Loved the outlaw tales, especially the first few songs. The novelty wore off a bit in the second half but still a good listen.
I’m familiar with Yes and a lot of their big singles. This album has a couple and is a great proggy romp through a number of genres.
I enjoyed this but didn’t think there many standout tracks; I’m a sucker for a single. Stop reading my thoughts Tim.
Dream pop without the pop. I kept waiting for something to happen. Purgatory pop? Not for me. On a side note I would have bet the house on them being Scandinavian with the dual lead singers, possibly
Phwoar. Now we’re talking! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this for the first time in probably 20 years. Plenty of different ideas on here, which I’m into. At first my instinct was to champion the big riffs, electronic crescendos and general return to upbeat alternative music, but on reflection the quieter and drawn out moments are as much of the band’s back catalogue as anything else up to this point. This feels like a band confident enough to ignore the pull of constant invention and look back on their previous releases, revisiting whatever ideas they still find exciting. Oh, and the drums sounds incredible on this album.
When I saw this come up, I was feeling Optimistic, only to find that Everything was not In Its Right Place. At the time this genre bending album would have been a five out of five, but without the shock value of their sharp left turn some 24 years later, it’s another story. The bangers still bang, the unsettling moments still unsettle and the Aphex Twin-light ambient tracks still do what they’re supposed to. Familiarity breeds contempt and in the wake of many of these genres hitting the mainstream (before disappearing again) and the diversification of popular music in general, perhaps the main thing this album had going for it is now a moot point. For example, the pure soundscapes of Treefingers and Untitled feel like a bridge too far and even boring at times. Two Radiohead albums back to back has reminded me how good they are at writing a bass line and how the drums always sound incredible.
What, another Radiohead album?! 43 minutes from only 8 tracks was the first thing I noticed and when the album began with a country twang, I wondered what kind of journey we'd be on. Sadly, outside of a slight foray into funk on No Other, I found it a pretty middle of the road collection of country rock ballads. Some nice production and the odd interesting idea but not enough to make me revisit it.
Well this makes me sad. I knew this album and was excited to hear it again. Listening to it back though, I realised that I MUCH prefer the soundtrack to the film than the original album. The songs are reworked, the theatrical style suits it better and despite it being a longer album it’s a much faster pace. Plus the incredible appearances from Tina Turner, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Ann Margaret, Eric Clapton, etc.) really help define and distinguish different characters. In the original version I found myself wondering about the gaps in the story. I even looked up the story afterwards and found the lyrics didn’t really align with what was supposed to be happening. It’s never explained how Tommy got introduced to pinball and how he went from being cured of his deaf dumb and blindness to being seen as a new messiah. One final thought on the lyrics - did we need the song about him being molestes by his uncle? I can’t imagine that making it on to too many playlists. Musically the songs are good but the knowledge that they weren’t the definitive versions kinda prevented me from enjoying them wholly. At times I found it a bit exhausting but the final half really picks up and some tracks still sound amazing. Overall I respect the ambition, concept, and musicianship but this wasn’t a trip down memory lane I needed.
So good I listened to it twice! I knew a few singles of theirs but had never listed to a full album. As if this was their first?! Love the mix of Latin, soft rock, white guy RnB, etc. One track even sounded like Thin Lizzy. I’ll be listening to more!
Good god this album is annoying. Before I listened to it I would have said I was a fan of Beck’s based on the singles, so I was surprised to find how much I disliked this onslaught on nonsensical noise. Just awful.
Dolly steals the show in this trio. Wildflowers is a highlight, Hobo’s Meditation (jeeeesus christ) is a low point that hasn’t aged well. Musically a lot of the songs are interchangeable; just vessels for the harmonies and to sit upon, which is a shame. A lot of country sub-genres are visited though and it was great to hear the twang of the slide guitar in The Pain of Loving You. Not something I’d revisit in a hurry but it was nice to be reminded what a great singer Dolly is.
“Fleetwood Mac made some of their best music while they were fighting.” “Rumours?” “Nah it’s all true.”
Love the harmonies and the guitar tone but I think I’m more of a ‘The Best of The Eagles’ kinda guy
What an opener! Only for the vibe to drop for next five songs :( Me and Julio… was another false dawn. The man can really write a song, but for me some of these just dragged
Another great opening track and another artist whose singles I know well but I've never heard an album. This was a bit up and down in terms of quality I thought. The man can write a fantastic single but I found some tracks to be a bit middle of the road. Another 'Best Of' artist for me.
I'll be honest, I couldn't finish it. Those vocals drove me mad.
Not for me
Where to start with this one... I knew a couple of songs like Where the Wild Roses Grow and love the few Nick Cave songs that I know, including his new album....but at times this was a bit of an uncomfortable listen in terms of lyrics. Song of Joy was pretty full on and I wish they'd have built up to it and had it as anything but the opener, but I guess that's a minor quibble and arguably the whole point of the song/album is to create those feelings of discomfort in the listener.
The album that launched a thousand bands. It still sounds so good, all these years later
Another day another Radiohead project, eh? Whilst this and Pablo Honey are somewhat cut off from the rest of the band’s discography you can hear that they are no normal indie rock band on this record. What an opener Planet Telex is and what a wonderful album it is in general
Back to the unfamiliar, which is nice! However, this album was a bit of a tough listen. I’m sure in the mid-nineties this was very new and boundary pushing but to modern ears it sounds like someone who is new to the genre and is cramming as many samples as they can into most songs. At times it was a pretty hard listen. The highlights were the more ambient tracks where less is more.
CCR are one of my favourite bands and I can't help but feel criminally underrated. What they aren't though, is forgotten, as I read an article a few weeks ago about their greatest hits album basically never leaving the Billboard Top 200, floating around the 30s, and they split up 52 years ago! Anyway, what an album, what a band, if you liked this go and check out some of their other stuff ('Fortunate Son' is one of my favourites).
Big fan of Supergrass! Not the album I would have picked but nice to hear this again after so many years. Amazing singles, some forgettable deep cuts though
Pretty interesting, especially Four Women. Not sure I’d listen again but what a voice. After hearing her big singles and now this I’d definitely try another album
Enjoyed it but not sure I’d listen again
Quite repetitive, Hooooo!
Decent. Mixed bag though. No time for more thoughts, sorry!