David Bowie - Station To Station

1: Station To Station
2: Golden Years
3: Word On A Wing
4: TVC 15
5: Stay
6: Wild Is The Wind


This is not my favourite David Bowie album, but it's certainly in my top five and it's one of his most underrated efforts as well in my opinion. Beside that, even though the album is only 6 tracks, individually, each one of them make up for it in length. The epic kick off 'Station To Station' really gets things going once it starts, the drug fuelled lyrics sums the song and times that Bowie was going through, evidently weighing less than 9 stone (thin as me pretty much) and a diet of eggs, milk and cocaine gives us a slight insight into what this mad artist was going through.

Bowie's tenth album here is drug ridden, the change in rhythm is almost constant and is fairly nervous. This theme is pointed out in 'Golden Years', which is a sort of hint on how Bowie's own 'Golden Years' were during the 1970's... untouchable. The funky, choppy guitar intro provides an upbeat start to the song, where in the opener, listeners are made to wait a good four or five minutes before the song gets going. Probably the most splendid element of 'Golden Years' is Bowie's vocals, just like in his previous album 'Young Americans' where they were full of soul... even if it was plastic. After 'Golden Years' listeners are plunged into 'Word On A Wing' which is a heartfelt song on what The Thin White Duke was experiencing. This song is the Duke's cry for help, for a return back to Europe and to stabilise himself, while meddling with ideas of fascism and heavy substance abuse. Again, Bowie's vocals are the formidable force through-out this song, they're completely in touch with how we was feeling, the lyrics however in 'Word On A Wing' are obvious to interpret, unlike most of the lyrics in 'Station To Station' which are simply sombre and heavily drug influenced and hard to get any meaning out of them.

The rest of the album is mainly a follow on from what I already described about the first three tracks. Although, 'TVC 15' is probably the most accessible track on the album apart from 'Golden Years', with it's catchy chorus and jaunting piano backdrop creating a typical catchy Bowie track in all it's glory. 'Stay' is probably the most experimental song of the album and I'll even dare to say the most 'rockiest' song of the album, coming in at seven minutes long, it's robot like guitar solo's, in terms of floating in and out fluency but remaining prominent through-out. The final song in the album however, 'Wild Is The Wind' didn't become a 'hit' until 1981, however, the song is another heartfelt ballad, which isn't written by him, but he gives Tiomkin and Washington's original version a bit more emotion and prominence.

The White Stripes - Elephant

1: Seven Nation Army
2: Black Math
3: There's No Home For You Here
4: I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
5: In The Cold, Cold Night
6: I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
7: You've Got In Her Your Pocket
8: Ball And Biscuit
9: The Hardest Button To Button
10: Little Acorns
11: Hypnotize
12: The Air Near My Fingers
13: Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
14: It's That We Love One Another


Another classic album for the people of the future to talk about... and they will. It's now 2009, while I write this and there is one problem, there is only ONE modern blues man that's in touch with past blues musicians and that is obviously, Jack White. He is considered the saviour of rock n roll, and yeah he pretty much is unfortunately, which I mean as no offence to Jack, but we definitely need more of him and the chemistry he has with his sidekick Meg White.

Elephant electrify's us instantly with a monstrous rock anthem, 'Seven Nation Army'. The slow tempo bass line that's used for the intro, which is the underlying rhythm throughout the song and builds up to an intense solo which would raise the hair on the back of anyone's neck and shows that this song is a modern classic. The tempo doesn't stop there, straight after 'Seven Nation Army' we are fixed straight into 'Black Math' which just 100 M.P.H garage rock, Jack is smashing his guitar in any possible direction while Meg just simply bangs around on the drums until she gives that final whack which signals the end.

My favourite songs from the album would probably be, 'Seven Nation Army', 'Black Math', 'There's No Home For You Here', 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself', 'In The Cold, Cold Night', 'Ball and Biscuit', 'Hypnotize' and 'Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine'. Am not going to bother reviewing the album in full, because I'll simply come of 100% bias.

But, what I can say is, this album is one of my favourites because it's simply rock & roll. Jack and Meg White give us back bluesy rock, where it was lingering around in some graveyard back in the 1970's. Now Jack and his pretend sister have resurrected blues rock into the 2000's, it sounds more harsh, brutal and it's in your face, just how it should be.

Now for relevant trivia, I got this album from my ex girlfriend, who somehow didn't like the Stripes... yes... I know, quite disgraceful but she only got it for 'Seven Nation Army' which is a bit ughh, because overlooking that one song, this album is full of gems and their cover of Dusty Springfield's 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself' is more than sublime, Jack kept it in it's original format, all he did was add his style of guitar to it and Meg added her simple drum expertise to it. Plus, one other song to look out for, which I feel is probably, my favourite song of the album would be 'Ball and Biscuit'. Now, here's an oxymoron for you, progressive garage rock. 'Ball and Biscuit' comes in at a total of 7 minutes and 19 seconds long and the slow start as Jack rattles of 'Let's have a ball sugar and take our sweet lil' time about it' then explodes into a frenzy of guitar solos, while Meg mashes her drum set into a stewed mess. The song continues to float in and out of slow paces and rushing into continued frenzies, I would simply just recommend this album to anyone... anyone who likes The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and blues musicians like Robert Johnson, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan should and will enjoy, The White Stripes.

The Doors - L.A. Woman

1: The Changeling
2: Love Her Madly
3: Been Down So Long
4: Cars Hiss By My Window
5: L.A. Woman
6: L'America
7: Hyacinth House
8: Crawling King Snake
9: The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
10: Riders on the Storm


Well, The Doors are my all time favourite music group, no questions asked. Also, 'L.A. Woman' is my favourite Doors album, again, no questions asked.

There's many reasons why this album is my favourite Doors album and probably my favourite album of all time. Reasons like, this was The Doors last album with Jim Morrison before he moved to Paris and passed away at very lowly age of 27 years. Other reasons, would be because it was their return to form, after the shambles of 'The Soft Parade' in 1969, The Doors came back in 1970 with 'Morrison Hotel' which they went back to their roots, which is obviously, the Blues. But what parts 'Morrison Hotel' and 'L.A. Woman' is that the later is more bluesier and more tightly compact. What I mean by more 'Tightly Compact' is that this album is tight, everything is running smoothly in this record, Ray Manzarek's keyboard skills are in full flight and Robby Krieger's solo's are probably the best I've ever heard in comparison to all their previous albums. John Densmore as well adds his perfect hand of experimental and almost jazzy drumming to the attack, that is The Doors. One thing people can't criticise is Jim Morrison's song writing, like all Doors albums except 'The Soft Parade', it's shows up and it's beautifully sculptured and chisels it's way around the music in almost terrific fashion.

My favourite songs from the album are 'The Changeling', 'Love Her Madly', 'L.A. Woman', 'Hyacinth House' and 'Riders on the Storm'. Reasons why, well, 'The Changeling' is what the Doors are all about, bluesy rock. 'Love Her Madly' displays The Doors craft at what they can do in creating a song fit for radio purpose, it's so catchy it's hard not to like. 'L.A. Woman' on the other hand, is a typical classic Doors song, epic and a beautiful story about the bungalows in Los Angeles and the beautiful woman there which am sure Jim had a lot of. This song, is also my favourite track from 'L.A. Woman' and my favourite song by The Doors. The 'Hyacinth House' is a nice tale about Jim wanting a brand new friend, who doesn't care for him. The song expresses elegant song writing as Jim tells us a story in bluesy fashion that he doesn't want to be cared for and then, the final Doors album with Jim Morrison finishes of in perfect transition from blues, to Psychedelic Blues. This piece of haunting music about a killer on the road and actors out on loan totally perfect what The Doors do best, create tales, create music to go with it and blow it apart until it's a free flowing sound which makes you want to out and get totally wrecked and sleep with some pretty L.A. Woman but despite that, 'Riders on the Storm' demonstrates something which makes The Doors original and unique, especially for their time, is their sense of darkness and how they delve into it like they would delve into a cookie jar, they do it so easy and it's so accessible to them like if it's like a natural function which is something the likes of The Beatles missed out on... a song like 'Riders on the Storm'.