Arrangements for Two Guitars

Advantages: Great debut album, set the tone for all their later work
Disadvantages: Some people may not have understood it in 1973

...comments about each are as follows: 1. Keep Yourself Alive--Queen kicks off their debut album with an hard rocking tune featuring some complicated interplay between the musicians. The gorgeous guitar orchestrations of Brian May make their first appearance, and the tone is definitely set for the songs that follow. 2. Doing All Right--A beautiful piano accompanies Freddie Mercury as he croons a delicate ballad. Those lush harmonies that were to become a trademark of Queen are present, and the arrangement of this song is very complicated, with several different movements. The ballad is abandoned twice with a vicious guitar riff, but it also has some lovely acoustic guitar parts, too. Songs like this demonstrate the musical genius and classical training of these musicians. 3. Liar--This is the first of two songs that inexplicably involve... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: great new tunes
Disadvantages: slightly monotonous

...Though the songs on Amnesiac were recorded at the same time as those on its predecessor, Kid A, the gap between the releases of the pair suggests a determination on Radiohead's part that the two should not be perceived as halves of the same whole. However, there is little in the way of meaningful stylistic divergence between the two albums--Amnesiac shares with Kid A an atmosphere of defeated, vengeful paranoia, a heavy reliance on electronic noises and distorted vocals, a somewhat frustrating absence of Jonny Greenwood's guitar and the song "Morning Bell", which reappears on Amnesiac in a slightly less mournful arrangement. It may just be that Radiohead felt that it might have been a bit much to ask anyone, even Radiohead fans, to consume this entire lugubrious trove at once. Amnesiac, like Kid A is heavy going. And, also like Kid A... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: only one weak track, great guitar pop
Disadvantages: that weak track

...'s a good time song with a wah wah guitar part in it. 6-Submission Personally I think this is probably the weakest track on the album. It's pretty sample and straightfoward but lacks the real guitar pop that proceeds it. If it weren't for the infectious chorus this would get very repetitive as it stands it just seems out of place. 7-Someday Opening with an acoustic guitar and string arrangement. This is very polished song that has a great string arrangement throughout and sounds quite poetic and laid back. It'd another progression and shows a more restrained side. 8-Pacific Palisades This brings you right back into the more harder edgier pop. With a pounding simple mix of lyrics and music it has a simple and summery feel that harks back to '1977'. 9-Shark A distorted riff, racing vocals and very simple but effetive chorus... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful