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The Album Effect episode 22 reviews Egypt Station by Paul McCartney, Binge by Machine Gun Kelly, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie, Generation Rx by Good Charlotte, and a special listener submission from Swedish platinum-awarded producer/artist Jimmy Ledrac for his 2018 lofi instrumental album, The Gordian Knot, plus more. Hosted by Manny, Nick, Dave, and Britt.
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Episode 22 Albums:
Egypt Station (2018)
Paul McCartney
The Beatles are almost certainly the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Paul McCartney. The largely self-taught singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist came to prominence during the 1960s, when he sang and played bass for the legendary group, considered widely to be one of the most influential pop acts of all time. McCartney has a successful career outside of the Beatles, however, with both his solo work and albums with the band Wings producing a string of chart-topping hits. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee has also collaborated with a diverse group of contemporary artists, including Super Furry Animals, Dave Grohl and Kanye West.
McCartney’s 18th solo album, Egypt Station, was an immediate commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard chart. His first solo work since 2013’s New, the album pulls from a variety of genres, with everything from acoustic guitar melodies to electronic samba elements weaving throughout the record. Described by McCartney as a concept album, the record positions each of its 16 songs as a different ‘train station stop,’ collectively creating a voyage that constitutes the full album. Taking its title from one of McCartney’s own paintings, Egypt Station was generally well-received by critics, with many lauding its catchy hooks and variety of musical styles.
Binge (2018)
Machine Gun Kelly
Later known as Machine Gun Kelly, Richard Baker became interested in hip-hop in the sixth grade, with rappers Eminem, Ludacris and DMX sparking his enthusiasm for the genre. Having taken on his stage name due to his rapid-fire rap style, Machine Gun Kelly released his first mixtape in 2006. Three years later, he achieved victories at the Apollo Theatre’s long-running weekly talent contest, becoming the first rapper to do so. Kelly gained further exposure after being featured on MTV2’s Sucker Free Freestyle, as well as performing at SXSW in 2011. It was the Texas showcase that gained the attention of Sean Combs, who offered him a contract with Bad Boy Records. Combs’ label released Kelly’s debut album, Lace Up, the following year.
Over the next few years, Machine Gun Kelly would go on to become embroiled in drama with one of his idols, Eminem. A feud involving a comment he made about Eminem’s daughter in 2012 would be reignited in 2018, when the rapper took aim at Kelly in the track “Not Alike” on his Kamikaze album. This led to Kelly creating his own response, “Rap Devil,” which served as the lead single for his 2018 release, Binge. The 9-song EP premiered at number 13 on the Billboard Top 100, which marked Kelly’s second highest chart debut. Produced by Ronny J, SlimXX, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., and others, Binge largely focuses on Kelly’s experiences with drug use, depression and excess.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
David Bowie
One of the world’s most influential and best-selling artists, David Bowie had a career marked by reinvention and intriguing visual presentation. The Brixton-born Bowie took an interest in music as a child, forming his first band at 15-years-old. He would go on to study both music and art before beginning his professional music career in 1963. In 1967, his debut was released, an album of mostly novelty songs that had little in common with his later work. Throughout his career, Bowie would go on to earn 10 platinum albums in the UK, along with numerous gold and silver records in both Europe and the United States.
Bowie’s fifth studio album, 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, is often considered his breakthrough release. The glam rock classic tells the story of Bowie’s alter ego, an androgynous rock star who acts as a messenger for alien beings, eventually destroyed by his own vices and rabid fanbase. Originally, the record was not intended as a concept album, with much of its backstory being written after the songs were recorded.
The Ziggy Stardust character was said to have been based on a combination of several different figures, including Vince Taylor, a British singer known to have joined a cult after a period of prolonged drug use, as well as psychobilly singer Legendary Stardust Cowboy and fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, who also created the costumes Bowie used on the Ziggy Stardust tour. Musically, Ziggy Stardust was heavily influenced by the glam rock scene, while the lyrics and visual elements explored themes of bisexuality and social taboos. The album received widespread critical praise upon its release and gained popularity commercially throughout the year, eventually selling over 95,000 copies in England by the end of 1972.
Generation Rx (2018)
Good Charlotte
Founded in 1996 by twin brothers Benji and Joel Madden, Good Charlotte was one of the most prominent bands in the late ’90s pop-punk scene. Hailing from Waldorf, MD, the band came to prominence in the Washington D.C. area, where their debut single, “Little Things,” received significant airplay from local alternative rock radio station WHFS. It was their second album that proved to be their breakthrough, however, with hit single “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” bringing them mainstream success. The band released three more albums in the early 2000s, which achieved varying degrees of success, before going on hiatus from 2011 through 2016.
In 2018, Good Charlotte released Generation Rx, their second album since returning from the 5-year break. Their seventh studio album was produced by guitarist Benji Madden, along with Goldfinger and Blink-182 producer Zakk Cervini. They chose to record at the Maddens’ LA-based company MDDN, as Benji felt that the private studio surroundings would yield the best results from Joel. The Maddens have said that their goal with this album was to create something fun and exciting musically, while the lyrics tackled serious subjects including drug abuse, mental health issues and struggling with the death of friends. Generation Rx received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the album’s lyrical depth, while others felt that it did little to stand out from standard modern-rock fare.
