Reviews by nofaithmed11

A wonderfully melodic and intimate debut album. Perhaps a couple songs too long, but really impressive on most every other level.

4/5

Unbelievable production and songwriting.

4/5

Unbelievably cool production and very diverse. There’s room for this to keep growing on me.

4/5

It's never been my *favorite* Stones record, but I can't pretend anymore like I don't absolutely love it. Not sure I'd change a thing about it.

5/5

Perfect songwriting across the board. Nobody did it like John.

5/5

Not convinced of the songwriting, but pretty cool sound nonetheless.

3.5/5

Extremely beautiful. Not as consistent as Pink Moon, but still a lovely listen.

4/5

The fact that Bob Dylan wrote these songs between the ages of 20 and 21 is incomprehensible. He sings and plays everything wonderfully, but his lyrics truly deserve the spotlight. “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”, and “Masters of War” are three distinctly different commentaries on the political and societal changes happening around him, and all three are absolute triumphs. He also demonstrates his abilities to tug at our heartstrings with wistful longing (“Girl from the North Country”) and a bitter sendoff (“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”). Some songwriters go their entire life hoping to write one song as good as any of these five tracks. Bob did it before most kids his age had college degrees.

There are quite a few fantastic tracks outside of these giant compositions as well. “Talkin’ World War III Blues” is still one of the funniest songs he’s ever recorded; “Corrina, Corrina” is a lovely take on the blues standard; “Oxford Town” is a great, succinct precursor to The Times They Are A-Changin’; I’ve even grown fonder with each passing year of “Down the Highway”, a perfectly moody tune that feels like a bridge between Bob Dylan and this record. Throughout every song, we hear the earnest voice and guitar playing of the young master, simultaneously extremely confident and unaware of exactly how much this album is about to change everything.

The only personal criticism I can levy against Freewheelin’ is that some tunes strike me as filler. Entertaining, well-performed filler, but filler nonetheless. In my opinion, there are six superb songs from these sessions that didn’t make the cut - “Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues”, “Let Me Die in My Footsteps”, “Kingsport Town”, “Walls of Red Wing”, “Rambling, Gambling Willie” and “Quit Your Low Down Ways” - that all would have been deserving of a spot in place of one or two of the weaker tracks. Really, it’s a minor complaint, and with the amount of major material on here, it’s useless to harp too long on minor complaints. I absolutely adore this album.

Least favorite track: “Bob Dylan’s Blues”. Totally fine and inoffensive, but ultimately inconsequential.

Favorite track: “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”. Sheer perfection across the board: lyrically, melodically, vocally, and instrumentally. For all of the (rightful) love “Positively 4th Street” gets as a classic “fuck you” song, Bob proved he had a penchant for iciness two years prior with: “I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind/You could have done better, but I don’t mind/You just kind of wasted my precious time/But don’t think twice, it’s all right.” A top five Dylan track for me.

4.5/5

Unbelievably inventive, diverse, and engrossing.

4.5/5

Some really fascinating production choices and good songs, but Moz's schtick runs a little thin by the end of it.

3.5/5

Generally lukewarm on this overall style, but this is among the best I’ve heard.

4/5

Sure, it’s only my second favorite Beatles album, but it’s also my second favorite album of all-time. Not a wasted note. Perfection to the highest degree.

5+/5

God, these guys were so good right before they turned so lame.

4/5

Not as good as the followup, but still damn good Britpop.

4/5

I don’t love this album by any means, but I don’t mind the slightly chilled out nature of it. It allows some of the more melodic moments to shine through a bit. It’s still not ultimately my thing, but I’m not offended by it.

2.5/5

Few bands can make a rock opera actually sound cool and organic. The Who can, because they fucking rule.

5/5

Delightfully weird. Could see this growing on me.

3.5/5

U2 enters the 90’s with a bang. Right off the bat with “Zoo Station”, you can tell this is going to be a very different album for them. Everything is a lot drier and close mic’ed; there is a lot less reverb on this record, fuzzier guitar tones, and a bit more experimentation in general, and the results are great. I think that Bono is such a great, unique vocalist that even when there’s such a huge stylistic shift within the band, they still sound like themselves. Achtung Baby may not sound like War, The Unforgettable Fire, or Joshua Tree, but it does sound like U2. And that’s not just his voice: it’s his melodic and lyrical writing and the band as a whole. Clayton is such an awesome bassist that when you hear something like “Mysterious Ways”, it definitely checks out that this is U2. And man, that track is so damn cool, simultaneously so dirty and rocking, but also groovy and melodic. The aforementioned “Zoo Station” is a killer opener, and makes for a great 1-2 punch with “Even Better Than the Real Thing”. “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” is probably the closest they get to emulating their 80’s sound, and I think they do a great job with it. And then you’ve got two all-time ballads in “One” and “So Cruel”. I like every song on this record; there are a few songs I don’t *love*, so it stalls out at 4 stars for me, but it’s definitely a higher 4 stars, and it would almost certainly make my top 10 albums of my birth year, 1991.

4/5

I think this is a supremely cool record. Nice and diverse. Martyn's guitar work is excellent, and I don't have any problems with him vocally; he gives me Mark Knopfler and JJ Cale vibes at times, albeit a bit more expressive. "Dealer", the title track, "Big Muff", and "Small Hours" are my favorites at the moment, but I dig everything well enough. This could rise for me in the future.

4/5

I’ve known about Super Furry Animals for a long time due to their involvement in McCartney’s Liverpool Sound Collage, and was aware that Paul subsequently contributed an all-time celery and carrot performance on this record. Still, despite knowing and liking the title track of this record, I’d never dove into them before this. And boy, do I feel silly for that now.

What a wonderful journey this record is. More than anything, I appreciate how balanced it is. There are just the right amount of fast, slow, and mid-tempo songs; the electronic elements work perfectly alongside the largely organic frameworks; they’re often throwing the kitchen sink at these arrangements, but they do it in a way that never feels overly dense. This is especially apparent in “Receptable for the Respectable”, which borrows heavily from The Beatles and Beach Boys without venturing into parody or plagiarism. They throw in a little harmonica here, some horns there, some tasty synth for good measure, all while working their way through an ever-changing form…it’s so awesome. And for good measure, the outro is absolutely hilarious.

There are just so many damn highlights here. “(Drawing) Rings Around the World” is a killer pop song dressed up with alternative psychedelia. “No Sympathy” is such a wild ride; again, going back to the theme of balance, the feedback permeating throughout the intro never fully overtakes or distracts from the gorgeous acoustic guitar/electric piano work, and the electronic shift in the outro is batshit insane in the best way. I also love the juxtaposition of the dark lyrics with the beautiful vocal melody. Speaking of juxtaposition, the unexpected Philly soul-inspired “Juxtaposed with U” features some of my favorite lyrics on the record (“I’m not in love with you, but I won’t hold that against you”). “Presidential Suite” is another lyrical gem, underscoring the sweeping music with hysterical commentary.

I feel like I could talk all day about the soundscape of “Alternate Route to Vulcan Street” and dynamic masterclass of “Run! Christian! Run!”. It feels wrong to not mention the expertly crafted mood piece that is “[A] Touch Sensitive”, too. I’ve only listened to this album twice, but I’m quite enamored with it already. Very strong 4.5 stars for me.

4.5/5