Reviews by giddy

I've gotten quite a few blues-y type albums now, and I'm starting to warm up to it a bit more, so my new challenge is now overcoming the next threat: live albums. That's what makes this so complicated, I understand a singer can really put their all into a live performance to make it better than any studio recording (Frampton Comes Alive! springs to mind) but often these songs just aren't as good as something with no random audience members cheering the whole time or the usually less than optimal sound quality, but I will admit, despite what the number down below may seem like it says, I did enjoy the album. It's just when it comes to something like this it's hard for me to think too much of it, and the addition of blues, which I already struggle to decide if I like or not, makes it a bit more of a mixed bag for me. I can understand why this is considered one of the best live albums of all time, I just can't fully get into it.

When it comes to Billy Joel I know some people get a little sick of it, stuff like Piano Man seemingly playing wherever you go, and a lot of his other songs being so well known that they seem to be heard at least once a week, but doesn't that just show the man's talent for this sort of thing, especially when the songs you don't hear everyday have that same level of quality? That level of quality doesn't shine brighter than The Stranger. Every single song on this album is excellent, even the longer ones which any other artist of the time would have caused it to feel as though the song is a drag, but not on this album. The album even flows well from song to song, with each placement just making sense. Sure, some of Joel's songs may be a little cheesy, but the musicality and enjoyment from each song on this album gives me no other choice but to give it five stars.

This album was a weird one for me. Obviously there is an influence of an album that can be seen while looking at it, and it's obvious what this album did for this sort of rock going into the 90's. Bands such as Oasis are obviously inspired by this, and I could see why at the time this would be something big.

The issue comes in to the fact that it doesn't change that I'm just not a fan of this album, or really this style of music. I mean, I enjoy some good jangle pop, but the singer's voice sometimes can go from just a little weird but okay sounding to very whiney (which ironically is a complaint I have for Oasis as well), and it makes a lot of the songs feel very repetitive. I'm not saying the songs all sound similar, because they don't, but it does start to blend together.

I was honestly ready to give this a two star rating, purely pushing it up a little because of it's influence and "There She Goes", but I will push it right over to three stars purely due to the final song, "Looking Glass". I'm a sucker for long songs that get more and more frantic or "stressful" as the song goes on (see "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" by the Beatles), and this one stratched that itch pretty well.

God, my old review is so cringeworthy. No use defending some of Eminem's rhetoric here, no matter how ironic it may be. There are just better rappers worth more of your time, and while there are some great songs here, it does not deserve to be considered among the best.

I think some of the reviews here saying all the songs sound exactly the same is quite the exaggeration, unless sticking to one genre constitutes as that nowadays. Songs were enjoyable if a little simple, but sometimes something more lighthearted is good. I may be bias though, my parent's showed me Lemonheads at a young age, so I may be going easy on it.

When I first started this album I really wasn't feeling it, and as such some of the early songs felt weird to listen to, but I gave it another shot with some proper earbuds rather than just my car speakers and man does this jam far better in that style! I'm also glad the version of the album I listened to had some songs twice for the singles version, because it gave me a second chance at some songs just in case I was on the fence, and this was just all around a solid album.

I almost feel as though I shouldn't be listening in to these songs because of how personal they can get, but I'm glad I can. Although I do find some songs kind of funny (such as Black Hair) I can still respect the message behind these songs, as well as the emotion. Into My Arms obviously being a standout performance that alone deserves the praise the whole album gets.

When listening to this album a situation would arise often where I enjoy how a song sounds, and am thoroughly enjoying it, then it goes on another three minutes. That's not to say the songs are long, because they all don't really surpass five minutes, other than the B-Sides, but they don't go anywhere. Often I'll be waiting for the song to heighten or have some sort of climax, and that just never happens, and I understand this is not necessarily something that needs that "drop", this isn't Dubstep or anything, but even comparing it to something like Fatboy Slim, it just comes off as weak, and it really loses steam in the second half, mostly being over prolonged atmospheric music. I mean, three stars is still pretty good, because I didn't dislike the album, it's just hard to praise the album when we live in an age where this style of music has only been improved. Who knows though, perhaps I'm not smart enough for it.

Some other review said this was weird Halloween music, and I agree, but in the best way possible. I actually quite enjoyed how weird this could get, but blues still isn't for me, so some of this album was a bit repetitive. Excited for other Tom Waits albums, though.

Every single song was just such a slog. Five minutes of quiet in the beginning, then starts to build up, then either stays built up or goes back to being quiet. Now, I know that sounds like most songs, but there is a specific brand of it with U2 that makes it all just blend together. It's only getting 2 stars because while I didn't completely enjoy it, there's no denying the 1-2-3 punch that is the first few songs. Would of been better as an EP with just those and Bullet the Blue Sky

While blues as a genre isn't always my thing, I still found my self tapping my feet to most of this album. It started a little shakey, but in the middle I was enjoying myself quite a bit, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the ending song, I still am extremely satisfied with it.

While an album I cannot deny as influential with its sound and design, and some of the songs are indeed classics to stand the test of time, but the album as a whole is obviously meant to be listened to as an album, never on it's own. Many songs lead directly into the next dong, which is fine for those with lyrics, but the instrumental songs that are three in a row feel strange, like they're supposed to be an intermission, but it comes at the end, just making it feel like a movie soundtrack. Iconic, but not that fun of a listen.