Perhaps being Cream's well-known album, including hits such as Sunshine of Your Love, and Strange Brew among others, I was expecting an album full of late 60's psychedelic bangers, and while this was mostly true, it wasn't that much of a banger to my ears. Sure, there were such songs that I like including the obvious hits and the underrated We're Going Wrong, which showcased drummer Ginger Baker's chops, I was not a huge fan of the rest of the album, as it really didn't captivate my attention much. Was honestly kind of disappointed.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this despite not being the biggest soul/r&b type person. An album that doesn't contain too much filler and just sounds right. The instrumentals aren't supposed to be complex or anything, but they're nice to listen to. But what really stood out was Aretha's voice, such a powerful delivery and fiery passion I've heard from her compared to some other vocalists from this genre. Obviously, this contains the classic Respect, but I liked a lot of songs on here too (Never Loved a Man, Save Me, Soul Serenade, etc). Overall, a great experience I never knew I would have.
This felt like a chore to listen to if I'm going to be honest. I mean, sure, Solomon's singing on here doesn't sound bad, the actual music does sound pretty good. My concern here is that there really isn't anything interesting going for it, just another 1960s Soul album that had some decently charting singles. Rock 'n Soul would probably sound better as background noise or something among those lines.
This is a masterpiece of an album. I really liked the ideas presented throughout in the form of a 1-2 punch of George's songwriting and self-expression post-Beatles breakup along with the various artists involved such as Bob Dylan, Clapton, Gary Wright, and even Phil Collins among others. Unfortunately, I felt there to be small filler here and there, along with me not really liking the Apple Jams recordings on here. Pushing that aside, I was completely captivated by what this had to offer as a former Beatles-hater just for the sake of edginess.
Immediately listening to this blew my mind. The musicianship here is next level, as those such as Robert Fripp, Kate Bush, and Phil Collins, who employed a newly seeded style of drumming, reverb gated. There are also no bad songs on here, as such examples include the creepy opener, “Intruder”, 3 highlights of PG’s socio-political commentary, “Biko”, “Games Without Frontiers”, and “Family Snapshot”, and many more. Honestly, one of the greatest I've ever listened to yet.
One of the most tight performances ever recorded. Fela Kuti and his band’s consistency and sheer talent along with Ginger Baker's ability to blend in with the band by easily learning the afrobeat style makes this a hell of a live performance!
Carlos Santana did provide some interesting guitar techniques throughout this album along with the Latin-tinged percussions. My only concern here is that nothing seemed to interesting or really stand out other than what's mentioned
Not much to say about here. I do like the album’s concepts and mix of ska, reggae & new-wave, along with songs like “Mant at C&A” and “Pearl’s Cafe”. The rest of the album sounded good, but it just doesn’t sound like my type of thing.
Imagine what people think of when "boring 80s music" pops into their mind, this is it. Although I will say, Winwood does have some talent in playing all instruments.
Gotta be honest. The Lyre of Orpheus > Abattoir Blues
One of the most beautiful albums I have listened to yet. This definitely gives a sense of tranquility while also being experimental. Highly recommended!
