Customer Reviews

Everything's Different

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of the 80's bands, 'til tuesday was one of the most talented, thanks to Aimee Mann and Robert Holmes. Unfortunately, they fell into the trap of the sophomore slump and the tertiary collapse, after which they dissolved. Pity, really, since not only do I enjoy all three of their albums, but I consider this, their third and final album, released in 1988, to be their best accomplishment ever, even better than Aimee Mann's solo debut, Whatever. Call it a well-aged bottle of pleasing melancholy that keeps getting better.

The songs here are more wistful than downright sad as in Voices Carry, and have a more radio-friendly beat instead of a depressing dirge. No, it doesn't make one want to look for something sharp after listening to Type O Negative or Black Tape For A Blue Girl, but after listening to Everything's Different Now, you feel refreshed but want to take a nap to digest all that melancholy.

The title track, "Rip In Heaven," and "'J' For Jules" are prime examples of that bittersweet melancholy. Like popster Kim Wilde, Aimee Mann is a sage of lost love and times when things weren't so sad. Her voice is more polished here and the group more tight-knit, so there was no reason they couldn't have continued through the early 1990's, despite the explosion of the Seattle sound. Music buyers, thy name is fickle.

She is a great lyricist too. In "Rip In Heaven," she writes how fragile a creature optimism is: "optimistic feelings can't be/passed from hand to hand/You handle them/they tend to die." When she sings "We both know we had a past/but present must contain/a future where both of us can fit", she exemplifies the introspective rational who sees the present as an interval between past and present.

"'J' For Jules" is a song about her then-beau, music producer Jules Shear. She compares her relationship to a country. It's classic; it begins happy, there's that country beginning with 'J', then the bridge, where "there's no way a country could die/told me they drift away/but that's a lie" and the end of the country, which only exists in her heart.

It's magical when I pick up words and think, oh yes, that's the story of my life. The single "(Believed You Were) Lucky" begins with a guitar that preempts the hopelessness and resignation of the opening lines. When I hear, "So I guess I'll give it up/yeah I guess I will/What's the use in pushing/when it's all uphill", I hear a familiar soundtrack that's gone through my life. The chorus goes: "I wish you believed in life/believed in fate/believed you were lucky/and worth the wait/'cause life could be lovely/Life could be so great." Alas, this poor soul only wishes he did.

Another example are lines in "Long Gone (Buddy)": "Nobody wants to be happier more than I do/But happiness I must confess/I don't have" and "It's not that I'm frightened of being alone/It's just that I know what a burden this grief can be." Loneliness does carry freedom as a reward, but grief as a consequence.

My favorite song? "The Other End (Of The Telescope)", which features guest vocals by Elvis Costello. It could be sung in front of a campfire, but after a few beers, when the sad stage of being drunk sets in. But there are a whole lot of others that are nipping at its heels, like the other songs I have already mentioned.

There are many things I still wonder to this day. Why is life so painful sometimes, why did John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Selena, and Aaliyah have to die young, and why wasn't Everything's Different Now more popular?

I must confess that, until recently, I fell into the category of people who mainly knew Til Tuesday's music by their hit song "Voices Carry" and a few other songs including "Coming Up Close." I also own their second album Welcome Home and I'm familiar with a lot of Aimee Mann's solo work as well. I even met her last year at an autograph signing. So I almost feel ashamed that I never heard of Everything's Different Now until recently when I came across these reviews. After reading all the glowing praises I felt compelled to pick myself up a copy, and after several listens of the entire album I'm absolutely hooked! I can't understand how this album didn't get the recognition and promotion it deserved. Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that many casual fans of Til Tuesday will continue to not know about this album and judge their merits as a band based on their more well-known work (which is certainly good in its own right but doesn't come close to being as good as this superb album).

Everything's Different Now has become among the very few albums I own in which I can say that I love every song. My personal favorites are "Rip In Heaven," "Why Must I," "Long Gone (Buddy)" and "Crash And Burn." But every song is catchy and filled with oustanding melodies and harmonies. The music just "fits" together so well and the consistency flows so smoothly from one song to another. Upon the very first listen one can tell that a lot of thought and effort was put into this album. I suppose some might be put off a little by the main theme of loss and breakup, but the way the music comes across is far from dreary or depressing. In fact one could say that this album will make you feel good, not only because the music is so great but because it offers an outlet for themes that most of us can relate to in some form.

So if you're a fan of Til Tuesday and/or Aimee Mann, or if you're just a fan of great music for that matter, you owe it to yourself to get this album. It's mature, well presented, has great lyrics, and is basically a fantastic listen. Most highly recommended

Agreed with the reviewer below. If those of you who have been turned on to Aimee from Magnolia have found your way to this page. THIS is the Til Tuesday CD to get. The first two Til Tuesday are strictly amateur hour compared to this. Mann's songwriting is so hopelessly overwhelmed with truamatic heartbreak, it's almost painful to listen to some of the songs. For anyone who has ever had a broken heart...this is the music to identify with. That every song here is a pop masterpiece with melody lines on a level with Beatle-era McCartney makes the commercial failure of this album even more perplexing. Forget the first two TT CD's...get Magnolia, get Mann's two solo discs, and GET THIS!

Seriously, this has to be the most underrated album of the 1990's! It is incredible to see how this band (and especially Aimee Mann) matured from their catchy but safe pop hit Voices Carry to songs like Rip in Heaven, Long Gone Buddy, The Other End of the Telescope, and virtually every other song on this CD. This CD is a true treasure and as many other folks have noted, the songs are timeless. Aimee Mann's vocals are so heartfelt and the lyrics are so clever, it's clear that this CD was ahead of its time. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD- you won't regret it!

Til Tuesday are still best known for their 1985 hit single "Voices Carry." It was not a very interesting song, so naturally it was a big hit.

What followed that song and its debut album was far more compelling. The second album "Welcome Home" found the band coming into its own with much better songwriting, but it was this album, their third and final, that most deserves to be heard.

To put it bluntly, "Everything's Different Now" is one of the most intensely melodic albums ever made. A collection of ten love gone wrong songs, it is more than just another singer wearing his or her (in this case the later) hear on his her sleeve. The melodies are magnificent, the lyrics heartfelt, the vocals right on the mark.

Why this album was not a huge hit remains a mystery to this day. With Aimee Mann's solo career earning rave reviews (though as of yet not huge sales) it is time to discover this album if you have never heard it, or rediscover it if you have. Don't wait any longer.

There are just a handful of recordings that I listen to faithfully YEARS after their release. These songs are timeless. They are beautiful. They are Delicious. This album will never grow old...and I will never stop listening. Thank you so much, Aimee...for sharing your incredible gift.

For most people Til Tuesday are a one hit wonder. They remember the somber looking chick with the braided pigtail putting up with an obnoxious, self centered boyfriend, as she sang "hush, hush/keep it down, down/voices carry," in a ubiquitous video on MTV in 1985. Some folks liked the song, some folks didn't and before long the band faded from memory.

This is a real shame. Til Tuesday's second album "Welcome Home" was a real gem, and a big improvement over "Voices Carry" and the album of the same name. But it was this album, the band's third and final one, that planted them firmly in the melodic edgy pop world and quietly launched the solo career of "that chick with the braided pigtail" Aimme Mann.

"Everything's Different Now" took a lot at the pain of relationships, their sometimes joyous nature, and their ultimate demise. Each of these ten songs are wonderfully crafted, almost instantly hummable, and each seeps itself into you psyche and won't let go. "Rip in Heaven," "Why Must I," "J For Jules," "Wished You Were Lucky," "Limits to Love," "The Other End of the Telescope," and "How Can You Give Up," will all especially appeal to anyone who is a fan of Aimme Mann's solo work.

This is an exceptional album, and it really showed how 'til Tuesday progressed as a band. Their first album, 'Voice Carry' was fairly weak, and obviously the band worried more about fame than making good songs. Their follow-up, 'Welcome Home,' was much better, but fell a few songs short of perfect. Then the band made Everything's Different Now, which was just a perfect album. The band had progressed from 1980's new wave darling to a talented songwriting force. Aimee's voice matured and her songs just got better.

(This once again proves my theory that the best city to produce music over the last 15 years is -- Boston. Boston? Yep. Jonatha Brooke, 'til Tuesday, Blake Babies, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Pixies, The Lemonheads, Jennifer Trynin, Letters to Cleo to name a few. Hey, why not...Aerosmith too.)

Back to the album...this is a rare case where every song is really outstanding and worth listening to. Some of my personal favorites are The Other End (Of The Telescope) which features Elvis Costello, and which is SO GOOD that he covered it himself a few years later, as well as the title song, Lucky (Believed You Were), Rip In Heaven, and J for Jules. Some of the songs are really tough to listen to from an emotional standpoint, especially if you're ending a relationship, which is apparently what Aimee Mann was doing before recording the record.

I believe the band hit its high point with the last line of Lucky (Believed You Were). Then they broke up. Why? Why do bands break up after making their masterpieces? Who knows. Good news is that Aimee Mann is still writing good songs and produced 2 solid solo albums, but I'll always love her for giving me this piece of genius.

Look at the user reviews for this masterpiece.
And how about good old Sony. Instead of providing a nice new reissue with updated liner notes that acknowledge this as a beloved pop gem of the 80's, they take it OUT OF PRINT.
Look how much the new copies are going for!!! Now I'm getting Verklempt.

First off - this sounds like the time when it was made. I used to view this in very different terms until I heard the Magnolia soundtrack and I heard Build That Wall, admittedly a year after, but still pretty much where she was as opposed to where Aimee Mann was destined to go as a solo artist. This album has some lovely songs, like 'Everything's Different Now', 'Why Must I', 'The Other End Of The Telescope' (way above what Elvis C. did to it many years later, incidentally) and 'Crash and Burn' and for those alone it's worth checking out as an Aimee fan. In the year 2000 it's questionable who'd be checking this out as a Til Tuesday fan anyway, we all knew where this was leading. It's the best TT album, but if you came looking for Aimee, best start with Bachelor #2, Magnolia's S/T, I'm With Stupid & Whatever. You know you want to, admit it. Please. There's probably even a link at the bottom of the page to save you clicking too much. Aimee, along with Neil Finn, is the greatest contemporary pop songwriter alive today. (I confess, I have a rather nostalgic definition of pop...)