I'm ready to drink the Kool-Aid
November 15, 2010 7:13 PM Subscribe
I just caught the documentary Dig! and though I'm pretty familiar with the Dandy Warhols, I've never really gotten into the Brian Jonestown Massacre. So, what's a good introduction to BJM that will keep me coming back for more?
Best answer: The HBO show Boardwalk Empire uses an instrumental version of "Straight Up and Down" as its opening credit music...
posted by Lucinda at 7:41 PM on November 15, 2010
posted by Lucinda at 7:41 PM on November 15, 2010
Best answer: 2nding Tepid Peppermint which, quite frankly, is all I've ever really needed from the BPM. You'll hear much of the stuff that pops up in Dig!
posted by philip-random at 7:49 PM on November 15, 2010
posted by philip-random at 7:49 PM on November 15, 2010
Best answer: "thank god for mental illness" is great and garagey and bluesy. they recorded it for $17 in their basement and you can buy it new for abour $2.
'take it from the man' is an album i spent many a high school hour listening to. i love it.
i only like the early stuff.
posted by custard heart at 8:30 PM on November 15, 2010
'take it from the man' is an album i spent many a high school hour listening to. i love it.
i only like the early stuff.
posted by custard heart at 8:30 PM on November 15, 2010
Best answer: Give it Back was basically recorded with the personnel featured in the movie, so that might be a good starting point.
Strung Out in Heaven is the album TVT (the label signing that they send Joel to instead of Anton) put out, but the only good track is the first one.
My picks for best would be Their Satanic Majesties Second Request, Take it From the Man, and Thank God for Mental Illness, which were all release in a very short span. Hardly a bad track on any of those. Methadrone has a couple good tracks, but is pretty middling.
posted by LionIndex at 8:39 PM on November 15, 2010
Strung Out in Heaven is the album TVT (the label signing that they send Joel to instead of Anton) put out, but the only good track is the first one.
My picks for best would be Their Satanic Majesties Second Request, Take it From the Man, and Thank God for Mental Illness, which were all release in a very short span. Hardly a bad track on any of those. Methadrone has a couple good tracks, but is pretty middling.
posted by LionIndex at 8:39 PM on November 15, 2010
Best answer: Seconding 'Take it From the Man' and 'Their Satanic Majesties..." both great albums.
posted by alltomorrowsparties at 10:40 PM on November 15, 2010
posted by alltomorrowsparties at 10:40 PM on November 15, 2010
Best answer: Everyone else has already made good recommendations.
I only question the Strung Out in Heaven comment. It is a pretty solid record as well (IMO).
Nothing beats seeing them live though.
posted by purephase at 4:15 AM on November 16, 2010
I only question the Strung Out in Heaven comment. It is a pretty solid record as well (IMO).
Nothing beats seeing them live though.
posted by purephase at 4:15 AM on November 16, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I'm going to start with Their Satanic Majestic Second Request and Tepid Peppermint Wonderland, then (hopefully) move on from there.
posted by El_Marto at 6:24 AM on November 16, 2010
posted by El_Marto at 6:24 AM on November 16, 2010
That's probably a good call. Majesties, for me, is the one BJM album where the songs really suffer when they're removed from the album context, and there's a lot of transition/interlude pieces that aren't going to show up on a hits collection. Other albums, while obviously assembled and conceived as a whole, don't quite have the same effect. Majesties is kind of BJM's Sgt. Pepper.
posted by LionIndex at 8:00 AM on November 16, 2010
posted by LionIndex at 8:00 AM on November 16, 2010
if you can find methodrone, buy it! i could listen to hyperventilation on a loop for days. note: i'm at work & can't actually access that youtube clip, so i hope it was done on one of their 'on' days.
posted by msconduct at 10:05 AM on November 16, 2010
posted by msconduct at 10:05 AM on November 16, 2010
You might also be interested in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the other band that Brian Jonestown became. They're somewhat more like BJM than the Dandies are.
posted by cmoj at 11:09 AM on November 16, 2010
posted by cmoj at 11:09 AM on November 16, 2010
You might also be interested in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the other band that Brian Jonestown became.
Well, I would second that recommendation, but I don't know that BJM "became" them - one short-term guitarist left (as happens quite frequently with BJM) and started another band. I think Give it Back is the only album Peter Hayes even appears on. BRMC draws quite a bit from the Jesus and Mary Chain as well as '60s revivalist stuff like BJM does.
Meanwhile, Matt Hollywood has a band called The Out Crowd, but I haven't heard them and can't offer a recommendation.
posted by LionIndex at 12:46 PM on November 16, 2010
Well, I would second that recommendation, but I don't know that BJM "became" them - one short-term guitarist left (as happens quite frequently with BJM) and started another band. I think Give it Back is the only album Peter Hayes even appears on. BRMC draws quite a bit from the Jesus and Mary Chain as well as '60s revivalist stuff like BJM does.
Meanwhile, Matt Hollywood has a band called The Out Crowd, but I haven't heard them and can't offer a recommendation.
posted by LionIndex at 12:46 PM on November 16, 2010
These are my personal favorites, from back in the good ol’ pre-DiG! days when BJM’s website offered free mp3s of every.single.thing they’d ever done (!).
I really dug their early shoegaze-y stuff (my two faves are Methodrone and the little-known so-called “Diane Perry tape”) and have never cared for their more well known psychedelic pop (feels derivative and uninteresting to me, but that’s just my opinion), so YMMV and all that...
Thoughts of You
Evergreen (live Diane Perry Tape version is so so so good, used to listen to it 50 times in a row...the album version is ok too)
Methodrone (live Diane Perry Tape version, album version)
Hide and Seek (the live Peel Session version; I’m not as into the album version)
Shortwave
Everyone Says
You Have Been Disconnected
Telegram
Good Morning Girl (live Peel Session)
I'm forgetting some; these are off the top of my head. Will come back if I remember more.
posted by ifjuly at 4:55 PM on November 16, 2010
I really dug their early shoegaze-y stuff (my two faves are Methodrone and the little-known so-called “Diane Perry tape”) and have never cared for their more well known psychedelic pop (feels derivative and uninteresting to me, but that’s just my opinion), so YMMV and all that...
Thoughts of You
Evergreen (live Diane Perry Tape version is so so so good, used to listen to it 50 times in a row...the album version is ok too)
Methodrone (live Diane Perry Tape version, album version)
Hide and Seek (the live Peel Session version; I’m not as into the album version)
Shortwave
Everyone Says
You Have Been Disconnected
Telegram
Good Morning Girl (live Peel Session)
I'm forgetting some; these are off the top of my head. Will come back if I remember more.
posted by ifjuly at 4:55 PM on November 16, 2010
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posted by rabbitrabbit at 7:27 PM on November 15, 2010 [2 favorites]