2025 in 2025: Day 8

Anthology [Disc 1 Ascot] - John Lennon
Oh, I wanted more rough songs from The Beatles? Close enough! This first disc from the John Lennon Anthology collection covers the recording of The Plastic Ono Band and Imagine albums; it is all demos and alternate takes. And, quite honestly, some of them are very good. I can't stress enough just how amazing this demo of I Found Out is - the final release was like a simple shuffle groove, whereas this is some hard-hitting acoustic number. Imagine with the organ is such a weird take. Overall, well worth another listen.
Highlights: I Found Out [Home Recording], Baby Please Don't Go, Jealous Guy [From 8 Track Imagine Sessions]
6.5/10

Anthology [Disc 2 New York City] - John Lennon
This disc covers the Some Time in New York City and Mind Games periods. I'm likely in the minority, but I absolutely love STNYC - angry political Lennon is my security blanket. Well, actually, my blanket is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saying "Cowabunga", but it isn't quite the right size. Anyways, we don't get much in the way of demos from that album, but a lot of live stuff from political rallies and whatnot. Then demos/outtakes for Mind Games, and some random demos for I'm the Greatest and Real Love. I enjoy Lennon doing his scat in the studio - reminds me of Elvis doing fun stuff live. If you ever need a reminder of how society evolves, just listen to Geraldo Rivera boldly brag about raising money "for the mentally retarded", before Lennon screams out the n word multiple times in his song. Wild times. 
Highlights: All the live songs, Real Love [Home Recording]
6.5/10

Anthology [Disc 3 The Lost Weekend]
This covers the Walls and Bridges and Rock 'n' Roll recording sessions. Lennon should have done more rock'n roll, because he was awesome at it and his medley of Rip It Up/Ready Teddy is super fantastic. The banter between Lennon and Psycho Phil is kind of hilarious; Lennon is clearly in a state, and Spector is a lunatic, and some of the stuff they say is... sad, considering how they ended up.
Highlights: Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) [Alt Version], Pretty much all the Rock 'n' Roll sessions - particularly Slippin' and Slidin'
6/10

Anthology [Disc 4 Dakota]
And now we get demos and alternate takes from 1979/80. This version of I'm Losing You is much more aggressive than the Double Fantasy version. And Nobody Told Me has a lot more life to it compared to the version on Milk and Honey. Actually, most of the outtakes from that album are like that. Dang, now I want someone to just redo that whole album so it's more like this. And less like what George Martin did to Grow Old With Me here. The home recordings are all very odd choices; we get Lennon mocking Bob Dylan and then his interpretation of an Indian guru or something. Great idea - let's just end the collection with him getting cancelled...
Highlights: the Milk and Honey outtakes
5/10

Anti Anti Generation - RADWIMPS
I was not enjoying this. At all. Not even Taka from ONE OK ROCK and the usually great IKIBIJIKI was not doing anything for me. It got about halfway through the album and I was just questioning why RADWIMPS do not make good music anymore... but then I managed to correct my mood a bit, and the rest of the album hasn't offended me so greatly. In fact, this album might not actually be as bad as I remembered. Still a far cry from what I know RADWIMPS are capable of. I'm tired.
Highlights: IKIJIBIKI feat.Taka, サイハテアイニ
5/10

AOI Bionix - De La Soul
This is actually somewhat of an understandable progression. Somewhat, given RADWIMPS do a bit of rapping in their songs. Except De La Soul are very good hip-hop. And that is exactly what this album is. Very good. I bought a box of all of De La Soul's CDs many years ago, because I needed the classic grooves of 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul is Dead in my life. The later albums just didn't get the same attention; not because they aren't good, I just got caught up in the early stuff that I knew. This album is a reminder that I need to give the other albums some serious attention. And also my box set is now out of date.
Highlights: Simply, Peer Pressure [Feat. B-Real], Trying People
7/10

Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back - Public Enemy
This is just Bring tha Noize with Anthrax. The original rap/metal hybrid. Almost 35 years later this song still goes hard. 
9/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 66

2025 in 2025: Day 7

Anthems - Kerry Ellis
More Brian May! Kerry Ellis belts out epic showtunes and some Queen/Brian May songs, while Brian May rocks the planet. It is all as massive as one would expect. Particularly the title track (from Chess) and Defying Gravity from Wicked. It is a million times better than any other version of that song. I said what I said. Come at me, Ariana Grande and Wicked fans. Shiizzz, I ain't afraid of you mofos.
Highlights: Anthem, Defying Gravity, 
7.5/10

Anthology 1 - The Beatles
Well... there's a lot going on here. Free as a Bird has definitely grown on me over the years. From there it is lots of home demos and live stuff. The early stuff is something I probably appreciate more now as fan of older rock'n roll; hearing The Beatles as teenagers giving us some Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochrane is pretty cool. And having the Decca audition tape here is certainly historically important. And sounds great. Controversial take: I understand why they passed. Listening to the original version of Love Me Do just confirms Ringo really was the better choice from the go. The live tracks from 1963 in Sweden are pretty awesome. Actually, their performances on most of these live tracks are awesome - even if some of the recordings are showing their age (the tracks from Two of Kind in particular feature a fair bit of clipping/distortion). Not sure how many times John and Paul can sing the wrong lines in No Reply, but clearly they were trying their best! Leave My Kitten Alone deserved a proper release.
Highlights: Free as a Bird, Leave My Kitten Alone, I Saw Her Standing There (Live in Sweden 24 Oct (1963)
6/10

Anthology 2 - The Beatles
This release features the best of the John Lennon demos-turned full song in Real Love. It also covers 1965-1968, which is possibly my favourite period of The Beatles. They were firing on all cylinders at the time, writing and releasing albums like Help! and Rubber Soul. If You've Got Trouble is another song that deserved a proper release - this is a great song! The live songs here are nicely recorded and the band still sound fantastic, but def sound tired, like a band that are performing non-stop. Especially on Help! I could have done with less versions of Yesterday, but hey, what's McCartney going to do? Not put lots of himself on here? And Your Bird Can Sing is completely derailed by some stoned fools laughing hysterically while trying to record their vocals. Live songs from Tokyo in 1966 show they are just done with performing live. The Strawberry Fields Forever demos are interesting in how different the feel is compared to the final release. A Day in the Life is so brilliant and then it cuts to the orchestra randomly, but still omits the ending? Good Morning, Good Morning minus all the nonsense is such a good song. Fool on the Hill is not, no matter how many versions McCartney tries to make me to listen to. This version of Across the Universe is a million times better than that 'wildlife' version that seemed to only exist to make Lennon mad. In fact, this may well be the best version. 
Highlights: Real Love, You Know My Name (Look Up the Number) [Extended Stereo Remix], Across the Universe [Take 2]
6/10

Anthology 3 - The Beatles
I'm glad Now & Then didn't make the cut for this, because it really wasn't that great. And I find it so funny how all the articles and interviews from the time make it clear Harrison thought it was rubbish. Yet, somehow, I'm supposed to pretend he would have approved of it being released 25 years later with his involvement almost completely removed. Lennon's acoustic tracks on here are a genuine highlight and part of me wishes he had sorted himself out and finished them instead of just letting them get thrown together for the Abbey Road medley, but then we wouldn't have gotten the epic medley of greatness, so either way is a lose. This version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da is actually less annoying, somewhat. The Savile Row sessions for Let It Be/Get Back/Whatever we are calling it these days are seriously good. Why is Get Back the only song from the rooftop concert? The kinda sad part is the Abbey Road period feels completely disjointed and like they are barely together. Which was the case, but the album itself at least managed to pretend otherwise. Still didn't need this odd remix of The End with all the extra out of place McCartney lead guitar playing.
Highlights: While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Demo], All Things Must Pass [Demo], any version of Glass Onion
5/10

That was basically a whole day of The Beatles. Luckily, it was a mostly varied chronological trek through their catalog - just in mostly inferior fashion. So I'm not sick of The Beatles right now. More sick of Anthologies?

"Albums" listened to so far: 59