The quintessential trademark Greenday album
What can you say some absolute classics on this a punk smasher !
Not just a great punk album but a good pop album too some well crafted Melodys hooky power chord riffage
Probably tre cool’s best drumming on this and his introduction to the group
Standout tracks for me of course basket case
Chump
Welcome to paradise and she , overall a banger !
Just to make things clear I’m not a rap music connoisseur and don’t profess to be a massive fan of the genre
But there is a few in that genre I enjoy the likes of Tupac , dr Dre , Eminem
For me after a couple of listens it didn’t really cut the mustard
A few reasons
Mainly to take this album for what it is face value the whole flow of it just seemed to drag
There was no real venom to the punctuation of the lyrics , not like how the likes of beasty boys and Eminem seem to convey them
The tempos seemed to keep the same no dramatic change in that respect
The instrumentation was good in places very classic 90s rap but the production seemed mushy and vocals hard to hear in places
Finally to wrap it up not my cup of tea as I mentioned rap isn’t my bag but I’ll give this a poor 1 out of 5 didn’t seal the deal for me I’m afraid
Incredible album !
Was blown away by the musicianship Marvin’s vocals are just gorgeous particularly on mercy mercy , what’s going on
Right on
They seem to dance beautifully around James Jamersons bass lines notably on the opener what’s going on
Save the children had some great string section moments and Marvin displayed such emotion in his vocals
The jam on the track right on I loved
Some interesting chords kept me so interested in where the music was going next
Will be giving this many more listens in the future
A lot can be said to describe this stroke of geniusness (is that a word ) in an album
Personally love the smiths but never truly got round to listening to any of their back catalogue so it was a treat to listen to this gift of a record
Track by track review :
The queen is dead -
Loved the toms intro into the atmospheric guitars of the great Johnny marr you get lost in the wall of sound and morriseys beautiful storytelling of I believe from what I can gather going to murder the queen and hearing about it in the news astounding from the get go
Frankly mr shankly - very whimsical , loved the bass line clever word play again from morrisey
I know it’s over - my 2nd favourite on the whole album I just fell in love with this lovely 6/8 feel going on almost reminded me of a love ballad from the 60s very righteous brothers like , the bittersweet lyrics and heartbreaking Melodies from morrisey make this such an atmospheric , tragic song you can hear the pain in his voice but yet sung so beautifully and the build up towards the end with Johnny Marr building the guitar with chorus effect really drove it home
Never had no one ever -
Again great song another 6/8 feel very atmospheric and building of the guitars
Cemetery gates - great feel on this song
Big mouth strikes again - fantastic , love the middle bit that builds on the snare , the guitar effects really give it charachter and love the lyrics of Morrissey again what a wordsmith
The boy with a thorn in his side - again some lovely guitar playing from Marr , bass is complementing the riff , it reminds me of the cure this one , I’m sure they must have had a lot of inspiration from this band
Vicar in a tutu - a bit daft lol probably a filler for the album
A light that never goes out - just so happens to be one of my fave songs of all time this is quintessential Marr some lovely chords up the higher register , morrisey singing about the love of his life to quote the chorus “and if a double decker bus crashes into us , to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die”
One of the best choruses of a song ever imho
Some girls are bigger than others- genius enough said some great dynamics and very well written Melodie’s
Bjork was the only person who seemed to shine in the band , as a whole the album was a. Bit disappointing , a bit too left field for me just didn’t understand what was going on musically what kind of noise they were going for was like hearing bitchman biggins banging his tits against a radiator
Some fantastic motifs and jazz lines in there loved the 9/4 groove on the second track when it got going in , and numerous other great bits of Jame but all in all the album was like a big Jam nothing jumping out at me too much to think to listen to it again and again
A 2 for me
When Jazz ruled the world what an era for music herbie Hancock at his finest on this
Chameleon is a classic , straight away your into that stank groove on the keys and from then on your transported into some serious groove sections , thought this was Mike Clark on drums turns out it’s Harvey mason , providing some serious funky displaced feels on this locking in with the bass player
Love how it doesn’t fall off in terms of musical interest like some jazz does , always admired herbies ability to come up with great chapters in a song which keeps the listener engaged through a 15 minute epic like this
Watermelon man reminds me of a classic meters track pure funk loved it
Sly really pricked my ears up straight off the bat a great accented motif that displaces occasionally love the Jam in the middle Harvey giving it the old buddy rich fast ride peppering the song along nicely and then back to the original motif at the end a really well structured tune probably my fave of the album
Vein melter great track felt like it needed sly to be the finisher though thoroughly enjoyed this one
Not sure what I was listening to to be honest , there was no real melody in his dreadful out of tune voice
The music itself was too over the top for the lame songs with stupid names
Terrible
And to say this on the list of albums to listen to before you die was torturing my soul note by note
Not to take anything away from Neil Young he’s a great writer but found the album quite dull as a whole I’m sure there would have been better stuff out there he’s recorded not sure why this was on here must have been quite influential at the time
Takes me back this album , well saying that I think the main singles celebrity skin and Malibu were on constant repeat when I was a wee nipper and my sister was big courtney love fan so those songs on circulation a lot on good old days of MTV
As a hole …. No pun intended liked the album , as said before celebrity skin was a big hit straight off the bit your in with the big in your face power chord riff great catchy verses and choruses love the production for what it is really smashed mix reminds me of butch vig
There’s a few songs that stand out in this record for me Malibu I always enjoyed again Courtney delivering some great lyrics and the blend of acoustic guitars and then into the heavy choruses on guitars really stand out on this
Think my pal Joe Horner mentioned Billy Corgan helped compose this album and can tell with some of the smashing pumpkin like heavy guitars
The song awful again really catchy I found and definitely delivers great hooky. Melodies carries the mood nicely
Hits so hard - really like the bright guitars and how it’s been picked in the verses just nice arpeggiated chords nice catchy chorus
Reasons to be beautiful - nice fat drum groove got the Dave grohl vibe going on
, powerful vocals can tell corgan given some input to this , just typical Courtney love style singing she’s slightly off but that’s what makes it so raw she’s showing her hurt in her vocals and it sounds real
The backing vocals stood out for me In the choruses really nice how they build up and sit underneath
There’s a couple more I found really good northern star loved the instrumentation the timpani drum rolls every so often made it atmospheric some great picked acoustic guitar
Love how Courtney goes up the octave for the chorus at the end
Used once and destroy enjoyed the intro and Tom Tom groove like a NIN track some awesome guitar effects too
I don’t want to give this a full 5 rating but think definitely worthy of a 4 , just loved it for me it’s a nostalgia trip and , really catchy rock album one of Holes Best
Enjoyed some of the rapping but not very keen on the album as a whole not something I’d eagerly listen to
Haven’t had a lot of time to give this album the review it fully deserves but I’ll do my best
Love the ever changing moods and instruments used from baritone sax
Spanish guitar
Some flute in there this is such progressive jazz and for the 60s it’s way ahead of its time
The bombastic jams are very avant garde yet seem to come together during its finales
Great album a 4 for me
As dreary as it gets , this album didn’t grab me one bit , and honestly was no need for it to be a double album in my opinion , I’m guessing as a live performance there’s probably more of a spectacle to go on but musically found it as dull as dishwater ;
If a mate asked me to tag along to a nick cave show I’d probably be going to the bar after the 3Rd song if your lucky , music to watch paint dry with actually that might be a better option , pass me the Ronseal
A lot of praise for this , from the opener human behaviour it sets a tone of the album blending techno , trip hop dance into the fold , love Venus was a boy with Indian instruments the little hand cymbals ,
Very happy , dancey an amazing genre bending mix of songs ,
Bjorks voice is sensational with some great little passing notes and accidentals that make her singing what it is the uniqueness is great
A good listen , I’m sure there is more experimentation on future albums but for her breakthrough a winner
Think goes without saying that tainted love was the big hit off this album , also quite liked their interpretation of where did our love go , originally by the supremes
It was a tongue in cheek album , not memorable as such but I found it fun , in terms of how it set the scene sleazing about in the 80s , the synth driven pop oozes out of every song probably a little too drastic at times
Marc Almond has charisma as a lead singer and some tunes are catchy and flamboyant a little out of tune at times but that adds to the charachter of his voice ,
A good album but two good songs can’t carry it as a whole unfortunately
It took me by surprise just how good this album was , the sound is in your face straight up pop rock , with classics such as one way or another , picture this , the iconic heart of glass which sneaks in a very clever little 7/4 groove into the keyboard / singing break of the song
Don’t hear that much often in a pop setting
The songs are punchy well crafted with killer choruses and great instrumental breaks you can really hear the drummer clem Burke pounding those skins relentlessly with headphones on , another thing I like is the blend of the organ as well playing some nice higher register chords in the background to thicken the guitars out ,
To imagine this coming out at the time must be quite a revalation to think how it changed music and inspired bands and even today you’d be hard pressed to find a band that can produce a decent song structure like blondie and a good chorus so
For me it deserves a solid 5 stars
Ironic how the album was called Is this it cos that’s what I was feeling through the duration of it , bland and uninteresting bar maybe 2 of their hits
Phenomenal , in every aspect
The guitar work was sublime every little note was milked to fuck where you felt the tension rising between each solo segment , felt influences of Hendrix , , could see where Stevie ray Vaughan and lynryd Skynrd got their styles and playing from ,
The drumming had jazz , blues , funk thrown into the mix with two of them playing it was choreographed brilliantly in stormy Monday , the sections that the keys player was unisoning on with the guitars was elite
And the bass playing was tight as a mouse’s earlobe what a player what an album not enough stars for this guess 5 will do !
Won’t slate it too much , just wasn’t that enamoured with it all in all felt a bit samey to me through most of it
I just don’t know what to feel …
Well how do I feel , like I’ve been mind fucked several times by this album lol
God I’ve really had a good listen and a think to this one and In my opinion it’s just a clutter of farrrr too many styles of music for me
The opening songs international feel and never never land had a nice melody and tempo to it almost sort of Jeff lynn ELO inspired and then from that point onwards it descended into chaos
There were too many loopy noises In the background for my liking , space ships , Cazoos out of tune trumpets , which just made it too experimental and uneasy to listen to
These little 1 minute segues made no sense and made the ballad songs such as I just don’t know what to feel , don’t let me tie you down , feel flat and not uplifting
Even though those were actually my favourite moments from the album
I feel like he was onto a winner with the standard traditional songwriting elements he had on this but the rest was just a hornets nest of different genres and sounds
Todd rungren though got to hand it to him he’s a unique musician who has made some great records in past very multi talented but won’t be revisiting this one anytime soon
Some powerful songs on this album ,
Carry on had some really strong vocal harmonies , they seem to really hit it off with these vocals very cleverly worked when it transitions into the congas and then the new feel it really gives you 60s vibes the organ grooving a psychedelic melody , love the message of the song to carry on through tough times
Almost cut my hair has to be a bit of a homage to while my guitar gently weeps very similar maybe not intentional
But another strong message of resilience from the writer David Crosby against socialist movements in the 60s liked the vocals on it
Woodstock I enjoyed also read up it was a cover which was done by Joni Mitchell who Graham Nash dated , again some fantastic backing vocals Graham Nash got a great tone as all the other members
Helpless was a highlight on this album for me Neil youngs tender vocals about him growing up in Ontario are beautiful and paint a great picture of the surroundings
Our house, again great vocals felt quite emotional listening to it funny what music can do to you
Thoroughly enjoyed this album and didn’t expect to fully engage with it not something I’d normally gravitate towards
Couldn’t relate to it , wasn’t a fan of the lyrics I can see why it’s popular to certain. Subcultures but wasn’t a fan
Had Only one listen but I’ve heard these songs time and time again
Id highly regard it as steely Dans magnum opus record , the groove , the chord changes the cool lyrics the playing
I mean cmon you’ve got Bernard Purdie
Wayne shorter , Larry Carlton, Steve Gadd , chuck reiney on the personnel that’s like an all star lineup of the greatest session players of that decade
Not to forget Michael McDonald adding those trademark backing vocals on peg
My favourite moments are on the title track aja , the playful piano and the thunderous drum fills of Steve gadd through the vamp section which gets repeated about 4 times , class
The groove on black cow absolutely masterful rhythm section
Purdies epic shuffle on deacon blues
There’s so many great moments a timeless album
Some obvious bangers on here ,
Jenny was a friend of mine great opener
The bass tone and riff really well wrote
And a hooky melody over top with the synths
Ronnie Vannuci hitting them drums like they owe him money with those big fat sounding craviottos of his
Just a very cool pop album and Brandon flowers I’ve always rated as a singer , delivers some really hooky choruses and synth lines , he was inspired heavily by the pet shop boys so I can hear where he gets those soundscapes from in his tunes
It was ok , can’t deny she’s got a hell of a voice , just didn’t elevate me much musically ,
Felt like the songs seemed to keep the same tempo roughly , wasn’t much variation of instruments coming forward in the songs , felt like it dragged a lot
Wheels of confusion- great opening riff so doom laden and powerful great frantic middle section like the little synth effects going on
Tommorows dream - one of my favourite riffs off this album so sludgy can tell it paved the way for bands in the future of this vain like , orange goblin , kyuss, crowbar etc
Tony iommi proving he is the riff lord no question
Drumming is great playing a cool groove on the ride bell , enjoyed this solo section always thought black sabbath were so bluesy even though even though it’s heavy metal, the solo on this really nice geezer butler layering it well on the bass too
Changes - nothing else needs to be said think everyone listening to this album is aware of this classic
Fx - aha think there was a bit of experimenting with some class As making this haha
Supernaut - a riff that hits you hard in the nuts . Genius rock , bill ward playing the drums with vigour like a swingy jazz crash cymbal groove , can tell he was a jazzer back in his early days
Ozzy stands out so much int his album vocals are well up in the stratosphere love the phrasing he uses on this track
Snow blind - a classic pure sabbath riffage , makes you want to headbang love the phrasing again from ozzy knows how to shape the melody over the riff
Cornucopia - untouchable riffs again so heavy , love some of the gong effects going on too in background
Laguna sunrise - who knew iommi could write some classical little acoustic arrangements a nice change on the album
St vitus dance - almost countrified probably one of the more upbeat songs on the album haha great riffs again
Underneath the sun - doom metal at its finest great racing middle instrumental section , bill ward breaking out the Bonham triplets , love the build to the instrumental bit got a war pigs vibe crushing ending
That could open the gates of hell
I was toying with giving this a 4 with the bizarre fx section but you know what it was the 70s experimenting was the normal , haha it’s genius and the riffs are untouchable solid 5 for me
Fantastic record , and listening to this sound track really gave the vibe of a 70s American cops and robbers film very vintage sounding , the sounds gave me this imagination of a sprawling urban city and painted a picture with the lyrics of a drug infested downtown neighbourhood
And the sounds are epic , from the percussion section which you don’t hear is a prominent in a soundtrack , to the blazing horns the signature wah wah effect going off on the guitar , Curtis soulful voice gave everything and more to this album
A 4 for me verging on a 5 but think it’s something I wouldn’t revisit loads although very good
Not had bags of time to listen ti this but what an authentic latin record !!! Doesn’t get any better
For me I’ve never really understood the hype with Springsteen there’s a few good tracks on this one thunder road , jungle land and born to run are classics but always felt his voice was a bit middle of the road , although it’s his presence and story telling of his upbringing and the lyrical storytelling is great ,
Always seemed a little too sax heavy at times the guitars could do to share a bit more of the limelight I’ve always been indifferent about him can appreciate him im not gunna lie in previous albums songs like im on fire , glory days , born in the USA are up there but i dont feel like he draws me in with this album
Maybe something to keep listening to and might arouse me in a bit more
I won’t give up on you Brucey !!
Listening to this gave me full appreciation of led zeps experimentation , to go beyond full on classic rock and explore other types of genres in with what they do , so much funkiness coming from Bonham on a lot of tracks , I mean wanton song is like a funk song with the balls of classic rock , the jam on in my time of dying at the end is just pure inspiring the way Bonham hits displacements on the snare
He pushes and pulls the eighth notes with his crash cymbals , John Paul jones rock solid timekeeping on the bass sometimes just laying down one note , in a laid back feel , the music and jams are immense Kashmir is a classic , in the light with jimi Paige’s mysterious riffs and interesting chords
Robert plant delivers folky , rocky charismatic vocals that deliver a cinematic experience to the listener so my faves on this
Easily
Wanton song
In my time of dying
Trampled under foot - heavy ass groove and John Paul rocking the mellotron whatever it is
In the light , incredible build up Bonham playing some fat Tom fills
Epic in every sense
An impressive array of songs to say they are only 6
And it flowed nicely , I’ve never listened to a Bowie album fully so this was a new experience for me , the opener was atmospheric and when it kicks in with the bass , immediately draws you in to a hypnotic groove , Bowies voice is charismatic , dark , mysterious , melancholy has so many angles to it , and with the band that he has on this album which is a fine set of musicians , it works so many levels , I can’t put my finger on what it is but have to say bowie has a touch of genius that transcends because there’s not one song that sounds the same he’s always changing his style and personality
Golden years is a pop classic
I loved the groove on Stay , an exceptional rhythm section going off in that song ,
And a word on the wing quite poignant
Id give it a 5 but I don’t think it was quite there for me probably 4.5
Pretty unlistenable in places , just sounded like garage music most of time
Ohh that’s right shite
This was a really fresh and revitalising album full of energy , this project has really opened me up to a lot more styles around the world ,
Bursting with danceable rhythms the African singing coupled with the big band jazz style horns , tribal drums , and mix of funk etc to give felas signature afrobeat sound really opened my ears to some great music that I’d probably revisit
The great ginger baker on the last track really pushes his drum solo dynamically giving it that stepped hi hat foot obstinato and playing round the drums , Tony Allen also I need to listen to more and dig into what he’s done , musically a winner this one
Don’t mind some JT first half of album is bangers , love you like you do soon as it kicks in with that pharell Williams drum groove immediately funky and catchy , senorita. A clubbing classic , rock your body great hook and bass line but felt the other half fell short of the song quality quite a lot
Superb debut probably one of the best debut albums of all time
Don’t really need to express how much I think Van Halen changed the shape of rock music , such an iconic group
Just some pure badass playing on this album a few of these I skipped as I’ve heard many times before
Ain’t talking bout love is a classic that exemplifies everything about the van halen sound, the ultra futuristic riffing and pioneering guitar playing of Eddie , his solo playing on this is so right for the song , so nicely written,
Running with the devil the bass of Michael Anthony pounding that muted E string and the signature backing vocals great classic , the flamboyant and eccentric diamond David Lee Roths signature charismatic vocals and the odd shout and scream lend to this track so well
Of course there’s the iconic eruption that put Eddie Van halen on the map and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest virtuoso of the instrument
Second half of this album id not listened to as much
But had a few nice riffs and parts that really appealed the riff on Jamie’s crying I digged
On fire was just pure heavy metal loved the screams from Dave Lee Roth the guitar work is fast and so well placed with the solos just class
The bass underneath makes you realise how good Michael Anthony was just a pure powerhouse bass player
Alex van halen , as a drummer myself can honestly say he’s such a rock solid player love the ludwig kit he played on with the double bass and he played a great shuffle like a signature of his on later track hot for teacher especially but on this album I’m the one
Have to be good to this one and give it a solid 4 if it wasn’t for a few of those tongue in cheek tracks on the album mainly Ice cream man let’s be honest would be winding it up to a 5
But credit when it’s due for its time it’s a face melting debut
A bit repetitive in places and singing was annoying too got a bit hard to listen to , can hear the vibe they are going for but not my bag really , one to come back to and try soak in a bit more
Some great rocking tunes on this ! I mean cmon it’s Tina Turner an icon , I remember some of these tunes from old Videos my parents used to tape the series The young ones , and had what’s love got to do with it on top of the pops with the music video on such n iconic video ! so grew up listening to some of her classics on this
What’s love got to do with it is a great arrangement liked the little synth lines and the builds are great, she’s got so much power yet so much soul to her voice
Private dancer is a staple Tina turner track you always seem to hear this track to this day , very sleazy , sort of sets the scene in the lyrics takes a while to build , looked up and Jeff beck got hired to play the solo on this and when I listen to it it’s signature beck , heard he got roped in off a helicopter , straight into studio because he’s Jeff Beck
Better be good to me I loved just a hooky feel good pop song
The covers on this record Help , and the al Green classic let’s stay together we’re so well arranged and beautifully sung she put an amazing spin on the phrasing of the words
All in all great album
It oozes the 80s it’s a strong vocal on every track Tina seems to really draw you in on every song the musicians are tight some really good writers and song tempo changes , loved the synths and the little swells and instrumental breaks
4 all the way
Enjoyed the compostions , always rated his work Elton ,
Tiny dancer is a lesson in great songwriting , some fantastic material on first half loved Indian sunset but then sort of tailed off quality wise don’t know what it was but didn’t draw me in although still great songs
Id have liked a bit longer to fully appreciate the music on this one
Bobs a legend but I wasn’t a fan of this might grow on me at a later date
Extremely bland i struggled listening to this
Joshua Tree is a classic and there’s no better opener than where the streets have no name , edges instant recognisable guitar effects echo through the album
Larry mullens marching tribal drums really push the songs along , some hits like with or without you are just timeless
Bono has a pure quality to his voice that really resonates a lot on these tracks
Still haven’t found what I’m looking for I think was a gospel song turned pop tune
Feel the first half was great but then it slipped slightly not cos they were bad songs just really hard to follow some of them big hitters
But always been a fan of Joshua tree don’t think they’ve looked back since making that record
To say this came out in 1957 and how little Richard changed the face of rock and roll with these songs , this has to be a 5
It’s a fun album it’s short but the playing for that time is so much more in your face than what came out previous , little Richard’s piano playing is fast and the band follow suit with the energy loved it
Gave this a 4 without a listen
Heard these tracks many a time through my youth to now
Iron maiden one of best metal bands of all time hands down , everyone knows run to the hills
Invaders is a great vocal track from mighty Bruce
Hallowed be thy name is belting
All of them great not my fave metal band of all time but them and Metallica as a youngster got me and probably millions of others into heavy music
Some nasty bass from the man George Clinton groove central !
Southern rock at its finest , some great solos and just plain beautiful songs
Fake plastic trees , the bends , black star , street spirit fade out
Just too many to mention heard it numerous times seminal work
None of the songs lived up to rock lobster the only real big hit on their
5 before listening songs that were ahead of there time just brilliant imagery and vocal Melody galore
Think as a soundtrack the main theme is without question one of the best horror soundtracks ever but the full album doesn’t do it for me I’m afraid loses its touch I’ll be generous with a 3
Enjoyable simply anything Stevie does is gold , not my favourite album of his but some ultimate gems higher ground been covered he’ll of a lot
Strong bluesy vocals , instantly recognisable guitar twangs , classic sounds on this
Some clever writing , very quirky , was in love with the thick harmonies , the falsetto used reminiscent of early queen ,
I liked the turnarounds of the tunes kept you guessing what section was going to land next not your average pop writing 4 but nearly a 5
5 star all the way the playing is so lively so in unison with one another the horn lines , sax solos off the charts very very good , I’m a sucker for good big band jazz music will be listening more to this
Macca is a legend , band on the run is a song with many songs in it clever writing and really cool sounds and expressions , Paul’s voice I love In the wings stuff
3 for me as some of other stuff didn’t grab me as much
