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Why did Mayhem start so strong then go full disco funk?


steven
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Lucas

I don't know if disco funk is accurate to describe the sound of the 2nd half of the album but the album, imo, truly goes downhill after Zombieboy. You can easily tell she put a LOT of efforts into the first tracks, her vocals and instrumentals are very intricate and detailed.

And then BOOM, suddenly everything feels generic and rushed (except the masterpiece SOAM).

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AVeryGagaHolyDick

I was listening to an interview from like February the other day and Gaga said the entire album was full of hardcore beats :ladyhaha:

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Oriane

Even with the MAYHEM concept in mind, I find the tracklist a bit off. The first four songs are totally different from each other, then it's a full 80s inspired album until the last few songs which are all ballads. It could be more mayhem-y.

The only GGD member who can read / Credits to Celloo Deng for the profile pic!
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AVeryGagaHolyDick
58 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

Her public comments directly contradict that theory tho. The first song she wrote was VIY and she confirmed that PC and CSTH were much later in the process. That being said, I do love the double LP idea and that’s my most delulu TOTAL MAYHEM fantasy.

That suggests that MAYHEM was in its final writing stages back in early 2024 (when she posted “Hollywood's a ghosttown”)

LG8 might actually be closer than we think. 

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Alxjcgn
57 minutes ago, Ladle Ghoulash said:

She specified that Watt was playing a 70s synth in the studio which inspired her to write VIY. Not saying it’s impossible it was completely different, but that detail suggests it being similar to the final version 

Oh I never heard that! Well then yes its most likely that VIY always carried the original sound. Which makes sense because she wanted to go back to music that inspired her as an artist so I can totally see that being a launchpad for the album

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uglysexy

I don't dislike the way the album is now (though I would have distributed the ballads differently as they're all at the end) but I did expect more songs with heavy industrial beats. Just something a bit stronger you know... many of the arrangements for the Mayhem Ball fit that criteria (the Abra Gesaffelstein remix, Wake Her Up interlude, LoveGame intro, Shallow arrangement) so idk why the album itself didn't go as hard. Even the Gesaffelstein collab felt a bit underwhelming, again something like his Abracadabra remix was what I was expecting. 

I think she actually had havier songs but ended up cutting them off.

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Alxjcgn
24 minutes ago, Oriane said:

Even with the MAYHEM concept in mind, I find the tracklist a bit off. The first four songs are totally different from each other, then it's a full 80s inspired album until the last few songs which are all ballads. It could be more mayhem-y.

If she made an album that came in 2 volumes or was 30+ songs long I bet the vision would have been more clear for us! Not sure if her label said no to the idea or she just wasn't feeling that type of approach.

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MACATL
50 minutes ago, Lucas said:

I don't know if disco funk is accurate to describe the sound of the 2nd half of the album but the album, imo, truly goes downhill after Zombieboy. You can easily tell she put a LOT of efforts into the first tracks, her vocals and instrumentals are very intricate and detailed.

And then BOOM, suddenly everything feels generic and rushed (except the masterpiece SOAM).

Fully disagree, except for Blade of Grass - that and Disease are still my only skips.  

Edited by MACATL
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Alxjcgn
1 hour ago, River said:

I can’t name names, but key people has been benched and our contacts has been silent for since summer… Something happened in Miami, we don’t know what, but it was a strange turning point for us the mods.

I just hope everything will remain okay so that she can stay healthy enough to finish a tour she clearly loves! 

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KennyRichie

Yes, I would have loved a full Disease album, but I also loved the actual album.

 

theres still time for a full disease album in the future 

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Yaaaas Gaga

The clue is in the album title. It was never going to be a completely free-flowing album and that's what i love about it. There's multiple sounds and genres to sink into and it keeps it interesting. To be honest I wish more artists would experiment more by using different sounds on a single album. If it's done well, as is Mayhem, it can really work.

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HayThurJack
15 hours ago, steven said:

I’ve been replaying Mayhem and it’s wild how the first four tracks hit so hard then after Perfect Celebrity it turns into this disco-funk universe.

It almost feels like two different albums in one.

Do you think Gaga did that on purpose or did the direction just shift along the way? 

First song written for the album was VIY.

First teaser for the album was Shadow of a Man. 

As far as I can remember, Gaga was saying in the Disease promo interviews that the album starts one way and then it surprises you and changes direction. 

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Taumaturg0
6 hours ago, Alxjcgn said:

To be a fly on the wall watching Gaga make an album would be a dream come true, she is so creative and inspired by so much that we can't ever really know how that process works

What I would give for that

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princessofmonaco
5 hours ago, Oriane said:

Even with the MAYHEM concept in mind, I find the tracklist a bit off. The first four songs are totally different from each other, then it's a full 80s inspired album until the last few songs which are all ballads. It could be more mayhem-y.

Here's my interpretation. To me, it's like
 

Hard hitting, abrasive pop Disease / Abracadabra / Garden of Eden /

Full on industrial rock Perfect Celebrity / Can't stop the high

A little dreamy anthem (the " and she fell into a gothic dream" of the album) Vanish into you

Funky nasty theatrical disco glam rock : Killah / ZombieBoy / TDD

80's by way of Tina Turner and Pat Benatar LoveDrug / HBDYWM (sortof) / Don't Call tonight

80's by way of Michael Jackson : Kill For love / Shadow of a Man /The Beast

Timeless balads : Blade of Grass / Die With a Smile
 

Those are pretty much the building blocks for Gaga as a whole (except for Jazz). So if she is the Mayhem, the mix is all there

Edited by princessofmonaco
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