Listened to this enough times in my lifetime - not my favourite Metallica album but it has my favourite Metallica song on it, Through The Never, and some other bangers.
An okay album, but simply just that.
Cultural significance might actually play a big part here....I can completely appreciate how this album would've been a breath of fresh air in the late eighties after the excesses of glam rock and super pristine productions. It's noisy, fresh, highly energetic but melodious.
It's not my natural type of music to listen to, but I'll always have a soft spot for Where Is My Mind from Beaver days, and I really liked Turkish Disco. The influence on grunge and bands like Deerhoof is patently obvious.
Failed to grab me and not as energising as their debut. Karen O undoubtedly a brilliant singer.
My favourite jazz album, probably spun in its entirety once a quarter. There isn't a track I dislike - the arrangements are still fresh and interesting today, with nothing overly long or short. Rouge is a particular standout, penned by John Lewis; it never bores me.
I've got Louis to thank for introducing me to this album - it is indispensable in the world of jazz!
So on a first listen, I found it to be one-dimensional but pleasant enough. I subsequently read the Wikipedia article for further context and listened again....the title track's subject and lyrics are undeniably poignant, the story itself enhancing the song to another level. Musically, it is still mostly uniform, but I guess that's the point with this style. I love the strategic placement of the kick drum on Travelling Man, with She Never Met A Man and My Blue Tears the other standouts for me.
I just don't get it, I honestly don't. I'm admittedly not a fan of the jangly 90s sound, and the album was more diverse than I expected, but the songs just don't resonate with me (and aren't even that good)?
I remain bemused.
It evokes images of an over-aged Bond seducing someone far younger in the Roger Moore era...not something I'll specifically be revisiting in a hurry.
Having said that, Hang On To Your Love and Frankie's First Affair are pretty neat, but the album's dripping candle production isn't my favourite.
Like a weird hybrid of Steely Dan, Captain Beefheart and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Fairly enjoyable but not captivating, I'm not minded to give it multiple spins.
I like rock, but not this kind of rock. It is interesting that the album/title track have been unfairly labelled as unashamed patriotism, but that's about it for me.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, the influence on early Blur quite apparent. Mostly cracking tunes, highlights being This Year's Girl, Pump It Up (obvs), Chelsea (why on earth was this substituted on the US LP) and Living in Paradise, the latter having a stonking bassline.
I'm not usually one for punk, but this is melodic and has the right amount of spike. Definitely one to add to the collection!
What a treat to listen to for the first time! Tasteful playing, lovely laid-back grooves and cool songwriting, I'll definitely be replaying this album.
On Sir Francis Drake, Rain Song and Ride The Wind were particular favourites.
Fun album, the second half really kicking things off, but hasn't caused me to stop in my tracks. Backing vocals are cracking.
Rod Stewart has obviously scarred Taj Mahal for life, the scoundrel.
Growing on me with more listens. It's neat songwriting overall.
There are tunes which are much better than others, Blame It On Cain being an example, but it doesn't have the same urgency as This Year's Model. There is an argument that it's a better vocal performance however!
Properly kicks off with Bonham's amazing beat from The Crunge and doesn't let up from there. Say No Go is a banger.
For me, it doesn't hit the heights of A Tribe Called Quest, but is a great album nonetheless.
Bloody weird album. I found it interesting and impressive as a sound collage, but with the artificial tone and the songs not presenting anything I could cling on to, repeated listening is unlikely.
The impact this album had on me as a teenager is substantial, hours spent playing along to it and analysing the DVD footage. I therefore feel conflicted about its rating, as it's incredibly hard to disassociate my formative experience from listening to it today; for example, Of Wolf and Man was a firm favourite as a 15 year old, but I'm a bit indifferent to it now.
Nevertheless, the overlaying orchestral music is excellent, with Metallica at the height of their powers before they fell prey to the post-St. Anger period. The Call of Kthulu, Master of Puppets, Fuel and Battery are simply awesome.
What a way for Jason Newsted to bow out.
Why?
Very much of its time, I wasn't gripped.
Hitching a lift on the back of Alessio's scooter up north, the warm surroundings and non-stop laughter, lying face down to breathe in the dew from the earliest morning grass, launching ourselves off the pier to reset, culminating in drinking a blend of teas in the morning haze having, with any luck, escaped the threat of an antiquing. All that was left was wondering how to get home....this album is its soundtrack and even then, is still a classic in its own right.
What started off as promising, the lyrics and groove of the opener being cool and interesting, descended into too long an album filled with pretty average material.
Might get better with multiple listens but the sterile production is hard to listen to for an extended period of time.
I find Western music generally easy to listen to, this album being no different in that respect. Nice tales with harmonies splashed here and there.
Simply not for me on any level.
Feel like I need to give this more spins to really dig into its significance, especially on The Bomb Squad's work. But I liked what I heard on a first impression.
My default stance is one of loathing when it comes to Neil Young, but I may yet come round.
Funky but only fairly remarkably.
I'm a sucker for this type of layered, harmonicas complex music in short snippets. Really enjoyed it.
It's taken me a while to truly appreciate Radiohead, and the musical shift to go from their guitar-led angst to this album of classics, rooted in electronica and polyrhythms, is a ballsy and very well executed artistic statement.
This album is kinda hilarious, not what I was expecting at all until it reached the end. Can appreciate why it was popular, but some of the guitar solos are very iffy and it cements my backing away from the fence take on Maiden.
I made it through three and a half songs before sending it back. Off to a terrible start with some sort of accordion static noise, it never got better. It made me think that Vampire Weekend listened to Graceland and thought 'we could do this so much better'.
Enjoyable, a very leisurely listen. Not gravitating towards future listening however.
One long song?
Upon it's opening, I was transported to a world of David Lynch and an alternative Twin Peaks-esque universe. So things were looking up, but then I found the sludgy pace, reverb melted drums and the outright dreary nature of it somewhat soul-destroying. Perhaps I should have read the album title more closely.
It has cleverly multi-layered moments, Lullaby being the pick of the bunch, but I found it tough going overall.
I could listen to Stan Getz all day, one of the finest saxophone players ever to grace the planet. It's a lovely album, but not quite top of the top for me.
As Verity's favourite artist, I have listened to this album multiple times. First half is much stronger than the second, some good times and there is no doubting the vocal talent.
