Reviews by scribeben

As with A Hard Day’s Night, I was surprised how many of these songs I didn’t already know. I think this record is generally a bit better than the aforementioned, but not as good as their more mature work. Incidentally, still waiting for a Chuck Berry record on this list…

Occasionally lyrically interesting but just too sleepy, dull and twee for my taste.

Artisanal delivery system for white American hetero normative twaddle.

I was surprised to find how few of these songs I was previously familiar with. The hits are great and the rest is still very good but not at the level of their best work.

I was pleasantly surprised by this from the opening chords. Soulful rock in the mold of Robin Trower with some added flourishes. Not exactly original and sort of out of place in the 90s but it provided welcome vibes for my walk across town this afternoon. Way better than The Jam in any case.

Some of the roots of our toxic culture. Sounds pretty though.

One of the great classic goth records, perhaps even quintessentially so, whether or not Eldritch wants to admit it.

I feel like the songwriting is good but it’s tough to get past his voice.

Way better with the Y

Got this on the day of Dolly Parton’s death. Kinda weird that the Jolene record isn’t on this list given that it has two of the greatest songs of all time on it. This one has some gorgeous tunes on it as well, though.

“Message in a Bottle” is probably their best song, and the instrumentation on this record is often beautiful but I still can’t tolerate Sting.

Pleasant and occasionally interesting instrumental music though is not continuously compelling.

I’m kind of amazed this sold a single copy. NPR must’ve been plugging it 69 times a day. Props for taking a really big swing though.

Mark Lanegan is my all-time favorite singer. I’m happy he’s included on this list in some way, even if this isn’t the best representation of his oeuvre. While the Screaming Trees records are far from his best work, this is probably the most consistently good of them. Check out all his solo records and collabs with QOTSA, Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers, Greg Dulli, etc.

There’s something I find rather irritating about this.

A lot to love here, but maybe not quite as much as his other record on here because some of the tracks have a kind of cheesy production that was perhaps meant to make it more palatable to American and European ears.

994 albums in and not one by Tupac, Tool, Bill Withers, Ani Difranco, Pantera, Ornette Coleman, Bone Thugs, Failure, Babe Ruth, Mercyful Fate, Stone Temple Pilots, Opeth, etc. but 3 from these abysmal schmucks and this is the worst one yet.

“Paint it, Black” is their best song by far. “Mother’s Little Helper” is kinda good. The record drops off a cliff from there lyrically and stylistically.

“Hungry Like The Wolf” is a good song. There are some other cool moments but it’s mostly pretty cheesy. Often there’s a cool verse that goes into a lame chorus.

I had never heard this full record but had a best of as a kid that included several of these tracks. Gano’s voice has an incomparable pathos and I love the jangly guitars. There’s nothing else put there that sounds remotely like this band.