CD Albums - Comments / Reviews by sladesounds

CD Albums - Comments / Reviews by sladesounds

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
sladesounds 16th Oct 2014		CD Album Various Artists - Blue Note Plays Stevie Wonder (2004)	Fairly lacklustre cover versions of some classic Stevie Wonder tracks. More elevator music rather than cool jazz cover versions. The All Music review written by Rob Theakston can be read here.
sladesounds 15th Oct 2014		CD Album Harry Connick, Jr. - When Harry Met Sally... Music From The Motion Picture (1989)	Gemsfan - could you provide the missing scans of this entry especially the Outer Tray scan and the Disc scan. I would be interested to know what the matrix number on your disc is. I have added another issue of this CD with the same cat# but it has an alternate barcode (and matrix #?) My copy is shown below as a linked release.
sladesounds 15th Oct 2014		CD Album Harry Connick, Jr. - When Harry Met Sally... Music From The Motion Picture (1989)	I saw this movie on the opening night in Washington DC in July 1989 and went out and bought this soundtrack CD the following morning. There is another US issue (shown as a linked release) with the same cat# but alternate bar code which I believe to have been a later issue once the movie took off both in the states and worldwide.
sladesounds 13th Oct 2014		CD Album Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 13th Oct 2014		CD Album Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 6th Sep 2014		CD Album Eels - Daisies Of The Galaxy (2000)	[YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] The Eels were always a vehicle for a songwriter called (E), but by the point of their third album, 2000's Daisies of the Galaxy, they were his and his alone. When it came time to deliver a follow-up to the intimate, tortured Electro-Shock Blues, (E) couldn't help but deliver a lighter album, but he'd already turned so far into himself that his music was entirely insular. Of course, his music had always been fairly insular, but if Daisies of the Galaxy is any indication, he's gone so far in, he can't really come out. He's certainly not as extreme as Brian Wilson or Syd Barrett, but he's at the level of XTC or Roy Wood, making pop music for an already-established audience. Nothing on Daisies of the Galaxy will draw in casual listeners the way "Novocaine for the Soul" did, since everything is in miniature, from the yardsale production to the poetic scrawlings. Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn't play like (E)'s private diary; instead, it feels as if one is rummaging through his sketchbook. And, like many sketchbooks, some moments have blossomed, and others remain just intriguing, unformed ideas. For the dedicated, it's worth sifting through the album to find the keepers, since there are enough moments of quirky genius. But not all longtime fans will find this rewarding, since (E) has spent more time in creating mood than crafting songs. There are very few melodies that resonate like his best work, and the stripped-down, yet eccentric production -- sounding much like a cross between Jon Brion and Beck -- never feels realized. That's the problem with an offbeat, gifted musician becoming too insular; there are still clear clues of why he has his reputation, but there's not enough to justify exactly why he does. *All Music Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine*
sladesounds 4th Sep 2014		CD Album Eels - Beautiful Freak (1996)	[YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] Eccentric and quirky are the best ways to describe the Eels' debut effort, Beautiful Freak. Concise pop tunes form the backbone of the album, yet tinges of despair and downright meanness surface just when you've been lulled into thinking this is another pop group, as titles like "My Beloved Monster," "Your Lucky Day in Hell" and "Novocaine for the Soul" indicate. All in all, Beautiful Freak is a satisfying first record. All Music Review by James Chrispell
sladesounds 23rd Aug 2014		CD Album Led Zeppelin - Presence (1990)	I have a feeling the WE 835 is a pricing code - it appears on a Smiths and a Flaming Lips CD I own.
sladesounds 18th Aug 2014		CD Album Die Toten Hosen - Learning English, Lesson One (1991)	Review [YouTube Video] [YouTube Video] At once a tribute and a perfect calling card for an Anglophonic audience, Learning English is a hilarious romp through a slew of punk classics (and not-exactly classics) that's impossible to resist. Sure, many might want to hear the originals instead, but the fact remains that the quartet didn't become huge in their native country for nothing -- if the need is for loud, three-chord classics and shoutalong choruses, Die Toten Hosen can deliver in spades and with plenty of spirit. What seems like a gimmick -- the participation of at least one member from every band covered on the appropriate song -- actually makes Learning English feel like a great party album, with everyone taking a turn at the mike. If some voices are a bit thrashed with time, it's still good to hear everyone from Joey Ramone and the Damned's Captain Sensible to Chelsea's Gene October and Knox from the Vibrators take a bow. Even escaped U.K. convict Ronald Biggs, famous for his association with the post-Rotten Sex Pistols, takes a bow with "Punk Was," the one original on the album and a nostalgia-filled celebration. The choice of songs throughout may seem idiosyncratic -- one really needs to know U.K. punk to recognize tracks like "Do You Remember" by The Rockafellas and "Love and a Molotov Cocktail" by The Flys. But the great performances on such unquestioned monsters from the spirit of 1977 like "If the Kids Are United," "Smash It Up," and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" -- not to mention "Born to Lose," one of the last recordings featuring Johnny Thunders before his death -- rule the roost. Add in detailed liner notes from the band expressing their sheer delight at working with their heroes and a slew of memorabilia from the members' punk-crazed youth, plus between-song clips from a fake language instruction record (thus the album title), and the result is great fun. All Music Review by Ned Raggett ✔︎ Helpful Review?
sladesounds 2nd Aug 2014		CD Album Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Mainstream (1987)	If Lloyd Cole was less worried about depressing his listeners on his third album, he also seemed determined to stir them up, adopting various personas in his songs, from the lover who tattoos himself with the name Jennifer only to find that the ink lasts longer than the relationship in "Jennifer She Said" (a U.K. Top 40 hit) to Sean Penn. There were a few song narrators who seemed close to the singer himself, and they sounded just as discontented. There was little to alleviate the vitriol in the music, which was unusually muted, and long before the end Cole had begun to sound like a crank. The album's saving grace was "Hey Rusty," a song with a Springsteen-like theme and a U2-like musical track. If there were more songs this coherent, specific, and moving, Mainstream might have ranked with Cole's first two albums. All Music Review by William Ruhlmann
sladesounds 28th Jul 2014		CD Album Aerosmith - Get A Grip (1993)	Coming on the heels of the commercially and artistically successful Pump, the fitfully entertaining Get a Grip pales against its predecessor's musical diversity. But it's not for lack of trying. In fact, Aerosmith try too hard, making a stab at social commentary ("Livin' on the Edge") while keeping adolescent fans in their corner with their trademark raunch-rock ("Get a Grip" and "Eat the Rich"), as well as having radio-ready hit ballads ("Cryin'," "Amazing," and "Crazy"). The problem is, it's a studied performance -- it sounds like what an Aerosmith album should sound like. Most of the album sounds good; it's just that there isn't much beneath the surface. All Music Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
sladesounds 20th Jul 2014		CD Album Yes - The Yes Album (2003)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 18th Jul 2014		CD Album Violent Femmes - Add It Up (1981-1993) (1993)	The information on Wikipedia, like this site is only as good as the information being typed (crap in - crap out). Slash is one of these labels who ownership and distribution has changed hands several times over the years. At the time of this release it appears the label was owned by London but distributed in the US by Warner Bros. of which Reprise was part of. A bit more info can be found on the labels Wikipedia page but of course refer to the first paragraph :grin:
sladesounds 22nd Jun 2014		CD Album Various Artists - Boogie Uproar – Gems From The Peacock Vaults (2014)	Don Robey, a talented composer & lyricist, or just a controversial rip-off merchant with underworld connection? Yes you guessed right a rip off merchant - see here
sladesounds 13th Jun 2014		CD Album Santana - Caravanserai (2003)	The fourth studio album released originally in 1972. This was quite a change from the first three studio albums in style by moving away from the rock format previously used. Also the majority of the tracks were instrumentals. Although musically acclaimed it did not reflect so in commercial terms. [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 13th Jun 2014		CD Album AC/DC - Black Ice (2008)	Thanks Kab - added the missing pre-suffix on the barcode and then easily found. This is one of those releases where the question is who actually released it. Most "other" sites seem to favour Elektra and have Germany as country of release. How much simpler it is over on 45cat where the label is normally so apparent :)
sladesounds 10th Jun 2014		CD Album Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1995)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 7th Jun 2014		CD Album AC/DC - Black Ice (2008)	Can one of the owners confirm the label of this release with some scans? A web search (by me) finds no other reference to the Cat# or barcode# other than on here. Likewise a search only shows Sony as being the label on the Japanese release. I have just added the International release here which I bought in the UK.
sladesounds 7th Jun 2014		CD Album AC/DC - Black Ice (2008)	I have added this one as "International" as a look at that other site shows this Cat# & barcode being in use in Canada, Australia, Europe & Brazil (if not others as well). It looks like where my scans have red lettering on the front cover, it was also issued with at least silver, blue & yellow lettering. [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 6th Jun 2014		CD Album Electric Light Orchestra - Balance Of Power (2007)	Originally issued in 1986.
sladesounds 3rd Jun 2014		CD Album Various Artists - Mojo Presents Heavy Nuggets III (2014)	Front cover artwork based on Zacron's 1970s Led Zeppelin III cover. I have named Air as Air [USA] so that they are not confused with the french electronic band who have proved to be more prolific. More information on the band can be found here.
sladesounds 2nd Jun 2014		CD Album Various Artists - Mojo Presents The Black Keys And Friends (2014)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 30th May 2014		CD Album Train - Save Me, San Francisco (2009)	The fifth album from Train. [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 24th May 2014		CD Album Roy Harper And Jimmy Page - Whatever Happened To Jugula? (1988)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 20th May 2014		CD Album Sandy Denny - The Lady (2013)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 18th May 2014		CD Album We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor (2005)	With Love and Squalor was the major label debut album the band. The album title is derived from a J.D. Salinger short story, "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor", which was originally published in The New Yorker and subsequently published in Nine Stories, a compilation of Salinger's short stories. [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 16th May 2014		CD Album Frank Zappa - Strictly Commercial The Best Of Frank Zappa (1995)	[YouTube Video]
sladesounds 15th May 2014		CD Album Various Artists - The Bridge School Concerts Vol. One (1997)	The Bridge School Concerts [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 10th May 2014		CD Album Catatonia - 1993/1994 [The Crai E.P.s (1999)	Mini album reissue of the first two singles released on the Crai label to cash in on their success in the mainstream. By the time of this release Catatonia were an established "Brit Pop" band on the Blanco Y Negro label. 45Worlds links for the original releases are For Tinkerbell & Hooked [YouTube Video]
sladesounds 9th May 2014		CD Album Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles (1999)	The band's third album. In 2003, The Battle of Los Angeles was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2005, the album was ranked number 369 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [YouTube Video]

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