Go find you someone else to pick on

Continuing my trip up Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time...

#179 : Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G. (1997)

Biggie’s second album was a victory lap following the immense, earth-shaking success of his 1994 debut, Ready to Die, and was prophetically and tragically released less than a month after the 24-year-old was shot and killed. The rubber-grooved “Hypnotize” was already on its way to becoming a smash when he died, and his lyrical genius and gift for narrative were on display all over this two-CD set, as he grapples with rap-game politics and delivers thinly veiled knocks at the West Coasters he long beefed with over clean, lush-sounding production. He was just getting started.

I thought I knew what I was going to get with this and was all ready to hate it.  But, I was quite (and in places, pleasantly) surprised - it's a lot less heavy and hard-going than I was expecting it to be.  I'd even go as far as to say that I enjoyed "Mo Money Mo Problems" - it's a cool track and uses "I'm Coming Out" very effectively as its basis.  And whilst there is (unsurprisingly) violent content, in places it's surprisingly reflective on the causes and the fallout - almost like some thought has been involved (which I was very much not expecting).  I also found the lyrics a lot more understandable than many other such albums I've been forced to listen to - I appreciate this is entirely down to me, but it definitely enables me to attempt to appreciate the album more.

However, let's apply some balance here and say that some of this album is extremely unpleasant and some of it extremely juvenile.  "Fuck You Tonight" manages to go beyond juvenile - it's like an X-rated Theophilus P. Wildebeest sketch (and somehow, I don't think that's the sound he's aiming for).  The other thing I have to mention is that the album is 2 hours long.  2 HOURS!!!  There's really no excuse for such behaviour - although, amusingly, the clean version is only 1 hour long.

Amazingly, Wikipedia actually makes some of the points I've made in the paragraphs above - it's almost like I know what I'm talking about at times (only at times, though - as any Bob Dylan fan will tell you).  It actually has remarkably little to say about the album, spending most of the space on the various feuds and disses contained within.  I tell you, it's not going to end well for someone.  And his Wikipedia page tells you how bad it got, but his loss was keenly felt and his influence appears to live on (obviously, I'm not an expert on such matters).  He certainly had an interesting and full live though - even if he only made it to 24.   His first two albums being called Ready To Die and Life After Death does seem somewhat ironic though, if not prescient.

"Customers also listened to" a lot of them rappy types, some of whom I've previously had to suffer and some of whom are still to come, I'm sure.  Overall, I'm conflicted about this album - parts of it were horrible and it was way too long, but in places I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting (although I'm not sure how much of that was just relief that it wasn't as bad as I feared)

#179 : Otis Blue - Otis Redding (1965)

Redding’s third album includes covers of three songs by Sam Cooke, Redding’s idol, who had died the previous December. Their styles were different: Cooke, smooth and sure; Redding, raw and pleading. But Redding’s versions of “Shake” and “A Change Is Gonna Come” show how Cooke’s sound and message helped shape Redding’s Southern soul, heard here in his originals “Respect” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and in a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which was itself inspired by the Stax/Volt sound. “I use a lot of words different than the Stones’ version,” Redding noted. “That’s because I made them up.”

Our second visit with Otis - last time I was a bit underwhelmed by it all so was pretty much expecting more of the same.  And that's pretty much what was happening - they were all fine soul songs, but I didn't really think he particularly showcased them or them him (and I prefer Sam Cooke's versions of all of his songs).  But then, "My Girl" came on and, whilst I quite like the original Temptations versions, I really liked Otis' version and thought his voice really suited it.  I also quite liked his version of "Satisfaction" - and it really does sound like he's making the words up as he goes along.  So, mostly an OK album but elevated in places by the obvious talent involved.

There's a surprising amount of text on the album's entry but very little content - although it does boldly state that this is his finest album.  I don't have any evidence this isn't the case, but it feels to me like he had a better album in him if he'd had the opportunity to make it.   We covered his entry before and the fact that he was a decent lad that people liked - and god knows there have been few enough of them on this list.

"Customers also listened to" a lot of them soul types, who I tend to enjoy more than them rappy types but I've been surprised I'm yet to absolutely love any of the albums I've been presented from them.  And it's the same story here, I'm afraid - I quite liked bits of it, but was hoping for more.  In contrast to Notorious B.I.G.'s album though, there was nothing here to hate.

#178 : Every Picture Tells A Story - Rod Stewart (1971)

“We had no preconceived ideas of what we were going to do,” Rod Stewart said. “We would have a few drinks and strum away and play.” With a first-class band of drinking buddies (including guitarist Ron Wood and drummer Mickey Waller), Stewart made a loose, warm, compassionate album, rocking hard with mostly acoustic instruments. “Mandolin Wind” was his moving ballad of a country couple toughing out a long winter on the farm; the title tune was a hilarious goof. But Stewart scored his first Number One hit with “Maggie May,” his autobiographical tale of a young stud getting kicked in the head by an older lady.

The words "Rod" and "Stewart" were dirty words growing up in the Reed household - for no apparent reason, my Dad HATED him (along with Michael Jackson).  In the few years since I've left home, I've found the odd track of his I quite like (generally through cover versions, eg "I Don't Want To Talk About It" and "Handbags And Gladrags") but I can't say I'm a huge fan and I don't particularly like his voice.  But I was interested to listen to this, hoping to possibly understand the anti-Rod bias I experienced in my formative years - although I'd have to say the description above didn't exactly convince me any reasons would be forthcoming.

Well, it was OK - but no more than that.  It doesn't give you the impression it was the most structured of recordings - it sounds like Rod and his mates had a great laugh making it but if they gave out awards for having a great laugh, I'd have a full mantlepiece (whereas, as it is, I don't even have a mantlepiece!).  "Maggie May" and "(Find A) Reason To Believe" are fine songs (with the latter being a Tim Hardin cover version, which I didn't know), but I can't say anything else jumped out at me except for all that "Amazing Grace" nonsense at the end of "That's Alright" - I've no idea what that was all about.  Is this a hateful album which explains my Dad's anti-Stewart leanings?  No.  But is it a great album?  Again, no.

Wikipedia doesn't have an awful lot to say about the album although it does include the following critical comment - "Boring as half of it may be, there's enough that is unqualifiedly magnificent on the other half".  Unfortunately, having listened to it, I'm not entirely clear which half is which, although if I had to guess I'd go for the second half being magnificent since it includes the two tracks I mentioned as being bearable.   Rod's Wikipedia entry is HUGE and, if I was surprised in the last round that James Taylor has sold 100m albums, imagine my astonishment that Sir Rod has sold 250m in his lifetime (and absolutely none of them to my dad).  To be fair to the lad, he always comes across as though he knows he's a) not performing brain surgery and b) he's bloody lucky, so he's going to enjoy his luck.  It's probably best not to apply the marriage/nice guy correlation theory to him - although he has only been married 3 times (it feels like many more), I'm not sure how we factor in the 8 children by 5 women.  Wikipedia does include the following amusing sentence though - "In reference to his divorces, Stewart was once quoted as saying, "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house"".

"Customers also listened to" a somewhat bizarre mix - Hall & Oates, Elton John, Gerry Rafferty, Carly Simon.  Again, this album wasn't hateful but I think it unlikely I'll revisit it - I might try out his greatest hits though.

Not a terrible selection this time around, but not exactly great either.  I actually think Notorious has the album with the most to admire about it, but it also has the most to hate about it as well - and Otis was unlucky not to win last time, so I'll give this round to him for a perfectly acceptable, if not exactly stellar, offering.

#182-180 - The lads do not impress here
#176-174 - Three albums I'm thoroughly unqualified to comment on