Response to Mike NTPB: UYI II Rating Explained

So, "my readership" is probably already familiar with the way I rate albums, and as such should not be shocked. But here goes.

First of all, 60 = good on my scale. So UYI II is "good" while Lies is "very good."

Before the II explanation, note that Lies may be surprisingly higher than usual because of 1, the cool concept live album / acoustic album split; 2, killer version of "Mama Kin," not to mention the rest of the roadhouse blues tracks from Side A; 3, "Patience" is easily THE power ballad of that era, if one can even stoop low enough to call it a power bad and sully its transcendent name; 4, "You're Crazy" acoustic version is just sicker than all get out and remains one of my favorite easy songs to play on my own guitar; 5, "One in a Million" adds tremendous historical value as one of the most controversial songs to come out of the 80s. It's a pretty crappy song all told, but severely interesting for the stir it caused and the brazen antagonism it represents.

UYI II, while good, has some punch yourself in the face problems. The obvious one is "My World," one of the all time terrible tracks in popular music. I would *much* rather endure a hell of Revolution #9 on infinite repeat than "My World." Second problem is "Don't Cry (Alt Lyrics)", because REALLY? I'll give that the title of "most obvious album filler." Third are "14 Years" and "So Fine," both songs featuring lead vocals from NOT-AXL (Izzy and Duff, respectively) that are not all that great. They are otherwise decent songs, but there are some terrible sounding moments. Fourth, the cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," while thoroughly enjoyable, is borderline sacrilegious vis a vis the original. A minor fault, but that call and response part makes me cringe a bit. But not cringe as the fifth, much as "Get in the Ring," which has that spoken word section screaming at the media that is just flat out embarrassing. Round it out with the 6th, "Shotgun Blues," a song which always strikes me as bland punk.

So that's a lot of problems, one of them an entirely, nails through your ears unlistenable. It speaks to how much I love the rest of this album that it stays in the good range. I mean, "Civil War" is a super solid opener, that "Breakdown - Pretty Tied Up - Locomotive" string in the middle is GOOD STUFF, "You Could Be Mine" would have been a great closer (if the final two kill me now tracks were dropped), but I can't accept the spottiness of the rest enough to give it a better rating.

So there ya have it - the good of the album is great, but the bad is horrendous. I'm a much better fan of a consistent album than one with violent ups and downs. UYI I is waaaaaaaaay better; super solid top to bottom with "Double Talkin' Jive" being the only track that I don't love. Speakin' of, I think I will celebrate the next ten minutes and fourteen seconds of my life in a...

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