Figure it would be appropriate to post my first post under the new album. I remember getting this album as a gift from my wife. I had ignored it forever( unlike their entire previous catalog). It's different and not quite as heavy as I would like but catchy as hell. Like the rest of the 90s bands (aka the cliche of grunge ) I grow fonder and fonder of them as they seem to age like fine wine. BTW hello everyone. Been a fan since the 90s its good to see fans not arguing with each other like children. I don't get on these boards very much but figured I'd stop creeping....
Nah, I know what you mean. Some of my favorite albums are initially albums I hate. By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a perfect example.
I think Self Title was, in itself, a good album. The songs were well written and well recorded. Where it fell flat with a lot of people is the fact that it was released 9 years after SLDD, and had no bridge between itself and any of their other albums. Someone could easily make the jump between Core and Purple, or Core and No. 4, or Purple and Tiny Music, or Purple and SLDD, but Self Title felt far removed from anything, WAY FAR REMOVED from anything. If you're going to stop making albums for nearly a decade, meanwhile your first two albums are gaining momentum, then it's probably not a terrible idea to sway the songwriting a little more towards Core or Purple.
"No way man, that's selling out!"
Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. STP didn't do it, more respect to them, but Self Title failed before it even had a chance.