Reviews (28)

Great songs from 1968-71, but nothing from late 1971-74
THE BAND: The main players consisted of Steve Winwood (lead vocals, piano, organ, guitar, bass guitar, percussion), Jim Capaldi (drums, percussion, vocals), and Chris Wood (flute, sax, organ, percussion, vocals). Additional members included Rick Grech (bass guitar), Jim Gordon (drums & percussion), and on-again off-again Dave Mason (guitar, mellotron, sitar, bass guitar, vocals).
Good, but why buy this when there is Smiling Phases!?!?!?
For a penny less, you can get every song on "Feelin's Alright" AND ELEVEN MORE SONGS from the compilation Smiling Phases.Sure, this one disc compilation contains *great music* but what shmoe would buy it when you can get more music on 2-CDs for less money????Perhaps another reviewer can fill me in on the "logic" of buying this over Smiling Phases because I don't see it.

Great overview of Traffic's earlier work.
Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic brings you the best of the earlier efforts of one of the truly great bands of the late 60s/early 70s.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Psychedelia    3. British Trad Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Psychedelic    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (24)

Everybody Should Get Flowers
OK...To understand Flowers, you have to first realize the context in which it was released.Flowers was released as an American only album of material that was not issued on previous albums, material that was cut from the American versions of albums released in their full 14 track format in Britain, or singles that had not made it into an album yet.Also don't forget that the Stones weren't touring at the time, attempting to find the same refuge that the Beatles had in their studio to try some experimentation a la Sgt. Peppers which became Satanic Majesties.Now that the proper context has been established, this album finds the Rolling Stones at the peak of their mid-60's creative power.Group founder Brian Jones had not yet cashed out on his drug and alcohol binges and he was totally into what has retrospectively been dubbed "flavoring" the albums and tracks that the Stones were putting out.The album is strung together with singles: "Ruby Tuesday" b/w "Let's Spend the Night Together", "Have You Seen Your Mother?", "Mother's Little Helper", and "Lady Jane".This material coupled with the leftovers from the British releases of Aftermath and Between the Buttons helps make this album somewhat eclectic like the other two albums but no less entertaining.The psycho-Bo Diddley "Please Go Home" is great 60's style garage-psyche rock.Anytime the Stones go Bo Diddley is worth listening to, by the way."Out of Time" is a great companion piece to "Under My Thumb" from Aftermath, as it features much of the same instrumentation, with Brian Jones anchoring the song on his marimbas once again."Back Street Girl" and "Ride on Baby" both fall into the same vein, with the use of the classical instruments on the rock tracks for that mock-Baroque feel that many of the 60's bands like the Kinks and Yardbirds went for with their use of harpsichords, etc."Sitting on a Fence" and "Take It or Leave It" are also like songs, with similar feels and good acoustic guitar work."My Girl" to me is the one oddity on the album but somehow it works with the eclecticness of the finished product.
My Guilty Pleasure
I agree with the reviewer who said she listens to this collection as is, no changes, no substitutions. So do I. Although I come from the point of view that every Stones album from the beginning to Exile on Mainstreet is essential, this grab bag of odds & ends has always had a special place in my heart for the non-hits: "Out of Time," "Sitting on a Fence," "Lady Jane," "Ride On Baby," "Take it or Leave It," and most especially "Back Street Girl." I actually love the corny Parisian bistro arrangements. The biting putdowns from the pompous louse singing should make every woman listening scream, "Dump him!" From the harpsichord on Lady Jane, to the vibes on Out of Time, to overall acoustic feel of the album, it was a period when the Stones were breaking away from their solid blues base and into a terrific period of experimentation. For those of you who mentioned that "Out of Time" could be a hit - it was, for Chris Farlowe, an Andrew Loog Oldham protege on his Immediate label. If I remember, he also covered "Ride on Baby." Never broke big in England. "Flowers" was the Stones chance to cover these songs for themselves. Oh, yeah, "My Girl" really is THAT bad - up there with the Who mangling "Heatwave." Amusingly awful.

Flowery
Flowers showcases the Stones at the height of their blues-to-pop transitional period.It combines the hits ("Ruby Tuesday", "Let's Spend The Night Together", "Mother's Little Helper", "Have You Seen Your Mother ,Baby, Standing In The Shadow?") with b-sides, UK tracks, and outtakes.The album starts with the subtle and beautiful "Ruby Tuesday", which sets the vibrant and colorful tone of the album.Then come the fast, horn-driven "Have You Seen Your Mother" leading to the absolute highlight, "Let's Spend The Night Together".Truly the best of the best, from the backing vocals to the boogie-woogie piano.Then we get a soft, Elizabethan treat, "Lady Jane"."Out Of Time" is a lovely, pop-sounding tune that would've been a big hit had it been released as a single.The only problem is that this version is two minutes shorter than the one released on the UK version of Aftermath.Then comes the cover, "My Girl".I disagree with the reviewers who hail it as a bad song and far unsuperior to the original.It may not be as good as the original, but it's pretty darn close."Backstreet Girl" is a wonderful, flowery tune with its accordion.When I hear it, I feel like I'm at a bistro cafe in France sipping a cup of coffee."Please Go Home" is a surf-like tune that's fairly catchy but fogettable."Mother's Little Helper" is a big hit, darkened by the sitar and some clever lyricism."Take It Or Leave" is a nice, dark song that makes you feel at peace when you listen to it."Ride On, Baby" is very powerful with silly lyrics and a happy-sounding harpsichord.But they saved the best for last with "Sittin' On A Fence".The song is insanely catchy and is sort of folk-like.I can't understand why this song was never released as a single as it would've reached #1 easily.They've done no other song like it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Invasion    2. British Psychedelia    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Psychedelic    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

A founding member of Pink Floyd who suffered a mental breakdown in the late '60s, Syd Barrett is revered in some circles for his singular vision. While outtake recordings that have surfaced have sadly shown much of his psychic dislocation, his two solo albums he released have much idiosyncratic beauty to offer. Read more

Reviews (41)

"Barrett" - Has Syd's Name All Over It
"Barrett" was Syd Barrett's second solo studio album, and the results of his last truly fruitful studio sessions of 1970, and features some playing from Pink Floyd bandmates David Gilmour and Richard Wright. Though there are some classic Syd songs on this album, I don't think this album is as good as "The Madcap Laughs" or even Pink Floyd's "Piper at the Gates of Dawn".
SYDS SWANSONG

Syd Barrett, RIP
Syd Barrett will be greatly missed. His whimsical songwriting style was unique and greatly influenced many famous musicians like David Bowie. This cd is an essential purchase for those wishing a taste of genius. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Psychedelia    2. Pop    3. Popular Music    4. Psychedelic    5. Psychedelic Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (9)

Strange Music
OK...This is my favorite album of all time.There is nothing like it.NOTHING!!!I think Robert Smith is one of the greatest songwriters of all time.Steve Severin is also great, of course.I have every album from the Cure and Siouxsie & the Banshees...BUT...this is still my favorite.Acid had a good effect on these two.Extreme psychedelia at it's finest.I love 60s psychedelia, too.. but this is better.I listen to it every day.So original with excellent sounds! When i first heard the female vocals on this album, i was disappointed because it wasn't Robert Smith, but they grew on me. I would have liked to hear Robert's 80s voice on these tracks.That would be a 10.He sounds a little worn out these days.I like the extra instrumental tracks on the 2nd CD.I always wished they were tracks of their own, and now i have them.The new RS vocals suck, but I'm elated with the improved main CD.I have to give it 5 stars because it's so good!!!If you want to enter a new dimension, listen to this.If you only like standard pop sounds, forget it.

Superb.Who cares when the vocals were recorded?
The reviewers here who do not like the bonus disk do not understand the Cure, or more specifically, Robert Smith.I have been following the Cure since _17 Seconds_ and this is perhaps the best "Cure" album after _17 Seconds_, _Faith_, and _Pornography_.The feel of the vocals is very reminiscent of the great period around _Japanese Whispers_. The sound is tremendously colorful, playful, and loose; the lyrics are some of the best [most bizarre] RS has written;and Robert sounds like he's having fun impressing Severin.Who cares when the vocals were recorded?A few of the songs feature acoustic rhythm parts reminscent of _The Top_, but less smarmy."The Man from Nowhere" is a double-time rhythm guitar driven instrumental that could serve as a film theme song for for some bizarre spy or superhero.On the original CD it bridged a couple of songs, muffled, but you can here it here in its entirety. It's hilarious.

Not as Fun as It Appears to Be
The Glove is actually a mock-up band consisting of The Cure's Robert Smith and Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees, with help from a female vocalist named Jeanette Landray. The band name is lifted from the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine," which featured a blue glove as the `muscle' for the Blue Meanies. They also borrow some artwork from the Beatles project, and take more than a little inspiration from the psychedelia of this project, with a natural tendency toward the "Blue" (read `dark') side of the equation. The original album was released back in 1983, so it is understandable why numerous fans of the Cure or the Banshees may be unfamiliar with the existence of this project. Now that is re-released as a 2-disk deluxe package, that may change, although I don't think they were missing much.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Punk    4. Psychedelic    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (22)

One-Stop Shopping
Although no greatest hits compilation will have EVERY song you might want on it, this one comes close, including several I didn't even realize WERE by this amazing group of artists.Even though it does have a song I must regretfully admit to loathing ("We Built This City"), I give this item the HIGHEST marks!

Satisfying, but a boxed set would be great!
It's a little hard to believe that the trippy Jefferson Airplane became the rocking Jefferson Starship only to disintegrate into the sappy Starship, but the transformation is right here on these two CDs. The songs you'd expect to find on a hits collection of these three bands are here -- Somebody to Love, White Rabbit, Miracles, Caroline, Jane and We Built This City, to name a few. For me, this compilation is worth having for the full version of Miracles, which was edited for radio play back in the 70s but is more passionate and amazing at its full length! While this set is satisfying, I'd like to see a boxed set someday...
Lives up to its title perfectly
I've been reading the reviews on this collection, and quite frankly, the name of this package is HITS...not what some people regard as their favorites maybe, but all the hits are there from all three incarnations of this band between 1967 and 1990. I've always been of the train of thought that band members come and go for reasons, and they chose the ones they thought would serve them the best. I don't see any of the changes this band made as any kind of sellout at all...hey, no one held a gun to their heads and said "You will make THIS type of music..." they wrote and performed the songs that were on these albums, and the ones they didn't write were ones they liked enough to record. Grace Slick and Marty Balin sounded great together...and when I had the chance to see the band in 1985, she sounded great together with Mickey Thomas...and in 2002 when I caught Mickey Thomas's Starship on tour with Eddie Money, he still sounded great doing all the Starship tunes associated with him. Every song is someone's favorite, and a lot of mine are on this collection. If you don't want to spend tons of money to get all their hits in one place, buy this collection. If, on the other hand, you prefer one period of this band's varied history over another...then go buy the best of collection from that period, or collect the albums they put out during that period. Hits collections seem to take it on the chin for not including one person's favorites or inevitably another person has to ask "how could they NOT include...?" (like the track "Winds of Change", but I already have that on another CD, it's not like I can't listen to it). All in all, great collection, comprehensive...
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Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Album Rock    3. Arena Rock    4. Folk-Rock    5. Hard Rock    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Popular Music    9. Psychedelic    10. Rock    11. Rock & Roll    12. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Special Edition

Reviews (2)

Pink Floyd - 'Echoes:The Best Of Pink Floyd' (Capitol)
A 2-CD,26 track,2 1/2 hours compilation of Floyd's repertoire.Sure,it's nice to once again relive tunes like the trippy "Astronomy Domine","See Emily Play",the pulsating "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun","Sheep","One Of These Days","Learning To Fly" and the quirky Syd Barrett's(R.I.P.)"Bike".Even though several of these cuts have been edited down to fit on the CD, I thought that was a good thing. Most fans should have all these songs anyway. For the completists, die-hards or any new patrons that have never owned a Pink Floyd record before.

how many times are they going to re-release these songs?
Don't waste your time with this disc, the songs have been edited down to fit on the discs and the only new material on this album is from The Wall movie.This is not for true fans.If you have never heard of Pink Floyd before, it may serve as a good intro to the band, otherwise don't waste your money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Psychedelia    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Psychedelic    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (42)

A little bit more experimental, but still cosmic and dreamy
Released in 1971, this is yet another outstanding album by the Moody Blues that finds them flirting with slightly more experimental themes than found on previous albums.Although, when I actually think about it, the only experimental moments on this album include the track Procession, which consists of a sound collage of moog synthesizer and vocal parts that gradually leads into an excellent (albeit brief) pipe organ solo, and culminates in a glorious crescendo of mellotron.In addition, Mike Pinder's mellotron-heavy track My Song is also somewhat experimental, and features very inventive arrangements.In fact, the track might be said to be bordering somewhat on prog rock, although more in the Spring/Barclay James Harvest sense of the word rather than Yes.
Every Great Moodies album deserves 5 stars, and this one certainly does!!
The Moody Blues 1971 album release "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" was recorded at the very peak of the band's unique molodic rock sound and creativity.Their consistent formula for success continues here, with each band member contributing to songwriting, and singing lead vocals to their own songs.The opening track "Procession" (written by all five members) is an mesmerizing journey thru the evolution of communication and music, cross fading nicely into the only classic single to be released from this album, namely Justin Hayward's "The Story In Your Eyes".Next cut from flautist Ray Thomas, "Our Guessing Game", is wonderfully overdubbed with dueling vocals.John Lodge's "Emily's Song", written for his daughter when she was born, is very pretty, which gives way to drummer Graeme Edge's great rocker to EGBDF with "After You Came".Dueling vocals return in the next track in John Lodge's "One More Time To Live".I consider the next track "Nice To Be Here" (written by Thomas) to be one of the best cuts on the album, a whimsical story of different animals in the forest making music with an assorted batch of rustic instruments, like cooking utensils!Yeah, it may sound corny, but the song is very catchy and effective. Justin Hayward's "You Can Never Go Home" is classic Hayward vocals and guitar, before mellotronist Michael Pinder's haunting contribution "My Song" closes out the album.
Disappointing!
To my ear, this album, while having a few seconds here and there of pleasant music which tricks you into believing something good is about to happen, it instead leaves you waiting in vain for anything enjoyable, interesting or catchy. I bought this album, trusting the band would live up to their name. But a lot of the vocals are sung flat and a lot of the writing sounds like a song-writing attempt of 13 year olds with no musical talent. Steer away from this album. Those who praised it as a "masterpiece" ... well, I can only conclude that they never heard the album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Psychedelia    3. England    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Popular Music    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

The guy was damn ingenious with a guitar, but not half as industrious as the folks who've packaged and repackaged his posthumous material. Read more

Reviews (86)

Wonderful Treasure
This is a treasure chest full of early unreleased Jimi.These songs really show the heart and soul of Jimi Hendrix as a thoughtful songwriter.As always, the guitar is wonderful and amazing; but there's something peaceful in even the most scorching of solos on this disc.Enjoy this wonderful collection of songs that illustrates Jimi's command of the blues and how he was able to stay true to it's roots or help it blossom into a rock 'n' roll explosion.

Jimi's Version
"In 1994, Hendrix's own handwritten track selection for First Ray surfaced and was reprinted in the french magazine Folk & Rock (November 1994).Surprisingly it was never used when attempts were made to complete the unfinished project in the years that followed.Hendrix only completed a song list for three sides of the double LP, and wasn't sure where to place the track "Night Bird Flying".With a darker-colored pen, he seemed to indicate that it should be the second song on side A.Hendrix's track selection for First Ray of the New Rising Sun was:
HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY...
(Astroman) Revolutionary YES!Jimi's music revolutionized the rock world in a blaze of color, all of the great players of the day knew he was special.Although he too derived his style from other music greats, his spirituality and raw energy created a new, ORIGINAL and enduring sound.Nobody does Hendrix like Hendrix (it gets tiring hearing others claim that another guitarist does IT better ... INVENTING IT is the impressive part, even I can imitate IT pretty well, along with a legion of others enthralled with the beauty).SRV, Robin Trower, Shawn Lane, Steve Vai, Terry Kath, Gary Moore, Eric Johnson, Nick Soloman and all others could only begin to approach his vision (of course they were/are huge talents in their own way, they could be thanked for carrying on the tradition).He lived and breathed beautiful music, and what is demonstrated here is no exception.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Boogie Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• SACD

Reviews (11)

Zombies at their best!
For several years, I had a CD of Zombies greatest hits and was content to enjoy listening to some great old songs from a very talented group. But someone recently gave me this new CD and I can hardly believe the difference! The quality of each track is amazing, revealing subleties not even hinted at in my old CD or, of course, in the original vinyl recording. The CD has all of the Zombie hits and the best of the rest. It avoids the later acid recordings that never caught on with fans on either side of the Atlantic.

Strangely disappointing
This, along with "Reggae in High-Fi" was my first purchase of an Audio Fidelity disc.I was very much looking forward to hearing the Zombies (without question one of the greatest Sixties bands) in the SACD format.I have the fantastic 4-disc "Zombie Heaven" box set (Big Beat Records, UK import) which, though it's Redbook and uses the original mono mixes for most of the material, sounds really, really good, and I thought, "well now, the Zombies in stereo, and in Super Audio!It'll be fantastic, even though I've already got all the songs."
The Zombies Still Make It Happen
I ordered this CD a few days after I saw them Live in Manchester N.H. Aug. 4th 2005. With the lead singer and keyboards being such a huge part of the Zombies sound, we were just amazed to see and hear them perform with Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone leading the band. After having such a great time at the concert, I just had to buy the CD. The CD is all of what you'd want to hear and much more. If you miss hearing the songs on the radio from The Zombies that you grew up with, this CD is the one to have. Well done, a 10, and top of the list of CD's that "take you back in time". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Heaven knows, the Scotsman born Donovan Leitch was ripe for ridicule, even when he was hitting the charts with regularity. He was the ultimate flower child, and his airier pronouncements made cynics want to tighten up those love beads around his neck. Listening to Read more

Features

• Box set
• Limited Edition

Reviews (32)

A fine introduction to the work of Donovan
As one who has owned copies of Greatest Hits (both the original CD release and the expanded remaster from 1999), this comp and the 3-CD Try for the Sun box, I have to admit there has yet to be a Donovan anthology that truly does justice to the man's catalogue, as each one seems to exclude one track or another that a fan would want to have there.These, however, are such minor quibbles as to be truly insignificant.Greatest Hits is perfect for the casual fan looking for Don's classic-era songs; Troubadour gives us a complete overview of his decade with Epic plus the two years preceding it in which he cemented his reputation as a Scots Woody Guthrie; while Try for the Sun is for the true completist.
Um... not a huge fan
I love folk music, folk rock, and any genre that is even remotely related, but I have to say that I am disappointed with this collection.There were only three songs worth noting - Catch The Wind, London Town, and What The Soul Desires - that were any good.The rest of the songs were musically well executed, but the lyrics and themes were just shy of idiotic.I ordered this set just to get Catch The Wind, so I guess I can't say I'm upset by it, but I guess I'm just thinking that perhaps Donovan may just be a bit overrated as far as this genre is concerned.He's got a good sound and a good voice, but his lyrics are a bit on the stupid side.Now, if you could give his melodic voice to Bob Dylan or Dylan's song writing ability to him, then we'll have something.

Review
Good music.I don't know much about the guy, but this is a pretty broad range of styles and quite interesting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. British Folk    2. British Invasion    3. British Psychedelia    4. Folk-Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Popular Music    8. Psychedelic    9. Psychedelic Pop    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop    12. Scotland    13. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (15)

Santana's Best Jams
If you're looking for the one Santana album that encompasses all of his talents, this is it. If you're not familiar with Santana, and are considering his music, this album is it. A collection of live cuts and studio tracks, this album was released right "Amigos". It was released during a period when Carlos Santana was pursuing some serious spiritual pathways, and the music is the better for it.
The bestguitar solo
For true Santana fans, this is - in my opinion - the best Santana CD available.There is a mixture of popular songs along with some great guitar solos."Transcendance" - to me - is probably the best guitar solo by Carlos Santana ever recorded.

Best Album in History!
"Best album in history" you say?How can that be? Well answer this- how can nine musicians on the live tracks blend together with such perfection that they eclips even the six members of the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East?There are four percussionists in perfect sync compared to the Allman Brothers two. Carlos is the the arguably the best guitar player in history.There may be others that are technically better than he but no one can put as much emotion and soul into his solos like Santana.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Fusion    4. Hard Rock    5. Jazz-Rock    6. Latin Rock    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. United States of America   

Reviews (17)

Another winner!
I waited a while to review this and I'm glad. Not near as accessible as "In Absentia" or "Deadwing" but still awesome. Steve Wilson's songs have a way of growing on me like no one else's. Some were instantaneous mainstays, including "Always Never" and "Fadeaway," two of the most emotional performances ever! But the other tracks are all great. Some quite long instrumentals that don't get boring (are actually quite good!) And I really enjoy the bonus CD "Staircase Infinities." Some more great instrumentals. This is music from Porcupine Tree that most resembled Pink Floyd (along with The Sky Moves Sideways.) But I personally think these instrumentals are better put together than some of Pink Floyd's, partially due to updated sound effects, but I think overall due to Steve Wilson's seemingly unending imagination and creativity. I am glad to read that the drum tracks were re- recorded using Gavin Harrison (their present-day drummer,) instead of samples. Poor Gavin: you can hear the restraint in his playing since Steven told him to try to stay close to the original recording! But one of the main reasons I am writing this review is to give credit to Mr. Harrison's phenomenal performances. Even playing under restraint, he manages to out- shine many of his peers. But listen to him on In Absentia or Deadwing. This guy lets the sticks fly perhaps more than any other artist I've heard (with the exception of his predecessor, Chris Maitland!) Now I'm not much of one to get excited by someone banging on a drum, but Porcupine Tree has had two of the best percussionists I've ever heard! Well, there is Bill Bruford... But, anyhow... you can be sure that you will enjoy this recording very much, just give it time to sink in!

The first great Porcupine Tree album
THE BAND: Steve Wilson (vocals, guitars, drum samples, bass), with assistance from Richard Barbieri (keyboards), Colin Edwin (bass), Gavin Harrison (drums & percussion on 2005 remastered version only).
I've burned this one out
Great performance of musical talent.These guys make music, they don't just play it.If you're tired of everything else, listen to these guys. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Experimental Rock    2. Pop    3. Post-Rock/Experimental    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Clearly their answer to Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (93)

The Rolling Stones in Pepperland
First off I have to say that I love this album. In fact it's my favorite Stones album. I originally bought the LP when I was 12 or 13 (about 3 or 4 years after it was released) and finally got around to getting the CD last week. It is their Sgt. Pepper but in some ways it's more of a version than an imitation as some have charged. My favorite tracks are Sing this all Together, Citadel, 2000 Man, She's a Rainbow and 2000 Light Years from Home. I also like Sing this all Together (see what happens), especially the Cosmic Christmas coda. Personally I have always thought that The Beatles were much more musically adventurous, experimental and imaginative while the Stones pretty much played it safe with their more traditional blues/rock and roll approach. Of course they are very good at what they do; I've just never found it quite as interesting. This album, however, is the exception to the rule. It is truly magical, partly a result of the contribution of Brian Jones (moog synthesizers, sitars, xylophone etc...). The guitars, percussion and horns are fantastic. The Citadel is a great medieval rocker. Though Bill Wyman's delivery on In Another Land is rather flat, it's still an interesting song. The harpsichord is a nice touch. Sing This All Together (See What Happens) is a very psychedelic jam session. She's a Rainbow is probably the strongest song on the album which features great background vocals. The Lantern and Gomper don't seem to be as developed as most of the others, but they're not bad. And 2000 Light Years From Home is super spacey. One of their best ever. While Sgt. Pepper was kind of Music Hall meets Stockhausen, Lewis Carroll and Ravi Shankar at the end of the world, Satanic Majesties is more medieval science fiction. And the cover is great, definitely inspired by Sgt. Pepper, the Stones are surrounded by planets rather than stars. Very clever. If you look carefully you can find the Beatles' faces on the front cover. I've only found John and George; Keith Richards claims that they're all in there. I've found that something that works great is to shuffle the tracks of Satanic Majesties and Sgt. Pepper; it makes a great double album the two being very complimentary.I wonder if that would work with other albums as well: Beggars Banquet and the White Album, Let it Bleed and Let it Be. Yes I think it would.

Just when you think you know the stones
This album is really cool although between the buttons before it was hinting at this there really is no album quite like this by thekings of rock n roll showing this band had more itelegence and creative juice then some would say. To get this album I think you need to hear alot more first like sticky fingers exile on main street ect but this is a great add on.

genius and underrated album
A completely superb album. Probably not for die-hard Beatles fans, as they will say "this is just a rip off of the beatles style"....because as we all know, The Beatles invented everything.....
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Subjects:  1. British Psychedelia    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Psychedelic    5. Psychedelic Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Import

Reviews (12)

One of the Strongest Debuts I've Ever Heard!
Since it's important to my comments on this album, I have to tell you that I am and always have been a native Western Pennsylvanian living in a rural area. Because of that, before the arrival of the PC and the Internet, music shopping was at times daunting to say the least. There were no record stores within a fair range of our home until the late 70's when a couple from New York opened a record store in nearby Indiana (which was a perfect choice, since Indiana is a college town. Thus, the store did quite well). They would carry things that I'm sure would've been hard to come by in a lot of stores, so needless to say, I bought there ALOT. However, my first purchase of a Love album was not in this store. It was in a music store in a mall in another town.
Powerful mid-60s punker especially in it's mono incarnation
I never really understood why Love's first LP is so often dismissed by "critics".Every thing you read by these pompous bores always seems to point to one idea - that this record was a good start but nowhere near the grandeur of FC.Which to my mind is complete nonsense.If anything, this recording surpasses Forever Changes which has to be one of the most overrated recordings in musical history (fine though it admittedly is).
Nº 1
Despite existing in an era (60's) that's well removed from mine Love have become my favorite band on the strength of three peerless albums that have left a mark in me like no other records have.
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Subjects:  1. Folk-Rock    2. Pop    3. Psychedelic    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop