Don’t think this is quite in the same league as Nevermind. All Apologies, Pennyroyal Tea, Milk It and Heart Shaped Box were my favourites but the other tracks left me a bit cold.
Great album but perhaps a bit thin for a triple album. I felt there was one legendary album or a great double in there but triple seemed to stretch things.
Sounds as raw and energetic as on release. The seeds of London’s Calling and Sandinista are all in here. The cover of Police and Thieves is still probably my favourite track with Londons Burning and Garageland following behind.
Not really a fan of Muse so not a band I’ve listened to much. This album only reinforced that for me. Not bad-bad but for me seemed an unconvincing mash up of early Queen heaviness (but with synths) and Radiohead wannabe quirkiness with a bit of Keane (‘Starlight’ I’m pointing at you) thrown in.
The album and band that didn’t ever sell well originally but allegedly everyone who bought them back then went and off and formed a band. The music is a strange mix of gauche, almost whimsical, psychedelic pop (Sunday Morning, Femme Fatale, I’ll Be Your Mirror) and rough rock and roll (I’m Waiting For The Man, Run, Run, Run) and dark claustrophobic experimental (All Tomorrows Parties, Heroin, Venus In Furs, Black Angel’s Death Song, European Son). Where it works it works really well - on some of the darker songs; but some of it hasn’t aged well like Run, Run, Run. Favourite songs Venus In Furs, All Tomorrows Parties, Waiting For The Man, Sunday Morning.
In my view Who’s Next is the most consistently strong track wise of The Who’s albums. Tommy is still my overall favourite album of theirs with this following close. Behind Blue Eyes is my favourite track.
I’m not really a fan of rap or hip hop. Some of it works for me but most either (a) just leaves me cold; or (b) turns me off completely due to its lyrical content. The beats and music are often fine. Ice-T’s Original Gangster sadly fell into both my dislike categories. I could barely get through any track without hitting skip apart from The Tower which seemed ok mainly because of its interpolation of the theme from Halloween. This is going to be a 1 star.
Slightly bombastic prog rock. Almost good until Geddy Lee starts hitting the falsetto notes and then it all falls apart for me. The 2112 suite is lyrically dull if not dubious with its heavy Ayn Rand references. The second side shorter tracks are much better. My favourite track is Tears as Geddy tames the high shriekiness and the melody is great.
Bland pop really. Leavened by Karen Carpenter’s pure vocals. The hit singles were overplayed throughout the seventies
Epic, emotive, vocals coupled with great arrangements. Puzzling that it undersold and was poorly reviewed on release. Glad that it achieved its place on many ‘best of’ lists.
Never resonated with me on its original release and still doesn’t.
Undoubtedly Kraftwerk didn’t deliberately set out to be the blueprint of all electronic pop to come when they made this album but blueprint and influence it became. Kometenmelodie 2 has clear echoes forwards into much of UK synth pop of the late seventies/ early eighties, while I can envision Bowie and Eno absorbing Mitternacht and coming up with sides 2 of Low and Heroes. And that’s without citing the 22 minutes of glorious Autobahn itself. What’s incredible is that on this re-listen it all still sounds fresh and modern. It has a deserved place on this 1001 list as it does on many others.