Best Ever Albums

Top stuff!

callagkm — Fri, 2 Apr 2021 11:58:23 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/02/2021 15:58

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The Head On The Door by The Cure

This is my favourite Cure album. Perhaps not quite as critically-acclaimed as Disintegration, but a great album from start to finish.

What?

callagkm — Fri, 2 Apr 2021 11:55:01 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/02/2021 15:55

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Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

I have absolutely no idea what to say about this album. I listened to it; there was some Indian-infused stuff; there was some fairly average indie-type stuff. And then it finished, leaving me with pretty much nothing.

Nick Cave's Worst Album?

callagkm — Fri, 2 Apr 2021 11:52:50 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/02/2021 15:52

Nocturama by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

So many people have panned this album. Most of the negative reviews refer to a certain laziness, as if NCATBS were simply dusting off some old, rejected, songs and churning them out in order to get an album out.

And, to be fair to the reviewers, it's nowhere near the Bad Seeds' best efforts. But it's not completely terrible. (I'm not sure any Bad Seeds album could be completely terrible.) Of the tracks on here, Dead Man In My Bed is probably the best for me, although I have a sneaking admiration for Babe, I'm On Fire, just because of the playing on it. But Rock of Gibraltar is horrible. It's almost like someone said "I bet you can find 16 rhymes for Gibraltar" and Nick Cave went "Watch me". Yuck.

Bowie and Rodgers take 2

callagkm — Thu, 1 Apr 2021 12:15:01 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/01/2021 16:15

Black Tie White Noise by David Bowie

Some people said this was a return to form by David Bowie, especially since he teamed up again with Nile Rodgers who had produced Let's Dance. However, for me it's a more of a miss than a hit. Bowie was never particularly good when he was trying to capture the zeitgeist: he was much better at driving the zeitgeist, and Black Tie White Noise smacks too much of him having cast around with what's popular with "the kidz" and then trying to Bowie-fy it.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a disaster (that honour belongs to Never Let Me Down), and there are some interesting moments on this album. Jump They Say is the most Bowie of all the tracks on this album, especially with its lyrical references to outsiders and mental illness. Musically, though, it sounds too much like he and Nile Rodgers have tried to make a 90s dance track - and they were really both too old for that nonsense by then.

A new one!

callagkm — Thu, 1 Apr 2021 10:54:51 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/01/2021 14:54

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O, You Sinners by Eliza Rickman

This was a new one on me, and I really liked it. According to her Wikipedia entry, Eliza Rickman is best known for her use of unusual instruments and her antique Victorian dresses. I can't comment on the dresses, but I didn't find the instrumentation that unusual. As a fan of Amanda Palmer, I'm well used to the sound of the toy piano.

What is striking about Eliza Rickman though is the beauty and clarity of her voice. That, coupled with the arrangements, made these songs quite beautiful in places. I especially liked the use of double-tracking of her voice - after all, if you have a talent, use it as much as you can.

The songs themselves are good - nothing particularly stands out for me, but there's nothing wrong with them either.

So, overall, a good album, but it didn't set my soul on fire. (Although the Nick Cave cover at the end of the album was a nice surprise.)

Another one

callagkm — Thu, 1 Apr 2021 09:54:53 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/01/2021 13:54

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We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse

Vampireweekendvampireweekend

callagkm — Thu, 1 Apr 2021 03:09:37 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 04/01/2021 07:09

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Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend

Another one I've come back to after not hearing it for at least 5 years. It's good, isn't it?

Driving the coast road with Kula Shaker

callagkm — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 09:37:52 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/31/2021 13:37

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Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts by Kula Shaker

A lot of the time, an album grabs hold of you not because it's artistically brilliant but because it fulfilled a need at a particular time. Back in 1998, when Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts was released, I had a daily commute along the coast road from Worthing to Portsmouth. It was about 75-90 minutes each way and like all commutes, it quickly got boring. At the same time, I was suffering from a lack of decent, new, uplifting music. Then Kula Shaker's two albums came along, and they became my go-to driving listens. Not because they're brilliant albums, or they have something artistically significant to say, but just because they make me happy! And that's what music is for, isn't it?

Turning Japanese

callagkm — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 08:25:39 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/31/2021 12:25

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Gentlemen Take Polaroids by Japan

I love Japan. As someone who cut his musical teeth in the period from 1979-1984, Japan stood out for me as being exactly what I was looking for in a band: they were extremely talented musicians, they (mostly) ploughed their own furrow, and they looked gorgeous! They got a lot of criticism at the time for being "too much like Roxy Music". And yes, you can definitely hear the Roxy elements in their music, and especially in David Sylvian's vocal style. But early Roxy were a great band, and Bryan Ferry a great singer. So what's wrong with a bit of emulation?

A "great" album?

callagkm — Wed, 31 Mar 2021 06:18:14 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/31/2021 10:18

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Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys

Ah, Pet Sounds. Widely touted by all the "Best Albums" polls as one of the best - usually up in the top 5 of these polls.

But...

Is it? Really?

One of the things I always wonder about these best album polls and reports is whether the history of an album gets in the way of a real critical appraisal of the album's worth. So, with Pet Sounds, there's no doubt that for its time (1966) it was ground-breaking, especially in its use of studio techniques. And of course, the Beatles loved it - and used may of the same "recording studio as an instrument" techniques for their later albums.

But if you listen to it today, for the first time, not knowing the history, what would your view be? Is it one of the great albums?

Me, I'm not so sure. There isn't a single track on this album that makes me go ""Wow!" - and an album generally needs at least one of those for me to really rate it. The song subjects are pretty standard, and even the production is a bit average to me.

So, not a great in my books. Sorry.

Album 5

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:33:34 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 15:33

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Bubblegum by Mark Lanegan Band

I hadn't heard this for about 4 years. There's some good stuff on here, but nothing that makes it stand out for me. Even the duet with PJ Harvey (who I really like) left me a bit flat.

Album 4

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:27:40 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 15:27

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Tonight by David Bowie

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a huge DB fan, but it did go a bit wrong for him in the 80s and 90s. After Let's Dance, DB tried to replicate the mainstream success he had with that album (and had pretty much eluded him up to that point) with another album of pop (what else would you call it?). It didn't work. Apart from the first track, "Loving the Alien" (which is rather brilliant), the album is pretty poor. Although not as poor as the next one would be.

Album 3

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:23:35 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 15:23

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The Lost And Found 2nd Edition by Rasputina

Some of Rasputina's trademark cello-punk-cabaret applied to 7 classic songs by Credence Clearwater Revival, The Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, etc. It's OK. It's quite interesting. It's not brilliant. But it's OK. Give it a quick listen.

Album 2

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:04:15 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 15:04

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No More Shall We Part by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Nick Cave is a bit of a genius isn't he? His lyrics just get to you. This is one of his mellower albums, but the bite of his words (especially on tracks such as God Is In The House and Oh My Lord) just cuts through.

First diary entry - Lodger by David Bowie

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:57:53 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 09:57

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Lodger by David Bowie

I am a HUGE David Bowie fan. I make a point to listen to every one of his albums at least once a year. (In fact, for several years I would play all of his albums, in order, starting on his birthday. Then he died, and it hurt too much 🙁 )

Lodger is often thought of as the poor relative in the Berlin Trilogy, but I really like it. The rhythmic-ness (is that a word) that goes through the whole album is fantastic, and the quartet of stand-out tracks. - D.J., Look Back in Anger, Boys Keep Swinging & Repetition - towards the end rank this album up there with his best.

Lockdown listening

callagkm — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:51:21 GMT

Author: callagkm

Posted: 03/30/2021 09:51

Well, yes, lockdown. In general, a real pain, but one unexpected benefit has been the home-working allowing me to listen to a LOT of music. I'm lucky enough to have my own office at home, so I don't disturb anyone else. And my job doesn't involve too many online meetings.

Here in the UK, we first went into lockdown on 23rd March 2020. Since then I've listened to 381 albums. Yes, I keep a diary. There's a spreadsheet involved. It makes me very, very happy! 😁

As a returning member of BEA (I used it for a bit about 4-5 years ago, and then fell off for some reason) I thought it would be good - since there's this whole Music Diaries forum - to share what I'm listening to, with a few comments. I'll especially be highlighting any new (to me) albums that make a real impression. Discovering new music is one of life's great joys, after all.

So, first album post coming up. What will it be?