Classic album and a great mix of sounds and influences
Another classic. Great pop songs, that sound catchy and straightforward, yet are based on very intriguing compositions and harmonies.
It’s not fair reviewing an album 40 years after it happens, especially when it comes to “classic” “hard” rock. In the past this live rendition of the first run of a classic band was long seen as one of the best live albums. And I am willing to allow The Who as somewhat of an innovative band back then.
But today, to me at least, it all just sounds old and it doesn’t hold up when compared to other classic acts that deviated more from the meat and potatoes rock.
Highlight: Tattoo, My Generation (but without the grueling medley)
After all the talk about music, the cover is amazing.
My entry to The Who was Live at Leeds, which just didn’t work in for me. The songs sounded too much alike, too much soloing … just not a satisfying experience.
Having somewhat written off The Who as a typical old fashioned classic rock band, I was surprised how much I liked My Generation. A nice mix of songs, melodies, varying guitar playing. The album has a nice vibe and energy, even if lyrics aren’t great.
The Who is still a band I can live without, but now I don’t have to live without it.
Favorite song: My Generation
Classic rock isn’t usually my lane—overblown guitar heroics and wailing vocals tend to lose me fast. But Led Zeppelin II cuts through that resistance. The riffs hit with real heft, the grooves move with undeniable confidence, and the band plays like a single, tightly coiled unit. It’s an album that demands to be heard as a whole, not cherry-picked track by track.
The highs: the drum-bass combo by John Bonham and Paul Jones is amazing and the crisp production helps to highlight all the sounds on this album.
The lows: Robert Plant's singing is hit or miss for me.
Fav song(s): Thank You
Barry Adamson’s album feels like a room you enter without quite knowing why. The music moves smoothly, almost politely, and if you let it play without listening, it will simply become part of the furniture.
But if you sit still and listen, it begins to suggest things. A late-night street, damp from recent rain. A bar with no one inside except the bartender and yourself. Detectives in trench coats. The melodies drift by like half-remembered dreams, never insisting, never fully explaining themselves.
I don’t think I’ll return to it often. Still, on this slow morning when time felt slightly unreal, it filled the room, and lingered as an atmospheric and quietly rewarding companion.
At Fillmore East brings the blues, played by musicians who know the form inside out.
Then the guitars take over. They stretch, circle, and keep going. The jamming opens a door where time slows down and nothing feels urgent. Some people find that freeing. I mostly feel it drift.
Now and then, it clicks. In the final track especially, the band locks in. The vocals land just right, the groove tightens, and everything feels simple and right. For a moment, it’s perfect rock ’n’ roll. Then the solos return and the spell fades.
I’m glad I listened. It feels like a record you’re supposed to hear at least once. But I don’t feel much need to go back. I don’t smoke weed, and this album feels like it wants you to.
*Introducing the Hardline* sounds like a polished artifact from the late ’80s: slick, funky, but weightless without ever feeling urgent or dangerous.
Sananda Maitreya’s voice does the heavy lifting— turning weak songs into memorable moments. Some tracks feel oddly familiar, triggering hazy childhood memories of standing in front of the radio.
In another universe, this album might have launched a new Michael Jackson. Instead, it lands as stylish but disposable ’80s pop: pleasant, nostalgic, and ultimately easy to forget.
Stand! is a strong pop record, all killer, no filler. It is direct and alive. The songs move fast and carry real joy, but there is urgency in them too. The music celebrates freedom without making a speech out of it.
Sly and the Family Stone blend funk, soul, rock, gospel, and psychedelia into one sound that feels clear and singular. The hit songs—“Sing a Simple Song,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Stand!,” and “Everyday People”—are simple and sharp, built to last. When the band stretches out, the grooves take you for a wild ride.
Listening to the album takes you back to the late ’60s, when the world felt unsettled and alive at the same time. The record holds that feeling well, without excess, and lets the music do the work.
The Beatles weren’t build in a day. While this album is not a bad album, it is also quite unremarkable and doesn’t signal yet the greatness that the Beatles will become.
