I’m just back from watching “Avengers:
Age of Ultron” at the theatre. I rarely go to the movies anymore, mostly
because I find all the talkers annoying, but I try to never miss a Marvel
superhero movie.
I grew up with Marvel and the
Avengers was my favourite comic series. Getting to see them come to life on the
big screen is a big deal for the kid in me. Hell, the adult in my thinks it is
pretty nifty too.
Disc 732 is…. Jagged Little Pill
Artist: Alanis
Morissette
Year of Release: 1995
What’s up with the Cover? In the foreground a
lipsticked Alanis turns her head skyward – behold she is grass, she is nature.
Behind a professionally styled Alanis looks contemplative despite the fact that
the sun appears to have gone supernova and is obliterating the back of her head
with its brightness.
How I Came To Know It: In 1995 I was 25 years old and
did not live in a cave. I therefore knew this album, which was so huge that if
you know someone over 40, and that person has more than 100 CDs, this is
probably one of them – or was at one time before they went digital.
How It Stacks Up: Alanis has eight studio albums, but this is the only
one I’ve got, so I can’t stack it up. One does not make a stack.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
“Jagged
Little Pill” is a solid record; never too hot, never too cold. However, in 1995
it was considerably more than that – it felt like the soundtrack to the
confusion swirling in the head of every twenty-something in North America.
The
record straddles the worlds of pop and rock, making it friendly for radio, but
with enough of an edge that you can feel appropriately rebellious in liking it.
It is a smart combination from a woman who had started her career as a pop
starlet and was determined to reinvent herself.
The
first couple of songs seem determined to establish her rock credentials, with
the grungy “All I Really Want” and
the famously nasty “You Oughta Know.”
“You Oughta Know” was an instant
break-up anthem. With provocative lyrics like “Does she go down on you in a theatre?” and “Every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back/I hope you feel
it” it is probably number two all-time in sheer vitriol. First place still
goes to Marianne Faithfull’s “Why’d ya do
it?”
Morissette’s
singing is a little flat throughout, but her delivery is heartfelt and her
distinctive rasp and ability to stay in the pocket make up for it. The
imperfections in her delivery actually make it sound better.
The
lyrics are solid for the most part, but they spoke to me a lot more deeply when
I was 25. Now they can feel a little too much like a creative writing class
assignment at times. Also, the song “Ironic”
is full of stuff (rain on your wedding day, good advice you didn’t take, etc.) that
just isn’t ironic. That is annoying.
This is
an honest album, though, and that honesty shines through. Morissette has
something to say, and she says it well. “Right
Through You” is a solid indictment of the music industry that sought to
pre-package her image in previous years and is now being called out. “Head Over Feet” isn’t my favourite song,
but it has a genuine sweetness to it that shows Morissette’s vulnerability on
an album where she mostly works hard at being tough. I appreciated that she
took a song to basically admit to it.
When I
first heard this album, I couldn’t get enough of it, and I would have reviewed
it much more positively back then. Like a lot of people I played it to the
point of over-playing it, and as a result it has sat fairly neglected on my CD
shelf for a lot of years. It was nice to rediscover it. It was like running
into an old flame. Nice to catch up in the supermarket lineup, and even if the
passion isn’t there anymore, you are still reminded about why you liked her.
Best
tracks: All I
Really Want, You Oughta Know, Hand in My Pocket, Right Through You
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