I like Snoop's flow, the beats, Lady of Rage, the singles, Gz and Hustlas and so much more on this album. But I do not like the skits. Never did like the skits. Never will like the skits. There, I said it.
Today I learned that Randy Newman wrote the song Mama Told Me Not to Come, which was a number one hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. However, the first recording of Mama Told Me Not to Come was on an Eric Burdon and the Animals release in 1967 called Eric Is Here. Besides Newman, Eric Is Here included songs written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King as well as Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. They would all later have songs on Dusty Springfield's Dusty In Memphis. It appears that when Sail Away was remastered and re-released in 2002, that someone decided to rotate the cover image 90 degrees to the right--so that Newman is looking left--and tint the entire thing red. Prior to that, the cover was tinted normally and Randy Newman was looking down. The change, to me at least, made the album look like Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Blood on the Tracks, this is not. But it is a brisk, jaunty disk worth a listen. I know this is a well regarded album and appears on many best of lists. However, it was not a hit record. It looks to me like Randy Newman never had a hit album despite having hit songs. That, to me, is why he now has to slave away on Pixar soundtracks for Disney into his 80's. Poor guy.
I am not a Jazz guy and, for that, I feel bad about myself. So I cannot get too jazzed up about this album. But do not get me wrong, there is nothing distasteful on here. In fact, plenty of it is quite good, especially Sarah Vaughan's voice. This record would be a nice accompaniment for a dinner party with cool friends or, possibly, even sexy time. I definitely enjoyed the slice-of-life Chicago nightclub vibe. There is a part when you hear an audible thud followed by the crowd chuckling. This was presumably in response to a busboy slipping on a banana peel and stumbling, genitals first, into a microphone.
With the exception of the titular track, the album was adequately pleasant. It's hard to articulate why I didn't like the track Cole's Corner. The orchestration felt too cheesy--ultracheesy, if you will. However, the folksy, singer-songwritery songs with more subdued instrumentation worked for me (i.e. Born Under a Bad Sign.)
Easily listenable hymnals to fall asleep to that are elevated by The Weight.
For The Band, this is a great sophomore effort. It has more boogie and soul than Big Pink. I will return for Up on Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.
Speakerboxxx is a solid, focused hip hop record by Big Boi that gets better in its second half. After The Way You Move, my favorite tracks are Knowing, Flip Flop Rock, Reset and Last Call. Meanwhile, Andre 3000's goal seems to have been to make anything but a rap album. Which is insane to make a record without your best instrument, but it's an insane accomplishment. Apparently, Hey Ya was the product of Andre's first attempt at learning guitar. Though, not everything worked for me on The Love Below. But songs that did are Happy Valentine's Day, Behold a Lady, Pink and Blue, Love In War, and A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre.
I was two years old when this album came out. Every single one of these songs reminds me of the back seat of my mom's Dodge Dart, which was beige.
I like Snoop's flow, the beats, Lady of Rage, the singles, Gz and Hustlas and so much more on this album. But I do not like the skits. Never did like the skits. Never will like the skits. There, I said it.
Short, sweet and to the point.
Courtney Love has a mind blowing career. At 21, she acted opposite Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb in one of my all-time-favorite movies, Sid & Nancy. Here she is--a rock star--13 years later with one of the 1001 albums you must listen to before you die sandwiched between starring roles in The People vs. Larry Flynt and Man on the Moon, opposite Woody Harrelson and Jim Carrey, respectively. Like, she made it in the entertainment business, on two fronts. Yet, she is remembered as an addict, an afterthought, a punchline. Of course, there is...Everything. Else. But still, it feels like she does not get enough credit for her accomplishments. Having said that, the real star of this album, for me, is Courtney Love's crop top on the cover.
Today I learned that Randy Newman wrote the song Mama Told Me Not to Come, which was a number one hit for Three Dog Night in 1970. However, the first recording of Mama Told Me Not to Come was on an Eric Burdon and the Animals release in 1967 called Eric Is Here. Besides Newman, Eric Is Here included songs written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King as well as Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. They would all later have songs on Dusty Springfield's Dusty In Memphis. It appears that when Sail Away was remastered and re-released in 2002, that someone decided to rotate the cover image 90 degrees to the right--so that Newman is looking left--and tint the entire thing red. Prior to that, the cover was tinted normally and Randy Newman was looking down. The change, to me at least, made the album look like Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Blood on the Tracks, this is not. But it is a brisk, jaunty disk worth a listen. I know this is a well regarded album and appears on many best of lists. However, it was not a hit record. It looks to me like Randy Newman never had a hit album despite having hit songs. That, to me, is why he now has to slave away on Pixar soundtracks for Disney into his 80's. Poor guy.
I am not a Jazz guy and, for that, I feel bad about myself. So I cannot get too jazzed up about this album. But do not get me wrong, there is nothing distasteful on here. In fact, plenty of it is quite good, especially Sarah Vaughan's voice. This record would be a nice accompaniment for a dinner party with cool friends or, possibly, even sexy time. I definitely enjoyed the slice-of-life Chicago nightclub vibe. There is a part when you hear an audible thud followed by the crowd chuckling. This was presumably in response to a busboy slipping on a banana peel and stumbling, genitals first, into a microphone.
"[A]n anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road movie record" is about right. But instead of anarcho-syndicalist, I would say tolerable.
Today I learned that the bassist in Magazine went on to have a solo career where he released soundtracks to non-existent films. His third album, Oedipus Schmoedipus, had some My Life in the Bush of Ghosts vibes and could go in a Music to Listen to While Working or Studying playlist.
Elvis' first album did not include his most popular songs of the time such as Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me Tender, Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog because they had already been released as singles. As a general rule, an album has been an afterthought in the music business. It was Sgt. Pepper's that made the album viable as artistic expression and a commercial product.
Today I learned why I did not hear anything from Dexys Midnight Runners after the release of their homage to bukkake, Come On Eileen, went to #1 in the US and was an early MTV staple. They committed commercial suicide with the release of their follow-up album Don't Stand Me Down. Of course, just like The Cure is Robert Smith. Dexys, as they came to be known, is Kevin Rowland. And Kevin Rowland's voice on this album could be related to Robert Smith's voice. Maybe not in the higher register, but definitely mid to low. Like, if their voices are not brothers on this album, then cousins. Aside from the citation of Warren Zevon on One of Those Things in the 1997 re-release, I was also picking up Lou Reed's Satellite of Love vibes on Knowledge of Beauty. I might have even heard a hint of Fleetwood Mac's That's All for Everyone somewhere, but I could not be bothered to listen again to find out. Though not completely without artistic merit, I found this album bland with the conversational elements bringing it down further. Recommended tracks: Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London, Lou Reed's Satellite of Love, Fleetwood Mac's That's All for Everyone and The Cure's A Strange Day.
Is there such a thing as easy-listening punk? There are a lot of hooky songs on here, but nothing really elevates. Drop Out reminded me of Kick Out The Jams. I'd say this music is along the lines of MC5 or X, but with a horn section and pedestrian lead singer.
To be honest, this is the first Taylor Swift album I have ever listened to. And it was alright. Also, this review is being written just after Taylor's appearance on the New Heights podcast, the announcement of her album The Life of a Showgirl and the announcement of her engagement to Travis Kelce. Go Chiefs! I do like the indie vibe of the album, to the extent that "indie" is now its own genre. The album perfectly adheres to "indie" conventions. However, I'm not sure how much of the credit or discredit goes to Aaron Dessner. Either way, the album feels almost too perfect. It just does not resonate with me, but is still a pleasant listen.
Siamese Dream was released between my first and second year at the University of Kansas. Though, I do not think I was aware of Smashing Pumpkins until watching the Today video. At that time, my alt rock allegiance was with Nirvana. In Utero came out the week after Today was released as a single. Apart from that, I was listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and Velvet Underground and being depressed. So that's where my mind was at, but this album would have been right up my alley. I did buy Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness when it came out (spoilers: it's a 4 too), but this is the first time listening to this album in its entirety. I had only heard the singles before. I have always liked Today and I was reminded how much I like Disarm. I suppose Billy Corgan's singing voice has been something of an acquired taste. But I give him the benefit of the doubt for coming out of Chicago at the same time my mom lived there and for citing The Cure as an influence. Hell, the Pumpkins even covered Syd Barrett. They, and this album, are fine by me.
S.F. Sorrow resides in the vicinity of Sgt. Pepper's, early Floyd, and late-60s Kinks. It's not in the same neighborhood, mind you. It's on the outskirts of town, across the railroad tracks. The fact that it is allegedly the first "rock opera" earns no bonus points from me. Though I do kind of dig Baron Saturday. By the way, at some point, the album was reissued with four bonus tracks. It seems most streaming services have this version. You only have to listen to the first 13 songs to hear the album immortalized on the 1001 list. I really hope I can reach just one person with this message.
I like, but it seems New Order are ripping off--er, interpolating--The Cure's Just Like Heaven on All The Way. Which shows me that there was some cross pollination happening between the bands. As I only thought it was Robert Smith doing the ripping off. First of all, compare The Cure's Splintered In Her Head to Joy Division's Atrocity Exhibition. Then also compare The Walk to Blue Monday.
Adele is clearly talented and has a fabulous voice. These are good songs. I could see myself returning for Rumour Has It. But my taste bone is not especially tickled by the other tracks. Bonus point for covering The Cure, though.
My first glib thought for Flamin Groovies is CCR, but without John Fogerty. Still, I dig the garage blues vibe and feel like Teenage Head punches above its weight.
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me. The first half was hit or miss. I felt the second half was much stronger with American Terrorist being a standout track.
The struggle is real...to star in films and television.
I always liked Q-Tip's flow from hearing him guest on tracks--particularly The Beastie's "Get It Together." Though, when "The Low End Theory" came out, I was not a fan of old school hip hop. I’m still not a fan of old school hip hop, but I wasn’t then either. So I overlooked the early evolution fostered by bands like A Tribe Called Quest. I wish I had listened to the album when it came out. Super solid and groovy.
I think MJ Cole may have been influenced by the 1080 Snowboarding soundtrack. I will put Sincere in a 'Music that could be in a videogame' playlist.
After reading about Dion, I thought of Bob Dylan. Their career trajectories are similar in the sense that they had early success followed by a turn to more mature materiel. Then they went Christian in the 80s, only to go back to secular music and experience late career renaissances on the Adult charts. Which, I guess, makes this Dion's Street Legal. Checks out. Street Legal was big in the UK. I would put this album at 2.5--not distasteful, but nothing stands out. Since Dion has disowned the album, I will round down.
This exercise has me contemplating a number of what-ifs. Like, what if The Who never recorded "My Generation?" This album would be called "The Who Sing A Legal Matter." Would they have been as popular? It's doubtful in my mind, but who knows. Regardless, they did sing "My Generation" which is quite fortunate. Otherwise, the album is something of a snooze with the The Who aping their influences to the best of their ability.
My intro to Radiohead was the Creep video on MTV, but what really got me into Radiohead was watching a There There video promo playing before a movie. I went out and bought Hail to the Thief. I loved it and then went to their previously released albums to determine that I loved those too--except for Pablo Honey. OK Computer might be dysthymia in album form, but I am here for it.
The British Invasion bands broke based on their American R&B and rock and roll influences. Then they toured the other former colonies where they discovered heretofore-unknown-to-a-western-audience rhythms and instruments like the sitar. Which opened the door to the Shankar Sitar Complex. The sitar has remained an important instrument in popular western music.
What if The Last Starfighter were real? You know, that movie where the Rylan Star League puts a Starfighter video game on earth to recruit new gunners. Alex beats the game then is whisked out to space to fight the Ko-Dan Empire. Also, so as not to arouse too much suspicion, the Rylans leave behind an android clone of Alex who looks the same but acts weird. Yes, what if that were real? But, instead of a Starfighter simulator, it were pop music? Maybe that happened to Michael Jackson. After Thriller came out, the Rylan Space League abducted the King of Pop to battle the Ko-Dan Empire with song. Meanwhile, Michael's doppelgänger acted weird. God, I hope that's what happened to Michael Jackson.
A friend introduced me to The Velvet Underground in college. I listened to this album a lot in 1993. I liked it then and I like it now. I do not know that I love-love it, but I'm definitely grading on a curve with these ratings.
I like Kanye's flow and he's obviously a Pro Tools wizard. However, he may have gone too far in a few places on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I dig "Monster" and "Hell of a Life."
I want to like Country Life more than I do. "Out of the Blue" cuts through for me, but not so much the other tracks.