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

16. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow

This one is new to me. Never heard of them or this album, so I didn't know what really to expect. Boy, this is unique for sure. It's a form of aural assault from the get-go. The best description I can give that at least made sense to me is that it is like a hard/Indie rock version of some of the freakout moments from the Grateful Dead's live Dark Stars or Playing In The Bands just without the eventual payoff of a killer melody or mind-blowing improv. One song of this sounds kind of cool, an entire album is tedious. I get why it was picked, but it didn't do a whole lot for me. It's not a 1 as I did find redemptive qualities in a lot of it. But it's a solid 2 for me.

Rating - 2.0/5
 
So... unpopular opinion time:

I don't like Michael Jackson. I also have a hard time separating art from the artist so I'm not sure if I could fully enjoy this album even if I did like his music better.

Perhaps fittingly, I like this album better than Bad which I got a while ago in my personal list, but I am not a fan.
 
Whiteout75 said:
Really enjoying Jeru the Damaja! Hadn't heard of him before, although I've listened to Gang Starr from time to time.
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Lee Newman said:
I had heard of him. Why I don’t know more about him is confusing to me and I think I’m gonna have to say I probably had him confused with Ja Rule.
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This is wild to me! I guess my circle of friends was different because we were HYPED for Jeru! The fact his record was going to be fully produced by DJ Premier when he was at his peak and you were lucky to just get a beat from him was a big deal! I Haven't listened to it in ages so don't know if it holds up but it was probably getting 5/5 before we heard it back then!
 
Lee Newman said:
2/17/23
View attachment 167323
Jeru the Damaga - The Sun Rises in the East.



Allmusic Review
www.allmusic.com

The Sun Rises in the East - Jeru the Damaja | ... | AllMusic

The Sun Rises in the East by Jeru the Damaja released in 1994. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
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The discordant piano riff is cool with the beat over, pretty good so far.

Hmm, bitches and hoes already?

Ain't The Devil Happy? With the violins, it is pretty good.

It's when the beat and an off-kilter riff or sample comes together that the song is lifted. It works again on this track, Come Clean...

The beats are alright, the rhymes are alright, the flow is alright, it's just a bit forgettable.

2 / 5 stars.
 
Lee Newman said:
2/17/23
View attachment 167323
Jeru the Damaga - The Sun Rises in the East.



Allmusic Review
www.allmusic.com

The Sun Rises in the East - Jeru the Damaja | ... | AllMusic

The Sun Rises in the East by Jeru the Damaja released in 1994. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
www.allmusic.com www.allmusic.com
Click to expand...

I listened to this album a fair bit in my younger days, being a big Gang Starr fan, but it had been a couple years since I'd done a full listen. Most of it is excellent but Come Clean has lyrics that I'd rather not listen to. The production is the best part with DJ Premier. 3.5/5 It's good, but not as good as any Gang Starr album :)
 
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