Reviews by owen

Kinda cheesy, but still pretty fun to listen to. Slightly surprised this would be the choice over Breakfast In America, which I thought was a bigger hit.

I've said it before but it beats repeating; Bernard Edwards was a king. His bass just makes this great.

I like this, and there's some solid songs on it, but I don't always love the timbre of Hollis' voice.

I liked the beats on this, and the rapping was pretty good, albeit with a few dodgy lyrics. I could have done with fewer interludes and skits though.

I was a big fan of Gabriel's first four albums when this came out, and I think at the time I felt this was "too commercial", though I still bought and liked it. But listening today I think I seriously underrated it; it's a really strong piece of work (and I love Tony Levin's bass work).

I liked this. I'd heard of him but had never listened before. Was unaware he was Scottish! I particularly liked the instrumental "Alice's Wonderland" and recognized Angie from the S&G cover. A strong three.

Like a worse Neil Diamond, and I say that as someone who can't stand Neil Diamond.

I've loved this album for a long time. It's always felt like a cohesive suite rather than merely a collection of songs. Only nit is the aggressive left/right panning in "This Song" which I find hard to listen to.

Other than American Girl at the end, this seemed pretty generic and forgettable.

Never heard of these guys, but i see they're formed from the remnants of Minutemen. I didn't like this quite as much as liked Minutemen, but it was reasonably close, and a fair bit better than the name and album cover led be to believe it would be. I think a strong three; almost a four.

Last thing I needed was a soft jazz version of In A Gadda Da Vida fronted by the guy from The Commitments.

I liked this more than I thought I would; it's a massive step up in quality from "Jilted". A strong four.

The best jazz album of all time? In the running for best album of all time, period? Incredible stuff; a powerhouse of talent here and not a note played that sounds like it shouldn't be there.

Not quite as good as Pills 'n' Thrills, but I still enjoy the shambolic energy of it, and i like Shaun Ryder's vocals even if he's not the best singer in he world. I also listened to a few of the bonus tracks, and it's clear that it was the remixes that brought them initial success; the Kirsty MacColl/Steve Lillywhite remix of Hallelujah is clearly superior. High three.

I think I enjoy this almost as much as the best of Talking Heads. Not usually a fan of the song Under The Boardwalk as a rule, but this cover won me over totally, with the extended two chord riff. And Wordy Rappinghood and Genius Of Love are fantastic.

This was fine, but I would say not especially memorable. I'm writing this two days after listening and struggling to remember anything on the album. I think that gives it a two, even though I didn't dislike it.

Tiny Dancer deserves its mammoth reputation. I also liked Holiday Inn a lot, and in general there was enough variation here for this to be a strong four.

I thought I was going to love this but it kind of left me a little cold to be honest. I didn't dislike it it by any means, but I found it a little samey. A low three; I'd rather listen to this than the Grateful Dead any day.

I like the Dead on Studio album about as much as I like them live, which is to say not very much at all. This felt long at 40 minutes

Both vocalists work for me, but Cornwell is better. Brunel makes up for it with a great bass sound. Enjoyed this a great deal; very strong four.