Ray Of Light vs. Mayhem

[princedeeblebleble 3,040]

1 hour ago, Apec said:

Can I very politely ask which tracklist alternative you listen to? I listen to tracklists quite rigidly whenever I listen through a whole Gaga album that's as, imho, cohesive yet representative of the struggle the music is about as Mayhem is (especially with her placement of the three "deluxe edition" songs, they really completed it and softened the sudden transitions for me - it's still a journey, but one with better signage ). I have however always been fascinated how a body of work can morph and change shape into an entirely different listening experience by rearranging the order.

For example, I do get Happy Mistake is forgotten about too much if Harlequin isn't in regular rotation for somebody (I play it a lot but swapped out the studio for the live Kimmel version but that's the most I ever do with Gaga albums), do you maybe swap BoG out for Happy Mistake? I've heard several people do that and I think there's a whole dynamic shift there, which really intrigues and mesmerizes me: BoG (not saying you switched these! Just a general example) is about finally finding love in all its imperfections and her letting go of the near-trauma searching for it has cost her. She's singing it in a way that many find less pleasant, but that's the dark memories and the pain bubbling up to me, and then the endless gratitude of having found it, finally, and the feeling of a lifelong gratitude/passion to come that I hear in her voice. You can't say she wasn't laying it all out for us to feel along with her with this one! Happy Mistake, otoh, is simply gorgeous/perfect but it's definitely darker: it's primarily about maybe finally being able to make the best of it after everything she's gone through in her life, in a way that's almost accidental for her but just as real. It's soft where it needs to be and builds in strength, just like she sees her own life story.

That changes the whole way the album closes... are we closing on shutting the door on the past and accepting her hopefully true life partner, followed by DWAS marking said partner as indeed probably her one and only? Or do we make a strong yet melancholy (with a strong tinge of hope) detour about her life's trajectory and THEN end on true love? It's both very different, even just vibe-wise, which is why tracklisting endlessly fascinates me!

If I listen to an album of Gaga's in full I'm mostly a meek sheep, but that's because I love the way she organizes nearly all her albums, Mayhem included. Maybe I need to take the plunge and listen from a different angle sometime, which is why your version really piqued my interest... I LOVE both KFL (Yeah, kinda repetitive but love the drums and the sax and when it all comes together... pure joy!) and The Beast (that Phil Collins nod sends me in a good way and it's a fantastic voice showcase that can be interpreted so many different ways) yet a good HBDYWM fan edit really could make that song click more for me, not that I don't understand it or don't love her sampling Yazoo (as mainstream as it'd be, I wish she'd have picked the dark foreboding synth from Don't You Want Me or one of the frantic parts from "Don't go" instead - it might be cheesy but it's good cheese ) but maybe it'd deepen my feelings for it than it just being that role-switching semi-parody of the good girl/bad girl dichotomy where everybody compares her to Taylor Swift for some reason (I don't follow TS). The song is clever in the way it plays with expectations, but I'd love to see it done different (Requiem here we come!).

Anyway, sorry for the essay here. I would want to hug you if you listed me your preferred version of Mayhem (with an extra hug if you pointed me in the direction of where I could find those fan edits). No pressure though if it's too much work/too personal! 

I kinda have a thing for personalizing albums, if I like the music, but don't like the tracklisting, or finding ways to combine albums if I lets say like certain songs and don't like the others, or add one off singles/eps to albums that closely resemble each other.

As for the Mayhem playlist, its like this:

(For now I'm playing around with the placement of the DWP tracks, you can remove those if you wish)

Disease

Abracadabra 

Perfect celebrity 

Can't stop the high

(Optional Runway, I just wish it didn't have the intro cause it kills the vibe)

Garden of eden

Killah

Zombieboy

The dead dance , but this mix

Lovedrug

How bad do you want me (cause the original really misses some live instruments)

Happy mistake

(Glam life, again optional but it kinda works)

Vanish into you

(Shape of a woman)

Kill for love, again I like this mix a bit more cause it's more punchy 

 

Don't call tonight

Shadow of a man

The beast (the original is amazing live, but within the album I think it kills off the pace of the  record way too soon)

Blade of grass 

Die with a smile

 

And as a bonus at the very end I added this version of Hold my hand, cause I feel like its a cute adition

 

That's kinda it. But of course this works out well because I listen to the album via YoutubeMusic and you can combine official tracks with fan tracks so it's kind of a seamless listen, not sure how it works on youtube if you were to create a playlist. I kinda went with the storyline where she gets obsessed to the high life too much until it all crashes and Happy mistake, glam life etc is where she realises it, then it becomes a battle for love where it all ends well.

 

Overall maybe do it without the Devil wears prada tracks for starters, because I added those a few days ago and I'm still shuffling them, and if you'll want to, lemme know if you'll like my version of Total mayhem. I think once Requiem comes oht I'll wait for fans to do studio version of DWAS, DCT wnd HBDYWM to use those, unless they are as slowed down and strapped down as the atendees stated 

Excuse my essay, and have a good listen!

 

[Ivy 13,566]

ROL is fine, it's cohesive and production great but vocals for me are thin compared with Gaga and I prefer the variety and passion of MAYHEM. And I just like the type of music on MAYHEM better

ROL is good for Madonna but for me Gaga has something extra (which is why I'm a Gaga fan )

[MACATL 2,009]

I had to vote ROL.  As much as I love Mayhem, it’s a straight forward pop album, using common formulas of the 2010’s - 2020’s, AMAZINGLY so.  
 

However, ROL broke ALL convention in pop music, confusing fans and the GP at first, then soon winning all over.  It changed the game and reinvented the Queen of  Reinvention like no one could have seen coming.  

[Apec 91]

2 hours ago, gagacabana said:

Just the other day I made up a little rearrangement of the mayhem era, nothing serious, only musings to bring a different perspective on the table 

 

Omg, thank you so much!  I need to try and write a lot this week, I already know my motivational soundtrack. You're the best, you goddess, you  I'm sorry, I'm just so happy!! This looks so good *rubs hands together in glee*

I feel rich suddenly. 

[steven 6,450]

I have to say ROL is better imo, it's one of the best pop albums in the last decades. Mayhem is still very good but it feels more like a mix of different styles and ideas instead of one clear sound all the way through.

[Apec 91]

2 hours ago, princedeeblebleble said:

I kinda have a thing for personalizing albums, if I like the music, but don't like the tracklisting, or finding ways to combine albums if I lets say like certain songs and don't like the others, or add one off singles/eps to albums that closely resemble each other.

As for the Mayhem playlist, its like this:

(For now I'm playing around with the placement of the DWP tracks, you can remove those if you wish)

Disease

Abracadabra 

Perfect celebrity 

Can't stop the high

(Optional Runway, I just wish it didn't have the intro cause it kills the vibe)

Garden of eden

Killah

Zombieboy

The dead dance , but this mix

Lovedrug

How bad do you want me (cause the original really misses some live instruments)

Happy mistake

(Glam life, again optional but it kinda works)

Vanish into you

(Shape of a woman)

Kill for love, again I like this mix a bit more cause it's more punchy 

 

Don't call tonight

Shadow of a man

The beast (the original is amazing live, but within the album I think it kills off the pace of the  record way too soon)

Blade of grass 

Die with a smile

 

And as a bonus at the very end I added this version of Hold my hand, cause I feel like its a cute adition

 

That's kinda it. But of course this works out well because I listen to the album via YoutubeMusic and you can combine official tracks with fan tracks so it's kind of a seamless listen, not sure how it works on youtube if you were to create a playlist. I kinda went with the storyline where she gets obsessed to the high life too much until it all crashes and Happy mistake, glam life etc is where she realises it, then it becomes a battle for love where it all ends well.

 

Overall maybe do it without the Devil wears prada tracks for starters, because I added those a few days ago and I'm still shuffling them, and if you'll want to, lemme know if you'll like my version of Total mayhem. I think once Requiem comes oht I'll wait for fans to do studio version of DWAS, DCT wnd HBDYWM to use those, unless they are as slowed down and strapped down as the atendees stated 

Excuse my essay, and have a good listen!

 

Thank you so, so much, that had to be a lot of work. I love essays personally, so don't apologize! I'm listening to this tonight. You're awesome!  I think I can just create a personal playlist with what you listed here on YouTube so no worries. I totally see the storyline there, that's amazing 

I will (have a good listen)!  I'm so looking forward to not doing everything in order but hearing what you curated. 

Agreed that Requiem will change things up for everyone once we can all get access to it!

Edited 15 minutes ago by Apec