Reviews by bob

The Good: We’ve got cartoons!
The Bad: The music isn’t as cool as the cartoons…
The Ugly: Realizing that guerrilla warfare does not apply well within the music industry!

Some days you wake up and look forward to finding out what the next album is going to be… so I saw this, and my excitement disappeared like snowflakes in the sun.

I never understood why so many people were excited with Gorillaz, granted, I did enjoy the cartoonesque aspect that the band had, where nobody was excactly sure who the members were.
But that doesn’t take away the fact that it is shit 2000’s music, while it was mr Blur who decided that he needed to create better music than the crap that was being published back then… crap in, crap out.

Anyway, I’ve spent too much time talking about me NOT liking this…

1*

The Good: terrible ‘80s pop-art over classic ‘70s pop-art?
The Bad: that the music is worse than the pop-art…
The Ugly: a boom-box with horns sticking out of it…

I was unfamiliar this morning with this album, and I wish it had stayed that way… what utter crap.
I know that there are people who can see the genius behind all this, even if half of the content is stolen—the amount of people screamin’ cultural misappropriation is enough to make me giggle!

Anyway, for me, this is crap. Couldn’t enjoy it at all, so you know what that means…

1* for F

The Good: We’ve got a Womack!
The Bad: Not sure if he’s a poet…
The Ugly: Wondering what happened…

I saw this album pop up, so I instantly thought about Womack & Womack, and then I read the wiki page, and then I had to take some heroine, and hootch, and other assorted goodies to pretend like I hadn’t just read what I did…

The Poet starts dating the widow of the late Sam Cooke, just shortly after the afore mentioned man is shot… then years later she boots him out the door when it turns out that he’s started an affair with the daughter of the widow… and then the daughter ends up marrying The Poets brother… While another one of his brothers dies when he’s stabbed in the neck by a jealous girlfriend… and… and… and… you just can’t make this shit up.

So, the main elephant in the room here is the simple question of “Why is this album included?”
It was what I was thinking when I started listening to it… also taking into consideration that The Poet released 12 albums before this one came to fruition.
And then I started thining about all the shit albums I’ve had to listen to so far, and I figured that, if they’re going to include some soul music from the early ‘80s, then this ain’t a bad album to listen to.

Songs are catchy, composition is tight, voice is lovely, so no complaints there.
Yet, try finding this album in top list of Soul albums of 1980s… and I wish you the best of luck.
Maybe the authors of the 1001 book know something that other are, so it seems, blind to…

I am going to lump Bobby Womack together with Womack & Womack, and give the righteous score of 3*

The Good: We’ve got Twins!!!!
The Bad: No we don’t…
The Ugly: We don’t have Cocteau either

Being a child of the ‘80s, and a great fan of most of the music that has come from that decade of decadence, yuppies and the sky’s the limit, I was actually excited to dig into this album, as, believe it or not, I had never really listened to the Cocteau Twins before…

And now I understand why they were not on my radar… This is not my kinda jam. This is not my kind of relax. This is not my kind of anything.

There is one thing that I did notice, and that was that once I turned up the volume (to piss off my upstairs neighbor) I started noticing the multilayers of sound that are involved in this production…

So, I am going to give this album a 2* and will add it to a list of albums I need to listen to with good headphones on. Because, just maybe, I might start enjoying this more...

The Good: Roman Numerals!
The Bad: Where’s the X…
The Ugly: wondering what kind of X-rated album would have a cover showing a man with a bunch of twigs…

Is this the GOAT album? For many it certainly is, and when you think about it, that is one MASSIVE song to start an album off with… Hey hey mama!

I am really at a loss for words today. Don’t know what to say about this album that hasn’t been said before.

So, I will leave with this thought… 4 1/2* for me, but that’s because I am NOT a LZ fanboy!

Damnit… have listened to the album three more times, and mother fuckers… this is one of the GOAT!

The Good: Self-Depreciation is a lovely thing!
The Bad: When this turns out to be true…
The Ugly: Were the Beta’s ever Heroes?

Another one of those bands who’ve slipped my radar in the “naughties” because, let’s face it, most music that was published in that decade was not really worth much of our attention…

So why is this album on the list? What am I missing here?
There was 1 tune that made me look up and go “that sounds interesting”… 1 out of 12… that’s a massive Fail as far as I'm concerned.

Now, I understand that there will be fanboys/girls of this band, with tattoos on their bodies to show off how cool they are… and I’d like to know what makes the Beta Band so special? Or why Heroes to Zeros needs to be included on this here 1001 list?

Back in 2000 a band called 3 Doors Down released their freshman album The Better Life. These guys are NOT included in this list… and their album is lovely, and worth 4* easy…
So why do I have to sit through another generic band that used this ridiculous sound as if we’re all standing in a valley—best analogy I can give for this reverbed distant singing style that was prevalent in the ‘00s—instead of some of the, if only few, albums that did come out in that period?

1*

The Good: First ‘80s R&B album on the list
The Bad: Rapture not being the best ‘80s R&B had in store, IMHO
The Ugly: Having to sit through almost 40 minutes of this…

Quiet Storm, that is what they call this genre… I did not know that, so I guess there is a positive to having to have sat through 40 minutes of near agony.

Was it really that bad? No. For those of us who lived the ‘80s, we’ve all danced at least ones to Sweet Love, and probably made out to it, or better… so there is a bonus point for Mrs Baker!

Yet I can’t but sit here and cringe while thinking how awesome the producers thought this record to be! Hey, why don’t you sing this bit about "three hundred sixty five days a year” like this, and then repeat it ad-nausea just so people can see how wonderful we are?!??!!!?

Production wise it is through and through what the genre gave us, all the way through the mid ‘90s I’d say. Loads of treble, and mids, muted bass…
I was listening to Aretha belting out “Do Right Woman” the other day, and I will take Mrs Franklin over Mrs Baker any day of the week…

So, 2*, because it isn’t absolute crap, but I doubt I will be listening to this again soon.

The Good: The title of the album is pretty straightforward, no room for doubt!
The Bad: One could have opted for the alternative title “snooze-fest after about 3 minutes”
The Ugly: Keep your sharp objects far away and hidden, for if not…

Mr Cohen is, undoubtedly, a great song-writer. One of the best of his generation, potentially of a century.
I know some great stand-up artist who never should have starred in a movie…

Till today, I had never had to sit through an entire album by Leonard Cohen, and I think that, after today, I am uncertain I will want to repeat the experience—haven’t checked to see if he has more albums on this list.
I can understand that there are people who are great fans of his, but his voice is boring for me, and his guitar playing starts pounding my head like a bad hangover…

So, All the Sisters of Mercy, They are Not Departed or Gone, They are Waiting for Me When I Thought That I just Can’t Go ON…

2*

The Good: Jackson Pollock cover art!
The Bad: Not finding the same kind of excitement in the music
The Ugly: Stone Roses are just that; roses from stone, lacking beauty et al

This album has been conflicting to a certain extent: I hadn’t heard it before, yet I do recall hearing about them… and then it dawned on me that, when I first heard of the name, i was confused by thinking they’d be like Guns & Roses or LA Guns… and they aren’t.

Musically there is nothing wrong with the album at all, but the singer sounds too much like he belongs in a late 60s psychodelic band, or something like that, and I’ve gained a massive dislike for that kind of singing since starting my journey on this list.

I don’t know… i feel bad for them, and for all the people who believe this is awesome, but it isn’t that, nor bad, it’s just grey—the color of a stone rose.

2 1/2*

The Good: The Fall is an excellent miniseries you can see on Netflix, starring Gillian Anderson!
The Bad: Scan should be spelled Scam…
The Ugly: Techno meets punk…

This is a period of music where you can tell the difference between what EU was listening to versus the US… US was all about Grunge and Indie round about this time, where EU was embracing techno… I was not in the EU at that time…

So what are my thoughts? Well, somehow I keep imagining me in the middle of a PlayStation game as many tracks on this album could fit perfectly in a race simulation game. Not an unpleasant experience… kind of got me mentally drunk!

People bitch about the singer’s voice… sure, it could be seen as annoying, but he’s just playing his part, and when you take 3 steps back, you realize that the band, as a whole, is doing an excellent job in creating this landscape for you… also, any band that is able of covering “Lost In Music” and making you smile is doing a killer job!

So, though I hate techno, I am forced to give this a 3.5* rating… pulled down to a 3* as 4* is for those close to 5*… what?

The Good: Love, babay, Love!
The Bad: Some might not like it…
The Ugly: The Cape… always a bloody cape—where cape is slang for an 18 minute song...

Never heard of these “cats” before. Not into ‘60s psychedelic anything specifically, but I can handle a dose of this, and a little of that. These guys gave me a dose of this, and a little of that, and added some of that other thing to boot, and I liked it!

Except for the length of Revelation… it was about 10 seconds too long!

Thoroughly enjoyable album. One that merits a third and fourth spin, and a repeat at least once a year. Still unsure which song is my favorite and to be added to my playlist, probably Seven and Seven Is…

Can’t in good conscious give this album a 5* rating, this is for sure one of those 9* albums though… Oh so close!

The Good: Cloud 9
The Bad: Try figure out where the hell to find Cloud 9
The Ugly: Realizing that Clouds 1 through 8 are the same…. and yet not…

This is the first time I am finding it difficult to write anything about an album… not that it is bad, but it certainly isn’t great, in my most humble of opinions.

For me, The Temptations or R&B RoyalTY (yup, capital R, T and Y), so this funked out version just isn’t my thing. I get what the producer was after, and I understand how important it is to have raison d’etre, but come on… it’s The Who would just go Pop on you, or Motorhead switching to R&B rap because that is what De La Soul is doing…

So, you can guess this album ain’t getting no 5* from me… they should feel happy with the 2* am about to dish out…

The Good: We’re given directions to the party!
The Bad: Google Maps did not find the intersection…
The Ugly: Me having to drink all the booze by myself, while wearing red pants, silver sparkle boots, and a ripped shirt

Though there might be more, I will always stop and do my best to pay attention to any lyrics Tom Waits writes down… to them wonder what the hell he is on about!

What an album! Every tune has it’s own little thing, except for track 2, being what it is.
But I won’t let that track ruin the album’s rating at all.

To those who can’t stand Tom’s voice; I feel sorry for you, as he’s really capable of invoking all levels of feelings.
My favorite song “On The Nickle” will NOT make it to my 1001 playlist though, as I have decided to add Mr Siegal instead… who almost lost it against Downtown.

So, here’s to Tom making my life better!!!
5*

The Good: a short little album of only 4 songs
The Bad: that these songs combined are 40 mimutes long
The Ugly: that we are left without any real knowledge of what happens between The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady…

This is jazz… the kind that is hated by many, and adored by those who do.
The kind of music which, like it or not, makes you pay attention while you are trying to figure out what the musicians are thinking.

While playing on the background, time flew by, and that is a good thing. What I don’t know is if time would pass just as fast if I were actually paying attention to the music, as there is so much to pay attention to.

Also, I am cheating here as I am catching up on several albums while I was away for a week, therefor unable to really get into this album… so let me play it a second time around and see what my second time around thoughts are…

Liking it better second time around… odd… weird… wondering if I would get a headache if I’d listen to this with headphones on—this due to trumpets on one side, sax on the other…

So, yeah, another jazz album done…
4*

The Good: Andres 3000!
The Bad: a double album…
The Ugly: still not sure if the triple x on Speakerboxxx has additional connotations that would ensure for a rated X album.

Though I am one who does not like rap… this album was something worth my time.

Big Boi surprises with his first couple of tracks, laying down some great sampling, and bringing us rap that excludes the usual references to dicks et al
Andre 3000 is just the perfect party host to make you wanna have some fun!

Though this is not a double album experience that I will be repeating with frequency, I had a good time listening to it and will, when I remember, repeat it at least one more time the next 12 months

3*

The Good: I actually like the album cover, very nice!
The Bad: Wishing the music on the album would reflect the cover…
The Ugly: Vocals… Fucking Vocals…

I need to be fair, I’ve given bands like The Associates great reviews, but that’s because I got the impression that the vocal abuse there made sense. Here, most of the time, I am just trying to figure it out.

Hooting and Howling, is basically that phrase repeated over and over again… and this drilling into one’s unconscious, can either bring you into a trance, or make you wish you were sitting in a dentist chair instead.

Yet, there is something here, and it’s difficult to point out exactly what it is. I guess I am a masochist?
Allow me to reserve judgment till the album is done...

Judgement is left at 2 1/2*

The Good: The irony that (half of) a gun manufacturer is telling us about murder
The Bad: turns out The Smiths aren’t related to Wesson…
The Ugly: realizing the PSA has nothing to do with veganism either…

Yeah. Hurray! Finally, a The Smiths album. I have read that there are one too many The Smiths / Morrissey on this list, and I am yet another fan of music who hates listening to that whiny bastard…

So there really isn’t much to tell.
Johny Marr might be considered a great guitarist, I was never really familiar with his work, and this album did not blow me away.
I knew plenty of people who were die-hard fans of The Smiths in the mid-80s, again, don’t count me amongst them.

So, though I listened to the album, the album did not register with me at all, which means I have to give it a rating of 1* while keeping my fingers crossed that the next album will be a 5* delight!

The Good: realizing that rappers know how to spell a name
The Bad: realizing the size of one’s ego if you’ve got to spell out your nickname…
The Ugly: trying to convince us of an innocence lost

I don’t want to get all philosophical here, so I will keep this one short… I don’t like rap.

Not that rap is bad, nor that I can’t enjoy a good rhyme, or “flow”… but give me a beat poet any day over this “look at the size of my dick, click, there goes Rick, with my gin-n-tonic”

Do I know what it’s like to live in the ghetto? No.
Do I find this album a good means to let me understand what life is like in the ghetto? If I use most rap albums of that era, then yes… and how grateful I am that I don’t live in the ghetto, or have to worry about a ghetto… but for the love of all, stop glorifying the shit, pretending it’s all cool and shit.

And what’s with blow-job in the middle of it all?

At the end of the day, if I go by words being used, and the flow, then I’ve heard it before, which might prove that B.I.G. is the goat, or it just might prove that there are only so many words that rhyme with gat, rat-a-tat, or dick, or bitch, or cold champagne…
Also, you can’t have a background line stating “remember they used to thump, now they blast, right?” inferring the better days of the past, to then glorify carrying a gun and knowing how to use it…

So, needless to say, this album is getting the best possilbe rating

1*

The Good: Who doesn’t like a nice glass of orange juice?
The Bad: That they could have added some gin…
The Ugly: Guess naming your band Screwdriver wasn’t an option…

What was in the water in Scotland in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s?
I’ve had two Scottish bands, from that era, presented to me on this list, whom I’d never heard of before, and in both cases make me wish I could travel back in time and become a massive fan-boy!
The other band being The Associates with their album Sulk!

The production quality on this album is great, the sounds they generate are wonderful and something that would be hard to find today as there is a lack of heavy bass. And some of the invited musicians are just incredible—I can’t get enough of the saxophone solo at the end of I Can’t Help Myself!

People write that they hear Talking Heads in the music, and I have to agree that there is definitely a similarity at times, and not to mention the fact that the opening track sounds like Chic more than anything… or the afro-beat on several of the tracks.

I don’t know, I guess I am getting sentimental at an advanced age, yearning back to a time when the future, though gloom with nuclear threats from commie bastards, still looked bright enough to have one too many bands create great music… unlike the repetitive, uninspired crap that is generated on a conveyor belt and spat out at us via tik-tok or whatever them youngsters use today to get their fix in...

Post Punk… what a treat!!!

5*

The Good: Finally an album which is all about camping…
The Bad: Oh, wait, it’s not about camping…
The Ugly: So why are they sitting outside, with an RV?

Guilty pleasure… that’s what comes to mind.
Never really heard of The Thrills before, and when the first tune started playing I was wondering what all the real cowboys would think about their musical style being redone in falsetto… I mean, seriously?

Then you read about the band, and find out that they are Irish, which explains a ton, because I seriously doubt an American group would have the balls to do what The Thrills have done, which is to gentrify the country…

All of a sudden you find yourself starting to hum “Everybody’s Got To Have Plans…” and you curse those thrill-seeking bastards, sitting all glum outside of their RV, hiding songs in a 10-minute track which we’ll never listen to again...

On my second listen, I realized that if the singer would have been Jakob Dylan, this would have been an awesome album, easily 4*...

So, hitting this straight down the middle of a guilty-pleasure that I don’t want to admit to… 3* - 1* for the annoyance factor...