Answerphone messages on records C/D, S/D, POO etc

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Is it a bad or too obvious idea to put them on records? And what are your favourites?

― hamish (hamish), Friday, 7 March 2003 01:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the one on SY's Providence cause its just some stupid jokey crap but the context and the echo make it sound eery. The one on GG Allin's I'm a Gypsy mutherfucker is only good cause it doesn't have any of GG's awful music on it. The one on Charalambide's Think About is kind of creepy and then they start playing the guitar part from Three Years and leave you worrying about the the annoying tortured soul on the phone. The messages on Greg Malcolm's Its about your Album are used to great dramatic effect at a pivotal point of the What is it Keith? album. And of course there were heaps on those Bongwater records too.

― hamish (hamish), Friday, 7 March 2003 01:59 (twenty-three years ago)

that Charalambides one is CREEPY. and the first Devin the Dude album has some good ones. And what about NWA's "Message to BA"?? classic. and Gangstarr's "Aight Chill" was cool too

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 7 March 2003 02:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I. DON'T. NEED. THIS. SHIT.

― g.cannon (gcannon), Friday, 7 March 2003 02:10 (twenty-three years ago)

the worst is the 9/11 related one on the Masters at Work album. I can't even listen to it.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 7 March 2003 02:10 (twenty-three years ago)

The Clive Davis intro on Busta Rhymes' Genesis album is pretty cringe-worthy.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 March 2003 02:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually the greatest one -- if this counts -- is "Sacred Love" by the Bad Brains on I Against Iwhereing H.R. sang the vocals down the phone....calling from jail.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 7 March 2003 02:20 (twenty-three years ago)

telephone messages are acceptable and may occasionally augment the music. BUT, use with measured precision and only in appropriate instances. i think an obvious example would be 'ansaphone' by pulp. i also think that hip hop and rap tend to use the telephone message way too much.

― j.a.e., Friday, 7 March 2003 03:13 (twenty-three years ago)

The recording on the last Boyracer (Jon Al Dente, Impressive One Stop Customer Relations) is really funny the first few times you hear it, but then it just got to the point where I programmed it out of the cd player.

― svends, Friday, 7 March 2003 03:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, but I like how the point of the Boyracer one was completely extramusical:

"We thought everyone should know what a nasty sexist idiot this man is. And hopefully decide not to press records with him."

(Granted, this is a sort of cheap way of getting back at someone who, for all we knew, Stewart might completely legitimately owe money to.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Friday, 7 March 2003 03:37 (twenty-three years ago)

"Long Gone" by Super Furry Animals - first I thought it was annoying, then it was funny for a while, then creepy, then annoying again so, erm... dud. (this opinion could change at any moment)

― Poppy (poppy), Friday, 7 March 2003 06:35 (twenty-three years ago)

jade 'don't walk away'
" hi we're not in right now, but if you
leave your name and your number (sung)
we'll get back to you, to yoooouuu, to yooooooouuuu
(laughter) beeep'

also :
'evil dildo' last (and hidden)track on placebo's
'without you...' album which is an ansafone
mssge left by psychos who threaten to
make poor brian eat his own cock and stuff his own
cock up his arse. not pleasant.

― piscesboy, Friday, 7 March 2003 09:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Hello, this Gordon of the Violent Femmes and I've just been locked inside my house, so I can't go out and get my bus and stuff and get up there by one o'clock. I'll...Someone's coming over to rescue me so... it wasn't my fault, my parents had locked me in. So I'll get there whenever I can. Maybe I'll try calling Victor at his house or something like that. O. K., ah bye

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 7 March 2003 10:09 (twenty-three years ago)

the ones on "birthday boy" by Ween are heartbreaking. and there's that creepy one offa the papa m album

― bob snoom, Friday, 7 March 2003 10:12 (twenty-three years ago)

chaki has a funny one.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 7 March 2003 10:19 (twenty-three years ago)

ahem (thx for the shout out RJG)

― chaki (chaki), Friday, 7 March 2003 10:21 (twenty-three years ago)

theo parrish rmx of jill scott with jill apologizing to theo for her manager, and saying that hes just looking out for her interests

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 7 March 2003 10:24 (twenty-three years ago)

"Actually the greatest one -- if this counts -- is "Sacred Love" by the Bad Brains on I Against Iwhereing H.R. sang the vocals down the phone....calling from jail."

'nathaniel' on Aquemini. so it's a hip hop album with absolutely no shout-outs, no mentions by name of any of their friends. except for one friend, who is named only in the title of the track. and the track is a freestyle, performed down the phone onto outkast's ansaphone, from prison.

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 7 March 2003 10:42 (twenty-three years ago)

"Mr. Watt - dude - sir - you need to get me my fuckin' Annie soundtrack back."

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 7 March 2003 11:22 (twenty-three years ago)

That Watt one is priceless. "No I don't want to be on your fucking record"

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 7 March 2003 13:34 (twenty-three years ago)

speaking of mike watt
SYouth Providence

― kephm, Saturday, 8 March 2003 00:19 (twenty-three years ago)

like duh on me

― kephm, Saturday, 8 March 2003 00:22 (twenty-three years ago)

True Steppers featuring Dane Bowers - "Buggin"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 8 March 2003 00:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Crowd of One by Papa M is a really cool piece of music using answerphone messages as cryptic story telling.

"Your game is up GEORGE."

― earlnash, Saturday, 8 March 2003 01:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Second both the Femmes and Theo Parrish (both GREAT choices - props)

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 8 March 2003 01:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Has noone mentioned the one on Mogwai's "Tracy" yet? Then I will.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 8 March 2003 01:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Also, the great fake one from Jarvis on "Ansaphone."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 8 March 2003 01:35 (twenty-three years ago)

two spring to mind:

dillinja's cybotron album with the message from his manager telling him to hurry the fuck up and finish the album, it's been two years already.

can't forget the ms kitten message preceding madame hollyowood. i chuckle every time

― to by, Saturday, 8 March 2003 07:14 (twenty-three years ago)

also, don't know if it counts, but Biggie talking to himslef on the phone in "Warning" was THE SHIT - then AND now

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 8 March 2003 07:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyone ever here the messages from various techno luminaries on Kirlian's PLEASURE YOURSELF? Classic. "This is Juan Atkins, and I pleasure myself." "This is Mika Vainio and I pleasure myself with the raw horsemeat." Etc.

― Jeff Sumner (Jeff Sumner), Saturday, 8 March 2003 14:25 (twenty-three years ago)

The one on "What's The 411?" by Mary J Blige seems like a good intro to the album for some reason.

There's one at the beginning of "No, No, No" by Eve off of "Scorpion" where Stephen Marley rings her up and says "Hey Eve, it's Steve" and then laughs as if it's the funniest thing ever.

― Nick H, Saturday, 8 March 2003 16:37 (twenty-three years ago)

laurie anderson - o superman (post apocalypse artifact)

mothers of invention - telephone conversation (on WEOIFTMoney 'can i have 2230642 ... yes, can i have 3224678 please' (zappa) 'he's gonna bump you off y'know, he's got a gun and if he doesn't get you in laurel canyon he'll get you here' (suzy creemcheese) 'is that him you're talking to' (uptight mom) 'look just don't worry' (suzy) 'oh, and i think my phone is tapped' (mom) 'well just don't worry' (suzy) -- whole album constructed as chunks of stolen material presented as pre-post-modern post-musique-concrete pastiche like tapped phone calls or band overheard on studio tapes left recording

primal screem -- 'gorgeous' starting off xtrmintr (post apocalypse artifact)

― george gosset (gegoss), Saturday, 8 March 2003 21:22 (twenty-three years ago)

The ones on Roger Manning's second album really set the mood. The non-Jellyfish Roger Manning, I mean.

― Paul Eater (eater), Saturday, 8 March 2003 22:33 (twenty-three years ago)

death threats on throbbing gristle's D.O.A is quite pleasant: "really there's gonna be so much trouble ... you're gonna be well and truly DONE IN..." etcetc

― schnell schnell, Saturday, 8 March 2003 22:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Didn't Iggy Pop leave on on At The Drive In's last album?

Best not mentioned so far is Art Bergman's where he calls in and apologizes to either the band or the studio for not showing up today on What Fresh Hell Is This.

Beef Terminal, one of those postrawk bands in Toronto uses other cell phone conversations as background instruments on his two albums. Radio waves (my name is Billy) are public property in Canada thankfully.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Saturday, 8 March 2003 23:12 (twenty-three years ago)

the vicious answering-machine message that Faultline wove into "Control" still give me nightmares.

no mention of Staalplaat's 100th release, "The Answering Machine Solution" CD? owns this thread, if anything can be said to. 66 tracks of custom messages created by everyone from Karl Blake to Ultrasound (the good, dark-ambient one). nice mix of sounds, words, and samples. capped with a field recording of Yanomami shamans celebrating the installation of phonelines!

― summerslastsound (summerslastsound), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 16:50 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the machine beep noises on De La Soul's "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" a whole lot.

― jodi shapiro (burun), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 18:05 (twenty-three years ago)

destroy the pras album interludes.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Sonic Youth - Providence
sparklehorse - spirit ditch

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:58 (twenty-three years ago)

the one on the Moped album and the hidden track at the end of the first Tsunami album ("..I hate the Compact Disc"..)

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 23:07 (twenty-three years ago)

I agree w/g.cannon.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 23:33 (twenty-three years ago)

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