The Sonic Collective has decided to pick a round of influential country music artists. Member Scott Coates explains why he chose Willie Nelson’s Shotgun Willie album. Listen to this selection and then join us back on February 1, 2021 to hear our review of this classic Willie Nelson album.
Continue reading
Our first pick of our country music round of four influential country music artists started with member Darren Scott. He chose one of America’s greatest songwriters, Dolly Parton and her Jolene album.
Please go back to our last episode to listen to why Darren chose this album and then dive into this review and find out what we liked, and did not like about this classic album.
Continue reading
For our last pick of our double-album round, Sonic Collective member Scott Gregory picked this ambient, synth-pop, adored album, M83’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. Listen to this full review as we chat about how we enjoyed our pick for November 2020, which marks the 6th anniversary of our podcast. Have a listen to how the album impacted us and what our impressions were.
Continue reading
The Sonic Collective has decided to pick a round of influential country music artists. Member Darren Scott explains why he chose Dolly Parton’s Jolene album. As we look to explore the most influential albums, a person cannot ignore that the title track Jolene, and another little song that did ok for her and Whitney Houston, I will Always Love You, have to be two of the most influential songs in our lifetime.
Continue reading
Hi all you people out there in Collective land. It’s me, Scott G, here to present our pick for November 2020, which is also the last of the double album round. As you know, Alain picked our last band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood. This was right up my alley because I’ve spent a lot of time with 80s and 90s Brit synth and pop.
I was really torn on what to pick for this round. Looking through a bunch of top-10 lists there were a lot of great options. I was leaning heavily towards Bruce Springsteen’s The River, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd…lots of solid, safe picks.
But stretching out into top 50 lists, the band M83 caught my eye. First, because the name was unusual, and as far as I could tell I’d never even heard of them before. Their double album’s from 2011 and is called Hurry up, we’re dreaming.
Coming off a Brit synth pop from the 80s, I thought it’d be cool to pair it with some more synth from 30 years later and across the channel. Will there be cultural differences we can detect in the album? Will there be an evolution we can trace back? How will it feel coming off an overtly sexually charged album into something more atmospheric?
Their sixth studio album, coming in at a tight 73 minutes, I’m really hoping for a polished and deeply immersive double record. I don’t usually listen to a lot of ambient music, and I hope this is as new and interesting for you all as it will be for me.
So with that, let’s start our journey together with the Sonic Collective’s November, 2020 pick: M83’s 2011 double album, Hurry up, we’re dreaming. See you at the end month.
The River – Bruce Springsteen
Generation Terrorists – Manic Street Preachers
Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth
Please read Alain DuPuis’s pick, Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, before reading and listening to our reviews below.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasuredome
For our 3rd selection in this round of influential double-albums, Sonic Collective member Alain Dupuis reached back to 1984 and this first Frankie Goes to Hollywood album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome. This albums contains the 6th and 20th best selling singles in the U.K., for Relax and Two Tribes. But how did this stand up as a whole album? Can we all finally relax? Well, this review didn’t go as we thought. Listen along and see why we struggled with this 80s classic. Hint: It’s the cover songs and the bi-polar sound of this album.
Perhaps the producer was over zealous, perhaps the band wasn’t in control, perhaps this lives just perfectly in 1984 and should stay there. What do you think?
Overall opinion: 2.6
Would we recommend?: 2.3
Influenced our tastes: 2.5
Our Individual Review Scores
Alain Dupuis
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 2.5
Influenced my tastes: 1
Scott Gregory
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 3
Influenced my tastes: 5
Scott Coates
Overall opinion: 2
Would I recommend?: 1
Influenced my tastes: 1
Darren Scott
Overall opinion: 2.5
Would I recommend?: 2.5
Influenced my tastes: 3
Please read Scott Coates’s pick, The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland, before reading and listening to our reviews below.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland
The group collectively agreed that this was an album we really enjoyed. Between Jimi Hendrix’s incredible guitar skills, the songwriting, and the production value, this one didn’t feel like a chore to get through. Quite the opposite, in fact. Is anyone surprised? This album sits at the precipice of bluesy, proto-hard rock, which makes for a really interesting musical journey. As our recommend score indicates, this isn’t an album to miss, so you should give this one a listen and let us know what you thought.
Overall opinion: 4.9
Would we recommend?: 4.8
Influenced our tastes: 3.4
Our Individual Review Scores
Scott Gregory
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 3.5
Alain Dupuis
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Scott Coates
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 4
Darren Scott
Overall opinion: 5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 5
Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the debut studio album from the British synth-pop band Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Released in October of 1984, Pleasuredome hit #1 in the UK and European charts, eventually reaching triple platinum status in their home country, moving more than 900,000 units. The album found success all over the world as well, reaching the tops of many international charts.
Continue reading
Please read Darren Scott’s pick for Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde before reading and listening to our reviews below.
Review of Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde
The group weren’t big fans of this album. We couldn’t get into Dylan’s vocals and the harmonica was a little too shrill for our likings. While there were some moments of greatness to be savored, we felt like this album left us wanting more from such an incredibly hyped and appreciated artist. We all felt music fans should listen to at least one Dylan album in their life, and now that’s done.
Overall Scores
Overall opinion: 2.3
Would we recommend?: 1.9
Influenced our tastes: 1.6
Our Individual Review Scores
Scott Gregory
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 2
Influenced my tastes: 2
Alain DuPuis
Overall opinion: 1
Would I recommend?: 1
Influenced my tastes: 1.5
Scott Coates
Overall opinion: 1
Would I recommend?: 3
Influenced my tastes: 1
Darren Scott
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 3.5
Influenced my tastes: 2
This month’s selection is by Scott Coates.
Electric Ladyland was the the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the final studio album released in Hendrix’s lifetime before his death in 1970. It was also the only record from the band produced by Hendrix himself and the only Experience album mixed entirely in stereo. Mono was still the go-to method back then.
It was recorded at several studios in the US and UK between July 1967 and January 1968, and released on October 16, 1968. It was the Experience’s most commercially successful release and their only number one album. There were several covers as well, one featured 19 nude women on the inside cover, which did not see wide release.
Recording sessions were said to have been very chaotic, more resembling a party, with friends and guest musicians popping in and out. This caused at least one producer to leave the project and saw people such as Traffic’s Steve Winwood play bass and organ on ‘Voodoo Chile’.
Fifty-years after his death, Hendrix is still regarded as one of the ultimate guitar gods and we’ll take this month to learn why. Enjoy the journey ahead!