The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

Lee Newman said:
5/8/23

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Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express



www.allmusic.com

Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk | Album | AllMusic

Trans-Europe Express by Kraftwerk released in 1977. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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I can absolutely dig why this might not do it for some, but it does it for me - and paved the way for so many other things that do. 5/5
 
Catching up from last week, although not really as informed and thought through as I had as ambition.

First off is Roxy Music, which is a band that I have a pretty vague idea about. My sister had Avalon and played it a lot when when I was a kid, so I've always figured they were this cool synth-based AOR-band. But then I heard their first two albums a while ago and realized I had been mistaken. First time listening to Country Life, and I really dug it! I can hear where a lot of the britpop bands like Blur, Suede and Pulp got their sound from. 4/5
Serge Gainsbourg was a strange leap from this. A weird album, and the theme is horrid by today's standards, but a fascinating musical and narrative experiment that I really enjoyed. 3/5
I've already talked a bit about 69 Love Songs, but listening to the whole thing again just reinforced my praise for it. One of my favourite albums of all time! 5/5
I had never even heard of The Icarus Line before. The album wasn't available on Spotify in my region for some reason, but I found it on YouTube. Pretty average indie rock with some good hooks and riffs, but other bands have done this kind of rock waaay better. Not really understanding why it is featured here. 2/5
I realized that I probably hadn't listened to Heroes from start to finish before. And I wasn't that impressed to be honest. This is clearly an album built around the great title track, and the rest is pretty anonymous. It sounds great, though. 3/5
Trans Europe Express is one of Kraftwerks lesser albums in my book, but even lesser Kraftwerk is still Kraftwerk, and therefore endlessly charming. 4/5

Now onto The Fall, a band that I have never really listened to before either.
 
Lee Newman said:
5/9/23

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The Fall - The Nation’s Saving Grace



www.allmusic.com

This Nation's Saving Grace - The Fall | Album | AllMusic

This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall released in 1985. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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Don't really know anything about The Fall, to be honest, except the old meme that it was basically a different line-up for every single record they ever released (with Mark E. Smith a constant, of course).

It's alright so far, pretty much what I was expecting for a post-punk band of the time.

It's just been dude talking over songs for ages now, starting to drag. These songs haven't got enough substance to be 2 minutes long, let alone >5 minutes.

So yeah, it's alright, the instrumentation is good, but it's just a dude talking over songs for an hour, hardly mega inspiring stuff.

2 / 5 stars.
 
dbarila said:
This is a band I know nothing about. I assume they're probably British?
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Yeah they are. They came out of the Manchester post punk scene of the late 70s early 80s but were much more cult and so either adored or hated. Plus Mark E Smith was one of the most divisive and difficult characters in music. Driven, grumpy, demanding and cuttingly sarcastic with a razor sharp wit.
 
Joe Mac said:
The Fall. A bad that most people I know that are into music either adore or hate. Led by the old grumpy bastard himself.
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Yeah, there’s probably no Pavement without The Fall and there influence in the current crop of hip UK post-punk bands can’t be denied. I haven’t spent too much time with Mark E. Smith and company as I should’ve considering how much I enjoy the aforementioned acts. I’ve enjoyed the stuff I’ve heard but never done a deep dive. Probably should rectify that.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Yeah, there’s probably no Pavement without The Fall and there influence in the current crop of hip UK post-punk bands can’t be denied. I haven’t spent too much time with Mark E. Smith and company as I should’ve considering how much I enjoy the aforementioned acts. I’ve enjoyed the stuff I’ve heard but never done a deep dive. Probably should rectify that.
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Yeah it’s not so much my thing but I was thinking after posting that I could imagine you’d be into them!
 
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