Quite like the younger Tyler's voice and his range is impressive without sounding like a banshee. Interesting to read that there was a LOT of drugs involved in this album. A very coherent album without the mess you'd expect of a drug-addled production.
Quite short too, which is nice. The longest song is under 4:30 long. Surprising that this went platinum on release and eventually QUADRUPLE platinum, obviously buoyed by their prolific touring and live fanbase, it's good but not that good. Very genre-classic galloping riffs, call and response vocals, chunky pub rock chord sequences, bit of Zep influence, bit of Maiden influence, bit of scuzzy mid-70s NWOBHM. Probably best enjoyed drunk at a concert.
One of his many enjoyable albums from his time on Tamla, always felt like this could have been a double-release alongside Innervisions because they share a vibe in many regards. One of the geniuses of chordal progression, simple but effective instrumentation and lyrical wordplay. Some of his songs' messages are incredibly effective and still make me stop and think, though this album is a bit lighter than on his other LPs. I still don't believe 100% he's blind. He plays the harmonica like Billy Joel.
An album of slow sad ballads, during a time when she's in a slow sad mood due to all her burgeoning legal disputes with the bloke who just purchased her original back catalogue and resulting in her rerecording all her Big Machine albums to create new masters she controlled. So at least studio engineers had steady work for a few months.
Meh, it's accordion-laced, laid-back music heavily devalued by extensive sync on film and TV. Reminiscent of Moby for chinstroking hipsters.
Look, it's good. It defined a generation of angry people. Its message is still relevant. But it's not aged tremendously well. Personally, given the choice of this or a SOAD album, I'll take Serj and the boys over RATM all day.
Nice live album. Very groovy. Amusing that it was viewed as "too gritty" for his then-public image and archived by RCA for twenty years.
Everybody knows Pinball Wizard. What a track. What a video. The rest of the album is a typical Townshend rock-opera affair, some great, some passable. You'll probably enjoy the music from this album much more if you watch the Ken Russell film of the same name (featuring the band and the album's music).
Brown Paper Bag is a stone cold classic and was one of several massive tunes from the end of that decade to facilitate the beginnings of a crossover to the mainstream for late-90s Jungle/D&B. A lot of the tracks are on the minimally-orchestrated/barebones side, and some are actually tosh, but some of them are standout and have a huge vibe to them. Definitely worth checking the 20th anniversary edition over the original release, as it includes hours of extra singles releases, B-sides and alternative mixes.
Best tracks: Brown Paper Bag (the full vocal remix is better IMHO), Matter of Fact, Heroes (and the 2017 remix), Hi-Potent (originally released as the B-side to Brown Paper Bag 12" single, and you'll notice the iconic double bass sample in a less chopped up form), Trust Me (simple but brutally effective dancefloor classic!) (and the 2017 remix), Share The Fall (for those who like their jazzy beats chopped and sliced), Jazz, Ballet Dance (very Paradox/Seba/Fanu/Equinox/Pieter K/PFM/LTJ Bukem style), Western (which uses the classic "Let a Woman Be a Woman" break) (and the 2017 remix)...
yeah, this is a solid slab of Bristol-infused Drum & Bass from Roni Size, Die, Krust and Suv from the late 90s, with some fresher takes on some of the tunes from the last decade. It's not a 5 star album, but it's a strong 4-star contender -- if only for the amount of newcomers it brought in to the genre, thanks to its accessible style and pop-infused sensibilities, which were still not as prevalent in the late 90s (most D&B back then was quite dark and moody).
Oh Christ, not another one of these 'seminal' albums. You need to consume the same amount of drugs as they took during recording to truly appreciate this.
A handful of good hooks, like the opening to Venus in Furs. You sort of swim in the sound, a haze of drone and jangly guitar line while the vocal wends its way around you. But most of this album is a drug-addled mess. It's lounge music for 60s crack addicts.
Nice live album. An intense listen at times. Rewards focused listening.
Yeah, it's fine. A few great tracks, and The Greatest Song In The World, but others ramble on a bit.
The album which really introduced this group to a mainstream audience. I remember buying it in a FNAC in France along with Daft Punk's Discovery and All Killer No Filler by Sum 41! What a summer of music listening that was.
Some great bops on this album and some long-lasting earworms. Some equally forgettable B-side tunes. But it was a fun concept back when the idea of media-crossover music projects had regained some novelty, and the way it was pulled off was really clever with oodles of mystique and a slick PR campaign aided by the then-mainstream music outlets. Very hip and cool to be a Gorillaz fan.
It was fine. The album, being the last two movements of her retro futurist concept work, felt a little stitched together at times. Quite a dance through different genres and refreshing that she had such a high amount of direct production input, major vibes going on in some tunes. A few felt a bit unfinished or with slightly forced chordal progressions that didn't quite work. But on the whole, I can see why this was lauded for being an excellent work but didn't garner immediate mainstream success. It's an album for JM to be proud of though and clearly states her artistic intent, some of which is referenced and reintroduced with great success in her subsequent albums.
It's just a stone cold classic album. No filler, artists at their peak, beautifully composed and recorded.
Doves vs. Elbow, fight! Or write gently melancholy tunes with a northern lilt, either or will suffice. This album's a solid contribution. Some singalong classics which have aged incredibly well. Definitely eternal 6 Music playlist-worthy.
Yeah, it was ok. One or two memorable/recognisable tunes. Felt a bit kitsch and schmaltzy/gimmicky, even for 71. Ho hum.
Ugh, big band sauntering Americana with Springsteen always demonstrating his average glockenspiel skills. The bad kind of swagger, no thanks.
Loads of people love them, I appreciate their contribution but I'll gladly skip every track in their material.
An album with a couple of big bangers on. Really interesting story behind how the synth on Baba O' Riley came into being, Won't Get Fooled Again is probably one of their evergreen calling cards. But overall, this is an album of recovered songs from an aborted previous attempt. Not their best work, but solid material for the most ardent fans.
Beautiful, progressive, complex, intricate and at times indecipherable Radiohead. Lovely album.
Spirit of shoegaze meets Flaming Lips-style verbed-out instrumentation and repeating, plaintively sung lyrics. It's like a watercolour wash of garage indie rock.
Bowie was a fan of this band, I can see why. TVOTR fused all sorts of influences and covered genres including shoegaze, post punk, rock, jazz and an interesting approach to harmonies and production. Very art-rock. But that doesn't mean I necessarily have to like the album, right?
