Reviews by ella_ayates

The pitchfork review calls it an album "only teenagers could love" and maybe I would have loved it if I'd first heard it years ago but I'm now neither a teenager nor a Smashing Pumpkins fan.
I enjoy the songs where they do something different but I can't tell if I actually like them or just want a break from the rest of album... It felt like an achievement to have made it to the end- I don't think that's how listening to an album should feel.
Favourite song: Cupid De Locke
Least: Tales Of A Scorched Earth

Have to assume Nighthawkin' isn't referring to when people use metal detectors to steal artifacts from archeological sights.
Not really a fan- don't think I needed to hear him sing about licking toes.
Favourite song: Nighthawkin'
Least: Devil Eyes

I think it's really close to being good but then they added extra distortion and production until it became annoying. The album version of making a good professional presentation and then going through it and adding the spinning slide transitions.
Favourite song: Sea Song
Least: Break Me Gently

I like it, Hotel California especially is iconic. But I don't understand what made it one of the best selling albums of all time, why did more people buy this than Rumours or any Beatles album?? Find the slow songs quite underwhelming.
Favourite song: Hotel California
Least: The Last Resort

It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle and kind.
Favourite song: Bigmouth Strikes Again
Least: Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

His back up band is called the Nashville Teens- bit worrying after he'd married his 13 year old cousin, I'd probably vote to keep all teens away from him.
Think I could have done without hearing the album and reading his Wikipedia page because now I think I'll feel a little icky every time I hear Great Balls Of Fire (also prefer the studio version of it to the live version).
Favourite song: Great Balls Of Fire
Least: Your Cheating Heart

Never heard of these guys before- gorgeous album and such a unique sound, what a treat!
Think whoever designed the album cover hadn't heard the album.
Favourite song: Across the Wire
Least: Crumble

Great name. It is very one-man-beatles-esk, and sometimes you're like "yeah why did they ever need four of them!" and then sometimes he's drowned out by the full orchestra in the background and you get the appeal of having more voices. Quite a few songs I knew (Gotta Get Up, Coconut, etc) without ever having heard his name before.
Favourite song: Gotta Get Up
Least: I'll Never Leave You

The shortest song is over 5 minutes long and I don't think any of the songs have enough good content to make them worth being that long. Started to all sound the same at some point.
Favourite song: One
Least: Eye of the Beholder

Feels very American, but in a good way. There are no bad songs, it's a great country rock album- short and sweet!
Favourite song: Bad Moon Rising
Least: The Night Time Is The Right Time

Some stuff I quite liked and then also some weird choices: the background noise in A Reflection made me think there were building works happening outside my office and the mixing on Secrets and At Night was like the lyrics were being whispered. Overall fairly unremarkable album.
Favourite song: A Forest
Least: A Reflection

He does storytelling very well. A lot of reviews saying they prefer Bob Dylan songs sung by other people (which I maybe agree with but I do still enjoy his singing) which makes me wonder how many Bob Dylan written songs are on the list from other peoples albums- I can think of 5 albums we've already had with BD songs so there must be tons!
Favourite song: Ballad of a Thin Man
Least: Queen Jane Approximately (too much harmonica! chill with it!)

I think if my anxiety made an album it would sound exactly like this. It's definitely got the vocals right.
A boy in my office got so stressed today that he climbed out of the window (we're on the ground floor but it still felt fairly drastic). This album makes me consider following.
Favourite song: Dub Housing
Least: Thriller!

Feels like sacrilege to say this but I don't enjoy Janis Joplin's vocals.. It sounds like she's lost her voice but is trying to sing anyway- especially on Summertime. There are moments when I do understand the hype but it's not consistent for me.
Favourite song: Piece of My Heart
Least: Summertime

Great rock album- perfect balance of energy and refined musicality. The guitar is very impressive but I could have done with a couple less "look how good he is" riffs.
Favourite song: Jamie's Cryin'
Least: Atomic Punk

My dad claims this is the second best album (after the first Led Zeppelin album) not sure I'd go that far but I do love his voice. Sometimes too jazzy for me but that's balanced out by how much I love some of the other songs.
Favourite song: May You Never
Least: Solid Air

I had to listen so many times because I kept just forgetting it was playing and tuning out. As soon as I did anything else I forgot to keep listening. Fine line between chill and boring.
Favourite song: Rise
Least: (Man) Tha Journey

Recently we've had Nirvana's last album, Foo Fighter's first album and Hole's album Live Through This- which came out days after Kurt Cobain died. And this is another album that has become linked with his death (despite coming out 15 years before), it's where the line that concludes Cobain's suicide note was introduced: "It's better to burn out than to fade away."
There's clearly historical significance to the album and there are lyrics that stay with you, for better or worse. Neil Youngs voice and story telling are always so so good and this album is no exception especially in Powderfinger and the CS&N diss track Trasher. A couple slightly odd songs keep it from being 5 stars.
Favourite song: My, My, Hey, Hey (Out of the Blue)
Least: Welfare Mothers

I read the director, Michael Darlow's, account of filming the documentary- said he traded front row seats to the prisons six biggest gang leaders in return for their guarantee that none of the film crew would be attacked. I love that San Quentin is on it twice- Darlow says Cash wanted to make sure there was a clear recording of it, both for the film and for the album, but I chose to believe the reaction was just so good that he had to play it again immediately.
Favourite song: San Quentin (reprise)
Least: Wreck of the Old '97

Really enjoyed, great tunes, good beats, sometimes a little on the raw side for me but I love the energy. I'm also so obsessed with the fact the drummers personal life section on wikipedia only says that he does magic and metal detecting.
Favourite song: Where Is My Mind?
Least: Tony's Theme