Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

[powerhour24]

And the Bon Iver 'sample' in "Lost in the World" (it was actually rerecorded for/by Kanye) elevates that original song to something truly special.

 

[the tourist]

I couldn't stop giggling when I first heard the Chris Rock bit. But it seems like it'll probably get old upon repeated listens. Though it hasn't with the dozen or so so far.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Billboard - First week sales:

Taylor Swift, Speak Now - 1,047,000

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - 525,000

Taylor, i'm happy for you and i'mma let you finish, but your album sold TWICE as many copies as mine did...AS MINE DID.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[powerhour24]

Kanye doesn't exactly appeal to tween girls or middle aged women the way Taylor Swift does.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

the French champagne...has always been celebrated for its excellence.

There is a California champagne...by Paul Masson...

inspired by that same French excellence!

 

[lazarus]

 

[powerhour24]

 

[PhilsFan]

the French champagne...has always been celebrated for its excellence.

There is a California champagne...by Paul Masson...

inspired by that same French excellence!

I have no idea why you posted this, but I approve.

AHHHHHH THE ... French ... champagne.

 

[LemonMelon]

Taylor, i'm happy for you and i'mma let you finish, but your album sold TWICE as many copies as mine did...AS MINE DID.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

How did you manage to get weekly sales numbers for an album that came out five days ago? If it's a projection, it likely doesn't take into account Black Friday sales, but sticks to a more static "it sold X on Tuesday, Y on Wednesday, so it'll sell Z by Monday" approach.

Either way, Kanye has never sold as much in one week as Taylor did with Speak Now.

 

[lazarus]

A little unfair, as Swift is at the peak of her popularity right now.

Let's wait and see how well her fifth album does. Britney Spears' Blackout didn't even go platinum or debut at #1. I make that comparison not on artistic merit but on similar demographic appeal.

 

[powerhour24]

She also appeals to demographics that pirate less than Kanye's demographics, and people don't waver over paying for Swift's music because she doesn't offend anyone.

 

[lazarus]

Racist.

 

[powerhour24]

Yeah... Because my statement was clearly saying that African Americans are more prone to pirating than others... Oh wait, I was talking about age not race.

 

[lazarus]

Ageist.

 

[If you shout...]

Lazist.

 

[PhilsFan]

Lazist.

Or "basically everyone who posts on this board."

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

How did you manage to get weekly sales numbers for an album that came out five days ago? If it's a projection, it likely doesn't take into account Black Friday sales, but sticks to a more static "it sold X on Tuesday, Y on Wednesday, so it'll sell Z by Monday" approach.

Either way, Kanye has never sold as much in one week as Taylor did with Speak Now.

I figured someone would call me on that, and I thought it might be you. Of course it's a projection. I just pulled that number out of the air because I felt like making a dumb joke. The projection, which as you say could be way off because of Black Friday and other circumstances, was anywhere from 525,000 to 600,000. Which is nothing to scoff at. I'm just proud of my girl and want to be obnoxious about her success as often as I can.

A little unfair, as Swift is at the peak of her popularity right now.

Let's wait and see how well her fifth album does. Britney Spears' Blackout didn't even go platinum or debut at #1. I make that comparison not on artistic merit but on similar demographic appeal.

It's interesting you bring up the idea of being at the peak of success in terms of record sales and then mention Blackout as your comparison. Because Blackout was released at the absolute nadir of Britney Spears' popularity. This was just a few months after her very public "meltdown," trip to a clinic, shaving her head, attacking a car with an umbrella phase. And the big promo performance she did for the album was the almost unanimously derided performance of "Gimme More" to open the '07 VMAs. So that's a strange album of hers to use as a measuring stick.

Anyway, none of this matters. I don't mean to derail this. I love Taylor Swift to death, think she's the best thing going in pop music right now by far, but this thread is about Kanye's album and Kanye's album is pretty damn good.

 

[corianderstem]

Because Blackout was released at the absolute nadir of Britney Spears' popularity. This was just a few months after her very public "meltdown," trip to a clinic, shaving her head, attacking a car with an umbrella phase. And the big promo performance she did for the album was the almost unanimously derided performance of "Gimme More" to open the '07 VMAs.

Which is a damn shame, because that album actually kind of rules, as far as electro-dance-pop music goes.

/random drive-by

 

[lazarus]

You know, I really don't care for Hell of a Life very much. Specifically that Iron Man-verse melody-lifting, vocoder-delivered chorus. but I guess since I like the first 9 tracks a lot it's still an impressive accomplishment.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

In my opinion Kanye West has no business rapping/singing or whatever he does is called. His production is great and should stick to that.

 

[LMP]

Yeah Peef, I can see what you're saying about that Berlin Bowie-type breakdown in "So Appalled." That's one of my favorite hooks on the album.

I'm also glad that "Runaway" was an early single, because it sounds more in-line with his 808s material than anything here, for whatever reason.

 

[LemonMelon]

In my opinion Kanye West has no business rapping/singing or whatever he does is called. His production is great and should stick to that.

This post would have made more sense following Graduation, which was 80% braggadocio and 20% intimacy, but now that he's just written one of the more surreal, revealing hip-hop records I've ever heard, I can't agree.

Hey, teacher, teacher, tell me how do you re-spawn the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
The plan was to drink until the pain over
But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?

He doesn't produce for anybody that could write this anymore. Common fell off ages ago, Cudi is just as self-absorbed as Kanye but without a sense of humor, and Jay doesn't even try. Glad to have someone in the mainstream that's actually hungry. Even The Roots are getting kinda lazy, no thanks to Fallon.

 

[PhilsFan]

Yeah Peef, I can see what you're saying about that Berlin Bowie-type breakdown in "So Appalled." That's one of my favorite hooks on the album.

I'm also glad that "Runaway" was an early single, because it sounds more in-line with his 808s material than anything here, for whatever reason.

Glad I'm not crazy. And it's all a compliment, that sound on So Appalled is just phenomenal.

And Runaway sounds like 808s because of his vocals.

 

[powerhour24]

This post would have made more sense following Graduation, which was 80% braggadocio and 20% intimacy, but now that he's just written one of the more surreal, revealing hip-hop records I've ever heard, I can't agree.

Hey, teacher, teacher, tell me how do you re-spawn the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
The plan was to drink until the pain over
But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?

He doesn't produce for anybody that could write this anymore. Common fell off ages ago, Cudi is just as self-absorbed as Kanye but without a sense of humor, and Jay doesn't even try. Glad to have someone in the mainstream that's actually hungry. Even The Roots are getting kinda lazy, no thanks to Fallon.

Cudi's a mad scientist of hip-hop, and the Roots latest album was anything but lazy, also despite Graduation's lyrics that album kicks ass because of its music.

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't get the appeal of The Roots' last one, and I loved Rising Down. Felt too slick, didn't really grab me the way the previous stuff did. It was OK, just slipped by me.

Cudi is getting better, especially musically. Dude has a lot of talent. But I wish he would talk about something besides himself.

 

[gvox]

This post would have made more sense following Graduation, which was 80% braggadocio and 20% intimacy, but now that he's just written one of the more surreal, revealing hip-hop records I've ever heard, I can't agree.

Hey, teacher, teacher, tell me how do you re-spawn the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
The plan was to drink until the pain over
But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?

He doesn't produce for anybody that could write this anymore.

Have to agree. That other post was a little odd coming on the heels of an album that contains some pretty great writing.



One more thing: Runaway (the film) is not to this album what Linear was to NLOTH. It's many times better. Linear was just...I don't even know.

 

[powerhour24]

I don't get the appeal of The Roots' last one, and I loved Rising Down. Felt too slick, didn't really grab me the way the previous stuff did. It was OK, just slipped by me.

Cudi is getting better, especially musically. Dude has a lot of talent. But I wish he would talk about something besides himself.

Well we'll agree to disagree on How I Got Over, but Cudi singing about himself isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's like most of End of Day, whereas the way his life has changed since becoming a success certainly soured a lot of the lyrical content on Mr. Rager, an otherwise great album. He needs some better influences in his life, should be interesting to see what he does with his rock band project, especially if "Maniac" is any indication.

 

[If you shout...]

Album is missing an album-stealing verse from Cam'ron.

In all seriousness, though, I think that this is no better than pretty good. And that's not a bad thing, mind you. At least, I don't think it is. I enjoy it a lot more than the last two, for sure, but feel like I'd be feeling sort of let down if I were hearing this on the heels of the last 'Yeezy record I actually, really enjoyed (Late Registration).

 

[bono_212]

So I guess I'm sort of listening to Kanye's discography in reverse order. First 808s which didn't blow my mind. Then Dark Fantasy, which I've expressed my feelings on enough in this thread,but they're mostly positive. Now Graduation. I have to say this is by far my favorite of his albums Loved pretty much every minute of it. I'm even starting to come around to "Flashing Lights". "Stronger" is still my hands down favorite Kanye song, but I also loved "Big Brother" and "Everything I Am"

 

[the tourist]

I'm even starting to come around to "Flashing Lights".

You didn't like it before?