Reviews by meemesker

I like some folk music, I like some electronica, but not necessarily together. This is like combining milk and orange juice.

1974 was a watershed year for electronic music. Tangerine Dream released the spacey, kosmische "Phaedra," and Kraftwerk released their epic ode to the German motorway with "Autobahn." Both albums which are part of the official 1001 list, and rightly so. But somewhere in the liminal space between those two more famous albums lies "Zuckerzeit," which was also released in that most auspicious year. "Zuckerzeit" is much more tightly packaged and catchy than the loose and atmospheric "Phaedra," but it is far less rigid than the conceptual "Autobahn." It was a turning point in Cluster's work, moving away from their noisier and more abrasive past in Berlin, and towards something closer to IDM, which would take another 2 decades to fully develop.

Cinematic and haunting. Deserves a place on the list.

Phish has always sounded like incredibly intricate, highly technical children's music to me.

I had a feeling the final album I reviewed on my 1001 journey was going to be something mediocre from the UK. Turns out I was wrong. It was a downright cringe worthy album from the UK. Alas, it was statistically inevitable. Not with a bang but a whimper...

UK Bias exhibit A.

I like a good acid-casualty/tortured genius getting back in the studio as much as the next guy, but as Skip himself said, these are really just demos. I feel like it was a pretty cowardly move by the producer to put it out this way. At least Syd Barrett had his old mates come in and back him up on his solo albums, and Roky Erickson got a whole new band. You can see the potential here, but it's so skeletal. For a good example of what can be done with the underlying songs, listen to Beck's cover of "Halo of Gold" from the "More Oar" Tribute album:

https://youtu.be/lwU75geuI3o?si=FasVkOC260z93hC1

These tracks are nice for slipping on a mix or a playlist to break things up, but a whole album of it kinda drags.

Despite this being a fairly laid back, somewhat twangy, and at times jangly album, you can really hear where Kurt Cobain got some inspiration, particularly in the vocals, even on the songs Nirvana didn't end up covering on Unplugged. I can't help but be won over by the loose and carefree warmth of the whole thing. Just puts a smile on my face. The fact that this came out in '84 makes it all that much more impressive. A humble lo-fi indie affair at the height of the slick production era.

Though his best work was still to come, this is an impressive debut. I wouldn't say it's timeless, but it definitely holds up much better than most electronic music from the same time period.

"4 Cornered Room" was one of those tracks we used to put on mixtapes and listen to while we were high. Zoom, zooom, zoooom...

The most impressive and inspiring thing about this album to me is that she made the skeleton of it on an MC-505. Not a particularly easy/intuitive machine to work with. Then, when she couldn't find people to sing on it, she just did it herself. Respect.

We haven't done this one already? I coulda sworn... Well, first off, you know I love Bob Dylan, and this is, of course, a landmark album. He's using The Hawks in the studio for the final installment of his rock trilogy. The stuff of legends, right? But it's almost like he's trying to get that out of his system here, and get on to the next thing. I enjoy this album and all, but I feel like it's the weakest of the trilogy. I've never been able to connect with it in the same way as "Bringing It All Back Home" or "Highway 61 Revisited," which are absolute lightning rods. This just doesn't have the same sense of urgency that those other two records do. The formula seems like it might be wearing out a bit at this point.

Then there's the fact that it's a double album, with some fairly indulgent songs to boot. It's pretty much the classic example of something that could've been edited into a fantastic single album. For example, I think "Sad Eyed Lady Lady of the Lowlands" could have made for an absolutely legendary outtake that people sought after, talked about in hushed tones, and collectively orgasm over when it would be officially released years later as a bonus track on a boxed set or something - but it doesn't necessarily serve the album as a whole. I actually have solution to trimming it up. Just chop off the first two tracks and the last two tracks. Then move "Visions of Johanna" to the end so it runs "One of Us Must Know" through "Fourth Time Around" with "Visions of Johanna" tacked on the end for your long ballad outro, and I find I enjoy listening to it much more. It would run about 48 1/2 minutes this way, so in between the lengths of his previous 2 albums in the trilogy. Try it out, see what you think. The Jonny Cut.

The main thing that holds this back from being a 5 for me is that I don't feel there are any individual tracks that just completely knock me out like "Subterranean Homesick Blues" or "Like a Rolling Stone." And perhaps it's just the process of wading through the sheer bulk of the album that wears on you until you're sort of desensitized. I don't know. In some ways I feel like it's a transitional album. Something made to satisfy demand while internally he was searching for his new direction. And you know by this point he was surrounded by yes men just to complicate things. Not to mention the exhaustion from touring, and of course the drugs that go with that. Just look at that album cover. He's a little blurry. Says it all.

One of Fela's most significant tracks. They're all jams of course, but this one caused such an uproar that the government raided and destroyed his home/commune, beat him within an inch of his life, and killed his mother. Did this stop him? No, he kept right on at it without missing a beat, making even more pointed songs directed at the very same government/soldiers responsible for those heinous acts. And this was simply the boiling point after years of being harassed, abused, and intimidated. He wasn't making this stuff inside the safety of freedom of speech and artistic expression. He was making truly daring and powerful music that mattered. It had consequences, and he knew it. Fela was absolutely fearless in his music and his life.

A wild and uneven record. I admire their bravery, but don't necessarily love the results. In fact, I enjoy many of the outtakes from this era, now included as bonus tracks on the super deluxe version, more than what ended up on the actual album. Those outtakes sound closer to what would come on their next album, which I adore. But I suppose they needed to get this wonky skronkfest out of their system first. This album is the audio equivalent to what I Imagine taking a speedball would be like. Let's take ALL the drugs... I would actually prefer to see these songs performed live in all their raw intensity. Rolling Stone apparently refused to even review this album when it was first released. Ha! As if you needed another reason to prove that Jann Wenner is a total wanker.

Production like Public Enemy, with lyrics like NWA - but more direct. Might actually prefer his records with Body Count though.

The fact that this is on here and not Smog is kinda baffling to me.

Hypnotic.

Let's all get dressed up in some big old fur coats and eat a bunch of mushrooms.

1001 has turned me from being ambivalent about Nick Cave to actively disliking him. Chill the fuck out dude.

I definitely prefer when they're doing the 60s psychedelic thing than their twisted take on Howlin' Wolf. Captain Beefheart is an energetic powerhouse of sorts, but even still, this album manages to lose its steam towards the end. The recording quality is rough too. Sounds like it could use a good remastering.

I respect Captain Beefheart and all, he was a weird motherfucker, and he had some shit to work out on these early records that was considered innovative, but which I don't find particularly enjoyable. I much prefer his album "Clear Spot" from '72. On that album he was able to maintain his weirdness, but figured out how to package it in actual grooves. It might not be considered as innovative as this one or "Trout Mask," but man I'd much rather actually listen to it.