Ryan Adams Big Colors

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Trainwrecker, Apr 23, 2021.

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  1. Luftveraenderung

    Luftveraenderung Nur ich & ich & ich & Tinitus.

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    I got the cd today from Ryan's European webstore, which seems to distribute from The Netherlands, so it is in my hands before release date. My copy sounds fine.

    First impression: sounds like an interesting follow-up to his self-titled and Prisoner. Same vibe, strings on some tracks and some new sounds for a Ryan Adams album. More synthesizer and drum machine like drumming on 'Do No Disturb'. Stand-out track: 'Power', which sounds like a powerhouse, no pun intended.
     
  2. MikeT

    MikeT Prior Forum Cretin and Current Impatient Creep

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    On first listen, I liked the songs. I need to give it a bit more time to sink in with a few more listens.
     
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  3. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    That's what my assumption would be after the first couple tracks that were released. I don't quite get the "80's soundtrack mix of CA and NY sound" he is promoting..
    Perhaps when I hear the entire album I'll see the thread..

    If Do Not Disturb was meant to be a single, but it's kind of a middle of the road filler song.. I'm not super excited about this one knowing the other big single was **** The Rain..which isn't 80's sounding at all.. And neither is the Big Colors single...

    At this point it's safe to say he's lost his mojo abit.. I didn't want to say it because for a long time he was one of my all time favorites and could really do know wrong.. His vocal takes are very uninspiring and he has such a big range and beautiful voice. I'm not sure why he's begun singing in this kind of robotic lulling monotonous tone..
     
  4. CTRail6692

    CTRail6692 Active Member

    Location:
    United States
    RE: the bad vinyl pressings of Wednesdays, I got a vinyl copy from Newbury Comics with the "Red And Orange Special" single bundled in. Sounded superb and no defects whatsoever. This must have been a most recent pressing that corrected whatever problems there were with the last one.

    Having heard the 10 second clips of all 12 tracks on Ryan's Instagram this sounds to be a very strong album. It sounds like he took the sound of "1989" and "Prisoner" and simply wrote an even better album to suit that almost patented Springsteen-meets-The Smiths sound. The "Ryan Adams jangle" has replaced the "Byrds/Roger McGuinn jangle" as my preferred sound.

    I guess I don't get the disillusionment some fans have with his newer sound who wish he would "return to his early roots" but then again I'm a total sucker for jangly and poppy vibes over those of Heartbreaker, Gold, and his work with The Cardinals.
     
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  5. imsjry

    imsjry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fond Du Lac, WI
    Yeah listen to his vocals during the Ashes and Fire era and then "Big Colors". But he sounds pretty sweet on Wednesdays so must be it's a conscious decision on his part. Keep in mind we're listening to songs recorded 3 years ago so who knows what the "mojo" is now.
     
  6. Pawnmower

    Pawnmower Senior Member

    Location:
    Dearborn, MI
    didn't love it on first listen.

    love it now.
     
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  7. gazzaa2

    gazzaa2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I really like the new album from first listen.

    Quite pop-ish overall, a bit 80's sounding and a bit of a Prisoner/1989 hybrid.

    A nice easy listening album, with a bit more tempo to it than Wednesdays.
     
  8. ishmaelk

    ishmaelk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid
    It sounds good. There are certain songs that don't sound typical Ryan Adams, like Do Not Disturb. A change is welcome.
     
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  9. FrankieFontaine

    FrankieFontaine "Just An Hippie Dream"

    Location:
    Hershey,PA
    I'm enjoying this album! The 48/24 high res digital sounds great! Great work DRA!
     
  10. bmh5879

    bmh5879 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    I am enjoying this on first listen today. Much, much more than Wednesdays. I know already that this will rank in the top half of Ryan's discography for me with potential to move up on the list.
     
  11. bmh5879

    bmh5879 Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal
    The song videos on Spotify are great by the way. I love when artists do things like that with new releases. It's much better than a gatefold jacket!
     
  12. seg763

    seg763 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    Ryan has "Impeckable" taste when it comes to album cover cats
     
  13. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    Totally correct. Wednesdays does have what I consider to be is normal singing voice.. Beautiful, raw, melodic.. I think he's continuing to go down the Morrisey imitation vibe... But Morrisey was still way more melodic and IMO impossible to imitate..
     
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  14. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    For me it's not about returning to the folky roots or even heartbreaker days. I absolutely welcome established artists exploring new sounds. It just isn't up to par with his older stuff IMO in terms of high quality song writing and production. I haven't listened to ALL of Big Colors just yet, but saying in General the last decade from Ashe and Fire on have had 3-4 excellent Ryan Adams songs per album, and the rest is kind of blase surface level filler stuff... For any songwriter that's still an achievement. He just set the bar very high early on in his career. It's similar to Dylan who continues to write good music, but can never be compared to his first 2 decades.

    It's almost 2 different Ryans. There's pre and post 3 year hiatus.. Though Cardinology might be my least favorite album of all time... To me, that's where the writing changed dramatically. That 2009 end tour was just missing something from him especially.. and other than the solo comeback shows he did, I don't think he's been quite himself of stage... Probably has more to do with sobriety, meds for his disease, getting older etc.... than anything.
     
  15. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    Good to know. I've put off buying it on vinyl until I knew a quality repress was going to be out. Any way to know which one you're getting??
     
  16. Crush87

    Crush87 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    This did next to nothing for me on first listen.

    That said, I also didn't like Wednesdays at first and it grew on me. We'll see.
     
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  17. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    Ya... I've casually listened to the songs I hadn't heard yet and it just doesn't seem to have a lot to chew on. It's a throwback 80's pop album with 2.5 minute tracks. Drums, bass, guitar, synth.. Pretty simple.
     
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  18. ishmaelk

    ishmaelk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Madrid
    The same happened to me with Wednesdays. I think it's a great album, quite better in my opinion than Prisoner (which relied mostly on the sound and vibe more than in great songs) and Ashes and Fire.
     
  19. CTRail6692

    CTRail6692 Active Member

    Location:
    United States
    I guess the best way to know which one you’re getting online would be to check the release date. May 14th is when the US vinyl was released. March was when the European vinyls came out. And those had the “It’s Not That Kind Of Night”/“Sunflowers” single instead of “Red And Orange Special”/“Somewhere It Is Spring”.

    I would think record stores would have only the May release US pressings and if they were the European releases there would be an import sticker of some sort(?).
     
  20. CTRail6692

    CTRail6692 Active Member

    Location:
    United States
    I REALLY didn’t dig it on first listen (even though I should have known to check the amended track list, compare it with the planned 2019 track list and original artwork and assume that it was going to be a largely mellow acoustic album), but with it being the only new RA product out there for awhile it grew on my a bit more and when I got the vinyl I was very impressed and moved by the quality of the music.

    I think he made an excellent call to take “I’m Sorry And I Love You” and “Dreaming You Backwards” off of Big Colors, put them on Wednesdays and have them bookend the album. Gives both LPs a more thematic and consistent feel.

    I do wish he had used the “Nebraska”-like cover. Same with Big Colors; the original artwork was perfect. That cat cover is just stupid. Thankfully the images are still on his and CBS’s Anthony Mason’s Twitter pages, etc. so one can still use them for their iTunes library etc.
     
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  21. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    really agree on the covers for them.. the artwork on both doesn’t make any sense abs kind of makes me me feel like I’m buying a weezer tongue in cheek album..
    If Big Colors is supposed to be this masterpiece Ryan claims why put that stupid cover on it?
     
  22. Late in the evening

    Late in the evening Forum Resident

    Ryan in Morrisey/Smiths mode sounding on great form. Not keen on the throwaway cat cover - will swap it for the BIG COLORS cover in my digital collection.
     
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  23. Harm1985

    Harm1985 Forum Resident

    I like what I'm hearing so far, similar in sound to Ryan Adams (2014) and Prisoner, but I also hear some III/IV and Cardinology stuff here and there. I like the opener, but I think Do Not Disturb might have been better. Power is a bit of a guilty pleasure.

    Need to listen to it some more to properly evaluate it. I think the ultimate conclusion might be that DRA might have culled a brilliant album from three good ones. I'd rather have three and make a playlist. Record companies typically make bad decisions anyway (remember the Gold bonus disc fiasco)?

    What I find disappointing is that some people can't let him off the hook still: Without Remorse, There Will Be Ryan Adams Comeback Story - InsideHook
     
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  24. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Why should people let him “off the hook?” According to the article he hasn’t expressed remorse or taken responsibility for his actions.
     
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  25. HonestDenver

    HonestDenver Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver
    He also wasn't convicted of anything.. Accusations have gone away and the federal probe was closed... He sure seems like a rotten person to be in a relationship with, but I don't know anything of him outside of his music. So I will only judge him based on that. Again, there is nuance missing in our culture. Not every single wrong doing is worthy of being cancelled and certainly not unproven accusations from a hit piece.
     
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