Trollheart

Hi honey! Welcome back! You've been away too long, that's for sure.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Pet_Sounds

You MUST hear Blood on the Tracks and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Especially BOTW. Well, what are you waiting for?

EDIT: Also After the Gold Rush. All fantastic albums.

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Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Isbjørn

Another Metallica album = Ride the Lightning.

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Trollheart

Okay, a few people have asked me to listen to this, so as I’m on something of a roll here with journal entries I’m gonna have a shot at it now.

Title: The Queen is dead
Artiste: The Smiths
Year: 1986
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Singles and more singles
Why is this considered a classic? I have no idea.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh
Halfway through --- Meh
Finished --- Good to meh (can’t really decide)

Comments: I remember the Smiths as a vaguely bland boring band with some tall guy poncing about on stage at “Top of the Pops” with a leek or something sticking out of his back pocket. I was not impressed, and Morrissey’s warbling impressed me less. I must admit, I have heard very few Smiths tracks and those I have heard have probably been accidentally, like “How soon is now”, which I heard when I watched “Charmed” (shut up!) so this is my first (and probably last) full Smiths album.

It’s a gutsy title for sure; one thing you don’t do in the UK is slag off ‘Er Majesty, but then I guess that’s what Morrissey and Co were aiming for. I’ve never liked his voice, there’s just something about it that grates on me, so the title track doesn’t do a lot for me, though Johnny Marr’s guitar playing can’t be faulted of course. Unfortunately, it seems that every time he winds up for a good solo Morrissey drones over him. One thing I do note about this song is that it is way, way too long. Just wanders on for about two minutes after it could have comfortably ended. Not a great start, my friends. Not a great start.

“Frankly, Mr Shankly” sounds like something Chas and Dave would have refused to record on the grounds of its being too corny, but at least it’s short, which is not something I can say about “I know it’s over” (though it isn’t. Over, that is), a nice bluesy ballad with another morose vocal from the Big M. Very nice bass lines. Oddly, I can hear Kim Wilde singing this… Yeah. It’s a pretty damn depressing album so far, not that I didn’t expect that but it’s sort of like listening to music with your head stuck in the oven. Gas, of course. The next track is slow too, and boring as hell. Yawn. Okay, oddly a song called “Cemetery gates” actually kicks the tempo up, and it’s not bad at all, very indie rock, kind of reminds me of Deacon Blue or Ivyrise. Like this one. First one I have liked, but I like it.

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. “Bigmouth strikes again” is another boppy, uptempo song, but again I hate Morrissey’s voice so it’s hard to really like any of the songs. Really hard. If I have to choose though this would be one I don’t completely hate, and Marr’s guitar is sparkling and vibrant, let loose for once. Sounded like fiddle or something there but I can’t be certain. “The boy with the thorn in his side” continues what I see as the resurgence of this album, making me like it a little more, or hate it a little less. Nah, I don’t hate it. But maybe dismiss it a little less?

The next one is too rockabilly for my tastes though, the one after that I like and the closing track is a pleasant, boppy song that’s inoffensive and light, and takes a little away from the overall doomy, gloomy feel (lyric-wise) of this album. The music’s (mostly) uptempo and the lyrics are downbeat, and it’s hard to reconcile the two really.


Favourite track(s): Cemetery gates, Bigmouth strikes again, The boy with the thorn in his side
Least favourite track(s): Frankly, Mr. Shankly, Never had no one ever, Vicar in a tutu

Final impression --- Started off slowly and very plodding, but definitely got better after the first three or so tracks. Still not something I’d revisit and hasn’t changed my already-formed opinion of The Smiths. Would not be a fan.

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

E again

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Trollheart

Title: New wave
Artiste: The Auteurs
Year: 1993
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? I ahve no idea but I keep getting asked to listen to it, so hopefully this will keep Urban and Goofle happy. For now.

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

Comments:
Debut album from a band who, though associated with the nineties Britpop movement, seemed to dislike that tag and possibly as a result seem to have faded into obscurity, despite this album originally being nominated for the Mercury Prize and now being one of those “1001 albums you must hear before you die” deals. Personally, I've never heard of them, but the two boys have been so voiciferous in their attempts to get me to listen to this album that I felt it was only fair that I listened to them.

Good immediate opening with cracking drums and a nice guitar to open Showgirl, and the voice of the singer, Luke Haines, is interesting, sort of reminds me at times of Neil Tennant. Touches of Bowie in there too, oh yeah, and yer man from The Lightning Seeds. The song is a mid-paced one with a kind of marching rhythm, and stops once or twice before coming back in on the basswork of Alice Readman. Very pleasant, sense of The Adventures about it too, particularly “Sea of love” era. The second track has more of an almost Shadows feel about it with a belt of Country in there, piano from Haines adding to the appeal of Bailed out, but again it's pleasant but nothing terribly great or memorable. Hmm. Not overly impressed so far.

First instance of cello then from James Banbury, and I've always got time for cello or violin. There's quite a muddy vocal initially for American guitars but I have to say it's a bit nondescript and is over before I can really even appreciate it. Junk shop clothes is a slower song, with tinkly piano and what sounds like accordion, but still pretty boring. Tempo goes up then at least for Don't trust the stars, and it rocks along okay but again I'm not too impressed. On we go into Starstruck where the pace slackens again. I have to say, I don't really like this guy's voice; it's a bit weak and sort of wimpy. Not that I want to hear death vocals exactly, but this is just a little whiny for my tastes. Getting very bored now. Ho-hum.

Yeah. I heard a harmonica there which perked me up for a moment, but now I'm just drumming my fingers and waiting for this album to end. I just have zero interest in it. It's tedious and dull and with no life whatever, to me. There's a line in Valet parking (think it's the chorus) where Haines sings “I'm sick of parking cars”. Replace the last two words with “listening to this album” and you have a good idea of how little interest I have in this now. Well, only (checks) three more tracks to go and then I can forget it. And now I can. God, what an ordeal.

Favourite track(s): None. I didn't like any of this album. Conversely...
Least favourite track(s): I didn't hate any of this album either. I just didn't care enough about it, after all the hype, to like or hate it.

Final impression --- No real impression. Bored to tears. Nothing here interested me.

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?

Definitely a B

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Goofle

You suck.

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Trollheart

So do you, for suggesting I listen to that. Ugh!
Right back atcha!

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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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Josef K

I'd suggest a different Pavement album. Wowee Zowee is my personal favorite, and their debut, Slanted & Enchanted, is what most people consider their best. CRCR is good but doesn't really measure up to those two IMO, and the debut is a more "important" album also.

James

While it isn't my favourite, Crooked Rain is the most accessible and the one I would also have recommended to Trollheart.