The Album Review Club - *** Christmas Break Playlist (next album 7/1/26) ***

LGWIO said:
I almost feel likes thats..."go on, I dare you"......and for a split second I was tempted. As amusing as it may have been, that pleasure would have been short lived and I would probably have been blocked or tarred with the brush of being WUM exiled from RAWK.

As for this weeks selection giving images of dirty squats, I must contradict that any of the squats I stayed in briefly or visited were kept very well. Although not recalling listening to this whilst in one, it may well have taken place.

It actually received a positive response (as opposed to their view of Idles) from wife and son in the car this morning.

It's odd as although I think many of the tracks do tend to blend into one, there is also so much going on in the background of each track, the variation in the drum sounds, the organs etc.
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All joking aside it's easy to forget how big they were, at least before they were eclipsed by The Beatles. First band to go to number 1 with each of their first 3 singles. Then had a bit more success and then just fell off a cliff, probably suffered in comparison to their stablemates?

I think some people can let Dummy wash over them, but I've never been able to. As you say there's too much going on, yet in many ways it's sounds quite austere.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I’ve really gone down the rabbit hole here but I suspect there are very few in this thread that could possibly appreciate let alone enjoy Sugar. I’ve thought about nominating FUEL (or Copper Blue) a number of times but know it would end up in the bottom of the ranking with complaints about how loud it is. Gift is quite probably my favo(u)rite opening song on any record ever, and if it isn’t that, it’s the title track of New Day Rising. Of course I wouldn’t even consider Husker Du because we all know how that would turn out here. Bob Mould remains one of rock music’s greatest ever guitarists and songwriters — he’s the king of alt/punk hooks — but because he fed his genius through Marshall stacks so potent he got tinnitus at age 25 or whatever, plenty of lilt-lovers find him too “angry” or something. Anyhow, I agree 94 was a great year for music but more for Goaters list (he stole a lot of good ones I’m sure you’d have included).

Meantime I’ve tried many times to get into Portishead given the rapturous words many have spilt on Dummy over the years and I will dutifully try again but honestly folks I am hungering for a record with some zip and energy and humo(u)r and at this rate I’m about ready to shove some Chappell Roan down all of your gullets when it’s my turn and call it a day.
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I did own Copper Blue but ditched it, not sure why as it wasn’t a bad album.
 
OK, so the review is great but for me the album is so, so.

It didn’t exactly grab me. I’m afraid it got a couple of spins on consecutive mornings while I was working (on the most boring repetitive work I have ever had the displeasure to do) and it could have had more but I preferred to put my iTunes on shuffle.

It tries out a lot of things and is very much a studio album. It does what it does well enough and is not without some interest. Some of the Hop effects were a bit intrusive.

Probably telling that I liked the last so tracks best, the penultimate one had a bit of a John Barry vibe.

I didn’t love the vocals but didn’t hate them either.

Whilst I do not regret buying it back in 94 (and I do have a fair few of the albums mentioned form that year, Wildflowers probably being the favourite), I do not regret buying this although I might have kept it in the collect ion if I had.

So I’ll give it 6.5/10.
 
Think my brother owned Copper Blue and I recall thinking it wasnt bad, Hoover Dam sticking in my mind from all those years ago.
Interesting also how the Spotify algorithm drops tracks in. Never heard of "Wax Tailor" before but really liked "Ungodly Fruit".
 
OB1 said:
OK, so the review is great but for me the album is so, so.

It didn’t exactly grab me. I’m afraid it got a couple of spins on consecutive mornings while I was working (on the most boring repetitive work I have ever had the displeasure to do) and it could have had more but I preferred to put my iTunes on shuffle.

It tries out a lot of things and is very much a studio album. It does what it does well enough and is not without some interest. Some of the Hop effects were a bit intrusive.

Probably telling that I liked the last so tracks best, the penultimate one had a bit of a John Barry vibe.

I didn’t love the vocals but didn’t hate them either.

Whilst I do not regret buying it back in 94 (and I do have a fair few of the albums mentioned form that year, Wildflowers probably being the favourite), I do not regret buying this although I might have kept it in the collect ion if I had.

So I’ll give it 6.5/10.
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Similar to my thoughts so far. There’s one quote in there that I’ll give double like/agreement, but I’ll save that for my review.
 
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
I’m the first year of Gen X and I owned 8-tracks too!!

But I also saved all my vinyl :)

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8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.
 
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.
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I don’t think I went that far but you are right that it was absolutely a red letter day at my Catholic university when it was released!

My vague recollection was that it was played on the PA system at the largest cafeteria in its entirety and everyone came to dinner to listen.
 
Never had the pleasure of a whole album before, just the odd single.
This is a stunning piece of work, beautifully produced. I love her delicate, almost desperate at times voice.
I believe her, she sings with such conviction.
The music is varied enough to keep it interesting too.
There's everything going on if you really listen.
This is a clever record, made by people who clearly know what they're doing.
It might not be everyone's cuppa, but I love it.
It's quirky, smart, melancholic and draws you in the more you play it. I love records that reward your attention, this is one of them.
Outstanding, and a 10 from me.

Edit, a thought has just occurred to me, and this may sound a bit weird, but bear with.
As much as I love the vocals, remove them, and you'd still have a great record.
Now there aren't many albums you can say that about.
Forgot to mention I've being playing this on my drive to work and back all week. No speed limits exceeded, and many people let out of junctions. The ultimate anti road rage album, you can't help but chill your boots to this.
 
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OB1 said:
OK, so the review is great but for me the album is so, so.

It didn’t exactly grab me. I’m afraid it got a couple of spins on consecutive mornings while I was working (on the most boring repetitive work I have ever had the displeasure to do) and it could have had more but I preferred to put my iTunes on shuffle.

It tries out a lot of things and is very much a studio album. It does what it does well enough and is not without some interest. Some of the Hop effects were a bit intrusive.

Probably telling that I liked the last so tracks best, the penultimate one had a bit of a John Barry vibe.

I didn’t love the vocals but didn’t hate them either.

Whilst I do not regret buying it back in 94 (and I do have a fair few of the albums mentioned form that year, Wildflowers probably being the favourite), I do not regret buying this although I might have kept it in the collect ion if I had.

So I’ll give it 6.5/10.
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Your point about it being a studio album is well made; if you get 5mins either have a listen to or better watch on YT a few mins of the Roseland NYC concert that was mentioned earlier. It's incredible really what they achieve in it, albeit it takes a big cast. The audience is mostly quite reverential and give it the vibe of part concert/part recital. If you like the John Barry vibe, as a concert it has a very cinematic quality.

I've never actually read a Bond book but it's my understanding that Fleming wrote Bond as a harder less sympathetic character than the films have typically portrayed him. That being the case Portishead would probably have been the ideal artist for a 'real' bond theme and have a number of tracks that would have done the job.
 
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Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.
Click to expand...

I'm early Gen X but have little recollection of 8-track, though I have faint (probably false) memories that one of my uncles might have had it in his Ford Capri! I assume it was just much more popular as a format in the US than in the UK?
 
threespires said:
I'm early Gen X but have little recollection of 8-track, though I have faint (probably false) memories that one of my uncles might have had it in his Ford Capri! I assume it was just much more popular as a format in the US than in the UK?
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Yes, my parents had an 8-track player and by virtue of wanting to hear my music in the house, I bought a few early on by necessity. That and vinyl at the same time, but if you didn't have good equipment on the needle, doing damage to your LPs or 45s was going to be an issue and wasn't going to be something to last for enjoyment.

en.wikipedia.org

8-track cartridge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

It was the thing in the late 70s with me mostly, but by the early 80's, recording music on cassettes was all the rage.

The biggest complaint on the 8-track was one never could easily line up the side 1 and side 2s of a vinyl LP into the 4 sides required on that media. I recall AC/DC's Back in Black had the title song faded out and then faded back in on that 8-track. When I heard that sacrilege, I knew it was time to convert to cassettes, and just swap and share with friends (or record albums, etc.) onto that format.
 
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