Beyond a couple greatest hits collections, a collaboration with Frank Sinatra, and a trio record, I haven't heard a lot of music by Count Basie. This collection from 1958 consists of a set of tunes written by and arranged by Neal Hefti. I really can't argue with its inclusion in this collection. It's a really enjoyable record. It is still firmly within the swing tradition, but there are a few Ellingtonian moments on the record. The melodies are fantastic, the arrangements are good, and the playing is excellent. I would definitely pick up this record if I come across it as a record shop.
I haven't really heard a lot of the Rush catalog, but this is a record that I have heard previously. Listening to it again, the first half of this record is really good. It's a rock opera sequence that is apparently influenced by Ayn Rand and its honestly kind of gloriously silly. It's catchy and its memorable. The bad guys get the best songs. The second half of the record is a bit more of a chore to get through. The songs are... fine I guess. I might have a better view if I was a bigger fan of the genre, but these largely feel like forgettable moody hard rock with a ballad tossed in. I'll definitely go back to the first half of this record, but probably not the second half.
This is a familiar record for me. It has a couple of Iggy's best known songs, Lust For Life and The Passenger, and its probably the most respected and well known of his solo records. The first side of the lp is uniformly excellent and is a good as anything that Iggy Pop has recorded. A lot of the music was composed by Bowie, but the last track, Tonight, really sounds like a Bowie track. The second side of the record is a lot weaker. Success isn't a bad track, but it feels pretty insubstantial and Turn Blue really drags. The last two tracks are solid though.
The singles from this record were fairly inescapable when I was growing up, but I realized that I really have never sat down and listened to Thriller as an album. I often think about this record as being distinctly different than Off The Wall, but the sound of the first half of the record has more continuity with that sound than I remembered. There is the inclusion of a much more mechanical drum and percussion sound that indicates the shift in time, but the material is still working in some of the same post-disco soundscape seen on Off The Wall. It's really, really good. The weakest track is the collaboration with McCartney, but that still is a pretty good song.
The next half of the record takes a dramatic shift in sound. This feels like the dramatic shift in sound that I was expecting. It's more stripped down than the first side. Beat It apparently was supposed to be the rock song, influenced by The Knack. It's fine. Never been a favorite. It's then followed by Billy Jean, which returns to the disco influences, albeit in a far more stripped down fashion. I've always loved this song. Human Nature is the kind of ballad that I typically really don't like from this era, but it's making the most of the approach. PYT is another upbeat track in this more 80's sound. You could probably toss into a new wave/new romantic mix without jarring the listener much. It's good. Finally, the album ends on a ballad that again isn't my favorite approach, but its good for what its doing.
I always thought of this record as being somewhat inconsistent but good. That is not true. There's nothing bad on this album. It's great. It deserves the praise it gets. Definitely a five star album.
I had heard the two big singles from this record, but that was about all. It's an interesting shift from Joshua Tree, which some how manages to sound expensive because of the ornateness of its production and seems to be dead set on sounding like the most important band in the world. This feels a lot looser. The group is picking up on the synthesis of rock and dance music that was percolating up during the late 1980's and early 1990's, and you hear it here with the post-punk influenced base and guitar with dance oriented drums. The Edge's guitar is louder and the guitar sound is rawer for most of the record, with a couple breaks for ballads. I'm probably not going to rush out to buy, but its honestly a pretty good record.
I think that I will stick to a simple and very subjective evaluation of this record: it's not for me. There is some real talent on this record and clearly a lot of people love it, but I am not one of them.
This isn't the first time that I have listened to this album, and I still really like this combination of bossa nova and jazz. It's definitely a record that I will listen to again.
This band came up around the time that we saw a bit of a post-punk revival and this material largely fits within that revival. Unlike some bands who were more interested in nostalgically exploring sounds from that period, Liars seem like they were more focused on building on the experimentalism of the period. This is a record that is more focused on using sound to create a sense of texture, beat and rhythm that creating melodies. The result is a series of sounds that could be fit within the tradition of motoric rhythms found in 'Krautrock' with noisy textures placed over it, mixing traditional rock instrumentation with electronic sounds. The tracks at time build into fairly hypnotic riffs that arise out of that interaction. The lyrics over that frequently reproduce that repetition and consist of vaguely menacing nonsense phrases with emotional effect. The effect gives the record a kind ritualistic or incantatory quality. It's really fantastic overall, I really love this record.
This is another record and band that I am fairly familiar with. I really think of this record as a kind of capstone to the music the band developed in the 1980's, showing what was possible with the kind of sonic exploration it was engaged in during that decade before moving onto other musical ground. The record reflects the shift from the often quite rough experiments with tuning and guitar dynamics in the early records as those elements were smoothed out and integrated into stronger song writing as the decade went on, particular on EVOL and Sister. This expands on those shifts and all of the songs here are excellent. The guitars weave together hypnotically and the structures of the song expand in ambition. My favorite records from the band are the rougher EVOL and Sister, but I can definitely understand why this is a favorite record for many.
The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs started off firmly within the post-punk revival of the early aughts and this record reflects them moving away from that sound in a way that reflects some of the musical trends of the period. It moves away from the guitar-bass-drums sound heard earlier and is much more keyboard driven, It also moves away from the kind of angularity of the earlier material, although those qualities are not entirely absent from the record. This is something that I might have been a bit more critical of when I was younger, but honestly the shifts work well for the band and they make them in a way that holds onto their identity. It would probably be fair to also call this a more eclectic and ambitious record than the previous work. Off with their heads is a fantastic single and the work is consistently good, ranging from the upbeat material to the slower material. All in all a very good record that I will probably pick up if I get the chance.
This is the first time that I think that I listened to this record in a concentrated manner, but I have seen them live at least once. This is a really beautiful record. This record has a fairly minimalist sound pallet of voice, bass, guitar, synth, and drum machine. It also has two vocalists, who at times exchange lines in the song. You can hear indie and post punk influences throughout, but those influences cohere into something that is distinctly their own. The Intro sets up the expectation that there is going to be more of a dance influence with this record, but that influence is tamped down once the record starts. The songs are strong and there is also a strong ambiance throughout the record. I'm being presented quite a few records from the aughts recently and its been at this point, pretty uniformly good.
This is a pretty solid album. At times, it still draws from psychedelic music and folk rock, but there are moments the record points to the future of hard rock in the 1970's. There are moments it even gestures towards glam. I like the moments when it expands its sound and the use of horns is enjoyable. I will probably listen again at some point.
Overall, I thought that this is a solid album. It's labeled a country album, but a lot of this could be put into a compilation of roots rock without turning a lot of heads. You can see some of Earle's social justice views in the songwriting, but a bit more hidden than the later work. At times, the 80's production sticks out, for instance with the use of synthesizers at times, but nothing too egregious. I like some of his other records more, but this is pretty good.
Looking at some of the comments, this record looks like its a fairly divisive one. I'm definitely in the pro camp for this record. It's a record that I own and its pretty familiar to me. Someone else described this is the intersection of rock and roll and beat poetry and that feels like a very apt description for the record. You're getting a mixture of what might be called spoken word performance with traditional song structures. I really love Smith's voice, but her vocal approach isn't always conventional, which is fine by me. Smith often gets placed in the punk camp, because her involvement in the NY scene and the often incendiary quality of her performances, but it doesn't really fall under the aesthetic qualities that I associate with punk. That isn't a criticism for me. It's a great moody rock and roll record and should be a point of discussion in any list of the best records of the decade and century.
This record created quite a bit of buzz and controversy during its creation. The record company refused to release and there was quite a fight to get it out. I don't quite understand the resistance. There is certainly quite a bit of ambition in the arrangements and production. That is most evident in the very busy and demanding production of "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart' but it can be heard throughout the record. At the same time, there are a really beautiful set of songs produced by that process and a few of them feel immediately like they can be hits. A great album. As much as I love this album, I might recommend starting with Being There or Summerteeth.
It was interesting to see how big a seller this record was. I can see why. The singles really get stuck in your head and this offers a pretty accessible version of its sound, which is dominated by a slick and heavy r&b sound, with rock and gospel influences. It was a sound that a lot of bands were embracing around this time. It contains a number of fairly eclectic tracks as well, including an arrangement of a theme by Eric Satie that opens and closes the record. There are also moments where there is a strong jazz influence. Overall, it's a solid record made by very talented musicians, but there is something a little too slick about it for me. Still very listenable.
Just a small note: I am responding the orignal lp, rather than a deluxe edition. The immediate thing that struck me about this album is how catchy it is. You're getting all the starts and stops and time signatures and all of that, but it also has really immediately engaging melodies. Roundabout really is a smart way to start this process, but for the most part the other songs are as engaging. The only exceptions are two of the instrumentals. The keyboard arrangement of Brahms' 4th is kind of a genuine mystery. Wakeman is clearly a talented player and the arrangement is well played, but it just doesn't feel like it belongs on this album. The record would just be better without it. The solo guitar piece also doesn't quite fit, but feels less dramatically out place. Those are the two points that keep this from being a five star record.
This is definitely a familiar record for me. Magazine is Howard Devoto's band after leaving the Buzzcocks. It's a post punk in as far as the album is an effort to break out of the constraints of punk, but its also a reminder that those sorts of efforts often look quite different from each other. This record, while still bearing the influence of punk, has a lot of earlier influences. I can hear a bit of Roxy Music and other earlier art rock records. I really like the inclusion of the keyboards and occasional saxophone. However, there are moments such as Shot By Both Sides, which have a more traditional post punk sound to it. Overall, a very good record.
I can see why this record is included here. It's bringing in a lot of interesting influences into his production, ranging from funk and soul to reggae. At times, the downtempo music creates atmospheric moodiness, but other moments feel a little sterile. However, it gets brought into a loops oriented electronic music that feels like its designed for the background of a party that creates a vibe while largely being ignored. It's fine, but I probably won't listen to it again.
My initial point of comparison on hearing this record was AC/DC. The vocals and the lyrics in particular are similar to them, but the music is as well, although not in all cases. Ironically, this record came out years before there were any AC/DC records and it sounds more like late 70's than early 70's AC/DC. There are some exceptions like the slow burning "Look at Last Nite' and "I won't let it happen again'. They also do a pretty good cover of Janis Joplin's Move Over. A great hard rock album with touches of low glam. I'm definitely going to listen to this again and will pick up a reasonably cheap copy of the album.
This is a really fantastic record. As far as I can tell, everything that Colon put out in the 1970's is great, and this is no different. The record opens with thirty seconds of disco, but gracefully shifts to a more familiar salsa sound and really doesn't look back. What follows is a series of really engaging songs that work within those genre conventions. Ruben Blades' vocals are also really good. Although, Colon's work is pretty consistently fantastic, I can see why this is so well regarded.
Yes. The album cover does kinda look like a pampers advert.
This is another record that I know fairly well. There really isn't a bad Roxy Music, but the early records are particularly exciting. That quality is often attributed to Brian Eno who was on the first two albums, but that ambition can be seen on the two records recorded after he left. This is the last of the records made with Eno and it's really fantastic. It builds on the qualities of the excellent debut and is perhaps even better. As a high glam album, it has a foot equally in the history of rock and roll and the avant garde. I really appreciate the use of horns on this record, the romantic and post romantic melodies, and the really strong songs. It would seem that Bryan Ferry's voice is quite divisive because of its theatrical and unconventional qualities, but I really like it and its perfect for the record. I have this on CD but I really need it on lp.
I've never heard this record before the last couple of days, but the singles were fairly inescapable. Listening to it, its pretty clear that this is a product of some pretty talented musicians who have a good grasp of roots music and a production team that knows how to package and update that sound. Crow is a talented singer and fairly strong songwriter. I tended to prefer the slower songs. It's also just too slick for my tastes and I'm almost certain to listen to it again.
10 songs-30 minutes. This record certainly doesn't outstay its welcome. It's a decent rock and roll record that both sounds of its time and embraces the nostalgia that you see in rock at this time. "The Wild One Forever" wasn't great and felt a bit derivative of Springsteen, while "American Girl" really soared.
I've been listening to this album for years and its one of my favorite hip hop records. This is more or less a product of a group of teenagers raiding their parents record collections to create a world of their own. (Produce Prince Paul was a couple years older.) There are definitely moments where its clear that the songs are a product of goofing off, but most of that works for the record, with the exception of the slightly eyerolling De La Orgy. That work always returns to a set of strong songs. The record also provides a kind of narrative of skits that run throughout the record. For the most part, I really don't like the skits on hip hop records of this era, but De La Soul is the exception to this rule and the game show narrative really holds up. A genuinely unique and really fantastic record.
This one is pretty bad. The theme of the 'concept album' is fairly horrifying and doesn't seem to have the kind of critique found in Lolita. The vocals are largely spoken with a little singing every now and then. They aren't particularly engaging to me. I can see why the music was influential and why it influenced groups like Air and Portishead, but frankly they take the ideas here and use them to better effect. Also, the more interesting moments are overwhelmed by the moments where the music pulls back to not particularly interesting repetitive background music for equally uninteresting spoken word monologues. There are really some deeply tedious moments on this album. Ultimately, the back up band is fairly talented, but is wasted. This album is 28 minutes long, but it frankly feels much longer.
This is not a surprising inclusion on the list and is a record that I have listened to many times, although it has been a number of years since I last listened to it. Looking back, it's remarkable how quickly Dylan's sound changed in his early career. The classic 'folk' era really only lasted two albums. Another Side of Bob Dylan isn't as controversial as this record, but it was already moving away from that sound and certainly the political focus of the previous records. This is a definite move away from that sound and the first song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is an immediate signal of that change. The first seven songs fully embrace a full band approach, while the last four songs return to Dylan alone with his guitar.The lyrics more fully embrace the surrealistic elements seen on the earlier records and often parody some of the more sincere elements on those albums along with some more personal songs. For some reason, I always thought of this is the more tentative introduction of those elements, but listening to it again, it has more in common with Highway 61 Revisited than I remember. That album is still my favorite Dylan, but this is a very good album.
It's been quite a while since I have listened to this album in its entirety. However, I've seen most of this material live on multiple occasions far more recently. This is a really good record. It builds on the strengths of the first album and brings in more sophisticated arrangements and stronger songwriting. Murphy's vocals also have a lot more range and the amount of deadpan irony that defines the first album is reduced. The first record is quite good, but often feels a bit like a novelty product. This is no longer the case for this record. It often feels like a version of Suicide that listened to disco rather than rock and roll and had more money for instruments and techology. (LCD Soundsystem really doesn't hide its influences and a more extensive review would probably bring in a lot more names, but I think that this doesn't detract from the band producing its own sound.) The unfolding textures and patterns used to build the songs is really hypnotic and the length of the songs feel warranted. That description doesn't apply to the entire record and songs like"Someone Great" and "All My Friends" bring in more sentiment and conventional song writing to the mix. However, I'm just not a bit fan of "New York, I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down." It's definitely a fan favorite and frequently is show closer, but I think I would like the record more without. I guess I'm just not interested in a LCD Soundsystem ballad.
Jazz musicians of this time period who consciously draw on elements of rock and r&b are placed within the category of fusion, but there really isn't a similar category for rock musicians like Steely Dan who bring in elements of jazz to create a different flavor of rock music. Overall, I think that this is a decent album. Steely Dan know how to write a hook and the commitment to more ambitious arrangements and playing largely complements those hooks. It really does set the band up for two audiences: on that enjoys the immediately accessible hooks and another that folks on the way those hooks are explored and reshaped through the musicianship. I think that I actually tend towards the first group with this band. This will never be one of my favorite records, but its very listenable.
This was apparently a massive hit and I can see why. The record is recorded in a few locations, from Nashville to London and Southern California. The Nashville material unsurprisingly brings a country tinged inflection to Young's sound, which works fairly well. The London tracks are with an orchestra and are probably my least favorite. "A Man Needs A Maid" is particularly overwrought, but "There's a World" works a bit better. Alabama Man's lyrics may have been a bit ill conceived as Young himself says, but it holds up pretty well as a song. The hits on this record are easily understandable as hits but don't particularly move me. That might be a product of hearing them so often, so I see this as more of a me issue. On the other hand, my favorite part of the record comes with the last two songs. "The Needle and the Damage Done" is a beautiful solo track and captures the sense of tragedy that is attempting to represent. The transition into "Words (Between the Lines of Age) is really spectacular and its almost as if the emotion of the first songs explodes into the far more dirgy sound of that last song, which is fantastic. (It might not be entirely surprising that I tend to prefer the records just after this album, based on this alone.)
This is another record that I had never heard as an album, but contains a lot of pretty familiar songs. I really don't have a lot to say. This record is really fantastic. It's a beautiful recording. The songs and performances are fantastic. It's entirely understandable why this is such a well regarded record.
Oddly enough, this is the first time that I have heard this album. It feels a bit like a transition point between the earlier work and the more jazz influenced work to follow. On one hand most of the songs feel like they wouldn't be entirely out of place with the earlier records, but the arrangements and vocal approach is different. The songs almost all have larger arrangements, including horns and strings. The vocals are often multi tracked to create choral effects. It creates a distinctively different feeling than before. I'm not sure about it. There is certainly an effort to move forward and create a new sound, but I think I prefer the earlier records. Still, its an interesting document and one that I might warm up to if I return to it later on.
This is another record that isn't really to my taste. It's touring a number of popular electronic dance subgenres and is fairly well done, It's just not really for me. There are a few exceptions. I liked Red Alert, Bingo Bango and a few others. Same Old Show was pretty tedious on the other hand.
This is the first time that I have heard this album, but I have heard a couple of the records that came after this album and its not a dramatic change in their overall aesthetic. It's a dream pop album that probably is influenced by the later work of the Cocteau Twins. It has a lot of that atmospheric sound, but has enough differences to give it its own voice. Not a spectacular and innovative album, but one that produces a group of engaging songs. Solid work.
I am experiencing this record as a kind of sequel to the Getz/Gilberto record that I heard a number of days ago, but this actually came out a couple years earlier. In contrast to that album, this record sounds more like a conventional jazz album, probably because the absence of vocals. It's as enjoyable as that later record though. I'm enjoying the songs and the performance of the musicians is good. I'm definitely going to listen to this again and would pick it up at a fairly reasonable price.
This is another album that I know the singles, but never listened to the entire album, despite having heard the previous album many times. My initial impression is that this is not a dramatically different album than Check Your Head in terms of its basic aesthetic palate: we're getting some straightforward hip hop, forays into funk oriented hard rock and punk and some instrumental moments that explore elements of soul and r&b. Like its predecessor, the album tends to get a bit more eclectic and experimental as it goes a long, bringing in more instrumentals and oddball tracks. A couple later tracks bring in an interest in Buddhism, that on paper feels like it might be a bit cringy, but the mix of sounds actually works pretty well. Transitions is not a bad track, but is an oddly downbeat ending to the record. I tend to find myself feeling the same way about both albums, having a feeling that this album could have been a little shorter, without really being able to label the track that really needs to be cut. This represents the band continuing to build on its strengths and leads to a very good album.
Most people note the strong influence of Big Star on this record, which is pretty inescapable. It's pretty much a Big Star record updated for the 1990's, which means you lose the lingering psychedelic elements and get a louder, more buzzy distorted sound to the guitars, although you can still hear the influence on the riffs if you listen closely enough. That might sound a bit dismissive, but honestly its pretty fantastic. The songs are all really catchy and the shifts in sound from a more high energy sound to something a bit closer to something Big Star could have potentially released themselves really holds up. There's even a song with some horns that works well. The last couple of sounds have a more traditional indie sound, and are still pretty good. I liked this record when it came out, and its still great.
I can see why this probably felt like such a breath of fresh air in the late 1970's. It largely ditches the sounds that hard rock had been developing for something a bit different, something that gestures towards the future. (I'm not a fan of that 80's sound, but Van Halen makes it feel like its going to be an exciting decade.) Perhaps the only analogue that comes to mind are some moments from Queen. Eddie Van Halen is a really flashy player, but can also write a pretty good riff. David Lee Roth isn't a spectacular singer, but he's good enough and his charisma comes across. The rhythm section is good as well. It's also a band that sounds like they are having a lot of fun. The Kinks cover is even growing on me. The only thing I would have left out was Eruption, but that's under two minutes long. Van Halen spent a lot of time as a big touring act without a contract I believe and that ability to engage an audience is fairly evident here. I like this record.
I was a little surprised this was on the list, but I guess it made a bit of a splash when it came out. Overall, it's a pretty decent record. I still enjoy the beats and sound on the record. Other artists have used these basic ideas to greater effect, but this still holds up. M.I.A.'s vocals seem to be divisive, but I'm still a fan. Her range is a little limited, but I like what she does with that range. Lyrically, this is a bit less impressive. It often feels like nonsense with a liberatory/transgressive sheen, but you could argue that the vibes matter more than the substance.
This is The Damned's comeback album after their fairly unpopular second album. This is definitely a return to the more punk oriented sound on the first album. It jumps to a fast start with the pairing of "Love Song" and the title track, "Machine Gun Etiquette." It continues with songs such as "Anti-Pope", "Noise, Noise, Noise" and others. However, that isn't the only sound on the album. It also provides a couple gothy moody rockers in the form of I Can't Be Happy Today" and "Plan 9 Channel 7" and some psychedelic moments as well. Everything is great on this album and its a massive step up from everything that came before with the exception of the early singles. This is a really fantastic album and is understandably regarded as the band's best album.
This is Sarah Vaughn recording in front of a live audience, supported by a piano trio. She performing a set of standards that probably were the center of a lot of her shows. There are a couple flubs, but they're charming rather than distracting. There's nothing particularly surprising about this record, but its a good performance on the part of everyone. I have to admit the performance of "Just A Gigolo' drags a bit. I'd probably pick this up for a reasonable price.
This is a distinct improvement over the first album, which is still pretty good. This record has a group of good songs along with really excellent arrangements and performances on the part of the group. I really love the way that the horn and organ arrangements enrich the songs. I also didn't remember how funky this material so often was.
I've listened to this record a couple times and its pretty good. The apparently controversial synthesizers aren't particularly intrusive and work well. N'Dour's vocals are very good and the songs are absorbing. The arrangements are fairly strong as well. There are a few moments where some of the more complicated rhythm patterns feel like they could have used a couple passes before recording, but that is largely not the case. Overall, a good album.
It's been a while since I last listened to this record. It's not as good as Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge or their later records on Warner Brothers, but its pretty good. The single, Touch Me, I'm Sick, which only appeared on the later extended version of this album is probably the best song on the album, but everything is listenable. The kind of sludgy, hard rock sound that borrows from the late 60's-early 70's stands out a lot more on this album and it feels a bit tossed off. That being said, Mudhoney definitely already has a distinct sound at this point and is a record that I will listen to again. It's a fun record.
I've heard a bit of Mayfield's work before, but this is the first time that I heard this album. It's a fairly slow paced album and uses that pacing to allow the songs to unfold and develop. I really like the arrangements and unsurprisingly Mayfield's voice. His origins were in gospel I believe and that is really evident here. Although, the theme of the album feels a bit closer to something like Gil Scott Heron's "Winter in America" having an elegiac tone a couple years before the bicentennial. It's a really beautiful album.
Stepping back for a moment, it is difficult to imagine what the film would be that could present a coherent narrative given the massive mood changes throughout this imagined soundtrack, moving from a kind of swinging sixties sound parodied to noirish music and occasional forays into electronic music and orchestral pop, intermixed with more contemporary syncopated hip hop beats. Fortunately, this is a review of the music, rather than the non-existent film and largely this is a lot of fun. At its worst, its entertaining pastiche and more often than not it moves beyond that. I particularly like the Nick Cave track, but this is a lot of fun and I will definitely listen to it again.
I've listened to a few PJ Harvey albums from the early '90's but haven't gone any farther than that. This is apparently the follow up to Bring You My Love and its a good album. It abandons that albums blues influence and offers a set of fairly strong indie rock songs. The songs are fairly strong and I've always been a fan of Harvey's voice. I particularly like the duet with Thom Yorke. I like it. I'd probably pick it up, but I don't especially feel like saying much about it.
I really liked this one. You can hear Eno responding to the punk moment without making a punk record. It's playful and quirky and immediately engaging. I really wish we had gotten more of this kind of album from Eno.
This record was truly massive and its not difficult to understand why. This might be the platonic ideal of a particular type of '70s rock. Mostly mid tempo with a few faster tracks, the tracks are all memorably catchy and are well produced. I'm not a huge fan, but the musicians certainly succeeds in what they are trying to accomplish on this record. I enjoyed more than I expected, even though I probably will never listen to it again. The exception is the last track, which I really disliked.
I've never really listened to this record before. The early songs draw through line between hip hop and the earlier history of the talking song found in folk, blues, and country music, although later songs sound more conventionally hip hop. I thought of this sound as associated more with Beck's Loser but this came out at about the same time as that song. The backing band is pretty talented and I probably would listen to an instrumental record from them, but I really don't like the vocals and that's enough for me not to return to this album.
This is Peter Gabriel’s attempt to create a big, anthemic mid 80’s album and he succeeds at times. I used to be really annoyed by the gated drum sound of the period but have become a bit more forgiving now that it’s not the default production approach. The two big hits are good, especially Big Time. The opening track is also good, but the three tracks after Sledgehammer really drag. The two tracks after Big Time are decent and it ends on a good track with its final hit. The production doesn’t keep this from four stars; the uneven quality of the songs does.
Better than I was expecting but someone should have told Sting that he doesn’t have to do the accent when performing reggae songs. I will definitely revisit.
