I was never a Twitter guy. But since I enjoy Instagram, I thought I'd try my hand at Threads. It seems they are connected so there was no work involved other than coming up with witty things to say and interesting topics that will inevitably get shat on.
Last week, I posted this:
"Emotional Rescue" didn't stand a chance after "Some Girls." But it has aged beautifully.
So, great records overshadowed by the brilliant record right before it.
GO...."
One of the first replies was "Bowie- Diamond Dogs."
WRONG!
I politely replied, "I think you misundertood. 'Diamond Dogs' followed 'Pinups," and I don't think anyone thought 'Pinups' was greater than 'Diamond Dogs.'"
Things began to move forward rather nicely, with replies that made sense. Even if I didn't agree, at least I understood. "Zooropa" after "Achtung Baby," "Communique" after "Dire Straits," "Darkness..." after "Born To Run." Since Friday, my post has gotten 8,000 views.
But then, this guy weighed in.
"Emotional Rescue---the Stones' disco album."
That comment is in the same league as "Sgt. Pepper" is the greatest album of all time. If you say it enough, you'll believe it.
I'll say here what I said there. There isn't one disco song on "Emotional Rescue."
Then that guy said this, and let me just say, if you start your sentence with "Um, " you automatically lose.
"Um, the whole thing has a disco beat. I was working in a record store when it came out. I know it back to front."
Sorry, but he is not getting off easy. I said this:
"Um,
I don’t care where you were working. Two songs are danceable- Dance
and the title track. NEITHER sound like “I Will Survive” or “Night
Fever.” A funky beat is not disco. The rest of the album is typical
Stones rock and roll, a token reggae song - Send It To Me, a country
tune- Indian Girl, a Keef ballad- All About You- and rockers- Let Me Go,
Summer Romance, She’s So Cold, Where The Boys Go and a blues- Down In
The Hole."
Then the guy disappeared.
I was also working in a record store when "Emotional Rescue" came out, and I actually know the record back to front. Yes, the song "Emotional Rescue" made some geezer Stones fans angry at the time, but so did "Miss You." Mick's falsetto and Charlie's four on the floor somehow translated into "disco" for many, and that is not what fans of "Midnight Rambler" wanted to hear.
But as I suggested on Threads and now here, "Emotional Rescue" is hardly a disaster. As a matter of fact, because I rarely play it, it sounded fantastic.
And so good people of Burning Wood, Hall of Fame commenters and brilliant participants...when you are not anonymously trolling me like cowardly asshats...I ask you...
What records were overshadowed by the amazing records that preceded them?
And while you are Burning your Wood to come up with titles, please enjoy the two actual disco songs posted here.
42 comments:
vanwoert
said...
"The Hoople" which followed "Mott" suffered that fate.
- ‘Pretenders II’ following the eponymous debut. - Elvis Costello and The Attractions ‘Get Happy’ following ‘Armed Forces’. - Queen ‘A Day at the Races’ following ‘A Night at the Opera’. - Aerosmith ‘Draw The Line’ following ‘Rocks’. :)
Beatles Let It Be after Abbey Road Stones Goat's Head Soup after Exile On Main Street Clash Combat Rock after Sandinista! XTC Mummer after English Settlement Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline after John Wesley Harding and Self Portrait after Nashville Skyline Elvis Costello Punch The Clock after Imperial Bedroom Dusty Springfield A Brand New Me after Dusty In Memphis Van Morrison A Period of Transition after Veedon Fleece and Pay The Devil after Magic Time Elton John Rock of the Westies after Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Before I move on: that bass line on DLMTW -- is killer. When I started picking up the bass, I studied this one as much as any McCartney or Jamerson line.
When we talk about "overshadowed" -- are we talking about how they were received at the time? Or how history has treated them in the canon? I tend to fall back on older stuff here:
"Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" -- overshadowed by Nightmare Pretenders II mentioned above. Devo's "Duty Now For The Future" following "Are We Not Men?" I would argue "Candy-O" has been overlooked these days in favor of the Cars's debut (or if you think it hasn't -- "Panorama" certainly has after Candy-O") "Unmasked" after "Dynasty". :-)
I was going to mention The Cars' "Candy-O" after the S/T, but Shriner beat me to it.
So that leaves my other thoughts: Marshall Crenshaw's "Field Day" was overshadowed by the S/T debut. Big Country's "Steeltown" was overshadowed by "The Crossing". Hothouse Flowers' "Home" was overshadowed by "People" Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" was overshadowed by "Look Sharp"
Of course, these make my comment basically 'what sophomore albums were overshadowed by the artist's debut'. Sorry about that ;)
Joni Mitchell's excellent For The Roses didn't stand a chance, sandwiched between Blue and Court and Spark. Frankly Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon got overshadowed too since they preceded Blue. But then, most albums are overshadowed by Blue.
Left Banke Too after the debut Fleetwood Mac - Penguin after Bare Trees Santana's the third album, sandwiched between Abraxas and Caravanserai Free - Highway after Fire and Water The Godfathers - More songs About Love & Hate after Birth School Work Death The Records - Crashes after Shades In Bed Sly - Fresh after There's A Riot Goin' On
Addendum :) -The Band ‘Stage Fright’ following the self-titled second album. - Elton John ‘Caribou’ following ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. - Soul Asylum ‘Let Your Dim Light Shine’ after ‘Grave Dancers Union’. - Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ after ‘Wish You Were Here’. - Suede ‘Dog Man Star’ following eponymous debut. - David Bowie ‘Aladdin Sane’ after ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust’. - The Cure ‘Wish’ following ‘Disintegration’. - Fleetwood Mac ‘Tusk’ following ‘Rumours’. - Dire Straits ‘Love Over Gold’ after ‘Making Movies’. - Pixies ‘Bossanova’ after ‘Doolittle’. - Pavement ‘Wowee Zowee’ following ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’. - Weezer ‘Pinkerton’ after self-titled debut (The Blue Album’). and finally The Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ following ‘Licensed to Ill’. :)
Agreed on Let It Be after Abbey Road, Candy-O after the stunning debut, Darkness after Born To Run, Pretenders II after the stunning debut, and Wish after Dark Side. Will add Tanx after The Slider, Rattle & Hum after The Joshua Tree, John Wesley Harding after Blonde On Blonde. C in California
Paper Money after Montrose Flowers of Evil after Nantucket Sleighride There's One In Every Crowd after 461 Ocean Boulevard BTW I like Zepp's Presence In Through the Outdoor after Presence Too Much Too Soon after the New York Dolls Win, Lose Or Draw after Brothers and Sisters Four Wheel Drive after Not Fragile Ass after Straight Up Carl & the Passions-So Tough after Surf's Up Flash after There and Back
U2: October after Boy. Echo & The Bunnymen: their sef-titled 1987 album after Ocean Rain. Ultravox: Ha! Ha! Ha! after their debut. The Gun Club: Miami after Fire of Love. R.E.M.: Green after Document; Monster after Automatic For The People.
Zevon: Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School after Excitable Boy Richard Thompson: Hand of Kindness after Shoot Out the Lights Lou Reed: Legendary Hearts after The Blue Mask
Ahem, pardon me for being a party pooper but your Pin Ups example at the head of this excellent missive is ‘ass about face’ - as my father used to say to me - is it not? The reason that Pin Ups was proposed was that it was over shadowed by Aladdin Sane - the record BEFORE it - not Diamond Dogs which was after it. Or have I got my knickers in a twist - as my mother used to say. Anyway, I will offer Nebraska following The River; not just based on how great or not it is but because it was so different and unexpected that it has taken decades to truly understand the masterpiece that it is. Greetings from, Berlin
I got mixed up and listed albums that were a major letdown after a great release. I got confused because for me, Emotional Rescue was a major letdown after Some Girls. So I listed missteps after great albums. Thus Will Power, Pin Ups and the rest. With that criteria in mind these are not good overshadows, but disappointing follow ups. The same applies to previous comments.
Sorry for dancing to the wrong tune.
I'm In You after Frampton Comes Alive or Frampton if you want to stick to studio stuff Tales from Topographic Oceans after Close to the Edge Big Generator after 90125 Alice In Chains after Dirt (or Jar of Flies if EP's count) Nebraska after The River Razorblade Suitcase after Sixteen Stone The Soft Parade after Waiting for the Sun Gulf Winds after Diamonds and Rust Unconditionally Guaranteed after Clear Spot All Shook Up after Dream Police Departure after Evolution and Infinty Long After Dark after Hard Promises Loose after Crazy Horse American Highway Flower after Puzzle (dada) Spring Fever after All American Boy Welcome after Caravanserai One Step Closer after Minute By Minute Gaucho after Aja Famous Last Words after Breakfast In America Main Offfender after Talk Is Cheap Against the Grain after Irish Tour '74 and Tattoo Green after Document Rock & Roll Music to the World after A Space In Time (always loved Let the Sky Fall from ASIT)
I really like the first Kiss album above all others. Great party album.
Emotional Rescue? I like Dirty Work better. And that says a lot. Did I just say that? Uh oh. Rescue doesn't break any new ground and the songs are weak. Sounds like Some Girls rejects. I like Keith's “All About You.” “Indian Girl” was the only daring take. This album seems more the precursor to Undercover than Tattoo You. "Summer Romance" and "Where the Boys Go" are annoying little rat-tat-tat affairs. For me there's nothing here that's indispensable. The rhythm tracks are cool and recorded well, but a groove is only as good as the songs. And they’re forgettable. I consider ER the dud between “Some Girls” and “Tattoo You.” I think the album cover sucks too. Who'd wanna hang that poster? It's still the Stones. So there's that attachment. But I'd rather listen to my VR re-jiggered Satanic Majesties any old day.
A cover band that I was involved with did both “Let Me Go” and “She’s So Cold” right after the album came out. They were easy to play crowd pleasers. For “She’s So Cold” we had a 350 pound roadie guest on vocal. His nickname was Macker. He sang it soulfully well and his largess made the lyrics more amusing. As far as I’m concerned, ER is one of their worst singles albeit very successful.
Yes, you could be mine Tonight and every night I would be your knight in shining armour Coming to your emotional rescue
You will be mine, you will be mine, all mine You will be mine, you will be mine, all mine
I will be your knight in shining armour Riding across the desert on a fine Arab charger
Blecch! No thank you. I’ll just be that other guy’s backstreet girl. The one with whom I play with fire.
You are correct! My example is "ass about face," but only because I typed it up incorrectly. The guy proposed "Diamond Dogs." I must have had "Pin Ups" on the mind when creating the draft of this post.
Fun topic - so many great suggestions and even better listening. Thank you! - The Beach Boys ‘Sunflower’ after ‘Surf’s Up’. - Roxy Music ‘Manifesto’ following ‘Siren’. :)
I loved FM's Tusk when it came out and I still do to this day. I get why it wasn't the commercial blockbuster that its predecessor was. Tusk is a far more satisfying listen. Kind of like their own version of the White Album.
"witty things to say and interesting topics that will inevitably get shat on." ... "Then the guy disappeared." That's the story of social media anymore. As you probably know, it's much worse when they're so clueless that they stay there and their crap gets more stupid and hostile.
Ian Dury's "Do It Yourself" after "New Boots And Panties" was a horrendous followup. I may have played it a second time only because i couldn't believe what I heard. I still like "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick", though.
I never worked at a record store, but "Emotional Rescue" is still a damn good album.
great topic. The cars suggestion made me listen to Candy-O first time in 4ever. think their debut is DID material causing me to 4get about 2nd release. it is great :)
42 comments:
"The Hoople" which followed "Mott" suffered that fate.
Wish You Were Here which followed Dark Side.
- ‘Pretenders II’ following the eponymous debut.
- Elvis Costello and The Attractions ‘Get Happy’ following ‘Armed Forces’.
- Queen ‘A Day at the Races’ following ‘A Night at the Opera’.
- Aerosmith ‘Draw The Line’ following ‘Rocks’.
:)
Beatles Let It Be after Abbey Road
Stones Goat's Head Soup after Exile On Main Street
Clash Combat Rock after Sandinista!
XTC Mummer after English Settlement
Bob Dylan Nashville Skyline after John Wesley Harding and Self Portrait after Nashville Skyline
Elvis Costello Punch The Clock after Imperial Bedroom
Dusty Springfield A Brand New Me after Dusty In Memphis
Van Morrison A Period of Transition after Veedon Fleece and Pay The Devil after Magic Time
Elton John Rock of the Westies after Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Tunnel of Love after Born In the USA
Van Halen II after Van Halen
Before I move on: that bass line on DLMTW -- is killer. When I started picking up the bass, I studied this one as much as any McCartney or Jamerson line.
When we talk about "overshadowed" -- are we talking about how they were received at the time? Or how history has treated them in the canon? I tend to fall back on older stuff here:
"Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" -- overshadowed by Nightmare
Pretenders II mentioned above.
Devo's "Duty Now For The Future" following "Are We Not Men?"
I would argue "Candy-O" has been overlooked these days in favor of the Cars's debut (or if you think it hasn't -- "Panorama" certainly has after Candy-O")
"Unmasked" after "Dynasty". :-)
"When we talk about "overshadowed" -- are we talking about how they were received at the time? Or how history has treated them in the canon?
I guess the former will turn into the latter, no?
I was going to mention The Cars' "Candy-O" after the S/T, but Shriner beat me to it.
So that leaves my other thoughts:
Marshall Crenshaw's "Field Day" was overshadowed by the S/T debut.
Big Country's "Steeltown" was overshadowed by "The Crossing".
Hothouse Flowers' "Home" was overshadowed by "People"
Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" was overshadowed by "Look Sharp"
Of course, these make my comment basically 'what sophomore albums were overshadowed by the artist's debut'. Sorry about that ;)
King Crimson "Beat" after "Discipline".
Keith35, good call on Wish You Were Here.
Joni Mitchell's excellent For The Roses didn't stand a chance, sandwiched between Blue and Court and Spark. Frankly Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon got overshadowed too since they preceded Blue. But then, most albums are overshadowed by Blue.
I STILL think Darkness was a huge letdown after BTR. Hell, after all the albums that preceded it.
Hey, there’s no accounting for taste, right?😎
Left Banke Too after the debut
Fleetwood Mac - Penguin after Bare Trees
Santana's the third album, sandwiched between Abraxas and Caravanserai
Free - Highway after Fire and Water
The Godfathers - More songs About Love & Hate after Birth School Work Death
The Records - Crashes after Shades In Bed
Sly - Fresh after There's A Riot Goin' On
Addendum :)
-The Band ‘Stage Fright’ following the self-titled second album.
- Elton John ‘Caribou’ following ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’.
- Soul Asylum ‘Let Your Dim Light Shine’ after ‘Grave Dancers Union’.
- Pink Floyd ‘Animals’ after ‘Wish You Were Here’.
- Suede ‘Dog Man Star’ following eponymous debut.
- David Bowie ‘Aladdin Sane’ after ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust’.
- The Cure ‘Wish’ following ‘Disintegration’.
- Fleetwood Mac ‘Tusk’ following ‘Rumours’.
- Dire Straits ‘Love Over Gold’ after ‘Making Movies’.
- Pixies ‘Bossanova’ after ‘Doolittle’.
- Pavement ‘Wowee Zowee’ following ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’.
- Weezer ‘Pinkerton’ after self-titled debut (The Blue Album’).
and finally
The Beastie Boys ‘Paul’s Boutique’ following ‘Licensed to Ill’.
:)
The Who's Greatest Hits after The Best of The Who but just before The Very Best of the Who
Presence after Physical Graffiti
Agreed on Let It Be after Abbey Road, Candy-O after the stunning debut, Darkness after Born To Run, Pretenders II after the stunning debut, and Wish after Dark Side.
Will add Tanx after The Slider, Rattle & Hum after The Joshua Tree, John Wesley Harding after Blonde On Blonde.
C in California
the record after "Squeezing out Sparks"
Pendulum after Cosmo's Factory
Bark after Volunteers
Pin-ups after Aladdin Sane
Muscle of Love after Billion Dollar Babies
Hotter Than Hell after Kiss
Living In the Material World after All Things Must Pass
Amorica after Southern Harmony Musical Companion
Low after Station to Station
Hawks and Doves after Rust Never Sleeps
Tusk after Rumours
The Long Run after Hotel California
Burrito Deluxe after The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Survival after Closer to Home
Who Do We Think We Are after Machine Head
Vol. 4 after Master Of Reality
Hold Out after Running On Empty
Give Us a Wink after US version of Desolation Boulevard
Cahoots after Stage Fright
Wow after Moby Grape
VR
Paper Money after Montrose
Flowers of Evil after Nantucket Sleighride
There's One In Every Crowd after 461 Ocean Boulevard
BTW I like Zepp's Presence
In Through the Outdoor after Presence
Too Much Too Soon after the New York Dolls
Win, Lose Or Draw after Brothers and Sisters
Four Wheel Drive after Not Fragile
Ass after Straight Up
Carl & the Passions-So Tough after Surf's Up
Flash after There and Back
VR
VR
2 from 79
Tusk after Rumours
Long Run after HC
Thanks for the two disco tracks.
Randy
Mardi Gras after Pendulum
Will Power after Big World
Some Time IIn New York City after Imagine
Gotta eun, Julio's here to work me over
VR
"Will Power" after "Big World?"
Really?
RE: LZ's "Presence"
Never understood the negativity. People hate this record.
It's in my top 5!
"Kiss" after the sweet silence of no Kiss albums.
Captain Al
Ain't nothin' wrong with the first six Kiss records!
You mean the first 9 Kiss records. :-)
Okay, I'll give you "Dynasty" and "Unmasked." But not "The Elder!"
"Magic" after "The Rising". Magic is a MUCH better album. It's as good as "The River". I'll die on that hill.
Norah Jones' second album is better than her smash-hit debut.
"New Adventures in Hi-Fi" after....9 great albums in a row. "Monster" was actually their only stumble to date and it's still half great.
"Rocket To Russia"
Wings after the Beatles
- Boston ‘Don’t Look Back’ after that debut.
- Fountains Of Wayne ‘Traffic and Weather’ following ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’. :)
Boston ‘Don’t Look Back’ after that debut.
- Fountains Of Wayne ‘Traffic and Weather’ following ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’. :)
You beat me to it. Honest.
"A Man I'll Never Be!"
"This Better Be Good!"
As good as anything out there.
U2: October after Boy.
Echo & The Bunnymen: their sef-titled 1987 album after Ocean Rain.
Ultravox: Ha! Ha! Ha! after their debut.
The Gun Club: Miami after Fire of Love.
R.E.M.: Green after Document; Monster after Automatic For The People.
- Paul in DK
I kinda think
Green Thoughts after Especially For You by the Smithereens.
Zevon: Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School after Excitable Boy
Richard Thompson: Hand of Kindness after Shoot Out the Lights
Lou Reed: Legendary Hearts after The Blue Mask
Ahem, pardon me for being a party pooper but your Pin Ups example at the head of this excellent missive is ‘ass about face’ - as my father used to say to me - is it not? The reason that Pin Ups was proposed was that it was over shadowed by Aladdin Sane - the record BEFORE it - not Diamond Dogs which was after it. Or have I got my knickers in a twist - as my mother used to say. Anyway, I will offer Nebraska following The River; not just based on how great or not it is but because it was so different and unexpected that it has taken decades to truly understand the masterpiece that it is. Greetings from, Berlin
I got mixed up and listed albums that were a major letdown after a great release. I got confused because for me, Emotional Rescue was a major letdown after Some Girls. So I listed missteps after great albums. Thus Will Power, Pin Ups and the rest. With that criteria in mind these are not good overshadows, but disappointing follow ups. The same applies to previous comments.
Sorry for dancing to the wrong tune.
I'm In You after Frampton Comes Alive or Frampton if you want to stick to studio stuff
Tales from Topographic Oceans after Close to the Edge
Big Generator after 90125
Alice In Chains after Dirt (or Jar of Flies if EP's count)
Nebraska after The River
Razorblade Suitcase after Sixteen Stone
The Soft Parade after Waiting for the Sun
Gulf Winds after Diamonds and Rust
Unconditionally Guaranteed after Clear Spot
All Shook Up after Dream Police
Departure after Evolution and Infinty
Long After Dark after Hard Promises
Loose after Crazy Horse
American Highway Flower after Puzzle (dada)
Spring Fever after All American Boy
Welcome after Caravanserai
One Step Closer after Minute By Minute
Gaucho after Aja
Famous Last Words after Breakfast In America
Main Offfender after Talk Is Cheap
Against the Grain after Irish Tour '74 and Tattoo
Green after Document
Rock & Roll Music to the World after A Space In Time (always loved Let the Sky Fall from ASIT)
I really like the first Kiss album above all others. Great party album.
Emotional Rescue? I like Dirty Work better. And that says a lot. Did I just say that? Uh oh. Rescue doesn't break any new ground and the songs are weak. Sounds like Some Girls rejects. I like Keith's “All About You.” “Indian Girl” was the only daring take. This album seems more the precursor to Undercover than Tattoo You. "Summer Romance" and "Where the Boys Go" are annoying little rat-tat-tat affairs. For me there's nothing here that's indispensable. The rhythm tracks are cool and recorded well, but a groove is only as good as the songs. And they’re forgettable. I consider ER the dud between “Some Girls” and “Tattoo You.” I think the album cover sucks too. Who'd wanna hang that poster? It's still the Stones. So there's that attachment. But I'd rather listen to my VR re-jiggered Satanic Majesties any old day.
A cover band that I was involved with did both “Let Me Go” and “She’s So Cold” right after the album came out. They were easy to play crowd pleasers. For “She’s So Cold” we had a 350 pound roadie guest on vocal. His nickname was Macker. He sang it soulfully well and his largess made the lyrics more amusing. As far as I’m concerned, ER is one of their worst singles albeit very successful.
Yes, you could be mine
Tonight and every night
I would be your knight in shining armour
Coming to your emotional rescue
You will be mine, you will be mine, all mine
You will be mine, you will be mine, all mine
I will be your knight in shining armour
Riding across the desert on a fine Arab charger
Blecch! No thank you. I’ll just be that other guy’s backstreet girl. The one with whom I play with fire.
VR
@Dave- Radio Tower
You are correct! My example is "ass about face," but only because I typed it up incorrectly. The guy proposed "Diamond Dogs." I must have had "Pin Ups" on the mind when creating the draft of this post.
Hergest Ridge after Tubular Bells
Fun topic - so many great suggestions and even better listening. Thank you!
- The Beach Boys ‘Sunflower’ after ‘Surf’s Up’.
- Roxy Music ‘Manifesto’ following ‘Siren’. :)
Sunflower came before Surf's Up.
True. Apple Music reflected the other. Belatedly realized my error and my failure to verify. Appreciate the correction. Thanks :)
I loved FM's Tusk when it came out and I still do to this day. I get why it wasn't the commercial blockbuster that its predecessor was. Tusk is a far more satisfying listen. Kind of like their own version of the White Album.
"witty things to say and interesting topics that will inevitably get shat on." ... "Then the guy disappeared."
That's the story of social media anymore. As you probably know, it's much worse when they're so clueless that they stay there and their crap gets more stupid and hostile.
Ian Dury's "Do It Yourself" after "New Boots And Panties" was a horrendous followup. I may have played it a second time only because i couldn't believe what I heard. I still like "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick", though.
I never worked at a record store, but "Emotional Rescue" is still a damn good album.
great topic. The cars suggestion made me listen to Candy-O first time in 4ever. think their debut is DID material causing me to 4get about 2nd release. it is great :)
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