Reviews by uergsel

My goodness, how time flies! Sufjan Stevens’ "Illinois" was released over 20 years ago, and his warm, dreamy blend of indie folk and baroque pop still sounds delightfully fresh. Stevens is an artist whose albums either don't really do it for me, or hit me with full force. This one really won my heart. The interweaving of classical, baroque, and minimalist music elements in his definition of Pop music is particularly effective here, making the album musically complex despite its apparent simplicity. I really ought to listen to more Sufjan Stevens and finally give his discography a proper listen from start to finish.

What sounds in the description like two of the four horsemen of the musical apocalypse – rap and blues (the other two being country and techno... or was it country and reggae?) – is in reality an incredibly dull, remarkably sluggish and lacklustre album. I’ve no idea why this ended up in the ‘1001 Albums’. Is it because of ‘Cold Beverage’, which, according to Wikipedia, became a ‘college radio staple’? What’s next? ‘Popular in Polish sausage adverts’? Dull, just plain dull.

Blimey! I tried really hard to listen to the album in one go, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yes, it's much better than the egomaniacal, misogynistic, Tourette-like gangster rap albums I've listened to for the 1001 Albums project, but ultimately, the constant agitation, anger and brutality are unbearable. It's not music, but rather a series of battle cries.

Phew! The nineties were pretty exhausting. The Chemical Brothers' debut album, "Exit Planet Dust", is quite monotonous. While it's certainly hypnotic and exhilarating in a club, at home on the couch 30 years after its release, it's just tiring synthetic minimalist rhythms. It's not bad — I understand why this sound became so important — but looking back, it simply reflects the hustle and bustle, excitement and hedonism of the time.

What more can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? Probably nothing. It has sold 50 million copies, been reissued countless times and remastered and re-released multiple times. The artwork is one of the most iconic of all time. The music is known to virtually everyone. This album marked the start of the British band’s most successful period. In terms of production, it was a quantum leap for the band. By the time this album was released, they were global stars. Admittedly, it's slightly overrated and not even the band's best album (not even their second best), yet "The Dark Side of the Moon" remains a constant companion in my musical life and a milestone in rock music.

When I was young, Johnny Cash was just about the worst thing you could imagine in music. His music was the epitome of bland American country. Anyone who listened to Johnny Cash was seen as an anti-rocker with dubious taste. His strange album with Bob Dylan did nothing to improve his reputation either. For a boy from Europe, Johnny Cash was far too American. It wasn’t until towards the end of his career that his image changed, and I plucked up the courage to listen to one of his albums. "American IV: The Man Comes Around" is the last album he released during his lifetime. It consists almost entirely of cover versions. Cash was ill and frail at the time of recording. You can hear that in the intimate interpretations. The songs about pain and grief are particularly successful, thanks in part to the subtle arrangements: "Hurt", "I Hung My Head", “Personal Jesus” and “The Man Comes Around” are the highlights; objectively speaking, the duet with Don Henley, “Desperado”, is a complete failure – poorly sung (by both of them!) – but it is impossible to escape the aura of the dying Cash on this album.

By 1978, punk rock had actually already run its course in the UK, but the shockwaves of the movement and its music (though ‘punk’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘punk rock’, but that’s another matter) were sweeping across the world and had evidently reached Australia by 1978 as well. And so ‘Eternally Yours’ by The Saints sounds just like the tracks that were already being successfully marketed by the major record labels at the time. I’m certainly no expert, but the brash attitude and simple music naturally bring to mind the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, without quite matching their raw energy. Terrible music. No matter how noble and important the punk scene’s cause was, the music is unbearable. Even more unbearable is the digital version, which, alongside the regular album, contains the same noise – only in poorer sound quality – as “International Robot Sessions” as bonus tracks.

Phew! There are lots of eighties albums that just haven’t stood the test of time. Orange Juice’s "Rip It Up" has it all: thin production, questionable sounds and strange lyrics. Not to mention Edwyn Collins, a singer with a distinctive voice that people either love or hate. And, as you've probably guessed: I find this drivel unbearable. Coupled with the lacklustre production, the album is a very good example of something that was popular in its day but is now close to be unlistenable.

Elvis Costello and I aren’t going to be friends anymore. Having listened to "Blood And Chocolate", one of his earlier albums, I remember why: he basically plays simple 1960s rock ’n’ roll with a (post) punk attitude. There are simple guitar riffs, a croaky voice and an arrogant, rough-and-ready attitude. In other words, it's exactly the sort of rock music that's never interested me. However, anyone who likes early 1960s rock might find this to their liking. For me, it lacks sophistication and elegance, as well as surprising songwriting. Everything has this 'Oops, here I come' attitude typical of young Costello. Definitely not my cup of tea.

I’m not a huge Bowie fan (actually I wouldn't consider me a fan at all). I have my reservations, particularly about his early work, which so many people hold in such high regard (“Ziggy Stardust”, “Hunky Dory”, “Diamond Dogs”, etc.). I also find much of his eighties and nineties output rather boring. Apart from his last two albums, especially "Blackstar", I only really like his Berlin Trilogy, the often-underrated "Scary Monsters", the funky "Let's Dance" (which is actually more of a Nile Rodgers album), and this album. Why? Because on "Station to Station", Bowie hints at the elements he would later perfect, namely Krautrock and avant-pop in the vein of the Berlin Trilogy and "Scary Monsters", and the laid-back, cool, groovy funk attitude of "Let's Dance". This brings us back to my personal Bowie favourites. With 'Wild Is the Wind', it also features the best cover version Bowie ever delivered. It's a strange, disjointed and incoherent album, largely created whilst high on cocaine, yet it is nonetheless astonishingly self-contained and thoroughly successful.

Oh dear, how dull! While I can appreciate drum and bass as an influence or sound effect every now and again, the 'pure form' of the genre makes absolutely no sense to me. It's just over two hours of frantic beats accompanied by a bassline and some vocals. That's it. Utterly boring. This album may have been groundbreaking for the drum and bass genre, but from today's perspective, the seemingly hedonistic reduction to pure dance rhythms just doesn't hold my attention.

Actually, I should be a huge Randy Newman fan. I like talented singer-songwriters who write powerful lyrics exploring the darker sides of life. I appreciate self-deprecation and sarcasm as forms of criticism. Yet there's something about Randy Newman's music that just doesn't resonate with me. It could be his brittle singing style, even though I have no problem with so-called 'ugly' voices. It could be his deeply American perspective on the world — bitter and critical, certainly, but thoroughly American — or it could be something else entirely. Even though I find most of the songs brilliant, the album just washes over me. Sorry, Randy.

Anyone who’s into rock music is bound to come across this David Bowie album at some point. 'Heroes' has become such a rock legend that there isn't much left to say about it. Here are a few of my personal thoughts: it’s not my favourite Bowie album (not even my second favourite), and in my opinion it’s not his best. In fact, I don't even think it's the best of the Berlin Trilogy. Without Fripp’s brilliant guitar work, it would be only half as good. Nevertheless, it remains a milestone and a masterpiece.

I love the 1001 Albums Generator website for albums like this: I’d honestly never heard of Shuggie Otis before, let alone knew of the existence of his third (and, for a long time, final) album, "Inspiration Information". Wikipedia describes the style as “progressive soul”, and indeed, it’s fantastic music that combines the groove and accessibility of soul with the complexity of progressive rock. I can well imagine why the album went largely unnoticed in 1974: it simply didn’t fit the stereotype of black music and was far too sophisticated for the pop-oriented R&B crowd. But it’s also immediately obvious why the multi-instrumentalist Otis had such an immense influence on the young Prince, who was to make a name for himself a few years later with a similar concept (and much more commercial tracks). The comparison with Stevie Wonder (who was working on the masterpiece "Songs in the Key of Life" at the time) isn’t too far-fetched either, but of course, he didn't have neither the resources nor the experience of Stevie Wonder. It would have been very interesting to see what else Otis might have produced after this album, but instead he largely withdrew from the stage (and the studio) as a solo artist and produced music only for his own collection. Some of this material was eventually released many decades later following its rediscovery. It was too late for a global career, but the album impressively demonstrates a singular talent that was lost in the grind of the record industry.

Wow, I wasn’t expecting that! Of course I know who Ute Lemper is: the German singer who went to the US to make it big – and make it big she did. As the saying goes, 'a prophet is not without honour save in his own country'. She performs musicals, jazz and Brecht-Weill songs. But an album like this? With Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Scott Walker as the songwriters and The Divine Comedy as the backing band (and songwriter). The result is a sombre, emotional avant-pop masterpiece of singer-songwriter music. The crowning glory is the lengthy 'Scope J.', written by Scott Walker. At over 10 minutes long, it is austere and profound — the antithesis of commercially accessible, light jazz songs. Some editions of the album also feature an additional Scott Walker track, 'Lullaby (By-by-by)', as a bonus. Another 11 minutes of uncompromising artistry. This is an album that really is a must-listen.

"All Things Must Pass" is George Harrison’s debut solo studio album, released after the Beatles' break-up. Two other albums had already been recorded before the band split up. This triple album, released as a three-LP set, is arguably the most successful solo album by a former Beatle and perhaps comes closest to the sound of the Fab Four. Many of the compositions were written before the break-up and share the same flavour, and the album features Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman — a former Beatle and a close friend of the band — along with countless other musicians. Even John Lennon and Yoko Ono contributed to one track. The album was produced, at least in part, by Phil Spector, who had already played a decisive role in the post-production of "Let It Be"; indeed, there is a certain similarity to the Beatles' final album. "All Things Must" Pass features numerous classics from Harrison’s solo repertoire, including 'My Sweet Lord', 'Beware of Darkness', 'Isn't It a Pity?' and the title track 'All Things Must Pass'. The third LP, entitled 'Apple Jam', comprises instrumental compositions that were improvised more or less live in the studio. The session featured renowned friends with whom Harrison would go on to perform time and again: Ginger Baker, Billy Preston, Jim Gordon, Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, Gary Wright and, of course, Eric Clapton. The album is a conclusion, a wistful look back and a new beginning — not only for Harrison, but also for the entire 1960s era, which was decisively shaped by the Beatles' music. It is also a wonderful piece of rock history.

"1999" is widely regarded as the first masterpiece of the great Prince. The album, which was released in 1982, marked his commercial breakthrough — it was actually the first Prince album I ever heard. In 2019, a Super Deluxe Edition comprising a total of five CDs with 65 tracks (instead of the original eleven) was released. While the synth-and-drum-machine sound certainly shaped Prince’s work in the years that followed and defined the sound of the era, it is also the main issue I have with the album from today’s perspective. Prince recorded the album almost single-handedly, as he usually did, only occasionally enlisting the help of other musicians, mostly backing singers. The list of instruments used reads like a synth fan's wet dream from the early '80s: ARP Omni, Oberheim OB-SX, OB-X, OB-Xa and OB-8, Linn LM-1, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, and so on. – in short, everything that sounds like the '80s today, including handclaps, plus guitar, bass, piano and vocals. The album hasn’t aged well. Many of the musically brilliant moments suffer from this 'plastic sound', compounded by a few of Prince's cringe-worthy, sexist lyrics. For me, revisiting this supposed classic was disappointing. There are other Prince albums that work much better today.

Iggy Pop is an excellent example of the fact that you don’t necessarily have to be a good composer, a good singer or a good musician to be a rock icon. For there is no doubt that Pop is an icon, embodying (proto-)punk and a brash yet uncompromising rock ’n’ roll attitude. “Lust for Life” was recorded in the same place and at the same time as Bowie’s famous Berlin Trilogy, with significant input from his drugs-and-rehab buddy Bowie, yet musically it bears no resemblance to it. Whilst Bowie explores krautrock, ambient and experimental art rock, Pop presents stomping punk and sing-along rock on “Lust for Life”, somewhere between the clichés of The Clash and The Rolling Stones. With its rumbling energy, the album is exhausting and irritating, but above all, it’s deadly boring.

"Songs In The Key Of Life" was Stevie Wonder’s 18th album and was released 50 years ago, in 1976. When you consider that Wonder is still active as a musician, you can appreciate just how important he is. In the mid-1970s, he was at the height of his creativity, and “Songs In The Key Of Life” was the crowning achievement in a whole series of fantastic albums. The perfection of the recordings – both in terms of performance and sound – remains impressive, especially when you consider that, although 130 musicians were involved, the majority of the music was recorded by Wonder himself. In terms of production, only Steely Dan could, at best, keep up with Wonder’s perfectionism. Compositionally, Wonder showcases everything he has to offer: R&B, (progressive) soul, pop, rock, jazz and funk. Wonder explored the boundaries of black music and confidently pushed them further. The result is quite simply perfect. It grooves, it swings, it rocks; it features enchanting melodies and, with ‘Sir Duke’, one of the most complex arrangements in the history of pop music. A milestone.

As far as I can remember, Coldplay's first three albums were the 'good' ones, before they veered further and further towards commercialism, ultimately sinking into pop trash. Back then, Coldplay were regarded as 'cheerful Radiohead' or 'Radiohead without the depression'. After all these years, I’m listening to their second album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head", again, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. The comparison with Radiohead is certainly flattering, as Radiohead didn't make music this simple on their debut. On the one hand, Coldplay's signature "wall of post-rock sounds" certainly has its charms; on the other hand, it's all rather monotonous and bland. Perhaps it isn’t even the best of their first three albums? Overall, it's just average. Or maybe I’ve simply moved on from this sort of music.