Anderson123 38,223 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 I think Gaga set the bar really high with The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way all released so soon that anything after that time would always be compared. Joanne and Chromatica are great albums, way better than many other so acclaimed albums we see today but I’d say that for Gaga’s STANDARDS, it wasn’t up to what we knew she is capable of. Mayhem sounds like she has that spark back. You can hear it on the music and the lyrics. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essence 232 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) I think they’re both essential in her canon. We wouldn’t have MAYHEM w/o both of them. There is no world where those experiences didn’t shape her, even if they weren’t the most positive. In retrospect, I think she was trying very hard on Joanne. It was still authentic, but a bit rigid sonically as she wanted to reinvent. I adore Chromatica. I like how in the NYT interview she said that just because she doesn’t feel like she made her best music at the time doesn’t mean it wasn’t authentic. I think that album *authentically* captures what it feels like to be going through a mental health crisis. Even the more sterilized production feels fitting; it’s ‘medicated’ in a sense. Free Woman is a heartbreaking song to me; all she can do is slip into the synthetic production, even though it’s at times monotonous, to feel a boost. That’s what it feels like to be depressed. I think that album is a beautiful time capsule of a tragic and complicated time. It’s one of my favorites and still sounds fresh to me today. Edited March 11 by Essence 2 2 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gibson 3,489 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 One day Chromatica will be respected 5 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketn9 442 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 34 minutes ago, Essence said: I think they’re both essential in her canon. We wouldn’t have MAYHEM w/o both of them. There is no world where those experiences didn’t shape her, even if they weren’t the most positive. In retrospect, I think she was trying very hard on Joanne. It was still authentic, but a bit rigid sonically as she wanted to reinvent. I adore Chromatica. I like how in the NYT interview she said that just because she doesn’t feel like she made her best music at the time doesn’t mean it wasn’t authentic. I think that album *authentically* captures what it feels like to be going through a mental health crisis. Even the more sterilized production feels fitting; it’s ‘medicated’ in a sense. Free Woman is a heartbreaking song to me; all she can do is slip into the synthetic production, even though it’s at times monotonous, to feel a boost. That’s what it feels like to be depressed. I think that album is a beautiful time capsule of a tragic and complicated time. It’s one of my favorites and still sounds fresh to me today. That's how I felt when I listened to chromatica for 1st time too.Replay represented everything I was going through at the time.It's probably the reason why it's still one of my favorite gaga songs. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
holy scheisse 22,254 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 i think for as many people who criticize those albums there are others who love them so it all comes out in the wash Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotoriousEden 197 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 The slandering is indeed warranted. Anyone with ears can tell they aren’t up to snuff with her first 4 records or Mayhem. Even she has said in recent interviews “I haven’t been myself for the past 10 years and my work reflects that”. Which it does and it’s fine for fans to point that out. You don’t have to be a devote servant to all her music. Some **** you’ll like and some you won’t. And a lot of people don’t like those records. You can even tell she half assed them cause several songs were bought for each as opposed to her writing every song prior and on Mayhem. There’s a very clear difference to them from the rest to me and I think a lot of fans 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Prince 105,675 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 And it doesn’t matter because I enjoy them more than Mayhem Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimeow 219 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 people let their frustrations with the eras and gaga's previous messy rollouts speak louder than the music itself. i love chromatica, before MAYHEM it was a top 3 Gaga album for me. Joanne is not my cup of tea but its a cohesive record and still has some gems. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHALLOW 16,385 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) Joanne was great. Gaga was very brave with that one. Chromatica, on the other hand, was nothing new or special so it kinda deserves it (i loved the 911 MV tho, it's my fave) Edited March 11 by SHALLOW 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilia Malinin 1,546 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 the ONLY gaga album i'm not a massive fan of is joanne and even then it's grown on me in the last year. i used to hate it. i've always loved chromatica, even when it came out. every gaga album has a special place in my heart. i don't think the lashings of them were warrented, imo. do you guys mind if i scream about the olympics 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
velliqjv 32 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Yes, I think they're warranted. Joanne was decent, Chromatica feels overly sanitized and phoned in. They both have gems, but Gaga hasn't made an album as strong as Mayhem since Born This Way. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Fried Egg 8,767 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Chromatica is the story of my life and Joanne comforts me when I’m feeling down- it’s the most grounded of all Gaga album. Both albums have their flaws, like Joanne is all over the place, and Alice being half a song etc. But I still love them both because they have gems no other artist can replicate. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedomInTheMusic 593 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 I tend to think Gaga’s work is graded on a bit of a curve. Her early work was so monumentally successful that it can overshadow her more recent works. I agree that Joanne and Chromatica aren’t as strong as MAYHEM, but both absolutely have some gems on them and both are integral to her career. It’s telling that the hardcore fans understand this while those less familiar with her work struggle to understand their relevance to her output. At the end of the day, both are still impressive and important records to me, and I’m glad she took the time to make them. I’m pretty sure MAYHEM wouldn’t exist without them either. 2 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegidadedios 1,926 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) 3 hours ago, ThisGuyTony said: Do you think the Joanne and Chromatica lashings are warranted? It’s not only Monsters talking negatively about the two albums/era on Twitter, on here, and on other pop forums, but also major publications and the GP (in the spoilers). Hide contents NYT: “It’s considerably sharper than her previous two pop solo efforts, the tepid 2016 quasi-country album, “Joanne,” and her unfortunately timed 2020 return to the dance floor, “Chromatica,” a mixed bag that now sounds overly dated thanks to its embrace of pop’s then-trendy obsession with sound-alike house samples and beats. (Gaga recently admitted in a New York Times Magazine interview that she wasn’t operating at her highest level in the “Chromatica” era: “I was in a really dark place,” she said, “and I wouldn’t say I made my best music during that time.”)” LA Times: “Also: “Mayhem” is better than “Chromatica” — more tuneful, more coherent, certainly more fun.” I think we need to at least acknowledge these albums/eras helped her career, despite her admitting it wasn’t her best music and the Monsters trying to discredit these projects. So what do you think? Do Joanne and Chroma deserve these lashings? I agree with the Chromatica statement; not with the Joanne one tho, even tho it's not even on my fav albums from her - and this comes from someone who absolutely loves Chromatica til this day and will keep on doing as house - disco is my thing. But I do admit she didn't bring anything new to the table. I'm okay with that tho, I do recognize that album for what it is. But her releasing MAYHEM after that truly gives a wider perspective on the fact that she once again delivered a record that will keep on living and resonating by its own for the next generations, something she did with every album and Chromatica doesn't give that vibe to this day to me (I repeat again I looove it so much, not that I consider it bad at all, probably biased but to this day she still did not disappoint me with an album, not once) Edited March 11 by elegidadedios Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven 5,944 Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 (edited) I think I agree that those two aren’t her strongest albums in her entire discography, but they still played a significant role in her journey. Chromatica is still one of my faves, maybe it’s a bit basic, but I feel a deep connection to it. Mayhem is incredible—I just need some time to say goodbye to Chromatica lol Edited March 11 by steven Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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