http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Nation1814.jpg
Title: Rhythm nation 1814
Artiste: Janet Jackson
Year: 1989
Chronological position: Fourth album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Very little; the odd single really
Why is this considered a classic? I really don't know

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Meh
One track in --- Meh
Halfway through --- Good
Finished --- Good

Comments: It's hard not to write this off as generic r&B mores until you realise that Jackson actually started all this, probably alongside Paula Abdul and a few others, and that the music that it today called r&b is copying her. Even so, it's not my kind of music (shock!) and I may find this hard to get through. We'll see.

Yeah, it's kind of as I expected: drifting by in an unremarkable stream of songs that to me all sound pretty similar. "Miss you much" is okay, but about the first one I've really even noticed enough to zero in on. The little interludes are all rather annoying and contrived, and as an album that basically sets out to do what Stevie Wonder did in the recently-reviewed "Songs in the key of life", it's a pale shadow of that classic. "Livin in a world (they didn't make)" is a nice decent ballad with some nice ideas, but "Escapade" just sounds like "What have you done for me lately" with a bit of Prince thrown in (which bit? You decide!). "Lonely" and "Come back to me" are cool little ballads but smack a little too much of her big brother's work.

Favourite track(s): Miss you much, Livin' in a world (they didn't make), Come back to me, Someday is tonight
Least favourite track(s): Pretty much the rest of it.

Final impression --- Sort of as I expected. I don't like Michael's work in general and I didn't think I'd like Janet's. I have more or less been proven correct in my own impression of this album. Not for me.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
F) Definitely enjoyed it, but again would I consider it a classic?

I won't say B, but probably mostly E.

I never saw your Songs In the Key of Life reveiw till now.
I think that was a fair assessment of it.

I don't think it's a patch on Innervisions. Now that's a great album.

Okay I'm a bit tired of listening to laidback pop albums and I'm ready for a bit of a kick up the arse, but I'm not yet ready to tackle Slayer. Working up to that. In the meantime, let's try this one...
http://theseconddisc.files.wordpress...tish-steel.jpg
Title: British Steel
Artiste: Judas Priest
Year: 1980
Chronological position: Sixth album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Not much; few singles, hits, that sort of thing.
Why is this considered a classic? Over to you, Unknown Soldier! ;)

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great!
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: I was never a Judas Priest fan. Know why? Cos Rob Halford didn't have long hair. "A metal singer with short hair?" scoffed 16-year old Trollheart, shortly after throwing "Low" down on the floor with rolled eyes and just before snapping "ABBA? Load of crap!" --- man I was an idiot, wasn't I? --- "Not in THIS house you don't!" How stupidly biased can you get and what a ridiculous premise to base your like or dislike of a band upon! But anyway, thirty-four years later and I've been sufficiently impressed by the praise and regard of others far more versed in metal than I to give this a go.

Oooh I love those geetars! Very Motorhead me feels! And Halford can of course sing. Sorry man; my bad for about three decades or more. Consider me told. Hey! Hold on a minute: all songs written by Glen Tipton, Rob Halford and J.K. Rowling? Didn't know she could rock --- oh wait: it's K.K. Downing! Phew! Nearly made a fool of myself there! ;) Of course I know Breaking the law and love it, but United always did and still does sound like a dirge to me: a heavy metal dirge, granted, but still a dirge. Slow, plodding, boring and somewhat depressing.

Favourite track(s): (Again, of those I didn't already know) Grinder, Rapid fire, The rage, Steeler (Does this sound like Maiden's "Aces high" a bit, or is it just me? I know: Judas Priest came first...)
Least favourite track(s): United

Final impression --- Damn fine metal album, quite in the mould Maiden were going for. Great guitar work and an excellent vocalist.

Do I feel, at the end, A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Have to wait and see
E) Bit underwhelmed; was ok but a classic?
Well, what do YOU think?
A of course.

I can't believe that you've never listened to this before, I think you have but just forgotten:)

Well since you asked me why it's a classic. Basically there's not too much to it. The strength of the album was its ability to blend metal muscle to melodic hooks, it had been done before but never as well and polished as Judas Priest did it here and the album effectively created the 'pop metal' term. It's largely thanks to this album that metal became a huge commercial draw in the 1980s and opened the door so much for the genre. It's not the band's best album but certainly their most important and a classic in every way.

Since we're discussing Stevie..I've heard songs from him, but never a whole album. Which album is a better starting point for him?

Thanks for that man! :thumb: No, as I said, to my shame, I never listened to Judas Priest simply because Halford's hair was short. Didn't fit in with my image of heavy metal singers. I know, I know! :banghead: Still, glad I did at last get to listen to this.

Give this album a try :)

I think his short hair had more to do with him cultivating a gay macho leather man look than a metal one.

I downloaded this one. Thanks for the rec


Is there any reason why you'd recommend this one, instead of, say Songs in the Key of Life? Is this one more accessible?

I would strongly recommend you do this Trollheart. I saw this post and having already owned it but not listened to it in a while I went to give it a quick listen...aaaaand subsequently breezed through the whole thing without realizing it. :D