The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

mancity2012_eamo said:
Music appreciation isn’t a competition though.
It’s totally subjective, barely objective.
You like what you like and can like both or neither.
I would rate Floyd’s, Wish You Were Here, Dark Side and Animals against anything else I have ever heard including putting them above most Genesis albums that I’ve heard.
And as I wrote earlier the pre Duke Genesis was staple of the music I listened to through the 70s.
I would still prefer Trick of the Tail over Foxtrot and LLDOB pisses on everything else they did in my opinion. It is one album I go back to time and time again.

They were a very English band in the early material, that’s true. But for me music either grabs you or it doesn’t. Sometimes you can’t explain why something hits you emotively but leaves others cold.

I mean I was fanatical about everything Yes did, but what the hell are any of their albums about?
They are soundscapes. The lyrics are purely part of building the right emotive feel and they were brilliant at it. People love/hate Topographic Oceans but certainly the first album is as good as any classical compositions I’ve tried to get into for the emotional heaving that it gave me as a teenager. It swept me along.
Whatever music you choose, good luck to you, I say. Go with it. It’s nobody else’s concern.

Regarding Coldplay though, the clue is in the name.
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Beauty is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder :)
 
crublue1 said:
With respect, that's a massive assumption on your part.
I'm not a Coldplay fanboy, but I can at least acknowledge they have written some great tunes over the years.
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I'm not a Coldplay fan. I've never bought one of their albums but, rare event, I did download a handful of their tunes. Also, last time they toured, I went to see them at Wembley Stadium to see what all the fuss was about, and they put on a fantastic show. The atmosphere at the gig was joyful.

I'm not going to see their next tour but if someone dragged me along at the last minute, I wouldn't complain.

They please an awful lot of people, as the rate at which they had to add stadium shows to next year's tour shows, and a gig example of why I dislike people's musical snobbery (including my own).
 
Saddleworth2 said:
and if it was released today they might be 'dinged' for it or maybe not (their musical proficiency would also stand out like a sore thumb in todays market ). However in the UK of 1972 not so much. They were certainly not the only prog band who wrote lyrics that could be mocked. Never mind prog, have you looked at some of Led Zeppelins noodlings?


Why be so restrictive mate? That seems a little closed minded if you don't mind me saying. I really like the complexity of Beethoven but that Mahler gadge can fuck right off ;-)


Adele's new album is worth a listen

I get that you don't much care for the album but trying to persuade those of us that do of its demerits is surely a little futile.
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Yes on LZ and I think I’ve commented on that once or twice. And while Kashmir has their best hook IMO, my 2nd favo(u)rite of theirs is When The Levee Breaks, which eliminates all the the pretension by being a cover of an obscure blues song.

I’m not only beholden to Rush — they are the one band whose inane lyrics (early on) I forgave entirely due to their technical proficiency. Note I’m forgiving Geddy Lee his voice too. And even then, not entirely.

I gave the album a 6/10. Not bad. And as I said, I like Genesis. But as complex or intricate as the music is, I think the lyrics are lame, and I think a balanced review in fairness should mention all aspects of what we’re listening to.
 
Bill Walker said:
That's fine mate, I wouldn't expect you to agree with me.
I have always thought that Pink Floyd music was boring, they aren't technically efficient enough to play Prog. Half their music is slow and dirgelike. Bands like Yes, King Crimson, Gensis are in a different platuea musically and technically speaking....but I wouldn't expect any of the legions fans to agree.
It's my opinion
I forgot to add that they are massive hypocrites.
Us & Them and The Gunners Dream I like though. And Syd Barrett was a genius.
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Doesn't really matter what any of us think: Floyd are allegedly the 8th best selling music act of all time so they are incredibly successful at what they do.

Do I prefer Floyd over Genesis? Not even worth me trying to work it out but DTSOM & Wish You Were Here are better albums than any of Genesis' in my view.

I prefer Yes over both when it comes down to it but that's just my taste.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Yes on LZ and I think I’ve commented on that once or twice. And while Kashmir has their best hook IMO, my 2nd favo(u)rite of theirs is When The Levee Breaks, which eliminates all the the pretension by being a cover of an obscure blues song.

I’m not only beholden to Rush — they are the one band whose inane lyrics (early on) I forgave entirely due to their technical proficiency. Note I’m forgiving Geddy Lee his voice too. And even then, not entirely.

I gave the album a 6/10. Not bad. And as I said, I like Genesis. But as complex or intricate as the music is, I think the lyrics are lame, and I think a balanced review in fairness should mention all aspects of what we’re listening to.
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Well give me Rush any day, over almost every band there ever was; except Zep, Van Halen and, yes folks, Kiss.
 
crublue1 said:
With respect, that's a massive assumption on your part.
I'm not a Coldplay fanboy, but I can at least acknowledge they have written some great tunes over the years.
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Of course, it was only in jest. The "anti-Coldplay" attitude I have is based on 1. The overplaying of Paradise on TV all-the-f******-time and 2. The small sample of their songs I have actually heard are cold and soulless and not my thing at all.

I've never listened to a Coldplay album, but based on what I've heard, why would I? Having said that, if they come up in one of these threads, I'll give them a fair crack of the whip like I do everybody else, and I suspect I'll probably rate them higher than I do now ...... but I'm more than happy to wait until I'm "forced" to listen.

Saddleworth2 said:
I totally agree with that.
remind me why there is scoring attached to this thread again? ;-)
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An interesting comment. There are those who believe that art cannot be measured - I'm always reminded of the scene in Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams' character is abhorrent about "legions of students measuring poetry" (I can't remember the exact quote).

I know that for some people, just knowing whether they like something or not is enough. But I'm always interested by the degree to which people like or dislike something - including discovering the degree of my own views in either direction when I like or dislike something. Rating things out of 5 or 10 or whatever and then discussing the pros and cons with others is interesting to me (and hopefully others!).

When you hear something new, you'll either like it or dislike it. But finding where it fits in with all those loves and hates of the past is a worthwhile exercise IMO.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I totally agree with that.
remind me why there is scoring attached to this thread again? ;-)
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Ha. Well done.

Obviously art is not totally subjective. There are reasons certain bits of art ring the chimes of lots of people over decades or centuries and other bits never see the light of day. And it’s not down to how good the artist’s agent is!
 
RobMCFC said:
An interesting comment. There are those who believe that art cannot be measured - I'm always reminded of the scene in Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams' character is abhorrent about "legions of students measuring poetry" (I can't remember the exact quote).

I know that for some people, just knowing whether they like something or not is enough. But I'm always interested by the degree to which people like or dislike something - including discovering the degree of my own views in either direction when I like or dislike something. Rating things out of 5 or 10 or whatever and then discussing the pros and cons with others is interesting to me (and hopefully others!).

When you hear something new, you'll either like it or dislike it. But finding where it fits in with all those loves and hates of the past is a worthwhile exercise IMO.
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I'm actually not big on trying to score albums. Ultimately, my prime measure of an album that I have bought is whether or not I want to keep it. Thankfully. I have not had to sell many over the years.

In truth, I think a great many albums are middling but that's ok, for me. I don't just need to listen to the music that I think is absolutely wonderful. I like to have lots of options and don't overplay stuff.
 
OB1 said:
Doesn't really matter what any of us think: Floyd are allegedly the 8th best selling music act of all time so they are incredibly successful at what they do.

Do I prefer Floyd over Genesis? Not even worth me trying to work it out but DTSOM & Wish You Were Here are better albums than any of Genesis' in my view.

I prefer Yes over both when it comes down to it but that's just my taste.
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Agree with the final statement.

I suppose it seems a bit shit really me knocking Pink Floyd after all they have sold zillions of records and zillions people love them.
They have written some good songs, it's just personal taste, they don't grab me and they don't excite me, I just find them ....dreary.
Just ignore me I'm just a miserable old twat LoL
 
Bill Walker said:
Agree with the final statement.

I suppose it seems a bit shit really me knocking Pink Floyd after all they have sold zillions of records and zillions people love them.
They have written some good songs, it's just personal taste, they don't grab me and they don't excite me, I just find them ....dreary.
Just ignore me I'm just a miserable old twat LoL
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The selling criteria doesn't always work for me - Britney must have sold tens of millions of records, doesn't mean I appreciate her input to the music industry (I know that's a very selective view)..........
 
Bill Walker said:
Agree with the final statement.

I suppose it seems a bit shit really me knocking Pink Floyd after all they have sold zillions of records and zillions people love them.
They have written some good songs, it's just personal taste, they don't grab me and they don't excite me, I just find them ....dreary.
Just ignore me I'm just a miserable old twat LoL
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I learn new words when I read your posts.
 
RobMCFC said:
Of course, it was only in jest. The "anti-Coldplay" attitude I have is based on 1. The overplaying of Paradise on TV all-the-f******-time and 2. The small sample of their songs I have actually heard are cold and soulless and not my thing at all.

I've never listened to a Coldplay album, but based on what I've heard, why would I? Having said that, if they come up in one of these threads, I'll give them a fair crack of the whip like I do everybody else, and I suspect I'll probably rate them higher than I do now ...... but I'm more than happy to wait until I'm "forced" to listen.


An interesting comment. There are those who believe that art cannot be measured - I'm always reminded of the scene in Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams' character is abhorrent about "legions of students measuring poetry" (I can't remember the exact quote).

I know that for some people, just knowing whether they like something or not is enough. But I'm always interested by the degree to which people like or dislike something - including discovering the degree of my own views in either direction when I like or dislike something. Rating things out of 5 or 10 or whatever and then discussing the pros and cons with others is interesting to me (and hopefully others!).

When you hear something new, you'll either like it or dislike it. But finding where it fits in with all those loves and hates of the past is a worthwhile exercise IMO.
Click to expand...
I think you either like something or you don’t and yes there are degrees of both but the scoring for me is the least interesting element of this thread. The discussion is where it’s rich and interesting and the sponsorship of music you don’t know well. As soon as you introduce scoring to a bunch of blokes it will get competitive. For my next choice I will critique Dark Side of the Moon ;-)
 
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