Good classic rock album. I like Springsteen's voice and performances. The album begins and ends well, but there are also a few tracks of filler in between. The album has many memorable rock songs, but does not really break new ground or experiment. Overall, I'd say it's a solid album but a touch overrated.
I have listened to this album a total of 3 times now in my life, so I think that is giving it a fair chance. I have never understood why it is so highly rated. Some tracks are just plain annoying and repetitive, e.g. ‘Someone Great’. Many tracks were average at the time but have aged badly, like ‘North American scum’. The album is not particularly innovative and seems to take a lot of inspiration from Talking Heads. I liked 'Sound of Silver' the most even though it has the fewest listens of any track. Overall, not a great listen for me.
Before there were the grandiose studio works of Sgt Pepper’s or Abbey Road, there was simply a great rock ‘n roll band. While the Beatles’ later, more ambitious work has honestly never totally clicked with me, I really enjoyed Rubber Soul. There are hints of psychedelia and Eastern influences starting to appear in this record, e.g. the sitar in Norwegian Wood. However, the musical roots of the record are still clearly in African American R&B. There is no overarching concept - this is a collection of high quality songs performed well. But by its consistency and comparatively straightforward delivery, it earns classic status. 5 stars.
Great voice, uninspired songwriting
I was not previously aware of Elliott Smith. This is a really nice rock singer-songwriter album with quite a few ballads. The orchestral elements are really well done. Smith was clearly a very emotional and sensitive man with a talent for songwriting who sadly died too young. My main criticism would be that the vocal performances are only OK but not excellent and sometimes sound a bit flat like he’s on autopilot. But the quality of the songs and instrumentals makes up for it
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
Before listening to this album, my main exposure to the Beastie Boys was their singles, some of which I enjoy like Sabotage or Intergalactic. So I went in with expectations that were fairly high.
Unfortunately, this album is totally puerile and goofy as hell. The lyrics are so cringey and the ‘rapping’, more like shouting, is repetitive reusing the same rhyme scheme throughout. It’s so bad it’s almost good and I’ll concede I was entertained listening to it and laughed a few times. So I feel I could only give it either 1 star or 5 stars.
OK, there are a handful of serious redeeming qualities. The way that samples are incorporated is quite creative and original. It’s also interesting from a historical perspective to hear an album that could never been made today, now that the draconian lobbying of the big record labels has killed off sampling. So I would give it 1.5 stars if I could.
The Monkees - Headquarters
This is a ‘60s pop album that was culturally significant at the time but nowadays seems a bit unremarkable. Some of the tracks are just twee, others are a bit average, overall it hasn’t aged terribly well. ‘For Pete’s Sake’ is by far the standout track on the record. But overall, I’m left with a sense that this album is mainly important for its historical significance than for the actual music
It's a solid metal record from a legendary British Band. Rob Halford is undoubtedly one of the best metal vocalists of all time if not the number one best. There are also some cool guitar riffs. Living After Midnight is the standout track and, as soon as the familiar drum came in, I knew I was going to have to give it a good score just for that.
Having said this, not every single song is memorable. I feel this album as a whole is not the most consistently great of Judas Priest's discography - that accolade goes to Painkiller in my opinion. So they would go on to make even better music later. Nonetheless, this is well worth a listen for fans of hard rock/metal.
This is a classic early 2000s album that captured the zeitgeist of the years immediately post 9/11. ‘Holiday’ rails Bush’s war in Iraq and is one of the most classic anti-war songs of that period. Meanwhile, the title track discusses themes of media corporate propaganda that remain relevant in the USA. ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ and ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ deal with themes of grief and isolation respectively. I must admit, I’ve never been sold on the whole ‘concept’ of the album, with characters with names like ‘St Jimmy’ that you are supposed to follow across tracks. I feel the band were a bit too ambitious in that respect and it comes across as cheesy. The one concept-driven song that I do like is ‘Jesus of Suburbia’, but more in spite of the lyrics rather than because of them. Still, this album is a classic for rock fans who lived through this time period.
