I'm in love with "The Shouting Stage."
― The Magnificent Colin Firth (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 13 March 2010 15:43 (fourteen years ago) link
I still haven't heard her
― jaxon, Saturday, 13 March 2010 20:32 (fourteen years ago) link
i was playing her SO LOUD the other day. like, death metal loud. sounded awesome. me myself i cranked loud on a good stereo is heaven on earth.
horrible video sound doesn't do it justice, but anyway...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRNfWGxBp8
― scott seward, Saturday, 13 March 2010 20:45 (fourteen years ago) link
haha, didn't see that rockist already posted the vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifARMmcqhD8
― scott seward, Saturday, 13 March 2010 20:50 (fourteen years ago) link
Given how many people (including people I'd expect to be interested) haven't heard her, or in some cases even heard of her, I think she is due for some sort of big rediscovery.
― _Rudipherous_, Sunday, 14 March 2010 02:40 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vyqm7cLy3RA
― zvookster, Sunday, 14 March 2010 03:10 (fourteen years ago) link
i have this one lying around somewhere but I dont think ive ever listened to it, i should dig it out i like the sound of her from this thread
http://991.com/newgallery/Joan-Armatrading-To-The-Limit-422772.jpg
― plax (ico), Sunday, 14 March 2010 13:13 (fourteen years ago) link
Really like what I'm catching up on. Touring too:
http://www.joanarmatrading.com/index.asp?m=misc&n=tours&p=1
― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 14 July 2010 18:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Listening to 1986's Slelight of Hand. Although it's her first entirely self-produced album, on which she plays all the electric and acoustic guitars, it's her most mechanized album: Emulators and drum machines galore.
― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 January 2011 14:05 (thirteen years ago) link
"Killing Time" and "Russian Roulette" are my picks from that album.
― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 22 January 2011 19:46 (thirteen years ago) link
and "Jesse"
― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 January 2011 21:33 (thirteen years ago) link
I guess today was the day I became an Armatrading fanatic. Gave all the albums up thru 1985 a spin today while working.
I came away liking Me, Myself & I the most, and particularly the song "Is It Tomorrow Yet?" which is just packed to the seams with brilliant guitar parts. I'd love to get a hold of that master tape and break it down into individual tracks just so I can fully know what's going on.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 21:58 (eight years ago) link
The Key is a really really good album
― brimstead, Tuesday, 20 September 2016 23:40 (eight years ago) link
Before even looking at the credits, I could tell it was Tony Levin all over The Key.
― Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 20 September 2016 23:41 (eight years ago) link
gonna try to get through most of her records this year bc i think walk under ladders is a masterpiece
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Thursday, 28 March 2019 15:46 (five years ago) link
also "the weakness in me" is the best song i've ever heard
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Thursday, 28 March 2019 15:48 (five years ago) link
idk what it is but her work speaks directly to me. i'm listening to her debut whatever's for us rn and i'm just like "wow all of these songs are brilliant"
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Thursday, 28 March 2019 15:49 (five years ago) link
"Love and Affection" is such a great song
― . (Michael B), Thursday, 28 March 2019 16:41 (five years ago) link
Random discovery on Google Maps: Ma-Me-O Beach is on a lake in Edmonton, Canada.
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 21 August 2019 20:06 (five years ago) link
I'm only discovering her but I'm positively awed. Her accent is more on voice than composition compared to Joni Mitchell but the music is totally comparable. What a presence.
― Nabozo, Wednesday, 11 November 2020 18:44 (three years ago) link
she’s greatshit attitude in title/OP, but she’s never really been given the due she deserves
― a nice person (Left), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 19:53 (three years ago) link
yeah lots of old threads have bummer titles
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 19:55 (three years ago) link
I've been listening to her a lot the last few years. Enjoyed her most recent album (2018) too, down to the "casual leaning in negative space" throwback of the cover photo.
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 19:57 (three years ago) link
walk under ladders is the greatest album of all time
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 20:50 (three years ago) link
she also has many albums that are nearly as good
I first heard her last year while listening to a 70s soft rock playlist on a plane; Love and Affection was the only song that I had never heard. On her 1976 album, her singing goes to more delicate extremes than you would expect from her "regular" voice.
Her lyrics are too prosaic and casual to compare to Joni Mitchell, but her arrangements and playing with the band are certainly more rocking. Her acoustic guitar playing in Like Fire stands out for aggression and energy.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 11 November 2020 20:58 (three years ago) link
the first song i heard by her was "down to zero" and it was like being kicked directly in the chest
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 20:59 (three years ago) link
still stand behind this:
― Rich Lolwry (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, January 22, 2011
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 11 November 2020 21:30 (three years ago) link
Me too! Heard it on an episode of Homicide, Life on the Street, and it's still my favorite song by her.
― Lily Dale, Thursday, 12 November 2020 01:16 (three years ago) link
Checked the thread to make sure that I have at some point expressed my love for "Willow." Back in 2008!
This is so great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3i1GMuyeU
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 12 November 2020 01:36 (three years ago) link
Drop the Pilot...seems like she was a lot bigger in Australia than the US.
I'd believe this. "Drop the Pilot", "Call Me Names" and "Me Myself I" were in sufficiently high rotation that they are -- along with "Young Turks" -- basically what early childhood sounds like in my memory.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Thursday, 12 November 2020 04:54 (three years ago) link
Joan is a badass boss and her singles ruled my childhood
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 12 November 2020 06:26 (three years ago) link
Still feel like I'm hearing her influence on the new Nilüfer Yanya single. Time to try coining "Armatrenaissance" again :)
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Thursday, 19 November 2020 04:33 (three years ago) link
Happy birthday to her.
― Patriotic Goiter (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 10 December 2020 03:14 (three years ago) link
I'm familiar with Love and Affection and Drop the Pilot but only just started listening to her albums - if there's twenty better tracks than Down to Zero off her self titled then, well I look forward to them!
― ledge, Thursday, 10 December 2020 08:58 (three years ago) link
"I'm Lucky" and "Woncha Come Home" should (imo) be higher, Alfred
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Monday, 19 April 2021 02:34 (three years ago) link
you're right
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 19 April 2021 02:35 (three years ago) link
making my way through her albums and really wondering how she went so far under the radar in the US? shocked she wasn't more popular. everything sounds great (even for the era), the singles are fantastic, and even the lesser the songs are interesting. her voice is fantastic. the bands she put together are all stacked. totally ripe for a revival/reappraisal/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
in answer to the thread's original question: yes!
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 15:14 (three years ago) link
“Back To The Night” has a constant for me over the last few months...a lovely warm 70’s production, superb musicianship and a great set of songs
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 23:04 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dZ9vdHsxU
classic video
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, 21 April 2021 23:39 (three years ago) link
Whoa...this is fantastic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRt6TYDIpY
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Thursday, 22 April 2021 12:53 (three years ago) link
the version of "Love and Affection" in that concert is just ~beautiful~
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Thursday, 22 April 2021 15:52 (three years ago) link
so i just made my bi-monthly browse over to pfork and i see that her self-titled got the archive review this past sunday. which one of ya'll was it?
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 May 2021 21:30 (three years ago) link
(haven't read the review yet, btw)
(but i'm sure it's great)
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 May 2021 21:31 (three years ago) link
now let's petition for a full week of reviews, four per day
― swing out sister: live in new donk city (geoffreyess), Tuesday, 4 May 2021 21:52 (three years ago) link
average normie pfork reader upon seeing that:
"can i get these on vnyl?"
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 4 May 2021 21:58 (three years ago) link
The Weakness in Me is so good. Her voice as she sings “make me lie” and when she sings “I mean to hold you / tightly”. Wow.
― that's not my post, Wednesday, 5 May 2021 01:36 (three years ago) link
an interesting tidbit from that review:
Joan Armatrading was still adoringly received: It went gold within a year, remained on the U.S. charts for 27 weeks, and the UK music paper Sounds named it the album of the year over Bob Dylan’s Desire and Joni Mitchell’s Hejira.
no idea she that kind of impact in the uk. i always just figured she was a cult figure everywhere.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Wednesday, 5 May 2021 17:02 (three years ago) link
looking up that list... and Sounds were right on the money that year, because another album is in front of Desire too
1. Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading2. Hejira - Joni Mitchell3. Royal Scam - Steely Dan
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Wednesday, 5 May 2021 17:08 (three years ago) link
I picked up a secondhand but perfect condition copy of Secret Secrets from 1985 for £1. Her voice sounds amazing on this one. Fewer spikey, rocky songs more straight up pop instrumentation and ballads. Friend no lovers is in my top ten JA songs now.
― mmmm, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 12:35 (three months ago) link
'Friends not lovers'
I thought you'd come to post this first-rate essay:
https://natepatrin.substack.com/p/album-of-the-year-1981-joan-armatrading
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 25 June 2024 12:47 (three months ago) link
Not seen that. Thanks for sharing :)
― mmmm, Tuesday, 25 June 2024 13:00 (three months ago) link