-Dreamy, driving rhythms, low-key, Shoegaze-y at times, atmospheric
-Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Dire Straits, Paul Kelley, Neil Young, Jackson Browne -esque
I really enjoyed the mood, the sound, and the lyrics.
-R&B throwback sound
-Great incorporation of a lot of styles from the '60s and '70s
-Nice grooves
-Lots of excellent guitar distortion
-Great voice for R&B style, but I would love to hear him try his hand at singing blues
-Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd influences?
-great beats and samples
-hilarious at times
-sometimes an unfortunate mirror on society, even years after it was released
-overall positive, upbeat vibes
-amazing debut album
Alternating between yin and yang on each song. One redemptive/empathetic/helping, the next raging/vengeful/spiteful. Reflecting on actions taken/not taken and the impact on one's life.
I was slightly surprised by some of the song choices, but Johnny makes them his.
Backing vocals on songs were minimal, which is good because I wasn't into most of them.
It's sad to know that he was toward the end of his life, but the album ended on an uplifting and joyful note.
You can tell that this album was created in the late 70s. That being said, the album has a sound that separates it from the standard pop/disco albums of the time.
The production pays equal attention to all instruments and vocals, showing that no one element dominates, or is carrying the rest of the band/album.
The songs are a mix of well-known hits, instrumentals, and standard vocal tracks.
Finally, the bass. There is a quality, style and technicallity to the playing that helps differentiate this album from its contemporaries. This is proven by the album's popularity at the time and by how it continues to influence artists decades after its release.
Because of the influence the album I'm leaning toward a 4, but overall, rating a 3 for listenability and wanting to revist.
If you listen to each song as a single, they are great by themselves, but when taken as a whole album, they get repetitive (musically and lyrically).
It is full of Harmonica, blues, jangle pop, and New Orleans-style piano and is fun for the first half of the album, but then.
Dylan is a great storyteller, but how many stories can you tell about the man, bad/failed relationships, and not even realizing/admitting you are the cause of all the trouble?
And, of course, Dylan has a unique voice and singing style that is all his own.
There is no denying that so many little pieces of this album influenced many who came after it, but the album leaves me saying, "meh."
What I assumed was going to be a straightforward '70s rocker surprised me. The lyrics were frequently abstract, leaving the listener to think about the song's meaning.
When the lyrics were less abstract, the songs often addressed subjects in life that were not black and white. Again, this left the listener to consider the song and its implications.
Reed's singing/speaking style fits the music very nicely. I could hear much inspiration from Reed's style in bands such as Spaceman 3, Silver Jews, Luna, Sonic Youth, and The Fiery Furnaces.
This album was much more than I thought it would be.
-grunge
-rock
-psychedelic
-driving
-dreamy
-Middle Eastern and Asian influences
-nice harmonizing
-good basslines
Mark Lanegan's voice was smooth at all points of the vocal spectrum. Gone too soon. This album ranks high in their catalog.
-club beats
-ambient background noises
-electronic excitement
-vocal range
-sparse to overwhelming
-touch of the '90s
A fantastic first effort after graduating from The Sugarcubesm and a small taste of what was to come.
Overall, great voice and lyricist. The first half of the album was pretty standard 60's/70's singer-songwriter fair. The second half was an interesting mix. Without You showcased his vocal range. Coconut was a good novelty song. Let the Good Times Roll was a nice rolling New Orleans and country-inspired piano-guided song. Jump Into the Fire was a fun almost glam rock song, and probably the only reason I would revisit this album. Not a bad album but not really memorable.
Goth, pop, punk, post-punk, and a sense of humor. This album is rocking and rollicking, driving and fast. As listenable today as when it was released. Pioneers in multiple styles and scenes. Great listen!
-beatbox
-influential on the future of rap and hip-hop
-drum and cymbal beats
-some of the beats seemed repetitive, but good
-electric guitar
-record scratching
-humorous
-political and historical
-fun and raucous
-over too soon
-dreamy
-ethereal
-shoegaze
-longing
-hints of Smashing Pumpkins, Machina
-hints of Bjork, Debut
-symphonic shoegaze
-hints of Spiritualized
-hints of Angelo Badalamenti
-WOW!!
-feels like a product of its time (not a bad thing)
-nothing that really grabs me and makes me want to listen again
-may have been a stylistic game changer/influencer at the time
-may have been more meaningful if I spoke French
-has a low-key sound
-decent lyrics
-most songs seem unresolved
-nothing that really grabbed me or made me want to listen to it again
-lyrics
-spiritual
-uplifting
-culturally/historically crushing
-great, well-known songs and a few sleepers
-I don't feel it needs to be a double album
-more instrumental/ambient than expected (not a bad thing)
-the first few songs are somewhat experimental electronic
-overall a good listen
-perfect encapsulation of the late 80's and early 90's
-groovy, funky, jazzy, danceable
-nostalgia
-too negative
-too honest?
-a couple of popular songs reminiscent of the '90s
-not really shocking to me, but definitely shocking for mainstream late '90s
-not for me
-fun album to listen to
-can still hear the swing and big band
-interesting transition album, not only for Miles, but for jazz as a whole
-post Beatles practice run
-feel like finalized thoughts or demos
-not worth listening to again
-Madchester, dance, rave, Brit-pop, progressive, psychedelic
-great guitar and bass work
-I was introduced a couple of years after it was released, and it has stuck with me since then
-Great 90's homage to classic and Southern rock
-They still seem to be everywhere
-Some of the non-chart hits seem like filler
-fun every once in a while, but you quickly get your fill
-A little too much of the 60's orchestrations on some of the cuts
-interesting mix of instruments/styles (orchestra, guitar-driven, sitar, etc.)
-Great flowing album
-Too short
-Will have to dive into her other albums
-jazzy
-fun
-lively
-great quality recording for mid-60's
-good interaction with the audience
-(one of?) the first B.B. King albums I purchased
-incredible urgency of guitar and of voice
-
-bold move starting off with a fantasy/space opera
-2nd half is pretty standard 70's rock, prog rock (barely)
-standard Rush sound
-one or two good songs, but nothing outstanding
-rap rock continues
-bass
-second album in the migration toward mainstream radio
-move toward introspections
-high school topics and attitudes are still there
-the last few songs start to sound repetitive, lose originality, and blend together
-Jimi Hendrix covers on the reissue are a nice addition and are pretty good
-psych-rock, blues, jazz
-not Janis Joplin's band, but an amazing launch pad
-great band, even live
-piano only
-fun and lively album
-great live recording
-not familiar with this artist, will have to dive deeper
This album isn’t the grandfather of grunge that Young became labeled with at the end of the 80’s. Not a lot of studio (over) production. It seems that the album is what was recorded is what you get when you listen.
It's the first album with Crazy Horse. The jams were excellent and provided many musically open spaces in the songs. This allowed for great grooves but also time to attempt to decipher the lyrics. Many of the lyrics have straightforward meanings, but I feel there are alternate meanings to be explored.
Thematically, the lyrics touch on loss, fear, hurt, disillusionment, and things just out of reach. This album highlights Young’s tremulous voice and its emotional vulnerability. Style-wise, there are the classic rock highlights, but there is a lot of variety, ranging from rock to folk to country and even psychedelic, none being out of reach for Young.
I had to listen to the album a couple of times before writing this, and I feel that my impressions and interpretations of the album will proliferate with repeated listening.
It's hard to separate Donald Fagen from Steely Dan and this solo album is proof. That being said, this album sounds a bit more jazzy with a little bit of funk added in than a typical Steely Dan album. Also, there are a lot of nice synth additions as well. Musically, the songs flow nicely in their progression and similarity until the last two songs. While the last two songs are good, the Latin/Carribean sound of The Goodby Look, and the big band/ska sound of Walk Between the Raindrops didn't really fit with the rest of the album. Were they rushed? Were they filler? Also, the similartiy of the majority of the album would have become tedious if the album was much longer. With that said, the album was fun, it's worth listening to again, even if it's just on as background music.
Some may argue that there were goth bands in the 1960s, but Juju undoubtedly set a standard for the post-punk and goth genres that would flourish and evolve in the 1970s and 1980s. The beauty of Siouxsie Sioux’s voice completely camouflages the darkness, feelings of loss and regret, domination and control over others, and lack of psychological control and safety. The threats and uncertainty the lyrics bring are only magnified by the driving instruments, which build with angst and tension through each song and throughout the album.
I became familiar with Siouxsie and the Banshees through their early 90s album Superstition, which I would almost consider a dance album in the world music genre. Juju has presented an exciting and dark new perspective that has encouraged me to revisit their earlier catalog.
I had to listen to this several times because it came across as a one-trick pony on initial listens. The first few songs are crunchy guitar-driven, piano-backed, and drum-backed songs that, while fun, were nothing that hadn’t already been heard from Jack White.
The rest of the album becomes more unique as it embraces other styles, such as blues, country, bluegrass, and vaudeville/ragtime. I really like the songs that he sings with others, as they contrast nicely with White’s voice.
Although the album is exciting and fast-paced musically, the theme and lyrics are dark. All songs are from the singer's point of view and focus on love, loss, abuse (physical and mental), jealousy, bad relationships, and being dominated. While the singer realizes their predicament, they don’t care to change anything in most instances.
There are a few times when they recognize the harm and danger they are in and how it is holding them back, but they feel powerless to do anything. A few times, the singer calls others out for falling into their predicament but can offer no solutions.
This album showcases Jack White's influence on prior projects and those that came after this album. Although he is talented, I like listening to Jack White in small doses, and this album doesn’t change my opinion, as it is what you would expect, just with a slightly different veneer.
