Metal Reviews

I came across this by accident when checking for recent live performances from Ginn's current iteration of Black Flag. After a furious search for upcoming shows, I discovered that this line-up had indeed been touring the old material off and on since 2013 but had not done any gigs in the last few years. Morris and Stevenson are currently touring together for a Circle Jerks / Descendants double bill, which is a more than adequate substitute.

One thing is crystal clear after my Flag-to-Flag comparison: the Keith Morris line-up is absolutely the Black Flag show that fans would want to see. Ginn's version falls short on all fronts when stacked up against his old cohorts. If you just want a snippet, here is a professionally shot performance of "My War" from the same show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTE7TXhv9c

Much obliged, thank you.

Skatepunk begins here. A wonderful testament to snot-nosed punk rebellion and suburban malaise.

My first time. I have heard albums from The Who before, but nothing from the golden-era.

Remarkable stuff.

Thoughts? I recall Whos Next being rather uneven, lots of highs and (relative) lows. I come back to Quadrophenia more often, possibly because I found that album more coherent, or possibly because it showed off their best musician (John Entwistle imo) and his immaculate bass lines more often.

Quadrophenia I have only good things about although I have never heard. But I would have to completely agree with you wholeheartedly. Indeed, a very uneven and incoherent recording, but I did still like the bass-playing on Who's Next, as the highlight of the recording. However, it could also be because it was late in the night that I was listening to Who's Next and so my mind was worn out for the day. I will revisit the album and give you a much more comprehensive opinion, for whatever that is worth.

Long distances of time since I have heard this recording but I know it to be of excellent quality and a prime classic in the progressive rock repertoire. Mightily good.

A colourful debut and a colourful band. As modernistic and as classicist, as any 20th century music can be.

A recording that I have not heard at least in the past 4 years or so. A welcome return. It's bands such as ELP that makes me love the arts so much.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

Magnifique.

Edit: I'm not in the habit of "ranking" artists by any measurable superiority or inferiority, but I do like to confess that I like this more than Chick Corea, at least the majority of his discography of the ones which I have heard, with some minor exclusions, with some good measure of fairness to Mr. Corea.

I believe this album was the first non-King Crimson or Pink Floyd from the genre that I bought. It's not a style I return to often, but it is a singular recording, one I should listen to again soon.

Yes, agreed. Not something that can be part of a regular regiment of listening, but something which ought to be listened to, once in a while, as those rare obligation calls, which cannot be dodged and all the better, when there is great pleasure found in it! I believe it was also one of last major progressive groups which I went along and discovered quite a long time ago.

(Peter Gabriel - i/o)

Delicate and beautiful at points, although I don't see why he took so damn long over it...

Later work arguable, but surely this debut belongs here, with its very 60s style (if always heavier than I remember?). And already impressive even at this embryonic state...

Recently re-acquired. Certainly not my favourite Purple and in my opinion somewhat a strange-sounding recording, but I still like it quite a bit, whenever it is that I play it.

This most certainly does feel like a debut but a band that very well knows how to write a proper suit.

Edit: Well, I must say, North, I could listen to this stuff a lot of the times. These days, at least.

An excellent sophomore effort.

An outstanding live recording.

Perhaps my favourite from them, followed by Brain Salad Surgery.