Psychoderelict

This album has been added to 2 public lists:

• 

  My Favorites

  Indie Notebook

  There wasn't much innovation as far as TV technology was concerned in the 1990s in my opinion. The pay-per-view business was huge back then thanks to the WWF pro wrestling events and Mike Tyson boxing on ppv carrying over from the late 1980s. Other forms of entertainment tried to cash in but without much of the success that the WWF and boxing had. In 1993, there were endless promos on my cable company featuring Pete Townshend advertising his concert of this Psychoderelict album coming to ppv. I was very curious on what the concept was but I didn't want to buy it because ppv concerts were usually more miss than hit for the price. This turned out to be no different. I had heard in reviews that Townshend's throat was sore and there were technical issues. Much to my surprise, a few months later, the concert aired for free on PBS! I loved it and ran right out to buy the album. I loved the concept, and looking back, it's eerie to me how Townshend predicted the future here on how the internet and apps (what he called "the grid and programs" in the album) would be so involved in our lives for news and entertainment as well as 24/7 tabloid media. Years later when doing other rare solo concerts, Townshend would admit that this album was in his words, "a critical and commercial bomb".

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Uw3HcROmw&list=RDr9Uw3HcROmw&start_radio=1

• 

  The Music Slut Committee

  Steve

  Editor's Note: We were provided with a playlist that stripped the radio play out of this album.

  "Pete Townshend is my all time favorite songwriter. He had a way that he can craft a song throughout his 60 year career that mesmerizes me every time I hear a song. Not all songs are perfect and some are down right bad. But I would say 90% of his output I love. I started to dig into The Who and Peter Townshend in 2006, slowly listening to all available things Who and Townshend. Browsing Wikipedia and absorbing all the knowledge I could muster, seeing Psycoderlict as Pete’s last solo album and last produced album he was apart of until 2006 raised questions and interest. Why did he stop, he was consistent in releasing stuff with shorter windows. Reading this album had mixed reviews and low sales due to the radio play aspect forced the release of the music only version. This even added more to the lore. I bought the Music Only version because, to be honest, I found the use of actors lame in a discography full of just straight up music. Even the Tommy movie has no spoken lines. This review focuses on the Music Only version as it is the one I feel in love with and we can focus on what Pete does best, convey messages through songs and lyrics.
  The lyrical themes in the album that he expands upon that he had previously written about. growing older, struggle with that, the pedestal’s we put famous people and others on. Being a post war British baby boomer. One aspect of the story we do not get in the music only is the explanation of the Grid, which is sort of a fleshed out version of Lifehouse, Pete’s complex abandoned project.

  What makes this different than” the same old song with a few new lines.” The music is different than who and pervious work. I always appreciated Townshend’s ambition to try new things. Every record stands on its own, and this is no exception. and there is a range of different musical styles. Like the higher pitched vocals in the last chorus of “Let’s Get Pretentious” this jazzy bluesy “Outlive The Dinosaur” the vocal arrangement for the verses of “Early Morning dreaming.” He shows he isn’t gonna do the same old thing, he is gonna dress it up. He still presents catchy songs with complex arrangements, guitar lick and phrasing that are him but pushed

  One of the instrumental pieces stands out to me above the rest and that is Meher Baba M3 as this is just a greasy guitar band jam. I love the tone of the guitar.

  Flame is the outlier here, it doesn’t really fit stylistic, given it isn’t even write by Pete. Very dated sound where I feel the album doesn’t have a dated feel overall.

  To comment on Alex’s view of Now and Then, I think sometimes the simplicity of what the chorus is and deliver a powerful message. Love is like that, you just feel it when you get to know someone beyond the physical. We can’t do a thing about it. People try to put us down, just because we get around, also simple also massively affective." - Zach