Seems like one of these guitar riffs provided a sample for... Elastica maybe? I can hear a prelude to Minor Threat in these songs. Got about halfway through the album but I get the idea.

This album wasn't on my radar and I appreciated the chance to give it a listen. It didn't instantly grab me, but it was enjoyable. The themes and sound are pretty much exactly what I expect from Springsteen after I grew up listening to Born in the USA, which my dad had on vinyl.

There's no doubt that Biggie was incredibly talented, but the relentless misogyny wasn't cute in the '90s and grates even more now.

It was fine? It didn't make that much of an impression to be honest.

I love the smoothness of Around the Way Girl, and how big the beats feel on some of the other tracks. The braggadocio is pretty charming, especially in contrast to the outright misogyny of the Biggie album I listened to a few days ago. There are a few tracks I'd probably skip the next time (Milky Cereal, really?) but I would listen to this album again.