Bittersweet. Knowing he created this material while facing death gives it an added weight. It’s so eclectic. Modern and classic at the same time. Vulgar in a great way. Aggressively peaceful.
The harmonica on these tracks sounds amazing and epically beautiful. Willie’s voice in this context really sparkles. Just beautiful, fun and playful arrangements. Really enjoyed the experience.
Already one of my favorite bands. I think this is their masterpiece so far. Blends the two eras of the band perfectly. The old raw and dirty with the newer polished raw and dirty. I love it. Their music always goes straight into my body and gets me moving.
Starts very strong, but the last third is underwhelming and doesn’t have the same urgency of the first third.
Solid album. So many catchy hit songs in one place. Great consistent sound all the way through.
Incredible how sophisticated and yet accessible this is. The harmonies are gorgeous.
Created an incredible vibe that is consistent through the whole album. Bob showing how he can paint the most vivid pictures with his words. Great mix. Full sound with lots of space. You can feel the room they made the record in.
Nice sound. I prefer Johnny Cash’s style to this more pop version of these songs. Sounds fake compared to the Johnny Cash or Ray Charles or Little Richard versions. Knowing these songs better now, this album comes off more like hillbilly Frank Sinatra or something. Making black music accessible or safe for white kids. The sound they got with four tracks is pretty incredible and the kid has a great voice. I guess I should be grateful that this album came along and infused white music with some groove, but at the same time I can’t help but listen to it as a bit of a sad relic. The reverb on his voice is so radical.
Fuck yes! This record never looses its punch for me. This is always tied to my first experience playing music and understanding how to arrange a song. The whole album is just so fun. The energy never lets up. The simple riffs and arrangements just make it more fun and the lyrics are so singable. You feel like you are at a Ramones show.
There are some interesting arrangements and instrumentation. And it’s all mixed very well. Sounds great. I just find it all really shallow for some reason. Not a fan.
Not a lot of dynamics to this album. The raw feeling of the album is there, but verges into amatuerish at times. I like the effects he does to his voice. Psychedelic country music. The are a couple interesting songs, but it is mostly a slog to get through the while album to be honest.
Wow. This record is definitely a specific sound of its time, but it’s kind of incredible to hear how influential it actually was. There are the theatrics of Queen and Genesis, but it’s so much more rebellious. No winking like the rock n roll before it. Heavy Metal embraced the outsider image and, as these songs show was willing to explore confrontational themes. The riffs they are doing and the chugging rhythm guitar sound feels really revolutionary on the record. These guys are all really masterful musicians too.
I came into this one with 0 expectations. Never heard of the band had no knowledge of the album. This was a great experience. What a great band. My hot take. This album is a far better psychedelic experience than Sgt. Peppers. This record has everything and is amazing for the 4 track era. Sonically a superior album. The songs and arrangements are fantastically surreal and the playing is great. So heavy and light in the same song.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. I respect Iggy and like his greatest hits catalogue, but after listening to this from front to back I need to do a deep dive. I ended up liking every single song. His voice and lyrics paired with the production and arrangements were so cool. Love it.
Wow. Amazing how modern that album felt. Incredible musicians in those sessions! So tight and mixed perfectly. Need to listen again through some good speakers. Didn’t like all of the songs, but most of them.
Great recordings. Can really hear the “wall of sound” style on these tracks, because most of them are songs and arrangements we know so well. Great era for singers! It’s interesting how he mixes the drum kit. So many layers and only 4 tracks! A definitive record of the 60’s pop era before the kids really took over the industry.
A classic album. You can hear them creating the sound that became their signature on albums like OK Computer or Kid A. First half feels very contemporary to the time it was made and the second half points to a new direction. This album has so much heart and soul. Great songwriters.
This album is so saturated with its time period, but the musicians and the production is just fuckin flawless. Dave’s voice is peak on this one. They are firing on all cylinders. Deliciously self indulgent. Great sequencing. That’s a great ride.
Gorgeous album. No notes.
Great musicians and some banging parts, but it took me a while to get into it. Pretty impressive for a live record. Great band, but didn’t speak to me much.
Masterpiece. Feels like a manifesto some times, in the best way. RZA is just killing it with the production and the sounds. Great performances. A little dated, but still slaps.