And I believe he was in that company before. But Beatles and Stones and Bowie disco is still more impressive in my eyes. Something as eclectic as Pablo does wonders for his catalogue and only pushes his legacy and mythology towards even more staggering heights.
He 100% was before. Pablo was fine. It was messy and I'm not drinking the Kool Aid on the idea that the messiness adds to the genius, it was just a sloppy release that continues to feel unfinished. Yeezus was abrasive and brash and raw and didn't hit at first but clicked for me very shortly after. This has not. I really find no desire to listen to a lot of tracks off of it.
An album that worked it's way thematically from Ultralight Beam to Wolves could have been the best Kanye album yet. This version of it isn't that. Definitely some strong points but I have no issues calling it his weakest release as a whole.
I listened to Life of Pablo more than any album released last year I'd say. Honestly probably more than any other Kanye album, even though I'd still call Dark Fantasy my favorite.
I always think I don’t like Pablo but then when I go through it track by track I like all of them except for like 2. It’s a good album but maybe his least cohesive for sure.
I do agree it could have been cut a little. I think after Wolves it falls off. Personally would cut Facts, 30 Hours should've been like 2 and a half minutes not 5 and a half, but I get so bored by the end of that song. No More Parties in LA is fine, but doesn't overly excite me. If it had just stopped at Frank's Track and maybe toss Fade on the end, it would be a perfect album for me. Also, personally I think it flows incredibly well from Ultralight to Wolves.
To be fair the album totally does end at Frank's track and the rest are bonus tracks that are just on every version. I mean, 30 Hours he even says that it is. I do love all the songs though and the only thing I'd change is cutting the outro of 30 Hours + Silver Surfer
I definitely think about the album ending w/ Franks and the rest being bonus. They aren't notated like that anywhere, but that's what he was going for and it makes a ton of sense
I guess I just always thought that meant 30 Hours was meant as a bonus track. Like he just threw it on last minute is how I interpreted it, more than that everything from that point on was bonus tracks, but is that really what it's supposed to be? That makes me comfortable calling it a pretty much perfect album. I mean I wouldn't really want to get rid of any of the songs, so I'm glad they're there. I just think they're better as individual songs than part of the Pablo.
There's a version of 30 Hours he uploaded on SoundCloud where he doesn't mention the bonus track thing so the fact that he used that particular version on the album, right after an intermission, right after a track that was almost always the closer on his notepad tracklist definitely confirms the "everything after Frank's track is bonus" thing to me
I like Pablo a lot but it IS a mess; and I think the messiness of it adds something to it at times and takes from it at others. I still find it fascinating in a lot of ways that make me wonder what it would’ve sounded like if Kanye had been in a different/better place.
Stevie Wonder is close. But I'm looking for 9-10 classics. Love Outkast as well, but some of their late period work is average overall. Mainly talking about longest and most consistent runs. The 3 I listed are pretty much the gold standard in my eyes
Kanye leaning into his petulant, asshole side in combination with less self-accountability/deprication and less social commentary was a tough tone to swallow on TLOP.
Stevie is above all of them. As are others. Also, those parameters already make it more difficult for black artists (and artists from other minority groups) to enter that particularly constructed list, given that they always have been and still are at a disadvantage in the music industry. It's not as "easy" for them to have long, consistent careers. Let's not argue anymore though.