Reviews by declaniom

Listened to this, this morning on the bus. It’s dark. Sludgey snows on the ground. This album fits

Probably selected because it allowed the compilers to pick a Willie Nelson lp and selections from the Great American Songbook the originals of which generally weren’t on LPs.

I like Nelson’s understated delivery and the relaxed but perfect backing from Booker T. Reminds me of Cookooland by Robert Wyatt on terms of feeling and that’s not a bad thing.
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After Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle this has always felt a bit of a let down. But…compared to all the other albums by other bands its still 5 Star. I like the surf element that appears here and continues in Frank Black’s solo career and even in Kim Deal’s fantastic recent album Nobody Loves You More.

Pleasant.

Enjoyable country album. Loretta certainly is unlucky with men. If you like this Coal Miners Daughter and Van Lear Rose arebetter

Damn not a good album to start the new year. My heart sank, however I pressed on. And it’s not as bad as I thought. Clearly the band were missing Syd’s creativity by this stage, it’s also lacking in humour or self-awareness. Much of it is world weary woe is me isn’t life hard when you’re a rock star moaning.

However there are some good ideas and pleasant keyboardy bits or sound collages at the beginnings of tracks until the excruciating vocals or clodhopping guitars kick in.

Worthy idea to introduce the old time country and bluegrass stars to the country rock audience. With the passage of time (this is my parents generation paying tribute to my grandparents and I’m old enough to have children on this list) its clear the Carter Family, Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs are better known than the Nitty Grittys. In fact the Nitty Grittys wouldn’t have made 1001 albums if this album didn’t give the compilers the opportunity to recocognise some pre album greats.

It’s an enjoyable record. I think nowadays the producers would scatter a few contemporary songs into the mix because ultimately the original recordings of the songs they chose are better than these versions.

Pleasant enough. Very pitchfork stage at Primavera. There are lots of records like this, not sure why this was singled out for this list. But it’s consistently good with moments of beauty.

A good live album. Actually recorded at the Free Trade Hall Manchester. Historicly interesting.

Part of that run of albums from Sunflower to Holland in the early seventies that was the Beach Boys prime. Yes there were better albums earlier and many great singles but I don’t think there’s a four lp run in their discography as brilliant.

Good songs, fantastic expensive backing and arrangements. In the hands of Sinatra or George Jones this would be a five star lp. Even Glenn Campbell or Neil Diamond would have made a good album. But Elvis, although he has a good voice is not at that level. He switches between loud and quiet irrespective of what the song calls for; he doesn’t enunciate clearly. Yes he’s more competent that Buble and Robbie Williams but he doesn’t pack an emotional punch. But all in all it’s a fair to middling performance.

This is their best lp. Birthday is especially special with its postpunky guitar and Bjorkisms.

Understated and unfocused. Pleasant enough though.

Christmas morning tradition is to listen to this. Killing two calling birds with one stone.

I’ve had this album for years, bought from a charity shop in the nineties. Listening again there’s not a bad song on it. The arrangements are expensive and expansive, every song sounds different but the whole hangs together.

I don’t think I’ve heard this before but then I feel like I have round a friends smoky flat in the nineties. It’s a delight.

This is a James Last version of Trout Mask Replica. Non-Stop Chug-A-Lug Blues Rock Party.

All the songs sound the same. In fact they all sound like the same Chuck Berry song played endlessly in a pub in the Isle of Man. And Manx Blues really sucks. It’s difficult to tell where one rumpty-tum bluesy boogie ends and the next begins.

The musicians and singer are limited but those limitations lead to a few interesting moments. This band probably got worse as they became more competent so vacuous are the ideas.

This albums inclusion is illustrative of the American bias in what is supposed to be a British book. Not everything the gatekeepers of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame or the Rolling Stone love is worthwhile. A very brief flash in the pan here and quickly forgotten, I bet they still get played at Trump rallys.

Starts with the theme from the Exorcist ends with the theme from Blue Peter with random passages in between.

I was expecting it to be innovative but it’s not a patch on what the German’s or Italians were up to at this time.

Sold tonnes to pretentious geography students who grew up to be Reform voters.

One for the Radiohead / Coldplay crowd.

Competent songwriting. Ambitious arrangements. Bit dull.

There were so many great psyche albums made in 1967. This isn’t one.

This sounds like a load of nepo babies bought some beads and made an album. It’s the kind of easy listening slop an AI programme would make if you asked for a psych song and were using the free version. Occasionally Grace Slick starts screaming like Stevie Nicks or a banshee with a septic ulcer. Shudder.

You can really hear how this lot of charlatans made it big in the soundtracks of the 80’s. A terrible band that stuck around long enough to thrive in pop culture’s most terrible period.

Pleasant Competant singer songwriter stuff. With nice melodies and a few good lines.