Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Guitarist Jim O'Rourke is best known as half of Gastr del Sol, one of the finest workaday avant post-rock outfits around. But O'Rourke is also a serious guitarophile, equally awestruck by John Fahey's open-ended takes on rural and Delta blues, and by Derek Bailey's unwavering free improvisation. O'Rourke's Bad Timing is replete with twisty blues plucking that spins like a series of tops winding around on a well-polished floor. The melodic lines O'Rourke concocts as a soloist on "There's Hell in Hello but More in Goodbye" are unnerving in their clarity and precision, not to mention their close-hewn structural integrity. And the rest of Bad Timing is all about construction: building an acoustic session out of various horns, guitar, piano, hints of percussion and an ear for both ambient music and absolute sound. O'Rourke keeps enough delicacy in Bad Timing to mark it out as safe sound-furniture, but when you listen up, the details will blow you away.--Andrew Bartlett
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Minimalist composer, avante garde experimentalist, acoustic guitar maestro and in-demand producer/bass player - Jim O'Rourke is struggling to command any respect in the muso circle these days! One glance at his much maligned back catalogue would suggest this album is a definate "hit or miss" affair. His previous long-player Happy Days suggested a new direction in melodic appreciation; and then changed its mind. Bad Timing, however, sees O'Rourke construct a masterpiece of folky electronica with echoes of John Fahey's America. The album sets off at a pleasing pace and as his guitar evolves around various tempos and styles allowing the brass, string and electronic arrangements to join in this feel-good jambourie, you can only marvel at the genious of the man. Simply stunning, this album remains a benchmark for the post-everything genre which so often fails musically and emotionally; but is where O'Rourke thrives best.
1 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
ok 2 stars is maybe a bit harsh, but i do hope no-one else will confuse this with one of his 'full band and vocal' albums. as i did. i wish he would maybe work under a different name as this is the second time i have been dissapointed, im sure its good for what it is but to me it sounds like someone strumming a guitar for ten minutes non stop. i think he is one of the best songwriters around and has an excellent, non mistakable voice that i missed so much from this album. buy eureka or, actually buy eureka AND insignificance instead.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The Pedal Steel Lives
16 Sep 2000
Format:Audio CD
I bought this after I got Eureka, and had no clue what to expect. Boy, was I floored. The guitar playing is very good but most of all, extremely catchy and smooth. The change in dynamics (whether it is adding another guitar track or just slamming on distortion accidentally) is quite welcoming and plays into the whole album nicely. The pedal steel fits in so well with just about anything this guy writes, and to be honest with you, I'm yet to find a song of his I dislike! 93 The Long Way (Track 2) is an opus of teasing acoustic riffs with the pedal steel filling in the blanks nicely. Whether you're a die-hard Jim O'Rourke/Gastr Del Sol fan, looking for some quality cross-country driving music, or your just looking for some really really REALLY good porch music, go for it! You will not be disappointed.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
The Good side of Jim O'Rourke
12 Jun 2001
Format:Audio CD
It seems Mr. O'Rourke puts out two different kinds of albums. There are the ones like Happy Days and that thing that he did with Sonic Youth that sounds like he turned his guitar all the way up, leaned it against his amp to get some nice stable feedback going, and pushed record. Then there are albums like Bad Timing. Bad Timing is one of the dopest albums. It is mainly acoustic guitar picking, in the vein of John Fahey, with some modern additives. He does a wonderful job constructed peaceful, smooth, unbelievable songs with his guitar. This album is perfect for a calm day, when your doing nothing, sitting on your porch, watching the wind blow the dust around.
I can never just go out and buy a jim O'Rourke record anymore. You gotta go do your research to make sure he actually picks up the guitar. And on Bad Timing, he does it brilliantly.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
country-fied brilliance
7 July 2000
Format:Audio CD
Jim O'Rourke proves once again his mastery of the simplistic. Following closely in the steps of christmas-loving folk-legend John Fahey, O'Rourke crafts 12 minute long epics using only the most simplistic musical building blocks. A heaping teaspoon of "down-home"-style guitar, a pinch of trombone here and there, throw in some piano, drums, and bass to taste. Slowly mix ingredients, layer, and bake to crispy golden perfection. O'Rourke creates the perfect blend of provincial "twang" and musical taste and talent. As the album progresses, one comes to the realization that every note is perfectly placed: everything starts, stops, and flows exactly as it was meant to, with no mistakes and no misplaced or misspent ideas.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
