Reviews by tjehl

There’s no way three guys in Newcastle Upon Tyne could have predict the mayhem (pun intended) this would cause in Norway half a decade later.

“Buried Alive” and “Raise the Dead” are absolute highlights on the first side while the harrowing tale of “Countess Bathory” dominates the second half.

The artwork and lyrics are almost comically extreme and the production on especially the drums leave some to be desired.. But this is just, almost surprisingly the cover taken into consideration, an extremely fun record!

For the sake of my sanity I try to ignore the fact that the album closes on a teaser of the first song of Venom’s next album… Because… Who in hell would actually do such a thing? Nobody, right? Nobody.

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of Elvis Costello. I’ve listened to a couple of records but I was never blown back.

So imagine listening to this record for the first time… And still don’t care.

“Alison” is great and there’s some great breaks and musicianship. And knowing the popularity of this guy it doesn’t please me one bit that I still feel totally indifferent to Costello’s discography.

It might have been a brave and important step for a folk singer to use a rock band as backing… But ending on an 11 minute folk ballad? Dylan at his best!

There are so many excellent tracks and Dylan’s storytelling is as good as it ever gets; “Ballad of a Thin Man” and “Desolation Row” being prime examples.

If you rate Dylan-albums by the sheer volume of harmonica (and you should), this is quite good.

Is this a contender for best 25th album by an artist?

One of rock’s greatest comebacks. Incredible to return to the stage and deliver this after 10 years of absence.

Like so many of Bowie’s records this is best when he steps away from the conventional road and experiments.
And while I still find the first album to be strong it’s the second half that really shines!

The one album that really makes Soundgarden deserve their spot in grunge history alongside Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Super unknown is the first truly great Soundgarden album; it’s heavier and more harrowing, it’s faster and more experimental and it’s the absolute peak of the band’s songwriting - especially when it comes to range and complexity.

It’s greatest strength, beside from Cornell’s awesome vocal, is the variety in genres. The heavy stuff is great, the ballads are great. But I’ve never truly understood the brutal 70 minutes playtime.

While there are few actually weak tracks you feel full when it’s over; and I would have loved being left wanting way more!

How is this the first time I hear this record in it’s entirety?

GZA’s vocabulary is insane and his flow likewise. Surgical precision; nothing less.

While not flashy the beats are the perfect backbone for GZA and his guests often rough, harsh and honest storytelling.

The focus on extremely lyrically heavy songs ends up being almost physically exhausting. But with lyrics like these it takes a lot more to actually grow tired of it.

Absolutely insane that this is a debut album. And released in 1969? I mean...

Side one is non-stop perfection with an absolute highlight in "Dazed and Confused" (inspired by Jake Holmes).

Side two is not quite as strong but still contains incredible tracks such as "Communication Breakdown" and "How Many More Times".

Even when the record gets almost too close to just being blues Plant's voice comes roaring in and saves the day.

This is not on the verge of being handed a 5/5 but it's definitely not a 3/5 either.

I feel fru-fru-fru-fru-frustration listening to this.
How is this a serious record!?

The lyrics sound as if improvised a lazy afternoon.
The production is equally lazy and just plain boring.

Also Almond's vocals are horrendous. He almost seems to deliberately avoid hitting any tones on the entire record. This is the sound of the high school singer you all applauded out of pity and then talked about behind his back.

Imagine being this bad and still have the courage to release "Sex Dwarf".

This sounds like a collection of theme songs to movies I’ve never seen.
I feel strangely emotionally severed from this record and despite beautiful moments I need to remind myself to keep focused on the songs… Quite often in fact.

Pretty sure I’ve heard “Oompah Radar” in RuneScape at some point.

Led Zeppelin at the peak of their creativity. There is an abundance of legendary tracks on this and side two (Houses through Kashmir) is absolutely ridiculous.

It might have proven better had they left the 4th side blank, but this is nonetheless a show of sheer strength.

Also, how beautiful is Page’s playing on “The Rover”?

This is obviously good. The musicianship is great, Waters sounds great… And still it does little to nothing for me.

Straight up blues just isn’t my thing.
And I’m not really particularly sad about it.

This is the most Björk album ever.
A horrible start for anyone new to the singer and the perfect album to test wether or not you really like Iceland’s most adventurous musician.

Claustrophobic, haunting, devastating but still stunningly beautiful. A unique album to be sure; but what a thrill.

This is THE Björk album I would love to hear performed live.

I was lucky enough to experience Prince live twice. Two of the greatest musical moments I’ve ever witnessed!

Listening to his albums doesn’t quite bring out the same magic though. It sounds like no one told Prince no in quite some time (and why would they think to do so, he’s a genius)… It might have been healthy once in while.

Enduring tracks such as Housequake and Forever In My Life makes this feel way too long… Prince is simply better with a band than stripped down; as beautifully showcased on I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man.

At least 20 minutes could easily have been cut.

I don’t dig the reggae influence on this record at all. And I absolutely adore reggae!

Is it a good thing if one of the best track on a trip hop album is the closest thing to a classical piece; “Weather Storm”?

I was gonna hand this a 3 until I was reminded of the horrendous cover of “Light My Fire”. How on earth this was included on the original track list is beyond me.

One of the best sounding records to emerge from the 90’s.

I genuinely can’t comprehend how Shields produced such an intense and dense wall of noise while managing to maintain dreamy vibe and pop sound of the songs.

I think it’s fair to assume that a decent amount of my favorite records of the late 90’s and forward wouldn’t exist without Loveless. A legacy almost as massive as it’s sound.

I’d forgotten how much this album at times screams Ibiza!

Quite often it sounds like a band struggling to realize wether they are a dance or rock-band. I mean - going from “Love Less” to “Round & Round” is a surreal move.

But at the same time it never fails to keep me engaged entertained. Maybe Hook’s melodic bass-lines are making me feel generous!

Without a shadow of a doubt Nirvana’s strongest record.

Grunge really peaked with In Utero and everything grunge beyond this release is slowly fading into alternative rock to be honest.

It’s fair to say that these doctor’s orders weren’t meant for me. Neither is the humor - if you can actually call it that.

The production is solid and there’s some interesting scratching. Not that impressed by most of the rap in itself… And the record itself is just way, way too long!

This would’ve gotten an extra star if not for the non-stop jokes and skits.

Opening with "Zero" and "Heads Will Roll" is really setting the bar high.
A brave move that doesn’t always pays off. Especially when you drastically change direction right after.

The subsequent nosedive into despair manages to calm my excitement a bit.

While containing great songs that aren't as danceable as the lead singles, the massive "Runaway" being the prime example, it just doesn't manage to keep me truly engaged all the way through.

I actually think that just spreading out the lead singles would have earned this another star. Tracklists are an artform.

An almost surreal successor to Astral Weeks. What a musical journey Van Morrison undertook in those years.

An incredibly impressive track list with a few minor misses.