February 7th 1994

Malice

Today is February 7th. Wikipedia tells us that the Soviet Union was dissolved on this day in 1991, Mariusz Pudzianowski (a staple of the World's Strongest Man on EuroSport) was born in 1977, the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992 making leading to the creation of the European Union but most importantly, in 1994, A&M Records released the second major label album from a relatively-unknown Northern Irish trio. The album was Troublegum and the band was Therapy.



Even 17 years after its release this album remains one of my favourites. There is no filler on this album and songs like Screamager, Nowhere, Die Laughing, Trigger Inside, Isolation and Turn are just brilliant. This album is one of the few that I took the time to learn most of the songs on bass and guitar and I've also had the dubious pleasure of buying it three times. I had two tapes break on me but the CD sits quietly on a shelf as I ripped it to MP3 years ago.

So, if you if this album isn't already part of your music collection I would urge you to sort that out sharpish!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDVsIvvFtcs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1XGGCFsU2Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bcpj-q0Snc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQUR6-KdYag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZwXCDqlE9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZYROCPg3Ww

Kess73

Cracking album.


I remember seeing them tour this album in the now gone Theatre Royal in Limerick, at Feile in Thurles, and again in Belfast the same year.


It's an album that still sounds fresh today, and is always a great one to chuck on for a listen.

The only criticism I have of the album is that the production is a little weak in places, and I would love to see the album get a remastered deluxe edition job done.

machiavellianme

It still sounded excellent at the Troublegum live show last November in Vicar St.

Malice

Kess73 wrote: »

The only criticism I have of the album is that the production is a little weak in places, and I would love to see the album get a remastered deluxe edition job done.

Out of curiousity, where do you find the production weak?

Nolanger

When this album came out HMV in Grafton St had a huge window display for it.

Kess73

Malice wrote: »

Out of curiousity, where do you find the production weak?

I think it is not quite as good as it could have been for a lot of Cairns' vocals and for some the the backing vocals, and Fyfe's drum sound is just missing something for me. I also think that there could be room for a bit more reverb.


Don't get me wrong though, the production is not terrible by any means and does not stop me from loving the album, but I think that there is as much room for improvement in the production as there was in the 2009 remastered version of Pearl Jam's Ten.

Just my tuppence worth though, and I am sure there are plenty who would disagree with me.

Malice

Kess73 wrote: »

I think it is not quite as good as it could have been for a lot of Cairns' vocals and for some the the backing vocals, and Fyfe's drum sound is just missing something for me. I also think that there could be room for a bit more reverb.


Don't get me wrong though, the production is not terrible by any means and does not stop me from loving the album, but I think that there is as much room for improvement in the production as there was in the 2009 remastered version of Pearl Jam's Ten.

Just my tuppence worth though, and I am sure there are plenty who would disagree with me.

I'll disagree for a start . To me the drums fit the sound quite well. There's a trend in modern metal for the bass drum dominate the mix. I'm glad this album doesn't do that. In fairness the toms are a little quiet in places but it's not like you can't hear them.

The vocals work very well for me. From the harmonised verse in Turn, the punky shouty lines in Knives, the poppy chorus in Screamager to the frankly bizarre male + female duet on Lunacy Booth I can't find fault.

Having said all that I wouldn't mind hearing a remastered version just for the hell of it myself.

jpm4

It's a superb record, although it's perhaps a shame that it has overshadowed the rest of the bands output.

GLaDOS

Listened to the whole thing there, fantastic album.

Kess73

Malice wrote: »

I'll disagree for a start . To me the drums fit the sound quite well. There's a trend in modern metal for the bass drum dominate the mix. I'm glad this album doesn't do that. In fairness the toms are a little quiet in places but it's not like you can't hear them.

The vocals work very well for me. From the harmonised verse in Turn, the punky shouty lines in Knives, the poppy chorus in Screamager to the frankly bizarre male + female duet on Lunacy Booth I can't find fault.

Having said all that I wouldn't mind hearing a remastered version just for the hell of it myself.

I think with the drums that some of the lovely snap in the sound that came across when Fyfe played live is lost and is too clean on the album. I agree that the bass drum can dominate the mix on some albums but that is not the case on Troublegum nor would I like it to be.

As for the vocals/backing vocals, I just think that they could be turned up a notch in the mix.


I blame the reissue of Ten and also the recent reissues of Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox, and Live And Dangerous for my want of a remaster for Troublegum though.


I loved all four of those albums and was happy with how they all sounded for years and years.

Then Pearl Jam redid Ten, both a remaster jobbie ( no Billy Connolly jokes please :P) and a remastered, remixed jobbie. My original version of Ten, which I loved, never sounded quite right again.


Same goes for the Thin Lizzy reissues from this year. Jailbreak has never sounded better as an album. The drum sound was cleaned up and enhanced. The vocals that bit crisper, the guitar work sounds a tad more powerful.


Then I went and bought the reissue of Nine Inch Nail's Pretty Hate Machine, and that just hammered home how much better certain albums, albums I never had a problem with the production of beforehand when I listened to them over and over, could now sound without taking anything away from the impact of the music.

I just think that whilst Troublegum can be played in it's original format today and still sound fresh, that if it got a similar remaster job as the five albums I mentioned that it would sound even more excellent than it has done for the last 17 years.


Actually two more albums to add to the list of albums that sounded better when remastered. Type O Negatives' Slow Deep And Hard , and Bloody Kisses. The recent reissues sounded immense.

Malice

jpm4 wrote: »

It's a superb record, although it's perhaps a shame that it has overshadowed the rest of the bands output.

The departure of Fyfe Ewing probably didn't help.
The follow-up album contains a few crackers like Bad Mother and Diane but it was probably like expecting Metallica to reproduce something as successful as Master of Puppets each time they stepped in the studio - unlikely!

jpm4

Malice wrote: »

The departure of Fyfe Ewing probably didn't help.
The follow-up album contains a few crackers like Bad Mother and Diane but it was probably like expecting Metallica to reproduce something as successful as Master of Puppets each time they stepped in the studio - unlikely!

I think the departure of Fyfe was fairly irrelevant at that point myself, at least with regard to commerical success. Andy Cairns wrote almost all the songs for Troublegum. But yes Infernal Love probably alienated a lot of people, add to that a big gap between that record and the next one plus A&M records folding when it did and bingo - premature commerical obscurity!

Kess73

Malice wrote: »

The departure of Fyfe Ewing probably didn't help.
The follow-up album contains a few crackers like Bad Mother and Diane but it was probably like expecting Metallica to reproduce something as successful as Master of Puppets each time they stepped in the studio - unlikely!

I think the sad thing is that they came up with more class songs for Troublegum than they managed to come up with for their career since then.


For me Diane is the stand out song for their career since Troublegum.

Malice

Kess73 wrote: »

For me Diane is the stand out song for their career since Troublegum.

Definitely. It's one of the best examples of a cover songs absolutely blowing away the original. For a song that is basically just cello, violin (I think) and vocals it's just so powerfully sinister. Andy Cairns looks so evil in the video doesn't he?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbO1AaCnWnQ

I just came across this video while looking for the official video above. It's much closer to style of the original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtiCaODfIzI

MickShamrock

Great, great album. Pity I've never enjoyed any other album from them as much.

Sephiroth_dude

Fantastic album,never could get into there other stuff though.

blindpilot

Man, 17 years already, can't believe it. Still one of my favourite albums. Been a big fan since. They've had a few dodgy albums since Troublegum though. Really liked the last one, Crooked Timber. They're back in the studio recording again too. Anyway re Troublegum I heard this and was sold immediately.