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Post by raliverpool on May 8, 2021 19:43:03 GMT 1
Adam & The Ants - Prince Charming (1981)
Prince Charming is the third album by and final credited to Adam and the Ants (future albums would be credited to Adam Ant), released in November 1981. This album features bass player Gary Tibbs in place of Kevin Mooney, the bassist on Kings of the Wild Frontier. The album spawned the two UK number 1 singles "Stand and Deliver" (with a different ending from the single version) and "Prince Charming", which reached number 1 in April and September 1981 respectively, and "Ant Rap" which reached number 3 in January 1982 when it was remixed.
Writing in Smash Hits magazine in November 1981, Ian Birch gave the album 5 out of 10 and commented "Gone are the strong melodies that made Kings of the Wild Frontier so addictive; in are elaborate details (the intros are the highpoint here)...The surface might be glossily busy but it's no substitute for good songs." In his retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "the songs just aren't there", stating that it "simply has style and sound – which, in retrospect, isn't all that bad".
Scorpios 7.0 Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios 8.5 Prince Charming 10.0 Five Guns West 5.5 That Voodoo! 6.0 Stand And Deliver 10.0 Mile High Club 4.5 Ant Rap 7.5 Mowhok 4.5 S.E.X. 6.0
Score: 69.5/10 = 6.95
Despite drummer Chris "Merrick" Hughes more glossy production, the music critics were turning on Adam & The Ants for being more focused on the visuals, than their content. With this patchy album, that was justified to some degree.
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Post by raliverpool on May 8, 2021 19:59:15 GMT 1
Adele - 19 (2008)
19 is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 28 January 2008, through XL Recordings. Following Adele's graduation from the BRIT School in April 2006.
Named after the age of the singer during its release and production, Adele wrote most of the album's material solely, but did work with a select few writers and producers including Jim Abbiss, Eg White and Sacha Skarbek. Their collaborations created a blue-eyed soul album with lyrics describing heartbreak, nostalgia and relationships. Upon release, 19 received positive reviews from critics (The album holds a 68 out of 100 rating, based on 19 critical reviews, at Metacritic), who praised Adele's vocal prowess and songwriting talent at such a young age and noted her as having the "potential to become among the most respected and inspiring international artists of her generation."19 also won numerous accolades including the Mercury Prize and the European Border Breakers Award. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, Adele won for the Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Chasing Pavements").
Daydreamer 8.0 Best For Last 6.5 Chasing Pavements 9.5 Cold Shoulder 7.5 Crazy For You 7.0 Melt My Heart To Stone 9.0
First Love 8.0 Right As Rain 7.5 Make You Feel My Love 10.0 My Same 6.5 Tired 8.5 Hometown Glory 10.0
Score: 98.0/12 = 8.17
As yo would expect with an artist's first album you can hear a lot of contemporary influences (Amy Winehouse; David Gray; Newton Faulkner; Kate Nash; etc) on some of the tracks, but it is telling the tracks which are (retrospectively) the most Adele like, are the best tracks on this debut.
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Post by raliverpool on May 8, 2021 20:16:10 GMT 1
Adele - 21 (2011)
The second studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 24 January 2011 in Europe and on 22 February 2011 in North America by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album was named after the age of the singer during its production. 21 shares the folk and Motown soul influences of her 2008 debut album 19, but was further inspired by the American country and Southern blues music to which she had been exposed during the North American leg of her 2008–09 tour An Evening with Adele. Composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her then partner, the album typifies the near dormant tradition of the confessional singer-songwriter in its exploration of heartbreak, introspection, and forgiveness.
Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.
Praised by critics for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele's vocal performance, 21 defied the modest commercial expectations of her independent record label XL Recordings. The album topped the charts in more than 30 countries and became the world's best-selling album of the year for 2011 and 2012. In the United Kingdom, it is the best-selling album of the 21st century, the second best-selling album of all time, and the best-selling album by a solo artist of all time, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, the album held the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in Billboard 200 history. In addition, it had the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart of any album by a woman.
Shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize, 21 won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. It gained a Metacritic rating of 76.
Rolling In The Deep 9.5 Rumour Has It 10.0 Turning Tables 8.5 Don't You Remember 8.5 Set Fire To The Rain 9.0 He Won't Go 7.0 Take It All 7.0 I'll Be Waiting 6.5 One And Only 7.5 Lovesong 6.5 Someone Like You 10.0
Score: 90.0/11 = 8.18
Whilst this unquestionably is a very made well album, especially the first half where the songs & vocals are very strong. I feel it falls short in the second half (up until the heartbreaking final track). I also feel whilst it has smoothed out the edges it lost a lot of the charm of the debut to make such a radio friendly unit shifter monster album.
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Post by raliverpool on May 8, 2021 20:45:51 GMT 1
Adele - 25 (2015)
The third studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 20 November 2015 by XL Recordings and Columbia Records. The album is titled as a reflection of her life and frame of mind at 25 years old and is termed a "make-up record". Its lyrical content features themes of Adele "yearning for her old self, her nostalgia", and "melancholia about the passage of time" according to an interview with the singer by Rolling Stone, as well as themes of motherhood and regret. In contrast to Adele's previous works, the production of 25 incorporated the use of electronic elements and creative rhythmic patterns, with elements of 1980s R&B and organs. Like when recording 21, Adele worked with producer and songwriter Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder, along with new collaborations with Max Martin and Shellback, Greg Kurstin, Danger Mouse, the Smeezingtons, Samuel Dixon, and Tobias Jesso Jr.
25 received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its production and Adele's vocal performance although some were critical of its formulaic nature and Adele's lack of taking risk. It still scored a 75 Metacritic rating; and was still a massive global success even if it could not match the sales of the previous album.
Hello 8.5 Send My Love (To Your New Lover) 8.0 I Miss You 8.5 When We Were Young 10.0 Remedy 7.5 Water Under The Bridge 8.5 River Lea 7.0 Love In The Dark 6.5 Million Years Ago 7.5 All I Ask 9.0 Sweetest Devotion 7.5
Score: 88.5/11 = 8.05
Whilst this is my least favourite of her three albums to date, it is hardly much of a drop off in quality, more a case of the peaks not being quite as high or as frequent. In truth Adele's charm is in her live performances and her endearing to me (but I know others find it annoying) "Alan Carr's sister" banter between songs as exemplified by her 2016 Glastonbury headline set.
I'm sure her people/record label are as frustrated as Keir Starmer & Jurgen Klopp about the timing of the Covid-19 pandemic, as her 4th album was in the can, but she doubtless now has further tinkered with it in the past six months. It will certainly be intriguing to see once it comes out whether the changes to her sound over the past six years is as radical as her more slimline appearance; and indeed whether she will still sell like hotcakes ...
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Post by Smurfie on May 8, 2021 20:59:11 GMT 1
I found 25 SUCH hard work - Hello was obviously the song we were waiting for, Send Your Love is very brilliant - but it’s just too much of the same for me in some places. Eg River Lea and When We Were Young. Won’t lie, I listened to it voluntarily twice.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 11:22:21 GMT 1
There are four acts starting with the letter A left in Haven Factor 9. I have more than a couple of albums by three of those acts. It might mean I'm a mentor for one of those acts, or it might be I'm mentoring another entirely different act .... Anyway ... a-ha - Hunting High & Low (1985)
The debut studio album by Norwegian new wave band. It was released on 28 October 1985 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded at Eel Pie Studios in Twickenham, London, and produced by Tony Mansfield, John Ratcliff and Alan Tarney.
Hunting High and Low was a-ha's breakout album. Upon its release, Hunting High and Low peaked at number 15 on the Billboard's Top 200 album chart. The album granted A-ha international recognition. Hunting High and Low got 3x platinum status in the UK and Platinum status in the United States and Germany, and Gold status in Brazil, and the Netherlands.The album reached No. 11 in the European top-100 albums sales chart. The album peaked at 15 in the U.S., according to Billboard music charts and has sold about 1.8 million copies in the U.S. It peaked at 2 on the UK charts, and hit 1 in Norway. The album has been certified platinum in the United States and 3x platinum in UK. On the Billboard 200, Hunting High and Low held the record for the highest-charting album by a Norwegian artist until Do It Again by Norwegian duo Röyksopp and Swedish singer Robyn (which peaked at number 14). Beginning with the single "Take On Me", A-ha's debut album sold more than eight million copies worldwide and spawned two number one hits. In the fall of 1986, "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV" were nominated for 11 MTV Video Awards combined, and A-ha won eight of these. Tim DiGravina of AllMusic Guide said "It's a cohesive album with smart pace changeups, and it rarely fails to delight or satisfy a listener's need for a synth pop fix... One can't escape the feeling that Hunting High and Low is a product of the 1980s, but with highs like 'Take On Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV,' and no lows in sight, A-ha's debut is a treat worth relishing.
Take On Me 10.0 Train Of Thought 8.0 Hunting High And Low 9.5 The Blue Sky 7.5 Living A Boy's Adventure Tale 10.0 The Sun Always Shines On T.V. 9.5 And You Tell Me 7.0 Love Is Reason 5.5 Dream Myself Alive 5.0 Here I Stand And Face The Rain 9.5
Score: 81.5/10 = 8.15
An excellent synth pop debut let down by the drop in quality of the filler three track in the middle of Side 2 of the album. Tracks 2 & 3 would improve by 0.5 each via their single (re)mixes.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 11:37:49 GMT 1
a-ha - Scoundrel Days (1986)
Scoundrel Days is the second studio album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. It was released on 6 October 1986 by Warner Bros. Records.
Scoundrel Days was recorded in England in early 1986 at R.G. Jones Studio in Beulah Road in Wimbledon, South-West London. The record was produced by Alan Tarney, who had produced the band's big hit single releases "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." in the previous year, and it was engineered by Gerry Kitchingham.
The music and lyrical content of the songs were composed by Pal Waaktaar, Magne Furuholmen, and the band's vocalist Morten Harket, unlike the first L.P., not writing any of its material. Waaktaar and Furuholmen also self-produced three of the record's tracks, "I've Been Losing You", "Maybe Maybe", and "The Soft Rains of April".
The album's peak on the Billboard 200 was 74. The album was another big hit by A-ha and sold over 6 million copies worldwide which gave the band international recognition. Scoundrel Days achieved Platinum status in the UK and Switzerland as well as Germany and Brazil. The album reached #2 in the European top-100 albums sales chart. Scoundrel Days included the singles "I've Been Losing You", "Cry Wolf", and "Manhattan Skyline". Ned Raggett of AllMusic Guide said, "The opening two songs alone make for one of the best one-two opening punches around: the tense edge of the title track, featuring one of Morten Harket's soaring vocals during the chorus and a crisp, pristine punch in the music, and "The Swing of Things," a moody, elegant number with a beautiful synth/guitar arrangement (plus some fine drumming courtesy of studio pro Michael Sturgis) and utterly lovelorn lyrical sentiments that balance on the edge of being overheated without quite going over...The '80s may be long gone, but Scoundrel Days makes clear that not everything was bad back then." Scoundrel Days 10.0
The Swing Of Things 9.0I've Been Losing You 10.0October 6.5Manhattan Skyline 9.5Cry Wolf 8.5We're Looking For The Whales 8.0The Weight Of The Wind 7.5Maybe Maybe 9.0Soft Rains Of April 7.5
Score: 85.5/10 = 8.55
This is a major improvement on their debut, it has a much darker Scott Walker meets Talk Talk edge to it. Sure it lost a lot of the Smash Hits pop fans, but it showed "The Vikings" had depth to them which would see them release ten albums across four decades.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 11:51:06 GMT 1
a-ha - Stay On These Roads (1988)
Stay on These Roads is the third studio album by Norwegian band A-ha. It was released on 3 May 1988 by Warner Bros. Records, and produced entirely by Alan Tarney.
The album peaked at number 148 on the US Billboard 200. It was another big hit by A-ha internationally, selling over 4 million copies worldwide. Stay on These Roads achieved Platinum status in Brazil and Gold in the UK, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany and Double Platinum status in France. It reached number two in the European top-100 albums sales chart.
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said "in the U.K., the album became the group's third straight to peak at number two, though it charted for a shorter period than the first two albums, and there were four Top 25 hits—the title track, 'The Blood That Moves the Body,' 'Touchy!,' and 'You Are the One'." Also included was a re-recording of A-ha's 1987 theme from the James Bond movie The Living Daylights, which, in its single version, was a U.K. number five that missed the U.S. charts.
Lead single "Stay on These Roads", number one in Norway, was a hit across Europe, including top-five showings in the UK, France, Austria and Ireland and top-ten chartings in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Stay on These Roads includes three more hit singles, "The Blood That Moves The Body", "Touchy!" and "You Are the One", though a final single, "There's Never a Forever Thing", was released only in Brazil.
Stay On These Roads 9.0 The Blood That Moves The Body 7.0 Touchy! 9.0 This Alone Is Love 8.0 Hurry Home 6.5 The Living Daylights 7.5 There's Never A Forever Thing 9.0 Out Of Blue Comes Green 7.0 You Are The One 8.5 You'll End Up Crying 5.0
Score: 76.5/10 = 7.65
Whilst this is not close to being a poor album, it was a bit of a disappointment compared to their previous album. In truth the alarm bells sounded with their underwhelming James Bond theme. But the strange decision to release The Blood That Moves The Body as the second "new" single from the album still seems very strange.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 12:25:54 GMT 1
a-ha - East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon (1990)
East of the Sun, West of the Moon is the fourth studio album by Norwegian new wave band A-ha. It was released on 27 October 1990 by Warner Bros. Records. Named after a Norwegian fairy tale, the album was something of a departure from the band's earlier radio-friendly sound to a darker, moodier tone. It peaked at number one in the band's native Norway and reached top 20 in various European countries and Japan. It was co-produced by Ian Stanley, formerly of the band Tears for Fears.
AllMusic wrote: "This is a nicely crafted collection of songs, performed and sung beautifully, with lots of echoes and suggestions tucked into the music. While not an album one can discuss at length, it's an album that's a pleasure to listen to and one that deserves a better reception than the one, unfortunately, that it seems to have gotten."
Crying In The Rain 9.0Early Morning 8.0I Call Your Name 9.0Slender Frame 7.0East Of The Sun 8.5
Sycamore Leaves 4.0Waiting For Her 7.0Cold River 5.5The Way We Talk 2.5Rolling Thunder 6.5(Seemingly) Nonstop July 6.0
Score: 73.5/11 = 6.68
It seemed to be a common theme that in 1990 quintessentially 1980s bands released duds as albums. This overly serious, and frequently overwrought album collapses under its own weight. It certainly has its moments especially during the first half with its adult pop The Seeds Of Love era Tears For Fears / Street Fighting Years era Simple Minds meets The Doors sound. But the second half of the album is a hard slog to endure and like.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 13:33:39 GMT 1
a-ha - Memorial Beach (1993)
The fifth studio album by the Norwegian band A-ha, released on 14 June 1993 by Warner Bros. Records.
The album was recorded primarily at Prince's Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the United States. Memorial Beach featured three UK Top 50 singles for the band, "Move to Memphis" (released as a single in 1991, almost two years before the album), "Dark is the Night" and "Angel in the Snow". While the album did not chart on the U.S. Billboard 200 and would be the band's last to be released there, the single "Dark Is the Night" peaked at #11 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, their last U.S. charting to date. Q magazine listed the album as one of the 50 best albums of 1993: "If ever a band deserved reappraisal on the back of an album then it was a-ha!"
"Angel in the Snow" was written by Pål Waaktaar for his bride, Lauren, as a wedding gift. Recording the album was, according to Morten Harket, "A rather dark and heavy period for the band", although Magne Furuholmen has said, "I dig Memorial Beach, and 'Dark is the Night for All' is the high point, the best thing on the disc."
JD and Jevetta Steele from the American gospel group The Steeles contribute backing vocals on the songs "Move to Memphis" and "Lie Down in Darkness". French actress Béatrice Dalle appears in the music video for the song "Move to Memphis".
Dark Is The Night For All 9.0 Move To Memphis 8.5 Cold As Stone 6.5 Angel In The Snow 8.5 Locust 7.0 Lie Down In Darkness 6.0 How Sweet It Was 5.0 Lamb To The Slaughter 6.0 Between Your Mama And Yourself 4.5 Memorial Beach 7.5
Score: 68.5/10 = 6.85
I have all five albums (I actually had the first 4 (2 on LP & 2 on cassette) when they originally came out, via the 2011 Rhino Records Original Album Series miniature CD box sets). This album reverses the slump of the previous album, not least as David Z's production has a lighter touch to it; and the songwriting this time around seemed more influenced by Neil Finn's Crowded House. But it is a solid at best album.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 16:20:40 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - Whatever (1993)
Whatever is the first solo album by the former Til Tuesday bassist, singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released in 1993. It features the talents of Jon Brion (who-co-wrote & produced three of the tacks); Jim Keltner; & the Byrds' Roger McGuinn on this power pop album which peaked at USA #127 & UK #39.
Whatever received mostly positive reviews from critics. Most praised her sense of melody and the wordplay of her lyrics, exemplified by Entertainment Weekly in "hooky songs" and "evocative lyrics". The Los Angeles Times reflected this by saying she "mixes words like a master, catching lifetimes of ache and Angst" in her songs while the Chicago Tribune compared her to Elvis Costello. Rolling Stone cited her music as "sunny, surreal melodies" with "razor-sharp lyrics". The Independent's Andy Gill highly recommended the album, concluding that "it's the tension between Mann's disarmingly direct, conversational lyric style and the complexity of her musical design that gives Whatever its peculiar charge."
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
I Should've Known 10.0 Fifty Years After The Fair 9.0 4th Of July 10.0 Could've Been Anyone 8.0 Put Me On Top 8.5 Stupid Thing 10.0 Say Anything 9.5 Jacob Marley's Chain 9.5 Mr. Harris 9.5 I Could Hurt You Now 7.5 I Know There's A Word 7.5 I've Had It 8.0 Way Back When 8.0
Score: 115/13 = 8.85
If you like late 20th century XTC & Squeeze; World Party; & Crowded House ... fronted by a female Elvis Costello, then this album is definitely for you.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 16:40:10 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - I'm With Stupid (1995)
I'm with Stupid is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released in 1995. Produced entirely by Jon Brion this album has much more of a scuzzy post grunge alternative rock sound, as reflective by guest musicians on the album Bernard Butler; Juliana Hatfield; Neil Innes; & Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook & Chris Difford; & husband Michael "No Myth" Penn.
It peaked at USA #82 & UK #51.
Long Shot 9.0 Choice In The Matter 8.5 Sugarcoated 7.5 You Could Make A Killing 9.5 Superball 7.0 Amateur 9.0 All Over Now 8.0 Par For The Course 6.0 You're With Stupid Now 8.0 That's Just What You Are 10.0 Frankenstein 6.5 Ray 7.0 It's Not Safe 7.5
Score: 103.5/13 = 7.96
For me this is not as strong as her debut album, but maybe that is more because of the different musical pallet influences from Pearl Jam to Neil Young & Crazy Horse; & the UK BritPop scene which I feel don't fit Aimee Mann's talents so well. It is surely not a coincidence my favourite track on the album is a defacto Squeeze track.
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TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,505
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Post by TheThorne on May 9, 2021 16:56:55 GMT 1
'I Should've Known' was the first song or anything I knew by Aimee Mann, I had heard of til Tuesday but didn't know what they sounded like, it was years later until I heard 'Voice Carry' and I was ahh that one, I knew them and now I love them.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 17:08:24 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - Magnolia (Music From The Motion Picture) (1999)
Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name. Largely composed of works by Aimee Mann, enough such that she receives a title billing on the album, it features tracks old tracks by Gabrielle (the UK version does not), Supertramp and a new instrumental track Jon Brion (which Aimee Mann plays on). The album has been received positively by critics.
Film Producer Paul Thomas Anderson stated that Magnolia was inspired by Mann's music.
Many of the songs feature prominently within the film, with "Wise Up" even being sung by the cast at one point, but only two of the songs were written expressly for the film, those being "You Do" and "Save Me". "Save Me" would garner Mann an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, losing to Phil Collins's song "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan.
The beginning of the song "You Could Make a Killing" and the bit that appears after the track "It's Not Safe", both from I'm with Stupid, also appear briefly in the beginning of the film, but the tracks do not appear on this album.
The song "One", written by Harry Nilsson and originally made popular by Three Dog Night, is played during the first five minutes of the movie, and contains several obscure musical references to other Nilsson songs. It opens with a sample of Nilsson saying "Okay, Mr. Mix!" taken from the start of his song "Cuddly Toy". This version of the song also includes lyrics from Nilsson's song "Together" sung in the background. ("Life isn't easy when two are divided / and one has decided / to bring down the curtain / and one thing's for certain / there's nothing to keep them together."). Furthermore, the opening vocal motif from Nilsson's song "Good Old Desk" is used as a background vocal line (at approximately 1:54 into the song). Neil Innes, from The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and The Rutles, and Chris Difford of Squeeze provide backing vocals.
One 9.5 Momentum 9.0 Build That Wall 10.0 Deathly 9.5 Driving Sideways 9.0 You Do 9.5 Nothing Is Good Enough (Instrumental) 8.0 Wise Up 10.0 Save Me 10.0 Supertramp - Goodbye Stranger NA Supertramp - Logical Song NA Jon Brion - Magnolia 8.0
Score: 92.5/10 = 9.25
It probably helps that the 1999 epic psychological drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (which got nominated but lost out in the Best Film & Screenplay categories) starring an ensemble cast including Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise (who received a Best Supporting Oscar nomination), Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards (in his final film role) and Melora Walters, and is a mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness, and meaning in the San Fernando Valley is my all time favourite film. The use of Aimee Mann melodic melancholic songs into the plot of the film really did & still do impress me as they were a perfect fit for this film, even if some film critics found the very same aspect contrived...
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 17:34:15 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (2000)
Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo (stylized as Bachelor № 2 or, the last remains of the dodo, also shortened to Bachelor No. 2) is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released on May 2, 2000. The album is notable for the fact that Mann was initially without a record company and sold the album through her website, but the album went on to gain a worldwide release and achieve respectable sales. This was aided by the success of the Magnolia soundtrack, for the film of the same name by Paul Thomas Anderson, with which the album shares material.
The full album was slated for a release through Interscope, but they did not think the material had commercial appeal. Mann purchased back the rights for "six figures," and began selling the album online. It was one of the first albums to be successful with only online sales, eventually selling 25,000 copies from Mann's website. After attracting attention, a distribution deal to traditional retail channels led to sales topping 200,000.
Review aggregator website Metacritic states that the album received "universal acclaim" upon its release, giving it a score of 89 out of 100 based on 13 reviews. The same website placed the album at number 28 on their list of the best received album of the decade 2000–2009, and number 9 on their list of the best Indie/Alternative albums of the decade.
I bought the album via V2 records which contains Backfire (& excludes Driving Sideways), which is not on this album on Spotify, but added to the follow up album (Deluxe Edition version).
How Am I Different 8.5 Nothing Is Good Enough 9.0 Red Vines 8.5 The Fall Of The World's Own Optimist 7.5 Satellite 9.5 Deathly 9.5 Ghost World 8.0 Calling It Quits 9.0 Backfire 7.5 Just Like Anyone 7.5 Susan 7.0 It Takes All Kinds 8.5 You Do 9.5
Score: 109.5/13 = 8.42
Whilst it is clear that Paul Thomas Anderson had plucked the best of her new material for the Magnolia OST, as this is still a very strong album (if you exclude the 2 songs duplicated on Magnolia then this album still scores 8.23), as she was in her peak vein of songwriting, and had found her own melancholic yet melodic sound that best utilized her talents thanks to Jon Brion and other musicians who went on to play on Fiona Apple records.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 20:45:04 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - Lost In Space (2002)
Lost in Space is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released in 2002 on her own label, SuperEgo Records.
Lost in Space holds a score of 74 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". E! Online gave the album a B+ and stated, "Mann's cranky muse is consistently compelling, showcasing both her wry lyrics and terrific melodies." Uncut gave the album four stars out of five and called it "textured and complex". Blender also gave it four stars out of five and said the album "pushes [Mann] in a new direction." Q likewise gave it four stars and said that Mann has "returned to writing songs which are wry, funny, adult and perceptive, all wrapped up in handsome melodies." Billboard gave it a positive review and called it "sonically rich" and "home to some of Mann's most intimate storytelling."
Former producer/musician Jon Brion had departed with Michael Lockwood taking over the production duties on this USA #35 & UK #72 album.
Humpty Dumpty 10.0 High On Sunday 51 7.5 Lost In Space 7.5 This Is How It Goes 8.0 Guys Like Me 6.5 Pavlov's Bell 8.0 Real Bad News 5.0 Invisible Ink 8.0 Today's The Day 9.0 The Moth 7.5 It's Not 7.5
Score: 84.5/11 = 7.68
Musically, this album is a lot narrower in scope with its melodic Americana sound. I personally feel Michael Lockwood was a downgrade as a producer/arranger compared to Jon Brion. But perhaps Aimee Mann's purple patch as a songwriter had ended.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 21:03:20 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - The Forgotten Arm (2005)
The Forgotten Arm is the fifth album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann with illustrations by artist Owen Smith. It was released by SuperEgo Records on May 3, 2005. It is a concept album, telling the story of two characters who run off with each other to escape their problems, but end up in more trouble than either of them could have imagined. The album reflects Mann's own boxing in its story and illustrations. The title is derived from a move in which one arm is used to hit the opponent, causing him to "forget" about the other arm, which is then used to deliver a harsher blow.
The album has a score of 70 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews"
Prefix Magazine gave the album a score of seven out of ten and said it has "Enough bending guitar licks to satisfy the yuppiest of thirtysomething businessmen and enough mellow ballads to satisfy your Dixie Chicks-loving mom." Trouser Press gave it a positive review and said, "Some of the songs are immediately engrossing... Others mostly carry the story forward while allowing Mann to indulge her career-long taste for vintage keyboard orchestration, coolly elegant pop arrangements and displays of tart wordplay." E! Online gave it a B− and said it "reveals how straight-up dull Mann's country-tinged songs can be." Other reviews are very average, mixed or negative: Mojo gave it three stars out of five and called it "an unfussy affair". Blender gave it two stars out of five and said of Mann, "If she doesn't follow commercial formulas, she's following creative ones, and selling herself short in the process." The A.V. Club gave it an unfavorable review and said, "Mann's signature wordplay sounds clichéd and exhausted, and her melodies lack the energy and pop sparkle that distinguished her pre-Lost In Space work."
This album was produced by Joe Henry who had previously worked with Bonnie Raitt; & Teddy Thompson; and featured a different set of musicians who had previously worked with Sheryl Crow; Ann Di Franco; & Susanna Hoffs.
Dear John 7.0 King Of The Jailhouse 6.5 Goodbye Caroline 7.0 Going Through The Motions 8.0 I Can't Get My Head Around It 7.0 She Really Wants You 8.5 Video 7.5 Little Bombs 7.5 That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart 8.0 I Can't Help You Anymore 7.0 I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas 9.0
Beautiful 6.5
Score: 89.5/12 = 7.46
This is a very solid album, but it was increasingly evident her music was becoming more workman-like and less inspired, as she seemed to be too happy in her own comfort zone on these set of entirely self-penned tracks.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 21:19:03 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers (2008)
@#%&*! Smilers (pronounced f***ing Smilers) is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. It was released by SuperEgo Records in the UK on June 2, 2008, and in the US on June 3. The album was produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan, and features guest appearances by singer-songwriter Sean Hayes, who duets with Mann on the track "Ballantines", and author Dave Eggers, who whistles on "Little Tornado".
The album has a score of 79 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". Prefix Magazine gave the album a score of 8.5 out of ten and said it "proves Aimee Mann still has plenty to offer doing the same thing she's already been doing for the last fifteen years." Q gave it four stars out of five and said of Mann, "It isn't any different to where she's been before, it's simply that quality levels remain uniformly high." Paste gave it a score of eight out of ten and called it "a more keyboard-centric entry into [Mann's] consistently excellent solo catalog." The Boston Globe gave it a favorable review and said that the pep "is paired with tunes that seep into your brain with the stealth of Mann's own beguiling murmur and lyrics that range from poetic to narrative." Uncut gave the album a score of three stars out of five and said that Mann's decision "to forgo electric guitars ... results in the aural equivalent of watercolour washes, lovely and tasteful but lacking presence." Slant Magazine also gave it three stars out of five and said that "[Mann's] wise, bitter lyrics never let her listeners off the hook; it'd be nice to hear her challenge herself as well."
Freeway 9.0 Stranger Into Starman 8.0 Looking For Nothing 8.0 Phoenix 7.5 Borrowing Time 7.5 It's Over 7.0 31 Today 8.5 The Great Beyond 7.5 Medicine Wheel 7.5 Columbus Avenue 6.5 Little Tornado 8.0 True Believer 7.0 Ballantines 7.5
Score: 99.5/13 = 7.65
Another very solid effort. But at least this is more musically interesting with the guitars reduced to a supporting role, and the piano/keyboard being the dominant instrument on this album.
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Post by raliverpool on May 9, 2021 21:40:19 GMT 1
Aimee Mann - Charmer (2012)
Charmer is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released by SuperEgo Records in the UK on September 17, 2012, and in the US on September 18.
The album was again produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan, and features a guest appearance by The Shins frontman James Mercer, who duets with Mann on the track "Living a Lie." Otherwise it featured most of the same personnel who appeared on her previous album. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 33.
Charmer has a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". Jody Rosen, in Rolling Stone magazine, criticized its lyrics and production concluding "[T]here's little new here, and even less charm". Allmusic, however, was more positive, citing its hooks as "spiky and precise", and concluding that it was "an immediate, engaging pop record"
Charmer 8.5 Disappeared 7.0 Labrador 8.5 Crazytown 8.0 Soon Enough 7.0 Living A Lie 7.0 Slip And Roll 6.0 Gumby 6.5 Gamma Ray 6.0 Barfly 6.5 Red Flag Diver 7.5
Brother's Keeper 7.5
Score: 86.0/12 = 7.17
Whilst this is a more upbeat, sunnier sounding album. It was clear to me this was another solid effort, but an unremarkable one. (The best thing about the album was the video to the second single Labrador, which was a hilarious parody of "Voices Carry") If you like Aimee Mann you'd like this record, but it had little to hook new listeners to her music. Hence, I never bought her last album Mental Illness (2017) ... even though it was regarded as her best album since Bachelor No. 2 by the critics. Maybe I should try to rectify that...
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Post by raliverpool on May 11, 2021 19:55:49 GMT 1
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, released on June 13, 1995, through Maverick. It was her first album to be released worldwide. It marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of her first two albums, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). Morissette began work on the album after moving from her hometown Ottawa to Toronto; she made little progress until she traveled to Los Angeles, where she met producer Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard had an instant connection and began co-writing and experimenting with sounds. The experimentation resulted in an alternative rock album that takes influence from post-grunge and pop rock, and features guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and harmonica. The lyrics touch upon themes of aggression and unsuccessful relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette's angst. The title of the album is taken from the first verses of the song "You Learn".
Jagged Little Pill was a commercial success, topping the charts in thirteen countries. With sales of over 33 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling albums of all time and made Morissette the first Canadian to achieve double diamond sales. Jagged Little Pill was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning five, including Album of the Year, making the 21-year-old Morissette, at the time, the youngest artist to win the top honor. Rolling Stone ranked Jagged Little Pill at No. 69 on its 2020 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Jagged Little Pill received generally positive reviews from music critics. Los Angeles Times writer Steve Hochman found that few artists explored "extreme emotional games" as "strikingly" as Morissette, whom he viewed as "a fresh talent—somewhere between, say, Sinéad O'Connor and Liz Phair—who's determined to let her feelings out, whether with a snarl or a smile."
When listing the album at 45 on the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties", Rolling Stone commented: "Jagged Little Pill is like a Nineties version of Carole King's Tapestry: a woman using her plain soft-rock voice to sift through the emotional wreckage of her youth, with enough heart and songcraft to make countless listeners feel the earth move"
All I Really Want 8.5 You Oughta Know 10.0 Perfect 8.0 Hand In My Pocket 10.0 Right Through You 8.0 Forgiven 8.5 You Learn 9.5 Head Over Feet 10.0 Mary Jane 9.0 Ironic 10.0 Not The Doctor 8.0 Wake Up 8.5 You Oughta Know (Jimmy The Saint Blend) 8.5
Your House 9.0
Score: 125.5/14 = 8.96
I went and bought this album very early on, thanks to Johnnie Walker raving about it, and playing several tracks from it on his Radio 1 Saturday afternoon show. It is easy to forget how different it sounded when it come out. The fact it sounds less impressive today is more because of all other angsty females who jumped on that bandwagon & record companies doing their usual sign the last big new thing to their labels.
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