vs 
#4 Beck- Sea Change vs #13 Violent Femmes- Add It Up (1981-1983)
An ongoing theme (meme? motif? pointless ramble?) of this exploration for me is the question of what is worth more...an album that is good beginning to end with few weak points but few standouts or an album that contains amazing tracks and tracks that get skipped everytime the come up. Of course, quantifying art, even art in the sense of track 10 on a cd, iis hard and often pointless, but thats what this whole thing is about, so it matters here. If half of an album is the best half an album ever, and the second half is forgettable, where does that album stand?
The Arguments: It should be noted at the outset that I love concept albums. Maybe its due to my fascination with the beatles and dabbling in jam and prog in high school (hang out with stoners, what do you expect? im not proud of it), but theres something about an album that is more than a collection of tracks, but tells a story or has a thread the listener can follow that appeals to my narrative-driven self. And Beck's Sea Change is a concept album. Written shortly after it happened, Sea Change is a 12 track exploration (and perhaps therapy session, if scientologists didn't hate therapy) of Beck's breakup with his finace. And its having that knowledge, having that lens, that makes the album something special. Sure, "The Golden Age" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine" are great tracks, and maybe its no great mystery what they're about even if you don't have that foreknowledge, but a simple lyric like "Put your hands on the wheel/Let the golden age begin" which opens the album certainly takes on quite a bit of added significance when heard as a line about a devastating breakup, rather than anything else. There's a cinematic quality, too, to this album...not only does it tell a story, but the album sounds like it belongs put to film, like it deserves beautfiul images to go along with the melodies (I once came up with an entire idea for a screenplay while listening to "It's All in Your Mind"). The songs are simple, beautiful, and heartbreaking, with "Guess I'm Doing Fine" occupying a keystone position on ever sad mix I've ever made. The problem is that while the first half of the album is mind-blowing, the second half, for me at least, drags a bit. The songs are good, but lose that magic the first tracks have, that wide open, heart-laid-bare, quality that Beck does so well when he wants. And that begs the question, if 7 tracks are amazing and 5 are okay, where does that rank?
Having Add It Up on this list at all feels a bit like cheating. After all, by definition, a "greatest hits album" should have a leg up on any other album, and is not composed in the same way. And maybe it is. But this is an album that I've gone through many phases with...never loving, but always there. It should be noted up front that I think "Blister in the Sun" is one of the worst songs the Femmes recorded, lacking any of the edge, politics, or early new-wave/folkpunk vibes that make these songs so great. at the same time, with the exception of "American Music", none of these songs is among my faves (and one of them is a song that I hated listening to so much I excised it from my ipod). The album is full of dark and funny takes on death, of others ("Country Death Song") and self-inflicted ("Out the Window), sex, with others ("Gimme the Car", "Black Girls" etc) and self-inflicted ("Blister in the Sun", yes, that's what its about) and politics ("I Hate the TV", "America Is...") and religion ("Jesus Walking on the Water"). What the Femmes paint for me is a vivid picture of Americana, not a happy one, but perhaps an accurate one ("American Music", the most upbeat song on the record, could serve as a thesis statment for the music). Listening to it now, I hear very clearly where the Femmes fall historically, somewhere between the Velvet Underground and the Talking Heads. They are great, and important, but in spite of all of that, the songs are never more than enjoyable to listen to. They don't move me the way that album up above does.
Score: Maybe 7 great songs is enough (and maybe a greatest hits album is a little bit cheating, even if its not greatest enough to win).
Sea Change d. Add It Up (1981-1983) 68-52
Representative Tracks:
WHAT IS THE SECRET THAT THE “ANTI-GOD CULT” CALLED “SCIENTOLOGY” FEARS THE MOST FROM BEING EXPOSED?
ReplyDeleteThe secret most un-exposed about Scientology is that is it an “Applied Physiological Philosophy” rather than an “Applied Religious Philosophy”. All Scientology courses, all auditing processes, and all the management and professional courses are based on physiological phenomenas, psychophysiology, emotions, human behavior patterns etc., that are our birth right and used in Scientology as their own discoveries. Even their PTS-SP data is based upon how a “Symptom” re-stimulation is brought out by physiological reactions of the mind affecting the body when under stress. They blame innocent human beings called by them “suppressive persons” for bringing out a symptom that was there to warn you of hidden real illnesses caused by non-suppressive sources such as parasites, chemicals, poisons, toxins, viruses and bacteria. The data on PTS-SP is twisted by them to blame innocent people in order to keep them in line.
The only way to fight the “Greatest Scam on Earth” is to expose to the world--how Scientology has used physiological phenomenas as the basis for a false religion. How it has harmed families by claiming that innocent mothers and fathers are SPs -- when they lied about symptom re-stimulations to the world.
No where in Scientology will you find courses or services on any bible, there is no study or belief in heaven, hell, saints, angels, the devil, or even God himself. They do not study religion or even believe in religions. They do not share common values with any other religion. Their goal is to eliminate all other religions.
Because of its many crimes against humanity, the cult of Scientology does not and never had the moral, religious or political right to be called a true “Church”.
The E-meter reads your physiological reactions, the Ronbots never calls it that—they call it the “CHARGE” or the “MASS” or “ENGRAMS” OR “MENTAL IMAGE PICTURES” that you have in your brain—all meant to distract you from the truth.
Know this fact --- There is a law of Nature or law of God called “Physiological Reactions” that is the true secret behind Scientology’s Dianectic study technology.
AUDITING ERASES AND LESSONS YOUR PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS!!! Once they are gone – your symptoms can’t be re-stimulated by stress or arguments. This is NOT a good thing, because ALL doctors depend on symptoms to guide them in treating you! This is why they prohibit you from seeing the doctors of your choice!!! Understand now how the scam works? Now when you argue with your mother and don’t get sick – you think she was the cause of all your illnesses.
If you were audited a hundred times over and over again (repetitive auditing) for a word that you were ordered to never clear or understand, and then made to read a page that contained that word—it would never again read on the Emeter or cause a physiological reaction.
Both Psychiatry and Scientology treats the symptoms of the mind and not the real causes of mental illnesses, one with drugs and one with erasing physiological reactions called Engrams or mental image pictures! Which one is worst? Drugs you can stop, but the other is irreversible and also a dangerous and deadly scam.
With the knowledge about physiological reactions as the base of Scientology, contained here, psychiatry will defeat $cientology easily.
LRH discovered that when you passed a misunderstood word—you manifested many reactions of various types: Yawning, sleepiness, not there feeling, dizziness, blurry eyes, nervousness and dozens more.
Being the liar that he was, he claimed that physiological reactions which he now calls “Dianetics” was “‘his” invention and not a law of God; he hid the fact that it is our human inheritance since time began.
Granted that his power of obnosis (observation) was the best in the world, his crime against humanity was to make a “religion” based upon the falsehood, that it was his very own invention or creation and not a law of God belonging to all Humanity as their lawful right.
For proof that the Cult has lied to you: -- Google “L. Ron Hubbard and Physiological Reactions” or visit their own Godless websites:
http://www.studytechnology.org/10-barr.htm or http://www.lronhubbardstudytech.asn.au/10-barr.htm http://www.studytech.org/study_tech3.php
http://www.effective-education.org/pg003.html
http://www.studytech.org/study_tech1.php
LRH used God’s Natural laws to make slaves of mankind!
“So long as a physiological phenomenon remains the knowledge of a few and is denied to the many it can be utilized to control the many.” LRH (from Journal of Scientology Issue 4-G from Oct. 1952)
“This universe has long been looking for new ways to make slaves. Well, we've got some new ways to make slaves here.” LRH (from PDC tape lecture #20 “Formative State of Scientology, Definition of Logic”, given on 6 Dec 52)
"All men shall be my slaves! LRH
All women shall submit to my charms! LRH
All mankind shall grovel at my feet and not know why!" [L. Ron Hubbard, "Affirmations", late 1940s] Affirmations, exhibits 500-4D, E, F & G. See Church of Scientology v Armstrong, transcript volume 11, p.1886.
"Somebody some day will say 'this is illegal'.
By then be sure the orgs say what is legal or not."
L. Ron Hubbard, HCOPL 4 January 1966
"THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM”. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them." - L. Ron Hubbard, "Off the Time Track," lecture of June 1952, excerpted in JOURNAL OF SCIENTOLOGY issue 18-G, reprinted in TECHNICAL VOLUMES OF DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY, vol. 1, p. 418
"Scientology...is not a religion." - L. Ron Hubbard, CREATION OF HUMAN ABILITY, 1954, p. 251
LRH SAID SO HIMSELF!!! -- SCIENTOLOGY IS NOT A RELIGION!!!! HE WANTS TO ENSLAVE ALL MANKIND! HE WANTED TO KILL TWO PERCENT OF THE WORLD, WHO WAS/IS BELOW 2.0 ON THEIR TONE SCALE “QUIETLY AND WITHOUT SORROW.” THAT IS SCIENTOLOGY’S PRESENT AND FUTURE GOALS!!!
WHAT MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED?
L. Ron Hubbard’s religion before he discovered physiological reactions was “Satanism”.
He wanted to invent a new religion masked as being good, but in fact its goals were totally evil so that he could take his place on the "Throne of the Beast," which he firmly believed himself to be the rightful heir. Being an evil Satanist he wanted to destroy all other religions and have Scientology as the only religion left on Earth. He wanted to be the RULER of the NEW WORLD ORDER and sit on the Throne of the Beast.
All living beings have physiological (The functions and activities of life or of living matter such as the organic processes of organs, tissues, or cells) phenomenas (observable reactions known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition), or physical manifestations (made evident by showing or displaying) or physical reactions, that we see or feel as symptoms, and they are external and/or internal or visible signs or warnings given to us, by our creator to help us survive, help us increase our potential, our knowledge and our health.
All life on Earth has these cause and effect reactions called physiological phenomenas. All living beings whether they are plant, insect, retile or animal or human could not live without these reactions. They influence the body’s and the mind’s reactions to any form of stimuli, and have an influence on every cell of the body and mind.
[Noun. Physiological reaction – Is an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus.]
[Examples of physiological reactions: inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, reflex response, unconditioned reflex, accommodation reflex, Babinski reflex, belching, headache, migraines, swelling, sweating, erections, blinking, blushing, burping, defecation reflex, disgorgement, involuntary eye blinking, farting, skin flush, gag reflex, goose bump, goose pimple, gooseflesh, involuntary gulping, involuntary hiccup, knee-jerk reflex, light reflex, puking, papillary reflex, rectal reflex, regurgitation, shaking, shiver, shock, sneezing, startle, stretch reflex, suckling reflex, trembling, upset stomach, vomiting, involuntary winking, yawn, yawning -- plus hundreds more.]
Ron studied Physiological reactions more than most scientists and applied it to invent a new Religion.
He did not invent but copied the laws of nature and scammed the whole world into thinking that he alone discovered these reactions and no one else did. What he did do - was noticed the reactions of students and from this scam invented Dianetics “study tech”.
Examples of Physiological reactions of the body and mind when reading:
Falling asleep while reading - yawning, confusion, feeling blank, feeling anxious, not there feeling, tearing eyes, eyes going out of focus, dizziness, reeling, rebelliousness, headaches, skipping words, feeling nauseous, fidgeting, jumpy while reading, can’t stay still, mispronouncing words, feeling as if you are squashed, feeling as if you are over-whelmed, twitching, can’t apply what you are reading, can’t understand what you are reading, etc. are all due to physiological reactions when you read misunderstood words or misunderstood definitions.
The Cult’s method of healing called “Touch Assist” is nothing more than erasing the physiological reactions of PAIN. Physiological reactions are the clues from the law of God called “The Law of Cause and Effect”; for every action there is a reaction. A complete understanding of these two laws of God can be used to learn to self-heal.
To understand the sinful secrets of your enemy –is to know exactly where to hurt him.
Scientology’s copyrighted files on based upon the laws of Nature and laws of God; they are in violation of copyrights and patent rights. Therefore, the contents or subjects can be used by anyone and can be talked about without fear of any lawsuit.
Another scam hidden from the World is the Cult’s deal with the IRS, When LRH died he surrendered his writings to ex-IRS agents to keep Scientology alive for ever. The Cult’s Copyrights are now the property of US Federal government. So Scientology is the only religion that is owned by the IRS. But the fact is that the IRS is owned and/or controlled by the Federal Reserve—which we are all slaves to.
Everything you do produces a reaction in your body and mind. Every time you read, eat, sleep, rest, run, etc. produces a reaction.
To tell your mother that you invented a new religion, because you discovered why you farted, is a good example of the scam that Ron pulled on you. He got away with it because the world did not see these reactions as they applied to reading. Or if some scientist saw and knew it—he did not protest it and allowed a Cult to claim it as their own new discovery.
If you want to destroy the cult, study your own reactions each time you do something—learn to read yourself and use your own power of obnosis to discover the real world within and around you. Help me spread the word --- http://ronbothunter.wordpress.com/
Yours truly
RonbotHunter
All Rights Reserved.
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