I recently brought Lenny's Greatest Hits CD on Wednesday and I certainly have become interested in getting more in depth of his work. I came across these two albums and they both look groovy, but I don't know which one to buy. Can a hardcore Lenny Kravitz fan recommend which album I should get in next, AYGGMW or Mama Said?

Hmmm this is a tough decision, both of these r my top 2 Lenny Kravitz albums but don't know which is my favorite if I had 2 pick I would go with Are You Gonna Go My Way, it has some great songs that weren't on the greatest hits like Come On and Love Me, Is There Any Love In Your Heart, and Sugar.

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is great from start to finish.

mama said is good but kinda ballad heavy cause he was begging Lisa Bonet to come back to him, but it has one of my favs "what the f--k are we saying" on it...so if u wanna rock out get are you gonna go my way

Of those two I like Mama Said way better ebcause of the range of songs he put on there. After the rock-heavy debut Let Love Rule, he just follows it up with luscious ballads and violins. Props.

Also, The Fields Of Joy (reprise) is one of my fave Kravitz songs.

So, amazing scope on this record. Don't be fooled by peeps calling kravitz a retro artist. He just knows what he likes.

Also, the man responsible for the Justify My Love-beat and that amazing Vanessa Paradis album can do anyhting he likes. Even though his latest efforts to me where a bit more of the same.

On AMG, Stephen Thomas Erlewine saysabout Mama Said;

Moving forward a couple years from the psychedelic fixations of his debut, Mama Said finds Lenny Kravitz in the early '70s, trying to graft Curtis Mayfield and Jimi Hendrix influences to his Prince and Lennon obsessions. This time around, he synthesizes his influences better; it's essentially a seamless record, with all of its classic rock homages so carefully produced that it sounds as if it could have been released in 1972.

Kravitz's songcraft has gotten better as well, with the swirling Philly soul of "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" and the rampaging Sly Stone-meets-Hendrix "Always on the Run" standing out as instantly addictive singles. Still, some of the joy that informed Let Love Rule has worn off, largely because it's more polished and studied than its predecessor. That, however, doesn't prevent Mama Said from being another thoroughly enjoyable guilty pleasure -- its sweet soul and fuzzy hard rock are slyly seductive.

Ironically for such an inviting record, Mama Said is Kravitz's divorce album, yet it never quite conveys any true pain or emotion, since he puts sound over substance. Essentially, the lyrics are afterthoughts, but with a record as immaculately produced and sonically pleasurable as Mama Said, it doesn't really matter that it's talking loud and saying nothing, because it sounds good while it's talking.
[Edited 7/29/06 15:25pm]

Same site, same guy, Are You Gonna Go My Way;

The cover indicates that Are You Gonna Go My Way is Lenny Kravitz's bid for rock stardom. Designed in the style of an early-'70s record, it features Kravitz in hippie clothing, apparently exposing himself to a photographer -- in other words, he's a dangerously sexy counterculture rebel. That may have been true in 1970, but in 1993, he simply sounds like a weird sideshow exhibit, the man who never lived past 1973. Of course, it's easy to make such potshots, but Kravitz opens himself up to such attacks. No other artist, especially a successful one, has been quite so devoted to the past and ignorant of the present. Since he has considerable talent for songcraft and production, Kravitz isn't nearly as bad as he could be, and Are You Gonna Go My Way is just as enjoyable and more accomplished than its predecessors. This time around, Hendrix is his chief influence, as evidenced by the roaring title track, and he does expand that with his traditional Lennon, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince obsessions. Song for song, it's his most consistent album, although by the end of the record, his painstaking reproduction of classic rock sounds begins to appear a bit too studied, suggesting that Kravitz may have hit a creative wall. Nevertheless, that does nothing to diminish the enjoyment of this record.

vainandy said:

really?

Both are great but if you're new to him I would get Are You Gonna Go My Way first... At some point be sure to pick up Circus & 5 along w/ the others you're considering

Are You Gonna Go My Way .

Get "Are You Gonna Go My Way" first. Then check our "Mama Said". Both are decent albums.

HamsterHuey said:

I thought I was the only one in the universe who adores this album. It's fantastic

Mama Said needs to be remastered quite badly. They're both good, but Are You Gonna Go My Way is a little neater, more concise... Mama is more eclectic... I think Mama is probably his best work.

I love nearly every note on Mama Said and I'd say get that one..first. The first 4 albums are all must-haves, really. And I highly recommend the Vanessa Paradis record he did, though I understand her voice may turn some people off.