Live Through This

This was sweet! I'm glad this album was in there, because I do think its a really cool relic of a band that gets overlooked. I had honestly never really give Hole a chance, because of all of the stuff with Nirvana / Cobain. I was just never interested, but this is a really cool record! Its aggressive, its sad, its upbeat. Its kind of everything. It really encompasses that grunge before it went fully alt-rock and shed its punk roots. Its no wonder that Kurt Cobain fell in love with this woman and this band. Its very similar to Nirvana in sound, themes and music. I'm glad I listened to this one!

After some listening sessions it started to grow on me. Doll Parts is quite charming. But I prefer celebrity skin

Going in, I've only heard one song by Hole, Celebrity Skin. It wasn't bad. The first couple of songs on this album were pretty promising. The rest was just kind of there, it devolved into some angry potty mouth stuff for the last few tracks. Overall, just average. Best track: Violet

Lots of good stuff on this. It wears out its welcome as it goes along for me, though. I think I'd like all of the songs on their own out of context, but as an album it doesn't build in a satisfying way. It starts to feel yell-y and makes me wish it would be over.

growing on me

3.5

This didn’t sound like I thought it would based on the album cover. I really liked Jennifer’s Body and reading the history made me appreciate it was a little wacky.

Pretty well composed and mix for a grunge album. 3.1.

It's a bit hard to hear Hole and not be influenced by Courtney Love's sad and often incredibly abrasive life and personality. Overall, while this might have been considered a "softer" version of Hole, I'd say it's pretty representative of what I remember of Hole, and sadly not all that distinctive from the other grunge/alternative acts that existed in the massive hole and shadow of Nirvana. (It's funny how there are so few bands that seemed to resent Nirvana's rocket-to-fame the way so many West Coast bands resented Green Day (and maybe Weezer too?).) Honestly, I'm really surprised at all of the best-album accolades that are listed in the Wikipedia entry for this album. It's fine, I guess, but neither musically nor lyrically all that interesting to me, sadly.

Durchschnitt!

Aww it's a girllllll's Nirvana 3.5

I wish Courtney Love still made music and I wish they let her be in movies.

Some nice songs

Was OK. Thought it may be better. Kind of the same thing over and over.

I know I might be a pleb/pophead for saying this, but I think Celebrity Skin is the better Hole album 🫢. This one is still good tho. I love female vocalists in grunge bands and Courtney Love kills it. Miss World is a slapper

Much better than I expected. Stirring stuff.

Not sure of the timelines of how this fits into the whole Courtney/Kurt story, but given this is 1994 is sounds a lot like Hole's attempt at in utero. The vocals are raw and passionate, but the music is dull, derivative and uninspired. Shame

Not bad.

Ganska gött. Stark trea

slightly above average

‘Twas alright 6/10

Gurlvana. 6/10

Meh

Solid but unremarkable album. I don't expect I'll be revisiting.

Enjoyed Violet. Miss World - real jump-around track Bit short on lyrics, though. Lot of brief words and repetition. (Probably what they should have called the album!) She walks on me was the best track for me. It's a dark album, without much depth. A 3

One of the good grunge albums. I like this.

I had to live through that first time round. My GF at the time was a big fan. nExT!

Very Hole very 90s indie rock

Very nice.

Big 3

Listening to this album showed me that while Nirvana will always be Nirvana, Courtney Love isn't anything to scoff at either. Hole proves a pretty solid alternative rock sound.

A gritty and dark grunge album from Hole, filled with violence, sex, and high gain guitars. Front woman Courtney Love has impressive vocal range and variety, from guttural bellows to cutesy ad-libs. Bass work is aggressive and driving, and drums are smashing and hard. Stand out tracks include “Violet”, “Plump”, “Doll Parts”, “Credit In The Straight World”, “Gutless”, and “Rock Star”.

good stuff! catchy

Starts off sounding very Nirvana ("go take everything" in that over-pushed vocal sounds just a bit too similar, Courtney). Miss World, I'm sure, is Hole's own super hit. It's ok as grungey riot grrl early 90s US rock, four years later they made another, hit album, Celebrity Skin, arguably more accessible and satisfying, but that would be a big argument nonetheless!

The mixing kinda sucks... The vocals seem isolated from the rest of it. I dunno, I think Pretty on the Inside is far superior.

Day57 - a better album than i remembered. violet is a good one

Very grunge era album that carries it's themes across well. The vocals can be real powerful at times but they can be inconsistent. The chords are simple and that can help and hurt the sound. It's super 90's and I do love that style. The structure definitely needs work.

The album also contains some listenable songs but in the end it is just average.

Back in the day, I had always dismissed Courtney Love as a female Kurt Cobain wannabe. I think that still holds true. But with the wisdom of age, I also see her carrying on the tradition of Patti Smith, Chrissy Hynde, and Debbie Harry and I have a bit more respect for that.

Pretty good. Another candidate for 3.5*.

6.5/10

Surprisingly good

In a time when everyone tried to sound like Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love made an album to sound like Kurt Cobain.

Well done, Courtney. Rage and passion. Not to be a regular listen but enjoyed it for a day.

Okie

She is really great. I ❤️ this album!

Standouts- "Plump," "Asking For It," "Doll Parts," "Credit in the Straight World," "I Think That I Would Die," "Rock Star" Lyrics/Vocals- 3/5 Instrumentals- 4/5 Vibes- 3/5 Overall- 3/5 Hole has some really good tracks, and this album in particular has some really good songs. The lyrics are deep, impactful, and punchy. They really portray anger and frustration at essentially what it's like being a woman, and more specifically what the expectations of being a woman are especially if you're somebody famous. However, Courtney Love's vocals did pull me away from the album at times. Even if being off-key is a part of conveying that emotion, it does really pull you away and make it harsh to the ears. However, the vast majority of songs were the angry, gravelly vocal style of your average grunge singer. The instrumentals were great, and overall this was a good album. You can tell that Kurt Cobain was involved in a variety of ways and the instrumentals themselves sound like Nirvana. Listening to the lyrics for the messages changes the experience tremendously. If you are a fan of grunge or riot grrrl music then this will appeal to you.

Solid album.

3.5 stars

I only really knew the singles from Celebrity Skin, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this album. I enjoyed it. Grunge always felt very male-centric, so the feminine perspective was refreshing. The songs are hooky and melodic but still edgy and aggressive. Lyrically it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I think “Violet” might be my favorite track. This is one of those situations where it’s difficult to separate the art from the artist just because of how infamous Courtney Love is. I personally knew her more for the train-wreck media moments than her time with the band, but it seems her behavior on stage is full of controversy and downright terrible stuff too. So, a decent album from not great people.

OH YESSSSS BIT OF RAWWCKKKKKKK

Best Song: Doll Parts. I like how raw and wracked her vocals were here. Worst Song: Rock Star. A nice vocal performance, but lyrically just way to corny. Probably great for edgy high schoolers though. Overall: A pleasant album that's rough-around-the-edges in a good way. It's definitely dated, but it has a certain likeable authenticity.

I think Hole gets a bad rap. People (including myself) kinda shit on them because they saw Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain's Yoko. I never became obsessed with Nirvana like a lot of people did, and - in retrospect - I think this album rivals a lot of what Nirvana and their contemporary's were doing at the time. It's dirty. It's punk. It's kinda shitty but on purpose. It's a solid representation of the grunge era.

Pretty good, better than I expected

I did enjoy Celebrity Skin more, but an ok album. Interesting lyrics, okay rhythms/melodies. 3/5!

Meh

I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough for a punk album.

This didn’t work as much for me as celebrity skin. More screaming, more angst lyrics from Kurt.

It was pretty fine. Like the other Hole album, it wasn't bad. Courtney Love got too much shit.

Pretty standard riot grrrl sound and lyrical theming. Feels a bit on-the-nose most of the time.

Decent album. I've heard a couple of their songs before. It felt like all the songs were missing a little something to make it a great album

Was like an emo rock album by a woman It was ok, nothing stood out

Between 2 and 3 for me, a couple of good songs but a bit too 90s grunge sounding

Aside from “Violet” and “She Walks From Me,” two songs wholly emblematic of what made grunge a successful genre, “Live Through Me” does not live up to what her contemporaries were doing, let alone her grunge-icon husband.

Hyvä meininki, muttei erityisemmin tarttunut missään vaiheessa.

Ihan toimiva levy ja kiinnostavia tekstejä. Taitaa kolmoseen jäädä kuitenkin.

courtney love >:(

"Live through this" is what I've just done, listening to the album. Sure, there's some decent tracks in here, but the slower, more thoughtful stuff is atrocious. I can see the appeal, but it's not for me.

Yea not bad

It was the first time I listened to a whole Courtney Love album. It's classic grunge and punk, angry and loud. The songwriting reminded me a lot of Kurt's/Nirvana. It wasn't my favorite overall but wasn't bad either.

This was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Courtney Love is certainly a polarizing figure in pop culture, so I was admittedly dreading listening to this. This is actually a solid grunge record. Definitely inspired by Nirvana, but still good.

Pretty standard grunge/punk album. Don't love it or hate it. First time listening to Courtney Love, maybe knowing more about her would improve the experience. Favorite Track: Doll Parts

Punky some good tunes lot of angst. Can feel the grunge developing

Solid 90s rock, but I'm adding Courtney Love to the list of "rockstars I've heard older people rave about, but I don't get the appeal of."

Ok

This was far better that I expected.

This is my first time hearing anything from Hole, and on the whole (see what I did there), I had a good time listening to this album. I really enjoyed the music (I'm an alt rock fan though, so that tracks), but I think I enjoyed the themes/messages of the album more than the actual lyrical execution, if that makes sense.

A little whiny sometimes but overall a solid album. I was surprised at how much it grew on me.

It's OK.

p740. 1994. 3 stars Well done angry she-grunge, some sharp and hard delivery. Missing standout tunes though.

I disregarded Hole as a shouty grunge band, so I was very pleasantly surprised. More tuneful with meaningful lyrics. I enjoyed.

Rock with a female vocal that is both singing and screaming. Nothing special about this - pretty boring.

7/10 Dynamic, raw, angry Highlights: *Violet *She Walks on Me

Pretty good. Vocals ok, tries to be a bit screamo. Otherwise sounds similar to pixies.

6.5/10 I can see why there was a point in the 90s when Hole and Nirvana were considered the pinnacle of the new Seattle grunge wave. This is a solid, in your face grunge album with surprisingly good vocals and a couple of good riffs. Not my genre, but one of the best of grunge.

Brani Preferiti: - "Violet" - "Doll Parts" Note: Non vedo nessuna particolarità in questo album, la seconda parte è praticamente un riascolto del grunge che suonavano i Nirvana... ma dopotutto come si fa a criticarli considerando che quelli erano gli anni del grunge e lei moglie di Kurt, creare un disco con similarità era una certezza. È un buon album grunge, piacevole nell'ascolto di qualche canzone ma onestamente non riesco a farmelo piacere più di tanto.

Few tracks sound too similar to each other, but it was enjoyable.

Not my cup of tea.

I can tell this is a powerful album musically and lyrically. I don't care for the vocals though.

A solid indie rock album.

Never listened to this album before, lets see what comes up...

It was a pretty good album. I had not heard it before, I know it is classified as "grunge" but it came across as more punk than grunge,. There was only minor screaming on it so it was tolerable. I would not seek the album out to listen to it again but I would listen to it again.

Ohne jetzt gerade zu übertreiben besser als die Hälfte von Nirvana, ich liebs schon beim ersten Mal hören. Selten das so sehr mit härterem Rock gehabt. Melodisch, aggressiv und einfach gut. 5/5

Grunge-punk-rock entretenido

Good solid album. I first listened to it back in 2019 and thought it was okay. I think its a bit better than that now. Biggest positive is how consistent it is. A quite high THREE for me

Quite grungy and punky. I actually liked it. Courtney Love isn't my favourite person in the world but I'll give her credit, this album works. Not as overproduced as Celebrity Skin (which I really disliked) but the rawness helps this album.

It was okay, nothing much to it for me

It's a fine album. Doll Parts is a classic. Sometimes it veers from it's grungey base to sound a bit Velvet Underground which is cool. Nothing spectacular though - I had hoped that this review would be better - I really like Courtney Love, but the music wouldn't let me.

Enjoyed this more than Celebrity Skin. The rawer sound seems to suit Hole better. 3.5 stars.

Yeah I thought this was OK! Wasn't my favourite but didn't hate it either. I guess an ambivalent but maybe I need to listen again

I didn't mind it but didn't love it. Thing is it's right up my street but just isn't that good. Like a worse version of the Distillers

No. It's just impossible for me to get past how bored I was with the whole grunge scene in the 90s. Despite a kickass drummer.

pretty good, sounds a lot like nirvana

The sexist knock on this record is that it doesn't count because Courtney Love was married to Kurt Cobain, so he must have written it. That's such a stupid argument. Even if he helped, so what? Artists mention bouncing ideas off their significant others all the time, and it's never an issue when the artist is a man. But I think the most glaring evidence to dispute that notion is that while Live Through This is good, it is no Nirvana. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with that! This is still better than the average record of the time.

Räyhäkkä laulaja, aluksi. Loppua kohti taantu fiilis ja jotain 2-3 välistä on oikea arvio.

Bit shouty, like I thought Hole were going to be like when I had one of their albums before but found them quite melodic them

Some standouts on the album, but I found the tracks too similar. The whole album was fading in and out of my attention Highlights: Doll Parts, She Walks On Me, I Think That I Would Die

Some fun punk, perhaps a little better than the other one of their albums on the list?

Ok, didn’t keep my attention. Will try to listen to again but not feeling interested in it 4/10

Ya, I can do this. Stick it to the man, man.

I had this album in the 90s but haven't listened to it since then. It's a lot better than I remember it. I will keep it in the rotation.

This was pretty good but just didn’t click for me. I definitely enjoy the screamy hard rock vibe though.

Some good tracks, but as a (w)hole it's not a great record. Close to L7, Babes in Toyland, and Dickless to my ear but with pop aspirations which makes them a little bit more listenable when Courtney Love is in control of her vocals. It's a shame that the semi-dis track/complaint song "Rock Star" closes the record given Hole can't seem to muster the kind of enthusiasm of a Sleater-Kinney or Bikini Kill in me. Overall, it's not my favorite 90s rock record, but it's not the worst of the era either.

5/10

3/5. Some important work here with progressive lyrics. The songs are catchy somewhat but the musicianship isn’t the highlight. It’s good songs overall.

Ikkje et essensielt album i livet mitt, men da plage meg ikkje heller

Violet - 3/5 Miss World - 3/5 Plump - 3.5/5 Asking For It - 3.5/5 Jennifer's Body - 3/5 Doll Parts - 5/5 Credit in the Straight World - 3/5 Softer, Softest - 3/5 She Walks On Me - 3/5 I'm going to finish off this album, but at this point, I think it's going to be a solid 3/5. Not bad but not my favorite. I'd give it another listen.

Never heard of Hole before, and I don’t particularly like grunge but this album was actually pretty decent

I'm not very familiar with Hole's music, so this was my first time listening to an album of theirs. This was a good album, with a few solid songs on it. I enjoyed the slower and more melodic songs the most, with "Doll Parts," "Miss World," and "Asking for It" being my favorites. Lyrically, "Asking for It" is probably the best track here, and it's pretty sad that a topic like victim blaming in sexual assault is still so prevalent almost thirty years later. Courtney Love has been such an interesting public figure these last thirty plus years, but she and the rest of the band really paved the way for other female musicians with their work. Even though this album wasn't my favorite, Hole is a talented band who really made their own way in the grunge scene. I wish I could give this album 3.5 stars instead of just 3.

Not as good as their first album

Mid nineties power pop punk grunge. There is typical teenage imagery running through the album of death - pretty standard for the time. The tunes are pretty good - I'd be annoyed as well if people claimed I didn't write the songs. Best Tracks: Violet; Plump; Doll Parts

In contrast to the other Hole album we were sent, this is more melodic with less of a hard-rock sound. She’s got that start-stop thing going on, something The Pixies and her late husband did so well, jumping from quiet acoustic to heavy guitars within seconds. The song-writing is quite good and she reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey at times. Courtney’s voice can be grating when she belts it out, but that’s all part of the package, I guess.

Was kind of okay

sounds familiar

I really don't think Hole deserves to have 2 albums on this list, the 2 chosen for this list are very samey. However, I like the attitude of Courtney Love on these albums, the guitar sounds, the early grunge spirit.

Unlike 'Celebrity Skin', this Hole album has BITE. It's quite Nirvana adjacent, which isn't really my thing, but the energy and commitment won me over to an extent. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Doll Parts Date listened: 07/04/23

3 1/2

Ya know, this album was better than I remembered. Lots of angsty screaming but some good songs in there too.

On my second ever listen to "Live Through This", I was reading up about Hole and the life of frontwoman Courtney Love. The articles very quickly spiralled into a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories implicating her in the death of husband Kurt Cobain, whose suicide came days before "Live Through This" was released. The toxicity towards her seems to be perpetuated either by Nirvana fans, sexist critics, or both, with some of her inflammatory statements and behaviour over the years simply fanning the flames. It's a pity that this ugly and tragic context has eclipsed Hole's work, because "Live Through This" is a decent album: perhaps the most consistent of its kind I've had on the list so far. Coming in 1994 at the tail-end of grunge's first wave, it was a conscious attempt by Love and the band to produce something more polished and melodic, separating it from many other grunge or riot grrrl albums and bringing it much closer in line with Nirvana's later work (cue the stream of theories around Cobain ghostwriting, because heaven forbid a woman could do this on her own). From the very first track, restrained and simmering resentments are packed tightly against explosions of fury and rage, taking Nirvana and Pixies' dynamics and amplifying them even further. "Violet" begins quietly and then bursts into flames, guitars kicking in and vocals screeching up an octave. Things progress in much the same way, with the occasional dip in energy ("Doll Parts") or power ("Credit in the Straight World", "Gutless"). Love's vocals- tight, gritty, intense- are a minor revelation, allowing the songs to soar rather than sink in the sludge. For a prime example, take the astounding closing track "Rock Star". It belongs in a hall of fame of vocal-cord wrecking performances, right alongside the likes of Lennon in "Twist and Shout". Thematically, the songs frequently return to the pressure on Love's shoulders: the expectations of her as a mother, a woman, a celebrity, the wife of the most famous rockstar in the world. "Jennifer's Body" tells a harrowing tale of a woman kidnapped and mutilated. "Miss World" shows the inner turmoil of a major starlet held on a pedestal. "Asking For It" addresses a horrifying incident of Love being sexually assaulted by fans during a stage-dive. Milk and blood flow through "Plump", "Softer Softest" and "I Think That I Would Die" like rival currencies. These are weighty topics which necessitate the volume of screaming, even though the songs sometimes grow a little too predictable to do them justice. While it's still too heavy for my tastes in general, with not enough stand-out melodies, I appreciate "Live Through This" is a strong album. Rating a high 3 purely for personal preference, though future listens may lift it slightly.

Já, já, þetta er allt í lagi. Ég er ekki fan en þetta er klárlega besta plata Hole.

I feel bad giving this a three, because my partner quite likes this album, but this just felt like generic grunge. There were some moments here that stood out a bit better, but I forgot it as soon as it left my ears, and had to remind myself what songs sounded like pretty often. Nothing here is bad at all, just kind of boring.

Seemed fine I guess.

better than I thought it would be

Alright. But probably will never listen to it again

Not bad. Some recognizable songs that I didn't know the titles for.

Unusual that I actually prefer the album tracks to the singles. Miss World and Doll Parts don't do anything for me, but Plump, Jennifer's Body, and She Walks on Me are all standouts. Though this is a good album, I'm not sure why Hole is on this list twice when this is the better of their two entries.

Angsty femme rock. Just okay IMO 3.5

Listened twice. Enjoyed it. I prefer punk to grunge in general including in riot grrrl so I enjoyed the more punk leaning passages more.

I’m not really a grunge fan, but this is ok

Hole

Standouts: Miss World, Softer Softest, I Think That I Would Die Others: Violet, Asking For It, Plump, Doll Parts 3.5

This was such a pivotal album for women in their 20s during the 90s. We didn't have much (any?) female led grunge/rock/punk music on the radio. So when you're hanging late night with your girlfriend and Doll Parts comes on and you both want the most cake, you really feel seen. And the music hits hard...in a very good way. I know some people have issues with Courtney Love and I won't pretend to know much about her. But being a widow and a mother and a rocker at 29 still produces a lot of feelings and feelings are what I want out of my music. I really do love this album but it's not a 4. (Sometimes I hate the rankings in this project. I know I'm not consistent.)

Not my thing, but glad to have tried. Blend of indie scream/yell, with some decent melody. Not an easy listen to get through, but I could get there for the artistry of it. Missed the Nirvana sound class - will come back after a study

tranqui pero no escucharía de nuevo creo. 6,5/10

Tøff damerock!

Pretty good, but nothing standing out.

I assume you're voting this in this list? very very moderate album, not in my top 10.000

Not bad

I want to hate it. Sounds exactly like what a 90s girl grunge band would sound like. Not bad

Credibly rough and tough, but feels filled with directionless, no-longer-applicable rage and not much hookiness (not to mention tunefulness or melody or virtuosity) to keep us interested. One posits that "Rock Star" would've been a better song had she leaned into the "Olympia-uh-uh-uh" motif rather than regurgitating another screamalong of which the album already has a preponderance. The next record was better. More fodder for the theory that that history will not be kind to the '90s as a musical decade.

A fun grunge punk album, I can see where the Distillers took their sound though.

Great 90's vibe to this album. Super aggressive vocals, yet with cool harmonies and melodies. I recognized a handful of the tunes from the radio. I miss the angry angsty woman tunes of the 90's.

Mmmm milk……. Actually very quality, it’s right up there with the other big heavy grungy albums of the 90s

Not much to say but very enjoyable grunge stuff! always fun to hear something from 20+ years ago have such a clear influence / similar sound to bands from today. Best tracks: Jennifer’s body, credit in the straight world, violet

Its kind of meh, its not bad just not my cup of tea simply

I'd rather slit my wrists, or at least listen to The Slits. Still, it''s better than Nirvana.

Good stuff. Not too memorable, but I think I probably should have listened to it when it came out and I was considerably younger.

Very good, nice and angsty

I'm not a big Courtney Love fan based on interviews and her general attitude in public statements/things I've seen over the years but this is a pretty decent 90s pop-grunge album. I still don't think this would ever be something I started adding into my regular rotation but this was a good excuse to give the album a full listen through. Standout Tracks: Violet, Doll Parts, Softer Softest

I didn’t know Courtneylove was a singer, not sure really where she came in the picture

Opzich wel aardig

This isn't going to get a high rating - there simply isn't enough memorable music on Live Through This for it to scrape the firmament. What saves this from being too beige is Courtney Love. She's a limited singer, but an excellent frontwoman - she can be vampish, disaffected or anguished as the song demands. And that, when coupled with some crunchy guitars, was hardly likely to fail, right?

Una explosión de energía, no siempre llevada a buen puerto. Para intentarlo

Again, not too good, not too Bad. One day or another it May end up in my rotation, but not regularly

Courtney Love.... angry. troubled. sad. crazy. angst. This album was all of those things in a package that worked better than it should have. A good mix of punk and grunge... what a time.

Tricky, tricky. I personally want to rate this one higher – because the music is very much to my tastes – but I can't deny that the style, especially of the vocals, could perhaps sound annoyingly pained, stretched, and battering. I would therefore call this one a 4 for me, a 3 otherwise.

Actually this is really very good. Great screaming anger and frustration. Lyrics that would simply never come from a male singer. Rocking distorted riffs full of emotion and release. True Rock and roll.

Not really my kind of music to listen to in my free time, but i can vibe with it. I felt like the album got a bit repetitive after a while but was a fun listening session.

not bad

Suurin osa kappaleista oli ihan ok, mutta tää oli ehkä vähän just sellasta musiikkia mitä en niin hyvin ymmärrä. Voi tietty johtua myös siitä etten tiennyt kaikkia sanoja mitä joissakin kappaleissa oli. Tai sitten siitä miten ja missä yhteydessä niitä sanoja käytetään. Suosikkeja voisi olla: Violet, Miss World.

Kuuntelin levyn pari kertaa kokonaisena läpi, ja paria kappaletta enemmän vielä yksittäin. Mitä enemmän kuuntelin, sitä enemmän tykkäsin tästä, vaikka ensireaktio ei herättänyt kauheesti ajatuksia hyvässä tai pahassa. Suosikit: Violet, Jennifer’s Body

👑 Favs: - Violet - Plump

Definitely not my favorite Hole album. I'd take Celebrity Skin over Live Through This every time.

Really enjoyed this. I'd say I would have loved this as an angsty teen...good fun and some good lyrics etc.

Good standard rock and roll

A nice grunge sound on some tracks - maybe riot grrl too? 3 stars.

I like a bit of grunge, and this didn't disappoint. Love really screams her ...hole... out? Really distinctive 90s sound. For 38 minutes it dragged a bit though. 3/5.

Garbage fire of a human being, pretty decent album.

Okay. Can see where she either influenced or was influenced by Kurt. Noisy, power chordey, lyrics are kinda stupid but the album zips by nicely I have a friend who really enjoys Courtney and this album reminds me of her. Hole gets a bonus star for that

Idk if I was just frustrated with homework today while listening to this but wasn't doing much for me, although I would give it a second chance. 2nd listen: It was the homework lol this was fun. Don't feel the need to return to it though

Very 90s grundgy album. I can see why Kurt and Courtney got along (kinda). I don't think this album is entirely important to the world of music, however, and feels somewhat generic. Best Songs: Doll Parts, Violet, Jennifer's Body, Rock Star, Worst Songs: I Think That I Would Die, Plump

Good listen. I can't say I loved it but it's well crafted and I enjoyed my stay. First Listen?: Y Fav. Tracks: Violet, Jennifer's Body Rating: 3/5

low 3, second half carried the album or it just all grew on me

Genuinely enjoyed it, Courtney’s voice is perfect for the songs (not saying she’s a brilliant singer but it works here) and it has consistently good tunes throughout. 4 star album for me.

Enjoyable listen

64/100: Another album I’ve never heard of before. Now usually I’m a big fan of grunge, but this album neared too close to the precipice of scream-o for my liking. At times it felt like screaming just for the sake of screaming and playing loud just because you can. If every note is loud, nothing is powerful. With that being said, there were times on a few songs when Hole quiets everything down only to return to screaming again shortly afterwards. These moments, although everything was probably at a normal volume, felt extra beautiful relative to everything else, which I thought was pretty cool. All in all, not one of my favorite grunge albums and probably won’t seek it out for a re-listen.

So torn in this. While I really dislike Love and her style, this has Cobain's fingerprints al over it.

Good. Although I preferred Celebrity Skin.

Angry girl music from the height of 90’s grunge. Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain from Nirvana are the basically the poster children of that era. Never was a fan of Courtney Love and Hole. I do think I like it more now than I did back then though.

Its nice, but to me personlly its nothing that changed music or even influenced others, its just there and decent

it’s okay

The reason a lot of people love this (it sounds like Nirvana) is the reason I can't get into it. That, and the way she pronounces it "fem-o-nist." Best track: Doll Parts

Achei legalzinho, não sou muito fã da dona Courtney. Porém adoro a música Rockstar que fecha o álbum.

Alternative rock, 1994. A decent grunge record with a few really well done hits, e.g. "Doll Parts". Probably not one of the best albums of the genre or of the period, but still a solid record to enjoy from the beginning until the end.

Courtney Love you beautiful grunge monkey. Youre like Princess Diana after the crash, but before the death. Unbelievably sexy. You make me want to feel a good pair of tits.

Rock’s role as an outlet for personal rage is one’s first thought after hearing this. It’s a slippery slope: while adding passion and energy when well handled, rage (authentic or fabricated) can be off-putting to people who don’t share another’s anger, sympathize with its alleged/perceived causes, are allergic to posing or excessive self-seriousness, or might be looking for other musical qualities and evocations. It may also cause one to ask “hey rock star -- whatcha so mad about?” (Perhaps CL’s fury was from not having an iPhone or Instagram just yet.) Hole harness and balance the power pretty well here (“Doll Parts” is good and not overdone somehow) and there are some striking hooks and more tuneful textures. Unfortunately, they are too quickly buried into the default banging. And the shrill crescendos and scream-outs come in nearly every song, often on top of pretty cliched axe-crunching, the combo of which comes off now as both dull and dated. Did Courtney Love maybe want to be a rock star or – perish the thought – celebrity a bit too much than is seemly? One suspects that might be the case. (Ironically, [maybe I mean paradoxically] “Rock Star” is a simulacrum of this record’s strengths and weaknesses – a cool hook [“I went to school/In Olympia-uh-uh-uh’] sacrificed to the habitual banging and screaming.) At any rate, “Celebrity Skin” is a better record. Hole may have been one of the best bands of the ‘90’s but in going back over that era in this exercise one begins to think it’s a bit of a tall pygmy award. Plus, they’re an easy (and fully legitimate) target for the anti-rockist crowd.

Almost a pity that Courtney came up thru the grunge era. Would have been interested in hearing her with 80s girl band stuff

good just not for me

Alt rock

Really great, love the female lead, decent music

Never dove into Courtney Love's stuff but was this was some pretty good 90's grunge, though nothing mind-blowing to me.

This is fine. Not really my favourite of the 90s alt rock stuff but I would listen to this if it came on. 3/5

Can never go wrong with some 90s Alt rock. Doll house is a classic

Grunge

I should like this more considering all the garage-rock bands I like (Mike Kroll, Childbirth, Maude Gun). Saying that I DID really like how catchy some of this was. I listened to it more in a row than the others. I know that I would rate this higher if it came later.

Fun.

I didn’t get to spend the time with this album that it deserved. I mostly heard “harsh,” which isn’t my favorite, but I know that this harshness was used to proper effect. I just wasn’t able to get to that connection.

Solid album, but too much similarity through tracks

I like the whole Grunge scene and this is what you get here and nothing else. It's like a female Nirvana- pretty wasted and shouty so if it's your bag then you'll be happy. Otherwise you'll find it difficult to sit through.

(My 200th album!) It's OK. Nothing special but enjoyable enough. Kind of strikes me as worse Nirvana, which makes sense since this is Courtney Love - the wife of Kurt Cobain. She probably didn't murder him, but I've seen her making crop circles and building pyramids in my backyard so there might be some supernatural properties to her. I'll let the FBI handle that one. Maybe she also got Tupac and Elvis.

Not bad, some good tunes, but not great. Would listen again.

Das steckt viel Curt Kobainsche Akkordschieberei drin. Ich nahm an, dass mir diese Platte überhaupt nicht gefallen würde, aber weit gefehlt. So mittlere drei Sterne.

CD

Courtney Love.... The Yoko of grunge! My First time of listening and this is a softer, more Nirvana-ish Hole than I remember. So the disputed ghost writing by a certain KC is certainly a possibility in my eyes. (and Ears). I liked "Miss World" "Softer, Softest" "Jennifer's Body" "Gutless" & "Rock Star" eviscerating stuff from the band on women's rights, anti-violence against women and stereotyping... I am unsure if this rates in my top 1001 but has a great deal of credit in my opinion.

How are there two Hole albums on this list? This album isn't bad, but it also doesn't feel good enough to be on this list. There definitely seems to be a popularity bias with the material selected from the 90s. I haven't seen any Butthole Surfers albums on here, nor, for that matter, any Stooges albums. Hole is simply not as important in musical history as either of those bands (I would put the Stooges as one of the most important bands of the 20th century). This album is fine. The lyrics feel a bit juvenile. The music is good overall. It's just not clear why this particular album was important enough to put on this list when so many other influential bands seem to be entirely left off. I can't imagine that this album would be here if Courtney Love was not married to Kurt Cobain. Weirdly, I've gotten more Hole albums on this list than Nirvana albums. It just seems like a popularity contest more than an critical examination of the most influential and technically-advanced albums. 3/5

Some decent songs, still has a little bit of rawness and edge which was lost on Celebrity skin. Though I probably never listen to this again it's always fun to take a trip back to the early 90's.

Good sound, but not my type.

Not something I'd seek out to listen to again, but they do their genre well

Classic 90s grunge sound. Wasn't my favorite but still an enjoyable listen.

heavy sound with female lead. Pretty good.

Sans surprise, ces talentueuses grognasses nous proposent une routine matinale beauté totalement à côté de la plaque. À titre d'exemple, un temps monstrueux est pris pour le séchage des cheveux et le lissage (alors que tout le monde sait que seulement quinze minutes suffisent amplement) tandis que le maquillage est bâclé (fond de teint trop foncé, trait d'eyeliner trop épais, etc...) À revoir.

Ce groupe de jeunes folasses dévergondées m'a pris la tête comme rarement. Les multitudes de discussions à propos de la dernière paire de talons ou encore des différentes techniques de maquillage n'a rien à faire sur un album des 1001. Je ne parlerai même pas des multitudes références au girl power et à la fin du patriarcat. A jeter.

Only heard a few Hole songs before (mainly off Celebrity Skin) but this reinforces my view of them: strong vocals, good grunge-pop sound, consistently solid songs but not many worldies. The first and last tracks were my favourites. 3/3.5

Hole gets angrier here, and it suits the music. They operate very much within a lane, and it's not one that particularly inspires me. But besides that caveat it's very good.

Gutes grungy Album. Kann man mal hören.

I want to like this more than I did on first listen. A little harsh sounding at times. Might be I've that grows on me

As much as I hate Courtney Love, this album isn't that bad.

This is a good album, but hard to put aside the personal opinions of Love

Pretty good stuff.

I liked Hole's first album Pretty on the Inside. Much harsher than this one. I had moved on from grunge by its release and wasn't interested in hearing this album. It's not bad, and the lyrics with the repetition of "I am" in several songs indicates that Love was defining herself, maybe to distance herself as a musician from Kobain.

Du bon grunge. Meilleur que je m'attendais mais des moments un peu dull.

Aburrido. Hay muchos discos de la época con sonidos similares y que son un poco más interesantes o la voz es un poco mejor. De churro se gana la tercera estrella porque al final no lo odié y Violet y Doll Parts sí medio me gustaron.

hole är bra

ja, what should i say.

This album, although uneven, was something of a surprise. More melodic than expected making it accessible.

I should get it, but I don't. It just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's me. Cover art 3/5

90's grunge with a woman singing! Need more of that. Occasionally comes across as Nirvana lite, but I still like it nonetheless. Solid stuff.

So, I've heard the popular songs but this will be first giving a whole album a listen. So far, it's not bad but it didn't make me a fan. It sounds like everything else that came out around that time.

I had overlooked this album - it was much better than I thought it would be.

Solid album

I like this overall. Raw and angry, although sometimes feels a bit self-consciously so. Kurt may not have ghost-written these songs, but certainly was a big influence, which I guess isn't surprising. 3 stars.

I dig it

Nice but not mindblowing

The second album from alt/punk rock / grunge band Hole, was a bit more polished than the first. The album was critically acclaimed at release, earning top spots on charts around the world, and going multi-platinum by the end of the year of its release. Unlike their first album, Hole wanted a softer, more structured rock sound including a melody that any music fan can enjoy. This decision paid off for the band and the song-writer Courtney Love, when their album immediately went mainstream! I liked this grungy album and am glad I discovered it through this site.

Godd, but all musics seems to be the same

Big punchy sounding production, and Courtney Love's voice kicks ass on this album.

02/03/2022 So much angst, I love it. She's a rockstar, for sure!

2.5/5. I did not really enjoy this. All the songs kind of sound the same, with the singer kind of yelling the same words over and over again.

Decent but not exceptional screamy alt-rock.

Feels like i'd enjoy this a lot more if it was the BGM for a video game haha

Decent

Average 90s rock

This definitely had some higher highs than Celebrity Skin (namely, Rock Star and Violet), but overall it really just gives me "pretty decent" vibes, with a nod to Love's vocals as a solid driving force.

Courtney Love is awful but I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. 3 stars but could move up with more listens.

Just learned that Hole was the name of Courtney Love's band. Good grunge rock album, few good songs.

Typical 90s alt

Not bad

Several great songs.

ok

Punkrock van de vrouw die de Kurt heeft vermoord

Rock

Some good girl angst! Very of it's time but I enjoyed most of it, in difference to some other punk/grunge which I find too repetitive. My top pick is 'Doll Parts' but I also liked 'Jennifer's Body'.

I don't think im a fan of this genre of music it gets tiring after a while. The songs good for the most part, I did not like the vocals at all. Overall 5/10

Nirvana is better

Better than Nirvana.

Nirvana's equal?

6/10

Good album. Not a fan of the "hard-hitting" songs though. Sad story about the two, and quite an unfortunate title. 3

It felt like Grunge by numbers. Predominantly filler with the occassional lift. Treading well worn ground, but with a female viewpoint. I can see how it could inspire. By the end I'd warmed to it a touch otherwise it may have been a 2 star.

Pretty decent. 6/10

Fuxade

decent but sounds sort of flat

The music was alright, but I'm not too fond of Courtney's vocals.

6,5/10 Legal

A few good tunes.

Girl punk :) enjoyed this, chimed with my mood tonight

pretty solid, a little on the atonal side for my taste, definteily enjoyed 3 stars

Nice

Aantal echt geweldige nummers, maar veel middelmaat. Blijft een beetje vreemd dat dit altijd als zo'n briljant stukje muziek wordt gezien. Komt toch vooral door haar partnerkeuze als je 't mij vraagt.

Openingsnummer heeft altijd diepe indruk gemaakt. Een bepaalde emotieve rauwheid. Ook Doll Parts vind ik sterk. Maar dat geldt voor mij helaas niet voor alle nummers. Daarom slechts 3 ipv 4 sterren

Ik heb dit in m'n jeugd vermeden omdat ik het zo naargeestig vond. Nu blijk ik het best te kunnen hebben.

Was never much into CL in the day but having listened yesterday this album has it's moments. Bit shouty in parts but overall not shite.

Hard work.

Right out the gate with Violet. Girlie grunge elite. A bit more monotonous an album than I thought, but still some great jams. Solid

Too much influence from her husbend.

Decent album but not particularly memorable tracks. Doesn't sound as refined as Celebrity Skin.

I'd never heard of Hole before this album - I started listening to it, and thought it sounding like Nirvana with a female vocalist. Then saw they were fronted by Courtney Love! Figures. Decent album

Samma känslor som gjorde att jag gav Nirvanas "Nevermind" en 3:a. Grungen blir ibland lite högljudd och skrikig. Håller dock "Nevermind" något högre än det här. Fortfarande bra, och COOLT! Låttexterna och de teman som låtarna behandlar är väldigt mörka och drabbande. Bästa låt: I Think That I Would Die. Extra drabbande då den handlar om hur Courtney och Kurt tappade vårdnaden om sin dotter. Mellanspelet, "Rose white, rose red", är mer melodiskt och vackert, med nedtonat gitarrspelande, och en höjdpunkt på albumet. Doll Parts också bra.

Rock'n Roll!

You get why Grunge was a big thing in the mid 90s. But the album is quite repetitive.

it’s country so eh but not the worst i liked it

At the time I was really impressed, but nowadays the weak vocals tend to annoy me a bit.

Another album I thought was pretty good, I listened t it on the side, nothing stood out for any reason

meh

haven't listened to this, couple songs sounded familiar outside embryonic. not really something I'd go back to a lot but like Court more than I thought I would

90's grunge led by a woman doing it her way. Whether it was Courtney Love's way or other women influencers is a separate conversation. This album offers a snapshot of early grunge prior to the polished mainstream of the latter years.

Krass, hätte nicht gedacht, dass mir die Musik von Courtney Love so gut gefällt. Und jetzt ist mir aufgefallen, dass Gwen Stefani den Stil voll von ihr geklaut hat. Oder war es doch anders herum?

Trying not to be glad, thid was still a n ok album, different tones, good imagery, still Courtney wailing and crying a bit too much

3/5 okayish album

I remember not liking Hole back in '94 but I was a delicate late bloomer, afraid of music that sounded angry and dangerous, and perhaps shouldered with some level of misogeny that teaches 90s boys that rock is for men. Most of this still remains true about me. But this isn't about me it's about Courtney Love. I will not mention her deceased husband. She's killing it on this album. Her voice sounds perfect. Catchy melodies over distorted guitar. Angry and dangerous. Sounding very authentic. Very fed up. Even on a peaceful breezy day some room has opened in my barricaded heart to let in the darkness. But not that much room. B-