Amph What was the last album you purchased/heard?

The last one I bought wasBad (1987) by Michael Jackson .

 

Ocean Eyes by Owl City. I found my self liking Owl City's music when I was listening to the music online. I just had to pick up this CD. Very enjoyable. My favorite tracks are "The Saltwater Room" and "Fireflies".

 

Bad is a pretty strong album from Jackson; particularly Man in the Mirror is one of his best recordings. But on the whole I think both Thriller and Off the Wall are superior albums. Even though Off the Wall does have that horrible Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, one of his worst recordings.

 

Bang Camaro by Bang Camaro
Shredding guitar solos. A vocal component of up to fifteen singers called the Dude Chorus. Bang Camaro knows how to rock in a style you don't see a lot these days. There are a couple of songs where they step off the pedal and the multiple vocalists don't fit, but on the whole this is good stuff.

Bang Camaro II by Bang Camaro
Everything the first album had but more so. Smarter use of the Dude Chorus (though at least one song can't make it work) pushes this one over the first, and if you ever feel like mainlining pure rock energy, you really should check this out.

 

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) - Vince Guaraldi Trio

What can you really say? A joy from start to finish. Christmastime is Here remains one of my favorite Christmas songs and it gets two great treatments here, the children's choir version and a great extended jazz workout. Christmas is Coming is up tempo, great fun. This is a great album still.

Challengers (2007) - The New Pornographers

Somewhat underwhelmed. A solid enough album without being great or anything. Myriad Harbour is a great song and, yes, okay, it is Dylanesque. I get it. Adventures in Solitude is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.

The Meanest of Times (2007) - The Dropkick Murphys

Irish punk roaring out of Boston like a freight train. Vices and Virtues and State of Massachusetts are great, hard edged ballads and they can even do interpretations of the classics. The centerpiece of the album is surely Flannigan's Ball, a raucous, hell raising barn burner like I haven't heard in . . . a long time. I stepped out and I stepped in again; step in and you'll never step out.

Pick a Bigger Weapon (2006) - The Coup

A hip hop group that's actually hilarious? Say it ain't so. No, it's so, as you'll know if you listen to We Are the Ones or Ass Breath Killers. They slow it down for some aching soul on Tiffany Hall, an ode to a girl lost to cosmetic surgery, and the absolutely brilliant, Babylet'shaveababybeforeBushdosomethincrazy. Political, angry, witty, charming, aching. Fantastic.

Completely (2002) - Diamond Rio

Mostly forgettable country album, if you can call it country. I Believe is legitimately moving, but most everything else is utterly by rote.

 

TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION by Elton John

A progressive rock album with a country western theme. Western motifs are a favorite of Elton's lyricist Bernie Taupin, so here they did a whole album of songs in that vein.

I hadn't heard the album or any of it's songs in many years, but stumbled into it recently
and decided to add it to collection.

Interestingly, this album produced no singles! No singles and it's Elton John from the seventies!

But it contains many fine songs which hold up surprisingly well.

Particularly Where to Now St. Peter? and Come Down in Time.

I think this is Elton's most underrated album from the early 70s. A lot of people who have only heard his hit singles might be really surprised by this one.

Side one
1."Ballad of a Well-Known Gun" ? 4:59
2."Come Down in Time" ? 3:25
3."Country Comfort" ? 5:06
4."Son of Your Father" ? 3:48
5."My Father's Gun" ? 6:20

Side two
1."Where to Now St. Peter?" ? 4:11
2."Love Song" (Lesley Duncan) ? 3:41
3."Amoreena" ? 5:00
4."Talking Old Soldiers" ? 4:06
5."Burn Down the Mission" ? 6:22


Bumping into this youtube video is what prompted me to go get the album. It's an 8 minute tour de force of Elton solo at the piano. If you've never seen him live, he's an absolutely phenomenal keyboard player.

Burning down the piano

 

Ummagumma-Pink Floyd

I rather enjoyed it. Not as much as their later stuff, but still, enjoyed it.

 

Today was the day of the new Burzum release. Needless to say, I picked it up ASAP, so for this review I thought I'd give both my own opinion and a link to my favorite heavy metal blog's review. If you dislike heavy metal, I recommend you just skip this post entirely.

Belus (2010) - Burzum

Let me get one thing out of the way up front: Varg Vikernes is out of his bloody gourd. He's racist, he's homophobic, he's a white supremacist, he's a murderer, and he's an arsonist. I absolutely despise his worldview and everything it stands for, and he's exactly the sort of person I would avoid without question were I to meet him.

But with insanity, I've begun to notice, often comes a great deal of talent. Enter Burzum, Vikernes' long running black metal solo project which has been on hiatus for the last ten years while Vikernes was serving time in jail. Almost every Burzum release is, without exaggeration, a tour de force - but his last "proper" album, Filosofem, was released in 1996. It was followed by two synthesizer albums, Daudi Baldrs and Hildskjalf, which he also recorded while in prison, and then... nothing. Varg was released on parole in 2009, and since then, the extreme metal community has been awaiting his new album with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation.

Which brings us to Belus. An eight-track piece, Belus is a concept album that details the story, entirely in Norwegian, of a hypothetical pagan god modeled after the likes of Baldr and Apollo, but as usual the lyrics are delivered in an incredibly raspy tone and, really, wholly take a backseat to the atmosphere as a whole. Thus it's best to approach this album from a wholly musical standpoint.

Track by track:

1. "Leukes renkespill (Introduksjon)" - The album's sole ambient piece (And after sitting through some 20-odd minutes of the same sound repeating itself on Filosofem, I find it's 30 second brevity most welcome). Rumor has it it's the sound of Varg bouncing a ball off of his cell wall, but it could just as easily be a bottle or something. Who knows, I don't really get ambient, but it somehow manages to set an appropriate tone for what's to come.


2. "Belus' død" - Now this is more like it. An unrepentant metallic re-imagining of his early synth piece Daudi Baldrs, Belus' død is characteristic of everything that's right with Burzum. Harsh rasps, an interesting primary riff, and a bleak atmosphere suited to a dark, cold cave. The sense of loss permeates your very soul. A killer track.


3. "Glemselens elv" - I've done some measurements, and this 11:54 track is precisely 2:01 minutes too long. That 10 minute mark is about where it needs to end, and it goes on for another two. It's a drone track, so there's no melodic variation to be heard in here. Solid core riff, as always, but at 10 minutes I find myself wanting the track to end...


4. "Kaimadalthas' nedstigning" - ... Because this is what's awaiting me. A sort of Jesu død 2.0, Kaimandalthas' nedstigning has great riff changes, a rocking pace, and... Clean singing? It's crazy, but layered with his characteristic rasps, the effect is spectacular. A must-hear for any black metal fan.


5. "Sverddans" - As /mu/ aptly put it, "THIS IS HUH, WOW 2" in reference to the track War from the Burzum debut. It's fast, great guitar work... but the vocals and feel are a little lacking. Not to mention after multiple drone offerings a short, staccato stab like this feels weirdly out of place.


6. "Keliohesten" - Did you think the drone was gone? The drone is back with a vengeance, and Keliohesten kicks off the final 22 minutes which seem to be, more or less, about the same tempo. This is the sort of thing that makes Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger so love it or hate it. I personally love it, but this particular track doesn't really do anything memorable for me.


7. "Morgenrøde" - After this track, the vocals are gone, so Morgenrøde takes its time and allows you to say goodbye. It's a solid piece of metal in its own right, but that touch of it being a fond farewell gives it a really

 

Exodus (1998) ? Various Artists

Incredibly great compilation album; one of the best gospel albums I?ve ever heard. Highlights include: Chris Rice slaying on an acoustic, rewritten version of Nothing But the Blood, DC Talk raveup My Will, Crystal Lewis? soaring Salvation Belongs to Our God, Michael W. Smith (who produced the album) dragging out an epic length cover of Rich Mullins? I See You. Brilliant. Never gets old.

The Joshua Tree (1987) ? U2

Another one that never gets old. I still think, after more listens than I can count, that Exit doesn?t belong. But I?ll be darned if I can find even one other thing I?d change about this album. It?s incredible; I don?t have to convince anyone, I hope.

Waiting to Exhale (1995) ? Various Artists

Practically this entire album is produced and written by Babyface, perhaps the most pernicious purveyor of ?adult R&B? whatever that is. Babyface, you may recall, was able to make even Eric Clapton utterly dull. But this isn?t a terrible album. When the performers are up to it, they can create a real emotional picture. Aretha Franklin?s Hurts Like Hell, Faith Evans? Kissing You, TLC?s This Is How It Works, Sonja Marie?s And I Gave My Love To You. By the end, you?ll be hard pressed to tell the lesser songs apart, but, it has moments.

30 #1 Hits (2002) ? Elvis Presley

This record sounds absolutely fantastic; the remastering is fantastic and really pops off the CD player. That said, it?s a shame that about half these songs are horrible songs. It?s doubly a shame since the other half are among the best songs you?ll ever hear. There?s essentially the first ten songs, which are all great, the middle ten which are all pretty bad, and the last ten which are about an even split between great and horrible. I?d have made a much better Elvis mixtape; but then Elvis was made for the mixtape ? all of his proper albums had bad filler.

Gypsum Strings (2006) ? Oakley Hall

Hard edged and punky instrumentation, but this is probably the best country album of its year. The group uses crunchy guitars and distorted electric feedback and pummeling drums, but they use it in service of pure-dee countrified melodies and clever lyrics. All those posers who make pop and call it country take note; Oakley Hall just made great country and called it rock. They win; you lose. I?m definitely going to have to get into more by these guys.

 

I'll look for "Exodus"...

 

My Dinosaur Life by Motion City Soundtrack
I've been a fan of this band for a handful of years. They consistently ranked within my top 5 until their release of Even if it Kills Me, which I felt was weak for them. MDL completely saved this band in my book. The album came out in January and I still CANNOT stop listening to it. It's full of energy & emotion, and I've been able to connect to these songs in a way that I haven't with new music in a long time.

 

Just bought "The Acoustic Verses" by Green Carnation. Awesome stuff. Norwegian metal band turned folk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hU2zJTjHL8

Their live cover of "Six Ribbons" by Jon English is also awesome stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWlsZPzRmdw

 

Soft Machine (2006) ? Teddybears

Enjoyable Swedish electronica/techno/whatever album. Not one of the best albums you?ll ever hear, but some of the songs, like Cobrastyle and Automatic Lover will probably end up on your playlist for a while at least. Fun.

Zionic Bonds (1980) ? Andy McCarroll & Moral Support

It?s a gospel album, but back when contemporary gospel albums were actually awesome and occasionally, as in this case, decidedly weird. Moral Support only put out the one album, so apparently they were a little too odd even for people in the grip of New Wave. McCarroll sings in a nasal snarl while the band lays down a fusion of poppy punk and New Wave behind him. Words can?t describe what a blast this album is, so perfectly off the beam is it. On what other Christian album would one hear sin described as a ?chocolate deathtrap?? There?s a hopping instrumental that you?ll be humming for days and the closing track is an uptempo meditation on everything that God isn?t, a clever lyrical rant against small minded religious people. This is decidedly out of print, but do what you have to track it down, even if you?re not a Christian.

Greatest Hits (1995) ? Bruce Springsteen

This contains Atlantic City, which tells you what kind of ?hits? album it is. It does have Glory Days, so that also says something. It?s a good album, as hits albums go. If you?re like me, you own most of the albums already and why the heck isn?t there ONE song on here from Greetings from Asbury Park? Oh, that also tells you what kind of album it is. I?ve seen greatest hits albums that were better thought through or made more sense, but, with only one or two exceptions, there is no arguing with the songs, so I suppose it was a good listen.

Chronology (1988) ? David Meece

Some mostly bland Christian pop on this early compilation album; Meece is most famous for We are the Reason and that is a gorgeous piano based song. Surprisingly, he raves it up on a couple of songs here, like Seventy Times Seven, which has a nice minor key vibe, and Come That Day, which is just a rave up par excellence. Otherwise, forgettable.

Different Class (1995) ? Pulp

Epic in every sense of the word. A soundscape like no other, with Cocker?s unbelievably wacked out voice and the band laying down the slightly off kilter mood music behind him. Witty, pertinent with big, transfixing hooks and choruses. F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.DoubleL.E.D.L.O.V.E. indeed. Carry on then. It gets dark too, of course, and beautifully; Disco 2000 is aching and, along with Orbison?s Comedians, one of only about three or four songs that are so painful I literally can?t listen to them.

 

The Stone Roses (1989) ? The Stone Roses

Enjoyable album that probably, at the time, was worthy of all the fuss, even if it isn?t necessarily now. Somewhat overrated in terms of its staying power, but there?s certainly nothing wrong with. The final two tracks, I Am the Resurrection and Fool?s Gold combine to form a nearly twenty minute suite that you?ll never forget.

Pages of Life (1998) ? Fred Hammond & Radical for Christ

Hammond takes a ten voice choir and a tight, tight band and makes some of the best black gospel you?ll ever hear. This is a two disc set; the first CD is seventy minutes of tight, taut, funky R&B in the studio; the second CD is seventy minutes of high octane, stomping, roof tearin? live recordings from a concert in Detroit. You?ll be hard pressed to decide which CD is the best. All together, this is nearly two and a half hours of incredible, vibrant, funky, up tempo, rockin? urban gospel. You won?t regret a minute of this album.

Ocean Rain (1984) ? Echo & the Bunnymen

Absolutely loathed this album; pretentious quavering vocalizations of idiotic annoying lyrics over a pompous self-conscious music. Seven Seas isn?t a bad song; it?s the only one of which I would say even that much positive. Frankly, Thorn of Crowns is so bad it should have gotten these guys locked up. This is no masterpiece.

Introducing the Minutemen (1998) ? The Minutemen

Compilation of the groundbreaking and influential Cali punk band, 12 years after their demise. Only the Minutemen could get 35 songs on a CD and still clock in under an hour; the longest song is two and a half minutes, the shortest about half a minute. They prove punk doesn?t have to be altogether annoying to be punk; the arrangements are spare, not aggressive, leading to a minimalist punk that you wish Black Flag had picked up on. The album is at times deeply hilarious, at others sort of frustrating because you wish some of these ideas had actually been fleshed out into songs instead of just being tossed off as soon as the idea came to them. Still, it?s a blast and a half of balls to the walls punk rock and the album flies by like a car going double nickels times two. Oddly, the best song on the album is also their one real flirtation with melodicism, History Lesson, Pt. 2, a heart lifting and life affirming ode to the power of music that?s actually very moving. You may not love them, but you certainly need to know them. This is a good place to start, if you want an overview.

Maybe This Christmas Tree (2004) ? Various Artists

The second followup (after Maybe This Christmas Too) to the endearing and mostly great Maybe This Christmas, this album uses the same formula, low key, soothing takes on Christmas songs by indie rockers, etc. This one is pretty well a misfire; where the original was legitimately beautiful and heartfelt at times, this one is just quiet and dull. One exception: Tom McRae confiscates McCartney?s pernicious and evil Wonderful Christmas Time and turns the peppy, poppy synthed-out raveup into an acoustic guitar dirge so bleak and devastated, you wonder if he?s going to make it through the song without offing himself.

 

Other people need to post in here.

Til Shiloh (1995) ? Buju Banton

I?m somewhat ashamed to admit that this was too authentic for me. I understand maybe five lines all told on the entire album, so thick is Banton?s accent and so rumbling is his voice. The music all sounded more or less the same and I found it hard to connect; apparently, I am a fan of pop reggae, not the real thing, huh? Well, for all that, Hush Baby Hush is an astoundingly wonderful song, but it?s the only one on this album I really connected too.

Summerteeth (1999) ? Wilco

After being mostly baffled over all the rampaging praise given to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album that I found mostly dull and uninspired, I went back to this album to find Wilco being legitimately brilliant. Rollicking, haunted, melodic and, oh, yes, barely an experimental dissonance to be seen. Call me a pop Wilco fan too, if you must, but this is about fifty times better than Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which many still call their masterpiece. Every song is a masterpiece. Albums this good aren?t that common, so give this one a listen.

Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Shortcut to Teenage Fanclub (2003) ? Teenage Fanclub

Got directed to Teenage Fanclub through the writing of Nick Hornby, who any music lover surely loves and reads often. He called them the best comfort music this side of Rubber Soul or some such and he?s pretty well right. Luminous, glistering Brit-pop bathed in luscious harmonies and jangling guitars. They seem to get compared to The Byrds a lot, so I?ll go ahead and mention it myself: they?re actually much better than The Byrds. This compilation is my introduction to them, but I?m surely not finished with them, not after this fantastic collection of music.

Calenture (1987) ? The Triffids

Everything that Ocean Rain tried to do and failed miserably at, this album succeeds miraculously at. It?s earnest, longing, achingly poetic lyrics over some of the most indelible melodies you?ve ever heard. Bury Me Deep in Love and Open for You are the albums most astonishing masterpieces, two incredible statements of faith in a love that is deeper than we could ever imagine. Spiritual, bitter, broken, hopeful, witty; this is a masterpiece of an album. And get the reissue because for once, even the alternate takes/demos are worth hearing, particularly the original, less pretentious but somehow even more powerful take on Bury Me Deep in Love.

Eagles (1972) ? Eagles

Still quite amazing debut. It?s hard to fathom that the group was so firmly fixed in its milieu and its own identity that it had Take It Easy, Witchy Woman and Peaceful Easy Feeling all on their very first album. Certainly those songs haven?t lost any of their brilliance over the years, particularly on the newest reissue which has digitally remastered the songs to a perfect beauty. None of the other songs quite rise to the level of those three, but some of them come close, like the plaintive Most of Us Are Sad, the warm redemption tune Train Leaves Here This Morning and the pure country raveup Earlybird which you will probably, as I did, begin by hating and end by absolutely loving for its sheer audacious disregard for what might be termed the annoyance factor of that chirping whistle that is at its heart. It was refreshing to find a few songs here that I hadn?t heard a million times that were actually quite good. It was also somewhat refreshing to revisit the ones I have heard a million times and find that pop does still have a few songs that even repeated listenings haven?t quite managed to strip of their beauty.

 

Relient K: Relient K. My least favorite album of the group, but still a good listen. My favorite track is "Softer to Me".

 

"Saints of Los Angeles" by Motley Crue. That was summer of 2008, I think, and I hadn't 'bought' an album for like two or three years before that. Much easier being a pirate.

As for the album itself, it got a bad wrap from people but I truly enjoyed it. Of course it isn't a reincarnation of hair metal Motley, but this was the best thing the band had released since before Vince left and the band went Grunge. It is rock n' roll, and I can't help but love it.

 

True dat, though admittedly I've gotten a bit lazy about posting in here.

Black Metal Ist Krieg (2001) - Nargaroth

Let's intro this one with an anecdote about riff borrowing. Now, in heavy metal at least, there's a tendency for groups to take a riff from another band's song and reuse it in their own, often with a twist. It's a pretty common practice - after all, almost every riff exists in some form in a Black Sabbath song somewhere - and in general it leads to an interesting sort of stylistic evolution throughout the riff's lifetime. I personally am in favor of it when it's done properly.

... Which brings me to this album. Black Metal Ist Krieg is, without a doubt, the most insipid and pointless reuse of old riffs I've heard in a long time. You get the sensation that you've heard every track on here before, and, for once, it's more or less true - I don't think there's an original lick to be had amongst this mess of distorted guitars and uninspired lyrics. Oh, it has its lol-worthy, so bad it's good moments (You need look no further than my sig for the details), but the effort of sitting through the entire album for these moments is soul-crushing. Long story short - listen to the title track, laugh at its absurdly bad lyrical content, and then kill it. KILL IT WITH FIRE. That this band is relatively famous within the black metal community fills me with the sort of immense shame that is usually reserved for Nazi BM.

Nifelvind (2010) - Finntroll

Time to cleanse the heavy metal palette, and what better way to do so then with Finntroll - a polka/folk/black metal group that knows precisely when to stop taking itself too seriously. While this has, understandably, turned them into a controversial act within "the scene," "the scene" likes Nargaroth, so it can sod off. Finntroll are awesome, and I refuse to feel bad for liking them - the music is far too much fun. Nifelvind is no different, and while it feels like it might be a concept album, your ability to understand the lyrics is irrelevant to your enjoyment - which is a good thing, as all the lyrics are in Swedish with a Finnish accent, and then done in a BM growl. Unintelligible doesn't begin to cover it. Still, this album rocks, and it's probably something any folk metal fan can listen to and enjoy. Plus, like a lot of European acts, you can check them out on YouTube first without worrying about any potential legal ramifications.

Plastic Surgery Disasters/In God We Trust, Inc. (1982/1981) - Dead Kennedys

Great hardcore punk act or greatest hardcore punk act? And a two-for-one album, to boot! Granted, IGWTI is about 10 minutes long, but it's a hell of a bonus considering Plastic Surgery Disasters is a full LP in and of itself. The main album itself is a bit of a stylistic departure from Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, with a generally slowed-down tempo, but no less angry and political. Of particular note is "Moon Over Marin," which is akin to a traditional surf-rock song... with a biting, post-apocalyptic twist. The second album is much, much faster - probably with the group's highest average tempo - and features the (in)famous "Nazi Punks **** Off," which is exactly what I say whenever I listen to an NSBM album! Clearly, this group knows me well. It also features the interesting "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now," a commentary on Ronald Reagan's election which also serves as a partial lounge-version remix of California Ãœber Alles. The rapid, unexpected shift from laid back lounge to blistering punk drives the point home nicely, though it's weird listening to this one now considering the nostalgic rose-tinted treatment that Reagan usually gets, particularly in my family. Great album, great price, I recommend it.

 

Ten- Pearl Jam

This was my first PJ album to pick up, so I didn't know what to expect. It isn't great, but it's still a good listen. Favorite songs are "Alive" and "Jeremy".

Best of Van Halen: Vol. 1 - Van Halen

I was really disappointed by "Diver Down", so this pickup helped save VH in my mind. Great album all around. Favorite song has to be "Runnin' with the Devil".

 

Metallica (1991) ? Metallica

This was certainly needed and, after all the fuss about the ballads and selling out, this is easily read as a return to form after the mostly disastrous And Justice For All. This album still rocks the house and is still one of their very best. I rank it behind Master of Puppets and S&M and, perhaps, even behind Kill ?Em All, but it?s superior to both Ride the Lightning and And Justice for All. Still a great listen.

Tragic Kingdom (1995) ? No Doubt

Dragged this one out again to remind myself of a few things. Number one, Gwen Stefani was never as good solo as she was with No Doubt; number two, yes, I do hope No Doubt stays together after their reformation; number three, this album holds up like heck. It?s one of the most perfect ska-punk fusion albums out there and a hopping good time from start to finish. Interestingly, the titular song, had it been released a decade later, would have been read as a virulent and brutal anti-Bush song, which just goes to show you how people read into things and how art can capture a zeitgeist before the zeitgeist even exists. I wouldn?t call it the Bad Moon Rising of its day, but close.

Abraxas (1970) ? Santana

Still my personal favorite Santana album. One of the greatest bands ever assembled cooks some salsa in Harlem, if you know what I mean. Even the instrumentals soar with either a twitchy, angry energy or a luminous, transcendent beauty. An essential album, as, hey, all three of the albums I?ve talked about so far have been. And, if there is any doubt, Samba Pa Ti is surely one of the greatest guitar solos ever recorded. Santana?s tone on this album is close to my ideal guitar sound; for a few years this was my favorite guitar album ? I don?t know that I have a favorite guitar album anymore, but this is still one of the best.

Da Drought 3 (2007) ? Lil Wayne

A double disc mixtape released free online just prior to the release of Tha Carter III, this finds Lil Wayne doing what he does best, which is cracking wise over material he can?t get legally. The fact that Wayne does this kind of stuff, essentially giving away nearly two hours of free music (and great free music too boot) makes it a little easier to stomach plopping down twenty bucks for one of his actual CDs, if you still do that. But as a double album, this is a load of fun. Wayne remains one of the most hilarious lyricists in rap; during one song, he sidetracks to state, ?When I was ten, I love the movie Gremlins/don?t have **** to do with this, just thought I would mention,? which is about the greatest couplet of the decade if you ask me. But it?s in the 10 minute Outro where Wayne coolly and calmly thanks all his friends over Robin Thicke?s Lost Without U that the greatest moments comes; when Thicke croons her love, Wayne finally responds, ?I love you too, hip-hop,? and it feels like the greatest moment of artist interacting with art you?ve ever heard. Amen and amen; when you do it, Wayne, we all do.

A Bigger Bang (2005) ? The Rolling Stones

I suppose this album should suck, being late Stones. It doesn?t, I have to say. In fact, it?s awesome, easily their best album since the seventies. The album is too long and two or three songs could easily have been cut with no harm whatsoever, like Keith?s closing Infamy and Driving Too Fast. But when they cook, they cook. Streets of Love and Rain Fall Down both sound like deliriously glammy cuts from their pseudo-disco period. Biggest Mistake is classic weepy Stones, a song I?d place on the shelf next to Fool to Cry and Angie in the pantheon of Jagger?s emotionally evocative and vulnerable performances. And Oh No Not You Again rocks harder than anything they?ve done since . . . well, man, probably Brown Sugar. The aughts (is that what we?re calling them?) was a great decade for classic acts; Springsteen came back from a two decade desert, Dylan and Cash both continued to build on successful comebacks in the nineties and climbed to a place of popularity and acclaim ne

 

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Quite possibly some of the best Jazz I've heard to date. Blue in Green is one of the saddest songs I've ever heard and All Blues, So What are just unforgettable.

 

And this is how I can tell that you're not a die-hard Metallica fan.

(I'm kidding.)

I think both albums are fine. In fact, most diehard fans would say that Justice is better than the Black Album--it's become something of a cliché for the most hardcore, diehard fans to say that the Black Album was where Metallica "sold out" by creating songs that would sell better on radio & MTV. The only true flaw about Justice IMO is the final mix of the album: Jason Newsted's bass is inaudible.

 

Heaven is Whenever- The Hold Steady

Its different than their other albums, I don't know if I really like it as much. I've listened to a few times now- so far only Hurricane J and Our Whole Lives have really stood out.

 

No, I totally say that I can sum up the way I differ from most Metallica fans in one sentence: I prefer the version of One on S&M.

I still say that they didn't sell out with the Black Album, or, if they did, who cares, if the selling out resulted in Enter Sandman The Unforgiven, etc.? I tired of all that debate, as every rational person did, after it went on for years and years. I find the whole "selling out" thing sort of tiresome anyway. Especially with a group as generally brilliant as Metallica. I still rank Master of Puppets their absolute best, S&M a bold, transfixing experiment that works to perfection and their second best. After that it gets muddy, but And Justice for All is definitely their worst that I've heard. I mean, you say the production is the only flaw, but really, what else is there on that album but the production. It's essentially all wrapped up in sort of flattening the entire sound. One and Shortest Straw are both pretty great songs, I admit, but every other song on the album is at least two minutes too long. I like them when they're long, but only when the songs work in the first place. Still, YMMV.