Lou Reed - 'Transformer'

Lou, the ex-Velvet Underground, hit the big time in his solo career with this cult classic album, 'Transformer, after a mediocre solo debut, he proved any critics out there that he can create the magic of VU on his own. This 36 minute-long album is a wonderful trip of utopia but with moments of great sadness. Kicking off the album is 'Vicious', it captures the essence of the album right from the beginning, 3 tracks in, the classic 'Perfect Day' begins, this song has soundtracked many epic moments in a huge variety of people's lives, the string arrangement works so perfectly with Lou's vulnerable voice, but with the song's epic chorus the music suddenly changes with Reed's vocals joining the music on a more confident pitch. 3 tracks into this classic album and the listener is enticed by Lou Reed's style of storytelling, this glam-rock album is very camp in places, Satellite of Love, Make Up, New York Telephone Conversation, etc. this can be linked to the use of David Bowie co-producing the album, Reed and Bowie were two figureheads of the glam-rock movement, and have left massive footprints on the history of music, both being amazing at their profession and causing controversy in the public's opinions. The album completes a circular structure with the final song being 'Goodnight Ladies'.

Bob Dylan - Hurricane

'Hurricane' tells the story of the boxer Rubin Carter, the night that changed his life. Rubin Carter was framed for murder and the racist nature of the New Jersey police force and Law hierarchy claimed he did it, and they chose to believe petty criminals, Alfred Bello and Arthur Dexter Bradley,  over the highly respected boxer. The song features heavy violin sections, which create an authentic sound, as this was not an instrument Dylan featured on many of his songs, it also gives it an emotional quality as the sound of the violin and the lyrics created a sorrow atmosphere. The song is the first on the album Desire, and is 8 minutes long, it captures the essence of Bob Dylan's songwriting style and his way of telling stories to his audience.

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

 Blonde on Blonde, is one of the most iconic albums in the folk-blues genre, the album mixes Dylan's lyrical style with his brash use of the harmonica and one of his early electric albums. Kicking off the album is 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35', this song straight away captures the sound and essence of the album, the lyrics are about the drug marijuana, Bob Dylan even used to pass a joint around before recording and playing this song, as it en-captured the meaning of the song. Blonde on Blonde has a few of Bob Dylan's biggest singles on the album, with half of the songs on the double LP being released and gaining huge popularity, songs such as 'Just Like a Woman' and 'Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat' gaining much commercial success. The song 'Visions of Johanna' is a standout for me and transmits the Bob Dylan sound the most, with his nasal singing style, and lyrical genius, he creates an atmosphere that is enticing, with a fairly simple back beat, the attention is solely on Bob Dylan and that famous harmonica. I give this album a 9/10, it only just misses out on full marks because although it transmits the atmospheric Dylan sound, it lacks the quality some of his earlier work has.

The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

This album is my favourite of The Smiths 4 studio albums and other numerous compilation albums, this album has claimed it's place in music history as it has become a cult classic and is still being thrived throughout a huge amount of todays aspiring teenagers. Released in June 1986 this album reached #2 in the UK charts and maintained a residency in the chart for a further 22 weeks, and has consistently sold worldwide since it's release. I cannot find a faulty song on the album, and it appeals to many different emotions and moods, for a more melancholic sound there is the emotional 'I Know It's Over' and despite it's upbeat tune, like many a-Smiths song, 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out'. For the more light-hearted songs the album offers 'Frankly, Mr. Shankly', 'Vicar In a Tutu' and 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'. Although these songs create an atmospheric album, my hit of 'The Queen Is Dead' is track five 'Cemetery Gates', portraying an almost literary battle to the mental image, in which i have the view of Morrissey and The Smiths on one side of the Cemetery with the poet Oscar Wilde opposing a stranger and Keates and Yeats on their side. The album has the classic sound representative of The Smiths style, I rate this album 8/10, just short of a full 10 because every now and then Morrissey's beautiful yet depressing lyrics can be too much.

The Pixies - Doolittle

Recently I have discovered The Pixies 2nd studio album 'Doolittle', I know it's 20 years late. The album has a very strong start with mean bass line of Debaser, and Frank Black's distinctive singing style, create a great opening track that should have been continued throughout the whole album but for me, there are few other songs on the album which impress me, favourites being 'Here Comes Your Man', 'This Monkey's Gone To Heaven', 'Mr. Grieves' and 'Crackity Jones'. However all other songs on the album are not as good, this disappointed me as I had heard good reviews and been recommended their material, but the aforementioned songs saved the album for me, which I would give 6/10 on account of an amount of songs being album fillers, but also those great tracks boosting it up to a 6.

Top Ten Albums of 2009

Here are my top ten albums of 2009

10. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up

I chose Paolo Nutini's second album as it had such a fresh sound, I prefer it to his debut album because These Streets, was very mainstream, and Sunny Side Up had much less hype so when it was released it was much more refreshing.

9.  Jamie T - Kings and Queens

8. The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant

7. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

6. The XX - [self-titled]

5. Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands

4. The View - Which Bitch

3. Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose

2. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

AND MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF THE YEAR IS:
1. THE HORRORS - PRIMARY COLOURS

I have chosen The Horrors 2nd album Primary Colours as my album of the year because it was a dynamic change of sound from their debut Strange House, the mainstream public and critics had written them off as Goths with big hair and tight jeans, however they came back in 2009 with the most refreshing new sound I have heard in a long time. They challenged the difficult 2nd album and for me should have won this years Mercury Music Prize.

thank you for reading. keep up to date for more posts

First Blog

Hey guys, not particularly sure how this site works. I am interested in becoming a journalist, and a friend recommended that I should create a blog, so here I am.

My topic of blog today is Bob Dylan;

I am a big fan of early Dylan, i believe his strongest albums are The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Blonde On Blonde, The Times They Are a-Changin', Bringing It All Back Home and Another Side Of Bob Dylan. I have listened to recent Bob Dylan music and am not impressed, his 2009 Christmas song Must Be Santa, and am disappointed. What is everyone's views on the great Folk singer.

TRJ