The Album Review Club - Week #147 - (page 1942) - Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan

[BlueHammer85]

Uh oh- I’m here to spoil the party.
Afraid I just couldn’t get onboard this one as much as I tried.
Just felt I was listening to some Tarantino style movie soundtrack, would fit perfectly for Kill Bill where Uma Thurman goes on a mad killing spree or a classic Eastwood Western movie before the guns are drawn.
So from that side of it I could respect.
But as an album as a whole I just miss the Pop/Rock formula i’m accustomed to.

Opener ‘Old Engine Oil’ was the closest to that , really cool song - did also like ‘Arcane Rambler’.
‘Valley Of The Damned’ had a great outro.
Unfortunately the rest seemed to blend into each other and I found the Sax and Trumpets rather tedious after a while.

Glad it’s been well perceived from others as this is certainly a different pick from the conventional and clearly a talented band to create all this sound.

5/10

 

[threespires]

Coatigan has mentioned these guys previously, so I am a bit familiar with them. The Budos Band have been described as all sorts of things, possibly the most accurate of which is Afro Soul but that doesn’t really capture their sound, especially on this album which is very difficult to categorise. Not sure Staten Island births many bands to the world but like the Wu-Tang Clan, the Budos Band are unapologetically doing their own thing and I really like them for this.

I get why Coatigan has chosen this one as his favourite of their albums. Whilst the funk component and the horns speaks to me the most, I do appreciate the myriad other influences that you hear in the tracks and I’m sure some of the more rock orientated elements will appeal to many.

In terms of the album tracks themselves, it’s mostly already been said by other reviewers.

While this has been described as the soundtrack to a blaxploitation style film, I think that ignores that it has quite trippy and dystopian undertones at times. This is not the soundtrack to a Shaft type film to me; yes it could be set in New York and have detectives involved but much of it’s got a slightly hallucinatory faintly sci-fi film vibe to it. Like a cross between Blade Runner and Starsky and Hutch but with Freddy Fazbear rather than Huggy Bear.

To me the final track sums the whole thing up well. It starts in a slightly ambiguous fashion, spends most of its middle part sounding like the Mardi Gras from hell and then morphs into a ‘James Bond will return in..” outro.

It does at times have the feel of one long jam and I’m informed that is very much the case at their gigs but if it’s a good jam who cares? Was definitely a strong return after their hiatus. I like them a lot albeit this is not my favourite album of theirs.

Great nomination and an 8.5/10 from me.

Aside: If you enjoyed this but crave some lyrics, check out their stable mates on Daptone records. Especially the late Sharon Jones who amongst other treasures does a wonderful soul version of the Woodie Guthrie song This Land is Your Land. I think it was the death of Jones and Charles Bradley that prompted the Budos Band’s break from recording, but it’s good they are back.

oh and agree with @Black&White&BlueMoon Town , they do deploy a cowbell very well :-)

 

[Coatigan]

Coatigan has mentioned these guys previously, so I am a bit familiar with them. The Budos Band have been described as all sorts of things, possibly the most accurate of which is Afro Soul but that doesn’t really capture their sound, especially on this album which is very difficult to categorise. Not sure Staten Island births many bands to the world but like the Wu-Tang Clan, the Budos Band are unapologetically doing their own thing and I really like them for this.

I get why Coatigan has chosen this one as his favourite of their albums. Whilst the funk component and the horns speaks to me the most, I do appreciate the myriad other influences that you hear in the tracks and I’m sure some of the more rock orientated elements will appeal to many.

In terms of the album tracks themselves, it’s mostly already been said by other reviewers.

While this has been described as the soundtrack to a blaxploitation style film, I think that ignores that it has quite trippy and dystopian undertones at times. This is not the soundtrack to a Shaft type film to me; yes it could be set in New York and have detectives involved but much of it’s got a slightly hallucinatory faintly sci-fi film vibe to it. Like a cross between Blade Runner and Starsky and Hutch but with Freddy Fazbear rather than Huggy Bear.

To me the final track sums the whole thing up well. It starts in a slightly ambiguous fashion, spends most of its middle part sounding like the Mardi Gras from hell and then morphs into a ‘James Bond will return in..” outro.

It does at times have the feel of one long jam and I’m informed that is very much the case at their gigs but if it’s a good jam who cares? Was definitely a strong return after their hiatus. I like them a lot albeit this is not my favourite album of theirs.

Great nomination and an 8.5/10 from me.

Aside: If you enjoyed this but crave some lyrics, check out their stable mates on Daptone records. Especially the late Sharon Jones who amongst other treasures does a wonderful soul version of the Woodie Guthrie song This Land is Your Land. I think it was the death of Jones and Charles Bradley that prompted the Budos Band’s break from recording, but it’s good they are back.

oh and agree with @Black&White&BlueMoon Town , they do deploy a cowbell very well :-)

Their earlier incarnation that they formed out of, Antibalas, is worth a listen to as well. A bit more conventional afro-beat big band, with less rock through it, but as instrumentals go, a decent showing.

A lot is said about it sounding like a fim soundtrack, and what type of film it might be right for. Their songs have actually been used in that way, I've clocked at least 3 in the series Bear, set in Chicago rather than New York.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

THE BUDOS BAND V



I’ve never heard of this group before and like others I don’t tend to listen to much instrumentals other than the odd soundtrack.As I previously mentioned it’s got a definite Tarantino soundtrack feel and also get the Artics Monkey’s and Led Zep vibes.I love a good brass section and there’s plenty on here,getting a bit of The Hot 8 Brass band too.

Favourite ,tracks first three and ‘Ghost talk’



Good surprise pick @Coatigan and one I’ll definitely listen too again.



7/10

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Their earlier incarnation that they formed out of, Antibalas, is worth a listen to as well. A bit more conventional afro-beat big band, with less rock through it, but as instrumentals go, a decent showing.

A lot is said about it sounding like a fim soundtrack, and what type of film it might be right for. Their songs have actually been used in that way, I've clocked at least 3 in the series Bear, set in Chicago rather than New York.

So I have heard them before, The Bear great series and an excellent soundtrack.

 

[RobMCFC]

Seems like most people had a positive reaction to The Budos Band. Their album V pulled in 11 votes at a very healthy average of 7.18. A brave nomination from @Coatigan that is rewarded by being our 18th album to break the magic 7 barrier.

This week's nominator is @journolud , who has told me not to panic, but he is on an exciting shopping trip looking at sofas and curtains. We can help alleviate his boredom by chipping in with some responses when he posts the clues.

 

[threespires]

Seems like most people had a positive reaction to The Budos Band. Their album V pulled in 11 votes at a very healthy average of 7.18. A brave nomination from @Coatigan that is rewarded by being our 18th album to break the magic 7 barrier.

This week's nominator is @journolud , who has told me not to panic, but he is on an exciting shopping trip looking at sofas and curtains. We can help alleviate his boredom by chipping in with some responses when he posts the clues.

Are we sure that info isn't actually his clue and it's Furniture ? I always thought Food, Sex & Paranoia was a better than the general hammering it got from the critics.

 

[journolud]

Easiest set of clues to an artist you’ll ever get and I don’t suppose you’ll have much problem with the album either

 

[threespires]

So not Furniture then.

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

The Way Young Lovers Do is worth the ticket price on it's own.

 

[Coatigan]

Van Morrison Beautiful Vision