Evies Blog

#1 Record/Radio City Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3706 in Digital Music Album
• Published on: 2009-06-16
• Released on: 2009-06-16
• Running time: 4734 seconds

Customer Reviews:

Two great albums, sharper sound and detail no 5.1
The first two seminal Big Star albums come to SACD with terrific sound full of nice details. Just a warning, though, both albums are presented in remastered stereo (done by Fantasy staff engineer George Horn)but not in 5.1 Surround Sound. It’s possible that the tapes the final stereo masters were drawn from are too badly damaged to do a 5.1 mix, or Fantasy just didn’t want to bother. Either way, it’s something to be aware of when purchasing this terrific twofer.

There’s nothing in the way of new information in the booklet. The liner notes from the 1992 CD release are used again. There’s less photos. The original booklet had copies of the front cover of both albums. This one doesn’t. Curiously, the cropped picture on the cover of the band shows up twice. The second time they flipped the negative evidently to make it look like it’s a different shot.

What can one say about two power pop classics that helped define the short lived heyday of the genre? As important as Badfinger and The Raspbarries seminal releases the optimistically titled #1 Record allowed the band to put all the goods on the table. Brilliant songs, performances and guitar riffs abound all over the first album. Although many folks give the first album 5 stars, I’d have to differ. Some of the music hasn’t aged quite as well as it should have. The second album is, in my humble opinion, the better of the two despite not having Chris Bell’s direct involvement. Alex Chilton sings as if his life depends on it.

There are no additional bonus tracks or rarities included here (although there are probably some that exist). It’s a pity that Fantasy chose not to dig into the vaults and pull out additional material for this re-release to make it worthwhile for the small, devoted core of music fans that will purchase this SACD.

Simply Stellar Music and unbelievable Sound Quality!!
First and foremost both the individual albums - #1 Record and Radio City are stellar albums epitomizing or rather considered to be originators of the concept of “power pop”

Liner Notes begin by quoting Encylopedia Britannica - Big Star: American band that during its brief existence in the early 1970s helped define power pop, a style in which bright melodies and tunefully boyish vocals are propelled by urgent rhythms (Encylopedia Britannica).

Incidentally, Rolling Stones recent listing of Top 500 albums of all times gives due credit to Big Star by putting in all 3 studio albums ever released by the band at # 403 (Radio City), # 438 (#1 Record), and # 456 (Third/Sister Lovers). Very few bands have indeed 100% of the catalogue in Top 500 listing. (Incidentally, Nick Drake’s all 3 albums make it to Top 500 albums - would love to get them on SACD versions).

# 1 Record and Radio City differ in style due to Chris Bell’s departure in second album (though he contributed on a few tracks but was not credited). Notable songs from both albums are Feel, Ballad of El Gordo, In the street (which was recently covered by Cheap Trick for TV series That ’70s Show - hate the version by Cheap Trick! they had their moments at Budokan but this was not their moment), and notable September Gurls. ST 100/6 is a great track - under one minute and just breathtaking! Alex Chilton is superb and Chris Bell is equally great at taut compositions and great vocals.

Kudos to Stax / Fantasy for putting this album out (along with others such as Leo Kottke - 6 & 12 string guitar, Issac Hayes - Shaft, etc.)

The sound is simply unbelievable. I have a reasonable collection of Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, SACDs, DCC and other audiophile recordings and this recording is just stellar for the era it was recorded in. The transfer to SACD is beautiful and i am awaiting for the Third / Sister Lovers to be out on SACD to be able to hear Kanga-Roo (notably covered by Jeff Buckley - orginally by Alex Chilton from the third album)

Simply awesome sound! and beautiful music! stellar combination!

Did Any Band Ever Make Two Better Albums Back to Back?
After reading about “the greatest band I’ve never heard of” in Rolling Stone, I decided to check out Big Star’s first two albums. The verdict: this band should have ruled the world. Today, while the music of many of their early 70’s contemporaries sounds cheesy and dated, Big Star’s sounds are absolutely timeless.

Let’s talk about “Numer 1 Record.” For pure groove, “Feel” rivals Led Zep. “The India Song” is a retro, hippie-dippie slice of the Byrds, while “Watch the Sunrise” is as good of a George Harrison song as George Harrison ever wrote. “Thirteen,” is simply one of the purest, most innocent love songs I’ve ever heard. Yet none of these are my favorite track on the album; that honor goes to the inspired “Ballad of El Goodo.” As a lyricist, Alex Chilton will never be mistaken for Leonard Cohen; on “Numer 1 Record” he sometimes tends to fall into the “mad/sad/glad” school of writing, but it simply doesn’t matter. His voice is sweet and soulful and gorgeously wounded, and the hooks and harmonies are pure joy.

And “Radio City” is better. This album isn’t as consistent as “Number 1,” but the variety is even more pronounced and the high moments are simply other-worldly. This album is sortable by sections. The first two tracks “O My Soul” and “Life is White” are a complete departure from “Number 1,” and echo the Mephis boogie-woogie of Chilton’s roots. “Way Out West” is a brilliant nod to the best of 50’s style pop ballad writting - innocence yet lined with desperation - with the ringing guitars of the 60’s Brit. bands folded in. “You Get What You Deserve” is a complete one off; it sounds like it was a Steely Dan song written long before Steely Dan was even thought ot. On “What’s Going Ahn,” “Mod Lang,” and “Back of a Car,” indie rock springs fully formed out of the side of Alex Chilton’s head. After hearing these tracks I could absolutely see why Rolling Stone said bands like the Replacements and Pavement would have been unimaginable without Big Star. By the time “She’s a Mover” rolls around the album has built to almost unbelievable heights. This song sounds like a prime cut off of “Rubber Soul” or “Revolver.” The icing on the cake is “September Gurls.” The Replacements once wrote an awesome song titled “Alex Chilton.” The chours goes “I’m in love/ I’m in love/ I’m just in love with that song.” My thoughts exactly.

Simply put, this is some of the best pop-music ever. Chilton was on the level of Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. The fact that Big Star remains so unknown almost makes it sweeter. I never thought I would be able to hear pop songs this good for the first time again.

Electronic Cigarettes

I Believe I Can Fly Album/LP Version Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #974 in Digital Music Track
• Released on: 2003-09-23
• Running time: 320 seconds

Customer Reviews:

Raise Credit Score

American Pie Description:

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109 in Digital Music Track
• Published on: 1987-04-24
• Released on: 1988-09-05
• Running time: 516 seconds

Customer Reviews:

A Classic
This song captures a time in America at the tail end of the hippie generation. You can spend hours decrypting the the lyrics. All of this for about 10 cents a minute. Can’t be beat.

The best pie of all.
American Pie is, perhaps, one of the greatest songs of all time. It is also the best song for karaoke bar none. I could not recommend this song highly enough. Also, the price/min is an unquestionable value.

5+ Stars

The MP3 preview missed this song’s hook
Whomever it was who chose this portion of this song as the preview clip for Amazon’s MP3 store mustn’t be familiar with this song, as they’ve missed the hook entirely. The song’s hook, which will cause anyone 40-ish or older to start singing along, drunk or sober, is this:

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”

Smokeless Cigarettes

Compare Prices on Collection Uhrovska, 1730 : Iag Bari

• Released on: 2009-09-08
• Running time: 130 seconds

Quitting Smoking Cigarette

Compare Prices on The Chronic Explicit

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414 in Digital Music Album
• Released on: 2009-04-21
• Running time: 3772 seconds

Inspiring and genuine; a timeless classic.
The first shot fired in the G-Funk hip-hop revolution, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic withstands the test of time. Originally released way back in 1992, it was the first release from Suge Knight’s Deathrow Records label. Despite being recorded seven years ago, back when the hip-hop ear was very different, The Chronic seems to sound fresh and new every time it is played. The album not only was popular with hip-hop fans though, because it sold four million copies. Not only that, it launched the careers of such hip-hop stars as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Lady Of Rage, Warren G (Dr. Dre’s brother), RBX and the smooth-voiced Nate Dogg. Another thing that is special about the album is Dr. Dre himself. Unlike the new rappers who are coming out these days, you hear and understand every single word that is being said by every single person on this album. Unlike label cliques like Cash Money and No Limit, who have boring and repetitive beats and people who can’t rap and don’t annunciate the words that are being said. That ruins what hip-hop is about; not danceable beats but expression of thoughts. That is what is truly special about hip-hop. You feel all the words being said, and therefore that makes The Chronic an easy album to listen to. The reason the album always sounds fresh is because of real live instruments. Alto saxophones, flutes, keyboards, guitars, bass guitars, percussion, and even live drums are all heard on this album.

Highlights on the album include the infamous Eazy-E diss “Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)”, where Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg take it at Dr. Dre’s former partner for years in the famous group NWA, and other people who got in their way, such as Tim Dog and Florida rapper Luke, the exotic “Let Me Ride”, which has amazing keyboard trills and a lady talking at the beginning who sounds like Rosie Perez, “The Day”, which shows an amazing performance from Dr. Dre and a great beat, the classic “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang”, which features Snoop Doggy Dogg, one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever made, the beautiful “Little Ghetto Boy”, a remake of the Donny Hathaway song, which has a great flute solo, “Lyrical Gangbang”, which features the superb debuts of Kurupt and Lady Of Rage, the laid-back “High Powered”, the swift “Stranded On Death Row”, which features Kurupt, RBX, Lady Of Rage and Snoop Doggy Dogg, “The Roach(The Chronic Conclusion)”, is one of the best outros I’ve ever heard, as it has alto saxophone, guitar, percussion and live drums for an almost blues-like song. The last track is “Bitches Ain’t Shit”, a juicy gossip song about women which features Kurupt, Daz Dillinger and Snoop. I really liked all of the tracks, and thought the interludes were okay, like “Doctor’s Office” and “The Twenty-Dollar Sack Pyramid”, yet they were a bit aimless.

To conclude my review, I think Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is a hip-hop classic. You feel the words, the beats are live instruments, and the guests are great too. I would recommend this to any hip-hop fan, although any real hip-hop fan should have this or some Deathrow album.

Top Ten List - Hip Hop’s Greatest Albums
Simply stated, one of the greatest Hip Hop albums ever! In my opinion, this is basically a Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg album, along with some high powered friends. Snoop has never sounded better, and Dre’s vocal tone and cadence are impeccable. This is hip-hop in its purest form. Hot beats and professional lyrics. Unlike a lot of garbage that is passing from Hip-Hop these days.

Dre Redefines Street Hip Hop
Although N.W.A created a huge stir with their gangsta rap release “Straight Outta Compton”, rap did not reach the mainstream level until Dr. Dre released “The Chronic”. In a lyrical sense, both albums represent the same thing: life living on the streets of Compton. This of course primarily includes explicit lyrical content in the vain of gun violence, drugs, and women. The aspect to this album that seems to make this release acceptable for more music listeners would be the exceptional musical rap beats. Dr. Dre produces absolutely sensational, rhymthic, funky beats with a mix of jazzy beats, soothing hip hop and hardcore gangsta beats too.

The Introduction to this release has Dre telling us listeners the subject of this album, and dedicates it to his “n-ggas”[...]Snoop Doggy Dogg makes his rap debut on this album, and certainly expresses his impressive flow on this track. “Let Me Ride” is purely hip hop at its finest, with a very groovy beat, a catchy chorus, and tight lyrics making it an album highlight. “The Day the N*ggaz Took Over” is more of a hardcore gangsta song, with the explicit lyrics telling the stories of living in the city where it is “do or die”. “Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang” has remained popular ever since it was recorded, with its very accessible, funky beat for the classic Dre/Snoop collaboration. It was the biggest hit off the album. “Deeez Nuts” has my favourite beat on the album, you can literally feel it in your veins. It is down-to-earth, and Nate Dogg makes a very memorable appearance with his impressive vocals. Dre actually lets the beat play out with no lyrics for one minute to close out the track. “Lil’ Ghetto Boy” moves back to some more hardcore street lyrics with a very laid back beat. “A N*gga Wit a Gun” has more of the N.W.A type of sound, with a drum based, hardcore beat and an intense lyrical delivery from Dre.

“Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat” is very similar with a hardcore gangsta sound, and it is an awesome track. “The $20 Sack Pyramid” is simply a skit which is somewhat amusing. “Lyrical Gangbang” is one of my favourite songs, with the guest stars RBX, Kurupt and Rage giving some excellent lyrical deliveries. “High Powered” mixes hardcore rap sound with a jazzy background, giving it a bouncing, groovy feel. “Stranded on Death Row” brings back some great guest star appearances. All of the guests on this album have excellent deliveries, and their own unique style. “The Roach” is the outro for the album, even though their is another track on here. This outro incorporates saxophones into its beat sounds, making it strictly a jazzy beat. “Bitches Ain’t Shit” is a decent song with a pretty tight beat, but lyrically it falls into a crude subject matter that is simply pointless and ventures away from the album theme of street life.

Overall, this is quite simply put one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, and is my personal favourite release by Dr. Dre. The beats are sensational, the lyrical content is compiled effectively and delivered by the best MCs around at that time. The Rolling Stones gave props to this album, placing it at #137 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Also, to make your money even more worthwhile, it features a bonus DVD with music videos. This album is highly recommended to any fan of rap.

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Compare Prices on Amazon Comedy Sampler Explicit

• Released on: 2009-04-25
• Running time: 0 seconds

Hit and Miss
I’m not a big fan of modern comedy, because much of it is lazy and unfunny. Some examples of that can be found in this sampler, but there were several moments that really did make me laugh. With any sampler, there are bound to be such variances so, given the price (i.e., it’s free), I suggest going ahead and downloading this. You may not enjoy all of it-Robert Schimmel’s “17 Year Old” bit is much creepier than it is funny-but you may be entertained for a while.

Raunchy and funny and free
Some clips are very short (one is only one minute!) but the album consistently made me laugh. Particularly funny were Craig Ferguson, Adam Ferrara, and Bert Kreischer. Enjoy!!

By the way, it says explicit on there for a reason. If certain words scare you, then don’t download it.

Great Sampler
This is what a sampler should be; a good cross section of different types of comedians. While they are not all gems, it does give you a good idea of what you would like, and what you should probably stay away from. For me, the Ralphie May and Craig Ferguson pieces alone should make this a five star review. I have listened to them over and over, and still laugh every time I hear them. Like some of the other reviewers, I too get tired of the language sometimes, but some of the comedians use it very effectively. And there is that pesky warning to let those that are easily offended know that they should probably stay away. Cheap sex jokes, however, especially those of Robert Schimmel, are not my taste and I now know to stay away from his material and live acts. As one other review stated, his talking about sex and his 17 year old daughter is very creepy.

Even if this wasn’t free, this should be downloaded for Ferguson’s track alone. It is a comedy classic up there with many of the greats!

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