Reviews (page 2 of 9)
Still rules
This album is excellent: the perfect pop/rock/grunge sound, amazing songwriting, fun but also impactful songs. This is my favorite from Hole and just an all-time classic. I could see myself revisiting this album many times and growing on me even more. I feel like I would get something new out of every listen. Top Songs: Celebrity Skin, Awful, Malibu, Use Once and Destroy, Petals
Enjoyed it. Great album.
This albums rocks. I particularly like Celebrity Skin and Malibu but the rest was great as well.
Gritty 90's dirt rock
Awesome grunge album, I enjoyed every song.
When to listen: Rage-y but cheerful, powerful. Assumed anything Courtney Love would be scream-y but this was... awesome.
Fun and big sound.
i did not rly look into this before i threw it on, and have no previous experience with hole, but i was still taken so far aback by the power/jangle pop slant lmao. rly rly intensely melodic in a way thats kinda overwhelming, particularly when paired with the fact that despite the "sellout" production values, the sensation of this is still so flailing and complicated and Messy in all its emotions. truly hard to imagine a non-misogynistic reason to not consider love a stellar rock performer based on this alone, she injects so much force and punk and pathos into all the jagged slippery words and luxurious songwriting. a little side A heavy, but the strengths on display never go away, its a brain-scratching and heart-grabbing listen front to back. i flipped back to Always like three times in a row after i finished the rest of the record!
I actually remembered Hole as the band that was only famous because Courtney Love was married to Kurt Cobain. Around 1993, I had heard a few Hole songs that confirmed my opinion, and I didn't pay any more attention to the band after that. It turns out that was a bit hasty, because “Celebrity Skin” is not only much better than what I remembered of Hole, but also a truly mature alternative rock album with a distinct Hollywood flavor. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so, but the great guitar sounds and the slightly punkish, sleazy vocal style are definitely part of it. (btw: for me, the ultimate incarnation of this sound is found in Vigil of War.) In any case, “Celebrity Skin” is now on par with such great recordings as “Californication,” and contrary to my original opinion, quite rightly so. It's a shame I missed it back then! This album might have corrected my opinion of female-fronted bands earlier.
I really enjoyed this!
Hole – Celebrity Skin (1998) On Day 64, Celebrity Skin delivered a smooth 5-star experience with the most consistent energy I’ve encountered in a while. The LP hits hard, especially with the title track’s exploration of how the weight of fame and expectation can leave you feeling "used up." That concept of waking up in your makeup and feeling exhausted by the world is incredibly relatable and gives the high-level production a real, "conscious" weight. The tracklist is remarkably strong, with Celebrity Skin, Awful, Hit So Hard, Malibu, Reasons to be Beautiful, Northern Star, and Heaven Tonight all standing out as highlights. It’s an immaculate body of work that balances a "triumphant" power-pop sound with a dark, cinematic undercurrent. This is a decent LP that I will definitely be returning to. A definitive 5/5.
есть проходные треки но селебрити скин бьет всё. 10/10
biurifo
Love the vocals and instruments. Nice and grunge-y.
Yes
I was familiar with Live Through This, and like it pretty well. But somehow I'd never heard any of Celebrity Skin before. It's great! I think I put all but two or three songs on my (very large) favorites playlist. I prefer its slightly more polished sound to Live Through This -- come to think of it, it's kind of like how I like Bleach but love Nevermind.
I owe Courtney Love a huge apology. I thought she got her exposure because of who she was married too rather than any talent. I was wrong. This album is excellent. Really, really good - it’s a grungy, rocky, nicely polished slice of what it was like to be in your twenties in the ‘90s.
I own this one
Goood
Such an incredible album with no skips.
love itttt chadore😼
Good one. Courtney gets a lot of hate, but I have always liked Hole.
Dunno about celebrity skin but i definitely burned a hole in my trousers looking at this album cover with my rager
Listening to this album made me teenaged for fifty minutes. I listened to it and read about the band at the same time. And then I read about CL. I know what power pop is now. Kind of. John said his favourite Hole album is Live Through This. I’m listening to it now.
As someone who hadn't listened to much Hole ever before (partly due to ignorance and partly due to an irrational avoidance of Courtney Love), this was a very pleasant surprise. The album kicks off with a high power title track, and the great instrumentation and lyrics carry on through the rest of the album. My favorite track is probably Reasons to be Beautiful, but there are a fair few great songs on there. Hole is still a stupid name for a band, though.
This was the fivest five to ever five. It’s a five, folks. Five.
Solid record. Comes out of the gate hot, solid mid-way through, and finishes on another real high note. Takes me back to the late 90s in a fun way. Revisited to bump this up, as I've come to embrace my "enthusiast" label.
Love this album, brought me back
Great album. 5
Nice
<3
Almost every song is fantastic. Good shit.
When this popped up my first thought was, if I never have to see the words 90s, American and alternative-rock together again I would die a happy man. But I was wrong. This record is fantastic. It has the same wild frenetic, raw, angry spark of a young P J Harvey or Liz Phair. Really, really enjoyed this one, so much more than i thought.
Celebrity Skin is an absolutely fantastic album that i enjoyed the whole way through. I was already sure i was going to like it but this album still kept taking me by surprise with all the things it tried. The album could show many different styles from hard and rebellious like the title track or epic and melodic like Northern Star. And of course it is all backed up by some absolutely sublime music with some awesome guitar riffs and great vocals from Courtney Love. There was also never a song which went anywhere close to being bad as it was just banger after banger for this whole album. This is easily one of the best albums on this project. Best Song: Playing Your Song Worst Song: Malibu
Man, I missed out on so much by having my head up my ass in the 90s.
classic. Never listened before and totally loved it.
Really like this, and I can't believe I slept on Hole for so long. I prefer the more raw sound of Live Through This, but there are still many great songs on here. 9/10
10/10
so much heart in grunge or should i say hole. so much hole in grunge. classic. excellent excellent album. Hole just makes really fuckin good music.
Love this
Really good album.
One of my faves
Ok, i owe an apology to Courtney. I have completely dismissed her work and thats my bad. Damn, what an album.
peak I love hole!!
Me ha gustado un montón. Había escuchado antes la primera canción del disco. Le doy un 8,5 sobre 10.
Learned Courtney Love was founder of hole. Good 90s alt and grunge vibes. For when Alanis just won’t do and you’ve heard every Nirvana song ever lol Knew the songs and had no idea I did lol
An exceptional cup of tea ☕
Really good alt-rock album with grit. I prefer the earlier, grungier albums but this is still top notch and better than 90% of the rock albums of this time.
Я очень сильно пресильно люблю Риту!!! После этих слов скажу, ЧТО МНЕ ОЧЕНЬ ПОНРАВИЛСЯ ЭТОТ АЛЬБОМ!!! Я слушал первые два альбома до этого и для меня Celebrity Skin стал самым любимым альбомом Hole!
Oooof
I remember really enjoying this one. I’ll have to return to confirm.
Good vibes, not really my thing though
Not a grunge gal but this album is peak grunge and should receive way more attention. Exceptional.
Liked that way more than expected - Celebrity Skin, Boys on the Radio, Awful, Hit So Hard, Malibu all bangers. 4.5
Great
What an interesting album. I must say, Hole has been slandered by me because of Kurt and Courtney. But this album is an alt rock masterpiece.
Enjoyed the whole thing
Billy corgan having a writing credit on this makes sense. Liked it more than the other hole album; high 4 or low 5
Przyjemnie sie slucha, zapisuje. (ale nie jest idealne ale nie daje czworek, a to rzeczywiscie bede jeszcze sluchalaxd)
This album is so good. It’s 90s pop rock at its best. “Celebrity Skin,” “Awful,” “Malibu,” “Dying,” “Northern Star,” and “Petals” are the best songs, but there’s really no low points on this album. Courtney Love hasn’t sounded better than she does here. Maybe I’m just a moody girl, but this album speaks to me on many different levels. Definitely the best Hole has ever done.
Don't think I've ever listened to the whole album before (maybe when my wife has played it), so didn't realize all the Hole songs I know are on it. Great stuff.
Brilliant
This was fun! I was familiar with the Title song but wow, the instrumentals and vocal work really work for me here. Definitely want to go back for another listen and an artist deep dive. 'Malibu' was my fave.
I've given a lot of 5* recently and this is gonna be another. Not quite as hard hitting and angry as "Live Through This" but more melodic. The title track is obviously a belter but it's full of rocking songs with strong hooks. And Courtney Love is just a force of nature - what a singer and personality
I'm sorry I slept on this band in the 90s. Clearly my loss.
I’ll be damned… shit’s good!
Great sound, great songs, great album.
love courtney love
This album is perfection. It’s a 6. I will fight you on this. This is the hill I will absolutely unalive myself on.
could i write poetry to this? Y
Can we all just agree that Courtney Love is a genius who deserves much more credit than she ever got for her work? Despite her being perceived as a drug-addled wackadoo widow, Love proves here that she is a shrewd, literate, and tuneful songwriter. This ode to California should have shamed the Red Hot Chili Peppers into giving up and writing songs about Nebraska or Utah or Kyrgyzstan. I'll tag this as a five-star album, with the caveat that I still like "Live Through This" just a tiny bit more.
This is peak late-90s music right here. Nearly every song could have been a radio hit.
okay i love hole but i vehemently disagree about including a second hole album and picking this over pretty on the inside. still rules though
God I fucking love Hole. All certified bangers here and that's all I got to say about that
Album 675 of 1001 Hole - Celebrity Skin (1998) Rating : 4.5 / 5 Hole with a polished, radio-friendly sound. I've always liked this album. Not changing that now. A good listen that deserves at least a few plays a year.
Didn’t listen because it’s really no my thing
Love this LP
Solid
I really liked this album. Kind of punk, kind of grunge, but definitely something I enjoyed. 5/5
One of my favorite albums. Must have listened to this thousands of times back in my youth. Love it so much! 5/5
This rocked, her voice is so good, powerful when it needs to be, soulful when it needs to be. Yeah I loved this
Pazzesco "Celebrity Skin" è famosissima e non avevo mai sentito né il nome della canzone, né del gruppo. azz lei è Courtney Love e la canzone è scritta insieme al fidanzato! Billy Corgan!! Anche "Awful" è molto interessante. Ma va che è un gran bel disco.
The single Celebrity Skin always slammed for me. But this first listen to the album was revelatory. Especially Nothern Star. What an incredible amount of talent Vobain surrounded himself with, not the least being his wife. Mad respect, Courtney.
5/5
Reviewing as I listen along. Have only heard "Celebrity Skin" before. Track three now. It's going well. Poppy post grunge alt rock has circa never managed to excite me and I thought this'd be my review, "and it doesn't today", but this is cool. Tracks seven to nine (there's the timpani roll from "Disarm", no?), I zoned out a bit, but whatever. Attitude, melodies, nice. Quality stuff. A great slice of that time in music. Will I return to it? Not so sure, but I enjoyed this. By the way. ★★★★★: Music I've always loved and still do at the time of my review. Albums I truly had fun with, also at the time of my review. ★★★★☆: Albums I very much respect but which do not really manage to be quite my cup of tea. ★★★☆☆: When I'm mostly bored but not yet annoyed. Also, sometimes: I should like this, but it rubs me the wrong way. Or I do not like this at all but totally appreciate its existence. ★★☆☆☆: I'm very bored and kind of irritated. While I don't fully hate this, make it stop. Or: shit that I respect, begrudgingly ★☆☆☆☆: This is just shit or aggravates me for whatever reason. And always at the tip of the scale: Is this an AYMHBYD? Glad I could clear this up.
this is PEAK also guy from the cover kinda looks like Ryan Gosling from the movie Stay, so bonus points for that
Monet kerrat tämäkin levy tullut entuudestaan kuunneltua eikä vieläkään kyllästyttänyt. Vaikka Courtneyn Hole ehkä hieman ratsastanut Cobainin maineella, niin hyvä, koska maailma ansaitsi saada ko. levyn tuntemakseen.
really loud and really awesome rock music. if you're looking for alternative rock that's really vocal centered and almost has a strong rebellious force to it, please give this one a gander. it's kinda giving no doubt if it was grunge. this i feel like is an album that's perfect for playing in the summertime, where the sun is blinding and there's not a cloud in the sky. courtney love's voice REALLY shines in this one.
In the wake of a dead man, a woman is left to make sense of the emotions he was unable to bear. The weight of that, the process of that, and the pain of that is all on display on Celebrity Skin. Listen. Courtney Love – complicated individual. Hole, however, is an excellent band, and Love is an amazing front-woman, and a particularly great lyricist. She has her poetic tics, I’d say, but there’s a raw gut-punch of emotion that she’s really good at conveying, both on the page and on the stage. This is a lyrically devastating record, one that explores genuine feminine heartbreak. It’s made better by the fact that these songs have been stuck in my head for days. I’m not going to pretend that this is the most earth-shattering ‘90s alt rock/grunge I’ve ever heard in my life, but god, can Hole write a banger! And can do so with some variety and flair. This album has catchy acoustic joints and slow jams, big radio rock songs, and moodier, edgier spaced out tracks. I think you could argue that Hole does sometimes feel a bit stereotypically grunge, and especially seem to mirror The Smashing Pumpkins, but I’d say the hooks, charisma, and lyrics on Celebrity Skin overshadow that critique. I don’t know if it’s an essential record, given that it can sometimes have a slightly derivative sound (which I think is just the sound of the genre in 1998), but if anything, it’s an essential record to understand the impact of Cobain’s death, and truly understand who exactly had to deal with the fallout of that. It was all on Courtney Love, and I think she processes it in a way that created a great work of art. I also think I’m just naturally predisposed to like Hole, but I also think this album is really good front-to-back, and going to stay in rotation for a while.
Idk why I never listened to Hole back in the day because that was the sort of stuff I was listening to back then. Maybe I was internalising the misogyny that surrounds Courtney. Anyway, this is great. I’ve been torn on the rating but I’m going to be generous
A nice album. It’s really got that 90s sound and I’m here for it. This album was probably used in movies for the next 10 years and thousands of teenagers rocked this on road trips. It’s got a very nice sound, surprisingly really enjoyed it.
90s af
Love, she’s a genius
☺️
4.6 - I had no idea that this was courtney love and i'm really glad I didn't before I listened to it. I loved it and thought it was such a solid great album. Great vocals and felt like it was a mix of so many great bands. 100% going to listen to going forward. Separating the art from the artist here I think cos doing heroin when you're pregnant is really fucked
Actually the greatest grunge album?
I’m at a (slightly biased) 4.5 that I think I’m gonna go ahead and bump up to a 5. This is the general soundscape I’ve kinda been waiting for – I have a lot of love for like, the Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox Twenty, so this album finally hit around that sound, and it does it super well. The guitar work in particular, while occasionally way too loud in the mix, is really good throughout this whole album. Courtney Love’s vocals, which I’ve never really heard before now, have a great tone to them, especially when she holds notes on the lower end of her register; there’s just a deep grit there that really makes the lyrics pop more. It’s just a really solid album where everything clicked for me, and I just liked almost every track here; obviously, there’s a number of references to Kurt Cobain, and Courtney’s reputation and image in light of what happened. This album, I believe, was her first chance to really respond with some music, and what emerged is an album that fits right alongside some of its contemporaries for 1998. I feel good bumping it up to a 5; I just enjoyed it that much.
Feels very dated but it's a good vibe.
Honestly it was awesome I liked it way more than I thought I would, definitely out of my comfort zone but was really cool
I remember when this album came out. I heard the hits on the radio, but I wasn't buying much music at this time. So this is the first time I've listened all the way through. It's a solid album and enjoyed most of it.
Smashing album, I had never really listened to much of Hole but Courtney Love is so much more than the paramour of Kurt Cobain. Fun and feisty, yes!
A wonderful album that I really enjoyed when it came out, and still do today.
I adore this album. When I first listened to it, though, I thought Live Through This was better. I was wrong! This album is basically if Live Through This was more polished, and I respect the artistic decisions to do that. Billy Corgan wrote some of the album’s songs, and it’s pretty cool to see all of them be good songs. That’s why I think this album deserves a 95.8%, or a 4.79/5. Fav: Boys on the Radio Least Fav: None
Нормально, могло быть и лучше
Definitely has that 90s sound.
Tell you what, finding out that I like Hole was one of the more painful moments of my life. (Phrasing). Favorite track: Heaven Tonight
holy moly Hole is easily THE discovery for me off this list. I knew they were good but these are two perfect albums.
A record that surpasses the grunge boundaries. Sounds fresh and direct.
Super surprised about how 90s this is and how forward looking it feels. Some of the choruses are quintessential 90s grunge, but the eponymous song (Celebrity Skin) feels very 2000s alt-rock. The final bridge in Awful is a hilarious angsty teen surprise, and Petals gives (oddly enough) real Monkeys energy with the brooding baseline. I'm sure in the context of today, most might find this album boring, but as a big alt-rock/grunge junkie, I was really surprised how much this album touched upon the various motifs in the genre.
Love the sound, love the energy, love the voice and the writing.
Un muy buen disco de post-grunge de la mano de la musa más grande de Kurt Cobain. El trabajo, sumamente pegajoso, no teme mezclar el rock, el pop y los sonidos más pesados para construir quizá uno de los álbumes más sólidos de los '90s, que probablemente influenció el sonido de las guitarras femeninas en el rock.
I did not think I would enjoy Hole. Don't know why. Loved rocking out to this record.
When I started this I didn’t realize that “Celebrity Skin” is one of those songs that I recall really loving decades ago but whose name or artist had never stuck with me. So I was thrilled to hear this song again, and I love it still! The rest of this album is up to that standard. Fantastic! Now that I’ve loved the albums Live Through This and Celebrity Skin, I guess I should dispel those lingering feelings of doubt when I think about listening to Hole.
i think i like the more polished sound a little better than live through this. really great album, easily five stars, everything i liked about live through this and a little more.
There is a distinct lack of females in this list so far and I'm glad Courtney and her band are here to fix it.
10/10 god DAMN! I’ve listened to some Hole before but this one really blew me away!
Just nice hard rock, lovely punk feminist aesthetic.
Toppen! Mycket bättre än nirvana?
Fantastic
Celebrity Skin is a great song. This album fucking rocks. See: Reasons To Be Beautiful. Northern Star is a good one. You can really tell Billy Corgan's fingerprints on this album.
Brilliant
This album is pure late 90's nostalgia. I've never heard this album before, but it is tapping into my memories of being an punky teen girl.
Great album but you have to wonder was Kurt giving pointers
Stunning, what a solid record start to finish! Love it.
Really enjoyed this one! A pleasing combination of grungy female vocals and rock instrumentals. Can definitely sense some of Courtney Love's hurt trying to escape through her lyrics Had only heard "Celebrity Skin" before - thank you generator for unlocking the rest of the record for me!
Wow what a great 90s rock album. Front to back this has everything I like in a rock record. Great guitar tone. Production as a whole is actually quite nice. Light angst, good pace. This is one of the few times I’ve felt genuinely compelled to listen to more of the bands music. 5
4 sterren van mij en een extra ster voor Klaske. Hole is een van haar lievelings bands
Slaps
Je regrette que les gens laissent leur opinion de Courtney Love influencer leur perception de Hole. Les textes sont excellents, toujours d’actualité pour les femmes. La musique n’a rien à envier aux autres groupes de l’époque, vraiment de bons riffs de guitare.
I Am A Feminist.
I loved this album. I love Courtney Love’s vocal style and lyrics. It’s got a raw honesty even if it’s sometimes hard to admit. I’ve given Live Through This a couple listens and liked it but this was truly amazing
Pleasantly surprised by this. Catchy melodic grunge-rock. Interestingly, the vocal delivery in the slower songs reminded me of Lucinda Williams.
"Celebrity Skin" is the third and final album before Hole's 2002 dissolution. It was produced by Michael Beinhorn and purposefully a move away from grunge and noise to a more rock-pop. And, to me, is one of the best albums in that rock-pop category: great melodies and choruses throughout. The band was struggling writing and recording; hey brought in Billy Corgan to help with the arrangements. Courtney Love wrote all the lyrics which supposedly used California as the American dream as a theme. The Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Blinker the Star's Jordan Zardorozny also were contributors. The album went on to be Hole's biggest commercial succes. The title was named after a T.S. Elliot poem "The Wasteland." The album starts off rockin with their first single "Celebrity Skin" and a rippin' guitar intro. Great guitar melodies throughout. About fame and fickleness (autobiographical?). References from Dante Rossetti and Shakespeare too. "Awful" continues the great song run in a more pop way. Great melodies as well and a rockin' edge. A Neil Diamond reference! The song is about music's treatment of girls and has a killer line "If the world is wrong, yeah, you can take it with one song." Their second single "Malibu" continues continues the great melodies and lyrics about getting away from someone (Cobain?) and escaping to Malibu. The second half of the album does not dip in quality either. "Boys On the Radio" starts with an acoustic guitar intro and kicks into classic rock-pop. The song was supposedly initiated by Courtney's reaction to the drowning of Jeff Buckley and is about self-destructive pop stars specifically Evan Dando and Brian Wilson. Maybe my favorite song on the album and its most rockin' (third time used) is "Playing Your Song." It's most likely about Kurt Cobain and selling out. Courtney tears it up with screaming and searing vocals. I love the first side of Hole's previous album "Live Through This" but then I think it takes a slight dip. "Celebrity Skin" does not take a dip and is my favorite Hole album. It accomplishes exactly what they tried to do and is one of the best albums of the late 90's.
good album; this is one of the top albums that i had not heard previously
I wasn't into much music in the 90s (too young), but still this album feels like a great reminder of that era. This album had everything I wanted and more. Angry, badass, rocking female vocals and lyrics, great guitarwork, and a feeling of nostalgia. Hole didn't have enough albums for my taste; I wish they had stuck around longer, but I understand why they didn't. Some of my favorite grunge (even though this is less grungy than the previous albums) out there.
Trigger warning. This is a perfect album. With the exception of Smells Like Teen Spirit every track on this album is better than anything Nirvana recorded.
No doubt this benefits from a hefty nostalgia bonus - probably my fave Hole album! Fave track - the title track maybe? It's a fantastic album opener. "Northern Star" is great too....
I was already a fan of Celebrity Skin and Malibu, but this album outperformed my expectations. I really like it when Courtney uses her voice differently, like the power pop sound of Awful or the Kurt inflection of Northern Star. When I read that Billy Corgan had contributed to this album I knew I'd like it. This album is a gem. One question. Surely Boys On The Radio is an REM track? The lyrics are a bit too direct, but the sound comes straight from Athens, Georgia.
The vibe from the end of the 90's is nice !
- didn’t realize it was Cobain’s girl. - Good strong female punk vocals - Nice tempo - Malibu has a nice riff - excellent lyrics - solid rhythm’s - excellent distorted guitar, with very interesting riffs and melodies - Brody Dalle styled vocals which I love - notable: Malibu, Reasons to be Beautiful, Celebrity Skin and Petals
Incredible late riot grrl/alt rock/power pop with so much energy and attitude and an absolute joy to listen through the whole way
Una joya
Great
Stevig album met wat grunge-invloeden
Ох. Ну и Кортни. Ай да молодец.
Legal. Divertido.
Really enjoyed Hole.
I liked this a lot. Never listened before because: Courtney Love Jingly jangly indie guitars rather than grunge, so that appeals to me as an indie fan, but also quite melodic, especially Malibu.
Never expected it to be so melodic... Loved it.
Very nice
This is great. Have power, noise, attitude, all rocks in it. Just love it.
Innovative
This album is great. I used to think it was the weakest of their albums, but listening to it now years later I think it is really strong. Definitely worth a re-listen.
I think imma give this one a 5! I like the sound of the band a lot, lyrics were interesting and I could see myself jamming to almost all the songs. The singers voice was really nice also
Nice album. Good songs. I really liked it.
I still listen to this all the time, so yes, I could listen to it weekly.
This is exactly the type of rock music I adore to play live and to listen to. Heavy guitars, melodies, great vocal delivery, perfect runtime. The songs belong with one each other, they flow well from one another, and are all produced the same. Courtney delivers puts the lyrics to life, singing straight from the soul.
Loved it.
Great Album, her voice fits great to the music and there is not a single bad song on the album
Starts with a classic. The rest pretty good.
(5/7) was negatively disposed towards this as "whatever Courtney Love did" but actually found it quite enjoyable
Not as good as I remember it being but there are still a few great 90s rock songs in here. “Reasons To Be Beautiful” and “Use Once & Destroy” are maybe my two favorite Hole songs and them being on the same album is great. I think overall the less they stay in a major key the better they sound. The grunge instrumentation and production really favor a darker sound and it’s easier for the singing to match when the songs are angry and aggressive. Courtney Love has never had a cheerful voice and has also never been good at sustaining a note (Northern Star is almost unlistenable entirely due to this) so any song where she’s the real focus isn’t going to turn out great. Lyrically it’s a nice change of motif from the mostly male dominated similar songs of the time to hear something from a woman, but Hole has always done that so it wasn’t anything new. Courtney Love gets a lot of shit but Hole are good and I like them. This is probably my favorite album of theirs and I’m glad it’s in here.
Overall: 7/10 I've never been the biggest fan of Courtney Love as a person, but I'll always defend her as a musician and artist. Her music is great. Her voice is rough but there's a feminine beauty behind all of that. The songs may not be the most original or daring, but she does her style very well. I'll always recommend Hole to anyone who asks about them. Fav Song: Reasons to Be Beautiful
I liked this a lot more than I expected. Maybe I never gave Courtney Love a fair chance.
If Courtney Love wasn’t a junkie tabloid darling then latterly Hole may have gotten the credit they deserved for their musical output. This album has 2 or 4 weaker tracks, with a little trimming at the time it would have been a tight package indeed but there is still alot to like, I got Big Star with CL vocals on some of the tracks and the singles are strong. 3.7
A lot better than I thought it was going to be, having only ever heard the single which was on mtv2 rotation loads in the 90s. Interesting to learn that billy corgan had a hand in quite a few of the songs. You can really tell - there's some great tunes on here. Except northern star which is bloody terrible.
I've always liked Hole and this has my favorite songs by them on it. I've loved Celebrity Skin and Malibu since this album came out in the 90's. I know and own Heaven Tonight because it was in the movie Never Been Kissed. This was very enjoyable.
That was a good album. CHEERS! Hole went twice 4.0/5.0 wasnt familiar with their music
Favorite Track: Celebrity Skin
Enjoyed this a lot!
Me gustó bastante. Me hace acordar a Oasis.
I like, gives me a bit of a chiller distillers vibe. Previously only really listened to live through this, this has less bangers but a big calmer
this was everything to angsty teenage me... i can't be near you the light just radiates...
I haven't always loved the mixing on this album but overall it's really grown on me over time, visiting it now I'm really pleased
I would like to file an apology from teenage me to Cortney Love and the band Hole. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Good stuff, somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 but I'll land on the positive side
Listening session: june 26th, while chilling at home during the heatwave Listened to before: listened to a few songs before Thoughts: I like the grungy rawness of Live Through This more, but this album has some great classic tracks and Hole always makes me feel like an edgy teen girl living in the 90s Favourite tracks: Celebrity Skin, Malibu & Northern Star
vraiment bien, j’aimais déjà bcp petals, malibu et hit so hard. le reste est cool aussi, ça valait le coup d’approfondir
Incroyable. C'est littéralement le type de musique que j'entendais dans la voiture à la radio ou dans les vieux films. Désolé mais la mélancolie nostalgique c'est trop ma came. J'aurai aimé mettre 4.5 mais bon
Really good alt rock album, though it did get a little samey towards the end. Personal favorites were Celebrity Skin, Malibu, and Use Once and Destroy.
A couple of unwise excursions into balladry aside, this is pretty great. It's got the edge of grunge with a whole lot more melody and some nice bass sensibilities too.
I liked it more like soft rock
Enjoyed it Standout songs: Hit so Hard Reasons to be Beautiful Heaven tonight
01) Celebrity Skin - 10,0 02) Awful - 8,0 03) Hit So Hard - 8,0 04) Malibu - 9,5 05) Reasons to Be Beautiful - 8,0 06) Dying - 8,5 07) Use Once & Destroy - 8,0 08) Northern Star - 8,0 09) Boys on the Radio - 8,0 10) Heaven Tonight - 8,0 11) Playing Your Song - 8,0 12) Petals - 8,5 TOTAL: 8,38 (84/100) Current ranking: 186/949
Excellent album. One I revisit quite often. Courtney gets all the attention but great musicianship all round from Eric, Patty and Melissa. Love isn't a great singer in the traditional sense but the vocals sound great here and absolutely essential in defining that Hole aesthetic. The songs are well written and the production is great. Not a perfect album as the is a couple of skips but a very good one.
Valid
This is really good. Markedly better relative to the other of theirs on this list yes, but also just flat out good. There’s a four year gap between this and Live Through This, so it’s just the band maturing in their sound. Maybe it’s not fair to compare to Live Through This, but it’s my only point of reference and it’s also on this list. Live Through This was noisy. This is much more settled in, a proper 90s rock album. The title track is a classic and a banger, the whole thing sounds like it should if you’re looking for 90s rock. No problems here.
Celebrity Skin Dying Playing Your Song Petals
I knew like 4 songs going in. I like it, nice sounds. Can definitely hear the Billy Corgan sound on the songs he helped with.
It’s very 90s. Reminds me a bit of a grunge elastica. The title track, Malibu and Petals are great. The rest isn’t so bad either.
Surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.
For years, I've had a preconception that I just didn't like Hole. This record is great though. Clean production (it sounds SO good), really great songs and I guess if I look past the obvious problem of Courtney Love, it's good stuff. Favourite tracks: Celebrity Skin, Awful, Malibu, Reasons To Be Beautiful, Dying, Northen Star, Playing Your Song, Petals.
I liked this! would listen again
Never heard of this band but I really fuck with this album. A few songs in the middle lose me a bit but the first 4 tracks + Boys On The Radio are my favourite.
Music so good I almost forgot Courtney Love is racist
Feels very 1998
This album is better than I remembered it. Great sounding and good songs. Courtney can't really sing, but that was never the point anyway.
Love or hate Courtney Love, this is an excellent album.
Good but felt too pleasant for the genre
this album was so important to 15 year old me courtney I'm so sorry people tried to yoko you favourite song: reasons to be beautiful, use once and destroy
Damn! Did not expect this. Poppy indie grunge…love it! 4.
I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked Hole when first released. It was raw, melodic, and cool lyrics. And Courtney Love was so fun to watch. Throw a compact at Kurt Loder and Madonna? Check. Shoot heroin at Charlie Sheens house? Check. Threaten a reporter with Quintin Terentinis Oscar? Check. And her recent interview with Billy Corrigan requires one to wear a 5 point seatbelt because it is a wild ride.
I liked this so much more than I thought I would. Four stars!
Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Celebrity Skin I don't know what to write. I like this. I like the softer side of grunge - late-grunge, alternative rock, whatever. I got Garbage's debut studio album pretty early on on the List, and it took me a few listens to get into. Getting into this album was a lot easier. It's like if Alanis Morrissette or Liz Phair had a proper rock band. No complaints.
Loved it
So glad she decided to make some pop rock before sealing the hole. This album hits so hard.
I haven't expected to like this but did It has a nice mix of poppy melodies and grunge grit
Very likeable gloss to the evolving sound of Hole on this record. Some excellent power rock, songs with massive hooks but still enough anger to pack a punch. Ignore all of the noise around the making of the record, the songwriting etc, and just give it a listen.
Classic late 90s rock sound. Some great songs. Prefer the 1994 album! :)
Would give it a 4.5 if I could. Really really enjoyed the first half. Second half was good
8/10 Didn't give this a listen back in the late 90s - I wonder why? Courtney Love had an odd perception, her celebrity overwhelming the music in many ways. But this is great - superb songs of tuneful punkiness, polished, yes, but still retaining a great energy. The supporting players - especially Billy Corrigan - really come through too
I saw Hole touring this album at Glastonbury where Courtney Love came out wearing angel wings, a pink bra and tutu. They were great but somehow I've never actually listened to this album, perhaps unfairly I had always viewed it as their 'pop' or 'FM.radio' album. A song like Malibu I've heard a few times and always thought it was a pleasant, shimmering pop song but not as punchy as Celebrity Skin, but listening to it this time the emotional depth of it hit me. A friend of mine has been going through a difficult time recently and listenijg to Courtney's defiance as she sings "come on be alive again / don't lay down and die!", I got an urge to send this their way. It's not without it's flaws but it's very good and wish I'd delved beyond the hits sooner Best tracks were Northern Star, Petals and Boys on the Radio.
I've never heard a Courtney Love album before so coming to this after only knowing her reputation from feuds with other musicians (like Dave Grohl) was quite the surprise. This is some quality 90s alt rock which I am a sucker for.
Not their best, but a lot of what made them great is audible here.
great hole album but the other one is so much more peak
I'm not sure exactly why I ignored Hole the first time around, except that I think I fell into a lot of of the "Courtney destroyed Kurt" hype at the time which I think has proven to be bogus and pretty classically sexist. I developed a deep love for riot grrl in the 00s and you can't really get deep into that without acknowledging her in some fashion. My friend Sparky was also dating Melissa the bass player at the time so there was jealousy 😂. Anyway, Courtney is a much better writer and rocker then she's ever really gotten credit for. This is a spectacular album and only misses five stars with me bc I'm not crazy about her voice all the time. But all of the songs were interesting. And I really need to listen to their whole catalog at some point.
Fun album that makes for an easy listen
Hits, followed by genuine fun. Not one of my favourites, but I feel a little guilt at not giving it full marks.
Shocking for anyone familiar with Hole’s noise rock punk-infused earlier albums, but good fun nonetheless. It’s power pop with a punchy production filled with hooky rock anthems like the title track and “Boys On The Radio.” Right up my alley.
This is a really solid album, there are a lot of bangers on here as well as some catchy songs. It’s not as good as “Live Through This” though. What stands out to me here are the guitar riffs and the raspy vocals full of character.
Not bad at all 4/5
good stuff
Definitely my kind of thing, was probably just a bit too young when it came out to properly appreciate it
It was a good listen. The songs are catchy and well-produced. It has some Nirvana sensibilities but also foreshadows the happy, skate-punk vibes that would dominate the 2000s. I liked the vocals, except for when they veered into pretentious wankery, such as at the end of “Reasons to Be Beautiful.”
The polished pop over Love's seedy lyrics and this being a reflection of the polished appearance of California with dark truth beneath is a really cool concept, and I think they fucking nailed it. Last night, I mistakenly told my wife I hadn't heard this while album, but on today's listen, I do remember having listened all the way through and it being a "no skips" album. I don't know why this fell off my personal rotation, but it's going right back in. Northern Star is fucking incredible, and beyond what the earlier parts of the album led me to believe it was taking me ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I already knew them but i never bothered to listen, its super cute but i don't think i'll replay it again
Been a bit since I've heard these songs, and I'm surprised I've heard quite a lot of them before. This is really fantastic grunge-pop, maybe even more so than an album like Nevermind. I think perhaps some Courtney Love bias may have played a factor in not giving these songs much attention the first time around. While the album has a great first half, but okay second half, overall this is a pretty good album.
Courtney Love will always have a special place in my heart as a Nirvana aficionado as a teenager and general advocate of women in punk. I stupidly didn’t pay attention to the album name and listened to the whole of Live Through This thinking it was my album of the day. I’m happy I did that before moving on to Celebrity Skin. They are so different and capture Hole from its darker, grungier side, to a more melodic pop punk take. How does one get her vocal cords? Being a chain smoker for 10 years? A deal with supernatural forces? Throwing a riot? Asking for a friend. On Celebrity Skin: this album is a lot of fun and powerful. I don’t think I’d be able to take it seriously from many other people. Hole will be a band I came back to, and this album in particular.
This is such a vibe! Courtnley love is such like a great singer and makes great songs i lovee
First time I listened to the full album and was surprised that it was more like Malibu than Celebrity Skin. Was expecting more of the latter but it was still pretty good. Would revisit this.
🎧Liked this a lot more than I expected to!
This was very fun
Better than Boston, but still not vibing too hard. A lot of music I listen to is derivative of both of them though... but harder lmao
Maybe the real reason Kurt Cobain shot himself was because he knew his girlfriend was the real talent
A good, poppy alt-rock album! Good arrangements, plenty of hooks and lots of attitude
Very solid album, better than expected
Interesting kinda rock. Didn't not enjoy
ohh yeah
très cool !
Agradável
The songs on “Celebrity Skin” are highly polished pop-rock. But the themes and lyrics are very, very grunge. Dark, aggressive and highly cynical themes lurk underneath bright, glossy melodies. Or, as Courtney Love herself described it: “I want to be as perverse as I'd like to be, while making you hum along with it.” When I first listened to this as a teenager back in the 90s, it was as a huge Nirvana fan. I expected raw, grungey tunes from “Mrs. Cobain”, not for it to be so "poppy". It didn’t really strike a chord with me, mostly because it wasn’t matching my expectations. Listening back to it now, I’ll admit it took a few listens before it clicked. But it did click. Love’s voice is amazing. One minute she sounds like Patti Smith, the next like a pop singer, before taking off into full grunge territory, particularly in “Northern Star”. But it’s the lyrics that helped this click for me. Alongside the cynical take on the superficiality of California, from the perspective of someone deeply entrenched in it all, there are a lot of references to literature and, of course, Kurt. “Reasons To Be Beautiful” is my favourite song on the album. The shifting dynamics and fantastic guitar textures alone are enough for this to be a great song, but Love’s lyrics are intense, raw, poetic and honest. Framed around her toxic relationship with the media frenzy after Kurt’s suicide, there’s a moment when the narrative pivots to the reality of the tragedy. The music drops down at the heartbreaking lyric of “It’s better to rise than fade away”. She switches to address Kurt. “And I weep at your feet. And it rains and rains”. Courtney Love has had a tough time. Sure, she often doesn’t do herself any favours, but the media really went after her. I always liked Courtney, but I didn’t give her enough credit. Her lyrical abilities are particularly underrated, and this album gets away with something clever: it sneaks something genuinely bleak and personal into songs that sound built for MTV. I didn’t get it the first time around, but I do now.
muy buenas melodías, buen flow, un merecido 5
I'm familiar with a few of Hole's hits. This is their last album? I'd like to give their earlier albums a listen. It's pretty rock'n! They remind me a bit of Concrete Blonde, Joan Jett, with a touch of the GoGos but uniquely themselves. Favorites: Celebrity Skin, Awful, Malibu, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Heaven Tonight, Playing Your Song.
This is pretty polished 90s grunge, almost too polished, but I still rather enjoyed it!
Un álbum del que ya había escuchado alguna canción antes. Me gusta mucho la propuesta de este rock femenino.
Promising start with the opening track “Celebrity Skin” picking right up where “Live Through This” left off, followed by the excellent and poppy “Awful”. After that it’s less of the same for me. This never reaches the level of anger and catharsis that made “Live Through This” so riveting. Still it’s a decent album, and I’ll give it a bonus half star for the mere fact of Courtney getting off the deck after several trying years (husband‘s death, bassist’s death, accusations that her husband wrote much of their breakthrough album, etc.). 3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Can’t believe I’ve gone so long without listening to a Hole album in full despite calling myself a riot grrrl fan fr. Liked it a lot don’t get me wrong but did fall slightly flat for me after the first track (I mean Celebrity Skin is a tough act to follow). Still listened twice in a row though and will be listening to their other albums
i prefer live through this, their previous albim, but here we have a really great late 90s rock album that doesn't weigh a million tons and sound like the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing bloated corpse of years old trends (which is what most pop music tends to be). believe it or not it sounds kinda like they had fun making it. say what you will but courtney love was once a great frontwoman.
First 1/3 of the album sounds like it were made the please the record label and be radio friendly. The other 2/3 felt much more genuine and enjoyable.
Really good rock album with lots of catchy hooks. It features fellow countryman Melissa auf der Maur, who has possibly the best name in rock, but also a cool person. I think purists might not like its studio tan, but I don’t care. It works.
Love Courtney, and this album filled with superb alternative rock songs. She was underestimated and deserves kudos for Celebrity Skin for sure!
Solid grunge album. Even with some of the rougher edges sanded down compared to 'Live Thru This,' there are great, sad & angry songs here: Reasons to Be Beautiful, Use Once & Destroy, Malibu, Northern Star, Petals. Could have definitely trimmed a few weaker songs here & there (Awful, Heaven Tonight) but a fun album to re-visit.
A really cohesive and rich sounding album, with lots of replay value. I really liked it.
21/04/26 esse eu queria MUITO ouvir live through this tbm se o estilo feminino anos 80 fossem um álbum começa muito bem slk, celebrity skin foda awful fodinha a sonoridade grunge bem feita em uma voz feminina (que costuma ser mais bonita e melódica) é uma parada sensacional Malibu absurdo Dying mais melódico aic, foda Use once & destroy diferente do resto de um jeito bom Northern star mesma vibe de use once & destroy só que puxado pro violão e bem foda - essa voz explosiva tbm ficou foda, um contraste interessante com as coisas anteriores da faixa e ao próprio álbum Boys on the radio foda na metade esse álbum toma um tom mais contemplativo bem interessante 6 são mais clássico grunge e as outras 6 são mais contemplativo/melancólico grunge Heaven Tonight é a segunda mais legal dessa reta final Playing your song meio paia, o vocal agressivo dela aqui não cola Petals é a mais legal dessa reta, top 3 do álbum e um puta closer de álbum não vai ser um álbum 10/10 porque para mim o grunge é um gênero meio repetitivo (exceto por Alice in Chains, que puxa para algo mais sentimental e explosivo), mas reconheço que essa estética/sonoridade é sim marcante e que esse álbum traz ela, conseguindo inovar dentro dela principalmente no vocal e na leveza um pouco maior das faixas (puxando mais para um “rock smashing pumpkins”) do que comparado ao Nirvana por exemplo. daria 9/10 / 4.5/5, mas justamente pelo meu take no grunge, para avaliação arredondo para 8/10 / 4/5
I thought I knew Hole, but I guess I never really listened to them with attention and I don’t think I’d ever heard this album front to back. I really liked it! Much more accessible than I had imagined it would be. It’s melodic and it rocks! Lyrics are great too. Just great rock and roll that made me crank and the volume and bob my head and play drums and air guitar on the steering wheel while I listened to this album on repeat yesterday.
i like this
The hit is most of what makes this album but I still actually really like hole and don't really care about all the drama surrounding this band. 4 stars.
Fav songs: Celebrity Skin and Awful
I wrote off Hole for the longest time, probably like most people, because of Courtney Love's reputation. Despite it, this album is super solid front to back.
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Less aggressive than the other Hole album on the list while still having some bite. A lot of just really good rock songs.
Certainly a more accessible project than Live Through This, cutting down on the grunge without compromising on riffs. Works for me! This album rocks! Standouts: Celebrity Skin • Malibu • Use Once & Destroy • Northern Star • Boys On The Radio
Feminism Anger Fuck politics
Beter dan pearl jam
Really liked this one, more poppy than Live Through This, but still has lyrical stings. Love this sound
Courtney Love & Hole do not get enough credit for how much they fucking rule. Liked the first half better 4.5
Fire album! I love Petals and the whole album sounds very much in its time. I wish more people would review the album for its content and not its frontswoman!!!!
Live Through This was my only experience with Hole’s discography and Courtney Love’s music in general before listening to this record. I enjoyed it more than I expected; it has that kind of MTV vibe that makes me feel nostalgic for the good old times.
I could listen to this all day. Giving it a 4 though because it starts out a lot stronger than it ends.
Jamming, but not a lot stuck out to me. I have heard Celebrity Skin on countless soundtracks.
Angry compelling
Great album, owned this at the time. Screams 90s. Might be a bit of a take, but it's the last of the albums for me from that period that still retains that 90s alternative vibe. It falls short of a 5 as some songs are a bit weaker. A solid 4 though.
The three hits "Celebrity Skin", "Awful" and "Malibu" and a decent rest. I really like it. 3,5
A solid album that's sounds so much like the 90's (in a good way). Favorite track: "Reasons To Be Beautiful"
I really like the tone of the singer's voice.
Very solid, but I have to say, I like it less than "Live Through This." The grit disappears a lot here, and it definitely leans more pop and radio-friendly. I get why, but it's just slightly disappointing, knowing the savagery they're capable of. That being said -- who gives a fuck. Still a great album.
7 / 10 - sehr guter 90s Alt-Rock - Durchgehend solide Favs: - Northern Star - Playing Your Song
Really fantastic 90s grunge album. Raw, strong vocals, good instrumentals (bass more developed than is typical in the genre), not overproduced. Unapologetic.
As nice as ****** by ********
Was not expecting much out of this because of the Courtney Love of it all, but I was shocked at how well done this alt-rock album is. Love was going through some rough shit in the mid-90s, and wrote the lyrics to every single song on the album, getting some help along the way in the form of arrangements put together by Billy Corgan. There’s not a bad song on here, whether it’s the pop-punk title track, the dour NIN-esque ‘Dying’, or the excellent grungy track ‘Petals’, I enjoyed every track in some way. The middle of the album drags a bit, and most of the lyrical content is Alice in Chains-level depressing, but it’s a solid album that deserves attention if you’re a 90s grunge/alt-rock fan like me. 4/5
Actually kind of impressed , bit more smooth not as raucous, in this case is a good thing
女声 惊喜
This was an album that I’d heard all of before and I wanted it to be 5 stars, but I ended up giving it a 4. Beyond Celebrity Skin and Malibu, everything else seemed like background music.
competent and varied. more indie-leaning style is forgettable, heavier stuff is more interesting. vocals are pretty flexible.
Heard of Hole of course but never listened to them because I didn't think I would like grunge rock. However, this album is fantastic!! 4+ starts for me!
Think I have a soft spot for this genre. Surprised I'd never heard of this band.
Es ist ein glänzend poliertes, zugleich bissiges Rockalbum, das Hole 1998 in eine neue Ära katapultierte. Courtney Loves Stimme trägt die Mischung aus Power‑Pop, Alternative Rock und post‑grungiger Schärfe mit einer überraschenden Leichtigkeit, während Songs wie „Celebrity Skin“ und „Malibu“ sofort im Ohr bleiben A. Die Produktion ist glatter als auf früheren Hole‑Platten, aber die Energie bleibt unverkennbar – ein Album, das zwischen Glamour und Abgrund schillert und bis heute erstaunlich frisch wirkt.
Hole's previous release, Live Through This, was great. In my opinion, the main thing holding it back from a perfect rating was that it didn't contain any obvious "hits" or catchy tracks that audiences would want to return in droves for. Given that Celebrity Skin has nothing but improvements on Live Through This, I can't justify anything other than a 5-star rating. (In fact, while listening, it felt like a 4-star effort, but there are so many killer tracks here – and zero duds – that it has to get the fiver. Woohoo.) Two seconds into the first track, I can tell this is going to be a damn good showing. The sound is brash, outspoken – almost punky – but still managing to keep a fairly mainstream "poppy" profile. It really is just pop-grunge. And it's nice to see bands with female vocalists on the list (statistically, 50% of the artists on the list should have women leading. Blame Robert Dimery). I also appreciate that there's a good deal of variety throughout the record – though if you were listening to it as background music only, you might miss it. The clean production of Awful and Hit So Hard is juxtaposed excellently with the messy blur of Reasons To Be Beautiful. The track Dying is great, and a bit energy switch-up from preceding songs. The slow build-up is pretty dang powerful. (Why aren't there more mainstream tracks consisting of a guitar and Courtney Love whispering in my right ear?) Hole is pretty good at these build-ups. Use Once & Destroy is another great example. Heaven Tonight is texturally pretty monotone throughout, but I like the overuse of "tonight" lyrics (predicting the inexplicable wave of '00s obsession over that word). Playing Your Song acts as a pre-finale interlude to the strong showstopper Petals. The chorus and reverb-heavy guitar sell the tune really well. 5/5 Key tracks: Celebrity Skin, Awful, Dying, Northern Star, Petals
Better than the other one
Excellent female pop rock. Sounds very familiar, but high quality.
There are definitely some standouts on this album, but for the most part this just feels like power chord the album (which can be fine, but a lot of the songs here sound exactly the same, especially on the first half). This is still a pretty decent album though and has some good songs. Low 4.
Never listened to them back then, but they're not too bad.
I'm so dumb; I didn't know this band had Courtney Love as the lead singer. This is alternative rock and grunge(don't really know what this means) music Really like this album a lot. The debut song is probably my favourite in the album which isn't surprising since it seems to be their most successful song.
So angsty and good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just the right vibe I needed
Also cool Album
A solid 3-stars alternative rock album. There were better bands during that time, but I am giving it 4 stars because I had ignored it back then (bias towards Courtney Love) and was very surprised (in a good way) when I heard it for the first time today.
This album absolutely ruled. Sounds great, holds up incredibly well. Came quite close to 5 stars.
4.5
Some very cool rockers one here. Low 4 stars
I like this. Had never heard of Hole, and reading through their history this seems like a curious place to start, but I find it to be a good first impression. The tones fill out the sound so nicely, ,and it's performed really well. There are many memorable hooks and riffs, and the songs in general are arranged well. The vocal performance is so dynamic and really works in the genre. 4.0/5
Just a damned fine rock and roll album. Malibu is an all-timer. So many other good songs on here. Gets a little drony down the stretch, but so very alt-90's in character. I didn't realize that Hole had come out with another album in 2009. Sank like a stone -- but there was a lot aligned against Courtney Love, not all of it her own doing.