Frownland

Ah my bad, I saw that you didn't like the album then I saw Chula post what he did. He had done it often enough before with Zeppelin and a few other things so I made the assumption that he was doing the same here. Needed to be said though.

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Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Josef K

I like This is Hardcore more, personally, but if you're going to listen to only one Pulp album you picked the right one. Also, I'm glad you liked "I Spy" - that's my favorite song on the album with the possible (obvious) exception of "Common People".

Pet_Sounds

This is going on my list.

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Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Trollheart

Just an update on how my list stands. Only the albums still to be reviewed are featured below. For the full list, including those I have already looked into, see here http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ml#post1490405

PIL --- Metal box
Moby --- Play
Bob Dylan --- Blood on the tracks
Michael Jackson --- Thriller (I've decided not to bother with this, as really there are only about three tracks on it that I don't know, so it kind of goes against the spirit of what I'm trying to do here. I also looked at Bad, but same thing really. So I think I'll just pass on Jackson; his music is too mainstream and commercial for me not to really have heard, in one way or another, his albums regarded as classics)
Metallica --- Master of puppets (After Metal Month and Metal Month II I have now listened to a few Metallica albums. Are there any “classic” ones left? I've listened to Ride the lightning, The Black Album, Kill 'em all and Master of Puppets.)
Funkadelic --- Maggot brain
Talking Heads --- Remain in Light
Arcade Fire --- Funeral
Sonic Youth --- Daydream Nation
Wilco --- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Can --- Tago mago (This will be reviewed, but I checked it out and it's a long double album. At the moment I don't have time to review long double albums)
Gang of Four --- Entertainment!
Pavement -- Crooked rain, crooked rain

If anyone wants to suggest additions go ahead, but remember it's up to me as to whether I accept them or not.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Urban Hat€monger ?

Weren't you going to add a Hawkwind album to the list?

A few for your consideration

Prince - Dirty Mind (his best album IMO)
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing (First ever album to be made from 100% samples, surprised nobody has mentioned it yet and quite mellow in places)
The Go- Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane (80s Indie Classic)
Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain (Fantastic pop record, some great ballads too)
Portishead - Dummy (I think you'll like this more than you expect)

I think you could do Can's Ege Bamyasi rather than Tago Mago, it's only a single album, just as highly regarded and a bit poppier & funkier than their other stuff.

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Urban Hat€monger ?

I changed my mind, here's your new list.

Kenny G - Kenny G
Kenny G - G Force
Kenny G - Gravity
Kenny G - Duotone
Kenny G - Silhouette
Kenny G - Live
Kenny G - Breathless
Kenny G - Miracles: The Holiday Album
Kenny G - The Moment
Kenny G - Classics in the Key of G
Kenny G - Faith - A Holiday Album
Kenny G - Paradise
Kenny G - Wishes - A Holiday Album
Kenny G - At Last... The Duets Album
Kenny G - The Greatest Holiday Classics
Kenny G - I'm In The Mood For Love ... The Most Romantic Melodies Of All Time
Kenny G - Rhythm and Romance
Kenny G - Heart and Soul
Kenny G - Kenny G & Rahul Sharma
Kenny G - Brazilian Nights
Kenny G - Montage
Kenny G - The Very Best of Kenny G
Kenny G - Six of Heart
Kenny G - Greatest Hits
Kenny G - Ultimate Kenny G
Kenny G - Artist Collection
Kenny G - The Essential Kenny G
Kenny G - The Holiday Collection
Kenny G - Playlist: The Very Best of Kenny G.
Kenny G - Super Hits
Kenny G - The Classic Christmas Album

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Trollheart

Title: Funeral
Artiste: Arcade Fire
Year: 2004
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? Apart from being their first album, it seems to have struck a chord with a lot of songs about life and death, and established Arcade Fire as the next big thing to have come out of Canada.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: Although I have heard an awful lot about them, I have never to this point heard one single solitary Arcade Fire song. No, not even “Rebellion”. Don’t you know I don’t listen to the radio any more? So this will be my very first ever experience of them. Good or bad will depend on what I hear in the next fifty or so minutes. Okay then guys: impress me.

Nice sort of semi-discordant piano opening, reminds me of some of Waits’s work. Vocal’s very passionate and there’s a good hook in the song. The vocal harmonies are nice too. Really like the accordion intro on “Neighborhood #2 (Laika)", although I’m not as impressed with this as I was with the opener. Nice slow kind of U2 vibe from “Une Année sans Lumière”, again great backing vocals, and it unexpectedly speeds up near the end. Again, though, the next track doesn’t do a whole lot for me. Actually it’s not too bad, sort of grew on me. “Neighborhood # 4” has a nice bluesy feel about it, with harmonica and accordion. Very nice. This would probably be my favourite so far. Great violin work too.

“Crown of love” is beautiful too, sort of waltz ballad with again fine violin work and a touch of the folk/Country about it. Oh, and again it unexpectedly speeds up near the end. Getting better now: “Wake up” keeps the quality high, and has a real tense feeling about it. Some great guitar work allied to some fine synth. Who does this guy sound like? Is it Mike Scott? Am I going crazy? I think it’s Mike Scott. Definitely reminds me of someone. And another tempo change: somehow, these have all worked up to now and this is no exception. The female vocals are a nice change on “Haiti”, which is another good track (there hasn’t really been a bad one now since really “Neighborhood #2”), certainly something that makes you move with its quasi-tribal rhythm.

And that takes us to this famous single, “Rebellion (Lies)”, which seems to segue right in from the end of the previous track on a superb little boppy bassline and piano, rocks along really nicely, I can see why it was so popular. Really catchy. That female vocal is back for the closer, with some lovely rippling piano and violin, a heard, almost brutal guitar punching its way through at times and really ramping the song up. The vocal really reminds me of Kate Bush, and this song is a great way to bring the curtain down.

Favourite track(s): Neighborhood # 1 (Tunnels), Une Année sans Lumière, Neighborhood #4 (7 kettles), Crown of love, Wake up, Haiti, Rebellion (lies), In the backseat
Least favourite track(s): Neighborhood # 2 (Laika), neighborhood # 3 (Power out)

Final impression --- I can see why this got such great press. A really impressive album, with few flaws and even the bad tracks are good at times. Yeah. Really taken with this.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it

It’s an A

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Yeah, it was Space ritual, but it's live and I don't want to do live albums. Maybe another one? I've heard a few, but only a few.
They all sound interesting. I think I'll finish up the current list first but will add them for later.
Sounds like a good idea. I mean, a 17-minute song, I'm all into that, but time is a little tight at the moment, what with all the different stuff I'm trying to tackle.
What, no Kenny G?

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

James

Great album! Underrated around these parts just because it's so popular, but it's popular for a reason. Power Out is probably my favourite track, so we still disagree on something!

Trollheart

Meh, we wouldn't be us if we didn't disagree on something, would we?
Although in fairness I did mention that it grew on me after I'd listened to it a bit. Not my favourite though, that has to be either "Crown of love" or "Neighborhood #4")

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018