Rated 8/10
Everyone who wants to know more about Električni Orgazam should listen to these songs. The A side is their punk and experimental phase, while the B side is more pop-rock oriented. Though Distorzija pretty much dominates the B side (5 out of the 8), and their 1981 Warsaw album is omitted entirely, it's still a very competent compilation and a very good selection of songs everyone should know.
Rated 8/10
New Wave.
New Wave?
For the record, this is not New Wave. The only reason why this is considered New Wave is because Yugoslavian media wanted something thrown at the west, and seeing that New Wave was the hip thing at the time, why not label them as such. If you're looking for new wave, steer far away from this album. This is a fast-paced post-punk album with traces of coldwave and synth punk. It's also a beautiful, quick, and painless experience. It's over before it began. Also, the keyboards here fit nicely here to emphasize the feeling of desolation. Nebo is the standout track here, which takes everything you've come to know from this album, and pumps it up even more. Outstanding key work! The only thing I wish is that it had one more longer track akin to Nebo or the s/t, but it is what it is
Also, Marina Vulić should be given more credit for some beautiful bass work on here.
Rated 7/10
Get off my case, motherfucker!
Can't say that it isn't good. It's mighty fine. Deep, beautiful riffs. Jus' vocals sound like they're coming from the depths of the universe. The only gripe I have with it is that it drags on a bit too much, but I guess that's a good thing if you light a reefer while this is on.
Rated 4/10
A beautiful thing about the "1001 albums you have to hear before you die" book is how you'll see an album and think "How did this manage to make its way here?".
I think the rating speaks the rest.
Rated 8/10
Generally speaking, this album marks the beginning of a phase in EKV, where they move from the new-wave motifs that adorned the previous albums to a sharper alt-rock sound that corresponded to the metaphorical and cryptic texts that Milan used to a large extent since S Vetrom Uz Lice. The whole band was at the top of its game at this moment: Margita has unforgettable synth lines that have become a signature by which some songs can be recognized here, Srđan's drums do not try to stand out too much except in a couple of sections, such as in the song Krug (Circle), and the same can be said for Bojan's bass. Milan, in addition to his trademark voice and lyrics, on this album changes the sound of his guitar and gives it more hardness and sharpness that raises the whole album to a new level. All in all, the objective highlight of the group, and one of the best albums in the area of the former Republics.
Rated 8/10
Whatever opinion you had about Ekaterina the Great until the moment this album was released, it is thrown out the window, because in the middle of 1986, EKV releases an album that shakes the entire musical landscape of Yugoslavia at that time. The album opens with 3 powerful tracks: From the triumphant pop-goth "Budi Sam Na Ulici" (Be Alone on The Streets), to the infectious "Ti Si Sav Moj Bol" (You're all My Anguish) and the synth-oriented "Kao Da Je Bilo Nekada" (Like It Was Before). Those three songs still make up the repertoire of every listener of Ex-Yu music in these areas. "Tired" is a competent follow-up, especially the last of the three evergreens, but it is difficult to overpower the initial trio. "Novac U Rukama" (Money in Hands) is a funk-induced rocker that reminds me highly of what Julian Cope & the Cure were doing on the bigger stage, and what Oliver Mandić was doing around these parts. "Stvaran Svet Oko Mene" (Real World Around Me) is a song that reminds of a mix of the subdued gothiness of "Kao Da Je Bilo Nekada" and the jumpy energy of"Ti Si Sav Moj Bol". "Soba" (Room) and "Grad" (City) continue the series with a fusion of synths and guitars to create excellent alternative songs, with a lot of influence from the mentioned artists above.
On this album, the instrumental abilities of the members have already begun to bear fruit. Milan realizes that in addition to being an excellent vocalist and lyricist, he can also conduct with his guitar on a higher level, and Magi begins to realize his potential in creating highly recognizable piano parts that form the backbone of most songs.
Rated 5/10
The band is back after a two-year hiatus and, with a bit of bickering and fighting, records what would be their last album, and boy, what a sad way to go out. Neko nas Posmatra (Somebody is Watching Us) doesn't feel like an EKV album, but almost like a pastiche pop-rock album made to satisfy the record execs and whoever was listening to them in those dark ages. There is no creative energy flowing, and whatever juices they did have, all went into the gothic Anestezija (Anesthesia), which is one of their better songs, harkening back to happier times in which they made good, long-lasting songs, and Bežimo u Mrak (Running into Darkness). The rest is just recycled moments and motives.
Rated 7/10
Some of you would probably put this album at the top above all other EKV albums, and I wouldn't criticize you for that, because Ljubav has a lot of elements that go well with it. First of all, the arrival of drummer Srđan Todorović brought stability to the group since the days when the late Ivica Vdović was behind the toms and cymbals. Second, in this period, frontman Milan Mladenović's lyrical capacities began to take on a new dimension. Realizing his power as a lyricist, he turns more towards social criticism but still does not go far from his trademark, cryptic interweaving of already known themes, from love, life after death, drug use, gothic hedonistic behavior, etc.
On this album, in addition to Milan, we also feel the maturation of the instrumental section, especially keyboardist Margita Stefanović, who expands her repertoire, moving from an introverted and darker sound to a more grandiose, modern, and mainstream sound. My personal complaint is that the album is uneven at times. At one moment it sounds like one of the best ex-yu albums, and at the next, it is already lost in itself, and sometimes towards the end it returns to that first note. The album is worth listening to, and as I stated above, I would absolutely not criticize anyone if I said that this is the peak of their career.
Rated 6/10
After an argument with the original guitarist, there is a change in the ranks of Katarina II. First of all, Catherine II ceases to exist, now the band is Ekatarina Velika (Ecatherine The Great), and secondly, drummer Ivica Vdović and guitarist Gagi Mihajlović leave the band, and they are joined by Ivan Fece "Firchie", a drummer who before this engagement already had experience under his belt with seminal underground groups such as the gothic-rock Luna and funk-pop Jakarta. Here the band is starting to take off their colorful new-wave shirts and put on leather jackets and dark mascara, and enter the goth rock waters, probably in part thanks to their new drummer, and the turning tides in Western music. The album itself, apart from the fact that it was a turning point for the band, is not something special. Often forgotten even. It starts off very well with the song "Oči Boje Meda" (Honey Colored Eyes), which becomes the group's first hit, and also shows Milan's songwriting abilities. Then it drops very hard in quality (even stealing the rhythm from The Damned on one of the songs) until the song "Hands" (Hands), from where a gradual increase in quality begins, mixing goth rock in pop frames, for example in the songs "Modro i Zeleno" (Indigo and Green ) and even sometimes coming out of them, as in the song "Olovne Godine" (Years of Lead).
Rated 5/10
Orpheus Listening Challenge 2023: #13 An album from the year of your birth (29th Album)
Underwhelming. Ramadan is clearly an album whose intentions were pure and in the right place, but the way it was all executed leaves the listener with the question of "Is this all there is to this?". It reminds me of a watered down who substituted all the energy for a subdued atmosphere, and a mediocre, repeating song structure that has been done better and with much more texture before and after them.
Rated 7/10
Orpheus Listening Challenge 2024: #27 A self-released album (12th album)
Yo, I urge anyone trying to find good art soul music to come and listen to this.
It's minimalism lushness at its finest, but what I like a lot about it is the drive not to be in the same spot on every song. Look at "Portals", which has these indie guitars walking Arima through the song, or "Fall for You" which recalls the lush sound of 50s and 60s cabaret and theater pop. The jazz influences on some tracks is also a nice inclusion, particularly on the first half or so.
Overall thoughts? A net positive
Rated 6/10
It's good but it's a bit too commercial for me. Copperhead Road is a good rocker, and the rest is tethering between nice alt-country and radio rock. Not bad for an attempt to reel in an audience.
Rated 6/10
Bob Dylan goes political, even more so than usual, which means the album topics miss me even more so than usual. That being said, it's Bob Dylan for Pete's sake!
The opener is a universal classic of change on the social and economic level, while the rest is powerful poetry mostly about crisis-filled times sung by a master in the making who is slowly seeing the world for what it truly is: a dying place filled with hate, confusion, and sadness ran by double-faced heathens who take control of people who know no better.
Oh, by the way, looking at the album content and its highly socially charged lyrics, one can say the album aged well, but sadly, it aged poorly as well. Makes you think about the human nature which never changes.
Rated 7/10
After an album where he was primarily confined in the shackles of singing blues standards, Bob Dylan takes the next step and releases the first album of the multi-headed dragon known as "Bob Dylan's 60s period"
Mind you, not his best album, but a very respectable one. It's very rocky and wavey, but never dips low, and has highs which I can review just by saying their names, like "Girl From The North Country", "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". Not a big fan of the spoken-word approach he had on a few tracks here, but none of the are a chore to go through, because the combination of Dylan's writing skill and sometimes humorous delivery capture the zeitgeist of the time, and also make them seamlessly fit together in between the heavy hitters, sorta like preludes, or better yet, like a musician wanting to connect with their audience in a concert.
I've already reviewed Blood on the Tracks in its "mainstream" version, and most of it still stands, so check that out. What makes this superior, and worth to listen, and return to, is how it flows without any faults and wrongs.
Don't get me wrong, the released version is amazing, and essential, but this bootleg doesn't shy away from being simple and more importantly, even, in its atmosphere, and sometimes, that's more important than being angry, thunderous and eclectic.
Rated 8/10
Highway 61 Revisited is original, infectious, powerful, sometimes funny, but most importantly (to me at least), good. At the summit of his 60s output. A little less pent-up political energy present, but still very visceral.
Dylan is leaning hard into surreal Americana here, backed by crackling guitars, rollicking pianos, and that iconic nasal sneer. From the opener, Like A Rolling Stone, which is probably his most famous song, to Desolation Row, his first long form song longer than 10 minutes that blends surrealism, cleverness with the real. The vivid, and picturesque penmanship is very much present in all the songs in between, that only amplifies the snark in the songs.
Overall, as an album, it's much more personal. All throughout, an electric gospel of a life in an urban sprawl.
Rated 3/10
Orpheus Listening Challenge 2024: #46 A Christmas album. (50th album)
People like to talk about the nadirs of different prolific artists: Bowie had Never Let Me Down, Lou Reed had Lulu, and Bobby D has this sewage sludge.
A lot of stuff is wrong with this one. First off, it's a Christmas album, so it's not necessarily going to be a walk in the park.
But second, and more importantly, who gave Bob the green light to record a Christmas album, or better yet, who gave the green light to release it? The main reason why Christmas albums by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis were, and still are, listened, to was because those guys had the voice to carry the fuck out of it. Meanwhile, we have Dylan here, whose voice was not fit for this style even when he was young, sounding like Krampus himself, luring kids into a back alley with his singing. No wonder children cry when Santa puts them on his lap.
Rated 8/10
So far, chronologically, this is the first album I love from Bob Dylan. His earlier works did produce some timeless hits like Blowin in The Wind, Times They-Are-A-Changing, and It Ain't Me Babe, but they were either mixed in with subpar songs, or compositions that didn't sit well with me.
But Bringing It All Back Home is such a revelation. It's not so much about him going electric, but how he added another, more rockish, facet to his skill book, which I'm all in for, which drives the points he makes much more than his acoustic meandering from his previous album. To top the electric side, his acoustic side shifted gears, and he explored more intricate songwriting and didn't shy from creating longer songs that tell a story in full detail, rather than condensing it in 3 minutes, which is why the acoustic meandering turns into real acoustic gems.
Rated 8/10
From the moment I heard Blood On The Tracks, I knew it topped my list of favorite Bobby D albums. Granted, I didn't hear most of his catalog, but I doubt anything will beat this.
Songs like Idiot Wind, Tangled Up in Blue, and Shelter From The Storm are a real display of genius that we'll probably never see in our lifetimes, with acrobatic and incredible penmanship that clears any doubt I had about him getting the Nobel prize a few years back.
As for the instrumentations, I'm glad we have both the outtakes and this "mainstream" version. This one is great because it's not something like Pink Moon where you have to sit through the emptiness while listening to Nick Drake slowly wallowing away in sadness. Instead, Blood On The Tracks has an anger in it, with an urge to not give up and continue on just to spite others.
I'm honestly surprised how he managed to channel all his emotion into some of the greatest lyrical displays in music history. I know I would've taken the guitar and smashed it against the wall.
Rated 8/10
I've been listening to music actively for the last 7ish years, and on and off for 10+, and I've never heard someone defy and one-up himself like Dylan did in the 60s. He started as a guy who played covers, then on Freewhelin' he showed his penmanship, on Bringing It Back Home he bent over critics and added an electric facet to his musicianship only to add a fierce backbone on Highway 61.
That leads us to Blonde on Blonde, on which he combines the fierce, endurance, poetry and the venomous backbone that made him lovable. To make a double album this engaging from start to finish is a marvel that's rarely, if ever, achieved. The songs have immense staying power, be it in it's intimacy, humor, or irony that draws you in. Everything tells a story, and at the end of each song, I'm sitting in my chair, waiting for an applause to come barreling in.
Those songs where Bob sings about the women in his life are my favorite off of this one. Be it "Visions of Johanna", "Just Like a Woman", "I Want You" or "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" (only Dylan could make an 11 minute singer-songwriter song be compelling all-throughout), they all make fire run through my veins. I guess it's a disservice to other songs, like "Rainy Day Women", "One of Us Must Know", "Memphis Blues" and " Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine", to name a few, but some songs have to stand out, even on a star-studded album such as this one.
One more thing to add: I love the expansiveness of the sound on Blonde on Blonde. It's not your regular singer-songwriter album - it has a lot of blues and country in it, and I'd wager that because of this album, I developed a love for said genres without even knowing it.
I can't think of closing words for a majestic album such as this one. It's 70 minutes of pure fun and poetry. That's all.
