The early years discussion: IR8, Wildhearts, Steve Vai, Noisescapes, etc

For me, best song of album is:

1
0%
1
0%
14
2%
14
2%
103
17%
103
17%
73
12%
73
12%
16
3%
16
3%
8
1%
8
1%
15
3%
15
3%
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
31
5%
31
5%
1
0%
1
0%
26
4%
26
4%
9
2%
9
2%

#64216 by GDiddy
Tue Jan 04, 2005 9:59 am
gurp13 wrote:Then, suddenly this last year I heard that Fates Warning was still around as was Dream Theater. I couldn't believe it! These were some favorite bands of mine from the 80's


Dream Theater was not around in the 80s.

#64217 by GDiddy
Tue Jan 04, 2005 10:02 am
Sex and Religion features Devin's best screaming. It's always been a favorite album of mine. I think it's Vai's best album, and vocally I consider it Townsend's best. This is the album that began townsend's career, and Vai obviously had a big influence on him. This is highly apparent in his writing, most blatantly in a song like "ants".

#65473 by gurp13
Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:24 pm
GDiddy wrote:
gurp13 wrote:Then, suddenly this last year I heard that Fates Warning was still around as was Dream Theater. I couldn't believe it! These were some favorite bands of mine from the 80's


Dream Theater was not around in the 80s.


Right, my bad. Images and Words came out in 1992. Which, for me, was the tail end of the 80's metal era. Granted, it's true that, strictly speaking, Dream Theater wasn't around in the 80's, musical trends don't follow such neat delineations as years. So, when I mention Dream Theater and Fates Warning together it's because I became aware of them both around the same time. Given that it was over a decade ago and I'm old now, I think I can be excused for my imprecision. ::wink::

#65966 by batmura
Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:16 am
Sex & Religion is the best Vai album, true. However, it's good only by Vai's standards. Overall it's pretty mediocre with weak songwriting (Vai's a great player but a weak composer IMO) and there's little to no creative input allowed to the rest of the guys in the band. Mr Vai thought he could pull it off all by himself, then why did he even bother to enlist the services of all these talents?

To call Vai as much of a genius as Devin is an insane comment. Why? Because Vai is the most overrated guitar 'virtuoso' around. My opinion, so don't jump on me. The guy is plain out horrible. His tone, choice of tones, overplayed music, overproduced records, weird-crap tones and effects added to his mixes, etc. Overblown in the highest amount.

NP: Ayreon - Actual Fantasy Revisited

#65967 by batmura
Tue Jan 11, 2005 1:17 am
By the way, Dream Theater, technically, *was* around in the 80's. They formed in 1985 under the Majesty moniker, and released their first official album in 1989.

#65987 by STS
Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:22 am
liquid puppy on acid wrote:In My Dreams With You

Love the song + love the video for it... my choice came along... yeah :)


WHERE I can get that VIDEO???!

#70604 by asparagusDuck
Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:44 pm
I just picked this album yesterday solely for my interest in hearing what Dev sounded like in the beginning. I love Still My Bleed Heart, but i guess i need to give the rest of the album some time to grow on me. Especially the "rap" parts in the title track.
I'm not really big into religious themes, but then again, what was I expecting buying an album called sex & religion?

#70968 by organic spiral
Sun Feb 13, 2005 5:56 pm
One of my favorite Vai albums, and the first I had ever heard of Townsend. I didn't even realize he was such a songwriter and composer with a vast amount of material until years after I left my "Vai stage". All in all though, great songs on here. In My Dreams probably being my favorite. Very erotic lyrics and even a little disturbing...

#70971 by gurp13
Sun Feb 13, 2005 6:45 pm
batmura wrote:Sex & Religion is the best Vai album, true. However, it's good only by Vai's standards. Overall it's pretty mediocre with weak songwriting (Vai's a great player but a weak composer IMO) and there's little to no creative input allowed to the rest of the guys in the band. Mr Vai thought he could pull it off all by himself, then why did he even bother to enlist the services of all these talents?

To call Vai as much of a genius as Devin is an insane comment. Why? Because Vai is the most overrated guitar 'virtuoso' around. My opinion, so don't jump on me. The guy is plain out horrible. His tone, choice of tones, overplayed music, overproduced records, weird-crap tones and effects added to his mixes, etc. Overblown in the highest amount.


Yes, that is only *your* opinion. Personally, I love the sounds that come out of his guitar. And, I think it's absolutely astounding that anyone would say he is "mediocre" as a composer. Mediocre compared to what? Have you turned on the radio lately? Come on, dude. Listen to top 40 radio. That's mediocrity. And, I think he pulled the talent in on that album because A) people enjoy working with Steve Vai because he's a genius and B) he needs musicians of that caliber to keep up with him.

And, did I actually read you complaining about overproduction on a Devin Townsend board? Er, what is the definition of of overproduction anyway? See, I think it's one thing to say you don't prefer to listen to Steve Vai because you don't enjoy it. It's another to start making statements like he's "mediocre" has "crap tones" and the records are "overproduced." I can't stand listening to most death metal because I find it silly and the vocals drive me nuts. But, that's my preference. And, your preference is not to listen to Steve Vai.

Overblown in the highest amounts? Are you sure you're a Devin Townsend fan? Have you heard SYL? <shakes head in confusion>

#71117 by WilliamTurner
Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:42 am
This is in fact the one album for me.

I discovered it in ye old times, when there were times on MTV when they played METAL, and I mean real stuff every sunday night @ headbangers ball.

And suddenly this dark guy in this long "pinhead"-a-like dress with the haircut I ever dreamed of, since I am a fan of Yul Brynner..and he walks to a fiery plays and starts to shout out the hell out o my little fucking TV...

It was Deep down into the pain and I just thought...damn..this guy is AWESOME!

I bought this album and heard it about ten million times and even now I cannot say which song is best
They are all origin and fucking brilliant.and I was so pissed when I heard that they split it again and I lost Devin out of sight...

Until I heard bored and full of "knowing there will be no good track on it" a CD of the german magazine Rock Hard... and I was impressed by a really cool song about "Life" ...and I recognized this voice again...

Since Ocean machine I bought all albums of Dev and I love em all.
But even years later I am confident, that "Sex and Religion" is a timeless peace of gold, a pearl...a fluke.......

Love it

Greetings

Martin

#72645 by SRFM
Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:22 am
His work on "Sex & Religion" turned Dev into my favorite vocalist of all time. It took me several years before Terria - so far my favorite DT album - made me listen with proper attention to the post-Vai efforts (that I now love, Strapping included), which until then had seemed badly mixed and alienating to me (with the vocal much too vague in the mix). I now understand that the right word is not "badly" but "strangely". Devin Townsend makes unique ground breaking albums both with respect to the music and to the production. That being said, I still like the vocal sound of "Accelerated Evolution" and "SYL" better than the early DT and Strapping albums, "AE" having some of the most awesome virtuoso vocals since the Vai record.
As for Steve Vai, I personally appreciate his composing more than his guitar playing (which is good, but that I don't feel competent enough to judge). His best album musically IMO is "Fire Garden".

Oh yeah, I forgot - I voted Still My Bleeding Heart, but it was a close shave with In My Dreams, Down Deep Into the Pain, Pig and Dirty Black Hole... Oh heck, the whole album is good!

#72790 by Sune
Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:11 am
"In My Dreams With You" !!

#74299 by Barking Pumpkin
Thu Mar 24, 2005 2:01 pm
I love 'Sex And Religion.' I wish I wasn't three years old when they toured for it....so I could have seen it. Two of my favorite musicians that I would probably have never though about in the same context if it wasn't for that album.

#75683 by bpeter
Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:08 am
That was the first album, that i heard with Devin's voice. I love it now too!

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