|
|
Dancing About Architecture
Rihanna and the lost album saga
by Marc 'Moose' Moder 2015-09-02
|
|
This article shared 3467 times since Wed Sep 2, 2015
|
|
Recently, our beloved Rihanna tried very hard to break out of her pop shell and go with an "edgier" sound, via Kanye West, and failed. All three singles off of the planned R8 album tanked, despite the help of a Beatle, an epic Tarantino-esque video for "Bitch Better Have My Money" and a warm reception for the politically relevantbut tepid"American Oxygen." Seems like she wanted to walk the path of Beyoncé's self-titled triumph ( artistic, yet accessible and well-thought-out ), but fell into Bey's "4" ( anti-pop to the point of bland and forgettable ).
Ri's not the first artist to toss out a realized album and start over out of frustration. Prince famously recorded the dark and angry Black Album during a rough patch in his life ( possibly fueled by drug experimentation ), and waited right up until the first run was pressed and ready to ship to stores before he realized it was a mistake and replaced it with the bright and spiritual polar opposite, Lovesexy.
After the critical success and breakaway from formula with Pet Sounds and the biggest single of their career, "Good Vibrations," the world was waiting for another masterpiece by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. Unfortunately, massive amounts of hashish, Quaaludes and depression, plus an odd collaboration with the heady lyricist Van Dyke Parks yielded The Smile Sessions, a group of recordings meant to be the follow up album, Smile. The Smile Sessions rambled on for a year and had no real catchy singles and was eventually abandoned by the band, then re-recorded poorly and on-the-fly as Smiley Smile, one of their worst and poorest selling albums, derailing their career permanently.
Dr. Dre is currently very high on his billion dollar headphones, hit movie ( Straight Outta Compton ), and now long-awaited ( and critically acclaimed ) LP, Compton. But it hasn't always been "Dre Day." Three of his projects have died on the vine. Helter Skelter, a dream album with Dre and Ice Cube with Snoop Dogg, was in the works but was murdered by a bad fallout with Death Row Records. Then, a similar NWA reunion met the same fate a few years after. The next decade it happened again with the follow up to The Chronic with fits and starts ( supposedly called Detox ), that took about 10 years, finally getting tossed aside in place of Compton.
Seems a shame that these, and hundreds other shelved concepts, might never see the light of day or only be released in cruddy, bootleg form, but if I've learned anything from years of research and illegal copies, some things are better left to your musical imagination and don't see the light of day for good reasons. Rihanna, we can "W8" for something better. |
|
|
|
This article shared 3467 times since Wed Sep 2, 2015
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18 - Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15 - Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...
|
| | House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13 - The ARC Music Festivalan event celebrating house musicwill take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Parkless than ...
|
| | COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08 - COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08 - Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...
|
| | Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05 - Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...
|
| | THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05 - Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...
|
| | THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01 - Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01 - Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctora film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...
|
| | 'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26 - From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...
|
| | Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23 - As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Kristen Stewart, Rock Hudson, Talia Keys, 'True Detective,' Marvel comic 2024-02-23 - At the Berlin Film Festival, Kristen Stewart defended her photo shoot for a Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social-media platforms, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The existence of a female body ...
|
| | Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19 - Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...
|
| | REFLECTIONS: An Evening of original music with the Jeannie Tanner Quartet 2024-02-19 --From a press release - REFLECTIONS will be a night of feel-good, upbeat original music written by Jeannie Tanner. Songs range from jazz, to pop, to soulful R&B. Jeannie's music can be heard in many television shows and movies, with recordings ...
|
| | Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret Valentine's Day Feb. 17 2024-02-16 --From a press release - Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret puts their own spin on Valentine's Day with a show celebrating things done and sacrificed for love - not just romantic love, but love for pets, friends, family and art. Join the ...
| |
|
|