Epinions Recent Reviews for cosmicben

A fun late-period trifle

Sat, 31 May 2003 19:13:32 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - At a 1992 concert in Bayfront Park, Mike Love said that the Beach Boys were releasing a new album soon, joking that it was something they tried to do every decade or so. To me, it made perfect sense: they were a band, and they released albums. Who knew...

What's this all aboot?

Sat, 31 May 2003 19:04:16 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - An awful, awful record; it shows that only big-time groups like the Guess Who have the conceit and professionalism to produce such an intricately crafted piece of garbage. It sounds like they saw some hippies on American TV and decided that hey, they...

A mixed bag, but worth having

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:59:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - A curious record. The New Radicals are simply Gregg Alexander, who, like most rappers, decided that an in-your-face pseudonym would put him across better than his real name. Whatever. He's another guy in the Ben Folds mold: insanely talented, but...

An engaging masterpiece

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:51:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I think I scared my mom when I bought this, because she'd just finished reading a book where one of the characters was a gay teenager who happened to love Joni Mitchell. Hopefully she knows I'm just really sensitive... But she didn't give me any Iron...

Some slices of pop heaven

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:29:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - The late-period Police have a cool sound worked out, with short, burbling basslines, echoey riffs, and really complex drumming. Very smart, I'll admit, but they abuse it, sometimes locking onto a simple groove and using it as an excuse for a whole song...

Spacey loveliness

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:24:57 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Last night, my apartment-mate was blasting country music into the night, a sad example of what can happen when parents never talk to their kids about that kind of thing. In an attempt to preserve as many brain cells as I could, I put Wish You Were Here...

A real L.E.T.D.O.W.N.

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:16:06 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - A concept album that's not much of a concept or an album, RZA As Bobby Digital In Stereo sounds overlong, pointless, and wacker than wack to my ears. Given that I dragged my best friend all around town looking for it and paid full price, I feel like...

College rock with no loud guitars! Who knew?

Sat, 31 May 2003 18:05:51 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Duck and cover; it's the revenge of the sensitive Jewish college guys! You'd think I'd really hate them, since they're basically me, except with musical talent -- but I dig them, even if they're a constant reminder of how little I've done with my...

The best rap album ever?

Sat, 31 May 2003 17:57:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I don't know much about rap, but this is really cool -- I've also never heard The Chronic, but I know Snoop Dog doesn't have half the presence of these guys, and the Clan doesn't need recycled melodies to make their songs entertaining. Producer RZA...

A calming masterpiece

Sat, 31 May 2003 17:07:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - A few weeks ago, I needed this album; my other CD's were sounding cold to me, and I wanted to add some warmth to my collection. Tapestry did the trick. Carole King packs a lot of sincere emotion into her screechy voice, and her minor-key dabblings on...

Hints at country paradise...

Sat, 31 May 2003 17:03:18 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - The best songs on here are so good that I almost forget how bad the rest is. Almost. "Heart Of Gold" was Young's only major hit, and it's well-deserved: a pretty, introspective acoustic ballad; the title track is in the same vein, and it's even...

Gives arena rock a good name.

Sat, 31 May 2003 16:59:39 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - The earliest and best maxi-single ever released; not only do you get the awesome, heavenly, consciousness-blowing rocker "More Than A Feeling," but you also get some great bonus tracks: "More Than A Feeling ('Peace Of Mind' Remix)", "More Than A Feeling...

Choogle-ific.

Sat, 31 May 2003 16:56:14 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Going by the standards John Fogerty sets for himself, this is a heck of an album. Catchy songs, clever lyrics, solid rhythm section, and John's down-home brand of singing and guitar-picking.

Which isn't to say that it's always my cup of...

A worthwhile comeback...

Sat, 31 May 2003 16:51:24 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Proving once again that if I wait a whole year, I will find my favorite CD's in the six-dollar bin. Take that, you old codgers. Let someone else pay for your frivolous liver transplants.

Ahem. I'll start by saying that Looking Forward is...

An overload of Boss greatness

Sat, 31 May 2003 16:44:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I love this album. I have since the first time I listened to it, and by the second time, I'd memorized most of the songs. How's that for effective? I'm not even a diehard fan, but I'm glad I can appreciate what the man has crafted here.

...

Whiny goodness

Thu, 26 Apr 2001 16:03:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I keep coming back to Neil. He used to be my favorite artist, but it's been at least a year or two since I've bought a new album of his. I used to read all about him on the internet, but I haven't even been to Hyperrust.org in about a year. I've moved...

Kind of painful

Fri, 13 Apr 2001 16:22:49 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I'd call Robert Altman's MASH a colossal failure, except it spawned one of the best TV series ever. My dad feels the exact opposite way, that the movie was superb and the TV show was a watered-down substitute that was never as sharp or clever as it...

With sprinkles, even

Tue, 30 Jan 2001 22:21:40 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I believe the title is a clever take-off on the X-Files soundtrack Songs In The Key Of X from a few years ago; but either way, the producers of The Simpsons have provided us with one heck of a tasty donut here. "Songs..." is a collection of musical...

Uh, what's to say?

Tue, 9 Jan 2001 00:37:04 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - This movie kicks butt on tons of levels -- go see it. You'll love it. The action is cool, the dialogue is funny, the butt-shots are gratuitous...

Ahem. There's one exception, of course: if you're a snob, or have any preconceived notions...

Disappointing

Mon, 23 Oct 2000 17:20:39 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Philip Norman: Shout! The Beatles In Their Generation

2 1/2 Stars

I'm torn. I really enjoyed reading this book, and at 397 detailed pages, it says a lot that this is the first "real" book I've bothered to finish in over a...

Prettier than I expected

Sun, 22 Oct 2000 17:54:22 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - I love the sound of this album. Prince's follow-up to "Purple Rain" is freakier and less consistent than its predecessor, but the whole thing is so darn pretty that I can't stop listening to it. Sometimes, I even forget that most of the...

Good collection of funk

Sun, 22 Oct 2000 17:45:16 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - Funkadelic: Let's Take It To The Stage

3 1/2 Stars

Dave Marsh calls this "the best rock album most rock fans have never heard of." All together now: "Wow, he's a knowledgeable guy!" I must not know my...

A great, great movie

Tue, 17 Oct 2000 21:36:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - This movie makes me all sorts of tingly. It's so well-made, well-shot, well-acted -- heck, even the soundtrack is brilliant. Being a Cameron Crowe film, of course, there's not a hint of artiness -- this is simply Hollywood product, but it's the...

Catchy as all-get-out

Mon, 2 Oct 2000 22:52:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - My dad calls this stuff "vanilla music," and he has a point: at their most racuous, this five-piece midtempo rock band couldn't offend a baptist minister. M'self, though, I like it--these guys have a great ear for hooks, and the shared...

So incredibly overrated

Mon, 2 Oct 2000 22:46:23 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author cosmicben - AC/DC: Back in Black

2 1/2 Stars

Time to reveal a bias: I don't like guitar rock that much. It's not that I have anything against the guitar, per se (although I sometimes wonder how arbitrarily it was chosen as THE instrument of...