Official album review thread (1 Viewer)

V

Senior Member
Jun 8, 2005
20,110
  • V

    V

I sure hope so, I've never seen them live. Even though they were in Zagreb, couple of years ago, but I couldn't go. :cry:
 

Max

Senior Member
Jul 15, 2003
4,828
Neil Young - On The Beach (1974)

On The Beach is part of Neil Young's "dark" period, recorded shortly after Tonight's The Night but released before it. During this period, Young sunk into depression after losing a lot of friends to addiction and going through some personal stuff. Consequently, he started writing this harrowing music. When recording this album Young and his mates were under the influence of "honeyslides", basically baked marijuana embedded in honey and apparently more potent than heroin (according to band members).

This album is quite haunting, really good for late at night (for after drinking too), rainy days or when you're pissed off. I'm in all three categories right now, so I'm finding it quite enjoyable. :D

Track By Track Review:

1. "Walk On" - I'd say this is the most positive track on the album. It's just a straightforward catchy rock number about how people jumped on him for attacking the American South in "Southern Man". Basically him saying: "Haters gon' hate".

2. "See The Sky About To Rain" - Neil on a mellotron or Fender Rhodes with a lot of tremolo. The softest song I've heard from Neil Young. Not anything particularly great, but it's only up from here.

3. "Revolution Blues" - One of my all-time favourites. A sick simple riff, solid bass throughout...it's a real winner. This song's about L.A., almost Charles Manson-esque, and has some of Neil's classic sharp tongue and sarcasm. "I'm a barrel of laughs with my carbine on; I keep 'em hopping until my ammunitions gone; But I'm still not happy, I feel like there's something wrong."

4. "For The Turnstiles" - This song is about the commercialization of rock/folk. Filthy raw, some sort of guitar + banjo blues...like nothing you've heard before. Trust me.

5. "Vampire Blues" - The only actual bluesy song on the album. About the oil business: "I'm a vampire baby, sucking blood from the earth."

6. "On The Beach" - The first of the last 3 songs that make the B-side (B for Better ;)). This song gives me chills, very dark and slow. You can feel the pain in his solos. Some distant bongos add this unusual feel to it.

7. "Motion Pictures" - This is a fantastic song, I love it. It's about his wife that he divorced prior to this album. He paints with lyrics. Neil on acoustic, a bassist, a slide player, and some bongos.

8. "Ambulance Blues" - A bit similar to a Bert Jansch melody during the verse, but it's solid nonetheless. This is pure folk and touches upon lots of things: friendships, politics, fruitlessness, etc... It's an epic finisher.

Lots of people hate the products of this period in Neil's life because they always wanted another Harvest, but there's something so attractive about this album. Maybe it's the under-produced sound or Neil's deepened voice (from the honeyslides)? It took a real long time for it to catch me, but when it did it became one of my favourites. Give it a try.

EDIT: By the way, can we make this thread a "sticky"? Too many songs are praised, we've lost the art of the album.
 

V

Senior Member
Jun 8, 2005
20,110
  • V

    V

I never listedened to that album by Neil. I only have ST, After The Gold Rush, Harvest and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. All top notch of course. You make the album sound interesting, not what I would expect from the name of the album at all.

Will check it out. And yes, albums simply rock. Nothing beats an album that you can only listen to from start to finish, without skipping. :agree:
 

Max

Senior Member
Jul 15, 2003
4,828
I never listedened to that album by Neil. I only have ST, After The Gold Rush, Harvest and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. All top notch of course. You make the album sound interesting, not what I would expect from the name of the album at all.

Will check it out. And yes, albums simply rock. Nothing beats an album that you can only listen to from start to finish, without skipping. :agree:
Exactly, Vlatko. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
 

Wahdan

Ace of Spades
Mar 14, 2009
6,851


It’s an album made by the famous guitarist, Slash. It has 14 songs and every song Slash changes the band and he’s the only one who remains in all songs, obviously.

Extremely recommended for all Rock fans.

9.5/10
 

V

Senior Member
Jun 8, 2005
20,110
  • V

    V

That's exactly not the type of album, album-lovers enjoy. It's a batch of singles put together on the same album with absolutely no cohesion between them.

Though, there are some very good rocking tracks there and goes to show just who gave the GNR their true sound. ;)
 

JBF

اختك يا زمن
Aug 5, 2006
18,451
Tough luck yo, but re-writing that again is the only way you make up for the lost effort ;)

Do it you lazyass!!
 
OP
Bozi

Bozi

The Bozman
Administrator
Oct 18, 2005
22,740
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #113
    i have quite a few reviews to get through of albums i bought this year and enjoyed but will start off with an obscure one

    The xx-xx-
    quite simply beautiful self titled album by the xx,you may not have heard of them but like Sigur Ros you will almost certainly have heard some of their tracks on adverts. trying to draw comparisons with other artists is somewhat futile,at times they sound like an 80's revivalist bans,sometimes a more bassy sound but with a lovely melodic sound and gorgeously understated vocal style. the mixture of male and female softly riding over the music works excellently as the music is the real star here.
    starting off with the instrumental "intro" this really sets the tone for the whole album,VCR sounds like a trippy trip into 80's nostalgia,Crystalised starts off with a lovely riff and builds upon this with a driving almost acoustic sound driven on by a heavy bass before picking up again, Islands follows a similar formula but certainly has a slightly more "radio friendly" sound,heart skipped a beat is a definite single that is probably the only real "duet",fantasy is a trip into warped sounds and heavy bass but always feels like a lead-up to the nest track,Shelter wich is a beautifully haunting track,,Basic Space is probably the weakest track on the album, Infinity builds up slowly almost like Cris Isaaks wicked games into an epic finale with soaring guitars,Night Time follows on with the same formula starting slowly and biulding up but this time into a more dance inspired track, the album finishes off with Stars which is an absolute gem of a track.

    though this album style is hard to describe i have to say its one of the best debuts i have heard in a long time. only 1 track i would describe as "filler" the rest of the album is wonderfully wrote,played and produced.

    9 out of 10
     
    OP
    Bozi

    Bozi

    The Bozman
    Administrator
    Oct 18, 2005
    22,740
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #115
    Nick Cave + the Bad Seeds-Dig,Lazarus,Dig (2008)

    every now and again you get an album of such genius that you just completely fall in love with it,this is such an album. Nick Cave will always have a rather divisive quality and this album is no different,except it is different from anything he has ever done before,the fact that he only really sings on one track,instead he is storytelling his way through the other tracks with humour and wit throughout. there is a slightly garage-rock feel to the tracks here,a dirty feel running through the music and the lyrics. you will either love this album or hate it,for me it is a work of genius.
    "Dig,Lazarus,Dig" kicks the album off with Cave giving a modern interpretation of the Lazarus story,narrating rather than singing his story throughout. this is carried on through the album in tracks " call upon the author" "today's lesson" and "lie down here (and be my girl)"
    while "night of the lotus eaters" "jesus of the moon" and "midnight man" see the melancholy size we know more

    there are some exceptional moments in this album most noticeably in the epic "more news from nowhere" and "hold onto yourself" which is the only track he really sings on.

    not for everyone but for those who really listen to this album there is a great depth and quality running throughout this album you rarely find

    10/10
     

    Quetzalcoatl

    It ain't hard to tell
    Aug 22, 2007
    65,499
    I know, that's why I downloaded it. I'm the only who thinks it's shit, it seems. I wondered what others here thought. To me, there are no songs I would even keep on my iTunes and are worth listening to again.
     

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