Reviews by simonh

Ah. Structured songs. Notes that follow each other in a logical and pleasing order. Melody. Rhythm.

A great improvement on his 'ambient' stuff. - possibly because it's 1977 and he hasn't gone down that road yet.

This is actually quite pleasant in comparison.

Peace, man.
Peace.

Beautiful.

I got Who vibes listening to this. Is that blasphemy?

I'm not going to contribute to the argument enjoyed by Americans about what should and shouldn't be on the list (if you don't like it you know what you can do).
It's on the list.
I listened to it.
And I enjoyed listening to it.
(and I'm kinda surprised they didn't go on to bigger things)
4½

I love a squealer

One thing I've found with this project...

There's some albums I want to love but can't.

And there's some albums I want to hate but don't.

This comes into the second category.

I enjoy a well-sampled track, but this felt a bit more like curation than a fresh take. The lyrics are deeply tied to an African heritage that I simply don't share, so the emotional core of the album missed me.

Absolutely love this album. Utterly brilliant. Great tunes. Fabulous lyrics, dark, amusing, unusual theme. Like listening to a musical audio book.

Just great from start to (nearly) finish. The only dud was the final Bob Dylan authored track.. Whoda thunk it. I get the tongue-in-cheekness of adding this at the end of an album that is basically all murders. It's just sadly not a great song.
4½

I immediately thought exactly the same thing about this Love album as I did about the first Love album I listened to - and that's without looking beforehand. It screams 1967 (ok so I got that bit wrong - it's 1966!).
It's so late 60's psychedelia that if I were ever to have an Austin Powers themed party then this would be number 1 on the playlist. (Or number 2 after their other album).

It was a nice listen overall, but since I'm not planning any 60's parties in the near future I doubt I will hear it again.

I should love Led Zep. I really should.
I like rock. I like metal. But Zep get so samey. By the end of the record I was tired of the constant wailing of Mr Plant. And tired of the same blues riffs.
It's an ok album, don't get me wrong. But they aren't the messiahs. In my opinion, Plant isn't even that great a singer. They influenced a lot of bands more because they were early adopters than because of some genius. Granted, they laid the foundations for other bands to build on... who then did it better.
I'm sad that I can't get excited about this album.

This was already in 4 territory before I got to China Girl, which prompted me to do some background research.

So the album was written by Bowie and Iggy. And it's more than the sum of its parts with Iggy's growling vocal and improvised lyrics and Bowie's musicality.

So much better than the Stooges.

I'm clearly predjudiced.

I've given this album 4 listens over 3 days and that's not the same goodwill I would give many other bands.

But this is The Kinks and I think I've been rewarded.

Although it is almost like the soundrack of a West End musical, with many of the tunes being more like dittys than deep meaningful opuses, all the songs are growers.

So with apologies to other acts that I might dismiss on first listen, this has grown to a 4

Must have been self funded, surely?

What record executive would think that they are going to make a return on their investment by releasing these random vocal and musical ramblings?

Utter shite.

A three part album for me.

It started like a 70's variety show orchestra. It could easily have been Ronnie Hazelhurst or Norrie Paramor. Then the guitarist started getting a bit bold (better). Then the guitarist (and everybody else) totally lost the plot.

The whole album is just too self indulgent, long and drawn out. It could and should have been a single album, though I'm not sure it would have been that much better.

It's difficult to believe that this is the band et Cetera that was shitting out the easy listening houswife friendly ballads a few years later. I'm not sure which incarnation I hate more.

Radio friendly housewife rock from the steel city sellouts. Styx-like vocal harmonies & Joe Elliott doing his best Steve Tyler impression whilst laughing all the way to the bank.

To be fair, they do the whole American pap-rock better than the locals. This is a lot more listenable than Hysteria as it still has a bit of edge, albeit blunt.

Ok...is that a fucking saw he's playing on the first track? Interesting start. Track 3 and the saw is back, with some high pitched synth generated wailing.

This definitely isn't an album you want to get stuck on a plane with. Yet here I am, in a descent, ears popping and this high pitched cacophony in my ears.

I am totally clueless coming into this album. Is it a band? Or a guy in his bedroom with a lot of electronics (and a saw) and Apple Garage Band? I'm thinking the latter. I guess the best I can say about this is it had kept my interest. But it's not something I'll need adding to my playlist.

I want this to be playing whilst I smash a chair over someone's head in a pub brawl. Or, more honestly, I want to be sat in a corner watching someone *else* smash a chair over someone's head.

The Pogues must have been brilliant to watch live. This album has some absolute classics on it including one of the best Christmas songs of all time.

Incredible how a bunch of Kentish plastic paddies can do Irish better than the Irish.

Lovely voice and lovely songs, though all a similar style and arrangement and mostly rather inane lyrics.
Best voice of someone I've never heard of. Reminded me a little of Carole King's singing, though not her songwriting.

I had a brilliant review written all about how in my first year of university, one of my new friends asked me if wanted to go see John Martyn who was playing there.

Having heard the whining drone emanating from his room from time to time I declined.

The punchline was that I was wise beyond my years.

When I posted it I realised this is actually a Van Morrison album not John Martyn
But to me the two are indistinguishable. And I'm sure some of the wailing coming from that room was Van Morrison anyway so I stand by the original review.

So I'm still wise beyond my years

Oh Words..I know that one. Always good to start with one you know. And like.

A lot of these tracks sound like I know them, they are that good. But I don't. Really entertaining and diverse album. And that's on only one listen. I'm going to bide my time on this one. It's heading high...

Nice bit of funky jazz.
I particularly enjoyed the first half Spoiled somewhat by the unnecessary contributions of Lamar and Khalifa later on that drag this down from a 4 to a 3. Thankfully only one track by each that I can "hide in this album". See Spotify does have some uses.
But spoils the overall feeling