1001 Albums Vol. 0001: Melody A.M. ============================================================ Introduction: This is my first album on this site. I will be reviewing every album and song given to me in this description section on a 1-10 scale. There are some very rare exception in which I will give a song or album an 11 out of 10, but I expect those situation to be extremely rare. I estimate only around 10-20 albums receiving a score that high by the end of this entire journey. Alongside all of this, I hope that my writing ability increases as I go along this journey. I hope for an better, funnier, tone/personality in my writing by the end of this journey. This album was released in 2001 by Norwegian duo Röyksopp. From my research, I've deduced that this album's creativity and continued relevancy comes from the genre-blending it achieved. It manages to blend a downtempo beat with the tight instrumentation of electronic to create something unique at the time. This album apparently helped electronic music reach a wider audience as well. This is a duo that I personally have never heard of before up until this point. Despite this, I have high hopes for this album. This hope may originate from the fact that this is my first album on this site, but I still have high hopes nonetheless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: So Easy - This was an extremely nice song to start off with. Firstly, it is an extremely well-produced track, especially for the time. Many of the instruments here sound so tight and precise. That being said, this preciseness is a common trait I see across most electronic songs I have heard. Don't let that fact downplay this song, however. The sublimation of instrumentation and vocals create a very strange, otherworldly feeling that emanates throughout this song. This sublimation creates a song that feels very laid-back, relaxed, yet oddly dramatic at the same time. I am especially a fan of the rising vocals in the "blue on blue" sections. There isn't much variety in terms of lyrics, but that works for this song since it doesn't seem as if lyrics were meant to be the main focus of the song. This song emanates with creativity. It sets itself apart from most other electronic songs I have listened too very well. Overall, this is an extremely well-made, unique song that deserves the critical praise it receives. So Easy Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 2: Eple - This track manages to be much better than the first. It has the same extremely high quality production as the previous, yet the instrumentation and melody is much more creative and profound in this song. This song manages to blend a strange mix between electronic and psychedelia through its unique instrumentation. The high-pitched piano-like sound that plays throughout the entirety of this song is what brings this psychedelic feeling the most. The amount of small details happening in the background of this tightly executed jam makes this song even better. The strange high and low pitching of the melody during the bridge created a strange sense that the melody was traveling up and down through my headphone's channels. Overall, through a very nice blending of genres, a very creative melody that manages to be extremely memorable, and the overall unique mood that emanates from this song, this song manages to achieve a ten rating from me. Eple Score: 10/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 3: Sparks - In my opinion, this song isn't as strong as the two previous. It has the same production value as the previous two, yet there isn't anything that makes this song sound too distinct from the many other electronic beats that I have heard over the years. To me, it sounds like something I would encounter in a relaxed, laid-back game. The melody presented is pretty repetitive and simplistic, this factor being exaggerated over the more than five minute runtime of the song. That being said, this is the first song on the album that contains genuinely complex lyrics that are meant to resonate with the listener. From what I have gathered, this song is meant to convey the feeling of spiraling into grief over a breakup or loss of someone significant. This lyrical meaning blends well with the more monotone melody of the song. This doesn't excuse the music itself from sounding much more generic in terms of electronic, however. On top of the music itself being much more generic, the lyrical meaning too is very generic. The theme of depression after a breakup/death is something that I feel has been explored time and time again in countless songs. Overall, while this song may not be as experimental or as musically complex as the previous two, it still manages to be an influential piece of electronic music. I can hear this effect clearly even on a first listen. Sparks Score: 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 4: In Space - This song is an instrumental much like Eple. It isn't as strong as Eple, however. Where Eple had a very psychedelic tone to it, this song has a much more pleasant tone. The production here is a bit off too. The drums don't feel as precise and tight as the way they did in the previous three songs. That being said, this works towards the songs favor. This lack of precision in the instrumentation helps this song create the more pleasant atmosphere it was clearly attempting to create. It's melody almost feels like something you would hear in Minecraft or a game of the like. It's a very nice, well-made instrumental. That being said, it isn't without flaws. Firstly, the melody doesn't feel as personally impactful as any instrumental's should. It does flow with creativity, but not as much so as the previous songs. The song itself isn't all that memorable either. It feels like a simple jam included for the sake of filler. That being said, this song doesn't overstay its welcome like the previous did, its runtime being only three and a half minutes long. Overall, while this song is still good, it misses the magic that made the two opening tracks so great. In Space Score: 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 5: Poor Leno - This is the first song on the album that I would describe as being extremely high energy. This is another song that I would describe as leaning toward a much more typical electronic song. That being said, that fact doesn't make the song bad at all. In fact, I would even say that this song is better than the previous two. The song has a very high and loud energy to it that emanates with the lyrical meaning. The vocals to these lyrics themselves are amazing. The masculine soft, perfect, echoing, masculine voice that delivers these lyrics sound so comforting and are perfect in context to the song. Now, I have heard various interpretations of these lyrics. Some of these theories claim pedophilia, some claim that the song is a game of hide and seek between a father; that being said, the interpretation I like to take is that we are listening to a father lecture his nine-year-old son about love, about the fact that he will always be by his side. He will always find him, he will always know him. In my opinion, his lyrical interpretation makes the most sense in context of the melody of the song. One could argue that the wacky melody could indicate a game of hide and seek, yet I believe that it is meant to indicate the magical happiness felt by unconditional love, especially so since this song is from the perspective of a nine-year-old. Overall, my own interpretation of this song allows me to give it an eight of ten. That being said, if the hide and seek meaning is ever confirmed, that score may drop down to a seven or high six. Poor Leno Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 6: A Higher Place - This song brings back that strange blend of psychedelia Eple had. It isn't as masterfully executed on this song, however. This song is yet another instrumental...almost. There are a few words spoken during this song's duration, yet I don't consider them significant enough to speak any further on. There is quite a pleasant and progressive tone present in this song, a lot of small elements weaving their way in and out as well. Most of these elements make sense with the melody of the song. There are major, repeating elements that weave their way in as well. That being said, because of how many little things happen in this song, it would take a few listens to recognize these major elements first being weaved into the melody. I consider this to a good thing. There's not really much else to say about this song. It's just a pretty well-made instrumental. If anything, my main critique would be the random moaning sound that the duo decides to sample throughout the song. Other than that unpleasant bit, I have nothing major to criticize about this song. A Higher Place Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 7: Röyksopp's Night Out - This song felt a bit too ambitious for its own good. It's yet another instrumental that manages to blend sounds of jazz and funk with electronic. That being said, it does so over the course of eight minutes. Like I said, this track feels a bit too ambitious for its own good. That being said, it's not bad at all, yet the melodies being noticeably weaker than previous songs along with its excessive length drag this song down. In my opinion, it is the weakest song on the album so far. There is some great bass work towards the middle of the song, but that's around the extent that I found myself to be really, really enjoying. This song attempts to feel dramatic in a somewhat weird way. Most of the sectioned melodies that we heard in the first seven minutes of the song: screechy horns, weird horns, and bass all come back in the last minute alongside aggressive crescendos to attempt to make a dramatic finish. That being said, this section just comes off as weird. The song didn't really have any impact on me either. Overall, there isn't much to say about this song that I haven't already. It's still good, but the weakest so far. Röyksopp's Night Out Score: 7/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 8: Remind Me - This is another song that contains a lyrical meaning. It appears to be sung by the same singer as in Poor Leno. The music compliments the nostalgic tone of the lyrics well. The melody is slow, repetitive, and single-noted in certain aspects in a way the reflects the depressing, longing lyrics well. This is the first song in a bit that doesn't try any form on genre-blending. It solely uses aspects of electronic music to make its melody. This song's lyrical meaning seems to depict a man coming home after a long time away; however, after his arrival home, he finds that most of his life has left him behind. The people in his life have left him behind. He no longer feels important or loved by those around him. This song's lyrics seem to have a connection with the natural human need to feel connected to those around us, the natural need to feel like we belong. As stated before, the melody reflects this depressive tone in a successful way. Overall, this is a nice song that managed to have somewhat of an impact on me. Remind Me Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 9: She's So - This is yet another song that felt too overbearing for its own good. It's another instrumental as well. The ideas presented on this song feel so loose and as if they weren't explored enough to make something cohesive and logical. It felt as if many different ideas came to the duo and they decided to act on these ideas. This song doesn't really have anything special that we haven't heard before either. If this had been placed earlier in the album, it may have gotten a slightly higher score from me, but I feel inclined to give this uncreative and unmemorable (Albeit still good) piece the lowest score seen yet. She's So Score: 6/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 10: 40 Years Back \ Come - Well, it's unfortunate that the duo had to pack the weakest two songs at the end of the album. This song is yet another instrumental, and one that I genuinely consider to be bad at that. The melody in the first half of the song feels so random and unmemorable while the one in the second half feels to unoriginal that literally anyone with a guitar and good enough production could replicate it. There really isn't much to say about this song besides what I've stated above. 40 Years Back \ Come Score: 5/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: For being my first album, I think it was a pretty good one. Up until this point, most electronic songs I've heard have consisted of simplistic melodies with even simpler lyrics. This album felt complex in almost every song. Even the weakest songs still felt as if they were attempting to flow with creativity, the want to experiment. The constant experimental blending of genres on this album helped propel its creativity and ability to resonate with me to a certain height that just electronic alone wouldn't have done. It's genre-blending felt well-executed in most parts of the album. Lyrically, the album is obviously lacking. Most of the tracks here are instrumentals with a few exceptions here and there; however, this isn't really that big of a drawback in regard to this album. The extremely well-produced and experimental sound alone is enough to have a pretty substantial impact on the listener. When a song does contain lyrics, while the lyrics are typically repeated a lot, they often speak of themes that have a deep meaning to them. They typically dive deep into human emotions such as sadness and love. These songs that contain lyrics are typically complimented well by the melodies too, only propelling the lyrical delivery into even higher regard. The lyrics presented in these songs are just vague enough to be up to multiple interpretations as well. You are allowed to make you ideal version of a song in this album. On a side note, I find the singer's voices on the album to be incredible, especially on Poor Leno. On top of all of this, the production of this album is absolutely incredible as well. Overall, I personally find this album to be an extremely pleasant start to this long journey. The amount of songs that I found myself genuinely enjoying for both casual and artistic purposes is far greater than I estimated. I went into this thinking that I was probably going to initially get a streak of terrible albums followed by one good before jumping back into trash. That did not happen here. I was introduced to an artist that seemed to have genuinely wanted to experiment with genres in an artistic and enjoyable way. I definitely do not think that this will be the best album I listen to on this journey by a long shot, but I do still find this work to be incredibly pleasant. There are a few tracks on here that I could see myself revisiting time to time as well. Great start to this long journey, hopefully I see more stuff like this on my way. ============================================================ Melody A.M. Score: 7/10 Song Average: 7.4/10

1001 Albums Vol. 0002: At Fillmore East ============================================================ Introduction: I didn't mention this in my first review. If I believe an album to be a number such as a nine, seven or five, the score that I provide will be rounded up. For example, if I give an album a 7/10, that score will be rounded up to an 8/10 or 4/5 because of how this site's rating system works. Yes, this does mean that the only way for an album to get a 1/10 is for me to literally rate it a 1/10. There may be some cases in which I round a score down if I feel that it doesn't deserve to be rounded up, however. That's the end of this stupid little explanation section. Yet another band I have barely heard of and another album I've literally never heard of. From my few minutes of research, I'v deduced that this is a live album (obviously) recorded all the way back in 1971. It served as this band's third overall release and utilized songs from the band's first two albums. I have not and likely will not listen to the original studio releases of these songs, but I have deduced that the versions of the songs present on this album are extremely extended versions of those present on their first two albums. This fact alone somewhat elevates my view of this album already. The fact that there was true time and effort put into extending these songs to such extreme lengths for a live show should really show how much the artist truly cared about their fan base and making the best show possible. One could argue that this is something that almost every artist does. This statement does hold truth to it. Many artists will rewrite sections of their songs to give the performer a chance to speak to/hype up the audience in some way. Some songs will even be rewritten in an attempt to include the audience in the song. One such example of the latter is the bridge section of Creeping Death by Metallica. With that said, the length that the Allman Brothers extended/rewrote these songs are actually crazy. Whipping Post's studio version clocked in at barely over five minutes while this live performance of the same song clocks in at over twenty-three minutes. Nearly twenty minutes of performance was added just to this one song. These extreme extensions are seen throughout many of the album's songs too. Again, this should show just how much care the Allman Brothers gave to making their performance as great as they possibly could. This amount of care brings me hope that this will truly be an incredible live performance to hear in audio form. I likely won't appreciate these songs as much as I would if I were to listen to the studio versions beforehand, yet that wasn't the task given to me. Anyway, with that lengthy introduction out of the way, let's get into this album. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: Statesboro Blues - Well, I wouldn't necessarily consider myself to be much of a fan of Southern Rock or Country Rock at all, yet I still found myself interested in this song. Firstly, for a live show recorded back in 1971, this sounds absolutely amazing. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if someone were to have absolutely no idea what they were listening to and mistook this for a studio recording of some random song. That's how good the recording quality is. The song itself is pretty interesting as well. I am especially a fan of the guitar present throughout almost the entirety of the song. I especially like the guitar solo segments as well. Other small elements such as the keyboard moving its way in and out with the melody help elevate this song's enjoyability as well. The song is very simplistic, yet the simplistic nature of this song's melodies helps one focus on the depressing lyrics of personal hardships as well. I have done a bit of research into this song, and it's lyrics are meant to be a reflection of one of the band member's lives growing up in Statesboro, Georgia. This personal reflection of this particular member helps to add to the amount of insight that this song gives. Overall, while this song has a very simplistic nature that likely wouldn't be seen in our modern world, I still consider it to be an enjoyable and unique song at the time of its making. It managed to blend classic rock with blues in a way that worked and was likely original at the time of this album's release. Statesboro Blues Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 2: Done Somebody Wrong - This may be somewhat of a controversial statement, yet I believe that I like this song even more than the first. The production level is the exact same, the guitar work on this song is even better than on the first in my opinion, the vocals work and mix well with the melody, the harmonica on this song was genuinely amazing as well, and so on. This song uses another very simplistic and repetitive melody, yet the length of the harmonica and guitar solo sections help disguise this while listening to the full song. The faster pace helps this song feel more energetic, which is something that is very important when artists are performing live. From what I've gathered, the Allman Brothers reserved this song to be exclusively played during live shows. I am unable to find a studio recording of this song. To me, this fact adds some value to this song. Like I said in the intro, something that makes live shows genuinely great to listen to is the amount of care put into the performance. Reserving a song that is genuinely not bad to a live show helps boost that feeling of care about the overall show. The lyrics themselves are much more simplistic than the last song, the song seemingly referring to someone who has ruined their relationship with someone, yet the fact remains that there was genuine care put into a song that many fans of the band would not ever hear. Overall, I find this song to be genuinely enjoyable while reflecting what makes a live show meaningful at the same time. Done Somebody Wrong Score: 9/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 3: Stormy Monday - This is probably my favorite track on the album so far. This song doesn't bring the same high-energy guitar playing throughout its entire length, yet the blues atmosphere more than manages to make up for that. The two guitar and one keyboard solos are a highlight in this song as well. The lyrics seem to speak of the sadness/slog of the weekdays. This is a concept that I myself can relate too along with pretty much everyone else in the entire world. My only real critique about this song is it's length. Most of the song uses the exact same melody throughout. This can obviously get a bit monotonous with a length of over eight minutes. That being said, this one critique doesn't stain my appreciation for this song all too much. I lost my previous description of this track and don't feel like writing anything too in-depth again, so I'm going to leave this song at that. Stormy Monday Score: 9/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 4: You Don't Love Me - This entire album just keeps getting better and better. This is the first super-extension song on the album. It clocks in at over nineteen minutes long. That being said, most of what is presented in this song is absolutely not filler. We start out with that I would assume to be the studio version of the song being played before breaking out into around twelve minutes of nonstop guitar solos and methodical instrumentation. There are even segments present in this song of just guitar. These sections are probably the weakest of the entire song, yet the amazing execution of said guitar still make them extremely entertaining to listen too. That being said, some of these segments extend a bit too long. It does take a bit for a complex melody to pick back up after the initial version of the song has ended, yet it feels so good when it does. The payoff from hearing an energetic melody pick back up just felt so unexplainably good to listen too. This feeling is also present by the oddly peaceful melody present at the end of the song. It feels so unusual to hear something like this when I have heard nothing but Southern Rock so far, yet I like it a lot. If this were simply a live version of the studio recording, I likely would have given this song around an eight, yet the jam present propels this song much higher. Before I move on, I will mention the lyrical meaning of this song despite it not being the highlight at all. The song's meaning is pretty simple, it seems to be about a man who's woman doesn't love him anymore. He's going to cry to his mom and dad about it while telling everyone about what girls do to you as well. It's pretty simple yet it doesn't really matter. Overall, I genuinely find this song to be the first masterpiece I have heard on this album. The guitar playing is perfect, the amount of care put into this performance is amazing, and so on. This song scores just shy of a ten; however, due to the fact that it can get somewhat boring around its middle. Other than that, I have absolutely nothing but feelings of appreciation for this song. You Don't Love Me Score: 9/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 5: Hot 'Lanta - This is the first instrumental track found on this album. Right away I will say that this track is the weakest I have heard off this album so far. It's not bad at all, yet it doesn't manage to live up to the greatness of its predecessors. The entire jam has a very wacky tone to it that fits very well with what we have heard off the album so far. There are many different elements that the band uses in this jam that make the song still feel fresh after its five minute runtime is up. The keyboard, drum, and guitar solos present here are incredible like always and work well with the main melody. The release-like section at the end of the song is something I especially am a fan of as well. Overall, there isn't much to say about this song that what I have said above. This is hopefully the closest to filler that we will get on this album. Hot 'Lanta Score: 8/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 6: In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed - If I had to describe this song in a single sentence, I would write the following: "This song is a thirteen minute instrumental that consists of guitar, keyboard, and drum work that will make make you think "My God" all the way through." This song is the best on the entire album so far. It is also the second extended song on the album. Like I said above, the instrumentation work on this song is absolutely amazing. The slow and groggy melody in the beginning building up to the fast-paced, non-stop solos is absolutely incredible, not to mention the solos themselves are the best we've heard on the entire album so far. The guitar work here is especially incredible. The final few minutes of fast-paced stringing genuinely impressed me to the point where a small look of awe came across my face. I had heard that this song was incredible, yet I wasn't expecting it to be this incredible. The progression of free impression solos with the melodies is extremely impressive as well. Overall, this song is incredible. I can't think of a single thing I would change about it to make it better. This song takes my second ten I've ever given on this site. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed Score: 10/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 7: Whipping Post - I was genuinely in awe for almost the entirety of this song. This song's is the pinnacle of the entire album. The guitar work is at it's peak, the lyrics are at their peak, the vocals are at their peak. This genuinely felt as if it were meant to be a finale to a genuinely great album. I'd say the guitar work here manages to top even the last track's as well. This song is the last on the album. It's also an extended track as well. It clocks in at over twenty-three minutes in length, yet none of that time is filler. From the crazy, fast-paced guitar work during the first ten minutes and the last few before the final section, to the more mundane, slow-paced sections of this track, to the near-minute in length crescendo of almost every instrument heard throughout this album at the end of the track, everything about this track is perfect. I am especially a fan of the buildup section that exits the first mundane portion of this track. These mundane sections are not boring either unlike in You Don't Love Me. The first one has enough going on with the great guitar to keep me entertained all the way through. The second feels like it was made to be an outro to the entire album as a whole. These sections both work very well unlike in the previous song. As I said above, this track is lyrically great as well. It follows someone who has been squeezed by his partner for all he has. It uses a metaphor of being tied to a whipping post to emphasize how this person feels. This lyrical complexity combines well with the way the chorus is delivered by the singer, his voice beginning to roll with a hint of anger as he delivers it. This song literally feels as close to perfection as one could possibly get with this same level of production and same overall feel that this album goes for. I genuinely can't think of anything else that this album could do to make a song better than this and still have it feel like it belongs in this album. This song takes the first eleven I have given out on this site. Whipping Post Score: 11/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: This album is good, really good. I can see why this is generally considered to be one of the best live albums ever recorded. Like I said in the intro, it genuinely felt like the band cared about giving the best possible live performance they could. The songwriting varies a little in quality, yet it overall remains very strong in every song across the album. The style this album goes for feels very set while still exploring every possible avenue it could as well. Every song felt different and unique, all killer no filler. The fusion of blues themes with the extremely energetic rock atmosphere is something that works extremely well on this album as well. Lyrically, this album could use a bit of work. Most songs that contain lyrics feel a bit dated in the topics that they choose to cover. The things they have to say have been spoken time and time again in the decades that would follow this album's release. Even at this album's release there were many songwriters already covering similar topics as this band was. That being said, this is just a small issue that didn't really drawback the quality of this album all that much. What didn't drawback the quality at all was the production. The production on this album is absolutely amazing. The guitar, the keyboard, the drums all mix in such a good way. Like I said at some point above, I would not be surprised at all if someone believed they were listening to a studio recording if they had no idea what this album was. In fact, there were times where I actually forgot I was listening to a live album. That statement alone should speak volumes about how good this album's production and quality is. This quality in audio allows the guitar, drum, harmonica, and keyboard solos to sound absolutely amazing throughout each song. Overall, this album is great in pretty much every aspect. It isn't perfect in absolutely every aspect, yet the fact still remains that it is extremely influential, extremely well-produced, and extremely well-written. I am glad to have gotten something of this quality as my second album on this site. ============================================================ At Fillmore East Score: 9/10 Song Average: 9.1/10