Album Club Review - ????

[Irish Ian]

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5 Haighy
4 Ges
4 64
3 1304
1 Faaip
0 Rat

2.8 Average Rating

Manic Street Preachers - Lifeblood

4 64
2.5 Ian
2 Faaip
0 Ges

2.1 Average Rating

I voted for the Sabbath Album too.

[1964white]

I voted for the Sabbath Album too.

You did Ian....my apologies

[1964white]

Cat will be in despair with these current ratings

No wonder he has disappeared from this topic

[gessa]

Cat will be in despair with these current ratings

No wonder he has disappeared from this topic

I think you could take my msp score away as I didn't play it, so didn't really give it a score.

[1964white]

I think you could take my msp score away as I didn't play it, so didn't really give it a score.

Ok mate even though you'd have nilled it will improve the average a little

[1964white]

Both albums now almost 3/5 which are not bad ratings

More to come hopefully

[lufc1304]

Had a listen to Lifeblood last night, and it became very clear very quickly why I had been ignoring it! Pretty bland album throughout, with no stand-out tracks. The fact that they had their guitar sound low in the mix, relying heavily on keyboards and synthesisers instead, doesn't help it in my opinion. I like the track Cardiff Afterlife, reflecting on the loss of Richey Edwards, and Always/Never but the rest of the album is instantly forgettable. As a MSP fan, I take no pleasure in this, but I can see why the band grew to dislike this album. 2 stars only

[1964white]

Lifeblood rating going down again like a escalator

Time for you to have your say Cat

[Mrs64]

Leon was playing Lifeblood the other night

Quite nice & a easy album to listen to. I would give it a 3

[1964white]

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5 Haighy
4 Ges
4 64
3 1304
2.5 Ian
1 Faaip
0 Rat

2.8 Average Rating

Manic Street Preachers - Lifeblood

4 64
3 Mrs 64
2.5 Ian
2 Faaip
2 1304

2.7 Average Rating

[Muppet the Cat]

Lifeblood rating going down again like a escalator

Time for you to have your say Cat

I've been running around a bit like a blue ar*ed fly the last few days, so other than quickly logging in and out to put up my 'Donkey of the Day' I haven't had time to ponder the posts on this thread.

Anyway, (now sat down with Hobgoblin in hand ) I see neither album put forward is doing very well .

I'm not overly surprised though really . I think with Sabbath you either like/or don't the style/genre and with the Manics you either like the band or you don't - so two servings of Marmite .

Paranoid - I always umm and err between Paranoid and Master of Reality as to my favourite Sabbath album, but went for Paranoid as it contains my favourite Sabbath track, War Pigs.
For me the best tracks (along with WPs) are Hand of Doom, Fairies Wear Boots, Electric Funeral and Planet Caravan, with Iron Man just a notch below..
Paranoid (the track) probably suffers from over familiarity and over-playing and I will concede Rat Salad just sounds like a filler.

When the album came out in 1970 I was only 6, so I came into them later, only really listening to Sabbath after Heaven and Hell (with RJ Dio at the vocal helm) and went back to their earlier catalogue. Ozzy's sound is distinctive and just seems a perfect fit for those first 5 albums (went downhill after SBS) and they deliver such a distinctive sound, that sounds like no one else - Tony's riffs and the bass/drums team of Geezer and Bill.

For me (notwithstanding Rat Salad) it has to be 5*****

Lifeblood - As I think I put in an earlier post on this thread I'm no great fan of the Manics earlier (with Richey E) output. I can understand why people probably overlook this album as it could seem a bit wishy-washy, as it's not rock and probably not indie. In fact I'm not really sure how you'd describe it. That being said it is my favourite Manics album (and having just counted them I have 14). Whilst there are no stand out 'anthems' like Design for Life on this album it delivers (IMO) an album full of consistently good songs, my favourites being Solitude Sometimes Is, A Song For Departure and Always/Never.

Whilst I'm not saying it's up there with my Top/5*/GOAT albums I do like it, so will give it 4**** and a half

It's really difficult to just pick 2 albums so I went for one everyone/most knows well and one by a band everyone knows, but not one of their better known/popular ones. I'm looking forward to future selections (although faaip I'm already anticipating I won't even have heard of the 2 you'll put up )

2.8 and 2.7 .......................NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY TASTE !!!!! (Haighy, Ges, 64 and Mrs 64 excepted ) )

[1964white]

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

5 Cat
5 Haighy
4 Ges
4 64
3 1304
2.5 Ian
1 Faaip
0 Rat

3.1 Average Rating

Manic Street Preachers - Lifeblood

4.5 Cat
4 64
3 Mrs 64
2.5 Ian
2 Faaip
2 1304

3.0 Average Rating

[1964white]

Anyone who wishes to join in & rate the Sabbath/Manics at a late date by all means do so.

Eight reviewers is a good start

[1964white]

We'll move on

So who is next to nominate two of their favourite albums ?

[gessa]

2 x 5* albums from me.

Pearl Jam - Ten

Counting Crows- August and Everything After

[gessa]

Or are they too obvious?

[1964white]

Or are they too obvious?

Obvious for you mate should go well but you never know

[The Subhuman]

Easy for me as they're two of the most played albums here. I know them both like family members

[1964white]

Ges is in the chair

Do you rate or hate his choices ?

Get your headphones on folks

[Muppet the Cat]

Ummm…………..I have not a jot (not even the odd individual track on my iPod music library) by either of these two.

What I've heard of from CC is OK, but have never be that impressed to actually buy anything by them. Have I been missing something all this time ??? we'll see

Have never taken to PJ at all, can't stand Vedder's voice, so am anticipating that this one will be a painful listen and a likely , but heh an open mind at this point