The Album Review Club - Week #146 - (page 1935) - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

Another of my old man's albums from the late 60's/ early 70's.

And one I could never get my head around. Yes I know of it's significance and yes, I love a bit of metal, but it's a very slow and morbid record. It's not one to liven the spirits. There's nothing really jumping out at me apart from the realisation that I've never really got Ozzie's voice. A bit droney.

Still, it was nice to put his battered copy on my player again.

6/10
 
Another of my old man's albums from the late 60's/ early 70's.

And one I could never get my head around. Yes I know of it's significance and yes, I love a bit of metal, but it's a very slow and morbid record. It's not one to liven the spirits. There's nothing really jumping out at me apart from the realisation that I've never really got Ozzie's voice. A bit droney.

Still, it was nice to put his battered copy on my player again.

6/10
You lucky lucky bastard… my dad was partial to Herb Alpert and Klaus Wunderlich!!
 
Unburdened as I am from the iconic influence this record had 54 years ago, I feel I can be very objective. And I think this record is slow and boring and kind of stupid. Influential? It’s unmistakeable. The Halloween-esque aura may be KISS-like in what is was supposed to convey rather than real, but that’s fine — and if it was new at the time, more power to them. But the endless blues solos? The insipid lyrics? The tempos mired in the mud? Ozzy with absolutely no sense of humo(u)r? Is this enjoyable or just heavy? To me it’s just heavy — and heavy means lugubrious, not impactful. Why do I like “Paranoid”? Because the BPMs are at least 150. Hell, they’re at least 50! It’s light on its feet. As with Metallica whose big fat hits made them worth it as a novelty, so goes Black Sabbath — here and there they hit me in the gut, just not on this record. Blues played loudly and competently and occasionally innovatively is fine. But I walk away unable (maybe more like unwilling) to get anything out of a single song. And while their sound is their own, it’s as comforting as the potholes I know will show up on San Francisco streets every February, meaning I endure it begrudgingly. So I won’t deny the accomplishment of something new at the time nor the influence on countless bands. But, simply put, I don’t have any desire to hear this again. Especially when I can hear “I Don’t Know” or “Over The Mountain” and chuckle (either with or at Ozzy) and marvel at the spectacular talent Randy Rhoads was.

4/10. I debated giving an extra point for one of the great band names of all time. But this record put me in a foul mood, so they get nothing. Sorry all.
It almost feels like you typed that review up after coming straight off typing a response to Dax. Something also guranteed to put you in a bad mood.
My singing is so bad that I don’t even sing Blue Moon. Mind you back then it wasn’t just Scousers that sang YNWA IIRC.
To my reading that isn't a total denial and I would almost suggest that colleagues going to the next match with you may walk a couple of steps in front or behind so as not to be ssen with "the one who sang "that song".

As for this weeks selection I'm afraid it just wasnt my cup of tea. Like @FogBlueInSanFran I did think it a little bit doom laden for the sake of it, although of course it was something new at the time. That said I did keep on thinking is this "heavy metal"? As I did keep on returning to the idea that this could have been Mssrs Baker/Bruce instead of Ward/Butler. Rhythm aside and appreciation that Mr Iommi can play guitar 3 listens and I have had enough.

Perhaps the only fairly decent one for me was "The Wizard". and on that basis I was going to give it a 4 alongside my other least enjoyed (or appreciated) scores. However, I did also detect the quality use of a cow bell in The Wizard and for that reason I shall elevate this to a 5 from the Derry jury.
Not sure the cowbell will bring me back to listen to this again though.
 
You lucky lucky bastard… my dad was partial to Herb Alpert and Klaus Wunderlich!!

That post should have come with a trigger warning. You forgot to mention Mantovani !! I'd completely forgotten about Klaus Wunderlich...the Kaiser of the easy listening Hammond.

Actually @RobMCFC your Dad was a Hammond organ man wasn't he? If he looked anything like this...
1000011657.jpg
and used to disappear for days on end then this is what he was up to...
1000011656.jpg
 
That post should have come with a trigger warning. You forgot to mention Mantovani !! I'd completely forgotten about Klaus Wunderlich...the Kaiser of the easy listening Hammond.

Actually @RobMCFC your Dad was a Hammond organ man wasn't he? If he looked anything like this...
View attachment 127492
and used to disappear for days on end then this is what he was up to...
View attachment 127491
Is that Keith Emerson’s Dad?
 
That post should have come with a trigger warning. You forgot to mention Mantovani !! I'd completely forgotten about Klaus Wunderlich...the Kaiser of the easy listening Hammond.

Actually @RobMCFC your Dad was a Hammond organ man wasn't he? If he looked anything like this...
View attachment 127492
and used to disappear for days on end then this is what he was up to...
View attachment 127491
He didn't look like that but the Hammond wasn't far off.
 

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.