Reviews by penthousedawg

The whole time I was listening I had the image in my head of two bearded men chasing after a woman in the style of Benny Hill.

Couple of the singles are catchy but the rest of the album is far less interesting hard rock/blues slop. Some of these songs go on too long. Whilst there is fun (of a kind) to be had, I struggle to understand how this made its way on to a list of the 'best' albums.
2/5

It's 70's dad rock so if you like that, then you'll like this. I don't particularly like dad rock. It's not bad, it's just not for me. It's nice and short though.

I hadn't heard the term Yacht Rock before now, so this album has taught me at least one thing. Turns out, Yacht Rock is a slick, artificial, soft rock sounding disco turd, sliding slowly down the bow of a small sailing vessel. Some people really like this. Some don't.

Hello.

Faith and Father Figure are great opening pop songs. This is then followed by I Want Your Sex which is none minutes of squelchy silly nonsense that killed the albums strong start. And this is immediately followed by a dull ballad. At this point I was struggling to continue. Things picked up with the funky bass of Hard Day and Casio keyboard beats of Hand to Mouth but my attention trailed off a few tracks later around about when George was singing about a monkey of some sort.

Chunky beats, playful samples and smooth laid-back grooves. This is fun rap/hip-hop. Good vibes all round. Refreshing - especially after the murky and aggressive gangsta rap of Biggie Smalls which I listened to the other day.

Big , bold, operatic rock. Much like the live album I listened to on this list, I loved the drumming but at times felt it was a bit muddied in the mix and took a backseat to the (admittedly great) guitar tones. First three tracks are great but then it sort of fell off the cliff until Behind Blue Eyes. The Who have never really appealed; maybe I'm not getting their sense of humour or playfulness but the high-pitched synths and daft lyrics ("I'm an air-conditioned gypsy") turn me off.

Planet Telex is a swirling opener of crushed digital guitar sounds. The Bends is oddly life-affirming with one cautious eye on the world. High and Dry is a 90s angst anthem with gentle acoustic verses and soaring, desperate choruses. Fake Plastic Trees is scared and vulnerable. Bones is existential dread locked in a broken body. Nice Dream is a cry for help screaming in to a pillow. Just condenses everything on this record and has a hissy fit then smashes the plates. My Iron Lung is claustrophobic and threatens to flip the switch. Bulletproof is a reminder you are anything but. Black Star is curled up in a fetal ball sucking it's thumb. Sulk kicks out at its parents and blames them for everything. Street Spirit is one of the bleakest album closers I can think of.

I can understand why the world weary vocals and introspective tone of the record can be a turn-off. But that's it purpose, and it it does it very, very well.

This is a record that is times stamped to a specific era but does the rare thing of being wholly listenable now. The bass and drums are unsung heroes on this album. The guitars already showing signs of expiremantal ideas beyond normal indie rock playing. It is a record that is threatening to do more. And then came OK computer...

This is my first time listening to Taylor Swift and i think she might benefit taking up a new hobby or two to take her mind off her relationships. There are 24 hours in a day and Taylor just used up one which is far too long. I struggled to to hear the "impressionist storytelling" described in the blurb at the top; what I did hear was clumsy cliche similes, ("Hair falling like dominoes", "hang from my lips like the gardens of Babylon"). Taylor's voice is nice but indestinguishable from any other pop/folk singer - sorry but I am not hearing anything remarkable that sets it apart and I gave it a chance. If you want pleasant, safe, slightly boring pop/folk that contributes nothing of any real value to the genre that's great but it's doing nothing for me at all. I give it a 2 because its a little too dull to be a 1.

An album of Baroque pop with soft, swaying filmic orchestral arrangements. Romantic strings and a warm, gentle vocal. Not my usual thing but I quite enjoyed some of the tracks - The Old Man's Back Again, Get Behind Me, Hero of the War. Enjoyed it enough to explore some of his other work.

Five Years is like a curtain rising to reveal a man under a spotlight. But Five Years until what, David? Soul Love is serviceable but pretty basic Bowie writing, but it has grown on me with repeat listens. Awful drum sound. Moonage Daydream kicks the album off proper - iconic, exciting, like a science fiction hippie anthem. Starman the same, has me punching the air like a kid in the 70's. It Ain't Easy is a bit dull, bit of a simple palette cleanser? Harpsichord stadium rock. Lady Stardust is a nice ballad demonstrating Bowies distinct vocals. Star is a honky tonk, foot stamper, I enjoyed the bass walking up and down. Hang On blends proto-punk with 50s hand jiving rock and roll but is a bit weak. Title track Ziggy Stardust is awesome, surreal storytelling, iconic guitar riffs. Suffragette City is perfection. And Rock and Roll suicide is an amazing closing track. A crazy cosmic jive all round but if I had to criticise I would have put the songs in a different order. Great album.

Rap/Hip-Hop is not usually my area but... I enjoyed the beats and sample choices, there was a smooth groove to each track and the vocal delivery was deliberate, confident and purposeful. Not really directed solely at this album but I do find continuous swearing becomes a little tiresome. The lyrical themes are also limited; at one point there is a line about being stereotyped, which is buried in an album that constantly talks about drugs, guns and treating women poorly. This lost the album a couple of stars. And who wants to listen to slurping sex noises? Yes, I know, I don't understand the genre, but this stuff drags down the album.

I really enjoyed the other Gene Clark album 'No Other' which features on this list. But whilst that album was brimming with creativity, this one is much more straight down the line folk/country and far less interesting for it. The song 1975 is the high point for me with it's repetitive but funky bassline, I also quite liked the closing song Winter In. The low - Stand by me, just dull dull dull. Most of this is a pleasant listen but pretty forgettable. At times (White Light) it felt like Gene was imitating Bob Dylan. Nicely recorded and played by all musicians involved. Sorry, Gene.

This album will probably transport you to an American High School in the 1980's. So if you want that, great, give it a listen. If not, then don't.

Amazing guitar work, but if you don't enjoy twiddly virtuoso runs of musical notes up and down a guitar then you will hate it.

I can't really relate to songs about wanting sex with your teacher. My teachers were all 65 with perms and cardigans. Not for me thanks.

I am glad that the bumpy bass tone that features in the opening tracks is not a constant throughout the album. I could hear the South African influence in the instrumentation before realising/looking up what it was. I see a lot of the reviews mentioning cultural appropriation but I'm not sure it's anything other than a musician taking interest in other corners of the musical world. Regardless of intentions, I'm not keen on the lack of variety or expression in Simon's voice which is a shame because some of the tunes are okay. But just okay.

I've listened to this one before but it's never really stuck in my mind. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. What works; the instrumentation and composition is good, each song has a flow, a heartbeat, I can see why so many have nostalgia for the album. There is a certain whimsy that is balanced by a driving beat and moments of urgency. What I perhaps don't like, is the lead vocalists thin and weak sounding delivery that struggles to rise above the musical creativity. I also don't feel there are enough memorable hooks or musical landmarks to stick in the mind throughout the journey. Like I said, I think it's good, and subsequent listens confirm that, but it's not one of the greats for me.

I am really struggling to put in to words what makes this album so good. It's pretty unique, the music evolves from riff to riff, idea to idea, track to track. Hints of punk, prog, rock and roll. Each time I think I've figured it out the album shifts. The guitar work is so incredibly creative and will have inspired thousands of guitarists. I see the vocals divide opinion but personally I dig them. Really like this album.

Elvis did what a lot of great artists do; take things that already exist and condense them down to something with mass appeal. Rock n' Roll and pop in it's purest form. There is some hits, some misses (Tutti Frutti is awful) but each Track is short and sweet, the band is tight and the recording is clear and captures the energy of the time. As a collection of work it's nothing unique but what it represents from that time and place is. Love him or hate him, Elvis' cultural impact can not be denied both positive and negative.

Grungy and raw, in both production and songwriting. Lennon doesn't have the poppy hooks that McCartney had but he makes up for that with honest words and wears his heart on his sleeve. Portrays a man who is sad, regretful, selfish, desperate but wants to be better.

2 songs. 2 very long songs.

I can just imagine Bono in a recording studio listening back to this, rubbing his thighs vigorously and telling the producer "More Bono".