What a great start to 2012.....

Ringo Starr– Trashing Ringo feels like picking on the kid riding the short bus, but this was brutal.  It’s full of over-produced bad songs saddled with clichéd “peace and love” lyrics. Adding insult, the drumming limps along like a 3-legged dog and of course is front and center in the mix.  He and Paul need to stick to touring and counting their cash.  No reason for either of them to enter a recording studio ever again.  1.5 stars

QOTSA –  Probably gonna be in the minority on this one, but as with most things Dave Grohl, this disc did nothing for me.  Couple of decent tracks, but for the most part, paint-by-numbers hard rock.  The concept, such as it is, adds nothing.  2 stars

The Angels – Never heard of these guys, so this was a good discovery.  No frills rock and roll reminiscent of Mott the Hoople and early Ian Hunter.  Sound-wise, it’s definitely got that late 70’s feel to it, which is part of its charm. Would be interested to hear more from these guys if there is any.   3.5 stars

Peter Frampton –  I was hoping this selection would allow for a thoughtful re-appraisal of and perhaps even an appreciation for Mr. Frampton, but uh, no.  He’s a very underrated guitarist who has some good material, but almost none of it is on this disc.  I would gladly pay money to insure that I never heard “Baby I Love Your Way” or “Do You Feel Like We do” ever again. 2 stars

Atmosphere – I’m sure Fearless Leader thought I’d hate this, and I wanted desperately to prove him wrong. I couldn’t.  At best, its 3^rd or 4^th  rate Public Enemy.  Incredibly repetitive, not particularly funny or political, it left me wondering what the point was other than fulfilling Poobah’s dogged determination to submit something “different”.  While I truly appreciate his spirit of adventure, the music, such as it was, sucked.

Discussion Question

Fun idea. Someone (and I suspect I know who) needs to have the phrase “nothing too obscure” explained to them….

Fields of Nephilism to the Replacements