album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
My Essential Albums: 'Self Portrait' by Bob Dylan
Go on, fight me. I dare you. Yes, this is an essential album and don't worry, I will explain why. Self Portrait was controversial because Bob Dylan was apparently not giving his best when it came to "form." Instead, it was just a big misunderstanding and Bob Dylan was really experimenting with a new sound.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Tempest' by Bob Dylan
This album is very much under-appreciated and I want to share just why it has appeared on my list of my "essential" albums to listen to before you die. I want to (be not the first) to say that this album is seriously good if you love Bob Dylan, like I do. It is one of those albums you can seriously jam out to and has a brilliant set of songs to listen to. Each of the songs is different to the last and each of the sounds is different entirely, telling its own story.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'The Essential Elvis Presley' by Elvis Presley
My Dad has always told me, ever since I was a very little girl, that Elvis Presley is the King. My family loves him and his music is, by all means, pretty damn awesome. Now, this album is a compilation album of all his hits, but I want to go through the most amazing songs by the King of Rock and Roll. To be honest, if you don't like Elvis, be prepared to be disowned by my dad, his sister (my aunt), some of the neighbours on her street, possibly their pet cat, and the fish in the pond on the other side of the street.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'John Wesley Harding' by Bob Dylan
With minimalistic sounds, a great set of vocals and some brilliant songs, we are met with the controversial, but legendary album that is John Wesley Harding by Bob Dylan. Recorded in typical Bob Dylan style - as much as physically possible in one day—between the October and November of 1967, the album shows a change. This album was released after Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits and most importantly, it followed the famed magnum opus of Blonde on Blonde. So our question is, what happened? How did we go from one extreme to another?
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Blonde on Blonde' by Bob Dylan
As one of the most influential albums of all time, Blonde on Blonde serves to be an essential album if you really want to get to know my music collection. (You'll run into this man a lot, so keep your eyes open). In 1966, Bob Dylan hit us with an amazing album with some of the greatest and most incredible songs ever written.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Infidels' by Bob Dylan
Now I know what you're going to say, "there's hardly any Dylan hits on this album, what are you doing?" Well I love this album with my entire heart so you're either gonna sit here and deal with that, or hop over to Highway 61 Revisited and read that one. This is one of my all-time favourite Bob Dylan albums because of its incredible almost echoing sound. Those drums are awesome and the ones at the beginning of compositions like "Jokerman"and "I and I" are incredible.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Dangerous' by Michael Jackson
If you haven't heard this album, then in the words of Bob Dylan, "I don't believe you. You're a liar!" You are, whether you like it or not—you have heard this album, all of it. As one of the greatest albums ever recorded, there is no question as to why it's still revered today. It is also one of my personal favourite albums ever. Released in the November of 1991, this album was a worldwide success and very quickly, with its incredible and iconic music videos and it's amazingly written songs critiquing the world and its judgements. I could go on forever about this album and really? We are going through each song. Strap in, it's gonna be a rockin' ride!
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'The Beatles' (The White Album) by The Beatles
Also known as The White Album, this self-titled album by the Beatles isn't only famous as being the "Charles Manson went Batshit Crazy" album, but is also remembered as being one of the greatest albums ever recorded. The Beatles have many albums that you may see in this series over time, but seriously, I wanted to start with this one, purely because it's such an icon of who the Beatles are. They aren't a boy band, they aren't a set of manufactured rock stars, they cannot be defined or padlocked into a group, and they cannot be imprisoned in one type of music. They are everlasting and they are incredible—they transcend the term "music" itself.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Innuendo' by Queen
This is by a flying mile my favourite Queen album and I have to say, though I'm not really that into Queen as it's a bit after the period of music I normally listen to—I do like this album a lot because of its intense drama. The album has served to be an iconic reminder of the demise of the band's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, known as one of the greatest male vocalists to have ever lived. The album also serves as a reminder of the brilliance of dramatic, hard progressive rock music—and the fact that even though the 90s came around, it wasn't about to die.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: '20 Golden Greats' by Buddy Holly and the Crickets
This album, also known as Buddy Holly Lives was released in the February of 1978 as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Holly, who died in a plane crash in 1959, went on to become immortalised through his incredible musical abilities at such a young age. He was just 22 years old at the time of his death. This album is filled with all your favourite Buddy Holly and the Crickets songs and is an absolute pleasure to listen to at any time of the day.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
My Essential Albums: 'Highway 61 Revisited' by Bob Dylan
One of the most essential albums in music history, and also one of my personal favourites, Bob Dylan's electric folk-rock album has stood the test of time and become a myth in itself. With a track listing of only nine songs, it is a short album, but it also shows you exactly how much work goes into each and every song Dylan writes. The iconic cover art has been copied for decades afterwards, with a slightly annoyed Dylan staring directly into the camera almost asking you out for a fight (in which he will win, because believe it or not, Bob Dylan loves boxing). And, with ease, Dylan takes you on a tour of his new sound, debuting the kind of man he is in 65 and 66, before killing him off to start over.
By Annie Kapur7 years ago in Beat
