Reviews Supplemental

BONUS REVIEW(S): The Beatles

I've been relistening to the The Beatles albums I haven't rated five stars. I already did Revolver, and I don't think I can say much more about that one than I've already stated.
Yellow Submarine is the other one I won't be doing, since I know exactly why that one isn't five stars. If it were an EP with just the first half of the album (or better yet, just the new songs), it would easily be a five. Hey Bulldog, It's Only a Northern Song, All Together Now, and It's All Too Much would be a five-star EP.

This leaves us with:

1. Please Please Me
Former rating: 4.5
2016 rating: 4.5
Please Please Me is let down by "whatever" tracks like Anna, A Taste of Honey, and Baby, it's You. It's a bumpy ride as far as The Beatles go.

2. With The Beatles
Former rating: 4.5
2016 rating: 5
It's easy to sleep on this one, I suppose. But the only track here that I could have definitely done without is Little Child. This album features absolute classics (even by The Beatles' standards) like All My Loving and the cover of 'til There Was You. Ending with Money was a great idea, since everyone loved Twist and Shout from the last album. This is the superior 1963 The Beatles album and I will not hear any argument otherwise.

3. Beatles for Sale
Former rating: 4
2016 rating: 4.5
This is generally considered their "worst" album, being a contractual obligation or whatever. This is their last album to lean heavily on covers. George Harrison looks like a turnip on the cover.
While beginning with No Reply/I'm a Loser was an odd choice, the album is absolutely great until Mr. Moonlight. FUCK Mr. Moonlight. It's boring as FUCK, and it's the same fucking shit over and over and over and FUCK YOU
I'll Follow the Sun is the song that struck me the most on this listen, since I'd overlooked it in the past. It's legitimately great.
Other than Mr. Moonlight, Every Little Thing, and Words of Love, every song on this album is worth it. Songs like What You're Doing, I'll Follow the Sun, and Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey rank among the best the band put out in their early period.
would have been five stars if mr. moonlight hadn't existed

4. Magical Mystery Tour
Former rating: 4
2016 rating: 4
I actually watched this movie. I can't say I liked it much. It was just kind of there. As far as The Beatles' movies go, I'd definitely say:
A Hard Day's Night > Help! > Let it Be > Magical Mystery Tour
a hard day's night was worth it for HEY MISTER CAN WE HAVE OUR BALL BACK alone

ANYWAY
The title track drags on a bit too long.
Flying is straight-up filler. It has absolutely nothing going for it in the slightest. It is, however, better than Blue Jay Way. Four minutes of my life I will never get back.

I hate Strawberry Fields Forever. I can't overstate this. They took two different arrangements and mashed them together, and Lennon's voice sounds fucking terrible because of it. The Love version is 10/10, but this one is terrible. And that ending is fucking horrible, even though I've said that before.

Penny Lane is the kind of song people hate McCartney for. It's one of the worst examples of his shit. It's not actually a bad song, but it's just overwhelmingly happy-sounding. Paul has always and will always be my favourite of the four, but Penny Lane is definitely not the reason why. It definitely has no reason to be on this album when Your Mother Should Know was the same sort of thing, but a much better song.

The Fool on the Hill, I am the Walrus, Hello Goodbye, Baby You're a Rich Man, and All You Need is Love are worth the trip, though.
My favourite part of All You Need is Love is the She Loves You callback at the end. It's absolutely perfect.
I actually don't think I'd like the song very much without it. It's all just "there's nothing you can blank that can't be blanked" which is completely fucking obvious I meant wow brilliant lyrics LENNON then just
If not for the She Loves You callback, the song would have been better as an instrumental.

20 Jan 2016: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/"Spectre at the Feast" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-fridge-by.html

they really should change their name
there is nothing even slightly rebellious about this shit

20 Jan 2016: Rush/"Snakes and Arrows" (2007)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/revenge-of-it-by-eifion-lewis.html

21 Jan 2016: Bon Jovi/"What About Now" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-handoff-by.html

bon jovi really ought to stop making music
they haven't made anything worthwhile since 1995
have a nice day was pretty good i guess but that was still ten years ago

21 Jan 2016: Sparks/"Kimono My Horse" (1974)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/auburn-vendetta-by-jake-adjutant-band.html

yellow told me to do this one in like june but i've been putting it off
NO LONGER


yellow was right this time this album is pretty great
shame the album proper ends on its worst song by far
i mean holy shit why does this song exist
WHOOSP I ACCIDENTALLY THE LAST MINUTE OF THE SONG

that must have been june of, like, 2014

fun fact: the full album on youtube is pitched like 2 whole steps higher than the actual album, so the main guy sounds even higher than he already is

that was, like, june of 2015

here's how it went, though the power of finding the posts in the last thread:


11 Jun 2015: For Fuck's Sake/"For Fuck's Sake" (2015)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2015/06/julio-and-case-of-missing-not-tongue.html

A collaboration between Franz Ferdinand (for fuck's) and Sparks (sake).
It's boring as shit.

-----

Franz Ferdinand and Sparks!? i listened to a song quick because it sounded like a fun mix, but it's mostly franz ferdinand and barely sparks. The one song (johnny delusional) was incredibly boring, i agree. Have you listened to any Sparks on their own? Some of their 70s stuff is pretty fun

i may have misremembered the strength of the recommendation but you definitely said words that my brain processed as a recommendation

Ah, I totally forgot about FFS (for good reason)

yeah, sparks is nice but I haven't listened to them in forever. Gonna have to give them a go again soon.

22 Jan 2016: Megadeth/"Dystopia" (2016)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-sanity-by.html

Chris Broderick has left Megadeth, and they've now got their seventh guitarist. Can't say I'm going to miss him.
This album seems to be a political manifesto by Dave Mustaine, like always. Conspiracy theories ahoy

Like I've said before, Mustaine's voice has been stripped of all its character by age. Now it's just kind of there.

If you ignore the lyrics and concept, this is Megadeth's best album since The System Has Failed.

22 Jan 2016: Thin Lizzy/"Live and Dangerous" (1978)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/98-by-98.html

One of the most famous live albums in history. Second to KISS's Alive, I'd say.
I've always wondered why they don't start shows with The Boys are Back in Town. It just fits, doesn't it?

huey lewis on harmonica wow
never knew that

23 Jan 2016: The Stooges/"Ready to Die" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-unit-manager.html

This album would be a lot better if Iggy Pop weren't involved. His voice is shot to shit.

23 Jan 2016: The Grateful Dead/"Wake of the Flood" (1973)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/slave-to-grind-by-skid-row.html

24 Jan 2016: Slipknot/".5" (2014)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-desert-by.html

This is the band's first album after their bassist, Paul Gray [#2], died. The whole album is dedicated to him and such.


This album reminded me why I don't listen to Slipknot.
Aside from Before I Forget and Duality, naturally.

24 Jan 2016: Kasabian/"West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" (2009)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/dark-horse-by-nickelback.html

i'm going to finish this discography next month and there is nothing anyone can do about it
i will listen to this mediocre music and i will not enjoy it goddammit

25 Jan 2016: Black Sabbath/"The End" (2016)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-offensive.html

This tour-exclusive EP features four new songs, three live versions of songs from 13, and one live version of a song from Vol. 4 (not one of the famous ones).

It's their best release in decades.

25 Jan 2016: Deep Purple/"Rapture of the Deep" (2005)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/bears.html

gonna finish the deep purples soon too
get ready (or else)

album stumbles a bit at the end, but it's still their best album of this millennium (thus far)

26 Jan 2016: Sting/"The Last Ship" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-hand-signals.html

remember when sting made rock music
those were good times

26 Jan 2016: Cheap Trick/"One on One" (1982)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/rumours-by-nickwood-mac.html

the '80s were just what cheap trick needed to stop being pretentious and filling their albums with bullshit

27 Jan 2016: Paul Gilbert/"Vibrato" (2012)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-end-of-world.html

Half of this album is instrumental, and half has vocals. None of the songs are as memorable as those on Flying Dog/Alligator Farm/Burning Organ.
There's a cover of Roundabout here for some reason. It's the best song on the album, despite the fact that I'll probably never listen to it over the original.

27 Jan 2016: Badfinger/"Straight Up" (1971)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/rise-and-fall-of-stevo-fisher-and-his.html

28 Jan 2016: Deep Purple/"Now What?!" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-cottage-on.html

The latest Deep Purple album, and the one that will finish their discography for me.
not their best
not even the best mk. viii album

Spoiler:

28 Jan 2016: Judas Priest/"Jugulator" (1997)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-in-days-work-by-timothy-lee-band.html

The follow-up to 1990's Painkiller, and the first Judas Priest album without Rob Halford.

It is terrible.

oops i had this review done hours ago but forgot to post it

29 Jan 2016: Black Label Society/"Catacombs of the Black Vatican" (2014)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-being-asleep.html

29 Jan 2016: Pilot/"From the Album of the Same Name" (1974)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2009/12/st-anger-by-metallica.html

I'm surprised I didn't do this one earlier.

In the US and Canada, this album was called "Pilot". How shitty and uninspired.
There is no way to say "we tried nothing and we're already out of ideas" like a self-titled album.

Getting really sick of "la la la" in place of actual lyrics (except when Limozeen does it).
also ending the album on a filler track was just 10/10 love it

30 Jan 2016: The Flaming Lips/"The Terror" (2013)
http://musiccouldbebetter.blogspot.com/2016/01/julio-and-case-of-missing-friendship-by.html

once again, these talented musicians say "fuck music" and make pretentious bullshit
track five features some of the most annoying noises i've heard in a long time