Mansun

i love this cd all songs on it rocks i listien while i play games and wash dishes.

Immortal Records executive producer Happy Walters was responsible for killing the long-standing feud between rock and hip-hop when he coordinated the production for the soundtrack to 1993's "Judgement Night", which was critically-lauded for its unorthodox tag-teaming of acts of both genres. Walters decided to try the same concept for "Spawn", the 1997 live-action flim adapted from creator Todd MacFarlane's Marvel Comic. This time out, he put together established acts from both hard rock and electronica, and the results here were equally as memorable if not terrific.

Filter & The Crystal Method ("[Can't You] Trip Like I Do"), Marilyn Manson & Sneaker Pimps ("Long Hard Road Out Of Hell"), Mansun & 808 State ("Skin Up Pin Up"), and ButHole Surfers & Moby ("Tiny Rubberbands") are dark but solid tracks to keep an ear on. Two very key tracks that standout (and are the best on the entire record, I feel) belong to Metallica & DJ Spooky ("For Whom The Bell Tolls [The Irony Of It All]") and Prodigy & Tom Morello ("One Man Army"). The former for its blend of anger and sadness and the latter for the brilliant guitar wizardry of Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello (also of AudioSlave).

The only track I had intense trouble with was "T-4 Strain" by Goldie & Henry Rollins. Uneven and repetitive at times. Same goes for the closing track from Soul Coughing & Roni Size, but theirs is five times better than the Goldie/Rollins offering. As a black male who loves rock music, as well as my hip-hop & R&B, I am proud to say that this is one soundtrack I still play with to this day when the feeling hits me.

"Spawn", despite its flaws, was a solid and satisfying follow-up to "Judgment Night" and created an alternative way to release built-up tension by blending classic hard-rock riffs with electronic beats to give you the ultimate experience in a digital headbangers ball. - DEM -

Thanks to the pioneering work done Rick Rubin et al. back in the day, the very idea of mixing dance and hard-rock has become the norm these days. Ten years back, however, it was not as widely accepted nor as likely to be a commercial success, thus the decision to produce an album of some of the hardest rockers and phatest beat-meisters was a risky one. Couple that with the usual unpredictable nature of soundtrack sales and you could have been looking at both an artistic and commercial white-elephant. Is that the case, here? Definitely not so! What we have here is perhaps the best ever example of dance-rock fusion. An outstandingly original selection of both tunes and pairings; fourteen solid tracks all uniquely original yet which all somehow see, to come together under a common theme, a common sense. Brilliant. What continues to amaze me is that nearly a decade after its release I still enjoy listening to this CD as though I just bought it yesterday, it is timeless excellence and a record that should be in the collection of anyone who appreciates great music, music without boundaries. All in all I cannot convey the staggering excellence of this varied offering, take a listen for yourself, if you like progressive music or dance-based rhythms, I am certain you won't be disappointed.
N.B. Incidentally if you are looking for a CD to run to or cycle to, then this is the CD for you. Go out for a ride with this plugged in your ears and you'll cycle twice as fast! Guaranteed!

Personal favourites:
Track #6. For Whom The Bell Tolls (The Irony Of All) - Metallica & DJ Spooky
Track #13. No Remorse (I Wanna Die) - Slayer & Atari Teenage Riot

- anyone who rates this less than four stars should never have bought the CD in the first place, because it's clearly NOT the music for them and thus renders their review entirely worthless. A total of fourteen tracks, TWENTY-EIGHT collaborators - it would be impossible to rate this CD so low.

I remember listening to this soundtrack around 1997, and its really hard to hear any of these cool songs over the radio. Good music! Worth buying!!

This is a good soundtrack. "Trip like I Do" was the main reason I got it. I found out I got a lot more too. Marilyn Manson with Sneaker Pimps, Orbital and Kirk Hammet, Butthole Surfers and Moby, Metallica and DJ Spooky. All these tracks are good. It starts to wind down and lose steam with the last couple of tracks but this is a good investment. If you enjoy the musical fusion of different styles than check this out, also check out the Judgement Night soundtrack

I have been a Mansun fan since I heard "Wide Open Space" back in '97. It's probably been my favorite song ever since then, but I never did try and track down one of their CDs. I bought this one about 4 months ago, and have listened to it virtually every time I'm in my car. As the other reviews state, it is quite a strange sound, but Paul Draper will definitely hook you in with his voice & lyrics and it will continue to grow on you. Definitely a 10. Keep in mind I guess I'm not a real Mansun fan. I picked up their other 2 CDs after I thought I'd move on to their other releases. "Six" was one of the worst CDs I think I have ever listened to, and "Little Kix" is quite dull throughout - definitely not on par w/the "Grey Lantern". You will not regret picking this one up.

Sadly, Mansun are no longer with us, having broken up at the end of 2003, but this, their first album (the UK version) is fantastic. This is rock album as sweeping cinematic epic, every song seguing into the next and containg a central thread filled with colorful (sordid, in frontman Paul Draper's words) characters such as Dark Mavis, the Stripper Vicar, The Chad, and Egg Shaped Fred. Absolutely gorgeous in its musicianship, singing, and production, this is a great album if you're into great British bands like Blur, Suede, Pulp, and Radiohead, and want to dig a little deeper into that sound and style. In fact this album is the one that knocked Blur's fantastic 1997 self titled album off the #1 spot in the charts. All the songs on here are excellent, but check out the opening trilogy of tracks, Stripper Vicar, Egg Shaped Fred, Wide Open Space, and the majestic and haunting finale, Dark Mavis. Phenomenal. One last note...DO NOT BUY THE US VERSION OF THIS ALBUM. It is chopped up, rearranged, has songs missing, and completely ruins the album as it was intended. You'll spend a bit more for the UK version, but it's worth it. Besides, the added tracks on the US version are available on the excellent Kleptomania box set.

Mansun is one of the many UK bands that just never made it here. It is a shame too, since I think they're cool, quirky, and fun. Their music is full of bizarre lyrics, sweeping strings, rocking guitars, and synthesizers. It is Britpop with a dark side.

I like to listen to bands who are basically unknown in the US, and I almost always realize that I've found another great act. Mansun is no exception here. I can't really think of another band to accurately compare them to, they are just Mansun. I say give this CD a listen though. Either you'll really like it or you will think it is quite weird. It may even grow on you, but if not at least you'll have given it a chance.

I don't quite get all these people saying it's not as good as Six.

Anyhow, what we have here is a something that would never happen with an American band. But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about Paul Draper's evil, evil voice. You hear metal artists try to make their voices sound devil-esque. Paul Draper sounds like Satan's lawyer... or maybe his crooked accountant, or his agent or bookie. Satan may seem to run the show, but Paul Draper is who owns 85% of the souls in hell, and he uses them to make some great tunes. I can make my case point just by playing "Naked Twister". That effortless, creepy vibrato laced falsetto that seeps into your body like a cloudy gas of sorts. He does that sort of thing throughout this solemly beautiful album. The songwriting and structure here might not be as random and fascinating as on Six, but they find other ways to keep your attention. Each one is an imaginative, dark, eclectic composition that I'm sure you'll either admire, think evil thoughts about, or find some marginal reason to dismiss them as a sum of their influences (rock critics/uptight musicians who use words like "dark", "eclectic", "solemn", and "composition"; but can nary create or display any of them). Don't miss the point. Just get this album (less than $2 used right now, actually). My only complaint is that I really wish this one had "Stripper Vicar" instead of "Take it Easy, Chicken"... I haven't heard "Stripper Vicar", but the other one is my least favorite track on the album.

Having read all this great stuff about 'Attack of the Grey Lanturn' and being a proud owner and lover of their second album 'Six', I had no hesitation in purchasing this record. However, it did disappoint me just slightly. On 'Six', there is a sense of wonder at the incredible, progressive musical experiments and charmingly mad nature of what's going on. On 'Attack of the Grey Lanturn', the songs don't seem to be as well-written at their core. Nevertheless, its a very interesting album, really unlike anything else.

It begins brightly with the pleasent, orchestral 'The Chad Who Loved Me' with its rumbling guitar and epic scope (still no match for the title track of 'Six', which opens it) and the rather mad dance-y camp groove of 'Mansun's Only Love Song'. It, and many songs on here, would be somewhat mislabelled under Indie Rock, being far more reliant on synthesisers etc than guitars, although their subsequent albums are more guitar-based.

'Taxloss' however is irritating and its stupid tune and overblown nature leaves you desperate to just put something else on by its 3rd minute, let alone the 7th. The acoustic, yearning 'You. Who Do You Hate?' is much better, and when it explodes into heavy rock it is extremely cool. 'Wide Open Space' follows and its an expertly constructed exercise in paranoia like Radiohead with a poppier melodic core, but doesn't quite match up to its equivalent off Six, 'Legacy'.

'Stripper Vicar' is quite Blur-ish in its very English pop melody and lyrical comic cheekiness. It also seems influenced by Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, however there's a rockier twist here on both bands. Its opposite number on Six would probably be 'Being A Girl', and again its not quite as good, but nevertheless a cool single. 'Disgusting' begins with a gothic, chilling soundscape and moves into an echoing synth-driven number which still has a quite dark feel. 'She Makes My Nose Bleed' despite its awful title is very well constructed with its keyboard-and-guitar combination and another dark feel.

'Naked Twister' has a really epic, memorable chorus and is an album highlight. However its followed by the awful 'Egg-Shaped Fred' which sounds like a parody of Britpop performed by a metal band. 'Dark Mavis', too, is a beautiful closer, building and yearning, with good lyrics, and ends with the same orchestral theme that 'The Chad Who Loved Me' has, adding to the feel of concept and unity for the album.

You need to be in the right mood for Mansun: if you're in a bad mood, they'll irritate you more and just sound overblown and annoying. When you're in the right mood, this is great to listen to, and this is clearly an accomplished album, but it really doesn't come close to Six, which is a 5 star album by all accounts. This album started out disappointing me heavily, but its grown from a 2-star rating to 3 1/2-stars with repeated listens. Just make sure you skip 'Taxloss' and 'Egg-Shaped Fred'.

This was my first Mansun experience. I'm really not good at critiquing music, but I can tell you that this album is like a hypnotic trip back up the rabbit hole. Everything gets clearer and you get sucked into the spiral that is Mansun. You think you might break free and end up back at the base of everything that is pure and safe, but then you're surprised and tripped into a circle of raw emotions and powerful riffs. It's addicting. Once you start listening, you can stop. Each song melds with another, and there is no break. And you won't want a break. It's one long procession of swirling jams that you can't get out of your head for days on end. You'll be strung out on Mansun, and it's a wonderful feeling.

I start to write as the Fairies fall into the rabbit hole... or Fall Out... I am still in awe of this twisted tale of musical chicanery and depravity... this is listen 3 straight thru, and still my skin tingles; my saliva thickens, and the body remembers an acid trip in L.A. in the 70's... my amazement at finding this album amid the great wasteland of music out there knows no bounds... If an album should ever be recommended with a guarantee of absolute proportions, it is this... Pure Genius.

...this is a FANTASTIC album, but this US version is not the one to get. The UK edition is the full album the way Mansun intended it, with the right tracklisting, track order, and artwork. As such, I'm not going to review this in depth (I already did that for the UK version...go read it!).

What could you say about an album that interrupts your daily routine and sleep paterns? This sounds like a group of musicians who just found a bunch of different sounds to throw into an album and are uncertain about what it is trying to say. There is no effort to hide any seams, as the songs will change without any transition. Just a pause... maybe a whistle (like in the schizophrenic closer, "Being a Girl"). It't ideas and artists like this that make the most interesting albums. It is the perfect blend of experiment and melody. It's the same thing that makes Sonic Youth hard to listen to combined with what makes so many bands from the 80's a guilty pleasure (a meaningless word to me, really). Then we have Paul Draper's completely unique voice. Like an amateur opera singer from hell. And since it's less than $4 used right now, I suggest you buy it.

sorry for them couse their're over but still one of my favourite bands. six it's a album that probably you won't like it at first time you hear it but with time you'll be on with it. great songs with complexe guitar sounds ... a must hear. be well

Every song has a hook, and you can really feel the emotion in the slower tracks - in the lead singer's voice. Each song just reaches into you and pulls you into the music. It's an unstoppable force. It's Mansun.

Little Kix is Mansun's third and final studio album proper, and while it is indeed and excellent record in its own right, it's not as strong as Attack of the Grey Lantern or Six. That being said, it is still an excellent, majestic, and beautiful album. Gone are the ambitious song-suites-as-entire-album concepts that were the first two albums. Although most of the songs still segue together, this album focuses more on individual songs, and it has a wealth of goodies. Butterfly (A New Beginning) is a gorgeous opening track, fading in beautifully and wrapping you in its soaring beauty. Other great tracks on here include Electric Man, Soundtrack 4 2 Lovers, I Can Only Disappoint U, and Love Is. Fool is excellent as well. And the abrupt cut-off at the end of Goodbye is jarring and, in light of Mansun's abrupt split in late 2003, hautningly prescient. Great album.

The third album from the Chester three-piece comes as a slight change from the last two ambitious albums. Mansun appear to have found a new lyrical base and a more ballad-like sound.
Gone are the old familiar characters such as Mavis and Egg-shaped Fred, and this album is a far stretch from Mansun's claim of having only one love song. Lyrics on this album are about love, disappointment and forgiveness. They seem to have opted for a softer album this time around, with sweeping strings and emotional depth. Though, the sound is very much still Mansun. The recognisable electric guitar rock of the previous albums is still there, but the whole tone seems to have mellowed out somewhat. "Love is..." seems to be a good example of Paul Drapers new unguarded state of mind.
The album opens with the hypnotic song "Butterfly (a New Beginning)" which could easily be influenced by Bowie's 'Station to Station'.
Although, on the whole, a good album, it doesn't really compare to the last two albums. This one seems to be breaking no barriers but keeping in tune with the other new bands who do not want to break the commercial rules of what music should sound like.

I was apprehensive about this album. Their first album was a brilliant piece of arty guitar-pop with great, tight, songwriting, and their second album was an overblown, pompous mess that suffered from being overly ambitious without the songs to back it up.

This third album falls somewhere in between, but is a mostly solid effort. It's very enjoyable, and if it was any other band besides Mansun I'd give it four stars, but this one is certainly the most conventional record this unconventional band has made. Luckily the songwriting is much more focused and structured than on "Six," and there's some classics here, but the arrangements are much more simple and generic than a normal Mansun record, with little to distance this album from other contemporary British LP's.

With people like The Verve (+ Ashcroft's solo disc) and Spiritualized raising the bar on overblown pop music, Mansun needed to evolve and create a new style to keep up, and instead they seem to have reverted backwards again. However, if you're a fan, you'll still love this, but if you're new to the band, start with "Grey Lantern" (and if you can, grab the UK version, the US version is a sham). Highlights are "Soundtrack 4 2 Lovers," "We Are The Boys," and "Electric Man."

Gone is the complexicity of their second cd.This is their best so far with superb melodies and hooks. The guitars are in the right mix position along with Paul's voice which sounds so confident and emotional at the same time.The lyrics are intelligent too.This third album by Mansun is trully magical.The future looks bright indeed.

Its 17 tracks and a dvd. I didnt really need the dvd. Would have liked to just get the 17 tracks for half the price. The first two songs are great. But I've heard "I'm in A wide open space" and "I will only dissapoint you" so much already. The other songs are hypnoctic at points. And overrall it's an alright cd for avid fans or first time listeners. But if you already know thier stuff and aren't obsessed with them it would be better to skip it.

Mansun frontman Paul Draper once boasted that this album is 30 different melodies combined into 12 tracks and that there isn't a single chorus present. He's just about right on both counts, and while Six is a difficult listen at first, repeated listens reveal a wealth of musical and lyrical rewards and place you in awe of the band's talent. The opening number, Six, is long and excellent. Alongside such great tracks as Cancer, Shotgun, and Television, are oddities like that spacer Witness to a Murder, which was designed to bridge the two "sides" of this album. Six, like its predecessor Attack of the Grey Lantern, is one continuous piece of music, and while it deifes categorization in the pantheon of "rock", it is an amazing document and the band's masterpiece. (Just like Attack of the Grey Lantern, get the UK version of this. DO NOT BUY THE US VERSION! It has a different cover, songs missing, and a different track order and was not how Mansun intended the album to be. You'll pay a little extra for the UK version but it's essential).

Is this album full of hit singles? No
Is this album immediately accessible? No
Then why do I think Mansun's Six is the best cd in my collection of nearly 800 cds? Because it's the perfect concept album. You can't just pick a track from this cd at random. Like Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, this is an album that is meant to be listened to as a whole. Haunting lyrics. Great musicianship. This album gives me chills every time I hear it. I introduced it to several friends in college, and they all agree with me that it is completely brilliant. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

How brave or, for that matter foolhardy depending on your point of view,is it for a band to follow up an extremely fine,cohesive album that was ''ATTACK OF THE GREY LANTERN''with the awkward,baffling though intriguing beast that is ''SIX''.
Taking its title from the character played by PATRICK MCGOOHAN in the cult tv series from the sixties ''THE PRISONER''{a must see incidentally) SIX sets out to be bold and literate mixing poetry with shattering realism and philosophy with well.. erm nonsense in the EDWARD LEAR sense. It is an album that does eventually reward but you is gonna have to listen and concentrate hard over several sessions with this ungainly monster.Folks who like immeadiate music should give it a wide berth.It has moments of staggering genius ''CANCER'' which charges in with industrial muscle then evolves into a quite gorgeous melody with a vocal by DRAPER that can only be described as pure angelic,''INVERSE MIDAS'' is utterly utterly beautiful this delicate creature hurtles into ''ANTI EVERYTHING''
which is angular,chunky and real catchy.''LEGACY'' and ''BEING A GIRL''feel out of place here purely by their normalicy.''WITNESS TO A MURDER'' is both bizzarre and chilling and features TOM BAKER (YES!!) the former DR WHO.Some Tracks feel like several parts of song welded together like musical pile-ups they are brutal,bruising nightmare visions that confuse and astound in equal measure.''SIX''goes for the jugular with teeth bared and yet it (mostly) enthralls.''SIX''reeks of doom and yet it it can be funny and painfully honest.
Wether DRAPER and co ever return to the alien, KAFKAESQUE landscapes of ''SIX'' remains to be seen(last years LITTLE KIX is determindly 80's in feel)but im betting that YOU will not have heard many albums like this one.Try it!.You may find a strange solace in MANSUN'S uglybeauty.

Mansun (1995-2003) was one of the best British bands EVER, case closed. They released four excellent albums (Attack of the Grey Lantern, Six, Little Kix, and Kleptomania), a slew of killer singles and b-sides, and have a rabid and loyal fanbase, all the while being slagged by the UK music press. Legacy is a Best Of package that contains all of their singles and a few album tracks...all of the songs are great. The real treat, though, is the bonus DVD that contains all of their promo videos, a documentary, and some bonus live footage. This is a must have for diehard fans as well as anyone new who wants to get into Mansun. I miss this band more and more every time I listen to them. Long live their music!

I have been a Mansun fan since I heard "Wide Open Space" back in '97. It's probably been my favorite song ever since then, but I never did try and track down one of their CDs. I bought this one about 4 months ago, and have listened to it virtually every time I'm in my car. As the other reviews state, it is quite a strange sound, but Paul Draper will definitely hook you in with his voice & lyrics and it will continue to grow on you. Definitely a 10. Keep in mind I guess I'm not a real Mansun fan. I picked up their other 2 CDs after I thought I'd move on to their other releases. "Six" was one of the worst CDs I think I have ever listened to, and "Little Kix" is quite dull throughout - definitely not on par w/the "Grey Lantern". You will not regret picking this one up.

Sadly, Mansun are no longer with us, having broken up at the end of 2003, but this, their first album (the UK version) is fantastic. This is rock album as sweeping cinematic epic, every song seguing into the next and containg a central thread filled with colorful (sordid, in frontman Paul Draper's words) characters such as Dark Mavis, the Stripper Vicar, The Chad, and Egg Shaped Fred. Absolutely gorgeous in its musicianship, singing, and production, this is a great album if you're into great British bands like Blur, Suede, Pulp, and Radiohead, and want to dig a little deeper into that sound and style. In fact this album is the one that knocked Blur's fantastic 1997 self titled album off the #1 spot in the charts. All the songs on here are excellent, but check out the opening trilogy of tracks, Stripper Vicar, Egg Shaped Fred, Wide Open Space, and the majestic and haunting finale, Dark Mavis. Phenomenal. One last note...DO NOT BUY THE US VERSION OF THIS ALBUM. It is chopped up, rearranged, has songs missing, and completely ruins the album as it was intended. You'll spend a bit more for the UK version, but it's worth it. Besides, the added tracks on the US version are available on the excellent Kleptomania box set.

Mansun is one of the many UK bands that just never made it here. It is a shame too, since I think they're cool, quirky, and fun. Their music is full of bizarre lyrics, sweeping strings, rocking guitars, and synthesizers. It is Britpop with a dark side.

I like to listen to bands who are basically unknown in the US, and I almost always realize that I've found another great act. Mansun is no exception here. I can't really think of another band to accurately compare them to, they are just Mansun. I say give this CD a listen though. Either you'll really like it or you will think it is quite weird. It may even grow on you, but if not at least you'll have given it a chance.

I don't quite get all these people saying it's not as good as Six.

Anyhow, what we have here is a something that would never happen with an American band. But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about Paul Draper's evil, evil voice. You hear metal artists try to make their voices sound devil-esque. Paul Draper sounds like Satan's lawyer... or maybe his crooked accountant, or his agent or bookie. Satan may seem to run the show, but Paul Draper is who owns 85% of the souls in hell, and he uses them to make some great tunes. I can make my case point just by playing "Naked Twister". That effortless, creepy vibrato laced falsetto that seeps into your body like a cloudy gas of sorts. He does that sort of thing throughout this solemly beautiful album. The songwriting and structure here might not be as random and fascinating as on Six, but they find other ways to keep your attention. Each one is an imaginative, dark, eclectic composition that I'm sure you'll either admire, think evil thoughts about, or find some marginal reason to dismiss them as a sum of their influences (rock critics/uptight musicians who use words like "dark", "eclectic", "solemn", and "composition"; but can nary create or display any of them). Don't miss the point. Just get this album (less than $2 used right now, actually). My only complaint is that I really wish this one had "Stripper Vicar" instead of "Take it Easy, Chicken"... I haven't heard "Stripper Vicar", but the other one is my least favorite track on the album.

Having read all this great stuff about 'Attack of the Grey Lanturn' and being a proud owner and lover of their second album 'Six', I had no hesitation in purchasing this record. However, it did disappoint me just slightly. On 'Six', there is a sense of wonder at the incredible, progressive musical experiments and charmingly mad nature of what's going on. On 'Attack of the Grey Lanturn', the songs don't seem to be as well-written at their core. Nevertheless, its a very interesting album, really unlike anything else.

It begins brightly with the pleasent, orchestral 'The Chad Who Loved Me' with its rumbling guitar and epic scope (still no match for the title track of 'Six', which opens it) and the rather mad dance-y camp groove of 'Mansun's Only Love Song'. It, and many songs on here, would be somewhat mislabelled under Indie Rock, being far more reliant on synthesisers etc than guitars, although their subsequent albums are more guitar-based.

'Taxloss' however is irritating and its stupid tune and overblown nature leaves you desperate to just put something else on by its 3rd minute, let alone the 7th. The acoustic, yearning 'You. Who Do You Hate?' is much better, and when it explodes into heavy rock it is extremely cool. 'Wide Open Space' follows and its an expertly constructed exercise in paranoia like Radiohead with a poppier melodic core, but doesn't quite match up to its equivalent off Six, 'Legacy'.

'Stripper Vicar' is quite Blur-ish in its very English pop melody and lyrical comic cheekiness. It also seems influenced by Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, however there's a rockier twist here on both bands. Its opposite number on Six would probably be 'Being A Girl', and again its not quite as good, but nevertheless a cool single. 'Disgusting' begins with a gothic, chilling soundscape and moves into an echoing synth-driven number which still has a quite dark feel. 'She Makes My Nose Bleed' despite its awful title is very well constructed with its keyboard-and-guitar combination and another dark feel.

'Naked Twister' has a really epic, memorable chorus and is an album highlight. However its followed by the awful 'Egg-Shaped Fred' which sounds like a parody of Britpop performed by a metal band. 'Dark Mavis', too, is a beautiful closer, building and yearning, with good lyrics, and ends with the same orchestral theme that 'The Chad Who Loved Me' has, adding to the feel of concept and unity for the album.

You need to be in the right mood for Mansun: if you're in a bad mood, they'll irritate you more and just sound overblown and annoying. When you're in the right mood, this is great to listen to, and this is clearly an accomplished album, but it really doesn't come close to Six, which is a 5 star album by all accounts. This album started out disappointing me heavily, but its grown from a 2-star rating to 3 1/2-stars with repeated listens. Just make sure you skip 'Taxloss' and 'Egg-Shaped Fred'.