Reviews (page 7 of 10)
Half iconic songs, half generic rock songs that could be part of the "Cars" soundtrack.
It's Courtney OK.
The nineties in a can, and fair play to CL and crew for not sticking out there in noiseland but making a bid for some mainstream alt-rock action. Video by David Fincher surely. Would prefer listening to this to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers for example, but it does smack of a lesser Smashing Pumpkins vibe at times.
3.5 07.31.2025
I’d never heard this whole album before but I’ve heard the singles, including one of the best pure pop songs of that era, Malibu. This album came out after the death of Kurt Cobain & his ghost haunts a lot of the lyrics on this album, some sweet, some sad, others angry. As I listened to the music & read the lyrics, I kept thinking, we were pretty damn crappy to Courtney Love, a grieving widow with a child who had just lost her husband, but I digress. Celebrity Skin isn’t a perfect album, but for Hole and Love, it was their best work up to & beyond that point. It helped that 5 of the songs, including Malibu and Celebrity Skin, were written by the alt hitmaker Billy Corgan, & he’ll gladly tell you. One of the many unions of Love's that ended up playing out in the press. Beyond the Corgan songs, there are other highlights on the album and Love wrote all the lyrics, proving she can hold her own in that department. The album has a California theme and contains several songs about Hollywood and how it can chew up & spit out women looking for stardom. The standouts on the album are, of course, my personal fave, Malibu; Celebrity Skin; Awful; Reason to Be Beautiful; and Heaven Tonight. If you’ve never heard this album, it’s worth checking out just for Celebrity Skin & Malibu.
I like Hole but Courtney's voice can get grating after a while
Thought this was really fun! Giving it a 3 because it's not usually my type of music, but this is an album I'd be happy revisiting!
Started super strong but by the end I was tired of it. I didn't think anything was that bad however, just too similar.
Oooh, that Courtney Love...But not quite my musical style.
Wanted to like it but didn’t really
I can understand if this is someone's favorite album. A lot of cool stuff going on. Not really for me, but if it's on in the car I won't ask to change it.
Interesting and more diverse than I thought it would be.
Тот самый звук 90-х, который не очень люблю.
Not as bad as I thought it would be, but likely would never listen to again.
pretty standard 90s alternative album. enjoyable but not great. would probably get a four if it were 10-15 minutes shorter
I forgot while listening that this is actually my second Hole album. The first was "Live Through This," which I gave a solid three stars. I'm glad that I forgot about that album though, because it meant I could go into this one without any biases. The first track is one I recognized immediately from countless MTV and VH1 promos and ads from the 2000s. The number of times I heard that opening vocal in shows like "Rock of Love" and "The Surreal Life" is unquantifiable. It's a great track though, and it opens the album showing us that this band has something to say. Settle in, they tell us, because we're coming at the industry and culture and telling you what we think. From the tone of "Celebrity Skin," I expected the rest of the album to follow the same kind of attitude - heavy, somewhat dark, and with the potential to go darker. But as it went, it revealed a slightly more radio-friendly tone than I expected it to. Certainly still off the beaten path for most mainstream listeners of the time, but I'm sure a lot of this found airtime on alt rock stations, whever Nirvana was being played. This was cool. Definitely better than the last Hole album, for sure. Courtney Love's voice is expressive, rough, genuine, and yet can have a softness to it when it's called for. The rest of the band really holds it together, too. No complaints here. Three solid stars. Standout Tracks: Celebrity Skin, Use Once & Destroy, Heaven Tonight
Starts strong, some real bangers here. The nasal 90's grunge vocals get tedious after a bit.
I don't think I've listened to this band in 25 years, but I have a lot of time for Courtney Love. "Celebrity Skin" is a fantastic song and I really rate "Use Once and Destroy". But grunge gets really samey for me after a few songs and this album is no different. Still, leaps and bounds better than Liz Phair and far more inventive than Soundgarden. Courtney, it's not you. It's me. A three.
Best nice
Mid-low 3, some fine enough moments but mostly middling
3.3
Classic grunge album; great opening song. Thought all else was fine. 7/10
Mucho mejor que Live Through This. También tengo cariño por el primer tema. Al final se vuelve medio repe. Nota: 3.5
Very familiar to me. Love how poppy they take their sound on this one - so fun but doesnt lose any of their bite. Malibu could be my fave grunge song ever
I've always wondered why Hole wasn't more successful. I think it was probably because of Kurt Cobain and how Courtney Love was overshadowed by him while he was alive and then she was kind of villainized after his death. Had she not been involved with him at all and made the same records with Hole, I think they would have been a much bigger band. This album is still pretty solid nearly 30 years later. I remember hearing this album a lot when it came out and liking it back then too. I don't think it's anything that is going to change your life but it's a great pop-rock/grunge mashup that is still fun to listen to. I don't think Courtney Love has the greatest voice of all time but it works with the music well enough. This is a good album, not a great one. 3/5
3.2 I can't quite put my finger on why there's something slightly off around this. Let's ignore Courtney love and that controversial completely, imagine it's an unknown empty. It's full of catchy pop-grunge(?!), but most of the time it feels as though they're trying too hard to be catchy that it doesn't work very well. It's like if Foo Fighters kept missing the mark, but only just. Part of me thinks "this is actually quite good", but another part of me thinks "this is manufactured shite trying to hook you in". I'm not sure which or these two is correct so I'm going to go down the middle
A solid effort from Hole. The first half is great, I'd even argue that 'Awful' and 'Reasons to Be Beautiful' are better than the big hits and Corgan-penned tracks. But for whatever reason I just don't dig the second half nearly as much. Maybe it's more fatigue than a genuine drop in quality, but I also find the vocals are more grating, the lyrics less interesting.
Powerrock van drie juffrouwen en één meneer. Hm, ja, wel aardig, beetje vergeetbare nineties-muziek. O, het is de weduwe van Kurt Cobain? Tja, die kennis beïnvloedt het oordeel niet echt.
"It's better to rise than fade away". Sorry Courtney. je bent inmiddels behoorlijk uitgedoofd. Dit was mode muziek in de jaren '90. Zelfs zo erg mode, dat nu geen DJ het in zijn hoofd haalt om dit af te spelen op een '90's party.
Not sure that I would call this album an essential listen - there are much better albums in the same vein - anything by Joan Jett, for example. Celebrity Skin is a great track, but just a decent album.
A couple of great stand out songs, the rest pretty meh
When it’s near greatness ‘good’ seems quite average.
Nirvana-like with a female Kurt Cobain
One great song but the rest of the album could be any other grunge band.
nice album - I like it more than Live Through This... 3/5
I will admit this was better than I thought it would be.
Pretty cool
Quite a bit poppier than I expected, every song sounded like it could be on the radio in the 90s. I listened to some of their earlier stuff and it kinda sounds like they sold out in this album. Pretty decent listen nonetheless, Courtney’s a compelling front woman.
Better than the other Hole album. Some good songs, some were ok.
I wasn’t connecting to it at all maybe until Dying came up, I liked that song. The first part has some of the most popular songs of the record, but I didn’t really enjoy it, it sounded very monotone for me, kind of boring. I liked a lot of the lyrics, but the melodies didn’t keep me interested. The second part of the record, I liked much better. It sounded more dyamic, with slower songs and all. It’s not a bad record at all, but it didn’t exactly stand out to me. I don’t think I’d play it full again except for some songs like “Dying”, “Northern Star” or “Petals”
Middle of the road mid 90's grunge(lite)
# 483 : Celebrity Skin : 19/05/2025 Wow ok! Didn't realise Hole was this good. Way better than I expected Starts off very strongly with "Celebrity Skin and Awful", but gets a bit lost in the middle of the album. I liked it. Favourite Track ; Awful
(Just barely a 3)
-wow this is actually really good. some seriously catchy and well-done tracks. ik everyone hates on Courtney Love for various reasons that I can Speculate About but damnnn she knows how to make a song exciting -not a huge fan of every song on here necessarily but high points like Awful make it deserving of at least 3.5 if not 4 to me -Favorites are Celebrity Skin, Awful, and Boys On The Radio
A good power-pop/punk album. Songs are overlong and album is overstuffed. I like the general texture and some great hooks
Was expecting this to be a pop album, but I was quite pleasantly surprised
A solid grunge album with Courtney Love’s signature raw energy. Malibu and Petals my personal highlights
I was excited about this album cause I was surprised by “live through this” which I didn’t expect to be so good. And I knew the song Malibu which is definitely my favorite song by hole. But the problem is not a lot in this album stood out other than Malibu and a few other tracks like dying, and awful. But the rest of the album I found to be forgettable and on the second listen I found a lot of the songs to be skippable. Idk it feels weird to give this album sort of a underwhelming review when one of the tracks on the album I think is their best. But yah if I’m being honest about the album as a whole (no pun intended) I’d say this album is pretty forgettable. Just listen to those 3 songs I listed and then put on Live Through This.
3 stars
One great track the rest so so.
Pretty good!
I liked their Grunge records a bit more but it’s still not bad. But I’m not sure if I need to listen to it again.
3.5
The self-titled track is something I've heard before but didn't know it was Hole. It's basic rock but pretty good. 5 tracks in and the alt rock is pretty bland, repetitive, and forgettable. It's not bad, just nowhere near interesting. Northen Star is a decent ballad song with some subtle strings. Decent album for background music.
Ya know I think this one is better than I thought it would be. Grungey, weird, and alt rock to the core. Not typically a genre I'd be gravitating towards, but it wound up being something I found upside in.
# Album Name: Celebrity Skin # Artist: Hole # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Celebrity Skin. Im pretty sure everyone has heard the track. ALways reminds me of love and cobain, even though it came out many years after it. Its a great song. The rest of the album is very mediocre imo. Billy corgans stamp is all over this. You can feel it. Courtney loves voice really grates on me. I normally love a femal vocalist but she is average. The only other song to note is malibu. This is a very 90's alt-pop album. Forgettable. Didnt hate it, def dont think its good. # Top Tunes: CS / Malibu # Would I listen to it again? No
Very mid
I like the snarl and violence of Live Through This more than Celebrity Skin, which feels like it drags a bit. That said, it’s not a terrible album by any means-pretty much what you’d expect from a more mature-sounding Hole. Really would give it a 2.5, as I’d likely not revisit this album, but I don’t hate it.
Gosh, I’m conflicted here. I absolutely loved and devoured “Live Through This” in 1994. And then didn’t hear this album until now, 2025. I can hear how the band evolved and strengthened (and I know there are other players and contributors, like Billy Corgan.) The music is undeniably more interesting and complex. The songs are well-crafted. But on this first listen, Courtney’s (deliberately?) ugly and ragged voice is too distracting to me, and the overall wall of buzzing sound isn’t engaging me.
It's fine. Not terrible. Not great. Middle of the road to my ears.
Hard rock but it’s pop - didn’t enjoy this very much, was too distorted and too much of everything
meh grunge
Sorry I don’t like Punk sorryyy But if I did, I actually really like the production here
Did you know that Courtney Love's dad was the tour manager for the Grateful Dead? A lot of people in the 90s dismissed her as just riding Kurt Cobain's coat tails, but I'd say that she probably had the more credible rock and roll resume. In fact, Kurt apparently ODed the night of Nirvana's first appearance on Saturday Night Live and she had the wherewithal to revive him by sticking ice cubes up his ass to get the adrenaline flowing, something she'd seen it done so many times in her youth. Anyway- "Hole was definitely not overrated" is something you don't hear a lot of gen-X males saying, but not me. I thought their first two albums were great. This one is alright.
Hole - Celebrity Skin Decent 90's sounding like album that's fun to listen to. Thought it was going to be yet another insignificant 90's band, but I researched a bit and saw that the vocalist used to be Kurt Cobain's girlfriend, so that was something I didn't expect, which made the album feel different knowing that. It usually offers a bunch of catchy choruses and melodies that make you want to dance to it, even though some of those songs do tend to have dark lyrics on them. Overall, this is good. 1.- Celebrity Skin = 8/10 2.- Awful = 9/10 3.- Hit So Hard = 7/10 4.- Malibu = 8/10 5.- Reasons To Be Beautiful = 9/10 6.- Dying = 8/10 7.- Use Once & Destroy = 7/10 8.- Northern Star = 8/10 9.- Boys On The Radio = 7/10 10.- Heaving Tonight = 7/10 11.- Playing Your Song = 6/10 12.- Petals = 8/10 FINAL SCORE: 7.6/10
Brilliant opening song (and a big hit). Then… it’s fine. It’s consistent. But it keeps me at arm’s length, not sure why. I don’t want to fight too hard to get closer, and move on.
What a curve ball. Hole is generally more assaulting to the ears, so I expected something a little more edgy than this foray into alt-pop. It was enjoyable, but I kept feeling like it was a ploy and at any moment it would go off the rails. I enjoyed it, but unsure of what to make of it. Alt-pop Hole seems a little inauthentic. Walking away cautiouslt
Celebrity skin his pretty hard for the first song, and whole the album doesn't quite reach that height of power, they still rock pretty hard.
Courtney Love did not deserve all the shit she caught
Radio hit is Celebrity Skin. I also like Use Once And Destroy and Northern Star. I was pleasantly surprised by this album. I like Courtney Love's voice, and some songs are alternative rock as you'd expect, but some songs were softer with acoustic guitar. Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, contributed to five songs on the album.
Ah Courtney Love's alt-rock band. But I guess there are 3 tracks I remember, Celebrity Skin and Malibu, rest is very generic 90s alt-rock.
la band di Cortney love. carino
Good songs on this. What Courtney lacked in singing ability, she more than made up for it with the conviction and attitude she sang with. Not that being a great singer ever mattered much, so long as the songs are good.
A few great songs. A lot of average songs. Overall a fine album. Too bad she might have killed CK. 3.5
Super strong opening couple of tracks. The rest is just ok.
This shit banged more than I thought it would!
Hyggligt album. Bättre än jag förväntade mig.
Not my favorite by them but still pretty good
Oh Hole's one big album, it has celebrity skin on it which is a great song! But the rest of the album was pretty much just meh nothing really stood out to me beyond that, but it was a decent album
This was fine. It's really weird because celebrity skin came played earlier this week, and now I listened to it again. 3/5
Look, I love Courtney Love as much as the next person (jk, I actually do like her), but this is not a great album by any means. Yes, it’s got a few bangers/jams/slappers(?), but overall? Come on, guys. When I see all the albums that are NOT on this list it makes it really hard to overly appreciate the mediocre.
Brings back some nice memories from the early 2000s.
some good songs and some not
Not my favorite Smashing Pumpkins record but right up there
Average album, average singles underwhelming sound. Just not as interesting as hoped for.
Having heard the song Celebrity Skin on the radio I didn’t expect much out of it, but being able to hear all the lyrics in my AirPods I got a new appreciation for it. I enjoyed Malibu more than I thought I would as well. The rest of the album is mediocre but not unlistenable.
OVERALL: I think that most if not all of the songs here are pretty basic songs for the radio, but some of these do a much better job at this than others. The guitar is consistently basic for a lot of the songs, but when it isn't it's either really good or horrible. I can't help but feel like basically every single song is about Kurt Cobain in some way, shape, or form. Anyways, nothing was really too memorable, but that doesn't mean they don't sound good. I like Celebrity Skin, Dying, Use Once & Destroy, most of Playing Your Song, and Petals, but I can't really remember what some of them sound like after a while. Overall, I don't think this was anything that special. Good songs were pretty forgettable after a while, but were good nonetheless. The lyrics and vocals were either good or nothing special, and sometimes the vocals were kinda bad. I probably wouldn't listen to this as an album again, but there are some standalone songs that I would definitely add to my playlist. SONG AVG: 7.65/10 PERSONAL RATING: 6/10 Celebrity Skin: Banger. This is probably the whitest, most basic rock song to ever exist, but I like it. I guess the chorus could be a bit annoying and is a bit bad, but I kinda like it. Very catchy. 8/10 Awful: Pretty solid vocals, and the lyrics sound very personal to Courtney Love. The guitar is pretty good, and is overall really nice. I guess it's a little basic. 7.75/10 Hit So Hard: It sounds good, but it's kinda boring. The instrumental is pretty solid and sounds fine, but it's a little boring and basic. The lyrics are pretty good I guess, and I think it's about either Kurt Cobain, an orgasm, or domestic abuse. Everything else is fine. 6.5/10 Malibu: Same review as the last song, but the lyrics are about drugs and the vocals are pretty good. I guess the chorus is good. Nothing else is too interesting, overall pretty average. Works well as a song for the radio 7/10 Reasons To Be Beautiful: The lyrics are pretty good, but the vocals go from being pretty good to kinda bad. Although the vocals ruin some of the song, basically every other part of it is really good. I dislike the ending for the vocals, but everything else about it sounds good I guess. 8/10 Dying: Pretty good, but I don't like Courtney Love's vocals in some parts of the chorus. Other than that, basically everything is incredible, especially after the second chorus. I think the guitar may be just on a loop for like 30 seconds, but I don't really mind it too much. Very good overall. 9/10 Use Once & Destroy: Actually really good. I don't have anything negative to say about it. Very good lyrics, very good vocals, and very good instrumental. I guess it drags on a bit? 9.75/10 Northern Star: I don't like the vocals or most of the instrumental that much. I guess the lyrics are good. After each chorus, the instrumental becomes much better, which is pretty good if it weren't ass for the first minuteish, and after the first chorus the instrumental is slightly improved. 3.5/10 Boys On The Radio: Nice little pop song. It sounds as good as basic gets, and the tribute to dead people is pretty good. I can't really hear the lyrics over the instrumental, but I think the vocals are good from what I can hear. The lyrics aren't too interesting or deep, but since I can't really hear them it doesn't make too much of a difference. 7.75/10 Heaven Tonight: Once again, a nice little pop song. I guess the lyrics are good, pretty standard stuff. Overall above average, sounds like a song designed to be popular. 6/10 Playing Your Song: I don't like the guitar riff, which is a shame because everything else is basically perfect. Incredible instrumental and the vocals have lots of emotion. The guitar riff singlehandedly prevents this from being the best song on the album. 8.75/10 Petals: THIS is the best song on the album. As an album outro, it's not the best but it gets the job done. The instrumental is probably my favorite on the album, just really good overall and the string section at the end is perfection. The lyrics are just really good. The thing I don't like is when Courtney Love says whore, it sounds awkward and doesn't really flow well. Other than that the vocals are great. 9.8/10
Actually nice to listen to, enjoyed it but nothing stood out.
Reminds me a lot of a soundtrack to a 90s/00s teen comedy/drama. Len actually made a teen film. Wrote, produced and recorded the soundtrack! It was called Wild Teens: Coming of Age. He also starred in it as the main protagonist Age Cruz. It went straight to VHS, I never got to see it. Couldn’t find it in any video stores and Len kept his cards close to his chest with it. Always said it was a passion project. Difficult time for Len. One of his marriages was breaking down - but he was so engrossed with making this film. Determined almost. 2.6
Another added to the list of albums heard through my brothers bedroom wall. This seems like grunge but trying for mainstream appeal? Its okay, nothing really stands out to me, anytime I hear Celebrity Skin it reminds me of a girl I knew singing it over and over again whenever our friend group would play Rock Band.
This must have been a “you had to be there” kind of album because there is just nothing that stands out on here to me. Competent music and Courtney Love sounds just fine. I only know her as a walking disaster though so it’s hard to take this “F U entertainment industry” stuff seriously. But again… at the time I get why it would have been edgy and popular. Plus there’s kind of nips on the cover!
album itself is.. fine. celebrity skin is an absolute banger three stars just because that song is on it
An album that sounds exactly like one would think the Widow would make
When I wake up, in my makeup...
It's ok but nothing special.
Didn't think I would like it but can't keep my head from bopping to the beat
Wasn’t a big fan
Decent. Like her or loathe her, she's blockbuster. I never like it when an album starts with your most famous song, but it's still a banger. There are some lovely songs on here that move Hole into a more poppy-grunge sound that I dig. There are some pretty melodies that pair well with her voice. There are not enough dynamics, though, and the album trails a bit.
I did like it a little better than I thought, pretty classic grunge/90s alternative. But I did feel as the album played on each song had the same sound and the same feel.
3.5
I was already pretty familiar with Live Through This, but Celebrity Skin is definitely more slick sounding. It's the late 90's and alternative is now mainstream, so it seems the established trend is to just take those bands and polish enough of the edge off off them to be commercially successful. Despite the toothless production, the Hole songs are still good. This is a more mature band, but also a band that has been seduced by celebrity and its trappings. This is also the album with the most outside collaboration; Billy Corgan composed 5 songs. There are parts of the record that just feel so insincere and phoned in. It always appears as a red flag when a band requires new blood (outside help) in order to do what they've always done sucessfully. Couple that with a "California" concept and you have the makings of trite and vapid product. As I alluded to before, despite the warning signs, it seems like all the outside help actually worked. While not as inspired as some of their earlier works, Love and Co. managed to release a pretty enjoyable record.
Surprisingly quite enjoyed this album. I appreciate Courtney Love as an angsty artist and lyricist.
Cool! Bisschen zu monoton, um das Album nochmal anzuhören.
Well, I knew the first song :)
Her voice started to pinch a nerve not hit it because it was tolerable
oh Courtney Love. I never really listened to much Hole back in the day-mostly due to the love/hate the press had w/her. this was the 1st full album I've listened to & was kinda what I expected. couple really strong tracks (Celebrity Skin, Hits so hard, and Malibu), then some really meh tracks (Northern Star, Boys on the radio). Her vocals are all over the place & can easily get shrill/shrieky. Didn't realize how many other artists worked on this album too, which mildly detracts. Malibu best track
Contains some decent tracks and certainly an important Album of its time. Overall not a bad record but not convinced it’s a classic
3.5
oK
Mix of really good radio hits and mediocre to decent album filler. Also seems odd that a bunch of musicians that aren't in the band wrote or courtesy much of the back half of the album.
6/10 Was this a pretty bog standard grungy rock album? Yes Was the music generally pretty forgettable and turned a bit mushy in the production? Yes But was it better than most of the grunge I’ve heard? Also yes Love’s voices, a different lyrical perspective from the norm, and the female vocal harmonies all made this interesting to me. I thought a few times that it reminded me of Smashing Pumpkins, then Billy Corgan’s vocals popped up on the last song… Best: Petal
Good album but not every song was a winner.
Listened Before? Y Yep. Hole. Controversial only because she was the wife of Kurt Cobain and not nearly as good of a songwriter. I don't know, I have mixed feelings about the band but the songs are mostly solid here. Just a bit overpolished for a "grunge" record. Leans more pop. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Malibu
Not bad. 3/5
Not bad
Mwah Medium goed
General impression: it rocks, but Detailed review: I’m excited to get to their previous album on this list, because I thought this album sounded great, and I can clearly hear their talent in performance and songwriting. The production is a little sterile, though, and while there were some great tunes (the first three were my favorite), nothing on here was really memorable enough for me to want to return to it. At best I would isolate the songs I liked best and come back to those on a playlist or something. I came away from my listen liking Hole and respecting them and Courtney Love, but I wouldn’t put this on my list. Deeper thoughts (context): Courtney Love gets too much hate. It’s pretty fucked up. She was just a sharp, passionate rock musician. Score: 3.4 Number of albums left to review: 951 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 29 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 21 (including this one)
Def more produced than Live Through This which I still listen to every so often. Love’s lyrics and Melissa Auf der Mar’s bass are so good. Makes sense Billy Corgan helped on this record cuz there’s def some smashing pumpkins influences to it.
Not bad. Surprised to find I know the title track. Solid album, all told, if not exciting.
She can’t sing. She can’t write songs. But she’s a famous rock widow. That insured good session musicians and production for her band’s album of simplistic melodies and uninspired lyrics. And it - along with the cover art - ensures Nirvana fans will buy the album. Bringing in a session vocalist and songwriter would have been an improvement. There’s one track with an acoustic guitar melody that I thought was impressive. It’s not awful. But not outstanding.
I really like Hole, but I wish I liked this record as much as other people do. I just wish this was more aggressive. Because it could be if it wanted to be. I think Live Through This is "my" Hole album, for that reason. I blame picking Michael Beinhorn as producer, I'm really not a fan of his sound on anything he does and I think that post-grunge sound is dated in a decidedly uncool way. But I think the band was already starting to be at the end of its rope too. I don't know. Still technically a "good" record but doesn't have any of that magic for me.
interesting rythm
Celebrity Skin is a great power pop album and an interesting way to depart from the grunge style from previous Hole works. The changes in the line up and production style (thanks to Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins) resulted in an album about California that works very well as a single theme record. Love's lyrics are at her peak, exploring themes of superficiality and sexism. "Celebrity Skin" and "Malibu" perfectly embody 1998’s music scene. 3.5⭐️
Couple good songs on this album, especially Celebrity Skin, but mostly mediocre.
Not as bad as I had feared
I loved some of this at the time it came out. Now, a lot of it seems......just fine. Another one where you need to do a bit of separating the art from the artist though. 3/5
I don't know what I expected from this album, but I definitely didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. That being said, I still wasn't super impressed with this album. It was definitively 90s pop grunge, but I can think of many more bands who did it better (Bush) and quite a few who were female led like Hole (Garbage). So, although it was an easy, enjoyable listen, there wasn't anything remarkable about it, and I'm left scratching my head as to why it's a "must listen".
doesn't sound bad but most of the stuff sounds like it'd be a theme song on an 80s/90s sitcom + a bit samey after a few songs; 2.75
Not bad, recognized a song or two, but nothing amazing.
When this band broke up, the joke was to say “Did you hear that Courtney Love’s ‘Hole’ Has Split?” Anyway, good album but pretty dated.
Starting of really strong and if you are used to rock you'll recognize the first track. but the second track was still good and i was surprised that the album was better than i expected from the first album i got. the whole album has a angry 90s-00s teenager (movie) vibe. but it get repetitive after a couple of songs, especially her very special way of singing.
Ok I guess
Okay, I thought this was pretty good. I was expecting something grungy, but it wasn't that at all. Just pop-forward alt rock?
Levyn nimikkokappale ja toinen hittibiisi entuudestaan tuttuja. Tiedostamatta erään jäsenen historiaa ja siten objektiivisesti kuunneltuna levy oli ihan menevä. Tosin en tiedä olisiko vaikuttanut vaikka olisin tiennyt historian...
It's probably not a great idea to subject anyone to Kanye West and then Courtney Love (Hole) right after each other, given how much their toxic and destructive personalities color their music. And I'm also disappointed that the collection has more than one Hole album, given how interchangeable it feels like their songs and albums are. But "Celebrity Skin" *does* have a few more radio-friendly hits than the aptly-named "Live Through This" (mainly the title track, but also "Malibu" and "Awful"), and I guess it counts for something that they seemed to progress into alt-rock more than grunge-ish on this album. Overall, it's a fine if overly long album, especially if you enjoy Hole's sound and style, which I don't particularly, although I did enjoy "Use once & destroy". Much like my experience listening to "Live Through This", I'm really surprised how they're not all that distinctive-sounding. But kudos to Love for the T.S. Eliot/Wasteland inspiration for the album, and sad that they tried to get Brian Eno to produce the album, and then tried for Billy Corgan and then settled for a guy who effectively sabotaged their longtime drummer. What a strange swan song for a band. (3)
I was only familiar with Celebrity Skin from this album. After listening to this album, I can see why. The other songs are all fine but none have much punch. You can tell that more time and money went into this song. It’s a good song but u wish the rest of the album sounded more like it.
Since Celebrity Skin is in this list, it means 2 Hole albums are in it and that seems like one too many. By no means do I dislike Celebrity Skin, it’s a strong album, marking Love’s transition from Nirvana to polished movie star and pop icon. I respect the song writing but overall, there are only a few great songs (title track, Malibu is fantastic, Northern Star stand out) 7.8/10
Good 90's rock. Of course I enjoyed hearing radio staples Celebrity Skin and Malibu but I particularly appreciated discovering Heaven Tonight, which I've added to my playlist of favourites.
pretty good, but i think celebrity skin has such a different vibe to the rest of the songs. almost feels like it sets the album up to feel different? wish the rest of the songs had more of a cunty vibe
Pretty good!
Pure 90s rock, better than it should be
As the lights went out on the 21st century, Courtney Love turned the ashes and the dust of her troubled past into unlikely glitter. “Celebrity Skin” sees her and band Hole chase radio-ready riffs, instant choruses and arena-filling scale. It’s all ready made; just add lyrics. After the era-defining opus of “Live Through This”, this follow-up was railed against by “true” Hole fans for being too polished and professional, their sell-out album. For me, though, it’s a decent entry and every bit as good as “Live Through This”. Producer and all-round sous-chef of “Celebrity Skin” is Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame, lending it some of his unmistakeable flavours. The ultra-compressed power-chord riff in the title track, coupled with Love’s sneering delivery and three core melodies rotating on a carousel, is prime-Pumpkins: the signs rinse and repeat throughout. We’re teased with what seems an undisputed classic from the first few tracks: “Celebrity Skin” smacks us in the jaw with its central hook, light and shade approach and ear-grabbing, eviscerating takedown of the Hollywood machine. Then, “Awful” is pop-rock perfection, all shimmering guitars and arena-ready singalong. There’s a sheen of acoustic guitar and waves of blissful backing vocals in “Malibu”. Look no further: the seeds of the noughties pop-punk explosion are right here (yes, I detect more than a little Avril Lavigne). But after the halfway point, “Celebrity Skin” reveals itself as a good album disguised as a really great one. “Dying” is sluggish Smashing Pumpkins karaoke, ballad “Northern Star” lacks enough bite to carry itself off, and “Reasons to Be Beautiful” stumbles around in the sludge without resolution. They all reuse the same moods and lyrical ideas of the earlier tracks, with a little too much indulgence in self-pity and at the expense of the melodic immediacy or instrumental chops. Finally, “Petals” really drops the ball, missing the chance to be a grand summation or final track stomper (like “Rock Star”, my favourite track on “Live Through This”). There are still some solid, enjoyable tracks to be found towards the end- the deft acoustic guitar and bubbling synths of “Heaven Tonight”, the chorus of “Boys on the Radio”, the swirling fuzz bass vortex of “Use Once & Destroy”- but they never quite add up to a top-tier album experience.
I prefer Live Through This. Nothing matches Doll Parts. It's a tad too over produced and that kinda goes against the skuzzy ethic of the band. Ok FM rock though.
Day254 - i gotta say it was better than i remembered. i think billy corgans writing helped
I like how each of the three original Hole albums are very different, like they had a clear idea of what they wanted to do with each one. This one might be a little too good at sounding like 90s grown up straight down the middle rock. It's fun but could be a couple of tracks shorter for me.
#341. I'm not saying Hole is bad, I quite like some of it, but I am her to say they're overrated. Without her connection to Cobain, this middle if the pack band never would have been that popular and surely would have been one of the thousands forgotten. It's fine, but that's about it. 3/5: if I wanted to listen to a band that's more popular because of who the members were married to instead of on the merit of their music, I'd probably go listen to The Distillers anyway.
a bit too emo for me but not awful. when it succeeds at actually being grunge it gets better
We’re dealing with the Godmothers of grunge here, right? This album has more depth than I expected with tracks like “northern star”. And what a banger of an opener. Unfortunately, the album dabbles in the 90s mundane at times.
Well this was...fine.
what peyton sawyer in one tree hill thought she was
Gonna be honest I liked this a lot more than I anticipated. She reminds me of Liz Phair who I like
Courtney Love certainly got a lot of street cred for hanging around (and sometimes dating or marrying) rock royalty of the 90s. I confess that I primarily still think of her as the wife of Kurt Cobain who publicly cried and swore at his funeral. It's disrespectful (and a bit sexist) to only associate a person by their more famous partners, so I'm trying to evaluate this music on its own merit. It's difficult because I feel like I'm hearing so much of Billy Corgan's influence here in the collision between grunge and pop music, but Love does bring her own style and sound in as well. Hole was never really on my radar, but Love did undeniably manage to become a star in her own right, outside of the shadow of her famous associations. As an album, it's a pretty good piece of 90s rock. And it feels weird not to include Courtney Love in that history.
The opening title track makes it clear why it was the lead single. But then nothing really grabbed me until “Playing Your Song.” Which is the second to last song. “Live Through This” is so much better.
I kind of liked this better than I thought I would.
The second Hole album on the list, not sure why there has to be two but there you go there is. Celebrity Skin is a lot more polished than previous releases and was by far their biggest album. The title track is a great song and was the band's biggest hit and other singles Malibu and Awful are both great songs the rest of the album is solid post grunge alt-rock and is worth a listen but won't blow you away.
Ein Album mit Höhen und Tiefen. Die Damen harmonieren ungemein gut im Gesang. Die Musik begeistert nicht immer, manchmal klingt es zu einerlei, der Sound langweilig und zu Möchtegern rockig. Gut es heißt ja auch Rock Alternative, aber da wären schon mal Überraschungen angebracht oder irgendwas eigenständiges. Na ja, da bleibt es halt bei einem ganz okay Album..
Как саундтрек к молодёжном фильму конца 90х начала 00х
This one was pretty much stereotypical of the late 90s for me. Courtney Love's struggle to remain relevant. The first track was the one that got the radio play and also the one I had heard before. There's not much to the rest of the album IMO.
Pretty solid, but not spectacular, 90s alt rock album. Really enjoyed the first couple songs on this one, but there wasn't enough in the back half to make me rate it that highly.
ok...
Started ok then settled for droning over vol-ish rock.
I liked their other album more. This is generic female-led radio rock, and every song sounds the same. 3.5 stars. Stand-out: Northern Star
Drastic improvement from recent schlock. But maybe that's where my higher scores sometimes come from: relief. She's still tuneless but when propped up by actual songwriters, it's not bad.
The title track is incredible and kicks things off so well, and the closer is really impactful as well. Unfortunately the rest of the album lacks the intensity and energy of their two previous records and is a bit forgettable
Sounds good to me Will I listen to again: 75%
Aldrei hlustað á Hole svo ég ákvað að rúlla í gegnum plötuna. Ágætis stelpurokk en frekar klént. Ekkert nýtt í þessu.
The first song is pretty good but the rest is kind if boring
Not bad
Critically I think this album did alright. Personally, C Love was never my cup of tea.
When I first heard Pretty On The Inside I never would've imagined that the Nancy Spungenesque punk princess would evolve into a latter day Stevie Nicks Great songs on an at times run of the mill AOR album
Not totally standout but still very very good. This grunge/rock feel from the late 90s is just one of my favorite sounds. However, the album lacks character and is a bit too long. Favorites were the title track, Malibu, and Northern Star
I liked this album and the style they were going for. Some of the songs were somewhat forgettable. Favorite songs were Celebrity Skin, Awful, Malibu, Northern Star, and Petals.
hellowww everyonewww imww backww withww anotherww reviewww andww iww mustww saywww thatww thisww albumww wasww prettywww goodwww iww likedww itww althoughww itww couldww feelww aww bitww sameyww atww someww pointsww ifww imww beingwww honestww soww yeahww thatswww 3ww starsww verywww closeww toww fourww starswww yeswww youww maywww goww nowww
3.5 pretty good
Kurt writes a mean song
3.5
going in, i had only heard the title track before, so i had an idea of what to expect. i love their previous album, live through this, but this one hits a little different. courtney love’s lyrics are still angry, but the vocal delivery is a bit more subdued. it’s definitely hole, but a more polished sound… not as rough around the edges. highlights: “celebrity skin” “hit so hard” “playing your song”
I don’t mind it.
Good, a little too repetitive sounding.
The opening title track is a killer. it bloody rocks. I've always loved this. The melodies that followed were a surprise. It strays into guitar pop territory.
Good rock album by Hole. At the time it was all about Courtney's relation to Cobain. Also Billy Corgan contributed to the album. The songs and most of the performance is great, but the voice of Love gets annoying and withholds me from giving four stars.
STANDOUTS: Celebrity Skin Hit So Hard Malibu Dying Petals OVERALL: 3.5/5
I was shocked to find Live Through This a very good album after years of grunge heads telling me Courtney Love was the worst thing that happened to music. So what will this bring? What a great opening.
Almost 4 stars. I found it quite middle-of-the-road on first listen, but found the songs got their hooks into me on subsequent plays. Good catchy 90s alt rock, but just not as inspired as other bands of that era.
Good Grunge record. The songs are good.
Not as raw as I expected. Title track is first. Awful is a catchy rocker and Hits So Hard is smooth with a simple repeated riff. Malibu is along the same lines, and it's growing on me. Almost shoegaze at times but there's an edge to it. Later on, Northern Star goes in a more acoustic direction, possibly overstaying its welcome. I think the album overall is too long but the closer Petals is worth it. Not sure how to rate this, nothing is unpleasant but it also seems to play things very very safe.
Mid pop rock, but has some good moments
Decently heavy, but just a lot of generic 90s pop-rock really.
A nice piece of late 90s alt rock, but a little forgettable.
My expectations were through the floor, deep underground (but I liked it)
Like
Really only knew the one famous song from this album. Made for good music today.
Solid album. I obviously knew Courtney Love, but I had really never heard much Hole. I liked this album for the most part. It's pretty solid 90s alt rock. There are probably 5 good-to-great songs and mostly some other filler that is OK, but I enjoyed listening. It's just a good, solid 3-star album. I wouldn't be mad if someone had the CD in their car on a road trip. ***
This feels like fairly strong alt rock. Doesn't blow me away but it's fine and at times has a good energy and sound. Not sure I'd miss never hearing it again but I think it makes sense being on the list.
First thing that stuck out for me was the the production sounds better than I expected. I only knew the first track and some manic energy interviews by Courtney. It was interesting to read that Billy Corgan and Charlotte Caffey had some hand in this because there were moments that reminded me of both bands. Despite having some moments, overall this was a little bland. There may have been a way to cut some tracks and distill this down to a better album.
It's got both rock and roll. It's a good listen. Enjoy it.
allt í fína. efast um að ég hlusti nokkurn tíma aftur á þetta.
I love the title song, because it's nostalgic, but honestly, the rest of the album is just kind of... eh.
I'm starting to understand the commonalities of music from this genre from this era. I like it, I recognize it, it isn't particularly impactful to me.
Solid. I didn’t feel strongly about it one way or the other.
Never heard of this group before. Interesting, kind of a hard rock mixed with an 80's band vibe. I kind of liked it.
Grunge dude
Perfectly alright grunge album. It came out a few years after Kurt's death so I imagine some of the concepts are related to him. I'd give it a 3/5.
Nice rock album with some good songs but a lot of average songs.
Never gave much thought to HOLE, but this is actually pretty good
I like it. It's catchy. But I feel around the middle of the album it loses me because it could be more dynamic.
Huh. This one is weird. I dig the grunge parts, but it constantly switch between being pretty good grunge and boring pop rock. I even got some boomer country vibes from it, I think? These songs would be pretty good to listen to on like College Rock Station in the Sims 2, but irl its not my style.
It wasn’t Awful, but it didn’t have to Hit So Hard.
This was funny because my husband and I were just talking about this album yesterday. I’ve never paid much attention to Hole. This album is consistent without being repetitive and I think it deserves a place on this list, but I don’t see myself listening to it again.
Important for indie solid late 90s grunge
Irgendwie nichtssagend. Aber auch nicht schlecht
Edgy kind of Avril Lavigne music. Not really my thing, but it was good.
Did not like this at all
Solid. Tuneful. Fails to reach its predecessor's heights but also avoids its lows.
Full disclosure, I never liked Courtney Love. I always felt to fell into the spotlight and extreme wealth in a shitty way with her marriage to Kurt Cobain and after his death she became an attention magnet. Her acting career was a joke and her "celebrity" was sketchy at best. During Cobain's lifetime, I refused to listen to Hole and it was a few years after his death I bought a used tape of "Pretty on the Inside", Hole's debut from 1991. It was better than I expected. The third album, Celebrity Skin had a more commercial power-pop rock sound to it, not as punky or abrasive as the previous two albums. Some fans screamed sell-out, but it was definitely their most accessible sounding album and in some ways more enjoyable. I'm not defending the record, I like the crisp sound, but it's maybe too mainstream sounding that wouldn't have been out of place on radio, alongside Fleetwood Mac or any other corporate rock bands. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the band didn't win over or keep as many fans as they thought they would, including the questionable decision to tour with Marilyn Manson. It went downhill from there. If you judge the album on it's own, it's generic and "nice-sounding", but really music should be more important than that.
Way better than I expected it to be.
Good grungey rock, some misses and some hits. Fun listen
Not bad. Was never super into Hole, but there's a couple songs that I liked.
This one isn't as good as Live Through This but that guitar riff on the song "Celebrity Skin" is an all-timer. That is a 5-star riff! However, this is probably an under-appreciated album that should have got more love in the 90s and more love now. Anyway, 3-stars. I'll probably revisit this one again.
Has one good song, rest is forgettable
3/5. It's got a song of the summer vibe with a dark undertone, and punk aspect that is more subtle than other alt-rock punk albums. It's a good album and has great songwriting, I guess it's just not for me. I enjoyed it but probably not gonna check it out again.
Solide, aber der grungige Vorgänger gefällt mir wesentlich besser. Das hier ist schon etwas zu glatt gebügelter Rock. 2,5
Sounds like the start of a late 90's early 2000's coming of age or Romcom movie. Still enjoyed it.
This was a nice one, but not outstanding.
I recognized a couple of songs. The album was alright. It went on a little long. Better than a 3 not really a 4. I will round down.
Can’t for the life of me figure out what’s so special about this. Has some decent enough songs-the singles in particular are the standouts. The rest is just late 90s “we don’t want to be grunge anymore, but we don’t really have a better idea, so here’s…this.”
it's alright.. disliked Love's singing
Pretty middle of the road alternative.
have a inherent dislike of this band as when I was at college they were the band for the "slightly alternative" who wanted to feel superior to everyone else, despite this essentially being a pop album. Attempting to rate purely on the music is difficult as it opens with a banger, true, however some of it like "Malibu" could easily be from a Taylor Swift bland middle of the road type. "reasons to be beautiful" has guitar which echo Nirvana but Love's vocals fail. "Dying" is interesting but obviously aimed at edgelords "Use Once & Destroy" loved this. So overall real mixed bag. it's a polished grunge album which is not a reason to dislike it. 3
Very first song I could not have said who sang it but have heard it in the movies before! A mostly female band named Hole...yea inherendo.
Man kann sich mal ein paar Lieder davon anhören, aber nicht auf Dauer. Stimmung kommt teilweise ganz gut rüber. Es scheint mir nichts Besonderes zu sein. Der Gitarrensound nervt etwas.
Another band and album that I've never really listened to, but this was also a pleasant surprise for the most part. Love's voice is a major strength and she carries the weight for most of the album. The guitars are quite heavy too. This was better than I was expecting. Favorite tracks: Celebrity Skin, Awful, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Use Once & Destroy, Heaven Tonight, Playing Your Song.
The title track of course slaps real hard. Some other good tracks spread throughout, but it gets a bit muddled together in sections. Overall a good listen tho
Thought I'd hate it, but turned out its pretty nice! I like it when stuff like that happen.
I actually knew a few songs but had no clue when I first saw the name. This type of grunge wouldn’t be my sort of this but it wasn’t bad.
Alt rock, Courtney Love, OK
90s grunge rock for sure. Cool album
I liked the title song a lot. The rest of the punk sound was quite good.
Favorite song on the album Boys On The Radio, I don't remember the other songs. *thumbs up* Not bad at all, just, not veryyyyyy memorable.
Classic album of the nineties. The overblown grunge vocals are a bit much but I can still enjoy a few tracks off this album. Nostalgic.
Some nice tracks but she’s a murderer
Some hits (Malibu, Awful, title track) but the slower tracks really aren't it
The title track is best track. “Live through this” is still the best Hole album.
Positive Überraschung!
sounds good - like it for listening in the car on the go
Wish I would have gotten their previous album first. This being the first Hole album I've heard leaves me with a bad impression, and I've heard their previous is much better. Celebrity Skin is fine. It's pretty good even, but all the songs flow together for me. Maybe need a few more listens.
Not as good as "Live Through This," but still pretty good. The title track's one of my favorite Hole songs. 3.5 stars.
Some great songs but not nearly as good as ‘Live Through This’ which was action packed and filled to the brim with bangers. Opening track and ‘Malibu’ are standouts but then the record tapers off quite quickly - and while I love Courntely Love and as mentioned, the previous record, this one doesn’t deserve beyond 3 stars unfortunately
It was okay
Easy to listen to, didn’t dislike any of it but also didn’t really get into any of it
Decent rock album, seems to be a theme with the 90s/00s rock I keep getting, just nothing massively interesting
This specificly sounds like it should be the soundtrack to a 2000s coming of age teen movie. Its pretty good, and nice to see more female led groups in this list. The lead singer has a bit of grunginess in her voice that i like. That said the album felt good but generic. Favorite track was reasons to be beautiful.
3/5
Was a little surprised when track one started playing because I wasn’t really looking forward to a band that has to do with Courtney Love, but when it came on it was a case of “oh it’s THAT song”! That was my highlight of this listen. There are a few other tracks that poked my interest but at the same time there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t really engaging my interest.
At the first chord, it was a case of ok they're just another post punk American pop rock band.(I have been informed this is what grunge is). By half way through it they are obviously not "just another", they've actually got something here. As the album progresses it continues to display this. I like it, now then how to score it? Think its got to be a high 3 again
Courtney Love's peak was a bit before my time, but I was vaguely aware of her from her marriage to Kurt Cobain and as an actress. I honestly had no idea she had a band of her own. This album was a fine 90s alt rock album, but nothing stood out as particularly exceptional. Perfectly good to listen to, but not a ton making me want to come back for more beyond a few songs here and there. Favorite song: Malibu Other: Celebrity Skin, Reasons To Be Beautiful, Northern Lights, Boys On The Radio, Pedals 11/27/23
2.58 per track
A solid rocker that I had some slight familiarity with (mainly the title track) coming in. Do have to say the aforementioned opener sets a high standard that the rest of the album doesn’t live all the way up to (1-2 tracks could be trimmed to make this a tighter and punchier LP), but it still offers a high-quality dose of grunge.
One hit Wonder IMO
Rambumcious
Listened Before? No Album Art: 2 / 5 (getting some serious "I Know What You Did Last Summer" vibes here) I recognize the title track from Rock Band. Never was a huge fan, but its fine angsty pop rock, with a damned catchy singalong chorus. Five songs in this is very capable alt rock that has yet to command my attention. Fills the space nicely, and Courtney Love's voice brings the right weight and texture to bear over the instrumentals. This feels like less-punky No Doubt (perhaps due to the parallel in female vocalist). I really enjoyed Dying and the writing on Northern Star. I would say that I enjoyed this album more than I expected based on Celebrity Skin alone. I feel like this is a solid entry into the alt-pop-rock category, and enjoyed how Courtney Love shaped her voice around the instrumentals. That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the genre and didn't find too much to really hook in to. 3 / 5 Added to Library? No Songs Added to Playlists:
Pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting some edgy garbage tunes. Enjoyed the listen, not quite enough for a 4, but I considered it a couple of times.
Rock band to start things off?? Pretty standard alternative rock album that 17 year old me would have probably liked way more. A lot of the songs sounded the exact same and I lost interest in the last quarter of the album. Malibu was probably my favorite song on here. 2.5 but I will round up because the first half of the album was pretty good
3/5. So close to a 4 star rating. I had never given this band a listen even though I had heard of them before. Loved their punk/alternative rock feel and actually really enjoyed it!
One of the most 90s things I've listened to.
Hole is pretty good. Celebrity Skin being their hit the rest of the album has similar vibes. 3.5 down to 3 just cause I wanted a 👍 and had none but would listen to this album again.
First time hearing any of these songs, apart from the title track. This is the second Hole album that we've been dealt. And based on the first album, this was so much better than I was expecting. Most definitely grungy but almost 90s pop at times.
I liked - just like I liked the other Hole album. Not entirely sure why there are two Hole albums on this list though?
90s nostalgia
I like some of the songs. It felt a little repetitive.
Intense emo rock driving
Punky rock
Really, do Hole get two albums in the 1001 of all time, I don't think so. Its a solid album but it isn't a great album
6/10 Urgent, consistent, unremarkable Highlights: - Reasons to be Beautiful
7/10
Surprisingly better than I remembered. And I heard this album a LOT when it came out. I have a lot of sympathy for Courtney. She got a bad rap for so many reasons, this albums sheen and popiness included. I appreciate what they were found a lot more now looking back.
After 3 listens, I like this album more than I did in my youth. Love has a great singing voice and her lyrics are poignant. The album as a whole feels like two separate works. It comes in with a heavy attack and then halfway enters more of a standard rock/slower ballad territory. Solid 3, enjoyed it a lot more as an adult than 15 year old me would have.
Tehotalo albumi... apitsi moni biisi ei tehokkaalta tunnu painetaan ja oainetaan yhdellä tunteella 5 min.. siitä respect ei juosta vaan JOLKOILLAAN..
I think I had really only listened to the title track when this came out. This is very much "sad emo lovesongs' territory that I may have identified with better as a teenager ("Dying" for sure). "Boys on the Radio" is a very stereotypical radio pop song from the late 90s. Basic power chords with just a little distortion. It sounds like it would be the theme song for a competitor to Friends.
Good little grungy album. Me 15 years ago would appreciate it more I’m sure.
Ya know, I was expecting a lot more. It was good but nothing amazing. Very nostalgic for sure!!
‘Celebrity Skin’ lacks that hard edge, anguish, pain and rage of its predecessor. It’s more polished and not as raw. It’s still good, it’s just that ‘Live Through This’ is better.
Too slick to be grunge; too grimy to be pop. Probably the pinnacle of Hole’s artistic prominence and a damned fine hard-rock offering. Courtney Love’s vocal bombast deserves some credit for why this stands the test of time.
This is so dead-center 90’s. But it’s a really good example of that, it’s great songs, it sounds really good, it’s kind of everything you could want from a 90’s album. I don’t really resonate a ton with it, but I do like it, I think it sounds good! Honestly this feels worlds apart from where music is today… maybe further than music from the 60’s and 70’s even, which has this evergreen quality of being imitated every generation. Has this “sheen” to it that practically no alt rock records today have anything close to. They really figured out how to make great rock records! I am just imagining seeing them live and having a great time. 3/5, enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
More listenable than I thought.
I, of course, have been aware of Hole and Courtney Love since the 90s, although I didn’t really ever get into them. I wanted to like this more, but I don’t think I like Courtney’s singing and it all sort of bled together for me.
Album 21 I remember when the “Celebrity Skin” music video was released. It was constantly played on MTV with discussions of how Courtney Love had “cleaned up”. I never listened to the album, and I don’t recall ever hearing the other singles. Looking back, I can’t help but feel that she must have been so frustrated that everyone was missing the point of the album. This is an album about someone who was used and abused by the entertainment industry, and it didn’t really get anybody talking about that. I liked the music itself, and I thought the lyrics were clear and concise. I think that the production was much cleaner than the previous music that was released, but I only ever recall hearing a few other songs prior to this. In general, I felt that this was a good post-grunge rock album. 3.5* rounded to 3*
Title track is the standout. This album feels a lot more polished than Live Through This, and I'm not sure that's a good thing; I think I preferred the relative rawness of the predecessor. If that's a solid 4, this just misses it - high 3.
Knew the title track and the others are in a similar vein. A good album overall but probably not one I’ll be listening to very often. Better than most of the other 3s I’ve given, but doesn’t warrant a 4.
It's not bad, a bit generic grungyness but pretty catchy songs overall. Not a big fan of Courtney Love's voice. 3 stars.
Favorites were Malibu and Petals
Such mixed feelings here. I wasn't a fan of grunge so I missed several bands from that time. I knew of Hole from the stories of Courtney Love and the whole mess that followed her. Listening today, I find the music interesting and the mix of these was well done. CL's vocal performance was adequate but I don't know if that's the case because it was meant to match the instrumentals or if it was a natural voice.
It was okay
Courtney Love can really snarl.
Starts brilliantly with the awesome Celebrity Skin title track/single. The rest is good rock with a hint of grunge (four years or more had passed since Live Through This and grunge rock's finest period). Love's singing ranges from ballsy rock to clean singing to ugly grunge/punk, sometimes in the same phrase!
Expected to hate this. I'm not much of a Courtney/Hole fan. I didn't hate it. Actually enjoyed half of it and found a few songs pretty bad, but overall a solid 3.
Starts well, goes downhill. Not as good as Live Through This
Pop rock album with lady vocals, pretty good overall but not my taste
pretty good grunge rock 3.5
I’m not going to lie, when this appeared I physically shrank into myself with a “aw for fuck sake” reaction. However, this was a real blast! Great album full of strong songs! Will only sound better on a decent stereo too! I’m going to mark it a 3 but really it’s like a 3.75