The two hundred and ninety-sixth album: #296 The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Next
Normally, a glam rock album works for me. It's not my favourite side of rock, but it hits the right buttons. Next still doesn't quite satisfy that, though, and I think it's partially because the specific indulgences it takes don't quite work for me. Some of the songs are too long, but not in a way that really works, and consequently the slightly shorter second side works better. It feels like it lacks identity a bit, working better as a part of a performance you can watch. The title track in particular feels off - an adaptation of a Jacques Brel song - something that can work quite well in a rock context, gets too twisted and distorted at times to make for a good listening experience. The core of genius is there, but in this song, as perhaps with the album as a whole, it sometimes gets too distorted with how glam the album feels it needs to be.