2025 in 2025: Day 114

Live + 1 - Frehley's Comet
Ace and his band live - not really a lot to say. Except that I would likely rate the Greatest Hits Live album a bit higher. Oh, and the studio track is very good.
Highlights: Words Are Not Enough
7/10

Live Acoustic E.P. - Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan and a piano performing what sounds like a VERY small group of people. Nothing wrong with any of it, whatsoever.
Highlights: Building a Mystery
6.5/10

Live at Avatar Studios - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
It is all the between-song banter that I enjoy most. I would trade all the extended Grateful Dead-inspired jam endings for another few minutes of yelling out random stupid things like JIMMY HACKEYSACK and RHODA RO. I like Easy Tiger, so this is an Easy Pleaser for me. And that end solo for I Taught Myself How to Grow Old is amazing.
Highlights: I Taught Myself How to Grow Old, Goodnight Rose, Magnolia Mountain, Everybody Knows
7/10

Live at Glam Slam 1992 - Prince
This was part of the Diamonds and Pearls reissue a couple of years ago. It is a killer performance and Rosie Gaines is a the second star of the show. Prince is number one, of course. Some big long funky jams and high energy new jack swing action.
Highlights: Diamonds and Pearls, Jughead, 1999/Baby I'm a Star/Push, Cream/Well Done/I Want You/In the Socket
8/10

Live at The Apollo, Vol. II - James Brown
Bah gawd this album is just about the cold hard funkiest live album ever recorded. So many jams, I am sure everyone in the band got a couple of solos throughout. And those beats! You can not have hip-hop without sampling some of that.
Highlights: There Was a Time, Bring It Up, Sweet Soul Music, Maybe the Last Time
8.5/10

Live at the BBC - The Beatles
A very fine collection of The Beatles performing their early hits and some rock'n roll classics. It is a great showcase of how talented they were as musicians. And hilarious dudes all round, because the between-song banter is generally hilarious.
Highlights: Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby, Ticket to Ride, Matchbox, Slow Down, Honey Don't
7/10

Live at the BBC, Vol. 2 - Queen
This is a little LOGMAN collection of the extra BBC tracks found on all the reissue bonus discs. I would just get the On Air set, but I am really only missing a few now and I am sure they will be reissued in other ways. 
Highlights: We Will Rock You [Fast Version], Spread Your Wings, See What a Fool I've Been, Flick of the Wrist
8/10

Live at the Brixton Academy - Faith No More
Mike Patton sounds like he has cold or is just a terrible singer. I am guessing the latter. The funny thing is when he actually tries to sing something properly he sounds a million times better! I mean, this is just garbage. Wait - there are two bonus studio tracks? In 30 years this is my first time realising that. Perhaps even teenage LOGMAN could not make it through how bad this album was to hear them?
Highlights: The Cowboy Song
4/10

Live at the Rainbow: 31 March 1974 - Queen
More live Queen? Yes please! Especially this performance; Queen II is one of the greatest albums ever, so getting an actual concert from the tour supporting that album is great. And it is a pretty darn impressive performance - they sound absolutely massive and just nail everything.
Highlights: White Queen (As It Began), Father to Son, Ogre Battle, Son and Daughter
8/10

Live at the Rainbow: November 1974 - Queen
And Queen return some 8 months later to promote their Sheer Heart Attack album. Good for them! It is a little lacking compared to the previous show, but it is still pretty great. And boy this crowd are Jonesing for Liar the whole show. Pretty funny when Freddie just gives up trying to introduce it, because the crowd just will not stop yelling about it.
Highlights: The March of the Black Queen, Stone Cold Crazy, In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited
7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 995

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 60

E.T. (feat. Kanye West) [Single] - Katy Perry

Even when I didn't think Kanye was a nutjob that should be ignored, I preferred the album version of this song. And I felt very awkward rapping his part in front of little kids. 

8/10

E=MC² - Mariah Carey

I remember the video for Touch My Body being completely hilarious. That intro for Side Effects sounds like the opening for a song by The Lonely Island. I do enjoy that all throughout this album some dude just keeps randomly yelling "M.C." And what does "O.O.C." stand for?

Highlights: Touch My Body, Cruise Control, I'm That Chick, Last Kiss, Thanx 4 Nothin'

7/10

Early Takes - George Harrison

Acoustic demos and alternate takes, mostly from the All Things Must Pass sessions. The acoustic takes are good for more of a focus on the lyrics and George's singing. These definitely showcase how great he actually was.

Highlights: I'd Have You Anytime [Early Take], All Things Must Pass [Demo], My Sweet Lord [Demo], Mama You've Been on My Mind [Demo], Woman Don't You Cry For Me [Early Take]

8/10

Earthling - David Bowie

Little Wonder is so schizophrenic; when it came out, I actually could not get past the verses, which is sad because if I had I would have realised how great that 'chorus' is. I'm Afraid of Americans never stops being awesome and just gets truer every day. This album is WAY betterer than I have ever given it credit for.

Highlights: Seven Years in Tibet, I'm Afraid of Americans, Looking For Satellites, Battle For Britain (The Letter)

8/10

East - Cold Chisel

The most classic Australian rock album by the most classic Australian rock band. And I feel like Cheap Wine might even be the most classic Australian rock song?

Highlights: Standing on the Outside, My Baby, Cheap Wine, My Turn to Cry

7.5/10

East of the Sun, West of the Moon - a-ha

This is certainly not their finest hour.

Highlights: Slender Frame, Cold River, Rolling Thunder, (Seemingly) Nonstop July

6/10

East Side Story - DJ Reggie

Not even this delicious bottle Pepsi Zero Peach can make me understand how I thought this was fun.

Highlights: Revenge of the Ninja, Kick Em' in the Dungeon

3.5/10

Easy Tiger - Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Look, I can be fair to this guy and still say that his songs are great when they are. And some of these songs are absolutely brilliant. Two features probably his most honest line ever. My only criticism is going to be the drums, because they sound blurgh. But gawdam the harmonies and vocals are very good. Actually, the more truthful line is in These Girls: "These girls are better off in my head". Any woman would be better off not dealing with you in real life, buddy!

Highlights: Goodnight Rose, Two, Oh My God Whatever Etc., The Sun Also Sets, I Taught Myself How to Grow Old

8/10

Easy Tiger Rarities - Ryan Adams

These are fine, I guess? One of the songs was actually re-released with a different title, but there is absolutely no difference between the two except for the title.

Highlights: Alice

6/10

echo - CHARA+YUKI

Two indie pop queens uniting to make an E.P. - 20 years in the making, since they actually recorded the first song back in 1999. And I'm pretty sure they were in a punk band together around then? Anyways, lucky for me, YUKI seems to drive this or at least it all sounds like a YUKI kind of album. And the good kind, too.

Highlights: 愛の火 3つ オレンジ (2020version), 楽しい蹴伸び, Night Track, echo

8.5/10

Echo - Leona Lewis

Gawdam whatta voice! And mostly great songs... that all sound the same. So if you want epic pop songs with massive vocals, then this is a great album. I like those things, so thumbs up from me! Even an Oasis cover thrown in for fun? And yes, that was also epic (though I probably prefer the Oasis version, because Liam's voice not so perfect).

Highlights: Happy, I Got You, My Hands, Broken, Lost Then Found

7.5/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 485

Random Thoughts from a Ryan Adams Marathon: Day 8

The Shit continued

* Slef Portrait seems to be a concept album around killing someone and needing to go to the hospital

* The Movie is the best. Like, I could listen to this a lot more. KING FUCKING KONG!!!

Back to Ryan Adams (and The Cardinals)
 

* Riffage is quite nice little instrumental tracks

* Easy Tiger is another album that gets a bad rap and I don't get. I really like the fact that it is a kind of diverse album instead of sticking to one style. But then I think most of the people complaining are people that just want Ryan Adams doing alt. country like Whiskeytown or Heartbreaker. I like other music so I'm fine. The Sun Also Sets is one of my favourite songs. LOVE the end harmonies.

* Easy Tiger Rarites are interesting and actually fit with the overall sound of Easy Tiger, but mostly because Easy Tiger is so diverse. Strange to have Lovely and Blue on here called France but be the exact same song found later on III

* Curtain of Light (Live at the Avatar Studios) is a live in-studio performance of the Easy Tiger album that was done as some sort of promo tool. And it is quite good. Mostly because I like Easy Tiger. And the random garbage Ryan Adams yells inbetween songs is hilarious (like "STAB ME IN THE FUCKIN EYE WITH THE... FUCKIN... EMPIRE STATE BUILDING". The version of These Girls on here is flat out insane. And I Taught Myself How To Grow Old contains one of the greatest guitar solos on the planet. Ending with 2 tracks from Cold Roses is certainly odd, but Magnolia Mountain is pretty darn awesome here so I'll let it slide.

* III/IV were recorded around this time, so I've put them here instead of later when they were actually released. Listening in this order they actually almost fit with the theme of earlier. Some of these tracks were used for the various internet artists, as well as the Elizabethtown/Darkbreaker sessions. I mostly prefer these versions. Wasteland is one of my most favourite songs these days. III is pretty good, but I actually really like IV. It rocks. Thinking about it now, this actually should have gone before Easy Tiger. Oops.

* Follow the Lights is a really nice chill out kind of EP. The versions of This Is It and Dear John are really awesome. I'd really like to write a song like Blue Hotel... Oh wow, I totally forgot there is an awesome version of If I Am A Stranger on here as well. Damn.

* Cardinology is great. Again, undeserved bad rap for this album. Some awesome songs, some kinda average, but not bad by any stretch.

* Cardinology Rarities are quite fun. Memory Lane is a very nice song... Asteroid is rockin'. I need to find out what this version of Fix It is, because it is crazy cool.

* Dear Impossible Foggy Mountain is just a bunch of meaningless demos. Nothing to see here...

* Class Mythology however, is very compelling. Your Name Is On Fire is a fantastic song. Neat acoustic numbers.

* Destroyers has a really cool bridge

* The Blue Canoe probably could have been good

* Fortress of the Spider God is a pleasant instrumental...

* The Pax-Am Singles are mostly great. A couple of re-recorded songs, some cool acoustic demos, and awesome songs like Disco Queen and People Need Sunlight. Is cool to see this series return (see end of marathon).

* Orion is a sci-fi metal concept album. I've been dying to hear this... and I am not disappointed - just as hilariously fun as I expected. Even includes a new mix of Fire & Ice, which will now get played more than the Warren Peace version.

* This Is 40 Soundtrack contains 2 live songs; Lucky Now, which seems to contain some pedal steel guitar that isn't in the studio version (which we'll get to next album, I think), and Shining Through the Dark which I don't think is available elsewhere - would love to hear a studio version of this. Great songs. And best parts of that movie by far.

* Ashes & Fire is sort of a return to that 'roots' sound, I guess. I think it was just his hearing problems forced him to strip back the sound. Mostly great songs like the title track and Lucky Now (which is just downright brilliant) except some songs I couldn't even tell you how they go 3 years later. That's not exactly a great thing.

* Ashes & Fire Extra Tracks are really good. Darkness is incredible.

* Empty Room/Nutshell are both very good, though I would take the original Alice In Chains recording of Nutshell over this any day

* Wasted Years is downright incredible. Still blows my mind.

* Vampire Weekend Covers are just kinda fun. I don't know the originals so don't really care too much.

* 1984 is the first in the renewed 7" series. And it kicks all kinds of ass all over the fucking world. 11 songs, 12 minutes long. Just so much motherfuckingawesomeness. Rats In The Wall is my number one song right fucking now. Yes I am excited by this THAT MUCH

* Ryan Adams is the latest album. This is my first listen. Really like the first and last songs. Couldn't tell you much more than that right now. Something about this reminds me of Pearl Jam when they started making albums like No Code and all their fans decided it was boring. I'm not complaining, because No Code still stands as my favourite Pearl Jam album. Not saying this is my new favourite album but you get what I'm saying. Or not. Talk to me about your problems...

And there we have it - the marathon is...

Wait, what?

* Jacksonville is the next 7" single released on iTunes. I JUST MADE NO SENSE BECAUSE THAT IS 3 DIGITAL COMPUTER FILES NOT A 7 INCH RECORD. Anyways, this is way more like classic alt country Ryan Adams, though still with the low voice. And then Mr. Walkedypants is just hilarious. Though is he actually insulting John Lennon? DON'T MAKE ME PICK A SIDE!!!

So there we go. 1034 songs listened to. And I didn't get bored, probably because it is mostly different songs and styles. That is why I enjoy the music of Ryan Adams so much. Not sure why these turned into mini reviews , but whatever. It's my job and I will waste time how I want.

I might do this again and compare my thoughts.
Until, I'll be sitting in the corner listening to Honky Tonk Ba-Donkey Kong very loudly on repeat.