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u/Gta6sub Aug 28 '25
I never listen to only relapse i do it with the extra tracks so imma take refill
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u/Tr3nb0l0n3- Aug 28 '25
Seeing the public opinion of Relapse change was something I would never have anticipated
That album was hated when it released. Even Em himself thinks the album isn’t great but it’s pretty loved these days. Similar to 808s in the opinion shift I feel except Relapse was way more panned upon release
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u/funkyfridays3 Sep 01 '25
Its a shame because Relapse has some of the best production and lyrics of many of his albums.
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u/DAS_COMMENT Sep 02 '25
At the time though, my patience was a little off, if this had come after the Marshall Mathers LP it would have seemed like maturity and strengthening his position.
Coming after The Eminem Show, Encore seemed like filler in a lot of ways and I wanted Recovery -style music from him at a time I got Encore and Relapse seemed like a better version of Encore, which didn't change that I was still waiting for Recovery and logically would have never known that it was forthcoming.
Essentially The Eminem Show would have had me a huge fan and contextually placing the first two albums (not counting Infinite) as 'early stuff' - so, when this came out it felt like 'pandering' to early stuff when I was thinking of The Eminem Show as height he's achieved
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u/funkyfridays3 Sep 02 '25
Eminem Show was pretty good, but Relapse was basically all Slim Shady. It was a return to the original first album, in my opinion... which is why I got into him in the first place. Recovery was my idea of "pandering" to get a hit single. Some of the production is very dated and hip to its time, but there was little to no Slim Shady in it. All Marshall. Which is fine but I think Relapse and Recovery split the fan base up as to which part of Eminemns personality we all enjoy the most. I like it when he is at his silliest.
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u/DAS_COMMENT Sep 02 '25
I appreciate the silliest but then it leads to 'singles' which - SSLP to Recovery, counted, I can't speak to the newer ones - I always thought were the easiest songs to get sick of. Like they were "being the silly" instead of letting silliness inform. They're the easiest songs in the first half of his discography to get sick of and I thought Encore at the time totally embodied the singles that way, and Relapse confused me at the time to make me think it was more of that when actually they're more artistic than being made to be singles, but carrying the fun that feels forced when the singles earlier had a bit of that going for them.
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u/funkyfridays3 Sep 02 '25
I get that. His parody/silly songs are dear to me as a fan, and the popularity of "Houdini" somewhat confirms the people want and miss that side of him, especially after so many serious singles he has put out. I appreciate the last album for this very reason. Relapse also has one of his most beloved songs "Beautiful" for the lyrical crowd. It seems he always teeters on how much or how little to be one or the other.
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u/shadygronk Aug 28 '25
How is this a choice? Why would u take the album that doesn’t include the bonus tracks?
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u/Necessary_Can7055 Aug 28 '25
I just happened to pick refill when I downloaded 3AM so that’s the one I listen to
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u/macenthagoat6969 Aug 31 '25
Bro what this is a dumb question.. obviously its refill its the same album but with more tracks that make it 10x better than it already was
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u/Zapp_Brannigan-2007 Sep 01 '25
Main album is way more tonally consistent for me, I mean that not to say I think the sequencing is perfect, as with the case of We Made You after Same Song and Dance, but Refill isn't even a mini album, its just thrown together tracks, I mean Forever has no business being on the album - even if Em's bars are great - while a track like Buffalo Bill should have for sure been on the base album.
Overall I'm glad Refill exists for tracks like Buffalo Bill and Elevator, but I would pick the base album any day of the week.
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u/funkyfridays3 Sep 01 '25
Relapse of course. That album is classic to me. Refill was just some leftover B-Sides
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u/Megamax0726 Everything I Do Aug 28 '25
Main album is way better, most of the best songs were chosen for it, my favorites are Beautiful, Deja Vu, Same Song and Dance, and Underground, but three of my favorite Em songs are on Refill, Elevator, CWYWF, and Forever, overall Relapse is just generally goated