Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (WINNER REVEALED, THANKS GUYS!)

Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (TOP 5 REVEALED!)

My friend was at the Roseland meltdown gig and said it was an absolute shambles.

She finally played London many years later and we managed to get the very last 2 tickets in the whole place on the day of the show.
 
Baby Clyde

Baby Clyde

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (TOP 5 REVEALED!)

HA!!!

Well I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now.
 
eddy2375

eddy2375

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (TOP 5 REVEALED!)

I wouldn't put any of this top five among my favourite Fiona tracks, but in most cases it's a comparison between "excellent" and "life-changingly amazing", so I can't really complain - particularly as I didn't even vote (kicking myself slightly for not doing so).

Skulking in this thread I've been so pleasantly surprised to see this many Fiona fans here. I had no idea she had such an ardent following on Popjustice (I gather most of you are UK-based, like me?).
 
Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (TOP 5 REVEALED!)

So, before things escalate any further ...












































5. Extraordinary Machine

28de1f40e0ae8049c4c576848f6910e0fb5bebf2.jpg


Average Score: 9.000
Highest Score: 10 x 5 (imaduck, ladygagaogaga, AstronautMikeDexter, Jwentz, JamesJupiter)
Lowest Score: 7.5 x 2 (Jonathan27)

My score: 9.5
My favorite lyric: "But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time."

Our last remaining track from the eponymous album, "Extraordinary Machine" also marks our first song with a 9+ average. Like many other Fiona Apple songs, she wrote this one as a pep talk to herself. I'm not sure if it's the fact that it wasn't produced by Mike Elizondo that brought it this far, but I certainly don't consider it to be one of the best songs on the album. It's sweet and uplifting but it lacks the punch that I've come to expect from Fiona, which is really my main complaint about the album as a whole, too. There are lots of wonderful songs here ("O' Sailor", "Get Him Back" and "Not About Love" being my favorites) but there are moments where it feels more like the kind of singer-songwriter album you can purchase at your local Starbuck's. imaduck considers the middle eight to be the best part of the track and loves "the awkwardness" of it.











































4. Criminal

418e0KhwcxL.jpg


Average Score: 9.114
Highest Score: 10 x 6 (Jwentz, ladygagaogaga, Aester, Baby Clyde, JamesJupiter, Mister Unicorn)
Lowest Score: 4 x 1 (imaduck)

My score: 10
My favorite lyric: "So what would an angel say? The devil wants to know."

In addition to being her most commercially successful song, "Criminal" also earned Fiona her first and (to date) only Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. I'm still amazed by the fact that she wrote it in just 45 minutes, it takes me longer to come up with a grocery list. It's a bit of a shame that the song will mostly be remembered for its music video which was directed by Mark Romanek and sparked a lot controversy when it was first released. ladygagaogaga recalls being "so FASCINATED by this as a 11/12 year old". AstronautMikeDexter thinks that the success of the song "doesn’t make it any less excellent" and called it "dark, sexy and perfect". Jwentz thought that "for a song hanging on the premise of an analogy, the lyrics are remarkably brilliant". Sounds a bit like a back-handed compliment but judging by his score, I guess it's not. Our lowest scorer, imaduck, felt that "it's a little too deadpan, but without sharp enough an edge to pull it off".

[video=youtube_share;FFOzayDpWoI]http://youtu.be/FFOzayDpWoI[/video]
 
Square

Square

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#5 & #4)

What a surprise to see Criminal at number four!
 
Aester

Aester

She/Her
Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#5 & #4)

Holy shit, REALLY? I thought "Criminal" was a shoo-in to win! This is the most unpredictable rate ever! I guess it's sort of refreshing not to have the obvious song win, though it was my favorite song left. That middle eight is one of my favorite parts of any song ever. Amazing that she wrote that as a teenager.

I also really like "Extraordinary Machine." It felt like such a breath of fresh air after her long break, and I just adore the way she delivers the verses.
 
Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#5 & #4)

Coming it a number three ...






















































3. Limp

41EAseGlukL.jpg


Average Score: 9.136
Highest Score: 10 x 5 (JamesJupiter, dodoriazarbon, ladygagaogaga, imaduck, Mister Unicorn)
Lowest Score: 7.25 x 1 (Aester)

My score: 10
My favorite lyric: "You fondle my trigger, then you blame my gun."

In a shocking twist of events, all the remaining tracks are singles from "When the Pawn ...". "Limp" was released as the second one in 2000 and went on to achieve ... basically no commercial success. Total album artist, of course. As you can probably tell by my score, it makes me very happy that "Limp" made the top 3. Seething Fiona is never a bad thing and her vocals here are enough to make this one of the finest entries in her discography. ladygagaogaga gave a usual random shout-out, this time for "THE DELIVERY". While AstronautMikeDexter doesn't think this is one of the standouts on "When the Pawn", he still called it "great". imaduck simply adores "romantically aggressive Fiona" and JamesJupiter couldn't resist but to praise the "epic drum solo".

[video=youtube_share;CfTNpbraBbI]http://youtu.be/CfTNpbraBbI[/video]

This means our number one is either "Paper Bag" or "Fast as You Can". I'll reveal the winner very #soon. Until then, try not to kill each other.
 
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Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#3)

The moment has come to reveal the winner of The Fiona Apple Discography Rate ...






















































Will it be "Paper Bag"?





















































Or will it be "Fast as You Can"?





















































Coming in at number 2 ...





















































tumblr_n8ifvbeR1G1qz77pxo1_400.gif























































2. Paper Bag

41EAseGlukL.jpg


Average Score: 9.159
Highest Score: 10 x 6 (JamesJupiter, dodoriazarbon, ladygagaogaga, AstronautMikeDexter, Jwentz, Mister Unicorn)
Lowest Score: 7 x 1 (Baby Clyde)

My score: 10
My favorite lyric: "He said 'It's all in your head,' and I said, 'So's everything' but he didn't get it. I thought he was a man, but he was just a little boy."

[video=youtube_share;BK30r_SIZ-g]http://youtu.be/BK30r_SIZ-g[/video]

WHAT A SONG.

ladygagaogaga: "QUINTESSENTIAL."

AstronautMikeDexter: "I love how this song is still heard in media today (that scene in “Bridesmaids” comes to mind). Brilliant lyrics, vocals, melody. And the video shows a playful side of Fiona that, up to that point, I don’t think people saw very much of."

Jwentz: "The pinnacle of her career."

JamesJupiter: "I squealed in the cinemas watching Bridesmaids when this track popped up. One of her greatest tracks ever."
 
Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#3)

Which means our winner is:

tumblr_mppwtpV0Fj1rh8opso1_500.gif


1. Fast as You Can

41EAseGlukL.jpg


Average Score: 9.250
Highest Score: 10 x 4 (imaduck, Jwentz, ladygagaogaga, Mister Unicorn)
Lowest Score: 8 x 2 (Baby Clyde, Rhombus)

My score: 10
My favorite lyric: "My pretty mouth will frame the phrases that will disprove your faith in man."

[video=youtube_share;NbxqtbqyoRk]http://youtu.be/NbxqtbqyoRk[/video]

WHAT A SONG.

ladygagaogaga: "When I was about 16 this was the song that made me discover this album. I was well aware of her because of Criminal but this was the song that led me to my favourite ever album."

Jwentz: " Love the energy to this song that sets it apart from the typical Fiona track."

imaduck: "The ultimate aggressive Fiona track, the whole thing is so relentless, It sort of makes me want Fiona to release a rap album."

JamesJupiter: "Singing along to this is so therapeutic."


And there you have it. This entire rate has been a bit messy and I definitely expected it to be more peaceful, but I still had a pretty good time. I'd like to thank all of you for participating and commenting along the way. Long live "Fast as You Can". Long live "When the Pawn ...". Long live Fiona Apple. Cheers!
 
Square

Square

Re: Fiction of the Fix: The Fiona Apple Discography Rate (#3)

Eh... Fast As You Can is definitely good, but it's sorta second-tier Fiona for me. I gave it an 8.

Thanks for hosting the rate, Mister Unicorn!
 
Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

Oh yeah, in case anyone was wondering about the album averages:

Tidal: 7.795
When the Pawn ...: 8.571 (!!!)
Extraordinary Machine: 7.676
The Idler Wheel ...: 7.792
 
Mister Unicorn

Mister Unicorn

I wonder how different the results would be if we had rated the Jon Brion version. That being said, the averages for all albums are pretty high and almost identical (except for "When the Pawn ...", of course).
 
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