2025 in 2025: Day 157

Rock'n'Roll Circus - Ayumi Hamasaki

This starts out extremely dark... but quickly pivots to full on pop fun. And lots of ballads.

Highlights: RED LINE ～for TA～ [album version], Microphone, Sunrise ～LOVE is ALL～, You were...

7.5/10

Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly - Various Artists

Imagine it is Friday night and you are cruising the town in your 1957 Chevy. Not the phone. If you are not playing this collection, then you deserve to crash into an ice cream truck.

Highlights: Down on the Farm - Al Downing, Red Hot - Bob Luman, Froggy Went a Courting - Danny Dell, Sunglasses After Dark - Dwight Pullen, Duck Tail - Joe Clay, Cast Iron Arm - Peanuts Wilson

7.5/10

Rocky: Original Motion Picture Score - Bill Conti

If this does not get your blood pumping and want to take on the world, then you are dead and I am standing triumphantly on your grave with my arms in the air like Rocky.

Highlights: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky), Going the Distance, The Final Bell, Butkus

8/10

Rocky Balboa: The Best of Rocky - Various Artists

As the title suggests, this is a best of the Rocky soundtracks/score - used in Rocky Balboa. Which is one of the greatest entries in the Rocky franchise. Which also is a way to sum up this album. All great songs connected by inspirational dialogue from the movies. I am a champion!

Highlights: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky), Going the Distance, Redemption (Theme from Rocky II), It's a Fight - Three 6 Mafia

8/10

Rocky II: Music by Bill Conti - Bill Conti

Gonna Fly Now gets a bit more funkified, and the rest is not as exceptional as the first film.

Highlights: Redemption (Theme from Rocky II), Gonna Fly Now, Conquest, All of My Life

7/10

Rocky III: Original Motion Picture Score - Various Artists

Less of a score and more of a proper soundtrack, with Frank Stallone providing half the songs. And they are kind of disco pop. In 1982. Kind of reminds me of The A-Team a little.

Highlights: Eye of the Tiger - Survivor, Gonna Fly Now - Bill Conti, Conquest - Bill Conti, Pushin' Frank Stallone

7/10

Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

Bill Conti has been replaced by the man who did the score for The Transformers: The Movie. I would like to hear his full score. Instead we get a fun super 80s compilation, with such luminaries as James Brown, Go West and Kenny Loggins. Take that, communism!

Highlights: War/Fanfare from Rocky - Vince DiCola, Training Montage - Vince DiCola, Living in America - James Brown, No Easy Way Out - Robert Tepper

8/10

Rocky V: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture - Various Artists

Things go deeper in to mainstream music with a full on compilation of 1990 hip-hop. We get some Rob Base, Joey B. Ellis and the man himself, MC Hammer! And an Elton John ballad to round things off, I guess? How did nothing from this album make the cut for the Rocky Balboa soundtrack?

Highlights: That's What I Said - MC Hammer, Feel My Power - MC Hammer, Go For It! (Heart and Fire) - Joey B. Ellis, The Measure of a Man - Elton John

7/10

Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture - Various Artists

I do not have the full album - I grabbed my favourite songs from this off my friend's CD. In 2024, I would have ripped the full CD. In November 2025, I would have taken one song less. Is this the strangely-sexiest song by Garbage ever?

Highlights: #1 Crush - Garbage, Local God - Everclear, Lovefool - The Cardigans, You and Me Song - The Wannadies

8/10

Romeo Must Die: The Album - Various Artists

Jet Li's first Hollywood leading role. Which meant teaming up with modern hip-hop and R&B superstars. Because hip-hop dudes appreciate martial arts. 

Highlights: It Really Don't Matter - Confidential, Swung On - Stanley Clarke, We At It Again - Timbaland, Try Again - Aaliyah

7/10

The Rookie: Music From the Motion Picture - Various Artists

This is just a song called In My Time of Need by Ryan Adams. I may have this elsewhere? Probably a different version. Because LOGMAN has all the versions of everything like a moron.

6/10

Room Service - Bryan Adams

BA recording an album in a hotel while on tour just to prove he can. And it is mostly upbeat pop rock, so clearly he was staying in nice hotels. Or he was getting the kind of "room service" his buddies Kiss were singing about on Dressed to Kill...

Highlights: She's a Little Too Good for Me, Not Romeo Not Juliet, Room Service, Right Back Where I Started From

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1452

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 156

Ring Ring - ABBA

This is the least memorable ABBA album. Making your wife sing a song like I Am Just a Girl, with lyrics like "I am just a girl, not the kind of woman men would like to meet/Just another girl no one looks at in the street/" and then about how she is meant to love her man, is a form of abuse.

Highlights: Ring Ring, Rock'n Roll Band, He is Your Brother, Nina Pretty Ballerina

7/10

RIOT ON THE GRILL - ELLEGARDEN

This is the Summer album for all Summers. If you are looking for shelter in a Sharknado, come find me... and I will be too busy air-drumming to this album to help. Possibly the greatest album ever made that makes me smile so much I want to cry.

Highlights: 虹, Missing, モンスター, BBQ Riot Song, Marry Me, I Hate It, Red Hot

100/10

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie

Absolute peak 70s Bowie. Glam art rock with poptastic hooks. My opinion that Suffragette City is his best song still stands.

Highlights: Suffragette City, Moonage Daydream, Ziggy Stardust, Rock'n Roll Suicide

8/10

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars: 30th Anniversary Edition - David Bowie

This is the bonus disc, which features some demos and b-sides. The b-sides are as great as the demos are bad.

Highlights: Moonage Daydream (New Mix), Velvet Goldmine, John I'm Only Dancing, Round and Round

7/10

Rise Up 2.0 [Single] - Six60

I guess the 2.0 thing means it is a remix or something? I guess this is like dubstep or something? I do not know. It is kinda groovy.

7/10

River of Dreams - Billy Joel

In parts, Joel and band go pretty hard on this. There is a certain ferocity to No Man's Land that you do not often find in a Billy Joel song, and a few other tracks have some real driving feel to them. The rest of the album just feels like middle of the road radio/record label pleasing tunes.

Highlights: No Man's Land, All About Soul, The Great Wall of China, The River of Dreams

7/10

Road To Rouen - Supergrass

This is such an anomaly in the Supergrass discography; more serious rock, no fun at all to be had anywhere. Much of an artistic kind of approach, focused on good riffs. 

Highlights: Tales Of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6), Road to Rouen, Kick in the Teeth, Low C

7/10

Rock 'n' Roll - John Lennon

John Lennon does a lot of cocaine and records some of his favourite rock'n roll classics to avoid getting sued. There are so much horns it almost sounds more like The Blues Brothers or something. Not a bad thing.

Highlights: Rip It Up/Ready Teddy, Stand By Me, Slippin' and Slidin', You Can't Catch Me

7/10

Rock and Roll Over - Kiss

Hells yes. Great album, RIP Ace!!!

Highlights: Take Me, I Want You, Calling Dr. Love, Makin' Love

8/10

Rock Dust Light Star - Jamiroquai

This is a bit more lowkey but straight-up electronic influenced. Wild to listen to this so soon after Return of the Space Cowboy - like a completely different band.

Highlights: All Good in the Hood, Goodbye to My Dancer, She's a Fast Persuader, Hey Floyd

6.5/10

Rock in a Hard Place - Aerosmith

Wait - so this is the album without Joe Perry or Brad Whitford and that people thought was terrible? Because I like this more than half of the albums Aerosmith did with Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. 

Highlights: Jailbait, Rock in a Hard Place (Cheshire Cat), Bolivian Ragamuffin, Jig is Up

7/10

Rock N Roll - Ryan Adams

I can never decide if this album is the ultimate in his douchery or it is actually as brilliant as it sometimes feels. Because today it feels the latter.

Highlights: 1974, The Drugs Not Working, Hypnotixed, Do Miss America

8/10

Rock N Roll B-Sides - Ryan Adams

These are not nearly as punk rock as the main album. But actually more enjoyable than I remembered.

Highlights: Red Lights, I'm Coming Over, Luxury

7/10

Rock Show [Live] - Run-D.M.C. & Third Eye Blind

This is the performance on David Letterman. I am not really sure why have this, because Stephan Jenkins is not a great live singer. But it still kicks serious butt.

8/10

ROCK-STAR - Stray Kids

More boombastic crazy stuff from JYP's favourite protégés. I mean, I do not really know if they are his favourites, but they sure make him a lot of money!

Highlights: Social Path, MEGAVERSE, COMFLEX, LALALALA

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1440

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 155

Remember you - Ayumi Hamasaki

Ayu getting some edge and telling her haters to Fuck Off. Quite literally. It is funny; I tend to get in my head that this album is not great, but actually it kind of is? And even if it is not, VIBEES is possibly a top ten sexy bitch track if ever I heard one. I could genuinely listen to that all day.

Highlights: VIBEES, 23rd Monster, (NOT) Remember you, Dreamed a Dream

7.5/10

Remixes 1982-1990 - The Cure

This is actually somewhat of an interesting compilation. The extended mixes are basically the same songs with unnecessarily long intros, which kind of works with Pictures of You (at least this is actually extended this time - by all of 30 seconds). But why can we not get the normal 'New Vocal' mix of Boys Don't Cry, when he is happy to give us the remix version? 

Highlights: Pictures of You (Extended Version 1990), Primary (Red Mix 1990), Close to Me (Extended Mix 1985), Boys Don't Cry (New Voice Club Mix 1986)

7/10

Renegades - Rage Against the Machine

Kind of proof of my whole 'just do one album and bounce' theory with these guys. They could have just recorded all these covers as The Renegades or something, maybe brought in Chuck D to help out? Because these dudes turning all these hip-hop songs in to heavy rock is pretty darn dope.

Highlights: Pistol Grip Pump, How I Could Just Kill a Man, Renegades of Funk, Maggie's Farm

7/10

Republica - Republica

Haha this is so dated - sounds even older than it actually is, like early 90s techno mixed with Britpop or something. So it kind of sounds like 1999 J-Pop. Holy cow that original version of Ready to Go is surprisingly terrible!

Highlights: Drop Dead Gorgeous, Ready to Go (U.S. Mix), Holly

6/10

Return Of The Bumpasaurus - Sir Mix-A-Lot

Oh man, 90s hip-hop really was rife with homophobia and transphobia. And monstrous bass.

Highlights: Aunt Thomasina, You Can Have Her, Jump On It, Funk For Da Blvd.

6/10

Return of the Champions - Queen + Paul Rodgers

I have no issue with Queen bringing in Paul Rodgers; Brian May and Roger Taylor clearly wanted to get back to performing together and these guys made a decent enough album together. It just sometimes Rodgers' voice does not quite suit the classic Queen songs. Some of them he really does! Not even Brian May's massive guitar can save Feel Like Makin' Love from sounding super country. 

Highlights: Radio Ga Ga, 39, I'm In Love With My Car, These Are the Days of Our Lives

7/10

Return of the Space Cowboy - Jamiroquai

Old school funk acid jazz. This is the kind of album that makes me wish I was a better bass player, because Stuart Zender is the man!

Highlights: Light Years, Just Another Story, Manifest Destiny, Space Cowboy

7/10

Revenge - Kiss

Hand down the best 90s album from Kiss. Featuring the best song of the 90s by any band? Rock out with your socks out!

Highlights: God Gave Rock & Roll to You, Spit, Thou Shalt Not, I Just Wanna

8/10

Revenge - Eurythmics

Imagine if these were the same songs... This album starts off absolutely massive - Missionary Man may be one of the greatest ways to start an album in 1986* - then kind of loses steam in the second half. But is still probably my favourite Eurythmics album.

Highlights: Missionary Man, When Tomorrow Comes, Thorn in My Side, The Last Time

7.5/10

*I decided to check and I may be right - I can see only 1 other challenger for that, being Let It Rock from Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet

Revolution - Kara

Let's play random K-Pop song of the day! This time it is Mr. by Kara? It is fun; very big upbeat dance pop.

8/10

Revolver - The Beatles

Like Sgt. Pepper's, this album always has dorks saying it is the greatest album, or it is a perfect album, or other such nonsense. It is neither. Because Paul McCartney's songs on this album are mostly trash.

Highlights: Tomorrow Never Knows, And Your Bird Can Sing, I Want to Tell You, Eleanor Rigby

7/10

Revolverlution - Public Enemy

This is purely the title track. I really do not have much Public Enemy and I should probably feel too ashamed to show my face on the internet again.

8/10

Rhythm & Gangsta - Snoop Dogg

This only the single Signs with Justin Timberlake. It is probably the last good song this dude released - more than 20 years ago.

8/10

Ricky Martin - Ricky Martin

The best Ricky Martin songs are when he is just shaking those hips and making you boogie, but sadly most of this album is ballads. Which are mostly kind of meh.

Highlights: Livin' La Vida Loca, Private Emotion, Bella (She's All I Ever Had), I Count the Minutes

7/10

The Riddle - Nik Kershaw

I loved the 1966 Batman TV show as a kid. I still do - rewatched it a few years ago and had the time of my life. I recall this video had something with that version of The Riddler going on in it? I cannot recall if it scared me or just made me like the video.

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1425

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 154

Red, White & Crüe - Mötley Crüe

Not the full compilation, because I have it all elsewhere, but instead just the songs not found elsewhere; a couple of songs recorded for their first greatest hits compilation (or second, if you count Decade of Decadence) and a few other songs recorded for this compilation. They are okay.

Highlights: Bitter Pill

6.5/10

Redbird - Heather Nova

There are some obvious attempts at 'hit making' on this album and that is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it still features a fair bit of Nova performing poetry and storytelling over some pretty chilled music. And my dude David Ayers is out here with his Ebow making everything more interesting...

Highlights: Redbird, I Miss My Sky (Amelia Earhart's Last Days), Done Drifting, Singing You Through

7/10

A Reginald Gangsta - DJ Reggie

Me: Oh this will at least be really quick. *checks running time* Where's my noose? 

Highlights: I am sure there were some funny lines in there somewhere

4/10

Regulate (Music From Above The Rim) [EP] - Various Artists

I have never seen this movie, so I do not know if all these songs are from the film, but this EP features possibly my favourite 2Pac song and the legendary title track. G-Funk was seriously so good.

Highlights: Regulate - Warren G & Nate Dogg, Pain - 2Pac, Loyal to the Game - 2Pac

8.5/10

Rehearsals/Demos - Ryan Adams

The Cardinals jamming. I think some of these riffs became actual songs? All very pointless.

Highlights: Good guitar tone?

6/10

Reina - Kinky

One of their most consistently funk releases; there is nothing super standout here, but it is generally very enjoyable throughout. Sounds like someone else is doing some rapping here and there instead of their usual singer?

Highlights: León, I Say Hey, Monday Killer, A Dónde Van Los Muertos?

7/10

Rejoice - The Emotions

This is only the disco jam Best of My Love. An absolutely perfect blend of disco, funk and sensational harmonies. And big high notes.

10/10

Reload - Tom Jones

The great Tom Jones performing duets with the happening Britpop kids, covering all manner of classic songs - from 80s pop to early Elvis rock'n roll to modern trip-hop and house. By modern, I mean 1998. A fun time for all involved.

Highlights: I'm Left You're Right She's Gone, Mama Told Me Not to Come, She Drives Me Crazy, Burning Down the House

7/10

Remapping the Human Soul [Part 1:THE BRAIN] - Epik High

Fancy some Korean hip-hop in place of some random K-Pop? Sure thing! These guys get quite hard-hitting in places.

Highlights: White Night, Still Life, Soul

7/10

Remapping the Human Soul [Part 2:THE HEART]

They kick this off getting political, so they immediately go up 10 points in my books. 

Highlights: Flow, Fan

6.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1410

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 153

Reality - David Bowie

This was yet another 'Bowie is back to his great self!' releases in the early 00s. And this time... they were right! Except Bowie sounds like he is actually having a blast making this album. That hook in Never Get Old might be his best chorus in years.

Highlights: Pablo Picasso, Never Get Old, Reality, New Killer Star

8/10

Reanimation - Linkin Park

A remix album when they had only put out one album sure seemed ambitious... but I will be damned if it does not work. For the most part. Bringing a bunch of badass MCs to add their badass MC skills certainly helps. Less nu metal and more electro hip-hop.

Highlights: 1stp Klosr, Enth E Nd, PPr:Kut

7/10

Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z

Jay-Z sounds so different with low budget production. Still got mad flow, but I wonder if this album was done the way he did all his others? The skits and interludes are pretty lame.

Highlights: Brooklyn's Finest, Ain't No, Bring It On, Regrets

7/10

Rebel Yell - Billy Idol

I find it almost impossible to listen to this album and not focus on the awesome work of Steve Stevens. Really, they should be credited as Billy Idol and Steve Stevens. 

Highlights: Rebel Yell, Crank Call, (Do Not) Stand in the Shadows, Blue Highway

8/10

Rebirth - SS501

It has been a while since I have had some random K-Pop. This is Love Like This and it is super dance idol boys singing to some girl. I know that, because every verse starts with "Hey girl..."

6/10

Rebloom - SeeYa

And now for some super dance girl idol K-Pop instead? This song is His Voice. 

6/10

Reckless - Bryan Adams

I may forever call Into the Fire my favourite BA album, but Reckless is just so full of hits and legendary songs, it is hard to deny its greatness. I am not sure 80s pop rock gets any more perfect than this.

Highlights: One Night Love Affair, Heaven, Run to You, It's Only Love, Summer of '69

10/10

The Reckoning - Needtobreathe

I find the lyrics on this album much less holier than thou, however musically it much less captivating. Some of it is really just super middle of the road. Still some flashes of greatness in there, though.

Highlights: Keep Your Eyes Open, Oohs and Ahhs, Drive All Night, The Reckoning

7/10

Red Carpet Massacre - Duran Duran

The reunion lasted all of an album before these dudes went back to chasing trends, hooking up with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Which I have zero problem with.

Highlights: Red Carpet Massacre, Falling Down, Dirty Great Monster

6.5/10

Red Star - Third Eye Blind

I love it when 3EB get all upbeat and get those big hooks going. Add in some full on anti-right commentary and critiscm and LOGMAN remembers why he liked them so much.

Highlights: Non-Dairy Creamer, Red Star

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1400

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 152

Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic - Prince

We doing the remix album first, because the alphabet does not care for sensibilities. Some fairly standard funkiness going on, and some straightahead pop rock as well. Teaming up with Chuck D makes for a hip-hop infused groove!

Highlights: Undisputed (The Moneyapolis Mix), Baby Knows, Prettyman, The Greatest Romance Ever Sold

7/10

Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic - Prince

On release, the word was the remix album was better. LOGMAN strongly disagrees. Quite fun that he teams up with Sheryl Crow for the best song on the album after covering one of her songs in the funkiest of ways. 

Highlights: Man 'O' War, Baby Knows, Prettyman, Everyday is a Winding Road

8/10

Raw Like Sushi - Neneh Cherry

This is, sadly, only the smash hit Buffalo Stance. Sad because I should have this album and more Neneh Cherry in general. But happy because I am short on time. Give me more of my 80s collection failures!

9/10

Ray Charles & Friends - Ray Charles

And friends? This is Ray Charles hooking up with country music "legends" to record some country music "classics" while LOGMAN asks what in the bejeebus is "this"? It is fun, is what it is. You are a dork, LOGMAN.

Highlights: Two Old Cats Like Us, Seven Spanish Angels, Who Cares

6.5/10

Ray Charles & Friends Super Hits - Ray Charles & Friends

Wait - this is the exact same album but with a slightly different title? And "& Friends" added to the artist?!? See, kids - organising and actually LISTENING to your music collection is important and saves you having to waste your time with the same album multiple times...

Highlights: Two Old Cats Like Us, Seven Spanish Angels, Who Cares

6.5/10

Ray Sings, Basie Swings - Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra

Now this is the Ray Charles I would like to listen to. Big band swing and soul.

Highlights: Look What They've Done to My Song Ma, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Georgia On My Mind, Every Saturday Night

7/10

Razorlight - Razorlight

I remember this being a big change in style from their first album, so will be interesting to compare when I finally to get that album. If I ever get to that album. For more pop oriented, if my memory serves me well. I have a deeply personal memory attached to America and it will never be separated from that, but when I hear it I could possibly listen to it multiple times. That country is such a failed experiment and makes for terrible viewing...

Highlights: America, Los Angeles Waltz, In The Morning, Back to the Start

7.5/10

Read My Lips - Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Modern pop disco does not get any better than this album. 

Highlights: Take Me Home, Murder on the Dancefloor, Music Gets the Best of Me, Is It Any Wonder

9/10

Real - Belinda Carlisle

This very much sounds like a pop rock album from 1993. And some of it really suits Belinda Carlisle's voice; she was a bit raw and unpolished, so it seems a bit more natural than some of her more pop stylings. Like, she sounds like she was a young upcoming artist or something like that.

Highlights: Goodbye Day, Windows of the World, Big Scary Animal, Here Comes My Baby

7/10

Real Life - Evermore

Wow this is turning in to one of those days. Solid NZ indie rock that is actually much better than one would expect.

Highlights: Light Surrounding You, Real Life, Inside of Me, Unbreakable

7/10

The Real Thing - Faith No More

As much as I love Angel Dust, this album shows what this band could do without Dr. Pretentious involved in things, because it is just killer hard rock all through. Very dated with these big loud keyboards, but Sir James Martin of the Faith No More Spiritual & Theological Centre and his Flying V are a driving force here and mostly just gets to let rip.

Highlights: Epic, The Real Thing, War Pigs, The Morning After

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1390

2025 in 2025: Day 151

Rarities 1984-85 - The Cure

In a shocking turn of events, this consists of instrumental demos, studio demos and bootleg live recordings! At least by now Robert Smith has moved out of his parents' home and does not need to record songs on their organ, I guess?

Highlights: Stop Dead [Demo], Sinking [Live]

6/10

Rarities 1986-87 - The Cure

A lot of instrumental demos and then a few live tracks. I recall when this was released Robert Smith offered up an explanation that he had compiled two different versions and took it around to friends to get advice, eventually settling on this version. I have zero doubt in 2025 he would just release both discs instead.

Highlights: Why Can't I Be You? [Live]

5.5/10

Rarities 1988-89 - The Cure

I have the full set - the disc released with the reissue of Disintegration and then tracks released online only. Because I do not know what I am doing. This time there are not just instrumental demos, but also instrumental rehearsal tracks! Wow! And some guide tracks, before finishing off with a few live songs. One of my favourite albums of all time broken down into almost three hours of this kind of thing... Oh! This is the live version of Faith where Robert Smith goes on some bizarre rant about how to kill someone that is bigger than you and threatening you.

Highlights: Faith (Live Rome Palaeur 6/4/89– Crowd Bootleg), Prayers for Rain (Studio ‘WIP’ Mix 11/88), Disintegration (Live Dallas Starplex 9/15/89), Untitled (Live Dallas Starplex 9/15/89)

6/10

Rarities 1990-92 - The Cure

Even more instrumental demos! So many in this collection - they really could have just marketed it as a purely instrumental album. A few early demos, as well as some remixes or something. To be fair, the instrumentals are mostly songs not found elsewhere and make for great background music, and the remixes are of excellent songs. I am looking forward to another 3 hours being added to this collection later this year when they finally reissue Wild Mood Swings...

Highlights: Doing the Unstuck (Extended 12" Mix), From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea (Partscheckruf Mix), Friday I'm in Love (Strangelove Mix), A Letter to Elise (Blue Mix)

6.5/10

Rarities 1998-2003 - Ayumi Hamasaki

Part one of my personal compilation of b-sides and other things from Ayu. We get some Ayu rapping, two more versions of WHATEVER - and one of them is much more like an actual song than the album version - and the original version of Endless Sorrow is like a completely different song to what ends the I am... album. Keiko's terrible singing on A Song is Born actually makes it even more interesting? Like, I actually think I prefer this version - BECAUSE of how bizarre her vocal choices were.

Highlights: theme of a-nation '03, ever free, Endless Sorrow [Original Version], 『Ａ』

8.5/10

Rarities 2007-2015 - Ayumi Hamasaki

Part two is, in some ways, actually more impressive; it feature some epics and a few remixes/alternate versions. And a terrible song featuring Timmy and his terrible rapping. That abrubt ending on this version RED LINE ～for TA～ is... abrubt! And I could not really give you an honest answer as to which version of Tell All is the superior version. Both are very awesome.

Highlights: RED LINE ～for TA～, SEVEN DAYS WAR, Tell All, Tell All [2015 Mix], Dream On

8/10

Rarities Live Disc - Jimmy Barnes

This would appear to be from the Freight Train Heart tour - assuming it is all from one show. Barnes' voice is rough and rowdy and boy he could scream back then. So great when he hits those higher notes. That ending for Working Class Man could have gone longer if they had wanted, I would not complain.

Highlights: Working Class Man, Last Frontier, Too Much Ain't Enough Love, I'd Die to Be With You Tonight

8/10

Rarities Studio Disc - Jimmy Barnes

Mostly blues rock and a bit of that 90s rock sound. All very listenable.

Highlights: Broken Hearts

6.5/10

Rarities, B-Sides, and Other Stuff - Sarah McLachlan

What is it with these indie female singers and Gloomy Sunday? I think I prefer when McLachlan gets a bit angsty; she is great for that low-key vibe, for sure, but I am a simple fool that enjoys a bit of edge. Also, low key, we (as in, Sarah McLachlan and I) have a few songs with the same titles. Great minds think alike, or something.

Highlights: Dear God, Song for a Winter's Night, Drawn to the Rhythm [Live], Vox [Extended Remix]

6.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 1380

FREE PALESTINE