|
It's only rock'n'roll. So let's go back to the main Rolling Stones page! It's Only $9.95!
Overall Album Score: 7.5 out of 10 Well! I'm finally becoming really bored, again, while reviewing Rolling Stones albums. The only times this was happening before was during their old R&B days ... It's Only Rock'n'Roll, while there are still excellent songs on here and whatnot, is the least exhilarating Stones album I reviewed for a long time! The critical consensus on this album is nearly unanimous (which doesn't exactly happen too often). Everyone says that The Rolling Stones are pretty much still good, but these songs are overly simplistic. I can do nothing but jump on the bandwagon! These songs are simplistic simplistic simplistic simplistic simplistic simplistic simplistic. It is for that very reason that this album makes me ... um ... bored. And ... I sleep a most deep sleep ... Zzzz ... But, as I already mentioned, their songwriting skills aren't in the potty YET. The band still comes up with a few good tunes here and there ... or a nice tight riff now and again ... or something decent you can tap your foot with. However, the relatively dismal quality of It's Only Rock'n'Roll does mean that The Stones were off their huge creative peak and were wafting in the valley of mediocrity. Nevertheless, in the immortal words of J. Pierpont Finch: "Remember mediocrity is not a mortal sin!" Overall Album Score: 7.5 out of 10 (This was very disappointing for me! Of course, The Rolling Stones are still great with their instruments and still display fine songwriting talents ... this is just the first time in a long while that they really failed to excite me.) Average Song Score: 8.1 (A strong collection of tunes, to be sure. There are some standouts in here, but they're not special enough to worth mentioning.) Album Tilt: 7.5 (I listened to and reviewed this album most unenthusiastically. Blah!) Artist Rating: 7.0 (I'm betting this was non-artistic on purpose, but that shouldn't excuse anyone for being uncreative.) Track Reviews If You Can't Rock Me 8/10 Of course, when the Rolling Stones go back to just making straightforward rock tunes, you can be happy about one thing: THE ROLLING STONES ARE STILL ROCKING! They were rocking with better tunes during their 1968-1971 reign, but ... heck ... Old dogs don't forget their tricks too quickly. That all said, this number is surprisingly bland considering that it has the "Rolling Stones" name attached to it. Although, it's perfectly entertaining. The guitars are nice and crunchy. Ain't Too Proud to Beg 8/10 I have absolutely no affection toward the Temptations original. ... There wasn't any real reason to bring that up other than the fact that I wouldn't care if the Rolling Stones butchered it or not. I think they're both of about equal quality, really. Although, again, The Stones fail to totally exhilarate me again ... but the cover is solid. It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It) 9.5/10 Crunchy! This one has a nice, tight riff and a pretty catchy melody to its name ... and therefore, this is one of the most enjoyable songs on here. Toe tappingly good, this one is! Yes. It's still that simple, straightforward rock-and-roll that complies with the album's theme and whatnot ... but this one is really good fun. Till the Next Goodbye 9/10 This is a "Wild Horses" type ballad ... and BOY does it pale! Just the same, it was well-written, and it's not exactly an abomination of the band's name. The Stones don't need to feel shame for creating a "Wild Horses" clone, because this is a pretty darn good number in its own right. Time Waits For No One 8.5/10 Yikes ... maybe I'm not listening to this one correctly, but songs that sound similar to this oh-so-easily earn a special place in my heart. The melody here is actually rather creative ... the instrumentation is nice ... and the chorus soars. But for some reason, it doesn't manage to drag my soul along with it. This song feels like it was a bus that I just missed. Pooey! Oh well, the bus was nice to look it. (That is, until the end of it ... I wished they would have come up with more melody instead of succumbing to rock jams. Then again, if you're going to listen to rock jams, then it had better be from The Stones.) Luxury 7/10 They're getting a bit on the *ugugugugugug* side with this raggae-type rock song that has crunchy guitars in it, too. I won't tell you that this song isn't any good, because that would be a blatant lie. I *will* tell you that I don't enjoy listening to it. This is a bit of a creative disappointment! Don't Rolling Stones fans deserve better than this? Any old average band could have made THIS! Dance Little Sister 8/10 Hey, look! ... My toe's tapping! ... Too bad nothing else much is happening. This is another overly simplistic rock song, except this one is dancable. It's definitely solid, but I'm not too excited about it. If You Really Want to Be My Friend 7.5/10 Kinda boring, but the songwriting is strong enough to at least keep my interest throughout this whole thing. I do wish that it might have been a bit more exciting, though. And, a little bit shorter, too. Short and Curlies 6.5/10 This one has a nice driving force behind it ... no surprise ... but it's remarkably bland! I'm just not enjoying this. (The lyrics are strange ... are they supposed to be funny? ... I wouldn't know 'cause I don't have a sense of humor to speak of.) Fingerprint File 8.5/10 Whew! Well, at least this album ends on what's an altogether high note. I don't like "Fingerprint File" as a lot of people do, apparently. Just the same, I do like it. The melody is fine, the beat is great ... I'm not a big fan of those funky guitars, but ... eh. "Fingerprint File" is OK by me. It's only my dignity. Trash it by e-mailing an incriminating comment about me and this album here! (And I'll like it.) |
