Vinyl Reviews

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

The CD doesn’t hold a candle to the overall presence, halos of air that ring background vocals by the likes of Linda Ronstadt and Nicolette Larson, rhythmic thrump of the acoustic guitars, or broom-sweep brush of the individual chords experienced on the 2LP version.

Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won

Led Zeppelin’s chemistry and hammer-of-the-gods prowess don’t come any better.

The Decemberists - I’ll Be Your Girl

Capitol’s delightfully quiet pressing comes housed in a relatively thick, colorfully appointed gatefold sleeve.

Judas Priest - Painkiller

Recorded in the months leading up to the groundbreaking trial in which Judas Priest was accused of including a subliminal message in its cover of Spooky Tooth’s “Better by You, Better Than Me” on 1978’s Stained Class – a track the parents of two young men who attempted suicide claimed led their offspring to shoot themselves – Painkiller remains the heaviest, fastest, and most aggressive album the metal legends ever made.

Hüsker Dü - Savage Young Du

No artist bridged the worlds of aggressive rock, American punk, hook-ridden pop, and shag-carpeted psychedelia more definitively and decisively than Husker Du. Separating itself from equally loud and noisy contemporaries, the Minnesota-based trio held its hardcore ferocity, without-abandon fury, and land-speed-record tempos together with a tautness and virtuosity that improved as time went on.

The National - Sleep Well Beast

Few bands manage the art of the slow-burn with the control, drama, and scope mastered by the National. The group continues to practice such strengths on its seventh album but also adds a few variations on its proven low-key approach. Electronics currents, abrupt volume shifts, and the more prevalent use of classically oriented strings and horns suggest a creative evolution partially based in its members’ recent involvement with Grateful Dead tribute projects as well as a desire to welcome added mystery, innovation, and surprise into the mix.

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

Yet another live album from Iron Maiden? If you’re keeping score, The Book of Souls: Live Chapter marks the English septet’s fifth such release since 1985’s quintessential Live After Death—and sixth if the soundtrack to Flight 666 gets factored into the equation. Few artists enjoy the luxury of issuing a live record to coincide with every-other jaunt on which they embark.

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

The pairing of Queens of the Stone Age and Mark Ronson—a hip-hop-minded DJ and producer who helmed chart-dominating successes for Bruno Mars and Amy Winehouse—doesn’t exactly jive on paper. On record, it’s a different matter. Any worries about Ronson overturning the band’s harder-edged approach in favor of mainstream R&B sheen fall away seconds into the […]

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Reviews by Bob Gendron:

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won

The Decemberists - I’ll Be Your Girl

Judas Priest - Painkiller

Hüsker Dü - Savage Young Du

The National - Sleep Well Beast

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

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Reviews by Bob Gendron:

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won

The Decemberists - I’ll Be Your Girl

Judas Priest - Painkiller

Hüsker Dü - Savage Young Du

The National - Sleep Well Beast

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls: Live Chapter

Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

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