Reviews by gregorsmith

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme? More like Poetic, Delicate, Timeless and Harmonies.

Oddly enough I got the first Bunnymen album a week ago and the contrast in style and craft is very apparent, but is this following the evolution of post punk into new wave? Even Ian McCulloch no longer sounds like an outright Bono/Jim Kerr impersonator, but there are still moments.

Tidy album, "The Cutter" being the standout, a great opener.

An all time classic, an utterly unbelievable record. So influential across all media, I mean without this record do we have Radiohead's OK Computer? Monty Python and the Holy Grail? A deeper stoner appreciation of The Wizard of Oz?

But I'd give it an easy 5 if it had only "Us And Them" and 35 minutes of explosive diarrhea noises, so maybe I'm not the most subjective reviewer here?

Manics were always alright in my opinion, nt something I had to seek out, I knew some stuff from before this like "Motorcycle Emptiness" from Generation Terrorists, and "La Tristesse Durera" from Gold Against The Soul... And I knew about Richey Edwards mysterious disappearance.

So most of the draw in this album was the inbuilt lore, could this band survive as a trio while missing half their songwriters (though some say more than half given Richey's lyrical input) and down a guitarist who didn't play guitar? And the answer is mostly yes, but the soul had gone and tone had shifted from introspective to outwardly more political, even the few songs Richey wote felt different, like "Kevin Carter" which is probably my favourite song on this album.

An alright album, but a step down from their previous work, ironically the band would become way more accessible and commercially successful in the later 90s as a result

A top 5 hip hop album of all time? Top 3 probably. Just lush immense production and vibes here, everyone is at the peak of their game, Wyclef behind the desk, Pras with his smooth flow, and Lauryn Hill straight defecating on your microphone. This was untouchable until OutKast's Stankonia came around so I'll revert my original hypothesis to top 2 hip hop album of all time.

Takes a while to get going, approx 3:40, but once it does it's just a dose of pure prog rock, the absolute wankery on show is amazing, borderline filthy. Sure they probably made it all up cause they were high as fuck, but they made it sound so good....

Bargain bin indie by a band who can't play. All most people remember of The Libertines was Pete Doherty sucking all the air out with his various drug addiction issue headlines. "Can't Stand Me Now" and "Don't Look Back Into The Sun" remain on regular rotation to this day though.

Raw Punk energy that propels you through the short punchy tracks. Different from the anger of other punk bands in this list, more accessible? Just a fun album from start to finish.

Extreme late 70s/early 80s post punk vibes, close your eyes and it could be U2 or Simple Minds, somehow Ian McCulloch sounds like both Bono & Jim Kerr, depending who you are thinking of at that moment... A tidy package all in all.

Does exactly what it says on the tin... Songs about death. "Where The Wild Roses Grow" gets a lot of the plaudits but this entire album is dark and menacing, both beautiful and violent...

The perfect stoners album and a great double play when paired with Moondance.

Shame Van is a bigot

Contains "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" and "War Pig" and "Hand Of Doom" and, basically, its entire track listing. RIP Ozzy

I've heard this a million times, its a generational defining album, it has different styles and something for everyone but the whole package is so technically on point it's bordering on perfection. A change from Britpoppyness to Flaming Lips outthereness and paired with their legendary Glastonbury set a few weeks after this was released cemented its legacy into the consciousness.

I usually joke on Radiohead reviews that "It feels like another Radiohead album I'm supposed to like... And I mostly do, but sometimes I'd rather listen to The Bends, you know?" and I'd still rather listen to The Bends, but I adore this also as a foundational shift in my personal sonic landscape at the time.

Gram Parsons carries on the psychedelic alt-country vibe from his one Byrds album... Some of it is kinda dope, some of it is more like traditional country, a real mixed bag. But their cover of "Do Right Woman" is pretty special.

So, 1959 rolls around, and someone at Atlantic Records decides, "You know what? Let's just call this album The Genius of Ray Charles. No pressure, Ray, just live up to that title." And what do you know? The man actually does. The nerve of him... And it's almost offensive in its brilliance.

Look, if you're not into groundbreaking, genre-defining music that will make you feel things you didn't even know you could feel, then sure, give The Genius of Ray Charles a miss. But if you are, just be warned that it might make all your other music sound a bit… less genius. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A bonafide classic stuffed with classic songs, how this isn't in the top 20 is a mystery to me, almost makes me wanna holler... OK, maybe a little too religious, but it is what it is.

G'wan roodboi! Taking the most basic beats I might have ever come across and turning them into actual alchemy gold with some of the most unintelligible lyrical flow i've heard... Just a rascal, a dizzy rascal....

Heaven 17 have that one good song, "Temptation", that is not on this album though... Excuse me, I just to go listen to that, so good.

Anyways, this is an album you need to hear before you die? Well I guess I can stop doing chemo now, I'm done with life because of this album, its that bad.

Ethereal, sad, troubadour folk music perfection. Nick Drake really was built differently, this is everything Cat Stevens wished he could be, instead Drake makes it all sound so effortless.

Absolute drivel from "The Worst Band In The World"