please explain unfinished sympathy to me

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so this massive attack song. I am to understand that people like it a lot for some reason. but I think it is worse than every song on blue lines except the one from the lion king. why is this song supposed to be so great?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 06:53 (twenty-three years ago)

josh i kiss you

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:04 (twenty-three years ago)

the beat sounds like, you know, sub drum machine early 90s british indie 'beats'. like st etienne only not quite as lame.

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:08 (twenty-three years ago)

josh, it was 1990 for chrissakes. what do you want?

don't make me cap you for the st etienne thing.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:10 (twenty-three years ago)

you go ahead and be a big fucking pussy if you want, don't let me stop you

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:10 (twenty-three years ago)

what kind of world am i living in where i'm defending massive attack to josh kortbein? WE LET THEM DO THIS TO US DONT YOU UNDERSTAND

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:12 (twenty-three years ago)

and was the lion king song supposed to play in nature company outlets or bath and body works or something?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:13 (twenty-three years ago)

man the other songs are good, but let's be honest here

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:14 (twenty-three years ago)

whales!

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:15 (twenty-three years ago)

jess do you like enigma?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:15 (twenty-three years ago)

i havent listened to blue lines in like 2 years! i think my sister has it (to be honest this doesnt do much to refute yr nature company/banana republic theory)

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:15 (twenty-three years ago)

does she own a rain stick?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:16 (twenty-three years ago)

or have any henna tatoos?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:16 (twenty-three years ago)

no, but she's a fucking yuppie

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:17 (twenty-three years ago)

alex: The "Brits" will awake soon and clear everything up haha
josh: 'hold up now chap actually I think it's a right touching tune'
josh: 'those surging strings, that beautiful negress voice'
geeta: 'haw haw, right i think that's quite the er, a bit er, haw haw its pop music, innit'

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:18 (twenty-three years ago)

haha i meant it affectionately god damn it, i like the brits even though they enslaved my people back in the day!!

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:20 (twenty-three years ago)

hey geeta you and sundar should collaborate with these edgy new ideas of yours

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:21 (twenty-three years ago)

josh there's already an asian dub foundation

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:22 (twenty-three years ago)

i mean, do really need any more talvin singh collaborations?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:23 (twenty-three years ago)

It's facking laaavly mate, and no mistake. Lawd luvvaduck, apples an' pairs, how's yer father etc.

Shit, I didn't get "Unfinished Sympathy" at all for literally years, lost as I was in an indie ghetto populated solely by the Sultans Of Ping and the Mock Turtles. Now I kinda love it, but in the same way I love my gran, y'know? It's loved by almost everybody, but nobody, with hindsight, can actually tell me why, apart from its mere existence. And I'm not entirely sure that's enough.

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:23 (twenty-three years ago)

josh your problem is that you don't dance

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:23 (twenty-three years ago)

(very pleased my gran's idea of technology is a teasmade - she'd kick my arse if she read that)

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:24 (twenty-three years ago)

JOSH was on a DANCEFLOOR tonite, Geeta!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:24 (twenty-three years ago)

i think even josh could dance to this

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)

haha that dude said "arse"

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)

geeta the speakers were so loud that my ass was moving anyway

if they wanted me to dance to it shouldn't it have a beat that doesn't suck ass?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:25 (twenty-three years ago)

can we get a moderator to change that to 'ass'?

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

geeta do you demand reparations?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

rave on feel the voibe

haha ronan to thread!!

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:26 (twenty-three years ago)

She wants 40 acres of opium and a goat!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:27 (twenty-three years ago)

two textile mills and a lotus

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:28 (twenty-three years ago)

that goddamn goat better not eat all the opium

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:29 (twenty-three years ago)

you and the goat can get stoned and make IDM

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:30 (twenty-three years ago)

or bad german expressionist film knockoffs

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:31 (twenty-three years ago)

This goat's name is Tom Jenkinson, isn't it?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:32 (twenty-three years ago)

you and the goat can get stoned and make IDM

Better: Goatrance.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:33 (twenty-three years ago)

oh jody no. no jody no.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:34 (twenty-three years ago)

You told me to post, dork.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:34 (twenty-three years ago)

jbr was a little shy at first but she turned out ok, cmon giver a hand folx

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:34 (twenty-three years ago)

i dont do any of those things!!

josh you're still not dancing

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:36 (twenty-three years ago)

that's because someone is playing fucking unfinished sympathy

― Josh (Josh), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:36 (twenty-three years ago)

"Insidious rhythm in place, DJ Goat can easily cherry-pick melodies (and cultural memories) proven by time and popularity to stick to the brainpan like glittery peanut butter. It's functionalist goat music, if that wasn't readily apparent. And if it works as trance music too, well, that's just a happy side effect."

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:37 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rauschenberg/monogram.jpg

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:39 (twenty-three years ago)

haha jess your mom has no place in this thread

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:40 (twenty-three years ago)

actually i was posting a picture of your arranged marriage

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:43 (twenty-three years ago)

that's what you think but baby she sticks to me like glittery peanut butter

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:44 (twenty-three years ago)

can we get a moderator to change that to 'ass'?

No we fucking can't! Bastards, taking our beauteous language and making it all stoooopid...

― Charlie (Charlie), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:44 (twenty-three years ago)

i can't really make a "roof of your mouth" joke about my own mother, but the perry-like temptation is almost too strong...

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:46 (twenty-three years ago)

WHA BLO WIT CHICHI FASSYMON TALKIN BOUT YARDA MAN
NONE U FASS KNO NUFFIN BOUT THE MASSIVE SOUND

U KNO NUFFIN TILL U HEARD 3D SMASHIN IT IN FLESH AND DADDY G ROLLIN KRIS OVER A 4BEAT LIK WIT X AMOUNT A CRACKMAN YARDIES MASHIN UP INSIDE THE ARENA

ALLOW DIS FORUM

― HUNTA D in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 November 2002 07:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, wait. Jess is a prick.

― Tom Millar (Millar), Friday, 22 November 2002 08:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Skipping 7 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

no, that's Scotland. get it right, Wells

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:12 (twenty-three years ago)

there's nothing to gain from fucking scotland in the ass.

― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:15 (twenty-three years ago)

fucking scotland in the ass.

This is what I'll call my autobiography.

(nb: I've never been to Scotland, nor fucked a Scotsman in the ass.)

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not touching that one

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm just full of great jokes tonight, aren't I?

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:26 (twenty-three years ago)

(and by "great" I mean "awkwardly unfunny")

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:27 (twenty-three years ago)

I was referring to Wells's reply, not yours, JBR

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:31 (twenty-three years ago)

ah.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:32 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, get lost, jbr...

― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:35 (twenty-three years ago)

"Fucking Scotland in the Ass" is what Billy Connelly should have called his autobiography obv.

― gazza, Friday, 22 November 2002 09:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Up your nose with a rubber hose, Wells.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:37 (twenty-three years ago)

"JOSH was on a DANCEFLOOR tonite, Geeta! "

Rubbing his chin chin à la the Wittgenstein prat no doubt.

― nathalie (nathalie), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:42 (twenty-three years ago)

how come i'm "Wells" now?

― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 22 November 2002 09:43 (twenty-three years ago)

anyone remember back when jk used to unironically talk about 'the holy trip-hop trinity'

― artiste, Friday, 22 November 2002 13:13 (twenty-three years ago)

So this is where the AIM conversation ended up.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 22 November 2002 14:02 (twenty-three years ago)

"Unfinished Sympathy" is gorgeous. The beat is naive and rolling, particularly with the little percussion flourishes. The chord progression in the string arrangement is fantastic, especially with the supsensions flying all over the place and the violin melody at the end. Shara Nelson's singing is gorgeous, with the octave leap in the chorus being one of those perfect moments in a pop song.

The song is impeccable and Kortbein, you FUCK OFF for that "beautiful Negress voice" crack.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 22 November 2002 14:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I think I've said enough about this. But can I just say I find it extremely boring once more?

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 22 November 2002 14:55 (twenty-three years ago)

this is all very interesting, but i'm still waiting for ronans opinion

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 22 November 2002 14:59 (twenty-three years ago)

I love it gareth, if I were to make a top ten of........oh I don't know say singles, singles OF ALL TIME, and I could only include one DANCE RECORD, I WOULD MAKE SURE IT WAS THIS.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 22 November 2002 15:14 (twenty-three years ago)

what lion king song????

[i think Unfinished Sympathy is the worst track on Blue Lines... the sound of the milk bottles being bashed together in the beat is nice though]

― michael (michael), Friday, 22 November 2002 22:21 (twenty-three years ago)

i love it and i don't care what anyone says >:(
"aiyaiyaiyaiyai"

― minna (minna), Saturday, 23 November 2002 09:08 (twenty-three years ago)

who dat who dat who dat who dat

― s trife (simon_tr), Saturday, 23 November 2002 09:14 (twenty-three years ago)

"what lion king song????"

Apparently, it's One Love. A good song, btw.

― man, Saturday, 23 November 2002 14:42 (twenty-three years ago)

Is the lynch-directed m video for this worth checking for?

― Honda (Honda), Saturday, 23 November 2002 14:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely the Lion King song is "Hymn from the Big Wheel" or whatever it is called?

I wonder if "Unfinished Sympathy" sounded "seminal" or somesuch in '91. It's certainly an odd track to have birthed a genre.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 23 November 2002 23:18 (twenty-three years ago)

"unfinished sympathy" is one of those songs that's always sounded *important*.

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 23 November 2002 23:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Hymn to the Big Wheel and Unfinished Sympathy are actually my two favorite songs from that album, I think, not the worst.

― man, Sunday, 24 November 2002 01:08 (twenty-three years ago)

could someone without our curse of history even point out the connection between what turned out to be "downtempo" and "unfinished sympathy" now?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 24 November 2002 03:37 (twenty-three years ago)

especially since unfinished sympathy is the only house-tempo track on the album!!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:07 (twenty-three years ago)

it seems downtempo but it's uptempo :: it feels like a song at rest, but the chords never resolve, which is kind of clever if you think about the name of the song. insert [eh it's pop music innit?!@] here

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:10 (twenty-three years ago)

sasha frere-jones had a good analogy about the creation of downtempo being more akin to cutting the appropriate length of fabric off a bolt. which is about right, some people (kruder & dorf, fer instance) have plusher, more intricate fabric and they know just when to cut rather than let it all go on a bit too long so everything looks saggy and baggy. but it seems to rub up uncomfortably with massive's whole shtick, which always felt (to me) like the attempt to merge house/jazz/electro/non-verbal music of yr choice with The Song (which i guess was the project of the 90s, really.)

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Mezzanine woz bettah

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:56 (twenty-three years ago)

mezzanine also more fabric-like, qed!

― jess (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 24 November 2002 05:05 (twenty-three years ago)

while i'm here, maybe someone could explain blue lines to me. my theory is that if you didn't hear this at the time it came out, you are going to have a hard time getting into it. i never heard a single track off this album til this year. to me it just sounds like a 10th grade science project ("these computers are cool, you can sample records into them!!") protection = freshman year of college. mezzanine = declared business major

― ron (ron), Sunday, 24 November 2002 06:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Perhaps this is a stupid question, but could those who don't like "Unfinished Sympathy" explain what's not to like? Just curious.

― man, Sunday, 24 November 2002 08:12 (twenty-three years ago)

everyone knows that "safe from harm" is secretly much better, but never talks about it for some reason

― V, Sunday, 24 November 2002 10:36 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

It's about the vocal performance! One of the best ever! Fule!

― roxymuzak, Tuesday, 9 October 2007 06:36 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

i love it and i don't care what anyone says >:(
"aiyaiyaiyaiyai"

-- minna (minna), Saturday, November 23, 2002 4:08 AM (5 years ago) Bookmark Link

who dat who dat who dat who dat

-- s trife (simon_tr), Saturday, November 23, 2002 4:14 AM (5 years ago) Bookmark Link

― and what, Saturday, 8 December 2007 21:54 (eighteen years ago)

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee234/michelle__7/alfy.jpg

― Heave Ho, Saturday, 8 December 2007 21:56 (eighteen years ago)

"Safe From Harm" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Unfinished Sympathy"

― Mr. Snrub, Sunday, 9 December 2007 03:21 (eighteen years ago)

Lately > everything else

― Mr. Goodman, Sunday, 9 December 2007 04:06 (eighteen years ago)

Snrub............o?...t?...m?

― The Reverend, Sunday, 9 December 2007 06:12 (eighteen years ago)

ten years pass...

Classic forever

― kolakube (Ross), Wednesday, 7 March 2018 20:17 (seven years ago)

yeah.

― piscesx, Thursday, 8 March 2018 02:37 (seven years ago)

majesty

― calstars, Thursday, 8 March 2018 03:32 (seven years ago)

three months pass...

mix this with walk on by by el perro del mar. st etienne version or original

― music saved my life (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 23:36 (seven years ago)

I was listening to a John McLaughlin track the other day and suddenly came upon the source of that sample.

― glumdalclitch, Friday, 29 June 2018 23:51 (seven years ago)

this thread upsets me

― Colonel Poo, Saturday, 30 June 2018 00:43 (seven years ago)

I was just thinking that Poo. How does it take them time to get it?

― Minister of the Pillow (fionnland), Saturday, 30 June 2018 00:45 (seven years ago)

The Lion King thing was pretty funny though

― Colonel Poo, Saturday, 30 June 2018 00:51 (seven years ago)

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