Monday, April 18, 2011

#96. Live Through This - Hole

96. Live Through This - Hole (1994) 92/100.  I hate to be one who falters to preconceived notions but, I have to be honest, I had a big one when I put this on.  When I think of Hole, I think of Courtney Love.  When I think of Courtney Love, I think of the fall-down mess of a woman that she has publicly become the last decade or so.  I don't think of cool, rock star Courtney Love which this album exemplifies.

Right away I was surprised how talented Love actually is/was.  Hole had a cool punk vibe going for them on this album (even though most reviewers consider it to be grunge, but I am going out on a limb to state the line between punk and grunge is a fine one).  Live Through This has so much tragic history behind it that it makes it epic in itself.  Kobain (Love's husband (in case you have lived in a cave the last two decade (if so, welcome))) shooting himself four days before its release, Kristen Pfaff's (the bassist) death two months after its release...the album is drenched in tragedy.

So, outside of the my surprise of Love's talent, I was also surprised at the talent of newcomer drummer, Patty Schemel who was pretty damn good.  I enjoyed the album throughout.  Favorites included Violet, Jennifer's Body, Doll Parts, and Rock Star.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and will have to file this one under, don't judge a book by its drunken, heroin induced cover.  

TIL, people generally suck and because the album was good, they figured Kobain had to have written it which is nothing more than unsubstantiated garbage seeing as everyone involved stated that Kobain sang backup on a couple of tracks but Love and Erlandson (the band's guitar player) wrote the album.  Listened: 4/18/2011
Favorite Tracks: Violet, Jennifer's Body, Doll Parts, Rock Star

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