Better than expected, with more of a proggy hard-rock edge in parts than most of their biggest hits with which I'm familiar. Much prefer when they are in that mode (e.g. Flick of the Wrist) rather than the bombastic, musical-esque stuff (e.g. Now I'm Here) which I typically associate with Queen and am not really a fan of. There is also some slightly ploddy, ponderous moments (e.g. Lap of the Gods, Dear Friends, Misfire) which are an absolute slog to get through.
Overall, a somewhat pleasant surprise with some real standout moments but probably not an album I will return to in full.
Never listened to this before but I expect great things. We'll see how this goes...
Not off to a good start. This is kinda so "indie" it hurts. "Always thought there was a virtue in being cool"? Yikes.
I thought I'd at least get good songwriting with this but the melodies aimlessly meander and the songs are utterly devoid of any real dynamics.
Holy shit this is dull as dishwater. Almost impressive that an album could be so boring as this. I don't think I've ever heard anything so instantly forgettable. Awful. I hate it.
If I was rating purely objectively this would probably get another star, as it's objectively "not bad" music, but I just find disco/Motown/funk etc deeply unenjoyable. Too upbeat, happy, exuberant...and who wants that from music??
Also this feels a bit pedestrian even as far as disco goes. "Somebody Loves Me" and "You're a Friend to Me" are absolute drivel, and the album just doesn't seem to have as many hooks as I'd expect from top-tier disco. 2 stars is a fair average of an objective (3-star) and subjective (1-star) rating I think
Decent enough songs and perfectly fine to listen to but a bit too MOR for my tastes.
Halfway through, yeah this is boring as shit tbh
4 songs left, just want it to end now, this is painful. Picked up a bit with Long Black Veil and Chest Fever, then back to an absolute dirge with Lonesome Suzie.
Oh it's the Ab Fab song, but a way worse version than the one that was in the show.
Want to give this 1.5, but I want to be positive so going 2. But it's a low 2
This guy's pretty good, I wonder why he never made it big
Not bad*, but ultimately this is just another boomer folk rock album. Kinda funny that the generation which berates everyone else for wanting "safe spaces" absolutely love this kinda bland, inoffensive shite. (No, going on about how much you like smoking hash does NOT give you edge).
*Except the first guitar solo in Wooden Ships which has a couple of super eggy notes in it
Opening track is icky AF, but fine, I guess this album is nearly 40 years old. And boy, can you tell from the simplistic rhyme schemes and grandad-esque flow patterns.
Production is great though, and really is what makes this a classic (although some of the lyrical schemes are pretty good tbf). But I still can't stand the monosyllabic rhyming and stilted flows in 80s hip-hop. I can almost deal with it here because the beats are so expertly crafted. But as much as I wanna give it a 4 for creativity and execution, the prehistoric flows will stop me returning to this, or any other Beastie Boys albums, unfortunately.
