2/5. A National Front Disco indeed. A couple of slower ones are decent but the big sound at the start just doesn’t work.
Stone cold classics to start with, but gradually tails off before a dismal ending.
At the height of their popularity Pulp shunned the radio-friendly stuff and created a much darker record that endures with some of their best songwriting
Big hair, big tunes, but too much filler.
All very beautifully arranged and played but the songs themselves are average.
Really immersive listen, playful but smooth
When it’s good it’s very good but lacks consistency and overdoes it at times.
Cracking sound and full of tunes, but points off for what is in effect a compilation, not an album, and notably dubbed, so not really live.
Lovely stuff that still sounds fresh today
Their first album full of original tunes is one where they start to come of age. It’s a delight to listen to.
Some great songs but someone needed to step in and add some direction, and an editor. Sprawling, meandering, over indulgent.
An epic sound- it could have been over indulgent but it genuinely does add something to their sound and gives a fresh take on old classics.
My gateway drug to the greatest of all. Sure it has flaws but they’re part of the whole, and the likes of Old Man and The Needle And The Damage Done are among his most essential cuts.
Lush sounds but lacks variety
Just magnificent. The Weight is among the greatest songs ever recorded, and then throw in the likes of Tears of Rage, Chest Fever and Long Black Veil and you’re on to a winner.
Overall, great fun but you need to be in the right mood for this sort of thing - not really my comfort zone. Reckon my Iron Maiden collection will start and finish with The Number of the Beast.
Now this is a proper live album. The atmosphere really comes across, Cash plays it perfectly and the back-to-back performances of San Quentin seal the deal.
An album of two halves, which is one of the few things to count against it. If they’d carried on in the groove of Side A it’s a solid 5/5, but seems weird they returned to the old playbook on Side B. Not that there was anything wrong with the old playbook - but it does end up feeling like they lost their nerve.
Four (California) stars from me, and very nearly five because there’s so much to love. Hits the sweet spot for the balance between reverence for the source material and the irreverence of so much of Guthrie’s writing. Joyful.
Some nice tunes - lots of funky bass and a big sound - but I ended up being more interested in a lot of the source material than the end product. Lyrically not my thing.
I was about to give this three but screw it - let’s go with what might be an unpopular opinion. Kind of remembered it as being Mr Brightside and 10 others but to be fair they know how to write a tune and stuck plenty on here. Nothing deep and meaningful of course, and significant points off for the “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” refrain, but if you’re out to write an art-rock/new wave influenced indie pop album you’d be hard pressed to do it better than this. Fair play.
A veritable mixed bag of a record. Some great stuff - mostly for me the heavier stuff on the second half like Mother’s Daughter and Hope You’re Feeling Better, but also some cheesy bits and a lot where it’s too smooth for its own good. Definitely stuff to revisit though
Another all-time Neil classic, packed full of great songs, delivered as live for a real raw punch.
Combining folk/country licks with punk ethos and a funky bass, there’s heaps packed into half an hour here, and I’m already on a third listen by midday. Hook me up for more.
Largely built around the three singles but to be fair, cracking singles they are. Very stylised but can’t deny it sounds fantastic, production levels through the roof. Maybe not one I’ll revisit too many times but it’s very well done.
Feeds on its own nervous energy, it’s angry but fun, teetering on the edge of control. Basically, a riot, in more ways than one.
Some sublime grooves and funky tunes, but also a fair few bits which are just too damn smooth and turn into mushy background music. Strawberry Letter an all-timer though.
My favourite Cure record. Big sprawling epics - dark, brooding, and addictive. Gets under the skin.
Not a Miles record I know so it took me a little while to get into it, and maybe one I need to revisit to appreciate more. First half felt a little too one paced but much more going on on the flip side.
It’s wonderful. Full of energy, belting tunes, razor sharp performance - belting. But I’m still knocking points off for live albums that aren’t reimaginings of the songs cos it’s cheating if it’s basically a greatest hits set
Cheese rock. Hyper-produced, hyper-processed to be so perfect it’s devoid of any soul. There was a brief moment where memories of childhood car journeys being brought back by the singles (dad had the greatest hits compilation that everyone has) might have earned it a second star for sentimental reasons, but any lingering goodwill was destroyed by Earlybird.
All-killer, no filler. You get used to albums from this era being three singles and a bunch of leftovers but this is outstanding throughout. Perfect pairing of the Muscle Shoals sound and the Queen of Soul. Wonderful stuff.
A bit twee at times but there is something lovely about hearing an excellent songwriter reclaiming what for so long she’d allowed others to define. I remember introducing my dad to this record in the early 00s and as he’d grown up on the 60s “originals” he struggled to get his head around the fact King had written all these tunes and this wasn’t just as covers collection.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Still the finest of the Modfather’s solo albums, this kicks off with my favourite Weller tune and keeps the top class songwriting coming. If we’re nit-picking (and I am, because I can’t give a five every time) it could do without the noodly instrumentals that push it towards being too long, but there’s not much to complain about here.
A bit sickly smooth at times. But the grooves are undeniable.
Add it to the list of fine records that now come with some troublesome baggage but damn if it isn’t still a fine listen. Tune after tune delivered with a distinctive, rich signature sound, it still sounds fresh 20 years on.
All very nice but this lacks any real depth and feels like it just drifts along. Highlights like Bananeira are few and far between.
Slightly more suited to a Monday morning where you need a kick up the backside than a chilled Sunday, but bloody hell this is exhausting. Kudos I guess for its pioneering status but it’s a one-trick pony for me.
Yes please. Dunno how you define Beck as an artist yet this is surely the definitive Beck record. Full of tunes, full of creative ideas, there’s something else every time you stick it on. Belting.
Are we allowed to say it’s kind of average? A couple of cracking singles, sure, and the craft that has gone into the production is obvious but too many of these songs weren’t worth that level of attention. Most of it distinctly forgettable.
Can one great tune sustain an album? No, it cannot.
The best of the solo stuff, partly down to the two cracking bands he assembled for it. Brings back memories of a great week in which we saw him play with the all boy band in Bridlington and the all girl band in Hammersmith a few days later.
