Reviews by gmuzza

No.

I do not like Fleetwood Mac. It’s all just twee MOR pap.
Everyone knows Dreams and yes Go your own way has an inherent catchiness to it, but that doesn’t stop them being annoying or boring.
Songbird is just dull.
The one saving grace is the presence of The Chain which given my age and sporting upbringing means the F1 theme hidden in the middle/end. Even without that the bass led tune is far more interesting than anything else present. It is this track alone that lifts the album, but is one track sufficient to stop it being a 1/5?
You make loving fun quickly brings the uninteresting pap levels back. The intro to i dont want to know brings some momentary interest but quickly diminishes with the intro of yhe vocals.

What a good debut album. Timbaland’s production and Missy were made for each other.

I’d never listened to this album beyond the singles, but i think it stands up against her best work.

The procession of guests perfectly complement their tracks. I’ll even forgive the trademark Ginuwine boinging noises.

This album has some great songs like along the watchtower, voodoo child and crosstown traffic but i’m not a fan of the production. Yes Hendrix thrives through his distorted guitars but it feels like that distortion is applied wider across the album as a whole and that just detracts from the songs.
Tracks like …And the gods made love and Moon turns the tides …. Irritated me slightly.
I know it goes very much against the Hendrix vibe but the whole thing could have just been a bit tighter.

Quite a dreamy feel to the album with Pale Blue eyes the obvious stand out. Beginning to see the light injects a welcome bit of life to the latter part of the album.

Enjoyable but by no means a classic

Just a bit dull and certainly not a fan of this version of House of the rising sun.

Her vocal delivery along with the guitar plucking makes the songs all song the same

What is there not to love about this album. From the outset Finest worksong sets the tone.
It perfectly blends REM’s musicality and lyrical greatness (i will even forgive “monkeys and the monkeys”).

I would say that the first however many songs are so strong, but i dont think the pace drops off and whilst EOTWAWKI is my favourite REM song a(if not favourite full stop) that is st least in part due to how many times i have heard it as opposed to some of other tracks on Document.

Just when you think the album gas delivered everything it can the almost military drum beat of King of Birds kicks in and delivers fresh energy which is carried through to vloser Oddfellows Local 151.

If i could give this album more than 5 i would. There are other great REM albums but as they told you at track one these are the finest worksongs

I’ve always considered Slade to be an underrated band who have suffered from a general comical view of their output. This has been backed up by listening to compilations of their singles, however i’m not sure my view is so strong on listening to Slayed?.
It all just feels a bit ploddy and samey.
Mama we’re all crazee now is a clear stand out in an otherwise unremarkable affair

This confused me at first as i wasn’t aware Janis Joplin ever fronted a band and after reading this i was still surprised the sound of it.

I really like this. It is great blues rock with Joplin adding guttural vocals. The version of summertime is brilliant and as a 1-2 combo with Piece of my heart it doesn’t get much better. For some reason the bv and some guitar work reminds me of the Jimi Hendrix experience, which cant be bad.

It’s a lot heavier than i expected but showcases the vocals perfectly

Fisherman’s Blues was a staple of my dad’s album collection and therefore holds a fair bit of sentimentality to it. Regardless of this it is a good album and the song that gives the album itself is a fun jointy affair. It’s one of those songs that i’m always happy to hear.
Mike Scott manages to incorporate traditional elements such as the fiddle etc without the songs feeling dated or too folky.

Has anybody seen Hank? Sounds almost like Bob Dylan has been transported in to front the Waterboys. Yes this means the tempo is slower than the first half of the album, but it still works.

By the end of the album there’s just a bit too much fiddle for me but still an enjoyable listen

What is there not to love about this album. Blackened draws you in with Metallica’s trademark bludgeoning guitars and pulsating drums. …And Justice for all is the first real indication that this album is different however. Like Sanitarium on Puppets AJFA presents song so layered it feels it is in acts. From the vaguely spanish guitar feel of the first act to the more traditional thrash of Metallica it is impossible to overlook the greatness of this song.

Two songs later Metallica’s true legacy rears it’s head. One is a perfect rock song. It encapsulates everything from more sorrowful light guitar work and vocals to the more ferocious pounding of drums and wailing guitars. I would say it shows off every aspect of the band but that would probably be unfair on Jason Newstead who remains firmly down in the mix.
One’s video worked so well with the song (not entirely surprising given the inspiration of the song itself) i struggle not to picture it when listening which only adds further to the experience. I also love the fact that paying royalties to the film cost them more than just buying the rights, so that’s what they did.

Possibly because of how strong the first half is I’d forgotten Harvester of sorrow was nestled in the second half of this album. Another wonderful epic of a song to that delivers on every level. As does the Frayed ends of sanity which whilst driven by Lars’s undeniable drums provides the perfect showcase for quite how brilliant a guitarist Kirk is.

To live is to die is beautiful instrumental which showcases Metallica’s breadth of emotion and ends almost as a madrigal.

Dyers eve is good old fashioned thrash metal and a reminder of old school Metallica, serving as the perfect close to the album

I dont like electronic music in general and surprisingly i didn’t like this. It does however have ‘the model’ on it which is undeniably catchy

Very countrified rock. Inoffensive, but hardly exciting.
Wheels feels like a parody of a country song written for s fake band in a film. Of the hot burritos, #2 is at least upbeat

Aside from the singles i dont think there is sny particularly soecial about this album. Yes it’s enjoyable. Plenty of brass etc but just a solid album. If i’m hobest i think yheir debut album is better

Oh dear if you’d asked me before this i’d have said this was a really good if not great album, however outside of sweet talkin woman and mr blue sky it’s just a bit overblown and samey for me.

I should caveat this by declaring i was not in the best mood when listening to it, but this did nothing to change that.

Big wheels feels at times like a first draft of Mr Blue Sky, which would be bad enough if MBS was two tracks later.

Pink moon is such a beautiful track and serves as the perfect opener to the album of the same name.

The track perfectly sets the tone and mood for the rest of the album, which is full of delicate beauty. The minimalist instrumentation serves the songs well and highlights the strength of Drake’s vocals, especially on tracks such as Things behind the sun.

At only 28 minutes the only slight negative is that i would have happily had more, but i guess the adage is leave them wanting more

A sprawling masterpiece vest enjoyed at night with s drink (or several given the length in hand).

The chaotic explosion (although how chaotic this actually is falls into question in Bitches Brew with the audible “keep it tight”)of noise and seeming refusal to follow traditional structure just works and creates something wonderful.
Spanish Way feels relatively normal following the first two tracks, being driven along at pace.

I enjoyed the didjiradoo by of Walk now but very little else. Orbital perfectly capture a genre i dont like. The music makes me feel anxious not exhilarated. The looping jokes on the opening tracks also wear thin very quickly.

This is just too smooth to be great. Cloud nine is undeniably funky and soulful, but just doesn’t quite grab me.
Unfortunately the same is true of Heard it through the grapevine, which like the grit of Otis and other versions.
Runaway child continues the theme, but feels really long, in part because it is.
I enjoyed the contrast in vocals of Love is a hurtin thing.
Hey girl has a great opening bass line, but soon descends into schmaltz with the arrival of the strings.
The drum intro for the next too as do similar i have to check i haven’t hit back on my phone.
Don’t let him take your love from me is the point i finally realise i generally prefer the songs with a deeper bass vocal taking the lead

This was the first Bill Callahan. Eid Ma Clack Shaw was the first track of his I heard and remains my favourite.

His voice adds a warm rich tone to what are great lyrics. The instrumentation also perfectly complements this and whilst I can understand that this style wont be for everyone, in the same way as someone like Dylan i think the sum of the whole is great enough to overcome any issues with any technical criticism of his vocals (although i would slso say any criticism is unjust)

It’s just a bit dull over the length of an album. Fine to soundtrack my walk to work but nothing that I’d actively listen to.