Rate Izzy's albums!

[Assman]

How would you rate Izzy's albums? Personally I think only one album is really good. The first one I think is a really good album, worth 9 out of 10. The others are uneven and worth more like 4 or 5 out of 10. The latest album is the worst in my opinion, it doesn't seem to have finished songs on it. A couple of songs are good, but none are really good and some songs sounds half finished. So my rating would be:

1 Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds - 9 out 10

2 River - 5 out of 10

3 117 - 5 out of 10

4 On down the road - 3 out of 10

I don't have the album before "River", so I can't rate that one.

[Captain P?l]

one thing i wonder, on his solo albums, does he play the solo's himself? or is it that taz guy?

i think river or 117 degrees are the best album... dont really like juju hounds...

[Assman]

I never read anything on that subject, but I know that Rick Richards played most solos on the first album.

[jarmo]

one thing i wonder, on his solo albums, does he play the solo's himself? or is it that taz guy?

Taz is the drummer on 117?, Ride On, River and On Down The Road.



/jarmo

[Izzy]

Izzy's albums are essential his attempt at a Rolling Stones album - if you like their stuff u can't really help but appreciate Izzy's stuff, I have the albums that are available in this country - no 'One down the Road' for me

Anyway 117 degrees is my favourite - it makes a refreshing break from thrash metal

[Walapino]

117? is my favorite too, I like the Rolling Stones so I tend to like most of Izzy stuff.
Cant wait for his next cd and wishing he includes stuff from his VR sessions 

[Skeletor]

River: 9
117?: 8
...and the Ju Ju Hounds: 8
On Down the Road: 6
Ride On: 5

[Rohlm]

Ju Ju Hounds- 9
River- 5
117- 6
Ride On- 6
On Down the Road- 7

[Doc Emmett Brown]

I've only got one of his albums, and a couple of mp3s from his other stuff   

117 degrees:  8/10

[Izzy]

Between us we must represent 90% of the people who have actually bought Izzy albums

[Rohlm]

Sad huh?

[jarmo]

I only have the ones that have been released in Europe, but I guess I like 117? the most at the moment.

Followed by Ju Ju Hounds and River.



/jarmo

[Assman]

I don?t mean to sound negative, but what is it that you like so much about the other albums? I think they are OK, but in my opinion "Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds" is all on its own. This is a record not to far behind Guns n?Roses best albums. Maybe he saved some material before he quit? Personally I think its much better than "Spaghetti Incident?" and almost as good as "Lies".

[noonespecial]

I like the Ju Ju Hounds album (Somebody's Knocking, Shuffle it All,and of course his remake of Ronnie's Take a look..which was on his first solo album, and Train Tracks with the bubbling bong in the beginning--it's definitely got an old "Stones Blues feel" to it which I can totally get into personally)
Ride On (I love The Groper!...and Needles) 
River (like the title track, very positive, pretty "zen" for Izzy- LOL! Album is actually a bit softer than the rest but I like it anyways.
117 Degrees (Love the tune Ain't that a Bitch...it's like he's telling someone what he thinks about them without resorting to the typical curse words and victum approach-I like it, Methanol's another favorite)

[IzzyDutch]

I like all the albums, but 117 degrees and Ride On are my favourites

My least favourite would be River, because of the guitarsound

[mrlee]

i recently heard 177 degrees and thought it was boring. It wasnt exactly rock, it was more indi-rock with a solo in the back ground. To slow for me. 

[IzzyDutch]

117 degrees has the most variety of all of Izzy's albums, it's got slow acoustic songs, slow and fast paced rockers, rockabilly songs, surfrock songs and blues songs

[Mikkamakka]

I have the Juju Hounds album, Ride On and 117 Degrees, and I'd rate all 6/10. Typical Izzy, good listenings, the best Stones albums in the 90s, but nothing special.

[Seb]

i've only got river, i would rate it with a 6

[pettyblue440]

I have ju ju hounds, 117, and river.  I would rate them in that order.

[Michael_Stradlin]

1. Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds - 10/10
2. On Down The Road 7/10
3. Ride On 6,5/10
4. 117* 6/10
5. River 5/10

Ju Ju Hounds is one of the best album of "simple-rock" titles of all time.? Just love that music... every song on the album kicks ass - same as song on Pressure Drop EP or Live EP.
If On Down the Road haven't got last 3 songs it would also get 10. Ride On is cool but the lyrics are so poor there (except my best Izzy's song Needles. 117* - I don't like it very well... extremely fast songs (Grunt or Surf Roach) + slow tunes (Gotta Say) aren't good together on one cd... River is cool but some songs aren't finished...

[Scottyl333]

1. 117 degrees-9/10-I think the slow songs and fast songs mix together well.
2.On Down The Road-8/10-Has some great songs on this one.  I like almost all of them.  Sweet Caress is one of the best.
3.JuJu Hounds-7.5/10-A great album but I really liked only about 4 songs on this one.  I couldnt get into all of the songs. 
4.Ride On-7/10-Had some good songs.  No slow songs to mix it up.  More punkish
River-6.5/10-Like the title track, Underground and the raggae tracks.  Couldnt get into the other ones.

I just got Ride On and On Down the Road and was really impressed.  Before them I would have said Gilby was the best solo guy from GNR but now I say Izzy.  Izzy, Gilby, and Tommy have all put out some good music.

[thelostrose]

Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds - 5/10
River 6/10

i only got those two, but i never really got into them. but some tracks really kick ass.

[Neemo]

I had his first album back in '92 when it was released and I didn't really care for it too much, but, I wanted to give him another chance.  Can I get some thoughts on what everyone thinks is his best album?

Thank-you

[IzzyDutch]

117 Degrees has the most variety, it's got a little of everything and it sounds very raw and straight forward. Some songs remind me alot of Izzy's UYI songs. A lot of people say this is his best work.

The sound of Ju Ju Hounds and the other albums are really different, JJH sounds a lot like the Stones and the others sound very raw. Also the others have a different line-up, Taz Bentley (Reverent Horton Heat) on drums and Duff on bass.

Ride On is kind off in the same vain as 117 degrees only more hardrock, overall it's probably the most aggresive sounding Izzy album.

River sounds more polished and has a Faces kind of vibe, it's got two reggae songs on it.

On Down The Road has a lot of acoustic songs and a few blues rockers, the sound of the guitars are a lot like the Do You Love Me cover with Steven on it.


I like them all but my favourite is 117 degrees and my least favourite is River.

[--jj--]

I think "117 Degrees" is the best. (And it's not Japan-only release....? )

[Neemo]

Great! Thanks for the info!

I actually found "Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds" for $5 Canadian so I picked it up and I thought it was pretty good. (HMV record store told me they don't make that cd anymore) I think I may pick up 117 too. It's funny how music tastes change over the years.  I used to hate Blind Melon too but now I cant get enough, that was my reason for checking out Izzy again. That and I recently listened to UYI's and all the tunes I enjoyed most were the songs Izzy wrote.

Anyway thanks again for your thoughts!

[Michael_Stradlin]

What can I say - Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds is my favorite album ever. This is a kind of music I love - rock n' roll with parts of reggae, punk rock and this whole thing of stonesy rock that ya can find in almost every song on this album. IMO if someone wants to get known of Izzy's solo stuff he should start with this album - the rest isn't that great as Ju Ju... It's really sad that they didn't record the second album...?

[railroadblues]

you said it ---

Ju Ju Hounds is such a great record - 10 out of 10, it's so moody and relaxed (really seems to fit after all that hype).

Honestly, I'd only give 8 and 6 or something like that to 117? and River, they're still good but, um, not that well done in some way ---

Haven't heard On Down The Road and Ride On yet but I understand that the latter is somewhat similar to the Hounds one?

[Fudgin_Hell]

I've only got River and i'd give it a 6.5 / 10

the first to songs kick ass and the couple of acousticiy things a allright but i cannot stand the reggae songs ( i can't even spell it but i hate them) n' i usaully think reggae is o.k

IZZY RULES IN gn'r n is my favorite alltime member of the guns.

i hear the ju ju hounds stuff is cool but i cannie find it

 

[Rob]

I got the self-titled Ju Ju Hounds album and I'd rate it a 7/10.  It's very good, Izzy sounds pretty cool on it...more raspy than I remember.  The music is good too, just straight up rock n' roll.  What else would you expect from a musical genius?

[nyd]

I won't give each album a score but this is the order I prefer them in:

1. Ride On
2. River
3. Ju Ju Hounds
4. 117 Degrees
5. On Down The Road

I liked the diversity of River, I thought it was cool that is started out rock and ended in reggae/acoustic. Ride On is a great album except for one song (The Groper) which in my opinion is one of the worst songs he has ever written. Ju Ju Hounds is a great starting point for any new-fan, Shuffle It All is the stand-out track. 117 is a great album but it has a very country-rock feel to it. On Down The Road may sound unfinished but thats what I like about it - It has a lot of great songs on their.

Will
www.izzy.34sp.com : Izzy Fansite

[IzzyDutch]

The Groper was mostly written by Rick Richards

I like them all but my least favourite is River, I don't like the guitarsound much. The Ju-Ju Hounds is a great album but I think the others sound more like the real Izzy. 117 degrees and Ride On are great, they sound really raw and full of energy. The guitars sound kinda out of control. On Down The Road is is also a great album, it's between the others and Ju-Ju-Hounds.

This is the order I prefer:

1. 117 degrees
2. Ride On
3. On Down The Road
4. Ju-Ju Hounds
5. River

[deliverthecow]

Just got 'Ride On' and 'River' thanks to a good online friend

'Ride On' i forgot how damn good that album was. I had the import version which somehow turned up missing but anyway. 'Ride On' and Loaded's 'Dark Days' both have a similar sort of vibe imo. 'Ride On' out of all Stradlin's stuff is the most rockin' Great cd, highly recommend it if you get the chance.

River is alot better than i expected after reading alot of online reviews. The band is pretty solid. It is a shame Stradlin' never released this stuff in the US.

[Mr. Dick Purple]

On down the Road
117?
Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds

That's the only records I've heard and the only I can have an opinion of.
I consider them great but I like better ODTR 

[Rob]

So far I've got 117 and ISATJJH.  I think they're both very good.  Its pure rock n' roll...a little mellower, but still excellent.

[deliverthecow]

I was just wondering this the other day. On the albums 117*, Ride On, and RIver who is singing the majority of the backing vocals. Duff isnt listed as doing backing vocals but it really does sound like him, especially the songs on Ride On, liek Primitive Man, Highway Zero, etc. I have finally got a live bootleg from a Japan tour and live it is definitely Duff. Just was curious as to what you guys thought, i personally think it is Duff even though he isnt listed as doing bv's.

[IzzyDutch]

The majority of background vocals is also done by Izzy himself, Primitive Man, Spazed, Highway Zero all got the vocal harmony thing just like on Dust N' Bones where Izzy also does both during the intro and verses. I like the vocals that way, sounds really cool.

On a few songs Rick Richards is doing background vocals, for example on Here Before You (he also sings the intro) and on The Groper (which Izzy co-wrote with him). So it's most of the time Izzy doing sometimes Rick aswell. Duff only did background live in Japan.

[Rob]

I often have a hard time distinguishing Duff's backing vocals from Izzy's.  When they sing lead they don't sound very similar, but when they sing backing vocals they sound very similar.

[deliverthecow]

thanks for the info IzzyDutch. I still am almost positive Duff is singing on Primitive Man, etc. It sure sounds exactly like Duff. At anyrate Izzy's albums are top notch.

[purplehaze1988]

ju ju hounds isnt hard to find at all http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000000P0J/qid=1130681360/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-5009758-2888423

i got it second hand but its just the cd, no cover