There are a lot of U2 haters here I know, but you know, I’ve reviewed albums I don’t like, had no interest in and ended up not liking any more after I’d heard them, just because some of you asked me to. So now I’m listening to something I want to. Skip it if you want, but while I’m no U2 fan I don’t hate them. Say what you like, they’re one of the first bands who put Ireland on the map. Gotta give them props for that. Sure, Bono’s a gobshite. But he’s our gobshite! :)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...oshua_Tree.png
Title: The Joshua Tree
Artiste: U2
Year: 1987
Chronological position: Fifth album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Hey, I’m Irish, y’know? I’ve heard a few of their albums, and who can live in Ireland and not know of U2? Love ‘em, hate ‘em, you can’t be Irish and ignore ‘em!
Why is this considered a classic? Their breakthrough album, when they embraced America as their salvation and wrote songs specifically themed on the US. Also produced three massive hit singles for them.

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great, but I know all these first three tracks
One track in --- Again, great but what about later?
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Great

Comments: Let’s be honest here: everyone knows the opening three tracks so as it’s getting near my bedtime I’ll skip them, and we head right into “Bullet the blue sky”, which has a dark, menacing vibe about it, both in the almost doomy drumming of Larry Mullen and the pulsing basslines from Adam Clayton. Kind of a feel of Memphis blues about it too. The Edge does some of that faffing about on the guitar that I don’t like --- I respect his talent, but sometimes it really is just guitar wankery --- and I kind of don’t really like this track much. “Running to stand still” is a thousand times better, though it does tread a little too closely in the footsteps of “Bad” from the previous album. Love the piano and the fadeout harmonica. Sweet.

“Red Hill Mining Town” starts off a bit in a folk/country vein, but then amps up and becomes a striding rocker with gospel overtones, lot of drama and heart in it. Look, say what you like about him --- and many have --- but Bono’s a decent singer and he really puts passion into his music. You never feel like he’s just going through the motions while counting his bank balance. Much better from The Edge as we find ourselves “In God’s country”, rocking along nicely; more the Edge from “Where the streets have no name” than the one from “Bullet the blue sky”. I’m sure many think him an overrated guitarist, but he does have a distinctive style.

More fine harmonica as “Trip through your wires” sounds like the Adventures meet the Waterboys and invite the Sawdoctors along, Nice bluesy boogie tune, with good heavy drumming from Larry and a nice bit of organ there too. Somehow I’m expecting an Irish reel or something. Does it come? No, it doesn’t. All of these songs seem to have a backstory, but probably the most poignant is “One Tree Hill”, which has nothing to do with the TV show but is in fact a tribute to Gregg Carroll, one of U2’s roadies who died in a motorbike accident. I would have expected a ballad, but no, it’s pretty uptempo, though you can hear the pain in Bono’s voice as he sings about the man who was his friend. Sumptuous strings section too. Love the gospel-style ending.

That leaves us with “Exit”, which you have to think was a title tailor-made to close an album, but it’s not the closer. Kind of a muggy feel to it, the bass humming and fading in and out while Bono sings sparingly: a minimalist U2 song? Well, getting a bit stronger now as The Edge comes in with the acoustic guitar and then electric as the percussion cuts in too and the song takes off. Impressive. I see now it’s about a serial killer, so understand the heavy, almost fuzzy production. We’re heading out then on a real emotion-wringer, as Bono speaks out about the people kidnapped, tortured, killed and just never seen again in Nicaragua and El Salvador. “Mothers of the disappeared” gives me a very Peter Gabriel feel, sort of like his “Biko”, though it doesn’t really sound anything like that song. It’s just the vibe I get. Parts of the song’s structure mirror “Biko” a little, and I feel Bono must have taken some inspiration from the Gabriel classic.

It’s a low-key vocal, with the bass and percussion again to the forefront, The Edge’s guitar quite restrained, almost in respect or reverence for those vanished by various dictatorships.Much of the vocal seems to be just a wordless lament, which is probably quite appropriate. A good closer certainly, and a pretty much flawless album all round.


Favourite track(s): Still haven’t found what I’m looking for, Where the streets have no name (One of my alltime favourite U2 songs), With or without you, Running to stand still, Trip through your wires, One Tree Hill, Exit, Mothers of the Disappeared
Least favourite track(s): (If I have to choose one it would be Bullet the blue sky)

Final impression --- An album truly deserving its status as classic. I don’t think there was one track on it I didn’t like, and a whole lot I really loved. Sure, the quasi-political/save the world messages are a little annoying, but you can’t argue with the music. Excellent album.

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?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it

This is a clear A and our first

http://www.trollheart.com/classic4.png

^^^^^

One of the few (relatively speaking) "perfect" albums IMO.

I agree. Not an album I listen to much any more but still great.

Also: An Irish music fan who has never heard The Joshua Tree? I feel like I have just spotted a unicorn.

Yeah. My sister was big into them when she was young but she's not really one for listening to albums. I remember she had a VHS video of them live at Red Rocks that she never stopped playing, probably mostly where I heard their stuff. I was more into Maiden and Saxon at the time. In fairness, the only U2 albums I've heard all the way through are the greatest hits and "All you can't leave behind". Was never a huge fan but I do like a lot of their music. This album is pure gold though.

F*cking large scale arena rock doesn't get any better than this. I watched Live Aid in real time and next to Queen, this was the best of the day.

Oh man yes! I remember that! Coming in from the garden to watch Live Aid begin, and then being more or less glued to it (until Sting showed up anyway) for the rest of the day. Music history in the making. Good times.

"Send us yer fuckin' money!" :D Class! :thumb:

What's wrong with Sting?

Nothing as such, but he slowed everything down with some drony sax versions of his Police work and it was boring as hell. On a high-octane day like that, with bands rocking all over, he was the brake suddenly applied. Buzz Killington, indeed.

Speaking of "Bad", The unforgettable fire would be the next U2 to check out. Love that album.

So do you think you'll be trying this one out? Don't worry, I'm here to help you, not hurt you.

I ... don't know. I'm sort of trying to settle back into the groove of the list, which is why U2 and then Neil Young and after that I think is maybe Peter Tosh, not sure. Aren't Swans a punk band, or did I get that wrong? I'll see about adding it, but given all I have to do, can't say when I'll get around to it, or if.

Their early stuff is really abrasive no wave, but Swans' newer albums are post rock and entirely different.

Basically, early stuff is really abrasive and primitive art rock that sounds for all the world like extreme doom metal. Not in the death metal sense, but it's just so amusical that it's as abrasive as a lot of death metal.

You'll hate this, probably in the same way you didn't like Thorr's Hammer.




I'm not that up on later Swans, but it was even more different from early Swans as early, black metal-era Bathory is to Viking metal, Hammerheart-era Bathory. So, don't let early Swans in any way color your view of what the other MB members are trying to recommend to you.

For the record I would love to hear your thoughts on To be kind by swans. A unique and great album.

Again, I don't know. They don't sound like the sort of band I'd be into. I'll consider it, but my workload is currently massive. Working at the moment on a typically enormous review of "The endless river", which I hope to publish later today or tomorrow.

Again, their later work sounds absolutely nothing like their early work, so whatever notion you think you have of what they sound like is wrong.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Gold_Rush.jpg
Title: After the gold rush
Artiste: Neil Young
Year: 1970
Chronological position: Third solo album
Previous experience of this artiste?: A few singles, a few live performances, and “Harvest”, which I didn't like much.
Why is this considered a classic? I'm not sure, but it's one of Neil Young's best known records.

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

Comments: A year or two, or more, back, I ran a section for a week in which I reviewed and featured only music and albums from the seventies. During that “70s Week” I had the chance to review one of two classic Neil Young albums, and eventually went for “Harvest”. I did not enjoy it much, so I'm hoping now that the other choice open to me at the time will yield better results. I already know the title track of course, and I think I know Only love can break your heart but the rest will be new to me, so let's see how I get on.

Well I was warned it was very country-oriented, and so it proves as we open with Tell me why, which reminds me of The Eagles or early Dan Fogelberg. Nice boppy, uptempo song on acoustic guitar, breezy and pleasant. Like the vocal harmonies. Of course I know and love the title track, always did. Not a clue what it's about though. Maybe colonisation as humanity leaves Earth behind? The "chosen ones" spoken of in the lyric who are "flying Mother Nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun"? Again it's acoustic, though this time on piano. Oh yeah, with some flugelhorn too. Sweet. And yes, I do know Only love can break your heart. Great song, a real swaying ballad. Doing well so far.

First signs of electric guitar and Neil comes out rockin' with Southern man. Great guitar solos. Hey, that's weird! Sounds like Bon Jovi ripped off some of this melody for Burnin' for love from their debut album! I knew I had heard it somewhere before. Love Till the morning comes, pity it's so short, but then it's followed by Oh lonesome me --- hmm, it's a cover. Lose points for that I'm afraid. Still a great song though. Next track is great too. And the next. I love When you dance, I can really love, and I believe in you is a gorgeously understated track, which kind of brings us to the end, with Cripple Creek ferry and that's, well, pretty good. But short, and a little lacklustre compared to just about all the tracks preceding it. Slight letdown right at the very end.

Favourite track(s): Everything except maybe the closer, and even that was ok
Least favourite track(s): None

Final impression --- Love this album. A massive improvement on “Harvest” and it's certainly something I'd be listening to again and again. I can see why it's so highly regarded, and rightly so.

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?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits

A very solid A

And as for the rating, has to be
http://www.trollheart.com/classic4andhalf.png

I was hoping you'd cover that one soon! That's a fantastic album, indeed. Makes me proud to be Canadian.

If you want to do something countryish how about some Gram Parsons.
His Grievous Angel album or The Flying Burritto Brothers Gilded Palace Of Sin album are both pretty decent.

In fact if you do I promise to listen to and review Genesis The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway the whole way through. And I'll review it in such a way that I have to hear it the whole way through.

And you know how much I hate Genesis.

Ball is in your court Mr T

After The Gold Rush is an amazing record, although I've never heard of someone loving that album and disliking Harvest. Interesting! If you want to continue to delve into Neil Young I would recommend Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, my personal favourite. None of the others come close in my eyes. A couple of excellent longer songs I think you will react well to. Down By The River is a masterpiece.

Sure, no problem. He any relation to Alan? :laughing: Seriously, I know of Gram Parsons. I may do it in my other journal though, give me a chance to try on that new stetson I bought on ebay recently! :) (Dang! I just bet Neapolitan has a cowboy smilie!)
Hmm. I was going to look into "Harvest moon" or "Living with war" next...

On The Beach is pretty great too

Gross. Why?

Have you heard his work with Buffalo Springfield and CSN?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ursNewWave.jpg
Title: New wave
Artiste: The Auteurs
Year: 1993
Chronological position: Debut album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? I ahve no idea but I keep getting asked to listen to it, so hopefully this will keep Urban and Goofle happy. For now.

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

Comments:
Debut album from a band who, though associated with the nineties Britpop movement, seemed to dislike that tag and possibly as a result seem to have faded into obscurity, despite this album originally being nominated for the Mercury Prize and now being one of those “1001 albums you must hear before you die” deals. Personally, I've never heard of them, but the two boys have been so voiciferous in their attempts to get me to listen to this album that I felt it was only fair that I listened to them.

Good immediate opening with cracking drums and a nice guitar to open Showgirl, and the voice of the singer, Luke Haines, is interesting, sort of reminds me at times of Neil Tennant. Touches of Bowie in there too, oh yeah, and yer man from The Lightning Seeds. The song is a mid-paced one with a kind of marching rhythm, and stops once or twice before coming back in on the basswork of Alice Readman. Very pleasant, sense of The Adventures about it too, particularly “Sea of love” era. The second track has more of an almost Shadows feel about it with a belt of Country in there, piano from Haines adding to the appeal of Bailed out, but again it's pleasant but nothing terribly great or memorable. Hmm. Not overly impressed so far.

First instance of cello then from James Banbury, and I've always got time for cello or violin. There's quite a muddy vocal initially for American guitars but I have to say it's a bit nondescript and is over before I can really even appreciate it. Junk shop clothes is a slower song, with tinkly piano and what sounds like accordion, but still pretty boring. Tempo goes up then at least for Don't trust the stars, and it rocks along okay but again I'm not too impressed. On we go into Starstruck where the pace slackens again. I have to say, I don't really like this guy's voice; it's a bit weak and sort of wimpy. Not that I want to hear death vocals exactly, but this is just a little whiny for my tastes. Getting very bored now. Ho-hum.

Yeah. I heard a harmonica there which perked me up for a moment, but now I'm just drumming my fingers and waiting for this album to end. I just have zero interest in it. It's tedious and dull and with no life whatever, to me. There's a line in Valet parking (think it's the chorus) where Haines sings “I'm sick of parking cars”. Replace the last two words with “listening to this album” and you have a good idea of how little interest I have in this now. Well, only (checks) three more tracks to go and then I can forget it. And now I can. God, what an ordeal.

Favourite track(s): None. I didn't like any of this album. Conversely...
Least favourite track(s): I didn't hate any of this album either. I just didn't care enough about it, after all the hype, to like or hate it.

Final impression --- No real impression. Bored to tears. Nothing here interested 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?

Definitely a B

http://www.trollheart.com/classic2.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...spicecover.jpg
Title: Hospice
Artiste: The Antlers
Year: 2009
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? Unsure

My thoughts
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good, great, bad, meh, still waiting or other? Great
One track in --- Great
Halfway through --- Great
Finished --- Other really: great does not do this album justice. It is incredible.

Comments: I know precisely sod-all about The Antlers, but Wiki tells me this is a concept album, based around the relationship between a care worker and a woman dying of cancer. The opening is very atmospheric, with the kind of doomy, bleak feel you would expect from such a subject. Some sort of loops maybe in there too. Wow! I see they have harp, accordion, banjo, even trumpet here. Sounds very interesting. The second track really gets me right in the heart: the soft, almost mournful singing, the solo piano, and then the rest of the band come in and the song acquires a whole new level of intensity. Superb. Ends on an almost gospel-like vocal, fading out slowly, and leaving goosebumps.

The soft vocal suits this album perfectly: it would have been ruined by someone roaring or screaming over it, and yet in Sylvia this is exactly what happens, but it works somehow, almost like an outpouring of emotion that can't be held in any more. When the vocal drops down to what appears to be normal for this album, it is quite hard to make out, but that ties in well with the idea of someone waiting by a loved one's bedside, perhaps praying and hoping. Talk about effective! Great bit of trumpet there, joined by I think accordion as the song heads to its conclusion. Hell, three tracks in and I'm already sold!

Soft piano then accompanies vocalist Peter Silberman on Atrophy, and in the middle there's a sort of shimmering feedback guitar that takes the tune, I guess it could be representing the loneliness of the vigil by the beside, or the hum of the machinery keeping the patient alive? Whatever, it's spookily moving. Oh man, then it all fades away and acoustic guitar slips smoothly in accompanied by the vocal, quiet and resigned. I think I'm falling in love with this album. When the tempo quickens in Bear it's unexpected, and yet somehow totally appropriate. I'm hesitant to compare The Antlers to anyone, but one band they do remind me of when they're a little more on the uptempo side is The Maccabees.

Spacey, ambient opening to Thirteen, takes up two of the three minutes it runs for then a solo piano backs guest vocalist Sharon Van Etten with a beautiful vocal harmony to take it out and into Two, with an almost ukulele sound on the guitar --- maybe that's the banjo mentioned? More uptempo, almost folky sound, very simple, plain vocal and I've made the mistake of listening to the lyric and now I'm crying like a baby. If I get through this it will be quite a feat. Shiva has a beautiful, waltz feel to it, a lovely ballad, and then, just when I thought I was managing to hold it together well, along comes Wake, with a soft gospel chorus, and those tears are in my eyes again. The massive organ (no, no childish humour is appropriate here for once) when it blasts in just tears my heart out and stamps on it. I almost feel like I'm going to die of sadness and anguish. Now a vocal harmony has vapourised what remained of my poor heart.

There's one more track, if I can get through it, which is by no means at this point certain. A soft acoustic guitar and a gentle vocal, almost like an epilogue to the story. I can only stand in amazement at the talent and the vision of this guy, Peter Silberman, who wrote the whole thing, and if it is a true story, or even partly true, he's very brave to share this with the world. I hope this served to give him some peace, to lay the ghost to rest. I know it's going to haunt me long after the album has ended. But that's okay: when music has this kind of effect on you it really stops being music and becomes something far more, far more important, far deeper and more spiritual. Albums like this come along very very seldom, and it's important they're listened to. Because they really, really matter.


Favourite track(s): There is nothing on this album I do not adore.
Least favourite track(s): Yeah, right... :rolleyes: :(

Final impression --- Someone said this album had “the power to destroy listeners emotionally”, and it's true: I have been destroyed. But it's almost a welcome destruction, like tears you hold in when you can't give vent to your grief, when you have to put a face on for the world. I can honestly say I have not been as emotionally affected by an album in my entire life. This is, quite simply, transcendent and amazing in every way. It's not even an album really: it's a cathartic, terrifying, heartrending, gloriously sad and tragic experience.

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?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits

What do you think? A massive A and I have no hesitation whatever in awarding this album the very first ever
http://www.trollheart.com/classic5.png

You suck.

:finger:

So do you, for suggesting I listen to that. Ugh!
Right back atcha! :finger:

Listen to it a few more times. Trust me man.

Yeah that's gonna happen.

We both know after the TMR ordeal that listening to an album he doesn't like (read: get) more than once is not TH's style.

Look, I get a decent idea of whether or not I'm going to like an album first time round usually. I may not like it but I can hear something in it that may grow on me. In those cases I will give it a second or even third chance. With "New wave" I heard nothing special. Could have been any indie band. Nothing excited me about it --- not even the bloody cellos! --- and nothing made me hate it so much that I never wanted to hear it again. I just simply thought it was below average, and after the way you guys had hyped it I was expecting to feel, I don't know, something. And I didn't.

I have far too heavy a workload to listen to albums twice that I didn't like, so it won't be spinning again here. As for TMR, that's never coming near my poor ears again. I'd listen to Cryptopsy or Cannibal Corpse before I'd go through that again!

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't lose anything if you decided against listening to a few more prog/metal albums, and instead chose to give New Wave another few tries.

One day you'll see the light my friend, and on that day I will buy you a bottle of your choice of whiskey and a hooker.

I'll tell you what, someone with a Saint Coltrane avatar and a name taken from Beefheart, anything you recommend to me will get multiple listens until I get it.

I'll pitch in.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._%26_Alive.jpg
Title: Wanted dread and alive
Artiste: Peter Tosh
Year: 1981
Chronological position: Third album
Previous experience of this artiste?: Zero
Why is this considered a classic? ?

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

Comments: I’ve never been one to give reggae much of a chance, feeling that a lot of it sounds the same, but it’s always good to open your mind a little and my experience with Bob Marley was not the ordeal I had expected, so let’s see how this goes. Well it’s a slow, dare I say boring, opening with the first track, belying its title “Coming in hot”, though the next track kicks it up with a bit more soul. Still not too interested though. “Reggaemylitis” is mildly funny but again it doesn’t engage me. There’s just very little energy in this so far I feel.

Yeah, while I don’t want to dismiss all reggae as the same, the complaint seems justified with this album. I’d be hard-pressed to single out one song from another. Maybe that’s not fair: maybe it’s just not engaging me enough --- or at all --- for me to care. All I can say at this point is that I’m sort of listening on auto-pilot and waiting for it to be over, which is never something I want to be in a position to have to do. But there it is. I couldn’t be less interested in this album if it was a Cryptopsy double live effort.

Ok, eventually something makes me sit up a little. “Rastafari is” has a really nice guitar solo and it’s a decent song, but we’re getting close to the end of the album by now. The last track is really nice, but again it’s a little too late at this point. Still, at least it ends the album well. Actually no, let’s be honest here: it drags on way too long and that flute is damn annoying.

Favourite track(s): Rastafari is, Fools die
Least favourite track(s): Nothing bad as such, just all very dreary and boring to me.

Final impression --- Hasn’t done much to change my mind about reggae, though I’m aware I know virtually nothing about it. May be a while before I give it another chance though.

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?
G) Enjoyed this album just purely on its own merits
H) Glad I listened to it

A big B here and a
http://www.trollheart.com/classic2.png

I didn't know that was a classic album.
From what I've read of Peter Tosh (which is only a little when I went through a reggae phase a few months back) people look at the album as a kind of indifferent attempt at him getting mainstream recognition and that Legalize It was his most famous album and Equal Rights was his best.

Yeah, I think someone here (could be Surell, maybe not) suggested it. It didn't come across in anything I've read either as a classic album, but there you go. Have to give him props for learning, apparently, how to play guitar by watching a guy and memorising where his fingers went on the frets. That's pretty damn old school. Pity this was so boring.

You may want to try Steel Pulse TH. They are a bit more accessible as Reggae goes. The rich vocals and great guitar work make it a treat. Just the right amount of horns and exceptional drum tracks. I've played them for people who don't ever stray into reggae and more often then not they appeal on a large scale.