I’ve been a big fan of “Cold War” since this album first dropped. It’s been on multiple playlists of mine. But I hadn’t given the full album a good listen. What I discovered is that Janelle Monae is a freaking vocal virtuoso with the range and ability to pretty much do anything she wants. There’s a lot of stylistic borrowing here, at multiple points it seems like obvious tributes to an obvious tracks by obvious artists who came before. It’s a highly dynamic album with several mood and tempo shifts peppered throughout.
This is a compelling time capsule of the nature of live music audiences in the mid 50s. Duke Ellington has already had much said about him but I never knew he could incite a riot with his music. That is precisely what we have here. The first third has a polite, Ed Sullivan Show vibe. Unironically opening with a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, it's a respectful dynamic between band and audience. Crowd is underwhelmed but still generally supportive. Polite applause. But by the time they get to Diminuendo In Blue and Paul Gonsalvez saxophone solos, the whole place sounds like its going to explode. It's really unlike anything I've heard in a live recording from the pre-rock & roll days.
After reading up on what was actually happening (a few tracks later we have one named, literally, \"Riot Prevention\"...its not a song) the crowd was getting wilder and wilder dancing that security was threatening to cut the set short. That certainly didn't help. From there you have Duke taking complete control, masterfully leading the crowd to the peaks of pure joy without crossing the dangerous line toward destruction. It reminds me of Freddie Mercury at Live Aid.
Standout tracks:
\"Diminuendo in Blue\"
\"Jeep's Blues\"
\"Tulip or Turnip\"
*BIAS ALERT *
I give the production an “Eh”
I give Neal Peart’s drumming an “Eh plus”
But otherwise I will never not see Rush and Geddy Lee as silly.
2112 Overture was not over soon enough. One listen to this album is sufficient.
Blondie gets a lot of praise and credit for their connection to cbgb & punk blending with disco and later hiphop.
The reality is, aside from Heart of Glass, which stands out as being something above and beyond, this album is a really safe corporatized reinvention of 60s girl pop. It’s as punk as Elvis Costello. That’s not to say Elvis Costello is bad, and neither is this. It just doesn’t measure up to reputation.
There’s a lot of context that makes this album more impactful than just a listen. But to keep it simple, this is a masterpiece. It’s a formal lament concerning the brokenness of the world and humanity through one man’s eyes. That man happens to be Marvin Gaye and he makes you feel what we’re often uncomfortable to engage with. But it’s still hopeful because he believes that love is the solution. It’s beautiful and brilliant and sparkling.
Bowie is in full Star mode. Glam
Rock at its tightest, heaviest and dirtiest
I can’t believe I slept on ‘Cracked Actor’. Damn what a great tune.
The electronic sample and sequence melodies are groundbreaking. Musically it’s very enjoyable. Lyrically… well, it’s good that the gay kids have cool music that’s just for them. It’s pretty bold for 1987.
It’s crazy how good of a debut album this is. The relationship between the beasties and Rick Rubin soured after this but they’re bringing the best out of each other. That being said, as we’ll see with ensuing albums, they had a whole different level of best ahead of them. But that never happens without this album and all the fame and attention which followed.
Minimalistic and hauntingly beautiful, this album is the ultimate what-if. Bruce’s home studio 4-track demos won out over a fully orchestrated and arranged E Street band album, which is considered lost media at this point. A true lightning in a bottle moment featuring brilliant songs about people pushed to break bad as their last option.
Like Queen’s catalog as a whole, this album is hits and misses. But when they hit, they really hit and demonstrate everything that makes them legends. And when they miss, at least it’s still interesting.
