Some Bigger Bangs
Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 Hey, do you know how old my parents are? … They were little kids when the Stones released their first album … dude … that’s a long time ago … I know the media points this out practically every time they mention the Rolling Stones, but it’s really weird these guys aren’t dead yet. And Mick still has a really big mouth. It’s much more wrinkly now, but … it’s still freakishly huge … (Whoah … my spellchecker says that “freakishly” is a word. That’s weirdly awesome.) It’s now been 44 years since this band formed and 41 since they released their first album. Apart from Brian Jones whose fondness for ***DRUGSSS*** made him die in a swimming pool in 1969, none of the Rolling Stones have actually died! … Isn’t that weird to anyone else? They might be a quartet now (when that Bill Nancy Wyman dude left), but … there’s still Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts (who had throat cancer, but he didn’t die), and Mick Jones (who wasn’t a founding member, but … he looks funny, too). … Okay, on second thought, I guess it’s really not *that* weird. Most people can expect to live more than 60-odd years, but doing all those rock concerts and weird stuff can’t be good onya. Anyway, I’m really glad that they made another album! It’d really be awful for this legendary band to have gone out of existence after their previous album (in 1997), Bridges to Babylon. Because that album was NOT VERY GOOD. But this album is pretty good! Let me explain to you why exactly I think this is the greatest Rolling Stones album in 27 years (since Some Girls in 1978). Simply put, this album contains no stupid filler. They’re not trying to be hip with the times (like they attempted with the two studio albums they released in the 90s) and they worked hard on polishing their instrumentals and getting solid melodies down (completely unlike most of their 80s releases). Surprisingly enough, the Stones managed to accomplish this even though this is the lengthiest album (clocking in at more than 64 minutes) they released since 1972’s Exile on Main Street. Four tracks on this album measures up with some of the band’s greatest songs. All of which are pure rockers. “Rough Justice” rocks harder than anything they released since “Start Me Up” in 1981. “Biggest Mistake” has a really wonderful melody. “Rain Fall Down” has a disco-ish groove that recalls the best of Some Girls. “Driving Too Fast” is played at a fitting velocity and it’s a tasty sucker! There’s the odd weak track (“Laugh, I Nearly Died” is rather ho-hum, “Sweet Neo Con” is just too political), but there is plenty of strong material for the seasoned Stones fan or wannabe Stones fans to happily whet their whistle with. There’s 16 songs on here and not one of them sucks. What more can you want from four old grandpas? Overall Album Score: 8.6 out of 10 (Good, solid album. It’s among this band’s lengthiest albums, but it’s good all the way through. It’s a very fitting late-career release for this legendary band!) Average Song Score: 8.9 (Very solid songs from start to finish. And there were four 10-scoring tracks fairly evenly spaced through the album!) Album Tilt: 8.5 (It’s solid all the way through with the noticeable but not dragging slow spot.) Artist Rating: 8.5 (They’re not breaking any new ground here … on purpose. I’m just glad that they’re still not trying to be hip with the kids.) Track Reviews Rough Justice 10/10 …SWEET! This song rocks! … I mean, it’s not any different from The Rolling Stones circa 1971, but … The Rolling Stones circa 1971 were awesome! The guitar work is fabulous, the melody might be considered among the band’s best (for a non-ballad) and … Awesome. Let Me Down Slow 9/10 Hey! This song rocks, too! It’s less “rough” than the previous track and (for whatever reason) doesn’t sound as tasty, but … I like the beat and the melody’s good. Seriously, this album already surpasses most of the material the band released during the past two decades. It Won’t Take Long 8/10 More boring this time … still pretty good. The melody doesn’t have too many hooks in it (so I’m left to do nothing else but display a lack of excitement over the song). I enjoy the guitars in this song, which is likely all the Rolling Stones only cared about in this song. There are some neat crunches in here, after all. Rain Fall Down 10/10 …This recalls their dancey stuff from Some Girls with its grooves! Because this song is ALL ABOUT THE GROOVE!!! Jagger sings this song like he’s the disco king of 1975. (Although, this song can’t be mistaken for a disco song … this is just inspired disco-influenced Stones.) And the guitar licks are pretty awesome as well. … A very very good pop song! Streets of Love 9/10 Any ballad that the Rolling Stones are going to make are always going to be overshadowed by the killer ballads they did 35 years ago. … But I guess the same thing goes for their fast songs so’s I should just SHUT UP! Anyway, this ballad is good because it has a good melody. It’s not as good as “Wild Horses,” but … never thought it would be. Back of My Hand 8.5/10 …Blues… like the stuff the Stones did way back when. … I’m talking about forty years ago. Jagger has his sloppy wail back (though … I can easily tell that Jagger is 60 years old … he can’t bypass that fact this time ‘round). I usually feel that the blues aren’t very good because they’re derivative. But … this isn’t bad. Nice bluesy job by the BAND anyway. She Saw Me Coming 9/10 I like this pop-rock song better, of course. (I mean, I didn’t go much for the Stone’s blues era, anyway!) The riff is fairly solid and almost conjures up the same glory they were able to inject into these songs in Sticky Fingers though not quite. The guitar work is very well done (these guys are veterans after all) and almost overshadows the rather weakish melody (which basically consists of a repeated line that’s practically yelled). It’s enjoyable and not very long, so … it’s all good. Biggest Mistake 10/10 Verrrrrrrrry good this time. It’s a weak 10, though. Apart from the fact that The Stones do sound old, this might have been indistinguishable from a Stones classic. The melody is very nicely written (filled with hooks, etc.) and the instrumentation is quite tasty. This is just a happy song. … Good one!!! This Place is Empty 8/10 Keef is still not that good of a singer. His rustic voice is even more rustic than it was when he used to briefly take over singing duties in the 70s. … NO! LET MICK SING THEM!!! MANNNN!!!! … This song is very decent, though. The melody is well-done, but … it just seems boring to me. Oh No, Not You Again 9/10 This isn’t bad at all … like most of the other songs on this album, this song is pretty flippin’ fantastic. It’s fast-paced and it rocks. What more can you expect from these aging guys? (…Ooooo… Mick says a bad word … tsktsk …) Dangerous Beauty 8.5/10 Another pretty good song! This is a bit more mid-tempoed this time (and … um … it doesn’t stick out at me much), but it still rocks and it’s got a good tune. … That’s all I want. Laugh, I Nearly Died 7.5/10 …*not saying the obvious joke*… SING IT MICKEY!!!! … And … um … I really don’t like this song. A slow paced one with Mick singing not really a melody. The song has a chorus, but Mick’s just singing the same notes. Oh well, you could certainly do worse … at least it has Mick Jagger in it. … And … um … some clapping. Ew. Sweet Neo Con 8/10 Harmonica! … Really weird harmonica, but … still harmonica. … Is Mick Jagger anti-Bush? … Dude … when will these rock stars figure out that NOBODY CARES ABOUT THEIR STUPID POLITICAL BELIEFS??? … The answer to that is *never* … In spite of all that, this is a strong song. The beat is pretty good … the melody is fairly so-so for this album, but it passes. Just that politics and rock shouldn’t mix. Or, if you’re really going to do that, you should make it awesome and not … so-so. Look What the Cat Dragged In 9/10 MEOWWWWWWW!!!! … (Cats shouldn’t be in drag … it’s really disturbing …) Anyway, this song is awesome because it’s very fast and the melody is catchy. … I like the drum beat the most. Charlie Watts isn’t the best dressed man in England for nothing, you know. … … … Driving Too Fast 10/10 OH YEAH!!!!! NOW THIS IS WHAT *I’M* TALKING ABOUT!!! … Immediately, the song drives me in with a most-sweet groove and … it’s YUMMY. It’s a very very high-driving rock song that’ll make you think: “These are the greatest rock-and-roll grandpas on the planet.” Infamy 9/10 Pretty good, I say. Pretty good. Nice upbeat song to close the song with. Good melody … good harmonica … Mick’s not singing this, but … whatever … it’s not Keith singing it, so … that’s good. Um … Hey! This album is finally over! … It was weirdly lengthy, but I didn’t seem to notice … hmmmm … awesome! Bang some comments out here, my sexy. |
