My first Search and Destroy, actually, I think this is the first time I've started a thread.
Okay, I'm guessing destriy is a nil, everything I've heard by Madeski, Martin & Wood has blown my mind and I think it's high time I invested in an album of theirs. Problem is, there's quite a lot of them. They've got Uninvisible on sale at Amazon for £8.99, so I'm thinking of getting that first but what is considered their best work?
― Stephen Burrows (steveeeeeeeee), Monday, 17 March 2003 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)
er, that's Medeski, with two E's.
I am of two minds about them - I've been a big fan and then lost most interest. They are best live. Don't have time to go into details, but maybe later.
I don't know about Search, but if you're going to get something by them, I recommend either It's a Jungle in Here (jazz-leaning; down) or Shack-Man (funk/fusoid-leaning; up). Or get their greatest hits - "Last Chance to Dance Trance" (which is named after a pretty good film-music type cut from their uneven Friday Afternoon in the Universe album). I have not heard much of Uninvisible, however, and think that might be a good one.
Destroy: Combustication. Many people will tell you it's the best. I think they're wrong - weird production, uninspired playing, awful DJ scratching.
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:08 (twenty-three years ago)
A good starting point = Shackman; gives ya a pretty good idea of the avant-groove stuff that they are capable of. I particularly love Uninvisible, though, and it's got much more of that NYC vibe on it (they've recorded most of their albums at home in NYC, but Shackman was recorded in a solar-powered shack in Hawaii).
Most of their albums (It's a Jungle in Here, Friday Afternoon in the Universe, Shackman, Combustication, The Dropper, Uninvisible) are dominantly electric instruments, and the drum mix on The Dropper and Uninvisible has almost-industrial tones with the way they've been compressed and occasionally distorted, giving those two albums a very dirty gritty vibe, whereas their first few had a more organic vibe.
However, they have two acoustic piano-trio albums, Notes from the Underground (their 1st album) and Tonic (recorded live at the NYC club of the same name), which are just gorgeous and show a whole different side of what they do; if you like more traditional bebop style jazz, rather than the electrically-charged avant-groove stuff, these albums are for you.
I'll say this though, I own all their albums (plus a "order-from-the-website-only" super-experimental album called Farmer's Reserve), and every one of them is amazing.
I would hope there would be very few 'destroy' suggestions. :D
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:09 (twenty-three years ago)
er, that's Medeski, with two E's.Yeah, when I first did a search on Google I typed in "Madjeski, Martin & Wood". Got confused with the Reading FC chairman and his namesake stadium, as you do.
― Stephen Burrows (steveeeeeeeee), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:22 (twenty-three years ago)
Sorry, forgot to say, thanks for the advice.
― Stephen Burrows (steveeeeeeeee), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:23 (twenty-three years ago)
Destroy all of it, because my jazzbo friends say, when I express my distaste for all they stand for, "Yeah, man, but they can really play!!"
― Jess Hill (jesshill), Monday, 17 March 2003 14:48 (twenty-three years ago)