Reviews by funny_character

Prior to So, Peter Gabriel seemed to have one foot firmly in the art world and another firmly in the pop world. If that is the case, then on So, he seems to walk around a bit, and end up with one foot in the art-pop world and another just in the pop world. To put it differently: this is the one with the hits. Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, Don't Give Up, and Big Time were all, on some level, a hit. However, this album is also known for achieving this without sounding like Gabriel is trying to "sell out", the songs here all feel very distinct and personal, and he keeps his art cred intact. Especially since the deep cuts here do *not* sound like they were made for the radio. Mercy Street, We Do What we're Told and This Is The Picture all sound thickly atmospheric, future-forward and mysterious. My personal favorite on here is This Is The Picture, Laurie Anderson (check her out by the way) appears and performs an incredible vocal duet with Peter Gabriel. Not to brush by the singles, they are mostly great as well. Sledgehammer, for example is iconic for a reason: funky, catchy, and just a *touch* art damaged. The only song on here that I specifically don't like is Big Time. It just sounds kind of on the nose and silly to me, but I would like to give credit where credit is due to the bass-work. I overall enjoyed this quite a bit, but I get the sense I may personally get more out of Peter Gabriel's earlier work.

This is one that I'm gonna have to spend more time with. I can listen to this and very plainly see that Brilliant Corners is full of extremely intricate, emotive jazz compositions, and I can understand that Monk is considered among the greatest jazz composers/musicians ever for a damn good reason. Just listen to the title track for everything great about this in a nutshell: it's really a staggering song. However, I regret to say that I have yet to really digest and connect to these songs, but I can definitely appreciate what I'm hearing on some level. I'm gonna give this a healthy 4, because I really can't imagine giving it anything lower.

N.E.R.D does some decent work here. N.E.R.D is probably most well known as Pharrell's old band, and they are a neat combination of hip hop, rock and RnB. The more "Pharrell-y" songs on here show a lot of promise, and are generally pretty good. However, the production choices, and some of the songwriting in general sounds kind of dated, especially on the more rock leaning tracks. This did kind of slowly win me over during the course of its runtime, and by the end I was having fun, but I don't think I'll really revisit it, and even the best songs here are only fine by my taste. This is a hell of a lot better than the CeeLo Green album I had earlier with Pharrell on it, to the extent that this almost makes it make a little more sense. However, I'm still only so into this.

I will say, I have more than a little skepticism towards covers albums, but this is really good. On Stardust, Willie Nelson plays stripped back, intimate interpretations of American pop standards, and he does a damn good job at it. These interpretations sound tender, heartfelt and lovingly assembled, a far cry from the reputation of the covers album as nothing more than a cash grab or bait for discography completionists. Nelson's band sounds great, proving themselves while giving him room to breathe and take center stage. And good thing too, because Willie Nelson is a really strong presence here. His guitar playing is pretty and crisp and understated, and his melodic gruffness grants this project some gravitas. I think the best run here is from Stardust to Blue Skies, with Blue Skies as my personal favorite song from the whole project. There are some lulls though, I don't know if the strength of this opening run is matched at any other point in the project. Also, while Unchained Melody and September Song are very good, they are also among the lowest energy songs on the album, and sequencing them together causes some pacing problems for me. For as hard a sell as "Willie Nelson's classic pop covers album" is, this really delivers, and I liked it quite a lot, despite some unevenness here and there. I'm gonna settle at a high 3, but I'd also like to give some unofficial bonus points to the fantastic album art.

Talking Heads had a very interesting evolution during their existence, but I am glad to say they were still fully-formed and confident and exciting on their debut here. While I do believe that the next several Talking Heads albums are generally more interesting than the material here, these are still great songs, and also impressively, all of the weird little nooks and crannies in what would become Talking Heads' sound are pretty much all here, just a little bit more subdued. We see Talking Heads here exploring the elements of funk, angular post punk, and futuristic textures here, but just to a lesser extent, and often in a different way than they would appear later. An interesting consequence of this is that pretty much every other Talking Heads album sounds more like each other than this, so it kind of feels like a unique treat in their discography. Some of the little experiments here are totally unlike anything that would appear later, like the steel drums on Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town. Also, I must mention, that David Byrne is as fascinating and idiosyncratic as he ever would be here. His voice is not exactly deadpan, but it is more spoken than sung most of the time, and he is kind of riding a line between nervous and manic in a way that captures the really interesting energy that he is known for. The lyrics also have all the Byrne-isms that we know and love, if you don't know what I'm talking about, just read some, it'll explain better than I can. A lot of the themes here are about anxiety and alienation and neuroticism, but the images are obsessed with objects and buildings and business-men, and the rules of English grammar are largely adhered to. Anyways, there is a fair share of highlights here. The jerky, click-y Who Is It? is a sign of things to come. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town is groovy in a way the band would never really be again. The Book I Read and Don't Worry About The Government are both great Talking Heads deep cuts with some of the best lyrics on here. And lastly, Psycho Killer wasn't a hit at the time, but any song this good is bound to find its audience. Ultimately, even though Talking Heads would grow substantially after Talking Heads 77, this is still pretty great at a lot of its moments. There are some tracks that I don't click with, but I am very pleased with this as a whole.

While I am deciding that I am not that into late ‘60s and early ‘70s blues rock, but there is something here. A lot of people claim this has proto-punk energy, but I’d rather say this is sort of garage rock. Anyways, this does have some real energy that propels it along, and I like it well enough! I don’t have a ton to say about this honestly, it’s alright!

While I like folk music a lot, this didn't do a ton for me. To say some positives, the lyrics have an interesting spirituality to them, and I like Yusufs' (Cat Stevens') voice. Additionally, these songs aren't bad, but there are only a few I can really say I like a lot, my favorites being Hard Headed Woman, Wild World, and Father And Son. There are moments of songwriting genius across this, but it just doesn't really do it for me. Frankly, for folk songwriting of this era, some of this is pushed a little too pop for me, and I prefer a rawer take on this genre in general. Like I said, not really bad though, and I can imagine a lot of people would be really into this. I'm kind of between a 2 and a 3, honestly, this would probably be, most honestly like an exact 5/10, but I had to choose. Anyways, still give this a listen, I think this is for a lot of people.

Edit: Thought about this a little more, 2 is probably a little harsh.

Rest In Peace Brian Wilson. If you've forgotten where the narrative of Brian Wilson as a genius comes from, this album should remind you of everything you need to know. It's funny, for one of the most acclaimed albums of all time, Pet Sounds is still kind of an underdog, largely because it seems to be compared to Sergeant Pepper, possibly more than any other single album (not by the Beatles). It kind of makes sense, both are ambitious, intricate and daring pop albums, but honestly, at the end of the day I may prefer Pet Sounds. One of the biggest things Pet Sounds has over Sergeant Pepper for me is the incredibly unique tone. Pepper oozed flower power optimism, but Pet Sounds was different. The production and instrumental palette has a bittersweet, dreamlike quality: the songs expanded with accordion, violin, toms, and vibrant flashes of psychedelia. And the lyrics here are, honestly, deeply sad. These songs are about alienation, longing, regret, and anxiety. The result is a very complex, yet understated emotional palette. And, of course, none of this would work if not for the fantastic songs. The Beach Boys' distinct, beautiful harmonies sit atop songs which pioneered techniques like complex chord progressions, moment-to-moment flourishes, dense arranging and more for the world of popular music. These songs are all pretty much, in one way or another, perfect '60s pop tunes, but I can list some stand-outs. Wouldn't it be nice is a mega hit and exemplifies everything great about this album. The song is built around an unbelievably catchy accordion line, the vocal melodies are perfect pop music, and the jubilance of the song's aesthetics are counter-balanced by the subtle sadness of the lyrics. Don't Talk is one of the album's sweetest moments. God Only Knows makes the genius move of starting, as a love song, with "I may not always love you", which as was bold and frank and subversive as any of this album's other greatest moments. I'd also like to shout out Sloop John B, I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, and Caroline, No for bringing some *incredibly* honest, vulnerable sadness. This has its reputation as a beautiful, intricate, and boundary-pushing pop album for a reason, and it has aged with remarkable grace. In light of Wilson's passing, I may be feeling a tad generous, but I think I do stand by this as a 5.

There is a weird sort of magic to early synthesizer music. It requires something special to be determined to make truly great music with technology that feels, now, so limited. After looking into how this was made, it seems like a small miracle that it exists at all. There is an interview with the band where a member recounts taking 11 days to record approximately 6 minutes of music. Although, conversely, the meticulousness required to make something like this at the time results in an early ambient album that feels incredibly detailed, and lovingly assembled. I also think that the abstractness of this type of electronic music actually aids in its aging, Phaedra almost seems to exist out of time if you are in the right headspace while listening to it. The music on here is *intrinsically* synthesizer music, it couldn't really have been made the same way on anything else. This is an album shaped by rhythms and arpeggios and arguably most importantly, texture. And with these elements, Tangerine Dream conjures vast expanses: The sky, the sea, and whatever lies beyond. Also, for how abstract this is, it is remarkably accessible (in my opinion). This is valuable as one of the most important albums, by one of the most important electronic bands of all time, but it is also a stellar example of the capabilities of early electronic music technology and the possibilities for ambient as a genre. Wonderful.

I like jazz quite a bit, which is why it's weird to me that I kind of have a hard time writing about it. What I love about the genre is often some nebulous interplay of performances, virtuoso ability, and vibes, so bear with me here. Anyways, I liked At Mister Kelly's a lot. This is a vocal jazz live album by Sarah Vaughan, and the fact that it is live is very important, I'd go as far as to say that this may be in the conversation about all time great live albums. This feels exactly as it should: intimate and warm, with little things like the introduction and crowd noises and recording quirks that really put you in this little jazz club while you listen through this. Firstly, as one might expect, Sarah Vaughan is the star here. She is a fantastically talented vocalist, and her voice is beautiful to boot. She is confident and charismatic on the mic; she has great annunciation and a distinct voice as well. She hits incredible vocal runs, and can express a wide range of emotions too. She even flubs with grace and humor, cushioning the audience with a little humor on How High The Moon and Willow Weep For Me. Her backing band is incredible as well. There is a pianist, a drummer and a stand-up bassist here and they are incredible musicians. The band is always locked in and tastefully improvising, giving Vaughan the space she needs while simultaneously making themselves known through their performances. There is serious talent in this much restraint. The only thing holding this album back is that these are pretty much all jazz standards instead of originals. However, that's not as much of a problem in jazz where interpretation and improvisation are so much of the genre's DNA. Ultimately this is great, it's sweet, and cozy and displays some real ability from everyone.

Hmm, so the funny thing about this is I think that Radiohead is overdiscussed, overrated, and at least a little funny to jeer at, but you can see my score for this as plain as day. Overrated is relative, there are two Radiohead albums that I think are effectively perfect (the other is Ok Computer), but there seem to be a *lot* of people out there on the internet trying to convince me there more. Also, I will say that while I absolutely love Kid A and Ok Computer, I can't say that I *quite* love them equally. I think the last thing I'll say on this is that, in a nutshell, if you have more than one Radiohead album on your top 20 of all time, you should *probably* listen to more music. Anyways, that's enough of antagonizing people over the internet today, let's discuss the album. Firstly, you've heard the narrative "greatest album ever" "greatest left turn in music history", and so on and so forth. In short, a lot of people *really* like this album, and I am one of them. Kid A just does such a fantastic job of building a world and immersing you in it. Radiohead's further incorporation of electronics into Ok Computer's sound mutates this album into something really fascinating. The tone here is eerie and cold and apocalyptic, and it suits the themes here of irreversible environmental annihilation, anxiety attacks, and other such ideas. This album really sounds like its cover art, and it nails the tone immediately. If Everything In Its Right Place sounds like the surface of the moon, then the following title track could be sung by its denizens. The National Anthem then opens up the sound palette a little without sacrificing any immersion. This song is anchored by an incredible bassline, then slowly devoured by the brass section. How To Disappear Completely is an all-timer, a rare and bitterly sad moment of raw humanity on this project. And it never really lets up. Other highlights include the absolutely beautiful Motion Picture Soundtrack, and Idioteque, which may be the album's absolute best song. Idioteque combines a jittery, disorienting, evolving loop with Thom's vocals which ride on a razor's edge between being subdued and manic. The result is genuinely scary in a kind of way, if you are of a certain mind about it. Anyways, there isn't much on here that I can really consider a low point. A couple tracks are a little lower key, but they suit their purpose. I'm gonna say something controversial, these Radiohead guys may just be pretty good at making music.

This is some great stuff! I wouldn't say this is Sly's masterpiece, that's *probably* There's a Riot Goin' On, but this is a really excellent listen regardless. This is a really great soul and funk album that captures a lot of the tension of this era. Stand! has its fair share of both optimistic and pessimistic moments, reflecting the uncertainty of the times, as the hippy movement started collapsing and the Civil Rights movement was embroiled in a bitter fight. This album doesn't mince words, Sly says what he means. The 2nd track here, whose title I do not feel is for me to reproduce, is a really bold example of this. There aren't a lot of different lines here, but there doesn't need to be. The song's confrontational simplicity serves its purpose, and conveys Sly's righteous anger over a driving funk rhythm. But on the other hand, this album's biggest hit, Everyday People is an empathetic call for unity and understanding that truly seems to believe in a better future. This all balances out, the optimism here isn't blind, and the pessimism isn't nihilistic. The cumulative effect is an album the feels real and honest, with a message driven home by its energetic performances and great songs. The Soul songs here are impassioned, and the funk songs powerful. I will say, I like the nearly 14 minute jam, Sex Machine, but its probably not making it into my rotation, and I think it harms the pacing a little bit. That being said, This is still pretty awesome from start to end.

Here we go, my first Britpop album from the list. I've gotta say it isn't really a genre I'm especially interested in, which isn't to say I haven't enjoyed anything in the ballpark. I can get into some of the classic bands that have transcended the genre, most notably Blur and The Stone Roses. However, what we have here seems to be a real deep cut, I was kind of taken aback when I saw that this band only has 23,000 listeners, initially because that is *pretty* underground. But after my listen of this, I'm more surprised that this band doesn't have more, I think a lot of people would be pretty into this. That being said, I only sort of liked it. To my ears, this album is one with a couple of great songs, a couple good ones, and everything else is sort of just fine to me. The opening hat trick of Natalie's Party, Comedy, and Pull together is pretty good. All of these songs are at least good, with Pull Together being pretty great in my mind. These three songs are all catchy and well written, and Pull Together has a subtle melancholy and some faint electronic elements that push it above and beyond for me. Overall, this is a strong enough start to the album, all things considered, but it kind of loses its footing pretty quickly for me. It takes until Streets of Kenny and its kind of baroque, shanty-esque feel to even get remotely as interesting as this opening salvo again, and even then, I don't know if I think it quite reaches the heights of those first three songs. Then we have another run of songs that don't do it for me, before ending on a high note with what may be, in my eyes, the album's best, Daniella. After some of the lower moments on this album, which I think somewhat often gets a little too twee for me at times, Daniella is a refreshing joy. It is stripped back and earnest, and stands out here as an especially well-written folk/singer-songwriter song that I could see entering my regular rotation. Also, I'd like to note that even though I think this project is a little uneven, the palette of it is overall pretty interesting. Acoustic guitar, violin and the vocal stylings all contribute to a sort of baroque atmosphere overall, which, as I mentioned earlier, occasionally shifts into kind of a shanty-like space. Additionally, the electronics on this are usually welcome. There may be too many good songs for me to go a 2 here, and I'm also not sure that the lows are low enough, so I'm gonna settle on a pretty low 3. This was fine for me, if pretty uneven, but your mileage may vary.

Deep Purple is a band that constantly reinvented themselves with varying levels of success. Deep Purple In Rock is the start of Deep Purple Mk2, the most acclaimed and arguably best era. Here, Deep Purple makes the leap from quality psych act to iconic early metal band with remarkable grace. They get a lot right here, thick guitar tone, exciting solos, wailing vocals, this is truly an underrated piece of classical metal canon that probably should be mentioned with bands like Black Sabbath. I will say, the lyrics here are a little silly and some of these songs don’t quite earn their length, but this is still a really great album. The songs have some great parts: great melodies, great solos from everyone, by the end I was even sold on the synth organ. I honestly don’t have a ton to say, it’s pretty great. I’ll give this a very high 3.

Edit: I think I may have scored this a little how for how generally positive I feel about it. Besides, I think the performances, solos, and guitar tone here justify a low 4 soundly enough.

I'm always at least a little scared when I get a real canon classic on here. It always comes with a kind of difficult game of balancing influence and storied circumstances and any of the other proceedings with the inclinations of one's personal taste. I think I've settled on a kind of healthy skepticism that at least lets me take a step back to decide if I even like these albums, because the truth of the matter is that almost no one will truly *love* all of them. And Are You Experienced is about as canon as classics get. This is often cited as, perhaps, the single biggest turning point in rock history, and Hendrix may be cited as the greatest ever guitarist more often than any other single person. And it helps that he kind of invented the "guitar hero" persona, his whole aesthetic and performance style was striking and extremely bold. With that being said, *damn* this is good. Is Hendrix the greatest guitarist ever? I honestly don't know. Detractors may mention more technically proficient guitarists, and on the other end of the scale, you have people talking about Hendrix like some kind of wizard without saying anything insightful about his playing. Honestly, its gotten to the point where, before listening to this, I couldn't have really told you what his playing sounds like, the myth has just escaped the music that much. The thing with Hendrix is that he kind of re-invented the guitar, and how it could be used in popular music. Since starting this list, I've heard quite a few '60s albums, and it has put into perspective just how much Hendrix was in his own league. In one word, I'd say his playing is "organic", this album seems to work similarly to jazz in a lot of ways. A lot of these songs have a kind of baseline riff or motif that is established, and that Hendrix and the rest of the band seem to use as an anchor, but they often kind of play it loose. If you really focus, especially on Hendrix's guitar and Mitch Mitchell's *ultra* underrated drumming, the moment to moment shapes of their instrumental lines are really hard to make out. Everyone here has an ebb and flow, and Hendrix's performance is emphasized by his equally revolutionary fuzz guitar tone. As a result, Hendrix sounds bold, exciting and dynamic, even today, and that carries into the album as a whole. The sound across Are You Experienced borrows a lot from blues rock, soul, and psych without ever really *completely* fitting into any one of them. The only genre that really feels right is "rock", just general "rock", in part because of just how archetypal the sound here is. Additionally, this has some *classics* on it; Purple Haze, Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, Fire, Foxey Lady, and we've already hit nearly half of the tracklist. Everything else here is just as good, Manic Depression is a soulful, bluesy rock song with some great lyrics. Third Stone From The Sun is an engaging jam. Are You Experienced is a fascinating closer, taking a lot of very bold psychedelic elements and blending them seamlessly with the album's sound. Yeah, this one deserves the praise, it's just got everything: iconic songs, exciting performances, *wide* influence. I've got to give this one its flowers.

I would like to preface: I am an absolute noise fiend. I love thoughtful lyrics and beautiful arrangements and potent songwriting as much as anyone in kinder society. However, among the quickest ways to my heart of hearts is total sonic obliteration, and given this album's reputation I was ready to dish out the cut and dry 5: but does it truly earn it? We shall see. While artists had been experimenting with noise elements and pop songwriting prior to this, Psychocandy is, in the eyes of many, the archetypal noise pop album. The Jesus And Mary Chain push a vaguely goth-y vibe and simple, theoretically sugary post punk songs into uncharted territory by really overdriving the aesthetic here. This album has, more or less, two types of songs: firstly, songs like the standout opener Just Like Honey which harness unprecedented, "recorded in a cave" reverb into a dark and super dreamlike atmosphere. This content on the album was a large influence on the development of later genres like shoegaze. The other type of song here is where the album earns the "noise" descriptor. These moments, like The Living End and In A Hole get a little punkier, and drive the aesthetic much further. Here, the guitars sound like an explosion in a sheet metal factory as the band attempts to wrangle the searing feedback into the approximate shape of catchy riffs. Overall, these two facets of the album's sound work in a very complementary way, and I love the result. Everything just sounds huge and powerful and a little bit dangerous, like I can't emphasize enough just how much I like the sound of this thing. Unfortunately, there are some things going on here that didn't quite click with me. Firstly, the vocals on here are *extremely* deadpan, and its kind of hit or miss for me, there are songs where it works and songs where it doesn't. I will also say that the songwriting on here isn't spectacular. Without the album's aesthetic, I don't think these compositions could keep this from running out of steam. That being said, the aesthetic *is* here, and besides, these songs very rarely run longer than 3 minutes, so it isn't like you have a ton of time to get bored. Overall, I don't think this is the 5 that I was ready to hand out, but it is *really* good. The sound of this is still distinct and super cool, and the songs are a great vessel for delivering the experience of this album's sound to you. I like this a lot!

It's too bad that Tical is a victim of circumstance. As has been said many times, Method Man was sort of the star who broke out after the release of Wu Tang classic 36 chambers, and this album was very hotly anticipated. Unfortunately, being the first Wu Tang solo album after 36 Chambers meant being very directly compared to it, and it would have been nearly impossible for Tical to meet this astronomical expectation. Additionally, the year after (1995) saw the release of Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx *and* Liquid Swords: By Wu Tang members O.D.B., Raekwon, and GZA respectively. Liquid Swords and Cuban Linx are often considered among the best rap albums of all time, and in comparison, Tical was a little raw, a little weird and a little rough around the edges. But it doesn't even get the underdog crowd, since O.D.B.'s "Return..." is *much* rawer, *much* weirder, and *much* rougher around the edges, making it the cult classic. This leaves Tical as a middle child: a really great album in a run of all-timers. That being said, this *is* a really great album. Tical achieves a very consistent tone: the beats, the lyrics and the delivery all serve the purpose of making a consistently eerie, gritty vibe that just permeates this album. And this is one of Tical's greatest strengths and weaknesses, the consistency of tone makes this a really absorbing, atmospheric listen, but it also makes some of these tracks run together a little, especially because a lot of the deep cuts here are a little light on hooks, which I don't really consider an intrinsically bad thing, and it does serve the album's overall tone, but it does mean I have a hard time keeping some of these songs straight in my mind. That being said, Method Man is a compelling character across this, and his lyrics show a level of craftsmanship and care that I would expect of Wu Tang at this time, and I do have some stand out songs. All I Need incorporates some romance into the album without sacrificing the tone. Meth Vs. Chef has some great dueling verses with the Raekwon feature. Release Yo' Delf features an I Will Survive interpolation that steadily grew on me, and I now think its an endearing, catchy, and unique addition here. Mr. Sandman is a classic Wu Tang posse cut. And while the Method Man remix at the end here is just a remix of the 36 Chambers song, it *is* still hard to complain about. Overall, even though this is one of the less interesting projects in the classic Wu Tang run, it is still a consistently great rap project that shows a lot of Method Man's character in a very atmospheric, tonally consistent context.

This was a major blind-spot of mine, and I'm glad I got this. I am honestly more familiar with Debbie Harry's work in weird movies (Rock & Rule, Videodrome) than in Blondie, which is at least a little funny, but I think also emphasizes how she was a figure who could really transcend scene, connecting pop charts with the punk world with the arthouse scene. This is reflected in this album's sound, Parallel Lines was very much an influence on the way that new wave would sound in the '80s. This is a combination of immediate pop songwriting, punk attitude and credibility, and an aesthetic that is a careful mix of rock, and the kitchen sink. Honestly, a lot of ground is covered here, the two songs I knew from here (One Way Or Another and Heart of Glass) sound like they could have been by different bands. I was really surprised at just how easily this hooked me, Hanging on the Telephone is a good-ass song, and I know it isn't an original (it is a cover of a song by The Nerves, a band which released almost nothing during their very brief existence) but Blondie really sell it here, I love the jittery little synth lines. Moving onto One Way Or Another, I viewed this song as overplayed, but it sold me in the full album context, in large part due to the instrumental bridge, which I'm pretty sure is usually cut from the radio, but it's like the best part of the song. Listening to this, I was waiting for a song to really lose me, but it never really happened, everything on here is at least good, and even better, these songs are all catchy, and distinct. Other favorites of mine are Fade Away and Radiate, 11:59, Will Anything Happen, and of course, Heart of Glass. Heart of Glass is kind of a weird song to be this album's biggest hit, but it is *really* good, there's something kind of futuristic and crystalline about it, and Debbie Harry's idiosyncratic singing absolutely sells it. Even the worst songs here are pretty good, Sunday Girl is not a bad song, its just a little less interesting than this album's best in my opinion, and the Buddy Holly cover, I'm Gonna Love You Too works in the context of the album, but I could see myself skipping it if it just sort of came on. Realistically, I'd like to give this a 4.5, its really fantastic, alas, I have to choose. I'm not sure if this is yet in my pantheon of 5s, and if you must have an official reason, I'd say its because Hanging On The Telephone, like a top three song here isn't original, which compounds with some of the songs I'm less into here. Despite this, I'd like to emphasize again that this is like *really* good, and it honestly caught me off guard.

God, between this and getting Sabbath a couple days back, I'm getting a lot of albums that I have some history with. I was kind of raised in metal, so to me this is an absolute classic (but not quite my favorite Maiden, that's probably Powerslave). To me, this is kind of archetypal "Heavy Metal" so much so that I almost can't put the sound of this into words, its just metal to me, but I'll try. Basically the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM )is *one of* the earliest genres of metal that very specifically held itself separate from hard rock in a post Sabbath world (note that while Sabbath was *very* important to this movement, this sounds totally different from Sabbath, whose best music often slots a little neater into Doom Metal which would get more established later). Iron Maiden formed in 1975, when the genre was still kind of being hammered down, but their first album got released in 1980, when everything was a little more established. Maiden's sound kind of lands between more melodic metal at the time, and what was thought of more as speed metal. Maiden operates at an energetic gallop, but they never give up a catchy chorus as a consequence of it. Some of the things that distinguished Iron Maiden from their peers was *a little* prog influence, which mostly showed in their song structures, riff writing, and later, high concepts. Additionally, Maiden had two lead guitarists at this time, which allowed them to play with guitar harmonies. As a consequence, the solos on this are *awesome* with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith playing the aforementioned harmonies at some times, and trading dueling passages at others, the effect is electric. Honestly, the whole band is super tight, Steve Harris' bass work is mixed high, and is very distinct and enjoyable, and Clive Burr may not be Maiden's most iconic drummer, but he holds down the fort on this album. I also have to mention Bruce Dickinson, he's a super charismatic frontman with a very distinct and powerful voice. The songs on here are consistently energetic and exciting, and while the A Side here is great in its own right, the B Side here has some classics, The Number of The Beast, Run to the Hills, and Hallowed Be Thy Name are all iconic Maiden songs. Some lines on Run to the Hills have aged a *little* awkwardly, but overall *I* think it has aged a lot better than I think something like this could have, especially because, at the end of the day, it's Maiden's earnest attempt at making a song calling out British Colonialism. Anyways, the song is driven by an iconic galloping lead riff, catchy melodies, and a soaring chorus. Number of the Beast is a wonderful blast of hokey Satanism, conjuring grim rituals and tall shadows, and also it just absolutely rips. And Hallowed Be Thy Name is Maiden's grandest statement here in its lengthy, multi-phased structure and lyrics about a death row inmate in grim denial. It is filled with incredible passages, and epic riffs and is one of Maiden's greatest songs ever. The rest of the tracks here may not consistently reach these highs, but they are pretty great songs in their own right. I will say I've seen people complaining about the lyrics here, but they are good enough to yell along with at a show, and I think that might be what really matters here. Overall this is just cool, Maiden has an iconic metal sound, and they consistently deliver great songs, its a blast.

After an onslaught of albums that I feel very strongly about, it's almost nice to get something that I find vaguely pleasant. There is a theatricality to these songs that I don't totally gel with, and the sound feels fairly consistent from front to back. So, consequentially, this album is kind of "in one ear, out the other" but while its on, I think it's fairly enjoyable. Laura Nyro is obviously a fantastic singer, and the performances and arrangements are clearly detailed, regardless of how I feel about them. My favorite tracks here are ones that play with a different sound palette, like December's Boudoir, they just kind of stand out. Overall, this is an enjoyable album!