The Rock Album Survivor Reviews Thread
 

I'll be reviewing stuff I need to listen to from the Rock Album Survivor. Feel free to critique my reviews if they aren't good.

First, New Wave by The Auteurs (for Britpop)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KQZmNSBKS...3_New+Wave.jpg
Release date: 1993
Styles: Britpop, Indie Pop

From the opening track, I knew what my opinion would be. It's a good album that's worth buying, but it's not as impressive as most albums in the britpop round. Every song on the has the potential to be a hit, because each song shows a little creativity. I mean, they're mostly nice little jingles that one can kick back and enjoy with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake. Good enough vocals for the job, decent lyrics. It's generally a good album. But it's chance for perfection is tainted by many things: an inconsistent flow, an abundant mellow feel, and a lack of rhythm. At the beginning of the album, we had two nice, cute little serenades. But then "American Guitars" came on. And instead of maintaining a feel or promoting a sense of diversity, the album just felt like a different album.

However, the album does have a feel. The feeling isn't the feel of the album, but the feeling one gets from listening to it. It's a soothing album with just a hint of bounciness, a strange kind of fun that only albums like this have. It's not one of the best albums at all, but I felt nice and calm listening to it. The album could've done so much morew with its structure and composition, but they nailed resonance perfectly.

Do I recommend it? For those looking for perfection, no. But for britpop fans, yes I do. Although the songs are simple, they are still enjoyable. There's really nothing wrong with the album in terms of fun and resonance. However, there is so much better britpop, so I'd vote it off the round.

75/100 Voting it off, but worth buying for the soothing feel.

Definitely Maye by Oasis
Release date: 1994
Style: Britpop, Alternative Rock

Had to come back and edit this.

Alright, I didn't expect to love the album this much. I knew I'd really like it, though. I'm slowly turning into a britpop guy. And if What's the Story holds up to this, Oasis will be my favorite britpop band (right now it's Blur. Need to hear more Blur as well).

What the world had in the 80's and 90's was alternative rock, which came into mainstream popularity by the early 90's along with many subgenres. Here in America, we had grunge. Yes, the angsty, lazy, raspy, riff heavy awesomeness that went against the rules of society. Britain took a more poppy route and created britpop. And I think Oasis had a much clearer idea about what britpop was and what it should be. In fact, Definitely Maybe is probably the most true-to-britpop album I know of. It is a creative, heart-filled, and super-fun album which I recommend for ANYONE.

The album's only flaw is that the lyrics need some work. Anything else that could be a flaw is saved by the things that the supposed flaw works with. To clarify, one aspect of the album which could seem bad alone is blended very well with another aspect, improving both of them and creating a yin-yang style of music. Basically, everything else fails into place fairly to very well. The aura of the album is made up of many loud guitars playing similar riffs. And even though this makes the album noisier than necessary, the album's creativity with these riffs and catchiness cancels the flaw out. There's a yin and yang for you. Two noisy guitars playing brilliant rhythms while being spot-on with the timing. And the vocals are blended so well with the rhythms that I knew how much heart Oasis put in the album. The drumming isn't spectacular at all, but they are still really nice to listen to because the drumming is combined with the tambourine to create a nice little tune. Yin and yang. Although you won't find a super amazing "When the Levee Breaks" style riff, the drumming/tambourinbe combo has a cheery feel that adds a lot to the music. The baking vocals and production seem like bonuses add more to the album's music and emphasizes the fantastic aura. If fact, the backing vocals feel like a bonus because, even though they are unnecessary in comparison to the rest of the album, they add another flair to it. And even though the album shows little diversity, it never changes it's fantastic aura. It's consistent. And the final grand component of this album is its structure. The songs are perfectly constructed, never showing anything overdone or out of the ordinary. Grand album.

Overall, Oasis' debut deserves to stand the test of time. Heck, even after every copy of Oasis is, like, destroyed by an apocalyptic meteor shower or some junk like that, Oasis' should still be remembered by alternative fans. Maybe not the best album in the world, but one of the best alternative albums. I can hardly imagine What's the Story being better. This is one of my favorite albums.

95/100. Not voting it off until I get to Dog Man Star by Suede.

Best Songs: Supersonic for being more creative than the rest of the album, Cigarettes and Alcohol for it's cool T. Rex "Get It On" aura, Slide Away for being full of heart,

Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds by The Yardbirds
Styles: Blues Rock, Garage Rock
Release: 1965
Round: Rock and Roll.

I decided to listen to a couple rock and roll albums since it was proposed that rock and roll would be the next genre the survivor thread handles. So I started with Yardbirds. Still, I do not feel this is a rock and roll album. So I can't rightfully vote that it stays on the list. It has a little rock and roll to it, but this is really more of a blues rock album that took influences from rnr, mod, psychedelic, and was one of the earliest entries in the garage rock scene. The album's very garagy, so much that I can easily see this being one of Jack White's favorite albums ever. So I'm voting it off the list since I don't feel it's really a "rock and roll" album, not like a Chuck Berry album or an Elvis or Little Richard album.

However, voting it off for that reason does not mean I think the album's bad. You see, I feel the Yardbirds are one of the most essential rock bands in the music industry because the band was a "pre-supergroup" of some of the most famous and influential members of blues rock. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and Eric Clapton were all members. And this shows in The Yardbirds' most famous release: Having a Rave Up. And obviously, the Yardbirds had talent to spare. They just didn't reach their full potential with the Yardbirds, but they sure did show it on their most notable work.

For this album, we have Jeff Beck on guitars on side A, and Eric Clapton live on guitars on side B. The album's style is a combination of the blues rock that has been reigning the rock industry in the 60's and went on to inspire many new forms of metal and rock in the future, as well as being an early entry in a rising garage rock scene that would be famous for The Sonics, The Stooges, MC5, and Paul Revere. As far as the actual music goes and not the genre, the guitars are all extremely focused on maintaining the rhythm rather than amazing people with riffs. This gives off a vibe that states "this is clearly before the band reached their full potential, but they know a lot about wiriting music." The band members were still just starting out. So although the album doesn't quite reach the musical capabilities of Layla or LZ1, the album still has a lot of fun guitar riffs and rhythms. Like I said, the band seems to be very focused on their songs. I can't say the same for the vocals. Nothing spectacular about the vocals except that they are very well produced, more well produced than the drumming and the guitars.

That's all I really have to say about this album. The only real flaw is that the album doesn't have the same song writing quality as future albums by the band members. However, in Having a Rave Up the band displays extreme dedication to the music and clever (not amazing) guitar playing. It really is a great entry into the blues rock scene of the mid-60's. But I'm voting it off because the song structures are hardly rock and roll, and the guitars are more fit for garage and blues. I hardly got a "rock and reoll" vibe from this.

90/100. Voting it off for not being a real "rock and roll" album.

Houdini by Melvins

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M...426/15%2B-%2B1

Style: Stoner Rock, Sludge Metal
Release: September 21, 1993
Round: Stoner Rock

That's right, the famed sludge album co-produced by Kurt Cobain. I decided it was time to get Melvins out of the way, and now I have a consensus. The most interesting thing about this album is the seemingly gibberish lyrics in some of the songs. I can't make them out, but I can get an idea:

"Your make a doll a ray day" could be "You make a dollar a day."

I'm not sure, but I'm going to assume there's some level of lyrical creativity there since it doesn't completely sound like gibberish. However, Osbourne didn't have a deep message in mind when he wrote this, so idk. I won't write anymore about that, since I can't interpret them very well. They are interesting, though, and they're worth looking into if one wants a message.

Lyrics aside, it seems to me this album has given me a very good idea of sludge music (which I'm very new to). It also taught me something about the Melvins. You see, they don't write simple songs, and are a bit creative. However, their rhythms are a bit simple. Ity seems like they spend a lot of time playing the same note slowly or quickly. However, it still sounds good. Each song is fairly creative enough to differentiate the release from other metal albums. Plus, the songs are sung by Buzz Osborne's deep, powerful metal vocals that seem to bring a form of soul to the album no matter what schizophrenic gibberish he sings. He has multiple ways of singing, some manlier ways, some sludgy ways, and some weird ways. And let's not forget the weird, unique guitar tricks used to bring a strange, drugged up sound during some instrumentals, notably the instrumental on Sky Pup.

Music dfoesn't have to be very creative to be good, but it should be true to the sound its going for plus attempt to steer away from genericness. All I know is that Houdini wis not a very "creative" album when compared to other metal greats like Paranoid, Operation Mindcrime or Seven Keys 2. But it does have some creativity to it because it adds a lot of dark sound effects to the music, making the listener wonder what's going on. Plus, it was a true metal album with real metalheads as band members, guided by Cobain's production, and he did a better job at producing Houdini than Steve Albini did on In Utero.

Melvins have proved don't need fantastic songwriting skill to be a talented band. All they have to back themselves up is a true metal soul and stay as weird as possiblew without overdoing it and without straying away from metal feels. And with that, they can make anything they do sound good. I'm very sure if Houdini was written by anyone else, it wouldn't be as good. I'd say this is a very worthy metal album and a grand addition to the stoner and sludge scenes.

94. Not voting it off. Yet.

Songs for the Deaf by QOTSA.

https://fromamesstothemasses.files.w...-the-deaf.jpeg

As fans will know, the album is played in the perspective of as radio show, taking very short commercial breaks with guest star musicians for announcers telling you how much they love Queens of the Stone Age. I suppose if the radio stations are playing this album, they have good reason for it.

It was a smart move of me to choose this after Houdini. Now I can compare one stoner album to another, and see what the rave is about this album and how well it holds up against other stoner and alternative albums. Well, I have to say that the album has many strong points, and very few weak ones. The first thing to notice is how unconventional Josh Homme plays his guitar. He adds a slight alternative feel to these stoner anthems by playing weird little tunes on a somewhat higher pitched guitar, still attempting to maintain the druggy sound of Desert Palm's notable scene. These riffs blend very well with the fast paces bass/guitars. And if one listens closely, they can tell the drummer is the amazing Dave Grohl, who plays his drums like he did with Nirvana, likely one of his Gibson sets. He uses the same light tapping on the symbols throughout his riffs. And what is possibly the best thing about the album is how well Homme holds his wonderful vocals when he's not screaming for the heck of it. And the vocal compositions work so well with the soothing vocals of this heavy stoner band (the vocals of Homme as lead, and the backing vocals of Grohl, Oliveri, and Lanegan from Screaming Trees) all contradicting their fast paced music by singing their songs as if they were lullabies. This contradiction does not tamper with the music, however. It's perfectly blended, which is somewhat amazing of the band to pull off.

As far as the consistency of the album goes, the album remains perfect until Six Shooter, which is just a decent punk song where Homme's screaming. Stick with singing. The album drops a little when it reaches the second half. Still, the album remains lovable. In fact, the consistency picks up on track 13, A Song for the Deaf (if you count it as a title track, it's one of the best title tracks I've heard). A really cool, kind of dark and haunting song with cool riffs.

Songs for the Deaf is that kind of album that grows on the listener. There's always something fantastic to find about this album, whether it's the vocals or the guitars. Songs for the Deaf is one of, if not the essential stoner rock album. Forgiver me if I speak to much of the genre, but I honestly feel that way about the album. It's an essential release, on that deserves the great recognition it gets.

97/100. This could be the one album I don't vote off when the stoner round comes along.

Great album. I hate when people classify Melvins as stoner though, and I question it's placement with the others in the round. I mean, some Melvins is stoner (Senile Animal especially) but it doesn't dum them up overall as well as sludge does.

Also, I'm curious as to why you hate Steve's production on In Utero, as I love his raw aproach (also, REM producer Scott Litt did remix about half of that album so it'd sell better and be more radio-friendly so that might have helped with that too). But I'm a huge Albini fan, so I'm still gonna question you as to why, just curious.

I never said hate. I said this production was better. I like Albini's production. I forgot to delete that part of the sentence in the review, and I guess it showed up as something different. Well, fixed now. I mean, don't get me wrong. Nevermind';s the most well-produced album I know, but In Utero had great production.

The Man Who by TRAVIS

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...lbum_cover.jpg

Styles: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Birtpop
Release Date: 1999
Round: Britpop

This is the first time I've heard a Travis album, and the first thing I noticed upon playing it is the similar drumming style to Radiohead, notably “Airbag.” “Writing to Reach You” is heavily radio-friendly, but it's cute and well produced, charming in that weird radio-friendly sense because it's not bad at all. Fran Healy's voice is so melodic it's a wonder how a person can sound so calm. I had a feeling I would love the album on some level. As far as the opener went, I was very impressed. 95/100 song. And then came the second track, “Fear,” which continues displaying Radiohead influence. I suppose that won't be a surprise anymore throughout the album because they sound like a second Radiohead. The influence much heavier in “Fear,” which does not reach the rhythmatic or vocal quality of the opener. Because of this, the Radiohead influence is more heavily emphasized, almost to the point where it feels like a rip-off. So I'm gonna stop mentioning Radiohead since the whole album is possibly influenced by them, and it'll get tiring.

“As You Are” is much softer than the first two tracks. The only rhythm in the track that's worth noting is the rhythm held only by Healy's vocals. Nothing in the music does anything to emphasize the rhythm, so it feels like a simple piece of filler. However, there's a decent guitar solo. But after that, the song went back to it's old tricks (if any). I felt like skipping it. “Driftwood” seemed to take a more alternative turn, being a little heavier and more abundant on the acoustic guitars. The lyrics seem to have more meaning to them than the last few tracks. Travis does make a good group of songwriters; they just need better rhythm. And although the chorus has little to none of it, the acoustic guitars are so much fun. “The Last Laugh” is better. The vocals are more organized and the guitars actually have a legitimate tune instead of playing a note every slow beat. This has a tune, even if it's a little drowned out. “:Turn” is a complete turnaround from the lackluster filler that's been going on. It manages to differentiate itself a bit through quiet, fast paced bass in contrast to “Turn's” slow, cute guitars playing. “Why Does It Always Rain on Me” is another lackluster song needing rhythm, except continuing the emphasis on acoustic guitars. Nothing special. “Luv” is special compared to the filler. It's back up by some harmonicas. Still, it feels like cute filler like the rest. So, next. “She's So Strange” is carried by drums. And Healy goes for a different vocal trick, attempting to make himself sound more fit for alternative music buy toning down on the high pitched (most of the time), almost like Sting was singing Radiohead. Nice tune. “Slide Show” is the final track, starting out with a nice little guitar solo as Healy goes for a much more mellow approach, singing along a pair of violins. Super “alternative” if you ask me. Smart move to make the finale different from the rest so that the listener isn't left thinking “That was the same thing for 45 minutes,” especially since the guitar solo was actually quite good.

It's a cute listen, and I already mentioned many times how it's like Radiohead. But that barely saved the album from its flaws mostly consisting of the musicianship. Good to great lyrics are almost wasted on filler, but it's still enjoyable because the production is good and the album has a very appealing, calming essence. Would I recommend it? Well, if you want a nice listen for going to bed or if you want music similar to Radiohead, I do recommend it.

75/100. Voting it off. Nice way to calm my nerves, but it's the worst album in the rest of the list.

Alright fair enough :yeah:

Entertainment by Gang of Four



Style: Post-Punk, Art Punk
Release: 1979
Length: 39 min.
Round: Post-Punk

It's funny. Punk was coming out with so many subgenres very soon after the punk scene started. And in 1979, post-punk was still in the experimental stages. How can I tell? Entertainment is different from most post-punk because of it's lack of multiple emotions. As far as spirit goes, Entertainment seems to go back to the Ramones debut by playing their songs as if they thrived on their anger.

Sure, they have less time and structure restroctions, so they can be grouped with other post-punk bands. But the punk/post-punk vibe was combined with dance-punk and new wave elements to bring about a very "movable/dancable" album, instead of the deep, emotional content more modern post-punk and 80's post-punk are notable for.

As far as songwriting goes, little to no flaws on the structures, good lyrics, decent vocals, great guitars, and it all works so well to create a sound and a name for Gang of Four, as well as lovable songs for any punk lover. It captures the true spirit of punk that the scene was known for, and that overcomes most of the flaws/things that could be better.

95/100 Gonna be staying on that round.

I should focus on rock and roll since that's coming up.

I don't want to restart that whole debate, but stuff like this was why I disagreed that post-punk could be a definable genre. There's just so much that doesn't fit with all the other stuff. Gang of Four, PiL, Pere Ubu, etc. Brilliant album BTW, probably my fav post-punk record.

I can see why. Speaking of post-punk...

Psychocandy by the Jesus and Mary Chain.

http://cdn3.pitchfork.com/albums/909...e.1dae77e6.jpg

Styles: Noise Pop, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk
Release: 1985
Length: 43 min.
Round: Noise Rock

I'm sorry, but the production sounds like the major instrument is white noise. Other than that, the album was enjoyable. I'm still not into noise rock or noise pop (although I loved Loveless). The songs have a dark presence to combine with this noise, creating a unique and relatable atmosphere. But I don't like how a lot of the album is built on that fuzz. And I know noise pop and noise rock in general are built on an emphasis on fuzz, but this album had much more than an emphasis. But that's my only "real" problem with it. In terms of songwriting quality, it would've probably gotten a 93.

The songs were occasionally catchy, but sometimes the noise seemed to get in the way of that. Still, the vocals were crystal clear, and the songs had different vibes every time so I didn't end up feeling like I was listening to one song for the whole time. Soime of the songs were pretty fast and energetiuc while others had a mellow and merry feel reminiscant of Beach Boys style sunshine pop, like "Cut Dead." So I'll definitely give it kudos for its diversity and musicianship. As I said before, the noise sometimes gets in the way of the song, and the structures need a little work.

Don't get me wrong. I do wish I could get into noise rock/pop. I've been trying. So far, it only seems good to me in the forms of shoegaze and post-hardcore. I'll play this album sometime again in the future when I'm more used to it. One day, I'll appreciate the "wall of sound."

85/100. I'll possibly wait to vote it off. It depends on how well the other noise rock albums fair. Next up is The Chirping Crickets.

The "Chirping" Crickets by Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Style: Rockabilly, Rock and Roll
Release: 1957
Length: 25 min.
Round: Rock and Roll

I've heard a lot of rock and roll on the radio and tv. But I have to say I'm not really impressed with some of the choices on the list, and by that I mean I fail to see how they are rock and roll. Animals? The Yardbirds? British Blues and Blues Rock. So, The Circkets was a little bit of a highlight. Still, it's not the best album on the list.

What do I look for in a rock and roll album? Well, since a lot of the same ideas and songs are used, making a lot of it the same to me, I basically go by how much heart each album has. As for the Crickets debut, they have good songs and a good amount of harmonized vocals that do a good job of backing up the lead vocals. However, at the same time the songs don't seem to have the same heart that Elvis and Little Richard put in their albums. Still, I recommend it for rock and roll. rockabilly fans around, becuase it is an essential for a few great songs.

81/100. My estimate is that I'll vote it off in the middle-to-late stages of the rock and roll round.

http://cs623123.vk.me/v623123046/2108b/dbebsJpxsPo.jpg

The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
Style: Experimental Rock, Art Rock, Noise Rock
Release: 1967, one of my favorite years of music.
Round: Art Rock

Thais is probably the fifth or sixth time I've heard the album. And my opinion is barely wavering from the 9/10 I previously gave it. However, it is wavering. I told myself, "If I can finally get used to the second half, I'll give it five stars." The final consensus might please you.

Sunday Morning, the opening track, is one of a couple amazing tracks on the album, songs that pass the 5 star limit. It's beautiful, perfectly atmospheric, and as long as necessary. "I'm Waiting for my Man" is a little boring in comparison and it drags on a little, but it's a pretty good song with decent lyrics. "Femme Fatale" is the real introduction to Nico's vocal talent. A perfect introduction with a great Rhythm. "Venus in Furs" is the second of the amazing tracks. The guitar work is unbelievably good for using the same note over and over again. That takes skill. And the lyrics are surprisingly deep and meaningful. "Run Run Run" has the same flow as "I'm Waiting for My Man," but it's better and more rhythmatic. "All Tommorow's Parties" is the third amazing track. The guitars in the background, as well as the worldly aura, are both amazing. But they are nothing compared to Miss Lady Nico. Amazing voice.

Next comes "Heroin." This is one of those tracks I could never get into. I admit the rhythm and production are quite good, and the song has a little creativity. But I've grown on the song. It's more slow than necessary at times, mostly because Lou Reed isn't singing enough. Seven minutes is too long for that. But the aura is flawless. It's funny when a pioneer of noise rock's influence is so atmospheric to a guy who doesn't get into noise rock. "There She Goes Again" is one of my guilty pleasures. It's such a jumpy song in comparison to the rest, which has been carefully moodswinging through the album's noisy atmosphere, from soft and cheery to noisy to mysterious. Now we have a jumpy little tune like something from an early Beatles' album, seemingly for kids. "I'll Be Your Mirror" has a vibe a little too similar to "Femme Fatale," making it obvious Nico would be singing. Still, it's a very cute song with a very sad aura that influenced goth rock. "The Black Angel's Death Song" is one that I could never understand, even to this day. It just sounds like well-timed rambling to me. "European Son" is rteally noisy, but it maintains a rhythm while taking a complete change of pace and keeping the atmosphere: a super fast noise.

Overall, 96. I've understood a little more of the album, and I hope my noise rock journey will help me give this a higher rating in the future.

Sunday Morning - 12
I'm Waiting for My Man - 7.5
Femme Fatale - 9
Venus in Furs - 11
Run Run Run - 8
All Tomorrow's Parties - 12
Heroin - 7.9
There She Goes Again - 8.5
I'll be Your Mirror - 8.5
The Black Angel's Death Song - 7
European Son - 8

OK, so I'm gonna be listening to my 1300th album next.

You don't like the best parts of the album? I knew I couldn't trust you.

Fixed.

Note how the best songs on the album also don't have Nico (although her songs are great too).

I thought Nico was lovely, even though Reed had more heart in his vocals.

@Frownland if you mean my best songs, check All Tomorrow's Parties. 12/10, Nico sings.

The unequivocal Frownland ranking of the best tracks from the album are as follows

European Son
The Black Angel's Death Song
Heroin
Venus in Furs
Run Run Run
I'll Be Your Mirror
There She Goes Again
All Tomorrow's Parties
Sunday Morning
I'm Waiting for My Man
Femme Fatale

"Sunday Morning" third from last? WTF?

I know!

The thing is, those songs above it are better than that track. That's at least how I meant to imply by the list.

A: That was a no-brainer.
B: That's our problem.

Hopefully you can work out your problem enough to where our lists are the same :thumb:

Yeah let me just also jump in and say Sunday Morning is a fantastic song and keeping it out of your top three is blasphemy.

Yes

No

It kind of is.

I've never been one for blind religion anyway, so I'll continue with the blasphemy of liking songs that are better, better.

Blind religion, that's his term for "actual taste."

You're not very good at being pretentious. It's okay, I think I've seen more than one instance where, um, "actual taste" isn't synonymous with good taste.

This isn't one of them. "Sunday Morning" is the second, if not the best song on the album, and you eat dog poop.

Well duh it's a great song, but there are greater songs on the album. Come on guys, it's not that hard to figure out. We all know that the tracks with Cale on viola and prepared piano are better, it's an objective fact.

But this isn't one of those times.

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/albums/4404...e.8f8d696e.jpg

Style: Pop Rock, Baroque Pop, Psychedelic Pop
Release: 1968
Length: 39 min.
Round: Pop Rock

Upon the first track's opening, I immediately sensed how much better this album was than Something Else, the only Kinks album I've heard before this. I grew up with 60's pop rock, and even the albums i haven't heard before are nostalgic because of it. The album must certainly bring out the best in the band because it's hard to imagine some of these songs getting any better, like Picture Book and Animal Farm... and especially Village Green. All of the songs are quite different, occasionally sounding like a different band. But this is not a bad thing since the flow and happiness of the album are never disturbed. This album is the best of a good, old fashioned, pop powered band that captures everything the 60's rock scene was known for. I hope this album grows on me. Perhaps I should use my "quality exposure" strategy, exposing myself to a worse or supposed "second best" album and compare what's great and bad about both. This album's essence makes me want to rate it five stars, but that's just because it made me happy and has nothing to do with the album's overall quality. Most of the songs are 9/10, so...

94
Gonna relisten to it after other Kinks albums. Still, likely to stay on for a while.

You put Nico songs above it. I'll never agree to that. **** that bitch. I'll bet she had an overly hairy vagina.

Well, to be fair, my opinion for the best is tied between Sunday Morning and All Tomorrow's Parties.

"Sunday Morning" or "Venus in Furs" or you're a festizio.

Listening to feedback is like touching myself without touching myself, so European Son is an obvious choice for me.

That is so creepy I have no comment.

Have Guitar Will Travel by Bo Diddley

https://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_n...2548_cover.jpg

Style: Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues
Release: 1960
Length: 33 min.
Round: Rock and Roll

I've mentioned this in a previous review: I look for heart in a rock and roll album because rock and roll gets a little repetitive for me. There's a LOT of heart in this album. For my first Bo Diddley album, I'm impressed. However, I also understand that heart isn't the only thing that makes an album. This might be rock and roll, but it's still an album. Like most albums, this has a flaw: Bo Diddley spends more time showing off the heart he puts into his music that he sometimes forgets about structure, as if he's having to much fun.

"She's Alright" is the first track. The song has a lot of heart, but Bo Diddley doesn't attempt to keep a consistent structure, and instead it feels like the "song" is a bunch of rambling around. "Cops and Robbers" maintains a similar rambling style of vocal compositions, but it still maintains a rhythm, so it's a better track. "Run Diddley Daddy," or just "Diddley Daddly" trades a little bit of the heart for rhythm, focusing more on making a song rather than displaying a lot of the eccentricity and hyperactivity that Bo Diddley put in his first two songs on the album. "Mumblin' Guitar" was the best example of a combination of Bo Diddley's persona and songwriting skill, even though the song is an instrumental. The track shows a fantastic display of Bo Diddley's skill at the guitar, mumblin' and ramblin' along. "Mona (I Need You Baby)" took a much more serene, tribal feel despite Bo keeping his obnoxious charm in the vocals. "listen to my heart go bumpity-bummmp!" This became the best example on the album. Perfect! "Say Man Back Again" continued the whole idea of replacing hyperactive talking with a vocal composition or actual singing. That went on through the whole song, and it didn't even feel like music. Still, the instruments were so great. "Nursery Rhyme" was a little better. Instead of Bo being hyperactive, he was slow and steady while the instruments took it away. "I Love You" felt like another average rock and roll song. Catchy, talking about love. "Spanish Guitar" is the most rhythm-high track on the album. Another instrumental, it shows off a lot more of Bo Diddley's skill than any other track. "Dancing Girl" is next up. It has potential to be great, but it's too short to reach it. "Come On Baby" makes a fine enough outro. The song is lead by a piano rhythm, and Bo Diddley sings more softly than ever.

For the final consensus, I'll say that there is rarely anyone who seems to have more fun with music than Bo Diddley. It's obvious from his actions that he loves what he does. However, should one let that get in the way of structure? As far as the album went, it wasn't that big of a deal. It would be close to perfect, if not perfect, if the structures were a bit more organized. However, I still recommend this album for rock and roll fans. This is definitely essential for Bo Diddley's persona alone.

92. Gonna keep it on. It might be at the top, but I have to relisten to some of the albums on the list that I've already heard.

Elvis Presley by Elvis Aaron Presley

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Style: Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Rhythm and Blues
Release: 1956
Length: 1956
Round: Rock and Roll

Elvis is the king of rock and roll for a reason. He was the personification of perfection in everything rock and roll had to offer. And it was that way since his ground-breaking album debut.

Upon hearing Blue Suede Shoes again, I realized something. See, until today, I always gave the song 9/10. After hearing the Bo Diddley album and getting a better idea of rock and roll albums, I can compare this to the best songs in the previous album and say this is better. The guitar work is awesome, and Elvis sings like no one else. In "I'm Counting On You," Elvis makes an amazing turnaround from the hard rockin' first track and sings a beautiful, emotional love song. He touches people with that voice. It told me that Elvis was to rock and roll what Johnny Cash was to country, and that's giving Elvis a huge compliment. Next is the Ray Charles his, "I Got a Woman." And Elvis clearly gives it his all in this fantastic rendition. His voice and guitar playing are so different from anything else, yet they blend together like bananas and strawberries. And they go awesome together.



"One-Sided Love Affair" is next. Although it doesn't quite reach the same quality as the first three tracks, Elvis clearly knew what he was doing, making sure he could make it as good as he could. "I Love You Because" is a beautiful tune, another great love song carried by fantastic country style strings that bring a kind of true sadness in the song. Paying attention to the strings bring a new light to the song. "Just Because" is the next track. Again, it fails to reach the same quality as the first three tracks on the album. Still, Elvis takes composition to a high level, making sure every little sound in the album is enjoyable.

Side B begins with Tutti-Frutti, an essential rock hit. Elvis' voice is absolutely for this skat-heavy song, and his specific rendition. This is when I realized almost every song is carried by his combination of his unique voice and his unique guitars, a twangy and high pitched song that works for his brand of rock and roll. "Tryin' To Get To You" seems like a generic country song, and it's not different from previous tracks. Still, it's a good song that grows on the listener, mostly due to its great guitar. "I'll Never Let You Go (Li'l Darlin')" has a wonderful little guitar intro, and Elvis sings with more serenity and peace of mind than ever before. He really has a beautiful voice. But halfway through the song, it surprisingly picks up pace and becomes a rockabilly song. A really cool twist. "Blue Moon" has really cool and quiet drumming in the back, helping to emphasize the rhythm of this somewhat awesome piece of peace of mind. It's probably one of my favorites. "Money Honey" is next.

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It starts out with a lot of rhythm, and Elvis's vocals are awesome, so true to the aura of the tune.

Overall, this is THE essential rock and roll album. I personally prefer "Elvis' Golden Records, the singles compilation. Still, I recommend this as a good album for anyone into Elvis, rock and roll, or music in general.

98. Very likely going to be my winner.