Reviews by richardwiggins

What a beautiful, joyful, open hearted album this is. I’ve only ever heard More Than a Feeling in ironic late night rock bars with people drunkenly overacting the lyrics at each other. Removed from that context it’s much better. It’s just a huge, unselfconscious “punch the air” moment, full of pure serotonin. I’d go as far to say this is one of the least self-conscious records I’ve ever heard. Though I haven’t heard much hard rock, so it might all be like this…!

Anyone who is unfamiliar with this band should read their Wikipedia page, or even a short biography. They are more fascinating than most groups. I particularly loved that they pretended to record this record in a proper studio to make the label happy, how mad! They’re just rocking out in a makeshift basement studio having a fantastic time.

Once the hits dry up the second half of the LP settles into something less “punch the air” and a more chin strokey, though it’s still a positive vibe. It could even soften you to hard rock!

There is a harder edge to this debut than the later albums that I’ve heard, potentially with less of an eye on being a commercial success. Not a criticism of either mode - both are great.

The first half is full of unforgiving, relentless beats. Each song digging deep into a groove and never letting go. Three Little Birdies Down Beats goes particularly hard. The Manchester influence is there, shades of Baggy in Chemical Beats. The second half flexes to something a little more airy and open. I like the female vocals on closer Alive Alone providing a beautiful contrast to the thick clicks, thrubs and snaps around them.

An impressive debut!

It’s a very open hearted, deeply chilled out and vulnerable folk rock record. The pleasingly jarring, conspiratorial lyrics on What are Their Names is the definite highlight for me. Though pretty pleasant, it did get a little tedious the longer it went on. Worst offender for this is the extended length second track Cowboy Movie.

Dare! is a masterpiece that would be impossible to replicate today. Even if you were to get the same keyboards in the same studio with the same personnel, the writing and production would be significantly altered due to modernity. Part of its appeal is the bluntness and boldness of the synths and creativity with which the various sounds are matched to the bright, oscillating melodies. The sheer dynamic range and variety achieved with such a ridged set up is what pushes the band into such inspiring and surprising places.

I don’t want this to sound like a patronising “didn't they do well”. What I’m saying is thank God they made this when they did because it’s just perfect. There is an incredible tension between the severity of the angular rhythms and the big, bold, bright purposes that they are employed for. The vocals match the keys, each syllable is shot out in a singular punch, arranging themselves into words. The lyrics and their delivery have an odd detachment to them, while covering a range of the most dramatic human emotions and experiences.

Particular favourites are Darkness and Seconds but I don’t think there’s anything even remotely representing a dud across the tracklist.

I hate to admit it, but bring all my biases to listening to blues rock. I think everyone has a genre which sounds like “old people” music to them, and this is mine. The reason I say this is because I could feel this remarkable album expanding my music taste. It got me. The musicianship is out of this world and it gets better the further it goes on, with the best track in my mind being the epic In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.

When they get stuck into a particular groove and just rock it out it is quite a ride. So much so that even the most cynical and difficult to please among us (me) are left pretty impressed.

The production and arrangements on Kid A are The production and arrangements on Kid A are unbeatable. The tracks ‘Kid A’ and ‘Treefingers’ put choice of instrumentation, detail and textures above everything else. This approach punishes passive listening but rewards active listening ten fold. This is true of the whole album. Even when Radiohead are kicking you in the teeth with ‘The National Anthem’, if you listen with the kind of focus required for the two aforementioned tracks, an incredible amount of additional beauty is revealed behind the focal points.

Following OK Computer, which saw them master their craft, with Kid A is especially impressive because it sees them instantly master an entirely new craft. It’s the same band, yet entirely different.

A great introduction to The Clash and an album that goes a significant way to defining a genre, but it is not their definitive work. They are mostly at their best on the tracks that come in at 2 minutes or less in length. The lengthier songs at the end of the record don’t have the same amount of power to them, an element of their craft they clearly master on later LPs.

This is a pretty hefty document. An impressive fifth and final blow out on IRS records before shooting off into superstardom. Their incredible success as a band is in part thanks to the singles It's the End of the World as We Know It and The One I Love which both make it onto close to 100% of all mix-tapes spanning REM's 15 albums.

With some notable exceptions, its a darker record than most of their output, moving closer to what we saw with Fables of the Reconstruction. Unlike Fables though, the songs are relentless, robust and overbold. Finest Worksong feels like you're in a boxing ring with the band, getting absolutely pummeled. They just don't give up.

My favourite songs tend to be the brighter ones. The lyrics to Exhuming McCarthy are really funny. "You're sharpening stones, walking on coals, to improve your business acumen." The way Michael Stipe's vocals dance around the piano stabs and strumming is a genuine delight.

The pummeling continues with It's the End of the World... but here they are pummeling you with kindness and slightly niche references. "LEONARD BERNSTEIN." Its a timeless song that feels more relevant with each passing year.

My enjoyment of the record does cool slightly over the course of the closing tracks, but it still stands as easily one of their most important and popular albums. While in my opinion Lifes Rich Pageant from the year before stands as their best release, there is no doubting that it is Document which got bums on seats.

This is my first exposure to Eels and I’ve been really taken by how extreme the dynamics are - bolshy guitar noises quickly swap in and out with moments of relative silence. I also love the lyrics. E pushes the jokes in his lyrics really hard, either by developing them into something increasingly more ridiculous, or just by pushing the same joke again and again.

They have the same gutsy cathartic style as Nirvana but with the humour amped up a thousand times. Fans of Elliott Smith would also enjoy their cheeky, downbeat worldview.

I love that Belle & Sebastian push against the prevailing forces of cynicism but without being humourless. On this LP you get a genuine sense that you are looking into their deepest thought. This is an enjoyable album, though I do think it’s been bettered by them since, with a slightly quirkier, preppier take.

Accounting for inflation, Shalimar is apparently the most expensive film ever made in India, with strong international appeal due to the inclusion of Western actors and a bilingual script. It takes a couple of listens to get a proper handle on this soundtrack because the first and second halves are so different from each other.

At the start of this LP my brain feels like it is being juggled from performer to performer, style to style, transition to transition. The performances, and expansive range of musicians don’t just sound expensive, but like they have free reign to be truly creative. Singer Usha Uthup on One Two Cha Cha in particular is so fluid in front of the microphone that she has you questioning whether she’s ad libbing (impossible surely?)

It’s experimental music in virtue of it being home to such eclectic styles sitting side by side, but also, consistently and pleasingly strange decision making being made in the writing.

During the second half it settles into something much more conventional. The spine tingling, filmic instrumentation remains, but you get the feeling they would be enhanced by the visuals they were written to support. It might be an indication that I need to see the film, which I’m sure benefits from the relative lack of intensity in the closing moments.

7/10

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band have as much fun as Queen are having on this album. There is no shortage of flourishes as the band push each song to be the most developed, maximalist version of itself. You’d have to be a bit heartless for it to not raise a smile. A lot of it’s not to my taste - but this is clearly music as a force for good in the world.

6/10

When compiling an album I think it’s important to make sure there are mixture of tempos and rhythms so that one song doesn’t easily blend into another. There is clearly a lot of writing talent on display, but once you get beyond the genuine pop hits the mid-tempo easy listening tracks do become fairly indistinguishable from each other.

Who knew that the words “surfs up” could be read negatively?

It sounds like The Beach Boys stretching themselves creatively, looking at what is developing in music of the era and thinking about the state of the world. Some of the experiments work better than others, but the lasting impact is a far broader definition of what this band sounds like. It’s dark, energetic and actually pretty deep.

‘Til I Die stands tall amongst the tracklist. It has me on the edge emotionally as it seamlessly transitions, dips and dives from section to section. The Beach Boys using their well known skill of harmony for a new and different purpose. One that is sad but no less impactful.

8/10

This is a much more laid back album than I was anticipating, having been raised on the 2005 follow up. There are some good tracks, Sound Check stood out to me as having a particularly good groove to it. But I could have done with a bit more oomph generally.

I find it crazy that David Bowie’s long awaited triumphant return was met with a relatively muted reaction. This is a brilliant set of tracks stands toe to toe with albums from more celebrated eras, bringing proper pop hits to the table in spades, including Valentines Day, which stands as one of my favourite Bowie tracks.

He has so much passion and the energy on this LP. I love the idea that he spent years writing, saving up these tracks, ready to reemerge.

Bluesy rock albums are often lost on me and this is not an exception. Even for me though, Maggie May is an absolutely cracking lead single. Other than that, despite the clear musical ability on display this leaves me cold. During the Amazing Grace rendition it even leaves me in despair.

The Beatles followed up the monumental critical and cultural success they enjoyed with Sergeant Peppers with easily their lengthiest and most challenging work. A huge part of The White Album’s appeal comes from its sheer variety. It’s got the hits but it also sees them taking on unexpected and even sinister new modes that have you question who this band are.

To pick a song out (and feel I have to zone in on particular tracks because there’s 30 of them) Helter Skelter is one of The Beatles most exciting and surprising songs. It creates a phenomenal vision of a completely different band, perhaps even paving the way for Heavy Metal bands of the 1970s. They are saying “we could be this band if we wanted to be, and we’d be amazing at it.” And they’re right.

How unbearable or enjoyable you find Revolution 9 is completely down to how prepared you are to hear songwriting icons, The Beatles, step away from music and instead create sound art. For me it’s an interesting enough idea to happily spend 8 minutes on. As a one off it’s pretty damn interesting, especially given how it transitions into the crooning old fashioned brilliance of Good Night, which has to be one of the all time most affecting transitions between songs. Good Night is another example of “we could be this band if we wanted to be...”

If I was to pick one hit to discuss it would be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is in my opinion The Beatles’ best song. Across a discography dominated by John and Paul, George manages to best them with his rawest and most emotional outpouring. It’s a pop song but it’s also tough, twisted and mean. The guitar solo is as gut wrenching as it is beautiful to listen to.

So why is this an 8/10 for me and not, as most would have it, an out and out classic? Simply put, I think it could do with a bit of a trim. I’d keep the big singles of course, and welcome all the bizarre outliers, but I’d cut out songs like the Honey Pies and Bungalow Bill which neither push the band into new territory, nor are particularly exciting examples of their craft. 90 minutes has to be well a truly earned and for me cuttable songs on such a long LP is a bit of a sin. Though I appreciate there will be people for whom their enjoyment of the band truly hinges on Wild Honey Pie and The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill. Mine does not, so for me this The White Album sits in the category of flawed epic.

Dire Straits are potentially the quintessential dad rock band, one that I haven’t engaged with until now, though like most people have had a lifetime of hearing Sultans of Swing on the radio - which is a bop to be fair.

The band are able to create quite a groove. There is a relaxed quality to the guitars throughout this debut, it’s very vibes based, controlled, professional. The vocals remind me of Bob Dylan and have a strong personality to them. Would I personally like a bit more flavour? Yes. Though I appreciate the relaxed approach.

The Pretty Things make music that is rougher, tougher and more robust than the more psychedelic elements of The Beatles or early Pink Floyd. Balloon Burning has a little bit of proto-punk bubbling away inside it. I actually had to check that this album was from 1968 on hearing Baron Saturday based on how ahead of its time it is. And (to keep the annoying comparisons going) it's the first time I’ve heard an artist who I’m pretty sure inspired The Fall. Very cool!