Figure 8
File:Elliott smith figure 8 cover.jpg
Studio album by Elliott Smith
Released April 18, 2000
Recorded 1999-2000 at Abbey Road Studios, London
Capitol Studios, Hollywood
Sonora Studios, LA
Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood
Genre Indie rock
Length 52:06
Label DreamWorks Records
Producer Tom Rothrock
Rob Schnapf
Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith chronology
XO
(1998)
Figure 8
(2000)
From a Basement on the Hill
(2004)

Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Released by DreamWorks Records on April 18, 2000, it became Smith's second release on a major label and the last album he would complete before his death. It was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, Sonora Studios in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios in Hollywood, and Abbey Road Studios in London ("Stupidity Tries", "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)" and "Pretty Mary K"). The album was also released on double vinyl 12" on Bong Load Custom Records, and later re-released by Plain Records in 2008. It is also available as a digital download.

The title is thought to be taken from a song by Schoolhouse Rock!;[1] Smith covered this song, but it did not make the final track listing.

Regarding the album's title, Smith said this in a May 11, 2000 article in The Boston Herald:

"I liked the idea of a self-contained, endless pursuit of perfection. But I have a problem with perfection. I don't think perfection is very artful. But there's something I liked about the image of a skater going in this endless twisted circle that doesn't have any real endpoint. So the object is not to stop or arrive anywhere; it's just to make this thing as beautiful as they can."

Compared to Smith's earlier work, Figure 8 is more instrumentally ornate, and the lyrics are more impressionistic. Smith described the songs on the album as "more...fragmented and dreamlike".[2]

Contents

Reception [link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3.5/5 stars link
Metacritic (universal acclaim)[3]
Mojo 4.5/5 stars [3]
NME (8/10) [4]
Pitchfork Media (6.9/10) 4/1/2000
Q Magazine 4/5 stars 8
Rolling Stone 5/5 stars [5]

Metacritic gave "Figure 8" a score of 81 (universal acclaim). The music review online magazine Pitchfork Media placed Figure 8 at number 190 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s (decade).[6] Rolling Stone had similar praises for the album, placing it at #42 on the "100 Best Albums of the Decade" list:[7]

Elliott Smith's remarkable melodic sense had its perfect yin-yang match in the bottomless darkness of his lyrics. Figure 8, the last album Smith completed before committing suicide in 2003, was his most ornamented work. Yet there is joy in even the busiest arrangements: Dazzling music-hall piano drives the Beatlesque "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost"; a guitar curlicues like wild ivy on the morbid power-pop number "L.A." It's hard to imagine the wave of rustic, gorgeous music coming out of Smith's adopted home, the Pacific Northwest (Fleet Foxes, the Decemberists), without this haunted high-water mark.

Additional musicians [link]

  • Sam Coomes - bass on "Everything Means Nothing to Me," "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)," "Stupidity Tries," and "Pretty Mary K"
  • Pete Thomas - drums on "Junk Bond Trader," "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" and "Can't Make a Sound"
  • Joey Waronker - drums on "Stupidity Tries"
  • Jon Brion - backup vocals on "Happiness/The Gondola Man"

Track listing [link]

(All songs written by Elliott Smith)

  1. "Son of Sam" About this sound sample – 3:04
  2. "Somebody That I Used to Know" – 2:09
  3. "Junk Bond Trader" – 3:49
  4. "Everything Reminds Me of Her" – 2:37
  5. "Everything Means Nothing to Me" – 2:24
  6. "L.A." – 3:14
  7. "In the Lost and Found (Honky Bach)/The Roost" – 4:32
  8. "Stupidity Tries" – 4:23
  9. "Easy Way Out" – 2:44
  10. "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud" – 3:25
  11. "Color Bars" – 2:19
  12. "Happiness/The Gondola Man" – 5:04
  13. "Pretty Mary K" – 2:36
  14. "I Better Be Quiet Now" – 3:35
  15. "Can't Make a Sound" – 4:18
  16. "Bye" – 1:53

Available on CD, cassette and LP. A DreamWorks Records release.

Produced by Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf and Elliott Smith.

Recorded and mixed at Abbey Road, Capitol, Sunset Sound, and Sonora Studios.

Songs and all strings arranged by Elliott Smith. Strings orchestrated by Suzie Katayama.

Photos by Autumn deWilde. Art direction and design by Autumn deWilde and Dale Smith.

Alternate releases [link]

The Japanese release of this album included Smith's cover of The Beatles' song "Because" and "Figure 8", an abridged cover of a Schoolhouse Rock! song.

The promotional CD for Figure 8 featured cover artwork by Mike Mills, director of Thumbsucker. Smith contributed songs to the Thumbsucker soundtrack.

Outtakes, b-sides, and other non-album tracks [link]

Officially released songs [link]

  • "A Living Will" - Included on the "Son of Sam" single.
  • "Because" - Beatles cover included on Japanese releases of Figure 8; based on the Beatles' Anthology 3 version of the song, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Produced, mixed and recorded by Rob Schnapf.
  • "Figure 8" - Schoolhouse Rock! cover, written by Bob Dorough; included on the "Son of Sam" single, and on Japanese releases of Figure 8.
  • "Happiness" [acoustic] - Included on the French 3 Titres Inedits promo.
  • "I Can't Answer You Anymore" - Included on the French 3 Titres Inedits promo.
  • "Pretty Mary K" [alternate] - Included on the French 3 Titres Inedits promo.

Unreleased songs [link]

  • "Brand New Game" - two different mixes have leaked, with one mix containing the guitar higher in the mix, among other differences. Unfortunately, the latter mix suffers from running at the wrong speed at "digital" glitches.
  • "Can't Make a Sound" - alternate mix; some different lyrics, no strings overdubbed.
  • "Junk Bond Trader" - alternate version; some different lyrics.
  • "No Life"
  • "Place Pigalle"
  • "Snowbunny's Serenade" - an alternate version of "Bye" featured in Southlander, in the scene where Chase is trying to seduce Snowbunny.
  • "Sorry, My Mistake" - instrumental only; thought to have never had vocals recorded. However, on youtube there exists a live version that does have lyrics.
  • "Stained Glass Eyes"
  • "Tiny Time Machine" - instrumental; worked on later as "Suicide Machine" for Smith's next album, From a Basement on the Hill.

[edit] Other Figure 8-era songs

  • "Confidence Artist" - Played live in 1999. Unknown if a studio recording exists.
  • "Flowers for Charlie" - Played live in 1999 and 2000. Unknown if a studio recording exists.

Cover photo [link]

The Figure 8 wall on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The wall Smith stands in front of in Autumn de Wilde's photograph on the cover of the album exists in Los Angeles, and since his death it has become a memorial to him. It is covered with graffiti and written messages containing lyrics and personal messages to Smith. It is located at 4334 W. Sunset Boulevard, which is a store by the name of Solutions Audio-Video Repair, just south of the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue.

In 2007, the painting was returned to its original state after being vandalized. Since then, it has again been painted over with unrelated graffiti.

In May 2010, the wall was covered by marketing material for Roger Waters' The Wall Live. After finding out what had happened, Waters ordered for it to be removed.[8] In 2011, the wall was restored in celebration of the artist's birthday, including a stencil of Smith in order to mimic the photo on the album cover.[9]

The indie rock band BOAT parodied the album's cover art, among several others, on its 2011 release Dress Like Your Idols.

References [link]

  1. ^ sweet adeline | figure 8
  2. ^ Carsten Wohlfeld (2000). "Elliott Smith: The Hamburger Interview". Luna Kafe E-Zine. https://www.lunakafe.com/moon44/usor44.php. Retrieved 2008-03-30. 
  3. ^ a b "Figure 8 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. https://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/smithelliott/figure8. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  4. ^ "NME Album Reviews - Figure 8". Nme.Com. 2000-04-14. https://www.nme.com/reviews/elliott-smith/2127. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  5. ^ "Elliott Smith: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rollingstone.com. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/14639/80550. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  6. ^ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork Media. https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/2/. Retrieved October 1, 2009. 
  7. ^ By Rolling Stone (2011-07-19). "Introducing Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | Music News". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31248017/100_best_albums_of_the_decade/17. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  8. ^ Gustavo Turner (2010-05-13). "Roger Waters vs. Elliott Smith's Wall - Page 1 - Music - Los Angeles". LA Weekly. https://www.laweekly.com/2010-05-13/music/roger-waters-vs-elliott-smith-s-wall/. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 
  9. ^ "Elliott Smith Mural Updated for Smith's Birthday | News". Pitchfork. 2011-08-12. https://pitchfork.com/news/43523-elliott-smith-mural-updated-for-smiths-birthday/. Retrieved 2012-02-16. 

External links [link]


https://wn.com/Figure_8_(album)

Making Mirrors

Making Mirrors is the third studio album by Belgian-Australian artist Gotye. The album was released in Australia on 19 August 2011. In December 2011 it was announced that Making Mirrors was voted Triple J listeners' number-one album of 2011, making Gotye the first artist to win the Triple J album poll twice. It included the hit "Somebody That I Used to Know", which reached and topped charts worldwide. In Poland, after one day of release, the album was certified platinum. The album won the 2013 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

The album was largely recorded at a converted studio at Gotye's parents' farm in the Mornington Peninsula.

History

"Eyes Wide Open" saw Gotye explore new musical territory, with the main bass line from the song recorded on a fence: "I was out there with my old band called The Basics—and Winton is home to this phenomenal thing called the Winton Musical Fence, which is a large fence made out of metal strings stretched between posts and you can pluck it and play it with all sorts of different materials - it makes these amazing bass sounds so I sampled some bits there in 08 and they made it into the first single I put out off the new record called Eyes Wide Open."

Vice

Vice is a practice, behavior, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhealthy habit (such as an addiction to smoking). Vices are usually associated with a transgression in a person's character or temperament rather than their morality. Synonyms for vice include fault, sin, depravity, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption.

The opposite of vice is virtue.

Etymology

The modern English term that best captures its original meaning is the word vicious, which means "full of vice". In this sense, the word vice comes from the Latin word vitium, meaning "failing or defect".

(This meaning is completely separate from the word vice when used as an official title to indicate a deputy, substitute or subordinate, as in vice president, vice-chancellor or viceroy. The etymology of this usage derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of".)

Vice Squad (1982 film)

Vice Squad is a 1982 action/crime drama film, starring Wings Hauser, Season Hubley, and Gary Swanson, directed by Gary Sherman. The original music score was composed by Joe Renzetti and Keith Rubenstein. Wings Hauser sang the vocal track on the film's opening and closing theme song "Neon Slime".

Plot summary

When Los Angeles' police force down-on-her-luck businesswoman-turned-prostitute "Princess" (Season Hubley) to help capture a murderous pimp named Ramrod (Wings Hauser), it's Princess's life that is put on the line. Soon, the escaped killer is after her, and vice squad detective Tom Walsh (Gary Swanson) and his team are hard pressed to keep the woman safe.

Cast

  • Season Hubley ... Princess
  • Wings Hauser ... Ramrod
  • Gary Swanson ... Det. Tom Walsh
  • Pepe Serna ... Pete Mendez
  • Beverly Todd ... Luise Williams
  • Joseph DiGiroloma ... Kowalski
  • Maurice Emanuel ... Edwards
  • Nina Blackwood ... Ginger
  • Lydia Lei ... Coco
  • Kelly Piper ... Blue Chip
  • Kristoffer Anders ... Sgt. Brooks
  • Joseph Baroncini ... Ted
  • Vice squad (disambiguation)

    A vice squad is a police division whose focus is stopping moral crimes like gambling, narcotics, prostitution and illegal sales of alcohol.

    Vice squad may also refer to:

  • Vice Squad, an English punk band
  • The Vice Squad, a 1931 Paramount film starring Paul Lukas
  • Vice Squad (1953 film), a 1953 police procedural film
  • Vice Squad (1978 film), a 1978 crime film
  • Vice Squad (1982 film), a 1982 action film
  • Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Get A Life

    by: Vice Squad

    No more fourth rate cut price crap
    No poor sap to take the rap
    Shut your mouths no nag nag nag
    No more scumbag talking back
    Don't be the sacrifice
    No never say die
    Don't be the suicide
    Get out,Get a life
    Get out,Get a life
    Get out,Get a life
    Paying for the privilege
    One more shit hole cancelled gig
    Took away my will to live
    Too ground down to make it big
    No admission still refused
    Twisted truth is no excuse
    Tell me why i was accused




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