Nothing wrong with a little mid-week panic, and last month’s Bill Graham Memorial Foundation benefit at the Filmore East certainly didn’t disappoint. The Filmore itself has a reverence about it. I guess it has something to do with being in the same house where legends like The Grateful Dead and Miles Davis once graced the stage with their presence.
At the conclusion of David Graham’s coked out (yet informative) rambling sermon on the importance of the Billy Graham Memorial Foundation, JB and Jimmy proceeded to take the stage and commence a face melting 2-set inferno, much to the surgeon general of rock’s chagrin.
Highlights from the first set for me included a supercharged “Heroes” and “Disco.” Then the boys really turned up the heat with a classic toe-tappin’ rendition of “Fixin to Die” by the legendary Mississippi bluesman Booker T. Washington White. They teased that into “Henry Parsons Died” before proceeding to crank it up again with part II of the Booker tribute in a fiery “Green Onions.”
Second set they charged out of the gate rippin through the timeless classics “Space Wrangler” and “Airplane.” Chestnut covers always bring the heat and the two headed monster “Protein Drink” and “Sewing Machine” burned the East Village to the ground.
We actually overheard some of the staff at the end of the second set bitching about the show’s length. Come on, honestly what’s with that blasphemy? What could you possibly have to do that’s better than watching a dirty Panic encore in the city? Nothing that’s what. Expiration Day>Pilgrims>Goin’ Out West will always be > your plans.
11/19/08 Irving Plaza, New York, NY
1: Heroes > Disco > Angels on High, Smoking Factory > Fixin' To Die > Henry Parsons Died > Green Onions > Henry Parsons Died > Dark Day Program, Pigeons, Ain't Life Grand
2: Space Wrangler, North > Smokestack Lightning > Jam > Protein Drink > Sewing Machine, Let's Get The Show On The Road > Airplane > Under The Radar Jam > Papa's Home, Holden Oversoul > Conrad
SET 1: BIG WOOLY MAMMOTH, NORTH, ANGELS ON HIGH, LITTLE LILLY>ROCK>JAM>HATFIELD, HOPE IN A HOPELESS WORLD, CONRAD SET 2: FROM THE CRADLE, BOWLEGGED WOMAN, PAPA'S HOME>THREE CANDLES>AIRPLANE>DRUMS>PAPA'S HOME, HENRY PARSONS DIED ENCORE: LETS GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, BLACKOUT BLUES
There really isn't a bad spot in the United Palace Theatre, and our seats 6 rows back stageleft in the School Zone Saturday night were certainly no exception. Decided to flask it for night two, avoiding the elongated beer lines and contributing to the record setting soft drink sales instead.
The boys wasted no time getting things started night two with the always popular "Big Wooly Mammoth," and great renditions of "North" and "Angels on High" off the new album Free Somehow. The highlight of the first set Saturday night though was "Hatfield" hands down. Great percussive intro by Sonny, and I always love JB's gritty vocals on this jam.
Jimmy came out strong in set 2 with an electric "From the Cradle" and really brought the heat on "Papas Home." It's always great to hear "Airplane" and Herring shredded that classic jam off Ain't Life Grand as well. You really can't say enough about him, the man can play. It's certainly an improvement over George but for me there will never be another Houser. Again certain songs remind you of that sad fact, and "Let's Get This Show on the Road" did it again as they closed out the second night during the encore before livening the mood with a rousing "Blackout Blues." *****
SET 1: HOLDEN OVERSOUL, BETTER OFF, CLIMB TO SAFETY, PAPA JOHNNY ROAD, SLEEPING MAN, SLEEPY MONKEY, FREE SOMEHOW, PLEAS>LOVE TRACTOR. SET 2: SPACE WRANGLER, RADIO CHILD, JACK, WONDERIN'>SECOND SKIN>DRUMS>*SURPRISE VALLEY>*PROTEiN DRINK, *SEWING MACHINE. ENCORE: THIS PART OF TOWN, WALK ON THE FLOOD * W/ WARREN HAYNES
Let me just start off by saying that this was a pretty amazing weekend, two nights of Panic with a day game at Yankee Stadium in between. Like everyone else I was stoked to see the band but a little wary of the venue. Way up on 175th and Broadway (the hood), this Christ Community United Church by day actually turned out to be a great spot to see a show. Despite a lack of adequate facilities and a steep $7 for an 8oz cup of checkered cab blonde, the acoustics and ornate architecture created a great atmosphere to enjoy an evening of southern rock.
Friday night they straight ripped it, coming hard right out of the gate with a supercharged “Holden Oversoul.” JB and Jimmy were on point, shredding great versions of “Climb to Safety” and “Papa Johnny Road.” It was great to hear Herring’s dancing guitar riffs accented by Sonny’s percussive wizardry on one of the band’s original classic tracks “Sleepy Monkey.” Ending the first set Friday night with rousing “Love Tractor,” the tone was set for the whole weekend.
Second set was much of the same. They kicked it off with one of my favorite tracks from Light Fuse Get Away - “Space Wrangler” followed by solid versions of “Wonderin” and “Second Skin.” Then a man who needs no introduction, a legend in his own right, the one and only Warren Haynes took the stage for “Surprise Valley” and two ridiculous Vic Chestnutt covers “Protein Drink” and “Sewing Machine.” Needless to say Warren’s signature grainy guitar solos fit in seamlessly on those jams, and somehow he and Jimmy were able to keep it together amid the endless stream of bras and panties flying at the stage. Apparently chicks really dig these guys.
The first night ended with a “This Part of Town” encore which made me reminisce of the old days with Mikey Houser on lead axe, RIP. Then they closed Friday night with great version of “Walk on the Flood” from the new album Free Somehow. I haven’t gotten a chance to really get into the album yet, but this performance definitely brought the place to its feet.
You can actually pinpoint the exact point that Jimmy torched my grille at approximately 4:25 during this face melting solo on “Walk on the Flood.” The result isn't pretty...
So I was on the way into the office this morning, and somewhere between my sprinting down the escalator at Porter Sq. and shuffling in between the suits on the subway, a Keller Williams cover of “Legalize It” began to play on my ipod. So far nothing out of the ordinary, yet as I stared at the front page of one of my fellow commuter’s Boston Herald, I read the headline “Credit Crunch Continues Market Woes,” and I began to think that maybe Keller is on to something here. Maybe the answer doesn’t lie in endless rate cuts, a presidential “stimulus” plan, and midnight congressional promises. Maybe Jeff Spicoli had the answer all along and we just haven’t been listening.
You really have to hand it to the Fed. Drastic times call for drastic measures, and they certainly have attempted to come up with some innovative solutions in the short term. The problem that weekend at Bernanke’s faces now is not a shortage of cheap money in the market, but convincing investors that cheap money actually exists. Not only that, but they have the daunting task of compelling markets to believe that there are no future rate cuts on the horizon. Otherwise what incentive is there to not delay lending even longer with the likelihood of a lower funds rate right around the corner? You can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink. That overused idiom certainly rings true in this case. The Fed’s primary role in economic policy is to regulate the supply of money, and while cheaper money helps to stimulate the economy it also fuels the fires of inflation as supply grows. In short they’re in a tighter spot than Lefty’s caddy on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot.
Bernanke undoubtedly recognizes the threat of inflation, however he has stated explicitly that Fed is now more focused on economic growth. That’s all well and good but at what point is enough really enough? We saw another rate cut yesterday down 75 bips to leave the fed funds rate (the interest that banks charge each other on overnight loans) at 2.25%. Just to put things into perspective a year ago today it was 5.25%. All the signs are there. Gold, the ultimate historical indicator of inflation hit all time high’s last week upwards of $1000 / oz. Oil, another critical gauge of inflation for the consumer, rose to unprecedented levels of $110 per barrel. Basically monetary policy alone will not fix our current credit anguish, we need Uncle Sam to step in with some solid fiscal strategery. Unfortunately the current occupants of the Whitehouse have never felt that discretion is the better part of valor when it came to government spending and have thus created the largest budget deficits in US history. With little room left for an increase in deficit spending Keynes undoubtedly rolls over in his grave.
So how are an album by Peter Tosh and the stoner from Fast Times at Ridgemont High going to solve our current financial crisis? Simple. Legalize it, regulate it, and tax the hell out of it.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. growers produce nearly $35 billion (18 billion pounds) worth of marijuana annually, making the illegal drug the country’s largest cash crop, bigger than corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion) combined.
Why are we ignoring the potential revenue streams from our would-be largest cash crop? Why are we, through current legislation, guaranteeing that 100% of the proceeds from marijuana sales go to iniquitous syndicates rather than legitimate businesses? A 2005 analysis by Harvard visiting professor Jeffrey Miron estimates that if the United States legalized marijuana, the country would save $7.7 billion in law enforcement costs as well. The fact that cannabis remains America’s #1 cash crop after 3 decades of government prohibition clearly indicates not only the squandering of manpower but a blatant disregard for the potential profits from this untapped resource. What we should do is take the proceeds from the legalized cannabis sales and provide banks access to more treasury paper while accepting mortgage backed securities as collateral. This way we can boost lending confidence by making highly liquid Treasuries available in exchange for the increasingly unpopular mortgage bonds. Just a thought. And for all those with moral objections, Genesis 1:12 - I have given you all the seed bearing plants and herbs to use.
Every once in awhile MTV slips up and lets a band on the air that isn’t just regurgitating the same mundane music that pigeonholes itself to a genre whose listeners like to cut themselves and talk about how much they hate their parents. Seriously though, TV On The Radio exudes a refreshing change of pace in a music industry where commercialism and sensationalism often take the place of creativity and individuality.
The best way to describe this band is by putting The Roots, Beck, and Radiohead into a shaker and making a delicious TVOTR cocktail. It’s difficult to find anything that compares sonically. Layer upon layer of sound create a rich harmonic atmosphere that somehow manages to remain lucid and not congested with noise. The mood created has almost as much to do with what they don’t play, the spaces between the notes, and our erroneous anticipation of where the song is headed based on where it’s been.
The latest album Return to Cookie Mountain clearly embodies a struggle between light and dark. Tunde Adepimbe’s falsetto vocals in the backdrop of charging tempos on tracks like “Wolf Like Me” and “Playhouses” somehow gel into a cohesive disposition that always seems to be teetering on the verge of disaster. That however is what makes this album so great. It’s the dissimilarities, the incongruities in the wake of chaos, that make the conventional seem novel and this by far the best indie rock album this year.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun
Here's the music video for the second track off of Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (2004) Staring at the Sun
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me on Letterman
Even Letterman is impressed with this performance of Wolf Like Me by the Brooklyn based band. I saw them shread this live a few weeks ago at the Avalon in Boston.
TV On The Radio
How many people have you seen playing the guitar with wind chimes hanging off the neck? Here's a video of the band playing in their backyard at Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
TV on The Radio - Young Liars - Live @ The Showbox
If you get the chance to catch one of these shows on their current spring tour don't miss it, the sound they're able to create live is unreal. Here's the title track off their 2003 release Young Liars.
So now that the summer is nearing an end, the roof-decks at your local Boston watering holes begin to empty out, and the Green Line to Boston College begins to fill up with lazy college students refusing to walk from Boston University West to Boston University Central, I thought I would do a recap of some of the shows I was fortunate enough to catch this summer before going back to strictly album reviews.
The shows range in date from May to September and are rated as follows: ** - I want my money back. *** - decent show. **** - great show. ***** - amazing.
Pearl Jam – The Meadows Hartford, CT - 5/13/06
I believe the venue is now referred to as the New England Dodge Music Arena or some other new trite and capitalistic title. For me it has and will always be referred to as the meadows, ever since the first Phish show I saw there in the summer’ 00 that ended with an insane version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” It wouldn’t have been a PJ show without the rain and the mud, quickly turning the lawn into a would-be slip’n’slide Crocodile Mile style. They hit the ground running though, straight through the new self-entitled album Pearl Jam (2006) with “Severed Hand,” “World Wide Suicide,” “Life Wasted,” and “Marker In The Sand.” Overall it was a good show, sick version of “Better Man” in the first set with great crowd participation. Betterman
Vedder also managed to make it through “Yellow Ledbetter” for an encore after downing a bottle of Merlot without falling off the stage, so that’s always good. Overall I give it *** ½ .
Tom Petty - The Tweeter Center Mansfield, MA - 6/21/06
Navigating to and from Mansfield and emerging from that labyrinth that is the Tweeter Center has always made me feel a bit like Lemmiwinks, and for some reason I never seem to be able to make it in from the parking lot to see the opener which was rather disappointing in this case since it happened to be Trey Anastasio. Tom Petty shows are always a good time but it’s just like listening to his greatest hits CD, going through everything from “Free Fallin’” to “Learning to Fly.” He did end with a nice version of “American Girl,” however the highlight of the show was definitely during “Last Dance With Mary Jane” when an altocumulus cloud of smoke rose from the crowd and almost blocked the view of the stage completely. Oh and I think Stevie Nicks was there. ***
WSP - Red Rocks Morrison, CO - 6/23/06 – 6/25/06
These three shows were the highlight of the summer hands down. Red Rocks is by far the best venue I’ve ever been to, the acoustics, the scenery, the overall atmosphere is really amazing. The trip out to Denver overall was great, my only gripe was that it happened to fall during the World Cup, and waking up at 7:00 am to watch England’s match at The British Bulldog made for a rather long day. Panic wasted no time on Friday, ripping straight through “Pilgrims” with John Keane on guitar and a great version of “Junior” with the Dickinson brothers from The North Mississippi Allstars on guitar and percussion. They ended the first night with “Postcard” off of Everyday (1994), a great way to start to the weekend. Saturday started off strong with “Thin Air” from Ball (2003), with a stellar version of “Aint Life Grand” to finish off the first set. Aint Life Grand
Widespread opened the second set with an awesome version of the classic WAR tune, “Slipping in the Darkness” followed by an always popular “Chilly Water” and another excellent rendition of the timeless Talking Head’s “Life During Wartime.” I was actually lucky enough to be at the Garden in NY for Halloween 10/31/03 when they first covered this song. To this day that’s still the best show I’ve ever been to and there were actually a lot of first times that night, The Ramones “Beat on the Brat” and “I Wanna Be Sedated” just to name a few. Unfortunately they did end the second night with a bit of a buzzkill in “May Your Glass Be Filled” off the new album Earth to America (2006). The verdict is still out on their latest disc, I haven’t gotten a chance to really listen to it as much as I like but I plan to do a review shortly. So I went into the show on Sunday thinking there was strong possibility that it may turn out to be a bit of a lay-up for them, however the powerhouse trio of “Bear’s Gone Fishing,” “Coconut,” and “Travelin’ Light” in the first set made it pretty clear that wouldn’t be the case. Highlights of the second set included “Thought Sausage,” “Barstools and Dreamers,” and “Porch Song,” before they pulled out all the strings in the final encore of the weekend throwing down with “Low Spark,” into “Blue Indian” into “All Time Low.” Blue Indian off ‘Til The Medicine Takes (1999) was the best of the weekend in my opinion, I hadn’t heard the song live in six years since the 12/30/00 New Year’s show in Atlanta, GA, and they definitely did it justice. One last note, when the encore on Sunday ended and the weekend finally came to a close, there was no better song to choose for the PA music then “Burning Down the House.” No one left the show until the song had ended and I think this video illustrates just how much fun that 3 day weekend really was. ***** Burning Down the House
The Roots / Pharcyde / Talib Kweli – The Avalon Boston, MA - 8/7/06
I was actually rather lucky to even get tickets to this show, it sold out over two weeks in advance which is unusual for the Avalon, so craig’s list came up big on this one. Unfortunately I missed Pharcyde, it took me almost an hour to get into the venue with the line stretching all the way down Lansdowne St.. Once inside it was the typical Roots show: high energy songs with guest MC appearances by Kweli and others, typical impromptu ?uestlove drum solo, Black Thought controlling the mic, and Captain Kirk Douglas shreading guitar solos on “The Seed 2.0” from Phrenology (2002). The Philly-based group promoted the new album Game Theory (2006) well, giving the crowd a taste of “False Media” and “Game Theory” before their official release 8/29/06. I highly recommend picking up this disc as well as checking out The Roots on their fall tour. ****
MMW / Soulive – Long Island Jazz Festival Oyster Bay, NY - 8/12/06
First of all I don’t want to take anything away from either groups, both performances were excellent, I just didn’t feel like this was the best setting/location for them to perform to their fullest potential. Bands like Soulive in particular, whose funky high energy jams really feed off crowd participation, seemed somewhat out of place with the Tanglewood-esque wine and cheese party that was going on out in the lawn. Just to paint a brief mental image of the venue setup, there was a large tent over the stage with about 40 rows of folding chairs underneath. This extended out to a cement walkway dividing the tent from the lawn where the remainder of the crowd was sprawled out with blankets/chairs, cheese&crackers, and bottles of Robert Mondavi. Soulive actually succeeded in getting most of the people under the tent to rise out of their seats for the encore, most of the lawn folks had cleared out by the end of the first set of MMW. Here’s a link to the medeski martin and wood podcast. Both shows were excellent musically, MMW always impresses me with their ability to take a relatively simple idea (18:10 on the podcast) and expand on it, developing layers of sound that effortlessly intertwine and flow from one movement to the next. Chris Wood’s versatility on the electric as well as standup bass coupled with Billy Martin’s endless box of percussive gadgets and John Medeski’s virtuosic slapping of the ivory keys always make each show worth while. *** (easily 4 at a better venue)
VH1 We Are The 80s: Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Loverboy and more – Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA - 8/10/06
I got tickets for this show from the Verizon $10 for Tuesday special where they had a limited number of tickets for sale for $10 to a few shows around New England, still not an excuse I know. All I really remember was that my white headband really came in handy during “Turn Me Loose” by Loverboy, and thinking that in the end of the world after a nuclear holocaust Rick Springfield and the cockroaches will be the only one’s that survive. I also remember there being more cougars at the Pavilion that night than at the San Diego Zoo. Pretty sure I rode a rickshaw home. **
Johnny Lang – Cape Cod Melody Tent The Cape, MA - 8/11/06
I’m not really a huge fan of Johnny’s studio work (although it is pretty impressive his first album Smokin (1996) was released at age 14), however I must say his live performance was pretty outstanding. He really has become an authority on the blues scene, playing with an unrivaled intensity and burning through numerous guitar solos with a striking falsetto voice. I was also very impressed with the opening act Reve Carney, whose eloquent playing is very reminiscent of Nick Drake, Paul Simon, and the late Elliot Smith. Overall this was a good show at a very interesting venue with a rotating stage, which is always a good time. ***
Gathering of the Vibes - Mariaville, NY – 8/17/06-8/20/06
Well after weaving our way through the first field of the vibes and basically getting a body cavity search by the motor cycle gang that Terrapin hired as security detail, the tent was finally setup (in the dark nonetheless). The following three days of music saw headliners including: North Mississippi Allstars, Martin Sexton, Deep Banana Blackout, G-Love, Keller Williams, Bob Weir, Burning Spear, and Yonder Mountain String Band. Friday began with a great show by set by The Scarecrow Collection, they actually covered a song called “Black Swan” by Thom Yorke off the The Eraser (2006). Next, North Mississippi kicked off the afternoon in style with a monster blues set. This is the fourth time I’ve seen them live and Luther’s swamp rock guitar licks coupled with Chris Chew’s dirty south bass continually make the bayou proud. The festival was off to a great start even in the mid-afternoon heat, as I began to sweat like Shack at the foul line. The evening brought some cooler weather and a solid set by Martin Sexton followed by the funkstravaganza that is Deep Banana Blackout. My Saturday afternoon was introduced in style by G-Love and the Special Sauce, providing the only real “hip hop” entertainment for the weekend. Jimmy-Jazz’s jams on that upright bass together with G-Love’s soulful harmonica banter really generate a unique and distinguished sound.The highlight of the weekend for me came Saturday afternoon when Keller Williams took the stage under ominous storm clouds. Keller threw down with a sick version of “Rainy Day” into “Dudley Wah” followed by the always popular “Freaker by the Speaker.” I’m not really sure what happened after “Breathe” but somehow with the help of ribcage-shaking bass from two towers of 30ft speakers he managed to start a rave in one of his trancey-endless loops that started somewhere before a trippy version of “Ninja” in the first set. I really felt like I was part of the dance party in Zion after Morpheus gives the speech about the machines coming in the third Matrix movie. He topped that off with an encore saw fantastic versions of “Dark Hollow” and “On the Road Again” with the man the myth the legend Bob Weir himself. Bob headlined with Ratdog Saturday night, representing Jerry well with great versions of “Jack Straw,” “Bird Song,” and the “Mississippi Half-Step” with Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay. So after the ensuing torrential downpour and hurricane-like conditions we survived on Saturday night, I woke up on the air mattress (roughing it I know) which actually doubled as a raft that night, drained the water out of my tent, and headed to the main stage to see Burning Spear. After reciting all of the countries of the world and whishing for peace in each of them, Rodney and the gang finally took the stage and broke into a stellar version of “Door Peep.” Other highlights of the set included “Jah Is My Driver” and a great version of the timeless classic “Marcus Garvey.” They ended the show in style with a fantastic version of the always groovy “African Postman” off This World Should Know (1993). Long Live Dub. After the spear we returned to the campsite and I made a game time decision to leave before Younder Mountain that afternoon. The road situation was quickly deteriorating and it just wouldn’t have been a festival if my car didn’t start so rather than risk it losing the charge again and getting trapped in there any worse, we took off mid day Sunday. Overall it was a great Vibes, again Terrapin could have been a bit more selective in there crew hiring process and not packed us into the site like sardines in a crushed tin box, but given the choice I would definitely do it again. ****
Steve Miller – Bank of America Pavilion - 8/25/06
The Steve Miller Band put on a decent run-of –the-mill greatest hits show with radio staples like "Take the Money and Run,” “Jet Airliner,” “Pompitous of Love,” etc… I was hoping for some deep cuts like “Quicksilver Girl” or something like that but Steve decided to go with the hits that night. Another $10 Tuesday special, decent show but not sure if I would return. ***
Allman Bros / Gov’t Mule Tweeter Center Mansfield, MA– 8/26/06
Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, and Gregg Allman all on stage what more could a girl want? On a more serious note though, three gentlemen who absolutely slay the axe playing at the same time, you would think one would stand out more than the others and usually that would be Mr. Trucks, however on this fateful night Warren was not to be outdone. Haynes and Trucks dueled through stellar renditions of “It’s Not My Cross to Bear,” “Statesboro Blues,” “Midnight Rider,” “Melissa,” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” before finally calling a truce after an unbelievable “Whipping Post” encore. Seriously though Duane would be proud. ****
Steely Dan – Tweeter Center Mansfield, MA - 8/27/06
This was simply an outstanding concert, Donald Fagan and Walter Becker are two of the best musicians I’ve ever had the privilege to see live, and they certainly put on a great show that evening. Notice how I didn’t mention Michael McDonald. We struggled through his uneventful set prior to seeing the Dan, but in case you missed it just walk into the electronics department of your local Circuit City and it’s just like you were there! I suppose his set was bearable once you got over the pretentious piano placement right in the front center of the stage, but Steely Dan really stole the show playing virtually everything off ShowBiz Kids (2000). ****
The Flaming Lips – Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA - 9/10/06
Flaming Lips shows are always a great time, basically a giant party from start to finish. After questioning your sanity and deciding that yes, there are actually girls dressed in purple teddies with green alien masks dancing on one side of the stage opposite girls dressed as Santa Claus waiving flashlights on the other, and that yes, that really was a boxing nun that sang “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots,” you begin to realize that maybe the giant balloons and clouds of confetti bombarding you in the crowd really are necessary components of the show. Great versions of “The Spoonful Ways a Ton,” off The Soft Bulletin (1999), and “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song,” “Free Radicals,” and “W.A.N.D,” off the new album At War with the Mystics (2006), at times seemed to be only side notes given the atmosphere and the energy Wayne Coyne and the gang were able to create. On a side note Wayne did say that Steven Drozd was the only musician he knew who actually had to pause the show for a few minutes to empty the confetti from his keyboard. This was the best show I’ve seen thus far at the Pavilion. ***** Do You Realize?
The Rating System ----- ------
5 Stars ***** An instant classic, revolutionary within the genre and redefining the mold for those to come. ------ ------ 4 Stars **** An incredible album, pinnacle of the current recording arts. ----- ----- ----- 3 Stars *** A good album, most likely not making the collection.----- ----- ----- ------ 2 Stars ** This is an average album, a decent listen that won't make the collection. ---- 1 Star * - The Back Street Boys and various other forms of audio demise.
