len(songs)

Here you go Len: :burger: . Have a whopper instead! It will have to do. Or, you can have some popcorn and a Pepsi: :d13:

Coke, please. :)

Thanks all :)... I was going to see a Led Zeppelin tribute band tonight but apparently we'll need to postpone it for 4 months (). On the good side my laptop is fixed, so I'll be going to get that :) which is good. :7up: :)

 

(Side note: no cake emoticon? )

The Big Wheel - why did they ever consider putting this to tape?

Probably Freewill or Lakeside Park, before I knew it was Rush

 

Tom Sawyer (all of MP) was my first "deliberate" Rush listen.

Hmmm... haven't done T4E yet, have I?

 

Rush - Test For Echo (1996)

Test For Echo: 11/15

Driven: 11/15

<Half The World>: 2/15

The Color Of Right: 4/15

*Time and Motion*: 12/15

Totem: 10/15

Dog Years: 7/15

Virtuality: 10/15

Resist: 12/15

Limbo: 6/15

Carve Away the Stone: 6/15

 

Overall rating: 6 (Mediocre)

Erm... Counterparts may have been a slight step up from RTB, but this record takes a step back down, nearly to the level of that embarrassment. Still, there's more than one great song on here (even if it has the worst song in the Rush catalog), and so it doesn't score quite as low as RTB, but... ehn.

I comment on the album in general, a few songs from it, or even do a track by track review in one case.. I don't rate any albums if I lack the confidence too which is why I started with TMV's simple Octahedron and then moved through the rest of their discography (except for Noctourniquet ) some days later.

 

Or - I don't comment on the album at all, because I feel nothing I have to say is interesting enough!

 

I'm most interested in the numbers personally.

Same here... occasionally I find that how I think I think about an album is very different from how I actually think about it

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

 

Assigning numbers is a bit simplistic and arbitrary because it's just the opinion of the reviewer themselves which is based on no particular fixed scale. If someone writes out their thoughts about a particular track at least the reader has a bit more of an idea of "why" the reviewer likes or dislikes a piece of music. Then they can decide for themselves whether they agree/disagree Lord even want to check out that piece of music. But then that takes more thought and time to do it that way.

I did post my song scale (which each of us has adopted) at the beginning of the thread, so if someone sees, say, my review of SEBTP, they'll see that I consider Dancing With The Moonlit Knight "flawless", while I rated The Cinema Show as "great" and More Fool Me as "good". It's not really that ambiguous, and most of us are writing reviews anyway, so even if there's an album that we didn't write a review for there will probably be a point of reference in a previous review anyway.

Best drums: Red Tide.

 

That's a great, "jazzy" metal song. I love it.

"Metal"? Closer to pop if you ask me... the guitar tone is harder than on most of Presto but much of the song is dominated by piano or synth and even the harder guitar work is more "background-y" than anything else...

I have to say, this method of rating and the sharing of reviews is fun!

Agreed... I was hoping for a bit more discussion of the reviews themselves but I think the thread is going well as is. Are you tackling Buckingham Nicks/Fleetwood Mac next?

I'm looking at them but to be honest it seems like a goofy way to rate something. Instead of assigning numbers, which is kind of pointless, it would make more sense to just write out a paragraph about each song. But then it's all personal opinion anyway. :)

There are some albums where the album is easier to write about than the songs themselves without going into too much detail, and there will also inevitably be some songs where it's too tricky to expand or compress your thoughts about them into a paragraph. Also, ratings are quite effective at setting the "mood" for a review, as well as giving a quick outlook on songs that the reviewer may not have gone into too much detail on.

Genesis - Selling England By The Pound (1973)

*Dancing With The Moonlit Knight*: 15/15

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe): 12/15

Firth Of Fifth: 14/15

<More Fool Me>: 10/15

The Battle Of Epping Forest: 13/15

After The Ordeal: 12/15

The Cinema Show: 13/15

Aisle Of Plenty: [ ]/15

 

Overall rating: E (Great)

My second favorite Genesis record, and often the crux of their legend for "prog-era" fans. While I wouldn't go that far (I prefer Foxtrot by a slim margin), it's not hard to see why: this record claims a near perfect balance between accessibility and complexity (as opposed to Foxtrot, where complexity was generally favored, though this isn't really a problem for me), with song after song of both great melodies and busy arrangements (with a few exceptions). Dancing With The Moonlit Knight demonstrates this right away, taking its place as one of the greatest Genesis songs of all time, starting out with Gabriel a capella vocals and gradually building to a bombastic chorus, as Gabriel calls us to "follow on, 'till the gold is cold", before launching into one of my favorite Genesis instrumental breaks, with Hackett demonstrating many of his favored guitar techniques, before ominous keyboards kick in and lead us to a huge climax, before Hackett reprises his previous parts in reverse order. As Hackett ends his demonstration, ominous mellotron choirs kick in and Gabriel takes us back to the cold reality of modern-day England with lines such as "laying out the credit cards she plays fortune", leading to another bombastic chorus (this time with a "boppy" section inserted for no clear reason, but which still works just as well), before Banks takes the spotlight with his break. Hackett gets another, more "normal" solo in, before everything comes to a halt and a high-pitched acoustic part is repeated as the song fades out. Coming out of this, we hear the sound of a lawnmower fade in, launching into I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), a funny little pop song that I used to hate for whatever reason, but which I find just fine now, with ridiculous lyrics about a cross-dressing lawn mower and interesting percussion parts during the "spoken" sections. I still find the oboe solo near the end a bit irritating, but otherwise the song is great, with an entertaining (not to mention catchy-as-hell) chorus interpolating with a half-spoken, half-sung verse as our dear mower's back story is explained. Not the most musically substantial thing on the album, but extremely enjoyable nonetheless. Next is the longer-form Firth Of Fifth, with somewhat stupid (Banks-written, not surprisingly) lyrics that only slightly mar an otherwise flawless track, with an amazing piano-intro by Banks and perhaps Hackett's best-known solo. Now, the next track is weaker, but I still like it. More Fool Me is a somewhat go-nowhere acoustic ballad (wih Phil singing lead), but this is redeemed by the very good chorus, even if it's still easily the worst track on here. Up next is the insane The Battle Of Epping Forest, which bounds through several different sections in the first few minutes before we come to the tale of the Reverend and his fall into sin. The story is a hoot anyway, even if it has nothing to do with the main story of a gang battle (inspired by a real story Gabriel read in the news), which, by the way, is one of the most hilarious you'll hear in a musical context. Next is the pleasant Hackett-led instrumental After The Ordeal, which may strike one as somewhat unnecessary on first listen, but which works marvelously following the bombastic conclusion of Battle. Up next is The Cinema Show, with a gorgeous (albeit more than a little reminiscent of Lover's Leap from Supper's Ready) first part followed by a five minute keyboard solo that may well be Banks's defining moment. Closing the album we get the reprise Aisle Of Plenty, recycling parts of DWTMN (though feeling a bit disjointed at times), before the album fades out with Gabriel ranting over the "fat old lady" part. There may not be any new material introduced here but it remains essential as the capstone to the album, and a while I may prefer Foxtrot in the long run it's not hard to see why this album gets as much attention as it does, and after all I nearly do prefer it to Foxtrot. This should be one of your first two Genesis purchases (for the prog era), along with Foxtrot, to get acquainted with their general sound in that era.

Shit, I need to do that Apostrophe review

 

Though I would rather do Overnite Sensation first...

I respect their influence, and Copeland is a great drummer, but their music itself always kind of bored me.

Hmmm... I would post some Beatles ratings (later stuff mostly) but there's not much that I could say about them that hasn't already been said a few thousand times...

(59 above should have been A (Very Good/Good)... oops )

 

71. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising: D (Great/Very Good) by Segue Myles [link]

72. Bruce Springsteen - Magic: 10 (Olympian) by Segue Myles [link]

73. ABBA - Ring Ring: 7.5 (Mediocre/Good) by Segue Myles [link]

74. ABBA - Waterloo: B (Very Good) by Segue Myles [link]

75. ABBA - ABBA: B (Very Good) by Segue Myles [link]

76. Iron Maiden - Dance Of Death: 11/15 (Very Good) by movinghemispheres [link]

77. ABBA - Arrival: E (Great) by Segue Myles [link]

78. ABBA - The Album: E (Great) by Segue Myles [link]

79. ABBA - Voulez Vous: F (All-time Great) by Segue Myles [link]

80. ABBA - Super Trouper: F (All-time Great) by Segue Myles [link

If I had to pick a Beatles one it would be MMT-Abbey Road, since it would contain two of my 3 favorite Beatles albums (Abbey Road, The Beatles), but that would be kinda redundant (as ReRushed said in the OP)

 

So... Hems-PeW-MP I guess, or Foxtrot-Selling England-Lamb.

 

Or Who's Next-MBB/B-Quadrophenia if that's not too "obvious"

Well, if we're doing 4 album runs...

AFTK-Hemi-PeW-MP... Doesn't get any better than that.

My three favorites were all released consecutively: A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, and Permanent Waves. Greatest three album run of all time! :haz: :smoke:

 

For me, not as good as Close To The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans and Relayer.

 

But as for Rush, CoS-AFTK is the best!

I haven't really listened to much Yes, I should probably check them out more thoroughly. I love Roundabout and Owner of a Lonely Fart

Owner Of A Lonely Fart? :eyeroll:

 

But you should check out Yes. Start with Fragile, Close To The Edge, and Going For The One and make your way forward (and eventually backwards, though you probably should get TYE sooner rather than later), and keep in mind that their discography since 1987 has been a bit of a minefield (The Ladder/Magnification good, Union/Heaven And Earth bad)

Mine jumps around weirdly... Hems-MP-AFTK (or do I need to say "AFTK-Hems-MP"?)

 

Or if you want to substitute GUP (since I only like it a little less than AFTK)... Hems-MP-GUP

 

Or if you meant 3-album runs... Hems-PeW-MP

 

Favorite 3 album run of all time... Hems/PeW/MP or Foxtrot/SEBTP/Lamb

Mediocre in quality, Toto in style

Very very good.

Let Us All Gather Together In A Cave And Groove With A Pict

 

...

Oh yeah, and an explanation of the "rubric" for the album grades (mostly copied over from JMF's site):

10 (16 base-10): The pantheon of my collection. Only about a dozen albums crack this tier. A++.

F (15 base-10): All-time great. No real reason for failing to crack the 10 barrier other than gut feeling (len's note: Disagree with this, I always saw the difference as a lack of something to make an album truly "special" along with "just" great songs). A+

E (14 base-10): Great, close to the all-time level. Solid A to low A+

D (13 base-10): Great, bordering on very good. Solid A- to low A.

C (12 base-10): Very good, bordering on great. Definite A-.

B (11 base-10): Very good. B+ or A- depending on my mood. Any album with this rating or above should be considered to have a "must own" recommendation from me.

A (10 base-10): Very good, bordering on good. Low B+.

9: Good. Solid B.

8: Good, bordering on mediocre. Solid B- to low B.

7: Mediocre, bordering on good. Solid C+ to low B-.

6: Mediocre. Solid C to low C+.

5: Mediocre, bordering on bad. Solid C- to low C.

4: Bad, bordering on mediocre. Solid D+ to low C-.

3: Bad. Low D- to low D+.

2: FAIL. F.

1: BEYOND FAIL.

0: I don't even want to try to comprehend what kind of album would get a 0 on this scale.

the part that got me was 10's role...

 

1 - 9 = 1 - 9

A-F = 10-15

10 = 16 (basically)

That did lead to a bit of a mishap... I was thinking "Is Up The Downstair really one of his favorite records of all time?"

i think i get it!

Well, none of your ratings seemed to disagree with your reviews... so I'm going to have to agree :)