On an "emotional" level, it is clearly my favorite Sabbath album and remains, in any case, a magnificent record, the last ("Sabotage" is nice but I find it a step below the previous ones) piece of a quintet of incredible albums. "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" is, much more than "IV," the album where arrangements, styles, and ideas are actually used that musically constitute a noticeable shift from the past (I mean, so many keyboards, used like this and in such a number of songs, with them in '73 was still unheard of), even if, in fact, the trademark is still rooted in previous works, even though here you sometimes find slimmed-down hard rock riffs and somewhat faster, "lively" rhythms than usual (in "Sabbra Cadabra," a piece I adore, this characteristic is accentuated by the guest piano and mini-moog of Svegliuomo Riccardo, with a rhythm less "lava flow" - what the hell am I saying - compared to their other classics). The riff-based slowness can be found in "Who Are You" in a certain sense, but with synthesizers instead of guitars. For the rest, the acoustic oasis of "Fluff," the fluted hints of "Looking for Today," are all subtleties already appeared in their repertoire, the use of strings in "Spiral Architect" being stronger and newer (strings that don’t drive me crazy here, despite the beauty of the song). Well, for my tastes, the last truly excellent album of Antonuzzo and company.
  • fedezan76
    4 nov 21
    It's also (clearly) my favorite. But the previous ones are no joke either.
  • hjhhjij
    5 nov 21
    Uh, as far as I know, there are already three of us who have it as our favorite Sabbath!
  • SydBarrett96
    5 nov 21
    The final piece of an amazing pentalogy. However, maybe, just maybe, my favorite remains the debut, but I’m not sure.
  • hjhhjij
    6 nov 21
    Well, in fact, you should take all five of them together; everyone can then have their favorite (my brain, by the way, would say "PARANOID, IDIOT!" it's more the heart that says this one).
Black Sabbath: Sabotage
CD Audio I have it ★★★★
An album that has taken a musical direction largely oriented towards a more canonical and "classic" Hard Rock, losing the heaviness (because they played the heavy version of heavy rock, the overweight rock) that was beautiful in the early records; this, to my ears, makes it lose a few points, but oh well, because it's beautiful Hard Rock and "Sabotage" remains, in its genre, one of my favorite albums of the '70s (and, therefore, of all time). There are also songs here that explore different genres, "Am I Going Insane" leans more towards a sour pop-rock than anything else (and it's quite nice if you ask me). "Supertzar," on the other hand, is a terrible mess without appeal; I think it's the first shitty song from Sabbath, something unimaginable for a band like them up until that point. Other than that, everything is great; "Symptom" and the more elaborate "The Writ" (the final acoustic part is beautiful) are my favorites, two magnificent tracks, and even the 10 minutes of "Megalomania" flow very nicely. A great album, the last truly great one with Ozzy on vocals, before two albums that were definitely tired and less inspired (though not completely worthless) and the respraying (redeeming although to tastes not very pleasant to me) in "epic" tones with Ronnie James Dio.
Black Sabbath: Heaven And Hell
CD Audio I have it ★★★
Black Sabbath 2.0 with Dio on vocals (yes, Black Sabbath with Dio, they made the joke), Black Sabbath 2.0 who dive into NWOBHM Heavy Metal. I should point out that for me it makes no sense to refer to this type of music as "Heavy Metal," especially when talking about these Sabbaths, when the term "Heavy Metal" was coined precisely for hard-sounding rock or rock-blues records, including the early works of Sabbath themselves. So wouldn’t it be a huge contradiction to refer to "Heaven and Hell" with the same term, which is something entirely different? What the hell is "Heavy Metal" doing here and in other records of this genre? At most, this could be called "Soft Metal," there you go. Clean sounds, light, epic and absolutely melodic openings, at times practically pop-rock, in others a Hard Rock with a bright and "grand" sound. In any case, I consider this album a radical refreshment of sounds and lineup that the Sabbaths needed, after the last two subpar albums with Ozzy, and an excellent album in its own right, which, however, doesn’t drive me crazy at all. I still consider it a good album, with a great title track (great piece) and "Lonely is the Word," which are the standout songs, featuring beautiful melodies, RJ's lovely voice, and excellent guitar parts by Totonno Iommi. The rest speaks much less to me, but it’s pleasant.
Black Sabbath: Born Again
CD Audio I have it ★★★
Black Sabbath: Never Say Die
CD Audio I have it ★★★
Blue Öyster Cult: On Your Feet on or Your Knees
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
This is truly a great live album; BOC translates exceptionally well on stage. It's the band's first live record, which "celebrates" and wraps up their "golden" period, that of their first three albums (especially the two outstanding ones from '73-'74). Compared to the much lighter studio sound, here they lean much more towards Hard Rock/Hard Blues, with a much more muscular and aggressive sound and with the typical live approach of rock bands from the '60s and '70s: elongated tracks (albeit in a rather contained manner compared to many other rock bands of the time) with improvisations and alterations compared to the studio versions (like the phenomenal rendition of "The Subhuman" that opens the album or the splendid execution of "7 Screaming Diz-Busters") or other pieces that are true outlets for expression, freedom, and improvisation, particularly guitar-driven (though occasionally allowing for some excellent solos from Lanier) and Rock-Blues, in the instrumental "Buck's Boogie," in "ME 262," or in the two closing covers, including a "Born to be Wild" that transforms into a guitar maelstrom of pure psychedelic rock. Even "Last Days of May" is in a version superior to the already beautiful song featured on the first album (one of the best from that debut), and "Hot Rails Hell" always kicks ass. It's a shame to miss out on excellent tracks like "Astronomy," "Flaming Telepaths," or "O.D.'d on Life Itself," but the album is still really cool.
Their other best album along with the previous one. It has all the qualities of a "classic" rock album, and the band was in stunning form (well expressed by the subsequent live album). Musically/arrangement-wise, I find it a bit less edgy and dark than "Tyranny" (which I actually prefer by a hair), but here too, there's everything that characterizes rock'n roll at the Cult of the Blue Oyster: the sci-fi-horror lyrics that are one of their strong points, Bloom's vocals with that touch of theatricality to enhance those lyrics, the "expanded" rock'n roll of tracks like "Dominance and Submission," for example, the irresistible pop-rock drive of "Career of Evil," the wonderful rhythm section of the Bouchard Brothers, and of course a sequence of tracks that are all among the best of their career: "Subhuman," the rock ballad "Astronomy" (their most classic track from the "rock side" before the evergreen pop arrived in the next album to mark their career), and especially my favorite "Flaming Telepaths" (probably their greatest song after "7 Screaming Diz-Busters") with a greater presence of Lanier's keyboards and containing my favorite guitar solo by Buck Dharma. A truly great song. And a really great album.
Blue Öyster Cult: Tyranny And Mutation
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Beautiful album, the best by the Oyster alongside the subsequent one, but personally, it's slightly my favorite among all of them. While the beautiful debut album featured many great tracks but also a couple that were just okay (like Joe Bouchard's "Scream"), here all eight songs are of high quality, with an overall average superior to that of the first album. "7 Screaming Diz-Busters," for instance, I consider the best creation of the Oyster along with "Astronomy" and a perfect example of their search for compositions that went beyond the canonical song structure typical of Hard Rock at the time. Broader in scope, more mutable, with a more complex structure, it's a hit. Besides that, the rock-pop-r&b gem "O.D.'d on Life Itself," the acid ballad with a beautiful arcane-melancholic melody and the riff (but only that) very Sabbath-like of "Wings Wetted Down," and Joe Bouchard's much, much better showcase as a solo writer, compared to the debut, with "Hot Rails to Hell" and "Baby Ice Dog" (lyrics by Patti) all elevate this truly beautiful album, but they’re all at this level, and I don’t mention them all due to space constraints. The band is at the top of their game, both as songwriters and musicians (the Bouchard brothers’ rhythm section is splendid, Bloom sings almost all the songs, Roeser’s guitar work is perfect and never too intrusive or overflowing, Lanier doesn’t write anything but his keyboards are pleasantly more present this time, and so on).
A good debut for the Culto dell'Ostrica Blu (one of the coolest band names ever), which for me remains a really great "classic rock" group with various shades of stylistic eclecticism that color their songs and albums here and there (a bit of Blues, a touch of light psychedelia, some vague sci-fi-dark atmospheres, all characteristics well present in this first album). These Americans have a nice personal style and an interesting compositional modus operandi, with a collective writing approach that involves groups of collaborators outside the core band who contribute to the writing of the songs, especially the lyrics. That said, they are less original and unique than I've sometimes heard them described, but that does not take away from their skill. This self-titled debut album doesn’t quite reach the heights of the two subsequent albums but it’s good. My favorites are "Transmaniacon MC," "Then Came The Last Days of May" (one of the only two songs written by a single member of the group, Roeser in this case who obviously sings it as well), a ballad that demonstrates their good taste for melodies, and "Workshop of the Telescope," an acid gem with an irregular and slightly distorted flow, showcasing their more "psych" side. But aside from three songs that remain merely "pleasant" and nothing more, the rest is of excellent quality, including a little classic like "Cities on Flame," a great piece, or the other psych-wavy "She's as Beautiful as a Foot." Always a great album to listen to again.
  • Littlelion
    22 apr 22
    How exhilarating "Starway to the stars" is!
  • hjhhjij
    22 apr 22
    Ahahaha it's a matter of taste, think that it's one of those (two, in the end) that I like the least.
  • Littlelion
    22 apr 22
    I imagined it was one of those :3
  • Littlelion
    22 apr 22
    Objectively, the other songs are better, but subjectively, this one gets me so pumped.
  • hjhhjij
    22 apr 22
    Legitimate, of course.
I have a conflicting relationship with this album; over the years I've oscillated between considering it mediocre or very enjoyable depending on the moment. Today, it has settled on being very enjoyable. This is the album where BOC emphasize their pop side (which they've always had, but here it's dominant) focusing on simple songs with immediately catchy melodies, sometimes a bit trivial and other times more successful, with much more straightforward structures. They lose that style and personal "mood" they showed in the previous three albums; moreover, the microphone rotation among the band members increases, while the most active in writing the songs is Albert Bouchard, who composes the music for half the album and two songs with lyrics by Patti Smith, particularly active as a collaborator on this record, since besides writing the lyrics, she also contributes vocals on one of the two best songs: "The Revenge of Vera Gemini," a truly beautiful track. The other, of course, is the pop gem and their evergreen entirely penned by Roeser, the restless, elegant "(Don't Fear) The Reaper." There are other very nice songs ("Tenderloin" by Lanier, the fun and flamboyant hard rock of "Tattoo Vampire"), and some that I like less, but overall, it's a good pop-rock album with a couple of excellent songs.
  • Onirica
    3 jun 22
    Mythical and captivating, Don't Fear the Reaper, with its claustrophobic interlude and lyrics that I find among the wisest and most profound in rock n roll...
Blue Öyster Cult: Spectres
CD Audio Not intrested ★★★
It's not that bad. At this time, BOC had definitely embraced a light and radio-friendly rock/pop-rock sound, but they still had a good knack for pop melody, and the album is a decent effort in its genre, very pleasant to listen to even just in the background. Compared to the previous one, it doesn't have those two or three standout songs, but everything is almost on the same level of enjoyable rock-pop tunes. I don't mind it, aside from a couple of big seagull droppings that wouldn't look out of place in a worst pop chart of the following decade, precursors of crap, so to speak. But it's a nice album.
Ultra-underground album from the American folk/folk-rock undergrowth of the '60s, formed by the Baltimore duo, Ben Syfu/George Friggs (and who the hell are they? Who knows, this is all they did). Nothing that particularly stands out in terms of quality and personality, or originality, compared to the vast folk/folk-rock landscape of 1968, but it features nice songs and is a more than valid record in my opinion. The two pieces that struck me the most are "Son of Kong" and "Sundown Stick" because, among all, they show the most evident debt to the Buckley goodbyeandhelliano style, the one that’s more "groovy" and rhythmic, so to speak, with a vocal echo from the singer that seems quite obvious to me. A gem is "Devil & The Aces of Spades," a folk-ballad enriched in its arrangement by beautiful saxophone strokes that make everything more nocturnal, bluesy, and atmospheric; it might be the best song in the package. Also, "Time is Money" would be a great rock-soulfully track but is hindered by the terrible recording quality. Aside from that, there are some standard psychedelic voices and noises, a lackluster blues ("Down Child"), a nice piece of rougher American folk ("Alligator Man"), and finally three songs of that acoustic folk with delicate, intimate, and melancholic melodies, encapsulated in the opening "Little David," which can be connected both to this type of American folk and in part to the melodies of British baroque folk. Great album.
  • adrmb
    20 dec 22
    This, however, from the description, gave me more of a three-star vibe. 👽
  • hjhhjij
    20 dec 22
    In reality, it would be the classic 3.5. But the songs are good, it's just poorly recorded, that's why I generously rounded up.
Bob Dylan: The Times They Are A-Changin'
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
His best from the '62-'64 period (up to "Another Side" practically). A beautiful album, with razor-sharp lyrics, incredibly inspired, a rasping and awkward voice like never before, and a handful of unforgettable masterpiece tracks (title-track, Only a Pawn in Their Game, With God on our Side, Ballad of Hollis Brown, and so on).
  • piro
    11 jan 15
    After listening to it over and over lately, I completely agree with you. I think it's on par with Freewheelin'.
Bob Dylan : The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
CD Audio I have it ★★★★
Bob Dylan: Another Side Of Bob Dylan
CD Audio I have it ★★★★
Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bob Dylan: Blonde On Blonde
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Another absolute masterpiece, probably the best after Highway. Between Visions of Johanna and Sad-Eyed Lady, it's hard to choose the masterpiece of the album. A double of monumental beauty.
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
His masterpiece. An immortal record, practically perfect, a milestone in Rock and Singer-Songwriting. And then there’s "Desolation Row."
  • fuggitivo
    18 apr 15
    I disagree. 3 words... Blonde on Blonde.
  • hjhhjij
    18 apr 15
    That's also a great masterpiece.
  • tonysoprano
    8 jun 16
    By the way, Desolation Row is my favorite song by Bob Dylan.
Bob Dylan: Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid
CD Audio I have it ★★★★
A stunning soundtrack. The opening and closing themes are masterpieces, and then there’s the beautiful and famous Knockin; the rest is a notch below but still of good quality (see Billy 1).
Bob Dylan: Time Out Of Mind
CD Audio I have it ★★★★
Bob Dylan: Desire
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Boston: Boston
CD Audio I have it
The only one I know from Boston, driven by the famous "More Than a Feeling." The album is nice even though the sounds and style are definitely far from being among my favorites and inevitably end up wearing me out after a few listens. So, it's a good album, but I feel like I'm good with Boston just like this.
  • dsalva
    20 may 18
    try also with "don't look back," the next one, a great record as well.
  • hjhhjij
    20 may 18
    The problem is that this style, these sounds, these songs tire me very quickly. No matter how valid these works may objectively be, they are not really my cup of tea; I enjoy listening to this 2-3 times and then it sits there, unused. I would hardly find any motivation to listen to a subsequent album in the same vein.
  • dsalva
    20 may 18
    What can I say... in my youth I loved them a lot, a tight rock but also very light, focused on Sholz's guitar—they say he's quite a perfectionist, no joke—but definitely enjoyable in the moment and leaves you with just the right aftertaste. Anyway, "third stage" isn't bad either.
  • hjhhjij
    20 may 18
    Sholtz is undoubtedly a skilled guitarist and musician, yet the problem with this type of music lies in its meticulous cleanliness even when it’s “tight,” or its decidedly polished “sonorous grandiosity,” which can become cloying over time, even though it's undeniably engaging and sometimes enjoyable upon first listens. It's not a type of music that conveys many emotions to me, even though it is undoubtedly good music. Very subjective impressions.
  • I have my thoughts on Boston. I define their music as "architectural": to appreciate them, it’s necessary to set aside the fact that the guitar riffs are always the same, the lyrics are incredibly banal, and the (few) forays into progressive are gaudy and primitive. The talent lies in three things:
    The first is the arrangement of the songs, with multiple layers of electric and acoustic guitars that have the exquisite intricacy characteristic of architectural work.
    The second is the bombastic sound of the lead guitar, valuable not so much in the attack, but in the release, in the enveloping; it’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it firsthand... the harmonics generated by the distortions of engineer Scholz create a particular richness and acoustic, and physical, satisfaction.
    The third is the voice of poor Brad Delp. So angelically high that it cuts through the mix, yet without overpowering, remaining clean and celestial even in the most extreme passages. Only Jon Anderson of Yes is like him, but the latter has a colder and more northern feeling.
    I want to highlight the great, for me truly great, songs by Boston: from the first and in order of preference "Long Time," "Hitch a Ride," "Smokin,'" and only now "More than a Feeling"; from the second "A Man I'll Never Be," "Don't Look Back," and "It's Easy." From the third "Amanda," "My Destination," and "Holyann," and from the fourth "Livin' for You."
    One last thing: the fifth and sixth albums, released respectively in 2002 and 2013, are horrendous, and I feel ill at the thought of how bad they are.
  • dsalva
    21 may 18
    I would say that she knows a lot... I pale in front of her perfect analysis.
  • hjhhjij
    22 may 18
    I appreciate your comments from a more technical perspective, even though, alas, the band's expertise (you definitely picked up on two things that I also find commendable, such as the alternation between acoustic and electric guitars and Scholz's guitar sound) has already been recognized by me, let it be clear. However, I just can't get on board with this type of music and sound. "More Than a Feeling" and "Long Time" are still two great tracks, though.
  • hellraiser
    22 may 18
    The first two consumed back in the day but never picked up again. Maybe it's because I know them by heart after all these years. I really like them a lot.
Brand X: Unorthodox Behaviour
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Brand X: Moroccan Roll
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
"Bebi's On Faaiiaaaaaa", Robert Fripp... and the undefinable atmosphere of "On Some Faraway Beach". Perfection.
  • piro
    29 apr 15
    Ohhhhhhhhhwoooooooooottttttttaaatat atati'llbethere, Drivin' Me Backwaaaaaaaaaaardss! (sorry, I couldn't help myself)
  • hjhhjij
    29 apr 15
    Spectacular that piece, the stuff that Eno and Fripp do is marvelous.
  • hjhhjij
    29 apr 15
    No, but "Dead Finks Don't Talk," shall we talk about it?
  • fuggitivo
    29 apr 15
    Revalued over time. Yesterday I wanted to listen to it again but I’m redoing my room and it’s a mess (by the way, Pawn Hearts has resurfaced), just to give a judgment. Among the favorites, there used to be Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch, just for those little keyboard nonsense... and I’ve been meaning to buy Eno's "ambient watercolors" for a long time.
  • fuggitivo
    29 apr 15
    Downrated, obviously. When I was still consulting Allmusic on Wikipedia, they gave it 5 stars and I was totally convinced, lol.
  • hjhhjij
    29 apr 15
    Here, it would have been better if you had stopped reading allmusic and kept giving "5 stars" to this album, one of those things that CANNOT be re-evaluated negatively run away, it has no flaws, no blemishes, and Paw Paw is one of those things to which part of Berlin Bowie and New Wave owe their gratitude every hour :)
  • fuggitivo
    29 apr 15
    I can't say much, it burns me up that I can't listen to it now.
  • hjhhjij
    29 apr 15
    When you find it again, we'll talk about it, there are some great comparisons to make between this and Taking Tiger.
  • fuggitivo
    29 apr 15
    I can say that the last differences I noticed between this and Taking Tiger are precisely the "oblique strategies." I never understood what the hell they were, but damn, could you feel the difference.
  • fuggitivo
    29 apr 15
    Enough, I've already said too much.
My favorite Eno album, as pointless an exercise as it is to "choose" one among the wonders he produced, especially in the '70s. I find it to be a perfect synthesis between Eno's Pop and the ambient experiments he was pursuing. It’s a perfect album, in the instrumentals where little Braian does everything (or almost) by himself or in his unmistakable pop ballads with beautiful melodies, accompanied by many of his usual friends-collaborators from those years (Frippolo, Cale, Turrington, etc.) and the rhythm section of the newly formed Brand X, Philco-Persi Gionz, all of it, in every piece, playing and inventing sounds between guitars and processed percussion, various synthesizers, etc. A masterpiece to be enjoyed fully, without feeling the slightest drop in energy. If I had to mention two, one for the "pop" tracks and one for the instrumentals with Eno-as-all-rounder, I would say "St. Elmo's Fire" (because where there’s a Fripp solo there’s home, and of the three with him this one is a tiny bit more beautiful) and the spectacularly enveloping and soothing "Becalmed" (rightly so).
  • 123asterisco
    22 feb 21
    Taking Tiger and Before and After are, for me, magical and alien objects. However, I don't know what you think acca-j, but I’ve never really loved ambient Eno. I wouldn’t throw it away, of course. But here we’re on different planes!
  • hjhhjij
    22 feb 21
    Look, for me it's absolutely Here Come. As for Eno's ambient be, it's really a different type of experience; if I'm not talking nonsense, Airports is designed to be listened to while you're doing your own thing, for example. Anyway, nice stuff there too, but Eno's four albums are the best, I completely agree.
  • 123asterisco
    22 feb 21
    Yes, also Here Comes, although a little bit (pocopoco) less.
  • hjhhjij
    22 feb 21
    Pinzillacchere.
  • 123asterisco
    22 feb 21
    & trifles
  • De...Marga...
    23 feb 21
    I have asked myself several times why you have never written a review!!!
Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Of everything, and more, and beyond. Beyond reads "Third Uncle". After the sensations of "On Some Faraway Beach" on the previous album, here again are other indescribable feelings with the title track and the incredible melody of "The Fat Lady of Limbourg". The voice and contribution of Robert Wyatt on "Put a Straw Under Baby" are truly frame-worthy. An album, of course, light years ahead, a forerunner of so much.
  • Carlos
    27 dec 15
    Something that for once Battlegods would do well to mention as an influence for an album he reviewed.
  • hjhhjij
    27 dec 15
    It would be a safe bet, that's for sure.
  • bluesboy94
    28 dec 15
    What a unique "Third Uncle"! The time has come for you to start listening to Eno.
Bruce Springsteen: Magic
CD Audio I have it ★★
Bruce Springsteen: Live In New York City
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bruce Springsteen: Devil & Dust
CD Audio I have it ★★
Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bruce Springsteen: The River
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bruce Springsteen: Darkness On The Edge Of Town
CD Audio I have it ★★★★★
Bruce Springsteen: Born In The U.S.A.
CD Audio I have it ★★★
Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel Of Love
CD Audio I have it ★★