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

BimboBob said:
Been very busy this week, dig season is upon us all, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

I've listened to both albums, live and studio, to get the general feel of everything Embrace. This genre and band passed me by at the time what with being abroad working for most of the 90's and while there are bits of the original record I actually liked the general feel of it still doesn't resonate. Not really my thing.
The live album has a similar feel to it, not a faithful reproduction, but close enough. But it's all just a bit average to my old ears. Nothing new, nothing to grab me, nothing to make me sit up and listen.

I could take points away for the singing, which is quite poor, and the added production, including the suspiciously added stringed instruments. I could add points back in for the fans enjoyment. Singing along, clapping in the right bits, it's what a concert, for me, is all about. I want to enjoy myself especially if I've paid a lot of money for the privilege.

I've also have no idea why, if the original album resonated so well with Mark, he picked the inferior live version.

Still...a score...

The original album would have got a 5. The inferior live version gets a 4.
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Dig season? Are you friends with Prof Alice Roberts?
 
Coatigan said:
Annoyingly, having already pivoted from the album I was going to nominate (because I don't want you fuds ruining it for me), I have settled on an album (one that I can live with you fuds ruining for me) that has in parts a bit of a 70s rock sound. Which now feels like a cop-out, or an attempt at crowd-pleasing. Stick or twist. Hmm the conundrums.
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I can't believe you're the only person who's not prepared to let this lot pass comment on something you love. In fact I know you're not :-)
 
Sadly I've not had chance to listen to last week's offering as I was too busy lsitening to the epic 1972 playlist.

I did mange to write a quick review for this week's album.

Is it too soon to drop a clue?

I have several meetings this afternoon so you might have to wait for the review.
 
OB1 said:
Sadly I've not had chance to listen to last week's offering as I was too busy lsitening to the epic 1972 playlist.

I did mange to write a quick review for this week's album.

Is it too soon to drop a clue?

I have several meetings this afternoon so you might have to wait for the review.
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You know the rules...the scores get totted up, the OP moans about 'you bastards wouldn't know a decent record if it hit you between the eyes' and then you do clues.
 
OB1 said:
Sadly I've not had chance to listen to last week's offering as I was too busy lsitening to the epic 1972 playlist.

I did mange to write a quick review for this week's album.

Is it too soon to drop a clue?
Click to expand...
Some of us have been too busy adding all the songs from 1972 to that playlist to nearly have time to give this the proper listens, but I'm here now and nearly Out of Time as the topic of clues get mentioned. ;-)

GornikDaze summed up my view on this album a few pages back in not ever hearing (of) them and finding the sound quality poor and just not having time to listen up the studio versions being On The Beach this week.

Given I'm a fan of British indie from that time period and I could see how they'd tour with early Coldplay, which I do like before it all went too far on the pop-o-meter in recent years (at least a decade, right?), I'll given them a listen again to The Good Will Out as a starter as a song I liked.

However, as southhamptonblue noted, there weren't any live hooks or songs that really have grabbed me yet, but it was clear their audience knew the words and enjoyed the songs, something that to me is worth a closer look when I have time.

So, if scoring the live record, it would be a 5 on what I heard, but with the promise of something I'll enjoy later from the studio hopefully, I'm on a final 6 for an appreciation of BH85 giving me an artist I've totally missed from that time period that I think will pay off when I listen to the original tunes soon.
 
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