I'm digging this quite a bit. Hard-hitting beats and I love the electro production overall. The raps aren't saying much as expected, but the flows are nice. Song quality is fairly consistent, although Get Stupid Fresh in particular could use improvement. Overall, I'm surprised this isn't better regarded than it is. Lots of 80s fun! 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. I don't know any of those, so let's take it from the top.
1981 silver: Deuce - Kurtis Blow
1982 silver: Live Convention 82 - Various Artists
1982 bronze: Tough (EP) - Kurtis Blow
1983 bronze: D’Ya Like Scratchin’ (EP) - Malcolm McLaren
1984 bronze: Fat Boys - Fat Boys
1985 bronze: King Of Rock - Run-D.M.C.
1997 silver: Ser Hümano!! - Tiro De Garcia
1997 bronze: Endonesia - DJ Screw
1999 silver: Underground 1991-1994 - Three 6 Mafia
2002 bronze: Good Music Cuisine - Ristorante Nujabes - Nujabes _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
I'm digging this quite a bit. Hard-hitting beats and I love the electro production overall. The raps aren't saying much as expected, but the flows are nice. Song quality is fairly consistent, although Get Stupid Fresh in particular could use improvement. Overall, I'm surprised this isn't better regarded than it is. Lots of 80s fun! 3.5/5.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. My narrative was already set and (I thought) reasonably sound before I even set down the path. But it’s always best to just take what the path itself gives you. Stop fighting its trajectory and acquiesce to the sweet and saccharine charms of … Mr. Soul.
That’s right. Initially I was going to write how Night Soul was a necessary corrective from the candy coated confections of evil strings and cheesy over-production. But a funny thing happened along the way and I fell in love with Mr. Soul as well. Whereas Night Beat has an amazing concept & premise – Cooke stripped to the bones by a broken heart - my soft heart always ends up pulling for the under dog, and Mr. Soul has emerged as the near equal of the crushing Night Beat. The light to Night Beat’s darkness. Cooke's elocution on songs such as "Willow Weep For Me" or just the way he phrases puff on "Smoke Rings" has never been matched before or since. Total legend!
“Ok. But the assignment was Night Beat”, you say. 🤐 Quite rightly, I say. And it’s a killer. Perhaps the single greatest breakup album of all time. Almost every song is crushing. The backing band is none other than the now legendary Wrecking Crew, in-demand session players in the LA area. Just check out the plaintive, lilting surf-like guitar intro to “I Lost Everything” for a prime example of what makes this album feel cared for and special. There’s heart in ALL these performances, not just Cooke’s. And it’s that detail & care that makes this my number TWO album for all of 1963. Just right below Dylan’s untouchable Freewheelin'.
Repo Ranks: '90+s Bowie
Black Tie White Noise
Outsider
Earthling
Hours
Heathen
Reality
the next day
Blackstar
1963 1. Sam Cooke - Night Beat 2. Dylan - Freewheelin' 3. Mingus - Black Saint
4. The Searchers - Sugar & Spice
5. Jimmy Smith - Chicken Shack
6. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
Meltdown: Live In Mexico by King Crimson
RYM really seems to be in bed with King Crimson. While I respect the band, I just can’t manage to put them on a pedestal. They have so many live releases which RYM seems to rank super highly, but I just don’t get anything out of the live releases that I’m not getting from the studio albums. Some of KC’s best songs like “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic”, “21st Century Schizoid Man”, “Epitaph”, and “Starless” just don’t sound as good live. And on this live album, recorded in 2017, they have some of their post-70s work, which I just don’t find nearly as good. One big exception is “Easy Money” though, which sounds great live (although it sounds fine on this album, it’s very good on most of KC’s other live albums). Mostly this sounds like a bunch of guys fucking around with each other for nearly 4 hours. Which, to be fair, is pretty fucking rock n roll. Sometimes I just wish I liked this band a little more. Teatro Metropólitan in Mexico City is an interesting place to record a live album, it’s an interesting building that was converted from a cinema to a concert venue, and it seems like a place performers tend to enjoy. But it’s also not the Concertgebouw, Massey Hall, or one of the other highly lauded venues that KC have recorded other live shows at. This is the 4th live KC album I’ve heard, and it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch.
2. Thanks for the writeup! I should listen to Mr. Soul. Assuming you'll get to Blackstar eventually, which is great, so instead I'm picking:
3. I'm going with some combination of highly ranked albums on RYM that unfortunately are now out of order since they were added to my wishlist months ago, but they all fall within the top 500 on RYM's all-time list (including live, archival, and soundtracks without de-weighting them... which means that pretty much all these albums will fall into at least one of those categories):
Knebworth 1996 by Oasis (archival / live)
NieR: Automata by Keiichi Okabe & Keigo Hoashi (soundtrack)
The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert! by Bob Dylan (archival / live)
Rock Dream by Boris with Merzbow (live)
Archive 1967-75 by Genesis (archival / live) - I realize this is 4+ hours of music, it still seems really interesting
Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 by Miles Davis Quintet (archival / live) - same comment as above
The Brussels Affair: Live 1973 by The Rolling Stones (archival / live)
Chrono Trigger by Yasunori Mitsuda (soundtrack)
Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time by Miles Davis (archival / live)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me by Angelo Badalamenti (soundtrack)
Ugly by Slowthai
Not a huge Slowthai fan, apart from several singles his music has never clicked with me. However, this is a complete reinvention of his sound and I was fairly excited to hear it. Was just listening to Genesis Owusu's Struggler earlier today and it's a similar story of an artist you wouldn't expect to go full post-punk mode, even though it makes sense and they've both displayed this style before. Anyway, I did like this a lot, it's certainly his most consistent record (Nothing Great About Britain easily has the best highlights and lyrics though). The lyrics are generally fine, but lack the edge which the best social and conscious lyricists have (Little Simz for example). It all feels a bit too generic and not nearly as angry or insightful as it needs to be. That being said, the songs themselves are pretty well-written, the fusion of hip hop and industrial/post-punk works like a charm. In the end, the best part of the album weren't the singles, but the HAPPY/UGLY/Falling/Wotz Funny run where Slowthai sounded earnest and invested. Yum is a good opener as well. Hats off to him for trying something different and mostly succeeding. 7.5/10
(2)
Fire Walks With Me obviously
(3)
Picks from BEA metal charts, 2023 wishlist, some other cool stuff.
R marks relistens
Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun (Gowi) (R)
Pyrrhon - Mother of Virtues (AfterHours)
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Sampha - Lahai
MIKE - Burning Desire
The Pop Group - For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?
Flowdan - Original Dan
Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors
Klaus Schulze - X
The Slits - Cut _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
Over the top German Tech Death with classical influences. I think that just about sums up what this might sound like, and if that sounds like your thing, then you should definitely give it a listen. I mostly had this on my list, because I wanted to hear the metal version of Modest Mussorgsky's classic "Night on Bald Mountain", and it does not disappoint. The 19 minute opener is a highlight as well, and it has about 30 different riffs throughout its runtime that could all get stuck in your head. I'm not crazy about Tech Death when it can be overly sterile and complicated just for the sake of being complicated, but this one has a theatrical edge to it that is cheesy but a lot of fun.
Any metal album from this time frame I review according to the "Doom" criteria. As in, would I play Doom while listening to this album? The answer for this is a definitive YES.
Ledzep, try The Slits. I get why people like it, but it's not a favorite of mine.
Integrity- Those Who Fear Tomorrow
Brutal Truth- Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses
Painkiller- Buried Secrets
Believer- Dimensions
BUCK-TICK- Darker Than Darkness -style 93-
Sentenced- North From Here
Michael Gira- Drainland
Sol Invictus- In The Rain
Bethlehem- Dictius Te Necare
Directions- Directions in Music
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
It's a screw tape, so it's pretty much exactly what I expected: a sprawling, syrupy, mix reimagining mostly then-current bangers, one that's easy to get lost in and feels shorter than its runtime. The father of chopped and screwed does a very good job with this setlist, and there are moments of musical transcendence sprinkled here and there. People seem to especially like the reinterpretation of One Day, but that one just made me want to listen to the original. The next two tracks are great though, and then Screw really hits his stride in the latter half. In its weaker moments, the chopping on Endonesia can feel a bit rote, but overall the tape is a fine addition to his discography and a contender for my favorite so far. I'm still waiting for a screw tape to click with me on a deeper level and become a personal favorite, but they're reliably fun, vibey listens. 3.5/5.
~~~~~
2. Again, I know none of those, so take it from the top.
1981 silver: Deuce - Kurtis Blow
1982 silver: Live Convention 82 - Various Artists
1982 bronze: Tough (EP) - Kurtis Blow
1983 bronze: D’Ya Like Scratchin’ (EP) - Malcolm McLaren
1984 bronze: Fat Boys - Fat Boys
1985 bronze: King Of Rock - Run-D.M.C.
1997 silver: Ser Hümano!! - Tiro De Garcia
1999 gold: Underground 1991-1994 - Three 6 Mafia
2002 bronze: From Filthy Tongue Of Gods And Griots - Dälek
2007 gold: Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection - Various Artists _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me by Angelo Badalamenti
This is a great soundtrack, but it’s marred by David Lynch’s weird vocals. It sounds like he’s impersonating Tom Waits, but more like he’s making fun of Waits rather than taking inspiration from him. I highly doubt parody was the attempt, but that’s what it sounds like to me. Otherwise this album is great, Badalamenti leans a little more into cool jazz than he did on the soundtrack for the show (which was more… lounge/ambient jazz), but there’s some more variety with some rock sounding tracks as well.
I think I like this album as a whole about the same as the first soundtrack. This one is more consistent: the first soundtrack has the iconic main theme, Laura Palmer’s theme, and “Into the Night” and “The Nightingale” with Julee Cruise on vocals, just with lower lows overall. I’m really glad she’s back for a track on this album, even if it’s not as good as her tracks on the first soundtrack. The “Montage” of tracks from the original soundtrack is a nice addition here.
2. Gotta be Fat Boys! This must be the best worst album art ever:
3. I'm going with some combination of highly ranked albums on RYM that unfortunately are now out of order since they were added to my wishlist months ago, but they all fall within the top 500 on RYM's all-time list (including live, archival, and soundtracks without de-weighting them... which means that pretty much all these albums will fall into at least one of those categories):
Knebworth 1996 by Oasis (archival / live)
NieR: Automata by Keiichi Okabe & Keigo Hoashi (soundtrack)
The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert! by Bob Dylan (archival / live)
Rock Dream by Boris with Merzbow (live)
Archive 1967-75 by Genesis (archival / live) - I realize this is 4+ hours of music, it still seems really interesting
Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 by Miles Davis Quintet (archival / live) - same comment as above
The Brussels Affair: Live 1973 by The Rolling Stones (archival / live)
Chrono Trigger by Yasunori Mitsuda (soundtrack)
Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time by Miles Davis (archival / live)
Mother 2/Earthbound by Hirokazu Tanaka & Keiichi Suzuki (soundtrack)
Dances Of Death by Mekong Delta
Any metal album from this time frame I review according to the "Doom" criteria. As in, would I play Doom while listening to this album? The answer for this is a definitive YES.
Lol excellent criteria. Wouldn't work on some of my faves though, I can't imagine playing Doom while listening to early Katatonia or Disembowelment, far too gloomy and slow.
(1)
Cut by The Slits
Interesting that you don't dig The Slits, Chief. I was pretty excited to finally listen to them, but also wary because of your comments lol. Turns out it's not exactly my cup of tea either - a bit too repetitive and dub, not that I dislike dub or JA rhythms, but it didn't work the best in this post punky context. At least for me. Despite that stylistic issue, I enjoyed Cut a lot. It's weird, it's forward thinking, obviously very influential (not just in the all-girl punk bands spheres, but in the wider artsy punk + reggae movement). In fact, the first time I've heard about the band was from Kurt Cobain (I think? It might've been someone from Sonic Youth too, can't remember) where he was praising them as one of the OG punkers in the cultural and aesthetical sense. I can definitely see that, the album cover is pretty out there for 1979. Not only that, but they were hugely influential to the 90s riot grrrl movement. A loudandquiet article on the bands says: "Their success seems on a par to a band like The Velvet Underground’s in the ’60s. Neither bands sold huge amounts of records on release but their influence has been huge and ongoing. But when I ask Tessa about when she first became aware of their now legendary status, she seems blissfully unaware of quite how influential the band have been."
Anyway, all of this just goes to show how cool they were. And it's not one of those "the story is better than the music" bands - there are some genuinely fantastic songs on Cut. A single and an album bonus track Heard it Through the Gravepine is a fine cover, akin to The Raincoats Lola cover (the band's drummer and co-founder, Palmolive, played drums for The Raincoats for the debut). Loved Shoplifting, it's a brief, 1 and a half minute song about stealing cheddar and running away. Not sure if it has deeper meaning/symbolism, but it's fun as hell. "Ten quid for the lot, we pay f*ck all". Genius says that Palmolive wrote the song and then left the band, after which the band added a line "Do a runner!" lol. Love und Romance is brilliant, and the following Typical Girls is their only hit. It's as good as advertised, with the cool piano melody and the very punk lyrics. "Who invented the typical girl?" indeed. Had fun with this, especially the 2nd listen when I got used to the slow, dubbing rhythms on some of the tracks. 8/10
(2)
Let's go with that Live 1973 from the Stones. I've been looking for the best Stones live or compilation album all over, and it seemingly doesn't exist - tough to find a good balance of their best 60s work with a few 70s hits.
(3)
Picks from BEA metal charts, 2023 wishlist, some other cool stuff.
R marks relistens
Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun (Gowi) (R)
Pyrrhon - Mother of Virtues (AfterHours)
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Sampha - Lahai
MIKE - Burning Desire
The Cardigans - Life (R)
Swell Maps - ...In "Jane From Occupied Europe"
Klaus Schulze - X
Germs - (GI) (R)
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
This was I think the lone remaining Death LP I'd not heard. Not sure why I put this one off. I do prefer early Death when they were slimier and heavier or at least less technical and perhaps this being sort of the middle child of the Technical death metal era for the band just never attracted me. All that being said, I listened and I enjoyed.
The bass work was what stuck out to me the most. Absolutely stunning and melodic and virtuosic bass lines that rip hard. It's rare that a death metal BASS steals the show, and the work of Steve DiGiorgio on this is awesome.
The whole band and especially Chuck is stellar and clearly some of the most boundary pushing and creative the metal genre has ever seen. I don't have much else to say because I find myself with almost all Death's music post-Leporsy being impressed but never getting emotionally or physically invested in the art. As great as the solos and the breakdowns and drum parts etc are all over this towering Tech Death Metal/Prog Death album are, I usually come to the end of an album like this with no resonating emotion or deeply felt awe or whatever. But instead a satisfied sense of "Hmmm, quite impressive and remarkable" aas I take 2 fingers on one hand and clap them against the palm of the other.
Okay, now that I have heard all Death's LPs, I'll rank them as of now (some need relistens) as such:
1. Leprosy (1988) 9/10
2. Human (1991) 8.4/10
3. The Sound of Perseverance (1998) 8/10
4. Individual Thought Patterns (1993) 7.8/10
5. Symbolic (1995) 7.5/10 (needs relisten badly - personally historically this has been a tough listen maybe due to the utter hype and maybe because of invidual weird taste, idk)
6. Scream Bloody Gore (1987) 7.2/10
7. Spiritual Healing (1990) 7/10 (don't remember much about this one and needs a relisten as well... as does Sound of Perseverance)
anyway, I'll give it a 3.6 to 3.9/5
--- --- ---- --- ---
2.
@LedZep, this one is a classic. Not one of my faves but arguably the first Hardcore punk LP... which is interesting I suppose
Some broadly rock albums I want to listen to again and actually rate on here and RYM... Some never heard before I think but most I have heard but don't recall much or enough about them to rate I suppose.
1. Wrong by NoMeansNo/1989 2. Pawn Hearts by Van der Graaf Generator/1971 3. In the Land of Grey and Pink by Caravan/1971 4. Consuming Impulse by Pestilence/1989 5. Liege and Lief by Fairport Convention/1969 6. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall/1985 7. Berlin by Lou Reed/1973 8. Imaginations From The Other Side by Blind Guardian/1995 9. El jardín de los presentes by Invisible/1976 10. Bath/Leaving Your Body Map by maudlin of the Well/2001 _________________ -Ryan
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baystateoftheart
Repo
EyeKanFly
LedZep
Tha1ChiefRocka
Mercury
