Reviews Supplemental

03 Nov 2015: Glenn Hughes/"Play Me Out" (1977)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/10/julio-and-case-of-missing-yawning-at.html

This was the next thing Hughes did after Deep Purple. Blackmore was off doing Rainbow, and the rest of the band became Whitesnake for a while, Tommy Bolin notwithstanding (R.I.P.). who cares about what happened to gillan, glover, evans, and whatshisface (original bassist)

Hughes probably should have just joined Whitesnake. This album has nothing at all going for it.
This album is kind of a mess. It doesn't go anywhere, and just plods along in the same territory for an hour.

03 Nov 2015: Screaming Trees/"Dust" (1996)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/10/julio-and-case-of-missing-gourds-by.html

The band's seventh and final album. After this came out, Josh Homme joined the band as a touring guitarist. Homme would then form Queens of the Stone Age, and Lanegan would rejoin him after Screaming Trees had officially broken up.

This is a solid album, but it doesn't have any songs on-par with Sweet Oblivion's best.

04 Nov 2015: Dinosaur Jr./"Bug" (1988)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/10/julio-and-case-of-missing-mansion-by.html

Dinosaur Jr. are one of the best bands I was introduced to via Rock Band. Special thanks to the /mu/ essentials list for getting me to listen to You're Living All Over Me.

It's weird to think about this band sometimes, because Feel the Pain is pretty clearly their best song. But the problem is that it would be one of their worst songs without the absolutely perfect speed-up, one of the best the best moments in the history of music.
I'd say that On the Brink and their cover of KISS's Goin' Blind round out the top three.


This album is great. It's just a shame about track nine being absolutely Godawful in every way. It's also the longest song on the album, which is great.

04 Nov 2015: ZZ Top/"El Loco" (1981)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/10/julio-and-case-of-missing-stash-by.html

wouldn't be green reviews without me doing the same shitty band over and over and over and FUCK
ONE OF THESE DAYS THESE PEOPLE WILL PUT OUT A GOOD ALBUM

05 Nov 2015: Stevie Ray Vaughan/"Soul to Soul" (1985)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/10/julio-and-case-of-missing-eyes-open-by.html

A filler album if ever there was one. Nothing here is inspired in any way.
There's another Hendrix cover here (well a cover of a song Hendrix covered), and it's probably the best song on the album. That's not speaking for its quality so much as the absolute "whatever" of the rest of the album.

by the way i always read his name as "vaw-gan" even though i know it's wrong please help

05 Nov 2015: Uriah Heep/"Look at Yourself" (1971)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-real-shit-by.html

One of those bands I've never reviewed an album from that I really should. I always confuse these guys with Wishbone Ash for some reason.


This is another one of those bands full of talented musicians who could have written great songs if they didn't pack them full of stupid fucking bullshit. "Progressive" rock is one of the most laughable genres of music in existence.
granted only two of the tracks do that but it's still musical cancer

Wow, I forgot Look At Yourself existed. Pretty alright album.
One of my first memories of Black aka Svartfisk aka Bendik was showing him Shadows of Grief because there was some ridiculous part. Time to relisten.

I agree Uriah Heep is one of those bands that wasted all of their potential, but I mostly blame their vocalist. He has some of the most obnoxious vibrato I can think of (e.g. the highs in July Morning).

I remember really really liking Tears In My Eyes and thinking all the distorted slide guitar throughout the album was really cool. Listening back, I still agree.

In any case, general consensus is that their album Salisbury is their best one, but it does have a 16 minute long song featuring an orchestra. I don't really favor one album over the other.

06 Nov 2015: Ace Frehley/"Trouble Walkin'" (1989)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-creed-by-asses.html

There's an ELO cover here. I can't decide if it's pointless or really fucking good.

06 Nov 2015: Violent Femmes/"The Blind Leading the Naked" (1986)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-bags-of-by.html

The cover of Children of the Revolution is pretty bad. Why bother?

07 Nov 2015: Gerry Rafferty/"Can I Have My Money Back?" (1971)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-updraft-by.html

Gerry Rafferty's first solo album. After this, he formed Steelers Wheel, notable for their hit, Stuck in the Middle. Then after that, he had a huge hit with Baker Street, which is a candidate for the best song.

07 Nov 2015: Peter Gabriel/"So" (1986)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-hands-of-fate.html

I listened to one Gabriel-era Genesis album and I hated it. However, I really like Sledgehammer, so I'm giving this one a chance.


shame about kate bush existing
i really wish she didn't
i skipped that track halfway through
i can't deal with that

The first two tracks are great, then the album nosedives. Should have been a single.
Sledgehammer / Red Rain

08 Nov 2015: Foghat/"Energised" (1974)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/snow-in-april-by-cuntriffics.html

Honey Hush's riff is stolen from Train Kept a-Rollin'.
If I had heard Step Outside back in 2007, it would have been in every Guitar Hero list I'd ever made.

08 Nov 2015: Rush/"Caress of Steel" (1975)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-travelling.html

This is the only '70s Rush album I haven't reviewed. Oh, how times have changed. stop changing
Out of the other '70s Rush albums, I've only given one below a 3/5; Fly by Night. That is a shame, because Fly by Night is probably the best Rush song. though finding my way and a passage to bangkok come close as i recall
It's also strange, since on my review of A Farewell to Kings, I gave the final track the rating "boring pretentious progressive rock nonsense making a good song into an overblown piece of shit".

This album only has five tracks, two of which are suites.
ho boy


The first suite is just stupid bullshit.
The second suite, however, has some good parts and some filler parts. It would have been better as individual songs.



Basically, throw the Fly by Night album out the window, and throw out The Necromancer and a third of The Fountain of Lameneth with it. I Think I'm Going Bald can go, too, I suppose, since everyone else hates it.
This is the new album:
Rush/"Fly by Night" (1975)
1. Fly by Night
2. In the Valley
3. Bacchus Plateau
4. Lakeside Park
5. No One at the Bridge
6. The Fountain
7. Bastille Day
Total runtime: About 27:30

What's better is that it's sandwiched between the self-titled and 2112, so they've basically got three A+ albums in a row.

09 Nov 2015: The Guess Who/"So Long, Bannatyne" (1971)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/typos-by-cucumbers.html

The band moves away from rock music and toward adult contemporary.

09 Nov 2015: The Rossington Collins Band/"Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere"
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-touchdown-by.html

This album makes a lot more sense once I learned that it's actually a woman singing. For the first couple of tracks, I just thought it was a man with a girly voice.

11 Nov 2015: Matthew Sweet/"Altered Beast" (1993)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/this-orange-seems-like-delightful.html

On this album, Sweet sounds a lot like Tom Petty.

10 Nov 2015: The J. Geils Band/"Love Stinks" (1980)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/01-by-numbers.html

No Anchovies, Please is the standout, and anyone who is anyone should listen to it.

11 Nov 2015: Genesis/"Duke" (1980)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-gloves-by.html

11 Nov 2015: The Cult/"Sonic Temple" (1989)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-chairs-by.html

Just about the cheesiest album cover in all of music.

12 Nov 2015: Deep Purple/"Purpendicular" (1996)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-street-by-go.html

Deep Purple Mk. VII is everyone's favourite line-up, right? Shame Satch couldn't even record one album with them.

The album would have been better if they'd hacked off the final two tracks.

12 Nov 2015: Stevie Ray Vaughan/"In Step" (1989)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-german-by.html

This was the last album SRV released before his death.

This one opens with a slightly lethargic performance of The House is Rockin'. BSO did it better, really.

Not the best note to go out on, really. The final song of the final album he released during his lifetime was eight minutes of pure, unadulterated filler instrumental.

sorry for the wait flocks

13 Nov 2015: The Rolling Stones/"Five by Five" (1964)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/herp-by-derp.html
remember when that meme wasn't reddit-tier
good times

This is their only non-redundant '60s release I haven't reviewed. It's a five-song EP, consisting of three-fifths covers.
This is also the best thing the band would release until Beggars' Banquet.

13 Nov 2015: Steppenwolf/"The Second" (1968)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-case-by-case.html

Their first album was very good, and featured the iconic Born to be Wild.
This album is mediocre and features the pretty popular Magic Carpet Ride.

Magic Carpet Ride would be great if they hadn't added the filler instrumental bit to the end.

14 Nov 2015: Kurt Cobain/"Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings" (2015)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/11/julio-and-case-of-missing-trainwreck-by.html

So, they're releasing a movie about the guy. Shocked, appalled, etc. BUT THIS IS PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED DEMOS AND SHIT
SO I MUST LISTEN TO THIS

I am, of course, reviewing the 31-track deluxe edition.

As you may recall, in 2004, there was a huge Nirvana boxset called With the Lights Out. So are there really 31 tracks worth releasing that weren't on that?
No, there weren't.

The Yodel Song is fun. It's not earth-shatteringly amazing, but it's a fun listen. Probably never going to listen to it again, though.
The next ten tracks are just filler. I'm sure he had fun recording them, but they are not fun to listen to. There is a reason they weren't on With the Lights Out. For example, one track is just Kurt messing with reverb. He most likely recorded it so he could listen back and hear how it sounded. It did not need to be released to the public.

Rehash is only saved from the filler pile because I like the riff. It's nothing super-impressive, but I really like it.
Track 15 isn't a song. It's Kurt telling a story from his adolescence, and I feel like I shouldn't have heard it. I feel like a voyeur at this point.


With the Lights Out had absolutely great unreleased songs such as Sappy, Token Eastern Song, and Blandest. This isn't even mentioning that cover of White Lace and Strange that I put on every Rock Band list I ever made.
This album has next to nothing. It should have remained in the vaults, as its release is an obvious attempt to get some money.

14 Nov 2015: Paul McCartney and Wings/"Wings Over America" (1976)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/mars-by-venus.html

This is one of those really famous live albums, so I think I should give it a review. This is a live triple album. This marks the first triple album I've ever reviewed, and probably not the last because I feel myself drawn to that one The Clash put out, despite the fact that I will definitely hate it.

I know it was written for this purpose, but I like how the show starts with Venus and Mars/Rock Show. I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.
This version of Spirits of Ancient Egypt is better than the studio version. Same with Call Me Back Again.

These versions of songs from The Beatles are all kind of poor. Lethargic, even.

The main draw here is actually the Wings songs (and Maybe I'm Amazed), which are clearly the highlights. Even the mediocre Wings songs are much better here than on their respective albums.

I don't know why, but Silly Love Songs always reminds me of the sea.

To be honest, I wouldn't have minded if they'd cut the album down a disc. Get rid of all the The Beatles tracks, plus some "whatever" tracks like Letting Go and Go Now, and the album's better for it.