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Songs which are years ahead of their time

62 votes
?
by vamos

I'm not sure that you can judge this very accurately, but I was listening to "Get yr freak on" last night and thinking; "How the living fuck do you write something like this?"

Also:

Brandy - What about us? (light years ahead of the pack)

Anything else?

vamos | 14 May '08, 14:10 | Send note | Report this | Reply

Atlas by Battles???

Maybe??


Except it sounds a lot like

Rachel Stevens 'Sweet Dreams My LA.X' to my ears at least.


me too!


Pure speculation

There may never be a time for such music.


why ?

Other than the weird vocals (pioneered by the chipmunks) whats so advanced about it?


altas is just

the beautiful people as covered by primus


Tomorrow never knows

is the correct answer


KLF - Fuck The Millenium

Genuinely one of the few times, if not the only time, I've ever been terrified by a piece of music.


:D


goretex weather report by the shining

weird as hell, and also scary


How is "Get Yr Freak On"

ahead of its time?


Because it sounded completely alien at the time of release

And still does. Nothing before or since sounds as utterly bizarre and inventive.


No it didn't,

I was around at the time of its release and it didn't sound completely alien or utterly bizzare. It's inventive though, I'll give you that.


In terms of mainstream R&B

I'd say it sounded pretty unique at the time of its release. Mind you, not long afterwards Timbaland basically replicated its sound and a bunch of other songs he produced, so that may have dampened its potency.


Guess so...

I'd suggest "When Doves Cry" as a song way ahead of its time. Still sounds completely original and fresh.


totally

heard it in a club the other day. couldn't believe how fresh it had kept


Ah yes

But you drink Fosters...


I also like Oasis...

I have to accept that my opinion counts for nothing :-(


^5

I still love that album.


The clear winner is Zager and Evans

"In the Year 2525"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhNM2K8cmU8

Thus endeth the thread


Pigbag

'Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag'


anything from the fall

1982-1985

I must start listening to other bands


when...

boards of canada's geogaddi fisrt came out i thought some of that sounded like nothing i'd ever heard before. well, maybe a bit like music has the right to children... just future-proofed. to a certain extent, i still think that.


BoC

themselves have said that they want to make music that is difficult to determine what time period it was made.... it certainly has an eerie future/past quality, which is rather unique. Maybe more past than future though?


I kind of agree

their music is timeless - sort of 70's warmth with horrible futuristic emptiness. Or something. Certainly no-one else could get away with 'doing' what BoC do, because mainly it would sound just like BoC.

As for Geogaddi sounding a bit like Children... - that's true, but the continuation of their music through their albums is one of the things I love about their music the most.

Joe - www.anewbandaday.com


oh, yeah...

i agree completely about their sounds progessing through their releases, it's just that, to me at least, that geogaddi was the biggest leap forward. music has the right... was amazing, but probably more for you've described as it's warmth. geogaddi sounded like aliens.


Insides - Orbital

still is


Agreed

This album came out the same week as "Everything must go"

Not a bad record, but I fear that the country chose poorly...


The Distant And Mechanised Glow Of Eastern European Dance Parties

by 65daysofstatic or many other songs by them.

-Much of Kid A and OK Computer
-Any song by volcano!


radiohead?

Marillion-esque prog-rock or warp electro? Hardly ahead of it's time...


Also Battles.

Maybe Don Caballero.


No

Battles: you can't say a current band is ahead of its time.

Don Caballero: very much of their time.


...

Wrong on both counts. Severely.


Er

explain why, please.


I would disagree on Dance parties

although I think some of 65days other stuff would stand up to this claim.


I was going to suggest Black Box

but i guess they were ride on time.


The Smiths - How Soon Is Now

ask any guitarist pro or amateur and they will scratch their heads in amazement how Johnny Marr thought of producing those sounds out of a guitar!


controversially

How Soon Is Now is my worst smiths song. i just really dont like or get it.


So much love

for that post.


Phuture - Acid Trax

the first acid house track that pretty much kicked off so much stuff e hear today. Its a freakin acid tweakin beast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Q7tyNq4Cw&feature=related


Rhythim Is Rhythim - Strings of Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcVdg3aZjGE

techno originator pretty much made in 1987. there is some seariously good electro from way back as well that still sounds like it was made the other day or even in the future


60% of VU & Nico

About the same percentage of Loveless.

Nearly anything by Bjork.

Can kind of see what you mean about Missy.

And 110% yes with the Tomorrow Never Knows suggestion.


good thread, my shouts...

donna summer- i feel love
nwa- straight outta compton
wink- higher state of consciousness
missy- hot boyz
'da real world' was earlier timbaland than get ur freak on and more otherworldly/ next in my opinion
aphex twin- windowlicker
dizzee- i luv u


almost forgot

mogwai- hunted by a freak
the world can carry on turning now.


VU & Nico f'sure

also: Aphex Twin's ambient stuff. It's hard to believe he was making that stuff in the mid-80's.


Disagree about VU and Nico.

Fair enough about the 'noise' thing, but the indian theme running through it all had already been discovered.


how about:

Dirty Three


The Enemy

Away From Here?


busted

year 3000

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!


OXES - Afri Cola


How about

'Discipline' by King Crimson? So math rock, yet in the early 80s. Actually, much of King Crimson's music was about 15+ years ahead of its time.


Kraftwerk


more

plastikman- spastik
primal scream- shoot speed/ kill light
clipse- grindin


Cybotron

'Clear'.....truly a blueprint moment.


wow yes

Cybotron is soooo good


Yep

second Cybotron (along with almost and anything everything Juan Atkins did around that period)


Juan Atkins

is a legend!


Groove Is In The Heart

Deee-Lite. Bit like Star Wars. Timeless classic.


Silver Apples - You and I

doesn't sound like it was made in the late-60s.


Most of the Cardiacs stuff

especially The Duck and Roger Horse or whatever it's called.


As someone has mentioned..

Kraftwerk.

Also;
Herbie Handcock - Rockit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7dAxvj2mlU


King Crimson

I was gonna go with King Crimson as well:

21st Century Schizoid Man is light years ahead of most things even now in terms of heaviness/technicality/originality

Also Lark's Tongues in Aspic or Discipline.


GY!BE

surely deserve a mention


get yr freak on

is actual real life brilliance, timbaland's finest moment


can-paperbag

maybe a jackson five song

cher-believe?


i have a better one

Suicide-Frankie Teardrop


LFO

LFO by LFO. 1991 and it still sounds awesome. Way ahead of its time. And first album on Warp. I think...


Joy Division

personally I think they were way ahead of there time *shrugs*

or

yeah erm Kraftwerk.

:D


Donna Summer

I Feel Love


Having just heard Entertainment by Gang of Four

definitely that.

I think Locust Abortion Technician is ahead of its time as well.


everything on Mirrored

and Daft Punk's Homework.


^^^^ This

and, although they've been mentioned, anything by 65daysofstatic.

Also, The Field for making really melodic techno music.

But yeah, Homework re-invented dance music.


dunno what its called,

but theres a beach boys song on "smile" where brian wilson has used some sort of phasing thing, that lierally sounds like an 80's pop synthesizer.

it sounds really wierd next to all the other songs


is that Look?


Lee Scratch Perry - People Funny Boy

1968 I think
has a sample of a baby crying
also Lee Perry started using drum machines in the mid seventies. 10 years later everyone else caught up


James Brown...

I don't think any explanation is necessary.


Grandmaster Flash

word.


Blue Cheer - Summertimer Blues

1968 this version invented heavy metal