With this record, it felt like Radiohead was continuing a trend starting from the brilliant Kid-A to make themselves more unrecognizeable musically following the massive critical and commercial success of Ok Computer. Applaud their artistic ambition at the time, and there are moments here to be sure (Pyramid Song, I Might Be Wrong) but the band really make some left turns and it doesn't always resonate. Sometimes it sounds plain weird. In the end they probably had to go through these few series of records to get to the other side towards some of their later fine and mature work.

Example of a record heralded so much in the mid-90s amongst college friends & crowds, but which I never actually listened to. This "albums generator" exercise is already more than proving its value for music listeners like me who otherwise would prbly never have inititated the investment to explore such a consequential record like this independently, particularly given that rap & hiphop, while heavily respected, has otherwise not been a genre which previously connected w/ myself in any important level. That said, this album, along with Beasties' Paul's Bputique, is dfntly a game changer for me. So many things to enjoy, respect and appreciate. Lyrics first and foremost imo. Going thru every track's lyrics, i'm not sure if you can't make an argument of greatness when comparing against a modern day Dylan, while maintaining its own total signature & tone. Samples & background. On the third listen of this record, i am left very impressed by all of the tasteful samples and background accompaniment. From a production pov, my guess is that it takes as much, if not more, talent, skill, vision and discipline to score something like this as it does a respectable independent film. Where to punch in, where to cut out, where to ride the backbeat. To the rest of us mere mortals it may sound like an easy impulsive cakewalk. My guess is that each & every beat & phrase was the result of careful debate and intentional artistic license over & over. The care & vision shows. A wild chaos is telegraphed all over these tracks which in the end is anything but wild or chaotic. It is the cold, calculated control of master artists & musicians at the helm who recognized way beforehand that they were bottling magic nearly 30 yrs before the rest of us could manage to catch our breaths to be in a position to appreciate it.

This album appears to have been released 1 year before I myself was born. You look at a record in the seventies stocked with at least 3 bonafied hits (Take it Easy, Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling), and, like me, you may be lulled into thinking you have landed upon a masterpiece. [sound of record player coming to screaming halt, e.g. when Animal House misfits walk into blues & soul bar..] Unfortunately for the sons of Linda Ronstadt, it did not play out that way on this record, yet they lived to more than survive. Mostly dribble here, but again, they grew & succeeded. Sometimes the delay of dominant success is the best thing a worthy band can ask for, particularly in the musical landscape which existed in the early/mid-70s. Artists who were resilient enough and had the support structure to lick their wounds, bounce back, find and gain a lasting audience based on their raw talent, like the Eagles had, were given the chance to come to the table and slay the American AOR populace once again. And this band and its principal songwrtiting core clearly did not think twice when it recieved further opportunities to deliver some of the greatest songs and records in American rock and roll history.

One of my favorite records of all time. Front to back, it is a classic. A characteristic of a great band is that they can write, record and perform quality songs in any style and no one is thinking, gee that was an odd departure from what this group is supposed to be playing. Zeppelin is possibly one of the best examples of that. Rock, metal, blues, folk, reggae, soul, anthems, ballads. No one seems to say, how does a band which authored Black Dog also put their names to Battle of Evermore, or Down By the Seaside, or D'yer Mak'er, or Since I've Been Loving You, or No Quarter - isn't it against the rules to be all over the map musically? Bands should stay within their lane and commit to a proven style and not confuse their audiences, right? Arcade Fire is one of those artists, like Prince, Beck, Bjork and the Beastie Boys who have thrown the rules out the window and who have writen and recorded whatever they wanted to express in whichever styles it has manifested itself as true creative forces. And particularly on this brilliant masterpiece. An unpredictable and satisfying rollercoaster, jumping from Ready to Start to City With No Children to the epic Suburban War (with hints of Springsteen) to the explosive Month of May ("how you gonna lift it with your arms.. folded.. tight..." Brilliant!) to the gem that is We Used to Wait. And seeing them live, I can say the tracks on this record translate solidly in the confines of places like Madison Square Garden, a true crucible for artists to prove the mettle of their songs. A perfect record.