I'll start with the positives: from a recording/mix/production standpoint, it sounds massive and super clear. Points for production. EVH's trademark shredding is present and correct. The intro to Top Jimmy is quite interesting. Jump is a half decent pop song. However... This album says nothing of substance. At all. Stylistically, it's the worst kind of bonehead, lycra-clad hard rock/glam metal, and the insertion of some painfully 80s synths doesn't help in any way. That this was seen as some kind of shocking artistic pivot at the time baffles me. Lyrically, it's total dross, with nausea-inducing song titles like Drop Dead Legs and Hot For Teacher having aged particularly badly. The latter's drum intro is complete wankery and heralds what might be a contender for worst song on this thing. I'll Wait was probably my favourite instrumental, but again the lyrics are total garbage. Album closer House of Pain brings all these aspects together in one horrific glam metal pastiche. I now understand the movie Spinal Tap on a deeper level. Oh, and the faux-edgy album artwork is pure shock value with no meaningful artistic point of view in sight (look, it's a cherub smoking a cigarette! How taboo!) The best music should speak to your soul; I listen to this and feel absolutely nothing.
I really enjoyed this album. My only previous exposure was, like everyone else, Get It On. Although the record is quite raw and primitive in many ways, the sparseness of the arrangements and the intentional simplicity, especially in the drums, actually sounds weirdly modern. Equally there are some quite 'out there' production choices which are really cool. Its massive influence on subsequent rock music is obvious - aside from Noel Gallagher stealing the Get It On riff, there are echoes of this in Arctic Monkeys' AM, for example. I can see how the nonsensical words and odd vocal delivery might annoy some people but I'm actually here for it - it feels individual to Bolan, like it really means something to him, even if I have no idea what he's on about. I enjoy an intentionally obtuse vocal delivery. I like the subtle strings and the creative backing vocals. I think the overall vibe is sometimes stronger than the songs themselves, which often are basically one idea repeated for three minutes with the occasional left turn. Again this works for me, but I can see how some might find it a little boring. There are some dated moments for sure - see Lean Woman Blues - but in general it's impressive how well this record stands up 55 years on.
I have only just started to get deeper into The Beatles' back catalogue, and hadn't gotten as far as Rubber Soul. Revolver is a current favourite of mine and in many ways it's difficult to believe that this effort came out just a year prior. It's very songwriting focussed, and in more 'straight up' in many ways, but the instrumentation/production is showing early signs of the unorthodox approach that comes into its own with Revolver. Standouts for me are Norwegian Wood and Michelle, but everything sounds great, lyrics are great all around, arrangements are brilliant as you'd expect.
Enjoyed this. Pristine production, great playing, loads of hooks, fun vibe. Being brutally honest I wanted to love it but I only like it - tried first time on headphones during commute and it didn't hit. On speakers at home doing chores worked better. Rollercoaster of Love is undeniable. Others can be a tad repetitive if sitting and actively listening. Think I can get into it over time.
Not my thing. I feel I am not the target audience for this - I know it's revered by many but it doesn't speak to me. The melodies don't grab me and the minimalist production feels unfinished to me, like a mixtape of sketches to be fleshed out later. Some parts were interesting but overall I was a little bored. Didn't love it.
Some great songs (Monday, Monday; California Dreamin', Go Where You Wanna Go) with a LOT of filler (I Call Your Name, Do You Wanna Dance, Spanish Harlem, the rest of the album pretty much).
Already knew I loved this album and thoroughly enjoyed listening back to it. The American alt influence filtered through Blur's British POV works so well. Loads of interesting sounds and arrangements on here. A brilliant departure from their earlier stereotypically Britpop sound. The opening few tracks are unbelievable and quality doesn't waver all the way through.
This is an absolutely gorgeous record. I love pretentiousness, I love soundscapes, I love odd vocal delivery and unsettling harmony. This is totally up my street.
Having listened to Parliament's Mothership Connection and read about George Clinton's P-funk collective, I thought I knew what to expect. I was totally wrong. There is a much darker psychedelic rock sound here and it's awesome. Opens with an 8 minute minor blues jam with some amazing heartfelt guitar work. Followed up by Can You Get To That which totally surprised me by opening with an earthy acoustic guitar riff. I can totally see where John Frusciante gets much of his inspiration for guitar solos - the infouence of Jimi Hendrix is writ large. Some mad spacey production choices like the super metallic reverb on the snare in You And Your Folks give the whole thing an unearthly feel. And the groove on that particular song is so powerful. The outro jam in Super Stupid is so exciting, even 50 years on. The crazy metallic percussion in Back In Our Minds is almost laugh out loud bizarre, in a brilliant way. Wars of Armaggeddon is a proper psychedelic freak out with some very unsettling samples and a wonky groove which is so compelling. At just over 36 minutes it's my ideal album length (undr 40 mins) - long enough to say what it needs to say but short enough to leave you wanting more. This record is unhinged and I love it.
I can appreciate that it's super influential but for me, this album of its time and doesn't grab me in a modern context. I wanted to like this more than I did but ultimately, it faded into the background for me. It's not just about the era - other early 70s stuff has blown my mind on this list - it just doesn't feel that exciting or interesting beyond the band's obviously striking image.
I hadn't listened to this one before - it's exactly what I thought it would be (in a good way). Loads of creative playing and some trippy studio trickery too. Good fun. None of JH's most recognisable tracks and nothing to surpass them but sounds great nonetheless.
Already know I love this one :)
Already know I enjoy this one. Not as good at AT at peak powers but love his songwriting with Miles.
Very powerful lyrically, and depressing to note that things have not moved on very much since this was released. Love Tracy's voice. I struggle to fully connect with this album, though - not sure what holds me back. Maybe it's the simplicity of the arrangements. Anyway, I can appreciate the beauty in the lyrics particularly.
I've never really vibed with Beastie Boys, and the first half of this album did nothing to convince me otherwise (beyond reminding me that Sabotage is a bop). From Sabrosa onwards, however, it's a totally different beast. The instrumentals are the best thing here which I think says a lot. Would have been 2* based on first half alone, but the back end elevated it slightly.
Already know I love this one!
I have always struggled to connect with this album, not sure why. I can appreciate the complexity of the arrangements and the songwriting, and the genius behind it, but for some reason it doesn't move me. I feel like I *should* love it, but if I'm being totally honest, I don't.
Can see where the influence led, but this album doesn't grab me in a moden context. It's ok.
This album is boring, sorry guys. Back to Life is great but otherwise pretty lifeless for me.
When I was a kid, I had a PS1 game called Music 2000. It had a bunch of extremely 90s rave/dance loops that you could layer on top of each other. I was about 8. This sounds like what I made on that game, with rubbish vocals over the top. Not my thing - has aged badly. Gets an extra point because I didn't totally hate Possible Worlds: Deep PSI.
I can sort of see why these guys were called grunge, but for me it doesn't quite sit in that category. There's too much hair metal in the mix for it to feel truly grunge to my ears - too much guitar wankery and fucking wah pedal(I say this as a guitar player myself), too much warbly vibrato and performative twang in the vocals. The lyrics are occasionally so juvenile as to be funny for all the wrong reasons "you piss upon my candle / so proving you're a fake"... erm... the harmonies soar and the production is good, I just think it's not 100% for me. 2*
