Powerstars

Wow, been dead here! Should have a new entry up sometime soon. Requests would be greatly appreciated!

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Powerstars

Review #007 - "Let It Be" by The Beatles

1970 was a hard year for The Beatles. Having just recorded and released Abbey Road after suffering through the hellish "Get Back" sessions, the band's future looked bleak. One thing was for sure: They had to call in someone to make something of the trainwreck that was the "Get Back" sessions. They called in Phil Spector, infamous for his "Wall Of Sound" approach.

When Paul McCartney first heard Spector's version of "The Long And Winding Road," he was furious. It went completely against the stripped-down sound that the original song, and album, for that matter, was supposed to have. He angrily called Spector and demanded that he change it back. He didn't. So, was this album any good? Or was it The Beatle's darkest hour. Let's find out.

1. Two Of Us
Opening with a bit of studio banter from John, this first song really has more of the "raw and real" feel than any other song on the album. McCartney wrote this, presumably about his wife at the time, Linda, though for whatever reason, John barged in one time and claimed he wrote it. A lot of fans interpret it as being about John and Paul, which is an easy assumption, they sing it together. Overall, a real solid track

2. Dig A Pony
Cool, groovy lil' track. The only new song that John wrote specifically for this album ("Across The Universe" was written 2 years prior, "One After 909" was written WAY back before the Beatles hit it big, John's part of "I've Got A Feeling" was also written 2 years prior), the track consist of word salad lyrics that Lennon later dismissed as garbage. Doesn't matter John, you may not like it, but this song is instrumentally tight and generally good.

3. Across The Universe
Now for a taste of the over-production. I feel this song is better when it's not orchestrated. John said that it was a lousy track...of a great song. This is one of his songs that he still loved late into his life. He just felt it hadn't been recorded properly. The guitars were out of tune, he said, and so was his voice. I personally still love it though, but I felt 2003's "Let It Be Naked" got the best take on the lousy take.

4. I Me Mine
Ah, George. Good ol' George. Great song, but once again plagued by overproduction. Not only is there an unneeded orchestra, but Phil Spector took the track and looped a section over again to make the song longer. YOU DON'T DO THAT TO THE BEATLES! THE BEATLES ARE SACRED! Still, one of the best songs on the album, and one of George's best cuts with the Beatles. While The Beatles considered it filler, George was smart enough to know it was good, and his autobiography, named after the song, proves that he retained a liking to it.

5. Dig It
This song just makes me feel sad whenever I listen to it. Not because it's a sad song or anything, but because of all the wasted potential. It was a jam session, that originally lasted 7 minutes. They actually went and recorded it again, which lasted 12 and a half minutes. On the original "Get Back" album it was supposed to be cut down to 5 minutes. We get 30 seconds of it here. Then, when "Let It Be Naked" was released, it was removed entirely. Why, Phil Spector? Why would you cut it down when it had so much potential?

6. Let It Be
The title track also suffers from overproduction with an unneeded orchestra. Still, it is one of the Beatles' signature songs, and easily recognizable.

7. Maggie Mae
More filler, although I can say at the very least that it wasn't cut down, just short to begin with. Come to think of it, why did Phil Spector make "I Me Mine" longer, only to include 2 short filler tunes. Back to the song, it's John and Paul running through an old Liverpool standard, nothing special.

8. I've Got A Feeling
My favorite song on the album, this is possibly the last time John and Paul wrote a song together. It is not plagued by overproduction, it just feels right. Combining John and Paul's concepts for songs in a perfect way, this song may be too perfect for any more words. Just listen to it now.

9. One After 909
An old Beatles number that they didn't think was good enough to include on any of their albums until this one. I disagree. It really showcases the Beatle's influences in the most Beatley way. Listening to the 1963 version on "Anthology," I can tell you that they reinvented this song. They made it so much better and it became something truly great. Paul remembers it as not a great song, but a great favorite of his.

10. The Long And Winding Road
Ugh! Phil Spector turned this jazzy tune into a more easy listening song. This is not a good thing. You can't ruin this song, but Phil Spector came close...and his version became the hit! Listening to the "Let It Be...Naked" version just kind of makes me angry at how he drowned out the original drums, guitar, and even McCartney's voice! The anthology version is also less easy listening, but more spacey and folkish, which is a really cool sound. I can see how Paul would've been mad with what he did to this version. It's a meh take on a stellar song.

11. For You Blue
Another song that Spector (thankfully) didn't try orchestrate. Bluesy tune, I was completely obsessed with it for a time. As George puts it, it's a simple 12-bar song. Simply, catchy, and damn good. I really love the lap steel solo by John.

12. Get Back
The original title track, Spector thankfully left this one pretty much as is, although I prefer the single version by a small margin. This one is a good note to end on though and overall, there wasn't much he could've done to ruin this song anyways.

Conclusion: Some songs suffer just a bit from Spectorization ("I Me Mine," "Across The Universe"), while others are drowning in it ("The Long And Winding Road"), while others yet suffer none at all ("Dig A Pony," "Get Back," etc.) It's a good album, but unbalanced and suffering bad production. Overall though, Phil Spector can decrease the quality, but he will never ruin the Beatles

Final Score: 78/100 (Go, Johnny, Go)

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FRED HALE SR.

Honestly I think you have a decent enough journal. I don't necessarily listen to the same genres as you but I think being straight to the point and short works for some people. My opinion would be to expand out and maybe try a totally different genre then soft rock/classic rock. Thats my opinion since you asked for it in the shouty. I've read better and worse and I haven't created a journal so you have a head start on me. Later.

Powerstars

Thank you my friend. I am, in fact, into many genres, but Rock most of all. If you can think of an album from another genre to review, lemme hear it, I'm open. If you even have a genre in particular you want me to look at, go ahead.

In other news, I got 2 requests in my inbox. Thank you guys, I will look into getting your albums reviewed. You guys know who you are! You sent me albums by 3 and Cheap Trick, respectively.

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Powerstars

The 2nd album Trollheart has sent me, he described it by saying that he reviewed 2 years ago and didn't know what to think of it. I decided to give it a whirl, cuz good ol' Trolly sent it to me. Yes. I called him Good Ol' Trolly. Get over it

1. Sirenum Scopuli
Nice little acousticky opener. Very mysterious and dissonant. One of the cool things about this song is that it leads directly into...

2. React
..."React." Good God, I love this song. It starts off mysterious and almost like a combination of folk and metal and then goes distinctly Hard Rock. I love the sound of this track. Not too heavy, but heavy enough. Very dark, but not too dark. Guitars, vocals, and drums are all brilliant. Sheer brilliance on a plate. I really like how dreamlike it sounds towards the end. Those guitars almost sound like synthesizers. All I can say is...REAAAAAAAAAAACT! REAA-AACT!

3. Sparrow
Ooh. Heavier stuff! Bang that head! Intro reminds me of "Black Dog" by the Zeps, but muuuuuuch darker. Once again, we have guitars that sound like synths during that first verse! It goes from heavy to dreamy to heavy again. It's like a metaphor for not being able to find what decisions to make, or what paths to take. But, instead of sounding weird, the transitions are very natural. I really like the transition from the verses to the choruses with the band yelling. Also, that solo!

4. High Times
Almost like an ever so slightly lighter combination of "React" and "Sparrow." It's very heavy, but not as dark as those songs and very melodic. The harmonies during the chorus are a personal favorite part of the song for me. Also, the drums in the early verses truly have a great song, necessary for this song. I love it.

5. Numbers
Funky intro that allows me to hear more bass. I like the bass there. Then...Oh my God, it's even heavier than "Sparrow!" This is really nice and still doesn't manage to be too heavy, though I do believe it may cross the line into METAL. Not a bad thing, mind you. The processed vocal near 3 minutes in is surreal, mildly psychedelic, and awesome. The guitar chord morphing at the end is really cool. Once again, oozing with love for this album.

6. One With The Sun
One of the longer tracks on the album, it starts off very surprisingly joyful. Which is a good thing, I like it. Then there was a little dissonant chord. And a line about crazy people while we go back to happiness. Lyrical dissonance, indeed. It still ends up being a happy song through and through, even with the little dissonance on occasion. Even with the lyrics about crazy people committing murder. I mean really, lyrical dissonance. Little happy guitar solo is a nice touch to the false mood the song sets considering what the lyrics are about. This is certainly a highlight of the album.

7. The Ghost You Gave Me
Opening with heavy drums, guitar, and mysteriously reverbed vocals. Actually I don't know if that's reverb, double tracking, harmony, or really good production. Proves how good these guys are. I do like the harmonies we get around 50-60 seconds in, which I can actually tell are harmonies. I do know they have really good production though. They really managed to make that guitar solo sound like a synth solo. And no, there are no synths on this album. Wikipedia (The most reliable site ever) said so. On a more serious note, Trollheart said so in his review. Anyways, back to the song The chorus is one of the catchiest parts on the entire album. Pure awesome

8. Pretty
Very trippy verses. It's also very calm and cool. I love later on when they add like the whispery thing (lolwat). Then the guitars crunch, baby! Chorus is pretty bouncy as far as dark experimental hard/prog rock goes. Yeah, that's what I'm calling it. But yeah, chorus is cool, as is that little guitar break around 1:30. I'm getting used to 3 by now, and I like them very much.

9. Afterglow
Ooh, cool lighter intro. Still dark, but lighter than anything we've heard up to this point. And, ooh! OOH! Hints of orchestration! Also, dem harmonies during the chorus! The lightest song on the album, and trust me it's not a bad thing. It allows the band to show off their more melodic side as well as still experiment with the spacey effects and orchestration! Seriously, that was a nice touch! Another highlight and certainly a great song!

10. It's Alive
Right on back to the heavier stuff, the drums really shine on this one! At least, I thought it was heavier (and darker), but dat verse is almost jazzy. That's right, they're throwing another musical genre into their musical palette, but only for the verses. What can 3 not do? The flanger guitar is truly enjoyable to listen to. I love when it slowed down a bit for a solo and then for a bridge. Not to mention the "It's A Lie" part. Very catchy at times.

11. Only Child
I love the intro to this one. I have no idea how to describe the wonderful intro. Anyways, this is the longest song here, so I'mma be typing this track's part up for a while. The acoustic guitar on this one seems almost mexican folk songish at times. That's really the only way I can describe it. And wonderfully, we have some more harmonies. These guys can harmonize very well! And then, we get slidey wah-wah guitar parts. Ooh! OOH! OOOOOOOOOOH! These guys seem to take influences from every musical genre that involves a guitar and then some! Then at around 3:45, the drums pick up and, once again, it is glorious! Then, we have the lead vocalist playing "Call-and-Respond" with himself, which is very nice. The finest hour for the producer on this album, whoever they may be. We get a trippy "Piano and violin" solo thing that is probably the single best part of this wonderful track and closes it out.

12. The Barrier
We have slow spacey folkish thing going, and the vocalist sings folky very well. It almost reminds me of "American Pie" at times and unlike "One With The Sun" this is a legit optimistic effort. The guitar solo is certainly a highlight. And of course, they gotta give us some awesome, yet subtle harmonies. Spacey and awesome. A unique end to a unique album.

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this album. They use the same formula on almost every song, but manage to introduce enough variation to keep it fresh. An awesome album.

Final Score: 90/100

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Powerstars

Sorry for posting so many posts that I don't want published, but I submitted the updated 3 review.

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Janszoon

No problem.

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A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm

Powerstars

BIG NEWS UPDATE
My brother saw the CD's that I had checked out of the library ("Oceania" by The Smashing Pumpkins and "Axis: Bold As Love" by Jimi Hendrix), so he brought down his CD collection is allowing me to "do what I will" with them. That means review. But, in order to keep things balanced, I'll see what other things of other genres I can find. Thank you guys for your requests, this journal is now really gonna take off!

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Powerstars

Review #009 - "Gypsyhook" by Sonny Moore (AKA Skrillex)

This is one of the different things I was talking about. In 2009, before Sonny Moore (AKA Skrillex) hit it big with his dubstep stuff, he recorded an EP of Electronic songs called Gypsyhook. He was also supposed to record an LP, but the tapes went missing and he took a completely different approach: Dubstep. So, let's take a look at Skrillex before Skrillex was Skrillex.

1. Gypsyhook
Quite a catchy little song. Sonny sings well, albeit sometimes sounds a little odd. This song could've been a big hit had it been released as a single, but not in a bad way.

2. Mora
Quite possibly the most famous of the "Skrillex before Skrillex was Skrillex" tracks, this one is a heavy electro track with a few clear rock influences such as the synth crunching resembling guitar crunching, and just generally the presence of distorted guitar sounds. It does sound a bit like the stuff Sonny became known for, but not much.

3. Copaface2
Intro almost reminds me of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," in the most mediocre possible way. It gets better from there. Out of the 3 songs that aren't remixes on here, I gotta say, this one foreshadows Sonny's future the most with the heavy bass. Ending is real nice.

4. Gypsyhook (Vs. DMNDAYS)
Ooh. I like this. Bassalicious. Not much to say, a nice mindless remix of a good song.

5. Mora (Vs. The Toxic Avenger)
Neat smooth little intro there. Then comes the bass. This is a very nice remix and is very much a precursor to Sonny's later work, like much of the EP. Later on, it even draws influences from Glitch, which is really cool.

6. Mora (Vs. LAZRtag)
Even more bass heavy, I can't say much about this track that hasn't been said of the others. Although, I must say, the heavy bass really compliments the vocals here.

7. Copaface2 (Vs. Dan Sena)
The song is one that was meant to be played in clubs in an extended mix. With it's bass, drums, bleeps, and bloops, heck, even some symphonic elements, this may be the most danceable song on the album.

8. Kai Sui
"Mora," but in gratuitous Japanese. Just weird, not sure if I like it or not.

Conclusion: A cool thing to listen to hear the roots of the single most controversial dubstep (I'm sorry people who consider Skrillex Brostep or whatever) artist of all time.

Final Score: 70/100 (Danceable, but mildly forgettable)

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Powerstars

Review #010 - "Nevermind" by Nirvana

Ah yes, as some of you may have read from my signature, this is my favorite album of the moment as of Late May/Early June 2013. This is one from my brother's previously mentioned collection. I had wanted to hear this album for a while, and while looking through the collection, I found that I had it, so I popped that sucker in. I watched a documentary on it's history also, so I know a thing or two about it. Let's do it.

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
One of the two tracks that I already knew going in, Kurt Cobain hated this song. It came from when his ex-girlfriend wrote "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" on his wall. When finding out that Teen Spirit was a deodorant, he was very disappointing. Still, a great song. Not one of Nirvana's finest, but still, as my brother put it, "the theme song of the early '90s."

2. In Bloom
My favorite single from the album, also one of the two that I knew coming into this album. A song about the underground music scene, the verses are groovy with the drums and bass, and the chorus is stereotypical Nirvana awesome. I really love the video for this, where the band stars on a '50s/'60s-esque variety show and then trashes their instruments at the end.

3. Come As You Are
Cool, chill song. One of the songs where you can understand what Kurt is saying is what we needed. The guitar has some cool EQ on it, and overall, it's an amazingly catchy song that I'm surprised wasn't a hit. The hit of the album was "Teen Spirit" and the label thought it would be "Lithium." If I had to guess, I'd think this would be the one. Only real problem I have with the song is that the line "I don't have a gun" is very painful after Cobain's death.

4. Breed
One of the first truly heavy songs on the album. As Butch Vig put it (Paraphrasing here), "Even if you couldn't quite understand what he was singing about, you knew it was intense as hell." I really love this song with it's guitars and Kurt's constant yelling. Yelling Kurt is Kurt at his best. Not much more you can say but SHE SAID! SHE SAID! SHE SAAAAAAAAAAID!

5. Lithium
As previously mentioned, the label thought this would be the hit of the album, and it certainly has the makings of one. It's one of the few Nirvana songs you could dance to, though, upon further inspection, the lyrics are rather dark. He's imagining having friends, not to mention the whole, "I kill you, I'm not coming back!"

6. Polly
A song written about a rape victim at a punk concert. The twist? It's written from the perspective of the rapist. One of the things that adds to the eeriness is the simple cheap sound of the guitar. Another cool thing about the song is how Krist holds it together with a little bass groove. It's a great song.

7. Territorial Pissings
We open with Krist singing "Get Together." Then we get heavy. This song isn't really all that memorable, except when Kurt's tone completely goes and he's screaming at the top of his lungs.

8. Drain You
Kurt considers this one of the finest songs he's ever written, and that's a point that's hard to argue. It's a fairly cheery alt. rock song until you realize it's about two babies in the womb draining each other. Yeah.

9. Lounge Act
Underrated, but still forgettable. Bass is nice, though.

10. Stay Away
Another catchy heavy song. I don't really have much to say. STAAAAAAAAAAY. STAAAAY AWA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

11. On A Plain
A pretty catchy song about writer's block that has also been interprited about being how hard Kurt can be to understand sometimes due to the line "What the hell am I trying to say?" The ending is nice, showcasing the vocal harmonies and the original take also had some synth at the end which many hate but I like.

12. Something In The Way
Kurt is once again hard to understand, but that's because of his sad mumbling. Very melancholy song, and also my personal favorite song from the album. It's so amazingly good, I love it, I can't describe how good it is.

Conclusion: No, I'm not reviewing "Endless, Nameless" because my copy doesn't have it. Anyways, this is an amazing album with a few amazing standout songs. If you don't already own it, you should pick it up right now!

Final Score: 95/100 (Dude, Kurt, you're awesome!)

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