Reviews Supplemental

12 Aug 2015: Children of Bodom/"Blooddrunk" (2008)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/09/flaque-jaquette-by-men-of-action.html

Tony liked these guys. That's just like him, isn't it?

Overly brootal metal vocals don't bother me as much as they used to, but I still can't say I enjoy them.

13 Aug 2015: Venue Thirteen
Of course, this is the last day of the main setlist of SNAE, so here's the final venue (which actually only has one song):
Albums I've already reviewed:
King Crimson/"In the Court of the Crimson King" (1969)

dlc 2moz

13 Aug 2015: Jeff Beck/"Blow by Blow" (1975)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-hold-on-god.html

no relation to beck

So, like, there's an instrumental cover here of She's a Woman. Pointless, really. For my money, She's a Woman completely relies on McCartney's vocals. Without those, what's the point, even?

13 Aug 2015: Peter Frampton/"Frampton's Camel" (1973)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/09/balls-by-balls-kennedy-band.html

So here's something absolutely no one has ever heard before: The studio version of Do You Feel Like We Do?.
Studio Frampton in general, really.

The line (and title) "I believe when I fall in love with you it will be forever" is just really bad. Why is it, like, the entire song?

The live Do You Feel Like We Do? is full of self-indulgent wankery. It's a horrible listening experience, and it baffles me how it got so famous.
The studio Do You Feel Like We Do? is ACTUALLY FUCKING GOOD. Like, really fucking good. Great, even. All-caps ORGASMIC, even. Listening to this album has given me an incredibly strong hatred for the live Do You Feel Like We Do?, which has all but wiped the studio version out of existence. The studio version of this song should have been in SNAE rather than the live version. Fuck the live version. Just fuck it.

I do like the live DYFLWD, but mostly because of the organ solo and the fun audience interaction with the talk box solo. the actual song itself (basically the first 4 minutes and the last 4 minutes) is kind of lackluster.

Jeff Beck is weird. But if you like Rod Stewart, you should listen to jeff beck's album Beck-Ola. It's the heaviest rock music up until that point in music history, but with Rod on vocals and Nicky Hopkins on piano (aka the best pianoman)

That actually sounds like a good time. I'll definitely get on that.
BUT NOT BEFORE NINE DAYS OF SNAE DLC

WOOP WOOP
kill me

14 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 1: Today's first review
Week 2: Today's second review

14 Aug 2015: The Rolling Stones/"Get Your Ya-Yas Out" (1970)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/09/wallet-fifty-eight-by-man-of-many.html

This album has an odd tracklisting, to say the least. A lot of hits from the '60s are left out (Let's Spend the Night Together, Paint it Black, Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want, etc.) in favour of songs that are just like what why did you even pick that

Jumpin' Jack Flash needs some heavier or crunchier guitars or something. It's never sounded right to me (aside from when David Cook die it, of course).
What the fuck is this shit? This sounds NOTHING like Sympathy for the Devil. They absolutely BUTCHERED their own song. It sounds generic as fuck now. They sped it up, replaced the piano with guitar, and the entire fucking thing is unrecognisable aside from the lyrics.

Sound quality here isn't the best. Jagger is kind of buried.
Another "legendary" live album that's actually really mediocre. There's absolutely no reason to listen to this over a studio album. And, seriously, FUCK this version of Sympathy for the Devil.

14 Aug 2015: Street Sweeper Social Club/"Street Sweeper Social Club" (2009)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/09/balls-by-watch-this-space.html

"Literally who", you ask?
TOM MORELLO, THAT'S WHO

The Oath is terrible. The main line, which is repeated for fucking ever, is "all right, motherfuckers; fight, motherfuckers". It's like, I get it, motherfucker.


The problem here is that the rapper he got to do the rapping and such is kind of bad at writing lyrics. He's not bad at actually rapping, but the lyrics get kind of painful. He really makes me miss de la Rocha and Cornell.
Part of me kind of wishes Audioslave had stayed together instead of a RATM and Soundgarden reunion.

BUT HERE'S AN IDEA I JUST HAD

Super Big Big Show (big ticket seller, one time only until the next time it happens):
1: Pearl Jam
2: Temple of the Dog
3: Audioslave
4: Rage Against the Machine
5: Soundgarden

then everyone loves it and we get a fourth audioslave album

Matt Cameron might drop dead on-stage, though, which is my biggest concern.

TODAY IS A THEME DAY FOR SNAE DLC
THE THEME IS
"LITERALLY WHO"

15 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 3: AFI (done)
Week 4: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (no), plus both of today's reviews

15 Aug 2015: Editors/"The Back Room" (2005)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/09/stop-moving-your-bodies-in-rhythm-to.html

Imagine the band Interpol.
Now imagine that they aren't complete and utter shit.
You've got these guys.

However, Bullets is terrible.
The endlessly repeated "YOU DON'T NEED THIS DISEASE" is absolutely terrible. It's a weak line, and the way the guy pronounces it is horrible. It took me a while to figure out what he was actually saying.

15 Aug 2015: The Faint/"Fascination" (2008)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/08/wallet-two-by-man-of-many-wallets.html

just awful
only the first track is awful
the rest is merely retardedly mediocre

16 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 5: Queens of the Stone Age (done)
Week 6: Billy Squier (done + song that does not exist no matter how hard I look)
Week 7: Wolfmother (done)
Week 8: Triumph (done), The J. Geils Band (done), and today's first review
Week 9: GWAR (no), Marilyn Manson (no), and today's second review

16 Aug 2015: Peter Frampton/"Frampton" (1975)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-conclusions.html

Well, sure, both of the Frampton tracks in SNAE were from Comes Alive, but whatever. Studio Frampton is a pretty interesting beast to tackle after being so familiar with (and sick of) the live versions.

Show Me the Way shows us that there is, in fact, such a thing as too much talkbox.

16 Aug 2015: The Misfits/"Walk Among Us" (1982)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-fire-inside.html

remember danzig
i sure do

good job this is better than his solo career or samhain
good
fucking
job


astro zombies was better when mcr did it

17 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 10: Today's first review
Week 11: KISS (done)
Week 12: LITERALLY WHO (no)
Week 13: Today's second review

17 Aug 2015: Lenny Kravitz/"Baptism" (2004)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing.html

17 Aug 2015: The Fall of Troy/"In the Unlikely Event" (2009)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-blown-cover.html

I can't say that this was the type of music I was expecting.
The first track is pretty good, but most of it after that is just SCREAMING
Not a fan.

18 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 14: Today's first review
Week 15: Pavement (done) and two "literally who"s (no)
Week 16: Maroon 5 (done), Taylor Swift (no), No Doubt (NO), and Steve Ouimette (non-album)
Week 17: LITERALLY WHO (no)
Week 18: Vampire Weekend (done)
Week 19: Metal bullshit (no)
Week 20: CCR (done)
Week 21: Today's second review

18 Aug 2015: OneRepublic/"Waking Up" (2009)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-chinese.html

I don't think there's ever been an album with a more ironic title.

18 Aug 2015: Thirty Seconds to Mars/"A Beautiful Lie" (2005)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/08/here-i-go-again-on-my-own-guys-by-frog.html

The problem is that the songs here are all poor and most of them last far too long. Not to mention that it's exactly the same as all the other bands you hear on the radio. It's a better album than This is War, but that's not really saying anything, is it?

19 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 22: Breaking Benjamin (done)
Week 23: Today's first review
Week 24: Blink-182 (done)
Week 25: Today's second review

19 Aug 2015: Third Eye Blind/"Third Eye Blind" (1997)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-ideas-for.html

Third Eye Blind are a much better band than I'd given them credit for previously. I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would.

19 Aug 2015: OK Go/"OK Go" (2002)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/07/boxing-day-by-rip.html

Spoiler:

don't bother replying

I think you guys need to appreciate what I just did yesterday. I planned out my reviews so I will be completely done with the GH series on the seventeenth of September.
THIS MEANS
My single day off before the next stupid project will be on the best day.

20 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 26: Today's first review
Week 27: Motley Crue (done), The Go-Gos (done), Night Ranger (done)
Week 28: Lynyrd Skynyrd (done)
Week 29: Fall Out Boy (done)
Week 30: The All-American Rejects (no), a "literally who" (no), and today's second review

20 Aug 2015: Flogging Molly/"Float" (2008)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-by-julio-bros.html

I think this band would be better with someone else on vocals. This guy is very close to "nasally". Maybe that's not the word I'm looking for, but he's got a quality to his voice that I find kind of distracting.

20 Aug 2015: Blur/"Leisure" (1991)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-destruction.html

The first track is SO ANNOYING
HOLY SHIT

Bang could have been a good song if it had been sung by, like, anyone else. This guy's voice is so flat and monotone, which really makes his accent sound annoying as fuck. Same goes for There's No Other Way and Fool and Come Together and
They should have just waited and given these songs to Oasis.


I have been wrong about many generalisations of bands I've made after hearing one of their songs in Guitar Hero or Rock Band or whatever.
I can happily say that I was not wrong about Blur. They are terrible. There is absolutely no reason to listen to them over Oasis or Supergrass.

Everyone on RYM compares this album to Pablo Honey, but there are many things wrong with that statement.
1: Radiohead are great, Blur are terrible
2: Pablo Honey is great, Leisure is terrible
3: Why doesn't anyone like Pablo Honey anyway I mean it might not be their BEST album but it's still super-good with a lot of cool songs like Anyone Can Play Guitar and How do You? and Lurgee and You and Blow Out
4: I mean I gave Pablo Honey a 5/5 I really love that album because it's really good I mean it may not be as ambitious as Kid A or OK Computer but that's not really a bad thing is it I mean sometimes it's nice to just listen to something simple and nice
5: Pablo Honey: 5/5
6: Leisure: 0/5
7: Night and day really

12 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 31: Today's first review
Week 32: Black Sabbath (done)
Week 33: Foreigner (done), Lynyrd Skynyrd (done), The Steve Miller Band (done)
Week 34: Two "literally who"s and today's second review

12 Aug 2015: Phoenix/"Alphabetical" (2004)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-best-part-of.html

21 Aug 2015: Snow Patrol/"Eyes Open" (2006)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-common-sense.html

The album had a good thing going until the guest lady on track eight. She is so fucking annoying, holy shit.

The whole thing really trails off at the end. I'm kind of disappointed.

Today is the last day of SNAE. Tomorrow is whatever (I already know what it will be), then we're onto everyone's favourite, Band Hero.

22 Aug 2015: DLC
Week 35: Aerosmith (done)
Week 36: Flash in the pan pop bullshit (no)
Week 37: Stone Temple Pilots (done)
Week 38: Steve Ouimette doing a shitload of national anthems (non-album)
Week 39: Alice Cooper (done)
Week 40: Today's first review
Week 41: Maroon 5 (done), Owl City (no), and Lady Gaga (no)
Week 42: Queen (done)
Week 43: Avenged Sevenfold (done)
Week 44: Today's second review
Week 45: Shinedown (done)
Week 46: The Used (no)
Week 47: Sum 41 (done)
Week 48: Weezer (done)
Week 49: Megadeth (done)
Week 50: A "literally who" (no)
Week 51: Godsmack (done), Papa Roach (done), Faith No More (done), Limp Bizkit (no), Marilyn Manson (no), and a "literally who" (no)

22 Aug 2015: All-Time Low/"So Wrong, It's Right" (2007)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2010/07/very-christmas-christmas-by-holy-shit.html

About as generic as 2007-ass punk rock can get. Buy the t-shirt at Hot Topic.
But, hey. If you're going to listen to a generic Hot Topic band, it might as well be this one. It's probably the best one.


Remembering Sunday introduces a chick. Now, contrary to what you're thinking, the chick isn't bad on her own. It's just that the way she and the regular dude sing different lyrics over eachother is really bad + cheesy.

22 Aug 2015: Disturbed/"Indestructible" (2008)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-german-women.html

droppin plates on yo ass
When this album came out, three of its songs were immediately DLC for Rock Band. Guitar Hero had to wait over a year for the privilege.

I don't know how they do it, but Disturbed songs all sound so similar. It's really strange how their songs can all be very distinctly and unmistakably Disturbed, yet all sound exactly the same as eachother.

WAIT
THIS SONG IS INSIDE THE FIRE?
I LEGITIMATELY THOUGHT THIS WAS STRICKEN
You know, the one that goes
da dum
da-da-da-da dum
da-da-da da-da-da-da da da-da da-da da dum

Further reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66gSvNeqevg

23 Aug 2015: The Jeff Beck Group/"Beck-Ola" (1969)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-bramble-patch.html

So, Girl from Mill Valley is pretty pointless, isn't it? I expected self-indulgent instrumentals from Jeff Beck, not the piano guy.
This weird slow jam Jailhouse Rock is really strange, and not in a good way. The piano solo sounds really bad. If they'd just played the entire thing straight, it would have been great. As it sits, it's a bad cover of a great song.

In Plynth, Rod Stewart is too low in the mix. Beck's parts just drown him out.
Then we get to the final track, where it's Beck's turn to have his instrumental. Better than Girl from Mill Valley, at least.


I think the biggest problem here is that Nicky Hopkins guy. His piano-playing is poor in a few songs, and he gets a ridiculously pointless instrumental that adds nothing to the album. Its pointlessness cannot be overstated.
Turn Rod up a bit in the mix and get a new piano man, and you've got an album.


I read that their first album was a "seminal work of heavy metal" (per Wikipedia), though, so I'll probably do that one when I'm done with Band Hero.

23 Aug 2015: Billy Joel/"An Innocent Man"
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/08/julio-and-case-of-missing-fishnet-by.html

This is an interesting album in concept. Each song is an homage to artists from when Billy Joel was a teenager, plus Bob Marley. I don't know.

The first track is an homage to James Brown, but therein lies the problem. James Brown's biggest strength was his voice, which was absolutely amazing. I'm not saying Billy Joel doesn't have a great voice, but it's completely different from Brown's.
It's not a bad song (it's pretty good actually), but it's hard to get James Brown out of it without reading it.

Spoiler:

To be honest, if I hadn't known, I wouldn't have called the title track an homage to anything. It's not much different from what people think of when they think of Billy Joel songs.
The Longest Time is an absolute classic. One of the best songs. I don't need to qualify that with "of all the times" or "that I've heard". If we are talking about songs, it is one of the best ones.

The whole "Beethoven" thing was worth it for This Night alone.
Tell Her About It is pretty clearly Motown. I'm not the biggest Motown guy, but I've always liked this song a lot.

Uptown Girl is just a good time. You can call it overplayed or whatever the fuck, but it's just a fun song.
I wasn't too sold on Careless Talk at the start, but from around the midpoint onward, I realised how great of a salesman it was.

Christie Lee is an homage to Little Richard. I've never been a fan of Little Richard, so I can't say this song suffers like Easy Money did. I can always appreciate a saxophone.
Leave a Tender Moment Alone is another song where I wouldn't have had a second thought if it were on a "regular" Billy Joel album.

Keeping the Faith closes the album, and is an homage to Bob Marley. The instruments sound like it, but Billy Joel's voice is a bit too distinctively un-Bob Marley. I honestly think this song would have been better as a rock song than a reggae song. Just call it a Rod Stewart tribute or whatever.


This album is kind of strange. With a lot of albums I've listened to, the best tracks bookend the album. Hell, that's what I would do.
However, this album is bookended by the two worst tracks. But the thing is, even though they are easily the worst tracks here, they're still strong enough to keep you listening at the front end, and have you looking back and thinking "that was great" at the back end.
This is without a doubt Billy Joel's best album. Making the entire thing full of musical homages worked beautifully for him, and I'm really satisfied with the end product.

It's not often that I give an album a 5/5 right away. In this wave of reviews, I've done it for exactly eight albums. Four of those were live albums from some of my favourites (T.Rex, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Lynyrd Skynyrd).
The other four were Tupelo Honey, Young Americans, By Request Only, and now An Innocent Man.

In the last wave of reviews, three albums absolutely wowed me from the word "go". Begin Here, Aim and Ignite, and Swing lo Magellan were all absolutely brilliant albums that I was completely on-board with from the start.
Tupelo Honey and By Request Only were just incredibly believable. I knew that Van Morrison and Ken believed what they were saying, and it got my attention.
Young Americans was funky and had some great moments. Even if there was a Godawful cover of Across the Universe, I absolutely loved everything else.

Yes, I'd heard all three of the best songs on An Innocent Man beforehand dozens and dozens of times, but the entire album is great as a package. Billy Joel made me believe that this sort of music was important to him, and actually made me believe this album was created for the love of the art rather than the love of the dollar. It's an absolutely brilliant tribute to music, and I wish more artists would try something like this.