2025 in 2025: Day 85

Gravity - Our Lady Peace

The irony of a band firing their long-time guitarist because they claimed he was not good enough, and then replacing him with a guy that does less than nothing and move their sound further towards generic radio rock is not lost on me. Also hilarious that the absolute best songs on the album were all co-written by and/or still feature their original guitarist. Make of that what you will. Innocent is the anthem of the century.

Highlights: Somewhere Out There, Innocent, Sorry, A Story About a Girl

8/10

The Great Christmas Album - The Christmas Angels

A mix of Xmas carols and Xmas classics, sung by a group of singers that range from acceptable to laughable, backed by simple midi sounds straight out of Logic. Since when is Amazing Grace a christmas song??

Highlights: The hilarity of the Rod Stewart imitator singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

4/10

The Great Christmas Album - Various Artists

Wow, how original. This is a collection of Xmas songs - not just carols, thank Prime - and at least they are actually sung by proper singers, like Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Somewhat more of an acceptable listen at Xmas time... which is 6 months from now...

Highlights: Jingle Bells - Big Crosby & The Andrews Sisters, Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Frank Sinatra, The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Vaughan Monroe

6/10

The Great New Zealand Songbook (Souvenir Edition) - Various Artists

This is a massive collection of NZ songs. I will be honest; I have already whittled this down a bit, because it was originally almost six hours long and there was no way I could survive having to deal with that with all the terrible stuff that was included. And this listen will hopefully get rid of some more. While I will contend that the selection process for this must have been very flawed, because there are some genuinely great NZ songs that are missing (e.g. Escaping by Margaret Urlich immediately comes to mind), there are a number of very good songs in here. In fact, this was not nearly as torturous as I was expecting!

Highlights: Heavenly Pop Hit - The Chills, Dominion Road - The Mutton Birds, For Today - Netherworld Dancing Toys, Give it a Whirl - Split Enz, Be Mine Tonight - The' Dudes

7/10

The Great Twenty-Eight - Chuck Berry

I am not going to say all twenty-eight are "great", as some of them are just "okay", I guess. But the ones that are "great" are so great, we probably would not have rock'n roll without them!

Highlights: Maybellene, Thirty Days, You Can't Catch Me, Too Much Monkey Business, Johnny B. Goode, No Particular Place to Go

8/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 705

FREE PALESTINE

2025 in 2025: Day 62

Eluphant Bakery - Eluphant

More Korean hip-hop. And these dudes are pretty cool.

Highlights: Ophilia Please Show Me Your Smile, Pink Polaroid

7/10

Elvis at Stax - Elvis Presley

I enjoy the outtakes on here, because they are like having the masters without the overdubs - an idea the Elvis team actually have been using on a few releases - so you get a focus on the song and Elvis' performance. I also would have liked if Elvis had used the Stax musicians and made something more funky, but there are still some great songs in here. And, as per usual Elvis, they are a mix of styles. The lyrics don't really work for Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues; Elvis was older than 33 and he had already lost his wife. Or maybe he was just confirming the warnings he was given? Midway through disc 2 we move on to the masters and, to be honest, they started with the most average of the bunch. For a song called Raised on Rock, it sure does very little 'rocking'. But then we move to disc 3 and things kick off with a seriously rocking version of Promised Land, and after that things pick up nicely. Elvis' old granddaddy is someone I can relate with... It closes off with If That Isn't Love, which might be my favourite gospel number from Elvis.

Highlights: Promised Land, I Got a Feelin' in My Body, If That Isn't Love, Talk About the Good Times, Thinking About You, It's Midnight, If You Talk in Your Sleep

7/10

Elvis Back at Nashville - Elvis Presley

Pretty sure that title needs changing. This set is apparently ordered "thematically"; Disc one is country/folk/piano and pop songs, disc two is gospel and Xmas songs, disc three is outtakes and whatnot, and disc four is gospel and Xmas outtakes. So kind of the opposite approach of the Stax set. Also, the songs on this have all been remixed to remove all overdubs - so it is just Elvis and the band. It serves to make things quite chill. And shows up a bunch of mistakes in It's Still Here. But it means Elvis' voice isn't hiding behind an orchestra and backing vocals - which makes things very interesting. I definitely prefer this version of I'm Leavin'. And bah gawd his vocals on We Can Make the Morning are massive. Why does Elvis say to hold hands with Geddy Lee? Was he a massive Rush fan? The gospel numbers are all awesome. I actually don't mind these Xmas songs - they are the less cheesy predictable songs, because he had already recorded those. On to the outtakes and whatnot. Elvis must have really loved singing Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, because not only is there a 9-minute version on the first disc, but here in the middle there is a full 11-minute version as well. The gospel outtakes are very good. The Xmas outtakes are more humorous than anything - Elvis is clearly trying to make the sessions a bit more fun for himself. And I have never heard him swear so much. This is a surprisingly great set and the chill-ness to the whole thing is really what I needed after a night out watching the greatest punk rock band put on a great live show. My head and neck are quite sore today!

Highlights: Amazing Grace, It's Only Love, We Can Make the Morning, Bosom of Abraham, I John, Seeing is Believing, I'm Leavin'

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 497

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

2025 in 2025: Day 37

Christmas Apocalypse (Part 2) - The Shit

Christmas has come early in the house of LOGMAN! This is possibly my 2nd fav The Shit album. I had stuff to write, but the album was over before I could get my head in to gear.

Highlights: Shenanigans, Jesus H. Christmas, Jimmy Hackeysack, Jacques Cousteau Punch Him in the Nuts, Happy Birthday Officer David Livingston

7/10

Christmas In The Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album - Meco

C3PO and R2D2 team up with disco king Meco to bring us the weirdest Christmas album possible. There is sadly no disco to be found, just a whole lot of saccharine and Star Wars references and Christmas nonsense, delivered in spoken word by C3PO and beeps from R2D2. Some other robots or something discuss the presents they have bought for other Star Wars characters. And now some kids are singing Merry Christmas to R2D2, but they just sang about him coming down the chimney. Do they think he is Santa Claus? Also, warming his wires by fire sounds like a serious fire hazard! If you need a singing teacher, C3PO is about the last person I would recommend. And you are clearly poorly-programmed droids if you think whistling is singing. At least Ryan Adams had the decency to sing about people getting punched in the nuts at Xmas time...

Highlights: The Odds Against Christmas, What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas (When He Already Has a Comb?)

5/10

Christmas Will Break Your Heart [Single] - LCD Soundsystem

The most depressing Xmas song? This was the big LCD Soundsystem reunion single. Again, there is no disco to be found. If we're going to do Xmas with disco acts, I would like some disco, please.

6/10

Chronicles - Steve Winwood

Nothing like some 80s Winwood to wash away the silliness of Xmas celebrations in March. This is a good reminder I need to do a more in-depth listen to Steve Winwood's solo work; this is a good compilation and I enjoy the remix nature of some of the songs, but I am interested to hear the rest of his 80s output and get more of a insight into his songwriting.

Highlights: Valerie (Remix), Higher Love

8/10

Chu~♡ - F(x)

More random K-Pop songs in my iTunes library. And I am not complaining.

7/10

Cinema Trip - PASSPO☆

My favourite album? The greatest album? Have I claimed both of those things for 50 other albums so far? I don't have a lot more to say about this one, except 5 1/2 years later it is still the highest played album in my iTunes library - and on last check, バチェロレッテは終わらない was about 100 plays ahead of anything else. By Prime, those last three songs on this album are absolute perfection. Passenger for life!

Highlights: Music Navigation, 7's Up, Playground, ギミギミaction, フィルム, バチェロレッテは終わらない

9.5/10

The Circle - Bon Jovi

Man, these dudes knew how to open an album! The rest is very inspired by the times; think Coldplay and U2 and One Republic and similar type of bands. When it works, it works - because Richie Sambora is awesome. Some of the lyrics are pretty cringe; this was the middle of a global recession, so a lot of people were struggling, and Jon Bon Jovi tried to reflect that in his lyrics, but a rich rockstar singing lines like "They took my pension" just sounds lame. Your pension is safe and sound, buddy - just release another deluxe edition of Slippery When Wet and you'll be able to fund another beach house or restaurant to help feed the homeless. 

Highlights: We Weren't Born to Follow, Brokenpromiseland, Happy Now, Learn to Love

7/10

Circus Animals - Cold Chisel

I had been led to believe that by this album, Cold Chisel were not releasing good music. You only need to listen to the first song to realise that is a lie; there are three stone cold classics on this album and a bunch of badass rock'n'roll songs to accompany them. I definitely prefer the live version of Bow River - the harmonica solo just lifts the song to different level - but Barnesy's delivery of the last line of the studio version here is awesome. Ian Moss and Jimmy Barnes had super cool harmonies; such completely different sounding voices, but when harmonising together, it sounds fantastic. 

Highlights: You Got Nothing I Want, Bow River, Forever Now, When the War is Over

7.5/10

The Clash - The Clash

You can't go wrong with some classic English punk. And this album is about as English punk as it gets. Except, hilariously, this is the US version. Look, I don't know what's going on at the best of times. Just roll with it for now... I might have to get the UK version one day and compare the two, because this album is all sorts of cool.

Highlights: I Fought the Law, Clash City Rockers, I'm So Bored with the U.S.A., London's Burning

8/10

CLASH EP -  小玉しのぶ

Fun story; after seeing BiSH live in Kanagawa, I was at a train station in either Kanagawa or Yokohama (I don't recall correctly) and outside was a young woman performing songs and selling CDs. She was very talented, so I picked up a couple of her CDs - and I have never regretted, because this EP is brilliant. I'm not just throwing around hyperbole when I say Say may well be the most underrated pop rock song on the planet. It is a genuine reminder that great music is anywhere if you just go looking for it.

Highlights: Say, 境界線

9/10

The Clash Tribute - Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen & Steven Van Zandt

This was a performance of London Calling by a bunch of old dudes. I liked it at the time. Now not so much...

5/10

Class Mythology - Ryan Adams

I don't remember much about this release, except that it is just chill acoustic numbers. Really chill. Except Future Sparrow - that sounds like a full on Cardinals song.

Highlights: Your Name is on Fire

6.5/10

Cloud Nine - George Harrison

This was probably my first exposure to George Harrison outside of The Beatles; Got My Mind Set On You was a big hit and I probably taped it off the radio like most kids in those days. It stands as probably my favourite album of his from the 80s, for sure. He and Jeff Lynne were a fab team. Probably the most pop collection of songs he made in his whole solo career. 

Highlights: That's What it Takes, Got My Mind Set On You, Fish on the Sand, Devil's Radio

8/10

Clumsy - Our Lady Peace

By Prime! OLP were a force on this album. Raine Maida certainly has a unique voice that you either love or hate, and I fall in to the camp of the former. When he nailed his falsetto stuff it really added something to the songs. Lyrics on this album are top tier, although I still don't really know what he means by "the world's a subway". I have added a terribly-recorded live performance of Dear Prudence to the end, for some reason. 2025 LOGMAN would not do such a thing to an album...

Highlights: Superman's Dead, 4 A.M., Clumsy

8/10

Coach Carter: Music from the Motion Picture - Various Artists

This is purely Hope by Twista and Faith Evans. It is a solid groove; Twista's flow is not over the top and Faith just hooks us up with a nice chorus. Nice song.

7/10

Coachella - Ryan Adams

Even when I was a fan of this dude, this was kind of not that great to me. I just didn't think much of the performance and I still don't. Granted, it must have been difficult with all the noise from the other stages - hardly makes for the usual type of atmosphere he played in. 

Highlights: Making comments about everyone getting sad in the desert

4/10

Cold Chisel - Cold Chisel

I will repeat myself; the US mix of Khe Sanh is the best version - Barnes' vocals are just more polished and that harmony he pulls off is awesome. The rest of this album is very blues rock. And very Cold Chisel.

Highlights: Juliet, Khe Sanh, Darskarzine, H-Hour Hotel

7/10

"Albums" listened to so far: 314