Reviews Supplemental

29 May 2012: "Inhuman Rampage" by DragonForce
FUCK YEAH
This album starts with THROUGH THE FIRE AND/OR THE FLAMES, which is the best song ever with the best guitars and cold winter mornings and was in the best game ever GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK; every other song in history is so far away from THFA/OTF's quality it's crazy; I wait for the day that I hear another song of this quality
Revolution Deathsquad is actually much better than I remember. I hadn't heard it since 2007, though.
And why does the song after Storming the Burning Fields have the line "storming through the burning fields"? Goddammit guys
Body Breakdown is weird. It's actually different.
Also the album ends on a ballad. Totally.
BUT THERE IS A BONUS TRACK It has always been my favourite of the album. Fuck yeah.
Overall, this album is fun. I like fun.
Highlights: Lost Souls in Endless Time, Through the Fire and/or the Flames, Revolution Deathsquad, Trail of Broken Hearts
Lowlights:
In relation to other albums:
Sure.

BONUS REVIEW: "Eat 'em and Smile" by David Lee Roth
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/mages-are-super-great-to-by-mages.html
It's impossible to top DragonForce, so I didn't even try.
I chose this album over A Little Ain't Enough because, well, Yankee Rose. And That's Life.
I want to say that Eat 'em and Smile sounds more like a Van Halen album with Steve Vai replacing Eddie than 5150 sounds like a Van Halen album with Sammy replacing DLR. If that makes sense. I guess what I mean is that these songs sound like Van Halen songs with Steve Vai on guitar. 5150 sounds like a Sammy Hagar album with EVH on guitar.
However, Eat 'em and Smile isn't just 1984 the Second; this album features songs heavily influenced by SWING. See: I'm Easy. Now, on paper, this sounds horrendous. I mean, DLR can't sing. He worked for Van Halen because he had ROCK SCREAMING and was a natural frontman. However, since we have Vai throwing out guitar solos like they're going out of style, it sounds like a natural step. Hell, these songs sound more natural than most Van Halen songs.
"ridin' high on monday then shot down in may" THAT MAKES NO SENSE THERE IS NO PROGRESSION BETWEEN MONDAY AND MAY THERE ARE MONDAYS IN MAY FUCK THERE ARE MONDAYS IN JUNE FUCKING HELL
I fully expected to find this album average at best. I was pleasantly surprised.
I guess the real question here is "is it better than 5150". Well,
Highlights: Yankee Rose, Shy Boy, I'm Easy, Bump and Grind
Lowlights: That's Life
In relation to other albums:
Better than any Van Halen album, INCLUDING the debut.

30 May 2012: "Mechanical Resonance" by Tesla
I'd never really gotten into Tesla. I really like Comin' Atcha Live, but never bothered to go further. Well, here we are.
"I can't believe this fucked up world in which we're livin' in" Okay, Macca. Whatever you say.
Remember when I said that New Jersey was the second best glam metal album? It's now third.
Highlights: Comin' Atcha Live, Too Late for Love, Before My Eyes
Lowlights: Rock Me to the Top, Changes
In relation to other albums:
Yes.

BONUS REVIEW: "Oh, Inverted World" by The Shins
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/gerard-by-wrenches.html
Welp.
I had no idea what to expect going into this album. It's not a bad album, but I also wasn't jumping out of my seat. It's a nice album.
Highlights: Girl on the Wing
Lowlights: Your Algebra
In relation to other albums:
Maybe later.

31 May 2012: "... and Justice for All" by Metallica
What better way to end a month than with METALLICA
To start, the title track is WAY too long. There isn't enough content for ten minutes, so you get RIFF PADDING. Fucking bullshit.
But then there's One, which is still pretty great. I warned him about landmines bro
Overall? It was okay.
Highlights: One, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, Blackened
Lowlights: ... and Justice for All, To Live is to Die
In relation to other albums:
On-par with Kill 'em All; worse than the other two.

BONUS REVIEW: "Head Games" by Foreigner
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/this-plot-is-out-of-my-by-guys.html
Welp.
I have to say, this album has the worst album cover ever, bar none.
Basically, this is standard Foreigner. Nothing too special.
Highlights: Love on the Telephone
Lowlights: The Modern Day
In relation to other albums:
Better than Mr. Moonlight.

01 Jun 2012: "The Beatles' Hits" by The Beatles
Welp.
This EP would have been a great step into their music. It has two of their best songs from 1963, From Me to You and Please Please Me, plus two others that are okay.
Highlights: From Me to You, Please Please Me
Lowlights: Thank You Girl, Love Me Do
In relation to other albums:
not bad

02 Jun 2012: "Animals" by Pink Floyd
There is no welp large enough.
The album starts and ends with Pigs on the Wing. It's rather nice.
My thing with Dogs is that we have a lot of time listening to the instruments go. It's not bad, but it could be more interesting.
Pigs is better, with more interesting bits.
My favourite, however, is Sheep. Fucking Sheep. It makes the entire album worth it.
This album was better than I thought it'd be.
Highlights: Sheep
Lowlights: Pigs on the Wing
In relation to other albums:
Better than The Wall; not as good as Dark Side of the Moon.

BONUS REVIEW: "Thick as a Brick" by Jethro Tull
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/life-is-like-box-of-shit-by-its-all.html
RYM thinks I'll give this album a 4.5. Oh boy.
Going in, I'm greeted by flutes. Acoustic guitars are also present. I feel so out of place.
"And the love that I feel is so far away" Well, sir, all you have to do is wait for the day.
I... actually really like this. Huh. RYM was right.

03 Jun 2012: "The Ultimate Sin" by Ozzy Osbourne
I don't get it. People always talk about how GREAT AND UNDERRATED this album is, yet the first half is all just okay. Hell, every song but the two I liked beforehand are just okay.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Highlights: Lightning Strikes, Shot in the Dark
Lowlights:
In relation to other albums:
Worst yet.

BONUS REVIEW: "In Colour" by Cheap Trick
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/hat-goes-to-hell-by-hat.html
The two draws here are Hello There, and I Want You to Want Me. Neither are the version you're thinking of. Hello There was rerecorded in 1997, and that version was put in Rock Band 2. The popular version of I Want You to Want Me was on At Budokan. Welp.
The studio version of I Want You to Want Me is kind of bare-bones. It's not bad, but it could be better.
Sadly, this is another album that is just okay. Fuck.
Highlights: Hello There
Lowlights: Oh Boy
In relation to other albums:
Worse.

04 Jun 2012: "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden
This album starts with two of Iron Maiden's best songs, guitar-wise if nothing else. Be Quick or be Dead has a super-great riff, and From Here to Eternity has that solo.
After those, however, the album hits a slight lull until track ten, Judas be My Guide. Fuck, guys, get your shit together. I guess that's a bit harsh, as none of the songs are bad. They don't even dip into mediocre. I just expect a lot more from Iron Maiden than I'm getting here.
The album ends on its longest song, Fear of the Dark. It's actually probably the best way to send off the first wave of Dickinson albums. It does everything a great Iron Maiden song does.
This album is bookended by its best tracks, which makes for a noticable dip in the middle. That's not exactly a good thing.
Highlights: From Here to Eternity, Be Quick or be Dead, Fear of the Dark, Judas be My Guide
Lowlights: Wasting Love
In relation to other albums:
Better than No Prayer for the Dying.

BONUS REVIEW: "A Quick One" by The Who
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/08/mages-are-super-great-guys-by-frog.html
The Who's second album, and another from 1966. My version of the album has a grand total of twenty tracks, making the title a bold-faced lie. That's points off, guys
The first song would be great, if them saying "run run run" weren't annoying. Fuck.
The first song on the album that impressed me in a good way was the fifth, Heatwave. It's fun. It's also followed by Cobwebs and Strange, which is the best thing ever.
See My Way reminds me of If You've Got Trouble. Daltrey isn't Ringo, though, so he can't do If You've Got Trouble.
The original album ends with A Quick One While He's Away, which is nine minutes of stuff. However, it's lacking in energy and generally isn't executed as well as Green Day's version. Fuck. The Who sound INCREDIBLY lethargic, even Keith Moon. I cannot overstate how much better Green Day's version is, objectively. It's the same thing, but executed with passion and zeal. Plus, it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a toilet in 1930. This is fucking insulting, The Who. I'm glad I didn't pay for this.
... but it's followed by THE BATMAN THEME. You are forgiven. YOU ARE ALL FORGIVEN.
... then they cover a The Beach Boys song. I can't win. I just fucking can't. You are unforgiven.
Fucking The Who. Why do they do this shit? They should be called The Why
Highlights: Batman, Cobwebs and Strange, Heatwave
Lowlights: Barbara Ann, A Quick One While He's Away
In relation to other albums:
I DON'T EVEN KNOW

05 Jun 2012: "Dead Letter Office" by R.E.M.
So, this is basically a compilation of b-sides and outtakes from before Document. My version has TWENTY-TWO tracks.
These tracks are pretty standard for '80s R.E.M., which is a good thing. They range from "pretty okay" to "really good". That's about what I was expecting.
Highlights: 1,000,000
Lowlights: Rotary Ten
In relation to other albums:
Better than Murmur and Reckoning.

BONUS REVIEW: "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/so-much-head-aching-by-august-is.html
This album is very average. Only the first track impressed me at all.
also nirvana's is better guys
There are some covers that just overtake the original in all possible directions. The original is overshadowed by a cover. Jimi Hendrix did this to Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower. Johnny Cash did this to Nine Inch Nails' Hurt. Kurt Cobain did this to David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World. This isn't me saying "kurty best guy everrrrrrrrr". It's me, telling the truth. David Bowie's is annoying and vapid. Kurty's is the opposite. Don't try to argue. You'd be wrong.
Highlights: The Width of a Circle
Lowlights: The Man Who Sold the World
In relation to other albums:
Better than Space Oddity and Aladdin Sane.

06 Jun 2012: "Pipes of Peace" by Paul McCartney
Say, Say, Say is the second track on the album, and it features Michael Jackson. It's much better than The Girl is Mine.
This album continues in the vein of Tug of War, and it wasn't a very good vein to begin with.
Highlights: Say Say Say
Lowlights: We All Stand Together
In relation to other albums:
On-par with Tug of War and McCartney.

BONUS REVIEW: "Burn" by Deep Purple
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/lmfao-by-guys-of-hands.html
Title track, riffs, wooh, etc.
Okay, so this is weird for me. Coverdale's voice is Whitesnake. Like, I have a hard time imagining his voice anywhere else. Sometimes I confuse Coverdale/Page songs for Whitesnake songs. Once Might Just Take Your Life came on, I thought I was listening to a Whitesnake album. I'm not complaining, since I love Whitesnake, but fuck. Also, stare at the word "Whitesnake" for a minute or so.
Luckily, when Hughes comes on, I remember I'm listening to Deep Purple.
Highlights: Burn, Mistreated, Lay Down Stay Down
Lowlights: A 200
In relation to other albums:
The best Deep Purple album.

07 Jun 2012: "Somewhere in England" by George Harrison
There's not really much to talk about here. It's a bunch of good-to-great George songs.
Highlights: Hong Kong Blues
Lowlights:
In relation to other albums:
Not as good as All Things Must Pass or Living in the Material World; better than else.

BONUS REVIEW: "Mother's Milk" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-almost-august-by-men.html
So, basically, this album was pretty okay. Nothing too exciting.
Highlights: Higher Ground, Punk Rock Classic
Lowlights: Magic Johnson
In relation to other albums:
Better than One Hot Minute and Californication.

08 Jun 2012: "Street Survivors" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
This album is the one I've been looking forward to. It features four of my favourite Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, What's Your Name, That Smell, I Know a Little, and You Got That Right.
Unfortunately, this was also their last album before the plane crash. At least they went out on a high note.
One More Time is one of those songs. I don't know how to describe it. It's slow-ish, but certainly not a ballad. It's not up-tempo. It has serious subject matter, and speaks volumes by its tempo and phrasing. Help me out here.
Highlights: You Got That Right, One More Time, What's Your Name, I Know a Little
Lowlights:
In relation to other albums:
Best.

BONUS REVIEW: "Between the Buttons" by The Rolling Stones
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/ideas-arent-here-by-fillers.html
Yeah, it's these guys again. This album came out in 1967, so it has some immense competition if it wants album of the year.
This is the American/Canadian version of the album. It features Let's Spend the Night Together, which is pretty great. Ruby Tuesday's still awful, though.
Of course, this album is full of filler.
Why, The Rolling Stones, why
Highlights: Let's Spend the Night Together
Lowlights: Nearly everything else
In relation to other albums:
Worst.

09 Jun 2012: "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath
I skipped this album and went straight to Paranoid, so here we are. When I first heard the title track, I didn't get it at all. It went over my head. That was, like, five years ago. I hated what Ozzy was doing with his voice. I still don't find his voice pleasing here, but it gets across the idea very well. I give it a pass. It's still retardedly overrated. It has moments of greatness ("oh god no no please help me"), and the riff is very sinister, but Ozzy's voice sounds horrific until about a minute-and-a-half to the end. I can appreciate it, but I don't think I'd ever jump out of my seat to listen to it.
... harmonica in a Black Sabbath song? Woah.
Also, why have I never heard this cool bass intro to N.I.B.? It's pretty fucking nifty. For some reason, I've always been a fan of N.I.B.; the entire song just feels right.
This album was much better than I thought it'd be.
Highlights: The Warning, N.I.B., Wicked World
Lowlights: Black Sabbath
In relation to other albums:
Better than Master of Reality and Paranoid.

BONUS REVIEW: "Surfer Rosa" by Pixies
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/cities-of-sitting-by-men-of-and.html
Welp. I really have no idea why I decided to do this.
HEY GUYS THIS ALBUM IS AWFUL
From Broken Face on, it's just the singing people making stupid noises and saying "GIGANTIC" over and over.
Highlights:
Lowlights: Broken Face, Gigantic, River Euphrates
In relation to other albums:
This is honestly one of the worst things I've ever heard.

10 Jun 2012: "The Velvet Underground" by The Velvet Underground
After yesterday's Surfer Rosa fiasco, I was wary of pursuing another album RYM loves. Luckily, this one isn't half bad.
Overall, this album is okay, but nothing special. I don't think I get The Murder Mystery, though.

BONUS REVIEW: "Kick Out the Jams" by MC5
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2011/07/merry-christ-by-christs.html
These guys seem fun. Live albums, I've noticed, are like a window into the band themselves. Even KISS's. These guys just seem fun.
I really enjoyed this.
Highlights: Kick Out the Jams
Lowlights:
In relation to other albums:
Yeah.