SMASHING PUMPKINS

Reviewed:
- Gish (1991)
- Siamese Dream (1993)
- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
- Adore (1998)
- Machina/The Machines of God (2000)
- Zeitgeist (2007)
- Oceania (2012)
- Monuments to an Elegy (2014)
- Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 (2018)

- Cyr (2020)

- Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts (2023)


GISH          1991          (Hut)
- Standouts: 'I Am One', 'Siva', 'Rhinoceros', 'Bury Me', 'Crush', 'Snail', 'Tristessa', 'Window Paine'

It took me a long time before I really became fond of the Smashing Pumpkins, to the point where I actually started to collect all their albums. They're a band I was well aware of even as a kid, because my uncle loves them and my mum had both Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Also, my best mate is a big fan of them, so I knew most of their hits before I actually started picking up any of their records. Anyhow, they started to become more of a big deal for me maybe when I hit my early 20's, and I saw them live in 2018 at Wembley Arena (the only 3 hour concert I've ever attended!). I can't say I'm a fan of all their records, as you'll find out if you continue to read the rest of this page, but I certainly do believe they have a small number of quintessential alternative rock records under their belt.

Well, Gish is the 1991 debut and is probably the most inoffensive, least diverse album in the Pumpkins discography. Don't be fooled however, because that is no bad thing. There's a ton of great songs here, from the big riffy grunge of 'I Am One' and 'Siva', to the floaty, quasi-psychedelic rock of 'Rhinoceros'. The aforementioned 'I Am One' and 'Siva' aren't terribly different to what bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were doing around the same time - this was the early '90s after all. Obviously the egomaniac himself, Billy Corgan (who at this point hadn't started shaving his head and looking like a complete weirdo), has an unorthodox and nasally vocal style; he's the type of guy whose voice really isn't for everyone, but he can write some fantastic music even if you don't enjoy his singing. Me personally, I never took issue with his vocals. He writes songs to suit his style. Erm, oh yeah, about 'Rhinoceros' - it's probably my favourite track on this album. It's nice, slow and soothing; the psychedelic nature of the music perfectly accompanies the '90s alt. rock vibes. 'Bury Me' is very much back on the grunge spectrum with it's heavy riffing. There's a lot of melody in the guitars however, especially regarding James Iha's lead work.

There's a nice ballad here too, with 'Crush'. It almost feels like a precursor to 'Disarm' from the next album, Siamese Dream. It's a largely acoustic-driven song with lots of murky, yet strangely pretty lead guitars. 'Suffer' too, is something of a cleaner track with a moody atmosphere, although I wouldn't call it a ballad per say. I like it, but it's not a favourite of mine. 'Rhinoceros' is similar in style and tempo, but done better. I do like 'Snail' a lot however - the guitar riffs and bits are so catchy in the second half they might be my favourite individual segment of the entire record. Meanwhile 'Tristessa' is a little more upbeat and comparable again to many of the grunge bands of the '90s. Good stuff. 'Window Paine' is another slow-building, but fine cut.

Gish is not the greatest album Corgan ever put out, but it's a highly respectable debut effort and I really don't have a lot of issues with it. Even the production is top-notch for what was, at the time, an independent release. Maybe 'Daydream' is a subpar note to end the album with; bass player D'Arcy Wretzky sings on it, which I don't have a problem with. It's the generic, basic strumming chord patterns that bug me. But whatever, I can still kinda dig it I guess. Either way, a very strong debut indeed. Better things were to come, sure, but Gish is definitely among some of my favourite rock LP's of the early '90s.
Adam's rating: 8.7/10


SIAMESE DREAM          1993          (Virgin)
- Standouts: Everything.

Spoilers already, but this is where Billy and the Pumpkins peaked in my honest opinion. I like Gish a lot; it's an album that I feel sits nicely within the grunge timeframe it was released within, but has plenty of it's own unique traits that made the Smashing Pumpkins stand out among their competition. With Siamese Dream however, everything's just gotten better, somehow. Like, every single aspect is better now. From the songwriting, the production, the hooks, the musicianship... it's all just better! True, it does kind of plod along at a rather slow pace for almost all it's entirety (I'll explain this later, 'cos it does affect my enjoyment too, somewhat), so if you have a problem with that then you might wanna bark up a different tree. But if you don't, then please read on. Better yet in fact, just stop reading and go listen to this album right now!

Sooo... the songs speak for themselves. Opening with the grunge-fest that is 'Cherub Rock'. The riffs and overall melody of this track is rather simplistic, but the whole song just has this huge, thick sound and the whole thing has me humming along in seconds once it gets going. It's among the Pumpkins' classics that's for sure. Meanwhile, 'Quiet' rules too. It's a heavy riff-fest, reminding me of the kind of thing Helmet were doing around this period - massive alternative metal riffage and tons of mood. Classic. Then of course, there's 'Today', which is a far more melodic, tuneful number that features some irresistible guitar melodies and vocal arrangements throughout. It was the highest-charting single in the States from this album, for good reason. It's basically a perfect '90s rock song.

I'm jumping ahead of the tracklisting a little hear, but speaking of perfect songs, 'Disarm' is something else. The only reason it isn't perfect is because it ends way too soon. Of course, Corgan's vocals are another reason it may not be perfect for everyone too, but you should know whether you like his weird voice or not by now. Anyway, 'Disarm'. Such a beautiful ballad. The lyrics are wonderful, the way Billy sounds as if he's straining his vocal chords just adds to the emotion. The string sections... it's just a brilliant track. Like I said though, it just fades out quite abruptly, and I've always had a problem with this!

'Hummer' could have quite easily been a boring song if the riff and whole structure of the song wasn't so goddamn memorable! It's the definition of a song that 'plods along', but I love it. I also love the mellow bit towards the end. Keeps it interesting, but it'd still have been great even without it. Of course, 'Rocket' keeps the same slow tempo going, but once again this really doesn't matter. The melodies are so great along with the rich production I can hear it on repeat and not get bored. 'Soma' too, is great. It has a kind of psychedelic touch with it's mellower parts. It eventually morphs into a big dramatic grunge rock piece before ending on a tamer note once again. Things do pick up with a tempo a little on the slightly more punky 'Geek U.S.A.', which at this point was needed to keep the listener hooked. That said, it does have a brief, trippy break in the middle of the song. I'm not entirely sure why, but there's something about some of the lead guitar chops on this track that remind me of Queens of the Stone Age.

The shoegaze-y 'Mayonaise' is yet another favourite from this record. It has a kind of lazy, dreamy feel despite the distorted guitars and prominent melodies. 'Spaceboy' is again, quite mellow and has some nice usage of strings. They're not as in-your-face as they are in 'Disarm', but they add a really pleasant atmosphere to the whole song. The lengthier 'Silverfuck' is probably the most up-tempo track on the album, and I love Jimmy Chamberlain's thunderous drums that hammer away throughout. Given that this song is almost 9 minutes however, it does have some proggy-like transitions and isn't always brash for the entire run-time. 'Sweet Sweet' serves as a melodic introductory to the album's finale, 'Luna', which is a nice and straightforward sleazy, soft way to end the record on.

I originally gave Siamese Dream a 9.5/10, probably because I've always considered it to be one of the best '90s alt./grunge releases of all time. I still do, but the 9.5/10 is definitely a little OTT. I'm a fan of each and every track on this record, and I still listen to songs like 'Rocket', 'Cherub Rock', 'Mayonaise', 'Disarm', 'Soma' and 'Quiet' regularly to this day - but I don't listen to the entire thing all that often. As great as these songs are, I have to be in the mood to hear the whole album at once, and it's probably because of it's pacing. The mood rarely changes and it's over an hour in length, as opposed to the 45-minute Gish. I don't wanna say there's too many songs on here... but maybe there just is? 

Either way, I've lowered the score a little to a 9.2/10 instead. Sometimes I go down these weird rabbit holes when scoring albums. I looked at other albums I've scored 9.2/10 - for example, the first Rainbow album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (which is not comparable in any way musically of course). It's not that I like Siamese Dream any less than that Rainbow album, but that's a record and band I've listened to religiously since I was a teenager, so I can't exactly score something from the Smashing Pumpkins any higher, if ya get me.

Adam's rating: 9.2/10


MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS          1995          (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'Tonight, Tonight', 'Jellybelly', 'Zero', 'Here Is No Why', 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings', 'Muzzle', 'Thirty-Three', '1979', 'Tales of a Scorched Earth'
I guess there's a lot of debate over which album is better - this or Siamese Dream. Maybe you'll get the occasional fan voting for Gish as Billy's finest hour, but it's probably safe to say that the overwhelming majority of people would point to Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. I get why some people prefer Mellon Collie, but honestly, for me it's too damn long. And while I do think that some of the best tracks ol' Billy has ever penned are on here, there's also a lot of filler among them. I find this is true with a lot of double albums - none that I can think of reach levels of perfection. I don't even think Physical Graffiti qualifies as one of Led Zeppelin's best. Mellon Collie is over 2 hours long. That makes it a chore to sit through by default. While it does have a lot of variety musically, at least a third of the record is forgettable. Does anyone really talk about songs like 'Thru the Eyes of a Ruby', 'Galapogos' or 'By Starlight' when they talk about the Pumpkins? I think not. And 'Porcelina of the Vast Oceans' is over 9 minutes long and just sounds bloated and unnecessary to me.

That said, there are a ton of classics to be had on here. Basically all the singles are excellent. 'Tonight, Tonight' is just majestic and featured a superb, award-winning music video. 'Zero' displays the heavy, grungy side of the Pumpkins at their best, and is maybe their best-known track of all time... well, maybe, maybe not. '1979' is one of the best pop rock songs ever, and I don't care if it rips off 'What's Going On' by Husker Du, the vibe is still different and less atonal. 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' has the best chorus Billy ever wrote - 'Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage!'. Then of course, there's 'Thirty-Three', one of the better acoustic numbers among their discography. I also think the album has a handful of strong grungy numbers on it too, like the catchy 'Jellybelly' and 'Here Is No Why'. 'Tales of a Scorched Earth' has some good heavy riffage on it, and Billy incorporates those distorted, Ministry-esque vocals. I like it.

Had this record been released on a single disc and had about a third of the songs slashed, it would be an easy 9/10 for me. Fact is, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is just too damn long for me to enjoy properly. Thankfully the good songs on here are easily some of their best, so it's worthy of an 8 for that fact alone. But I do find it to be overrated in all fairness.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10


ADORE          1998          (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'Ava Adore', 'Perfect'
Hmmm... now things are starting to go wrong. Billy's ego had taken over and he'd made 'an attempt to go back to what's important at a musical core and build it outward'... so that apparently means adding synths, drum machines, more pianos and acoustic guitars and electronica. Yeah, this is different. It's not like they ever weren't experimental, but this album sits more in the artsy, gothy realm of rock/pop than it does alternative/grunge. Don't expect any of the songs on here to sound like 'Zero', 'Cherub Rock' or 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'. I will admit that I do quite like Corgan's vocal performance on the album. He's more subdued (obviously) and sounds more like he does on '1979' than any of those nasally performances of past songs.

As for the actual music though, there's only one song on here I would really consider to be 'classic', and that's 'Ava Adore' - even if it is basically techno rock. It's a great song that always fits in well live. 'Perfect' has some nice melodies and sort of reminds me of '1979'. 'Pug' is kinda cool too I guess. But really most of this CD is just a chore to sit through. Nothing really stands out apart from said tunes. It even begins with the piano-driven 'To Sheila', as if that wasn't a big enough warning of what's to come. 'Apples + Oranjes' is pretty much entirely electronic. Honestly, this album just passes me by if I'm not careful. I guess if you're chilling out and blazing one, this isn't a bad record to play, but for the most part it just bores me and shouldn't have been released under the Smashing Pumpkins label.
Adam's rating: 5/10


MACHINA/THE MACHINES OF GOD          2000          (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'The Everlasting Gaze'
While I do think this one is an improvement on what I like to think is really a Billy Corgan solo album in all but name (Adore...but then again you could argue that Smashing Pumpkins was always a Billy Corgan solo project), Machina/The Machines of God still comes nowhere near the greatness of the first 3 records. True, it does start off brilliantly thanks to 'The Everlasting Gaze' which has some great riffs and remains a gig favourite. Some people might not like the 10 or so second break where the instruments stop completely and Billy's nasal vox takes over, but I get a kick out of it. Plus there's something oddly amusing about it. 'Stand Inside Your Love' is pretty good too, if a little generic alternative rock-sounding. But nice either way. 'Heavy Metal Machine' isn't bad either, though it isn't heavy metal. The first half off the near-10 minute long 'Glass and the Ghost Children' is listenable, but the second half bores me. Sadly I find much of the record to be a mix of the pretentious goth rock of Adore and dull alternative rock with no real unique traits aside from Billy's nasal voice. 'Raindrops + Sunshowers' features an okay chorus, but the verses are crap and the music is very electronic once again. 'Try, Try, Try' is garbage by this band's standards; it just sounds like late 90's pop.

Apart from 'The Everlasting Gaze', I don't think anything else on here comes close to the pre-Adore days. This late 90's/early 2000's period of the band was just weird to be honest. You could say that they were just trying to stay relevant, but I don't really think this or Adore sound like typical products of their time, aside from maybe a handful of tracks. It's no surprise that the band broke up for a number of years after this release. D'arcy Wretzky was fired after the album, and barely recorded any bass parts on the tracks (most of the bass was handled by Billy). She and ol' Corgy still aren't on good terms to this day. So yeah, I don't particularly like this one either. It's not completely horrible, the music just isn't the Pumpkins style I want to hear.
Adam's rating: 5/10


ZEITGEIST          2007          (Martha's Music)
- Standouts: 'Doomsday Clock', 'Bleeding the Orchid', 'Tarantula', '(Come On) Let's Go!'
The comeback album. Well, I mean that in a literal sense, not in a 'return to form' kind of sense. The band reformed in 2006, but Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin were the only original members at this point. In fact, Corgan plays bass and keyboards on the record, so it's a 2-man effort. Although obviously Billy would argue that he played the majority of the bass parts on the older records too (not sure how true this is). Musically Zeitgeist is an improvement on the lightweight Adore and the directionless Machina/The Machines of God. Lots of good, guitar-driven numbers that have more in common with any of the first 3 albums than the previous 2. Songs like 'Doomsday Clock' (which kicks ass), 'Tarantula' and '7 Shades of Black' are solid and driving guitar-heavy alternative rock songs. 'Bleeding the Orchid' brings back that grunge sensibility. The main riff in '(Come On) Let's Go!' sort of even reminds me of 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings', and that's a good thing. 'For God and Country' does kind of have a gothy touch to it, and I think it's because of the use of atmospheric keyboards in the background. Again though, I like the song. I do think 'United States' is a bit pompous and unnecessarily long at almost 10 minutes running time as the overall musical direction of the song is similar to anything else on the album, but there aren't any flat-out 'bad' parts of the track either.

Come to think of it, I thought pretty much every song on Zeitgeist was either solid or at least listenable. The problem is that the album suffers from a surprisingly poor production job. We're talking near demo-quality stuff here, at least from a band like the Pumpkins, who've sold millions of records. Don't get me wrong, I like a rough production sound on a black metal album, but this just sounds rushed to me. Like Metallica's Death Magnetic, the compression is bad here (not that I know a whole lot about music production), and you can barely hear the bass. It makes everything sound thin. My other issue is Billy himself. Not his handling of instruments, it's his voice this time around. I dunno, he just sounds noticeably worse here than anything that came before. He isn't unlistenable, he just 'sings' in the same subdued style throughout pretty much the whole album, and it sounds lazy. 

All in all however, aside from those 2 issues, this one is good overall. It could've been great if Billy put more effort into his vocals and if the album had been produced differently. But even so, it's surprising that Zeitgeist is as solid as it is considering the lack of band members. Some people really seem to hate it, but I never really understood why.
Adam's rating: 7/10


OCEANIA          2012          (Martha's Music)
Standouts: 'Quasar', 'Panopticon', 'Oceania', 'The Chimera', 'Inkless'
Billy's explanation for when he announced Oceania was that this time he was releasing an 'album within an album'. Not sure what that means, but prior to this record's release the band were releasing 44 individual songs as 'Teargarden by Kaleidyscope', a project that was abandoned after 34 songs were released. Anyhow, during this period the entire line-up had changed; aside from Billy, there are no original members left (not even Jimmy Chamberlain). This isn't a huge downer really, because it has it's strengths and weaknesses over Zeitgeist.

The album starts with a couple of brilliant, almost Gish-esque numbers, 'Quasar' and 'Panopticon', which are kind of similar to 'Siva' and 'I Am One' from said debut record. Of course, the musicianship has evolved over the years, but I still think that's a fair comparison. These 2 songs really get the record off to a great start. Track 3, 'The Celestials' is a nice balladish number too. 'Violet Rays' isn't bad either, kind of reminds me of some of the more mellow numbers from Mellon Collie like 'Beautiful'. The album does mellow out for several tracks once 'The Celestials' comes on though. Tracks like 'Violet Rays', 'One Diamond, One Heart', 'Pale Horse' and 'Wildflower' are very keyboard/synth-driven songs that have more in common with Adore-era Pumpkins or Corgan solo material I suppose, minus the whole goth vibes they had back then.

Things pick up again with a handful of powerful numbers like 'The Chimera', 'Inkless' and 'Glissandra'. The 9 minute artsy title song is enjoyable too, and certainly better than the overblown 'United States' from Zeitgeist. Really this record is an improvement on the predecessor in a lot of ways. The production is excellent unlike the former, and Billy's voice sounds a lot better this time too. However, I wouldn't say the songs here are necessarily better. Well, okay, the first 2 tracks I enjoy more than anything from Zeitgeist, but not every track on Oceania really held my attention. That said, I do enjoy most of this album even if it does just fall short of greatness.
Adam's rating: 7.5/10


MONUMENTS TO AN ELEGY          2014          (Martha's Music)
- Standouts: 'Tiberius', 'One and All', 'Anti-Hero'
I wasn't really expecting too much from this CD, truth be told. Even though I thought both Oceania and Zeitgeist were a step in the right direction compared to the mediocrity of Machina and Adore, I'd heard that 2014's Monuments to an Elegy was basically Billy Corgan doing synth-rock, or even synth-pop. While synths are definitely present throughout this record, they don't completely overshadow everything. The album starts with 'Tiberius', which is a solid number with plenty of guitars, and a synth that follows a melody in the background. The synth sort of gives the track more depth. 'Being Beige' is a bit poppy and very melodic, I will admit that. But it's still more alt. rock than anything else. 'Anaise!' is not bad listening either, and could almost fit on Melon Collie if it wasn't for the subtle use of... yep, you guessed it, synths. Really, about 2/3 of this album sounds like Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Oceania and Zeitgeist thrown in a blender, but with the addition of extra synths. 'One and All' is very good, and maybe the best song on here. It could almost qualify as mid-90's Pumpkins. 'Run2me''s synths are annoying and a bit obnoxious during the verses, true, but the melodies are nice, and Billy doesn't sound bad either. 'Drum + Fife' is a bit less experimental, thankfully. 'Monuments' is okay too I suppose, and the ongoing synth does kind of work, but it's not really anything to write home about either. I don't like 'Dorian', as this certainly is synth-driven pop, but thankfully the more driving 'Anti-Hero' ends the album on a higher note. 

While this album was definitely better than I was expecting, I just feel like if you took away the synths, many of the stronger tracks on here like 'Anti-Hero', 'Anaise!', 'One and All' and 'Tiberius' would not have lost any of their flair, and if anything, would've sat closer to classic Pumpkins. Usually, the synths on this record don't break the songs (although 'Dorian' sucks, and 'Run2me' is questionable), but I don't feel that they improve them either. The other issue with Monuments to an Elegy is that, even though about 80% of this album was perfectly listenable to me, the songs just didn't stand out that much, even the better ones. I can't pick out any individual factor... the album just isn't as entertaining as the early stuff, nor is it as good as the previous couple of efforts. Still, I gotta admit that I do prefer it to Adore or Machina.
Adam's rating: 6/10


SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT, VOL. 1          2018          (Martha's Music)
- Standouts: 'Knights of Malta', 'Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)', 'Solara', 'Marchin' On', 'Alienation', 'Seek and You Shall Destroy'
I was lucky enough to see Smashing Pumpkins at the end of 2018 at a sell-out show in Wembley Arena - the only UK show they played during the Shiny and Oh So Bright tour. 'Course, I also saw them at Download Festival about 8 months later, but the less said about that performance the better (it wasn't bad... just a weird setlist for an hour's festival slot). Thankfully the Wembley gig was brilliant; I couldn't believe Billy and co. actually played a 3 hour set, basically everything I wanted to hear was played, plus more. 'Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)' was played at the very end of the set, which was actually unreleased at the time - the show took place literally a few weeks before the release of the Shiny and Oh So Bright album. I liked the song and immediately went out and bought the record when it hit the shelves.

This album, while not really a 'return to form', is another step in the right direction after Monuments to an Elegy, which wasn't a bad album, but certainly nothing special either. Billy's got most of the original line-up back - James Iha is back on guitar and Jimmy Chamberlain is back behind the drum kit, the only original member that's missing is bassist D'arcy Wretzky. Strangely, she was originally supposed to be getting involved with the project and tour, but supposedly fell out with Billy again. Both her and Corgan shared their sides of the story, and I don't really know who to believe to be honest, but either way, having Iha and Chamberlain back has definitely helped contribute towards the noticeably better songwriting within this record.

'Knights of Malta' starts the album on a very melodic note and even features strings. The aforementioned 'Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)' is a very good and catchy single that actually gave me '1979' vibes. Not because of the lyrics as such, there's just something about the overall melody and arrangement of the music. 'Solara' is classic Pumpkins through-and-through. It's heavy, catchy and brooding; deserves to be a regular live. Songs like 'Travels' and 'With Sympathy' are solid, soft and melodic tracks. 'Alienation' is a nice arena number, and 'Marchin' On' brings back 90's vibes. I really don't think any of these songs are bad. Hell, even Rick Rubin - who I think normally butchers the production these days, at least on heavy metal bands - does a decent job with the sound on this thing.

Nope, the album's biggest problem is that it's all over after almost 32 minutes. Maybe the fact it has 'Vol. 1' in the title suggests that the next release will conclude this record. The band are apparently working on the next studio album, but either way I guess I would've liked another 2 or 3 songs on this album, to bring it up to around 40-45 minutes long. Overall though, this is the best Pumpkins album in over 20 years, and that's saying something. It isn't perfect, but there's no bullshit going on with the songwriting, Billy's not being deliberately awkward, and the band (mostly) sound like the band you originally loved in the first place. Shame it's over way too quickly.
Adam's rating: 7.9/10

CYR          2020          (Martha's Music)

- Standouts: 'Wyttch', plus a couple of parts here and there, but that's about it...

Goddamn you Billy Corgan and your ever-changing musical habits! I enjoyed the Shiny and Oh So Bright album - sure, it wasn't perfect, but with most of the original lineup back, it was definitely a step in the right direction after the disappointing Monuments to an Elegy - a record I've probably only ever listened to three times in total, and have zero urges to revisit. Hell, I even like Oceania and Zeitgeist. The point is, when Cyr was announced surprisingly shortly after Shiny and Oh So Bright, I had pretty much zero feelings of doubt. Of course, when 2020 came along and I actually heard it myself for the first time, it's clear that Corgan uses Smashing Pumpkins to write whatever the hell he wants, rather than what the fans want. I guess you could say that Billy's technically been doing this ever since Adore, but in my head, when James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain rejoined in 2018, I suppose I just assumed that Billy would deliberately try to recapture the glory days of early Pumpkins, and really try to draw back as many new and old fans as he could. Fair enough for writing whatever he wants - I respect that up to a point, but the bulk of the 'newer' Pumpkins releases feel more like Corgan solo efforts than anything else, so why not just release albums like this and Monuments to an Elegy as solo records? Because MONEY of course.

Man, I haven't even explained yet why I've not been enjoying Cyr since it's release in late 2020. Well, the reason is because after the more traditional alternative rock sounds of Shiny and Oh So Bright, Billy's decided to make what is essentially a synth rock/pop/electro album with Cyr. A really fucking long synth rock/pop/electro album at that. Yep, this thing consists of twenty songs in total, with a run-time of one hour and twelve fucking minutes!! Corgan apparently considers Smashing Pumpkins to be a 'contemporary' band, which is a big reason for why this record sounds the way it does. Frankly, this still doesn't make sense to me. I mean, is synth pop really 'in' at the moment? Is it any more popular than alternative rock right now? When I look at the charts, all I see are pop singers like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith as well as all the garbage that passes for 'rap' these days. That's not to say Cyr sounds 'outdated' as such, but it doesn't really fit in amongst what you hear on the most mainstream of radio and chart playlists. And it certainly doesn't fit in with the current popular rock demographic of Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters and whoever else.

As for the songs themselves, I mean, I can't really pick many songs here that I genuinely really like across the board. There's bits and pieces of songs that I like. For example, 'Anno Satana' has some potential I guess; I mean, James Iha actually does something on this one, 'cos I can hear guitars on it. 'The Colour of Love' has some nice melodies and backing vocals, and I guess kinda sounds like Adore-era Pumpkins. The same can be said for 'Purple Blood', which is not too bad either I guess. Not 'good', but not 'bad'. 'Wyttch' is rather good- it's built around an interesting, bassy riff, while the synths add a nice layer of gothic atmosphere, but it's hardly enough to save this record in the long run. I'll admit too, that Corgan, despite having one of the most nasally voices ever, almost always makes his vocals work regardless of what style of music he's singing over.

In general though, many of these tunes just aren't my cup of tea at all. The title track sucks arse - Billy can write a good pop rock songs when he wants ('1979' anyone?), but there's a difference between 'pop rock' and 'synth pop', and it certainly falls into the latter category. Same with annoying pop songs like 'Birch Grove' and 'Starrcraft'. 'Adrennalynne' is slightly more upbeat, but still lame. Many of the songs are slow, tepid and morph into one for me though. Is Billy really going to drop mellow snore-fests like 'Black Forest, Black Hills' and 'Telegenix' into a Pumpkins live setlist anytime soon? Actually, he probably will because he's Billy Corgan - the same man who played 'The Aeroplane Flies High' and a cover of Sabbath's 'Snowblind' instead of '1979' and 'Tonight, Tonight' at Download 2019, with his one hour slot. Naturally, people started to walk away mid-set.

All in all I really don't care for most of what this massive album has to offer. Well, at least the packaging is nice; the album is presented beautifully with it's artwork, slipcase and digipak, so it looks nice on my shelf, but the music's a different story. Like I said, there's bits and bobs here and there that I kinda like. If the album wasn't twenty fucking songs long, it would make the album much more tolerable. But when the good parts are spread so few and far between, as a whole this whole record is an overblown, boring and pretentious mess. The predecessor put James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain to good use; Cyr on the other hand, once again feels like a Billy Corgan solo album in all but name. Like, how much did James Iha actually contribute to these songs?! Also, how much of the drums/percussion work is actually acoustic and not electronic? 'Cos Jimmy most likely recorded fuck-all here too. I've listened to Cyr three times in total - once when it first came out, again a month or so after release, and one more time in 2023 for this review. I really don't think I'll be revisiting it again any time soon. Nope, I think I'll go listen to Siamese Dream instead.

One more thing - what's with all the deliberate spelling errors within the song titles?! 'Wyttch', 'Starrcraft', 'Tyger, Tyger', 'Adrennalynne'... like, whut?!

Adam's rating: 3.9/10

ATUM: A ROCK OPERA IN THREE ACTS          2023          (Martha's Music)

- Standouts: 'The Good in Goodbye', 'Steps in Time', 'Empires', 'Moss', 'Beguiled', 'The Culling', 'Springtimes', 'That Which Animates the Spirit', 'In Lieu of Failure', 'Harmageddon', 'Intergalactic'

Smashing Pumpkins are hugely inconsistent for me (or do I just mean Billy Corgan?) . On the one hand, they have outstanding records like Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness under their belts, but then Billy will put out a mess of a record like 2020's Cyr, which has almost none of the same traits that made their early albums so enjoyable for me. I know I'm not the only one disappointed by Cyr; I watched a few guys on YouTube review the album with similar opinions to mine, yet all the comments were bombarded with angry fanboys who were mad at the fact someone else didn't enjoy the fact Smashing Pumpkins had put out a synth pop record. I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear a synth pop album from Mr. Corgan either - I just don't! If that doesn't make me a true Smashing Pumpkins fan, then whatever. 

Needless to say I wasn't particularly excited when Atum was announced in September 2022; Bill called it a 'rock opera', and it would be released in 3 parts throughout several months, and released as a full physical product in May 2023. I just assumed it'd be another massive, bloated and pretentious mess of a record. And it kinda is I guess, but I can at least say that there are some genuinely great moments to be found scattered across this ambitious 3-CD project. The single 'Beguiled' returned to a heavier, guitar-focused sound and it did make me somewhat hopeful for the rest of the album upon it's release. FYI, I didn't listen to Atum in full until I acquired my physical CD copy. I heard 'Beguiled' last year, and then deliberately avoided the rest of the album until I could buy a product that I could hold in my hands. Let's dive right in anyway.

Act One:

The first disc opens up in a sketchy manner; to be fair, the instrumental title track is kind of vast and pretty, but it soon leads into 'Butterfly Suite', which is something of a synth-driven number once again. Thankfully it has more of a synth-rock vibe more-so than synth-pop, but it's not exactly grown on me. The female backing vocals from Sierra Swan and Katie Cole are beautiful and really well arranged, but this one's not for me overall. Things swing back in the right direction with 'The Good in Goodbye' however, which is a very strong artsy slice of alternative rock. It's what made the band so popular in the first place. Shame then, that 'Embracer' is another synthy pop-rock number. I will say that I like this one better than 'Butterfly Suite'; the melodies are kinda nice, but it's not what I'd consider a true highlight. 'With Ado I Do' sucks though. Sorry, it just does. It's the same kind of crap you heard on Cyr, and would sit quite comfortably within that record's tracklisting. I get that we've already sat through 2 synthy numbers before already, but even those don't sound like Cyr leftovers, whereas this one does. 

'Hooligan' is better, reminding me a little of the synth-rock Muse did a few years back. Kind of. But again, while it might qualify as listenable synth-rock for me, it just isn't what I turn to Smashing Pumpkins for. Although at this point, it might as well just be expected from Billy. Even 'Steps in Time' has synths on it, although this time they're used sparingly and in a way that actually manages to enhance the big guitar sounds of the track. Yeah, I actually like it a fair bit. Great guitar leads and distorted chords paired with some nice keyboard touches. Oh, but then guess what? 'Where the Rain Must Fall' sucks arse too! Boring, dull, slow, tedious, repetitive poppy shite. Garbage. But of course, Billy turns things round yet again with 'Beyond the Vale'. Well, maybe that's being too kind; it's a mediocre alternative rock number with some poppiness to had within it's hooks. It's definitely not flat-out crap like the previous track, but certainly not great either. Next to 'Hooray!' however, it might as well be a masterpiece.

I thought 'Where the Rain Must Fall' was bad, 'Hooray!' might just be the worst song Corgan ever penned!! It's so bad that it'd sound out of place even on Cyr! I must admit, I lied when I said I hadn't heard anything other than 'Beguiled' before I bought my copy of Atum. My best friend is a big SP fan and listened to Atum as it was released on Spotify, and he had to play me 'Hooray!' because of just how bad it actually is. He described it as a knock-off Mika track. And he's right!! For those unaware of who Mika is, he's a god-awful Lebanese pop singer who was popular for maybe a year in the UK with that fucking abysmal single 'Grace Kelly'. And that's what 'Hooray!' sounds like - a terrible Mika single with some fairground music melodies (!!!) thrown in for good measure. Tragic. To think that Corgan once wrote songs as good as 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' and '1979', and then 25 years later he writes a steaming pile of shite like this tune.

Act One isn't saved by it's closer, 'The Gold Mask' either. I got nothing to say about it, other than the fact it sounds like any of the other weaker tracks from this disc (save for 'Hooray!', 'cos that has it's own category). So yeah - I can't say I'm a fan of the first disc. A couple of good tracks ('The Good in Goodbye' and 'Steps in Time') and a few others that are somewhat listenable, but with songs like 'Hooray!' and 'Where the Rain Must Fall', this project sure ain't off to a good start in my books. Just two more acts to go...

Act Two:

Well, at this point I'm gonna assume that every other track is a synth-focused Cyr reject. So lets just talk about those first. The second part opens with 'Avalanche'. This one is listenable despite the synths and some of James Iha's guitar leads are nice, but it's not exactly what I look for in a Smashing Pumpkins record. 'Neophyte' drifts back into Cyr territory. At this point, you might as well just assume that every other track on Atum is going to be synth-focused. Anyhow, 'Neophyte' is just another one to add to the list. Meh. 'Night Waves' can fuck off too. It's not 'Hooray!' bad, but it still kinda sucks. 

'Space Age' isn't as bad, fortunately. It has a ballad-like quality about it, and it blends into 'Every Morning' seamlessly. Both these tracks together are fairly listenable to me, because they're mellow and chilled-out, but I don't find them to be memorable either. As for 'To the Grays' however... well, it's another poppy number that I could do without. Please stop now, Billy! Of all the synthy stuff within this act, I'd probably say 'The Culling' is my favourite. It doesn't stack up to any of the actual rock-based numbers here, but it has a proggy, arty vibe about it and makes for nice background music.

Thankfully 'Empires' is much, much better - nice riffs, good vocal arrangements and no synths. It sounds like prime Corgan to me, and even has a vintage Smashing Pumpkins quality about it. 'Moss' is really solid too. Heavy, sludgy riffage, sorta like 'Quiet' from Siamese Dream. It's cool. This act is also responsible for 'Beguiled', which I've already mentioned. It's a fantastic song that blends the old-school grungy Pumpkins with the best of the experimental tones of Atum. There should be more songs like 'Beguiled' on this so-called 'rock opera'. I think 'Springtimes' is a decent enough conclusion to this disc too. Despite the annoying intro, the rest of the track is a pleasant acoustic ballad, with some very pretty arrangements throughout, as well as some fine electric guitar lead work.

Overall, the second act is definitely stronger than the first. There's a handful of tracks I really like on this disc, but I can't avoid the fact there's also a fair amount of bullshit to sit through. Still better than Cyr so far, although that ain't saying much. Onto the last disc...

Act Three:
Part three opens with the snooze-fest that is 'Sojourner'. Well, maybe 'snooze-fest' is a little unkind. It's actually not bad, just a bit long (over 7 minutes) and almost adult contemporary-like to me. Better than 'The Canary Trainer' that's for sure, but I don't really dislike this tune either. It has a slight whiff of '80s goth about it, actually. 'Pacer' is lame however. More Cyr-level synthy shite. I'm actually running out of stuff to say about these kind of tracks now. I can at least say that when the band break out the acoustic guitars, the electronicness can be tolerable once again, as is the case with the somewhat enjoyable 'Cenotaph'. Same can be said for 'Fireflies'. 'Spellbinding' really isn't a bad pop rocker either. I quite like it's upbeat catchiness, but the synth usage doesn't always do it justice. Shame that the first half of the finale, 'Of Wings' is a silly, pretentious mess of vocal harmonies. Bleh. When the drums kick in, it improves, but I still don't like it overall.

There's still some rock-solid stuff to digest among this third act, thankfully. 'That Which Animates the Spirit' is very strong, riff-driven grungy goodness. Billy even repeats "Zero, zero zero!" on it, which I can only assume is a reference to you know what. I also really like 'In Lieu of Failure' - this is another prime example of what modern Smashing Pumpkins should sound like, in my opinion. It still has touches of synths here and there alongside the heavy bleakness, but this can still work if done in moderation. The riffage in the up-tempo 'Harmageddon' is about as metallic as Billy's ever got, and this cut is a definite standout for me, as is the lengthy, proggy 'Intergalactic' (not a Beastie Boys cover!). This track has some fantastic drum work from Jimmy Chamberlain, and kind of drifts between being a floaty ballad and an intense rock piece. 

I'm gonna say that Atum is a mostly failed attempt at a rock opera. The Smashing Pumpkins are not Queen, and the music often doesn't even qualify as 'rock'. There's far too many synth-dominated songs on here for my liking, some of which sound like Cyr leftovers to me. Thing is though, not every synthy track on this record is bad in my opinion, even if I don't like the majority of them. And as for the actual guitar-based band stuff that you want to hear, many of these tracks are some of the best Billy's penned in years. So scoring Atum is difficult really. There's a really good, solid 13 or so track, single-disc SP album within this entire package, but listening to 33 fucking tracks in one go is just insanity. I listened to each act separately while writing this review, with a break in between each one. Act Three is by far the best one. It's still not entirely consistent, but it has far more songs on it that I actually like than the other way round. I think I might be too generous with the 5.5/10 score, but many of the good songs on here sit within a 7 - 9/10 range, and I still think it's worth owning or at least listening to Atum for the good tracks alone. And all in all it's far better Cyr, thank god.

They knocked it out of the park with the packaging once again too. I have the CD version and it's a thing of beauty. One of the nicest physical products in my CD collection for sure. It comes in a digipak format, and the artwork and booklet are wonderful, plus it comes with a large, ribbon-like paper band that has the band name printed on it, and holds the digipak together nicely. Considering how nice the CD version is, the vinyl must be a work of art - and it fucking well should be, because it retails for more than £70!!

Adam's rating: 5.5/10

HANK 3

Reviewed:
- Risin' Outlaw (1999)
- Lovesick, Broke & Driftin' (2002)
- Straight to Hell (2006)
- Rebel Within (2010)
- Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town (2011)
- Attention Deficit Domination (2011)
- 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin' (2011)
- Brothers of the 4x4 (2013)
- A Fiendish Threat (2013)


RISIN' OUTLAW          1999          (Curb)
- Standouts: 'I Don't Know', 'If the Shoe Fits', '87 Southbound', 'Lonesome for You', 'Devil's Daughter', 'Cocaine Blues'
It's only been recently (i.e. beginning of 2019) that I've started getting into country. Well, some country. I can't say I enjoy the really mainstream-sounding stuff like Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith (bleh), but some of it just clicked, like Hank Williams III - the grandson of country icon Hank Williams and son of Hank Williams Jr. To be honest, I had been aware of Hank 3 for years. His name had popped up here and there in the metal community, which  probably sounds odd at first. Truth is, Hank has been active in the metal and punk scenes for years. Outside of his country works that he's best known for, he's been a member of Phil Anselmo's bands Superjoint Ritual and Arson Anthem, has his own 'hellbilly' metal band Assjack and has released metal albums under his own name. I hadn't actually listened to any of his albums until this year however, country or not. I found a used copy of Risin' Outlaw, his 1999 debut for £2.99 and decided to give it a shot.

Fortunately I enjoyed this disc from start to finish. I'm not sure if it's just because my musical tastes have matured considerably over the years or what, but I've given this one plenty of play time and like all the songs despite being a purely neotraditional country record. The record is full of solid musicianship, great vocals and some excellent tracks. The ballads 'Lonesome for You' and 'On My Own' are superb with some great hooks and I particularly like the guitar playing on songs like 'Devil's Daughter', '87 Southbound' and 'What Did Love Ever Do to You'. Hank's vocals are very traditionalist when compared to the sort of country you'd hear on mainstream radio. Yodeling is something he likes to do every now and then. I've heard many covers of 'Cocaine Blues' from all kinds of artists from Johnny Cash to Keith Richards, but Hank's rendition here is probably my favourite. All in all, I don't think there are any duff numbers here to speak of.

What I will say however, is that having heard more of Hank's later albums prior to this one, Risin' Outlaw does feel like something of an oddball. It's very 'clean' sounding, and the lyrical content is much more old-school country and much less edgy and rebellious than what was to come. The songs lack in things like fiddles and banjos too, so I guess he was working in a more simple singer-songwriter approach during these early days. These aren't complaints because as I said, I don't think there are any 'bad' tunes here to speak of. It's just a just a different approach to his typical, signature sound. 'Course, I didn't know this the first few times I heard the album. I also didn't know that Hank himself hates this debut and considers the follow-up, Lovesick, Broke & Driftin' to be his true debut despite this thing getting strong reviews and respectable sales. Risin' Outlaw may be different, but 'hating' it seems like overkill.
Adam's rating: 8/10


LOVESICK, BROKE & DRIFTIN'          2002          (Curb)
- Standouts: '7 Months, 39 Days', 'Lovesick, Broke & Driftin', 'Cecil Brown', 'Whiskey, Weed & Women', 'Trashville', 'Atlantic City'
As I said in the last review, Hank himself considers this to be his real debut despite Risin' Outlaw being a solid record. I will admit though, that on this album he begins to develop more of his own stamp on his music; the whole album is straight-up outlaw country - a more traditional sound that he's since stuck with. The production isn't as clean, the songs have gotten kinda 'dirtier', or dustier (I'm not quite sure what I mean either...), and musically it's comparable to anything that he would release later - excluding any of the metal and punk stuff of course. The use of other instruments outside the guitar, such as fiddles has increased. It's only really the lyrical content that hasn't evolved much. Part of Hank 3's whole image is his use of edgier, rawer lyrics than other country artists, and while a lot of the tracks here are still about gettin' drunk or high, there's not really any profanity to speak of. I don't even think this is necessarily a bad thing - musically this album is excellent anyway, it's just that he still wasn't quite there yet with his gimmick. Like I said though, the songs are great from start to finish, especially '7 Months, 39 Days', 'Whiskey, Weed & Women', '5 Shots of Whiskey' and 'Cecil Brown'. 'Trashville' is cool too, but is much more country rock than anything else. All of the tracks on here are relatively short aside from album closer and Bruce Springsteen cover 'Atlantic City', which clocks at 8 and a half minutes long. Well, it's actually more like 4 minutes because once the song ends a bunch of dialog begins and goes into a very traditional-sounding number more akin to something his grandfather would've performed. In conclusion then, this disc is an improvement on already great debut and a step in the right direction for Hank.
Adam's rating: 8.3/10


STRAIGHT TO HELL          2006          (Bruc Records)
- Standouts: Everything.
I think it's universally accepted that this is Hank's best album. Even Anthony Fantano included it in a YouTube video of the best modern contemporary country records - not that this album sounds modern musically of course. It's traditional outlaw country, much like Lovesick, Broke & Driftin', only Hank has finally mastered his trademark imagery and lyrical style - i.e. that rebel, country-punk attitude; 'hellbilly' is what the man describes his music as, and he's right. In fact, Straight to Hell is apparently the first ever country album to have a 'Parental Advisory' sticker on it's cover. Although the musical differences are minor (more banjo this time though), the songs have just gotten even better full stop. 

'Country Heroes' actually blew me away as far as country ballads go. Sure, the lyrics are pretty much just a tribute to all the greats - Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Merle Haggard and O.G. Hank Williams of course - but there's so much genuine passion and emotion in this song that I think it's the best number on the record. The banjo-driven 'Pills I Took' is another highlight. Of course, 90% of these songs are about booze and drugs once again (even the chorus in 'Country Heroes' features the line "I'm getting wasted with all my country heroes") - 'Thrown Out of the Bar', 'Smoke & Wine', 'My Drinkin' Problem'...yeah...and the opening title song. All these songs are excellent by the way. 'Low Down' has some really nice melodies and chorus and is probably one of the more accessible tracks on here. 'Dick in Dixie' is pretty funny too; as Hank says, he's puttin' the 'dick' in 'Dixie' and the 'cunt' in 'country'! 'Thrown Out of the Bar' has an almost rockabilly twang to it.

Interestingly this record is actually a double album. I didn't know this until it arrived in the post. The second disc, aside from the powerful 'Louisiana Stripes' - which really reminds of old Johnny Cash, features a 42 minute track which is actually a medley. I know this is probably a highlight for a lot of people, but I kind of treat it as a bonus track because it's approach is very different than the rest of the album and had it not been included, I still would've considered Straight to Hell to be Hank 3's finest work anyway. This medley is kind of atmospheric and trippy in a way. The songs sound more subdued and consist of a few covers of Hank Williams' (Senior) 'I Could Never Be Ashamed of You', Wayne Hancock's 'Take My Pain' and Cheech & Chong's 'Up in Smoke'. In between the songs are sound effects of voice messages, creeks, bong hits, passing trains etc., and it gives this side of the album a weird and unsettling vibe. The songs are essentially really stripped-down and slow. I like them, but they couldn't have sat among the songs on disc one and flowed well with them.

So yeah, this is easily the best country album I've ever heard (not that I've heard many of course). I usually turn it off after 'Louisiana Stripes', but even the 42 minute 'hidden track' is superb if I'm in the right mood, and you have to hear it at least once. I've given the album tons of play since I bought it and it's made me a fan of Hank Williams III. 
Adam's rating: 9.4/10


REBEL WITHIN          2010          (Sony Music)
- Standouts: Everything, more or less.
More of the same rebel hellbilly country, although there's no weird hidden tracks this time. The title song, 'Rebel Within' is absolutely phenomenal and may be my favourite Hank 3 tune full-stop. He adds these backing, growling metal vocals during the chorus and it works really, really well. I think this song sums up the man's music perfectly. 'Gone But Not Forgotten' is probably his other greatest and most powerful ballad along with 'Country Heroes' from Straight to Hell. 'Drinkin' Ain't Hard to Do' sort of sounds like it could have fit on the debut CD, but this isn't a bad thing. I will admit that I still think the predecessor is the better record, but I don't really have anything bad to say about Rebel Within. If you liked either of the previous 2 albums, you'll love this.
Adam's rating: 9/10


GHOST TO A GHOST/GUTTER TOWN          2011          (Hank 3 Records)
- Standouts: Everything on Ghost to a Ghost, and as for Gutter Town...well...
Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town is Hank's seventh offering and also a double album. the first half of the album is obviously Ghost to a Ghost, the second is Gutter Town. Both are very different and contrast one another, but Ghost to a Ghost is Hank doing his usual thing and doing a damn fine job too. It's another hellbilly country album, this time with the odd guest performance on a few tracks here and there (this also applies to Gutter Town). The guests include Les Claypool of Primus and Tom Waits, but their presence is subtle. They aren't obviously used in a way to promote or boost the album's sales. Nowhere on the outside packaging are they mentioned. Anyhow, disc 1 is prime Hank 3. 'Gutter Town' and 'Don't You Wanna' are catchy as hell, 'Cunt of a Bitch' is rebellious, 'Ridin' the Wave' kicks up the tempo while 'The Devil's Movin' In' brings it down again and is another outstanding ballad. 'Trooper's Hollar' is pretty weird seeing as it features Hank's dog Trooper on vocals (!), in that he remixed them to go along with the music. I like it though. 'Outlaw Convention' is old-school outlaw country and the title song is dramatic and has Tom Waits providing some withered backup vocals, which only add to the impact of the song positively. So, every song on here is superb and at least on par with Rebel Within. Things get a bit weirder on the second disc however...

I've tried listening to Gutter Town several times and in all honesty, I can't really get into it. Outlaw hellbilly country this is not. If Hank ain't playing his brand of country, then he's usually playing metal, but this isn't metal either. Or punk. It's a strange mix of folk, Cajun music (had never heard of this style until I listened to this record), ambient music...maybe even some mariachi influences too. Yeah, it's fucking weird, even by Hank's standards. In between the songs are some occasionally haunting ambient intervals, in similar fashion to the second half of Straight to Hell. To be honest, none of the songs on this disc really grabbed me except maybe 'I'll Be Gone' which is almost country. That's not to say this disc is bad, it's just unusual by Hank's standards and because I'd never really listened to, well, anything like this before, it just didn't click with me. Maybe it will someday. 

Ghost to a Ghost is fantastic and easily among his best. Gutter Town is...well, it's different. Despite it being an oddball in Hank's discography, it doesn't actually sound like an experimental project because it is still played extremely well. It's just not something I could get into. That said, the first disc is still a full-length rebel country album and it's totally worth picking up this package for that fact alone. Even if I'm not a fan of the second half, I still respect Hank a lot for his work here - the man's not afraid to try different things. 
Adam's rating: 9/10



ATTENTION DEFICIT DOMINATION          2011          (Hank 3 Records)
- Standouts: 'In the Camouflage', 'I Feel Sacrificed', 'Make A Fall', 'Livin' Beyond Doom'
For this release, Hank puts country aside and drifts back to his metal altar ego to create a sludgy, old-school doom/stoner record and the result is Attention Deficit Domination. For me Hank's vocals are what make the record stand out among other bands in the same genre - he goes for this bizarre, distorted twang to his vocal delivery while still retaining that country tinge. Somehow it really suits the music and is probably the most memorable thing about the album for me.

The actual instrumental side of the album is good overall, but not great. The riffs are slow, detuned and murky and sound like Crowbar, Alice In Chains and Black Sabbath thrown in a blender, which is a good thing of course. However, none of the riffs here really stand out aside from a few here and there on 'In the Camouflage', 'I Feel Sacrificed' and 'Make A Fall'. It's hard to really pick any standouts as the album follows the same direction for the entire duration of it's run-time. 'Make A Fall' features a simple, stompingly heavy mid-section and 'Livin' Beyond Doom' was memorable too, but mostly the album requires multiple listens to take in each song individually.  I suppose this is me complaining, but it sort of isn't either. At no point did ever get tired of this CD, or want to turn it off despite not having any outstanding songs. It's completely listenable and harmless stoner/doom metal, basically. It isn't groundbreaking, nor is it terrible. A lot of people think Hank should just stick to country music, but I disagree - at least a third, if not more of his recording discography consists of some form of metal or punk direction, so knows what he's doing. Plus, he plays all the instruments and produces this thing so you have to give him some credit. I will admit, he is better at playing country music than he is anything else, but when your granddad is a country figurehead and your old man had a good run with it too, then its in your blood, frankly. Attention Deficit Domination is a solid release.
Adam's rating: 7.2/10


3 BAR RANCH CATTLE CALLIN'          2011          (Hank 3 Records)
- Standouts: Uh...
Hank released 3 albums in a year. Technically 4 if you consider Ghost to a Ghost and Gutter Town to be individual records. That's something rarely seen by anyone these days. The bad news is that 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin' feels more like an experiment than an actual album, and not in a good way either. At least Hank created a new genre with this disc; he calls it 'cattle core'. Basically it's metal with pre-recorded cattle auctioneers for vocals...uh, yeah. There's nothing out there to compare this to, not even anything else he's recorded himself. Essentially the cattle auction vocals consist of something like this:

"Let's see what we have, do I see a ten? Ten auhwefoiuahfuiohaiupefhaiuoewjhfeswrghwreturiortie5ailjhefiuajhdeefpiuahefiu twenty one! shunefaiouhefiuahwefiuhaweiufhawieufhipuahqerotyuiipujadfpia twenty five! sfedioahisdefuihaipufehapuihezfpiuahwcvbxdfbsrtefuihaefpiuhaiuwefhpiu now that's a bull!"
...and aside from the occasional distorted metal growls from Hank, the auctioneers never end. True, it is amusing to listen to for a while. I don't know if the album was meant to be intentionally funny, but is funny hearing those auction guys talk at 1000mph on top of thrash, grindcore and tremolo-picked black metal-style riffs, but it gets old pretty quickly. Fuck me, I can't sit through 71 MINUTES of this! Like I said before, this CD feels like either an experiment or a some sort of trolling stunt. Luckily I had researched this album before I bought it so I wasn't expecting a country record or an actual serious attempt at metal like Attention Deficit Domination. Obviously that meant it wasn't exactly a shock to me when I first gave it a play. 

As you can probably tell, this thing is a novelty at the end of the day. I suppose if your a fan of Hank or just weird avant-garde music in general then you should pick it up, but for anyone else I wouldn't recommend it.
Adam's rating: 3.5/10


BROTHERS OF THE 4X4          2013          (Hank 3 Records)
- Standouts: 'Nearly Gone', 'Brothers of the 4x4', 'Farthest Away', 'The Outdoor Plan', 'Deep Scars', 'Overdrive', 'Loners 4 Life', 'Toothpickin''
Seeing as I actually enjoyed Risin' Outlaw more than I thought I would - the first country album I ever bought I'd like to add - I decided to check out another of Hank's albums. Whatever the reason, I ended up with this one next. First of all I'd just like to say that this is a long album at 89 minutes, and I don't know if it really qualifies as an intentional double album or not. Sure, it comes on 2 CD's, but the first has 12 songs while the second only 4 normal length numbers. Sometimes I like to moan when albums last more than an hour, but I didn't this time. Not too sure why, maybe it's because outlaw country isn't a genre I actively follow? In any case, Brothers of the 4x4 is a quality slab of traditional outlaw country, and certainly not the kind you'd hear on the radio. On my first few listens, I didn't enjoy this as much as Risin' Outlaw, but over the months it grew on me to the point where I prefer it. There's much more going on throughout the songs - more instrumentation. Hank plays all the electric and acoustic guitars, bass and drums while other musicians were hired to play the banjos, steel guitars, fiddles etc. In comparison to that debut record, this album isn't as straightforward thanks to the heavy use of different instruments.

One thing I like about Hank's take on country music is his attitude to the lyrics. I mean, a lot of typical country themes are present here, but he delivers them with a punk-like attitude thanks to his background of playing in punk and metal bands. Songs like 'Deep Scars' reinforce this, and the distorted vocals on 'Toothpickin'' are definitely one of his signatures too. Some of these tracks have good foot-tapping vibes too; 'Held Up', 'The Outdoor Plan' and the title song are particularly memorable. But there's a good balance between faster, more upbeat tracks and more mellow/chill songs like 'Loners 4 Life' and 'Ain't Broken Down'.

I'm finding it hard to find any really issues here. As I said earlier, the album's long, and I guess it can be hard to sit through in one go, but it kept me interested from start to finish. The playing on the album is top-notch and despite not being a mainstream record, it can still be catchy at times to, like that vocal melody on 'The Outdoor Plan'. Again, I'm not really a country fan, but there's something about Hank 3's music that I really enjoy. 

Note: if the way this review was written seems odd compared to the rest on this page, it's because I reviewed this before everything else bar Risin' Outlaw, which I rewrote. 
Adam's rating: 8.2/10


A FIENDISH THREAT          2013          (Hank 3 Records)
- Standouts: 'Can I Rip U', 'Broke Jaw', 'Breakin' Free', 'Facedown'
Hank 3 was a recording machine a few years ago. He dropped A Fiendish Threat the same year as Brothers of the 4x4, and in 2011 he released Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town, Attention Deficit Domination AND 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin'. Unfortunately since 2013, we've seen nothing new from him. Apparently his home and recording studio flooded sometime after and he's had to relocate and build a new studio. Aside from a couple of Twitter updates, not much is known about when or if he will be back anytime soon. There's been zero tours too, but his website, merchandise and Facebook are all active so here's hoping he'll return soon. Anyway, A Fiendish Threat is an attempt at creating a mostly old-school punk record, which, given his background, his something the man is more than qualified to do. Interestingly, pretty much all of the guitar riffs here are played acoustically; of course, most of them are fast and hard power chord affairs, and I think it actually works well for the record.  It gives the whole album a slight country-tinge that reminds you that this Hank 3 and not the Ramones or Misfits. He even adds stand-up basses and fiddles from time to time. That's actually a pretty good description - it's kinda like what the Ramones would sound like if they pulled the plug on their instruments and had Hank on the mic adding muffled, almost distorted vocals. Even though you can tell that it's him singing, he does sound like a 'proper' punk vocalist here and doesn't employ any yodeling or techniques that are commonplace on his country albums.

My main complaint with this album is that even though it flows pretty well, I still think most of the tracks here could be cut a little shorter. Many are over 4 minutes; some clock over 5 minutes and it just seems unnecessary given the simplicity of the old-school punk sound as a whole. Also, while I do think this is a very solid record for the most part, I still rarely play this one. Still, it's surprising how raw and kick-ass an acoustic punk project can still be. And with Hank's country touches spread throughout A Fiendish Threat, I have no problem recommending it to fans.
Adam's rating: 7.6/10

THE ROLLING STONES

Reviewed:
- Out of Our Heads (1965, US version)
- December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965)
- Aftermath (1966, US version)
- Between the Buttons (1967, UK version)
- Beggar's Banquet (1968)
- Let It Bleed (1969)
- Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert (1970, live album)
- Sticky Fingers (1970)
- Hot Rocks 1964-1971 (1971, compilation)
- Exile on Main Street (1972)
- Some Girls (1978)
- Tattoo You (1981)
- Steel Wheels (1989)
- Flashpoint (1991, live album)
- Voodoo Lounge (1994)
- Bridges to Babylon (1997)
- A Bigger Bang (2005)
- GRRR! (2012, compilation)


OUT OF OUR HEADS (US)          1965          (ABKCO)
- Standouts: 'Mercy Mercy', 'The Last Time', 'Good Times', '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', 'Play With Fire', 'One More Try'
This is early Stones, so there were two releases - the UK and US pressings. Basically I picked up the US version because it has 'The Last Time' and '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', which automatically makes it better than the UK release in all fairness. Plus, I actually had December's Children (And Everybody's) before this record, and it contains the UK tracks that were missing from the US version of Out of Our Heads anyway, so yeah. Anyhow, early Stones may sound somewhat primitive in comparison to what they were doing a few years later in the decade, but I still love the majority of the material from this period. Yep, covers were still the norm for the band at this point, but Out of Our Heads was the first album to feature a considerable number of originals penned by the band. Well, 5 out of 12 tracks to be precise, but they had to start somewhere. And it was around now that you could actually hear the great songwriters trying to get out of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. I mean, 'The Last Time' is a great, great tune with one of the catchiest and coolest riffs of their career. No wonder it went to number 1 in the UK. Plus, everyone knows 'Satisfaction', right? It's played at every gig, still - and once again it features an iconic riff that's so goddamn groovy it just sticks with you forever. 

I will admit that the remaining originals don't exactly live up to the aforementioned. 'The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man' (jeez, that's a mouthful) is a group effort, not just the typical Mick/Keith songwriting duo, and it honestly sounds like it could've been one of the covers given that it sounds like generic blues to me. Hell, first time I heard it I thought it was a cover, and not one of their stronger ones either. 'The Spider and the Fly' is a bit better, but the band was still delving heavily into their blues roots/influences - fair enough really, especially given as it was still 1965 and songwriting wasn't something they were used to yet. 'One More Try' is a bit more upbeat and rock n' roll, while 'Play With Fire' is a moody pop number and a good precursor to the kind of stuff that would appear on Between the Buttons - it's probably the best original behind 'The Last Time' and 'Satisfaction', though it does still drag far behind by comparison.

Happily the covers on here are mostly great stuff. Yes, it was necessary for the band to stop recording so many covers later on, but at this point they still pulled 'em off, and pulled 'em off well. 'Mercy' was originally a soul number by Don Covay - the Stones' rendition is much more rhythmic and metallic. It's cool. Same goes for the Marvin Gaye track, 'Hitch Hike'. In fact, a lot of the covers on the album were soul numbers to begin with rather than blues or rock n' roll - there is also a nice cover of Sam Cooke's 'Good Times'. Half way through the record is a live song ('I'm Alright') from Got Live If You Want It!, kinda random, but still decent singalong-y stuff.

I really like this album overall. It's probably my favourite from the early years, actually. Well, along with Aftermath that is.
Adam's rating: 8.6/10  


DECEMBER'S CHILDREN (AND EVERYBODY'S)         1965          (ABKCO)
- Standouts: 'She Said Yeah', 'Talkin' About You', 'Look What You've Done', 'Get Off of My Cloud', 'As Tears Go By', 'I'm Free'
A lot of fans seem to slag this one off, but not necessarily for the music itself. Presumably it's because the LP is more of a compilation of singles than a true album effort. Only three of the tracks here were previously unreleased. Hell, even Bill Wyman stated the album was 'just a collection of songs', even if it is still listed as one of their studio records. The rest were pretty much just various singles and maybe a track or two from the UK version of Out of Our Heads that were missing from the US version of said record. If you put this thing in context however, I guess the US market had more reason to pick it up at the time. Plus, I own the US Out of Our Heads anyway, sooo....

Well, I will admit that this CD is kinda choppy - it has no real direction. It's pretty much 50% originals and 50% covers - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards still weren't in full songwriting mode at this point. Despite the lack of any real direction, all the covers here are mostly solid - 'She Said Yeah', although a bit short for my liking, hits you hard. 'Talkin' About You' is a Chuck Berry cover (definitely not unusual for the Stones to cover Chuck during this period) and mixes the bands' blues influences with the rock n' roll of the original song. I like it. 'You Better Move On' is a little too motownish for me, but is still enjoyable. Motown was a big deal in the 60's after all. The Muddy Waters cover, 'Look What You've Done' obviously suits the Stones' style better though - white guys performing black blues with their own twist on the matter. I don't really get why they threw in 'Route 66' from the Got Live If You Want It, er, live EP. Hearing an obviously live number with crowd noises among the rest of the album just sounds weird and out of place to me, even the song is a fun rock n' roll piece, but obviously they did with Out of Our Heads too. The Mick/Keith compositions are great too overall, but obviously none were specifically written for this release. 'I'm Free' is indeed from the UK release of Out of Our Heads, and this song is just a classic that was later covered by Soup Dragons in 1990. The main standout though, is 'Get Off of My Cloud'. Honestly, it's songs like this that proved Mick and Keith didn't really need to include so many covers on their records anymore (well, to be fair they did begin to stop doing this afterward); that guitar riff is infectious as hell! One of my favourites for sure. Plus, 'As Tears Go By' is a nice acoustic piece, again, doesn't really fit in with all the bluesy stuff on here, but is great in it's own right.

Despite the inconsistencies of this album, it's still worth owning. Individually nearly every track on here is great even if they don't really flow together that well. You might think my rating is a little high, but come on, it's the Stones!
Adam's rating: 8/10 


AFTERMATH (US)          1966          (ABKCO)
- Standouts: 'Paint It Black', Stupid Girl', 'Lady Jane', 'High and Dry', 'Think', 'Flight 505', 'Doncha Bother Me'
It was around this point where the band had finally ditched the covers and fully realised their songwriting potential. Mick and Keith proved themselves to be competent songwriters on Out of Our Heads, but obviously that record still had it's fair share of covers. Aftermath features entirely original compositions on both the UK and US releases. I went with the US version because it has 'Paint It Black', basically. That instantly makes it superior to the UK release in my humble opinion. I've loved that song since I first heard it while watching Full Metal Jacket in my early teens. The lyrics are great, the riffs are great, and that rumbling bass sound near the end of the song from Bill Wyman is cool as fuck. You can't always hear it without headphones, but once you do, you can't UNhear it. Hell, Brian Jones even plays sitar on the song.

'Under My Thumb' is arguably one of the more popular tracks from the album, and I can see why...although it is rather poppy and moves away from the blues influences on past works. This isn't a negative, it's just the band experimenting with new ideas and sounds. The same can be said for the acoustic pop of 'Lady Jane', and 'Stupid Girl' is, uh, stupidly catchy! In contrast to this however, 'Doncha Bother Me' is definitely more traditional Stones, being the heavily blues-influenced number it is. 'Going Home' is pure blues too, but it feels more like an improvised jam then an actual structured song. Fuck, it lasts 11 minutes and 13 seconds; now that is long for the Stones. I like it, but I have to be in the right mood to be able to sit through it's entirety. Mick's unpredictable vocal style on the song sort of reminds me of Jim Morrison on The Doors' 'The End' for some reason. 

There's also a handful of 60's rockers on here, stuff like 'It's Not Easy', 'Think' and 'Flight 505', so there's a fair bit of variety going on throughout this record. Frankly, I don't think there's a duff number on here. But I still don't think it achieves legendary status among the discography. It's one of the best albums of their early output (i.e. 1962-1967) and it's a no-brainer that you should go out and buy it immediately, but it isn't a masterpiece. 'Classic' is a better description. I love the fact that they had ditched covering other artists by this point, but being their first full-length LP to include entirely original songs, I guess they still hadn't quite figured things out properly yet.
Adam's rating: 8.7/10


BETWEEN THE BUTTONS (UK)          1967         (ABKCO)
- Standouts: 'Yesterday's Papers', 'My Obsession', 'Miss Amanda Jones', 'Please Go Home', 'Connection'
A lot of people claim this record to be the band's 'pop masterpiece'. 'Pop' - sure, but 'masterpiece'? Naaahhh... Granted, the Stones proved they certainly can pull of pop on this thing, but I personally wouldn't put it among their best. The fact that the album revolves more around pop and 60's psychedelia instead of bluesy rock n' roll instantly brings it down a notch in my books. True, it is possible for a band's greatest work to not fit in with the sound they are generally known for - I can't deny that, but I guess I just find Between the Buttons to be somewhat overrated. Of course, this was 1967 and the band were still releasing UK and US versions of their studio albums, so the track listing differs slightly. I've got the UK version which includes 'Back Street Girl' and 'Please Go Home'. It's missing 'Let's Spend the Night Together' and 'Ruby Tuesday' however. The US version is vice versa.

It's a shame 'Let's Spend the Night Together' is missing on the UK edition - honestly, I'd give the album a better score if it was present, but whatever. In comparison to Aftermath, there's some weird shit going on here at times (although saying that, you can definitely hear influences of Aftermath on a lot of the tracks here too...). I do LOVE 'My Obsession' even if it's lacking in the blues department. This is acid rock at it's finest, and that rumblin' bass sound is killer! And sure, I'd prefer 'Let's Spend the Night Together' over 'Back Street Girl', but at least 'BSG' is classic 60's pop. Hell, it's more like baroque pop. The same goes for 'Yesterday's Papers' due to the harpsichord usage. 'Miss Amanda Jones', 'Please Go Home' and 'Connection' do rock in an almost signature Stones style! They're not exactly perfect examples but are great all the same. 

Really I think every track on here is great in it's own right. Well, except maybe the closer 'Something Happened to Me Yesterday'. The horns kind of piss me off, and I could be talking out of my ass here, but Mick's approach to the vocals remind me too much of that Small Faces 'Lazy Sunday' brand of cheesy, jolly 60's pop. It's about as far removed from the Stones as you can get. Plus, even though the rest of the songs are still genuinely good/great, I do have other issues with this album. Obviously the lack of any true rockin' blues means a lack of clearly guitar-driven songs. I get that this was the point, but Keith's guitar tone has been subdued and certainly not at the front of the mix. Shame really, because from what traces of guitar are audible, he and Brian Jones are still on form for the most part.

Yep, it was difficult giving this one a rating. As a trippy pop album, it's probably an 8.5/10, but as a Stones album, it's a 7.5. 
Adam's rating: 7.5/10, 8.5 if you look at it from a pop perspective.


BEGGARS BANQUET          1968          (ABKCO)
- Standouts: Everything, but especially 'Sympathy for the Devil'.
Okay, no more dicking around. This is where the Stones knew exactly what and who they wanted to be. The sound of maturity, even. After the acid rock experimentation of the previous record (Their Satanic Majesties Request), and all the cover songs and tributes to their heroes from the early works, Beggars Banquet displays some of Mick and Keith's finest songwriting examples. The rockers will, well, rock you I guess while the remaining numbers mostly consist of sleazy, country-tinged blues. I can't say I'm a fan of actual country music, but the country influences here really help shape the sleaziness of the rollicking blues tracks like 'Dear Doctor' and 'No Expectations'. Really, I can't emphasise the word 'sleazy' enough! At least for those blues songs anyway.

Like the country-blues sleaze of 'Dear Doctor' and 'No Expectations', the rest of the blues tracks are killer too, naturally. 'Parachute Woman' is traditional blues, only beefed-up and given the Stones makeover. 'Prodigal Son' is kind of jolly in a way, and has that modest vocal approach where they are audible but not direct (almost muffled, but in a good way). Kinda like the first minute or so of 'Bring it On Home' from Led Zeppelin II. 'Factory Girl' is similar in this sense too, only it has more of a folky feel to it with mellotrons and fiddles. Yep, I love this one too, but thankfully it's not all about the blues. The rockers are amazing too - 'Street Fighting Man', anyone? If you have the LP, it's the first track on side two of the album, and this was the right place to put it. It's intensity breaks up the album brilliantly after sitting through the last few songs. 'Street Fighting Man' is also one of their key concert openers, and deservedly so. 'Stray Cat Blues' rocks hard too, and is nearly as great as the aforementioned 'SFM'.

But of course, the real standout is 'Sympathy for the Devil' - one of their best songs EVER, one that I can listen to over and over again and not get bored. Everything about it works perfectly. The use of bongos, the pianos, all those 'woo woo's!' in the background, Keith and Brian Jones' infectious electric guitar licks, Jagger's 'DEVILishly' good lyrics (sorry, that was lame)! The studio song is perfect, but you can tell it was also written to give any live performance improv opportunities and extended play time. So really, how can you top a song like this? Well, you can't, but they'd still write songs that are just as good on later records.

So, any criticisms then? Well, honestly, I don't think this one is quite perfect 'cos it has maybe one too many of the sleazy blues songs on it. Individually, every song is nearly flawless, but I feel like it could've done with one extra 'Street Fighting Man' or 'Stray Cat Blues' and one less 'Dear Doctor'. Saying that, most people will put the album among their greatest, and so do I - even if I doubt it's my favourite of the lot. As far as 'roots rock' goes however, there's no denying that it doesn't get much better than this. As a band, I feel this was the turning point for them.
Adam's rating: 9.5/10



LET IT BLEED          1969          (ABKCO)
- Standouts: All of it!
If it bleeds, we can kill it. Yep, that Arnie quote has absolutely no relevance to this record other than the fact both talk about bleeding. So, uh, anyway, ask the average critic or fan which Stones album they think is best, I wouldn't be surprised if this came up top in the poll. I can understand that. I suppose. I dunno, to me it almost feels like a continuation of Beggars Banquet (for much of, but not all of the record) only with a broader sense of musicianship. 'Course, this is not a bad thing, not in the slightest. I just don't necessarily find it to be any better than the predecessor.

You probably already know that Let It Bleed starts with 'Gimme Shelter', a song that Martin Scorsese has used in most of his gangster films at some point. Who can blame him? It's one of the best rock songs ever, and a perfect summary of how far the 60's movement progressed musically. And those lyrics! 'Rape, murder! It's just a shot away, it's just a shot away!' - I (presumably) like many others, assumed it was about the Vietnam War. Even if it is, Keith Richards explained it was actually inspired by a monsoon he was watching from a window in London, with people in the streets running for shelter. Whatever, Mick Jagger sings the bulk of the verses, but he also duets with Merry Clayton, who is simply key to the power of the choruses, and the emphasis of the lyrics. You've also gotta love Keith's openly-tuned guitars. I'm gonna outright say that this and 'Sympathy for the Devil' are the two greatest songs the band ever penned.

'Love in Vain' continues the acoustic SLEAZE! 'Country Honk' continues the country SLEAZE! 'You Got the Silver' continues the bluesy SLEAZE! You get the picture, much of the songs follow the same formula as those found on Beggar's Banquet. Again, the Stones had mastered these sounds on said record, so I'm not picking holes. Even with the familiar vibes, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' touches on gospel with all the vocal harmonies and organ sounds in the background, and it works just fine. And hey, 'Live With Me' and 'Monkey Man' are two of their finest rockers - everything pads out in the end. As I said earlier though, while this album often gets the winning vote over Beggars Banquet, I don't think it's any better, particularly. Both are near perfect LP's that have their own strengths (and barely, if any, actual weaknesses). 

This album was to be the end of an era for the Stones. Brian Jones had become something of an outsider in the last few years leading up to Let It Bleed, and the record ended up being his final recording with the band. He died in 1969, drowning in his swimming pool. RIP. Actually, he had already quit the band prior, and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Both play on the album.
Adam's rating: 9.6/10


GET YER YA-YA'S OUT! THE ROLLING STONES IN CONCERT          1970          (ABKCO)
Frankly this is one of the most overrated live albums I've ever heard. Don't get me wrong, in no way does it suck (far from it) - for me it just doesn't come anywhere near the greatness of other live LP's like Deep Purple's Made In Japan or Judas Priest's Unleashed In the East. I get that either of those examples are difficult to compare to with regards to the genre (especially Priest), but this thing just doesn't get me particularly excited. The energy is just kind of lacking, even if some of the songs have been rearranged and feature more guitar jams. 

You hear that? That's the sound of every die hard Stones fan wanting to kill me right now.

Seriously though, 'Sympathy for the Devil' loses all the cool percussion and is almost entirely guitar-driven now (I suppose this made it more conventional for the band to perform live) and loses it's character, like some weak cover band. And Mick kind of half-asses it until half-way through. I will admit that this is the only performance I really have an issue with; guess I just like the original that much. I don't care much for the Chuck Berry covers either; I mean, if the setlist was longer than 10 songs I wouldn't mind, but I'd have preferred more of their own songs in all fairness. What is great however, are the guitar tones throughout the whole record. Songs like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', 'Live With Me' and 'Street Fighting Man' sound much rougher and hard-edged than they do on the studio versions, and it gives 'em more drive. Production is well done overall too, and the majority of the setlist consists of Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed material so I can't exactly argue too much given how great those albums are. So yeah, a good but not great live album, and certainly doesn't deserve to be up there as 'one of the best'.
Adam's rating: 7.5/10


STICKY FINGERS          1970          (Polydor)
- Standouts: All of it. Well, for me maybe not 'Dead Flowers', but chances are you'll love it, so...
Instead of trying to replicate Beggars Banquet or Let It Bleed, the band take a more straightforward rock n' roll approach to Sticky Fingers overall, and I feel that the record's direction became the benchmark for many later Rolling Stones songs. Not exactly difficult to see why, because although this album plays things relatively safe musically overall, it's something they pretty much perfected. It's basically arena rock before it got lame thanks to American bands like Bon Jovi and, if we're gonna go further in time, Nickelback. I promise I'll never mention Nickelback in a Rolling Stones segment ever again.

This album is full of rockers, rockers like the upbeat classic 'Brown Sugar'. I think it's safe to say that a lot of Stones albums feature at least one of their greatest songs ever, and this is no exception. It's also got the master balladry of 'Wild Horses', need I say more? Yeah, I do actually, 'cos 'Sway' is one of their best blues rockers, even if it is a very highly polished and stadium pleasing blues rocker, and not really comparable to their grittier blues roots. 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking' has Keith's guitar licks turned up to 11 and it's awesome. 'You Gotta Move' is a slide guitar-driven blues song that does fit in with the band's traditional African American roots - their first cover in a long time. Obviously 'Bitch' is one of their strongest rockers riffs-wise, it rocks hard, and the use of the sax adds something extra. 'I Got the Blues' slows things down a little and 'Sister Morphine' brings back the sleaze of the two predecessors, and was written by Keith and Marianne Faithfull (though she doesn't actually sing on it). The album ends on 'Moonlight Mile', which is actually sorta epic. 

I must admit that I was never a big fan of 'Dead Flowers', as it's just a little too country for me - Mick actually sounds like a Yank. Kind of feels out of place with the rest of the tracks, but aside from that it goes without saying that this is up there with the best of 'em. Predictable thing to say I know, but it is. Though honestly, I still can't decide what my favourite Stones album is.
Adam's rating: 9.4/10


HOT ROCKS 1964-1971          1971          (ABKCO)
Compilation of songs that span from, yep, you guessed it - 1964-1971. Some tracks that I feel should be on here are missing, like 'The Last Time' and 'Little Red Rooster', but I can't exactly knock the quality of the music on here. Plus, since this Platinum-selling compilation was released, there's been countless other comps put together that are more concise and up to date. But hey, mine comes in one of those fat double-opening jewel cases that you hardly see anymore. That's pretty much why I picked it up in all fairness.


EXILE ON MAIN STREET          1972          (Universal Recordings)
- Standouts: Pretty much everything, kinda surprising given how long it is.
A double album that is once again considered to be one of the band's greatest works by a lot of people. It almost feels like an (long) extension of Sticky Fingers to me - musically, they were playing it safe again. I often find that double albums usually have their fair share of filler, but the band were still in top-tier songwriting form in '72 so fortunately, this isn't the case with Exile on Main Street. Near enough every song on here is a winner, from the upbeat rockers like 'Rip This Joint', 'All Down the Line', 'Turd on the Run', 'Tumbling Dice', the appropriately titled 'Rocks Off' and the Richards-fronted 'Happy' to the bluesy numbers like 'Shake Your Hips','Casino Boogie' and 'Ventilator Blues'. It's also got the odd sleazy country-inspired moment like 'Sweet Virginia' and 'Torn and Frayed'; even gospel-type stuff with 'Shine a Light'. It really does tick all the boxes for what they were doing right at the time of their career, although I will say that overall it focuses most on rockin' out and having a good time than it does blues or pop, like a lot of their 60's material. I honestly can't think of any song on here that I genuinely dislike.

I do still have something else to say however, and I could be talking bollocks (hmm...when do I ever not talk bollocks?) but sitting through 18 songs can be hard work sometimes regardless of the quality of the record. It took me ages to actually be able to remember how a lot of these songs go; I could be 3/4 of the way through the record and I'd forget how the majority of the first half even went. For that reason, I usually just listen to half the album at a time, or individual tracks just so I can let them sink in. Not really the band's fault, just a personal gripe I have with double albums in general (Christ, how long did it take me to digest Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness properly?). Still, you gotta give 'em credit for putting out yet another classic record with 18 quality songs on it. If you loved Sticky Fingers, you'll love this one too. Despite being a double album, the entire record is still short enough to fit on a single CD (67 minutes). Obviously the vinyl will come on 2 LPs, but I don't know if a double CD version matching the vinyl layout was ever released.
Adam's rating: 9.2/10


SOME GIRLS          1978         (AM Records)
- Standouts: Again, everything.
I'm currently still missing albums like Goats Head Soup and Black and Blue, which were released between Exile on Main Street and this. I do know that Some Girls was considered a return to form at the time though. At this point Ronnie Wood was in the band (well, he actually joined for the previous Black and Blue), replacing Mick Taylor. Personally I think this is one of their best records. Hell, some days it is my favourite. The band dabbles with some new trends, most notably disco on 'Miss You' and even a little punk rock after the boom in 1976. 'Miss You' is honestly one of the best songs ever. The funky disco bass line is the best thing about it, and those vocal 'hooo ooo's' melodies are ridiculously cool. It's a song they were destined to write, and it just works perfectly even if it sounds unconventional on paper. It's a good job they only really went down this path for the one song on the record; they achieved perfection with it, no more disco influences were necessary.

'Respectable' and 'Shattered' have their punk influences, mostly in Mick's approach to the vocals - I can even hear some Iggy Pop in him for 'Shattered'. 'Lies' is more hard-edged than usual too. I don't know if it's just the guitar tone or what, but this song definitely takes some inspiration from the punk movement at the time too, even if it doesn't qualify as fully-fledged punk rock. Whatever, the punk trend worked for them. I love each of those tracks as well.

The album still has it's share of typical Stones rockers on it as well. The infectious 'When the Whip Comes Down' is another of my favourites, Keith sings on 'Before They Make Me', another great track. The title track is pure sleaze, and it's awesome. 'Far Away Eyes' stands out big-time too because it's a country song that feels almost like a joke, but in a good way. Mick sings and speaks in this humorous faux Southern American accent. I can't tell if the song was supposed to be a joke or not, but I kind of like it. I know some of their past songs had country tinges to them, but this one is basically a full-on country tribute and/or piss-take. So yeah, this is another near-flawless work from Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie (well, Bill Wyman too). Sometimes experimentation is for the better, and even if disco and punk were in at the time, these songs still feel natural and unforced. Yep, Some Girls rules. Personally I think everything that came after hasn't been as good. 

I managed to get the 2011 deluxe re-release/remaster, which features a bonus disc with 12 tracks recorded during the Some Girls sessions - aside from 'Tallahassee Lassie' and 'We Had It All', according to Wikipedia anyway. Apparently Mick re-recorded the vocals sometime in 2010/11 (again, according to Wikipedia). This bonus disc combined with the original album almost makes it a double album or even an entirely new studio record on it's own, and it's awesome - some of the best bonus material I've ever seen in any deluxe release of an album. The second disc isn't as good as Some Girls, obviously, but songs like 'Claudine', 'I Love You Too Much' and 'Tallahassee Lassie' are prime Stones. You should buy Some Girls anyway, but make sure it's this version (unless you're an early pressing kind of guy).
Adam's rating: 9.4/10


TATTOO YOU          1981          (Polydor)
- Standouts: 'Start Me Up', 'Hang Fire', 'Slave', 'Little T&A', 'Neighbours'
This album does have it's share of excellent songs, but it's not as good overall as most people claim it to be, no sir. I feel because it has 'Start Me Up' on it, people give it more praise than it really deserves and forget about the rest of the record. True, 'Start Me Up' is one of their best no-frills rockers they ever penned (and the 'you make a grown man cry!' chorus is great), I'm not gonna argue with that. And there are a handful of other great songs on here too; 'Hang Fire' has a great sing along vocal melody, 'Slave' is a nice and lengthy blues jam, the Keith-fronted 'Little T&A' is a fun rock n' roller and 'Neighbours' is cool. However, the second half of the album loses steam completely and I actually find it to be monotonous after a while, monotonous to the point where I usually turn it off completely. 'Tops', 'Heaven', 'No Use In Crying' and 'Waiting On a Friend' all follow a soft rock/pop direction with excessive keyboard and piano use. They just blend together tediously. 'Heaven' sucks balls and doesn't even sound like the Stones. It almost sounds like elevator music if it wasn't for the stupid vocals. And I'm not a fan of the glossy 80's production full-stop on this one, regardless of how good the first half of the album is. The guitars have way too much echoey reverb going on; 'Start Me Up' would sound far more powerful if it had similar guitar tones to an album like Sticky Fingers.

So, is it worth buying then? Probably. I mean, I am in the minority of people who don't consider Tattoo You to be one of their classics after all. Luckily the decent tracks on here are enough for the album to qualify as 'good' in my books, but not much more.
Adam's rating: 7/10


STEEL WHEELS          1989          (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'Slipping Away', maybe 'Sad Sad Sad' too if it weren't for the production.
Well, to begin with I reckoned Steel Wheels was an underappreciated effort, but listening to it a few more times I can safely say this CD is full of issues. The production is far too clean and typical of the 80's; everything is too 'big'-sounding, like the album was recorded in a warehouse...to be quite honest, it just sucks the life out of the band. It doesn't exactly help that the songwriting itself is very un-Stones like, and most of the album just sounds like lame 80's American arena rock. All their past influences are greatly subdued; only rockers like 'Sad Sad Sad' and 'Mixed Emotions' display any sort of Jaggerish energy, and even then they've been tainted by the stupid fucking 80's production. 'Almost Hear You Sigh', 'Terrifying' and 'Hearts for Sale' are utter garbage, frankly. This album may as well just be thrown in among all that campy Jouney/REO Speedwagon kinda crap, honestly. How I actually enjoyed the album on first listen is beyond me. 'Slipping Away', one of the Keith-fronted numbers is the only song I actually 100% enjoy here. 

I know I'm coming off pretty damn strong right now, and honestly, I've heard albums far worse than Steel Wheels. But considering this is the motherfuckin' ROLLING STONES we're talking about, it pretty much sucks balls. Yeah, I'm giving the album a 3.7/10. Maybe I'll come to like more in the future, but who knows. Let It Bleed this ain't.  
Adam's rating: 3.7/10


FLASHPOINT          1991          (Virgin)
Here's a controversial opinion for you, I actually prefer Flashpoint to the hugely overrated Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! as far as live Stones records go. This has far more energy and just better audience vibes in general; it feels more live than you know what, as dumb as that sounds. Mick sounds far stronger, honestly. I can't deny that there isn't really anything interesting going on throughout the performance per say - don't expect any crazy long improvs or jams, it's more like they just crammed as many songs in the setlist as possible and played them relatively close to the studio counterparts. And they're fun. Heh, even 'Sad Sad Sad' and 'Rock In a Hard Place' from Steel Wheels sound great in live perspective. Goes to show how much production can ruin what are actually great songs, in the studio.

The other great thing about this disc are the two new studio tracks, 'Highwire' and 'Sex Drive'. The former is another decent rocker that stands out above anything off Steel Wheels, while 'Sex Drive' is more of a soul/funk-focused, James Brown-ish kinda tune. Not great, but certainly not bad either. And at least these tracks don't sound horrible in terms of production. Even if you're not a fan of live albums, the two new studio recordings make Flashpoint essential for true Stones fans.
Adam's rating: 8/10


VOODOO LOUNGE          1994          (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'Love Is Strong', 'You Got Me Rocking', 'Sparks Will Fly', 'New Faces', 'Moon Is Up', 'Baby Break It Down', 'Mean Disposition'
Voodoo Lounge is very much a case of 'back to basics' (thank fuck). Granted, the 80's weren't a complete catastrophe for the band (Tattoo You was decent even if I do find it overrated), but there's no bullshit going on with this record. I mean, yeah, you could criticise them for not being ambitious enough by not experimenting, but really, after dodgy albums like Steel Wheels and Dirty Work, a stripped-down slab of hard rockin' rhythm and blues is what everyone needed. Okay, so maybe 'Suck On the Jugular' dabbles a bit with funk, but it's not completely horrible. I kinda like it, actually. A hefty amount of the album consists of rockers and sleazy blues though, and it's probably their longest since Exile On Main Street. 15 songs in total reaching over an hour in total length; pretty long then, but the album's a return to form so the extended play time is welcomed. The first 3 tracks, 'Love Is Strong', 'You Got Me Rocking' and 'Sparks Will Fly' kick things off brilliantly, and there's something almost AC/DC-like in the vocal hook for 'You Got Me Rocking' (not a complaint in the slightest). The album does slow things down with the following 'The Worst' and 'New Faces', but both are short mellow pieces, and 'New Faces' actually has a kind of early 60's Stones vibe, which is cool (sort of baroque, Between the Buttons kind of sound). 'Moon Is Up' has a weird drum/percussion sound that takes some getting used to, but I like the sleaze of Mick's voice in it - probably the most sleazy Stones number in a long time. The same goes for 'Brand New Car', and 'Baby Break It Down' has some country twang to it.

I can't say that this album is perfect however. The second half, while still enjoyable overall, isn't up to the same quality of the first half. 'Thru and Thru' is kind of dull, but luckily it's followed by the powerful 'Mean Disposition', the album's closer and one of the standouts. The first three tracks that I mentioned before are the best songs on here - so I suppose it does go downhill from thereon, but not by much. Really this is a respectable effort from a band that got back to writing the kind of songs they do best. 
Adam's rating: 8/10


BRIDGES TO BABYLON          1997           (Virgin)
- Standouts: 'Flip the Switch', 'Already Over Me', 'Too Tight'
Despite the success of Voodoo Lounge, which stayed true to what the band is known for musically, they decided to tamper with alternative rock on this CD...for better or worse. Alt. rock was already the big thing in '94 (when Voodoo Lounge was released), so why they suddenly decided to stray away from their roots by '97 I don't know. When you listen to this album for the first time, it's clear they weren't entirely influenced by whatever was popular at the time. Most of the traits that made the Stones good in the first place are present here, the album's just much more 90's rock than usual. Weirdly, I enjoyed Bridges to Babylon more than I thought I would. Unlike a lot of their 80's material, this album is hardly cringey, nor has it aged as badly. Keith and Ronnie's guitars are still unmistakably Stones, it's just that on some of the songs, like 'Low Down' and especially 'Might As Well Get Juiced', the approach to the vocal melodies and chorus' are really un-Stones like and sound like Mick was too busy listening to bands like Pearl Jam or Beck in order to get inspiration. I don't think the album's a total disaster. It can be odd hearing the way these songs for the first time, but none of it was unlistenable, except maybe for the stupid reggae-influenced 'You Don't Have to Mean It'. Hell, 'Flip the Switch' is an excellent song whatever way you look at it. I also enjoy the ballad 'Already Over Me' (well, if you can call it a ballad). 'Too Tight' is cool as well.

Before you give this thing a listen though, let me just say that I'm not whole-heatedly recommending the album. It's far from their best, and if they'd just followed the same formula they used on Voodoo Lounge, the record would've guaranteed to have been superior than the result we got. Still, it's a fair effort and nowhere near the failure it could've been.
Adam's rating: 6.5/10   


A BIGGER BANG          2005          (Virgin)
- Standouts: You listen and decide for yourself (and I don't mean that in a bad way).
forwhateverreasonthebanddecidedthatitwouldbeagoodideatopresentalmostallthetextwithinthesleevenoteswithalmostnospacingwhatsoever. fuckknowswhatwasgoingthroughtheirheads.

Thankfully the actual music on the album is much more clear and straightforward. Yeah, this is the Stones doing a generic Stones record, but at this point in their career, it was necessary. And by 'generic Stones' I mean, the album is basically a greatest hits of all their seminal material. If their gonna write new tracks of their own, no more experimentation is really necessary. It's not like they have to prove anything to anyone anymore, what the countless classic records they have under their belts. Frankly, I enjoyed this album quite a bit. 'Rough Justice' is a great opener, and Mick sounds fresh. Heck, the whole band sound fresh on it. It has that classic vibe but still sounds relevant. 'Let Me Down Slow' is a good sing-along, 'It Won't Take Long' and 'She Saw Me Coming' are more hard-edges, 'Rain Falls Down' dabbles a little with funk, 'Back Of My Hand' yet again returns to the sleazy blues, 'This Place Is Empty' is a predictable but enjoyable acoustic number, 'Oh No, Not You Again' rocks hard and really the whole album is listenable from start to finish. It's true, I am finding it difficult to really find any tracks that stand as all-time classics within the discography, but due to the band sticking so closely to the formulas that they know actually work for them, nothing here borders on mediocrity either. It's true, my score for the album probably is a little high, but I really can't think of anything bad to say even if I can't think of anything really good to say. It's the Stones, it works. 
Adam's rating: 7.8/10


GRRR!          2012          (ABKCO)
There are multiple versions of this compilation, mine is the 50-track, 3 CD edition with 12-page booklet. As you can probably guess, GRRR! is a compilation that spans the entirety of the band's career, and a very good one at that. I picked it up on release in 2012 and aside from having Sticky Fingers too, it was the only Stones record in my collection until 2017 when I finally started collecting more of their stuff. It has songs from every studio album (at the time) plus two previous unreleased tracks, 'Doom and Gloom' and 'One More Shot'. Both these tracks are straightforward Stones rockers that wouldn't be out of place on albums like Voodoo Lounge and A Bigger Bang. I still play this thing despite having most of their albums (but not all...YET) because it makes for a great playlist in the car or gym, or whatever.