The Smiths are clearly influential. Morrissey can make a good turn of phrase, and Marr and the rest of the band are very talented. That said, on the slower tracks I find myself annoyed by Morrissey's whines and moans. It is a personal preference thing, but it does limit my enjoyment. Still, the classics are classics for a reason (Queen Is Dead, Cemetry Gates, There Is a Light, Bigmouth etc.)
Catchy with a few stonecold classics. Some of the Blues Rock in the middle section gets a bit goofy though, sounding a bit like a less focussed version of the instrumentals on New Pony from Allman Brothers Band. Still, I enjoyed it, and she and the band picked a good selection of soul and blues classics to pay homage to. And Mercedes Benz has always been funny...
Roundabout is obviously pretty great. I can say that even as a self professed prog rock not getting person. It has that hypnotic circularity of the prog that actually works for me (ELP, Mike Oldfield, Hocus Pocus by Focus etc.). Unfortunately, the album has another 35 minutes to go.
It's not universally bad or anything. I quite like South Side of the Sky and The Fish for what they are. Musically they are excellent tracks, although I suspect that I would not often seek them out beyond the album. Heart of the Sunrise is very well built. Elements of Long Distance Runaround are alright, although it is far too abstract to land the message it claims to be pushing for. Still, the album is full of goofy jokes that don't quite land. . Did we need Cans and Brahms? Even Rick Wakeman doesn't think we did! Mood for a Day is clearly a skilled bit of guitar work, but lacking the emotion and musical storytelling that sets apart far better finger pickers in the folk and flamenco scenes. God knows, I listen to plenty of Davy Graham and Bert Jansch. This just doesn't have the emotion to compare.
I feel like I might have been a bit harsh... It's alright. I respect the hell out of it as a musical demo reel. But I don't think it is a fantastic work of art. Nor is it really a catchy pop record. 2, verging on a low three. If you don't have the songs beyond a couple, it is just admirable performing, not a great album
Jeff Lynne and Co. knew how to craft immaculate pop rock hooks, with plenty of unique instrumental flourishes, with the vocoder especially. I sort of get the criticism from the purists that it sounds a little sterile, but I think that might be because Lynne was approaching lab grade pop perfection
Catchy Pop Rock/Reggae fare, with some solid introspection and humour. I quite enjoyed it!
It's a brilliant bit of musicianship in the context of its release. The original compositions of Green Onions, Mo' Onions and Behave Yourself are brilliant demonstrations of what this talented group of young musicians at the forefront of crafting this sound could do. Sadly, on some of the other tracks, all of which are covers, the pure uncut Hammonding gets a bit much, and I kind of wish a vocalist was on hand to see things through. See Rinky Dink, Twist and Shout. These tracks kind of sounded like really good renditions of pop songs on a showman's fairground organ.
On the flipside, some were effortlessly groovy reinterpretations that I thoroughly enjoyed. Especially those where Steve Cropper on guitar got a bit of time in the sun alongside Booker T. For shining examples see I Got a Woman, One Who Really Loves You, I Can't Sit Down, or Comin' Home Baby.
How to rate then? It is a tough call. Part of me wants to call this a three, for some ropier tracks scattered throughout. Another part wants to call it a four for being such a unique album that does a good job of turning the organ, bass and guitar into servicable replacements for the human voice. I think today the 4 will win out. When it works, it is brilliant, and even when it doesn't you can still respect this in context.
Great stories, brilliant soundscape, genius samples, and it sounds bang up to date. Yes, all three's careers have gone off the rails since, but they are brilliant here
What I like about this album is that, for all the mental storytelling of Johnny Cash at the end of his career and life that people like to tell about this album, it is still successful on its own. I think Johnny's voice and instrumentation bring new meaning to these songs. Some of them are from songwriters from entirely different contexts (e.g. Ewan MacColl, Frederic Weatherly), and some are songs from musicians I generally am not a huge fan of (Sting, Don Henley), but each becomes something wholly unique, and uniquely applicable to the Southern Gothic old man vibe of the album. It is still a covers album, so I bristle at calling it a 5, but I cannot deny that I love each of these compositions and performances
Definitely has its moments, when they go more punk or garage. Sadly, I recognise that the stodgy bits are the important and influential ones, and the punky bits are ultimately only really as good as a Descendents or Black Flag album track. And others would do the garage revival better. So I respect it, and some songs I would come back to from time to time, but it lacks the (especially) lyrical and sonic hooks to turn it to a proper classic for me
One thing I can say is that I was never bored. I don't know if I "loved" any of the tracks particularly. But they are all solid. Each presents strange streams of consciousness, borrowing from Scottish folk (which I love) and many ""world"" sounds that they pick almost at random, several times each track. They fit far better than they should, and I can hear strains of music I do respect (like Led Zep), or more to the point, that I do like (such as Chumbawamba's Shhh and Un albums) in this. Better than I expected, but not necessarily anything brilliant or essential.
Compare this to thusfar my only prog rating on this challenge in Yes' Fragile, and I do prefer this. While nothing on here is ANYWHERE NEAR as good as Roundabout, the whole package is more consistent
It's maybe not an album of consistent quality. But it is by and large irresistably slinky, influenced in equal parts by queer house, P. Funk, Hip Hop, and rare groove soul. Most tracks worm their way into the brain, with funky beats, immaculate samples, and tonnes of charm. Good Beat, Power of Love, and of course Groove Is in the Heart, are all obvious classics, but there are far more DeeLites to be found beyond them. It just tickles the brain nicely!
I am fairly lukewarm on Adele's broader ouevre, and some of the pop rock balladeery bits on this record. But this album has a very classic soul approach of raw emotion with immaculate production. You can tell both that these are authentic and heat of the moment feelings, but also that the singer has the connections and credit in the bank to get brilliant producers and musicians in RIGHT AWAY to capture that feeling. I still think she sounds a little like she is singing with a blocked nose, but here it heightens the emotions, like singing through the tears of varyingly anger, sadness, regret, apologia etc.
So on the opening trio of tracks, as well as the likes of Set Fire..., Adele manages to make some pretty special soul revival which straddles the line of the poppy and soul crushing elements of the genre, like Amy Winehouse before her. It does weaken a little towards the back half. Not bad, but just a little less memorable. I suspect I would enjoy a song like Take It All, One and Only, or He Won't Go if they came on shuffle, but I would be hard pressed to remember their names. That gives me the dilemma of rating the album based on the 4 and 5 star singles, or the 3 star album cuts. I think it balances out to a 4. In the absence of Winehouse and Duffy from the charts for their infamous personal tragedies, Adele was not a bad, albeit far more polished, alternative for those looking for a white English woman with surprisingly strong R&B sensibilities. Fair play, she succeeded here in doing something I think she has kind of failed to do before or since, in my opinion.
They feel like the quintessential Britpop band. Unabashedly English, pulling from many great influences from previous decades and disparate genres (Beatles, Kinks, Buzzcocks, Madness, Specials, Supertramp etc.), and ultimately a bit lightweight by comparison.
Still, even if they do not really match the high highs of those aforementioned artists, I do find them a deeply entertaining band. They made this album with a lot of quick takes, full band performances, and songs written speedily and from random half ideas. In a way quite They Might Be Giantsesque. And I like TMBG. Both bands are far from perfect, but in chucking shite at the wall, 80% of it sticks, and you forgive the other 20% as the cost of writing and recording in this scattergun approach because it gives this weird live performance art vibe and is just a plain fun listen!
This is the first album in this run which I have already got a more than passing familiarity with. Dexys across their initial three album run managed to carve out a unique pop cultural position with three distinct sounds, looks, and records, each united loosely under the banner of Celtic Soul.
This is perfect fare for me! I love celtic/folk music, and I love soul. That premise sets up the first track. And my thoughts on it are adequately summed up by its subtitle. More, Please, Thank You!). It is a great statement of intent as the band moved from a blue eyed, northern soul indebted and ska adjascent (in the sense of being a punky/pub band with horns) group, into this more folksy vision (ultimately to the detriment of the band's harmony, as much of the horn section from Searching for the Young Soul Rebels had already left to form The Bureau, who are also pretty great, with their replacements then leaving to form the TKO Horns for much the same combination of Kevin Rowland's frontman antics, and the formal inclusion of the string section). It is the perfect opening statement for this era, both for its proving of the validity of the musical synthesis, its emphasis of Rowland's musical intentions for the project, despite the pushback, and for just being an irresistably catchy track. And it inspired the writing of The Commitments.
What follows is a sequence of songs which play in both musical sandboxes to produce unique and brilliant tracks. Take the ceilidhesque dancehall calls of All in All, or their Reet Petited up folk/soul cover of Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said, which is a song that never fails to make me smile, appropriately. Old combines soul with a mournful air(e), and the tone difference between trad and soul string sounds is made obvious, for the betterment of the musical texture, on Plan B. Until I Believe in My Soul even takes a turn into vintage jazz at one point.
I think the album does a really solid job of capturing a live sound and feel, without sounding like a gimmick. These are studio recordings, but their are little conversation interludes. They sometimes break it down and build it back up, or tag back to a previous song or part of a song, but with a new sound at the end of tracks. It keeps the album experience strong, and plays with "The Celtic Soul Brothers & The Strongly Devoted" idea.
And then there's Come On Eileen. What can you say? Pure musical bliss. Youthful innocence and cynicism together, paired with some lovely musical reviewsmanship of their own for Johnny Ray. Cannot fault it!
Yeah, I love this album, and already knew that, so it was fun to revisit it in full (plus the non album singles bundled with it on streaming. Easiest 5 stars so far
It is a good Bollywood soundtrack. Some fun tracks on here in places, but some work better in context (Naag Devta, for example), and some hardly work even having seen the movie (the quite annoying One Two Cha Cha Cha). Still alright like, but not one I will often come back to I suspect
Part blues influenced, part hippie influenced. Never quite great, but not a bad record by any means. I had a little dread reading it was classified as prog, which I sometimes struggle to get on board with. But this is much more cohesive as a project, and they don't really let any individual songs outstay their welcome or get overindulgent. They are solid musicians and adequate songwriters putting together a solid album. I feel I wouldn't mind dying without hearing it, but also I do think my life is very marginally improved by hearing it...
Not a Billy Joel fan really, but I can't deny this album's charms. Slinky and smooth pop rock. Plenty of big hits that bring classy 70s instrumentals and smart enough lyrics that occasionally touch on an interesting philosophical thought or decent story.
It doesn't really overextend itself either. Only the nine tracks, all of which have a reason to exist. Smart compositions too. Anthony's Song and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant being obvious examples of the structural complexity, and each of the other tracks being pleasantly but subtly complex compositions in their own right.
Not an absolute favourite, but a very solid album. I would definitely return to the bulk of the tracks again having now listened to them in a context other than as pleasant wallpaper on the radio!
I really like Big Boi's half of this project. The beats run quite a wide gamut, and the lyricism is on point, with several smartly written tracks. I think it alone would verge on a 5. Andre's half is, to me, perhaps a little weaker. Still immaculately produced, but far goofier. And maybe just a little long. Obviously it has the hits, and those are unbreakable, and I like the sound and style. It just wears a little thin towards the end. Merging them together I think could produce a 5/5 album. As is, I'll give it a 4/5, balancing the two projects at about a 3.7/5 and bearing the impacts of a 2hr runtime on the project.
I have never really given Metallica a chance. Metal, with two notable exceptions in Motorhead and Iron Maiden, is not a genre I've ever really gotten. And after this I kind of get the appeal, but I cannot say I enjoy it any more in broad strokes
Unlike some metal which I have a harder time getting on board with, I can understand what Metallica are saying, just as I can for Bruce or Lemmy. Sadly, nothing is so poetic, or so emotive. It just feels a bit amateur in comparison to Maiden, while being more selfserious than Motorhead. Lyrically, not really competing. What makes it quite egregious is that they have a lot of great buzzwords in there that make it feel like they are making points, but it kind of just has the effect of flicking through headlines without clicking on the articles, while maybe occasionally glancing at some comments made by other people who never actually read the news before blurting their opinion. I love political music. I even love some hyped up and less meaningful political music. But tonally the album doesn't really sell me on righteous fury, or optimism. It just chugs along. So then I don't really musically hear how Hetfield and Ulrich's statements about the environment, greed, corruption, censorship etc. are meant to make me feel. This is where a good punk or folk track can shine. Or even, to return to them, Iron Maiden. Where the Wind Blows makes me tearful for the impact of a potential nuclear war on its bystanders. Run to the Hills makes me feel angry and hyped up about European Colonialism in the Americas. And I don't even think they were fully intending it! They just knew those sounds amplified the story and lyrics.
Musically, it is quite impressive in the guitars. The blasting drum beat is fine, but wears out its welcome. Where I think it falls apart though is in the mixing. It is what everyone says about this album based on some light reading, but they are 100% right to raise it. Without a noticable bass groove the songs sound light and tinny. And then they go on too long! The title track was where it really hit me. Its almost 10 minutes long, but it is the same three riffs over and over, with little progression or change, and just blasting the same message that "justice is raped" and "it's terrible" at me for the full run time. I would much rather be listening to Bad Religion for amateur sounding but technically proficient hard rockers about politics. And I'd trust Greg Graffin to write more insightful lyrics while at it, and keep the run time under 5 minutes
One saving grace on the album. One. It is the only one which really stands out as a track I would like to hear again, with a progression, movements, and an interesting inspiration. I don't think it is a perfect song. I still think its quite lyrically on the nose, without being particularly affective, but it is decent. It's a wee bit better than the rest of the album. It's something...
I feel a lot of 80s pop bands had it in them for one classic, if cheesy, track per album before losing steam. Culture Club demonstrate this here. Karma Chameleon is what it is. Unkillable, if cheesy. Some other tracks are decent (Miss Me Blind, It's a Miracle, Church of the Poison Mind etc.), but they are largely operating between a 4 and a 5 out of 10 beyond that handful of tracks. Alright, but not great
I confess to not fully understanding the full revival of Steely Dan in the minds of the youth these days. But they are a solid band to be sure. Incorporating little bits of jazz, funk and rare groove into their smooth rock, they do a good job of selling a vision of post 60s excess in America, portraying a society that feels straight out of a GTA game. Glitz, glam, slick, sleeze and violence. Still a bit lightweight for my own tastes, and sometimes I think the production choices sound a bit dates (e.g. Show Biz Kids, for example, which has a tinny and rattle quality to its percussion and mixing which grated on me), but overall a very solid record
I do think this is one of the weaker albums in ABBA's imperial era. Only one of the singles (Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Knowing Me Knowing You, and That's Me, w. Fernando also on the extended version) would make my top 10 songs from them (KMKY, for the record), and like with the other albums, the rest of the tracks are immaculate compositions, but a little dull at times, and a little too weird at others. Solid album though. Even a weak ABBA single is still a catchy slice of pop perfection, and enough of the album tracks are charming enough to preserve a solid rating here
I find it quite exhilirating that a man getting up there in his career, who had made plenty of music, some of which I love and some I do find a bit overrated, could pull off something so audacious with his final album. Surely knowing he was at the end of his recording career, and of his life, taking that experimental envelope pushing element of his past works and going beyond the pop rock, glam and lite soul elements of his ouevre and pulling in some truly off the wall influences. And for doing that while in retirement mode, I respect that heavily. He did not let himself fall behind on where innovation was coming from in the music of the 2000s and 2010s, and so he fused rock with acid jazz, trip hop a la Massive Attack, ambient electronica like Boards of Canada, a sprinkle of jazzy hip hop from Kendrick, and some moody soul from D'Angelo. Want a touch of true weirdness in there though? Get some off the wall hip hop influences that sound almost like Death Grips or Young Fathers in there.
Lyrically, I don't think it makes itself too obvious. But the sleazy and grim lyrical allusions suit Bowie's weathered and strained voice. Like the allusion to the main character of The Man Who Fell to Earth on Lazarus, he looks back on a life of hedonism and excess lived in the public eye, and has a melancholic and ambivilent relationship to it. Just enough to keep you engaged with the lyrics as well as the brilliant instrumentation
Extremely meatheaded, in both senses of the word...
Still, despite being a hair metal hater, and not by any means an Aerosmith fan, some tracks here are more fun than they have any right to be (Young Lust, The Other Side, My Girl)
Regardless of that, the sheer samey noise of the work does begin to drag a little (why is Love in an Elevator over 5 mins long?), so I cannot in good conscience call it a great album. Still, better than I expected.
I found this album quite interesting. Like a softer Franz Ferdinand in terms of arch irony and occasionally interesting character pieces, but a little more abstract than FF are. Maybe more like Sons and Daughters in that regard. Not quite as musically vigourous as either band though, who have both got an ability to go harder than this album demonstrates. Musically, I like Two Dancers a good amount. It has an atmosphere and soundscape which feels cinematic and cerebral, but I suspect a listeners' enjoyment of this album will come down to how much they vibe with the soundscape, because they don't really have a second gear to shift to on this project.
I find their allusions to different freaks, weirdos and arseholes of UK culture interesting. As with a lot of this style of post punk art rock I sometimes find myself wishing they were a bit more direct. The music plays each story a bit like an epic, which really works in ironically showing up the womanizing mysoginist of All the King's Men, or the looter and troublemaker of Hooting & Howling, the lads out clubbing of This Is Our Lot, or the really dark story of abuse and exploitation on the double title track. On a couple of tracks though I sort of wish they would either take a step further to let us know a bit more about where they stand in the absurdity of 2000s UK pop culture and politics, like with The Fun Powder Plot, which tells a really amusing story about the gonzo fathers rights group who used to climb buildings dressed as superheroes Fathers 4 Justice, but doesn't ultimately tell us much about them or how Wild Beasts want us to feel about them beyond bemusement
This is a minor criticism though. I did enjoy this album a good amount. Most of the songs work really well for my tastes, and I like the conceit of the album. Indieheads and art rockers should get a kick out of this album
Really good blues rock. I have been getting landed with a lot of bands of this era lately on this list, but this stands out still. Tonight's the Night (the title track) is so emotive that the spine does indeed shiver a little. It takes you on a bit of a journey through the mindset of Young as well, seeing the suffering fame and addiction brings to those around him, and then getting disillusioned with fame, rock, and the 60s hangover. Really good stuff. Like a more direct and parseable Dylan. Like Dylan, I can forsee when I look at the reviews after writing this, that there will be people complaining about Neil Young's whiny voice and reeling harmonica, but as with Dylan, I respect the craft, and think the strained vocals lend creedence to the piece. Very good stuff!
Occasional overindulgences in the blues rock jams on this album (Been Down So Long, Cars Hiss By My Window, and The WASP are not bad songs really, but do drag a little comparatively), but I appreciated the personal touch to this album (The Changeling & Hyacinth House especially), and how it captures something of the atmosphere of Los Angeles at the turn of the 70s in a weirdly accurate geographical and analytical way. L'America is a bit of a banger, and I cannot deny the big hits (L.A. Woman, Love Her Madly, Riders on the Storm).
I have bristled at getting into the Doors due in large part to Morrison's reputation which preceeds him. I don't think he is the greatest writer of all time by any means, but fair play he delivers a solid personal insight which becomes more interesting in the context of his looming heroin overdose upon leaving L.A. as he promises to do here, while the rest of the band have the musical talent to turn the songs themselves into great stomping blues tracks
Some great tracks on here (Wild Horses, Sister Morphine, Dead Flowers), but also some that I kind of wish were tightened up or rewritten (Brown Sugar, dear lord... So close to something great if only they cut the lyrics...). Kind of a messy monument to excess, but after a fairly average start, despite its three big hitters, it does find its narrative and turn the album into this postAltamontian meditation on the dark side of the 60s rock and roll culture. While I only love a handful of songs, I didn't dislike any of them in whole, and they all certainly at least had potential, or a few elements I liked. And the overall narrative worked
You can hear the influence of their work on glammy punky indie rock of the 90s and 2000s here (Bands like the early Manics, Fratellis or The Vaccines, for example). It is a fun record, but ultimately just sort of as good as a mid tier Ramones album without being as essential. Sonically they might be most similar to a band like The Vapors in being more musically talented than the average punk, but also a bit less edgy. I do love the Vapors though, so that is not a criticism from me. I had a good time though. It sounds good and the hooks are catchy, with occasional dabblings in weird instruments and sounds. I will definitely add Malibu Beach Nightmare to my 70s/80s lite punks at the beach playlist (Undertones "Here Comes the Summer", Barracudas "Summer Fun", Vapors "Sunstroke", Blondie "In the Sun", Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun", GoGos "Vacation" & "Beatnik Beach" and Dead Milkmen "Beach Song" & "Beach Party Vietnam", for the record)
Musically pleasant, but not quite as complete of a work to me as LA Woman was. Kind of a little too produced, and a little too lyrically simple. Still has a good number of good tunes though, and it is mixed pretty well despite being maybe a little slick for its own good in some spots. I suppose it is a bit of a throwback to simpler garage rock, and a bit of a predictor for bluesey hard rock to come. Side 2 picks up a lot compared to Side 1 for me. Most of the songs on that back half are really solid and get a little deeper with richer but more authentic sounds vs. Side 1, which I think is a little more of a culprit for my criticisms.
I can hear how it was influential. I think it is fun, but I don't love it... Good album, not great
Musically fascinating, and with a really interesting story behind the band to boot. The music swirls in a hypnotic blues rock meets assouf sound which is soothing and hypnotic on some tracks, and hyped up and frantic on others. The lyrics tell an interesting and true story of these musicians become exiles from their home due to political strife, which I appreciate, without being too on the nose. Matter of fact, I'd put on this album again before a whole lot of blues rock albums from much more influential artists which this project has served me!
