jinp6301 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 So for my english paper, I have to write a critical comparison between two albums. From my syllabus Option Two: Critical Comparison. If you choose this option you will choose TWO albums/CDs (by two different artists) and write a critical comparison. You must choose the albums to write about and also have a primary argument (or, claim or Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Jay-Z black album, Beatles White Album, dangermouse grey album to tie it all in as one big happy family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Suggestions: The best critical comparison papers, in my experience, are comparisons that make broader connections to the world that these albums and their listeners live in. Cultural context, values, messages and codes are what make music meaningful to us, and your paper should address these issues. Think of albums as Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBLoudG20 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Jay-Z Kingdom come, and American Gangster. Do a britney/christina shootout Or def the greatest possible choices: Daft Punk: homework and discovery. I could write novels on those albums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 phil collins vs peter gabriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeggy Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I vote The Partridge family Vs. The Monkees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grawk Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Joan Jett vs Lita Ford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fungi Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 The Zombies vs The Beatles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recstar24 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I'm with the jackmeister on this one, pet sounds vs. rubber soul would be a pretty standard and conservative route to go, you would have plenty to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinp6301 Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Here's some advice you probably don't need, but always listen to your professors suggestions! As badly as you may want to do a comparison between two albums you think are really cool but nobody else has heard of, resist! Do albums that at least had some popularity, even better perhaps albums that are accepted into the canon of classic rock. That way you can make those "broader connections to the world that these albums and their listeners live in" that your professor is asking for. "Pet Sounds" vs. "Sgt. Peppers" or "Revolver" would be a good choice. Sex Pistols "Bollocks" vs. Ramones s/t is another good one (here's a hint: ramones win). You could do a New Wave vs. Hardcore thing, like an early Talking Heads record vs. a Black Flag. A Zeppelin vs. Sabbath thing would be cool, but I don't like Zeppelin that much. Comparing Motorhead and Metallica would be fun. it doesn't necessarily have to be a old record, but an album that has had time to ferment in the popular consciousness has more obvious repercussions, as opposed to a newer album whose full import is not yet known. Postjack, did I tell you that I love you? My prof's example was Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (yes, my prof is awesome) they were both released in the same year I'm thinking of doing Nas - Illmatic and Nirvana - Nevermind or Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted and The Roots - Things Fall Apart or A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory Jay-Z Kingdom come, and American Gangster. Do a britney/christina shootout Or def the greatest possible choices: Daft Punk: homework and discovery. I could write novels on those albums. I have to use two different artists Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Chalk Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I did that once. Mine was Jean-Michel Jarre, Zoolook vs. Michael McNabb, Computer Music. I believe the word that my prof said to me (he wasn't sure how serious I was, therefore didn't write it down) was, "stretching". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomana Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Postjack ftw. I'm not going to recommend albums, but suggest you choose from the clues your prof placed in the assignment. The mention of cultural relevance and codes should be key. I'd pick albums that are from time periods that you know about well, and ones that are known to both lyrically and musically represent them. The paper should be easy after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinp6301 Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend. Heh, I was also thinking about doing 2 rap albums, but one showing the positivity of hip hop vs the darker gang side of rap. I'm with the jackmeister on this one, pet sounds vs. rubber soul would be a pretty standard and conservative route to go, you would have plenty to work with. Yea, pet sounds vs sgt. pepper is my backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 The one piece of advice I can offer is this: write for your audience. For school work, I've found pretty much nothing else matters. If you don't write to your audience, you can expect confusion, disappointment and a poor grade. I made my way to honors English by not reading the complete texts, and writing for my audience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFF Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Rubber Soul v. Pet Sounds would probably be the most obvious. Here are some I would choose: SMiLE (Beach Boys) v. Sgt. Pepper (The Beatles) Songs For Swingin' Lovers (Sinatra) v. modern romantic album Kind of Blue (Miles Davis) v. Time Out (Dave Brubeck) If I think of any other ones, I'll post them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postjack Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Postjack, did I tell you that I love you? My prof's example was Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (yes, my prof is awesome) they were both released in the same year I'm thinking of doing Nas - Illmatic and Nirvana - Nevermind or Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisted and The Roots - Things Fall Apart or A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory Wow, your professor is awesome, those are two albums that would be cool to compare. Illmatic and Nevermind would also be damn good, as both albums represent their generation so well but in wildly different ways. Talk about two artists who knew their audience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxx Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Do a britney/christina shootout What's there to compare? no talent/talented ggkthxnore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvark baguette Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 What's there to compare? no talent/talented ggkthxnore Which is better for a porno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungrych Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I think Illmatic and The Chronic would be good, or Low End Theory and Enter The Wu-Tang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinp6301 Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Low End Theory and Enter The Wu-Tang. That was another one I was thinking of. It'll be interesting to say the least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungrych Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Or if you want to go really crazy, Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz and John Coltrane's Ascension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelonious Monk Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Comparing "The Chronic" with an early rap classic like "Paid In Full" would be amazing. Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, which is why he is a fucking legend. More like Dre injected Parliament samples into hip-hop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungrych Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Remember that Dre injected melody into hip hop, That is so amazingly untrue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duggeh Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music For Airports and David Bedford - Great Equatorial. If you can write a paper about those two, you deserve some sort of international prize. (Duggeh is, because it was mentioned next to Zoolook, a kingly kingly album, downloading Michael McNabb - Computer Music) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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