Reviews by forestfly2009

This is my second Byrds album reviewed on this generator. This is their debut album, and should be more folk rock than psychadelica (which they had started experimenting with on the other album I reviewed by them (The Notorious Byrd Brothers)).

The first thing that catches your attention when listening to this record is Roger McGuinn's 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. It has such a jangly, rich sound to it. That coupled with the beautiful harmonies attained by the band makes for some beautiful, soft, easy listening music.

Bob Dylan wrote 4 of the 12 songs on the album. The rest were originals, mainly written by Gene Clark. The bands sound was like that of the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, or Buffalo Springfield (that early 60's hippie rock vibe). The term "folk rock" was first used to describe the Byrds, and the handle kind of stuck.

Overall, a great record today, and one that I will absolutely visit again.

Favourite songs: I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Spanish Harlem Incident, You Won't Have to Cry, Mr. Tambourine Man, "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe", Chimes of Freedom

Least favourite songs: The Bells of Rhymney

4/5

Today's album is a samba/jazz/bossa nova record. I'm not overly familiar with the samba/bossa nova scene, but have been getting introduced to it through this generator, so we will see how this goes.

This album features composer and pianist, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was featured on the Frank Sinatra record Sinatra/Jobim which I reviewed a while ago. That record also featured the song "Girl from Ipanema", which is a stellar track. The woman that they got to sing that song on this album was Astrud Gilberto. She was in a relationship with the feature guitarist Joao Gilberto. The saxophonist, Stan Getz went behind Joao's back, and fooled around with Astrud causing her and Joao to split, and her to start officially dating Stan. All this happened while this record was being produced. Nothing like a little love triangle to make the music flow. Perhaps one of the factors that may have saved this record was the fact that Gilberto was Spanish, and Getz was American. Jobim was the translator between them, and I guess Gilberto would tell Getz off, but Jobim would translate it as if Gilberto was singing Getz's praises.

This music is stellar dinner party or cooking music. It is so relaxing and easy listening, with the Spanish/jazz liveliness. By times, the saxophone feels out of place, but apparently Getz "stole the Spanish sound for his own gain", so by doing a joint album, it was the Spanish's way of taking it back. I would certainly listen to this record again. It went well playing as I worked today. It isn't a genre of music that demands your undivided attention.

Favourite songs: Corcovado (Quiet Night of Quiet Stars), So Danco Samba, Para Machuchar Meu Coracao, The Girl from Ipanema, Doralice, Desafinado

Least favourite songs: O Grande Amor

4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of the Screaming Trees before. From my research, they are an alt rock /grunge band from the 90's.

Upon listening to this album, that's exactly what they are. But so much so, that they are almost indistinguishable from so many other bands like them from that era. Bands like Pearl Jam, Tea Party, Temple of the Dog, and Mudhoney did this sound so much better than these guys.

One interesting factoid about these guys is that their touring guitarist for this album, Josh Homme, later went on to be the frontman of Queens of the Stone Age.

Overall, a fairly average 90's alt rock band. Not the best I've ever heard, and nothing about these guys sets them out from the shit load of other bands doing the same thing at that time. I will probably never listen again for that reason, there are so many better bands.

Favourite songs: Witness, All I Know, Look At You, Sworn and Broken, Gospel Plow

Least favourite songs: Traveler, Halo of Ashes

3/5

Today's album is another obscure post punk/new wave band from the UK. They apparently take a dark, gloomy post punk sound, and mix in aspects of psychadelica. After listening, that is not true. You can't just spew nonsense lyrics and be considered psychadelica. This is like goth pop. More moaning, talentless ass hats from the 80's. They fall in the same fucked up category as The Smiths, The Cure, or Joy Division (all garbage).

Happy Death Men is especially awful. If you are feeling depressed, don't listen to this horseshit, it won't help. I've said it before, if you can't play a musical instrument, don't produce a fucking record. What tool signed these idiots to a record deal. Whoever it was must have been deaf. Trash.

I can't wait to forget this bullshit. No redeeming qualities at all. I'll never listen again.

Favourite songs: Do It Clean, Crocodiles, Pride

Least favourite songs: Happy Death Men, The Pictures on My Wall

2/5

Oh hell yes!!! I am very familiar with Alice in Chains. They were one of the superstars of grunge that was coming out of Seattle in the 90's. Layne Stanley had such an ache to his voice, especially when he layered it a couple of times in the studio.

Their sound is so low and sludgy, with a heavy bass sound, and muddy guitars. Rooster is a fantastic song that was actually written about Jerry Cantrell's dad, who was in the Vietnam War, and had the nickname Rooster. Other topics that were covered on this album included depression, drug abuse, and death. This is a super heavy album, but it is amazing all the same!

Overall, loved this album. I've listened to it many times before, and will absolutely listen again!! If you liked this album, listen to their MTV Unplugged album. It hits different in a fully acoustic setting.

Favourite songs: Rooster, Them Bones, Would?, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole, Dam That River, Rain When I Die

Least favourite songs: Sickman

5/5

The only exposure I've had to Pet Shop Boys before today was their song "West End Girls", which was featured in the game Grand Theft Auto V. I enjoyed that song, so we will see how this full record of their stuff goes.

Their style of music is like electronica meets disco and synth pop. It is very easy to dance to. The themes sung about seem almost melancholic, which is quite a contrast to the upbeat dance vibe.

Overall, a great record today. There wasn't really a dud on the album. I will definately listen again!

Favourite songs: Yesterday When I Was Mad, A Different Point of View, The Theatre, Go West, Young Offender, One and One Make Five, One in a Million, Liberation, I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing, Dreaming of the Queen

Least favourite songs: Can You Forgive Her?

4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Skepta before. Given the album title, I was under the assumption that this was a Japanese band. Boy was I wrong. Skepta is a British rapper who is big on the "Grime" scene. If you're like me, you don't have a bakers fuck of an idea what Grime is. According to Wikipedia, Grime is a genre of electronic dance music that originated out of London in the early 00's. It developed out of the UK Garage style, and draws influence from Jungle, dancehall, and hip hop. It is fast (usually around 140bpm) and usually features aggressive electronic sounds. To Cole's Notes this a bit, it is like rap/hip hop that you can dance to.

This is not really in my wheelhouse of "favourites", but I can see the appeal to certain folks. It has a very heavy bass section, and would sound good on a sound system. I didn't mind it, but it's just not something I would gravitate towards, or ever seek out again. It is pretty cool that this dude worked with Pharrell Williams quite a bit when producing this record. The one thing it features that I hate are the stupid fucking skits that so many in the hip hop game did in the 90's. I hate skits, and find that they distract from the overall flow of the record. I don't give a fuck if you had an altercation with a man on a phone and wanted to beat his ass, get on with the music!

Favourite songs: That's Not Me, Man, Crime Riddim, Corn on the Curb, Lyrics, It Ain't Safe, Konnichiwa

Least favourite songs: Ladies Hit Squad

3/5

The only song I'd ever heard by Dinosaur Jr. before today was Feel the Pain because it was featured in the game Rock Band 2. I remember thinking it wasn't great. This album cements that sentiment for me.

Being so unfamiliar with their stuff this morning, I didn't know what to expect. What first struck me was the fact that it sounded like the whole album was recorded underwater. That, and the fact that the guitars were so distorted and muddy that they almost came across as an un-distinguishable wall of sound. The singer couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. This reminded me a fair bit of My Bloody Valentine, who were equally as terrible. My favourite song on the record was Just Like Heaven, which is a cover of the Cure. The original was much better.

Overall, this whole album was garbage. I see grunge, and alternative rock influences, but this is just indie rock trash. I hope to never hear this again. No redeeming qualities.

Favourite songs: Just Like Heaven, The Lung, Kracked, Tarpit

Least favourite songs: ... the whole record. It is truly awful.

2/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Al Green before. He is a R&B/soul singer, similar to Curtis Mayfield, or Sam Cooke.

Al's life started out a bit crazy, as is the case with a lot of singers strangely. His family were strong Christians, and he got his start singing gospel music in church as a kid. He was kicked out of the house at a young age because he was caught listening to Elvis. He was, perhaps, drawn to popular music because it was taboo to his religious family.

Al went on to begin his music career. This album is his fourth studio recording. His style of almost whispering into the mic, and moving the microphone close then far away from his mouth to almost manually layer his vocals was amazing. His music is super catchy! The drummer on this album was from Booker T and the M.G.'s. (Al Jackson Jr.).

A few years after this album was released, Al suffered a tragedy in the form of his wife throwing hot grits on him while he was soaking in the tub, then shooting and killing herself before he could intervene. That was one of the events that transpired, which drove Al back to religion. He is now a preacher of a church in Memphis.

This was a teriffic album. It would be perfect mood music for a weekend morning, or a dinner party.

Favourite songs: It Ain't No Fun To Me, What is This Feeling, Let's Stay Together, So You're Leaving, La-La For You, Old Time Lovin'

Least favourite songs: I've Never Found A Girl

4/5

Today is the perfect day for a jazz album. It's a cold and rainy Sunday, perfect for popping this live album on and giving it a listen!

Apparently, the original recording of this live performance had an issue where one of the horn players was playing into the wrong mic so none of his stuff got recorded. Duke was told this, and they headed into the studio the Monday after the show, and re-recorded the messed up tracks, and added canned applause in to seamlessly blend the live, and studio parts together on the album. They did a great job of this, because I couldn't tell where it switched from live to studio recording.

The song Diminuendo in Blue is 14 minutes of pure gold. The songs leading up to it were kind of slow, and this song just turned everything up to 11, and they proceeded to blow the roof off of the festival grounds! Duke told the sax player to solo for as long as he wanted, so the dude played 27 choruses, then collapsed because he had soloed for so long. That's bad ass!

I can't hear the name Duke Ellington now without thinking of the ghost who lives in the attic of Nick Birch's house in the show Big Mouth. This music reminds me a lot of the jazz featured in the game Mafia.

Overall, a phenomenal epic of jazz! It is one of the longer records, at just over 2 hrs of runtime, but it is absolutely worth the listen. There were so many talented musicians in one spot. The live recording captured lightning in a bottle with this performance. Glad I took the time to sit down and absorb this one. Absolutely something I would listen to again. Maybe not cover to cover, but in the background during a dinner party or while cooking for sure!

Favourite songs: Diminuendo in Blue, Tulip or Turnip, Jeep's Blues, Part 3 - Newport Up, "Day In, Day Out", Black and Tan Fantasy, Tea for Two

Least favourite songs: I Got it Bad (And That Ain't Good)

4/5

Before today, I'd never heard of Aimee Mann before, so was unsure what the album was going to be like. Aimee is a singer/songwriter, alternative artist with country influences. She sounds like Sheryl Crow, or Lucinda Williams.

Her writing style is awesome, and really spins a story for the listener. The picture painted by her lyrics in the song Mr. Harris (her falling in love with an old dude who is raking leaves, and her mother dismissing it as a phase) was beautiful.

Overall, a perfect album for a rainy Saturday. I was able to really listen to this record while sitting and drinking a cup of coffee this morning, it was perfectly suited for that. I enjoyed it so much I listened twice.

Favourite songs: Put Me on Top, Could've Been Anyone, Stupid Thing, I Should've Known, Mr. Harris, Jacob Marley's Chain, Fifty Years After the Fair, I Could Hurt You Now, Way Back When

Least favourite songs: Say Anything

4/5

This is my second Dire Straits review, and this is my favourite Dire Straits album. I have listened to it many times before, and am looking forward to listening again.

This is the 29th best selling album of all time. The album was so long, that in order to make it fit on an LP, the band had to trim some of the songs down a bit. The CD version of this record has the full versions of all the songs, as it was intended to be. Some of the songs can tend to wander a bit, but Mark Knopfler's crisp, flawless guitar playing makes it tolerable. Apparently Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) was consulted about how to get the guitar sounds featured in Money for Nothing.

This album was recorded on an island in the Caribbean, called Montserrat. While the band were there, they heard that Sting was also there on a wind surfing vacation. Mark Knopfler extends an invitation to Sting to join them for supper one night. After supper, Mark shows Sting what they had been working on, which was Money for Nothing. Sting loved the song, so Mark asks him if he thinks he could add anything to it. That night, they go into the studio, and Sting lays down the intro lyrics: "I Want My MTV", and the rest is history.

Overall, a phenomenal album today, and an easy 5.

Favourite songs: Money For Nothing, Walk of Life, So Far Away, Brothers in Arms, One World, Your Latest Trick, The Man's Too Strong, Ride Across the River, Why Worry?

Least favourite songs: None. The whole album is gold!

5/5

Little Simz is the stage name of London rapper Simbi Abisola Abiola Ajikawo. For someone who is only 29, she has accomplished so much!! She has had some acting gigs, and has released 5 studio albums up to this point. This one I am reviewing today is her third.

Simz states that Biggie Smalls, Nas, and Lauryn Hill were huge influences for her. I was a huge fan of Simz's style of music, mixing rapping and singing parts together, and from time to time rapping in a "chopping" style (rapping very fast). The flow she achieves is amazing! I was happy to see that the song Flowers featured Michael Kiwanuka (who I've reviewed on here before, and thoroughly enjoyed).

Overall, a phenomenal album today, and one that completely blind sided me. I assumed when I saw her stage name that I would be dealing with a shitty "rap/pop" group like Juice WRLD, Lil Peep, or Lil Nas X, especially given the fact that the album dropped in 2019. However, that is not what this was at all. This was closer to 90's - early 00's rap (Like Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, or Eminem). Very thoroughly enjoyed this album today. Listened to it 3 times in fact!

Favourite songs: Boss, Venom, Flowers, Therapy, Offence, Pressure

Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Wounds

5/5

I thought going into this album that the only Cyndi Lauper songs I knew were Girls Just Want To Have Fun, and Time After Time. Once I started listening, I realized that she had quite a few hits from this album. In truth, this could be a "greatest hits" compilation easily. Out of the 10 songs on the record, 6 were hit singles. When You Were Mine was a Prince cover, and she absolutely nailed it. I enjoy Cyndi's version better than Prince's. Amusingly, I also learned today that the song She Bop is about masturbation. Here are a few excerpts from the song lyrics:

"I wanna go south and get me some more..."

"... They say I'd better stop or I'll go blind"

"... I can't stop messing with the danger zone"

Cyndi, I feel, is a slept on talent in some respects. I feel like her contribution to pop rock is sometimes minimized by the superstars such as Madonna and Cher. Cyndi should not be ignored though. She has an 8 octave range!! That is insane!!

Overall, I was really surprised at how much of this record I had already heard before, and how much I thoroughly enjoyed it also. A bit front loaded, with 6 popular hits one after another, maybe they could have been spread out a bit so that the back end of the album didn't drag so much, but even the filler tracks were great. I will definately listen again!!

Favourite songs: Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through The Night, Money Changes Everything, I'll Kiss You, Yeah Yeah

Least favourite songs: He's So Unusual

4/5

The Band are a psychadelic folk rock/blues band from the 60's. They formed in Canada, and included both Canadian, and American artists. This is their debut album, and the song The Weight launched them into stardom. They came from humble beginnings, as Ronnie Hawkins' backup band "The Hawks", then later, Bob Dylan's backup band, "The Band".

After Dylan had his motorcycle crash, and was finished touring while he healed, these guys spent time in rural NY, just living that rural lifestyle, smoking pot, and writing beautiful music. The harmonies reached by the band members is awesome! These guys have a way of sounding like a bunch of lads having a jam session, while also sounding polished. Levon Helm has a great singing voice (as seen on The Weight). The fact that he can play drums so cleanly while also singing flawlessly is awesome.

Apparently this album is so good, it made Eric Clapton disband Cream and persue his solo career instead.

Overall, a great album. Nothing wrong with it, but just not necessarily something I would actively seek out either. A lot of folk rock/Americana that followed can trace its roots to these guys, and this record.

Favourite songs: The Weight, Long Black Veil, To Kingdom Come, We Can Talk, Chest Fever, The Wheel's On Fire

Least favourite songs: Lonesome Suzie

3/5

Tea for the Tillerman is Cat Stevens fourth studio album, and marks his explosion into popularity on the global music forefront. Instead of his normal fare up to this point, this album is more of a solo, minimalist folk effort, featuring Cat Stevens dabbling on the piano and guitar, and not much else. During the writing of this album, Cat Stevens came down with a severe case of tuberculosis and had to he hospitalized for a time. This time of solitude and silence allowed him to finish writing and scoring the album. That sense of solitude can really be felt in this music. Another point of interest is that Cat drew his own album cover artwork.

Wild World and Father and Son are two absolute bangers, and couple that with the fact that there is absolutely no filler on this album, and it launches this review all the way up to a 5 star album. I have listened a few times today, and will absolutely listen again!! Beautiful work!!

Favourite songs: Father and Son, Wild World, On the Road to Find Out, Into White, Longer Boats, Where Do the Children Play?, Miles From Nowhere, But I Might Die Tonight, Sad Lisa

Least favourite songs: Hard Headed Woman

5/5

Today's album is an R&B/pop album by a powerhouse group of women, Destiny's Child. This is where Beyonce got her start. All three of these women are experts of their craft, and the harmonies that they can create are things of beauty.

This is Destiny's Child's third studio album, and it suffers from being front loaded for sure. The first three songs are absolute bangers, but after the halfway mark on the album, it kind of settles down into a boring run of the mill R&B record. All the "in your face, unapologetic girl power" attitude is lost, and the slow ballads begin.

Overall, not a bad album, but also not a stellar performance. If the pace that was set at the beginning of this album had been maintained, this would easily have been a 4 or 5 star record.

Favourite songs: Survivor, Independent Women (Part 1), Bootylicious, Sexy Daddy, Nasty Girl, Happy Face

Least favourite songs: Apple Pie a la Mode, Independent Women (Part 2)

3/5

Incredible Bongo Band was created by film and record producer Michael Viner. The band formed in '72 to assist with the creation of chase music for the soundtrack of the film The Thing With Two Heads. From there, they went on to be a pop cover band, reimagining pop hits in their percussion heavy style. The have a funky soulful sound to their music, with the strong bass and percussion parts.

The song Apache launched this band and album to legendary status as it has been excessively sampled (Sugarhill Gang, The Shadows, Beastie Boys, Nas, Aphex Twin, Goldie, Moby.... and on and on), and helped DJ's who sampled it create the sounds that would be the formation of hip hop.

Overall, a fun, different album today. Not something I would necessarily gravitate to, but the music was fun and made you want to move. The runtime of this album is around 1hr 18mins, and it certainly didn't feel like that when listening to it. I was worried that bongos for that long may get old quick, but there were enough other instruments featured that it wasn't all bongos all the time.

Favourite songs: Wipeout, In A Gadda Da Vida, Bongolia, Satisfaction - I Can't Get No, Apache, Dueling Bongos, Okey Dokey, Sing Sing Sing, Sharp Nine

Least favourite songs: Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley Your Tie's Caught in Your Zipper

4/5

Today's album was a little different, and was a step out of my music genre comfort zone. I usually tolerate, but don't particularly like jazz. I view jazz as something to put on in the background while you work, cook, or do other menial tasks around the house. To sit and listen to, jazz is usually not even on the list of what I gravitate towards.

This, however, isn't traditional jazz. This is a fusion of jazz, soul, and the African sounds of afrobeat. I would say that Hugh is Africa's answer to America's Miles Davis; a jazz trumpet player.

There is so much talent on this record, and Hugh rubbed elbows with so many talented African artists. Secko Toure, the president of Guinea from the late 60's to the early 80's also dabbled in jazz composition, and actually wrote the song Minawa on this record. This was before he became president, liberated Guinea, and became a horrible dictator. Also, Hugh was married to Miriam Makeba (I've reviewed one of her albums on here already), the powerhouse singer from South Africa for a short time, and was good friends with Harry Belafonte and Fela Kuti.

Overall, an interesting listen today. I didn't hate it, but it isn't something I would rush to turn on or listen to again. Unlike Fela and Miriam's music, this just didn't pull me in. Maybe it was the absence of lyrics (even lyrics I don't understand are better than instrumentals, and especially jazz instrumentals), maybe the run time was too long, causing me to loose focus, or maybe I just really fucking hate trumpets. If it was playing, I wouldn't switch it off, but I also wouldn't actively seek it out either.

Favourite songs: Inner Crisis, Ingoo Pow-Pow (Children's Song), Maseru, Part of a Whole, Nomali

Least favourite songs: Unhome

3/5

Today's album was a real surprise! Before today, I hadn't heard of Gillian Welch before, or so I thought. Turns out, she provided a few songs to the O' Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. That happens to be one of my favourite movies, and I also own that soundtrack on vinyl. The songs she provided are: Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby and I'll Fly Away, two absolutely beautiful songs!

Upon listening to this album, it was more of the same. Bluegrass/folk/singer songwriter with subtle country undertones. Absolutely love the guitar/banjo combo that is prevalent on most songs on the record. I Dream A Highway is an absolute epic of a song, clocking in at 14 minutes in length. I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll is a lively song that was recorded live. April 14th (Part 1) tells the story of a few shitty things that happened on that date throughout history. This story is continued in Ruination Day (Part 2). The topics include: The sinking of the Titanic, a severe dust storm hits the US Midwest, leading to the area being called the Dust Bowl, and the assassination of Abe Lincoln.

The way that Gillian weaves lyrics and music is absolutely perfect. Overall, a phenomenal album today. One I will definately be listening to more often!

Favourite songs: Red Clay Halo, Revelator, April the 14th (Part 1), My First Lover, Everything is Free

Least favourite songs: Ruination Day (Part 2)

4/5