Reviews by pops

The Black Crowes were a band I loved for a couple of years as a teen in the 1990s, and then just sort of forgot about. I can see why I moved on (maybe they were my gateway drug for listening to actual 70s rock) but this was a lot of fun to revisit.

This album is less than 30 minutes long and it still feels a bit like they had to scramble to fill it out. Basically it starts strong, then the last few track have a “will this do?” vibe.

I can understand why a load of white British blokes heard this and decided they wanted to sound like Muddy Waters. I mean, none of them could, but at least some of them found their own sound in the process.

A whole album of nothing but bangers. And Debbie Harry looks so cool on the cover. Seriously, what are people deducting stars for here?

It’s interesting that this is seen as Mariah getting to spread her artistic wings (like a butterfly, geddit?) because it doesn’t sound that different to what she was doing before to me. I’d even argue the ODB remix of Fantasy was a better example of Mariah adding a hip-hop edge to her sound. She’s obviously got an amazing voice, I just wish the songs were stronger.

So many western artists were borrowing from Indian music in the late 1960s, it’s only fair an Indian artist got to return the favour.

My parents had this album but I hadn’t listened to it in full for a long time. Talkin’ Bout a Revolution and Baby Can I Hold You prove Tracy Chapman wasn’t a one-hit wonder.

Someone had clearly been listening to Talking Heads. However, there are worse bands to be influenced by and this still retains some of their own ramshackle indie charm. Talking Heads with a dash of Orange Juice - it’s a cocktail that works for me.

The singles are great, there are some interesting tracks, but also a bit of filler.

So punk, it sometimes sounded like the band were playing a different song to the singer. Not really for me.

My brother was once playing Animal in his car and I said “according to Spotify, this was one of my most played songs last year”. He said anyone who didn’t have it in their most played songs needed a slap. This album is a lot of dumb fun but it’s also a shade too long.

Pacific State is a tune, but the rest of this was a bit dull.

Dylan goes partially electric. Sucks for Pete Seger (who I do have more sympathy for after seeing A Complete Unknown, I thought the film did a good job of showing that it wasn’t just him being a musical Luddite), but good for the rest of us.

It’s probably not a great sign for the Earth’s future that it’s still warm and sunny enough to go paddling in Scarborough in October, but with my toes in a rock pool and this album on my headphones, I had real happy holiday vibes.

I can see why they did a lot of soundtracks - this would sound great in the background while Roy Scheider or James Caan clenched their jaws. Listened to on its own though, my attention slipped in and out.

Roxy Music clearly influenced Japan who even more clearly influenced Duran Duran. I slightly prefer the other two bands, but I did like this.

It's doing the whole "soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist" thing, then throws in the Bond theme to remind you that you could be listening to a better soundtrack for a movie that has been made.

A lot of funky fun.

Bland isn’t the right word but I thought this was going to be a love it or hate it situation and instead it just washed over me leaving no trace.

As someone who really was a teenage fan of Teenage Fanclub, I think Grand Prix is their best album but I love this one too, ‘will this do?’ cover art and all.