1001 Albums Journey

-Serve the Servants — was okay, didn’t stand out particularly but was fine to listen to. -Scentless Apprentice—had to skip, too loud and screamy -*Heart-Shaped Box — was enjoyable. The chorus was angsty and rough while the verse was whispery, calm, intelligible and touching. -Rape Me — first, why? Interesting beat and melody. Skipped because I don’t want that stuck in my head. -Frances Farmer…—“I miss the comfort in being sad”, good vocals and guitar solo -*Dumb — love the guitar on this. The lyrics hurt which is the point. “I’m not like them, but I can pretend” -Very Ape—meh -Milk It—nope, I’d classify as explicit -*Pennyroyal Tea—one of the rougher ones that I can still tolerate. Cobain’s vocals are great alternating between the soft and hard -Radio Friendly…—meh, interesting but didn’t strike me as overly special. The guitars are making very interesting sounds so there must have been a lot going into that. -Tourette’s—not a fan of the delivery on this one, I guess it’s simulating Tourette’s but I don’t want to listen to that lol -*All Apologies—goooood; “all in all is all we are” said that 50 times and took me forever to get it; guitar is pleasant, contrast in Cobain’s voice is nice. Like this one I appreciate the talent of Kurt Cobain in his lyrics and also his delivery. His difference in tones and then, as mentioned, his soft singing and more rough/gritty delivery. The songs are emotionally intense in a frustrated kind of way. And because I know his name, Dave Grohl’s drums come through nicely without being overwhelming. Nirvana isn’t my cup of tea but I was able to enjoy some songs which I think can prove their great ability as musicians and lyricists *would download 3/5 or 6/10

-*Down to the Waterline—groovy sound; enjoy the clear guitar. Honestly the middle guitar solo makes me want to look out over the sea in Italy. Mark Knopfler’s voice is sweet and intriguing. Between talking and singing which is a cool, slick style. -*Water of Love—Opening makes me think island music. Chill song. The compositions sounds both complicated and simple. The instruments kept me around then I started to enjoy the lyrics. -Setting Me Up—is that Bob Dylan? Lol. Again, pleasant instrumentals that keep me around. I can appreciate Knopfler’s voice but it’s not my favorite style. Feels like there’s some rockabilly influence -*Six Blade Knife—I want this played in a 60’s/70’s club with smoke making the air hazy while a man in a slick suit approaches a suave lady and they go out to the dance floor. What are their secrets, why are they here? No one knows, but they dance the heck outta that floor. -Southbound Again—southern rock influence? Groovy. -**Sultans of Swing—first, love the song title; Knopfler and the guitar having a conversation, sharing a story. Very enjoyable listen. “We are the sultans of swing.” -In the Gallery—bit slow for me, imagery and subject is interesting -*Wild West End—another lyrically interesting song. Like singing a journal entry. “Excuse me talkin’, I wanna marry you…you’re just another angel in the crowd” -*Lions—“yes, and a girl is there/high-heelin’ all across the square” great lyric. Metaphorical imagery and nice song construction. Really enjoy the guitar work on each song. Knopfler’s voice stands out but isn’t my particular favorite. Each song is well crafted and interesting. The album is cohesive and a standout as a band’s first release. Enjoyed the guitar outros. Dang, Mark Knopfler is quite the songwriter. *would download **definitely heard before

-**Hello—gotta be in a reflective mood for this but that chorus goes hard. -Send My Love—very 2010s; sounds like a Lorde song; not bad, not great -I Miss You—I can imagine this song being featured on Grey’s Anatomy or similar. 🤷‍♀️ -When We Were Young—bored (gotta be in a mood for this one too) -Remedy—nice message, but is the song good? -*Water Under the Bridge—that’s a foot-tappin’ beat. Like this one. Blasting this in my car soon. -*River Lea—one of those songs where the intro verse, which is like talk-singing, feels too long, when is this song going to start?? But then it gets going with a good chorus. -Love in the Dark—very moody and heart-wrenching. -*Million Years Ago—self-reflecting style; easy listening; reminiscing type of song -All I Ask-when I’m in a sad mood this will hit harder; “it matters how this ends/‘cause what if I never love again?” -*Sweetest Devotion—love the echo-y intro; the melody, lyrical flow, beat etc. Like this one. Adele belting “the sweeeetest devoootion” is great. These song titles are so cheesy 😅 but I did just come from Nirvana & Dire Straits. Adele’s voice is beautiful and emotive. The songs are well (or over?) produced. Nice album. I find myself not quite paying attention to the lyrics so a bit boring or just background music. I can see myself enjoying this more or less depending on how I feel that day. It’s a bunch of love and heartbreak songs. *would download **have heard before 3/5

-The Phone Call: sounded like a phone call I don’t want to listen to -*Up the Neck: Blondie-esque; interesting lyrics -*Space Invader: that bass though! So immersive I didn’t notice it was solely instrumental. Great! -The Wait: nope -*Stop Your Sobbing: Hynde’s voice is so pretty and this song features that better than others (re: The Wait) -**Brass In Pocket: “‘cause I’m gonna make you see/there’s nobody else here, no one like me” true Chrissie, very true. lol, I like this one -Lovers of Today: rock lullaby, bit bored -Cuban Slide: interesting enough for background music at a dance -I Can’t Control Myself (Demo): like the contrast of the guitar vs Hynde’s lyrics/voice -*Swinging London: cool title; enjoyable instrumental journey -*Tequila (Demo): Chrissie Hynde goes country, lol, that was fun and ballad-y The sound is very cohesive. The talking-singing-talking thing doesn’t always work but Chrissie Hynde makes it interesting and what a lyricist too! Hynde has a great voice but while it’s in a rock song it seems like it doesn’t quite fit sometimes. I guess part of their style is to mess with what I might call lyrical rhythm (?), too many words in a musical measure. This could just be criticisms of their overall style. *Would download **Heard before Note: long album, unlisted tracks = “Meh”

-**Rehab: the instrumentals are so good, how do you outshine those? Have a voice like Amy Winehouse. -*You Know I’m No Good: beautiful; I want this played in a smoky club while Amy is on the small stage on a stool. Everyone dressed in modern 1920s-esque clothes. -Me & Mr. Jones: meh -Just Friends: meh, feels like the music and singing don’t go together well -**Back to Black: so good, that’s a jam -Love is a Losing Game: same thought as “You Know I’m No Good”; slow-dancer -*Tears Dry On Their Own: this one is fun, her voice is so fun to listen to -Wake Up Alone: bit too slow, but good contrast to other songs on the album -Some Unholy War: just ok to me -*He Can Only Hold Her: backup vocals, lead vocals, instrumentals and lyrics all working so well together, good -Addicted: didn’t quite hold my interest, but as with all the songs here, the lyrics are interesting, vocals and instruments are great Giving me an edgy/modern take on 60s rock ‘n’ roll. It surprises me that these songs are from the 2000s. Amy’s voice is so soulful and aged compared to her youth. What a unique and interesting talent that was lost so young. Even though a spotlight has shone on her short career because of its tragedy, I think the attention is deserved. As a songwriter and vocalist, she was incredible. This is a fantastic album. I went from knowing little about Amy Winehouse to wanting to hear more. *would download **heard before Note: reviewed “clean” version

*new format* -Heard before: N/A -Would Download: Samba Dees Days; Samba Triste; E Luxo So; Bahia -Favorite track: E Luxo So -Thoughts: Never listened to Jazz before; this is nice, easy listening. Definitely something to have on in the background while working or cooking. Very enjoyable.

I have been big fan of the Beatles for the majority of my life. Accordingly, I’m coming at this review already biased. If I wasn’t listening for the first time, I think I would like these songs: Back In the USSR, O Bla Di O Bla Da, I Will, Martha My Dear, (all the Paul songs??), Blackbird, Birthday, Sexy Sadie If I didn’t love the Beatles, I would be rolling my eyes at and skipping these songs: Happiness is a Warm Gun, Why Don’t We Do It In the Road, Rocky Raccoon; Wild Honey Pie, Revolution 9, Everybody’s Got Something… Thoughts (trying to view this through a different lense): the range of the Beatles creativity is incredible. To think they arrived in America only 4 years previously (1964) singing Please Please Me and She Loves You (yeah yeah yeah). The shift, expansion, development in their artistry, dynamic, lyrics, music is incredible. That being said. I don’t think the White Album is a good introductory album to the band. Some of the songs get a little strange, alternative and perhaps, “something only a mother could love”. The mother in this case = those who love out-of-the-box stuff or love anything touched by John, Paul, George, and Ringo. I like that there is a broad variety of songs. You get Back in the USSR and Birthday but you also get Savoy Truffle and Long Long Long. The transition between songs as you listen to the full album is just lovely. As a Beatles fan forever (I certainly would have been one of those screaming girls with tears rolling down my cheek) I enjoy each song on the album, but these in particular: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, While My Guitar, Martha My Dear, Rocky Raccoon, O Bla Di, I Will, Honey Pie, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Piggies, Blackbird. And all the rest of them!

—Heard Before: N/A —Would Download: See No Evil, Venus, Guiding Light, Prove it, Torn Curtain —Favorite Track: See No Evil —Thoughts: I’m surprised I haven’t heard of this band before. Perhaps because they’re classified as Punk and Alternative. The Tom Verlaine’s voice is both off-putting and interesting. It will take awhile before I get used to it. However I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the album. The music is fun and feels familiar with a twist and the lyrics are interesting to listen to—like there’s actual thought out into them! Well done to Tom Verlaine, what a songwriter! The album is cohesive and the kept me listening.