Reviews (page 8 of 10)
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.
It's alright!
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
Some good tracks, but not a stormer or anything. Would listen again.
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.
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.
Courtney Love is not a great singer, but a lot of the songs are okay.
Is this the album Billy Corgan and/or Trent Reznor wrote? I can't keep up with the hot goss. The best thing about this record is that Samantha Maloney got to be their drummer for the tour and in the videos, and that Steve Pedulla and I saw her play drums for a great post-hardcore band called SHIFT at some tiny club in Chapel Hill or somewhere while we were in film school. SHIFT is/was great. Hard not to be happy for her. And then she played for Motley Crue at a point where Tommy Lee must've been doing his nu-metal solo thing? And THEN she played drums for Peaches?? What a strange career path. Surprised she's not the new drummer for the Foo Fighters at this rate. Anywho, yeah the songs just aren't as strong on this album as I'd hoped. I like the opener and I liked "Playing Your Song." "Awful" is catchy. But there's a lot here that plays like filler - which probably would've worked better if it still retained the bite of their earlier material. Alas, the riot grrrrrl grunge was exchanged for more of a mild-mannered meeting grrrrl and, ironically, I think the album ages worse because of it. And I'm going to blame Billy Corgan regardless. Just because.
Glad I gave this a chance again. She annoyed me so I stopped listening to her music. Still a good record. I preferred the previous one. This did have Malibu which is part of why I stopped listening originally. So mixed overall
Better than the previous hole album we got but still just only ok and not really that interesting
Decent album, nothing too special.
Lot less angry then the last Hole album. Liked this more.
Definitely a commercial release. Definitely hear the influence of Corgan on a number of these tracks. Love is a good songwriter. Her band was really good. There are some bangers on this album. It's not my favorite, but it's still a solid release. And yet, meh.
love knows a hook, gotta give her that, not a lot of air or space in here though, so radio
Its OK but not amazing and I'm not sure that I agree that it belongs on a top 1000 list. 3/5
Good music! Maybe a little slow and same-y across the whole album, but it's in a genre I like so I was happy to listen. Interesting to learn a little more about Courtney Love from this album. I do tend to like rock / punk bands with female leads.
It's okay. Not as bad as I expected.
Sopivan ei-enää-niin grungee, etenkin alkupuolella kuuluu jo 2000-luku (Nylon beatin "rock-biisit" jopa tulee mieleen), asenne yllättävän kohdillaan, vahvat ekat biisit etenkin
Tasainen osoitus hyvästä melodiantajusta. Onko levyllä mitään ERITYISTÄ? En ole varma - siis aidosti en ole.
As much as I despise Courtney Love, Hole did put out some cool stuff. However, on Celebrity Skin it's quite obviously the tracks written partly by Billy Corgan (title track and 'Malibu' among others) which are carrying the (w)hole thing. Stuff like 'Boys On The Radio' and 'Heaven Tonight' are downright awful, and Love's vocals for 50 minutes straight is a bit too much.
Hole is obviously a better band when they get others to write their material. Especially the Corgan-written title track and “Malibu” are instant classics. When Hole take the reins themselves toward the end they threat to bring everything crashing down on “Boys on the Radio” and “Heaven Tonight”. In conclusion I will, somehow reluctantly, say that…. Hole is actually pretty cool.
Courtney is cool but this album is less fun than I'd like it to be
It’s fine
Grunge was over, so they made a power pop album. And they did a good job. Not very original, but there isn't a single bad song on this album. Favorite song: Use once and destroy
I figured I'd see one of their earlier albums here, not this one. But it's ok in the end...
Moooola (LNB)
Quite enjoyed that. 3.5 stars.
One of the biggest travesties in alt rock is that we only got one album with Melissa Auf Der Maur as Hole's bassist and harmony queen. Luckily, it's pretty damn good. Is it as primally urgent and sad and triumphant and twisted as Live Through This? No way. But, i mean, come on. I was really anticipating this one in 1998. I was a huge fan of it's predecessor, and Courtney in general. Fascinating crazy and beautiful human. I wa sliving in a one room shit apartment as a college kid, trying to walk the straight and narrow and failing. I was lonely. I bonded with a gal who lived down the street with this album. We started sleeping together, though no relationship really came out of it. She was nice i guess, but...shit happened. We even saw the Courtney Love starring New Year's Eve film 200 Cigarettes in the theatre. It was not very good, but whatever. Title track. Classic. "Awful" is a gorgeous slice of crunchy jangly power pop. "Hit so Hard"-a breather from the awesomke, but still good "Malibu" may be the best song ever. I said it, and I can't take it back. Everything about it is fucking beautiful. "Reasons To Be Beautiful"-never found this one to be particularly memorable If memory serves, the album dips in quality a bit here. But it shall return. "Dying"-ballad? not bad. better than i remember. "Use Once and Destroy" plods. I confuse it with "Reasons To Be Beautiful". Filler i guess. Sounds like one that Billy Corgan was involved with. Waste of a great song title. the naked vulnerability of "Northern Star" is compelling, but doesnt make for a great song. "Boys on the Radio" might be the best song on the album that isn't "Malibu". Such a pretty tune. Should have been a single. Record companies make poor choices "Heaven Tonight" is a good one too.
Better than expected, but a huge step down from Live Through This. The songs I hadn't heard were good, but I still don't like the singles. 3/5
kinda dig the first song, but the rest of the album doesn't hold up.
A bit generic for me, but pretty nice.
3.5/5
This was actually a lot better than I remembered it being. I think Hole got a lot of hate at the time because of sexism in the music industry
I mistakenly listened to and reviewed "Live Through This" instead of this project, so this review is definitely going to be a little comparison heavy, but I definitely enjoyed LTT a bit more. This record is much shinier, with huge production and more straight-forward pop songwriting than the previous record. It's fine, but I find myself missing the grime, and found I enjoyed the blunt and honest songwriting of LTT. This record hits a lull in the middle that I don't think it ever really surmounts, too. Favorite tracks: "Celebrity Skin", "Reasons To Be Beautiful"
I wanted to be blown away by this album. I expected a hurricane. A typhoon. A cyclone. Yet all I got was some thunderstorms and strong gusts. I think a branch or two might’ve fallen too. But the power didn’t go out. So yeah, this album could’ve been better clearly. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt because we had some great grunge albums the past week and clearly they can’t match Nirvana or Pearl Jam.
Was decent…better than I expected.
Reação a potência do grunge com um pop bem executado numa tentativa de envolver alguma maturidade. Funciona, mas com a perspectiva de pop.
This was fine, not really my type of music.
Fairly polished grunge music. 3.5.
Actually quite enjoyed the record. I do not think it has the same "timeless" finesse that other records on this list possess, but still - it was a decent 90 grunge/post-grunge record.
Uneven, a little boring, but a serious dose of nostalgia.
Celebrity Skin is definitely their biggest and most known hit song. I definitely want to give this album another listen. My initial impression is that the album is decent, although other than the title track expressly nothing stood out to me. A bit more poppy than I would care for given their origin and influences.
I enjoyed it and it was better than I thought it would be. I always see Courtney Love as someone who needs heroin to perk up so this was a surprise hearing her full of beans and that. 'Northern Star' was the standout
For some reason not what I thought Hole sounded like. A pleasant surprise. The poppy jangly stuff was my favorite. “Awful” was up my alley.
Patchy and inconsistent but pretty enjoyable. Clear influences, from the bands you would probably expect them to be influenced by.
Hole was one of those grunge bands I wasn't totally into but didn't mind; this album was a sellout. Even as a 14 year old I remember noticing that the poppy music was at complete odds with the lyrics, as if trying to pretend they weren't just simply selling the fuck out. If you're gonna chase the mainstream, just fucking admit it and own it. Did they have any punk cred anyway? It's still an alright album in that late 90s alt rock sense. I prefer my grunge with more riffs than chord progressions (which is probably why I also preferred AIC to Nirvana) but there was enough here to get by. There's a riff in hits so hard that actually thumps, for instance. Playing your song goes hard too. 3/5.
I really loved the singles The whole album is good Definitely not their best but the addition of Melissa Auf De Mar is awesome Don't replay it as much as I would like to Maybe my opinion will change
Pretty classic late 90s pop. Not my favorite of all time, but really not bad.
More radio-friendly version of "Garbage" (the band, not the waste material usually discarded by humans). I thought the beginning was pretty boring, but the final few tracks were really cool. "Northern Star" and "Petals" especially. Courtney Love is such a weird person though. She probably didn't kill Kurt Cobain, but she MIGHT be behind the building of the pyramids and "The Spring-Heeled Jack sightings of '37". The truth is out there, people. Stay vigilant.
3 Good listening. It’s better than no doubt
3.4 - Here Courtney Love tries to transform into a pop starlet, something like Avril Lavigne's freakier older sister. Mostly these are forgettable anthems with big hooks and processed guitar arrangements, that are not quite radio-ready (besides the glitzy title track). She detours from that mold, unbaring her soul on "Northern Star" - an overworked facsimile of her "Live Through This" heyday. Overall, it's worth a single listen to understand Love's trajectory as an artist, but certainly not something I'll revisit.
Courtney toch altijd maar als 'de vrouw van' en dit was dan ook de eerste keer dat ik een plaatje tot het einde wist uit te zitten. Prrrrrima album.
Coole plaat hor en best goede songs
Aantal wel catchy nummers, maar allemaal wel erg braafjes en bovendien valt hier heel erg goed op dat Courtney zo vals als een kraai zingt. Met moeite 3 sterren.
Iets tussen twee en drie sterren. Omdat het meeviel drie.
First time listening to Hole....not as bad as I feared....
Niiiiice nostalgic 90s sound and really like the title track Celebrity Skin. Then apart from that this album is nice but a bit inconsequential as it kind of has the same sound throughout which is nice but blurs into one with nothing standing out on its own.
I really liked it. Not every track was great but overall it's up my street. I love her voice but generally it comes across like a more pop version of the Distillers.
Favourite song: Reason to Be Beautiful
This came out right in the midst of my peak music listening in my lifetime. I remember Celebrity Skin as a single, but I never tried out the whole album. When the generator gives me one of these (familiar, but unknown) albums, I always hope it's going to be the gem that I happened to overlook. However, this is rarely the case. The first two tracks are pretty good, but the rest doesn't really get my attention. This is definitely not a bad album, just overall bland to me. It sounds like an album from 1998 is supposed to sound, almost meticulously. That probably works great for album sales, but that's exactly why I never listened to this album at a time I would have been most likely to check it out. To me it sounds like radio (1998 radio) and is mostly forgettable. Except Awful... this song is sticking on me (we'll see where that goes). But yeah, it's a really good great sounding album, just not that interesting to me. As an afterthought... I was thinking about 1998 and where this album fit in my life. I checked Spotify's top hits and I only had 4 songs I liked for that year's playlist (and Celebrity Skin is one of them). I saw Smashing Pumpkins' Adore was also released. I really loved Smashing Pumpkins previously, but Adore is the album that ended our relationship. But that's a whole other topic about a whole other band.. until I realized how prominent Billy Corgan was on this Hole album. Very interesting.
Celbebrity Skin sounds like a typical late 90s rock album with some grunge thrown in. It's very radio friendly and doesn't try to stand out in any way. It's an okay album as it isn't bad but it doesn't excite.
Pretty good, first half is better than the second half. Good Rock Band song
Oof, the high levels of compression on this recording isn't the worst I've ever heard, but it's not great. Decent set of songs though - consistent themes and interesting lyrics permeate the record, decorated with catchy hooks. Couldn't escape either "Malibu" or the title track on the radio in the late 90s. Still, not up to the level of their early 90s stuff.
Solid lyrics. The production is lush and buries Love's vocals in some cases. (We're talking ELO level of production on this one.) These are her songs and I would have preferred to hear more of her performances. Auf der Maur's bass sounds great. All in all, as good as the singles are the rest of the album is pretty generic.
Not bad.
This is really not my type of music, but I must admit there are pretty great songs on this album. From Malibu to Northern Star, I call it strong and engaging pop/rock. However, there's nothing there that really stand out and that could become a huge monument in the history of music.
Not as good as Live Trough This but a good listen
The Hole pop album. After the grimy riot grrl Hole album and the grunge catharsis in Hole album. All three are great in their own way, although I loved Live Through This so much (and still do almost 30 years later) I was always going to be disappointed when this followed it. Some undeniable bangers here though. Title track, Awful, Malibu, Northern Star all among the band's best work, and Billy Corgan appears to have poured the last bits of his talent into his contributions to 2 of those. Not too many good Pumpkins songs after 1998. For me this is album with obvious highlights, and the rest perfectly serviceable if not particularly remarkable pop rock. Some of it sounds like The Go-gos. Not a bad thing, but the Go-gos already exist. There's no duffers. It's not an album I ever reach for, but it's an enjoyable listen. 3.
Kinda surprised. Decent I guess. Although..... nvm
90s angsty alt pop rock with girlpower attitude, playing at a Hot Topic store near you
3/12, 25%
title track is cool, the album is kinda meh
I always liked the title track. A great slice of 90's alternative. However, I never was really able to get into Hole as a whole (ha!) Oddly, I feel like I appreciate what they're trying to do better than the execution of it. Courtney Love, as let's call it "interesting" she is as a person has a really cool voice. The songs just never manage to blow me away. This review could be cut and pasted from Live Through This, while both albums attempted different sounds my overall experience with them felt the same.
First time hearing Courtney love do some something. It’s ight
Nice band.
favourite song: celebrity skin least favourites: malibu, dying the high points of this album were a lot of fun but unfortunately arent sustained for the whole of the album. falls flat at a lot of moments but overall an enjoyable listen. honourable mention to playing your song. if i could give half stars it would be 3.5 but i cant and its closer to a 3 than a 4
I was already familiar with the title track but I had never checked out the album. Celebrity Skin remains a great song, and I am quite taken with Awful. I am sure I've heard Malibu before. I was feeling like I'm really going to enjoy this record, but the promise of the early tracks is let down by the rest of the album which I found uneven and eventually tedious. Still; a solid offering with flashes of brilliance.
p832. 1998. 3.5 stars. So this is what happens if you splice the genes of The Bangles and The Pretenders. Surprisingly accessible jangly guitar rock, but a lot of the tracks sound the same. On the replay list.
Solid album, but not as great as Live Through This. 3.5./5
Rocka og kult. 90-talls!
26th October 2022 Listened first on the drive then throughout the day in the office. Soho house with Jamie and Elissa. Title song is from American Pie! It has that 90s soft, slouchy rock drawl and whining (in the best way) sensibility. 3.5 if I could.
Decent grunge record... from a MURDER.
Nice grunge/hard rock for this era, just not really my style
A pretty average 90s alternative album. Hole found a way to make an album where most of the varying sounds of 90s are covered. Their singer is pretty good and has a good grunge sound but also has a pop rock sound in some songs as well. They have a more casual alternative style in some songs and other songs have harder guitar riffs and grungy distortion. The album varied but it kinda made it work. Some songs were pretty good. Overall it’s not bad. 6.1/10
Nice
I was never a fan of why Courtney Love sings. However, there's a few tunes I really enjoyed on this one so I tried my best to overlook it! Decent record, not essential, but not unenjoyable.
Rowdy!
Live Through This is my fave Hole album but this one isn't half bad.
I think because it's a bit dated I had trouble giving it a good ear. It was good for it's time, but Courtney Love is just too aggravating to listen to at times.
Some good tracks but not majorly distinct or unique.
Good ole' Courtney Love. I like the energy, didn't delve deep into the lyrics but it didn't seem boring either. Couple catchy songs. not bad. FAV TRACKS: Northern Star, Boys On The Radio, Celebrity Skin
90’s rock brings back serious memories. Definitely reminds me of some of the music I was listening to in those days (Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, etc). I remember when this album came out, Hole got ripped by a lot of people for being sellouts. This album was less raw and less grunge than the previous album, and it felt a bit more commercialized. I was never a big fan of Courtney Love at the time, so it was never really on my radar. I guess I didn’t really think she was a good singer. Listening to it again now, I can see why the hardcore grunge fans would feel that way, as this album does feel more polished. To be honest, it’s more along the type of music I would have listened to and this album feels a bit easier to listen to than Live Through This, although I’m not sure I would say it’s actually the better album. Torn between 3 stars and 4 stars. Probably would be 3.5.
One great song and a bunch of decent songs after. Courtney definitely led with the heater
Better than remembered, but still not great.
Just an average 90s grunge rock album. Celebrity Skin is a fantastic song but the rest of this album is kind of boring and predictable for the era.
Fairly generic for the time. I did enjoy though
Title track is class, rest of the album doesn't get close to it
I didn't like it at first listen; however, it's really starting to grow on me. Hole incorporates an easy-going, pop-like sound with the punk-rock of the 90s. I quite liked this one!
A couple of good tunes, but overall I found it unimaginative and safe (boring). Definitely heard worse (and better). Giving it a 3 out of 5.
Nunca escuché este disco de principio a fin, pero recuerdo haber escuchado dos canciones que terminaron definiendo esos años: celebrity skin y Malibu. Resulta que además me gustan otros temas. No sé si es esencial en esta lista.
Love the first song, but the rest of the album is just ok.
Punk indie. Mad but ok tbf.
Ok.
The singles are good but the rest sound off key
I think I had this album as a CD. It sounded good 20 years ago. But now not so much.
Best Song: Northern Star. I'm a sucker for any song that slowly builds in this perpetual crescendo to hit a big climax, and this song does that well. Worst Song: Boys on the Radio. This feels like they were writing a song to try to have it appear in a rom-com, maybe abandoning their rougher roots. Overall: I'd heard of Hole, and heard the song "Celebrity Skin", but never put the two together. I was actually impressed at how Courtney Love has the perfect, almost proto-typical alt-rock voice. Poppy enough to be approachable, but with a decently raw edge to make it alternative.
Enjoyed it!
singing doesn´t appeal to me ...
Je ne suis pas un fan de Courtney Love, mais je dois admettre qu’il y a du bon matériel ici. Cet album démarre en fou avec le plus grand succès du groupe. Après ce n’est pas égal. La collaboration avec Billy Corgan se fait sentir, particulièrement sur Hit So Hard où on est proche de Love des Smashing Pumpkins sur Mellon Collie. La présence de Melissa Auf Der Maur est un autre élément cool. Bref, je trouve super d’avoir un groupe majoritairement féminin qui font du rock, mais l’égo et la réputation de Courtney gâche un peu mon appréciation.
I was not thrilled to listen to this, aside from the title track I am not sure I knew anything else from Hole. I don't have a ton of nostalgia for this sound from the 90s either. The second half the album ended up being a lot better than I was expecting after the first half though, and found myself bopping along gleefully. Not the worst by any means.
2000steen movie
Surprisingly commercial. But that's not the point. Thanks to this I learnt that Billy Corgan and Courtney Love were once an 'item'. And once again, I am wrong footed by the company Billy Corgan keeps (or the people who choose Billy Corgan as company - it could go either way).
Hadn't ever heard of Hole before, Liked it. Kind of bland towards the end. Grunge meets acoustic
Not bad but not great. It doesn't capture my attention.
First song is an absolute banger, but the rest of the album fails to match that energy. I will probably go back and check it out without playing the first track again.
The single was everywhere!
Celebrity Skin is a great track. The rest are pretty good. I think if I hear more of it I’d give it a little higher rating, but for now….. 3/5
I'm really torn on this one. The standout tracks rank among the best of that unmistakably 90s grunge rock style, and Love's powerfully raw vocals compliment that style incredibly well (especially on "Northern Star" - wow), but there are just too many forgettable tracks interspersed throughout. This album would have definitely benefited from some trimming. Standout tracks: "Celebrity Skin", "Awful", Malibu", "Northern Star", "Petals"
Pretty average 90s post grunge album
I liked the title track, celebrity skin but other than that I thought everything sounded the same
Sonido y estilo definido, no realmente de mi preferencia
Title track aside, it's okay. title track is a banger though
Better than anticipated
Jájá, fínt síð-tíunda Ameríkurokk. Mér finnst Celebrity skin skemmtilegt og eldast vel. Malibu er ágætt. Hitt er filler sem pirrar ekki.
It's quite good. Like it's cherry picked the prior 20 years of grunge and alternative, and tried to construct a pop album. In a sense, by succeeding on the pop front so well, Courtney Love outdid Kurt Cobain as a project. As an album, it's good. Really good. But the jangle/fuzz trick wears thin as the album goes on. Northern Star is a very emotional exception to this!
Extremely 90s. The singles are good though
Hole sure is not the best band 3 Better than the last one though
Brash guitar based indie/power pop. Lyrically it is an interesting concept although at times I felt I was listening to the soundtrack for Baywatch! I enjoyed the title track the most because at 2:42 this was straight to the point. Some of the other tracks outstay their welcome. The dense production is typical of nines guitar based rock.
liked the first song good sound, the rest was surprisingly pedestrian, toothed side of boring. Still better than Nirvana.
This album has more of a poppy sheen to it, but notwithstanding that I'm just gonna copy and paste from my review of Live Through This the week before last: 'strong vocals, good grunge-pop sound, consistently solid songs but not many worldies. 3/3.5' Ok, this one does have a worldie on it (the title track). A strong 3.5 then.
I was pleasantly surprised by this album and would definitely listen to a few tracks again
Peaks hard on the first song but the rest is still good
5/8/2022 - ALBUM #101 Today's Album: "Celebrity Skin" by Hole - Before I say anything else, I will say this is a good album. Now, by that I simply mean it's pretty pleasant to listen to throughout. The vocals are competent, the production isn't terrible, and it's feeling like this was the start of the rise of alt-punk in the early 2000s. However, I think my big problem with this album is that it doesn't stand out very much. I really like this album and the way it sounds, with it's powerful chords, strong and confident vocals, and meaningful lyricism, but I just feel like I'm not left with anything exceptional or that I couldn't get better from Alanis Morrissette or Doves. The big hits on this album feel like they have stronger songwriting than the others, but it's still not anything that really blows me away. There are some tracks on here I actually really dislike like Use Once & Destroy, where the production feels really blown out and the band feels like they're half asleep. It also starts to feel like the vocalist doesn't have very much range and by the later half of the album, I just feel really sick of the tone of her voice. It feels like each song is having a harder time standing out for me and the charm that was initially there in the beginning of the album is fading. It kind of feels like this album was really just a vehicle for hits and there was little to no care put into the way the album flowed or would sound as a whole. Overall, this album just doesn't offer much other than decent background noise. Listen to the first 5 tracks and decide if it's your thing I guess, but I'm sure you'll be sick of it by the end. Highlights: Celebrity Skin, Malibu, Dying Score: 6/10 Meh alt-rock
Hole does a decent job aiming for a more commercial alt rock sound. Favourites: "Celebrity Skin", "Malibu", "Petals"
Hyvä meno ja muutama oikein hyvä biisi. Ehkä 3.5, joka pyöristyy nyt alas.
The highs were high, and the lows were forgettable. Still, on the strength of Malibu alone, this gets 3.
In the mid 90s I would say out loud that it was funny how the quality of Courtney's music went downhill after her ghostwriter offed himself. Plus 1 for my being so insensitive back in the day but even with the +1 . . .
I only had time for a distracted listen, so I'll add a point.
Starts out good. Nostalgic. However, Courtney Love’s voice started to wear on me and by a Northern Star I was tired of listening to her.
Fínasta plata, kom fersk inn eftir tvær slakar. Fær þrist ekki meira né minna.
Hár og góður þristur.
Hressandi
Day 2: I had no idea who Hole was or what genre they played, I was a bit cautious when I started the album but the first song "Celebrity Skin" was a pleasant surprise. The Album in general sounded very familiar and Generic, even though I haven't listened to much music from the 90's I could still tell the music was good but basic. Decent and easy to listen to though so far this challenge is going well. Favourite Songs: Celebrity Skin, Malibu, Northern Star
You can really taste the Billy Corgan
Not as good as live through this, but solid
Cal donar mèrit a qui sho mereix i Courtney Love, malgrat el personate histriònic amb què ha fet envoltar la seva persona, ha estat capaç de publicar en els 4 discos d'estudi de la seva banda Hole, 4 discos molt recomenables, diferents entre sí i meritoris per diversos motius. 'Celebrity Skin' és el tercer, i el més musical i melòdic. El més orientat a les cançons que s'hi apleguen i que es deixa sentir amb més facilitat i bons moments. 'Petals', 'Malibu', 'Awful' o la cançó que li dóna títol estan entre el millor que ha cantat fins el moment (abril 2022)
Honestly I wasn't super present while listening to this. From what I did hear it was pretty good but also a little forgettable for me.
This was, surprisingly, not bad.
This album is an okay listen. The production is good. The first few songs are really solid, but it starts to fall off after that. Moreover, it's hard to understand why this album is on the list. I haven't seen many alternative rock albums here, so it's always sort of baffling when I get an album that I would consider to be a minor work of that era. It's not bad, but there are so many more deserving albums that I'm not sure made this list 3/5
I much prefer the raw intensity of "Live Through This." I feel like the move towards a more polished, poppier sound was a mistake, even if it was partially done ironically.
Never listened to any Hole nor any Courtney Love in a deliberate fashion. I find this album to be kind of whitewashed punk-rock made to appear on MTV and be palatable enough for the mainstream kids who wanna be cool. That's just my impression though.
Starts well, goes downhill. Not as good as Live Through This
Good stuff, I like
much grunge
Not as awful as feared - but fairly standard US rock.
Been a long time since I listened to this, and figured I’d give it an honest try. I didn’t originally like the record, but that was placing directly next to their earlier stuff, and probably tainted opinion with Love’s public persona. I actually enjoyed it. Granted it’s a departure, but it’s a polished well crafted album. Not great, but certainly enjoyable enough.
solid grunge sound.
I saw Hole, and Courtney Love's tits, twice on this tour. I didn't really want to see either..... The bass player was good.
Some pretty melodic and listenable pop rock - way gentler than I remember
3/5
The singles are still great, but a bit long.
A solid listen if you're looking for that classic 90/00's girls alt rock band sound. Not something I seek out generally, but done well
Nothing really stood out in this album. Felt like generic 90s music with nothing to set it apart from other 90s music.
This album felt like two different albums to me. The first half I loved, the second not so much. Overall I really like the album though and enjoyed its sound.
A couple good songs, most was fine.
Better than I thought it would be! I dig the pop direction. Production is great. I love how cohesive the album is. Made me realize that nothing has changed in California. Nothing earth shattering by any means.
Bill Corgan helped write a bunch of the songs on this record. It's gotta be one of the most successful "alt-rock" records of the late 90s, right? I remember when this came out, I loved the videos, and I thought this record (at least, the singles I was hearing) was more interesting than the previous Hole record. But, here's the thing: By this time in the late 90s, my msuic tastes had started deviating from the rock that was presented to me on MTV. Radiohead's "Ok Computer" (which was successful on MTV, I realize) started me down my first path of non-commercial guitar-based music. I learned that there was a whole world of indie-rock and electronic music waiting to be discovered. And that the "weirdos" on MTV were actually pretty lame-stream....ha. Some of that was true, some of it was teenage angst. Listening back to this record as an adult that loves a good tambourine track, I really liked it. Probably would have rated the record higher if I had it a more significant impact on music. But really, it was just a late 90s rock record that didn't suck (looking at you Limp Bizkit and Korn).
better then i remembered
This was surprisingly alright, 3*
Better than expected
,,celebrity skin" starts with energy (eletric guitar) and nice female vocal, you can feel kinda 90`s/2000`s vibe ,,awful" cool rock female vocals, also has energy, familiar vibe ,,hit so hard" calmer(?) nice drumps in the background, like u can hear instruments ,,malibu" i like the voice here, i think i like it the most as far ,,reason to be beautifull" strong guitar, still liked the previous one more, vacals good, and i like the moments when eletric guitar goes quaieter ,,dying" nice beginning, the beat/drumps gives a vibe, a little diferent than the previous ones, less energetic music lines and vocal. i like it. ,,use once & destroy" starts good, sometimes gets a nice vibe and deeper energy ,,nothern star" without that energetic guitar in the background you focus more on the voice. i liked it definitely calmer, (sometimes the voice rise) ,,boys on the radio" i like the vibe, i kinda liked it more than some of them from before, myb i`ll came back to this ,,heaven tonight" i think i like this too (?) not over energetic ,,playing your song" more energy that you can hear from the drumps and the strong vocal. after 1:30 to 2nd minute it got cool ,,petals" good beginning i like it. i feel like its just not my thing, from the firts track has a strong vibe 90`s/2000`s (like, bc it`s album from 1998) that is not my favourite, i prefer older rock/alternative music. the female voices with that eletric guitar in the background is kinda cool tho. i think my favourite would be,,dying" but also liked ,,malibu", ,,boys on the radio" and ,,petals", it wasn`t hard or unpleasant to listen but i don`t think i will go back to this album a lot (or not at all). just not my vibe.i had an impreesion that the songs here don`t really differ from each other. nothing amazed me. i wasn`t really paying attention to the text, my bad (bc spotify didn`t made lyrics there yet). i don`t have a strong opinion on this one.
Not bad. Punk rock always gets a little stale for me after a few songs, but this album does do a good job of switching up the sound of each song, instead of each just being a wall of guitars. 5/10
First song is the best and most recognizable for me. The rest of the album is more “generic” late 90s. It’s fine but pretty skippable. I’ll be generous with a 3.
Grunge light, it's not bad but it's not great either.
I can definitely hear Billy Corgan in this album. This is pretty angsty, very feminine pop rock. It's a very 90s sound, something one could have listened to on the MTV
3.5 Stars... Heard it before but it was a good revisit.
Meh.
Sounds like the 90s. 3.5
I like but don’t love this album. A little more pop than Hole was in their earlier albums, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Couple of GREAT songs, but some filler, too.
Pretty rockin' tbh
Not bad actually. Not a fan of Hole per se, but it was more listenable than I expected.
Didn't mind it actually. Courtney Love has always struck me as the kind of person who you would catch flash frying roadkill and raw dog food on the floor of your dad's garage at 4am in an attempt to woo him into sucking on her nipples for half an hour.
This is Hole's third album, their most popular one, and the last one before the band parted ways 4 years later. It's an alternative rock album from the 90's so it's pretty "grungy," but Hole also went with a more mainstream alternative sound. The title track became a number 1 hit single and the album was certified platinum just a few months after release. I thoroughly enjoyed all of this album and am shocked I've never heard of this band or their songs before. It is a nostalgic look back at 90's alternative music.
Decent rock album
Jam
Power-pop is what killed heavy guitar music by making it refined enough to be popular and paving the way for all the post-grunge nickelback music we loved when we were teenagers. Compared to the early Hole albums this one is way lighter... and, oh my god, I hate the stillborn almost sample-like production.
This is super 90s but I don't mind that. It's probably not going to my regular rotation but it's not bad at all.
not as good as i remember, but still a decent album
Quite liked this one. Pretty boring in the middle though.
Not much here imo. Kind of just a generic post-punk alternative album. I think it starts off strong, but just doesn't keep it going for all of the album.
This is another album that, while I've never previously listened to it as a whole (pun intended), I have a hard time giving it unbiased consideration. My memories of this album when it was released were (A) seeing Celebrity Skin on TRL and (B) hearing the media blast Courtney Love for using her husband's death to gain fame. Even then I was a little grossed out by that description and I've never been fond of defining women by their relationships with men. On the flip side, Courtney Love's reputation precedes her and it's hard not to see her as at least a tid bit on the difficult side. All that said, I tried to give the music an impartial listen and tried to pay attention to the lyrics. My conclusions? Celebrity Skin is still a banger. Courtney Love has a shit singing voice. And this music almost certainly inspired bands that I enjoyed in the early aughts, but I found this album overall dull.
This Hole album reminds me of my freshman college roommate. She really liked Courtney Love. I, however, have never been able to separate this artist from the work, and Love has always seemed like a garbage human.
90'er alt rock. Til tider noller tekstunivers. Komposition og motiver ret fine. Use once and destroy er god. Meget blandet oplevelse ellers. Bliver nogle gange lidt for meget soundtrack til emotionel amerikansk teenagefilm. Men satme også nogle numre med go' geddar!
do u want one or two hit songs with your boring album sir ?
Decent punk/grunge/pop album. A couple snoozers but mostly solid. I do quite like Love's voice. Lara says "I didn't particularly care for it".
bättre än vad omslaget gav sken av
Was ok
Reminds me of the 90s. Good but fairly generic.
This album had some good tunes and an overall pleasant feel. I liked the grungy feeling it gave me.
3.5
1998 Grunge
Favorites: Hit So Hard - Dying- Northern Star - Least favorites: Malibu
This album is good-ish. The inclusion of Malibu, which is a song that I absolutely adore, brings the score up. Hole goes pop-ish. But Malibu is fantastic. Malibu.
Courtney gives us a post-grunge/pop album and the singles are absolute bops."Celebrity Skin" appropriately soundtracked the opening sequence to EA's NHL Rock The Rink on the PS1 (really underrated game btw). "Malibu" and "Aweful" are both pretty damn catchy. The last half was a bit dull though. Given it's Canada Day as I type this and Melissa Auf der Maur is slappin da bass on here...its getting a generous 🌟🌟🌟
Сложно оценить, не "моя" музыка, но вроде бы и нравится
The core of this album is made up of songs, starting with Celebrity Skin and Awful, that repeat the same pattern: soft melodicism over a male beat and melodramatic riffs. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Celebrity Skin, Malibu
It's alright
Listening to this, I got the feeling that it’s time we revisit the narrative around Courtney Love and start giving, because in hindsight, a lot of the flack she took around Cobain’s death seems fairly misogynistic now, and this album shows she really was a unique female voice in alternative rock. That being said, the album feels a little of its time now, with a lot of stop-start, quiet-loud, glitzed-up grunge dynamics. The “wall of guitars sound” production also made it feel samier than it provably needed to.
I had a phase where I liked them, so this was a strange nostalgia trip.
Yeah, look. It's alright.
First half be some playing need for speed on the xbox when your parents arent home vibes, second half has more variation but it gets grating towards the end. Solid album tho
Mostly it was boring. The first two songs, however, left me wanting more. Celebrity Skin and Awful have been stuck in my head since I first heard them a few days ago. Awful feels like the perfect mix of angst from Nirvana and the production value of Smashing Pumpkins. For that, I'm rating the album a three just because I love these two songs so much. Otherwise, I find the songs to be boring and just more nineties songs. Highlights: 1, and 2.
Well polished production and a very accessible, poppy, sound, make this a decently enjoyable listen. The tracks I have lukewarm feelings towards, are those that go aggressively heavy on the guitars and drown out a more subtle and pleasurable sound . It just goes too heavy on the teenage-angst that I am not keen on, but there are enough extremely catchy tracks that I have trouble getting out of my head. When it's more mid-tempo, with great hooks and a thin layer of aggression, I find myself enjoying this record. Standout tracks are Awful, Malibu and Petals. 3/5.
Better than I thought it was going to be, but did not do too much for me.
Der var et godt nummer, mens resten var okay.
Probably a 3.5
not bad
This was pretty good. Feels like pop for edgier than average teens.
A fun girl rock album. Great ripping guitars and angsty vocals. It didn't keep my interest the whole way through, but there's some good stuff on here. Favorite song: Celebrity Skin
I didn’t realize how many times I’ve thought “it’s too early for that dress” about someone over the course of my life. I liked this a lot more than I remember liking it at the time it came out.
Immeasurably better than the other Hole album we had, they are a lot more melodic and less shout.
Fuck Courtney Love. Best track: Celebrity Skin
Pleasant enough, but aside from a few tracks that caught my ear there is nothing here that is drawing me back.
Kinda fun although it falls off near the end. First track is great
“Celebrity Skin” by Hole (1998) There’s a lot of pain, frustration, anxiety, and writer’s block in these lyrics, as if Courtney Love just wants to get it over with. Here we have a superior poetic intellect that doesn’t quite succeed In reaching its potential. As a lead singer, Courtney Love’s approach to pitch is to execute lazy looping slurs, hopeful that the correct note is in there somewhere. It usually is. But I wouldn’t want to listen to this voice everyday. If I were forced to, I’d probably end up shooting myself. Very good use of rhythm electric guitar effects (chorus, sustain) that help stabilize an otherwise marginal performance. Very good drum work by Patty Schemel (or whoever). Nice production elements make some tracks rise above the barely listenable. This is competent rock, but not a classic. 3/5
Pas vraiment ecoute, pas tro0 mon style et on dirait que ca vient d’une autre epoque. 3
Not bad. Some fun songs but I feel like they all covered the same territory.
Some definite bangers
I don't think a list of 1001 albums for requisite listening before death genuinely needs 2 hole albums but there it is. My comments on the prior one are fine for this one too.
Some nice late 90s rock with a great pop sheen across the top.
That sort of ok if semi-bland mid to late 90s American rock that you would find in every teen movie/tv series of the time. Nothing awful, nothing great. The kids hanging outside Todds in their black hoodies and pink hair would love it
Not too bad. 80's Rock chick
Good rock album.
90-te alternativa, kortni love.
Courtney Love, who woulda known huh? Not me cuz idk shit. But good sound imo
Hole muito bom
iconic opening track
A fun album. Surprisingly heavy for 90s alt pop. Some songs stand out.
Extremely well-produced, competent album. The A-side was pleasant to listen to but didn't really make my ears perk up, while the second half became much, much stronger. On balance, not exactly patchy, but neither is it forgettable nor excellent. Solid 3.4-3.5. I would go gaga over a similar album that kept the sonic experimentation up for the whole length.
A bit poppy for me but title track and Petals were good. Also can hear similarity to Nirvana.
Tails off, bit samey
A younger me might have got into this
Not at all interested though thanks. I did skip thorough the songs and they are just…plain. The singles are yawners. And Courtney never really sounds fierce and feral which is when she is at her most effective. I like the previous two hole albums but this is a snoozer.
Courtney Love just ain't doing it for me. Didn't really enjoy this one, but the title track is still catchy radio fodder
It is noisy and poppy, but as a whole album it is boring. I Didn’t make it through, and stopped on the middle
Added some of the songs to my playlist, but in general not my type of music…
Okay but vocally not great.
More like 1.5. Besides the title track, the rest is fine.
Not bad, mildly catchy pop rock tunes. Very much at the poppy end of US indie rock of the 90s, and without the “indie” label attached it’s just female fronted LA pop rock in th 80s to 90s vein. Better than the earlier Hole stuff I heard at the time, the somewhat grungier earlier stuff, though not consistent through the record. Does kind of sum up the end of the US scene, as another reviewer on here sums up well the whole contradiction of it all. The depth in the shallowness of it all, made by cynical rich kids. Dismissed C Love at the time, mainly because of the tabloid feeding frenzy, on the basis of this that’s probably a little unfair as there is some decent pop rock here. But then there was a lot of others at the same time, who aren’t on this list so why this. Not sure what makes this standout? Then or now. Think the main word about this whole thing is the one in the title of the record. So maybe it sums up the time and belongs here, maybe it’s a middling pop rock “indie” album? that had a lot of press for things other than the music. You make a half descent record and the exposure does the rest. Maybe that’s a lot of music and why there are so many hidden gems. Take your choices 2.5 star
A couple of tracks were okay
I'm surprised to see this averaging well above 3. This is almost objectively not good.
Serviceable but generic alternative rock record. I wish it had a little bit more mess to it; it’s a cleaned up version of their contemporaries and would fit right into any college radio rotation. Pleasing melodies, but blasé work.
This sounds like a lot of other band from the 90s grunge scene, and nothing really stood out.
creo que no es el estilo q me gusta. osea me irrita
Popgrunge. Huskede den her plade som bedre
There are some nice hooks and I might even quite like some of this in smaller doses, but the production style and mannerism ended up puting me off to the extent I couldn't really hear anything else.
Courtney Love group - ehh 2
Two opinions first: 1. Courtney Love is probably top 10 90s vocalists for me. 2. Hole is a band that deserves two entries on a list of 1000 must-hear albums. Now the conclusion of my relisten to Celebrity Skin after many years: Celebrity Skin is not an album that needs to be listed, it's not good. But to start from the beginning, the album does start out well. The title track is a really good one. Then "Awful" made me think I may have unfairly assessed the album BITD. "Hit So Hard" was another good track, "Malibu" too. All really well-made tracks, good lyrics, definitely more polished and radio-friendly than "Live Through This" but it's not a major change. This isn't a sellout album like some people say. "Reasons to Be Beautiful" is a mostly solid tune, too, until it takes a wrong turn in the last minute, and then the album is really pretty bad after that. "Dying": not good. "Use Once and Destroy": OK as filler for better tunes, but... "Northern Star" is a real stinker. After that it's pop-rock retreads that you've heard in every decade since the 70s. "Heaven Tonight" is just so basic on every level, really pop-rock dreck. In the back half of the album, everything that made "Pretty on the Inside" (absolutely everything that made that album great!) and "Live Through This" great albums, and made Courtney Love and Co. compelling as a band -- all that is gone. Polished away. "Playing Your Song" almost reclaims it, but there's just so much production slathered all over the somewhat weird chords... nope. Anyhow, the two slots that Hole deserves on a must-listen list should have been for "Pretty on the Inside" (the really great, really confrontational version of the band at their noise-punk DIY best) and the more mature masterpiece in "Live Through This." "Celebrity Skin" is just a good example of post-grunge late 90s rock in decline.
Super mediocre rock band
Live Through This is the better Hole record. This didn’t really connect with me.
Tough listen for a 70’s rock guy. Tried to be open minded, but really didn’t care for it. A couple songs ok, but just not my genre.
In the recesses of my brain think I’ve heard of Hole before but never listened to them. Courtney also rang a bell but couldn’t say if she was the Cox or Love variety. Might have been same person as far as I was bothered. Having this indifference did not bode well but the lead track did hold my attention. Tack 2 sounded the same as did track 3 so I gave up to revise my Coutney problem. 2/5 21/8/26
The guitar solo on Heaven Tonight was the only solid thing I heard. Not my cup of tea.
Not really a grunge guy, but this is decent
Kind of dull. I thought it might have had more bite to it but maybe I'm thinking of their earlier stuff.
Perfect for background music. Pretty bland.
More appealing to others, I felt like this was already done and didn’t have much to say.
Nice record, shifting from grunge to a more pop/rock sound was clearly a good commercial choice by the band. Though the existential crisis of selling out debate does not favor this band at the moment. Songs are good, but nothing special. Actually slightly boring at times. I also don't like Courtney Love. I'm still waiting for this website to give me the real thing, something that is truly an album you HAVE to have listened to. Sadly I feel I could've died without ever having heard this one, and I wouldn't have missed much.
Greit
Dull
Hole is just not for me
the only good one is hole
I'm sure it's great, just not at all my genre.
I had reasonably high hopes for this and it let me down a bit. Can't say much jumped out at me and it was a bit samey. With the exception of Malibu which is excellent.
I just dont get it man. This album is celebrated so much but I cant stand her singing just couldnt get over it
Okay
no real highlights for me but i like their sound
nah mid rock
Pretty safe, maybe it's the production or maybe Billys influence but it feels like rock by numbers and doesn't light a fire under you. Paradoxically that guarantees airplay, go figure!
Meh. It was alright, slightly better than a 2 star album for me but i'll stick with 2 stars.
The title track was inescapable when it came out, turned into one of those classic songs that gets used for commercials and movie trailers. I kinda loved Live Through This to my surprise, this seems much more harmless in retrospect. Sounds more like a typical alt rock album, than it's previous grungier style. I woundn't have included this in the list. It's fine.
Okay, so I actually know the first song and that was a nice surprise, as I didn't know it was Hole who sing it (I didn't really know who they were in the first place). Overall, not a bad album, it has that sound from popular songs at around that time, but it's a bit similar-sounding after listening to a few of the songs. Not too bad though.
Cool, bit messy though.
The epitome of a late mid 90's California Grunge sound, which is a shame because their second album Live Through This was so good (their first album is basically copying Babes In Toyland). I'm actually annoyed I liked this album in 98.
I fucking love Courtney Loveee downnn but this album is just forgettable sorry. Some good songs tho
First song is widely known. Never thought I would listen to Courtney Love but here we are. The rest of the album told me little.
This is maybe the most known album out of this group of bands that became famous in the 90s. The mostly women rock/pop/grunge/punk groups that wanted to tell the world they could write modern rock music while also doing drugs, getting into legal trouble and making their success out of anything except their musical talent. Almost 30 years later and this album still rings hollow, non-authentic, attention seeking and showing that they were torn between their "punk-grunge bad girl" identity and their incessant need to be in the spotlight. The songs are catchy and under 4:00 so they could get radio time and their lyrics are mostly "oh its so hard to be famous" Enough context, this is about the album.... Its ok I guess. The title song is still a banger and "Hit so hard" is overlooked imo.
she killed kurt Boring and repetitive imho Highlight: Dying (kinda ironic, huh) and did I mention that she killed kurt 1.9
Celebrity Skin is awesome... Awful was a decent second track... Dying was interesting... didn't get much out of the rest. Bad? No. Boring? Yea. Pretty straightforward 90s alt radio rock, with a chick who may or may not have murdered her husband leading the way.
Not for me, then again I’m not a huge fan of 90s grunge/alternative rock. It sounded like I was listening to one really long song.
Ok
Then original Riot Grrl.
Liked a couple songs, actively didn't like a few
Dribble. Mindless dribble.
Mám radšej ich predchádzajúce surovejšie veci...
Honestly, this was all fine. Just not for me. It sounded grungy and Courtney is an incredible performer but the music does not connect with me.
Certainly not a shade on the urgency of Live Through This, but still pretty glammy and shimmery. High 2s.