WRITE YOUR 1ST LISTEN REVIEW OF THE LAZARETTO ALBUM

[dunedin]

I cheated and listened twice.

1. Alone In My Home

2. High Ball Stepper, but I could have chosen any of the last four tunes as well. I would substitute "Power of my Love" for HBS on the single B-side.

3. 7/10 Solid but I don't love it. Blunderbuss got better as it went on, but I feel the opposite about this one. It started great, but my interest waned after "Alone In My Home".

[Kali Durga]

It sounds like a sweltering summer night with the windows open, curtains blowing about from the necessary-box-fans, while friends sit -instruments in hand- playing and talking and drinking until the rest of the world fades into the background.

Even High Ball Stepper...?

[mojoryan]

It sounds like a sweltering summer night with the windows open, curtains blowing about from the necessary-box-fans, while friends sit -instruments in hand- playing and talking and drinking until the rest of the world fades into the background.

Even High Ball Stepper...?

Hell yes. You've never played into the night with friends while imbibing absinthe.

[Kali Durga]

That's very true, I have not.

[a meg me da medo]

1.) temporary ground,
definitely my fav. (at the moment.)
sounds like a song that jack and a very young janis could have made together.

2.) I Think I Found The Culprit,
that song bores me and reminds me of blunderbuss which,
i confess, i didn’t like so much,
mostly because of those immanently returning loud piano, that over dominates all.

3.) 20 out of ten, lazaretto is so much better then blunderbuss. it hits me emotionally,
with goosebumps and all. don’t feel this with blunderbuss which plays trough without havin’ a peek or personal hit.

after blunderbuss i was frightened, that the 2nd solo from jackie would disappoint me too.
but after lazaretto and high ball stepper i knew, that going to be great, and it is.

ammdm

[jrfhoutx]

after a couple of half-assed stream listening sessions, I'm only mildly impressed. I liked Blunderbuss so much because it was a big departure in sound for Jack, and it worked really well. I still enjoy listening to it. this album on the otherhand, it feels like a bunch of tracks that didn't make the new TDW sessions and left overs from Blunderbuss just thrown together with some vinyl gimmickry to make it interesting...

sorry but until I have a vinyl copy in my hands and can give it a listen, I'm leaning towards Blunderbuss. and though not to start up an old dispute, I'm digging the new Keys album far more than the new JW album...

[KNARF]

1) Aside from "High Ball Stepper" & "Lazaretto" what's your favorite song? Woudl you fight for my love

2) If you had to edit one song out, what would that song be? If I had to maybe Want and Able - why not finish on a strong note?

3) If Blunderbuss was rated a 10 out of 10, what do you rate Lazaretto? 15 - I was disappointed by Blunderblerch. This sounds more like Jack's comfortable and having a bit of fun with what he's doing

Finally got a chance to log back in here read the Lazaretto reviews from the week and I sit in amazement reading the diverse reviews.
Luke, your review is EXACTLY what my review was before I made a last second change. Since we're all geeking out:

The opening verse of Would You Fight For My Love is AMAZING. I favor that clean-crystal-clear vocal delivery in all music–without instrumentations distracting it.
I thought the second verse would go back to that same vocal delivery style, you know, like The Beatles "Let It Be".
But after the chorus part–there's that backing vocal thing going on and his singing style changes.
Still great, but for me, less would have been more in this song. Would have loved for the entire song to have that same delicate/sensitive vocal delivery as the first verse has.
Because of that, I chose "Alone In My Home" as my favorite. The message gets across in this song–in vivid clarity. This song brightens up the album.

If you look at Want & Able as just a track, then I can see where you're coming from since all the songs on the album beat this out in my book.
But if you look at it as "The Closer". It's the PERFECT ending in my book. And Jack is the master of album closers.
Some of his best closers:

Southern Can
I'm Lonely But I Ain't That Lonely Yet
It's True That We Love One Another
Effect & Cause
Carolina Drama
Take Me with You When You Go
Want & Able

Want & Able fits perfectly on that list. So I'll fight you on that LUKE!!!
I gave Lazaretto 13 out of 10
You gave it 15 out of 10

Since we agree so effortlessly, we should deal records together some day.

[Kali Durga]

And Jack is the master of album closers.
Some of his best closers:

Southern Can
I'm Lonely But I Ain't That Lonely Yet
It's True That We Love One Another
Effect & Cause
Carolina Drama
Take Me with You When You Go
Want & Able

Very true but, oh my... How could you leave out Blue Veins???

[KNARF]

And Jack is the master of album closers.
Some of his best closers:

Southern Can
I'm Lonely But I Ain't That Lonely Yet
It's True That We Love One Another
Effect & Cause
Carolina Drama
Take Me with You When You Go
Want & Able

Very true but, oh my... How could you leave out Blue Veins???

FUNNY that you caught that! Actually expected YOU out of everyone to catch that. NICE JOB!
I deliberately left BLUE VEINS out because it's too great of a song to even be considered "A Closer".
It's a great track that just happens to come last. But not a true "Closer" in my book.
It does not have that "Ending" feel to it. Blue Veins could have worked fine in the middle or towards the end of an album.
To me, it's like ending an album with Ball & Biscuit. We'd all love that. But like Blue Veins, Ball & Biscuit
does not have that "Ending Thing". That "Thing" I'm trying to explain is a combo of the music sound and also the lyrics.

Perfect example: The Bol Weavil song The White Stripes used to end all the shows with. That was surely an ending.
And I guess you can say the same about "Goodnight Irene". I know those are live show examples,
but it's similar on albums. To be critical, "Let It Be" should easily have been the last track on the album.
But The Beatles were not going for "The Closer". Many bands don't. I love that Jack goes for closers big time.

Jack White is the Mariano Rivera of Album Closers.

[Kali Durga]

Interesting distinction, Frank. I'll have to see if I can hear it that way the next time I listen.

[jgibbdah]

I thought Want & Able was a great track to end on. Felt like they type of song that he ends shows with. I can't complain about a song if it reminds me of one of Jack's live sets.

[Jettkoral]

Want and Able is a very good song as are all the others, but I agree with the Lazaretto photo book in the vault when it said all the songs are meant to be 'singles'. Not so much a cohesive album as a collection of songs.

[KNARF]

But I still think he's gonna release the first ever Triple Album for his 3rd one.

Not unless he has a time machine!

Crimpies,
"His" meaning Jack's 1st ever is what I meant to say. I think Jack would do a triple album.
3 great triple albums you posted there. Nice job. Love Sandinista!!!
Since we're on the topic, I was lucky to meet Joe Strummer on the streets of New York not long before he passed.
One of my most treasured run-ins and photos. He was so cool. Great conversation and he signed me a nice autograph too.

Damn I miss Joe Strummer. A true original.

FRANK AND JOE.jpg

[destijl]

FIRST LISTEN: DISAPPOINTED - Not enough guitar. The "Ultra" LP is a pain in the ass.
TWENTIETH LISTEN: REALLY GOOD but not enough guitar. The "Ultra" LP is still a pain in the ass.

[chaptertwentyone]

But I still think he's gonna release the first ever Triple Album for his 3rd one.

Not unless he has a time machine!

Crimpies,
"His" meaning Jack's 1st ever is what I meant to say. I think Jack would do a triple album.
3 great triple albums you posted there. Nice job. Love Sandinista!!!
Since we're on the topic, I was lucky to meet Joe Strummer on the streets of New York not long before he passed.
One of my most treasured run-ins and photos. He was so cool. Great conversation and he signed me a nice autograph too.

Damn I miss Joe Strummer. A true original.

FRANK AND JOE.jpg

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