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| Chez's 100 Albums Bucket List reviews, Done! Ranked list p11 |
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 4th November 2020, 09:10 PM
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#201
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 Buy yourself a car, and a house in Devon
Joined: 6 May 2016
Posts: 23,892 User: 23,247 
         
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American Idiot has some great songs on it - Wake Me Up When September Ends and Boulevard of Broken Dreams are both so nostalgia-inducing, I really should give a listen to the album in full some time.
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15th November 2020, 07:10 PM
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#202
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 The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
      
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So sorry for this grinding to a halt, I've kinda lost motivation/don't have as much free time and honestly, the ones I really wanna talk about are way down in the 90s
 But (if anyone is actually still reading this), I do hate leaving things unfinished, so let me blitz through a few of these now as I may need to abandon it soon anyway temporarily as EOY season approaches.-x-  Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison A live album with a difference, as the title suggests, this was recorded live at Folsom State Prison, California in January 1968, after his song, Folsom Prison Blues, Cash had long been interested in performing at a prison and kept pushing until it happened, although the label still wasn't keen. While Cash recorded many prison albums, this proved to really revitalize his career following a low point with drug abuse problems. It reached number 1 on the country charts and allowed his commercial success to begin again on both sides of the pond and started a series of live albums including San Quentin, Tennessee and even Österĺker Prison in Sweden. It has been certified three times platinum. An intriguing album contextually as it's quite bizarre to think about a gig in a prison and who in their right mind would want to do one, but clearly he was very suited to it, and it does show, as while there isn't anything that I knew properly from this album (my Cash knowledge is a bit basic at Ring of Fire and Hurt being the main ones I know), he does show himself pretty suited to this context. Despite the clear dark mood in the place, he does fit a variety of moods into this and interacts with the audience as a natural just like a normal gig. He cleverly makes the songs fit very well to the people in the audience - 25 Minutes to Go has a hell of a lot of gallows humour and tells the dark tale of someone waiting for the death penalty, it's quite scary to think some of these inmates would've been waiting themselves. Most of the album is classic American folk songs with lots of harmonica, guitar strumming and standard stuff, but it's still very impressive. He even goes proper novelty at one point with Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog, yet there's plenty of darkness with The Long Black Veil (followed by a whole minute of him asking for water) as well as a sombre version of the Green Green Grass of Home with very fitting lyrics given the song's story, and some rather lovely duets with June Carter like Jackson and Give My Love to Rose which are uplifting in any context. It ends with even some prisoner announcements complete with the inmates booing, which best emphasises that it never quite escapes from it's ominous atmosphere. Overall, it's certainly an interesting listen, it wouldn't be anywhere near as impactful if it weren't for where he was of course, but as it is, you never forget where he is and who he is singing these songs too and it really resonates very well, it can actually get quite uncomfortable, as a hell of a lot of these men were probably waiting for death themselves or in for life and you're just unbelievably anxious thinking what that scene could've looked like. I'm not sure if I'd listen to it again, but I am glad I did as I think it's definitely one of the most important and unique live albums in history, certainly recommended if you're looking for an impactful album. 7.0 |
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15th November 2020, 08:06 PM
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#203
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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 Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook The certified 'First Lady of Soul' with the first of what would turn into a series of albums singing The Great American Songbook, accompanied by a studio orchestra, this time focusing on those by Cole Porter and the first release for her on Verve Records. Fitzgerald only had a small following amongst jazz circles at the time and this was a new step for her, thankfully it paid off and she produced some of her most acclaimed music of her career at the peak of her vocal powers. While it predated charts, Porter himself was a big fan of the work and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 and being added to the National Recording Registry in 2003. This was the longest on the list, 1hr 58 minutes long at that! I was kind of dreading it but...I suppose these things are a bit difficult to hate. The problem I have with these early albums is it's very easy to appreciate them as they set the paving for many genres to come over the decade, but they're just so of their time that it's difficult to get much enjoyment out of them unless you're really into that genre or were there at the time. I had the same problem with Songs for Swingin' Lovers earlier and I have the same one here, but I do think this is a bit better, because while this definitely drags A LOT at times, it is at least fairly diverse in content, with a variety of tempos so the songs don't all sound completely the same. Some of the songs here are also present on Sinatra's album like Anything Goes, but there were a few I recognised, like Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) which I first sung in primary school (and ofc. my innocent little mind did not see any of those obvious innuendoes/racially insensitive lyrics  ). There's a ton here so I'll single out the ones that stood out somewhat: Miss Otis Regrets is a sombre and quite chilling ballad that is sung very well, I Love Paris has some pretty great strings in it, You're the Top has some very eclectic lyrics comparing whomever this 'top' is to the Colosseum, Mickey Mouse, The Louvre, Mona Lisa, Tower of Pisa amongst others, and So In Love has besotted lyrics, yet it's glaring strings and low tone make it sound a little sinister which makes it a fairly interesting listen.Of course, her voice and diction are excellent throughout and you can certainly see how she was such a talent and respect how she worked through segregation at the time to stand out. It's just that it's such a long album with songs that are somewhat fairly dated themselves in one style that it's not really something you can sit down and focus on, it's certainly fine background music but it's just not quite what I look for in music. Much respect for what it did for her and how well sung it is, but not really my cup of tea. 6.0 |
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15th November 2020, 08:31 PM
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#204
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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 Billy Joel – Glass Houses The seventh studio album by Billy Joel released at the very start of the 1980s. It marked a new, hard rock-esque sound for Joel in response to the movement of Punk and New Wave and he wanted to silence his critics that saw him as a generic pop star with no edge, ironically, a lot of critics didn't really like this sound either, but audiences didn't mind as it sold 7 million in the US and was the 41st biggest album of the 80s there. It is now seen as the closest Billy Joel ever got to making a true rock album. I didn't mind this one, the songs were pretty catchy, energetic and wouldn't sound out of place on any radio, but when I think about it, having heard every album on the list, this one really isn't standing out that much. I mean the songs are fine and he was clearly going for a new approach, but I wouldn't really be convinced this was particularly 'edgy' or a revelation, We Didn't Start the Fire alone is more ambitious a song than almost all of this album for one. It's mainly fine though, aping the likes of McCartney/Elvis Costello a little bit, but the songs are pretty effective especially at the start. Sometimes a Fantasy has some great guitar hooks and All for Leyna particularly has a great orchestra behind it with synths and piano to sound pretty vintage power 80s whenever you hear it. Sleeping with the Television On is the highlight of the second half and there's even a song where he attempts (bad) French which...keeps your attention even if he is probably pretty embarassed about it now. It does burn out early though, the second half is generally pretty samey and uneventful and ultimately, while it's fine and enjoyable in places, it's not something that immediately stands out that much especially with so many of these ground-breaking albums, I'm not really seeing how this one compares, especially as it wasn't exactly a ground-breaking change of sound and I'd say most of his more iconic songs aren't on here. It's fine and interesting to see him attempt a new sound and not get pigeonholed, but inessential ultimately and I wouldn't say it's quite earned it's stripes to be amongst some of these greats. 6.0 |
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12th December 2020, 09:29 PM
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#205
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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ok I officially can't be bothered with this anymore lol, I guess I really did set myself too big a task and there are just too many here I cannot even pretend to have too much of an interest in, as well as clearly not being of interest to most of you (it's OK, it's OK, I probably wouldn't comment either if I didn't know half the albums)
However like I said earlier, I have actually completed this and did take notes on all of the albums, so for the sake of completion and cos I hate leaving things unfinished, I'm going to give mini-reviews purely based on my notes for the last ~31 albums so I can at least close a book on this. I'll do half now and the rest tomorrow Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner This Mercury winning album is full Lo-fi production and relentless delivery, the mix of grime and garage that can only be from the East End, it reminds me a bit of school. There's a lot of pretty wonderful stuff here - filled with that unique British sense of humour but also unflinching portrayals of British urban life, you can see it as a natural more garage follow up to Original Pirate Material earlier. There's also some wonderful production throughout with it's dance-grime crossover and chipmuck effects that are still extremely influential today. Stop Dat and 2 Far make use of sound effects and great beats and Fix Up, Look Sharp has a wonderful use of sample. I Luv U is a uniquely British urban love story with some great female additions, Jus'a Rascal is a great rap battle and Wot U On has some spacey synth-led beats. The lyrics are very profound and deep, especially on the dark tale of Jezebel but there is that sense of positivity on songs like Do It! and New Day. He'd go on to sell out big time which is sad, but this is a timeless example of the best of grime. 9.0 Pearl Jam – Ten Often compared to Nevermind by Nirvana as they shot to fame around the same time and had a similar harsh voice and great guitar work throughout, I can see it, it's not quite as out and out thrash as Nirvana, but similar style and feel, and at the end of tracks , there is often explosive ends where the singer bursts into repeated refrains. It's made for the stadium. There are some angsty and dark topics here – Once and Alive is about incest and sexual abuse from mother to son. The one song I knew, Jeremy, is about a school shooting, and it contains a trilogy of songs about boy that is told his father isn’t real and goes on a killing spree. Black though, has a more sensitive sound and the piano aspects make it a highlight. Garden, Deep and Release as a closing trio are particularly anthemic. It's bookended by an atmospheric instrumental track called Master/Slave which serves as a rather interesting hidden track and contrasts the rest of the album. I wouldn't say it's as good as Nevermind, but it hits all the right notes that that one did to a pretty similar success~ 8.0 Santana – Supernatural The Latin rock album that reignited the career of an icon of the genre, and is rather endearing if very overstuffed. There's some wonderful guitar work throughout even if it overinflates the tracks. Do You Like the Way is a highlight and incorporates hip hop and Lauryn Hill and Cee-Lo are used to great effect and The Calling with Eric Clapton is a great blend of two guitar styles . Ultimately though it does sound better when there's no guest stars and it's just the man and his guitar, like El Farol and Da le Yeo. It still sounds very contemporary to this day and with Maria Maria, I finally know where that Wild Thoughts sample comes from and you can see how inspired it was. It could've been (a lot) shorter and I see how some see it as a sellout, but it's certainly got it's moments. 7.0 Adele – 21 Ah here's one I'm familiar with and one whose impact I very much remember, I always liked her, you can't not really, even if it's not your thing, she just seems so down to earth, committed and firm in her vision, but it wasn't enough to check out an album. I'm aware it was part autobiographical influenced by past relationships, and there's a fiery, angry start with now classics with Rolling in the Deep and Rumour Has It before showing a more mellow side with Don't You Remember which shows her defences cracking somewhat and then I'll Be Waiting. I've always loved Set Fire to the Rain and it's a highlight here too and is a great midpoint as it's a mix of the two different conflicting feelings on the album, then I’ll Be Waiting has a more optimistic and positive view of the situation, which is an interesting contrast. One and Only is a powerful vocal performance, very Aretha-esque and it would then end on a powerful note with the overplayed but still classic Someone Like You, but Apple Music has I Found a Boy as the last one which is much less necessary. Pity, but it doesn't stop the album. Honestly, it's worth the hype, there is a clear voice, vision and talent present throughout that always keeps you engaged. 8.5 Garth Brooks – No Fences Oh lord a country album, let's keep an open mind and see how this goes. OK, gets off to a good start with The Thunder Rolls, that has a great epic feel, his voice is deep and the song symbolic of a more serious edge to the genre. There are many here actually that sound like a contemplative song that would play at the end of some Netflix genre piece...actually I spoke too soon, Two of a Kind particularly with it's yodelling is the type of country I can't get into. The albums more contemplative pieces are the best, which unfortunately are mainly confined to the first half, though Friends in Low Places is a very catchy and apparently made the top 40 over here. For one I was kind of dreading, this wasn't too bad and not too long either. It wasn't on Spotify or Apple Music so I had to use Amazon *insert Alexa/Ellie Goulding joke* 7.0 George Michael – Faith For whatever reason I didn't write many notes on this one, it's fairly short so I guess I didn't have a lot to say. This was his breakout album and there's an impressive mixture of moods and styles here, it's very cool in general and sometimes pretty overt, such as I Want Your Sex and Hand to Mouth. The title track is ofc. a real highlight, and Father Figure is an emotional number despite massive overplay. There are some odd ones, like Monkey, which seems to be him banging on about just that. One More Try and Hard Day are also very powerful numbers about exploring relationships and add to the very personal and introspective nature that really showed there was a sensitive soul behind all the glamour. 8.0 2Pac – Me Against the World Like many of the 90s rap albums, this drops the gangsta persona to take on something resembling more of a storytelling and introspective album, yet it still has a funky backing and good production and was very sample heavy. Maybe it's fatigue after hearing much more effective examples of this earlier, but I just found this one too overly long and the songs just blended into each other and it just didn't feel as personal as the others. Dear Mama, the heartfelt tribute to his mother, is better and the end of the album is much more angrier and contemplative of his own death, much like his rival Notorious B.I.G's album was, with songs like Death Around the Corner, but otherwise I don't know if there's much I'd return to 7.0 Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited Never been massive on Dylan despite really appreciating him if just cos his rough voice and raw style isn't quite my thing, but this certainly proved that that was me being a dirty stereotyper. The opener, Like a Rolling Stone is a classic song and I never realised how vitriolic it was and how prominent this sneering at upper class women was on the album sent me on a wikipedia crawl to see who it was about. Tombstone Blues has some wonderful surrealist lyrics and paints a strange yet engaging portrait of contemporary America. Through there's some great wall of sound-esque production, it makes the album sound big and grand and makes urgency of lyrics comes through well. From a Buick 6 is the only lyrics I'd describe as pretty simplistic, but otherwise you have wonderful depictions of baby boomers (The Tall Thin Man), poetic stories about one highway in one song with the title track and the eleven minute closer Desolation Row where there is similar surrealist story telling to paint this grim picture of America. It's so poignant, poetic and remains relevant, needs to be heard even if you don't think you're into Dylan. 9.0 |
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12th December 2020, 10:05 PM
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#206
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Mansonette
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 35,297 User: 54
        
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Sorry I haven't been commenting - I have been reading it all though!
I'm largely waiting to find out what you think about OK Computer though, it's an album I always thought would be my favourite of all time when I listened to it back in 1997. It still is probably the album I've most obsessed about in my entire life so I'm intrigued to see what it's like for someone (I assume) didn't know it at the time. |
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12th December 2020, 10:05 PM
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#207
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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Tim McGraw – Live Like We’re Dying
Bit of a comedown, A long, pretty generic modern country album where all the songs blend into each other, and they're not especially interesting sonically or lyrically either. I'll grant that there is an emotional semblance across all of the songs and that it feels more personal, especially songs like Open Season on My Heart and Walk Like a Man, but apparently he didn't even write them despite them fitting his mindset at the time so feels a bit more hollow, even if he does clearly give it his best shot in songs like Kill Myself and We Carry On. It may be coming after Dylan has me being a bit more harsh, but the unsubtlety and generic messages here are just a bit dull and don't make me as emotionally invested. When there's little musically or lyrically interesting here, there's little I can come back to. 4.0 Diana Ross – Diana If you've ever listened to Heart FM like I have, you'll know Upside Down and I’m Coming Out and they're both classics, I was really surprised given the latter's so associated with LGBT these days that it wasn't initially written with that in mind and about her coming out of her record label. The rest of the album can't compare, but it's fine, one of the last hurrahs of disco, there's not a lot of lyrics and it's rather repetitive and overlong (hi Have Fun Again), but it's fun, Tenderness is cool and Friend to Friend is an outlier as a solo ballad and Now That You're Gone is good mix of mid-tempo that stands out. She's clearly having fun with this so it's hard not to be endeared~ 7.0 Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley The album that started it all for the King, although he certainly had better days ahead of him. It's a very short listen, with some pretty catchy songs that are a bit simple and dated today, it's one of the those albums you've gotta look at in the context of the time, although there's no real classics here (apart from the first track Blue Suede Shoes, most of the classics the average passerby could name by Elvis aren't here) so it can be a bit of a slog for those that aren't really huge fans of Elvis like myself. There are some early semblances of what he would experiment with genres and you can see the inspiration for Kanye's Gold Digger on here. Not really much else to say, fine for what it is I guess. 6.0 Kanye West – The College Dropout I wrote a lot of notes for this so it's a shame I'm only giving it a condensed review as there's a lot to say. I respect Kanye West's ART without even acknowledging the person himself for being just....ugh in general, so I was interested to hear this. The opener, We Don’t Care is a self-conscious song about the influence of the gangster persona on kids, with a kids chorus, the title and throughout the album we get a commentary on education and the biting reality of what can come of it and it feels very relevant today. There's plenty of other social commentary throughout in songs like All Falls Down, Spaceship and Jesus Walks, the latter being an ominous and striking track with big religious themes that remains one of his greatest achievements. Being a hip hop album, there is unfortunately skits but they're not as bad as some other albums and it also has a great use of backing vocals, samples and sonic variation in sound and is very well produced. But there's humourous moments like The New Workout Plan, which is like a comedy sketch video and quite SNL worthy, alas, certain sections of the album is a bit more generic hip hop with misogynistic lyrics and is less interesting but it returns to form in the last half with Two Words and Through the Wire and ends with the none minute Last Call, part song, part autobiography about his rise to fame...and is self-indulgent as hell, because of course it is. It's a lot overall and is quite erratic as Kanye can be, but it's an admirable piece of work and definitely shows you there's a big talent there however difficult it is to separate from the man himself these days. 9.0 The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land The opening track to this, Smack My Bitch Up, pretty much tells you all you need to know about the album as you shouldn't listen to this looking for something varied, fortunately I love that song and so loved this album. Breathe & Firestarter are ofc. both classics and overall this is peak 90s dance with songs built around samples, hard rock guitars and hip hop refrains, and very few lyrics. Keith Flint is sadly not as prevalent as I thought he’d be, it's all really lyric-lite dancefloor ready jams, but that's OK. Of the highlights, Funky Shit has some incredible building refrains, Mindfields is a more restrained and higher key number with a middle-eastern esque instrumental and Narayan – an epic nine-minute track with foreign influences merged with rave, three distinct sections. Almost every song really great, timeless rave sound that would still sound incredible whenever anyone wants to lose their shit. 9.0 Sinead O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got Wasn't sure what to expect from this one as I know nothing about her apart from the one obvious one. The album has a more experimental, drawn out sound, with lots of strings and tribal instruments, it's very traditional and reminded me of Kate Bush and Florence and the Machine a bit. Lyrically it can be harsh, I Am Stretched On Your Grave is a morose retelling of Irish poem, whereas The Emperor’s New Clothes takes on a more upbeat and alt-rock appearance. Nothing Compares 2 U is really the album's only fairly simple love song (and it wasn't even her song) and it's still wildly effective even without the video and it makes the bitter and heavier latter half of the album even more the contrast before ending with the title track which is beautiful, acapella and dreamy arrangement. Overall this was a lot more of a diverse and unconventional album than I expected and I'd recommend it. 8.5 Ramones – Ramones Seen by many as the first true beginning for punk rock, and you can see it as the whole album is to the point (nothing's over three minutes) it's quite upbeat sounding but with quite heavy lyrics, Blitzkrieg Bop's nazism parallels being one of them.The lyrics are pretty repetitive and unsubtle but they kind of know it, Judy is a Punk somewhat acknowledges this. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend feels like a big outlier being a pretty conventional song and a weird cover of Let’s Dance. But otherwise, it's pretty cool, Chain Saw is dedicated to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement is also devoted to horror movies, and while it's still a little repetitive for me, I like the lyrics. There is also some simple succinct social commentary reflecting their own lives that punk would go on to extrapolate, such as Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue and 53rd and 3rd, which is a quite harrowing tale about a male prostitute that reflects one of the band's own members. Generally it's all the same sort of sound, it's a quick, upbeat and rousing album meant to be played in one sitting. I find the lead singer's weird diction and strange accent on words a little offputting, but otherwise, it is exactly as they intended, a no-bullshit, stripped down ode to rebellion that would go on to inspire many. 7.5 Dolly Parton – Jolene Do love a bit of Dolly. This is another very quick listen (less than 25 minutes overall) and the title track is iconic to this day, other than that, it's a brief, pleasant listen with generally very positive and happy songs that benefit from her beautiful voice and all sound like they could be hits. Highlight of my Life and River of Happiness are particularly optimistic. Additionally, you have the original of I Will Always Love You, which has an admirable subtlety that you certainly can't find in the more well known version of it (more on that later). The only thing that's slightly concerning is that throughout this album, she is such a desperate and fragile protagonist, I doubt it would pass the feminist test today, but taken as it is, it's lovely and uplifting and I think we all need that right now. 7.0 omg the end is in sight. |
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13th December 2020, 07:54 PM
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#208
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Maybe it was just the time period, but this whole album sounds like a Disney classic with choir and strings combination :') This was ofc. hugely influential in terms of black people breaking down barriers in country musis and all of these are American staples, some of which I already know – You Are My Sunshine, Hey Good Lookin’ which are pleasingly reworked. Like most of these American songbook albums, I confess to these ears it's just pleasant background music, but obvs you can certainly respect the history behind this one. He has a really great voice and the choir are beautiful which makes the whole thing very soothing. It's a little overlong and samey as these albums are, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, I guess I'm biased cos Ray Charles is just so darn cool x 7.5 Dean Martin – Dean Martin Sings The oldest album on the list, and very much in the same vein as Frank Sinatra earlier, though as Dean Martin was more of an entertainer, there's a bit more...energy and silliness. I Feel a Song Coming On is most apparent of this, and there's some pleasing Italian influences which kind of lifts it up, with Come Back to Sorrento and ofc. the classic, That's Amore which was pretty much the sole song I was waiting for, but otherwise, this wasn't great. It was short, but all the songs sounded the same and it was just a really dull atmosphere, like a beachside hotel lobby where everyone's a bit tipsy, it just feels really tacky. Martin had a great voice and some classic songs, but I'm sure he had better in his back catalogue than this 3.0 Whitney Houston/Various Artists – The Bodyguard An album of two halves really as most of it was sung by Whitney Houston so it almost would've counted as a solo album, but then the latter half is sung by different artists. The Whitney side is classic cheesy, over the top ballads and she really sounded at her best here which is somewhat sad to look back on now considering what was around the corner. I Will Always Love You has a special connection for me, being Birthday number 1. The other songs are just kinda standard MOR filler, there's nothing that standout except a cool rap rework of Lovely Day and the instrumental Theme from the Bodyguard. Not sure there's enough to recommend it though, just stick with the Whitney side. 6.5 Phil Collins – No Jacket Required This album, as it's reputation suggests, is pretty much pure 80s. Big choruses, drum machines, power ballad style choruses and big guitar solos. The lead single Sussudio is a good representation of this, I was kinda familiar but none of my big favourites from him (In The Air Tonight, Against All Odds) were on here. There's overall not a whole lot of distinction and it's a little disappointing watered down given what he was capable of, though it has it's highlights. Long Long Way to Go is a much more personal, political song that is lower tempo and stands out a lot, Take Me Home, based on the book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is more of a synthy, experimental number that also stands out and We Said Hello Goodbye is very nicely composed. I do generally like the 80s and this was fairly enjoyable, but there wasn't quite enough variation and experimentation to make it a real favourite. 7.5 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes Don't really know these guys that well apart from name recognition, but I gather they're more of the 70s deep throated Southern Rock and Roll sound. It was recorded at a time of bankruptcy for them so did feel quite angry throughout, it was kinda like Ramones but much more meat to it. There are some interesting effects, Don't Do Me Like That has a nice rhythm to it and closer, Louisiana Rain is really anthemic making great use of an organ, ultimately though, and it may be fatigue at this point, but I've just heard this sound done better and there isn't enough to really interest me here. I'm sure it's well regarded in it's own circles, but amongst this list, I can't say I'd really come back to it much. 6.0 Radiohead – OK Computer @dandy*, I have also been waiting to do this one and it turns out I got pretty close to a full review purely through notes anyway! Seen as one of the greatest albums of all time, I was interested to check it out even if I’ve never been as much of a fan of them as I think I should, I like a fair few of their songs, but I do find Yorke's voice a bit hit and miss for me, but over the years, my initial impressions softened and I was much more interested to check out their work. The album has a very experimental sound, songs often change midway through and it always keeps you interested. Paranoid Android an excellent example of this. A six minute song with abstract lyrics split into three distinctive parts, it doesn’t make a lot of sense (I think they've admitted that much) but is interesting to analyse. Subterranean Homesick Alien is equally trippy and Exit Music is like a strange darker version of Romeo and Juliet. It's not short on more conventional indie-pop though, like Let Down and Karma Police, but they still sound good. The most heavy and social commentary dominated track is definitely Fitter, Happier which is 'sung' entirely with a computer Alexa-like voice preaching the ideal values of a human in a digital age, it's a sinister and strange track whose core message remains very relevant. Electioneering has more of a hard rock sound, and Climbing Up the Walls is a highlight because of its beautiful, string structure and epic structure and was inspired by Penderecki’s Victims of Hiroshima. There was one song I already knew and loved, No Surprises, which was a beautiful slow-building song with a great contrast between lyrics and calming instrumental. Lucky is a harsh and politically charged song, whereas the closer, The Tourist is much more restrained. Whew, I almost named the whole album, that was hard to condense the highlights. There are few lyrics throughout, it's more about atmosphere and being lost in time making it at truly cinematic experience and the core messages and relentless downbeat attitude still remain so relevant, I can't imagine how it would've sounded at the time especially as the mood was generally an upbeat one certainly politically in the wake of New Labour. It's an excellently composed piece of work and one of my favourites on the list easily. I am ashamed at my younger self for not giving them a chance x 9.5 Luciano Pavarotti – O Holy Night Such a random inclusion, this doesn’t even have its own wiki page, I think it was just here as a token opera inclusion, but I'm sure there were more iconic albums they could've chosen from Pavarotti than just a random Christmas one. I do love classical music and Pavarotti's Nessun Dorma is glorious, but opera for the most part just isn't my thing so this is hard to judge when it is just a standard opera Christmas album. There is a version of Ave Maria, which is a great song, but there are better. O Holy Night and O Come All Ye Faithful are well done and at least familiar and Requiem Op. 5 has a bit more depth and interaction with the children's choir. One thing I do appreciate besides his voice is that you can clearly see the crossover potential he had that he would go on to achieve. But ultimately, this is just not my sort of thing and was a real slog to get through especially in August. 10 for the voice, 3 for my actual enjoyment, guess this works out? 5.5 |
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13th December 2020, 08:45 PM
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#209
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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The Police – Synchronicity
So I have always liked The Police, but this album surprised me. The title track has very full-fledged guitars and synth combination and nods to Carl Jung's Synchronicity I, the theory of meaningful coincidences and the second part is much angrier and guitar led. Connected with Synchronicity I as a nod to the theory of meaningful coincidences, which was a somewhat out-there thing to base the title of your album on so it had my attention, as I had never known this band to be so experimental and have such a reliance on philosophical lyrics. And the goods kept coming with Walking in Your Footsteps, a tropical, new age inspired song with great atmospherics. Mother also has Freudian themes with a Middle eastern instrumentation, it's an intense foreboding theme with strong vocals that go full on crazy at the end, it's apparently rather divisive, but I was really taken by it. Then we have Every Breath You Take, which has been just a tad hampered by overplay but is still a great song. I was disappointed that the second side was a bit more conventional rock, though it was apparently very personal for Sting. Not as interesting as the first side though which is a shame. Overall, I would recommend it as besides what you already know, there is some unexpected surprises here that makes for a pretty great listen. 8.5 Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby The three singles here (Praise You, Right Here Right Now and Rockefeller Skank) are amongst my favourites of the decade so I feel like I was always going to be into this. It's got a general big beat sound, extending out sounds using small scale samples and featuring interesting deviations in recording. f***ing in Heaven is pretty iconic and Gangsta Trippin is a great example of a fully realised soundscape. Like a Prodigy, this is out and out headbanging music and doesn't deviate a lot, it's highly enjoyable, although I do think it's not the sort that should be listened to sitting down and really should be on my running list. Praise You is the only one that really sounds like a conventional song and I can see why it did so well. Love Island is the most danceable and Acid 8000 is a bonkers, acid-house inspired, lively affair, with even cat noises worked in there. More or less what I expected, but it's a good thing that I'm super into this sort of sound x 9.0 Daft Punk – Discovery I friggin' love Daft Punk so this would've had to have been utterly terrible for me to be disappointed and I wasn't. This whole project was dance music that pushed technological limits but also had feelings and concepts behind it, it felt very futuristic for the genre. It starts with the classic, One More Time which you should all know and is one of my favourite songs ever as is Digital Love, one a relentless party-starter and one a more introspective piece. I should say that while this album is available on streaming, the best way to listen would be with the musical film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, based on an alien band that get captured by an evil Earth corporation that markets them on Earth (you can see where this is going) on Youtube as it adds a story and more feeling element to the piece and makes it really come alive. From dynamic instrumentals like Aerodynamic, Crescendolls and High Life representing the rapid mood and fast-paced celebrity life the abducted band are on, and the quieter moments where the band takes a stand on moments like Voyager, Veridis Quo are equally beautiful. There are a lot of instrumentals, but Something About Us, Too Long and Face to Face show an experimentation with R'n'B and while it's not as good for me, it's still effective. Maybe it doesn’t work as well without visual accompaniment, but music is still great and like a love letter to late 70s and 80s music and you can still hear echoes of their sounds in dance music today. It was the sort of visual-audio experience that I really love, so one last perfect score. 10 Eva Cassidy – Songbird A compilation of the best material available from Eva Cassidy after her tragic death at just 33 so technically a Greatest Hits. I'd heard Fields of Gold before and it's a very beautiful cover. Autumn Leaves and I Know You by Heart are similar and incorporate some great strings. It's not all ballads though, there are plenty of traditional songs here like Wade in the Water and Wayfaring Stranger, which are a bit more upbeat and have more life to them and she handles them pretty well too. I mean it really is her voice that elevates this as it wouldn't really be my thing otherwise, it shines through and it really makes me sad she would never see her talent realised. There is enough sonic difference between the tracks to keep you interested though, Time is a Healer has a jazzier and gospel side and Oh, Had I a Golden Thread has a great use of organ. At the end, there is ofc. her most famous cover of Over the Rainbow, and the arrangement is changed significantly and while I have heard better versions, it's still great and again sold very well through her voice. Honestly, this surprised me, it's just impossible not to be taken by her voice and it really elevated this material, just wish she had the chance to write her own material :'( 8.0 James Brown and the Famous Flames – Live at the Apollo OK, I get this but please don't play it to me again x Before his huge success, this album showed one of the live performances that built James Brown up to the soul legend he was. There lots of trademarks of his style, vocal acrobatics, ‘OWWWW!’, 'C'MON' and heavy brass, too much so. The centrepiece of the album is Lost Someone which certainly shows his skills as a performer and interacting with the crowd, but I really do not get much enjoyment out of it as a song, it's over eleven minutes and my god, it feels that long with how little it develops. The whole album is mainly slow jams with slight brass, and none of his more fun, upbeat tracks that I most like from him, it does allow vocals to flourish and I'm sure it would've been a riot to glimpse live, but on record, it drags at even 25 minutes. Night Train & Think are a bit more upbeat and danceable at least, but there is barely any distinction between last few tracks. Thankfully, the single mixes at the end of the 2004 reissues are a lot better remastered and have more of a focus and more upbeat. This is certainly a great glimpse into the early days of a soul legend, but I just find this such a slog listening to it on tape, I guess I'm in the minority as it was apparently played on the radio as well, but eh x 5.0 Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication This album was seen as the accomplishment and return to form for the classic line-up of the Chilis we see today after years of splits and drug problems. Around the World and Parallel Universe contain a lot of the Chilis’ signature sound - Funk inspirations with slightly strange vocals from Kiedis and great guitar work from Frusciente, and I think they really work well together as a four piece so I've always liked them. I have always known Scar Tissue but it's one of those I never knew the name of, it has an anthemic chorus and quiet power, this is also reflected in Otherside and the title track, the former being dedicated to their former bandmate that died. Californication also explores the dark side of Hollywood, and has some very profound and inventive lyrics. Porcelain is one of the more dreamy and introspective moments and is quite beautiful. It's not all good, I Like Dirt and Get on Top are saved by the Guitar work but I don't really need to hear them again. Saviour has some great duetting moments between Kiedlis and Frusciente and strikes a balance between ballad and rock anthem. Overall, a great and very diverse album that captures many of the Chilis’ distinctive rock styles. 8.5 Otis Redding – Pain in My Heart His debut album where he was between rock and roll and soul, he has a mature and soulful voice and the title track shows it at its most powerful and restrained. I didn't know anything on here except a cover of Stand by Me, which is a bit hoarse and nothing compared to Ben.E King's version. The Dog is a very strange type of dance that stands out a bit. Throughout the album, there is a mix of R’n’B, Soul, dancehall, rock and roll at lots of different tempos. It at least showcases his diversity early on, but he clearly wasn't quite there yet as this isn't all that standout and the songs can blend into one another. It's a random choice really, he is clearly so much better than his early days and it's pretty much universally agreed amongst critics that his better and more iconic albums came later in his career. 5.5 The Jam – All Mod Cons This whole album is British rock rooted in modern day life. Opening track, Mr Clean seems to be aimed at someone he is aspiring to be, similar themes are apparent in their cover of the Kinks’ David Watts. English Rose also highlights a much more romanticised view of England, it's one of the album’s slower moments and is a contrast to Billy Hunt which is a song about angst. There is some great guitar work throughout like In The Crowd and a unique style of punk/mod revival due to a variety of tempos and sarcastic lyrics, but it makes the slower moments like Fly show emotion behind the anger which makes it all the more effective. The last two moments are the most brutal and angry – A Bomb in Wardour Street and Down at the Tube station at Midnight which deal frankly with domestic problems. The latter especially has a great building, a variety of sound effects and tempos and harrowing narrative of a death of a bystander at a tube station after a racist attack. A great album to end on overall, probably my favourite of the punk 70s albums. 8.5 Done  Gonna do one last ranking of them all shortly
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13th December 2020, 10:33 PM
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#210
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The owls are not what they seem
Pronouns: He/him
Joined: 11 July 2009 Posts: 37,120 User: 9,232
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I will present my final rank as a tier list as it is rather difficult to separate some of these, I guess gaming people will understand this better.
S Tier (Best of the best) Arcade Fire - Funeral Kate Bush - Hounds of Love Green Day - American Idiot Daft Punk - Discovery Primal Scream - Screamadelica The Cure - Disintegration Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE Oasis - (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Beach Boys - Pet Sounds Muse - Black Holes and Revelations De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead Radiohead - OK Computer A Tier (amaze) Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon The Beatles - Abbey Road Massive Attack - Blue Lines The Streets - Original Pirate Material David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain The Doors – The Doors Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life Michael Jackson - Thriller U2 - The Joshua Tree ABBA - Gold Madonna - The Immaculate Collection Nas - Illmatic The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited Kanye West - The College Dropout Prodigy - The Fat of the Land Fatboy Slim - You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby B Tier (great) The White Stripes - Elephant Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On Nirvana - Nevermind Pixies - Doolittle Stone Roses – Stone Roses Beyoncé – Beyoncé The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead Queen - A Night at the Opera Amy Winehouse - Back to Black The Who - Quadrophenia Blur - Parklife Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory Adele - 21 Sinead O’Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got The Police - Synchronicity Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Californication The Jam - All Mod Cons Fleetwood Mac - Rumours Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend Dr. Dre - The Chronic The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland Supertramp - Breakfast in America Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) The Strokes - Is This It Pearl Jam - Ten George Michael - Faith Eva Cassidy - Songbird C Tier (Solid) Metallica - Metallica AKA The Black Album Bee Gees - Saturday Night Fever (Soundtrack) Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols The Clash - London Calling John Lennon - Imagine The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water Ramones – Ramones Ray Charles - Modern Sounds of Country and Western Music Phil Collins - No Jacket Required Miles Davies - Kind of Blue The Eagles - Hotel California Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Van Morrison - Moondance The Spice Girls - Spice Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison Santana - Supernatural Garth Brooks - No Fences Tupac Shakur - Me Against the World Diana Ross - Diana Dolly Parton - Jolene D Tier (Decent-ish) AC/DC - Back in Black Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Whitney Houston - The Bodyguard Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book Billy Joel - Glass Houses Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet Luciano Pavarotti - O Holy Night Otis Redding - A Pain in My Heart James Brown and the Famous Flames - Live at the Apollo F Tier (don't bother x) Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying Ed Sheeran - + Dean Martin - Dean Martin Sings That's that I think, thanks very much everyone who read and commented throughout, this has honestly been one of my highlights in the year we've had and though I couldn't really face doing the big reviews given how much I uncontrollably waffle on, I really feel like I'm more open to albums and certain artists than I was before, and it has increased my open-mindedness when listening to new music. I would recommend trying the list for anyone that would want to see a diverse and fairly representative list of some of the greatest albums, it's more eclectic than accurate to all time best lists, but I found it very interesting either way and it really does give you a little bit of everything. Thanks again and I guess I'll see you all soon for actually getting up to date with 2020 music ;o |
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14th December 2020, 08:02 AM
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#211
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 I'm a paragon so don't perceive me
Joined: 3 February 2011
Posts: 37,417 User: 12,929         
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I didn't get around to listening to the second half of the list after I moved, so I kind of stopped commenting, but well done for finishing this! It was a nice experience putting on some of these and getting into them.
You've Come A Long Way Baby is probably my highlight of the albums (of the few I know) in that latest half, very great dance. |
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14th December 2020, 09:05 AM
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#212
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BuzzJack Legend
Pronouns: He/Him
Joined: 18 March 2013 Posts: 34,783 User: 18,473
 
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Daft Punk's Discovery is one of the best Albums of all time holy jeezo.
I absolutely love it. Obviously Digital Love and One More Time are both on there, two of their best singles. My favourite Daft Punk song I'd actually Digital Love 
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1st January 2021, 03:52 PM
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#213
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Mansonette
Joined: 7 March 2006
Posts: 35,297 User: 54
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btw Chez now you've finished you should have time to listen to Mezzanine
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