I recently Re-visited this album and was reminded of how amazing this album is. This was my entrance into KJ and still remains as their APEX to me. I was only 16 at the time so anything prior to this would most likely have gone over my head.
I still adore KJ but I feel that this is their most complete work. It has so much diversity and even tracks like “Jana” which is almost a ballad appeal to me.
Just curious if some of you who were familiar with KJ prior to this still view this album as one of their best efforts or if it is viewed as a sellout.
Not far behind Pandemonium is both of the S/T albums. Two fantastic works that have both held up extremely well.
I recently Re-visited this album and was reminded of how amazing this album is. This was my entrance into KJ and still remains as their APEX to me. I was only 16 at the time so anything prior to this would most likely have gone over my head.
I still adore KJ but I feel that this is their most complete work. It has so much diversity and even tracks like “Jana” which is almost a ballad appeal to me.
Just curious if some of you who were familiar with KJ prior to this still view this album as one of their best efforts or if it is viewed as a sellout.
Not far behind Pandemonium is both of the S/T albums. Two fantastic works that have both held up extremely well.
I recently Re-visited this album and was reminded of how amazing this album is. This was my entrance into KJ and still remains as their APEX to me. I was only 16 at the time so anything prior to this would most likely have gone over my head.
I still adore KJ but I feel that this is their most complete work. It has so much diversity and even tracks like “Jana” which is almost a ballad appeal to me.
Just curious if some of you who were familiar with KJ prior to this still view this album as one of their best efforts or if it is viewed as a sellout.
I’d agree it’s probably the most diverse record of theirs that I heard, and the best overall value for money outside of the first four albums.
I wouldn’t consider it a sellout at all; it’s a lot more streamlined production-wise and less apocalyptic than some of their other material, but nowhere nearly as embarrassing as “Outside The Gate” on that score. “Night Time” would probably be the first record of theirs where even the most timid mainstream radio station could have given the tracks some play without scaring away listeners.
Brilliant album. It was my introduction to them, a friend forced me to listen to it because he thought i’d like it. I actually didn’t like it at all and only got into KJ years later, but now i love it. I must say though, Jana is one of my absolute least favourite Killing Joke songs. It’s ok, but i’m not really that keen on it.
Sorry, I only passed through this thread casually as I don’t have much to add about the band, but . . . .
It’s really retarded when bands put out multiple self-titled or unnamed albums. Like, seriously, Asshole?
I agree, it’s inexcusable unless we accept the idea of the “multiverse” in which different Killing Jokes in parallel universes each make their own self-titled album. That I could just about handle.
One of my favorite KJ tracks of all time is actually a non-LP track, “Turn to Red”, which is also on the “Laugh? I Almost Bought One” compilation and probably some other re-packages since then. Too bad it didn’t make the cut on one of the early LPs, since the other two tracks on that record aren’t that exceptional.
It’s really retarded when bands put out multiple self-titled or unnamed albums. Like, seriously, Asshole?
Peter Gabriel did it three times in a row.
As for Pandemonium, it’s definitely my favorite Killing Joke record too. I was also a mere lad when it came out at 19 years old, and between it and Grant Morrison’s comic “The Invisibles” you can get a clear picture of my mind through the '90s.
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Not far behind Pandemonium is both of the S/T albums. Two fantastic works that have both held up extremely well.
Sorry, I only passed through this thread casually as I don’t have much to add about the band, but . . . .
It’s really retarded when bands put out multiple self-titled or unnamed albums. Like, seriously, Asshole?[/reply]
I am glad you mentioned this as it is something that has irked me for decades…I think some artists do it as some sort of “re-birth” or “resurrection” thing…I just call it confusing,unimaginative and annoying…
I am glad you mentioned this as it is something that has irked me for decades…I think some artists do it as some sort of “re-birth” or “resurrection” thing…I just call it confusing,unimaginative and annoying…
I didn’t pay much attention to this habit until the Metallica s/t came out, but after that, yeah, the “mid-career self-titled album” gimmick has usually been an advance warning that the record is going to be a totally unnecessary re-assessment of a band’s capabilities. Or a sign that the band’s entering an overly self-conscious phase where they’re changing things for the sake of changing them, or because they feel out of step with the times, rather than because they genuinely want to evolve in that way.
Love this album… YOUTH recently stated that it was his favorite… mainly due to the drama, intensity and other factors surrounding the band at the time.
(I edited out some stuff I wrote in the original post. Forgive me - lack of coffee causes my brain to get wonky sometimes)
YOUTH - "Killing Joke
Pandemonium (1994)
I suppose it seemed a bit of a risky decision, not just to rejoin the band I’d left a decade before, but to sign them to my label Butterfly and produce them, too. It certainly didn’t go smoothly – we’re all alpha-male types who want our own way, and one discussion ended with Jaz Coleman [singer] hurling a whisky bottle at my head – but it was an extraordinary process. We may have been punks when Killing Joke began, but punk wasn’t ever about dumbing down: I never hid my love of disco and Pink Floyd, and we brought all of that, plus dub reggae, Can and Kraftwerk into what we did. When it came to Pandemonium, I’d had the intervening time to explore production more, and we wanted all those sounds and more. There was classic rock and industrial, too, and we had the confidence to record Egyptian string sections, to even record vocals in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid, to have a brave, adventurous time. And I think all that drama, conflict and history that we had were just channeled right: it became our biggest-selling album and we still close shows with the title track."
Always loved this album, and I saw them in Phoenix in November of '94 on the supporting tour, with opener Stabbing Westward. There is an extended mix of “Exorcism” on the clear blue limited CD single that is better than the album mix. Jana should have had more of an impact on alternative/rock radio, but it just didn’t seem to get the promotion it needed (a video would have helped, too). Lots of favorites on that album.
I was introduced to KJ with Night Time and Brighter, so I always favored that era (well, everything from '79 to '86). Outside The Gate was 99% crap, and Extremties took years to grow on me, for some reason. Pandemonium was clearly influenced by the ‘industrial-rock’ phase of the ealry '90s, but was also a welcome reminder of how angry and abrasive they could sound.
I’m liking Pylon a lot, and hoping that they can somehow reschedule the U.S. tour (not likely).
Recently Johnny Marr had visa issues, and I remember reading an article on how much more difficult it is for incoming bands to be allowed to tour the states, which is what I figure keeps happening to KJ.
I love that band, and Pandemonium became my favorite of theirs.
I like Tomasz’s take on the self-titled multiverse.
Has anyone here seen the Killing Joke Documentary or know whats going on with its release?
My introduction to Killing Joke. Will always be in my top 5 of their albums. I have every album they’ve ever released and a lot of other stuff. They played all of Pandemonium (-Jana, which rules) on their Gathering 4 disc live set that was recorded over 2 nights when the original line-up reunited after Raven’s unfortunate passing. It’s not a very tight live album, but you can really feel what they’re doing.
If you like Pandemonium, might as well own Democracy. It’s not a perfect album, like Pandemonium, but it hits a lot of the same sounds and even pushes it into new territory that’s pretty amazing (Aeon, Intellect, Savage Freedom, Democracy).
The stuff since the 2nd self titled album (OY VEY!) with Grohl on drums has been mostly great. I love how they switch from Metal to Industrial to New Wave from album to album, song to song, even within a single song.
I was super disappointed that they cancelled this US tour, last US tour, every US tour. I’ve been listening to them for 22 years and I’ve never seen them. At least they have some decent live releases.
My introduction to Killing Joke. Will always be in my top 5 of their albums. I have every album they’ve ever released and a lot of other stuff. They played all of Pandemonium (-Jana, which rules) on their Gathering 4 disc live set that was recorded over 2 nights when the original line-up reunited after Raven’s unfortunate passing. It’s not a very tight live album, but you can really feel what they’re doing.
If you like Pandemonium, might as well own Democracy. It’s not a perfect album, like Pandemonium, but it hits a lot of the same sounds and even pushes it into new territory that’s pretty amazing (Aeon, Intellect, Savage Freedom, Democracy).
The stuff since the 2nd self titled album (OY VEY!) with Grohl on drums has been mostly great. I love how they switch from Metal to Industrial to New Wave from album to album, song to song, even within a single song.
I was super disappointed that they cancelled this US tour, last US tour, every US tour. I’ve been listening to them for 22 years and I’ve never seen them. At least they have some decent live releases.
I have to completely agree with your entire post. Democracy has 4 very strong tunes (the 4 mentioned) and some filler that seems to lack focus. Not bad, just nothing memorable. KJ certainly tends to show their bi-polar tendencies from track to track, album to album, but isn’t that what we love about them?
What I have been anticipating for even longer is the documentary they were working on. Will that ever see the light of day?
Re: documentary. Follow them on Facebook. They’re not afraid to beg, crowd fund and/ or pre-sell anything and everything (symphonic KJ being the latest). I’ll post it here when I hear about it.
Re: documentary. Follow them on Facebook. They’re not afraid to beg, crowd fund and/ or pre-sell anything and everything (symphonic KJ being the latest). I’ll post it here when I hear about it.
I saw both nights of their Gathering shows in London, was seated on the first night up above the stage so i was able to see more of it. Ended up standing behind loads of big tall tough-looking dudes the 2nd night and didn’t see anything. I got the fancy cd package that came out but i dunno if i ever listened to it. I preordered that dvd of the documentary quite a while ago and was wondering recently what had happened to it. Coming in “late summer 2016” i think the latest update said. I’m seeing them in Belfast on Halloween playing a small-ish club date too, should be great [:)]
I really hate the mastering on the last several KJ albums, including Pylon. Whoever started the trend of brickwalling new albums should be taken outside and shot. It’s 2016 and new music sounds WORSE than music recorded 20-30 years ago. I don’t get it, why are these mastering houses wrecking these recordings? It can’t still be because of the iPod/mp3 industry. If I was Jaz, I would be pissed at the final results. When did good dynamic range become a thing of the past?
There are way too many examples to list, but the most recent ‘good’ album ruined by mastering was RUSH’s Clockwork Angels album. I would enjoy KJ’s Pylon so much more if it was mastered the same as Pandemonium. Do bands really not have any control any more over the final mastering of their recordings?
Valid complaints, but I’d rather have the music around for me to get my grubby hands on than go a decade plus with nothing new to listen to (Chemlab). Brick walled mastering comes much lower on my list of priorities.