[kj] Killing Joke's career

[jpwhkj at aol.com]

The great thing about Extremities was that it wasn't Outside The Gate volume 2.  So it seemed amazing.  And actually, live, it was fantastic - those were great gigs.  Partly, after years of boring everyone shitless about how there was going to be a war, lo and behold, there was a war going on during the tour.  Of course, it turned out not to the armageddon that Jaz (or indeed latterly Saddam) had promised, but it seemed bad enough at the time.

"This one's for everyone who's gonna die in the Gulf... Love Like Blood."

That said, although there are *some* standout tracks, I don't think the whole thing is especially impressive.  But those of us who lived through the shame and sorrow of OTG will always remember the arrival of the Extremities material with fondness. <grin>

As for raw potency, I didn't mean "blunt force impact"... and I guess I'm going to struggle to describe it any better anyway.  But for me, those first few albums held a combination of strength and beauty that have never been matched, by KJ nor by anyone else.

Jamie

PS Funny you don't mention Mathematics of Chaos (I realise you were trying to rein yourself in!) as it's my favourite Pandemonium track by miles.



-----Original Message-----
From: Brendan Quinn <bq at soundgardener.co.nz>
To: 'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)' <gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:17
Subject: Re: [kj] Killing Joke's career




I agree that Pandy was a big leap, but there are a few Extremit
ies fanz on the list. I’m not really one of them, sounds a bit patched together to me, only hits first gear, except for a couple of tracks…Termite Mound and Beautiful Dead. I don’t really ‘get’ the title track. Just my 2c worth. Perhaps I need to crank the fucker and give it a few more whirls…(while I’m on Circuit 5 or above.) Ade you’re a big fan innit?

 

But Pandemonium leaves me with my jaw hanging open, even still. It’s a mystical and musical tour de force, half the point of mysticality is that everything is not explicit or logical…having said that, it has some of my favourite lyrics, clever, but not too clever, good points driven home well. Labyrinth is a song on a totally different level, Communion as well, Exorcism…I’m repeating myself. I can’t speak highly enough of Pandemonium. Pleasures of the Flesh has the most otherworldly feel & momentum to it. Jana totally sucked me in to the story within the song, the music and Jaz’s singing is plaintive, earnest & heartfelt. Honest. Black Moon was / is an early / still favourite…I think a fair bit of the depth of the lyrics is only apparent if you look a level or two deeper, bearing in mind mystical symbology. 

 

Jaz was well cast as the devil that Roc de Thingy movie, except they didn’t give him the chance to let loose the hellish side of his voice, I don’t think a mainstream audience could handle it quite ho
nestly. And that is SO like something he’d say…haha ;) but seriously, I have heard better singers in terms of tone, pitch control, range, but in terms of sheer visceral gut-wrenching impact…there’s only a couple who really compete. And on this album he really let it loose for the first time in a long time.

 

PS: none of the raw potency of the early days.

 

Perhaps not album wide, but Exorcism? That song’d send Beelzebum back down to where he came from, it’s utterly unreal. Gimme the hardest most fucked up singer in your collection and I’ll play Exorcism for you and slay him in one go. And to some extent 2003 took it to another level again with Implant, Asteroid, Total Invasion…in terms of blunt force impact.

 




From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On Behalf Of jpwhkj at aol.com
Sent: Monday, 22 December 2008 08:00
To: gathering at misera.net
Subject: Re: [kj] Killing Joke's career


 

Hi Brendan,

When I was writing my original post, I did hesitate slightly due to the massive leap in quality represented by Pandemonium.  But although I rate it highly in its own right, I don't think it measures up to early Killing Joke for the following reasons:

* Lyrically it's nothing special - lots of Jaz being vaguely mystical, but none of the raw potency of the early days.

* Musically it stands up well, but Geordie is chugging rather than chiming, and I don't think it stands out from the cr
owd the way the early albums did.

* As far as I can recall, interviews with Killing Joke post-1989 were basically with Jaz, with anyone else barely getting a word in edgeways.  Intellectually, KJ had become Jaz's backing band.

* Without Big Paul, there wasn't anyone to keep Jaz' ego in check.

You're right that there are some excellent tracks that came after that as well (I'd choose Aeon, Our Last Goodbye, and Lightbringer as my personal faves) but I believe that the points I make above hold true for all albums after Brighter Than A Thousand Suns.

Jamie



-----Original Message-----
From: Brendan Quinn <bq at soundgardener.co.nz>
To: 'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)' <gathering at misera.net>
Sent: Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:44
Subject: [kj] Killing Joke's career




Yes I’m actually writing a post that I don’t have to preface with OT *bows*



Recent comments about Killing Joke being on a decline since their first 6 years. I’d have to disagree and cite, specifically, 1994’s Pandemonium. Quoting specific song titles on it is redundant to me, the entire album is totally, totally, solid. 2003 was also massive. And This Savage Freedom is one of the best songs eve r recorded. Zennon is brilliant as well, Universe B, 4 Stations.



KJ over the last 2 years has occupied probably more than 50% of my listening time (often averaging 4-5+ hours a day), for long stretches 100%, hugely disproportional. I don’t really hold out hope of finding another treasure20trove back catalog like Killing Joke…and at this rate, I just can’t see music returning to the form of the past. Can only hope. Current state of play is pretty awful, unless I’m missing some boat. 





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