Not my kind of music so probably deserved another listen before I pass judgment. I can’t say I’ve immediately warmed to it, however I understand the appeal and appreciate their impact and importance.
A mixed bag for me. Some obvious high-points but drags towards the end and therefore doesn’t quite live up to its iconic status. Some undeniable tunes still.
An absolute joy. An album I can’t believe I’ve never heard before, and one I’m so glad to have found. Lovely album by a band who deserve more recognition.
Enjoyed it much more than I expected to. Obviously the hits are hits for a reason but I was surprised by the quality of the other tracks too. Not one I’ll revisit too often but a positive experience nonetheless
As a huge Bowie fan, this is an album I’ve often overlooked. While it’s not one of my favourites of his, I enjoyed it much more than I remembered. I forgot how good the title track is especially. Suck Baby Suck!
One of my faves. Such an underrated entry in the Kinks canon. So many songs which are never included in ‘best of’s but absolutely should be.
Much better than I had expected. An album I now see as being underrated, seemingly by most people as well as me. While it lack the audacity and flamboyance of some of their subsequent work, it contains some great prog stuff and surprisingly heavy guitar work at times. A genuine surprise; a pleasant one.
Really not my kind of music so perhaps a biased opinion but for me it’s far too long and far too repetitive. Genuinely no reason for it not to be 30 minutes shorter than it is. At times it felt unlistenable. At times I was bored; the worst thing you can be while listening to music. Black hole sun (by far the stand out track) being such a tune is the only thing saving it from a 2star rating (I’d give 2.5 if I could)
A classic for a reason. Surely one of the greatest albums of the 90s, and of all time. Nothing close to a bad track. Untouchable
So much energy in this one. All the attitude of punk, complete with melody and great riffs. Not a band I’d given any attention to before but with be sure to in the future.
Really like this one. Wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Immediately clicked with it and enjoyed on each listen. Clear inspiration from the Kinks and the Byrds, which I enjoy greatly. I’ll be sure to check out their other stuff.
I’d give a 2.5 if I could. I really enjoyed the WuTang Clan albums I’ve heard but this wasn’t for me. Far too long and bloated, maybe I’d give a 3 if it was 25 minutes shorter. It doesn’t have as much to say as 36 Chambers and wasn’t dynamic enough to keep me engaged for the entire (long) run time
Really grown on me. I still think it’s slightly too long but I love how spiteful and angry it feels. It’s incomparable to early Dylan, or even the Dylan of Blood on the Tracks, and that’s part of what makes it, and him, so great. Opener love sick sets the bitter tone and it’s one of my favourites of the album. Not dark yet is another highlight and is more reminiscent of his early work. I love this more than I expected to.
A brilliant album of course. Introspective, vulnerable lyrics and fantastic musicianship. Not quite consistent enough across the board to earn a perfect rating but it’s pretty damn close.
Just not for me. While I have clicked with rap albums in the past, this wasn’t one of them. It’s not my genre. I know a lot of people hold 2Pac with very high regard, and I appreciate the artistic direction of the album and some of the lyricism but it’s not one of my favourites.
An enchanting album showcasing a spectrum of different musical sounds of the late 60s, from the more acoustic feel of the album’s first half to its blues-heavy second.
‘Somebody To Love’ is an obvious single but it’s immediate successor ‘My Best Friend’ is also a stand out track. Another favourite of mine is the Velvet Underground-alike ‘D. C. B. A. -25’ kicking off the second side of the record.
‘White rabbit’ was the other single and for me is probably the albums highlight. Dripping in psychedelia, it’s Alice in Wonderland-based lyrical metaphors go so perfectly with the enchanting instrumentation and hypnotic bassline.
Underrated
7/10
I want to give this more than 3 because at its best it’s a tour de force of non-mainstream rock music creativity, but it’s just not quite consistent enough across the board for me.
Instrumental opener ‘Cecilia Ann’ sets the tone for the slightly rockier direction the band takes compared to their previous efforts. For the most part, the album follows up on its promises, however its immediately undercut by the heaviest song on the album (and possibly my least favourite) ‘Rock Music’. If the track was placed elsewhere on the album, and the instrumental opener went straight into ‘Velouria’ (a standout track and obvious contender for lead single) and ‘Allison’ (another favourite of mine) perhaps it wouldn’t disrupt the albums cohesion so much, and I may like it more than I do. As it is, it stands as a strange outlier, as far as I see it, offering nothing of the melodic hooks that even the heaviest songs on previous pixies albums utilise to keep my jangle-inclined ears engaged.
As I say, the next two tracks are very strong, as is the rest of the album, for the most part. ‘Dig For Fire’ is another solid choice for single due to its catchy chorus and engaging lyrics. ‘The Happening’ is probably my favourite of the lot. It’s outro works well enough on its own as ‘The Thing’ (b-side to lead single ‘Velouria’) but I think the first half of the full version warrants its existence in making it feel like a more complete song.
Certain tracks on the album contain a confidence and swagger exceeding that of the previous 2, but it doesn’t have the firepower of Doolittle’s hit-filled tracklist or the coherent lyrical themes, or wider influence of Surfer Rosa. As such, I do think it’s a slightly weaker effort, but one they’ve shown no signs of topping since.
This album deserves to be every bit as iconic as it is. Most records from the 50s sound so badly produced and, with the exception of jazz, tend to have aged incredibly badly. As such it’s compliment enough to say that an album from a musical era so bygone is listenable, and even enjoyable. It’s a joy to listen to a collection of songs from a time when my grandparents were children and get so much out of it. The songwriting too, particularly from a storytelling perspective, is very strong. For these reasons, I don’t at all dispute the album’s consistent placing on ‘1001 albums you should hear before you die’ lists, and the like.
Having said that, by the end of the album, I did begin to find it repetitive. I acknowledge that it was limited by the technology of its time and higher production values were not available, or even in-keeping with the intentions of Robbins for that matter. However, there are many albums with just a voice and an acoustic guitar that manage to keep me on my toes for longer than this manages to.
‘Big Iron’ is the standout. It’s a great opener and one of many engaging storytelling moments on the record. The rest follow in a similar vein and by the end I grew ever so slightly tired of the same themes in every song (I know that’s the point of the album, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it).
Nonetheless, like I said, it’s highly regarded for a reason; its lyricism, vivid imagery and character painting having a great influence on many future songwriters.
The album started out very strong with the title track, which (like many people I’m sure) I feel like I’ve heard a thousand times without ever knowing how or why I know it. The next 2 or 3 tracks kept me engaged as well. Like every song on the album, they contain so much soul and groove. I did however, by the end, feel as though I’d heard the same song multiple times, and I simply wasn’t in the mood for any more organ solos (as much as I had been enjoying them at the start). I was also thrown of by the ‘Twist and Shout’ cover. I felt removed from the album by the inclusion of an instrumental version of a song I’m already so familiar with. While this isn’t the band’s fault (as this was released before the Beatles’ version with which I’m most familiar) I still felt as though it disrupted my listening flow. Nonetheless, it’s an album I’m glad to have heard.
Completely unexpectedly, I really really like this. For the most part, it’s just Kevin Rowland rambling on about this and that, over the top of some extended instrumentals. Given this premise, my expectations were low to mixed. The album exceeded them in unusual ways as it’s not an album full of catchy hooks and choruses but even after 1 listen I had had such a good time with it. Deserves more recognition
