20. Kele - Tenderoni

Kele Okereke. Reading & Leeds enthusiast is back, and this time he’s riding solo and he’s making..... DANCE MUSIC! It may have been an unwelcome surprise for many and it’s a definite struggle trying to encompass a new genre but Kele does it here so well that it seems like he was born to do this his whole life. The infectious beat that bursts into life in the chorus meant that this was one of the biggest hits of the summer on dancefloors and at festivals. The daringness for Mr Okereke to drop everything he’s ever been best known for, from catchy guitar riffs, and a distinct, individual voice is worth a mention alone. The fact that it’s a brilliant song only shows off the many talents of the man. The part groovemaster, part Bloc Partier has braved the change and we are better off because of it.

21. Kings Of Leon - Radioactive

It hasn’t really been a great year for Kings Of Leon really has it? They had to leave the stage after a bunch of pigeon protestors repeatedly shat in the face of Hannah Montana dater Jared Followill, Caleb’s called all his “new” fans “fucking douchebags” for liking Sex On Fire and there new album has been loved and loathed in equal measures. I for one quite like it though this was after a few listens. The same went for their comeback single Radioactive, a tribute to coming home best said in the chorus “It’s in the water/It’s where you came from.” It’s not as stadium filling as Sex on Fire but this definitely isn’t a bad thing. The Followills seem at their most comfortable here and Calebs new found raw and spectacular vocals feeling perfect on top of the funky guitar lines. I was great to see them take a step back to the brilliance of their earlier work, even if he did mean sacrificing a great deal of respect for their charity advert styled video.

22. Yeasayer - ONE

Yeasayer are the new kings of the pop oddballs. MGMT have willingly thrown down their crown and stepped aside, leaving Yeasayer, the only worthy heirs to the kingdom in charge and it’s just as well. Their second album Odd Blood, definitely lives up to their new positions, this complimented by an excellent performance at Reading festival this year has seen them slowly rise to popularity, somewhere they should of been with their Vampire Weekend-esque first album All Hour Cymbals. Their second single ONE is one of the reasons that its clear to see how justified the critical acclaim is that has surrounded them. ONE is a wonderfully strange but extremely danceable song which forces you to move your feet to their nu-hippy beat. This is a song that, if given to the wrong pair of clammy hands could have been an unlistenable disaster but with Yeasayers unrivalled coolness, this has become somewhat of a quiet favourite in the realms of indie dance movement and the kings of kooky have found their feet at the most important moments in their career.

23. Zola Jesus - Night

Zola Jesus has, unfortunately been labelled with the big G-word (GOTH) which is less a clear cut way to a wider audience and more a incredible hulk sized monkey on your back. But none the less, Zola Jesus aims to shake this giant monkey in the most perfect of ways, through making genuinely great music. Her debut LP Stridulum II was released mid way through this year to many applauding hands and it was through single I Can’t Stand that she made it abundantly clear that the G word doesn’t apply. This is a wonderfully written love song which is beautifully told from a third person perspective. She plays an agony aunt of sorts but the kind of aunt who you wouldn’t be adverse to hanging out with outside of awkward family gatherings. The caring that she displays through her lyrics keep the audience glued as she wonders so unashamedly through something that is so difficult for so many people to understand, love. “It’s not easy to fall in love/but if you’re lucky you might find someone” until uttering one of the most devastatingly blunt lyrics “Cos in the end you’re on your own.” It is a bleak look at love but when sung so emotionally and so hauntingly, it’s hard for it not to leave an impression.

24. Delphic - Doubt

One of the things often associated with Delphic is that they are over pretentious in the way that they go about things. This is true in some cases I mean calling you album and many of the songs with different Greek words is never going to ooze modesty especially as the title track Acolyte is an 8 minute instrumental piece that really doesn’t serve any purpose what so ever. Yet, Delphic do have the undeniable ability to write extremely catchy electro pop songs in the style of bands such as New Order before them, Doubt the first major single released after the release of their album in January was a moment of great song writing. The undeniable catchiness of the beat has made many feet groove in indie clubs around the country. It was made to dance to any Delphic are, like Hot Chip the awkward kings of indie dance grooves across the globe and I for-one shall be shuffling my uncoordinated feet to them for many indie nights to come.

25. MGMT- Flash Delirium

After unsuccessfully committing career suicide, things are looking surprisingly up for MGMT. The new album “Congratulations” a psychedelic mind fuck of an album was marketed as having no singles and certainly no “kids” or “times to pretend” and they almost managed to stick to it but eventually squeezed out a few singles. The first, Flash Delirium, like the rest of the album is a bizarre concept, splicing together so many different genres and paces it makes less sense then Ozzy Osbourne. Yet, somehow amongst this, it works wonderfully well and still retains an element of global appeal. Though it isolated a lot of people through the fact that many saw it as a band in joke, it holds all the comparisons with a lead single. It’s superbly epic, especially in the final section, where the bands voices merge together into a brilliant harmony whilst Andrew Vanwyngarden sings an entirely different part. Not many could have made this work but if it wasn’t for MGMT’s undeniable talent that surely would have sunk their musical ship and the readily predicted “career suicide” would have been more than accurate. Surprisingly and thankfully, they have survived, and their careers look brighter and more interesting because of it.

ALSO HOW STRANGE IS THIS VIDEO???!!

26. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun

What a year Vampire Weekend have had. From pop oddballs to proud US Album Chart toppers the Ivy League Americans have hit the big time. This is due to their hugely loveable and brilliant second album “Contra”, packed full of unforgettable pop-tunes that explore and embody pop in equal measures. The best of the bunch, “Giving Up The Gun” may have made people snidely remark that they had “sold out” by including many A-list celebrities in the music video (unfortunately among them the Jonas Brothers........) but this video was more about having fun than anything else. The song itself falls into our ears as softly as snow. Vocalist Ezra Koenig recognisable croon is gentle throughout never overpowering the extremely catchy melody as the tempo shifts perfectly the whole time. Vampire Weekend have made their mark and thankfully are here to stay.

27. Villagers - Becoming A Jackal

The loveliest of the lovely Cat Gough followed by her less lovely (but still loveable) other half Matt Walsh introduced me to Villagers and I thank them whole heartedly for doing so. Villagers are by some opinions a bit of a surprise hit this year, coming from nowhere to score one of the best debuts of 2010. The song that helped them to gain the attention of many “Becoming A Jackal” (beautifully played acoustically by front man Connor O’Brien live) as well as extremely deserved Mercury Prize nomination. The way that Connor weaves a story in every song that he’s written so well that it forces you to stop what you’re doing and pay attention to what he’s saying as the song grabs you by the scruff of the neck and won’t let you go until you’ve given it your lunch money. A surprise hit they might have been this year, but a very welcomed surprise too.

28. Best Coast - Boyfriend

Best Coast are rapidly becoming the names embedded in the mouths of music loving teens as “their new favourite band.” Their debut album Crazy For You released this year has successfully charmed everyone around them. They are not concerned in the likes of death and religion for song inspirations they just want to express the pain, envy and joy that comes and goes with love. The album opener Boyfriend is considered to be the best song on the album. The unashamedly envious lyrics that lead singer Bethany Consentino displays in their lo-fi style underlines a certain amount of playground jealousy that I’m sure almost everyone has felt in their lives at some point. This combined with her honest and self-conscious look at herself “The other girl is not like me she’s prettier and skinnier/She has a college degree/I dropped out when I was 17” means we can’t help but feel for her as she laments that she’d “love him to the very end” and it leaves us feeling slightly heartbroken for her. Here they prove why they should stand out from other lo-fi bands that have sprung up in the last year or so and completely justify the acclaim that has so rightly come their way.

29. Mystery Jets- Alice Springs

Mystery Jets are, like The Maccabees are on the verge of becoming indie pop giants. Their loyal and ever-growing fan base as well as their ability to produce glittering brilliant and evergreen pop songs about adolescent love has seen them play the main stage at Reading festival this year. The opening of their third and arguably best album Serotonin is a new benchmark in their career. Spacey synths open the track, creating an eerie atmosphere whilst lead vocalist Blake Harrison sings the line ever immortalised in the breakups of so many teenagers “it’s better to have loved and lost/ then to have lived and never loved anyone.” The song then bursts into life as the gorgeous vocal harmonies fall on you as welcome as a sack full of puppies under the Christmas tree. Beautiful.

30. Arcade Fire- We Used To Wait

Well Arcade Fire. My new favourite band. There truly hasn’t been anything them before and there won’t be anything quite like them again. The first official single released from their superb third album “The Suburbs” is quite simply, brilliant. It ponders the idea of actually waiting for any communication, and the idea of how important something as simple as receiving a letter could be to a person which is something that we’ve lost in recent time due to the new digital age of technology. For a first single, it’s remarkably evolved and not conscious of breaking the mainstream, something which Arcade Fire has never tried to do but yet, it appeals to a mass audience. The repeated chords on the piano and sparse but powerful drums gradually builds as guitars and synths are added to the piece all of which come together for the rousing finale in which Win cries for the audience to “scream and sing the chorus again.” This rousing first single complete with one of the most innovative videos of all time is a brilliant way for them to re-introduce themselves into the mainstream, somewhere in which I’m sure they’ll stay throughout the rest of their careers.

The live performances of this song are also quite incredible, with Win walking purposefully through the crowd, breaking the fourth wall and connecting himself and his band more powerfully to their ever-growing fan-base.




Link to their groundbreaking new video. If you haven’t done it already, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING YOU NEED TO WATCH IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (you do need Google Chrome though)

31. Delta Spirit - 9/11

Who doesn’t love a good protest song? I stumbled upon this song on Later with Jools Holland and instantly loved it. The little known 5 piece from San Diego, California have released two albums to this point and with 9/11, their beginning to leave their mark. To even call a song 9/11,nearly 10 years afterwards is still considered to be taboo but the message they deliver is so solid and poignant that it deserves praise.

Lead singer Jon Jameson (is that his real name?) has such a gruff, strong voice, like a drill sergeant shouting orders at you, which fits in so well with the protest theme. This combined with the hard hitting lyrics “If your God forgave all of your sins/Then why would you make murderers out of them?” makes such a compelling song. They’ve had the courage to stand up for what they believe in without sugar coating it and that, in my opinion deserves a listen.

(the live version)

32. Kanye West - Power

Kanye West. He’s made a bit of a fool out of himself in the odd year or so hasn’t he? He’s created quite the stir on twitter by following a boy from coventry (who is friends with my housemate ricky. I know, small world!), ruined the best moment of Taylor Swift’s life, even the president has called him a “jackass.” It seems only fitting that he should make such a startling comeback. The lead single of his latest album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, “Power” is a definite tongue in cheek look back at this turbulent time in his life. It’s this period through Kanye’s own, rose tinted geek glasses point of view. The talent that Kanye has shown so many times throughout his glittering musical career is very prominent here. His witty lyrics are at their best with so many wonderful one liners throughout, my personal favourite “They say I was the abomination of Obama’s nation/Well that’s a pretty bad way to start a conversation." Take that world! On top of this he’s created a bridge between his old hip hop roots and his new electro direction of recent so effortlessly where others have struggled so badly. Yes he’s a prick, but with this song there’s no doubting the man’s talent and after the breakdown of sorts he’s had this year, he’s made one hell of a good comeback. Not bad for a gay fish.

33. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio

For too long The National have lurked in the shadows of mainstream success, people claiming they were too boring but anyone with who cared to listen could see past this and everyone, including themselves knew that they rightfully belonged elsewhere. It is with their fifth album “High Violet” and more specifically, the lead single from this album “Bloodbuzz Ohio” that the 5 piece deservedly make the long awaited leap forward. Lead singer Matt Berninger’s distinctive baritone hits its most effective peak here; whilst the pounding drums lead this song deep into the consciousness of everyone listening. The prominent but minimal sounds that the rest of the band produce perfectly help to create the euphoric feeling that the lyrics paint about the elated feeling of returning home.

34 - Grinderman - Mickey Mouse & The Goodbye Men

Does Nick Cave ever stop? This his 4,5670 side projects second album Grinderman, is a very good album. The first track off of this very good album, is the very good Mickey Mouse and The Goodbye Man. It slowly builds up from sparse distant sounds into a sudden howling, heavy whirlwind that pulls you in and doesn’t let you live until it’s beaten the living shit out of you. Cave’s distinctive baritone sits very comfortably over the screeching guitars, groovy bass and powerful drums. The wonderful thing with Nick Cave is he’s never tempted to sell-out so to speak and continues producing such distinctive and awesome songs. He and his band epitomize and ooze cool which isn’t bad for a band over 40 and this song is so rock and roll it hurts.

35. I Am Kloot - Proof

I Am Kloot have always been a band that have flirted with success their entire career. Their first and arguably best album “Tourist History” garnered much critical acclaim and their steadily built up a loyal fanbas. Since then, the Mancunians have struggled to live up to this and have lurked in the shadows of their peers, Elbow. However, with new mercury prize nominated album “Sky At Night” they look to change that. The first single off the album “Proof”, a re-working of a track off their second self titled album, is ironically proof that they can compete in the mainstream. This slow, sweet song is driven by the soft vocals and acoustic guitar. John Bramwell is a wonderful understated lyricist and his ode to an evening out with a loved one is truly divine. “hey, heard you read another book/ should I take another look/ who am I without you?” I Am Kloot have more than competed with the big guns and from the sounds of this, their perfectly comfortably doing so.

36. Laura Marling - Devil's Spoke

Ah Laura Marling. The NME Queen of cool... She is pretty cool but really? Anyway one thing that cannot be disputed is that she makes great albums as well as awesome singles. The first single from her widely acclaimed and mercury prize nominated second album “I Speak Because I Can” is “Devil Spoke” a brutal, sexual song that adds a vicious undertone to most folk songs. It’s fast-paced driving acoustic guitar adds menace to the promiscuous song topic as Laura as she always does wraps the song in stunningly poetic lyrics but still makes the song relatable and clear. “Eye to eye/Nose to nose/Ripping off each other’s clothes in the most peculiar way” she sings so passionately over the climax of the song. Laura may not have lived up to her promise of releasing two albums in a year, but with songs like this she most definitely keeps us waiting so impatiently for her third LP and I’m sure it’s going to be one we will remember as fondly as the last one.
P.S She's really hot.

37. Warpaint - Elephants

One of the brightest and most talked about bands of the new decade. Warpaint are an all girl group formed 6 years ago but were yet to release anything until last year’s debut EP “Exquisite Corpse,” from this the single Elephants was released. With a sparse wave of sound, similar to the of last year’s surprise hit The XX. Lead singer Emily Kokal’s siren like voice sits so brilliantly on the distant sounding drums and dreamlike guitar. The sound gradually builds and builds until the guitars begin to screech and Emily’s voice begins to ghostly woo over the top. The sound never overpowers the song itself, everything gel’s together perfectly and with this Warpaint more than justify the hype that’s been surrounding them. Their albums not bad either.

38. LCD Soundsytem - Home

Oh LCD Soundsystem, why must you bid us farewell! It’s true, James Murphy has said this is the last LCD album and this, is the last song on it. Home is a fond farewell to the highs and the low’s (but mainly the high’s) of their career. This fond farewell keeps all the trademarks the resemble everything you love about LCD Soundsytem. The long build ups, the groovy synth sounds and the wit infested lyricisms of Mr Murphy all merge together so wonderfully and so typically of them. This added with a sense of seriousness and a beautiful vocal harmony for a chorus makes this the perfect curtain call for one of the most important bands of the last 10 years. It sounds like LCD will miss us a much as we'll miss them.

39. Twin Shadow - For Now

Brooklyn based electro pop act George Lewis Jnr, aka Twin Shadow is making noticeable footprints on the indie scene. His debut album Forget is receiving endless praises from music fans and critics alike and it’s clear to see why. His talent for creating catchy chorus and beat is at its clearest in For Now. It’s wonderfully danceable melody is complimented with clever lyrics surrounding the mess of adolescence and trying to find meaning in love “In Bed with all the ones I hate/ To give myself, myself away.” Twin Shadow captures and celebrates the brilliance of 80’s pop in a way that so many others have tried and failed and For Now is one of the brightest neon stars in the collection.

40. Chapel Club - Surfacing

Chapel Club are a new band that is yet to release an E.P or L.P but have released great tasters during the year as well as playing the NME Radar tour with The Joy Formidable and Flats, quietly creating hype around them. One of their first offerings, the brilliantly subtle, swirling , Surfacing is a brilliant way to assert yourself on the forefront of the indie scene.
Lead singer Lewis Bowman, an award winning poet as a teenager, really creates a beautiful atmosphere around the booming drums and thudding bass with his wordplay “Night breezes seem to whisper I love you/Bodies swinging in the sycamore tree/ Dream a little dream of me.” With this they already pull themselves out of the “post Joy Division” catalogue with exciting live shows and a depth that exceeds most other bands looped in this category. Watch out for them as one of the big new bands of 2011.

Paul's Top 40 songs/ Top 10 Albums of the year!

Introduction

Hi guys! I’ve kind of done a blog a bit before but never knew exactly what to focus on completely so it’s just dwindled really in the existence of near completion. I’ve decided to do a best of the year style thing with songs and albums.
I’m going to choose the top 40 songs that I personally think are the best of the year, and the top 10 albums of the year. It’s surprisingly difficult narrowing it down. When you really think about what to include it becomes a lot tougher, there were a lot of songs that were on the verge of entering the top 40 and I know, along the line there will be a couple of songs that I probably should have included, and a couple I definitely know I was right to not include (MCR – NANANANANANANANANA) but I hope that this list will also open up a few new songs that some people may not have necessarily heard before and also give me a chance to share an appreciation with others of a certain song or album.

I hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed listening to it.

71. Joy Division - Closer

It's been a while since i've written here and as i've finished university for the year I figured i'd return to this blog as I did enjoy writing here.It was quite theraputic and enjoyable, unfortunatly not quite like this album.

Don't get me wrong I love Joy Division, a fantastic band that met the most tragic of ends far to soon. What I meant was with Joy Division, your never going to get a Kaiser Cheifs happy go lucky catchy album, instead a very dark depressing album.

Closer is the second, and final album composed under Joy Division, before their totured genius of a frontman tradgically committed suicide after a battle with epilepsy, divorce and depression.

The album reads so strongly like a suicide note it's impossible to see how no-one suspected the end coming so soon. His lyrics throughout are such a cry for help that the event which would place them in music memoirs everywhere is so forseeable.

The track opens with "Atrocity Exhibition" a dark industrial 6 minute track which swirls under powerful drums and synths to curtis proclaiming "this is the way step inside" repeatedly over the top. It picks up where Joy Division last left off on Unknown Pleasures.

The album then takes an electronic turn in the brilliantly dark, but danceable "Isolation" where Curtis's tortured lyrics ring through the audience showing his suicidal side so to speak through incredibly heartfelt and honest lyrics " I'm doing the best that I can/I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through/I'm ashamed of the person I am." This song also gives off an early new order feel which suggests that with or without curtis, the band would of persued an electronic sound in the future, further shown in the track "Heart & Soul."

The album has such a sparse feel to it that it's doom and gloom feel is hightened to an almost spooky degree, further adding to the impeding message that this album would constantly reflect in the future.

The album is a brilliant coherent listen that stays with you long after you listen to it. There is not a poor track on the album, each one is a classic in it's own right and although we would give anything for them to have recorded more albums under Joy Division, Closer is an album which most bands would never hit the hights of in a lifetime, let alone two albums in and therefore by no means a bad album to finish on.
This album will always be tied down to is the demise of Curtis. From the bleak lyrics, sparse melodies and the unfortunate gravestone artwork, it shows the artist at the end of his rope, but my God did he display it in a fantastic art form.

JOY DIVISION: CLOSER
SCORE = 8.9/10

Track Scores
1.Atrocity Exhibition = 1
2.Isolation = 1
3.Passover = 3/4
4.Colony = 3/4
5.A Means To An End = 1
6.Heart & Soul = 1
7.Twenty Four Hours = 1
8.The Eternal = 3/4
9.Decades = 3/4

KEY TRACK: Isolation

p.s you may have noticed that I didn't do number 70. It was an awful jazz record which I felt was not worth writing about so I skipped it and wrote about something far more interesting :)

69. Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks: Here's The Sex Pistols

Well. Let me just start off by talking a bit about Johnny "Rotten." I developed a little bit of a interest in him as a person as i'd heard so much about him. I still am slightly intrigued by him though it's only because of one thing he said and that was " we tell the truth, and thats something that people don't do." I don't know whether this is entirely true but there is a certain amount of truth as in he doesn't bullshit people by talking around his point, but at the same time the "truth" he speaks of is purely his own opinion.. Apart from this I found him to be a pretty vile, desperate individual who cannot bear to see himself be forgotten in the public's eyes so he continues to do controversial and ridiculous things, one such incident which involved become a certain special ambassador, to a certain special butter company...

Anyway The Sex Pistols! THE punk band. You know, the one with the guy who killed his girlfriend but doesn't remember doing it and then killed himself? It's in the book so I thought I may as well listen. What I found was something pretty pleasing. It was an amusing album and unlike anything I've ever heard. It sounded like a demo, it clearly wasn't polished completely and Rotten hisses and spits over the mike in quite a comical fashion.

The album is not a complex one, but then again punk isn't a complex genre of music. It starts out fairly well with "Holidays In The Sun" "Liar" and "No feelings" which embody the message of punk clearly through the lyrics, but it doesn't truely get gouing until the middle of the album, where the big numbers come out. "God Save The Queen" "Anarchy In The UK" and "Pretty Vacant" all smash the the rest of the album into pieces except for the very taboo and slightly farcical "Bodies" written about abortion. I thought it was probably the best song on the album with Rotten shouting in the middle "Fuck this and fuck that. Fuck it all and fuck that little brat" pretty deep, sensitive lyrics there from the man himself.

Overall I felt that although it was a stripped down, basic album, it really did give a strong representation of what punk was like at the time. They didn't care about anything and the record really gives this feeling, from the subject matter, to the demo like recording of the songs. An essential punk record.
It's a shame how their front man has disgraced the name and legend of The Sex Pistols and punk as a whole. Oh well at least he wasn't on I'm A Celebrity..

NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS: HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS
SCORE = 8.3/10
Track Scores
1.Holidays In The Sun = 3/4
2.Liar = 3/4
3.No Feelings = 3/4
4.God Save The Queen = 1
5.Seventeen = 3/4
6.Anarchy In The UK = 1
7.Bodies = 1
8.Pretty Vacant = 1
9.New York = 3/4
10.Problems = 3/4
11.E.M.I = 1
12.Submission = 1/2

1= 8.33

68. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (Album)

I've started at 68 as I didnt realise that doing a blog would be the best way to document this, and I thought it may be a bit of fun.
Firstly I have a ratings system for albums. I write out each song in a little book (a little sad i know) then give each song a mark out of 1. 1 being a great song 3/4 being a good song 1/2 being ok and 1/4 being pretty poo. 0 is a rarety that most songs will never experience as I'm not that critical. I then divide the album by the number of songs e.g 100/12 = 8.33, therefore each "1" scored equals 8.33!

It's a little complicated I know so i'm just going to start talking about the album

BOB DYLAN. Folk Legend. Most of you know of him. He's a pretty cool cat. This was the first Bob Dylan album i listened to since deciding to do the list, the second of his overall (i listened to "the freewheelin bob dylan" a year and a half ago and I thought it was quite good!) Anyway i'd listened to "Highway 61" a little bit in the past and it's been on my ipod for ages so I felt I should give it the time of day.

The first two songs enter in a swirling 12 minutes of folk rock, two brilliant powerhouses of songs in "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Tombstone Blues" the former most people will have heard of before as it is a classic, classic song but I was still so very impressed with "Tombstone Blues," a kind of ramshackle of a song which has a choatic theme to it, especially with the lyrics and the fast-paced nature of the song. It has a few lyrical gems in it with perfectly non-sensical lines like "the sun's not yellow, it's chicken!" Classic Bob Dylan.

The album then moves into a slightly slower pacing with "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" and the next two songs "From A Buick 6" and "Ballad Of A Thin Man" the last one being a slow paced burner of a song which cuts to the heart of you over a the length of the song, as if Bobby is toying with you, before punching you in the face so that you suddenly think "MY GOD THIS SONG IS REALLY GOOD!" which he tends to do throughout the album.

There is but one blip of a song on here in "Queen Jane Approximately," a normal, folk song which doesn't really hit home like the other tracks. The final, fantastic song "Desolation Row" an 11 minute hollywood film of a folk song in which it's grim but brilliant lyrics lift it superbly into a class above almost all other folk songs.

The album as a whole was definitely a fantastic album, one that almost kept the attention up all the way through but it wore ever so slightly at the end unfortunatly and it lost it a bit but still the transformation of Bob Dylan from folk singer to rock and roll icon is completely appitomised is this album, possibly one of the greatest career changing albums i've ever heard.

SCORE= 8.6/10

Track Scores
1.Like A Rolling Stone = 1
2.Tombstone Blues = 1
3 It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry = 3/4
4.From A Buick 6 = 1
5.Ballad Of A Thin Man = 1
6.Queen Jane Approximately = 1/2
7.Highway 61 Revisited = 1
8.Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues = 1/2
9.Desolation Row = 1

1= 11.11