1001 Albums Summary

The lyrics and vocals are haunting. They lilt over a more pushing, progressive beat. There’s an interesting fascination with time. He mentions the 21st century at his heels. Not really a feeling I had back then (well, a decade later… I was three when this album released). I already had Cemetery Gates liked. I added Frankly, Mr Shankly. As a whole, the album is a good listen. 4/5.

As a ‘90s kid, I associate Santana with the sustained guitar in that Rob Thomas hit “Smooth.” And there is plenty of that here, like in the track “Samba Pa Ti,” but I thought the whole album would be that. Instead, there is a lot more rhythmic complexity and layering going on. I can’t say that any track will have me coming back again. Obviously “Oye Como Va” is a vibe, but it’s been overused in films to the point of predictability. That goes for the album as a whole: it feels predictable, which is probably the opposite of what it was going for (and how it probably landed originally). No liked tracks for me, but I’m not mad I gave it a listen. The musicianship is off the charts.

I really like the riff-heavy rock tunes. There are too many divergences from that formula for me to be completely on board upon first listen, but I there’s a good possibility that those tracks will grow on me. Added to my liked list: Seven Nation Army, There’s No Home For You Here, and Ball and Biscuit.

I bought this album as a teenager after seeing the video for Tonight, Tonight. I loved many of the songs, and it works great as a double album. Already had Tonight, Tonight, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Tales of a Scorched Earth, and We Only Come Out at Night on my liked list. Added Zero this time.