Really polished metal that saw a shift from the previous speed metal style to pomp and spaghetti western influenced twang. Full of chart topping ambition and catchy tunes that shifted metal landscape when it came out. Just a bit boring in my opinion compared to their early records where things felt a bit less contrived and better to headbang the shit out of.
Obviously a work of art and potentially even a Hip Hop masterpiece, with the most sophisticated use of sampling to exist when it came out. But too be honest I prefer other eras if the BBs. Lyrically they were still a bit immature here and I miss their live instruments on this record.
I get why this album is rated highly, it's Willie Nelson in his national treasure era doing covers, but too be honest I found it a bit boring. His voice is what it is... Very Willie Nelson, full of vulnerability and hillbilly old age, but I'd much rather her ray Charles or Ella Fitzgerald or just about anyone else song these classic songs.
I mean yes, this is a classic record, that deserves to be ranked highly for Son or a Preacher Man alone. This is dusty getting the same Muscle Sholes make over that Areatha got with Atlantic Records sent her down South. But as much as I love the arrangements, it doesn't touch Franklins I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, and or anything that really came out of Memphis on Stax Records from this era.
I was ready to give this a 1 just because... well it's Slipknot, but shit this is actually a really tight band. What a drummer for a start! Obviously the scratching and white rapping has dated badly (Nu Metal was dated almost as soon as it came out haha), and the angst theatrics and costumes were always a bit of a put off, but reluctantly I have to say this record has some very good metal on it... Id rather listen to this than Limp Biscuit anyway!
I feel like I've just walked into a the wrong room in Rock World and suddenly surrounded by people in long black leather coats like in the opening bloodbath scene of Blade! Vampire music for 80s teenagers. Favourite lyric... "I'm waiting for the night to fall when everything is bearable" says it all really! If I'm honest my way into this was the Johnny Cash version of Personal Jesus, and hadn't heard this album before until today. The production is superb (I just looked it up and it's Flood Nine Inch Nails, New Order, Nick Cave - so this makes sense) love the tight drum machine programming, cut with the string pads and delay drenched guitars. Complex arrangements that work well as a bed for the monotone vocals, that strangely carry a lot of emotion considering how (intentionally) flat they are. Loads of catchy melodic hooks and actually a proper grower of an album the more I listened to this today. Definitely going to have a dig into the back catalogue and listen to this again.
Right out of the gate this one wears its, Bringing it all Back Home mid 60s era Bob Dylan, influence on it's sleeve; not that I'm complaining and I think this is a brilliant album. A bit derivative, (Dylan, Young, Gram Parsons) but packed with great songwriting and excellent (yes, we all played in the same room when we recorded this) musicianship. It just sounds like they had a great time making this.
I love the always superb David Rawlings contribution on guitar and backing vocals, and especially Emmylou Harris singing duet harmonies... Very classy.
The sound of the LA riots, police brutality and the birth of Gangster Rap. As a historial artifact this is fascinating, but to actually listen to over breakfast today as a white man in Yorkshire... not really feeling OK with the hate, sexism and homophobia. Pass.
To know that Eno was making Ambient Music for Airports, and his Berlin records for Bowie at the same time as this album, this feels a bit disappointing. The more structured pop songs on the first half are a bit boring and Enos voice is uninteresting. The more ambient leaning stuff in the second half is a bit more interesting but it's just gentle and sappy rather than the immersive ambient bliss of the albums to come after this. Not my bag today.
It's sleazy, and over the top, but it's a brilliant album which is packed full of memorable rock n roll bombast. Killer riffs, melodic solos and ridiculous hair metal vocals. Perfect singalong with your hairbrush and air guitar stuff.
I normally love acoustic guitars, squelchy synths, and drum machines but I found this album dull, and a bit ploddy. I also can't stand this guy's voice, so this one is a pass for me.
Not to sound to Allan Partridge but my favourite Police album is the greatest Hits. I'm normal a bit of a snob about this kind of thing, but every time I put any of their records on I'm skipping every other track to get past the experimental dub and new age stuff (which I love when other people do it). This album obviously has some contenders for the the top 100 singles of all time list, but for me sounds like a band with too many leaders with too many ideas, which frustrated me.
Sometimes I wish I was born 5 years early so I could have been 18 when grunge was around, or 5 years before that so I could say I was into the Cure or the Smiths, but sadly at the turn of the Millennium, we got Nu Metal and embarrassing this was pretty much my favourite album of my teens. I know all the pseudo spiritual lyrics, I know where every naff DJ scratch lands, and especially loved the special second bonus CD of acoustic versions, so that I could feel really connected to all the teenage angst and turmoil! Haha. Joking aside, I don't care how dated this seems now, this was the best Nu Metal record in my opinion (perhaps only bettered by White Pony by the Deftones); more sincere and less macho than Limp Biscuit, less gloomy than Korn, and less angry than Slipknot and the like. I think perhaps their next album Morning View has dated better, but for pure nostalgia this is the one... Sorry, It's not my fault I was born in 1984!
I picked a cassette of this up a couple of years ago in the charity shop. Id never heard of it, even though I knew The Boss's back catalogue pretty well. I quickly fell in love with this stripped back acoustic album. I love the intimacy of these tunes. It's gritty rockabilly rather than gentle folk. It hits harder like this than there was a full band behind it in my opinion. Definitely included by those early Sun Records singles, with the slap back reverb on everything. I probably listen to this more than Born to Run or the bigger E Street Band records that made him a mega star.
A super raw fuck you, that intentionally alienated many of the new fans they picked up with the Nevermind behemoth! It's not an easy listen, but it's power is undeniable. Kobain's lyrics were never sunshine and light, but things do get very dark on this album. Way less anthemic singalongs, on this one, just quite a lot of pain. The quiet loud, quiet loud dynamics of the Pixies, are turbo charged here and I felt kind of emotionally worn out by this one by the end. Not an every week record though!
God this one has aged badly! Love a bit of Trip Hop, but with Tango? I'm sure that this felt very clever and sophisticated at the turn of the millennium, but it just feels a bit naff now.
I gave Deja Vu a 5 because it's one of my top 10 records of all time. I love this album too, but it definitely doesn't get spun as often. It's lovely to hear these 3 voices coming together for the first time and geling to make that sound. I love how you can feel each of them, supporting each other on songwriting they bring to the table, David Nash's Guinevere, is a highlight, and Stills' Helplessly Hoping is a masterclass is 3 part harmony. The whole album is emblematic of the change between the optimism and flower power of the 60s (Marrakesh Express) and the darker time ahead in early 70s America (Long Time Gone). The only thing missing is Neil Yong!
Bombastic, overproduced, and multi tracked to death. You can literally hear the recording studio here, but Queen were never a less is more band right. Is it prog, is it metal? Is there such thing as prog metal?! It's a lot whatever it is. This is music with all the bells and whistles... and buttons and tassels and sequins too. I mean can you ever have enough gongs in rock music?! The medieval nonsense that Led Zeppelin (just about) got away with, sounds full on Spinal Tap when Queen do it here on White Queen and Ogre Battle (haha). Just as a side bar, why the fuck would you let Brian May sing lead ever, when you had Freddie Mercury in your band! I think I'm going to stick to my greatest hits.
