This album opened my eyes to just how great a poet Dylan was - but even with a rock band backing him these songs were essentially very clever spoken poems over music.
It was a challenging listen overall. I understand it was a debut album and some further refinement and commercial song craft was clearly learned for later albums .. before it all fell apart. But for me there was very little light and shade in the music - it was mostly flat out lthrash, which I guess was the style they were aiming for. It also felt like the three big singles were given much more studio production time and effort than the rest of the album .. combined … so they stick out markedly from the rest. Not a bad effort but I would stick to the greatest hits collection.
I hadn’t heard much of Jefferson Airplane before but surprised to find was quite familiar with two most well known tracks: somebody to Love and white rabbit (go ask Alice). Style- wise I could hear a range of influences coming through over and above that psychadelia label from Beatles and Doors through Mommas and a Pappas in (with less rich harmony) and even some straightforward blues. I did love Grace’ almost ethereal wail on somebody to love. But I’m afraid other tracks meandered a bit and struggled to keep my attention. I can appreciate the song craft but arrangements felt very much of their time and imho their music hasnt held up as well as some contemporaries.
So many iconic songs that I’ve heard soooo many times it is really hard to listen to this album fresh. But this was the first time in a long time I forced myself to listen start to finish. We know the singles - 40 years of radio overplay means there’s not much left unheard there- and it’s clear Jacko was at the peak of his powers at least leading up to this album in 87. After that, well things started falling off! On this listen I came to appreciate some of the musicianship and the arrangements to help
accentuate his vocal delivery. He was adept at multilayered vocals and this effect could sometimes treat lush vocal harmony like another instrument - a trick sister Janet also used to great effect on Rhythm Nation. But, for me the test was: beyond the radio singles, was there anything else on offer to get you through this album! Not so much. Three stars.
I’m biased because this album has been in heavy rotation for me since I first heard the single girl not far after release around 2009. The king of samples, it felt like he might have specially recorded many of the ambient sounds and voices rather than just mash them up off other recordings. But the pint is he has created a perfect tapestry of rich urban Hispanic culture which perfectly keep the tone of the entire album. I loved the meandering chatter of the characters in the title track ‘hey guero…. ‘ ‘yeah bro’! So for there was much more conventional instruments used for many tracks rather than just the dust bros drum beat and loads of samples. Especially on some of the slammin rockier tracks such as the intro e-pro and black tambourine where it feels like they recorded with a full backing band and just got a jam going. He mixes acoustic and some dirtier electric guitar tracks in (check out rental car). and I also particularly loved the atmospheric slide guitar in songs such (emergency exit) which seems to tell a story of living to you have nothing left: ‘never paid my rent till the lights went out and I saw my sign coming up the road) and filled a last tank of gas and drove into the desert presumably to die!
I loved the introspective stories he tells pointing to finding meaning in a pointless urban existence. ‘I push I pull, the days go slow into a void we fill with death. A noise that laughs falls off their maps all cured of pain and doubts .. in your little brain’. These contrast with his signature stream of consciousness spoken word rap in Hell Yes, which easily match the quality of the previous hits including Loser. Then there’s the disturbing portrait of a serial killer focusing on a target on girl ‘and I know I’m gonna steal her life .. take her soul belongs’. Disturbing lyrics in contrast to the rather sugary pop melody with its intro that sounds like a kids Yamaha organ and hand clap back beat .. and then that slide guitar in the bridge.
I definitely recommend this as a listen, and if you don’t know much of Beck apart from Loser, this is an ideal album to introduce you. It may just change your opinion and showcase him as a talented songwriter with something to say. Also check out modern Guilt and, for something completely different, the wonderfully mellow acoustic Seachange.
Five stars.
A very solid Beck album but not his finest. It was an album I listened to cover to cover for the first time, though I consider myself well versed in Becks overall catalogue. But, when discovering an album like this, one of my tests is does it hold together as a whole album experience? And for this one, apart from the singles (the excellent devils haircut, where it’s at and to a certain extent the new pollution) I didn’t find a whole lot of material that I would return to for repeat listens.
Overall I felt this was the same dj rap over a drum machine and samples rather than incorporate real instrumentation. Also not a great deal of light and shade across the album. But I will say I am comparing it to a very high bar some of his later efforts that contained more conventional instruments and showcased some rich storytelling in his improved songwriting writing.
I’m still giving this 3 stars but I would give 5 to his excellent Guero as well as Seachange and Modern Guilt (the latter is not in the 1001 albums but probably ought to be).
Robbie Zimmerman’s mellow
Soul blues. In the first half I felt it didn’t add much of note to Dylan’s catalogue, with mostly basic blues tracks. But later part of the album offers some contrasts with tracks such as cold irons bound, featuring a reverbed pedal steel guitar and a distorted swampy sounding Hammond organ over a rockabilly beat, and make you feel love with BD playing an intimate piano backed by an upright bass and organ. The latter could have been mistaken for one of Elton’s ballads except for Dylan’s rasp of a voice. So it’s a fair effort for a man who’s already 30years into his career by then and not much left to reinvent. Three stars
Hmm a double concept album just a bit too much who to get through. I’m not of its generation but I don’t know that it’s aged all that well.
A very solid debut with Mark’s guitar signature style already well on show. But apart from waterline and sultans the song writing was just not nearly as accomplished as he reached in those amazing mid 80s albums from making movies through bros in arms. Mark never really had to sing as the guitar always did it for him. But he got a lot better at telling stories in his music later on. But this is only a 2 star effort.
Lost me early. It’s well before my time and can’t say I was familiar with him so was curious enough to listen through the album but didn’t linger.
I hadn’t heard of Michael before and I really wanted to like this one. He’s a singer songwriter who plays nearly all his own instruments (apparently only gets in a drummer and a few specialized instruments). And there’s just so many ideas and so much going on musically with some of these tracks it’s just hard to hear them as a tight coherent track - it really feels like he had these ideas but he had to record them one instrument at a time and the sum is just somehow more (or less) than the parts. At its best it’s rich and dense and inspired arrangements but sometimes it’s disjointed and not tight and sequenced as a well rehearsed band. But I will return for a repeat listen.
I love this album but it’s not one I have sat down and listened to start to finish as much as most of their later catalogue. It feels at once so raw and yet already such an accomplished album. Clearly a progression in songcraft from boy yet it remains the album before a real breakthrough. You can hear all the elements of their trademark sound (well pre 90s version anyway) but they are as yet not fully polished and refined. The singles, as overplayed as they are on commercial radio, still have new elements to reveal. I love Larry’s urgent march and edge’s opening riff to open to Sunday Bloody Sunday and the keys and interplay with backing vocals on New Year’s Day. But I also find album track such as Seconds and Two Hearts Beat as One command a listen. The winding ambience of surrender would have fit nicely in their next album, an Unforgettable Fire. 40’s lush melody with the backing ‘ahhhhhhhh’ form a perfect finish.
Glad I listened to this album through and agree it’s a pretty fair interpretation of why Cream were so renowned for reinterpreting traditional delta blues with a funkier and more rockier electric heart. That heavy up- tempo apparently mostly courtesy of Eric’s Gibson plus a sprinkling of some nice psychedelic rock sounds throughout. I really like that main single sunshine of your love so good to hear that again, but beyond that not much that would encourage me into a return listen.
I really had not come across Youngbloods before although heard quite a few of their contemporaries. They sound like really tight musicians and I appreciated the melodic acoustic sound on this album combined with some nice jazz and folk type influences. Have been described as very ‘laid back’ which is an apt description.
And bonus I finally realized what Kurt was going on about during unplugged: ‘come on people now …’ (though, not on this album)
In glad I took the time to listen to this all the way through. I have played many of thes tracks on frequent rotation over years but it never held up for me as well as their previous Siamese Dream. A number of tracks emerged I really connected with, such as Galapagos and To Forgive but I find some of the fairytale stuff a bit meh. 28 tracks is a lot (apparently nearly as many again were cut) but could have lost a few on disc 2 and not diminished the experience. For me it is a classic but not a masterpiece. I was going it give it 3 but a full end tend listen elevated it to 4. You should listen to this before you die
So. Very. smooth. Nice production values and surprised to see it was a 1984ish release. I would have said into later half of eighties as this was absolutely made for CD! I would compare it to a Dire Straits Bros in Arms - just in terms of production quality but more style than substance. Still it would have been a soundtrack to a thousand mid eighties dinner parties. I can only give it 2 stars as, apart from the singles at the front, i really struggled to make it through to the end.
Title track is a classic and probably my favourite from his catalogue. I can see why this is rated his most accomplished album but beyond the hits I find it thrown together. Particularly mystified by funeral for a friend. 11 mins long and just bits mashed together. It feels musically disjointed and unconnected especially when the vocals finally kick in .. then we get full verse/ chorus structure which felt like a different song but …. no … still going on track one. It’s like he tried to copy bohemian rhapsody .. poorly.
Overall it’s Elton .. so you know what you’re gonna get. But I’m gonna stick to his greatest hits!
What can you say about PJ? A classic and so accomplished for a debut from these guys. Stone and Mike had such a great sound and all just clicked once they got their front man. These songs still sound great today and the album is near flawless front to back. It is only due to sheer over familiarity that I struggle to find much novelty in a repeat listen. Five.
Sorry but Muse is a band I really should love but I just can’t get into. Like Queen for an electronic age crafted for stadium shows but lacking the light and shade .. and heart … and subtlety. I just find them to be too much …. of everything.
I really wanted to like this more. I find
lcd are a curious mix with the stream of consciousness alt rock vocals of, say, a Julian Casablancas of the strokes over the electronic dance inspired sonic experimentation of, even a New Order (yeah I know they’re a different musical generation but still worth a comparison). I really liked it musically with some very cool dance beats, but I’m just not a fan of James Murphy’s vocals. He’s better when he’s not trying to be over freaky and just sings but those opening couple of tracks just don’t fit. If you want angsty American 2000s alt rock go the killers, hives, even Brian Molko with early placebo but it doesn’t mix with edm. I still have it 3 stars because at least it’s an original take- I just don’t know if I’d go back for another listen.
Nice album of theirs with some good storytelling by Simon. A bizarre recorded conversation track in the middle that appears to have been recorded in a nursing home. Some unexpected, and also uncharacteristic electronic instrumentation elements too which doesn’t quite fit with the folk rock aesthetic. Also in 1968 the record company clearly hadn’t learnt to frontend all the good tracks on the album yet. Mrs Robinson, Hazy shade and at the zoo are the last three tracks on side 2?
Solid 3 stars.
I appreciate that stylistically this album was hugely important for those indie bands that came after and rode the wave of mainstream in the early 90s. I can hear a lot of Nirvana Nevermind and others but Doolittle itself didn’t quite grab me with the exception of the excellent monkey gone to heaven It just didn’t a hook song to elevate the album such as a teen spirit/ come as you are.
Exactly as I remember hot chip flat out boppy electronica. Infectious beats and sugary airy nonsense lyrics for the most part. Some standouts but such as night and day but got a little repetitive by the end. Still three stars although could be being slightly generous.
I tried to listen to the songs I hadn’t heard 1000 times before - not because I’m not a fan of sandman or nothing else but there’s literally nothing else new I can get out of these tracks. So it was nice hearing this as a whole album and not obscured by the singles. This was a fine effort and hangs together nicely as a collection that rather captures their time and coming to the mainstream. Can’t say the heights were ever really reached again, but for the diehard fans of which there are many, they have a place in rock god history! Well done boys.
Not really my musical style but I can appreciate the attention and care that’s gone into this album. I respect there is an established style and lineage of uk rappers that is distinct from the North American style and she pays decent homage to the stormzy style super fast with some smart wordplay while being perhaps a bit more
melodic than some. A solid 2 as it’s fundamentally not my cuppa tea!
It had one good track that he made last through his solo career which was placed next-to-last on the album (Maybe I’m amazed). But the rest is just watered down Macca playing around with a 4 track on his bedroom while figuring out if he still had a band to play with.
Overall the songwriting just isn’t there. Most notably there’s no bridge anywhere in his songs. They’re all missing the counterpoint that John would have written which would have taken some tracks to another level. Without that they’re just flat, repetitive and uninspired. It’s worth a listen for the vague curiosity of what was going on for him during the Beatles maybe breakup period. But none of these tracks would have made the final cut for a Beatles album, except perhaps the back end of side 2 of the white album.
Hadn’t really heard a lot of Marvin Gaye before apart from the hits. I liked what’s going on but from there I found there was only one pace to the whole album. Every track was just a jam with the Motown resident band and then Marvin crooning over the music. Very little light and shade. Maybe that’s just his signature style (I mean clearly - it’s Marvin Gaye!!) but I just found a lack of drama in the songs to keep me interested. Apparently it’s a concept album about a returning Vietnam vet but it was hard to follow that central theme when the songs just seemed to blend.
All very dramatic, and more a stage performance than a song. Backed by a symphonic score to add to the drama with lots of hand selected deep lyrics to deliver with that powerful voice.
But sorry it’s really just not to my tastes.
