I've been listening to JA's discography recently

[Larry B.]

They were pretty good, uh?

Right now I'm listening to TGEA, more specifically "The Irresistible Force" or whatever that song is called. It's amazing how they tried (consciously or otherwise) to sound like U2. I was actually thinking that if U2 had recorded those songs almost exactly like JA did, it would've been a slightly better album. But unfortunately, it's such a boring piece of rubbish.

I did cheat the previous days, though. I listed to Ritual twice. What an album that is.

EDIT: Ultimate Reason is alright, though. As is End to the Lies. I do enjoy those two tracks.

[Bandit72]

Larry, I'm not a U2 fan at all, so I'm going to say TGEA is better done by JA. Funnily enough I've been listening to Ritual in the gym recently. I'm still swayed towards Then She Did as my favourite song they've ever done.

[Matz]

+ 1, then she did is one of the finest moments in rock history

[SR]

Has a pole been done on what's better.....NS/RDLH? I think most favor RDLH, but I don't.

[Bandit72]

I think a poll was done a while back. I think it was pretty much split.

[Larry B.]

Then She Did, Three Days and Classic Girl.

[Matov]

hell yeah



i just lit up, played this piece of work and immediately thought about this place. And out of all the possible new threads i could have encountered, i get to find this one. I feel joyous.

[Warped]

Has a pole been done on what's better.....NS/RDLH? I think most favor RDLH, but I don't.

Same here.
NS as a unity is better, i love every second of it even Idiots rule.
And what about Ted, what a masterpiece. I wish they would release a remastered version of NS.

[Xizen47]

Nothing Shocking is the better album

Ritual has the greatest Janes songs (3 Days, Then She Did)

[Hokahey]

Ritual. It's close, but Ritual. Start to finish, I love every second of that album. NS has a few moments that I'm not a huge fan of.

[JOEinPHX]

Has a pole been done on what's better.....NS/RDLH? I think most favor RDLH, but I don't.

Same here.
NS as a unity is better, i love every second of it even Idiots rule.
And what about Ted, what a masterpiece. I wish they would release a remastered version of NS.

Me too. NS sounds too 80s.

[erotic cheeses]

Dude oranges and apples

Both are magnificent in their own way

Simple

[Pandemonium]

Tough call between the two. I think NS is the better album front to back but the production literally holds it back to a degree from being perfect. RDLH still doesn't sound dated and has much more dynamics from song to song. It's a draw.

[Mescal]

Has a pole been done on what's better.....NS/RDLH? I think most favor RDLH, but I don't.

Same here.
NS as a unity is better, i love every second of it even Idiots rule.
And what about Ted, what a masterpiece. I wish they would release a remastered version of NS.

Me too. NS sounds too 80s.

Yeah, like it's recorded in a basement.

[bman]

JA has so many great songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2rjS5LnbSk

[stonevibe]

Side B of Ritual is amazing.

I can take or leave the whole of side A

NS is a great album with dated guitar sounds ala 'hair metal' guitar tone.

[kv]

NS>RIT imho both A+ records

[janesbiggestfan]

Nothing shocking to me is a perfect encapsulation of a certain time in history, and certain place in the world on top of that (the crazy rich scene of late 80s Los angeles). It should be listened to with the visuals (the clips, live recordings etc) and in the context of that scene (the peppers and all the other bands of that period).
Only then do you get to fully understand this album and its place and significance.

Ritual on the other hand is a stand alone work of art. It needs no introductions etc. These are two parts of a fully contained masterpiece. The A side with the crazy rocking songs and the B side with the esoteric heroin laced dreamy impressions.

I actually think that the phenomenon known as JA 1.0 (as Avery always refers to) was really the triple X recording and then nothing shocking. For me Ritual is a separate thing, something in the way of a post scriptum. It's like, we already know this is over.

For me the record has this certain air about it, especially these magica music spaces with the piano in Then She Did (Propably the best all time piece of music in my life) and in Of course, and in Classic Girl and suprisingly to the least extent in 3 days... all of this is a universe of its own... I now think, from the perspective of years that have past, that these guys somehow magically stumbled on these best most transcendental moments of the ritual B side... like, their true self was the led zeppelin redux mixed with bauhaus and joy division crazyness of NS and Triple X.


I probably am rambling, but for me there is a combined like 10 or 20 minutes of music which completely destroys everything else that ive heard in my 29 years on earth (and ive listened to everything from classic music to all sorts of jazz to straight rock to indie rock to blues to singer/songwriter to etno/world and even pop/techno garbage).

I would like to be able to enunciate what I have felt in my life while listening to Ritual and what sensations and images in my head this music brought to me and garnered and inspired. Maybe some of you experienced similar things...

[bman]

Both Albums are so great. Try puting a live 14 song set together..Classics will get left off.

Ultimate Set List starring NS and RDLH (standard JA 14 song set)

Up the Beach
Had a Dad
No One's Leaving
Aint no Right
Idiots Rule
Summertime Rolls
Ted Just Admit it
Standing in the Shower
Three Days
Pigs in Zen
Then She Did
Stop

Classic Girl
Ocean Size

[Noonesshocking]

Both Albums are so great. Try putting a live 14 song set together..Classics will get left off.

Ultimate Set List starring NS and RDLH (standard JA 14 song set)

Up the Beach
Had a Dad
No One's Leaving
Aint no Right
Idiots Rule
Summertime Rolls
Ted Just Admit it
Standing in the Shower
Three Days
Pigs in Zen
Then She Did
Stop

Classic Girl
Ocean Size

Swap out then she did for another soulmate, and you've got the perfect setlist!

[SR]

Many complaints revolve around ns's production which I consider a virtue. I love jerdens stripped down style and the raw youthful fearlessness that is like a punch to the face. And please, I say this as an ardent acolyte in the rdlh church. Both albums are tits (now that's 80's)

[JOEinPHX]

Both Albums are so great. Try putting a live 14 song set together..Classics will get left off.

Ultimate Set List starring NS and RDLH (standard JA 14 song set)

Up the Beach
Had a Dad
No One's Leaving
Aint no Right
Idiots Rule
Summertime Rolls
Ted Just Admit it
Standing in the Shower
Three Days
Pigs in Zen
Then She Did
Stop

Classic Girl
Ocean Size

Swap out then she did for another soulmate, and you've got the perfect setlist!

And surprisingly enough, that looks exactly like their setlist for the last 3 years.

[Bandit72]

Yeh, nice, but I'd miss Whores

[CaseyContrarian]

Nothing shocking to me is a perfect encapsulation of a certain time in history, and certain place in the world on top of that (the crazy rich scene of late 80s Los angeles). It should be listened to with the visuals (the clips, live recordings etc) and in the context of that scene (the peppers and all the other bands of that period).
Only then do you get to fully understand this album and its place and significance.

Ritual on the other hand is a stand alone work of art. It needs no introductions etc. These are two parts of a fully contained masterpiece. The A side with the crazy rocking songs and the B side with the esoteric heroin laced dreamy impressions.

I actually think that the phenomenon known as JA 1.0 (as Avery always refers to) was really the triple X recording and then nothing shocking. For me Ritual is a separate thing, something in the way of a post scriptum. It's like, we already know this is over.

For me the record has this certain air about it, especially these magica music spaces with the piano in Then She Did (Propably the best all time piece of music in my life) and in Of course, and in Classic Girl and suprisingly to the least extent in 3 days... all of this is a universe of its own... I now think, from the perspective of years that have past, that these guys somehow magically stumbled on these best most transcendental moments of the ritual B side... like, their true self was the led zeppelin redux mixed with bauhaus and joy division crazyness of NS and Triple X.


I probably am rambling, but for me there is a combined like 10 or 20 minutes of music which completely destroys everything else that ive heard in my 29 years on earth (and ive listened to everything from classic music to all sorts of jazz to straight rock to indie rock to blues to singer/songwriter to etno/world and even pop/techno garbage).

I would like to be able to enunciate what I have felt in my life while listening to Ritual and what sensations and images in my head this music brought to me and garnered and inspired. Maybe some of you experienced similar things...

I think you just articulated pretty damn well.

[Juana]

I prefer NS cause I grew up surfing to that album. RdlH I didn't get into until I got older. Both are great records but if I had to chose one then it would be NS.