Reviews (page 8 of 10)
2000s teen movie style i love it
Decently heavy, but just a lot of generic 90s pop-rock really.
Rolled into this album with a vague memory of thinking it was disappointing. Turns out it just wasn't as rough as Live Through This; now, without any of the punk gatekeeping I remember from the late 90s, this album is considerably better than I remember. It's just that, back then, I didn't know what (or how good) power pop was.
Actually the greatest grunge album?
For reasons unrelated to the album itself, I wasn't able to absorb the album as much as I would've wanted. Even with only 1.5 listens. Allow me, then, to keep this a bit short, so I didn't even up thinking of much to say. To begin with, I came into this album expecting it to be a lot... Y'know, angirer. Grungier. Punkier. Riot grrrl. That was always the impression I had of Hole, largely going by the cover to their album LIVE THROUGH THIS and maybe a sample I heard in a mashup somewhere. Color me very surprised, then, to put this on and hear California power pop and alternative. And more so to find out that I dug a lot. Hell, maybe even a little bit more than I would have LIVE THROUGH THIS. I don't have any specifics to bring up, 'cuz, y'know, as I mentioned, but the vibes are just there. And I like her voice a lot. I'unno. I just dug it a lot. Get off my back, eh?
A nice piece of late 90s alt rock, but a little forgettable.
I’m at a (slightly biased) 4.5 that I think I’m gonna go ahead and bump up to a 5. This is the general soundscape I’ve kinda been waiting for – I have a lot of love for like, the Goo Goo Dolls or Matchbox Twenty, so this album finally hit around that sound, and it does it super well. The guitar work in particular, while occasionally way too loud in the mix, is really good throughout this whole album. Courtney Love’s vocals, which I’ve never really heard before now, have a great tone to them, especially when she holds notes on the lower end of her register; there’s just a deep grit there that really makes the lyrics pop more. It’s just a really solid album where everything clicked for me, and I just liked almost every track here; obviously, there’s a number of references to Kurt Cobain, and Courtney’s reputation and image in light of what happened. This album, I believe, was her first chance to really respond with some music, and what emerged is an album that fits right alongside some of its contemporaries for 1998. I feel good bumping it up to a 5; I just enjoyed it that much.
Recognized & liked one song,the rest were ok wouldn’t seek out
Great, grungy, angry album
Feels very dated but it's a good vibe.
My expectations were through the floor, deep underground (but I liked it)
I listened to the whole album
Not my cup o tea. To me this honesty just sounds a bit winy and loud.
Like
I Remember this band, still not my jam
Really only knew the one famous song from this album. Made for good music today.
Surprisingly pretty dang good
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 am not a fan of Courtney Love. I am a fan of Melissa Auf der Maur and Billy Corgan can write music like few others(especially at this point in time).
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.
Another solid 90s rock album from Hole. Weirdly I had both of their albums within three days?! Anyway I enjoyed this one too, maybe slightly less than their first but it's still very enjoyable. Favourite was probably the last track, Petals. Great lyrics and I never realised Courtney Love was so good.
Grunge dude
Meh. American wining
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.
This sounded as if someone was pulled off the street and paid $5 to sing and it was unsuccessful. The voice just really bothered me because it seemed to not be trying and the music wasn’t loud enough to cover the badness of it. Just not good.
The first band where I've wished the producer DID overuse autotune. I hate this nearly as much as her lousy husband's overrated garbage. 2/10 1 star.
Meh. And I love the 90's
Good album. Courtney Loves voice kicks ass. Does a good job of conveying of emotion. And cool instrumentals. It makes me think about how unkind where to her in retrospect. Good album
Nice rock album with some good songs but a lot of average songs.
Kilka fajnych, większość taka sama. Trochę taka chylinska
Never gave much thought to HOLE, but this is actually pretty good
Courtney Love's California in the 90s. Great single and some other scene tracks that are a great time capsule. The lore/baggage that surround Hole and Courtney Love will always loom large. But the feel, of this record will always be a late-90s sign post.
I'm not a huge fan of 90s alternative or grunge or that whole scene in general but whenever I listen to Hole, I'm always surprised at how much I like it. It's the right balance of everything and plays itself better than expected.
Lovely nostalgic feminist pop punk. Great tunes and good consistency across the album. It's a good sign when I'm humming the tunes later in the evening.
Surprised by how many songs I knew other than Celebrity Skin and Malibu. Really enjoyed this one.
This album has a nice sound. Perfect for a sunshiny drive home from work when you're using PTO the next day. Remind me of Scorpio Rising a little bit. Not my new favorite thing but I did sell it more of their music.
Live Through This is a much better album. But given the state of mainstream rock in 1998, I guess you could have done worse than this album. Still, I didn't like it then and it hasn't grown on me since.
I like it. It's catchy. But I feel around the middle of the album it loses me because it could be more dynamic.
Honestly it was awesome I liked it way more than I thought I would, definitely out of my comfort zone but was really cool
In high school, I made a whole ass presentation about how Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain, because, y'know, how dare that bitch marry my man, right? Now, 15 years later, I finally got over it and took the time to actually listen to Hole and, well, damn, it slaps pretty hard. I'm sorry I was a hater, Courtney. I give you a 4/5 to repent.
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's alright, better than average
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.
I have a strong dislike for Hole. +1 for Celebrity Skin 2/5
Awesome - I think Courtney Love is a bit mental, but this is decent
I had obviously heard the one song Hole had done, but never heard the whole album. I truly never liked them because of her weird relationship with Kurt, but it wasn’t bad. There were some highlights in there.
Melodic masterpiece…. Well produced with great tunes I hadn’t heard before. Enjoyed, Celebrity Skin (knew words), Awful, Hit So Hard, Malibu, Use Once and Destroy, Northern Star (about Cobain) and Heaven Tonight.4*
Bastante chulo, en general. Y como tiene mi hit Celebrity Skin, ahí le va un 4.
At first it didn't hit me like grunge should hit. But the "louder" songs, later into the album, convinced me.
meh as fuck
Important for indie solid late 90s grunge
The other album might be better but tons of bangers on this one and the mixing is better too
The peaks in this are really high but there is a lot of filler. I want MORE snarl.
Langweilig.
Irgendwie nichtssagend. Aber auch nicht schlecht
I remember when this album came out. I heard the hits on the radio, but I wasn't buying much music at this time. So this is the first time I've listened all the way through. It's a solid album and enjoyed most of it.
Pretty basic rock, and not in the “theyre really good at this” way, more like the “hey this sounds like every rock song ever” way not very good. Reminds me of blondie with a shitty voice LOL ITS COURTNEY LOVE IT LITERALLY IS BLONDIE WITH A SHITTY VOICE Still it waznt bad Favorite: celebrity skin Least favorite: Malibu 2.8
Did I really need to hear a second Hole album before I die? I think I would have been OK hearing none. At a different time in my life this might have made it to 3 stars. I didn't hate it, I could listen to it not wishing for my early demise but this is still not my thing. 2.5/5
Edgy kind of Avril Lavigne music. Not really my thing, but it was good.
Sehr fein.
Meh.
Smashing album, I had never really listened to much of Hole but Courtney Love is so much more than the paramour of Kurt Cobain. Fun and feisty, yes!
Good but not great
My expectations were incredibly low, as the only other time I ever listened to Hole was their previous "Live through this" also featured in this book. I thought that one was absolutely atrocious and rated it 1 star. This album is heaps better. It's actually even good! Nothing groundbreaking, so not much to say. Just good, solid alternative rock.
Ganske nice
A wonderful album that I really enjoyed when it came out, and still do today.
Man I sure did Love this one!
God bless women.
Rock alternativo del grupo de Courtney Love. Un megahit. Está bien. Un 4.
Did not like this at all
Solid. Tuneful. Fails to reach its predecessor's heights but also avoids its lows.
I adore this album. When I first listened to it, though, I thought Live Through This was better. I was wrong! This album is basically if Live Through This was more polished, and I respect the artistic decisions to do that. Billy Corgan wrote some of the album’s songs, and it’s pretty cool to see all of them be good songs. That’s why I think this album deserves a 95.8%, or a 4.79/5. Fav: Boys on the Radio Least Fav: None
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.
A really good surprise. Will be listening again.
Way better than I expected it to be.
Loved this. Just what I needed.
Perfectly fine 90's alt rock, but I don't think it is particularly noteworthy overall
Good grungey rock, some misses and some hits. Fun listen
Really like Courtney and Eric swinging for the fences. Sounds so big and goes down smooth. The light just radiates. To that end, it's hard not to mention the Billy Corgan participation as this album feels like the sound he shot for with Zwan a few years later. But Love divides the "Hole" lyrical image with the sheen of guitars in excellent matrimony. The chiming "Heaven Tonight" was a nice surprise picked up on this listen.
Not bad. Was never super into Hole, but there's a couple songs that I liked.
It’s a good album, underrated I think
I think we often overshadowed by Courtney loves relationship with the musically superior Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain and her own irrational behavior which, honestly, left me feeling turned off my the spectacle. It’s honestly a shame because this album is well constructed grunge music rock in a post-grunge era. The classic single Celebrity Skin is a fun song with punk flair (personal favorite) down-tempo songs like Hit So Hard and Dying show a rare depth for both the artist and music. This album definitely deserves more attention that it got.
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.
Un peu chiant.
celebrity skin awful malibu (and more that i didn't catch the names of)
Has one good song, rest is forgettable
I know why thay named the song awful.
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.
Not a Courtney love fan so I wasn't looking forward to this, but it was better than I expected.
This listens like AI tried to make a 90s album. No riffs, just simple chord progressions. Singing is intentionally off key. Guitars are super distorted. But the songs could just as easily be reproduced as Britney Spears songs. So in one way, you know me well AI. I'm here for this. Just most of the songs aren't very good. A couple interesting gems at the end though.
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.”
Boring. Couldn’t finish
it's alright.. disliked Love's singing
It’s a certain kind of catchy. Not really my cup of tea, but not as loud as I expected it to be.
This album starts off with the best written song on the album, the albums self titled track. It still sou ds great to this day. Another notable song is Malibu (I believe this was another single). The rest of the songs are pretty mediocre at best. The song Awful is far to repetitive and too long and, well... I wish I could say it is Awful because that would be funny... But it's just mediocre - a lot of words for a song where nothing is being said. Reasons To Be Beautiful is just Courtney Love rambling on and on and on. Dying sounds kind of pathetic angsty. Actually this whole album's overbearing theme is Angst. I feel like Courtney Love is really trying to channel her inner Kurt Cobain - I know the comparison is low hanging fruit... But let's be honest, we know, she knows, that her career would not have gone anywhere if she wasn't Kurt Cobain's wife. I know Courtney Love would tell me to Fuck off and that I don't know what i am talking g about. But it's a hard pill to swallow, isn't it Courtney? Use Once & Destroy is another good song on the album. There are some cool musical arrangements that didn't sound like typical Hole style music.. I had to check to see if this was actually Love's writing. Nope. There's a good chunk of songs that thr musical arrangements were written by Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins. Go figure.
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.
High school garage band with female lead vocals. I made it through the whole album at least.
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 song "Celebrity Skin" is catchy and thoughtful enough, so satisfying in a way. Also familiar, being the big hit and title track on the disc. I'm going to break down what I don't like about this and I'll try to keep personality issues out of it. Although I find it to be in extremely bad taste to attempt to force your drummer to quit. Really really bad form. Just have a meeting: "Listen, after doing two albums with you both of which were really succesful and Critically Acclaimed™, we just want to go in a different musical direction and we don't think you're going to want to hang, I'm sorry." Hole was of course just a Courtney Love project, but you don't have to be an asshole. Read the wikipedia article about how Love and the producer conspired to record this with studio guy Dean Castronovo. Even more unethical is not pulling the original grrrl drummer off the credits, keeping Hole's (almost) all girl grunge band aesthetic intact but still able to pull this over-produced attempt at a commercially appealing rock album. This attempt at a grunge-pop mashup (originally perfected by Nirvana) feels extremely disingenuous. Also whatever attempt at the "Califorinia sound™" {citation needed} would be the antithesis to that punk/grunge aesthetic that they were faking before. Nothing about the band Hole feels genuine. From their going to Minnesota (!) to recruit Kristen Pfaff, guitarist Eric Erlander's girlfriend who overdosed at 27, 4 months after Courtney Love's husband, to the above mentioned drummer shell game, to the bizarre choice of Production and musical direction. The best songs here are co-written with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, which is telling. As a whole it is really not as great as you're being led to believe. So many other grrls did this better, from PJ to The Breeders to L7. Courtney love's singing ruins it for me. It's not good. I love the heavier genres like punk, grunge, an metal, but this is a cash grab or something and it sounds like it to me.
4++
I’m a Hole hater but it wasn’t that bad
Never listed to this album before - as a T. Rex fan, I enjoyed it.
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
While I think this album lacks the edge of Hole's earlier works, they traded that edge for musical and lyrical depth, and really created something beautiful here as a result. It's cleaner, catchier, more polished and incredibly listenable, while the lyrics point to darker, more cynical themes. It's an interesting, smartly crafted contrast of the brightness of California against the dark side of the music business. Courtney Love's lyrics are incredibly poetic and rich with references, pointed but subtle. That's a rare thing in music. Fave Songs: Celebrity Skin, Boys on the Radio, Heaven Tonight, Hit So Hard, Awful, Malibu, Petals
Thought I'd hate it, but turned out its pretty nice! I like it when stuff like that happen.
Gear: Hifiman Arya Mix: Bass und Gitarren oft rotzig - die Vocals sowieso. Hi-Hats etwas zu klirrend. Musik: "Celebrity Skin" ist einfach nen geiler Opener. Billy Corgan's Einfluss merklich in den ungestümeren Nummern - leider auch ne Menge erschreckend braves Pop-Rock Gedudel dabei ("Awful" + "Hit So Hard" u.v.a.). Wertung: 2-3/5
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.
Four years is a long time. Trends come and get commodified, loved ones turn into past tense and improbable careers become realized. Such is Hole's fitting into the celebrity skin. As such, there is an ugliness lurking within and Courtney Love (seemingly in a good position for once in her life) isn't afraid to spill out the contents in whatever mood she may find herself in, whilst the remainder of the band have allowed the light to shine through and let it reflect their playing. Alas, Celebrity Skin is proof that Hole can adapt to changing climates while maintaining their credibility along the way. It's a bit of a shame that it didn't last for long. Favorites: Celebrity Skin, Hit So Hard, Malibu, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Dying, Use Once & Destroy, Boys on the Radio, Playing Your Song.
This is a great album. Fantastic sound, great set of songs. I've always loved the single, it's an absolute classic. OK it's one that obviously appeals to my musical taste but it was still very consistent across the whole album and just a great production.
As simple as it sounds, it's quite an enjoyable alternative rock album.
Нормально, могло быть и лучше
Alt rock, Courtney Love, OK
90s grunge rock for sure. Cool album
They don't make rock like they used to.
I thought the album was full of bangers. Guitar solos were cool. Courtney Love managed. Better 90s rock.
Not a fan.
Strammer Gitarrenrock. Zwei Sterne.
I liked the title song a lot. The rest of the punk sound was quite good.
That chick is awful, but still she rocks hard
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.
Didn't expect to like it; but I really did. So much better than the pop garbage that has been fed to me here. Still, a bit lacking in genius. But filled with musicality - great to listen to and a very good all over album
Definitely has that 90s sound.
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.
Overwraught slashing guitars and yelled lyrics, truly the sound of the 90's grunge-rock. Dying, Northern Star, and Heaven tonight were a welcome foray into country twanged ballads.
Some nice tracks but she’s a murderer
Some hits (Malibu, Awful, title track) but the slower tracks really aren't it
Courtney love is a hack
Very middle of the road, sanitised and over produced.
The title track is best track. “Live through this” is still the best Hole album.
Say what you want about Courtney Love, but this album is a banger.
Nope. Not a single song.
i was tossed this right after the Foo Fighter's first album. I had nvere listened to either and they are not really needing of comparison but... this album is much better than the Foo Fighters. It is exciting right away and slimps a bit into paint by numbers but still done very well and sounds great all the way through pretty good for Pop Prock.
Tell you what, finding out that I like Hole was one of the more painful moments of my life. (Phrasing). Favorite track: Heaven Tonight
I had super low expectations for this album, maybe even a little dread--but it was far better than i expected.
I think my peer group did a disservice to Hole because I was always under the impression they sucked. But this rocked! Loved the production, and instrumentation, and the vocals. It’s lyrically pretty good too. Sad I’ve missed out on this for so long. 4.5/5
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.
holy moly Hole is easily THE discovery for me off this list. I knew they were good but these are two perfect albums.
Not as good as "Live Through This," but still pretty good. The title track's one of my favorite Hole songs. 3.5 stars.
Solid 90s rock album. No matter how conflicted I feel about Courtney Love, I'll always enjoy Hole.
Favorite Tracks: Celebrity Skin Northern Star
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
Very very 90s. Some boppers, some meh songs. Not one of my favorites from the era. Love’s voice does grate a bit. She has a whiny quality to her singing voice. 2
started strong but became mostly noise
Easy to listen to, didn’t dislike any of it but also didn’t really get into any of it
A record that surpasses the grunge boundaries. Sounds fresh and direct.
Hard to separate the artist from the person they are. Even without that dilemma the music just isn't very good. Her voice grates on you for nearly an hour.
Super surprised about how 90s this is and how forward looking it feels. Some of the choruses are quintessential 90s grunge, but the eponymous song (Celebrity Skin) feels very 2000s alt-rock. The final bridge in Awful is a hilarious angsty teen surprise, and Petals gives (oddly enough) real Monkeys energy with the brooding baseline. I'm sure in the context of today, most might find this album boring, but as a big alt-rock/grunge junkie, I was really surprised how much this album touched upon the various motifs in the genre.
Really wished I liked the vocals as everything else was great.
Du très bon grunge ou même je dirais alt rock. Je pense même avoir préféré lui à Live Through This. Je trouvais qu'il avait un peu plus de personalité et d'unicité. À réécouter. 8/10
Solid punk rocky, got tastes of smashing pumpkins, not my favorite style but cool. 3/10
Love the sound, love the energy, love the voice and the writing.
Decent rock album, seems to be a theme with the 90s/00s rock I keep getting, just nothing massively interesting
This is not one of the 1000 albums you should listen to before you die. Every listen, every stream, pays the person who had Kurt Cobain killed. She is a garbage human, and does not deserve to be listened to, she deserves to be imprisoned for life.
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.
I didn't dislike it, but the after a while the songs sound too similar to stand apart from each other. Loves vocals were the biggest drawback on the album, but that just made the vocal harmonies sound that much better. Best Songs: TBD Listen Again: Probably
3/5
This is fun for a second, then pretty boring, then fun again. Rarely hits the feels in any significant way, but I can get behind most of it. Feels cool. 4/5
This album was a pleasant surprise to me. I had given up on Hole after Live Through This, which I found to be a really good album. I didn't know "Celebrity Skin" would be such a good listen. I would give the album 5-stars because I find it to be an important post-grunge listen, but towards the middle of the album the songs tend to drag a little bit. Billy Corgan giveth and Billy Corgan taketh away. He can write a good song but also has a tendency to have bloat in some of his songs.
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
Top album! Sets the tone right from the off with the first 4 tracks showcasing their strengths. Plenty of the old grunge sound but mixed up with some Americana pop and harmonies. Standout tracks are ‘Awful’, ‘Boys on the Radio’ and ‘Heaven Tonight’. A solid 4 and a nice trip back down memory lane.
Hole! I bought their debut single on 7" and thought it was great, as is their debut album (Sounds just like Mudhoney). However this is a million miles away from their debut. I know 'Celebrity Skin' which is good for what it is, not so much Grunge or Hardcore, but pop-rock. (Can't beat a good old radio friendly unit shifter, sorry!). Mrs Cobain sounds much more calm and controlled vocally, similaly with the toned down instrumental agression. Also, on the cover, Courtney doesn't look like she's in need of a good scrub for once, in fact quite the opposite. I'm she sure she would have done anything to make this sell by the bucket load, so lets be glad she didnt go too far. Some really good tracks here, such as; 'Use Once and Destroy' and 'Playing Your Song'. Turns out Billy Corgan helped with arrangement of the songs, so glad he didn't supply any vocals. I really don't know whether to give this a 3 or a 4, as I did enjoy it.
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.
Un muy buen disco de post-grunge de la mano de la musa más grande de Kurt Cobain. El trabajo, sumamente pegajoso, no teme mezclar el rock, el pop y los sonidos más pesados para construir quizá uno de los álbumes más sólidos de los '90s, que probablemente influenció el sonido de las guitarras femeninas en el rock.
Background tracks over background vocals. Boring
Overproduced late 90s alt rock garbage. Major letdown after the great Riot Grrl of Live Through This.
One hit Wonder IMO
I really enjoy the grungy rock of the album, distorted guitars and attitude of the lyrics.
Courtney did that Shit!
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
Meh. I only knew the first song coming in but I kinda just don’t like Courtney Loves voice. I did like Northern Star though but none of the rest really did much for me. 2.5 that I’m rounding DOWN.
It's not bad, I really liked a lot of the guitar parts in these songs.
Kurt’s widow produces her Nevermind. Not quite as epic or polished as that album, but hits hard when it needs to.
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!
Loved the album and it was a very pleasant surprise. The vibe established in the first songs are a perfect personal match for me. It lacks one final star for irrelevancy and a couple songs that were not the best fit maybe. However, I loved discovering this band and this album and I am definitely looking forward to hearing more from them.
No l'he escoltat sencer però m'ha agradat bastant. Tenen un estil molt interessant que em sembla súper icònic de l'època i que m'ha entrat molt bé
Courtney Love's presence in the public eye has moved so far past being a musician who was married to Kurt Cobain. In between the release of Live Through This and this record, so much had happened. I didn't even know she made music until recently. I only knew her as "the Kurt Cobain girl". And it explains the title of the album. That is a lot, even for someone as famous as she was at the time, to handle. So setting aside any controversy and conspiracy over the last 30 years, I want to acknowledge Courtney and her band solely for their music. Of which I think is some of the most respectable alternative rock of the 90's. This is a much cleaner sound than their previous albums, with more of a focus on alternative rock and power pop. And those differences are definitely apparent in songs like Boys on the Radio or the title track. This may seem dumb, but there was a moment where it felt like I was listening to Weezer with a female lead singer. Malibu specifically, which gives me such Beverly Hills vibes. And although I actually enjoy those songs quite a bit, and think Courtney matches that vibe very well, I believe her vocal inflections also lend her to being a good fit for the heavier sound too. And there are glimpses of that heavy sound on songs like Reasons to Be Beautiful and Use Once & Destroy. The latter of which I think has a really cool usage of synths. And although I don't want to compare Hole to Nirvana, because they are very much their own thing, the main riffs and melodies of those songs feel Kurt Cobain inspired. I mean come on, what alternative rock band wasn't borrowing from Nirvana in the 90's? Rating: 7/10
One of the most 90s things I've listened to.
I think this band is okay, but they never really clicked with me. Most of grunge didn't, even though there are plenty of superb artists who contributed to that genre. Just a personal preference.
Actually pretty good. Sad sad story about the band but I liked the music. 4 of 5
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.
Doesn’t live up to that monumental single but still really solid
well, well, well. I don't relly know
Never liked Hole, don't like Courtney or her voice.
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 loved this album. I’ve always loved this album. Northern Star is amazing.
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
What a pleasant surprise! I love this. The only thing keeping it from a 5 for me is that some of the tracks have really similar sounds and kind of blend together, which makes it so that nothing in particular really stands out in a major way. But I really enjoy that sound, so I'm not mad about it.
Oh fuck yeah! I always forget about hole but they too had a very definitive style and sound I mean hell she was Kurt Cobains GF! and I can see her nipples lol. BOOOOOBS! HAHAHA The first track, Celebrity Skin I've definitely heard a ton on the radio. 4 stars
I like some of the songs. It felt a little repetitive.
Rating: 8.5/10 Great rock album. Love the energy on it, almost every song on this album is great and not as a single bad song. Really liked Courtney Love's voice and passion as well as the energy throughout the album. Wish they took a bit more risk on this album but still consistently great. Favorite songs: Celebrity Skin, Northern Star, Petals. Least favorite song: Playing Your Song.
Intense emo rock driving
album doesn’t live up to the promise of the first track 2/5
Good. Not a stone cold classic but unique in its own way.
Punky rock
The lyrics are really smart and inventive, and the songs have a lot of impact despite keeping close to the light alternative style.
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
Totally underrated in terms of songwriting, even if things fall off on the end of the album.
It was really nice to hear a rock album, and one with a lot of variance like this. You can hear what comes before and after it.
A band I don't think I've heard a song of before but it was pretty brilliant! Opening song was probably the highest point, especially with how unexpectedly brilliant it was from the get go. Really liked some of the slower and quieter songs on the album, as well as the raucous - some vibes of foos (unsurprising), nine inch nails, the cure and the cranberries. The album did have some variety but overall it did fade into one block but still a 4/5 for me Highlights: Celebrity Skin, Dying, Heaven Tonight, Petals
6/10 Urgent, consistent, unremarkable Highlights: - Reasons to be Beautiful
7/10
I didn't like it. Sorry courtney
A couple of strong tracks, too many that sounded like an angsty teenager trying too hard.
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.
never gave this a real listen back in the day. Actually, better than I imagined. Some songs reminded me of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with pure rock
Would make a really good instrumental album. Courtney's screech get to you after a couple of tracks
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.
I’ve been a fan of the song Celebrity Skin since its release, it’s just so catchy. I don’t think I ever get sick of listening to that song. The other singles on this album never lived up to that level. Malibu is good but it was nothing I would purposely go out of my way to listen to and I thought Awful never got much attention in Australia. So I went into the album knowing I’d love the first song but not sure what to think of the full album. I was surprised to see Billy Corgan was involved in so many of the songs. While spinning this, I could easily pick out the songs he was involved in, he has a style and it shows. I honestly enjoyed this more than I expected. Standouts: Celebrity Skin, Hit So Hard, Malibu, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Dying
Started out strong with the first half. The title track is probably their strongest, where Courtney Love’s snarly Billy Corgan impression works best. Awful is also a surprisingly sunshiny jangle pop tune. By the second half though, the vocals are worn out and annoying and the lyrics are just bad (Northern Star, yuck). Overall it’s much longer than it needed to be, they could have scraped 3-4 songs and this would have been a much better album. 2.5/5.
Darn fine album, 4 stars.
Tehotalo albumi... apitsi moni biisi ei tehokkaalta tunnu painetaan ja oainetaan yhdellä tunteella 5 min.. siitä respect ei juosta vaan JOLKOILLAAN..
4.5
Celebrity Skin: Ohhh. This song. Yeah I recognize it. Fun. Feel like I should be playing some late 90s games. I can jam. Awful: Reminds me of the Murmurs but with more energy.<3 Dying: Too whiny Northern Star: Love the vintage guitar vibe Boys on the Radio; Love it Heaven Tonight: this one's weird. Feel like I'm missing some context here. Petals: Wow, I hate this lyric. So uncomfortable.
Yeah I love ‘em!
Wish i listened to closer bc it was real fun
Better than I remembered!
"Celebrity Skin" was an amazing song and a great opener to the album. "Awful" was a great, catchy track. "Hit So Hard" and "Malibu" were both decent. "Reasons to Be Beautiful" was good. I liked the brief dips in intensity that occurred a couple times. "Dying" was fine. "Use Once & Destroy" has some nice drumming from Dean Castronovo. Good song. "Northern Star" was a lovely acoustic piece with great bouts of increased intensity, great drumming that compliments the song, and a great use of strings. Excellent song. "Boys on the Radio" was a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitars with a catchy, sing-a-long chorus. Great song. "Heaven Tonight" and "Playing Your Song" were a pair of great songs, with the latter having a really nice guitar tone. "Petals" was an excellent choice as closer. It was catchy, had a bridge that kind of reminded me of "Celebrity Skin," and closed with a great use of strings. Overall, the albums starts strong with "Celebrity Skin" and "Awful," meanders for the rest of the first half with decent songs that I don't feel justify their runtimes, and fortunately picks back up for an excellent second half. I think the use of acoustic guitars really helped with the pick up.
A pretty good pop rock album about California. If I could I'd give it a 3.5 tho I prefer Live Through This.
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 liked this more than I thought I would. I’m a sucker for layers of catchy guitar. First comparison that came to mind was Matthew Sweet. Surprised it was this album and not Live Through This, although maybe Hole has two albums on the 1,001 list.
Not bad, but just okay. Decent enough 90s alternative, but nothing that really jumped out at me
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.
Love it!
I never gave Hole a chance back in the day, and that’s too bad. I like this much more than I thought I would have, and I hate that it took so long to give it its due. Good rock!
I was not familiar with this Hole album. I didn't really dig all of the tracks, but I didn't find any of them particularly bad. Overall it was good.
I did not think I would enjoy Hole. Don't know why. Loved rocking out to this record.
When I started this I didn’t realize that “Celebrity Skin” is one of those songs that I recall really loving decades ago but whose name or artist had never stuck with me. So I was thrilled to hear this song again, and I love it still! The rest of this album is up to that standard. Fantastic! Now that I’ve loved the albums Live Through This and Celebrity Skin, I guess I should dispel those lingering feelings of doubt when I think about listening to Hole.
I really really really love this album.
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*
Started out strong, but I quickly got tired of it.
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.
i think i like the more polished sound a little better than live through this. really great album, easily five stars, everything i liked about live through this and a little more.
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
There is a distinct lack of females in this list so far and I'm glad Courtney and her band are here to fix it.
Courtney Love can really snarl.
Extremely mid
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.
The opening deceptively suggests someone involved in the band cares to write tunes with dynamics, riffs that linger, and choruses - it's a worthwhile tune. Tedium trails Love's drawl and wail, and I chafed at the slack in each song, each a minute more or less too long. Towards the end, I realised I'd made a listener error, and that this cruise-control, repetitive chord parade has purpose, the equivalent of a truck driver simulator or certain minimalist techno, where each song's sequence is repeated until we hypnotically mumble along.
Starts well, goes downhill. Not as good as Live Through This
Not abysmal
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
Good tracks, good sound. Don't let the context overshadow it.
Courtney Love called out Harvey Weinstein before most people said a word.
10/10 god DAMN! I’ve listened to some Hole before but this one really blew me away!
90’s alt rock. One decent overplayed radio hit. Not sure why it's on the list.
Cool. No one does grunge better than papa Kurt but this is pretty dope. I little poppy but not so much that it was annoying or lost it’s genuine grunge. Just okay tho
Ég hef aldrei verið fan en það eru nokkur þokkaleg lög þarna.
i bet Kat Stratford loved this album
It's alright!
Actually really liked this one. Good jam, didn’t get bored, and lyrics weren’t bad
Yes! I love this album's vibe. Too good to give it a 3 so I'll give it a 4, but just barely.
There are some very good and pretty depressing songs like Awful and Dying but also others that I did not care about. Overall enjoyable though. Highlights: Awful, Hit So Hard, Dying, Northern Star
Hole aren't good.
I don't hate this, it's fine, but it's not particularly inspiring. Definitely more listenable than the previous Hole album we had, but a bit more generic too - and you really can't get away with a voice like that when you're singing music like this (whereas she kinda could with the proper grunge album before). 2/5, but a high 2.
Some good tracks, but not a stormer or anything. Would listen again.
Surprised myself with this one, really enjoyed it & I'm sure it'll improve with further listening.
This is my second album by Courtney Love's band, Hole. This is their third, and last studio album before breaking up in 2002. This was the only album to feature bassist Melissa Auf der Maur. Even though Patty Schemel played drums in the demos, she was replaced by session drummer, Deen Castronovo, for the recording sessions. This was the first appearances of a creative rift forming between members of the band. Record producer, Michael Beinhorn convinced Courtney to drop the heavy, gloomy grunge sound for a more upbeat, pop rock sound. Grunge was dying, and Michael felt that appealing to the larger, and hugely popular pop rock audience would help the band gain notoriety. Many of Hole's fans saw this as a sell out, however, and this ended up hurting the band in the long run. Of the two albums that I reviewed by this band, this is my least favorite. I am not particularly a Hole fan, but I am familiar with their hits. Celebrity Skin is the clear star on this album. I remember hearing it on the video game Rock Band). I think my issue with this album is indeed the feeling of selling out that I got while listening to it, and comparing it to the older "Live Through This". Overall, not a terrible album, just kind of disappointing in the grand scheme of things. I don't think I would necessarily shut this record off if it was playing, but I wouldn't seek it out either. Favourite songs: Celebrity Skin, Use Once & Destroy, Malibu, Northern Star, Awful Least favourite songs: Dying 3/5
Courtney Love caught a lot of flack for her relationship with Kurt Cobain. She was accused of stealing his songs for Hole and riding his coattails, but I feel like that's a disservice to the everyone involved who clearly made a forward-thinking power pop record for the end of the millennium. Having shed the edgy grunge sound from Live Through This, Hole produces some quality hooks that feels like this was what they were meant for all along. Undoubtedly though, Celebrity Skin has a lot more polish in it's production, indicative of a post-grunge world that rejects the grime for only a few years ago. This production is both to the benefit and detriment, as some songs fare better than others. Use Once & Destroy attempts to hold on to some of the distortion but loses it's edge along the way. The prior song, Dying, gains a lot by highlighting the subtler elements of this tender song. Hole did well on this record. I think Celebrity Skin deserves it's flowers just as much as Live Through This, as it shows solid maturity and growth for the band.
Not a massive fan of CL’s vocals but still a pretty good album.
Hey they did a cover of that Doja Cat song
While it does prove that Courtney love is a successful artist entirely independent of Cobain, the album has nothing new to say, and so comes off as Live Through This - lite.
Just nice hard rock, lovely punk feminist aesthetic.