Admittedly this entire genre carries a huge amount of nostalgic weight in my household. Rat Pack is our dinner-time prep go to and I'm very much looking forward to the day that my children put on some Frank Sinatra of their own volition.
This particular album is filled with timeless classics sung in Frank's signature style. I love the dancing bassline combined with the punching brass section. Sure it lacks some of the emotional depth of Sinatra's later work but if you want cool, sophisticated, suave, then this it. Grab yourself a Martini. 5 stars.
Strong, stirring start with crunchy guitars, toe-tapping bass lines and honky-tonk piano, but descends into a fever dream of an album which lacks depth. By the time you reach Indian Summer (apparently the first song ever recorded by The Doors, but one that didn't make the first album cut) it's a mess, the lyrics are the output of a 5yo, and the instrumentation masquerades as psychedelic and moody, but is weak an uninspiring. 2 stars.
Some interesting passages and generally I like the haunting vibe. But the execution of that second vocal is so distracting I found it hard to immerse myself. 2 stars.
I found myself listening to this much longer than expected. While some of the vocal sections are not to my taste, the winding instrumental sections are emotive, stirring and occasionally anthemic. Perfect for driving. 3 stars.
A punk rock gem. Dissonant riffs, sharp lyrics, a great soundtrack for protesting. May not come back to this one, but happy I took the time to listen.
An album that changed music forever, as heavy rock bands, influenced by Led Zeppelin, departed from relying solely on blues. It's raucous, unhinged and wild, and took music to a whole new level. Play this to your kids and you'll be surprised at how many tracks have them dancefloor-walking around the house. 4 stars.
I hadn't listened to this album before from start to finish but I'm glad that I have. I get the feeling that if my parents were 20 years younger then I might have been brought up on it. A perfect accompaniment for 80s film, pop culture and fashion. Seamlessly blends electronica, punk, rock, soul, R&B, falsetto-cum-screaming and virtuoso guitar licks. It's not for every day, but when you're in the mood to commit to an hour's worth of air guitar and squealing, look no further.
I'm conflicted by this album. Who doesn't love 'biker-dive-bar opera' as a genre? The theatrical pageantry of it all! And by the time the live version of Bat Out Of Hell is played as the last track, I'm reminded of the talent involved in writing those arrangements. But I think that's exactly the problem, the live versions are full of embellishments, flourishes, and are Broadway show pieces. But for me the mix of the album lacks that same expression and energy. The whole album lacks the bottom end, and the drums lack clarity in the mix. A live performance might get a 5, but the studio album gets a 3.
Destiny's Child arrived at a formative time for anyone born in the 80s with a taste for R&B. This album smacks of all the characteristics from that era, and when you layer on Beyonce's world-class vocal... well... it's hard to rate this lower than a 4. That said, it could have been an EP; anything outside of the successful releases (Independant Women, Survivor, Bootilicious and Dangerously In Love) is really quite sub-par.
