261. The Eagles - The Eagles

We weren't overly excited when we selected this album, to be frank. Whilst I loved Hotel California as a teenager, and still have a soft spot for it, I've always considered that the good Eagles' songs I knew were outliers from a more average back catalogue. The only song I knew off this album was Take it Easy, which certainly belongs in the anomalous category. Still, it probably wouldn't be an unpleasant week's listening.

The Eagles' debut album was recorded in 1972 in London, with Glyn Johns the producer selected. The band's key difference was their harmonies, which took them away from other country-rock records which littered the charts at the time. The album was more of a slow-burner than an overnight success, and it actually wasn't until 2001 that it finally went platinum. Critical reception was initially also slightly mixed, with some reviewers impressed by the professional and slick sound on the debut, whereas others found it more style than substance. Interestingly (possibly) Don Henley only contributed two songs to this album - Witchy Woman and Nightingale - both a far cry from his finest work (Boys of Summer if you were wondering). 

Take it Easy is a track you will struggle to rid yourself of; I am in fear that it will still be in my head several years on. The chorus is a sublime work of close harmonies, and there's some impressively quick double-time banjo. But you probably knew this already, given how well known this particular song is. Witchy Woman is not so well know, and with good reason. It isn't bad, so much as forgettable, although it was, somehow, the highest charting single off this album, reaching number 9 in the UK. In contrast, Chug all Night and Most of us are Sad would probably go into the former categories. They are the upbeat and downbeat examples of MOR country-rock meh. What's disappointing is that the band are capable of more, as demonstrated on the near outstanding Take the Devil. A bit of direction, a classic transition from acoustic to electric at the chorus, and a moodier tone makes the whole band sound a lot more emotive. Peaceful Easy Feeling was Chloe's stand out, and it is an enjoyable set of melodies and harmonies, showing the purer country side of the group. 

Overall, the album was what we'd expected: two or three (very) good tracks, with a lot of inoffensive tunes in between. The quality of these individual songs, plus the fact that most of the not good songs weren't bad per se drove the score up. I can't imagine it being an album that I ever return to, although I will enjoy Take the Devil on a regular basis as a bit of a unexpected delight.

Chloe's rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 9. Peaceful Easy Feeling
Olly's rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 7. Take the Devil

Next week is 634. Viva Hate by Morrissey. I doubt that'll be middle of the road.

167. Stand - Sly and the Family Stone

A well known band that I know nothing about, I was quietly excited about this album. I thought it would be all raucous funk, horns and jams, and whilst this may not always work, it would carry me along. Unfortunately, this wasn't really the case.

This album was the highlight of the group's career, being released in 1969, and going on to be certified platinum in 1986. The band were renowned for their live performances, and you can hear this in the album, with lots of seemingly improvised sections honed from their time on stage together. The band were hugely influential, and were ranked 43 on the Rolling Stones' list of greatest artists of all-time.

The opening track, Stand is a straightforward song about pride and supporting each other. Whilst this is clearly a lovely sentiment, the song doesn't quite manage to pull it off. Don't call me Nigger, Whitey is a well observed song about racial tensions, although it seems a bit lightweight in a sense given the content it's covering. It does make nice use of the wah pedal though. I want to take you higher is more what I was hoping for with this album, full of energy and a variety of instrumentation. There are also some outstanding vocal performances from Cynthia Robinson, and the horn section is crisp and on the button. Everyday People is another great song, popularising the phrase "different strokes for different folks", but Sex Machine is frankly just time that I want back - it starts nowhere and manages to end up there too. The intro to Somebody's Watching You is also a musical travesty - it sounds like a half-baked children's TV theme tune.

As stated before, I was hoping for funk. At the same time, I was slightly fearing disco. What I got was something that really was neither, and in the end, it just didn't grab me or Chloe. Whilst I can put up with good instrumental sections, too much meandering without any real purpose can just be frustrating. A few songs stand out as well put together and catchy, but this was not a sufficiently high proportion of the album to warrant a better score.

Chloe's rating: 5 
Chloe's favourite track: 7. Everyday People 
Olly's rating: 5
Olly's favourite track:  3. I want to take you Higher

Next week's album is 261. The Eagles self-titled debut album. Not bowled over by that, but let's give it a shot.

885. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers.

An album that pretty much everyone from my generation will know, it's release in mid-1999 meant that some of the staple singles from this album were ever present at gatherings during my formative mid - teens. It was an album that centred the Chilis as an accessible slice of pop-punk, with a splash of funk, and a liberal dousing of bizarre lyrics. I remember see them at V festival in about 1999, and whilst I wasn't their biggest fan, I enjoyed the energy that they brought to the crowd.

As a band they have had their fair share of difficulties, with drug addiction a recurring them for Anthony Kiedis. This album followed up the underwhelming One Hot Minute,  the only RHCP album that featured Dave Navarro, with Frusciante returning to the fold following his own struggles with addiction. Frusciante returned without even his guitars, which had burnt in a house fire he'd barely escaped. From the ashes of this situation, the band produced their best-selling album.

Parallel universe always makes me think of a train, with the guitar and drum sound reminiscent of the clicketty-clack of train wheels on tracks. Or, perhaps, I just spend too much of my life thinking about trains. Scar tissue, on the delicate side with a lovely refrain, if slightly repetitive. There are some beautiful guitar work too, and lyrics that aren't completely ridiculous all the time. Otherside is classic singalong fare, pretty much written for boozy afternoons in a festival crowd; this I am more than fine with. Emmit Remmus is a really good song, with a powerful, catchy chorus, squealing guitar, and a nice list of London landmarks. Road Trippin' is about the only slow acoustic number on this album that I enjoy.

The songs fall into two camps - funky, rocky numbers with Flea at the forefront, and with lyrical content primarily focused on the sexual (Get on top, Around the world, Easily, Emmit Remmus, I like Dirt). Alternatively, a slow, sickly sweet song which is all treble (Porcelain, Savior, Road Trippin'). Occasionally the two are combined, as in Californication itself, Otherside and Scar Tissue. It is no surprise that two of these are the standouts for Chloe and me, as this style shows the Chilis at their strongest. By blending their strengths, they create a more engaging song.

Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot as it is packed full of catchy songs. Whilst the lyrics can be a barrier to enjoyment from time to time, it is hard to not finding yourself singing along to half of the songs, which is a pretty good sign of a decent album.

Chloe's rating: 7

Chloe's favourite track: 3 Scar tissue

Olly's rating: 7

Olly's favourite track: 4. Otherside

Next week's album is 167. Stand by Sly and the family Stone; not too sure what to expect with this. 

575. Planet Rock: The Album - Afrika Bambaataa

Whilst this was  new album to both of us, there were many, many recognisable moments throughout the tracks. This has to be one of the most sampled records ever, with influences in techno, hip-hop, synth-pop and more. I was also familiar with Renegades of Funk, the song that gave a name to to Rage Against the Machine's cover album, Renegades. Whilst I was familiar with Afrika Bambaataa through references and influences, I hadn't come across the Soulsonic Force before. I was looking forward to an 80s-tastic set of tunes with booming basslines, razor sharp synth lines, and cheesy rapping; I was almost satisfied.

Don't Stop, the album opener, starts off catchy as anything, with a cutting use of cymbals and synth. It is very multi-faceted, with elements flowing in and out, and clocking in at six and a half minutes. Whilst this shows the talents of the musicians, it is also quite easy to fade out halfway through. The second track, Looking for the Perfect Beat was the best song for me, with it's use of scratching, snare, and back and forth vocals. Although the vocal content is fairly basic (naive was the term Chloe used), it has some redeeming features, such as an interesting Shakespearean reference. Renegades of Funk, to my ear, sounds better with Zack de la Rocha's more obvious anger over the top of it than the more upbeat, comedic approach of the original, although it does have a great horn section. Frantic situation doesn't really do it for me, sounding like a weak cross between hip hop and disco. The guitar intro on Who do you think you're funkin' with?, coupled with the obscene bassline makes this a proper toe tapping, head-bopping, smile inducer. The rapping is also much more convincing, which may well be due to Melle Mel's involvement. Go Go Pop has been heavily sampled, but doesn't really go anywhere as a song, whereas They Made a Mistake has better lyrical content, and some catchy moments, but that's about it.

I (think I) can completely understand why this album is so important, and formative for many groups. The technical ability and creativity is exceptional given what had come before. However, I think Chloe put it well when she said that it was a dance album that did not really make her want to dance. It is almost trying to be too clever, at the expense of a cohesiveness to the record. I can imagine a couple of tracks being belted out an an amazing soundsystem (I'm thinking Despacio good) in a club would sound jaw-droppingly good, but that isn't enough to make an amazing album. The album has some brilliant sections, but it is too inconsistent, and so ends less than the sum of its parts.

Chloe's rating: 5

Chloe's favourite track: 1. Don't Stop... Planet Rock

Olly's rating: 6

Olly's favourite track: 2. Looking for the Perfect Beat

Next week's album is 885. Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, an album I know pretty well, and am looking forward to getting my teeth back into.

320. Queen II - Queen

Queen were a band that I loved when I was about twelve. They were energetic, funny, heavy, had intricate guitar solos, and one of the most charismatic front men in the history of music. My adoration for this band stretched so far that I owned both the Greatest Hits Volumes One and Two. And this is fully indicative of the way that I viewed Queen - they were a singles band. And so, in selecting this album, I was not overly excited, especially as I now saw them as a fairly immature, even puerile, group. My response was positively euphoric, however, in comparison to Chloe's, whose dislike for the band is heavily influenced by her father. His ire towards the group is clear and without ambiguity, and runs second only to his dislike for Mr Mourinho. Alas, he is a Man Utd fan.

Whilst I am aware that I am setting this up to be an album where my low expectations are shattered by an amazing piece of work, that would also not be accurate. Instead, this is an album which I enjoyed more than anticipated, but I didn't love it unexpectedly as with Very by the Pet Shop Boys for example. I was surprised at the depth and variety of the music, which reminded me very much of Led Zeppelin. It also led me to explore more about the band, discovering that Freddie Mercury's name was in fact Farrokh Bulsara, and that he was entirely of Indian heritage, and that he was born in what is now Tanzania, facts that seemed to have escaped much of the celebration of his life. 

In terms of the songs, Father to Son is an operatic number that sounds like it is straight off the Who's Tommy, which is certainly no bad thing. Indeed, there is a feeling of concept to the whole album, without it ever fully delivering this. The repeated reference to Queens and mythological creatures emphasise the Led Zeppelin feel. The White Queen has that classically Queen, quiet-loud-quiet thing going on, but Mercury's voice manages to hold it all together remarkably well. Seven Seas of Rhye was the only song off this album that I knew, and is a fantastically catchy number with slightly bizarre lyrics. The standout song for me was the March of the Black Queen, complete with its driving drums and soaring guitars that almost match Mercury's vocal performance. Whislt there are some elements that do not quite work, such as the close harmonies, the whole song is a powerful and varied number that I will enjoy coming back to many times.

Overall this was a surprisingly good album, but with a lot of songs that I have no desire to return to, so I'm left with my original view that Queen are primarily a singles band. No bad thing, but not great when you have to hear the whole album quite a lot for a week.

Chloe's rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 11. Seven Seas of Rhye
Olly's rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 9. The March of the Black Queen

Next week we have 575. Planet Rock: The Album by Afrika Bambaataa, which I appear to know a lot of without having heard it before. The album is sample city, it transpires.