5/10 Managed to have a good listen through. Liked it, didn’t love it. Some really good playing in there and some of the tracks were great, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag. As previously stated, sounds like a random assortment of tracks, rather than an album. Some really odd recording choices, particularly in Manenberg Revisited. Overall, I think there are some tracks in there that I’d come back to, but the album as a whole didn’t really grab me. Mandela - a bit too loose Song for Sathima - sort of reminded me of a much better Weather Report track (A remark you made) that I’d prefer to listen to. Manenberg Revisited - Like this track, but one of the instruments is recorded in a really off-putting way, like it’s clipping a ribbon mic the whole way through, but is then turned down in the mix. Tuang Guru - Like this, much better. Swings really nicely. Water From An Ancient Well - Loved this one. Smooth and playful. Plenty of little sections for each player to have a little bit of fun with the theme. Maybe a bit too long. The wedding - Nice enough, but I’d be pretty sad if this was a representation of my wedding. Quite melancholy. The Mountain - Again, nice enough, just a bit dull. Sameeda - Liked this one. Bit of a sudden change a couple of minutes in, but had a good swing to it. As previously mentioned, the muted trumpet is lovely. Bit meandering in places.

6/10 I listened to this twice, first time I enjoyed it more than the second, but I was concentrating less. It kind of washed over me in a kind of (like Jimbo said) ‘enjoying at a festival’ way. Second listen, I found it to just be a bit too ‘Indie Band with synths writing festival anthems’ for my taste. It also often relied on the same, or very similar basic chord structure or rhythm through both verses and choruses that made it a bit uninteresting in places. I think I wanted to like it more than I did actually like it. What it really screamed out to me is that they found or programmed some interesting arpeggiated synth patches, but didn’t know how to transition to and from from those patches between different sections of a lot of the songs, so a lot of them just kind of relentlessly persisted throughout. A bit like yesterday, liked it, didn’t love it. Zero - Decent kick off. Not massively keen on the driving synth that dominates the mix. Heads will roll - Liked this more than the first. Soft Shock - Decent song, but doesn’t do anything that interesting. Skeletons - Another, more low-key anthem. Dull Life - Really like this one. There’s a bit more to it, more dynamic and stylistic range, Shame and Fortune - Like this one a lot too. Not as interesting as the last one, but it’s got a great groove. Runaway - Good song, a bit samey throughout. Dragon Queen - Loved the groove in this one. Doesn’t really go anywhere with it though. Hysteric - A bit dull. Little Shadow - Nice, also a bit repetitive. Faces - Like it, didn’t love it. Similar to the rest of the album, it was just a bit repetitive.

7/10 I think the overwhelming feeling I have when listening to this is awe at the absolutely stunning vocal harmonies that are just all over the album. They elevate some good little pop songs into something much more special. It’s a bit of a mixed bag and definitely an album that works on vinyl more than other mediums as it’s very much an album of two sides. I think the cover tracks do stick out a bit. Listened to in context with the rest of their work, I’d say the quality of this could be a little overlooked. It’s no Pet Sounds, Friends, Surf’s Up or Smile, but what is? Assessed on its own terms, it’s a solid effort. I feel like the lyrics are maybe one aspect that lets things down as they’re fairly ‘lyrics by numbers’. Brian’s work is often elevated when collaborating with a separate lyricist to refine his lyrical intentions. I do love some of the choices Brian makes with his compositions though. He doesn’t always pick the more obvious chord changes and I love that. Best one we’ve had so far to me. Do You Wanna Dance? - Neat little pop song opener. It’s a cover, but the harmonies are a nice addition. Good to My Baby - Bit of a filler track for me. Nice enough, but nothing standout. Don’t Hurt My Little Sister - Fairly routine early Beach Boys fare, but lovely harmonies. I absolutely love the pre-chorus. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) - Interesting twist on more classic Beach Boys love songs with the less standard instrumentation. Has beautiful moments. Help Me Rhonda - A brilliant, brilliant pop song. Great momentum and the harmonies are so lush. Dance, Dance, Dance - Another great pop song. Please Let Me Wonder - Quite an introspective ballad. Brian is starting to open his soul and it’s a sign of what’s to come. I’m So Young - Another cover. Nice enough, and elevated by the vocal arrangements. Kiss Me, Baby - That moment when the group vocals come in… Ooof So good. A little bit too on the nose as a ballad, but still lovely. She Knows Me Too Well - This is a proto ‘Don’t Worry Baby’. Lovely, but a little basic from a structural point of view. In The Back Of My Mind - There’s something Beatlesy about this. Some of the background percussion is also _very_ Pet Sounds. Nice little introspective closer. Bull Session With “Big Daddy” - They must have had time to fill. Pointless.

6/10 I expected to like this more than I did. The opener and closer are stone-cold classics and lift it from a 4 to a 6. But everything in the middle just doesn’t really connect with me. I like individual bits of quite a lot, but I don’t think that all of the component parts actually gel together into a completely satisfactory whole except for on Baba and Won’t Get Fooled. If they did a whole album that used those as a starting point and went from there, they could have made something very special. Side note - Roger Daltrey just seems like a bit of a try-hard in places. Overall, it’s not bad, but I don’t think I’ll go back to many more tracks than the two aforementioned ones. I just think there were quite a few bands doing the more straight-forward rock stuff a lot better than this. Baba O’Riley - Banger. I’ve always thought the folky fiddle bit at the end is a bit weird though. Bargain - Decent bluesy rock song that lost me a bit in the softer parts and was too long. Love Ain’t For Keeping - Liked this one. Had a good groove and didn’t outstay its welcome. My Wife - This just wasn’t very interesting. The Song Is Over - I wish it had been over sooner. Somehow seems to meander along despite Keith Moon trying his best to inject a bit of drive. Thought it was finishing and it was only half way through. Getting In Tune - Paul McCartney seemingly took the best bits of this wrote ‘Live and Let Die’. It wasn’t bad and had a decent groove in places, but as a whole it just didn’t really do much for me. Going Mobile - Liked some of the Instrumental parts, but didn’t grip me as a song. Behind Blue Eyes - Again, a decent enough rock song, but not a keeper for me. Won’t Get Fooled Again - Another Banger. Didn’t feel as long as some of the much shorter ones because it was actually interesting and all of the transitions and sections were much more coherent.

6/10 I enjoyed this one. The rhythm section is so tight. Really not an album for people who don’t like guitar solos though! So many of the hooks and grooves were really good, but I don’t feel like there was much development of the themes as the songs went on, though most tracks were pretty short so they didn’t drag too much. I think this one might be a little hard to judge outside of the context of the era. They were obviously doing something very American Deep South vs bands like Led Zeppelin, and I liked it, but I also don’t think a lot of the songs were that memorable outside of a few riffs here and there. I don’t expect I’ll come back to this often, but I did enjoy it for what it was. Waitin’ for the Bus - Loved the groove on this one. Not much to it, but it doesn’t hang around long enough for that to be a problem. Jesus Just Left Chicago - A bit more plodding. Pretty standard blues fare, but it’s pretty clear they have a great command of their instruments and a sense of groove. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers - More driving, I like this one. Vocals do a bit more on this one, though still plenty of time for some soloing. Master of Sparks - Another good groove, it just didn’t feel like it went anywhere with it, really. Hot, Blue and Righteous - Nice change of pace to end side one. I enjoyed this one, particularly as a counterpoint to the rest of the first half of the album. Move Me on Down the Line - Another tight groove. Another fun solo. Precious and Grace - Good bit of attitude to this one, but ended up being a bit repetitive. La Grange - The quintessential southern blues riff. Great song, even though it again doesn’t really do much beyond a great riff, a solid groove and a bunch of soloing. Sheik - Another great groove and I really dug the vocal swagger on this one too. Have You Heard? - This one actually developed a few different ideas early on which was good, but it was a little bit plodding.

8/10 Well I was really not expecting to love this as much as I have. As a complete stylistic juxtaposition to the ZZ Top album yesterday, where they wrote one good riff and stuck with it, Genesis seem to have a hundred ideas and somehow combine them all into one coherent (to my ears), if a little bit batty, whole. It’s going to sound like a very odd comparison, but this reminds me in some ways of the Aphex Twin album Drukqs (One of my favourite albums of all time) in that it is so frenetic at points and often doesn’t settle on one idea for very long, but also has these little breathers sprinkled around, like More Fool Me and the ending of Dancing with the Moonlit Knight that just give you a minute to collect your thoughts before it lets loose again. I mention this during one of my track summaries, but this album feels like living in my brain. I can walk into a room with the intention of doing something, end up getting distracted, doing four different things before, ten minutes later, remembering what I started doing in the first place and then getting back to it. Anyway, I can really feel the folksy influence of traditional England that they’re trying to reference and I think the concept of the album does come through quite clearly. It’s obviously pretty self-indulgent in places (it’s a prog record) and it could probably have been made a bit tighter without losing anything, but all in all, that was a really fun ride that I’ll definitely be coming back to. Dancing with the Moonlit Knight - Love the way this tempts you in with a few builds that then just drop away, before it eventually goes balls-out. The change in tempo, time signature and dynamic at various points is great. This song feels a bit like my brain when I’m trying to do a simple task. It ends with a nice bit of reflective palate cleansing too. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) - Feels like they’ve listened to some of the Beatles more experimental tracks and said “you think that’s weird? Hold my beer.” It’s a more straightforward song than the first, but scattered with an undercurrent of lunacy. And that low mellotron note on the intro and outro is beefy and nasty. Love it. Firth of Fifth - The first minute or two of this is more what I was expecting from Genesis. Nice piano intro into a more straight forward rock section. I love the light and shade of this and the rhythm section really punctuates the rest of the music nicely. And it just drifts into various different ideas again and again while still sounding like a coherent whole. But does get a bit self indulgent in the second half. More Fool Me - I feel like this is them going, oh by the way, we can all sing too. Harmonies remind me of the Bee Gees. Lovely little track and another great palate cleanser. The Battle of Epping Forest - I’m a sucker for an irregular time signature. The way this track keeps changing emphasis is wonderful. The beauty of this is that, if you just had it on in the background and weren’t listen to it properly, you might miss how strange it is. Has enough little hooks to keep it from being too much of a jumble, at least to me. After the Ordeal - Another palate cleanser. Nice little track, if a bit cheesy. But I think these little bits of respite are key to the flow of the album. The Cinema Show - Quite a delicate intro and then it kicks in nicely. The drums sound amazing here, especially the little ghost notes on the snare. So deft and crisp. I feel this is a bit ponderous and, while there are bits of it I like, I felt like it maybe drifted a bit too much and maybe didn’t justify the track length. Aisle of Plenty - A pretty little coda. The overlapping vocals are nice.

6/10 This was a decent one. There are definitely echoes of this in a lot of music that would follow it, from Nine Inch Nails to the Pixies and some of the more abrasive Nirvana tracks. It was pretty non-stop, partly because of the (obviously) metronomic and unstoppable drive of the drum machine, which made it quite a lot to take in in one go. Some of the tones they dragged out of their instruments were absolutely epic, especially as a three piece, like metal being wrenched apart. While I did enjoy this, it was definitely wearing me out by the end. I think I’ll probably go back to it here and there, but listening to it a couple of times round for this was definitely a lot. Jordan, Minnesota - This is pretty relentlessly driving. Really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Vocals are oddly low in the mix. Passing Complexion - The sound of this is great, like the red mist that clouds your senses when you’re absolutely furious about something. Reminds me of Pixies quite a lot. Big Money - Liked the riff in this one. Another non-stop track. Kerosene - This one had more distinct verse/chorus sections and there was a great groove, especially after the chorus. Maybe not as balls to the wall as other tracks, but I really liked it. Bad Houses - There was a bit more dynamic to this one. There is always the almost threatening undercurrent of the drum machine driving away, but that almost emphasised the change of pace from the rest of the instruments. Fists of Love - This one had a ‘Scentless Apprentice’ feel to it. Back to the more driving, breathless stuff. Stinking Drunk - Loved the riff on this one, as well as the breakdown near the end. Solid track. Bazooka Joe - I really liked bits of this, but it felt like it was just a bit too long. Maybe the non-stop nature of the album is tiring me a little but. Strange Things - A bit of Oi! Punk. Again, pretty relentless and things are starting to feel a bit too repetitive for me at this stage. Cables (live) - I had wondered if the could pull off the massive sound of the record live. Turns out they could. Abrasive, noisy and relentless.

2/10 This sounds like a distillation of 90s pop-rock with all of the edges sanded off. I mean, it’s ok if you’re out shopping for dungarees at Top Shop, but as a ‘must hear’ album, I just don’t really get it. Her voice isn’t great, both from a control, or from a tonal point of view. It sounds like a mediocre open mic singer-songwriter that’s been given a decent budget to hire a band of pros, but made sure that she kept the reins on so they don’t do anything too interesting. With that in mind, I’ve no real idea why so many of these songs are over 4 minutes long. Aimee Mann’s fans are probably now all 50 year old women with ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ etched into bits of driftwood adorning the walls of at least 50% of the rooms in the house they kept in the divorce. It’s pretty well produced, although her vocal is a bit high in the mix and perhaps a little dry in places, which doesn’t help her. The band seems very competent too. It’s not offensively bad or anything, it’s just uninspired and dull. And way too long. I Should’ve Known - What a strange intro. Sounds like they forgot to trim off the bit where the band were pissing about before they started recording. 30 seconds in and the 90s appear. It’s got that 90s toe tapping rhythm to it, but it is bland. It’s also too long. Fifty Years After The Fair - This is twee and her slightly nasally voice that she doesn’t have great control over just helps it to sit in ‘mediocre pub band’ territory. I think she probably loves REM. 4th of July - I think this is supposed to be an anthemic ballad, but it doesn’t have a discernible hook. Meandering. Could’ve Been Anyone - The first 10 seconds sounded like something different might be happening. Then the song started and it was just the same stuff again. Real middle of the afternoon small stage at a festival stuff. Put Me On Top - I think she’s trying to do some more interesting stuff here with a few of the transitions, but this is the most blah 90’s chorus makes sure we don’t forget that this isn’t actually interesting. Stupid Thing - Boring thing. Say Anything - This actually sounds like the band are trying to do something a bit more exciting in the first half, but then it just gets worse and worse. The ‘I’ve heard everything’ bits are so so bad. Jacob Marley’s Chain - Sombre song referencing Victorian literature - check. Plodding and repetitive. Mr Harris - I think there’s a half decent song in here actually, the execution just isn’t right. Vocal isn’t strong enough and is also too high in the mix. I Could Hurt You Now - Strange verses that sound like it’s trying to be ‘dark’. Chorus is more bland pop-rock. I Know There’s A Word - That word you’re looking for? Boring. I’ve Had it - There are places where she just doesn’t hit the notes. This is another really boring one. Way Back When - Certainly not the worst verse on the album. A bit of whimsy that’s not too twee, and then the chorus is just rubbish. Forget what I said. The outro is way too twee. Piss off Aimee.

7/10 I’ve never really listened to much Neil Young outside of the radio hits, but I liked this. I do listen to a bit of early blues here and there and there are obviously big echoes of some of that music in here. The title track is a bit of a standout for me, but there are some other really good tunes in there too. In retrospect, Walk On is a bit of an odd album opener as the rest of the album is definitely more melancholic and bluesy, even on the more upbeat cuts, but perhaps that just goes to emphasise the emotion throughout the rest of the album. I’m pretty sure I’ll be back to this one as I enjoyed my second run through more than my first. Walk On - What a great little opener. I really like the transition between the pre-chorus and the chorus. It’s got a really nice swagger. See the Sky About to Rain - Big echoes of Heart of Gold in the vocal for this one for me. Nice song though. I’m a sucker for an electric piano and the Wurlitzer on this is lovely. Revolution Blues - A nice change of pace, this is a really great track. It’s got a good groove but is also somehow a little sinister. For the Turnstiles - I like this too. It’s got an old-school blues sound. Simple, but effective. Lacking in anything bassy which makes it sound a bit thin. Vampire Blues - Another decent bluesy number. Really like the chorus on this one. On the Beach - Immediately sounds more melancholic. This is one for when you’re wallowing in your own self pity. I love the dark, smoky atmosphere this evokes. There’s a little bit of hope and optimism that seeps through here and there. Dark times with a hint of dawn in the distance. Motion Picture (For Carrie) - This one was ok. A bit more pedestrian without the depth to some of the other tracks. Liked the harmonica solo. Ambulance Blues - I liked some aspects of this, others less. Liked the violin, but I’m not keen on this type of harmonica playing. That sort of rhythmical blowing on chords without picking out a note just sounds a bit lazy to me. This was too long as well. Thought int was finishing and there were three minutes left.

6/10 This was a very nice album. Paul Simon always seems like he’s singing from the heart and there’s nothing bad on this album at all, but there’s also not a lot of songs that would be troubling his ‘best of’ selection in my opinion. Honestly, I feel this is one of those ones that’s quite an odd inclusion on a list like this. It’s not his first album, it’s not even his first debut album (although his first only had a limited release), it doesn’t really do anything that groundbreaking, as far as I can tell, and it’s definitely not his best album. His voice is wonderful, his delivery is excellent and he’s clearly a very good songwriter. I did really enjoy listening to this one, though I still think I’m more likely to pop Graceland or Bridge Over Troubled Water over this if I’m in the mood for some Paul Simon. Glad to have been handed this one on a Monday morning though. Mother and Child Reunion - Nice enough reggae track. I like the melodies and the groove, but it does seem like a bit of a white boy distillation of a relatively new (at the time) music from Jamaican culture. Duncan - This is a more classic Paul Simon cut. I do like the way his vocal melodies move. Though I like it enough, I don’t think it does anything that interesting for a 5 minute song. Everything Put Together Falls Apart - A beautiful little piece of vocal work. Lovely. Run That Body Down - Another really nice track. He has such a great voice and I do like the way his vocals don’t always stick to the expected rhythm with the rest of the track. Armistice Day - Less keen on this one. There are elements that I like about it, but it never really lands on a memorable hook. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Love this tune. This is the one I knew best from this album beforehand and it really is a standout. Joyful. Peace Like a River - Quite a tonal shift from Julio. Very pretty song with a sombre edge and some really nice guitar parts. Papa Hobo - A pleasant enough song, but it does kind of feel like we’re on a wind-down now. Hobo’s Blues - Jaunty little intermission. Paranoia Blues - A good little bluesy number. Good, but not really standout. Congratulations - A bit of an understated closer. Again, very nice, but it doesn’t really do anything to stand out.

9/10 Stevie really is one of those artists that, while being one of the most highly-rated musicians of all time, could still be considered under-rated. Yeah, he wrote (or co-wrote) some of the greatest songs ever, he’s a virtuoso on anything with a keyboard and he’s got one of the greatest (and most versatile) voices in popular music. But he also played nearly all of the main parts on the album too. All of the drums - Stevie. All of the bass (except the opener) - Stevie (playing a Moog). Oh, and he was the lead producer too. I feel like there are some very slight lulls in this album and it’s probably my 3rd favourite of his albums, but it’s still an exceptional piece of work. While a couple of the songs won’t be troubling my favourites lists, as a part of the album as a whole they combine to make something that flows so beautifully and really encapsulates the concept an album as a coherent singular piece of art. That opening to side two is just ridiculous too. The one, two punch of Superstition and Big Brother? Do behave yourself. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - It’s a love song, but it’s got such a funky little undercurrent with the gorgeous Rhodes and Bass that just walks all over the place. Beautiful harmonies too. Maybe Your Baby - Again, the staccato funk from the combination of clavinet and Moog is so good. I love the way Stevie’s vocals just dive around all over the place but never seem set-indulgent or overdone. He doesn’t sound like he’s being a try hard, just that he can’t help his should taking over. That being said, this is too long. You and I - A more understated track. It’s nice, but not spectacular. Tuesday Heartbreak - Now we’re talking. What’s better than the Rhodes in track one and the Clavinet and Bass in track two? All three together. I’m not sure it’s possible to listen to this without at the very least tapping your toe. If you manage it, you’ve got no soul. You’ve Got It Bad Girl - This has some really beautiful harmonies. More of a jam piece than some of the tighter tracks on the album, but there’s so much talent in there that it’s a jam I’m happy to listen to. Superstition - I mean, it’s Superstition. The Clavinet does so much to bring the groove. The vocal is fantastic. And Stevie played everything on the track except the horns. Big Brother - Another absolute banger. Such a groove, and political Stevie somehow manages to be both funky and biting in his delivery. I love Stevie playing the harmonica and while it takes more of a backseat here than it does in some of his other tracks, it’s still so so good here. Blame It On The Sun - Slowing down the tempo for a love song, but there is so much going on here, it’s still fantastic. Little trills all over the place from the piano, guitar, even some lovely drum fills. And it still grooves. Lookin’ For Another Pure Love - The different instruments wash in and out of focus in this so nicely. Oh, and here’s a solo from Jeff Beck. I love the way all of the vocal lines compliment each other and again, the musicianship on show lends more of a jam feel to this one. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) - Bit more of a cheesy closer, but the way this ebbs and flows is great. And the vocal layering that builds in the second half is just great.

4/10 While I enjoyed this as a background listen, I find it quite an odd inclusion on this list. A collection of songs that weren’t written by the artist and, in every case that I could find, had been released by a different artist prior to this album being released. There also wasn’t much to differentiate these from the originals either. To be fair, that was just part of the way things were done at the time, but it hardly screams ‘must listen example of the art form’ to me. Dusty obviously has a lovely voice and when she got to stretch it out a bit it was really enjoyable to listen to, but I did find there were a few too many bland songs that didn’t really do a lot for me. I’ll happily listen to a few of these tracks again in the future on a playlist, but I doubt I’ll be actively seeking them out or bothering with the full album again in a hurry. Mama Said - I do like the vocal melody on this. It’s a nice little pop song. You Don’t Own Me - I really like the transition between the brooding versus and the more uplifting chorus. Another good little song. Do Re Mi - Another nice pop song. It’s like the way the bass moves the track around and it’s got a good groove. When The Love Starts Shining Thru His Eyes - In the chorus, it felt a bit like the lyrics had been written and then forced into the song despite the fact that they didn’t quite scan properly. OK, but not really interesting. My Colouring Book - This was a bit boring. Mockingbird - This was also a bit boring. Didn’t do a great deal. Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa - This was a bit more interesting, but I do feel like I’ve heard a lot of songs that sound quite similar to this but do it better. Nothing - Better groove to this one and she’s got the chance to showcase her vocal control a bit more. I did like this, but again it did remind me of something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Anyone Who Had A Heart - Nice enough. Again, a bit boring. Will You Love Me Tomorrow - This one’s a bit of a classic. Great tune, but we’re also going to hear it later in this project sung by the original composer, so… Wishin’ And Hopin’ - Another nice pop song but a bit bland. Don’t You Know - Strong closer. A good groove and she got to really work her voice on this one.

6/10 Looking at this purely from a modern angle, one could consider this to be pretty tame, but given that it was released in 1973, I suspect it was far more of a fresh and heavy sound at the time. It seems to take a lot of older rock ’n roll stylings and throw a bit of aggression and attitude over the top of it. It worked better in some places than others, but I thought the general vibe was good. You can definitely hear a load of things across the album that are direct influences to bands that would follow. I bet these guys were an absolute riot live. From a musical point of view, I think you’re either going to gel with the vocal style or absolutely hate it. As someone who listened to a variety of punk growing up, it worked fine for me, except when he tried to actually sing in a more traditional way, when it just fell to pieces. On my second listen, I felt the second half of the album was stronger, but maybe I was just getting into it a bit more. I’m definitely glad to have heard this and I did really like a few of the songs. Not one for the regular rotation, but a great pick for the project. Personality Crisis - This is quite fun. A bit of bluesy r&b slapped about with a proto-punk attitude. Looking For A Kiss - This is a bit more tame and doesn’t really pull off the attempted attitude as well. Vietnamese Baby - A decent Little Rock ’n Roll number. Nothing that special but ok. Lonely Planet Boy - A softer song like this really exposes the singers voice. It works for the more punky, heavy stuff, but it doesn’t sound good here. Boring song too. Frankenstein - Again, this one doesn’t do anything that interesting. The attitude and vocal works better here and I don’t mind it, but it’s just a bit samey. Trash - This is a weird crossover between punk and jangle-pop. I can hear elements of a lot of things that were to follow in this track alone. Fun if a little too repetitive. Bad Girl - The structure of this was less repetitive and I quite liked it. The vocal worked really well with a song like this. Dirty Rock ’n Roll. Subway Train - Another decent one. There was a nice groove to it and it had a good dynamic change between the verse and chorus. Pills - Anther good one. It’s a fairly straightforward bluesy rock ’n roll number, but it’s good and has a nice bit of attitude. Private World - Another good little tune. Maybe a bit too similar to the songs that surround it, but decent nonetheless. Jet Boy - This one seemed to be going the same way as the last few tracks, but it really hit its stride about a minute and a half in. Good riffs, good pace and a good mix of vocal styles from the lead to the backing vocals.

6/10 This has always been the one out of Stevie’s golden period that I was never really sold on. It’s just a bit too pedestrian for me and I typically think that his more laid back love songs don’t stand up in comparison to his more upbeat, funky and jazzy stuff. I think they can work as part of a more varied and more structured album selection, but these aren’t some of his better slow songs, in my opinion, and there are just too many of them in one place. There are little touches here and there that I just love, but I will nearly always find myself reaching for Songs in the Key of Life or Innervisions over this. I think the mix of the album doesn’t actually help it as some of the tracks just seem a little busy and the groove gets a bit lost, which on an album with quite this many slower songs doesn’t help to give it the juice it needs. I don’t think it’s a bad album, I just don’t think its up to the standard that he can hit, which makes it a little bit disappointing. Smile Please - Nice, smooth opener. It’s a cool little track and the little nuances give it interest. It’s got a subtle groove that I like. Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away - There are elements of it that I do really like, but it does drift a bit too much. That being said, I did find myself toe tapping for the duration. Too Shy To Say - This is more boring. Nice enough, but just doesn’t do enough for me. Boogie On Reggae Woman - Classic. Such a tune. The different rhythmical elements of this track just give it so much groove. I love the way the jazzy piano just drifts in and out of focus too. Always dig a Stevie harmonica solo too. Creepin’ - Again, elements of this that I enjoyed, but it was just a bit pedestrian and not that engaging. You Haven’t Done Nothin’ - Another great groove on this one. Doesn’t really offer much in the way variety through the track though. It Ain’t No Use - I like this track. Good groove, nice layered vocals, but overall just doesn’t grab you the way his better work does. They Won’t Go When I Go - This one’s just a bit dull, especially for a 6 minute run time. Bird Of Beauty - There’s a decent shuffled rhythm to this, and it has hints of that Stevie staccato funk, but it just doesn’t have enough of a drive to my ear. It sort of lands somewhere between two worlds and ends up sounding a bit muddled. Please Don’t Go - Again, there are bits here that I like, but as a whole it doesn’t quite click for me in the way my favourite Stevie stuff does. It ends up sounding a bit too cluttered towards the end too.

7/10 This is a funny old album. It felt like a bit of a pick and mix at the beginning and the interstitial pieces didn’t really bring much to the party, but boy does this grow as it goes. Honestly, if you’d had started at Super Rich Kids, I think I would be ranking this much higher. Albums with little micro-tracks and interstitials can sometimes work really well, like in ArchAndroid by Janelle Monae, where they tie the concept of the album together, or in Boards of Canada albums where they just add little musical flourishes, but here, I think they don’t necessarily add much to the overall feel of the album. His voice is like cream in places, although there were times (particularly Thinking Bout You) where the vocal line didn’t work for his voice. There were also quite a few moments where his voice was way too dominant in the mix, but I think that’s probably due to the hip-hop production style. First time I listened through, there were bits that I liked, but on the second listen, I really started to groove with it, especially during the second half of the record. I think there’s a *really* good 35 minute album in here. But he released a 55 minute one, which just drags it down for me. Start - It’s an intro. Like he pocket dialled when turning on his arcade machine. Thinking Bout You - The verses have a nice groove, but I cannot gel with his falsetto in the chorus on this at all. Sounds so thin and forced. Fertilizer - The snippet of tune here is actually quite good, but I don’t really get the point of it. Sierra Leone - This has some potential, but it doesn’t really seem to settle on an idea until half way through, and then it’s over too quickly. Sweet Life - It feels like we’re getting into the swing of things now. The lead vocal is oddly high in the mix and the rest of the track gets a little bit lost because of it, which is a shame. Otherwise, this is a good one. Not Just Money - This interstitial seemed to actually have a bit more of a point to it, particularly followed up with the next track, but it was also hard to hear what was being said. Super Rich Kids - Another good track. His vocal is definitely at its best here. A good blend of hip-hop and Neo soul, and a nice juxtaposition between the very staccato rhythm and the smooth vocal during the sung parts. Pilot Jones - The falsetto sounds a bit better here. Again, there are elements of this that I really like, but it does seem to build momentum that then drifts away a little too much. Crack Rock - I liked this one too. A nice groove, but I didn’t feel like it added enough variety to different sections of the song. Pyramids - I really love some of the stuff in this track. Went a bit ‘dance floor rave synth’ in the middle, which I was less keen on. But as a whole, this was pretty strong for a ~10 minute track. Lost - This is a great track. A good groove, smooth vocals and all tied together with really nice instrumentation. White - Nice little instrumental. Not much to write about, in reality. Monks - I liked this one too. A little disjointed in places, but it was decent enough. Bad Religion - This is a great track. Soulful, a powerful vocal, a solid groove and plenty of dynamic in the backing. Really good. Pink Matter - Another good one. Again, a powerful, soulful vocal. The bass slaps (literally) in this one too. The track (minus the vocal) sounds a bit like it was pulled together from some Prince deep cuts, or something from The Plant Life. Like it. Forrest Gump - Another nice one. Perhaps a bit less interesting than some of the preceding tracks, but it’s not bad at all. End - A little drift away from the tail end of the album. Worked as a closer.

2/10 This doesn’t really do much for me. I think there are much better examples of similar music of the time, like Simple Minds or Tears for Fears, both of which had already released better music by the time this had come out. Weirdly, the label were apparently interested in the singer, but not so keen on the rest of the band. I think he’s the worst bit. He’s not a bad singer, but his delivery is all over the shop and lyrically it feels a bit like a teenager who thinks they’re deep. He’s also really having to work to fit some of the lyrics in with the rest of the song. I think there are some kernels of quality hidden in some of these tracks that having a really strong producer might have teased out, but even the production is a real mixed bag. I started getting more annoyed at this towards the second half of the album. Funnily enough, the version I listened to on Qobuz had a bunch of bonus tracks. They were way better than anything on the album and the production was SO much more subtle. But we’re not here to judge them by their outtakes. Overall, I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I don’t think it was as bland as Aimee Mann. But I also think that her album was more consistent and had better production. I’ll have to rank them equal. Bury Me Deep in Love - This sounds like it’s supposed to be epic and massive, but it just seems hollow. Likewise, the main lyric seems like it’s supposed to be really profound, but just feels awkward. This track was used in Neighbours for the wedding of Harold and Madge. Seems about right. Kelly’s Blues - This is a better song, but it’s also not that interesting. It’s very 80’s. A Trick of the Light - Some truly awful keyboard/synth tones on this. Very meandering and the lyrics seem somewhere between try-hard and didn’t try hard enough. Hometown Farewell Kiss - There are some nice ideas in this one, but the execution and the production just let those ideas down. And it gets more cheesy the longer it goes on. Unmade Love - This seemed to be building up, but never actually arriving anywhere. Just a bit dull. Open For You - This is just terrible. Sounds like a bad children’s Christian rock song. Holy Water - Some really odd choices in this one. A sort of steel drum synth patch and then some church bells followed by a terrible synth flute. And the lyrics are woeful. He couldn’t even be bothered to write some of them and just did do-do-dos. Underneath it all, I don’t think it’s actually a bad song, but it’s been produced to sound half way between a Christmas song and a calypso. Blinded By the Hour - Again, there are some decent elements to this one. But overall it’s a bit boring and doesn’t execute very well. And then it’s got a piano ;playing out of key in the background near the end. Vagabond Holes - Another one where there’s something decent in there somewhere, but executed poorly with bad lyrics. I particularly dislike the machine gun snare drum. Jerdacuttup Man - I quite like this one actually, but it really reminds me of something else that I can’t quite put my finger on what. The vocal delivery feels a bit try-hard and there’s too much reverb. Calenture - This is a strange little interlude. Don’t really see what it adds. Save What You Can - A ballad with tortured lyrics that sounds like the cleanest pop production of the whole album? Why not. It’s quite boring.

7/10 Radiohead are a unique band. In my opinion, it’s all of the thought that goes into the smaller elements of their songs that really elevate them, the little samples or synth parts that just emphasis a section or provide sonic interest or depth. While a lot of bands will repeat a verse with different words, Radiohead often have some completely different ear candy that separates one section or verse from another. How much of this comes from the band and how much from Nigel Godrich, I could only guess, but he’s essentially a band member at this point really anyway. This album was created out of the sessions for Kid A and released only 8 months later. To me, this does show and, while there’s a lot to like about some of the tracks, it overall does fell a bit like a b-sides and outtakes record. The highs are high indeed, but it has a less coherent sound than some of their other albums. Overall, I think this is very good and some bits of it are top tier, but they are capable of much better than this, and we’ll be hearing a few of them further down the line. Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box - I love the staccato nature of the rhythms on this track, set against the smoother, flowing tones from the lead vocal and other instrumentation. There’s plenty of interest in the ever-changing accompaniment if you listen more deeply. Pyramid Song - I absolutely love the way the piano drags the rhythm in this track. It’s a really beautiful piece that just swells and then ebbs away again. Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors - I really like elements of this. You can definitely hear the Aphex Twin influence in this one. But it is a bit samey. These types of tracks can really work in an album, but I just think it’s a bit too long for what it is. You And Whose Army? - A decent song and it builds nicely, but it’s not one of the better ones on the record. I Might Be Wrong - That guitar riff is great and some of the rhythms here are great. There is some interesting elements that come and go through the track too, but it is a little on the repetitive side. Knives Out - Sometimes Radiohead thread the needle between sounding utterly depressed and somehow uplifting at the same time. This is one of those. Great track. Morning Bell/Amnesiac - A worse version of a track from the last album. Strange choice and only emphasises the ‘Kid A Offcuts’ nature of this album. Dollars and Cents - Quite an understated one here in some respects, but it’s got some of those great harmonic backing vocals and does the ebb and flow thing nicely again. Doesn’t sound like there’s too much going on if you just let it wash over you, but there are a load of interesting nuggets if you listen more closely. Hunting Bears - I don’t mind a palate cleanser here and there on an album and this one’s ok. Nothing too interesting really, but settles you for the next one. Like Spinning Plates - Radiohead do unsettling really well, and this is a great example. The flickering rhythms, the slow drifting of the instrumentation and vocal. Lovely stuff. Life In a Glasshouse - I feel like this one’s just a bit disjointed from the rest of the album. There are elements of it that I like, but it just feels a bit disorganised. Not bad, but just not great.

5/10 There was some stuff on here that I did really like, and it’s clear that this has had a significant impact on the emergence of the grime scene and the empowerment of disenfranchised people, which is only to be applauded. That alone makes its place on this list valid. But from a personal point of view, I found the production of quite a few tracks to be grating. There were some odd choices to have some elements of tracks dominate the mix to an extent that they were distracting from what was a decent track underneath. There were also times when the repetitively of a track just made it tiring to listen to. A two or four bar loop for 4 minutes without much variety around it just doesn’t do it for me. I often found myself thinking that if the vocal was more prominent and there was a bit more variety between verse and chorus, I would appreciate some of these tracks much more. When he got it right, though, there were some really good moments. Fix Up, Look sharp, Round We Go, Jus’ A Rascal were all great tracks, for example. I feel like if this had a more experienced hand in the producers chair and if the album had been stripped back to 10 tracks, this could have really floated my boat more than it ended up doing. Sittin’ Here - There are bits about this that I like, the overlapping vocals, the cadence of the beats, but the main melodic hook does just get a bit tiring after a while. Could do with more variety. Stop Dat - More variety on this one. The tonal elements seem a bit disjointed, but the focus is always on the vocals, beats and bass, which is always the main driver in this type of music. I Luv U - There’s more structure to this one and it probably works better because of it. I’m not massively keen on some of the sounds, but it’s a decent track. He self produced this age 16. Brand New Day - There’s a bit of theme building now. The synth bell tones that kind of dominate the mix just don’t do it for me. Under that there’s a pretty decent tune, but it is getting swallowed a bit by something that is slightly annoying and too much of a focus. 2 Far - It’s less dominant here, but there is a ‘Uh-Uh’ sample that is too loud in the mix and too relentless. I actually really like the track apart from that, the flow of the rapping is great and it’s got a good bet, but that sample is so distracting. Fix Up, Look Sharp - This is much better. The mix isn’t dominated by anything annoying. The vocals sit front and centre, the beat is beefy, if simple, the structure is good. Nice. Cut ‘Em Off - The production gives this an interesting vibe. It’s dark and brooding with a layer of aggression. Not bad, but perhaps a bit too repetitive. Hold Ya Mouf - I like this one. The beat has got a groove and there’s a bit more variety to different sections of the track. That being said, the melodic motif that runs through the duration is a bit annoying, but less dominant than on other tracks. Round We Go - Back to having a bit more of a sectional structure here and it really helps. Tracks like this one are the best ones on the album. Good grooves, great vocals and enough variety to keep things interesting. Jus’ A Rascal - This is a banger. Aggressive and driving. Wot U On? - Decent tune. That kick drum / bass is too much though and it’s quite long and relentless because of it. Jezebel - This one’s a bit annoying. The lilt of the beat/vocal/pizzicato strings just jars with me a bit. Seems 2 Be - This was ok. I feel like the nature of the album is starting to drag on me now though, to be honest. It’s not got a great deal of variety to it. Live O - Another one with an over-loud and repetitive element that dominates the mix. Does that high-pitched tone need to be that loud and insistent? Do It - I really like the vocal in this one, but I’m definitely getting to the point of being tired out by the musical content being a two bar loop that just repeats for the duration.

10/10 This album is so punk despite not really being punk at all. They do drift into a more punky sound on Shadowplay and Interzone, and you can clearly hear that influence, but the album as a whole is something else entirely. They’re clearly quite raw musicians, but they manage to produce some immensely evocative music. You would never get an album that sounded like this released today, because all the little fluffs and oddities would have been tweaked out of it before release, but to me it really adds to the overall vibe of the album. It feels like the band are teetering on the precipice of madness and trying to scream back how it feels to those further from the edge. Even Ian Curtis’ vocal, which frequently grasps quite loosely at the edge of tuning, just adds to the sense of anxiety that permeates the whole album. The production is magnificent too and was, I imagine, quite groundbreaking at the time. The little ear candy pieces like smashing of glass, and other sonic oddities that add variety and ambience to the music really help elevate it, and are clear influences on the later production of Radiohead in particular. This album feels like a real pillar for what would follow, with the emergence of alt-rock and grunge, and I really don’t think we’d have had bands like Pixies, Nirvana and Radiohead in the same way without this. Despite what others may see as flaws worthy of lowering the rating of the album, I feel that everything just melds together into something that is way beyond the sum of its parts. A brilliant, brilliant album. Disorder - Good track that’s both melodic and intense. There are some weird choices and mistakes(?) in the bass line, but the overall vibe is great. And it gets even more intense and massive as it crescendos. Day of The Lords - There’s a sense of brooding dread about this. It’s very atmospheric and massive sounding. A really great track. Candidate - This is more sparse and scatterbrained, but in a brilliant way. It drops down to almost nothing, in places but with these echoes of terrifying ambience in the background, but sweeps into cacophany now and again. Insight - Sonically, this is quite interesting, from the vocal that sounds like it’s being sung into a cardboard box, to the synth resonance sweeps. Lovely stuff. New Dawn Fades - This is quite a beautiful song to me. It sounds so full and atmospheric and builds from contemplative and melancholic to distraught and then just drifts away to a lonely beat. She’s Lost Control - Great riffs, great production, haunting vocals. Great track. It really drives, and the cluttered nature of the parts just flow over one another in quite a chaotic but visceral way. Shadowplay - Another great track. It ebbs and flows in a really nice way. The vocal harmonies are great too when they appear. The guitar sounds really good, despite being quite different than much of the rest of the album. Wilderness - Another one where it builds and drops, but with that swirling drum beat always driving it forward. Interzone - The call overlapping call and response of the vocal and how it follows the guitar line is great. The guitar recalls more of the sound from Shadowplay again with its more punk style. There’s a good groove to this one and it’s probably the most punky song on the record, but it still has that unmistakable Joy Division sound. I Remember Nothing - A dark and brooding track. The dissonant vocals that overlap one another add to the eerie ambience of the track. It does expose some of the weaknesses in Ian Curtis’ voice, but that does lend an element of madness to the sound. I really love the vibe of this one. It’s like a glimpse into the mind of someone desperately trying to hold it all together. A fitting end to the album.

7/10 This was an enjoyable listen. I felt like it got so close in places, but often didn't quite stick the landing for me. There was often a drifting quality to the songs that frequently didn't quite land on a hook that was completely satisfying. It was also a bit of a patchwork that didn't really flow that well through all of the styles it touched on and did seem to jump around quite a lot. There are big echoes of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu in places (a very good thing), but the consistency wasn't quite there for the duration. It's clear she has a very special voice and understanding of how it works with the rest of the music, but this really has the hallmarks of a debut that she hasn't quite grabbed hold of her own style for quite yet. That being said, it's absolutely stacked with potential. Intro / Stronger Than Me - Not sure what the point of the into bit is. But the actual song is great. A nice blend of soul, jazz and hip-hop. She moves so nicely between smooth and biting on her vocal delivery. You Sent Me Flying / Cherry - the first half drifts around nicely enough, but doesn't really land anywhere until almost three minutes in. I feel like she over does the singing on this one and it gets a bit too warbly and 'look what I can do'. The Cherry bit is a nice little mini track. But why isn't it a separate track. Weird. Know You Now - This reminds me quite a lot of Lauryn Hill. I like it, and it has a good groove, but it doesn't quite land on something completely satisfying to me. Fuck Me Pumps - great track. It's fairly simple, but it has a quite naive, playful tone, which contrasts nicely with the lyrics. I Heard Love Is Blind - another one that's nice, but doesn't really find a solid hook for me. Moody's Mood For Love / Teo Licks - This one's a cover, so doesn't suffer from the same drifting nature of some of the others. I like the dub edge to the production, and it's just a satisfying jazz number. As with Cherry, I don't quite understand why these little inter-track nuggets aren't separated. (There Is) No Greater Love - A jazz standard. Really shows of her vocal in a more subtle way and she's not trying too hard on this one. Lovely. In My Bed - This is a good track. Much more hip-hop from a production point of view. Quite a lot of interesting instrumental elements too. Take The Box - another really nice track. The horns are used sparingly but beautifully. And she saves the vocal gymnastics for key moments. October Song - back to something with a bit more drive. It's another one that sort of drifts around a bit and never really lands on anything too hooky, but it is very good. What Is It About Men - this is quite reminiscent of Erykah Badu. I like it, but it's another drifter. I kept waiting for it to land on a solid chorus that never came along. Help Yourself - Hurrah, a chorus! This is really good. Light hearted, leaves good room for Amy to do her thing, but again, she doesn't overdo it. Really nice. Amy Amy Amy - another Erykah Badu-a-like. It's a good track, but another one that doesn't fully land on anything particularly special for me. Outro - It's just a bit of outro stuff. Nothing exciting. Brother - this has got a great groove to it and the vocal is top notch. Surprising that this is a hidden track as I'd say it was stronger track than a few on the main run. Mr Magic (Through The Smoke) - this is great. Hits all the right notes for me. Great groove, solid vocal, great hooks and a funky sax solo. Might be the best on the album and it's a real odd one to hide!

6/10 This is a bit of a funny album. To start with, I was really enjoying it, but I did feel it started to drift after the first few tracks. It’s very ronseal, in that it’s kind of the perfect music for the chill out room at a rave, a relaxed DJ set or an after party. Smokers delight indeed. I would happily have this album on now and then as background accompaniment, but I did have to keep skipping back while doing my song-by-song, because it frequently failed to cling onto my full attention. Some of the tracks really didn’t have enough variety to keep my mind fully engaged. Perhaps that’s partly the way my brain works, as I did have a similar complaint about overly repetitive motifs in Boy In Da Corner when we listened to that one. I suppose I’ll likely never stick this album on to just listen to it, and there are trip-hop albums that I certainly would do that with, but I can definitely see its place and it’s a very good album when placed in the right environment. A little hard to pick a rating for this one, but I think shooting somewhere down the middle is probably fair, and it’s getting 6 rather than 5 for that touch of nostalgia. Nights Introlude - A great little groove of a track that really sets the tone for the record. A good deal of this is sampled from Summer In The City by Quincy Jones, but NOW translates the vibe into something fresh. And the pads and strings that swell through sections are so 90s electronica. Dreaddoverboard - I used to run an electronica night at uni and played this one a lot. This has edges of dub, but sits firmly in the Trip-Hop wheelhouse (although NOW would disagree). The sections ebb and flow nicely, but there’s a nice drive that keeps the flow going throughout. Pipes Honour - A sparser arrangement here and a groove largely lifted from The Soul of a Black Man by Maceo Parker (legend). This is so chill and groovy. Me And You - Nice little interlude. Nothing special. Stars - Back to something more dub edged. This one’s a little too repetitive for me in places. The electric piano is a bit relentless. Wait A Minute / Praying For A Jeepbeat - Bit of a weird one. Just a sort of cluster of bits and pieces really. Groove Street - This is ok. A bit too repetitive and long, so got a bit boring. Time (To Listen) - Another interlude (Man) Tha Journey - This one’s definitely got more drive to it, but there are sections where I wanted it to throw in a bit more variety as it was getting a bit samey. Bless My Soul - A nice chilled groove. It’s not the most interesting, but it’s ok. Cruise (Don’t Stop) - A bit more variety and interest here. A nice bouncy beat and some of the samples add some nice lilt to the groove. Mission Venice - A nice, shorter track, The idea is decent, but it’s just very samey throughout, despite the dub mixing of the different parts. What I’m Feelin (Good) - This was better. Another short one, but it felt like there was just more variety to keep the momentum up. Rise - Another nice one. Not the most interesting of tunes, but a decent, relaxing little number. Rise (Reprise) - Not sure why we needed to have another 1:46 of the same track really. Gambia Via Vagator Beach - This just doesn’t really go anywhere. Too much like a hippy drumming circle in the park for me.

7/10 This feels like a big transition album looking back to the Motown of old on the second side, but working with the fresh new sounds that Sly Stone was introducing on the first side. The grit and funk on Cloud Nine and Runaway Child is just fantastic, and the grooves just drive. I think as an album, its beneficial to look at this one as a record with two sides as they are very different to one another, but it was perhaps a bold choice to order the sides the way they did, as old school Temptations fans may not have got on board with side one, but for me it really works. The second half is more trad Motown sound, and they are very good at it, despite the fact that it doesn’t really break new ground in the way that the first half did. I was toe tapping, finger clicking and head bobbing my way through it all and, although it lulled a little in the later tracks, really came together again for the closer. Cloud Nine - This is a great tune, really leans into the psychedelic funk side of things and makes me think of Funkadelic, Sly Stone and that type of music that was starting to emerge at the time, rather than the more traditional Motown sound. I Heard It Through The Grapevine - A Motown classic. Not my favourite version, but the doo-wop swing on the vocal is great. It definitely has its own feel and sounds like they’re having a lot of fun. Runaway Child, Running Wild - Back to the more dirty funk side of things, this is just great. There’s plenty going on and it evolves through its runtime into so many different areas and pushes and pulls so nicely without ever loosing the thread of the groove, whether through the half with vocals, or the instrumental half. Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing - This takes us back to some more traditional Temptations fare. It’s still great, of course, just not quite as energetic and exciting as side one. Hey Girl - This is smooth. I love the way they’re able to rotate lead vocal duties between songs to give a different flavour across an album. Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go) - This swings so nicely and is a proper finger clicker. The lead vocal on this is SO good. Love it. I Need Your Lovin’ - Another great track. A bit more low-key, but it just grooves. Great harmonies and the way the backing vocals intermingle with the lead is just lovely. Don’t Let Him Take Your Love From Me - There’s something very James Brown about this vocal. It’s perhaps one of the weaker songs on the album as it doesn’t do anything too interesting, but it’s by no means bad, just not as good as what came before. I Gotta Find A Way To Get You Back - Lovely grit to the vocal here, and it’s got a nice drive to it. It’s another good track, but not one of the top rankers. Gonna Keep On Tryin’ Till I Win Your Love - Closing the album in style. This is great. That strolling bass line is fantastic, the horns do some lovely little things and the vocals are just excellent, both lead and backing.

6/10 There are bits of this album that I really like. Our House is a massive highlight for me. I’m a big fan of an understated little piece of ‘everyday life’ music. Stylistically, it’s a million miles away, but it makes me think a little of Starfish And Coffee by Prince. Anyway. When they got a bit more bluesy-rock, I enjoyed that too, but I’m not a massive fan of the overuse of the type of block ‘wall of sound’ vocal harmonies that they use. They work in when used sparingly, but to my mind, the mixing of them dominates without providing a satisfying amount of space for the lead vocal to shine. With that in mind, the tracks I’d likely return to would probably be those with a more clear lead vocal, and with a bit of rock ’n roll grit to the track, like Almost Cut My Hair. In all honesty, while I did enjoy this, I feel like there’s music out there that I’d go to first that focus more on the elements I did enjoy. Glad to have heard it though. Probably a 5, but Our House just tickles my sentimental fancy, so it pops up by one. Carry On - This is a good start to the album. The opening guitar line bursts with enthusiasm and the harmonies throw a great vibe over it. Could do with a bit more movement in the harmonies, but they’re still good. It then moves into decent groove half way through. Nice little guitar licks that pop up here and there through the track, and that wah tone is great. Teach Your Children - This one’s a bit more saccharine. It’s nice enough, but it doesn’t really have the grit or drive that I liked from the first track. Definitely more meandering too, though it does have a nice toe-tapping rhythm from the guitar. Almost Cut My Hair - The vibe to this one is more back to what we had from Carry On. Kind of sits somewhere between Hendrix and The Eagles in terms of feel to me. I think the more driven guitar really works here and there’s plenty of space for them to have a bit more fun with their playing. Nice to hear a bit of variety from the vocal too and less emphasis on the harmonisations. That might have got tiring if it stayed for every track. Helpless - It feels like a theme is developing here. Back to a more of a softer ballad-esque track now. Again, it’s nice. The vocal has a vulnerable edge to it that I like, but I just wasn’t really that grabbed by this one. Woodstock - The theme continues. Back to something with a bit more of a rock ’n roll edge and a bit of drive. The interplay between the organ and the guitar is really nice. The backing vocals are more subtle through the verses, which gives the lead space to breathe, although they definitely kick in on the chorus. There’s a nice ‘I’m having fun over here’ guitar solo too. Deja Vu - I thought they were going to change the formula. Nice driven start for a minute and then bam. Slow song again. I do like the groove of this one and the dynamics build nicely too. Some interesting little nuggets from the different instruments too as the track progresses. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are elements of this that I do really like. Our House - I love this tune. Written by Graham Nash on Joni Mitchell’s piano about the everyday happiness of their relationship. I like the innocence of it and the celebration of the satisfying mundanity of an established relationship. The vocal harmonies actually have more movement and less of a ‘wall of sound’ approach than on most of the rest of the album, which is way better. Sometimes simplicity is beauty. 4 + 20 - Nice enough piece of melancholy. Doesn’t really go anywhere, but it’s short enough. That ending is pretty good though. Country Girl - I think the album is getting a bit tired by this point. This has some nice enough moments, but it doesn’t really shine and we’re definitely on the wind down at this point. It feels like they’re trying to go with something epic, but it just seems busy and loud rather than big and grand to me. Everybody I love You - Lets finish off with some fun. Back to the more wall-of-sound harmonies. This lets loose a bit more and they get to have a bit of guitar fun, but it’s not the most interesting.

6/10 This album quite obviously exists in a very specific time and place, and that does make it a little harder on the ears than it would have been at the time, but I can totally see why this was one that broke through. It’s got rock style beats in places, it’s pretty easy to understand the lyrics, and it isn’t really offensive in any significant way. The call and response vocals have aged, as has the vocal delivery, which is very samey for the duration. There’s also the old school ‘rhyme all lines, regardless of how silly the lyrics end up sounding’ rather than any use of deeply considered lyrics, but if anything that probably helped them at the time. It’s silly, relatively inoffensive and also feels like something kids could easily rap along with. I think there’s an element of fatigue to the sound because of the tech they were using at the time. Drum machines were pretty new and didn’t offer much in the way of dynamic adjustment, compared to what we’re used to these days, so some of the snare fills in particular are pretty hard to listen to. It would also take a while before people became experts at working with the limitations of the time to pull something more interesting out of these machines. Despite its flaws, however, I did quite enjoy bits and pieces of this. It sounds like they’re having a lot of fun making it and I did find that infectious as I bopped along. I probably won’t be coming back to it as a full album, but would certainly dig hearing a song or two here and there in a playlist. And I don’t think its importance to the direction of music that would follow can be overestimated. Peter Piper - Some of the production on this immediately ages it, of course, but it’s a good opener. It’s undeniably silly, but they lean into it in such a way that it works. It’s nothing special by today’s standards, but it’s got a good groove and is great fun. It’s Tricky - Now this is a stone-cold classic. A catchy as hell chorus, solid beats and some fun rapping. Yeah, it’s very much of its time, but it’s also great fun. My Adidas - That orchestra hit scratching so clearly places this in a time in history. This one is less hooky and the drum programming is about as subtle as a brick to the face. Less interesting, but still not bad. Walk This Way - The first rap/rock crossover track? This is another classic. The production has still aged somewhat, but the guitar playing probably saves it a bit from being quite so ‘of it’s time’. It hangs around a bit too long in the outro, but it’s still good. Is It Live - More of the same as we heard from My Adidas really. Nothing too exciting these days, but a solid beat and some more silly lyrics. Perfection - This one drags and that ‘chorus’ is just incredibly low effort. Big old meh. Hit It Run - I don’t know if that’s supposed to be beatboxing or what, but it’s bad. This is a bit more upbeat, but things are starting to feel a bit tired now. The rhythms to the rapping are so samey from track to track that it’s all starting to run together a bit. Raising Hell - Back to some rock guitars, but we’re still on a similar vocal flow. Again, it’s ok, but the drums in particular have aged poorly and it’s just not that interesting of a tune. You Be Illin’ - This one’s got more swing to it. Good track, with a simple but funky chorus. It’s a bit too repetitive, although there is an attempt to inject a bit of variety here and there. I think I’d enjoy this one even more if I wasn’t 9 tracks in. Dumb Girl - This one’s just not that exciting. The ‘dumb’ sample is bad and it’s just a bit of a boring track in general. Son Of Byford - More bad beatboxing. And that’s about that. Proud to Be Black - It’s a bit too pedestrian. If they’d have cranked this up by 5-10bpm it could really pop. I’m glad a song like this ended up on one of the first big mainstream breakthrough hip-hop albums though. Something like this getting in the ears of black kids was probably empowering. And getting it into the ears of white kids could have been a bit of a barrier breaker.

10/10 This album is quite hard to listen to critically. I’ve heard it so many times, particularly as a child, that it’s almost impossible to separate the music from my personal connection with it. But I’ll do my best. This album (as with Thriller before it) is a triumphant combination of songwriting, production and vocal talent. Even listening to this today in a more ‘critical listening’ mode, there were little bits and pieces that sit deep in the mix and just throw continued variation, emphasis and interest that I’d not consciously noticed before. I think this is where Quincy Jones takes very good songwriting and elevates it with his production. And then Michael steps up to the mic and his vocal delivery (uhs, oohs, shamones and all) just smashes it out of the park. He conveys so much emotion, attitude and soul in his vocals, and even his little noises just expand on the production styling of Quincy Jones to keep momentum flowing and make sure things always stay interesting. I think if you were to give this exact same list of songs to another musician / producer combo, you’d probably end up with something far, far more mundane, but they just manage to weave pure gold out of each other and it’s a joy to listen to. Honestly, the only thing that slightly misses the mark on this album is the concept of Michael Jackson being some kind of badass. Songs like Bad and Dirty Diana have big echoes of a nerdy theatre kid thinking he’s a badass because he’s got a lead in West Side Story and gets to hold a knife. But putting that aside, I actually think this is a more consistently high-quality album that the more critically revered Thriller. But it also never quite reaches the heights of that album either. I listened to this through three times trying to find a reason to not give it full marks, but I just couldn’t. Bad - The least threatening man in the world (at least he is if you’re an adult) makes a song about being a tough guy. But it works; this is a great pop song. It probably doesn’t quite hold up as well thematically as an adult as it did when I was younger, but it really is well crafted. The way the different lines just guide you through the different sections is masterful. The Way You Make Me Feel - I have always loved the rhythm of the lead vocal in the verses on this track and how it pulls against the swing on the bass and drums. There’s just a whole load of groove to this and it’s great. Speed Demon - I always used to love this track with its completely mad bass line. I expect it’s a programmed DX-7, but it’s a pretty unhinged thing to just toss under a pop song. It’s still a good effort, but I can see why some people might see this one as a bit of a filler track. Mega 80s vibes. Liberian Girl - Quite a drop in pace for this one and a chance for Michael to show some of his vocal chops in a more exposed way. The guy had so much control. It’s another great pop song. The vocal harmonisations are really pretty, and while the rhythm is pretty stripped back, it still keeps things moving in a very satisfying way. Just Good Friend’s - To my mind, this is one of MJ’s best collaborations, even though it’s one that rarely gets mentioned. It’s so funky. Stevie Wonder (Michael’s 3rd cousin) doesn’t really appear until half way through, but when he does, he comes flying in with this really gritty delivery. Love it. This track really bounces, the synth lines are great and the overlapping vocals just keep kicking. Underrated magic. Another Part Of Me - Another one with a kicking groove. Michael and Quincy just don’t ever let things go stale. Even during a repeating section, there’s always little bits of ear candy, little riffs or lines that just keep up the momentum. I’d hate to manage a pro tools session with this many tracks, but on an analogue desk? Fuck off Quincy. Funky Bass line, quality transitions between verse and chorus, cool horns. Lovely stuff. Man in the Mirror - Home to the greatest key change in history? Quite possibly. It starts slow, but it has SO MUCH momentum and drive. Again, there are so many little bits and pieces in there underneath the main instrumentation. The lead vocal is ridiculously strong and the gospel choir is just gold. An exquisite pop song. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - This is a more low-key effort. It’s probably the least interesting track on the album. Michael can generally elevate mediocre songs with his vocal delivery, and he does a good job here, but the lyrical content does seem a bit… dubious. Particularly given the, uh, ‘allegations’. Dirty Diana - This is almost like an audio play in places with the use of sound effects and the atmospheric production. Again, the lead vocal is super powerful. I think it’s a great song and something just a bit different from other Michael Jackson tracks up to this point, which makes it a great addition to the album. Quality guitars on this one too. Smooth Criminal - Absolute banger. Love the overlapping vocal lines all over the place, but particularly on the ‘Annie are you ok?’ bit. The instrumental break is so funky. The whole thing just moves. Bass line, that snare slap, the little staccato guitar lines. Fantastic. Leave Me Alone - This is another one that has got such drive and exquisite overlapping vocal lines. Structurally, it’s not necessarily the most interesting of tracks, but the Quincy / Michael combo just dust it with their magic yet again and turn in a very very good track.

2/10 I entered this with an open mind, having heard (but never closely listened to) Take Me Out more times than I can possibly imagine. And boy oh boy, this is just bad. First things first, Alex Kapranos just has a bad voice. His delivery is weak, his control is poor and the production just makes it even worse. Which brings me on to the other aspect of this album that I thought was awful. The production was terrible. If a producer handed this to me, I’d be speaking to the label about getting someone else to give it another go. The obsession with vocals that sound like they were recorded through two yoghurt pots and a piece of string is baffling. To a certain extent, there’s an element of punk to it, but the music just has none of the attitude and energy of a punk record, and the band are really not tight players at all, so it just sounds sloppy and cluttered. The separation between instruments is non-existent and it just ends up sounding like a muddy, jangly mess. I don’t really have much more to say about this one, really. There were some catchy elements to the songs, and I feel like, with a really good producer, something moderately tolerable could be moulded out of this, but it sounds like a demo rather than a finished album. I’m stunned that this won the Mercury Prize. Jacqueline - Quite an uninspiring start to things. He’s not got the voice for such an exposed intro to the album, and some of the lyrics are pretty tortured. Rhyming ‘spectacle’ with ‘wrecked a girl’. Ew. When the song kicks in, it’s just too repetitive and fairly uninteresting. When you’re basing a lot of the song on a two-bar riff, you need to make things more interesting around that and they just don’t. Tell Her Tonight - This is just messy. Playing staccato rhythms requires better precision in the performances than this. Fells a bit like a cluster of demo ideas chucked together. Take Me Out - The big single. I’ve never listened to this closely before, but I’ve probably heard it half a million times. God damn is this production sloppy. The rhythm guitar part somehow clashes with the lead and just leaves a cluttered mess. I can see why it was the big single. It’s got a catchy riff and the memorable chorus. But that’s about it. The Dark Of The Matinée - This is probably a better song than Take Me Out. There’s a bit more invention to it, and more contrast between verse and chorus, and it’s got a decent groove to it. But his lyrics are so rubbish, and his voice still isn’t good. This also suffers from the undefined backing and cluttered production, this time between lead and backing vocals. Poorly structured harmonies and too much ‘singing down a phone line’ effect on the backing vox just leave another cluttered mess. Auf Achse - This has such a meandering start that I’m bored before the vocals actually start. The verse is boring, but here comes the chorus. Oh, that’s boring too. Cheating On You - Is this the best song yet? Probably. Manages to bring a bit of grit to meet the production half way. Decent riffs, but it does sound a bit like The Monkees cosplaying as Iggy and The Stooges. Not bad though. This Fire - Man, I really cannot get on board with this guy’s vocal delivery at all. Again, it lacks any sort of control, but without any of the emotion to make that make sense (no anger, angst or despair). The backing vocals just double down to make it messy and hard to tolerate. This is really boring too. Darts Of Pleasure - This one at least feels a bit more interesting. But it’s still like they’ve been listening to Joy Division, not really understood what makes them good, and stripped at all away. The gang vocals are annoying. The production is messy. And they don’t develop any of the ideas into anything that good. Michael - I can visualise the jerky staccato type of rhythm guitar playing that they employ all over this record, and it’s just relentlessly annoying. This song is boring and just lacks oomph. More sloppy production too. Come On Home - Oh, this intro at least sounds a bit more interesting. But when the vocal comes in, it’s just more of the same. Meh. 40’ - What happens when you remove the limited momentum that Franz Ferdinand has from their music? This. It meanders by and he restores to shit ‘la, la, la’ lyrics. I wonder if this track was titled 40’ because they wanted to make a 40 minute album, so they chucked this on at the end to fill up the time. They even failed at that, because it totals 38m 48s.

5/10 I have no real prior relationship with this album, having only listened to the odd track or two here and there in the past, so no nostalgia hit for me. I think my key issue with this album is that my primary focus on music is the music itself, whether that be tonal or rhythmical elements. Lyrics are always a secondary factor and the music here is just not very interesting most of the time, often just a two bar sample or synth line repeated for the whole track. Also, there are occasions (not loads, but enough) when Mike Skinners delivery just seems not that good either. He’s obviously written something that was narratively important to him, and had to sort of cram it into the space with rhythm being a secondary consideration, so it jars. Those assessments aside, there are some highlights to this. The last two tracks are great, and the general vibe of the album very clearly summons up clear characters, environments and a real space in time. It also feels like a very realistic portrayal of a lived experience and I do appreciate that narrative flow that exists through the album. I’m a sucker for a concept album, so that helps tick it up a little in my consideration, but I probably won’t be hurrying back to this one. Twice was enough. It Was Supposed to Be so Easy - Not the most auspicious start to an album. Mike Skinner is no singer. The sample used for almost the full duration is quite annoying and very oddly edited. Not very interesting either. Could Well Be In - This is much better. He backs up his singing with some backing vocals that help ground it a little. The music is pretty samey throughout, but this is more about the narrative really. A much more pleasant listen though and very much establishes its place in working class Britain at the turn of the century. Not Addicted - The singing here is a bit annoying again. The verses are decent, but the chorus rubs me the wrong way. And there are bits when the lyrics just don’t fit with the rhythm, so doesn’t scan well at all and sound forced, which is pretty criminal for rap based music. Blinded by the Lights - Better again. It’s obviously pretty repetitive, but focusing on the narrative, it really works. When he leaves the melodic elements to another vocalist, it is so much for the better. Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way - Another one where the singing is better, but I feel it may have been better with a more legato delivery. The whole thing is pretty relentlessly juddery. It does reflect the indecisively jittery nature of the lyrics though, so I guess it makes sense. Get Out of My House - This one is just a bit annoying. A return to a bit of Mike Skinner singing on his own, which is so weak. The melodic content is relentless. Fit but You Know It - Back to something a bit better. Again, it’s not musically interesting, but at least there’s a bit of variation between sections. Such a Twat - Another two bar sample that provides almost the whole musical content of the track. It’s just not very interesting. What Is He Thinking? - Here we go. Another two bar sample. The lyrical cadence here is often very irritating too. As with other tracks, this moves the narrative along, but musically it’s repetitive and pretty uninteresting. Dry Your Eyes - Best track on the album by quite a long way. Musically, it’s got a bit more variety to it and it’s also subtle enough that the vocal really takes the lead and the narrative is centre stage in a way it’s not on many other tracks. It’s his strongest singing performance too and the limitations of his voice actually really work with the tone of the song. Empty Cans - I really like the ambience that this one builds. It’s dark and brooding and the tonal content sits back in the mix to leave the vocals more prominent. The synth that echoes the vocal line in the chorus is just annoying though. I fell like he should have chosen an ending though, rather than taking the cowards way out and including two endings. The second version is by far the better. If he’d have blended the two with things starting off badly and getting better it would have been very satisfying both narratively and musically.

8/10 This is a very good album with, in my opinion, a very odd flaw. It comes out of the blocks brilliantly with The Queen Is Dead. It’s a quality track and sets the album up to be something very special, but then the following three tracks just sap that momentum almost immediately. If these tracks had been more evenly distributed through the rest of the album, I suspect they wouldn’t have had as much of an impact on the overall feel of the album for me, but I just feel like the track sequencing lets the flow of the album down a little too much. The production is excellent and there is a great deal of invention and musical interest throughout. People often speak glowingly of Jonny Marr, and I can really see why, but the unsung hero for me here is Andy Rourke on bass. He has some really great bass lines and just throws in little runs and fills every now and again that bring so much life to the bottom end of the album, it’s really delightful to listen to. They also really know when to build up a great harmonic blend of instrumentation at the right moments and that, combined with the tightness of the band set against the more fluid, flouncy vocals from Morrissey really work to develop such a specific and unique sound. This is definitely worth revisiting and I’m very glad to have heard it. The Queen Is Dead - This track moves. It’s got great momentum, the guitars are fantastic and the drums just give it such a great driving pulse. The tightness and thrust from the rest of the band really lays a bed for Morrisesy’s flouncy vocal to sit satisfyingly on top of. Frankly, Mr. Shankly - This is a bit plodding, particularly after the opener. Nice enough, although it is a bit boring, but blissfuly it does everyone a favour and lasts for just over two minutes. I Know It’s Over - This is nice. Sparse to begin with and ebbs and flows through its runtime and builds later on. Little bits and pieces of subtle interest that pop in and out like the strings and synths just add some depth to it too. It’s not really got the fire of the better tracks on the album, but is still decent. Never Had No One Ever - This one’s a bit dull. Not really a lot to say about it, to be honest. It’s meandering and doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere. Cemetery Gates - I love the rhythmic balance of the different parts of this. The cadence of the guitar line is beautiful. The bass tone is really smooth. And this is pretty much Morrissey at his best. Everything about this song is just great. Bigmouth Strikes again - Another great track. I really like the choices Morrissey makes for some of his vocal lines here. There’s so much atmosphere and drive to this. It’s got pretty much every band member hitting it out of the park, with brilliant production that ties everything together with great clarity. The Boy with the Thorn in His Side - Another really good track. There are places where the lead vocal is just a bit too flouncy for me, but there are other places where it’s quite beautiful too. The interplay between the guitar and the strings is really lovely. Vicar in a Tutu - This is a bit weaker than what’s come before. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t feel as together as what’s come before. There just feels like there’s something missing to tie everything together. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - Well this is obviously a classic. The juxtaposition between the music and the lyrics is brilliant. Even the vocal delivery just straddles that line between extreme happiness and depressing melancholy. Again, this is an example of every part being essentially perfect at delivering on what the song is trying to achieve. So good. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others - That little volume dip at the beggining is really weird. This is another great track with plenty of momentum. Quality guitar and bass playing as usual. It’s not really as interesting as other tracks, at least in part due to the pretty rubbish lyrics. This feels a bit like they’ve released a track that they’ve not finished with some scratch lyrics. It also doesn’t offer much in the way of development or variation. Not bad exactly, just not as good as the previous tracks.

7/10 This album sort of encapsulates everything I feel about R.E.M. When they get it right, it is so, so good. But it only takes them to miss the mark a tiny bit and the songs can become a bit boring and samey. For this album in particular, I feel like the first third and final third are both really good, and in places excellent, but the middle third is just a little dull. I really enjoy the rhythmic cadences that Michael Stipe often uses in his vocals. They’re very uniquely him and really give an identity to the sound. His tone is great and the combination of power in his delivery and the edge of frailty is perfect for the band. When they peak, the instrumental arrangements are excellent, with each player dancing around each other to pull the focus around but always reenforcing the bed behind the vocal. There are some really excellent moments of backing vocal too. Some of the string arrangements (written by John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin) are absolutely beautiful. When this album peaks, it’s genuinely goosebump inducing stuff. Tracks like Man On The Moon, Nightswimming and Everybody Hurts are real works of art. But it’s just not consistently interesting enough to rank higher for me. Drive - The build and release in this song is really nice. It gives you little bursts of song that develop and change each time they come around, but keep referring back to a more delicate and stripped back section. Each of the sections stand up well, but just the way they slide into and out of them is really great. Try Not To Breathe - This is another lovely song. The interplay between the different vocal lines and their separation by using different production techniques on them is really nice. The tempo and drive of the track is fairly consistent, but they manage to keep injecting fresh energy with little drum fills and such. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite - This is a great tune. The variation between the verses and chorus are good. The strings in the chorus are really nice. The little meandering organ part in the verses is great. It’s perhaps a little bit too repetitive, but it’s a moment of levity in what is otherwise a tonally sombre album. Everybody Hurts - This is obviously a classic. It’s a bit on the nose, but to be honest it says something that sometimes people need to hear in a straightforward way. The orchestration is beautiful and Michael Stipe’s delivery is just goosebump inducing. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 - It’s a bit of an odd, plodding interstitial. Not much to comment on really. Sweetness Follows - This one’s perhaps a little dull. It’s got this pulsing tone that beats away underneath it that imbues it with a sense of ever present dread, and some of the distorted washes of guitar are nice, but it’s not a particularly interesting song otherwise. Monty Got A Raw Deal - This is quite folky. Again, it’s nice enough, but not the most interesting of tunes. Ignoreland - Out of the gate, this is immediately more interesting. Some of the guitar tones are great. The instruments all have their little moments to shine and it’s got a really full sound. It’s got a bit of a bluesy edge, but it isn’t the most varied of tracks. Star Me Kitten - This one has got a nice ambience to it. Again, it’s just not that interesting, unfortunately. Man On The Moon - Right, we’re back on track. There’s a lot going on among all the parts here and they all bring something to the table. Nice harmonies too. It’s just a really well written song. The verses are subtle, but sonically rich, while it build to a chorus that’s just sing-along excellence that get better with added interest as the song goes on. The vocal interplay on the final versions of the chorus are just wonderful. Nightswimming - Another great track. It’s subtle, but it ebbs and flows nicely and the quality of the composition is good enough to carry it without it getting dull. It just feels exposed and vulnerable in a very pretty way. Find The River - This is another pretty song. There’s such a bittersweet tone to it and the piano part is really nice in particular. Another one where there is enough quality in the melodic and harmonic elements to give it a really satisfying feel overall, and it’s a great way to end the album.

4/10 I don't know how much of my feeling for this album is impacted by the fact that there have been 56 years of rock music that have happened since it was released and I'm unconsciously comparing it to all of that, but it just didn't engage with me. There have been old albums I've been introduced to during this project that have really grabbed me though, so perhaps that's not it. In general, I feel like there's never really a hook that grabs me, or anything particularly interesting for me to engage with, it's just a bit of a wash of inoffensive pleasantry. Not bad, just not that interesting either. It never generates the tempo and drive to really rock, but I also don't feel the nuance to make it a particularly interesting technical listen either. I think the elements of this album that I do like, I can find in better quantities, of higher quality, elsewhere. If I wanted beautiful harmonies, I'd go for the Beach Boys or (closer to this stylistically) The Beatles. If I wanted bluesy rock, I'd be grabbing Led Zeppelin, for more folky edged stuff, Joni Mitchell etc etc. And that's just considering music that is somewhat contemporary to this. All that being said, I can appreciate the musicianship present here. Their harmonies, although not stylistically my favourite, are tight. The guitar playing in particular has some really quality moments and I really like a few of the organ lines scattered through the album. There's enough quality scattered across the album to lift it above a complete 'meh', but I just can't justify giving it a score that puts it above a 2 star. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - This is quite nice. The harmonies are good, but quite static in a way. They move, but they all move together rather than around each other. The vibe is nice, but it's quite loose in places and feels a little unfocused. Marrakesh Express - A nice, if pretty twee track. There's some subtle instrumentation low in the mix that adds depth too. It's maybe a bit one note, but decent enough. Guinevere - This is pretty, with an edge of melancholy. Makes me think of The Wicker Man, but the music in that is better. It's nice, but just doesn't grab me. You Don't Have to Cry - I'm starting to feel a bit of a theme coming on. It's nice. But it's also not that interesting to me. It's all getting pretty samey at this point. Pre-Road Downs - This seems more promising to begin with. The organ part I really dig and it feels like it's building to a chorus that just never really arrives. It has a decent rock n roll edge, but fails to deliver on its promises. Wooden Ships- Oooh. This starts well. Great groove and vibe to kick things off. The little pulling of focus by the different parts during the instrumental sections are great, as are the fleeting calls and response vocals. The gang harmonies take a more subtle role behind the lead, which works better to my ears. A good track that has a little bit of that something I've been waiting for. Lady of the Island - It's nice enough. It's a bit boring. And don't do a 'do do do' bit in a two and a half minute love song. Although the ending 'do do do' is actually the best bit of the song. Helplessly Hoping - The harmonies are nice here, with a bit more interesting motion to them. I actually quite liked this track, although it didn't offer much in the way of development. Long Time Gone - A slow rock n roll number. It's laid back and has a bit of grit to it with a nice bit of tension built through the verses, but the chorus just doesn't ever really deliver a satisfying release. 49 Bye-Byes - There're some nice moments here. It's got a bit more thrust than the rest of the album, but at moments it just sort of drifts away from the thread and loses itself a bit. Probably one of the better tracks on the album because it seems a bit more consistent.

7/10 This was certainly an experience. I feel that the enjoyment of an album like this may in part be down to the listening environment. For the bits that I could sit and enjoy with my eyes closed, I felt more engaged with it and I'm looking forward to cranking it in the dark on the home stereo. I also feel like a little bit of the magic is lost by not being present in the moment. I can only imagine the experience that this would provide live, with the volume, lighting and the naked artsy hippy woman dancing on stage. The recording is also, unfortunately but kind of expectedly for a desk recording of a band with this much going on in 1972, quite muddy, so it's hard to pick out everything that's going on. I feel like if there was a really clean multi track of this available for remixing it would be absolutely incredible, with all of the elements given fresh space to breathe in. Those caveats aside, this really hooked me in. There were lulls, and some bits did drag on a little, but in general there was so much going on that it continued to hold my interest despite the length of some tracks. In some respects you could consider this to be jazz for stoned rockers. They have a few core ideas and then just riff around them with a constant ebb and flow of ideas that circle around the core structure. It's also very up its own arse, but in the most magnificent way possible. They are super into the conceit (until the bonus track, which is hilariously 'back to earth'). You can also hear a great deal of influence that this had on music that followed. In some respects, it's über 70s, but it has elements that sound very contemporary too. I can definitely see why this is on the list, and I'm really glad to have heard it. I'll definitely be back to this and relistening in a better listening environment could even pop it up a point. Earth Calling - A tone setting intro. It's going to be weird and psychedelic. Born to Go - This is anchored in the lyrical section, but just goes off-piste through the middle. It's noisy and wacky and definitely conjures up its own atmosphere. Down Through the Night - When this settles in the aftermath of the previous track, we end up on a far more traditional base of a song, although it does have it's 'freak out jam' section in the middle. There's still the swirling morass of parts that move around it, but the riffs are solid and at feels more song like than what's come before. The Awakening - A little weird sci-fi narrative interlude. I can really visualise this as a live experience. Lord of Light - A similar structure to other tracks. They don't often stick on one thing for too long which keeps it interesting, but there is generally some kind of anchoring thread that keeps it somewhat grounded. I am enjoying it as an experience. The Black Corridor - More 70s sci-fi poetry. I can just imagine the room that they wrote this stuff in. It smelled funny and many of the people in it were passed out. Space Is Deep - This is, by comparison, a pretty normal song. It does drift into a quieter section through the second half, but never gets quite as off-the-wall as other tracks. But the variety and interest is still present. Electronic No 1 - A little bloopy-bleepy interlude. Atmospheric but not vastly interesting. Orgone Accumulator - This starts off as a decent, and far more traditional rock song. You're not fooling me this time, Hawkwind. Ah, here we go. A jamming section that just goes on a bit too long before we return to the vocals. And then back to the jam. And there's still three minutes left! This one just goes on a bit too much for me. Upside Down - This is less interesting. It's a fairly uninteresting song surrounded by a wash of phase, delay and noise. Better than a fairly uninteresting song on its own, I guess. 10 Seconds of Forever - Ah, they've intercepted some Vogon poetry for us to enjoy. Brainstorm - Despite the fact that this is nearly 14 minutes long, I actually kind of got lost in it. It's got drive, elements come and go and there's always something happening to keep me engaged. And it's got such a vibe. Seven by Seven - The calm after the storm. But the storm will build back, and quickly. The swirling tones that build and build in the background are immense. And again, it just drifts out into something more sparse, but oh, so 70s. I really like this one. Sonic Attack - I think we can guess where Douglas Adams got some of his inspiration from. I mean it's weird, but it's also kind of great how deeply into this they are and how seriously they present it. Time We Left This World Today - A great riff to start us off, with nice dual vocals. I'm just getting more and more lost in the soundscapes they create. Even when the main thread is a fairly repetitive refrain, there's just so much going on around it, it really keeps moving and rewards engaged listening. Master of the Universe - Holy shit, this one comes firing out of the blocks. It's heavy and fierce with those spacy vocals. Tones just appear and disappear into the wash of sound. It's pretty intense and almost feels like it's falling apart at the seams towards the end. Lovely stuff. Welcome to the Future - A psychedelic end point. A drifting, warped mass of vocal, wall of sound clashes that drift away into a thank you to the crowd and chanting recorded through some kind of phased delay. You Shouldn't Do That (not on the original LP!)- This hilariously grounds them when the singer asks if there are any Liverpool fans present, because the drummer supports Chelsea. Maybe they're not the space lords they claim to be. This track builds slowly before it eventually lets loose. It's not as interesting as some of the others and is a bit to repetitive. I can see why it wasn't on the LP. They do seem to have almost decided to play Paranoid by Black Sabbath for a good chunk of this too.

8/10 While there are a few bands that can claim to have laid the foundations for metal, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple being the two most obvious others, I truly feel like Black Sabbath gave metal it's soul with this album. The opening ambience of the rain, thunder and tolling bell that build into a crashing, heavy riff that lands on that disturbing, unsettling tritone interval that wavers as it rings. The devil's interval indeed. It's just so atmospheric, evocative and as heavy as a tonne of bricks. Singing about wizards, figures in black, Lucifer and all of those themes that will forever be entwined with heavy metal, Sabbath kicked the doors down with this and it's impact has been monumental. From a musical point of view, the guitar and bass create such a heavy sound, and there are some really fantastic hooks and riffs across this, and Bill Ward's drumming just drives and rolls it all forward. And then you throw Ozzy over the top of it all. Ozzy was never a great technical singer, but he was the perfect singer for this band and the birth of this type of music. He sings like a possessed madman. I remember an interview where he said he only ever heard people singing at home when they were hammered, so that's how singing sounded to him, which kind of tracks. Trying to listen to this impartially the day after Ozzy left us is difficult, but the second half of the album does lose focus and drift a little bit. That first side though. Wow. It's hard to really state him much of an impact it had. Hard to know if I'm trying too hard to not let emotion get the better of me, but it doesn't quite hold it's level enough for it's duration to get as high a mark as it possibly deserves when looked at on it's own. Black Sabbath - This track is so evocative. It's simple, but it's all about the atmosphere and broiling sense of doom that it brings. And then, after the slow burn and dread of the first section, it just bursts into life. Great riffs, heavy sound and a twist of psychedelia. Phenomenal. The Wizard - An absolute classic. Iommi's riffs. Ward's beats. Even Ozzy's harmonica. It's heavy and driving with a unrepentant push and pull between that calm and the storm. Every player gets their turn here too. There's definitely a more bluesy edge to this, but it's still building the base for metal. If Black Sabbath (the song) brought the thematic tone, The Wizard brought the musicianship. Behind the Wall of Sleep - A very Led Zeppelin intro and altogether this is more bluesy. But it's still got that darker edge to it. Less iconic than the two openers, but it still rocks hard and has some fantastic riffs. N.I.B. - More of a psychedelic edge to this one, but it still has that weight to it and it absolutely rocks. They never hang around on a section for long so there's always a sense of driving momentum and the little accents and fills they drop in all over the place, even Ozzy's little "oh yeah!"s just add so much flavour. Evil Woman - Geezer Butler gets his mention here. He's anchored everything up until now, but is more prominent here. It's a more standard bluesy rocker really and is one of the album's weaker pure songs. It's still decent, but loses something of the weight and atmosphere of the album up to this point. Sleeping Village - The unsung hero, producer Rodger Bain, gets in on the act with the Jew's Harp to add some boingy flavour. There's plenty of atmosphere here, particularly in the opening, but it's less focused and gets a bit sloppy in places. It's a bit more of a jam track and again, it's not bad, just not quite up there with the earlier stuff. Warning - Again, there are some great bits and pieces in here. Some really heavy, sludgy, driving guitars and some dirty rolling bass lines, but it's a little unfocused. It reminds me a bit of Hawkwind, but without as much instrumentation going on through the middle section to hold the interest. Wicked World - This is more like it again. Heavy, driving and atmospheric with another edge of psychedelia. The vocal recording has issues from a production point of view. Sounds like he's clipping the mic levels. Other than that, a solid way to finish the album.

2/10 The first thing that strikes me about this album is that the lead singer is really ill suited to this kind of indie-pop stuff. His voice is weak, he half sings quite a lot and his vocal lines just meanders about. This can work in the right audio environment, The Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr, The Replacements all had a similar type of vocalist, but it sat well with they types of music they were all creating. Here it doesn't. The second thing is that I can't really work out what they're trying to achieve here. There's no thrust or direction to anything. It's like they've collected all of the bits a better band have cut out of their songs and pieced them together into a sound collage of mediocrity. More by luck than invention, they have stumbled on the odd piece of quality. Streets of Your Town is trite, but competent, Was There Anything I Could Do? was actually pretty decent, but this is all dragged down by the baffling lack of any real hook anywhere else on the album. I'm sitting here writing this less than ten minutes after the album finished and I can't remember a single melody or chorus from the entire album. I feel like I should be writing more, but I've run out of things to say, so I'll stop. Perhaps The Go-betweens should have had the presence of mind to do the same. Love Goes On! - it's inoffensive jangle pop to start us off. It's not very interesting, but it's ok. At least it has a bit of pep and momentum. Quiet Heart - This is dull. Plodding. The singer's voice isn't strong enough to be as exposed as this. I think they're trying to be clever by delaying the word 'heart', but it's just weak. Shit 'breathe in and out' harmonica solo too. Love Is a Sign - What is this half-talking, half-singing, half-in-tune nonsense? God, it's so meandering. There's no hook at all, the mix is cluttered and it's got another shit harmonica solo. You Can't Say No Forever - Well at least it's got a bit more drive to it. I don't actually mind the music here. It's at least a bit more interesting and has a bit of variety to the parts, but it's all squashed down by the whiny, annoying and uninspired lead vocal. The Devil's Eye - A cluttered mid and high frequency mix, but I'm sure it'll balance when some bass stuff comes in. Oh, no bass frequencies at all in this song? Good. More meandering meh. Streets of Your Town - This track at least feels competent. The lead vocal works better with a backing vocal to reinforce it. Feels like the kind of song that ends a straight to video chick-flick as a woman, now free from an oppressive relationship drives through town in her convertible before the credits roll. Clouds - Are they trying to be The Smiths? It's not working. This is repetitive, plodding and uninspired. Can't get on with this guy's voice or lyrics. Weak sauce. Was There Anything I Could Do - This actually isn't that bad. The violin part in the chorus is quite annoying, but otherwise, it's ok. The bass line is quite good, the drums give it a good bit of direction, and the lead vocal works better with this type of track. I'm All Right - Back to another unfocused meandering half-song. It's just not very good, lacks direction and the mix doesn't help bring it together either. And his voice and vocal lines are just bad. Dive For Your Memory - Again, they just seem borderline incapable of writing a memorable hook. It's just meanders along like a lost drunk and then ends.

5/10 Neil Young writes some great tracks. He can play a mean guitar too. But when he writes songs that push towards the top of his range, I find it genuinely hard to listen to. I can hear in places that there's a decent song underneath it all, but it's like bringing me a beautiful lasagne, all the layers cooked to perfection, and then instead of a generous grating of parmesan, you pull out one of those foot skin graters and get to work on your bunions all over my meal. When he's in a lower register, things are generally better, and in songs where he's not as exposed, things can get pretty good. That being said, apart from a couple of tracks here and there, I felt this was a much weaker effort than On The Beach. I feel like this album lacks a little bit in momentum and consistency, and there's not a particular thread going through it that I can grab hold of. I think things are not necessary helped by the production, as there are a few examples of tracks that lean heavily on the treble end of things and can seem a bit clashy up top and empty down below. I might pick a few tracks from this to return to once in a while, but overall the album just doesn't grab me. Tell Me Why - An ok track to start us off. Nothing vastly exciting, but there's some nice guitar work here. Overall it's a bit too trebley and lacking in weight for me. After the Gold Rush - This is a better song, but boy is his voice nasal and annoying here, which distracts from it quite a lot. When he pushes to the top of his range, it just doesn't gel with me at all. Only Love Can Break Your Heart - This has got some nice harmonies in it, but it's a bit plodding and dull and a bit too staccato in delivery across the board. Southern Man - This is much better. It flows, it has weight and there's a good groove underpinning it. Some of the guitar playing is quite loose, but it's fun and works. There's a real swagger here and I like it. Till The Morning Comes - Ah, his voice is back at a better register here. This is quite nice. But it's over already. Oh, Lonesome Me - Another good track. It's got emotional weight, his vocal is generally working at his lower register, which is better, and I really like the subtle use of driven guitars and the little harmonica flourishes. It's a well structured song too. Don't Let It Bring You Down - This has got a nice lilt to the rhythm. The sound is nice and full and there's a good dynamic between sections. His voice is still a bit annoying in places though and it sort of feels like it never arrives at where it was heading. Birds - This is good. His vocal is just the right amount of frail for the song. The piano is nice and there are a couple of interesting chord changes here and there to keep things from being too obvious. When You Dance I Can Really Love - There's quite a cluttered sound to this and it never really lands on anything I can get my teeth into. It kind of struts around like a boxer at a weigh-in. Plenty of strut and swagger, but no punches will be thrown. I Believe In You - This has got some great elements, but again, his voice just doesn't gel with me particularly for this kind of ballad. I can see it working with a different vocalist, and I still think it's ok. Cripple Creek Ferry - A much better fit for his voice, this has got another nice lilt to the rhythm and the harmonies are nice too. Oh, and it's over.

8/10 I’ve listened to bits and pieces of Wu-Tang before, and I think I have played this once or twice in the past, but perhaps with less focus. The general vibe is great. It really feels like a consistent and complete work as a whole, which is something I always want from an album. The production is gritty and crunchy in a way that really adds to the grubby feeling to enhance the tone of the rapping. The use of various spoken word samples and other bits of chat between the group tie everything together to make the album sound like a real slice of life from early 90’s Staten Island. It’s like they’ve just been hanging out, shooting the shit and then pop into the studio and record a track, before dropping back out to carry on where they left off. I think the subject matter just seems to be reflective of the environment these guys were growing up in, and it generally just feels like they’re having a laugh and messing around a lot of the time, rather than taking things too seriously. Even the more aggressive elements are presented with an air of off-the-cuff exaggeration, rather than with much actual ill intent. Musically, there are areas where things became a little repetitive or the choice of tonal samples didn’t quite work for me, but as a whole, the vibe is of a consistent quality throughout, which probably makes it a little more than the sum of its parts. Bring Da Ruckus - This is a real gritty start. Interesting sample choices and some nice little production edits to tie the music in with the rapping. There’s a slight looseness to the production that makes it feel a little bit on the edge of collapse, but I think that works with the general feel of this particular track. Shame On a Nigga - There’s a great pace to this track. I also think it really highlights the different styles of the MCs and there’s some nice tonal content in here too that lends it a groovy swing. Clan In Da Front - I really liked the piano sample to begin with, but it gets a bit grating after a while as it’s a constant for almost the entire track. I think the central idea for the track is good, but there’s just not enough variety in there to hold my attention in the same way as the first couple of tracks. The rapping is more sparse too, which doesn’t help. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - While the piano sample is quite repetitive here, there is more going on so it’s not quite as irritating as it is on the previous track. There are some nice flourishes in the production here and there that breathe life into things and again, the passing around and gang vocals keep a freshness to the track. Solid. Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission - There’s a bit of an odd juxtaposition between the intensity and tone of the rapping here and the fairly chilled nature of the rest of the track. I find the bass sample a bit irritating, it’s very repetitive and the actual sound itself just rubs my brain a bit. These tracks where things are a bit more sparse and the vocal has less variety and range don’t quite have the magic to me. The intermission sections (and other little bits like it) really put this whole thing in context and add to the general feel of the album. Da Mystery of Cheesboxin’ - There’s more going on here and the pace is great. There’s more interest with variety of sample use and there’s also breathing room left in the tonal elements by allowing them to drop in and out so they don’t get as tiresome. The gang vocals also add a great bit of emphasis and dynamic, as do the more subtle spoken woird samples. Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit’ - This beat is great. So crispy. There’s also more heavy editing to the bass line sample so it’s not as relentless as some of the other tracks. There’s a lot of movement with the sample use and dynamic with the gang vocals that come and go. Another great one. C.R.E.A.M. - This fulfils the brief in a more satisfactory way than ‘Can It Be All So Simple’. The tone between the rapping and the instrumental is a bit more consistent. There are also enough other elements to make the piano sample a bit less of a focus, so less tiring on the ears. The vocal also seems to be shared around a bit more here, which adds to the range of the track. Method Man - I appreciate the musical lilt to Method Mans delivery in this, and the variety between sections allows things to breathe nicely too. The backing vocals add great emphasis and depth, as do the little vocal nuggets and samples the are injected here and there. Protect Ya Neck - This reminds me of Cypress Hill more than other tracks on the album. I think it’s the sample choice rather than anything else. There’s a solid groove to this one and again, the passing of vocal between the Clan adds great variety. Tearz - There’s a bit of a different feel to this one, with the sample choices adding a different tone. It’s a little more wound down in tempo, but it still has a good swing to the rhythm. The instrumental sections are perhaps a little long in places and the momentum does drag a little towards the end. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II (Conclusion) - This has got a great, gritty bass tone and a solid, driving beat. There are some nice references back to other tracks in the rapping too, which helps round the album off. It’s lacking a little bit in musical variety, though there are little bits of sample usage scattered around to maintain interest.

4/10 R.E.M. have the ability to write some really fantastic tracks, but they also seem to miss the mark pretty frequently. This album has a lot of ideas that never really go anywhere. There are a few standout tracks scattered through the album, like Orange Crush, Hairshirt and I Remember California, but the lasting feeling I had when listening to this was that it was all a bit underwhelming and underdeveloped. They frequently had tracks which didn’t have a decent hook to grab onto, and some which barely diverged from a single idea, which made them a bit of a tiring listen. There were also a couple of songs that sounded like really long intros to songs that never actually arrived. Every now and then, I’d have a little ‘oooh’ moment, but frequently this was relating to a small part of an otherwise meandering track. Perhaps this just hasn’t aged well, or it’s one of those albums that you had to be there for, but I just never really felt particularly engaged in the listening process, apart from in a few fleeting moments here and there. Pop Song 89 - This is a decent jangly pop number. It’s a bit repetitive though and feels just feels a bit too safe. To my ears it sounds like they were trying to make it have a bit of grit by throwing in some more driven guitars in places, but it’s not really consistent enough to give it an edge. Get Up - There is actually a bit more drive to this. It never actually gets massively interesting though. It’s not bad, exactly, and it’s fairly catchy. I quite like the little ‘dream’ bridge section as it actually throws something a bit more interesting into the track. It’s short, so it doesn’t outstay its welcome. You Are The Everything - A twee little song that sounds like a four minute intro to a song that never actually arrives. Meh. Stand - Immediately things take a step in a more solid direction. There’s more of a drive to this. I quite like the rhythmical choices that Michael Stipe makes, particularly in the chorus. They’re not that conventional and give it an interesting lilt. It’s a decent track, but things still aren’t really connecting with me in a significant way. World Leader Pretend - I feel like this kind of meanders around a bit without ever really landing on anything. Both the verse and the chorus sound like verses. Again, it’s just not quite engaging me and I can’t find enough to get my teeth into. The Wrong Child - Another song that’s a three and a half minute intro to nothing. It just never goes anywhere and it’s pretty boring. Orange Crush - This is a classic. The little off-beat triplet bass is really nice and it’s got a great hook. There’s a decent amount of momentum to it too. Like much of the album, it doesn’t actually do much in the way of interesting development around its core ideas, but the ideas are good enough to carry the song. Turn You Inside-Out - We’re back to something a bit more plodding. I feel like there are some decent ideas in here, like some of the backing vocals, and it’s actually a song that has grown on me through its runtime. It’s got a bit more grit to it, but it just feels like it could do with a bit of a tempo boost to really drive. Hairshirt - This is quite a nice song. The problem is, I don’t feel like there’s been enough momentum in the album to allow this sort of song to shine. If there had been a bit more tempo and thrust to the previous songs, this would have worked as a nice moment of calm, but as it is, I just doesn’t resonate in the same way that it could have done. I Remember California - I really like this one. There’s a real brooding sense of discontent about it. I can definitely hear echoes of this in some Nirvana tracks. There’s plenty going on here to and nothing gets too stale either. As with the previous track, though, I feel like this would have shone brighter on a more consistent album as a moment of despair. It probably deserves better, really. Untitled - This one just doesn’t really go anywhere. Again, some decent ideas, but it just feels a bit underdeveloped. They sort of break into what feels like a placeholder section and then swiftly return to the same motif that basically runs through the whole song. It’s just not that interesting.

5/10 Making a judgement on this album is very hard. There are some really good moments in there, with My Generation obviously being the standout, but it’s such a mixed bag of styles that it almost doesn’t sound like the same band from one song to the next some of the time. Rather than being a melting pot of ideas, it feels like a collection of ideas, with Townshend writing a Beatles song, then a Kinks song, then an almost Bob Dylanish song. Honestly, this feels a bit like a band who have been given their record contract before they’ve really pinned down who they are, especially when you throw in the James Brown and Bo Diddley covers. But there are hints of where things might be going, particularly when they start to follow the intensity of Keith Moon’s drumming. There are times when he sounds like he’s not really playing the same song as them, but when they join him on the ride, they really pick things up and there’s a pace and an edge that’s missing from elsewhere on the album. I’ve also never really heard it talked about before, but The Ox really does sound like the future compared to the rest of the album. I can kind of see why they were successful here, especially in an era that was far more single focused than the decades that followed, but as an album it’s just a bit too piecemeal, despite the little flares of quality scattered throughout. Out In The Street - This has a bit of a gritty edge for the time. It sounds like a fairly standard pop-rock song in most respects, but Daltrey has got a bit of grit to his voice and the drums have got that extra bit of thrust behind them. It’s not massively exciting, but it’s decent. I Don’t Mind - Well Daltrey can’t hold a candle to James Brown, so it’s always going to sound weak in comparison. It’s got a nice little bit of swing to it, but otherwise, there’s nothing too exciting here. The Good’s Gone - This kind of sounds like a blend of a bunch of bands that were knocking around at the time. A bit of The Stones, a bit of The Kinks, a bit of The Beatles. Again, it’s ok, but overall not that invigorating. La-La-La-Lies - This is quite loose, yet quite poppy. It’s quite odd from a drumming point of view as it’s so tom heavy and the recording makes them sound very thin, but it at least gives it that little bit of something different. It’s over in no time too. So far, I feel like the band haven’t really found their own sound and it’s a bit of a mash-mash. Much Too Much - The lead in to the chorus really reminds me of Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone, which was released the same year. I kind of feel like Keith Moon is playing a different song to everyone else. He’s going a bit nuts over what is quite a sedate, poppy number. It’s quite funny to imagine him flailing around in the background while the rest of the band sing this. My Generation - Here we go. It’s got great pace, everyone gets their go at showing off, and that chorus hook is just top notch. I can really see why this took off for them, and I really wonder where they would have gone had this album not had this song on here. Would they have got another chance? It’s the first time they’ve not sounded like they were trying to more or less ape someone else’s style, and they hit it out of the park. The Kids Are Alright - Ladies and gentlemen, meet The Beatles. This is actually a pretty decent Beatles song, but it’s a Who song, so I don’t know where that leaves us. I do like it, but as mentioned on My Generation, much of this album sounds like Townshend trying to write songs that sound like his favourite bands. Please Please Please - Another walk down James Brown avenue. Another song that doesn’t match up to the original. And another song that’s at stylistic odds with much of the rest of the album. It’s Not True - I quite like this one, actually. It’s got great momentum. Despite the fact that, at it’s core, it’s another fairly poppy rock song, it feels a bit like they’ve tried to join in with Keith Moon’s intensity, which gives things get a bit more edge. It’s not hitting the heights of My Generation, but it feels somewhere between that and some of the more generic tracks on the record. I’m A Man - So we’re doing the blues now? These covers are all so odd in that they just don’t really sit with everything else, which is a pretty mixed bag as it is. It’s ok, I suppose, but it just doesn’t really belong here. A Legal Matter - I don’t really rate Pete Townshend’s voice here at all. It feels like he’s stretching for the higher notes a bit too much. This has a bit more of that My Generation edge, but with a bit of a different swagger. I feel like this might have been better with Daltrey’s more gritty and solid delivery on the vocal, but it’s not a bad song either. The Ox - They’ve let Keith Moon off the leash. I do really like the use of the driven guitars and feedback in here too, and this sounds like a pretty good foreshadowing of the kind of sound that was to come in the future, even though it’s just a bit of improv jam and not a traditional song. A really nice little ending to the album.

8/10 Björk is one of those musicians who does everything on her own terms, and this album is in some way testament to that. Going through a breakup with her husband and seeing the collapse of her family, her first port of call is to use those emotions as inspiration for an album. As she says in Stonemilker; “Moments of clarity are so rare, I better document this”. While this could be considered a bit of a tough listen for some, I feel that the quality of this album is in the journey of it. There are moments of dissonance and harshness, amidst others of beauty and sorrow, but all of that flows together to paint an overall picture of what she was experiencing at the time of writing. There are some obvious standout moments for me, as well as some bits that drag just that little bit, but even on the longer tracks, there’s often so many sections, developments and modulations that things are rarely too static. Personally, I feel that Black Lake is an absolute masterpiece that completely justifies a ten minute runtime. There are certainly some more avant garde choices that she makes, particularly during the later part of the album, but it’s all so expressive, and really sells what she’s trying to convey, at least to my ears. When compared to some of her other albums, and certainly specific songs, it isn’t quite Björk at the absolute peak of her powers, but when considering the ‘album as art’, I think this is a fine example indeed. Stonemilker - I feel like there are echoes in the strings here of tracks from Vespertine, which was the album she wrote at the start of her relationship with Matthew Barney. This is a really beautiful song. The strings just drift and flow over everything, alternating between hope and despair and the little shuffling beats also have a dark and bassy edge that add a momentum and grounding to the track. Lionsong - This has such a brooding tone. It’s a little more disjointed, which makes it a little harder to follow, but there are some really interesting ideas and I think the disjointed nature of it is thematically appropriate. That beat that comes in about 3:20 is so good. It’s not quite as satisfying a whole as the previous track, but some of the component parts are so, so good. History Of Touches - This is almost an interstitial track for Björk. Only three minutes long and with a fairly static theme, it’s interesting but doesn’t really grip in the same way as some of her more fully formed ideas. Listening to the lyrics, that does feel very intentional, and the wash of sound is sonically quite pleasing. Black Lake - A heartbreaking song. The sections come and go with pauses where a single chord or note just drones on. Emotion builds in many forms throughout, but each time drift back to bereft sadness. There’s fury in the beat that kicks in half way through as the strings build. This, to me, is one of the most visceral musical interpretations of grief, and the pulsing emotions that surround its underlying sadness that I’ve ever heard. How pretentious of me. Family - This one ebbs and flows. There’s anger and wavering tension, but it’s not quite got the emotional heft or consistency of the previous track. There are real shining moments and the song is a journey through unresolved tension and uncertainty, but it’s definitely not as easy a listen. As a soundscape, though, it’s all encompassing. Notget - If you’re not into the more avant garde end of the spectrum, you won’t engage with this. It’s harmonically non-traditional which can make it sound jarring. Definitely not one for a casual listen. Again, there are some really nice elements here. Some of the beats are so crunchy and squelchy, but the overall journey is a little all over the place. Atom Dance - This is like the start of a build out of the darkness. The little scuttering beats give it an immediacy, and some of the little string flourishes start to build us back to a more major tonality. That’s all mixed in with a note of confusion, particularly with the delivery of Anohni’s vocal parts. I really like the mix of this one too. Spatially, it’s very interesting. Mouth Mantra - This continues the more avant garde approach to things, with parts jarring against one another. When it gets moving, it’s got a great pulsing rhythm and the way the different parts overlap and flow in and out of focus can be quite overwhelming. That bass synth part that comes in about half way through is so meaty. Quicksand - So much meat and drive to the start of this one. That beat is great and gives this so much momentum. There’s stuttering sections, washes of synths and strings and Björk’s vocals which occasionally soar over everything. A quality end to the album.

7/10 This was an interesting album. The playing is obviously first class, Miles Davis doesn’t pick any slouches, but while the playing is great, and the sound is also a really interesting step away from his more traditional jazz sound of previous albums, there are areas where things just don’t get moving quite enough for me. There are lulls, which is fine, but those lulls can drag on a little too long. There also isn’t quite enough variation in the rhythm section for me, particularly in the first track. The overall feel does feel like a stepping stone from the old style to the shorter-form more rock style structure of some of the jazz fusion artists, like Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra that would follow. I can really see why the trad jazz heads would have had issues with the album. There are couple of quite glaring edits in there, which detracts a little from the flow, but overall, I think this is a really important step for Miles Davis and was a really decent effort. It’s kind of weird in that it probably rewards close listening, but also background listening, but not so much the sort of half-listenening that I suspect a lot of us do while doing something else. Shhh / Peaceful - This is good stuff. The rhythm section provides a consistent bed that gives momentum to the piece (although you’d be bored as hell being those players, because they don’t really diverge much over the 18 minutes), while the keys, guitar and organ just dance around each other in little bursts and flourishes, lending and taking back phrases and ideas from each other. Miles and Wayne Shorter both take their turns and, while their presence is relatively fleeting, they deliver some really subtle but delightful playing over the top. It could do with a bit more rhythmic variety for me, but it feels like a really chilled out jam where everyone’s having a great time. In A Silent Way - This is multiple tracks in reality. It has one movement that begins and ends the piece, with another in the middle. The opening and closing are almost a pre-cursor to ambient. They sort of drift around and flow without ever really landing anywhere over a droning bass tone. And then after four and a half minutes of ambient prep, the thrust of the track kicks in. It’s definitely got that fusion edge. It comes and goes and everyone gets their turn at the forefront of the sound. It’s definitely still got more of that traditional free-form flow from more traditional jazz, but some of the motifs and tones really hint at some of the fusion sound that would follow, particularly with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter’s future band, Weather Report.