I graduated high school in 1992 and this was the album and sound track for my freshman year in college. I think this gives me a unique perspective to review this new release. I just know there are 36-34 year old people all across the country playing both back to back just like I am right now to compare and contrast, to relive a little of the feeling of what it was like when WE were it, and that rocks!

This album is a prime example of popular music or an individual album becoming the sound track to a period in time. This is not any different than “Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan or “Beggars Banquet” by the Rolling Stones in that respect. This view is shortsighted and wrong in my opinion. This album ( or the original ) belong in the same sentence as the pivotal albums that came generations before it.

So many people often try to filter this time period, the album and the experience down to a simple flannel shirts and the simple grunge scene look. To me that view or representation comes across like an Associated Press (AP) story picked up by you local home town news paper. It’s a cheapened and trivialized view of what the music and the time represented.

To the music:
In general it feels like the producers got more to the core of the songs by exposing more of the vocal track (Eddie) and talented musicianship of the Mike McCready (Lead Guitar). It is enjoyable and often catches your ear if you are familiar with the original.

My favorite improvement is – Deep
My least favorite adaptation was – Alive

Overall I’m thankful that this new collection got me to re listen to the album, both old and new a few times over, but I give it an A for re-marketing and a B for actual musical improvement or embellishment.

I now have to turn off the turn table and put the kids to bed. I’m old.