Lolita Nation

Game Theory | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00008EU6J
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,426 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Kenneth, What's the Frequency?

2. Not Because You Can

3. Shard

4. Go Ahead, You're Dying To

5. Dripping With Looks

6. Exactly What We Don't Want to Hear

7. We Love You, Carol and Alison

8. The Waist and the Knees

9. Nothing New

10. The World's Easiest Job

11. Look Away

12. Slip

13. The Real Sheila

14. Andy in Ten Years

15. Watch Who You're Calling Space Garbage Meteor Mouth/Pretty Green ...

16. Where They Have to Let You In

17. Turn Me on Dead Man

18. Mammoth Gardens

19. Little Ivory

20. Museum of Hopelessness

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, unspeakably good, soo hard to understand, February 23, 2005

By 

Perry M. Koons "theeighthbeatle" (Crownsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lolita Nation (Audio CD)

Let me just start by saying that this is not an easy album to like. It's not even an easy album to listen to at times, and that's saying something. Scott Miller, enigmatic leader of Game Theory (and later Loud Family) was always known for his brainy pop, but never shined brighter than he did here. His trippy, quirky senses were firing on all fours here, resulting in a double album that just manages to fit into one full length CD. And what a CD, I mean he encompasses jokes about computer programming and Star Trek, snippets of old and new songs, Stanley Kubrick references (btw, the title of track 22 is wayyy longer than what is listed here), Big Star acoustic tunes, straight up rockers, tape manipulations, etc. It's a tough listen, no doubt, but a lot of fun. It's a great piece of art start to finish, and it almost makes you feel like you've accomplished something if you sit through it and pick up on some of his wry humor. Reviewers have likened it to Big Star's 3rd/Sister Lovers, and while that record is by no means an easy listen, it's still at least easy to understand Alex Chilton's motivation for making that record. Lolita Nation? I can't even imagine - if you took every drug that ever existed simultaneously while reading Finnegan's Wake and listening to the Beatles and playing on the computer, you might end up here. A quick rundown of the album opening sequence: The opener from the first Game Theory record is reprised with some spoken word and sound effects (including a snippet from the opener from the SECOND Game Theory record), followed by what sounds like a broken record drum loop, followed by a sloppy shuffle with indistinguishable lyrics. Then it moves on to a falsetto vocal and synth only reading of a single line from old GT track "Shark Pretty", into a male/female vocal & bass only 30 second track called "Go Ahead, I Know Your Dying To" - then into the first real "song", "Dripping With Looks," another real oddball with separate vocal tracks and crushing feedback. It's hard to see how this all fits together, and maybe it doesn't, but that's not the point anyway. NOT the place to start for newbies looking to investigate more of Scott Miller, those should turn to "Big Shot Chronicles". Ultimately, this is an absolute milestone in the field of indie rock - fans of Big Star, Elephant 6 bands, Sonic Youth, later period Beatles, and James Joyce would do well to check this out.

Best Tracks:
"Dripping With Looks" - Weird, weird, weird. One track is falsetto vocals, and at the third (?) "verse" the other vocal track kicks in, barely audible over the waves of sound.
"The Waist And The Knees" - Almost industrial in the creepy, metallic soundscapes and pounding drumbeat, the semi-normal verses and almost poppy choruses give way to a spoken word bit about contracts and multi-headed infants and such that sounds like something out of a horror movie.
"The Real Sheila" - Somewhere I read that this got a bit of MTV play. It actually is catchy and rather normal, so maybe a few Flock of Seagulls fans dug it. Good pop rock tune with clever (of course) lyrics.
"Chardonnay" - Another semi-pop track with B-52's keyboards, a monster chorus, and a joke about wine that could be lifted from the film "Sideways".
"Together Now, Very Minor' - A very delicate, acoustic only song that is very reminiscent of Big Star. Miller's sardonic lyrics are yet again indecipherable (who is the "nice guy as minor celebrities go?" maybe this is how he perceieves he is seen from a desired other's point of view?) Catchy and quick, a great closer to a great album.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER LOST MASTERPIECE..., March 19, 2005

By 

50 "mksonic50" (hermitage, pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lolita Nation (Audio CD)

I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this album when it came out (late '80's), and I still consider it a high point in the realm of alternative pop/rock. Some folks carp about Scott Miller's voice, but there's no denying that the guy wrote great lyrics and had a deft touch for writing musical hooks. This is a sprawling, double LP masterpiece that goes in many directions but remains interesting throughout. Excellent...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars groovey pop masters, January 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Lolita Nation (Audio CD)

I first heard these folks at the International Club in Austin sometime around 1987. They were touring for Lolita Nation. I was really impressed by their stage presence -- of course the intimate environment helped -- and their multiple encore's. They played for like 3+ hours ... They clearly love performing their tunes as much as writing them. What really turned me on was the interesting divergence from the typical pop dujour of the day. The tunes are clever and the lyrics interesting enough to make you want to play the tune over again, and again... there are phrases here (music and lyric) that I still find my self humming. A wonderful pop exploration, and it's really well produce (by Mitch Easter of course). I was fortunate to buy the original release cd way back when. I still take it for a spin.