It was cool to hear ‘Bang a Gong’ in the context of its whole album. Overall—fine. Not my favorite vibe. My favorite part unironically was the ending (with the strings).
Revisiting this album after having gone on a Fela Kuti side quest made the re-listen feel like I had galaxy brain. Still love the ad-libs, especially the Hannibal lecter noises and straight up screaming. So iconic!
Oi Oi Oi!
Not typically a blues guy but the Mali fusion of it all was really good! Had it on most of the day at work just vibing.
Thoroughly enjoyed getting to put a sound to the enigmatic steely Dan, who up until this point I had only heard of referentially. Even the dud for me (show biz kids) isn’t all that bad!
This album has a good energy to it. A lot of infectious groove and rhythm that feels as if my body is hardwired in the way that it responds to these noises (those bass grooves are ridiculous). I can't even imagine what the vibe was like "down at the 54".
With that said though I found a lot of the songs to have great foundational building blocks to them but ultimately pretty repetitive. I'm not inclined to add any of these to my saved songs, but they certainly have a place in a disco playlist.
I think there is also something to be said about how there is this sort of commercial tinge to the lyrics. Picking chic as their brand, aggressively trying to make that happen in the opening track, speaking directly to the listener to convince them to engage with the music, adding a little bit of french in the mix to make it feel expensive. Perhaps just a symptom of the time but I suppose I just wonder how much of that commercial demand to sell records affected the music....
(Also, do we have a concrete answer on how one is supposed to perform the le freak dance? Must've not had the same staying power as the cupid shuffle, clearly.)
Very cozy listen. Seems like a great companion-album for a campfire circle. Something about the sound of the guitar playing immediately puts me in an introspective state of mind.
Probably a bit too bare for me to incorporate into my usual rotation--the album he did the year prior is much more lush and layered which is what I am typically more into.
First two songs got me so hype for the day as I was simultaneously listening to music and experiencing many a childhood ephemera.
As I continued to listen the songs began to sound incredibly predictable and hardly distinguishable from one another whether it be the sound or lyrical content.
THEN I started to think about all the context in which we live and what came before, and I got the big time ick thinking about the fact that this album is the product of exploiting a 16-year-old Britney's talents. It suddenly became unbearable to listen to her wax on about love and yearning knowing she didn't write any of it!
My enjoyment soured very quickly and I did not finish listening to it.
This album gave me Forrest Gump vibes in more ways than one. Thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the jammy bits.
Maybe my favorite opener on any Talking Heads album. The bongos and indiscernible lyrics are just so fun! Overall such a playful album as a whole, just makes me feel good. I've got the image of David Byrne dancing to Life During Wartime seared into my mind and it makes me want to dance anytime I hear it. Those staccato snares punctuating the end of every four bars is my shiiiit!
I'm learning that my reception of these albums is highly dependent on my overall mood that day.
This one for me was alright. I liked the opener and closer. Stairway is... you know, stairway. I thought the more lowkey tracks were more interesting than the straightforward (derogatory) rock n roll tracks.
Really into the feel of this. Makes me want to go do a crossword at my local low-lit haunt with the sticky floors and cheap deals on draft. People are definitely smoking indoors in this fantasy too.
Obsessed with any lead singer who likes to scream and get real silly with it.
I liked the humor. The instrumentation I wasn’t really in the mood for, but in the right context is up my alley.
Dating country guys in the 80s sounds like it was ROUGH. I like how Dolly’s voice cuts right through all of the harmonies—there really is no covering up her star power!
I mean, c'mon! Super cool that the first album we get from the 2000s is an absolute masterpiece. It's the perfect blend of traditional instrumentation, technological production, and classical overlays (Johnny Greenwood's arrangements are always quite moving to me). Some of the bass grooves in here are so good I'll just have them in my head all day as I scurry around being busy.
I am bummed that Thom Yorke has outed himself as a bit of a twat, but oh well. This album still fucks! Very sad I'll never get to hear it for the first time ever again :(((((
A pleasant proggy surprise!
The gritty tone on the bass in some of these songs is so *chefs kiss* sounds like the amp is filled with rocks, and it rocks!
Kid A + Grey clouds = compromised mental health. Love it!
Pretty solid. I'd say its relatively singular in its sound, with the exception of a couple of standout songs. Always appreciate the punky energy in it though. ALSO the phrase "having a gas" is so of its time that I found it kind of funny.
Really enjoyed having this playing throughout the day. Fame is so funky it makes me need to move and bob around. I like it overall. The album cover I really dig too.
I really like the moments where it is going, and not so much the moments where it kinda isn't really? Some of the spaced out sections felt like I was functionally listening to nothing.
