How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
Great voice, great style, great songs
Disadvantages:
A bit whiny
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Six years ago, Ms M appeared on the world like a thunderbolt with her odd little berating snatch of venom, blathering on about ‘going down on you in the theatre’. I remember Chris Evans going almost hysterical about it on his Radio 1 breakfast show and it clearly touched his on button. However, he was also clearly very anti what he described as a whinging woman.
And therein lies the dichotomy of the depressing Ms M - some great, original, innovative stuff, but delivered in such a bitter and barbed way that it’s difficult to have a great deal of sympathy for her - and there’s not a shred of good humour surviving within a country mile of her work.
Now don’t get me wrong, because I have a deep and abiding love for bands or artists that are angry and show it and kick down the barriers keeping them out and I’d dread to think that this is coming over in the slightest bit chauvinistic, misogynistic or sexist (wash out my NME-bilge spouting oral orifice), BUT…..
The depressing Ms M has that tiniest little tendency (well, a bloody great big one, to be frank) to cross the line where an angry scream becomes a whining irritation and the lack of yucks (big or not) only serves to force you to judge her on her own spiteful little terms.
Now don’t get thinking this is just my view - check out www.brunching.com/toys/toy-alanislyrics.html for a very spiteful little put down. I quote: “Don’t you just love Alanis Morissette? Doesn’t her music just set your heart afire with the passion of misspent youth? Don’t you wish you could write catchy pop hits just like she does?” The site provides an Alanis Morissette lyric generator, which when you have provided info will “give you a different catchy tune about spite and malice”. Friendly stuff, eh?
Okay rant over (only for the moment, kiddies, you know dave27 is gonna come back to it)….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alanis Morissette was born in Ottawa in Canada in 1974, the daughter of a Hungarian couple. The history blurb has it that she had a talent for music from her very earliest years and started writing her own songs at nine (yeah, sure! Bet they were all “Some big ugly boy has nicked my dolly, I will stick a knife into his head.”) She is quoted as saying "I started writing songs when I was really little because there were things I could say through songs that I couldn't verbailse any other way. Writing was something I had to do." (That’s what Lena Zavaroni and Bonny Langford said too, I guess)
She got a spot on a TV sketch show when she was just ten, spent a couple of years on it and used her earnings to set up a recording company. When she was 16 she signed up with a big major. In those days, it was quite happy go lucky pop, and the comparisons were with other teen idols of the time like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, but Ms M wanted to get into more PERSONAL stuff: "Back then I was a lot more worried about people's perceptions of me. I wanted approval, so I came across as happy. But really, I was quite insecure and not as prepared to share as much of myself with people as I am now."
She decided to start telling it like it is, but got a lot of record company rejections for her new style. Eventually, however, she got lucky and joined Madonna’a Maverick Records in 1994, releasing the startling ‘Jagged Little Pill’ album in 1995, which became a worldwide smash hit, pushed by the big single ‘You Oughta Know’, which included THAT lyric.
AND THE REST, as they say, IS HISTORY……~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let me say, before I go any further, that I absolutely adore ‘Jagged Little Pill’. It is one of my all time favourite albums. It oozes class and conviction and sincerity and is clearly a distance above the average run of the mill chart fodder.
But at the same time, I also hate it and at times find it just unlistenable with its bitchy, strident and ultimately depressing worldview.
It’s like a lover. You don’t have to particularly like them, but find yourself helplessly veering from passionate worship to hating them with an equal relish. Quite a trick.
I wouldn’t want to be without this spiky little gem for all the tea in China…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE ALBUM
‘Jagged Little Pill’ is one of the best selling albums worldwide of all time and was a runaway commercial success. It also generated significant critical acclaim and a fair degree of mickey taking to boot.
Morissette produced a very mature offering which astonished its audience and enthralled many. She worked closely with her producer Glen Ballard, and composed the astonishing material with him. Ballard is also the key musician on show here, variously contributing guitars, keyboards and programming. Morissette figures on harmonica on a number of tracks, while Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers plays bass and Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro guitar on ‘You Oughta Know. The songs were biting and edgy and open and distressing and searing and odd and very, very different, with THAT VOICE from Morissette blasting through everything, powerful beyond her years and her size.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘All I Really Want’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A great guitar and harmonica intro around some almost Indian chords heralds the start of SOMETHING BIG. The opening track is wonderfully seductive and enticing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘You Oughta Know’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Absolutely, the most bitter, unforgiving set of lyrics you could ever wish to read and the ones that really brought Morissette to the world’s attention, she catalogues the breakdown of an affair and the feckless betrayal of her lover in the most graphic terms possible. The way she spits out “Are you thinking of me when you f*** her?” and “Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you died, til you died, but you're still alive” is all it took for this waif like creature to graduate into the annals of classic rock and roll.
The whole thing is just pure bile and venom, with a depth of feeling that is pretty rarely heard - and it made the charts, too, though with a slightly sanitised edit on the vocal.
The music perfectly supports the emotional lyrics, building from understated and muted opening to enormous crescendoes of power and violence. Totally blistering stuff, this could strip the skin off a rhino at two miles, so God knows what it does to the poor unfortunate loser who crossed the raging Canuck.
Rock music doesn’t get better than this…
I want you to know that I'm happy for you I wish nothing but the best for you both An older version of me Is she perverted like me Would she go down on you in a theatre Does she speak elequently And would she have your baby I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn’t able for you to be open wide, no And every time you speak her name Does she know how you told me you'd hold me Until you died, til you died But you're still alive And I'm here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It's not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know You seem very well, things look peaceful I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner There was a slap in the face, how quickly I was replaced Are you thinking of me when you f*** her Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn;t able for you to be open wide, no And every time you speak her name Does she know how you told me you'd hold me Until you died, til you died But you're still alive Cause the joke that you laid in the bed that was me And I'm not gonna fade As soon as you close your eyes and you know it And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it...well can you feel it
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Perfect’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If ‘You Oughta Know’ was raw hatred and bitterness with little to mask it, ‘Perfect’ if anything is even more vicious because the bile is hidden and masked by the gentle, almost sweet delivery and beauty of the music, mainly folksy, acoustic guitar lines. Morissette sticks an accusing finger in the eyes of her parents for whom nothing she did was good enough and you can feel the tension - “Be a good girl, try a little harder, that simply wasn't good enough to make us proud." If it isn’t based on real life, she has a pretty extraordinary imagination. You can almost hear the despair of the child as unfeeling and unreasonable adults crush her spirit. I make no apologies for reproducing the lyrics here in full.
Sometimes is never quite enough If you're flawless, then you'll win my love Don't forget to win first place Don't forget to keep that smile on your face Be a good boy Try a little harder You've got to measure up And make me prouder How long before you screw it up How many times do I have to tell you to hurry up With everything I do for you The least you can do is keep quiet Be a good girl You've got to try a little harder That simply wasn't good enough To make us proud I'll live through you I'll make you what I never was If you're the best, then maybe so am I Compared to him compared to her I'm doing this for your own damn good You'll make up for what I blew What's the problem...why are you crying Be a good boy Push a little farther now That wasn't fast enough To make us happy We'll love you just the way you are if you're perfect
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Hand In My Pocket’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another great single, this wonderful track is propelled along on the back of gorgeous, addictive guitar chunks, eminently listenable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Right Through You’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This one's a driving rock number, built around almost heavy rock guitar riffing, though you get some beautiful strummed acoustic lines in some of the quieter moments. The guitar, in fact, is quite splendid throughout an excellent piece. It's another critique of the chauvinist whose groin rules his head - "wine, dine, sixty nine me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Forgiven’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Booming atmospheric bass lines usher in another driving track with Alanis' wonderful vocals stretching out and going for it, over some splendid guitar hooks as the lyrics explore the pain of a Catholic upbringing. Classic and addictive Morissette, in one of the lesser known tracks - I LOVE EVERY DAMNED SECOND OF THIS MARVELLOUS STUFF.
I sang Alleluia in the choir I confessed my darkest sins to an envious man My brothers they never went blind for what they did But I may as well have In the name of the Father, the Skeptic and the Son I had one more stupid question
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘You Learn’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A bit of an orthodox slow paced rocker this, but made into something much more valuable by those distinctive, gripping and soaring vocals. The lyrics here provide the title of the album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Head Over Feet’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the more instant tracks on the album, it sounds like it should have been a single but wasn't, with its myriad of hooks and Dylanish feel (no doubt helped by the harmonica soaked section in the middle). More pop than rock, it nevertheless has the distinctive and very attractive Alanis feel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Mary Jane’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meandering acoustic strums introduce another folksy number with an epic, 60s atmosphere to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Ironic’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another strong hit single, which in this company appears extremely lightweight, but has Alanis coming over all Joan Armatrading.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Not The Doctor’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's singer songwriter schtick here in a meandering song with strummed acoustic guitar verses and electric lead driven chorus. Not one of the strongest songs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ‘Wake Up’ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE VOICE takes all the honours here, though the rather functional backing (West Coast, frizzy haired, drumming) is attractive enough, though a bit on the orthodox AOR stylee. The guitar riff and sinister bass hold enough nagging mystery to keep you listening through to the end, but there are few major highlights on this number apart from their sinewy, shadowy interplay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hidden Tracks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the listed tracks finish, the CD falls into silence, but stick with it because you get the splendour of another version of 'You Oughta Know' and an unaccompanied vocal number which allows Alanis to really show off and stretch her wonderful voice. It's a mystery why they repeated the single because nothing new is added, but the other track is wonderful and a delightful bonus. It's atmospheric and stark and the solitude of the voice is startling.
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Cutting the album up in this way somehow belittles this startling offering - rest assured this is an awesome and totally seductive piece of work.
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How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Satisfactory
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JAGGED LITTLE PILL
Personnel: Alanis Morissette (vocals, harmonica); Glen Ballard (guitar, keyboards,
... more
programming); Basil Fung, Joel Shearer, Michael Landau, Dave Navarro (guitar); Benmont Tench, Michael Thompson (organ); Lance Morrison, Flea (bass); Rob Ladd (drums, per...
very helpful
very helpful
