Reviews by ryzgee

This is amongst the upper echelons of Bowie's back catalogue IMO.

It captures a delicate balance between his artsy side and his more accessible, radiant rocking side. The bass-lines throughout are incredible, with an invitingly funky feel to them, whilst on the flip side there is a constant tension laid bare across all facets of the album, owing to Bowie's physical and mental state at the time of its recording. The man was quite literally wasting away but smashed out a banging album purely on adrenaline (and the white stuff).

I wouldn't call myself a fan of Oasis (or the subculture that surrounds them as an entity) by any means, and Liam Gallagher's whining does cut through me somewhat, however I can recognise that this has got some cracking tunes on it. It's the only album of theirs I've ever got on with, as it feels that bit more scrappy (in relative terms) with a stronger emphasis towards shoegaze and that swirling style of riffage, which became lost to some degree on the follow up. It's not something I'd ever actively seek out, but over a few beverages in a beer garden in the summer, you could do a lot worse.

This is all over the place as far as my enjoyment levels are concerned. The omnipresent hits do a lot of the heavy lifting, particularly "Knowing Me, Knowing You" which is genuinely a top quality tune, though the other major events have overplayed themselves into such territories that I'd quite happily never have to hear them again. The deeper cuts are very much a mixed bag, the more up-tempo tracks faring better than the wet balladeering type ones, though none pop out at me as missed opportunities for further stardom.

Some competent enough early punk, although with the sort of grotty, over the top lyricism that I've got very little time for. Yeah, it probably was influential in some way, but it's a listening experience which doesn't lend itself well to 2025. Two stars for having a bit of energy to it, I guess.

A very conflicting listen given developments in recent years. Listening now, it all smacks of shock for shock's sake and "look at me, I'm a freak, can't you see I am" posturing. When MM gets out of the way and lets the music do more of the talking, this does go hard at points, with Trent Reznor's contributions doing the heavy lifting in making the songs compelling. As far as industrial metal goes, though, there are ample examples of it being done better and to a less infringing degree elsewhere.

Wow, this was a wild ride.

It's a wonderful melting pot of groovy tribal funk, warm bassy jazz, afro-soul and even hints of reggae as well, with the heritage of War's members shining through really tastefully and genuinely. A couple of tracks err on the lengthier side, but they earn their running time through being consistently interesting and engaging. Amazing discovery which has made its way onto my purchase list.

I only made it through a few tracks, but they were some of the most self-indulgent yet simultaneously vapid pop/R&B shite out there. Like months out of date packets of "builders breakfast" crisps which just taste like ready salted and are more air than actual crisps. This was supposedly the fastest selling album on the iTunes Store following its release until, you guessed it, Adele snatched the record a couple of years later. All I can say is that people are idiots.

I very rarely ever listen to live albums, but this is awesome and among the best that I've heard.

The first two performances of "Highway Star" and "Child in Time" are the obvious highlights - Ian Gillan's vocal capabilities never cease to amaze me, and the drum solo in "The Mule" breaks the set up spectacularly, but there aren't any duds to be had here at all.

I'm aware this is going to be controversial, but I found this really boring and one note for large parts. Lyrically it's excellent, but sonically it failed to capture my imagination.

A smooth, pleasantly inoffensive enough soul album which became very boring very quickly. Anita Baker has a fairly accomplished voice, but never uses it in a vaguely captivating way. If The Black Keys were car advert rock, this is car advert soul.

It's a style of hip hop, vocal delivery and overall attitude that does precious little for me. I tried; really, I did, but I couldn't make it all the way through. Genuinely think I'd rather listen to any of the country albums I've had so far. Some of the beats were half decent at least, even if a bit unvaried, and I recognise this is most likely a "me" issue with the genre as a whole just not resonating with me.

One of my finer discoveries so far this year. I found this in my local antique shop the other month and couldn't pass up the opportunity to add it into my collection.

I wish I could teleport myself onto that album cover and hit the highway with these luscious beats soundtracking the ride. Hypnotic, groovy, trippy and ominous soundscapes perfect to just lose yourself in, but there's also a flippant, dirty swagger to be had on a couple of tracks, especially *that one* concerning having "the kind of night that I read about". There's little not to like for me here.

Another good album from an artist that I'm kicking myself for never having properly explored prior.

This one is perhaps a bit more laid back and subtle than Lady Soul, but depending on my mood, there's equal chance I'd run with this one over the latter. The bass guitar work of Tommy Cogbill and Aretha's piano playing are nothing short of great. Also, I've already said this on my last Aretha review, but what a voice.

Wow, er... OK. This was quite something. Imagine if the members from Genesis were to all undergo frontal lobotomies and were given the task of assembling something which vaguely resembles their own music using FL Studio preset tools and tracks from the free trial version, whilst recruiting newly-divorced and in denial Gary from the local Woolpack Inn to employ his drunken stupor falsetto wailing from one Thursday karaoke night across an entire album, and you have a vague idea of what's going on here. All under the pseudonym of "Robert Wyatt" for the purpose of creating further intrigue.

Does that sound like absolute shite to you? It probably is, but my "dropped on my head as a baby" brain is somehow ironically fascinated by it.

Amazingly, I've only really scratched the surface. From the opening track "Sea Song", Rock Bottom heads off into arguably even more absurd directions, with some very unsettling, deliberately incohesive bass guitar, saxophone and keyboard playing culminating in a disturbingly beautiful avant garde mess of an album. It doesn't make sense, but I like things that don't make sense. We're even treated to a guest appearance from Gary's Scottish fishmonger mate Donald on the final track, sensing the opportunity to write himself into the history books in the library of "what the fuck".

This is the sort of stuff that I signed up to this challenge for, not Elvis Costello and his unending encyclopedia of collated milquetoast sounds.

This was actually quite decent for a style of rock that's never really connected with me. It's a jangly, and even a bit glam in places, indie album. The production is full-bodied for its time, with the more than audible bass guitar acting as a nice touch throughout.

Lyrically, whilst there is plenty of self-pitying going on here as is commonplace for the style, this felt a bit more intelligent, quirky and less on the over-earnest side. I didn't want to set the vocalist on fire either, which is often a chief complaint for me within this sphere.

I wouldn't object at all if someone were to put this on.

A stunner.

Its hypnotic, dream-like qualities instill calmness in my mind regardless of what mood I'm in prior. It's relatively basic compositionally compared to his subsequent works - "Shh / Peaceful" is essentially one chord locking in a groove, but the trumpet and electric piano/organ work somehow opens up an entire universe within a track.

Not a half bad collection of musicians who performed on this one either - Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin. Simply untouchable.

A bona fide classic album.

Alongside the likes of The Fall, Gang of Four, Wire et al. this band were a cornerstone of the weird, off-kilter post punk style which would inspire countless later acts. This is their best work and an album which sounds head and shoulders above the vast majority of anything else which was doing the rounds at the time, in terms of its production values and innovation.

I've never been particularly hot on Echo and the Bunnymen, whose music I've always felt was decent, if a bit unspectacular and lacking in memorability from the snippets I've heard. I've had a slightly better time with this one, which errs more on the psychedelic and experimental side akin to The Associates. Although, where they seemed to throw everything at it, this felt a bit more measured and restrained. There still aren't many individual moments here which really leap out at me, but as a whole it felt a bit more energetic and purposeful. It's got potential to be a grower, although when I'd actively choose to put this on again is an issue that hangs in the balance.

Reggae is one of those genres that I'd rarely ever sit down and listen to of my own volition, but I can recognise a high quality example of the genre when I hear it. "Catch a Fire" falls into that category - following the warm bass throughout is akin to having your brain massaged, and the lyricism dealing with themes of political injustice towards minorities / abject poverty provides a chilling juxtaposition to the generally sonically uplifting music.

I probably need to spend some more time with Bob Marley, and I know that he has at least one more album in the list, so one way or another I will get around to doing so.

I've quite enjoyed this. It's a very tight punk/new wave album without too many bells and whistles, but sometimes a relatively straightforward rocker is just what you need. The album opens up a bit more in its final third with tracks such as "Private Life" and "Lovers of Today"; the latter in particular exercises a great use of build in creeping up from quiet into loud passages, and was a very welcome segway towards the end.

I'm impressed by how consistent a package this is for a debut, and I could very well end up buying it.