Listed below are the overall rankings for the best albums in history as determined by their aggregate positions in over 58,000 different greatest album charts on BestEverAlbums.com! (Chart last updated: 8 hours ago).
"It feels like spitting in my idols' face, but this album was just alright for me. Look, when musicians age, they either age gracefully, letting their work age gracefully with them (see: Bob Dylan, Paul Simon) or they keep making albums hoping that maybe the fact that their music sort of sounds si...""It feels like spitting in my idols' face, but this album was just alright for me. Look, when musicians age, they either age gracefully, letting their work age gracefully with them (see: Bob Dylan, Paul Simon) or they keep making albums hoping that maybe the fact that their music sort of sounds similar to the great music they made 30+ years ago, people will like it despite the fact that they tend to sound like a retiree on a karaoke machine (see: Van Halen, anything Sammy Hagar has done lately, The Who). This falls somewhere in between. Somehow, Ozzy’s voice hasn’t changed in the past 40 years. Ok, maybe it’s changed a little, but it could be a lot worse. He sounds ok here, and the lyrics he’s written are whatever, but really, they’ve always been like that. Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler sound great though, especially Iommi, his guitar work, his riffs, his solos, are as good as ever, I love listening to him play guitar. Brad Wilk doesn’t sound awful, but in all reality, he’s a different drummer than what Sabbath needed, he’s from a different era and you can tell.
The area that “13" fails in most is in the quality of the songs, which in all honesty, are alright. There are some good moments here and there, but generally speaking, the album feels pretty uninspired. There are some obvious throwbacks, especially in “Zeitgeist", which really calls back to Sabbath’s slower songs, songs like “N.I.B." and “Planet Caravan", but they sound like an imitation rather than the real thing. Like I said, there are some good moments, one thing I really love is that Sabbath retained their love of long guitar solos, which sound great, but generally speaking the album is pretty lacking. It’s unfortunate, but I can’t say that I’m horribly surprised. Maybe if Bill Ward joins back up one day, they’ll really crank out something special."[+]Reply
"If you like Joanna Newsom and/or Kate Bush check out Loreena McKennitt. Three albums which I would rate at 90 (or better) are The Visit (1991), The Mask and the Mirror (1994) and The Book of Secrets (1997)."Reply
"Heard this for the first time in Feb 19 having heard and loved their Sophtware Slump the month before. I like this sound with a nod to Flaming Lips"Reply
"I think this is Franz Ferdinand's best. I may be alone in that opinion, but that's okay: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think people who've fallen in love with the band's unpolished debut have every right to recoil from their change in sound; in fact, this and their debut are two very di...""I think this is Franz Ferdinand's best. I may be alone in that opinion, but that's okay: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think people who've fallen in love with the band's unpolished debut have every right to recoil from their change in sound; in fact, this and their debut are two very different albums, and I am about to judge this one on it's own terms.
On this album, catchy songs are abundant, but not the point. Alex Kapranos' knack for expressive vocals really shines on the first track, Ulysses. He sings as if his voice is an instrument - the dynamics just as important as the tune. It's what elevates it from a mere pop song into an expressive wonder, and it's production and polish add to the flavour, rather than detract from it. Turn It On and No You Girls are similarly bolstered from the production - this time benefitting from the atmosphere the songs set - an atmosphere that will carry the album. Send Him Away's time signature keeps this part of the album fresh, but ultimately is only good, and not great.
But then we run into Twilight Omens, a fantastic combination of dirty organ, powerful drums, and a vocal line that never commits itself to a single melody: it flows up and down, and always settles on a satisfying final note that completes the charm of the song. The cleanliness of the vocals makes a wonderful counterpoint to the main organ line.
Bite Hard starts gorgeous and ends awesome. What She Came For starts awesome and ends AMAZING with the heaviest Franz Ferdinand's ever been. What She Came For is especially unique in its melody of half-steps, and it's pulled off really, really well.
Live Alone and Can't Stop Feeling are the only truly forgettable songs off the album, and even Live Alone has a chorus that's good enough for one not to notice when listening to the album in one go (which is how any album should be played anyway). So what happens when the band realizes that they're losing their audience? A stroke of genius - write a curveball song that ends in an electronic symphony of bassy programmable cacophony that slowly takes over the drums - not only utterly fantastic, but very symbolic of today's world. And it's the first of three songs that make this album truly unique.
Dream Again is unlike any Franz song you've ever heard, for better or worse. Who knew a band like Franz Ferdinand could be so experimental? A tinkling of chimes, scattered handclaps, midi keyboards, and even a theremin solo all drenched in reverb make the song a treat to listen to with headphones. It slows the ending of the album to a pace which can be absorbed properly and leads nicely into it's total stylistic opposite - Katherine Kiss Me. The final song is nothing but a heartfelt acoustic guitar line with a piano solo at the end - not unlike the interludes present in You Could Have It So Much Better. It's moody, but somehow optimistic at the same time. As an ending, in my opinion at least, it's a wise choice: there's nothing more satisfying than reaching the end of an album and feeling a need to experience it all over again. The pacing is perfect - begin with a tune that starts as quiet as the ending of the album, but quickly becomes as loud and catchy as the middle. Then reach the end of the album and realize that the beginning follows perfectly afterwards. It's part of the reason Octavarium was so appealing to me.
So all in all, you have an album that's as appealing to an insightful listener as to a casual one. An album that has polish for good reason, but isn't afraid to get it's hands dirty if need be. An album that has a singer who's dynamics are astounding, and a creative masterpiece that should certainly be given a second look.
In case you wanted to know, my first Franz album was the debut, and I loved that album very much when this one came out. But I kept my mind open, and am very thankful for doing so."[+]Reply
"Criminally under appreciated PJH album this one This time the over arching theme focus' on America and more precisely the perceived social cleansing through demolition of ghettos and slums , it really is powerful stuff . Tip - get to understand the back ground to this album and you will appreciat...""Criminally under appreciated PJH album this one
This time the over arching theme focus' on America and more precisely the perceived social cleansing through demolition of ghettos and slums , it really is powerful stuff . Tip - get to understand the back ground to this album and you will appreciate it more
"The Wheel" is amongst Polly Jeans best tracks
They're gonna put a Walmart here
They're gonna put a Walmart here ...........
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"First of all boys, nothing like this LP was ever released by Decca in the UK. It is a mish-mash of an EP, Singles, a UK B-side, and random album tracks put together this way only because of the greed of London Records. An album was supposed to be released that contained only tracks recorded at th...""First of all boys, nothing like this LP was ever released by Decca in the UK. It is a mish-mash of an EP, Singles, a UK B-side, and random album tracks put together this way only because of the greed of London Records. An album was supposed to be released that contained only tracks recorded at the infamous Chess Studios but it never came to be. Every comment on this site completely misses the boat on this album except for one. The treasures are the Chess songs recorded in true stereo. The real Stones, with Brian Jones, only recorded at Olympic Studios, London, RCA Studios, Hollywood, and Chess Studios, Chicago. Only the studio and engineers at Chess were able to capture the Stones at their best. This LP contains 6 tracks from I believe two Chess sessions. These are the true gems. These tracks were not "rushed", since many of the musicians they idolized, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, etc recorded primarily at Chess. They were challenged to play Chicago Blues as competently as they could. "Congradulations" is an enjoyable cut but is a pedestrian effort from the Glimmer Twins along with "Grown Up Wrong". The Stones cover of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now" hit #1 in the UK. This album contains the version of "Time Is On My Side" that was recorded at Olympic, not the superior version laid down at Chess but it still hit #1 in the UK. The other track of note is the cover of The Drifters "Under the Boardwalk" which actually hit #1 in Australia. As one can see from reading the aforementioned remarks, this LP is ranked abysmally low on this site."[+]Reply
"Probably the least heralded of all the... "The" garage-rock bands that dominated the alternative charts in the early 2000s, they were the most straight-forward and most beholden to their influences (mainly the 80s american underground and grunge), but they had a decent enough sound and plenty of ...""Probably the least heralded of all the... "The" garage-rock bands that dominated the alternative charts in the early 2000s, they were the most straight-forward and most beholden to their influences (mainly the 80s american underground and grunge), but they had a decent enough sound and plenty of energy. Unfortunately they had a tendacy to write half-baked rock songs that were all hook and no sinker, every song feeling mildly dissapointing despite providing an initial blast. So overall, the sound was appealing but all the mediocre songs with no real distinctive artistic voice unfortunately makes for a middling listen, but at fifteen it was suitable enough for my rock-n-roll ankling for just riffs and attitude. "[+]Reply
"Reaper is the big hit, and I have always liked it, but my personal favorite is ETI. I think this is a good record, but I also think that BOC isn't for everyone. They have a unique sound that doesn't appeal to everyone. Saw them on the Black & Blue Tour in 1980 in Rockford, IL. Great show."Reply