aka The Rolling Beach Beatles, with the Genesis of a good album, but wrapped in pretension.
Sorry to say I’ve never got the appeal of rap/hip-hop (whichever this is). Most tracks very repetitive and I was more impressed by whoever found and weaved together the quirky samples, than by QL chanting all over them. So ironically might have enjoyed the instrumental album version more.
Never heard of this (or her). A mixed bag of songs and styles - but on the whole positive. Might listen again at some point.
Awesome. Still sounding 20 years ahead of its time. Goes down nice with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Better than I thought it would be. Always found DD to be a little bit earnest, but this wasn’t bad. Rio and Save a Prayer still the better singles.
Only 3 songs available on Spotify (though Wikipedia suggests that is the full original album). Starts bright, but repetition soon sets in. As a single, it’s fun and upbeat. But by the end of 3 songs I was starting to want it to funk off.
At this early stage in their career, lead singer trying too hard to sound like Chili Peppers. Occasional glimpses of some good ideas. But wrapped in a lot of forgettable dross. Thankful it was a short album. They got better.
Never would have chosen this. But it caught me in the right mood. Where it’s good, it’s very very good. But one star knocked off for the 4 or 5 tracks that are just a bit too weird and kept it all going about 20 mins too long.
If Badly Drawn Boy had soundtracked Charlie Brown/Peanuts. Quirky, and atmospheric. But I enjoyed.
Never liked Bowie. And was expecting this peak Ziggy period to be the pinnacle of his pretensive bollocks. Was surprised to find not so at all. Rock-y and riff-led, with hints of Beatles and Cat Stephens, listened twice through back to back. And enjoyed.
Had I first heard this when released in 1995, it likely would have had appeal, and I’d be reviewing it now with the benefit of 30 years’ worth of fond nostalgia. But I didn’t, so it’s wholly new. So it’s just ok.
Was a fan of mid 90s trip-hop. And this Latin themed version of it is quite atmospheric (if a bit drawn out and repetitive in places). Had on background - probably best way to listen.
Had no idea what genre this was (from the artist or album name or the cover) before it started. But it ticked all the “country” tropes from the very first note to the last. Which is fine for about 4-5 tracks. Beyond that, very samey. Feels like this is how Disney would have done a country album. And I bet all his other albums sound exactly the same.
Have loved their second album for years. But for some reason I never listened to this, their debut, before now. On first listen (on Friday), I didn’t find the appeal - too much like early 80s punk for my liking, and Tracks 1-3 all sounded like one long single song). But liked it more by Sunday. And Alright is an anthem obviously.
As with jazz, I find some blues tracks have a good starting idea that soon gets lost in too much self-indulgent, repetitive looping. This album has some of that, but also some genius tracks too. Where it’s good, it’s great. Where it’s not it’s tiresomely turgid. A good example of where less can be so much more.
All about the riffs. Better than I was expecting.
The latest in what seems to be a higher than expected number of operatic and overly theatrical albums among this 1001 collection... Not a huge Kate Bush fan and I’m sure this isn’t her best album. Interesting and irritating in equal measure.
Doubt it’s very trendy to say it… but who gives a folk. Actually quite enjoyed this.
An obviously epic opening track. Track 2 had a 90s indie feel (which, in 1968, was quite ahead of its time). Track 3 was crap however, and after that a mixed bag.
So much to unpack here. It’s a real (B)Eton Mess of an album. Some tracks are the big chunks, others are more the cream that connects and binds it all together. But from where they came from with their first album, it is fascinating listening.
I’m sure the lyrics have some deep meaning given it’s supposed to be a “concept” album (usually code for inaccessible). But the melodies and production were spot on. Never listened to XTC before (was expecting them to be a US all female hip-hop trio - pleased they were not). May dig out more.
Being from the 50s gives this a bit of a nostalgic feel. The fast big band jamming feel can sound fun. And the songs are short. But none of this compensates for the excess of scatting and pratting about that makes this overall just a bit too annoying.
Besides the overplayed Back to Life and the lesser played Keep on Moving, I was unfamiliar with all of this. But there isn’t much to the rest of it. Just a bunch of half-baked ideas that meander nowhere in particular. It has an undeniable summer feel, but while the pre-programmed drum machines provide the spine to each song, Jazzie B’s preachy rapping, and the jazzy flute (that suffers from too much jazz noodling), are irritating. So I know this is a reputed classic, but I just didn’t get why.
Not been a fan of Green Day (which is to say they’re a band that just simply passed me by - see also Foo Fighters). But this was bouncy and brash, and the production was clean. Liked.
Odd one this. Sounds like something that should be likeable, but yet adds up to less than the sum of its parts. A bit too earnest. Round myself paying no attention to the lyrics. Just.. meh.
Very niche. Listened only to a couple of tracks, which I found inaccessible. I’m sure it has its audience. I’m just not part of it.
Bought this when it came out. Have revisited it periodically ever since. Building on earlier collaborations done with Massive Attack, this was a complete change of direction and sound for EBTG. But it was, and remains, a modern, sleek, wistful, genius album. Love it.
Logged in, saw this was today’s album. And sighed. A 60s country album FFS? And yet… it reminded me so much of music my Nan used to listen to. I never heard of the singer before but her voice is strong and really soared to the high notes. Songs are short, and predictable in the chord changes. But overall it’s actually quite sweet. Music from a simpler time.
Crap.
Only had time today to listen to first 4 tracks. But it fairly well rocks and bounces along. Lust for Life and Passenger the obvious hits. Didn't get to find out whether, after a few more tracks, it starts to get all a bit samey (was starting to sense that it might). Will give it the benefit of the doubt.
Liked first track. But everything else just a coming of age, rough bag of noise that all either started to sound the same, or otherwise was just a dirge that rambled nowhere. If it wasn’t for me then, it certainly isn’t now.
Expected little to like (repetitive rambling songs with 27 verses). But found plenty (little bit of folk, plenty of rocking belters, and reams of poetry). Coming late to the Dylan thing perhaps, but really enjoyed this.
Legendary. The tracks released as singles, plus a few others, are the tentpoles holding the rest up. And they hold it all up high. But as a 7-8 track EP, with some of the ‘fat’ trimmed, it would have been perfect. Pretty close though.
Listened while on a sunlounger by the beach, drifting in and out of dozing, it seemed very atmospheric. Both something, and nothing. A handful of peculiar tracks that were little more than a string of nonsense samples that could have been jettisoned. Otherwise - fine.
Impossible to hear the hits objectively, such is their level of overplay since 1983. The rest is mid-fare 80s filler.
Catchy songs, clean and crisp production, make this a fine example of 70s folk-rock Americana. Liked.
Looked it up on Wikipedia first, which says “it is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz records of all time.” It also says “the album comprises a single continuous composition—partially written as a ballet—divided into four tracks and six movements.” Figured it would be a slog on that basis. Which it was. If you imagine yourself at a Miami hotel, mid 1960s brat-pack era, perhaps on the set of Goldfinger, the first track works. But too much of the rest sounded like a band being dragged blindfolded through treacle to nowhere in particular.
Like a large bar of chocolate - sweet, and sickly - it is best consumed in small doses. Soaring vocals, aided by crisp production, show obvious talent. But too much of it just starts to grate after a while. She sings album tracks like she’s giving a concert performance - but quality is not evidenced by volume alone.
Sighed when I saw it as today’s album, still gave it a couple of tracks, but then gave up. Samey and repetitive, and the lyrics come too fast to really be able to hear, understand or appreciate them. I’m sure some people like it. Not for me.
Five Stars for Tutti Frutti as a song. But as an album, it’s the law of diminishing returns. All subsequent tracks are essentially variations of the same lead song. A cracking opener then. But thereafter… repeat and repeat again.
Distorted prog rock pretension? Or pioneering geniuses? I loved The Bends and OK Computer when originally released but lost the thread with everything they released after that. But this somehow clicks in older age. I was in a ‘Fuck off and leave me alone’ mood today - which probably explains it.
First song started promising, but even at only 4 mins long was at least a minute too long due to needless screaming and wailing. When that started up again on track 2, barely 2 mins in to a 10 minute long song, I called time. The album may have gotten better. I’ll never know.
So boring. Stuck it out for 4 tracks (or maybe it was just track 1 stuck on repeat - I really couldn’t tell). One star for the backing beats and occasional jazzy samples, but otherwise lost patience with it quickly. Hope we’ve seen the last of rap albums in this list…
It’s fine. In its day, probably great. Will probably get a nostalgia bounce from anyone familiar with it, but otherwise (as a first listen) it just sounds derivative of everything Gallagher-esque that soundtracked TFI Friday in the mid/late 90s - e.g. the heavy guitar riffs, and that now slightly irritating way that one syllable words used to get stretched into two syllables (“Yeee-oooh” instead of “you”).
I felt there must be a very specific frame of mind that you need to be in to enjoy this. But couldn’t work out what frame of mind that is - borderline psychotic? Stoned? Being neither, I merely endured most of this. And having not found anything approaching even 3 stars by half way, I gave up.
Latin/Calypso music from nearly 70 years ago?? Jesus! This album generator better throw up something decent soon if it’s going to continue to hold my interest.
We’re back on track. A band that’s not for everyone, but this album (on a par with, yet often overlooked next to OK Computer) is awesome.
One of those albums I recognise from the cover without ever having listened to it before. Very mellow, and of its 70s era. Not sure about the two tracks with the orchestra which seemed like bolt-ons. But otherwise quite enjoyed.
Made it half way through track 2, which was enough to confirm my instincts. It’s all unbearably awful impenetrable noise. Apart from Play Dead, I’m not aware of anything Bjork has ever done that can be described otherwise.
Meh. Never listened to this before though it was huge on release as I recall. Every song being of a similar tempo made them all just blend together. By the end, apart from the massively overplayed ‘Take Me Out’ I couldn’t immediately recall any song.
Boring and very repetitive.
I actually loved God Only Knows way before Love Actually. The other hits on here (Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Sloop John B) still sound great. But these are the tent poles of the album. The rest is a swirling mixed bag that blends together - perhaps due to the same sounding instrumentation and of course the distinctive harmonies. Not as great as many people laud it for. But still pretty good.
Yeh it’s ok. Neither bad nor great. Functional, and will satisfy Elvis fans (of which I’m neither one, nor not one). Just a solid, safe 3 stars.
Ah, prog rock. In the right hands, can be intricate, detailed and epic. Would take multiple listens to know if this is though.
Quite the find. Could see how some may find the breathy, fit-as-many-words-into-a-single-line style might grate. But I didn’t know this (or her, really) at all, and liked the moody, late night feel.
