SFAM - not my favorite DT album at all. Here's why...

[smegolas]

SFAM has been my favourite DT album, and maybe favourite album period, since the day it was released.  I recently reaffirmed that when I went back and listed to their entire catalogue again for the first time in years.  The music is just killer, the slow stuff is the best they’ve ever done, and the story is awesome.

Many newer fans may not realize but for the first few months the “surprise” ending of the story was actually a surprise.  The band wasn’t talking and no one was quite sure.  That might seem funny now given that its common knowledge but its true.  I can remember a massive thread on this or some pre-cursor website full of theories and discussion about what it might be.  Someone had a quote about it being “…an endless thread…impossible to break.”  Wish I could read it again but it’s probably disappeared. 

That was just another element that made it the best album ever recorded.

[The Walrus]

It stretches credulity that one would claim to be unaware of why using 'gayer' in a derogatory context would be offensive. That's all I have to say about that. But:

It stretches credulity that one would interpret what I wrote as derogatory. How can it be derogatory when I was listing the reasons why the songs are better (positive) than the studio album? I said the song Through Her Eyes was gayer than the studio version, meaning it is better, not worse.

God.. I don't get it.

Maybe we should ban the word gay, homosexual and any other word that refers or relates to homosexuality. Because if you use any of these words to describe something, you are homophobic, offensive! 

Why stop there? Ban the word "feminine" and "manly" too. Ban "sexy" too. If you use it to describe the haircut of your girlfriend, then you are being a sexist asshole, you know.

Yeah, I think leaving it there is just a good idea. I should have you know I'm certainly not some kind of snowflake and I am not making a judgment call on you as a person, nor do I have ill will towards you, but I'm sorry you're so rankled by this. I thought more people in 2018 would understand why using that as a descriptor is a bit of a touchy subject. Carry on, no hard feelings..

[Samsara]

SFAM has been my favourite DT album, and maybe favourite album period, since the day it was released.  I recently reaffirmed that when I went back and listed to their entire catalogue again for the first time in years.  The music is just killer, the slow stuff is the best they’ve ever done, and the story is awesome.

Many newer fans may not realize but for the first few months the “surprise” ending of the story was actually a surprise.  The band wasn’t talking and no one was quite sure.  That might seem funny now given that its common knowledge but its true.  I can remember a massive thread on this or some pre-cursor website full of theories and discussion about what it might be.  Someone had a quote about it being “…an endless thread…impossible to break.”  Wish I could read it again but it’s probably disappeared. 

That was just another element that made it the best album ever recorded.

While I obviously don't share your view on the record, I remember very much DT staying quiet on the album's ending. They took a big chunk out of the game plan for Operation: Mindcrime, both the opening of the record, and of course with staying fairly quiet about what the ending was. It served DT well.

As I said a few posts up, SFAM is still not my favorite DT album, but I do appreciate it a bit more than when I started this thread years ago.

[Lax]

You said something very true, when I discovered DT when a friend lent me images and scenes, I got crushed by the virtuosity and got instantly a DT addict...But just some months later I got the live scenes VHS and I got the feeling it was sounding better and even more powerfull and creative !
I couldn't image an album to change me that much

[adastra]

Couple of questions about SFAM :

1) What is the news broadcast at the ending of Finally Free about?

2) Is there a mistake in the lyrics of Finally Free; If the whole album is about reincarnation ot transmigration is this passage wrong:
    A blinding light comes into view
    An old soul exchanged for a new
    If iI understand correctly, does it means that the old soul is exchanged for new soul.

[Setlist Scotty]

1) What is the news broadcast at the ending of Finally Free about?

The disappearance of JFK Jr.'s plane, which was later discovered to have crashed, killing him, his wife and her sister. MP included it in the outro to help the listener recognize that the story was now back in the present day.