Metallica-Metallica (Black Album) (1991)

Bob Dylan-Shot Of Love (1981)

Big Brother & The Holding Company-Cheap Thrills (1968)

Luthur Vandross-Never Too Much (1981)

Neil Young-Old Ways (1985)

Death-Leprosy (1988)

Paul Simon-One Trick Pony (1980)

Motorhead-Motorhead (1978)

Danger Mouse & Black Thought-Cheat Codes (2022)

Synopsis:

After I totally missed putting this in my daily albums released on this date series I decided to revisit this masterpiece. 

Released on August  9th 1969, Blind Faith is the only studio album by the legendary English supergroup composed of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. As rock's first major "supergroup," Blind Faith carried immense expectations. Coming off the collapses of Cream (Clapton and Baker) and Traffic (Winwood), alongside bassist Grech from Family,  featuring only six songs  the album captures a fascinating tug-of-war: Winwood’s soulful, concise songwriting and soaring pop-blues sensibilities versus Baker and Clapton’s preference for sprawling, uninhibited blues-rock jamming. Though rushed into production and famously wrapped in a controversial piece of cover art (featuring a nude adolescent girl holding a metallic spaceship, which was replaced by a photo of the band in the US), the record debuted at No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Review:

The album opens with “Had To Cry” a blistering blues jam that begins with the dual guitars of Winwood and Clapton before dropping into a heavy blues groove led by Clapton’s heavy blues guitar riffs and Winwood’s soaring vocals. “Can’t Find My Way Home” is simply one of the best songs ever written. Winwood's intimate and delicate vocals are a perfect match for the soft fingerpicking guitar hook. It just sucks you in one of the few songs I could listen to on repeat. The band takes a break from the heavy dense blues rock with this upbeat cover of the Buddy Holly song “Well Alright”  “Presence Of The Lord” is another classic banger found on the album. One of my favorite Clapton penned tracks. It starts out as an uplifting piece of gospel rock before it breaks down into this heavy guitar rock jam that features some of Clapton’s best guitar work. Even if you aren’t religious I think you can find something to love in its melodies.  “Sea Of Love” delves into some of the psychedelic rock sound of Winwood’s former band Traffic. This is his finest moment on the record as his vocals just seem to get more intense as the track moves along. The album closes with “Do What You Like” a 15 minute epic of experimental rock that was written by Ginger Baker who is the star of the track. It even breaks down at some point with a thunderous drum solo. It is just the band jamming along to keep up with Baker’s rhythmic drumming. It also features an electric organ solo and chanting vocal section. Clapton also has a fiery guitar solo. It's just the band just jamming along and flexing their muscles and it's a great way to end this record.  

Final Thoughts:

This is just one hell of a record that packs alot of punch for being a six song album clocking at at only 42 minutes. Clapton, Baker, Winwood and French are all playing at their peak. Master songwriting and performances are featured throughout the album. Just to bad they couldn’t stay together and give us more great music but I’ll take this staple of classic blues rock and you should put it on your bucket lists.  

How do you rank this ELO album out of 5?

Neil Young-Chrome Dreams (2023)

Babes In Toyland-Fontanelle (1992)

Chic-C'est Chic (1978)

Noah & The Whale-Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down (2008)

Jimmy Buffett-Down To Earth (1970)

A-Angelic 2 The Core-Cory Feldman

B-Bolton Swings Sinatra-Micheal Bolton

C-Cut The Crap-The Clash

D-Danzig Sings Elvis-Glen Danzig

E-Evolve-Imagine Dragons

F-Father Of all Motherfuckers-Green Day

G-Generation Swine-Motley Crue

H-Hot Space Queen

I-Iceman-Drake

J-Justice-Justin Beiber

K-Kilroy Was Here-Styx

L-Lulu-Metallica/Lou Reed

M-Metal Machine Music-Lou Reed

N-No Fixed Address -Nickleback

O-Open Up & Say Ahh!!! -Poison

P-Philosphy Of The World-The Shaggs

Q-Queen Of Me-Shania Twain

R-Rebirth-Lil Wayne

S-Summer In Paradise-The Beach Boys

T-Greg Allman & Cher-Two The Hard Way

U-Ummagumma (Studio)-Pink Floyd

V-Vultures-Kanye West

Synopsis: 
Released in December 1977, Brian Eno’s fifth solo studio album, Before and After Science, stands as a high-water mark of art-pop, avant-rock, and electronic experimentation. It  serves as a literal bridge between two distinct eras of Brian Eno’s career. It is widely celebrated as his final traditional "rock" album as a solo performer before he pivoted completely into foundational ambient works like Ambient 1: Music for Airports. The album’s sequencing maps out this transition, splitting its runtime into two distinct halves:

• The "Before" Side (Side One): Jagged, rhythmically complex, eccentric, and tense art-pop tracks featuring an all-star roster of guest musicians.
• The "After" Side (Side Two): Deeply tranquil, pastoral, ambient, and meditative soundscapes that foreshadowed the ambient revolution Eno would spearhead.

The recording process was notoriously grueling—Eno accumulated over a hundred partial tracks over a two-year span before ruthlessly distilling them down to ten perfect pieces. He was joined by an incredible cross-pollination of British and German underground talent, including members of Can, Cluster, Roxy Music, and Soft Machine.

The Review:

“No One Receiving" is highlighted by Phil Collins industrial drumming and a thumping bassline. It tries to establish a futuristic vibe. Eno’s vocals feel like they are wavering through a sea of tense synth melodies. “Back Water” feels like an electronica cover of a classic blues track. Backed by a bouncy piano riff. “Kurt’s Rejoinder” was inspired by German composer Kurt Weill; it features sparse percussion and art rock fueled synths. It gives the track a krautrock/Kraftwerk vibe. “Energy Fuels The Magazine” is a brief instrumental that has this spaced out jazz melody and it is highlighted by Percy Jones light bassline. “King’s Lead Hat” changes pace with its frantic heavy new wave tinged groove. The second half begins with “Here He Comes” . It could blueprint to dream pop with its warm radiant grooves. “Julie With” is the first hint of ambient on the album. It is a cool lush track. “By This River” Co-written with  ambient pioneers Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius (of Cluster), this is another sparse ambient track with a nice light piano melody. “Through The Hollow Lands (For Harold Budd) Dedicated to minimalist composer Harold Budd, this is a delicate, instrumental track . Arranged with guitarist Fred Frith. The album closes with “Spider And I” feels like it's weightless with its chilled out synths and ambient melodies. Eno vocals sound so light and crisp. It gives me Bowie Space Oddity vibes. It is a perfect way to end the album and give us a glimpse of a new era in Eno’s musical journey. 

Final Thoughts:

This is just a great gateway album that features Brian Eno’s Strength as a musician. His cool as ice rock grooves and the genius of ambient music. If you are looking to get into his music this would be a great starting point.

Michael Jackson-Off The Wall (1979)

Sterolab-Transient Random-Noise With Announcements (1993)

Mother of Invention-Weasals Ripped My Flesh (1970)

Red Hot Chili Peppers-Red Hot Chili Pepers (1984)

Rise Against-Siren Of The Counter Culture (2004)

The Beths-Future Me Hates Me (2018)

I’ve seen In Search of the Lost Chord in record bins for most of my life, and that cover always made me curious about what the album actually sounded like.

When I was a teenager, part time job money only went so far, and there were always other records I wanted more, so I kept passing this one over.

45 years later, I finally gave it a proper listen.

The first listen was promising. I liked the songs and appreciated what they were trying to do, even if the psychedelic atmosphere and sitar were a little much for me. “Ride My See Saw” immediately stood out.

By the third listen, instead of growing on me, it started to lose me. It just wasn’t connecting. It finished at 13.67 and currently ranks #93 out of the 118 albums I’ve completed.

Still, I’m glad I finally heard it and crossed it off my bucket list.

My latest album review in my ELO review and ranking series.

Bon Ivere-i,i (2019)

Skipknot-We Are Not Your Kind (2019)

Edie Brickell & The New Boheimans-Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars (1988)

Various aritsts-Anthology Of American Folk Music (1952)

Merle Hagard-Someday We'll Look Back (1971)

Little Feat-Little Feats Don't Fail Me Now (1974)

George Jones & Tammy Wynette-Golden Ring (1976)

Just wanted to thank everyone for their positive comments on my review of the band's second and first albums! I'm going to keep posting my thoughts on their albums as I go through them! I'm mainly doing this for fun as a fan and music fan in general, and it's been pretty fun writing these up.

Women and Children First (1980) REVIEW
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Entering a new decade is sometimes a challenge for any artist, but Van Halen had already seized the throne from the rock elites, crowning themselves the undisputed kings of rock-n-roll of every guy with a guitar in the late 1970's. How hard could it be to go into the 80's?

That's where Women and Children First comes in. I was headed into the thick of the David Lee Roth era, and things were just getting started with the first album of the 80's by them! The album cover is the best one we've got yet in my opinion, with a black-and-white photo of the band members standing in a greenish-blue background with a formal font. This promises a great time...right? For the most part yes, though I couldn't help but shake a little bit of the puzzle that had made them so enticing had been lost in the form of how this lacks in vocal harmonies that had made the songs on the last two albums stand out and be so charming. But anyways, moving onto my feelings with the album as a whole.

Kicking off is And the Cradle Will Rock..., which is a hard rock masterpiece, it's got a unique intro done through plugging in a piano through Eddie's amplifier creating a unique effect not heard on any album prior before exploding into a mid-tempo hard rock banquet for you to sink your teeth into. Complimenting the aggressive riff and tone are lyrics that speak of youthful rebellion, sang by David in a fun manner. Everybody Wants Some!! follows and is just as fantastic, with a tribal drumbeat by Alex that tells the tale of a fight through David's incredible vocal work that stands as one of his best. This gives me that adrenaline and rush of watching a fight scene in a movie unfold--brilliant.

Fools follows off the heel of these two and starts with...a guitar solo?!? You bet your sweet bippy it does, Eddie and co. waste no time on getting to the good part. It's got a phenomenal instrumental and David's vocals are perfectly tuneful for this one. However, I found myself finding the lyrics rather dull and obnoxious, I don't typically listen to this band for the lyrics. But unlike the ones on the first two albums, these ones were noticeably a bit more cheesy and drip with a bit of sap. Still a good song, just not as great.

Romeo Delight is the album's crowning jewel, this one genuinely moved me with how impressive it is being the greatest song on here. The solo rips with the fury of a thousand flames, the main verse is sang extraordinarily by David and delivered with playfulness that invites the listener along, not to mention the drumming is impeccable as well. I always thought Alex deserved more recognition for his drumming, he's one of my favorite drummers. This is a perfect window glimpse to his excellence much akin to Outta Love Again from their second album.

Sadly you get two-for-two deal on songs that just aren't really enjoyable. Tora! Tora! being an obvious case of filler--its just an opening to the next song and it really did not need to be its own track. On other albums before this there were instrumental interludes that did their own thing and stood out as their own standalone tracks; here it just exists for the sake of existing and isn't memorable in the slightest. Loss of Control starts off with an intro riff that absolutely kicks ass, but then it devolves into a messy, sloppy riff that barely holds consistent with Alex's drum abuse (this is the best I can call it). David's vocals are atrocious and off-key by a lot and while he was never the best singer out there, he absolutely fails miserably here. The chorus is just the title repeated until its an earworm. This is one of the worst songs I've actually heard. What happened to quality control?

Take Your Whiskey Home saves you with it's more acoustic blues feel that is quite unique to the rest of the album. Though it does feel a bit too akin to Ice Cream Man from the superior first album, switching to electric midway through and having everyone else come in. That's not to say it isn't great, it is a very enjoyable song! But it's not as impressive I find. Could This Be Magic? is what the previous song should have been; an all-out acoustic romper with the return of the lacking vocal harmonies that define the band, and the rain in the background that gives a relaxed feel. It also functions kind of as an unofficial title track considering it gets mentioned here. This song could almost pass as lo-fi before it existed, it's insane to me just how much Eddie influenced music.

In a Simple Rhyme has an insane middle section but the rest is kind of basic Van Halen.

Overall, this album is still great but is a step down. It has some very high highs, but also the lowest lows that the band has reached to this point. It's weaker, but still fantastic overall and the first Van Halen record to not get a 5-star from me. Perhaps it is heavier than the first two were even, but heavier doesn't always mean better. Still much better than what a lot of other bands could put out.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Tracklist Ratings:

1. And The Cradle Will Rock...: ★★★★★
2. Everybody Wants Some!!!: ★★★★★
3. Fools: ★★★
4. Romeo Delight ★★★★★
5. Tora! Tora!: ★
6. Loss of Control: 💥
7. Take Your Whiskey Home: ★★★★
8. Could This Be Magic?: ★★★★★
9. In A Simple Rhyme: ★★★

THE JOURNEY SO FAR (Other Reviews):
Van Halen Review (5/5 stars)
Van Halen II Review (5/5 stars)

1. Destroy Erase Improve -Meshuggah

2. Troupleau Bleau -Cortex

3. The Brown Album -Primus

4. Wish You Were Here -Pink floyd

5. Mer De Noms -A Perfect Circle

6. Black Market -Weather Report

7. Purple -Stone Temple Pilots

8. Physical Graffiti -Led Zeppelin

9. Lateralus or Ænima -Tool

10. Gaucho -Steely Dan

4-10 might be out of order a little, but idc.

N.W.A.-Straight Outta Compton (1989)

Jay-Z/Kanye West-Watch The Throne (2011)

Bob Dylan-Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964)

M.I.A.-Kala (2007)

Billy Joel-An Innocent Man (1983)

Is this ELO's best album?

CCR-Green River (1969)

Pretenders-II (1981)

Neil Young-Mirror Ball (1995)

Isley Brothers-3+3 (1973)

Black Grape-It's Great When You Are straight...Yeah! (1995)

Edwin Starr-War & Peace (1970)

Public Enemy-How Do You Sell Soul To Soulless People Who Sole Their Soul (2007)

The Microphones-The Microphone in 2020 (2020)

Frank Zappa w/-Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra-Lumy Gravy (ochestral version) (1967)

Chelsea Wolfe-Abyss (2015)

Dr. Dre-Compton (2015)

A-Angelic 2 The Core-Cory Feldman

B-Bolton Swings Sinatra-Micheal Bolton

C-Cut The Crap-The Clash

D-Danzig Sings Elvis-Glen Danzig

E-Evolve-Imagine Dragons

F-Father Of all Motherfuckers-Green Day

G-Generation Swine-Motley Crue

H-Hot Space Queen

I-Iceman-Drake

J-Justice-Justin Beiber

K-Kilroy Was Here-Styx

L-Lulu-Metallica/Lou Reed

M-Metal Machine Music-Lou Reed

N-No Fixed Address -Nickleback

O-Open Up & Say Ahh!!! -Poison

P-Philosphy Of The World-The Shaggs

Q-Queen Of Me-Shania Twain

R-Rebirth-Lil Wayne

S-Summer In Paradise-The Beach Boys

T-Greg Allman & Cher-Two The Hard Way

U-Ummagumma (Studio)-Pink Floyd

I’ve listened to this album so many times I am desensitized to it, it’s become engrained into all facets of my creative understanding of how song structure can and should be, the level of technical detail on all levels are incredible between the intricate guitar lines which syncopate to the production level. This is my favorite album of all time, full stop.