Legendary Pink Dots: S/D?

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Oddly enough, I haven't seen any posts about them. Best place to start or best album in general? (Accessibility doesn't really concern me; I have heard a lot of their stuff, but just never gotten around to buying an album)

― T. Weiss (Timmy), Monday, 6 January 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

'The Maria Dimension' by LPD is a good start. That's what I did.

― kinski (kinski), Monday, 6 January 2003 11:13 (twenty-two years ago)

But what are they like? I always thought of them as a post-punk / synth pop band. But I think I recently read they were associated with early NWW / Current 93.

Does that mean they did similar industrial noise / tape things or are they more song oriented?

― phil jones (interstar), Monday, 6 January 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

they've always inhabited a world of their own, really - industrial isn't nearly the correct term, but neither is synth pop. early recordings were synthesizer based and varied all over the place, from melodic and bizarre little songs to soundscapes. maybe the best comparison for the early material is psychic TV's more accessible tracks on _dreams less sweet_, or throbbing gristle tracks like "distant dreams" or "see you are." edward ka'spel's voice is very english (he has a strange habit of pronouncing Rs like Ws) and some may despise it. i really enjoy the "prayer for aradia" and "basilisk" reissues of their early cassette work.

the early 90s saw them really experimenting in earnest on albums like "the maria dimension" (definitely a good document of this period), "shadow weaver," and "malachai (shadow weaver 2)" (recorded in collaboration with steven stapleton of nurse with wound).

"9 lives to wonder," "from here you'll watch the world go by" and especially "hallway of the gods" saw them entering their current, more psychedelic/progressive phase with more 'rock' elements and ryan moore doing a lot to flesh out the songs with live drums and bass. he did leave sort of recently and i haven't heard their more recent work like "a perfect mystery," which is allegedly almost goth-tinged.

the "chemical playschool" series isn't always the most representative pink dots material (usually tracks that didn't fit in with albums, plus the continuing "premonition" series of 15+ minute freakouts) but they're usually quite enjoyable if you're not averse to experimentation and the occasional misstep; volume 10 might be the best place to start for one coming from a rockist background.

this was mostly written with the assistance of my girlfriend, a fan of the pink dots for 10+ years now.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Monday, 6 January 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

They don't HAVE any "destroy". A unique persistence of vision has our man Edward. I've, seriously, loved everything I've ever heard by both LPD and solo Ka-Spel.

― matt riedl (veal), Monday, 6 January 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Their new album, "Whispering Wall", is really great! Not sure how helpful this is, but the AMG entry says it all.

― Eve Atley (Kilbey1), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Now if I had only thought to review that.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

i need to pick this up. they lost frank and the guitar/violin player after "all the kings men" but, contrary to what i was afraid of, the core of edward, silverman and that whacky horn blower makes for good new dots

― kephm, Wednesday, 16 June 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

anyone else pick up the collected book of edwards' lyrics? ive been delaying sending out my money for it

― kephm, Wednesday, 16 June 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll be seeing them next Tuesday, it'll be nice to see how the sound has changed again. Van Hoornblower rocks.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

six months pass...

I've got this RAWK mp3 from Martijn de Kleer's solo name'a "Jet Lag," is this the same guy from LPD and are any of their albums as psych as this song?

― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Saturday, 8 January 2005 04:06 (twenty years ago)

All of their albums are psych, you silly boy! ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 8 January 2005 04:11 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

Shadow Weaver has been playing in my car for the past day or so, and tbh, I think I'm starting to think that I need to find everything this band ever did. Fucking brilliance.

― hot weiners is the best and i want a hot weiner (the table is the table), Sunday, 5 December 2010 07:01 (fourteen years ago)

yep!

there's poll thread and another longer thread in the archives, lots of recommendations.

― sleeve, Sunday, 5 December 2010 17:33 (fourteen years ago)

nine months pass...

has anyone heard the new one? "unrest" sounds like a long-lost gryphon demo

― reggie (qualmsley), Saturday, 17 September 2011 17:05 (fourteen years ago)

got a link or any info? I hadn't heard of this yet.

in my search I also learned that Soleilmoon has reissued the 1st 4 LPs on vinyl again.

― sleeve, Saturday, 17 September 2011 19:54 (fourteen years ago)

it's demos and stuff

http://www.discogs.com/Legendary-Pink-Dots-All-The-Kings-Sessions/release/2926429

― reggie (qualmsley), Saturday, 17 September 2011 21:46 (fourteen years ago)

ahhh man I still have not heard any of those, would love to someday.

― sleeve, Sunday, 18 September 2011 00:54 (fourteen years ago)

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