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Title: “Bad Romance”
Artist: Lady Gaga
Taken from: The Fame Monster
Genre: Pop
Year: 2009
Suggested by: Batty
Familiarity: Zero - that’s right: I have never heard one single Lady Gaga song.
Comments: Nice little kind of harpsichord opening, then a whole lot of this sounds familiar (and see above) - I think the basic melody, part of the lyric, the rhythm are all ripped off from one or more other songs. I’m thinking Human League’s “Love Is All That Matters” for the main melody with maybe something from Grace Jones in the chant? Whatever. It’s a decent tune, catchy, but definitely a typical example of style triumphing over substance. Still, this is pop we’re talking about. Good, but wouldn’t make me a fan. Still, in the end I guess you only got one question to answer about a pop tune: is it catchy or is it not? This is definitely catchy.
Rating: 5/10
Resultant interest in album: 30%
Resultant interest in artist: 30%

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Title: “Blank Space”
Artist: Taylor Swift
Taken from: 1989
Genre: Pop
Year: 2014
Suggested by: Batty
Familiarity: Zero. Again.
Comments: Now this is a melody I can really enjoy. Handclaps are annoying and the vocal’s a bit kind of stilted, but I’d consider this a better song than the Gaga one. Almost looks like the same guy in both videos! She can certainly sing. Was this filmed on location at Versailles? :yikes: Yeah I like this.
Rating: 8/10
Resultant interest in album: 70%
Resultant interest in artist: 80%

Bad romance was meh but Alejandro, now thats my jam. Sht sounds like all she wants by ace of base and la isla bonita by madonna mixed in 1

Werd up homies.

^ Well I'm glad I didn't recommend her, then ! Batlord takes a bullet for me. Thanks. :laughing:

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Title: “Ocean Breeze”
Artist: Pablo Cruise
Taken from: Pablo Cruise
Genre: Soft Rock
Year: 1975
Suggested by: Lisnaholic
Familiarity: Zero
Comments: I see this song is twelve minutes long! I’m gonna trust ya here, Lisna, not to hit me with an epic I’ll hate. Well, I love the rippling piano intro, very cinematic indeed. Three minutes in it kicks into an uptempo, bouncy almost Billy Joel-like rhythm, and though there are yet nine minutes to go I have to wonder if this is going to be an instrumental? Some fantastic guitar coming in now as it gets going. Seems to work almost in movements - which is appropriate enough for a song of this length, and given that it has so far had no vocals - and this then would be I think the third movement, in the sixth minute as it takes off on a sweet guitar solo.

I’m certainly really enjoying it so far I have to say, and I don’t honestly see that changing. I can detect hints of the Alan Parsons Project in certain parts of the melody, and that’s by no means any bad thing. These guys can certainly play! Hmm. Racking off a similar riff to “Layla” there. Really great stuff. Now slowing back down on the piano solo - oh my gosh! Vocals! At the ninth minute. I did not expect that. And again the APP similarities are there; the vocals make the piece somehow better, which I had not believed it could be. Superb. Absolutely wonderful. First class.
Rating: 10/10 (would rate it higher if I could)
Resultant interest in album: 100%
Resultant interest in artist: 100%

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Title: “Ma Jaiye Oni”
Artist: King Sunny Adé
Taken from: Juju Music
Genre: Juju, World beat
Year: 1982
Suggested by: Lisnaholic
Familiarity: Zero (I don’t even know what juju is!)
Comments: Hard not to like this. I mean, it’s a fairly basic tune but full of fun and joy, like reggae but perhaps lighter? Hard to describe; certainly evokes the atmosphere of the islands, sunny days, scantily-clad women gyrating their … excuse me just a moment.
:shycouch:
I wouldn’t attempt to describe the instruments being used - sounds like a Hawaiian guitar on much of it, but I expect there are a lot of ethnic instruments here too, some that may be only endemic to this particular music - but they all sound interesting and fun. Nice tune. Can’t say I’d be rushing to hear more, but it’s certainly very pleasant.
Rating: 8/10
Resultant interest in album: 20%
Resultant interest in artist: 20%

:tramp: At last! The origin of that riff has been bugging me for years! Thank you, Trollheart! That's what we get when music is reviewed by someone who knows what they're listening to!

I'm very glad you liked Ocean Breeze so much; it is easily the best and most ambitious track on that particular album, so there may be some disappointment attached if you follow up on your 100% interest.

For me, PC are sometimes a little too smooth for their own good, so this album from 2011 might be a good one to try; it's a run-through of their career highlights with the excitement of an impeccable live performance which really brings out the guitar bits (and yes, the piano is in there too):-

Hah! You're welcome. Terrible when you recognise the tune but can't quite place it, isn't it? Glad I could help.

Yeah that Morbid Saint track is pretty killer.