Had to stop in the middle of the 3rd song, because my balls were shrinking. It's like a cocktail of estrogen with radioactive waste
Can't really go wrong with Ryan Adams. He reminds me a lot of the singer/songwriters from the 90s but more contemporary.
I liked this! Bluesy rocky Americana stuff. This is all upbeat (except Sylvia Plath). Would go great on a roadtrip playlist or something. This album is the kind of album that makes me glad this list exists. I never would have even given that cover a second glance! Never would have heard it. Is it 5 stars? No. Is it 4? Probably not, but considering how much I've been liberal with my 3 stars this year, I'll have to give it a 4. Really enjoyed "When the Stars Go Blue", "Nobody Girl", "Sylvia Plath", "Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues", and "Rosalie Come and Go"
At a concert in October 2002, at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, someone in the audience yelled out a request for "Summer of '69", a hit by the similarly named Bryan Adams. Adams reacted with a stream of expletives, and ordered the house lights turned on, The Tennessean newspaper reported. He eventually found the fan who made the joke request, paid him $30 cash as a refund for the show, ordered him to leave, and said he would not play another note until he had left. He's also a pedophile (alledgedly)
Today I learned there is a Ryan Adams and a Bryan Adams. It's not bad, just a tad too generic for my taste
Good album! Another artist I wasn't familiar with by name, but I know I've heard Rescue Blues before. I feel like this album is a great representation of singer-songwriter rock in the early 00s. I can hear sounds that remind me of other artists I'm more familiar with from the era. I also hear some strong elements of 70s era singer-songwriting. I can certainly hear the the influence of Dylan, Young, and Springsteen throughout the album. Favorite Songs: The Rescue Blues
“Gold” by Ryan Adams (2001) If you’re in the mood for country/pop/rock that’s smoother than Bruce Springsteen but not as intelligent as Neil Young, this album is worth a try. Ryan Adam’s’ poetry is better than that found in most pop music, but it has its flaws. There’s a nice enough cadence and sound, but he seems to write with limited vocabulary, conceptual depth, and synthesis. Several images are used repetitively (personified ‘night’, ‘breaking glass’), indicating a truncated imagination. Musically, the album is reminiscent of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, with country flavorings, arranged and performed with adequate professionalism, and assisted by a large assembly of session musicians. Adams’ voice lacks control and resonance, but is well matched to the instrumental arrangements, as if producer/instrumentalist Ethan Johns was well aware of the limitations he was working with. And is there any instrument Johns doesn’t play? The album is well enough constructed, building in intensity and variety as it proceeds, stepping out of its initial country mode into the territory of classic and experimental rock. “Nobody Girl”, at over nine minutes, is about five minutes too short. Seriously. This review only covers the album as originally released. I’ll leave the sad and silly dispute over the five tracks of “Side Four” to Adams and Lost Highway Records. Sheesh. It’s not a classic, but it’s easy on the ears, and will help you get through your working day. 3/5
I love Ryan Adams' music. I'm not sure why I don't listen to it more, but it's great. I'm not even really sure why I like it so much - it just seems kinda timeless to me. There is definitely a Neil Young, Bob Dylan vibe, but also like the Stones and a bit of the Beatles. It's blues, but it's folk, but it's also country. He could have performed at Woodstock or at a contemporary music festival and people would dig it. It's somehow genius in its simplicity. I don't know. But - 5.
The fact that this appeals to me so much either says a ton about me or Ryan Adams lol. Kinda in that Wallflowers mold. PROTO TAYLOR SWIFT. Just some light, easy going alt rock, some good story telling, really nice melody lines and guitar riffs. Didn’t really care for Sylvia Plath. His different voices throughout the record throw me off a little too – like what the hell is that voice on Gonna Make You Love Me?
Hat mir gut gefallen. Überhaupt nicht so schnulzig, wie ich erwartet hab. Vielleicht verwechsle ich ihn auch... tatsächlich! Bryan Adams... dafuq? Werd ich wohl nochmal hören.
Hoewel hij inmiddels gecancelled is :), vind ik Ryan Adams een goede artiest. Op dit album wel veel kabbelends, maar vooruit: een 4. Dan devalueert dan wel de 4 voor Nick Cave van gisteren een beetje. Tsja.
Al is Ryan tegenwoordig een sujet met een wat twijfelachtige reputatie, blijft het een geweldige muziekant. Heel mooie en diverse plaat.
First Ryan Adams album for me. Pretty groovy/rocky for what I'd been led to believe was a folk influenced artist.
This is a really nice album for Ryan Adams. Not sure why he isn't a bigger star. Very in the mold of singer/songwriter style of the 70s. He has lost some of his alt-country sound on this one and gone for a more straight ahead rock/pop sound. It does lack some of the soul of Heartbreaker, but still a strong set of songs...4 stars
This is a really enjoyable alt-country / rock album with plenty of head nodding, toe tapping tracks (Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues, Firecracker) alongside more thoughtful, lyrical numbers (Sylvia Plath, When the Stars go Blue). And whilst the man is clearly a bit of a wretch, he’s clearly very talented.
Way too long but besides that an entertaining combination out of folk, rock and roll and country
I really love this album. It feels like a love letter to a fading world. (A world wherein a man can innocently abuse many many women perhaps?!) The last light of a dying moon perhaps. The steady movement of La Cienga Just Smiled always produces a wistful tear. I’m not too au fait with his whole back catalogue but this record has it all for me. He’s a real wrongun and by all accounts is desperately scrabbling around for his marbles of late. I do love Phoebe dearly and don’t want to give the boy more airtime than he deserves though I trust the vacuum of cabbage ears shall allow this tree to fall in utter silence.
This is a really nice album for Ryan Adams. Not sure why he isn't a bigger star. Very in the mold of singer/songwriter style of the 70s. He has lost some of his alt-country sound on this one and gone for a more straight ahead rock/pop sound. It does lack some of the soul of Heartbreaker, but still a strong set of songs...4 stars
Really solid album with lots of fun upbeat tracks. A lot of it sounded uncomfortably familiar though. I’m not sure how Prince never sued him for “Touch Feel & Loose” as it’s about as Purple Rain-y as you can get. That’s not a bad thing to sound like one of the sexiest songs of all time. Fave tracks: “Touch, Feel & Lose” “Gonna Make You Love Me”
starts poppy and slowly gets folksier and folksier. country 90s bar with some genuinely heartfelt lyrics.
I've never listened to a complete album from Ryan Adams before. "New York, New York" was the track I liked the most from this album, and a track that I've heard before. "Gonna Make You Love Me" was another favorite. Overall, this album was easy to listen to. I like Ryan Adams enough that I'm happy to listen when his music comes on, but I haven't been at the point where I specifically seek out his music on it's own. This album was good and there's room for it to grow on me. (I listened to the extended verison of the album and "Cannonball Days" is an additional favorite).
This didn't really grab me. It all sounded competent enough but nothing really lit up. Maybe you needed to hear it just after 9/11 to have it in context? The cover invites comparisons to Springsteen's "Born in the USA", but the music doesn't seem to. Fave track - "Enemy Fire" I guess...
Kolejna nowosc listowa, bo nazwisko bardzo imieniowe nic mi nie mowi, najwiekszy hicior wedlug lastfma jest coverem oasisowego wonderwalla, wiec tym bardziej nie kojarze, okladka sugerurowala, ze znowu hamerykanski punk, a tutaj takie zaskoczenie gdy uslyszalem cos co mozna zaklasyfikowac jako blend klasycznego rock&rolla z muzyka country w odmianie bardzo alternatywnej, bo plyta jest bardzo rozpieta, zarowno pod wzgledem gatunkowym na skali rokowania, to samo mozna powiedziec o performensie wokalnym Ryana, bo jak kameleon potrafi sie on dopasowac do tego co jest akurat grane i nadac trakowi unikalnego brzmienia, unikalnosc pochodzi takze z szerokiego wachlarza instrumentali ktorego mozna posluchac na krazku, bo sam Adams raz po raz wymienia akustyka na elektryka, przy czym znajdzie sie trak gdzie slychac jego banjo, czy tez pianinko, ladnie wyglada wiki tego albumiku, mozna dokladnie sie dowiedziec co gdzie kto gral, a dzieki temu trzeba pochylic czola przed kunsztem producenta tej plyty, bo wiki pejdz tak opisuje jego kontrybucje instrumentalna w ten material, Ethan Johns – Drums (D1: 1-15; S4: tracks 1, 4), electric guitar (D1: tracks 1, 2, 5, 6; S4: track 1), guitar (D1: track 3), chamberlain strings (D1: tracks 4, 7, 12, 13), lead guitar (D1: tracks 8, 13, 15), Hammond B-3 (D1: tracks 1, 6, 8; S4: track 5), background vocals (D1: tracks 6, 15; S4: track 3), acoustic guitar (D1: tracks 2, 6, 8; S4: track 5), 12-string guitar (D1: tracks 5, 7) mandocello (D1: tracks 6, 7; S4: track 2), vibes (D1: tracks 4, 12), string arrangement (D1: tracks 9, 16), slide guitar (D1: track 15), mandolin (D1: track 13; S4: track 2), bass (D1: track 5), electric piano (D1: track 7), celeste (D1: track 12), harmonium (D1: track 7; S4: track 2), congas (D1: track 1), banjo (S4: track 3), do tego dochodzi dodatkowych muzykow studyjnych, ktory robia robote w chorkowaniu i pozostalych instrumentalach, dobrze wymasterowane zasoby, pomimo kilku slabszych trakow, przekombinowanych instrumentalnie przez co podchodzacych pod popowe rokowanie, to jednak bardziej klasyczne rokowe baladki czy kountrowe brzmienia jak na otwierajacym new yorku sa swieze dla mych uszu, dlatego leci on na plejke, a razem z nim when the stars go blue, chociaz plyta ma 14 trakow i 70 minut, to i tak jeszcze brakuje 4 ktore wytwornia postanowila wyciac i sprzedac jako extra krazek, niestety nie moglem go dorwac na spotifaju, ale i tak chyba nie powinienem ich brac pod uwage oceniajac ten pik, ale jesli bedzie okazja to trzeba przesluchac jeszcze cos z dyskografii pana Aadamsa, zaczynajac od ostatniego albumiku z czornym kocurem na okladce, romanem grubej kosci
There was some good classic rock sound here, and maybe something to revisit. Upside-down American flags are never my jam.
Not bad, but very unexciting, standard American rock music. Pleasant background music during work.
Was alright, don’t really remember much but I do remember it being nice background chill music.
Nothing terribly groundbreaking here. Fairly enjoyable, but it seems like an over-earnest rehashing of heartland rock. It's also hard to come to this album as a new listener in the wake of the allegations of sexual abuse. I feel like I've been primed to dislike anything Ryan Adams has put out. I will say that he definitely can write a good song and has a unique voice.
My flat mate in the first year of uni LOVED Ryan Adams. Like Tom, Ryan Adams sounds old before his time on this album, which is very mature, pleasant and extremely inoffensive. These are great qualities in a random flat mate, but, although enjoyable enough, does not create a particularly engaging listening experience.
A wildly eclectic potpourri, Gold sounded almost like the collaboration between a number of different singer-songwriters. From Neil Young to Allman Brothers (6/10) Favourite Songs: When the Stars Go Blue, New York, New York
The Rescue Blues is a lovely track. And Nobody Girl is also good. I also hear Beatles influences in there. Sylvia Plath is gorgeous. Okay, I despise Country as a balloon genre but I have to say that this guy, with his voice that goes from Elton John to Leo Sayer to something more less-inspiring country-like, has made a great album I have really enjoyed, but don't tell anyone..
Clean guitar tones, nice vocals and interesting lyrics. Not entirely my type of music but enjoyable still.
Some great stuff on this album. I found it a bit slow at times for my taste, but when he's channeling Dylan via the Allman Brothers it's awesome.
3. It's quite fine musically, like usual I didn't catch many of the lyrics but they seemed what you'd expect from Ryan Adams. Fine for a few songs but then just blends together since it's not really my jam.
Modern folk sound. Sounds good for what it is. I was digging it in the beginning but that faded after halfway through. I recognized Answering Bell from the Bridesmaid movie.
I'm gonna put aside the credible allegations against Ryan Adams by Mandy Moore and other women. Those allegations are credible because it wasn't long after learning of Ryan Adams's music that I learned of his self-aggrandizing ego. He's a real dick. But when I first heard Ryan Adams in 2001ish, this record had just come out. A drunken Brian Siers played and sang "New York" at my parents' 25th wedding anniversary party. That was a sight. He must've been drunk because he wasn't a singer and he knew it. I played guitar along with him just so I could have a front row seat to that train wreck. A lot of people don't like him (Ryan Adams) because he seems to hop genres a lot. He has made folk, Americana, country, rock, metal, etc. records. Not all of them are great (haven't listened to everything) but they are all convincing. I think he's a truly talented person who never really found an identity he wanted to settle on. I'm not sure the genre-hopping bothers me. At least until it got extreme in the early 2010s. Gold is a great record with a lot of diversity. I'll bet he had to really keep a lid on how opportune it was to release a record with a song paying tribute to New York just a couple weeks after 9/11. Other than that song (which is fine), the record has a few real gems (Answering Bell, When the Stars go Blue, Sylvia Plath, Harder Now that its Over). It's a great record and he should be proud of making something that immediately felt like a classic. My dad owns and loves this record, and that came at a time when I think he was pretty reluctant to listen to a new record by a non-legacy artist. So, there's that. Just want to give a shout out to Adams' best record (the double LP Cold Roses) in case it doesn't make this list. That record has a more defined sound throughout the entire track list and his band was top notch at that time. Ryan, why did you have to turn out to be an even bigger dick than we thought you were? That was no small feat!
Really liked this album. Some of the rock n roll songs are less good than the ballad types. But there’s a lot to like.
Pleasant at the beginning, then a bit sad and long winding (Nobody Girl) in the middleish. Most (but not all) of the second half of the album could've been left out IMHO.
A hard worker who earns his goddamn salary. Some real slow burner tracks, and I really like ‘Nobody Girl’ in particular. Other tracks a bit yawn. This one anagrams oddly
Like the music they play in Chili’s, not bad, but really not super good either. A Generic collection of sounds that I’ve heard before done better by other artists- nothing really worth noting here. Good performances and songwriting, just nothing special- sorry.
29th April 2022 Listened in the morning while working from home, chilled in the evening watched Time. Weird thing about Ryan Adams, he’s clearly super talented and very good but it feels like he’s trying too hard. I read that with this album he was trying to make a classic which detracts from it for me. Plus he assaults women. Some good tunes though.
... It's okay? Bit bland. Sounds older than 2001 Kind of into the harmonica use? Very lowkey, easy listening. Lot of slow songs, slower ones are a bit dull. Too long! Also the last few songs try too hard to be fun, would be better if they were shorter and vocals improved Faves - Firecracker, Answering Bell, Enemy Fire No songs saved or added to playlists Overall - okay! Not really for me. Some fun instrumentals but also pretty dull in parts Rating - 2/5
The music is fine, he has a nice voice, and I can definitely see how it might have influenced others like Phoebe Bridgers. There's probably good stuff to learn from a closer look. But it doesn't really wow me and he's a bad person, so the balance is against it.
finding a good and worthwhile song in this album was harder than it should be. cant even remember what I just listened to.
I've never listened to him or this record before. I mostly hated it, but... kinda liked it, by the end? Extremely E A S Y . L I S T E N I N G .
Never really listened and heard lots of good things but this album was very underwhelming. Meh
A slog. Some generic pop-rock and I was never really impressed with any of the music or songwriting. It’s background music and that’s about it.
Uninspiring. Jason and The Scorchers for people who think Jason and The Scorchers are too raucous.
Just seems to belong the genre of MOR American singer songwriters that are pleasant enough but nothing more. The lyrics to "Nothing Girl" don't look so clever in the light of the sexual misconduct charges against him and his subsequent "cancellation".
Swerved this one unfairly because of length and fairly because of #abuser, then doubled back and gave it a shot because I wouldn't do that to other dix likely to show up here. Also because when Steve Winwood popped up as today's entry this quickly gained appeal. Verdict is that Adams has a defiant charm, but I can't tell whether it's carefully cultivated or just god-given snottiness. The way he lets so many of these drift without trying to grab your ear is certainly a form of defiance, but not one I understand. Why not turn those frills and fills, mannered vocals and guitar atmospherics to something more memorable or witty or challenging. Clue might be in the way he commits to his vocals but stays arm's-length from his lyrics: he doesn't care enough about them to try. A mystery, but not one I'm inclined to solve because the double negative of the genre 'deliberately not unpleasant' makes my brain hurt.
I am not much a fan of alternative country. It reminds me too much of being on the school bus after school - which I hated.
Uninteresting, unmemorable, middle-of-the-road soft indie rock. It wasn't actively bad or anything close to it, it was just entirely forgettable. The album is over an hour long and I don't think there was a single moment where I felt an emotion stronger than "okay, sure, I guess".
American country, but not like Nashville pop country at least. Still, doesn't do it for me
Silly me, I got confused and thought the American Ryan Adams was the same person as the Canadian Bryan Adams. In my defense, I think its understandable given the similarities in their names and the generic formulaic rock that they both produce. Someone on this site aptly described Ryan as a smoother Bruce Springsteen and a less intelligent Neil Young. I'm not much for alt-Country Rock but this was a bit better than expected and I liked his less mainstream songs like Sylvia Plath and La Cienega. The rest was mostly forgettable though.
How did Ryan Fucking Adams meet C.C. White ? I had never heard of C.C. White but her vocals on tracks 8 and 15 are so good I searched and found her album "This is Soul Kirtan." She continues to impress. I'd give C.C. White's album a higher rating than R. F. Adams' album. If you're interested in her album, listen to "Karuna Sagari Ma" and "The Maha Mantra" to start and if you like them, try "Om Namah Shivaya" but, fair warning, OMS gets going as quickly as a Nusrat Khan song does, LOL Oh yeah this is supposed to be a review of an album by R.F. Adams. The more popular songs, "New York New York" and "When the Stars Go Blue" lack impact and, overall, the lyrics on this album don't get me excited. The playing on some of the less popular songs is enjoyable. For example "Gonna Make You Love Me" and the bonus track "Rosalie Come and Go" are good little jams. "Nobody Knows" and "Tina Toledo's Street Walkin' Blues" are also good and are the two songs where C.C. White sings.
I listened for 6 uneventful songs prior to writing this. I will go listen to Sumer of 69 instead.
Pretty bad. Not offensive enough to receive 1 star but not sure why this is on the list.
A fine enough blend of county and rock with a touch of folks, played in a way that kind of sounds like a bunch of songs that you've heard a million times on the radio. It's ok, but I wouldn't call it gold.
I dunno, I am sure the guy is popular with his fans but it just seemed like background noise to me. Not bad, not great, just music in the background.
I may not have been in the mood to listen to this ( I was looking at buying the new Royal Blood album ) but it was "ok"
1001 Albums Generator Day 11 At the turn of the millennium, the singer of an up and coming "alt-country" band went solo to make a top-heavy, overlong, yet pleasant album with the kind of guestlist that gives the monthly reviewers butterflies. He was deeply reverent of artists from the past and the wasted genius image they exemplified in a way that invited comparison with them, but he did not possess the lyrical, melodic or vocal gifts of, say, Evan Dando. Later, his musical reputation would be based on his first two solo records and his perceived eccentricity, which meant an apparently voracious taste for speedballs and recording lots of albums no-one wanted to release. The two albums still turn up in lists like this one, but from roughly 2002-07 he was effectively replaced by a younger, prettier, more talented "new new Dylan," Conor Oberst. So, what about this album, Gold? I bought a copy in a charity shop a few years ago, but I had to listen via streaming today as it soon ended up back in the donations pile. The title describes its smooth, expensive sound and anticipated its UK certification for sales. It has the kind of guestlist that gives the monthly reviewers butterflies. It's also characterless and, as for overlong, this fucker is the length of a football match. Both Heartbreaker and Gold are in the book on which this series is based, but if you can't find 1001 albums better than both you aren't trying hard enough.