Sven listens to hundreds of albums

[Sven]

56. Paul McCartney - McCartney II



If nothing else, I implore you all to check out the song Check My Machine because it's soooooooo weird and groovy and rockin' and unlike anything I've ever heard. For that alone, the album deserves four stars, but luckily the rest of the album, from the opening hit Coming Up (the refrain "Like a flower!" is forever imprinted in my mind as some kind of ecstatic musical transgression) to the closing hit Goodnight Tonight, speaks of impeccable craftsmanship, frequently experimental, sometimes misguided a bit (Secret Friend is simply too long, and some of the mechanized sounds are a bit rote), but never less than ebullient.

****

[Sven]

57. Paul McCartney - Tug of War



I guess you could say that I'm going through a phase. George Martin back in action, filling the sound with his strings and a stringent application of 80s technology, producing a rich, never-dated sound. Impeccable, really.

****

[Acapelli]

temporary secretary is so weird

[Sven]

temporary secretary is so weird

Not one of the better tracks, but still a moderate delight.

[Russ]

Hey Sven, what with all this stroll down McCartney lane, are you going to do his first solo album (the Bowl of Cherries lp)? I love that one.

[D_Davis]

You should call this thread "Sven gets a massive boner for Paul McCartney".

[Wryan]

You should call this thread "Sven gets a massive boner for Paul McCartney".

I'd prefer "Sven exposes his massive boner for Paul McCartney."

Get it? See the slyness? I shock myself, sometimes.

[Lasse]

I love McCartney. It's a bit strange that I don't own an album by him. :crazy:

Memory Almost Full was a very pleasant surprise.

[Spinal]

I demand equal time. Review Double Fantasy please.

[Sven]

Hey Sven, what with all this stroll down McCartney lane, are you going to do his first solo album (the Bowl of Cherries lp)? I love that one.

I think the remarkable thing is not that I'm strolling down McCartney Lane or Penny Lane or Abbey Road or whatever, but rather that each album is consistently getting my highest rating. Why not stick with a good thing? It's like Wats focusing on Scorsese's filmography. After this, you will all crumble under the weight of my McCartney experience.

Oh, and in truth, I thought I had already done the first album. I listened to it a few times a couple of weeks ago, but I guess I never recorded it. Will remedy immediately.

[Sven]

58. Paul McCartney - McCartney



Practically lo-fidelity, minimalist blues, tracks cut mostly on a whim, and you can tell. There's a handful of oh-so-solid tracks (his vocal work on Maybe I'm Amazed is unsurpassed by any Beatle solo track, That Would Be Something is a groovy lark, Momma Miss America is a rockin' blues jam, Man We Was Lonely is tip-top pop reminiscent of The Beatles, as is Teddy Boy), and a couple of duds (the percussive wankery of Kreen Akrore, Hot As Sun - Glasses never goes anywhere, Valentine Day is weak). However, what's special is not the strength of each number, but rather the culminating effect of a renegade pop master with his own 4 track recorder taking it on himself to forget those other jerks and cut a piece of his heart into plastic.

****

[Spinal]

"Maybe I'm Amazed" is an awesome song. One of my favorites of his.

[Boner M]

Boycotting this thread 'til the McCartney posts stop.

[transmogrifier]

Boycotting this thread 'til the McCartney posts stop.

Indeed. Let's get iosos into some dance. I say, LCD Soundsystem s/t (2CD version)

[Sven]

Boycotting this thread 'til the McCartney posts stop.

How're you gonna know when they stop if you're boycotting? Tell me. TELL ME!!

Alright alright. I've listened to a couple more, but I'll save them for later. I dunno... the guy knows how to do it. Definitely suggested.

But for now, because everyone's a baby, the next few will be significantly different.

[D_Davis]

A couple of suggestions, totally unlike anything you've listed here thus far:

The Last Man to Fly, by The Tear Garden
The Maria Dimension, by The Legendary Pink Dots
Valintino, by Long Fin Killie
Home is in Your Head, by His Name is Alive

[Boner M]

If you don't write jazz-funk off as "jazz's deformed cousin" (quoth The Mighty Boosh), I'd recommend:

Nomo - Ghost Rock

One of my faves of the year.

[Acapelli]

iosos - i remember you saying you weren't particularly fond of arthur russell from what you've heard, but i recommend his newest release, love is overtaking me. it's much more straightforward pop than what you've heard before

[Sven]

59. Pavlov's Dog - Pampered Menial



Starting with what sounds like the most gorgeous pop piano line this side of Styx (ha ha), David Surkamp's voice bluntly, violently, instantly disrupts the mood with what could potentially be the most incredible? annoying? virtuosic? vibrato tenor in the history of pop music, and let me tell you... it's absolutely beautiful. I spun this album about four times today, back to back, I simply could not get enough. It is strange, because my intolerance for unorthodox vocal work is notorious to those who know me (hence McCartney), and this is about as strange as they come. And yet... and yet... it could be that the band backing Surkamp (because let's face it, this is his show) is of the highest quality, surprising at every measure with a twist of a chord here, an unexpected percussive break there, a guitar solo. The opening track includes one of the most gorgeous flute solos ever. The biggest irony is that if Surkamp's voice were more conventional, it would be far less special somehow.

Look, bottom line: this is great, great tunage and Russ deserves all the rep I'm gonna give him.

****

[Russ]

59. Pavlov's Dog - Pampered Menial

****

This pleases me greatly.

I remember when I reacquired their music a while back and, having not heard it for many years, thinking, "Boy, Iosos would love this stuff." Vindication is a great feeling. Now, get their second album (At the Sound of the Bell), which I'm convinced you'll love as much as the first. Production is a bit slicker than the first, but new additions include a boys choir (!) and Bill Bruford (!!)

Finally downloaded their long-lost (and unreleased) third album. Pared back to mainly a rock band without all the frills, due, I suppose, to budgetary concerns. Not greatly impressed on first listen. Worth a listen for completists, tho.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Where is the review of my recomendation Sven? huh?

[Sven]

Where is the review of my recomendation Sven? huh?

Olivia Tremor Control... I'm on it. Sorry for the wait but there are loads of recommendations as well as other things to which I'd like to get.

[Milky Joe]

That album deserves a lot of attention, to discover its intricacies. Whatever you do, don't rush it.

[Sven]

Announcement: I'm putting this off for a few more days. I've got millions to do in real life.

[dreamdead]

Whenever you renew this list, I'd be interested in your thoughts on Enslaved's "Vertebrae" album. While they started out as Viking/black metal in the early '90s, they've become far more influenced by '70s prog rock of late. I could see you rather liking it.