Live Through This

I wanted to give Live a chance based on the radio singles I had heard. I am unimpressed. This was another album that I forgot as I was listening to it. Multiple times I had to remind myself that I was supposed to be listening to this album for the project. I don’t think this is a must hear, or culturally relevant.

Such fun. I'm embarrassed to say that I've always considered Courtney Love to be 2nd rate artist, but, again, embarrassed, I've never listened to Hole. This is great music. So tight with the era. My apologies to Ms. Love and the band. I've wasted 30 years of my life.

Extraordinary. What exactly do you call this? Grunge? Alt rock? Riot grrl punk? Whatever it is, it's spewing with hate and vindictiveness and it's absolutely fucking rad. "I'm eating you. I'm overfed. Your milk's in my mouth. It makes me sick." DAMN GIRL By the way, Courtney Love can sang. A monstrous performance top to bottom, in the best way.

It's clearly very good, just that I don't particularly like to hear it.

It's a great alternative rock album. It sounds raw and original. Courtneys voice sounds good too, in an original way with fearless expression. But then.. one questions the true originality eventually. Maybe this is just another great Nirvana/ Kurt Cobain album. This detail unfortunately affects the listening experience through the album.

Great album

Really enjoyed. Solid rock

3.5

Discovering 90s grunge in my 30s is wild. Painfully emotional lyrics capturing womanhood. Who knew courtney love.

I knew a few songs already like Violet and Doll Parts. Unsurprisingly a strong female rocker album was right down my street. I love the fury in Courtney Love's screaming and Violet in particular is incredible

Fantastic album

It seems like ’m giving everything 3 these these days. Didn’t like it but not bad enough to give it a 2. (1 is for absolute crap that shouldn’t be on the list.)

2 out of 5 A couple of really great song shows Courtney Love's talent, but the majority of the songs are just screeching and hard to listen to

Eh

Good

first listen i'm a simple man i like angry girl music

Very solid album! 3 1/2, really. I just don’t really like Courtney’s vocals for some reason. Maybe I’m just.. biased against Courtney..

6/10

I think I liked it more than I thought. It holds together pretty well in the end. At first I thought it was running out of ideas a bit after the first 5 tracks but on repeat listens it's still entertaining. It's not the best thing ever but it's made me curious enough to try again.

Preferred the other hole album but maybe it'll grow on me

Yesterday, I was talking about 1990s albums, and Courtney Love, so the 1001 Albums Generator gods presented this, and I liked it so much more than I thought I would. I felt like an edgy teenager again. In other news, my grandpa died today. At least he lived a good, long life. The angst in this album is how I felt today, even though his soul is thriving in a much better place than the Pale Blue Dot. Favorite Track: "Violet".

Godmother of femi-punk

Some welcome grunge and a fantastic album to boot

Gave me nothing

Nirvana were great. A shot in the arm for rock music when it was starting to sound like the musical equivalent of deja vu all over again. But copyists, who were always going to come along, needed to be especially talented to make this style of music anything other than a tribute. And serial star fucker supreme, Courtney Love, was always going to struggle on that front. Could have been made by Nirvana with a female singer. Apart from the fact that it's rubbish. Next.

Pretty good

Miss World is a pretty great song

Reminded me a little of a vitriolic Patti Smith.Worth a listen.

Courtney Love. Great album. -1 for Kurt. 4/5

Mid

There are a couple of true gems on this album (Doll Parts, Violet) and some that feel a bit like generic anger. But female anger needs space to be expressed and this sounds like freedom in that way. So while not perfect, this album always hold a special place in my heart.

Rumours abound and sledging is rife, Was this really written by his wife? Until today I had listening delayed, Despite copies hanging in all stores portrayed. ……. It’s hard for women to get credit in the real world, But this album is bejewelled and often pearled, And after two listens my decision is final, Rumours be damned, I will get it on vinyl.

Pretty cool

I walked into this expecting a train wreck, or at least something I’d have to grit my teeth through. Instead, it turns out Live Through This is way more solid than its reputation for chaos suggests. Courtney Love is never going to melt faces with pristine vocals, but that’s not what this album is selling. Her ragged delivery, pushed to the edge of cracking, somehow fits the band’s tight, punchy quiet-to-loud songwriting better than a “better” singer ever could. There are real hooks buried under all the distortion, and the band holds the whole thing together with a sense of purpose that surprised me. This isn’t going on my daily rotation or anything, but it’s unquestionably better crafted—and more cohesive—than I expected. A well-earned three: flawed, fiery, and far more compelling than I thought it would be.

Great rock record. Controversial opinion I don't think Kurt Wrote it.

Solid but nothing really blew me away about it

Violet's great! She walks on me is pretty energetic Its good! Not much to say about it, I like the vibe of it for sure

Well, she knows how to rock. Not sure I enjoyed all that much, but she can rock.

1. violet - 1.5 2. uuorld - 1 3. plump - 1 4. Asking -1.5 5. Body - 1.5 6. Doll - 1.5 7. Credit - 1 8. Softer -1.5 9. Me -1 10. Die -1 11. Gut -1 12. Star - 1.5

A pop album i expect kees to listen to. A mix of the start of the pop girl era mixed with heavy rock influence. I overall enjoy it a lot. For sure an above average album for me. The intresting sounds of the transision of rock and modern pop created a unique sound that has replayablility while standing on its own. Overall 3.5

Denk dat 17 jarige angsty Lalique dit leuk had gevonden, de Lalique van nu wil rust en stilte. Maar cool.

Interesting and punky. I can see how this has influenced punk of even today. Courtney Love has a powerful raw voice that is really unique. 3.5

Nice and punk, sounds very 90s. Second song sounds quite Nirvana like which isn't surprising. It's pretty good but I don't see myself listening to it again. Listening to this I want to hear their harder sounds (as this apparently their softer albums). I feel like those may resonate more with me. "She walks on me" confirms that I'd probably love that even more

Grunge, rock, tutto. Potente ed incazzato, mi piace.

*Good alternative 90s album *Definitely hear the Cobain influence- guitars are grungy at time and her vocals go hoarse at the end of a phrase/word *Solid musically but it didn't overly wow me

Can't hate this. I share her Love of Milk!

I think I just don't like Grunge. Nothing against the artists personally though.

Girl rage is real

The best female empowerment album since Houmous & Chutneys collaboration with Toya’s Wilcox on the hit record ‘Girls Can Shout Too (Ya Know!)’ 2.4 12/12 Rockstar

It’s good. More like 3.5 stars, but I like it.

Solid album. Standout songs: Miss World Gutless She Walks on Me

Pluss: Endelig ikke gubberock. Minus: Fortsatt middelmådig og uinteressant musikk. Kun kjent pga. kjendis-vokalist.

not my cup of tea

Wack

Pleasently surprised by how heavy it was. Not familiar with the brand. Great vocals and instruments, aggressive and fast flowing. But nothing surprising or particularly standing out by today's standards.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. Not crazy about her voice though

Interesting to hear some grunge from someone other than a depressed white guy

Angery

Really enjoyed - not as good as Celebrity Skin for my money - but still a great listen and far better than majority of their contemporaries.

More entertaining than I was expecting. Classic Grunge with some good melodies going on.

Interesting. I remember listening to Celebrity Skin a lot but missed this one. Yay this is awesome. So much part and parcel of the punkish indie rock of its time. This is in the same vein as the pixies, L7, mid career Sonic Youth. It’s noisy chaotic and beautiful. Also it doesn’t like it’s something that’s just a copy cat of that scene it sounds like a living part of creating this sound. If, like me, you only ever heard Celebrity Skin and felt that was some watered down grunge for the masses… this ain’t it. It’s abrasive punk with a lot of rage and the talent to express it via music. Also very biting feminist lyrics that literally scream at you and very interesting sludge metal influences. Four stars.

Rockin

Feels like im watching a teenagers coming of age movie and the older sister is blaring music while going through her emo phase.

Courtney love grunge voice 10 hours

good rock/grunge

Courtney Love!

IMHO as someone who grew up in Washington state, this album is underrated. It's both a major influence in the grrrrl rock movement, and a really good grunge record. I think it speaks for many women of a certain age and the realization that society has unrealistic visions for what they should be as "young ladies". Courtney Love is a bit of a polarizing figure but I appreciate that she frequently says exactly what she thinks, a rarity in the rock world.

Good stuff

Siempre prefereí a PJ Harvey, Breeders, Throwing Muses o Sleater-Kinney, y junto a Hole, L7, Babes in toyland, etc. Muchas de ellas metidas en el saco de las Riot Grrrls. Pero Hole nunca me dieron mucho más. Tenían como Elastica el hándicap de ser la novia de un lumbreras como Cobain (Justine era la de Albarn). Un disco grunge o como quieran llamarlo, con buenas canciones y melodías, con una Courtney que acaparó portadas, escándalos y protagonismo. ¿Referente? Para mí , no. creo que hubo muchas otras antes, después y sobre todo con mayor talento.

I could never really enjoy this group. At moments in a given song it feels like it'll coalesce into something really worthwhile. Then it just falls back to the samey.

Can anyone tell me why Courtney is so angy? Big chunks of this are bad, but in the deliberately bad way grunge kinda was.

This was the perfect album for what I was feeling today. Favorite Songs: Credit in the Straight World, She Walks on Me

I lived through it.

Definitely not as strong as celebrity skin for me but still awesome. Def felt more like a pearl jam album then like a smashing pumpkins album. love her voice tho

This album ROCKS. Courtney love is a fucking powerhouse lead rock band performer. Her voice is so so perfect. It’s edgy and raw and the songs are AWESOME. I definitely like this better than celebrity skin cuz it just feels more cohesive and less shiny. LOVE IT!

Violet Doll Parts

I don’t mind a few Hole songs, and own one of two albums. Haven’t really listened to much apart from he odd song here and there for years though. Went into this one looking forward to it, but found it quite disappointing.

Just what I expected - enjoyed this a lot

It's not the best album that Kurt ever wrote, but it's pretty good

Wow, misogyny is very real, huh. Banger album.

Not my thing. Band sounded good, didn't like the vocals.

Desde muy muy chico cuando era un reciente fanático de nirvana me he negado a escuchar este álbum porque odiaba con todo mi ser a Courtney Love y la culpaba por matar a Kurt Cobain. Hoy, varios años después escucho por primera vez esto y si bien no está mal no me llega mucho, capaz sigo resentido en el fondo...

Un peu basic

You can definitely hear the similarities between Hole and Nirvana, though who influenced whom is up for debate. I love Love's vocal timbre – it's absolutely perfect for the mood and lyrics of each and every song. From the opener, Violet, we hear the anguish, the strain, the anger that you always hope to get from an alternative rock band. And yet it manages to avoid being overblown, maintaining a pretty tasteful musicality. The same cannot be said for other sub-branches of rock like post-punk and death metal. She Walks On Me is probably the closest Hole gets to these more experimental genres, what with its filtered vocal, guitar distortion, and fast, angry rhythm. Credit In The Straight World is also a standout, musically, though it's hard to tell why. It has an unconventional opening sections that's mostly echoed vocals, and it's very cool. Exotic, almost. On the other hand, the songs Plump and Jennifer's Body are excellent examples of keeping this balance between (radio-)friendliness and harshness, and they're two of my favourites for that reason. The lyrical themes in this album are pretty frustrating (or maybe "harrowing" is a better word) to listen to in 2025. It feels like nothing has changed in 31 years. There still has to be an active push against misogyny, body shaming, and societal standards to keep people safe. (And, in some places, it's gotten significantly worse since the 90s.) "Every time that I stare into the sun / Angel dust, and my dress just comes undone / And every time that I stare into the sun / Be a model or just look like one / Wild-eyed, rot gut, do me in / Do you think you can make me do it again?" Damn. I know there's plenty of similar themes being expressed in music nowadays, but that music isn't gaining as much traction as it did in the 90s. The main thing stopping this from reaching 5 stars is that none of the songs are particularly catchy or obviously "hits". 4/5 Key tracks: Violet, Jennifer's Body, Doll Parts

Great stuff. Underrated.

Good, didn’t blow me away, but I still liked it.

"If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party at the Four Seasons, don't go" Courtney Love 2005

Enjoyed this more than I expected. Preferred its less heavy parts

One of those albums where the most famous tracks are actually the weaker ones

3.5

I think this is a pretty great record. Not 5 stars great but really very good. I think it helps that this actually kind of is my thing this grungy sound and raw expression. It also still has a bit of that pop sensibility that the best ‘grunge’ always brought tot he table. I think their next record Celebrity Skin had bigger hits and was better in that sense but this is the real deal - broken people making heartfelt music that expresses their life experience.

she was speaking truth but you people weren’t ready to hear it

Not much of a Hole fan but this album was really quite good.

Contender for best grunge album

Terrible. Can’t sing. No great songs.

Really great grunge album. The messiness of the music perfectly matches Courtney Love as well. Rating: 4.8

Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 🥹👑👰‍♀️ Production: 🧃📻👍 Music: 😇👩‍🎤🖕 Ratinng: 🕳️🕳️🕳️(🕳️)/5

It's pretty good. 3.75 stars.

8/10

Meh not for me at this moment of my life. Too grungy and angsty, I can see the appeal though and would have been a big album when it came out.

Masterpiece! Perfect album, perfect vocal! However, Nirvana's influence is here.

Doll parts

Violet 4.3 Miss World 3.7 Plump 3.6 Asking for It 3.8 Jennifer's Body 3.9 Doll Parts 4 Credit in the Straight World 3.5 Softer, Softest 3.7 She Walks on Me 3.6 I Think That I Would Die 3.8 Gutless 3.7 Rock Star (Olympia) 3.7 Score: 3.775

Love it

The way I didn't know Courtney Love was in a band until Hole albums started showing up on here... Very 90s grunge rock. It's ok, not my thing 2*

Courtney is derivative of Kurt. I found this album to be a corporate money grab. the music is dull, uninteresting.

97/1089 a pretty cool angsty/grungy rock project. I really appreciate Love’s voice and how it’s incorporated very much like an instrument itself. I can see myself coming back to this and liking it more. faves: Jennifer’s Body, Violet, She Walks On Me, Softer, Softest, Rockstar, Doll Parts 67/100

90s rock. Lots of distortion. Female lead singer.

Pretty raw music, but enjoyable enough. Very of it's time and Nirvana-esque, which fits considering who was singing. Although I did not know of the relation when I started listening.

Screaming

I despise Courtney Love but can’t deny this album. Violet is a great grunge song

An album so good it caused Kurt Cobain to blow his head off a couple of months later. This is basically a female version of Nevermind. And it rocks.

Was once drunk as fuck in line for a nightclub and asked some chick in line who was wearing a Hole shirt if she thought Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain. She said no, and her boyfriend said yes, and they immediately got into a fight about it in line. Pretty sure I fell asleep in my hallway about 2 metres from my bed that night. Good times.

Ive always enjoyed Hole's hit singles. First time ive listened to this or anything by them front to back. A phenomenal grunge album i adore maybe even more than anything by Nirvana. The highs arent as high but the consistency throughout is unreal. 10/10

Waiter, waiter! More furious 90s female artists please! Love’s excellent songwriting ability makes this feel like a 38 minute tumultuous therapy session, being both thoroughly personal and accessible. It was bizarre to read that there was a rumour that Kurt Cobain was a ghostwriter for this album, they’re both grunge acts but Love’s lyricism is a lot more pointed and less word salad-y than Cobain’s. Without addressing the elephant in the room, this is a killer album. Highlights: Violet, Asking for It, Doll Parts, Gutless

Best thing about this was that it was only 38 minutes. I've listened to a previous hole album and enjoyed it. Didn't with this, don't know why.

I have never enjoyed hole or Courtney love. This album did. It change my mind. Lots of the songs sounded the same.

Better than I though it was

Let's get this out of the way right now. 1. Courtney Love Killed Kurt Cobain 2. Kurt Cobain wrote most of this album just like Billy Corgan wrote a substantial portion of Celebrity Skin. Violet sounds exactly like a song that Nirvana would write the rest of the album is kind of meh in my opinion for me the biggest shame is that most of this was overshadowed by Cobain's death/murder just a few months before. I remember learning that he was dead and then just a few days later this album came out and made Courtney Love a lot of money all for the price of killing one of the greatest musicians of my generation. If you're thinking that this has more to do about Cobain than the album that's because the only thing worth a shit about Courtney Love is Kurt Cobain.

Mehhh do not like this girl rock did not listen to one than more song

It's good. Very nostalgic. Would this record have been made without her being married to Kurt? Probably not. At least not this made this well. She's an opportunist who made the most of her opportunity. Can't fault her.

she’s not a woman of many words, but i appreciate her anger, its giving jumping on my bed playing air guitar with an over exaggerated side part and blondie posters on my wall

In the right headspace for it probably higher rating 3. Plump - my fav so far 4. Asking for it - Love 9. She Walks on Me - Punk as hell

Strong 3,5

good energy Will I listen to again: 95%

okay but not for me

6/10 Needs a few more actual tunes rather than just bashing the guitar. But sometimes I just want someone bashing a guitar

A teenage favorite that holds up surprisingly well! You can hear the Kurt influence, sometimes too much, but solid throughout. Nostalgia tinted glasses, maybe, but who cares.

Some cool oldschool 90s angst

Courtney Love is not a talented musician, and that fact is highlighted on this album. It's hard to listen to her sing.

Good in places , ok in others

Really enjoyed this one, better than I was expecting.

Sort of dismissed Hole back in the day, so good to re listen now. The songwriting is really strong and there are some great songs on here, Violet and Doll Parts are the obvious examples. A great energy and balance is evident, with only Love’s shrieking vocals the real downside.

I’ve not looked at others reviews yet, but I’m assuming others have pointed out that Courtney Love is by far the worst female vocalist we will encounter on this list, and I don’t think she stacks up well even against other more visceral Riot Grrrls from the same time. Alongside some pretty stodgy low grade grunge riffs, this album is entirely forgettable. Dare I say famous/infamous for association only.

um hell yeah violet has been added to favorites

Good if not really for me, I kinda preferred the poppier sound of the other Hole album, much to my shame.

yeah, a solid grunge album with super fucking awesome cover

It doesn't matter how good the music and lyrics are, she just can't sing - and I love women who scream-sing.

an album that ironically was intended to be less noise focused and more pop-centric, Hole's 1993 album that was released a week after lead singer Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide, tried to lean into melody while still maintain hardcore sensibilities. In her words, she was very competitive with Kurt.

Violet - 10/10 Miss World - 11/10 Plump - 10/10 Asking for It - 10/10 Jennifer's Body - 10/10 Doll Parts - 10/10 Credit in the Straight World - 10/10 Softer, Softest - 10/10 She Walks on Me - 10/10 I Think That I Would Die - 10/10 Gutless - 10/10 Rock Star - 10/10

First time listening to this album. Pleasantly surprised. Raw, powerful.

This album does not get the credit it deserves in the grunge era. Raw, angry, emotional. Bridging grunge and punk rock.

This album kicks ass. Like everyone else at this time, I knew about Hole. I never got into them back then though, lots of music in this style and I was listening to other things. Courtney Love's performance is stellar. The band, the songs, the production, all top notch, but her vocals are next level. Several listens in and it's just exactly perfect for a Saturday morning dog walk in early Fall. One of the peaks in a genre full of killer albums. And the cover art is pretty great too.

I want to hate this record but I actually really like it

This album is angry and classic punk rock. The vocalist is RAW and at times a little out of key for me. Definitely not my favorite punk album but not bad. Actual rating...3.5 Liked Songs: "Violet" , "Plump" , "Asking For It" , "Jennifer's Body" , "Doll Parts" , "Softer, Softest" , "She Walks On Me"

This is fine, not much special about it. Generic-y grunge. Courtney Love is not a good vocalist. 2.25

I hate Hole the way I hate Foo Fighters. The difference is Courtney Love on her worst day as a million times better of a human being than Dave Grohl on his best.

This was fine. I’m really not a grunge guy and I don’t love the vocals here but it was ok

Pas mauvais, un peu criard, mais pas le pire dans le genre

L'influence de Kurt est très évidente, c'est une bonne écoute!

I don’t feel like time has been kind to Hole. None the less this is a decent enough grunge album but I can’t help but feel that the songs lack melody and interest. I’ve picked this album up a few times in the past and this is probably the last time I listen to it all the way through.

Fine, a couple tracks that I remembered.

Boy, she was something else.

What on earth is this album, like seriously. I'd reckon this would make a great parody album, with the painfully bad lyrics and all. But I suspect that it unfortunately it isn't. The lyrics seriously bring this album down quite a lot, I usually can try to ignore bad lyrics and try to focus on the instruments and the vocal delivery instead. But with this one I'd have to ignore the entire album, as I find the songs instrumentally and vocals a bit obnoxious. So yeah, I thought maybe Hole wasn't that bad prior to listening to this album. If this is them when they are poppy, I don't think I could stand to listen to their non-poppy stuff for more than a minute; it'd be completely un-listenable. I would like to be proven wrong. But we'll see if I stand them, should I listen to an other album of theirs.

I’ve always felt Hole received more hate than they deserved. Courtney Love in particular has long been treated as a lightning rod, often overshadowed by gossip and controversy rather than taken seriously as a musician. But Live Through This makes the case that Hole was never just hype or tabloid fodder - they were a genuinely great band. This record feels like the culmination of their early energy, sharpened into something both raw and strangely polished. The guitars are abrasive yet hook-filled, the choruses stick in your head, and Love’s voice vacillates between a sneer and a scream. You can hear the band’s growth from Pretty on the Inside that they’ve kept the fury but refined it into songs that cut deeper. What really stands out, though, is the perspective. This isn’t just an album about being angry at an ex or railing against the system in the abstract. It’s a scorned woman album, but the scorn is directed at society itself - it is targeted at the way women are looked at, diminished, commodified, and silenced. Songs like “Violet” and “Miss World” take direct aim at the contradictions of femininity under a male gaze, while “Doll Parts” is almost unbearably vulnerable, as if Love is peeling back the armor to reveal the insecurity underneath. It’s easy to see how many modern female alternative and indie musicians owe something to Hole. You can hear echoes of Live Through This in everyone from Mitski to Wolf Alice to Olivia Rodrigo when she leans into distortion. The combination of unflinching honesty, jagged guitars, and the refusal to soften rage for palatability paved the way for a whole generation. Nearly thirty years later, Live Through This holds up not just as a relic of the 1990s alternative boom, but as one of its most essential documents. It’s an album that’s as confrontational as it is catchy, as painful as it is cathartic. And it proves that the dismissals Hole received at the time say more about how we treat outspoken women than about the music itself.

No private session used for Spotify. Courtney is definitely a polarizing figure, but I love 90's rock and, as always, I try to separate the musician from the music. Some classic 90's angry rock here, which is nice to hear from a female perspective, but also some crap songs showcasing Courtney's questionable vocal range.

Great album. Haven't listened to much of them, but might have to check out the rest now. 4/5

When this album started out I immediately thought it belonged in the category of, “angry girl music of the Indy rock persuasion.” I truly enjoyed this listen.

Good album in the grunge era but don’t think I’d call it one of the best. Musically and vocally well done, but wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it.

Liked this more than I thought I would! Musically so strong/guitar foundation doing the heavy lifting. Not a fan of her voice/the yelling. Ultimately would pick Garbage over Hole (the band not actual trash)

this was a surprisingly solid album and i'm really glad i listened to it! i knew the radio hits from HOLE before but had never dove into a full album. doven? dived? doved? why do none of those feel right? anyway, i had mostly just thought of courtney love as kurt cobain's crazy trashy druggie girlfriend... and i still do but now i know that she also very skillfully pulls her own weight as a grunge singer and songwriter. i really enjoyed the lyrics and appreciate that she wasn't afraid to get into some pretty dark themes. standout tracks for me were "jennifer's body" (which was the inspiration for the name of the film!) and "rock star". i would play this album while fighting the patriarchy! or finally standing up to the bully on the school bus that's been stealing my snacks and lunch money all year. that's MY fruit by the foot ROGER and today's the day I'M gonna eat it NOT YOU DO YOU HEAR ME!? I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!

Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain.

A good sounding album that I can see being important/nostalgic to some people. I was a kid in the 90’s and never listened to it until I was an adult, and it’s okay. It sounds like heroin music, made by the heroin heroine.

Listened to this for the first time and yeah, this shit slaps

Actually excellent

In 1994 when this came out, I thought this album far better than any by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. It’s 2025 now, and i STILL believe this to be true! Bangers include: Violet (I wanna give my violent more violence), Miss World (I am the one you want, can’t look you in the eye), Plump, Asking For It (If she was asking for it, did she ask you twice), and of course, Doll Parts (I am doll parts, Big veins, dog bait…I want to be the girl with the most cake). Reading the lyrics doesn’t do them justice. Courtney Love has the perfect voice to sing these words. This album still crushes all that listen to it. Epic, out of control, paradoxically restrained at times—should be owned on vinyl, too.

Not really for me

The music press did Courtney Love so dirty in the 1990s. This album holds up really well - it’s angry and grungy but it also has tunes.

I enjoyed this. Certainly more than I thought I would. Aside from singles, hearing Hole played in clubs, and Courtney Love’s presence in the media I hadn’t actually heard their music much at all. This is good though. Not sure how many times I’d revisit it, but I liked it. Raucous and energetic. Played with intent with a good production. I wouldn’t have even thought about listening to it were it not on the list.

Good album with some great songs. It did fall off about half way through for me.

4/5 meow meow this is nice

Good in-your-face, unapologetic rock. Not pretty per se, but a really fun listen.

Plenty of riot grrrl rock and music breaking stereotypes about femininity before this, but it's hard to deny this album's influence, even while Hole's career was relatively short. I still don't know how Courtney Love overcame misogyny and hatred surrounding Cobain's death, but she made some great music despite (and probably because of) all the trouble.

My 90’s Favorite - solid, beginning to end.

I'm not a huge fan of Grunge in general, and I actually think Nirvana is HUGELY overrated. That said I have to admit that I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I was going to - at the very least it has a distinct sound and the songs are remarkable on their own.

Does kinda sound like Nirvana... Rockin otherwise.

#702. She just switches from whiny moaning to yelling, and she's not really good at either. 2/5: meh

Good. Grungy as expected. I hadn’t listened to this album in at least 10-15 years. Way better than I expected. The songs I like the best sound a lot like Nirvana. No surprise there.

I'd heard good things about this and was really looking forward to it. But I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Maybe because it's definitely a sort if teenage angst soundtrack and that's just quite far from where I'm at these days.

I like grunge ladies singing, growling, and yelling about things I relate to.

girliepop < 3

It's really a classic and a mirror for the times it was created in.

Raw and hard but better than the first as it is more refined and enjoyable. Even thou it disnt have a major hit like the first album its a much better one. Most underrated 90s band and it was cause other than its girls and the USA is a patriarchal society and the kurt courtney marrige where you had to choose sides

Not really my kind of music. But a few decent songs.

It's holey

Not too bad!

Bronze band

Standout Songs: Asking For It Jennifer's Body I Think That I Would Die Rock Star

I'd only heard a couple Hole songs before, I'd never really listened, but I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed it. I'd listen to this again for sure.

Courtney Love's absolute peak. Good music, good lyrics. Some dispute about how much input Kurt Cobain had on the album but one can only assume that their personal and professional lives weren't THAT separated even if he had not direct hand in the writing or production

Screaming girl teen rock. Despite this, I'm a fan.

This was way better than I expected. There's a lot of good angst and anger, especially in Violet. Hard not to be that common review and say, man you can hear some Nirvana in this, but you can, and that's not a bad thing. I don't think you need two albums by Hole on the list, but I'd agree you should have this one.

In the context of this list, I am not sure that this is required listening. It is a bit derivative. If you are a fan of this style of music you get your money's worth. It is a very well produced album, with some great songs. I feel like I'm losing what the star score even meas.

Despite being a grunge kid, I missed one of the strongest pop albums of the era: “Live Through This” is cleverly sequenced, wears the distorted power chords, scratch and scream vocals and lyrical grot of the period with ease, and the songs has swing and punch. This might be their only good album, but it’s a a great one.

Have always been fond of this album, which showcases the tunes and dynamics of the era as well as any other "grunge" album (presumably why it was unfairly attributed to Cobain). A bit front-loaded, but well worthy of its grade. Love the cover art.

Good raucous rock, good vocalist- I liked most of it.

It’s ok

it was okay

i liked it with two headphones

3/5

Nostalgia of my 20's hit me like a brick

Deeply overlooked- Part of the holy trinity of grunge.

Courtney Love has been so controversial off and on the stage, that it has affected how she and Hole and their work is perceived. Among the stories of her upbringing, youth, relationships, musical partnerships, deaths, arrests, rehab, and more, it's a mess conflated with industry bias against female rockers. But all of that is just noise, if you can separate the music from the person. I tried to just listen to the album. And I think it's undeniable that there is raw energy, expressiveness, and emotional lyrics. "Every time that I sell myself to you, I feel a little bit cheaper than I need too..." She rocks out hard, and I really enjoyed a number of the tracks, including Violet, Miss World, Asking for It, and Jennifer's Body. Major issue is just reliance on an overabundance of repetition in some of the tracks.

A second Hole.... album. Look, I'm not going to speculate on whether or not Kurt Cobain helped write these songs. What I _CAN_ say for certain is there is a definite Nirvana-like sound to this album. It's not a bad thing, Love is able to walk a tightrope between Nirvana and punk in a lot of the songs. I would have liked to have heard this first before "Celebrity Skin," but that's not how things went. As it is, I dug it a lot. Tracks: "Violet," "Doll Parts," "Credit In The Straight World," "Gutless"

Well that didn't take long. 5 albums ago I asked whether we would see this album on the 1,001 list and yep. A recap - I think it is Hole's best album even if Celebrity Skin is their best song. Their debut Pretty on the Inside is rough but promising, fitting for 1991 and the grunge explosion. But those who exploded in 1991 had their stuff together. Hole got their stuff together here, 3 years later in the greatest year of grunge/alternative music. By 1998 and their last album, they were not quite as sharp but still solid (just like all of alternative rock). This album's first three singles are smashes - Violet (so angsty!), Miss World (their best song on this album), and Doll Parts (brooding). Their fourth single Softer, Softest is just that - soft - but it's solid. They have a bunch of absolute rockers in the non-singles - Plump (electric chords and drums), Jennifer's Body, and Rock Star (underrated). Asking for It and Credit in the Straight World are also pretty solid - great lyrics both of them. I don't think this album is a 5 but it's an easy 4.

Like many albums in the 1001, I had preconceived notions about this one, but I'm trying to listen to everything with an open mind. I start by listening primarily as background music and it fit all my preconceptions: Courtney Love sounds like either she can't sing or she doesn't want to be bothered. When she puts more anger into it, it sounds like she's trying to barf out the words. The music is just typical grunge and there are better bands to listen to. I was drafting a review and figured it would be a 2. On close listen, though, paying attention to the lyrics, I found it's a much more powerful album than I thought. Couple the lyrics with her singing style and suddenly it works. She also becomes a lot more sympathetic - you realize maybe, just maybe, you're focused on the press version of her, and maybe not the real her, and damn she's been through a lot. I have no idea if any of that is accurate, but the singing style and music work much better when you realize what she's singing. The album grew on me with each listen and I definitely appreciate Hole and Courtney Love more than I did before. Favorite tracks: Violet, Asking for it, Jennifer's Body, Doll Parts, She Walks on Me, Rock Star (Olympia).

Live Through This is a classic album, not because of all the news about Kurt Cobain's death, but because it is a solid grunge project that Courtney really put herself into. There is so much great stuff to talk about here, but I need to just vent some things out first for anyone who needs to hear this. Just because this album was released not even a week after Kurt was confirmed dead is not a Courtney Love problem, that is a label problem, and anyone who thinks she "killed Kurt" can just get the fuck out of here. That is you not being able to cope with the alarming amount of mental health problems the world has and instead taking it out in a misogynistic rage on a woman who has done no wrong. Call them toxic or whatever the fuck you want, I wasn't there and didn't know them, but there are facts out there saying what did and didn't happen, so stop pointing fingers because you didn't like how history turned out. One thing I will say is that it is very hard to not imagine Kurt having at least a few touches in this album whether it is with Courtney's vocal sound or with how the project came together in the end. This album has a much better cohesiveness and quality to it that makes each song meaningful unalike their very fine debut. It rips through the 38 minute runtime like a knife through butter and it never holds back. It's angsty but in a different way from the most male dominated genre of Grunge, it has a lot of empowerment behind it while also being a fresh new experience for all to enjoy. Live Through This is an improvement like no other, and it cemented Courtney Love as an icon in my eyes, regardless of the circumstances happening around this album's release.

425/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Real grunge. Can definitely feel Nirvana's influence on this album. Violet, Jennifer's Body and Credit In The Straight World are my favorite songs on the album.

I think I need to give this album more time cuz it was amazing and I know it was amazing but I’m not sure exactly why I liked it. Regardless, impeccable album I may regret only giving a 4.

Female led alt rock, very cool.

Ok, this is great - I first knew Courtney Love as a punchline, but the sort of industry and social forces which made her one are on full display in the lyrics to this great rock album. Not a million miles off of Manic Street Preachers... Favourite tracks: Violet, Asking For It, Jennifer's Body, Doll Parts, I Think That I Would Die

This is the album I listen to every time I'm pissed off or frustrated or about to fucking lose it, and like right now I am really about to fucking lose it tbh. I've been listening to this album since I was a young child, waaaayyyyy too young to understand the lyrics, but I understood the anger, the feminine rage, and it's always connected with me. This album is really personally important to me, it basically showed me that women can be angry at the world and no one can stop us, so there is no way I can give this any sort of objective review. 5/5. 31/31, for every year it's been out, every year that I have known and loved this album.

Ugh...let's get through this.

Lived through it, indeed, but just barely.

I must admit to having a few hangups about this album prior to to listening to it, based on my memory and experience of the early 90's and appetite for Nirvana. I was ready to hate this album (again) but instead found myself loving its energy and although it sounded very much like another version of Nirvana, I totally appreciate the difference now (something I didn't, back in the day).

I really love a couple of songs on the this album (Violet and Doll Parts). If I was just rating this on the musical experience of the album I would probably give this a 3, but I think you already know that I'm not someone who can take music or musicians out of context. I really love the 90s grunge scene and Hole is an important part of that story, so its an extra star from me today (given that the lead singers husband died tragically a week before its release, and the bass player 2 months after - I can only begin to imagine how hard this time was for the band) I wrote a hole (see what I did there) thing about Courtney Love and deleted it - because it’s complicated. So I’ll just say I think Courtney’s had a rough time of it, and most of that seems pretty unfair, and some of it she’s brought on herself - but I admire (mostly) her courage in a world not made for women who are loud.

As raw and melodic as Nirvana. Top track: Violet / Jennifer's Body

Not really my bag. Courtney Love is a divisive figure but gives it her all here, but I'm not a huge fan of her vocals or songwriting. It's fine, just felt a bit run-of-the-mill.

I really like this. All I remember growing up was hear people tear Courtney Love down, which sucks cuz this is fun music. Especially for a leading female singer to come on this abrasive is just cool

I’m surprised by how much I like this. Never listened to Courtney Love but she absolutely kills it. Angsty and powerful, some great songs here.

Funky

Not my style but appreciate the passion and the effort

Great album, amazing vocals, and knowing it comes after Courtney Loves tumultuous life came to a head just days prior to its release adds so much depth to this.

I guess it was easy for me to forget how big this album was and how strong so much of the material was. This was a nice reminder. I still don't love Courtney as a singer, but she was much better than some of her more shrill contemporaries.

Some great songs on here, particularly Violet although it’s not a great album on the whole. I enjoyed listening to it though.

I couldn’t tell if this was good because she was shouting.

Pretty good

Love Hole.

Loud and in your face. Not as good as other Hole albums, but OK.

I can only describe this album as “Campy”. It feels like the epitome of the 90’s grunge era “I’m not part of your system, and you can’t define or label me” mentality. Instrumentally proficient and occasionally even interesting. Lyrics and vocals on the other hand, a bit one note. Overall good listen, feels like a Time Machine to Seattle circa 1994.

3 / 5 A few hot boys but overall not one of the A tier grunge albums

LOVE Hole, what a banger of an album. Highlights: She Walks On Me, Asking For It, Violet

The queen of Grunge - Courtney Love! So good! I love her voice Fav songs: Miss World, Violet, Plump

didn't really like it, not my kind of style but pop off queen

Hur fan kan den där fittungen Love ha två plattor med på listan? Bara för att man gapar, har attityd, visar brösten och knarkar kanske. En okej platta trots att man kan tro att jag tyckte annorlunda.

Honestly didn't really grab me this one. 1/2 stars.

Um Nirvana já basta. O mundo não precisa de uma segunda versão, com vocais ainda mais exagerados do que o original. Disco dispensável e esquecível.

Decent rock and roll, but her voice is so annoying to me. Don’t like this at all.

good songs

Lo que habría escuchado si no hubiera estado tan ocupada tratando de ser la hija perfecta en los 90s.

At first this sorta washed over me like a 3 would, but I decided to relisten later when I was feeling less tired and it's pretty good! Some nice gritty stuff in here, I like it.

I wish I liked grunge and could form a real opinion on this. As of right now it's just washed over me. I can certainly see why it deserves a position on this list though.

Carrying on from yesterday, this time instead of slacker rock we have a great package of 90s alt/grunge, fronted by Courtney Love. Great stuff and killer vocals!

I wanted to give this a high ranking because there are a lot of good things happening. To say that it’s Nirvana except with Courtney Love as the lead would do both bands a disservice, because it’s clearly its own thing, despite being the same genre. It’s raw, maybe too raw, and her seemingly random screams took me out of enjoying it as much as I wanted to. But good overall.

The way she erratically switches between singing and screaming is really grating, though I'm sure it's awesome for the fans. Mind you I do like the attitude and respect the themes that she's singing about -- even the repeated 'milk' bar works in context -- but I think I'm just really not a fan of grunge.

Very important album. I think all the best grunge was performed by women. If this album kept up the steam of the first 3 or so tracks it would be an easy 5 for me, but even though it slows down I am always surprised how much I enjoy it.

Pretty kickass. Not my favourite sonically speaking but a bit does remind me of current girl rock bands that you hear like on 4ZZZ today, and some tracks like particularly She Walks On Me made me think of Amyl and the Sniffers. Asking For It could also be a modern song (unfortunately with that message always relevant).

This was good. Normally that half yelling style of singing really grates at me, but this album has enough interesting surrounds and melody to pull it off. It felt like what a lot of modern Australian bands are trying to be. A very solid 3.5.

Schließt eine Lücke im Grunge-Kosmos. Gut!

Irgendwie schon stark und kraftvoll verrückt. Und ich gehöre zu den Menschen, die ihr nicht allzu viel unterstellen 😀

Never really been aware of Hole before, though I apparently have heard Celebrity Skin before, but I will give them more of a listen after this. Good stuff

Some parts of this were really good, like plump and doll parts; the rest of it was alright. With a second listen, it might have ranked higher.

I actually quite like grunge when women are involved. Don't know what that says but it's an interesting observation isn't it?

Absolutely incredible. The dynamics of the soft vs. loud is just perfect. Great lyrics. Even better vocal performance, going absolutely all out every time. I love this record

Really enjoyed - not as good as Celebrity Skin for my money - but still a great listen and far better than majority of their contemporaries.

Live Through This Outside Nirvana, I don’t find Grunge to be a particularly interesting genre and as this does sit squarely in that box, it ultimately has limited appeal for me. However, Asking for It, Plump, Jennifer’s Body, Doll Parts, Credit in the Straight World and Rock Star are really good, and this is clearly a cut above most Grunge. Courtney Love’s vocals, direct, confrontational lyrics, pop nous and undoubted charisma and presence definitely set it apart, and when some of the garage-surf-pop influences come through it’s pretty enjoyable. On first listen this was a 2, but on repeat listens those points of difference came through and I enjoyed it much more. Not sure how often I’d come back to it, but I think it has enough about it to push it to a solid if unspectacular 3 🕳️🕳️🕳️ Playlist submission: Credit in the Straight World

The fate of most grunge is bad poetry and self-pity, delivered with a scream or whine at the end of each line. And this album delivers plenty of that. There is a lot in the phrasing that is clearly inspired by Kurt Cobain, the strained screaming, the pulling of vowel sounds upwards (like an Australian cadence), and soft/loud dynamics. It's a pretty one-dimensional album with little that holds up over twenty years later to mark it as an important album. Even from a historical perspective - ever hear anyone say they owe it all to Hole? There are some passing moments of interest, Doll Parts, Violet and the good Softer, Softest.

One of my favorite records from back in the early 90's. But what I remember this is the time that Brit Pop was just starting to make its way with music in Britain, countering the dirty rough music America was putting out. At the time this sounded raw and inspired and now looking back and contrasting it against bands like Suede, Elastica, Blur, Oasis, and even Radiohead to some extent. Those were heady times!

Given the bad reputation of Courtney Love I assumed this was a bad band, which to be honest doesn't make sense at all. Truth is, this is a good album of 90s rock.

I bought this new but it's been a while since I listened to it. It's a band right that the top of the game.

So solid

I think there was a lot of inspiration drawn for this album, but Courtney definitely did a great album to distinguish herself as a talented individual in her own rights.

Really enjoyed it and will keep listening

Lyrically, this album is pretty heavy. I can't speak for women as I haven't lived that experience, but putting those feelings into lyrics is very punk of them. Sound-wise, I thought this album was a standard 90s grunge album, but I think I was left waiting for a track that had more going on musically.

I enjoyed most of this record. I liked the performances and some of the vocals throughout the album. Favourite Track(s): Credit In The Straight World, She Walks On Me Least Favourite Track(s): Jennifer’s Body

The singles are, of course, all-time greats, but outside of those, Jennifer's Body, and Olympia, this one never really did much for me. I guess it's too raw to fit in with the alt rock, but too polished to really fit in with the riot grrrl albums that Love didn't really want to fit in with anyway.

It's like more in utero but with a female voice and a bit of the nevermind polish

I’m insanely biased. I just like grunge. That guitar tone can so easily carry riffs it’s insane. I can’t say there’s anything special about this album in particular, but it’s so fun and has a bunch of great riffs. I liked the vocals too, but, again, nothing all that special about them. Simple but very solid record.

Got everything I love about punk! Fave song: Violet Honorable Mentions: Doll Parts, Jennifer's Body, She Walks On Me

This is super mainstream but I kinda dig it. Something magical about her voice and the band. Favourite Song: Doll Parts

pretty damn good. great voice and sounds, and i could see myself re-listening to this again. Light 4

I don't know if i'm just not a 90's / 80's music person or if this just isn't a great album, but I didn't vibe. It was OK

Better than I thought, but not for me.

I can see the merit in this record. The melodies are tight, the guitar's are aggressive and the lyrics are charged, intense, urgent: and yet... I found myself wanting to like it. Wanting to love it, in fact. But I just couldn't. I was glad to reach track 12, 'Rockstar.' I'm giving this record a begrudging three, because two feels low. Three feels high, but it's where I've landed. Actually, no. I'm giving it two.

ok esse é bão hein pqp

GO ON TAKE EVERYTHING TAKE EVERYTHING I WANT YOU TO bom DEMAIS pprt. as letras desse aqui são PICAS. não eh tão barulhento quanto o debut deles, mas eh o que mais representa a banda. a harmonia perfeita entre o pop e a guitarrada maluca noventista. dito isso, esse album eh o MAIOR do grunge foda-se courtney love é das maiores do mundo que deus a abençoe.

Her voice can get kinda annoying at times, but damn she knows how to scream. I liked how weird the lyrics were. “Pee girl gets the belt” is a particular favorite. Campy but still sincerely feminist. Guitars were great too

Powerful rock with punk influences. First time really listening to Courtney Love. Not my last. 4/5

it is ok

Great melodic, grungy punk with hard hitting feminist lyrics well ahead of their time

Sounds a little dated now. No real standout tracks.

Courtney and Hole dont get anywhere near the respect they deserve.

Never regret putting this album on. Just damn good rock music

It's been a while since I've listened to this. Not sure I'd say it's a must-listen.

Loved this album. Can't believe I'd never listened to it before.

The good Hole album. Courtney is a terrible singer, but the music is punk enough that it doesn't matter. The songwriting is good and has a soul unlike Celebrity Skin. Overall, an essential album from the time.

Violent, aggressive, raw yet melodic and emotional. The purists might think it a sellout, too watered down for a larger audience. I think it was just right - retaining the power but making it accessible enough to be heard.

2/5

Whiney, uninspired, lazy album.

Alright album. Bit too chaotic for my liking but a nice listen

This was not good. 2/5

Couple big songs. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it.

Est-ce que c'est cliché de dire que l'album de la meuf de Kurt Cobain sonne comme du Nirvana en un peu plus girly ?

I wish I could give this a 3.5. It rocks pretty hard. 4* seems too much, but 3* too little. I will listen to this again

This album used to be a guilty pleasure for me. It was hard to take the band seriously with Courtney Love's antics in the spotlight. Coming back to it years later, I am able to appreciate the album for what it is--a strong clap back at Love's detractors, from peers to the media to CPS, and a response to her unfair treatment by the press. The music is fierce and the lyrics poetic. There's not much I don't love about this album. Standout tracks: All of them, really, but if I have to choose, then Violet, Plump, Doll Parts

live through these nuts

Going into this I had very little in the way of expectations, knowing basically nothing about Hole beside knowing who Courtney Love is, I just expected female Nirvana. And while there are certainly comparisons to make to Love’s late husband’s band, it would be a discredit to write them off as such. While the angst and raw energy is still front and center throughout the track list, there’s a real pop sensibility in the way songs are structured, and the clean guitars here and there help to break of the typical tonal monotony of an alt rock album from the 90s. I’ve always thought female singers in a punk context are better than their male counterparts, and I feel that extends to alt as well. While I would prefer the instrumentals on any given Nirvana album over the ones on this record, i honestly think I’d prefer Love’s vocals to Cobain’s.

Very aggressive and the vocals are not what i expected. Im not totally turned off though. Couldnt finish and not super cohesive. 3/10

I think I prefer when they went pop. I wonder how iconic this would be without the events of Cobain and Hole in 94, just another album maybe? Rock Star was my favourite.