Jason Newsted's best work arguably (sorry to And Justice for All fans), with a fairly good mix of the heavier metal you'd expect and some of the more melodic stuff I tend to prefer.
Favourites are probably Sad But True and Nothing Else Matters. Not sure if I have a least favourite but I really like how Unforgiven starts and then find the rest of the song quite nothing-y
This album has an undeniably iconic sound: this is the 1980s in a time capsule. I can't listen to it without feeling like I'm watching Back to the Future.
I don't think this is a bad thing by any means, but it's not my thing. That being said, there's a couple songs like "Hot for Teacher", "Girl Gone Bad", and "House of Pain" which are less heavy on the synth and work better for me.
An undeniably excellent tone, one of those bands that inspired so many others. Krist Novoselic does simple bass parts that do exactly what the song needs of them.
The front half of the album is pretty stacked. "In Bloom" and "Lithium" are probably my favourites; "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song I like but not one I love, hard to say why because it's undeniably good.
Polly and onwards I didn't find captured me so much, save for maybe "Something In The Way". The wall of tone thing they have going on shines in "Territorial Pissings" so honorable mention there.
I need to preface this by saying that funk is (probably) my favourite style of bass playing, and my favourite funk bassist Joe Dart was directly inspired by Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy Collins.
The album starts really awkwardly; I just didn't gel with the title track or "Groovallegiance". Something about the vocals just made it quite meh for me, exacerbated by the fact they're way too long for my tastes. Fortunately, this album is not nearly that cohesive or consistent.
I found the mishmash-ness worked to the album's favour: the rest of the album is a little stronger than the rocky start (the bass vocalist on "Into You" is phenomenal).
When I heard it I had expected "Who Said a Funk Band Can't Play Rock" to be the standout track, but I think it's completely blown out of the water by the bonus track "Maggot Brain" — clearly very Hendrix inspired and with the best playing on the whole album.
Rating the whole album in one star rating is particularly gruelling here, because as a package I'm just not sure of this album. I wouldn't ever listen to it in full again, and I actively dislike the first tracks, but the funk rock works for me when it works. Ultimately I enjoyed the album more than I didn't, and that's something. Probably 5.5/10
Hendrix is so unbelievably good. Every single part is just immaculately put together.
Picking a favourite feels sacrilegious, and I think that's a good indicator how I feel about the album.
"All Along the Watchtower" is as good as the first time I heard it and every time I try to play it I fail miserably. 10/10
The whole thing feels like what I assumed the Beatles were when I was a kid, and it's just not for me.
Best I can say for it is that it sounded like a collection of old kids TV show intros. Underground Ernie maybe.
It's well performed, well put together, and entirely not for me.
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is funky
"Love Is Lost" is actively quite boring
There's some great instrumentation, and some occasional moments of great composition, but dare I say that Bowie's vocals were the weakest part of the album? Dare I might.
I have so little to say about this album otherwise.
