The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project

Well this tidbit from the wiki makes lament for what could have been:

Maybe for the best. The three other band members in queen go on about under pressure basically being Bowie and Mercury spending the whole sessions trying to one up the other. I think the line was “there’s only room for one queen in any band”
 
Maybe for the best. The three other band members in queen go on about under pressure basically being Bowie and Mercury spending the whole sessions trying to one up the other. I think the line was “there’s only room for one queen in any band”
They had both given in to the extremes of their… well… everything by Under Pressure. It’s very interesting to me that Metal Queen was still somehow linked to Bowie and touring with Mott the Hoople.
 
They had both given in to the extremes of their… well… everything by Under Pressure. It’s very interesting to me that Metal Queen was still somehow linked to Bowie and touring with Mott the Hoople.

It’s a small country. Rock and indie, particularly in the early touring slog, is often lumped together on concert tours.

I once saw an NME rising tour with Amen and very fey indie band co headlining. That was quite the contrast…
 
It’s a small country. Rock and indie, particularly in the early touring slog, is often lumped together on concert tours.

I once saw an NME rising tour with Amen and very fey indie band co headlining. That was quite the contrast…
Little bit of a difference between being packaged together and actively working together, but I hear you.
 
Little bit of a difference between being packaged together and actively working together, but I hear you.

Yes but it does mean you’re meeting and hearing artists different to yourself and that kinda networking opens you to working with these people because you likely know them.

Even a city as big as London is more parochial than you’d be used to in the states given the size of the country and artists and musicians would tend to be hanging out and mixing in very similar places.
 
Last edited:
10/24/23
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Beyonce - Beyonce





With the release of Lemonade and RENAISSANCE I believe she is one of the best working rn. This album definitely shows some inklings of that greatness but as is it’s just ok. I always admired that she got experimental here but it always felt like she was just dipping her toe in, Lemonade is where she truly dived in and embraced the art of the album. On an individual song level there are some that are amoung her best (“Drunk in Love”, “Partition” and “Flawless” being the main examples) but as a whole it’s a bit too hit or miss for me
 
With the release of Lemonade and RENAISSANCE I believe she is one of the best working rn. This album definitely shows some inklings of that greatness but as is it’s just ok. I always admired that she got experimental here but it always felt like she was just dipping her toe in, Lemonade is where she truly dived in and embraced the art of the album. On an individual song level there are some that are amoung her best (“Drunk in Love”, “Partition” and “Flawless” being the main examples) but as a whole it’s a bit too hit or miss for me
I don't think we can be friends anymore.
 
Of all my takes I didn’t think this is the one that would cause strife but Beyoncé is a divisive topic so I fully understand
I mean, I've well talked about my feelings on her most recent here. Lemonade and this are GREAT albums, bar none. This one approaches some experimentation, but more importantly brings hefty topics to popular RnB. I think it was @bluejay who said that Ill Communication was when the Beasties stopped being boys and became Men. This is the same way I feel about this album. It is the moment she took all the clout she had gotten from being the biggest pop star on the planet and started doing something with her platform. It chronicles her heights but also her insecurities and struggles. It's also sexually explicit with out pandoring to the porn crowd (like so much rap). It's real as opposed to merely designed to get butts shaking on the dance floor (which it also does). It was released at the 11th hour and was my AOTY for 2013 by the end of its release week. It was stunning as a statement and stunning as an event (the midnight drop without notice).
 
10/24/23
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Beyonce - Beyonce




I agree with Lee with how this is viewed as her first great album. But perhaps I don't view it as truly "great." But the first one that I at the very least liked throughout.

Some of her best career tracks can be found here ("Drunk in Love," "Superpower," and "Blue" among a few). Production slickly rolls. The life experiences she brings to these songs read more than just another group of singles, it comes off unabashed. No doubt Queen B's voice slays. Some songs can approach being overtly sexual ("Partition"), but that's a common contemporary R&B trope.

I can understand its place on this list.

Rating: 3/5 [Good]
 
I mean, I've well talked about my feelings on her most recent here. Lemonade and this are GREAT albums, bar none. This one approaches some experimentation, but more importantly brings hefty topics to popular RnB. I think it was @bluejay who said that Ill Communication was when the Beasties stopped being boys and became Men. This is the same way I feel about this album. It is the moment she took all the clout she had gotten from being the biggest pop star on the planet and started doing something with her platform. It chronicles her heights but also her insecurities and struggles. It's also sexually explicit with out pandoring to the porn crowd (like so much rap). It's real as opposed to merely designed to get butts shaking on the dance floor (which it also does). It was released at the 11th hour and was my AOTY for 2013 by the end of its release week. It was stunning as a statement and stunning as an event (the midnight drop without notice).

I never knew you were such a Beyonce fan
 
With few exceptions (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus) I tend to like the super mega popstars. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Taylor Swift are all very talented and I really like their music. Don't necessarily think much of some of them (MJ, JT and Swift are not people I want to hang out with.) There is a lot of genius involved in writing a song that appeals to the masses or with JT and sometime Beyonce in attaching yourself to writers/musicians/producers that can do that as well. There is a reason I am a huge Prince and Beatles fan.
 
We saw her at Coachella and there's no denying that she's talented but I'd personally have a hard time calling any of her albums great. Just not my cup of tea.

She was one of the main reasons I bought tickets to Coachella 2017 (along with Kendrick, FJM and Lorde) and I knew I wouldn’t get to see her once she announced her pregnancy. She is still high priority on my bucket list
 
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