Music: Last Album You Listened To And Rate It III

[Shareefruck]

Thought I'd give blues another shot. Genre's odd to me in that I generally enjoy/find the sound tasteful but also very limited. Noticed how reliant on charisma the genre seems-- the more infectious live albums had the crowd eating out of the artist's hand more than I've seen in other genres. Ironically didn't find myself all that moved or sympathetic to the sentiments expressed, though. In fact, and maybe this is unfair (or informed by my bias against this time period), but my natural instinct was often instead to wonder how disingenuous some of these guys were being and feeling inclined to read between the lines about what they weren't saying, especially the ones about being displeased with their wives (are they exaggerating, leaving out the reasons leading up to it, possibly using this as justification for beating them afterwards? etc).

Naturally by JJ Cale - 2.0 (Positive) [the others weren't as consistent as this one, IMO]
Live at the Regal by BB King - 2.0 (Positive) [stretch of songs leading up to that How Blue Can you Get climax is pretty invigorating]
Troubadour by JJ Cale - 1.5 (Neutral) [great vibe, more of a cohesive feel than Naturally, though Cocaine feels out of place. Some tracks have a real propulsive cruising energy]
King of the Delta Blues by Robert Johnson - 1.5 (Neutral) [used to have this higher, but think I overlooked the sound quality too much. More impressed by the writing than most of these albums, though]
I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon - 1.5 (Neutral) [solid but didn't really have its hooks in me]
Ice Pickin' by Albert Collins - 1.5 (Neutral) [not uniformly good but has some very charismatic highs and that guitar playing is really nice]
Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King - 1.0 (Negative) [handful of decent songs and the rest felt disposable-- don't care for how it gets croonier towards the end]
Live in Cook County Jail by BB King - 1.0 (Negative) [setting adds charm, but surprised people like this more than Regal. Found myself anticipating How Blue Can You Get and not caring afterwards]
Moanin' in the Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf - 0.5 or 1.0 (Bad/Negative) [generally like his hits but didn't feel like much of an album]
West Side Soul by Magic Sam - 0.5 (Bad) [I don't get it]
East-West by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 0.5 (Bad) [don't like when Blues gets all noodle-y and maximalist-- feels antithetical]

Despite not being the most blown away by this experience, actually think most of these songs that were made famous by rock covers are better in their original form here.

Little confused why JJ Cale was not on most of the top lists I grabbed these from-- he's probably my favorite and the one I'm more likely to return to. Maybe it's not Blues? Actually listened to him on a whim after seeing his name close to Neu's on one of those similar artist proximity maps, though I don't really hear the similarity besides Troubadour sounding like propulsive driving music.

Preferred Tracks:
Stop Breaking Down Blues by Robert Johnson

Let Me Do It To You by JJ Cale

Ice Pick by Albert Collins

How Blue Can You Get? by BB King

 

[kyne]

Thought I'd give blues another shot. Genre's odd to me in that I generally enjoy/find the sound tasteful but also very limited. Noticed how reliant on charisma the genre seems-- the more infectious live albums had the crowd eating out of the artist's hand more than I've seen in other genres. Ironically didn't find myself all that moved or sympathetic to the sentiments expressed, though. In fact, and maybe this is unfair (or informed by my bias against this time period), but my natural instinct was often instead to wonder how disingenuous some of these guys were being and feeling inclined to read between the lines about what they weren't saying, especially the ones about being displeased with their wives (are they exaggerating, leaving out the reasons leading up to it, possibly using this as justification for beating them afterwards? etc).

Naturally by JJ Cale - 2.0 (Positive) [the others weren't as consistent as this one, IMO]
Live at the Regal by BB King - 2.0 (Positive) [stretch of songs leading up to that How Blue Can you Get climax is pretty invigorating]
Troubadour by JJ Cale - 1.5 (Neutral) [great vibe, more of a cohesive feel than Naturally, though Cocaine feels out of place. Some tracks have a real propulsive cruising energy]
King of the Delta Blues by Robert Johnson - 1.5 (Neutral) [used to have this higher, but think I overlooked the sound quality too much. More impressed by the writing than most of these albums, though]
I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon - 1.5 (Neutral) [solid but didn't really have its hooks in me]
Ice Pickin' by Albert Collins - 1.5 (Neutral) [not uniformly good but has some very charismatic highs and that guitar playing is really nice]
Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King - 1.0 (Negative) [handful of decent songs and the rest felt disposable-- don't care for how it gets croonier towards the end]
Live in Cook County Jail by BB King - 1.0 (Negative) [setting adds charm, but surprised people like this more than Regal. Found myself anticipating How Blue Can You Get and not caring afterwards]
Moanin' in the Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf - 0.5 or 1.0 (Bad/Negative) [generally like his hits but didn't feel like much of an album]
West Side Soul by Magic Sam - 0.5 (Bad) [I don't get it]
East-West by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 0.5 (Bad) [don't like when Blues gets all noodle-y and maximalist-- feels antithetical]

Despite not being the most blown away by this experience, actually think most of these songs that were made famous by rock covers are better in their original form here.

Little confused why JJ Cale was not on most of the top lists I grabbed these from-- he's probably my favorite and the one I'm more likely to return to. Maybe it's not Blues? Actually listened to him on a whim after seeing his name close to Neu's on one of those similar artist proximity maps, though I don't really hear the similarity besides Troubadour sounding like propulsive driving music.

Preferred Tracks:
Stop Breaking Down Blues by Robert Johnson

How Blue Can You Get? by BB King

Ice Pickin' by Collins is a favourite. I agree about Robert Johnson. Surprised Keb' Mo' isn't there

 

[Hippasus]

Thought I'd give blues another shot. Genre's odd to me in that I generally enjoy/find the sound tasteful but also very limited. Noticed how reliant on charisma the genre seems-- the more infectious live albums had the crowd eating out of the artist's hand more than I've seen in other genres. Ironically didn't find myself all that moved or sympathetic to the sentiments expressed, though. In fact, and maybe this is unfair (or informed by my bias against this time period), but my natural instinct was often instead to wonder how disingenuous some of these guys were being and feeling inclined to read between the lines about what they weren't saying, especially the ones about being displeased with their wives (are they exaggerating, leaving out the reasons leading up to it, possibly using this as justification for beating them afterwards? etc).

Naturally by JJ Cale - 2.0 (Positive) [the others weren't as consistent as this one, IMO]
Live at the Regal by BB King - 2.0 (Positive) [stretch of songs leading up to that How Blue Can you Get climax is pretty invigorating]
Troubadour by JJ Cale - 1.5 (Neutral) [great vibe, more of a cohesive feel than Naturally, though Cocaine feels out of place. Some tracks have a real propulsive cruising energy]
King of the Delta Blues by Robert Johnson - 1.5 (Neutral) [used to have this higher, but think I overlooked the sound quality too much. More impressed by the writing than most of these albums, though]
I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon - 1.5 (Neutral) [solid but didn't really have its hooks in me]
Ice Pickin' by Albert Collins - 1.5 (Neutral) [not uniformly good but has some very charismatic highs and that guitar playing is really nice]
Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King - 1.0 (Negative) [handful of decent songs and the rest felt disposable-- don't care for how it gets croonier towards the end]
Live in Cook County Jail by BB King - 1.0 (Negative) [setting adds charm, but surprised people like this more than Regal. Found myself anticipating How Blue Can You Get and not caring afterwards]
Moanin' in the Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf - 0.5 or 1.0 (Bad/Negative) [generally like his hits but didn't feel like much of an album]
West Side Soul by Magic Sam - 0.5 (Bad) [I don't get it]
East-West by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 0.5 (Bad) [don't like when Blues gets all noodle-y and maximalist-- feels antithetical]

Despite not being the most blown away by this experience, actually think most of these songs that were made famous by rock covers are better in their original form here.

Little confused why JJ Cale was not on most of the top lists I grabbed these from-- he's probably my favorite and the one I'm more likely to return to. Maybe it's not Blues? Actually listened to him on a whim after seeing his name close to Neu's on one of those similar artist proximity maps, though I don't really hear the similarity besides Troubadour sounding like propulsive driving music.

Preferred Tracks:
Stop Breaking Down Blues by Robert Johnson

How Blue Can You Get? by BB King

Robert Johnson's Complete Recordings is gorgeous in it's minimalism, but I think you're right about the rock interpretation of blues. Like Black Sabbath et alia. I think blues as a genre is all emic. One has to feel it in a subjective sense, and even then it's not enough.

 

[Shareefruck]

Robert Johnson's Complete Recordings is gorgeous in it's minimalism, but I think you're right about rock interpretation of blues. Like Black Sabbath et alia. I think blues as a genre is all emic, one has to feel it in a subjective sense, and even then it's not enough.

I think it also doesn't help that a lot of the rock bands that cover blues tend to have showy front-men that I never "believe" in the sincerity of in general.

Like, am I really supposed to buy that Robert Plant or Mick Jagger are genuinely "feeling" the blues rather than just feeling themselves?

 

[Hippasus]

I think it also doesn't help that a lot of the rock bands that cover blues tend to have showy front-men that I never "believe" in the sincerity of in general.

Like, am I really supposed to buy that Robert Plant or Mick Jagger are genuinely "feeling" the blues rather than just feeling themselves?

It's hard to overstate the effect of blues for rock. Rock would not exist were it not for blues. There would "just" be folk and ambient.

 

[Shareefruck]

It's hard to overstate the effect of blues for rock. Rock would not exist were it not for blues. There would "just" be folk and ambient.

For the record, all of my thoughts are more just strictly in the context of how something subjectively works/holds up for me as a listener today. I get how important blues is to all kinds of music, but it's just not going to be much of a factor for me.

Funnily enough, the fact that I genuinely think the originals do sound better than rock covers of them (and that they do hold up relatively well just on that subjective level) is actually part of the reason why I don't care to overstate other factors like that, personally.

 

[kyne]

I think it also doesn't help that a lot of the rock bands that cover blues tend to have showy front-men that I never "believe" in the sincerity of in general.

Like, am I really supposed to buy that Robert Plant or Mick Jagger are genuinely "feeling" the blues rather than just feeling themselves?

It's an interestng point. When someone like Randy Bachman plays concerts that feature mostly Elmore James songs, you'd hope he might have a close link emotionally to the material and the composer.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Concept Of God - Visions. (A-) As a Robert Lowe fan I had not heard this before. Great stuff if you like Solutude Aeturnus.

 

[shakes the clown]

Thought I'd give blues another shot. Genre's odd to me in that I generally enjoy/find the sound tasteful but also very limited. Noticed how reliant on charisma the genre seems-- the more infectious live albums had the crowd eating out of the artist's hand more than I've seen in other genres. Ironically didn't find myself all that moved or sympathetic to the sentiments expressed, though. In fact, and maybe this is unfair (or informed by my bias against this time period), but my natural instinct was often instead to wonder how disingenuous some of these guys were being and feeling inclined to read between the lines about what they weren't saying, especially the ones about being displeased with their wives (are they exaggerating, leaving out the reasons leading up to it, possibly using this as justification for beating them afterwards? etc).

Naturally by JJ Cale - 2.0 (Positive) [the others weren't as consistent as this one, IMO]
Live at the Regal by BB King - 2.0 (Positive) [stretch of songs leading up to that How Blue Can you Get climax is pretty invigorating]
Troubadour by JJ Cale - 1.5 (Neutral) [great vibe, more of a cohesive feel than Naturally, though Cocaine feels out of place. Some tracks have a real propulsive cruising energy]
King of the Delta Blues by Robert Johnson - 1.5 (Neutral) [used to have this higher, but think I overlooked the sound quality too much. More impressed by the writing than most of these albums, though]
I Am the Blues by Willie Dixon - 1.5 (Neutral) [solid but didn't really have its hooks in me]
Ice Pickin' by Albert Collins - 1.5 (Neutral) [not uniformly good but has some very charismatic highs and that guitar playing is really nice]
Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King - 1.0 (Negative) [handful of decent songs and the rest felt disposable-- don't care for how it gets croonier towards the end]
Live in Cook County Jail by BB King - 1.0 (Negative) [setting adds charm, but surprised people like this more than Regal. Found myself anticipating How Blue Can You Get and not caring afterwards]
Moanin' in the Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf - 0.5 or 1.0 (Bad/Negative) [generally like his hits but didn't feel like much of an album]
West Side Soul by Magic Sam - 0.5 (Bad) [I don't get it]
East-West by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 0.5 (Bad) [don't like when Blues gets all noodle-y and maximalist-- feels antithetical]

Despite not being the most blown away by this experience, actually think most of these songs that were made famous by rock covers are better in their original form here.

Little confused why JJ Cale was not on most of the top lists I grabbed these from-- he's probably my favorite and the one I'm more likely to return to. Maybe it's not Blues? Actually listened to him on a whim after seeing his name close to Neu's on one of those similar artist proximity maps, though I don't really hear the similarity besides Troubadour sounding like propulsive driving music.

Preferred Tracks:
Stop Breaking Down Blues by Robert Johnson

Let Me Do It To You by JJ Cale

Ice Pick by Albert Collins

How Blue Can You Get? by BB King

you should check out Robert Cray band. Don't know if he is still active, but his first 10 or so albums are all great. I'd start with Strong Persuader.

Been listening to Sturgil Simpson's new album, Passage Du Desir.

It's really good. Best he's put out since the album with the long title I can never remember. Quite a surprise as well since last I heard he was retired from making music.

 

[Shareefruck]

Transitioned from Blues to some Rock I was less into, see if I feel differently (struggling to do much besides re-listening to the same stuff over and over again).

Cream
Disraeli Gears - 1.0 (Negative)
Wheels of Fire - 0.5 (Bad)
Fresh Cream - 0.0 (Terrible)
My takeaway is that virtuoso talent is pointless without enjoyable song-writing, so much that Clapton and Baker going nuts barely even registers for me here. Better in Disraeli Gears, but not enough, IMO. Baker's my favorite of the three (find Clapton boring).

Crosby, Stills, Nash & (sometimes) Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash - 2.0 (Positive)
Deja Vu - 1.5 (Neutral)
Just very neutrally solid and cohesive.

Rolling Stones
Beggar's Banquet - 2.5 (Good) [never understood why this has a lower reputation than the big 3]
Exile on Main Street - 2.0 or 2.5 (Positive/Good) [stylistic favorite, but stretches of weaker songs I could do without]
Let it Bleed - 2.0 (Positive)
Sticky Fingers - 1.5 or 2.0 (Neutral/Positive) [1st half exhilarating, melodramatic 2nd half loses me. Reminds me of how Abbey Road is more polished/impressive in some ways but loses something in the process]
Some Girls, Tattoo You - 0.5 (Bad) [feel like people go too easy on their material outside of the big 4]
Aftermath, Their Satanic Majesties Request, Goats Head Soup, Between the Buttons - 0.0 (Terrible)
Find the Stones overrated compared to greats, but a welcome breath of fresh air compared to what I've been listening to. Great when they work within limitations and keep a simple vibe, but Jagger attempting to get dramatic or emotional always feels embarrassingly cringey and like a mocking parody of emotion to me. Find their reputation as the #2 best band absurd.

Favorites:
1. Stray Cat Blues [their most morally questionable song is also their best, IMO]

2. Loving Cup (Alternate Take) [think this vibe/concept encompasses what I like most about them-- just a laid back love letter to alcoholism]

3. Sympathy For the Devil
4. Stop Breaking Down (Alternate Take) [Not sure where these alternate takes come from, but I'd love the full alternate album]

5. Memo From Turner [new to me I think, maybe recency bias]

HM. Tumbling Dice

Also tried Strong Persuader by Robert Cray Band and really disliked it/found it cheesy, sorry.

 

[Shareefruck]

Tried another easy-listening palette cleanser, not to be taken too seriously.

Random thoughts after attempting to get into City Pop:

• City Pop's a weird-ass genre, man. I really like the idea of it and what I imagine when I think of it, but when I actually listen to it, sometimes it clicks that way and sometimes it doesn't, and for some reason that seems to hinge a lot on mood-setting images accompanying it. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm just listening to it ironically or if it's all just some weird nostalgia-driven placebo effect that isn't real.
• Process was a struggle. First listened to the popular albums, which didn't work (no City Pop albums gave me a solid album experience), then I listened to Spotify playlists, which was only a modest improvement, then I listened to a "late night vibes"-centric Youtube playlist, and that actually helped a lot.
• One common thing in the genre I don't care for is when synths come in and overpower a song. Tends to sound dated and awful, in my opinion. Completely ruins "Sunset Road by Reiko Takahashi" for me, in particular.
• The two big gateway songs "Plastic Love" and "Stay With Me" are fine/work well as gateways but missing something for me-- between them, I prefer Plastic Love.

While K-Pop was a lot easier to consume, I think these ones that clicked ended up feeling a lot more respectable to me (though I don't know if I'd go as far as to say that I outright love these songs or anything-- maybe the first one or two?).

Tracks that mostly work for me:

1. Tokai by Taeko Ohnuki [probably the only artist that had a positive impression right away and stayed that way, and whose album sounded fairly consistent/cohesive]

2. I'm In Love by Tomoko Aran

3. Midnight Joke by Takako Mamiya

4. Last Summer Whisper by Anri [this one was most volatile for me-- Sometimes it hits perfectly, especially with the right visuals, while other times it just feels like a forgettable old fashion song]

5. Yours by Yuki Saito [don't see this one mentioned much, but dunno, kind of works for me]

 

[Shareefruck]

As mentioned, been in a serious music discovery funk where nothing new has genuinely interested me/blown me away for years (leading to K-Pop/City-Pop as an easy palette cleanser), but recently dove into a "Japanese Ambient" rabbit-hole, and I'm finding it incredible/the first thing in a while to truly grab me. More Tunic-adjacent vibes (my entry point into Hiroshi Yoshimura), but to my ears better, obviously.

Unlike the K-Pop/City-Pop stuff, this stuff I feel like I'm actually INTO into.

Not the most flawless/consistent albums (still solid, though), but mostly excellent peaks:

[Music for 9 Postcards by Hiroshi Yoshimura, which I've heard before, would go here - 3.0 (Very Good)]
Oasis of the Wind II by Takashi Kokubo - 2.5 (Good) [maybe not as daring, but the most flawless/easy-listening]
[Green by Hiroshi Yoshimura, which I've heard before, would go here - 2.0 (Positive)]
Soundscape 1: Surround by Hiroshi Yoshimura - 2.0 (Positive) [don't know how I missed this while going through his best stuff]
[Wetland by Hiroshi Yoshimura, which I've heard before, would go here - 1.5 (Neutral)]
Kakashi by Yasuaki Shimizu - 1.5 (Neutral) [a silly/quirky mess in such a fun/unique way I haven't heard before]
Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient 1980-1990 by Kankyo Ongaku - 1.5 (Neutral) [collection that got the ball rolling, bit hit or miss]
Sakura by Susumu Yokata - 1.0 or 1.5 (Neutral) [some good but not great moments, some let-downs]
Wave Notation 2: Still Way by Satoshi Ashikawa - 1.0 (Negative) [tempted to put this in the flop category-- one track feels kind of like it's inspired by Lichen by Aphex Twin, which is neat]
[also tried Four Postcards by Hiroshi Yoshimura, but not really an album and it didn't feel like much to me]

Favorite Standout Tracks (no order):

Still Space by Satoshi Ashikawa

Time After Time by Hiroshi Yoshimura

Awakening of the Forest by Takashi Kokubo

Umi No Ue Kara by Yasuaki Shimizu

Something Blue by Hiroshi Yoshimura