The Best Record of 1989: Day 7
Faith No More's The Real Thing vs. Voivod's Nothingface
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at Voivod’s Nothingface (#112) and Faith No More’s The Real Thing (#17)
Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I'd be occasionally writing some of these up.
I've started doing some quick hits of each match up and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There'll probably be a few typos.
Check 'em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks always appreciated.
KA—
One of the things that can make a record above its weight are the memories one might associate with it. Experiences are enhanced with a soundtrack. For those of us who are analog natives, there is also the bonus of having (likely) discovered a band via a friend or listening to them together.
In my case, Faith No More checks both boxes. I first found this band when a friend pressed the tape into my hand during passing time at school. Listening on the bus on the way home, it was hard to stay still in my seat. It grabbed a hold of me from the start. There are a lot of opening tracks in this challenge. Few go from 0-100 as fast as "From Out of Nowhere" does.
It's 6:17 in the morning as I write this, and just playing on these janky-ass work speakers is getting my feet moving. People pay good money to feel that sort of high.
This is their 3rd record, but it might as well be their debut. Apologies to fans of We Care A Lot and Introduce Yourself (and Chuck Mosley, for that matter), but for all intents and purposes, this is ground zero for the band. Alternately threatening and cloying, Mike Patton was completely unhinged, a whirling dervish with a several-octave vocal range.
‘Epic’ was a smash hit and the track most people think of when asked about the band. A lot of bands would kill to have something like that on their resume. Here's the thing, though: for as good as it is, Epic isn't the best song on the record. It's not even the 2nd best; I might be 3rd after 'From Out of Nowhere' and 'Falling to Pieces'. 'Underwater Love' might give it a run for its money as well.
Epic also became a weight around the band's neck, sentencing them to one hot wonder purgatory and pigeonholing the band. A lot of people stopped at ‘Epic’ and missed out on a whole lot of great stuff that came afterward.
For its part, ‘Falling to Pieces’ is a little something for pop fans. It's catchy. It's bouncy. It gets in your head and makes itself comfy. ‘Underwater Love’ is a bit more funky, but no slower.
There's even a cover of Black Sabbath's ‘War Pigs’ here, which, while admittedly a pretty faithful rendition, is, for me, the one song that I could do without. But it's one mistake in an otherwise solid record.
That's down more to my tastes than anything else, but why include a cover in the middle of something so original?
If FNM pivoted with The Real Thing, Voivod did almost a 180 with Nothingface. Their previous records were much faster and more reckless. Not quite thrash metal, but close. This is…prog? It's got all the usual hallmarks: multiple time signatures squished into a song, discordant riffs, etc. There's even a song about planets here ("Astronomy Domine"), which also happens to be a Pink Floyd cover.
(sigh) okay, I guess.
Look, I try and listen with an objective ear, but this record was a test. If I'm honest, it became unlistenable at about the halfway point. The record doesn't get worse; I was just at capacity.
Nothingface feels like the band had a brainstorming session, and "Rush, but make it more metal" won out. The end result is a (relatively) slower, much more complex record than earlier ones, but I'm not sure it's an improvement. Growing up, we often ended nights at a local 24-hour restaurant. There was a regular who would sit in a booth and spend the small hours making his own chain mail. I can't help but think this record was tailor-made for him.
I know this record is regarded as a significant influence in a small corner of the music world, but man, I'm just not seein' it. I want to, I really do.
Bottom Line: The streak of voting against my own bracket is over (for now). Sorry Quebecois; my vote is going for the boys from The bay, and it’s not even close.
Vote & bracket pick: The Real Thing
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Check out the full bracket here.
Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
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I’m a huge fan of Faith No More! Same as you again - voted and selected it as my bracket choice.
I’m a huge Faith No More fan. So naturally I have to go with ‘The Real Thing’. It’s true that a lot of people dismissed them as a one hit wonder after ‘Epic’ - which is unfortunate considering the band’s subsequent releases I think better showcased their creative genius and Mike Patton’s vocal acrobatics.
In terms of production, The Real Thing is probably their thinnest sounding album (as were a lot of albums of the late 80’s.)
But it definitely softened the ground for the massive breakthrough that alternative rock would achieve in the decade to follow.