The fall of Rome. The 2004 ALCS. Sears & Roebuck. These are but a few of the epic collapses of great empires. And then there’s Heart: once the heir apparent to Led Zeppelin. This album, outside of a couple good tracks, represents that epic fall from grace. From the hard rock masters of Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen to soft rock adult contemporary power ballads that made me beg my parents to change the station circa the mid-80s.
There’s no doubt the Chili Peppers’ first album could have been better, and frankly, while this is a huge step up, probably they didn’t fully find their groove here either. There’s a ton of great tracks and okay tracks here - one of the great bands finding their way but not quite home yet (the improvement might be the inclusion of Hillel Slovak here, and we have to wait for The Uploft Mofo Party Plan to get Jack Irons for the full original lineup). If You Want Me To Stay is a true prelude to the Chili Peppers becoming a truly exceptional band where songwriting meets their unique blend of sounds. There’s fun tracks that are sort of disposable in a good way like Jungle Man, Hollywood, Yertle the Turtle, and Brother’s Cup. Nevermind was a fun ride on this listen as well. There’s rest were sort of underdeveloped but fine. Growth as a band doesn’t all happen at once, but we know this band will slowly transform into one of the all time greats.
i love Freaky Styley. I was totally a fan of it as a kid. If You Want Me To Stay is a favorite of course, what an amazing cover!!! Freaky Styley and Loving And Touching are also favs here.
VinylGuy wrote:i love Freaky Styley. I was totally a fan of it as a kid. If You Want Me To Stay is a favorite of course, what an amazing cover!!! Freaky Styley and Loving And Touching are also favs here.
The closest thing to Pearl Jam sampling = Dirty Frank and Freaky Styley.
LoathedVermin72 wrote:I've only heard bits of FS via the Scott Aukerman/Adam Scott podcast and it was some of the most embarrassing music I've ever heard
LoathedVermin72 wrote:I've only heard bits of FS via the Scott Aukerman/Adam Scott podcast and it was some of the most embarrassing music I've ever heard
You clearly haven’t heard Bon Jovi.
AL
Let me tell you, Homer Simpson is cock of nothing!
- C. Montgomery Burns
After 1999 and Purple Rain, Prince was at such a high level that nearly anything would by definition be a let down. This is not so much that as merely a very good album. The known quantity is Raspberry Beret, you know, the kind you’d find at a second hand store. Beyond that, there’s quite a few highlights here: Paisley Park, the title track, and the album closing Temptation come to mind, and especially the latter two here seem to explore a more psychedelic sound.
This is a marked shift in sound from Prince, and Isaak’s debut album. This is a sort of rockabilly that’s slightly unconventional in that the textures created by a more reverb soaked guitar and vocals gives the album a mysterious quality. It doesn’t reach the level of say a Johnny Cash, but it can remind you of him in the right moments. Dancin’, Talk to Me, Funeral in the Rain, Gone Ridin’, and Western Stars are all very different but by the end of that list of highlights, you’ll get the idea.
Working with a whole bunch of studio musicians, including members of the Heartbreakers, this Dylan album has a feel not unlike Street-Legal. For much of the album, this seems like he’s trying to make good on that album, which might have been too much of more is more. Seeing the Real You at Last, Clean Cut Kid, and Trust Yourself are highlights - but this sort of falls apart in the second half of the album, as the synths and big guitar just seem to not quite fit.
Well this album is an unmitigated disaster scene. Way overindulgent with synthesizers. It feels completely dated before it even starts. In some senses, it seems like Plant was indeed planted onto some kid’s odd 80s Casio keyboard compositions. Just a mess. The closest thing that works is the album closing Sixes and Sevens (how excited would today’s kids be for that song title!?). This is the dark side of trying to “modernize” your sound.
Working with a whole bunch of studio musicians, including members of the Heartbreakers, this Dylan album has a feel not unlike Street-Legal. For much of the album, this seems like he’s trying to make good on that album, which might have been too much of more is more. Seeing the Real You at Last, Clean Cut Kid, and Trust Yourself are highlights - but this sort of falls apart in the second half of the album, as the synths and big guitar just seem to not quite fit.
The Essential Track: Clean Cut Kid
Up Next: Robert Plant - Shaken ‘N’ Stirred
I’m not a Dylan fan but I love “Tight Connection to My Heart”
From trying to update a sound to here trying to recapture old glory, our 1985 tour of uneven albums continues with The Firm - a supergroup most prominently featuring Jimmy Page and Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers. Some of it actually pretty good, like Closer, Make or Break, Money Can’t Buy, and the reworked Led Zeppelin intended Midnight Moonlight. The rest is more of a challenge - just not great songs. It’s at least better than Shaken ‘N’ Stirred.
Holy smokes, The Firm. Tony Franklin is a beast on the fretless and is, by all accounts, a really cool mfer. I learned how to slide a harmonic (like Jeff does at the start of "Evenflow") by watching one of his tutorial videos. Love that dude! Full Diddy!
Ello Sailor wrote:Holy smokes, The Firm. Tony Franklin is a beast on the fretless and is, by all accounts, a really cool mfer. I learned how to slide a harmonic (like Jeff does at the start of "Evenflow") by watching one of his tutorial videos. Love that dude! Full Diddy!
I have to say that some of the bass lines on this are pretty killer, so agreed on that. There’s a sense on here, and I suspect it will feel like this all the way to the Page and Plant reunion in ‘94, that Jimmy Page is searching for the next Plant when what he actually needs is Robert Plant.
