Poll: How do you rate Nick Mason's "Fictitious Sports" album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Johnny Reb, Oct 3, 2017.

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  1. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    Has anybody other than @Rodney Toady actually heard this? :) This will be the only Nick Mason album poll in this series.

    The rules for this series: this poll is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of their other catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. Please simply consider how YOU would rate the album in question, in comparison with the rest of the Floyd's discography! And as always, a shout-out to member mrjinks for creating all the groundwork for this series.

    Note: please use the same criteria for rating these solo albums as you would Pink Floyd as a band albums, so we can compare the results of this poll to, say, The Division Bell.

    So, how do YOU rate this album?

    Album history: "Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports is the debut album by Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason. Released in May 1981 in the UK and US, this was Mason's first major work outside of Pink Floyd. However, the album is considered by many[who?] a Carla Bley album in all but name, since she wrote all the songs and co-produced it.[3][4] It is sung by Robert Wyatt, except for the opening song."


    Tracklist:
    1. Can't Get My Motor To Start 3:39
    2. I Was Wrong 4:12
    3. Siam 4:48
    4. Hot River 5:16
    5. Boo To You Too 3:26
    6. Do Ya? 4:36
    7. Wervin 3:58
    8. I'm A Mineralist 6:16

    [​IMG]


    Previous polls:
    Pink Floyd (updated 9/14):
    The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Currently 595 people have voted, with an average of 4.26.
    A Saucerful of Secrets. Currently 363 people have voted, with an average of 3.78.
    More. Currently 291 people have voted, with an average of 3.36.
    Ummagumma. Currently 435 people have voted, with an average of 3.09.
    Atom Heart Mother. Currently 445 people have voted, with an average of 3.72.
    Meddle. Currently 522 people have voted, with an average of 4.70.
    Obscured by Clouds. Currently 445 people have voted, with an average of 3.87.
    The Dark Side of the Moon. Currently 621 people have voted, with an average of 4.75.
    Wish You Were Here. Currently 742 people have voted, with an average of 4.78.
    Animals. Currently 715 people have voted, with an average of 4.62.
    The Wall. Currently 842 people have voted, with an average of 4.01.
    The Final Cut. Currently 586 people have voted, with an average of 3.08.
    A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Currently 441 people have voted, with an average of 2.97.
    Delicate Sound of Thunder. Currently 256 people have voted, with an average of 2.89.
    The Division Bell. Currently 491 people have voted, with an average of 3.28.
    Pulse. Currently 307 people have voted, with an average of 3.34.
    Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81. Currently 252 people have voted, with an average of 3.67.
    The Endless River. Currently 474 people have voted, with an average of 2.53.

    Syd Barrett:
    The Madcap Laughs. Currently 233 people have voted, with an average of 3.80.
    Barrett. Currently 159 people have voted, with an average of 3.77.
    Opel. Currently 81 people have voted, with an average of 3.41.



    ****************************************
    We're rating and discussing Nick Mason's lone album that fits the parameters of this series. There are other albums of his that we won't rate - feel free to discuss them here.

    Profiles, 1985
    Collaborative album with Rick Fenn from 10cc.

    White Of The Eye, 1987
    Soundtrack to the film of the same name, again with Rick Fenn. Whether this album actually exists is unsure.

    Tank Malling, 1989
    Soundtrack to the film of the same name, once again with Rick Fenn. Whether this album actually exists is unsure.

    ...he also guested on a number of Michael Mantler albums, but did not play a large part in their creation.
     
    Teto7Totoro and deany76 like this.
  2. Can't vote. I never heard this music.
     
    Kossoff is God likes this.
  3. Twittering Machine

    Twittering Machine Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I went for 'pretty solid' because I think it is, if not much to do with 'Floydiness' but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to others anymore than I would More (which is easily of my favourites - "You like The Wall? Hey then you should hear More, or 'Fictious Sports". I mean, just no).

    I listened to it a lot around the time it came out. Liked both hearing Nick appear to enjoy just drumming on something fresh, and Spedding's guitars/ Wyatt's vocals. Hot River and I'm A Mineralist probably my favourite tracks.

    I listened to this a lot more than About Face.

    Are we going to do, or have we done Music from the Body?
     
    kendo and Johnny Reb like this.
  4. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    We will do Roger Waters's albums, but not Music From The Body, since it is a collaborative album. Same reason we're not doing the Zee album or the Mason + Fenn albums.
     
    Twittering Machine likes this.
  5. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    as far as I know, my copy (any many other unloved pieces of vinyl) is sitting in my parents' attic and has been since the 80s... I'm sure it will still be there when my 4-year-old inherits his grandparents place 20-something years from now...
     
    rontoon likes this.
  6. LarsO

    LarsO Forum Resident

    I am neither very familiar with the album apart from hearing a song or two.

    One very fascinating thing about the album cover though that shows the dedication of Storm Thorgerson & Co. At first you would thing it is a drawing or something pieced together by fabric/paper. But no, they actually made a sports field into looking like this and took the photograph from above!
     
    mastaflatch, Sytze and Johnny Reb like this.
  7. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Ditto. The only PF solo work I have not heard. I found his solo contribution to Ummagumma compete dull and given that and all the accounts off his limited role on this album, I never sought it out.
     
    The Trinity likes this.
  8. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    This is probably going to be off the reservation for some, but I had to go with "pretty solid." There aren't really bad tracks on here, it's just a bonkers album if you're coming to it expecting anything Floydian in nature.

    It was also my introduction to Robert Wyatt, whose voice I'm come to appreciate a great deal, so it deserves some good notices for that.
     
    Johnny Reb likes this.
  9. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    big Floyd fan, but I've actually never heard this one.
     
    Terry likes this.
  10. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Should read "essential listening for Carla Bley fans and the handful of Pink Floyd fans who know who Carla Bley is." Which it is.
     
  11. Stencil

    Stencil Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lockport, IL
    Its a brilliant album. Used to listen to this all the time. In fact it prompted me to find more Carla Blay (Elevator over the Hill). I don't count it as remotely being a Pink Floyd album however. It truly is a Carla Blay album that Nick Mason appears on. Richard Wright's solo album (Wet Dream) is much more a solo Pink Floyd album than this is. But then I also think of The Wall as more of a solo Roger Waters album than a true Pink Floyd album. I think a much better Pink Floyd album than The Wall could be made of tracks from their individual solo albums from that time(including David Gilmours solo and counting The Wall as Roger Waters solo)
     
  12. TheLazenby

    TheLazenby Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    "Hot River" COULD'VE been great. I don't see the point of doing a dead on Floyd-sounding track..... then spoiling it with those awful vocals. Not even Robert Wyatt's, those ridiculously over-acted lines from the woman.

    That's the problem, this album's potential is buried in its own silliness at times.
     
    The Trinity, moodyxadi and Runicen like this.
  13. krlpuretone

    krlpuretone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grantham, NH
    I know the artwork and such, but don't believe I've ever heard the album.

    That should be one of the choices.
     
  14. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Not heard the entire album but it's a Carla Bley album with Robert Wyatt on vocals, which seems like a good thing to me."I'm a Mineralist" includes a nice parody of Philip Glass.
     
  15. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Word. I heard Carla sing and play most of the songs on this record on a live radio concert a year or two before Mason's album came out. I thought he was awful nice to give friends like her and Robert Wyatt some lucrative work.
     
    trebori likes this.
  16. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    It's an excellent Carla Bley album and essential for Robert Wyatt fans. I'm sure it sold more copies with Nick Mason's name on the cover than it would have had ECM (or Harvest) issued it as a Carla Bley album, so that doesn't bother me too much. Gotta wonder why EMI never released it on CD themselves, though.
     
    Felix Atagong likes this.
  17. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    This poll is flawed from the outset. Why compare a solo album with Pink Floyd's output?

    I love this album, but I can't vote because none of the choices make sense to me.
     
    Max Florian likes this.
  18. aphexj

    aphexj Sound mind & body

    Not for me. I appreciate Carla Bley's artistry but I don't think Nick's "production" helped her out very much. Wyatt's voice is nice though
     
  19. TheLazenby

    TheLazenby Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    "Comfortably Numb" says 'hi'.
     
  20. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    I will continue posting this every time someone asks. :wave:

    "Changing the poll options to "Clearly one of his best works" would be absolutely stupid since there is only one! A poll like this only makes sense rating the few - or only - albums of each solo member against something else - the logical choice is their works as a band. Sorry if some of you can't handle this, but it makes sense to me!"
     
    reddyempower likes this.
  21. aphexj

    aphexj Sound mind & body

    This was released (in America, anyway) by Columbia Records under the terms of their contract with Pink Floyd, collectively and individually

    Nick made it under the umbrella of Pink Floyd, just as Rick did for Wet Dream and David for David Gilmour in the previous year
     
    Johnny Reb likes this.
  22. Runicen

    Runicen Forum Resident

    I'd very much like to see the running order you'd create to that end. Not questioning the concept, just something I'd never thought of before.
     
    Stencil likes this.
  23. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    I think you may have missed my point. Which was that this is a Carla Bley album co-produced by Nick Mason and as such has about as much to do with Pink Floyd as The Damned's Music For Pleasure. But it's still worlds better than any Pink Floyd solo album.
     
  24. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    Okay, yeah, that's true in this case. It's a bit odd in that I normally wouldn't include it, but it's credited solely to Nick Mason in the title, so it's in the parameters of the series...
     
    Danby Delight likes this.
  25. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    I always figured it was in the Floyd contract that all four members would get at least one, and Nick was never interested in doing one, so he basically gave friends some work (paying them with sweet EMI money) and went back to polishing his Bentleys.
     
    Kristofa likes this.
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