whut...Thee Album that dude was on his way to legendary status (see also: Jeru). Maybe he was never gonna be a Rakim or a Nas or a Biggie, but he was definitely primed to be part of that conversation. At least that's how it seemed back then.

Meth lost me at Tical. That's ground zero for the clownish personality he's cultivated ever since. I don't know, some people watch Seinfeld for Kramer though, what do I know.

yeah they both had kind of already changed the tone from their earlier careers at that point. i just think Blackout! is great for what it is.

Redman's career is so many lightyears beyond jeru's! I realize that wasn't the point but it needed saying.

Blackout is really fun. Def a personal classic

redman was basically dope from 1990-2000, not too many dudes can spin off a decade of consistent work, if anything i think his rep is underrated now

but he was also huge when i was in high school, like if you were a head or if you were a pop fan he was a big deal

Yeah otm

fuckin' love red, left and right is great, it's a bummer that he's so unconsidered these days
meth/red have quietly been dropping four tracks a year for half a decade feels like; this was the last thing that i got heavy into
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaGX6-tnKU4

Blackout! is easily my favorite Meth album and narrowly my favorite Redman album.

If it is better than Whut or Dare Iz A Darkside it must be good! Never heard it tbh.

man the hi-hats on that track

any thigh slaps on this one?

serviceable thigh slapping, nothing virtuosic tho

ok not interested in this album

blackout is a classic, not the best redman imo but still amazing

Futuristic OTM up there- after a solid week of Black Messiah, put on Voodoo and it sounds like Kind of Blue after Bitches' Brew.

Good analogy. I did that exact thing yesterday, and yes it does. In both cases I think I might prefer the gnarlier, abstracted later work. But there's no denying the classicness of the earlier one.

Just realised the gap between Voodoo and BM is 2 years longer than between KoB and Bitches Brew - damn.

what is that even supposed to mean

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZd_YyFzPD0

It doesn't mean anything except that it took D'Angelo a really long time to release another album. (Not that we're really comparing the two, but Miles released 11 albums, almost all classics, between KoB and BB.)

Sorry, meant that it's sort of strange that, in this age of supposed hyper -compressed attention spans, it's possible for an artist to remain in some way 'current' even with such a protracted absence, whereas, in the time between KoB and BB, as noted, Miles released 11 records, the Beatles had their entire career etc. It's nearly impossible to imagine any artist in popular music disappearing in 1959 and returning with a record in 1973 without it being a big 'comeback/ rediscovery' story (Art Pepper?) whereas with D'Angelo, it's acknowledged in every story that he's been away for a while, but there's no sense of him being an anachronism, a being landed from another era.

It has been 12 years since the last Peter Gabriel album of original material. If anything, I bet the work habits of D'Angelo and PG are surprisingly similar.

well, Peter Gabriel was 40 and had almost a dozen studio albums under his belt before he started releasing music more sporadically (like a lot of rich, middle-aged rock stars do). D'Angelo just turned 40 before releasing his 3rd album.

Well, tbf, there was also the matter of the drugs and whatnot. Been a few distractions at work. Kind of a shame he wasted so much time.

Just realized D'Angelo and I share a birthday. Same day, at least; he's a year older.

the flipside of hyper-compressed attention spans is that there is no narrative of general progress or development

anyway though i just wanted to cosign this

meth & red are great on "left and right" any other opinion is objectively wrong

― J0rdan S., Monday, 22 December 2014 00:01 (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

feel like makin love is just so absolutely perfect

Has a single song ever sunk an otherwise 'perfect 10' album like "Left & Right?" Lordy, what a vibe-annihilator.

― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Saturday, December 20, 2014 11:25 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

and yea otm, such a bummer, it is just meth & red otherwise it is a great tune, "liar liar set your pussy on fire" smh

fuckin dweebs

iirc D himself wasn't too enthused about their input (and tried to replace them with Q-Tip but was even less satisfied with his efforts),

― Dej & the Fommly Loaf (The Reverend), Saturday, 20 December 2014 18:40 Bookmark

with all due respect to d this only makes me love it more

every song on this perfect album is perfect

Watch D’Angelo & The Roots Rehearse A Very Funky Take Of “The Line” For Roots Picnic NYC

D'artist list.

Is this the best album of the 21st century so far? Maybe.

It’s a contender for sure

this is my favourite album of all time and i can't fathom being someone who thinks of it as a dud

this album only really opened up for me earlier this year but it's truly incredible

It can take some time to open up to you, yeah - take a look at my first comment in this thread and laugh

every song on this perfect album is perfect

― J0rdan S., Tuesday, 22 December 2015 19:28 (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

correct

(Tracer is never going to want to make out with us!)

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:06 (thirteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

..rong?

uhmm. . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ihpqq4wKE

https://www.discogs.com/Amerigo-Gazaway-DAngelo-Variation-Of-Voodoo-A-Tribute-To-DAngelo/release/15096894

anyone watching the verzuz? anyone else watching experiencing some connectivity issues?

This album sounds incredible. The production is superb. I think he was still growing as a writer though. Still learning about songwriting dynamics as opposed to great grooves and mood, ambience, musicianship, etc. Weird fact I learned in an Eddie Kramer interview was that electric lady went very quiet after the period that all the soulauarian guys recorded all their albums there.

this is a joy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyeUDsckMho
Chicken Grease (D'Angelo) - Bass and Drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ytLiEHuk0