"Without You" one of the greatest ballads of the 20th century, arguably. When I first heard this album years ago, I didn't realize how many hits of his had been used in popular culture while I was growing up. Also, even with those hits, I feel he is still underrated. Very creative.
Classic album. While Elvis now has received a to of flack for his "stealing" of black music, I mostly blame the music industry for putting him to that. In all fairness, he could have said more though. It was an industry completely built on this formula. No doubt his career was built on the style and songs of black musicians, but i'm not sure how much control he had in that. his later years he held a lot more way but he collapsed mentally and physically. With all that being said, sonically, this is a good album. People today cannot really understand how this sound shook things in mainstream white culture. The songs are solid, but his ballads and slow songs are where he really stands out. That is true for all his music.
Old country is so underrated and this album is awesome. Easy 4 stars. Mellow, classic, and like so many other old country albums, perfect for imagining oneself at some bar in a bygone era after being heartbroken. I can smell the ashtrays and see the Malboro Red neon light signs from here. Add in wood panelling and only 2-3 other people at the bar listening to why your partner left you, and the scene is set. This would be a great vinyl purchase. Also note, Coal Miners Daughter is another classic.
Can't imagine listening to decades worth of this kind of music. I have to very much be in a ironic metal mood to listen to this. They go hard, but I had this album on in the background while I did other stuff and honestly didn't notice when the songs changed. Honestly I think the lead singers voice is sort of corny and stereotypical, but to be fair maybe his voice is the one they based all the others off of. I can objectively rate an album even if it is not my taste, but objectively i'm not getting the hype. It's fine, but not more than that.
Wanted to like this much more than I did. Love the mood and vibe but meh
Reminds me of very specific kids in high school, mostly friends of mine whose music I vastly disagreed with lol
Don't even need to write something huge. This is a five star hiip hop albbum. "It aint hard to tell " is one of my favorite hip hop tracks of all time.
Classic sound. I've never appreciated The Band as much as I should, but such a fun album. I feel like this sound does not really exist anymore. very evocative of the era.
Love this album. I heard it very early in my formative Jazz appreciation years. The sounds, the experimental nature of it, the melodies. I love it. Such an important album for me in my Jazz fanhood.
Hearing the songs on this album made me realize how influential it has been to American culture. Great beats, easy going, fun to listen to, and as stated before, highly influential. The amount of times i have heard samples of these songs, or the songs in general, referenced in movies, tv shows, in other songs, is immense. You get a picture of a very certain kind of nightclub during a very specific time period while listening to this album. I love that. I love any music that immediately puts an image and time in my mind.
4.5 stars but not a 5 which remains reserved for legendary albums. This is a great great album though.
Much better than I thought it would be. Sometimes albums from this era are cookie cutter but I enjoyed this a lot. It may not be 4 stars objectively, but on a personal level, I had a lot fo fun listening to it.