(Update)- I have added the official music video for "Monarchy of Roses"
Hello everyone, I have moved my operations back to Blogger because it is messy to have a lot of unused sites across the web that I don't have time for. Anyways, all of my critiques, requests, and blogs are now on this blog. I will also be following my schedule for the Salem State Log on the paper. Anyways, here my review for RHCP's new album:
Five years after the Red Hot Chili Peppers released “Stadium Arcadium” and two years after guitarist John Frusciante left RHCP many fans have wondered: could the band survive without Frusciante? The answer is a resounding yes. To those on Youtube who say he is "no good," Josh Klinghoffer is skilled as a rhythm guitarist who is also proficient with piano and clear high ranged backing vocals. Klinghoffer brings something new to the group that Frusciante did not.
“I’m With You” is a versatile album meant as a tribute to Autobiographer and long time friend Brendan Mullen. The album starts off very funky being reminiscent of the best disco standards of the 70s slowly becoming darker revolving around having happiness, loosing it, and then getting happy again with light hearted dance songs.
The songs that are the most memorable include “Factory of Faith” for the catchy dirty funk bass line from Flea and the repeating but enjoyable beat set by drummer Chad Smith making the song very dance worthy. “Annie Wants a Baby” is a memorable funk rock song as the bass is steady and Smith emerges as the champion on this track with very energetic drumming through out the song. “Look Around” sounds like a more modern take on the tracks from the 1991 album “Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic” with classic RHCP slap bass and rock guitar riffs playing and determined vocals from singer Anthony Kiedis proving that though the band members are all nearing 50 they’ve still got it!
The blander tracks are “Rain Dance Maggie” and “Ethiopia” because they both sound repetitive and are lacking the punch and excitement of the other songs on the album. The remainder of the songs proves that Kiedis still has a healthy high range and sincere voice. Klinghoffer brings in a unique sound. While Smith and Flea prove themselves the driving force behind the group on all of the songs with their complex and noticeable playing.
“I’m With You” proves to be an interesting part of RHCPs long history where some songs act as throwbacks to their past eras while others represent a completely new direction of either lively funk music or distinctive piano ballads such as “Police Station” which proves that the Red Hot Chili Peppers have the ability to create fresh sounds and remain relevant no matter what year they release music in. *****
Raindance Maggie Official Music Video:
Monarchy of Roses Official Music Video:
Monday, October 31, 2011
21 by Adele Review
Hello everyone, I was going to review "Time Pieces" by Eric Clapton but I have decided to do something more current since I am writing for my school news paper now. Here is my review of "21" by Adele:
The album "21" has many powerful emotions and soulful singing and is a far cry from songs about partying and dancing, this album was written about Adele losing her lover, going through heartbreak, and finally finding a new lover.
“Rolling in the Deep” is strong for the nicely paced buildup and the dominant vocals during the chorus. “Set Fire to the Rain” has sheer intensity of raw disgust and anger from Adele at her ex-lover. “I’ll be Waiting” is very catchy for its Motown/ Soul style playing and singing reminiscent of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
“He Won’t Go” seems weak because the first half is repetitive and the song drags on because of it. “Take It All” has great emoting of frustration but pace seems slower than it should be and it does not build to a climax. “Love Song” when compared to the original song by The Cure is noticeably lacking in energy and just comes off as boring. However, the remaining tracks are worth a listen through.
“21” is not for partygoers and rap fans, but definitely for people looking for something different with compelling lyrics and real emotions. Despite not having every track be an epic masterpiece, Adele has powerful lyrics and an old-school style of singing, which does justice to the best hits of past decades. It is also refreshing that she does not have to rely on auto-tune but rather on her vocal talent. Lastly, some songs may have sounded dry and the production was a bit hollow sounding, but overall this album is very enjoyable and well written. ****
Rolling in the Deep Music Video:
Someone Like You Live in Adele's Home:
Set Fire to the Rain Unofficial Video:
The album "21" has many powerful emotions and soulful singing and is a far cry from songs about partying and dancing, this album was written about Adele losing her lover, going through heartbreak, and finally finding a new lover.
“Rolling in the Deep” is strong for the nicely paced buildup and the dominant vocals during the chorus. “Set Fire to the Rain” has sheer intensity of raw disgust and anger from Adele at her ex-lover. “I’ll be Waiting” is very catchy for its Motown/ Soul style playing and singing reminiscent of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
“He Won’t Go” seems weak because the first half is repetitive and the song drags on because of it. “Take It All” has great emoting of frustration but pace seems slower than it should be and it does not build to a climax. “Love Song” when compared to the original song by The Cure is noticeably lacking in energy and just comes off as boring. However, the remaining tracks are worth a listen through.
“21” is not for partygoers and rap fans, but definitely for people looking for something different with compelling lyrics and real emotions. Despite not having every track be an epic masterpiece, Adele has powerful lyrics and an old-school style of singing, which does justice to the best hits of past decades. It is also refreshing that she does not have to rely on auto-tune but rather on her vocal talent. Lastly, some songs may have sounded dry and the production was a bit hollow sounding, but overall this album is very enjoyable and well written. ****
Rolling in the Deep Music Video:
Someone Like You Live in Adele's Home:
Set Fire to the Rain Unofficial Video:
Ke$ha- "Cannibal"
Sorry for taking so long with this, Ke$ha's last album traumatized me so bad I got a wicked cold. However, she also helped me realize that I can laugh at my problems to help get over them, so I thank Ke$ha for that at least. Okay, this is going to be my last Ke$ha review since I don't review remix albums. The only thing I expect to find here is that songs will probably be less obnoxious and perhaps a tad boring at times. Since it has been two months and I've reviewed Quadrophenia, I will be more calm this time around.
Title: Cannibal
Year:2010
Genre: Pop, Rap, Techno
Artist(s): Ke$ha
Copyright: © MCA Records 2010, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment
Songs:
The songs I would say are bad are "We R Who We R" and "Sleazy" because the first sounds too much like the leftovers of the singles from Animal and the second reminds too much of the Black Eyed Peas mixed with Nicki Minaj in the repeated phrase of "Sleazy" and the drum beat, though the latter has a pretty funny pun. The decent songs are "Blow", "Cannibal", and "Beautiful Crazy Life." The first two because though it is repetitive it has a pretty enjoyable beat and the singing is better than the previous album, though I could do without the Jeffery Dahmer reference in "Cannibal." The third has okay music to it, but the reason I call it decent is are the lyrics are simple and true, I can't fault her for living her life the way she wants, but I will also say it is easy to see that she hated being a waitress with her f**k you attitude she sings with. The good songs are "The Harold song", "C U Next Tuesday", "Animal (Billboard Remix)" and "Grow a Pair." I say these are good because they are pretty or very funny and have some good lyric writing behind them. "The Harold Song" is like "Hungover" part two in that she is heart broken, but the music is well arranged in that it actually sounds pretty, sadly the backing vocals howl a bit too much though. "C U etc." is a pun within it's self but has a deepened meaning to it and also sounds very pretty aside from the synth vocals towards the end. "Grow a Pair" is pretty funny and well arranged for the topic of a whiny ex-boyfriend of hers, and though some vocals suck, they are fairly on pitch. It is also nice to hear her direct her frustrations to one dude and not all of them. Lastly, the "Animal" remix was better arranged than the original including the vocals aside from the muddy sounding bass.
Audio Mixing:
Varried. Sometimes the bass is too muddy, other times it is pretty clear. Overall for a digital pop EP it is very warm sounding similar to her first album. And yes, it may be auto tuned, but at least she didn't sound like a robot vocalist the ENTIRE time.
Singing:
The singing was better than the previous album with Ke$ha being a little less pitchy, though I'd say she still has a ways to go before she can be spot on all the time. The ending of "Hank's Song" was very well done with Ke$ha harmonizing with her self in six voices. However, I'm still not a fan of her voice when she raps.
Instrumentation:
Very basic, but more technical than before with more fluid synthesizer playing that also didn't steal all the attention. Plus there was bass guitar at parts, so that was nice. Overall, basic but the songs flowed better than before.
Lyrics:
The lyrics vary in subject from partying and drinking with sex, to cannibalism, to living life, breaking up, and sticking it to "douchebag" and whiny guys. The lyrics are only vague, but are otherwise clear. What really stuck out to me though was "C U Next Tuesday" where Ke$ha dumped her then lover for cheating on his actaul girlfriend with her. The lyrics are ok, an improvement from before as it was a nice break form her normal "guys suck" routine.
What I didn't like:
The songs I said were bad.
What I did like:
How the themes were a little more human and funny, and most of the music a bit more consonant sounding than before.
Who would enjoy this EP:
Some Ke$ha skeptics, anyone without perfect pitch which I mean in a serious way, people with bad breakups or bad ex boyfriends/girlfriends. Also, her fans that didn't fit that last target demographic.
Overall: An improvement from before in most ways minus the slight copying of artists and the leftovers from Animal. This is the first time I will give Ke$ha credit for her song writing abilities, and the last time I will be reviewing her stuff, even if she releases more albums.
Rating: ***
If this album would have gotten one star I would have posted the "Cars for Kids Drunk Version" song, but I'm going to post the videos of the singles. Brace your self, "Blow" is a weird video.
"Blow" Official Music Video:
"We R Who We R" Official Music Video:
Title: Cannibal
Year:2010
Genre: Pop, Rap, Techno
Artist(s): Ke$ha
Copyright: © MCA Records 2010, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment
Songs:
The songs I would say are bad are "We R Who We R" and "Sleazy" because the first sounds too much like the leftovers of the singles from Animal and the second reminds too much of the Black Eyed Peas mixed with Nicki Minaj in the repeated phrase of "Sleazy" and the drum beat, though the latter has a pretty funny pun. The decent songs are "Blow", "Cannibal", and "Beautiful Crazy Life." The first two because though it is repetitive it has a pretty enjoyable beat and the singing is better than the previous album, though I could do without the Jeffery Dahmer reference in "Cannibal." The third has okay music to it, but the reason I call it decent is are the lyrics are simple and true, I can't fault her for living her life the way she wants, but I will also say it is easy to see that she hated being a waitress with her f**k you attitude she sings with. The good songs are "The Harold song", "C U Next Tuesday", "Animal (Billboard Remix)" and "Grow a Pair." I say these are good because they are pretty or very funny and have some good lyric writing behind them. "The Harold Song" is like "Hungover" part two in that she is heart broken, but the music is well arranged in that it actually sounds pretty, sadly the backing vocals howl a bit too much though. "C U etc." is a pun within it's self but has a deepened meaning to it and also sounds very pretty aside from the synth vocals towards the end. "Grow a Pair" is pretty funny and well arranged for the topic of a whiny ex-boyfriend of hers, and though some vocals suck, they are fairly on pitch. It is also nice to hear her direct her frustrations to one dude and not all of them. Lastly, the "Animal" remix was better arranged than the original including the vocals aside from the muddy sounding bass.
Audio Mixing:
Varried. Sometimes the bass is too muddy, other times it is pretty clear. Overall for a digital pop EP it is very warm sounding similar to her first album. And yes, it may be auto tuned, but at least she didn't sound like a robot vocalist the ENTIRE time.
Singing:
The singing was better than the previous album with Ke$ha being a little less pitchy, though I'd say she still has a ways to go before she can be spot on all the time. The ending of "Hank's Song" was very well done with Ke$ha harmonizing with her self in six voices. However, I'm still not a fan of her voice when she raps.
Instrumentation:
Very basic, but more technical than before with more fluid synthesizer playing that also didn't steal all the attention. Plus there was bass guitar at parts, so that was nice. Overall, basic but the songs flowed better than before.
Lyrics:
The lyrics vary in subject from partying and drinking with sex, to cannibalism, to living life, breaking up, and sticking it to "douchebag" and whiny guys. The lyrics are only vague, but are otherwise clear. What really stuck out to me though was "C U Next Tuesday" where Ke$ha dumped her then lover for cheating on his actaul girlfriend with her. The lyrics are ok, an improvement from before as it was a nice break form her normal "guys suck" routine.
What I didn't like:
The songs I said were bad.
What I did like:
How the themes were a little more human and funny, and most of the music a bit more consonant sounding than before.
Who would enjoy this EP:
Some Ke$ha skeptics, anyone without perfect pitch which I mean in a serious way, people with bad breakups or bad ex boyfriends/girlfriends. Also, her fans that didn't fit that last target demographic.
Overall: An improvement from before in most ways minus the slight copying of artists and the leftovers from Animal. This is the first time I will give Ke$ha credit for her song writing abilities, and the last time I will be reviewing her stuff, even if she releases more albums.
Rating: ***
If this album would have gotten one star I would have posted the "Cars for Kids Drunk Version" song, but I'm going to post the videos of the singles. Brace your self, "Blow" is a weird video.
"Blow" Official Music Video:
"We R Who We R" Official Music Video:
Special Request- Quadrophenia Disc 2 by The Who
Hello Again everyone, I am sorry if my last blog came off as preachy, I was simply expressing my views. Anyways, here I am on disc two of this Meta album. Since I got some of the lyrics wrong last time I will be paraphrasing meanings off of Wikipedia. This is also going to be the last review where I do the song by song breakdown, rather I will be making each section one paragraph each. Anyways, let's get down to this almost forgotten classic album.
Title: Quadrophenia
Year: 1972
Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Rock Opera
Artist(s): The Who
Record Label: 1978 Track/M.C.A. Records US Release
Songs:
1. 5:15-
The song opens on guitar and piano and with Paige on vocals. The song soon opens into a full on bluesy brass section with exciting piano and Daltry taking over for the vocals. Jimmy is on a train headed for Brighton, and he is sitting between two "city gents" who are consuming mass amounts amphetamines. Jimmy has been popping the bennys to pass them time and he is going through phases of feeling high and then crashing down from them. To show that Jimmy is taking bennys they constantly switch form a relaxed with the piano and guitar feel to an excited fell with the rest of the band and the brass section. What makes this song special is how nicely they do the switch of feeling high and the drugs crashing down on Jimmy, how real the emoting from both singers is, and the beautiful guitar playing by Paige. Overall, a very interesting piece in how they show Jimmy's struggle and crashing down and getting high again. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Sea and Sand-
The song opens on the sound of Seagulls and then on a very sad soundign guitar playing with Daltry on vocals, then breaks into the Who's typical bluesy rock during the chorus and Paige singing. Jimmy's mood at first is heightened to be in Brighton, but he later realizes that the Mod scene is falling apart and he feels like he is living in the past. There is another switch in calm and excited, until we get a double triple mini solo from the band with Daltry narrating in the background during the song's climax. What makes this song interesting is how well they balanced all of the moods of Jimmy musically. Overall, a very sad but beautiful and exciting piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Drowned-
This song has a strong gospel feel at the begging thanks to the organ and has Daltry. Jimmy is contemplating killing himself by drowning in the ocean because he has nothing in the present. The song sounds happier when Jimmy wants to become one with the sea, and when he is in the water the music mellows out. Through a lot of jamming and variation, when the song finally ends Jimmy fails to drown himself and the band has a powerful jam session until we hear the sounds of the ocean and Jimmy talking to himself walking off. What makes this song interesting is the fact that The Who wrote a suicide song that sounds happy rather than sad. Overall, a powerful and exciting piece but tends to drag on a bit. 4 out of 5 stars.
4. Bell Boy-
The song opens on very energetic drums by Moon, followed by guitar and synthesizer and Daltry on vocals. Jimmy enters the Brighton hotel that the Mods tore up earlier, and he meets a former Ace Face who is now the Bell Boy at the hotel. The Ace Face looks down on Jimmy with pity and contempt. They have an argument with Jimmy saying the Ace Face has sold out, but Bass-Face hasn't =D, jk. Jimmy now feels no place in the mod life style. The song then goes into a mini guitar solo, followed by Moon speaking as the Mod in what Wikipedia says is a "cartoonish Cockney accent", but later on Moon sings and talks in his normal voice and the "Bell Boy" lyrical theme is often repeated, then more palying with Daltry, and towards the end Moon speaks in the accent again and the band continues to play as the song fades. What makes this song interesting is Moon's recititive as the Bell Boy personality and the Ace Face, the energetic drum and guitar playing, the fact that Entwistle played support again rather than his normal lead style. Overall, a very enjoyable piece that also shows more fustration in Jimmy's life. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Doctor Jimmy-
On the opening we hear synthesizer, violin, and drums. Daltry sings the vocals emphasizing the darkness of the lyrics. Jimmy is now doing drugs out the ass, and is now arguing with himself saying he should get checked out. This song is a loose reference to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, which ties in with the multiple personality disorder theme. The song gets progressively quicker and more dire in tonality as it goes on, while sounding happy during the chorus. There is also a long instrumental section that ends with the "is it me" theme from disc one. There is a switch from happy, to dire, to triumphant in the song, and for the rest of the song we see variations such as these, four minutes worth. The song ends on piano and synthesizer playing together in unison and fades into the next song. Overall, this is a long piece but the who definitely made it interesting and complex enough for it not to drag on, it is also an interesting reference to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. The Rock-
This piece is all instrumental, and is one of the most complex that Townshend ever wrote. Jimmy has stolen a boat because he is high and depressed, and he eventually falls asleep on the ocean only to wake up and see the boat has drifted away. All of the instruments are pretty much going all out with changes in theme and time signature. The song is tying together all four of the lyrical themes, and the guitar is playing a very noticeable solo as this is the first time I've really heard Townshend do a few crazy guitar solos as I have yet to hear their full discography and this album was requested to me from a friend, he he he. Anyways, the end of the track is very mesmerizing and beautiful and closes on thunder and lightning fading into the next song. The entire track is what's interesting about this song. Overall, a masterpiece in how it sounds beautiful and how it ties all the themes together. 6 out of 5 stars.
7. Love, Reign O'er Me-
The song opens up on the best piano playing of the album as their is real soul to it, and going along with the piano are gongs and ceremonial drums. Daltry eventually enters with the synthesizer with a very beautiful melody to them. Jimmy is stranded on the island and a storm is raging over him, but as the storm rages he gets an epiphany. He is not the four personalities that he always feuded with, but rather he is himself. As the song continues we get to hear the bass and piano supporting Daltry and Townshend trading parts on guitar and vocals. We get to hear very dedicated solos from Townshend in the track towards the end. The song slowly breaks down into a single chord form a brass qaurtet and the guitar stopping with the drums as the album closes. What makes this song interesting is how triumphantly beautiful it is. Overall, just a wonderfl track with a great message: just be your self. 5 out of 5 stars.
Instrumentation:
Well, very complex. This album is probably the most complex ever written by The Who, as such they eventually stopped playing it in the mid 70s because it was a pain to perform live.The drums, guitar, bass, and vocals either have a lead part or act for support. The synthesizer and piano trade off playing melodies and chords, and Entwhistle wrote the brass section in the role of the rhythm guitar playing mostly chords at the right times. There are many time signature changes, and maybe a few key changes here in the in the final tracks. The instrumentation is very solid and worth listening as it switches form rock opera, to country, and The Who's signature sound.
Production:
The album was very well mixed, it was a tad dry but you can still hear everything clearly. I blame this more on the analog to digital conversion, also since I lack Quadrophonic speakers I can't really tell how it was 'supposed' to be heard. But the digital sound isn't bad.
Singing:
The singing is what conveys the story, and I like how Daltry and Townshend switch off, and let's not forget Moon's shining moment in "Bell Boy" as the Cockney Ace Face, that was a very well emoted and performed recitative. Sadly we didn't get to hear Entwistle's strong vocals, but I will get around to that when I review the Who's discography and the awesomeness that is "Boris the Spider." The singing is very heartfelt and unique with how Jimmy was happy to die or happy to thing of raping women in his different moods, where as other songs would portray that with sadness and being demented. The singing is very solid, and everyone was always on pitch too. The Who 1, Ke$ha 0.
Lyrics:
The lyrics are a bit vague from just listening to them, but with the Libretto they are much easier to understand and do convey the story very well. I am personally glad we live in the age of the internet where information is just a search engine away. :)
What I didn’t like:
"Drowned" tended to drag a little bit and I wish I coudl hear it through Quadrophonic speakers rather than Earbuds.
What I did like:
How well the album was written pretty much.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of The Who, country music, synthesizer music, good brass and piano playing to some extent, and fans of classic rock.
Overall:
A solid complex and well emoted album which is worth listening too, especially since it was almost forgotten many years ago.
Rating: *****
The Who 5:15 Unofficial Video:
The Who Love Reign O'er Me Unofficial Video:
Title: Quadrophenia
Year: 1972
Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Rock Opera
Artist(s): The Who
Record Label: 1978 Track/M.C.A. Records US Release
Songs:
1. 5:15-
The song opens on guitar and piano and with Paige on vocals. The song soon opens into a full on bluesy brass section with exciting piano and Daltry taking over for the vocals. Jimmy is on a train headed for Brighton, and he is sitting between two "city gents" who are consuming mass amounts amphetamines. Jimmy has been popping the bennys to pass them time and he is going through phases of feeling high and then crashing down from them. To show that Jimmy is taking bennys they constantly switch form a relaxed with the piano and guitar feel to an excited fell with the rest of the band and the brass section. What makes this song special is how nicely they do the switch of feeling high and the drugs crashing down on Jimmy, how real the emoting from both singers is, and the beautiful guitar playing by Paige. Overall, a very interesting piece in how they show Jimmy's struggle and crashing down and getting high again. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Sea and Sand-
The song opens on the sound of Seagulls and then on a very sad soundign guitar playing with Daltry on vocals, then breaks into the Who's typical bluesy rock during the chorus and Paige singing. Jimmy's mood at first is heightened to be in Brighton, but he later realizes that the Mod scene is falling apart and he feels like he is living in the past. There is another switch in calm and excited, until we get a double triple mini solo from the band with Daltry narrating in the background during the song's climax. What makes this song interesting is how well they balanced all of the moods of Jimmy musically. Overall, a very sad but beautiful and exciting piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Drowned-
This song has a strong gospel feel at the begging thanks to the organ and has Daltry. Jimmy is contemplating killing himself by drowning in the ocean because he has nothing in the present. The song sounds happier when Jimmy wants to become one with the sea, and when he is in the water the music mellows out. Through a lot of jamming and variation, when the song finally ends Jimmy fails to drown himself and the band has a powerful jam session until we hear the sounds of the ocean and Jimmy talking to himself walking off. What makes this song interesting is the fact that The Who wrote a suicide song that sounds happy rather than sad. Overall, a powerful and exciting piece but tends to drag on a bit. 4 out of 5 stars.
4. Bell Boy-
The song opens on very energetic drums by Moon, followed by guitar and synthesizer and Daltry on vocals. Jimmy enters the Brighton hotel that the Mods tore up earlier, and he meets a former Ace Face who is now the Bell Boy at the hotel. The Ace Face looks down on Jimmy with pity and contempt. They have an argument with Jimmy saying the Ace Face has sold out, but Bass-Face hasn't =D, jk. Jimmy now feels no place in the mod life style. The song then goes into a mini guitar solo, followed by Moon speaking as the Mod in what Wikipedia says is a "cartoonish Cockney accent", but later on Moon sings and talks in his normal voice and the "Bell Boy" lyrical theme is often repeated, then more palying with Daltry, and towards the end Moon speaks in the accent again and the band continues to play as the song fades. What makes this song interesting is Moon's recititive as the Bell Boy personality and the Ace Face, the energetic drum and guitar playing, the fact that Entwistle played support again rather than his normal lead style. Overall, a very enjoyable piece that also shows more fustration in Jimmy's life. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Doctor Jimmy-
On the opening we hear synthesizer, violin, and drums. Daltry sings the vocals emphasizing the darkness of the lyrics. Jimmy is now doing drugs out the ass, and is now arguing with himself saying he should get checked out. This song is a loose reference to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, which ties in with the multiple personality disorder theme. The song gets progressively quicker and more dire in tonality as it goes on, while sounding happy during the chorus. There is also a long instrumental section that ends with the "is it me" theme from disc one. There is a switch from happy, to dire, to triumphant in the song, and for the rest of the song we see variations such as these, four minutes worth. The song ends on piano and synthesizer playing together in unison and fades into the next song. Overall, this is a long piece but the who definitely made it interesting and complex enough for it not to drag on, it is also an interesting reference to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. The Rock-
This piece is all instrumental, and is one of the most complex that Townshend ever wrote. Jimmy has stolen a boat because he is high and depressed, and he eventually falls asleep on the ocean only to wake up and see the boat has drifted away. All of the instruments are pretty much going all out with changes in theme and time signature. The song is tying together all four of the lyrical themes, and the guitar is playing a very noticeable solo as this is the first time I've really heard Townshend do a few crazy guitar solos as I have yet to hear their full discography and this album was requested to me from a friend, he he he. Anyways, the end of the track is very mesmerizing and beautiful and closes on thunder and lightning fading into the next song. The entire track is what's interesting about this song. Overall, a masterpiece in how it sounds beautiful and how it ties all the themes together. 6 out of 5 stars.
7. Love, Reign O'er Me-
The song opens up on the best piano playing of the album as their is real soul to it, and going along with the piano are gongs and ceremonial drums. Daltry eventually enters with the synthesizer with a very beautiful melody to them. Jimmy is stranded on the island and a storm is raging over him, but as the storm rages he gets an epiphany. He is not the four personalities that he always feuded with, but rather he is himself. As the song continues we get to hear the bass and piano supporting Daltry and Townshend trading parts on guitar and vocals. We get to hear very dedicated solos from Townshend in the track towards the end. The song slowly breaks down into a single chord form a brass qaurtet and the guitar stopping with the drums as the album closes. What makes this song interesting is how triumphantly beautiful it is. Overall, just a wonderfl track with a great message: just be your self. 5 out of 5 stars.
Instrumentation:
Well, very complex. This album is probably the most complex ever written by The Who, as such they eventually stopped playing it in the mid 70s because it was a pain to perform live.The drums, guitar, bass, and vocals either have a lead part or act for support. The synthesizer and piano trade off playing melodies and chords, and Entwhistle wrote the brass section in the role of the rhythm guitar playing mostly chords at the right times. There are many time signature changes, and maybe a few key changes here in the in the final tracks. The instrumentation is very solid and worth listening as it switches form rock opera, to country, and The Who's signature sound.
Production:
The album was very well mixed, it was a tad dry but you can still hear everything clearly. I blame this more on the analog to digital conversion, also since I lack Quadrophonic speakers I can't really tell how it was 'supposed' to be heard. But the digital sound isn't bad.
Singing:
The singing is what conveys the story, and I like how Daltry and Townshend switch off, and let's not forget Moon's shining moment in "Bell Boy" as the Cockney Ace Face, that was a very well emoted and performed recitative. Sadly we didn't get to hear Entwistle's strong vocals, but I will get around to that when I review the Who's discography and the awesomeness that is "Boris the Spider." The singing is very heartfelt and unique with how Jimmy was happy to die or happy to thing of raping women in his different moods, where as other songs would portray that with sadness and being demented. The singing is very solid, and everyone was always on pitch too. The Who 1, Ke$ha 0.
Lyrics:
The lyrics are a bit vague from just listening to them, but with the Libretto they are much easier to understand and do convey the story very well. I am personally glad we live in the age of the internet where information is just a search engine away. :)
What I didn’t like:
"Drowned" tended to drag a little bit and I wish I coudl hear it through Quadrophonic speakers rather than Earbuds.
What I did like:
How well the album was written pretty much.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of The Who, country music, synthesizer music, good brass and piano playing to some extent, and fans of classic rock.
Overall:
A solid complex and well emoted album which is worth listening too, especially since it was almost forgotten many years ago.
Rating: *****
The Who 5:15 Unofficial Video:
The Who Love Reign O'er Me Unofficial Video:
Special Request- Quadrophenia Disc 1 by The Who
Hello again everyone, I apologize for this taking so long as I have been busy working two jobs and finding replacements for my old headphones pairs. I think from now on I am doing monthly releases. I am likely to be less negative on this review as I really love The Who, so I do have a pre-existing bias. However I will be grading the songs on how enjoyable they are, as always. According to the ever trusty Wikipedia, Quadrophenia was The Who's second concept album and was about a teenager with four split personalities growing up in Brighton and London in 1964-65 as a member of the Mods gang, and each of the personalities are rumored to represent each member of The Who. Quadrophenia is a term that means Schizophrenia.
Title: Quadrophenia
Year: 1972-73
Genre: Classic Rock, Country, British Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): The Who
Copyright: © 1973 Track/M.C.A. US
Songs:
1. I am The Sea-
This song opens up with foreign vocals and piano sounds being heard behind sounds of ocean waves along with a trumpet. The lyrics are foreshadowing themes seen later in the album as Jimmy is questioning who he is and asking for love to come to him. Later in the song Rodger Daltry can be heard singing four lines, each consecutively representing the band members with "Is it Me?" representing bass player John Entwistle, "Bell Boy" representing drummer Keith Moon, "Love Reign O'er Me" representing guitar player Pete Townsend, and "Helpless Dancer" representing Daltry him self. Then the song smoothly transitions to the next. What makes this song interesting is how well the band organized the music around the sound of waves and the fact that they used ocean waves to introduce an album about the Mods and Rockers fighting on a beach. Overall this is an interesting simple opening track. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. The Real Me-
The song opens up immediately on loud and expressive bass and drums with repetitive but very fitting guitar playing. Daltry comes in not too long afterwards with his exciting vocals with his signature vocal scream. Jimmy is questioning everyone he knows to see if they know which personality is the real him. His mother understands him, his doctor and girl friend have abandoned him, and the preacher wants nothing to do with him. What makes this song interesting is Daltry's emoting on playing the part of Jimmy, how well the band creates the emotions behind the lyrics, the brass section heard during the chorus, and the constant amounts of solo playing by bass legend Entwistle. Overall, a great piece that is very exciting and expressive. It is easy for me to see why this is the main single on the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Quadrophenia-
Note: this is the instrumental version. The song opens on piano and acoustic guitar, a guitar soloing, and steady playing from the bass and drums; it becomes calmer and then changes to climatic again. The song goes through many sound and time changes to represent Jimmy's emotions and to show that the Who knew how to write instrumentals to keep up with their rivals at the time, like Yes and Pink Floyd. What makes this song is how it never leaves you board or annoyed because it has the right amount of time and key changes. The solos for guitar, piano, and synthesizer are also really good. Overall this is a great piece that demonstrates The Who's technical abilities. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Cut My Hair-
The song opens up with loud bass and drums and quiet guitar playing calmly, and the vocals sound very soft and emotional. In this song Jimmy is being told by his old man that he doesn't want to cut his hair because it will threaten his lifestyle of being a member of the Mods that fought on a beach 100 miles south of London yearly in the 60s. The chorus is much happier sounding but it makes the band sound out of time with each other with and this is the main place, but corrects to the slower pace in the verse with use of brass. What makes this song special is how beautiful Townsend's guitar playing is, how Entwistle can play so many notes but manage to create a solid foundation, how the drums are really driving the song full throttle, the use of the Radio broadcast, and how amazing Townsend's voice sounds when he sings during some of the verses on his own. Overall, a great piece with solid instrumentation that just has a silly sounding chorus. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. The Punk and The God Father-
The song opens in The Who's classic style. There is an acoustic guitar with loud bass, driving drums, and Daltry and Townsend doing angry sounding vocals.
The punk is the youth of Britain and America, and the God Father is the President of the United States. The Punk says he put the God Father in power and he hasn't done anything to help people, and the God Father said "Too bad, I own you and everything else." What makes this song special is the emoting by the singers, the balance in power of the instruments, and the surprising number of climaxes and slow sections through out the song. Overall this is a fun piece with a nice story behind it. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. I'm One-
The song opens up in a kind of soft 70s Country style of way with acoustic guitar and lap steel guitar. Daltry sounds very sad but determined while singing. In this song Jimmy is saying he doesn't really fit no matter what he does, but he is still always him self and will continue to be him self and is proud of that and the song later turns into a classic Rock and Roll song when the bass and drums come in. What makes this song special is how the instruments fit into two distinct styles, how laid back the song is for something that is kind of sad, and how the band proves they don't need a thousand effects to make them sound good. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Dirty Jobs-
The song opens up with loud bass, piano, drums, and keyboard. Daltry sings the lead vocals very dedicated, even though he sounds like my cat Starligt during the choruses. In this song I believe Jimmy is talking to numerous people who are being beat up by the enemy gang and he is telling them that they should stand up for themselves and that it is good that they do not weep for it. What makes this song interesting is the emoting in the singing, how Entwistle is taking the backseat and doing a good job-allowing Moon to show off his skills a little more, the people cheering representing common people being empowered, and how the keyboard and piano seem to steal the attention along with Daltry's cat like shrieking. Overall, a good song but has some silly sounds to it. 4 out of 5 stars.
8. Helpless Dancer-
The song opens up on some very nice tremolo piano playing along with horns and an acoustic guitar, and the song then gets slower with only piano and Daltry along with Townsend. They are trading off vocals in the left and right speakers angrily. In this song Jimmy is seeing him self as a dancer and is slowly realizing all the problems and injustices in the world and it makes him stop dancing. What makes this song special in how it is mostly horns, piano, vocals, and guitar because I'm amazed Entwistle and Moon agreed to not play for an entire song. The song also ends with a classic rockabilly piece and the "Is it me?" theme. Overall this is a very abstract but also angry and entertaining sounding piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. It is In My Head-
This piece opens up as a rock ballad with all of the instruments. The bass and drums are a bit more laid back, especially in the chorus. The verse has Daltry singing alone, but the chorus has Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend harmonizing together.
In this song Jimmy is slowly going crazy because he feels like he is being followed, that no one loves him, and his head is empty yet he still functions. What makes this song special is the laid back feel of the verses are, but how serious the chorus sounds. What also makes this song special is the guitar solo, the breakdown, and the ending with the bass fading away. Overall, a very enjoyable piece that shows The Who can write a song in multiple styles, as this was a bit more traditional sounding but they still make it their own. 5 out of 5 stars
10. I've Had Enough-
The song opens up much livelier than before with the drums stealing all of the attention in the intro. As the verse comes in the bass and guitar expand their roles to accompany Daltry. In the second verse we get to hear Townsend sing. During the chorus Daltry asks for love to reign over him. Jimmy is tired of being told how to live his life by society and wants to put his devotion in the gang he is in. He is also tired of most thing including human emotions, though he was asking for love to reign over him. What makes this song interesting is how this songs manages to switch between exciting British Rock music to soft old country music, then to sort of a spacy sound with Jimmy praying to the heavens, then to an exciting old country sound. I also like the random scream and sound of a jet falling at the end. lol Overall, a nice climax with clean transitions of different styles and enjoyable playing and singing. Definitely a good to close disc one. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
One word, balanced. The mixing was a nice balance of warmth and clarity, the bass and drums were loud but never overpowering, the guitar was clear but also blended in well, and the singing never stole away the attention but was certainly audible. Overall I'd say the mixing was done very solidly for this album so far.
Singing:
Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend all have really good singing voices. Daltry got the most attention because he is the lead vocalist, Townsend got some attention by singing verses in certain songs, and Entwistle did backing vocals most of the time. Each has a different tone that fits the music well and they sound even better when they harmonize. However, I will say that the fact that Daltry sounded like my cat on "Dirty Jobs" whenever he sang words like "round" on the "I'm getting pushed round" part is hilarious.
Instrumentation:
The instrumentation is varied, the rhythm section is probably one of the most energetic and attention stealing rhythm sections in Rock and Roll at the time, and that is because Entwistle and Moon were fantastic players who could play lead bass and drums or switch back to support roles when they needed to without trouble. The guitar is unique as it never leads the band but certainly guides them at a certain pace. The use of banjo and slide guitar was also very beautiful, which reminds of how older country was more relaxing and pleasant to the ear rather than a distorted Fender guitar playing the same chords and scales all the time like in modern country. I also enjoyed how the band used a Brass section as I feel it added a lot to the emotion of the songs by making it more lively and climatic.
What I didn't like:
I guess maybe that Daltry sounded like my cat, but that is still an accomplishment as she is a butch alto silver tabby cat. Also, some of the songs didn't transition as smoothly as I would have liked.
What I did like:
The playing, singing, story, and overall feel of the first disc.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of old British Rock Music and Country, fans of The Who, and people from my generation who aren't afraid to listen to older music just because "It was before my time."
Overall:
It was a solid album, one that I would define as British Country Rock that had good playing from the instruments, good emoting form the singers, and overall a very enjoyable and sometimes funny disc to listen to. Next time I will continue with disc two of Quadrophenia.
Rating: *****
I am The Sea and The Real Me from the film "Quadrophenia" By The Who Films:
Title: Quadrophenia
Year: 1972-73
Genre: Classic Rock, Country, British Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): The Who
Copyright: © 1973 Track/M.C.A. US
Songs:
1. I am The Sea-
This song opens up with foreign vocals and piano sounds being heard behind sounds of ocean waves along with a trumpet. The lyrics are foreshadowing themes seen later in the album as Jimmy is questioning who he is and asking for love to come to him. Later in the song Rodger Daltry can be heard singing four lines, each consecutively representing the band members with "Is it Me?" representing bass player John Entwistle, "Bell Boy" representing drummer Keith Moon, "Love Reign O'er Me" representing guitar player Pete Townsend, and "Helpless Dancer" representing Daltry him self. Then the song smoothly transitions to the next. What makes this song interesting is how well the band organized the music around the sound of waves and the fact that they used ocean waves to introduce an album about the Mods and Rockers fighting on a beach. Overall this is an interesting simple opening track. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. The Real Me-
The song opens up immediately on loud and expressive bass and drums with repetitive but very fitting guitar playing. Daltry comes in not too long afterwards with his exciting vocals with his signature vocal scream. Jimmy is questioning everyone he knows to see if they know which personality is the real him. His mother understands him, his doctor and girl friend have abandoned him, and the preacher wants nothing to do with him. What makes this song interesting is Daltry's emoting on playing the part of Jimmy, how well the band creates the emotions behind the lyrics, the brass section heard during the chorus, and the constant amounts of solo playing by bass legend Entwistle. Overall, a great piece that is very exciting and expressive. It is easy for me to see why this is the main single on the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Quadrophenia-
Note: this is the instrumental version. The song opens on piano and acoustic guitar, a guitar soloing, and steady playing from the bass and drums; it becomes calmer and then changes to climatic again. The song goes through many sound and time changes to represent Jimmy's emotions and to show that the Who knew how to write instrumentals to keep up with their rivals at the time, like Yes and Pink Floyd. What makes this song is how it never leaves you board or annoyed because it has the right amount of time and key changes. The solos for guitar, piano, and synthesizer are also really good. Overall this is a great piece that demonstrates The Who's technical abilities. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Cut My Hair-
The song opens up with loud bass and drums and quiet guitar playing calmly, and the vocals sound very soft and emotional. In this song Jimmy is being told by his old man that he doesn't want to cut his hair because it will threaten his lifestyle of being a member of the Mods that fought on a beach 100 miles south of London yearly in the 60s. The chorus is much happier sounding but it makes the band sound out of time with each other with and this is the main place, but corrects to the slower pace in the verse with use of brass. What makes this song special is how beautiful Townsend's guitar playing is, how Entwistle can play so many notes but manage to create a solid foundation, how the drums are really driving the song full throttle, the use of the Radio broadcast, and how amazing Townsend's voice sounds when he sings during some of the verses on his own. Overall, a great piece with solid instrumentation that just has a silly sounding chorus. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. The Punk and The God Father-
The song opens in The Who's classic style. There is an acoustic guitar with loud bass, driving drums, and Daltry and Townsend doing angry sounding vocals.
The punk is the youth of Britain and America, and the God Father is the President of the United States. The Punk says he put the God Father in power and he hasn't done anything to help people, and the God Father said "Too bad, I own you and everything else." What makes this song special is the emoting by the singers, the balance in power of the instruments, and the surprising number of climaxes and slow sections through out the song. Overall this is a fun piece with a nice story behind it. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. I'm One-
The song opens up in a kind of soft 70s Country style of way with acoustic guitar and lap steel guitar. Daltry sounds very sad but determined while singing. In this song Jimmy is saying he doesn't really fit no matter what he does, but he is still always him self and will continue to be him self and is proud of that and the song later turns into a classic Rock and Roll song when the bass and drums come in. What makes this song special is how the instruments fit into two distinct styles, how laid back the song is for something that is kind of sad, and how the band proves they don't need a thousand effects to make them sound good. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Dirty Jobs-
The song opens up with loud bass, piano, drums, and keyboard. Daltry sings the lead vocals very dedicated, even though he sounds like my cat Starligt during the choruses. In this song I believe Jimmy is talking to numerous people who are being beat up by the enemy gang and he is telling them that they should stand up for themselves and that it is good that they do not weep for it. What makes this song interesting is the emoting in the singing, how Entwistle is taking the backseat and doing a good job-allowing Moon to show off his skills a little more, the people cheering representing common people being empowered, and how the keyboard and piano seem to steal the attention along with Daltry's cat like shrieking. Overall, a good song but has some silly sounds to it. 4 out of 5 stars.
8. Helpless Dancer-
The song opens up on some very nice tremolo piano playing along with horns and an acoustic guitar, and the song then gets slower with only piano and Daltry along with Townsend. They are trading off vocals in the left and right speakers angrily. In this song Jimmy is seeing him self as a dancer and is slowly realizing all the problems and injustices in the world and it makes him stop dancing. What makes this song special in how it is mostly horns, piano, vocals, and guitar because I'm amazed Entwistle and Moon agreed to not play for an entire song. The song also ends with a classic rockabilly piece and the "Is it me?" theme. Overall this is a very abstract but also angry and entertaining sounding piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. It is In My Head-
This piece opens up as a rock ballad with all of the instruments. The bass and drums are a bit more laid back, especially in the chorus. The verse has Daltry singing alone, but the chorus has Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend harmonizing together.
In this song Jimmy is slowly going crazy because he feels like he is being followed, that no one loves him, and his head is empty yet he still functions. What makes this song special is the laid back feel of the verses are, but how serious the chorus sounds. What also makes this song special is the guitar solo, the breakdown, and the ending with the bass fading away. Overall, a very enjoyable piece that shows The Who can write a song in multiple styles, as this was a bit more traditional sounding but they still make it their own. 5 out of 5 stars
10. I've Had Enough-
The song opens up much livelier than before with the drums stealing all of the attention in the intro. As the verse comes in the bass and guitar expand their roles to accompany Daltry. In the second verse we get to hear Townsend sing. During the chorus Daltry asks for love to reign over him. Jimmy is tired of being told how to live his life by society and wants to put his devotion in the gang he is in. He is also tired of most thing including human emotions, though he was asking for love to reign over him. What makes this song interesting is how this songs manages to switch between exciting British Rock music to soft old country music, then to sort of a spacy sound with Jimmy praying to the heavens, then to an exciting old country sound. I also like the random scream and sound of a jet falling at the end. lol Overall, a nice climax with clean transitions of different styles and enjoyable playing and singing. Definitely a good to close disc one. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
One word, balanced. The mixing was a nice balance of warmth and clarity, the bass and drums were loud but never overpowering, the guitar was clear but also blended in well, and the singing never stole away the attention but was certainly audible. Overall I'd say the mixing was done very solidly for this album so far.
Singing:
Daltry, Entwistle, and Townsend all have really good singing voices. Daltry got the most attention because he is the lead vocalist, Townsend got some attention by singing verses in certain songs, and Entwistle did backing vocals most of the time. Each has a different tone that fits the music well and they sound even better when they harmonize. However, I will say that the fact that Daltry sounded like my cat on "Dirty Jobs" whenever he sang words like "round" on the "I'm getting pushed round" part is hilarious.
Instrumentation:
The instrumentation is varied, the rhythm section is probably one of the most energetic and attention stealing rhythm sections in Rock and Roll at the time, and that is because Entwistle and Moon were fantastic players who could play lead bass and drums or switch back to support roles when they needed to without trouble. The guitar is unique as it never leads the band but certainly guides them at a certain pace. The use of banjo and slide guitar was also very beautiful, which reminds of how older country was more relaxing and pleasant to the ear rather than a distorted Fender guitar playing the same chords and scales all the time like in modern country. I also enjoyed how the band used a Brass section as I feel it added a lot to the emotion of the songs by making it more lively and climatic.
What I didn't like:
I guess maybe that Daltry sounded like my cat, but that is still an accomplishment as she is a butch alto silver tabby cat. Also, some of the songs didn't transition as smoothly as I would have liked.
What I did like:
The playing, singing, story, and overall feel of the first disc.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of old British Rock Music and Country, fans of The Who, and people from my generation who aren't afraid to listen to older music just because "It was before my time."
Overall:
It was a solid album, one that I would define as British Country Rock that had good playing from the instruments, good emoting form the singers, and overall a very enjoyable and sometimes funny disc to listen to. Next time I will continue with disc two of Quadrophenia.
Rating: *****
I am The Sea and The Real Me from the film "Quadrophenia" By The Who Films:
Amy Winehouse rests in peace while Breaking Benjamin Breaks Up
Update: Amy Wine house died of severe alcohol poisoning. This was written back in July originally.
Hello again everybody, Kevin here bringing news you have heard before and some you might not have heard before. Why comment so late? I guess I like to give things some time to simmer. A few weeks ago Amy Winehouse passed away of currently unknown circumstances. I would just like to make a late tribute to her by saying that though I was never really a fan of her music, but she sang form her heart and she had skilled musicians in the band she sang with. So, R.I.P. Amy Winehouse. The way I was raised I always pay respect to the dead, even if they were bad people. To me the best way to respect the dead is to not speak badly of them, so even if Ke$ha or Pete Wentz were to die tomorrow I would still wish them peace. For I have found from experience it is okay to dislike an artist's music, but to truly hate the artist makes me and others kind of an asshole.
Speaking of A-hole related things, Ben Burnley has sued the other members of Breaking Benjamin for remixing their hit song "Blow Me Away" with the band using another singer, which broke the agreement the band had of not touching their songs while Ben is sick and the band is on hiatus. Guitarist Aaron Fincke and Bassist Mark James Keplaski are currently denying the law suit on the fact that Ben has performed twice this year. I know I didn't finish posting the BB discography here but their latest album was very poorly written and very winy, so I am not surprised the band broke up. In fact this is probably for the best so the members can each pursue their own creative careers. So, R.I.P. Breaking Benjamin, the good Breaking Benjamin died in 2009 anyways.
Hello again everybody, Kevin here bringing news you have heard before and some you might not have heard before. Why comment so late? I guess I like to give things some time to simmer. A few weeks ago Amy Winehouse passed away of currently unknown circumstances. I would just like to make a late tribute to her by saying that though I was never really a fan of her music, but she sang form her heart and she had skilled musicians in the band she sang with. So, R.I.P. Amy Winehouse. The way I was raised I always pay respect to the dead, even if they were bad people. To me the best way to respect the dead is to not speak badly of them, so even if Ke$ha or Pete Wentz were to die tomorrow I would still wish them peace. For I have found from experience it is okay to dislike an artist's music, but to truly hate the artist makes me and others kind of an asshole.
Speaking of A-hole related things, Ben Burnley has sued the other members of Breaking Benjamin for remixing their hit song "Blow Me Away" with the band using another singer, which broke the agreement the band had of not touching their songs while Ben is sick and the band is on hiatus. Guitarist Aaron Fincke and Bassist Mark James Keplaski are currently denying the law suit on the fact that Ben has performed twice this year. I know I didn't finish posting the BB discography here but their latest album was very poorly written and very winy, so I am not surprised the band broke up. In fact this is probably for the best so the members can each pursue their own creative careers. So, R.I.P. Breaking Benjamin, the good Breaking Benjamin died in 2009 anyways.
Special Request 1- Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
Hello, today I am launching my Special Requests blog, where I take requests from my readers to review their favorite albums. I have heard a lot about how good Led Zeppelin is (and I respect all of their members for being amazing musicians), but I have not heard very much of their stuff (my favorite song so far is Stairway to Heaven). To be honest, this is the only Led Zeppelin album I own so far. Yeah, yeah, I know, I live under a rock. On the plus side, though, this will mean that I have no pre-existing bias towards their songs other than knowing that they are legendary instrumentalists. I am grading this album purely on how enjoyable the music is.
Title: Led Zeppelin IV (Four Symbols Album)
Year: 1971
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, and 70's Heavy Metal
Artist(s): Led Zeppelin with Sandy Denny
Copyright: © 1971 Atlantic Records
Songs:
1. Black Dog
This song is heavy and exciting, but switches to a somewhat relaxed feeling. The lyrics are about the singer picking up a women and him having a good time with her, only to find out later that she was a gold digger who stole his money and car. The singer then wishes to find a better woman who will really love him. This song really shows off how high Robert Plant's vocals can get, and how the band can accomplish a lot using only a little. The song goes from just the singer, to a heavy blues kind of feel in the instruments, only stopping for longer singing sections and a strong guitar solo climax at the end where we can hear Plant's vocals in the background. While I like how the guitar solo and how they conceptualize having sex with their music, the song tends to drag a little by being too repetitive. 3.5 out 5 stars.
2. Rock and Roll
This song is a very nice combination of a 50's swing kind of feel with a fast early 70's hard rock rhythm. Opening on a drum solo by John Bonham, this song is very exciting and enjoyable. The lyrics tell of a man who is talking to an old ex-girlfriend of his and asking to go back to the way things were. This song could also be a homage to how Rock and Roll changed over the years. It's very exciting and fast paced with a bluesy guitar solo in the middle, and slowly builds to a very enjoyable climax. A truly enjoyable song with lyrics people can relate too. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. The Battle of Evermore
This song is very hypnotic, but also exciting. The song is written from numerous perspectives of people from Middle Earth from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary book series Lord of the Rings. The lyrics start from the perspective of the The Elven Queen, followed by Aragorn, then Sauron, followed by the people of the Shire, and then the people of Middle Earth, and finally the Ring Wraiths. The song is a commentary of both perspectives on the War of the Ring. The harmonies between Robert Plant and Sandy Denny (may she rest in peace) are truly amazing, and I also love the use of the mandolins in this song, which has an interesting outro with Plant showing how high he can sing and the Mandolins echoing each other. I also think it was a brilliant idea to use Renaissance style music for a concept song for Lord of the Rings, which I am huge fan of =D. Overall, an amazing achievement musically. 5 out of 5 stars
4. Stairway to Heaven
This starts slow and very mellow, but builds up to something very exciting.
The lyrics tell of a women who spends her entire life getting rich, only finding out that she can't buy her way into heaven because she was greedy her whole life (and indulgences don't work). In the opening we hear a very effective use of a wooden recorder and a organ with an acoustic guitar. The climax later comes in with the bass and drums, followed by an amazing guitar solo by Jimmy Paige. Plant is demonstrating just what tenors were put on the Earth for in his climatic higher vocals, followed by a soft ending. Most people have a love/hate relationship with this song, probably due its long length and the fact that it is banned from music stores. Plus there was that nonfactual rumor about the song having a satanic message, but it has been proven false. The song is also considered one of the most overplayed songs of all time. However, in my opinion it is overplayed just because it sounds so awesome and builds up to a great conclusion. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Misty Mountain Hop
This song starts off a little bluesy, but changes to a rock feel pretty quickly. The verse keeps the same feel and pace, and it only really changes pace at the chorus.This song, seeing as it was the 70's, is about the singer joining a group of people smoking marijuana in public and time having a fun time. That is, until the police show up and make them disband. To get away from the police the singer is going to the Misty Mountains, which is a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I'm not sure WHY he chose the Misty Mountains, but I guess one can have an active imagination when high. This song is a bit long, but very enjoyable and has a funny message behind it. 4 out of 5 stars.
6.Four Sticks
This song is very quickly paced, consistent through the verse, and sounds beautiful during the chorus. The song tells of a boyfriend who wants to leave his girlfriend because she is dragging him down and ruining his dreams. During one of the choruses we hear a mini guitar solo harmonized with guitar feedback on a single note, which is a very pleasant mind blowing surprise for me. The song ends with the Plant singing "woo yeah" over the main verse lyrics. Another thing I liked was how loud we can hear John Paul Jone's amazing bass playing. Overall, a very surprising and well put together track. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Going to California
This song seems reminiscent of the country standards of the early seventies, as well as some of John Prine's slower work. The song tells of how the singer is willing to leave England and his current mean girlfriend to find his dream girl in California, and as a side note the flowers in her hair lyrics smack of the summer of love. However, it seems the forces of nature want to stop him. Finally, at the end of the song he realizes that she may not be real, but he refuses to quit. The song is paced very slow and relaxed, and the emotion switches from being happy at first to very serious and dark in some of the middle verses, and it continues to trade between the two. The song ends on a guitar solo playing a counter melody to the main guitar. This song is in the style of artists like John Prine and a bit like James Taylor, however, unlike "Carolina in my Mind", it is more an interpretation than a copy. The fact that there is a real story involving struggle and hope and the way the music was arranged make this song it's own one of a kind American folk style of song. That is not to say that "Carolina in My Mind" isn't a unique song, "Going to California" is just unique in a different way. Overall, a very relaxing song that all people can relate too. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. When the Levee Breaks
We open on some very enjoyable drums followed by the guitars and a bluesy harmonica played by Plant. The intro is very long, but manages to stay interesting until the verse comes in. This song is about a worker who is working on a Levee. The worker is from the mountains and he is feeling homesick and he wants to see his lady again. Later in the song the worker decides to quit his job and go to Chicago. Plant's vocals are very intense and high, and blend well with Paige's solo playing. What I've noticed is that Plant can play his harmonica just as well as Paige can play his guitar, as his harmonica has more solos than the guitar, though they keep trading off. This is one of songs where the main instruments play the same thing over and over, but the higher pitched instruments keep changing what they play to keep things interesting. Overall, this song might be 7 minutes long, but Led Zeppelin manages to make the song very engaging by the use of the solos despite the rhythm instruments playing the same thing over and over again. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
I can't truly comment on the original mixing as I have yet to hear the original record, but the digital mixing came through crystal clear on my weak 2008 Basic Macbook speakers. The drums and bass were silenced a little, but they were still able to be heard. The rhythm section was louder in some songs like "Four Sticks", "When the Levee breaks", and "Rock and Roll." Overall the mixing was clear and gave a fair balance in sound. I will do an update at an unforeseen time in the future after I hear the original record played and tell you what I think of the mixing then.
Singing:
It should come to no surprise to anyone that Robert Plant has a strong Tenor voice with a high range, and unlike Ben Burnley or Robert Halford it isn't unclear or shrill. Plant's voice is somewhat gritty as he is singing rock and blues, but it also has a nice clarity to it. Plant's vocals were truly amazing on this album, as he emoted perfectly and you could understand every word he said. He also harmonizes very well with Sandy Denny and the other backing vocalists. However, I think his best vocals are on the climax in Stairway to Heaven, those just fit the feel of that song perfectly.
Instrumentation:
I've heard that Led Zeppelin are very skilled players, and they did not disappoint in the least. The playing on this album to me demonstrated great versatility in styles and instruments. Bonham is a very enjoyable drummer, Jones is a very unique balance between support and solo playing on bass, Paige is a legendary guitarist, and Plant sings very well along with playing a mean harmonica. I liked the instrumentation a lot, but really stood out to me was "Stairway to Heaven" for the build up, "Going to California" for the switch from relaxed to serious and dark, "When the Levee Breaks" for the harmonica, and "The Battle of Evermore" for the lutes and the vocal harmonizing.
What I didn't like:
Pretty much that I felt that "Black Dog" dragged by a bit, and the bass was a little too quiet at parts.
What I did like:
The unique sound of Led Zeppelin with every musician making great contribution to the music. Led Zeppelin is truly the best Metal band of the 70s.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of Classic Rock, Renaissance music, Lord of the Rings. Also people who like bands like Tool, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and maybe AC DC to name a few groups as these guys were a huge influences on them.
Overall:
I can see why this album has sold so many copies, it has a lot of enjoyable tracks on it. I didn't hate a single track on this album, as Black Dog was still pretty enjoyable. This song has many unique tracks and it proves just how versatile Led Zeppelin can be with different styles of music. A truly strong record with only one weak track. For my next request I will be reviewing "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.
Rating: ****
(Note: there are a lot of videos today. All videos are unofficial videos of the studio versions.)
Stair Way to Heaven:
Misty Mountain Hop:
Black Dog:
Rock and Roll:
Four Sticks:
Title: Led Zeppelin IV (Four Symbols Album)
Year: 1971
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, and 70's Heavy Metal
Artist(s): Led Zeppelin with Sandy Denny
Copyright: © 1971 Atlantic Records
Songs:
1. Black Dog
This song is heavy and exciting, but switches to a somewhat relaxed feeling. The lyrics are about the singer picking up a women and him having a good time with her, only to find out later that she was a gold digger who stole his money and car. The singer then wishes to find a better woman who will really love him. This song really shows off how high Robert Plant's vocals can get, and how the band can accomplish a lot using only a little. The song goes from just the singer, to a heavy blues kind of feel in the instruments, only stopping for longer singing sections and a strong guitar solo climax at the end where we can hear Plant's vocals in the background. While I like how the guitar solo and how they conceptualize having sex with their music, the song tends to drag a little by being too repetitive. 3.5 out 5 stars.
2. Rock and Roll
This song is a very nice combination of a 50's swing kind of feel with a fast early 70's hard rock rhythm. Opening on a drum solo by John Bonham, this song is very exciting and enjoyable. The lyrics tell of a man who is talking to an old ex-girlfriend of his and asking to go back to the way things were. This song could also be a homage to how Rock and Roll changed over the years. It's very exciting and fast paced with a bluesy guitar solo in the middle, and slowly builds to a very enjoyable climax. A truly enjoyable song with lyrics people can relate too. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. The Battle of Evermore
This song is very hypnotic, but also exciting. The song is written from numerous perspectives of people from Middle Earth from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary book series Lord of the Rings. The lyrics start from the perspective of the The Elven Queen, followed by Aragorn, then Sauron, followed by the people of the Shire, and then the people of Middle Earth, and finally the Ring Wraiths. The song is a commentary of both perspectives on the War of the Ring. The harmonies between Robert Plant and Sandy Denny (may she rest in peace) are truly amazing, and I also love the use of the mandolins in this song, which has an interesting outro with Plant showing how high he can sing and the Mandolins echoing each other. I also think it was a brilliant idea to use Renaissance style music for a concept song for Lord of the Rings, which I am huge fan of =D. Overall, an amazing achievement musically. 5 out of 5 stars
4. Stairway to Heaven
This starts slow and very mellow, but builds up to something very exciting.
The lyrics tell of a women who spends her entire life getting rich, only finding out that she can't buy her way into heaven because she was greedy her whole life (and indulgences don't work). In the opening we hear a very effective use of a wooden recorder and a organ with an acoustic guitar. The climax later comes in with the bass and drums, followed by an amazing guitar solo by Jimmy Paige. Plant is demonstrating just what tenors were put on the Earth for in his climatic higher vocals, followed by a soft ending. Most people have a love/hate relationship with this song, probably due its long length and the fact that it is banned from music stores. Plus there was that nonfactual rumor about the song having a satanic message, but it has been proven false. The song is also considered one of the most overplayed songs of all time. However, in my opinion it is overplayed just because it sounds so awesome and builds up to a great conclusion. 5 out of 5 stars.
5. Misty Mountain Hop
This song starts off a little bluesy, but changes to a rock feel pretty quickly. The verse keeps the same feel and pace, and it only really changes pace at the chorus.This song, seeing as it was the 70's, is about the singer joining a group of people smoking marijuana in public and time having a fun time. That is, until the police show up and make them disband. To get away from the police the singer is going to the Misty Mountains, which is a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I'm not sure WHY he chose the Misty Mountains, but I guess one can have an active imagination when high. This song is a bit long, but very enjoyable and has a funny message behind it. 4 out of 5 stars.
6.Four Sticks
This song is very quickly paced, consistent through the verse, and sounds beautiful during the chorus. The song tells of a boyfriend who wants to leave his girlfriend because she is dragging him down and ruining his dreams. During one of the choruses we hear a mini guitar solo harmonized with guitar feedback on a single note, which is a very pleasant mind blowing surprise for me. The song ends with the Plant singing "woo yeah" over the main verse lyrics. Another thing I liked was how loud we can hear John Paul Jone's amazing bass playing. Overall, a very surprising and well put together track. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Going to California
This song seems reminiscent of the country standards of the early seventies, as well as some of John Prine's slower work. The song tells of how the singer is willing to leave England and his current mean girlfriend to find his dream girl in California, and as a side note the flowers in her hair lyrics smack of the summer of love. However, it seems the forces of nature want to stop him. Finally, at the end of the song he realizes that she may not be real, but he refuses to quit. The song is paced very slow and relaxed, and the emotion switches from being happy at first to very serious and dark in some of the middle verses, and it continues to trade between the two. The song ends on a guitar solo playing a counter melody to the main guitar. This song is in the style of artists like John Prine and a bit like James Taylor, however, unlike "Carolina in my Mind", it is more an interpretation than a copy. The fact that there is a real story involving struggle and hope and the way the music was arranged make this song it's own one of a kind American folk style of song. That is not to say that "Carolina in My Mind" isn't a unique song, "Going to California" is just unique in a different way. Overall, a very relaxing song that all people can relate too. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. When the Levee Breaks
We open on some very enjoyable drums followed by the guitars and a bluesy harmonica played by Plant. The intro is very long, but manages to stay interesting until the verse comes in. This song is about a worker who is working on a Levee. The worker is from the mountains and he is feeling homesick and he wants to see his lady again. Later in the song the worker decides to quit his job and go to Chicago. Plant's vocals are very intense and high, and blend well with Paige's solo playing. What I've noticed is that Plant can play his harmonica just as well as Paige can play his guitar, as his harmonica has more solos than the guitar, though they keep trading off. This is one of songs where the main instruments play the same thing over and over, but the higher pitched instruments keep changing what they play to keep things interesting. Overall, this song might be 7 minutes long, but Led Zeppelin manages to make the song very engaging by the use of the solos despite the rhythm instruments playing the same thing over and over again. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
I can't truly comment on the original mixing as I have yet to hear the original record, but the digital mixing came through crystal clear on my weak 2008 Basic Macbook speakers. The drums and bass were silenced a little, but they were still able to be heard. The rhythm section was louder in some songs like "Four Sticks", "When the Levee breaks", and "Rock and Roll." Overall the mixing was clear and gave a fair balance in sound. I will do an update at an unforeseen time in the future after I hear the original record played and tell you what I think of the mixing then.
Singing:
It should come to no surprise to anyone that Robert Plant has a strong Tenor voice with a high range, and unlike Ben Burnley or Robert Halford it isn't unclear or shrill. Plant's voice is somewhat gritty as he is singing rock and blues, but it also has a nice clarity to it. Plant's vocals were truly amazing on this album, as he emoted perfectly and you could understand every word he said. He also harmonizes very well with Sandy Denny and the other backing vocalists. However, I think his best vocals are on the climax in Stairway to Heaven, those just fit the feel of that song perfectly.
Instrumentation:
I've heard that Led Zeppelin are very skilled players, and they did not disappoint in the least. The playing on this album to me demonstrated great versatility in styles and instruments. Bonham is a very enjoyable drummer, Jones is a very unique balance between support and solo playing on bass, Paige is a legendary guitarist, and Plant sings very well along with playing a mean harmonica. I liked the instrumentation a lot, but really stood out to me was "Stairway to Heaven" for the build up, "Going to California" for the switch from relaxed to serious and dark, "When the Levee Breaks" for the harmonica, and "The Battle of Evermore" for the lutes and the vocal harmonizing.
What I didn't like:
Pretty much that I felt that "Black Dog" dragged by a bit, and the bass was a little too quiet at parts.
What I did like:
The unique sound of Led Zeppelin with every musician making great contribution to the music. Led Zeppelin is truly the best Metal band of the 70s.
Who would enjoy this album:
Fans of Classic Rock, Renaissance music, Lord of the Rings. Also people who like bands like Tool, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and maybe AC DC to name a few groups as these guys were a huge influences on them.
Overall:
I can see why this album has sold so many copies, it has a lot of enjoyable tracks on it. I didn't hate a single track on this album, as Black Dog was still pretty enjoyable. This song has many unique tracks and it proves just how versatile Led Zeppelin can be with different styles of music. A truly strong record with only one weak track. For my next request I will be reviewing "The Wall" by Pink Floyd.
Rating: ****
(Note: there are a lot of videos today. All videos are unofficial videos of the studio versions.)
Stair Way to Heaven:
Misty Mountain Hop:
Black Dog:
Rock and Roll:
Four Sticks:
PInk Floyd- "The Wall" Disc Two
Hello again folks, this week I will be reviewing the second disc of this classic album. I'm this took over a week to write, I just started a new landscaping job in my hometown and boy will doing that stuff make you sleepy later in the day. The songs and meanings are very different from disc one. Disc two tells the story of Pinkerton slowly regaining his sanity after feeling confusion, loneliness, anger, and numbness inside of the wall.
Title: The Wall
Year: 1979
Genre: Progressive Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): Pink Floyd
Copyright: © 1979 Columbia Records, US Release
Songs:
1. Hey You-
This song starts off low key, and slowly has the other instruments come in one at a time. The emotions that come into mind is a sense of longing for help, and considering the lyrics this makes perfect sense. In this song Pinkerton is asking people if they can hear, touch, feel, and help him form outside the wall. Pinkerton also narrates a vision of worms eating into his brain in the third person after him being hopelessly trapped inside the wall, showing how he has lost his grip on reality. As the singing progresses the song gets louder and heavier, and when the singing stops we get to hear the band jam out with Gilmour soloing providing more depth to Pinkerton's insanity. After the jam spot we get a bridge where the worms are mentioned, and the song returns to the way it started before but with more ambient noises. In the third verse Wright sings asking people for help. Throughout this song we get to hear Gilmour playing fretless bass guitar to amazing effect. Overall, this song is both trippy and scary, and very well written. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Is There Anybody Out There?-
The song starts off with echoes of the previous song's vocals and a TV set being heard, followed by the synth being droned out with Waters singing and having the synth add more chords and notes. In this song Pinkerton asking if there any one outside the wall, because he feels alone. After the singing stops we get to hear David Gilmour play a classical guitar to great effect. The playing turns form dire, to beautiful, then back to dire and ends slowly to the sound of a tv playing. Though I would normally complain about the lack of bass, this song is put together and transitions very nicely so I can ignore that. Overall a nice little piece that manages to be both scary and beautiful. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Nobody Home-
The song starts to the sound of the TV form the previous song to sounds of someone beating their child. The song starts off with a sort of jazzy Billy Joel like piano intro and the lyrics start up afterwards. The lyrics are hard for me to decipher but from what I can gather he is saying that he has many objects but doesn't really have anyone around to spend time with and he is tired of being alone. This may also be Pinkerton saying how much he misses his wife. As the singing continues we get to hear a string orchestra accompany Waters and Wright. The song comes to a slow halt and then transitions to the next. The song overall is very beautiful and Waters ability to emote properly never ceases to amaze me. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Vera-
This song starts off with more ambient noises from a television set playing followed by a mortar explosion. The music starts up with Waters, and Wright playing, along with Gilmour and a string orchestra before they are finally joined by Water's bass.
Pinkerton is wondering what happened to famous World War Two era Vera Lynn asking, where has she gone? This means Pinkerton thinks he is in the second world war and thinks Vera is dead, which she isn't because she is still alive today. The song is short and straight to the point, but you can tell the music is set very sad because Pinkerton believes that Lynn is dead. The song ends with a sudden volume swell that is not as smooth as the other ones. Overall, a good song but does not transition as smoothly as the others on the album. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. Bring the Boys Back Home-
The song starts off with marching drums and a full marching band with the singers being operatic along side a professional quire. Continuing on his belief that he is in World War Two, he is calling for all of the troops to come back home in a sort of Le Miz/triumphant musical style of singing. The song ends with voices from disc one with Pinkerton having flash backs to his childhood. Overall, a very short but masterfully composed piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. Comfortably Numb-
This song starts off flatly with all the instruments coming in at once with the guitar making the ambulance melody. The songs to me feels numb and careless thanks to the music and the lyrics. Pinkerton has now gone completely insane. Pinkerton thinks his entire body is numb. Pinkerton is pretending to be a doctor asking himself if he can hear what he is saying and saying that this needle will help himself. Pinkerton then answers as himself saying that he can't hear what the doctor is saying and he begins to tell random tales about fevers and dreams in his youth but now he has grown up and is literally comfortably numb showing he is delusional, but is content with it. When Waters sings the song is very laid back, but when Gilmour sings we get a full string orchestra and it sounds amazing. When Gilmour finishes we get the first guitar solo of what is considered to be one of the best guitar solos of all time, and I can see perfectly why. The solo is very happy and slightly triumphant and fits the music perfectly. The little piano note and the screams in Waters second verse never cease to amuse me. In Gilmour's second verse his singing really picks up in emotional intensity in perfect buildup for the solo. The bass plays harder and we hear the best guitar solo on the entire album, one of the best of all time. The solo is two minutes long, sometimes longer live. It is very hard to write a good guitar solo, and even harder to write one over 30 seconds long. I tip my hat off to Gilmour for just how amazing this solo is because of how it builds up in intensity and doesn't let go of you. Overall, an amazing piece with a great balance of simplicity, technicality, humor, and excellent composition. The only way the song can get any better is when Pinky Floyd performs it live and the bass fills up the stadium setting the perfect mood for a song like this. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. The Show Must Go On-
In this song we get a Beach Boys style opening with doo-wop singing. The emotion is very happy for the most part though the lyrics contradict this. In this song Pinkerton thinks he is talking to both his parents asking them questions like where his soul has gone, and Pinkerton now believes his life is a live performance in a concert hall. I guess they are showing that Pinkerton is happy while he is being delusional and it definitely shows in the music. Overall, an enjoyable little song that heralds back to the late 50s and early 60s. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. In The Flesh-
The song starts off with a crowd the music is very similar to the track with the same name on disc one. The song is basically the same as the other "In The Flesh?" at the start until we hear a quire singing and the music becomes much calmer and more Doo-Wop styled. The lyrics start off similar to "In The Flesh?" but Pinkerton thinks he is back at a hotel and has sent a very bigoted band sent in his stead, which is still him. Pinkerton wants his entire audience shot. Outside the meaning of Pinkerton's life, this song is definitely a two finger salute, which is the British version of the middle finger, to all of the rude fans at the show that inspired this album. The music while the singing is going on is calm, with Waters singing and a quire echoing what he is saying while harmonizing quite nicely. After the singing stops we resume to the band jamming along in the way the song started, and the band plays their instruments really quick on the same notes before the song calmly stops. Overall, a enjoyable if not somewhat offensive song, but that can be ignored because it seems to imply that bigotry is a sign of insanity. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. Run Like Hell-
This song starts off with noise from a crowd and then a guitar playing riffs until the song starts a very New Wave style intro for the song until Gilmour and Waters start singing together. The song sounds happy, but this runs contradictory to the lyrics. From what I can gather this is Pinkerton talking to someone else telling them that they should hide behind a disguise because there are people coming to get them, no doubt a sign of his paranoia. In the second verse Pinkerton is telling the person to avoid being dirty, no doubt a reference back to Pinkerton's sheltered upbringing and pent up sexual feelings. The song remains sounding happy for the most part where there is no singing, but sounds more dire while Gilmour and Waters are trading their lines. The song remains pretty repetitive but I like the emotions they convey, and at the end we are treated a very interesting guitar solo followed by the song slowing down and more ambient noises being heard including people running, an axe murder at the door, and a car driving away quickly. The song ends cleanly followed by the sound of a crowd cheering to soldiers marching. Overall repetitive at first, but has nice vocals with the harmonizing and line trading and a very upbeat feel in the music that I believe had a big influence on the New Wave movement of the 80s. 5 out of 5 stars.
10. Waiting For the Worms-
The song starts off to a person counting to three in German. We then open to a sad doo-wop style of opening with people singing people being behind the wall. After this section we hear some very simple but well played drums along with a simplistic loud bass line until Waters comes in as Pinkerton singing. This song is Pinkerton saying he is safe behind his wall and is waiting for "the worms" to come. "The worms" I think is a Metaphor for the Nazis and their bigotry, and also Imperialism of the British empire taking over the majority of the world again. The pace of this song is slow in the start but enjoyable with loud drums and bass, but switches to more of a march theme when the perspectives of the worms comes in and the emotion becomes much harsher. They switch between the dire and calm theme vary often towards the end of the song. At the very end the song stays dire with men speaking in the background to the crowd cheering until Waters as Pinkerton yells "Stop!" Overall, the songs starts off very calm and can make you feel cozy, then can scare you later at the power of the perceived worms and the emoting of everyone in the song is perfect. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. Stop-
The song has Wright accompanying Gilmour singing Pinkerton wanting to be free.
Pinkerton wants to escape from The Wall as his sanity is starting to return. However, he has to face his mental demons first in a trial with himself as the defendant. The song is very short but still well composed for being as minimalistic as it is. In fact it being minimalistic is perfect because it shows the breakaway in Pinkerton's mind from his insanity and brings out the emotions of regret. Overall, a short but effective piece with nice piano playing in it. 5 out 5 stars.
12. The Trial-
The song starts with people coming into a court room and a the orchestra starting on cellos and violins. There are instruments harmonizing with the vocals. The emotion that comes into mind varies between anger, terror, regret, and pity. This song is the most lyrically complex as Pinkerton is on trial against his mental demons from his past. There are a number of figures speaking to Pinkerton. First is the Plaintiff saying that Pinkerton has been feeling human feelings and deserves to be punished, he then calls in the school master. The school master said that he knew Pinkerton was a rotten apple from the start and said he should have just beaten it out of him by hammering him. After the school master we see Pinkerton saying how crazy he is. After that Pinkerton's ex-wife is speaking angrily at him asking if he has broken up any more homes and that she should have gotten more attention, followed by Pinkerton's overprotective mother saying she never wanted him to be in any trouble and wants to take him back home.
Pinkerton then says how crazy he is again and that he wants to go outside the wall. Afterwards the judge goes on a long angry rant saying for the way he has acted and hurt his wife and mother he will have the wall torn down as his punishment. The vocalists are switching between many characters, but there is also a chorus singing after Pinkerton narrates how crazy he is. In this song the orchestra is switching around the sound and emotions constantly by character, with the orchestra and band being the scariest when the judge joins. When the judge comes in they use a vocal effect to make him sound satanic and they use full on distorted guitars to show how threatening he is. At the end of the song we hear the jury cheering for the wall to be torn down and demonic laughing until the song finally ends with the sound of the wall being torn down. Overall, a masterfully composed, sung, and truly frightening piece that shows me that Gilmour and Waters could have been actors if they had wanted to be, and that Waters should also write books in addition to having his solo career right now. It is also interesting to watch the clip from the movie "The Wall" because the wall was a metaphor for Pinkerton's overprotective mother. 5 out of 5 stars.
13. Outside the Wall-
The song starts off with the wall being torn down, and Pinkerton being content with life. While Waters is singing their is a kids quire echoing what he is saying along to the soft melody from "In The Flesh?" bringing the melody full circle. Also, the emotions in this a song are pure happiness and partial amusement at the final lyric. This song is Pinkerton narrating on the people who have helped him escape the wall and how he is thankful for their struggle of having to deal with "some mad buggers wall." Overall, a nice way to close the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
The mixing on the CD is amazingly clear, just like on disc one. After hearing some of the songs on the movie on Youtube I know the only difference between this and the original is that original was even clearer. I will say however I definitely had an easier time hearing the bass and drums on songs like "Waiting for the Worms" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" off this album rather than disc one.
Singing:
The singing is absolutely fantastic, with the operatic singing in "Bring the Boys Back Home", the vocal trading in "Waiting for The Worms", "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell." The harmonizing in "In The Flesh", "Run Like Hell", and the kids quires harmonizing in "The Trial" and "Outside The Wall." The emotion in everyone's voice is absolutely perfect for what the are portraying, and I can thoroughly feel that they both believed in the part and that they were well prepared for it. I also love how easily Gimlour and Waters can play off each other musically and vocally. The singing on this album is very, very good.
Instrumentation:
One word: varied. That is in the good way. Sometimes it was very simple as with "Stop" and other times it was amazingly complex like with "Comfortably Numb" and "The Trail". This is where the album truly shines through with the amazing guitar solos like in "Hey You, "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell". The orchestra in "Nobody Home", "Vera", "Bring the Boys Back Home", and "The Trial" added amazing depth to the feel and texture of the music. Overall the instrumentation is to die for, and and in some instances it was the instrumentation that showed what Pinkerton was doing.
What I didn't like:
I didn't like the sudden volume swell at the end of "Vera".
What I did like:
The singing, instrumentation, noises, lyrics, and how the entire story played out.
Who would enjoy this album:
Well since it's been out for a while obviously Pink Floyd fans would like it, but I think people who like classical music, rock music, some new wave music, and concept albums that play out like a story should definitely check this out. And like I said before, anyone with a strong constitution should also listen to this album if they don't mind some of the lyrical content.
Overall:
This album as a whole plays up and down perfectly as a massive story. Seeing as I like every song off this album pretty much I am not going to list all of them, but "Comfortably Numb" is definitely in my mind one of Pink Floyd's best accomplishments alongside this entire album. I love this entire album because of how solidly written and composed it is. I am also glad I took the time to review it and check it out.
Rating: *****
"Run Like Hell" and "Waiting for the Worms" video from the 1982 film "The Wall":
Title: The Wall
Year: 1979
Genre: Progressive Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): Pink Floyd
Copyright: © 1979 Columbia Records, US Release
Songs:
1. Hey You-
This song starts off low key, and slowly has the other instruments come in one at a time. The emotions that come into mind is a sense of longing for help, and considering the lyrics this makes perfect sense. In this song Pinkerton is asking people if they can hear, touch, feel, and help him form outside the wall. Pinkerton also narrates a vision of worms eating into his brain in the third person after him being hopelessly trapped inside the wall, showing how he has lost his grip on reality. As the singing progresses the song gets louder and heavier, and when the singing stops we get to hear the band jam out with Gilmour soloing providing more depth to Pinkerton's insanity. After the jam spot we get a bridge where the worms are mentioned, and the song returns to the way it started before but with more ambient noises. In the third verse Wright sings asking people for help. Throughout this song we get to hear Gilmour playing fretless bass guitar to amazing effect. Overall, this song is both trippy and scary, and very well written. 5 out of 5 stars.
2. Is There Anybody Out There?-
The song starts off with echoes of the previous song's vocals and a TV set being heard, followed by the synth being droned out with Waters singing and having the synth add more chords and notes. In this song Pinkerton asking if there any one outside the wall, because he feels alone. After the singing stops we get to hear David Gilmour play a classical guitar to great effect. The playing turns form dire, to beautiful, then back to dire and ends slowly to the sound of a tv playing. Though I would normally complain about the lack of bass, this song is put together and transitions very nicely so I can ignore that. Overall a nice little piece that manages to be both scary and beautiful. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Nobody Home-
The song starts to the sound of the TV form the previous song to sounds of someone beating their child. The song starts off with a sort of jazzy Billy Joel like piano intro and the lyrics start up afterwards. The lyrics are hard for me to decipher but from what I can gather he is saying that he has many objects but doesn't really have anyone around to spend time with and he is tired of being alone. This may also be Pinkerton saying how much he misses his wife. As the singing continues we get to hear a string orchestra accompany Waters and Wright. The song comes to a slow halt and then transitions to the next. The song overall is very beautiful and Waters ability to emote properly never ceases to amaze me. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. Vera-
This song starts off with more ambient noises from a television set playing followed by a mortar explosion. The music starts up with Waters, and Wright playing, along with Gilmour and a string orchestra before they are finally joined by Water's bass.
Pinkerton is wondering what happened to famous World War Two era Vera Lynn asking, where has she gone? This means Pinkerton thinks he is in the second world war and thinks Vera is dead, which she isn't because she is still alive today. The song is short and straight to the point, but you can tell the music is set very sad because Pinkerton believes that Lynn is dead. The song ends with a sudden volume swell that is not as smooth as the other ones. Overall, a good song but does not transition as smoothly as the others on the album. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. Bring the Boys Back Home-
The song starts off with marching drums and a full marching band with the singers being operatic along side a professional quire. Continuing on his belief that he is in World War Two, he is calling for all of the troops to come back home in a sort of Le Miz/triumphant musical style of singing. The song ends with voices from disc one with Pinkerton having flash backs to his childhood. Overall, a very short but masterfully composed piece. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. Comfortably Numb-
This song starts off flatly with all the instruments coming in at once with the guitar making the ambulance melody. The songs to me feels numb and careless thanks to the music and the lyrics. Pinkerton has now gone completely insane. Pinkerton thinks his entire body is numb. Pinkerton is pretending to be a doctor asking himself if he can hear what he is saying and saying that this needle will help himself. Pinkerton then answers as himself saying that he can't hear what the doctor is saying and he begins to tell random tales about fevers and dreams in his youth but now he has grown up and is literally comfortably numb showing he is delusional, but is content with it. When Waters sings the song is very laid back, but when Gilmour sings we get a full string orchestra and it sounds amazing. When Gilmour finishes we get the first guitar solo of what is considered to be one of the best guitar solos of all time, and I can see perfectly why. The solo is very happy and slightly triumphant and fits the music perfectly. The little piano note and the screams in Waters second verse never cease to amuse me. In Gilmour's second verse his singing really picks up in emotional intensity in perfect buildup for the solo. The bass plays harder and we hear the best guitar solo on the entire album, one of the best of all time. The solo is two minutes long, sometimes longer live. It is very hard to write a good guitar solo, and even harder to write one over 30 seconds long. I tip my hat off to Gilmour for just how amazing this solo is because of how it builds up in intensity and doesn't let go of you. Overall, an amazing piece with a great balance of simplicity, technicality, humor, and excellent composition. The only way the song can get any better is when Pinky Floyd performs it live and the bass fills up the stadium setting the perfect mood for a song like this. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. The Show Must Go On-
In this song we get a Beach Boys style opening with doo-wop singing. The emotion is very happy for the most part though the lyrics contradict this. In this song Pinkerton thinks he is talking to both his parents asking them questions like where his soul has gone, and Pinkerton now believes his life is a live performance in a concert hall. I guess they are showing that Pinkerton is happy while he is being delusional and it definitely shows in the music. Overall, an enjoyable little song that heralds back to the late 50s and early 60s. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. In The Flesh-
The song starts off with a crowd the music is very similar to the track with the same name on disc one. The song is basically the same as the other "In The Flesh?" at the start until we hear a quire singing and the music becomes much calmer and more Doo-Wop styled. The lyrics start off similar to "In The Flesh?" but Pinkerton thinks he is back at a hotel and has sent a very bigoted band sent in his stead, which is still him. Pinkerton wants his entire audience shot. Outside the meaning of Pinkerton's life, this song is definitely a two finger salute, which is the British version of the middle finger, to all of the rude fans at the show that inspired this album. The music while the singing is going on is calm, with Waters singing and a quire echoing what he is saying while harmonizing quite nicely. After the singing stops we resume to the band jamming along in the way the song started, and the band plays their instruments really quick on the same notes before the song calmly stops. Overall, a enjoyable if not somewhat offensive song, but that can be ignored because it seems to imply that bigotry is a sign of insanity. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. Run Like Hell-
This song starts off with noise from a crowd and then a guitar playing riffs until the song starts a very New Wave style intro for the song until Gilmour and Waters start singing together. The song sounds happy, but this runs contradictory to the lyrics. From what I can gather this is Pinkerton talking to someone else telling them that they should hide behind a disguise because there are people coming to get them, no doubt a sign of his paranoia. In the second verse Pinkerton is telling the person to avoid being dirty, no doubt a reference back to Pinkerton's sheltered upbringing and pent up sexual feelings. The song remains sounding happy for the most part where there is no singing, but sounds more dire while Gilmour and Waters are trading their lines. The song remains pretty repetitive but I like the emotions they convey, and at the end we are treated a very interesting guitar solo followed by the song slowing down and more ambient noises being heard including people running, an axe murder at the door, and a car driving away quickly. The song ends cleanly followed by the sound of a crowd cheering to soldiers marching. Overall repetitive at first, but has nice vocals with the harmonizing and line trading and a very upbeat feel in the music that I believe had a big influence on the New Wave movement of the 80s. 5 out of 5 stars.
10. Waiting For the Worms-
The song starts off to a person counting to three in German. We then open to a sad doo-wop style of opening with people singing people being behind the wall. After this section we hear some very simple but well played drums along with a simplistic loud bass line until Waters comes in as Pinkerton singing. This song is Pinkerton saying he is safe behind his wall and is waiting for "the worms" to come. "The worms" I think is a Metaphor for the Nazis and their bigotry, and also Imperialism of the British empire taking over the majority of the world again. The pace of this song is slow in the start but enjoyable with loud drums and bass, but switches to more of a march theme when the perspectives of the worms comes in and the emotion becomes much harsher. They switch between the dire and calm theme vary often towards the end of the song. At the very end the song stays dire with men speaking in the background to the crowd cheering until Waters as Pinkerton yells "Stop!" Overall, the songs starts off very calm and can make you feel cozy, then can scare you later at the power of the perceived worms and the emoting of everyone in the song is perfect. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. Stop-
The song has Wright accompanying Gilmour singing Pinkerton wanting to be free.
Pinkerton wants to escape from The Wall as his sanity is starting to return. However, he has to face his mental demons first in a trial with himself as the defendant. The song is very short but still well composed for being as minimalistic as it is. In fact it being minimalistic is perfect because it shows the breakaway in Pinkerton's mind from his insanity and brings out the emotions of regret. Overall, a short but effective piece with nice piano playing in it. 5 out 5 stars.
12. The Trial-
The song starts with people coming into a court room and a the orchestra starting on cellos and violins. There are instruments harmonizing with the vocals. The emotion that comes into mind varies between anger, terror, regret, and pity. This song is the most lyrically complex as Pinkerton is on trial against his mental demons from his past. There are a number of figures speaking to Pinkerton. First is the Plaintiff saying that Pinkerton has been feeling human feelings and deserves to be punished, he then calls in the school master. The school master said that he knew Pinkerton was a rotten apple from the start and said he should have just beaten it out of him by hammering him. After the school master we see Pinkerton saying how crazy he is. After that Pinkerton's ex-wife is speaking angrily at him asking if he has broken up any more homes and that she should have gotten more attention, followed by Pinkerton's overprotective mother saying she never wanted him to be in any trouble and wants to take him back home.
Pinkerton then says how crazy he is again and that he wants to go outside the wall. Afterwards the judge goes on a long angry rant saying for the way he has acted and hurt his wife and mother he will have the wall torn down as his punishment. The vocalists are switching between many characters, but there is also a chorus singing after Pinkerton narrates how crazy he is. In this song the orchestra is switching around the sound and emotions constantly by character, with the orchestra and band being the scariest when the judge joins. When the judge comes in they use a vocal effect to make him sound satanic and they use full on distorted guitars to show how threatening he is. At the end of the song we hear the jury cheering for the wall to be torn down and demonic laughing until the song finally ends with the sound of the wall being torn down. Overall, a masterfully composed, sung, and truly frightening piece that shows me that Gilmour and Waters could have been actors if they had wanted to be, and that Waters should also write books in addition to having his solo career right now. It is also interesting to watch the clip from the movie "The Wall" because the wall was a metaphor for Pinkerton's overprotective mother. 5 out of 5 stars.
13. Outside the Wall-
The song starts off with the wall being torn down, and Pinkerton being content with life. While Waters is singing their is a kids quire echoing what he is saying along to the soft melody from "In The Flesh?" bringing the melody full circle. Also, the emotions in this a song are pure happiness and partial amusement at the final lyric. This song is Pinkerton narrating on the people who have helped him escape the wall and how he is thankful for their struggle of having to deal with "some mad buggers wall." Overall, a nice way to close the album. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
The mixing on the CD is amazingly clear, just like on disc one. After hearing some of the songs on the movie on Youtube I know the only difference between this and the original is that original was even clearer. I will say however I definitely had an easier time hearing the bass and drums on songs like "Waiting for the Worms" and "Bring The Boys Back Home" off this album rather than disc one.
Singing:
The singing is absolutely fantastic, with the operatic singing in "Bring the Boys Back Home", the vocal trading in "Waiting for The Worms", "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell." The harmonizing in "In The Flesh", "Run Like Hell", and the kids quires harmonizing in "The Trial" and "Outside The Wall." The emotion in everyone's voice is absolutely perfect for what the are portraying, and I can thoroughly feel that they both believed in the part and that they were well prepared for it. I also love how easily Gimlour and Waters can play off each other musically and vocally. The singing on this album is very, very good.
Instrumentation:
One word: varied. That is in the good way. Sometimes it was very simple as with "Stop" and other times it was amazingly complex like with "Comfortably Numb" and "The Trail". This is where the album truly shines through with the amazing guitar solos like in "Hey You, "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell". The orchestra in "Nobody Home", "Vera", "Bring the Boys Back Home", and "The Trial" added amazing depth to the feel and texture of the music. Overall the instrumentation is to die for, and and in some instances it was the instrumentation that showed what Pinkerton was doing.
What I didn't like:
I didn't like the sudden volume swell at the end of "Vera".
What I did like:
The singing, instrumentation, noises, lyrics, and how the entire story played out.
Who would enjoy this album:
Well since it's been out for a while obviously Pink Floyd fans would like it, but I think people who like classical music, rock music, some new wave music, and concept albums that play out like a story should definitely check this out. And like I said before, anyone with a strong constitution should also listen to this album if they don't mind some of the lyrical content.
Overall:
This album as a whole plays up and down perfectly as a massive story. Seeing as I like every song off this album pretty much I am not going to list all of them, but "Comfortably Numb" is definitely in my mind one of Pink Floyd's best accomplishments alongside this entire album. I love this entire album because of how solidly written and composed it is. I am also glad I took the time to review it and check it out.
Rating: *****
"Run Like Hell" and "Waiting for the Worms" video from the 1982 film "The Wall":
PInk Floyd- "The Wall" Disc One
Note: As this is a two disc set I am splitting the blog into two parts.
Sorry it took so long for me to write this, I had a lot of papers to do for school. Now that I have a free summer ahead of me I plan to turn out reviews on a weekly basis. I am following up on my second request to review Pink Floyd's classic "The Wall." Just like with Led Zeppelin, I only have a minor knowledge of Pink Floyd's set list. In that regard again I am going to review this album free of any pre-existing biases on the music. According to Wikipedia, this album is about Pink Pinkerton, who is slowly stricken with tragedy through out his life. Becuase of that Pinkerton isolates himself inside a wall to escape the pain. The album was inspired by Rodger Waters being angered by fans at a live concert where they were being extremely rude.
Title:The wall Disc 1
Year: 1979
Genre: Progressive Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): Pink Floyd
Copyright: © 1979 Columbia Records, US Release
Songs:
1. In The Flesh?-
This song starts off calm and quiet, but becomes much dire and louder in an instant. It continues to sound dire and then mellows out once the lyrics come in. The lyrics in this song are having Pinkerton narrate out his life after he is sealed inside the wall, telling the fans what they hear is what they get and to see his descent into madness. The emotion that comes to mind is anger, and a strong sense of seriousness. After the lyrics finish we hear the singer queuing different stage things while the band continues to play the song, and the song ends with a plane crashing. Overall, a solid introduction to the album with good emoting behind it. 4 out of 5 stars.
2. The Thin Ice-
This song opens with a baby crying, and then the music coming with the lyrics at the same time. The very dark lyrics in this track tell of Pinkerton's mother telling her newborn child that she loves him, but not to be surprised if his life gets stricken with tragedy and that he may loose his mind because of it. The emotions that come to mind are love, and then a strong sense of darkness at the reality of the world. After the singing stops the song continues with a guitar solo and the band playing until the song stops on a suspended chord leading into the next song. Overall, a very haunting track with excellent changes in emotion. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Another Brick in the Wall Part 1-
This song starts in a kind of dark bluesy kind of way. The singing starts off soft and gets louder at climactic moments. In this song Pinkerton's father dies oversees in World War II, hence exposing Pinkerton to tragedy, and this is when he begins building the wall to isolate himself. The song continues at a consistent pace where we hear noises of people talking and kids playing in the background with the song transitioning perfectly to the next. Notable work in this section is Waters on bass and David Gilmour on guitar. Overall, an interesting track that elicits powerful emotions. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives-
If I am hearing the opening the song right then the opening has a helicopter and Adolph Hitler speaking which smoothly and quickly becomes an angry Scottish teacher yelling at some kids. The song takes a strong change with a minor bass solo and the band jamming then the lyrics come in. The lyrics tell of how in Pinkerton's days in grammar school that some teachers beat up students at any excuse they could, and that they were not his 'happiest days.' The singing starts off calm, then becomes more angry. After the singing stops we hear a church quire singing harmonies over into the next song. Overall, an interesting track with a smooth transition. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. Another Brick in The Wall Part 2-
The harmonies stop with a screeching sound, and the song starts with Waters singing in harmony with a guitar. This song is about the kids in Pinkerton's school standing up to the abusive teachers saying that they don't need this crap and won't be controlled anymore. There a short pauses of instrumentation that go between the singing, and eventually the song goes to the chorus but with Waters harmonizing with a child quire. It might just be me, but the kid's thick accents just make this song all the more better to display how pissed off they all are. After the chorus with the kid quire we are treated to a very good guitar solo followed by solid drums and a loud bass track. The track finishes with Scottish school teachers yelling at students and the sound of a phone getting louder. This is the best known song from this disc of the album, and I can see why. The emotion is very rebellious and the guitar playing is phenomenal. Overall a very powerful piece, especially to people who hated school like I used to. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. Mother-
The song opens with someone breathing and Waters singing with an acoustic guitar. The lyrics are about Pinkerton speaking to his mother asking her for guidance in life, and she says she will be extremely protective of her child, not letting him make any decisions for him self including not letting him grow up and choosing his girlfriends. Hence showing she is overprotective. The acoustic guitar continues while Waters is singing. The other instruments come in when as Waters finishes and Gilmour comes in singing. The shift in emotion from bashful and uncertain to comforted and empowering via the keyboard is simply phenomenal by Richard Wright. The vocalists trade off and they both sing and emote very well. The song ends with waters sadly asking a question and the song ends on a single chord. The is a bit of a pause before the next song. Overall, this song is amazing for the way the vocalists play off each-other and the way the keyboards sets the mood so perfectly. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Goodbye Blue Sky-
The song starts with the sound of birds and an airplane and a child announcing the plane's presence. The instruments start by switching between a calm instrumentation and a very threatening sound and continues sounding dire until the vocalists come in singing the same line together. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton's and everyone's fear of being nuked straight to hell back in the cold war years. This fear is not well known to my generation, but I can only imagine the sense of hyper anxiety people must have felt knowing they could be vaporized at any second of the day back then. We also get what I believe to be an Aldous Huxley reference in the "dawn of a brave new world" lyrics. The emotions keep switching between calm and dire likely representing denial and fear. The song ends with the sounds of an airplane in the background with the calm music in front of it. Overall, this song really gets me thinking and in a retrospective way paints a great picture of how people felt during the Cold War and World War 2 to a lesser extent. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. Empty Spaces-
This short song carries over from Goodbye Blue Sky and becomes much more angry, showing Pinkerton's sanity crumbling even further in how delightfully dark the music is. We hear the the band playing together and then we hear a backwards message.This song has the only true backwards message in music at the time, saying to send "your answer" to old Pink at the "funny farm". In addition to that Pinkerton is asking how should he fill the empty spaces in the wall? This is done by way of very frightening and insane vocals. The question is answered when we transition to the next song. Overall, this song is short but amazingly creepy and truly matches the sound of what insanity should sound like to me. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. Young Lust-
With an instant transition we get a very blues rock driven piece that makes you feel like you are doing something bad, but it feels damn good which makes perfect sense considering the lyrics. The lyrics answer the question from the previous song by Pinkerton saying he wants a dirty woman in his life to help dull the pain and shed away from the protection of his mother. The phone message at the end seems to foreshadow marital troubles for a couple. The instrumentation in the song switches between bluesy, and more of a 70s metal kind of sound as we are treated with good harmonized singing and another very good guitar solo from Gilmour along with good organ playing by Wright. The solo continues until we get the final chorus. At the end the band continues to jam and we hear the phone message, and the song stops with the sound of a phone off the hook. Overall, this piece is very enjoyable in how it can make you feel sinful and enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.
10. One of My Turns-
The song starts with the unhooked phone and then goes into increasingly dark synthesizer playing over Pinkerton's wife talking to him while he is ignoring her watching a movie. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton's wife, who is asking him for different things while he is watching a movie ignoring her, and he is saying that his love is starting to wither. In this case Pinkerton's inner insanity is starting to frighten his wife, and the song ends with her running away. I may be mistaken but I think they made a Beatles reference in this song by the lyrics "Day after day, loves turns grey". Anyways, Waters emotions include apathy, loss of hope, and delirious amusement. The song in the first half is Waters singing with Wright accompanying him, and then all of a sudden it breaks into more chaotic music representing Pinkerton's breakdown into insanity by threatening his wife with an axe. All the while the guitar solo and all of the other instruments represent how much fun Pinkerton is having. The song stops with Waters being surprised and enraged by his wife running away. Overall, this song starts dark and mellow but turns a lot crazier later on, which was achieved perfectly in the way the band performed. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. Don't Leave Me Now
The song starts off very dark with sounds of heavy breathing panned into the right speaker. The singing is very desperate and sad. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton coming out of his haze and begging his wife to please come back. The song continues at the same pace with the song being very sad and trippy, but does slowly pick in insanity showing how evil Pinkerton has become as he wants her back to abuse her. In the last minute of the song we get a climax of Pinkerton sounding truly desperate as if he was on his last knees by way of the guitar and vocals playing off each other. The song ends with different television shows being played over each other with a taping noise, and the song finishes by Pinkerton smashing a beer bottle and screaming. Overall, to have fit that much intensity and insanity in a little over four minutes shows true skill. 5 out 5 stars.
12. Another Brick in The Wall Part 3-
The song starts off with the beer bottle being smashed and Pinkerton breaking everything in his site. Water's singing brings Pinkerton's anger and insanity at society full circle. The lyrics bring Pinkerton's isolation full circle saying he wont need anything anymore but his wall, as everything was just bricks in the wall. The song ends with Pinkerton saying everyone was just bricks in his wall. Overall, this song is short but the dark tonality make an excellent conclusion to what I am going to call "The Brick in the Wall Trilogy". 5 out of 5 stars.
13. Good Bye Cruel World-
The songs has the same music as the end of the previous song, but with an extreme jump in volume as soon as the song starts. Before the lyrics come in the music goes into a loop then fades into the bass playing a short fill until the lyrics come in. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton saying goodbye to everyone from inside the wall, and nothing can make him change his mind to make him leave it. The sound of the music towards the end is slow and happy, likely representing Pinkerton has reached his salvation. But this salvation is in the form of denial. For the end we get a sudden stop in music a moment of pause signifying that it is time to listen to the B side of the record. Overall, it is a nice conclusion to the epic journey into Madness that was "The Wall" disc one. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
The mixing on this album so far has been phenomenal. I can hear every instrument as clear as day. The drums are never drowned out, the bass is delightfully prominent, the guitar is prominent but not overbearing, and the singing blends perfectly. The mixing on this album is the new standard of what I will compare other albums too when I think of the term "balanced."
Singing:
The singing on this album from start to finish was perfect. Every emotion hit home to amazing affect, and the way each member of the band harmonizes like in "Goodbye Blue Sky", "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" with Waters and the kids quire, and Young Lust as well as that one time where they sang "a memory" in "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1". And also how the singers trade off each other sounds absolutely amazing like in the song "Mother."
Instrumentation:
The instrumentation is just as perfect as the singing at representing the change in emotion and reinforcing the sense of a descent into insanity. The instrumentation does what it should by setting the stage to make the album great, having the extra studio noises blending perfectly into the background, and the singing perfects the entire mix creating a perfect harmony of amazing music.
What I didn't like:
There was not a single thing I disliked, and true some songs only got the four star rating however, it would be hard to make every song amazing before it all started to sound the same. I think pink Floyd was saving their best for certain parts. Also another short coming is not on the album, but on the radio. When people play "Another Brick in the Wall part 2" on the radio it sounds good but the message isn't the same without the surrounding songs to reinforce it.
What I did like:
The strong sense of balance this band has and the great command of emotion and experimentation they possess via their singing and instrumentation.
Who would enjoy this album:
Pretty much anyone with at least a partially strong constitution. Otherwise anyone can listen to this album, you don't need to do drugs to enjoy it. :)
Overall:
What can I say that I haven't said already? The singing is amazing, the instrumentation provides a solid backbone and is equally as amazing as the singing, the mixing is clear cut and perfect, and the entire experience is like a slow moving roller coaster of human emotion. Plus we get references to the Beatles and Huxley. True not all of the songs are amazing, but Pink Floyd made up for that in how they managed to change the pace but keep the sense of falling into insanity so nicely with their most epic songs. The command of experimentation is so good that I am willing to say that if The Beatles began experimentation in rock music, then Pink Floyd perfected it. If you haven't heard this album do your self a HUGE favor and check it out. You will not be dissapointed!!
Rating: *****
"The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" video from the 1982 film "The Wall":
Sorry it took so long for me to write this, I had a lot of papers to do for school. Now that I have a free summer ahead of me I plan to turn out reviews on a weekly basis. I am following up on my second request to review Pink Floyd's classic "The Wall." Just like with Led Zeppelin, I only have a minor knowledge of Pink Floyd's set list. In that regard again I am going to review this album free of any pre-existing biases on the music. According to Wikipedia, this album is about Pink Pinkerton, who is slowly stricken with tragedy through out his life. Becuase of that Pinkerton isolates himself inside a wall to escape the pain. The album was inspired by Rodger Waters being angered by fans at a live concert where they were being extremely rude.
Title:The wall Disc 1
Year: 1979
Genre: Progressive Rock, Rock Opera
Artist(s): Pink Floyd
Copyright: © 1979 Columbia Records, US Release
Songs:
1. In The Flesh?-
This song starts off calm and quiet, but becomes much dire and louder in an instant. It continues to sound dire and then mellows out once the lyrics come in. The lyrics in this song are having Pinkerton narrate out his life after he is sealed inside the wall, telling the fans what they hear is what they get and to see his descent into madness. The emotion that comes to mind is anger, and a strong sense of seriousness. After the lyrics finish we hear the singer queuing different stage things while the band continues to play the song, and the song ends with a plane crashing. Overall, a solid introduction to the album with good emoting behind it. 4 out of 5 stars.
2. The Thin Ice-
This song opens with a baby crying, and then the music coming with the lyrics at the same time. The very dark lyrics in this track tell of Pinkerton's mother telling her newborn child that she loves him, but not to be surprised if his life gets stricken with tragedy and that he may loose his mind because of it. The emotions that come to mind are love, and then a strong sense of darkness at the reality of the world. After the singing stops the song continues with a guitar solo and the band playing until the song stops on a suspended chord leading into the next song. Overall, a very haunting track with excellent changes in emotion. 5 out of 5 stars.
3. Another Brick in the Wall Part 1-
This song starts in a kind of dark bluesy kind of way. The singing starts off soft and gets louder at climactic moments. In this song Pinkerton's father dies oversees in World War II, hence exposing Pinkerton to tragedy, and this is when he begins building the wall to isolate himself. The song continues at a consistent pace where we hear noises of people talking and kids playing in the background with the song transitioning perfectly to the next. Notable work in this section is Waters on bass and David Gilmour on guitar. Overall, an interesting track that elicits powerful emotions. 5 out of 5 stars.
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives-
If I am hearing the opening the song right then the opening has a helicopter and Adolph Hitler speaking which smoothly and quickly becomes an angry Scottish teacher yelling at some kids. The song takes a strong change with a minor bass solo and the band jamming then the lyrics come in. The lyrics tell of how in Pinkerton's days in grammar school that some teachers beat up students at any excuse they could, and that they were not his 'happiest days.' The singing starts off calm, then becomes more angry. After the singing stops we hear a church quire singing harmonies over into the next song. Overall, an interesting track with a smooth transition. 4 out of 5 stars.
5. Another Brick in The Wall Part 2-
The harmonies stop with a screeching sound, and the song starts with Waters singing in harmony with a guitar. This song is about the kids in Pinkerton's school standing up to the abusive teachers saying that they don't need this crap and won't be controlled anymore. There a short pauses of instrumentation that go between the singing, and eventually the song goes to the chorus but with Waters harmonizing with a child quire. It might just be me, but the kid's thick accents just make this song all the more better to display how pissed off they all are. After the chorus with the kid quire we are treated to a very good guitar solo followed by solid drums and a loud bass track. The track finishes with Scottish school teachers yelling at students and the sound of a phone getting louder. This is the best known song from this disc of the album, and I can see why. The emotion is very rebellious and the guitar playing is phenomenal. Overall a very powerful piece, especially to people who hated school like I used to. 5 out of 5 stars.
6. Mother-
The song opens with someone breathing and Waters singing with an acoustic guitar. The lyrics are about Pinkerton speaking to his mother asking her for guidance in life, and she says she will be extremely protective of her child, not letting him make any decisions for him self including not letting him grow up and choosing his girlfriends. Hence showing she is overprotective. The acoustic guitar continues while Waters is singing. The other instruments come in when as Waters finishes and Gilmour comes in singing. The shift in emotion from bashful and uncertain to comforted and empowering via the keyboard is simply phenomenal by Richard Wright. The vocalists trade off and they both sing and emote very well. The song ends with waters sadly asking a question and the song ends on a single chord. The is a bit of a pause before the next song. Overall, this song is amazing for the way the vocalists play off each-other and the way the keyboards sets the mood so perfectly. 5 out of 5 stars.
7. Goodbye Blue Sky-
The song starts with the sound of birds and an airplane and a child announcing the plane's presence. The instruments start by switching between a calm instrumentation and a very threatening sound and continues sounding dire until the vocalists come in singing the same line together. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton's and everyone's fear of being nuked straight to hell back in the cold war years. This fear is not well known to my generation, but I can only imagine the sense of hyper anxiety people must have felt knowing they could be vaporized at any second of the day back then. We also get what I believe to be an Aldous Huxley reference in the "dawn of a brave new world" lyrics. The emotions keep switching between calm and dire likely representing denial and fear. The song ends with the sounds of an airplane in the background with the calm music in front of it. Overall, this song really gets me thinking and in a retrospective way paints a great picture of how people felt during the Cold War and World War 2 to a lesser extent. 5 out of 5 stars.
8. Empty Spaces-
This short song carries over from Goodbye Blue Sky and becomes much more angry, showing Pinkerton's sanity crumbling even further in how delightfully dark the music is. We hear the the band playing together and then we hear a backwards message.This song has the only true backwards message in music at the time, saying to send "your answer" to old Pink at the "funny farm". In addition to that Pinkerton is asking how should he fill the empty spaces in the wall? This is done by way of very frightening and insane vocals. The question is answered when we transition to the next song. Overall, this song is short but amazingly creepy and truly matches the sound of what insanity should sound like to me. 5 out of 5 stars.
9. Young Lust-
With an instant transition we get a very blues rock driven piece that makes you feel like you are doing something bad, but it feels damn good which makes perfect sense considering the lyrics. The lyrics answer the question from the previous song by Pinkerton saying he wants a dirty woman in his life to help dull the pain and shed away from the protection of his mother. The phone message at the end seems to foreshadow marital troubles for a couple. The instrumentation in the song switches between bluesy, and more of a 70s metal kind of sound as we are treated with good harmonized singing and another very good guitar solo from Gilmour along with good organ playing by Wright. The solo continues until we get the final chorus. At the end the band continues to jam and we hear the phone message, and the song stops with the sound of a phone off the hook. Overall, this piece is very enjoyable in how it can make you feel sinful and enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.
10. One of My Turns-
The song starts with the unhooked phone and then goes into increasingly dark synthesizer playing over Pinkerton's wife talking to him while he is ignoring her watching a movie. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton's wife, who is asking him for different things while he is watching a movie ignoring her, and he is saying that his love is starting to wither. In this case Pinkerton's inner insanity is starting to frighten his wife, and the song ends with her running away. I may be mistaken but I think they made a Beatles reference in this song by the lyrics "Day after day, loves turns grey". Anyways, Waters emotions include apathy, loss of hope, and delirious amusement. The song in the first half is Waters singing with Wright accompanying him, and then all of a sudden it breaks into more chaotic music representing Pinkerton's breakdown into insanity by threatening his wife with an axe. All the while the guitar solo and all of the other instruments represent how much fun Pinkerton is having. The song stops with Waters being surprised and enraged by his wife running away. Overall, this song starts dark and mellow but turns a lot crazier later on, which was achieved perfectly in the way the band performed. 5 out of 5 stars.
11. Don't Leave Me Now
The song starts off very dark with sounds of heavy breathing panned into the right speaker. The singing is very desperate and sad. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton coming out of his haze and begging his wife to please come back. The song continues at the same pace with the song being very sad and trippy, but does slowly pick in insanity showing how evil Pinkerton has become as he wants her back to abuse her. In the last minute of the song we get a climax of Pinkerton sounding truly desperate as if he was on his last knees by way of the guitar and vocals playing off each other. The song ends with different television shows being played over each other with a taping noise, and the song finishes by Pinkerton smashing a beer bottle and screaming. Overall, to have fit that much intensity and insanity in a little over four minutes shows true skill. 5 out 5 stars.
12. Another Brick in The Wall Part 3-
The song starts off with the beer bottle being smashed and Pinkerton breaking everything in his site. Water's singing brings Pinkerton's anger and insanity at society full circle. The lyrics bring Pinkerton's isolation full circle saying he wont need anything anymore but his wall, as everything was just bricks in the wall. The song ends with Pinkerton saying everyone was just bricks in his wall. Overall, this song is short but the dark tonality make an excellent conclusion to what I am going to call "The Brick in the Wall Trilogy". 5 out of 5 stars.
13. Good Bye Cruel World-
The songs has the same music as the end of the previous song, but with an extreme jump in volume as soon as the song starts. Before the lyrics come in the music goes into a loop then fades into the bass playing a short fill until the lyrics come in. The lyrics tell of Pinkerton saying goodbye to everyone from inside the wall, and nothing can make him change his mind to make him leave it. The sound of the music towards the end is slow and happy, likely representing Pinkerton has reached his salvation. But this salvation is in the form of denial. For the end we get a sudden stop in music a moment of pause signifying that it is time to listen to the B side of the record. Overall, it is a nice conclusion to the epic journey into Madness that was "The Wall" disc one. 5 out of 5 stars.
Audio Mixing:
The mixing on this album so far has been phenomenal. I can hear every instrument as clear as day. The drums are never drowned out, the bass is delightfully prominent, the guitar is prominent but not overbearing, and the singing blends perfectly. The mixing on this album is the new standard of what I will compare other albums too when I think of the term "balanced."
Singing:
The singing on this album from start to finish was perfect. Every emotion hit home to amazing affect, and the way each member of the band harmonizes like in "Goodbye Blue Sky", "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" with Waters and the kids quire, and Young Lust as well as that one time where they sang "a memory" in "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1". And also how the singers trade off each other sounds absolutely amazing like in the song "Mother."
Instrumentation:
The instrumentation is just as perfect as the singing at representing the change in emotion and reinforcing the sense of a descent into insanity. The instrumentation does what it should by setting the stage to make the album great, having the extra studio noises blending perfectly into the background, and the singing perfects the entire mix creating a perfect harmony of amazing music.
What I didn't like:
There was not a single thing I disliked, and true some songs only got the four star rating however, it would be hard to make every song amazing before it all started to sound the same. I think pink Floyd was saving their best for certain parts. Also another short coming is not on the album, but on the radio. When people play "Another Brick in the Wall part 2" on the radio it sounds good but the message isn't the same without the surrounding songs to reinforce it.
What I did like:
The strong sense of balance this band has and the great command of emotion and experimentation they possess via their singing and instrumentation.
Who would enjoy this album:
Pretty much anyone with at least a partially strong constitution. Otherwise anyone can listen to this album, you don't need to do drugs to enjoy it. :)
Overall:
What can I say that I haven't said already? The singing is amazing, the instrumentation provides a solid backbone and is equally as amazing as the singing, the mixing is clear cut and perfect, and the entire experience is like a slow moving roller coaster of human emotion. Plus we get references to the Beatles and Huxley. True not all of the songs are amazing, but Pink Floyd made up for that in how they managed to change the pace but keep the sense of falling into insanity so nicely with their most epic songs. The command of experimentation is so good that I am willing to say that if The Beatles began experimentation in rock music, then Pink Floyd perfected it. If you haven't heard this album do your self a HUGE favor and check it out. You will not be dissapointed!!
Rating: *****
"The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" video from the 1982 film "The Wall":
Novelty Hit Song Show Down- "Friday" by Rebecca Black
I know it's been a long time, but who am I to turn down a request to review something? Everyone knows the back story at this point so I am just going to say that Friday was released in March, 2011 by the young previously unknown Rebecca Black, who released two songs on Youtube. The video of "Friday" went viral and since then has now had 15 million views. The young Black cites one of her influences as Justin Bieber. Anyways, let's break down the song and see how these covers look in comparison.
Friday by Rebecca Black:
Say what you will, Friday has been removed from Youtube because of a lawsuit by Rebecca Black. Not that we will miss it though.
I both like and hate this song. I like it because in all reality it is my Generation's Disco Duck, a novelty song that is poorly written and is pretty much a stereotypical representation of a genre of music. The real reason why people hate this song is not just because of the heavy amounts of auto tune, it is the odd way that Black sings. She is singing from her cheeks, her throat, and her nose while being partially out of tune with really weird harmonizing. In terms of proper singing technique that is a huge no no as it creates a very annoying and odd vocal tone. Now that's not to say that Black is a horrible singer, I heard her sing the American National Anthem on her ABC News interview and she actually sounded half decent despite being a bit fluttery and out of tune. If she had waited a few more years and took voice lessons she probably wouldn't have as many people hating on her as she does now. Unfortunately, Black's career is doomed because this song will follow Black to her grave thanks to the internet. Musically this song is awful because it is the same three chords that was used in the Keyboard Cat video with a very muddy bass and drum machine cluttering the mix. If you don't believe me on the Keyboard Cat theory you can find it here.
Also, the rapper seems very out of place and the rhymes are nothing memorable. I will say he is the best singer in the video though.
Overall I give this two stars because it is amusing and can be used to teach (naughty) kids about days of the weekend.
Rating: **
Friday Cover by Glee:
I will say that this the only Glee cover that sounds better than the original to me. I like the fact that they sped up the pace fixing how badly the song dragged and it is also nice that the mix is much less cluttered and clear sounding. That being said, it has still been butchered as the the singers are taking themselves too seriously for such a ridiculous song. Also, the music overall sounds like something I would have heard back in 2007 with how it is played displacing the date of which is certainly a 2011 style song. Plus they changed the part with the rapper, and this rapper is worse than the original.
Overall, better than the original but not by much as it is still cheezy without any of the humor.
Rating: ***
Death Metal Friday Cover:
This version starts off as the original but immediately turns into modern death metal. I love this version because it brings up the comedy up exponentially because of how brutal and serious the band turns the song, but at the same time you can tell the band is laughing their arses off. The music is also drastically improved as it sounds like a real brutal metal song and not a mess of drum beats and synth bass. Normally I hate this kind of singing, but the fact that it makes me think of the guy from Gorgoroth and Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget are doing a metal duet it just make this cover utterly perfect in my eyes.
Overall, my inner metal head is very pleased at the proper slaying of a bad pop music song.
Rating: *****
Stephen Colbert Friday Cover:
I love Stephen Colbert a lot, and I like what I've heard from The Roots so I am not surprised this cover sounds so good and is easy to listen too. Colbert's baritone voice is great here as he is on pitch and can be heard perfectly clear. Colbert also nailed the spirit of parodying perfectly, which is more than I can say for most of the parodies of Friday out there on Youtube. Tariq Trotter really takes the cake for rapping the best of any of the rappers I've heard so far, but this is not surprising considering his reputation. The band also makes the best sounding and most complex version of the song that I have heard to date. Jimmy Fallon is also hilarious for his part of the days of the week. Fallon and Colbert sound great auto tuned as well. The addition of Taylor Hicks and the Big City Dancers help to make this song properly over the top. My only two complaints are how many times they repeat the chorus and how much research I had to do for this cover. lol
Overall, hilarious, enjoyable, and very easy to listen too. Just a bit too repetitive.
Rating: ****
So there you have it, the Death Metal version wins but Stephen Colbert's is the most likable for the average person in second place. The Glee version will fade into obscurity when the show finishes, and the original will be my generation's Disco Duck.
Friday by Rebecca Black:
Say what you will, Friday has been removed from Youtube because of a lawsuit by Rebecca Black. Not that we will miss it though.
I both like and hate this song. I like it because in all reality it is my Generation's Disco Duck, a novelty song that is poorly written and is pretty much a stereotypical representation of a genre of music. The real reason why people hate this song is not just because of the heavy amounts of auto tune, it is the odd way that Black sings. She is singing from her cheeks, her throat, and her nose while being partially out of tune with really weird harmonizing. In terms of proper singing technique that is a huge no no as it creates a very annoying and odd vocal tone. Now that's not to say that Black is a horrible singer, I heard her sing the American National Anthem on her ABC News interview and she actually sounded half decent despite being a bit fluttery and out of tune. If she had waited a few more years and took voice lessons she probably wouldn't have as many people hating on her as she does now. Unfortunately, Black's career is doomed because this song will follow Black to her grave thanks to the internet. Musically this song is awful because it is the same three chords that was used in the Keyboard Cat video with a very muddy bass and drum machine cluttering the mix. If you don't believe me on the Keyboard Cat theory you can find it here.
Also, the rapper seems very out of place and the rhymes are nothing memorable. I will say he is the best singer in the video though.
Overall I give this two stars because it is amusing and can be used to teach (naughty) kids about days of the weekend.
Rating: **
Friday Cover by Glee:
I will say that this the only Glee cover that sounds better than the original to me. I like the fact that they sped up the pace fixing how badly the song dragged and it is also nice that the mix is much less cluttered and clear sounding. That being said, it has still been butchered as the the singers are taking themselves too seriously for such a ridiculous song. Also, the music overall sounds like something I would have heard back in 2007 with how it is played displacing the date of which is certainly a 2011 style song. Plus they changed the part with the rapper, and this rapper is worse than the original.
Overall, better than the original but not by much as it is still cheezy without any of the humor.
Rating: ***
Death Metal Friday Cover:
This version starts off as the original but immediately turns into modern death metal. I love this version because it brings up the comedy up exponentially because of how brutal and serious the band turns the song, but at the same time you can tell the band is laughing their arses off. The music is also drastically improved as it sounds like a real brutal metal song and not a mess of drum beats and synth bass. Normally I hate this kind of singing, but the fact that it makes me think of the guy from Gorgoroth and Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget are doing a metal duet it just make this cover utterly perfect in my eyes.
Overall, my inner metal head is very pleased at the proper slaying of a bad pop music song.
Rating: *****
Stephen Colbert Friday Cover:
I love Stephen Colbert a lot, and I like what I've heard from The Roots so I am not surprised this cover sounds so good and is easy to listen too. Colbert's baritone voice is great here as he is on pitch and can be heard perfectly clear. Colbert also nailed the spirit of parodying perfectly, which is more than I can say for most of the parodies of Friday out there on Youtube. Tariq Trotter really takes the cake for rapping the best of any of the rappers I've heard so far, but this is not surprising considering his reputation. The band also makes the best sounding and most complex version of the song that I have heard to date. Jimmy Fallon is also hilarious for his part of the days of the week. Fallon and Colbert sound great auto tuned as well. The addition of Taylor Hicks and the Big City Dancers help to make this song properly over the top. My only two complaints are how many times they repeat the chorus and how much research I had to do for this cover. lol
Overall, hilarious, enjoyable, and very easy to listen too. Just a bit too repetitive.
Rating: ****
So there you have it, the Death Metal version wins but Stephen Colbert's is the most likable for the average person in second place. The Glee version will fade into obscurity when the show finishes, and the original will be my generation's Disco Duck.
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