The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

[Nee Lewman]

3/22/23

Faith No More - The Real Thing



Allmusic review:

The Real Thing - Faith No More | Album | AllMusic

The Real Thing by Faith No More released in 1989. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

www.allmusic.com

RIYL

 

[Nee Lewman]

It's been a long time since I listened to this. I do think it is a rather weird inclusion, Angel Dust is one of the great albums of the nineties and would have been my pick.

This is a nice change from last night's befuddling pick.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

3/22/23

Faith No More - The Real Thing



Allmusic review:

The Real Thing - Faith No More | Album | AllMusic

The Real Thing by Faith No More released in 1989. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

www.allmusic.com

Not their best album but it's the one that introduced me to them. One of my all-time favorite bands. I've lost track of how many times I've seen them.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

It's been a long time since I listened to this. I do think it is a rather weird inclusion, Angel Dust is one of the great albums of the nineties and would have been my pick.

This is a nice change from last night's befuddling pick.

Angel Dust is great but King For A Day is my favorite

 

[Nee Lewman]

Not their best album but it's the one that introduced me to them. One of my all-time favorite bands. I've lost track of how many times I've seen them.

True, it was my introduction to them as well. I think the ubiquitous nature of Epic means a lot of folks were introduced through this album.

Angel Dust is great but King For A Day is my favorite

I have to admit, Angel Dust is the only one I know real well. I should probably deep dive their catalog some day.

 

[Nee Lewman]

That was one of the more fun RIYL to put together by the way. I'm sure @Bohnjaggs will take some umbrage. However, starting with RHCP, all are bands that are related somehow (mostly touring, although the Metallica relationship is a touch deeper)

 

[Nee Lewman]

Sadly, I only catalogue vinyl as well.

And boots? I'm a taper. You know what kinda shape I'm in.

Not ashamed.

my question is how many of the official boots have already been in your collection (same question for Dylan)...

 

[Nee Lewman]

Faith No More is really an odd band when you think about it... progressive funk metal. It's just weird. But also awesome.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

True, it was my introduction to them as well. I think the ubiquitous nature of Epic means a lot of folks were introduced through this album.


I have to admit, Angel Dust is the only one I know real well. I should probably deep dive their catalog some day.

The first two albums with Chuck Mosley are great too, especially Introduce Yourself.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

Faith No More is really an odd band when you think about it... progressive funk metal. It's just weird. But also awesome.

By the time you get to King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime there's hardly any metal left

 

[Whiteout75]

I was probably a bit too harsh on Divine Comedy. I mean I have heard worse. So I nudged it up to a solid 2.

Now, Faith No More. I don't think I've listened to this album in full since, well, maybe the early 90s? And I listened to it A LOT back then. So this will be interesting to see how it holds up.

And I agree, Angel Dust is probably their masterpiece (and that one I have listened to a lot since).

 

[Wicked Dreamer]

mid?

…well, more “boring” and “kinda weird, but not the ‘kinda weird’ that I like” rather than mid, actually.

 

[Nee Lewman]

The Faith No More sounds dated which is the only critical thing I have for it. I could go at length about how it and Urban Dance Squad are responsible for Limp Bizkit and nu-metal in general but that's besides the point.

It does fall into that late eighties/early nineties bad production era - think Neneh Cherry, Living Colour, King's X, etc.... these are projects with quality music that (honestly it was no different at the time) just don't sound great today and it's not loudness wars bullshit... they just have a sheen that doesn't match what they were doing.... like it's too perfect. It's hard to describe.

 

[Nee Lewman]

…well, more “boring” and “kinda weird, but not the ‘kinda weird’ that I like” rather than mid, actually.

boring and kinda weird are incongruous but I know what you are saying.

 

[jt4527]

The Divine Comedy - Casanova

He / They wrote the theme music for 'Father Ted' don't you know?!

She said,
There's something in the woodshed
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone at home?

It's all a bit silly really, and if you scratch the surface, a little bit sinister.

2 / 5 stars.

 

[Hemotep]

3/22/23

Faith No More - The Real Thing



Allmusic review:

The Real Thing - Faith No More | Album | AllMusic

The Real Thing by Faith No More released in 1989. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

www.allmusic.com

RIYL

This is one of my and my wife's favorite bands from growing up and a topic that we discussed when we first started dating. It's the first of theirs I grabbed on vinyl and I spin it regularly because it's one of a few that she's always happy to hear, but it's not her favorite of theirs either. So this album scores a 5/5 from me partly for the music, and partly for the good times it's associate with for me.

 

[Whiteout75]

The Real Thing feels dated in the production, for sure. I remember it feeling kinda heavy and almost "thrash"-like in it's sound back in the day, which feels totally wrong today. It has a pretty thin and shallow soundscape with a pretty weak bass to balance the keyboards and guitars.

Some of the songs haven't really aged that well either. Falling to Pieces and From Out of Nowhere (which I really loved back then) aren't as great as I remembered and are further diminished by Pattons nasal voice on these tracks (a trait he got rid of on later albums). Epic is still a great song, and I'm still baffled at how big of a hit it was back in the day. It is also the only "rap-metal" song on here (and I was always weirded out by that label for the band).

Standout tracks, though, are Surprise! You're Dead! and Zombie Eaters, which both lays the foundations to the more extreme sound they would adopt for Angel Dust.

I realize that I'm less familiar with the last half of the album. I think the explanation for that is that I got this on vinyl in 1989, and I almost always only listened to side A. Side B is weaker, and while I kinda like the weirdness of Woodpecker from Space it is also pretty unlistenable. Their cover of War Pigs doesn't really add anything to the song and feels pretty unnecessary.

In sum, this is an interesting album of you see it as a kind of prelude and commercial springboard to the deranged masterpiece that is Angel Dust.

Score: 3 (or maybe 4) stars

 

[Whiteout75]

Maybe I should post a trigger warning for this, but here's Faith No More covering Portishead (it's all connected, maaaan):

 

[Whiteout75]

By the time you get to King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime there's hardly any metal left

Hardly any "funk" or "progressive" either for that matter...and all the better for it, if you ask me.

 

[Joe Mac]

So my confession.

I never liked Faith No More. Not even a little bit.

They're not as all encompassingly shit and overrated as Tool but even back in my late teen metal period if Epic came on at the club it was my cue to go get a pint...