Abandoned Pools - Humanistic

Abandoned Pools - Humanistic (2001)

(Wish I could find a higher res image online)

Genre: Alternative Rock, Industrial Rock

After his tenure with The Eels and a couple of other side projects, Tommy Walter devised another project, Abandoned Pools. This is an alternative rock project which released their first album in 2001, but didn't garner much attention until the following year. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Typically, alternative rock seems to have simple song structures in mind based around easy chord progressions. For the most part, this holds true for this album as well, but is done in such a way that most of the tracks on here actually feel fresh. Songs like Mercy Kiss (which is my absolute favorite on this record, thanks in part to an incredibly catchy hook and satisfying riff) and Seed (which features a riff that feels straight out of a cliché heavy metal album, albeit a good one) feature some very aggressive instrumentation, worthy of some headbanging. On the other hand, there's also a balance between more uplifting tracks like Suburban Muse and the appropriately titled Sunny Day.

As with a lot of these alt-rock records of the 21st century, there's some synth use scattered throughout, but it's subtle enough to not detract from the raw instrumentation, and at times, actually works in favor of giving some tracks that little extra flair in tone. Blood actually makes great use of it for it's intro, creating a very dark and foreboding atmosphere that sets up some dark themes about the human condition presented in the song. When I think about it, all of these songs seem to speak to some sort human characteristic, whether it's love, one's mental state, and other similar topics. I can see where the album's title came from... Oh, and as a quick, fun side note, the first few seconds of L.V.B.D. almost sounds exactly like Blur's Coffee and TV. I can't know for sure if that was intentional, but it's neat nonetheless.

I must say though, I really like Tommy Walter's voice. It's not particularly powerful, but it's incredibly smooth and at times, comes off pretty androgynous, which is pretty relaxing, even during the more aggressive songs. As you can imagine, it's very effective on the more upbeat, light-hearted tracks. With that said, I don't think there's a single bad song on this record. Yes, there are a few standout tracks, but there's a consistent flow of decent, sometimes even great tracks on this record. It's nothing groundbreaking for the genre at the time, but it's an overall pleasing album and it's a wonder how this didn't get as much traction as it should have.

B+

Favorite Tracks: Mercy Kiss, L.V.B.D., Blood, Seed, Sunny Day

Least Favorite Track: Fluorescein

The 1975 - The 1975

The 1975 - The 1975 (2013)

Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Electropop, Funk Rock, Pop Rock, Alternative Rock

Indie/alternative/pop-rock group The 1975, dropped their debut studio album in 2013, offering a mix electropop and funk influences with some punk-style lyrical content sprinkled in. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I can't say I expected much after hearing the title track, which features some very interesting experimentation, but for some odd reason is full of euphemisms for oral sex. I don't see the correlation, unless this band is so full of themselves that they're starting off by announcing how many girls they lay down with on the daily. In fact, there's a lots of sexually charged lyrics throughout this album, with Sex being the most "in your face" track, lyrically. Here, Matty Healy seemingly gloats how he can steal your girl, being the Casanova that he aspires to be. I can't deny though, that it's probably their catchiest song on this record.

There's a lot of genres mixed in here, but there still seems to be a mostly consistent type of song structure throughout. Almost all tracks have a very prominent synth-pop vibe, but the production here is decent enough that the synths never blow up more than they need to. A very prominent use of synthesizers is on the track Menswear, which plays out like a chill, lo-fi hip-hop musical background for half of the song's length. I almost expected Matty to come in with some bomb-ass bars, but he didn't. *tear*

While there are no shortage of decent tracks on this album, there never was a single track that stood out above all the rest to such a great extent. As I stated, Sex was probably the catchiest here, and aside from that, only Chocolate and Talk! made we want to get up and dance a bit. The latter features a simple and subtle, but effectively funky bassline that kept my ears occupied. M.O.N.E.Y. is a song which I didn't necessarily love, but did feature some interesting use effects and electronic vocal alterations. I have yet to understood how silly, yet intriguing it is to hear Matty spell out "money" after his voice has been transformed into an annoying little robot.

Because of the overreliance on common pop-tropes and synths, the album does start to stumble a bit with the second half. The best track from the second half would probably have to be Girls, with its upbeat, simple chord riff. Again, nothing on here ever lives up to the fun nature of Sex, but there's no shortage of simple, funky tunes either. The album ends with a sultry, yet minimalistic piano ballad, Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You, which seems drastically different within the context of this album. Overall, their first album was a decent effort in incorporating funk and synth-pop into more traditional alt-rock and pop rock, while unironically leaving in some room for some youth-driven care-free type of songwriting. There's quite some room for improvement, both sonically and lyrically, but for what it is, there's definitely some enjoyment to be had here.

B-

Favorite Tracks: Chocolate, Sex, Talk!, Girls, The City, She Way Out

Least Favorite Track: 12 (Yes, I'm counting the minimalist interludes)

They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants [The Pink Album]

They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants (1986)

Genre: Alternative Rock, New Wave

They Might Be Giants' debut album, released in 1986 mixed a plethora of influences and genres such as folk, synth-pop and alternative rock to create an interesting esthetic. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Right off the bat, I have to admit that there is no shortage of creative ideas on this record. There's so many musical influences, genres, and instrumental quirks thrown into pretty much all 19 tracks on this thing. The great thing about packing that many tunes into this 38-minute record, is that it constantly feels fresh, rarely boring you with any dead ideas. Interestingly enough, I like to think of this record as a collection of "catchy-filler." Number Three is one such example that comes to mind. There's something really moronic, yet hilarious about a song who's lyrical content deals with literally writing said song. And yet, I can't deny how catchy it is.

In fact, it's hard to ignore how many of the tunes here contain such incoherent lyrics, and yet doesn't detract from the their enjoyment. Youth Culture Killed My Dog is quite hooking with it's early synth-wave bass groove and heavy alternative rock style. But seriously, what the heck does the song mean? I could write 20 pages worth of content trying to make sense of the lyrics on a lot of these songs, but that aside, it really is quite odd when once in a while you come across such an upbeat song with some seemingly dark subject matter. I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die is one such example, obviously dealing with the prospect of death and how we subconsciously fear its inevitability. There's no rhyme or reason on this album, but that's just part of the group's charm. 

There's something to be said about the vocals that really drives some of these tracks. Half the time, the singer sounds like he's a hillbilly who just had a smoke for the first time. In simple terms, they add a very poignant country flair, that while not necessarily bad in the context of this kind of music, it may end up coming across as either amusing in a comedic way, or just plain annoying for some. I tend to mostly appreciate it. It's quirky and interesting to see the contrast between such songs and others where the singer showcases some pretty heavy vocal performances, reminiscent of more traditional indie hard rock. 

Sonically, the album employs good use of a wide assortment of instruments, like the accordion and synthesizer, as well as some samples. They gives a lot of the tracks more depth and personality, because the root of most of these songs lie within basic chord structures and alternative rock tropes. Rhythm Section Want Ad employs heavy use of the synthesizer to create a carnival-esque soundscape that becomes prominent at a certain break in the song. Slightly creepy, but very interesting within this genre. Other songs employ their own neat quirks as well.

I honestly don't want to get into much detail about the tracks, because I believe they all have their charm, and it's hard to pinpoint something that really sticks out to me for a majority of them. This is just simply an enjoyable record, with a great mix of different genres and some interesting sonic experimentation. If you're a fan of less traditional alternative rock and enjoy some humor in your music, this is a pretty solid album. I find it very hard to say much else because much its charm is something that will (hopefully) be much more appreciated and understood if you simply listen to it yourself. 

B+

Favorite Tracks: Number Three, (She Was A) Hotel Detective, Youth Culture Killed My Dog, Alienation's For The Rich, Rhythm Section Want Ad

Least Favorite Track: Toddler Hiway

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Often hailed as one of the greatest achievements in prog-rock history, King Crimson's debut album has become a staple of rock history and pop culture, and one that by 1969 standards, seemed ahead of its time. This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

After many years of this album seemingly going under my radar, thanks in part to its absence from YouTube and Spotify, I can now finally agree with the fanboys. This is an essential, prog-rock album, and anyone that claims to be a fan of the genre would be doing themselves a great disservice in skipping it. With its smooth blend of symphonic, jazz, and classical influences, I'm still amazed that this was released in 1969.

Uncommon for the era, 5 tracks are all that's presented here. This record runs nearly 44 minutes, so you can expect some pretty lengthy passages. As is obvious, you cannot hold someone's attention for that long without offering something incredibly well-crafted and interesting. For the most part, King Crimson did well in delivering some sweet guitar improv passages, pounding bass riffs and strangely enough, some of the best hard hitting drum fills I have heard on any record. 21st Century Schizoid Man opens up the album with an incredibly upbeat jazz-influenced track that crescendos into one of the most satisfying climaxes I've heard in progressive rock, a little bit after the 2 minute mark. This trails back to the original style of the track around the 6 minute mark. A lot of people consider this to be the highlight of the album, and I can see why, though it's hard to decide if it truly is.

As far as musical variation goes, 21st Century Schizoid Man probably takes the cake, but tracks like Epitaph and the title track are so full of life, so hypnotically beautiful, that it's hard for me to decide on a favorite. Epitaph especially, has a deep sense of urgency surrounding its haunting instrumentals and depressing lyrics, which bring to mind thoughts of nuclear fallout. Court Of The Crimson King is a wonderful album closer, and features some great fantastical imagery that really takes you to another world. I Talk To The Wind is the most "traditional" song on the record, presenting a colorful, lovely acoustic melody, perfectly complimented by Ian McDonald's sweetly melodic flute playing, which is also prominent halfway through the title track. 

The worst track on this otherwise perfectly constructed album would have to be Moonchild. There is nothing inherently wrong with some Avant-Garde experimentation in a prog-rock album. However, when the track is just over 12 minutes long, and most of it is dedicated to minimalistic instrumental quips, it does drag quite a bit. Granted, it's not a big deal for aficionados of the genre. I can't say that I wasn't amused upon first listen, though I wouldn't find myself hard-pressed to listen to this track in its entirety every time I go through this record. The sums on this record greatly outweigh the few cons here though.

A

Favorite Track: Can't decide

Least Favorite Track: Moonchild

Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77 (1977)

Genre: Art Punk, New Wave, Funk Rock

Probably the most unique band to come out of the CBGB scene, Talking Heads released their debut studio album in 1977, receiving widespread acclaim and attention. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I like to think of Talking Heads as the first art-punk band to come to mainstream recognition. These guys could literally crank out a song like Don't Worry About The Government and mean it, and it would ironically (or unironically, depending on which way you look at it) make you feel like a genius for listening. This band is basically punk for nerds, something of a paradox, but this album clearly proves that they were onto something. I'm not one to delve much into the critical analyzation of an artist's lyrics, but there is something you could clearly make out of songs in this record.

More importantly though, David Byrne is somewhat of a musical genius in my eyes. This album isn't as experimental as some of their later work, but even here, it's hard to describe most of the songs and categorize them into one or two genres. I'll start off by explaining what initially got me hooked. The album opener, Uh-Oh Love Comes to Town honestly didn't capture my attention much at first listen, but I still couldn't deny how unbelievably funky that bass sounded. This feeling skyrocketed on the next song, New Feeling. Tina Weymouth seriously has to be one of the most underrated bass players of all time. Even if a song does not click with me much, I can still count on her bass playing to keep me hooked.

Moving on though, David Byrne has to have one of the most unique voices in rock history. I honestly feel bad that can't appreciate Talking Heads' wonderful discography because of his voice. Personally, his quirky style fits well with the style they are consistently going for. After all, this record especially, is still considered punk. Therefore, FIGHT THE SYSTEM. SCREW WHAT PEOPLE THINK. David Byrne is an amazing vocalist, case closed. I still can't help but laugh at some of his intentional vocal quirks, however. Who Is It? has him sounding like a schizophrenic paranoid as he sings the title on repeat. It's so damn entertaining and totally not weird in the context of this band.

Album closer Pulled Up is perhaps the most anxious I've felt while actually enjoying a song. David Byrne's progressively louder vocals are at best, ironically powerful and at worst, downright hilarious. I do have a point I'm making when I keep commenting on his vocals, and its that even with some of its deep lyrical context, this band doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's part of its charm. No Compassion and The Book I Read are two songs that I played on repeat for days on end at one point. Most of the songs on this record are just so incredibly infectious that it remains one of my few "therapy" records. When I'm feeling down, I just pop in Talking Heads 77. It's nears perfection with its incredibly upbeat and funky performances.

A+

Favorite Tracks: New Feeling, No Compassion, The Book I Read, First Week/Last Week....Carefree, Psycho Killer

Least Favorite Track: Uh-Oh Love Comes To Town

Paul McCartney - McCartney

Paul McCartney -  McCartney (1970)

Genre: Rock, Lo-Fi

Released less than a month before the release of the final Beatles record Let It Be, McCartney's debut album received substantial hype, thanks in part to rumors of The Beatles' eminent break-up. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

It was perfectly reasonable to expect nothing short of a masterpiece from Macca. After all, he contributed so many hits to The Beatles' discography as part of his songwriting partnership with Lennon. The first time I listened to this record all the way through, I was honestly left a bit confused and disheartened. It's riddled with unfinished songs and short, whimsical ditties that by the end, it felt like I had listened to a collection of cut studio takes and abandoned B-sides. It definitely didn't have the consistency and wow factor that one would expect from a former Beatle.

But I digress, as none of the tracks on here are downright stinkers. In fact, this album did spawn one of McCartney's most celebrated solo efforts, Maybe I'm Amazed, a raw, yet sweet piece of romantic piano rock. It's very clear that most of the album drew inspiration from his wife, Linda. The opening track, The Lovely Linda, while only being a mere 44 seconds long, is one of the cutest acoustic piece that McCartney ever recorded and stands out as one of my favorite tracks on the record. If you like cute, sappy love songs, then Macca has you covered on this record.

It's interesting to note, however, that out of the 13 tracks, 5 of them are instrumental and that includes Singalong Junk, which is just an instrumental version of Junk. Pretty cheap of him, if you ask me. While the incomplete songs were already a big indication, this further solidifies my claim that poor Paul was simply struggling with coming up with enough decent material. Junk is quite pretty, at least. Glad he didn't do this with some of the other tracks. Oo You is the most hard-rocking tune here, very much uninspired in it's lyrical content, but quite catchy nonetheless. Man We Was Lonely dabbles in some country influences and remains another simple, but effectively catchy tune. To sum up my thoughts on most of the track-listing, a lot of these may be pretty short, simple tunes, but they're mostly quite pleasing and enjoyable.

 I'd like to properly address Kreen-Akrore. I like to think of this track as an excuse for McCartney's ego to shine through. It's a glorified percussion-heavy jam session. Seeing as he played every instrument on this album, he possibly wanted to show off his [subpar] drumming skills. It's not a particularly horrible track, but it seems quite odd to include it, especially as the closing track. Overall, the album has a low-fi quality about it, production wise. Seeing as a lot of the tracks were recorded at home, it stands to reason that McCartney was going for a more "DIY" kind of sound and aesthetic. For the type of tunes he was putting on this record, it works well enough. This was probably not what most people expected from Macca's debut solo effort, but it has its charm.

B

Favorite Tracks: Maybe I'm Amazed, Man We Was Lonely, The Lovely Linda, Junk, That Would Be Something

Least Favorite Track: Kreen-Akrore

Harry Styles - Harry Styles

Harry Styles - Harry Styles (2017)

Genre: Pop Rock, Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Folk Pop

Harry Styles of One Direction fame, released his debut solo album in 2017, with some interesting results.  This album is being reviewed per request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Most fans may agree that Harry Styles always seemed to have the most potential within One Direction, and this album has been a small step in proving that statement. I was already fully aware of his hit-single Sign of the Times before the release of this record. It's quite a beautiful piano-rock ballad. It gave me some optimism, as I expected that at least a couple of other tracks would be able to match it. I can't say that my expectations were exceeded, but I was still pleasantly surprised.

Harry has definitely matured in his songwriting since his One Direction days. Throughout the record you will notice lots of influences from 60's and 70's R&B and some funk sprinkled in. Carolina blew me away with its hypnotic bass groove and sultry guitar rhythms. Styles' vocal performance on the track is incredibly seductive and appropriately powerful as well, and it left me wanting more. Nothing on the album after that was able to match it, unfortunately. Only Angel and Kiwi seem to try and one up Carolina with its more hard rock style, but fall a bit short on creativity. If anything, they're still decent efforts and the only two worthwhile tracks on the second half of the record.

Sweet Creature seems to get a lot of attention from fans, but I personally thought it was pretty overrated. The song's finger-plucked riff sounds like it could have taken inspiration from The Beatles' Blackbird. It's tasteful, but a bit generic in my book. What really killed the momentum for me, were the last three tracks, which unfortunately, have the distinction of being the three worst tracks on the album. They're not bad, per se, but there was potential there to close off the album on a high note, and instead, Harry just let it simmer down for the last 13 minutes or so. 

Ironically, I personally feel that the strongest tracks on this record were the first three. Although I still did enjoy the songs in between, it's unfortunate that it had to dwindle down and lose its momentum as much as it did. With that said, Harry's debut definitely shows promise in his songwriting abilities and his ability to blend classic rock influences were for the most part, simple, but appreciated. I expect him to grow more and for a first try, it's pretty solid.

B

Favorite Tracks: Meet Me In The Hallway, Sign Of The Times, Carolina

Least Favorite Track: Ever Since New York

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I (1969)

Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Blues Rock

The debut album by the English hard rock band Led Zeppelin hit shelves at the start of 1969. Initially, reviews were largely negative and their reputation would not recover until later. Was it truly a terrible album? As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

During this time, heavy metal was in its infancy, and there were certainly quite a few bands at the forefront of it. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Jeff Beck Group, and even Jimmy's Page's previous band, The Yardbirds. Led Zeppelin however, had the distinction and honor of becoming the most accessible in the hard rock scene of the late 60's, personally. I'm not gonna lie and say that this was a completely original group in both their songwriting and musical composition. In fact, 3 out of the 9 tracks on this record are covers. Amazingly, even if you were already familiar with the original versions of them, they still sound like new songs.

Jimmy Page was at the wheel of this group, both musically and production-wise. He was already a very capable musician and had garnered enough experience in the studio to work out new techniques and play around with them on this record, and it shows. His experimentation with extra reverb techniques gives the record a very constructed ambient sound, which especially for a hard rock record, was very unusual, but it works beautifully here. Probably the most effective use of this is on Your Time Is Gonna Come. John Paul Jones' organ wonderfully drives the track forward and is perhaps the most interesting song on this album, sonically. 

There's something to be said about all these tracks, though. There's no reinventing the genre here, but every single track here presents itself with incredible musicianship and Robert Plant's vocals are some of the best in any rock record ever recorded. His ability as a singer is most beautifully showcased on Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, where his seductive, hushed singing can suddenly go to loud, howling rock "screaming." It's not the most daunting vocal performance, but it demonstrates what he's capable of doing with his vocal range. 

Performance-wise, John Bonham and John Paul Jones are masters of the drums and bass, respectively. Usually, with any band, there's always at least 1 who is clearly a much more proficient musician than the rest, but the same can't be said about this group. With their first album, they all established themselves as masters of their craft. How Many More Times, the album closer, never ceases to impress me with its jam-session style presentation that kicks ass. Intricate riffs, smooth bass grooves, powerful drumming, and grade-A singing are on display here, prominently. Even with more simple, by-the-numbers tracks like Communication Breakdown and Good Times Bad Times, they still manage to provide a powerful sonic punch in the span of less than 3 minutes each. This is certainly among my favorite debut albums of all time and even now, nearly 50 years from its release, still sounds fresh with its amazing production quality. Critics back in 1969 had no idea what they were talking about.

A+

Favorite Tracks: You Shook Me, Dazed And Confused, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Communication Breakdown, How Many More Times

Least Favorite Track: Black Mountain Side

The Score - Atlas

The Score - Atlas (2017)

Genre: Pop Rock, Hard Rock, Indie Pop

Atlas is the debut studio album by the indie pop-rock duo The Score, released in 2017. I am reviewing this album by request. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

I may not have a full appreciation for modern pop, but I do enjoy a good dosage of indie rock from time to time. That said, upon my first listen of this album, I didn't have such a strong impression. A second listen did allow me to pick out a couple of "gems" off this record, while still leaving the rest as below average, simple feel good music. Legend teased me near the beginning with some barebones sonic imitation of Led Zeppelin's heavy guitar driven riffs, and then it just went away. A real shame, as it had the potential to keep its momentum going and become my favorite track. Tightrope surprised me with Eddie's admirable performance, as unlike most of the other tracks, he sounds pretty "clean" and, admittedly a bit sultry. Strange on the other hand, is the other decent cut on the album which I praise for it's seemingly simple, but catchy syncopated vocal performance. Speaking of vocals though, I have to talk about the lyrics.

Look, I'm all for bold statements and intellectuality in music, but there's something about this record that screams, "SELF-CONCEITED!" The fact of the matter is that a lot of the lyrics clearly relate to grand ideals of fame, uniqueness and standing out. Most of it is the sort of happy-go-lucky songwriting you have come to expect from most of the tween friendly pop world of today. Normally, that's not a big deal, but I'd be lying if I said they don't feel blown out of proportion thanks to the saturated overproduction my ears experienced from listening to this album. I'm not blinding myself to the fact that at heart, this is a pop record, but there is a limit to how much overdubbing you can do before the music comes off as a bit pretentious, especially with the subject matter at hand.

  

From what I've gathered, the band's very own Edan Dover handled production work, and while I admire his efforts, some tracks could have fared better without some of the unnecessary overdubs and blown up production. One of the cleaner sounding songs on this record, Believe, has the unfortunate distinction of being one of my least favorite on the record. As Eddie sings on Revolution, "There's a revolution coming!" If this album is any indication of things to come, then they have some work to do before I'm willing to listen to their cause. Overall, it's a painfully standard feel good record in which some generic by-the-numbers compositions and questionable production choices hamper it from being an enjoyable debut. Fans of simple, modern pop rock may very well get a kick out of this, though, but I wouldn't really know.  

  

D

  

Favorite Tracks: Tightrope, Strange, Who Am I

  

Least Favorite Track: Only One

The Beatles - The Beatles [White Album]

The Beatles - The Beatles [White Album] (1968)

Genre: Pop Rock, Art Rock, Psychedelic Rock

With the release of the new 50th anniversary edition of the Beatles' legendary Double-LP, I found it appropriate to start my album reviews with this one. This will not be a review of the new mix's production, but more so just the music and the original album in general. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I will do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade.

Fresh off the heels of Sgt. Pepper's (Let's forget about Magical Mystery Tour for a second), anticipation for the Beatles' next studio album was undoubtedly high at the time. What we ended up getting was the most musically incoherent album that they ever released. I don't mean this in a negative way, though. Packing 30 tracks into a Double-LP is no easy feat, especially with the strict deadlines that they faced. With that many tracks, one would expect quite a few of them to be real stinkers, but surprisingly, the album keeps a steady momentum going throughout most of its nearly 94-minute runtime. 

In comparison to Sgt. Pepper's, this does feel like a return to more traditional rock n' roll. However, this wouldn't be a proper late Beatles record without lots of sonic and stylistic experimentation within. Glass Onion, with it's simple, yet funky riff and entertaining "4th wall breaking" lyrics, dabbles with tints of psychedelia, prominently on display with the eerie use of strings near the end of the track. The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill provides a short, but tantalizing Spanish guitar style intro. Helter Skelter infamously became known as the first heavy metal song and, ironically still sounds fresh, with its distorted, fuzzy production and all. 

Being a Double-LP, there is also room for good handful of acoustics. Blackbird and Julia remain among the most hauntingly beautiful songs in The Beatles' discography. With both of these songs being solo efforts by Paul and John, respectively, it's interesting to note that there are quite a few times throughout the album where you get the vibe that in reality, this record is a mish-mash of solo efforts combined into one. Tensions within the band were troublesome throughout the recordings, but it gave us a glimpse, to some degree, of what each member was cable of writing and composing on their own. Probably the most celebrated effort on the album would have to be While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which forever solidified George's great ability as a songwriter. 

As I stated previously, this album does suffer from a sort of identity crisis, in that there is no consistent style throughout, and while this can be attributed to the vast amount of tracks, it does seem like each Beatle had different artistic ideas in mind. Nothing can excuse them from the (admittedly little amount) of weird filler, though. God knows what was going through Paul's mind when recording Wild Honey Pie, one of the shortest and most unique, yet unsettling pieces of filler I've ever heard. Revolution 9, which has sort of become a novelty at this point, immensely drags down the momentum of the 2nd disc, and at nearly 8 and 1/2 minutes, it REALLY drags. While I consider it more of an experiment than an actual song, I still skip it pretty much ever time I go through this record. Because of this and my general dislike for George's much too slow Long, Long, Long and the admittedly appropriate, but snore-inducing (Perhaps, that was the point?) closing track Good Night, Disc 2 does present itself as a weaker effort than the first, though it doesn't get too much in the way of holding this record to a high standard. This is most certainly one of the The Beatles' greatest accomplishments and the fantastic assortment of songs mostly makes up for the few stinkers.

A+

Favorite Tracks: Dear Prudence, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Rocky Racoon, Julia, Savoy Truffle

Least Favorite Track: Revolution 9