Classic Albums I have never heard

GD · 06-19-2022, 12:20 PM

Stoked to see the return of this journal!

I might suggest an album myself but have to think on it for a bit to find the best possible one to rec, ideally something you'll genuinely enjoy too.

rubber soul · 06-19-2022, 12:20 PM

Hmm, London Calling gets an E and All Mod Cons gets almost an F.

You're not into English punk very much, are you?

Trollheart · 06-19-2022, 12:58 PM

Well actually I'm a little more into punk now than I used to be, with the likes of Rise Against and Frank Carter, but yeah, English punk not so much. Not that I think the Jam are going to be categorised by anyone as punk, nor did I suggest that; I just said you can hear the bovver boots of punk in their music - at least on this album - as you can on Iron Maiden's debut and, to an extent, their second album too.

But I think with The Clash it was more the expectation - and the disappointment at its realisation or rather non-realisation - that caused me to give it an E instead of an F. With The Jam, I sort of knew I probably wasn't going to enjoy it that much, and I kind of did enjoy it. A little. More than I expected to anyway.

So then -

The Clash: went in with high expectations, disappointed, so it gets an E.
The Jam: went in with low expectations, didn't hate it so it gets a possible F.

Trollheart · 06-19-2022, 01:01 PM

Next up:

Get ready, haters!

Trollheart · 06-19-2022, 08:56 PM

Way way back in 2013, when I had a lot more hair, a few more brain cells and began this journal (imagine, at that point I had FOUR journals going! I thought I had arrived!

) I mentioned that these albums were getting one shot to impress, but that later on I would attempt to relisten to them and see if my mind had been changed.

That never happened.

Until now.

It seems five years is a long enough time to reconsider my reactions to these albums, so I'm starting what was always going to be called, and why change it now, it's a good name for a section

In point of fact, the first album I reviewed was in 2013, so really we're talking nine years here, almost a decade. Here's what I had to say about it back then.

Title: Loveless
Artiste: My Bloody Valentine
Year: 1991
Chronological position: Second album
Previous experience of this artiste: Nothing
Why is this considered a classic? According to Wiki, this album invented shoegaze as a genre?

My thoughts
My reaction/immediate impression, ranging from Great, Good, Meh to Bad or Still waiting, or perhaps Other if nothing else fits.
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Other: frustrated mostly. Some good ideas but hard to make them out under the weapons-grade distortion.
Finished --- Still waiting, but maybe Other, ie frustrated?

Comments: I was trying to place the voice, and now I know. Though this will mean nothing to any of you, he's very very similar to the lead singer from another Irish band, the Stars of Heaven. I'm not mad about the heavy reverb and distortion, which seems even to be on the vocals, though I've read it is or was MBV's trademark. Makes it a little hard to listen to, for me, specially on the second track. Almost like listening to two albums playing at once, one slightly behind the other. Track three is a bit stupid, just a squealing guitar and then some orchestral style keyboard, a short instrumental if you can call it that.

Look, is this backwards masked or something? Because To here knows when (huh?) sounds like that. It's just a mess. I must say I'm beginning to lose patience here people. Is it possible you have to be stoned to appreciate this? Cos it sounds like they are. So far, apart from the opening track, bloody awful. Right, and some growly guitar with a warped effect right at the end. Where's me tea? Sigh. On we go. When you sleep has a nice melody in there somewhere but so much gets twisted and warped it's almost like MBV can't stand to have an ordinary song on this album. Right, now it's settling down a little. Sort of.

Jesus! What do they have against allowing the vocals to be heard? This is really annoying me now. I'm getting angry now, and you wouldn't like me when I'm ... oh wait, I already used that line. Anyway, there does seem to be some good, possibly great music in there somewhere but it's all buried under mountains of distortion, reverb, echo and singing that can't really be made out that it's just become a jumbled mess as far as I'm concerned. Although... I do like that fading out guitar riff that's been running all through the song, and the next one up, Come in alone is actually listenable, with clear(ish) vocals, so that may make it onto my list of, so far, one favourite track. Actually, the previous one might squeeze in too, on the basis of that riff. Maybe.

Yeah, hold the phone: Sometimes is good too; guitar's growly but not drowning out the rest of the music, and the vocal's good. Nice melody. Say nothing, say nothing, fingers crossed... Ah no. Blown a wish brings all the feedback and distortion and hard-to-decipher vocals back. Oh well. Look, I know it's the way they do things, apparently, and I'm not saying anything against that, but it's making it hard for me to enjoy --- damn it, even listen to --- this album. What you want has a vaguely Prefab Sprout feel to it, but again the vox are hard to make out --- yes, yes, I know it's intentional, not bad production. That's the whole problem, and why I don't see this band being a good fit for me.

Favourite track(s): Only shadow, Come in alone, I only said, Sometimes
Least favourite track(s): Everything else

Final impression --- Kind of still waiting: I'll have to take a few more listens, but right now, I'd say good but not great.

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) Not at all sure, have to wait and see

Sort C combined with D really. But I don't think I hate it. Or do I?

Okay, okay! Hold your guffaws! I had no idea what fucking shoegaze was, never mind that this was a shoegaze album, perhaps one of the most respected. I was mystified how anyone could listen to this. What do I think now?

Fuck knows.

I have to listen to it again.
I'll get back to you tomorrow.

GD · 06-20-2022, 08:45 AM

Oh boy, this'll be interesting to see. Good idea to revisit albums several years on

Not officially suggesting this, but have you heard Forever Changes by Love?

Trollheart · 06-20-2022, 11:37 AM

Okay, well I have to say my opinion still has not changed that much. I mean, the music is decent, but the vocals not being (mostly) decipherable and the over-reverb or feedback or whatever makes it very hard for me to enjoy this. I definitely would still not be listening to it, or any more of their material again. So essentially, seven years has not made a difference, I haven't come to appreciate it and it's a case of

Guybrush · 06-20-2022, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD

Not officially suggesting this, but have you heard Forever Changes by Love?

This is a fun one, I think. The Red Telephone is my favourite.. We're all normal and we want our freedom. Freedom? Freedumb.

rubber soul · 06-20-2022, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Okay, well I have to say my opinion still has not changed that much. I mean, the music is decent, but the vocals not being (mostly) decipherable and the over-reverb or feedback or whatever makes it very hard for me to enjoy this. I definitely would still not be listening to it, or any more of their material again. So essentially, seven years has not made a difference, I haven't come to appreciate it and it's a case of

So, I guess Da Capo is out too?

Trollheart · 06-20-2022, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD

Oh boy, this'll be interesting to see. Good idea to revisit albums several years on

Not officially suggesting this, but have you heard Forever Changes by Love?

Not certain, but the name seems familiar. Might have done it on "Love or Hate?" way back when.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

So, I guess Da Capo is out too?

Wuzzat?

06-19-2022, 12:20 PM	#461 (permalink)
GD ???pp? ??snW Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: NO Posts: 686	Stoked to see the return of this journal! I might suggest an album myself but have to think on it for a bit to find the best possible one to rec, ideally something you'll genuinely enjoy too. __________________ lasty\|rate-y music-y

06-19-2022, 12:58 PM	#463 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Well actually I'm a little more into punk now than I used to be, with the likes of Rise Against and Frank Carter, but yeah, English punk not so much. Not that I think the Jam are going to be categorised by anyone as punk, nor did I suggest that; I just said you can hear the bovver boots of punk in their music - at least on this album - as you can on Iron Maiden's debut and, to an extent, their second album too. But I think with The Clash it was more the expectation - and the disappointment at its realisation or rather non-realisation - that caused me to give it an E instead of an F. With The Jam, I sort of knew I probably wasn't going to enjoy it that much, and I kind of did enjoy it. A little. More than I expected to anyway. So then - The Clash: went in with high expectations, disappointed, so it gets an E. The Jam: went in with low expectations, didn't hate it so it gets a possible F. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-19-2022, 01:01 PM	#464 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Next up: Get ready, haters! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-19-2022, 08:56 PM	#465 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Way way back in 2013, when I had a lot more hair, a few more brain cells and began this journal (imagine, at that point I had FOUR journals going! I thought I had arrived! ) I mentioned that these albums were getting one shot to impress, but that later on I would attempt to relisten to them and see if my mind had been changed. That never happened. Until now. It seems five years is a long enough time to reconsider my reactions to these albums, so I'm starting what was always going to be called, and why change it now, it's a good name for a section In point of fact, the first album I reviewed was in 2013, so really we're talking nine years here, almost a decade. Here's what I had to say about it back then. *Title:* Loveless *Artiste:* My Bloody Valentine *Year:* 1991 *Chronological position:* Second album *Previous experience of this artiste:* Nothing *Why is this considered a classic?* According to Wiki, this album invented shoegaze as a genre? My thoughts My reaction/immediate impression, ranging from Great, Good, Meh to Bad or Still waiting, or perhaps Other if nothing else fits. One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good One track in --- Good Halfway through --- Other: frustrated mostly. Some good ideas but hard to make them out under the weapons-grade distortion. Finished --- Still waiting, but maybe Other, ie frustrated? Comments: I was trying to place the voice, and now I know. Though this will mean nothing to any of you, he's very very similar to the lead singer from another Irish band, the Stars of Heaven. I'm not mad about the heavy reverb and distortion, which seems even to be on the vocals, though I've read it is or was MBV's trademark. Makes it a little hard to listen to, for me, specially on the second track. Almost like listening to two albums playing at once, one slightly behind the other. Track three is a bit stupid, just a squealing guitar and then some orchestral style keyboard, a short instrumental if you can call it that. Look, is this backwards masked or something? Because To here knows when (huh?) sounds like that. It's just a mess. I must say I'm beginning to lose patience here people. Is it possible you have to be stoned to appreciate this? Cos it sounds like they are. So far, apart from the opening track, bloody awful. Right, and some growly guitar with a warped effect right at the end. Where's me tea? Sigh. On we go. When you sleep has a nice melody in there somewhere but so much gets twisted and warped it's almost like MBV can't stand to have an ordinary song on this album. Right, now it's settling down a little. Sort of. Jesus! What do they have against allowing the vocals to be heard? This is really annoying me now. I'm getting angry now, and you wouldn't like me when I'm ... oh wait, I already used that line. Anyway, there does seem to be some good, possibly great music in there somewhere but it's all buried under mountains of distortion, reverb, echo and singing that can't really be made out that it's just become a jumbled mess as far as I'm concerned. Although... I do like that fading out guitar riff that's been running all through the song, and the next one up, Come in alone is actually listenable, with clear(ish) vocals, so that may make it onto my list of, so far, one favourite track. Actually, the previous one might squeeze in too, on the basis of that riff. Maybe. Yeah, hold the phone: Sometimes is good too; guitar's growly but not drowning out the rest of the music, and the vocal's good. Nice melody. Say nothing, say nothing, fingers crossed... Ah no. Blown a wish brings all the feedback and distortion and hard-to-decipher vocals back. Oh well. Look, I know it's the way they do things, apparently, and I'm not saying anything against that, but it's making it hard for me to enjoy --- damn it, even listen to --- this album. What you want has a vaguely Prefab Sprout feel to it, but again the vox are hard to make out --- yes, yes, I know it's intentional, not bad production. That's the whole problem, and why I don't see this band being a good fit for me. Favourite track(s): Only shadow, Come in alone, I only said, Sometimes Least favourite track(s): Everything else Final impression --- Kind of still waiting: I'll have to take a few more listens, but right now, I'd say good but not great. 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) Not at all sure, have to wait and see *Sort C combined with D really.* But I don't think I hate it. Or do I? Okay, okay! Hold your guffaws! I had no idea what fucking shoegaze was, never mind that this was a shoegaze album, perhaps one of the most respected. I was mystified how anyone could listen to this. What do I think now? Fuck knows. I have to listen to it again. I'll get back to you tomorrow. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-20-2022, 08:45 AM	#466 (permalink)
GD ???pp? ??snW Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: NO Posts: 686	Oh boy, this'll be interesting to see. Good idea to revisit albums several years on Not officially suggesting this, but have you heard Forever Changes by Love? __________________ lasty\|rate-y music-y

06-20-2022, 11:37 AM	#467 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Okay, well I have to say my opinion still has not changed that much. I mean, the music is decent, but the vocals not being (mostly) decipherable and the over-reverb or feedback or whatever makes it very hard for me to enjoy this. I definitely would still not be listening to it, or any more of their material again. So essentially, seven years has not made a difference, I haven't come to appreciate it and it's a case of __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018