OPO - Steroelab

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I apologize if this has been done before.

If you had to pick only ONE Stereolab lab track that captures the essence of the band, what would it be and why?

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 4 July 2005 15:45 (twenty years ago)

HAHA Bad typo in the thread title, that would be Stereolab!

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 4 July 2005 15:49 (twenty years ago)

The full-length LP version of Jenny Ondioline.

Why? Because it's got drone, the Neu! aspect, the MBV-esque sound of the early records; simply because it sounds like them before they put out bullshit records like "The First of the Microbe Hunters." It's everything rolled into one. I hesitate slightly because it's not as polished as, say, "Fluorescences," which is one of my favorite Stereolab songs, complete with horns and tight drumming, but it was the beginning of the end, perhaps.

"Lo Boob Oscillator" wouldn't be a bad choice either.

― Jonathan Merritt, Monday, 4 July 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

Can't resist an OPO thread:

Jenny Ondioline

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:02 (twenty years ago)

Percolator

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

"capturing the essence of the band" = "Metronomic Underground"

OTOH, my OPO ... tough one. "Anamorphose", "Tempter", "Laisser-faire", "Changer", "Transona Five", probably in that order.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

Jenny Ondioline thirded.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)

Jenny Ondioline. That would be my OPO for the 90s.

― mason dixon, Monday, 4 July 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

I'm going to pick "Jenny Ondioline," too, though I actually like the shorter version better!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

"Mountain" is my favorite 'Lab track

― Aaron A., Monday, 4 July 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

My favorite for today is "Crest." I'm not sure that it captures the essence of Stereolab, but it has all of the qualities that make me love them.

― Ryan WS (fffv), Monday, 4 July 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

"Elektro," the last track on Lo Fi. It's my fave, and the schizo drone / lovely divide makes it representative.

― Derek Krissoff (Derek), Monday, 4 July 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

Pack Yr Romantic Mind

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 4 July 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

There seems to be a fair amount of concensus about Jenny Ondioline!

― Orbit (Orbit), Monday, 4 July 2005 18:36 (twenty years ago)

Lo Boob Oscillator.

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 4 July 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

That should change once more of the ILM "Dots and Loops" contingent finds this thread.

xpost

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 4 July 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

the long version of 'Jenny O' is my stereolab ODO!

OPO = too difficult

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 4 July 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)

Crest

― miccio (miccio), Monday, 4 July 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

crest is a good answer, especially for early era stereolab, but JO does a pretty good job at summing up pretty much everything

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 4 July 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

contact is another good one.

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 4 July 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

waitaminute... im not sure ive heard jenny ondioline. and i cant find it on limewire :(

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 4 July 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

phil, it's on Stereorandom Duophonic Noiseblasts from Planet Announcement

― Aaron A., Monday, 4 July 2005 20:29 (twenty years ago)

Yes, long Jenny O wins by a mile.

― sleeve (sleeve), Monday, 4 July 2005 20:33 (twenty years ago)

super-electric

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 4 July 2005 22:15 (twenty years ago)

"Ping Pong"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 4 July 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

Metronomic Underground (great live w/Pajo.)

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 4 July 2005 23:34 (twenty years ago)

jim is right, back when i thought they were ripping off snapper.

― keith m (keithmcl), Monday, 4 July 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

I don't care much that "Crest" isn't representative of their later work... it's their best song!!

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 4 July 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

jim is right, back when i thought they were ripping off snapper.

-- keith m (keythkeyt...), July 5th, 2005.

who were big neu! and suicide fans...

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 00:40 (twenty years ago)

yeah, but i wasn't aware of either band at the time. i only knew that martin kean was in stereolab.

― keith m (keithmcl), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 02:11 (twenty years ago)

i sixth or seventh "jenny ondioline" ... no contest. "metronomic underground" would be my #2.

― rajeev (rajeev), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 04:21 (twenty years ago)

metronomic underground for me

― jmeister (jmeister), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 05:12 (twenty years ago)

okay. i'll agree if you're to choose one song, Jenny Ondioline does it, but as soon as you want to explore further, all their other tracks will soon eclipse it ...

― bkjj40a (bkjj40a), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 05:14 (twenty years ago)

Fuses

early stuff: Crest, I didn't know it got so much love here, it's one of the few songs that can always make me happy for obvious reasons. But, uh, D&L contingent reprazent!

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 05:18 (twenty years ago)

Tomorrow is Already Here

― john'n'chicago, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 05:22 (twenty years ago)

"Jenny Ondioline" here too, although the fact that it appears to be so far in front is faintly unsettling.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 05:31 (twenty years ago)

Crest, Analogue Rock, and Pack Yr Romantic Mind are all better than Jenny Ondioline. I think they all drone out a bit more and have more intelligible lyrical slogans that are fun to sing along with.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 06:09 (twenty years ago)

Refractions In The Plastic Pulse

― Deluxe (Damian), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 09:17 (twenty years ago)

Only one, eh? OK, I think the one...to pick...would have...to be...uhhhh...mmm...uh, "Jenny Ondioline"! Trancey, drony things like that benefit from long playing times, I find; and 18 minutes is certainly time enough for the song to work it's magic. Plus, I've always liked Ondioline - the instrument and the word both. (Or is that Clavioline?)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

yeah, but i wasn't aware of either band at the time. i only knew that martin kean was in stereolab.

-- keith m (keythkeyt...), July 5th, 2005.

and the cycle is completed by the chills - which of course at one point in time featured both martin kean and peter gutteridge (though not at the _same_ time as such)...

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

What's that one that sounds exactly like "Pure" the Lightning seeds?

That one.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 10:03 (twenty years ago)

That'll be Lo Boob Oscillator, then.

― Deluxe (Damian), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 10:38 (twenty years ago)

Metronomic Underground

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 10:49 (twenty years ago)

I think I'd pick "Lo Boob Oscillator", just coz it has that archetypal metronomic sound, and it's also kind of funny, when you listen to it.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

I know I picked Jenny but I have reservations. Firstly, it's too Neu! I know they have dozens of songs that use variations of the Neu! groove, but Jenny Ondioline is one of the, if not the, most blatant, and while what they do with it is wonderful, maybe it's a shame to state that that is the most representative song. Metronomic Underground is still motirik, but has a sound that shows the later interests in electronic production as well.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

"Metronomic Underground," no contest.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 13:35 (twenty years ago)

I know they have dozens of songs that use variations of the Neu! groove, but Jenny Ondioline is one of the, if not the, most blatant,

It's essentially a ripoff of "Hallogallo".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

for those who don't know where Jenny Ondioline comes from:

http://www.zibycom.com/members/002222119/Site4/ondioline.html

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

JO is not using the Hallogallo groove. Neu use the stabbing wah-wah guitar coming in a beat after the snare to get that feel, and JO doesn't - it's just a straight drone really. Stereolab do use that stabbing guitar on other songs e.g Nihilist Assault Group - I'd say that's much more of a rip-off of Hallogallo, albeit slowed down. Wow and Flutter is close too.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

Refractions In The Plastic Pulse

Haha, you get four Stereolab songs in one!

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

Tomorrow Is Already Here seconded

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:11 (twenty years ago)

What everyone else said. (I honestly don't think one song could ever sum them up. Have I mentioned I've prepped up all the Switched-On comps and Oscillons for iPod listening on my Eurotrip?)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:15 (twenty years ago)

I'm tempted to say something like "Ping Pong."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if the way to approach this question is to imagine a song that you could play for someone and if they didn't like it, you could reasonably surmise that they wouldn't like the band overall.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

"French Disko" then.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)

I know it's one of their more twee pop songs, but International Colouring Contest always summed them up for me as well, as I started listening to them sometime between Transient Random Noisebursts and Mars Audiac Quintent.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 14:33 (twenty years ago)

Neu use the stabbing wah-wah guitar coming in a beat after the snare to get that feel, and JO doesn't - it's just a straight drone really.

It's not just the rhythm, though -- the lead guitar part (or it might be a bass playing lead in its high register, I can't recall right now) sounds very close to the equivalent part in "Hallogallo".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

long life love. but maybe thats just because its my favorite :P

― vanessa novaeris (novaeris), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

refractions is a wonderful song. dots and loops still has a strong place in my heart...

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:04 (twenty years ago)

Never been able to locate the Autechre mix of that song, sadly. I picked Refractions... because it is four songs in one, and gooduns - for me, it is to Phase II Stereolab what Jenny Ondioline is to Phase I. *ducks*

― Deluxe (Damian), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 06:48 (twenty years ago)

no, no, i'll buy that.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 06:55 (twenty years ago)

Ping Pong, Lo Boob Oscillator, People Do It All The Time

― zeus, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 10:15 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.