Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse

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

#97 : Master Of Puppets - Metallica (1986) 

Metallica’s third album has a lyrical theme: manipulation. “It deals pretty much with drugs,” singer-guitarist James Hetfield said. “Instead of you controlling what you’re taking and doing, it’s drugs controlling you.” It also has a sonic theme: really loud guitars, played fast, with no regard for the hair metal that was then dominating the airwaves. When the band slows down on “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” it just emphasizes the unrelenting nature of the rest of the songs. Recorded during three months in Copenhagen, Master of Puppets was bassist Cliff Burton’s last album with Metallica; he died in September 1986, when the band’s bus crashed.

Me and Metallica don't really get on - although last time I didn't hate it as much as I was expecting to and even claimed my teenage self might like it.  I wasn't expecting this album to massively change the situation and no, it really didn't.  I can see there's a lot of skill involved, but I can't buy the claim that "really loud guitars, played fast" counts as a sonic theme.  If I was feeling generous, I'd say there is one really great track on the album - however, I'd swiftly clarify that by saying it's repeated 8 times (or 10 times on the "bonus" extended edition).  I'm sure those more familiar with works of this genre will tell me I'm wrong, but in order for me to learn to differentiate between the various nuances and subtleties involved, I'd have to listen to the album again - and let me assure you that's not going to happen.

Wikipedia doesn't have a lot to say about the album other than telling me I'm wrong - even the US Library of Congress disagrees with me because in 2015, this became the first metal recording to be selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.  Additionally, the album is giving the full track-by-track breakdown and apparently they're not all the same - so I guess I'm totally wrong and should probably buy my mum a copy for her birthday.  I'm sure she'd love it.  The band's Wikipedia entry is huge and basically tells us they've seen it all, but are still going - which must have been hard at times, particularly after Cliff Burton's death, which sounds particularly horrific.

"Customers also listened to" Megadeth, Maiden, Pantera and Ozzy - not my thing, it probably won't surprise you to hear.  I know that those of you that like this sort of thing regard Metallica highly, but it's not for me, I'm afraid.

#96 : Automatic For The People - R.E.M. (1992) 

“It doesn’t sound a whole lot like us,” warned guitarist Peter Buck. But by stripping back their sound to a spare, largely acoustic essence, the college-rock kings made the most powerful album of their career — an argument for sweetness and softness in an increasingly hard world. The bold sonic change-up laid bare Michael Stipe’s keening baritone and expansive vocal melodies, accentuated in several songs by Led Zeppelin member John Paul Jones’ gorgeous string arrangements. The album “was beautiful. It was quiet,” Stipe said. “It flew in the face of everything that was going down musically at the time.” At a time when grunge angst ruled, songs like “Everybody Hurts” and the lovely “Find the River” offered solace.

I had listened to this album a few times, but didn't overly mind listening to it again, I guess.  Basically, it's just a great album - no counter arguments considered.  Their previous album, Out Of Time (and especially "Shiny Happy People" and "Losing My Religion" - both top 10 in the UK and US) had somewhat raised their profile (#1 in the UK and US album charts), but this one just doubled down on all that, daring people to follow them, which they did happily.  It's quite a sombre collection of songs, but features some stone cold classics - the slower "Try Not To Breathe", "Everybody Hurts" and "Nightswimming" work best for me, but the more upbeat "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight" and "Man On The Moon" balance them nicely.  So yeah, I like it.  We'll skip over what happened with the band after this album where they decided to see how much further they could make people follow them, but if you need reminding you can read about it here.  

Wikipedia tells me two things I've never even considered (but should have!) - "The album name refers to the motto of Athens, Georgia eatery Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods. The photograph on the front cover is not related to the restaurant: it shows a star ornament that was part of the sign for the Sinbad Motel on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, near Criteria Studios, where the bulk of the album was recorded".  It also tells us that it lost out in the Album of the Year category at the Grammys to Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard, which I don't remember being particularly popular, but Wikipedia informs me it's only the biggest selling soundtrack album ever, having shifted 45 million copies.  So that tells me, big time.  R.E.M's Wikipedia entry is long and well worth a read if you like that sort of thing, which I do, so I did.  You wouldn't describe it as a barrel of laughs though - they're a serious bunch who like to be taken seriously.

"Customers also listened to" Sinead O'Connor, The Cranberries, 4 Non Blondes and Oasis - not a mixture I would have expected.  I'm an unashamed R.E.M. fan and I think there's a good argument this is their best album, so I was pleased to see it on the list.

#95 : Take Care - Drake (2011) 

The Toronto MC had his creative and commercial breakthrough on Take Care, establishing his image as the Champagne Papi who can always find a way to overshare, whether in the club or the bedroom. Drake covers both seductive R&B finesse and hip-hop swagger, with his longtime producer Noah “40” Shebib, along with guests like Rihanna and Jamie xx. “Marvin’s Room” is the showstopper — late at night, Drake drunk-dials his ex to figure out what went wrong (“I’ve had sex four times this week, I’ll explain/I’m having a hard time adjusting to fame”). Hard time or not, Take Care showed that Drake is always best when he bares his feelings in the spotlight.

Drake is another cultural blindspot for me - I just don't see what makes him the global superstar he is.  This is our second visit with the lad, last time we didn't clear up the mystery, but apparently that wasn't a typical Drake album, so maybe this one would.  And the good news is I'm now converted!  No, of course I'm not - I just don't see the appeal, it's kinda average R&B combined with average hip hop and I'm not sure why you'd bother.  To be fair, I'd have to say some of the tracks did sound fantastic over my headphones - it's a very "clean" sound in places - but the lyrics are just offensive, boring or whiny.  It sounds like he's finding fame a bit tricky to deal with - oh, boo hoo.  Poor lad - it must be difficult for him having all that money and all those women wanting to have sex with him.  Having said all that, I did quite like "Lord Knows" - but that was the one high spot for me and it lasts 80 minutes.  Sigh.

Wikipedia tells me that the critics liked his whining - apparently it's "wistful regret".  Hmmm - it sounds a lot like whining to me.  The critics and public lapped it all up though, with it debuting at #1 in the US (although it only got to #5 over here, so we obviously didn't go for it quite so much).  There are also a LOT of people involved with the album and some of them even I recognise - The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, Gil Scott-Heron, Stevie Wonder.  Stevie came in play harmonica on one track - which seems a bit of a waste of his talent, but I guess maybe that's just all that was needed.  Drake's Wikipedia entry is particularly long and interesting in places - the boy certainly fancies himself as an entrepreneur, having dabbled in record labels, basketball, TV, games, whiskey and fashion.  He also has an entertaining section on his feuds - there doesn't appear to be anyone the boy hasn't argued with.

"Customers also listened to" DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne and a load of other people I've never even heard of, but I'm sure they do stuff I'll shrug and shake my head at.  I'm going to file this in the "harmless but mystifyingly popular" bin - never to be revisited.

To be honest, it could have been any two albums up against R.E.M. and they'd have struggled but these two didn't even try - so well done to Michael, Peter, Mike and Bill and thanks for this and all the other albums.

#100-98 - The band vs the ladies
#94-92 - Attitude, attitude, attitude