Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 83 - Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse

DaveC
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3477
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 6. MUNA - About U

Post by DaveC »

Slipping behind a bit:

5. Cybotron - Enter (1983): 5/10

Favourite track: Enter
Least favourite track: Alleys of Your Mind

I am not a fan of Kraftwerk or 80s synth-pop, but - relegated to the background somewhat - this is pleasant enough not to attract a low score.
User avatar
Honorio
Higher Ground
Posts: 4467
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 6. MUNA - About U

Post by Honorio »

6. MUNA - About U (2017) 5/10
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7330
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 6. MUNA - About U

Post by Rob »

MUNA - About U: 4

This one is a bit divisive around here I see. Nobody can possibly claim that this album is very original so I guess your liking is probably equal to your stance on this particular branch of pop music. It isn't for me, that much is clear. It remains me very much of Haim, but nowhere does it even come near their best songs. It's well put together, but in the end I get nothing out of it.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 6. MUNA - About U

Post by spiritualized »

MUNA - About U: 3

Agreed with most of my fellow listeners.
I don't like this kind of pop. It's so generic nowadays that it's very difficult for artists to come out of the primordial soup. The singing is seriously below par on some of the songs (Loudspeaker in particular) and musically, it doesn't go beyond average.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by spiritualized »

The second entry from Brad, already ! And another rocker from the 80s...

Image

7. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986)
Nominated by Brad (#276)
Genre : Punk Rock, Alternative Rock (#1095 in the RYM Punk Rock chart)
Length : 12 tracks, 29 mins

AM ranking : Unranked
Artist Ranking : 2019
RYM ranking : #1028 for 1986, unranked overall (169 ratings @ 3.16 / 5.0)
3046 unique listeners and 32.1k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Tied to the Tracks / Ship of Fools



Biography (from Allmusic)

In the '80s, Soul Asylum were one of the hardest-working bands on the underground rock scene, the little-brother band of Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, known for their raucous but emphatic combination of punk energy, hard rock guitar firepower, and songs that ranged from angry to heartfelt. Released in 1988, Hang Time made them cult heroes and favorites with critics, but with 1992's Grave Dancers Union they added a bit more polish, hardened their guitar attack, wrote more anthemic choruses, and became one of the biggest acts on the alternative rock scene thanks to the singles "Runaway Train" and "Black Gold." After the multi-platinum success of Grave Dancers Union, Soul Asylum had trouble repeating their commercial and critical achievements, and faded out at the end of the '90s. However, the death of bassist Karl Mueller in 2005 sparked a return to the studio and the stage, with the band soldiering on under the leadership of lead singer Dave Pirner and releasing albums like 2012's Delayed Reaction and 2016's Change of Fortune.


A critic review (no fan review available)
Allmusic

Eighteen months made a world of difference for Soul Asylum. Their debut EP, Say What You Will...Everything Can Happen, arrived in mid-1984 and sounded clunky and unfocused, as if the bandmembers were still deciding what they wanted to do. Made to Be Broken followed in January 1986, and it was a major leap forward in every respect. If their debut documented Soul Asylum as they were looking for a way out of their hardcore roots, Made to Be Broken was an inspired collision of punk attitude, hard rock muscle, pop melodies, and lyrics that combined passion and introspection. Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy's guitars may have sounded good on the first record, but they were great here, crunching but tuneful, and their vocal harmonies brought a lift to the performances that flattered the melodies and boosted the energy. New drummer Grant Young was a massive improvement over original timekeeper Pat Morley, and he helped Soul Asylum tighten up their attack, as they cracked the code of their trademark sound. And while they were still tearing through screamers like "Whoa!" and "New Feelings," "Tied to the Tracks" and "Can't Go Back" found them taking their songwriting to a new level, merging sweaty firepower with a passion and emotional openness they couldn't summon in their semi-hardcore era. While the production still suggested the band wasn't working on an especially large budget, this time out producer Bob Mould and engineer Steve Fjelstad were much more successful in capturing Soul Asylum's spark on tape. Say What You Will... was the work of a band whose ideas outstripped its ability to execute them, but Made to Be Broken was the evidence that the group had learned plenty since then and put the knowledge to good use.

If you like this, also listen to :

More Fun in the New World - X
Siege [Drop Dead] - Siege
Trial - Verbal Assault


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.630 (10 votes) [Brad]
2. James - Laid : 6.842 (12 votes) [Zombeels]
3. Hood - Cold House : 6.830 (12 votes) [CupOfDreams]
4. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.400 (12 votes) [schaefer.tk]
5. Cybotron - Enter : 6.145 (11 votes) [Moonbeam]
6. MUNA - About U : 5.480 (10 votes) [votingbloc]
Last edited by spiritualized on Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Live in Phoenix
Full of Fire
Posts: 2502
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:50 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Live in Phoenix »

Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986)

4

I used to have this album. I don't know all of the band's history, but between this and Hang Time, it seems like they were aimless until their early '90s breakthrough.
User avatar
Holden
Never Going Back Again
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Holden »

7. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986)

5/10
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Brad »

spiritualized wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:28 pm(#1095 in the RYM Synthpop chart)
?
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Brad »

7. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986): 9.75

"Fifteen years later caught in time's incinerator
Yesterday's worries are today's
But the good times are so near just sitting back and drinking beer
You know I'm halfway down the road but I know that I still ain't there"


Ahhh, Soul Asylum... have truer words been sung?

I first heard these guys the night I first saw them - on tour promoting this album in a slot opening for Hüsker Dü at the legendary Elk's Club in Philadelphia. A blistering live act that truly rivalled the headliners that night (themselves promoting "Flip Your Wig"). Soul Asylum was pretty fantastic, if erratic, in their early years - I feel "Made To Be Broken" was easily the peak (forget that rubbish crap in the '90's, ugh runaway train alright). The production on this album (contrary to the reviewer quoted above) leaves a bit to be desired, in my opinion, but the songs here are scorchers - Can't Go Back, Never Really Been, Tied To The Tracks and the title track being personal faves - fucking rocking guitar interplay. Incidentally, saw them live a couple more times, including a show with the just-breaking-out Living Colour opening for Soul Asylum circa '89. Sad to see their post-grunge demise.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by spiritualized »

Brad wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:47 am
spiritualized wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:28 pm(#1095 in the RYM Synthpop chart)
?
Sorry ! Fixed !
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7330
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Rob »

I have not year heard Made to Be Broken, but it is already interesting to see read that they once were a very hard rocking band. I only knew them - inevitably - for Runaway Train, one of those songs that is still probably playing at one Dutch radio station all the time. For the first 20 years or so I was convinced that Runaway Train was a Bryan Adams song, so it will be interesting to hear them in another mode.
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Brad »

spiritualized wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:42 am
Brad wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:47 am
spiritualized wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:28 pm(#1095 in the RYM Synthpop chart)
?
Sorry ! Fixed !
Thanks spiritualized - I've seen some odd categorizations but this stuck out like a sore thumb!
Rob wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:49 amFor the first 20 years or so I was convinced that Runaway Train was a Bryan Adams song
Exactly! You may hate the album but I beg you to throw out any preconceived notions before hearing MTBB... (I blame it on the "Winona" factor...)
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3010
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Listyguy »

Made to Be Broken - 7/10

The Hüsker Dü makes almost too much sense, not just because Soul Asylum comes from the same area as them, but also because some of these tracks sound very much like Hüsker Dü tracks ("Can't Go Back" is probably the most obvious of them, but there's others as well). Overall a pretty solid album though.
User avatar
Live in Phoenix
Full of Fire
Posts: 2502
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:50 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Live in Phoenix »

Rob wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:49 am I was convinced that Runaway Train was a Bryan Adams song
I remember some radio DJ saying that Tom Petty was getting praise for that supposed new song of his, "Runaway Train."
User avatar
FrankLotion
Movin' On Up
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat May 05, 2018 9:15 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by FrankLotion »

7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken - 8/10

This was great! I personally liked the muddy production and the first thing I thought of listening to this was Tim-era Replacements so that AllMusic comparison is pretty accurate.

The songs really are scorchers, that was a fast and very enjoyable tracklist.

Favorite Tracks: Tied to the Tracks, Ship of Fools, Another World Another Day, Long Way Home, Lone Rider
User avatar
Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2377
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Schüttelbirne »

7. Soul Asylum | Made to Be Broken: 6/10

Highlights: "Tied to the Tracks", "Never Really Been", "Lone Rider"
User avatar
mileswide
Full of Fire
Posts: 2521
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 5:08 pm
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by mileswide »

Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken 6.2 (my #19 of 1986)

My highlights: Never Really Been, Ain't That Tough, Long Way Home

This month's highlights ranked:
Clear
Never Really Been
End of Desire
Ain't That Tough
Long Way Home
Cosmic Raindance
spiritualized wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:28 pm If you like this, also listen to :

More Fun in the New World - X
Siege [Drop Dead] - Siege
Trial - Verbal Assault
I've been meaning to ask, are these your own comparisons or do you get these from RYM?
All I got inside is vacancy!
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by spiritualized »

mileswide wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 3:28 pm
spiritualized wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:28 pm If you like this, also listen to :

More Fun in the New World - X
Siege [Drop Dead] - Siege
Trial - Verbal Assault
I've been meaning to ask, are these your own comparisons or do you get these from RYM?
It's from RYM - I wish I had the musical knowledge to suggest these !
User avatar
mileswide
Full of Fire
Posts: 2521
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 5:08 pm
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by mileswide »

spiritualized wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:23 pm It's from RYM - I wish I had the musical knowledge to suggest these !
I don't know, we can all see from the collage in your signature alone that you're a prolific consumer of music! I imagine you'll have picked albums with similar genre tags/descriptors as I'm not aware of a comparison function or similar on RYM.
All I got inside is vacancy!
User avatar
Honorio
Higher Ground
Posts: 4467
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Honorio »

7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken (1986) 5/10
ArcadeFire
Wannabe
Posts: 136
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by ArcadeFire »

7. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986)

7/10

Always felt Soul Asylum was underrepresented on AM. Hang Time and Grave Dancers Union received extensive plays on my boombox and are both solid and complete albums. I tuned out after being disappointed with Let Your Dim Light Shine which was a mess (exception being Misery). Made To Be Broken is a good release. A bit uneven, but some definite quality. Never Really Been is as good as any bubbling under from '86.
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7330
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by Rob »

Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken: 7

This is indeed not much like Runaway Train (I should add to my earlier post that I don't actually dislike that song, even if I don't consider it a favorite either). This is some fast punk music, with a dash of metal here and there. Nothing that is quite out of the ordinary for the genre, but it pretty fun to rock out to.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 7. Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken

Post by spiritualized »

Soul Asylum - Made to Be Broken : 6

Like many of us, I knew of Soul Asylum from their acclaimed singles and album, which I particularly disliked. They were affiliated with the grunge movement but didn't have the edge of Nirvana, Soundgarden or Mudhoney. They seemed to have "sold out" to make an ear-friendly record and lost much credibility with the lumberjack-shirt-wearing crowds.

This album is therefore a surprise as I had no idea that SA had a noticeable past. Sadly, it is far too influenced by Hüsker Dü and you can hear Bob Mould pretty much everywhere, save for the voice. It's not to say it's bad, far from it. The tunes are there to be enjoyed, the energy doesn't let up throughout the half hour. I bet they were really quite pleased with their innovative sound for 1986. Yet time has not favored them, it's aged pretty ungracefully. "Whoa!" rocks hard though.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by spiritualized »

Toni joins the fold with what a randominator which picks a bubbling-under album and seems to lean towards rock and its sub-genres ! Fine by me !

Image


8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006)
Nominated by Toni (#236)
Genre : Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival, Power Pop (#832 in the RYM Indie Rock chart)
Length : 13 tracks, 51 mins

AM ranking : Bubbling Under
Artist Ranking : Unranked
RYM ranking : #875 for 2006, unranked overall (586 ratings @ 3.34 / 5.0)
Metascore : 81
158.6k unique listeners and 1.3m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Standing on My Own Again / You & I



Biography (from Allmusic)

Thanks to his passion for experimental and indie music, Graham Coxon helped Blur explore other sounds once the Brit-pop craze faded. That adventurousness also propelled his solo career, which ranged from folk and Krautrock-inspired albums to soundtrack work.
Born in Germany to a clarinet player and bandleader in the British Army, Coxon moved around England as a boy. He eventually settled in Colchester, Essex, in South East England, where he met future Blur bandmate Damon Albarn at age 11. In 1989, Coxon, Albarn, and Alex James -- who Coxon met at London's Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College -- formed the band Seymour, which later became Blur at the behest of their record label. As Blur's Brit-pop-fueled success began to wane in the late '90s, Coxon's fondness for American indie acts like Pavement and Sonic Youth began to surface in singles such as "Song 2" -- which earned the band mainstream success in America -- and albums like 1997's Blur and 1999's 13.


A fan review
Spaceman2291 - Apr 17 2011

Love Travels at Illegal Speeds is a criminally underrated part of the Graham Coxon catalogue. His poise, focus, and confidence as a songwriter improve even further from the also excellent Happiness in Magazines. It goes beyond the almost perfunctory plaudits that I find for every piece of music that Coxon produces, however. I'm convinced that Graham Coxon is incapable of being boring. By 2006, he was well into his second decade on the music scene and all his work, whether solo with Blur, was spiked with so much pathos that it remained compelling in spite of its sometimes rougher edges.

The thing I like best about Love Travels at Illegal Speeds is the sound of Coxon's glorious Fender Telecaster screaming through the speakers. He's expanding here beyond a simple desire to write a collection of solid, guitar driven music. The jagged melodies that Coxon and Stephen Street produce are obviously part of a deliberate effort to capture a more raw feeling and it gives the album a welcome sense of continuum. If anything, Love Travels at Illegal Speeds proves that age has not mellowed Coxon. His long incubation period as the guitarist and muse of Damon Albarn shows in retrospect that his development as a songwriter had been delayed. Coxon's departure from Blur in 2003 was only act one. Good on him for finding a second wind. One hopes more reinventions and revelations will follow.

If you like this, also listen to :

Leaves Turn Inside You - Unwound
Down the River of Golden Dreams - Okkervil River
Hospice The Antlers


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.630 (10 votes) [Brad]
2. James - Laid : 6.842 (12 votes) [Zombeels]
3. Hood - Cold House : 6.830 (12 votes) [CupOfDreams]
4. Soul Asylum : Made To Be Broken : 6.450 (11 votes) [Brad]
5. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.400 (12 votes) [schaefer.tk]
6. Cybotron - Enter : 6.145 (11 votes) [Moonbeam]
7. MUNA - About U : 5.480 (10 votes) [votingbloc]
User avatar
Holden
Never Going Back Again
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Holden »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006)
Solid punk rock album. 8/10.
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3010
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Listyguy »

Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - 7/10

This is a pretty good collection of songs. "Standing on My Own Again" in particular really stood out to me. Coxon leans into garage rock and veers away from the Britpop sound that he made his name on with Blur, and I think it works out pretty well for him.
User avatar
Holden
Never Going Back Again
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Holden »

Holden wrote: Mon Dec 21, 2020 6:13 pm 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006)
Solid punk rock album. 8/10.
I'm going to bump this up to a 9. Thanks!
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
User avatar
Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2377
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Schüttelbirne »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds: 5/10

Highlight: "You Always Let Me Down"
User avatar
mileswide
Full of Fire
Posts: 2521
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 5:08 pm
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by mileswide »

Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds 7.2 (my #12 for 2006)

My highlights: You & I, I Don't Wanna Go out, Gimme Some Love, Flights to the Sea (Lovely Rain)

This month's highlights ranked:
Clear
Never Really Been
You & I
I Don't Wanna Go out
End of Desire
Ain't That Tough
Gimme Some Love
Flights to the Sea (Lovely Rain)
Long Way Home
Cosmic Raindance
All I got inside is vacancy!
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Brad »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds: 5.75

Thanks!
User avatar
VacantJoy
Leader of the Pack
Posts: 10913
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by VacantJoy »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds


5
DONATIONS TOWARDS ME -> https://revolut.me/anastagf0s
User avatar
Honorio
Higher Ground
Posts: 4467
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by Honorio »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006) 7/10
User avatar
FrankLotion
Movin' On Up
Posts: 836
Joined: Sat May 05, 2018 9:15 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by FrankLotion »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - 7/10

This forum has great taste! This is yet another enjoyable album that I wouldn't have discovered without this thread.

I hadn't really heard any of Blur's solo work other than Damon Albarn and while this isn't quite as adventurous as anything from Gorillaz or Blur his voice covers a similar range with great effect and that guitar sounds awesome throughout the entire thing. I'll agree that Standing on My Own Again was particularly good but Gimme Some Love and Flights to the Sea (Lovely Rain) also stood out for being the most exciting and pretty tracks respecitively.

Favorite Tracks: Standing on My Own Again, I Can't Look at Your Skin, Just a State of Mind, Gimme Some Love, Flights to the Sea (Lovely Rain)
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds

Post by spiritualized »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds - 9/10

Wow ! what a catch this album turns out to be !
I really quite appreciated his previous record, Happiness in Magazines, but this follow up takes the cake. Coxon is responsible for penning the lyrics of one of my favourite Blur song, "Coffee and TV" and this album is an extension of the musical genius that the aforementioned song is, albeit with a sharper edge.
Mr Coxon loves his guitar and loves tunes. Moving from guitar wallsounds in the first song to hard rocking solos in the second, he nonetheless never loses sight of the value of a good musical theme, which makes this album so catchy with its first spin. First on the line of catchy-as-hell songs : "You & I" and "I Don't Wanna Go Out", both upbeat stormers.
Coxon's voice is perhaps not as easy on the ear as Albarn's, but he seems to have found the right niche to express his rock'n'roll attitude.

Best find of the game so far and quintessentially English as a bonus.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by spiritualized »

The randominator has favored BRAD again with a Rush album, Fly By Night
Is Brad the Hymie/Zombeels of the Album version of Biggest Fan ?

Image



9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975)
Nominated by Brad (#480)
Genre : Hard Rock, Progressive Rock (#929 in the RYM Prog Rock chart)
Length : 8 tracks, 37:38 mins

AM ranking : Unranked
Artist Ranking : #385
RYM ranking : #421 for 1975, unranked overall (5100 ratings @ 3.50 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
182.8k unique listeners and 2m scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Fly By Night / Anthem



Biography (from Allmusic)

Over four-plus decades, Canadian power trio Rush (bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart) became one of rock's most celebrated and enduring bands. Rush garnered a large and devoted following among hard rock, heavy metal, and prog audiences almost from the beginning. They sold over 40 million records and were nominated for seven Grammys between 1981-2010; they also netted 25 gold and/or platinum albums, and all but three entered the upper half of the Top 200. After 1981's chart-topping Moving Pictures, they began a seven-year period where their recorded sound was dominated by Lee's synth playing, which culminated on 1989's Presto. During the '90s, they shifted toward a hooky and radio-friendly brand of hard rock, best exemplified by 1996's Test for Echo. During their final period, they delivered studio offerings that fused heavy and prog in new ways; the last was 2012's conceptual Clockwork Angels. Rush amicably split in 2015 after Peart decided to retire from touring. He died from brain cancer in early 2020.


A fan review
symbolsshatter - Aug 16 2019

There is only one Rush album that I actively dislike, which is their debut. They hadn't found their identity yet, and were still floundering as a B-list mid-70s hard rock act. The transformation they had undergone by the time of second album Fly By Night is therefore all the more remarkable. The addition of Neil Peart as drummer and primary lyricist changed not only Rush's career, but rock history (the man's influence on drumming being legendary). Fly By Night adds a heap of nuance to what Rush were doing on the debut, with hints at the sophisticated progressive rock that would follow on their subsequent albums. 'Anthem', 'Best I Can' and 'Beneath, Between and Behind' are ostensibly hard rock, occasionally bluesy, tracks like those on Rush's debut, but the instrumental parts are that much more intricate and interesting, the band a much more powerful, cohesive unit. By-tor and the Snow Dog is their first foray into extended-play narrative prog rock. It's immature compared with what would follow on later albums, but marks the beginning of a significant part of the band's identity in the 70s. Side two contains the title track, one of their catchiest and most radio-friendly creations, along with the almost folk-rock 'Making Memories' and hard rock closer 'In the End', which doesn't quite deliver on its epic vision. Nestled between these is an oddity, 'Rivendell', which is one of the more maligned tracks in Rush's catalogue. I have a soft spot for it, as it's such an unusual song. Extremely hushed, gently picked folk rock with ambient (I think reversed) guitar swells and Tolkien-inspired lyrics... I can see what they were going for, but it is a bit overlong for what it is, and on paper a Rush song called 'Rivendell' sounds way more promising than the reality turns out to be. The lyrics throughout the album often touch on freedom and the Randian obsession with individuality. Neil Peart's libertarian leanings were way over my head as a teenager getting into this album, but as an older and wiser listener it's quite amusing. Peart emerged as a much more compassionate and sensitive lyricist on later albums, and I read somewhere Rush were embarrassed by the Ayn Rand-inspired stuff they did in the 70s. For me, it just adds to the geeky charm of 70s prog – I mean is there any political leaning less fashionable than libertarianism in rock circles? This was actually one of the last Rush albums I heard in my major Rush exploration phase. It never ranked among my favourites of theirs, but it's one I can go back to and appreciate as a stepping stone to greater things in Rush's canon.

If you like this, also listen to :

Sabotage - Black Sabbath
Stray - Stray
Harvest Time - Elonkorjuu


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.480 (10 votes) [Brad]
2. James - Laid : 6.842 (12 votes) [Zombeels]
3. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.833 (9 votes) [Toni]
3. Hood - Cold House : 6.830 (12 votes) [CupOfDreams]
4. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.400 (12 votes) [schaefer.tk]
5. Soul Asylum : Made To Be Broken : 6.336 (11 votes) [Brad]
6. Cybotron - Enter : 6.145 (11 votes) [Moonbeam]
7. MUNA - About U : 5.480 (10 votes) [votingbloc]
Last edited by spiritualized on Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Madzong
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1476
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:36 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Madzong »

9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975) 8
"On a mountain range, I'm Dr. Strange"
User avatar
Holden
Never Going Back Again
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Holden »

9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975)

Definitely a Rush album, but not really a great one. 6/10. But dang, these first nine have been an amazing set!
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
User avatar
VacantJoy
Leader of the Pack
Posts: 10913
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by VacantJoy »

Rush - Fly By Night (1975)

5
DONATIONS TOWARDS ME -> https://revolut.me/anastagf0s
User avatar
Listyguy
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3010
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:34 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Listyguy »

Fly by Night - 6/10

"Fly by Night" is one of my favorite Rush songs, but most of the other songs on the album don't really back it up in terms of quality. The album's progressive centerpiece, "By-Tor & the Snow Dog," is a good representation of the album as a whole. It's got some good moments, but is also wildly inconsistent.
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Brad »

9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975): 8.25
Love 'em or hate 'em we can all agree they got better in succeeding years, but what can't be denied - even in these early songs - is the supreme musicianship of these three guys. I love this album (except Rivendell), but I was weened on their early stuff as I drifted from middle to high school... it meant a lot to me in my formative years, and that kind of thing goes a long way.

I'd also like to adjust the scores of my other two previous nominations, as I've adjusted my scale to be more normalized:
Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 8.25
Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken: 8.5

Thank you!
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3477
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by DaveC »

6. MUNA - About U (2017): 4/10

Favourite track: End of Desire
Least favourite track: If U Love Me Now

Again not my genre and I also find the singer's vocal inflections off-putting.


7. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken (1986): 5/10

Favourite track: Can't Go Back
Least favourite track: Ain't That Tough

I feel that they could have spent a little longer crafting and refining these songs. Most probably this rawness is what fans appreciate.
User avatar
mileswide
Full of Fire
Posts: 2521
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 5:08 pm
Location: Nottingham, England

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by mileswide »

Rush - Fly by Night 5.9 (my #30 for 1975)

My highlights: In the End, Best I Can

Were more of the album to sound like the barnstorming highlights in place of the 'rational selfishness' of Anthem and the limp Rivendell, I'd put it on the level of A Farewell to Kings, if not quite Moving Pictures-standard.
All I got inside is vacancy!
User avatar
Schüttelbirne
Into the Groove
Posts: 2377
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 9:50 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Schüttelbirne »

9. Rush | Fly by Night: 6/10

Highlights: "Rivendell", "In the End", "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by spiritualized »

8. Rush - Fly by Night - 5

I never really got into Rush, ever.
The music is fine and as Brad says, technically impressive. I could really get into them, were it not for the voice. Terrible, terrible singing, far too operatic and feeling forced, the same feeling that makes me abhorr hard/glam rock and avoid the genre like the plague. You can definitely hear an attempt to reproduce Robert Plant's wailing - but failing.

As for Prog Rock, I am currently listening to Yes - and I found them far more to my liking.
User avatar
Honorio
Higher Ground
Posts: 4467
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:38 am
Location: L'Eliana, Valencia, Spain

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Honorio »

9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975) 4/10
Sorry, Brad...
Brad
Higher Ground
Posts: 4712
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:38 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by Brad »

Honorio wrote: Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:05 pm 9. Rush - Fly By Night (1975) 4/10
Sorry, Brad...
lol no problem - I think you're being generous with a 4!
DaveC
Running Up That Hill
Posts: 3477
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:04 am

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 9. Rush - Fly By Night

Post by DaveC »

8. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006): 6/10

Favourite track: Standing on My Own Again
Least favourite track: What's He Got?

The first half of the album is really enjoyable, but the second half brings it down.
User avatar
spiritualized
Full of Fire
Posts: 2848
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:45 pm
Location: Near Montpellier, France

Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 10. Pretty Things - Parachute

Post by spiritualized »

For the 10th entry, Zombeels joins the fold of the nominators chosen by random, with a classic from the 70s, very much treasured by its nominator and by RYM voters with a record 3.81 rating. (The) Pretty Things are also one of longest-standing act ever with 58 years since their formation !

Image

10. Pretty Things - Parachute (1970)
Nominated by Zombeels (#32)
Genre : Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Progressive Pop (#70 in the RYM Prog Rock chart)
Length : 13 tracks, 40:37 mins

AM ranking : Bubbling Under
Artist Ranking : #921
RYM ranking : #50 for 1970, #2200 overall (1883 ratings @ 3.81 / 5.0)
Metascore : N/A
73.8k unique listeners and 450.3k scrobbles on last.fm

Choice cuts : Grass / She's a Lover



Biography (from Allmusic)

Musically, the Pretty Things were one of the toughest and most celebrated artists to rise from the Beat/British Invasion era, and among the very best British R&B bands of the '60s. Commercially, they were often seen as also-rans, more talked about than listened to, especially outside Great Britain, since many of their most important albums were never released elsewhere until decades after the fact. Their cult was drawn to either their vicious early records, where they sometimes seemed like a meaner version of the Rolling Stones, or to their 1968 psychedelic touchstone S.F. Sorrow. At first, the Pretty Things seemed like rivals to the Rolling Stones, and that was no great leap: guitarist Dick Taylor played bass in the first incarnation of the Stones before teaming with Phil May to form the Pretties in 1963. Taking their name from a Bo Diddley song, the Pretty Things were intentionally ugly: their sound was brutish, their hair longer than any of their contemporaries, their look unkempt. Their first two singles, "Rosalyn" and "Don't Bring Me Down," charted in 1964, and their eponymous debut LP made the U.K. Top Ten a year later, but that turned out to be the peak of their commercial success. The Pretty Things may not have shown up on the charts, but their cult proved to be influential: it's been said S.F. Sorrow inspired Pete Townshend to write Tommy for the Who, and David Bowie covered both "Rosalyn" and "Don't Bring Me Down" for his 1973 album Pin Ups. The Pretty Things were survivors, soldiering on through the '70s, turning into a harder, heavier outfit that was rewarded with minor U.S. success (1974's Silk Torpedo and 1976's Savage Eye made the lower reaches of the charts), and they cut a credible new wave album, Cross Talk, in 1980. The Pretty Things split not long afterward, but their cult remained strong and they became a semi-active concern at the beginning of the new millennium, reuniting periodically for tours and recordings. Their first two albums, 1965's The Pretty Things and Get the Picture?, are the high points of their R&B period; 1968's S.F. Sorrow is their psychedelic touchstone; 1970's Parachute is an ambitious mix of psychedelia, pop, and hard rock; 1999's Rage... Before Beauty was a comeback effort that showed they could still rock credibly; and 2020's Bare as Bone, Bright as Blood was a bluesy acoustic effort that found them exploring new ideas up to the very end.


A fan review
psychlove - Apr 18 2018

This is the kind of album that shows it's quality gradually over repeated listens. It can sound uninteresting on first listen if one is coming in to it directly off the back of S.F. Sorrow, but the melodies the album unveils over time make this one a close contender with Sorrow for best album. Also there's just something about the cover of this one, I don't quite know what it is but it's a perfect representation of the album and one of my favourite album artwork's ever.

"Scene One" starts things off with a repetitive driving beat straight in to the medley of songs that make up the first portion of the album "The Good Mr Square" like a lot of the album is soft and mellow and has absolutely golden vocal melodies and harmonies. "She Was Tall, She Was High" is a highlight of the album with a very catchy chorus and "In The Square" is an acoustic piece that again shows the bands new found love for creating perfect vocal harmonies. "Miss Fay Regrets" is as high tempo as the A side gets and "Cries From The Midnight Circus" ends side A with it's dark as all hell acid demented groove.

"Grass" kicks off side A brilliantly with it's tremendous lyrics, awesome groove, brilliant vocal melodies and guitar touches. "Sickle Clowns" similarly to "Cries From The Midnight Circus" brings back that dark acid demented groove as May delivers a pretty sensational vocal performance. "She's A Lover" has some of the best vocal melodies and harmonies you will ever hear, when the "There beneath the grey stone wall" vocal section comes in it has to be one of the most beautiful moments in rock history.
"What's The Use" starts off with equally beautiful piano and the repeated "What's The Use" vocal refrain just sounds so defeated in the most glorious way.

"Parachute" ends the album with the trippiest sound yet that seems to hit every single sound frequency. In fact the last 30 seconds of the album excluded the whole album manages to sound psychedelic without ever really sounding trippy if that makes any sense, It's just beautiful vocal melodies and harmonies and the atmospheres the band manage to evoke. This is the burnt out sister of S.F Sorrow and cements The Pretty Things as one of the all time great psych bands.

If you like this, also listen to :

Absolutely Free - The Mothers of Invention
The Gospel According to Zeus - Power of Zeus
For Fox Sake - The Fox


A reminder of the current standings (remember, you can vote or change your vote anytime)


1. Toy Love - Toy Love EP : 7.480 (10 votes) [Brad]
2. James - Laid : 6.842 (12) [Zombeels]
3. Hood - Cold House : 6.830 (12) [CupOfDreams]
4. Graham Coxon - Love Travels at Illegal Speeds : 6.750 (10) [Toni]
5. KRS-One - KRS-One : 6.400 (12) [schaefer.tk]
6. Soul Asylum - Made To Be Broken : 6.225 (12) [Brad]
7. Cybotron - Enter : 6.145 (11) [Moonbeam]
8. Rush - Fly By Night : 6.017 (9) [Brad]
9. MUNA - About U : 5.345 (11) [votingbloc]
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7330
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 10. Pretty Things - Parachute

Post by Rob »

The Christmas and New Year weeks are never great for album listening. So I'm behind. Here are my ratings for the two I missed the previous weeks.

Graham Coxon – Love Travels At Illegal Speeds: 6

The name Graham Coxon didn’t ring a bell, but now I’m being told he was the secret genius behind much of Blur’s recordings. Now I have never thought there was something especially genius about Blur, so that might be the reason I can’t name any of their members besides Damon Albarn. Love Travels at Illegal Speeds actually reminds me a bit of Blur in that it is both proficient and a little to non-committal. There is little that sticks around for me; just another indie rock album with a slight garage bend here and there. A few songs here are really good – I Can’t Look at Your Skin, You & I and See a Better Day -, but much of it is rather forgettable to me. Coxon’s voice really reminds of Alex Turner’s every now and then, so I sometimes felt I was listening to a slowed-down Arctic Monkeys album.

Rush – Fly By Night: 6
Ah yes, Rush. Actually, I feel like I have already once written something about Rush with the words ‘Ah yes, Rush’, but it seems so fitting for them. What other act walks that fine line between the brilliant and the cheesy with such finesse? I don’t like everything they did, but their best work is absolutely amusing that I don’t care it is about the least fashionable thing these days. And yes, I even include Geddy Lee’s vocals among the amusing parts of this band. This album though, doesn’t really captures them at their best, but I’m not the only one who sees it as a primer of things to come. It seems too beholden by Led Zeppelin yet, all down to a Lord of the Rings inspired song: Rivendell (which sadly reveals that Geddy Lee’s voice is not suited for singing in a more subdued and tender range). It’s a mixed bag for sure, but it has it’s moment and the title track is quite great. Owls are probably my favorite animals, by the way.
User avatar
Holden
Never Going Back Again
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:06 pm

Re: Biggest Fan - The Album Edition - 10. Pretty Things - Parachute

Post by Holden »

Pretty Things - Parachute (1970)
7/10
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
Post Reply

Return to “Music, Music, Music...”