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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2021 16:58:59 GMT 1
Beatles - (The White Album) The Beatles (1968)
The Beatles, also known as the White Album, is the ninth studio album and only double album by English rock band the Beatles, released on 22 November 1968. Its plain white sleeve contains no graphics or text other than the band's name embossed, which was intended as a direct contrast to the vivid cover artwork of the band's previous LP Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Beatles is recognised for its fragmentary style and diverse range of genres, including folk, British blues, ska, music hall and the avant-garde. It has since been viewed by some critics as a postmodern work, as well as among the greatest albums of all time.
The album features 30 songs, 19 of which were written during March and April 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India. There, the only western instrument available to the band was the acoustic guitar; several of these songs remained acoustic on The Beatles and were recorded solo, or only by part of the group. The production aesthetic ensured that the album's sound was scaled-down and less reliant on studio innovation than most of their releases since Revolver (1966). The Beatles also broke with the band's tradition at the time of incorporating several musical styles in one song by keeping each piece of music consistently faithful to a select genre.
At the end of May 1968, the Beatles returned to EMI Studios in London to commence recording sessions that lasted until mid-October. During these sessions, arguments broke out among the foursome over creative differences and John Lennon's new partner, Yoko Ono, whose constant presence subverted the Beatles' policy of excluding wives and girlfriends from the studio. After a series of various problems, including producer George Martin taking an unannounced holiday and engineer Geoff Emerick suddenly quitting during a session, Ringo Starr left the band for two weeks in August. The same tensions continued throughout the following year and led to the band's break-up.
The Beatles received favourable reviews from most music critics; detractors found its satirical songs unimportant and apolitical amid the turbulent political and social climate of 1968. It topped record charts in Britain (for 8 weeks) and the United States (for 9 weeks). No singles were issued in either territory, but "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" originated from the same recording sessions and were issued on a single in August 1968.
Back In The U.S.S.R. 10.0 Dear Prudence 9.0 Glass Onion 8.0 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 9.5 Wild Honey Pie 6.0 The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill 7.5 While My Guitar Gently Weeps 10.0 Happiness Is A Warm Gun 9.0 Martha My Dear 8.5 I'm So Tired 8.5 Blackbird 10.0 Piggies 7.5 Rocky Raccoon 8.0 Don't Pass Me By 7.0 Why Don't We Do It In The Road? 6.5 I Will 9.0 Julia 9.0 Birthday 9.0 Yer Blues 7.5 Mother Nature's Son 9.5 Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey 9.5 Sexy Sadie 9.5 Helter Skelter 10.0 Long, Long, Long 8.5 Revolution 1 8.5 Honey Pie 6.0 Savoy Truffle 7.5 Cry Baby Cry 8.5 Revolution 9 4.5 Good Night 8.0
Score: 249.5/30 = 8.32
As my scores suggest, I'm not the biggest fan of this album. They sound like a patchwork of ad-hoc ideas thrown together, when frequently working apart. I think the album lacks a focus; and at times it is a bit of a chore to listen to. With hindsight we know it was the beginning of the end of the band; and a foreboding of the initiative drop of in quality control in relation to heir solo careers.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2021 17:14:29 GMT 1
Beatles - Yellow Submarine (1969)
The tenth studio album by English rock band the Beatles, released on 13 January 1969 in the United States and on 17 January in the United Kingdom. It was issued as the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name, which premiered in London in July 1968. The album contains six songs by the Beatles, including four new songs and the previously released "Yellow Submarine" and "All You Need Is Love". The remainder of the album is a re-recording of the film's orchestral soundtrack by the band's producer, George Martin.
The project was regarded as a contractual obligation by the Beatles, who were asked to supply four new songs for the film. Some were written and recorded specifically for the soundtrack, while others were unreleased tracks from other projects. The album was recorded before – and issued two months after – the band's self-titled double LP (also known as the "White Album") and was not viewed by the band as a significant release. An EP containing only the new songs had been considered, and was mastered, but left unreleased.
The Beatles Yellow Submarine 5.5 Only A Northern Song 8.0 All Together Now 5.0 Hey Bulldog 10.0 It's All Too Much 9.0 All You Need Is Love 10.0 Original Film Score Pepperland 7.0 Sea Of Time 5.5 Sea Of Holes 6.0 Sea Of Monsters 5.0 March Of The Meanies 5.5 Pepperland Laid Waste 5.5 Yellow Submarine In Pepperland 6.0
Score: 88.0/13 = 6.77
This is pretty grim to listen to in relation to their back catalogue. In essence you are purchasing the album for an EP worth of good new tracks. Little wonder the band did not regard it as a proper album, as it (mostly) is not.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2021 18:01:27 GMT 1
Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
The eleventh studio album by the English rock band was released on 26 September 1969 by Apple Records. Named after the location of EMI Studios in London, the cover features the group walking across the street's zebra crossing, an image that became one of the most famous and imitated in popular music. The album's initially mixed reviews were contrasted by its immediate commercial success, topping record charts in the UK and US. The lead single "Something" / "Come Together" was released in October and topped the US charts (but stalled at UK #4).
The album incorporates genres such as blues, rock and pop, and makes prominent use of Moog synthesizer, sounds filtered through a Leslie speaker, and tom-tom drums. It is the Beatles' only album recorded exclusively through a solid-state transistor mixing desk, which afforded a clearer and brighter sound than the group's previous records. Side two contains a medley of shorter song fragments. The sessions also produced a non-album single, "The Ballad of John and Yoko" backed with "Old Brown Shoe".
Producer George Martin returned on the condition that the Beatles adhere to the discipline of their earlier records. They found the album's recording more enjoyable than the preceding Get Back sessions, but personal issues still permeated the band. Production lasted from February to August 1969, and the closing track "The End" marked the final occasion that all four members recorded together. John Lennon privately left the group six days before the album's release; Paul McCartney publicly declared the band's break-up the following April.
Upon release, detractors found Abbey Road to be inauthentic and bemoaned the production's artificial effects. Yet commercially it spent 17 weeks at UK #1; & 11 weeks at USA #1. Since then, many critics have hailed the album as the Beatles' finest and a contender for the greatest album of all time; in particular, "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" are considered the best songs George Harrison wrote for the group. In 2020, it was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of all time.
Come Together 10.0 Something 10.0 Maxwell's Silver Hammer 9.0 Oh! Darling 8.0 Octopus's Garden 8.5 I Want You (She's So Heavy) 9.5 Here Comes The Sun 10.0 Because 9.5 You Never Give Me Your Money 9.5 Sun King 9.0 Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through The Bathroom Window 9.5 Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End 10.0 Her Majesty
Score: 112.5/12 = 9.38
What a way to bail out (chronologically) recording wise. This album is stunning from start to finish. Musically, its state of the art recording heralded the 1970s. Similarly, "the Quiet Beatle" delivering the best two songs on the album, had omens for the band's start of their solo careers. It is also no surprise why it has aged like a fine wine in comparison to Sgt. Peppers.. With regards the Side 2 medley - Originally they were going to release from YNGMYM onwards as one 16+ minute track titled "The Long One"; until they were persuaded to break the segments/song fragments by each piece.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 14, 2021 19:01:16 GMT 1
Beatles - Let It Be (1970) / Let It Be ... Naked (2003)
The band's twelfth and final studio album was released on 8 May 1970, almost a month after the group's break-up, in tandem with the motion picture of the same name. Like most of the band's previous releases, the album topped record charts in many countries, including both the US and the UK. However, the critical response was generally unfavourable, and Let It Be came to be regarded as one of the most controversial rock albums in history.
Rehearsals began at Twickenham Film Studios in January 1969 as part of a planned documentary showing the Beatles' return to live performance. Paul McCartney conceived the project as an attempt to reinvigorate the band by returning to simpler rock and roll configurations. The filmed rehearsals were marked by ill feeling, leading to George Harrison's temporary departure from the group. As a condition of his return, the members reconvened at their own Apple Studio with guest keyboardist Billy Preston. The project then yielded a single public concert held impromptu on the studio's rooftop on 30 January, from which three of the album's tracks were drawn.
In April 1969, the Beatles issued the single "Get Back", after which engineer Glyn Johns proposed rejected mixes of the album, then titled Get Back, that were widely bootlegged before release. From then, the project lay in limbo as they moved onto the recording of Abbey Road, released that September. By then, John Lennon had departed the group. In January 1970, the remaining Beatles finished the album with the completion of "Let It Be" and "I Me Mine". The former was issued as a single in March 1970, and like all the album's recording to this point, was produced by George Martin.
Get Back was ultimately assembled under the title of Let It Be by the American producer Phil Spector in early 1970. He omitted "Don't Let Me Down" (the B-side of the "Get Back" single) and instead included a 1968 take of "Across the Universe". Spector also included excerpts of studio chatter and applied orchestral and choir overdubs to four tracks. The additions offended McCartney, particularly in the case of "The Long and Winding Road".
In 2003, McCartney spearheaded Let It Be... Naked, an alternative mix of Let It Be that removes Spector's embellishments. In 2021, a remixed and expanded edition of Let It Be will be released with session highlights and a remaster of the 1969 Get Back mix.
Let It Be (1970)
Two Of Us 9.5 Dig A Pony 8.0 Across The Universe 9.5 I Me Mine 8.5 Dig It 4.0 Let It Be 9.5 Maggie Mae 4.5 I've Got A Feeling 9.0 One After 909 7.5 The Long And Winding Road 7.5 For You Blue 7.0 Get Back 9.0
Score: 93.0/12 = 7.75
(Spoiler: I will repeat this statement) I don't like Phil Spector's heavy handed unsubtle production. "Let It Be" has that ugly George solo added, to the superior single version produced by George Martin. "Get Back" is decleaned from the George produced single version, and sounds much more ragged, especially with it jarring ending; but the biggest crime against music is turning the sparse "The Long & Winding Road" into proto-Westlife muzak track. Then there are those ugly, boorish John ad-libs thrown all over the album. "Imagine graffiting the Mona Lisa, It isn't hard to do ... just listen to this album, you'll get my drift too..."
Let It Be ... Naked (2003) Get Back 9.0 Dig A Pony 8.0 For You Blue 7.5 The Long And Winding Road 10.0 Two Of Us 9.5
I've Got A Feeling 9.0 One After 909 7.5 Don't Let Me Down 8.5 I Me Mine 8.5 Across The Universe 8.5 Let It Be 9.5
Score: 95.5/11 = 8.68
By drafting in Coldplay; Elliott Smith, etc sound engineer Paul Hicks, and using the latest digital technology, he was able to remove the crude Phil Spector overdubs; & John's ad-libs; yet clean up the sound production. The biggest beneficiary is hearing "The Long & Winding Road" as it should sound, (and sounded on The Beatles 1 DVD); plus a few other tracks were improved, the one track it does detract from is John's "Across The Universe" which now more naked, highlights actually the song is more of a dirge, than it original release.
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vastar iner
Member
I am the poster on your wall
Posts: 17,426
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Post by vastar iner on Sept 14, 2021 20:23:20 GMT 1
As a vade mecum to the convoluted and confusing world of Beatles collecting, I can recommend the Parlogram Auctions channel on youtube. A useful amouse-bouche is the tale of the Beatles Movie Medley.
But it's a fun way to find out just how various releases differed in minor and bewildering ways.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2021 19:40:13 GMT 1
I know these two are not technically studio albums, but they captured all the band's non canon album tracks, so it feels worthwhile including them, as a result they are essential to the catalogue to complete their 1962-1970 official output: Beatles - Past Masters Vol 1 (1988)
Past Masters was originally issued as two separate CDs, Past Masters, Volume One and Past Masters, Volume Two, on 7 March 1988. The two volumes were included in The Beatles Box Set. A double LP set, titled Past Masters, Volumes One & Two (also titled simply Past Masters), was subsequently released in the US on 24 October 1988 and in the UK on 10 November 1988. Both volumes were also released as a double cassette bundle on 7 March 1988.
The double set was re-released on CD, titled simply Past Masters, on 9 September 2009, as part of the remastering of the original Beatles catalogue, and was included in The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) box set.
Contains recordings originally released between 1962 and 1965:
Eleven tracks from British singles (including B-sides) Both tracks from the German single "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" / "Sie Liebt Dich" All four tracks from the Long Tall Sally EP The US-only track "Bad Boy", from the album Beatles VI (although the song was also on the 1966 A Collection of Beatles Oldies album released by Parlophone)
Love Me Do 10.0 From Me To You 9.0 Thank You Girl 7.0 She Loves You 10.0 I'll Get You 7.0 I Want To Hold Your Hand 10.0 This Boy 8.5 Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand 8.0 Sie Liebt Dich 8.0 Long Tall Sally 8.5 I Call Your Name 8.0 Slow Down 7.5 Matchbox 7.0 I Feel Fine 9.5 She's A Woman 8.5 Bad Boy 7.5 Yes It Is 9.0 I'm Down 8.0
Score: 151.0/18 = 8.39
A great catch up of The Fabs during their early touring years. Lennon & McCartney dominate, with only one Starr vocal, & nothing by Harrison.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 15, 2021 19:54:47 GMT 1
Beatles - Past Masters Vol 2 (1988)
Contains recordings originally released between 1965 and 1970:
Fourteen tracks from British singles (including B-sides) The "Wildlife" version of "Across the Universe" from the charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World The 1970 stereo mix of "The Inner Light" had only been previously available on a limited edition 1981 EP.
Day Tripper 9.5 We Can Work It Out 10.0 Paperback Writer 10.0 Rain 10.0 Lady Madonna 9.0 The Inner Light 8.5 Hey Jude 10.0 Revolution 10.0 Get Back 9.5 Don't Let Me Down 9.0 The Ballad Of John And Yoko 9.5 Old Brown Shoe 6.5 Across The Universe 9.0 Let It Be 10.0 You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) 7.0
Score: 137.5/15 = 9.17
A quite brilliant album in its own right, and also reflecting their later period with more Paul; a couple of George; & less John. The non A-side stand out is John's "Rain" (B-side of "Paperback Writer") which sounds uncannily like Oasis nearly three decades before they formed!
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 16, 2021 11:11:39 GMT 1
Beck - Odelay (1996)
The fifth studio album by L.A. born multi-instrumentalist musician Beck Hansen, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. As of July 2008, the album had sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, making Odelay Beck's most successful album to date. Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.
Beck started to record tracks for his follow-up to Mellow Gold with Bong Load producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Only the tracks "Ramshackle", "Feather in Your Cap", and "Brother" from these sessions have been released, all of which are acoustic, sparse, and melancholic. He would eventually abandon work with Rothrock and Schnapf, opting to work with the Dust Brothers instead. The Dust Brothers' production style was hip-hop-focused yet more layered; their résumé included notable work with Beastie Boys, Tone Lōc and Young MC. Odelay incorporates elements from various genres, including "folk and country, grungy garage rock, stiff-boned electro, louche exotica, old-school rap and noise rock."
Upon release, Odelay received almost unanimous critical acclaim. Odelay was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1997, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Where It's At". It was ranked 16 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005". Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by the American magazine Rolling Stone. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and also in NME's annual critics poll. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Odelay the 51st greatest album of all time. The album was ranked number 306 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2013, and later ranked number 424 in the 2020 edition. The music website Pitchfork ranked it at #19 on their top 100 albums of the 1990s.
Devils Haircut 9.5 Hotwax 8.0 Lord Only Knows 8.5 The New Pollution 9.5 Derelict 7.0 Novacane 8.0 Jack-Ass 9.5 Where It's At 10.0 Minus 7.5 Sissyneck 7.5 Readymade 6.5 High 5 (Rock The Catskills) 7.0 Ramshackle 7.5
Diskobox 8.5
Score: 114.5/14 = 8.18
Sonically, this is a great album to listen to Helped by the Dust Brothers production & some inventive samples. Where it falls down in places is when the songs are not that strong.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 16, 2021 11:34:28 GMT 1
Beck - Sea Change (2002)
The eighth studio album by American musician Beck, released on September 24, 2002 by Geffen Records. Recorded over a two-month period in Los Angeles with producer Nigel "Radiohead, Travis" Godrich, the album features themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude, and loneliness. For the album, much of Beck's trademark cryptic and ironic lyrics were replaced by simpler, more sincere lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for live instrumentation. Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album.
Sea Change peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, later being certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA. It was met with favorable responses from critics, who considered Beck's transition from sonically experimental work to emotionally charged balladry to be successful and convincing. The album later appeared in many publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s, and is today one of Beck's best-reviewed recordings.
The Golden Age 9.5 Paper Tiger 7.5 Guess I'm Doing Fine 9.5 Lonesome Tears 9.0 Lost Cause 10.0 End Of The Day 9.0 It's All In Your Mind 8.5 Round The Bend 7.5 Already Dead 9.5 Sunday Sun 9.0 Little One 9.0 Side Of The Road 8.0
Score: 106.0/12 = 8.83
Imagine English folk singer Nick Drake stumbling across Jon Pertwee's Tardis and ending up in Radiohead's studio ... and you pretty much get this remarkable album. As you can imagine this is not for everyone's taste. But you can really hear the blood on the tracks in this emotional, introspective, and at times sparsely sounding record with some quite excellent musicians.
Beck, is definitely one of those acts whom had streaming not come into existence, I would have purchased a number of his subsequent albums (Morning Phase (2014); Colors (2017); & Hyperspace (2019)).
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 17, 2021 15:06:58 GMT 1
Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)
The sixth studio album by Scottish indie pop band formed by Stuart Murdoch in 1996, released on 6 October 2003 on Rough Trade Records. Producer Trevor Horn. He oversaw the production of the album, and gave it a more polished, pop-friendly sound, which stood in sharp contrast with their previous lo-fi, folky albums.
The album was nominated for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize, while the song "Step into My Office, Baby" was shortlisted for an Ivor Novello Award in the Best Song category. The album peaked at UK #21, & scored a 79 Metacritic aggregate rating.
Step Into My Office, Baby 10.0 Dear Catastrophe Waitress 7.5 If She Wants Me 8.5 Piazza, New York Catcher 9.5
Asleep On A Sunbeam 9.0 I'm A Cuckoo 9.5 You Don't Send Me 7.5 Wrapped Up In Books 8.5 Lord Anthony 7.5 If You Find Yourself Caught In Love 7.5 Roy Walker 6.5 Stay Loose 7.0
Score: 98.5/30 = 8.21
Teaming up with Trevor Horn was an inspired move, as it got the best out of both parties (especially on the opener, a UK #32 hit as the 80s production legend quite literally turned it into a Carry On film theme, as Stuart Murdoch's original lyrics intended, and then later adding a similar pop video to boot), as they each reigned in their own indulgences, rather than the opposite occurring. So this is probably their most accessible album in their entire catalogue, even if some of their earlier album have a better set of songs.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 17, 2021 15:22:37 GMT 1
Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (2006)
The seventh studio album by the Glasgow indie pop band. It was released in Europe on 6 February 2006 by Rough Trade Records and in North America on 7 February 2006 by Matador Records. It was produced by American record producer Tony Hoffer who had previously produced albums for Air; Beck; Supergrass; The Thrills; & Turin Breaks giving it a more harder indie pop rock sound.
The album earned the band its most successful chart performance yet, reaching #8 in the UK Album Chart and #65 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 20,485 units in the first week. The Life Pursuit has been certified Silver in the UK. Lead single "Funny Little Frog" reached the top 20 of the UK Single Charts in January 2006, becoming the band's highest charting to date. "The Blues Are Still Blue" was released as the second single in April of that same year managing to peak inside the top 40. "White Collar Boy" was released as the last single in June peaking inside the top 50 of the same chart.
In 2009, Pitchfork named the album the 86th greatest of the 2000s. Its Metacritic aggregate rating is 78.
Act Of The Apostle I 7.0 Another Sunny Day 9.5 White Collar Boy 8.5 The Blues Are Still Blue 9.5 Dress Up In You 8.5 Sukie In The Graveyard 7.0 We Are The Sleepyheads 7.0 Song For Sunshine 6.5 Funny Little Frog 9.5 To Be Myself Completely 8.5 Act Of The Apostle II 6.5 For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea 7.5 Mornington Crescent 7.0
Score: 102.5/13 = 7.88
Again, another very good Stuart Murdoch's band penned album. Musically, you can tell the some person produced this as produced The Thrills. The result being a less fey, more muscular, sturdy summery blues pop-rock sounding effort, which really works for certain tracks, and less so on others.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 17, 2021 15:43:50 GMT 1
Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love (2010)
The eighth studio album by the Scottish indie-pop group was released on 11 October 2010. The album is the second collaboration between Belle and Sebastian and Tony Hoffer, who produced their previous album.
Norah Jones is featured on the track "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John"; The title track, "Write About Love", was announced as the lead single from the album features the lead vocals of Oscar nominated actress Carey (Mrs Marcus Mumford) Mulligan; leaving Sarah Martin to sing lead on just two tracks.
The album debuted at UK #8, & USA #15 (their highest chart peak). Its Metacritic aggregate rating in 75.
I Didn't See It Coming 9.0 Come On Sister 8.5 Calculating Bimbo 7.0 I Want The World To Stop 9.5 Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John 8.0 Write About Love 9.0 I'm Not Living In The Real World 7.0 The Ghost Of Rockschool 6.5 Read The Blessed Pages 6.5 I Can See Your Future 7.0 Sunday's Pretty Icons 7.5
Score: 85.5/11 = 7.77
Again, a pretty solid album, albeit one with a bit of a drop off in the songwriting in the second half of the album. I have to admit had the internet & streaming not existed I would have probably gone to collect some of the Scottish Beautiful South via Prefab Sprout older work, and I definitely would have bought 2015's Girls In Peacetime Wants To Dance, not least as I think "Party Line" is the best track they've done in the 21st century.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 17, 2021 16:41:31 GMT 1
Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer (2008)
The first full studio album by the Bristol based singer-songwriter, who studied music and art at Weston-super-Mare College and in 2003, went on to the Brighton Institute of Modern Music with the particular help and encouragement of soul singer Carleen Anderson. She then went on tour as a backing vocalist to Ronan Keating; Enrique Iglesias; & Crowded House.
It was released on 19 May 2008, in the UK and the day after in North America. The Steve Power produced album was co-written by Jazz saxophonist Ben (son of Roy) Castle who is well known for his work with Jamie Cullum; and features Dave Arch on keyboards/organ; as well as a duet with Duke Special on "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground". It debuted at number six in the UK Albums Chart.
The album contains a mix of covers & original material.
Nobody's Fault But Mine 8.5 Sweet Hours 8.0 So Sublime 9.0 I Shall Be Released 7.5 Only One Cloud 7.5 When The Rains Came 6.5 Oh My Life 9.5 Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground 9.0 Almost Persuaded 6.5 You Never Called Me Tonight 6.0 Beautiful Tomorrow 7.0
hidden track: Be My Baby 7.5
Score: 92.5/12 = 7.71
I picked this album very cheap in a Woolsworths sale. Musically, it is very much in the 2000s Radio 2 Norah Jones meets Eva Cassidy/Katie Melua easy listening Borders coffee bar jazz-blues territory. I remember around 2010 she did a really great more grittier, yet more jazzier (i.e. more Radio 6 Music, than Radio 2) sounding one off "single" "A Sunday Kind Of Love" (not on Spotify) then disappeared as the record industry went into a proper meltdown she got dropped and seemed to disappear, then a decade later reappeared with the more bluesy 2018 album Gota Fría.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 17, 2021 17:19:05 GMT 1
Beyonce - I Am… Sasha Fierce (Platinum Edition) (2009)
The third studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was originally released on November 12, 2008, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. In its original release, the album was formatted as a double album, intending to market Beyoncé's dichotomous artistic persona. The first disc I Am... contains slow and midtempo pop and R&B ballads, while the second, Sasha Fierce (named after Beyoncé's on-stage alter ego), focuses on more uptempo beats that blend electropop and Europop elements. In composing the songs' lyrics, Beyoncé worked with writers, with each session accompanied by live orchestration.
Musically, I Am... drew inspiration from folk and alternative rock, while blending acoustic guitar elements into contemporary ballads, and its tracks were written and produced by Beyoncé, during collaborative efforts with Babyface, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and Ryan Tedder. Sasha Fierce boasted production from Darkchild and Sean Garrett.
The album was marketed with the release of several singles, including "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", both of which charted highly internationally. The former topped the charts in over eight countries and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter becoming her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 chart. "Diva" and "Ego" were released exclusively in the United States, while "Halo" and "Sweet Dreams" were promoted internationally as the third and fourth singles, respectively. "Broken-Hearted Girl" was released internationally as the fifth single, while "Video Phone" was released in September 2009 as the overall eighth (& coinciding with the deluxe Platinum Edition expanded reissue), and "Why Don't You Love Me" was released in July 2010 as the ninth and final single.
I Am... Sasha Fierce received mixed reviews from music critics (Matacritic aggregate rating of 62), but was a commercial success nonetheless, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 & peaking at UK #2 where it remained on the chart on & off for the best part of two years.
A1 Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) 9.5 A2 Diva 6.5 A3 Ego 7.5 A4 Halo 9.0 A5 If I Were A Boy 8.5 A6 Smash Into You 6.0 A7 Sweet Dreams 10.0 A8 Broken-Hearted Girl 8.0 A9 Scared Of Lonely 6.5 A10 That's Why You're Beautiful 5.5 B1 Hello 7.5 B2 Radio 6.5 B3 Video Phone 7.5 B4 Ego (Remix ft. Kanye West) 8.5 B5 Why Don't You Love Me 7.5 B6 Honesty 7.5 B7 Save The Hero 6.0 B8 Satellites 7.0 B9 Disappear 7.5 B10 Ave Maria 8.0
Score: 150.5/20 = 7.53
The only album by the former Destiny's Child I own which I picked up via a record sale. The biggest problem with this album is it feels like a compilation, not a double album due to all the various collaborators, songwriters & producers involved. (She corrected that with albums #5 & #6). It certainly has its highlights. But I have to be honest Beyonce's voice is a bit too clean for me (too pop & not enough R&B). But as she is the 21st century Diana Ross (albeit a far better live singer, & dancer) but definitely has the same drive (by numerous accounts) then that is nothing to be surprised about; neither would her dropping album #7 between now & the end of the year (apparently it is in the can & a bunch of videos have already been shot).
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 14:44:32 GMT 1
Billy Joel - The Stranger (1977)
The fifth studio album by American singer Billy Joel, released in September 1977 by Columbia Records. It was the first of Joel's albums to be produced by Phil Ramone, with whom he would go on to work for all of his albums up until his 1986 album The Bridge.
The Stranger was released a year following Joel's previous studio effort, Turnstiles, which had sold modestly and peaked low on the US charts, prompting Columbia to consider dropping Joel if his next release did not sell well. Joel wanted the album to feature his newly formed touring band that had formed during the production of Turnstiles, which consisted of drummer Liberty DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist saxophonist/organist Richie Cannata. Seeking out a new producer, he first turned to veteran Beatles producer George Martin before coming across and settling on Ramone, whose name he had seen on albums by other artists such as Paul Simon. Recording took place across the span of three weeks, with DeVitto, Stegmeyer and Cannata being featured in addition to other studio musicians filling in as guitarists on various songs.
Spending six weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200, The Stranger is considered Joel's critical and commercial breakthrough. Four singles were released in the US, all of which became top-40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts: "Just the Way You Are" (No. 3), "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "She's Always a Woman" (both No. 17), and "Only the Good Die Young" (No. 24). Other songs, such as "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna", have become staples of his career and are frequently performed in his live shows. The album won two awards at the 1978 Grammy Awards, winning Record of the Year as well as Song of the Year for "Just the Way You Are". It remains his best-selling non-compilation album to date, and surpassed Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water to become Columbia's best-selling album release, with more than 10 million units sold worldwide.
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) 9.0 The Stranger 9.5 Just The Way You Are 10.0 Scenes From An Italian Restaurant 10.0 Vienna 9.5 Only The Good Die Young 8.5 She's Always A Woman 9.5 Get It Right The First Time 6.0 Everybody Has A Dream 7.0 The Stranger outro
Score: 79.0/9 = 8.78
It is easy to hear why this soft rock album was a commercial blockbuster for the New York Piano Man. If it was not for the drop off in quality on the final two tracks it would be an incredible album.
Or to quote the English Piano Man (Elton John): "For a lot of years, Billy Joel walked an artistic path somewhere between McCartney and Springsteen. There were some glaring mistakes along the way, but he put out a substantial mountain of great Pop songs. "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" is his masterpiece."
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 15:06:40 GMT 1
Billy Joel - An Innocent Man (1983)
The ninth studio album by the Long Island, New York singer-songwriter, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of different and popular American musical styles from the late 1950s and early 1960s, most notably doo-wop and soul music.
The album featured three Billboard Top 10 hit singles: "Tell Her About It" (No. 1), "Uptown Girl" (No. 3) and "An Innocent Man" (No. 10). Four other singles were released from the album: "The Longest Time" (No. 14), "Leave a Tender Moment Alone" (No. 27), "Keeping the Faith" (No. 18) and "This Night" (US B-side of "Leave a Tender Moment Alone"). "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl" garnered international success—"Uptown Girl" reached No. 1 in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. An Innocent Man remained on the US Pop album chart for 111 weeks, becoming Joel's longest charting studio album behind The Stranger. For over a year, the album remained on the charts in the UK, Japan and Australia.
(Homage to in brackets)
Easy Money (James Brown/Wilson Pickett) 7.0 An Innocent Man (Ben E King/The Drifters) 9.0 The Longest Time (Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers) 9.0 This Night (Little Anthony & the Imperials) 8.5 Tell Her About It (The Temptations/Four Tops) 9.5 Uptown Girl (Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons) 9.5 Careless Talk (Sam Cooke) 6.5 Christie Lee (Little Richard/Jerry Lee Lewis) 6.5 Leave A Tender Moment Alone (Smokey Robinson) 8.5 Keeping The Faith (Betty Wright) 8.0
Score: 82.0/10 = 8.20
As a nostalgia themed album goes, this was an inspired move. There is no question that the record company mined the album for all the tracks good enough to be singles with the exception of this potential wedding anthem which does some heavy lifting from Ludwig van Beethoven...)
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 16:12:06 GMT 1
Bjork - Debut (1993)
The debut studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk as an international singer, released in July 1993 by One Little Indian and Elektra Entertainment. It was produced by Björk and Nellee Hooper. It was Björk's first recording following the dissolution of her previous band, the Sugarcubes. The album departed from the rock style of her previous work and drew from an eclectic variety of styles, including electronic pop, house music, jazz and trip hop.
Debut received critical acclaim from British music critics, though United States reviews were mixed. It exceeded sales expectations, charting at number two in Iceland, three in the United Kingdom, and 61 in the US. It was certified gold in Canada and platinum in the US, where it remains Björk's best-selling album. It won the album of the year accolade in NME; The Face; & The Wire magazines.
Five UK charting singles were released from Debut: "Human Behaviour", "Venus as a Boy", "Play Dead", "Big Time Sensuality" and "Violently Happy".
Human Behaviour 10.0 Crying 8.0 Venus As A Boy 10.0 There's More To Life Than This (Recorded Live At The Milk Bar Toilets) 8.0 Like Someone In Love 7.5 Big Time Sensuality 9.5 One Day 7.5 Aeroplane 6.0 Come To Me 9.0 Violently Happy 8.0 The Anchor Song 7.0
Score: 90.5/11 = 8.23
An eclectic electronic dance album which was perfect for Bjork to showcase her endearing, engaging, eccentric personality.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 16:42:40 GMT 1
The Black Keys - Magic Potion (2006)
The fourth studio album by American rock duo. It was released in 2006 and was their first record released on Nonesuch Records, the band's current label. This album marks the first time they wrote and composed entirely original material, unlike on previous albums and EPs.
Like the group's first two albums, Magic Potion was recorded in the basement of drummer Patrick Carney; in his estimation, the record was made using "$5,000 worth of crappy equipment".
Carney expressed disappointment in the quality of the finished record: "We paid $350 to get it mastered, took it home and there was, like, no bass on it. And we just dropped it in a FedEx envelope, mailed it to Warner Brothers and were done with it. Of all things that we've ever done, that's my biggest regret—is that we just kind of were like, "Oh, OK."
It's Metacritic aggregate score is 69.
Just Got To Be 8.0 Your Touch 9.0 You're The One 8.5
Just A Little Heat 8.0 Give Your Heart Away 7.5 Strange Desire 8.0 Modern Times 7.0 The Flame 7.5 Goodbye Babylon 7.0 Black Door 6.5 Elevator 6.5
Score: 83.5/11 = 7.59
As a Led Zeppelin fan, I'm a fan of quality blues rock, and I found Dan Auerbach's vox appealing (in the way I did not with Jack White) so after buying their Brothers album, I went back to their previous two efforts. This is a solid effort, but nothing amazing, and it does lack a bass sound to it.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 16:58:20 GMT 1
The Black Keys - Attack & Release (2008)
The fifth studio album by the Akron, Ohio rock duo It was produced by Danger Mouse and was released on April 1, 2008. The sessions saw the band transitioning away from their "homemade" ethos to record-making; not only was it the first time that the band completed an album in a professional studio, but it was also the first time they hired an outside producer to work on a record.
Leading up to the recording sessions, drummer Patrick Carney wanted to change the sound of his drums and envisioned two approaches to doing so. He said, "I had one of the Bonham reissue kits and I set that up in a live room. And then I knew I wanted a kind of '70s dead sound too, so I did the whole 'towels on the drums' thing." Attack & Release features a guest appearance by Marc Ribot, who used to play alongside Carney's uncle in Tom Waits' band.
Attack & Release debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200. The album was ranked 83rd on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of the 2000s. The song "I Got Mine" was number 23 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. In 2012, the album was certified gold in Canada, and gold in the U.S. in 2016. It's Metacritic rating was 76.
All You Ever Wanted 8.0 I Got Mine 9.0 Strange Times 8.5 Psychotic Girl 9.0 Lies 7.0 Remember When (Side A) 6.5 Remember When (Side B) 7.5 Same Old Thing 7.0 So He Won't Break 8.0 Oceans And Streams 8.0 Things Ain't Like They Used To Be 7.5
Score: 86.0/11 = 7.82
This album builds on their previous album. Not only is it a far more professional, less raw sounding effort, but in places it expands its sounds to incorporate blue grass, & country folk.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 20, 2021 17:17:35 GMT 1
The Black Keys - Brothers (2010)
The sixth studio album by American rock duo was co-produced by the group, Mark Neill, and Danger Mouse, it was released on May 18, 2010 on Nonesuch Records. Brothers was the band's commercial breakthrough, as it sold over 73,000 copies in the United States in its first week and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, their best performance on the chart to that point.
The album's lead single, "Tighten Up", the only track from the album produced by Danger Mouse, became their most successful single to that point, spending 10 weeks at number one on the Alternative Songs chart and becoming the group's first single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 87 and was later certified gold. The second single, "Howlin' for You", went gold as well. In April 2012, the album was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA for shipping over one million copies. It also went double-platinum in Canada (#4 Peak) and gold in the UK (#29 Peak). In 2011, it won three Grammy Awards, including honors for Best Alternative Music Album.
According to review aggregator website Metacritic, the album has an average critic review score of 82/100. Rolling Stone magazine placed the album at No. 2 on the Best Albums of 2010.
Everlasting Light 9.0 Next Girl 8.0 Tighten Up 9.5 Howlin' For You 9.5 She's Long Gone 7.5 Black Mud 7.0 The Only One 9.0 Too Afraid To Love You 8.5 Ten Cent Pistol 7.5 Sinister Kid 7.0 The Go Getter 7.0 I'm Not The One 7.5 Unknown Brother 6.5 Never Gonna Give You Up 7.0 These Days 7.5
Score: 118.0/15 = 7.87
This sounds great from start to finish, and is one of those occasions where its individual track scores does not reflect what a cohesive album this is. It was nice to hear Dan Auerbach use his falsetto voice on a few tracks.
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