Present, Univers Zero, Vortex -- disappointing

I'm listening to Vortex's debut again and I know it'll sound odd to say this, but I reviewed this album and now it sounds completely unfamiliar to me!

It's brilliant as ever, but I don't remember any of it.

Also, Les Morts Vont Vite and Triskaidekaphobie are two of the few album titles I always spell incorrectly.

Try Shub-Niggurath's Les Morts Vont Vite, it'll blow your mind!

I reviewed a Vortex album didn't I?  I'm sure I did.  It's just I cannot remember the music... I think I'll to have spin them again.

Have you heard Eider Stellaire's second yet?  Their best album in my opinion is their unreleased one, which actually is the most Zeuhl one.

This is the most successful poll ever, nobody has voted.


Edited by James - May 05 2008 at 23:57

I haven't really liked the last three UZ albums.

Lapirella tasted 1313 and declared, "Why, this is far too sour!" Then, she nibbled on Implosion and remarked that it seemed far too sweet. But when she came to sample UZed, her verdict was that it was *just right*.

Or something ;P ze point being zat UZ had something good going in the late '80s and I listen to that side of them much more than Heresie.

I've only heard UZ unfortunately, but I can honestly say I didn't dislike any of their work. Then again I need to hear it more.

I can't vote because I only have Implosion - and I LOVE it.  Not sure how it can not live up to expectations, unless by being a little more accessible than the clips I've heard from the other UZ albums. I expect to dip into the backlog as soon as budget allows

Foregoing any anxiety over riding on the coattails of others, the success of Cacho's Genesis' and Yes' "most disappointing albums" threads led to this. 

If rock needn't be innovative to be considered Progressive Rock, then screw originality. ;)

'Twas originally just to be about the Belgian bands UZ and Present, but I opted to throw Vortex into the whirlpool.  The reason being simply that I discovered Vortex around the same time as UZ, and Present a little later.

I'm only referring to studio albums here... This is about the album that didn't live up to your expectations, maybe it's the only album you heard of that band... That's fine.  Maybe it's where the band changed direction.  Maybe it's the album where you think the band sold its soul to commercial rock n' roll or the teeny-bop pop music scene. Darn those sell-out albums!  From Rock in Opposition to pablum pop -- sad  I know I steer clear of Univers Zero's and Present's Spice Girls phase.  It's not about what you think is the worst album per se, of course it might well be the the one you consider worst, maybe just the one that you had the highest expectations of but the album did not live up to what you were hoping for.

UNIVERS ZERO Albums (8)

1977 Univers Zero (1313) 4.11 (20 ratings)	1979 Heresie 4.28 (43 ratings)	1981 Ceux Du Dehors 3.96 (25 ratings)	1984 Uzed 4.62 (15 ratings)	1986 Heatwave 3.85 (21 ratings)
1999 The Hard Quest 3.74 (11 ratings)	2002 Rhythmix 3.53 (10 ratings)	2004 Implosion 4.20 (15 ratings)

PRESENT Albums (6)

1981 Triskaidekaphobie 4.26 (11 ratings)	1985 Le Poison Qui Rend Fou 4.32 (9 ratings)	1993 C.O.D. Performance 3.50 (4 ratings)	1998 Certitudes 4.03 (8 ratings)	1999 No 6 4.07 (13 ratings)
2001 High Infidelity 4.02 (10 ratings)

VORTEX Albums (2)

1975 Vortex 4.29 (7 ratings)

1979 Les Cycles De Thanatos 4.68 (8 ratings)