The Last Chance Saloon

Trollheart · 05-22-2017, 08:45 PM

Used to run this as a section in my journal, but hey, I'll have a go at it out here in the wild, as it were.
Basic premise: I listen to an album I haven't been able to get into, or don't like, preferably one I believe I should like but just can't click with, and see if after time has passed I have better luck, or if it really is that bad.

No long-assed reviews, just basic thoughts and a quick yea or nay and definitely NO ****ING RECS Batty!

I might check back into "Love or Hate?" and choose albums I perhaps feel I didn't give a fair chance to, I might not.

My own familiarity with each artist will be graded on a ranking scale as below:

Noob: Have never heard anything by this artiste before.
Novice: 1 album only heard from the discography. Not very familiar with the artiste.
Apprentice: 2 or 3 albums heard from the artiste. Reasonably familiar but need to hear more.
Adept: More than four, or more than half of the discography, whichever is greater. Quite familiar at this point.
Master Adept: Have heard all their albums and know the artiste really well
High Priest: Have heard all their albums and know the artiste inside out.

Next up

Trollheart · 05-23-2017, 11:39 AM

All right, let's get this over with.

Title: The X Factor
Artist: Iron Maiden
Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 1995
Rank: High Priest
Why this doesn't cut it: Odd thing to say about a Maiden album, but it's just ****ing boring. I can't even lay the blame on the new singer, cos although Blaze Bayley is no Bruce Dickinson, he's not that bad, and it's not his fault this album sucks. He does lack the aggression of his predecessor however. But there are other (X) factors to consider here. Kicking off with an eleven-minute snooze fest was not the best idea, for a start. A distinct lack of energy all through the album, no sign of the humour which often permeates their songs (think “Holy smoke”, “Bring your daughter”, even “Iron Maiden” ffs!) and some very lacklustre guitar work. Okay, so Stevie was going through a divorce, but no need to make the equivalent of Phil Collins's Face Value for metalheads! Yeah, it's kind of hard to care, and that's not what I want or expect from a Maiden album.

God, this album just drrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggssssss onnnnn forrrrrrrevvvvvverrrrrr.....

Can you feel how low the energy is on this? Can you imagine headbanging, fistpumping or moshing to it? Neither can I. And I don't even know what moshing is.
Is there anything good about it? “Lord of the flies” is not without its charm. I guess “Man on the edge” has something going for it too, but that's about it really. Okay, “Judgement of Heaven” has some nice riffage
Has my opinion changed now? No. It's still easily the worst Maiden album ever. I can even stomach Virtual XI before this. Seriously.

Trollheart · 05-23-2017, 11:40 AM

Next up:

Trollheart · 05-23-2017, 03:07 PM

Title: Loveless
Artist: My Bloody Valentine
Genre: Shoegaze
Year: 1991
Rank: Novice
Why this doesn't cut it: I guess to understand how I felt that way when I first heard this you have to realise I had no idea what shoegaze was, and my main gripe was that I couldn't hear the vocals, they were buried in the mix. Yeah. Well, I didn't know. I've a tiny little bit more experience with the genre now, so do I appreciate it? Well, yes, but the textures and nuances in the music, clever though they may be, still kind of hurt my ears and it's not what I'd call an enjoyable experience, not for me.
Is there anything good about it? Well, yeah, the guitar work is excellent of course. I'm still not a fan of being unable to hear/make out vocals, but I understand now this is intentional, not bad production or weak singing. There's clearly a lot of great, and indeed innovative, music on it.
Has my opinion changed now? Very slightly. I can understand the idea behind the whole genre, and thus the album, now, but no, I still don't particularly like it.

Trollheart · 05-23-2017, 05:51 PM

Title: Up
Artist: Peter Gabriel
Genre: Progressive/Art Rock
Year: 2002
Rank: High Priest
Why this doesn't cut it: I honestly don't know. I just can't get into it, and I've tried several times. I've never had to struggle to get into a Gabriel album before. Just hasn't happened. There are some tracks that are finally making an impression, though it's hard to ignore the turd in the swimming pool. Yeah, I'm talking about “The Barry Williams Show”. Bloody awful. But the thing about Gabriel is that prior to this his albums have always hit first time – Us, Ovo, So and the four self-titled: all brilliant. I've never had to fight to try to like one of his before, and while this album is ok or maybe even decent, for a Peter Gabriel album that just isn't good enough. I expect more of him, and he lets me down badly here.
Is there anything good about it? “Darkness” is a good atmospheric opener that makes clever use of shades of light and dark in terms of musical expression. “Sky Blue” is okay too, and I can kind of get behind “No way out” but there's nothing that hits me with the WOW factor like say “Secret world” or “Biko” or “On the air”. Just mostly a half-decent collection of songs, mixed in with one or two real piles of crud. That would be ok for some artists, but it doesn't cut it for Gabriel. Not even close.
Has my opinion changed now? A little, yes, but it still falls far below the standard I expect from this man, and will remain my least favourite of his albums, one I will play, if at all, very seldom.

Aloysius · 05-24-2017, 08:29 AM

I know you said no recs in this thread, but ...

Have you listened to MBV's earlier full length Isn't Anything? It probably has a more accessible sound as the band had only moved halfway toward the sound of Loveless. It might make you see Loveless in a different light.

Trollheart · 05-24-2017, 03:30 PM

Title: XXX
Artist: Asia
Genre: Progressive Rock
Year: 2012
Rank: High Priest
Why this doesn't cut it: God damn it's weak! I mean, there's the odd good track on it, but for a thirtieth anniversary album I expected better. I wrote a really scathing review of it when it came out originally, but haven't listened to it since. So do I feel any different? Well the first two tracks are great, which I think I accepted anyway originally, and no, I'm not looking at the album now through the lens of the passing of John Wetton. A bad album is a bad album, even if the person who made it (or one of them) is no longer with us. The death of the artist doesn't suddenly make a bad album good. I think one of the main problems I have with this is the lack of passion or feeling in it. I mean, even one of the better tracks, “Bury me in willow”, on which Wetton sings about his last wish before dying, has zero emotion in it and therefore to me means nothing. “Judas” is the same: flat, lifeless, boring when it should be a song of passion and anger. Ripping off the riff from BOC's classic “Don't Fear the Reaper” on “No religion” is just a step too far for a band who were, mostly, pretty original up to this, and it shows how little interest anyone really has in making this a landmark album.
Is there anything good about it? “Bury me in Willow” is good, but totally emotionless. “Face on the bridge” has things going for it. Closer's ok but that's about it.
Has my opinion changed now? Nah. It's still an awful album. A few bright spots here and there but they certainly don't outshine the overall darkness. RIP John, but **** you for dropping this turd before you shuffled off.

The Identity Matrix · 05-24-2017, 03:45 PM

What the heck does rank mean?

Trollheart · 05-24-2017, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

What the heck does rank mean?

Oh sorry: that's taken from a previous thread and just denotes my experience with the band. Goes from Noob to High Priest I think (have to check back): needless to say, High Priest means I'm very familiar with the band and have heard all their albums.

The Identity Matrix · 05-24-2017, 03:47 PM

Oh ok.

05-22-2017, 08:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	The Last Chance Saloon Used to run this as a section in my journal, but hey, I'll have a go at it out here in the wild, as it were. Basic premise: I listen to an album I haven't been able to get into, or don't like, preferably one I believe I should like but just can't click with, and see if after time has passed I have better luck, or if it really is that bad. No long-assed reviews, just basic thoughts and a quick yea or nay and definitely NO **ING RECS Batty! I might check back into "Love or Hate?" and choose albums I perhaps feel I didn't give a fair chance to, I might not. My own familiarity with each artist will be graded on a ranking scale as below: Noob: Have never heard anything by this artiste before. Novice: 1 album only heard from the discography. Not very familiar with the artiste. Apprentice: 2 or 3 albums heard from the artiste. Reasonably familiar but need to hear more. Adept: More than four, or more than half of the discography, whichever is greater. Quite familiar at this point. Master Adept: Have heard all their albums and know the artiste really well High Priest:** Have heard all their albums and know the artiste inside out. Next up __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 05-25-2017 at 06:36 PM.

05-23-2017, 11:39 AM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	All right, let's get this over with. Title: The X Factor Artist: Iron Maiden Genre: Heavy Metal Year: 1995 Rank: High Priest Why this doesn't cut it: Odd thing to say about a Maiden album, but it's just ***ing boring. I can't even lay the blame on the new singer, cos although Blaze Bayley is no Bruce Dickinson, he's not that bad, and it's not his fault this album sucks. He does lack the aggression of his predecessor however. But there are other (X) factors to consider here. Kicking off with an eleven-minute snooze fest was not the best idea, for a start. A distinct lack of energy all through the album, no sign of the humour which often permeates their songs (think “Holy smoke”, “Bring your daughter”, even “Iron Maiden” ffs!) and some very lacklustre guitar work. Okay, so Stevie was going through a divorce, but no need to make the equivalent of Phil Collins's Face Value* for metalheads! Yeah, it's kind of hard to care, and that's not what I want or expect from a Maiden album. God, this album just drrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggssssss onnnnn forrrrrrrevvvvvverrrrrr..... Can you feel how low the energy is on this? Can you imagine headbanging, fistpumping or moshing to it? Neither can I. And I don't even know what moshing is. Is there anything good about it? “Lord of the flies” is not without its charm. I guess “Man on the edge” has something going for it too, but that's about it really. Okay, “Judgement of Heaven” has some nice riffage Has my opinion changed now? No. It's still easily the worst Maiden album ever. I can even stomach Virtual XI before this. Seriously. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-23-2017, 11:40 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Next up: __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-23-2017, 03:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Loveless Artist: My Bloody Valentine Genre: Shoegaze Year: 1991 Rank: Novice Why this doesn't cut it: I guess to understand how I felt that way when I first heard this you have to realise I had no idea what shoegaze was, and my main gripe was that I couldn't hear the vocals, they were buried in the mix. Yeah. Well, I didn't know. I've a tiny little bit more experience with the genre now, so do I appreciate it? Well, yes, but the textures and nuances in the music, clever though they may be, still kind of hurt my ears and it's not what I'd call an enjoyable experience, not for me. *Is there anything* good about it? Well, yeah, the guitar work is excellent of course. I'm still not a fan of being unable to hear/make out vocals, but I understand now this is intentional, not bad production or weak singing. There's clearly a lot of great, and indeed innovative, music on it. Has my opinion changed now?** Very slightly. I can understand the idea behind the whole genre, and thus the album, now, but no, I still don't particularly like it. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 05-24-2017 at 03:48 PM.

05-23-2017, 05:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Up Artist: Peter Gabriel Genre: Progressive/Art Rock Year: 2002 Rank: High Priest Why this doesn't cut it: I honestly don't know. I just can't get into it, and I've tried several times. I've never had to struggle to get into a Gabriel album before. Just hasn't happened. There are some tracks that are finally making an impression, though it's hard to ignore the turd in the swimming pool. Yeah, I'm talking about “The Barry Williams Show”. Bloody awful. But the thing about Gabriel is that prior to this his albums have always hit first time – Us, Ovo, So and the four self-titled: all brilliant. I've never had to fight to try to like one of his before, and while this album is ok or maybe even decent, for a Peter Gabriel album that just isn't good enough. I expect more of him, and he lets me down badly here. *Is there anything* good about it? “Darkness” is a good atmospheric opener that makes clever use of shades of light and dark in terms of musical expression. “Sky Blue” is okay too, and I can kind of get behind “No way out” but there's nothing that hits me with the WOW factor like say “Secret world” or “Biko” or “On the air”. Just mostly a half-decent collection of songs, mixed in with one or two real piles of crud. That would be ok for some artists, but it doesn't cut it for Gabriel. Not even close. Has my opinion changed now?** A little, yes, but it still falls far below the standard I expect from this man, and will remain my least favourite of his albums, one I will play, if at all, very seldom. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 05-24-2017 at 03:47 PM.

05-24-2017, 08:29 AM	#6 (permalink)
Aloysius Music Addict Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 353	I know you said no recs in this thread, but ... Have you listened to MBV's earlier full length Isn't Anything? It probably has a more accessible sound as the band had only moved halfway toward the sound of Loveless. It might make you see Loveless in a different light.

05-24-2017, 03:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: XXX Artist: Asia Genre: Progressive Rock Year: 2012 Rank: High Priest Why this doesn't cut it: God damn it's weak! I mean, there's the odd good track on it, but for a thirtieth anniversary album I expected better. I wrote a really scathing review of it when it came out originally, but haven't listened to it since. So do I feel any different? Well the first two tracks are great, which I think I accepted anyway originally, and no, I'm not looking at the album now through the lens of the passing of John Wetton. A bad album is a bad album, even if the person who made it (or one of them) is no longer with us. The death of the artist doesn't suddenly make a bad album good. I think one of the main problems I have with this is the lack of passion or feeling in it. I mean, even one of the better tracks, “Bury me in willow”, on which Wetton sings about his last wish before dying, has zero emotion in it and therefore to me means nothing. “Judas” is the same: flat, lifeless, boring when it should be a song of passion and anger. Ripping off the riff from BOC's classic “Don't Fear the Reaper” on “No religion” is just a step too far for a band who were, mostly, pretty original up to this, and it shows how little interest anyone really has in making this a landmark album. *Is there anything* good about it? “Bury me in Willow” is good, but totally emotionless. “Face on the bridge” has things going for it. Closer's ok but that's about it. Has my opinion changed now? Nah. It's still an awful album. A few bright spots here and there but they certainly don't outshine the overall darkness. RIP John, but ** you for dropping this turd before you shuffled off. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018