Reviews by mibbiesaye

Not one I know as well as some.of his others. I think Spike and King of America are better, neither of which make the list. Maybe it's a slow burner and a couple of listens aren't enough.

If you were in a covers band with your schoolmates at the time this album was tantalising, especially if you had a half decent drummer. The bass lines were so easy to work out and play, the smattering of keyboards were mostly straightforward and you didn't absolutely have to be a great singer to fake Bono's over earnestness. But nobody could afford The Edge's rack delay unit and even if you could you'd probably struggle with the settings. Didn't stop us trying and coming up with laughably weird spiky and plinky plonky versions.

Gets an extra star for the nostalgia factor.

Not on Tidal sadly and I could only find two thirds on YouTube but I enjoyed what I heard.

The consensus is that their first album Pablo Honey is the outlier and everything from The Bends onwards is the true Radiohead. But I think that's the wrong way round. The middling indie rock with one big tune of Pablo Honey was the true essence of Radiohead but they weren't satisfied with being that. And ever since they've been trying to get away from themselves. Trying to hard to my ears. From Thom Yorke's strangled choir boy vocals to the 'is this cool?' guitars.

This is the one that is the absolute midpoint between U2 and Coldplay.

I find his shock rock thing a bit embarrassing. Title track is good of course.

The first half of this so good. Meanders a bit around two thirds in but still very good.

This probably doesn't sound all that exciting divorced from its time and without the videos or Top of the Pops performances or Tammy Wynette. But having memories of all that along with memories of dancing like an idiot to it with my friends makes my heart warm and fuzzy.

Maybe not quite as good as the Folsom one but still...

When you really like something it is easy to forget that its lofi recording and use of a jug might really get up some people's noses.

I suspect if I had listened to this a bunch of times it would have got on my nerves and my score would have gone down, but as a I've off it was a fun blast of nostalgia.

I like to think that with that weirdly threatening ending in the arrangement on Santa Clause Is Coming To Town, Phil Spector was trying to tell us about his true nature.

Given this is his heartbreak album I feel a bit mean saying I found it really dull. It has that naughties onwards super tasteful production sound that's unobtrusive enough to soundtrack a million dinner parties. His singing style in this doesn't help either. It is so blank. It is difficult to know if that's an aesthetic choice or meds but it tops up the blandness to the brim.

I love a 70s double live album. Much better than a Greatest Hits because the songs get a unified sound and as a kid who grew up far from any large venues they were like a promise of something incredible.

This was the second album I bought for myself with a Christmas record token. It also introduced me to the joy of second hand records. I couldn't believe I was buying a double album (a new concept in itself to me) for the same price I'd just paid for Ace of Spades. It was a loud New Year. The tennis racquet found its true calling.

What's so important in your lives busy brains that you can't spare 7 or 8 minutes for Isaac to talk about love and the song he's going to lay on you. For shame.

I can't be the only one who finds it hard not to hear Ghostface's urgent pleas at the start of Walk On By.

It's funny how you can love an album even though a couple of the songs sometimes rip your knitting. This is probably John Lennon's strongest Beatles album. His songs most sound like the group playing together and as such give a spine to the thing while Paul swings about all over the place giving the thing breadth. I like his granny music. We also get a George song so good even Clapton sounds great on it. Ringo's tune is great too.

Revolution 9 is not among the knitting rippers.

One of those albums I thought I knew, turns out it was only Rock Lobster. I like it more than I expected. I think there is a tendency in the UK to view them as purely a novelty act. So wrong.

Oasis for art school dropouts

I tried to keep an open mind but the over cooked blue eyed soul vocals and the selection of the worst 80s keyboard sounds closed it again. A shame because I have always like the comparatively understated Holding Back The Years. Also the one before their version of Heaven sounds like a better Talking Heads cover.

I have a soft spot for Sunday Bloody Sunday because my brother showed me how to play the riff and it was the first time I realised you could arpeggiate chords to make a riff. I also like New Year's Day for its obvious Bunnymen influence. But overall it's all a bit earnest and simplistic.

I've always wondered where were the US prog acts. This is it. Chopping up and complicating American music forms. I want to know more.