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

Van Halen are one of those bands that a couple of my mates like, but other than Jump I've couldn't really recall any of their songs. In all fairness, in the 80s I was too young for rock and by the time I became musically 'aware', I wouldn't have listened to them anyway. What my friends called "cock rock" just never appealed to me one bit. When some of them were into Van Halen, Bon Jovi etc I was more into hip hop, indie and house music.

However, I am aware that they are very well regarded. Jump is a masterpiece.

I've given this album a couple of listens now and to be honest, it's just not my cup of tea. In all fairness, I don't like much rock from the 80s as - in my opinion - it became over-produced and kind of lost it's....soul. I like my rock to be a bit more raw. The guitar solos are just technical for my liking and the songs just had it's power kicked out of it. I suspect if I saw them live I would change my mind though! I also didn't realise that Dave Lee Roth was the lead singer - Just Like Paradise is one of my (guilty pleasure) favourite songs!

All that said, I quite liked the opening track and I was hoping for more of the same. I also liked "Could this be magic?' but I couldn't help but compare it to something Led Zeppelin would do. And LZ would do that song better, with more soul and (sorry) just more "X Factor".

I'm glad I've listened to the album, it's not bad it's just not my cup of tea and brings back memories of people telling me he was an amazing guitarist when I was trying to copy John Squire, Paul Simon and Dave Gilmour as a spotty teenager :)

It's a 5/10 from me.
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
Van Halen are one of those bands that a couple of my mates like, but other than Jump I've couldn't really recall any of their songs. In all fairness, in the 80s I was too young for rock and by the time I became musically 'aware', I wouldn't have listened to them anyway. What my friends called "cock rock" just never appealed to me one bit. When some of them were into Van Halen, Bon Jovi etc I was more into hip hop, indie and house music.

However, I am aware that they are very well regarded. Jump is a masterpiece.

I've given this album a couple of listens now and to be honest, it's just not my cup of tea. In all fairness, I don't like much rock from the 80s as - in my opinion - it became over-produced and kind of lost it's....soul. I like my rock to be a bit more raw. The guitar solos are just technical for my liking and the songs just had it's power kicked out of it. I suspect if I saw them live I would change my mind though! I also didn't realise that Dave Lee Roth was the lead singer - Just Like Paradise is one of my (guilty pleasure) favourite songs!

All that said, I quite liked the opening track and I was hoping for more of the same. I also liked "Could this be magic?' but I couldn't help but compare it to something Led Zeppelin would do. And LZ would do that song better, with more soul and (sorry) just more "X Factor".

I'm glad I've listened to the album, it's not bad it's just not my cup of tea and brings back memories of people telling me he was an amazing guitarist when I was trying to copy John Squire, Paul Simon and Dave Gilmour as a spotty teenager :)

It's a 5/10 from me.
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Spot on from a younger generation b than me, I’m guessing.
 
Master vocalist and performer and entertainer with humour in the lyrics and well near top of tree band members that go beyond the songs and take you on a journey which all good musicians do.

You can appreciate it if you look for it just by paying the album with those nuances and improvisation that DLR is a master at producing time and again without making it repetitive.

Not my favourite VH album but I have it in my collection so I am a little biased 8/10.
 
I'll try to write a proper review, but when this came out, all my mates hated it, as did most of the musical press, as I remember it.

Me? Fucking loved it then, love it now! The album cover did it for me, they looked so damn cool! The opening bars of And the Cradle Will Rock... had me thinking what the hell is that?!

I wasn't quite old enough to appreciate the likes of Zep, Purple and Hendrix at the beginning of the 70s, but Van Halen, amongst others, were my proper musical awakening and I will always be grateful to them.

9.9/10
 
mancity2012_eamo said:
Makes me wish my week was next.
Listening to it now.
Not sure anyone will like it.
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We can't like every album! :)

We all have different tastes and that's what makes it interesting! How come this album does nothing for me and you, but others love it?

Personally I'd rather listen to something I've not heard before as you can discover something new. It expands your musical horizons and that's much more important than any score!

Scorings a bit of fun and in some ways, picking something that gets a 1 or a 10 shows it's got something in it to provoke the ears! :)
 
I like to leave my last listen till after the weekend, I find splitting it up with a break helps it settle and gives me time not to stick with initial impressions. So far though reading the comments, this is reads as one of the more consistent ones in what many seem to be saying.

I am pleasantly surprised with what I have found, I have to say. Nowhere near as showy or 'gimmicky' for lack of a better word, as I maybe had in my head from previous decades old attempts at getting into Van Halen. There is as much of a focus at 'classic rock' rhythm riffs as there is on individual guitar-boating. Found myself head-nodding to it on more than one occasion. Vocals work, the mood does what it sets out to. Guitar and drums, obvious skill there. Doesn't greatly excite me as a whole, but doesn't put me off at all.

It has maybe made me realise why I never got into it when it mattered. I always felt, in those youth years when people get into these bands and then stick with them, metal/hard rock was as much about identity as it was about music. Including myself in that.

It has reaffirmed some of my preconceptions, and it has challenged others. It is not going to swing me to become a born-again VH fan, but comfortably listened to it and enjoyed bits. Not entirely for me, but won't hesitate to stick on another random VH tune from time to time, and certainly won't skip past them if the algorithm throws it at me. Had to split it up both goes, struggled to get through it on one sitting. But that isn't uncommon with me.

Will try not reapeat myself and keep the final review short next week.
 
GoatersLeftShin said:
We can't like every album! :)

We all have different tastes and that's what makes it interesting! How come this album does nothing for me and you, but others love it?

Personally I'd rather listen to something I've not heard before as you can discover something new. It expands your musical horizons and that's much more important than any score!

Scorings a bit of fun and in some ways, picking something that gets a 1 or a 10 shows it's got something in it to provoke the ears! :)
Click to expand...

It is the opinions I am more interested than the numbers. I'd rather someone 'got it' but didn't rate it at all, than gave it a 'respectable' score, but effectively missed the point. Which does happen. Not everything can be what you hope to find here.

I am now looking forward to Eamo's go. I am equally looking forward to others before it.

I think we might be coming to an interesting bit, where people have got their safer choices that maybe were more likely crowd pleasers out the way and we moght see more 'true' individual ones coming up.
 
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