Reviews by kenny-mike

This album is not immediately accessible lyrically, at least for a non-Brit like me. But you can drop the needle anywhere on this album and it sounds great. The band is working with a breadth of possibilities.

One warning: You may be sent over to a deluxe edition that is hours long. You may find the original, hourlong edition has enough to explore!

I cannot imagine a future in which I go to listen to the White Album, or to Sly & the Family Stone, or to R.E.M., and then I change my mind and listen to Stardust by Willie Nelson instead.

So I guess this hello and goodbye.

None of this is Willie Nelson’s fault. It’s just that I did all I could to keep out Country, and they slipped it in by calling it Singer/Songwriter.

Hmmm. It certainly evokes the times, where some post punk / alternative was coming from and where it was going. A couple songs were intriguing. Some songs from their earlier album sound interesting as well. Not sure if I can move past 3/5 anytime soon but maybe there’s something here. In fact, the word “maybe” describes my response pretty well.

Melancholy post-punk that sounds so familiar, but dates early. You can hear 80s alternative music of several kinds here.

It could have gone either way for me. But it started strong, gained my respect early, and remained solid throughout. I would return to it for sure.

Rock history keeps slipping Rod Stewart into my drinks. I had to skip the first track because I just couldn’t do it. From there, the music is amazing - I can fully appreciate why Jeff Beck is a legend. But whenever Rod Stewart’s voice is introduced I’m pulled out of the music…I am not saying his voice is bad, it’s not that. But I just have him associated with inauthenticity and a lack of depth that doesn’t pair well with the music for me. Sigh. I want to fully enjoy this but can’t.

The 1001 list editor wrote a biography of David Bowie and in his enthusiasm allowed far too many Bowie albums on the list. This one definitely belongs however: Bowie is at the top of his game with "Starman," "Ziggy Stardust," and "Suffragette City." These are well known, stand-out tracks, and a few others are immediately accessible including "Soul Love," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide."

On the first go-round at least, I found some tracks were weak and forgettable. "Ziggy Stardust" is so tight and self-contained, it makes most of the other songs that make up this glam rock story arc feel superfluous.

Not a Bowie fan boy, but some great songs are stored here.

The sound checks a lot of boxes for me, I love the energy and would describe it as “garage pop.”

However, I did grow weary of the subject matter. I would describe that as “aggressive sensuality,” and while that might sound awesome to some… I wasn’t that interested in being told about the fever, or being a bystander to the toxicity.

I very much enjoyed the YYY’s other album on this list, 2009’s “It’s Blitz.” I think by that time their sound and subject matter had both expanded. I’ll return to that one again.

Cosplay.

The Sound of the Mid-Sixties.

But do they want to sound like The Beach Boys or the Byrds? The Mamas and Papas or Otis Redding? In the end, they remind me most of the Monkees — some fine, but derivative songs. A band without their own true identity.

If you want to listen to an album from 1967… well, let’s just say that there are options.

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of The Velvet Underground and Talking Heads is the Modern Lovers: chronologically, musically, and lyrically.

SO FUN. Jonathan Richman apparently loved great music, influenced by the New York music scene of the late 60s, but he was more optimistic than rebellious. He sings about his love for the old world, and for that matter his love for the modern world. On "Old World" he sings:

I had a New York girlfriend
And she couldn't understand
How I could still love my parents
And still love the old world

All this is taken up another notch on "She Cracked." What a song. Spoiler alert: she cracked but he won’t.

Enjoying life is its own kind of rebellion.
Five stars for one of the greatest “unknown” albums of all time.

***

Best songs: Roadrunner, Pablo Picasso, Old World, Modern World, She Cracked

Best cameo: “Pablo Picasso" on the "Repo Man" soundtrack

Best memory: Finding my own copy of this rare and collectible, out-of-print record in an Ann Arbor record store circa 1988

Best opportunity: the one you have if you received this album today.

This is some great mood music for making a transition from the 70s into the 80s. It's like, "I know you're about to hear a lot of smiley synthesizers and drum machines, but things are really not...quite...OK."

If you look at the musical yearbook from 1980, you’ll smile as you remember an incoming, “freshman” band named U2, and you’ll also see older, cool kids like the Clash and Talking Heads.

But wait, who were…the Soft Boys?

This band might not have received much attention, and didn’t last long. But they carved out a unique lane. They weren’t as angry as the Clash, they weren’t as witty as Talking Heads—though they were a little of both. They also weren’t as serious-minded as U2, or as minimalist as some other bands in the post-punk world. But they combine all these elements into a rich, full sound and interesting songwriting.

As it turns out, this was Robyn Hitchcock’s band… hmm, I've heard of that guy. Another band member formed Katrina and the Waves. It’s also said they were a big influence on R.E.M., which is believable based on those opening tracks.

So a 4/5 for this pleasant surprise. It dips in the middle or I would have rounded up to 5.

Loved getting an unfamiliar album from 1965. And it sounded great. Some songs you would know from the period, and some originals, but all with that proto-punk energy you hear only occasionally from this time period. (I’m thinking of songs like the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” or the Who’s “My Generation.”)

Great guitar work, too.

The reviews indicate that others know of this band and their influence on the next decade’s punk movement. I guess I’m glad to finally get on board.

Generously speaking, there are probably 300 albums you must hear before you die. Whether you like them or not, they are vital, and you probably should learn to appreciate them if you don't. (That's category one.)

Next, I'd venture that there are about 450 albums that you don't HAVE to hear, but you might like some of them based on your taste. They're fine. Some are better than fine. (That's category two.)

Then there are about 250 albums that you absolutely don't have to hear before you die, and it's offensive that they've been added to this list. Almost all the electronica goes here BTW. (That's category three.)

That leaves one album. And while I can't remember the name of the band, it's the noisy one where Nazis are screaming at you. (That's category four.)

I'm pleased to report that this is category TWO, not three, and fortunately not four. It is not offensive or harmful. It follows the principle “first, do no harm.” You may not be inspired but you’ll be ok.

This is the third album by The Velvet Underground, a storied band with a delayed but significant influence. This is the beginning of the best the following decades had to offer in (what would later be called) the alternative stream.

It’s a gentler album than their first two, and more minimalist than their fourth (Loaded). It’s wonderful.

There is a bit of a religious arc with the three songs Jesus, Beginning to See the Light, and I’m Set Free, which I find interesting. In the late 60s you had a movement away from traditional American religion but still a searching spirit.

The long song - The Murder Mystery - is an experimental piece that fits the times. But it’s listenable and has energy. You could choose to skip it on future listens if it’s not your style. For me, it just makes me envision this 60s New York art scene that was the birthplace of this band… and, through them, other great artists to follow. Think R.E..M. for example.

As a teen in the 80s I was suffocating in synthesizers but also maturing past the hair metal bands that were effectively marketed to me up to about age 13. Thanks, VU, for carving out an alternative lane.

It seems the 1001 list doesn’t allow soundtracks on the list. You won’t find very significant soundtracks like The Harder They Come, The Graduate, Saturday Night Fever, Stop Making Sense, or Hamilton for that matter. Or a cult classic like the Repo Man soundtrack.

If you are not a fan of electronica divorced from its cinematic context, take today as an opportunity to listen to one of those.

Rating system:
5 - transformative or ground breaking. Maybe a lifelong favorite.
4 - compelling enough that I want to return to it.
3 - has some quality but maybe just not for me. Or maybe it’s uneven. Or maybe it’s not that good but I’m in a generous mood.
2 - 80s mainstream pop
1 - that album where it sounds like Hitler is screaming at you, and anything else musically or ethically unlistenable.

I guess "shoegaze" is the term you use for shooting yourself in the foot.

I was enjoying the first half of this album. It had a heavy alternative sound but with a sense of humor maybe, then for fun they channeled Duran Duran (on "Every Day Should Be A Holiday"). But from "Good Morning" onward each song made me either sigh or press skip. The quality was there, but my interest wasn't.

With Janis Joplin, I expected the blues. What I didn’t expect was psychedelic blues with such electrifying guitar work. This was so much stronger than I expected, it deserves our attention…and demands it!

Musically, this sounds just like 1978 should: punk blending into new wave. I really, really like the sound.

Unfortunately, there are lyrics. And someone sings those lyrics. And that drags the experience down. Way down. Because really, the band sounded fantastic otherwise.