I listened to this album again over the weekend. It was the first time listening to it in a while. The thing that really stood out to me was the musicianship. Whether you are talking about the bass, or the drums or the guitar or keyboards I felt like we were stepping into a whole new realm of music. We were going beyond rock and roll. We were stepping into a different stratosphere. We were starting that climb up the mountain of musicianship that The Ramones and The Sex Pistols and all the bands of the mid to late seventies were going to reject and topple. I get why they rejected it. There is something nice about simple rock and roll. There is something nice to 3 chords and the truth. But I also think it is great to listen to world class musicians making some insanely complicated and sophisticated music. And when they can do it and still have really cool harmonies and catchy hooks like on "I've Seen All Good People" then that is something I really love.
To me the stand outs on this album are the aforementioned "I've Seen All Good People" and "The Clap" or "Clap". I've always referred to it as "The Clap" because that is how it is listed on my record, but apparently that was a mistake and the song should have been listed as "Clap" and is correctly listed on CD releases. When I first heard this album, the musical gymnastics on that track floored me. I quickly put that song on a mix tape shortly after buying this record. Yep, mix tape. I wasn't even burning CDs at that point.
I have to say, I don't remember the other songs as much after listening to the record. Not that they aren't good. I think the album is great and I enjoy them while listening, but to me those two tracks I mentioned are the ones I take with me and never forget. I'm glad I got to listen to this album yet again today and I'll continue to revisit this album in years to come.
This is something I saw today.
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