#369: The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs

The Smiths - Louder Than Bombs

March 30, 1987, Sire/Rough Trade

1. "Is It Really So Strange?" - 3:04

2. "Sheila Take a Bow" - 2:41

3. "Shoplifters of the World Unite" - 2:57

4. "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" - 3:13

5. "Half a Person" - 3:36

6. "London" - 2:07

7. "Panic" - 2:20

8. "Girl Afraid" - 2:48

9. "Shakespeare's Sister" - 2:09

10. "William, It Was Really Nothing" - 2:11

11. "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" - 3:23

12. "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" - 3:34

13. "Ask" - 3:18

14. "Golden Lights" - 2:39

15. "Oscillate Wildly" - 3:27

16. "These Things Take Time" - 2:23

17. "Rubber Ring" - 3:48

18. "Back to the Old House" - 3:05

19. "Hand in Glove" - 3:13

20. "Stretch Out and Wait" - 2:38

21. "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" - 1:52

22. "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" - 3:40

23. "Unloveable" - 3:55

24. "Asleep" - 4:11

RESULTS

Rate: 9/10

Best Song: Panic

Worst Song: Golden Lights

Comments

The Smiths are supposed to be brutally sad, not upbeat.

I had a pretty great experience along with this song, so maybe that's why I marked it so high, but it was also just generally good. It should have been repetitive, but it wasn't. Morrissey didn't do so bad on vocals, and the written work was masterful. The Smiths honestly killed it this time around.

This also marks the first time that someone else has listened to an Album alongside me :)

Thanks Autumn!

#370: Mott the Hoople - Mott

Mott the Hoople - Mott

July 20, 1973, Columbia

1. "All the Way from Memphis" – 5:02

2. "Whizz Kid" – 3:25

3. "Hymn for the Dudes" – 5:24

4. "Honaloochie Boogie" – 2:43

5. "Violence" – 4:48

6. "Drivin’ Sister" – 3:53

7. "Ballad of Mott the Hoople " – 5:24

8. "I’m a Cadillac / El Camino Dolo Roso" – 7:50

9. "I Wish I Was Your Mother" – 4:52

RESULTS

Rate: 6/10

Best Song: Violence

Worst Song: Whizz Kid

Comments

I was gonna save this for tomorrow, but I during research, I discovered the death of drummer Dale "Buffin" Griffin happened on this very day, and felt guilty enough to write the review.

So, let's refresh here. David Bowie wrote some shit for their previous album we covered, and pretty much financed the band. But the band felt they didn't want to be "That band that Bowie funded", and took a new direction, which I admire, mainly cause Bowie was cool with it.

The Album starts off reeeaaaaally boring. Like, I started tuning out with it's soft rock, and glam bullshit. It was a solid 4.5/10.

But halfway through Honaloochie Boogie, things got interesting. They dropped their piano for an electric guitar, and became hair rock, which was tight. They started talking during recordings, and it sounded pretty fucking cool. It slowed down near the end, which is actually fine, because it's kind of a delivery of a soft ending.

#371: Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

January 23, 2006, Domino USA

1. "The View from the Afternoon" - 3:38

2. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" - 2:53

3. "Fake Tales of San Francisco" - 2:57

4. "Dancing Shoes" - 2:21

5. "You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me" - 2:10

6. "Still Take You Home" - 2:53

7. "Riot Van" - 2:14

8. "Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured" - 2:23

9. "Mardy Bum" - 2:55

10. "Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But..." - 4:28

11. "When the Sun Goes Down" - 3:20

12. "From the Ritz to the Rubble" - 3:13

13. "A Certain Romance" - 5:31

RESULTS

Rate: 9/10

Best Song: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Worst Song: Riot Van

Comments

A butt load of my friends listen to Arctic Monkeys, I'm used to the electronic dance shit they churn out, and that's what I was expecting.

However, I was hit with a wave of one of my favourite rock genre's: 

Garage Rock.

I love garage rock. The dirtiness, the "screw it, jot it down", the attitude...There's just so much shit to it. You can smell the house party and ripped clothes.

The songs are really good, but sometimes they felt a little drawn out. Not the Artists fault, it's my own personal opinion on the repetitiveness flaw in every music. It's just the blast from newer music.

#372: The Police - Reggatta de Blanc

The Police - Reggatta de Blanc

October 2, 1979, A&M

1. "Message in a Bottle" - 4:51

2. "Reggatta de Blanc" - 3:06

3. "It's Alright for You" - 3:13

4. "Bring on the Night" - 4:15

5. "Deathwish" - 4:13

6. "Walking on the Moon" - 5:02

7. "On Any Other Day" - 2:57

8. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" - 4:26

9. "Contact" - 2:38

10. "Does Everyone Stare?" - 3:52

11. "No Time This Time" - 3:17

RESULTS

Rate: 8.5/10

Best Song: Message in a Bottle

Worst Song: It's Alright for You

Comments

In arguably the worst year in music, this Album was pretty tight.

Following the demise of The Prince of Punk, UK Band The Police released this gem of an Album. They dropped all the soft stuff from "Outlandos d'Amour", and started making actual music. After being immediately greeted by "Message in a Bottle", I knew the Album would be pretty bomb, and it was. It was a pretty sweet Album, even with random shit thrown in for the hell of it. 

The Album is "Reggae", but's more like "New Wave Rock", which is kind of a nice change from listening to over 2 hours of blues.

#373: Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers

Jefferson Airplane - Volunteers

November, 1969, RCA Victor

1. "We Can Be Together" - 5:48

2. "Good Shepherd"(Traditional) - 4:21

3. The Farm" - 3:15

4. "Hey Fredrick" - 8:26

5. "Turn My Life Down" - 2:54

6. "Wooden Ships" - 6:24

7. "Eskimo Blue Day"- 6:31

8. "A Song for All Seasons" - 3:28

9. "Meadowlands"(Traditional) - 1:04

10. "Volunteers" - 2:08

RESULTS

Rate: 8/10

Best Song: Volunteers

Worst Song: The Farm

Comments

HOLY SHIT JEFFERSON AIR-

Ah, this isn't that Album.

It's screams "Hey, we're hippies from the 60's! Let's sing Koombaya!" The Album is anti-war, pro-liberalism, and just screams peace and good vibes. Trippy. Grace Slick isn't a lead singer here, as a choir of others join her, which actually sounds quite bliss. Overall, really good Album, a little weird, but that's just the acid, and a landmark in-

Screw it, where's the good Album? Is it coming up?????

#374: Roxy Music - Siren

Roxy Music - Siren

October 24, 1975, ATCO

1. "Love Is the Drug" - 4:11

2. "End of the Line" - 5:14

3. "Sentimental Fool" - 6:14

4. "Whirlwind"  - 3:38

5. "She Sells"  - 3:39

6. "Could It Happen to Me?" - 3:36

7. "Both Ends Burning" - 5:16

8. "Nightingale" - 4:11

9. "Just Another High" - 6:31 

RESULTS

Rate: 7/10

Best Song: Whirlwind

Worst Song: End of the Line

Comments

Holy shit...Is this Mick Jaggers wife?

Are Rock is pretty cool. It's pretty decent for the 70's. Alot of the songs were kinda designed to sound pretty "Hey, wanna chill to Roxy Music?", which nobody ever did, but, whatever.

The sound is a hybrid of surfer music, and classic rock at the time. The results were kind of charming, but apart from "Whirlwind", and "Love is the Drug", there's nothing too special on here.

#375: Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky

Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky

September 13, 1974, Asylum

1. "Late for the Sky" – 5:36

2. "Fountain of Sorrow" – 6:42

3. "Farther On" – 5:17

4. "The Late Show" – 5:09

5. "The Road and the Sky" – 3:04

6. "For a Dancer" – 4:42

7. "Walking Slow" – 3:50

8. "Before the Deluge" – 6:18

RESULTS

Rate: 4.5/10

Best Song: The Road and the Sky

Worst Song: Walking Slow

Comments

Previously, on The Great 500...

We already covered Browne's "The Pretender". That Album was rock solid, and the fact that his wife killed herself during the Album makes it all the more remarkable. 

But this Album? There's actually nothing to hold it together.

To be fair, it's one of Browne's earlier works, but still. It's kind of just soft rock. It could probably fill the score for an entire 80's film. I did like "The Pretender" a lot more than this random choice, but carry on, I suppose.

#376: Björk - Post

Björk - Post

June 13, 1995, Elektra

1. Army of Me" - 3:54

2. "Hyperballad" - 5:22

3. "The Modern Things" - 4:10

4. "It's Oh So Quiet" (Originally by Betty Hutton) -3:39

5. "Enjoy" - 3:53

6. "You've Been Flirting Again" - 2:30

7. "Isobel" - 5:43

8. "Possibly Maybe" - 5:07

9. "I Miss You" - 4:00

10. "Cover Me" - 2:06

11. "Headphones" - 5:40

RESULTS

Rate: 5/10

Best Song: Army of Me

Worst Song: Hyperballad

Comments

I fucking love Bjork.

That being said, her music is just too abstract for me.

The album starts off killing it, with "Army of Me" being such a wonderfully developed song, but then gets all trancy, and Bjork-y. It's just a bunch of random notes being played with some slick beats, and then Bjork muttering something in the background. Sometimes it freaks me out, sometimes I just get so done with it.

Bjork has a talent for vocalism, but this Album was just super messed up for me. Like, let me show you a snippet of how she recorded this shit:

"To save money on taxes, many of the vocals for the album were recorded in Nassau, Bahamas by Compass Point Studios, with Björk standing well out into the ocean at sunset. The vocals for "Cover Me" were originally recorded in a bat-infested cave and featured different instrumentation." Source Wikipedia

Wait, so you're telling me she stood in a dark cave surrounding by bats to record a song of her pushing buttons? Or that she stood in the ocean with a long-ass microphone to record everything else?

I'm so happy Bjork exists. I don't know what we'd do without her.

#377: John Lee Hooker - The Ultimate Collection (1948 - 1990)

John Lee Hooker - The Ultimate Collection (1948 - 1990)

1991, Rhino

1. "Teachin' the Blues" - 3:27

2. "Boogie Chillen'" - 3:10

3. "Sally Mae" - 3:09

4. "Let Your Daddy Ride" - 2:40

5. "Crawlin' King Snake" - 3:02

6. "Weeping Willow Boogie" - 2:49

7. "Hobo Blues" - 3:03

8. "Huckle up Baby" - 2:50

9. "I'm in the Mood" - 3:07

10. "John L's House Rent Boogie" - 3:02

11. "No More Doggin'" - 2:48

12. "I Need Some Money" - 2:28

13. "Frisco Blues" - 2:45

14. "Dimples" - 2:14

15. "It Serves Me Right To Suffer" - 3:38

16. "Bottle Up and Go" - 2:26

17. "Boom Boom" - 2:34

18. "Big Legs, Tight Skirt" - 2:20

19. "You Know, I Know" - 4:05

20. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" - 3:06

21. "Let's Go Out Tonight" - 7:12

22. "I Cover the Waterfront" - 4:04

23. "She's Mine (Keep Your Hands to Yourself)" - 2:24

24. "Back Biters and Syndicators" - 2:52

25. "Think Twice Before You Go" - 2:06

26. "Shake It Baby" - 4:08

27. "I'm Bad Like Jesse James" - 5:20

28. "Peavine" (with Canned Heat) - 5:08

29. "Burning Hell" (with Canned Heat) - 3:58

30. "Terraplane Blues" (with Roy Rogers, Originally by Robert Johnson) - 2:56

31. "I'm in the Mood" (with Roy Rogers & Bonnie Raitt) - 5:36

RESULTS

Rate: 9/10

Best Song: She's Mine (Keep Your Hands to Yourself)

Worst Song: Big Legs, Tight Skirt

Comments

Length: 104:57.

I really hate compilation albums.

Fortunately, it was really good Blues. The album kept drawing me in, always on edge about what twangey sound would blare out next. Some upbeat, some slow, some sad porch play songs.

Blues is really just listening to sad people complaining about their problems with guitars. And you know what? It's pretty damn good.

#378: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

October 2, 1995, Epic

1. "Hello" - 3:21

2. "Roll with It" - 3:59

3. "Wonderwall" - 4:18

4. "Don't Look Back in Anger" - 4:48

5. "Hey Now!" - 5:41

6. Untitled (also known as "The Swamp Song — Excerpt 1") - 0:44

7. "Some Might Say" - 5:29

8. "Cast No Shadow" - 4:51

9. "She's Electric" - 3:40

10. "Morning Glory" - 5:03

11. Untitled (also known as "The Swamp Song — Excerpt 2") - 0:40

12. "Champagne Supernova" - 7:27

RESULTS

Rate: 8/10

Best Song: Don't Look Back in Anger

Worst Song:  Untitled (The Swamp Song - Excerpt 2)

Comments

I SAID MAAAYBAAAAY

YOURE GONNA BE THE ONE THAT SAVES MAAAAAAY

AND AFTER ALLLLLLLLL

YOU'RE MY WONDERWALLLLLLLLLL

#379: TLC - CrazySexyCool

TLC - CrazySexyCool

November 15, 1994, LaFace

1. "Intro-Lude" (featuring Phife Dawg) - 1:01

2. "Creep" - 4:29

3. "Kick Your Game"- 4:13

4. "Diggin' on You" - 4:14

5. "Case of the Fake People" - 4:03

6. "CrazySexyCool (Interlude)" - 1:42

7. "Red Light Special" - 5:02

8. "Waterfalls" - 4:39

9. "Intermission-Lude" - 0:42

10. "Let's Do It Again" - 4:17

11. "If I Was Your Girlfriend" - 4:36

12. "Sexy (Interlude) - 1:35

13. "Take Our Time" - 4:33

14. "Can I Get a Witness (Interlude)" (featuring Busta Rhymes) - 2:57

15. "Switch" - 3:30

16: "Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes" (featuring Andre 3000) - 4:28

RESULTS

Rate: 8.5/10

Best Song: Waterfalls

Worst Song: Intermission-Lude

Comments

Christ, they might have just named this Album "Interludes".

It's actually a totally sweet Album. I heard of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, but always assumed she was some kind of ghetto pirate with one eye. But she's actually pretty sweet. Apparently a shitload of fires were started during production of this Album, because why the hell not?

The Album is soft, breezy, and kind of hot. It's just Lisa rapping, some famous dudes, and just them going at it, giving up on it all. It's the king of trap. I cannot end this Album without this wonderful transcript from "Sexy (Interlude)":

(Couple Dirty Talking over Phone)

Dude: "What you wanna do?"

Lisa: "I want you to help me"

Dude: "Alright, what you want me to do"

Lisa: "I want you to, I want you to"

Lisa: "Pass me some tissue"

Lisa: "So I can wipe my ass"

*Toilet Flushes*

#380: Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston

Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston

April 1972, Island

1. "Time Tough" - 4:23

2. "In the Dark"  - 2:48

3. "Funky Kingston" - 4:54

4. "Love is Gonna Let Me Down" - 3:15 (listed as "Love's Gonna Walk Out on Me" on Jamaican release)

5. "Louie, Louie"  - 5:46

6. "Pomp and Pride" - 4:30

7. "Got to Be There" - 3:06

8. "Country Road" - 3:23

9. "Pressure Drop" - 3:46

10. "Sailin' On" - 3:35

RESULTS

Rate: 6.5/10

Best Song: In the Dark

Worst Song: Pomp and Pride

Comments

Ehhhhh.

Don't get me wrong, I love Reggea. You know those days when you just feel the need and craving to listen to music, but your head won't let you? Those are the days I like to listen to Reggae. It's so laidback, and gentle, and care-free.

And this Album is no expectation. For a Reggae album, it's not too bad. For a listening Album, it gets a little bit different.

Now, it starts of really peaceful, and mundane, and that's it. It doesn't change. The Album gets so repetitive. The issue with Reggae is that it doesn't actually change. Steel Drums, Guitar, Jamaican Guy belting his heart out. You can practically smell the piss-stained subway, masked by weed and cornbraids. 

But don't get me wrong. The songs individually are pretty damn good. They each have a certain feel to them, and a charming appetite to appease the inner mind. It's kind of nice, but taking it all in at once is just too much. It's like drinking tea. Then more tea. Then more. Before you know it, you're so sick of tea, 

The Great Wait

Man,

Sorry for ditching y'all. Things changed. I got a girlfriend. Got into school more. Got a job. I always had this project in the back of my mind, eager to finish it. I just couldn't find the time or motivation. Grooveshark dropped, my music taste fluctuated to newer crap. I was just not interested.

And then Lemmy. Then Bowie. I felt the need and craving to listen to them. After just relaxing to old music of theirs, I felt the desire to finish this son of a bitch. So let's get to it.