The Album Review Club - Week #196 (page 1316) - Aja - Steely Dan

Got to thank you for this one, mate.....not heard some of these in decades. And they sound so good. I can take or leave Led Zep...i got a bit bored with some of their music at times. Love the funkier sounds on some tunes...especially Trampled Under Foot..Not heard that since school days. Kashmir sounds like something else stoned. Like a new song..
A bit Satanic, innit? ha...what's the point of having to play the record backwards to hear the devil's messages when it's so satanic forwards? Play it backwards, and it will probably be Christian like.
This is the album The Second Coming wanted to be. Could have been if they had a proper singer. And I bet Robert Plant got vaccinated unlike Ian scared of needles Brown. Soz...haha. Bron-Yr-Aur....nice around that area. Sounds hard to learn that one. Good though. I'll watch a YouTube tutorial vid. Down By the seaside is a bit MOR for Led Zep, isn't? Good jam though. Like Robinsons. I'm writing this as i listen, as you can probably tell. Good job 've got a gramar dorrect aopp ...because that's how i type. Ten Years Gone By is even more mellow…just reading wiki: "When the track was performed live, Jones played a triple-neck guitar featuring mandolin, six- and twelve-string guitars" haha! Love it! That's proper ROCK. I think these songs sound more advanced for their time than i can remember. Some are from 70 and 71. Led Zep are one of those bands that always sounded old even in the 70s...but some of this contradicts that. The Wanton Song's intro is basically Immigrant Song. Not sure about that Boogie one though. fuck...it's a bit annoying stoned. skip. Back to the more traditional Led Zep sound for the last couple of songs. I've said before that any score over 7 has got to be a classic....so it's a 7 from me. Enjoyed it.
 
Just a quickie from me on this album. Im not going to play it as I dont think I can listen to a double Zep album, I never liked double albums anyway.
Whn I was a young bloke back in the day I really liked them and had this album which I played many times, I never liked Kashmir though, terrible song imo.
However as I got older I just went off them.
I cant explain it I just feel I matured musically and now they just sound like fuckin horrible to me, Page and Plant I began to see as show offs, especially live, the bare chests and 10 minute guitar wanks (that involved plenty of bum notes) but I still admired the rhythm section.... I just dont like it anymore, I dont even like their folky stuff either.
They were one of the worlds biggest bands in those days, they appealed to squillions of people, including me. But I feel my musical tastes have changed and I just cant listen to them anymore.
Because LZ were such a massive band, but I dont like double albums Im giving this a 6/10
 
Bill Walker said:
Just a quickie from me on this album. Im not going to play it as I dont think I can listen to a double Zep album, I never liked double albums anyway.
Whn I was a young bloke back in the day I really liked them and had this album which I played many times, I never liked Kashmir though, terrible song imo.
However as I got older I just went off them.
I cant explain it I just feel I matured musically and now they just sound like fuckin horrible to me, Page and Plant I began to see as show offs, especially live, the bare chests and 10 minute guitar wanks (that involved plenty of bum notes) but I still admired the rhythm section.... I just dont like it anymore, I dont even like their folky stuff either.
They were one of the worlds biggest bands in those days, they appealed to squillions of people, including me. But I feel my musical tastes have changed and I just cant listen to them anymore.
Because LZ were such a massive band, but I dont like double albums Im giving this a 6/10
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This is curious. I hadn’t listened to them for a quite a while - and used to be into them a lot when younger. Was almost a little worried that I might end up thinking of them along the same lines as your thoughts above. Yet, if anything, I feel more able to appreciate them than before. Not so much the posturing/showmanship, more that I find that some songs are exquisite. Which I’m not sure is a quality that rock songs ‘should’ have. But, for me, they do and it works. Like a raw, wild, dark beauty. A twisting, turning journey through rugged yet idyllic soundscapes. I guess I feel a connection with these songs that takes me to places that are akin to those you so eloquently spoke of re Hendrix and Coltrane elsewhere. Different strokes please different folks for sure. Oh, and wasn’t going to score on this thread but whilst I’m here…9/10 Great pick, great tunes, great album - with some reviews to do this justice, whether favorable or not.
 
arfurclue said:
Oh, and wasn’t going to score on this thread but whilst I’m here…9/10 Great pick, great tunes, great album - with some reviews to do this justice, whether favorable or not.
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But now you're here, stick around, pull up a chair and join the fun.

I've always been one who enjoys listening to "my" music, whatever that may be at the time. But over these two threads, it's been nice to be "forced" to listen to stuff you might not otherwise hear. Even if you don't like what's on offer, I find it informative and helps put your own tastes in perspective.
 
Marklr said:
Got to thank you for this one, mate.....not heard some of these in decades. And they sound so good. I can take or leave Led Zep...i got a bit bored with some of their music at times. Love the funkier sounds on some tunes...especially Trampled Under Foot..Not heard that since school days. Kashmir sounds like something else stoned. Like a new song..
A bit Satanic, innit? ha...what's the point of having to play the record backwards to hear the devil's messages when it's so satanic forwards? Play it backwards, and it will probably be Christian like.
This is the album The Second Coming wanted to be. Could have been if they had a proper singer. And I bet Robert Plant got vaccinated unlike Ian scared of needles Brown. Soz...haha. Bron-Yr-Aur....nice around that area. Sounds hard to learn that one. Good though. I'll watch a YouTube tutorial vid. Down By the seaside is a bit MOR for Led Zep, isn't? Good jam though. Like Robinsons. I'm writing this as i listen, as you can probably tell. Good job 've got a gramar dorrect aopp ...because that's how i type. Ten Years Gone By is even more mellow…just reading wiki: "When the track was performed live, Jones played a triple-neck guitar featuring mandolin, six- and twelve-string guitars" haha! Love it! That's proper ROCK. I think these songs sound more advanced for their time than i can remember. Some are from 70 and 71. Led Zep are one of those bands that always sounded old even in the 70s...but some of this contradicts that. The Wanton Song's intro is basically Immigrant Song. Not sure about that Boogie one though. fuck...it's a bit annoying stoned. skip. Back to the more traditional Led Zep sound for the last couple of songs. I've said before that any score over 7 has got to be a classic....so it's a 7 from me. Enjoyed it.
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The point is to get spotty teenagers ruining their vinyl playing it backwards so they have to buy another copy :)
 
RobMCFC said:
But now you're here, stick around, pull up a chair and join the fun.

I've always been one who enjoys listening to "my" music, whatever that may be at the time. But over these two threads, it's been nice to be "forced" to listen to stuff you might not otherwise hear. Even if you don't like what's on offer, I find it informative and helps put your own tastes in perspective.
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Cheers. And yes, the exploration of ‘forced’ choices has been interesting along the lines you mention and has brought some really rich conversation. Especially as am not so educated in some aspects of music. This might be tested by pantera on the other thread :)
 
arfurclue said:
Cheers. And yes, the exploration of ‘forced’ choices has been interesting along the lines you mention and has brought some really rich conversation. Especially as am not so educated in some aspects of music. This might be tested by pantera on the other thread :)
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A like a bit of hard rock, but yes, I think this might be a trial for me as well.
 
arfurclue said:
Cheers. And yes, the exploration of ‘forced’ choices has been interesting along the lines you mention and has brought some really rich conversation. Especially as am not so educated in some aspects of music. This might be tested by pantera on the other thread :)
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I am not educated in any aspects in fact I regard myself and know I am a complete hack but this is a great thread and the more the merrier.

We have a rich variety of musical buffs on bluemoon and I am for one extremely fortunate to be able to read and learn from all the knowledge and variety on the relevant threads of music from all the posters.

In fact I am in awe of all the posters and their contributions.

No Hindu caste system applies here I would suggest.
 
Ok ,firstly let me declare I’m not a fan of Led Zeppelin.I don’t like Robert Plants voice, if I want to listen to British Blues Rock ,Free are my go to band. imho Paul Rodgers has a great voice.However ,although I have never listened to a Led Zep album before I thought this would be interesting given the legends they are and my brother and best mate are big fans.
ive listened to it a few times in the car and have to say I quite like it, the riffs are great and the band sound really tightens accomplished .I still don’t like the vocals especially on the
rockier songs but I can put up with them on the slower tracks.
All in all a bit of a surprise and I would play a lot of the songs again
so 7/10 from me.
 
I must admit to only being familiar with a couple of well-known Led Zeppelin songs (Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love). I've probably heard others without knowing who they were by.

Looking at the tracks on the album, there was nothing that seemed familiar to me. On the first listen I started, as I always do, by playing the tracks in order of most Spotify plays so I get a feel of which songs are perhaps regarded most highly and then on the second listen played them straight through in album order to see how they all work together.

The first track on the album I heard was therefore Kashmir which started in a very familiar way and I was sure I must have heard it before but when the singing started I didn't recognise it at all. Has some other group used the opening to Kashmir for another song? Anyway I found Kashmir probably the highlight of the album and quite listenable. In My Time of Dying and Custard Pie also both ok. Nothing on disc 2 really stood out.

I have to say that classical rock really isn't my thing at all. Maybe it's an acquired taste that I haven't yet managed to acquire. I know they were an influential band and Bonham, Page and Plant are rated highly as musicians but I just can't make it work for me.

It's probably a fine example of its genre but I just didn't enjoy it as a whole. As such I can't really score it more than 4.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I liked your post because it’s good and thoughtful — as usual — but am adding an * here for the mere suggestion of dropping Houses of the Holy!!! :)
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Got to double down on this Foggy - managed to give it another listen on the flight back home. If they dropped Houses of the holy and managed to squeeze in the 2 highlighted from side 2, it's not far from unbeatable........... ;-)
 
KnaresboroughBlue said:
I must admit to only being familiar with a couple of well-known Led Zeppelin songs (Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love). I've probably heard others without knowing who they were by.

Looking at the tracks on the album, there was nothing that seemed familiar to me. On the first listen I started, as I always do, by playing the tracks in order of most Spotify plays so I get a feel of which songs are perhaps regarded most highly and then on the second listen played them straight through in album order to see how they all work together.

The first track on the album I heard was therefore Kashmir which started in a very familiar way and I was sure I must have heard it before but when the singing started I didn't recognise it at all. Has some other group used the opening to Kashmir for another song? Anyway I found Kashmir probably the highlight of the album and quite listenable. In My Time of Dying and Custard Pie also both ok. Nothing on disc 2 really stood out.

I have to say that classical rock really isn't my thing at all. Maybe it's an acquired taste that I haven't yet managed to acquire. I know they were an influential band and Bonham, Page and Plant are rated highly as musicians but I just can't make it work for me.

It's probably a fine example of its genre but I just didn't enjoy it as a whole. As such I can't really score it more than 4.
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Think they stole the original riff from Puff Daddy ;-) and it was used on Shite Simon Cowell programs as a tension builder...............
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Got to double down on this Foggy - managed to give it another listen on the flight back home. If they dropped Houses of the holy and managed to squeeze in the 2 highlighted from side 2, it's not far from unbeatable........... ;-)
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I think you MAY have misinterpreted in that I believe dropping HotH is near sacrilege. :) The one that I knew but that really lit me up on replay is The Rover. I forgot how good that tune is.
 
I'm also in the camp that can never quite get Led Zep - so it was good to give them a full chance with this outing although I'm struggling listening to 2 albums to review a week!

first thing i love about this Album is just how many layers of Music there are - you got Rock, Pop, Soft, Heavy, Psychedlic, Blues, Jazz, Slow, Fast - so much going on all throughout

Only 'Kashmir' I know really well - A legendary monster track

'In my time of dying' 'In the light' 'Trampled underfoot' are big heavy hitters aswell - the sound quality is amazing and similar feel to my recent 'Layla' all stars album with Clapton - the musicianship is so solid.

A few tracks felt a little long and I can't relate much to the lyrics, I'm sure if I listened to this more it would score higher.

7/10
 
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