The Weirdness

Im sure this has been asked many times on here before, and for that apologise.

But what are your opinions of this album? I haven't heard it, and wouldn't imagine that I would ever go out of my way to give it a listen. Unless of course, if I hear some good reviews on this thread!

Worth a listen?

I'm curious, why wouldn't you go out of your way to hear The Weirdness?

Regardless of what we all think (and we certainly have some wildly differing opinions on this board, which is great), I would have thought that you really need to hear an album before making up your mind.

For me, The Weirdness is a good album, not a great one, with some excellent moments, and some not so excellent ones... The production is oddly poor (and on that I think pretty much everyone who has ever posted to this board seems to agree) and some of Iggy's vocals are a bit weak, but it generally rocks like mad and hell it's the Stooges first album since 1973 so I'd say yes it's definitely worth a listen!

Cheers,
Richard

I avoided the record like the plague. Lukewarm reviews didn't help, but in the end it came down to the fact that a new Stooges album just wasn't what I was looking for in 2007.

The band can still kick it live -- the Stooges in 2003 was one of only three or four reunion tours ever that weren't a complete disappointment -- but they should have let the legend rest at that point, I think.

Controversial? Probably. I just don't believe nostalgia has a place in rock 'n' roll.

I agree w/ adams66. Some good moments, some bad.
Mexican Guy is the song that really does it for me. Has that same sexy backbeat thats all over Funhouse.

You must wait 20 or 30 years to enjoy

like the Other album

agree that 'Mexican Guy' is a standout track on this album, seems to have a different vibe from the rest, one that's most like the Stooges of old. The whole thing is good, tho (altho with some faults, as pointed out above)

Shoddy production, and Ig's vocals are off the mark quite a bit.

BUT I LOVE IT!

No, it's no Fun House, debut album or Raw Power. But I didn't go in expecting that anyway. However...

THE ASHETONS AND MIKE WATT KICK ASS!!! THAT makes the album worth having if nothing else.

Get it.

I've listened to the album once and was disappointed. However, I've watched recently their concert at Canal + (which I had on a video tape) and found out the songs were not that bad. I'll give it another listen when I can. Well, in live, it's rather good (no, it's not as great as Fun House, or The Stooges... but who can do only great-great-great albums?)

Loose1969 wrote:

Shoddy production, and Ig's vocals are off the mark quite a bit.

Actually, it's not the production (that's if you're referring to Albini's work). Albini's work is way too clean to sound like that. It's the boneheads Abbey Road who mastered the damn thing so loud. They've cranked it into a sonic blur.

Example: "Trollin'"
The waves are clipped right out.


The vinyl mastering is different and reportedly better. With possibly two different masterings for the US and the UK (apparently the US is the best). I've haven't heard the vinyl but some details can be read here.

Chazz, thanks for the clarification.

That makes more sense to me really. Albini did Page/Plant's album back in 1998, and the sound was superb.

What pisses me off is, cd's have been out for 25 years now. But yet people still have a hard time getting the right sound on disc, but yet vinyl versions still sound good. Hardly anyone has a turntable these days. Damn!

Loose1969 wrote:

That makes more sense to me really. Albini did Page/Plant's album back in 1998, and the sound was superb.

To me, Albini can do no wrong. I've been a fan for over 25 years an I love absolutely everything he does. He's even a nice guy (I met him last year). Here's a great lecture by him about recording.

Loose1969 wrote:

What pisses me off is, cd's have been out for 25 years now. But yet people still have a hard time getting the right sound on disc, but yet vinyl versions still sound good. Hardly anyone has a turntable these days. Damn!

Part of the problem is the current trend to create CDs as loud as possible. However, to do this, they use so much compression then jack the levels up until it's all a roar. Analog has the additional headroom but digital has a limit. Above that, the sound just clips (as in my illustration above). I've read so MANY complaints about this but record companies just don't seem to get it.

Wow thanks Chazz, and i think everyone owes Steve Albini a big apology, lol, so it was the beatles! . . . st pepper bastards, ha ha, hopefully wen it gets rereleased in oh... 2030 and iggy at 84 has to remaster it, he'll probly turn it up even louder! lol

So chazz, what would u have to do - or can anyone do it themselves - get it 'fixed' / turned down to a lower volume etc?

HJW

Loose1969 wrote:

Chazz, thanks for the clarification.

That makes more sense to me really. Albini did Page/Plant's album back in 1998, and the sound was superb.

What pisses me off is, cd's have been out for 25 years now. But yet people still have a hard time getting the right sound on disc, but yet vinyl versions still sound good. Hardly anyone has a turntable these days. Damn!

I do still have a turntable, but it's been gathering dust for the past fifteen years or so.

However I do still use my old cassette players!! I've got THREE

Thanks Chazz for the inside info!
Twood;on this forum the album was several times discussed in quite a few threads fromout all kind of perspectives..if you read that you'll get a good view..type in a topic in the 'search' link above...and your mind will be blown away

btw...i think a turntable is a MUST to everybody who loves music!
i'd like to buy a turntable with a usb plug...to record all incredible and rare lp's on cd. maybe somebody has a suggestion for a type? (working well with an Apple)

Not enough bass, not psychadelic enough but it's fun. A really Ok album.
Stand outs for me are Trollin, ATM, Idea of fun and Mexican Guy.
Lows are You can't have friends, end of christianity, Free and freaky, She took my money.
I think to much faux 80's metall, filler warning and bad Rolling stones went trough those.

I hope the next one, they'v promised it to come, will be more in the lines of Idea of fun, Mindroom, O solo mio and Passing cloud. Songs with titles that sounds simple and dreamy enough to be the stooges and that promises psychadelic mayhem.

psychadelic mayhem ... what more does anyone need!

What many seek in religion I think. A step closer to something greater than man and what can't be described without big words.

Borntohula wrote:

What many seek in religion I think. A step closer to something greater than man and what can't be described without big words.

Or maybe what can't be described in words at all! Still, there's no harm in trying...! - altho I sometimes suspect that words and music - good music anyway - are really two fundamentally opposed mediums
I always struggle to describe The Stooges' first two albums and just end up rambling on incoherently. Still, other people do a lot better.

adams66 wrote:

I'm curious, why wouldn't you go out of your way to hear The Weirdness?

It's hard to explain... I just can't imagine much on the album would interest me in the slightest. I know I should listen to the album first before I judge it, it's just that unless I'm handed it on a plate, not sure I can be bothered to go out of my way.

I'm also a massive Sex Pistols fan, but if they wrote an album of all new material, I also wouldn't be that bothered to hear it either. I just can't see it being any good!

Of course I'm curious, hence why I started this thread... but I think curious is about as far as it goes....

Indulge your curiosity!
You might be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers,
Richard

thanks Chazz

and for me it's to loud the music over the voice