Reviews (page 4 of 10)
Κλασική grunge rock early 2000's. Μια χαρά, δεν μου φάνηκε κάτι ξεχωριστό για να προσθέσω. Reasons to be Beautiful
I remember not liking the singles off this album because they sounded too polished. I’m glad I gave the whole album a listen. It was pretty good. Definitely polished but I don’t mind that now.
Definitely prefer Live Through This. Still good
i don't know if its 1/5 or 1/10 so i'll put out of 10 going foward 7.2
Okay but not a top 1000 Give me some Mudhoney if you want to include some subpop
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 don't think anyone can deny Courtney Love completely overshawdowed the legacy of Hole. But holy sh!t they are kind of amazing. The guitar, bass and drums are all stunning and really up there with some of the best of the era. Looking at the lyrics now, how can anyone be surprised with Courtney's personal life, these ladies dealt with lots of sh!t and tried to get it out through their music. Nobody talked about this stuff then and if you did you were a crazy, whiny, b!tch. Just get over it and be happy you are a rock star (Its better to rise then fade away). I think they were just trying to scream the things women continue to say...maybe someday we will listen and not criticize the female voice. Thank you for creating a beautiful album.
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!
5/9
no me gusto
Weirdly, this album does not immediately strike me as something that sounds like it was made in the late 90s (at least with regards to the songwriting). This kind of alternative rock was not really the direction rock radio was moving in 1998. Credit to Hole for sticking with their own stylistic taste and not trend jumping -- this album sounds like a compilation of 80s college radio rock songs, but supercharged with an ultra-hi fi production quality. Hole were determined to carve their own lane and there are a few great songs here, including the last handful of decent tunes Billy Corgan ever wrote. But also, you gotta admit there's quite a bit of filler here, especially on the back half.
Meh.
Not bad, imo
Un álbum del que ya había escuchado alguna canción antes. Me gusta mucho la propuesta de este rock femenino.
A very nice bit of post grunge from the band. I’m sure the Corgan songs helped sell it, but the songs the band did together are the heart of this album. Will return.
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.
How have I never heard this before...what an absolute beauty of an album. It has everything you could want in an alt rock album. There's not a single song I would skip, just peak after more peak. Can't believe I haven't heard this before.
Wow! I didn't know what to expect beyond the hits of this band, but I was kinda blown away by this. It was phenomenal. It's not often that I want to purchase a physical copy of these albums, but this one I definitely do. The songs are poetic, rocking, smooth, gorgeous fares. I admittedly have never given Hole proper shrift, having only the media-biased view of Courtney and her more controversial persona, but she has some mega talent here. It's a solid album, for sure!
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
Because of my dislike of Courtney Love I cannot give this other fine record a fair score. Fellow Gen Xer’s will understand.
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.
I like the guitar tone of Celebrity Skin at the start... but then the vocals are very upfront in the mix and I don't like that. I would like it much better if the vocals were more burried and the guitar was much more at the front. That is a big issue of mine with modern production. I wasn't too interested in the rest..
love it. I love the song "petals", my fave.
I think I like Hole now… but kind of peaked at track 1
DIS-CA-ZO. Siempre me gustó la banda y en especial este disco. Un gusto volver a escucharlo después de tanto tiempo. Awful y Petals mis favoritas!
Kind of the same thing over and over again. Eh.
I could have sworn I've already reviewed this album. I'd basically call this a two-hit-wonder (Celebrity Skin & Malibu). Rest is kind of meh.
I think I prefer Live Through This. This one is a bit too polished. Still, some bangers on here.
I always preferred Live Through This, but this was massive when I was at school so a nice bit of nostalgia.
Quite Poppy, sounded like R.E.M in parts. Quite liked Northern Star
Started very very strongly but didn't really maintain momentum. Still, lots of likeable songs. Maybe a 2.7?
Why RGP do you unfailingly provide us with the least satisfying work of the artists featured, still plenty of time for duplicates I suppose but do come on now. I can’t in good conscience give this a one star but right down among the bottom of the 2 stars…Tom.
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.
i think i much preferred Live Through This, but this is still such a solid 90's grunge rock album, i def love majority women bands.
These girls continue to rock, with some great grunge elements and a voice that pushes the music further. I wouldn't say this is as good as their other album on the list.
Most of it sounds the same other than the opening and closing track
Interesting, but not my type, sometimes dark, emotional and introspective
Aside from the title track CELEBRITY SKIN this a pretty ho-hum album. I remember when it came out that they kept touting how they went in a new direction, except that the new direction sounded pretty much like the old direction, except for "Use Once and Destroy", in which I hear tiny bit of the industrial pop.. I was also not a fan of Billy Corgan's influence over the band (again, with the exception of the title track which Corgan helped arrange) while he and Love kept dipping in and out of a relationship with one another. I think the removal of this album from the list in later years was probably the correct decision. Grunge had pretty much run itself out by this point in the 90s.
Love Courtney, and this album filled with superb alternative rock songs. She was underestimated and deserves kudos for Celebrity Skin for sure!
Back in their heyday I really didn't like Hole. Now it's somehow more palatable. I knew Celebrity Skin and maybe Awful, nothing else. Decent album.
This isn't bad, it just feels sort of toothless in comparison to "Live Through This." There's a flying apart, no fucks to give, anger that that album has, which has been replaced on this album with a sunny Cali vibe.
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.
No longer reaching for the brass ring but already firmly in hand, Courtney Love gets Billy Corgan, a big producer, and a studio drummer to help her create the most radio-friendly and ready-for-masses expression of herself. She has never lacked ambition and Celebrity Skin is the band's peak. Sounding better than ever with more attention to craft and clean lines, it's the sound of Hole sold-out and bought in on the machine. No longer raw, but hollowed out to present an illusion of pure surface (celebrity skin), it's even more soulless than before — the band's name takes on yet another meaning.
4/10 - meh, opens with its best song and just the same song one after another from there on out
Nice listen, didn’t do much for me in the first listen but grew on me after few listens.
nobody would know about this band if the lead singer (who was quite hot in the 90s) wouldn't have been married to Kurt. Is this "grunge for girls"?! I've heard worse, but the band is overrated. standard 90s pop rock/grunge.
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.
So, I knew nothing about Hole. We played celebrity skin on either guitar hero or rock band. Celebrity Skin is pretty good but the rest of the album is just not that great for my listening tastes.
no es mi género fav, de hecho me recuerda mucho a lo que yo entendía como rock a los 10 años, sin embargo tenían canciones que me gistaron
ого нирвана (2) чуть лучше прошлого но я все равно ненавижу кортни лав
The first songs felt very similar, but they had a nice vibe going. I really, really liked northern star, it had a different sound from the rest. After that song, the album takes a turn for the better Highlights: "Northern star", "Boys on the radio", "Petals"
had 1 song already which is insanely peak but the others are not resonating with me that much
Like a bit of the tewn rock with the women
i like this
Solid alt-pop, even ahead of its time a bit maybe. Not much that sticks with me on first listen.
Yeah this rules. I feel bad that Courtney Love (publicly) has become kind of a punchline because there is some truly talented stuff going on here. Obviously the opening riff to Celebrity Skin is just quintessential 90's rock but the album is much deeper than that and is really really well written and produced. I've kind of always preferred grunge and heavier alt rock to punk because it (luckily) did not inherit the idea that your music has to sound bad for it to be real, and I think Hole is a great example of balancing a live and rougher sound with studio quality. Lots of great pop influences on this album too - hearing echoes of The Go-Go's, Blondie, even Bowie. One of the cool things about this 1001 Albums deal is that 100+ albums in I feel that I can really start to pick up influences and throughlines within genres and across decades much better than before since I have a lot more exposure to the "sound" of each genre/decade and know what was going on. I guess that's sort of the goal of this and I think it's neat. Anyway yeah this kicks ass!
Couldn't finish. She killed Kurt
It's OK. Title track, "Celebrity Skin" sounds like Hole but with a more pop aesthetic. "When I wake up in my makeup..." Cool bass line though. "Malibu" is too pop-py for my tastes and what they were typically known for. Courtney doesn't really have the voice to do a lot of what she's trying here. She's a better yeller and screamer than a crooner. "Reasons To Be Beautiful is a prime example of what she should Not be doing. I want to give this a 2.5 as I only really like 2 of the songs. Most of the rest are filler and 1 or 2 are actively bad. Now that I think on it, it's getting a 2 I don't think it belongs on the list. It's not groundbreaking or influential, is it? It got a lot of newsplay because of Cobain and Corgan working on it. "Live Through This" was little better as it had more of their raw sound.
I've seen this album cover before, either from encountering it on this website or seeing it while flicking through the book. It's pretty cool - definitely a fan of the misty backdrop concept, though it's anyone's guess as to what this music could be. Their fashion and the album title seem decently countercultural, so I'll take the safe option and assume this is grunge. Here goes. Nope, alt rock. This album occupies the boring side of 90s alternative for me. Disaffected, dated, washed out vocals paired with competent, yet unremarkable electric guitars. There isn't much craft or intricacy to this music. No gripping atmospheres or creative risks, either. It's also punching a little above its weight with that 50-minute runtime - there were more than a few tracks which could do with being merged into other songs or cut entirely. Overall, this was a tolerable album, but one that I will never, ever return to. Book time. There's a whole lot of wank in here, I won't lie. What am I supposed to impart from "From the whoosh that opens the title cut, it is a whirlwind ride into a post-grunge Oz. Courtney is half Dorothy, half Wicked Witch, alternately blessing and blasting those who cross her." The frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins wrote some of the songs on this album. The guitarist of The Go-Go's also lent a hand, which is another surprise. That band is quite pervasive. "...a misunderstood, melodic masterpiece" which apparently didn't perform too well on the charts. Wikipedia says this album was a departure from their previous sound and was inspired by 90s Los Angeles and California. Received a somewhat polarised, yet generally positive reaction from critics. It also performed pretty well on the charts - I'm not sure what the book is on about. The Canucks and Strayliens especially liked this album - it peaked at no. 3 and no. 4 in each respective country, with much of Europe and the rest of the West not far behind. This album doesn't seem to be innovating all that much, but I suppose these are decent qualifiers. I cosign this inclusion.
lol. no. -5 If I could...
It's like Nirvana without the stuff that makes Nirvana interesting, but also like Alanis Morissette but kind of sad and bitter instead of angry and spiteful. I feel like "a little too clean" is a criticism I give to way too many of these albums but she really could've benefitted from taking from her boyfriend a little. It's totally passable, and I really liked Northern Star because it felt like she was finally breaking new ground, but I feel like I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and struggle to remember anything from it.
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.
Nice
Title track is a classic, but just never really vibed with Courtney Love’s style.
Still rules
Courtney Love y su carta de amor/odio súper grunge a Hollywood.
Fav songs: Celebrity Skin and Awful
4/1/26. Feel like this is classic 90s and right up my alley. Giving this a full listen made me appreciate the band more; it's nothing crazy, but still a fun, loud listen.
This was a very pleasant album to listen to. It's not groundbreaking, but it does the alt rock sound very well.
Had mij niet helemaal mee, er waren wel een paar nummers die er bovenuit staken, zoals Malibu, Celebrity skin en Petals, maar bleef een beetje op mijn honger zitten bij een groot deel van het album. Het mistte in het algemeen een beetje die rauwheid en agressiviteit die in de nummers van Live Through This wel zaten. Favoriet: Malibu
okay. einzelne songs sind solide. aber wirklich gut finde ich das album aber nicht
"Celebrity Skin" has a lot of attitude, from its chunky riffs, aggressive vocals and distorted guitars. The punchy "Malibu" is a great song, and demonstrates the albums uneasy polish; it has generally tight, controlled production, which reduces the more abrasive elements of its sound, and has it sounding halfway between pop rock and 90s alt rock.
I played Celebrity Skin live with a cover band 16 years ago at my girlfriends request. We broke up three days later.
Really impressive and important album. Good music.
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
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.
Much better than I expected. I was ready for something more "alternative" but It was pretty comercial and easy to listen to.
NOT THE HOLE I WOULD REACH FOR
I can see how this is absolutely someone, somewhere's favorite album of all time. But it is not mine.
Enjoyed it. Great album.
I’ve heard this before. Surprised to see this one show up since I think it’s their weakest album. Sorry to pull a music geek trope but I like their older stuff better. Not to say it’s a bad album. The songs are good, and they’re very clean. And the producer did some producer shit by replacing the band’s drummer with a session drummer and bringing in some other musicians, including Billy fucking Corgan, to co-write new parts to some of the songs, which is extremely insulting to any musician. Though certainly Courtney Love was involved in these decisions. So while I like this album I’ll be taking a point off for a band that came out of the 80s indie rock scene falling for this kind of studio interference.
I have a lot of thoughts about this album. I had always assumed, probably uncharitably, that Hole's music was primarily Billy Corgan and Kurt Cobain throwaways. I was soon dispelled of that myth because holy shit, I don't think either of those guys would be physically capable of writing songs this poor (well, maybe Corgan could now, but not in the 90s). This is not second-rate Nirvana. It's not even second-rate 'There is Nothing Left to Lose'-era Foo Fighters. Calling it second-rate 'Lindsay Lohan's band from Freaky Friday' is probably giving it more credit than it deserves. I've never heard a professionally recorded album with someone so clearly devoid of talent as Courtney Love. Considering how simple the melodies are, the struggle she has navigating them is unbelievable. I honestly have haard yowling cats that seem to have a better grasp of melody than Love shows here. If Kurt Cobain had to listen to her singing in the shower (insofar as I can believe she did shower), then no wonder he blew his fucking head off. Make no mistake, this is bad music. Like, I've developed a bit of a guilty pleasure of watching compilations of bad music from the internet (shout out chatatonicyouth), and there's moments of this album that would fit seamlessly alongside some of those clips. But worse than that, there's something so cynical about all this. Taking a line from Kurt Cobain's "suicide" note and twisting it, a line about "taking over the world with a song". It just seems so inauthentic, which is ironic for an album whose title track seems to be extolling the virtues of authenticity. A completely worthless and weirdly disturbing "album". Truly terrible.
This albums rocks. I particularly like Celebrity Skin and Malibu but the rest was great as well.
Solid power pop stuff, although I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the earlier, grungier Hole album that we got a while ago in this challenge.
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
This really let me down. Felt like they lost all the rough edges they had on Live Through This and got super generic. Boo.
Feminism Anger Fuck politics
I hate how much I *didn’t* hate this :-|
i hear a lot of foo fighters and smashing pumpkins which is hilarious on both counts
Wel echt een hele sterke opening
Beter dan pearl jam
A couple of good songs but kind of meh mostly.
Really liked this one, more poppy than Live Through This, but still has lyrical stings. Love this sound
Ugh I hate this band. Last record was so forced and predictable. I didn’t hate this one at all more polished. Couple good songs. Still hate her.
I liked this one a bit more than Live Through This, but it still wasn’t for me. I found it a mixed bag because I didn’t like the grungier songs as much as the other ones plus the vocals weren’t doing it for me. I can definitely see why other people would like this album though.
Courtney Love & Hole do not get enough credit for how much they fucking rule. Liked the first half better 4.5
First track is really good. Not too many other standouts for us but the whole thing was an enjoyable listen.
it's okay
The album is ok for me. It dragged on for a bit and I got bored halfway through and everything started to sound the same. I did very much enjoy a women-fronted rock band tho
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!!!!
Its ok.
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.
Cool if you like nineties grunge, alt-rock, but I’m undecided whether I do or don’t, I seem to get quite bored of it pretty quickly. Idk man how bout two stars.
Jamming, but not a lot stuck out to me. I have heard Celebrity Skin on countless soundtracks.
Feminist rock, couple fun songs
Angry compelling
It's nothing amazing, it's perfectly servicable 90s post grunge. I'm not blown away by any of the songs bar the opener. It's not bad by any means, just nothing special.
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
Eh. This was ok. I dig the title song, but the rest did not catch me.
Gritty 90's dirt rock
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.
The music's not bad, but this has to be the best example of that horrible late 90's/early 2000's production/mastering that sounds like compressed asshole. Hard to listen to.
My second Hole album here. I enjoyed the Live Through This more. This is good for what it is, but LTT was a little looser and more raw. This isn’t going change any worlds.
I feel like my reviews have gotten stale, but also maybe these recommendations just are. I have talked about things being unspectacular too often but I expect more from this list. This is pretty standard/unspectacular 90s angst rock. It’s listenable and fine but pretty whatever
Much more consistent than I thought and a few real bangers.
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.
pretty boring
A nice rock album, but not very special for me.
7 / 10 - sehr guter 90s Alt-Rock - Durchgehend solide Favs: - Northern Star - Playing Your Song
It was aight
Really fantastic 90s grunge album. Raw, strong vocals, good instrumentals (bass more developed than is typical in the genre), not overproduced. Unapologetic.
It was fine, pretty forgettable
Enjoyed this album Classic grunge album, first time listening to anything by Courtney Love and I thought it was pretty good. Didn’t blow me away but I can’t say I disliked any specifics songs. I think the lyricism was the strong point of the album alongside vocals on some of the songs.
Dreadful, I listened to as much as I could. I begrudgingly cede one star for the music sometimes being less than horrible and the production solid for what they had to work with. But nothing can make up for her wretched voice. I hate everything about her junkie rock star persona.
Honestly, the only thing wrong with this album is Courtney Love’s grating, relentless voice. Otherwise, some decent late 90s grunge-pop.
cancion famosa celebrity skin, rock, turut turut turuuu, ooh make me oooveeer,... es la unica famosa
Awesome grunge album, I enjoyed every song.
It was pretty alright. Didn't really stand out to me
Second track speaks for itself.... The only redeeming factors are Malibu and the opening riff of Heaven Tonight
-celebrity skin is one of those songs you realize you know but didn’t actually know -learned that lead Courtney Love was wife to Kurt Cobain and I totally hear that in this -overall I like it but Love’s voice is really abrasive at times like Northern Star is both really good and also hard to listen to Fav: Playing Your Song
When to listen: Rage-y but cheerful, powerful. Assumed anything Courtney Love would be scream-y but this was... awesome.
This is a bit too 'punk' and not enough 'post' for me
Decent 90s alt rock. I wouldn't mind hearing this on the radio, but I probably wouldn't actively seek out the album. Celebrity Skin is the top pick here
Surprised I didn’t hate it, but a lot of the songs kinda sound samey.
As nice as ****** by ********
Very underwhelming. Very repetitive. The instrumentation is awful. There are two great songs but the rest is not good at all.
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
Live Through This is a way better album but somehow this album made the list
Actually kind of impressed , bit more smooth not as raucous, in this case is a good thing
sla não gostei
A reasonably enjoyable album, but clearly not as good as Live Through This. With Celebrity Skin, Hole renounced their former punk-grunge vibe, replacing it with a sweeter, more polished radio-friendly sound. But without the anger and the raw energy, their music just feels too generic, sounding like so many other mid-90s pop-rock bands. They're still competent artists with a real identity, and I did enjoy "Dying" and "Northern Star" ; but the album as a whole is already too far removed from their roots for me to really love, and some of the songs bored me. I doubt I'll listen again. 5/10
Rock from the late 90s, already drifting into that fully digital, over-polished production. The record really suffers from the comparison with its 1994 predecessor. Still, while Celebrity Skin sounded fairly mainstream back then, it doesn’t really feel that way anymore. And honestly, which singer today would dare to sing like Courtney Love? Clearly below the rest of the band’s discography for me. The acoustic turn sounds a bit artificial and slightly out of place. Only few songs still work for me.
More of an area pop/rock outing for Hole on this album which has a couple of big hits and fan faves. Malibu is pretty much a Cure tribute while Celebrity Skin and Boys On The Radio still cut it.
Fun and big sound.
nothing wow
Hindsight is a powerful perspective. 90's "alt rock", grunge, alternative, whatever... exists on a spectrum in my mind. It blasted into my young, impressionable brain with the opening chords of Smells Like Teen Spirit (yup, I'm basic, but it was one of my first rock albums on cassette tape that I bought with my own money. Does that give me street cred?) and faded away with the dawn of the new millennium and the era of Creed-like slop and nu-metal. This album is a transition to that end. It's slickly produced, musically competent, and in many parts a good listen, but it's more "American Pie" than heroin-chic and for me it's lost a little appeal. Early Hole was and is more to my taste. While I was living it, I couldn't see the era fading into the rearview. Now I can see the whole road. I don't begrudge Love her drama. She was a magnificent mess for a while and in music, especially rock, that's fine. But hindsight has dimmed this period for me. It's good and a high-3, but not quite a 4. It's the highest 3 I've rated so far, but just so. (3.95/5), rounded down for it's place in my musical history.
I had mixed feelings when this one popped up on the list, because Hole is Courtney Love, and it's hard to seperate Courtney Love 'the artist' from Courtney Love 'the widow of Kurt Cobain,' and not drag along all of the baggage that comes with it. Particularly with the loud and persistent (and vehemently denied) allegations that Cobain had ghostwritten much of their previous album, Live Through This. That album had been a departure from their two years prior debut album, Pretty on the Inside, and would be departed from significantly four years later with their commercially successful Celebrity Skin, featuring writing credits from her ex-boyfriend (before Kurt) and Smashing Pumpkins front man, Billy Corgan. All of that culminates in an album that exudes more pop-rock/glam sensibilities than its predecessor, with Corgan's influence discernible throughout without hijacking it. It's less aggressive and punky, more traditional in its arrangements, with a more polished production that is unabashedly fishing for the commercial success that it ended up finding. Come for the tabloid queen, but stay for Eric Erlandson, because yeah, this is his band, too (with songwriting credits on every track of all three albums, including solo credit for standouts Northern Star and Heaven Tonight). They aren't all bangers by any means, but there are a few solid tracks aside from the radio friendly opening title track that keep it interesting. I definitely prefer Live Through This, but there was much worse than this coming out in the late 90s, and I don't hate it. A solid 3/5.
"The drugs, they say, are made in California/ We love your face, we'd really like to sell you" Variety: 2 Adequacy: 4 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 1 Emotionality: 3 = 3.0 INTRO This was not the Hole album I thought I'd be seeing. Have most definitely heard this all the way through a few times, but it's been a while. I recall liking Live Through This a lot more, as this was a bit poppy for me at the time. but tastes change, so we'll see. I've known that Billy Corgan had his hands in the mix on this one with co-writing credits on a good portion, so curious to see how light the touch is here. I don't recall this sounding like Smashing Pumpkins at all, so ... THE TRACKS "Celebrity Skin" - Strong opener here, and I'm guessing the biggest hit from the album. Steering well away from the gruge sound and in some weird power pop, post-grunge but still squarely alternative sort of genre here. Hell of a kevel set for the album, and I recall at the time some people complaining about how mainstream this sounded. But is this that far from some of the radio friendly stuff Foo Fighters were doing around the same time? A more than solid earworm, and we're in and out in under 3:00. "Awful" - This sounds like a slow motion Blink 182 song to my ears now. Not necessarily a bad thing as that band knew their way around a hook. In case you were unclear on how poppy this was going to be based on the first track this one drives the nail in. I can't deny it's very catchy. Really only a bit in the last forth for a few seconds where we sort of travel back in time to the old sound, and then right back in to end strong. "Hit So Hard" - Pretty generic, yet pleasant enough one here with another drop in the middle that sounds like them reverting to their old sound, but briefly. This one's not making many playlists I think, but accomplished the task of keeping the ship steady. In another world I could imagine the Bangles having a much longer run and eventually doing something like this. "Malibu" - Remember this one being the best track. Down beat rocker uses the quiet/ loud dynamic between verse and chorus here pretty expertly. This is top tier power pop with hooks galore. I stand by my previous call. "Reasons to Be Beautiful" - A bit harder, and appears Hole has not shed its previous sound completely yet. Notably do not see Corgan's name on this one. Love's scratchy caterwauling is put to great use. A little more than halfway through and despite the harder tone, this is still catchy enough. Not quite a Live Through This outtake, but maybe a reminder that not all the rough edges have been sanded off yet. "Dying" - Slowing things WAY down here for this one. Starts quietly and builds to a mid tempo thing that hangs with the previous tracks, but just barely. Most generic sounding one of these so far, and could imagine this as filler on a Pumpkins album with some changes. "Use Once & Destroy" - This one is lacking the Corgan writing credit, but the instrumentation sounds the most like a pumpkins song to my ears. On the chorus the band briefly gets its own identity back. Still nothing terrible going on here, but I can feel the momentum from those earlier tracks slipping away. "Northern Star" - An Acoustic opening that picks up with some strings and very martial sounding drumming that come in later to try and give this a sort of epic feel. Doesn't quite work for me though. One of only two tracks credited soley to the lead guitarist. Interesting swing, but doesn't quite connect with everything else, and leans a bit too hard into the ponderous for my tastes. I can imagine late-period James Hetfield coming up with these lyrics. "Boys on the Radio" - Even more of a Bangle vibe here with an ear-friendly but of mid-tempo jangle pop. Close your eyes and imagine if Susanna Hoffs maybe had a 2 pack a day growl, and was way more into distortion pedals. "Heaven Tonight" - Even harder lean into that jangle pop sound on this one. Doesn't sound anything like the Cheap Trick song of the same name, but this would not be out of place as a middling track on an actual early Cheap Trick album. This one hits for me, even the electronic tremelo effect that comes in late I'm down for. Purest bit of power pop on the album so far. "Playing Your Song" - Then we dip back into a bit of rougher, older sounding material. Nice contrast to what came before, but find myself wanting more of that sugary ear candy. Fine enough. "Petals" - Solid downbeat closer that splits the difference between the downbeat rockers and the wispy, jangly tracks. HIGHLIGHTS - "Celebrity Skin" - "Malibu" - "Reasons to Be Beautiful" - "Heaven Tonight" LOWLIGHTS - "Dying" - "Use Once & Destroy" - "Northern Star" FINAL THOUGHTS Overall we get a slick, (mostly) polished version of the band which seems laser-focused on courting the charts, and which seems to have been pretty largely successful. A real radio friendly unit shifter even. I find it pretty wild that this didn't get a follow up until 2010. And was that really just a solo album branded as a Hole album? The equivalent of these touring cassette-era acts where there's one lone band member left using the name? I don't think it could be argued that this wasn't a professionally produced, cohesive sounding collection of hummable alt-rock. And the hits on this are still radio mainstays. I do feel like I might still agree with my old self that Live Through This is the superior album though. If we get to it. Surely that's got to be on this list, right? PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Drop "Dying", "Use Once & Destroy", "Northern Star"
"When I wake up in my makeup, Have you ever felt so used up as this? Album opens with the propulsive mania of the title track "Celebrity Skin". Its got enough wild confidence to throw its name into those "Best Side 1, Track1" arguments. I don't know how well it would fair overall, but any tracks on the other side of the argument probably don't want to get in a tangle with this one either so who knows. "Awful" loses some of the wild mania to put a glib smile on female rebellion while "Hit So Hard" brings out the distortion in sound and life. "Malibu" and "Reasons to Be Beautiful" grapple with disenchantment settling in. Now we're faded somewhere in Hollywood. "Dying" - This is my surprise face to find out Billy Corgan hand his hand on this track. It could've slotted neatly in on "Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness." In fact Corgan got involved on a handful of tracks I see. Back half of the album is a bit more muted. "Northern Star" is a haunting lament in context "I knew I'd cherish all my misery, alone." that is well paired with proximity to the track "Boys on the Radio" on the album. By the time you reach the end of "Petals" you feel a little fatigued but that maybe going outside and getting some rays of sun would do you good. Final Thought: There is something about that 90s alternative rock sound. I grew up with it, I still love it. Enjoyed this one. A deep through line of how the pop culture fame machine chews through young hopefuls. Given Courtney Love's position in rock history, perhaps she is one of the few voices that should be heard less as pretentious to on this topic and maybe a little more experienced.
女声 惊喜
meh. rock. yelling.
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.
ok, wife started dancing and singing along immediately-so it must have been popular
competent and varied. more indie-leaning style is forgettable, heavier stuff is more interesting. vocals are pretty flexible.
I'd rather be listening to Yoko - my skin's not famous enough for this.
I just can't with Courtney, I just can't with this whole band in general. 3/5
Enjoyed parts, but got a little bit too much "Jam session" for me
Nothing stood out to me. Not the vocals, lyrics, guitars, drums…. Admittedly I am not a fan of grunge, but there is a reason Hole doesn’t have the hits that, say, Nirvana had. Didn’t hate it but nothing note worthy.
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.
I feel pretty similarly about this Hole album as the last one. I did enjoy the vocals a little more here. The riffs and rhythm section is really strong Liked Songs: "Awful" , "Hit So Hard" , "Reasons To Be Beautiful" , "Boys On The Radio" , "Heaven Tonight"
Courtney Love can't sing. The rest is fine 2.5
Enjoyable songs but god I can't stand her voice sorry 3 ⭐️
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.
Ok
75/100
Reminiscent of every 90s teen movie. (12 songs, 50 mins)
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
Somehow I've not heard this before, which is odd because it's in my wheel house. Decent 90s alt rock, but Courtney was bigger than the band, and the MTV celebrity status was probably the reason this passed me by at the time. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 Solid ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 251 Already owned : 58 Purchased : 14 To buy list : 2 Nope : 177
Was really excited when I saw "Brimful of Asha" on the tracklist. Then I realized I only like the Fatboy Slim version and this original sounds like a xanned-out version.
My God. Another Hole album? I used up my Hole jokes on the last review. This shit is awful.
Hmm. Kuuntelin tämän töissä, mutta en nyt tahdo muistaa mitään muutakuin naislaulajan jolla välillä vähän ärsyttävä ääni. Nyt katsoin wikipediajuttuja tästä ja hoksasin miksi Hole kuulosti niin tutulta, no tuon Courtney Loven takia(Seiskan jutuissa mainittiin aina Kurtin vaimona ja Hole-bändin solistina). Nänneröiset sillä nöpöttää kansikuvassa. Mutta itse levyyn: Perushöttöä joka ei tosiaan jäänyt mieleen. Kaksi tähteä sellaisenaan, mutta nöpöttävistä nänneistä yksi ylimääräinen tähti :rampathinking:
Vähän tällainen muutama tuttu biisi entuudestaan (Celebrity Skin ja Malibu) mutta muuten aika mitään tunteita herättävää grunge/pop rockia. 3/5.
Hittibiisi tuttu, loppu levy oli samaa ysärin lopun ajan kuvaa. Rupesin kyllästymään laulajaan ekan parin biisin aikana ja loppu levy meni pakkopullaks. Yks hyvä biisi löyty levyn loppupäästä mikä vähän piristi.
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!
Better than the other one
Heard most songs from it separately before but this is my first time actually listening to it in full. I love all those female fronted grunge adjacent bands from the 90s, what can I say. For Hole this album is a bit more "commercial" and for that I think I prefer Live Through This but Celebrity Skin also has some proper bangers and is just fun to listen to 3/5
Excellent female pop rock. Sounds very familiar, but high quality.
Nicht mein Fall
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.
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.
Fine
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.
Two solid singles and a lot of meh. It's not bad but it's not good either. Top tracks: "Celebrity Skin," "Malibu"
Not for me. Downhill after the opener.
Final thoughts: this album has decent hooks and some glossy production but most of Love's edge has been sanded down into a poppier presentation. I don't think her voice is versatile enough to match the more radio friendly focus ******************************************************************************* --Celebrity Skin...chunky bass. great opener --Awful...generic arena rock --Hit So Hard...see above --Malibu...radio friendly unit shifter --Reasons to Be Beautiful...more arena rock but this one has bite --Dying...this album is well produced but feels very safe --Use Once & Destroy...thankfully Melissa Auf der Maur is here to add some much needed heaviness --Northern Star...the super serious acoustic ballad. too long --Boys on the Radio...it's perfectly fine but there's no danger here. Courtney Love songs should be dangerous --Heaven Tonight...this could be played at a middle school dance --Playing Your Song...there's a little edge here --Petals...ready to be done
So angsty and good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just the right vibe I needed
I remember Hole being really popular with the alternative girls that wore ripped jeans, Doc Marten boots, band t shirts, and flannels that I was way too shy and sheltered to talk to back in the day. It's a pretty good grunge/alternative album, but I've outgrown it. I should have probably talked to those intimidating girls too...
I was vaguely familiar with the opening track "Celebrity Skin", but I'm not sure where from. I have to wonder if its inclusion in this list is due to the band being fronted by Courtney Love because I was unimpressed by this album. The track "Playing Your Song" sounded like Nirvana.
Good
Found it difficult to listen to her voice straight through the album, but individually enjoy the songs. Celebrity Skin by far my fave song, followed by Boys on the Radio. Several songs the lyrics were annoyingly repetitive.
3/2/26 - Listened during breakfast. I owned this cd but don't remember anything about it other than the singles. Sounded like a 90s rock album. Was fine, probably another 3.5 album but as always I round down. I also always thought the lyric was "now your really naked" in Celebrity Skin but that is never uttered. Top Song - Boys on the Radio (other than the singles)
Also cool Album
Liked the first song. The rest sounded like filler to me unfortunately
Me gustó mucho el inicio (celebrity skin añadida a mi playlist) Es un álbum interesante en general
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.
3- Stars (7/15)
This album absolutely ruled. Sounds great, holds up incredibly well. Came quite close to 5 stars.
Pretty solid female punk rock album. Unlike a lot of people, I don't have strong feelings towards Courtney Love. I mix her up with Nancy, Sid's girlfriend (because she played Nancy in Alex Cox's film Sid and Nancy). So Courtney's personality didn't affect my enjoyment of the album. Ultimately, I think this one is a grower. Generally I like this kind of sound. A couple of standout tracks (the big ones): Malibu and Celebrity Skin. I suppose the rest of the songs sort of bleed together, but they do sound great. I think this is one to revisit; it would need a lot of plays for me to fully appreciate what's going on here. From what I did hear though, I liked.
first time listening to this album. actually first time even hearing of this band. nice discovery, glad to know about this late 90s courtney love-led grunge band. was excited to try this album out. it starts out fantastic. the title track is a great introduction to the record and i love the progression and the vocals. "awful" is also awesome and catchy, love it. then from there the album takes a bit of a turn for me. "malibu" is also great, driving riff is great and i especially love the backing vocals on the refrain. then from there the album takes a bit of a turn for me. the next three songs are a bit of a drag and are not really bringing anything distinct. i do like "northern star," probably my favorite singing on the album. "boys on the radio" is fun too, but other than those and the closer, the second half of the album is a dip in quality compared to the first. it's an alright overall album, but nothing i'll likely be coming back to after this first listen.
4.5
I've never been much of a Hole fan and even though I guess I like this more than their more raw material, I still can't shake the fact that this album sounds like a complete sellout. The glass is so thick on this album that it is really hard to differentiate this from a lot of the mid-90s heavy guitar Alt rock. I guess that's what's curious to me is that this album sounds so 1995 when it's 1998. Though I would have to say this is better than the butt rock emerging in 1998. The first half of the album where all the hits are the gloss is so thick you can cut it with a knife. But there is some of their more raw sound on tracks like "Dying" and "North Star" actually think I have more respect for those than the big hits even though i find the hits more tolerable. The only song on the album I truly did enjoy was "Use Once & Destroy" that song seem to find the right balance as opposed to most of the rest of the album . (5.5) ★★½
Some very cool rockers one here. Low 4 stars
My take on this album is that it's solid, but there's a weird late 90s sheen on it that I don't quite like. The rawness of *Live Through This* is completely gone, and the band seems to have made an effort to sound more like Garbage (the band, not actual trash). I don't think it really works in that regard, but but I can't deny there's some catchy songs here including the title track, "Malibu", "Awful", and "Boys on the Radio". 3.5 stars.
3.5
I like a bit of Hole and some nice rubbing with celebrity skin. Don’t think I could have a ‘whole’ one though (at least not for 1001). Title track opener of course is a stone cold super nostalgic rock radio classic and 3rd track is pretty nice n cool I guess. Rest of the album is kinda bland and overproduced though. Overall a not too shabby 3 in the hole.
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
Some songs were pretty good, especially towards the beginning. There are just a couple of grunge albums I consider to be truly great and this is not one of them.
I do not own this one at all but my old band covered Celebrity Skin and Malibu. This is a decent album but ultimately too many mid tempo numbers and the lack of range in Courtney's voice makes many of these songs kinda blend together in blandness.
This album is classic 90’s grunge girl-style. It’s solid.
Easy to enjoy front‑to‑back. A couple tracks rise above the rest, but the whole record carries a fun, positive energy.
Most of this was not my taste. Some highlights here and there with the jangle pop, but I wasn't a fan of the grungier parts
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.
Some hits but otherwise forgettable
Nice late '90s grunge, fun listen!
surprised how much i liked this, enough variety that i wasn't bored and more than just a few that i would come back to. i would really like to give it 3.5
I wish I had spent more time with this as a teenager. I had too much bias against Courtney Love and, well, women to really appreciate it. I’m going to come back to this one.
Saved? ✅ Would listen again? ✅ Would recommend to anyone? 🤔 Would buy on Vinyl? ✅
If this list needs an album from a person who is famous only because of being a widow of a rock star, I'd prefer Yoko Ono. Female version of Nickelback
Love
Courtney has a charming, peculiar voice, that sounds incredible in many tracks but in others, I get tired of listening to that raspiness. Some tunes are kind of boring and repetitive.
I really enjoyed this!
- really poppy punky grunge, idk what else to say. very very very sick tracks, that tread between pop, punk and grunge. this specific album is more pop if anything though, especially on tracks like awful. always those very catchy progressions, in a way its extremely corny but in another way its also very easy to listen to. sounds very riot grrl (which it probably is) its an album that is pretty on the outside and dirty on the inside, there isnt really any track that you’ll hate too much on this album. its just very pop-alternative. courtney love had a rlly good band its too bad he killed kurt cobain.
О как я ошибался когда поставил 2 Я исходил из того что слишком уж в рамках альтернативного рока этот альбом, он не выделяется крутым инструменталом, тут он простой, хотя не везде. Вокал может по началу показаться не таким энергичным, но надо слушать вторую половину. Я точно буду переслушивать этот альбом. 3.7
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.
Solid album but produced and polished within an inch of its life. The rawness was the appeal of Live Through This and made it a top 10 of its genre. This is calculated and shined up just right for MTV and American Top 40. Worked as well methinks as it was 12 years before another album. That could have been the objective, but also might just be how Michael Stipe writes.
Did Kurt write this album? I was interviewed on tv when this came out due to the Modesto arch pic in the liner notes
I haven’t listened to this album in 20 years. I remember reading about it being the California album for Courtney Love and Hole. She desired fame and celebrity. But if you separate the celebrity from the artist and you listen to the music you realize that she had talent and the album is good. Northern Star, Celebrity Skin, Awful are all good songs. This is a good album.
This Courtney Love / Billy Corgan collaboration is better than I remember. These songs also sound more Pumpkins than I thought. This isn;t a bad thing they're just more alternative and less grunge like Live Through This. Also, Mellisa Auf der Maur is a Boss. The playing all over this album is pretty stellar.
teenage memories, whacked in the face by nostalgia
Pretty good rock album I can see why people like it I think this is a great easy listening album.
Not bad
Absolutely bloody awful
Ooh baby this sounds like the '90s. Courtney Love just has a perfect voice, idk what else to say. A much "softer" album than I was expecting, having just known Hole from reputation up to this point. I really dig this, I wonder how much it's going to be something I go back to though, just because of how much it feels of its time, and in a style I'm just not in the mood for a lot these days. Definitely something to throw into playlists but maybe not one I'll revisit on its own much. Still, a really fun album! Favorite tracks: Awful, Playing Your Song
I had no idea Billy Corgan is listed as a lyrics composer on the first song. Interesting. I much prefer the grimier early albums, but this one does take me back to my senior year. I don't know, I have never liked Love's voice. She's a great actress, though. This one is a 3
I enjoyed this. I really liked the Live Through This album but really didn't listen to this one much when it came out. It's a slicker more polished sound but I feel like the band didn't lose themselves on it.
Grunge
An intense listen
Sometimes hard to give Hole a chance, always going to be overshadowed by Ms Love’s antics. Guilty of thinking they’re riding the Nirvana wave but they’re a good band in their own right. Decent album. Celebrity Skin and Malibu being very strong singles.
I forgot how good malibu is. I do prefer the other two hole albums but this was pretty good. A STRONG 3
Couldn't be arsed with this tbh, but still think it is a good album. Soild 3!
Other than the singles which aredecent, rest of the album is meh. Northern Star knocked it from a 3 to a 2
Yeah decent album. Nothing special mind. Celebrity skin the song carries the album
Hit and miss, some clear standouts, others were a bit grating.
It’s not as good as the album before. Not sure if this should be on the list.
Very mid. There are definitely stand out tracks, but mostly it's a lot of the same. After half of this album passes it seems like Courtney Love knows one vocal line that she endlesly recycles, which is a shame, because lyrically, this is a solid album. All in all, a 3/5 for me.
Yep awesome yep anyone who hates is Maga balding chud
есть проходные треки но селебрити скин бьет всё. 10/10
muy buenas, si me gustaron
feel guilty abt not listening to last 3(!) albums...I will listen to and rate them eventually... nevertheless; celebrity skin (obviously), playing your song was ok
I guess it was better than I expected.
The album was just a wall of sound to me and it blended in to the background.
da gsehni mi als Amerikanische Teenie ide early 2000er i mim Kinderzimmer im suburban vonnere Millionestadt wo mer in Europa gar ned kennt, mit tüüfem selbstbewusstsii willi ned zude cool kids ih minder Highschool ghöre und min Crush mich gar ned kennt obwohl mer in History nebedenand sitzed. Eigentlich no es guets gfühl. 3 füechti träum über irgend en 2000er Pop-Star
American pie lässt grüssen. Da chumi mir vor wie 2004 uf em e US college. Mit allne verschiednige lüüt und gruppierige, aber öper vu de coole und rieche macht e chlini homeparty mit swimming pool und dere mukke. Aber ja 3 holes
Smelly pub music
Didn't find this sonically interesting, would probably give this a miss. I have heard Love's solo work prior to this and I didn't enjoy that either, so I'm not surprised this wasn't for me.
Celebrity Skin хітяра. Я цей альбом погано пам'ятав, але мені подобається така музика. Пригранжований поп-рок з жіночим вокалом одна з кращих варіацій умовної музики для радіо. Хороший рівень матеріалу, бенгери розкидані по всьому треклісту.
Давно я не слухав цей альбом і на мій подив якось він постарішав добре. Гарний такий собі радіо-рок 90х, вистачає хітів, і навіть філерні пісні тут доволі гарні. 3,5 але ближче до 4.
I...just can't...her voice...not my cup...I listened to 8.5 songs though.
Not a fan
Pretty cool, had some cool songs 7/10
I didn't pay any attention to them at the time. One of those I'm sorry I missed. It's identified as alternative rock (whatever that is). It's just great music to my ears.
I didn't listen in its entierety. Not a fan though.
pas mal 3
I just don't care. It's not an engaging album to me, I find Ms Love to be an obnoxious singer and this album feels very pieced together. It just feels shiny and fake.
Meh. Kinda went on and on without any one track really standing out, but, it was alright
Me ha sorprendido este disco. Debí haberlo escuchado antes seguro, pero está vez prestándole atención. Es una colección maravillosa de canciones y un sonido de finales de los 90 muy puro.
biurifo
Love the vocals and instruments. Nice and grunge-y.
Sounds very much like a female Nirvana which probably makes sense
Yes
Just an ok album. Sounds like a lot of other albums in this time period.
Would give it a 3.5
When this album came out, it was difficult to divorce it from the context surrounding it. But in hindsight, it's a pretty groundbreaking album, for better or worse. There's a lot of uber-produced pop-guitar-rock like this nowadays, but at the time, I had never heard anything quite like it. (In fact, my daughter said she turned her Taylor Swift-loving friends onto this album, and they all love it.) Comparing this album to earlier Hole albums is apples and oranges. But bottom line, these are good songs with great high-end production. And it counts for something that making an album like this is just A LOT harder than making an album like Live Through This.
I like their first two albums more; they're louder, more abrasive, etc., but this is an excellent album. I like the hints of jangle pop mixed in withe rest. I like Cortney's vocals. Guitar is excellent.
These are good songs tarnished a little bit by the production, but not fatally so.
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.
4/5 - Not much misses here. Solid 90s alternative sound. Awful is probably my favorite track.
Pretty fun album
I’m too young to know much about Courtney Love’s drama or why she’s so notorious, so I’m judging this purely on the music. I was already familiar with some of the songs and I do enjoy them. At a certain point, though, some of the tracks start to blend together, which I’m not really a fan of. Maybe listening to each song on its own would improve my overall opinion and rating, but hearing the album all the way through in one sitting kind of taints the experience.
This is an interesting one. For some reason many of us millennials have a bunch of baggage with Courtney love, but this is a damn good 90's grunge/alt rock album. She certainly doesn't lack for emotion or attitude. This album nails the way that grunge mixed the big clean sound of 70's and 80's mainstream rock with the DIY too cool to try hard 90's. I'm a sucker for that 90's drumming. Her lyrics are better than I remembered. Hole will always be stuck as a part of the Nirvana story, but this is a strong 4 star album. A few forgettable songs but mostly really great and with a coherent vibe.
I loved the older albums by Hole, I also like this one but it has a completely different vibe than the others. Much brighter, more pop and some of their best songs. Also the lyrics are remarkably good. Fav: Malibu
Soooo 90’s.
Not even their best
Strong 90s alternative rock. I've never listened to the full album, and was surprised (not in a bad way) at how pop-sounding some of the songs are. Good album, well representative of the era. I prefer Live Through This, however.
Hole leave the Grunge decadence behind after Kurt Cobain's death a return with a new, glossier and glammier sound that actually suits them very well. Lost of immediate hooks and riffs, with reflections on the underbelly of fame and whatnot. Very unpretentious and catchy and not that deep, exactly what Courtney Love should be doing. Key tracks: Celebrity Skin Awful Malibu
Some albums just evoke California, and this is definitely among those. Catchy and powerful hooks abound, many will recognize a few of these tracks if they know anything about 90's alt rock. Love's writing shines again too, with a surprising amount of literary references in an alt rock record (as well as an equally surprising amount of drowning motifs). Either way, a really polished alt rock record that represented Hole's last "real" hurrah.
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.
Surprised by the biggest single being the first track but the album holds up well. Has a good pop-grunge throughout with nice hooks. High 3/low 4