Nearly God

Last updated

Nearly God
Tricky - Nearly God.jpg
Studio album by
Nearly God
ReleasedFebruary 1996
Genre
Length60:48
Label Island
Producer Tricky
Tricky chronology
Maxinquaye
(1995)		Nearly God
(1996)		 Pre-Millennium Tension
(1996)

Nearly God is the unofficial second album by English rapper and producer Tricky. [3] It was released in February 1996 under the pseudonym "Nearly God", [4] which originated from an interview during which Tricky was asked "so how does it feel to be God... well, nearly God." [5]

Contents

Described by Tricky as a compilation of exceptional yet unfinished demos, Nearly God was the result of a clause in his recording contract with Island Records, which allowed him to release an album once a year under a name other than his own. [3] According to Tricky, "I needed it to come out, but Island would never let me release two Tricky albums in the same year"; [5] his official second album Pre-Millennium Tension was released in September 1996. [3]

An austerely produced trip hop record, Nearly God was well received by critics and featured collaborations between Tricky and artists such as Alison Moyet, Björk, Neneh Cherry, Terry Hall, and Martina Topley-Bird, who had worked with him on his previous album Maxinquaye (1995). [4]

Recording

Nearly God was recorded in three weeks during the summer, in New York and London, and Tricky himself describes it as "a collection of brilliant, incomplete demos". [6] The tracks were re-worked & mixed in London by Ian Caple & Tricky.

Originally, Nearly God also included a song with Blur frontman Damon Albarn, but it was removed at the last minute, with Tricky expressing displeasure at Albarn's working methods, saying: "He wants to work on something for like two months and then do the vocals again and again and again, and I don't work like that." [7] The song was later recorded again with former Madness singer Suggs, but this version ("I'll pass right through you") was not released either. Four of ten rumoured songs with Neneh Cherry were released on her singles "Woman", "Kootchi" and "Feel it" in 1996 and 1997. Tricky also recorded another song with Cath Coffey, a cover of the Grease song "Summer Nights" which was released in 1997 on her first album Mind the Gap (released only in Japan so far).

The final product contains collaborations with Terry Hall (singer of The Specials), Alison Moyet, Cath Coffey, Neneh Cherry, Björk and Martina Topley-Bird. The first track is a cover of "Tattoo", a b-side of popular post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees. [8] Scott McKeating of Stylus Magazine describes Nearly God as a much darker-sounding album than Maxinquaye, calling it a "dark, zoned out, Class-A substance damaged lo-fi affair which still manages to force melody through dark mesh. Realistically though, this isn’t a dyspeptic, career destroying Metal Machine Music themed 'fuck you'. Because while the songs forms are barely scratched in, never mind being fleshed out; Tricky makes the sound of dark nights, of want and solitude just as engaging as anything on his debut." [2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Alternative Press 5/5 [9]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Entertainment Weekly A [11]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME 7/10 [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Select 4/5 [16]
Spin 8/10 [17]

Nearly God received positive reviews from critics. [4] James Hunter of Rolling Stone found the music gripping, "recalling the early intimacy of Laurie Anderson, the raw aggression of Public Image Ltd. and the spaced oddities of Scott Walker". [15] Spin magazine's Terri Sutton was impressed by Tricky's production and the record's "obsession with debilitating stasis", comparing it favourably to Sly & the Family Stone's 1971 album There's a Riot Goin' On : "Nearly God is most indebted to Riot for the idea that an attention to details, a precise awareness, can capture from entropy's numbing flow small gifts of nuance and emotional resonance." [17] Roger Morton from NME was less enthusiastic: "The loopy loops and dysfunctional mantras of Tricky's smoked-out backing tracks are less structured and more spartan than on Maxinquaye. Sometimes it sound like he's just kicked the sequencer and walked out. The onus is heavily on the singers to carry the weight, and it doesn't always work." [14] In Melody Maker , Taylor Parkes deemed it "a mess, albeit a hugely affecting one, a stop-gap, when three more months spent on arrangements and production would have fastered a masterpiece to surpass Maxinquaye". [18]

At the end of 1996, Nearly God was voted the 19th best album of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice . [19] Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, later gave it a one-star honorable mention, indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like". He cited "Together Now" and "Children's Story" as highlights and felt the record indulged in a sluggishness "true Tricky albums only play with". [20]

As of September 2003 it has sold 54,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. [21] In naming it trip hop's eighteenth greatest album, John Twells and Laurent Fintoni of FACT Magazine wrote: "What sounds like it could have been a self-indulgent victory lap for (back then) one of the UK’s most notorious stars is somehow a coherent, exemplary document of a peculiar time in British music." [22]

The music video for Poems won a D&AD Pencil Award. Directed by Pinko for Stark2 Films with Nick Verden producing, the video was filmed on location at Paddington Basin London.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Tattoo" Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, Budgie Tricky 5:30
2."Poems" Tricky, Terry Hall Hall, Tricky, Martina Topley-Bird 6:54
3."Together Now"Tricky, Mark Saunders, Neneh Cherry Cherry, Tricky3:09
4."Keep Your Mouth Shut"Tricky, Björk Björk, Tricky6:01
5."I Be the Prophet"TrickyTopley-Bird, Tricky4:55
6."Make a Change"Tricky, Alison Moyet Moyet6:00
7."Black Coffee" Paul Francis Webster, Sonny Burke Topley-Bird, Tricky4:50
8."Bubbles"Tricky, HallHall, Tricky3:25
9."I Sing for You"Tricky, Cath Coffey Coffey, Tricky, Dedi Madden6:21
10."Yoga"Tricky, BjörkBjörk, Tricky4:32
Total length:51:37
US release
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
11."Judas" Martin Gore Topley-Bird, Tricky4:23
12."Children's Story" Ricky Walters Topley-Bird4:49
Total length:60:48

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [23]

Charts

Chart performance for Nearly God
Chart (1996)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [24] 77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [25] 35
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [26] 90
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [27] 48
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [28] 34
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [29] 27
UK Albums (OCC) [30] 10

Related Research Articles

Trip hop is a musical genre that originated in the late 1980s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, dub, R&B, and other forms of electronic music, as well as sampling from movie soundtracks and other eclectic sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tricky (rapper)</span> British rapper and record producer (born 1968)

Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws, better known by his stage name Tricky, is a British record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Bristol, in southwest England, he began his career as an early member of the band Massive Attack, alongside Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall & Andrew Vowles. Through his work with Massive Attack and other artists, Tricky became a major figure in the Bristol underground scene, which gave rise to multiple internationally recognized artists and the music genre of trip hop.

<i>Dummy</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Portishead

Dummy is the debut studio album by English electronic music band Portishead, released on 22 August 1994 by Go! Beat Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martina Topley-Bird</span> English vocalist and musician

Martina Gillian Topley-Bird is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye (1995). She also worked with him on his subsequent albums, Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension. In 2003, Topley-Bird released her debut solo album, Quixotic, which was critically praised and earned her a Mercury Prize nomination.

<i>Raw Like Sushi</i> 1989 studio album by Neneh Cherry

Raw Like Sushi is the debut studio album by Swedish musician Neneh Cherry, released 5 June 1989 by Virgin Records. The album includes the commercially successful single "Buffalo Stance".

<i>Quixotic</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Martina Topley-Bird

Quixotic is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird. The album spans several musical styles including trip hop, electronic and rock. It was co-written and produced by Topley-Bird and received positive reviews from music critics upon its release and was shortlisted for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Quixotic also includes a collaboration with musician Tricky, with whom Topley-Bird collaborated prior to her solo work.

<i>Maxinquaye</i> 1995 studio album by Tricky

Maxinquaye is the debut album by English rapper and producer Tricky, released on 20 February 1995 by 4th & B'way Records, a subsidiary of Island Records. In the years leading up to the album, Tricky had grown frustrated with his limited role in the musical group Massive Attack and wanted to pursue an independent project. Shortly after, he met with vocalist Martina Topley-Bird, who he felt would offer a wider vision to his music, and signed a solo contract with 4th & B'way in 1993. Tricky recorded Maxinquaye the following year primarily at his home studio in London, with Topley-Bird serving as the album's main vocalist, while Alison Goldfrapp, Ragga and Mark Stewart performed additional vocals.

<i>Pre-Millennium Tension</i> 1996 studio album by Tricky

Pre-Millennium Tension is the second album from English rapper and producer Tricky, released in 1996. It was a conscious effort by Tricky to depart away from the trip hop label with which critics had described his previous music. The album was well received by critics, being named the ninth best record of the year in the 1996 Pazz & Jop poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karmacoma</span> 1995 single by Massive Attack

"Karmacoma" is a song by British trip hop collective Massive Attack, released as the third and final single from their second album, Protection, on 20 March 1995. It contains rap vocals from band members 3D and Tricky. Tricky also recorded his own version of "Karmacoma", renamed "Overcome" for his debut studio album, Maxinquaye.

<i>Blowback</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Tricky

Blowback is the fifth studio album by English rapper and producer Tricky. It was released on 26 June 2001.

<i>Angels with Dirty Faces</i> (Tricky album) 1998 studio album by Tricky

Angels with Dirty Faces is the third album of English musician Tricky, released in 1998. The title is taken from the film of the same name.

<i>Homebrew</i> (Neneh Cherry album) 1992 studio album by Neneh Cherry

Homebrew is the second studio album by Swedish musician Neneh Cherry. It was released in October 1992 via Circa Records. The album features several different genres, including hip hop, R&B, dance, and pop. The album photography was by Jean-Baptiste Mondino. Recording sessions took place at Cherry Bear Studios in London and at the Cherry Bear Mobile, except "Sassy" was additionally recorded at Grapehouse Studios in Copenhagen and "Trout" was additionally recorded at Power Play Studios in New York. Gang Starr co-wrote and produced "Sassy" and "I Ain't Gone Under Yet". Geoff Barrow wrote and produced "Somedays".

Mark Saunders is a British record producer and audio engineer who has worked on a number of albums since the 1980s, with artists including the Cure, David Byrne, Erasure, and Tricky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Hall discography</span>

This is the discography of Terry Hall who was the lead singer of the Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, the Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He released his first solo album, Home, in 1994.

<i>Freedom of Speech</i> (Speech Debelle album) 2012 studio album by Speech Debelle

Freedom of Speech is the second album by British rapper Speech Debelle. The record was recorded in London, United Kingdom and produced entirely by Kwes. It was her second album release on Big Dada Recordings.

<i>Blank Project</i> 2014 studio album by Neneh Cherry

Blank Project is the fourth studio album by Neneh Cherry, released by Smalltown Supersound on 25 February 2014. The record is Cherry's first album of solo music in 18 years. It was recorded and mixed over a 5-day period in Woodstock, NY. It was produced by Four Tet's Kieran Hebden and features a guest appearance by Robyn. The record also includes work with prior collaborators, synth/drum duo RocketNumberNine. Critical reviews of the album were very positive.

<i>The Cherry Thing</i> 2012 studio album by Neneh Cherry and The Thing

The Cherry Thing is an album by vocalist Neneh Cherry and jazz trio The Thing, consisting of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. It was recorded in 2011 and released the following year by Smalltown Supersound.

Ian Caple is an English recording engineer, record producer, programmer and mixer.

<i>Ununiform</i> 2017 studio album by Tricky

Ununiform is the thirteenth studio album by English trip hop artist Tricky. It was released by False Idols on 22 September 2017. Three singles were taken from this album, 'The Only Way', 'When We Die' and 'Running Wild', all of them released before the album. And alternative version of 'The Only Way' was uploaded on Tricky personal Soundcloud account a few weeks after the original, and later released as a single in 2018, this version was also included in the physical releases of the album, but unlisted in the back cover. The album features a variety of guest vocalists, including Russian rappers, American vocalists, his usual collaborator Francesca Belmonte, and Tricky's frequent-collaborator and former girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird.

References

  1. ↑ Idowu, Omoronke. "Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension". Vibe Magazine . Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 McKeating, Scott (12 January 2004). "Tricky: An Incredible Weed-Smoking, Trip-Hop Denying, Paranoid, Schizophrenic". Stylus Magazine. p. 2. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nearly God – Nearly God / Tricky". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Franklin, Wayne (21 August 2002). "Tricky: A Ruff Guide". PopMatters . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 "The Face - April 96". Moon-palace.de.
  6. ↑ "Official Biography". Tricky. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Raygun - October 96". Moon-palace.de.
  8. ↑ Boyd, Brian. "He Be The Prophet". The Irish Times. 24 May 1996. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Nearly God: Nearly God". Alternative Press (99). Cleveland: 96–97. October 1996.
  10. ↑ Kot, Greg (12 September 1996). "Tricky: Nearly God (Durban Poison/Island)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Mirkin, Steven (16 August 1996). "Nearly God". Entertainment Weekly . New York. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Garratt, Sheryl (19 April 1996). "Nearly God: Nearly God (Durban Poison)". The Guardian . London.
  13. ↑ Romero, Dennis (18 August 1996). "Are We in the Mood for Tricky's Bleak Side?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  14. 1 2 Morton, Roger (20 April 1996). "May the Thaws Be with You". NME . London.
  15. 1 2 Hunter, James (22 August 1996). "Nearly God: Nearly God". Rolling Stone . New York.
  16. ↑ Morris, Mark (May 1996). "Nearly God: Nearly God". Select (71). London.
  17. 1 2 Sutton, Terri (September 1996). "Nearly God: Nearly God". Spin . 12 (6). New York: 150. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Parkes, Taylor (5 April 1996). "Second Coming". Melody Maker . London.
  19. ↑ "Robert Christgau: Pazz & Jop 1996: Critics Poll". Robertchristgau.com.
  20. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Nearly God". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. pp. xvi, 223. ISBN   0312245602 . Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  21. ↑ Group, Vibe Media (September 2003). "Vibe".{{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)[ permanent dead link ]
  22. ↑ Twells, John; Fintoni, Laurent (30 July 2015). "The 50 best trip-hop albums of all time". Fact Mag. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  23. ↑ Anon. (1996). Nearly God (CD liner notes). Nearly God. Durban Poison, 4th & B'way Records. DPCD 1001 / 524 245-2.
  24. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 200.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Nearly God – Nearly God" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nearly God – Nearly God" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  27. ↑ "Charts.nz – Nearly God – Nearly God". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  28. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nearly God – Nearly God". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  29. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Nearly God – Nearly God". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  30. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.