This is the eleventh album released from the group. It was
released in 1969. I have always been afraid to review the history of The
Beatles. I chose this one because I identify the most with it. Like all Beatles
albums there are high points and low points. There was officially only a double
A-side single released from this album. The two songs on that 7” (45 RPM
record) are Something and Come Together. Something was the first A-side single
that Harrison was credited with. It is a great
ballad about attraction to a girl. The guitar solo is top notch in my opinion
and speaks just as well as the lyrics and Harrisons's
voice does. It is a beautiful song and pulls at the heart to feel for the
speaker of the song. The other A-side, Come Together, is perfect rock in my
opinion. This song remind me of being very young, a toddler. This song is something
that reminds me of our, my family’s, old green truck. The color was a metallic
forest green with pinstripes done by my mother. The bed of the truck was hard
wood. I can’t remember what year the truck was. If I had to guess it would be a
40s or 50s era truck. It was very cool. I don’t think that we had it that long
because it was not conductive to a family environment (two kids and parents).
The song itself is a beautiful piece of art that I could listen to for a long
time. I have listened to it on repeat at times. The song was inspired by a
political campaign against Ronald Regan by Timothy Leary. The musicality and
creativity in this song is just mind blowing in my opinion. The boomy bass with
the super clear guitar and the Rhodes keyboard
make for absolute perfection. Other great songs include Star’s Octopuses Garden, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Here
Comes The Sun and more. Octopuses
Garden was written when
he took his family on a vacation on Peter Sellers yacht. It is a fun song that
fits for the kids. It is a lot of fun but can also be found on Yellow
Submarine. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) was the formation of two different
styles of music. The first part being good ol’ blues rock with that super cool
bass solo between verses. There is a cool guitar solo in the middle of the song
that mimics the verse. This is a great progressive track that The Beatles put
together. They seem to dabble in a little bit of everything. I think that this
is a part of their big popularity. People say that they did everything. Well, I
think that they made genres because there were none there in the first place.
Where as now the genres have become so fragmented and people try to pigeon hole
every new band. That is great but what happens when a group defies all of this
fragmentation? I hope that some group actually does this and soon. Anyway, the
white noise at the end of the track is created by a Moog and cuts the song off
with dead silence. It is an awesome way to end a side of an album. The start of
the second side has a bright and shiny track called Here Comes The Sun. It is a
happy uplifting track that musically imitates the rising of the sun. This is Harrison’s second track on the album. It was written one
sunny day in Eric Claptons’ back yard. It was not released as a single but did
receive a lot of radio air play. The Medley track is basically a few short
tracks linked together. They are good tracks and should be noted separately in
my opinion. The first is called You Never Give Me Your Money. It is a good
track and takes up most of the Medley. It is a great rock and roll on that part
of the Medley. Sun King is the next part. It is a bit slowed down and is very
relaxing to listen to. Mean Mr. Mustard is the third part and it is kind of
interesting but not one of my favorite parts. Polythene Pam is the next part
and has that classic rock sound. I can’t say anything other than that. It
reminds me of the early 70s rock and roll I guess. The fifth part is called She
Came In Through The Bathroom Window. This part follows the classic rock sound
that the previous part did. The next part slows down. It is called Golden
Slumbers. It is OK but there are better parts on this album and this medley for
that matter. The next part is called Carry That Weight. The song is probably a
fan favorite for the big sound that the part puts out at its climax. The last
part is called The End. It extends the big sound from the previous part with a
fun drum solo. The only part of this album that I really don’t like is the song
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Remember that, “The
love you take is equal to the love you make.”
This is the eights album from The Doobie Brothers. It was
released in 1978. The album fits that classic rock sound that I remember as a
kid. This is really a nostalgic album for me. There are three singles that were
released from this album. The first is Dependin’ On You. It did well in the
charts but it is not a song that I recognize from my childhood. This doesn’t
mean that it is a bad song but may mean that it was not popular where I grew up
or the DJs at the radio station did not play it much. The song has a slight
disco feel that I can grove to though so I don’t know why it would not have
been played on the radio frequently. The next single from the album, the title
track, is called Minute By Minute. This track uses a cool electro-mechanical
keyboard. I love electro-mechanical keyboards, especially the Rhodes
keyboard. This song makes use of one of these popular keyboards heavily. The
vocals are so smooth that I could float away on them and find myself on a
desert island and not know how I got there. The next single from the album is
called What A Fool Believes. This track features a piano and a synth in the
lead instrument parts. The vocals on this one are just as good as the previous
track. This song was also recorded previously on band members’ solo albums but
this version is the one that most will remember. There is something special
about this track though and always brings me back to my childhood. I can
remember hearing this on the radio that we had in the kitchen. It was my
mothers’ old combination player. It played records, 8-track tapes and had a
radio in it. We hardly ever played records on it and never played 8-trakcs on
it. We had a lot of 8-tracks but never played them. It was mainly used as a
radio and played when we were away from the house to keep the animals
complacent. But more than that, when the TV was off the radio was on. It was an
interesting way of life I guess.
This is the first release after their first album and the
first EP that the group put out. It was released in 2010 on the Paper and
Plastic record label. There are 6 tracks on this EP. I don’t think that there
was a specific single released from the EP. They are a small New Jersey band that had a sound that was
similar to The Gaslight Anthem. With this EP they still have some of that sound
but it seems to fade a little. It is like they are starting to find their own
sound. I like that they are still finding themselves. They have a great
alternative rock sound that I have always been interested in. The sound is
becoming a form of punk. I have always loved punk. I really liked the third
track, Catch You When You Fall. It is good punk song craft. The song lyrics are
about a guy that wants the best for a girl in a bad relationship. He is also in
love with her and, of course, wants to be her new boyfriend thinking that he
would somehow be better than the other guy. It is a good hopeful idea that
doesn’t always work out. The fifth track on the EP is called Thank You My Dear.
This is a slowed down track providing slight contrast to the previous three
tracks. It still has a big distorted guitar sound but makes you think because
it is slowed down. The last track on the album has a funny name, Brocomotive.
It is just a regular punk track but with a funny name. The Ep is good for a
group still finding themselves. I enjoy finding a new band and seeing their
progression. This is a step in the right direction for the group and I hope
that they keep evolving.
This is the groups second EP. It was released in 2011. I got
both of these EPs at the same time. This second EP was actually self-released
by the band. The CD I got was actually a CDr. They were kind enough to also
send me two patches that matched the logo on this second EP. I actually talked
to Trevor, from the band, via email and he cut me a deal. I got the two EPs for
the price of one. I can’t thank him enough for such a great deal. I don’t think
that there was a single released from this EP either. I will say that the band
has evolved even more in their sound. It seems that the mimicking of the sound
from The Gaslight Anthem has seemingly disappeared. I like this very much. They
still have their punk roots though and I think that is where they should be. They
have seemed to pick up a little of that emo sound though. It is not exactly
piercing but they do seem to have a higher pitch to the vocals. I am not saying
that I don’t like it. Actually, I welcome it. I just hope that other fans don’t
turn away from them because of it. It actually reminds me of Sunny Day Real
Estate but a little faster. I like it a lot. This is another six track EP. I
really like the track called Broken Brother. It doesn’t really stand out as
much as it is a good punk track. I also like the track Grabber. It has that
sort of call and response sound that a crowd could really get into with the
backing band yelling on the track. It really works well and would be great at
live concerts. Side note: The band have finished recording their next full
length album and are in the process of mixing it now. They are hoping for a
summer release. I am very excited about this.
This is the fourth album from Pinback. It was released in
2007. This album is one of the most perfect new pop rock albums that I have
ever heard. It is a proper album that needs to be listened to from start to
finish. Not exactly a headphone album but one that desires to be listened to on
a stereo in an open environment. The songs all seem to run together into
perfection. I believe that the first single released from the album is called
From Nothing To Nowhere. It is also the first track from the album. This track
is very quick moving. The duo have made a great song to start off an album.
This song hits you in the face and makes you see what they have done on this
album so that you are prepared for the sound that flows across the album from
start to finish. The second single that was released from the album is called
Good To Sea. It is a play on words or a pun as some of us like to call it. It
is a pun because the chorus sings, “It’s good to see you, it’s good to see you
go.” It starts off with a cool synth with echo. This sound runs through the
whole song really. The main part of the song is very staccato but still fun and
pop sounding for an indie group. Amazon still has a couple of copies of this
album on vinyl for a very reasonable price. I may just have to get me a copy as
I like this album that much. The group will be touring over this summer as just
the duo. They also have a new album coming out soon that I am very excited
about. There is not a release date yet but soon, and that is enough for me. As a side note, the first release of this album came with a second CD with an additional three tracks. Two of which were recorded during the Autumn sessions. I think that if one were to get the vinyl there is a download coupon that comes with these extra tracks.
That is all for now...
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