Oof, it's been a while since we've had one of these. Been in a bit of a 70s mood lately, so I threw in some classic 70s material. Here's what I thought:
Journey - Evolution
I’m sure like many of you, I’ve heard all of Journey’s big hits over and over again, but I admit I’m much less familiar with their deeper cuts, so I figured I would give Evolution a spin. I have to admit, being used to the anthemic vibes of “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Separate Ways,” this was a little different.
The first thing that stood out to me was how bluesy the album was. After a nice opening instrumental, the album starts with “Too Late,” and the classic “Touchin’, Lovin’, Squeezin’”, with “Sweet and Simple” showing up shortly later. “Too Late” in particular has some very nice guitar work from Neal Schon.
The rest of the album is a little more familiar: big riffs, catchy melodies, and tight vocal harmonies. However, toward the end, with “Daydream” and “Lady Luck,” there seems to be a pretty strong Led Zeppelin vibe, with some crunchy riffs and Steve Perry doing some Plant-like vocalizations. That’s not to say they’re bad songs; in fact, I enjoyed them quite a bit. It’s just not the Journey I’m used to, I guess.
Overall, I was surprised and pleased by the variety, and how 70s it sounded. It’s like they wanted to have a record that honored a great decade of rock music. Maybe not amazing, but very nice, indeed!
Led Zeppelin - II
Speaking of Zeppelin! When I saw that this album had just reached its 50th anniversary, I decided to throw it in for fun. While it is certainly known for its classic radio hits, the album really does have some strength all the way through.
Listening through it this time, what stood out most was all the dynamic mood shifts and tempo changes. While “Whole Lotta Love” has that well-known free jazz section in the middle, lesser-known tracks like “What Is and What Should Never Be,” “The Lemon Song,” and “Ramble On” also has these proggy elements, going back and forth between softer, folky moments and the harder riffs. Even “Thank You” goes on a hammond-y journey towards the end.
Of course, this album also cements Zeppelin’s place in the world of hard rock. Jimmy Page’s riffs hit hard when they need to. Starting off with the iconic riff from “Whole Lotta Love,” the lightning guitar work in “Heartbreaker,” the super bluesy “Bring It On Home,” and the aggressive, straight-forward “Living Loving Maid,” this album is chock-full of hard-rockers that really get you out of your seat.
Of course, this album isn’t all Jimmy Page, as John Bonham and John Paul Jones do great work throughout as the rhythm section. Jones in particular has some really catchy, funky basslines, especially on “Ramble On.” And any drummer worth their salt is familiar with “Moby Dick,” Bonham’s percussive magnum opus.
It’s easy to see why this band just exploded the way they did with material this strong. While they were clearly building on a solid blues foundation, this album teases the grandeur the band would soon be known for with later epics like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Kashmir,” and “Achilles Last Stand.” Definitely a classic album from start to finish, without a doubt.
Queen - Queen II
Continuing on from my review of Queen’s first album, I gave Queen II a spin as well. It really is fascinating to hear some of these deeper tracks, especially when it feels like the band is exploring ideas and concepts that would pay off later. Queen II is curiously divided between its “White Side,” which features material written by May and Taylor, and its “Black Side,” which is all Mercury, and it’s interesting to compare the two.
The White Side is more straight-forward in its style, going for riff-heavy rock numbers, giving it a very Led Zeppelin vibe, and even May himself admits that! However, it’s more than just the riffs, providing some interesting acoustic parts as well, blended together with May’s iconic guitar layers. None of it is particularly bad, but it does seem to lack the personality Queen is known for.
The Black Side has Mercury’s trademark theatrics, and really pushes the progressive side of the band, as the songs rise and fall to the stories being told. You can really hear the band stretching themselves to meet the imagery that Mercury is imagining, setting the stage for their better known songs. It’s hard not to hear “Ogre Battle” and “The March of the Black Queen” as antecedents of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Overall, the band really is making the most out of the studio this time, full of panning effects and textures and layers that would come to define Queen. They also seemed to have picked up a few ideas from Pink Floyd as well, as the songs sometimes transition into each other in curious ways.
For all the influences they seem to bear, though, this is definitely a Queen album through-and-through. You just can’t find vocal harmonies like that anywhere else! While I don’t know if this album really shines through on its own (I may need more time with it, as it really is quite dense!), it definitely is a landmark in the band’s growing style.
Only three this time, but they did end up being longer than usual. I guess I had a lot to say about these albums.
I think I'll try to focus on newer releases, as the year is winding down, so expect more Last Played articles.
In the meantime, there are some things changing in my personal life (switching to a better job!), so that may shake things up for a bit, but I'm still going to keep putting these out as often as I can. Until then, rock on! \m/
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