Tricky's Nearly God, classic or dud?

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Searched but couldn't find, though I can't believe there's never been a thread about it. Maxinquaye's awesome spirit continued or the begin of a slow (and not-so-slow) decline into nastiness.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Stylus Tricky feature coming early December! It's incredible, it's everything they say Maxinquaye is, but really isn't.

― scottjames23 (worrysome-man), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I kinda like it. "Together Now" with Neneh Cherry is awesome.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tattoo"'s pretty great, but that got to be all I was interested in hearing.

― Lee G (Lee G), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Absolutely loved it when it came out. As for now - would like to listen again but I don't have it even on tape any more...

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

For me, the album falls flat on its face towards the end. Maybe its just the letdown kicking in after the first two songs wear off 4 or 5 songs into the album.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I just got a copy - but do I file it under T or N?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

an excellent record - i love the bit in the nina cherry track where the music stops and he says "i'm...confused" not much i know - but i could love the album jest for this one second bite!

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i'd file it under Tricky - when "i be the prophet" came out as a single it was released under the name Starving Souls - a much better name for a group in my opinion.

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

not that it's really a groop, but you know what i mean...

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

i really don't think that Nearly God is as good as you may remember. even if you just listened to it today. if you are listening to it now and you think it's really good then you might be hearing things outside your door or home that are not on the record that you think are on the record and which, in fact, may be colouring your opinion of the record. when you take it off it probably won't be as good again.

― scott seward, Wednesday, 15 October 2003 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

With the exception of "Together Now," I'd say it's a dud. I never liked that one.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I really loved Nearly God when it came out. The minimalist production and vocals did it for me. "Poems" is the best song Tricky has ever made.

This leads to a bigger question, 'is Trip-Hop classic or dud?' I recently listened to Maxinquaye a couple of times. The album still gives me goosebumps, but it doesn't have nearly the impact it once did. I remember listening to that album in '95 and thinking 'holy shit, I've never heard anything like this (pass the bong).'

Portishead, Tricky, and Massive Attack may age well, but I wonder...

― Debito (Debito), Thursday, 16 October 2003 01:44 (twenty-two years ago)

crap.

― Savin All My Love 4 u (Savin 4ll my (heart) 4u), Thursday, 16 October 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Funny, Maxinquaye feels more radical now than it did to me just a few years ago. Maybe because I have a wider background in hip hop and dub (and everything, not just those two specifically) than I did when I first heard it; hearing it now it feels even more odd and awkward. That off-kilter-ness I think is the good legacy of trip hop, the idea that hip hop can survive a brutal blow to the head leaving it thoroughly dazed and fogged out (better Cypress Hill took advantage of this too). The bad legacy is boring "jazzy" trip hop for shopping by.

― rob geary (rgeary), Thursday, 16 October 2003 02:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Nearly God is classic though. Poems is wrenchingly beautiful.

― rob geary (rgeary), Thursday, 16 October 2003 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Starving Souls, anyone?

― adaml (adaml), Thursday, 16 October 2003 03:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic for "Keep Your Mouth Shut," "Black Coffee" and the "Judas" cover.

― Phantroll, Thursday, 16 October 2003 04:33 (twenty-two years ago)

"Poems" might be the perfect encapsulation of everything that was great about Tricky.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 16 October 2003 05:58 (twenty-two years ago)

tim + rob OTM - I don't think the radio edit of "Poems" has ever left my extended favourite singles list, ever

― etc, Thursday, 16 October 2003 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic for 'Tattoo' (but then again the original is unfuck-wit-able, so..). Dud for the rest.

― Baaderist (Fabfunk), Thursday, 16 October 2003 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tattoo" is fucking gorgeous and always will be.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 16 October 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000005HQN.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

beautiful.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:29 (nineteen years ago)

Surprised I never posted on this (though I think this was originally started during my UK trip that month). Quite fantastic and I should dig it out here again.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:35 (nineteen years ago)

After loving this immediately upon its release I was a lot like Scott Seward: it played better (and more often) in my head than on my stereo. Then I went through a minor Tricky revival about eight months ago and was swept up by "Poems," "Tattoo," and the Alison Moyet tune whose name escapes me.

Now I want to play it again -- except a friend borrowed it for a radio show last October and hasn't returned it, the fucker.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:41 (nineteen years ago)

"Poems," OMG yes. That and Maxinquaye are all that I ever need to hear again.

― Make a Beck Song #1 (M Matos), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:43 (nineteen years ago)

The ultimate Tricky five-song sampler: "Ponderosa," "Pumpkin," "Poems," "Tricky Kid," "Contradictive."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:50 (nineteen years ago)

"Pumpkin," "Poems," "Tricky Kid,"

I'll definitely take that as a trio.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:52 (nineteen years ago)

GOD I WANT TO HEAR "POEMS" RIGHT NOW AND I CANT

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:55 (nineteen years ago)

Aftermath, Feed Me, Poems, Hell Is Round the Corner, Makes Me Wanna Die.

pretty depressing, i agree.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:57 (nineteen years ago)

An ugly drug album...and I mean that in the best possible way.

― kwhitehead (stephen schmidt), Monday, 29 January 2007 02:59 (nineteen years ago)

Whither Tricky? Please come back and blow some minds. He gets my vote for (no pun intended. really.) Most Wasted Talent Of The '90s.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:10 (nineteen years ago)

Well, RZA's almost up there, too, for that vote, IMHO.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:12 (nineteen years ago)

Alfred: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ9pEAABU_I

― stet (stet), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:18 (nineteen years ago)

actually, Tricky Vs Gravediggaz "Psychosis" would have to be on my tricky top 5. knocks off "Makes me Wanna Die".

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 29 January 2007 03:22 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm, good Sunday night music, this.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 January 2007 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

classic, mostly, if very unsettling. i love 'i be the prophet'.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 29 January 2007 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

ah yeah and 'together now', a bizarrely incongruous moment of sweet and happy pop.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Monday, 29 January 2007 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

If you were to ask me for one song which sums up everything I actively love about music, Nearly God's "I Sing For You" would be it.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 29 January 2007 10:10 (nineteen years ago)

How about 'broken homes' for top five? Bought NG a year or so ago (being pretty young, hem), and adored it. Could only find it on vinyl though. Think that album will age better than Maxinquaye in my mind

― the Dirt (FunkDirt), Monday, 29 January 2007 10:59 (nineteen years ago)

"Well, RZA's almost up there, too, for that vote, IMHO."

Crazy talk. RZA's done plenty of great stuff since the mid-90s.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 29 January 2007 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

Listening to this one on a late friday night after taking a great shower. Might be the alcohol talking because I've been drinking all afternoon but right now I think this had the potential to be a classic drug-induced album a la 'velvet underground and nico'. Problem is Tricky seems stubborn and obsessive about his own music so he prefers to work solo with an insane amount of ideas that rarely work but I imagine if he had a couple of likeminded partners they could remain focused enough to write the masterpiece that never was.

Poems is unfuckwithable.

― Moka, Saturday, 5 June 2010 05:46 (fifteen years ago)

What I tried to say up here is that I feel there's a whole lot of potential in the ideas in the album and the mood he's trying to explore in here sounds very enticing but he just can't seem to land them succesfully.

― Moka, Saturday, 5 June 2010 05:51 (fifteen years ago)

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