Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 52: Opeth's Damnation (+ The Beatles' Rubber Soul results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, March 6 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).

Opeth - Damnation track list:
1. Windowpane
2. In My Time of Need
3. Death Whispered a Lullaby
4. Closure
5. Hope Leaves
6. To Rid the Disease
7. Ending Credits
8. Weakness

User Cycle:
3/6: Great_Paul (System of a Down - Toxicity)
3/13: jcgamer107 (Miracle Musical - Hawaii: Part II)
3/20: ChichiriMuyo
3/27: BlueCrystalTear
4/3: MetalmindStats
4/10: HBJDubs
4/17: TheArkOfTurus
4/24: Snake5555555555
5/1: Jesse_Custer
5/8: ZaziGuado
5/15: firefdr
5/22: SpikeSetsFire
5/29: Johnbobb
6/5: VeryInsane
6/12: CasanovaZelos
6/19: Seanchan
6/26: Giggsalot
7/3: RyoCaliente
7/10: darkx
7/17: neonreaper

The Beatles - Rubber Soul results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
VeryInsane (18)
Johnbobb (18)
Jesse_Custer (22)
Raetsel_Lapin (28)
CasanovaZelos (34)
darkx (34)
HBJDubs (38)
firefdr (42)
StifledSilence (48)
Seanchan (50)
MetalmindStats (50)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: Did a listen to this today. Not a first listen since I've heard this one many times before.

I've decided a very key fact about this album. Don't read until after you've submitted your list. There are those who will put In My Life in the top spot, and then those who are wrong. ;)

I feel like The Beatles are one of the few artists I'd actually want to do a full album ranking on.

CasanovaZelos: The first true Beatles masterpiece album. Even if few of these are among my absolute favorites, the consistency here is extraordinary. The only thing holding it back is that I prefer their more experimental side, but this is the perfect parting shot for their traditional era.

VeryInsane: In which I listen to another Beatles album and realize theres a bunch of songs I like that make the ranking hard. Lennon really shines on this album.

Seanchan: This is a pretty great Beatles album but it's no Abbey Road.

Johnbobb: This album was pretty bad

darkx: My Dad got me hooked on The Beatles when I was just a toddler. He would play the red and blue compilation albums for me while my mom worked nights. I was only two years old and could anticipate and say with McCartney, "Get back, Loretta!" Unfortunately, these were on LPs, and not very convenient, particularly in the car. We had a vacation home in Vermont that we took frequent weekend trips to in both the winter and summer. We had just one Beatles cassette to listen to in the car. On one side was Rubber Soul (incidentally, the flip side had the Past Masters 2 compilation). We also had Rubber Soul on CD to listen to in the house pretty conveniently. As a result, I heard this album A LOT as a kid. You could say it was a gigantic influence on me becoming such a classic rock fan and a musician/singer myself. As I grew up and collected the rest of the Beatles' discography, this one never lost its place in my heart. It remains not only my favorite Beatles album but my favorite album of all time. Everything about it just feels perfect to me. It's the perfect blend of the Beatles' early years and middle years. The variety in the songs is to a perfect degree where they all feel different yet not so wildly different that the album starts to lose a bit of its cohesiveness (cough White Album). The running order of the program is perfect. I wouldn't change a thing on this album. I would estimate that I've listened to it front-to-back well over 200 times in my life (no pun intended) and will probably listen to it at least another 200 times before I die and never get even a little bit sick of it.

MetalmindStats: I quite preferred Abbey Road.

Rubber Soul track ranking

14. The Word (Track #6)
Score: 35 (Average Rank: 11.82/14)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos (#8)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr, VeryInsane, Johnbobb (#14)

StifledSilence: The Beat Bugs made this song about the main characters being trapped and needing a password to get out. They tried to make it seem like a cute friendship angle because the bug that captured them just wanted to be friends, but it was totally a hostage situation. So whenever I hear this song , I think about kidnappings. Anyways, solid tune.

darkx: Out of all the tracks on here, this one feels like it most closely resembles the material on their next album, Revolver. The syncopation in the vocals is the key to keeping this one fun.

13. What Goes On (Track #8)
Score: 47 (Average Rank: 10.73/14)
Biggest Fan(s): StifledSilence (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, Raetsel_Lapin (#14)

StifledSilence: Extremely underrated Ringo jam. His voice lends itself well to light country fare (even if Act Naturally kinda sucks as a song). This is probably my favorite Beatles song of his.

darkx: It's definitely not great but Ringo is just charmingly goofy enough to make this one work. Sung by any other Beatle and it probably would have easily been last place on this album. See, haters be damned, his niche could do some songs some good.

12. Run for Your Life (Track #14)
Score: 55 (Average Rank: 10/14)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer (#14)

StifledSilence: The sequel to Norwegian Wood? Or perhaps the prequel? The famous tell a girl to run for her life and then burn down her house combo. Anyways, its a catchy jam.

darkx: Perhaps the most sinister song that the Beatles ever officially released, and the one that John Lennon personally said he most regretted writing, it's got such a fun country beat to it that I can't help but love it. Another great guitar part and the "Na na na"s in the the refrain are such a catchy way to wrap things up as the song (and consequently the album) fades out.

MetalmindStats: Its subject is surely suspect on its face, but its (to me) rollickingly satirical approach effectively juxtaposes against Rubber Soul's abundance of earnest, often pretty girl songs. That it drops at the end is thus very clever, and its simply catchy to boot.

11. Wait (Track #12)
Score: 66 (Average Rank: 9.18/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): StifledSilence, CasanovaZelos, darkx (#13)

StifledSilence: A very ok song. I have nothing bad to say about it, but nothing overwhelmingly good either.

darkx: Probably the most forgettable song on the album. Still alright though.

10. Girl (Track #9)
Score: 67 (Average Rank: 8.91/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): StifledSilence, MetalmindStats (#14)

StifledSilence: Dumb stoner song. Not a fan of this one. Only bad track on the album.

darkx: A wistful, self-pitying ballad that amazingly doesn't take itself too seriously by throwing in some comedic sighs, exaggerated inhales, and silly backing vocals. I find it hard to find people that rate this song well. The Beatles die-hards tend to overrate it, while the casual/not fans usually underrate it.

9. You Won't See Me (Track #3)
Score: 68 (Average Rank: 8.91/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#13)

StifledSilence: On a weaker album, this may have been a standout. On Rubber Soul, its below average. Very solid song, regardless.

darkx: Very cool piano part, and I've always loved the backing vocals here.

8. If I Needed Someone (Track #13)
Score: 71 (Average Rank: 8.73/14)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, darkx (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr, MetalmindStats (#13)

StifledSilence: Solid George track. Definitely the beginnings of him coming out of his creative shell. The word nice keeps popping in my head. It isnt extraordinary, but its very nice and agreeable.

darkx: This is the hidden gem of the album in my opinion, and judging by how often I see it pop up on lists of the most underrated/beat deep cut Beatles songs, I'm not the only one. The lyrics and music are the perfect blend of sad and hopeful. The electric guitar that penetrates the song gets me every time. The harmonies are haunting, especially on the "ah"s. Definitely one of George Harrison's best Beatles tracks.

7. Think for Yourself (Track #5)
Score: 71 (Average Rank: 8.55/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#14)

StifledSilence: It stands out with its guitar riffs and verses, but the chorus is kinda boring.

darkx: Another underrated Harrison cut. The heaviest-sounding song on the album, it contrasts nicely with "If I Needed Someone" to show the two sides to George's Beatles songs. A really fun one to sing along to.

6. Michelle (Track #7)
Score: 98 (Average Rank: 6.45/14)
Biggest Fan(s): firefdr (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): darkx (#14)

StifledSilence: Nifty, catchy little song about Paul trying to get with a chick who cant understand him very well. The held I love you note is silky smooth.

darkx: Yeah I went there. The album's most famous track, and I put it in last. I dunno, but I never really cared for this one all that much. Perhaps it's because it's my Mom's name, so such a seductive song with her name isn't exactly my cup of tea. I did have fun trying to phonetically decipher the French lyrics as a kid. "Someday monkey won't play piano song" remains my favorite.

5. I'm Looking Through You (Track #10)
Score: 109 (Average Rank: 6/14)
Biggest Fan(s): StifledSilence, firefdr (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#12)

StifledSilence: Very catchy song. I like that the song ebbs and flows like an argument would. It feels like a rational conversation until it descends into chaos with the heavier, louder instruments. Appropriate since Paul wrote this in regards to growing apart from Jane Asher, his girlfriend at the time.

darkx: Another huge favorite of mine. It's easy to see why the kid in me really loved this one. The contrast between the soothing verses and the hard-hitting choruses is fantastic. Love those organ hits. Love the lyrics and the melody here. I recently saw a Youtube video that identifies this particular song as the sloppiest song the Beatles ever officially released, detailing all the mistakes and weird artifacts that made it into the final cut of the song, and while it's true that I can never unhear them now, they don't change my opinion of the song at all.

4. Drive My Car (Track #1)
Score: 114 (Average Rank: 5.18/14)
Biggest Fan(s): StifledSilence, MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#12)

StifledSilence: Such a fun song. Very good way to start an album and a good jam song. Paul and James Corbin looked like they were having a blast jamming out to this in their Carpool Karaoke segment.

darkx: I know a lot of people hate this one and I admit it's got some silly stuff in it but that lead guitar part is just SO GOOD!

3. Nowhere Man (Track #4)
Score: 119 (Average Rank: 4.55/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): firefdr (#10)

StifledSilence: Killer guitar riffs and nice harmonies with the lads. Particularly, this song sounded really good in theaters when I saw the Yellow Submarine movie.

darkx: That electric guitar solo! Phenomenal harmonies on this one, and I love how the repeting verses cycle back to end on verse 1. As much as I love Ticket to Ride and Yesterday, it's always pissed me off that they don't follow the same pattern.

2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (Track #2)
Score: 126 (Average Rank: 4.55/14)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, VeryInsane, Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#13)

StifledSilence: Lovely jam about John setting some chicks house on fire. I enjoy the songs where Georges interest in Middle Eastern culture influences the sound.

darkx: Such a fun song with a hilariously vile ending (Lennon said in an interview that there's no metaphore here - it's really about a guy who got played and "burned the fucking place to the ground"). Love the sitar here.

1. In My Life (Track #11)
Score: 186 (Average Rank: 1.45/14)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, CasanovaZelos, Jesse_Custer, Raetsel_Lapin, VeryInsane, Seanchan, Johnbobb, darkx, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): StifledSilence (#4)

StifledSilence: Perhaps their prettiest, most emotional song.

darkx: This is my favorite Beatles track. It's just perfect. The harmonies are beautiful. Lennon's vocals are wonderful and always hit the mood perfectly, especially when he goes up to that scratchy falsetto note at the end. The beat is perfect. The piano solo (which, sorry to wreck the illusion, is actually George Martin playing at half speed and adding it to the master at double speed) is perfect. The lyrics are wonderfly simple yet deeply meaningful. When you remember that Lennon died so young and tragically, before most of us were even born, it just makes this one strike so differently (another great example of that in the Beatles' catalogue is We Can Work It Out). It's just a beautiful, beautiful song.

Very surprised that nobody had Nowhere Man at #1

man this is one of my all time favourite albums and i've NO IDEA why someone would nominate it for this. the songs are all so much the same and i don't think anybody here is going to fall in love with it!

but i'll throw my vote in anyway
in my time of need
hope leaves
windowpane
to rid the disease
death whispered a lullaby
closure
weakness
ending credits

Windowpane
Closure
In My Time of Need
Weakness
Death Whispered a Lullaby
Ending Credits
To Rid the Disease
Hope Leaves

I get the repetitive nature of this album being a legitimate complaint. There's really nothing in here that screams as a stand-out. And that's okay. This album does its job perfectly. It's lulling and devastating at the same time. Closure, a heavier track on the album, left me feeling empty inside with its non-ender. The album's soft keys envelop me in a sense of euphoric loneliness, a blank space in place & time where I almost feel like nothing matters. That's not to say the album doesn't have its weak spots. Hope Leaves was I feel the band's attempt to create a "pop" song for this album and it's a bit of a messy, short disaster. "To Rid the Disease" was the first time i felt like this album dragged a little and needed at least one switch-up to the formula. Still, if you let this album take you, individuality of the tracks matters little; it's an atmospheric journey worth closing your eyes to and letting this isolated adventure carry you to wherever it may.

Steiner posted...

man this is one of my all time favourite albums and i've NO IDEA why someone would nominate it for this. the songs are all so much the same and i don't think anybody here is going to fall in love with it!

but i'll throw my vote in anyway
in my time of need
hope leaves
windowpane
to rid the disease
death whispered a lullaby
closure
weakness
ending credits

I think Neon was the one who nommed it

I think I remember liking it, was pretty Tool-esque and definitely a different take than their other stuff

Tag

Just didn't get around to last week for whatever reason. Will get my album choices to you as soon as I decide which direction I'm going in.

Damnation was the second Opeth album I ever owned. Compared to their previous material, this album drops the death-metal-like vocals in exchange for a full on clean progressive rock experience. Damnation helped get me through my college years and I strongly consider it Opeth's best album to date.

1) In My Time of Need - Arguably my favorite Opeth song of all time, this wins me over thanks to the guitar work and chorus. A great (yet lyrically sad) vibe from start to end.

2) Hope Leaves - Mikael Akerfeldt truly brings this tune to life with his vocals in every verse. Lindgren's guitar between verses is a must-hear as always.

3) Windowpane - The first song I heard prior to buying Damnation, Windowpane focuses more on the entire band than it does the vocalist, but does it so so well. A great start to the album.

4) Death Whispered a Lullaby - Another catchy guitar line that is used in the verses and sticks to your brain long after the song finishes. Lullaby is another must-hear for any Opeth fan.

5) To Rid the Disease - Biggest points of the song are the chorus and the closing piano in the final minute. Still an awesome tune, even if in the bottom half of the album.

6) Closure - Great track that unfortunately has a non ending that gut punches me every single time. Even if it does transition (abruptly) into Hope Leaves

7) Ending Credits - I'll always wonder why this wasn't the album closer, though that would be too generic by some standards. Either way, a fine instrumental.

8) Weakness - After powering through the rest of the album, Damnation ends on an almost weak note (pun not intended). While I don't replay Weakness often, it pales in comparison to the rest of the album, feeling slower than the previous 7 songs before it. But on an album as excellent as this, something still has to be the caboose.

HELL FUCKING YEAH someone nominated VAST

I'm the only vote for it so far unfortunately but I'm just so hyped to see someone else recognize that album

CasanovaZelos posted...

1. In My Life (Track #11)

*gasp*

Johnbobb posted...

HELL FUCKING YEAH someone nominated VAST

I'm the only vote for it so far unfortunately but I'm just so hyped to see someone else recognize that album

Yeah, that debut album is, barring one song, perfection. I'd be pretty sad that it's getting so little recognition but all three of those albums have personal meaning and memories attached to them.

I wish I voted for it now because it really is great.

Bump

up

Sorry, not been on gamefaqs much this week and have been forgetting to bump

Did a first listen to this today. It was...ok? Hard to distinguish the tracks but at least there's only 8 of them.

My impression of Opeth was based on older, more death metal-ly material I'd heard from prior to this album. Even back then they didn't grab me. As was previously mentioned, this is quite a departure from that. I'd imagine this would have been quite a controversial shock to long time fans of the band.

Steiner posted...

man this is one of my all time favourite albums and i've NO IDEA why someone would nominate it for this. the songs are all so much the same and i don't think anybody here is going to fall in love with it!

Originally I had Beasties/Rage/Soundgarden but then Soundgarden got taken and I had someone pass away and was feeling introspective so I picked some introspective albums that make me think of the early 00s. I also wanted to keep my selections short

For me Damnation was what I had hoped Opeth would try, and, they killed it imo. They effectively released a staggered double album with Damnation and Deliverance (if you're not a fan of death metal then I suggest avoiding Deliverance) with Damnation having drowzy overengineered introspective songs that are soaked with Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) helping out. I love it. For me this album just pulls me back to summer 2003 and sitting in my apartment thinking my thoughts and being a young guy figuring stuff out, or trying to. I think the album is versatile - it's inoffensive, had some catchy nice bits, it's good for dozing off... and honestly the more I listen to it the more I like it, even ~19 years later.

Windowpane
The opener is my favorite, and I love the transitions into the verses, and the haunted nature of this track (and really all of the album).

In My Time Of Need
For a long time this was probably my favorite, it's easy to relate to "woe is me" types of emotions and grab onto them, and the song is quite good.

To Rid The Disease

Death Whispered A Lullaby

Closure

Ending Credits
This one feels like it would normally be an interlude on one of their longer heavier songs after they stopped working with Wilson.

Hope Leaves
Simple rhythm works really well for the last two thirds of the song.

Weakness
Sometimes you just have a gloomy song that, even with a bunch of production, still feels stripped down compared to the rest of the album. It's a fine ending for this album.

Seanchan posted...

Did a first listen to this today. It was...ok? Hard to distinguish the tracks but at least there's only 8 of them.

My impression of Opeth was based on older, more death metal-ly material I'd heard from prior to this album. Even back then they didn't grab me. As was previously mentioned, this is quite a departure from that. I'd imagine this would have been quite a controversial shock to long time fans of the band.

yes and no - a section of their fanbase was worried by Wilson's influence on Blackwater Park. They released Deliverance (their heaviest album) 6 months before Damnation. At the same time, if you were worried about Opeth going away from their 90s material, well, Damnation was a big problem for you. They released two more albums with death metal elements and since then it's all been clean vocals.

1: Hope Leaves
2: In My Time of Need
3: Weakness
4: To Rid the Disease
5: Death Whispered a Lullaby
6: Ending Credits
7: Closure
8: Windowpane

bump

Second listen done. Enjoyed this MUCH more than the 1st time, possibly just due to different listening environment. The tracks got a little more distinguished, enough for me to pretty much know what's going to be top and bottom.

1. To Rid the Disease
2. Windowpane
3. Death Whispered a Lullaby
4. In My Time of Need
5. Hope Leaves
6. Ending Credits
7. Closure
8. Weakness

As someone not familiar with Opeth, this album makes me want to check out more. However, I also have no idea how I would rank these tracks and have it not feel completely arbitrary. If I somehow have time for a second listen later today, I will try, but I may abstain from the ranking.

1. To Rid The Disease
2. Windowpane
3. In My Time Of Need
4. Hope Leaves
5. Closure
6. Weakness
7. Death Whispered A Lullaby
8. Ending Credits

1. Windowpane
2. In My Time of Need
3. Ending Credits
4. Hope Leaves
5. Closure
6. To Rid the Disease
7. Death Whispered a Lullaby
8. Weakness

This one grew on me quite a bit. With that said, while I feel good about my ranking, I'm having a hard time remembering what each of these songs sounds like. This is certainly more of an album experience than anything else.

I allocated my time for this to deciding my three nominations so I didn't have time for a listen until now. This is... very redundant, so it's very hard to rank these on instrumentation because nothing stands out, and thematically it seems similar too. It's GOOD, though! This honestly feels like it's one epic, eight-part 43-minute track. I legitimately cannot tell you which part went with which song, even after two listens. I'm not sure if the last two are my bottom two because of album fatigue or not. That's probably it since that's what happens on albums like this one, since as fantastic as they are, coming into it with a mindset to rank tracks wears off. Still appreciate this album since it's well-crafted and consistent with itself.

1. Windowpane
2. In My Time of Need
3. Hope Leaves
4. Closure
5. To Rid the Disease
6. Death Whispered a Lullaby
7. Ending Credits
8. Weakness