Yeah! I am not a big fan of this album or band. Overall I recognize that this was an "important" album in the history of hard rock, metal, and glam metal. But outside of the 3 colossal hits on here, I feel the album is silly, ballsy, hard rock with an insane level of swagger. And if you're into that kind of thing, you probably love this album. I dig that their is a nasty and truly dangerous and disgusting side to this album which sets it apart from a lot of the staid hair metal of the day. It brought the genre back into the slimy, degraded danger which is one of the hallmarks i think of the sttyle. So cool! Happy birthday you 30 year old bastards!
.
Exactly. Easily one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time and a veritable oasis in the late 80s when metal had gone ridiculously cheesy and even Priest were releasing albums like Turbo.
The whole album is so mercurial, idea-driven, fluid, rife with little ideas, etc. The american roots music that they were nonchalantly breathing new life into for a new generation is all so elementally gorgeous. But with their little touches of divine instinct, their little detours, their abundant ideas of things and motifs to play with and distracted by, etc, it all makes this live album one of the best and most invigorating live album experiences I have had!
![/size]
👏 One of my favorite live albums too. Was a staple in my car for all my road trips.
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
So, yesterday I was excited about listening to the amazing punk masterpiece which is The Clash's debut album. I thought it was the 40th anniversary and it was gonna be great. Sadly, no. The US version is not as good as the initial UK release. It's still great overall. As a matter of fact my first exposure to punk music way way waaaay back before I even knew what Punk Rock was was the US release. My cool older sister had it and I was intrigued. That was when I was about 10. A few years later I got into London Calling and the initial release of The Clash and the rest is history.
Just an overview on the differences which I took from Wikipedia:
Omitted from the US version were the following tracks:
"Deny"
"Cheat"
"Protex Blue"
"48 Hours"
"White Riot" (original version)
Added were the following tracks:
"Clash City Rockers" – Initially released as a single (A-side) in the UK in February 1978
"Complete Control" – Initially released as a single (A-side) in the UK in September 1977
"White Riot" (re-recorded version) – Initially released as a single (A-side) in the UK in March 1977
"(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" – Initially released as a single (A-side) in the UK in June 1978
"I Fought the Law" – Initially released as a track on the Clash EP The Cost of Living in the UK in May 1979
"Jail Guitar Doors" – Initially released as the B-side to "Clash City Rockers" in the UK in February 1978
So its clear that this version is more pop. I mean only insofar as its more anthemic, less raw, and the songs that struck me as cool when I was a kid were indeed "Complete Control" and of course "I Fought The Law". But now that I am old and grouchy I much prefer the balls to the wall punk blast, furnace hot flow of the original with the oh so cool slow down of "Police and Thieves".
Still, that's the data. Happy 40th anniversary and 3 months and some days to the original release and happy 38th anniversary to the US version.
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July 26th was the 43rd anniversary of an album that some around here hail as the greatest album of all time, Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt!!!
I have listened to this album I think 2 times. Its yet to create that "whoa...." moment, y'know that moment when you hear what is going on and what is being communicated and how, and the clouds part and its clear that this is a masterpiece of masterpieces.
However, I do really like this album. Its strange and yet beautiful. There's a clear deep deeeep well of emotion and consideration in every word and every moment. I will give it another listen soon. Sadly its not on Apple Music, so I will listen to a youtube video of it, or I will hopefully find a reasonably priced copy of it at my local record store later today.
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The 26th of July was the 44th anniversary of Tres Hombres by ZZ Top!
And I don't have any hot takes on this. I have spent a lot of time listening to this while at family barbecues and while on road trips with my dad. It rocks, it sizzles. Gibbons is a profoundly cool guitarist. And songs like "Waitin' for the Bus", "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers", "Sheik" and of course the classic "La Grange" are just absolutely brilliant examples of Texas Blues meeting that rocking element. It's actually really cool, if nothing else. Thanks, ZZ! _________________ -Ryan
I'm finally able to do an update on the current day! Woo! It's been over a week. So without further ado, it seems only too appropriate to start the This Date In Music thread for today with a trip down memory lane, to July 1996 when we all collectively felt we had finally found our godheads, our leaders to lead us out of this squalor and filth, of course you know who this was, THE SPICEGIRLS!!!!!
On this date in 1996, 21 years ago today, when I was 7, the Spice Girls arrived when they acheived their first number 1 single, the mesmerizing and perfect "Wannabe"!
Gosh, I love this Group truly. I adore them and this song is perfection!
Edit: I just rewatched this music video. Its awesome. It's super corny, the intro doesn't make any sense. Why were they waiting near that car to let the kids out just to run away and nevcer see the kids again?
And every spice girl kills it, except Posh. I guess she just didn't have a real role in that song? Everyone of them sing (with Scary and Ginger and Baby doing some long vocalization, with Sporty killing it with flips and shit and some cool vocals). Its just confusing. But nonetheless, this is a great song, their debut album and their sophomore album are classic, and I love them very very very much! The world needs more spice girls. _________________ -Ryan
I'm listening to this for the first time. So far its stellar! I somehow never got on to listening to The Temptations LPs. I had heard from smart people that they were actually pretty amazing, socially aware, funky, detailed, and artistically reich endeavors. Yet it wasn't until this anniversary came up that I finally dropped everything I was doing (Namely, trying to get through Chris Rea's 9 and a half blues tour-de-force album (Blue Guitars), which is amazing and I will finish it and add it to our database, all 11 discs and 130 tracks of it, once I finish it I promise). The first song is sick, just funky soulful excellence. Track 2 "Run Charlie Run" is intense and aggressive. Also its funky and soulful as well. I wonder how long I can go with describing songs by merely saying "Funky" and "Souylful"? Should I do better with using my vocabulary? Let me know.
Anyway, of course track three is a little song every music fan is probably very familiar with, its the eerie, detailed, slow burn to end all funky slow burns, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". The track is insane! The way it has those strings sort of dancing around the main guitar and bass and drum track, and the story and the back and forth between son and mother about the recently deceased father is incredibly touching and beautiful. Absolute stunner.
Track 4 "Love Woke Me Up This Morning" melts my heart. Its a song I want to be able to play as my wake up alarm, so I can open my eyes and see that the words of the song reflect my reality, give a quick hug and kiss before getting up to face the day. Anyway, its a beautiful and way way too short romantic beauty.
"I Ain't Got Nothin" is awesome! It sounds like a Flamingos song but with clearer sonic details. So far, 5 songs into this 8 track album, there has yet to be a down track. Its a goodie, people! It's indeed a goodie.
It's interesting how clearly this album breaks right down the middle. The first half, the first 3 tracks, are funky, charged and intense in a different way, with social themes. Then side 2 is much more lovey dovey. I'd say both sides are excellent, but side 2 is perhaps less iconic and strong than the initial 3 song blast which introduces you.
Still the soaring, teary eyed vocals of track 6 "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" is delicate beauty to the max. It's truly another example of everything working on a track.
Honestly, as a sappy romantic, I may go against conventional, more hardened, wisdom and take back what I said 2 paragraphs ago! I think I love the more teary eyed soul, "sappy", love ballad heavy side 2 of this album! I said it. I love it!
"Mother Nature" continues the winning streak. The strings are stirring and beautiful and the vocals start forlorn and sad, and just build up and up in passion until he is just laying all his passion down on wax. The track also builds, the bass becomes more and more funky and brilliant, and then it ends, 2:46 of brilliance.
And then damn, that closer, "Do Your Thing" is such a calm, cool and collected way to end this brilliant record! Phew! I love this album!
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In closing, this is a CLASSIC R&B/Soul album which consistently the whole way through blew me away! Its just so so so great! _________________ -Ryan
Honestly this is an album I cannot think of or talk about in a way which is sensical or logical really. If one were to ask what the album is that you (me, Ryan, Mercury) have the fondest memories of or is most thankful for or is most important to me, Ride The Lightning would probably be it. I will never ever ever forget buying this album, unwrapping it, going to my family's old computer which we had in the dining room, placing the CD in the CD player with trembling hands of anticipation, pushing play and listening to the guitars surge after the elegant start of "Fight Fire With Fire" and literally having an out of body experience. I remember the exact PRECISE arrangement of the dining room, the computer desk, I recall what I was wearing, (a t-shirt and boxers is all), I remember how sunny it was outside, I remember the headphones I was using. Everything. This album had such a profound effect on me that to this day I credit it with being the driving force that made me a music fan today.
I remember pouring over the scampy leaflet which came with the CD, I remember spending hours listening to this album while practicing drawing the Metallica logo and even sketching out the little pictures of the 4 members of the band which are included in this album's notes. Meanwhile I saw that these guys were young, brash, dudes. Yet they had big ideas, they were great musicians, they wrote epic and truly beautiful songs about war (For Whom The Bell Tolls) Capitol Punishment (Ride The Lightning), and suicidal depression (Fade To Black) and nuclear War (Fight Fire With Fire), etc. And they did it all with a crushing larger than life clarity which stunned me. I was absolutely in love. I had finally found an artist which I felt was mine.
Kirk Hammet was perhaps my first true guitar hero. He was my idol. Hetfield also was a guitar hero of mine with his all time great rhythm guitar, and his vocals were perfect (I still consider his vocals here as his best and some of the best in rock history). They were perfect cuz they weren't theatrical and silly yet they did emote and communicate the feelings of him and the band in their simple bark and exasperated cries. nThe bassist, Cliff Burton, was the fiorst bassist I had ever paid attention to. He was a hero too. Lars just looked silly like me. He was a very good drummer, but mostly I knew he was a driving force in the band and I loved him for it.
Metallica and then Thrash metal were the first things musically I could say I loved and was a true fan of. Before this album I mostly went along with what my older sisters liked. Mostly the youngest of my older sister. She loved NIN, I loved NIN. She loved Manson or KMFDM or Tool or Ministry, then I would say that I liked them. I pilfered her CDs and listened to them and enjoyed them. But now with my curiosity in Metallica (which came from me reading reviews on Amazon of albums you may like if you like Slipknot or SOAD etc lol) and then adoration of all thing Metallica, followed by Slayer, Testament, Megadeth (yes I know, I liked them by association back then, and still think some of their records are boss) and Anthrax and Exodus and and and, I finally had something which was my own. My sister didn't give 2 shits about Metallica. As a matter of fact she thought of Metallica as the Black album onwards Metallica and I would give a knowing smirk and say "Listen to this. THIS is Metallica" then blast "Fight Fire With Fire".
This was the first band that I KNEW was the greatest hard rock and metal band ever. So now when my dad would go on about Led Zeppelin, I would say "Dad, Led Zep was great, but Metallica from 83-88 was the greatest hard rock band ever." this would lead to playful debates! Debates! with my dad! about music! I had finally come into my own. I am feeling tingles right now thinking about those exchanges.
Of course this was about 2001, Metalliuca were not Metallica anymore. I ignored this fact. I did not care. I had found this band in this time which had inspired me like no other artist had or has since really.
Listening to this album now, and I am getting very emotional. I don't listen to Ride The Lightning very often anymore. Despite this, and despite the fact that I can say I think there have been many other greater albums, this album has always been in my mind as a different sort of great album. I will never talk bad about this album or band (even when I'm dousing St. Anger in proverbial gasoline and torching it with my hatred).
Other than that, now that I have gotten that out of the way, listening to this now and I can say that I still get an emotional wave of thankfulness and happiness and nostalgia. Its a great album. Sepeerating myself from my track with it, I still can see it is a great album. The first 4 tracks are perfection and may just be the best 4 track opening to any metal album ever. All 4 songs are classics, completely unique, super well written, beautiful and show an insane growth of this band of 21 year old in just one year since the release of their iconic debut.
"Trapped Under Ice" and "Escape" are pretty throw away. That is what I feel listening now and even when I was a kid, I thought thbey were noticable steps down as songs from the first four and last 2 songs. That is what, analytically, keeps this from being as top-to-bottom great as Master of Puppets. And this album doesn't have the same unbrideled energy as their debut. I know I said just yesterday that their debut is my favorite. I am not so sure now as I listen to this again today. 6 of the songs here are all time perfect tracks. sadly those 2 sub par metal tracks bring it down a wee bit.
Anyway, that is my "review" of this stunning record. It's much more than just another great album for me. Its probably the most important album of my life time. Weird right?
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just for fun, first four albums of Metallica compared to other great first four album runs and how they stack up in my mind:
Black Sabbath < Kill Em All
Paranoid < Ride The Lightning
Master of Reality < Master of Puppets
Vol 4 > And Justice For All
or
Led Zeppelin I < Kill Em All
Led Zeppelin II < Ride The Lightning
Led Zeppelin III < Master of Puppets
Led Zeppelin IV = And Justice For All (sorry dad)
Ramones < Kill Em All
Leave Home < Ride The Lightning
Rocket To Russia < Master of Puppets
Road To Ruin > And Justice For All
Show No Mercy < Kill Em All
Hell awaits < Ride The Lightning
Reign In Blood > Master of Puppets
South of Heaven > And Justice For All (holy shit, the first tie!)
....and thats all I'll do with that little exercise.
Track ratings:
Fight Fire With Fire (fastest song I had ever heard at the time and to this day its one of the craziest) - 9.3
Ride The Lightning - 9.1
For Whom The Bell Tolls (maybe the greatest song they ever did, so eerie and unique and kinda scary) - 10
Fade To Black (such a beautiful ballad with a mind boggling build to a mind boggling ending) - 9.6
Trapped Under Ice - 7.5
Escape (corny, silly, I did really like this as a 12-13 year old. It still has certain charm) - 7.8
Creeping death - 8.9
The Call of Ktulu - 9.0 (rest in piece Cliff, you beautiful amazing person).
This is a classic debut. The hits are still AMAZING!!! (namely, "Lucky Star" is so funky, "Borderline" is surprisingly touching and heartfelt and beautiful, "Holiday" is just awesome! and one of the best singles of the 80s!). Also the deep cuts are consistently assured and lovable dance tracks.
I never had that moment when I was totally into Madonna, but I have always had a fascination with her and a respect for her contribution to pop music and culture. She was still a clear eyed, struggling young artist in '83. That's a hard thing to imagine considering how thoroughly she has become an absolute icon sense. This album is refreshing to hear. I'm glad I gave it a listen!
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Today is the 24th anniversary of Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins!!!!
I am listening now. And its a great rock album. Its so much better, more exciting and focused than their follow up that is just confuses me why they are considered really comparable in quality by anyone. That would be like the majority of Clash fans considering Sandinista! an equal to London Calling. It doesn't add up. Also, no I am not comparing these 2 bands. They are very different. And the Pumpkins are not a quarter the band The Clash were imo, and Sandinista! and London Calling are heaps better than their counter parts in that anaology.
So anyway, now that I'm in the weeds, I'll get back on message. "Cherub Rock" is one of the coolest 90s hard rock songs. The sound of the layered heavy guitars on this whole album are very impressive. "Today" is a trip. I love it. The album is still a bit bloated and overlong. But they reined it in at least a little bit unlike that album that shall not be named that they released in '95. I am mostly kidding there. I really don't feel that strongly about that follow up album to Siamese Dream. Its just not very good is all.
I think I will revisit a review of this next year for its huge 25th anniversary, cuz I can't get my creative juices going to express my thoughts on this very good album at the moment.
I had never heard this album until Thursday. Mark Linkous comes across as a very damaged but brilliant and unique artist. This is a great showcase of his sad, downright gloomy, artistic mind. The album is not quite like anything else I have heard. And I did really like it. It kept me completely interested. And yeah I only listened once and I thought it was an excellent listen.
One of my all time faves. It never gets old. Perfect for road trips!
I never thought of it as a road trip album. Brilliant, introspective road trip that would be. I will be returning to this. It is gorgeous. I own a copy of "Dreamt for light years..." and I really like it. But this better.
Tilly wrote:
Mercury wrote:
21st of July (Friday):
Friday was the 30th anniversary of Appetite For Destruction by Guns 'n' Roses
Yeah! I am not a big fan of this album or band. Overall I recognize that this was an "important" album in the history of hard rock, metal, and glam metal. But outside of the 3 colossal hits on here, I feel the album is silly, ballsy, hard rock with an insane level of swagger. And if you're into that kind of thing, you probably love this album. I dig that their is a nasty and truly dangerous and disgusting side to this album which sets it apart from a lot of the staid hair metal of the day. It brought the genre back into the slimy, degraded danger which is one of the hallmarks i think of the sttyle. So cool! Happy birthday you 30 year old bastards!
.
Exactly. Easily one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time and a veritable oasis in the late 80s when metal had gone ridiculously cheesy and even Priest were releasing albums like Turbo.
Haha! I haven't heard that particular Priest album. I know it only as the album that gets the most hate in their 80s period. Anyway, as for GNR, I appreciate what they mean to people more than I do their music or style. As for great metal of the time, before GNR brought back the swagger and danger of hair metal, couldn't people find refuge in the brilliant work of Slayer and Metallica? I suppose they are very different and not at all confrontable and easy to digest for the average hard rock fan of 1986. So nevermind. 😄
The whole album is so mercurial, idea-driven, fluid, rife with little ideas, etc. The american roots music that they were nonchalantly breathing new life into for a new generation is all so elementally gorgeous. But with their little touches of divine instinct, their little detours, their abundant ideas of things and motifs to play with and distracted by, etc, it all makes this live album one of the best and most invigorating live album experiences I have had!
![/size]
👏 One of my favorite live albums too. Was a staple in my car for all my road trips.
I am glad you liked the review. And yes this is a masterpiece. I am so freaking glad I finally listened to it after all these years of being curious about it. Very eye opening. _________________ -Ryan
Today is the 33rd anniversary of Ride The Lightning by Metallica!!
Anyway, that is my "review" of this stunning record. It's much more than just another great album for me. Its probably the most important album of my life time. Weird right?
Well well Mercury again a very personal take on indeed one of the best album. The thing is I only got into Metallica on Master Of Puppets and that's why to me this one is the best Metallica album and of the best albums full stop ever. It's interesting that the two albums are very much alike in their build-up and so if you've been there when the first of the two was issued I can vividly imagine you've got a more emotional connection with that one.
In any case keep up the good work: I'm one of the three readers of your diary 👏🤣
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
This is the perfect storm. And a great reminder to me as to why I love that I am doing this diary. Cuz this is not only a classic and influential Hip Hop Soul album by an iconic artist, its also the quarter century anniversary (which is the best anniversary...even cooler than 50 year anniversary. That doesn't mean anything. I guess I just like the n umber 25 more than 50 and i like 90s music more than 60s music lol). Also this is an album that I was thinking I need to revisit just a few weeks ago and then I forgot about this whim. Then boom! here it is ! Gosh darn I'm goooood.
As for this album, its vibrant, exciting, soulful and sexy as hell, with some truly gorgeous vocals mixed with classic hip hop moments and guest spots from the likes of Busta Rhymes and others. This album is not given enough love and attention as the classic that it is. I am not saying its every bit as brilliant as The Miseducation of..., but its in the same tier. And some of the tracks on here are just so badass! "Real Love" is obviously a classic. But also "Sweet Thing" kills and bursts with a joy that is undeniable, the smooth and heartfelt track "Reminisce" is also deserving of classic status. "I Don't Wanna Do Anything" is so so so goddamn great! Is it clearly a product of early 90s R&B? Yes. Is it still a detailed, exquisite song? yes to that as well. "Slow Down" is another monster. Just love that bass line and that drum machine sound and the keys and of course Blige's vocals kill.
I could do without the silly intro messages left on the answering machine thingamajig. But even with that mistep at the beginning this is an easy 9/10. _________________ -Ryan
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