Talk about obscure. This album/artist has 2 monthly listeners on spotify - one of the lowest I've ever come across (I hope they get the ~5ยข from my listen). I think I've come across a 6 monthly listeners once - and the only info I can find on this album is from Jameth on the album page here. So it appears instrumentally it's mainly a Mande Kora, a 21 string harp, which has a really pleasing sound, and it's beauty provides an interesting contrast to his vocals, which of course I have no idea of what he is singing about, but I get the impression it's some heavy world and life problems/issues type stuff. I'm not experienced enough with West African Music to say much more, but I liked opening my musical mind a bit more, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It possibly deserves a better score than 7.5/10, but that equates to a good album for me, and it's all I can give it with extremely limited refences points to judge it against. For the record the second last song, Mali Sadio, was my highlight. I'm putting it at 37/48 in my 1980 chart.
Mercury I'm happy to give you Cosmo's Factory for now...maybe I'll get another opportunity later to give you one of the couple of albums I prefer from this list. But I really like this CCR album as well.
So I will return to 1990 at some stage but with a new and a returning player it looks like I get to stay with 1980 a little bit longer, which is cool as I am loving this year.
Top 45 Music Albums of 1980 by Mercury (5 picks left)
4. Group Sex by Circle Jerks
7. Ace Of Spades by Motรถrhead
13. Underwater Moonlight by The Soft Boys
14. The Psychedelic Furs by The Psychedelic Furs
16. Heartattack And Vine by Tom Waits
18. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels by Dexys Midnight Runners
19. The Original Rolling Stone by Robert Wilkins
20. Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics by Jon Hassell & Brian Eno
23. Roses In The Snow by Emmylou Harris
25. No Discrimination by Tony Allen
Excellent Cuban singer/songwriter album. I think I may have heard something off of this before, but I can't remember. He has such a nice and clear voice. Total control within his range. Guitar accompaniment is emotionally and dynamically appropriate depending on the song.
I'm an Old Pervert, and I hang out under the bridge, Purple. Listen to The Soft Boys.
Il Baricentro - Sconcerto
Violent Onsen Geisha - Excrete Music
Emmanuelle Parrenin โโ Maison Ros
Sasha & Digweed-Northern Exposure
Spirit Agent - Depth Perception
Charalambides- Joy Shapes
Derrick Carter - The Many Shades of Cajual
Klimperei - Les Plus Belles Valses de Klimperei
Frank Garvey - Omnicircus
Jah Lloyd- Soldier Round the corner
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Funny enough my 30s/40s jaunt covered about half this album from a singles point of view, so I guess it wasn't fair to say I haven't heard it, rather I haven't heard this one all the way through. I've always been a big fan of Sweet Home Chicago, Come On In My Kitchen, Phonograph Blues, etc. I will say that before I listened to Josh White, it was Robert Johnson, then Lead Belly. Right now I freaking love Josh White and he's on top of that list. Still super glad to listen to this all the way through. And I agree I like it as much/more than King of The Delta Blue Singers for having those key missing tracks, etc.
Picture reminds me of how I learned what a 7 chord was when looking at pictures of George Harrison doing the same.
2. Violent Onsen Geisha - Excrete Music
3.
Mercury's overall that I haven't listened to (many selections seem fitting for my 30s/40s jaunt):
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams
Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams
Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch
Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird by The Tallest Man On Earth
King Of The Country Blues by Blind Lemon Jefferson
The Classic Years 1927-1940 by Blind Willie McTell
His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) by Little Walter
Looks Like Rain by Mickey Newbury
Then Play On by Fleetwood Mac
John by John Phillips (ZW)
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
This album rocks! CCR is so interesting. They are so out of step (mostly) with the aesthetics of the late 60s, with their roots rock and blues and Little Richard styles and their plaid shirts with their kinda country aesthetic. Yet, at the same time, they are one of the defining groups of the time, creating some of the most representative songs of the era. I am always impressed by the fact that I can't quite pin them down. There were even parts of this album that made me think "Geez! This has some intense proto-punk energy and power!"
As for the songs, there aren't any bad ones or okay ones, and hell I am listening again and I don't know if there are any songs here that I consider filler. (Maybe "My Baby Left Me" but even that is kind of a cool Sun session Elvis tribute.). It's just a tour-de-force of baller ass fucking classics! Very impressive!
The opener caught me off guard. "Ramble Tamble" seemed like a somewhat typical CCR rocker, then it goes off and becomes this long jam that just kills. "Before You Accuse Me" is a great blues jam/cover so you know I'm on board. Travelin Band and "Ooby Dooby" both are just quick hitting, high energy 50s rock and roll homages that I love. "Up Around The Bend" is just the most badass rock song, the guitar that opens it up is always able to get me hyped.
And of course the hits and the well-known classics here - "Lookin' Out My Back Door", "Run Through The Jungle", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Who'll Stop The Rain" and the closer "Long As I Can See The Light" - are all sublime!
This album doesn't move me emotionally or connect with me on a deep level. But after a couple listens, I appreciate it and its well-rounded brilliance. I think it may be one I come back to on occasion. Maybe I prefer Green River a bit more as of now, but I can't ask more of a rock album than what this offers.
Grade is 4.25/5
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2.
Then Play On by Fleetwood Mac is cool, listen to that, RoundTheBend.
Top 10 albums on RYM I have not heard or, if I have, I remember very little and functionally are blindspots. (Not including archival or Live as of now).
Listened to Hunky Dory and ATLiens off camera. so here is the next 10 on that list. Only one album to finish the top 100! (Its the same same length as 3 or 4 albums combined so there is that to contend with).
1. Soundtracks for the Blind by Swans (#59)
2. Ege Bamyasi by Can (#125)
3. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (#135)
4. Meddle by Pink Floyd (#138)
5. To Be Kind by Swans (#141)
6. Larks' Tongues in Aspic by King Crimson (#143)
7. Symphony No. 9 by well, Beethoven but also Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan (#157)
8. Blue Train by John Coltrane (#166)
9. Acabou chorare by Novos Baianos (#168)
10. Powerslave by Iron Maiden (#177) _________________ -Ryan
I knew what the word violent meant, and I know what a Geisha was, so I decided to look up the word "onsen". Apparently an "onsen" is a Japanese hot spring and the surrounding area of a hot spring. Volcanic Japan has a lot of them.
Anyways, I think Japan is pretty cool. Not in a weeb kind of way. I'm not Naruto-running to my local mall and buying katanas at the pawn shop, but I enjoy the unique history of the island nation. I was watching some expertly shot video of someone walking around Tokyo's Red Light District (I love to watch good walking around videos in countries I'd like to visit) and one of the comments stated how nice and safe Japan seemed to be. Statistics back it up, but I know from films made and the music produced in the country that there is certainly a seedy underbelly to it all. (How could anybody watch Tetsuo or Ichi The Killer and think that everything there is fine?) A lot of the terrible shit that happens their is in secret. Swept under the rug. The Japanese noise music scene on the contrary is so blatantly confrontative, that it destroys any notion of decency from that area of the world. I had a point to make, but I forgot it... I honestly don't know where I was going with this at this point, but in order to show you what I'm really thinking I'll keep all of it here. Hard to finish this album. It was a lot.
Meddle is my favorite Pink Floyd album.
Il Baricentro - Sconcerto
Emmanuelle Parrenin โโ Maison Ros
Sasha & Digweed-Northern Exposure
Spirit Agent - Depth Perception
Charalambides- Joy Shapes
Derrick Carter - The Many Shades of Cajual
Klimperei - Les Plus Belles Valses de Klimperei
Frank Garvey - Omnicircus
Jah Lloyd- Soldier Round the corner
Rimarimba : Chicago Death Excretion Geometry (one excretion for another I suppose) ๐
P.S. Is it weird to review Japanese albums with Macarthur as my Avatar?
Sorry for the bit of delay. Work has been giving me hours. But I digress. So this would be the sixth album I have heard from The Flaming Lips. Have listened to their critical darlings of The Soft Bulliten and Yoshimi. Heard the ambitious but cumbersome Zaireeka. Have The Terror under my belt and lastly the recent American Head album. With this album, I would say this is top 3 as of now. I would still say Soft Bulliten is the best from what I have heard from them. But I would say Transmittions does have those particular cues that the band was brewing something that music fans and critics would adore the hell out of. Songs like Slow Nerve Action, Turn It On, Pilot Can, Moth In The Incubator have that particular ambition that once you glance at it, you can realized they were planting seeds during that time. As well as really enjoying the somewhat rough aesthetic of the album. I think my complaint with this album would be the idea of wanting a more ambitious project. And maybe a few of the songs suffer from how Wayne Coyne's vocals could be a bit wonky for my liking. But otherwise this was excellent.
Grade:90 Still would argue both PJ Harvey and Stereolab had more ambitious/daring records over this.
(2)
Chief listen to Spirit Agent
(3)
BEA: Top 100 of 1993
(17) Depeche Mode-Songs of Faith and Devotion
(23) U2-Zooropa (R)
(32) Aerosmith-Get A Grip
(33) Crowded House-Together Alone
(34) Paul Weller-Wild Wood
(35) James-Laid
38 Sting-Ten Summoner's Tales
(39) Swervedriver-Mezcal Head (I think I'm excited for this album the most?)
(40) Cypress Hill-Black Sunday
(41) Manic Street Preachers-Gold Against The Soul (Let's see if this is better than Morphine's album)
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Boogie Down Productions was a duo until the tragic death of DJ Scott La Rock several months after this debut record was released. Here he provides scratches and KRS-One emcees, with the two splitting production duties. The beats are minimalistic and hard early boom bap. In addition to the drums, you've got some James Brown samples and some dancehall for flavor, and for "Dope Beat" they bring in a rock guitar. KRS-One is good on the mic, although contrary to the title of the first track, his bars aren't very poetic. The high point is probably the legendary "The Bridge Is Over," which kicked off a Bronx v. Queensbridge beef. The low point is the following track "Super-Hoe," which calls Scott La Rock a rapist and seems to mean it as a compliment. What's good here is really good, but I am surprised by how much filler there is (often instrumental-focused despite the fact that these beats aren't very complex or danceable). The lyrical content also feels fairly formulaic, although I imagine it seemed less so at the time. Overall, a worthwhile and good album that feels like a missed opportunity for something greater. 3/5.
~~~~~
2. I haven't heard any of those, but this is probably what I would try first:
1981 gold: Live Convention 81 - Various Artists
1982 silver: Live Convention 82 - Various Artists
1983 bronze: Players - Too $hort
1984 bronze: Fat Boys - Fat Boys
1985 silver: The Album - Mantronix
1987 bronze: Yo! Bum Rush The Show - Public Enemy
1989 bronze: No One Can Do It Better - The D.O.C.
2002 gold: Nada Como Um Dia Apรณs O Outro Dia - Racionais MCโs
2003 gold: Bir Pesimistin Gรถzyaลlarฤฑ - Sagopa Kajmer
2007 silver: Volume 9: Negative Thoughts - DJ Sound _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
Part of me wants to spend more time with this band. I think it's my 4th album with them and each time I'm kinda presently surprised. Anyway, pretty solid blues rock stuff. Solid guitar playing. Otherwise didn't grab my goat.
2. Yo! Bum Rush The Show - Public Enemy
3.
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams
Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams
Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch
Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird by The Tallest Man On Earth
King Of The Country Blues by Blind Lemon Jefferson
The Classic Years 1927-1940 by Blind Willie McTell
His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) by Little Walter
Looks Like Rain by Mickey Newbury
John by John Phillips (ZW)
Nilsson Sings Newman by Harry Nilsson
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
I love albums with a few songs so I can just grade them. The review writes itself!
1. One of These Days - 9.5/10
2. A Pillow of Winds - 8/10
3. Fearless - 9.3/10
4. San Tropez - 7.5/10
5. Seamus - 7
okay, those were all good songs. Solid album. Wait,... am I forgetting something? Is there another song, maybe a little hidden track? let me see...
Ah yeah there's this little ditty called "Echoes". (8.9/10)
Maybe echoes requires more listens but its 23 plus minutes isn't full to the gills with musical moments I love nor ideas that blow me away. Still got a high grade cuz it is a cool track, cool ambience, cool transitions, when the vocals come in in the final 6-7 minutes its really epic, and I love the guitar on it. As far as I understand this track was a turning point for the band in the direction of the woozy, cerebral sound that came to define them and make them total legends with their next 3 albums. And I respect that historical significance and its all good.
Still the folk rock badassness of "Fearless" is where it's at, along with the absolutely dope bass heavy rocker that kicks off the album. A Few other good not great tracks with nice melodies, and this is a really nice album. I'd give it a 85/100 on our scale and 3.5/5 on RYM scale (I know mathematically those two numbers dont go together, 85 = 4.25. but I have a weird thing and leave me alone.)
Overall I think the main good thing this album is remind me with a new experience what I like about Pink Floyd. I very rarely find a time to come back to DSoTM and WYWH despite them being some of my top 50-70 albums in the 1970s. And so maybe I'll revisit them and Animals soon to see how this famous and revered band took this seed from Meddle and expanded it over the next half decade or so.
3.75/5
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2.
Nilsson Sings Newman by Those 2 is my pick for you, RoundTheBend
(Blind Willie McTell is right up your alley if you love Josh White, but that is a complete recordings that encompass 13 years and is about 3:30-4 hours lol. I will probably be taking it off my chart and trying to find a suitable replacement. I hate going to a chart and they include shit that's so long as I will never take that as a rec. That's just my opinion.)
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3.
Top 10 albums on RYM I have not heard or, if I have, I remember very little and functionally are blindspots. (Not including archival or Live as of now).
1. Soundtracks for the Blind by Swans (#59)
2. Ege Bamyasi by Can (#125)
3. All Things Must Pass by George Harrison (#135)
4. To Be Kind by Swans (#141)
5. Larks' Tongues in Aspic by King Crimson (#143)
6. Symphony No. 9 by well, Beethoven but also Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan (#157)
7. Blue Train by John Coltrane (#166)
8. Acabou chorare by Novos Baianos (#168)
9. Powerslave by Iron Maiden (#177)
10. Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull (#179) _________________ -Ryan
Well, that was a quick turn around from the last album I needed to listen. For me this is a good hip hop record. There are things that I can appreciate from it like how the delivery is quite manic. Sounds like what Danny Brown would do in his career. And I would say Danny was better in that aspect. And some of the instrumentals on this album was quite good. I would say I Ain't Going Out Like That with its droney quality as well as the final stretch from A to the K to Break Em Off Some was when I was really enjoying myself with this. But the reason why I'm not over head over hells for this is that this album shares that similar qualities of other hip hop records where I might admire them, but not enjoy them. And you probably know what that quip is. Though I could go into the way the act structures a song, it doesn't resonate to me that much compared to Doggystyle or Midnight Marauders with how the music hooks me in and never lets go. Another thing I could mention is that throughout the album, sometimes that little chunk of sound could elevate the track. But more times sometimes I feel like the track loses steam for me. Lastly, while I did say the vocals where quite manic, I wouldn't say has that resonance where I find the flow flawless. Want to listen to Del's 1993 album for that.
Otherwise a good hip hop album for the 90's. Just not one for the all time greats for the 90's. Grade:75 More in the middle of a 70 to 75. But I'll give it a 75.
(2)
Mercury, listen to Ege Bamyasi
(3)
BEA: Top 100 of 1993
(17) Depeche Mode-Songs of Faith and Devotion
(23) U2-Zooropa (R) (This is RoundTheBend's pick)
(32) Aerosmith-Get A Grip
(33) Crowded House-Together Alone
(34) Paul Weller-Wild Wood
(35) James-Laid
38 Sting-Ten Summoner's Tales
(39) Swervedriver-Mezcal Head (I think I'm excited for this album the most?)
(41) Manic Street Preachers-Gold Against The Soul (Let's see if this is better than Morphine's album)
(42) Catherine Wheel-Chrome
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Purplepash
Tha1ChiefRocka
RoundTheBend
Mercury
baystateoftheart
