5 comments about Tracks (4CD).

1. This guy was a genius before he lost his mind and stayed angry forever when his guy wasnt elected president. This collection of didn't make its is one of the best ever, nearly as good as Van Morrisons. Too bad he wasn't decent enough to share some of his writing skills with needy artists, Nils Lofgren for instance sure could have used a hit or two. Instead Bruce gave his little buddy a job as 2nd guitarist in his wall of sound. This collection would be for most artists a greatest hits album to be proud of. I was just listening to Wild Innocent and E. St Shuffle, its SO good i can see why some of these songs didnt make it. Back then Bruce was a happy fun and very creative guy who really rocked, too bad his new stuff like "magic" is total GARBAGE, The recording sounds like it was done using a 1967 transistor radio with mono sound and a cassette tape recorder. Every song on TRACKS sound way better than any of his new crud. I burned my own best of tracks CD and its as good as anything Bruce has ever done, and thats saying a LOT. I wish he could stop watching CNN and getting his brainwashed, he seems to blame the USA for everything bad in the world and has totally forgotten that the muslims attacked us first. That kind of anger must eat a man up inside and thus his very poor last 3 albums. Bruce you have $100 million in the bank, try to smile and relax, who knows maybe you still have one good one left in you.



2. I have not been at all disappointed with these CDs. If you are a true Springsteen fan, you will not be disappointed!! I am very delighted that I added this to my collection.



3. Great album, astounding artist! You'll discover how deep and beautiful is the music of Bruce Springsteen. Before this album, he was nothing more but "Streets of Philadelphia", "Secret Garden" and "Dancing In The Dark". With this album I've discovered an entire universe of sound, rhythm and stories. Enjoy a special artist and a thrilling voice.



4. I love this collection. It has tons of material never previously released and it's so cool to discover all of them. Some real standouts for me are Loose Ends, Sad Eyes, and Thundercrack. With over 50 Springsteen songs to enjoy you just can't go wrong-there's something that fits whatever mood you're in at that moment.



5. Very, very good music.
   At the beginning I thought this was the typical kind of barroom-music rubbish, only for the real freaks.
   But no, these are really very good songs, lots of them worthy of being publicated on the first LPs. The problem is, he wrote so many good songs in such a short time, that he had to chose between good and even better songs.
   This is definitely a must have for all Bruce Springsteen fans, and it's a pleasure to listen to new songs in the 21st Century, with the quality of the much younger Bruce.

5 comments about Pulse.

1. Pulse: Pink Floyd has produced The Best Show Ever. Anyone that gives this show less than 5 stars is oblivious to what a great show consists of. Check-this-out, it has been reproduced in a stunniing HIGH QUALITY picture, AWESOME SOUND from the 90's,
   Pink Floyds operating cost was $750,000 per day. They used almost 200 hundred people to set up the stage. Had to get FAA approval prior to each outdoor show to use laser lights Their laser shows were particularly famous, such as their use of extremely powerful, isotope-splitting copper-vapor lasers in the 1994 Division Bell tour. These gold-colored lasers were worth over $120,000 apiece and previously used only in nuclear research and high speed photography..
   
   Again this show is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. No one will ever touch this show, at least not in the near future. IF you have a big screen and haven't seen this Masterpiece, then I urge you to go out and buy this Double DVD ASAP.
   You will not regret it!
   Then give this 5 star review as only it should deserve ;)
   SOMEONE TELL me what DVD in concert deserves a higher rating than this?



2. So why should you buy this? Pretty much because it's the best live album out there from the band (Mach 2 of course). I am not sure why the sound is just so much better than 1988's Delicate Sound of Thunder but it just does! Delicate Sound sounds so "flat", where as this just surrounds you from all sides and you get a feeling that you're front row center (minus the lasers and flying pigs of course).
   
   A trip through the hits plus a full Dark Side of the Moon? Just get it Bruno, you won't regret it.
   
   H777



3. ¡excelente como producto y toda una experiencia para los fanáticos de Floyd!
   
   100% recomendable!!!



4. The performance of the entire Dark Side of the Moon album alone makes this worth it. Many songs from the Division Bell make a showing here with a few from The Wall and "Learning to Fly" from A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
   
   All in all, an excellent concert.



5. For years, I stood by the assertion that without Roger Waters, it simply wasn't Pink Floyd. This was during the time of 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' when it first came out in 1987. It seemed more a very slick, over-produced David Gilmour album that happened to have Nick Mason and Richard Wright play on it (with a cast of many others as well); even though I did buy it on LP at the time (then the CD later on), much as I enjoyed it, I more or less considered it Gilmour's third solo album, and not the Pink Floyd follow-up to 'The Final Cut' (itself, obstensibly the first Roger Waters solo album).
   
   One more 'Rog-free' Floyd album followed, 'The Division Bell' in 1994 (preceeded by a lackluster live album 'The Delicate Sound of Thunder' in 1988) and that was a better album then 'Momentary' ... in part due to more involvement on Wright's behalf (who got to sing lead and co-write a track for the first time in ages, a welcome return). So the subsequent live album 'Pulse' the year after 'Divison' came and I ignored it until a year ago since I felt it might be no better than the other post Rog live album.
   
   That opinon changed when I decided it was time to fill holes in my Pink Floyd collection, so I got the 'Pulse' DVD and was amazed at how good it was, how well the band played and kept the flame going. OK, for this die-hard Roger Waters fan, it sill felt like it missing something (Rog's acerbic, edgy bent is absent, once David Gilmour took the reins) but it's still worth having in the DVD collection. So I chanced the live 'Pulse' CD (blinking light and all) and found that they did a very good job with 'Dark Side of the Moon' (that Rog sang lead on only the last two songs 'Brain Damage/Eclipse' means that he's vocally not missed that much) and the newer material shone bright too, as did other Floyd classics "Shine on you Crazy Diamond", "Comfortably Numb" and all the rest.
   
   Goes to show that even with the most legendary of bands, if they end up where one key member leaves and there's still the remainder of the band around to keep it going, still usually better than none at all.

5 comments about Machine Head.

1. I can remember being a freshman in high-school and going to school dances in Bakersfield Ca, and occasionally going home to the OC and going to church dances with friends, and the pretty girls lining the walls or hiding in the Ladies room, but when "Smoke on the Water" would be played, they would all be desperately looking for someone to dance with as soon as the first bar of the song was played.
   
   Adolescent boy's prayers were answered.
   
   This is still the favorite Deep Purple album for most of my friends 36 years gone by now!



2. One of the greatest rock albums ever made 'Machine Head' combines rock, blues with progressive complexity and the result is nothing less than amazing! Blackmore and Co. rip through each song with dexterity and unrelenting drive! 'Smoke On The Water' has one of the most memorable and best guitar solos in the history of Rock N Roll. Stand out cuts like Lazy, Highway Star and Space Truckin' are pure bliss, but the entire album rocks like there's no tomorrow! The version I have of this is an anniversary edition with the original album remastered on one disc and a remixed version on the other disc, plus some quadraphonic mixes of some choice cuts! It's a smokin' release....if you can find it!



3. A classic album? Yeah, but again, the songwriting is weak in more areas than any Deep Purple album released before this one.
   
   "Highway Star" is the ultimate speed metal song, as many people are aware by now. "Smoke on the Water" with its amazingly catchy riff is pure genius as well. "Pictures of Home" has the best vocal melody on the album.
   
   "Space Truckin" is NOT very good though, because the vocals are poor. "Lazy" is good, but the live version on Made in Japan destroys it. "Never Before" has an alright guitar riff, but it's just filler anyway. In fact, this is not an album I recommend because Made in Japan drastically improves many of the songs from this album. Just buy Made in Japan instead.



4. Many consider this to be Deep Purple's greatest effort.
   
   They're right.
   
   But it isn't because of "Smoke on the Water" that Machine Head is such an amazing album, despite the fact that the general public incessantly refuses to acknowledge that this band wrote any other songs. Rather, the entire album is fantastic, from the droning "Highway Star," to the groovy "Maybe I'm a Leo," all the way through closer "Space Truckin'." There really isn't a weak point on this album.



5. You like rock music ? You don't have this cd, well, there is an important part of history missing in your collection. A true classic, a must have.
   "Highway star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy, Never Before and Space Trucking"
   Amazing, all these classic are on the same album. You must own this cd.
   Maybe one of the top ten cd on the history of rock music !
   PS I also have the DVD audio, the sound is just unbelievable, do yourself a favor, find a good sound system (a surround one of course) and listen to Machine Head in DVD audio, you won't believe it. It is loud, clear and you'll have the impression that it is a recent recording, you then must remember that it a 25 years old recording. Unbelievable.

5 comments about A Night at the Opera.

1. Listening to this great CD today, I can remember why it was one of my favorite albums in my senior year in HS. Queen really knew how to produce a cohesive album. This album is so eclectic in styles and yet somehow it all fits together so well I can't imagine the album without all of the songs and in the order they were placed. Now this CD offers alternative versions of two of the songs, well I wouldn't have done that, but in the wonderful digital age we can make the albums we own into any order of presentation we want, so that is a trifling issue.
   
   At the time I remember the Brian May disclaimer on the bottom that no synthesizers were used to create this album. In 1975 I didn't get that, but by the early 80's I completely understood. Finally, in 2008 it seems that music for the most part (Cher and Paula excepting) have gotten back to real instruments and real musicians playing real music. But much of that seems to be the old guys on "comeback tours" so I may be over hopeful.
   
   In any case here's the deal,
   
   If you don't own A Night at the Opera, you should it is amazing!



2. I just finished downloading this album, one of my all time favorites, and I noticed that there are 14 tracks instead of 12. The Queen discography states 12. Amazon has included a repeat of I'm in love with my car @ 3:28 and You're my best friend @2:51. One is a second shorter and one is a second longer? Any idea why they would add tracks to this album?



3. Looking back at the 1970s, sometimes many forget how big the band Queen was. Even as Queen moved into the 1980s, while their popularity did slightly decline in the United States, it continued to be very high in Europe. Their performance at Live Aid is widely considered one of the greatest of all-time and their subsequent "Magic" tour is considered one of the all-time greatest concert tours. If it weren't for Freddie Mercury's death in 1992, we might still be talking about Queen being as big a band as the Beatles. When Queen released their 1973 self-titled debut album, it showed all of the signs of greatness to come. This album would show how the band embraced a "theatrical" feel to their music as well as embrace a sound that would evolve into what would become Heavy Metal. The next two albums, "Queen II" and "Sheer Heart Attack" continued down the road of the theatrical sound. It was that third album, "Sheer Heart Attack" that would not just become a commercial breakthrough album for Queen, but also become an album that would showcase Mercury's abilities as a Hall of Fame vocalist. On "A Night at the Opera", while the band moves slightly away from the theatrical sound at times, they continue to progress with as a band. We also see the other members take it up a notch from already a high level of musicianship.
   
   Queen is an example of the sum of the parts actually being greater than the whole. However, if you take each of the four members of Queen, they easily stand on their own as a top musician in their profession. Freddie Mercury is easily known to be the emotional and flamboyant lead vocalist of Queen who indeed has a legendary voice. Brian May is the legendary lead guitarist and probably the second most popular member of the band. Roger Taylor and John Deacon go extremely underrated. Listen to Taylor's thundering drumming in the studio or live and one can easily understand why he was asked to participate in an All Star Drum Jam (The S.O.S. All-Stars) at the Live Earth concert. As for John Deacon, he might be one of music's all-time underrated bass players. Many of his bass lines have proven to be the foundation for Queen's musical sound. In addition to being top musicians, all four members play integral roles in the songwriting.
   
   Here is a track by track synopsis of this collection:
   
   "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To...)": This track was written as a "hate letter" to Norman Sheffield, Queen's former manager. The opening lines of the track really back this up with lines such as "You suck my blood like a leach....you've taken all my money - and you still want more". There is definitely anger that comes out in this song - thus giving it a feeling of true emotion.
   
   "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon": This is the first of three "vaudeville/ragtime" feeling song. The song is highlighted by a combination of Mercury's piano and a wrap-up guitar solo by May.
   
   "I'm in Love with My Car": Queen fans know Taylor is more than just a drummer and this song shows it. Once again, Taylor proves he is a top-rate lead vocalist. Taylor's higher octaves almost give this song what I would consider an early heavy metal feel to it.
   
   "You're My Best Friend": Deacon is often the forgotten member of Queen, but this song proves he is as talented as anything - writing this track as well as playing electric piano and bass. Freddie Mercury's vocals give this song a three dimensional feel in terms of emotion (Deacon wrote this song as a tribute to his wife). Quiet as always, Deacon's bass also proves to be a foundation for this song - also synchronizing well with Taylor's percussion.
   
   "'39": This might be one of the most underrated tracks in Queen's catalog. May handles songwriting, acoustic guitars and adds some amazing lead vocals. This song is tribute to the year 1939. Great background vocals by both Taylor and Mercury. I also give credit to Deacon for some great use of the double bass.
   
   "Sweet Lady": This song has a classic hard rock/heavy metal feel that Queen had now become famous for. Mercury's vocals combined with May's guitars once again gel perfectly.
   
   "Seaside Rendezvous": This is the second of the "vaudeville/ragtime" songs on this collection. I think this is the best of three. The amazing thing is how both Mercury and Taylor simulate woodwind and brass instrument sounds with vocals.
   
   "The Prophet's Song": This is a darker song than the rest of the album. It also has more of a theatrical feel as a throwback to the earlier days of Queen.
   
   "Love of My Life": This has become a popular ballad by Queen - and Mercury in particular. I always felt it was a bid overrated, but the use of the Harp in this song by May once again shows how this group just finds new ways to broaden musically.
   
   "Good Company": This is the third of the "vaudeville/ragtime" songs on this collection. This song is highlighted by May strumming a ukulele on this track combined with some Jazz guitar.
   
   "Bohemian Rhapsody": This is just a legendary song. Music fans are well familiar with this song. I particularly love the three distinct parts to the song: 1) The Theatrical sounding ballad; 2) The Opera-tic choir performed by Mercury, May, and Taylor; and 3) The Heavy Metal-sounding jam led by May's guitars (my personal favorite).
   
   "God Save the Queen": This is the album's wrap-up song as Queen covers the national anthem of the United Kingdom. May's guitars are done in the style of Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner". This song would become the trademark finale at live Queen shows.
   
   Overall, this fourth album by Queen shows why they are a Hall of Fame band. This album is definitely worth checking out. Highly recommended.



4. I found this album a bit difficult to get into... at first... but once I did it proved to be a work of unspeakable genius. This is, quite simply, one of the best rock albums of all time!



5. When I first heard this album in a friend's car several years ago I knew I had to get it! Lively, tongue-in-cheek capering by a group that had so much to offer. Freddie Mercury's early death was a tragedy! At least we have this to remember just how versatile he was!

5 comments about The Rising.

1. This record is nothing less than Springsteen at his best. It's like I woke up to the Boss in his heyday again. It's hard to believe that the cataclysmic events of September 11, 2001 have channeled one of rock's greatest voices in such a mesmerizing way. How fortunate we are that his rededication to passionate musicmaking, along with the band that helped make him famous, have coincided with an urgent need to rebuild a city.
   
   Like a missile honing in on its target, The Rising begins with distant allusions to the event and progressively builds in verisimilitude until the ashes of Ground Zero are staring you in the face. Intensity rises, too, as more playful tunes adroitly give way to those with dramatic fury. I love the way images of faith infuse the record as well, giving the downcast, as Springsteen does like no other, something to hold on to when things are very black.
   
   Clarence Clemons' saxophone has never been more uplifting, and the tunes with his solos are some of the record's catchiest. In the last third of the album, the ballads "You're Missing", which encapsulates the unspeakable misery of a grieving family, and "Paradise", which I interpret as the reflections of a suicide bomber in the moments before his death, are stunning lyrical foils on either side of the title track; they beg us to broaden our sympathy for our fellow man and feel how even when at war, we are really one. The album closer, "My City of Ruins," is a rousing call to action in the form of an impassioned gospel-tinged power ballad; it's a poetic missile to my heart.



2. By far Springsteen's best work since Nebraska. A haunting collection of songs reflecting the horror of 9/11. Most recommended songs are "Nothing Man" with the poignant line "How my brave life young life was forever changed in a cloud of pink vapor" which evokes past horrifying descriptions of falling bodies hitting the streets below the WTC, and the title cut. IMHO-this album is the single most important recording of this decade.



3. I absolutely love this CD, I've been listening to it for 5 years now, and still have tears running down my face when certain songs are on. He captured the raw emotion I felt on 9/11, and it still to this day can capture me. Now that's fantastic music.



4. I love Bruce, have just about all of his albums. Even like some of the albums many others don't, like Tom Joad, Human Touch, Devils & Dust, etc. I'd never give any of his other albums fewer than 3 stars, and some are of course astounding 5-star classics (my fave is The Wild, the Innocent...).
   
   But I REALLY dislike The Rising, I just find it extremely boring musically. Basic hooks, repeated over and over. I'm all for lyrics, but first the music has to be interesting. There are a few good songs here, most notably Worlds Apart, but mostly they are just boring. Even the basic poppy songs on Born in the USA were much more advanced than this.



5. one of his best and that's really saying something of course. 5/5. the whole album is a highlight.

No comments about If You Should Ever Fall on Hard Times.

5 comments about Lola versus Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, Part One.

1. Although the Kinks made some good records and arguably, a few that flirted with greatness (Muswell Hillbillies, Preservation Act I, Sleepwalker) after this one, Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround Part I marks the last time all the elements came together with such potency. Like its predecessor, Arthur, it was a record rich in textual continuity, but smarter, more cynical and far more rocking. The former was about emigration and and the echoes of bygone Victorian life, the latter about the ups and downs of the popstar life, replete with the characteristic snarliness of early Kinks, "Top of the Pops," music hall madness, "The Moneygoround," and a pair of wonderful ballads, "Dave Davies' "Strangers," and Ray's "A Long Way from Home." Not to mention power-rocking guitars and whatever "Lola" is besides a bona fide mega-hit. Maybe they should have quit the high concept stuff while they were ahead, gone out on top, but Ray wanted to make musical theater and fight with Dave about it, apparently---in the end, that was just a phase, and the Kinks eventually returned to making pop records, some good, some bad, but none as great as this one.



2. It was great to hear three songs from this album in the recent Wes Anderson movie, "Darjheeling Limited." The three songs ("This Time Tomorrow," Strangers," and "Powerman") sounded fabulous in the theatre and complemented the movie well. A couple of strange things, though. These songs were originally written as part of a concept album savaging the Music Biz. Anderson's movie had nothing to do with that subject, yet the songs neatly emphasized the movie's feel for spiritual awakening. The one song from the album that would have fit the movie best, "Still a Long Way from Home," wasn't even used in the film, though it's theme of brotherly contemplation and reconciliation would have fit the movie perfectly. What is really striking is that these three songs are among the least well-known on the album. "Lola," Apeman," and "Get Back in the Line" are all Kinks classics. "Moneygoround" was also a favorite of mine. "Top of the Pops" is very clever. So how good is this album? It's pretty amazing, actually.
   
   One of the fun things about the Kinks around this time is that there is no continuity, musically, between their albums at all (just the voices, which are as familiar as a good friend's). Village Green sounds nothing like Arthur, which sounds nothing like Lola, which sounds nothing like Muswell Hillbillies. Part of this is changes in musical personnel. Village Green was the last Kinks album with Pete Quaife and the first in awhile not to feature Nicky Hopkins on keyboards. Ray's thumpy piano and mellotron stand out with a new, more urgent drumming from Mick Avory. Quaife's bass is strong as ever, though Dave's guitar is somewhat muted. Arthur is John Dalton's first album on bass, and he takes a backseat to my ears. Avory steps up even more (listen to the drumming on "Shangri La!"), and Dave's guitar shows signs of life. The mellotron is replaced by a strong brass section. With Lola, Dave's guitar is back full force, Avory's drumming hits its apex, and the crucial addition of John Gosling on keyboards integrates with the music better than any of his predecessors. This is an updated Kink's sound where they reap what they sowed when they invented power chords six years earlier. Their return to touring in the US with Arthur also obviously influenced their new hard sound. Of course, they chucked the whole thing for a country/blues/dixie sound in Muswell Hillbillies, but that's another story.
   
   Lola was the Kinks most successful single and album in years, but it was met with mixed reviews, mostly because the concept of striking back at the Music Business seemed too bitter and shallow. I think this assessment needs to be reconsidered. The songs, individually, hold up outside of the confines of the concept, as "Darheeling Limited" proved. Another French movie also recently used "This Time Tomorrow" to tremendous effect in a dance scene that transformed the meaning of the song from a band touring to our common journey through life.
   
   Individually, these songs serve up an honest assessment of Ray Davies' life at the time of its writing. He was emerging from legal hassles, personal struggles, and band personnel changes, and he served it up for us to share - he was determined to be free. Dave's two enigmatic songs stand to the side but also strangely fit the theme. "Strangers" was utterly unforgettable once heard as the background to the funeral scene in "Dharjeeling Limited."
   
   The songs on this album still sound great. All in all, almost 40 years later, I think it is the Kinks' most successful album, from beginning to end. Rather than a bitter concept album, I think it is more a chronicle of life's journeys and all of the strange turns life can take, perhaps the strangest being becoming a rock and roll God and having it turn into a steady job.



3. I will simply say that this is one of the best albums of all time. As for songwriting ability this album is why Ray Davies is my favorite songwriter along with Bob Dylan. I have owned this album for so many years (now the cd). "Lola" is why, I think at least, the Kinks are perhaps the most underappreciated band of all time.



4. The Kinks "1965-1970" period is, in my opinion, matched only by the Stones 4 album stretch encompassing Let It Bleed through Exile On Main Street. And this specific album is matched only by Who's Next - there isn't a weak track on the entire album and brother Dave kicks in two stellar tracks with Strangers and Rats. Ray Davies is without peer when it comes to seeing the world as it really is and translating all of that grasping conceit into music. He takes the throwaway, the mundane, and skewers it without mercy. The world would be a far drearier place without him. Do yourself a favor, if you've never listened to the earlier Kinks, get this disc, give it repeated listenings, and you will love it, its that simple.



5. Raymond Douglas Davies Is the most gifted singer / songwriters in the history of the planet. If you're not a KINKS fan(what's wrong with you?) then press GO .My Lord what a influence on my world. Village Green Preservation Society is my favorite though.Ray Davies Story Teller, a solo albuw Is A must Hear. God what a storyrteller it's a AAA+ GOD SAVE THE KINKS !! Just in case you're interested, NRBQ is awesome as well
   Dave

5 comments about Cracked Rear View.

1. My title says it all. Back in late 94 & 95 you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing a track from this CD. Being from the Carolinas I was familiar with Hootie before this CD came out and bought it the summer of 94 after it's release before top 40 radio began playing "Hold My Hand" every hour on the hour. Nothing ground breaking about the music on here but it was just good time pop/rock. There were the fun songs and the more introspective tunes. It was a great listen. Unfortunately sometime around April or May of '95 after being bludgoned to death with radio stations that had become "All Hootie All The Time" I stashed this CD away for five years without it seeing the light of day much less my CD player. I took a trip back to Charlotte where I had lived at the time this CD came out and was feeling nostalgic so I broke it out to listen to while on my way there. After those five years of exile from Hootie I came back to realize all the things I had first loved about this CD. Simply put it really is one my favorite "guilty pleasure" CDs. As I said before there is nothing ground breaking here but it does have it's charm.



2. This CD is one of the best Road Trip CD's ever made. You can listen to it all the way through, it keeps the energy up for the whole ride, and, if need be, you can listen to it multiple times without getting sick of it. Good times!



3. I was 8 years old when this CD came out; I remember listening to this every night before going to bed. Many critics have missed the point, labeling this as just bar band schlock. I disagree, many bigger more well regarded acts can't achieve half the urgency and emotional energy found on this disc. There is something very soulful about Darius Rucker's voice; he really sells the lyrics. Often when I've had a bad day, I'll find myself humming the lyrics to "Time" quietly, or perhaps after a relationship has ended "Look Away." Is this pop? You bet; but it's pop of the very best kind. Nearly 15 years down the road this album has worn well in my very large diverse collection of music.



4. Being in college in the mid-90's , who didn't hear Hootie on their college rock station, and who didn't own this album. I dislike the fact that some people call this band a "one-hit" wonder. Yes, their first album (this one) was their most gigantic, but spawned 5 hits and other great songs. And their next album was no slouch either, selling 3+ million. Their sound is strong, original, and a great marker of that time, but it still is fresh today. A must have album in any collection of rock, many may try to imitate this sound, but nothing quite fits the nitch like Hootie and the Blowfish.



5. This is perhaps one of the worst albums ever produced. While there are undeniably moments of pop catchiness, they fade within seconds. Furthermore, if you are masochist enough to subject yourself to any footage of the act, you will find a revolting arrogance that is so dreadfully misplaced that it will turn your stomach. The next time that you find yourself ever-so-briefly caught in that forgetful moment you will want to immediately destroy the device from which their putrid music emanates.

5 comments about The Nightfly.

1. After 25 years I get the album better now than I did as a Steely Dan fan in college. It's really the voice of a 40-something remembering his adolescence and young adulthood in the 50s and 60s.
   
   Fagan's lyrics and vocals are funny, ironic but also really heart-on-the-sleeve wistful in ways I never heard when I was a kid. The music holds up, too -- better than I would have expected, and arguably better than late Dan (certainly better than the whiny "Gaucho").
   
   The sound is kind of a surrealistic time capsule -- some of the finest musicians on the planet (Jeff Porcaro, Valerie Simpson, Larry Carlton, the Brecker Bros. etc.) playing ultra-slick 1982 arrangements to lyrics gently poking fun at the 50s beat generation. The saxophone solo on "Maxine" (Michael Brecker I think) by itself is worth the price of admission.



2. I agree....this album is an all-time winner, totally enjoyable, and should be in everyone's rock/jazz collection......



3. Obviously there are SO many of us who hold this masterpiece in high esteem.
   
   Needless to say, although referring to the 50's - it was a product that was years ahead of its time.
   
   My son (now 13) will surely grow to love this classic. He grew up listening to it and other SD classics and never really thought about it.
   
   And I am almost emotional when I say...it is, by far, my favorite piece of music.
   
   JDT in Houston



4. If you have not heard this record in DVD-Audio, go out right now and by a DVD-Audio player, buy this recording in the DVD-Audio format, and listen to the best surround-sound music mix ever done. When released on CD, "The Nightfly" became one of the most respected recordings ever done, period. In DVD-Audio, it is the Holy Grail. Great songs, great arrangements. great playing, great recording. In a world full of mediocrity, it's good to have Donald Fagen and "The Nightfly" in DVD-Audio to restore your faith in humankind.



5. I played the LP of this into the ground so my recent CD purchase was long over due. This disc is a treat most anytime but especially if you need a lift. The last cut, Walk Between Raindrops, is particularly good...

5 comments about Fandango!.

1. OK, maybe "Fandango" only had a profound influence on my taste in music. While I was stationed in Germany in the early 70s, a friend lent me "Fandango" and "Tres Hombres." (When we get together, he asks me when I plan to return them. I tell him there are two chances of that happening: Fat and none.) I've been a fan ever since. There are many purveyors of Texas-style rock, but none of the others make me just wanna to get up and boogie the way Billy Gibbons (& Pearly, mercy me!), Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard do. ZZ Top's pre-MTV stuff is raw, raunchy, straight to the gut, b**s-to-the-wall, kick-a** rock & roll. Unlike some fans, I think their MTV/RWG (Really Weird Guitars) output is great, too, but nothing matches the foundation they laid down on their early vinyl. So grab a Lone Star long-neck, crank it to 11, and boogie!



2. ZZ Top - Fandango, right till the end!!! Watch your speedometer when jammin' on this CD! I'm pleased!



3. The CD has excellent Sound qulaity. It has been remastered. Frankly I was l little concerned because I read other reviews that stated they went overboard with the effects. It just sounds clean and balanced to me. Plus you get previousley unreleased versions of Tush and Jailhouse rock.



4. This is classic Old School ZZ Top? How old school? They don't have the trademark beards on the album covers.
   
   This album is so deep it could count as a Greatest Hits for many other bands. Jailhouse Rock covers the Elvis classic. Backdoor Medley, a compilation of John Lee Hooker blues tunes, is my favorite of the batch. Mexican Blackbird is another great tune - is she a lady or a car? Tush, I heard it on the X and Blue Jeans Blues are all true classics - they've survived the test of time and are still staples of their concerts, and classic rock airwaves.
   
   The album's a must for any ZZ Top or Blues Rock afficianado!



5. ZZ Top's Fandango album is pretty bad and not worth owning at all, in my opinion. Read on to find out why:
   
   
   
   First of all, the first side is probably the most *boring* side to a hard rock record from the 70's I've ever heard. Normally a band comes out strong with worthwhile material to kick things off, but apparently ZZ Top wanted to be different. The "half live"/"half studio" idea didn't work.
   
   
   
   Their cover of "Jailhouse Rock" is not only inferior to the original, but inferior to every version of the song I know. It's WAY too short, and not interesting. From there, a 9-minute jam is up next. It starts off like it's going to be a pretty rockin' tune, but then it begins annoying me when it eventually turns into a giant rambling mess. It seriously sounds to me like the final 6 minutes of the jam consists of just one single drum beat pounding over and over, with the singer going back and forth between whispering and screaming. It's really boring. It's SUCH a carelessly created jam. Probably some of the worst live music I've ever had the displeasure of hearing.
   
   
   
   Things pick up a bit for the second side (the studio portion of the album). "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" has a nice funky beat, which was ZZ Top's trademark back in the day. The guitar solo fails, and the vocals go by harmlessly, but with hardly *any* excitement whatsoever. Actually that's a huge problem I have with early ZZ Top- their music is loud, certainly rocks and all the members of the band are competent musicians, but many of their vocal melodies consist of singing along to an upbeat funky rocker, with really no creativity involved to make the vocals stand out. As a result, their vocals are usually weak and uninteresting.
   
   
   
   "Blue Jean Blues" is easily the best song on the entire album. It's a slow, bluesy number with pretty good guitar playing. Really the band is just copying what Led Zeppelin and countless other rock bands did better, but for what it is, it's acceptable. "Balinese" unfortunately is NOT acceptable. It sounds like a really bad attempt for a commercial hit. It's probably not, but nothing can save it from being horrible.
   
   
   
   "Mexican Blackbird" is only worthwhile for the neat southern accent from the lead singer. That alone makes the song stand out, but it can't escape the reality of being just an above-average rocker. "Heard It On the X" is perhaps the best song on Fandango. It rocks convincingly, not carelessly like the rest of the album. "Tush" finishes off the album. Everybody knows it. It's pretty good, but overplayed thanks to classic rock radio. That hurts it only slightly.
   
   
   
   Overall, ZZ Top had some good songs, but the majority of their career was spent on creating and releasing one spotty album after another. The thing that bothers me is how most of their songs have guitar solos, and not a single one of them is interesting almost 100% of the time.
   
   
   
   Luckily Fandango is barely 30 minutes long, but I should have watched Jeopardy instead.