Ticket 2 Ride

Does time, or simply another listen make a difference in our views toward musical albums? Here are some albums I heard when they were released, and for whatever reason, was less than impressed. Some of these albums I acquired simply because I followed the artist or band, other albums I sample and was unimpressed. On more than one occasion I have found myself liking an album I earlier rejected.

Here are a group of albums that I gave a listen, and my comments.

Master of Puppets – Metallica. This is a band that is phenomenally successful, yet I tried and have failed to connect with them. Master of Puppets was a great success back in 1986 and almost 40 years later, another listen didn’t change my opinion. The aggressive, assault of distorted guitars and pounding beat is not hypnotic or that interesting to me. “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” is a more accessible song, are is “Orion” and “Damage, Inc.” Reading about the album, critics praised the lyrics as forcefully speaking out on a number of issues and events. For me, it’s hard to hear it beneath the heavy arrangements and shouting lyrics. Maybe there is a better Metallica album to connect with, but this one is a pass. Thrash metal is not a rock sub-genre that is big in my collection. Our two cats scattered when I played the album. ❌

Seven Psalms – Paul Simon. A primarily acoustic album, performed mainly by Simon, Seven Psalms (2023) is very personal and reflective. Not really a set of songs, it is a song suite, an interconnected confessional on love and spirituality. When I first heard this album I didn’t quite know what it was, and honestly I felt no pull to listen again. One must listen to it completely, that’s a given, to get the complete experience. At 33 minutes, it’s a short album, but easily to made a listen on the entire thing. Simon was 81 when he released this album, his voice has lost a bit of clarity and lightness, but it’s still strong. His guitar playing is quite good, and he contributes other instruments as well. It’s a finely crafted album. If this is Simon’s final set of original songs, it’s great closure to a brilliant career, but who knows, there might be much more he wants to say. While I praise Seven Psalms, it’s a sad and melancholy experience; I can respect it, but not embrace it. ❓

Odelay – Beck. I’m a big fan of quirky, indie rock, but understanding Beck always eluded me. This album got a ton of airplays back in 1996, but I wasn’t listening very intently. Beck is an oddball of sorts as he weaves in and out of various musical genres. I had to remind myself that I like this looseness of styles and experimentation. I gave it my full attention and listened to it completely, I’m going to listen again because I’m sure my ears did not absorb and appreciate all of it. “Devil’s Haircut”, “The New Pollution” and “Where It’s At.”✅

Voodoo Lounge – The Rolling Stones. Honestly, I had given up on The Rolling Stones by 1994, we were strangers and occasionally met over their early 1970s material. I liked Steel Wheels, but I cannot even name one song on it. I bought Voodoo Lounge, gave it a couple of listens and it’s been in my CD library since. The album sold well and reached No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, it even won a Grammy in the rock category. I applaud them credit for trying some different arrangements and Don Was giving the production some freshening. “Out of Tears”, “You Got Me Rocking”, “Love is Strong”, “Brand New Car”, “Blinded By Rainbows” are all songs with noting. There are 15 songs on the CD though most are of the three and four minute length, but there’s still a little filler and the generic Stone’s rocker.✅

Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi. Twenty-eight million record buyers can’t be wrong, but I never embraced most hair bands, or hair metal as the new rock sub genre became known. The days of Spandex and Aqua Net. Bon Jovi hit it big in 1986 with this album. “Living on a Prayer”, “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “Never Say Goodbye” were all over the radio. Tunemaster Desmond Child was brought in to help inject a bit more pop into the metal, to great success, under the direction of Bruce Fairborn and Bob Rock. It’s a great sounding album, the melodies pop, the riffs are fast and furious and Bon Jovi’s voice was primo then. Almost every song on the album screams “play me!” What’s not to like? It’s fun to listen to, but it won’t be in my rotation. ✅

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – The Smashing Pumpkins. This is like several different albums. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1996) is the Smashing Pumpkins’ White Album. A wide-range of musical styles, it’s ambitious and overblown, but very interesting and a challenge to get through all 28 songs. My same opinion holds, some of the songs are beautiful, others are hard and loud, and some are painful to listen to. ❓

Under Wraps – Jethro Tull. In the 1980s, Jethro Tull was treading water, figuring out what their sound should be in 1984. Leader Ian Anderson had released a solo album where he enlisted the support of keyboardist Peter-John Vettes, which brought the change from the flute and guitars to a synths-heavy, drum machine 80’s sound; the album’s sound and songs were not well-received by most.

I actually found my old vinyl copy of this album. It’s easily been twenty or more years since I gave it a spin. Anderson’s solo album, Walk Into Light, signaled the move toward synthesizers and programmed sounds. While it was a rather significant change in the sound, there were several songs I really liked on that album that had a foreboding, isolated and industrial sound. This album has a similar approach, but the 1980s sound wears thin quickly. For me, the trouble is trying to write traditional Jethro Tull songs and wrap them in synths and drum machines. First, most of the eleven songs are not very good – generic Tull. “Saboteur” and “Under Wraps #2” are the only interesting songs. Now I remember why I never bought it on CD. Hard pass. ❌

Tormato – Yes. Recognized as a low point in the 1970s for the band, it was also the end of an era. Even the album cover screams disaster. While the reviews were mixed, the album sold well, but it would be the last album for this lineup of the band before breaking up.

Producer Eddie Offord was not behind the controls and his presence was missed. The band self-produced the album and it shows. Too many cooks. Most of the songs are not memorable, they are performed well, but they are generic Yes songs and lack any spark of originality. I love Yes, but this album is lackluster at best.

Yes toured behind this album, performing in “the round” in the middle of arenas. I attended a concert in Kansas City. “Don’t Kill the Whale” was a popular song, otherwise it is a lackluster album, showing the band’s struggle at the end of the 1970s, and a larger struggle happening within the group. ❓

Done With Mirrors – Aerosmith. The return of guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, this 1985 album was supposed to be a grand, new beginning for the band. Ted Templeman (Doobie Brothers, Van Halen) came in to produce. Signed to a new record label, all thumbs up! Not so fast.

Although the reviews were mixed and the album was a moderate chart success, critics felt it was a big step forward from the stuff that they released without Perry and Whitford. Templeman wanted the messy, raw sound of the earlier albums. The songwriting, the last album to contain all band-written only material, was average to good, not great. There are no breakout singles here, just grungy, power riffs. They were back, but fans would have to wait two years, then Permanent Vacation would make them all happy. Done With Mirrors is okay, but not on my playlist. ❌

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis. The genre called BritPop wasn’t invented by Oasis, but they certainly elevated it. Morning Glory (1995) is quite an album. I didn’t pay this band or this album much attention 30 years ago, but I have in recent years, even buying several of their albums, and solo releases from each brother. I thought of these guys as obnoxious and overblown. Maybe they are in real life, but this album is pretty damn good. ✅

Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers. Fifteen million copies sold. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album saw the return of guitarist John Frusciante. “Scar Tissue” is a decent song, “Otherside” is also a slower, quieter, non head-banging song. The title track is harder, but melodic, as “This Non Velvet Glove”, good but not great songs. “Road Trippin’” might be the most accessible song on the album.

Overall, this album, like other Chili Pepper albums has a moment or two where they grant public access by including a couple of songs that aren’t shouting and rattling the foundation of your house. There’s not enough to return to this album again. ❌

Two Against Nature – Steely Dan. A bit of a mystery to me. The last two Steely Dan studio albums were finely crafted, but nowhere as entertaining as their 1970s work. Two Against Nature (2000), the Dan’s first studio album in 20 years, won every kind of award, including four Grammy Awards, but I felt it was a boring listen. The music has the same feel as Aja and Gaucho, without the hooks and warmth. The playing is impeccable and the album’s sound is punchy and vibrant, but something important is missing – songs you want to hear on repeat.

A bit of a controversy erupted over the film, You, Me and Dupree, for hijacking the came Dupree from the Steely Dan song, “Cousin Dupree.” Owen Wilson, who co-starred in the film, stated, Wilson said: “I have never heard the song `Cousin Dupree’ and I don’t even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, `HEY 19.’” For me, it’s the most memorable thing about this album. ❓