halloween party? nice experiment i guess, but i fall asleep to that. ussa? overall nice, weakest link were the vocals, paul really had some gorgeous bass tones on that one. didn’t like much of blight & lead.
my fave ministry period is also 84-89. but i do like fp-dsots-animos, but just a lil’ bit less.
While generally being underrated on a broader level, I think Barker is actually overrated on these boards.
When I hear Lead Into Gold or Flowering Blight, I hear a side man who just doesn’t have the charisma to front a group. Lead Into Gold is especially monotonous, repetitive and simplistic. Flowering Blight is great musically, but mostly killed by the vocals, which have zero variation. I think if he had used different effects it might have been better, but he just doesn’t have the charisma.
USSA was just awful. I think the only reason people like them or gave them a chance around here is because Paul was involved. But really…
Agree with this 100%.
Nah, this guy is the Godfather of Black Metal.
I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE!!! [pirate] [pirate] [pirate]
I think Paul Barker gets a lot of credit not for what he has done but what Ministry has failed to do without him. In other words, people see Ministry sucking now and assume it is because Paul left. But if he stayed do you think Ministry would have been much better? I really don’t think so. Maybe slightly more interesting… who knows.
Nah dawg! I’m sure Barker would’ve told Al to tone down the thrash guitars, and to shut the fuck up on the Bush bashing after Rio Grande.
There’s no real way to tell what could have become of Ministry had Barker not left. I know some say ‘Animositisomina’ was leading to something bigger and better but I dunno. To me it seemed Al was twitching to do Bush metal albums, Barker was in the way. The Mrs. J as manager was probably another big wedge between Al and Paul that was unavoidable. I also don’t think Al wanted to do more Filth Pigs and Dark Sides which were probably too depressing for him, he being the sensitive little thing that he is. In hindsight it seems the writing was on the wall for Ministry (Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker). Barker would have had to stay around for another 4 years to try and stop the Bush albums, by that time Al would probably have folded the band or tried to fire him. There was probably another album in them working together but it would have been closer to Psalm 69 with metal songs and maybe the obligatory Barker track with him on vox.
That said I think the efforts of the two that don’t feature one as much as the other (or at all) (Barker: Lead into Gold, Pink Anvil, Flowering Blight, USSA) (Al: Ministry before Barker, Minstry after Barker, Revco in the 00s) make for an interesting comparison. I would go with Barker as having the better discography. But ultimately it comes down to a brutal match between Twitch v. Age of Reason.
I would just like to go on the record in this thread and say I appreciate Paul Barker.
Late,
grmpysmrf
Well, in response to: "USSA was just awful. I think the only reason people like them or gave them a chance around here is because Paul was involved. But really… " I would add Duane Denison. But, as someone mentioned earlier in this thread: the singer dragged that down.
I like Lead into Gold, and I think that the repettitive and simple nature was kind of the point. As with some of the better (old) revco the kind of hypnotic repettitive groove is something that I really dig. It’s not the same sort of thing as a pop song, or a rock song, or whatever, but I don’t really think it’s supposed to be. But then, different strokes…
Flowering Blight was pretty cool in my opinion. It seemed to me like the logical development of Lead into Gold. Hence, the sameness of the vocal performances that some here don’t seem to like, just seemed to fit for me. That sort of trance-like vibe has a different musical purpose than a rock song, or a pop song, or what have you. It’s not Filth Pig or DSOTS (which are my two favourites), but it’s not really the same sort of thing. I would be in a very different musical mood when I would put Flowering Blight on than when I would put Filth Pig on, as an example.
I like Filth Pig better than I do Flowering Blight, but I don’t really see them as having the same sort of musical point.
I agree that the stuff they did together was miles better than what both of them have done on their own since the break up, but I like Flowering Blight (USSA, as metioned was dissapointing - my kind of music, but the vocalist… yikes).
I think that part of the issue has been people responding to the negative comments from Al and the “enthusiasm” for things like The Last Sucker" (which to me was just such a paint-by-numbers affair) over at the PA, that people who dig Paul’s stuff have been more vocal here. The same goes for those who dig Chris Connelly’s stuff (I’m a guilty party in this regard as well).
Melvins do rule though. Glad I was exposed to them here. (Thanks Toot)
As for the other bands Toot mentions: Foo Fighters are ungodly terrible, and Nirvana have not aged well, in my opinion.
Wow Void, you just posted the exact opposite of my opinion. Other than the last paragraph, I think the exact opposite of everything above. Lead Into Gold has a maturity and depth that didn’t really fit into Ministry, but was perfect as a standalone project. Flowering Blight has all musical elements that Barker put into Dark Side and Animosity, but instead of clashing with Al’s elements, they’re brought to full fruition and complemented with intelligent lyrics. I hated Halloween Party. Found it to be a jumple of elements that might have worked as songs, but overall wasn’t very interesting. USSA was great, as long as you were willing to accept it as smething a little more conventional.
But you know, that’s just me. 
Did someone here end up getting the audio of the New Years party show?
Just curious.
Did someone here end up getting the audio of the New Years party show?
Just curious.
I have an official copy of Pink Anvil ‘New Years Eve Party’ (I assume that’s what you’re asking about?) that I was sent by Max Brody. We’ve since stopped communicating online. I don’t see why he would object to me sharing it. It seems like the whole project kind of took a nose dive after they got dropped from Ipecac.
He was interested in continuing to do Pink Anvil, but it seems Paul needed some cash and so kind of abandoned the whole thing. Max Brody was not even aware of Flowering Blight or the fact that it contained former Pink Anvil songs (and Brody was even listed as a contributor!) Looks like Paul pulled an Atkins on that one, though I doubt there were any royalties to even go around…
Brody is a very talented programmer among other things (sax, drums), but like the subject of this thread, he’s not very strong on his own (he sent me some of his solo stuff). Though I daresay Barker is much stronger alone than Brody…
Anyway, I think Pink Anvil ‘New Years Eve Party’ deserves its own thread with maybe a scan of the CD and a download link in high quality for the few of you who are as interested in the project as I am.
It’s an interesting listen. The two of them definitely developed a distinct sound.
I wasn’t a fan of Halloween Party, but as a completist I’d love to hear New Year’s Party.
Brody is the new Barker.
I third the request to put up New Year’s Party here. Halloween Party had its moments but it needed a bit more refinement in some parts (maybe because it’s a live recording)
I’d love to hear New Year’s Party.
Brody’s remix of the track from the Ka-baalim project I’m involved in is fucking awesome! Big epic dark ambient with the darksexy sax, it’s probably my favorite remix anyone has done for me. http://www.darkwinter.com/dw029.html
I worked on vocals for a track with him, he liked the lyrics but not the delivery, I kept meaning to re-record the vox but never got around to it. The backing tracks were pretty darned cool though.
Paul Barker looks kind of like William Gibson. Or David Cronenberg.
He’s like Wilvid Gibsonberg.
Paul TOTALLY REMINDS me of David Cronenberg alll the time!
Especially the gnarly role in Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.
Everyone seems to be forgetting Paul was involved in 95% – maybe all of the Side Projects.
Personally, I hated the sound of bass my entire life until I heard ministry. It always seemed like such a fake fucking instrument. Just thrown in there for the sake of having a band. The 90s rock and roll and 80s bands had shitty bassists galore. But when i heard ministry and especially RevCo I still hated bass because it sounded so good that I refused to believe it could be bass.
I told him that once. He said, “hey thanks.”
Brody is the new Barker.
I third the request to put up New Year’s Party here. Halloween Party had its moments but it needed a bit more refinement in some parts (maybe because it’s a live recording)
+1 for the scans + d/l.
I will take it as a guilt free d/l as it was never actually released
So it’s a legit thing though? Like a promo copy? Man, if anyone gave a shit about Pink Anvil it would probably be worth something [cool]
[reply]Personally, I hated the sound of bass my entire life until I heard ministry.
That’s one of the oddest things I have ever heard.[/reply]
In most bands the tone was too dull and boring for me to care
always buried and stuff… never really had an identity. Or it was…
really bad punk bands with really annoying bass lines.
I hadn’t heard Jah Wobble til after I had heard Ministry anyway. He’s cool.
Barker’s tone just opened the door for my brain to recognize it as an instrument, I guess.
I really like the Faith No More’s bass too.
I have to admit Ministry made me recognize bass in music when I was about 12 years old. Sure, I knew that bass was in music, but I never knew what bass can be done in music until I heard stuff like the Cannibal Song. Paul was one of the reasons I took up bass all those years ago. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have liked the bass in say, Faith No More for instance. (2 different styles, but still very out front in the mix) Heck, Bootsy Collins is one of my favorite musicians ever! All thanks to Mr.B.
I have to admit Ministry made me recognize bass in music when I was about 12 years old. Sure, I knew that bass was in music, but I never knew what bass can be done in music until I heard stuff like the Cannibal Song. Paul was one of the reasons I took up bass all those years ago. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have liked the bass in say, Faith No More for instance. (2 different styles, but still very out front in the mix) Heck, Bootsy Collins is one of my favorite musicians ever! All thanks to Mr.B.
exactly, that’s exactly how i feel about it… i think i was the same age as you too.
[reply]
Brody is the new Barker.
I third the request to put up New Year’s Party here. Halloween Party had its moments but it needed a bit more refinement in some parts (maybe because it’s a live recording)
+1 for the scans + d/l.
I will take it as a guilt free d/l as it was never actually released
So it’s a legit thing though? Like a promo copy? Man, if anyone gave a shit about Pink Anvil it would probably be worth something [cool]
[/reply]
4th-ing this request. You’re a serious dude, void.
of course i’d be interested in a scan+dl too
so. 5th?