John Cougar Mellencamp
Lonesome
4/10
The Replacements
Let it be
5/10
Oasis
The Masterplan
7/10
Kate Bush
Before the dawn
Reluctant abstain
New Score
Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti
The sublime and the filler
I feel that I generally start these reviews in a relatively repetitive fashion - I once again find myself conflicted in where this lands.
As has already been observed, Side A (apologies folks I'm too sprightly to know this in vinal terms ;-) ) is incredibly strong, top riffs, eardrum bursting well drums*, a brilliant base section and terrific vocals (when he's not making those shit sex noises). They hold their own as a four piece with pretty much anything else in rock I think it's fair to say.
If you take the first side and massage in In the light and Ten years gone and possibly drop Houses of the holy, you have potentially got the strongest album that has ever been released (granted not sure how viable this would be again on the old record system).
I don't even care what they are singing about, the music is that good.
What would beat it? Very very little and even then I think everyone would need to be talked round on it.
As has been eluded to, this is potentially where someone outside of the band refining what they were wanting to sling onto the album would have helped them (granted their were probably very few people who thought they could question them at this point, but that's their own failing).
So here we are, the first side is so strong it now makes absolute mincemeat of the second. So is that a positive or a negative? It shouldn't be but it is a negative because they could have massaged those stronger songs out or just shortened the album. Stick Kashmir at the end of the album and end on a high ffs!!!!!!! Yes, that is harsh but this is what we are on the thread for isn't it?
Due to the filler on the second side, it screams 7.5 at me referring to my previous scores, but to be honest the good on the album makes me so happy it gets the 8.
Highest fucking score I've given this far (and now I'm fucked for other albums that have sheer brilliance but a fair amount of filler.
*** (Spoiler don't worry, I'm a brilliant hypocrite on music when it suits) ***
* I love Bonham, even in a band that is this talented he still stands out as brilliant (saying that, so does JPJ, he's absolutely sublime). He is pretty much everything you want in a drummer, I don't know whether it is even more of his brilliance but the way his kits are mic'd up and then displayed on their music is brilliant ( I imagine more Page and / or technicians), it's always absolutely cock on.
Sell your soul BlueMooners, the output is worth it.
Devil, take me now...............!!!!