The Legacy of Loveless

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I haven't given My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" a spin in years, so yesterday I was ready for another full run-through. And guess what? It's alright, and quite cool at times.
But as a major fan of albums such as:
Lush - "Spooky"
Cocteau Twins - "Head Over Heels"
Throwing Muses - "House Tornado"
Sonic Youth - "Sister"

...among many others, I should be worshiping and gushing at this album's greatness.

Here's the thing, it's a critical darling beyond belief. Even the jaded crowd of Rateyourmusic has this slab at #7, with over 23700 ratings and over 1340 reviews. If this is a "cult-classic" album, that's one hell of a cult. And it's funny in that it's the one album way up on the RYM charts in which I've never heard a song outside of my own listening experience for some reason. Nothing in pubs, even goth night clubs (yeah I went to them in the 90's for a bit). It's like the ultimate motherlode of not just shoegaze, but under the mainstream cool stuff after Velvet Underground's debut apparently. Just behind KC's debut and ahead of so many iconic classic rock albums (Zep4, Revolver etc.) and not by luck (due to smaller sized packs of enthusiasts) since, yeah, tons of high ratings for this album to an extent that an army of sudden haters couldn't make much of a dent.

It's also quite a noisefest, and far from commercial. The first song is pretty awesome, and a few others are cool, but I can't wrap my head around it as a whole, and some songs I just want to be over. I listen to a lot of noisy music, and yet this album just grates on me...like my mind isn't ready for it when it kicks in.

So what's the deal here? Are there major fans of Loveless kickin' around here? Does the "sonic beauty" take you places, or do you find it an obnoxious anomaly among the super-classic status of rock albums? In a way, it's cool that such an album is rubbing shoulders with Floyd and Pet Sounds, but I would think this release would've been fairly divisive and not so universally loved.

Should I keep listening to this until it clicks, or just follow my impulse and grab Head Over Heels again (ya know, cause I'm head over heels for it...booyah!)

Edited by Prog Sothoth - February 05 2018 at 15:01

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Prog Sothoth Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 03 2011 Location: MA Status: Offline Points: 1940	Topic: The Legacy of Loveless Posted: February 05 2018 at 14:58
	I haven't given My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" a spin in years, so yesterday I was ready for another full run-through. And guess what? It's alright, and quite cool at times. But as a major fan of albums such as: Lush - "Spooky" Cocteau Twins - "Head Over Heels" Throwing Muses - "House Tornado" Sonic Youth - "Sister" ...among many others, I should be worshiping and gushing at this album's greatness. Here's the thing, it's a critical darling beyond belief. Even the jaded crowd of Rateyourmusic has this slab at #7, with over 23700 ratings and over 1340 reviews. If this is a "cult-classic" album, that's one hell of a cult. And it's funny in that it's the one album way up on the RYM charts in which I've never heard a song outside of my own listening experience for some reason. Nothing in pubs, even goth night clubs (yeah I went to them in the 90's for a bit). It's like the ultimate motherlode of not just shoegaze, but under the mainstream cool stuff after Velvet Underground's debut apparently. Just behind KC's debut and ahead of so many iconic classic rock albums (Zep4, Revolver etc.) and not by luck (due to smaller sized packs of enthusiasts) since, yeah, tons of high ratings for this album to an extent that an army of sudden haters couldn't make much of a dent. It's also quite a noisefest, and far from commercial. The first song is pretty awesome, and a few others are cool, but I can't wrap my head around it as a whole, and some songs I just want to be over. I listen to a lot of noisy music, and yet this album just grates on me...like my mind isn't ready for it when it kicks in. So what's the deal here? Are there major fans of Loveless kickin' around here? Does the "sonic beauty" take you places, or do you find it an obnoxious anomaly among the super-classic status of rock albums? In a way, it's cool that such an album is rubbing shoulders with Floyd and Pet Sounds, but I would think this release would've been fairly divisive and not so universally loved. Should I keep listening to this until it clicks, or just follow my impulse and grab Head Over Heels again (ya know, cause I'm head over heels for it...booyah!) Edited by Prog Sothoth - February 05 2018 at 15:01

HolyMoly Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: April 01 2009 Location: Atlanta Status: Offline Points: 26133	Posted: February 14 2018 at 20:12
	I’ve been listening to Loveless since it was released, and although I’m impressed by the sonics for the most part, I’ve never really gotten into it in a big way. I actually had to buy it a second time because I got rid of it the first time around. I like the album, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t LOVE it, and are other iconic albums from that period that fill my “godlike” slot (e.g. Daydream Nation, for one). I really want to love it, though, and I can understand how someone could place it in that godlike slot.
	My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran

MillsLayne Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: September 14 2010 Location: East Bay, CA Status: Offline Points: 2504	Posted: February 14 2018 at 20:34
	I only discovered this album about ten years ago, and at first, only a handful of songs clicked with me, but as time has passed and I'm opening up to different types of music and being more patient with music in general, I've found that I love it as a whole now. Now, I'm just waiting for my analogue repress to show up now that I've been waiting for almost a month now. The shipping speeds must be about the same as a new album release or repress by Kevin Shields' standards.
	ht

Mortte Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: November 11 2016 Location: Finland Status: Offline Points: 5538	Posted: February 14 2018 at 22:47
	Not My Bloody Valentine-fan at all. I believe they played this album through in their tour some years ago. I watched the first song, but the next gig was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and I wanted to be in the front, so I left after that. Otherwise I thought I would have watched the whole gig. If you started Sonic Youth Sister thread, I am ready to talk a lot about it, I am huge SY-fan.

Prog Sothoth Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: May 03 2011 Location: MA Status: Offline Points: 1940	Posted: February 15 2018 at 18:53
	I actually didn't hear the album until sometime in 2000, as its reputation was too big to ignore, and being a big fan of Lush (saw them in 1996 a few months before the drummer's suicide), I figured I'd be all over it. So yep, I thought it was pretty good, but I was expecting to be floored...and wasn't. Looking at the Rateyourmusic stats again and it's just strange. I can only guess that this album might just be insanely big in Europe since here in North America I never had friends come up to me with the CD back during the early '90's telling me I had to hear this. Even the local "alternative" radio stations never played anything from it unless I just missed it every time. Of course, 8 of the top 10 albums are from England, so My Bloody Valentine could be one of those bands that amassed ultra-high status locally but remains a "cult" deal overseas, kinda like The Stone Roses. But there it is at number 7, and not just that but: More ratings than The Beatles Revolver which sits at number 10. Just about the same number of actual reviews as goddamn Abbey Road, which is in the 9th slot. Shoegaze was such a niche little genre and without a scene that got the global mainstream particularly interested, so it's just amazing to me to see this album as not just critically acclaimed, but extremely POPULAR as well. Guess I'll have another go-around soon. I also noticed how little attention this thread got...it's not prog obviously, but it's highly regarded rock. Yet it's really damn famous somewhere out there...