Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
1027
Albums Rated
4.21
Average Rating
94%
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1970s
Favorite Decade
Britpop
Favorite Genre
UK
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Enthusiast
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403
5-Star Albums
1
1-Star Albums
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You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| They Were Wrong, So We Drowned | 5 | 2.11 | +2.89 |
| Wonderful Rainbow | 5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
| Trout Mask Replica | 5 | 2.28 | +2.72 |
| Dub Housing | 5 | 2.36 | +2.64 |
| Rock Bottom | 5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
| Metal Box | 5 | 2.41 | +2.59 |
| Public Image: First Issue | 5 | 2.42 | +2.58 |
| Suicide | 5 | 2.46 | +2.54 |
| The Modern Dance | 5 | 2.48 | +2.52 |
| Now I Got Worry | 5 | 2.52 | +2.48 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is This It | 2 | 3.82 | -1.82 |
| Slippery When Wet | 2 | 3.29 | -1.29 |
| Scum | 1 | 2.07 | -1.07 |
| Highly Evolved | 2 | 3.03 | -1.03 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| David Bowie | 9 | 4.89 |
| Bob Dylan | 7 | 5 |
| Beatles | 7 | 5 |
| Radiohead | 6 | 5 |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 4 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 4 | 5 |
| Talking Heads | 4 | 5 |
| Brian Eno | 5 | 4.8 |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 4.5 |
| Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | 5 | 4.6 |
| The Who | 5 | 4.6 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 4.6 |
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4.75 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| Leonard Cohen | 4 | 4.75 |
| U2 | 4 | 4.75 |
| The Beach Boys | 3 | 5 |
| Blur | 3 | 5 |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 5 |
| Jimi Hendrix | 3 | 5 |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 5 |
| The Velvet Underground | 3 | 5 |
| Kraftwerk | 3 | 5 |
| Roxy Music | 3 | 5 |
| Nirvana | 3 | 5 |
| Kanye West | 3 | 5 |
| The Stooges | 3 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 5 |
| Yes | 3 | 5 |
| Nick Drake | 3 | 5 |
| Sonic Youth | 5 | 4.4 |
| Tom Waits | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Kinks | 4 | 4.5 |
| Metallica | 4 | 4.5 |
| Steely Dan | 4 | 4.5 |
| Neil Young | 4 | 4.5 |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 4.5 |
| Björk | 4 | 4.5 |
| Morrissey | 4 | 4.5 |
| The Smiths | 3 | 4.67 |
| Van Morrison | 3 | 4.67 |
| My Bloody Valentine | 3 | 4.67 |
| Madonna | 3 | 4.67 |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 3 | 4.67 |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 4.67 |
| Arcade Fire | 3 | 4.67 |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 4.67 |
| Peter Gabriel | 3 | 4.67 |
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 3 | 4.67 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 2 | 5 |
| Prince | 2 | 5 |
| Funkadelic | 2 | 5 |
| Sly & The Family Stone | 2 | 5 |
| The Chemical Brothers | 2 | 5 |
| Fiona Apple | 2 | 5 |
| Pulp | 2 | 5 |
| Fleetwood Mac | 2 | 5 |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 5 |
| Belle & Sebastian | 2 | 5 |
| Oasis | 2 | 5 |
| T. Rex | 2 | 5 |
| Dolly Parton | 2 | 5 |
| Iron Maiden | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Public Image Ltd. | 2 | 5 |
| Iggy Pop | 2 | 5 |
| The Band | 2 | 5 |
| John Lennon | 2 | 5 |
| Can | 2 | 5 |
| Supergrass | 2 | 5 |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 5 |
| Pere Ubu | 2 | 5 |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 5 |
| Big Star | 2 | 5 |
| The Byrds | 5 | 4.2 |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 3 | 4.33 |
| Tim Buckley | 3 | 4.33 |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 4.33 |
| Aerosmith | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Fall | 3 | 4.33 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 3 | 4.33 |
5-Star Albums (403)
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Popular Reviews
Gorillaz
5/5
Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.
33 likes
Radiohead
5/5
After years of waiting, I jumped in the river and what did I see? Barn doors, revolving doors, sliding doors, secret doors and trap doors. Come on, come on Holy Roman Empire! Have yourself a good time, there's nothing at all. If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth. Cut the kids in half, be constructive with your blues. This just feels like spinning plates, that's a strange mistake to make.
27 likes
Funkadelic
5/5
Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.
24 likes
Boards of Canada
5/5
Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.
20 likes
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
5/5
When this album was generated to me, I got worried. This Jon Spencer Blues Explosion sounded like a genuine curiosity. Regardless of the rather opaque looking album cover, there was this thought that the album may be a hodgepodge of 90s indie excess of the worst kind. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. This album is rather awesome, with its erratic, jam band oddball eccentricities being put to great usage throughout its fitful 45 minutes. Give this one a listen, it may or may not be to one's taste but, when experienced, it's a plentiful time spent.
18 likes
1-Star Albums (1)
All Ratings
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Split into two parts, a greatly enjoyable collection of songs. Favorites are Get Ready for Love, Hiding All Away, Breathless, Babe, You Turn Me On, Easy Money, Supernatually, Carry Me & O Children.
Boards of Canada
5/5
Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.
Radiohead
5/5
Everything is broken, am I really sinking this low? I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy? My fake plastic love, I don't want to be crippled and cracked. The sea would electrocute us all and that's what really hurts; a total waste of time. I wish that I was bulletproof, sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn. Immerse yourself in love.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Actually waited until Wednesday to listen to this. Was only familiar with Pet Shop Boys through West Side Girls and Always on My Mind. This is a really good 80's pop record. Favorites include What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Shopping, It's a Sin, Heart and King's Cross.
Manic Street Preachers
4/5
Jean-Michel Jarre
4/5
Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.
Deerhunter
4/5
Fitting that I get this considering that the tenth anniversary of the album's release has passed. Very cool sounds all around. Favorites include Desire Lines, Helicopter, Fountain Scene and He Would Have Laughed.
Sonic Youth
4/5
Very exceptional stuff from the Youth, a precursor of monumental things to come. Favorites include Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl and Pacific Coast Highway.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Washed up along the shore were the hopes and dreams of a generation who had the whole world lain out in front of them. There can only be so many outlets to channel that feeling and there was music. The Beach Boys, masters of that medium, were feeling astray and washed up as well. Once preppy and cheery, basking in the glow of the sun and stylish motor vehicles they had now inhabited the listeners glaring indifference towards them as they aged. It was best depicted in what was perhaps their finest album of the 70s, Surf's Up. In a little over thirty minutes, every whimsy and eccentricity was put on display with references to passing trends and earnest attempts to commentate on society's ills. But what remains, and what would define it, is a glimpse of promise that guaranteed hope on their long road. It isn't pretty up close, yet it was never meant to be.
The Doors
4/5
L.A. Woman was meant to represent a new path forward for The Doors, that the ragged whirlwind of their stardom would be settled and they'll get into a different groove that suggested there being more than what met the eye. Alas, with Jim Morrison perishing in a Paris bathtub not longer after this, this is the only document of what would be a pipe dream but it is a tantalizing one nonetheless.
Favorites: The Changeling, Love Her Madly, L.A. Woman, L'America, Hyacinth House, Riders in the Storm.
The Soft Boys
4/5
I Wanna Destroy You and Insanely Jealous are pretty good songs.
The Doors
3/5
After experiencing their nadar, The Doors only had to climb back up but it's with the knowledge that things aren't going to be the same. Morrison Hotel is a good first step back in the right direction, as the band dips its toes into more blues influenced territory; a sign of things to come, even if it ends up being short-lived.
Favorites: Roadhouse Blues, Waiting for the Sun, Peace Frog, Ship of Fools, Land Ho!, Queen of the Highway, Indian Summer.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Turns out that following up what would end up becoming the most gargantuan album in the world is a far easier task said than done but Michael Jackson just so happens to be up to the task. Even if he doesn't make it across the finish line, he essentially defines the speed and the trajectory of the race and Bad does its absolute best to punch up its weight class.
Favorites: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Speed Demon, Liberian Girl, Man in the Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Smooth Criminal.
David Bowie
5/5
Two albums in and Ziggy Stardust was already feeling it. David Bowie knew that he needed to call time on his most indelible creation before it consumed him whole but not before he created a signpost that not only signaled the waning of an era but foreshadowed varying detours he'd take to satiate his voracious appetite. Aladdin Sane, while patchwork, showcased Bowie at the peak of his glam powers and proved that he was up for any challenge that provided bucking narratives.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
To Pimp a Butterfly is just one of those albums where you had to be there to fully experience. Kendrick Lamar always had potential to harness the complexities of life and use it as a force to make galvanizing, transformative art and here is where that potential is realized. It is rare to know when a phenomenon is worth wrapping oneself in and, in this case, it is something that makes an investment in an artist of Kendrick's caliber valid. Ten years on, needless to say, it's been an awesome journey.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
A decade may have come and gone and a new one had just dawned (albeit in incriminating fashion) but The Rolling Stones were as powerful as ever regardless of how sticky their extremities were. The third of four album run that many of rock's purists still uphold as being the best period in the band's history (and any band's history for that matter), the Andy Warhol zipper assisted record once again showcased the Stones approaching a seemingly never-ending peak as they blended the sounds of country, rock, funk, and blues into a concoction that indicated that they've gone past the limited mindset that people still had of rock and roll. In fact, they'd gone beyond rock and had simply become another thing entirely and it's a thing that's still rolling to this day.
The Temptations
4/5
They may have gotten sick and tired of being the choral singers of Norman Whitfield but, by All Directions, The Temptations still proved adept at capturing an audience with their by now patented psychedelic soul. Mainly anchored by the gargantuan Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, All Directions became the crystallization of what they had been pushing and pushed towards in the dawn of the 70s as they both planted a flag with their peak and a seed for what was to come, which was the repudiation of such adventurous things.
Favorites: Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On, Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Mother Nature, Do Your Thing.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
4/5
Three castaways from vaunted bands get together and decide to make the most joyous and boisterous music of their careers and they did so at the right time. David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash put their heads in one place to form a three headed behemoth that shone through the speakers with the drop of a needle and proceeded to give the dawning of the 1960s a rather potent soundtrack.
Favorites: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Guinnevere, You Don't Have to Cry, Pre-Road Downs, Helplessly Helping, Long Time Gone, 49 Bye-Byes.
Brian Eno
5/5
By 1975, Brian Eno had crafted his own planet with a select few that could fit in effortlessly in regards to how he wanted them to. Another Green World, while continuing on with the song based records prior, marked a transition into something else that has not ceased being. It marked the moment where Brian Eno became less glam god, more rock shaman. Another Green World has been, for the last half century, the nucleus of all that was or is pertaining to Eno in ways that have had a ripple effect. This is, amongst other things, the pinnacle of what's been labeled art rock; it may have been improved upon or reinvented afterwards but this is the definition of it.
David Bowie
5/5
First he conquered Britain in a variety of guises from spaceman to glam god. Now comes the hard part: conquering America. He'd already planted a path to get him there, all he had to do was walk on it and be on his way; on his way he'd be. Having proven himself to be a master musical chameleon, Bowie channeled the soul emanating from Philadelphia and nearby and unleashed upon an unsuspecting audience a most genuine homage to the finest spectrum of black art available. Was it yet another short-lived foray into what tickled Bowie's fancy? Sure but the conquering of another nation was another thing to check off the list. Nobody knew, however, the cost of that would be.
Prince
5/5
By now, Prince had shown the music world what he was capable of. Sign ☮️ the Times is the cherry atop a magnificent cake. Across two discs, His Purple Majesty crafted the kind of universe only he could muster, bolstered by musings on what was floating around and under him as he whipped them into clear and coherent shapes. What set Prince apart from his peers was his consistency and Sign ☮️ the Times is representative of his greatest tendencies. The true #1 male artist of the 1980s.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Now that it was established that Stevie Wonder could do what he pleased musically, he got to work on crafting a oeuvre that would rival anyone else's from past, then-present and distant future. Talking Book, a pun of sorts, made the distance between Stevie and whomever came closest that much clear. The innovations and ingenuity made abundant here are more than enough to keep the listener in awe of what it was that Stevie was doing at the time. The fact that we would only see and hear him reach higher afterwards is what makes this even more incredible.
Foo Fighters
4/5
The idea of trudging forward in the face of tragedy was a new concept for Dave Grohl. Having been plunged to the darkest depths of the bottom, he had to figure out to cast a light and find a way back to the top. Fortunately for him, and for us listeners, he'd been preparing for some time. Foo Fighters, from cassette demo tape to wacky music videos and beyond, provided a path for Grohl to reach as the one man band turned into a full fledged outfit that would endure and endear to this day. Who would have thought that, after a most unfortunate start, that he'd stick around?
Favorites: This is a Call, I'll Stick Around, Big Me, Alone + Easy Target, Good Grief, Floaty, For All the Cows, X-Static.
Blur
5/5
Modern Life is Rubbish gave birth to the "modern Blur". Parklife was the band vastly overpowering its baby steps. Britpop was on its way to becoming the next big noise to shout out the rooftops about and Blur were poised to being the faces of the movement and Parklife, with its depictions of sketchy, weary, aimless characters, made them more than worthy of the throne. This is the kind of album that would make most band's call it a day. For Blur, it's the start of the next chapter.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
It's a pretty good album, you could hear the Stones come onto their own here. It could do without the poorly aged songs like Stupid Girl and Under My Thumb but the fact that they sound great is what makes them Stones classics. The boldest thing for them to do is to add an 11 minute track in the middle of the album and it pays off. Pretty good all around.
Favorites: Going Home and Out of Time.
Living Colour
4/5
Having been aware of Cult of Personality for half of my life this far, I went into this album with high expectations and they were exceeded. Elements of this album remain relevant and impactful thirty plus years on and is thus essential listening.
Favorites: Cult of Personality, I Want to Know, Desperate People, Broken Hearts and Glamour Boys.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
One of the most enthralling, exhilarating, refreshing and outright rollicking hard rock albums of the 80s. Guns n' Roses put all of their eggs in one basket here and it produced brilliant results. No wonder why we all go back to it time and time again.
Favorites: Welcome to the Jungle, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Sweet Child o' Mine, Rocket Queen.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
Straddling the lines between mid-60s jangle and late-60s hardness, The Electric Prunes do a serviceable job in their twenty-nine given minutes of airtime with provided wisdom and whimsy that provides depth and versatility.
Favorites: I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night), Bangles, Are You Lovin' Me More, Train for Tomorrow, Sold to the Highest Bidder, The King is in the Counting House, Luvin'.
*Album was generated in early 2021, wasn't reviewed until July 4th, 2023*
The Flaming Lips
4/5
A terrific tour-de-force of bright, bubbly, colorful sound, The Lips did no wrong with this album, yet another smash after The Soft Bulletin.
Favorites: Fight Test, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Pts. 1 and 2), In the Morning of the Magicians, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, Are You a Hypnotist??, Do You Realize?? and Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon.
The Stone Roses
5/5
As I think back to the summer of 2012, I believe that it would have been utterly bleak if it weren't for this album. I don't remember much from this period of time but, what I do remember, this was the soundtrack. A path down the rabbit hole ensued with this band (I never ventured into the third album) and they are forever engrained, in my mind, in these sublime sounds they created. Thank you Stone Roses, you are adored indeed.
The Smiths
5/5
Whenever I come across the album and its title, I feel bad because I'm complicit in the death of these succulent creatures. The music, however, doesn't make me feel so bad. This is quite great from front to back, no filler. When the album features songs like The Headmaster's Ritual, This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore and Barbarism Begins at Home, there is no point in feeling that there's a wrong. Everything's just right here.
The Allman Brothers Band
5/5
If there is a Mount Rushmore for live albums (and I'm assuming that there is), At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band should very well be in it. The second half of the album is among the most fiery and magnetic moments in not just rock, but music, history. No wonder this shot up the charts rapidly unlike their previous efforts.
Favorites: Hot 'Lanta, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post.
R.E.M.
5/5
I would listen to this album all day, every day and never get tired of it. A top three R.E.M. album, flawless from top to bottom.
John Grant
4/5
From start to finish, a wonderful collection of songs made by John. I was actually aware of this record for quite some time, but this is my first full listen and I enjoyed it throughout.
Eminem
5/5
Always polarizing, always enthralling, always relevant. Startlingly precise on one hand (Stan, That's What I Am, Drug Ballad) and horribly dated on the other (I'm Back, Marshall Mathers, the skits), The Marshall Mathers LP is the quintessential Eminem album with cultural touchstones and an insight into the life and times of the soon to be Rap God. An essential listen. P.S., Kim is not for the fainthearted.
Favorites: Stan, That's What I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Remember Me?, Drug Ballad, Amityville, Bitch Please II.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
A fine selection of songs from one of Americana's most important singers.
Favorites: The Pearl, Michelangelo, I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, Tragedy, Bang the Drum Slowly.
Dire Straits
4/5
Smooth, soothing rock with hidden layers of groove underneath. When it gets to you, it can get to you and you become more impressed as the album rolls on. Good stuff, don't underestimate it.
Favorites: Setting Me Up, Six Blade Knife, Sultans of Swing, In the Gallery, Wild West End.
The Avalanches
5/5
One of the most beautiful and powerful listening experiences from start to finish, an hour of sheer bliss and brilliance. If you want to hear the album as it was intended to be heard, listen to the Zomba promo version. It has one more song (With My Baby) and Extra Kings is fully realized as the streaming version is sorely lacking. Regardless, amazing album all the way.
Mike Oldfield
4/5
Having been acquainted with the opening notes of the first part of Tubular Bells, I was quite surprised by the twists and turns the songs undertake. And the bonus tracks are rather special as well.
Favorites: Tubular Bells (Pt. 2), Mike Oldfield's Single.
The Temptations
3/5
A new era for The Temptations as they dive into the freethinking, freewheeling psychedelic era of the late Sixties. They tackle far more serious topics like abuse and estrangement from families, alongside the standard love songs that put them on the map. This album is not an overt embrace of psychedelia, though (that comes later) and it can prove frustrating after the first three songs, but the love songs are top notch as well. Good stuff all around.
Favorites: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Running Wild, Hey Girl, I Need Your Lovin'.
Incredible Bongo Band
4/5
One of the more quintessential blueprints for what would be known as hip-hop/b-boy culture and it is perfect condensed and understood in the four minutes and fifty-four seconds of the first track (which I've just learned was a cover of a two decade old song). This is a pretty good collection of innovative songs and intriguing covers (the aforementioned Apache, In a Gadda da Vida, Satisfaction) and it's worth the time. Bongos have never sounded so funky.
Christine and the Queens
5/5
English and French language versions of, quite frankly, my favorite album of the year that it was released. Chris found Christine and the Queens (and its focal point, Héloïse Letissier) at peak form, bending pop music to its absolute will with sheer technical ability and unmistakable brilliance in cultivating emotions from within. I love this album, I have great memories attached to this. It's nice to once again come across such wonderful sounds that stick to you and endears you to the point to going back to it again and again. Long may Chris reign!
Elton John
4/5
A fine album from Elton that contained elements of what would carry him to his imperial phase later on in the decade. The first four songs load the album with consistent hooks and catchy melodies, the middle portion is a little forgettable and the last two songs end the album out with great ease. One of the few worthwhile introductions to Elton around this time if you want to get ahold of what he was about.
Favorites: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Razorblade, Madman Across the Water, All the Nasties.
The Kinks
5/5
Whereas the rock bands of 1967 were submitting themselves to the bold, colorful psychedelic style of the Swinging Sixties, The Kinks were busy doing... Something Else. Remaining in their increasingly character driven world while others were exploring tantalizing terrains, The Kinks showed that they could still keep up with taut, often impressionistic compositions that highlighted the normal people that were left behind in the psychedelic boom. As the album cover suggests, they made quite the usage with the gray, drab lives led by those who were either idolized or sympathized and often wonders whether or not they deserved better. As an alternative to the much heralded Aquarian age, Something Else shines as an example of The Kinks' obvious greatness.
Favorites: David Watts, Death of a Clown, Two Sisters, Harry Rag, Tin Soldier Man, Situation Vacant, Love Me Till the Sun Shines, Afternoon Tea, Waterloo Sunset.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Well, what can I say about this album that hasn't been said before....? If you haven't heard it before (which is implausible at this point), do so now. And, when you do, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Energetic folk-rock that sounds as if it came out yesterday. Emotive and revelatory in its approach to standard folk songs, Unhalfbricking sets the standard for what was to come for the genre in the 70s.
Favorites: Genesis Hall, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life, Who Knows Where the Time Goes?, Percy's Song.
Ray Charles
4/5
Innovative for the time, still sublime for any time, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music provided a blueprint that showcased that it was okay for black musicians to dip their toes in other facets of music, music that was (and, in some cases, still is) closed to them. And, as always, Ray Charles displays magnificent singing efforts towards some of the most melancholic material lain upon him and he does them justice. A recommended album for those who want to experience not just the brilliance of Ray but the often neglected stories in the songs.
New Order
4/5
An unrelenting bop fest from start to finish (apart from Elegia, a tribute to the late Ian Curtis). To those who say that this was the first proper New Order album whereas the first two were a collection of singles: I have to agree. The tracklist makes for a cohesive experience and everything clicks in the long run. Great album.
Queen
4/5
A little rough going at first (some sections of Brighton Rock) but eventually the album finds its swing with hard rocking familiarity (Killer Queen, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy) and unexpected gems (Flick of the Wrist, In the Lap of the Gods, Stormtrooper in Stilettos). A pivotal step forward for Queen as they get closer to legendary status.
Favorites: Killer Queen, Flick of the Wrist, Now I'm Here, In the Lap of the Gods, Stone Cold Crazy).
Funkadelic
5/5
Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Following up the most important and powerful album in then-recent memory would be a daunting task but Marvin turned this album into an ode for sexual magnetism and raunchy good times. Yet another step in the right direction in a decade where R&B and Soul found its footing and stamped its legacy. Essential listening.
Erykah Badu
4/5
Set in the middle of the prosperous Soulquarian era (a moment in time that included the likes of Common, D'Angelo, The Roots, J Dilla, etc.), Mama's Gun finds Erykah at the peak of her powers and fulfilling the use of her abilities (and that of the musicians on the album) to the maximum. Great sounds all around and a fine example of one of the many facets of soul in the beginning of the 21st Century.
Favorites: Penitentiary Philosophy, Didn't 'Cha Know, ...& On, Booty, In Love With You, Bag Lady.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
I think it's safe to say that the 70s belonged to Stevie Wonder. Whereas any and all genres and trends and bands came, dominated, mutated and went, Stevie was that one nucleus that everyone relied on and said that he was worth the time spent listening to. After five albums in six years of sheer, relentless creativity unparalleled and unmatched in R&B/Soul, Songs in the Key of Life more than lives up to its title. There is hardly a bum note throughout the near two hours of audio bliss that is contained here. This album is ecstatic, triumphant, bold, colorful and even educational at points. If musicians listened to this album on the day of its release and realized that it wasn't worth matching up to or surpassing, therefore quitting their industry of choice, they wouldn't be blamed. If I had to give this ten stars, I would. Five doesn't do it justice. Spectacular album.
Eric Clapton
4/5
When I was first recommended this album, I had to turn my nose up a bit. Given Eric's idiocy as of late (and past display of racism), I wasn't looking forward to this album. And I also wasn't looking forward to how good this is. I went into this thinking that this is the start of a inevitable decline and that Eric's beat days were behind him; turns out that this is his best solo outing. Plenty of toe tapping and head bopping songs here, with moments of genuinely moving songs. Real good stuff.
Favorites: Motherless Children, Give Me Strength, Willie and the Hand Jive, Get Ready, Please Be With Me, Let It Go.
Ray Charles
3/5
Wasn't expecting to bump into Ray again after the goodness that was Modern Sounds but I can't complain. This is a fine collection of songs assembled here, not exactly genius level as portrayed in the title of the album but it's still Ray Charles in his element and that's always a good thing.
Favorites: It Had to Be You, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Deed I Do, Just for a Thrill, Am I Blue.
a-ha
3/5
I thought that, after Take on Me, this album was gonna slide down a slippery slope with songs that don't catch up to that wondrous song but no this album has some good songs. I want to shout out The Sun Always Shines on T.V.; that's the best song on the album. There is definitely some mid 80s material but it's not that bad; definitely something to sink your teeth into if you want to hear more from a-ha.
Favorites: Take on Me, The Blue Sky, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., I Dream Myself Alive.
Sebadoh
4/5
An intriguingly eclectic batch of songs from the aftermath of the grunge boom in 1993. Sebadoh bring the goods as well as the strange and it should be appreciated for just how well-woven it can be.
Favorites: Soul and Fire, Two Years Two Days, Happily Divided, Elixir is Zog, Homemade, Forced Love, No Way Out.
The xx
4/5
Energetic, insatiable, enjoyable electro-pop from some of the most enigmatic musicians around today. As a debut, they couldn't do worse and they bring about plenty of emotions and feelings to the tracks. All around pretty great album.
Favorites: VCR, Crystallized, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, Infinity.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
The first time I got around to listen to this album, I couldn't give it my full attention because I was distracted. The second go around, things began to click. I've avoided Bob Marley for quite a long while, seen his documentaries but never listened to his music. He was just a poster adorning college campuses and a shining beacon for good vibes. The deep cuts here in Natty Dread showcase the Bob Marley I'd like to encounter with more often, someone who possessed a need to tell about the happenings around him and it was makes Natty Dread a pivotal piece in the reggae puzzle.
Favorites: Lively Up Yourself, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock), Natty Dread, Bend Down Low, Talkin' Blues.
The Kinks
5/5
From the title and album cover down, you may think that this is The Kinks at their most San Francisco in 1967 and you wouldn't be blamed. You also wouldn't be blamed if you think this is The Kinks at their absolute finest. One listen to the title track and you are transported into a time when things were simple and not even that description does this album justice. The Kinks' greatest forty minutes and forty minutes well spent.
David Bowie
5/5
Outside of Revolver, perhaps the greatest transitional album of all time. The Thin White Duke, in route from Philly to Berlin, throwing darts into the eyes of those who dare to question or call into doubt anything he could do. Ready to shake the scheme of things, indeed. Bad enough he couldn't remember making it.
Bee Gees
3/5
A rather intriguing album from Queensland-via-Isle of Man's finest, just a few years before their disco heyday. The Brothers Gibb's songwriting chops are in full effect and they give plenty of good to great songs that brim with excellence.
Favorites: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Israel, The Greatest Man in the World, It's Just the Way, Somebody Stop the Music, Trafalgar, Lion in Winter.
Sade
4/5
Delicate, exquisite, soulful, stirring, eloquent, elegant and a chock full of diamonds. No wonder why the first track was called smooth, hehe.
Favorites: Smooth Operator, Your Love is King, Frankie's First Affair, When I Am Going to Make a Living, Cherry Pie.
Suede
5/5
The artifact of what could have been had Britpop not evolved (or degenerated) into Union Jack waving, lager swilling, anthemic anthems for the sake of anthemic anthems. Suede (or The London Suede 🤮) quite possibly made the thorniest, horninest, debauched, depraved album of 1993. Various songs on this album sounds as if it could have originated yesterday and the roughed up glam nature should still be seen as a blueprint for how to make a statement.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Dabbling into subject matters such as racial injustice, drug abuse, hypocritical leaders, empowerment and, of course, love, Innervisions stands as perhaps Stevie Wonder's answer to What's Goin' On; equally as immersive and innovative musically, Innervisions captures Stevie in the turning point of his career as he completes the transformation from prodigy to prolific genius. An incredible chapter in his incomprehensible 70s era.
Rush
4/5
Quintessential progressive rock. Not a bad place to start if you want to understand the fascinating world of Rush.
Favorites: 2112 Melody, A Passage to Bangkok, Something for Nothing.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4/5
A pretty solid outing from Bob Marley & the Wailers until it falls off a cliff with two of the most annoying (and misrepresentative) songs in their discography. The fact that it actually ends the original release (not including the two bonus tracks) is mind boggling in and of itself. Good thing Punky Reggae Party exists in the bonus edition.
Favorites: Everything except One Love/People Get Ready and Three Little Birds.
The Black Crowes
3/5
What more can be said other than it's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll? It's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll!
Favorites: Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Sister Luck, Could I've Been So Blind, Seeing Things, Stare It Cold.
Thin Lizzy
4/5
Thin Lizzy live up to the live album's name with some of the most ferocious, flat out rocking tunes that came out of 1970s Ireland. The live cut of Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song is stupendously great and the segue from Cowboy Song to The Boys Are Back in Town is godly. Good times abound here!
Favorites: Southbound, Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song, Still in Love With You, Cowboy Song, The Boys Are Back in Town, Warrior, Sha-La-La.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
4/5
Perhaps the most danceable album I've come across on this list. Forget language barriers, this transcends all. If this won't get you moving, what will?
Favorites: Plástico, Buscando Guayaba, Dime, Siembra.
Culture Club
4/5
When Karma Chameleon hit the eardrums, I suspected that the rest of the album will hit the same lane: poppy, accessible, carefree. And it is that, but it can also reach areas that you wouldn't expect Culture Club to talk about. Maybe I'm dumb, maybe I'm ill informed about this band, maybe I should do more research. But this album is great. Culture Club can be more than expected.
Favorites: Karma Chameleon, Black Money, Changing Every Day, That's the Way - I'm Only Trying to Help You, Church of the Poison Mind, Miss Me Blind, Stormkeeper, Victims, Colour by Numbers, Romance Revisited.
Shack
3/5
Serviceable post-Britpop tunes from the end of the decade with some songs that are better than expected or anticipated.
Favorites: Comedy, Pull Together, Streets of Kenny, Re-Instated, I Want You, Cornish Town.
Metallica
5/5
Quite frankly the best entry point to Metallica and their music. What more can be said about this excellent display of riffage, sheer tenacity, brute force and one of the four pillars of thrash metal being at their early, hungry best? A must listen for anyone who either love and hate Metallica and understand what they mean to not only the genre of metal but music as a whole. Excellent.
Miles Davis
5/5
The first of what would be many of Miles' groundbreaking stylistic changes in jazz, leading the genre through some uncertain yet inevitable shifts that would eventually lead to it being the status quo for music. Don't miss out on the Royal Rooster live set from this time period as well, it captures the songs too well in its warm, steady quality.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
One of a few brief forays into a joyous, jovial yet biting Family Stone, this is one of the more impactful albums that came of the late Sixties and most of the blueprint that soul and funk offered in the eventual decade can be traced to this album. Indispensable.
Little Richard
4/5
One of the main architects of this thing called rock and roll comes forth with a relentlessly raucous album filled with some of the most important songs in music history. Be sure to also check out the bonus tracks that delve into how the songs become shaped into what they would eventually sound like, the demo version of Baby, take 8 of Can't Believe You Wanna Leave and takes 1 to 6 of Long Tall Sally are worth the listen.
Dexys Midnight Runners
4/5
With neverending gusto, chutzpah and bravado, Too-Rye-Ay is home to Dexy's Midnight Runners' most endearing hit and several of hidden gems that does more than expected in sweeping the listener off their feet. While not their greatest hour (that would be Don't Stand Me Down), it's perhaps their most assured and finest.
Favorites: Let's Make This Precious, All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz), Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile), Plan B, Until I Believe in My Soul, Come on Eileen, Reminisce (Pt. 1)
David Holmes
3/5
A concept album of sorts about New York in regards to contemporary life, the four essences of hip-hop and punk rock lifestyles amid the surfaces of electronic music (samples of James Bond's theme abound in Radio 7). One of the more imaginative cinematic albums of its time period.
Favorites: Let's Get Killed, Gritty Shaker, Radio 7, Slashers Revenge, Don't Die Just Yet.
Van Morrison
4/5
A really pleasant listening experience that unleashes its penchant for standout moments in every song, therefore making them memorable. A necessary step forward from the impossible to follow Astral Weeks and is thus an essential part in the story of Van the Man.
Favorites: And It Stoned Me, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic, These Dreams of You, Brand New Day.
Metallica
5/5
Perhaps the most consequential album in the metal genre in the past thirty years and for Metallica. While not every song hits the mark, for the most part it is a solid, neverending barrage of peak Metallica; the everlasting hour in which the band took the reins and dominated the landscape for all eternity. As always, an essential listen.
Favorites: Enter Sandman, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, Nothing Else Matters, Of Wolf and Man, My Friend of Misery.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?
The Birthday Party
4/5
Some of the most depraved, diseased, disorienting pieces of Aussie rock and roll from what would eventually be one of the country's greatest bards of the last forty plus years. And you wonder why they named the band The Birthday Party..... a junkyard indeed.
Favorites: Blast Off, She's Hit, Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), Big Jesus Trash Can, Kiss Me Black, 6" Gold Blade, Kewpie Doll, Junkyard.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Beep beep.... Missy Elliott's debut album is a perfect introduction for those who want to dig into why she remains a influential figure in pop, R&B and hip-hop nearly twenty-five years on. Apart from the Busta Rhymes stuff and the spoken word outro, almost every song here is a banger from the hits to the deep cuts. An essential listen all around.
Favorites: Hit 'Em With da Hee, Sock It 2 Me, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Best Friends, Don't Be Comin' (In My Face), Why You Hurt Me, I'm Talkin'.
Adele
3/5
Although the mood of the album can feel interminably conservative to the point of bleeding and blurring into each other, 25 showcases Adele doing what Adele does best: conveying heart, soul, emotion and regalia in her music. One can understand why this became a smash once it dropped six and a half years ago.
Favorites: Hello, Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Remedy, River Lea, Love in the Dark, A Million Years Ago.
The Cardigans
3/5
A respectable set of songs from The Cardigans that includes their biggest hit and some better than expected material like Happy Meal II and Great Divide, not to mention a reimagined Black Sabbath cover.
Favorites: Your New Cuckoo, Happy Meal II, Step on Me, Lovefool, Losers, Great Divide.
Love
4/5
The precursor to Love Forever Changes roars with all the might of its proto-punk attitudes and the rollicking saga of its 19 minute long Revelation. Do not overlook this part of Love if you want to understand how they came into being what they were on their way towards their masterpiece.
Favorites: Stephanie Knows Who, Orange Skies, Seven and Seven Is, She Comes in Colors, Revelation.
Fats Domino
4/5
I didn't listen to the album recommended to me. Instead, I listened to a Greatest Hits compilation called Walking to New Orleans, which includes the majority of the songs from this album. Going through the record, you can sense and hear the self-proclaimed Fat Man's influence on what would eventually be rock and roll. Despite the majority of the songs containing a set formula, that formula is consistent and gives off an aura of genuine greatness throughout; thus that can give the listener a song or two from his catalog to cherish.
Favorites: The Fat Man, Going to the River, Please Don't Leave Me, Ain't That a Shame, I Can't Go On (Rosalie), Don't Blame It on Me, Blue Monday, I'm Walkin', I Want to Walk You Home, I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday, Walking to New Orleans.
Willie Nelson
4/5
A delightful, utterly charming set of covers that would make you believe that they were Willie originals. On an impeccable run during his immersive outlaw country era, Stardust finds Willie at the top of his game. Seek this out when you have the chance.
Favorites: Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, Blue Skies, All of Me, Unchained Melody, September Song.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Rod Stewart's energetic and electric vocal performance is what makes this album throughly great. From the title track on down, it is an unrelenting showcase of passion, inspiration and fusing of the past and then present. There is a reason why most people consider this Rod's highest creative peak, listen when you can.
Favorites: Every Picture Tells a Story, Seems Like a Long Time, That's All Right, Maggie May, Mandolin Wind.
Violent Femmes
4/5
A neverending rush of bombastic, jangly, at times serious early alternative rock that deserves its distinction as the Femmes' best.
Favorites: Blister in the Sun, Please Do Not Go, Add It Up, Confessions, Prove My Love, To the Kill, Gone Daddy Gone, Gimme the Car.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
If you love (this album) less, you deserve to have love (in your life) less. Easily the most influential independent album of the last thirty years. Play it loud.
Fiona Apple
5/5
When this album came across the generator, I hadn't listened to it in a while. I was initially excited but then worry crept in. What if this album wasn't as good as I remember? Was the hype and adoration overblown? Is this album a victim of the pandemic, where the uncertainty of everything in our lives and the abrupt upending of plans have tainted our views of various aspects of media? Well, despite all of those factors creeping in, this album remains an excellent viewpoint of Fiona Apple and what she means to us. Songs that were seen as been somewhat grating in retrospect (Shameika, Ladies, Heavy Balloon) hit even harder than before and songs that weren't given space to be remembered suddenly galloped with an intensity and fervor that sticks after it ends (Newspaper, Cosmonauts, Drumset). Is the album as good as I remember? Yes. Was the hype and adulation overblown? Yes, but it was deserved. Is it a victim of the early pandemic? For me, not anymore.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
Respectable African guitar music from Ali, you wouldn't tell that this was his final effort. The minimal arrangements in the songs makes it stand out at times.
Favorites: Erdi, Beto, Soya, Soko Yhinka.
Love
5/5
"The news today will be the movies for tomorrow..."
One of, if not the, greatest documents of 60s psychedelia. Nearly fifty-five years on, this album remains as seductive, influential, impactful, memorable and vital as ever. Even some of the more forgettable songs on here, which there aren't much of, maintain a punch that lasts past its last second. Never has the ugliness of the flower power era been illustrated with such beauty. If you haven't come across this album, that needs to be rectified. Love Forever Changes.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Don't let the peeled banana fool you, this is a divine collection of songs that do not guarantee spoiling upon neglect. Leonard works surprisingly well with the synth sounds, rather bending it to his will as opposed to the other way around. Is he our man? With this album, he sure is.
Favorites: First We Take Manhattan, Ain't No Cure for Love, Everybody Knows, Jazz Police, Tower of Song.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
Leaping into a new record label after over a decade in others, 3+3 finds The Isley Brothers finding themselves tangled with some of their most recognizable songs and most effective hidden gems. You may find them pointless, but the interviews tacked at the end helps get The Isleys and their impact on music across and serves as an insight to their trajectories and progress. 3+3 indeed.
Favorites: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, You Walk Your Way, Listen to the Music, Sunshine (Go Away Today), Summer Breeze (Pts 1& 2), The Highways of My Life.
The Replacements
4/5
With one foot out the punk door and one foot in what would become the alternative scene, The Replacements provided a template for what would happen when a band gets captured not in the throes of dissolution but in the moment where things begin to look up. 33 minutes of pendulum swinging punk ferocity and pensive perspective that's rightly regarded as one of the best examples of 80s rock.
Favorites: I Will Dare, Androgynous, Black Diamond, Unsatisfied, Seen Your Video, Sixteen Blue.
Duran Duran
4/5
Critics didn't know what to do in regards to Duran Duran. Did they not expect them to be utterly influential to the point of being considered one of the first standard bearers of a nascent music video channel? I don't know about you but this album is a good example of not believing everything you read.
Favorites: Rio, Lonely in Your Nightmare, Hungry Like the Wolf, Push Back the Rain, Last Chance on the Subway.
The Who
4/5
Mods and Rockers assemble! Actually Rockers, just go away because the last thing you want is to get pummeled at the beach! This is the kind of Who that I like: short, concise, powerful, meaty songs that pack the punch. Sure, some of these are covers (Please, Please, Please, I Don't Mind and I'm a Man) but the originals are enough to convince someone that 60s Who were a genuine, honest to God special breed of madness that was put together at the proper moment. They'd improve and they'd get better and bigger and bouncier but man, what a way to make a impressionable debut.
Favorites: Out in the Street, The Good's Gone, La-La-La-Lies, My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, A Legal Matter, The Ox.
Jungle Brothers
4/5
Seems fitting that this came out in 1989 along with the other great hip-hop records from the period. Done by the Forces of Nature showcases the Native Tongues movement at its brightest and ceaselessly innovative, giving us a glimpse of what was to come with hip-hop in the 90s.
Favorites: Beyond This World, Feelin' Alright, Sunshine, What U Waitin' 4, U Make Me Sweat, Acknowledge Your Own History, Good Newz Comin', Tribe Vibes, Black Woman, Doin' Our Own Dang.
Bert Jansch
3/5
Alluring folk music that could have undoubtedly scratched a persistent itch in the time that it came out, mediating between short guitar noodling and thoughtful, lyrical performances.
Favorites: Strolling Down the Highway, Needle of Death, Do You Hear Me Now, Running From Home, Courting Blues, Casbah, Angie.
Frank Ocean
4/5
When this album was first announced almost ten years ago, I took notice but a very, very long time to listen. The open letter, I'm ashamed to admit, drove me away. I wasn't prepared to face the fact that there were changes in the way musicians openly detailed relationships with the same sex and that it would inevitably, eventually, change the way we view ourselves. Channel Orange is the nucleus of which the way music (and Frank Ocean) is viewed upon as a beyond comprehensible experience. It's near hour odyssey is worthy of being considered the abundance of accolades it's been given. An essential listen.
Favorites: Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Bad Religion, Forrest Gump.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
At times danceable and at times reflective, It's Blitz! sees Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the precipice of a change in their careers, with an album cover that's representative of the sounds inside.
Favorites: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Skeletons, Dull Life, Shame and Fortune, Runaway.
The Verve
4/5
Coming off the tail end of the Britpop wave, Urban Hymns operates as some sort of final scene before the end credits. All of The Verve's history was captured and crystallized with this album, keeping one foot in the populist, swaggering sounds of the moment while keeping the other foot in the psychedelic universe they once solely occupied. While this album does feel a bit bloated with the album length, there are moments where the songs prop up the album with its immediacy and accessibility. It may not be anyone's cup of tea but this is still something to go out of one's way to listen to if there is any particular interest in where British music was in 1997.
Favorites: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Catching the Butterfly, Space and Time, Lucky Man, This Time, Come On.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
Short, concise, sweet and precise: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers makes their mark upon the music world with this all killer, no filler collection of songs that uses its strengths to the best of their ability. Thirty minutes was all they needed to get their point across and they didn't waste any second of it. Delightful stuff, wonderful.
The Smiths
5/5
Undoubtedly The Smiths finest moment. The Queen is Dead is where they go balls to the wall with their sound and ambition. Just when you think they have peaked with one song or two (the title track, Never Had No One Ever), they go ahead and whack you with another set of songs (Bigmouth Strikes Again, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, There is a Light That Never Goes Out) that just obliterates whatever your preconceptions are of what's possible. This is rightly considered to be the absolute best album The Smiths ever made and it's an essential album of the 80s.
Pixies
4/5
With rather bizarre topics and angular, bombastic and boisterous instrumentation, it's no wonder why Pixies became darlings in the late 80s. They were a breath of fresh air yet a precursor of what was to come in the coming decade. With songs that wiggle around your brain with such ease, Surfer Rosa marks Pixies' ascent up the influential sphere of indie/alternative rock.
Favorites: Bone Machine, Break My Bones, Broken Face, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Where is My Mind?, Tony's Theme, Vamos (Surfer Rosa).
Songhoy Blues
3/5
Refugees from a war-torn country, the words Music in Exile has never felt more apt here as the talents of Songhoy Blues are on full display, showcasing what they are capable of.
Favorites: Soubour, Irganda, Nick, Wayei, Jolie, Mali.
Bill Evans Trio
5/5
Oh, to be a fly on the wall (or an audience member in attendance) at the time of this performance. Apparently the last show of the trio to include bassist Scott LaFaro, this live set gave us two albums and plenty of stellar moments sprinkled throughout (from the takes of Alice in Wonderland, All of You, My Man's Gone Now, Porgy, etc.) Go out of your way to listen to whatever variation you prefer (Sunday, Waltz for Debby and/or the Complete) and immerse yourself in one of the more important nights (out of many) in jazz history.
Bob Dylan
5/5
This is where the mythologizing of Bob Dylan begins. In only fifty minutes, he conveys the spirit of an upcoming tidal wave of deep seated unrest, rebellion and questioning of authority figures and anointed deities. This album is just one of the cracks in the facade that was the conceived aura of the then-present, Bob's voice being the thundering sensation that roused the generation that venerated him. Essential listening.
Steely Dan
4/5
The first album from the soon to be kings of sophisticated rock music. While it's not a wholly Donald Fagen sing-along (some of the vocals are done by other singers), it obtains characteristics that would soon define the Dan as a polarizing band in the decades to come. One shouldn't look at this album and steer clear, it's still worth a listen; just know that the best is yet to come.
Favorites: Do It Again, Dirty Work, Only a Fool Would Say That, Reelin' in the Years, Changing of the Guard, Turn That Heartbeat Over Again.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker were both on the cusp of something when they paired up for this seismic album back in 1971. One of the many shining gems in a discography full of them, Fela and his Africa 70 showcases the euphoric yet political pull of Afrobeat with Ginger more than holding his own. If only we knew then what would come next....
Favorites: Let's Start, Black Man's Cry, Ye Ye De Smell.
The Crusaders
4/5
Have you ever encountered a track that, while great, makes you wonder when it will end? Makes you wonder how long the track actually is as it is going on? Then you see and it's beyond ten minutes and you don't mind it at all as the song is rather great from start to finish. That was me with Street Life. The other songs are good too, those aren't to be missed as well.
Favorites: Street Life, Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'), Carnival of the Night.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
With increasingly sprawling and sparkling efficiency and effectively (and a mega dose of inventiveness), the last album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience went all out to capture the moods and turbulence of the year 1968. Fire red moon and skies, burned down houses, temperature shifting seasons, strange women, the epochal cover of an essential Dylan classic and alliances with voodoo all coagulate to form what is, perhaps, the quintessential album from the groundbreaking British/American trio. Don't let the extended jams placed at the start and middle of the album scare you, they are just as part of the, uh... experience as well. In fact, they enhance it and are the best parts of the album. One listen, five listens, a thousand listens and you'll come to understand why it's a classic of not only it's era but for future generations.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Featuring some of the most memorable riffs and drum fills in heavy metal history, Paranoid is nothing more than a relentless, balls to the wall masterwork. And to believe that this is Black Sabbath's second record! They continued to define and refine what would be the heaviest and most impactful genre in rock and influence many bands in their wake.
Frank Black
3/5
Teenager of the Year is too much long for it's own good. There are songs strewn throughout the album where there are moments that stick long enough to be memorable and where songs can be utterly forgettable. If this were split into two albums, maybe it could be a better overall achievement by Frank Black but, as one whole, it's okay.
Favorites: Whatever Happened to Pong?, (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, Calistan, Freedom Rock, Fiddle Riddle, Olé Mulholland, I Could Stay Here Forever, Pure Denizens of the Citizens Band.
Brian Eno
4/5
There had been bits of pieces here and there (collabs with Robert Fripp, Discreet Music, the majority of Another Green World) but this is it. The start of the main chapter of Brian Eno's career and the main thing that most people associate him with. This is the perfect collection for unwinding, mellowing out after a tough day. It seems quite ironic that this was considered made for airports, given the rather chaotic nature of those places. Maybe that was what Eno envisioned. I don't know but what I do know is that this is essential to the Brian Eno discography. It would be incomplete without it.
Favorites: 1/1, 2/2.
Frank Zappa
4/5
Perhaps the absolute best representation of the jazz fusion era of Frank's career. He was an enigma, a one of a kind talent. He could dabble in many genres and could produce stellar albums in those styles. This is one of them. From Peaches en Regalia onwards, Hot Rats is a relentless force that sounds as fresh now as it did in 1969. There are plenty of memorable moments throughout, peaking at The Gumbo Variations: twelve minutes of some of the finest playing Zappa ever did. Highly recommended.
Favorites: Peaches en Regalia, Son of Willie the Pimp, The Gumbo Variations, It Must Be a Camel.
Green Day
4/5
The start of the third act in Green Day's saga and their finest hour, American Idiot serves as a particularly potent and relevant source of musical ferocity, intensity, inspiration and passion the likes of which wasn't expected from the band back in 2004 but is now seen as a modern classic. Fusing together elements of bombastic rock operatics with simplistic punk force, it's no wonder why Green Day returned to being a beloved cornerstone of the rock genre after a steady downward slope and that things weren't going to be the same from here on out. A new kind of tension, indeed.
Favorites: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy, Wake Me Up When September Ends.
Neil Young
4/5
Digging through the ditch can have a effect on somebody, especially when that person has experienced trauma whilst flying close to the sun. It isn't pretty. That was probably intentional. One can come out of it only one way, not the way that can be associated with clarity and optimism. That way can only be relentlessly bleak weariness. Many artists have looked towards this ditch and can gleam various things to attach to their art, but they don't go in; there's no reason to. Only one had done the work for them, they just need to learn.
Favorites: Tonight's the Night (Pt. 1 & 2), Borrowed Tune, Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown, Mellow Mind, Roll Another Number (For the Road), Tired Eyes.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
A harbinger of what was to come in the chaotic year that was 1968, White Light/White Heat remains not only the antithesis of the Summer of Love but a crucial turning point in the world of The Velvet Underground. With John Cale one foot out the door and Nico and Andy Warhol completely gone, Lou, Sterling and Moe paint a wholly bleak picture of grisly proportions; death via good intentions, botched entries into a more comfortable being and a seventeen minute romp whose most memorable refrain refers to fellatio. Sgt. Pepper's, Majesty's Request and whatever The Monkees' latest was this was not. The punk movement had arrived early and White Light/White Heat was the first of the few flag bearers.
Fugees
5/5
One listen to The Score by Fugees and you would immediately understand why. Why, for the past twenty-five plus years, fans of hip-hop and all genres of music essentially clamor for any crumb of material from the trio that turned everything upside down with their sophomore masterstroke. In a time where alienation, coastal divide and violence reined supreme, three MCs took it upon themselves to not only step up to the best of them but obliterate any doubt in the process. The Score is, perhaps, the prime example of lightning in a bottle; a moment in time that can neither be duplicated nor repeated. And, with that, you will understand why.
Wire
4/5
Hey, this is the album that birthed Elastica! But, in all seriousness, I struggle to classify Wire as a full on punk band. More like an art rock group that saw the punk explosion as an opportunity to get their foot in the door and get their foot in the door they did. Mixing short songs with harbingers of what they would later come up with, Pink Flag remains Wire's defining statement forty-five years on through sheer invention and aplomb. Yet another example of 1977 being a sublime year for music.
Favorites: Reuters, Three Girl Rumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange, Fragile, Mannequin, Feeling Called Love, 12 X U.
Richard Hawley
4/5
From pleasant start to ghostly end, Richard Hawley takes the listener through trips of life in Sheffield in Coles Corner. What sticks out is the numerous nods made towards the pre-Sixties era of music such as traditional pop and country and it keeps the album interesting from beginning to end. Do not ignore this collection.
Favorites: Coles Corner, Just Like the Rain, The Ocean, I Sleep Alone, Tonight, (Wading Through) The Waters of Times, Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Feet?, Last Orders.
Kraftwerk
5/5
The electronic dream starts here. There have been fits and starts, promising beginnings and premature ends but this is where it starts to solidify itself. Before the suits, the haircuts, the dummies, cycling obsessions, etc., Kraftwerk focused on the joys of the road and the beauty of the automobile as they wax sonic miracle that continues to enliven and enlighten nearly fifty years on. Fahren! Fahren! Fahren!
Madonna
5/5
Whenever there is a phase in Madonna's career, no matter how brief and noteworthy, it all serves a use for a section of the fanbase to hang their hats on. Ray of Light is the culmination of a return to the public's good graces that began with Bedtime Stories and peaked with her starring role in Evita. Crafting compositions about enlightenment and motherhood, this is Madonna's most mature outing; a record that positions her as a sage for all things groundbreaking and revelatory (not that she wasn't beforehand). Sooner or later, she'll slide back down into dangerous waters of irrelevancy but, for a while, Madonna became someone to love again. This album is proof.
Sly & The Family Stone
5/5
Marvin Gaye had asked "What's Goin' On"; a few months later, he had his answer. With a few exceptions, this is perhaps the murkiest, most drug-addled, most fucked up form of pop music in the 70s. No depth of hell would or could equate to whatever hell Sly Stone had conjured up from thin air (or whatever air that involved drugs). A defining statement that also became the beginning of the end, There's a Riot Goin' On is Sly's masterpiece.
Genesis
4/5
The calm before the storm, Selling England by the Pound features Genesis at a moment of transition. While there are ferociously awesome progressive noodling permeating the album, there are also moments of accessibility that forecasts what would eventually happen to the group in the ensuing years. An essential album in the prog rock era of Genesis' career.
Favorites: Dancing with the Moonlit Knights, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Firth of Fifth, The Battle of Epping Forest, The Cinema Show.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
A heartfelt rumination on the very thought of comes with living in America, Bookends finds Simon & Garfunkel at their reflective, pensive and innovative best. Scouring many lifetimes in under half an hour, Bookends accomplished more at that timespan in tugging at the minds and heartstrings of those looking for meaning in where their futures lie.
Favorites: Save the Life of My Child, America, Overs, Old Friends, Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, A Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo.
Bob Dylan
5/5
One thing listeners tend to learn about Bob Dylan is to never count him out. When he seems to be at his lowest ebb creatively, to the point of no return, he would come back with something so potent, so pure, so reaffirming that it would seem ridiculous to have ever doubted him. On Time Out of Mind, Bob (with the help of Daniel Lanois) once more turns all perceptions upside down and begins keeping up with a wave that hasn't subsided since, offering a continuation of the ever mystifying path taking that makes Bob Dylan well... you know. One of the more intriguing, interesting yet under the radar comebacks in music history.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
At first, I went into this record genuinely curious and was left feeling that this was mostly okay. Sounds samey at points but don't discard the craft that went into this album; the bright sounds that come out of this are worth the listen.
Favorites: Papa Bonheur, Désespoir, Koweït, Rive Gauche.
The Undertones
3/5
A spirited, fun collection of songs that aims and succeeds at targeting the every day comings and goings of love, gossip, heartbreak and the minutia of life.
Favorites: More Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, See That Girl, The Way Girls Talk, Hard Luck, My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week, What's With Terry?
Solomon Burke
3/5
"Sam brought you cake and ice cream, and he called you cherry pie. Ray Charles called you his sunshine, but you never mind. I ain't let nobody let love you, like I'm loving you right now. 'Cause they don't know how, to love you like I do...."
Favorites: Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), Can't Nobody Love You, Hard, Ain't It Hard, You Can't Love 'Em All, Beautiful Brown Eyes, He'll Have to Go.
Tina Turner
3/5
What's fascinating about Private Dancer was the overall unlikelihood of Tina Turner ever being a household name in the 80s. She was seen as someone who didn't have a good track record and was largely described as being better off with her abusive husband; not one to be taken seriously as a long overdue solo juggernaut. Private Dancer changed that. It is a little strange hearing cover versions of songs that sound good in it's original configuration being tooled up for 80s showcasing and some of it works (Let's Stay Together) while others are best left untouched (I Can't Stand the Rain, Help!). Overall, while not a perfect record, Private Dancer gives insight into how Tina became the rock legend she is today and beyond.
Favorites: I Should Have Been Queen, What's Love Got to Do With It, Show Some Respect, Private Dancer, Let's Stay Together, Better Be Good to Me, Steel Claw.
Donovan
3/5
With one foot in the psychedelic soil and one foot out the folksy door, Sunshine Superman showcases Donovan coming into the potential of his musical strengths. While of its time in some respects, it comes armored with fanciful tales and a song that would come to define him more or less; yet it doesn't mean it isn't a good collection of material. More would come from Donovan soon and he'll get better.
Favorites: Sunshine Superman, Legend of a Girl Child Linda, Bert's Blues, Season of the Witch, The Fat Angel, Celeste.
David Gray
5/5
I was curious when this was recommended to me: an album I've never heard of, that apparently sold a boatload of copies in the U.K. and became part of the zeitgeist. And, guess what? I can understand why. This album is fantastic, every song on here sounds as though it would have been a single. I was actually a bit sad that this album ended with the last track, as I would have wanted it to continue. It seems crazy to me that it took only a few years for it to completely take off but it was worth it. This is worthy of a repeat listen somewhere down the line.
4/5
1969 was a great year for Elektra Records and the rumblings of punk rock in a state largely known at that point for Motown. With one record, MC5 grabbed the collars of every and any prude that stood in front of them and shook their foundations with only five words: words that everyone knows by heart but is unfortunately edited out here. It's not all woeful here, though, as the rest of the music contained here is flat out incendiary in its approach to rock and roll and bits of jazz; one could see and hear where they would end up in a year's time. MC5 were a rock and roll band at heart, they just so happened to provide the blueprint for one of the more consequential genres of music to come. Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!
Favorites: Ramblin' Rose, Kick Out the Jams, Come Together, Rocket Reducer No. 62, Motor City is Burning.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Pop goes the Sixties. The doves weren't the only things that flew up the uncertain skies that July afternoon in Hyde Park after Brian Jones passed the mortal coil. Gone were the hopes and dreams of a generation who designated themselves to the ones who changed things, whose dalliances with all the things that had served to lift them up had come to warp and muddy their senses. It was time to get real. This is as real as it gets when it comes to The Rolling Stones, who had come to their senses a year beforehand and began digging deep into the ditches in the quest for gold. Bookending Let It Bleed with two of the most prescient songs of their career, the Stones seem to know what was coming in the decade ahead and the decade that was about to end. Let It Bleed, indeed. Shelter won't be found here. An essential album, one of the Rolling Stones' greatest.
Paul Weller
3/5
The beginning of the mid-life 90s renaissance of one of Britain's more compelling singer-songwriters. Seemingly taking his trajectories (the failure of what was to be The Style Council's early 90s Madchester album) to heart, Paul Weller looked inward and turned up with a collection that ruminated on his prior and then-present fusions of his musicality. One can see where he would go with his next record, the timely and rollicking Stanley Road and one can't help but become entrenched by the ambition that some of the songs on Wild Wood inhabits, if they let it. A nice new chapter in a career full of them.
Favorites: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), All the Pictures on the Wall, Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, 5th Season, The Weaver, Foot of the Mountain, Shadow of the Sun, Moon on Your Pyjamas.
Gorillaz
5/5
Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.
Drive Like Jehu
5/5
One of the more important proto-emo albums of all time; with every hook that a guitar riff would bring and the yearning and screaming that comes from the vocal, Yank Crime should be considered as one of the greatest punk albums of the 90s. If there was one album to end things on and plant a flag into the ground of what was to be the future of punk, this is the one.
5/5
75 years ago, an aspiring bandleader assembled a band to provide joy and happiness to those who needed it. Twenty years after that, a world conquering pop group (in need to reinvent themselves and be something else for a change) took that bandleader's ambitions and turned it into Technicolor. The music world hasn't been the same since. As Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles gave the world a whole new vision as they fully transitioned out of the mop-top era into a being more mystical and surreal than anything they conjured up beforehand. This is where most hats are tipped as the moment where The Beatles became, if they weren't already, the nucleus of a generation whose dreams are dayglo and that nothing would ever stop them on the path for fulfillment of a better, more wonderful world. Of course, like most things in life, things didn't turn out that way but Sgt. Pepper's didn't forsee that time. Neither did anyone else but the then-future is not important. What is important is the impact that this album made on the Fab Four, fellow musicians, aspiring musicians and the world over. A splendid time has been guaranteed when it comes to the album and it has been for the past 55 years. Whether it is the greatest album of all time or not, there is no denying that Sgt. Pepper had set the benchmark for what is possible then, now and forever. An eternal classic.
Gang Starr
3/5
Arctic Monkeys
5/5
Like a simultaneous breath of fresh air and a bolt of lightning, Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys blazed their way towards the well travelled roads of British indie and added new perspectives in dizzying wordplay and tightly constructed instrumentation, whilst using the novel advantage of the internet to the lexicon of how to create lasting impacts. What followed is a career that has led towards twists and turns that only the Monkeys can take, with the aplomb and ambition that few groups of their ilk could muster and master and they wouldn't have gotten there if they hadn't made this album. What a stellar debut album, what a band they'll be.
Michael Jackson
5/5
As polarizing as Michael Jackson may be at the moment (when is he not be such?), you cannot deny that his music has become part of our DNA. The very idea of popular culture is centered around the then-living King of Pop and three albums support that theory very much. Off the Wall is the first of those albums. Made during the height of the disco era, Off the Wall finds Michael honing and refining his skills after years of maturing under the spotlight. This album is all killer, no filler from beginning to end and it is a effective teaser for what was to come later on. If we only knew...
Steely Dan
5/5
This is where the buck stops here. This is it. The crystallization of the aura that Steely Dan were hoping to possess is on here. Aja would make most bands careers but for Steely Dan, not only was it a Tuesday but yet another stop on their road to glory. Phenomenal album, best listened to with either quality headphones or a quality sound system. As probably best intentioned.
JAY Z
5/5
New York, 2001. So many so-called kings of the borough but only one looked as if he needed something to prove. And, for that, he laid out the blueprint and wound up making history. Not even the world shifting, beyond tragic events of the album's release date could halt JAY Z's inevitable trajectory as the true successor of Biggie's throne. Some may call this his greatest album (though others before or since have the right to assume that position) and it cannot be denied that The Blueprint set in motion a chain of events that would end up defining its makers and its genre for better or for worse.
Finley Quaye
4/5
A dub and reggae album with flourishes of the then-contemporary sounds; this is a rather ambitious and auspicious debut album from 1997, a year chock full of ambitious albums that looked toward the future rather than mine from the past. Maverick A Strike seems to have gone under the radar, which is a shame seeing as though it is looking to be re-discovered and re-evaluated as it should. A hidden gem, for sure.
Favorites: Ultra Stimulation, It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, The Way of the Explosive, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Sweet and Loving Man.
Elvis Presley
5/5
This is rather timely for me, seeing as how the Elvis biopic is coming out soon (or is out? I don't know, I only keep tabs on arthouse films). It had to be him. You know how things were in the 50s when it came to nascent rock and roll. The prime originators of the genre, who happened to be Black, wouldn't get the most out of the notoriety that Elvis put forth. So he had to be the blueprint. Rock and roll had to be molded in his image and it's an image that still captivates in these two centuries, from album cover on down. Sure, the songs are all covers but there is also conviction and purpose and Elvis had that in spades. If it wasn't for this album, who knows how the next several years would turn out. Maybe it'd be dismal, maybe nothing would change. We'll never know because the path forward only takes less than thirty minutes.
5/5
"People talk about this trilogy of Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape... we didn't plan it that way" - Graham Coxon
"It was, kind of, the birth of what became known as the modern Blur" - Dave Rowntree
Getting rid of the baggy aesthetic that was forced upon them by their record label, Blur looked forward whilst looking back in the creation of their first great album. Anglophile musings and seething resentment of the downtrodden grunge movement spurred Blur to craft pop songs that dealt with esoteric characters and everyday dealings of life and that path would sustain (and define) them as they became the biggest band in Britain. Modern Life is Rubbish? It still is.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Impending death has never sounded this hectic, manic, romantic; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds offered ten songs of grisly demise in the ways that only they can, finding new routes towards these ironically called ballads and giving them new life. This is, also, perhaps the only album that contains the talents of Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey either on the same or different track. The only way for this band to go after this is up and up they will go.
Favorites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely Creatures, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not the End.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
The victory lap in a golden race, Exile on Main Street is generally considered by most music fans as the last all time great Rolling Stones album; the one with the most mythical status, a most gargantuan collection of songs so bountiful it had to be split into two records. Here is where the band were at their most boisterous, most rollicking like true outlaws. There are moments where they could have veered down a strange path but always find a way to get back up to where they excelled best. It can't all be loved, which is what makes it still appealing fifty years on. Essential listening.
Favorites: Rocks Off, Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Loving Cup, Happy, Let It Loose, All Down the Line, Shine a Light.
Isaac Hayes
4/5
The album that made America get bit by the Blaxploitation bug. Despite not getting the part of the suave, cooler than cool John Shaft, Isaac Hayes still embodied the spirit and swagger that the character had in spades. A blueprint for how Black music would sound throughout the 70s and what it would mine through and pine to recreate in the decades afterward, Shaft is stellar as a standalone but one would need to see the original movie to full assess its impact.
Favorites: Theme from Shaft, Café Regio's, Early Sunday Morning, Be Yourself, A Friend's Place, No Name Bar, Do Your Thing.
The National
4/5
It was slow at first but, then, it began to open up. The National's High Violet continues the band's seamless path towards indie rock glory that began with Alligator as they churned out some of their most impassioned and revelatory performances. Songs that don't look like much at first glance would soon consume you and turn you inside out the more it advances towards the finish line and unveils its layers that it is capable of making. The expanded version of the album builds upon this as well, with extra tracks that flow from one to the next with seemingly no end. High Violet is deserving of high praise.
Favorites: Anyone's Ghost, Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, Conversation 16, England, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, Terrible Love (alternate version), Wake Up Your Saints, Sin-Eater.
Miles Davis
5/5
At this point, what needs to be said about this album that hasn't already been said? Miles knew where he was going to go, where the future of jazz was going to go and gave us an album so chock full of uncharted waters that, to this day, sounds futuristic and forward thinking despite it being made in the age of Aquarius. The first great album of the 70s, Bitches Brew gave us a cinematic worldview of who and what Miles would become in this electric era and we would be all the worse off if he didn't go down this route and get loose. We all need to thank Betty Davis for this one.
Pulp
5/5
By the fall of 1995, the smoke of the Battle of Britpop had yet to fade out properly and there was plenty more where that came from on the Blur and Oasis sides. But if you were tired of it all and were looking for something a little more stimulating, then Pulp were ready to sweep you away. They'd always been ready, they were looking for the proper time to strike and 1995 was that time. First with Common People, the Britpop anthem and Pulp's brightest moment and then Different Class, Pulp's finest hour. Horny escapades, kitchen sink tales of moments and memories past and present, the possibilities that come from connections. They're all laid out here. The minds were definitely at work here and millions were blown away by the suave swagger of Jarvis and Co. They just wanted a right to be different and, for fifty-one minutes, they showed us how.
The Incredible String Band
3/5
Folk at it's most freakishly psychedelic, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter sees The Incredible String Band beginning to assemble the pieces of what would be intriguing and enticing puzzle, taking the once barren soundscapes of a tired sound and dousing it in mythology and spiritualism. An important part of the story of what would become "freak folk" in the years to come.
Favorites: Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, A Very Cellular Song, Waltz of the New Moon, The Water Song, There is a Green Crown.
Scott Walker
4/5
In the hunt for a climate where his muses can be indulged without question and judgment, before he tilted down the drift where mediocrity reigned, the final album in the Scott tetralogy sees the Boy Genius start paving the road that would lead down to what would become wicked, demented and all together unlikely brilliant. War heroes, European art films and invasions of countries coalesce in an album that sees the 30 Century Man operate at his finest. A fine album to understand who Scott was and who he would become.
Favorites: The Seventh Seal, On Your Own Again, The World's Strongest Man, Boy Child, Hero of the War, The Old Man's Back Again, Get Behind Me.
The Jam
4/5
Sound affects? Haven't really come across any on this album. But what was evident was the fact that The Jam were riding a wave that nobody knew was coming to a stop, and it is particularly noticeable to hear them fire on all cylinders on what was to be their penultimate record. Dreaming of Monday, dreaming of Monday....
Favorites: Pretty Green, Monday, Set the House Ablaze, Start!, That's Entertainment, Man in the Corner Shop, Scrape Away.
Van Morrison
5/5
Van the Man's all time greatest statement, the back story of which is one of the wildest and most batshit insane in all of music. That shouldn't detract from the beauty that still emanates from this album almost fifty-five years on. From the first verse uttered to the last verse sung, Van's voice flows with such grace and effortlessness that one can only wonder... and listen in awe. I still do.
Jeru The Damaja
4/5
One of the more lesser known but integral albums of the East Coast Rap Renaissance of the 90s, The Sun Rises in the East builds and lives up to its title with its minimal yet impactful instrumentation and potent rhymes from the original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel. Although overshadowed by what came before and afterward, this is an album that's not to be ignored and does more than it's required to hold its own.
Favorites: D. Original, Brooklyn Took It, Mental Stamina, Da Bichez, You Can't Stop the Prophet, Ain't the Devil Happy, Mind Spray.
Genesis
4/5
The last hurrah of the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, and perhaps the progressive rock era in general, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway never settles for less; a continual bombast of epic proportions involving a street kid named Rael and his kaleidoscopic adventures along the way. Perhaps the band's greatest outing, they grab the listener through the twists and turns that the story requires, soaring with the highs and rumbling with the lows. But, as mentioned, all good things must come to an end and both Peter and the band set off toward different paths. At least we have this to hold on to.
Favorites: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Cuckoo Cocoon, In the Cage, Back in NYC, Counting Down Time, The Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber of 32 Doors, Lillywhite Lilith, Anyway, Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist, Ravine, The Light Dies Down on Broadway, In the Rapids, It.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
The bobbysoxers had to stop the screams at some time. The jubilence and hysteria couldn't last forever. Hearts were made to be broken, as the soon to be Ol' Blue Eyes found out on the path to making In the Wee Small Hours. Sixteen tracks of sheer, unrelenting sadness, backed up by a ready and game orchestra, can seem daunting but Frank does what he can to give his all with each track. Of course, we have this album to thank for not only popularizing the 12" record but also concept albums; separate entities that would come together in greater detail in ensuing decades. As for Frank, he had finally found a niche and a formula to cultivate and refine from time to time.
Favorites: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Mood Indigo, Glad to be Unhappy, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Can't We Be Friends?, I'll Be Around, Ill Wind, This Love of Mine.
Miles Davis
5/5
The older I get, the more love I have for this album. It seems to be of a place and no place simultaneously. Fully leaving post-bop behind but not yet caught up in the funky, mythical and mystical chaos of Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way seems like a transitional effort. But it isn't, it's it's own thing; it's own special oasis. To me, this is the perfect Miles Davis album. Just short of forty minutes, two tracks that just whisks you into its orbit and a bonafide classic album cover on top of it. A relentless, endless cool that still radiates to this day. Yet another defining touchstone and turning point in the jazz genre, of course one of many and not the last.
Radiohead
5/5
After years of waiting, I jumped in the river and what did I see? Barn doors, revolving doors, sliding doors, secret doors and trap doors. Come on, come on Holy Roman Empire! Have yourself a good time, there's nothing at all. If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth. Cut the kids in half, be constructive with your blues. This just feels like spinning plates, that's a strange mistake to make.
Beck
4/5
The essential follow-up to Paul's Boutique (granted it was made with The Dust Brothers), Odelay showcases Beck's ascension from post-grunge slacker idealism to something far more eclectic and less predictable. Without this album, it becomes somewhat strange to envision a music atmosphere where indie rock musicians wouldn't pivot to two turntables and a microphone and remain complacent with their guitars and drums. We'd be doing sad hot dog dances in Houston at the thought of it. Good thing we don't have to.
Favorites: Devils Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Novacane, Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Minus, Sissyneck, High 5 (Rock the Catskills).
Manu Chao
3/5
An eclectic multi-cultural, multilingual experience, Clandestino is a tour-de-force of rambunctious ideas that, regardless of the language barrier, burst through with vigor and intrigue. Manu Chao's patchwork of sounds benefit from never staying past its welcome and largely blends from one song to the next and keeping the listener attentive with each step.
Favorites: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, Malegìra, La ve à 2.
Doves
4/5
Regardless of the album's title, The Last Broadcast sees Doves approaching their peak, with optimistic sounding singalongs that signaled their powers which led them to the top of the British charts. There are plenty of moments on this album that captures ones interest and doesn't let go and that attention becomes rewarded throughout. If this is considered Doves' best album, there's a reason why.
Favorites: Words, There Goes the Fear, M62 Song, N.Y., Satellites, Last Broadcast, Caught by the River.
The Waterboys
4/5
Fisherman's Blues shall be in consideration for one of the all time greatest albums of the 1980s. Apparently it is also one of the best artistic reinventions for a band, given that The Waterboys were a full on rocking band. That fully rocking band still exists, it is now welding Irish jigs and poets as opposed to what came before. One will soon find themselves swayed by the passion and creativity that possessed the band on its quest to create this masterpiece.
Favorites: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Strange Boat, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Will We Get Married, The Stolen Child, Killing My Heart, You in the Sky, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, Let Me Feel Holy Again, Meet Me at the Station, Soon as I Get Home.
Grizzly Bear
5/5
2009 was a very beneficial year for the ever changing indie landscape and Grizzly Bear was one of the many bands that saw their fortunes change with Veckatimest. Rock and baroque collide to make a never ending kaleidoscope of experimental genre blending. This comes highly recommended.
Gene Clark
3/5
On White Light, Gene Clark provides further proof that he was the backbone of the revolutionary Byrds immersion into country music, as he uses his compositional skill to good use and hone his craft on the road to making his masterpiece No Other.
Favorites: The Virgin, White Light, One in a Hundred, For a Spanish Guitar, Tears of Rage.
ABBA
4/5
What was, until Voyage forty years later, the last curtain call for ABBA remains a masterclass in bowing out with grace and integrity without looking and sounding as if they're running on fumes. The Visitors will always be ABBA's gloomiest album, as encapsulated by the spaces inhabited in the album cover by the once happily in love, now separated duos of Agnetha and Björn and Anni-Frid and Benny and the topics of the songs being sung for the first and, perhaps, only time. The Visitors shall be welcome without prejudices and fear, they shall do as they please and leave you wondering how they'd remain silent, having allowed the music to speak, for over forty years.
Favorites: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, When All is Said and Done, Soldiers, I Let the Music Speak, One of Us, Two for the Price of One, Slipping Through My Fingers, Under Attack.
Radiohead
5/5
Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon, standing in the shadows at the end of my bed. Everyone is so near, I'm not here. I'd really like to help you man, I'm on your side. We're not scaremongering, this is really happening. I wanted to tell you but you never listen, so I'll keep walking. I will see you in the next life.
King Crimson
5/5
It wasn't just the doves that flew out in Hyde Park on that fateful July day in 1969. With them went the blueprint of a genre that would come to define, for better or worse, the sounds coming from Britain in the ensuing decade that was pouring out of many aspiring bands that favored complex time signatures, ambitious concepts and grandiose statements. And, if it weren't for King Crimson and their epochal debut In the Court of the Crimson King, I surely believe that progressive rock wouldn't have had the headstart that it needed to produce the Yes's and Genesis's and Emerson, Lake and Palmer's of the world. Sure, those bands would arrive eventually but they would have Robert Fripp and his mad genius to thank for the heads up. Perhaps one of the all time greatest debuts to have an all time great opening track, it's incredible to think that we allowed one band (or one man) to have all that power. But we did and we're thankful for that. By the way, Godspeed Barry Godber and thank you for an immortal album cover. Never has a sleeve defined a sound so well.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
For those who have been Mailered, Taylored, O'Hara'd, McNamara'd, Stoned, Beatled, Ayn Randed, Spectored, Adlered, Sadlered, Jaggered, silver daggered and Garfunkeled all while being nearly branded a left-handed Communist for learning the truth from Lenny Bruce and mixing up Dylan's Bob and Thomas, this album is for you. For close to half an hour, Simon & Garfunkel command your attention with their ever flawless vocal combination and attention to musical detail all the while combing through the increasingly complex and challenging landscape that was America in the mid to approaching late Sixties. To think that they would continue peaking all the way to troubled waters is quite captivating stuff.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Jane says she had a dad who would sing a mountain song while standing in the shower... thinking about pigs in zen. She would say Ted, just admit it... idiots rule. Summertime rolls up the beach as an ocean sized thumbs up is given to this album. Thank you boys.
In other words, as good enough of a wake up call as a cup of coffee.
Favorites: Up the Beach, Ocean Size, Ted, Just Admit It..., Summertime Rolls, Mountain Song, Jane Says.
Brian Wilson
4/5
Amongst some of the great "what could have been" musical events of the 20th Century, Smile exceeds its expectations simply by finally being created. One can wonder what would have happened had Brian Wilson been given the encouragement and the proper support needed to see Smile through and gave the world its "teenage homage to God" in the year of Sgt. Pepper and Surrealistic Pillow. Instead, all that was showcased was blueprints and scattered songs across their later discography and visions of the supposed masterpiece that never came. Good thing Brian finally found the courage, support and care necessary to finally bring this monument to it's most complete structure; for its existence does bring about a smile amongst this listener.
Favorites: Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Wonderful, Song for Children, Child is the Father of the Man, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations.
Solange
4/5
A Seat at the Table arrived at a neverending turning point in the discussion of what it means to be Black in America, especially a Black woman. Featuring poignant stories told by relatives and out of the box narrators (No Limit's Master P), A Seat at the Table serves as Solange's long overdue coming out party as an artist whose merits and credentials are worthy of appraisal, appreciation and anticipation for what comes next.
Favorites: Rise, Weary, Cranes in the Sky, Don't You Wait, Interlude: Tina Taught Me, Don't Touch My Hair, F.U.B.U., Junie, Don't Wish Me Hair, Scales.
The White Stripes
4/5
All it takes is one guitar riff to turn a band into rock royalty and that's what The White Stripes became with Elephant. A searing, boisterous collection of 21st Century blues and pure rock and roll, Elephant sees the Stripes approach the peak of their powers with the aura of a confident tag team ready to take home the championships. Perhaps if one needs a proper introduction to Meg and Jack, this is the best bet for a good choice; a moment in time where they became the best American rock band in the world.
Favorites: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, There's No Home for You, Here, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, In the Cold, Cold Night, You've Got Her in Your Pocket, Ball and Biscuit,The Hardest Button to Button, Little Acorns, Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Fuck it, here we go. It's time.
I've avoided this album for a while now. I've read the reviews, I've read all the accolades, I've read most of the accounts of what happened. Yet, when it was time for me to dig into the Mac, I've avoided this album. I mostly dig head over heels for its successor and it's become one of my all time favorite albums. And, yet, this album still rang its ubiquitous cultural bell. It seemed easy to steer clear from yet it never went away. So, when it came time to finally listen to this, I grabbed onto the chain. I didn't think I'd cling on this hard. I finally get what the fuss is all about. Rumours is the preparation for, and confirmation of, everything that is the complex nature of love and relationships. Even since its creation, its impact upon the creators and its listeners can be (and should be) studied on for however much time we have (even though it's not rocket science). So the rumours are true, I guess.... this is a fantastic album.
The Pharcyde
4/5
The Pharcyde make their mark upon hip-hop with this aptly titled album, taking strange twists and turns through subjects and soundscapes that serve as a calm before the storm that would soon infiltrate the genre for the next couple of years.
Favorites: Oh Shit, It's Jiggaboo Time, 4 Better or 4 Worse, Soul Flower, Officer, Ya Mama, Passin' Me By, Otha Fish, Return of the B-Boy.
Green Day
5/5
A pop punk masterstroke, a true demonstration of all killer and no filler. With sheer exuberance and ebullient charisma that blasts throughout, Dookie sees Green Day come to terms with their potential and its use to fill in a vaccum that was occupying the alternative scene. Every note was played perfectly and its positions were well crafted as some songs transitioned into another with ease. No wonder why Green Day took off with this era and career defining album, one of the best of the 90s.
Coldplay
4/5
So... this is where it all begins, huh? Not as bombastic as I was expecting it to be, but it still does the job well. Question, though: Where does the rot start? Is this, truly, Coldplay's best album? Should I go ahead and delve into the rest of their discography to find out? Plenty of potential to be seen and heard here.
Favorites: Don't Panic, Shiver, Sparks, Yellow, High Speed, Everything's Not Lost - Life is for Living.
Cream
5/5
If the remainder of Disraeli Gears had been a shambolic shitshow following the colossal one-two punch of Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, it wouldn't be remembered as fondly as it is now. Thankfully the eight songs (nine if you want to count Mother's Lament) that follow Sunshine does more than what's required to uphold its weight and become equally memorable and quality songs that justify its position as the absolute peak of the sweet yet sour, shortlived lather of guitar/bass/drum combo that was Cream.
Joy Division
5/5
Manchester had proven itself to be the nucleus for innovative music by the late 70s and its status was further confirmed by the release of one of the all time greatest debut albums and one of the more essential pillars of the post-punk sound, Unknown Pleasure. Almost 45 years on, it's still providing the blueprint on how to execute ice cold emotion and abstract, unconventional rhythms that convey meaning that goes beyond t-shirts and thousands of notes of the album cover gif on Tumblr. Regardless, if the band had never made another album they would still be classified as one of the most important bands that ever came out of Manchester. Godspeed Ian Curtis, Godspeed Martin Hannett and Godspeed Tony Wilson.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
Like a refreshing sip of iced cool water, an immense breath of fresh air, a much needed sigh after undergoing a repetitious round of heavy lifting. No amount of language barriers can contain the musical synchronicity present in this album, a complete blessing from a country that was once forbidden and sequestered. No club is cooler than the Buena Vista Social Club.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
Breezy, inoffensive sophisticated pop from one of the 80s more understated yet substantial bands. Crazy to think that, within a couple of years, they'd be instrumental in the rise of emotive dance music but we've all got to have a head start somewhere. This could have a bit more variety but, overall, not a bad thing.
Favorites: I Don't Want to Talk About, Love is Here Where I Live, These Early Days, Oxford Street, The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Goodbye Sunday, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Lonesome for a Place I Know.
Jeff Beck
3/5
Boasting some of the soon-to-be biggest icons in rock, Jeff Beck's Truth is a good representation of where the blues was heading towards at the end of the 60s, with passionate vocal performances and attention grabbing instrumentals that does the songs that contain them justice.
Favorites: Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, Morning Dew, Ol' Man River, Beck's Bolero, Blues Deluxe.
Bob Dylan
5/5
The thin, wild mercury sound.... the culmination of a year and a half that changed not just Bob Dylan's trajectory but the face of rock music. Never has it become so literary, so surreal, so grounded in it's New York meets Nashville trek. A undeniable peak on a mountain that would contain many peaks, Blonde on Blonde is one of the few descriptors of the year 1966 that can be seen as accurate; such was the sprawling scenes shown in the songs that felt lived in from the moment it was heard. Bob may have been hopped up on whatever poppers that came his way but even that version of Bob was miles and leagues ahead of almost anybody in the ever changing rock and roll landscape. I hate to say that it was a good thing that he crashed his motorcycle and retreated into the radical world of homespun sparseness because, if he hadn't, we would have been treated to a world of diminishing returns in the follow-up to Blonde on Blonde. Change was imminent but nobody knew it at the time, not even Bob, which was why he gave us his then-best. Nearly sixty years and we remain in awe. Everybody must get stoned!
John Martyn
4/5
Quite a comforting route down the ever expanding worldview of one John Martyn. With this listen, I can see what the fuss is all about whenever this record was concerned and its dive into proto-dub experimentation is an all together worthwhile experience. Solid, indeed.
Favorites: Solid Air, Over the Hill, Don't Want to Know, Go Down Easy, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never, I'd Rather Be the Devil (Devil Got My Woman) - Live.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Upon first glance, a funk album made by a troubled folk rock troubadour screams all sorts of thoughts: an act of artistic desperation, an awkward attempt to fit in with then-prevailing trends, a curious case of cashing in. Yet, when one come across Greetings From L.A., one finds Tim Buckley once again finding a genre and making it fit on his terms. Yeah, he helps and grovells and becomes frankly sexual in a strange fashion but at least he is honest about where he is. A missive from one of the more curious musicians of his era, this is a postcard that shall be reexamined and reevaluated in due time.
Favorites: Move With Me, Get on Top, Sweet Surrender, Devil Eyes, Hong Kong Bar.
Stung by the reception of their last record in various countries (the U.S. most pointedly) and by how unfinished it was, U2 decided to hunker down and figure out how to get back to basics and in good graces. The result, All That You Can't Leave Behind, is the band operating at a measured rate that combines both the past and the present appreciately. In a reflective mood for the majority of it, the band looks down the barrel of 40 as they begin the mature phase and start to act like men. Perhaps this may be seen by some as U2's descent downward in creative risk taking but it only marks the start of something more illuminating in what would be the band's last full decade of relevance.
Favorites: Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of, Walk On, Kite, In a Little While, Peace on Earth, When I Look at the World, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.
Janis Joplin
3/5
With Janis' passing prior to the album's release, it felt as though the continuing descent of the Sixties Aquarian Dream had revised its apogee (Jimi had passed not long before her). Which is a shame because, with Pearl, Janis sounded ready to break through and plant herself throughly into the mainstream (if she wasn't already). We would never have a chance to live out what she would have done or would have been like had she continued to live on but this is a pretty good representation of what could have been.
Favorites: Move Over, Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, Buried Alive in the Blues, Me & Bobby McGee, Mercedes Benz, Get It While You Can.
Public Enemy
4/5
If one comes off of, perhaps, the first great three album run in hip-hop then chances are it's time for the steep decline in quality to commence. That's not what happens here. With Apocalypse '91, Public Enemy continue to refine their revolutionary political message and heart on sleeve mottos that propelled them towards legendary status and they remain a bulldozer of bombastic sonic innovation, regardless of what others may have thought at the time given other members' exploits. Although not as memorable as the first three albums, Apocalypse '91 stands on its own either way.
Favorites: Lost at Birth, Nighttrain, Can't Truss It, I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga, By the Time I Get to Arizona, 1 Million Bottlebags, Shut Em Down, Get the F... Outta Dodge, Bring Da Noize.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Although he had several albums under his belt, Either/Or is considered to be Elliott's true breakthrough; a genuine introduction to a talent that was allowed only a decade or so to shine but who looked and sounded as though he was up there already with the greats.
Favorites: Speed Trails, Ballad of Big Nothing, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me, Rose Parade, Punch and Judy, Angeles, 2:45 AM, My New Freedom - Live, Pictures of Me - Live, I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out, I Figured You Out, Bottle Up and Explode - Alternate Version.
Gang Of Four
4/5
Gang of Four saw what was happening with the ever evolving musical landscape and thought "Maybe there shall be movement". Entertainment sees the band brandish their mission statement with intent and the urge to groove, with the angular spike of post-punk mingling with the funk flavors that flow through them. An essential album of the era and a statement only they could make.
Favorites: Ether, Natural's Not In It, Not Great Men, Damaged Goods, I Found That Essence Rare, Contract, At Home He's a Tourist, Love Like Anthrax.
Gene Clark
5/5
Unceremoniously and unfairly thrown away and underappreciated by the record buying public, No Other is Gene Clark's rightful masterpiece. This is the perfect example of letting it all hang out and letting your muses take you to your greatest potential. If only everyone had seen what Gene had seen and embraced this record for what it was and what it is; an incredible tapestry of sound that would have been weakened if left to lesser hands. The power of perfection, indeed.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
When this album came up on the generator, I knew what rating I had to give it. A quintessential classic in the hip-hop genre and a all time classic album of the 90s. Being introduced to this record all those years ago whilst confused about my musical tips (hehe) was the push I needed to not only get into hip-hop but into jazz as well, as Tribe's cutting up, sampling and incorporating of various jazz legends (Ron Carter is on the bass!) does more than the work necessary and required for the album. From the 91 decade to the 2000 decade and beyond, The Low End Theory remains a significant part of the Tribe lore and one of the greatest albums of all time.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
On their way to see the light, The Velvet Underground had found a way forward, however short-lived. On their third, perhaps most straightforward, outing Lou, Sterling, Moe and new recruit Doug Yule shed the skin of their avant-garde, Warholian past and began to paint their corners into somewhat brighter colors (thus, this being The Gray Album). Gone were the transgressive songs about prostitutes, drug users and dealers, grisly deaths via well intended acts of love and sucking on ding-dongs. What we're dealing with here is a set of songs whose most shocking attribute is that you can hum to them; that it's accessible and approachable. That it didn't tilt the world on its axis, as most VU records didn't, is mostly the worlds' fault; as it always is. But maybe it's best that it didn't, that it didn't garner the infamy that the first record did. Maybe it's better that way? It's quite loaded but there are plenty of people that feel the same as me.
Willie Nelson
5/5
With a mixture of short tales and epic tomes, Red Headed Stranger is a exploration of infidelity, murder and desertion in a manner made sparsely and simply that can only benefit Shotgun Willie; any minute longer and it would have been sabotage. It is not surprising to know how this became a beloved album in Willie's canon and an enduring hallmark in country. The complex feelings of the outlaw, encapsulated by the songs that expresses his feelings that flowed through his heart; a tale as old and well told as time.
Peter Frampton
4/5
1976 was a weird place, musically; disco was tightening its grip, punk was an inconceivable thought, hip-hop was still in its nascent phase and the lone rock representative to conquer the world was a guitar player with dashing good looks that, after many trials and errors, gave us an album that was a greatest hits album in live performance mode. It had to be Peter, for Frampton Comes Alive! is the perfect capsule into who and what he stands for as a musician. Deep cuts and pop gems combine to make a tantalizing package that leaves little to the imagination when it came to its slow but eventual dominance.
Favorites: Doobie Wah, Show Me the Way, It's a Plain Shame, All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side), Baby, I Love Your Way, I Wanna Go to the Sun, (I'll Give You) Money, Do You Feel Like We Do.
Otis Redding
5/5
For a short period of time, everything Otis Redding did was perfect. Regardless of the song topics that occupied an album titled Otis Blue, the music within it is some of the more boisterous and euphoric of the entire mid to late era of Sixties soul. From the track that held the key to Aretha's longevity to the honored yet wholly redefined covers of already bonafide classics as well as songs that can guarantee a movement or two on kitchen floors, Otis Blue seems as though it were a misnomer yet it is indicative of what we, sadly, briefly had to bare witness when it came to the overwhelming power of the man himself.
Wu-Tang Clan
5/5
From the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan's back again. The RZA, the GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man.... a seismic shift occurred in hip-hop when the Killa Bees were on the swarm. We've seen solo rappers, duos, trios and quartets but never a ennead. Nine hungry dudes, some of whom were burned by the industry beforehand, storming through with innovative soul samples, endless nods to kung-fu movies of the 70s and a keen eye out for the the bigger picture. One of the most consequential, influential and greatest albums ever.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It is, perhaps, the most appropriate introduction of perhaps the four most important contributors to the rock genre of the upcoming decade. Whereas John, Paul, George and Ringo were winding down, Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and John usurped the mantle and, along the way, became the standard bearers of a multitude of genres that would be refined and perfected; at times by them too. This is where it all begins and what all the fuss is about. A perfect blend of blues, hard rock and folk that caused an explosion not unlike one on the album cover. Tremendous!
PJ Harvey
5/5
PJ Harvey, rock trio and PJ Harvey, rock goddess, barreled through the senses with reckless abandon on this epochal debut. Thirty years on and this is still a searing, full on showcase for who would become one of the more chameleonic and captivating musicians of her era. No wonder why she thought this would be her only album and dared to go all out. May I say that the gambit worked pretty damn well.
Roxy Music
5/5
The thrill of it all is just so overwhelming. It came out of the blue, my enjoyment of this record. I cannot rate this from anything between three and nine. There was no way they would have stopped their prior triptych but they did. It was bittersweet knowing that it had to end, for Country Life made this casanova had a really good time and I ended up feeling as though I were a prairie rose. I would be more than happy to tell one of the ladies on the cover that "all I want is you", even if it takes all night.
Cornershop
5/5
Indian representation had a fleeting thing in the British music scene since the 60s yet hardly any Indians were making waves that could be considered equals to the groups that were poaching their sounds. That's were Cornership come in. Their 1997 masterstroke When I Was Born for the 7th Time sees them rise up to the now 60s fawning Britpop gauntlet and not only turn it on its head but give it new textures and shapes unmistakable in its originality. They cap it off with a faithful cover of a song that kickstarted the raga influenced craze of decades before. Hopefully people would familiarize themselves with this album when they get ahold of it, it's worth it. It'll make you feel born for the 7th time.
Elbow
3/5
A modest effort from a band on the way towards greatness. Despite teetering off towards the end, The Seldom Seen Kid has plenty of gems throughout. Kind of front loaded with memorable songs but those songs are worthwhile. Seek this one out when you can.
Favorites: Starlings, The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, Weather to Fly, The Fix, One Day Like This.
Gil Scott-Heron
3/5
My first exposure to Gil Scott-Heron was on the documentary about Weather Underground, as Winter in America soundtracked the downfall of the movement and its ideals as the 70s progressed. And while the song isn't featured on the album, the titular project isn't lacking in interesting soundscapes. As much of it is Gil's album, the backbone of it is Brian Jackson, who serves as the integral piece of the Scott-Heron puzzle and whose absence from the eventual later records becomes too pronounced. But here the duo are operating at the peak of their powers and it is a pretty solid album to dive into.
Favorites: Rivers of My Fathers, Back Home, The Bottle, Your Daddy Loves You, H20 Gate Blues.
David Bowie
5/5
The only album truly recorded in Berlin, "Heroes" is David Bowie at his most inspired and inspiring. From hopeful lovers up against the wall to denizens of a bygone film era, leading us down the road of Krautrock inspired instrumentals that forecasted the ambient wave that would soon come, there's a reason why "Heroes" remains amongst Bowie's absolute greatest efforts. There's Old Wave, There's New Wave and there's....
Incubus
3/5
Coming across this album, I had low expectations. Turns out I was plenty surprised by how consistent the band were throughout. It's not the greatest album in the world but Incubus did good with what they had to offer. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess!
Favorites: Privilege, Nowhere Fast, Consequence, The Warmth, Make Yourself, Drive, I Miss You.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
4/5
If John Lennon thinks your milk is safe enough to be placed on his fridge doors, then it's good enough for the rest of us. Safe as Milk provides a plentiful introduction into the madness that occupied the brain of one Don Van Vliet; a madness that would coagulate into creating one of the most infamous albums ever recorded. But that had yet to be seen as this album fits into neat pockets of R&B musings and fledgling psychedelic rock, showcasing that the Magic Band can remain in the game while being simultaneously out of it. This milk is safe enough for me.
Favorites: Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do, Zig Zag Wanderer, Call on Me, I'm Glad, Abba Zaba, Where There's Woman, Grown So Ugly, Autumn Child, Safe as Milk - Take 5, On Tomorrow, Trust Us - Take 9.
Wilco
4/5
Wilco! The story of one of America's premier 21st Century bands begins at earnest with this once single album priced double album and no corner is left untouched, making the best out of their adopted scenario. At times it can be sprawling and a bit bloated for it's own good but, when one has the gumption to let the world know of their abilities, just being there will be worth it.
Favorites: Misunderstood, Far, Far Away, Outtasite (Outta Mind), I Got You (At the End of the Century), What the World Got in Store, Say You Miss Me, Sunken Treasure, Outta Mind (Outta Sight), Kingpin, Why Would You Wanna Live, Dreamer in My Dreams.
OutKast
4/5
About time I come across the 'Kast and what an album to listen to! A confirmation of their peak as well as the beginning of the end, these two solo albums rolled into one album is Outkast flexing the biggest flex they can and flaunting capabilities either anticipated or unexpected. One may like Speakerboxxx more than they like The Love Below and vice versa but what is certain is that this is Outkast at their most culturally powerful and they chose the perfect moment to bow out.
Speakerboxxx: full listen.
The Love Below: Love Hater, Happy Valentine's Day, Spread, Prototype, She Lives in My Lap, Hey Ya!, Roses, Behold a Lady, Love in War, My Favorite Things, Vibrate, A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete).
Dead Kennedys
4/5
From band name on down, Dead Kennedys thrive on confrontation. How apt is it that their battleground would be 1980s California, the once home of a former acting couple that governed the state and who would soon be President and First Lady. Not only them, but targets would include authority figures of all kind and all corners would be fought in the way only the band would fight. Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables indeed.
Favorites: Kill the Poor, Let's Lynch the Landlord, Drug Me, Your Emotions, Chemical Warfare, California Uber Alles, I Kill Children, Holiday in Cambodia, Kill the Poor (single version).
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
A cornerstone in psychedelic rock of the mid to late Sixties, Surrealistic Pillow is Jefferson Airplane at its most indelible. With a hard edged sound mixed with folkish tendencies, it is hard to envision 1967 without this album and it is hard to imagine the Airplane without this album in their repertoire. Perhaps one of the plenty examples of what defined the oft-cited and pined after Summer of Love, this is a great spectacle to behold.
Favorites: She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, Today, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, How Do You Feel, Embryonic Journey, White Rabbit, Plastic Fantastic Lover.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3/5
Four combustible egos combine to craft an album of the ages that served to embody the times; a generational work showcasing stars both past, then-present and future tense and a chronicle of what was and will never be again.
Favorites: Carry On, Helpless, Woodstock, Déjà Vu, Our House, 4+20.
Miles Davis
5/5
If I would find a way to be speechless when it comes to describing an album, I would be. But I can't. I can see why this is the most heralded album in the history of music, not just of its genre. An essential peak of a monumental career, with players as essential as the music contained who would go on to make legendary albums in their own right. No wonder why Miles wouldn't make diminishing returns of this sound for eternity, for he had new terrain to roam and bigger fish to fry. 1959, what an incredible year.
Public Enemy
4/5
It is best that you are maintaining focus while listening to this album, because once distraction can throw you off balance and it'll take some time to get back in the thick of things. This is Public Enemy at the absolute peak of their powers creatively and culturally, with Fear of a Black Planet being their most audacious, inventive, innovative, dense, confrontational and controversial. It is not a stretch to suggest that this is hip-hop's Sgt. Pepper, laced with the kind of social commentary that not only defined the 90s but of the present day. One would be a fool and not feel a heavy chest and chills down the spine in regards to the album's title, for that fear still persists.
Favorites: Brothers Gonna Work It Out, 911 is a Joke, Welcome to the Terrordome, Meet the G That Killed Me, Burn Hollywood Burn, Who Stole the Soul?, Fear of a Black Planet, Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya, Man, B Side Wins Again, Fight the Power.
Tom Waits
5/5
Tom Waits' voice is not for the fainthearted but, when one comes to terms with it, it can lead to some pretty drastic reconsideration. On Heartattack and Vine, there are several moments of upturned expectations when it comes to the songs that seem to not bring about greatness; yet when Tom belts with the passion and conviction, it's those two things that sends the songs into a place the listener doesn't expect them to be, like with Downtown, Jersey Girl and On the Nickel. Tom Waits is an acquired taste and may not be for everyone but, when he gets his hooks onto you, it's a enthralling ride.
Mott The Hoople
5/5
Mott the Hoople in the game of life.... yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.... in all seriousness, this is some stellar stuff and way more than I was anticipating. Whether this was at the zenith of the glam rock zeitgeist or at the beginning of the end, Mott is pure glamorous swagger throughout, from album cover on down. Don't dismiss the more soulful songs that are on the album too, Hymn for the Dudes and Ballad of Mott the Hoople!
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Without Run-D.M.C., hip-hop would probably never reach the heights it eventually would and it all starts with this album. With minimalist beat blasting from one of the genre's finest ever DJs (R.I.P. Jam Master Jay), a venture into rock that serves as a precursor for grander statements and the everlasting chemistry of the group's namesakes, this debut is proof that hip-hop has the ability to scale greater heights.
Favorites: Hard Times, Rock Box, Jam Master Jay, Hollis Crew, It's Like That, Wake Up.
Nirvana
5/5
For my money, the greatest album of the 90s. This is where that decade began in earnest. No more outlandishly voluminous hair with spandex and girly looks, it's time to get real and get gritty. Sure, it sounds polished but it's the sound of a generation ready for a revolution. And this is the band to entertain them and us from beyond. I wish there would be more for me to say but oh well... whatever, nevermind.
The Pogues
3/5
Whether they were Irish or not Irish, The Pogues place their hearts on their sleeves with this aptly titled album, where the band and their layout are on full display with unmistakable passion and conviction that serves to overturn any negativity that dares to step forward.
Favorites: The Old Main Drag, Wild Cats of Kilkenny, I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day, A Pair of Brown Eyes, Jesse James, Billy's Bones, The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.
Kendrick Lamar
5/5
This is the stuff that future Pulitzer Prizes are made of. Often hilarious, bleak and just plain exhilarating, good kid, m.A.A.d city sees King Kunta approach the genesis of his ascension to the top of the rap throne with all the confidence of his then youthful ability. Hard to believe that we are nearing ten years of listening to this m.A.A.d brilliance. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Did he put enough work in? Not just yes but there will be much more to come.
Nirvana
5/5
A most disarming collection of then-lesser known material and deep cuts; a brilliant subversion of a format that was at its peak, Unplugged in New York stands as Nirvana's final statement prior to the death of Kurt Cobain as they go about highlighting bands
and artists integral to their sound and forgoing the hits for paths less paved, leaving a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been had they continued on.
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
Goddamn, this noise inside Trent's head. The first of his soon to be many magnum opuses, The Downward Spiral has become something of a vessel whose blood still flows with increasing speed nearly thirty years after its release. Regardless of the place that housed its gestation, shock over some of the lyrical features of the songs contained and the surprising grip it held over some of America's most revered musicians, this was the beginning of a bountiful road for Trent Reznor as he rose from respectable industrialist to one of the most acclaimed composers of our time.
Milton Nascimento
5/5
In the aftermath of the Tropicália movement came a sprawling yet consequential album that helped the Brazilian music scene remain fresh and forward-looking. For Clube da Esquina, and its iconic album cover, vividly captures the imaginations of Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges and ensures that they are also worthy of consideration after the wildly creative deluge (and forced defections) of Velsoso, Gil, Costa, Zé, et al. It may feel overlong at points and the language barrier is insurmountable but this is still essential listening regardless.
Eagles
5/5
Oh boy... here we go...
My perspective of The Eagles has largely been based on negative opinions from music fans. Maybe it was their omnipresent hold on the psyche of the culture and their admittedly surprising accolades and achievements and the cantankerous nature of the band members towards themselves and later musicians who would attempt to interpolate their sounds with theirs; to make a long story short, The Eagles aren't seen as cool. So, in coming across this album, I was expecting something of a farce; a confirmation of the preconceived notions of blandness and overratedness. I was wrong.
This album is great. Sure some of the foreign yet familiar songs threatens to make the album teeter towards the emergent dad rock that'll come but, thankfully, that doesn't happen and what I came across was an album that wore its aesthetic and influences on its sleeve (the Dillard & Clark cover was a pleasant surprise) and pinpointed its intentions for future success. Cosmic country posers or not, The Eagles couldn't be denied on their first go around. Put down all preconceptions and give this a try.
Van Halen
4/5
The legendary first album from the band started by the brothers whose last name lends the band's identity is a whole blast of fun throughout its thirty-five minutes, unrelenting in its debt to the hard rock that fuses together soon to be touchstones and honorable covers of already classic standards. No wonder why the David Lee Roth era is fondly beloved by fans and it all starts here.
Favorites: Runnin' With the Devil, You Really Got Me, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, I'm the One, Jamie's Cryin', Feel Your Love Tonight, Ice Cream Man.
MC Solaar
4/5
Blending jazz influenced hip-hop with Parisian charm, MC Solaar's Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo is a throughly engaging effort that would fit in seamlessly with the equally jazz indebted sounds of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. A vibe that remains consistent throughout its fifty-two minutes, Qui sème le vent... is a under-heralded 90s classic outside of France. Do seek this out.
Favorites: Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo, Matière grasse contre matière grise, Armand est mort, Quartier nord, Caroline, Bouge de là (Pts 1 & 2), Ragga Jam.
Portishead
4/5
Moving with cinematic precision, Portishead's Third (and, so far, latest) album pulsates with ever intriguing and fascinating moments. The Bristol trio keeps things going as they turn towards new sounds unlike any they've come across before, thus shedding their trip-hop skin yet maintaining their identity.
Favorites: Silence, Nylon Smile, The Rip, Machine Gun, Small, Magic Doors, Threads.
5/5
"It makes you sick listening to this rubbish now.... Bob Dylan was a bastard in the second half."
The wild mercury sound that hit the tips of the tongues of those who were not amused by Bob Dylan's full blown affair with rock and roll must have been beyond too much for them, as the man who was positioned to be the spokesman for his generation not only turned inward but became strung out and strange in the process. What was concession and halfassed compliance in the first half soon turned into a battering ram of ferocious velocity that was the "bastard" in the second half. These times were not only tumultuous but significant, as it was a document of what the worlds of folk and rock were and were about to become in the year 1966, and there was only one voice to tell those how it was going to be. The only question that remained was: Would you let him follow you down?
Kanye West
5/5
Despite my score for this album, I chose not to listen to it as an indictment of what and who Kanye has become as of late. The act of separating the art from the artist is an increasingly blurry line, given that the art the artist provides us all with has helped enrich our lives for the better and gives us meaning to which we shall adhere to; and Kanye has done that for close to twenty years of his career, which makes his trajectory into the MAGA hat donning, White Lives Matter shirt wearing anti-Semite that he has become all the more saddening. There is no way, no way in which the current Kanye and this Kanye are the same guy. The College Dropout Kanye was someone whom we all saw as being part of us, someone who did not adhere to what was the status quo of hip-hop at the time. Someone who made us feel okay with wearing polo shirts and backpacks and being a mama's boy. In spite of the seeds of his megalomania sprouting and spreading, he kept his toes on the ground and stayed a relatable figure all the while changing the face of not just hip-hop but of music for the next decade. At this point, the old Kanye is pretty much gone and we might have to face the facts that this latest version of Kanye is going to end us all. Jokes on us, indeed.
The Who
5/5
Where does one go after Tommy? Facing indifference from audiences and managers alike in regard to the next step, Pete Townshend took one look into the future and decided to marry it with the now monolithic maximum rock The Who became known for. Who's Next is as appropriate of an album title as it is the next phase of the bands career. Everyone is firing on all cylinders; Roger Daltrey with his distinctive vocals, Keith Moon never not transcendent on the drum kit, John Entwistle being the reliable foundation on the bass and Pete being the visionary guide to see things through. It is not a stretch to say that The Who dominated 70s rock until the wheels fell off and, with Who's Next, it's impossible to see why not.
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Infusing the virtuoso vocal performances of his father Tim and his own passionate yet gritty style, Jeff Buckley possessed a talent that was ready to take over when he unexpectedly died. Grace, the only album released in his lifetime, is the complete document of what could have been had he refined and perfected his style further. With the 1-2-3 punch of the first three tracks and the most consequential cover of a Leonard Cohen song ever, Grace was just the beginning of a story that never got the chance to be told.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
After years of encountering songs from this album on various playlists, I get to hear this album in full. It was worth whatever preconceptions I had for it, which is to say is pretty good. As one of the many pillars of 80s left-on-the-dial rock, Dinosaur Jr. encapsulates the feeling that permeated the time before the early 90s boom and You're Living All Over Me stands as evidence of more innocent times.
Favorites: Little Fury Things, Kracked, Sludgefeast, The Lung, In a Jar, Lose.
Femi Kuti
5/5
When you're the son of one of the most revolutionary musicians of the second half of the 20th Century, it's best to be aware of the massive sized shoes that would hopefully be filled but Femi Kuti's self-titled does all that and then some. Bringing, and refining, his father's penchant for lengthy jams about societal and personal issues into the 90s (atrocious album cover aside), this over an hour long collection gives the listener an understanding of who Femi is and what he could be capable of, regardless of the knowledge of who preceded him. The songs may be long but the grooves are undeniable and the pedigree beyond worthwhile.
Elton John
5/5
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is a strange title for an album, given that it's not only a symbol for the promised land but the pinnacle of Elton John's creative and commercial streak in the 70s. It had to be huge, it had to be bombastic, it had to be yearning for the plights of those who didn't have things easy. Sure, he would go on to achieve a few more smashes before things started to go haywire but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road served as the moment where Elton can firmly place his name in the hat amongst those who came before him and establish himself as a legend in the process.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It's quite hard to think that, when this came out, the detractors came through with full force. Two albums of tectonic plate shifting, blues-indebted rock and roll could have enabled Led Zeppelin to head down that route forever, with no changes to be expect. Instead, they decided to hunker down and seek new sounds. And all the better for it. What was a good indication of the same ol' same ol' later turns into a tapestry of often wonderous tunes that leaves one wondering how they'd become capable of making such music. Without this, we probably wouldn't have had IV or Houses of the Holy or any other Zeppelin albums that came after it. Loving Led Zeppelin III? Well, that's the way.
2Pac
4/5
The final missive of a man before he heads off into the dark side, Me Against the World is 2Pac at his most introspective and reflective. He knows that his time is limited (only a year and some change before his death) and he's taking his time planting his footprint into hip-hop, crafting some of the most enduring and (at times) endearing tracks in the genre's history. The snarl and cynicism that is prevalent feels foreboding in its anticipatory nature, given what's to come later and it makes the balance of this album intriguing. The world may have been against him when he was alive, but that very world will soon see how it benefited having him in it.
Favorites: if I Die 2Nite, Me Against the World, So Many Tears, Temptations, Young Niggaz, Dear Mama, It Ain't Easy, Can U Get Away, Death Around the Corner, Outlaw.
The Byrds
4/5
In the midst of band upheaval and turmoil, The Byrds churned out one of their two classic albums of 1968, starting with this notorious set of songs. Featuring one of the first forays into the Moog synthesizer, along with their typical folk-rock excursions and Indian ragas melding with topics on threesomes and all. A very intriguing set that doesn't leave any crumbs for what may come later, but still worth the time.
Favorites: Artificial Energy, Goin' Back, Draft Morning, Wasn't Born to Follow, Old John Robinson, Tribal Gathering, Moon Raga, Triad.
Alice In Chains
5/5
With arms swinging right out the gate, Alice in Chains brings us to a hell unfathomable and unceasingly catastrophic with this grunge masterpiece. It is not hard to understand why this is frequently heralded as a classic of its era and beyond, what with very few concessions to the mainstream and a neverending quest to delve deep into the grotesque centers that they've become very accustomed to. A 1990s cornerstone and a essential listen.
Soundgarden
4/5
Taking cues from the most hedonistic of 70s hard rock, Superunknown is Soundgarden at their most evolved stage. Trudging and pummeling, whilst keeping their guards slightly down, this over an hour long work remains as compelling today as it did when it came out, ensuring that grunge's time in the spotlight would be ongoing despite happenings that thought otherwise.
Favorites: Let Me Drown, My Wave, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, Head Down, Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, Limo Wreck, The Day I Tried to Live, Fresh Tendrils, 4th of July.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Despite straddling the line between authenticity and accessibility, Jurassic 5 maintain the quality control that made them household names with Power in Numbers, perhaps the most apt description of their overall appearance and talents. Some of their guests (Big Daddy Kane, Kool Keith and Nelly Furtado) do not sound out of place amongst them and are often elevated due to the 5's rhyming prowess and brilliance and ability to conjure up one earworm after another. Pretty stellar stuff.
Favorites: Freedom, If You Only Knew, Break, React, A Day at the Races, What's Golden, Thin Line, After School Special, Sum of Us, One of Them, Hey, I Am Somebody.
ZZ Top
4/5
First half of this positively rips and the second half trails off a bit but, overall, ZZ Top's immersion into the popular consciousness can be considered a success, with some of the most ubiquitous songs on here still maintaining their kicks and the other tracks getting a shine. Risks do end up turning into rewards after all.
Favorites: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight, Legs, TV Dinners.
John Lee Hooker
3/5
With arms outstretched like a ghost from blues' past, John Lee Hooker gets into the collaborative spirit with The Healer. While some collabs work more than others, this album ultimately gets the job done in letting Hooker do what he does best, which is demonstrating the blues and allowing his legendary talent to shine through.
Favorites: I'm in the Mood, Baby Lee, Think Twice Before You Go, Sally Mae, Rockin' Chair, My Dream.
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
A twee masterpiece from one of Scotland's more supreme bands. They don't come fully formed these days, an aesthetic that is assured and automatically iconic from the moment eyes were lain on them. Of course, Belle & Sebastian's music is the focal point (and always will be, they would get better and better) and they provide taut and sophisticated songs that would form the backbone of a influential indie scene.
Arcade Fire
5/5
Before they journeyed down through the suburbs, reflecting on their statuses whilst questioning the pervasive consequences of technology on life, love, society and families, Arcade Fire were looking down the neon bible, plotting one foot in the mainstream and one foot out of the increasingly acknowledged indie world. In an age where earnest, bombastic rock was seen with a sneer and some eye rolling, Neon Bible sees the band unapologetically wear their hearts on their sleeves and make the move to become the most ambitious band of their generation. Could either be the peak of the bands career or the near-peak.
The Stooges
5/5
From the other side of the coin that was the druggy decadence of the Aquarian dream, The Stooges hit the nail on the head of the increasingly artful, psychedelic style of rock, reveling in the blood oozing from the temple and dancing around it. With its tapestry of proto-punk freakouts and drone influenced meditations, this debut from four Detroit kids served as the catalyst of what would become of downright dirty rock and roll in the coming decades, being as prescient in this day and age as it did back in 1969.
Johnny Cash
5/5
With At San Quentin, Johnny Cash zeroes in on a newfound, unexpected second wind in his career, seeing himself elevated as a sage and a seer amongst the downtrodden weary souls discarded by life. Along with The Carter Family, Carl Perkins and The Statler Brothers, the Man in Black indulges the prisoners (and us) with some of country music's most enduring and popular songs, mixing it up with contemporary dwellings from Shel Silverstein and Bob Dylan. Whether listening to the original single album version or the Legacy edition, this is about as full of an live experience as we could possibly get and we'd be much worse off if none of this happened.
Paul Simon
4/5
The fresh start after the initial fresh start, Paul Simon shows the music world how unencumbered he has become with these observational, nostalgic songs that not only continue the skills honed prior but expands and refines it. Only onwards and upwards from here for Rhymin' Simon.
Favorites: Duncan, Run That Body Down, Armistice Day, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Peace Like a River, Papa Hobo, Congratulations.
The The
4/5
Awash with political overtones and instrumentation indebted to the mid-80s, Infected is The The is the band at their most straightforward and to the point. While not as epochal as their debut, there are still moments where you are reminded of why The The were one of the more underrated and fascinating bands of their era. Not too long and full of noteworthy bangers, seek it out.
Favorites: Infected, Heartland, Angel's of Deception, Slow Train to Dawn, The Mercy Seat.
DJ Shadow
5/5
"Maureen's got five sisters, they all got ass. One of them has eyes as big as Jolly Ranchers. Beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl. Mhm."
To say this album was foundational to my understanding and eventual love for hip-hop would be an understatement. For a little over an hour, DJ Shadow crafted a atmosphere that weaved quotes from television shows and obscure films with the trip-hop and downbeat/breakbeat sounds that were popular for the time. Even twenty-five plus years on, Endtroducing..... remains a pivotal moment in a time where hip-hop was not just fractured amongst territorial forces but also commercially motivated for crossover appeal. A sensational turning up the nose and a magnificent tribute to what once was.
Oasis
5/5
I've been trying to come up with something in regards to Definitely Maybe but, what more can be said about this? A perfect storm of Mancunian circumstances that was ready to torpedo any and everything that moved, regardless of whether or not one was ready. A vastly different facet of Britpop that cared less about post-punk/new wave reminiscing and more about pummeling, piledriving good old fashioned rock and roll, Oasis were ready to pick up a new baton for those who were more inclined to having a good time and forgetting your ills. One of the greatest albums of the 90s? Oh, definitely maybe.
SZA
5/5
For a time, CTRL seemed primed to become The Miseducation of our generation; in that, with one mission statement, SZA had the culture at the palm of her hand, signaling that she was the one in the driving seat (it didn't hurt that her label mate Kendrick was also there, along with a few other passengers...) taking us where we needed to go. The near fifty or so minutes of this masterwork is the epitome of 2017, yet another highmark for Black female musicians offering tantalizing and beyond valuable music that speaks for themselves and for the listeners who will keep flocking to it (and have been) in the present and near future. Bring on the new album... whenever that may be!
Stan Getz
3/5
A respectable collection of songs that live up to the cohesion of genres represented here and the blueprint for what became the bossa nova craze.
Favorites: Desafinado, Samba Triste, Samba de Uma Nota Só, Bahia.
Youssou N'Dour
4/5
A brief, breezy and energetic album from one of Africa's finest musicians of the late 20th Century, packed to the brim with a neverending barrage of synths fusing with Afrobeat. It doesn't overstay its welcome and deserving of further attention.
Favorites: Taaw, Immigrés.
Screaming Trees
4/5
A throughly enjoyable, rocking set that doesn't overstay its welcome and leaves plenty of marks along the way, with one foot out the grunge door and another foot in the post-grunge one. A pity this was the last one, for they could have done greater albums if they went down this route.
Favorites: All I Know, Look at You, Dying Days, Sworn and Broken, Traveller, Gospel Plow.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Approaching death's door, The Man in Black showed us the beauty in finality with the fourth installment of what brought his name back to legendary status, giving us his interpretations of modern classics and having them be shown in a whole new light, thus forever changing how they'd be perceived by those who wouldn't take a second look beyond the first. A hell of a way to go out.
Haircut 100
4/5
With horns and and exuberance aplenty, this sophisticated early 80s pop album from Haircut 100 is a mighty fine collection that not only captures the British music scene before the full blown invasion of the synths, but it shimmers and radiates with all the youthful optimism that was captured. One of the more accomplished yet underrated albums/bands of the era.
Favorites: Favorite Shirt (Boy Meets Girl), Love Plus One, Lemon Firebrigade, Milk Film, Fantastic Day, Love's Got Me in Triangles, Surprise Me Again, Boat Party.
Steve Earle
4/5
Quite surprised to know that this was Steve's debut album, for this feels and sounds as worn and lived out as many lives. A sign of things to come, as the saying goes. Short, sweet and solid.
Favorites: Guitar Town, Goodbye's All We've Got Left, Hillbilly Highway, My Old Friend the Blues, Someday, Fearless Heart, Little Rock 'n' Roller.
The Beach Boys
5/5
It was time to put away the surfboards, for the time being anyway. Today! was Brian Wilson fleshing out ideas and soundscapes that would soon engulf his psyche and end up changing the course of music forever. Despite the songs being taut, it is packed with intent for a different kind of listening experience; songs for the interior space as opposed to the beaches that were once roamed and eternally romanticized. Today! is the blueprint for what was to come. Do not skip out.
The Killers
3/5
From the first note to the last, Hot Fuss commands one's attention, maintaining its grip for eternity with a song that, to this day, is The Killers' signature song. That doesn't mean that every other song is lacking, with Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Somebody Told Me and All These Things That I've Done being highlights in particular. Hot Fuss was an album that came at a formative yet increasingly dimly lit time and gave us one more band to take notice of.
Favorites: Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I've Done, Believe Me Natalie, Midnight Show, Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll.
Pearl Jam
5/5
Amongst the first to arrive to the nascent grunge movement, Ten was the beginning of Pearl Jam's ascent to a ongoing acknowledgment from supposedly opportunistic vultures to the natural successors of the classic rock icons they've always looked up to. From start to finish, the album refuses to let up with the intensity brought by Eddie Vedder's vocals and storytelling lyricism and the musical contributions of Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and others; lighting up a slow fuse that would soon ignite into one of the most ferocious and consequential of the 90s Seattle scene and beyond.
Khaled
4/5
Finding Kenza on streaming services proved elusive, so I listened to Khaled's self titled album from 1991. It's around fifty minutes of hip-hop and dance infused Arabian music that leaves no stone unturned in regards to listenable grooves that are provided. Favorite songs include Didi, Ragda, El Ghathi, Braya and Ne m'en voulez pas.
4/5
Many of the hallmarks that made Loretta Lynn one of country music's most beloved singer/songwriter's is out on full display in this short and sweet album. Coming out the gate swinging with a heed and a warning to those who are too inebriated for a little action, Loretta keeps the momentum running with tales that delve into any topic that's worth singing: love, heartbreak, cheating, sinning, a good night out; you name it, she's got it down. Loretta Lynn shall be missed.
Favorites: Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind), Tomorrow Never Comes, The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot Tonight, The Devil Gets His Due, Makin' Plans, I Got Caught.
The Byrds
5/5
There is such a thing as 1D chess, 2D chess, 3D and 4D most well known. But The Byrds were out here playing 5D chess, way back in 1966! From beyond far out, they proved themselves to be less interpreters of the increasingly mercurial Dylan but as the more consistent American rock band of their age (Beach Boys notwithstanding), giving us indelible gems that not only became emblematic of their era but also stood the test of time. Fifth Dimension is an important step forward.
David Bowie
5/5
It was in late 2015 when I heard that David Bowie was premiering a video for his newest song in various cinemas. I took my Mom to what had become rare trips to Brooklyn where we saw a ten minute video for Blackstar. We thought of it as an intriguing experience, yet another artistic achievement from someone whose not known for resting on his laurels; a further confirmation of his ongoing brilliance and ability to keep us wanting more and giving more. Only we didn't know that this was to be the last album he'd release in his lifetime....
Of course we'd all know about the fallout of his unexpected death and the outpouring of grief that came with it and is still coming and I find it utterly fascinating that he'd leave us with something that encapsulates where he was willing to go in spite of impending death; an uncompromising stance of forward-thinking forays into avant-jazz and ruminations of his life with knowing nods to his sterling legacy. The last works of artists being the thing that would define them as much as any other in their repertoire is nothing new, it's been here forever, but Blackstar gave new credence to such statements; that of the established artist who is still looking for newer terrain and, in the process, furnishes a different land than what was before. It probably set off the motions of not only what would the year the album came out would entail but the unprecedented kind of love, adoration and admiration that Bowie would receive after death in the way that he would have had in life, but on a vastly different scale. It would probably be no surprise to see this album as one of those good starting points for David in the way that Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust or Let's Dance is and perhaps rightly so, for it remains a spellbinding listening experience, knowing what is known now. He really made the grade.
The Offspring
4/5
The landscape was about to change rapidly in 1994 and I bet that no one had counted The Offspring to be a part of it. As one door closed, they had burst the other one open with this ceaselessly fun breakthrough album, thus cementing themselves (however briefly) as the vanguard of pop punk.
Favorites: Nitro (Youth Energy), Bad Habit, Something to Believe In, Come Out and Play, Self Esteem, Killjoy Powerhead, What Happened to You?, Smash w/hidden track
Queen Latifah
4/5
Before she was commanding audiences and scenes on the silver screen, Queen Latifah was commanding the microphone and audiences on wax. Her appropriately apt All Hail the Queen is the most perfect document of a time period where women were beginning to experience their rocky ascent up the rap ladder after years of stop/start trajectories. Queen Latifah more than holds her own, this is her album after all, weaving back and forth between rap, house and dub reggae with the likes of De La Soul, Daddy-O from Stetsasonic and Monie Love; a very worthy addition to the rap canon.
Favorites: Dance for Me, Come Into My House, Latifah's Law, Wrath of My Madness, The Pros, Ladies First, A King and Queen Creation, Inside Out.
The Kinks
4/5
In defiance of the oncoming psychedelic style that would soon infiltrate rock and roll (regardless of album art), The Kinks burrowed deep into a new terrain of composing and songwriting with Face to Face, a consistent collection of material that would prove to become the catalyst for much more ambitious albums that would transform the band thoroughly and laying the groundwork for future bands and artists in the decades to come.
Favorites: Party Line, Rosy Won't You Please Come Home, Dandy, Session Man, Rainy Day in June, A House in the Country, Holiday in Waikiki, Most Exclusive Residence for Sale, Little Miss Queen of Darkness, Sunny Afternoon.
Adele
3/5
For most, the sound of 2011, 21 captures Adele solidifying into a formidable household name of the industry, capturing hearts and minds with songs that could have been sung in another time period; such was the well worn feel of the music and feelings expressed on this epochal album. For an album called 21, it sounds beyond its years.
Favorites: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour Has It, Turning Tables, Set Fire to the Rain, I'll Be Waiting, Someone Like You.
Primal Scream
5/5
Screamadelica came along at an interesting time. When Madchester and the Summer of Love '89 Redux gave way to dwindling fortunes and diminishing returns, Primal Scream came out with a snapshot of their transformation from twee C86 inspired rockers to paint-splattered ecstacy riddled hedonists. Gospel infused rockers, ambient dub fusions, reinterpretations of 60s psych rock classics and bombastic declarations of feeling are brilliantly displayed throughout a triumphant hour. Their most popular and important record by a long mile, this remains their magnum opus and endlessly listenable from start to finish.
4/5
A bombastic showcase of the orchestrated sophisticated pop of the early 80s from the band that starts with the first three letters of the alphabet. Beginning with proclamations and ending with a collage of album tracks as though it were the end credits, The Lexicon of Love ebbs and flows as though it were a movie. Pretty good album all around.
Favorites: Show Me, Poison Arrow, Many Happy Returns, Tears Are Not Enough, The Look of Love (Pt. 1), All of My Heart, 4 Ever 2 Gether.
Moby
4/5
The notion of selling out (a frequent topic of the 90s) was given the final nail in the coffin with Moby's Play, the soundtrack of a million commercials and movie sequences. A farewell that turned into a celebratory affair filled with riches and notoriety, Play is as apt of an album title as possible, with album cover to match. Not only danceable but reflective and emotive to boot.
Favorites: Honey, Find My Baby, Porcelain, Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?, South Side, Bodyrock, Natural Blues, Run On, If Things Were Perfect, The Sky is Broken.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
For a duo fresh out of the imperial phase, Pet Shop Boys sure do have a knack for remaining dignified and composed as opposed to looking in complete shambles. Behaviour is Chris and Neil at their most reflective, their most vulnerable and their most (for lack of a better term) mature. Remaining as ambitiously baroque as ever, but with loss and melancholy on their tails, the duo would enter the 90s not as kings of their field but as astute observers of an increasingly changing landscape.
Favorites: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, To Face the Truth, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?, So Hard, Nervously, Jealousy.
Killing Joke
4/5
With this apocalyptic album, Killing Joke become anything but as they, with an industrial post-punk sendup, provide the blueprint for what would become a defining sound for various inspired bands of the late 80s and early 90s.
Favorites: Requiem, Wardance, Bloodsport, Complications, S.O.36, Change.
Lou Reed
5/5
Lou Reed isn't one to placate the listener's imagination. As the Bowie sprinkled, roughed up glam of Transformer became the de-facto go-to album, one would assume that he would gain more momentum by ploughing the same field and reaping more plentiful results. That's not how he worked. He made Berlin instead.
Centering on the doomed couple Jim and Caroline, peaking at the harrowing and heartbreaking one-two punch of The Kids and The Bed, this uncompromising study of hopeless love is Lou at his most unforgiving and yet most empathetic. To hell with this not being what anyone wanting to hear in 1973, it is still gripping, unsettling and unrelenting almost fifty years on. Oh, what a feeling.
Amy Winehouse
5/5
It's hard not to be sad when one thinks of what Amy Winehouse could have been. Had she not been caught up in the whirlwind of the sleazy and seedy underbellies that bellies stardom and fame. Had she not been pigeonholed into a idealism that celebrated debauchery and decadence and a downward path towards death. Seeing this album cover, and the music contained within it, is a reminder of who she was and what she was; a disciple of the jazz and hip-hop woven tapestry that enabled her to express herself in ways that felt real, that felt unencumbered by media expectations and fuckery, that felt... well, frank. A stark example of not knowing what we had until it was gone and not knowing what to do with it when we had it. She was an incredible talent who should still be making music today, who should still be alive today.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
Hip-Hop was a rapidly mutating beast in the early 80s and this metamorphosis is depicted in this album, with its forays into late 70s funk, Kraftwerkesque electro and endearingly odd ballads dedicated to their idols. While these shifts are surprising, they don't hamper the album overall, as they are anchored by some of the most innovative songs in the genre, providing the backbone for what it would become and increasingly referenced in the decades that followed.
Favorites: She's Fresh, It's Nasty, Scorpio, The Message, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheel of Steel.
Randy Newman
4/5
Coming out the gate running with a song that lampoons Southern tropes and frequently uses the N-word, Good Old Boys is Randy Newman at his most historical and illustrative; mapping out the South with his fascinating character studies and stories that would doubtless garner perspective from the listener. If one chooses to get past Rednecks, Good Old Boys will prove itself to be a gem worth hearing.
Favorites: Rednecks, Birmingham, Marie, Guilty, Kingfish, Naked Man, A Wedding in Cherokee County, Back on My Feet Again.
Tortoise
5/5
Centered around a twenty minute opening salvo that combines glitchy electronica, ECM jazz and muted post-rock, Millions Now Living Will Never Die sees Tortoise take their place amongst the ever changing landscape of alternative rock (or whatever remained of it) and forging fertile ground in the process.
PJ Harvey
4/5
PJ Harvey had nothing more than good intentions on her mind when she wanted England to shake. Yet another masterwork from one of Dorset's finest, this gentle forward-thinking reminiscing of her home country unveils layers that showcased Polly Jean's unceasing need for musical and lyrical exploration; a kind of sound that would feel right at home along with the Canterbury music of the early 70s and more rustic folk corners. A classic.
Favorites: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Words That Maketh Murder, All & Everyone, On Battleship Hill, England, Hanging on the Wire, The Colour of the Earth, The Big Guns Called Me Back Again, Written on the Forehead.
Keith Jarrett
5/5
ECM really brought the absolute best out of Keith Jarrett and The Köln Concert is the prime example of this. For over an hour, Keith brings the essence of jazz (and piano music) into its core emotional center, with expressive playing and the surprisingly high-spirited yelps emanating from Keith himself as he (and the audience) loses sense of self in the music. The perfect introduction to his many a recorded concerts.
Little Simz
5/5
Jay Z on a bad day and Shakespeare on a worse day, Little Simz allows us to explore her grey area and see what makes her tick. One of the most enigmatic rappers around today, she uses her thirty-five minutes wisely and without any intention to waste, getting her point across and passing further heights with her illustrative world building.
Mudhoney
3/5
I read that this album saved Sub Pop from financial ruin. If so, then good on Mudhoney for not biting the big league bullet and staying loyal to the indie world. There could have been many different avenues that the band could have taken and many million selling albums to hang their hats on but EGBDF is evidence of the band being fine with where they were and being better off than most.
Favorites: Good Enough, Something So Clear, Broken Hands, Who You Drivin' Now?, Shoot the Moon, Fuzz Gun '91, Don't Fade IV, Check-Out Time.
Pretenders
4/5
Chrissie Hynde got to live out most Anglophile's dream by putting together a band with British musicians and banging out an album full of out there phone calls, pop hooks, instrumental adventures and whatever suited their fancy. Not exactly pretending when it comes to conjuring up stellar statements, huh?
Favorites: Precious, Tattooed Love Boys, Space Invader, Stop Your Sobbing, Private Life, Brass in Pocket, Mystery Achievement.
Curtis Mayfield
3/5
While not as immediate and groundbreaking as his prior efforts were, the muse that Curtis Mayfield willfully followed in this album provided him to continue dishing out wallops as hard hitting and rattling today as it did back in the year of its release. From first glimpse to final listen, There's No Place Like America Today remains a indictment of the reality that allows itself to plague hopes and perceptions. It's not for everyone yet, like most bitter pills, it needs to be digested in order to understand.
Favorites: Billy Jack, When Seasons Change, Jesus, Hard Times.
The Velvet Underground
5/5
"Peel slowly and see". Four words have never conjured up so much mystery, so much intrigue and so much mystique quite like those. When Andy Warhol stamped his name on an album cover that, belatedly, became one of the most iconic of the last half-century, it became both a blessing and a curse. For Lou, Moe, Sterling, John and Nico, it formed a whole world within forty-eight minutes; forty-eight minutes of which has served as the basis of a million other worlds that have turned on the world's axis ever since. And a world that, more or less, has come to define them for better or for worse. After this, Nico, Andy and John Cale would be gone and the VU painted themselves black, gray and bright colors that suggested organic and logical progressions that wouldn't have been possible had they stayed in The Factory. But, if they had, and this album never became known to the public, they might have been better off. Yet it'd be a travesty for us. European sons and femme fatales, may this be your mirror, your wife and your life; with your shiny shoes of leather, just run run run. Watch out, though, for the world is behind you and what costume shall you wear for all tomorrow's parties? Absolute classic.
Fishbone
4/5
Starting off with a classic like Freddie's Dead is a bold move and it would have been the most memorable part of Truth and Soul had the rest of the album been inessential. Thankfully, it isn't and Fishbone spend their time wisely providing us with their talent that proves the album's title to be apt.
Favorites: Freddie's Dead, Ma and Pa, Pouring Rain, Bonin' in the Boneyard, One Day, Subliminal Fascism, Slow Bus Movin' (Howard Beach Party), Ghetto Soundwave.
The Human League
4/5
After two albums of attempting to be Sheffield's answer to Kraftwerk, Philip Oakley and his Human League had to undergo dramatic changes (Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh leaving to form Heaven 17) and conjure up what would become one of the more defining synth-pop sounds of the early 80s and beyond. With Dare!, Human League not only revitalized itself but assimilated themselves into what would become the juggernaut of music consumption with the sound that could only be absorbed wholeheartedly by the crowd. These are the things that dreams are, indeed, made of.
Favorites: The Things That Dreams Are Made Of, The Sound of the Crowd, Do or Die, I Am the Law, Seconds, Love Action (I Believe in Love), Don't You Want Me.
Robert Wyatt
5/5
Rarely has solace been found when hitting rock bottom. It typically means one has approached the lowest ebb of life imaginable; a point where the point of no return has come upon them and seeks to immerse itself. That may have been the case for Robert Wyatt had he not seen the light that got him through the other side. Rock Bottom, for him, is the turning of a new leaf; a declaration of a new creative life that allows him to wander as freely as possible regardless of the physical limitations that defined his life, for better or worse. It could have been full of self-pitying misery, chock full of ruminations of a life left unrealized; instead it marked the beginning of a quest altogether new, exhilarating and thrilling.
AC/DC
5/5
When people think of AC/DC, they typically think of them as a one trick pony; a devoid of depth rock and roll band with a guitar player wielding a Gibson SG who's dressed as a schoolboy. And maybe there is some truth to that. But they know their strength and acknowledgment of that strength leads to no weaknesses and weaknesses aren't to be found in this highway to hell. The band's last album to feature Bon Scott, a most perfect interpreter of the rollicking roll this band plays, AC/DC sounds as though they were heading towards brighter lights rather than the darkest depths they could envision. The ends of the world may have been on fire but they were dancing in it and, not only that, it was their oyster too. A heavy metal landmark, for sure.
Count Basie & His Orchestra
5/5
Bombs away, Mr. Basie! Regardless of the apocalyptic nature of the album cover, this is a perfect soundtrack for winding down your day and sailing off into the night, bopping around as though no one is watching with nary a care in the world and not having to worry about time, place, et al. From my experience, anyway.
Leftfield
4/5
The album cover makes me feel shivers down my spine. Am I supposed to be watching something or become the focus of something as I'm being swallowed whole by a set of teeth? Is that a camera or a portal into something otherworldly soundtracked by this Leftfield tapestry marauding my ears? Too many questions that don't have many answers but, quite frankly, this album is really good.
Favorites: Release the Pressure, Afro Left, Melt, Song of Life, Original, Black Flute, Space Shanty, Open Up.
Digital Underground
2/5
I only know Digital Underground for two things: The Humpty Dance and that Tupac Shakur was once in the group. So, when this album came up in the generator, I was perplexed. Was there more to Humpty than meets the eye that justified this album placement here? Yes and no. Yes because, at times, the album's attempts at diversifying their sound (whenever it comes) are a bit admirable and no because parts of the album (Doowutchyalike and its blink-and-you-miss advocating for sexual assault in particular) haven't aged well. Everything about it feels interminable and a good twenty minutes too long and the album's goofiness brings it down a couple of pegs. I wish I can understand why it's on this list when it's really not that essential.
P.S. Gutfest '89 would have been the most awesome festival ever had it actually happened.
P.P.S. Thanks generator for giving me this on Hump Day.
Favorites: The Humpty Dance, The Way We Swing, Rhymin' on the Funk, Underwater Rimes, Gutfest '89.
Cee Lo Green
3/5
Apparently this is the edited version that I listened to, which can be distracting and overall limiting to the artist's intentions and listener's perception of this record. Because The Soul Machine, while a bit bloated at points, is (despite the meddling of songs) an imaginative record that outlines Cee-Lo Green's aspiring superstardom (which wouldn't be that far away) and his role in the cultivation and popularization of Southern hip-hop.
Favorites: Soul Machine, Livin' Again, My Kind of People, I Am Selling Soul, All Day Affair, Evening News, Scrap Metal, Glockapella, Sometimes, Die Trying.
Tracy Chapman
5/5
Revolutions aren't usually this gentle yet, upon first listen, one eases themselves into the assuring confidence that Tracy Chapman exudes on her first record; a at-times stark, and unadorned collection of songs that sounds as timeless today as it did almost thirty-five years ago. Talkin' Bout a Revolution and Fast Cars still obtain their accessible power while Behind the Wall remains as gripping and saddening as ever. Whatever plaudits that comes this album's way, then and now, is deserving.
Pink Floyd
5/5
This is an album about grief. Grief for what once was and has been lost, grief for what currently was and is to be and grief for the future that can't promise anything. What once was is obviously Syd, whose there-but-not-there presence provided an eternal blueprint to be followed and a tragic cautionary tale about what it's like to fall down the well. What currently was and is is mainly Pink Floyd's venomous ire for the machine that they occupy; a seething place in which they would angrily document in ever more epic and colossal ways. The future that couldn't promise anything is the band's overall reliance towards each other, a bond that had mutated and transformed into someone altogether unsustainable in the long run; thus leaving us with what was and will never be again. Wish You Were Here is Pink Floyd's most important album, the likes of which they will never make again. One final collective thrust for the common goal, that is to honor their friend and to damn the industry that chewed him up and spat him out. Grief comes in many forms and this is their way of expressing it. Shine on.
The La's
4/5
The exacting expectations of perfection are often unattainable yet, within close reach, it still becomes a tantalizing source for those who believe they can grasp it. Hearing the only album from Liverpool outfit The La's after reading, for only a decade, Lee Mavers' quest for flawless musicianship allows that belief to be shone in the clearest light. While some songs may fall off the mark and are not what it seems to be (the majority run for less than three minutes, the longest being almost eight), the ones that do make an impression showcase what Lee was hoping to obtain: the key that opens the door to greater possibilities. Unfortunately for him, and for his fans, further burrowing down the rabbit hole became the norm as there hasn't been any new material since then. But we can take what we can get with this, a rather good album that could have been really great had those around Lee seen what he could see.
Favorites: Timeless Melody, Liberty Ship, There She Goes, Doledrum, Feelin', Way Out, I.O.U., Failure, Looking Glass.
Def Leppard
5/5
When one sells their soul for rock and roll, one usually doesn't expect to part with a limb to do so. Death maybe but to lose an arm and somehow live to tell the tale? Unfathomable. Even more unfathomable is to have enough faith in the potential of your band that you press on, remain in the band and do your duty with one arm. Hysterical. Serious matters aside, if there was an honest answer to the question of what is the most excessive rock album of the 80s, it would have to be this. Def Leppard just grabs your by the sides of your face and takes you on a hour long thrill ride that, towards its end, you wish would go on and on and on. Front loading an album with hit after hit is nothing new but it is utterly apparent here. Every song sounds like it could have been a world-conquerer (some of which were), which was probably the point. It is hard to envision the 80s and Def Leppard's trajectory if this didn't come to fruition. Three years of stop/starting, hardworking craft went into this and it shows and it was probably worth losing an arm over. Pour some sugar on someone in the name of love... for this album.
Television
5/5
Upon first glance, I thought I had what I needed to say about Marquee Moon. Further listening has shifted my perspective completely. I hesitate to call this a punk rock album, for punk rock was about dismantling deities, wrecking the past and glorifying the lack of a future; anthems for Year Zero. Marquee Moon, to my ears, isn't that. It's much more forward-looking, almost euphoric in a way. Sure, Television came up around the same time as the New York denizens of the Year Zero ideology yet they feel somewhat out of place. They feel and sound as though they came from the future, a future where all the things that made them who they were were mined for eternity and came to beyond comprehensible light. Looking at the four men on the covers tells me everything I need to know about the remaining forty plus years of rock that lain ahead. Perhaps they knew it all? Who knows. All intent remains unknown.
Bad Company
3/5
While not bad to me, this didn't leave much of an impact in regards to making any sort of impression. Maybe some Bad Company was what was needed in the landscape of rock and roll when this album came out and it may have succeeded in whatever goals it was looking to obtain.
Favorites: Can't Get Enough, Don't Let Me Down, Bad Company, Movin' On.
Booker T. & The MG's
5/5
The thing about onions are that they have layers, layers that could reveal whatever hidden truth or gem that's ready for one or more to get their hands on. As far as Booker T. & The MG's were concerned, when it came to Green Onions, not only were they equipped with truths (their impeccable talents) but gems as well. Whether it will later soundtrack some million or so car treks in the next several decades or be uncovered as some waiting to be noticed dance exercise that would help get the body moving, Green Onions would stand as the epitome of not only R&B but popular music of its time.
T. Rex
5/5
My first memory of T. Rex was in the opening scene of Billy Elliot, where the titular character was jumping in front of a yellow background with Cosmic Dancer playing in the background. A little later, Bang a Gong soundtracked the scene where Billy steals a book whilst the librarian got distracted from a striking laborer. These songs are on Electric Warrior, the album in which T. Rextacy was fully fleshed out. Marc Bolan had all the tools to be a star and he used those tools to completely overhaul the British music scene that was still reeling from The Beatles' breakup and herald a whole new, glammed up era. White swans were rode majestically into the sun as, for a good few years at least, T. Rextacy was in full swing. Life's a gas, indeed!
Buck Owens
3/5
Coming right out of the gate with one of his tell-tale anthems, this titular album from Buck Owens & His Buckaroos is some short and sweet country music that well covers every facet that butters the genre's bread: acquired love, lost love, mischievous troublemaking, tall tales about various towns and a tiny glimpse of the tour life that ends with their most enduring song that was covered by The Beatles. Allow this man and his Nudie suit and his gentle smile in front of a wooden backdrop ease you in gently, for good times are to be had here.
Favorites: I've Got a Tiger by the Tail, Trouble and Me, Let the Sad Times Roll On, We're Gonna Let the Good Times Roll, Streets of Laredo, Memphis, Act Naturally.
Pulp
5/5
1998. The bloom of Britpop has faded. The main characters are either in hiding or falling apart. Princess Diana is dead. Cool Britannia is officially on ice. Jarvis Cocker is aware of this. At one point, Pulp were one of biggest bands in Britain after years of being under the radar. His N' Hers and Different Class had propped and pushed them into stardom. Yet this is different. This is altogether new. This is exhilarating. This is suffocating. This is sleazy. This is uneasy. This is offensive. This is hardcore.
Pulp's highest of highs were complimented by the lowest of lows. Long sojourns towards the deepest depths of despair and debauchery were allowed. The lonely and sexually frustrated housewives were replaced by distant fathers, forgotten lovers and memories of a golden age. Pulp were no longer playing things safe (and never did, to be honest), they had gone off the deep end. And it was for the best, for their penultimate album is perhaps the best statement they have made. What exactly would we do for an encore? It's best that we shall not know.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
As the 1970s began, it was clear that all good things had to come to an end. The Aquarian Dream, free love, hippiedom, Beatlemania, you name it. Another good thing that came to an end was the recording career of Simon & Garfunkel, although you wouldn't have known it with this masterpiece of an album. Bridge Over Troubled Water, with its ambitious blend of gospel, folk, rock and roll and future explorations of music from various continents, can very well be considered the duo's finest hour. Looking ahead to the future as they are on the cover, this as much of a farewell as it is a see-you-soon. They couldn't have done a better job in regards to their swan song, perhaps the finest of this decade and, depends on how you see it, the year of its release. A continually enduring album.
George Michael
4/5
George Michael had us do one thing and one thing only: focus on the music. Years of having his bearded face plastered on television sets and album covers and millions of young girls' walls made him ill. The main thing that drove him to superstardom has ceased being the focus. So he pared back on the image and decided to serve those the sound. That's what Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is all about. And it served its purpose. No longer would Michael be seen as a button to press for those who want to fill the airwaves, now he was seen as someone who had something important to say. Granted, he wouldn't have anticipated the tragedies that lain ahead in his life that would have sidelined anyone in its path but for now, as he was at the top of his game, the coast was clear for further greatness. And George Michael achieved it here. All he wanted us to do was listen without prejudice.
Favorites: Praying for Time, Freedom '90, They Won't Go When I Go, Waiting for That Day, Mothers Pride, Heal the Pain, Soul Free.
Soul II Soul
4/5
Soul II Soul is a rather appropriate name for this enticing collection of equally appropriately titled Club Classics. Fusing hip-hop with house, R&B and the soundsystem culture of their homeland, Soul II Soul galvanized those varying genres and came away with songs that, many years later, still defines the core outline of who they were.
Favorites: Keep On Movin', Fairplay, Holdin' On, African Dance, Feel Free, Back to Life.
Suede
4/5
After paving the way for the rat race, Suede thought it was best to lock themselves in and plunder deep inside their darkest fantasies. While Cool Britannia was beginning to polish its horn and blare out the windows for those to take notice, Dog Man Star took its stand as the most outlandish, preposterous, nakedly ambitious move the band could make; one of many to come from one of the 90s more prominent British bands yet stark enough to stand on its own nearly thirty years on.
Favorites: Introducing the Band, We Are the Pigs, Heroine, The Power, The 2 of Us, Black or Blue, The Asphalt World, Still Life, Stay Together, Whipsnade.
Mudhoney
5/5
Regardless of the mutations that the structure of Superfuzz Bigmuff has gone through (six track EP to 14 track full length to two disc deluxe edition with live shows and radio sessions), one thing remains consistent: this fucking rips. With this release, Mudhoney set off something massive and ultimately set that stone for what the next several years were going to be for not just their label but for their hometown and the genre they've birthed. Without this, it is quite impossible to fathom what the landscape would be like and it looks very bleak indeed. Probably bad, perhaps worse. Thankfully, it's not the case. In any way, whether an EP or an LP or a 2 CD set, Superfuzz Bigmuff is required listening for the starting point for grunge.
Spiritualized
5/5
A kaleidoscopic mirage of love and heartbreak, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space will always be considered Spiritualized's magnum opus. Retreats into bombastic rock and rolling free jazzed gospel hymns pay off in quite the spectacular fashion that beggars belief. It is quite fitting that it came out in a year where British rock, after years toiling in the nationalist waters that produced petty rivalries and cringe-inducing forays into brash backwardness, was rediscovering its penchant for producing forward-thinking music that forced musicians to look inward and outward for improvement and Spiritualized was a part of that. All that was needed was a little bit of love to take the pain away. Turns out that we can give a lot of it for this.
The Lemonheads
3/5
Don't know much about Ray that makes those have a shame for him but what I will say is this: It's a Shame About Ray is a short, sweet and concise collection of songs that peaks throughout with little droughts and ends just as it was bound to go some place else, which is to say a rather appropriate way to end things. Those who have lemons for heads sure do know how to make some sweet power pop.
Favorites: Confetti, Rudderless, Bit Part, Alison's Starting to Happen, Hannah & Gabi, Kitchen, Ceiling Fan in My Spoon, Frank Mills.
Magazine
5/5
I think it's safe to say that, had Howard Devoto decided not to leave The Buzzcocks and stayed put, post-punk most likely would have never existed. Featuring Devoto's expressive talk-singing, the spiky angular guitar of the incomparable John McGeogh, the equally incomparable bass masterwork of Barry Adamson and the drum/keyboard combinations of the awesomely named Dave Formula and Martin Jackson, the aptly titled Real Life draws from the very blueprint lain out for other aspiring bands to follow that looked to equal or better what was in front of them, with songs that burst (no pun intended) through with it's spiraling five plus minute lengths (verboten in the punk world) and a sense of structure that left no room for snarl and spit. A great, often overlooked, debut that signaled the beginning of startling developments in late 70s Britain and it wouldn't have been possible without the talents of Magazine.
Dolly Parton
5/5
Dolly, Linda and Emmylou. What did the world do to deserve the three of you? At this juncture of all three stunning careers, they've done everything possible: collaborations with wayward souls, career-defining songs that still echo and resonate, changing genres with an ease most people couldn't perfect and many, many more. What's left to do than come together and bang out an album that not only is a classic but demonstrates all three at their peak. Weaving together well-worn classics with the then-modern touch that exemplified grace, the result that became Trio is the type of record that can best be an introduction and also a reminder of the talents that all three have. Thank the heavens that such a creation was allowed to be made. We're not worthy.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
5/5
When this album was generated to me, I got worried. This Jon Spencer Blues Explosion sounded like a genuine curiosity. Regardless of the rather opaque looking album cover, there was this thought that the album may be a hodgepodge of 90s indie excess of the worst kind. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. This album is rather awesome, with its erratic, jam band oddball eccentricities being put to great usage throughout its fitful 45 minutes. Give this one a listen, it may or may not be to one's taste but, when experienced, it's a plentiful time spent.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
The first of five albums that are called Songs..., this first one may lay the claim of being the best of the bunch. And why shouldn't it? With this debut, Leonard Cohen opens the door that contains more worlds than there are corners in each room, never letting up with his lyrical tapestry that weaves and woves with a delicate intensity that tells tales of lost love, venomous rage and emotional declarations. Most people would become content after making such masterpieces as this, but not Leonard. He had only just begun.
5/5
Oh hell yeah. While progressive rock was (and still is) seen as the most pretentious form of rock that has ever existed, one would be amiss to look at efforts like Close to the Edge and dismiss it outright. The title track, depending on how one will tolerate its length, would be more than enough to convince the skeptic to at least consider the genre's charms (if not set them down a path that would make them a full blown proggie). Close to the Edge may very well be considered progressive rock's finest moment and Yes' masterpiece, besides Fragile. If they had ended things here, their legacy would be more than assured.
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits for no one. On his most popular (?) album, the second installment of a trilogy that is bookended by Swordfishtrombones and Frank's Wild Years, Tom simply allows you to make a choice of whether you want to follow him down his eclectic rabbit hole or just observe from afar. Either way, the ride is just as thrilling as it is fluctuating in whatever the listener's tolerance lies. Of course, there is a heart beating somewhere in the surface and it will take one by surprise by how much the guard had been let down and that things would be smooth sailing from there on. But, knowing the artist in question, no such thing is the case. Whether one likes it or not, there is no denying that there will never be an artist quite like Tom Waits and Rain Dogs is indicative of that.
Favorites: Clap Hands, Jockey Full of Bourbon, Tango Till They're Sore, Big Black Mariah, Diamonds and Gold, Hang Down Your Head, Time, Rain Dogs, Gun Street Girl, Union Squarw, Blind Love, Downtown Train, Anywhere I Lay My Head.
Terence Trent D'Arby
4/5
The man formerly known as Terence Trent D'Arby is a very interesting guy; a man with a vision that firmly supported a boatload of talent that was best exemplified with this album. Introducing the Hardline According to... is a tantalizing hodgepodge of late 80s musical excess and a musical future that only he could see lain ahead and what would later inform his successive work. No wonder he went ahead and did what he felt was for the benefit of not only the industry (who coolly thought otherwise) but for himself in the long-run.
Favorites: If You All Get to Heaven, If You Let Me Stay, Wishing Well, Dance Little Sister, Let's Go Forward, As Yet Untitled.
Lightning Bolt
5/5
Funny how this album is called Wonderful Rainbow because it is a rather apt description of it's neverending barrage of pummeling velocity that summons you into submission. Yet, for all of its abrasiveness, it is at least mindful enough to not only be headbanging but groovy in its own way. A very 21st Century sort of Sturm und Drang.
Aphex Twin
5/5
From a fourteen year old prodigy to a twenty-one year old genius, these selected ambient works were, and remains, the perfect distillation of the essence of this multi-pseudonym phenom of electronic music. One of the many building blocks that holds together the current robust state and legacy of the genre that has informed and influenced many that has come its way, it is hard to imagine what the DNA would be like had this album not been compiled and sent out to the world. Good thing we've been hanging on tight in this wild rollercoaster ride for these last thirty years. We've all come to Daddy.
The B-52's
5/5
Athens, Georgia was a rather unlikely place to be the next destination for rock and roll happenings but, in the late 70s to early 80s, that's exactly what happened, giving us bands that would not only influence many others but would end up finding a way to conjure up sounds that would change the world at large. The B-52's were the first of such groups to throw down the gauntlet. In under forty minutes, the mustard colored and lipstick scrawled universe that the three male and two female members inhabit show no signs of ceasing control and offering up a neverending vision of anarchic quirky fun that found hallmarks from often reviled sources of inspiration into becoming an inspiration of their own. This is the kind of record that garners repeat listening and full on immersion from start to finish.
Duke Ellington
5/5
By the time of the Duke's Newport appearance in 1956, big bands were in the process of being, or already were, passé. The pre-World War II relic of jazz sophistication gave way to shorter groups, with trios and quartets, quintets and maybe even sextets becoming de rigueur and Duke had next to no room to occupy space. Newport '56 was a reminder of who he was, why he commanded the respect justly given to him and how he remained integral to the status that jazz had obtained in the decades past and present. If he and his band were percieved as though they were on the downward slope, they don't sound like it, as they are as vibrant and radiant as they were in their heyday, with Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Take the "A" Train and Skin Deep riding the ship on towards land and into cheering arms. A magnificent document of a triumphant comeback, may we love him madly.
3/5
A rambunctious, overtly melodic, aptly wild and at times varied American post-punk from one of L.A.'s great punk bands.
Favorites: The Once Over Twice, We're Desperate, Adult Books, Universal Corner, I'm Coming Over, In This House That I Call Home, White Girl, Beyond and Back, When Our Love Passed out on the Couch.
Gram Parsons
5/5
Grievous Angel is a bit too apt of a descriptor for Gram Parsons. For all his tragically short life, he had accomplished so much: reinventing country music by fitting it into a rock and roll sized hole and thus altering the trajectories of the varying bands that he spent time in. By the time he started going solo, he was already a legend in the making. His prior album, GP, stands as one of the all time great debut albums and his collaborations with an emerging Emmylou Harris remain songs worth celebrating. Grievous Angel, as posthumous as it may be, picks up where GP left off by giving the listener an equally melodic and compelling set of songs that drew from the well that Gram created. An absolute shame that his light burned out quick, for we may have been witnesses to what he could have been capable of.
Bob Dylan
5/5
With the sound of the snare, rock and roll changed forever. Bob Dylan had been on a upward trail ever since he captured the imaginations of every disillusioned man, woman and child with his takes and imaginings of the world that was rapidly unfurling from its rigid position. But there can be so many times you can strum your acoustic guitar with the harmonica around your neck and sing about how fucked things are. You have to light the match and start anew. Don't look back. With Highway 61 Revisited, that's was Bob did. Across nine tracks, the world not only was stopped in its tracks but was spun again in an entirely new fashion. The revolutions per minute were so many and so voluminous and it didn't need actual bloodshed and gun smoke to get the points across. I find it funny that, not long after this, greatest hits collections were compiled of Bob because this is a greatest hits album in one succinct package. The stories contained within these songs are enough to start novels. One wouldn't be surprised to know if this is many people's favorite Dylan album, for this is the perfect distillation of the chameleonic man and his many forms; a complete unknown with no direction home.
Fela Kuti
5/5
No one man should have all that power. Fela Kuti's commitment to dismantling the corrupt system within Nigeria was and is a testament to his ever-reaching legacy that enlightens and influences many who come across his path. With Zombie, an album released in a most tumultuous year of his life 1977, he and his Afrika 70 display with all their mighty power many of the Afro-centric musical stylings that would soon characterize the genre that would be best known as Afrobeat. That's not to mention Fela's incendiary commentary on the militaristic goons that occupied his country and its government and it was those people who would later inflict the most soul destroying act upon an artist of Fela's stature. Without that commentary, the music would still be great but would lack that necessary punch. But what a punch it is, when all is said and done. No wonder we continue to look to Fela as an inspiration for our defiance of authority and Zombie is one of the many iconic works to gravitate to.
Massive Attack
5/5
Massive... massive... When the Wild Bunch of Bristol began to infiltrate the music world, little did anyone know what would come from the abundant talents of Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Grantly "Daddy G" Marshall and Adrian "Mushroom" Vowles. In the creation of what would be known as the dreaded moniker "trip-hop", Blue Lines is not just one of the pillars of the chilled out hip-hop subgenre; it is one of the greatest albums of the 1990s. Across nine tracks, Blue Lines indulges in some dub-infused lovers rock, reworked stylings of obscure 70s soul and atmospheric swaggering rap in ways only these innovative Bristolians could wrap their minds around. A hell of a start to one of, amongst many, the best three album runs across any genres. Boom... boom chick-a chick, boom chick-a chick...
Barry Adamson
4/5
Years after Magazine's heyday, their bassist Barry Adamson decided to try something new... composing a soundtrack for a non-existent film. Hoping to seat himself into the film composer's chair, Barry scores varying storylines into chilling, at times boisterous degrees and mainly succeeds in the interim. Not a bad first start in the business of show.
Favorites: Under Wraps, Central Control, Sounds From the Big House, Suck on the Honey of Love, The Swinging Detective, Auto Destruction, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Chocolate Milkshake, The Man With the Golden Arm.
Tim Buckley
5/5
No longer feeling beholden to whatever barricade that stood in his way, Tim Buckley created Happy Sad to allow listeners become witnesses to his immersion into jazzier terrain and folkier ruminations. Using his sprawling yet engaging musical explorations to full effect, this album is a journey from which one would not emerge the same; it could perhaps be said of Tim in regards to the most watershed work of his career.
Frank Sinatra
3/5
In the midst of the first of several comebacks, the future Ol' Blue Eyes set sights on a loose concept: songs for young couples that are blissfully in love with one another and would stand the test of time. With Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Frank Sinatra bats a perfect average and glides succinctly into the swinging sensations that the album calls for; songs that not only puts pep in his step after the overwhelming gloom of In the Wee Small Hours but songs that would end up becoming some of the many defining anthems of his career. It may not be for those who become bored with the lack of variety throughout the album but there is no mistaking that this is one of the many Sinatra hallmarks.
Favorites: You Make Me Feel So Young, It Happened in Monterey, You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me, You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me, I've Got You Under My Skin, Makin' Whoopee, Anything Goes.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5/5
Talk about right on time. When the world needed Red Hot Chili Peppers the most, they came through with what was perhaps one of the more awe-inspiring comebacks in rock. Seemingly having drifted through the wayside after John Frusciante's first departure and the admirably bizarre One Hot Minute (with Dave Navarro in tow), Flea, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith knew that they needed to refresh and regroup and that they had to do it with Frusciante, who was coming off a hellacious heroin addiction and regained his passion for playing music. The result was this album. The Chilis occupy a strange place for me, being a gateway for whatever musical taste I had developed but being completely left behind as a result. With that being said, this album is fantastic. Sure, Kiedis may be grating at times in regards to his lyrical masterworks but, when he delves into mature introspection, he is lifted up to the same stratosphere that his band occupies and that alchemy is the reason why they are highly regarded together. Regardless of how one feels about them, when Californication grabs you, it just grabs you and startles with one headbangingly mellow surprise after another. It sure did with me. Quite possibly their finest hour.
Traffic
4/5
Like a phoenix reemerging from the ashes, Traffic returned with John Barleycorn Must Die, an album that allowed them to indulge in their more expressive musical tendencies without any need for kowtowing to the conveyor belt. Despite the album title lending some sort of potential rock opera wrangling, its initial six song (or eight song) tracklist forsakes any sort of storytelling (aside from the title track) and its noodling is pared down to rather for-the-sake-of-the-song structuring. Overall, a really good album that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Favorites: Glad, Freedom Rider, Empty Pages, Stranger to Himself, John Barleycorn Must Die, Every Mother's Son.
Bebel Gilberto
4/5
An album that is new to these eyes and ears, Tanto Tempo is a smooth, silky and sweet collection of 21st Century bossa nova bangers from Ms. Bebel Gilberto, whose name bores resemblance to another bossa nova great but doesn't compare with her beyond those connections. This is a fine debut album as well, one that shows the stylings of a vet in the making despite what it seems. Seek this one out.
Favorites: Samba Da Bencao, Tanto Tempo, Sem Contencao, Mais Feliz, So Nice (Summer Samba), Lonely, Bananeria, Close Your Eyes.
Mj Cole
3/5
A tantalizing collection of turn of the century UK garage music, MJ Cole delivers the goods with his Sincere album. Featuring the standard female vocalists and the male deejays hovering around and a surprising guest in one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time (?), Sincere does just about the many bountiful things that could be expected in popular dance music in the early 2000s. It may not be for everyone but it is still a plentiful experience.
Favorites: Tired Games, Attitude, Bandelero Desperado, Crazy Love, You're Mine, I See, Sincere (Re-Cue'D), Rough Out Here, Slum King, Free My Mind.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Although we didn't see it at the time, it was the end of the road for a duo whose futuristic approach to hip-hop and R&B had helped lay the groundwork for imitation and admiration from those then-present and later. For Missy Elliott and Timbaland, Under Construction was a work layered in looking backward, pushing through grief and stamping their place amongst increasingly hostile waters. Amongst neck snapping, limb shaking bangers and occasional forays into calmer terrain, this is a record that's not meant to be underestimated in regards to its title. For we are all works in progress and, if Missy Misdemeanor proclaims herself to be such, we could all use a good look in the mirror.
Favorites: Intro/Go to the Floor, Bring the Pain, Gossip Folks, Work It, Back in the Day, Funky Freshed Dressed, Pussycat, Nothing Out There for Me, Ain't That Funny, Hot, Can You Hear Me.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
The last installment in a triptych where she was the darling (and nuisance) of the industry, Court and Spark sees Joni Mitchell approaching a new level within the peak of her powers, closing the doors on her hit making phase (Help Me, Raised on Robbery, Free Man in Paris) and opening the doors on a far more adventurous portion of her career (the middle section of Down to You, the one-two punch of People's Parties and The Same Situation). It was apparent that, wherever she may wish to roam, Joni was going to be just fine and this album is testament to that.
Megadeth
5/5
From start to finish, Rust in Peace is just an exercise in how pulverizing, hard-hitting, breakneck and relentless one of the big 4 of thrash metal can get. Approaching a sweet spot at forty minutes, it also never overstays its welcome and can be a welcome respite from all the other ponderous metal records of the time. Classic thrash, classic Megadeth, classic album.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
What happens when you hand out the Satanic Majesties' Request? You get written off as poseurs, trendhoppers, anything but authentic. 1967 was a trying year for the Rolling Stones and it was a time where they were finding things out the hard way: arrests, potential jail time and a moment where an allegiance with psychedelia produced less than stellar results. What can a poor boy do except sing in a rock and roll band? Well, anything that requires going back to basics. And that's how we got Beggars Banquet. Their last album with Brian Jones fully in the fold, Beggars Banquet is part back to basics/part expansion of newer musical sounds as the Stones explore roughly hewn, down on their luck blues with outward expressions of mysterious intent and thinly veiled rage that was prevalent in the year 1968, bringing about their most memorable and epochal songs in their catalog. Yet it is those ragged blues numbers (No Expectations, Dear Doctor, Jigsaw Puzzle, Stray Cat Blues) that keep the album from being a two song show with lots of filler dressing and allows the band to showcase their increasingly adaptable depth before they swim deep into predictable waters. But that was many years away... From decrepit toilet seats to pristine invitations, Beggars Banquet marked the beginning of a brand new chapter in the career of the Stones; a chapter that, while bringing about tragedy and bumpy roads, still keeps listeners gratified to this day.
Aerosmith
4/5
With righteous riffage and a surprising impeccable taste for groove, Toys in the Attic is Aerosmith taking that first big leap into becoming the mammoth rock and roll band they were meant to be. With hidden gems masquerading alongside classic staples that would soon blossom into unlikely launchpads for different artists in different genres, this is worthwhile listening for anyone wanting to garner a glimpse into who Aerosmith were and were about to become.
Favorites: Toys in the Attic, Uncle Salty, Adam's Apple, Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion, Round and Round.
The Prodigy
5/5
The trouble starters, the instigators... The Prodigy came along at a very interesting and important time for electronic music. With The Fat of the Land, their third outing, they not only became a beacon of the wild new sounds emerging from wherever it came but they became a symbol of what would become of the genre's popularity going forward. Fusing rock and hip-hop into techno strains, The Fat of the Land settles itself into a microcosm of the type of impact (and triggers of fear and controversy their songs generated) that they were capable of. This is just a distiller of what and how things were in 1997 and it has aged quite well twenty-five plus years on. This is the funky shit, this is the fat of the land, this is The Prodigy doing good for the jilted generation.
Crowded House
4/5
Kiwi/Aussie rock greats Crowded House weren't over with the dream yet. Despite the album's title, Woodface finds the band at their expressive best, tackling topics such as consumption, weather and mood changes all while in a positive and upbeat sound. Glad to have come across them when I've had the chance, been wanting to for quite a long time. Pretty good album.
Favorites: Chocolate Cake, Tall Trees, Weather With You, Whispers and Moans, Four Seasons in One Day, There Goes God, All I Ask, Italian Plastic, How Will You Go/I'm Still Here.
The Triffids
4/5
Perhaps their ultimate statement, Calenture sees The Triffids rhapsodizing about varying obsessions, be it they love, hallucinations and spirituality. A sprawling collection that looks to satisfy whatever corners of humanity it reaches, Calenture is one of many hidden gems from the Eighties. Do not be put off by the amount of songs accumulated here, there's plenty to tickle the ears.
Favorites: Bury Me Deep in Love, Kelly's Blues, A Trick of the Light, Hometown Farewell Kiss, Unmade Love, Holy Water, Vagabond Holes, Save What You Can, Baby Can I Walk You Home, Bad News Reminds Me of You, Everything You Touch Turns to Time.
T. Rex
5/5
Metal guru, could it be? You're gonna bring my baby to me?
After the earth rattling, glitter spewing roar of Electric Warrior, Marc Bolan knew he had to keep up the pace in what was now the sped-up rat race of the glam rock world. Ziggy Stardust had made his presence felt, Roxy Music was approaching with its re-make and re-model and a endless array of flamboyant characters were soon popping up amongst the fray. What was Marc and T. Rex to do but make, in my opinion, the best album of their career? Well, simply that. While The Slider does have it's fair share of eccentric characters, they don't occupy the album's space as much as the supernova soundscape does; for Marc and the band's sheer confidence is on full display and shines so brightly that it could replace the sun in the solar system. One wouldn't have foretold the beginning of the end that was approaching and how overshadowed T. Rex would become but, for now, it was the children of the revolution taking hold and they weren't being fooled; for this was their soundtrack and mine too. For when I am sad, I slide towards this and it can get me through. A glam rock masterpiece.
Marty Robbins
5/5
From the moment Big Iron plays and you see Marty Robbins in gunfighter stance on the front cover, you know you're in for serious business. In these ballads and trail songs, you get nothing less and nothing more; exactly what is advertised. It can get through like a breeze and have you feeling as though you've lived a hundred lifetimes and more. Speaking of more, where can I get more of these gunfighter ballads and trail songs? Because I'm in serious need.
CHIC
5/5
With the disco boom flourishing, CHIC waste little to no time planting their flag in the ground with these all killer, no filler platform boot sweeping, body twirling bangers aided by gentle swoons on the side. Opulence was the meal of the day and the ever reliable hitmaker duo of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers come through in spades, delivering classics that would surely outlast any backlash, any demolition night and any other living entity. Aw, freak out!
OutKast
5/5
Stankonia is, without question, Outkast at the absolute peak of their powers. Rather than come down from the mountainous high of the stupendously spectacular and envelope pushing Aquemini, Daddy Fat Sacks and 3 Stacks decided that it was for the best if they reached the Moon, Saturn, Mars, Venus and everywhere in between. Draping the black and white flag that was raised and fluttered in every corner that they approached, Outkast not only dismantled the boundaries that constricted hip-hop (if they hadn't already) but extended their outreach ever farther in unexplored and tantalizing areas (if that hadn't happened already). As a result, we were treated to one of the greatest albums in hip-hop, one of the greatest albums of the 21st Century and one of the greatest albums period. Some may wince at its bloated appearance and its breakneck pace and they may do without two or three songs and skits but that's just part of the charm. Gotta take it as it comes. I was happy when I did. Stank you, Outkast, stank you smelly much.
The Flying Burrito Brothers
4/5
The fusion between country music and rock and roll continued to solidify itself with this debut album from the awesomely named Flying Burrito Brothers. Much has been made and said of Gram Parsons' invaluable contributions to the unlikely events of the two genres colliding and rightfully so but, without the equally important role of former fellow Byrd Chris Hillman, none of this would have been possible without the proper partners coming together. The sweethearts of the rodeo settling down into a sinful reverie in a once pretty palace, this gilded area showcases its unique style of musical harmony across eleven tracks and it feels like a breeze and a weary, weathered tale of time. An important album for an important moment in a genre's history.
Favorites: Christine's Tune, Do Right Woman, Dark End of the Street, My Uncle, Hot Burrito # 1 & 2, Do You Know How It Feels.
The Icarus Line
4/5
When this album was selected for me, I never heard of this band before or this album. Any details in regard to their background was scarce and so I went into this with blindfolds on and was just ready to take what was given. That being said, this is actually a pretty good record, albeit on the more raucous side of the equation. The Icarus Line do the best that they can in these balls to the wall, relentless fifty-three minutes, one minute dishing out two minute appetizers like it was nothing and the next minute delivering a nine minute epic as though they knew how to trek Mt. Olympus. All in all, don't turn up your nose when given this album: you may never know what you'll like.
Favorites: Up Against the Wall, Motherfuckers, On the Lash, Caviar, Spike Island, Getting Bright at Night, Virgin Velcro, Seasick, Party the Baby Off.
Norah Jones
4/5
Norah Jones' debut album is a rather respectable album that doesn't quite scratch the jazz itch but it makes its presence felt in other, more appropriate genres. There is a reason why many went crazy for this album back when it came out and it is due to Norah's beyond obvious talent that stood out amongst what was coming down the conveyor belt at the time. A bit of a tough act to follow, if you ask me.
Favorites: Seven Years, Cold Cold Heart, Feelin' the Same Way, Come Away With Me, Shoot the Moon, Turn Me On, I've Got to See You Again, One Flight Down, Nightingale.
Billie Holiday
4/5
Bearing witness to a dying of the light can be a strangely illuminating experience. On the one hand, the knowledge of a generational talent having wasted away her body and, most importantly, her voice when it could have been one of the many vehicles on the road to greener pastures must have been a saddening black cloud to be under. On the other hand, seeing that talent give whatever remained to steer songs from a functional level to the kind of level that inspires awe and admiration as though she weren't guaranteed tomorrow is what reminds those involved why they are in the business of music. Lady in Satin may not have been intended as the last album released in Billie Holiday's lifetime but it's got all the hallmarks of a farewell; a glimpse of a life truly lived through hell and beyond and who could still belt out as though she hadn't lost a step, even if the voice sounded otherwise. It's poetically tragic in a way. The audio story of The End of a Love Affair exemplifies this perfectly, nine minutes of do-overs, orchestral dealings and Billie singing in a capella. This is a fascinating document worthy of time and space.
Favorites: I'm a Fool to Want You, For Heaven's Sake, I Get Along Without You Very Well, You've Changed, It's Easy to Remember, But Beautiful, Glad to Be Unhappy, The End of a Love Affair (Mono Take 4 and The Audio Story).
Björk
5/5
Never has an album title become so apt. Sugar cubes dissolve into a melting pot that encompasses the sounds of danceable electronic music, pop, jazz and everything in between in this still vital album from perhaps Iceland's greatest export. Thirty years on, this remains an important first step into the wonderfully chaotic, endless inventive and wildly innovative world of a woman who does not rest on her laurels. Once immersed, regrets won't be found. P.S. I need me that fuzzy sweater.
Mariah Carey
3/5
About time I get encountered by a butterfly and all I can think of is... okay. I was rather psyched and pleasantly surprised get this album in the generator and was looking forward to listening to it and the further I got into this album, the more underwhelmed I was by it. After the boppiness that was Honey, I was rather annoyed and irritated by the balladery that followed and the sheer drop of expectations levied towards this album. I get that this album has its fans and I respect what it achieved for Mariah and the people involved, I just expected something different. Oh well.
Favorites: Honey, The Roof (Back in Time), Fourth of July, Breakdown, Close My Eyes, The Beautiful Ones.
John Cale
4/5
After years of toiling in the darkness, John Cale allowed himself to let the light in and what a splendid way to do it with an album whose title comes from world changing events that eventually gave way to other world changing events. John Cale's Paris 1919 doesn't have such tools for such things yet it sparkles, shimmers and shines with character building songs and opulent instrumentation that's worlds away from the dingy, charcoal black landscape he excelled in. And this album proves that he can excel in baroque areas as well.
Favorites: Child's Christmas in Wales, Hanky Panky Nohow, Andalusia, Macbeth, Paris 1919, Graham Greene, Antarctica Starts Here.
Massive Attack
4/5
Protection provides itself as a connective tissue for the next set of seismic shifts in the trip-hop scene during the mid 1990s, from the lines uttered by Tricky that formed the backdrop of many a classic songs from what would be his debut album Maxinquaye to Tracey Thorn's appearance in the opening title track that foreshadowed Everything But the Girl's mingling with downtempo electronic music and the rather cinematic features that sweep through the deep cuts of this record. All in all, an intriguing follow-up to Blue Lines and a harbinger of things to come.
Favorites: Protection, Karmacoma, Weather Storm, Spying Glass, Euro Child, Sly.
The Clash
4/5
1977, a fitting year where two numbers clashed and a fitting year for the beginning of a wild journey from westway to the world for the only band that mattered. Like most eventual world-beating, heart on sleeve entities, The Clash were a garage band with sights set on much bigger settings, regardless of how bored they were with it. Tales of woeful chances to step out of the systemic rut, aspirations of sex only to get oneself off, faithful adaptations of a song rooted in a genre that never mingled with the punk mindset prior and the collar grabbing damnations of classist, racist ideologies that is still misinterpreted today. The world at large would be all the worse had this album not gotten made, with its thirty-minute minutes of punk masterclass that would give way to the chameleonic shifts towards bigger and greater compositions down the line. This is Radio Clash from pirate satellite.
Favorites: Janie Jones, Remote Control, I'm So Bored With the U.S.A., White Riot, What's My Name, Career Opportunities, Cheat, Police & Thieves, Garageland.
Tori Amos
5/5
Parts boisterous, parts arresting and parts vaudevillian, Little Earthquakes announces Tori Amos' arrival to the music world. And what an arrival it is, reconfiguring the singer-songwriter pianist trope for a new generation and infusing with stories fanciful, imaginative and taboo. An enduring classic thirty plus years on.
Turbonegro
5/5
At first I wanted to say ''who the hell is Turbonegro and why is this album on the generator?" But, as soon as that came up, a wild series of memories came flooding back. They were somewhat familiar to me but only through snippets via Viva la Bam and Wildboyz and, as soon as those songs started, everything began to click. For me, it's not nostalgia, it is a full circle scenario hearing songs like The Age of Pamparius, Selfdestructo Bust and Prince of the Rodeo for the first time in a very long time, but in full. As for the other songs on here, there was a slight feeling of dread when it came to their titles (Rock Against Ass, Rendezvous With Anus, Don't Say Motherfucker, Motherfucker) but ultimately they caused no harm while guaranteeing a good time. A glamorous punk rock romp from beginning to end that ensures hooks that would stick inside ones head for a while. I'm glad to have reconnected with Turbonegro while hearing something new.
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
4/5
More than any news and media outlet, hip-hop had become the go-to source for what was going on in the black community; its musings and detailing of varying experiences and interests providing an accurate portrayal of what was happening around and amongst those living in the world they're in and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy were one of the many channels doling out such information. Using Public Enemy's blueprint and taking further into the deepest recesses imaginable, Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury is an hour of prophetic commentary both past, present and eventual future that, while farfetched and seemingly dated at times, expounds dependency, political views, racial tensions and the dangers of the everyday. A worthwhile glimpse into how innovative hip-hop was continuing to become in 1992 and how Disposable Heroes found themselves properly attuned to the moment.
Favorites: Satanic Reverses, Famous and Dandy (Like Amos and Andy), Television, the Drug of the Nation, Language of Violence, Everyday Life Has Become a Health Risk, Socio-Genetic Experiment, Music and Politics.
Donald Fagen
3/5
One of the plenty go-to albums for audiophile geeks, The Nightfly represents something new for one-half of one of the more divisive duos in music. Using his childhood as inspiration, Donald Fagen explores new terrain whilst keeping a grip on his perfectionist tendencies and mostly succeeds in that regard. Like most of the Dan's material, whatever opinions come which way, it is streamlined and handed with a delicacy and finesse that only Fagen has and this album deserves whatever praise it can gather.
Favorites: I.G.Y., Ruby Baby, New Frontier, The Goodbye Look.
Sex Pistols
5/5
Perhaps the most impactful, consequential and influential one-and-done album in music history, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols is the rumble that provided the groundwork for many a aspiring punk rock band past, present and future to adhere to. Check out every band that came through in the twenty-five or so years after the album's release and there is it's DNA imprinted on every facet of those bands: the ever-reaching sneer and snarl of Johnny Rotten, the devil-may-care/no fucks given postures of Sid Vicious (and Glen Matlock if one wants to include him) and the wonderfully pulverizing strum and stomp of Steve Jones and Paul Cook, not to mention the topics considered to be taboo that has become littered within the universe of punk such as the meandering mundanity of society and scepticism about the affections for the Queen. All in all, rock music from here on out would never be the same and it would have met a quick and fastened end in terms of authenticity were it not for the brief inferno that was The Sex Pistols. No future, no future, no future for you...
Iron Maiden
5/5
The new wave of British Heavy Metal was gathering unprecedented speed, largely emboldened and reawakened by the bulldozing power of punk and one of the bands that became synonymous with not only the movement but the heavy metal genre as a whole started a decade of decadence that would rival any others. Iron Maiden MK 1 started out with the sounds that gave many a listeners a hair raising, corpse like jolt as though they were the mascot on the cover (his name is Eddie, by the way). They haven't gotten the numbers of the beast in their disposal and they weren't the iconic juggernauts they'd later become but this is still a solid effort and a great debut from one of heavy metal's all time greats. Shout out to Paul Di'Anno, the inaugural lead singer of Iron Maiden, his performance is nothing to sneeze at.
Tears For Fears
5/5
If John Lennon and Yoko Ono brought Arthur Janov into the rock sphere, then Tears for Fears were the ones to bring him into wider popular culture. With Songs From the Big Chair, the duo showcase a tendency to make the cerebral and the creative collide in one bombastic package and prove themselves able to become juggernauts of the music world. With effortless care and amazing precision, Songs From the Big Chair stands tall as one of the 1980s most powerful and irresistibly rewarding albums that demands repeat listening from start to finish.
P.S. the Steven Wilson 2014 mix enlivens and enhances the album's brilliant sound and performances and it is best not ignored.
Patti Smith
5/5
With an immortal opening line in the groove and Robert Mapplethorpe on the opposite side of the photograph, Patti Smith made rock and roll her muse, her landscape and her bitch. Cutting an aesthetic that was as much a kick in the door as well as a breath of fresh air, the aspirant 20th Century Rimbaud wound up making an album that can very well be placed amongst the greatest debut albums ever and the greatest albums of all time. What else can be said other than that this is a sublime example of the zeitgeist aligning just right, the moment when poetry and rock and roll coalesced into a mighty diamond shining ever so brightly. If she had never made a musical note after this, no one would have blamed her; for this album places her amongst legends for eternity. So young, so goddamn young.
Cocteau Twins
5/5
For much of the 1980s, the trio named after one of the more enigmatic avant-garde filmmakers of the 20th Century crafted a world in which murmurs and riddles occupied the territory, existing only to mystify those who came across their path and served plentiful returns for many a fan's investments. Heaven or Las Vegas was Cocteau Twins fraternizing with the mainstream and coming away from it largely with their aesthetic intact. Deciding that accessibility is the key to succeed, they mainly do so on their terms and it is fantastic throughout. Dreamy, ethereal, stargazing, euphoric... it's a shame that they had one or two more albums left in them for, had they continued down this path, Cocteau Twins could have been bigger than imaginable. But it's best that they didn't. Alas, phenomenal album.
The Modern Lovers
5/5
For a band with a ringleader who proclaims himself in love with the old and modern worlds, The Modern Lovers are as apt of a name for such an enterprise. New York in the early to mid 70s were a colorful yet frightening place, teetering on the brink of collapse that inspired flights and burgeoning movements and missives from Presidents to drop dead. It was such a place for Jonathan Richman and his band of Velvet Underground admirers to make home. There are glimpses of who the former band were but also who Talking Heads were going to become, thanks to the presence of Jerry Harrison (album producer and Talking Heads' eventual guitarist and keyboardist) at the controls. For quite some time, I've been leery of Richman and his contributions, mainly due to his whirlpooling presence amongst my playlists. Yet this album places itself at my sweet spot, largely informative and grasping in its admirably awkward overt manner that would inspire legions of other bands in its wake. In regards to this, all we can do is not resist this album's stare.
Sarah Vaughan
4/5
This wonderfully splendid live album feels as though you're taking part in a delightful experience of musical aptitude and overall brilliance, as the calming, lilting voice of Sarah Vaughan takes things beyond a notch and delivers an incredible performance from beginning to end without fail. Mister Kelly's sure was lucky on the night of this show.
Favorites: September in the Rain, Willow Weep for Me, Just One of Those Things, Be Anything But Darling Be Mine, Stairway to the Stars, Honeysuckle Rose, Just a Gigalo, How High the Moon, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write a Letter, If This Isn't Love, Dancing in the Dark
James Brown
5/5
Perhaps the template for the greatest live album ever recorded, James Brown & the Famous Flames set the roof of the Apollo (and the New York skyline) on fire with this all killer and no filler collection of songs that showcased how accurate the "hardest working man in show business" moniker was for the headliner. Before his metamorphosis into the nucleus of what became hip-hop, he was the consummate showman (he never ceased being such) and gave his all not just for the band but for the Richter Scale screams of his adoring fans, who are the backbone of the album if we're being honest. There is no need for more and there is no need for less here. Sixty years on and this remains essential listening for understanding.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Like most good things, it all has to come to an end. The Wall is many things: an album that, of course, revolves around a story (mainly fictional but just as rooted in reality) involving the Pink character as he navigates the twist and turn saga from typical rock star into drugged up fascist. But it is also a story about Pink Floyd's very own transformation from a united front serving a common purpose into a fractured unit that became the basis for one person's desire for complete control regardless of who thought otherwise. A triumphant moment for the Floyd? Without a doubt but at what cost? The wall has been erected permanently and there's nothing but pain that's yet to recede. Is there anybody out there?
Favorites: In the Flesh?, Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1 & 2, Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky, One of My Turns, Hey You, Nobody Home, Comfortably Numb, In the Flesh, Run Like Hell, Waiting for the Worms.
Billy Bragg
4/5
Woody Guthrie had no way of knowing that his ghost would find ways to linger in the scheme of things. Just when it was all said to be over and done with in regards to his discography, two new interpreters not only came along but breathed new life into the legend. An intercontinental affair that boasted two of the finest talents of their respective genres, Mermaid Avenue is an intriguing and ultimately successful album that does Woody's then-unsung lyrics its due diligence and with the utmost respect it required. Do seek this out, it's worthy of your time.
Favorites: Walt Whitman's Niece, California Stars, Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key, Birds and Ships, Hoodoo Voodoo, She Came Along to Me, At My Window Sad and Lonely, Christ for President, One by One, Eisler on the Go.
Dion
4/5
One shall not be surprised if a love-struck or love-starved individual had made their path towards this album in some capacity. Even in some of the more heartfelt, expansive and explosive albums in the decade of this album's resurgence (the 1990s) has its DNA strewn all over it. Phil Spector's destructive path in the 70s somehow made it's way to Dion's front door and the pre-British Invasion crooner needed some injection of relevancy in the changed marketplace. It's a shame that Born to Be With You did not recieve the plaudits it deserved at the time, for this is a really great album that shows reminds those of Dion's vocal prowess and the instrumentation involved here is a precursor of what Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man would become a little later (and namely records like Spiritualized's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space). The bonus tracks tacked on the end serves as a postscript and it does its tricks even if it feels a bit mute.
Favorites: Born to Be With You, Make the Woman Love Me, Only You Know, In and Out of the Shadows, Good Lovin' Man, Baby, Let's Stick Together.
Todd Rundgren
5/5
You want the obvious? You'll get the obvious, onionhead! You are required to listen to this album at least seven or eight times in your life. If you don't get it the first time, you will eventually. This batshit crazy odyssey zooms past and swoons all over you at unexpected moments as though nothing out of the ordinary occured and will make you wonder what was going through the mind of this supposed wizard, this true star as he calls himself. It was the sound of the future then and it remains the sound of the future today. Bedroom pop before there was even a thing known as bedroom pop and, quite frankly, it doesn't get any better than this. Most artists would hang their hats on this album and call it a day. For Todd Rundgren, it was just another Monday.
Peter Tosh
4/5
You can't get any more apt than that in regards to the title. Peter Tosh's debut blazes and fills the air with an aroma that is hard to resist and is charming in a way that becomes more apparent further down the line. In short, not only will this grab your attention but keeps it with its slew of surprises within the grooves.
Favorites: Legalize It, Whatcha Gonna Do, Why Must I Cry, Ketchy Shuby, Till Your Well Runs Dry.
Fatboy Slim
4/5
Fatboy Slim managed to capture the essence of what was happening amongst electronic music in the late 90s and, in the process, came up with some of the most iconic and enduring songs not only in his catalog but in the genre. You've Come A Long Way, Baby is about an hour of exciting, relentlessly fun album. If you don't make your booty move to this then your booty must be dead.
Favorites: Right Here, Right Now, The Rockafeller Skank, Fuckin'/Illin in Heaven, Gangster Trippin', Kalifornia, Praise You, Love Island, Acid 8000.
Tom Tom Club
5/5
With their band on top of their game, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz decided that sitting on their hands while their elastic, observant and forever curious frontman went out and explored new territories wasn't going to work for them and, in the process, set about standing out from the pack in more ways than one. For this debut album from the Tom Tom Club, with its hand-drawn aesthetic and endless nods to emerging hip-hop culture and post-disco reverie, evokes a interminable summer vibe where it is blissful to be young with no worries in the world and little need to be skeptical and suspicious about things. In Tom Tom Club's world, it's just them and scores more would come, on and on... there are more of them, more than anyone would realize.
Talvin Singh
3/5
A globetrotting melange of genres befitted for the turn of the century, OK finds Tavin Singh finding what works and making them click together. Pulsing and bursting with Indian classical, Japanese dance and British electronica, this is as of its time as it is futuristic, ambitious whilst being unpresuming and it's as tethered to the unlikely origins of its creator while at the same time being as far from it as possible. OK, indeed.
Favorites: Traveller, Butterfly, Eclipse, OK, Light, Soni.
The War On Drugs
5/5
There had been a breakthrough in regards to the War on Drugs! No but, in all seriousness, this is an amazing record. Every song on here invokes an Americana dreamed up and realized to perfection and not a second spent listening is deemed wasted for over an hour. Lost in the Dream is the kind of music that is made for road trips and everlasting memories and, nearly ten years on, is rightfully considered a classic of modern times (if it has been deemed such).
The Smiths
4/5
Strangeways, Here We Come is perhaps best exemplified in its title: strange. Strange in that this doesn't feel like a swan song from one of Manchester's all time greatest bands and more of a transitional effort that gathered up further more skills and sounds that would require them to move on from what made them exemplary. Consider the elegiac "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me", the countrified stomp and sway of "A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours" and "Girlfriend in a Coma", the dizzying piano backdrop of "Death of a Disco Dancer" and the rather soon-to-be ironic re-make/re-model takedown of "Paint a Vulgar Picture" and you'd get the gist of The Smiths looking towards what was next. Well, we never got that picture and perhaps it was for the best. Although the album lags towards the end, even the most forgettable Smith's material ranges better than most. A near-perfect swan song when it wasn't supposed to be.
Favorites: A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours, I Started Something I Couldn't Finish, Death of a Disco Dancer, Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me.
Animal Collective
5/5
The absolute most important record in Animal Collective's discography, Merriweather Post Pavilion gathers every sound they've gotten their hands on up to that point and allows it to gleam and shine as though it was radiating with a sense of purpose. This is what the sound of the zeitgeist sounds like and it just so happened to have come out at the most appropriate time, when the last vestiges of alternative/indie rock still held on to the imaginations of those who still thought of it as a world-beater and the nucleus of the culture. Some may say they've soared before this, some may claim they did afterward. All that is known is that they wouldn't come out of it the same way again.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
When a collection of done and dusted and seemingly sprawling leftover songs are somehow considered top-tier material from the prime years of a rock and roll monolith, then something has been done correctly. Physical Graffiti is Led Zeppelin at their loosest and most ambitious, as though there was no one but Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham in the room with no interlopers and intruders, just shooting the shit and shooting for the stars. Beginning with the improved upon funk strut of Custard Pie, the album rarely let's up in its mountain climb of excess, nearly stumbling but ultimately reaching the peak. When push comes to shove (as it might when it comes to most Zeppelin albums) this could very well be the best representation of the band at their most popular. Essential listening.
Les Rythmes Digitales
5/5
A pulsating, giddy and infectious album from beginning to end, Darkdancer from Les Rythmes Digitales sees him approach the end of the century with the ethos of a prior decade's dance evolution, with tantalizing collaborations honoring the aesthetics whilst not plundering too much. Overall, Darkdancer is a breeze that will surprisingly reel you back in.
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
Some fun, ferocious Finnish rock and roll; music guaranteed for a good time.
Favorites: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Tooting Bec Wreck, Until I Get You, Lick Summer Love, Ice Cream Summer.
Silver Jews
5/5
"And I wanna be like water when I can, because water doesn't give a damn. Water doesn't give a damn."
I've read about David Berman, especially after his death and I've heard some of the songs he's written and performed on but I've never had heard any of his albums as a whole until this and, quite frankly, I really liked what I heard. Almost cosmic country in its orbit but with a emphasis on despair and death, it's ironic that the album has the name "bright" as its title. But enough about that, this is a pretty stellar entry for me in regards to Berman's work. I can see what the fuss is about.
"Punk rock died when the first kid said, Punk's not dead Punk's not dead."
Beyoncé
4/5
When we are tasked with the question of when the paradigm shifted in popular and musical culture, I think it is safe to say that when this album unexpectedly assimilated itself into the fabric of... well, everything. I remember when it came out and being as surprised as everyone else. No one saw it coming. Beyoncé had literally changed the game. I'll be completely honest here: this is my first time listening to this album and I can understand why it was and is an utter gamechanger. Literally everything is on here, right there for the eventual "memeification" ("surfboard", "I woke up like this", etc.). But the most important thing here is the music and, man, do Queen Bey and her collaborators deliver. From wall-to-wall bangers to effective detours to the downtempo, BEYONCÉ was the moment where Beyoncé became the auteur, the gold standard, the be-all end-all of pop music. Nearly ten years on, this is the monolith to hang all hats on. Salute.
Favorites: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, Drunk in Love, Blow, Partition, Rocket, Mine, XO, ***Flawless, Superpower, 7/11, Drunk in Love Remix, Ring Off, Blow Remix, Standing in the Sun Remix.
The The
5/5
If one feels as though they are the symptom of the moral decay gnawing at the heart of the country, they may need some soul mining. In all seriousness, this album is perhaps the most perfect encapsulation of Matt Johnson's vision for The The and remains one of the more engrossing and thoughtful albums of the 1980s. Although there are elements of this that sounds of its time, it can be safely considered current day. A masterpiece.
Liz Phair
4/5
I wonder what Liz Phair was thinking when she unleashed this onto the world. Maybe not much, maybe nothing at all but what was plain to see is that Exile on Guyville set such a trail that it became impossible for Liz to not only follow up but to full live up to. What is seemingly a brash, in your face concotion just so happened to combine with a more somber, thought approach to relationships and the status quo in regards to those relationships and it is that connection that manages to seduce and mesmerize those who have come across its path in the ensuing three decades. Exile on Guyville has become monolithic in its stature and it is unsurprising that it has become Liz's sole source of awe and admiration, regardless of the records that have come in its wake, whether better or worse. All the praise that has come in the last several years was worth it.
Favorites: 6'1, Help Me Mary, Never Said, Soap Star Joe, Canary, Mesmerizing, Fuck and Run, Girls! Girls! Girls!, Divorce Song, Shatter, Flower, Johnny Sunshine, Gunshy, Stratford-On-Guy.
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
A respectable, albeit monotonous and at times indistinguishable from one track to the other, collection of ragas that, apparently, had the thumbs up treatment from the 60s biggest rock stars. Which is news to me because, unlike Ravi Shankar, this has fallen completely by the wayside and forgotten about completely. The strange album cover probably didn't help matters with perception either, regardless of interest. Still, this is pretty decent with bright spots towards the end.
Favorites: Ode to the Sun God, The Shepherd Girl, The Prophet in the Mountain, Stars Twinkling Within.
Brian Eno
5/5
After standing on the sidelines being in one of the more important glam rock groups of the day, Brian Eno decided that the wheels of his ever curious mind needed to start spinning. He'd grown too big and too much for Roxy Music and there was much more vast and wider terrains for him to roam. Thus, Here Come the Warm Jets. This album belongs on the lists of greatest debut solo albums of all time and the forty-two minutes given to this record and the unique creativities of the participants involved is a testament to the fact. Nearly fifty years on, this album remains stimulating, exciting, a world-building feat, monumental and inventive as all hell. This is experimental pop at its epochal finest and it's utterly insane to think that it was only the beginning for Ol' Sourpuss. Love this album. Love, love, love this album!
The Clash
5/5
Perhaps rock and roll's (and maybe punk's) finest hour in the 1970s and the fact that it came out toward the end of the decade is just bonkers. Here is where the legend of The Clash cemented itself, the moment where they truly began to matter: from the opening seconds of the blistering and enduring title track to the character and world building studies that informed Lost in the Supermarket, The Guns of Brixton and Clampdown. Even the acknowledgement of worlds beyond their purview with the likes of Spanish Bombs, The Card Cheat and Revolution Rock display the hunger that The Clash possessed more than the bands of the era had and the ambitions that would soon define some of their greatest works that started here. For most bands, they couldn't (and perhaps wouldn't) top this. For The Clash, it became the peak of the powers and they would only get bigger and better from here.
Emmylou Harris
4/5
It feels appropriate for Pieces of the Sky to be Emmylou Harris' proper debut, for it allows the emergent singer-songwriter to fully capture everything she had learned and weaved into a complete package. From dedicated commitments of heartwrenching tales to fully reimagined songs from past and then-present contemporaries, this album is a great start for someone to dip into Emmylou's vast discography.
Favorites: Bluebird Wine, Boulder to Birmingham, Before Believing, Bottle Let Me Down, Coat of Many Colors, For No One, California Cotton Fields.
Yes
5/5
There is such a thing as third times a charm. With The Yes Album, the titular band finally find their groove and step into the nascent program scene with a confidence that would guide them through the next set of pivotal albums such as Fragile and Close to the Edge. Yet The Yes Album is just as much of a beast as those albums, not just because it's the first of them but because of the seemingly urgent vibrancy that occupied the sounds coming out of them that is just persistent from start to finish. A yes to this album? Yes indeed.
De La Soul
4/5
As much of a manifesto as it became an albatross, the D.A.I.S.Y Age was heralded as De La Soul released one of the most important albums in not just hip-hop but music history. Its innovative usage of sampling (which wound up costing them in the long run), album oriented skits (some have aged for better or worse) and its lack of militaristic posturing that was prevalent in the genre at the time (the affiliation with Native Tongues) made Trugoy, Maseo, Posdnuos and producer Prince Paul the rather soon-to-be unfortunately tagged "hippies of hip-hop". While this album on the whole is greatly respected, there is a sense of feeling that one had to have been there in order to understand the hype, as the album wears its time and place on its sleeve (De La Orgee, Take It Off, looking at you) but it does not being the album down. If anything, it adds to the mythos that have surrounded De La Soul ever since they first came on the scene and the legal troubles that plagued them later on that made them Johnny-come-latelys to the current digital world. Glad to have them still around, glad to have people finally listen to them and glad to see this album on the list. Rest in peace Trugoy the Dove.
Favorites: The Magic Number, Change in Speak, Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin' Revenge, Ghetto Thang, Eye Know, Tread Water, Potholes in My Lawn, Say No Go, Plug Tunin', Buddy, Me Myself & I, This is a Recording..., D.A.I.S.Y. Age.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
How does one define "calm before the storm" when the storm is already amongst us? After years of false starts, the crown jewel of the shoegaze genre finally found its footing and began the mythologization process with this monumental debut album. Sure it bookends perhaps one of the most important albums of its era but that doesn't mean it is devoid of memorable songs: Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) is an effective opener, Lose My Breath beckons Bilinda Butcher's ever ethereal call and Feed Me With Your Kiss blasts through with the kind of intensity that one wished lasted longer. All in all, Isn't Anything remains effective as a listening experience nearly thirty-five years on and is a perfect introduction to the most important band in shoegaze.
Favorites: Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside), Lose My Breath, Cupid Come, (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream, Feed Me With Your Kiss, Sueisfine, Several Girls Galore, Nothing Much to Lose, I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It).
Slayer
5/5
When I saw the length of the album in question, I thought: you can't be serious? But, in all seriousness, Reign in Blood may very well be the definition of all killer, no filler. With Angel of Death leading the way in heavy riffage and, let's be honest, somewhat troublesome lyrical imagery, the album pummels with reckless abandon and seemingly endless displays of aggression. It could be said, with no indication of exception, that it is Slayer's brightest moment in the sun; a blood streaked parade that may never be forgotten.
Devendra Banhart
4/5
One listen to Rejoicing in the Hands and I couldn't help but think that had Marc Bolan be reincarnated and sent to the United States, he'd be Devendra Banhart. This album feels steeped in the psychedelic folk genre bestowed upon it while, at the same token, feeling as though it wasn't anywhere near it with its admittedly bare bones nature. Still, it is an overtly pleasant listen for a rather nice day.
Favorites: This is the Way, A Sight to Behold, The Body Breaks, Poughkeepsie, This Beard is for Siobhan, Rejoicing in the Hands, Fall, When the Sun Shone on Vetiver, There Was Sun.
Big Black
4/5
With surprising Prince-esque yelps to start it off and a reliance on synths and metallic elements to keep tones brutal and pulverizing, Big Black's Atomizer can be seen as the band's defining statement and finest hour. Songs About Fucking may be more well known but Atomizer has everything in spades and is very much more consistent. Set me on fire!
Favorites: Jordan, Minnesota, Passing Complexion, Kerosene, Stinking Drunk, Bazooka Joe, Strange Things, Cables.
Drive-By Truckers
3/5
Lynyrd Skynyrd obsessives run amok in this double album epic about the supposed misunderstandings of the South, particularly Alabama. Drive-By Truckers do their best to ensure that the audience's attention is tethered to their mission statement and, with this record, they do it pretty well, especially on the song Three Great Alabama Icons, an absolute highlight.
Favorites: Days of Graduation, Ronnie and Neil, Dead, Drunk and Naked, The Southern Thing, Three Great Alabama Icons, Wallace, Moved, Let There Be Rock, Cassie's Daughter, Life in the Factory, Shut Up and Get on the Plane, Angels and Fuselage.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4/5
Bluesbreakers is an appropriate name for an album such as this due to the domino effect that this wound up having on the British blues scene going forward: in addition to the guitar tones from Eric Clapton that led to the foreshadowing of perhaps his greatest group, this would help spawn a guitar generation the likes of which would soon dominate rock and roll for years to come. And John Mayall is absolutely no slouch, either. His vocals and guitar playing is given equal billing and helps elevate the album into further loftier terrain. In its mono and stereo configurations, Bluesbreakers is an important feature in the trajectory of 60s rock.
Favorites: All Your Love, Hideaway, Another Man, Double Crossing Time, What'd I Say, Parchman Farm, Have You Heard, Ramblin' on My Mind.
Bon Jovi
2/5
Hmm... was kind of surprised when this popped up. Robert Dimery must have had some affection for this in order to be included. I'll be amazed if anyone considers this to be their favorite album of all time because it sure as hell is not mine. Yeah, it is anthemic but there are moments throughout that reassures its overall one track minded nature (of course, it was the 80s and spandex worn rock and roll was the rage) and sense of sameness. Uh, it's Slippery When Wet. Yeah, no shit.
Favorites: Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, Raise Your Hands, Without Love, Wild in the Streets.
The Cure
3/5
A rather sleepy yet stimulating turn for The Cure after the bang that was Three Imaginary Boys but it was a turn that implied what was coming next on the horizon. Atmospheric sounds and shorter pieces hold together this not-quite masterpiece as bigger things are ahead.
Favorites: A Reflection, Secrets, In Your House, A Forest, M, Seventeen Seconds.
The Monkees
3/5
Wanting to prove themselves as a bonafide rock and roll band as opposed to teenyboppers propping up the flagpole abandoned by The Beatles, The Monkees set out to establish their headquarters and mark their own territory with wholly original materials and some nods towards the left-field that would rear its head later. On the whole, while not totally remarkable, it is impressive for a band that seemed real on the outside but not inside to just completely fill up the inside portion of the image and start becoming who they wanted to be. Sure, they may have been seen as the butt of most jokes but, on Headquarters, The Monkees implore you to start taking them seriously. I say mission accomplished.
Fun fact: while listening, the beginning portion of Zilch began and I swore my streaming service began randomly playing "Mistadobalina" by Del the Funkee Homosapien and it didn't take long to realize that Del had sampled The Monkees. Funny how that works, huh?
Favorites: You Told Me, I'll Spend My Life With You, You May Just Be the One, Shades of Gray, Sunny Girlfriend, Zilch, No Time, Randy Scouse Git.
The Mothers Of Invention
4/5
And, just like that, the world has been introduced to the ever chaotic, completely unorthodox and creatively intelligent world of the one and only Frank Zappa. At once maddening and ingenious, there is no way of knowing where he can go, where he should go and where he may ultimately end up and, on Freak Out!, all the cards are suddenly on deck. While not the greatest representation of what he and the Mothers of Invention had to offer, there is plenty to take away in regards to the material here, which does not shy away at all from satirical and at times farcical depictions of the culture that was at the time with some of the more genuine interpretations of doo-wop and psych rock and the kind of claustrophobic and cluttered sounds that best define the album's title. As far as the gospel of Zappa is concerned, this is perhaps the best place to start but, be warned, there is more where that came from.
Favorites: Hungry Freaks, Daddy, I Ain't Got No Heart, Go Cry on Someone Else's Shoulder, How Could I Be Such a Fool, You Didnt Try to Call Me, Anyway the Wind Blows, You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here, Trouble Every Day, Help, I'm a Rock.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4/5
In an attempt to prove themselves to not be perceived as one trick ponies, The Jesus and Mary Chain opt for a more softer approach on the ironically titled Darklands and, while the material presented here is not as memorable or as defining as those on Psychocandy (any attempt to surpass that would be admirable but ultimately insurmountable), the Brothers Reid and their band largely succeed on the basis of doing something new.
Favorites: Darklands, Deep One Perfect Morning, Down on Me, Nine Million Rainy Days, April Skies, Cherry Came Too, On the Wall.
David Bowie
5/5
Many things that I want to say about this album but what I will say is this: Low is, without question, David Bowie's sole masterpiece. Yes, he crafted Ziggy Stardust and rebelled while swaying with the soul on the way to being the Thin White Duke. But, at some point, push will come to shove and things would happen that are either unexplainable or just outright unpleasant. Thankfully, France and West Berlin was next on the agenda and what came from the tango was perhaps the most emphatic nail in the coffin of what was and a forward glance towards what will later be. This is the kind of record that shapes a person upon listening. One feels as though they would be drenched in a fresh coat of paint or draped in a new leather jacket or reinvigorated with a fresh new mindset. Sharp, angular, welcoming yet distant, cool, disembodied, refreshing. For a low profile, this is as high profile as it gets. What in the world can you do?
Saint Etienne
4/5
From the looks of things, Foxbase Alpha may have been seen as a twee 60s pastiche that was picking off whatever meat was left from the carcass. How the music contained inside this record proved that to be completely wrong. Saint Etienne used what was around the sphere of 90s counterculture and fused it into a palatable and at times surprising collage of downtempo covers and euphoric performances. Sometimes it is best to judge a book by its cover, one doesn't know what lies within.
Favorites: Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Carnt Sleep, Spring, She's the One, People Get Real, Stoned to Say the Least, Nothing Can Stop Us, London Belongs to Me, Kiss and Make Up.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
"I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them". - Ira Gershwin.
With a grace and elegance that only a rarefied few could have, Ella Fitzgerald put her stamp on some of the most important song catalogs in music and not only defined them but turned them into the American staples they were meant to be. There should be neither a doubt nor a question as to how and why they are considered The Great American Songbook; have a listen to Love is Here to Stay and But Not for Me back to back and you'll be completely convinced. Arguably the peak of Ella's career.
Favorites: I Got Rhythm, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The Man I Love, Love is Here to Stay, But Not for Me, A Foggy Day, Fascinating Rhythm, Embraceable You.
Coldplay
4/5
So... this is where they become big rockstars, huh? Not as thought-provoking or intellectual as I expected it but it does what was required. Although one can pinpoint where the rot starts to set, this is actually not a bad thing at all. But I wouldn't call this Coldplay's best album, having actually gone through their discography. The potential has been realized, all that needs to be done is to fully capitalize on it.
Favorites: In My Place, God Put a Smile on Your Face, The Scientist, Clocks, Daylight, Warning Sign, A Rush of Blood to the Head.
Fever Ray
3/5
I was actually expecting a cool blast of Swedish electronic pop from one half of The Knife so I was quite surprised by the rather slow and minimal approach taken here. Not that it is a bad thing at all, there is evidence that it is being used to substantial effect. Good way to have a fever, I guess.
Favorites: When I Grow Up, Dry and Dusty, Seven, Triangle Walks, Concrete Walls, Now's the Only Time I Know.
Daft Punk
5/5
Hmm... where shall I begin with this? One of the greatest electronic/dance albums of all time, from one of the greatest electronic/dance duos of all time and a great starting point for anyone getting into the bleep-bloops. Of course that was the experience for me all those years ago, with the beginning of Daftendirekt still sending me into a bit of a funk before I'm inundated with radio missives, repetitive mantras, acknowledgements of the techno greats that came before them and much more. With the album literally called Homework, one can not only begin the journey of Daft Punk but make their own journey as well. I sure as hell did.
Carpenters
4/5
It's the idea. It's the idea of The Carpenters that has occupied and taken hold of my mind for quite a while now. It's an enchanting idea in theory, yet it all comes down to putting in the effort to actually sit down and listen to the works at hand, which is something that I had to do with Close to You. This is the step multi-talented siblings Richard and Karen had to take to achieve success and stardom and it works out well for them, even as some of the more cloying aspects of their material induces a shiver or two. Overall, it is pleasingly non-threatening and palatable with a room or two for surprises.
Favorites: We've Only Just Begun, Love is Surrender, Maybe It's You, Reason to Believe, (They Long to Be) Close to You, Crescent Moon, Mr. Guder, I Kept on Loving You, Another Song.
Mike Ladd
3/5
Typical turn of the century/start of the millennium hip-hop which is not an awful thing. Welcome to the Afterfuture is apt from the title down to the music, which blends minimal boom-bap with surprising detours to downtempo ambient in a little over an hour of nonstop creativity.
Favorites: 5000 Miles West of the Future, Planet 10, Bladerunners, No. 1 St, To the Moon's Contractor, I Feel Like $100, The Animalist, Red Eye to Jupiter, Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon, Feb. 4th '99.
Queen
4/5
If you were basing things off the cover, you'd think that Bohemian Rhapsody was here... that's furthest from the case. The second (and last) installment of the Queen album series sees the band exalt themselves towards a new terrain, taking extravagantly huge steps towards becoming the band they were meant to be. While they may tone these stylistic tastes down to a palatable degree, it is still a rather fascinating look into who they initially were and how they weaved the talents they already had into such significant shapes.
Favorites: Father to Son, White Queen (As It Began), The Loser in the End, Ogre Battle, The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, The March of the Black Queen, Funny How Love Is, Seven Seas of Rhye.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5/5
A gargantuan undertaking of the impact and influence that country music had on the outside observants that made up the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and how it wound up being more realized than anyone had anticipated, with its perceptions for the audience being both of the fly on the wall and in front row, with the participants speaking and going over songs before it being played. Whether downed in one gulp or taken in piece by piece, Will the Circle Be Unbroken remains an essential part of the country music puzzle.
*Album generated on 7/4/23, reviewed on 7/9/23*
Björk
4/5
I remember the hype this album received when it was due to come out: "this is Björk's breakup album", "this is her most personal album ever", yada yada yada. And while most breakup albums become tedious, maudlin and vapid at times, Björk always finds a way to make things interesting. It's as though you're right in front of her as she belts out about the pain experienced in her family falling apart and you have next to no choice but to immerse yourself in her sadness that's aided by her ever reliable collaborative spirit that combines orchestration and electronics. Overall, not an easy listen but one can hope that things turn out for the best.
Favorites: Stonemilker, History of Touches, Black Lake, Notget, Atom Dance, Quicksand.
Beatles
5/5
Once upon a time, this album was picked apart, overlooked and then forgotten as the colorful, epoch-defining one-two punch of Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour set The Beatles away on a psychedelic trip for the ages. Over time, people would come to see this album for the masterpiece that it always was and would eventually notice the signs that was there all along: that Revolver, maybe, perhaps definitely, is the best album The Beatles ever made. Sure, Rubber Soul spawned Pet Sounds. Sure, the aforementioned Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour defined a generation. Sure, The White Album and Abbey Road would dominate the field in their diversities and denouement. But none of those albums contained the unified spirit that made The Beatles... well, you know. With the studio as an instrument and with songs that were difficult to reproduce on the increasingly oppresive stage, Revolver showcased John, Paul, George and Ringo at their most avant-garde, their most devoted to experimentation and their most creative as a whole. It is hard to believe nowadays that 35 minutes was needed to craft a cohesive statement such as this, but The Beatles not only ripped up the rulebook, they pretty much burned it. Before the train began to get off track, before one's ideas overrode the others, before the sense of the inevitable, Revolver is the best example of pop music at its most exciting, its most pure and its most mind-boggling.
Arcade Fire
4/5
One could see the paradigm shift the moment Arcade Fire had their moment in the spotlight upon the bestowing of music's highest honor in early 2011, thus marking the end of a golden age in blog-era indie rock and the end of Arcade Fire as a bubbling niche concern and it all starts in The Suburbs. The high point of the band's brand of epicly cinematic styling, The Suburbs weaves an exquisite tale that is apparent yet could very well fly over most listeners heads upon first glance. But the exuberance, the energy and the wholehearted commitment to grandiosity more than accentuate the subjects at hand and Arcade Fire were perhaps the very best of the mid-to-late 2000s rock groups in regards to that whole shtick. With or without Recording Academy recognition and the excess change that followed the group for the next decade or so afterwards (to an incredibly disappointing degree), The Suburbs will be seen as the band's greatest moment and a high level to which they may never obtain again.
Favorites: The Suburbs, Ready to Start, Modern Man, Half Light I, Half Light II (No Celebration), Wasted Hours, We Used to Wait, Sprawl I (Flatland), Sprawl II (Mountains Upon Mountains).
Isaac Hayes
5/5
Hot Buttered Soul was perhaps the most perfect explanation for whatever agenda Isaac Hayes was conjuring up towards the beginning of the 1970s. A journeyman throughout the 60s, Hayes saw the opportunity to reconfigure and reinvent not only the songs that comprised Hot Buttered Soul (only a scant four songs elongated to epic status) but the R&B/Soul sound as he saw fit. There is a reason why is renditions of Walk on By and By the Time I Get to Phoenix remain cornerstones of his discography and blueprints on how to conjure up feeling in compositions outside the typical range. And that's not to say nothing of One Woman and Hyperbolicsyllabic..., two tracks that prove that filler doesn't exist in such a quality album. It is a tad bit hard to imagine what soul would be like without the hot butter but I can only guess that we'd be a whole lot poorer.
P.S., the album cover alone is a signifier that baldness looks best on Black men.
My Bloody Valentine
5/5
Such a large shadow was cast on My Bloody Valentine in the years following Loveless that it became all the more plausible that no new music would ever come from them again. Now that m b v has past its ten year threshold, it can be safely said that, no matter how close we may appear to be, the large shadow appears to be in the shape of this album than the one that preceded them. For m b v is not just a continuation of what Loveless achieved, it is also a markedly decisive evolution of their sound, incorporating spacy ambiance, sudden stops and instrumental passages that pulverize and leaves one asking for more. For an album whose anticipation was greater than expected, the wait was rather worth it.
Sepultura
4/5
What more can I say other than it is a consistently great, headbanging metal classic? It just is and nothing more.
Favorites: Dead Embryonic Cells, Desperate Cry, Subtraction, Altered State, Under Siege (Regnum Irae), Orgasmatron, C.I.U. (Criminals in Uniform).
Sam Cooke
5/5
It seems as though, with Live at the Harlem Square Club, we didn't really know what Sam Cooke was made out of. Or was capable of. What can be said is that record executives were right to be on edge in regards to this because this was the document of a man shedding all notions of what he was and was approaching the peak of his powers all before he was taken from us too soon. It is not hard to envision that the raw passion and sheer charisma pouring out of him (which was anathema to his carefully crafted image) was later co-opted and rendered solely in James Brown, for this is a glimpse of what Sam could have been in the eyes and ears of the listeners who were shielded from this unexpectedly explosive and revelatory performance. What a stellar live album.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
There is nothing overtly negative to say about this album, but it does wear its time and place on its sleeve in a way that indicates a dearth of truly spaced out freak-outs with truly colorful images to grab a hold of the psyche. Maybe these guys need a bigger platform, and a bigger crowd, to espouse their issues with the country they live in. They've already got a song about, maybe they can craft one more. But this'll do.
Favorites: Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine, Death Sound, Section 43, Super Bird, Bass String.
Simply Red
4/5
"Ever had a reaction to anything so visceral that you are immediately opposed to that particular thing and want no part of it in your life whatsoever? That's me with Simply Red. I simply can't do it." - my internal reaction upon receiving this album, before listening to this album and then actually listening to it and being pleasantly surprised by it. I was going to hate this throughout but I couldn't muster it any longer. This is some smooth yet unexpectedly eclectic stuff from Ol' Red, with a Talking Heads cover to boot. Rather picturesque.
Favorites: Come to My Aid, Sad Old Red, Look at You Now, Heaven, Jericho, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Holding Back the Years.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
When the going gets tough, the tough get fucked and when the tough gets fucked, all that is left is some tall tales about the very people that just so happens to be around us and amongst us and that's who Bruce Springsteen best caters to. On Darkness on the Edge of Town, Ashbury Park's greatest weaves together songs that don't have a connective tissue yet are all apart of the same universe that can only house those particular maladies. Perhaps more rugged than what came before, this album proves that there is more to Bruce's mettle than meets the eye and that he can absolutely hang with the changing of the guards.
Madonna
5/5
I think it is safe to say that Like a Prayer is Madonna's Thriller, for that almost every song on here acts like a world conquering single and that she is operating on a different level than that of most pop girlies of the time (except Janet). At the time her most forward-thinking, expressive (hehe) and reflective album, Like a Prayer continues to elicit heighten fervor and jubilation regardless of whether or not one views Madge in a favorable light. This is how one should end a dominant decade on a high note. Now, I need to make a reservation... what? What do you mean it's not in the computer?!?
Nina Simone
5/5
Unforgettable is an understatement when it comes to Nina Simone and Wild is the Wind. Regardless of it being compiled of cutting room floor material, this is Nina at her incendiary, visionary best, what with her stirring renditions of Lilac Wine, Break Down and Let it All Out, the title track and, of course, Four Women. One of the finest albums of Nina's career.
Paul Simon
5/5
With this endlessly engaging and pivotal album, Paul Simon once again became the darling of the music press and reestablished his status as one of music's more reliable storytellers and forward-thinkers. While One Trick Pony was a nadar and Heart and Bones an underrated gem that put Paul back on track, Graceland was the tale that made him the comeback kid, weaving simple, everyday tales into a palette that encompassed Apartheid era South Africa rhythms, zydeco and highlife; thus, Graceland became not only a hotbed of controversy and intrigue but perhaps the most important album in Paul Simon's discography. While the uproar remains justified, the fact remains that Paul Simon pulled off a hat-trick that was inconceivable a few years before; a middle-aged musician gathering up not only increased goodwill but interest from a younger generation who saw him as a standard bearer for this intoxicating blend of music. Poor boys and pilgrims with families, we're going to Graceland!
The Hives
5/5
For a taut twenty-eight minutes, The Hives do everything in their power to inform us of their status in our lives and they do so with a breakneck pace and unceasing tenacity the likes of which haven't been around in quite some time. In an era where the "The" bands were returning with fervor, a little bit of a Swedish shake wouldn't have hurt to have in the bunch and it didn't, for this blast of sheer adrenaline harking back to the punk era (the aforementioned shortness of the album) was what was needed to have those declare The Hives what they told us they'd be.
U2
5/5
Perhaps the most important album of my life.
Christmas Day, 2009. I just got my first iPad Touch and my mind was racing with the possibilities. What should I buy from the iTunes store? What will my tastes lead me to and become? Alas... having become familiar with U2 at some point of my life, now was the time to dig deeper and this album's cover grabbed me from first sight. Little did I know it was the start of a love affair that's lasted to this day.
I believe that, if it weren't for Achtung Baby, I wouldn't be the music fan that I am today. It has opened me up to so many sounds, so many bands, so many possibilities and it is all because of this album. The fact that it was willing to dare, put on a mask and make merry with a masquerade, all the while wielding many emotions so vast that the heart could only wonder when it'll break and become overwhelmed. It speaks to the power that this album has and I've been bowled over many times over the years to know.
U2 had become one with the darkness and, not only weaponized it, it taught them how to move, how to converse with irony, how to be insincere and, most importantly, how to be at peace with being rock and roll stars. To shed one's skin and move along with another is an act of bravery and, with Achtung Baby, U2 showed that they were more than what people thought they were and brought on intrigue and excitement for a new decade. Achtung, yall!
Weather Report
5/5
Jazz had been led astray by the mid to late 1970s. So many sub-genres had popped up, lending itself to curiosity and dissension and many of the genre's luminaries were either fusing themselves to the changing times, clinging on hopelessly to past primes or were long dead/approaching death. Clearly, jazz was in need of a weather report.
While the group itself were not new and most of the members were veterans of the scene, it is no stretch to consider Heavy Weather to be a great first album to get in touch with the band's stylings. An appropriate mixture of what was past and then-present, Heavy Weather neither offends nor becomes pretentious, becoming one of the best representatives of post-fusion jazz in the process. There is plenty to like and plenty to get ahold of in either the standard album or the expanded version (the added on live tracks are no nuisance) and the curious minded would not have a problem with Heavy Weather if they give it the time it richly deserves.
P. S. the album cover kicks ass.
Sigur Rós
5/5
Something in the air was changing by the turn of the millennium. Rock was mutating into forms grotesque and drab, electronic music was becoming co-opted by the mainstream and hip-hop was taking giant steps into being the dominant genre it is today. Yet it feels oddly appropriate for Sigur Rós, on their second album, to deliver a record that feels as though it was the final missive of a turbulent century and it is as ambient and bombastic as it could be.
It is no understatement in saying that Ágætis Byrjun is a masterpiece. It began the elevation of Sigur Rós as a defining force of post-rock and as the poster children of atmospheric textures that soundtrack impressionistic films and T.V. shows over the coming decades. Over twenty years on, its sheer unquestioning beauty helps it retain a light that shines beyond the glow of the fetus on the album cover. No wonder fans, both casual and hardcore, continue to vouch for this album and its brilliance, for it is quite literally a good beginning.
Nick Drake
5/5
It may have been a random Tumblr post but that was how I first heard of Nick Drake. The instant familiarity, the warmth that comes from being at home, the calm yet distinct voice gliding through the soft rumble of the guitar, bass and drums. I may have been on my decaying radiator overlooking the window at night but I was transported to a world that I would happily frequent now and again.
I don't remember the song, though but it may have been on this album and Bryter Layter has been an anchor that's kept my boat from flailing and sinking. Nick Drake may have been approaching the point of no return but he gave us stellar moments of brilliance, the majority of which are here. One cannot help but feel their hearts sway to the timbre of his voice as he sings about what could have been on One of These Things First, the wonders of witnessing the things we take for granted on Northern Sky, an epic jazz-inflected tale that characterizes Poor Boy and the odes to his beloved Hazey Jane.
Whenever one listens to Nick Drake for the first time, whichever album, it would feel as though it was a long-lost friend who wanted to check up on you and offer a warm hug, shielding you from whatever threatens to bring you down however temporarily. Bryter Layter may not have gotten the attention it deserved when it came out but, like a rare find, time has served it well. A beautiful, beautiful album.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
With Rings Around the World, Super Furry Animals gives the listener a rather neat entry into their sprawling, spiraling, often seemingly impenetrable world. Over the course of fifty plus minutes, they dazzle and render all doubts of weirdness a tad obsolete with impressive and impressionable tunes that manages to be not only expansive but quirky in their own right.
Favorites: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, [A] Touch Sensitive, Shoot Doris Day, No Sympathy, Juxtapozed with U, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian, Run!
Calexico
3/5
Listening to this album made me think that, had Forever Changes lived out a life somewhere in the desert and spewed sprawling stories rooted in the Tex-Mex style, it would sound like Feast of Wire. While the instrumental portions of the album come and go without a footprint (which was probably the point), Feast of Wire finds Calexico at its best when they take the time to allow a song to settle in its environment and blossom. It may be unknown to most listeners, as it was for me, but there's plenty of gems to uncover here.
Favorites: Sunken Waltz, Quattro - World Drifts In, Pepita, Not Even Stevie Nicks..., Close Behind, Woven Birds, Attack El Robot! Attack!, Across the Wire, Güero Canelo.
Beck
4/5
The ever curious chameleon Beck reunited with The Dust Brothers for the second (and final) installment of their collaboration with Guero. While not as adventurous and innovative as Odelay, the trio's knack for obtaining strange sounds and wielding them into palatable shapes is still intact with Beck straying into more conventional territory whenever he would see fit. Guero proves itself to be not only a palate cleanser after the dour sadness of Sea Change but a valuable and worthwhile album in Beck's discography.
Favorites: E-Pro, Que' Onda Guero, Girl, Black Tamborine, Earthquake Weather, Hell Yes, Scarecrow, Go It Alone, Farewell Ride.
Ms. Dynamite
3/5
Upon first glance, one could sense a little bit of a hip-hop/R&B hybrid from a Brit that could either hit or miss and it is largely a hit-laden affair, made up of empowerment anthems, humblebrag posturing, reprimands of those who want to promote sex and violence as opposed to safety from and acknowledgement of illnesses and so on. All in all, it's not hard to see why this made an impact in Ms. Dynamite's home country (winning the Mercury Prize) whilst barely making a dent in the States (themes that hardly relate to the marketplace) yet it doesn't diminish the album's quality over twenty years on.
Favorites: Dy-Na-Mi-Tee, Anyway U Want It, Put Him Out, Brother, It Takes More, Sick 'n' Tired, Krazy Krush, Gotta Let U Know, A Little Deeper, Danger.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Despite Dewey Finn/Ned Scheebly's proclamation on the mind-blowing benefits of Axis: Bold as Love, I highly doubt anyone actually had the time to dive into it. Especially considering that it is sandwiched between two of the most influential and popular albums of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's discography. No wonder it is consistently cast aside and looked at with curious intrigue rather than genuine appreciation, which is what I've got along with all the understanding as to why Axis: Bold as Love is portrayed as it is. Surely the fact it came not long after Are You Experienced? didn't help, neither did losing the master tape to side one in a taxi cab (makes one wonder what the original side would have sounded like) nor the album cover which Jimi was said to have heavily disliked. Regardless of all that, Axis: Bold as Love is a pretty good record. Obviously, the least regarded of the Experience albums yet the least regarded is still amongst the best that the late 60s was offered in regards to psychedelia, blues and rock and roll. If this is what sustaining momentum looked and sounded like after the single greatest demonstration of talent showcased in a music festival at the time, I would hate to see what wasn't.
Nitin Sawhney
3/5
A well intended concept album that's bookend by the title track, Beyond Skin sees Nitin Sawnhey approach the true potential of his musical strengths. Utilizing the tried and true trip-hop template of female vocalist (and one male rapper) being the forefront of most songs, the album does take strides at times to keep the mood fresh with instrumental passages that serves its purpose whilst being a bit long and monotonous for its own good. Ending with a speech from the rather timely (to my ears) excerpt of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Beyond Skin is a curious piece from one of England's more adventurous composers.
Favorites: Broken Skin, Letting Go, Homelands, Pilgrim, Tides, Nadia, Anthem Without Nation, Beyond Skin.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
From the word "go", Aretha Franklin settles down firmly into her given moniker of "Queen of Soul" with this taut yet no less impactful array of songs that due diligence to her immense talent and emerging status in not just her genre but in all of music. What this Lady does in just short of thirty minutes on this album will (and probably has) put most of her contemporaries and those she's influenced to shame.
Steely Dan
5/5
I was reading a weeks-old article about Countdown to Ecstasy from PopMatters over the weekend and, as always, I sat there entrenched in the overall fervor exhibited in the "white dad rock" fanaticism over Steely Dan and how it pertains to this day and age that makes it not only wholly accepted but entirely prophetic in the descriptions depicted throughout.
In short, this is where the myth of Steely Dan begins to take shape and coalesces. After this, every album they would do would scale further and further highs until they felt they've done all that they could for the time being. The characters and settings created here could only come from the Dan and it feels as though they are everywhere, now more than ever. If one needs to start their Dan journey, start here. There's plenty to love, so plenty it's outrageous. Now, let me grab my Dan shirt and begin my coup de grâce.
Dr. John
3/5
Anchored by perhaps the most popular song to cover in its generation, Gris Gris is a solid (if not a tad too zany) introduction to The Night Tripper himself. New Orleans swamp meets L.A. (and eventually the world's) sensibility in this psychedelic trip caught on wax. One cannot help but imagine oneself amongst the smoke and smog that engulfs the album cover. It's a short trip but a foundational one in the process.
Favorites: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, Danse Kalimba Ba Doom, Danse Fambeaux, I Walk on Guilded Splinters.
4/5
From the gunsmoke and dead bodies at Kent State to the two-sided wax and endorsements from Eno & Bowie on stage, devolution was documented at its most pure and revelatory in this post-punk/new wave classic. A world's away from what they would eventually be immortalized as, Are We Not Men? is Devo at its most high-octane, most frenzied and most imaginative in regards to both original and covered material, leading the way in terms of longevity that's still going on in unexpected ways over forty plus years on. They may not be men but they surely are who they say they are. We've heeded that succinctly.
Favorites: Uncontrollable Urge, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Praying Hands, Mongoloid, Jacko Homo, Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy), Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin'), Shrivel-Up.
American Music Club
4/5
An intriguing blend of roots rock and Americana that would soon seep its way towards soon-to-be established hands for refinement, California by American Music Club is a signpost that would define most bands, but for AMC it is another pit stop on what would be a adventurous journey.
Favorites: Firefly, Somewhere, Laughingstock, Pale Skinny Girl, Bad Liquor, Now You're Defeated, Jenny, Last Harbor.
Dolly Parton
5/5
From a heartwarming tale of a handmade coat to the need in knowing how to improve the world we inhabit, Coat of Many Colors was proof that Dolly Parton was more than the sidekick of Porter Wagoner and that, if she could, she could break out and achieve greatness on her own terms. Across ten stellar, all killer and no filler tracks, Dolly stakes her claim as a rising star and things could only go up from here. If one needs a Dolly Parton album to start from that's not a compilation, it's this one.
Kate Bush
5/5
For the longest time, I thought that Kate Bush was holding two oddly shaped blankets on the album cover. Never figured that they were dogs...
But, in all seriousness, this is the album that not only cemented Kate Bush's place amongst the pantheon of pop giants but it laid the groundwork for what's to be expected in the decades to come in regards to female musicians coming up with groundbreaking, wide reaching material. Considering what had come before, one wouldn't have been mistaken for not expecting a bona-fide hit out of Kate. Yet she has a habit of proving people wrong all the time.
If The Dreaming was considered to be the album where she went "mad" then Hounds of Love not only served as somewhat of a course corrective but a further refinement of what she was offering the masses. And the masses answered in kind with ongoing adoration that persists to this day. Its newfound resonance with the younger generation in recent times is testament to that. A beautiful record with long-lasting importance.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
5/5
If an aspiring rock n' roller in 1965 decided to take a twenty year nap, wake up in 1985 and booked a ticket to Glasgow, Scotland, this is what he would sound like. Psychocandy is a fever dream and then some put to wax. In a quest to spot and secure the future, it was fit to best represent the past and then-present with drainpipe jeans, leather jackets and unruly hair. All the while crafting music that mixed Phil Spector, the deepest depths of feral rock and roll and Glasgweian force. It is no surprise that Psychocandy is what many think of when they hear of The Jesus and Mary Chain. All you need to hear, when it comes to why, is that first song. Perhaps the finest and most pivotal hour for one of Glasgow's finest bands. Play it loud as nature intended.
Eurythmics
4/5
While one may see this as a filler collection that houses one of the 80s most important songs, it becomes apparent upon digging deep into this album that there is more that meets the eye. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart offer up an aesthetic that still serves as a send-up to those appalled by the serving of androgynous styling and new wave pageantry that hasn't ceased its hold on the imaginings and retrospectives of the decade it came from. Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?
Favorites: Love is a Stranger, I've Got an Angel, Wrap It Up, The Walk, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Jennifer, Somebody Told Me, This City Never Sleeps.
Portishead
5/5
Bristol was already a hotbed for musical greatness by the time Dummy came out in 1994 and when the album's brilliance unfurled fast and rapidly, the city's stature and status amongst music historians was cemented forever. Nearly thirty years later, Dummy stands as Portishead's crowning achievement, a moment in time where everything aligned just right with the most accurate cinematic experiences put to music in quite some time. Perhaps the high point of the dreaded yet appropriate trip-hop term and Portishead can only get more beguiling from here.
Napalm Death
1/5
This is a thought provoking album, to say the least. All the songs bleed into each other whilst having the grace to let the listener know when it starts and when it ends. Scum is a success (?) in that it exists for the wonderment of the person who wants to ask and question about its merit. Surely there are songs there, of course and fragments of songs that could have been fleshed out and made into complete statements. The muffled mushmouth vocals acts as an instrument itself and that only comes when the listener decides to no longer decipher what the singer is trying to say. Whether it was meant to be enjoyed or vilified is up to you. After that, you can cleanse yourself with the scum that's depicted in the album cover. Or be amongst the litany of skulls.
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Well, what else can be said about it? It is a short album about love. While not as boisterous and empathic as such a concept required, The Divine Comedy uses whatever he had in his arsenal to do his job well. It even has a tinge of late 60s/early 70s Scott Walker influenced orchestration that is easy to spot at points. Good stuff.
Favorites: Everybody Knows (Except You), If, If I Were You (I'd Be Through Me), Timewatching.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
I used to have a morning ritual when I was in ninth grade. I would wake up, open up the iPad, go on Spotify, search for Nilsson Schmilsson and press play. It was quaint, too, for the opening song was literally called Gotta Get Up. Like most things, it fell by the wayside but the memories linger, as did the greatness that surrounds this album. It's been a bit of a thrill, over the years, to encounter some songs from this album again in varying movies and television shows and be reminded of Harry Nilsson's overall brilliance. He was just too good for his time and perhaps too good for anytime, really. Maybe if he were British, he'd be on Elton John's level in terms of reverence and appeal. Nilsson Schmilsson is his finest hour in a career full of finest hours.
Underworld
5/5
In the second installment of their reinvention into techno/electronic mavericks, Underworld expand and explore even further on Second Toughest in the Infants. Throwing down the gauntlet with two back-to-back half-hour jams that best illustrated their affinity for heightened nocturnal experiences, they up the ante with an increased reliance of grooves that not only prepared the listener for what was to come but established Underworld as the kind of group that can implement rock-adjecent aesthetic with ease. This may be seen as the middle child in their 90s trilogy of classics but this is just as integral to the dance scene.
Meat Puppets
4/5
Ramshackle yet full of chill gems, the second Meat Puppets album is loaded with the familiar and the waiting-to-be-discovered, ensuring those who become acquainted with this album regardless of its run time (almost 30 minutes in the original release, almost fifty in the repress) that there will be nothing but raw brilliance throughout. No surprise that this was a favorite of Kurt Cobain's.
Favorites: Split Myself in Two, Lost, Plateau, Aurora Borealis, We're Here, Oh, Me, Lake of Fire, The Whistling Song, Teenager(s), What to Do, 100% of Nothing.
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
Hair coiffed up, suited up, as if he were on the front cover of a prestigious magazine. John Lydon had no intentions on being rotten anymore. This was the new public image and he was going to use it to let the world know that he was more than what they thought he was. Of course he couldn't do it alone, for he had the best guitarist and bassist of the time right beside him and, together, they'll create the kind of fission that would split punk in two. To this day, this is an album that is ahead of its time in crafting a new noise and a new way forward for not only disillusioned punks but curious on-lookers and listeners as well. While their finest hour was yet to come, this First Issue is an exhilarating first step forward.
The Verve
4/5
A logical next step after the psychedelic haze of A Storm in Heaven, A Northern Soul finds The Verve placing their hearts on their sleeves both musically and lyrically, hanging their hats on their brand of intensity and overt epicness. One wouldn't think by listening to this that they were on the verge of falling apart around this time, but they were and sounded majestic whilst doing so. Bittersweet, really.
Favorites: A New Decade, This is Music, On Your Own, So It Goes, A Northern Soul, Brainstorm Interlude, Drive You Home, History.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
A breezy, folk-indebted classical spell for the ages, Penguin Cafe Orchestra (awesome name, by the way) make their presence felt with whimsy mixed with moments of seriousness, as noted by the twelve minute epic of The Sound of Someone You Love... Whether people want to embrace them or dismiss them is completely down to how they perceive them. Penguins? From a cafe? In an orchestra? Gee whiz...
Favorites: Penguin Cafe Single, Zopf: From the Colonies, Zopf: In a Sydney Motel, Zopf: Milk, Zopf: Giles Farnaby's Dream, The Sound of Someone You Love..., Hugebaby.
Deep Purple
4/5
Deep Purple were already a respected name in the burgeoning genre of heavy metal, so them taking things to the next level with their essential Machine Head was not only fitting but inevitable. While some of the most revered songs of their discography garners the majority of the attention, it's the others that are worth giving a further look, most notably Never Before, Pictures of Home, the first half of Lazy and the closer Space Truckin'. Machine Head has proven to weave a long leash in terms of relevance and longevity within their genre in the coming decades and that's all due to the contributions of everyone in the band.
Favorites: Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Never Before, Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin'.
Justice
5/5
In the haze that came from Daft Punk's dominant grip on dance music, there may have been those who wondered who would be next in filling the shoes of the robots. Justice, while wholly more human after all, not only were up to the task but they did so with the pizzazz and sway that was clearly their M.O. Upon listening to Cross, one can be caught up in how persistent it is in its "dance-opera" ethos, finding themselves moving their hips and cutting up the rug with unknowingly ease. Also unknowing, yet rather obvious, is the long leash the album wields throughout the years; from the obvious Daft Punk approach to music to the sonic world building to even Uffie's rap that Kesha would soon bring into much wider consciousness on The Party. All in all, Cross is an album that bears repeat listening and has all the tools needed for a grand old time.
UB40
4/5
Before they became the poster boys for a dreadfully watered down brand of roots reggae, UB40 could be considered somewhat close to a resemblance of the real thing and, on this bracing yet slightly off-kilter album, they offer up an image of themselves and Britain that borders on the edge of the flame that boils the melting pot. From the arresting and captivating Tyler onwards (along with imaginative covers of Randy Newman and Billie Holiday), UB40 maintains the listener's attention and one couldn't help but think what would have been had they continued beating down the 2 Tone path. Alas, such thoughts will remain just that but at least we have Singing Off.
Favorites: Tyler, King, Burden of Shame, Adella, Food for Thought, Signing Off, Madam Medusa, Strange Fruit.
Dexys Midnight Runners
5/5
When one thinks of Dexys Midnight Runners, one thinks of the country bumpkin, fiddle playing romantics at heart who just had that one song that's played at most 80s parties and never be heard from again. Which was what most people expected after 1983. What they didn't understand is that Dexys Midnight Runners are an adaptable bunch, willing to change at a whim to suit the musical ambitions of one Kevin Rowland and it was he who decided to take a radical new approach with their look and sound regardless of what the public wanted. The result is Don't Stand Me Down.
Don't Stand Me Down is a work of art. It is a forgotten, oft neglected masterpiece that best encapsulated where they were going and what they were going to do. Surely, the press didn't appreciate it and the band didn't help matters by petering out altogether. But, in time, this album's genius would be acknowledged and rectified. Dexys are already a divisive enough band as it is, but you cannot mistake this for a lesser effort. The definition of a hidden gem.
Elastica
4/5
It just had to be one of the more fortuitous happenings in all of British music, a successful occasion when the muse of two of the most prominent Britpop bands decided to pick up a guitar, write songs, form a band and turn everything on its head. Perhaps the textbook example of what Britpop was supposed to be (smart, innovative, forward-thinking, indebted to post-punk), Elastica is an occasionally exhilarating showcase with moments of levity masked in slower approaches in certain compositions. One of the finest highlights of British music in 1995.
Favorites: Line Up, Connection, Car Song, S.O.F.T., Indian Song, Blue, All-Nighter, Waking Up, 2:1, See That Animal, Stutter, Never Here.
The Police
3/5
Reggatta de Blanc offers the first true stirrings of the potential The Police had when it comes to their turn at world domination. Straddling the worlds of reggae and new wave (not a new prospect), the trio showcase different approaches to instrumentation and songwriting that would soon flesh out and materialize in eventual outings. While not their best album, it is a sign of bigger things to come.
Favorites: Message in a Bottle, Reggatta de Blanc, Bring on the Night, Walking on the Moon, On Any Other Day, This Bed's Too Big Without You, Does Everyone Stare.
Randy Newman
5/5
Randy Newman is perhaps the most talented composer who has the ability to weave in factoids of life that either gets misconstrued, misunderstood or flies over one's head. Sail Away is the first example of Newman using the LP format to his advantage and rendering songs previously given to others back to its original (and probably preferable) form. Profoundly influential in its own way, Sail Away is the kind of album that only Randy Newman could make and, thankfully, he had plenty more up his sleeve.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
Amongst the most daring and anarchist offerings in industrial and punk, Kollaps remains the standard bearer for not just Einstürzende Neubauten but for their genre in general. Over forty years on, it still beguiles, bemuses and embolds the listener to make their own opinions on what's being beaten over their ears. Not the first best introduction to industrial music but it is very important nonetheless.
Favorites: Tanz Debil, Steh auf Berlin, Negativ Nein, U-Haft-Muzak, Jet'm, Kollaps, Sehnsucht, Vorm Krieg, Abstieg and Zerfall, Schiess Euch Ins Blut, Rohrbombe, Sado-Masodub.
LCD Soundsystem
5/5
The Long Goodbye had become a sabbatical. It turned into an american dream, the kind that soon turned sour and uncertain and all together unknowing. LCD Soundsystem, after years away, returned to a changed world; a world that they, at some point, helped build. Older, but much wiser and weary, they gave us what they did best but with a much more experienced hand and mind to whip to shape the kind of songs they wanted us to hear. american dream is one of the great comeback albums in recent memory, not only for picking up where the band left off but adding new elements to their sound that feels as though they were adept in them anyway. Whether or not this is the (actual) last one, in spite of all the reunions since then, it feels good to know that LCD Soundsystem can still be at the top of their game.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
And, with the sound of the gate, everything changed. The third installment of the Peter Gabriel tetralogy sees him further opening himself up to themes and scenarios only he could conjure up. The bleakness that surrounds this album could only be matched by the famous album cover, amongst the best that Hipgnosis have ever done and the sheer innovation throughout (the gated drums, the youthful production and the acknowledgement of Steve Biko and the predicaments that led to his death in apartheid South Africa and thus leading to everybody else's awareness of it) ensured that Peter Gabriel would always remain ahead of the curve for some time to come. Don't let the scary seeming vibes of this throw you off, it's best you'd immerse yourself in it.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4/5
It could be argued that Architecture & Morality was the first great album of the 1980s purely due to the way it closed the curtains on what came before. Stumbling out the gate with Andy McClusky's underrated panic wail and the paranoia swimming around the guitar and synth instrumentation, The New Stone Age provided a path that was both well treaded and freshly paved and, from then on, Architecture & Morality becomes a ceaseless wave of surprising momentum. That momentum would shift into pockets and snippets of what would become fools errand turned Cold War era masterpiece Dazzle Ships, as offered by two of its songs appearing as bonus tracks. And it is in that offering that makes us see what OMD were working with at the time and that they were a powerful pop force that we would, rather disappointingly, take for granted.
Favorites: The New Stone Age, She's Leaving, Souvenir, Joan of Arc, Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans), Georgia, The Beginning and the End, Extended Souvenir, Motion and Heart, The Romance of the Telescope, Of All the Things We Made.
Beck
4/5
Oh, the things a broken heart can do...
When you build a career based off of one intriguing stylistic change after another, it becomes hard to envision a record full of heel dragging heartache; the kind that spins the wax off records from thirty years previous and it becomes refined for a similarly devastating experience for the artist and the audience that still captivates twenty years onwards.
Sea Change is both literal and figurative, for Beck was not only feeling things, he was turning a new leaf and years of changing colors. His career would have been just fine if he kept on doing the zany things he had mastered by then but, by achieving this, he had given himself a new boost. Oh, what a broken heart can do.
Favorites: The Golden Age, Paper Tiger, Guess I'm Doing Fine, Lonesome Tears, End of the Day, It's All in Your Mind, Sunday Sun, Little One.
Santana
4/5
The musical melting pot of the late 60s was still simmering strongly enough to eventually boil over into the start of what was intended to be a promising decade and, whilst not the soundtrack of that period of time, Santana was one of the perfect microcosm for a more accepting music culture. Mixing together blues with psychedelia and samba, Abraxas is indeed a mythical beast wielding some of the most potent configurations possible in the moment. Yeah, Carlos himself may have went on some fantastical spiritual sounding journeys in the aftermath but, with this, it seemed as if he was already on his way.
Favorites: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Incident at Neshabur, Se a Cabo, Samba Pa Ti, Hope You're Feeling Better.
Iggy Pop
5/5
Look at that smile! Would you want to take that man home to your parents? He seems to have a bit of a lust for life.
But in all seriousness, whilst getting out of Bowie's thumb, Iggy Pop was finally finding a way towards getting his groove back and this album was the perfect backdrop for this process. In the year of punk's ascendancy, Lust for Life provided the required addictive energy that made Iggy who he is and it is a shot in the arm for the listener (such as myself). So, if things get too straight and you can't bear it while feeling stuck on a pin, give this a spin.
Giant Sand
4/5
Giant Sand offers up not so much of a chore but a genuinely consistent record that stays well within its lane of roots indebted country rock. While intimidating in song output (sixteen in its standard and another fourteen bonus tracks), there is plenty of gems to uncover while wading through the album. Enchanting? Well, it sure is.
Favorites: (Well) Dusted, Punishing Sun, X-Tra Wide, Raw, Wolfy, Shiver, Dirty From the Rain, Astonished (in Memphis), Satellite, Rock Opera, Hard on Things, Punishing Sun (in Tucson), Music Arcade, Catapult, Dilemma.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
In his first album as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Will Oldham tapped into a world that provided himself and many listeners with the sort of musical experience that would be noted for a long time. It is hardly a surprise that it was held as a beacon for singer-songwriter indebted indie rock from the moment it arrived and, the further one digs into the album and its mythology, the more rewarding it will be. When Johnny Cash decides to cover a song from your album, it signifies that you had made it.
Favorites: A Minor Place, I See a Darkness, Another Day Full of Dread, Death to Everyone, Knockturne, Madeleine-Mary, Song for the New Breed, Black.
R.E.M.
5/5
R.E.M. No. 5.
Document is a snapshot of a band transitioning from indie rock darlings to unlikely global hit makers. Although they seem to have approached the brink with their increasingly accessible musicality, they ultimately did not sacrifice their morals and overall being. They may go on to make zeitgeist defining and, to most fans, better records in the future but if you want to catch a glimpse of how R.E.M. became the band casual fans know them as, start here.
The Blue Nile
5/5
From the sound of the first note to the last, The Blue Nile demand and obtain perfection in A Walk Across the Rooftops. Seven tracks and less than forty minutes are needed to build a worldview so pristine no amount of dirt and grime could be piled on to sully its feature. Sophisticated pop has never before or since sounded this exact and this is the album that provides the blueprint for others to follow.
Circle Jerks
2/5
The first wave of punk was still obtaining an aggressive hold on the minds of the youth well into the dawn of the 1980s, most assuredly in Circle Jerks and their blink-and-you-miss fifteen minutes of "fame" Group Sex. Of course, songs would bow out rather than be fleshed out accordingly but that's the spirit of things and that's documented thoroughly here. Is it the greatest album of all time? Absolutely not. Is it a microcosm of what the punk rock movement represented in America? Yeah, sure, why not.
Favorites: I Just Want Some Skank, Operation, World Up My Ass, Live Fast Die Young.
Beastie Boys
5/5
What do you do when you've been pigeonholed as drunken frat boys, running roughshod all over and being seen as lesser than gimmick rappers? Well, the conventional thing would have been to double down and keep making money and memories that would fade amongst diminishing returns. Instead, a kaideoscopic and sprawling journey was undertaken that occupied creatively patchworked beats and oddball characters and rhymes that befitted the scene and radically reinvented not only a genre that was already well into its golden age but careers that seemed to be operating in free fall.
For Paul's Boutique is not just a hip-hop album, it is a manifesto. Beastie Boys had decided that, in order to keep ahead of the game, constant stylistic turnover would be required for longevity. And not only was that achieved, it set a precedent that many are still trying to keep up with to this day. If it weren't for Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys would have never climbed out of the 80s and into the 90s and beyond filled to the brim with memorable songs and albums that showcased their jack of all trades persona. A masterpiece of the hip-hop genre.
Hot Chip
3/5
Hot Chip gives us a dance tour-de-force that, while heady at times, would often bleed into one another after some time whilst retaining the songs' own personal touches. A bit too long for its own good but there is somewhat of a justification for the length.
Favorites: Motion Sickness, How Do You Do?, These Chains, Night and Day, Let Me Be Him, Always Been Your Love.
Happy Mondays
4/5
Being at the center of the universe always helps and, in the case of Happy Mondays, Manchester in 1988 was just the perfect place to be bummed. They just so happen to not only be on time but also rather early to the party and it shows with how uproarious and delightfully delirious the album sounds. This can take you by surprise if you let it, because it is awfully fun to have happen.
Favorites: Moving in With, Mad Cyril, Fat Lady Wrestlers, Performance, Brain Dead, Wrote for Luck, Bring a Friend.
The Last Shadow Puppets
4/5
Riding the wave of goodwill acquired from Arctic Monkeys' first two albums, Alex Turner teamed up with fellow traveller Miles Kane to weave the brilliantly abstract lyricism with new musical terrain that belied further experiments to come. The Last Shadow Puppets is the first stab at what would become a fixture for both artists, a ceaselessly fun and occasionally exciting venture that showcased the best of British indie rock at the time.
Favorites: The Age of the Understatement, Standing Next to Me, Separate and Ever Deadly, The Chamber, Only the Truth, My Mistakes Were Made for You, Black Plant, I Don't Like You Anymore, The Meeting Place.
Billy Bragg
5/5
Speaking to the taxman about poetry can go either one of two ways: become a depressing bore in which no progress would be made at all or an enlightening experience that could benefit both parties entirely and make one's day. In this latter scenario, Billy Bragg does that, then some and more. Using the album platform to fully wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to love and politics, Billy becomes one with not only his arrangements but the cover versions of classic songs on the second disc. The second disc, with renditions of Gram Parsons' Sin City and the Miracles' Tracks of My Tears, helps best illustrate Billy's pure talent in making what was familiar feel new again. May there be power in unions forevermore.
Korn
4/5
A often engaging, beguiling yet pivotal work for the increasingly popular and despised nu-metal genre of the late 90s, Follow the Leader showcases Korn approaching the peak of their powers, figuring out how to harness their knack for brutal earworm melodies for the mainstream. Things do get a little shaky when the features pop up (most notably on the poorly aged All in the Family) and things do become drawn out and tired by the end but, when it just the band, man... do they fire on all cylinders. Probably not for everyone but there is merit where it can be found.
Favorites: It's On!, Freak on a Leash, Got the Life, Dead Bodies Everywhere, B.B.K., Pretty, Reclaim My Place, Justin.
Brian Eno
5/5
One last hurrah to the rock world before dissolving into a world of his own creation, Brian Eno lets the audience ricochet through worlds before and after science. Parts pensive, parts lurching, the seemingly early post-punk document stands tall yet alone in its aural being. Whatever one makes of his far more wide reaching (and rather definitive) ambient works later and before, one cannot deny that Before and After Science is the bridge that connects it all and that bridge, however final, still obtains joys and secrets waiting to be seen.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
One of the many embers that kept the Y2K teen pop era burning, Christina Aguilera resolved (after instances of being torn apart by strangers and supposed colleagues) to not only differentiate herself from the pack but to burn even brighter in the process. The result is a hodgepodge of empowerment anthems and definitive statements over her personality all the while dabbling in styles that were de rigueur. Whilst it could have been "stripped" (hehe) down to save the listener from repetitive and, therefore, monotonous returns to the subject, this still serves as a turning point in the career of someone who will always be more than what those who thought of her as.
Favorites: Can't Hold Us Down, Walk Away, Fighter, Loving Me 4 Me, Underappreciated, Beautiful, Make Over, Get Mine Get Yours, Dirrty, The Voice Within.
The Fall
5/5
There are many picks to choose from if you want to get into The Fall and the majority of them are sensible and worthy. But, for my money (and probably everybody else's), This Nation's Saving Grace is the best place to start. It has everything: bombast, disorder, intellect, accessibility, you name it. Mark E. Smith and his ever changing band of ramshackle ruffians, chief among them his then-wife Brix, create an atmosphere that brims with confidence and conviction that becomes career defining. While I'm not going to say that once you've heard this album, you've heard all Fall albums, This Nation's Saving Grace is without question their finest hour.
The Fall
4/5
With Live at the Witch Trials, The Fall arrive to a bustling scene not only fully formed (in regards to the brutally antagonistic stance of one Mark E. Smith) but completely contemptuous and skeptical of everything and everyone around them. This album forms the blueprint that would occupy the band's point of view for nearly forty years, embodying the rejection of what's current and the embrace of what's everlasting. They may be Northern white crap that talks back but the only difference between them and us is that they have brains.
Favorites: Frightened, Rebellious Jukebox, Industrial Estate, Two Steps Back, Futures and Pasts, Music Scene.
John Prine
4/5
It was only in recent memory that the world began to realize what was obvious all along: that John Prine was a treasure in the music business. I throughly believe that we be all the worse off if he hadn't put his talents to tape and allow us to fully take in his impeccable storytelling talents. There is no better place to start than here, an album that will captivate and bowl you over from beginning to end.
Favorites: Illegal Smile, Spanish Pipedream, Hello in There, Sam Stone, Paradise, Pretty Good, Angel From Montgomery, Quiet Man.
Radiohead
5/5
You used to be alright, what happened? Your mouth moves only when someone's hand's up your ass. You paint yourself white and fill up with noise but there'll be something missing. Everybody leaves when they get the chance and it's my chance. I'm just an insect trying to get out of the night. I love you but enough is enough, enough of that stuff. Reckoner, you can't take it with you. Throw your keys in the bowl, kiss your husband goodnight. Come on and let it out, before you run away from me. You are my center when I spin away, out of control on videotape.
Scott Walker
4/5
The second album in a tetralogy that would cement his legend as the crooner to end all crooners for those who lean on the avant-garde tip, Scott 2 sees its titular creator not only further refine his shtick but spread his wings to expose increasingly strange (at the time) tastes. With one foot in the door of his beloved Brel songs and the other in his formative songwriting process, Scott holds a mirror to show us what was, what is and what eventually will be. It's the best of both worlds.
Favorites: Jackie, Best of Both Worlds, Black Sheep Boy, The Amorous Humphrey Plugg, Next, Plastic Palace People, The Girls and the Dogs, Window of the World.
4/5
After undergoing the kind of record label hell that would extinguish most bands, XTC reconvene for the type of album only they could make. Even if they were now a brand as opposed to a band, they didn't fall for the grandiose bombast that characterizes most albums after a lengthy hiatus (that was self-imposed). Instead, they went for something a little orchestral and symphonic whilst keeping an eye on the pop scheme of things. It's largely a success, even if the whimsical nature of songs does induce a feeling of indifference. Overall, it's a stellar return for an outfit that was approaching a bittersweet end.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzm-I9MllufIRZHTd8NFpjxPP3cGyFvvy&si=xfDhWQ0lJzeWSk7n
Favorites: River of Orchids, I'd Like That, Knights in Shining Karma, Greenman, Your Dictionary, Fruit Nut, I Can't Own Her, Harvest Festival, The Last Balloon.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
Arguably the quintessential Aretha Franklin album and the most definitive version of Respect ever committed to tape. From there on out, I Never Loved a Man The Way I Loved You is a tour-de-force that serves as a masterclass in Aretha's vocal prowess, with the production and arrangements matching up with the elegance and grace provided. No other words are needed to express how good this is. Have a listen.
Dusty Springfield
5/5
Like a match made in heaven, Dusty Springfield and the masterful musicians assembled for this album weave tapestries that belie the connection between the U.K. and the U.S. when it comes to soul brilliance. It is tempting to consider what it would be like if Dusty had maintained the creative momentum of this album and made successive stabs at the endeavor but this one-and-done venture is just that and what a good time it was.
Rod Stewart
4/5
Upon first glance, there was little to no desire to listen to this album. However, had that urge taken hold, I would have prevented myself from becoming positively delighted by the short and sweet yet well traveled collection of performances Rod Stewart gave here. Amongst these songs, there is a lot of genuine feeling spread across; the kind that is heartfelt and swells through the listener.
Favorites: Gasoline Alley, It's All Over Now, Only a Hobo, Country Comfort, Cut Across Shorty, Lady Day.
Stereo MC's
3/5
Okay, from what I can see, this is not The Foreign Exchange's Connected. I don't know if this was a rather poor inside joke or... regardless, Stereo MC's Connected is a rather splendid trek in the possibilities that the early 90s had to offer in regards to eclecticism and musical versatility. When it hits, it hits and, as it does, you'll want to clamor for a little more. A vast, wondrous landscape indeed.
Favorites: Connected, Ground Level, Everything, Sketch, Fade Away, Playing With Fire, Don't Let Up.
Madonna
4/5
Continuing the victory lap that began in earnest with Bedtime Stories, Madonna's first missive of the 21st Century deals with her continued fixation on remaining hip to the times whilst wielding personal subject manner. Although a tad less reliant on the power of healing in Ray of Light, we still hear Madge waxing philosophical on tracks such as Gone, Don't Tell Me and What It Feels Like for a Girl but she still makes room for an ode to a good time via the first three tracks. Regardless of the picture painted on the album cover, there is no dust kicked up by horses here.
Favorites: Music, Runaway Lover, I Deserve It, Amazing, Don't Tell Me, What It Feels Like for a Girl, Paradise (Not for Me).
The Beach Boys
5/5
Ah, what more can be said about this album that hasn't already been said? To call Pet Sounds a masterpiece would not only be an understatement, it would also be selling it short. Perhaps the only true document of Brian Wilson unleashing his momentum sustaining genius without any kind of setback (regardless of critique), Pet Sounds continues to provide us with sources of sonic and compositional wizardry the likes of which have tried (and failed, probably) to replicate. If the surfing, cars and girls vibe is a millstone around the neck of those who cannot possibly take The Beach Boys seriously, then Pet Sounds proved that there was a way around it and a way forward to understanding how life works. It is a monolith.
Kate Bush
5/5
At once rapturous and lustrous, Kate Bush follows up her biggest hit with a greeting that evokes the climactic end of a Irish literary classic. From here on, she soars and shines in her own by now lofty standards and she doesn't disappoint in the slightest. The Sensual World thus allows itself to not only make splendid usage of its structure but allow eventual inhabitants to glean inspiration from its environment. Yet another wonderful entry in the Kate Bush Canon.
Scritti Politti
4/5
Upon the first seconds of Cupid & Psyche '85, one can imagine the sense of dread that's bound to await them. A canned goods sounding reggae beat punctuating its first impression upon the senses is not a good way to start things. Eventually though, that changes and Scritti Politti mark their ascent from Marxist inspired punks to admirable poachers of the Paisley Park aesthetic. Cupid & Psyche '85 is the sounds of a band arriving at the right place at the right time in regards to how they want to approach things and they make you want more by the time it ends. At least that's how I felt when Hypnotize ended near the frozen section at Whole Foods.
Favorites: Small Talk, Absolute, A Little Knowledge, Don't Work to Hard, Perfect Way, Wood Beez, Hypnotize.
10cc
3/5
My first introduction to 10cc was through J Dilla's chopped up sample of The Worst Band in the World on his pathway to death masterwork Donuts, the vocalist saying "play me" and "buy me" and "working on it" in repetitious loops providing a bite-sized sample (hehe) of the kind of world that was once inhabited by not only them but their contemporaries. The kind of thinking man's ambitious sort of glam rock and roll, where zaniness and stylistic diversification reign supreme and all kinds of cylinders are fired with aplomb. If classical composers relied on this kind of sheet music, maybe its outreach could be much wider.
Favorites: The Wall Street Shuffle, The Worst Band in the World, Clockwork Creep, Silly Love, Somewhere in Hollywood.
Ananda Shankar
3/5
It's easy to arrive at one door that lends to a tossed off thought that amounts to forgetfulness. It is another to arrive at that door, get inside and find some gems and there are plenty of gems in this self-titled sitar mastery from Ananda Shankar. Surely the 60s and its marriage of Indian and Anglo music was dwindling but it couldn't have been noticed here. Obligatory nods to the best rock bands of the day abound but the album should be best remembered for its beyond beautiful and fascinating Sagar, which is more than worthy of its admission price.
Favorites: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Mamata (Affection), Sagar (The Ocean), Dance Indra, Raghupati.
Lauryn Hill
4/5
One listen to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and you would immediately understand why. Why, for the last twenty-five years, fans of hip-hop and all genres of music have clamored for any crumb of material from one of the more mercurial and uncompromising artists in recent memory despite knowing, with pained realization and resignation, that it will never come. She only needed this one for, after turning hip-hop on its head with The Score with The Fugees, Lauryn Hill would show us the insights of her life and how it operated and we would take it for granted, for she would never again allow us to share the wavelength and the space required for relating and understanding. Maybe that's for the best, for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is all we need. And, with that, you would understand why.
Favorites: Lost Ones, Ex-Factor, To Zion, Doo Wop (That Thing), Superstar, I Used to Love Him, Forgive Them Father, Nothing Even Matters, Everything is Everything, Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
5/5
That old time religion...
Trout Mask Replica is much more known for its myth and legend than its compositional fuckery and, quite frankly, it is both warranted and a shame. Warranted because, it had been the usual standard paint by-the-numbers clock-in and clock-out studio session, there wouldn't be as much of a shadow handing over and it is a shame because lain within it is some of the most daring, whiplash inducing mish-mash of blues, jazz, hard rock and poetry ever committed to tape by anyone. It is the blues at its dead end; any poaching of the blues afterwards should have been considered necrophilac. It is jazz at its most disjointed; it is rather fortunate that the genre kept its gaze towards the present before its placement as past tense. Hard rock was never as surrealistic as it was here and it hasn't been since and the debauched poetry of Don Van Vilet on showings such as The Dust Blows Forward 'n' the Dust Blows Back, China Pig and Orange Claw Hammer ranks as amongst the most Dadaist that's ever Dadaed.
There is a time and place for a dalliance with this album and what is required is years and years of burrowing down varying tunnels of sound and becoming acquainted with the idea of off-kilter melodies and experimental tastes. Upon first glance, this is not for the ones who are ill-prepared for what's to come and they shouldn't come back until they've gained that experience. When that time comes, and when all is understood, then the light shall be shone. It's good enough for me.
https://youtu.be/aF0g-2SeoMM?si=bhlbMIcHjnvcSn-r
Al Green
4/5
Starting off with one of the greatest love songs ever written, Let's Stay Together mostly keeps itself together on the basis of that and plenty other gems. In lesser hands, it would have crumbled and languished in purgatory but Al Green's sheer magnetism and approach to his craft prevents this from being sophomoric. One of the bedrocks of rhythm and blues that still persists to this day.
Favorites: Let's Stay Together, So You're Leaving, Old Time Lovin', I've Never Found a Girl, How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, Judy.
The Strokes
2/5
Is this it? The mythology surrounding this album has hounded me since the beginning of my foray into music fandom and there have been times where I would just dismiss it outright as a blown-up make believe that doesn't hold water; a stab at a trend that was done better some twenty-five, almost thirty years before. And, for the most part, that stance I've taken with this album becomes solidified with each passing song as it blends into one supposedly monolithic thing whilst offering some glimmers of differentiation that redeems that particular song. So I'm going to allow this to pass me by. I respect its legacy and its place amongst music lovers from that time but this isn't it for me.
Favorites: The Modern Age, Soma, Alone, Together, Last Nite, Hard to Explain.
Travis
3/5
Although my streaming service directed me to Sam Cooke's The Man Who Invented Soul (which doesn't sound like a bad time to be had), Travis' The Man Who is a study on how to navigate a vacuum and fill the void. The end of the Britpop era returned its country to its usual drab gray and, as reflected on the album cover, Travis soundtracked the feeling of malaise that seeped through. While not as groundbreaking or as misanthropic, The Man Who gave listeners a peek into what Travis were capable of and what they could possibly be.
Favorites: Writing to Reach You, The Fear, As You Are, Driftwood, Why Does It Always Rain on Me?, She's So Strange.
Holger Czukay
3/5
After blazing a trail with one of the most influential and consequential rock groups of all time, Holger Cuzkay decided that it was once again time to go solo and Movies is a rather apt descriptor for what he was aiming to accomplish. Apart from Hollywood Symphony, there is very little in the way of noodling instrumentation and dizzying composition; keeping things on the short and sweet side whilst venturing on the weirdo trek that serves him well. Overall, one of Holger's finer outings and a nice step out into a new terrain.
Favorites: Cool in the Pool, Hollywood Symphony.
Everything But The Girl
3/5
After being given an unlikely second wind, Everything But the Girl took advantage of the situation whilst walking wounded. The gambit mostly pays off, marrying Tracey Thorn's trademark soothing vocals with the trip-hop inspired beats from longtime band mate/life partner Ben Watt. It may become monotonous at times but attention never waivers. The deserts did need rain after all.
P.S., this is not Bayside's The Walking Wounded. 🙄
Favorites: Before Today, Wrong, Single, The Heart Remains a Child, Big Deal, Mirrorball, Good Cop Bad Cop.
Kanye West
5/5
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy should be considered the beginning of the end, for the overtly sensationalized and outright vilification of Kanye West during that time had resulted in the bubbling up of a wildly opulent doubling down of all the worst facets of his shifting personalities. Swirling in sounds ranging from prog to quiet storm to folk rock to classical and anything that could augment his slow yet rapid descent downward, this is a document of megalomania and braggadocio framed in gold. With everyone involved giving only 100 percent (anything less was considered anathema), this can qualify as a group effort; propping up Kanye whilst shining light on the capabilities of the contributors, most notably Pusha T, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver. This could be considered sacrilegious but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy may very well be the last great rock album; for its maximalist, chest-thumping, era-defining music was on par along with the epochal records of decades previous. Kanye would never again devote unyielding attention to his music the way he has here, as his extracurricular activities would soon hold sway and diminish his output with swift precision. But his twisted fantasy has done more than enough to keep up bowled over for a decade and a half and may continue to do so despite his disheartening disintegration. A toast to the douchebags and the assholes and the scumbags and everyone that we know.
Stephen Stills
4/5
The funny thing about Crosby, Stills, Nash and, eventually, Young is that they would wound up doing what was least expected. They should have been triumphant foot soldiers, taking it easy whilst basking in the glow of their successes. Instead they aimed to challenge. While Young would soon head for the ditch and Crosby was trying to remember his name along with duetting with Nash, Stills brought forth a sprawling double album with some of his contemporaries from the past and named it after a station in Virginia that was located where the Confederates won The Battle of Bull Run. While this is far from flag bearing reminiscing of a century's past, Manassas is full proof of Stephen Stills' ambitions and the lengths he was willing to take in order to make it, once more reminding the listener of the kind of talents he possessed at the time. While his accomplishments from prior will always define his legacy, it would be a mistake to either push Manassas aside or ignore it altogether, for this could perhaps be his finest statement.
Favorites: Song of Love, Rock & Roll Crazies/Cuban Bluegrass, Anyway, Jesus Gave His Love for Free, Colorado, So Begins the Task, Johnny's Garden, Bound to Fall, How Far, Move Around, The Treasure (Take One), Blues Man.
Eels
4/5
"Life is hard and so am I. You'd better give me something so I don't die."
With those words, Eels obtain and maintain a pace that hardly lets up with the forty plus minutes given. Beautiful Freak showcases itself as being amongst the best power-pop of the 90s with the kind of grit that would surprise. For a first album dropped by a nascent label, this is a good start that would pay dividends down the line.
Favorites: Novocaine for the Soul, Susan's House, Rags to Rags, Beautiful Freak, Not Ready Yet, My Beloved Monster, Mental, Spunky, Your Lucky Day in Hell.
Curtis Mayfield
5/5
"I've met many people over the years and, in my opinion, I've found that people are the same everywhere. They had the same fears, shed similar tears, die in so many years. The oppressed seem to have suffered the most in every continent, coast to coast. Now our lives are in the hands of the Pusherman. We break it all down in hopes that you might understand how to protect yourself. Don't make no profit for The Man."
Superfly is a curious beast. In being the soundtrack of a decaying Harlem teeming with pimps and drug dealers and all around corruption, it lays itself bare as a nebulous statement on the happenings that it's structured on. However, it doesn't negate the greatness that is contained there. Curtis Mayfield was already a journeyman by the time of its release and Superfly was the crystallization of that being, forevermore becoming defined by the slinking bass line and snappy percussion and blaring horns and wah-wah guitar and perfectly placed string arrangements. It helps that he possessed a velvety voice that was never disagreeable, even if the lyrics in the song said otherwise. Blaxploitation and the ever-changing sounds of R&B/Soul were a match made in heaven in the 70s and Superfly was a example of that.
5/5
And thus, the big bang starts here.
We've lived in world informed by the trails of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars for over fifty years. There was a time where such a thought was not only unfathomable but laughable. Yet here we are. This has become as ubiquitous as the speed of light, the twinkling of stars at night, whatever banal philosophical saying that is required for such things... Just listen to this album. Listen. Once you do, you will understand how and why people still gravitate to David Bowie after all these years. Better hang on to yourself when you do.
P.S. after this, listen to Aladdin Sane and the soundtrack that's associated with what was, apparently, the last show Ziggy Stardust would ever do. It's a scorcher.
The Teardrop Explodes
4/5
This is not Kilimanjaro by The Rippingtons & Russ Freeman (although the album cover looks pretty cool, albeit very mid to late 80s). 🙄
What's cooler is the debut album from the awesomely named Teardrop Explodes; who unveil, in eleven taut tracks, what could have been had things not gone completely off the rails by megalomania and utter chaos. Whether it's four men staring at you in varying degrees of lucidity or just a pack of zebras roaming in actual Kilimanjaro, one is subsumed in the kinds of ambition that was possible in the late stage of post-punk/early early synthpop.
Favorites: Ha Ha I'm Drowning, Sleeping Gas, Treason, Poppies in the Field, Went Crazy, Bouncing Babies, Books, When I Dream.
Sepultura
4/5
Burrowing deep into their nation's culture and therefore gaining more expertise in the long-term, Sepultura crafted what was, perhaps, their most consequential and impactful album in their catalog. Roots is exactly what was experienced in their journey and what was documented in its wake, for the embrace of Indigenous culture within Brazil comes across as purely authentic and lacking in pretentiousness. Whether or not you could make do with it towards the end (Canyon Jam may be seen as inconsequential but it wraps an effective bow on the album), it can't be denied that Sepultura have topped themselves with this.
Favorites: Roots Bloody Roots, Cut-Throat, Ratamahatta, Straighthate, Spit, Dusted, Born Stubborn, Itsári, Endangered Species.
Japan
5/5
From Quiet Life onwards, Japan hit upon an apex that they wouldn't get down from until their breakup in the early 80s. One of the more underrated synthpop groups of their era, Japan always seemed to be more than the sum of its parts and it shows here, with adaptable ease into slinky yet speedy disco, a French language dirge and a Velvet Underground cover to boot all the while crafting their own inimitable path. Great album.
Aerosmith
5/5
Upon receiving this, I uttered "... fuck." Aerosmith. The kind of band you'd like for a bit before burying them deep in the mind's recesses. Then, a bit of a thought process creeps in in regards to Rocks. It holds a sort of awed regard when it comes to the bands that came in its wake, the likes of Guns 'n' Roses and Nirvana who love this album. I had to dig in to understand why. Thirty plus minutes later and I understood why. For this thing is an unrelenting, fun ol' beast of a time. Aerosmith does not let up on Rocks and they keep you hooked, lined and sinker throughout. There are so many gems here, one would be remiss to at least discard one for the sake of doing so. Plenty in the Aerosmith fandom consider this to be their peak in creativity and, considering what came in its wake, I cannot help but agree. Rocks off!
Ice T
3/5
Los Angeles was fast on its way to becoming the bedrock of hip-hop and Ice-T was one of the central faces. O.G. Original Gangster is his most expansive and uncompromising album by that point, using its hour plus long format to espouse thoughts on the varying situations around him from hustlers to rapper foes to the ills that continue to plague America (racism, inequality, the prison system, police brutality). Although it is a tad too long for its own good, perhaps this level of attention is best suited for what Ice-T wanted to express as he sets his sights on bigger targets and greener pastures.
Generated on 11/24/2024, reviewed on 8/27/2024
Favorites: Home of the Bodybag, Ziplock, Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, New Jack Hustler, Bitches 2, Straight Up Nigga, O.G. Original Gangster, Midnight, Body Count, Escape From the Killing Fields, The Tower.
The Libertines
4/5
And, with that, The Libertines had capitulated. The mountain that had offered upward trajectories towards fame, glory, drugs and whatever else was fancied had become too much and the air within it was now unbearable to take in. Regardless of the platonic love (and seeming protection displayed) spilled across the cover and the music, tensions had overflowed as though it were boiled tea in a paper cup and, as though it was it's wont to do, the British rock music scene was again left in a vacuum; which is fitting given everything here sounds ripe for dour and dire lifting and copying somewhere down the line. Yet none of that would sound as good and as dynamic as this. Possibly their very best or just as good as what came before. One of the last times British rock captured true lightning in a bottle.
Favorites: Can't Stand Me Now, Don't Be Shy, The Man Who Would Be King, Music When the Lights Go Out, Narcissist, The Ha Ha Wall, Campaign of Hate, What Katie Did, What Became of the Likely Lads.
Sonic Youth
5/5
A culmination of what was being worked towards and, somewhat oddly, a looming presence that was both unrepresentative of their oveure and a hallmark of their career, Daydream Nation is Sonic Youth not only in full flight but at the height of their powers. Starting off with one of the plenty of clarion calls that would summon the big bang of '91, it was off to the races from here on out as Daydream Nation represents a documentation of a more carefree, rambunctious time; less Disneyland and more delirious hellscape. Of course, the no wave kids had to grow up some time and this is one hell of a way to plant a flag. Put it all behind you, for I've put it all behind me too.
Maxwell
4/5
One of the more faithful reinterpretations of the mid to late 70s soul/quiet storm sound, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the equivalent of settling down after a long day, sipping red wine with a loved one and just laying back. It succeeds in willful seduction, in the kind of form that the older masters would perfect, and builds a world in which immersion is the only option. Perfect for late night vibes, which you need to stay for upon glancing the cover.
Favorites: Welcome, Sumthin' Sumthin', Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder), Dancewitme, ...Til the Cops Come Knockin', Whenever Wherever Whatever, Lonely's the Only Company (I & II), The Suite Theme.
Herbie Hancock
5/5
Quite odd for the last track off Head Hunters to be called Vein Melter because this album, as a whole, should be called Face Melter. It feels quite appropriate for this to be the breakthrough for Herbie Hancock after a little over a decade of toiling under the likes of Miles Davis and putting out slivers of greatness in between (the Mwandishi albums in particular), for Head Hunters arrived at the right place at the right time. It proved that, no matter how jazz was perceived in the music world back in the 70s, it could still be on the cutting edge and the pinnacle of innovation and evolution. Fifty years later, it's still seen as such.
The Magnetic Fields
4/5
Twenty-three years before, in 1976, Paul McCartney wrote a song called Silly Love Songs, taking to task those who had pigeonholed him as a certain type of doe-eyed softie, wondering what was wrong with singing love songs. Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields took this premise to its absolute zenith in 1999 with the release of 69 Love Songs. Nice. 69 Love Songs run the gamut in regards to creative ideas about love, mainly focusing on a wide spectrum of guys from the perspectives of same and opposite sex relationships. An absolutely daunting task from start to finish, it requires time to dig through and assess; any attempt to listen to all 69 (!) songs in one sitting is tantamount to madness. But, then again, this whole thing is madness of the best kind. It loses steam towards the end but the fact that it exists is a success in itself. If there were one Magnetic Fields record to add to the collection, this is the one.
Favorites: Disc One
Absolutely Cuckoo, I Don't Believe in the Sun, A Chicken With its Head Cut Off, I Don't Want to Get Over You, Come Back to San Francisco, The Luckiest Guy in the Lower East Side, Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits, I Think I Need a New Heart, The Book of Love, How Fucking Romantic, Parades Go By, Boa Constrictor, Nothing Matters When We're Dancing.
Disc Two: When My Boy Walks Down the Street, Grand Canyon, No One Will Ever Love You, (Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy, Washington D.C., Kiss Me Like You Mean It, Papa Was a Rodeo, I Shatter.
Disc Three: Busby Berkeley Dreams, I'm Sorry I Love You, The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure, Bitter Tears, Meaningless, I Can't Touch You Anymore.
David Bowie
5/5
Hunky Dory marked the beginning and the end. It marked the beginning of a persona that had been in the works for some time, needing an springboard for crystallization that would soon embody and define David Bowie for eternity. It also marked the end of the kind of outward expressions of admiration that is sprinkled throughout the album. Never again would he wax poetic about the likes of Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol and simply allowed the music, rather than the persons, to take root and showcase its impact on him. And impact is what has kept Hunky Dory from falling through the cracks over the course of fifty odd years, largely due to the presence of Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars? and Kooks. If those songs wouldn't have been enough to at least signal the world that David Bowie was due to be a supernova, then the world would have failed spectacularly. The poles that exists within Hunky Dory, the beginning and the end, is what makes this a potent and powerful entity in the Bowie discography; a near-perfect example of genius looking to burst at the seams.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
3/5
With a shriek and a yell, Siouxsie and the Banshees began their incomparable run amongst the post-punk/indie throng. A commanding presence, Siouxsie dominates The Scream (improbably the band's debut album) in a manner only she and the group could carry, approaching one peak after another like the noticeable Helter Skelter cover, Jigsaw Feeling and Hong Kong Garden. A really rather good start.
Favorites: Jigsaw Feeling, Overground, Carcass, Helter Skelter, Suburban Relapse, Switch, Hong Kong Garden.
Jamiroquai
3/5
A potpourri of esoteric sounds left to right, Jamiroquai do more than wear their heart on their sleeve with this album, whose title obtains attention grabbing status that is kept with the music within. The whiplash granted from the musical versatility would drive a listener insane after a while but it is worthwhile nonetheless.
Favorites: When You Gonna Learn?, Too Young to Die, If I Like It, I Do It, Music of the Mind, Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop, Blow Your Mind.
The Notorious B.I.G.
5/5
If there were any entries in the Mount Rushmore of East Coast hip-hop albums, there would be absolutely no argument for Ready to Die's inclusion. Of course, with it being the only solo album released in the lifetime of the Black Frank White, there can really be no arguments in general if it is often discussed in the greatest hip-hop albums of all time lists. Now, when it comes to the back-to-back classic songs displayed throughout, there are occasions where there has to be a reckoning of sorts with some of the material; the referencing of Ike Turner abusing of Tina Turner and the glorification of it induce nothing but eye rolling and groaning and nobody would consider the sex skits (especially the Fuck Me interlude) to be a monumental piece of music. But that reckoning is outweighed by the sheer magnetism that The Notorious B.I.G. possessed throughout this album and the flow that coupled his lyricism was often imitated but never duplicated. He may have been sick of talking at the end of it, but his legend would do it all for him and it has very effectively. It's the Brooklyn way.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Whether it is parents fighting or dancing under the smoke of Chekhov's gun, Blood on the Tracks became, for two decades at least, the album in which subsequent Bob Dylan album would be weighed upon. After a rocky first half of the 1970s in which he'd shed the skin that was anointed upon him and pissed off his frustrated fanbase, the best thing that could have happened to Bob was getting divorced. He had woven tales of heartache before but none quite like the collection on display. Of course, as ever, any sign of brilliance from the poet laureate of the 60s would be met with ravenous responses from his loyal and tested faithful and this album is deserving of its praise. Regardless of what one or more may think of his trajectories afterwards, it cannot be denied that, whenever the inspiration strikes, Bob Dylan is more than capable of delivering and, when putting his heart out for those to see, he is at his most captivating.
5/5
If the story of Oasis ended with (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, there probably wouldn't have been too many diminishing returns and overly gross heightened expectations surrounding what came afterwards and the on-going comically boiling pot of animosity that characterizes the relationship with the Brothers Gallagher wouldn't have surfaced. But, then again, that would have been pretty boring.
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? sees Oasis approach the kind of rarefied heights that they often peered at and would never reach again, no matter how hard they tried. It was only right that Britain, and certain parts of the world, went mad for it during the mid to late 90s; for the often impressionistic, optimistic lyricism of Noel Gallagher and the earnest John Lydon-esque snarl of younger brother Liam Gallagher propped up the boastful attitude that suffused pride in not only themselves but of their country as well (whether that was the intention or not). The thirteen songs compiled here represents the other half of an ideal greatest hits collection, with room for novelties, short instrumental interludes and some of the greatest songs of the era. Regardless of how one feels about the band as a whole or its primary members as people, it cannot be denied that (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is a biblical achievement in 90s British rock.
Anyway, here's Wonderwall....
Belle & Sebastian
5/5
Perhaps the quintessential album in their discography, Belle & Sebastian perfect their brand of witty, rather quirky aesthetic that still pierces the listener with rather delightful ease. A really thorough overview of who they are and how they worked from beginning to end, If You're Feeling Sinister not only sounds familiar but it feels new all the same; a world that makes you feel that you've already traversed whilst seeing new sights. A brilliant showcase.
Brian Eno
5/5
Arguably the most important of the Byrne/Eno collaborations, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts remains a dizzying, staggering achievement. The brain waves that surged through both men in the creation of this album has often become a source of fascination that beguiles to this day. So much inspiration, so much information, so much trouble; forty plus years has done little to suppress the fact that, without this album, much of what has come in the world of music would be very, very different.
George Michael
5/5
After conquering the world with Wham!, George Michael wanted to prove that he could conquer the world on his world and, on Faith, he basically did just that. What most fail to take into account is that George was a student of music and that kind of level of attention in regards to how a song should work was what enabled him to not stick out like a sore thumb across various genres and styles, bringing his own brand of rock and roll on the title track, blending with the dance sojourn on I Want Your Sex and Monkey and perfecting the R&B ballad on Father Figure and One More Try. Faith is as perfect of a mission statement as one can make and George Michael had to be the one to take it to the top.
Dr. Dre
4/5
There is little to no doubt about Dr. Dre's The Chronic being one of the most consequential and influential hip-hop albums in history. Part proof of domination, part need to prove something, Dr. Dre spends the album not only weaving his production skills but holding his own on the mic alongside his Death Row brethren, most notably the emergent Snoop Doggy Dogg. This charitable portion of The Chronic was notable and it would pay dividends down the line and that ensured level of success was what kept California as the hip-hop kingpin for a few years in the 90s.
Favorites: The Chronic (Intro), Fuck Wit Dre Day, Let Me Ride, The Day the Niggaz Took Over, Nuthin' But a "G" Thang, Deeez Nuuuts, Lil' Ghetto Boy, A Nigga Witta Gun, Stranded on Death Row.
Eminem
3/5
After unintentionally listening to a semi-censored version of this, I've gotten a hold of the album as envisioned. This is a bit of a rough one, honestly. Eminem is clearly possessed with talent here but, in plenty of instances, he is bogged down by rather strange and off-kilter songs that may never be considered as anything worth merit regardless of how they may stick to one's head. It is appropriate that The Slim Shady LP is a proper debut, for he clearly needed to flesh things out further and work out the kinks of his topics and his approach to them. The potential is there, though, that's for sure.
Favorites: My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, Brain Damage, Role Model, Just Don't Give a Fuck, Bad Meets Evil, Still Don't Give a Fuck.
Pink Floyd
5/5
A one-off with a long lifespan and a tantalizing glimpse into what was and what could have been, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn may very well be Pink Floyd's most uniquely singular album in that the creative flourishes of Syd Barrett, the band's tragically imbalanced front man, are on full display. The psychedelic age was given a good dose of darkness that ranged from goofy and lighthearted to ominous and foreboding, for there was little knowing (knowing what we do now) of what was to come not only for Syd but for the band in general. Overall, a bittersweet sign of things to come.
Buffalo Springfield
4/5
Boasting two members who would wound up shaping the sound of rock and roll by the early 70s, Buffalo Springfield hit the ground running and make their way through varying styles that could best accommodate their increasingly individual sounds. There is a sense of fracture taking shape throughout Buffalo Springfield Again, as if the members couldn't wait to get it over with and go on to bigger sights, but it doesn't diminish the quality of the material here. Although it was not the end just yet, this is as good of a send-off there is.
Favorites: Mr. Soul, A Child's Claim to Fame, Everydays, Expecting to Fly, Bluebird, Hung Upside Down.
Rush
5/5
The frames carried by the red suited men to the museum may very well contain the pictures of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, for their Moving Pictures is not only their finest hour but perhaps the purest distillation of what made their band Rush the kind of late 70s/early 80s prog rock institution that still amass acolytes and curious listeners to this day. From the moment Tom Sawyer starts (an opening track that should be considered amongst the absolute best of all time), Moving Pictures takes its place and asserts its dominance for all of its allotted forty minutes. A damn good place to start if you want to get into the band.
Cyndi Lauper
4/5
A effervescent blast of 80s pop, She's So Unusual does its best at showcasing the bombastic personality of Cyndi Lauper and it mainly succeeds on that front. From the iconic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time to the rather excellent cover of Prince's When You Were Mine, there is plenty to get ahold of and enjoy with this. Nothing unusual to be found here.
Favorites: Money Changes Everything, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, When You Were Mine, Time After Time, She Bop, Witness.
Fiona Apple
5/5
When your eyes gaze upon the piercing light blue, somewhat turquoise eyes of Fiona Apple's, it feels as though you've been sucked down a vortex. For her debut album Tidal is a steamroll avalanche of rage, contemplation, aimlessness and introspection. This is the kind of album that you must listen to all the way; if one dares to skip a track, it is tantamount to breaching a sacred code. Coming across the remainder of Fiona's discography, it becomes apparent that not only does she take her time with her craft but she enforces that her efforts have meaning; a bridge to cross in the path of discovery. Tidal was the first step taken in that beguiling, often rewarding path.
The Residents
3/5
The weird, weird world of the eyeball headed Residents have gathered up the ducks and made a stab at them. Often times, there would be detours into a mostly palatable pop potpourri but, for the most part, they just stay in their now refined weird lane. Now, hopefully no one has found a duck and did serious harm to it after listening to this.
Generated on 12/25/2023, reviewed on 3/22/24
Favorites: Constantinople, Sinister Exaggerator, The Booker Tease, Blue Rosebuds, Bach is dead, Elvis and His Boss, Semolina, Birthday Boy, Weight Lifting Lulu.
George Jones
5/5
While this is not Leonard Cohen's Souvenir of the Grand Tour (which sounds like a good time to be had), George Jones' The Grand Tour is a really stellar showcase of what this country crooner had to offer. For this is George in this element; give him a song about a lost love or a soon-to-be lost love and you're bound to hear some of the most heart-wrenching performances you may very well here. Even if things don't change over the course of twenty-eight minutes, it is twenty-eight minutes well spent and a solid glimpse of what one of country's finest legends was all about.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
4/5
Ah, Damon Albarn. That eternally restless Damon Albarn. If one band wasn't enough, he needs two, which then turns to three. The Good, the Bad & the Queen. A triumphant return to the chronicling of his fabled country with the wisdom and maturity that was lacking in his younger days, Albarn also sought to continue the musical diversification that had marked the second phase of his career, calling upon the talents of monolithic figures such as Fela Kuti's drummer (and one-time Blur muse) Tony Allen and bassist of The Clash Paul Simonon. Along with fellow traveler Danger Mouse and guitarist of The Verve Simon Tong, The Good, the Bad & the Queen stands singular as amongst Damon's most intriguing projects; a curio to check out once one has checked all the corners or Blur and Gorillaz.
Favorites: History Song, 80s Life, Kingdom of Doom, Herculean, The Bunting Song, Three Changes, The Good, the Bad and the Queen.
Pixies
4/5
As though it were a bomb set off in an ever-changing scene, Pixies' Doolittle sets the template for not just the group going forward but for indie rock music in general. Accessible yet surrealistic, charming yet off-kilter, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how impactful this album was and is to listeners and musicians and Doolittle still holds up to this day.
Favorites: Debaser, Tame, Wave of Mutilation, I Bleed, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone to Heaven, Mr. Grieves, La La Love You, No 13 Baby, Hey, Gouge Away.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Often touted as a return to form, Brutal Youth mainly succeeds where it matters most, keeping in line with the statement making rock and roll that brought Elvis Costello to the dance. Although it could have done with some trimming, the album's ability to remain consistent is what keeps it a stellar collection.
Favorites: Pony St., Kinder Murder, 13 Steps Lead Down, This is Hell, You Tripped at Every Step, 20% Amnesia, Sulky Girl, London's Brilliant Parade, Just About Glad.
Sonic Youth
5/5
Seeing and anticipating the wave that would soon define the 1990s, Sonic Youth tried their hand at accessibility and, for the large part, they passed with flying colors. Goo gets its stamp of approval largely due to the seismic one-two punch of Dirty Boots and the devastating Tunic (Song for Karen), peaking with the hip-hop inspired Kool Thing and rounding out the ride with equal world beaters such as Disappearer, Mote, Cinderella's Big Score and Titanium Expose. All in all, this flush of new car smell and shiny exterior seems to fit Sonic Youth quite well and it serves them right to be at the forefront of what's to come. Too bad it's just for one album.
Moby Grape
3/5
The story of Moby Grape could be considered amongst the most tragic in rock. At the right place, at the right time, with all the wrong results coming their way. Their overall lack of representation in today's musical environment due to bad management that persists to this day, not to mention the mental health issues with members Bob Mosley and, most notably, Skip Spence, has resulted in Moby Grape not being as fondly revered as the rest of their San Franciscan peers. With that being said, their self-titled album from the golden year of 1967 showcases all the hallmarks of what made that scene special before it got co-opted, chewed up and spat out. An intriguing documentation of what was and what could have been had Moby Grape not been surrounded by vultures and their own worst enemies.
Favorites: Hey Grandma, Mr. Blues, Fall on You, Come in the Morning, Omaha, Someday, Ain't No Use, Sitting by the Window, Changes.
Motörhead
4/5
Loud, fast, raucous, heavy, unrelenting rock and roll. Ace of Spades is Motorhead encased in amber, remembered for eternity with one of the greatest opening songs in heavy metal, while showcasing songs worth the equal weight and esteem. The epitome of all killer, no filler, and no time wasted whatsoever; this is the only card you need.
Favorites: Ace of Spades, Love Me Like a Reptile, Live to Win, Fast and Loose, Fire Fire, Jailbait, The Chase is Better Than the Catch, The Hammer.
The Police
5/5
At some point, one has to know when the buck stops. The most ironic thing about this album being called Synchronicity is that the band who made it was far less synchronized than before. Yet it didn't diminish the fact that they were in top compositional form, regardless of how seemingly corny/annoying/cheesy/creepy-in-retrospect Sting's lyrics/vocal style can be. The Police had an incredible run and this is the kind of album a band goes out on a high note on. There was no way to top it or better it, no matter what.
Barry Adamson
4/5
When I saw that the name of the first track was called Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis, and that Jarvis Cocker was involved, my interests were piqued. Yet it came as a sort of surprise that, for the first half, Oedipus Schmoedipus barges through with a relentless energy, picking up a fusion of rock, dance and trip-hop tropes and mixing it with the soundtrack scoring tendency that Barry Adamson had mastered at this point. Its momentum shifts and stylistic changes threaten to halt the trajectory but it is ultimately balanced out and what stands is a surefire collection of frequent greatness.
Favorites: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But the Vibes, It's Business as Usual, Miles, Achieved in the Valley of the Dolls, The Big Bamboozle, The Sweetest Embrace.
Beth Orton
4/5
It takes a while to accelerate but, when it does, it doesn't let up. Beth Orton props herself up as not only a worthy successor to the likes of John Martyn, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake but as a towering figure in turn of the century British "folktronica" in her own right. Central Reservations could be overflowing in regards to praise for this album but it is well deserved.
Favorites: Stolen Car, Pass in Time, Central Reservation (original), Stars All Seem to Weep, Love Like Laughter, Blood Red River, Devil Song.
Jane's Addiction
4/5
With the fury of the flame and the vision that spanned so many miles that it's hard to fathom, Jane's Addiction delivered their often sprawling yet wholly stimulating masterpiece that is ultimately defined by the epics placed towards the middle and end. A signpost that signaled the start and end of something special, Ritual de lo Habitual is filled to the brim with convincing passion and ambition that put the majority of their peers to shame. Sex, drugs and rock and roll is all the brain and body needs.
Favorites: Stop, No One Leaving, Been Caught Stealing, Three Days, Then She Did..., Of Course.
Traffic
4/5
Traffic were an interesting band with an equally interesting history. In their last album before their initial dissolution, the band splits into a tale of two cities largely basing themselves on what was possible and what ended up becoming. The soul influence and pure rock and roll seesaw is what balances Traffic, bringing along realization amongst the familiar and shining a light towards the new. They'll be back soon enough.
Favorites: You Can All Join In, Don't Be Sad, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring, Feelin' Alright?, Vagabond Virgin, Cryin' to be Heard, No Time to Live, Withering Tree, Medicated Goo.
The Afghan Whigs
5/5
Irresistibly heavy, heady and at times hedonistic, Gentlemen is presented by Afghan Whigs approaching ascendancy. It's almost hard to find a flaw with this record, apart from it being not long enough. But it is best that things are this way. It gives off a feeling of warmth and comfort, oddly enough. Appropriate choice of color palette for the album cover, too.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
If there is ever a definitive Bob Marley & the Wailers album, it's this one. Regardless of which version is preferred (the intended Jamaican version or the international release), one can get into it and come away from it knowing that what was listened to is a classic in not just reggae but in all forms of music. In terms of getting the group, and Bob, over to a international market and interminable recognition and lionization, I guess it can best be said that it really did catch fire.
Arrested Development
3/5
Okay, I'll be upfront. The past few years has seen my vision of Arrested Development skewered and distorted. How were they seen as the saviors of consciousness minded hip-hop that mined whatever the Native Tongues were doing up North and thus (seemingly) thwarted the prevailing success of gangsta rap? Only for them to become footnotes and jokes along the way? It all seems rather simple, what they offered was what those who were still on the fence with hip-hop wanted. The majority of it sounds dated yet I wouldn't consider it to be that bad. It just seems insignificant in the long term. If the record had sounded like Tennessee (the only reason this album became something) in spirit and tone, maybe I'd care a little more.
Favorites: Mama's Always on Stage, People Everyday, Mr. Wendel, Raining Revolution, Give a Man a Fish, U, Tennessee, Washed Away.
Bob Dylan
5/5
Bringing It All Back Home. An accurate description of the times changing as any. Hair wilder, stance stiffer, lyrics more surrealist than usual, Bob Dylan took poetry and music towards brand new heights and mystified those in the process. Process, a necessary ingredient in progression. Not everybody is on board when people change and Bob was changing by the month by the year. 1965 was high time. He was a speeding train that breezed through what would be thin mercury and whatever was roaming through his mind would be mined for eternity by people who held him up a pedestal, if he already was. A transitional effort yet the beginning of a new path towards a light that would shine yet burn as fast, it is a taste of amphetamine on the tip of the tongue, a swirl of intoxication in the soul. It is impossible to step foot anywhere afterwards without having something change within you upon listening to this. Strike another match and start anew, it is life and life only. Don't look back.
Lambchop
5/5
Richard Nixon is not known for being a soulful kind of person. Spiteful, paranoid, tricky and evil definitely. But not soulful. So Lambchop's breakthrough album named after him, but not entirely dealing with the idea of him, is a brilliant contradiction of things. You become swept away by Lambchop's ability to weave elements of country, rock, soul and classical into a effortless blend that borders on perfection. From The Old Gold Shoe onwards, Nixon swoons and sways in a way that brings, however improbably, a good shine on the name for a short period of time. Also, the How I Met Cat Power version of the songs on here is just as stellar and offers the songs new perspectives.
Orbital
4/5
I woke up at seven in the morning and decided to put this on while tossing and turning. While I did doze off from time to time, I do believe that Orbital 2's ability to be a great soundtrack for warm and comfortable situations while remaining consistent in its musical experimentation may have been beneficial to my experience. Although it would soon be overshadowed by other albums in its genre throughout the decade, Orbital 2 is still pivotal.
Favorites: Planet of the Shapes, Lush 3-2, Impact (The Earth is Burning), Walk Now..., Halcyon and On and On.
Air
4/5
Fleeting yet significant for the trajectory of Air, Moon Safari captures exquisitely the essence of the music for films aura that permeates through this. It is no surprise that, afterwards, they actually went on to score soundtracks so maybe this is the calm before the storm. Chansons agréables pour passer le temps!
Favorites: La femme d'argent, Sexy Boy, Kelly Watch the Stars, Talisman, Remember, You Make It Easy, Ce matin-là.
Bobby Womack
3/5
While not the best album in his catalog, the boldly titled Poet from Bobby Womack allows him to seamlessly fit in with the changing sounds of R&B with quiet soul influenced balladry and post disco romps. He does look cool as fuck in the album cover, though.
Favorites: So Many Sides of You, Lay Your Lovin' on Me, Just My Imagination, If You Think You're Lonely Now.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
Neil Young is a man of many moods and elements; when he finds a particular element worth his fancy, he'll dig and dig until most or all of the gold has been discovered. Such is the case with Ragged Glory. Maintaining the crested wave that was created by the previous Freedom, Neil and his band Crazy Horse do what they do best and that is to crank it up and let it rip whilst crafting great songs in the process, which is often lost when such expressions in musical thought happen. Whether they were at the starting line in the race that was the grunge movement or just marching to the beat of their own drum as per usual, without a thought for anything regarding the trends, this is a hidden gem for those seeking to be sought for those wading through the catalog.
Favorites: Country Home, Fuckin' Up, Over and Over, Love to Burn, Father John, Love and Only Love.
Metallica
4/5
In spite of the treacherous roads that led to it (Cliff Burton's death, the band's lack of processing it, Jason Newsted's bass parts being inaudible), Metallica's ...And Justice For All still stands as a staggering achievement and the final step taken in order to become the monolithic heavy metal band of and for the world. Whether the buck stops here or the speed has accelerated, there is no denying that Metallica was here to stay for good.
Favorites: Blackened, One, The Shortest Straw, Harvester of Sorrow, The Frayed Ends of Sanity, To Live is to Die.
Marianne Faithfull
4/5
The Swinging Sixties gave way to the slum Seventies and whatever glamor that was left was swallowed up by the grime. Marianne Faithfull was amongst the throng swallowed up and made worse for wear from these changing times. And when she re-emerged with the blue smoke atmospherics of Broken English, she sounded like it. Yet she wielded it as though it were a weapon and it often becomes another instrument alongside the spiky new wave that characterizes the album, most notably on The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, the title track, Brain Drain and, of course, Why'd You Do It. Whether it's in the standard release or the original mix, Broken English is Marianne's finest hour and a new wave hallmark.
Favorites: Broken English, Witches' Song, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, Working Class Hero, Why'd You Do It, Sister Morphine (12" version).
Generated on 1/25/24, reviewed on 1/31/24
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Lana Del Rey has a tendency to command one's attention while slipping through their fingers. On the follow-up to the album that permanently cemented Lana as a generational figure, she emits a swooning, dreamy vibe that would not let up. Nods to Joni Mitchell, The White Stripes and her own experiences in a barbarous industry abound and add to Lana's own powerful mythos. No longer is Lana Del Rey someone who is born to die, Lana Del Rey is an auteur; someone whose cinematic grasp on music will become a touchstone for those who shall walk her path in due time.
Favorites: White Dress, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Let Me Love You Like a Woman, Wild at Heart, Dark But Just a Game, Breaking Up Slowly, Dance Till We Die.
Hole
4/5
Four years is a long time. Trends come and get commodified, loved ones turn into past tense and improbable careers become realized. Such is Hole's fitting into the celebrity skin. As such, there is an ugliness lurking within and Courtney Love (seemingly in a good position for once in her life) isn't afraid to spill out the contents in whatever mood she may find herself in, whilst the remainder of the band have allowed the light to shine through and let it reflect their playing. Alas, Celebrity Skin is proof that Hole can adapt to changing climates while maintaining their credibility along the way. It's a bit of a shame that it didn't last for long.
Favorites: Celebrity Skin, Hit So Hard, Malibu, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Dying, Use Once & Destroy, Boys on the Radio, Playing Your Song.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Very vibrant, very elegant, very beautiful, very nice, very regal, very attractive, very lovely, very much, very contemporary, very straightforward, very intriguing, very revealing, very varying, very questioning, very sleek, very witty, very melodic, very melancholy, very strange, very right, very wrong, very telling, very helpless, very appropriate, very gay, very good, very Pet Shop Boys.
Favorites: Can You Forgive Her?, I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing, A Different Point of View, Dreaming of the Queen, Yesterday When I Was Mad, The Theatre, To Speak is a Sin, Young Offender, Go West.
Björk
5/5
One would have been content on never having to reach a higher bar after crafting some of the most innovative and exciting pop music of the late 90s, reinventing the wheel and ultimately ripping up the rule book in the process. Björk has never been content and thus aimed to reach higher as the 2000s emerged. Vespertine could very well be her best effort, crafting her now trademark expressive musings with the chilly yet no less effective instrumentation that never ceases to lay bare its beauty as Björk's voice swirls around it as though it were snow caught up in the wind. Overall, the best thing one can do with this is to not overthink what's being heard and just surrender.
Stereolab
5/5
It was approaching summer 2015 and I was going to be moving out of the city into a different one. Walking around the neighborhood one many more times, I can recall having this as a soundtrack. I may have had other Stereolab that was heard since then but none of them scratch the itch that this does. A perfect blend of electronic space age kosmische from three countries and two continents, named after an obscure Japanese film. Bright, eccentric, all-encompassing; as futuristic as it is nostalgic. A crazy, sturdy torpedo.
Minor Threat
4/5
It's far more fun being the black sheep than being amongst the herd. The fervor of punk rock in America reached further crystallization with this only full length from Ian MacKaye's first of many outfits. It's funny that it's called a full length because it lasts not even a quarter of an hour. Yet that time is spent given to some of the more insightful and lasting messaging of the hard-core/straight edge aesthetic. Never a second wasted, never a time poorly spent. Being out of step is a badge of honor.
Favorites: Betray, It Follows, Think Again, Look Back and Laugh, Little Friend.
Jorge Ben Jor
5/5
Years after Tropicália's brutally unceremonious end, Jorge Ben Jor turns in the finest album of his career. Marrying his ancestry with the transformative buzzsaw power of the radical movements abroad, África Brasil grooves, grinds, and grounds down, ultimately achieving its statement in dizzying disorientation and sheer brilliance.
Simple Minds
4/5
Landing smack dab in the middle of the synthpop age, Simple Minds are anything but in this breakthrough. The new gold dream shimmers and shines throughout, lending itself to plenty of opportunities for the listener to burst through the gates with this blaring. It is little to no surprise that they would end up defining the 80s in their own way and it starts here.
Favorites: Someone Somewhere (In Summertime), Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel, Promised You a Miracle, New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84), Glittering Prize.
Metallica
4/5
Metallica cap off their blockbuster 90s with an unfathomable collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, thus bringing to life their own version of what Deep Purple did in the late 60s. At times highly tasteful whilst becoming a tad too overwhelming, the end result sees the band and orchestra dive into newer variations of what was now classic heavy metal songs, wringing out ferocious emotion and intensity that was bound to come to. It is not a surprise to see this become a pivotal moment for the band as it not only closed out the decade (and unknowingly saying farewell to Jason Newsted not long afterward) but it would inspire them to dig back into the symphonic bag two decades later. Whether or not this causes classical fans to dig Metallica or Metallica fans to appreciate classical, what can be said is that S&M was a rousing success.
Generated on 2/7/24, reviewed on 3/27/24.
Favorites: The Call of Ktulu, Master of Puppets, Fuel, The Memory Remains, No Leaf Clover, Hero of the Day, Nothing Else Matters, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Outlaw Torn, One, Enter Sandman.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
To know the essence of progressive rock, you need to dig into the twenty minute track. And such a track, which starts off the second offering from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, is what Tarkus is hung upon. Multiple movements, resembling a classical composition, building worlds both possible and improbable. The fact that it is followed by several smaller length, unrelated parts that end with a rock and roll rave-up feels kind of funny; as though it were a weight taken off the shoulders after a strenuous climb to the top. And the top is where ELP will be, for a time, having rolled through like the tank.
Favorites: Tarkus, Jeremy Bender, Bitches Crystal, A Time and a Place.
Ali Farka Touré
3/5
A spirited, often uplifting marriage of African and American guitar work and it is the sort of fusion that works wonders and leaves the listener entranced for almost the hour long run-time.
Favorites: Bonde, Soukora, Amandrai, Lasidan, Keito, Ai Du, Diaraby.
Lorde
4/5
If Pure Heroine was a glimpse into the waning days of Lorde's teenage dwellings, then Melodrama is the chronicling of the immersion of adulthood in all of its messy, exhilarating, exhausting and ultimately beautiful ways. Calling it Melodrama feels apt, seeing as though Lorde had found herself in a crossroads in the most public of circumstances yet she managed to spin it into the kind of statement that would be looked upon as perhaps her finest to date. Now dance to the boom.
Favorites: Green Light, The Louvre, Liability, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Writer in the Dark, Supercut.
Ian Dury
4/5
In my umpteenth time of trying, I've finally got into the meat and bones of these new boots and panties from Ian Dury's blockhead. And, for the most part, I quite enjoyed what was in front of me. A wonderfully haphazard blend of ramshackle pub, jazz and punk rock, Ian plants his own flag in the ground where it was now possible to do so, when it was impossible to do such before. Never has new clothing looked and felt fresh and radical.
Generated on 2/13/24, reviewed on 3/16/24
Favorites: Wake Up and Make Love With Me, Sweet Gene Vincent, I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra, Billericay Dickie, If I Was With a Woman, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.
Minutemen
5/5
It is as though Minutemen saw the Abbey Road medley and thought: let's blow it up and split it in two. There is everything for everyone here, from freak out jams to placid guitar picking to unexpected forays into their history and all kinds of modes and moods to grab ahold of, even if they would end up becoming the soundtrack to a generation of amateur daredevil miscreants. Even if Double Nickels on the Dime mostly spill through the fingers (so many one minute songs will do that), there is a grip maintained that won't be loosened. A true independent rock Bible.
Fatboy Slim
5/5
It must have had something to do with the circumstance but I found this to be an effective way to shake off some cobwebs. By this point, Fatboy Slim's deft touch of the materials at hand resulted in some of the more enjoyable and all around effortless songs in his catalog, especially with the one-two-three punch of Punk to Funk, The Sound of Milwaukee and Michael Jackson towards the end. Is it better living through chemistry? In my experience, I best believe.
Nas
5/5
What more can be said about Illmatic that hasn't been said before? Hip-hop had already ingrained itself as a juggernaut of the kind of musical proportions that the industry wasn't prepared for. With its litany of sub-genres within (boom bap, g-funk, the nascent rap-rock, gangsta), Illmatic stood alone in its poetic/literate stance and wove together a world that, for forty minutes, sounds both innocent and foreboding, tragic yet nostalgic; a document that didn't look down and demean but looked up and provided a path forward, if one took it. Illmatic should rightfully be considered not just one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, or one of the greatest debut albums but one of the greatest albums of all time, period. Thirty years on, its impact on our view of its creator and the genre he inhabits not only hasn't changed but has been magnified. This is the kind of album that jump-starts, solidifies and intensifies ones love for hip-hop. I know it did mine.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
Grief comes in a myriad of forms. Nick Cave took the more humanistic form in regards to its expression. The sudden, tragic passing of his son in 2015 has colored not only the music made by Nick since but people's views of him as he tapped into the very emotions and thoughts that were deemed unexpected of him. Ghosteen, however unfortunate the situations surrounding it were, could very well be the best work of his long, well-traveled career, which shouldn't be a thing one says in regards to this but it applies. Not a note is wasted, not a word misused as a light is shone ever so beautifully on life, death, grief and all the corners that represents it. Whatever Nick does next, it will be hard to top this. But there's no doubt that he'll find a way.
N.E.R.D
3/5
N.E.R.D. aim to be the early 21st Century equivalent of Beastie Boys by switching their genre allegiances with Fly or Die and, for the most part, they succeed. On its surface, it appears prepared to fall flat on its face but N.E.R.D. surprise by offering crafty and catchy hooks and unexpected aptitude for the subjects that occupy their songs. Fly or Die sounds as though it wouldn't be out of place in a early to mid 70s musical landscape, even if its lyricism keeps it firmly in early 2000s territory.
Favorites: Jump, Backseat Love, She Wants to Move, Breakout, Wonderful Place/Waiting for You, Drill Sergeant/Preservation, Thrasher, Maybe.
Guided By Voices
5/5
The warm fuzz that radiates throughout Alien Lanes does more than lift up the breakneck, devil-may-care speed-run of the songs housed here. A one-two punch that began with the predecessor Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes sees the aptly if not curiously titled Guided by Voices nestled up nicely with indie stalwarts and the alternative giants. If that moment of time in regards to the band's stature was temporary, well would it matter anyway? The work, if there was one, was already done. Time to surrender to surrealism.
Pantera
4/5
Vulgar Display of Power... an apt description for a heavy time. Pantera does more than mark their territory, they do so while refining and redefining varying aspects of metal that was becoming dogged in then-recent time. It is no surprise, upon listening, how much of a vaunted album this is for the metal genre. Vulgar power indeed.
Favorites: A New Level, Walk, Fucking Hostle, This Love, Rise, No Good (Attack the Radical), By Demons Be Driven.
Ride
4/5
I find it fitting that there is a track here called Vapour Trail, because listening to this behemoth collection of album plus two extended plays felt voluminous yet the memory of certain compositions are fleeting. There are great songs throughout and it is very deserving of its place in the shoegaze pantheon, I just needed to be in a proper place for it to fully indulge and immerse myself in it.
Favorites: Seagull, In a Different Place, Polar Bear, Dreams Burn Down, Decay, Vapour Trail, Taste, Nowhere, Beneath, Today.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
The claim that Ghostface hadn't been hungry since Supreme Clientele seems a little far-fetched, considering that most people who think themselves an aficionado of the Wu haven't peeped at Ghost since that time. With his third masterpiece (Ironman and Supreme being their first two), Fishscale has Tony Starks weaving tales of the cocaine trade (only the Wu is built for Cuban Linx) while espousing it with tales of childhood misdeeds and wayward love interests. With production flourishes from MF DOOM and J Dilla (whose Hi and One for Ghost was used for this), Fishscale didn't just reinvigorate Ghost, it served as a reminder of just how potent and powerful of a storyteller he is.
Favorites: Shakey Dog, The Champ, 9 Milli Bros, Beauty Jackson, R.A.G.U., Whip You With a Strap, Back Like That, Be Easy, Clipse of Doom, Jellyfish, Dogs of War, Big Girl, Momma.
Anita Baker
4/5
Right out of the gate, Anita Baker's Rapture establishes itself as one of the 80s premier and absolute best R&B records; a near-perfect mélange of 70s soul vocalization and 80s synthetic compositions coming together to form a timeless collection.
Favorites: Sweet Love, You Bring Me Joy, Caught Up in the Rapture, Been So Long, Same Ole Love (365 Days a Week).
Miriam Makeba
3/5
Surely for its time, this self-titled debut from Miriam Makeba must have set the music world on fire for its groundbreaking and revelatory glances towards cultures outside the limited purview but it kind of falls flat for this modern ear. Sure, Miriam sings beautifully but the sparse arrangements did her more harm did good, I believe and the less said and thought of the penultimate track (One More Dance), the better. Still, there wouldn't be a place for South African music were it not for this.
Favorites: The Retreat Song, Suliram, The Click Song, Umhome, Olilili, The Naughty Little Flea, Nomeva, Iya Guduza.
Kid Rock
4/5
Oh fuck, here we are. Given his antics and espoused beliefs have far overshadowed his music, I wasn't expecting a place for Kid Rock here. Yet this generator never ceases to surprise. These songs I have not heard for many years and for good reason. These are songs one gets into at a formative age and it forms their purview. But then we grow up and get into much better stuff, so I listened to this with way, way tempered expectations. At first, the volume was low enough to support me but, then, something odd happened. The songs got kind of good and the volume increased. Devil Without a Cause, repetitive musings about lack of and subsequent success and archetype roleplay notwithstanding, is actually pretty decent. There's a moment where Kid paves a path to where he'll find his biggest success but it is an outlier and he mostly holds his own as this rappity-rapper. Is it for everyone? I can see it not being the case. Yet one can't judge a book by its cover.
Favorites: Bawitdaba, Cowboy, Devil Without a Cause, I Am the Bullgod, Wasting Time, Welcome 2 the Party, Somebody's Gotta Feel This, Only God Knows Why, Fuck Off.
ZZ Top
4/5
This album has been on my radar for quite some time and it had not disappointed in the slightest. A long way aways from their 80s heyday, Tres Hombre is ZZ Top at their most Southern rocking, never overstaying their welcome and supplying our ears with awesome riffs and undeniable grooves. It's a solid introduction to ZZ if you ask me.
Favorites: Waitin' for the Bus, Jesus Just Left Chicago, Beer Drinkers & Hellraisers, Master of Sparks, Move Me on Down the Line, La Grange, Sheik.
Tricky
5/5
Slinking and shuffling through with its smoke filled haze and demeanor, one of the most important and essential trip-hop albums makes its presence felt. The songs simmer, bolt, boils and becomes ingrained in the head and hardly ever leaves. Although Maxinquaye may have been Tricky's plant the flag moment, it is just as much of Martina Topley-Bird's breakthrough as his. Without her, it is doubtful that Maxinquaye would hit as hard and as well as it did when it was released. It's the kind of album that many try to imitate but never adequately duplicate. A timeless classic, it may never be bettered.
The Beta Band
4/5
Having had The Three EP's wound tight on my conscious and reading that the first proper album was a difficult puzzle best left neglected, it's now time to dive into Hot Shots II. While not as memorable as the former and not as eclectic as the latter, The Beta Band's second album is still worth plenty of time savoring; they've taken (and were given) the time to weave their tapestry as they saw fit with little to no room for perceived and evidently regrettable mistakes. I now see why The Beta Band's felt the need to recon and regroup to the best of their abilities here and I feel that it has paid off, even if the story of the band doesn't last long.
Favorites: Squares, Al Sharp, Human Being, Dragon, Broke, Quiet, Alleged, Eclipse.
The Slits
5/5
Punk was meant to be the nail in the coffin of what came before. When it proved itself to be bastardized into becoming more of the same, a newer more radical world opened up. Which was where The Slits operated. Presenting themselves as unabashedly experimental, free-form, chaotic and innovative as their largely male brethren, The Slits provided a cut (hehe) of what they were capable of. The carefree environment is wonderfully represented throughout and it doesn't feel neither pastiche or forced. It honestly comes as no surprise that Cut made it's influence apparent in the years and decades after its release, most notably far away in the Pacific Northwest. And for good reason, for this is the sound of those who come to the power of their potential and decide to wield it for maximum good.
Cheap Trick
5/5
In the golden age of the live album, there would have been many candidates who would have been considered for approval in the pantheon of essentials. Cheap Trick's At Budokan is surely amongst them. A lot had changed since Liverpool's Fab Four made their way up East in 1966 and becoming big in Japan was as synonymous with making it as having a gold or platinum record in the States. Cheap Trick and their finely precise and excitable rock and roll was indicative of that change and its intoxicating barrage is what makes this live document a classic to this day. The fans that are heard throughout are just as much of a backbone. Far from the reserved, respectful folk that they're often characterized as, the Budokan audience give their all for the songs offered, most notably and poignantly on I Want You to Want Me. Silence and/or indifference would have rendered this dead on arrival. Thankfully, it was anything but. Perhaps the Cheap Trick album for one to sink their teeth into in order to understand the hype.
Laura Nyro
4/5
Although this was not her first album, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession often feels like Laura Nyro's introduction to the world. Her compositional style and otherworldly vocalization become the backbone to an album that often changes up genres on the whim while keeping to the jazz and soul template at hand. It may not be for most but there are plenty of gems that's just waiting to be found.
Favorites: Luckie, Lu, Poverty Train, Eli's Coming, Stoned Soul Picnic, Emmie, Woman's Blues, Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe).
The Go-Betweens
4/5
A throughly exceptional slice of lovelorn pop from Down Under. It can't be told that it was a last hurrah from The Go-Betweens, as they sound and carry themselves in peak form with blueprints on how to construct love songs. One of the many textbook examples of all killer, no filler.
Favorites: Love Goes On!, Quiet Heart, Love is a Sign, You Can't Say No Forever, Streets of Your Town, Clouds, Dive for Your Memory.
Destiny's Child
4/5
Undoubtedly the album that set Beyoncé, Michelle and Kelly onto divergent paths while remaining tethered for however long it would take, Survivor is the document of a trio not only determined to prove detractors and defectors wrong but to stamp their place in the history books. And, for the majority of the record, that's exactly what they did. A ceaseless run of incredible pop bops characterizes the album's magnetic appeal before it is brought down by balladry that, although understandable in its positioning in the tracklist, threatens to derail Survivor's momentum. But ultimately, given what came afterwards, Destiny's Child proved that they were here to stay; if not together then, in a myriad of ways, forever.
Favorites: Independent Women Part 1, Survivor, Bootylicious, Nasty Girl, Fancy, Apple Pie à la Mode, Perfect Man, Independent Women Part 2, Happy Face, Dance With Me, Emotion, Dangerously in Love.
The Monks
4/5
Punk rock may have many start dates, but the gestation of the germ most definitely lies in the year 1966 with this often strange, frequently unsettling, occasionally beguiling sole album from a band of non-literal monks. In both original and extended form, Black Monk Time is a blast of subversive brilliance, each second of each song is spent paving a path for many other soon-to-be like-minded unhinged visionaries to set their eyes to. The album's trajectory in the age of waning Beatlemania and oncoming psychedelia is appropriate yet it signalled where the future would lie.
https://youtu.be/-l2D0QfJSt8?si=vtEnONu5KlroFLK0
Favorites: Monk Time, Boys Are Boys and Girls Are Choice, I Hate You, Oh, How to Do Now, Complication, That's My Girl, I Can't Get Over You, Cuckoo, Love Can Tame the Wild, He Went Down to the Sea.
Dusty Springfield
3/5
Whether the intended package or a picked apart and reassembled set, a girl called Dusty asserted herself to become a Swinging Sixties icon with this album. Inviting the listener with her pose and wide smile, one becomes bowled over by her interpretation of the soul music that would more or less define her trajectory and this is a good first impression made that only hints at the best yet to come.
Favorites: All Cried Out, I Wish I'd Never Loved You, Can I Get a Witness?, Summer is Over, Don't Say It Baby, My Colouring Book, Every Ounce of Strength, Heartbeat.
The Byrds
4/5
Nobody knew it at the time but this was the end of The Byrds as a world beating entity that was relied on as the American answer to what the British Invasion had sought to change, as they would splinter off into much more successful offshoots and influential reinventions that would help redefine what rock and roll would be capable of in the coming years. Younger Than Yesterday sounds rather apt for an album title, for not only The Byrds sound invigorated by new sounds informing their palate but they became fully formed by additional writing contributions from various band members. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this release is that it was overshadowed by all the other rock albums that came out the same year this did yet if it came out in any other year, it wouldn't have had any chance to stand. Just goes to show what The Byrds were now up against as the tides began to turn. Still a wonderful showing after fifty plus years, however.
Favorites: So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star, Have You Seen Her Face, Renaissance Fair, Everybody's Been Burned, Thoughts and Words, My Back Pages, It Happens Each Day, Lady Friend, Old John Robertson.
Gotan Project
5/5
At first glance, it could be mistaken for a obscure electronic album made by a Latin American outfit based on the album cover and title. Once one goes deeper into the album, one could be surprised to learn that, while this is a obscure electronic album, it was actually made by French musicians. Apart from that information, and the fact that there is a Zappa song cover and a cover of the title track to one of the more infamous films of the 1970s, there is very little to be gleaned from this collection. Which is probably for the best because any more info could potentially sully whatever hard earned vibe this album has going. More eyes and ears have to be set upon this, regardless of the intentional (?) misnomer.
Paul Simon
4/5
After a rough start to the 80s, Paul Simon began to look back to the drawing board. Hearts and Bones was what came of it. While not exactly perfect, it does contain hints of what would happen a few years down the road for Paul musically. From what could have been (a Simon & Garfunkel reunion album) to what it eventually became, Hearts and Bones stands as one of the more intriguing, and little known, albums in Paul's discography and it is worthy of another consideration.
Favorites: Hearts and Bones, When Numbers Get Serious, Think Too Much (b), Think Too Much (a), René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War, Cars Are Cars, The Late Great Johnny Ace.
Lou Reed
4/5
The roller-coaster ride that was Lou Reed's career had to have a snapshot that would last forever and Transformer was that snapshot. It would come to define Lou, for better or worse as he would set out to subvert and distort the perceptions people had of him based on this. But, man, what a perception. At times reflective, bombastic, revelatory, problematic and rollicking, it comes as no surprise that those who flocked to this would want to come back for more. For the first time, and what would end up being not for the last time, Lou Reed had struck a poignant note to the masses; funny how, in a fell swoop, he would tear it all down.
Favorites: Vicious, Andy's Chest, Perfect Day, Hangin' Round, Walk on the Wild Side, Make Up, Satellite of Love, Wagon Wheel.
CHVRCHES
4/5
2013 seemed like ripe enough time for CHVRCHES to make their presence felt with The Bones of What You Believe. Melding 80s synth with modern flair, the trio hit the ground running and never let up. Further planting their flag down is the clarion call like vocals of Lauren Mayberry, one of the more distinctive voices of the 2010s synth-pop renaissance. Although Martin Doherty shares lead vocal duties as well, if anyone else had sung the songs without Lauren's flair, the whole enterprise would have sunk. Alas, this is a pretty good bedrock to start things on.
Favorites: The Mother We Share, We Sink, Gun, Tether, Under the Tide, Night Sky, Lungs, By the Throat.
Sabu
3/5
There was not much to be expected apart from the iconic Blue Note imagery that is splashed upon me, which indicated that this was something of interest. And, for the most part, there is. What hurts this album is the apparent obscurity it holds, for there could very well be doubt that even the most curiously minded jazz fan know that this album exists. Yet Palo Congo consists of the kind of grooves that would be enticing to the listener as they dig deep. Come for the cover, stay for the music.
Favorites: El Cumbanchero, Asabache, Simba, Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso, Tribilin Cantore.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Once the glammed up Strum und Drang of School's Out approaches its conclusion, Alice Cooper (man and band) take great strides to refine and surprise listeners with their blown-up and blown-out definition of rock and roll. Delinquency has never sounded as delightfully and dangerously cool as this and you can thank all the tables you've drawn on, scratched up, drooled or put gum under for that.
avorites: School's Out, Luney Tune, Gutter Cat vs. The Jets, Blue Turk, Alma Mater, Grande Finale.
The Sugarcubes
4/5
The exhilarating chaos of the debut album of The Sugarcubes (and, dare I say, the true debut of Björk) remains as vital and exciting as it did when it came out in 1988. Its playful nature, all the way down to the album cover, (regardless of whether it is set aside or not) would ultimately become central to the solo career that the band spawned; the long-lasting influence subtle yet apparent as it ended up putting Iceland on the musical map. Life's Too Good? Well, when it comes to The Sugarcubes, may it be.
Favorites: Traitor, Motorcrash, Birthday, Delicious Demon, Mama, Blue Eyed Pop, Sick for Toys.
Stan Getz
3/5
Coming across this album and having to listen through the stereo and mono mixes, I couldn't help but ponder a few things; how did this become the standard bearer for all things bossa nova and why did it have the impact it did upon listeners? My guess is that it was to do with the last wave of tastemaking done by older generations not well equipped to handle the rapidly changing scenes that they wouldn't or couldn't understand anyway and its languid, at times lethargic slow groove was more up their alley. Something to throw on when throwing business parties or to seem rather adventurous in tastes when hosting others. Whether the case, Getz/Gilberto is an album that's to be respected and its legacy to be appreciated when applicable, even if it doesn't play towards most tastes.
Favorites: The Girl From Ipanema, Desafinado, Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars), Só Danço Samba, O Grande Amor.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
As though Scott Walker were plucked from the late 60s and was infused with the kitsch of mid 90s lounge aping, Neil Hannon's Divine Comedy slinks, swoons and swaggers its way through Casanova. A true breakthrough in the sense of the word, it lures one in and then consistently delivers throughout the runtime. A hidden Britpop era gem.
Favorites: Something for the Weekend, Becoming More Like Alfie, Middle-Class Heroes, In & Out of Paris & London, Charge, Songs of Love, Through a Long & Sleepless Night.
Roxy Music
5/5
Over the grey lagoons, the Bogus Man and I had a conversation. Escaping from every dream home where there is heartache, we explored all the directions to where we could go next. I cannot tell you much about that, for it was strictly confidential. I will say this, though: a beauty queen strode by towards the end of our talk; another fine edition of you. She stopped by to tell us to Do the Strand. "For Your Pleasure" she said.
The Band
5/5
It's all about being in the right place at the right time. People were weaning off the psychedelia peace and love Aquarian trail and were looking for things that were a little more homespun and threadbare; they just needed answers. The Band were the answer. With little use for effects and plenty of usage of harmony and chemistry, the Canadian-American group hit the sweet spot; the kind of spot that would influence some of the then-biggest names in rock at the time to develop similar approaches towards that style. And it wasn't a flash-in-the-pan moment either, this was the result of a near decade's worth of work and toil and a tad bit of luck to get to where they were, sepia tinged and all. This all brown album should have been covered in gold, for that's all there is around it. An absolute monster of a record with earworm grooves that get stuck in one's head for a while, even if the songs are often seen as either little spoken of or problematic in modern parlance. Knowing the story of The Band, it is a crying shame that lingering tensions soon took hold and manifested into something less than ideal but, when they were at the top of their game, they were amongst the very best.
Elvis Presley
4/5
The year is 1960. Rock and roll had largely retreated from the public eye after a ceaseless run of trouble and tragedy and was thus regrouping. The kids that had been thoroughly transformed by the initial explosion were toiling underground and abroad, putting their own spin on what their heroes did. And one of those heroes, finished with a stint in obligatory military service, was returning to a scene that had changed in his absence. Elvis Presley was back.
While his first outings captured a kid on the cusp of changing history, Elvis is Back! documents the movements of a changed man, with an understanding of structure, poise and presence and how to wield it to satisfaction. The songs may not rock as much as before yet they've got enough charm and charisma to forgive the lack of earthquake appeal. Elvis is Back!, bold title and all, is a solid enough return from rock and roll's erstwhile troublemaker, bringing about hope that had yet to be flushed out by the beckoning of Hollywood and the diminishing returns along the way. Welcome back, Elvis.
Favorites: Make Me Know It, Fever, The Girl of My Best Friend, I Will Be Home Again, Dirty, Dirty Feeling, Soldier Boy, Such a Night, The Girl Next Door Went a Walking.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Reading up on this band's history, I was expecting some kind of attempt at a statement defining, caught-them-by-the-collar approach to their vocation of choice. What I got was something that leaves little to no impact (a given considering the backstory) and mostly just goes through one ear and out the other. Not that it is all bad, there is perhaps two or three sticklers here but, overall not something worth revisiting.
Favorites: Only Dreaming Now, Painter of Women, Nine Pound Hammer, Magic Hallow, The Wolf of Velvet Fortune.
Soft Machine
4/5
The bridge that connected rock and jazz was becoming increasingly crowded and the formerly progressive rock minded Soft Machine added their footsteps to the structure with their Third record. Four eighteen plus minute songs detailing their progression (hehe) from flight to fancy is definitely not for the kind that becomes irritated by the supposed monotony of the arrangements, yet those who are intrigued find plenty to comb through on the way to finding gems. Moon in June and Out-Bloody-Rageous in particular are showcases of what the Canterbury scene now had to offer to the increasingly complex rock world, as their indebtedness to their influences such as Terry Riley (the go-to guru of inspiration at the time) shone bright here. Overall, a take it or leave it collection and I'm inclined to do the former.
Favorites: Slightly All the Time, Out-Bloody-Rageous.
Antony and the Johnsons
5/5
With sheer elegance and never-ending beauty, I Am a Bird Now is the detailing of the former Antony (with the Johnsons) unfurling to become what she was meant to be. Having faced with death (the ailing Candy Darling posing with grace on the hospital bed), we become accustomed to what was seemingly a fleeting series of songs that become tethered upon further listening and a home stretch that knocks everything out of the park towards the end. For those who come across it for the first time, they might not know what will come to them but eventually they'll see that this is a kind of musical experience that doesn't come every now and then; a effortless fusion of soul, classical, folk and anything in between. It will serenade the listener towards submission.
John Lennon
5/5
After exorcising his demons, John Lennon set about conjuring his #9 dream. Moving to New York, his unlikely legend as firebrand, iconoclast, idealist and loyal devotee began to take shape. Imagine is the pinnacle of Lennon's career, the album where everything coalesces into a potent package where love, contemplation, self-reflection and politics co-exist without a sense of unease. No wonder Tricky Dicky got all paranoid and looked to get him out of the United States as fast as he entered. For better or for worse, these descriptions of John Lennon has lingered on and defined his status as it would carry his legacy for him, long after his untimely demise. Plenty to ponder, plenty to take comfort in, plenty to wonder. The world may never live as one but, as long as he says so, there's still hope.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3/5
Much like the elephants on the cover (or the splattered paint in others), Elvis Costello's truest ambitions stampede to life on the appropriately titled Armed Forces. No longer encumbered by the punk rock ethos, Elvis saw an opportunity to spread his and the Attractions wings musically while still spewing on about the way the world was heading by the turn of the decade. With the emphasis on accessibility and wherewithal, the aim most certainly can be true after all.
Favorites: Accidents Will Happen, Senior Service, Oliver's Army, Green Shirt, Party Girl, Goon Squad, Chemistry Class, Two Little Hitlers.
Kraftwerk
5/5
They've tackled the automobile and the effects of radioactivity. Now they've tackled the transit system. With Trans Europe Express, Kraftwerk set upon a perfect trifecta of electronic albums that not only have stood the test of time but would inform some of the most important genres and musicians that came from it over the next coming decades. From the bookending shimmer that starts Europe Endless and ends Endless Endless, one feels as though they're partaking in their very own train journey; one marked by marvel, wonder, history and possibilities. Whether in the neon-lit revelry of West Germany or in the blighted neglect of the projects of New York, Kraftwerk would find their way in and suit things as they saw fit. Abzug!
Iggy Pop
5/5
The second installment of the supposed Berlin Trilogy, yet very much its own machine and creation, Iggy Pop's The Idiot oozes with its sauntering, swaggering, no less heavy disposition. At best left for dead, and whether it is appreciated or not, Iggy powered through with the help of a change in scenery, a change in mindset and charitable help from a admirer turned collaborator who was also undergoing similar transformations. The result was one of the many documents that best exemplify the feeling of Year Zero that permeated the air in 1977; that, with the walls torn down (regardless of irony), anything and everything can be possible. Never has turning a new leaf looked and felt so electric.
Caetano Veloso
4/5
A snake slithering up towards a woman's chest while she caresses a dragon breathing fire underneath the attention grabbing typography of Caetano Veloso's name, as his serious yet sinister expression both belies and defies the explosive cornucopia that is surging throughout the first of his several self-titled albums. Changing times had come to Brazil, as the aural molasses of bossa nova became looked down upon by the counterculture and gave way to a far more exciting endeavor: Tropicália. Indeed not only an album came of it (the Sgt. Pepper's of the movement) but the first track of this album is named after it, giving an impression that things were going to be adventurous from here on out. And while it may sound at times cluttered and scattershot, ultimately what came from it is one of the more defining records of the age; one that makes the listener feel that they're encountered the changing of the tides happening in real time.
Favorites: Tropicália, Clarice, Algeria, Algeria, Anunciação, Superbacana, Clara, Soy loco por ti, América, Eles.
Klaxons
3/5
An exhilarating head rush that could also, at times, come and go like vapor, Myths of the Near Future sees Klaxons making the best out of a seeming endpoint in British rock culture by applying sci-fi and electronics to the forefront. Intriguing on paper and explosive in action, Klaxons make do with their best effort and don't overstay their welcome doing so. If only my near future myths would be as good as this...
Favorites: Two Recievers, Atlantis to Interzone, Totem on the Timeline, As Above So Below, Isle of Her, Magick, It's Not Over Yet.
G. Love & Special Sauce
3/5
1994 appeared to be prime time for G. Love to deliver his Special Sauce. The alchemy of rap, alternative and jazz prove to be an effective combo that would appear kind of weird and somewhat off-putting to those looking on the outside yet for those looking in, there's plenty to discover and become enchanted by. White rappers at that time had a bad rap (hehe) but G. Love makes up for it by staying in his lane and not attempt to demonstrate anything cheesy or damning. It helps that Special Sauce are on top form throughout. It may encapsulate what the early 90s were about but this could do with a little more current day reevaluating.
Favorites: The Things I Used to Do, Garbage Man, Baby's Got Sauce, Rhyme for the Summertime, Cold Beverage, Fatman, This Ain't Living, Walk to Slide.
Morrissey
5/5
When one thinks of Morrissey, one thinks of The Smiths, the jangly literate erstwhile kings of Manchester who produced one instant classic after another; their sound having influenced and colored a generation of musicians who came in their wake. While his third solo album after the band's acrimonious split, Your Arsenal, doesn't offer up any semblance of that kind of fanaticism, it is equally as excellent and on par with the best of them. From the get-go, Your Arsenal is Morrissey turning a new leaf and conducting a band that rocked harder than any that has come before or since while still offering the sardonic and eye catching lyricism and imagery that fans come to know and love him for. Nearly forty minutes of brash confidence and renewed vigor, just the one for us fattys.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
Having a song become misconstrued is a hell of a thing. That probably wasn't Bruce Springsteen's intention, for Born in the U.S.A. is not the righteous political rah-rah that it has been unfortunately painted as. But we're perhaps far past the point of no return with that. Which is a shame given that the rest of the album, barring a song or two, has been overshadowed. For almost every song on this contains plenty of surprises that could cause more than a head turn and a reconsideration in regards to what was expected. Sure, Bruce is a thoroughbred rock and roller but synthesizers abound (it's the 80s) and he fits in pretty well within them, scarcely sounding out of step as feared. Ultimately, Born in the U.S.A. exists as the moment when Bruce and the zeitgeist once more intertwined and defined the times. While not his masterpiece, it serves as yet another example of his awesome musicianship. Never judge a book or album from its cover.
Favorites: Born in the U.S.A., Darlington County, Working on the Highway, I'm on Fire, No Surrender, Bobby Jean, I'm Going Down, Glory Days.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
From first glance down to the end of the final song, Imperial Bedroom earns its chaotic structural feel and Elvis Costello becomes bestowed with the sort of cape adorning adulation he was seeking since his debut. Whatever raw angst and unbridled anger he oozed with was smoothed out and given not only sheen but genuine ambition. While Elvis singing fifteen songs in the rather nasally vocal styling he possesses, in a little over fifty minutes, may seen grating to the listener, what must be respected and appreciated is the overall scope and craft the songs obtain; one comes away from it having expected one thing but remembers the other, more lingering thing. Whatever plaudits Imperial Bedroom has recieved in the forty plus years since its release is more than well deserved and all Elvis had to do is keep building on it. It appears that he had finally found his niche.
Favorites: Beyond Belief, Tears Before Bedtime, Shabby Doll, Man Out of Time, ... And in Every Home, Kid About It, Little Savage, Pidgin English, Town Cryer.
Coldcut
3/5
Coldcut come in at the right place and at the right time with this musical patchwork boasting some of the mighty names of pop, reggae, indie and hip-hop. Although very of its time and place, one could sense the vibe emitted from the grooves within. Is it a masterpiece? No but it is certainly worthy of the title it wields.
https://youtu.be/l13T8AboN7U?si=06nNNFhoNqLe9EZL
Favorites: People Hold On, Fat (Party and Bullshit), (I'm) In Deep, My Telephone, Stop This Crazy Thing, Doctorin' the House.
Faith No More
4/5
After kicking around the margins for quite some time, even having Courtney Love on the payroll, Faith No More finally hit their stride with Mike Patton and The Real Thing. Whether or not they were seen as imitators or Johnny come latelys, what is for sure is that there is plenty of inventive musicality going on in this album, when Patton's extracurricular exploits are taken into consideration. What no one else knew is that Faith No More were just reaching the tip of the iceburg and that the best, and strange, is yet to come.
Favorites: From Out of Nowhere, Epic, Falling Into Pieces, Zombie Eaters, The Real Thing, Underwater Love, Woodpecker From Mars, Edge of the World.
Tito Puente
3/5
Too bad I was nestled in bed listening to this or I would have been moving my legs and hips with the expression of that lady on the cover. Dance mania, indeed.
Favorites: Three D Mambo, Llego Mijan (Son Montuno), Cuando Te Vea (Guaguanco), Hong Kong Mambo, Mambo Gozon, Varsity Drag.
Dirty Projectors
4/5
2009 is often seen as the last gasp of mainstream vitality in the indie rock genre and Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca was one of the more cornerstone releases of that time. At once bewildering, sublime, confounding and scattershot, the album leaves no stone unturned in its forty minute runtime and its dizzying disposition often leaves the listener scratching their heads in regards to how to approach what was heard. Ultimately, the upside is more plentiful as there is opportunity to discover what remained possible in the paradoxically faint yet potent buzz of the indie landfill. Now, clean those projectors, please?
Favorites: Cannibal Resource, Temecula Sunrise, Stillness is the Move, Two Doves, Useful Chamber, No Intention, Fluorescent Half Dome.
Raekwon
5/5
RZA has always had a cinematic vision and no album in the wider Wu-Tang scope epitomizes that vision more than Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, the debut album from Raekwon with guest star Ghostface Killah. In over an hour, the world is yours saying that was flown over the blimp in Brian de Palma's Scarface is woven in a tapestry of realization, hustle, emotional tolls and full on braggadocio as Rae and Ghost showcase and crystallize their ironclad chemistry with some of their absolute greatest bars and flows in their discography. Add the contributions of the fellow Wu-Tang members and the only non-Wu member to appear on any of their records (Nas) and what one gets with Cuban Linx is the aural equivalent of a Scorsese flick; one that is guaranteed to amount to as many replays and rewatches as possible. 1995 may have been the peak year for the Wu-Tang Clan and this record stands as the example of not just the group's brilliance but hip-hop's as well, as its seeds grows one's seed as it marries the other's seeds, keeping it all in the family.
Wild Beasts
5/5
Sometimes, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. Wild Beasts and their sophomore album Two Dancers are one of those examples when the expression is true. From beginning to end, this album is a sonic delight, making brilliant use of whatever there is left to innovate and hone to excellence. It is a shame that they've called it a day but at least they gave us this and many more records that came out of this jumping off point. There is plenty to savor here.
4/5
The state of the British Empire is just a ceaseless venture into the thoughts and minds of whomever wishes to inquire about it. The Brothers Davies were no exception, they've made it their life's mission. It was as if they've become completely out of step with the times and, yet, they got really great around that. The Kinks' album Arthur is one of those examples. Based around an ordinary carpet-layer, we are summoned to almost fifty minutes of richly layered, opaque, grandiose rock and roll; the kind that would make contemporaries look lightweight in contrast to The Kinks' quaint and retrospective disposition. Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is the kind of music that makes one think they've learned a thing or two from as we become ensconced with the band's voluminous and admittedly convoluted backstory. Yet another fine chapter in
The Kinks' discography.
Favorites: Victoria, Yes Sir No Sir, Some Mother's Son, Drivin', Australia, Shangri-la, She's Brought a Hat Like Princess Marina, Arthur.
Black Sabbath
5/5
Arms outstretched, microphone in front, rendered in orange, this rather iconic imagery of Black Sabbath's fourth record in two years belies a rather dark and ominous doom within that would soon influence a younger generation of potential metalheads. All the while, Sabbath themselves would weave back and forth on sounds ranging from pummeling destruction to unexpectedly serene beauty, making use of the changes (ahem) happening with the band's musical trajectories. Vol. 4 is rather fascinating in that, upon listening, it would be very easy to not notice all the signs of disfunction and drug-addled madness that were involved throughout its gestation, even if one of the songs on it is named after such a scenario. But, regardless, Vol. 4 has stood the test of time and it could very well be considered one of, if not the best, Black Sabbath record.
Teenage Fanclub
5/5
If the songs are still great despite sounding the same the majority of the time, then you've got yourself a classic album. Bandwagonesque, which I thought was Teenage Fanclub's debut for the longest time, is one of those all killer no filler classics; the kind of album that even the most forgotten about song or two will find its way into your head and stay there for a while. As it starts off with one of the best songs ever made (The Concept), Bandwagonesque operates upon a tried and true formula that never ceases until the end, proving its mettle as a worthy repeat listen and a record deserving of adoration. Is this music? You bet it is.
Joan Baez
5/5
The 1960s represented the apogee of the folk genre in mainstream terms, giving us some of the most prominent and impactful names, songs and albums that still makes its presence felt to this day. Joan Baez, album and person, encompasses this moment. As though she were both a gust of wind and a kick up the ass, Joan solidifies her stature with delicate arrangements of materials well sung and well-traveled yet her approach to them veers them into becoming the definitive versions, most notably on House of the Rising Sun, Silver Dagger and John Riley. Baez also makes poignant use of her Spanish tongue on (what was initially) the final track El Preso Número Nueve, offering representation within folk. Overall, an excellent debut and a sign of things to come.
The Byrds
4/5
Getting into country music as a genre is one thing, getting into country music as an establishment is a whole other thing. The Byrds were now in need of a fresh coat of paint, buoyed by the departure of David Crosby and the encroaching disillusionment of the counterculture. Enter Gram Parsons and his whirlwind influence and impact, which was to be the exact thing that they needed. While they may fit uneasily into the admittedly rigid and sometimes aggravating sound of the genre, The Byrds do as they always do and make the best out of what they could of the scenario, giving their all with the songs offered as they put new spins on the arrangements. Although not their greatest release and the outcome wasn't what they desired, ultimately Sweetheart of the Rodeo would be their most important record and it provided the clarion call that would be sounded by anyone would liked what they heard.
Favorites: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, I Am a Pilgrim, The Christian Life, You Don't Miss Your Water, Hickory Wind, One Hundred Years From Now, Blue Canadian Rockies, Nothing Was Delivered, Lazy Days, All I Have Are Memories.
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
4/5
Oar is the sound of a man whose mental decline I feel I should not be listening to. It is as though I'm partaking in the eavesdropping of one's degeneration while seeing glimmers of hope strewn out in bits and pieces. Listening to Oar by Alexander Spence, commonly known as Skip, is the musical equivalent of coming across a dead-end; the unfortunate backstory in a story already rife with legal fuckery and eventual obscurity. One look at the unsettling album cover tells one everything that's needed to be known, the sight of a man approaching vacancy and permanent absence of thought. This is one of the many sounds that encapsulates the end of the 60s dream, albeit one that many didn't take notice of until it was far too late.
Favorites: Little Hands, Cripple Creek, Diana, Margaret/Tiger Rug, Weighted Down (The Prison Song), Broken Heart, All Come to Meet Her, Dixie Peach Promenade (Yin for Yang), Grey/Afro, Keep Everything Under Your Hat.
If a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse, then what's the opposite of that? How would a not-blind horse feel about a random person winking at it? Would it acknowledge it? Would it not register at all? And when was a nod considered a good enough gesture? Have words ceased to suffice? Surely a nod is seen as being a positive thing of affirmation but still... why? Anyways, this album from the Faces is pretty cracking.
Favorites: Miss Judy's Farm, You're So Rude, Love Lives Here, Stay With Me, Memphis, That's All You Need.
A Tribe Called Quest
5/5
At once a declaration and a blueprint, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is a potent reminder of what hip-hop was meant to be. Apart from that, I don't have much to say regarding this. This is the first of many great albums A Tribe Called Quest would make. Just push it along.
Throwing Muses
4/5
Technically speaking Throwing Muses have two self-titled albums, one of which wasn't intentionally titled at all. This is that one. When one thinks about, when it comes to the trajectory of the label it was released on, this record set off a domino effect that is still felt to this day. Whether in the doghouse or not, Throwing Muses knew exactly what was needed to deliver a stellar record; poise, power and emotional volatility that would wound up spearheading a small yet vital revolution in the years ahead.
https://youtu.be/E1Xd2jY3zWQ?si=T4ZJ8C_Yau1xyAVX
Favorites: Call Me, Green, Hate My Way, Vicky's Box, Rabbits Dying, America (She Can't Say No), Delicate Cutters.
5/5
It is a rather apt saying and a rather apt feeling. What the now difficult to search these days band named WAR managed to achieve with this record is quite impressive in scope and ambition, paring funk with jazz in ways that are accessible and easy to grasp all the while not deviating from the concept at hand. The two ten minute plus jams in the middle of each of the album's sides do the majority of the heavy lifting and demonstrate the overall feeling that was in the air at that time. The world is a ghetto? You don't say.
fIREHOSE
3/5
A slightly killer, some filler collection of ramshackle acoustic-led punk that offers some surprisingly catchy numbers to hear.
Favorites: Riddle of the Eighties, In My Mind, Whisperin' White Hollerin', Mas Cajones, Liberty For Our Friend, Time With You, If'n, Some Things, The Softest Hammer.
Yes
5/5
Although very much built around two songs (Roundabout and Heart of the Sunrise), three if you want to include Long Distance Runaround, the fact of the matter is that Yes' Fragile as a whole is one of the most important albums in not just progressive rock but in rock itself. The album being named Fragile seems intentional, for it belied the epic magnitude of the music contained within it as it nods (at times) to classical and would often foretell genres that would upend prog itself in coming years. Fragile's intrepid nature is something that makes it worth revisiting upon first or many more listens, whether it is the first minute of Roundabout, the throttling bassline of Heart of the Sunrise or the charming South Side of the Sky. Although it was made in 1971, it is music made for 2071.
Stevie Wonder
5/5
Usually near-death experiences come with a resolution, a need to change the way one lives their life. When an album is titled Fulfillingness' First Finale, such thoughts come to mind. The fourth of five (six? seven?) classic albums in the imperial period of Stevie Wonder's long career, not only does it continue down the innovative path Stevie paved for others to emulate but it also signaled a message that the end was near. Not in a apocalyptic sense but, in hindsight, a musical sense. Picking up where Innervisions left off with spirited songs of love and social issues, Fulfillingness' becomes fused with mortality, as exemplified by the haunting highlight They Won't Go When I Go. One more triumphant leap forward followed before the perceived downturn in creativity but, when it is all said and done, no one can deny that the 70s and perhaps beyond would have sounded completely different without Stevie Wonder.
Neil Young
5/5
One of the fun (?) aspects of digging in the ditch is, presumably, finding nuggets of gold. Which wasn't a problem for Neil Young as he would come up with gold constantly during that time but it would become a problem for fans as this particular nugget would prove elusive to seek over the coming decades. Listening to the music on On the Beach ensures that such a thought comes as no surprise. This album is chock full of venom and contemplation, the kind one would have while having seen the desolation atop the mountain. It is little to no wonder why On the Beach has the mythos that it has, for the amount of time spent in the ditch makes someone see and think ferocious things. Alas, all one has to do is move forward and walk on.
Can
5/5
What was yet another phenomenal achievement in the dizzy dizzy career of Can wound up becoming the final chapter in a six part story. Although not as thoroughly explosive and innovative as the prior two albums, Future Days upholds an atmospheric calm that feels just as impactful. Can's increasingly noticable aptitude for crafting pop melodies are sandwiched between the bookending sonic adventures and it does not take away from the overall goal of the record, which was to present another side of the group that was often given in small doses. Ultimately, whether intentional or not, Future Days ended up becoming the beginning of the end for Can as the soon-to-be influential pillar of the new German motorik/kosmische scene for they would wade through uncharted waters that got murky in passage. Yet this is still an essential document that showcased why being in a German band in the 1970s was an exciting place to be for the sake of future days.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
4/5
Perhaps the defining album in the Red Hot Chili Peppers discography, Blood Sugar Sex Magik is a monolithic funk rock motherload, bursting through with the kind of infectious, feel good, dumb fun exuberance that one often thinks of when it comes to the band. While that may be substantial enough for the average RHCP fan, the problem arrives when it comes to the structure. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is too long for its own good. While the grooves and the vibes throughout justify its existence, some songs off this album (Naked in the Rain, My Lovely Man, Funky Monks) could have been best made into b-sides or vault tracks and their inclusions only turns this album into a needless slog towards the end. Of course, the middle portion of the album (I Could Have Lied through Under the Bridge) is the worthwhile centerpiece of the whole shebang and is worth the price of admission. Overall, while the fallout of the album's success has permeated itself into the Peppers' ongoing lore, it can't be denied that Blood Sugar Sex Magik was what convinced listeners that the Chillis' were here to stay for good.
Favorites: The Power of Equality, If You Have to Ask, Breaking the Girl, Suck My Kiss, I Could Have Lied, Mellowship Slinky in B Major, Give It Away, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Under the Bridge, Apache Rose Peacock, Sir Psycho Sexy.
Dagmar Krause
3/5
An audacious attempt at melding 20s music with modern sounds, Dagmar Krause cultivates a field to command her Tank Battles. One can envision the blend with a cinematic flair that can sweep the emotions of the listener and leave them dazed and swelled with all sorts of feeling.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIxWXRU4UDqrRm_pTjpJSWXvjEzKg9U1&si=e3bBsr-uNvCpRuE6
Favorites: Song of the Whitewash, Tank Battles, You Have to Pay, Ballad of the Sackslingers, The Perhaps Song, Song of a German Mother, Bankenlied, Failure in Loving, Berlin 1919, The Trenches.
Neu!
5/5
All good things must come to an end. The black backdrop and the scrawled white lettering of Neu's name marked a contrast from the prior two albums and it informed the audience that things were not all that one brained. Which was for the best considering the different styles on display. Melodic, soothing ambiance followed by surging, ferocious rock and roll made for a kind of whiplash only innovative German musicians could conjure up so that plenty of other acolytes can soon mine for their own sonic adventures. From Dusseldorf back to Norway, just another hero riding through the night.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
No one man personified 1970s turbulence more than Marvin Gaye. Such soul seeking, inward reflections of the self that he inhabited gave us some of the greatest albums of not just Marvin's career but of all time and it capped off with Here, My Dear, perhaps the most fascinating album of his. What Marvin once envisioned as chicken shit would soon give way to chicken salad as he did not shy away from the painful and hellacious breakup with his (much older) wife Anna. Rather, he wallows and revels in the grandiose nature of the music within as the disco flavoring mingles uneasily with the supposedly private topics dished out on wax. No wonder fans of his were put off. He was supposed to uplift them, give a voice to issues at hand and supply them with feel good jams when necessary. No one was ready to hear songs about paying attorney fees and the cost of leaving a relationship behind in 1978 but that was what Marvin was doing. We'd be wrong and he'd be right in due time. Exhausting, explorative, emotive, expressive and epic, Here, My Dear is Marvin at his most honest.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Country music encompasses many multitudes. One of those is the image of the outlaw. A troublemaker, cast away by society, sent away to its jail cells. Its appeal is not that hard to describe and understand. One of those who understood was Johnny Cash. Going to the actual Folsom Prison, after singing about it a decade before, was to be not only a crystallization of a long held ambition but a shot in the arm for Cash and the country genre as a whole. No amount of censorship and implied walking on eggshells feel can contain the sheer vitality that's on display as Johnny and his band regal the Folsom audience members (relieved of the prisoners tag for a brief time) with the songs that speak to theirs and his experiences in life. It electrifies, it humors, it ponders, it tugs at the heartstrings. At Folsom Prison is just one of those indispensable documents that makes the music fan thankful for its existence, regardless of whether they're a country music fan or not and it is one of, if not the, finest hours of The Man in Black's career.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
It must be my morning brain talking but Floodland went in one ear and out the other. It started off well then it lost me to the point where I cannot remember what the songs sound like. It's my fault, though, I was not in the space needed for this album's attention. I'm sure it's good. I'll check again another time.
Favorites: Dominion/Mother Russia, Lucretia My Reflection, 1959, This Corrosion, Driven Like the Snow.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
4/5
In the year of Orwell's dystopian imagination, the sound of a nation belonged to a band largely propped up by advertising and publicity, bringing together scandalous imagery and not so subtle innuendo and turning them into iconic statements. Frankie Goes to Hollywood may have turned out to be one of the more obvious one trick ponies in all of 80s pop but Welcome to the Pleasuredome is chock full of unexpectedly outward and out there diddies that would have one questioning what the motive is. From the 13 minute long tome that is the title track to the big hits to the beguiling yet bizzare stabs at Edwin Starr and Bruce Springsteen, this album is quite the potpourri; once dug in, the experience would be worth the time.
Favorites: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Relax, War, Two Tribes, Born to Run, San Jose, Krisco Kisses, Black Night White Light, The Only Star in Heaven, The Power of Love.
Le Tigre
4/5
Talk about a reset. After a decade or so of thrashing rock guitars, imploring all girls to come to the front and spearheading all sorts of revolutions, whether intentional or otherwise, Kathleen Hanna decamped to New York and set out on a different path. Le Tigre was the way forward. Merging her clarion call vocals effortlessly with the electro clash of fellow co-conspirators Johanna Fateman, Sadie Benning and JD Samson, Le Tigre set out to prove that there can be room for feminist flavored pop music and they succeed with flying colors, proving that riot gurrl can make itself capable of adapting to the uncharted waters of the 21st Century.
Favorites: Deceptacon, Hot Topic, What's Yr Take on Cassavetes?, The the Empty, Eau D'bedroom Dancing, My My Metrocard, Friendship Station, Dude Yr so Crazy!!.
Happy Mondays
4/5
The summer of love might have concluded in Manchester but that didn't mean the Mondays were through blowing the audience's minds. On their third and probably most popular album, the band found a way to bridge together thrills with possible transatlantic success the kind that would cure a belly ache (with or without pill usage, although they'd probably prefer the former). One of the last gasps of the moment before the vicarious imitators shone through, for better or worse.
Favorites: Kinky Afro, God's Cop, Donovan, Grandbag's Funeral, Dennis and Lois, Step On, Holiday, Step On (Twisting My Melon Mix)
The United States Of America
4/5
1968 was the year of disarray not just around the world, but for The United States of America. Politicians shot down and scare mongering their way to the top, the counterculture being more prevalent than before, riots burning down the cities and music became the powerful voice of revolution. What better way to document that rising tide than a group whose ethos recall both the sounds of the supposed good old days and the then far out future. It's really not that difficult to see where the influence of The United States of America lies in that distant future, hearing the fingerprints nestled within the likes of Stereolab and Broadcast and other library music folk. Cacophony and cohesion collide here for one strange yet inimitable album. How much fun it's been.
Favorites: The American Metaphysical Circus, Hard Coming Love, Cloud Song, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Where is Yesterday, Coming Down, The American Way of Love, No Love to Give, You Can Never Come Down, Tailor Man, Do You Follow Me.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
A nice, short collection of songs that go by in a breeze, with Astrud still putting her singing prowess to good use after the big bossa nova boom came to an end.
Favorites: Misty Roses, A Banda (Parade), Oba, Oba, I Had the Craziest Dream, Beach Samba, I Think of You.
Beatles
5/5
The cracks had begun to appear, the dam ready to burst. Having established dominion over the music world with the one-two punch of Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour, seeking and failing to achieve transcendence in the form of Rishikesh and fully coming to terms with how to grasp and conduct business, The Beatles were now ready to go their own ways. Their eponymous double album is proof of that. Back to basics rock and roll, stray ruminations on complex topics masked by relations to animals, schizo genre hopping from reggae to baroque to country to musique concrete, the creativity flourishing from the sojourn to India paying dividends and a written song from everyone's favorite neutral Beatle. It is all gathered here in its messy, glorious, confounding, enlightening, rollicking, barebones best. Much has been said, much has been condensed, much has been imagined to be whiitled down to proper digestion. It's still great, it still sold, it's still the bloody Beatles White Album.
Hole
5/5
Straight out of the frying pan and into the fire. Live Through This came through at a most unfortunate time, the consequences of which would linger around its existence to this very day. That doesn't negate, however, it being not only Hole's greatest album but Courtney Love's finest hour: an unrelenting blast of righteous fury, searing proclamations and uncompromising sincerity. Regardless of the troubles that followed through the album before, during and after, Live Through This is a testament of the sheer power that surged through Hole in the 90s, whether administered through outside forces or not. Go on and take everything, she'll want you too. You'll ache like she aches anyway.
Sleater-Kinney
5/5
It was the start of something special, a perfect alchemy. Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss came together for under forty minutes of pure rock perfection, the kind where words and guitar (and boisterous drums) form the tsunami that could and would obliterate what came before and what would define what came after. Seven albums and over twenty years later, it would hard to consider Dig Me Out as anything but a bedrock. It has proven itself as the foundation to which the bands it has influenced since its release have based themselves on as well as the very image of Sleater-Kinney; the next step in feminist rock idealism that is as accessible as it is still piercing.
Pavement
5/5
I can remember what my thought process was when I heard this for the first time a few years ago. How strange, how discordant, how catchy, how chaotic. For all, there are five Pavements but for a select few this first one, Slanted and Enchanted, may very well be the essential Pavement. Upon listening to this, one gets the gist of what the whole starting point was before things went somewhat off the rails (if it wasn't already off the rails). Sure they got a little more refined, maybe a little disjointed, perhaps jaded and bottomed out towards the end and, yet, none of that would have been possible if it weren't for this. Surely there was no harnessing of hopes upon this in 1992, for Slanted and Enchanted sounded as much of a one-off in its own fucked up galaxy as it could possibly become possible. But in its unconcerned disposition, it was dressed for success whether it anticipated it or not.
Bill Callahan
5/5
Stamping a place amongst underground circles for years under pseudonyms, Bill Callahan came around to using his own name and forged a concrete identity with it. His second record, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle, is a revelatory, riveting listening experience from start to finish. Not a note is wasted, every minute of a song has meaning and it pulls you into a world you'd wish you'd stay in for longer than forty-eight minutes. I've got nothing else to add other than give it a listen. I'm glad I had.
Roxy Music
5/5
As we gathered around Bitters End, there came plenty a chance meeting to take advantage of. If there is something to take note of, is that there is no shortage of love for Humphrey Bogart around these parts. Would you believe? Not long into the abundance of sounds buzzing amongst the chatter, the first chords of The Bob blared through the speakers and we were rollicking again. Our clothes, long and short and tailored and sequined and sharp and flat, underwent a re-make/re-model as though they were anticipating the Ladytron. Yet there she was, what's her name? Virginia Plain? Initially she wasn't supposed to be there but it's for the best that she was. If you come through for one of these gatherings, make sure of one thing: keep an eye out for the sea breezes.
Supergrass
5/5
In 1995, Britain was the place to be. While everyone was busy squabbling over who the better band was between Blur and Oasis, there were a small few that would think otherwise. One of those answers, probably, was a young and scrappy three-piece from Oxford called Supergrass who had put out one of the most exuberant albums in recent memory with I Should Coco. Full of adrenaline and chutzpah from start to finish, Supergrass refuse to let up as they provided anthems of a generation for a generation raring to take advantage of the new movement that was in the air. A timeless explosion that still stands the test of time, I Should Coco was the beginning of something special for all the strange ones out here.
The Chemical Brothers
5/5
A record best played while walking under the blistering sunshine as the wind blows by, Exit Planet Dust is The Chemical Brothers not only unveiling themselves to the world but the world becoming a playground for their seemingly hedonistic approach to electronic music. Little did they know that they would set a template that would become carried out by their peers and that would subsequently turn their genre into a juggernaut by decade's end.
The Adverts
5/5
Crossing the red sea with The Adverts requires an acknowledgement of a sense of urgency, a kind of awareness for what's going on that colors the past, the present and the future and a overt feeling of surging rage flowing through the veins. Whether or not there is time to be a particular age, what is for sure is that, for the brief time that they were a part of the scene, The Adverts were very much amongst one of the best of the first wave punk bands. A pity that their clarion call didn't ring loud enough for the world to hear.
k.d. lang
4/5
When you have Owen Bradley, one of (if not) the most legendary producers in country music deciding to come out of retirement to produce your debut album, you may have stumbled upon a good thing. For k.d. lang, her good thing was her approach to the standards lain in front of her and she makes the best of them and comes close to essentially making them her own (notably on Once Again Around the Dance Floor). Shadowland is anything but shadowy, it is the arrival of a bright new talent who'll go on to bigger things.
Favorites: Lock, Stock & Teardrops, Sugar Moon, I Wish I Didn't Love You So, (Waltz Me) Once Again Around the Dance Floor, Black Coffee, Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them, I'm Down to My Last Cigarette.
Nick Drake
5/5
And now we rise, and we are everywhere. Such optimistic sounding words should not come from someone who has approached the end of his rope, who has firmly accepted the approaching fate that has become bestowed upon him. And yet... Nick Drake had no way of knowing, unfortunately, that almost thirty plus years on, people would look to him and consider his work as something legendary and Pink Moon, for all its brevity, is legendary. Steadfast in its starkness, Nick made the most of what little he had; any more or any less would have made it meaningless. This is a prime example of getting one's point across. None of us would have stood so tall.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Blue has conjured up such a mythos that has become quite impossible to downplay or dispute. Its stature from dismissed musings of the Laurel Canyon scene and its inhabitants to a vaunted masterwork of a woman approaching her peak in creativity has become something to behold and admire in recent memory. That didn't stop me, however, from coming away from this feeling blue because Blue made me cold. The majority of the record was essentially fitted in one ear only to pop out of the other. It felt monotonous at times. I didn't hate it but I didn't overtly love it like I wanted to, either. I respect its status in this day and age but it's not for me.
Favorites; My Old Man, Little Green, California, This Flight Tonight, River.
Stephen Stills
4/5
Stephen Stills' first solo outing is made of more ambitious material than anything his Nash & Young bandmates could conjure up (maybe with the exception of Crosby's). Largely pastoral, at times philosophical, daringly outward looking, this brings a bit of the countercultural dream of the 60s into the 70s even when it appeared to not become what it was meant to.
Favorites: Love the One You're With, Church (Pt. Of Someone), Old Times Good Times, Sit Yourself Down, Black Queen, Cherokee.
D'Angelo
5/5
Something special was brewing within the soul music genre in the mid 1990s. After a couple of years seeking to look forwards, the only way it could continue to do so is if it would start to look backwards. That's when the admittedly dreadfully named neo-soul genre started to emerge, with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar sowing the seeds. With its warm, inviting yet slightly enigmatic aura, Brown Sugar not only sweetens the pot but also keeps it spicy when applicable (but never overtly). D'Angelo perfectly got, with his first record, the essence of what soul music was about and it would be that perfection that he would obtain once more before losing his way and coming back again. But this was a hell of a first shot and it's a good thing that we kept coming for more.
B.B. King
3/5
How blue can one get after encountering this live album B.B. King? Apparently less. Live at the Regal captures B.B. at his very best, as he approaches his repertoire with the seasoned touch that made him amongst the most admired and imitated (but never duplicated) guitarists of his generation. His vocal chops, as well, is often a delight to hear as well. Short and sweet but it wouldn't have hurt for it to be longer.
Favorites: Every Day I Have the Blues, It's My Own Fault, How Blue Can You Get?, You Upset Me Baby, Woke Up This Mornin', You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now.
FKA twigs
4/5
It is easy to forget, seeing how ubiquitous the sound is now, the hype and the buzz the girl formerly known as Twigs generated in the early 2010s with her transition from dance to electronic music. Her twisted, formless songs, aided by productions from Arca, Clams Casino, Blood Orange, et al., filled the then-present void of unconventional female pop singers breaking the mold and recontextualzing it in their own image. Ten years on, whether it was bested or not, LP1 remains the best start point of Twigs' discography.
Favorites: Lights On, Two Weeks, Hours, Video Girl, Numbers, Kicks.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Nick Cave has always been an expressive writer and Henry's Dream is an apt example of his capabilities. He and his Bad Seeds crank out endless tale after endless tale as if there were no tomorrow and, while the results may sound and feel lengthy at times, it is still a pretty sonorous experience hearing them swing for the fences.
Favorites: Papa Won't Leave You, Henry, I Had a Dream, Joe, Brother, My Cup is Empty, When I First Came to Town, Loom of the Land.
Neneh Cherry
3/5
With the still cool, still classic album opener like Buffalo Stance, Raw Like Sushi has a tall task ahead of itself following it with equally incredible songs. While it falls short of the mark due to the datedness of some of the songs, the results are indeed interesting, in particular deep cuts like Outré Risqué Locomotive, Love Ghetto and the remixes of Buffalo Stance and Manchild. Overall, a solid representation of what pop music was heading into at the turn of the decade.
Favorites: Buffalo Stance, Manchild, Kisses on the Wind, Inna City Mamma, Love Ghetto, Outré Risqué Locomotive.
Britney Spears
3/5
We had no way of knowing what was to come. Looking up at us with a sincere smile that didn't betray her age, there was this expectation that turned into reality (and eventual nightmare) of Britney Spears being America's Sweetheart. Of course, looking at this as a whole, ...Baby One More Time is not perfect and it is dated at times to the point of bafflement (Soda Pop, what? E-Mail My Heart? Not bad but, sheesh, that title). But, considering the first three songs (which really holds this album together, honestly), it is not a surprise that this became the juggernaut it wound up being. Britney would only have to go onward and upward from here.
Favorites: ...Baby One More Time, (You Drive Me) Crazy, Sometimes, Born to Make Me Happy, I Will Be There, Thinkin' About You.
Kings of Leon
3/5
Youth and young manhood is a phenomena that's a right of passage in discovering and eventually becoming who one is meant to be in life. Kings of Leon seemed to have had that part figured out already. One would not guess that this was their debut album yet they burst onto the soon-to-be overtly filled 2000s new indie rock landscape with the Southern touch duly needed and the sounds of prior Southern rock bands provided with the modern touch. On the whole, it gives as good as its got and there is plenty of evidence that suggests that they will improve with time.
Favorites: Red Morning Light, Joe's Head, Trani, Spiral Staircase, Molly's Chambers, Holy Roller Novocaine, Talihina Sky.
Eagles
4/5
It's all about being at the right place at the right time and the Eagles were in such a position by 1976. Arguably one of the last rock albums, in the purest sense, before the landscape was shaken and fragmented entirely, Hotel California represents the band at its most majestic and ambitious. One glance at the album cover tells you everything that's needed to be known about it before the needle even drops. An iconic 70s rock record, what more is needed to be said that hasn't been?
Favorites: Hotel California, New Kid in Town, Life in the Fast Lane, Pretty Maids All in a Row, Try and Love Again.
The Zutons
4/5
Who killed The Zutons? Interesting question. What I can say is that it wasn't my increased attention to this album while it played. I had expected some bog standard, dull dishwater landfill indie upon receiving this release but what I was met with instead was some rather surprisingly good tunes, most of which don't approach past the three minute mark (which is much appreciated) and don't overstay their welcome. It is apparent that The Zutons were a very talented bunch and they destined to improve their stride before they were murdered. Such a shame.
Favorites: Zuton Fever, Pressure Point, You Will You Won't, Havana Gang Brawl, Railroad, Long Time Coming, Not a Lot to Do, Remember Me, Dirty Dancehall.
Robert Wyatt
4/5
After some time spent away, Robert Wyatt reappeared at the end of the 90s with Shleep. Whereas his earliest solo recordings saw him coming to grips with his newfound circumstance and sonic adaptations, Shleep is Robert at his most collaborative and structured. His songs could wander and become dizzying at times yet they are infused with his affable spirit that is hard-won and aligned with a certain philosophy. A most logical step for Robert Wyatt to take and it is one of his best efforts.
Favorites: Heaps of Sheep, The Duchess, Maryan, Was a Friend, Free Will and Testament, September the Ninth, Blues in Bob Minor.
Laibach
4/5
From the jump, Laibach sets about obliterating any wondering eardrum coming across this opus and maintains that momentum throughout the majority of the run time. Taking advantages of seeming associations with the likes of Churchill and Queen, Opus Dei is an example of industrial rock at its most bombastic and imaginative, taking it out of the dust strewn apocalypse and onto somewhere dizzying.
Favorites: Leben heißt Leben, Geburt einer Nation, Leben-tod, F.I.A.T., Opus Dei, Trans-National, How the West Was Won, The Great Seal.
Tom Waits
5/5
When the neon signs are shut off and the air cools and the dust begins to assert itself, that's when the freaks come out. Tom Waits for no man when it comes to digging deep into his bag of stories and not only did he dig deep, he dug up newfound access to material that would allow him to pad out and fully furnish his tales as he wished. The result, Swordfishtrombones, was unlike anything he'd done before and it would serve as a launchpad to what we, and he, would anticipate for the remainder of his career. Every song on here, whether it's a minute or so or approaching four, is a cinematic exercise worthy of its rolled tape. It is truly one from the heart.
Ash
5/5
1977 was the year of cataclysmic change. Two sevens clash, new hopes, disco fever, stiff little fingers, all the bollocks. It was also the birth year of the principal members of Ash and they congregate to make an absolute blast with this album. More aligned with Dookie than Definitely Maybe, 1977 wears its influences on its sleeve, baring its weird, often angular, at times sincere nature. Britpop this is not and, with the way it was heading, it's for the best.
The Only Ones
4/5
For the longest time I thought that, from looking at the album cover, The Only Ones were some long-lost New York based punk rock/new wave band, the double vision of the band and the colorful styling of the name hammering that perception home. Consider me surprised when I read that they were, in fact, British and not a one and done project destined for obscurity. The Only Ones does a pretty good job keeping their heads afloat in a rapidly changing atmosphere, merging punk and pop into a steady concoction that doesn't stray off the rails during its runtime. Clearly a band that deserved more than they received and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Favorites: The Whole of the Law, Another Girl, Another Planet, Breaking Down, City of Fun, The Beast, No Peace for the Wicked, Peter and the Pets.
The Cult
4/5
An electric romp, hehe, from start to finish, The Cult take no prisoners for almost forty minutes that would leave the listener impressed whether they know of the backstory of the album or not. Have fun getting Love Removal Machine out of your head and getting bowled over by Aphrodisiac Jacket over and over again.
Favorites: Peace Dog, Lil' Devil, Aphrodisiac Jacket, Electric Ocean, Love Removal Machine, Memphis Hip Shake.
Fugazi
5/5
Fugazi stood for something. Something that was, quite possibly, bigger than the world that they inhabited. Bigger than the usual ethos that came from the guitar/bass/drum/vocal dynamic that results in cliche and well-traveled roads. A dynamic that can never be replicated or repeated no matter how many bands that call themselves influenced by Fugazi try to amount to such a thing. Which makes Repeater, the name of the first true Fugazi record, a funny name for it in that, while it marked the beginning of something new, it was probably the only time Fugazi presented themselves as something approaching accessible with the kind of template they set here, for they would not dare to try to replicate (or repeat) it afterwards. Regardless of it all, Repeater still stands as a remarkable record that is a unwitting document of what was about to come in 90s alternative/indie; an uncompromising plant of the flag that lets those who seek to follow Fugazi to know what they stand for and the lengths they were willing to go in order to maintain it, therefore earning awe, praise and respect along the way. The best place to start if you want to know what they're all about.
Gary Numan
4/5
For a supposed Johnny Come Lately, Gary Numan really did knew how to craft the tunes. On his second solo outing, the well suited human robot (amongst many around that time) assumes his spot as one of the bright stars of the emerging synthpop boom, giving us plenty of great songs that stand the test of time and prove enduring to this day. Turns out pleasure really is the principle.
Favorites: Airlane, Metal, Films, M.E., Tracks, Conversation, Cars, Engineers, Oceans, Me, I Disconnect From You, Bombers, Remember I Was Vapour.
The Who
4/5
Prior to 1969, The Who were seen as the mod band to end all mod bands. Their short, snappy, all-killer no-filler, bombastic approach to music had seen all kinds of destruction lain in its wake. But they were beginning to stray. A Quick One While He's Away was a teaser, The Who Sells Out was a warning and Tommy was the atom bomb. This incredulous, unbelievable story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a pinball machine savant and a messiah to the masses after undergoing the kind of trauma that would drive most people crazed hit an indelible nerve that is still felt to this day. It freed the band from the corner in which they were painted in and allowed them to approach their finest form. As groundbreaking as this was, it is best that it should be listened to as a live document. Their live performance of this album is one of the many prime examples of The Who at their absolute best as the greatest live band of their generation. Without Tommy, there is no certainty that The Who would've survived the 60s and we wouldn't have heard them at their most powerful. This is where the story truly begins.
Favorites: Overture, 1921, Amazing Journey, Sparks, The Acid Queen, Underture, Pinball Wizard, Go to the Mirror!, Sensation, Sally Simpson, I'm Free, We're Not Gonna Take It.
Beastie Boys
4/5
For the longest time in regards to my fandom of Beastie Boys, I avoided this album. Its supposed juvenile styling and how basic and unrepresentative it seemed in comparison to the successive albums were good enough reasonings for me to not give Licensed to Ill the time of day. But there may have been another, more latent reason why I didn't listen to this album: it's omnipresence across hip-hop. Through bits and pieces, I would encounter certain soundbites from songs off here on other records, which makes me not only think about its influence on hip-hop but also its position for me as a listener. Is it the Beasties' finest hour? Certainly not but it is a worthy turning point for a genre not just honing the craft but finding its footing as a dominant force in the industry. There are plenty of instances throughout that showcase the innovative musical choices made that had no regard for copyright or sample clearance that would come to haunt the genre later on, despite it appearing rudimentary for modern ears. As for the Boys themselves, they would become pigeonholed by the jock idiot stereotype perpetrated by the album's biggest hit (still good albeit overplayed) and would work tirelessly hard to overcome which, fortunately for them and us, would allow them to bestow upon us their potential as one of the best groups of their generation. And that's all because of the new style.
Favorites: Rhymin and Stealin, The New Style, She's Crafty, Posse in Effect, Fight for Your Right, Hold It, Now Hit It, Brass Monkey.
The Go-Go's
4/5
Equipped with both beauty and the beat, The Go-Go's arrived right on time for the start of a new musical era. Crossing the punk threshold (think The Runaways) onto something brighter (think Blondie), The Go-Go's provide a poppier side to the proceedings and, in the process, establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Although the band would not last as long as they should have, there is no mistaking that Beauty and the Beat is a record worthy of further consideration beyond the hits, as their deep cuts suggest that there is more to come with this kind of beat.
Favorites: Our Lips Are Sealed, How Much More, Tonite, This Town, We Got the Beat, Automatic, Can't Stop the World.
Def Leppard
4/5
Oh, Def Leppard, look what you've done to this rock and roll clown. What's become their breakthrough album also became a sign of things to come; the kind that would steer not only hard rock into its sleek sheen moment in the sun but the band into an unexpectedly prolonged stasis where tragedy and triumph collided into becoming a runaway train. Yet Pyromania is anything but tragic, it is a full on blast of exuberant rock and roll that would leave one banging their head from beginning to end. Perhaps this is the only dose of Def Leppard one would need, maybe there can be a thirst for more; whatever comes from this, at least it wasn't time wasted.
Favorites: Rock! Rock! (Til You Drop), Photograph, Stagefright, Too Late for Love, Die Hard the Hunter, Foolin', Rock of Ages.
Wilco
5/5
It's war on war from what I've seen. We had made reservations, but no one wants to commit to them. The day before, I had broken the kamera, which added to the already tense mood. Not even saying I'm the man that loves you did the trick like before. The ashes of American flags colored the ground as the rambling preacher raged at the sky above regarding all things apocalyptic, hellfire, Jesus, etc. Why do we keep dwelling in these poor places, I will never know. And I don't wish to know as I'm trying to figure out the meaning of pot kettle black. The heavy metal drummer is on again, as the pre-teens' prayer for a radio cure becomes more elusive by the day. And the only thing we've got left, in order to stay sane, is a clarion call that will reverberate for the remainder of our days: I am trying to break your heart. I am trying to break your heart.
Method Man
3/5
Method Man's Tical is the first and, unfortunately, most forgettable of the first batch of Wu-Tang solo albums. That's not to say that it's flat-out terrible, it's just that with what came out afterwards (Return to..., Cuban Linx, Liquid Swords, Ironman) it is lacking in the door bursting bombast that makes those subsequent records classics. It is a little too introverted, whether or not that was the intention. What saves is largely is Meth's swaggering, smoky personality and the way he approaches his rhymes on the mic in the unmistakable manner that made him the reluctant rugged heartthrob of the Wu. If Tical had been placed in another rapper's hands, one would not give it a second thought. Such is the transformative power of the Shaolin swordsmen.
Favorites: Tical, Bring the Pain, All I Need, Meth Vs. Chef, Release Yo' Delf, P.L.O Style, Mr. Sandman.
Janelle Monáe
4/5
The future was once an exciting place, a vision where anything that can be thought of as possible to achieve, looking backwards to understand how to move forward. As the ArchAndroid, Janelle Monae found a stellar way to fuse past, present and future together into a package that bursts with consistent energy and cohesion. The second and third part of a five part suite, heading into just this without digesting the first part feels like cheating yet this is a pretty good introduction to someone who may still very well turn culture on its head. Nearly fifteen years on, it's still electric.
Favorites: Dance or Die, Faster, Locked Inside, Sir Greendown, Cold War, Tightrope, Oh, Maker, Come Alive (War of the Roses), Mushrooms & Roses, Make the Bus, Wondaland, Say You'll Go.
GZA
5/5
Most masterworks aren't made in a day, that's fairly obvious. The Genius of the Wu-Tang Clan surely took longer than most of his crew to put forth a solo record (his second overall) post 36 Chambers but he wanted to make sure that it made an impact. And, like a game of chess, he made checkmate. Liquid Swords is regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums not just of its era but of all time and for good reason. GZA lives up to the album's title and reinforced the belief that not only was he amongst the more lyrically astute members of the Wu but also there were no fathers to the Wu-Tang style. It is little to no wonder why Wu's fan base resort to this album despite the plenty of others released since; it encapsulated what GZA stood for and the ethos he represented within the changing hip-hop landscape. So go get vaccinated with this and his logo will be branded in your skin. If you like, of course...
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
With a side dish of religious overtones (something they'd revisit, to much infamy, some time later), The Louvin Brothers provide us with these tragic songs of life. And these are songs that are imbued with a lived in quality, as though they've been through the wringer; weary, pining, reflective. And it's all due to the harmonious tones of Ira and Charlie's singing, they make you feel what they feel and vice versa. Although it can sound monotonous on occasion, Tragic Songs of Life often feels like lessons learned over the course of forty plus minutes and there is some things that can be taken from.
Favorites: Kentucky, Let Her Go, God Bless Her, What is Home Without Love, A Tiny Broken Heart, In the Pines, My Brother's Will, Mary of the Wild Moor, Satan Lied to Me, Lord, I'm Coming Home.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Making do with the space left behind by their trip-hop predecessors, Goldfrapp swirls and simmers upon their felt mountain. At once trippy and down to Earth, this short and compact album does its job at connecting certain dots all the while reminding those of who came before. An intriguing listen for the curious minded.
Favorites: Lovely Head, Human, Deer Stop, Oompa Radar, Horse Tears.
The Cramps
5/5
If these are the songs that The Lord taught The Cramps, then why did He leave us with all the banal preachy ones? Running roughshod for all of fifty-three minutes, bonus tracks and all, The Cramps give us some of the most ragged and demented punk-laden rockabilly that's at once psychotic and confrontational. Surging with adrenaline, Songs The Lord Taught Us ensures itself that it can stay imprinted in the brain of the listener and never leave. Lord have mercy.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
Little did anybody know it at the time but 1969 was the year of the Revival, Creedence Clearwater Revival to be exact. Bayou Country, the first of three (!!!) albums released by the band that year, is an exemplary effort that puts the band's best traits on display. John Fogerty and his compositional style becomes strengthened throughout the album, which brought about some of the more enduring songs in the CCR catalog and of the late Sixties in general. A full on blast from start to finish, thankfully they would have more to give us.
Favorites: Born on the Bayou, Graveyard Train, Proud Mary, Keep On Chooglin'.
Slade
4/5
Looking at the cover of Slayed? conjures up all sorts of bad vibes in the midst of the late 60s/early 70s sleaze; needlessly shirtless chap, suspicious looking geezers and the admittedly anticlimactic lameness of the album title. Color me sufficiently surprised, though, to hear that the music on here is like a blast of soda pop. It is no wonder that Slade's country folk embraced them and heralded them the patron saints of British rock and roll post-Beatles. Have a listen to Gudbuy T'Jane, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and My Life is Natural in order to come to terms with why. While best digested in short order, there's plenty of gems to be heard in this deluxe form. You'd be crazee to not give this a go.
Favorites: The Whole World's Goin' Crazee, Move Over, Gudbuy T'Jane, Gudbuy Gudbuy, Mama Weer All Crazee Now, I Don't Mind, Let the Good Times Roll/Feel So Fine, My Life is Natural, Wonderin' Y, Man Who Speeks Evil.
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits' bone has got a little machine. In his first 90s album, and first since the end of a bonkers trilogy (Swordfishtrombones, Wild Dogs, Frank's Wild Years), the erstwhile troubadour reins in on his ragged batshit musical style while, at the same time, somehow refining it. The result is not just a continuation of an upward trajectory towards hard-won inimitable greatness but the beginning of something else entirely; a moment when the hard swings of the stage light start to slow down towards a certain stillness, yet not quite ready to dim for there are still critters awaiting time in the spotlight.
Favorites: The Earth Died Screaming, Dirt in the Ground, All Stripped Down, The Ocean Doesn't Want Me, A Little Rain, In the Colosseum, Goin' Out West, Murder in the Red Barn, Whistle Down the Wind, I Don't Want to Grow Up, That Feel.
k.d. lang
4/5
Now having struck out on her own, k.d. lang unfurls her flag to showcase a more yearning, pining and romantic side to her in Ingenue; perhaps the perfect album title for the varying objects of her desire that were boldly and bravely lain bare for her time. The album throughout leaves enough of a hook on the listener to leave them impressed and eventually come back for more.
Favorites: Save Me, The Mind of Love, Miss Chatelaine, So It Shall Be, Still Thrives This Love, Season of Hollow Soul, Constant Craving.
Baaba Maal
3/5
A musical tale made in one year but reconfigured and extended in many more, Djam Leelii (known as The Adventures) underwent an adventure in and of itself. Despite of what it came out as in its formats, the music doesn't suffer for it, as Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck weave through and within each other over the course of this given hour. Of course, if attention isn't paid to the song titles, the music may sound indistinguishable from one another but it doesn't take away from how good it is. A nice primer from two of Africa's finest.
Favorites: Lam Tooro, Loodo, Muudo Hormo, Djam Leelii, Bibbe Leydy, Ko Wone Mayo, Daande Lenol, Taara.
The Style Council
4/5
In order to get out of a jam, you have to have a style council. On Cafe Bleu, Paul Weller and his admirably ambitious group stumble upon any genre that suits their fancy, from muted jazz to hip-hop and all sorts of pop in between, and mostly succeed on their own merits. It can be a bit surprising and a tad overwhelming if there was only one thing to expected just to be bombarded with another, yet The Style Council prove that they cannot be pigeonholed into any one entity.
Favorites: The Whole Point of No Return, Me Ship Came In!, The Paris March, My Ever Changing Moods, Dropping Bombs on the White House, A Gospel, Strength of Your Nature, You're the Best Thing.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Whether in its initial or expanded versions, Queens of the Stone Age's debut album steamrolls in the rollicking manner that belies any kind of stasis. Chugging riffage throughout keeps the listener engaged as it wades through desert and potential marijuana smoke. Just make sure you have on your best pair of boots when strolling to this.
Favorites: Regular John, Avon, If Only, You Would Know, How to Handle a Rope, Mexicola, Hispanic Impressions, You Can't Quit Me Baby, Give the Mule What He Wants.
Christina Aguilera
3/5
Eschewing the then-prevalent ultra sleek bombast of the mid-2000s sound, Christina Aguilera opts to take us on a journey back to fifty/sixty years past; to a time where innovation and authenticity amongst singers and musicians were standard fare and the pinup image was something to aspire to. The first disc is a flawed attempt to fuse big band era jazz with boom bap hip-hop before devolving to basic pop and R&B. The second disc is a little more interesting as a whole and it probably saves the record from being somewhat of a nebulous failure. Overall, Back to Basics is a rather bold enough statement for its time but it is ultimately another musical shift in a career full of them.
Favorites: Disc One - Makes Me Wanna Pray, Back in the Day, Ain't No Other Man, Understand, Slow Down Baby, On Our Way.
Disc Two - full listen.
Common
5/5
Something was moving in the waters of rap and R&B in the late 90s, especially in the hallowed halls of Electric Lady. The perfect time for a perfect group of people to congregate and concoct a flavor in which the ingredients are simple yet wholly effective in the ensuing chase of replication. Common's Like Water for Chocolate is seventy plus minutes of part Afrobeat tribute, part Blaxploitation detour, part millennium expression of black pride, whole Soulquarian adventure. No corner is left unturned as the individuals scattered all over here are showcased either approaching or having approached the peak of their powers. Like Water for Chocolate cemented Common as the torchbearer of the conscious style of hip-hop that was left by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and their ilk and he would only go farther to beat the drum of the cause.
Talking Heads
5/5
How does one conjure up a fear of music? Is it the air that we breathe? The drugs we take? The animals we walk amongst and consume each day? The paper that informs us of the daily happenings in our lives? Is it something that could change our mind? A way to justify finding a city to live in? Whatever it is, Talking Heads seemed to have a good grasp on the feeling. On their third album, and first in a fabled and contentious collaboration with Brian Eno, Talking Heads increasingly eek themselves out of their latent punk roots and roam across a little more global soundscape whilst keeping their toes in firmly experimental waters. As the 70s drew to a close and the 80s began to burst, it was proper time for the band to come to light and remain there for us to see and examine their influence and their fear of music was a means to get there.
The Prodigy
4/5
With one foot in the door that signaled what was yet to come while the other foot remained firmly in the place where most wouldn't recognize them, The Prodigy provided music for a jilted generation for close to eighty breakneck, blood pumping minutes. This album places itself alongside plenty other electronic dance releases of 1994 that further pushed on the door that was mainstream infiltration and acceptance, whether or not their government wanted to stifle the progression of the rave scene The Prodigy and their ilk occupied. All that was needed for the dam to burst was some trouble starting and instigating.
Favorites: Break & Enter, Their Law, Voodoo People, Speedway, Poison, No Good (Start the Dance), One Love, 3 Kilos, Claustrophobic Sting.
Abdullah Ibrahim
3/5
Not much to say about this album but, given the subtle political nature of it, it would be a mistake to assume that this is a rather soothing jazz record; for it pulses with a certain energy which is sustained throughout and the title track (which isn't on streaming services, mysteriously) is the backbone of the record and the defining song on here.
Favorites: Mandela, Song for Sathima, Mannenberg Revisited, Water From an Ancient Well, Sameeda.
808 State
4/5
The second summer of love had come to pass and who better to ring in a new year and a new decade than the 808 greats. From the inviting and soothing vocals that greet the listener with the trippy telling of a magical dream to the bonkers end that comprises The Fat Shadow, 90 encompasses all the excitable possibilities that lain in front of those who seeked to listen. Of course, this has the incomparable Pacific 202 on here so those who have sun-kissed memories of this song will perhaps flock to this one even more.
Favorites: Magical Dream, Ancodia, Cobra Bora, Pacific 202, 808080808, Sunrise.
White Denim
4/5
In their jam band bag that also contains the necessary psychedelic materials, White Denim offer us the big D and they largely succeeded in the nearly forty minute runtime. Not a bad album to bump if you want to bop your head to some grooves.
Favorites: It's Him!, At the Farm, Anvil Everything, River to Consider, Bess St., Is and Is and Is.
Dr. Octagon
5/5
I believe it is safe to say that, if it weren't for the emergence of Dr. Octagonecologyst, underground hip-hop in the late 90s/early 2000s would wound up not having such a stronghold on those that grew jaded with the materialistic braggadocio prevalent within the genre. Having established himself as hip-hop's journeyman, Kool Keith crafted a persona that was as depraved, disturbed and outright dexterous in his lyricism and supposed handling of his patients. With equally out there instrumentation and sampling from fellow collaborator Dan the Automator, Dr. Octogon swirls, sneers, staggers and oozes with sleaze for a little over an hour, an hour that would end up galvanizing like-minded artists to buck the trend and forge their own path.
Blue Cheer
3/5
Ain't no cure for the summertime blues... the supposed beginnings of what would become heavy metal are sprawling and numerous, yet when one hears Blue Cheer's Vincebus Eruptum there appears to be an acceptable enough answer to when and where it began. It might not look like much these days but the six track album does more than what was needed to get its point across. Rock and roll was mutating at a rapid-fire pace and in a way that couldn't have been anticipated more than a decade previous. Music such as Vincebus Eruptum is part of why.
Favorites: Summertime Blues, Doctor Please, Parchment Farm, Second Time Around.
The Young Rascals
4/5
Upon getting deep into Groovin' by The Young Rascals, one can pinpoint where the band shakes off the "Young" moniker and start becoming a jack-of-all-trades band who value maturity over ear piercing absurdity. This short but sweet psychedelia/soul/Latin musical patchwork is often displayed to wondrous effect in an era where the tides were changing faster than the time it took to change clothes. After this, The Rascals would look, sound and feel like a different band; they just needed to have a little bit of groove.
Favorites: A Girl Like You, Find Somebody, I'm So Happy Now, Sueno, How Can I Be Sure, Groovin', I Don't Love You Anymore, A Place in the Sun.
Sheryl Crow
4/5
If the Tuesday night music club were a real thing, I'd find a way to be there almost all the time. Sheryl Crow was already feeling like a veteran somehow when she put this record out as she juggles a variety of sounds and emotions that could pack a punch as well as her contemporaries, like-minded or otherwise, could muster. There are plenty of gems strewn across this deluxe edition, more so on the second disc which provides more of a loose and rambunctious vibe with covers of Eric Carmen and Led Zeppelin songs to match. Here is a little bit of something for everyone.
Favorites: Run, Baby, Run, Leaving Las Vegas, Can't Cry Anymore, Solidify, The Na-Na Song, No One Said It Would Be Easy, All I Wanna Do, Coffee Shop, Killer Life, Essential Trip of Hereness, Reach Around Jerk, Volvo Cowgirl 99.
The Mars Volta
5/5
After breaking away from one of the more promising bands of the early 2000s, At the Drive-In, Oscar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala gave progressive rock adrenaline and energy boosts in the form of The Mars Volta and their debut album Deloused in the Comatorium. In the course of an hour, we are beholden to a blistering and bewildering blast of bombastic proportions as prog rock becomes reborn anew with a Mexican-American purview. The intensity displayed here is enough to make one's eyes widen and one's heart pump as it soars. The song titles may be incomprehensible but one thing is for certain: the dizzying musicianship sticks with you long after the last note fades.
Ryan Adams
3/5
I'll be honest, when I got this album I was a tad bit excited, for it was time for me to see what the fuss was about when it came to this and its creator Ryan Adams. And while for the most part this album is good, I was rather disappointed in the sort of monotone nature of it all. It was as if there was very little variety and hardly any ear perking songs here (maybe To Be Young and Shakedown stand out for me). I understand that this is called Heartbreaker and not all things are merry and jolly here, just put a little bit of pep in some of those steps.
Favorites: To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High), My Winding Wheel, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Call Me on Your Way Back Home, Damn Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains), Come Pick Me Up, Shakedown on 9th Street, Don't Ask for the Water.
Death In Vegas
4/5
A rather accurate representation of where British music was heading down in the years of post-Britpop and trip-hop, Death in Vegas' The Cortino Sessions is an ambitious collection of instrumental adventures and vocal diversification. Featuring the likes of Bobby Gillespie and Iggy Pop, Death in Vegas make do with an often hedonistic experience that can rely on disorienting yet effective grooves that is very much driven home by the dance heavy second disc with its plethora of Dirge remixes.
Favorites: Dirge, Soul Auctioneer, Flying, Aisha, Aladdin's Story, Broken Little Sister, Neptune City, One More Time.
Pixies
3/5
Now that it's been made apparent, in hindsight, that time was running out for the original iteration of the Pixies, it is clear that Bossanova is made of some peculiar material. The penultimate album from Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering, Bossanova alternates between bewildering fast paced speed runs, off-kilter tunes and genuine soon-to-be classics. Perhaps as purposefully uncompromising as it comes compared to the records that came before, Bossanova had become the signpost for what was soon to come and what will never be again.
Favorites: Rock Music, Velouria, Allison, Is She Weird, All Over the World, Dig for Fire, Blown Away, Hang Wire, Stormy Weather.
Red Snapper
5/5
If their aim was to satisfy, then Red Snapper did that, then some and more. For almost an hour, they go through the ends of the electronic music world to cobble together any and all likewise and disparate textures and influences in order to conjure up a seemingly flawless album that unfurls itself in real time. Any kind of skepticism that comes from approaching this album will melt away as soon as the second or third tracks reaches the midway point and it is off to the races from there. A genuine surprise, this one.
New Order
4/5
New Order were always good at picking a perfect time to strike. Having ruled the 1980s, at first unintentionally then literally, their last album for the decade Technique whisks up the steam generated by the then-concurrent dance scenes in both Ibiza and Manchester and turns it into their own potent form of intoxication. A last hurrah of sorts for the most influential band of hedonistic revellers in their record label Factory, New Order and Technique goes to show that the legend, at times, is sometimes worth believing.
Favorites: Fine Time, All the Way, Round & Round, Guilty Partner, Mr. Disco, Dream Attack.
The Mamas & The Papas
3/5
If you can believe your eyes and ears, The Mamas & The Papas are here to assuage your fears. People often forget how much of a groundbreaking group they were, in large part due to what happened to most of them afterward, damning or otherwise. But this debut record encapsulates what they were all about in the midway point of a decade of incredible change, when any and all things seemed possible. The Mamas and The Papas, regardless of how you may have felt before, would certainly make you believe in the sights and sounds.
Favorites: Monday, Monday, Straight Shooter, Do You Wanna Dance, Spanish Harlem, Somebody Groovy, Hey Girl, The "In" Crowd.
Grateful Dead
5/5
The second of two albums they released in 1970, American Beauty is The Grateful Dead at the peak of their recording powers, weaving a tapestry of Americana and their potent musicianship into one indelible package. Having already become daunting enough to approach despite being in the public purview for less than a decade, American Beauty is the gateway for anyone willing to get to the bottom of what made The Dead the primer Californian band worth the devotion and fanaticism that has spanned decades. If one isn't moved within the first two or three songs, then they're just some lost souls.
50 Cent
5/5
Little did anybody know that this would be the death knell of gangsta rap as we knew it. Perhaps getting shot nine times after ruffling quite a few supposedly unruffled feathers and living to tell the tale is worthy of something being the final act of a tall tale. Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, waves the flag of his G-Unit and the more than good enough endorsements of Dr. Dre and Eminem on his highly entertaining, if not a tad bit long, debut album. Walking the tightrope of grit and glamour with swagger and charisma, Get Rich or Die Tryin' becomes a memorable listen based on not just that but how hook-laden it is throughout. Get Rich or Die Tryin' could be seen as the last of a soon-to-be dying breed of hip-hop monoliths but it would look and sound great on the way out.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
To get the gist of Want Two, one would have to listen to Want One. Although tangibly related based on the titles, there is enough at play on both records to consider tackling the whole shebang head on. Rufus Wainwright's often wrought, impeccably sung and finely orchestrated/arrangements push into a higher gear whilst losing none of the material that makes the records crystallize. While Rufus is a wonderful singer, the songs on Want Two can drag on and become tiring towards the end, thus making it feel like a chore. But, overall, Want Two is a good enough album to spend time with.
Favorites: The One You Love, Little Sister, The Art Teacher, Hometown Waltz, Gay Messiah, Memphis Skyline, Old Whores Diet, Chelsea Hotel No.2, In With the Ladies.
Air
3/5
Although I may have yet to see The Virgin Suicides, the soundtrack conjured up by Air is a speedy succession of images propped up with mood and intrigue. The only way to fully immerse oneself to the album as a whole is if the film is playing (preferably in a theater near you).
Favorites: Playground Love, Bathroom Girl, Cemetery Party, The Word Hurricane, Dirty Trip, Highschool Lover, Dead Bodies, Suicide Underground.
Depeche Mode
4/5
With Violator, Depeche Mode now breathed rarefied air. Years of struggle owing to misconception, vilification, outgrowth and creative reinvention brought them to this point. The world was now theirs for the taking and they were doing to make it dark. Running the gamut from deitification to sexual pleasure to the early experiments of Pink Floyd, Violator showcases Depeche Mode at their most motivated, their most outgoing and most inventive. This is the bedrock that galvanizes the curious listener to the fold.
Favorites: World in My Eyes, Sweetest Perfection, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth.
Sufjan Stevens
5/5
For what would wound up becoming known as a joke (and a mighty ambitious joke at that), Sufjan Stevens' Illinois not only packs a walloping punch but it weaves a stellar tapestry of anecdotes, tales, sounds and emotions. Listening to this record makes me feel as though I'm partaking in a tour of the state itself, learning new things each time. It never ceases to scale the heights of what was imagined and ultimately achieved, such is the end goal of Illinois. Although it is a shame that he never followed through with his 50 States series (understandably and frustratingly so, for such endeavors would swallow up his career), Illinois somehow evades the trappings by standing on its own gargantuan, at times exhausting, weight. Come on, feel the noise...
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
4/5
Jack Takes the Town is one of the plenty of folk artifacts that can be designated as a calm before the storm, where and when the genre itself was a pure art form not yet infected with commercial prospects and financial inclinations. Ramblin' Jack Elliot often sounds like a wise sage that belies his name and this sub-thirty minute record is often an enjoyable listen because of it. Sparse and sublime, like the best of them.
https://youtu.be/ysbRnyhsn0Y?si=UfqwFGTymT0rP5zg
Favorites: San Francisco Bay Blues, Boll Weevil, Bed Bug Blues, New York Town, Grey Goose, Mule Skinner Blues, Cocaine, Dink's Song.
Rufus Wainwright
3/5
To get the gist of Want One, one would have to check out Want Two that succeeds it. The records together have enough at play to make it a worthwhile listen. Rufus Wainwright's operatic, often-bombastic, Broadway inflected vocal stylings push these records into another level that encourages listener invitation. That being said, this could be a required taste and Rufus' singing style could grate and become a chore in the long run. But Want One is a fine enough album to make one want to delve into more, if they wish.
Favorites: Oh What a World, I Don't Know What It Is, Movies of Myself, Go or Go Ahead, 14th Street, Natasha, Harvester of Hearts, Want, Dinner at Eight.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
If corners were usually this bright, no child pre-1989 would have had any problems being placed there after a troublesome occasion. Just as troublesome but, ultimately, brilliant in his profession is Mr. Monk himself who allows himself to transverse various corners in this five song trek alongside some of the best jazz players of the day including, notably, Sonny Rollins before his excursion to the bridge for a spiritual quest. A worthwhile album to look towards if one is inclined to delve further into the jazz genre.
Favorites: Brilliant Corners, Pannonica, I Surrender, Dear.
Os Mutantes
4/5
With the Brazilian music scene bubbling under the exciting fizz of Troplicália, it would be Os Mutantes that would provide the more out there aspects of the genre with their self-titled debut. Blazing originality mixed with transformed renditions of songs from the States have helped this record endure, largely in their homeland then ultimately the rest of the world. A guaranteed head spinner.
Favorites: Panis Et Circenses, A Minha Menina, O Relógio, Baby, Bat Macumba, Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour, Tempo No Tempo.
The Pogues
3/5
The Pogues' If I Should Fall From Grace With God is a spirited and rousing collection that documents a supposed peak in the band's musical trajectory in spite of losing key band members. With the addition of the unexpected holiday classic Fairytale of New York, this album has plenty to enjoy if one favors barreling Irish jigs.
Favorites: If I Should Fall From Grace With God, Turkish Song of the Damned, Fairytale of New York, Metropolis, Thousands Are Sailing, The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Galway Races, Sketches of Spain, South Australia.
Morrissey
4/5
Viva Hate, viva! For his first solo effort since the split of The Smiths, Morrissey bursts out the door swinging with much sharper stances on his now established targets and a more refined (if not muscular) musical palate that nearly eclipsed what he had done previously. Taking advantage of the new situation, Morrissey delivers a tightly wound up collection that largely hits and scarcely misses, so much so that one wonders (at times) whether or not it would have fared equally well if it were songs for his previous band, such was their batting average. But alas... Viva Hate is definitely worth the listen and the time spent doing so.
Favorites: Alsatian Cousin, Everyday is Like Sunday, Bengali in Platforms, Late Night, Maudlin Street, Suedehead, Treat Me Like a Human Being, Dial-a-Cliche, Margaret on the Guillotine.
The White Stripes
4/5
Seeking to crawl away from the claw of the Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes set out to prove that they are more than what they've been perceived as on the stylistically diverse Get Behind Me Satan. While not fully jettsoning the tried and true guitar and drum pairing, Jack and Meg do their best to incorporate more out-there arrangements into their palate and, for the most part, they succeed. Get Behind Me Satan may not encourage a stadium to get up off their feet in unison but it portrays one of the best groups of the 2000s at their finest, which is more than enough.
Favorites: Blue Orchid, The Nurse, My Doorbell, Little Ghost, The Denial Twist, White Moon, Instinct Blues, Take, Take, Take, As Ugly as I Seem, Red Rain.
Scissor Sisters
4/5
A surprise cross-country hit, Scissor Sisters' debut album swaggers, sizzles and sways with the utmost confidence. Queer pop has always had its roads, whether discreet or otherwise, and this record is just another path taken in order to get to where the future needed to go.
Favorites: Laura, Take Your Mama, Comfortably Numb, Mary, Lovers in the Backseat, Tits on the Radio, Better Luck Next Time.
Jimi Hendrix
5/5
Three bushy haired men in psychedelic clothing staring through a fish eye lens, blending through a eye catching combination of yellow and purple. Most people's first impressions of The Jimi Hendrix Experience are of this blasting on record shelves amidst all the other colorful album covers of the period it was released, that fabled year of 1967. And I cannot help but wonder what it was like when the needle hit the groove for the first time as the riff of Purple Haze burst out of the speakers. And everything else that followed tumbled outwards. And onto history. Are You Experienced?, perhaps without complaints, could very well lay claim to being the greatest debut album in rock history in large part due to the magnitude of its aftermath, where the world bore witness to the full fledged bombast of a guitarist who wound up changing everyone's game plan. Alongside the equally important (and game) bassist and drummer in Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, respectively, an unforgettable experience in discovering, forming, playing and globe-trotting still reels in the cultural consciousness nearly sixty years on. Are you experienced? Well, I am.
Slint
5/5
Four teenagers walk into a room with instruments in their hands. A not so atypical scenario when it comes to passing the time and angling towards music glory. But this band was different. They already had an album out, and an EP. They were not successes at the time but at least it was around. This, however, would become seen in later years as a pivotal moment not just for the band, but for independent rock in general as this would be the signpost for a genre that would take shape as post-rock. Slint, as they were then, had no idea about any of that. Six songs, each of them sparse yet epic in their own way. All feeling, no wasted movement. Music for bleary days. Spiderland indeed left behind breadcrumb trails, whether or not it was intended to be followed. Yet the blueprint remains and they never dared to attempt bettering it. It is one of the few records of the last thirty plus years that is deserving of its status as a post-rock, and indie rock, milestone.
Small Faces
3/5
Over the course of listening to this album, I have come to terms with my mixed feelings for it. While there are songs peppered throughout that are pretty good, Ogden's Nut Gone Flake appears and feels half-hearted in its execution; it is as though Small Faces were obligated to put out a hippy-dippy psychedelic concept album in an effort to be with the times. It is apparent in the sides, with side A being just a collection of songs and side B being about some guy named Happiness Stan whose backstory I couldn't comprehend. Although there will be a time where I may have to come across this album again, confronting it in both its mono and stereo configurations may have been too much for me and such a situation may put me off it for some time. Ogden's Nut Gone Flake simply exists, that's all.
Favorites: Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, Afterglow, Rene, Song of a Baker, Lazy Sunday, Rollin' Over, The Journey.
Supertramp
4/5
When School gets going and the crime of the century gets underway, Supertramp got you where they need you. An odyssey of progressive pop, this album is bound to delight and surprise in equal measure.
Favorites: School, Bloody Well Right, Hide in Your Shell, Dreamer, If Everyone Was Listening.
Talking Heads
5/5
The beginning of a decade brings along great promise and frenetic potential that buzzes in the air. In the case of Talking Heads, not only did that ring true but it brought forth perhaps the greatest forty minutes of the decade in Remain in Light. The perfect distillation of all they've learned in the last three years and all they've absorbed, Remain in Light jitters, skewers, jives, mellows and ultimately permeates in the body of the listener in what is an unforgettable listening experience. Talking Heads had crafted, with their greatest album, a body of work that would serve as a bridge to many musical styles that was alluded to but never fully explored until then. And it was a bridge that served its purpose in garnering mainstream infiltration for the band with the masses, for afterwards it would only make sense to stop making sense and it can all be pinpointed here.
Burning Spear
4/5
No one remembers old Marcus Garvey, let alone his ghost. Burning Spear (killer name!) titling his album after one of the foremost leaders in African nationalism of his day was a bold gesture and it laid the groundwork that holds this album together. Its release was rather timely, given the explosion in reggae music in the mid-1970s, ensuring that Burning Spear would obtain a place in Jamaican music history that he still occupies to this day.
Favorites: Marcus Garvey, Slavery Days, The Invasion, Give Me, Old Marcus Garvey, Jordan River, Red, Gold & Green.
Megadeth
4/5
The metal community was blown to bits by the apocalyptic thrash of Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?. By all means intense, foreboding and unrelenting in its dark underbelly of world building, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? firmly established Dave Mustaine's band as one of the most intriguing new faces of the increasingly evolving and growing metal genre and things for them would only get better from here.
Favorites: Wake Up Dead, The Conjuring, Peace Sells, Devil's Island, Good Mourning/Black Friday.
The Boo Radleys
4/5
While boldly sharing a title from one of the greatest albums in jazz, The Boo Radleys prove their worth with their own, gargantuan in contrast, breakthrough. A tapestry of shoegaze, psychedelia, power-pop, jazz and whatever suited their fancy, The Boos throw everything, including the kitchen sink, and come away with the most astonishing record of their career. One small step for band, one great leap for mankind.
Favorites: I Hang Suspended, Upon 9th & Fairchild, Wish I Was Skinny, Butterfly McQueen, Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce), Thinking of Ways, Barney (...and Me), If You Want It, Take It, Take the Time Around, Lazarus, Run My Way Runaway.
Van Halen
4/5
The most popular album of their career and their last one with David Lee Roth until the early 2010s, 1984 sees Van Halen ascend the hard rock/metal world and into a whole other playing field, one that was brought on by ongoing momentum and dabbling in already prevalent musical trends that they would help shape in their image for the time being. Although steeped in the early 80s sound, much is to be enjoyed in regards to 1984 and it is a tad pitiful that the dynamic found here wouldn't sustain itself for long.
Favorites: Jump, Panama, Drop Dead Legs, Hot for Teacher, House of Pain.
Heaven 17
4/5
With increasingly timely and prescient fashion, Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement continues to glitter and glisten with its ugly overtones masquerading under bombastic electronic dressing befitting of its time. The decision to leave the ascendent Human League and start a new partnership, as depicted on the album cover, would pay off in dividends that would appear over time for Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, being flanked by a game Glenn Gregory. Come for the well tailored suits and slicked back hair, stay for the grooves and Kraftwerk indebted instrumentation.
Favorites: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang, Penthouse and Pavement, Play to Win, Soul Warfare, Let's All Make a Bomb, Song With No Name, We're Going to Live for a Very Long Time, Are Everything (12"), I'm Your Money, Decline of the West, Honeymoon in New York.
Black Flag
5/5
Black Flag's Damaged is one of the greatest debut albums in the punk rock genre. Infused with fury, humor and the decency to keep things short and sweet (with a few exceptions), there is an unrelenting intensity across Damaged's thirty-four minutes that would have been laughable if it were any other band (okay maybe Dead Kennedys would have done something similar). It's only in the album's last few minutes where we hear the band drift into a far slower, yet no less menacing, tempo that would be expanded upon in subsequent records. But that's for later. Damaged is essential listening for anyone willing to delve into the American side of punk rock.
Machito
3/5
A solid enough endeavor in the ceaselessly intriguing cultural musical mashups that occurred in the decade of this album's release.
Favorites: Wild Jungle, Kenya, Holiday, Cannonology, Blues a la Machito, Minor Rama.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
The chicken shack is far too small to contain such music that feels big. Jimmy Smith, alongside Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell and Donald Bailey, gives us around forty minutes of pure soulful jazz; the kind that would be suitable for walks outdoors basking in the warm Autumn air. Why would one go back to the claustrophobic shack after experiencing music quite like this? I will never know.
The Auteurs
4/5
It's easy to see why a certain British music magazine lumped in The Auteurs with an emergent scene back in the early 90s, for on New Wave they exemplify the kind of intelligent, not overtly referential compositions that was a tad bit lacking in British rock. The Auteurs, as time would go on, would only get a little more fascinating after this.
Favorites: Show Girl, American Guitars, Don't Trust the Stars, Starstruck, How Could I Be Wrong, Idiot Brother, Home Again.
Pere Ubu
5/5
It is hard to figure out the world that's been built here. One minute things are smooth sailing, nothing amiss even though the edges appear jagged. The next minute, we're underneath a murky, discordant atmosphere; one that places somebody in a state of unease. A brief reprieve appears but we get back into that dark place, where we stay until the end, where we have to think about it all the time. Quite appropriate considering the state of things back in the late 70s. A place where you wouldn't wish to go to again, but it'll stay with you for a lifetime.
David Bowie
4/5
When David Bowie made his unexpected return after nine years with The Next Day, it was all rather surreal. We'd become accustomed to referring to him in the past tense, regarding him for who he was rather than who he is. So for this eternally chameleonic shape-shifter to come back and show us how it was done was entirely welcome. Yet, for all the ballyhoo regarding Bowie's return, The Next Day looks and feels somewhat retrograde, which was perhaps intentional; looking backwards in a effort to find something new, which he does but ultimately yields to a feeling of the album not quite being on par with what came before. Which is fine, not every album can be either Ziggy or Heroes or Let's Dance. David is a master of acknowledging that kind of limitation. Fortunately for us all, he'd get back into the deep end with his very best. Unfortunately for us all, he'd be gone not long after.
Favorites: The Next Day, Dirty Boys, The Stars Are Out Tonight, Where Are We Now?, Valentine's Day, If You Can See Me, I'd Rather Be High, Dancing Out in Space, How Does the Grass Grow?, (You Will) Set the World on Fire.
4/5
Surely, for the average music fan that is also knowledgeable, the very thought of Fred Durst breathing onto a microphone is your ear is a thought so odious it makes you want to vomit suddenly. Limp Bizkit was, and is to a somewhat lesser degree, a polarizing proposition. The most testicular fortitude addled rock group of their time, with a lack of regard for common decency towards all things man and woman kind. Nothin screams this out quite like the title of this album, which combines in-jokes involving a human body part and some other yet to be disclosed thing. A hour and fifteen minutes of impending debauchery itching to explode out of the speakers/headphones. And allow me to say that the majority of this album is brilliant. This is a band doubling down on the at times justified/at time unfair vilification lobbied on them in the wake of the Woodstock '99 fiasco and other trivial reasons pertaining to their existence. While not nü-metal personified, this is one of the defining albums of that genre. If only I have enough space in this review to say the word fuck.
Favorites: Intro, Hot Dog, My Generation, Full Nelson, My Way, Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle), The One, Take a Look Around, It'll Be OK, Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle).
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Approaching the end of his second wave of popularity, Frank Sinatra teams up with one of Brasil's finest composers for a bit of a belated swing towards bossa nova, with substantial success. Frank's legendary voice blends well with the musical soundscapes lain out by Antonio Carlos Jobim and one can find themselves allowing a bit of a relaxation seeping through and encouraging a sway or two in their step while listening. Regardless of the impending downswing in both genre and singer, this is a stellar enough document that is a worthy listen if one wants to delve into Ol' Blue Eyes.
Favorites: Dindi, Change Partners, Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, Meditation, How Insensitive, Baubles, Bangles & Beads, The Song of the Sabia, Drinking Water, Someone to Light Up My Life, This Happy Madness, One Note Samba, Wave.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
4/5
An explosive blast of all killer, no filler glam rock from start to finish, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band lives up to its namesake and ends up leaving you not want to go on to the next thing, rather wanting more and more.
Favorites: Swampsnake, Gang Bang, The Faith Healer, Next, Vambo Marble Eye.
William Orbit
4/5
William Orbit's unlikely trajectory to the toppermost of the poppermost can very well be traced to Strange Cargo III. The final installment of the Strange Cargo series sees the electronic producer take on any and all soundscapes that could be bent to his well, becoming crafted into impeccable compositions along the way. It is obvious, going deeper into this album, why acts such as Madonna and Blur flocked to him at the turn of the millennium; Strange Cargo III is anything but.
Favorites: Water From a Vine Leaf, Into the Paradise, Time to Get Wize, Harry Flowers, A Hazy Shade of Random, Best Friend, Paranoia, Water Babies.
Black Sabbath
5/5
It is not hard to hear why many despised Black Sabbath when it came out in 1970. What was once the blues had become bastardized, transformed into an art form so ugly it needed no real justification for its existence. A singer sounding so out of tune, and out of whack, with his band behind him noodling endlessly throughout whole songs which would last as long as fifteen minutes in its medley forms. And yet, there is something quite modern about Black Sabbath, given what we know now. It could be passed for something that could have been released yesterday, given the despair and slow as molasses feeling it achieves. This is essentially the Sixties dream taken to the industrial landscape, dragged and beaten down by life and given an execution-style shooting. All in the span of almost forty minutes. Black Sabbath, the album and the band, became the blueprint for many other soon to be called heavy metal bands to emulate and, with that, an entire new musical landscape had been paved.
Manic Street Preachers
5/5
The uncompromising and unrelenting creative vision of Richey Edwards for his outfit Manic Street Preachers reaches its apogee with The Holy Bible. Thirteen tracks of haunting, disparate topics keeps this record on the kind of edge sharp enough to cut through bone, never mind skin and muscle. Along with samplings of audio from newscasts, documentaries and obscure movies, the music displayed here rattles around the brain to the point of impending stickiness. Edwards' disappearance in early 1995 (he would be declared dead in 2008) has proven to be a millstone for The Holy Bible, yet it doesn't diminish the potency it obtains.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Out of the blue and into the black... such a fitting description of Neil Young's career trajectory in the 1970s, stumbling upon a gold rush that harvested a plethora of unexpected and unwanted attention that led him to the ditch and, along the way, introducing him to strange twists and turns which would come to define Neil's restless nature. Hence Rust Never Sleeps. Perhaps the most perfect blend of live and studio material, Neil and his Crazy band of horses ruminate on life spent on the road with a spate of weary tales alternating between lost friendships, Native history and the changing of circumstances both controlled and uncontrolled. For most, it would be a long while before Neil reached these heights again yet scaling them serves as an example of his needing new terrains to roam through. While the thrill was not gone, the rust that was left behind would engrain itself into the dirt pretty deep. My my, hey hey, hey hey, my my.
The Cars
5/5
After the scourge of punk came the tide of the new wave and The Cars were one of the plethora of bands that took to the change of scenery with gusto. Their beyond impeccable debut album does that and then some and more in regards to delivering the goods and even the lesser renowned songs on here (I'm in Touch With Your World, Don't Cha Stop, Bye Bye Love) feel like world-beaters. What's even more impressive is that the progress of the album as it were, in form of the demos, not only arrive fully formed but in some cases succeeds in being better than the finished product. Surely the songs that wound up not making the album (Take What You Want, You Just Can't Push Me, Hotel Queenie) offer up a tantalizing glimpse into a alternate Cars universe, but it is what it is. This is a new wave masterpiece, all killer no filler from start to finish.
Flamin' Groovies
4/5
If The Rolling Stones had been raised in San Francisco and was given nothing but whiskey, an assortment of drugs and stacks upon stacks of the most rocking of rock and roll records (the kind that would find a home in the Nuggets comps) and you'd get Flamin' Groovies' Teenage Head. Similarities to the Stones aside, this is a consistently great showing that is further enhanced by the dutiful yet expansive covers tacked on towards the end of the album. Had there not been a five year break between this and the follow-up, Flamin' Groovies could very well have been one of the most prominent bands in the States but alas. Not a bad hour to spend.
Favorites: High Flyin' Baby, City Lights, Yesterday's Numbers, Teenage Head, 32-20, Evil Hearted Ada, Doctor Boogie, Whiskey Woman, Shakin' All Over, That'll Be the Day, Louie Louie.
Hüsker Dü
4/5
The second double album from Hüsker Dü, and the last album made by the trio, Warehouse: Songs and Stories doesn't have the mythos that Zen Arcade possesses yet the abundance of good to great songs more than make up for that. And, while the songs can sound and feel monotonous towards the end, it's the sheer ambition of the Dü that makes Warehouse one of the more admirable efforts of 80s independent rock.
Favorites: These Important Years, Charity, Chastity, Prudence and Hope, Standing in the Rain, You're a Soldier, Could You Be the One?, Too Much Spice, Friend, You've Got to Fall, She Floated Away, Tell You Why Tomorrow, It's Not Peculiar, Actual Condition, She's a Woman (And Now He Is a Man), You Can Live at Home.
John Lennon
5/5
To be at the center of the storm is to lose stock in some things, whilst gaining quite a few new perspectives in return. Not to mention having some unresolved issues at hand that essentially forms the majority of who you are. And then there's the thing where you change, wholly, from the person that the people who love you for who you were projecting as to the the person that you most certainly feel yourself to be. John Lennon in 1970 was ready to finally be himself. No longer the dream-weaver, the walrus, the Beatle, John was reborn and he had to undergo a lot of pain to do so. The result was perhaps the most unvarnished, tortured, soul-bearing music of his career and undoubtedly his most quintessential. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the dismantling of the mythos that had surrounded him the last six and a half years, a musical catharsis that is just as unflinching in its honesty as it is rewarding in repeated listens. One would have no problem offering this up as the best Beatles solo album (and John's best solo outing) in large part due to the lack of pretension and overbearing political/sociological posturing that would define his far more popular works. Its rawness, nearly fifty-five years on, is what makes it enduring. When listening to this, it often feels as though there is no turning back to who one was.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Further branching out from what had buttered their bread, Beastie Boys set out once and for all to let the world realize where their philosophies lie on this rock/hip-hop/jazz fusion patchwork. For all their sayings about having ill communication, the Beasties effectively get their message across pretty well and they use their platform to highlight the ongoing changes in outlook both personal and professional while not being preachy and difficult. They had finally positioned themselves as being amongst the brightest and most progressive of hip-hop acts, in a three act play that is often rightly recognized as some of the genre's greatest runs.
Favorites: Sure Shot, B-Boys Making With the Freak Freak, Root Down, Sabotage, Get It Together, Sabrosa, Alright Hear This, Do It, Heart Attack Man, Bodhisattva Vow, Transitions, Resolution Time, Sure Shot (European B-Boy Mix), The Vibes.
ABBA
4/5
Although they have been a group for a little over a couple of years, ABBA had truly arrived with, uh, Arrival. Making sure that they get across the threshold with more than a bang, Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha sought to capture the hearts of the rest of the world after doing so in Europe and they succeed with flying colors, giving us classics such as Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You and Fernando, all of which (if it surprises you) in compiled on here. After the ABBA Gold compilation, Arrival is the next best place to start when delving into the eternally winsome Swedes.
Favorites: When I Kissed the Teacher, Dancing Queen, My Love, My Life, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Money, Money, Money, That's Me, Tiger, Arrival, Fernando.
Radiohead
5/5
An interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe. Please could you stop the noise? I'm trying to get somewhere. I live in a town where you can't smell a thing, you watch your feet for cracks in the pavement. And you can laugh your spineless laugh, we hope your rules and wisdom choke you. One day, I am gonna grow wings, a chemical reaction; hysterical and useless. For a minute there, I lost myself; like a cat, tied to a stick that's driven into frozen winter shit. When I go forwards and you go backwards and somewhere we will meet (I trust I can rely on your vote). Everywhere you turn I'll be there, open up your skull I'll be there climbing up the walls. Bring down the government, they don't speak for us. It's gonna be a glorious day. Idiot, slow down.
Doves
4/5
After having undergone the type of setbacks that would have broke a lesser group, the band that would become known as Doves flew onto the scene with Lost Souls. With just an hour to spare, they set themselves apart from the wandering post-Britpop pack with dance-inflected rock soundscapes and lyrical imagery that recalls other bands like their ilk. Lost souls? Sounds more like found ones if any.
Favorites: Firesuite, Here It Comes, Break Me Gently, Sea Song, Lost Souls, Catch the Sun, The Man Who Told Everything, The Cedar Room.
Kate Bush
4/5
Turns out that, when equipped with some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art instruments of the time, you do have the right to go a bit mad. Kate Bush was three albums deep into her already bold enough career when she dropped this audacious and occasionally batshit record; the kind of record no record executive would want to have soundtracking their darkest nightmares. Time has been kind to The Dreaming, not to mention the admirers it has, may they be as disparate as the subjects the album tackles. Whether or not it may be for you, it is worth a listen.
Favorites: Sat in Your Lap, There Goes a Tenner, Pull Out the Pin, Suspended in Gaffa, The Dreaming, All the Love, Get Out of My House.
Sugar
4/5
Sugar just so happened to be what Bob Mould needed. After developing the land that future alternative rock acts would settle on with his band Hüsker Dü, Mould knew he needed a change of pace. The success of Nirvana's Nevermind and the construction of Bob's new band's Copper Blue was what resulted. Copper Blue is, perhaps, more intense and heartfelt and earnest than what the Dü had done before, which sounds like a high bar that could not be cleared but alas. The songs that make up Copper Blue, and the performances by the members involved, is a good enough indicator of what was now possible in the mainstream rock world and it was the prior efforts of the frontman that made it happen in the first place.
Favorites: The Act We Act, A Good Idea, Changes, Hoover Dam, The Slim, If I Can't Change Your Mind, Fortune Teller, Slick.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
The rock double album was an near obsolete beast in the 1990s, having been relegated to coveting greatest hits collections and being displaced by the 70 plus minute long CD and changes in style and tolerance for such ambitious world-building expenses. Leave it to Billy Corgan to bring the double album back to prominence. Never afraid to showcase his ambition in a moment in time where such feelings were against type, Corgan saw to it that his band, Smashing Pumpkins, craft the most blown out, expansive, timely and reflective album of the mid-90s. The end result, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, marked the turning point where not only the Pumpkins transcended the dying embers of grunge but had briefly integrated themselves into the pop culture lexicon. With its blasts of orchestral laden rock with glimmers of what was to come later on for the band, Mellon Collie is perhaps the last greatest album to come from the grunge era as its aesthetic merged with corporate sensibilities for good.
Disc One: Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, Tonight, Tonight, Jellybelly, Zero, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, An Ode to No One, Love, Galapogos, Muzzle, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans.
Disc Two: Where Boys Fear to Tread, Bodies, Thirty-Three, In the Arms of Sleep, 1979, Tales of a Scorched Earth, Thru the Eyes of Ruby, X.Y.U., We Only Come Out at Night, Beautiful, Lily (My One & Only).
King Crimson
4/5
By 1973, there were many princes of the progressive rock world. However, there still remained one King. Nobody knew it at the time but King Crimson was in the midst of winding down its first incarnation and they were doing so with some of the more exploratory passages of their career. Incorporating classical and fusing it with the more feral aspects of rock, Larks' Tongue in Aspic is an uncompromising beast that, like most King Crimson records, demands ones full, undivided attention and there could be gleamed a gem or two to remember. Come for the sick album cover (as always), stay for the head-spinning music.
Favorites: Larks' Tongue in Aspic, Part One, Exiles, Easy Money, Larks' Tongue in Aspic, Part Two.
Faust
5/5
Bursting through the surface with a raw, frenzied energy, Faust IV sets out to obliterate any preconceived notions as to what German music could be. Their most accessible outing after plenty of gimmicky gags and bewildered confusion, almost every song on here can be considered a Krautrock (hehe) staple from the motorik rumble of Krautrock itself to the serene Jennifer, the time-passing Giggy Smile and the rather funny Sad Skinhead. Overall, Faust IV is a great introduction to the madness that was the first incarnation of Faust.
The Charlatans
4/5
For a band called The Charlatans, tellin' stories would seem a tad bit tedious and weary; skeptical, even. It might have been if it were not a blast of consistently enjoyable dance-infused Britpop that manages to do a great deal of pressing forward from the tragedy that came before the album's release (founding member Rob Collins died before the making of the record) while not being completely overwhelmed by it. Whether or not one is familiar with that backstory, Tellin' Stories is The Charlatans turning into the real deal and making believers out of us all.
Favorites: With No Shoes, North Country Boy, Tellin' Stories, One to Another, You're a Big Girl Now, How Can You Leave Us, Area 51, Get On It.
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
Building upon the bedrock crafted by the masters of electronic music, Afrika Bambaataa upended the nascient hip-hop genre with Planet Rock. Had he not done anything else, his place is hip-hop would still be assured. Yet his search for the perfect beat culminated in this release which came years afterward yet still possessed the futuristic ambition of the song which the album is named. While not overtly important in the grand scheme of things, there are still plenty of gems to sift through, especially the Latin Rascals remix of Renegades of Funk.
Favorites: Planet Rock (Original 12" Mix), Looking for the Perfect Beat (Original 12" Version), Renegades of Funk (The Latin Rascals Remix) Frantic Situation (Frantic Mix).
Lenny Kravitz
3/5
Bringing on a flavor of 60s inspired rock and soul with a then-modern flair, Lenny Kravitz aims high on Let Love Rule and sets about never going low throughout. There is something else also brewing in the air that brings to mind a certain Paisley Park wunderkind in how Kravitz operates musically on this album. Let Love Rule is the start of what is, on paper, a very promising and intriguing career.
Favorites: Sitting on Top of the World, Let Love Rule, Freedom Train, Fear, Mr. Cab Driver, Rosemary, Be, Empty Hands.
Spiritualized
4/5
Simon Reynolds had categorized Spiritualized's Lazer Guided Melodies as 21st Century gospel and I am inclined to agree with him. Jason Pierce's space psych rock entity places itself amongst the spiritually inclined groups that ran up that hill; the difference being Spiritualized's penchant for genuine emotion seeping through and becoming the backbone of their sound, as experienced here. If more melodies can be as lazer guided as this, then we'd be better off as a species.
Favorites: You Know It's True, I Want You, Run, Step Into the Breeze, Symphony Space, Take Your Time, Shine a Light, Sway, 200 Bars.
Cypress Hill
4/5
Cypress Hill step out of the reefer fog and lace the joint with their blazing debut album, a potent and powerful enough strain that can elicit several more hits out the bong in order to understand its effect. The Chronic before The Chronic, this doobie is some good shit. Go light another while this plays.
Favorites: Pigs, How I Could Just Kill a Man, Hand on the Pump, Hole in the Head, Light Another, The Phuncky Feel One, Real Estate, Stoned is the Way of the Walk, Latin Lingo, Born to Get Busy.
Shuggie Otis
5/5
Inspiration Information finds Shuggie Otis in prime form, oozing confidence and brilliance through his fingertips in a way that would look pathetic in the hands of lesser musicians. This kind of coolness on display here, in all honesty, has been the backbone of what has come from the soul genre these last few years and the lineage can be traced to Shuggie. All killer, no filler.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
3/5
Jah Wobble and his Invaders of the Heart deliver a mostly good set of songs that straddles the line that occupies the world music landscape and keeps things interesting over the course of nearly an hour.
Favorites: Visions of You, Bomba, Ungodly Kingdom, Rising Above Bedlam, Erzulie, Everyman's an Island.
Boston
3/5
Encountering Boston's eponymous debut album is to encounter one of the many peaks of album-oriented radio rock that feels ubiquitous yet alien at the same time. For what was familiar to the ear may soon give way to something else that is surprising to the uninitiated, even if these sounds also become interwoven with the blaring tape decks out of car speakers. Overall, Boston (the band) found a niche on their first outing and that is not a small feat in and of itself.
Favorites: More Than a Feeling, Piece of Mind, Foreplay/Long Time, Hitch a Ride, Let Me Take You Home Tonight.
Venom
4/5
The new wave of British heavy metal was teeming with unstoppable momentum and Venom seemed poised to stand out amongst the crowd. Black Metal sounds every bit as apt in title, sound and feel; it may appear amateurish but there is something rambunctious and glorious about the overall result. It may be sprawling at times but that's how it's meant to be.
Favorites: Black Metal, Buried Alive, Raise the Dead, Teacher Pet, Leave Me in Hell, Sacrifice, Countess Bathory, Don't Burn the Witch, Die Hard (12").
Alice Cooper
4/5
Adorned with grit and glitz, Billion Dollar Babies finds Alice Cooper within the peak of its powers and the height of their popularity. Surprising in its legacy (members of Soundgarden and Talking Heads count as fans) as much as its uncompromising approach towards lurid topics, the album crunches and strides with purpose; as though it is in the midst of a new start as opposed to the beginning of the end. Come for the green snakeskin wallet, stay for some of the best hard rock of its era.
Favorites: Hello Hooray, Raped and Freezin', Billion Dollar Babies, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Generation Landslide, Sick Things, I Love the Dead.
TLC
4/5
In the midst of such turmoil, T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli transform from rappers with attires scribbled with crayon on the tip to sensual yet serious songstresses keen on shaking off any preconceived notions on what they should be and what they were meant to be. Crazysexycool is an appropriate title for such an undertaking and is ultimately a success given what came out of it. Outside of the "ludes" (which were fine in their own right), Crazysexycool has a consistency that would surprise any first time listener into feeling that this album warrants another listen.
Favorites: Creep, Kick Your Game, Diggin' on You, Red Light Special, Waterfalls, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Take Our Time, Switch, Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes.
Ozomatli
3/5
Street Sings by Ozomatli is a genuine, ceaselessly inspired blend of Latin rock and hip-hop that dazzle the ear of the listeners coming across this for the first time and find an assortment of materials to enjoy.
Favorites: Believe, Love and Hope, Street Signs, (Who Discovered) America, Te Estoy Buscando, Saturday Night, Santiago, Ya Viene El Sol.
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
No one would have blamed Fleetwood Mac for once again thumbing through the pages of the rulebook that made Rumours such a sensation upon its release. Instead, they fell off the deep end and offered up the eclectic, batshit, unwieldy, wonderful Tusk. Twenty songs filled to the brim with coked up wonder, genuine belief and sheer chutzpah, this is where rock mythology takes an abstract turn and somehow, some way becomes even better because of it. Lindsay Buckingham's questionable handle on his sanity, Stevie Nicks' metamorphosis as a balladeer and Christine McVie's compositional brilliance are all on display and, as foundational as the previous album was, those things makes Tusk the superior one. Of course, things like this cannot last forever but at least it happened and we're better off as music fans (and fans of Fleetwood Mac) because of it.
Ice Cube
4/5
Black America is a cauldron either boiling over or in the process of boiling over. 1992 was the year in which things seemed to spill out past the point of no return. The acquittal of three of the four police officers who brutally pulverized Rodney King which resulted in the L.A. riots and the murder of LaTasha Hawlins in a Korean owned supermarket once more reinforced how wretched everything was here. As had become standard procedure, Ice Cube was there to document it all. The Predator, coming at the tail-end of Cube's imperial phase, is chock full of bare knuckle hostility and a relentless tension that is ceaseless. Not even a brief reprieve from the world in which Ice Cube lived in seems safe enough to enter into fully. A record of its time yet still poignant.
Favorites: When Will They Shoot?, Wicked, Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha, It Was a Good Day, We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up, Dirty Mack, Check Yo Self.
KISS
4/5
Looking though my tastes in music, I often startle myself in remembering that the first album I've owned in a physical format was KISS' Destroyer. I don't recall much else going on in my ten year old mind other than going nuts because I saw it and I wanted it (and being newly acquainted with the concept of rock and roll). Then I gave it a listen and didn't like it and came to regret owning it when my tastes got more refined and eclectic. When I revisited it all these years later, I was surprised to hear a really good album lurking in the shadows.
Favorites: Detroit Rock City, God of Thunder, Great Expectations, Sweet Pain, Shout it Out Loud, Do You Love Me?
Radiohead
5/5
It's the devil's way now, there is no way out. Walk into the jaws of hell. I sucked the moon, I spoke too soon and how much did it cost? We're rotten fruit, we're damaged goods. May pretty horses come to you as you sleep, where I end and you begin. Are you sweet? Are you fresh? Are you strung up by the wrists? We want the young blood, we are accidents waiting to happen; I won't let this happen to my children. A bully in a china shop, when I turn around you stay frozen to the spot. I don't know why I feel tongue-tied. Lightning fuse, power cut, get the flan in the face.
The Stranglers
4/5
Don't be fooled by the IV on the sleeve. The Stranglers' eponymous debut album does the trick of not only making punk fit in their image but allowing a tad bit of accessibility possible for the irascible nascent genre.
Favorites: Sometimes, Goodbye Toulouse, London Lady, Hanging Around, Peaches, (Get a) Grip (On Yourself), Down in the Sewer, Go Buddy Go.
Taylor Swift
3/5
The second of a one-two punch that brought her back from a unsteady period, evermore continues Taylor Swift's musical metamorphosis as she taps unlikely indie rock collaborators to give her songs a bit more flourish. These are the type of songs that can define an era or two or perhaps more.
Favorites: gold rush, 'tis the damn season, tolerate it, happiness, dorothea, coney island, ivy, closure.
TV On The Radio
4/5
With Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, TV on the Radio set a new standard and a high bar that kept getting increasingly cleared beforehand in the last age of indie rock before the complete corporate takeover, proving that black musicians can conjure up the same kind of mood shifting sounds as any other.
Favorites: The Wrong Way, Staring at the Sun, Dreams, King Eternal, Ambulance, Poppy, Don't Love You, Bomb Yourself.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
It took some time but the anointing of Bruce Springsteen as the new savior of rock and roll had come to fruition on Born to Run. With little to no space or sound wasted, this seminal album was what Springsteen and his E Street Band needed as the push to sell them to the big time. Baby, were they born to run...
Bad Brains
3/5
With I Against I, Bad Brains embark on a heavier metal sounding trajectory that does away with the fast and furious punk furor that they were once synonymous for, crafting a way forward from here on.
Favorites: I Against I, House of Suffering, Re-Ignition, Secret 77, Let Me Help, Sacred Love.
Linkin Park
5/5
Hybrid Theory is the sound of lightning captured in a bottle. Linkin Park would cement themselves not only in the record books but into the psyche of millions of music fans that persists to this day with this immediate approach to rap, rock and all things in-between. No wonder why Hybrid Theory continues to rack up adoration and accolades close to a quarter century after its release.
Muddy Waters
4/5
Muddy Waters' posture on the cover of an album named Hard Again was giving me cause for concern. Thankfully, that doesn't translate to the music, for it (the majority of which existed for the better part of twenty plus years) had been infused with a newfound energy that is guaranteed to further electrify the speakers. This is the kind of music that can never stay flaccid.
Favorites: Mannish Boy, Bus Driver, Jealous Hearted Man, The Blues Had a Baby & They Named It Rock 'N Roll (Pt. 2), Deep Down in Florida, Crosseyed Cat.
Muddy Waters
5/5
Performing at the Newport Festival, especially in its heyday, was a rite of passage. For Muddy Waters, however, it was just another stop on the road. In this 1960 document of his live set, Muddy and his band wasted little to no time and made the most out of their movements, bringing out definitive renditions of soon-to-be staples of the Blues genre, especially Got My Mojo Workin'. Short, quick and worth the time.
Aimee Mann
3/5
Whatever this entails, I'm sure that it will do whatever it is necessary to whet whatever appetite is there from whatever audience is there.
Favorites: I Should've Known, Fifty Years After the Fair, 4th of July, Could've Been Anyone, Put Me on Top, Stupid Thing, Jacob Marley's Chain, Mr. Harris, I Know There's a Word, I've Had It.
The KLF
5/5
Put yourself in my shoes... head out for the city, start feeling not so good on the bus, the feeling worsens on the train, get to the station feeling like you're gonna die, start trying to vomit, fast breathing on the way home, moving gingerly all the while, get a Lyft back home, sleep off whatever happened to the best of your ability, then you remember having to listen to this album, you do and it sounds like heaven. Guess I'm never getting out of the white room.
Ice Cube
4/5
Making his way from the West Coast to the East to team with the Bomb Squad (and becoming briefly aligned with Public Enemy in the process), Ice Cube gives his attentive audience a one and a half one-off, where his militant, tell-tale rhymes are bedded with the ricochet mish-mash that made New York rap amongst the most innovative music of the late 80s/early 90s. It's a bit of a shame that Cube never really went back to this style afterwards because here is where he was at his most boisterous sonically.
Favorites: The Nigga Ya Love to Hate, AmeriKKKAa's Most Wanted, You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gafflin, Once Upon a Time in the Projects, Turn Off the Radio, Endangered Species, I'm Only Here for One Thang, Rollin' Wit' the Lench Mob, It's a Man's World.
Skunk Anansie
3/5
When you have some pre-millienium tension, you might as well deserve some post orgasmic chill. Skunk Anansie get a little more rougher around the edges with this album, in the process earning their place amongst the changing landscape that was British rock in the late 90s/early 00s.
Favorites: Charlie Big Potato, On My Hotel T.V., We Don't Need Who You Think You Are, The Skank Heads, Secretly, Cheap Honesty.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
After four eponymous records that saw him continually push the boundaries of what was possible in the artier aspects of rock, Peter Gabriel took a big leap and was rewarded with his most popular album. Providing the soundtrack to some of the most indelible moments of the 80s may not have been his intention but that's what happens when common innovations and far out inspirations conspire in the makings of a soon-to-be classic of the decade. Whether one sees it as a dated and craven cash-grab or yet another knock out of the ballpark, So marks the moment where Peter Gabriel had us finally see what was up.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
4/5
With its unsuspecting set of influences (Joan Didion and On the Waterfront being prime examples), Rattlesnakes is a perfectly capable and economical record from Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. Almost every song on here is very well done, nicely composed and has little to no wasted note. There's a favorite here for everyone.
Favorites: Perfect Skin, Speedboat, Rattlesnakes, Down on Mission Street, Forest Fire, 2cv, Four Flights Up.
Lupe Fiasco
3/5
In a post College Dropout world, any and all subject matter once deemed anathema in mainstream hip-hop was now considered pathways to success. Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor is a bright example of this possibility, weaving religion, skateboarding, abandonment and the afterlife into one large, ambitious and admirable package. It could very well be something one could consider Lupe a savior of hip-hop for and a signpost for other aspiring rappers to follow.
Favorites: Intro, Real, Just Might Be O.K., Kick, Push, The Instrumental, He Say She Say, Sunshine, The Cool, Hurt Me Soul, American Terrorist, The Emperor's Soundtrack.
Suzanne Vega
3/5
A delicate effort from a first timer, the eponymous album from Suzanne Vega does little to offend and a lot to lull the listener with its gentle compositions. Don't let the try-hard quirkiness of the album cover distract you, this is something worth investing in.
Favorites: Cracking, Marlene on the Wall, Small Blue Thing, Straight Lines, Undertow, The Queen and the Soldier.
Goldie
5/5
When you're in commute, you're gonna need something to assist you in movement. Whether it is the start of the day, in the middle of it or towards the end, something of a considerable length is required to help make sense of the sights around you. The rush of the crowds and the magnitude of its mutable size, jostling amongst one another to get to their varying destinations. Music like this helps with that. Whether he intended it or not, Goldie helped crystallize a sound that had been bubbling under the surface for some time and, regardless of what would become of it, it wound up being what it was ultimately called: timeless.
The Sonics
5/5
Garages all across America were newfound bases for shelf and door rattling once the British Invasion dug its claws deep in the minds of the wonderfully afflicted. One of those wonderfully afflicted groups of kids, The Sonics, let their hearts and voices go wild in this all-killer, no-filler collection of covers and scattered originals that best showcased who they were and how they were to be immortalized. The kicker? They hail from Seattle, surely not the kind of place that would herald any revolution of a musical sort in later years... anyway, The Sonics, here they are!!!
The Coral
4/5
A near perfect blend of psychedelic and modern rock, The Coral rush head on into instant classic status while remaining firmly in the promising stage. Such things as this can be seen as tired and worn out and it shouldn't work as well as it does given that, but work it does and The Coral have found a nice niche for themselves.
Favorites: Spanish Main, I Remember When, Shadows Fall, Dreaming of You, Simon Diamond, Goodbye, Waiting for the Heartaches, Skeleton Key.
The Zombies
5/5
Odessey and Oracle is a record with as much of a wild backstory as any other. One, such as myself, wouldn't have known or thought of that as the music sweeps through the ears as though it were a nice, comfortable velvet blanket in spite of song topics including a prisoner and anti-war sentiments. Despite the Aquarian age beginning to sour and resemble something far grimer, The Zombies (whether they were a unit or disassembled) had crafted an album that has stood the test of time regardless of the upheaval that had faced it. Now, if there was a way for the mono version of this album be reached upon further ears so that everyone can hear the horns in This Will Be Our Year then that would be great.
Julian Cope
4/5
A sinister sounding rave up at the end of the world whilst indulging in rather innovative approaches to the increasingly morphing sounds of techno indebted rock and roll. Julian Cope was only born to entertain and there he goes... the kind of music made for BC and AD times.
Favorites: Pristeen, Double Vegetation, East Easy Rider, Promised Land, Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line, If You Loved Me at All, Drive, She Said, Not Raving But Drowning, Beautiful Love, Western Front 1992 C.E., Hanging Out and Hung Up to Dry, Las Vegas Basement.
MGMT
4/5
Upon first listen, I got the feeling that MGMT were the North American equivalent of Empire of the Sun with the bright, overtly neon approach to their music. While that may be the case, what makes Oracular Spectacular stand out from that is the overt commitment to the bit and MGMT keeps the vibe intact as they sail to the next stage.
Favorites: Time to Pretend, The Youth, Electric Feel, Kids, Pieces of What, Of Moons, Birds & Monsters, The Handshake.
George Harrison
5/5
Within a four man operation, the field was beyond crowded. If the whole world becomes bowled over by the compositions of two men who would ultimately redefine the industry, it becomes incredibly hard for a third man to obtain the same level of attention. However frustrating and bitter it may have been, it could very well be the best thing that happened to George Harrison. The slow trickle of material would eventually morph into a flood and that flood is what makes All Things Must Pass such an enduring and revelatory monolith to the present day. Talk about letting it all hang out. Making the best use of all the space newly acquired. It would have been wise to spread these songs out over the course of a couple of years or more but statements had to be made; that there was more than one straw that had been stirring the drink but no one had been paying any mind until rather recently. All Things Must Pass is all about increasing momentum and the shifting of a couple of posts. The defining album of George Harrison's career and, quite possibly, the greatest post-Beatles album.
Lucinda Williams
5/5
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a charmingly gruff affair, a ceaselessly great showcase for Lucinda Williams as she touts out tales of travel and love either fulfilled, lost or misplaced. There is nary a wasted note on here and is worthy of a continued listen.
Run-D.M.C.
4/5
Hip-hop in the mid 80s was preparing to make the transition from being a trendy fad to being seen as the real thing and Run-D.M.C. was one of the most pivotal rappers to bridge the gap in more ways than one. Having already made their stances clear on prior releases (King of Rock and their endorsement of Adidas clothing, for example), Run-D.M.C. not only doubled down on those stances but they whipped from thin air an unlikely collaboration that not only broke down barriers but helped lay the foundation for what ended up being a form of rock genre that went way beyond what was envisioned. Raising hell? When it came down to it, they surely did.
Favorites: Peter Piper, It's Tricky, My Adidas, Walk This Way, Is It Live, Perfection, You Be Illin, Proud to Be Black.
The xx
4/5
At this time of writing, it's been eight years since the release of the xx's I See You and when that album came out, it had been eight years since their eponymous debut album came out (not withstanding Coexist). In between those times, a lot can change. Things must open up, as have they and it shows on this album. As of it time it may seem in regards to the urgency and need for inclusion amongst audiences (not that there is anything wrong for that), I See You is chock full of genuine bangers and, for close to forty minutes, that's all one needs.
Favorites: Dangerous, Say Something Loving, A Violent Noise, Performance, Replica, Brave for You, I Dare You.
Jazmine Sullivan
4/5
Heaux Tales is about an apt of a title about the experiences undergone romantically by Black women, both for good and for ill, and Jazmine Sullivan is the chronicler documenting these tales (whether by collaborators or by lifelong friends) while weaving in her own. Whether or not you feel prudish about the heart-on-sleeve exclamations from these women, the fact of the matter is that Heaux Tales is a necessary balm for those who have been predominantly unheard and it is time that we listen and take heed.
Favorites: Bodies, Pick Up Your Feelings, Put It Down, Price Tags, Lost One.
Don McLean
3/5
The appeal of American Pie lies solely in the title track, a lengthy freewheeling sprawl that documented the domino effect caused by the early February 1959 plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens which ended up kneecapping rock and roll's grip on the music landscape. While the momentum is revisited on Everybody Loves Me, Baby, this album is largely dominated by softer, more sleepy affairs that are touching at times and insignificant in others. It's not hard to see why American Pie ended up doing what it did yet it is, quite simply, a mixed bag.
Favorites: American Pie, Vincent, Winterwood, Empty Chairs, Everybody Loves Me, Baby, The Grave.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
4/5
Classical music and progressive rock had been approaching something close to a collision for some time before Emerson, Lake & Palmer's variation of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Why wouldn't it? The two genres had plenty in common: extravagance, pomp and circumstance, gravitas, you name it. All of that is captured here in this compact collection that sprawls in sound but never in structure. ELP being rather new to the scene and still coming in clutch with the interpretation is rather surprising when thought about but what isn't is the belief that anything is possible, especially when two such distinct genres come together.
Favorites: The Gnome, The Sage, Blues Variation, The Curse of Baba Yaga, The Great Gates of Kiev, Nut Rocker.
Robbie Williams
4/5
After taking that level of fame in the U.K. to its eventual yet unexpected conclusion, Robbie Williams felt the need to break out and become free. Life Thru a Lens finds the once seemingly indistinguishable boy band member now rather inscrutable solo singer dipping his toes in the Cool Britannia/Britpop waters and begin to establish his own identity. And, as the musical vision shows throughout the album, it appears as though Robbie would be heading on the right path. Now if only there could be a CGI created monkey to reenact this arc and have it shown to the indifference and confusion of American moviegoers...
Favorites: Lazy Days, Life Thru a Lens, Ego Agogo, Angels, Old Before I Die, One of God's Better People, Let Me Entertain You, Clean.
Slipknot
3/5
Had a nice little chuckle when I got this today. For all of its seemingly monotonous groove and overwhelming stomp, Slipknot manage to conjure a feeling of resignation and defeat emanating from all corners of life in the appropriately titled All Hope is Lost. It's unrelenting ugliness throughout may not be for the weak-hearted but for those who could withstand it, there is something to plant a flag on and become one's motto.
Favorites: Gematria (The Killing Name), Sulfur, Psychosocial, Butchers Hook, Gehenna, This Cold Black, Wherein Lies Continue, Child of Burning Time, 'Til We Die.
Roni Size
5/5
Forms, when taking shape, tends to fill perceptions held by the person or thing that it is in front of and whatever it ends up being is the very thing that it may very well be known for in eternity. Roni Size and Raprazent's New Forms, in all of its gargantuan shapes and glory, is drum'n'bass at its most bombastic, taking on all comers in its initial design and the litany of remixes that represents it. Regardless of its exhaustive nature and the repetitive feel it may sustain throughout, New Forms is the absolute peak of the top of the d'n'b mountain. It's all downhill from here.
Suicide
5/5
With an incessant rumble that could rival the likes of the underground subway, and the shrieks, screams and mumbles that could leave one frozen in its tracks in a cocktail of awe and fear, Suicide (album and band) is pure rock and roll that has been abandoned in the smoldering embers of a house fire and somehow lived to tell the tale, hovering over heads like a vengeful, albeit tragic ghost. These are the sounds that come forth from a moment in time when President Ford wanted New York to drop dead, a city of ruinous decay and neverending fear; a place where only the strong survive. Here is a prime example of such survival, whether it is depicted as that or not. Rock and roll has never been, and maybe never will be again, this intense.
Adam & The Ants
4/5
When the ground falls out from underneath, it would be easier to give up and let outside forces win. That wasn't, fortunately, how Adam Ant operated. With references to topics both in-house and out of the ordinary, the new iteration of the Ants barnstormed through the walls that had closed around it and became the not just the kings of the wild frontier but the kings of the burgeoning new wave counterculture. A boisterous blast of early 80s excellence.
Favorites: Dog Eat Dog, Antmusic, Feed Me to the Lions, Ants Invasion, Killers in the Home, Kings of the Wild Frontier, The Magnificent Five, Don't Be Square (Be There), The Human Beings.
Neil Young
4/5
While Crosby, Stills and Nash were on their own separate rolls, Neil Young decided he would rather not be upstaged and crafted his rendition of a sweeping mini-epic that gathered together subjects such as love, heartbreak, segregation, eventual disillusionment and nostalgia. After the Gold Rush sees Neil once again improving upon where he left off and leaving behind crumbs that showcased a glimmer of where he would go; a road that would give him further despair, confusion and revelation that will ultimately change him.
Favorites: Tell Me Why, After the Gold Rush, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Southern Man, Don't Let It Bring You Down, When You Dance I Can Really Love, I Believe in You.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
5/5
The Boatman's Call began the slow yet rewarding sea change in the perception of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds from a rabblerousing, happily dysfunctional band of misfits to a earnest, reassuring bedrock of consistency. A far more vulnerable side of Nick is on full display here, showcasing a heart-on-sleeve pathos mixed with philosophical turns of phrase that causes one to take note of the inflections in his tone of voice. If this is one's introduction to the band, well it is a pretty good place to start.
Steely Dan
4/5
Logic indicates that these pretzels... are making me thirsty! But, in all seriousness, Pretzel Logic represents the end of an era for Steely Dan as they would eschew the now profitable and necessary touring circuit for the comfort of the world building recording studio, thus beginning a time in their career that they'd be most well known for. And it starts with this album, a half-hour run-through of pop and rock infusions with jazz that provides the bedrock for the trademark lurid lyricism of Donald Fagen. Pretzel Logic doesn't look like much when it compared to other Steely Dan records but it holds its own just fine.
Favorites: Rikki Don't Lose That Number, Night by Night, Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Barrytown, East St. Louis Toodle-Oo, Parker's Band, Pretzel Logic.
David Ackles
3/5
For all the plaudits received during his time, it is a mystery as to why David Ackles didn't cross over to the mainstream. American Gothic, produced by Elton John's right hand man Bernie Taupin, is the kind of record that could only come out in 1972; chock full of singer-songwriter ambition, orchestration verging towards outsized grandiosity and the towering epic that is the album's centerpiece, even though it's tacked on at the end. Does American Gothic deserves a wider fanbase? Yes but it is also not hard to see why its hopes for success didn't pan out.
Favorites: American Gothic, Love's Enough, Ballad of the Ship of State, Oh, California!, Another Friday Night, Family Band, Montana Song.
The Young Gods
4/5
The scrawled slab of stone plunges into red water as the industrial minded Young Gods refine and improve upon the sample-based soundscape of their first record. Nearly every song on here can be considered a peak in the fusion of pure electronic and rock that isn't diluted by pretentious histrionics. May these young deities grow wise in age.
Favorites: La fille de la mort, Rue des tempêtes, L' eau rouge, Longue route, Crier les chiens, Les infants, Pas Mal.
Mercury Rev
3/5
Sunday afternoon, dealing with a flu while my chest is heavy. Turns out that going food shopping while sick is never the best idea. Leaving the supermarket, I play this album. As my movements slow within every block, Deserter's Songs did little to put pep in my step. What I do respect about this is the dedication offered by the baroque instrumentation weaved throughout. Maybe I should have come to this on a better day.
Favorites: Holes, Tonite It Shows, Endlessly, Opus 40, Hudson Line, Goddess on a Hiway, Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp.
Prince
5/5
It speaks to Prince's seemingly bottomless genius that something like Purple Rain would be dashed off as a yet another day effort when for many it remains the single most indelible era of his career. Everything that was built up by this point comes to fruition here as the musical polymath dips his toes into the waters of Lake Minnetonka, and world domination, thus not only changing the game but laying down certain restrictions that are both stimulating and taken for granted. Whether or not it needed parental advisories, Purple Rain was yet another crack of the whip that would define most artists' careers but, for Prince, it was just another chapter in a much larger story.
Cocteau Twins
4/5
After being bathed in a darkness of their own devising Cocteau Twins had allowed themselves to let the light in, if only for a time. Treasure sounds like the accomplishment of finally getting the parts down just about right, even if it doesn't feel as such from the band's point of view. Luckily for them, and for us, they will only get much better from here. And we only have this treasure to thank.
Favorites: Ivo, Lorelei, Beatrix, Persephone, Amelia, Aloysius, Cicely, Donimo.
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Death, despair, destruction, an unresolved crisis of faith. Marvin Gaye's life had spiraled into the very depths of darkness by the early 70s, the most troublesome of decades that he'd live. His singing partner dead of a brain tumor and his clean cut image wrapped too tightly by the Motown machine, he had broken down and began to harbor hopes of being a Detroit Lion. But common sense and letters home from his war-hardened brother in Vietnam reinforced Marvin's place in music and what came forth, bit by earnest bit, was one of the most revolutionary albums ever made. For What's Going On not only put a spotlight on the litany of ills that was doing damage on Earth, it also put on the map ecological issues that was just beginning to make headway at the time. Over the ensuing decades, What's Going On's relevance has strengthened in the face of difficult days as Marvin would transform from crooner to chronicler to fallen icon. One listen, or many other listens, would make the listener understand why this is as highly heralded as it is.
Dire Straits
3/5
The zeitgeist is a funny beast sometimes. It can capture the absolute pinnacle of one's popularity and it can be either one or two things: it can be understandable or it can be perplexing. With Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms, it can be both. On what would be their penultimate album, Mark Knopfler and co. ride their wave as expertly as they could muster in a transformed landscape where you would need your TV to become noticed. While probably not their best album, it is very much the most famous and for good reason.
Favorites: Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, Your Latest Trick, Ride Across the River, Brothers in Arms.
Joanna Newsom
3/5
When it comes to acquired tastes, Joanna Newsom occupies her own landscape. On Ys, the harpist with the voice that is paradoxically sweet and abrasive weaves tapestries that range from five to twelve minutes and leaves no corner untouched along the way. One may not have to love how she approaches her music but respect must be given for there are hardly any imitators and no duplicators.
Favorites: Emily, Sawdust & Diamonds, Only Skin.
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
A delightful mixture of infectious boogying, expert balladry and dynamic jamming, That's the Way of the World is Earth, Wind & Fire operating at the peak of their powers. Anything that is wanted to be heard from the outfit is here and no one would feel left out by a lack of choice. A greatest hits album in all but name.
Favorites: Shining Star, That's the Way of the World, Happy Feelin', Yearnin' Learnin', Africano.
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
It was the kind of love that was forbidden, foreboding, overwhelming, all-encompassing; so propulsive in its motion that, when the time came, it was pretty much inevitable that it would give way to actualization. Eric Clapton's crippling and enveloping devotion to Pattie Harrison (nee Boyd) was something that couldn't be kept hidden from whomever any more, not even to the man who was supposedly his best friend. It all had to come bursting forth and this was the result. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, by the intercontinental and initally incognito Derek & the Dominos, is the sound of lovesick blues taken to its absolute zenith and a fitting conclusion to the British infatuation of the blues that characterized much of the rock that came out in the Sixties. It can be a too lengthy for its own good, overtly masculine slab of wax to most but this album is a monolith that must be best heard to be believed; maybe you'll start pining heavily for the woman of your dreams afterwards.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
The porcupine is a stocky rodent with quills that pierce the skin when in contact, enabling protection from predators. The third largest rodent behind the beaver and the capybara, the porcupine occupies both Old (nocturnal, large and terrestrial) and New (smaller, less nocturnal and lives in trees) Worlds and are prone to living quite long lives. I wonder if Ian McCulloch had this in mind when coming up with the title for the third (hehe) album for Echo & the Bunnymen. Probably not and maybe that's the point. While not quite succeeding in best band in the world status, the Bunnymen do come awfully close here as the spiky, occasionally epic opus does more than earn its spikes. These are definitely songs worthy of learning and singing about.
Favorites: The Cutter, Back of Love, My White Devil, Porcupine, Heads Will Roll, Ripeness, In Bluer Skies.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
In loosening himself from the shackles, Peter Gabriel could now focus on becoming a new man. Having amassed a closet shelf of alter egos during his time in Genesis, it was bound to become a burden rather than a platform. His first solo record, the first of what would be four self-titled albums, was the platform that allowed Peter to express new emotions and explore new sounds while, at the same time, dish out small reminders of who he was before. The results are occasionally exhilarating and beguiling, maintaining the interest of the listener throughout. Not a bad first step that would become big leaps in a new world.
Favorites: Moribund the Burgermeister, Solsbury Hill, Modern Love, Excuse Me, Down the Dolce Vita, Here Comes the Flood.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
4/5
Who would have thought that a lot can be wrung out of one song? Bo Diddley becomes the muse of Quicksilver Messenger Service as they blast the Fillmores East and West with psychedelic indebted blues appropriate for the time period and Happy Trails, the album that was the result, sees them stamp their place amongst all the other emergent jam bands sprouting from the ground of the late 60s. The other songs on here are worth checking out as well, with Mona (another Bo Diddley composition) and the thirteen minute epic Calvary being of most interest.
Favorites: Who Do You Love? (Parts 1 & 2), Where You Love, Mona, Calvary.
The Shamen
4/5
Coming off the high point of the late 80s acid house movement, The Shamen wanted to ensure that the feeling remained intact over the course of an hour and they largely succeed with flying colors. En-Tact maintains the balance of psychedelia and electronica without falling into unnecessary cliches, even though the quality would dip at times. While not an essential classic of the times, it is a plentiful listen.
Favorites: Move Any Mountain, Human NRG, Possible Worlds, Evil is Even, Hyperreal Orbit, Make It Mine, 666 Edit, Make It Minimal, Hyperreal Selector.
Supergrass
5/5
Growing up publicly is one of the most difficult things in life to do. With the world's gaze upon you, it often feels as though there is little room to turn your head. And yet, somehow, there are navigations to explore that makes movement possible. Supergrass did it superbly with In It for the Money. More refined and muscular than the gloriously boyish I Should Coco, the trio spread their wings and allow themselves to be seen as more than what met the eye. In a year where departures from the Britpop scene were voluminous and bountiful, Supergrass made sure that theirs were just as such and that they have to keep moving forward.
Carole King
4/5
Carole King's Tapestry was a lightning in a bottle moment, the validation of a type of female songwriter who is allowed to be resolute yet vulnerable under one cloth; the triumph of an industry lifer who wound up changing the American musical composition rulebook with songs that touched upon the very being of the self. It is not a surprise to know that Tapestry is a much regarded effort, for its fingerprints are still embedded in what we hear today.
Favorites: I Feel the Earth Move, It's Too Late, Home Again, Beautiful, You've Got a Friend, Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, Smackwater Jack, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
After a topsy-turvy 90s that saw minimal success compared with preceding decades, The Boss roared back into public consciousness with The Rising, a musical balm that saw Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band mend fences and heal wounds alongside a hurting country in the wake of the September 11th attacks. While containing some of the indulgences of the time that dates the material, the fact of the matter was that Bruce had returned to fine form and that was as much of a needed win as anything.
Favorites: Lonesome Day, Into the Fire, Waitin' on a Sunny Day, Countin' on a Miracle, Empty Sky, Further On (Up the Road), The Fuse, Mary's Place, You're Missing, The Rising.
Morrissey
4/5
By 1994, Morrissey had become a bit of a punching bag. His brandishing of the Union Jack and incendiary song titles like The National Front Disco had him pegged by the music media as a racist nationalist. Yet Moz always had a trick up his sleeve to make those concerned Cathys come around his corner again. Vauxhall & I is Morrissey at his most explicitly vulnerable, keeping his heart on his sleeve while remaining subtle enough to let those who think they know know more. From Now My Heart is Full onward, the listener is taken upon a wave that would not only remind them of Morrissey's greatness but become convinced that there would be more to come from this side of the usually thorny wordsmith.
Favorites: Now My Heart is Full, Spring-Heeled Jim, Billy Budd, The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get, I Am Hated for Loving, Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning, The Lazy Sunbathers.
Germs
3/5
The only full length album from Germs embodies a one foot in and out the door mentality, as the now tried and true thrash of punk rock now unencumbered in the United States sit side by side with longer compositions that offer a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been. American punk would never sound as feral, as raw and as visceral as this again.
Favorites: What We Do is Secret, Communist Eyes, Richie Dagger's Crime, Lexicon Devil, Manimal, We Must Bleed, Media Blitz, Shut Down (Annihilation Man).
Arcade Fire
5/5
Prior to all the peaks and inevitable plateaus and general persona-non-grata feel of them all, Arcade Fire represented a belief of hope, a bright light eager to outshine the rest of the other lights. They seemed made from parts of other rock bands' upwards trajectories but they infused it with a earnestness that felt and sounded hard-won. The irony of the album being called Funeral is that it should be the end of things, rather than the beginning. Yet Arcade Fire's boisterous beginning signaled a sign of things to come as they wound up making their presence felt in the ensuing decade.
Gillian Welch
5/5
I will never forget the first time I listened to Time: The Revelator. It was snowing heavily and I was getting off work. I was walking from the jobsite to the train station in my sneakers, no boots. I was shivering and was just itching to get home. Throughout that time, though, a unfamiliar yet reassuring voice was in my ear, playing her guitar, singing songs about a variety of topics that either flew past me or rang some semblance of knowledge yet kept me engaged throughout the listen. I am normally not one for desert island discs but, if I were to conjure up a collection to take with me, Time: The Revelator would surely be one of them. It is revelatory in its timelessness (hehe), it would have dropped at any point in recorded history and it would still make sense there. An essential listen and an essential album.
Dinosaur Jr.
4/5
Dinosaur Jr. further establish themselves in the indie scene with Bug, an impressive mash-up of pop sensibilities and harsh aesthetics, thus continuing to refine the blueprint that would serve as a beacon for plenty of bands in their wake.
Favorites: Freak Scene, No Bones, They Always Come, Let It Ride, Pond Song, The Post.
Meat Loaf
4/5
From hell to back and then some, Bat Out of Hell riproars from coast to coast through sheer bombastic moxie, which is as perplexing in thought as it is an improbable success in execution. Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman had unknowingly created a world in which their most out-there musical compositions (in regards to how they could sound) can sit comfortably even with the world's lack of understanding and confusion over its existence. Bat Out of Hell is best experienced with those thoughts in mind and begrudgingly (whether willingly or not) respect its ambition.
Favorites: Bat Out of Hell, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), All Revved Up With No Place to Go, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, Paradise by the Dashboard Light.
Beatles
5/5
In the eye of the hurricane, to be the epitome of the storm. In a span of five months, Beatlemania went from a British phenomenon to a worldwide juggernaut. That breakneck (if one can call it that) turnaround required a movie, which needed a soundtrack, of sorts. A Hard Day's Night is safely considered the first truly great Beatles album, perhaps the best from the early portion of their career when they were not just figuring things out but honing their craft and continuing to up the ante in terms of musicianship and songwriting. Without a doubt the most explosive, oft-times thoughtful, innovative and effective half-hour of 1964, A Hard Day's Night is Beatlemania at its absolute purest.
Billy Joel
5/5
Billy Joel must have felt as though he had nothing left to lose. The Stranger was a kill or be killed moment in time, and it was a killer through and through. Either through familiarity or first time acquaintance, The Stranger ensures that its hooks are dug deep into the subconscious and it leaves one earworm after another for the listener. The Carnegie Hall show packed onto the second disc is a invigorating and inviting glimpse into Billy Joel as a live performer and is a worthy listen. Things can only go upward for the Piano Man from here.
Nirvana
5/5
Given what would eventually happen down the line, In Utero is the sound of one's acceptance of death. Nirvana's stratospheric rise to the top of the food chain was both affirming and cataclysmic, for Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl finally became rock stars but were also fully unprepared to deal with the baggage that it required. The pressure, the expectations, the cultural shifts and the scrutiny given to non-musical aspects of life all bore down into an acerbic, scowling, at times downright hostile repudiation of what was now Alternative Nation. In Utero can be seen as an autobiography of sorts for Kurt Cobain, weaving in his now known troubled adolescence and mind-fuck adulthood alongside endless fascination with the female anatomy, equally troubled forgotten celebrities and breaches of trust with others. It is tempting to think of what would have come after had Kurt not taken his own life but, upon thorough listen, it's clear that he had long made his mind up.
The Beta Band
3/5
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Heroes to Zeros is an appropriately apt title for The Beta Band, the fearlessly eclectic Scottish group who had plundered through sonic whimsy from pillar to post, start to finish. While not as indelible as prior efforts, Heroes to Zeros couldn't have been made by any other group, who would have disintegrated the materials complied here with lack of care. Here, for the last time, The Beta Band gets the opportunity to show those who wonder how it's done.
Favorites: Assessment, Space, Lion Thief, Wonderful, Out-Side, Space Beatle, Liquid Bird, Pure For.
5/5
It was only a matter of time before U2 had begun to breathe the rarefied kind of rock and roll air. They had taken the necessary steps, made the right kind of detour while keeping their eye on the ball and had concocted, along the way, the ingredients needed to make the album that would go on to catapult them to superstardom. For The Joshua Tree was a big leap forward, the crystallization of a turning point where U2 outgrew the corners of the world that they inhabited and strolled onto a world that would soon fill and reward their outsized ambitions. And it's that world that would inform U2's stances not just here but going forward, as raging wars, displacement, romantic idealism of geography and tortured descriptions of love and death dominate the record. And it would end up dominating the world, for a short period, before the world got sick of it and began to thumb their noses. Which would prompt U2 to, quote unquote, tear the tree down. But the shadow that the tree bore down upon us listeners still transfixes to this day, making non-believers into believers and believers into die-hards. Surely one listen, or more, would make one understand; it's all one can do.
The Roots
4/5
The decline of neo-soul, as a genre and a movement, was always an inevitability. For as fertile and abundantly creative a landscape it was, there was a sense of instability looming the moment a brighter light shined on it. The Roots, in light of Things Fall Apart, must have understood this. Phrenology is a throw everything including the kitchen sink type of record, one where a lack of limits gives way to new forms of expressions. It was the kind of music they had to make in order to circumvent the circling drain and keep heads afloat. A smart move in a career of rollercoasting longevity.
Favorites: Rock You, Sacrifice, Rolling With Heat, Thought @ Work II, The Seed (2.0), Break You Off, Water, Pussy Galore, Complexity, Something in the Way of Things (In Town), Rhymes and Ammo, Thirsty!
LL Cool J
3/5
LL Cool J found himself in an odd position at the start of the 90s. Having started as a hip-hop wunderkind, he had seemingly regressed into a punching bag for fellow rappers to lay their licks in and LL was taking notice. He dropped the phony act, put on his own boxing gloves and reformed himself from punching bag to power machine, hence Mama Said Knock You Out. Of course, that was just one song; the remainder of the album contains not just brazen reminders of LL's initial potential but a silver of what was keeping him down in the eyes of critics (Mr. Good Bar and Milky Cereal coming after the title track are egregious examples). Overall, Mama Said Knock You Out offers a valuable lesson to supposedly struggling rappers everywhere: if you want to remind those that you are tough as nails, you probably need to sweat out the Atlantic Ocean.
Favorites: The Boomin' System, Eat Em Up L Chill, Murdergram, Cheesy Rap Blues, Farmers Blvd. (Our Anthem), Mama Said Knock You Out, Jiggling Baby (Remixed But Still Jiggling), To Da Break of Dawn, The Power of God.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
The tides were increasingly turning for Big Brother & the Holding Company, as they not only were churning out hot product but had a once in a lifetime singer who had the potential to cross over and blaze a trail in Janis Joplin. Her final album with the band, Cheap Thrills, is a pseudo-live experience that offers what the Holding Company were capable of dishing out night after night. It's not a surprise that Janis dipped not long afterwards for solo stardom, for a continued stint with the band would have ended up stifling. But what came forth was a dose of late 60s psychedelic Californian magic.
Favorites: Combination of the Two, I Need a Man to Love, Piece of My Heart, Turtle Blues, Ball and Chain.
Paul McCartney and Wings
5/5
By 1973, three-fourths of The Beatles had acquired critical, commercial and cultural acclaim. John raged and soothed, George spoke and soared and Ringo simply surprised. Paul? He just beguiled and bewildered many who were acutely aware of his talents. The expectations set upon him as he had dismantled the seemingly untroubled fortress of the Fab Four were not being met, or had not actually existed at all and listeners were dismissive as a result. His back was against the wall. Even if he had come upon a set of Wings, the winds were not blowing in his direction. A trip to Nigeria, meeting Fela Kuti's suspicious eye (and gaining his understanding in the process) and run-ins with macheted robbers who stole master tapes were apparently all that was needed to clear the cobwebs. Band on the Run was the belated masterpiece was the public had been waiting for; nine tracks of polished yet beefed up rock and roll with enough concessions to pop, balladry and funked up good vibes that could enliven any atmosphere it's placed in. Its enduring stature that persists to this day is in large part due to how seemingly assured and confident it seems, despite the turmoil of the prior years; it's the sound of a band finally in sync with the rest of the world around them.
The Vines
2/5
The first time I listened to The Vines' Highly Evolved, I took an unintentional nap in the middle of it and awoke to hear the album's end. To do justice to my listening I gave it a second go-around, only to be caught up in miscellaneous endeavors that included washing dishes. Is my acquaintance with Highly Evolved indicative of how I feel about it musically? No, I feel as though there are solid moments throughout. But I do feel that not every hyped up early millennium garage rock revivalist band needs to be propped up to the point of reaching such lists as this. If this is how highly evolved indie rock could be, might as well place it in the background while better things are going on.
Favorites: Highly Evolved, Autumn Shade, Outtathaway, Sunshinin, Country Yard, Mary Jane.
Garbage
4/5
Garbage's eponymous debut has one foot in the door and one foot out. There's the buzzing crunch of 90s guitar/bass/drum instrumentation and the commanding voice of Shirley Manson and there's the flirtation of what was to come later on with the elements of electronic and industrial music seeping through to make one curiously engaging package. This supposedly fluffy material certainly isn't garbage to me at all.
Favorites: Supervixen, Queer, Only Happy When It Rains, As Heaven is Wide, Not My Idea, Stupid Girl, Dog New Tricks, My Lover's Box, Milk.
The Youngbloods
3/5
Upon receiving this album, I was rather puzzled. Then I read somewhere that the lead singer of the band had died a day or two before and this felt like obligatory, albeit prerequisite, listening. Elephant Mountain offers itself as a transitory path towards new avenues, with The Youngbloods often lending itself a fancy for instrumental jamming quite like what's depicted on the album cover. Even though it came out in the immortal year of 1969, Elephant Mountain doesn't quite reach the heights of other albums released that year, which (if intended) is fine. Elephant Mountain is simply fine.
Favorites: Darkness, Darkness, Smug, On Sir Francis Drake, Beautiful, Don't Let the Rain Bring You Down, Black Mountain Breakdown, Ride the Wind.
Alanis Morissette
3/5
If there was one album that epitomized the post-grunge mechanisms that defined the industry, and the culture, by 1995 it is Jagged Little Pill. And it is an effective one, as Alanis Morrissette's half- screech/half-whine vocalizations embedded itself into the subconscious of listeners who were curious about the Hole's and Bikini Kill's of the world but felt too timid to dip their toes in the waters. That's not to say it is all bad, there are plenty of moments throughout the album that makes the listening experience worth it (Right Through You, Forgiven, You Learn) but this really is a time capsule of what was and what may never be again.
Favorites: All I Really Want, You Oughta Know, Hand in My Pocket, Right Through You, You Learn, Head Over Feet, Ironic, Wake Up.
Can
5/5
Tago Mago is a fitting name for this behemoth of a record. Can were fast becoming their own private island full of mystery and intrigue; a vast landscape of endless wonder. All that was needed was the piece of the puzzle that fit to make everything go together and for the German born band members of the group (Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay and Michael Karoli) the inclusion of Japanese nomad Damo Suzuki, after the departure of American vocalist Malcolm Mooney, was the piece that fitted. Tago Mago is the volcanic eruption that, despite its immediate impact upon German and other European circles, wouldn't be truly felt for decades to come. At least the last twenty-five or thirty years or so of rock adjacent music that is worth its salt can be traced back to this album. Yet, when it came down to Can, it was just the tip of the iceberg. This ain't Krautrock, this is otherworldly.
The Specials
4/5
A deviation from the norm is bound to startle most. For The Specials, one member's urge to do such a thing downright frightened the rest to the point where the band disintegrated. More Specials is the document of the changes undergoing the band and the 2 Tone sound and the results of that wound up reverberating through British music for the next decade and beyond. It is unfortunate that The Specials, in its initial configuration, broke down afterwards for a continued trajectory down this road could have paid dividends overtime. They should have enjoyed themselves; it's later than they thought.
Favorites: Enjoy Yourself, Rat Race, Man at C&A, Do Nothing, Stereotypes, I Can't Stand It, International Jet Set.
The Everly Brothers
3/5
The initial phase of rock and roll had come and gone and The Everly Brothers were a solid foundation to lead on. A nice date with them doesn't sound like a bad time to be had and they made the time worthwhile. Twelve songs, less than thirty minutes, mostly killer. Surely some nice fellows you can take home to Mom and Dad.
Favorites: Made to Love, That's Just Too Much, Sigh, Cry, Almost Die, Always It's You, Love Hurts, So How Come (No One Loves Me), Donna, Donna, Cathy's Clown.
3/5
In the spirit of the times that were unfolding and unraveling, Spirit tells us of the twelve dreams of Dr. Sardonicus with a spirited and imaginative vigor. While not all of the chapters of the story are all that memorable, the songs that stand out captures the spirit of who the band are.
Favorites: Prelude - Nothing to Hide, Nature's Way, Animal Zoo, Mr. Skin, Space Child, When I Touch You, Life Has Just Begun, Morning Will Come.
SAULT
5/5
It's all about being at the right place at the right time. Even though no one could have gone anywhere at all without risking their lives. SAULT poured themselves on the wounds that had been reopened and oozed onto familiar fabric, the fabric being their existences as a Black person living in a ceaselessly hostile world, that of which was reinforced by the deaths of many Black folk over the years such as George Floyd in the year of this album's release. Untitled (Black Is) is a modern day take on the progressive soul that was prevalent in the 70s, with more expressive detours down slightly experimental routes. It could very well be, upon one or two listens, one of the more impressive and important albums of the 2020s and, as the decade progresses, the more true and real it feels.
Taylor Swift
4/5
If one wants to chart the moment Taylor Swift morphed from omnipresent country princess to omnipresent pop behemoth, look no further. 1989 was the denouement of an ongoing shift in Taylor's upward trajectory, where she reached the peak of her powers in the first decade of her career. Of course, given what has happened since, there was little and lots to know in regards to where she'd head but none of that would have been possible had she not made the full splash as opposed to dipping her toe in the water.
Favorites: Welcome to New York, Blank Space, Style, Out of the Woods, I Wish You Would, Wildest Dreams, This Love.
The Associates
4/5
Despite the colorful album cover, Sulk tells you what's needed to be known about The Associates. One of the plenty of bands in the U.K. that went under the radar, the duo came up with some of the most poppiest yet abstract pop of the time period. While us listeners were not expecting this to be a farewell for the original incarnation of the duo, Sulk also showcases them at their very best. Never judge a book by its cover.
Favorites: Arrogance Gave Him Up, No, Gloomy Sunday, Nude Spoons, Skipping, Party Fears Two, Club Country, 18 Carat Love Affair, Love Hangover, And Then I Read a Book, Australia, Me, Myself and the Tragic Story.
R.E.M.
5/5
By 1992, R.E.M. were in an unusually enviable yet daunting position. As darlings of the Athens 80s indie wave, they had grown with the steps they were making, peak by mountainous peak; so that when they felt out of time with the trends, the music world was actually aligned with them. Automatic for the People portrays the band as both spokesmen and survivors, crafting exquisite yet weary songs that are amongst the most emotional in their catalog. R.E.M. have made several great albums but this is their absolute masterpiece.
Morrissey
5/5
After years of adriftness and shadowy lurking, our Moz returned with all guns blazing. You Are the Quarry is, from front to back, all killer and no filler with even the lesser song on here still being worthy of its inclusion. What more can I say other than it is the comeback that was needed for Morrissey to remain ahead of the game? Tremendous album that's aged quite well.
Charles Mingus
5/5
The angry man of jazz has conducted his masterpiece. As though he was orchestrating a ballet for the stage (he was though, as was the case, he wasn't successful), Charles Mingus uses the farthest parts of his brain to compose some of the most arresting work of his career, with a cracking band willingly pushing themselves to make the songs come to life. If one were to compile a list of jazz records to ease on into the genre, it would be a mistake to not consider The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.
Big Star
5/5
The dismantling of dreams is a rough path to undertake. Even more so if you just so happen to be in a band that was once hyped up as an American Beatles. Big Star is the textbook example of "what if" in rock. #1 Record was one of the great albums of the early 70s, as was Radio City. Third/Sister Lovers is equally great even if it doesn't scale the heights of those records. Which was probably the point, the remainder of the band (Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens) were in the dumps and didn't care if there were two sides to wax poetic about it. The sprawling structure of Third/Sister Lovers can be a bit daunting and the occasional stabs at sounds that came prior can be seen as defeating and pining but it doesn't take away from its shambolic brilliance. If only they were planted in a later time...
Björk
4/5
The voice is a human instrument, perhaps the most important of them all. People have often understood its usage but only some can truly understand its hidden potential. Björk most certainly saw to that with Medúlla, a left turn that could rival her most celebrated left turns. As always, Björk will never settle for complacency and will do whatever she can to challenge herself whilst knowing that her audience will still be there anyway. Medúlla, probably her most underrated record, can either confound or complicate one's expectations yet respect is a given.
Favorites: Pleasure is All Mine, Where is the Line, Vokuro, Oll Birtan, Who Is It, Submarine, Oceania, Ancestors, Triumphs of a Heart.
Nick Drake
5/5
The black eyed dog has to find its way somehow. Five Leaves Left has often been cast aside in favor of the two albums that preceded it but that doesn't mean it's lesser. From the first pull of the strummed chord on Time Has Told Me to the last note played on Saturday Sun, it captures the listening public's attention while leaving nuggets of future references that would come to define his finest works. Overall, Five Leaves Left is a rather beautiful first showing from what would end up becoming a short career.
The Smashing Pumpkins
5/5
Siamese Dream marked the moment where Billy Corgan set out to achieve his wide-screen ambitions at a time where it was anathema to even think so. At times exhaustive, occasionally euphoric, endlessly epic in scale and scope, Smashing Pumpkins proved that there can still be rock stars amidst the tortured landscape.
3/5
Muse helps capture the imagination of the revolutionary-minded with the cliff notes version of how it can be accomplished with Black Holes and Revelations. While no one can expect molotov cocktails to be thrown around to the sounds of this album any time soon, it does capture the three-piece at its creative peak.
Favorites: Take a Bow, Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Invincible, Exo-Politics, Knights of Cydonia.
Blur
5/5
Having won the Britpop battle but effectively lost the war, the only thing for Blur to do now was retreat towards uncharted, hazier territory. Diving headfirst into murkier waters, they came out of it a different entity, one less fixated on Kinksian topics and brass accompaniments and more inclined to become buzzier, abstract, abrasive and taciturn. With a low heart rate, facing sped-up lights on the gurney, Blur roared back to life to reject what came before once again. But what would come afterwards only indicated that the clock was ticking and all good things must come to an end.
Beatles
5/5
Exploring a band's rise before they become meteoric monoliths is always a fascinating and exciting exercise. For The Beatles, that is four times so. With The Beatles documents the soon-to-be Fab Four iron out kinks and refine techniques all the while continuing to introduce new ideas that would come to rip the rulebook that characterized pop songwriting at that time. From John and Paul's chemistry increasingly bearing fruit to George's first stab at making his voice heard and Ringo being ever reliable on the kit and the occasional song sung by him, With The Beatles is not only the sounds of the pot overboiling but the sounds of a tide turning for good.
Madness
3/5
Despite the title, The Rise & Fall sounds like Madness gelling into a new form, that they were more than what people thought of them as. A noble effort, even if it sounds nothing like the most enduring song here and it often feels as though it falls through the cracks.
Favorites: Rise and Fall, Tomorrow's (Just Another Day), Blue Skinned Beast, Mr. Speaker (Gets the Word), Our House, New Delhi, That Face.
Goldfrapp
3/5
Jettsoning the synths in favor of fairytale imaginings, Goldfrapp hit upon a perfect formula that best showcases their singular approach. Certainly something to vibe to on a crispy, balmy day.
Favorites: Clowns, Little Bird, Happiness, Road to Somewhere, Eat Yourself, A&E, Caravan Girl.
The Stooges
5/5
The acid had long since worn off. Fear has kicked in. An avalanche, a earthquake and a tornado has descended upon those whose feet have ceased to move. Engulfing flames appear to overtake a man who is not so bothered at all, having been infused with the thrill of chaos and disorder. What was once fresh grass has degenerated into endless dirt, the kind that unveils the ills of the world we just so happen to inhabit. The Stooges understood this well, they created it. They'll grip your head with their hands, squeeze it tight and not lose concentration for a second. Fun this may not be but a house is what it all is. What musical schadenfreude.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Speeding out of the gate with a fervor for sophisticated treatises on love both acquired and lost, Prefab Sprout offer up their magnum opus with Steve McQueen. While no one was striding in like Cool Hand Luke, what was apparent was the heart on sleeve earnestness of the songs that makes this an intoxicating and invigorating listen forty years on. Give into it and do not let go.
Favorites: Faron Young, Bonny, Appetite, When Love Breaks Down, Goodbye Lucille #1, Moving the River, Desire As.
John Coltrane
5/5
A Love Supreme deserves its reputation for a multitude of reasons. For all of its spiritualization and complexity, it is pretty much one of the more, if not the most, accessible jazz record ever made. One can essentially grasp what John Coltrane and his assembled band (Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner) were aiming to achieve here. The results gathered have done nothing but astound and influence practically every square surface of musical noise over the course of sixty years. Revelations either patterned after John's or conjured up on one's own experience have been soundtracked by A Love Supreme. Jazz, and all of music, would be a much less enriching place without this album. Sure, there have been wild twists and turns before this but, if one wants to draw a line in the sand, this is where to start.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Crickets sure do chirp but, when it came to Buddy Holly, here they rock and roll and get a little loud. In less than thirty minutes, he and they fly around the grooves and, with endless odes to romance, into the ears of anyone they come across, thus paving the way for the future of the genre and successive bands that they wouldn't be able to see mature and alter the shape of rock and roll to come. The Chirping Crickets may seem small in contrast to what came next, but that doesn't mean its impact wasn't significant.
Favorites: Oh Boy!, Not Fade Away, Maybe Baby, It's Too Late, That'll Be the Day, I'm Looking for Someone to Love, An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date), Send Me Some Lovin', Rock Me My Baby.
Spacemen 3
4/5
Spacemen 3 assemble the pieces that would form the blueprint of what would become Spiritualized with Playing With Fire, an album that mostly does good on the themes displayed on the album cover and reinvokes the spirit of the psychedelic age to fit their modern times. An accurate purity of love bound by revolution and suicide.
Favorites: Honey, Come Down Softly to Me, How Does It Feel, Let Me Down Gently, So Hot (Wash Away All of My Tears), Suicide, Lord Can You Hear Me.
Sinead O'Connor
4/5
Upon first impression, Sinead O'Connor has a commanding presence that feels hard won and that carries itself onto I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which is infused with then-contemporary sounds and prescient subjects that were given a spotlight after a long time in the dark. The often languorous sounding compositions may drag on after a while but I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got is a deserving breakthrough that shines a light on Sinead's immense talent.
Favorites: Feel So Different, I Am Stretched on Your Grave, The Emperor's New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds, Nothing Compares 2 U, The Last Day of Our Acquaintance, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Hejira marks the moment where Joni Mitchell completed her transformation from an easy to pin down ingenue of soon-to-be burned down iconoclasts to an abstract road warrior hardened and wizened by what was in front of and around her. Completing what was started with The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira is Joni's finest hour as the jazz influence makes its presence felt and the lyrics take on a hazy, albeit contained stance verging on rambling yet memorable. This is a steep mountain to climb and it is not a surprise that many have tried to emulate its footprint in the years since.
Public Image Ltd.
5/5
A hard to get to package, with a headstrong determination to continue their trajectory towards further hazy musicality, Metal Box (Second Edition for those who could not hack the tin without ruining the records) is the quintessential post-punk album. Public Image, Ltd. continued their bewildering yet invigorating journey away from the haphazard punk rock that defined John Lydon's irascible alter-ego, and his whole career, and delved deeper into impenetrable sounds unfathomable before and thus unsurpassed since. Whether or not it is the last great album of the 1970s is a debate for another time but what Metal Box/Second Edition captured was the decay that was plaguing Britain during a time of upheaval and soon-to-be selfish ideologies that would come to characterize their Conservative Party and this album was one of the many warning signs. Inevitably, the road taken here wound up being the farthest this iteration of Public Image, Ltd. would go as they'd disintegrate and take on the shapes that would be the opposite of what they had set out trying to be. But Metal Box/Second Edition remains in all its dented, nicked, rusted, inaccessible yet richly awarding glory, still scoring the atmosphere that sows seeds of discontent.
Skepta
3/5
In the midst of a brief surge of interest in the grime genre in the U.S. (a resurgence was also going on in the U.K., the birthplace of the genre), Skepta cobbled together a tale of two cities in the form of Konnichiwa. The first half features familiar faces and opportunistic collaborators dipping their toes in the grimy water, being on both measures successful and grating. The second half sounds of a Skepta not encumbered by such frivolous endeavors, leading and lending the album some of its highest points that sounds worthy of the album it's housed in. Overall, a decent showing from a big fish from a big pond planting his flag (however briefly) in uncharted waters.
Favorites: Konnichiwa, Corn on the Curb, It Ain't Safe, Man, Shutdown, That's Not Me, Text Me Back.
Rahul Dev Burman
4/5
Although I have not seen Shalimar, and may never see Shalimar, this is a very good soundtrack to a film that could look as though it is a epic adventure. It works as a standalone release in and of its own right as well. A colorful blast from start to finish.
Favorites: Title Music, One Two Cha Cha, Countess' Caper, Naag Devta, Aania Wohi Rehta Hai, Baby Let's Dance Together, Romantic Theme.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
England's newest hitmakers may not look like the kind you'd want to take home to Mother but they've got the tunes and enough aplomb to keep the radio loud and buzzing. But, in all seriousness, while The Rolling Stones were a long way away from the music they'll be associated with, this is still a sharp collection of rhythm and blues fandom and indebtedness delivered with the enthusiasm and respect that's required. Once they get their hands warmed up for songs of their own, they will be unstoppable.
Favorites: Route 66, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Mona (I Need You Baby), I'm a King Bee, Carol, Tell Me (You're Coming Back), Can I Get a Witness.
Richard Thompson
4/5
Love is a many splendored thing, as made evident in this often rollicking effort from Richard and Linda Thompson. Upon listening to this, it is not hard to see why listeners view I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight as nothing short of a masterclass in songwriting and showmanship. The title track, in particular, would make casual observers want to learn more from one of the defining albums of the fallow years of the folk rock scene.
Favorites: When I Get to the Border, The Calvary Cross, Withered and Died, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Down Where the Drunkards Roll, Has He Got a Friend for Me, The Little Beggar Girl, The End of the Rainbow.
Pentangle
4/5
Folk rock may have been snuffed out in America but it got a major shot in the arm in the United Kingdom, and Pentangle proved to be one of the defining bands of that moment with Basket of Light. Featuring a mixture of originals, traditionals and the intoxicating blend of contributions from the members of the band that leaves an indelible impression, Basket of Light provided a light of sorts (hehe) in a tunnel that was becoming increasingly bleak in a vastly changed landscape.
Favorites: Light Flight, Once I Had a Sweetheart, Springtime Promises, Train Song, Sally Go 'Round the Roses.
Syd Barrett
4/5
Having firmly sunk his toes in the deep end of the river, Syd Barrett unfurled his scattershot, erratic, often strange yet cautious great snapshot of a man clinging onto sanity with just one finger on the ledge. The Madcap Laughs, for all of its icky dwellings into lost grasps of reality by a plethora of listeners since the album's release, is a symbol of what was, what could have been and what had to be left behind.
Favorites: Terrapin, No Good Trying, Love You, Dark Globe, Here I Go, Octopus, Golden Hair, Long Gone, She Took a Long Cold Look.
Bee Gees
3/5
In their first attempt to fit themselves into spaces that could accommodate their shifting styles, Bee Gees pretty much broke themselves in that process. And yet, it may very well be their most intriguing album in their vast catalog. Odessa, a concept album about an abandoned ship at the turn of the century, needs a solid set of ears to get its message across as it is possible to lose sight of the concept at hand and make note of certain songs that stick out along the way. And there are plenty of songs here that informs those who view Bee Gees one way that they can be viewed in other ways as well. An ambitious step taken, even if the free fall became immediate.
Favorites: Odessa (City on the Black Sea), You'll Never See My Face Again, Black Diamond, Marley Purt Drive, Whisper Whisper, Lamplight, I Laugh in Your Face, Never Say Never Again, First of May.
Jane Weaver
3/5
Psychedelia, cosmic indebted rock and nods to library music all get a modernized face-lift by Jane Weaver as she explores the elements to the very top of the mountain in this expansive yet richly rewarding record.
Favorites: H>A>K, Did You See Butterflies, Modern Kosmology, Loops in the Secret Society, The Architect, The Lightening Back.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
Whatever was first thought up when one looks at the cover of Locust Abortion Technician may very well have been an apt one. A sheer sense of dread looms, then the music starts playing and the mind plays ping-pong with itself over whether or not it's worth of its merit and reputation. One thing is this: listen to this at least once and you'll begin to understand it all.
Favorites: Sweat Loaf, Graveyard, Pittsburgh to Lebanon, Human Cannonball, U.S.S.A., The O-Men, Kuntz, Graveyard.
The Cure
3/5
There comes a moment in one's musical journey where you come across an artist or a band that you don't find yourself overtly loving as much as another person or a cluster of people does but you do find a way to respect their talents and capabilities and their audiences' love for that. Well, that's me with The Cure. Disintegration is often regarded as their magnum opus and I can see, hear and understand it but I can only take in so much Gothic inspiration and influence and Disintegration is an overindulgence of the styling. Despite this, there are a number of good to great songs on here and, if one were to take them apart, they'd be solid standalone efforts. Overall, there may come a time where I may connect with this album the way that many others did but, as much as I can respect the effort, now isn't the time.
Favorites: Plainsong, Pictures of You, Closedown, Lovesong, Fascination Street, Prayers for Rain, Disintegration, Untitled.
Kraftwerk
5/5
I wish I could adequately describe the first time I came upon The Man Machine, and Kraftwerk in particular, for a haze has descended upon my memory. But I do recall the feeling, the feeling of having come upon something special. Something different, something transcendent. It helped me understand that electronic music isn't robotic or emotionless or devoid of stylistic variety. The Man Machine can be a rather emotional experience, especially the penultimate track Neon Lights whose last five minutes or so still sends me down a neon whirlwind. It's uplifting, in a way. The Man Machine may (or may not) be a celebration of the simple seeming structures of life and what it also is is the continual peak of Kraftwerk's powers.
Beatles
5/5
One could sense immediately that changes were afoot. There were signposts prior to it but it was at least official. The Beatles were no longer boys, they were men. Elongated faces, the subtle and obvious nods to Black American music, complex storytelling, thorny tales of relationships beginning to go astray, the nostalgic remembrances of days past; it's all here. Rubber Soul was the first of a one-two punch that shifted the gears of Beatlemania towards an uncertain, unsettling yet unexpected direction, a direction that seemed poised to leave the screams and fawns behind and dive inward and outward themselves and the world around them. Listen here, they've got something to say and all that's left afterwards is the potential in thinking for yourself.
Judas Priest
4/5
The 1980s were the decade for the new wave of British heavy metal and Judas Priest rang the bell for the movement with the razor sharp British Steel. Leather and studs have never looked cooler or felt snug in this nine song collection of epoch defining metal. The blueprint of all things that were to come from and for the genre in the coming decade.
Favorites: Rapid Fire, Metal Gods, Breaking the Law, United, Living After Midnight, You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise.
The Who
5/5
By the early 1970s, live albums in rock music were going the same way as studio albums: as an act of musical expression increased solely by documents of the strongest performances eked out of certain songs and enhanced by a rapturous audience. No live album fits that description better than Live at Leeds. Sure, there are prime examples from this time period that may attempt to dwarf this album's purpose. But those were attempts. They may mark a moment in a band's trajectory where they were at a pinnacle but they would not match up to the sheer ferocity of three dynamos and a steady ox. This is the moment where The Who is captured amidst the peak of their powers, where they'd not let up until an untimely end. It's exhilarating, it's an endurance test, it's The Who.
R.E.M.
4/5
By 1988, R.E.M. were close to the path of unlikely stardom. Largely staying on the course of consistency, they had raked in credibility and enough cache to entice listeners who ranged from curious to diehard. Green, the penultimate push towards uber-popularity, exemplifies that range broadly. Jostling between now typical political musings and jaunty diversions into irreverence whilst going back and forth with harder and softer musical styles, Green is the blueprint that R.E.M. provided that would be improved upon whilst not compromising its own ecosystem. Whether one considers this the end of a blistering era or the start of a brilliant period in the band's history, Green is the bridge that connects two roads that would serve to provide a path to many others.
Favorites: Pop Song '89, Get Up, You Are the Everything, World Leader Pretend, Orange Crush, Turn You Inside-Out, Hairshirt, Untitled.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
3/5
Blood, Sweat & Tears came along at the right time, when the swirls of the Summer of Love gave way to the rustic realism of communal jazz inflected rock. With its bookending nods to impressionist classical, this is the kind of music that only could have come out at the denouement of the tumultuous decade that needed a soothing balm and Blood, Sweat & Tears (despite its name) gave the rub.
Favorites: Smiling Phases, More and More, And When I Die, God Bless the Child, Spinning Wheel, Smiling Phases (live).
The Who
5/5
The Who had administered the cracks with My Generation, the cracks grew larger with A Quick One While He's Away and now the barrier had broke through completely with The Who Sell Out. Their first concept album, this album is a farewell to the pirate radio stations that paved the way for the British Invasion and Swinging London from the sea to the shops. And The Who hardly let up throughout, with songs becoming interspersed with jingles and advertisements either real or made-up, along the way showcasing the creativity that was accustomed to being given short bursts and thus wasn't given a wider canvas. But those wider canvases were soon to become plentiful and The Who would soon carve out entire landscapes that would explore paths farther out from the still waters that blare out life changing sounds. But it started here. It's okay to sell out sometimes.
X-Ray Spex
5/5
Upon listening to Germfree Adolescents by X-Ray Spex, one comes across many things at once. The neon dayglo attires that predicts the colorful decade ahead, the music that reflects the outgrowing that was defining punk rock at that time and the voice blaring out of the arrangements that would serve as a blueprint for the riot grrl of the 90s. In short order, X-Ray Spex were not just a band of its time but a band of the future, being both timely and timeless as their unconventional approach to what would become post-punk and beyond soon became the norm. One of those records that's perfectly fine to become obsessed with in due time.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
After albums of successive surges in momentum, Echo and the Bunnymen unleashed their masterpiece upon the music listening public. Once and for all shedding any semblance of solidarity amongst peers while simultaneously providing a path upon those who shall walk them, Ocean Rain stands tall amidst a pantheon of 80s new wave/post-punk/synthpop classics, leaving its ripple effect along the way.
Favorites: Silver, Nocturnal Me, Crystal Days, Thorn of Crowns, The Killing Moon, My Kingdom, Ocean Rain.
Jack White
4/5
After the prolonged dissolution of The White Stripes, Jack White didn't take long to search for new ventures, namely one under his own name. Blunderbuss comes out blazing, never ceasing its rollicking, modernized blues stomp and stroll until the end. Jack's gift for memorable riffing and cadence continue to permeate here, lending itself to earworms that one wouldn't wish to forget. Never has turning a new leaf while staying consistently true to one's sound look effortless.
Favorites: Missing Pieces, Sixteen Saltines, Freedom at 21, Blunderbuss, Weep Themselves to Sleep, I'm Shaking, Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy, I Guess I Should Go to Sleep, Take Me With You When You Go.
Super Furry Animals
4/5
Super Furry Animals bring their at times bizarre, at times potent blend of fuzzed out modern psychedelia on their consistently great debut album, whose boldness stood out (and continues to stand out) in the fact that it did not pander or conform to the increasingly boilerplate standards set by their neighbors in Great Britain at the time of its release. Maybe it still does, given how little it has aged since. A nice little introduction from a band that would become more bonkers as time goes on.
Favorites: God! Show Me Magic, Fuzzy Birds, Something 4 the Weekend, Frisbee, Gathering Moss, If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You, Bad Behaviour, Mario Man.
The Gun Club
4/5
The Gun Club congregate to concoct an unholy mixture of rockabilly, blues and punk to start a Fire of Love. Whatever what may know or may not know about The Gun Club, everything is offered here; the kind of sex, drugs, rock and roll, debauchery, mystique and wildness that was scarcely available at that time. Come away from this having been able to experience it, even if it was just for one time.
Favorites: Sex Beat, Preaching the Blues, She's Like Heroin to Me, For the Love of Ivy, Ghost on the Highway, Black Train, Goodbye Johnny, Fire of Love (Alternate Version).
Astor Piazzolla
5/5
It's always the albums you least expect. The Montreux Music Festival is often home to some spellbinding moments in music history that were thankfully documented for everyone to stumble upon and cherish. Some are more well known than others, yet this gem from Astor Piazzola and Gary Burton is not only largely unknown but it deserves to be held in the same high esteem as the rest. From the first note down to the last, The New Tango grabs your attention and not only maintains it but it also swoons and leave you wondering how on Earth have you not heard any of this before. And The New Tango, regardless of its near hour long length, would make you want to listen again. Good thing this list exists so that we can encounter gems like this.
The Bees
3/5
I was on my daily commute to work and I was feeling as though I needed a small nap so, after finishing some nondescript album, I put this on and shut my eyes so I've no recollection of the first two songs. The rest of the songs on here? I found myself to be on the spectrum of being both pleasantly surprised and somewhat at a loss in regards to the product. Dub flirtations mingled with hazy, imperceptible jingles and a cover of a Tropicalia staple to boot. One thing is for certain: these bees are harmless, they don't sting.
Favorites: No Trophy, Sunshine, A Minha Menina, This Town, Sweet Like a Champion, Zia, Sky Holds the Sun.
Talking Heads
5/5
I wish I could say more about More Songs About Buildings and Food besides it being a really good album that began to tap into the band's full potential, now that they were wrapped around Brian Eno's finger and vice versa yet that's all I can muster. It is a really good record that offers glimpses of what was to come. They haven't solidified into a groundbreaking force, but they are getting there while here.
Pere Ubu
5/5
An unruly chaos that, at the same time, sounds regimented and orderly, Pere Ubu's Modern Dance sounds above, beyond and against its time with its stabs, shrieks and yelps; doing everything it can to be inaccessible whilst being uneasily reachable. There can be many students for this kind of thing, but the teacher has long left the classroom.
The Band
5/5
When it comes to revolutions in music, we often tend to flock towards the most obvious and familiar; the kind that has long rattled the senses and reverbrates settings to this day and when it comes to the Canadian-American makeup that comprised The Band, they only needed one to completely upend rock as they saw it. Things had gotten hedonistic and overtly psychedelic to the point of parody and overexposure; it had seemed that there was now a point of no return. As soon as the needle hit the groove, San Francisco had been dethroned as the it capital of the rock world; it was now the rustic, homely, nondescript place called Woodstock where there stationed a house that gives this album its name. If they had ended things here, Music From Big Pink would still cast a long shadow and leave the deepest of impressions that would be hard to shake off. Listeners in the past fifty plus years have been wishing to have been flies on the wall during that time of blissful musical alchemy ever sense.
Steve Winwood
4/5
Steve Winwood pulls off a surprising splash into synthesized waters with this well assured and confident record. This is the kind of album that elicits a turn of the head, only to encourage and ultimately engender enjoyment of what's being heard.
Favorites: While You See a Chance, Arc of a Diver, Secondhand Woman, Spanish Dancer.
Snoop Dogg
5/5
Before Snoop Dogg was the acceptable, affable, all too accessible face of easy shills and unexpected collaborations/friendships, Snoop Doggy Dogg was a menace to society; a gangsta with a rap sheet so voluminous that it was a wonder why and how he wasn't locked away sooner. Well, with Doggystyle, it is not hard to hear and see why. His effortless charm and swagger and chill approach to the Dr. Dre beats help anchor an album that would have been rendered unwieldy in other hands. Dr. Dre's contributions to Doggystyle lends to the credence that this album is the continuation of The Chronic and that perception does not hurt the album at all. That kind of one-two punch is the kind that produces a long shadow over the West Coast and the whole of the hip-hop genre. Snoop has had a lengthy career, but Doggystyle will always be his defining work.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
A desolate road settles upon us, a white space in front of it looking like either smoke or snow. Barbed wire fences and endless crops of land on the sideline are cropped but it evokes tales that could be told in due time. The tales told by Bruce Springsteen in Nebraska are such tales that warrant the bleakness of its cover. Bruce was no stranger to telling us about the lives of his subjects around the time of the albums release but what was new was the arrangements; where the stories would be augmented by boisterous instruments and impassioned vocals, Nebraska is just Bruce, his guitar, his harmonica and the elements. Those who many respect Bruce from afar but find themselves put out by the accompaniments will have a lot to love about Nebraska and the qualities there will keep the listener coming back to it more often.
Q-Tip
4/5
Over a decade after the demise of A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip crafted his solo magnum opus in the form of The Renaissance, a title befitting the music contained in it. As always, Q-Tip remains collaborative and open to all forms of sound, willingly uplifting and bending himself to fit into the sonic pleasures, to satisfactory results. Whether or not this measures up to his Tribe records is up to the listener, but The Renaissance captures Q at his very best.
Favorites: Johnny is Dead, Won't Trade, Gettin' Up, Official, You, We Fight/We Love, Dance on Glass, Life is Better.
Kanye West
5/5
And here is where the spiral manifests itself. Yeezus, at the moment and in hindsight, is Kanye approaching the cliff and preparing for the jump. His focus had gotten scattershot, dabbling in fashion and spending less time on what got him to the dance and his abrasive personality was dipping its toes in waters so deep that it served to redefine the public's already set perceptions of him while it was constantly shifting. Yeezus marked the moment where Kanye burned the bridge of his connections to what was then and never looked back. One had to be there in regards to what it was like. What was maximalist was now minimalist, no features boosting up the track-list and, if there were, there wasn't any trumpets blaring out about it. Staring down double standards and doubling down on increasingly raunchy lyricism that bordered on clever and dumb, Yeezus is a unflinching portrait of what was and what would never be again. Things can only go downward from here.
Joni Mitchell
5/5
By 1975 Joni Mitchell was done being everybody's muse. She had been fitted through so many guises and scenes of other men's makings that they had begun to define perceptions of her. It was time she had her own muse, her own scene; her own guise was beginning to break through. The Hissing of Summer Lawns was the perfect start of that shedding of the skin. Signposts had been placed prior but here is the full on immersion of the experimentation that was sought. Whatever inroads there were when it came to Joni and her music, from this point onward, had to be hard-won and there was little to no easy path to take. Yet The Hissing of Summer Lawns remains a rewarding listen when one sits down and really dives into it and its renewed reputation over the years proves its worth.
Malcolm McLaren
5/5
At once exhilarating, problematic and downright creative, Duck Rock could very easily be the prime example of keeping a finger on the pulse of things. Spurning the by now hallowed carcass of punk for the life-altering, game changing scenery of nascent hip-hop just so happened to be the only logical step for Malcolm McLaren to make and, for forty plus minutes, it pays off in dividends. Of course, never giving credit where credit is due is never a good thing but the sounds offered from such disrespect tends to outweigh the negatives once the grooves get going. Malcolm wasn't the first one on board and he wouldn't be the last, as the subtle influence Duck Rock holds still lingers on.
Thundercat
4/5
After peeking through in various doors and getting his foot in them, Thundercat burst through with this kaleidoscopic, diverse, occasionally weird, oft-times to the point jazz influenced funk exercise of Drunk and he passes with flying colors in his embrace of the vibes and times it was constructed in. Skits and full length songs clash and co-mingle in a way that diverts expectations of disasters, in large part due to the cohesive flow throughout. You can keep your head above water for this one, yet it is just as fine drowning in the eclecticism.
Favorites: Rabbot Ho, Captain Stupido, Bus in These Streets, A Fan's Mail (Tron Song Suite II), Show Me the Way, Walk On By, Blackkk, Tokyo, Them Changes, Drink Dat, 3 AM, Drunk.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
It was a mystery, a curiosity; a deliberate diversion to diffuse the disappointment after the deafening hype. Four sticks isn't enough to make a home but it could rouse a startling fire, as was the case of Led Zeppelin and that fire could have been seen from as far as the nearest planet. It was a whirlwind, starting from the first album, that many believe peaked here. Led Zeppelin IV has become the foundational bedrock of and for many things rock and roll and subsequent other genres afterward which was impacted by its stomp, hop and groove. If the band had stopped here, their legacy would be untouched but there were more worlds for them to conquer and plenty more sounds to unearth.
Neil Young
5/5
Neil Young's breakthrough couldn't have come at a better time. After all the other late 60s stalwarts decided to splinter and run off into varying directions (something he was already adept in), it was open season for confessional, heart on sleeve histrionics that hammered home what was now the new frontier in the singer-songwriter genre. Neil, no matter what angle he came onto or what definition he'd create to settle on, was no different and Harvest was the result that became his defining work. Surely all that had been work shopped and improved upon came into fruition here as the impassioned yearn that fuels the storytelling and the impressionistic instrumentation throughout the record augments the vision lain out. Of course, the eyeballs and the unrealistic expectations and the fatalistic falling outs that came afterward became more than Neil could bear and he would head to the ditch, where he'd make the best of what was very bad situations. But he gave us a bountiful harvest, no matter how downtrodden it may have been.
The Mothers Of Invention
3/5
By this time of his short, eventually vastly productive long career, Frank Zappa had had enough of the zeitgeist. He had seen through the bullshit that had now permeated the Haight-Ashbury psych dream scene and the straight laced over thirty stiffs pointing their fingers derisively to the point of mimicry. All he had to do was infuse those feelings into the music that was already standoffish in approach and respect towards what was already around and out would come this mish-mash of skits and compositions. It may not be for everyone, it probably never was but what's for certain is that Frank had his pulse on things, in his own way; and whether or not it was for monetary gain, at the end of the day, the art is what matters.
Favorites: Who Needs the Peace Corps?, Concentration Moon, Mom & Dad, What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?, Absolutely Free, Let's Make the Water Turn Black, The Chrome Painted Megaphone of Destiny.
Django Django
4/5
Django Django arrive at a resurgent British art rock scene and stake their claim with a mission of intent, showcasing their trade with grooves and bursts of invention and passion. A solid debut from a group who look as though they have the tools to maintain consistency.
Favorites: Hail Bop, Default, Waveforms, Zumm Zumm, Hand of Man, Love's Dart, WOR, Life's a Beach.
Deep Purple
4/5
Deep Purple were ready to turn a new leaf in the spirit of the new decade and, with In Rock, they became a prime example of a new force in the increasingly amorphous rock world. Gone was the gimmicky collaborations with orchestras, in was the heavy riffage that was bound to compete with the emergent talents of Sabbath and Zeppelin and Deep Purple do an impeccable enough job to go toe-to-toe and deliver blow by blow to the ears of those willing to listen. Of course, it can only get louder and heavier from here.
Favorites: Speed King, Child in Time, Flight of the Rat, Into the Fire, Hard Lovin' Man.
Kings of Leon
4/5
By the time of Aha Shake Heartbreak, Kings of Leon were surely looking as though they could become the frontrunner standard bearers of the Noighties rock revival, with its short but sweet, all killer no filler collection of stompers. And there is plenty here to enjoy and take note of as the songs find its way around one's ear and settles itself in there, making them hard to forget. Aha, aha.
Favorites: Slow Night, So Long, King of the Rodeo, Taper Jean Girl, Pistol of Fire, The Bucket, Soft, Day Old Blues, Rememo.
John Martyn
4/5
John Martyn made music that increasingly came and went like vapor, but whose scent lingered long enough to leave a mark on those who came upon it. One World, the hazy yet contemplative sojourn in sound conjured up in Jamaica, is one of those imprints. Martyn is untethered yet content, seeking salvation in the atmosphere both physical and spiritual, aided by those who were on the same wavelength as him. Yet another peak from someone who should be more widely regarded than he is.
Favorites: Dealer, One World, Big Muff, Couldn't Love You More, Dancing.
Kelela
3/5
Making its presence felt at the perfect time for more explicitly experimental offerings from Black artists, Kelela stakes her claim amongst the fray with this earnest, tension riddled album. Perhaps it is a song or two too many but everything that's needed to be said and done is all packed here, waiting to be indulged and embraced with all fervor.
Favorites: Frontline, Waitin, Take Me Apart, Enough, LMK, S.O.S., Blue Light, Onanon, Turn to Dust.
The Yardbirds
4/5
Who is Roger the Engineer? Why was he an engineer? What had set him down this path? Did he grow up in a family of engineers? Or was it just a profession saddled on him in order to give him something that provided stability? Is he good at engineering? How much is he getting paid for it? Is he happy being an engineer? If not, then what does he want to be? Perhaps Roger is only an engineer for the money, so that when he saves as much as he can, he can do whatever he likes. That's a reasonable enough endeavor, no one should do one whole thing forever; there's a whole world to explore. But, for now, Roger is just an engineer and he's probably good at it. And that's good enough for the time being.
Favorites: Lost Woman, Over Under Sideways Down, Farewell, Hot House of Omagararshid, Jeff's Boogie, He's Always There, What Do You Want.
Nightmares On Wax
4/5
1995 was a solid year for chill out, exploratory electronic music and Nightmare on Wax's Smokers Delight is no exception. Rather than attempt to live up to his name and deliver the kind of bone-chilling, goosebumps inducing music for turntables, George Evelyn keeps his focus on good vibes and there is an abundance here that very much lives up to the album's name. Don't be put off by the length and allow Smoker's Delight to wrap itself all over.
Favorites: Nights Introlude, Dreddoverboard, Pipes Honour, Wait a Minute/Praying for a Jeepbeat, Groove St., (Man) Tha Journey, Bless My Soul, Cruise (Don't Stop), What I'm Feeling (Good), Rise, Rise (Reprise).
Tom Waits
4/5
Tom Waits for no common sense. On this pseudo live album, Tom gives in to soliloquies both endearing and deranged, all the while keeping the audience on their toes and hollering throughout. This is the kind of album that is deserving of the name Nitehawks; the kind of album Edward Hopper himself would have painted scenes of.
Favorites: (Opening Intro), Emotional Weather Report, On a Foggy Night, Eggs and Sausage, Nitehawk Postcards, Warm Beer and Cold Women, Spare Parts I, Big Joe and Phantom 309.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Joan Armatrading burst right out of the gate and settles into an effective groove on this self-titled record that, as hard to believe given the title, is not a debut album even if it feels as though it is. Once listened to, it gives the credence that Joan walked so that fellow singer-songwriters such as Tracy Chapman could run. May this be replayable.
Favorites: Down to Zero, Help Yourself, Love and Affection, Join the Boys, People, Like Fire, Tall in the Saddle.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
By 1970, it was safe to say that Creedence Clearwater Revival were the biggest band in the world. The Beatles had let it be, Zeppelin had revved up massive hype and The Stones and The Who were not too far behind in terms of importance. Yet Creedence's output around this time not only rivaled those bands, they had the power to seemingly shift the balance back on an even keel. Cosmo's Factory was one such example, further establishing the band's dominance as the anthems become intertwined with lengthy jamming that introduced versatility and depth. Peak Creedence, pure Clearwater, a glorious Revival.
Favorites: Ramble Tamble, Before You Accuse Me, Travelin' Band, Lookin' Out My Back Door, Run Through the Jungle, Up Around the Bend, Who'll Stop the Rain, I Heard It Through the Grapevine.
Nanci Griffith
3/5
Easy on the eyes and ears and inviting enough to make its setting warm, The Last of the True Believers by Nanci Griffith is the leap towards the bright lights that had waited for Nanci at this point in her career, with tunes worthy of its inclusion and of her voice wrapping itself around it. The last of the true believers would have no problem making new ones.
Favorites: The Last of the True Believers, Love at the Five & Dime, St. Olav's Gate, Goin' Gone, One of These Days, Love's Found a Shoulder.
Nico
4/5
It has never been an easy path for Nico, the icy Teutonic muse for many and any who come across her path. Wherever she may roam, her traces leave a mark that would linger, presumably, for the remainder of time. Chelsea Girls, her first solo outing after a contentious stint with The Velvet Underground, is an example of such dealings while not being wholly representative of what would become her later outings. More indebted to Dylan and Cohen in sound than Reed and Cale, Chelsea Girls is the cold chill that pushes along the fallen leaves surrounding the tombstone that was a way of being in 1960s New York; an unveiling of darker overtones after a colorful car crash. It does not come as a surprise that Nico would turn her back on all of this and descend down a dark path that often appeared to have completely swallowed her whole and make her re-emergences all the more improbable. This is the closest that we will ever get to Greenwich Village Nico, even if she is largely taciturn in reception and sharp around the edges in regards to accessibility.
Favorites: The Fairest of the Seasons, These Days, It Was a Pleasure Then, Chelsea Girls, I'll Keep It With Mine, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.
Sparks
4/5
And here is where Sparks formally introduce themselves. The expats had their blend of glam rock upon a world still feasting for more and were thusly rewarded with admiration that never wavered amongst the diehards. From its immediately intriguing album cover to the arresting compositions to the yin-yang chemistry of the Brothers Mael, Kimono My House is worthy of its classic designation.
Favorites: This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us, Amateur Hour, Here in Heaven, Thank God It's Not Christmas, Talent is an Asset, Complaints, In My Family, Barbecutie.
The Darkness
4/5
Upon greeting The Darkness and their debut album Permission to Land, one cannot help but think that this indebtedness towards the more bombastic, very extravagant side of rock and roll was a parody; a pisstake of some of the more egregious facets of genre. And yet, when coming away from it, respect has to be given for The Darkness often sound very sincere and genuine about their approach. Had they found any other lane, they would not fare well at all. You'd be surprised by how enjoyable the majority of this was. Permission to land has been granted.
Favorites: Black Shuck, Get Your Hands Off My Woman, I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Love is Only a Feeling, Stuck in a Rut, Love on the Rocks With No Ice.
Beatles
5/5
And in the end.... no one knew at the time, apart from the individual members of The Beatles, that it was over. Walls went up, walls came down, options were explored and roads became long and winding. There were, of course, turmoil, turbulence and tension but, given who The Beatles were and what they represented, the belief that all would be resolved and that things would be rosy for eternity was still a given. It would cease to be, obviously, but not before they handed the listening public one final masterpiece; the album that may very well now be the most ubiquitous Beatles record, Abbey Road. Its indefatigable nature, mixed with soaring leaps in sound and substance, is what keeps Abbey Road popular year after year. It also has the Fab Four coalescing into its final forms as they branch out into their individualistic journeys; Beatle John mixing realism and surrealism into a potent package, Beatle Paul keeping things light with whimsy and oftentimes surprising gusto, Beatle George crossing the bridge and never looking back as the world finally caught up with his most indelible songs yet and Beatle Ringo marking his territory with his irrepressible reliability. It may have been the end of the road, knowing what we know now, but in a lot of ways it was just as much a beginning, for The Beatles had done all that there was to do. It's just the music now that lasts forever. Abbey Road is testament to that.
Kacey Musgraves
4/5
After years of having one foot in the door of fringeness and one foot out the door towards ubiquity, Kacey Musgraves broke through for good with Golden Hour, the country album of the moment that seeks to stand the test of time. While not exactly achieving that, Golden Hour still remains a solid collection of songs that encapsulated Kacey's trajectories and how it informed her music. When it is all said and done, Golden Hour could rank as Kacey's finest hour.
Favorites: Slow Burn, Lonely Weekend, Butterflies, Oh, What a World, Love is a Wild Thing, Space Cowboy, Velvet Elvis, High Horse, Golden Hour.
Deee-Lite
3/5
The 1990s were upon us and it was looking to become a groovy, neon tinged world full of possibility and nothing encapsulated that more than the musically adventurous Deee-Lite. Their visions of a World Clique is on full display here, mixing together house, hip-hop, soul and disco to make one indelible, spacey package. Groove may be in the heart, but it is also best expressed by movement, which this album has in spades.
Favorites: Deee-Lite Theme, Good Beat, Power of Love, Smile On, E.S.P., Groove is in the Heart, Who Was That?
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
The dawn of the initial wave of post-punk gave us plenty of records to choose from, and Crocodiles by Echo and the Bunnymen is one of those that proves its worth and then some, documenting the band in its beginning stages looking to become the band they were meant to be; the potential is there and the songs on here says as much.
Favorites: Going Up, Stars Are Stars, Pride, Crocodiles, Rescue, Read It in Books, The Pictures on My Wall, Happy Death Men.
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
In a year of comeback records, Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time may have become the most forgotten of them all these past few years, which is a pity given how at ease she sounds with the sounds of the time blending in with her patented blues guitar styling. A true to hell and back tale, Nick of Time details the complexities of love hardwon and life hard-lived, for which Bonnie has plenty of experience dealing. This record could stand as a crutch to get through difficulties in effort to ultimately get going again, just like its creator did.
Favorites: Nick of Time, Thing Called Love, Love Letter, Cry on My Shoulder, Real Man, Have a Heart, I Will Not Be Denied, I Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart.
The Sabres Of Paradise
4/5
Two things came to mind when thinking about The Sabres of Paradise's Haunted Dancehall: this is the most obscure Warp album I've not come across and it features Andrew Weatherall. Winning ingredients, if you ask me. Well, Haunted Dancehall does the things that tickles the brains of every 90s intellegent dance music obsessed fan. It's long, it's sonically adventurous and it is full of techno bangers. It may have stayed obscure in the minds of many that come across this project but, thankfully, it has proven its worth being on here.
Favorites: Bubble and Slide, Duke of Earlsford, Planet D, Wilmot, Tow Truck, Ballad of Nicky McGwire, Jacob Street 7AM.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
When it came to stately, revelatory farewells, 2016 was a banner year. It was bookmarked by records that pushed limits stylistically whilst reminding listeners of the powers possessed and the vitality that came in regards to approaching the end. Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker, the second of such albums, wraps a neat bow on what made him an enigmatic performer. While not a defiant flick of the finger towards death, it does approach it with a readiness and gruff grace that only Leonard grasped and its instrumental sparseness helped it a great deal in getting its point across. You Want It Darker may not be the most conventional path towards Leonard Cohen and his repertoire but, in some cases, the end can be the beginning.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Delivering music for the masses, Depeche Mode had finally shed the skin of constricting shimmer and embraced something a whole lot darker, rendering them out of step with their homeland but completely in sync everywhere else. It may not be for everyone but the creative and commercial peak from the band is to be respected as it has given them the platform to not only base themselves off of for good but to morph in regards to changing tides and still be amongst the curve. This is as good of a place to start.
Favorites: Never Let Me Down Again, The Things You Said, Strangelove, Behind the Wheel, To Have and to Hold, Pimpf.
Ute Lemper
3/5
Ute Lemper becomes interpreter and performer of many an artists songs on Punishing Kiss, leaving no stone unturned as she sways from one mood to the next in the modern mixture of cabaret, avant-garde and classical. Fairly intriguing stuff for those interested in the extracurricular offerings from some of alt-rock's very best of the time.
Favorites: Little Water Song, The Case Continues, Tango Ballad, Couldn't You Keep That to Yourself, Streets of Berlin, The Part You Threw Away, You Were Meant for Me.
Janet Jackson
5/5
If Control was Janet Jackson laying out her intent to map out her place in the music scene, then Rhythm Nation 1814 was her big bang. Militant, informative, propulsive and ambitious, the baby sister of the Jackson clan creates her own looming shadow and mythos in the course of an hour, crafting some of her most terrific ideas at that point. Credit also goes to Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, whose genius instrumentation and compositions lead the way in easing Janet to the 90s where she'd gain more importance in stature, which wouldn't have been possible if Rhythm Nation wasn't made. An important record for Janet and a milestone in pop music.
The Thrills
4/5
Californian inflected pop rock by way of Ireland, The Thrills' So Much for the City pays exceptional tribute to the uplifting spirit that music provides in dour times, such was The Thrills' situation at the time. So Much for the City sounds as though it would have fit in at any time after the 60s and listeners would know that they were in for a worthwhile time.
Favorites: Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far), Big Sur, Don't Steal Our Sun, One Horse Town, Say It Ain't So, Hollywood Kids, Just Traveling Through.
Aerosmith
4/5
Now firmly back in the saddle, Aerosmith wanted to pump some realism into their repertoire and this album was the result of that vision. Looking to be a part of, while at the same time be ahead of, the rollicking glam metal pack that had dominated the latter part of the 80s, the vets not only succeed at stamping their place, they largely do so with finesse and a dose of lived in mechanisms. As ubiquitous as some songs may be, they still pack a punch after all this time and the others look to be rediscovered anew for awaiting listeners. Pump up the jams? Aerosmith can do that in spades.
Favorites: F.I.N.E., Going Down/Love in an Elevator, Water Song/Janie's Got a Gun, Dulcimer Stomp/The Other Side, Don't Get Mad, Get Even, Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man.
Sister Sledge
4/5
Coming in what would wound up being the tail-end of the disco craze, Sister Sledge is as good as advertised with the epochal anthem for such times. Anchored by the in-demand and aptly named Chic, We Are Family is largely all killer and no filler, boistered by enthusiastic and emphatic performances from the sisters Sledge who compliment the instrumentation sprinkled throughout the record well. There are good enough reasons why We Are Family remains an enduring listen almost fifty years on and the album that contains it has plenty of gems worthy of unearthing.
Favorites: He's the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, Thinking of You, We Are Family, Easier to Love, One More Time.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
This may have been nowhere but this was the beginning of a journey on a long, unsteady, downright rewarding road for Neil Young. Across seven tracks, Neil got on his Crazy Horse and said goodbye to the 60s the only way he'd preferred to do; epics, scenic imagery, and a chock-full of lore surrounding the songs in its wake. It's a hell of a welcome from a guy who we'd become too familiar with seeing and the stories he'd weave from one corner to another would come to define his catalog in some forms or others; turns out that nowhere is a good place to start.
Badly Drawn Boy
5/5
Early 2000s British rock was all about coming down from the highs of Cool Britannia, whereby the lessons were to never be so ambitious that you'd lose sight of what got you towards the finish line. There had to be new ways to showcase ceaseless talent and Badly Drawn Boy provided the path. The Hour of Bewilderbeast is an hour or so of endlessly endearing folk-pop efforts designed to be as shambolic as possible, but failing to do so on account of its accessible structures. The Hour of Bewilderbeast is the sounds of a dawning of a new age, where participation isn't expected but the amount of work put in is something to admire and respect from afar. The boy may be as badly drawn as he wants to, but deep down, he's a clever painting.
The Damned
4/5
After mistaking music for pleasure (and therefore displeasing their audience with colorful overtures), The Damned set out to showcase their aptitude for etiquette with this mishmash of styles. The machine gun nature of the record is on full display as the band delve into their punk roots with more ferocity and aplomb than before, whilst keeping their toes dipped in sonics that were slowly becoming accepted in their ranks. While it doesn't come close to the incendiary debut, it reaches towards what The Damned could be going forward.
Favorites: Love Song, Machine Gun Etiquette, I Just Can't Be Happy Today, These Hands, Plan 9 Channel 7, Looking at You, Liar, Smash It Up.
Slipknot
2/5
Arriving just in time for the next iteration of teenage angst from bored and old folks, Slipknot fills the air with its abrasive thrash and bellowing screams that pierce through with its relentless aggression that would surely find a willing audience. For most bands of their ilk, it would be a defining album but Slipknot were just getting started.
Favorites: Eyeless, Wait and Bleed, Tattered & Torn, Me Inside, Liberate, Prosthetics, No Life.
Anthrax
4/5
In order to be among the living, you have to approach the situation as though you were speeding towards death. Anthrax took one more step towards metal immortality with this all killer, no filler collection of songs that waste little time in getting its points across and putting a stamp on them with the admittedly infectious musicality on display. For most bands, they would just rest their laurels upon this release and while Anthrax are most surely entitled to do such a thing, there would be plenty more of where that came from with them.
Favorites: Among the Living, Caught In a Mosh, N.F.L., Indians, One World, Imitation of Life.
Girls Against Boys
4/5
Venus Luxure No. 1 is a record for girls looking for any kind of balm for complicated times and a desire to act against the oppressive oligarchy of over-reaching and obnoxious boys. It makes one wish that there was a Part 2 so that we could all have something to learn from.
Favorites: In Like Flynn, Rockets Are Red, Satin Down, Let Me Come Back, Get Down, Bullet Proof Cupid, Bughouse.
The Stooges
5/5
It's one thing to know about raw power, it's another thing to wield it. Even when they were approaching the end of their imperial phase (and the end of the road with one another) The Stooges still commanded the listeners attention with brute force and animalistic will, even when it was beginning to lessen and fragment into other shapes that no longer fitted with another. The decadence was still in abundance, it was just that it went in different directions. The evidence is apparent in the different mixes given (Bowie Mix and Iggy Mix). Raw Power is the thought, the feel and the action. The Stooges had it in spades.
Deep Purple
3/5
Big in Japan had started to become a catch-on term for bands who were rather niche in their homeland but were revered Gods in the Far East. While Deep Purple were far from niche, their stage presence was more than enough to garner sway and Made in Japan was a prime example of this. While listening to it garners thoughts of whether or not it merits an essential certification, it does capture a band at the peak of its powers, which is of good value for any Deep Purple fan.
Favorites: Highway Star, Child in Time, Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin'.
Dennis Wilson
5/5
An underlying, if not slowly obvious, storyline amongst the bonkers tale of The Beach Boys was the increasing creativity of Dennis Wilson, the middle sibling of Brian and Carl both of whom bookended the sprawling erstwhile/eternal surfers. From album to album after the 60s as Brian slipped into the failures of giant expectations, Dennis stepped up to the plate and made the listening public bare witness to his developing talents. It all culminated in Pacific Ocean Blue, arguably the most soulful and exuberant release in all of the Beach Boys oeuvre. Pacific Ocean Blue's very existence is proof that there is more than what meets the eye in regards to what's been pigeonholed and disregarded; the fact that it still gets appraisals from like-minded listeners up close and afar to this day is testament to Dennis' endeavors, which would have gotten or could have gotten more sophisticated had he not passed on. A beacon of light in darkened times.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
4/5
Southern Rock without Lynyrd Skynyrd, regardless of how its pronounced, would feel very hollow; indeed, the ultimate 70s rock jukebox is compiled here to not only serve up noise to fill a room in an effort to play air guitar and sing along but to gather realizations of where certain sounds came from after a fair bit of wondering. Lynyrd Skynrd show good amounts of promise of this first record and this core has the potential to make Southern rock even more of a juggernaut and something to take seriously.
Favorites: I Ain't the One, Tuesday's Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Things Goin' On, Free Bird.
5/5
At first, I was in for an unsettling experience. Harsh glitches, unsteady beats and strange voices abound in an uncompromising introduction to this bewildering yet bountiful album. Yet as They Were Wrong, So We Drowned unfurled, what laid ahead and beneath was a massive undertaking that was as rewarding as it was headscratching; the often brutal song titles anchoring bizarro experimental rock laced with unlikely dance. Not for the faint-hearted yet the heady do need to be warned.
Throbbing Gristle
3/5
In this final report from one of industrial's initial pillars, what comes forth is an increasing march towards advancements in the trajectory of the band, as its transgressive natures not only improve upon but also becomes more insidious with its subtlety. There'd be no more reports following this, as the group had no need to be checked upon; they'd already made their mark and will continue to do so.
Favorites: Hit by a Rock, United, Dead on Arrival, Weeping, Hamburger Lady, Hometime, E-Coli, Death Threats.
The Psychedelic Furs
4/5
The Psychedelic Furs begin their slow ascent towards 80s immortality with Talk Talk Talk (not to be confused with Talk Talk, the band) as they wield new wave and power pop prowess and limitless potential throughout. The craft that is apparent here carries on with its infectious energy and Talk Talk Talk becomes worthy of a repeat listen as time goes on.
Favorites: Dumb Waiters, Pretty in Pink, I Wanna Sleep With You, Into You Like a Train, Mr. Jones, It Goes On, All of This and Nothing.
Talking Heads
5/5
And so, it begins. Amidst a burning city, hallowed out from white flights and drop dead proclaims from the President, there was a weird yet enlightening bunch of art students who set about to document ongoings that appear normal on its surface but is bubbling something sinister, off-kilter. Not to mention they don't tend to stick around for long in some cases, preferring to linger in bit pieces in ways that would reverberate. Talking Heads, in alarming red and traffic light green, jerk through and angle their way into legendary status with their first outing to the world. Had they stopped there, this would have been the Rosetta Stone of post-punk. But, thankfully for the listening public, there'd be more songs about mundane yet mesmerizing things, regardless of fear or creatures. Nearly fifty years on, this still strikes a chord.
3/5
Ornette Coleman was never known to take his approach to compositions lightly, never making things easy for those who seek to understand how he did his thing. It took some time for him to find like minds and John Zorn, in tribute, felt kinship with him. Spy vs Spy is Ornette's music taken to the absolute extreme, marked by violent, devil-may-care hostility and disregard for pacing and structure, opting for a melodious cacophony that would have those bolting for the door now as it did in 1989 as it did in Ornette's heyday. Free jazz was the change in the century marked by the shape of things to come and Spy vs Spy best represents what the remnants could become if they stuck around.
Soft Cell
4/5
The early 1980s were a free for all in terms of what could be in regards to music. The remnants of punk mutating into post-punk, synth-pop percolating from fad to fact, pop itself being a myriad of other things that could differentiate itself from others and then there's Soft Cell. Their Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret lives up to its title by being as blatantly and unashamedly sexual as possible, thereby giving a jolt to the imaginations and horrors of those who either needed a boost of affirmation or a wag of the finger to reassert notions of authority. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret remains a thrilling listen nearly forty-five years later for those who look to seek out the band past the one cover song (the other cover song, The Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go?, is quite stellar though.)
Favorites: Frustration, Tainted Love, Seedy Films, Youth, Sex Dwarf, Entertain Me, Secret Life, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Where Did Our Love Go?, Memorabilia, Fun City.
Dizzee Rascal
4/5
Dizzee Rascal was just a kid but, on Boy in da Corner, he was already a man of the world. Across fifteen tracks and nearly an hour, Dizzee takes us on a kaleidoscopic trail to what life was like for young Britons in the early 2000s, soundtracked by the nascent grime genre that bridged the gap between England and rap at the time. Dizzee Rascal takes on varying disguises on here, from cocky troubadour to someone who's dismissive yet lovesick to someone trapped in circumstances not of his making. Whomever, whatever, the fact is that Dizzee is in a world of his own, one which needed no effort to catch up to.
Favorites: Sittin' Here, Stop Dat, I Luv U, Brand New Day, 2 Far, Fix Up, Look Sharp, Jus a Rascal, Live O.
The Byrds
4/5
At this point in time, Bob Dylan was already cool. His four albums had transcended thought, time, space and whatever what was once deemed regular. He didn't have to have yet another platform to inform the public of that status. The Byrds gave him such and cemented their own place in rock. By giving these songs, and their own, a jangly backdrop and an access unfathomable The Byrds gave rock and roll both a glimpse into its future and a mirror of its then-present. They had no way of knowing of the road they'd pave with this folk-rock masterclass but, once they did, they'd mutate in ways many wouldn't expect, just like Bob would. And it all starts here.
Favorites: Mr. Tambourine Man, I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Spanish Harlem Incident, You Won't Have to Cry, The Bells of Rhymney, All I Really Want to Do, Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe, Chimes of Freedom.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
With growth comes pains and there were plenty for Elvis Costello & the Attractions. Whatever the aim was now, it was blurred, out of focus and far beyond reach and Blood and Chocolate documented those tensions. Far less glossy and indicative of how things were, this results in one of the more approachable albums in Costello's oeuvre regardless of where one stands with him; he'd be back on his own trail soon enough.
Favorites: Uncomplicated, I Hope You're Happy Now, Tokyo Storm Warning, Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Head, I Want You, Blue Chair, Battered Old Bird.
The Specials
4/5
Two tones make for a potent weapon. In the midst of a rapidly changing music scene in Britain came The Specials, who blended ska and punk with political and social awareness in the makings of a statement that could last a long time. While mired in its time frame, this self-titled manifesto still has things to say that still rings true in these hectic yet far more hostile environment; maybe we should keep turning these pages.
Favorites: A Message to You Rudy, It's Up to You, Nite Klub, Doesn't Make It Alright, Concrete Jungle, Monkey Man, (Dawning of a) New Era, Blank Expression, Stupid Marriage, Too Much Too Young.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Paul Revere & the Raiders kick up a horseload of momentum with their Midnight Ride, bucking their way towards a rush of immortality with their blend of Brill Building compositions and their own original tunes that signaled a new way forward for a group that doesn't intend to be pigeonholed. While one need not to trace their way back to the American Revolutionary War to feel connected to the struggle, this collection can do much to make smoke come out of the cannon.
Favorites: Kicks, There's Always Tomorrow, Ballad of a Useless Man, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone, All I Really Want is You, Take a Look at Yourself, Melody of an Unknown Girl.
Van Morrison
5/5
Van Morrison may have undergone various guises and phases around this time but what he hadn't abandoned was his propensity for show and, on It's Too Late to Stop Now, Van the Man's stage prowess shone just as brightly as the lights he was a in front of on the cover. This is Van at his peak, creatively, and this is the best documentation anyone could have wanted out of this moment in time. No wonder he dubbed his music Celtic soul, because there was an abundance to be found here.
Justin Timberlake
3/5
Before he became the poster boy for all things white boy cringe/privilege, before he was seen as the purveyor of sleek, silky love sounds, Justin Timberlake was yet another boy band puzzle piece looking to wiggle away from rigidity and break out into something larger and, with Justified, he largely succeeded in that mission. Tapping into the then-innovative beats of the Neptunes and traversing through their inner circle, Justin sheds his tightly wound skin and lets loose into the man he felt destined to be; the swaggering, visually staggering sex symbol that can covet the ladies as quickly as he can dismiss them all while the aspirant men admire him. All the praise and hype given to this at the time was justified and whatever influential capital it wielded remains strong to this day, possessing the type of vibes that would not ruin any tour.
Favorites: Senorita, Like I Love You, Take It From Here, Cry Me a River, Rock Your Body, Last Night, Still on My Brain, Let's Take a Ride.
Paul McCartney
4/5
Starting over after losing the only job you've known your whole life is a tough pill to swallow. For Paul McCartney, that meant getting acquainted with a new way of being that was bound to play out in public as opposed to being thought out and planned in private. In truth, Paul riding solo was nothing new but he always had John, George and Ringo to fall back to. Not this time, only the lovely Linda, a burgeoning family and a groundswell of uncertainty. The first of what would become a trilogy, McCartney didn't showcase Paul at his very best. But what he lacked in familiar camaraderie, he made up for in sincerity and authenticity. While populism tended to rear its head, it's the more offbeat flights of fancy that keeps the record in its center, reminding the listeners of the new world they and the creator are immersing themselves in. This is an important album in regards to where Paul would have to go in order to move forward without his usual squad. But, with his brand new one, he'll be able to traverse new trails that were only possible because of this.
Favorites: That Would Be Something, Every Night, Junk, Man We Was Lonely, Oo You, Teddy Boy, Maybe I'm Amazed.
Mylo
3/5
For someone who wants to destroy rock and roll, Mylo does a masterful job replicating its aesthetic in dance. A bit of a tribute to and a riffing on the 80s culture, there is plenty for everyone to enjoy here, whether it be through light admonishing or head-banging bliss. Come in skeptical and depart satisfied.
Favorites: Valley of the Dolls, Sunworshipper, Muscle Cars, Drop the Pressure, Paris Four Hundred, Destroy Rock & Roll, Zenophile, Need You Tonite, Emotional 98.6.
Sonic Youth
4/5
By early 1992, Sonic Youth were the personification of your favorite band's favorite band; the epitome of what was cool in the increasingly changing, now white hot under the microscope of alternative rock and, with Dirty, they reinforced that perception while musing with the weighty subject matters of bereavement, objectification, railing against the government and the subversion of pop culture touchstones. As they keep their musical edge and refine it with the polish that hadn't been anticipated or expected from them, they still, rather deliberately, keep an arms length at those who wanted a little more accessibility. While not representative of their discography, Dirty remains a potent and vital listening experience in regards to who Sonic Youth, and the alternative scene, were around this time.
Favorites: 100%, Swimsuit Issue, Drunken Butterfly, Shoot, Wish Fulfillment, Sugar Kane, Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit, Youth Against Fascism, On the Strip, Chapel Hill.
Serge Gainsbourg
5/5
A topless redhead clutching a plush doll, with a lustful look on her face, bell bottom patchwork jeans spread out and barefoot: this was the album cover that engulfed the minds of those who came across it, first in France and then, eventually, the rest of the world; the definition of the pixie dream girl set in the early 1970s. But what about the music? One can trace the entire lineage of sad sack, impressionistic yet aspiring romantics who fall in love with all the wrong people for all the wrong reasons to Serge Gainsbourg and his cinematic displays of illicit love, set to the structures of a short film. Serge wound up creating the blueprint of what would become an inevitability as the music worlds would converge and crater in time; varying other genres luxuriating in the influence of this baby blue landscape of lust and lament held up by lustrous, action packed orchestration. While Serge would go on and continue to upend his processes, this landscape he created has gone on to become timeless, regardless of the seedy underbelly within.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
If My Aim is True was Elvis Costello looking up at the world with a scowl, then This Year's Model is Elvis obtaining a new perspective on it, while maintaining his now trademark acerbic nature. Grabbing whatever sonic diversions available and rendering it in their image, the Attractions remain the backbone to Elvis' call-it-as-he-sees-it viewpoint on the characters and settings that paint his songs and This Year's Model benefits from that scenery. A real one-two punch that Elvis' has never bettered since.
Favorites: No Action, This Year's Girl, Pump It Up, Little Triggers, Hand in Hand, (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea, Lip Service, Lipstick Vogue, Radio Radio.
Cowboy Junkies
3/5
Man, for a bunch of junkies, these cowboys sure can sing. In these sessions, the Canucks offer up a pleasant yet not exactly earth shattering collection of originals and covers that did well to display their talent and approach to the compositions lain in front of them. Now, if they can find a way to stay on the saddle, maybe they'll wean off the needle and the damage looking to be done.
Favorites: Mining for Gold, Misguided Angel, Blue Moon Revisited, I Don't Get It, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Dreaming My Dreams With You, Sweet Jane.
Elvis Presley
5/5
After years in the movie studio wilderness, becoming obsolete as the music scene passed him by, Elvis decided enough was enough and started making his way back to what got him to the dance. The result was perhaps the best and most well rounded album of his career. Memphis was the perfect backdrop for his comeback, as the King of Rock & Roll set out to remind everyone of why they were enamored with him and wanted to be him in the first place, albeit with a more contemporary flair. What became of him after has been subjected to intense debate, whether it's been ongoing or otherwise, but if there was ever a moment in time in which Elvis were to be remembered for, it shall be this; the King coming back to his throne without having missed a beat.
Ramones
5/5
The calm before the storm, even if that particular calm was still a rampaging blast. What's less is more and more is what's less and The Ramones was perfectly in tune (well, maybe not perfectly) with what was happening amongst them and what could very well become afterwards. This is what rock and roll had ceased to be by 1976, as the commercial and corporate conversion of a rebellious genre had taken hold. In a span of less than thirty-five minutes, The Ramones essentially reminded anyone who would listen what it was supposed to be and, in doing so, added fuel to the fire of what would become known as punk rock. Nothing here is polished, peachy and keen, what you've got is some gruff rough stuff; the kind of music that would launch a thousand other likeminded bands but none of them could ever replicate this.
Merle Haggard
3/5
He may have called himself a lonesome fugitive but Merle Haggard had become a soon-to-be beloved pillar of country and this solid collection of songs does little to not reinforce that fact. Building off the hard life lived, Merle and his Strangers provides the kind of songs that could not only speak on that experience but it would help give a voice to many others, a vocation he'd be proficient at for years to come.
Favorites: I'm a Lonesome Fugitive, All of Me Belongs to You, House of Memories, Life in Prison, Someone Told My Story, Skid Row, My Rough and Rowdy Ways, Mixed Up Mess of a Heart.
Kings of Leon
4/5
By 2008 the indie rock boom had largely settled down and the forces that determined what was and wasn't hitting the airwaves had gathered full force. Kings of Leon, by virtue of being in the right place at the right time, were ready for that ride. Only by the Night takes what the familial band had mastered on prior albums and made it sleek and polished, therefore taking the route of their predecessors and gathering up a whiff of being at the top of the mountain. There are, of course, some gems within the record that serves as reminders of what remained at the band's core. But the page had been flipped and Kings of Leon's next chapter was already being written.
Favorites: Closer, Crawl, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody, Revelry, 17, I Want You.
Iron Butterfly
4/5
My first interaction with In-a-Gadda-da-Vida was on some television special devoted to one hit wonders on VH1, I believe. The backstory and the ensuing aftermath was rather unnerving to young me, who associated this song forever with bad vibes and the tragedies that came from the end of the 60s idealism. As I grew older, that feeling lessened and the song faded from my consciousness; but, revisiting this for the purposes of 1001, I will say that there is really nothing wrong here. In-a-Gadda-da-Vida, in all of its surface level goofiness, is a rather groovy exploration of the happenings around late 60s psychedelic subculture. The remainder of the songs on here (the songs first heard before the title track) are emblematic of the kind of songs that can be bashed out without regard though with a side of effort; they're there just to pad out the record. Is this a classic of the decade? Not really but it is important to the development of what was to come in the later years.
Favorites: Flowers and Beads, Termination, In-a-Gadda-da-Vida.
The Dandy Warhols
4/5
The Dandy Warhols came about at a pivotal time, where grunge had been co-opted by shark fin businessmen, pure rock had been flirting with techno and the nascent forms of nu-metal, ska punk and adult oriented alternative began creeping into view. By coming on down, they make themselves stand out with an unapologetic stance with their power-pop approach, evoking influences from past and present to create a juggernaut of organized psych chaos. While they didn't take heed from the man whom their named after, this album could provide itself as a soundtrack for those to wash amateur home movies over makeshift screens at inexpensive lofts, should one take the chance to do such a thing.
Favorites: Be-In, Boys Better, Orange, I Love You, Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth, Every Day Should Be a Holiday, Good Morning, Cool as Kim Deal.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Songs of Leonard Cohen was a hard act to follow. In order for him to somehow top it, he had to conjure it from a room instead. Stripped down to its very essence (voice and guitar), Songs From a Room is austere yet epic in its structure, with Leonard's songwriting being given the space it needed to get the point across and the stories within some gravitas. Not the kind of music that's made for dancing in the streets but it does more than enough to make one's worldview spin.
The Jam
4/5
With the mod revival in full effect, The Jam step up once more to provide the British music scene (crowded as it was) with yet another burst of then-present invention mixed with the sole yet overwhelming homage of the past. Time with them was limited, something no one knew at the time, but time spent with The Jam was a lesson learned in regards to a glimpse of something real that was slowly receding from view. All Mod Cons, whether or not in line with current conveniences, is a nice document of that.
Favorites: To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time), Mr. Clean, David Watts, English Rose, In the Crowd, Billy Hunt, Down in the Tube Station at Midnight.
Grant Lee Buffalo
4/5
Who knows where one finds their influences or the one thing that fits their whole vibe. With Grant Lee Buffalo, once one comes to the conclusions or revelations, it becomes easier to understand. Fuzzy was 1993's alternative country rock trip towards the zeitgeist, infused with poignant musings and a general grasp on subjects that piqued the fancies of the band. Upon first listen, it is no wonder why it became a favorite of the singer of one of the biggest bands of the era, for it is an enduring piece of work.
Favorites: The Shining Hour, Jupiter and Teardrop, Fuzzy, Wish You Well, Dixie Drug Store, America Snoring.
Elis Regina
4/5
For Brazilians of a certain generation, Elis Regina possessed an aura that was hard to replicate. To say her legacy has been strengthened in subsequent years is an understatement. She provided a bridge between the wild eclecticism of Tropicália and the smoother terrain of bossa nova and her fierce and emotive approaches towards the material given to her often invokes awe. A true talent taken from us fafr too soon.
Favorites: Se Eu Quiser Falar Com Deus, O Trem Azul, Aprendendo a Jogar, Sai Dessa, Nova Estação, Calcanhar de Aquiles, Vento de Maio.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Summer of 1969, the time of Woodstock and the first term of Nixon and Creedence Clearwater Revival are on a roll. Not satisfied with dropping one album this year, they'd gifted their swelling audience with another called Green River and it continues to showcase their penchant for precise, economical compositions that get to the point rather than meander and lose focus halfway through. Whether it riffs off the blessed rock and roll past or it keeps chooglin' along with the efforts of John Fogerty, Green River is as potent a record as Creedence could offer at the time and, fortunately for us, they'd scale bigger heights and become even better over time.
Bauhaus
4/5
Having stamped their place in the goth roch/post-punk annals of the early 80s, Bauhaus decided to put on a mask in order to transverse forward without tweaking anything that got them under the spotlight. Improving upon what they left off, Mask presents a new way forward for Bauhaus, even if it would eventually fall apart.
Favorites: Hair of the Dog, The Passion of Lovers, Of Lillies and Remains, Hollow Hills, Kick in the Eye, In Fear of Fear, The Man With the X-Ray Eyes.
TV On The Radio
4/5
The zeitgeist might have finally slowed to a crawl but no one informed TV on the Radio, who provided the scene with one of its brightest moments in Dear Science. An illuminating blend of rock, punk, funk and whatever suited them snugly, TV wound up crafting their magnum opus that best exemplified what made them special in the first place. May the title guide you in, let the music do the rest.
Favorites: Halfway Home, Crying, Stork & Owl, Golden Age, Family Tree, Love Dog, Shout Me Out, DLZ.
Orbital
4/5
When two of the longer, more prominent songs on Snivilisation are tacked on at the end, one has to assume that Orbital were not lacking in confidence; if anything, the duo's hold on the electronic music scene was getting stronger while they were veering off towards more far-flung places. Whether made for illicit raves that their country was cracking down on or for the more individualistic listener with the Walkman in hand (or streaming service in this day and age), Orbital's grey album is well worth the hour plus long acquainting.
Favorites: Forever, Sad but True, Science Friction, Philosophy by Numbers, Kein Trink Wasser, Are We Here?, Attached.
Funkadelic
5/5
The visualization of a world without a mother can be more than too much for most to bear. There needed to be a sound in which such pain can be explored and expressed in such a manner that words would not do it justice. Eddie Hazel figured that out and all aspiring guitarists are still trying to parse it out fifty plus years on. Maggot Brain by Funkadelic is the pinnacle of black psychedelia, the ultimate mingling of funk, rock and soul that would be the greatest work for most bands but for Funkadelic it was just another day in their cosmic existence. It's only less than forty minutes, but it is an adventure that can span lifetimes; for so much can be unearthed and understood either almost instantly or in due time. The backbone, blood, bone and soil of all things funky.
U2
5/5
War marked the closing of one door and the opening of another. Having wandered through doubt, rumination and realization U2 transformed from boys to men as they navigated through real world happenings and how it changes mindsets and worldviews of the people around them. The transformation extended to the music, as the band formally gathered the tools necessary to craft together what would soon become their signature sound, even if that meant taking detours down a new wave/dance vibe that wound up becoming a one-off or something to be explored with more maturity somewhere down the line. War, with the bookend of a rallying cry and a solemn hymn, is the beginning of U2 as the world will soon know them, for better and for worse. This is a better time, no matter how harrowing the topics and circumstances. Wipe the tears from your eyes, wipe the tears away.
The Doors
5/5
Had Aldous Huxley stayed alive towards the end of the 1960s, I wonder what he would have made of The Doors. Jazzed up theatrics, bare bones simplicity, pure sex, literary references to stimulate the mind beyond.... what broke through in the game changing year of 1967 was the blueprint of a way of being; the kind of living that could makes men into martyrs and martyrs into legends. From statements to complexes, this eponymous debut album from The Doors is a classic of the rock genre for plenty of good reasons and, regardless of what one thinks of the idea of the group, worthy of its stature.
Joe Ely
4/5
When settling down with Joe Ely's Honky Tonk Masquerade, one is bound to find that it is nothing but a grand ol' time to be had. There is little to no flaws to be found for the better part of thirty plus minutes, which delivers a country rock gauntlet that can throw down and make one cry at will. It would be a mistake to leave this out when considering really great country albums, for they wouldn't be worth thinking of without Honky Tonk Masquerade.
Favorites: Cornbread Moon, Because of the Wind, Boxcars, Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown, Honky Tonk Masquerade, Fingernails, West Texas Waltz.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Whenever someone names an album after themselves, especially while deep into their career, it suggests a bold, brave turn towards a new frontier; that we are finally getting the real person as opposed to a persona. While Michael Kiwanuka isn't some brash, complex personality, he does have enough in his arsenal to make arresting material to keep those engaged with him. KIWANUKA will go down as perhaps his best and most immersive work, as he embraces a rather royal and regal presentation while stripping himself somewhat bare with his influences and inspirations. It's yet another step forward in what's bound to be a brilliant career.
Favorites: You Ain't the Problem, Rolling, I've Been Dazed, Piano Joint (This Kind of Love), Another Human Being, Hero, Hard to Say Goodbye.
The Fall
4/5
1990s Fall is no one's idea of a vast landscape of scattered gems. The Infotainment Scan helps to change that perspective. Crafting a crude sketch of barely hanging on by a thread post-punk and electronics, aided by a cover song or two, it showed that Mark E. Smith could still pack a ferocious bite and send shivers down the backs of those who didn't know better whilst stepping up to him. He may have retreated a bit to the shadows but, whenever possible, he'll always remind those of his understandably lofty reputation.
Favorites: Ladybird (Green Grass), Lost in Music, I'm Going to Spain, Paranoia Man in Cheap Shit Room, The League of Bald-Headed Men, A Past Gone Mad, Why Are People Grudgeful?, League Moon Monkey Mix.
M.I.A.
4/5
After looking on in the sidelines, M.I.A. burst onto the scene as though she were a living, breathing technological explosion with Arular, carrying information about the hardships of her people with the undercurrent of a patchwork of sounds to draw from that worked much more effectively than it would have in lesser hands. Little did anyone anticipate the incendiary career that would follow but, here, the signposts are hard to ignore.
Favorites: Pull Up the People, Bucky Done Gun, Fire, Fire, Amazon, 10 Dollar, Galang, M.I.A.
Grateful Dead
5/5
By 1969 the Grateful Dead were approaching the peak of their powers. They were still straddling the bronco of their experimental exploits but were beginning to seek out a more solid, amiable terrain in which they can lay their roots. Live/Dead captures this jumping off point well, allowing the band to be documented for who they truly are. Through peaks and valleys, from soaring start to muffled finish, Live/Dead is the quintessential place to start if one wants to understand the Dead and their exhaustive live escapades. Don't feel daunted by the length of the songs, for it is only part of the strange trip. Either consume it or let it consume you; regardless one won't walk out the same.
Hookworms
5/5
A whole wide world was beginning to open up for Hookworms. More and more eyes were set upon what they were doing, what they had done beforehand and what they were going to do next. Microshift, despite its title, was a massive step forward; an audacious synth-rock blend that never ceases to be engaging and does not fall into by-now exhausted cliches when those two styles become interconnected. Hookworms were set to be the face of what was to be the next step forward. That a sexual assault accusation in the wake of Me Too, that would soon become retracted in the coming years, became the downfall of the band is one of the more sickeningly cruel and unexpected turns in recent memory. Microshift now represents what should have been; a monument rendered incomplete and a journey grounded to a halt.
Motörhead
5/5
The irony of this album being named No Sleep 'til Hammersmith is that the supposed Hammersmith Odeon concert wasn't even documented; hell, it was never on the itinerary. Nevertheless, Motorhead continued to crank up the noise and supply the relentless speed on this landmark record. The best iteration of the band, playing some of their greatest hits, in a moment in time that would never be replicated again. No sleep makes demons of us all.
Ray Price
3/5
Ray Price's Night Life follows a unique premise in that almost every song is devoted to the tales that occur amongst the dusk and how it impacts the characters in it. One of country's first concept records, albeit overlooked, Night Life does well to lean in on the heaviness and levity of what awaits the listener.
Favorites: Night Life, Lonely Street, The Wild Side of Life, The Twenty-Fourth Hour, A Girl in the Night, If She Could See Me Now, Bright Lights and Blonde Haired Women.
Buzzcocks
4/5
Having already seen immense turnover before making their first record, Buzzcocks look to settle down and plant roots with Another Music in a Different Kitchen, yet they still found a way to be as snarky and slippery as possible. Squaring their music into a round shape to the best of their ability, they provide yet another entry into an increasingly intelligent sector of what had now become a tired, played out movement. One wonders what the other kitchens were lacking in contrast to this particular kitchen...
Favorites: Fast Cars, No Reply, You Tear Me Up, Love Battery, I Don't Mind, Fiction Romance, Autonomy, Moving Away From the Pulsebeat.
Jacques Brel
4/5
Whether or not it is condensed, Jacques Brel always elicited genuine passion from the songs crafted for him and this live performance from the Olympia in 1964 is a perfect example of such brilliance. As designed, this snippet of a full night leaves you wanting more, an imagined moment in time of ravenous, often humorous revelry.
Favorites: Amsterdam, Les vieux, Le plat pays, Les timides, Le dernier repas, Les Toros Avec Final.
Röyksopp
5/5
Melodies in the morning tend to be something that has been taken for granted these days. For the Norwegian outfit Röyksopp, that is not worth considering. Without having to travel to Bristol or anywhere else in England, they crafted together an easygoing and hard to resist concoction destined to soundtrack idle long drives for car commercials (not a slight, it is probably how music listeners were introduced to them). Melody A.M. is the kind of album that inspires cinematic visualizations, which is helped by the album cover. If they were smart, Röyksopp could build upon this and evolve rather than regurgitate over and over.
New York Dolls
5/5
By 1973 rock and roll had become a straight-laced, no nonsense, testosterone laden behemoth with too many bodies having been and were looking to be accumulated. There was, however, a small pocket that was increasingly being filled by people who were seen as too strange, too touchy, too out there. And there was no better representative of that growing ideology than the New York Dolls. With chutzpah, gall, nerve and balls, these faux queens from the lowest dregs of the City set out to deliver the best rock and roll of the era, and possibly the best rock and roll of the decade. Underneath the glamour came successive kicks to the gut as it pertains to the realities of what was staring them, and the listeners, in the face and that combo proves so potent more than a half century on. Of all the bedrocks to lain ones head, this remains amongst the sturdiest.
Sonic Youth
4/5
I guess you can pinpoint where Sonic Youth begins to truly emerge and it is here with EVOL. One foot still in the avant-garde noise world while the other is dangling towards complete immersion into the waters of accessibility, EVOL documents fascinations unforseen but glaringly obvious in hindsight. Is it the greatest Sonic Youth record? No, it hadn't arrived yet but it is a sign of things to come.
Favorites: Tom Violence, Shadow of a Doubt, Starpower, Death to Our Friends, Expressway to Yr. Skull, Bubblegum.
Primal Scream
4/5
After a well-intended, yet misguided, foray into 60s rock and soul adulation on Give Out But Don't Give Up, Primal Scream decided to wipe the slate clean and turn inward on some deeper, darker tones. Out was admiration, in was the questioning of stances soundtracked by rebellious road movies, dusty westerns and smoke filled dub. Vanishing Point, despite its title, marks a point of renewal for Primal Scream as they used the end of the 20th Century as a backdrop to paint the most reddening landscapes that they can muster.
Favorites: Burning Wheel, Get Duffy, Kowalski, Star, If They Move, Kill Em, Medication, Trainspotting.
Marilyn Manson
3/5
By 1996, those of the angst riddled minded needed a new voice to help address their issues and feelings. They needed a sound that was harder and harsher than anything that had come before or was circling the drain of the mainstream. Enter Marilyn Manson. With a name that combined the twisted concoction of the bright and dark sides of Hollywood and a vision that dimmed and exceeded expectations, they set out to live up to the name they've given this album. Albeit long enough for its own good, there is not a sense of a minute being wasted here, for there is plenty to unpack here regardless of religious stance.
Favorites: Irresponsible Hate Anthem, The Beautiful People, Dried Up, Tied and Dead to the World, Tourniquet, Cryptorchid, Wormboy, Mister Superstar, Angel With the Scabbed Wings, Antichrist Superstar, Minute of Decay.
Ryan Adams
3/5
Before he became known for covering Taylor Swift albums and being a persona non grata type amongst indie circles for inappropriate romantic dynamics, Ryan Adams was the sort of beloved vagabond whose ambitions set him apart from those of his ilk and more towards whom he'd wish to emulate. With Gold, he'd find his footing. Much like his Laurel Canyon heroes, Ryan would set about blazing trails and telling tall tales regardless of how hard they rocked (hardly) and how much they rolled (mostly). The album cover alone makes it appear worthy of instantaneous adulation and effortless iconography and, with the music that's packaged, Ryan would be well on his way.
Favorites: New York, New York, Firecracker, Answering Bell, La Cienega Just Smiled, The Rescue Blues, Somehow, Someday, Nobody Girl, Sylvia Plath, Gonna Make You Love Me, Harder Now That It's Over.
Tim Buckley
4/5
Tim Buckley was already an enigmatic figure who had shown the makings of becoming a star and Goodbye and Hello became the best distillation of who he was in the beginning of his career and what he was bound to become. Anchored by rueful kiss-off I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain, Goodbye and Hello set out on a mission and accomplishes it with a mixture of whimsy and intent. If he had stopped here, that'd all he'd be known for, but thankfully he hadn't and what Tim was ready to unleash upon the music scene was right around the corner.
Favorites: No Man Can Find the War, Carnival Song, Pleasant Street, I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain, Once I Was, Knight-Errant, Goodbye and Hello.
Baaba Maal
3/5
By the time of Lam Toro's release, African musicians wielding guitars and conjuring up infectious contributions not just to their scene but to the music world at large was becoming the standard. Baaba Maal doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel but what he does with it is more than enough to ensure continual enjoyment for his audience.
Favorites: Yela, Toro, Hamady Boiro, Daniibe, Gidelam, Sy Sawande, Ndelorel.
The Streets
4/5
A concept album that's as indicative of the early 2000s vibe as any other, The Streets' Mike Skinner delves through the never-ending lows of a situation gone wrong and grows more and more unpredictable by the minute. A Grand Don't Come for Free, from start to finish, is a throughly engaging set that takes the listener through a variety of emotions, from cringe to concern to anger to relief. A pinnacle of the resurgent and bustling hip-hop genre in the UK and worthy of whatever praise comes its way.
Favorites: It Was Supposed to Be So Easy, Could Well Be In, Blinded by the Lights, Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way, Get Out of My House, Fit but You Know It, Empty Cans.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
While not exactly a breath of fresh air, Yeah Yeah Yeahs arrived at the right moment, when the walls were coming down in regards to what's considered hip or not and how it could impact the tastes of those who come across it for the first time. On its surface, Fever to Tell could be lumped in with its contemporaries in the indie rock boom of the time and no eyelids would be batted. However, upon closer inspection, there is a galvanizing and energetic energy that still rumbles twenty plus years on. Is it worthy of a revisit? Yeah yeah yeah!
Favorites: Rich, Date with the Night, Man, Tick, Pin, Cold Light, No No No, Maps, Y Control.
Iron Maiden
5/5
By 1982 heavy metal was on its way to becoming what it was meant to be and several key pieces were putting out records that pushed that narrative. Perhaps the most important piece came from a band who were undergoing a transition into becoming who they were meant to be as well. Iron Maiden had been trudging along just fine but their true breakthrough had yet to occur. All that they needed to do was the accrue the number of the beast and unleash their prowess upon soon-to-be converted listeners. The Number of the Beast is forty minutes of some of the greatest heavy metal ever committed to tape, the type of heavy metal that makes one want to run through walls and conquer the most detested of foes. 666 may be the devil's calling card but, for a short period of time, it was a clarion call for all.
Big Star
5/5
It was all in the names, that extra bit of audacity taken as sincerity. A new kind of legend was forming that was due to take the place of the legends that came before, but that would only happen later down the road and not when it was supposed to. Big Star, whether intentional or not, have gone down as one of the more tragic tales in all of rock because of the potential that never got to be fully realized by this iteration of the group that recorded this album. But what was in there, what is in there tells everyone who came across it what was needed to be known when it came to the present and future of rock and roll. Maybe it was for the best that they didn't become big stars, for their story as we know it would not have been told. But the music within is always worthy of adulation.
5/5
A modern day equivalent to Clube da Esquina, São Paulo Confessions is a record that encapsulates a lost opportunity. Its creator, Suba, was taken from us not long after this album's release and it hangs over like a cloud. But it doesn't define it. What defines it is the several twists and turns that the album takes sonically while keeping its center and, for the most part, it works out well. Based on what's in here, one can only wonder what could have been had Suba lived on to the present day. But São Paulo Confessions sounds as present day as it is.
David Crosby
4/5
No one had gotten the gist of the dusk of the zeitgeist quite like David Crosby. Sure he may have lived out its ideals and found ways to extend his rough and rowdy lifestyle longer than anyone expected but it was true to him and the truth held firmer than most. If I Could Only Remember My Name is the haze that comes from having delved deep into the fog that was the tumultuous end of the 60s and the frightening crash into the 70s; flower power giving into crass consumerism and hippies slowly transforming into yippies. Croz, ever the iconoclast, documents these changes expertly and cements his reputation amongst fans and critics of his work. Afterwards it is topsy-turvy with his material but at least he gave us the best of the bunch. We will all remember his name.
Favorites: Music is Love, Cowboy Movie, Laughing, What Are Their Names, Song With No Words.
Ravi Shankar
5/5
The impact that Ravi Shankar had on Western audiences from the 60s and onwards is something that is worthy of unpacking in order to truly understand. It may have taken a few years and the changing of the times but The Sounds of India inspired a tidal wave that sent ripples throughout the musical landscape that can still be felt to this day. The only words spoken here are the ones given by Shankar as a lecture of what the ragas are and nothing more and that was all that was needed. Whether or not this is regarded as a masterpiece is up to anyone who comes across this but The Sounds of India being a historical milestone is absolute.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
It was a sudden transformation yet it was appropriate all the same. Amy Winehouse had always thumbed through the happenings of her life and the particular happenings at this portion of her life was more than enough to structure the most potent music of her soon-to-be shortened career. While Back to Black was a breakthrough, it also became an albatross, for it would fuel the worst instincts of the leery and predatory forces that saw what was meant to be an soul-baring exercise and turned it into the very things that hastened Amy's premature demise. Whether one allows what happened afterward to define their listening experience, it doesn't change the fact that what Amy created has stood the test of time in ways we're still making sense of to this day. It just makes one wish that everything was different.
Favorites: Rehab, You Know I'm No Good, Me & Mr. Jones, Back to Black, Love is a Losing Game, Tears Dry on Their Own, Addicted.
Talk Talk
4/5
To those that were taking notice, Talk Talk were on their way towards superstardom. To those that were paying attention, however, Talk Talk were about to disembark from such a path and go on to make their own way that provided a blueprint for many like-minded bands to follow. The Colour of Spring, from blissful start to finish, is Talk Talk shedding the digitized skin in favor of something more flesh and bone and warm-blooded and refined. This is them believing in themselves enough to cultivate a soundscape that isn't complex while simultaneously sending signals for what was to come later on.
Favorites: Happiness is Easy, I Don't Believe in You, Life is What You Make It, April 5th, Give It Up, Time It's Time.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Folk rock may have been dead in the water in the grand scheme of things by 1969 but it was picking up new forms of vitality in Great Britain with Fairport Convention leading the way. Liege & Lief is where the Convention turned a leaf and took a leap, merging original material and well trodden standards to create an exhilarating collection that helps tip the bucket with overflow. Sandy Denny makes her presence felt throughout the record, lending an unforgettable hand that sent ripples to her contemporaries and listeners that would soon pay dividends down the road. A new lease for the folk genre.
Favorites: Come All Ye, Reynardine, Matty Groves, The Deserter, Tam Lin.