Celebrity Skin

I respect her husband's work very much, it means the world to me, but I generally do not care for Hole, based off my experiences with the tracks Teenage Whore and Violet. For the most part it seems this record foregoes the grunge sound in order to try and keep up with the more poppy alt rock sound of the late 90s. The first couple tracks or so I found enjoyable and certainly could see them either playing in a friend's car or at the end credits of a movie from the era. That said, this still isn't really my favorite. I don't think it's anything special and I still don't really care for Courtney as a vocalist.

Good, but not necessarily great, post-grunge alternative rock, with a bunch of influences and sounds I can get along with plenty well (you can lowkey hear quite a bit of R.E.M. which I didn’t expect). There’s a lot of strong moments, a few strong all-the-way-through songs, and a whole strong vibe through the album with the sort of personal depressed-grrl feeling.

LOVE one of the best albums ever

Celebirty Skin (the song) is such a banger that I keep forgetting about until I hear its first few notes again. There are a few other great songs in here as well, like Hit So Hard, Dying, and Boys on the Radio. This album kicks a lot of ass.

Celebrity skin to arcydzieło. Cudowny riff i wielowarstwowe gitary. Dużo przyjemnych balladek, świetny wokal przez całą płytę. Problemem dla mnie jest to że łeb mnie boli od tej zajebanej gitary już pod koniec. Super jako single żeby dodać na playlistę. Malibu i Boys in the radio są świetne. Kurwa ale tamburyn(albo ta grzechotkę z piaskiem chuj wie bo gitara nakurwia) na refrenie malibu raz słyszę tylko na lewe ucho a raz czuje jakby mi krążył dookoła głowy. Super album nie na moją głowę. Gdyby nie to że mnie leb bolał pod koniec dałbym 4 bo każda z tych piosenek jest przynajmniej spoko.

album bardzo bezpieczny na lata 90 taki grunge wpadajacy w pop czy rock dobrze sie go slucha to taka muzyka ktorej sluchalabym w pierwszym roku liceum plyta niczym mnie nie zawiodla ani nie zaskoczyla moze dlatego ze po czesci ja znalam momentami sluchalam biernie ale wokal Courtney Love przykuwa uwage druga czesc albumu chyba bardziej mi siedzi moze gdybym miala 40 lat to mialby dla mnie jakas wartosc sentymentalna i kurcze patrzac na ich pozostale albumy to szkoda ze okladka jest taka basic

Całkiem spoko

Ale mnie wkurwia że w Dying gitara na początku jest tylko na prawym uchu, dosłownie drugi Baby Keem Ogl album mega mocny, pare piosenek polubionych Najmocniejsza strona tego albumu jest wokal i to w jaki sposób przekazuje nim emocje, tu krzyknie, tam zaśpiewa ale wszystko w granicach dobrego smaku, dodatkowo te wszystkie glosy w tle to banger (np "aaaa" w Use Once & Destroy albo "lalalala" na Petals) Ogl chyba najwiecej polubionych piosenek z tego albumu mam aktualnie Taka niszowa Nirvana, nie byloby wstydu jakby eska na ulicy spytala co sie slucha Czulem sie przy odsluchu troche jak zbuntowana nastolatka ale w dobrym znaczeniu Po intro mialem troche obawy czy caly album nie bedzie corny ale na szczescie mocno sie mylilem Moze z 2 skipy dlatego 5 nie bedzie, ale bardziej takie 4,73 niz 4

Title track is a banger, but otherwise, pretty meh

The title track is my go-to karaoke song. Partly that’s because I can’t really sing so avoid songs with big notes, but it’s also because sometimes I just want to be more Courtney Love - messy and angry but with killer pop instincts.

Have heard celebrity skin and Malibu before, they are quite good. Haven’t listened to a full album from Hole before, mainly because of Courtney Loves reputation. It reminded me of Garbage a bit, but I would much prefer to listen to Garbage instead. I feel as though this is less interesting and too repetitive. I found Northern Star whiny and annoying. If the album was shorter (dragged on too much for me) and had a few more unique elements in it, it could easily be a four star album. Just lacking in substance a bit.

Me gusto un poquito

This is exactly the type of alternative rock music that I was into at the time, but, because of my love of Nirvana, I never listened to it. Courtney Love seemed like a problematic figure and I didn’t really understand all the details of her relationship with Kurt Cobain, so I just avoided her music entirely. Listening to it now, I can appreciate the sound. Although it does sound similar to other stuff, I was rocking to it more than I wasn’t and I added a fair number of tracks to my liked list for future listening: Celebrity Skin, … Awful, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Dying, Northern Star, and Playing Your Song.

Pleasantly surprised at this one, really good. Fair play.

Never really been a fan of Courtney Love. I was going to put this on in the background and probably not really listen to it. I avoided that and listened to it straight through while driving. I did try to go into this album with no preconceptions and actually enjoyed it more than I thought. The well know hits are still there but other tracks on the album also held my attention. Northern Star of note. If I didn't have to overcome my preconceived opinions it might have even rated higher.

Кортни лав сучка драная

it has an unique style in such an closed genre as it is Rock

This is alt rock drivel. Hardly a serious record. Live through this is a great album. This is a recording industry trying to recoup what it spent.

Very listnenable album that I haven't heard since it came out. Courtney Love was written off for being this junkie who rode the coattails of her husband to success. But I think that's kind of a bad rap for her. These are some pretty good songs and I will likely go back and listen to some more Hole in the near future.

Celebrity Skin is one of the best songs of the 90s. The rest of the album is good not great. There are some playlist tracks in here. 3/5

northern star is one of the most gorgeous, heart-wrenching songs ever written

Ngl. Awful is a banger

I don't like it as much as Live Through This, which is much more raw and raucous, but it is still pretty good and sometimes surprisingly REM-ish. Songs like Boys on the Radio are likeable even if they are a long way from grunge

me gustó

Better than I thought it was going to be. I can definitely see the “California” influence for the album. Still, it felt a bit long.

nice

i liked it

Enjoyed this more than I was anticipating. Felt oddly nostalgic.

I rather enjoyed Live Thru This, I felt like I mostly survived this. This seemed way too tame. Courtney could fucking yell and she seems totally restrained here.

A strong Liz Phair record here as Hole dials back from their more aggressive style on Live Through This, vocally, musically and emotionally. The use of acoustic guitars, more melody and less screaming vocals from Courtney Love prompted the Liz Phair comparison. Also, in terms of attitude, Love echoes Phair’s eye rolling cynicism and sarcasm about men more than the heaps of pain from Live Through This. They both remind me more of Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids more than RiotGrrrls. For Love that marks quite a shift. The downside was that the songs lost an edge in originality, which lessened the wallop from the previous record. I am okay with expanding sounds and avoiding a repeat, however the record did not measure up in several areas. Too bad the group took an extended break in recording. Seeing if they could have melded some combination of the two records would have been interesting.

Less punk-y and more power pop. Courtney sounds restrained and introspective here.

Nice and angry.

This is post grunge Hole. Now in 1998 Love doesn't carry the aggression and ferocity of 'live through this' and instead releases a sweet melodic pop rock album with the dynamics of alternative rock. Really good stuff.

Cool, sopranos era vibes

A classic of the era.

Rather boring

Kjedelig

It was all right I guess. About half way through I just wanted it to end.

really liked this

Courtney killed kurt? c

Niche nicht

I've always preferred Celebrity Skin over Hole's other release on the 1,001 albums list, Live Through This. The title track is such an earworm.

I was excited to hear this after remembering the first Hole album I heard a few months ago now. This album clearly came later along with the money to spend on producing a more clean cut finish. The raw angry vocals still shone through though but with a more refined feel, not the grundgy edge that first album gave off. Some great tracks on here however the fillers and also a couple that scream radio friendly produced material to appease the record labels stand out and lose a bit of gumption. ‘Malibu’ ‘use once and destroy’ ‘northern star’ and ‘awful’ are all great tracks however the best track on the album is the opener ‘celebrity skin’ which is an absolute banger. Worst track- ‘boys on the radio’ felt to me like this was made to be a radio friendly track to keep people happy. Will definitely be listening again 8.5/10

Hole - Celebrity Skin Overproduced, underdeveloped. Even the one memorable song, the title track, is drizzled in Billy Corgan gimmicks, before it all becomes just another bland American rock album. Best Song - Celebrity Skin Worst Song - Malibu 2/10

What's the public perception of Courtney Love these days? We're mostly cool with her now right? Anyways this album is great. Proper grudge this is. 8/10

Een paar hele lekkere nummers (Malibu!), maar overall toch wel wat gemiddeld. Een magere 3,5

This might be me but it started out okay and got a bit sick of it, this is me listening on my walk but yea was enjoying it but when you are waiting for the album to end not a good sign. Just didnt jell with me bit samy etc. 2 out of 5

I missed Live Through This when it came up on rotation just over a month ago, and from what I'm hearing it is the better Hole album. This is a fine example of late 90s rock and doesn't really stick with me in any memorable way. Celebrity Skin was all over the radio and still feels fresh and familiar but the rest of the album was new and didn't grab me. Going to have a listen to Live Through This and see why there needs to be two Hole albums on this list.

I'm still impressed by Courtney Love as a singer, and her band is tight and talented. This album didn't surprise and delight me like "Live Through This" did - the songs feel a bit samey. Still a talented crew, but not something that will go into my regular rotation.

Way more pop-oriented than I was expecting. The only track I knew beforehand was “Celebrity Skin”, which is a great song and quite heavy. I enjoyed this album most when it moved away from pop rock and leaned towards something heavier and rawer. “Celebrity Skin” was by far the best track, but I also enjoyed “Northern Star” and “Dying”. The biggest hits, like “Malibu”, sound more like R.E.M., which I wasn't a big fan of. A mid 3. I was hoping for more.

It’s no “Live Through This”, but it’s still pretty damn good.

I just wrote a long review that didn’t save, suffice to say it’s great but not as good as live through this.

Uma vibe bem rock adolescente. É divertido.

So this is Hole after they got some therapy. A power pop concept album about success in Hollywood, they seemed to sand down the edges a little bit, so if you were expecting a whole album of abrasive intensity it’s not going to be that. Instead Courtney Love saves her rage when she needs it, and relies on hooks and riffs that let your guard down while hammering with her lyrics. Still a quality entry.

7/10

Meh, it's not a great album and shouldn't be near this list. There's way better and more influential albums from the 90s than this that aren't here. The singles are ok, the Cobain written Hole album is better than the Corgan one. 3/10

I liked this, not as raw as the other album on the list but still enjoyable. Let’s get it straight though. It’s not grunge or rock music, it’s just some shouty pop songs

It's fine. The main issue is the singing. The vocals have a dreary grunge vibe to them but none of the edge. Ideally, this would be substituted by a strong melodic voice, but instead Courtney Love's singing has this stuffy quality to it like the sound got caught in her mouth. 2.5 stars.

She sounds like bad PJ Harvey.

This is a good 90s rock album. There are some songs that venture into very good territory. Unfortunately for Hole, that is not what anyone wanted coming off the back of Live Through This, which is one of the best rock records of the 90s. It was also their chance to prove that they could write good music without Cobain. Did they succeed? Well, it was certified platinum in the US, but the band broke up shortly after. Perhaps they had exhausted the Cobain-written songs they had in the can?

Great songs and excellent grunge band!

A bit of everything on here. Ranging from girlie pop to grungy rock. It was okay but I miss the mournful lyrical sound from earlier material.

I don’t like this band. I like Nirvana and I hold a member of this band somewhat responsible for their end

This was great. Courtney's voice gets a little grating by the end, but I still enjoyed it. Four stars.

This was pretty solid. I enjoyed it.

1. Celebrity Skin - 8/10 2. Awful - 9/10 3. Hit So Hard - 7/10 4. Malibu - 6/10 5. Reasons To Be Beautiful - 8/10 6. Dying - 6/10 7. Use Once & Destroy - 9/10 8. Northern Star - 6/10 9. Boys On The Radio - 9/10 10. Heaven Tonight - 8/10 11. Playing Your Song - 8/10 12. Petals - 9/10 OVERALL - 9.3/10

My favourite Hole album, it’s actually controlled and carries some impact. The opener is the best track, it starts things by grabbing you and the album is good enough not to let you go.

One good song and a few which are OK. The rest hasn't aged well

One good song, some mediocre ones and a few annoying ones.

I really enjoyed this album, she can sing, the music itself is nice to listen to. This is an album I would be glad to return back to in the future.

First track kicked in and I had a proper "OH THIS SONG" moment. Genuinely had no idea who Hole were. I didn't _mind_ the album but it definitely dragged after a while, too many of the tracks were just a bit too much of a dirge. The vocals were mostly decent, the backing was extremely generic indie rock. Nothing that special in my book.

The first song is incredible but it sounds a lot more mature than the rest of the album. I just found it boring and generic after that

leuk!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!¡!!!!!!

Surprisingly still sounding great - a classic from university days when i borrowed the album from Tanya and then bought my own copy as liked it so much.

Much better than I was expecting. Quite pop-ie and some good melodies. Love's vocals understated on a lot of tracks, making them an enjoyable listen.

Hate Courtney love. You have to admit this is a good album. Also take into consideration she didnt write a lot of these songs, but provided lyrics. She wouldn’t be half as popular as she is if it weren’t for her ex husband and her kickass band (and Billy Corgan).

Not bad.

I liked it

Charmless aside from the title track opener.

this sounds like an album kat stratford would love and i'm all for it

i guess i forgive ur influence on heroin chic culture courtney love

so much better

adelanta bastante cosas que empiezan a darse en los 2000 con este tipo de rock femenino, es entretenido y MALIBU ES UN TEMAZO 8/10

Very good, not as good as Live Through This, but very good.

Some bangers, like petals but too poppy and too geriatric sound

Pretty good

Feels very 90s Seattle romcom vibes which I do have a soft spot for. Like the harder songs more than the softer ones

Instrumentally/musically (idk), I’ll admit I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I thought some songs were pretty catchy ngl. Vocally and lyrically though, UGH. Might be bias from not liking Courtney Love that much but some songs here were just torture (Northern star).

didnt have time to listen to the whole thing but didnt make my heart sing with inspiration

2.5. You can hear Corgans writing in many of these. Some good tunes but I’m not to keen on the production. It’s quite post-grungy which I don’t favour

its fine but its not really moving me, never liked courtneys voice that much title track obviously slaps tho

I’ll admit I was not excited to see this as my AOTD today. Courtney Love and the band Hole have freaked me out a bit for some time, and I largely have an aversion to what I call heroin music. That said, I’ve demonstrably underrated this album. It’s much more musically diverse and interesting than I remembered, and it’s much fuller of catchy melodies and “softer” than I expected. I think it’s superior to Live Through This and a genuinely great album. The title track is better than I thought and it’s very solid throughout.

I got nothing to say about this one, it was just aight

If grunge was catchy, and not sung by a man with a mouth full of cotton wool balls sitting uncomfortably.

7/10

….

Hole is one of those bands that I alway hear people talk abouth but that ive never heard (or wanted to hear) anything from them. "Celebrity Skin" (the title track) is a great power pop song but the rest of the album is just generic pop/alt rock. It prety much sounds like what I thought Hole was sounding. I dont know if its a good thing. Also, *Insert obligatory Courtney Love comment here*. of every single 90's rock albums, this is one of them/5

Another hole album! I did like live through this better, with its more raw punk sound. But I do have such a soft spot for 90s alternative (esp girl bands) with the Buffy of it all. I’ll give celebrity skin a 3.25

Most of these songs could’ve been 2 minutes shorter and Love’s voice gets grating really quickly.