Thursday, 3 April 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 52
Wednesday, 2 April 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 51
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 50
Monday, 31 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 49
Sunday, 30 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 48
Saturday, 29 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 47
Highlights: Bad Attitude, Walk the Line, Good Times, Down with the Sun
Friday, 28 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 46
Thursday, 27 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 45
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 44
The Complete Elvis Presley Masters: Alternate Masters - Elvis Presley
Just when you thought Elvis had left the building...
Not sure what happened here that these were split, when the others weren't. Also, I had changed the title, but must have missed some sorting option or something, because I expected this in another couple of months. So back to 50s Elvis we go! These are all slightly different to the main versions that I am used to. Then we get movie versions of a bunch of movie songs that had different performances in the movies. I'm making sense! The alternative song called Roustabout is better than the one they ended up using (I'm a Roustabout). I dig the slide guitar in Amazing Grace. After a groovy version of She Thinks I Still Care, we are off to some rehearsals and private recordings. Some of these sound like he is just jamming at home with Charlie Hodge. These jams from the That's The Way It Is rehearsals are a big barrel of fun. And Elvis giving a solo acoustic performance of I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry is the best I have ever heard this song.
Highlights: One Broken Heart For Sale (Movie Version), It Hurts Me
7/10
Complete Fucker Demos - Whiskeytown
And there I was trying to keep the swearing out of this bLogging... These sound a lot more polished than demos. And are way more rocking than I was expecting; I thought this was going to be some chill alt. country-styled jams, and instead this is 90s college radio rock. Nice to hear Ryan Adams when he sang great! Ah ok, about halfway through it turns in to more what I expected. And then back again? I guess it is a collection of demos or whatever, so the different styles kind of makes sense. Either way, this is good.
Highlights: Win, Comfortable Only at Night, Leave the Lights Off, Tearing Me Up Inside, Breathe
7/10
The Complete James Brown Christmas - James Brown
Bah gawd, I really chose the wrong time of year to do this! This is certainly a different Xmas experience; he isn't just singing the usual Xmas standards or anything - this is all James Brown making soul music and throwing in Xmas lyrics. And typical James Brown instrumental jams? Including one called Believers Shall Enjoy (Non-Believers Shall Suffer). That doesn't exactly sound like the Xmas spirit. Then again, he also spends one 'Xmas song' thanking the listener for coming to his shows. Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) is included in here? I guess listening to that makes me happier than a kid at Xmas?
Highlights: Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto, Soulful Christmas, Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back), Go Power at Christmas Time, You Know It, Believers Shall Enjoy (Non Believers Shall Suffer), Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) Pt. 1 & 2
6.5/10
The Complete Million Dollar Quartet - Elvis Presley
I guess I haven't listened to enough Elvis lately? I am still not convinced this really is all four of them; Johnny Cash is nowhere to be heard (vocally) and Elvis kind of comes and goes. And of course they kind of start with some Xmas songs... The highlight of this recording is Elvis giving a review of the Elvis impersonator at the Fats Domino show he went to. And 'Killer' showing how he got that nickname. I do wish they had known what they were doing with Brown Eyed Handsome Man - I'm sure that would have been great if they could have remembered the words. The gospel jams are seriously fantastic. It all runs out of steam after Elvis tries to sell them all on That's When Your Heartaches Begin (which kind of proves Cash is not there, because his baritone voice would be perfect for that song), but it is an enjoyable listen that clearly I ignore way too often!
Highlights: There's No Place Like Home, When the Saints Go Marchin' In, Just a Little Talk With Jesus, Jesus Walked That Lonesome Valley, I Shall Not Be Moved, End of the Road
6/10
Concert: The Cure Live - The Cure
This is one of those live albums where some of the songs are inferior to the studio versions, but then some are actually a little bit cooler or have more attitude or something. Early 80s The Cure was so atmospheric and the drums always sounded very lo-fi, so live everything gives the songs a lot more energy. But then the studio versions have a lot more going on vocally, which is sometimes missing live. The saxamophone on Give Me It sounds like a goose strangling Bobcat Goldthwaite. I think I prefer this version of 10:15 Saturday Night. This is also the only copy of Killing an Arab that I have, since Robert Smith seems intent on erasing it from existence.
Highlights: Charlotte Sometimes, A Forest, 10:15 Saturday Night, Killing an Arab
7.5/10
"Albums" listened to so far: 339
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 43
Monday, 24 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 42
Friday, 21 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 41
Thursday, 20 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 40
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 39
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 38
Monday, 17 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 37
Thursday, 13 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 36
CHECK-IN - PASSPO☆
We've talked about this fantastic album before, so I'll spare you a minute of my gushing for PASSPO☆. And I'm busy, so don't have time to write about something I've already written about. Even if it is PASSPO☆. I'm sorry, PASSPO☆, for ignoring you! Needless to say, I am at least enjoying listening to PASSPO☆ in the morning.
Highlights: 少女飛行, キス=スキ, マテリアルGirl, ハカナ
8/10
CHECKMATE - ITZY
ITZY may well be the most consistent K-pop group since BTS. Somehow they have become my fav girls group, that is for sure.
Highlights: SNEAKERS, RACER, WHAT I WANT, DOMINO
7.5/10
CHESHIRE - ITZY
The bonus of all these fun pop songs is it is making my morning go quick and I can save my nonsense writing for more involved work. The down side is they go really quick before I can even think of what to say!
Highlights: Cheshire, Boys Like You
7/10
Chess (The Original Recording) - Various Artists
Quick rant; I bought some songs on iTunes a number of years ago, and then a couple of years it was re-released as an extended & remastered version. I used that version to complete the rest of the album, but iTunes would not let me purchase the songs I already had. So I'm left with a mix of songs from both versions - and ALL my favs are not remastered or anything. It is annoying, because the difference when listening to the album in full is quite noticeable. ANYWAYS this is possibly my favourite musical of all time, purely based on how amazing some of these songs are. What do you expect from ABBA's king songwriters? Sure, the whole thing is super 80s production and instrumentation, but that's part of what makes it so awesome. This album is also one of the reasons I fell in love with Elaine Page when I was like 5 years-old. Murray Head's performance is so spot on; his voice is clearly struggling with the range at times, but that adds to the character and passion in the songs. But the real show stealers on this are the musicians; Per Lindvall's fills in Nobody's Side add so much drama and tension, and Lasse Wellander's guitar solos are absolute perfection. Also, adding the bonus tracks helps - Press Conference should be before The Russian and Molokov, because it ties in to what they talk about in that track.
Highlights: Opening Ceremony, The American and Florence/Nobody's Side, The Deal (No Deal), Pity the Child
8/10
Chief Boot Knocka - Sir Mix-A-Lot
Haha good fun. Sir Mix-A-lot is not someone that pretends to be making anything other than big bass thumping booty shaking music to make your sub get a serious workout. I should know; my older brother and his friends would crank this while they cruised and you could hear their cars for streets away.
Highlights: Sleepin' Wit My Fonk, Take My Stash, Put 'Em on the Glass
6/10
Chinese Democracy - Guns N' Roses
Was this the most expensive album ever made? Ten years and I think $14 million definitely put it up there in terms of anticipated albums. And bombs. But it isn't nearly as bad as people would have you believe. The problem was, it was never going to meet the hype and satisfy people - and make money. No matter what. Sure, it has its flaws (Buckethead on lead guitar, Axl's vocals being not so great), but there are some great jams on here. Certainly not a tough listen.
Highlights: Better, There Was a Time, Madagascar
6.5/10
Chisel: The Best Of Cold Chisel - Cold Chisel
This was a compilation that came out in the 90s and was my first real exposure to Cold Chisel; we grew up listening to Jimmy Barnes, but hadn't really heard much of Cold Chisel outside of the occasional hit. I've kept this in rotation for the live version of Bow River, because I'm too lazy to get the live album it is from. Though I should, because that is a great live album. Also, this version of Khe Sanh doesn't seem to be available anywhere else, and it is actually the version I prefer.
Highlights: Bow River (Live), Khe Sanh (US Remix)
8/10
The Chocolate Invasion - Prince
Prince released a lot of music in 2004. He released a lot of music all the time. And he recorded even more, apparently. This is a whole lot of funky sultry jams that he released only for his fan club or something. It's relatively fun, if not a little underwhelming. But hey, it's Prince.
Highlights: Judas Smile, Vavoom, High, U Make My Sun Shine
7/10
Chocolate Love - Girls' Generation
Appears to simply be the single - and a different version, at that. I might have to check out the original version, maybe?
7/10
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water - Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit really are a guilty pleasure for me; I was a massive fan back in 2000, being an angry young white dude and all that, and then decided they were garbage - like most of the world did. Nowadays I can embrace that they are completely terrible, but it in a fun way. Like a bad movie or something, but not bad like Once Upon a Time in America, more bad like College Kickboxers. This album is particularly angry and heavy. And angry. Like, if you are into big loud guitars and drums and you just want to swear at everyone all the time, then this is the album for you! Bonus points for being advertised at WrestleMania. And thus my personal Chocolate trilogy is complete.
Highlights: Hot Dog, Full Nelson, My Way, Livin' It Up, Getcha Groove On, Boiler
6.5/10
"Albums" listened to so far: 297
Monday, 10 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 35
Friday, 7 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 34
Thursday, 6 March 2025
2025 in 2025: Day 33
2025 in 2025: Day 52
Decade of Decadence - Mötley Crüe Album #400! The first Mötley Crüe compilation and it had an actual purpose; it is two songs from all of th...
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Today was a very sad day in my life, as I found out that I missed out what could only be described as my lifelong dream come true... MC HAMM...
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Just because that was so darn long... I must point out that I haven't actually watched much WWF/E programming since 2001 (or was it 200...
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The young woman was confused by the blue light, causing her makeup to be applied strangely... Ace Frehley's first solo album! A...