1001 Albums Summary

I was pleasantly surprised by the album. My concern with minimalist-arranged 'atmospheric' music is often that it comes out thin and doesn't necessarily command attention, but that wasn't the case with this album. Generally the bass is full and keeps the song moving forward, and the vocals or instrumental melody are full enough to maintain attention. Album has a good mix of songs with a catchy/prominent melody and more relaxing "tune-out" types of songs

On surface, album seemed to be something I would like - some musicians I was already familiar with and a project combining symphonic and baroque elements, inspired by some classic movie soundtracks and older school acts, but the music never really clicked with me. May be worth revisiting some other time, but while enjoyable, nothing made me want more or drove me to play it again

Album featured a lot of different styles, from folk rock styles to more conventional rock to spiritual chants and hymns, along with extended blues jams. Songs were good in general, with some of my favorites being Isn't it a Pity, Let it Down, and Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll), but album felt really bloated, especially with the long blues jams at the end. Overall, the album wore on too long and some of the lesser songs took away from the highlights.

Had already listened through this album quite a bit before it was recommended here. I am a big fan of musicians/bands reorchestrating their music in live shows to include guests acts, and S&M is one of my favorite examples- the full orchestra complements the compositions extremely well, and James Hetfield's energy in live shows helps tie the whole thing together. Some other parts of the composition suffer a bit (drums are the obvious example), but the sound quality is also extremely good for a live show. The instrumental openers (Ecstasy of Gold, Call of Ktulu) blend into Master of Puppets brilliantly to open the show, and the show contains a good mix of Metallica classics (One and Battery also stand out to me) along with some of their post- Black Album work scattered in.

An album I've had for a while, but have never sat down to fully listen through. Live shows sometimes just end up coming across as a greatest hits, but the extended blues jams and variations to the songs make each song different enough that At Fillmore East sounds like its own album. The extended jams are generally good and give the listener a lot to experience, but the length of the overall album and of some individual songs will lead to the album feeling bloated and overdone to some.

Definitely an album I'd like to go through again once I'm more familiar with the genre. I liked the overall atmosphere of the album and how the clips from the other media helped build it. Still, it at times was too easy to 'check out' and have all of the songs blend together- again, probably mostly a result of not being super familiar with the genre. Would like to revisit after growing a little more familiar with rap overall.