Beautiful Freak
EelsWas excited to hear this again as I played it a lot when it was out. It now feels of it’s time, possibly as I’m no longer an angst ridden 28 year old in a bad marriage. Standout track was and still is Flower.
Was excited to hear this again as I played it a lot when it was out. It now feels of it’s time, possibly as I’m no longer an angst ridden 28 year old in a bad marriage. Standout track was and still is Flower.
It’s aged as well as I have 😁
Don’t remember when I first heard it, it feels as if it’s been with me forever. Favourite album (which is hard to choose) from my favourite musician (which isn’t). I’m sad he was in such a bad place when he made it, but I’m profoundly glad he did. Wild Is The Wind ❤️
Was excited to hear this again as I played it a lot when it was out. It now feels of it’s time, possibly as I’m no longer an angst ridden 28 year old in a bad marriage. Standout track was and still is Flower.
Made me smile as it reminded me of Mum bopping round our kitchen when Jazz Record Request was on in the 70s. Cheery in general, but after listening I couldn't distinguish any one track over another and it felt a bit like aural wallpaper. Plus the cover is awful.
Never been a fan of the Wall of Sound, and found it all a bit samey and shouty. Bah humbug.
She does have a lovely voice, but I can’t say it’s made C&W grow on me in any way.
No thanks.
Seminal, iconic, groundbreaking etc etc but unsurprisingly many of the songs sound the same. Standout track for me is Anarchy in the UK; takes me right back. And, of course, my Dad was incandescent with rage about it/them. Marvellous.
I got what I expected which was prog rock that noodled on for ages without the redeeming feature of Rick Wakeman wearing a cloak. Least interminable track: The Venture.
Derivative to the max, but I loved the 80s so it feels like an undiscovered gem. Favourite: Under The Pressure.
Niiiiiiiiice. Although I could have done without Rumba Mama, live or otherwise. Best track: Birdland, obvs.
Liked the two singles but found the rest of the album pretty tedious. The Smiths were way more listenable and as with his autobiography I wanted to bail really early on.
Say what you like about Mick Hucknall; the man can sing. Amazing debut and can bear repeated listenings, of which there have been many since uni. Can totally forgive a Talking Heads cover (the impertinence!). Favourite track is predictably Holding Back the Years, but it’s a tough call as they’re all belters IMO.
I’ve just got to accept that of all Led Zep’s output I’m only ever going to really enjoy Kashmir. Sorry.
Evocative, smooth, sexy. Might have enjoyed it more if I spoke Portuguese, but not much. It’s a 3.5 really but it warmed up a freezing day so rounded up.
So very 80s. Loved it.
Not a huge fan of Fab Wacky Macca Thumbs Aloft, and if this is the album that put the final nail in the Beatles coffin then I think that’s terribly sad. It’s got vanity project written all over it and no hint of things to come (Wings: yay, frogs: boo) IMO.
I feel unkind classing it as aural wallpaper, but that’s just what it is; background to another activity IMO. Not a smoker so it didn’t delight, but it was pleasant to let it wash over me…
Better than Paul McCartney’s effort, but proof, were it needed, that The Beatles were way more than the sum of their parts.
Eh, sure everyone’s very proficient but it just left me cold. I think it might have sounded better if I’d been on drugs…..
I’m sure this album is seminal but (generalising wildly) I find rap/hip-hop simultaneously annoying (stop SHOUTING) and dull (oh you’re outrageously handsome and rich with a massive dick, are you? Marvellous). Tricky and Walk This Way are good tracks, of course they are, but the rest, for me, was a bit of an irritating snooze-fest.
Loved it, preferred this version of Brimful of Asha and will definitely be revisiting.
Totally new to this artist; really enjoyed and was intrigued by the first couple of tracks and I do think it’s a decent album overall. The effect was lessened by the lack of variety in pace/delivery from track to track however, so what I thought at the start could have been close to a 9/10 ended up more like a 6.
Bought it on release and still love it today.
I expected to hate it and I didn’t, but I didn’t like it either and could have done without it on a cold windy January Monday. Had to turn it down a notch, which probably defeats the object.
Few albums can make laugh, tear up, dance and think and this is one of them. It also brings back great memories of my first year at uni and forging a really important friendship.
That was a LOT of Elton to consume in one go.
Bizarre. Disturbing. Marvellous.
Perhaps not his finest hour, but his final album which renders it important IMO. Overall I found it moving and loved the first and penultimate track, but they are probably the only ones I’ll revisit. Amazing poet, glad we had him for as long as we did.
Initial reaction: oh God, do I have to? That said, not as terrible as I’d feared but absolutely not for me. And I was glad when it was over.
Pleasant. Uplifting. Short.
It was pleasant is about all I’ve got to offer, though a couple of the songs (Parade and You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice) made me wince a bit. I do like the whole 60s samba/bossa nova vibe but I wouldn’t peg this as a classic.
I’ve known that this is considered a masterpiece for decades, cos people I admired musically mentioned its influence. It left me absolutely cold, ironically, considering its origins. 3 decent tracks that I know well (but would never seek out) and the rest just sounded like filler. Outdated filler.
I’m sure it’s technically very proficient but I hated every last second.
Had heard much of this album before and it was nice to hear again.
It’s alright.
Strange and beautiful. Two of my favourite adjectives.
No longer a Radiohead virgin. It feels good.
I loved everything about this album and shall dance to it at any given opportunity between now and death.
7-minute tracks of machine gun drums, some bloke giving it twiddly diddly dee on a guitar and another one grunting is not my idea of a musical good time.
Love Randy Crawford’s voice so that was a big plus. Pleasant to listen to, perhaps a bit aural wallpaper overall but I’ll probably put it on again in the summer.
Nice enough. Is all I have to say about it.
A bit conflicted with this; on the one hand it’s shouty, a tad one note and the casual misogyny hasn’t aged well. On the other hand, Fight For Your Right is an absolute BANGER.
Really glad I heard this; had only really scratched the surface before.
Absolutely lovely. It’s said that great art comes from great suffering and I’m sad that such a beautiful album wouldn’t exist without such pain. Definitely one to revisit.
Sorry; it’s crap, son (ooh).
Exuberant and joyful. Extra star for nostalgia: takes me back to my Dad hammering out this songs on an upright piano when I was little.
Avoided them for years because of the hype and not particularly liking Hotel Yorba. What an idiot I was.
Noise. But really interesting noise.
Very reminiscent of its time, pleasant enough but I didn’t really engage with it. The guitar made me want to go and listen to Nick Drake. So I did.
Nice to hear some 80s vibes again, but nothing really stood out for me.
Loved that it was melodic and mellow, but overall not my cup of tea.
Haven’t heard this for 34 years, when I heard it about eleventy billion times as my then boyfriend loved it. And with good reason; it’s really stood the test of time in my opinion.
Always got time for Fleetwood Mac, even if it’s a LOT of time all in one go. Some gems (TUSK!) and some filler; following Rumours was always going to be nigh on impossible…
As a card-carrying hater of all things metal, I have to say I rather liked this. Expecting to enjoy Hysteria even more so am saving a 3 star for that….
Way better than I expected it to be.
Put me In A Turquoise Mood…..
Loved it
Nice enough.
It was interesting, granted. But I actually enjoyed about a fifth of it. Extra star because I didn’t hate it as much as some others I’ve been subjected to so far.
Glad to finally hear this album. Clever lyrics, lovely voice and a couple of the earlier tracks I’ll definitely listen to again. By the end, however, it had started to lose its allure a bit so 3 rather than 4 star, but I know there’s more EC on the way and I look forward to those.
Loved this from the birdsong at the start to Dear God at the end, even though I know that’s not how it was planned. The first 3 tracks were especially evocative; growing up in an English village they really spoke to me. Will definitely be listening again.
Could have been Radiohead for all I knew but enjoyed v much
All killer, no filler.
Very surprised that a) I really enjoyed this and b) Freebird was probably my least favourite track.
I’ve never been able to understand the appeal of MJ; I find his inevitable yelps, grunts, gasps and falsetto “hee hee”s really off-putting. He plagiarised much of his look and many of his moves from Fosse and he didn’t originate the moonwalk, yet people let on that he’s some kind of dance visionary. Genuinely don’t get it. I have heard most of this album many times (as it was bloody unavoidable in the Pre-Streaming Days of Yore) and thought I’d never have to bother with it again. TLDR; I stand with Jarvis Cocker.
I found this fascinating, evocative and haunting. I loved how, knowing the premise, it made me imagine (and choreograph) a film I’d never see. A welcome instrumental break in proceedings.
Mellow? Yes. Interesting? Yes. Self-indulgent? Yes.
Don’t like MJ but have to grudgingly admit it’s a very good pop album.
I remember the cover of Live is Life from it was originally out. Still find it hilarious, awful lyrics, terrible voice; marvellous. An albums worth I really didn’t need though. RAUS!
Liked the Lou Reed vibe. Might listen again.
I wiped my feet really good on the rhythm rug 👍🏻
Kind of wish I’d been there…..
There’s no denying the man was a genius. A few bangers, a few that were a bit more forgettable (for me) but I’m always going to enjoy listening to his work.
Didn’t like this anywhere near as much as the other albums of theirs I’ve heard and much as I can appreciate Johnny Marr’s guitar, Morrissey’s voice meandering around trying to find a melody really puts me off. That said, the first two tracks were great; it just really went downhill from there for me.
Enjoyed this and surprised myself in doing so.
Beautiful voice and for once “interludes” in an album I could actually see the point of
I briefly found this amusing and charmingly eccentric until I realised it was a load of tuneless self-indulgent tosh. The drugs are no excuse.
Can’t beat a bit of Ol’ Blue Eyes; so effortlessly smooth. There was singing, dancing and jazz hands when the brass called for it. Marvellous.
It wasn’t bad; decent blues I guess although the sound was pretty muddy and (as ever with Jagger) I can make out about one word in five. But I’ve heard way better by them and the ‘hits’ from it were…..meh. No clue why it’s considered their best work; hope we get another one.
I don’t need to listen to this again to give it five stars but I’m really glad I have an excuse to. It’s brilliant.
On a par with Pet Sounds, which really isn’t saying much.
Not something I ever have or ever would choose to listen to but the hits still sound OK to me. Rest of it though, meh.
Local and vocal. Nice to revisit and remember how much of an impact this had when it came out.