Reviews Written By: A5OBJUPZLVOKGprovided by Amazon.com |
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 | The Beatles - With the Beatles | |
 | "5 star for album, but vocals only in right speaker" | 2009-09-21 |
| This is a fantastic album, 5 stars like every other Beatles album-- I don't think I have to tell you that.
But I just want to reiterate what others are saying about the 2009 stereo remastered mix... it's just plain awful to listen to, IMO, simply for the fact that all the vocals are in the right speaker. This problem also exists on the Please Please Me album. Outside of those two CDs, as well as some of the tracks from this period on the Past Masters 1 collection, all the new stereo releases are phenomenal and indispensable (well, I also think Sgt. Pepper is better in mono, but that's even an more subjective opinion). Anyway, they did a tremendous job with the re-mastering, but "buyer beware" before you purchase With the Beatles or Please Please Me. Hopefully they will re-issue the mono versions of at least those two albums separately in the future. | ||
 | Ac/Dc - Ballbreaker | |
 | "Great album, disappointing remaster version package" | 2008-10-16 |
| Ballbreaker is a 5-star album to me, and one of my favorite AC/DC albums. However, I was a little disappointed with the packaging of the remastered version. One of the reasons I bought this album was because I always thought the booklet with Ballbreaker was really awesome, with the comic book illustrations alongside the lyrics. In this version, though, you get a book with a decent, but unnecessary review praising the album, some cool photos, and the original illustrations in there as kind of an afterthought. No lyrics. It just doesn't have the same "feel" as the original release booklet. That's probably a weird gripe, and it might not bother most people, but I thought I'd point it out. Otherwise, this is a great album, unlike any other they've released, with a crisp guitar sound and great production, and Brian Johnson's best album vocally in my opinion. Make sure you check it out one way or another! | ||
 | Steve Vai - Live at the Astoria London | |
 | "Vai brings the house down..." | 2004-06-16 |
| This was the first time I'd ever seen Steve Vai in concert, and I was thoroughly impressed. As many know, this man is one of the best, and his performance here just solidifies his "rock god" status. The performance is completely exhausting, but in a good way. It's just one relentless guitar riff after another, neverending solos, and nonstop energy. There are a lot of complaints about the visual aspect of this DVD. Yes, the camerawork is far from "professional," but it seemed more than appropriate for this type of concert. Yes, Steve Vai is a bit silly in his stage antics. But to say he's childish and needs to grow up in order to be respected as a musician? His guitar playing, what he's paid to do, is far from childish, my friend. This is Steve Vai being Steve Vai, and if you want to see Joe Satriani, watch him instead. If you're going to be put off easily by the visuals of a music DVD, I might advise not getting it. Personally, I didn't even notice anything was "wrong," because I was enjoying the show too much. For the price and the healthy amount of interesting extras on this 2 disc DVD, I would HIGHLY recommend this purchase to anyone who wants to see a master at work. | ||
 | The Ramones - Loco Live | |
| "Loco Live... pure energy" | 2003-06-12 |
| In my opinion, this is the greatest live Ramones album out there. Although it is the first album released without DeeDee, it does a wonderful job of capturing the energy of the live Ramones concert. Some people might prefer It's Alive over this one, since it contains all the early stuff and all the songs sound similar to the originals. However, this album is much louder and faster, and contains newer songs as well as the classics, all performed at unremittingly breakneck tempos. The only unfortunate thing about this album is that Joey went back into the studio and re-recorded vocals for a lot of this album (you can tell where this has happened most of the time, in the places where is voice is smoother than in the rest of the album). This does, however, make the album a bit better musically. Overall, I think anybody who complains that "all the songs sound the same" on this album is missing the point. This is a live Ramones album, which means that that this album is all about energy. Pure, nonstop energy. And, for that purpose, it's one of the greatest live albums ever. Highly recommended. | ||
 | Aimee Mann - Lost in Space | |
| "beautiful" | 2003-06-12 |
| Aimee Mann is one of the only artists I know who could make such a beautiful album on the themes of sadness, resignation, and addiction. Her album Lost in Space captures all these emotions perfectly, with her subtle, brilliant lyrics reflecting the quiet despair of her music. It somehow manages to turn a very depressing work into something uplifting. As a result, Lost in Space has become one of my favorite albums, and is definitely the best thing I've heard in the past 2 years. Most of the complaints I've read on this album seem to point out her earlier works, and say that Lost in Space isn't "up to the standards" of her previous efforts. It seems like they're saying that just because this album isn't what they expect from Aimee Mann, that it's not very good. That's not a good approach. I think you should listen to this with an open mind, recognize that this album isn't going to be like her other work, and take it for what it is. It'll become much easier to appreciate. Though it might take a while to grow on you, I definitely think that this a purchase you won't regret. I can't point out any particular songs as my favorites (Invisible Ink was the first track to stand out to me when I first heard it), because I believe the album should be experienced as a whole. The entire thing is remarkable, and I see it as the highlight of Aimee Mann's musical career so far. Perhaps not for all tastes, but highly recommended. | ||
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