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Caribou by Elton John (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Caribou
  • Group name: Elton John
  • Year: 1974
  • Number of discs: one discs / two sides
  • Collection: Selman

Caribou by Elton John

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m familiar with Elton John, though not a fan. I’ve never heard of this record or any of the songs on it.

What I expected

Piano, vocals, singer-songwriter soft rock.

What it was actually like

I don’t care for Elton John’s music or musical style (or non-musical style).

This record was bad. I didn’t enjoy listening to it and will not listen to it again.

Grade

1/5

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Some Girls by The Rolling Stones (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Some Girls
  • Group name: The Rolling Stones
  • Year: 1978
  • Number of discs: one discs / two sides
  • Collection: Selman

Some Girls by The Rolling Stones

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

In the great “Beatles or Stones” debate, it’s clear that my parents, though fans of the Stones too, strongly preferred the Beatles, and that’s probably why I’ve always felt the same way. I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard this Stones record before.

What I expected

A late 1970s compilation of some earlier Rolling Stones songs. The only one I recognize by title is Beast of Burden, and it’s definitely not one of my favorites.

What it was actually like

I recognized a couple more than Beast of Burden, starting with the opening bars of Miss You, the first track, and also Shattered, the final track.

Also, this is not a compilation record. It’s an original studio recording from the late 1970s, an era during which the Stones should have been retired already for several years!

And it’s not good! If this is one of your favorite Stones records for whatever reason, there’s something weird and wrong about you. Most of the songs were pretty flat and unmemorable, and I don’t appreciate the disco vibes and think they should have stuck to rock and roll (but also should have retired in December 1969).

Grade

2/5

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Greatest Hits by Seals & Crofts (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Greatest Hits
  • Group name: Seals & Crofts
  • Year: 1975
  • Number of discs: one discs / two sides
  • Collection: Selman

Greatest Hits by Seals & Crofts

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of Seals & Crofts, either individually or as a group, before now.

What I expected

Folk rock.

What it was actually like

It was soft rock and, to my surprise, I actually did know it – well, I knew one song, Summer Breeze, which I was sure had been used in countless movies and maybe television commercials, and may or may not have been a mainstay on classic rock radio, back when I used to listen to the radio in the XX century.

So that song was fine, but given that this was billed as a “Greatest Hits” record, I don’t exactly see how Seals & Crofts are not just a one-hit wonder that put their only hit on a record with a bunch of other recordings that are totally serviceable but don’t stand out in any way.

Grade

3/5

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The Concert in Central Park by Simon and Garfunkel (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: The Concert in Central Park
  • Group name: Simon and Garfunkel
  • Year: 1982
  • Number of discs: two discs / four sides
  • Collection: Selman

The Concert in Central Park

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I know Simon and Garfunkel pretty well as my parents used to play their music when I was very young, and The Graduate is one of my favorite movies. I had heard that they did a famous concert in Central Park, but am not sure if I ever heard the record before.

What I expected

A mix of Graduate-era Simon and Garfunkel and also some of their later work that was nowhere near as good.

What it was actually like

My expectation was more or less accurate, but I definitely didn’t anticipate how solid the performance would be, and how great they were at those harmonies when outside of a studio setting.

There were definitely parts of the performance that didn’t excite me, like a chunk of side two, and also Bridge Over Troubled Water, which I think must be their worst song, but overall, this was an outstanding record. A highlight for me was their medley of Kodachrome and Maybellene, but that may have been because Maybellene is my favorite Chuck Berry song.

Weirdly, I distinctly recall reading that either Paul Simon or Art Garfunkel is widely known to be a Grade A asshole (I’m pretty sure it’s Simon), but that didn’t come out at all in this record. They even thanked the New York Police Department and Mayor Ed Koch for the city arrangements, and then thanked Ed Koch again on the back of the album.

Grade

4/5

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