Trollheart

I ... don't know. I'm sort of trying to settle back into the groove of the list, which is why U2 and then Neil Young and after that I think is maybe Peter Tosh, not sure. Aren't Swans a punk band, or did I get that wrong? I'll see about adding it, but given all I have to do, can't say when I'll get around to it, or if.

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Frownland

Their early stuff is really abrasive no wave, but Swans' newer albums are post rock and entirely different.

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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.

The Batlord

Basically, early stuff is really abrasive and primitive art rock that sounds for all the world like extreme doom metal. Not in the death metal sense, but it's just so amusical that it's as abrasive as a lot of death metal.

You'll hate this, probably in the same way you didn't like Thorr's Hammer.




I'm not that up on later Swans, but it was even more different from early Swans as early, black metal-era Bathory is to Viking metal, Hammerheart-era Bathory. So, don't let early Swans in any way color your view of what the other MB members are trying to recommend to you.

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Moss

For the record I would love to hear your thoughts on To be kind by swans. A unique and great album.

Trollheart

Again, I don't know. They don't sound like the sort of band I'd be into. I'll consider it, but my workload is currently massive. Working at the moment on a typically enormous review of "The endless river", which I hope to publish later today or tomorrow.

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The Batlord

Again, their later work sounds absolutely nothing like their early work, so whatever notion you think you have of what they sound like is wrong.

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Trollheart

Title: After the gold rush
Artiste: Neil Young
Year: 1970
Chronological position: Third solo album
Previous experience of this artiste?: A few singles, a few live performances, and “Harvest”, which I didn't like much.
Why is this considered a classic? I'm not sure, but it's one of Neil Young's best known records.

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: A year or two, or more, back, I ran a section for a week in which I reviewed and featured only music and albums from the seventies. During that “70s Week” I had the chance to review one of two classic Neil Young albums, and eventually went for “Harvest”. I did not enjoy it much, so I'm hoping now that the other choice open to me at the time will yield better results. I already know the title track of course, and I think I know Only love can break your heart but the rest will be new to me, so let's see how I get on.

Well I was warned it was very country-oriented, and so it proves as we open with Tell me why, which reminds me of The Eagles or early Dan Fogelberg. Nice boppy, uptempo song on acoustic guitar, breezy and pleasant. Like the vocal harmonies. Of course I know and love the title track, always did. Not a clue what it's about though. Maybe colonisation as humanity leaves Earth behind? The "chosen ones" spoken of in the lyric who are "flying Mother Nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun"? Again it's acoustic, though this time on piano. Oh yeah, with some flugelhorn too. Sweet. And yes, I do know Only love can break your heart. Great song, a real swaying ballad. Doing well so far.

First signs of electric guitar and Neil comes out rockin' with Southern man. Great guitar solos. Hey, that's weird! Sounds like Bon Jovi ripped off some of this melody for Burnin' for love from their debut album! I knew I had heard it somewhere before. Love Till the morning comes, pity it's so short, but then it's followed by Oh lonesome me --- hmm, it's a cover. Lose points for that I'm afraid. Still a great song though. Next track is great too. And the next. I love When you dance, I can really love, and I believe in you is a gorgeously understated track, which kind of brings us to the end, with Cripple Creek ferry and that's, well, pretty good. But short, and a little lacklustre compared to just about all the tracks preceding it. Slight letdown right at the very end.

Favourite track(s): Everything except maybe the closer, and even that was ok
Least favourite track(s): None

Final impression --- Love this album. A massive improvement on “Harvest” and it's certainly something I'd be listening to again and again. I can see why it's so highly regarded, and rightly so.

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

A very solid A

And as for the rating, has to be

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Pet_Sounds

I was hoping you'd cover that one soon! That's a fantastic album, indeed. Makes me proud to be Canadian.

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Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Urban Hat€monger ?

If you want to do something countryish how about some Gram Parsons.
His Grievous Angel album or The Flying Burritto Brothers Gilded Palace Of Sin album are both pretty decent.

In fact if you do I promise to listen to and review Genesis The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway the whole way through. And I'll review it in such a way that I have to hear it the whole way through.

And you know how much I hate Genesis.

Ball is in your court Mr T

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James

After The Gold Rush is an amazing record, although I've never heard of someone loving that album and disliking Harvest. Interesting! If you want to continue to delve into Neil Young I would recommend Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, my personal favourite. None of the others come close in my eyes. A couple of excellent longer songs I think you will react well to. Down By The River is a masterpiece.