Journey Complete!
Finisher # to complete the list
632
Albums Rated
3.07
Average Rating
58%
Complete
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
Grunge
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Wordsmith
Rater Style ?
35
5-Star Albums
31
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mask | 5 | 2.85 | +2.15 |
| No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live) | 5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
| Repeater | 5 | 3.12 | +1.88 |
| Close To The Edge | 5 | 3.19 | +1.81 |
| Deloused in the Comatorium | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| Entertainment | 5 | 3.25 | +1.75 |
| Bongo Rock | 5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
| Live At The Star Club, Hamburg | 5 | 3.28 | +1.72 |
| Peter Gabriel 3 | 5 | 3.29 | +1.71 |
| The Yes Album | 5 | 3.31 | +1.69 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
| Smash | 1 | 3.38 | -2.38 |
| S&M | 1 | 3.26 | -2.26 |
| Selected Ambient Works 85-92 | 1 | 3.21 | -2.21 |
| Fisherman's Blues | 1 | 3.2 | -2.2 |
| Screamadelica | 1 | 3.17 | -2.17 |
| The Holy Bible | 1 | 3.14 | -2.14 |
| Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde | 1 | 3.13 | -2.13 |
| In Our Heads | 1 | 3.12 | -2.12 |
| Youth And Young Manhood | 1 | 3.1 | -2.1 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3 | 5 |
| Beastie Boys | 2 | 5 |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 4.2 |
| Johnny Cash | 3 | 4.33 |
| Radiohead | 5 | 4 |
Least Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 2 | 1.5 |
| Kings of Leon | 3 | 2 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Metallica | 3, 5, 1 |
| Missy Elliott | 4, 1 |
| The Beach Boys | 5, 3, 2 |
| Prince | 3, 5, 2 |
5-Star Albums (35)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
The Beach Boys
5/5
Imagine making this masterpiece and later having people scream “Kokomo!” at you at every single show you play for forty years straight until you die, when you then have people scream “Kokomo!” at you in the afterlife for all eternity. Sometimes I get very sad.
79 likes
Johnny Cash
5/5
I mean, if the songs don’t do it for you then there’s still an entire comedy act in between them all.
62 likes
Paul Weller
2/5
I know Weller’s background is legit, but this… it just sounds like dentist rock to me. If I was a dentist? I’d rock out so hard to this on the drive home from work in my Audi. Trust me, there are days where I wish I was a dentist! Alas, today is not one of those days.
59 likes
Def Leppard
4/5
Seven singles. Seven goddamn singles on this record. That’s insane. And thanks to a very kind and awesome 5th grade teacher who let us listen to cassettes during class… I have these tunes ingrained in my membrane. I “sang” Pour Some Sugar on Me over the phone to my first girlfriend at her request. She dumped me the next day. Okay, the timing here’s not exactly true but it didn’t last and it couldn’t last because when all is said and done, Love Bites. (At least in the 5th grade.)
34 likes
Jeff Beck
2/5
While I’m always down for a good “Greensleeves” cover, I think what was fresh about this very straightforward rock take on the blues in 1968 feels pretty, pretty tired in 2021. And, yeah, I’m mainly looking at you Rod Stewart. For all of Beck’s guitar virtuoso, the lyrics by and large completely take me out of so many of these songs. I get it, Rod. You’re horny. So was Marvin Gaye but he turned it into art. There’s a way.
33 likes
1-Star Albums (31)
All Ratings
Eagles
2/5
Meh. “Most of Us Are Sad” ain’t bad.
Deep Purple
4/5
Definitive sound of classic rock. “Child in Time” = epic, astonishing vocal.
Jethro Tull
2/5
First time listen beyond title track (which tuned down and through heavier amps would’ve been a doom metal classic) and “Locomotive Breath.” Dug “Hymn 43” and “Wind Up.” Still on the fence about the flute and all flute related breathing sounds here.
The Band
4/5
If “Unfaithful Servant” is the next to last song on your album, then you can name your band whatever the hell you want.
The Waterboys
1/5
What is this? Who is this? 22 tracks?!?! Why are they just singing “Blackbird” in the middle of one song? Why is every album suggested so far overflowing with folk instruments? How many dudes are in this band?? Etc.
Michael Jackson
4/5
Such a good dance album, but on the tunes where the tempo slows so goes my interest. Also, how the hell did he come up with the notion to cram the words “keep on with the force don’t stop” into like two notes? Also also, that song’s about Star Wars.
Tears For Fears
4/5
So many great songs, but I think the sequencing is kinda whack. You can’t follow “Shout” with “The Working Hour,” sorry. Total buzzkill. Pretty amazing sax solo on that one tune!
David Bowie
3/5
Hmm. Somehow never listened to this whole thing before and it seems like a lot of these tunes are a little, dare I say, forgettable? I liked “Sons of the Silent Age” and “V-2 (Paul) Schneider.”
Le Tigre
4/5
How in the living shit did I miss this when it was released in 1999? I mean if an album shouts out Sleater-Kinney, Billie Jean King and James Baldwin in one song, discusses Cassavetes in another, and calls Rudy Giuliani a fucking idiot in yet another, then yeah that’s an album that deserves to be on this list.
Steve Earle
3/5
Should have called it “Git-tar Town.” Some of the vocal affectations drive me crazy, but that’s country. I liked the slower stuff... but not “Little Rock n Roller.” No no no.
Malcolm McLaren
4/5
Kinda loved this? Feels waaay ahead of its time for 1983, but maybe I’m just out of the loop. The only thing I can compare it to are moments from The Avalanches. Feels like an interesting collage, but unsurprising to read that none of the African musicians were credited. (Shocking)
Green Day
4/5
First time listening to this since I was a teenager. Enjoyed it, but there’s no reason they shouldn’t have lopped off the first 4 tunes and just started with “Longview.” That song and “Basketcase” still completely work for me after all these years. They should’ve stopped twenty years ago. They could be gearing up for a hell of a reunion tour instead of doing whatever it is they are doing right now that no one gives a rat’s ass about.
Ice Cube
4/5
I’m basically hip-hop illiterate. But this was much better than I expected! Plus, I once saw Ice Cube shooting basketball at some corporate event on the Fox lot. That’s gotta count for at least a star.
Johnny Cash
5/5
I mean, if the songs don’t do it for you then there’s still an entire comedy act in between them all.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
Finally been getting into Elvis recently and I like this one a lot. The guitar tone is so great to my ears. Jazzmasters for everyone!
Kanye West
4/5
Goddamit now I have to listen to more Kanye West. Kinda blown away.
10cc
2/5
“Deriving their name from the metric total of semen ejaculated by the average male...” Lol. I’m glad I listened to this album if for no other reason than to learn that, but most of these songs sound like the tracks you skip on later Queen records. “Somewhere in Hollywood” was the standout for me. “Her beauty looks out like a trailer. Norman Mailer waits to nail her.” Out of Kanye’s mouth that would have been hot fire.
Peter Tosh
2/5
There are a few moments here and there that I enjoyed, but if I want to hear this much about weed I’d rather listen to Sleep than be lulled to sleep by this record. Pick up the tempo, Pete.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
4/5
I wasn’t really looking forward to this one. My tolerance for Fogerty’s voice has about a three song limit, and I’ve heard the hits a million times. But holy shit “Ramble Tamble”! That’s a bold way to start a record and I loved it. More of that, please. Also, I had no clue that the unedited version of “Grapevine” was 47 minutes long. It’s a bit much.
Yes
5/5
Some grown ass white men have Dungeons & Dragons; I have classic Yes albums. Finally something I actually own! If this album is on the list in place of “Close to the Edge” that’s a shame, but I’ll take what I can get. Steve Howe is on my guitar Mt. Rushmore.
Metallica
3/5
I can’t really hate this album. It came out when I was a freshman in high school in a small town, so the band may as well have dedicated it to me personally. But the adult me cannot fathom how many steps backwards Hetfield took lyrically from this moment forward. “And of things that will bite!” is one of the most lazy, vague lines ever sung all in service of a rhyme that sucked to begin with. I still dig “Sad but True,” “The Unforgiven” and a few others, but yeah… I’m not a freshman in high school anymore. Also, has there ever been a band as big as Metallica that has made as many wild, dumb swings with how their albums are mixed? How does one even make a hi-hat sound like it does on this record? Is that even a hi-hat? And sure, you can hear a bass presence unlike “Justice,” but can you actually make out what Newsted is playing? Is he doing anything other than doubling the low note of Hetfield’s chords? It’s like they all went shopping and bought new ears. I prefer their old ears.
Bob Dylan
3/5
No surprise to see Dylan on here, but this one didn’t move the needle much for me. It’s fine; I get why people flipped for him lyrically. There’s stuff I like here it’s just probably not something I’d ever feel like I just HAD to put on again. I do love that people got so upset that the dude started playing electric guitar music that they would literally go to his shows just to boo him. Hahaha. That’s how I feel whenever I see Dave Grohl with an acoustic guitar.
Wilco
3/5
I like the two albums that follow better, but this got a lot of play on my first iPod. It feels a little long now. Still like “Radio Cure.” Why was this so acclaimed at the time? I think critics get a little more excited by any album that a band likes and a label hates than they do for just about anything.
Depeche Mode
4/5
I ran away from this type of music like the plague/COVID when I was kid, but I’m happily in a very new wave friendly place in my life. Love how this record sounds. “Sweetest Perfection” is sooo good. Did KMFDM really stand for “Kill Motherfucking Depeche Mode”? Need to get to the bottom of this.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
I can hang with this record. The guitars are so freaking loud in the mix, ha. It’s almost overwhelming at times, but I bet this would have been fun as hell to see live at a festival in the UK in 1997. I both hate and like this guy’s voice? It’s definitely a thing. I’ll defer to Alex and file it away as one of those rock bands that was popular in the UK and not in the US for whatever reason (see: Travis, Biffy Clyro, etc.)
Massive Attack
2/5
Just did not stand out to me and am I the only one who thought every female vocalist on this was… not great? I’ll just listen to Portishead, thanks. I’d welcome an instrumental version of this record though, for sure.
Ryan Adams
2/5
I didn’t remember this album being so long and uneventful but here we are. That seems to be my hot take on everything of late. Oh well! Dude’s problematic and all that, but even putting all that aside “Cold Roses” is the only one of his 900 albums I have any interest in revisiting these days. “Look Me Up” is a fine song and the one about NC is pretty enough, but I think trying to intentionally make music that sounds like it came out decades earlier than when you recorded it is a good way for shit not to age well.
The Beach Boys
5/5
Imagine making this masterpiece and later having people scream “Kokomo!” at you at every single show you play for forty years straight until you die, when you then have people scream “Kokomo!” at you in the afterlife for all eternity. Sometimes I get very sad.
Iron Maiden
5/5
When I fired this up I was thinking that if I had to pick one Maiden album to put on the list I don’t know that this is the one I’d go with. By the end of it I realized I was out of my goddamn mind. “Gangland” and “Invaders” aren’t favorites, but song for song it’s hard to argue with how melodically successful of an album this is for the band. (Or any band?) It ENDS with “Hallowed Be Thy Name” for ball’s sake, and every second of this record sounds better than most metal albums ever. I love it. The first show they play in South America after the pandemic is going to result in more pregnancies than a sperm bank.
Dwight Yoakam
1/5
If this album in any way contributed to Yoakam’s career in a manner that led to him crossing paths with Billy Bob Thornton so he could eventually be cast in SLING BLADE… then it was well worth the experience of disinterest I had listening to it. The mariachi Bakersfield tune was okay, I guess? Yoakam if you got ‘em!
Frank Zappa
2/5
Well, my favorite track on here was both the shortest and the one that had zero guitar in it. “Little umbrella” is great! I liked the last track, too. The rest felt kind of exhausting. I was expecting everything to be exponentially weirder. Instead, it sounded like a jam band parked in my ears and (mercifully) forgot to bring the vocalist.
Gary Numan
3/5
I dig it. Had only heard “Cars,” before this and wasn’t expecting those cool ass instrumental tracks. Some of these tunes sound a little too much alike to my ears, but I really just want to know if Andy also saw people fucking at a Gary Numan show because I feel like that would make sense.
Elvis Presley
3/5
I like this era Elvis. I like the guitar on “Suspicious Minds.” And I like the guitar on the cover, which I assume Elvis had no real clue how to actually play.
Fairport Convention
2/5
Perfectly fine light background music for when I’m writing a script with a fantasy element. It’s a pretty narrow window of opportunity, but Fairport Convention crawled right in and kept it propped open with a lute.
The Icarus Line
3/5
Oh man. This takes me back to the early days of the oughts and checking Buddyhead every day. Never thought this band was as good as they thought they were, but I appreciate the effort. I dig “Caviar.” The song. Never had the food, cause I ain’t Richie goddamn Rich.
Richard Thompson
4/5
Okay, I by and large loved this! Now I’m thinking I maybe didn’t give the Fairport Convention album a fairport chance, guys. I’ll see what I can do about that. But in the meantime I’ll leave you with this little pearl of wisdom: “Lightning Crashes” by Live is “Calvary Cross” with more shouting. Prove me wrong.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Not my favorite Cave - I feel like some of the other records let the band shine as much as his voice - but I mean I definitely enjoy it. Does it need all these guest vocalists? I think I’d take a version of “Death is not the end” sung by Cave only over what’s recorded here. And I will stop picking those nits and get on with my life.
Booker T. & The MG's
3/5
I had no idea that this song I’ve been hearing my whole life is called “Green onions.” I need to Google why the hell it’s called that, but I’m probably too lazy to do that. At any rate, these onions are pretty chill and I don’t even like onions. Put this on shuffle with some albums by the Meters and that’s a pleasant Saturday afternoon backyard bbq party.
Mike Oldfield
4/5
When the drums kick in during Bells pt. 2 and that guy starts grunt-singing and howling in whatever language that was… I finally had my first genuine WTF moment with this entire list. And I liked it! This album really runs the gamut of the ridiculous and the sublime, and the whole time I kept thinking of A) The Exorcist B) that Oldfield should make a record with Tortoise and C) that Oldfield should make a record with Mike Patton. All enjoyable thoughts in my book.
Paul Simon
2/5
When the topic of cultural appropriation comes up at dinner parties I bet Paul Simon breaks into a cold sweat that soaks him through his tiny coat. The guy’s an undeniable wordsmith and I appreciate the storytelling, just not nearly as much as I loathe every note of the bass guitars on this record.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
If I had to come up with a list of 5 singers, knowing that when I woke up the next morning I would be able to magically sing like one of them, I feel pretty certain Rufus would make the cut. Just to be able to belt out shit like that in my car would make me so satisfied in life. Anywho, I’m more of a Want One guy, but this is definitely the more dramatic of the two and I enjoyed the most of it. No I won’t be the one, baptized in cum.” How did he make that sound pretty?! How???
Leonard Cohen
2/5
Man, you guys were mean to Rufus. Who are drag queens supposed to listen to when they’re sad, huh?? Leonard Cohen? Maybe. But not this one. I can’t handle the instrumentation. “Jazz police”? Oof. “Everybody Knows” is still cool, but give me the early stuff, please.
The Offspring
1/5
You gotta keep ‘em constipated! Pfffffarrrrrrt.
Public Enemy
5/5
But what if I do, do, do believe the hype?? This record slams. And I say that as someone who was an Anthrax fan first. Surprised at how well this holds up and how good this list’s track record has been so far with hip hop. (Three for three?) I could listen to Flavor Flav rap about food and stinky breath for hours.
Jane's Addiction
3/5
I kind of can’t believe this came out in 1988. I wasn’t cool enough to listen to it then, but I definitely spent some time with it in the 90s. Oddly, it’s the only Jane’s album I’ve ever listened to in its entirety. I don’t even really have a good reason for why that is, but now I think there’s a clear divide between the songs they take seriously and the ones where they sound like they’re goofing around with horns and shit. I like the serious ones. “Ocean Size,” “Summertime Rolls,” and “Mountain Song” would have been a hell of an EP.
The Undertones
2/5
As short as this album is there’s such a sameness to so many of these songs. (Especially lyrically; good Christ, if there was a drinking game to the word “girl” you’d be legally dead before side B…) I really liked some of the guitar tones though and can see the appeal to a teenager at the time of release. Unfortunately, every time the singer broke out that goat boy vibrato I just wanted to rip my headphones off and give them to the homeless. Just cannot deal with that. Why did the rest of the band let that slide? Could no one have said, “Hey, you sure you want to sing “Jump Boys” like that? You know you’re going to have to do that every time we play this. Every single time.” Somebody should have stopped him. Anyway, is this pop punk? Genuinely curious to know what the hardcore punkers thought of this band at the time.
The Stooges
4/5
Elliott Smith
5/5
Surprisingly, this supremely technologically advanced website didn’t save my review of Raw Power, so here’s that one: Really uncomfortable with how Iggy sings the word “penetration” as if it includes my name. But yeah, otherwise, this album sounds like it was recorded in a garbage can in the best possible way. As for “Either Or,” well… I’ll just say that when I was in grad school I was a student teacher for a bunch of freshmen taking a required writing class that most had absolutely zero interest in taking. I had no clue what the fuck I was doing, but I know for a fact that I turned at least two students on to Elliott Smith by making the class write about a song from “XO.” So I did my part to make the world a better place. I hope those students are somewhere in Ohio feeling sad right now about being adults, listening to Elliott Smith just to cope. As it should be.
Paul Simon
2/5
Julio is fine, but I swear to freaking Garfunkel if there’s one more Paul Simon solo record on this list I’m burning it to the ground.
Tim Buckley
2/5
What exactly is that in his eye on the cover? Is that like one of those jeweler’s magnifiers for looking at diamonds or what the hell’s going on there? Regardless, I enjoyed some of the songs here and merely listened to others. “Once I Was” is the winner for me, but mostly I found myself thinking about how this combination of folk and rock probably made him super popular with a certain type of woman in the 1960s. And look at those teeth! I bet he never left a party alone.
3/5
Some of this just sounds like an honest to God disco album to these ears, but I gotta say - the Rufus Wainwright fan in me really liked the super over dramatic moments where there are more strings in the instrumentation than slap bass and dance beats. The “mantrap” tune makes me think one could remix this album into some cabaret-meets-Portishead thing of beauty.
But first they gotta change that band name. ABC? Seriously, brah?
Marianne Faithfull
2/5
This album is a trip! I spend the bulk of it thinking, “She has such a gnarly voice. Why are these songs so bland and tame? When is she going to be let off the leash?” Then the last track rolls around and suddenly she turns into Andrew Dice Clay screaming, “WHY DID YOU SPIT ON MY SNATCH?” Lol! Who saw that coming?? Excellent Lennon cover and snatch spitting aside, I really wish the whole record could have matched the driving urgency of the title track. I think I would have liked that quite a bit.
Beatles
4/5
Wasn’t going to bother rating this, but it seems like it won’t let me proceed if I don’t. Hmm… Anyway, not sure “Run For Your Life” has aged that well, but then neither have I. More interesting question: what’s the WORST Beatles tune? I gotta think on it some more critically, but my immediate response is “Get Back.” Never liked that one. Feels like it should be on a Bachman Turner Overdrive record instead.
Van Halen
5/5
“I am a victim of the science age.” What a line! This is another one that feels kind of silly to rate. I don’t generally envy people older than me, but I do wish I had been 13 or so when this album came out in order to have that pure experience of hearing Eddie at a time when no one else on the entire planet sounded like him. I can’t really fathom what that must have been like for young guitar nerds. Anywho, it’s astounding how many singles are on this record. Just astounding. Shout out to the Running with the Dweezil podcast, which I’ve only heard snippets of but is pretty fascinating.
Brian Eno
3/5
I like David Byrne and all, but could you imagine him singing over these tracks? Good call to take the instrumental path here. That said, while I was digging the hell out of the first couple songs it definitely ended up a bit too repetitive for my tastes. I wouldn’t mind having it on while writing though.
Muddy Waters
3/5
I feel like my enjoyment of this record would have been enhanced greatly by hearing it loudly in a sweaty room while drinking cheap beer. Instead, I listened comfortably while washing dishes and drinking tea. Love his voice and the overall sound of the record. The first song’s a classic (though his spelling needs work), but most of the rest just kind of washed over me.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
My kind of Cohen. The depressive Dylan. How great is the yelling on “Diamonds in the Mine?” I would completely listen to an entire album of that. Anyway, off to watch McCabe & Mrs. Miller…
Talking Heads
3/5
Despite the fact my brother plays guitar in a Talking Heads cover band… and their band is called Fear of Music… I’d never listened to this whole thing before. I mostly liked it! The back half especially. But anyway, if you’re ever in Richmond, VA go see Fear of Music. They’re good. Maybe skip telling my brother I’d never heard this album until 2021. Thanks.
Tim Buckley
3/5
Well. Little Timmy got all drugged out and horned up since the last time we heard from him, didn’t he? Haha. Good Lord! I did not expect to hear this dude speaking in tongues and talking about licking toe jam on this record, but I wholeheartedly approve. 👍
(But what’s up with all the double artist dipping on this “random” generator so far? We’ve still got 900-some records to go. Spread this shit out!)
Ali Farka Touré
2/5
Throw in a fuzz pedal and drop that guitar down to B tuning and this could be a pretty rad drone metal record. As is, not something I’ll likely listen to again but I love how clean and clear the production is. Dude looks pretty cool on the cover there. I want that chair.
Merle Haggard
2/5
Eh, this kind of just glazed over me. I’ve heard other Merle tunes that I liked but not much stood out to me here. Also, I’m tired and not in a honkytonk bar.
Killing Joke
4/5
I’m way behind on my appreciation of this band, but I’ve always liked their name and wanted to do a deep dive. Maybe this is the push I need. Really liked it, especially the voice. Can clearly hear the influence on a ton of other bands I’ve listened to over the years. Good stuff.
Minutemen
2/5
Well, I now know where the theme from “Jackass” came from… I respect a lot of folks who respect Mike Watt, but this ain’t for me. Every now and then (“No Exchange”) I felt like I could squint and almost make out some Fugazi-esque moments. Mostly though I just felt like this is a thing for beefy So. Cal dudes to listen to in their backyards and say the words “bro” and “stoked” a lot. Not sure punk and funk ever needed to really share a bed, especially not for a 44 song double album.
808 State
2/5
I like the font? “Donkey Doctor” is a funny image? I don’t know, that’s all I got.
The Velvet Underground
4/5
My parents were in their very early 20s when this came out. That blows my mind. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that they listened to it then. Because I feel like if you hear “I’m Waiting for the Man” as a young person in 1968 then that’s pretty much game over. You’re not buying Steve Miller and John Denver records after that. And my dad definitely had THOSE records. Ah well… At any rate, I love how odd and imperfect it is but it will always need more Nico.
The Yardbirds
3/5
I can dig this. Jeff Beck’s guitar tones are solid, “Over Under Sideways Down” is fun, and the album cover looks like it was drawn by Tyler Baum.
Don McLean
2/5
Well, I liked this more than I anticipated. I don’t know how much that’s actually saying, because I was 1000% dreading this. But I liked nearly every song more than I like “American Pie,” which I will count as a victory. Anybody else remember that great moment in an episode of MAD MEN where they used “Babylon?” If for no other reason than that, 5 stars. Okay, two.
Buzzcocks
3/5
Never listened to this band all that much, but I feel kind of weird about the fact I really preferred some of the extra tracks on the extended version I listened to than the main tracks that make up the original sequencing. And, I mean, that nevvvvver happens. Usually those songs don’t make the cut for a reason, right? But “Orgasm Addict,” “What Do I Get?” and “Oh Shit,” are all pretty awesome. Favorite track overall though is “Sixteen.” Hands down. Otherwise, this is really a record that made me further realize that like 98% of all classic punk is really just sped up distorted pop songs.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
Yeah, I don’t know about this. Was there some point in the early 2000s where this band was a thing and I just missed it? Was this album critically praised? I feel like it’s all but impossible to get a handle on what this is and who it’s for. There’s such a kitchen sink quality going on that I found myself liking parts and hating parts, all within the very same song. And in damn near every song. Oddly enough, I found myself thinking of the hippie hair metal band Enuff Z’nuff for some reason. There’s a mix of genres and styles here that just never quite felt right to me.
FKA twigs
3/5
Not a fan of this whole Whisper Baby style of singing, but it was nice to break up the sausage party at least. I liked the boning with the lights on song and every now and then she’ll sing like a normal human being and it sounds great! I just don’t understand why she doesn’t do it all, or at least most, of the time. Is she responsible for this whole trend? Feels like Billie Eilish owes a nod or two her way at the very least. But yeah. Perhaps if 9 out of 10 movie trailers from the past five years didn’t have a cover song of a classic tune sung in this exact style I’d be more prone to be down with the Twigs. Not her fault, I suppose.
Raekwon
2/5
Yeah, son. I don’t know, son! Probably not really something I’ll listen to more than once, but what do I know, son?? Did he call himself “the Black Trump?” I wonder what the temperature is on that particular nickname at the moment. Son.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
5/5
I loved pretty much every second of this. (Yeah, that last tune kind of makes the record feel like it doesn’t quite stick the landing.) Easily one of my faves that we’ve done to date! Good shit.
Which most likely means we’re getting some hot turds this week just to balance things out. Enjoy!
Brian Eno
2/5
I really like that first track! After that, it all just made me sleeeeeepy. Love the concept of writing an album to try and improve the crappy canned music at airports though, and can definitely hear the influence that first track had on a whole lot of film scores.
Stereolab
3/5
Interesting. I’ve never listened to this band, but recently learned David Pajo from Slint played with them at one point, so they were on the To Do list. Really like the 2nd track and some of the other French tunes, but this thing is kind of all over the place and ends with a fizzle. I do not like their graphic design. I do not like the title. The whole presentation here is hard to pin down. But not terrible! I’d listen to more.
Koffi Olomide
2/5
Easy breezy. Not my thing but fine. Boy, you really realize just how insanely long most albums are doing this experiment, don’t you?
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Was just reading on Wikipedia that A) this came out right around the same time as the Beatles’ Revolver and B) the UK track listing is crazy different from the US. No “Paint it Black” in the UK! What’s up with that?? Anyway, “Under My Thumb” and “I am Waiting” are songs I still enjoy on the 8,000th listen so they had to be doing something right on this thang. But that last track… why is it the last track of all these albums is a let down?
Dennis Wilson
3/5
Seriously, these albums are so long! I like the album cover, I like some of the tunes, I quite liked the last track (“Mexico”) for a change and while I had never heard this before I am not the least bit surprised it is on this list. Every now and then it sounds like the Eagles or Don Henley to me, which ain’t my bag - but otherwise this is fine. I’d listen to a number of tracks again.
Bruce Springsteen
2/5
Some nice moments, but folks I like my Bruce with a side of sax and this waiter brought me a side of harmonica instead. They are not equals. I do not like harmonica. Sending it back.
Bauhaus
5/5
I like it and I’m really sorry that girl sold all your shit, Andy. Five stars.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Hot take: this is easily the best of the 19 Paul Simon related albums on this list. For real though, with the exception of that pleasure machine song that sounds like The Monkees and the super depressing final track, I was kind of bowled over by how well this continues to hold up, especially for an album named after a spice rack.
Rush
4/5
I’m more of a “Moving Pictures” nerd, but never a bad time listening to this. Maybe those “hey this is Asian!” chord progressions don’t hold up so well in 2021? But it’ll probably be cool again by 2112, so hey. Life cycles and all that.
Nick Drake
4/5
I had to run an errand last night so found myself driving around in the dark while listening to this and it was quite a nice experience. The moon wasn’t pink, but still… nice experience.
Talking Heads
2/5
Finally! An album that ends strong. In fact, this one ends so strong that the last two songs are really the only true highlights for me. There’s something David Byrne does with his voice where he just about reaches the point of screaming that I absolutely love. Sadly, there are about nine other things he does with his voice that I have come to understand that I will just never fully appreciate. Frequently, he does all 9 of these things in a single song and it kinda drives me mad. It makes me think that if you were friends with David Byrne when he was 19 you’d tell your other friends, “David’s cool. Super talented. I just wish he’d tone it down a bit, ya know?” I don’t know. I think this will always be one of those bands that I want to like more than I actually like. Them and Winger.
The Chemical Brothers
3/5
I actually owned a Chemical Brothers album in college. You know, the one with the “back with another one of those block rocking beats!” song. I like this stuff in small doses and this album is no exception. I forgot they did the score for that flick HANNAH. Which, btw, is way better than the score for the new MORTAL KOMBAT movie which I just watched the other night. I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, so I guess I’ll just exit planet dust.
Orange Juice
3/5
I’ve never heard of this band before in my life, but now I know where Edwyn Collins came from - even though his one hit wonder from the 90’s sounds nothing like anything on this album. But I really dug this! The vocals are weird, the random slide guitar is weird, the occasional singing in a non-English language is weird. None of this makes sense. And yet it worked for me. Not quite enough to excuse the Almost Famous cover here blurring out the entire rhythm section. But it worked.
Nick Drake
4/5
Anyway, I could listen to “Fly” on repeat for the bulk of an entire day and not get tired of it. I was expecting an album of songs like this and was pleasantly surprised by how different it can be from track to track.
Ghostface Killah
4/5
Miles better than the Raekwon album, IMO. I don’t know what makes “9 Milli Bros.” anything other than just a Wu Tang song, but I ain’t complaining. I would absolutely listen to this again.
The United States Of America
3/5
If I had to sum this album up in one word that word would be “drugs.” If I had to sum it up in four words those words would be “a lot of drugs.”
Odd bird that it is, I still enjoyed a wide swath of it. Way, way too long for its own good (see above) and not something I’m likely to return to. But if you told me this album influenced a whole slew of musicians that I like a lot I would not be surprised in the least. Because all musicians are drug addicts.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
I’m not going to be able to compete with Alex’s review here and his stellar use of “hogshead”, so I’ll just add that I really like how there’s more than one song where they just lock into the chorus and repeat it over and over and over and it never gets old. But yeah, bit of a mixed bag where the good is so good it makes you forget the forgettable.
Paul Weller
2/5
I know Weller’s background is legit, but this… it just sounds like dentist rock to me. If I was a dentist? I’d rock out so hard to this on the drive home from work in my Audi. Trust me, there are days where I wish I was a dentist! Alas, today is not one of those days.
My Bloody Valentine
4/5
I really love everything about this album and yet have always wished there was slightly more structure to the songs - if only because the stuff that feels more like a traditional arrangement is so freaking good. But really, I’m just not aware of anything that quite sounded like this before they unleashed it onto the world. Now? Like 20 million bands borrowing elements from this sound. That’s probably praise enough.
Kendrick Lamar
3/5
Was just thinking the other day that I ought to listen to something by Kendrick Lamar, given how well-received some of his records have been. I think that raised my expectations to a degree that I was prepared for something different than I got. I don’t hate it, but I don’t know… it didn’t immediately strike a chord with me. So many interludes! Anyway, I’ll listen to it again at some point but also this dick ain’t free, guys. Sorry.
Muddy Waters
4/5
I had a good time with this. Just having that little bit of audience interaction makes a world of difference in how I receive this kind of music. “When it was all said and done, the water may have been muddy… but the good times were clear.” - Me writing a review of this show for my local newspaper.
Sheryl Crow
2/5
“Excuse me, record company executive, sir - I’m a young artist and I’d like to know how to make a record whose songs will be played over grocery store PA systems for the rest of all time.”
*Record Executive hands young artist a copy of Tuesday Night Music Club*
End Scene.
Def Leppard
4/5
Seven singles. Seven goddamn singles on this record. That’s insane. And thanks to a very kind and awesome 5th grade teacher who let us listen to cassettes during class… I have these tunes ingrained in my membrane. I “sang” Pour Some Sugar on Me over the phone to my first girlfriend at her request. She dumped me the next day. Okay, the timing here’s not exactly true but it didn’t last and it couldn’t last because when all is said and done, Love Bites. (At least in the 5th grade.)
The Police
2/5
Somehow I don’t think I’d ever heard this entire album. I mean, if I had I’d like to think I’d remember the song “Mother” because that’s some batshit insane inclusion here. (And the 4th track on the album, no les!) The hits range from very good to just okay, in my opinion, and the rest is whatever because I really just want to know more about what the hell “Mother” is and what it’s doing here.
John Grant
3/5
I started out really liking this, but then got tired of the voice/lyrics about halfway through. Would’ve been a damn good EP. This also feels a bit like the perfect example of a record from the 2000s+ that would have been praised by all the indie rock press, but that is actually a little boring to listen to and is super light on the “rock” part of that genre tag. There are worst offenses. THREE STARS!
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I’ve always like the Lips from a distance, but sitting with this album and really actively listening to it made me realize that I think my issue with them really just comes down to Wayne. I don’t love the voice and, frequently, don’t love the lyrics. I really wish I did! Some super interesting arrangements throughout. I’m sure it’s fun live. But man… I would love to hear a different singer cover this from start to finish.
Van Halen
4/5
HEY YOU.
Who said that???
We’ll never, ever know.
Joy Division
4/5
Have to admit that I’ve been trying to like the actual songs on this album (as opposed to just the mythology, artwork, etc.) for a really long time. Thankfully, it finally “clicked” this past year. This is one of those albums that definitely works better the louder you play it for whatever reason - perhaps because of how many songs are constructed around the bass guitar? At any rate, I get it now. And can see all the tendrils touching so, so many other bands I love. Highly recommend the podcast on Spotify that delves into all things Joy Division/New Order, as well, if you haven’t listened yet.
Faith No More
4/5
Oh man. I love this band. I liked them for years but never went full convert until the 2000s. While this album undoubtedly spawned some terrible other bands, I still look at it specifically as a gateway record for me to get into alternative music. They had a top 20 album BEFORE Nirvana, which I think provided a real blueprint for weird, heavy, melodic music to find commercial success in the midst of hair metal mania. (For better or worse.) That said, it’s in no way my favorite Faith No More record and Mike Patton’s voice is so nasally and whiny in places here I wonder if he himself can even believe he made that choice. Still, I love “From out of Nowhere,” “Zombie Eaters,” and “Woodpecker from Mars.” And in 2015 I saw them and Refused play an outdoor show in Raleigh on a perfect sweaty night and you know what? “Epic” fucking ruled right down to the somber ending, which is one of only about three things I kinda know how to play on the piano.
Joni Mitchell
2/5
Some interesting moments and lyrics, but give me “Blue” over this any and every day of the week, please. Sad/weird fact: Joni Mitchell has Morgellon’s Disease which makes you feel like there are literal bugs crawling under your skin. Sounds like a Cronenberg movie.
Arrested Development
3/5
Did I see them at Lollapalooza? That may have happened. Maybe. At any rate, I enjoyed listening to this. Perfectly pleasant. I could’ve sworn the tempo of “everyday people” was twice as fast as it apparently is, but other than that it’s an easy thing to have on in the background. And I was amazed to see they’ve been making records ever since. Will we see Digable Planets on this list???
Fugazi
5/5
Sorry I was late on the Marvin Gaye record, but after it made me pregnant the labor was complicated. Anyway…I think this is my favorite Fugazi record. When I was like 14 or something my family went to the beach and I spent a large chunk of the week shut in my room playing along to this cassette on my guitar. It was one of the greatest weeks of my life. I watched the Instrument doc last week on Amazon Prime. Listened to Coriky the other day. What I’m basically saying is that all the above is how I determine if a record gets five stars or not.
Sugar
4/5
I’ve got some gigantic blindspots when it comes to the whole Bob Mouldiverse. But I enjoyed this. Dude’s voice is infectious. No wonder he’s been at it for decades.
Jeff Beck
2/5
While I’m always down for a good “Greensleeves” cover, I think what was fresh about this very straightforward rock take on the blues in 1968 feels pretty, pretty tired in 2021. And, yeah, I’m mainly looking at you Rod Stewart. For all of Beck’s guitar virtuoso, the lyrics by and large completely take me out of so many of these songs. I get it, Rod. You’re horny. So was Marvin Gaye but he turned it into art. There’s a way.
Moby
3/5
I know the dude’s a tool, but… I really don’t mind this album. I can put it on. It can play. It neither demands my attention nor entirely loses it. Of the electronic-based records we’ve had on this list, I’m more inclined to think I’ll remember a few of these tunes than, say, anything on that Chemical Brothers record. But, yes, I’m really just waiting for Portishead to appear and show mofos how it’s done.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Don’t hold me to this as I’ve never fully delved into the dude’s music, but every time I hear Q-Tip I think to myself, “That’s it. That’s my favorite voice in hip-hop.” Something about the ease of his delivery is so pleasant to my delicate white ears. Anywho, I enjoyed this. And I don’t want no ham & eggs, ‘cause they’re high in cholesterol (except yes, I do).
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Pretty good but WTF? Sounds exactly like Greta Van Fleet.
The White Stripes
2/5
I don’t know - maybe I just wasn’t in the mood, but holy crap this record felt like it was about six hours long. I had the band’s album that came out before this one and remember liking it quite a bit at the time. Now I’m wondering if that will still be the case or if we all got collectively seduced by their entire aesthetic in the early 2000s, and were way too forgiving of the actual songs themselves? Because with all that hype in the rear view there’s not much on here that’s doing anything for me in 2021. I’ll just listen to “We’re Going to Be Friends.” If Jack White ever makes a record that’s just variations on that one song, I’ll be on it like white on stripes. Until then…
Pretenders
3/5
Okay… I can’t be the only one here who didn’t know that song was called, “Brass in my Pocket,” right? RIGHT??? Anyway, if you talk about shitting bricks in the first minute of your first song that’s a pretty good way to make me a happy listener. An uneven record overall, but I love the uptempo snarly stuff.
LCD Soundsystem
4/5
I’ve put off listening to this “band” right up until about an hour ago and for no real good reason other than it just seemed like something I wouldn’t like. But I did! It’s almost as if my blanket generalization based upon absolutely nothing turned out to be kind of a dumb thing to do. Huh. Anywho, I like the mix of melody to beat and the whole 80s vibe of a lot of this. I will be exploring more of the catalog now.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
This. This is what I’m talking about. 39 minutes long and barely even feels it! I’m not wild about the “Welfare Mothers” tune, but I’ll be happy to listen to as much Neil as this list will give me. Shit sounds fantastic. Even the harmonica. “Park bench mutations.” Who puts those words together in a song?? Nobody else.
Gene Clark
2/5
Pleasant. Reminds me a lot of the Don Maclean record, for better or worse. It ain’t Neil Young…
Beatles
5/5
This is silly.
The Verve
3/5
I’ve only ever listened to “Urban Hymns” so I was a bit surprised by how rockin’ the first couple of tunes were on this. Overall, I quite liked a lot of this album, but boy the vocals and lyrics are really hit or miss for me. At times I like the imperfect nature of what he’s doing and then other times I’m just like, okay he’s not on pitch at all here. Example: loved the guitar sounds on “Drive You Home;” vocals sound like a first draft screenplay sung by a screenwriter. Other than that, I dig this band the most when they avoid the drawn out jams and just stick to the songs. And yet… there’s a reason they weren’t as big as Oasis. Still, I’d listen again.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4/5
I’m out of town and didn’t have a chance to listen to this, but am just going to assume it’s at least 4 stars because of the Silence of the Lambs connection.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
2/5
Didn’t have a chance to listen to this but my Fogerty patience is always a thin line. I’ll just assume it’s a two star event. Cool.
The Smashing Pumpkins
4/5
Can an album simultaneously be the best and worst thing to ever happen to a band? Maybe it was inevitable that Billy Corgan would turn into a bit of a douche commode or maybe he already was, but this record is where I’ve always drawn the line as a fan. It’s so good and I liked it soooo much. Still do. (Those guitar sounds! The first three tracks!) But man, I didn’t touch a thing they did after this. Still have never listened to that double album, which I know is supposed to be good but… I was just tired of all things Pumpkins by that point. They flew too close to the sun, man. It’s too bad.
Spiritualized
3/5
There’s like zero chance this list wasn’t created by a British journalist, right? Anywho, this album feels at times like it was made by more than one band. The band that does the slower, quieter stuff (“Shine a Light” and “Angel Sigh” in particular) is the band I like. The band that sounds like they’re just trying to convince everybody they do a lot of drugs is the band I could do without. And whoever decided to put that freak glitch out at the end of that one song is a meanie.
Mylo
1/5
Definitely did not need to hear this before I die, because I have a feeling this is what will be playing in hell and I’ll hear plenty of it then.
Also, decidedly false advertising in the title there, Mr. Mylo.
a-ha
3/5
Aww, man. I really wanted to like this more than I did. When you come out of the gating swinging something like “Take On Me,” I suppose it’d be difficult for anybody to keep up that momentum. That song has given so much it’s at least worth two stars. Third star for spelling the band name in a weird way. (Why don’t we pronounced the A with a long vowel sound??)
Beastie Boys
5/5
Guys, I got to talk to Mike D on the phone once and he had to stop for a second to corral his kids out of the room because they were having a NERF war.
Obviously, some of the hits here are silly and didn’t age so well but it’s still catchy as hell, fun, and I know most of the words without ever having even owned this record. If this is the only Beasties record on this list, I will burn this list to the ground.
Electric Light Orchestra
4/5
First time listening to this entire album. I’ve always been impressed by Jeff Lynne simply because he was the one person in the Traveling Wilburys whom I had never heard of. Once I learned about ELO it still seemed like he was the non-famous one in a group of super famous singers. It totally makes sense though after listening to this record; this absolutely sounds like the kind of record other musicians would admire. I’ll have to listen to it way more than once to even begin to digest it all, but it was good going down.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Do you know what perfect pitch is? It’s when you pitch an old sofa into a dumpster and it lands on a box of harmonicas. #jokes
Harmonicas aside, I like the ballad-y tunes on this album a lot. “Just Like a Woman,” “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” and “Fourth Time Around” all work for me so much better than the bluesy uptempo stuff like “Temporary Like Achilles” decidedly does not.
I probably would’ve been one of the jerks who went to see Dylan and booed when he got out his electric guitar. Kidding, I would do that when he got out his harmonica, so I would’ve been booing the whole show.
Buffalo Springfield
2/5
It was short!
That’s pretty much all I got on this one. There was a fleeting moment with one song where Neil Young’s voice drew me in for a second, but the rest of it kinda just glossed over me.
Wonder if The Simpsons ever made a Buffalo Shelbyville joke in an episode, hmm…
Wilco
2/5
More than once now I have put this record on and thought, “Oh wait, is this better than I remember??” But then the first song ends and the rest of it happens and I remember that nah, there’s not another tune on either of these two discs that sounds at all like “Misunderstood.” And then I go another few years without ever thinking about it again.
I do like a few other tunes, but for every one of those there are four bland pseudo-country or Stones/Replacements jaunts that bring absolutely nothing new to the table. Makes me wonder if I could cull this down into an EP sized collection that I mostly enjoy? Get out the scissors.
X-Ray Spex
4/5
Oh man. This was such a welcome addition to this week’s listening. Really enjoyed it. “Germ Free Adolescents” is so good! Love that vocal performance. Somebody needs to do a playlist of tunes with saxophones in unlikely places.
Bebel Gilberto
2/5
I’ll again take issue with the notion that life is not worth living unless you’ve heard this album. Honestly, I could have heard it thirty times already in a dentist office and not even realized it. And that’s not necessarily an insult! As far as background lobby music goes, I thought this was really pleasant. Having a dinner party for your parents and all their friends? Now you know what to put on at a volume just loud enough to be heard but not intrude. And what a lovely name. Bebel Gilberto. I’ll be saying it in my dreams.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
Hey I liked this one better than the other Joni ditty on here! I can’t really explain why, but as a hockey fan I did appreciate the line about having a bit of money riding on the Maple Leafs. Up until about two years ago, that would have been a notoriously bad gamble. Also, where else am I going to get another song that mentions a damn thing about hockey??? FIVE STARS.
Sisters Of Mercy
4/5
Loved this so much I dyed my eyebrows black. It’s a good look!
For real though, this was great. Now where’s a Type-0 Negative album on this list???
Megadeth
4/5
Not my fave Mustaine & co., but I do like a bunch of these tunes. Dave’s voice is in full snarl at times, which just sounds cooler than the infamous nasal-whine he so often resorts to. But dang… “I Ain’t Superstitious”? Yeah, that should have never been put on this record (or any, perhaps).
I have a sneaking feeling that when it comes to metal we’ll be seeing more from Maiden, Metallica, and Megadeth. We’ll get some Sabbath and Slayer. Maybe - *maybe* - one Anthrax record. And that’s probably it. If there’s anything metal on this list that was recorded after the year 2000 I’ll be stunned.
The Byrds
2/5
Man, they really took that whole twinkly little guitar intro motif and ran it into the damn ground, didn’t they?
Even beyond that many of these songs just sounded the same to me. Speed up the tempo and go more for the straight up Beatles rips (like on “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”) and I would have been much happier, ya damn hippies.
Foo Fighters
5/5
Siiiiiigh… I don’t begrudge Dave Grohl for becoming a rock God, but this album makes me so nostalgic in all the saddest ways. I love this thing. Yes, I know “Everlong” exists, but song-for-song this entire album is everything I’ve ever wanted this band to be from the word go, and a totally painful reminder of how bland they’ve become. I saw them play Raleigh on this tour and it was a fucking blast. Still had William on drums. Grohl was still skinny with his stringy, long greasy-as-a-used-skillet hair. He didn’t talk to the crowd like he was trying to be Paul Stanley. It was just… the best. I used to play these songs on guitar so, so much, my dudes. And that cover art! I mean, it’s basically Han Solo’s gun!!
X-Static (not Static-X) for life.
The Stooges
4/5
Gotta love an album that washes over you and makes you feel dirtier than you were when you started.
Still think “I Wanna Be Your Dog” is the standout, but good God the whole thing would’ve spooked the hell out of me had I been alive in 1969.
Bruce Springsteen
3/5
Emo for boomers.
I’m kidding, I just liked the idea of those words put together in a sentence like that. Anywho, I liked a lot of this record, thought a good bit of it was mediocre, and was completely and utterly blown away by the fact that I’ve never heard of a single person pointing out the fact that “Let’s Be Friends (Skin to Skin)” is basically that Sugar Ray song without the crumbling statues.
I’m a changed man.
Dr. Octagon
4/5
I actually bought this album around the time it came out and I 100% guarantee it was mostly due to that Pushead art work. I’m trying to think now of where I would have even heard a song off of this thing at the time. They weren’t playing it on the radio and there was no internet. I must’ve read about it in Alternative Press or some shit. Who knows.
But, man, my instincts were right! This is still a ton of fun and super listenable. Now excuse me, I have to go call 1-800-PEEPEE5-1-DOODOO.
Sigur Rós
4/5
Ahh. Was nice to listen to this again after a very long time. It’s hard to imagine ever being at a point in my life where “Staralfur” won’t kind of just stop me in my tracks. I kind of wish that this album was just one amazing song from the next instead of those more ambient moments that are there purely just for mood, but damn… what a unique mood it is. Fuck it, I’m moving to Iceland.
Shuggie Otis
3/5
Let’s just start with the fact that this guy’s name is Shuggie Otis.
That’s pretty much my whole review. Part funky, part mellow, all smooth. All Shuggie.
Haircut 100
3/5
Haircut 100? Huh. I genuinely cannot decide if that’s a good band name or not. Is it? Maybe. Then again, maybe not? I’m stumped.
But I kinda enjoyed the tunes, overall. At times, it felt like an inferior version of Tears for Fears with more saxophone, but that’s also not something that sounds terrible in theory to me to begin with. “Love Plus One” is a song I’ll listen to more than twice. So, I’m happy I heard this if for no other reason than that.
Tom Waits
3/5
I think this is the first Tom Waits record I’ve ever fully listened to. I liked it just fine, but I can’t imagine just falling head over heels for music like this. Are there super passionate Tom Waits fans out there? People who put this on in their car and sing along? I assume there are and I would like to meet one of them just to talk about that experience.
So yeah. I liked it fine. Had no idea he’s the original pen of “Downtown Train.”
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
Who wants to be in my band Tamagotchi Store Girls? Anybody? Anyone?
I’m either square, in a weird mood, or both because I really quite liked this. My wife walked in and said one of the songs sounds like the melody of a Eurythmics tune. Surprised she pulled that out of thin air, but she was right. There’s probably a lot of familiar melodies on this record, but I like the dude’s voice and here we are.
Beatles
3/5
Ehhhh. Not my favorite of theirs by a long shot, but it’s still stupid that this is even on here. Prefer the original, but that cover of “You Really Got a Hold on Me” is something I could listen to on repeat.
The Doors
3/5
SHAVE OUR TITTIES.
I’m not the only one who thinks that when they hear “Save Our City” in Roadhouse Blues, am I? Eh, either way this is the first time I’ve ever listened to this record and it’s more blues rock than psych rock and I wish that was the other way around. Stuff I like (Indian Summer), stuff I don’t, pretty much the usual reaction except now I want to watch Oliver Stone movies and that new Val Kilmer doc.
Meat Loaf
4/5
We need a new Meat Loaf. Who out there can take the meat torch and run with it???
Laura Nyro
3/5
Hello, who is this? Never seen this name before in my life, but I like the album art (feels very 2000s) and a few of the tunes. But dang if you just put this on and told me it was some later Joni Mitchell record I would believe you like a devout Mormon. Still, “Poverty Blues” worked for me enough that I listened to it twice. The 60s were THE decade for cocaine songs. (I guess, I don’t really know.)
Soundgarden
5/5
Well, I’m guessing there’s no way now we’re getting Loud Love or (still my personal fave) Badmotorfinger, but I fuckin’ love this band. Great voice over an even better rhythm section. I could probably listen to an entire record of just Kim farting around with a wah wah pedal and be a happy camper. So I’m a little biased over here.
This album though has always felt like a bit of a weird mix of tunes, (even when you just compare the singles) but I think it was the first thing I ever bought on CD and I really, really love the production. This shit sings through headphones. Soundgarden was at their best, imo, when they were trudging through the chugs and then just randomly would shift into some weird tinkly melody that somehow made the whole tune come together. This record has a bunch of those moments: “Mailman,” “Head Down,” “4th of July,” etc. But yeah… at the end of the day, it’s the “Black Hole Sun” record. There are worse legacies.
The Young Gods
3/5
Pretty sure this is what Ministry would sound like if they were French and Al consumed more Brie than heroin.
In other words, I enjoyed it. (But kinda missed the heroin.)
Metallica
5/5
I mean, c'mon.
Sonic Youth
4/5
If I’m being completely honest I don’t think I’ve ever been cool enough to entirely get this band. But I’ve always admired them and I can live with that. Really liked that “candle” song!
The Modern Lovers
4/5
Crap. Didn’t get a chance to listen to this today, but based on that cover art and having the word “modern” in the name I’m gonna say… solid four stars.
Don’t let me down album I didn’t listen to!
The Who
3/5
Kind of all over the map, isn’t it? I wasn’t expecting those drastic shifts from something like “I Don’t Mind” to “My Generation.” Lots of stuff I liked, but pretty clear they were still trying to find their identity by throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick.
Brian Eno
4/5
I dug this. I can’t make up my mind if all these songs make some sort of cohesive sense or not, but I didn’t dislike the experience. I also had no idea that the “St. Elmo’s Fire” song on here was called that, because ya know… 80’s movies. But I might like this Elmo better than the other one? Maybe? I don’t know - I probably should give that more thought before committing to that on the record.
Missy Elliott
4/5
Damn this was fun. I love the little before and after speeches and that, somehow, she managed to get the names of Bill Gates and Donald Trump in there. Exactly what hip-hop had been begging for.
Queen
4/5
Queen’s good songs are so good that they almost instantaneously erase all their mediocre ones. For example, a lot of people don’t know that “You’re My Best Friend” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” are the only two songs on this album.
Kinda weird that they called it an album at all, but then Queen was always pretty weird! I mean, you saw that movie right?
The Cardigans
2/5
Yeah, I stopped when I got to that “Iron Man” cover. I don’t even think “cover” is the right word for whatever that was, but I don’t ever want to even speak of it again from this point on, please.
Have we even had an actual Sabbath record yet??? This list is dead to me. RIP list.
Unspeakable act of brutality aside, The Cardigans are fine.
The Saints
3/5
This is pretty fun. I’d heard that opening track before and had no idea it was called that or was by this band. Good tune though.
There’s also a song that straight up sounds like The Strokes. Was this band the Australian Strokes of the 70s? Hmm.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Gimme “The Stranger Song” all day long. Love it.
And look at that dude on the cover! He’ll either kill you or sell you a car. Maybe both. Great marketing.
Pavement
3/5
Is this album Pavement’s Pinkerton? Do they have a Pinkerton? I’ve always felt like I was right on that edge of liking this band, but could never fully commit. Listening to an entire album of their’s for the first time leaves me feeling like the reason is that I don’t get too bowled over by the jokey-snarky or whatever the hell you want to call them lyrics that Malkmus is delivering.
But man, there are moments on here that I really like! Whenever they just lock in the rhythm section and slow things down I’m all ‘bout it. So give me a sad Pavement record! It’ll make me happy.
Beastie Boys
5/5
HEART ATTACK! HEART ATTACK MAN!
This album is damn near perfect.
Lenny Kravitz
2/5
L-Krav seems like such a cool dude. What a waste of personality on music that basically has none.
Also, considering the album he put out after this is the one with all the hits… does this mean there will be at least 2 Lenny Kravitz albums on this list??
Hoo boy. This thing is in need of a 2nd draft.
R.E.M.
4/5
I don’t think I was ever the proper age to really receive what REM was transmitting in their hey day.
Now that I am older and super fucking wiser, I’m pretty much delighted anytime I hear them. Even on the kids channel on Sirius where they play “Shiny Happy People” ever 12 songs. And yet I had never listened to this record in full.
It’s pretty damn great. And, at least in this moment, I’m happy I’m old enough to feel that way.
Joy Division
3/5
Listening to this, I was struck by how kind of crazy it is that Ian Curtis has always been the focus of Joy Division in terms of the mythology of this band. If dude had just not died the way he did I wonder if there would not be an entirely different story altogether written about them. Because when you listen to the songs… it’s all about the rhythm section. They pick one riff that tends to start with the bass or drums, and they just ride that shit out! Was there even a chorus in any of these tunes? They’re almost anti-songs. And I kind of love that.
But yeah. Ian Curtis. No way getting around the mythology. I guess he died so New Order could live? I have no idea what I’m saying and I’m going to bed.
David Crosby
2/5
Yeah, not really feeling this. And get your damn nostrils out of my face on that cover art, Crosby.
Fats Domino
4/5
I couldn’t find this album, so I just listened to some random Fats Domino tunes and enjoyed the shit out of them. Also, how crazy is it that the popular naming convention of this era was Body Type + Game = Superstar?
Something to think about. - Skinny Yahtzee
Kraftwerk
3/5
Man, if this album had just stopped after the first track then I’d be here saying it’s a 22 minute masterpiece. Instead, I’m sitting here thinking of car crash puns. Dang.
Fatboy Slim
3/5
I’d like to praise this, but I’m not sure I sh-sh-sh-sh-shouuuuuuluuuuuldddddd.
It’s fine. Beats and samples. I can’t dance.
Suede
2/5
Brits gonna Brit! This list totally came straight out of Buckingham Palace, lol.
It’s fine. It’s the Verve. It’s _______.
But I’m taking away a star for that dumbass title.
Incredible Bongo Band
5/5
Didn’t get a chance to listen to this one, but… come on, it’s Bongo Rock. Five Stars.
Prefab Sprout
4/5
Band names are so fun. All the words, in all the languages and these dudes landed on Prefab Sprout. Nothing else would do. Had to be Prefab Sprout. Ha.
There’s nothing about this album that sounds anything remotely like whatever it is the name Prefab Sprout conjures in my head… and yet, yeah, a lot of this is pretty good!
Who are these Sprouts? Why have I never heard or seen a word about this band anywhere ever?
Band names. God bless ‘em.
Grizzly Bear
4/5
I don’t really know what to say about this one, but I liked it. The whole time I thought this band was a solo project from one of those Animal Collective dudes, but Wikipedia confirms that I know nothing about this whole period of indie rock because I was too busy listening to Mastodon.
Elton John
4/5
Kinda hard to compete with those first two bangers right out of the gate. I love this period Elton John. Won’t say the whole album is a masterpiece, but it’s all very, very listenable.
Did it have to end on such a sad note though? Sheesh. Thanks a lot, Debbie Downer.
Willie Nelson
4/5
Was pleasantly pleased by this whole experience. Wouldn’t want to listen to it on repeat or anything, but I could see putting it on again from time to time. Made for some nice rainy day early morning tunage without being soul crushingly depressing. Although I do like soul crushingly depressing music.
Sister Sledge
2/5
Eh. I mean, really… Eh.
Unless it’s being played after a wedding, I’m all good on ever hearing the title track again in my life.
Madonna
2/5
I think I’ve always liked the title track to this, even in my early years of disliking anything remotely pop or pop adjacent. But is “Express Yourself” a terrible song or a really terrible song? And is Madonna just not that impressive of a singer?
Really, this one’s all about that Prince song. How many good tunes did that dude just give away to lesser talents? It’s insanity.
Harry Nilsson
4/5
So good. Even when there’s a song I tune out of or just generally dislike (looking at you “Coconut”), there’s usually a song right after that I’m all over. How great is that last tune? Strong closer, especially coming on the heels of “Jump in Ray Liotta’s Fire.” Gotta stir the sauce or it’s gonna burn, boys.
Manic Street Preachers
1/5
Bailed halfway through. Nice timing though, given that Nevermind turned 30 last week. Can’t celebrate that without bemoaning all the bullshit grunge that trailed in its wake.
Tito Puente
2/5
Siding with Alex here on one front: there is that rad xylophoning (God, that better be a real word) going on in “Hong Kong Mambo” and then the brass comes in like a tsunami alarm and I can’t reach for the volume knob fast enough. Kills it for me.
Tito Puente is one of the great all time names though. If I had that name I wouldn’t give two shits what anyone thinks about anything.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
15 songs??? Ooof. I don’t think I have this in me today.
I never even bought Blood Sugar Sex Magic, but I did see them play at Lolapalooza one year and it was fun. It’s a good time live and I don’t mind “Scar Tissue,” but…
Also, I saw Anthony Kiedis eating once outside a Whole Foods. He was probably telling the person sitting across from him about how he had ideas for 472 more songs about California. Good conversation.
The Jam
4/5
I don’t really have a clue what “All Mod Cons” means. Modified Converse Chuck Taylors? Stylish conservatives? I gotta get hip with this Brit street slang, bruv.
Anywho, I liked this! Makes me think of like a cuddlier version of The Clash or something. Which isn’t something I thought I wanted, but maybe - just maybe - is something I needed.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Hey you guys ever heard of The Rolling Stones?
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
I’ve always wanted to like this band because they are undeniably cool. The music itself though… I could kind of take or leave. In hindsight, I feel as if I should have listened to it much louder than I did. Suspect it would make a greater impact.
Also, I saw them live at Lolapalooza the same year as the Chili Peppers. They played at like 3 in the afternoon which felt wrong on every possible level.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Gotta say, I think I’m more likely to listen to the Sinatra record again than this Bob Marley one. There’s nothing wrong with it and I recognize that it’s good, but it still just feels like the background music that inevitably made it’s way into the air whenever I sat out on the hill by the elephants at NCSA on a sunny Saturday.
Anyway, do you think Old Blue Eyes ever called his butthole Ole Brown Eye?
Donovan
3/5
I tuned in and out of this and it’s not something I’d really ever gravitate to. And yet, overall I probably liked it more than I expected. “Bert’s Blues” is a solid tune and I’m really looking forward to the sequel, “Ernie’s Emo” any day now.
CHIC
2/5
First song’s a classic, the rest are a class I did not enjoy it had to take in order to graduate.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
I think if I turn into an old dude who only listens to Neil Young records, it’ll probably be a very happy retirement for the most part.
This one is a little light on the falsetto driven ballads that I love, but still good from start to finish.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Huh. They don’t pick one of the two prior albums from this band? Weird. I’ll be honest, I haven’t had a chance to listen to this yet and I’m mostly just pissed I somehow missed …And Justice for All day. Because that shit was my jam in middle school. That’s the album that made me like Metallica. Is it as good as Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning? Probably not. But it’s definitely more terrible sounding, but also terribly great sounding. An album truly made for cassette players, and it only cost every ounce of Jason Newsted’s dignity. Brilliant. Five stars.
George Michael
3/5
Our 5th grade teacher used to let us play cassettes in class every now and then, and you bet your sweet ass this was on repeat. The boys supplied Poison, Def Lepard, Motley Crue and probably Bon Jovi; the girls brought the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and George Michael. What a crazy time to be alive!
Anywho, listening to this now it strikes me as a tale of two halves. Those first four songs are pretty tight (I genuinely like “One More Try”), but it’s a drop off after that. “Monkey” feels like a blatant rip off of “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and, as mentioned, it’s hard to imagine this album at all if Prince never existed.
Still, it’s all really listenable and I get why the hits were big as shit. Sad that he left the earth when he did. There ain’t no joy for an uptown boy, after all.
Isaac Hayes
2/5
Four songs! If I had made a hundred bets going into this as to how long the first song is, not a one of them would have been correct. 12 minutes! Who saw that coming?!
And speaking of coming, that’s pretty much the whole point of this record, amirite? I’m guessing the songs are this long so as not to interrupt the flow of all the sweet baby making Hayes expected to happen whenever anyone put this on the victrola.
I didn’t listen to it on a victrola or with a lady, but I am happy to announce that my laptop is pregnant!
Also, I was kinda bored.
D'Angelo
3/5
Didn’t get to finish it, but liked what I heard! Very sexy week indeed.
Steely Dan
2/5
This is music for the whitest of white people, isn’t it? I’ve never listened to an entire album by Steely Dan before and I’m all but positive this means we’ll be seeing that Aja record.
I don’t mind this stuff; the guitar work is impressive and I get that there’s overall some good musicianship here. But it just doesn’t seem to go for any big emotional moments at all. Like, if I have a choice between listening to this or any of the early Yes records, I’m picking the Yes records every single time. On repeat.
MGMT
3/5
One of those records where you just want to grab one of the dudes in the band and go, “DO YOU NOT HEAR WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT?? JUST DO THAT. JUST DO THAT THING. GET RID OF ALL THAT OTHER SHIT. PLEEEASE!”
Could’ve been such a good dancey-synthy-indie-pop thing. Alas…
The Doors
3/5
Some classics, some basics. I like it better than the other one we listened to. But really, this band will always be one I associate more with movies than with the music itself. And now I’m sitting here thinking I should go look up some Doors review by Lester Bangs because of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and I’m a go do that. Peace.
The Streets
4/5
Audio book, lol.
I forgot I had even heard this before until that song about being fit came on. Somehow this thing works, doesn’t it? I kind of can’t imagine listening to more than this one album from this dude, but I quite enjoyed myself with it.
Elvis Presley
2/5
Kind of felt like Mehlvis to me. Nothing really jumped out, alas. I assume we’ll be getting more so hopefully something else will pop. Elvis has always been someone I’ve wanted to appreciate more than I have to date. Where’s the shit with him singing pseudo-Hawaiian beachy stuff? That’s what I’m here for.
Travis
2/5
When I was in grad school and had to work as a teaching assistant, I had a student who really wanted to share his favorite music with me and burned a CD-R of a different record from Travis. (12 Memories) I liked that record. Not so much this one. Not a whole lot of variety going on from song to song and I sense a much bigger Thom Yorke influence on the vocals here than I did on the other.
Are we keeping a tally of how many British artists are on this list?? I’ve lost count.
Rage Against The Machine
5/5
Is there another rap+rock record that’s even remotely as listenable as this one? It would kind of stand alone if for no other reason than that, right? But throw in “some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses,” and try to imagine that on a major label album being sold predominantly to white kids and… can we just go back to the 90s already?
Also, “Settle for Nothing” SLAMS. Forgot about that one.
Neu!
3/5
I like the vibes. Very vibey. If it were a sex toy, it’d be a vibrator. An instrument, the vibraphone.
I need to do my homework on this whole scene. Kraftwerk, Can, Neu! Who else do I need to check out?
Miles Davis
2/5
Fine as background music, but I found it a bit impenetrable as something that I could pick out a single melody, let alone one I’d want to return to. That said, I was happy to see there’s a song called John McLaughlin because that dude smokes. Was nice of Miles to just name a song after him, ha.
Anywho, cool cover and cool title, but I prefer the Kind of Blue stuff. I’m a simpleton.
Billie Holiday
4/5
If I worked at a place that played nothing but Billie Holiday all day, every day, I wonder how long it would take for me to get tired of it?
I felt soothed by having this record on. Don’t you dare ask me to name a single song! Shame on you! But it was soothing.
Crosby, Stills & Nash
3/5
Could use some Young and maybe I was just tree-hugging my inner hippie, but I enjoyed this more than I expected.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Crack rock! I just really wanted to write that. I liked several chunks of this album, and was lukewarm to others. There’s something about someone transitioning from rapping to singing R&B in the same song that is hard for my brain to process. If it’s a song where one person raps and another person sings? No problem. But if it’s all coming from the same mouth? I don’t know. It’s like a dude doing death metal growls and clean singing in the same tune. Just hard to get used to at first. But…
Crack rock!
Eurythmics
2/5
Aww man… I love her voice so much and the title track is a classic. I was hoping to like this so much more than I did, but so little here stood out to me. I liked “Jennifer”? Probably because it’s about Jennifer Grey (I assume). But that’s about it.
2Pac
4/5
You know about 2Pac's mom, right? If not, look her up. Pretty fascinating family. Anywho, I found this really incredibly easy to listen to, which seems like an odd thing to say considering the image that followed this dude back in the day. Not gonna lie, "Old School" completely worked for me and also made me feel like there was a millennial right behind me with their arms crossed thinking, "Of course it did, DAD."
Whatever. I would listen to this again and I don't have that reaction a ton with the stuff on this list.
Astrud Gilberto
3/5
Smoooooth. I can hang with this in the background, no probs. And I love the name Astrud.
Gang Of Four
5/5
Hmm. I'm inclined to give this 5 stars just based on Andy's story, but It's probably more of a 4 star thing for me, but then there's Andy's story and it's Friday so what the hell. Five goddamn stars.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Yeah, I'm with Andy here. Never owned this record, can't recall a specific time I listened to it, can't think of a specific friend who loved it, and yet somehow I knew damn near every song. Maybe it's because a bunch of these tunes found their ways into movies? I dunno and I'm not gonna Google that.
Love the bratty imperfection of it all, and I feel somewhat safe in saying "Blister in the Sun" gets played on classic rock radio? Does that sound right to anyone else? Kind of amazing all around.
Taylor Swift
3/5
We’ve listened to a lot of the pop divas this year, because that’s what my daughter’s been gravitating to of late. (Don’t worry, she also likes Twisted Sister.) I knew a bunch of songs off this album and like a fair few of them just fine. But yeah, when you compare this to some of her contemporaries, Swift really truly sounds like a teenager who can’t sing or write as well as the older, cooler, meaner girls who have already been through some stone cold shit. I understand why certain people of a certain age worship her. I need to listen to some of the more recent stuff, but I don’t know - I still suspect there are more interesting and talented pop stars to hitch my old ass cart to when I need a ride to Top 40 Town.
Nitin Sawhney
2/5
Eh. I feel like we're going to get every possible trip-hop or trip-hop adjacent album of any note whatsoever on this list. I didn't hate it, didn't love it. Was different than I anticipated.
But can we just skip straight to Portishead?
James Brown
4/5
This'll probably comes as a bit of a surprise to you guys, but I'm not a recording engineer. I know, I know. I'm as surprised as you are. But as a non-engineer, I have to imagine that capturing the energy of an artist on record is not nearly as easy as just setting up a mic and pressing the record button. If it were, then pretty much every metal band I've seen live would have much, much better sounding albums. And live albums - oh God, those are the worst! They very rarely have any energy at all!
Not. This. One. Not James Brown. The man exudes energy. You can see this performance as much as you can hear it, and that's crazy to me.
So yeah, big thumbs up. I could listen to him just sing the names of cities for about thirty-six hours, no exaggeration. Cover the globe, James. I'm here for you.
Also, kind of cool how close the artwork of this is to the Sarah Vaughn record. I guess it makes sense, given they're both live recordings. Anyway, I'm all caught up on my Thanksgiving listening. I liked the Vaughn record, but there's only one person who should be singing "Just a Gigolo" and his name is Diamond David Lee Roth. Three stars.
Sugarcubes? Loved it. Bjork's energy is well on display here, too. What a wonderful weird record. At times, poppy and happy alternative-y, at other times kind of oddly menacing with some German sounding dude saying oddly menacing German things. "Fucking in Rhythm and Sorrow" might be the best song title we've come across yet on this list. Four stars.
Aphex Twin
1/5
Boy, they weren't kidding when they put the word "ambient" in the title of this. It was on, there were beats, I absorbed it all and yet retained not a millisecond of any of it. I don't really know how to have an emotional response to music like this, and I don't really suspect anyone in Aphex Twin even set out to achieve that with this record. It's got ambient in the title! It's not supposed to engage anyone!
Which makes it all the more baffling that some dude thinks this record is one of 1,000 best records of all time.
OF ALL TIME.
Waylon Jennings
3/5
I liked this! Have to be in the right mood for this kind of shit-kickin' country, and I suppose I was. The whole thing sounded pretty clear and fantastic coming through my fancy speakers.
It's not the kind of James-Brown-good that I'm going to quickly listen to it again, but I definitely would. And after yesterday's ambient lull-fest it was nice to feel like I had a beer in my hand, even though I didn't. Or did I????
The Beach Boys
3/5
A little hit and miss for me on this one. Really liked "In the Back of My Mind," which I don't think I'd ever heard before. But seemingly lots of songs about being young and being in love and wanting to get married blah blah blah. "Do You Wanna Dance?" is a banger, but I could cull a good handful of tunes from the middle of the album and probably be happier with the overall listen.
The Who
3/5
I don't believe I'd ever listened to this whole album before. It does feel rather unfair to write a review after one listen of something that's, if memory serves, 487 songs long. But my gut instinct tells me I'll reach for Who's Next over this every single time.
I do like all things pinball though, so...
Burning Spear
3/5
Schoolhouse Rock guy, lol.
I think this is actually the kind of reggae that appeals to me. It blends into the background effortlessly, is incredibly consistent in rhythm, and is (above all) brief.
34 minutes was not a minute too long. I'd put this on again, even if I don't recall many specifics aside from the fact there was a song about slavery and one about pollution. But hey, if you gotta pick two social issues to sing about you could do a lot worse than those two, CRAIG.
Dire Straits
3/5
Starts off with a trio of bangers and then kind of peters out to a weak little trickle of forgettable blandness doesn't it? Sounds about right for an album with a dobro on the cover.
Why the fuck is there a dobro on the cover? Why is the dobro floating in the sky? Who thought that was an interesting concept for album artwork? I need to talk to these people.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
4/5
OMG I loved this. Some of the slow jamz weren't the greatest, but god bless 'em for making a song where they sing about wanting to meet Stevie Wonder. Can you imagine being him and hearing that for the first time? hahaha. I wish YouTube existed then just for the reaction video.
Run-D.M.C.
2/5
Dang. This one kind of washed over me and I quickly grew tired of the you-say-one-word-then-I'll-say-the-next-word style that I 100% loved when I was a kid and sooo many rappers imitated. But it may also be that Raising Hell is simply a way better album than this; don't know, haven't listened to that in forever either.
Regardless, respect to the legacy. Respect to the track suits.
Pink Floyd
3/5
I could listen to that riff from "In the Flesh" for hours. I just love it.
I don't love the rest as much, but it is kind of fascinating to listen to as an entire piece vs. a collection of singles scattered across every classic rock station in the world. But you know what I never hear on any of those stations? "In the Flesh."
Damn shame. I'm going to split the difference and go 3 stars. Would be 3 & 1/2 if I had the option, .
Lou Reed
4/5
For some reason I expected this to be much more inconsistent than it actually is. Song after song it worked for me and overall I thought it sounded excellent.
Cons? No songs about Optimus Prime. False advertising, bro.
Madness
3/5
Okay, but HOW did their house get in the middle of the goddamn street?
I kinda liked this, kinda didn't. It's plucky in places. Songs are all over the map stylistically and melodically (hi there "New Delhi"), but it all still has that '80s stank on it. Like a lot of pop music from this era, some of it just does not hold up, in my opinion. BUT when it does there's something special about it that makes it feel like it will hold up forever. Like, I genuinely got excited when I heard the opening of "Our House." Something to be said for that.
The Temptations
2/5
Fine, but nothing here substantially jumped out to me save for the cover of "Grapevine." I liked that version and had never heard it before. Definitely beats the shit out of John Fogerty pronouncing "heard" as "hoid."
My whole body shuddered just thinking about it.
The Beach Boys
2/5
I'm not gonna top Craig's review, but will agree with y'all about the mixed bag nature of this one. First of all, how many Beach Boys records do we even need on this list? And yet we still haven't had a single Black Sabbath album. Satan's not gonna be too happy about this and neither am I.
But I do like "Feel Flows." And that artwork! There's a Don Quixote vibe to that painting. Cool image.
Air
3/5
Cool enough. I'd still rather be listening to Portishead.
Public Enemy
4/5
I’m gonna be behind on all of this from now until 2022, most likely. But I listened to most of this and I really enjoyed what I heard. As much as I criticize this list, their hip hop picks have been pretty solid overall.
Solange
2/5
I'm back! Happy 2022. Looks like we're kicking the year off with a bang, baby!
Kidding. Unless we're talking Omicron.
Anyway, nothing here really stood out to me at all except for the song "Junie." I have no doubt that lyrically there's all kinds of interesting commentary here. Some of that seeped into even my own cracker-white brain. But musically? Just felt kind of meh and blah to me overall.
Happy New Year?
The Byrds
3/5
I had no idea that The Byrds migrated to Country & Western. This is news to me.
Even crazier? I kind of really liked this. It felt like they fully committed to the genre and I can't fathom that this was a popular direction amongst their fans at the time. Maybe I'm wrong. Either way, it takes some balls.
Not something I'll listen to on repeat, but I'd return to it again and I wasn't expecting to have that reaction.
Good album art, too!
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I am all about Elvis Costello on this list. Clearly I should have made more of an effort to get to know his catalog before now, but I am lazy and was too busy listening to some other bullshit because that's the life I've chosen.
Didn't flip for every song, but overall it's an easy 4 stars from me.
Tina Turner
4/5
I'm going to agree with the field on this one. I had zero interest in Tina or this kind of music at the time of this album's popularity and now I understand completely why it was so popular. It almost feels like a Bruce Springsteen record to me, at times. (Looking at you "Steel Claw.") Or maybe his album's feel like Tina's? I don't know. Chicken and the egg.
Anyway, "1984" is a really terrible way to end an album that otherwise far exceeded my expectations. Who let that song make it to press??
King Crimson
4/5
"In the court of the Crimson AHHHHHHHH AHHHHH AHH AHHH! AHH AHH AHHHHHHH!"
So damn good. I was lost during some of the quiet free-form jazz shit, but I am here for all of the rest. And one of the best pieces of album art of all time!
The Smiths
3/5
Don't kill me, but I've yet to go all-in on The Smiths in my life and I'm not sure I ever will. I don't dislike them. Not at all. But I haven't had that eureka moment yet with this band, for whatever reason. I want to! I dig the voice, like the guitars, and could listen to "How Soon is Now?" on repeat. But whenever I've tried to listen to a whole album... the songs just don't completely win me over. : (
And speaking of singers who have pissed off their fans with their politics, how good are "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" on that Megadeth album? I could chop the thing off right there and it would get 5 stars from me. Unfortunately, I don't think there's anything else that quite reaches the level of those two, but still... freaking love how the guitars sound on that record. Maybe 3 and 1/2 stars?
The Mars Volta
5/5
It ain't At the Drive-In, but I've always loved this band. Proggy, punk-ish, pretentious; they cover the three P's in spades on this one.
I hadn't listened to this in forever. I like all the weird horns and shit they got into on the record that followed, but it was nice to hear this one again. Definitely more focused than most of their discography, for better or worse.
Anyway, I remember that reading Pitchfork was pretty much a daily must for me back in the early 2000s. And then they just completely eviscerated the 2nd Mars Volta record, if memory serves. Just an absolutely brutal review and it occurred to me at that point that I didn't need to read Pitchfork any more.
The National
2/5
I saw these guys open for the Arcade Fire back when the Arcade Fire could sell out a theater. My one takeaway from their set was that the singer is a baritone. Having listened to this entire record, my takeaway is still that one single thing. Dude's a baritone. There's absolutely nothing else I can distinguish as a single selling point for this band. Except, perhaps, for Andy's NPR thing.
Other fun fact from that show: the Arcade Fire didn't play "Wake Up." I get it, I get it. You have one anthem in the arsenal, you just released your second LP, and you don't want to play that song again. But also: fuck off with that noise. We all paid good money to hear that one song and you couldn't be bothered to do it one more time.
It was a pretty frustrating night.
The Young Rascals
3/5
That title song is so damn good. I had no idea it was sung by four white guys who look anything like the dudes on the cover art of this album. They were the Rick Astleys of their time...
The rest of the songs have mixed results, but gosh it all sounds really good. I'd listen to this again just for the production.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
Love it. "Breakfast in Bed," are you kidding me? Such a good tune.
Suck it, Adele.
Richard Hawley
3/5
Not bad, not bad. It gave me Mark Lanegan vibes, minus a few hundred whiskey bottles and several decades of smoking cigs. Probably the kind of music that would work well in some David Lynch scenes, which is a very specific, but personally enjoyable compliment.
If another Richard Hawley record shows up on this list I won't roll my eyes. Pretty. High. Praise, guys.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Weird. This felt more dated to me than several of the other hip hop records we've listened to that are technically older than this. Not sure why that is - maybe that high pitch synth thing? The lyrics? Both? And why is it that there's such a need in hip hop to make these records so damn long? Get off my lawn, please.
Anyway, what I really want to write about is how this album completely transformed my suburban southern high school upon release. I mean, it was insane. Between this and Snoop's first record there was this, seemingly overnight, shift where about 80% of the whitest of white dudes at my school somehow convinced themselves they were gangstas. The clothes. Cars. Posture. Interest in marijuana. All of it completely changed. And then I remember going to Myrtle Beach and seeing some white kid who couldn't have been older than 12 rocking a Philly's blunt tee. Shit was out of hand.
Funny, too, how so often grunge and alternative music gets thrown out there as the defining cultural moment of the 90s, when really - that bit only lasted like three years. By '94, everybody who was popular had moved on to West Coast rap and the alternative radio stations were playing Seven Mary Three and Sponge.
And, look, I'd rather listen to the Chronic than Seven Mary Three, so it's hard to even blame folks.
David Gray
1/5
I distinctly remember someone comparing this dude to Bob Dylan back when this album dropped.
Lolololololol.
The Roots
3/5
I didn't get a chance to listen to this today, but have heard it before. My memory is foggier than Barbara Bush's underpants, but I'm just gonna say that I liked it, didn't love it. And I can tell from the running time it's probably too long for me and my foggy-ass underpants. But "The Seed"! Always liked that one.
Beth Orton
3/5
I like this. I hear a lot of Joni Mitchell in her voice at times and I'm cool with that.
When I heard the first song and saw that this came out in 1999 and I immediately wondered if she had been on the Lilith Fair at some point. And damn if I wasn't right about that.
I'm like folk-lady psychic. Ask me anything.
Morrissey
4/5
I don't know, I got into this one. I'm listening to "Speedway" again right now, matter of fact. Maybe there's hope for me as a potential Smiths fan yet?? Or does me liking this one mean the opposite?
I'm really confused here.
Cat Stevens
4/5
Love it. I think I even mostly succeeded in listening to it without really thinking about a single Wes Anderson movie.
I'm not sure I had ever heard "Miles from Nowhere" before, but now I've heard it twice in an hour. Really good tune - almost has classic Elton John vibes.
Lyrics here and there don't always land, but overall this was a very pleasant way to start my Monday.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
Wow, so this is his "White Album." It's quite a ride and while it for sure felt like an uneven one to my ears, I also found it hard to deny just the sheer impressiveness of the ground covered on all 672 of these tracks.
Some bonafide classics and nice surprises (for me, at least) too. I didn't know "Village Ghetto Land" and that's a beautiful tune. I also didn't know about the "Gangsta's Paradise" connection, but that's on me and fairly embarrassing.
I don't know that I'd put this on and just listen to it in sequence in one sitting again. But I could sure as shit cull a greatest hits from this record and listen to the hell out of that.
The Pharcyde
1/5
Do. They. Have. To. Always. Be. So. Very. Loooooooooooong??
This was too long. Just too long. Also, I like to think I'm a guy who has a fair amount of experience listening to music that's intentionally chaotic. And there are chaotic albums that I 100% listen to for pleasure. But there were moments on this record where it just felt like I was in a room with six or seven people and they were all talking at once about 6 or 7 different things and one of them had a drum machine and another had some LPs and all of it was going on all at once and all I wanted to do was just get the hell out of that room.
So it was all too much for me today. I'm not saying I didn't appreciate the "Oh Shit" song or the one about your momma. I'm human, after all. But I was mostly annoyed by this one.
Ray Charles
3/5
Some pretty good jams on here and let's be honest: if all country and western music sounded like this we'd probably be better off for it.
Still though, the stuff that resonates the most with me is when those big band horns hit and that don't sound like no country at all, gawdammit. I might prefer the version of "Bye Bye Love" in ALL THAT JAZZ a tad more, but this one swings, cat.
Might not be the record I reach for when I think of listening to Ray Charles, but perfectly good white folk dinner party background music.
Cyndi Lauper
3/5
Fun. They just wanna, y'all.
So interesting. Like, do you think the person who made this was just a character that Cyndi Lauper played for a number of years, or is this truly what she's like when she's just hanging out eating egg rolls with her friends?
Some good, infectious tunes and some that I'd be fine never hearing again. Also, it never really dawned on me how sort of ominous the music of "She Bop" is for a song about masturbation. Different strokes *ahem* for different folks, I guess.
The Youngbloods
1/5
I was kind of hoping for something more folky here, but this seems more like your grandpa's favorite jam band. Maybe this stuff works better live and with the benefit of drugs, but the closest I've come to seeing a jam band live was the last time I saw Primus a few years ago and they felt compelled to make every one of their classic songs an extra 8-10 minutes long, and simultaneously infinitely worse because of it.
So I'm gonna have to pass on these young, bloods.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Yeah, kinda hard to argue with the sheer songwriting chops on this mofo. Every single song gives you something new to savor in a way that's different from the song that preceded it without doing a genre tour or trying to put on hats that do not fit. Which is extra good, because I don't think a lot of hats are going to fit on that big ol' Garfunkel doo anyway, amirite?
Bonus points for inspiring at least two movie titles.
The Allman Brothers Band
3/5
I really like this overall, but it's without question a lot to take in. I'm not at all prone to enjoy extended jams, but there's a moment in one of those 20 minute songs where they transition into the main melody of "Joy to the World," and - just for a second there - I was like, "Oh wow. That was nice. Maybe this is what people get out of the whole jam band experience?"
Who knows? I'm not gonna invest too much (or any) energy to really find out. Anyway, some solid classic tunes throughout and really stellar guitar work. But absolutely something you gotta be in the mood for.
And to play catch up, I will take this hands down over that Drive By Truckers record. My brother gave me that on CD years ago when it was first garnering praise, but I just can't with that one dude's voice. You know who I'm talking about. The main singer and the one who says Neil Young's name the most. I'll allow that there's something cool about a southern set concept album of sorts and I like the music well enough. But give me a different singer and different lyrics or I'm out.
Emerson Lake & Palmer. I didn't mind, didn't love. Scratches an itch for me that's in the same wheelhouse as classic Yes, but not nearly as satisfying. To be fair, very little is in this space!
Is it possible we'll get some Skynyrd, Alabama, and the Oak Ridge Boys this week?? Let's keep that Southern Rock thang going until we get some Mountain, please.
SAULT
2/5
This was released in 2020? I thought this list was older than that. Good to know.
I like how this album sounds and there are moments that ring out through the sameness, but lyrically it felt a bit like how PHILADELPHIA is a gay movie made for straight people. It's a tad on the nose, isn't it? There's obviously power in the repeated simplicity of saying something like "black is beautiful," but I guess I was kind of hoping it would dig deeper than that. (Not that it has to.) Maybe it does and I'm just tuning out due to the relatively relaxed nature of the music behind the lyrics...
God knows I'm the last person to pretend to have any authority in this arena whatsoever. But if I want a glimpse into the black experience I feel like I could do better by reaching for a Kanye album or that last Stevie Wonder double-cheeseburger we just listened to. And those would have the added benefit of having some, you know, honest to god good songs.
Billy Bragg
2/5
I guess I’ll be the outlier here and bring down the rank. If you took these songs and added distortion and drums the criticism would probably be, “What’s the point of this music when The Clash already exists?” To which I would say, “Yeah, but it’s The Clash.” And by that I just mean why choose to be less exciting, ya know? It’s such an intentional decision to go the solo folk singer route as opposed to a full band and I get it - I know dude has the Woodie Guthrie thing - but it feels more intellectually or ideologically driven than emotionally so. Which resulted in a listening experience that, despite loving this guy’s voice and liking a lot of the lyrics, I had no real emotional engagement with.
In fact, when it got to the second disc and the mandolins came in I could not hit the stop button fast enough. If he ever puts out a punk record (and maybe he has) I’m there. Until then, it’s just not for me.
Eagles
2/5
This should just be a 45 with the title track on one side and "New Kid on Town" on the other. I'm hard pressed to think of another record that comes out swinging as hard as this one does and then disappoints further and further with each successive track, all the way to the last seconds of its merciful conclusion.
How the same decade that gave us Taxi Driver also made this band a gargantuan success is something I'll never fully understand.
The Lemonheads
4/5
I don't really need to re-listen to this because I'm never not listening to it in my head.
"Rudderless," "Allison's Starting to Happen," "Ceiling Fan in my Spoon," "Frank Mills," the Simon & G-Funk cover... it's everything that I want from this type of music, in that it's perfectly imperfect and constructed with the utmost simplicity needed to lodge itself in my brain.
Evan Dando is probably an awful human being, but fortunately I don't have to date him.
Also, “Nursery Cryme ” by Genesis. That’s the one to listen to instead of the one that was on this list.
Adele
4/5
Everybody knows the good stuff, so let's just talk about how bad that cover of "Lovesong" is. Why is it even here? You got 11 songs on your record, does it really need a 12th at all, let alone a cover? A cover?? Why??? And if you're gonna do it - which you shouldn't - why on earth would you slow down the tempo of the original to a sleep-inducing crawl? Did you hear that song and think, "You know what... the bones are good and all, but I reckon they didn't know what the fuck they were doing. Let's have a go." And if you have to cover The Cure - which you don't - you couldn't feel compelled to choose one of literally hundreds of other songs that didn't already have a chart dwelling cover by freaking 311???
It's baffling. But yeah, the rest is good.
Alanis Morissette
4/5
Someone gave me this CD as a gift back in 199Whatever and I was sooooo disappointed by the mere suggestion that anyone thought this was something I might actually enjoy. Did they not notice my Helmet t-shirt? What else is a kid supposed to do to advertise that they ain't down with some pop-alt girl rock shit, ya know?
And then I finally listened to it and... I didn't hate it. I think my big hurdle was just not really being sold on the whole angry image that "You Oughta Know" carried with it when that song was shot out of a canon and suddenly absolutely everywhere. Plus, I'm on the record as hating harmonicas in general, so that was a strike against her. But the more you listen here the more the likability of Alanis comes across and the catchiness of some of these songs either works or it doesn't. It mostly works for me.
What I'm saying is that it kind of won me over, in spite of me. And THAT's ironic, Craig.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
First, if you took guitar lessons as a young teen and didn't learn "Take Five" by The Dave Brubeck Quartet did you even take lessons at all?? I can still whittle my way around that melody on the ol' jingle axe. Great stuff.
And connected to the Hendrix record via the exact same guitar teacher! My favorite song of the bunch is "May This Be Love." That was on the soundtrack for the movie Singles, no? Regardless, I remember hearing it in the mid-90s as I was getting into things like Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins and realizing that Hendrix had more in common with alternative music than with the Doobie Bros. This shit is timeless in an earned way. I can still listen to "Hey Joe" and actively enjoy it. Which is nuts.
Also, I mean damn... that rhythm section could straight kill an entire marching band.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Well, it ain't my favorite Zeppelin album but it was honestly a little refreshing to listen to the band and NOT hear a song off of Zep IV, so there's something to be said for that.
And while not every song here shakes the foundations... Jesus Christ, boys: I cannot for the life of me imagine what hearing "Dazed and Confused" in 1969 must have been like. For real, can you imagine hearing that on the radio when a mere decade earlier something like that song was just completely unthinkable? Bobby Darin was in the top 5 in 1959. *Bobby Darin*...
I can't do nothin' but 4 stars, and that's only because I know they best it later.
Louis Prima
4/5
Yep. It swings, hepcats.
Really impressed by the production and how great the entire record sounds. Prima’s voice is one of a kind (just like Diamond Dave’s) and despite some of the weirder affectations he does with it I never grew annoyed or agitated by the performance (also, just like Diamond Dave’s). He clearly found a lane for himself and that voice and is just cruising with the top down, probably smoking like 90 cigarettes an hour.
Thanks for the reminder, Craig. I just barely remember her in that movie but now I want to check out her solo stuff.
The Sonics
3/5
Let's get this out of the way: I'm rating this 3 stars just so that we have 4 different scores because that's how you have fun with numbers.
I didn't love it though. It's tough to hear something that's essentially a covers album of tunes that are so well known in their original forms. I pretty much spent the duration thinking I'd prefer to be listening to the originals.
But the stuff they wrote themselves was cool! "The VVitch" feels so gross, ha. I kinda love it. Sounds like it was recorded on rusty ass tuna cans.
Alex, I couldn't quite tell if you were being sarcastic (because I'm American) but The Black Keys for sure covered "Have Love Will Travel" on one of their earlier albums. Which means The White Stripes most certainly did it sometime before that.
Machito
2/5
Stupid storytime: I worked with a dude once who got a high-up-the-food-chain tour of one of Donald Trump's hotels in Vegas back years before Trump ever ran for office. Apparently the woman (because of course it was a woman) who was showing them around the hotel kept talking about how Donald always says, "brass + glass = class."
The reason I mention it is because this record has more brass than all of Trump's property holdings combined. So, so much brass. It kind of hurt my ears. I even used to play trumpet back in middle/high school... and it still felt like, "Whoa. That's a lot of brass."
I didn't hate it by any means. But it could've used a lot more glass.
Oasis
2/5
I can't help but laugh at how much I hated Oasis back in the mid-90s. I don't really blame myself as much as the Gallaghers and the clear joy they got out of being famous pricks who dominated the news. But at long last I finally caved and gave into the (morning) glory that is the album that came after "Definitely Maybe."
And thank God I started with that one, because this album is almost like listening to a different band. The songs simply aren't there and they can't get by on attitude alone. I dig a few of them, but the leap they took between these two albums is pretty incredible.
So, TLDR: I don't hate Oasis anymore, but this isn't an album I'll ever love.
Blur
2/5
This could be revisionist history, but I think this album came out right at the time I started to piece together some things about alternative radio, such that upon hearing the Woohoo Song, I immediately understood there would not be a single other Woohoo Song, or anything remotely like the Woohoo Song, anywhere on the rest of this album. And so I never bothered to listen to it… UNTIL NOW.
I was right.
Prince
3/5
I don’t know, I don’t know… I got “Purple Rain” on vinyl not terribly long ago and it’s just an uninterrupted string of greatness from start to finish. I never really knew much about this one short of “U Got the Look,” and mostly I was distracted by how much I dislike the overall sounds of the drums here (and those moments of bass slappy-slappy.)
On the whole it feels like one of those albums designed by someone insanely popular to be intentionally challenging to the fan base. Mission accomplished. I’m gonna go down the middle but will need to listen to this again sometime.
The Smiths
4/5
Well! I liked this more than I expected; perhaps my expectations were low? Aside from Morissey growling on track 2 (lol) I pretty much let the rest just wash over me and am now feeling properly clean and tidy. Listening to "Unhappy Birthday" for the 2nd time right now. Always a good sign!
Garbage
2/5
For a band with such a cool front woman and a direct connection to THE landmark album of the 90s... I've always wondered how it is that Garbage's music sounds so dang tame.
If there was an undercurrent of punk/garage it could've improved the entire endeavor, imo.
Fishbone
4/5
If this album was just the single of "Cry Baby" I'd still probably give it 4 stars. But I like enough of the other ones to cement my vote like a zeppelin made of lead.
But good comp to Joe Cocker, Craig! I had never thought of that, but now it's all I can think of. Also, somebody buy me a Benz.
The Avalanches
2/5
This one's all about "Frontier Psychiatrist." There's a reason it's the one song I ever heard from this band back when independent alternative radio was an actual thing; everything else barely made a dent.
Speaking of dents, my relationship with this website is apparently broken. I wrote a whole thing for the Janis Joplin record, clicked "submit," and it promptly told me to go fuck myself by deleting every bit of it and not letting me even rewrite it. But I really liked that record. Even if "Cry Baby" was the only song on it I'd probably give it 4 stars. I like the others enough to keep it there. Also, spot on comparison to Joe Cocker, Craig. That had never occurred to me; now it's all I hear.
Fishbone. I completely expected this entire album to be nothing but variations on "Bonin' in the Boneyard," (which lol, so so bad). Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not that at all. I'd probably still prefer to listen to Living Colour or (for sure) Faith No More, if I'm in the mood for something that's at all in this ballpark. But it's a solid three star effort to my ears. Also, I still laugh at that story that supposedly John Cusack played some Fishbone song on set while holding up the boombox during that pivotal moment of SAY ANYTHING. Hahaha.
Little Richard. You know what the drill is from the word "go," but as far as albums with songs that all kind of sound the same it's hard to argue against the effectiveness of this one. I assume this was all recorded live, as well? I mean, damn. "Ready Teddy" blows the roof off. No wonder white people stole this.
Ice Cube
3/5
I’m in line with Craig on this one. I enjoyed it immensely more than I expected to and more than the other Cube record we heard. Furthermore, the social commentary was working for me in a way that still felt like Ice really meant what the hell he was talking about. Maybe I just like hip hop best when it’s either this angry or plain silly. I don’t know.
Did get a good chuckle out of that one bit where he said something about not selling out. Whoo boy, if he could’ve seen into the future and imagined he’d be acting in family films…
Mariah Carey
2/5
I’m a day behind, but guys! You completely buried the lede here: there’s a song with Bone Thugz & Harmony. Hahaha! I was so happy when I heard that. Also, genuinely might be the most enjoyable song on the record.
Anywho, I’m with Alex in that I have a very low tolerance for the breathy, whisperbrato she sings with on so much of this album. Is that even singing? I don’t know. All I know is when she sings at full volume (back half of “Butterfly,” parts of “Whenever You Call” it’s almost like a different person hopped in the recording booth. And I like it so, so much better. I just can’t with the endless vocal runs at a loud whisper. Project, Mariah! Hold a single note!
All that said, I didn’t hate it all. “Close My Eyes” was the standout, imo, and I thought the Prince cover was okay? I mean, I never thought the song needed a shot of gospel but that’s an idea.
The Pogues
3/5
I don't know anything about this band and I have to be honest: I've spent most of this listening time wondering what the hell "Rum Sodomy" is. Did that get mentioned in a lyric and I missed it? Can one be sodomized by a drink? I don't want to think about anything worse than that. But as far as titles go, well... this is one I'll remember.
Alex: am I understanding you correctly that these lads are not Irish and are just putting on an accent? If so, hmm... I don't think it really takes away any enjoyment for me and I simply can't imagine these songs without the accents.
On the whole (or hole, if we're talking about that Rum Sodomy) I liked it but it's probably something I'm only reaching for at St. Patrick's Day parties. Still, I do think it's elevated above other stuff I've heard that tries to occupy this space. It's just not necessarily a space I'd want to spend too much time in, namely because of the RUM SODOMY.
Pixies
3/5
Perfection. A truly incredible, incomparable piece of art. This list could have just been 1 Album You Must Listen to Before You Die and this would have been that album.
My review has in no way been influenced by Craig's threat of blade-delivered violence. None whatsoever. FIVE STARS.
(Is he gone?? Whew. I like this album a little more the more I listen to it, but I didn't know what the hell to make of it the first time I heard it. I definitely have nostalgia for this type of sound, but I still favor the actual songs of the first half to the last. I may need a few more listens before I really get on board with those. That is, assuming Craig doesn't cut me before I get the chance.)
The B-52's
4/5
Andy is psychic, y'all. Could you please mention something about Black Sabbath in your next review? Thx.
Anywho, this came out in 1979??? I had no idea. They are an '80s/'90s band in my heart and there they shall remain.
I enjoyed listening to this and I really do love the vocals across the board. That is the sound of this band, as far as I'm concerned. They could sing Will Smith's Oscar speech and it would fill me with joy. Nobody else sounds like this band because of those three vocalists.
But man... did "Rock Lobster" have to be damn near 7 minutes long? They play that song on the kids' station on SiriusXM from time to time and I'm always in disbelief, because I can't keep it in my attention for 7 minutes so what's a kid supposed to do with it? (Know what else is also unapologetically long and feels even longer? That fucking "Space Jam" song. Oh my God in Heaven.)
That aside, an enjoyable listen. I don't think I'll ever call myself a full-blown 52 Head, but I'd always welcome putting it on.
The Cramps
2/5
Loved how it started, but within the first ten seconds of song #2 I knew what the rest of the album was going to sound like. I wished they had lyrically embraced the macabre even more; the content of “TV Set” is gruesome and fun and I really wanted much more of that. Instead, the rockabilly creep got pretty old pretty quick to my ears. Still, “Mystery Plane” pulled me back in and that’s a track I would return to. At the end of the day though, I’d rather just listen to The Misfits.
And speaking of, I’m so curious how it came to be that several punk bands gravitated towards these forms of early pop rock. Cramps, Misfits, Ramones - it’s like they all watched Grease and decided to form their own gangs at the same high school. I don’t understand how that happened, as opposed to, say, mimicking the Sex Pistols. I’m sure there’s an essay somewhere…
Creedence Clearwater Revival
3/5
What a sweaty, sweaty album. I dig it. Maybe more mid-tempo overall than I'd prefer, but some solid jams. Does anyone know what "chooglin'" means? Let's make up a definition: a Google search while chilling. There. At any rate, I spent most of the time I was listening to this record thinking about APOCALYPSE NOW. As much as the Doors dominate the soundtrack of that movie, I still think of CCR as the go-to Vietnam band. Did they have a tune in GOOD MORNING VIETNAM?? I'm gonna go Choogle that.
Belle and Sebastian. Hey, they did say the word "Sabbath" in a song and the band initials are B.S. (if you don't count the ampersand), so you were at least in the ballpark of telepathic influence, Andy. Don't beat yourself up.
I wanted to like that record more than I did, but I couldn't get there. The lyrics were fairly interesting across the board ("Expectations" was fun), but the music and tunes never really equalled the stories. My favorite track was also the quietest and saddest sounding: "We Rule the School." Give me a whole record of that and I'll be there with belles on.
Duran Duran
3/5
"This album is...hard white turds." - Craig Moorhead.
Harsh, yo!
Anywho, yeah I had a good time with this. Certainly the first and only time I've ever listened to the whole thing as, for some reason, I don't believe my brother ever owned this record or else we would've listened to it backwards and forwards in the car on family beach trips. (Like we did with "Purple Rain." My parents are cray.) So all I had to go on is the MTv barrage that was "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf." Those two hold up, but as mentioned there are some other non-turds here that were never on my radar and really add to the experience. I liked "New Religion" even though I don't really like religions, so that was cool. And, tune aside, "The Chauffeur" is a great title for any medium.
I'd happily listen again. Taking off a star for all that slappy bass.
Miles Davis
4/5
You guys pretty much covered it all on this one. If I can go one step further, I almost think you could take 30 seconds from "So What" - the 15 seconds before the trumpet comes in, and then the 15 seconds after - and play that to any human being on Earth as a gauge for their tolerance of jazz. I really like a lot of Duke Ellington and that swing stuff, but there's no question that when people think of jazz as a genre they're thinking of the kind that's on display on this record. So, if you don't like that trumpet intro, then this ain't for you. If you do, then please drive through the gate.
It's also nice that jazz is popular with audio nerds and these albums always tend to have really good remasters. Listening with headphones, I could hear what I assume is the reverb of the actual room they recorded in at times (especially with the sax on "So What.") Other times I could make out the faintest use of the brush on the snare drum, almost sounding like a record hiss or something. Took me a second to even realize what it was.
Lastly, as someone who played trumpet in middle school and for one year of high school, I feel supremely qualified to comment that it's actually really hard to make a trumpet sound intentionally sad like it is on "Flamenco Sketches." Unintentionally sad? Yes. Daily. And I was first chair!
The Gun Club
2/5
This one really ran out of steam for me after that song with "Heroin" in the title. That's a real problem when you're talking about the 4th track. But the three before it I enjoyed! I definitely would pick this up over that record from the Cramps again, and I genuinely like the guitar sound on this album. "Preaching the Blues" worked for me, mostly, and I kind of perked up again when it got to "Black Train." I think the idea of this album, and mixing blues and punk, is better than the execution. There's been some good stuff fairly recently that resulted from mixing blues-based ideas with hardcore (OX from Coalesce) and metal (Devil is Fine from Zeal & Ardor). But somehow the usage on this record made me think more of The Doors than anything else. I think it's the frontman. Something stylistically here felt like bo-bo Jim Morrison ,and I could never wrap my head around whether or not the vocals and singing added, detracted, or was indifferent to the music around it. I'll give it this: it was interesting.
Pearl Jam
4/5
Yeah, not a ton to say about this one. I was pretty much the right type of kid at the right time for this, though for whatever reason I mostly checked out of hotel Pearl Jam after the next album. I think it's because, as mentioned, at the end of the day they're primarily a band riffing on classic rock and the thing that truly differentiated them was Vedder. As he tamed down his vocal theatrics over the years (for the better, in a lot of instances) I guess that thing that made them different to me stood out less and less and my interest just went elsewhere. Either that, or the songs just weren't as good as they are here. The singles hold up and I particularly enjoyed hearing "Oceans" again. I forgot about that song. It's good.
Fun fact: a year or two ago David Gordon Green told me he went to the same school in Texas where the "Jeremy" kid shot himself. I think he said they closed down the room to classes for a couple years, but everyone knew about it. Maybe Andy knows more about this six degrees of Kevin Bacon, but that's all I got.
Eminem
3/5
Ahh, the fine line between fantasy and misogyny...
I have to say, though, that I do like this kind of storytelling hip-hop and the songs have a certain way of pulling you in immediately that I often struggle with when listening to others in the genre. Still, the subject matter doesn't hold up very well at all, regardless of which "character" he's supposed to be rapping from the POV of. Too bad.
Also, full disclosure: I "wrote" a Super Bowl commercial for Eminem and Brisk Iced Tea. You can find it on YouTube. They scrapped most of the script, but I didn't care. I got to talk to Eminem on the phone the day after I had my wisdom teeth pulled and all he really wanted to know is if we could see his "puppet take a shit?" It was claymation animation. No puppets. And it was one of the best phone calls of my life.
Jimi Hendrix
2/5
Hmm. This kind of struck me as a snooze-fest. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood? Or maybe it's... just kind of a snooze-fest?
I liked "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," which is a tune I was not familiar with, but it feels like overall this record is here just to prop up the last two tracks. It's a damn strange thing to see an album where the best two songs are track numbers 15 and 16, ha. Pretty ballsy in a way!
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
I’m going 4 stars. I’ve always loved the sing-songy guitar parts and triptych structure of the title track. Like Andy, I had no clue “Jet” was called “Jet.” But how about “Let Me Roll It”? Again, the guitar part you can sing. I’m listening to it once more and I can barely pick out McCartney’s voice. You’d think that would be a negative, but it works.
I dig it. But where’s the Weird Al track “Ham on the Run”? Gotta think that writes itself.
The Kinks
2/5
I listened to this record this morning and - no joke - completely and utterly forgot that I had until about 5 mins ago. (It’s 8pm. I’m not drinking.)
So, uhh, yeah.
Hey are there Kinks songs I need to know that weren’t covered by Van Halen and aren’t in a Wes Anderson movie? I wanna hear those. Pretty sure they weren’t on this album.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Man, this guy REALLY like reggae, no?
This is a type of music that you either dig or you don't. I dig - but only on certain occasions and certain tracks. I appreciate the importance of Marley more than I enjoy anything on this album; that rhythm and those guitars have always been a barrier for me because of the lack of variety my ears can pick up on. I'm sure there's nuance here from track to track. I just can't hear it.
Clearly, this is a me problem. Maybe one of these days it'll click. But today is not that day.
Radiohead
4/5
Is there another band that benefitted as much from their 3rd album as Radiohead did with this one? (Okay, just Googled that question and there's a ton: Born to Run, Dookie, Songs for the Deaf, Slippery When Wet, and so forth. Forget I even brought it up.) Anyway, yeah it still seems strange to me listening to this again for the 9,000th time that *this* is the record that scored higher with critics and audiences than The Bends. Especially on the heels of such a giant hit in "Creep," it makes zero sense in hindsight why The Bends was not more warmly received in the US than it was - and yet OK Computer was hyped beyond belief right out of the gate.
I remember Matt Pinfield on MTV talking about how good this album was before it was released and then playing the video for "Paranoid Android." And you know, you hear that song the first time and it's real easy to go "What the hell is this?" Somehow people got it. Next thing you know, Radiohead is goddamn everywhere. The fact that they were the same band that hit with "Creep" became part of the narrative. It was like validation that they weren't just a one hit wonder and everybody was happy about it. BUT... The Bends exists! Why didn't that happen at the same level when "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" were on MTV?? Those are easier songs to digest than "Paranoid Android," right? I. Do. Not. Understand. Society.
But hey at least they got behind another good album. Listening now, I could lop off "Electioneering" and "Climbing Up the Walls," and probably be happier with the total package. But the guitars on "Let Down"... I will not ever get tired of that. Sad Radiohead makes me happy.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
This is 22 minutes of damn near perfection. Wow. How good is that version of "Money"??? That thing STOMPS. Holy shit. What a freaking set.
If I were a greaseball teen in the 1950s Jerry Lee would have been my grindcore. Reeeeally wish he hadn't married his 13 year old cousin...
Also, holy crap - he's still alive! That seems impossible. This record is impossible. I'm done.
Steve Winwood
1/5
Steve Winwood: "All right, everybody all tuned up and ready to roll?"
Band: "You got it, boss. Let's rock."
Steve Winwood: "Timmy, you got that synth set to 'Elegant Farts'?"
Timmy: *forces saddest thumbs up of all time in Winwood's direction*
Steve Winwood: "Perfect, Tim. Let's make magic! And a one, two, three..."
Or at least, that's how I imagine it went down. Anyway, this is not for me. I did like the title track well enough. Otherwise it's a cloudy blur.
Simply Red
2/5
I think all this soft 80s adult-oriented pop is payback for me having missed the two Black Sabbath records. That's on me, guys. You make a deal with the devil and the devil wants his due.
I didn't mind "Heaven," "Holding Back the Years," or "Picture Book." But I'm going to have that lower octave singing of the line "Open Up the Red Box" stuck in my head the rest of my life and I am not sure I deserved that one.
Eh, fine. "Stay With Me" is a good time, but on the whole I spent most of the record wondering why I would choose to listen to this over anything of the similar era from The Rolling Stones.
I think the answer is that, in most instances, I wouldn't. So the headline here is, "New Faces album isn't The Rolling Stones."
Which isn't fair, really, but it's all I got.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Did we listen to another Stone Roses record already? I can't remember, but feel like we did.
Anyway, yeah it's very listenable. I never raced for the skip button, but I sure as heck did a quick glance up when the song that is every bit a cover of "Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkle came on, and I'm genuinely confused why it's called "Elizabeth My Dear." Can you just change the lyrics and do that? I guess so. Huh. (And kudos to this list maker for finding a way to put even MORE Paul Simon in here, which I didn't think was humanly possible at this point.)
I liked enough of the rest of it to not be mad we listened to it. And I can see why people thought this was cool in 1989. It feels easy and safe to say there might not be Oasis without the Stone Roses, unless I'm wrong about my dates.
Joan Armatrading
4/5
Okay, now this I can get behind. I'm not familiar with Mrs. Armatrading, but first of all - that's a fun last name to say. Does she have a record called "Armatrading Places"? If not, she should. But also what a voice! It made me think of Joni Mitchell but in a different register. Lovely, warm production all around.
I could be misreading this, but is "Water with the Wine" about date rape?? Kind of seems that way, but then I was watching I MAY DESTROY YOU last night, so maybe that's on me... Anyway, "Like Fire," "Down to Zero," etc. I liked most of it. Good stuff.
Armatrading in some mediocre Britpop-electronica records on this list for more Joan Armatrading records, please.
Boards of Canada
2/5
Didn't hate it. Made for fine background music, but I definitely thought it started stronger than it finished. After about 5 tracks or so it all just fades into the air, which is kinda what I want from something like this. Works for me when I'm writing to have things like this playing - enough of a beat to be heard, but nothing so distinguishing about it that it really distracts me from what I'm doing.
BUT... I feel like there was potential for this to be so much more than just background music. That creepy sample of a kid saying, "I love you!" in "The Color of the Fire" is the type of thing I wish ran through the entire album. Reminds me of that album from The Avalanches in this regard.
You win or lose me with your creepy, funny, weird samples. And there are never enough. Who out there has made an album that is nothing but a collage of weird samples? That's what I'm looking for on this list.
New Order
4/5
Sorry, but I’m raising the average on this one. I liked it! Even listened to it twice! It doesn’t contain my favorite New Order songs, but still… I’m here for the new wave this year.
I don’t know what’s happening to me.
The Strokes
3/5
Man, music was desperate for the next big thing in 2000-2001! How many bands/artists got a crack at the wheel? At the Drive-In, Ryan Adams, Interpol, The White Stripes, The Hives, the Vines, Jet, Wolfmother, Thursday (love ya, Steve) and like 47 other bands I can't even remember right now. Apparently we REALLY needed a new big thing, y'all.
And, of course, The Strokes. I expected to be disappointed from listening to this again, not unlike my experience with that White Stripes record that was on this list. But not so much this time. I think I prefer their record after this (if memory serves), but I'm still very drawn to the guitars and bass here. I like the sound, I like the melodies, I like the rhythm. It's hard to separate the singing from the overall experience, but it's my least favorite part of what this band does. In fact, listening this time I was struck by how poppy some of these tunes are. Kind of makes me wonder what they would sound like with a singer who had more range and was able to lean into that side of their arrangements more. That said, what's there doesn't annoy me.
Totally get the kidz bop reference though. There's for sure a whole air of adopting an aesthetic from a time period these dudes weren't even alive for yet. And that shit does kind of drive me crazy. (Looking at you Greta Van Fleet!) But over time I think that stuff fades away a bit and seems relatively harmless. The hype was probably only half their fault to begin with, and they definitely did not get to be the next big thing for very long. At least that one dude in the band got to date Drew Barrymore.
Anyway, I'm watching a hockey game and they played "Unsung" by Helmet on the house P.A. during a stoppage in play, so I'm gonna go high-five myself.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
Yeah, similar to what Craig said I did not pick out a single banger on this album, and yet... I mean, it's Stevie Wonder so it ain't like it's hot garbage. Perfectly listenable and enjoyable. But absolutely nothing stood out to me.
Continues to be shocking that there's still so little overall variety on a list of one thousand records. Also, continues to be not shocking at all.
We gotta be due some more hip hop or metal soon, right? Or country? When was the last country record on this list? And I guess they're just ignoring classical altogether, right?
Dunno, but I think this list might be some bullshit.
Kate Bush
4/5
I’m the clear Kate Bush newbie here, it seems. Shame on me. I liked this a lot! Definitely liked it more than Bush. (The band and the Presidents.)
The sound of this record won me over pretty much from the word go. Beautiful sounds, colorful voice.
I dig it. And now I’m wondering if there’s gonna be a Bush record on this list. I mean, probably. Ah hell.
Sebadoh
4/5
If you had asked me a day ago who Lou Barlow is I could have told you he was in Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr. and Folk Implosion. Of the three, the only one of those bands I've never listened to though is Sebadoh. Not sure how that happened.
What a weird experience this album is. There was more that one tune that had me smashing that skip button pretty quickly. And yet... AND YET! We gotta talk about "Homemade." Holy shit. Go back and listen to that one if you let it just pass over you without paying much attention to it. Because that might be the best 90s era emo song I've never remotely heard of before. Like hall of fame level. I've listened to it three times already and it's going on a playlist.
So what I've concluded is that when this band is a little more restrained, a little more quiet, and a little sad... I am a Sebadoh fan. "Happily Divided" is great. "Sister" and "Cliche" I liked a lot. Gimme "Think" all day long.
But "Elixir is Zog"? "No Way Out?" Hard pass. I can't with the lo-fi spazz out stuff. The songs that sound basically like Dinosaur Jr. without Mascis on guitar aren't cutting it, man. And that stinks.
Once we finish this list twenty-four years from now if someone asks me to name a record from it that had the highest highs and lowest lows, all on the same album... my answer might be this one.
Elvis Costello
4/5
Hot take: I might be ready to say that "Watching the Detectives" is my favorite reggae song of all time. Granted, I have not done my due dilligence (like, at all) and making this declaration would probably and rightfully offend the entire island of Jamaica, but... that's a damn good song. And to close out the entire album? Bold move that pays off in spades. It's so much moodier than most of what precedes it and the tempo/rhythm/instrumentation really support the story he's telling. Is dark reggae a thing? It should be if it can be done this well.
Alas, I can't say I had the same experience with everything else on this record. In fact, while I like "Allison" something about it's placement in the track listing here didn't work for me. Also, maybe there's one too many tunes that sound like they could have been played by the band at the end of Back to the Future. This could be a shorter listen and I wouldn't complain.
But still. Very solid record with an exclamation point at the end of the sentence. Costello has become one of the very few repeat artists on this list that I get excited to listen to again.
Femi Kuti
3/5
Similar to Craig, I was thoroughly enjoying this for the first half hour. 45 minutes later I was less captivated by the experience as a whole.
That said, I don’t have much of a complaint beyond this one. Really like Kuti’s voice, as well as the background singers and even when the lyrics are on the nose (as in “Wonder” and the pondering of a United Africa) it still totally worked for me. Also, “Plenty Nonsense” is a darn good title for just about anything that needs a title.
I’m just now paying attention to the track listing and seeing that there are two songs called “Nawa” and they come back to back on the album. The first is really only a brief appetizer for the main course, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done before. Good tune(s).
Suzanne Vega
4/5
I quite liked this. I don’t really know her music beyond the few tunes that made it to MTV, but this was more moody and enjoyably lo-fi, quieter than I anticipated. All in good ways.
The opening track, “Marlene on the wall,” “undertow,” etc. I would listen to this again and just think about her thinking about Andy’s tweet about her hair. Amazing.
Motörhead
5/5
I found myself thinking of that live Jerry Lee Lewis album from a few weeks ago while listening to this Motörbeast. Feels like he would approve of this set list. Get in, loudly blast through the high energy shit the fans are there for in the first place, and get out. It’s a pretty simple recipe and yet so rarely delivered that it stands out when someone offers it up on a greasy platter like this.
What’s interesting is that Apple Music has four different versions of this album, all of which add extra tracks and extend the runtime. There’s a deluxe remaster that’s 71 songs and damn near 5 hours long! I know fans are gonna fan, but come on. The original duration is part of what makes the thing shine, what makes it feel like you’re actually at the concert. It’s like a story that needs to be a movie vs. the same story being stretched to an eight season TV show.
I loved this album; I don’t love it at 5 hours.
Blue Cheer
4/5
Mannnn… so I’m alone in liking this one?? Oh well. I guess you guys won’t be joining my Blue Cheer fan club, which will be known as the Cheerleaders. You know you know want the semi-annual newsletter and free iron-on, dudes! Come on!
Okay. Yes, this is a museum piece and yes this is proto-grunge and yes the last track is almost indefensibly indulgent. The whole thing just kind of sounds like crap. No argument.
But it sounds like specific crap. And the crap I’m talking about specifically is Kyuss and the whole desert rock scene of the 90s. I like Kyuss and love a heck of a lot of Queens of the Stone Age tunes. I swear to God if you lopped off “Summertime Blues” and gave me a blank CD-R of this Blue Cheer album but told me it was an unreleased Kyuss demo I would 100% believe you. It sounds that close at times to me, especially with some of the lead guitar sounds. And in fact, I actually prefer the Blue Cheer vocals here to what John Garcia did on most Kyuss tracks. So, in some ways it’s superior.
Genuinely liked it guys. Don’t know what else to say.
Shawn Harwell
Head Cheerleader
N.W.A.
3/5
Here's the benefit of always being the last one to get his review in: I can just say, "I agree with all of you."
Very true in this case, though I didn't find Easy-E as much of a distraction as Craig did. Some good tunes up front and whole lot of filler to round out the back.
Billy Joel
4/5
I feel like the only other artist I can really compare Billy Joel to is Elton John, and isn’t it weird that they both have names that are really just two first names slapped together and the second one in both instances starts with a J? It’s the magical formula for pop piano storytellers. Also, I’m changing my name to Shawn Jerry.
This is an enjoyable record. Even when I lose track of whatever story he’s telling, the tune is there to keep me engaged. I wouldn’t mind seeing another one of his albums pop up on this list and I suspect we will.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Not sure how I missed Aretha but I will have to check that one out. Sounds like a winner. Anyway, I have a theory, based on no evidence whatsoever, that if you were shipwrecked on an island with Elliott Smith and a single acoustic guitar you could’ve told him, “Hey man, we’ve been on this island for a few days now and I’m hungry, exhausted, and starting to wonder if we’ll ever get home. Could you spare me the sad songs and, I don’t know, write a dirty, funny one about a mermaid or something?” And then a few hours later you’d hear the dirtiest, funniest, and best song about a mermaid ever.
I really like this one. I wish it was a bit shorter, but that feels like a shitty thing to complain about of someone who’s dead. Which still sucks to this day.
Echo And The Bunnymen
4/5
I was halfway into “The Killing Moon” when our home internet went out. It still has not come back on, sadly, and I don’t have unlimited data (phone plans are dumb and expensive in America, Alex) so I haven’t made it all the way through the album.
I’m loving it so far except that “Crown of Thorns” seemed to be in the wrong place and killed the momentum. Give that track the boot and I’d be a very happy bunnyman. Can’t wait to hear the rest of it once Spectrum gets their shit together.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
So much fun. I thought this was gonna be the kind of album that would get me pregnant, but I was happy that there’s a lot more variety here than just the baby-making jams I anticipated.
Not sure I’m ready yet to call this version of “Summer Breeze” the definitive one, but I had never heard their take on “Listen to the Music” and I’m prepared now to pretend like the Doobie Bros. version simply doesn’t exist. Doobie who? I’m already doing it.
Wonder if they ever figured out who that lady is tho’.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
4/5
OMG The Godfather of grunge!!
I still don’t really get that title. I know the man has recorded 237 albums, but I’ve listened to a lot of them and… never once did I find myself going, “Oh yeah, Alice In Chains.” Nope. Sorry, 1990s media.
And thank goodness, because Mr. Young is so much more than that. There aren’t a ton of musicians who would make me pause if I had to pick between one of their acoustic or one of their electric albums, but Neil’s on that list. Goddamn those guitar tones. At times it just sounds like a pretty good bar band, but then they hit you with some of those fuzzed out leads where they just hold a single note or two and it makes me want to buy a new guitar. And then sometimes they do the opposite with an acoustic and it *still* makes me want to buy a guitar.
So this album. It’s a weird one. I thought for sure “Rocking in the Free World” was on here, but instead we get a bunch of songs that are kind of in that ballpark but not quite. I liked a lot of them (“Fuckin’ Up”, “Love and Only Love”) and didn’t quite care for others (“Farmer John”). I’d say most of the songs here could be shorter, but doing so would mean losing some of those guitar moments I love. One of the best guitar bits is in the very last tune, which sounds like some sort of beautifully distorted take on “Amazing Grace.” But then the band starts singing those awfully-on-the-nose lyrics about mama earth and I kinda cringe.
Still, even in the seas of cheese, I never once don’t believe Young and co. aren’t being earnest. He always is! Every single song. I don’t know how he hasn’t got tired of his own shit after all these years, but god bless him.
Screaming Trees
4/5
Man, you guys are coming out swinging today. I like Love Battery, too, but I don't think there's many from this era who can touch Mark Lanegan's voice. I guess you either like it or you don't. I love it!
First three songs here are fantastic melodic grunge, and actually maybe I'll take back what I wrote on Neil Young. In some ways I can in fact hear shades and tendrils of "Ragged Glory" in this album. The rest of the album doesn't have the same hooks as those first three tracks, but I think they're a good precursor to where Lanegan was going with his solo stuff. Again, I'm won over by the voice and even when the songs weren't the strongest it still felt like I had a comfy blanket in my lap. In the off chance Alex likes this I'll recommend The Gutter Twins collab Lanegan did with Greg Duli of the Afghan Whigs. It's darker and smokier. And of course he's one of the standout components of the Queens of the Stone Age's classic "Songs for the Deaf."
Also, guys he's dead! Lanegan died in February of this year and I feel like it barely made a blip in the news cycle. It makes me sad and really surprised, given he seems like a dude who other musicians adored. Where's the memorial concert?? I blame stupid Covid. Oh well.
Public Image Ltd.
2/5
This was a ride. Really liked the opening tune a lot. But "Religion(s) I & II" felt so long that I'm pretty sure they're still being recorded. I kind of liked the spoken word take, but part two was *physically* hard to listen to. It was like watching some of Gaspar Noe's movies, where you feel fairly certain that the artist actively wants you to hate their art. The mix is just kind of unbearable, right? Intentionally so, I'm sure but still.
In fact, I'm seeing now on the Wiki page for this record that Jah Wobble (best bassist name ever?) is quoted as saying he felt like the mix "tries a bit too hard." I'm with Wobble. Of course, the mix is only trying to keep up with the lyrics, which are - ironically - pretty damn preachy.
But after those two and "Annalisa," (eh) I was right back on board with "Public Image" and "Low Life." Good stuff! And then right back out with the song where they scream like Monty Python old women for 25 minutes straight. Shit. Is. Wild.
Anyway, if you want to put this all in context Google "John Lyon Masked Singer" and enjoy the rest of your weekend. And remember: I'm with Wobble.™
Radiohead
5/5
Hi. I might be the weirdo that thinks this is, song for song, my favorite Radiohead album. (I loved "In Rainbows," too, so consider yourselves warned.) I'd have to listen to "The Bends" again, but yeah. For me, I have always felt like they got the balance of the alt-indie rock stuff they'd done in the past with the electronic and looser song structure shit they were into on the two previous albums just right on "Hail to the Thief."
It's a moody record. But they didn't forget that distortion pedals and guitars exist. But they added more vocal harmonies and let the bass guitar lead a little more here and there.
I don't know. It's a weird mix and I know even Radiohead fans are soft on this one, but I saw them live on the "In Rainbows" tour and "Myxomatosis" just destroyed. All three of the final tunes here are as good as anything they've done, imo.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Indeed kinda silly that both this and the San Quentin record are on the list. I think I like this one better, though I’d have to do ‘em back to back to really be sure.
Not every song pops for me, but nice to have an appearance from June and I certainly think this is the more playful of the two records. The one two punch of “Dirty old egg suckin’ dog,” and “Flushed from the bathroom of your heart” are so fun and would have equally crushed at middle schools. In fact, I really wish there was a “Johnny Cash Live at William Lenoir Middle” because that would have slayed.
Digital Underground
2/5
My favorite thing about this album is that it does have moments of gangsta rap, but it's only just a guy rapping in a 1920s movie gangster voice. Lol. How did that not take off??
I mean, I suppose there's probably some article somewhere about how this album is significant and important in helping set the stage for a form of alternative hip hop. But I don't know that this alone makes it worthy of being on this list. Some of these songs go on forever and none of it really feels essential aside from the gimmicky opener, which is at least catchy. Surely there are other records in this lane that are better from start to finish.
That said I would totally wear a Gutfest '89 t-shirt.
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
3/5
I kind of feel like a schmuck giving this a rating, because you can tell there's some storytelling going on in these songs and I have absolutely no clue what they're saying. Except for the one song where the did the roll call of nations. Which I liked!
That first track hits hard and then yeah - great background music, great dance music, great music to listen to while washing dishes after having taco night. It would have also been great cooking music, too, but I didn't put it on until after we ate. But now I know. Next Taco Thursday is gonna be lit!
One nitpick: Colon & Blades would've been a fantastic name for this duo, or a list of instructions on how to torture someone, or a pretty good law firm. Feels like a missed opportunity, but they can't all be Sex Packets.
Big Black
4/5
Um, yes please. May I have another?
I'm really embarrassingly unfamiliar with most of Albini's own music (though I have listened to Shellac some), but I loved this! Absolutely scratches the itch of early Ministry and all that Wax Trax industrial stuff, but still has a quality to it that's entirely separate from that scene. Weirder guitar sounds and noisier perhaps? Whatever you want to call it, I would have loved this in 1993 and kind of can't fathom that it came out in '85.
Btw, did you see the news that Steve Albini won like $150k in a poker tournament recently? Can you imagine playing cards with that dude? Ha.
Anyway, this one was way up my alley and has given me a sliver of hope in this list yet. Will we see a Ministry record? Skinny Puppy? Nipple rings crossed, dudes.
Fleetwood Mac
4/5
Didn't get a chance yet to listen all the way through this, but I like enough of the hits to assume it's at least a three.
But based on the strength of Craig's biopic pitch I'll bump it up to 4 and give it a 3,000 screen release. Suck it Top Gun!
Hanoi Rocks
3/5
This was fun! And then Vince Neil killed their drummer.
Massive Attack
2/5
Yeah, I dunno. I probably liked this one better overall compared to the other Massive Attack record we listened to, but I wouldn't say any of this feels particularly essential. This is literally the type of music kids do their homework to these days (seriously: look up LoFi Girl on YouTube) because it's so unobtrusive yet still has a beat to help keep you from falling asleep. I like some of that stuff better than this. And I still would prefer to listen to Portishead. But there were moments on this one that worked just fine in that background space of staying interesting without being obnoxious. The notable exception being, indeed, the last song which does not need to be mentioned again by name.
The site skipped Motorhead on me completely, so I had to listen to that one today. I kind of think that if you can write a genuinely good song about your band's road crew then you can pretty much do whatever you want. This shit rules. I didn't love "Dance," but if somebody asked me for an album that tears things up in a "Back in Black" kind of way, but with more zits and cigarettes... this is the first record I'd reach for.
ABBA
4/5
Oh jeez. The teacher in me feels compelled to explicitly state that I do NOT approve of the very first track. Not even going to say the title. Let's just move on...
You're not beating "Dancing Queen." Even if there was no other song on this album, that at least gets you two stars right there. Throw in "Fernando" and it's only going up. I know this band and their music has been called "infectious" a million times over by now, but it's really the most apt word you can go with for when they're on their mark. Just pure listenable undiluted happiness.
But yeah - "Dum Dum Diddle" and that song about being a tiger were certainly far wide of the ABBA bull's eye, imo. Nobody's perfect.
Fiona Apple
2/5
Once again going last allows me to say I agree with all of you in one way or another. I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. “Sleep to Dream” is a banger and though I probably hadn’t heard it in ten+ years I was surprised by how many of the words I knew despite never owning this album. “Criminal,” on the other hand, didn’t spark the same level of enthusiasm now as I had for it when it was released. And that was the one song I definitely associated with this album and, really, with Fiona Apple overall. I don’t know… something about the drum sound? The drums felt mushy to me here with a few exceptions.
And like Alex, I too was sadly bored by a lot of this. As in, pretty much every song after “Criminal.” I didn’t hate them and the last song stood out a little, but that one two punch of “Slow Like Honey” and “The First Taste” lost me and I never quite recovered.
But! I think you’re right, too, Craig! I did find myself thinking as I was listening that this album probably would be extremely well-received if it came out right now. I think she would be treated differently by the press than she was back in the day and it seems like there are an awful lot of young listeners who are drawn to the vibe of a song as much as they are the catchiness of a melody or anything else. I’ve tried listening to Phoebe Bridgers, for example, and found that dull as paint but boy do people younger than me seemingly adore her. Or put a young Fiona Apple on tour with Billie Eilish and I wouldn’t blink an eye. I think this album would fit right in, yet still be it’s own thing and there’s something to say for that.
Also, can you imagine if she had married Paul Thomas Anderson? Maybe she would’ve shown up in INHERENT VICE and that would’ve been weird.
Jefferson Airplane
2/5
This one came down to a simple question for me: "Is Grace Slick singing lead on this song?" If the answer was "Yes," then it was good. If the answer was "No," then it was mostly meh.
And somehow this ended up making the album mostly meh. How did they not realize that she's the real star(ship) here and put her front center on every last track?? Baffling.
Queen
3/5
This is such a prog record! I was kind of stunned when I saw the cover art and then looked at the track list and realized that A) this isn't the album "Bohemian Rhapsody" is on and B) I don't know damn near any of these songs on this record. And I call myself a fan. Pssh...
In my defense, none of these tunes jump out as singles or anything really approaching the radio hit level songwriting of their classics. They're just of a different (again, proggy) breed. Overall, I liked it. But like most things of this ilk I will have to listen to it numerous times to begin to appreciate what they're doing here. And I plan to! I mean, there's a fucking Queen song called "Ogre Battle." I've got work to do.
Some fun stuff on the Wikipedia page for this one, too: "Rather than the conventional Side A and Side B, the album was split into "Side White" and "Side Black", dominated by May and Mercury compositions respectively.[22] Although some have interpreted it as a concept album, Queen biographer Georg Purvis stated that it is "not a concept album but a collection of songs with a loose theme running throughout."[9] Mercury later confirmed this in a 1976 Sounds interview, citing that "it just evolved to where there was a batch of songs that could be considered aggressive, or a Black Side, and there was a smoother side".[23]
The "White" side is very diverse: four of the five numbers were composed by Brian May, one of which is an instrumental. Freddie Mercury sings two songs; May sings one; and Roger Taylor sings the closing track, which is his only composition on the album. John Deacon played acoustic guitar on "Father to Son" in addition to normal duties on bass guitar. Mercury composed and sang all six songs on the "Black" side."
I'm surprised there was such a clean division of the songwriting duties. That seems like the kind of thing that would cause some bands to have their egos hurt and lead to a break up. Glad that didn't happen here.
John Lennon
3/5
I enjoyed this. If you're closing an album with "Oh Yoko!" then it's going to be hard for me to hate what you're laying down, and I had a pleasant time with "Gimme Some Truth" and "Crippled Inside" as well. I'd be fine to let "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier" stay in 1971, but I get it. Activists gonna activist.
And, of course, there's the title track which we don't even really need to talk about at this point. Most atheistic leaning song to ever connect with the wide mainstream? Maybe there's another I'm not thinking of...
Going to go listen to some Stryper to counterbalance. See ya!
Todd Rundgren
3/5
A 3 star experience for me, but in a good way mostly. I don’t know where to even begin to describe this thing, but when he dips into the soulfulness of the very back end of the record I am here for him. Quite liked the opening track, too. There’s a LOT on here and I couldn’t pick out a standout moment other than the ones mentioned if you paid me to. But I didn’t really mind any of it and it’s hard not to be impressed by the vision of it all.
Who’s the modern Todd Rundgren? That artwork - and some of the others I saw - make me think this dude would have cleaned up in the indie circles of the past decade.
Arcade Fire
3/5
I liked and still like this album. It's less anthemic than the one that precedes it and feels decidedly more '80s influenced. "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" is a fave and I simply like the fact that this album shares a title with a John Keenedy Toole novel.
But I'm still pissed at this band, whom I saw on tour for this album, and whom I guess had decided that they were too cool to play "Wake Up," which is a bit like Skynrd saying, "Nah, fuck that," to the person in the crowd screaming "Free Bird!" If there was ONE song we all wanted to hear... that was it. I saw U2 play a stadium a solid decade after The Joshua Tree came out and guess what? They fucking played "With or Without You" and it was sublime. Arcade Fire? Just couldn't be bothered that night with sublime. Oh well. I haven't listened to an album of their's since, lol. #holdinggrudges
Black Sabbath
5/5
Guys, I just love all of it. I don't even care if my mind wanders briefly in the back half, because it sounds so fucking good. I'm not sure there's ever been a better guitar tone. It's so much closer to what it actually sounds like when anybody plugs an electric guitar into an amp and adds distortion, and yet it also sounds so much better than what anyone can do just by doing those things. That sound is clearly in Iommi's hands and fingers (even the one that got chopped off.) It's perfect.
And Ozzy on N.I.B.? I mean, come on. Legendary.
The Who
3/5
What's interesting to me about The Who is that they kind of have the energy of a garage rock band mixed with the grandiosity of a great prog band. That totally works for me in theory. Like 100%. In practice, I think it's why I prefer them on the radio versus on an album. Every time you hear a Who song on the radio it rules, right? I'll take "Behind Blue Eyes" over "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" every single goddamned day of the week. "Won't Get Fooled Again"? Sure! Yes. Definitely better than "Blinded by the Light" for the 9th time today. I don't get tired of those songs on the radio the way I do some others from the era. But in the album setting it just doesn't work as well for me.
I do love "Who's Next" - it's for sure the exception to the rule. But listening to this admittedly terrifically performed set had me longing for a commercial break. And that's okay. It's just *who* (ahem) they are.
Portishead
3/5
I don't always trip the hop, but when I do I choose Portishead.
I think I like that live dilly of theirs better than this, but I still enjoy the overall listening experience here. Is it the cup of tea I want every day? No. No it is not. But compared to the other stuff we've been subjected to in this space I think this band is head and shoulders above the rest, due primarily to the voice of Beth Gibbons. She is good. She makes this work.
I had the "Sour Times" single/EP and a Dr. No shirt back in high school. It was a good combo. I was only a few gadgets and a tuxedo away from starting my own cinematic universe.
Prince
5/5
I'm with Craig on this one. There is only one song here that I'm lukewarm about ("Computer Blue") and even that one gets a pass because it seems like it should have been on the soundtrack for WEIRD SCIENCE.
Everything else? I mean... there's five singles here. Five. And it's only a 9 song album! And you know damn well "Darling Nikki" would've been a single, too, if it wouldn't have likely been censored for that bit about masturbating!
This is about as close to perfect as a pop-leaning record is going to get in my book. I think it's also the only album on this list so far that I own on vinyl, which was nice for a change.
This was a pretty good week for the list!
Roxy Music
3/5
Enjoyed this. I've listened to Avalon and this one for sure sounds very different up front. Lots of energy. I get Talking Heads vibes here and there, but that's another band from this era that I don't know enough to really be talking about.
And yet here I am! I want to give this one another spin now that I know what to expect. Suspect it could be a grower, not a show-er.
Nina Simone
5/5
Yeah, this is fantastic. I'm embarrassed to say I don't think I even knew the name Nina Simone until I saw her on The Big Lebowski soundtrack. And she's from North Carolina! Facepalm.
There are one of a kind voices and then there's this. Thank God the tunes are there to back it up, as well, which is exactly what that voice deserves.
"Either Way I Lose" is a stunning closer. Off to a good start this week!!
Van Morrison
4/5
I always mix Van Morrison and Joe Cocker up in my head, even though I don't think they really sound anything alike. Maybe it's just the soulful white guy thing.
At any rate, agree with Alex about the production. This thing just sounds good, so even after the two singles I knew passed and it faded from the forefront of my attention, I still enjoyed just having it on and up in my earholes.
I wonder if it still gets played at spring gatherings on the lawns of art schools? Probably.
Radiohead
3/5
Still love the feel of this album, but of the two I was more of an "Amnesiac" guy when it comes to this era of Radiohead. I'm guessing that one will show up on this list sooner or later, too. That said, I remember seeing them on SNL when "Kid A" came out and being much more impressed with how the two songs they played sounded live compared to the album. (And almost nobody sounds good on SNL. It's always so sterile sounding. Why is that??) I even bought the live album Radiohead put out in 2001 and *actually* listened to that repeatedly, which I don't think I had done for a live album since the Ozzy/Randy tribute back in middle school.
I think there's some energy that is lost in the studio version of these songs and I noticed this most when "Optimistic" came on and I immediately perked up at the sound of guitars. It's like you can hear the band sigh in relief with a sound that they know they do well and are comfortable with. Or maybe it's just the sound that I am comfortable with.
Regardless, it's interesting to think about what the cultural take on this band would be if they had not taken these swings after OK COMPUTER. And given how bored I was with their last two studio albums, I would welcome another wild swing towards any other direction that will keep me awake while listening. Gimme a country rap album, Radiohead. Or go pop punk. Or just punk. Or, hell, just pop. Where's their "Purple Rain?" I don't think it's "OK Computer." I want an entire Radiohead album with nothing but singles.
And I will never, ever get it.
The Fall
3/5
I don’t really know this band but I’m a big fan of the fall season. And like the season, this album was pretty cool! Unlike the season, it was kinda long.
This concludes my comparison of this band to the fall season. Thank you.
Bob Dylan
4/5
This is the only Dylan album I own and the only one I really know. I wish I could lop off a couple songs here and there and just pare this down to a lean, mean hit machine but I know that's sacrilegious to suggest in certain (boomer) corners.
"Don't Think Twice" is probably my favorite of the bunch. I wish he would do more fingerpicking like on that tune elsewhere on the record. It adds a nice bit of sonic variety to the more chord-strummin' ditties that make up the bulk of the album. Also really like the closer. It's like he's making himself laugh. Incredible that people wanted him to be the O.G. social justice warrior when the last words on this album were about making love to Elizabeth Taylor and "catching' hell from Richard Burton."
But guys I'd still like to drive over that harmonica with the tallest truck ever made. Back and forth until it runs out of gas. And then push it once in neutral for good measure.
Cypress Hill
2/5
It's possible - just possible - I owned this in high school. It would be a very un-me thing to listen to and yet the vague memory of this on cassette exists in a corner of my head.
Anyway, listening in 2022 and it just feels like this is music that dudes who have Punisher stickers on the back of their trucks would love. Because these guys looooove rapping about guns! Those photos of the crazy gun families who have their kids posing with AR-15s for their Christmas cards? They would love some of these tunes. (Maybe not "Pigs.") And Cypress Hill is right about one thing: I can't understand how they could just kill a man. You got me, dudes.
But dammit there's a lot of musicality to just the way these guys rap, to say nothing of the beats and samples and whatnot. And to make matters worse, some of the songs about guns and shooting fools are WAY more listenable to me than things like "The Phuncky Feel One" or "Stoned is the Way of the Walk." Nothing is less enjoyable to me than hearing dudes rap about weed. Not even rapping about shotguns, apparently.
So, I have learned something about myself today. And just wait till you see our Christmas card this year!
Afrika Bambaataa
3/5
This feels like an album that would work best either played loudly in a dance club or softly as background music while working/doing other things. Unfortunately, I listened to it in my car. Road music this is not.
That said, man I really love some of the drum machine sounds on display here. There were moments in “Renegades” and a few others where I thought you could probably take these drum sounds a slightly different direction and you’d land squarely in the industrial genre. Throw a Trent Reznor or Al Jourgensen vocal over some of this stuff and voila: road music.
Pretty clear this had a big influence on a lot of things. Oddly, never once did it sound anything like my expectations going in. Is this funk music?
Emmylou Harris
3/5
My opinion changes song by song on this a here LP. The first couple tunes were just fine. By the time we get to "Coat of Many Colors" I'm not having the same experience. But then I quite liked the cover of "For No One." Ditto "California Cotton Fields." That one feels like it should've been used as montage music to a 1970s comedy that's set in the 1930s and has a bunch of kids running around in overalls. I'm here for that.
I like her voice overall, but I don't know that it stands out to me in such a way that I'll get excited if another one of her albums shows up on this list. I'd be just as happy to listen to Dolly Parton or Patsy Cline or Loretta Lynn, ya know? But if she's got an album of nothing but sad Beatles covers I'd be all over it.
Also, I got hosed on seeing that The Whole album was up next. Will have to listen to that one (all 144 tracks) later.
Talking Heads
2/5
I really don't have much to say about this one other than I still haven't fallen in love with the Talking Heads. Nothing terrible here, but nothing that made me want to listen to it again. Those jangly clean guitars funking away… I don’t know. Not my thing.
I like the cover art? That'll have to do.
Oh, also I still remember that so-so John Travolta movie from the 90s called A Civil Action, which was about a lawyer taking on a company which had polluted the water in a small town and people got cancer from drinking it. The movie ended, the credits rolled, and up comes the Talking Heads singing “Take Me to the River.” Haha. What a terribly lazy choice.
5/5
I get up! I get doooown!!
One of my favorite records ever and maybe THE definitive headphone album of all time. (Pink Floyd doesn’t have a pipe organ, sorry.) I haven’t listened to enough prog to really say this is the high mark of the genre, but it sure as shit feels that way. I really think it has so much to do with Jon Anderson’s voice. The rest of the band all go ten directions at once, but that voice - it always cuts through the mix and invites me in. In some ways, it’s a really sweet record; the main melody of “And You and I” feels like it could be a Cat Stevens song sung in a higher register. I think that’s what makes Yes the G.O.A.T. When they’re at their best, the vocals and melody isn’t there just to support the progressiveness of the composition of what the other instruments are doing. It soars above all that.
But goddamn the instruments. Insane. The synthy moment in the 2nd movement of “And You and I” always makes me think of 2001: A Space Oddysey. It’s transportive and catharsis in such a specific way. Ditto that pipe organ in the title track.
Craig, I’ll recommend finding a clip of them playing the title track live back in the day. They’re on YouTube. You kind of have to commit to taking in that song without doing anything else for it to click, but if it clicks look out.
Also, you know damn well that a bunch of teens saw these dudes playing twenty minute songs while literally dressed in capes and were like, “Yeah, fuuuck that.” And thus punk was born. Which is awesome! But so is Yes.
Slayer
4/5
I was really excited to listen to this again. It's been a loooong time. But you know what? I quickly remembered that I was never a huge Slayer fan and I think I can pinpoint why now. I like Arraya's voice. I like everything Lombardo's doing. But, man, I am torn about these guitars.
Yes, the riff in "Angel of Death" rules. "Raining Blood" is a no-brainer, can't argue balls-to-buttholes classic. But listen to the end of "Reborn." And then listen to the beginning of "Epidemic." And just focus on the guitars.
My dudes, those two songs sound like they used the exact same riff. They might be the same song just played twice with some different fills.
Maybe that's where this band has kept me at a bit of a distance in the past? I don't know. Whatever reason, when it came to the Big 4 of thrash, Slayer was at the bottom of that list for me personally. And, yeah, I know I'd be a lot cooler if that wasn't the case! And they influenced so many bands I love!
But still... thank Satan this made the list. I'll take Slayer over trip hop any and every day of the week.
Country Joe & The Fish
2/5
When you hear someone whispering "L-S-D" that's a pretty good sign that I'm about to check out from your album.
Wasn't as bad as I was expecting though, but I will maintain that this is one of the worst band names of all time.
AC/DC
5/5
I listened to this on my phone, as in through my phone's speaker, and it STILL crushed.
I love the Bon Scott records (where are they on this list??) and I for sure would have loved to hear him sing these songs, but it's kind of hard to argue that AC/DC didn't perfect their template on this album. It doesn't even make sense what they do on this record. A song called "Let Me Put My Love Into You" sounds like it should be a terrible KISS track from the neon spandex era... but nope. Shit rules. That riff! Love it.
We don't talk about sequencing a lot, but whoever decided to put these tracks in this exact order needs their name etched upon a plaque somewhere. It has such a good flow to it, never quite letting off the gas but still mixing it up a bit in tone and tempo from song to song. "Back in Black" is track number 6 (!) and it's almost impossible to think that it's followed by "You Shook Me All Night Long." There's not a chance in hell this idea didn't influence how Appetite for Destruction was sequenced.
It's crazy that they made this only a few months after Bon died. It's crazy that it's as good as it is and it's their 7th album. And it's still crazy that it's like in the top 5 best selling albums of all time. None of this makes sense.
Listening to it, I was reminded of seeing them live at the Charlotte coliseum in (I think) the 7th grade! So much fun; so many rednecks. I'm glad they didn't, but had they played every single song off of this record at that show... I wouldn't have left disappointed.
Metallica
1/5
I kind of actively despise this. Good grief.
I think you pretty much nailed it, Craig. If you went and saw Metallica play this show WITHOUT the symphony you would no doubt walk away thinking they had put together one of the worst possible set lists they had ever played in their entire existence as a band. It's like they're going out of their way to avoid playing their good songs here.
And the only reason I can think that they would do that is to accommodate the symphony. Okay. Fair enough. That's the whole point of this terrible experiment, right? But then Jesus Christ the orchestrations suuuucks. Most of the time I don't even notice it because I'm too focused on whatever the hell James is doing to butcher the singing of these songs. But then when I do notice the other musicians I do not like what I hear. It's bad movie music. And you know how I know it's bad movie music? Because they open the whole fucking set with actual good movie music! It's all downhill after that.
Actually, there is one thing I liked. If you listen closely, every now and then, you can hear Jason Newstead singing backups and it sounds like he is doing his damndest to add some gnarliness to the whole affair. It sounds kinda cool. Just not cool enough.
Small Faces
3/5
What an odd, fun bird.
Genuinely loved “Afterglow” and the drum sounds on most of the straight ahead rockers. The hard turns to cockney drinking songs and spoken word intros gave the whole thing a feel like I was flipping through the channels on a UK tele back when there were only three channels.
I felt like it didn’t finish strong but the journey was interesting.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Generally speaking, I would describe myself as more of a fan of melancholic/slow Cave ("No More Shall We Part" is a fave), but I had never listened to this double beast of an album and... hot damn, I love the first side.
It's all good, but tunes like "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" and "Nature Boy" smoke!
I remember less specific stand outs from Disc 2, but I'll be putting this whole endeavor on repeat the next couple of weeks. So, it turns out I'm also a fan of fast Cave. And the band Cave-In. Basically, if you're a musician who has anything to do with a cave I'm ready to go spelunking.
The White Stripes
4/5
I actually had a good time listening to this again, which I wasn't expecting after how put-off I was by that other White Strips one that was on the list.
I think this album is the beginning and end of all I need from Jack White in my life. It's really enjoyable, melodic, and varied enough to hold my attention. His voice is his voice and I find it less irritating here than in other instances.
Which speaking of... I just listened to the first thirty seconds of the first track on his brand new album and, swear to God, it made me think of a Korn song without the 7 string guitars. I don't know what's going on over there. But he's playing Asheville this week and I'm sure it's long since sold out. C'est la vie.
David Bowie
2/5
I’ve listened to this a few times now and… still not sure if I like it or not. I will say that this time I was closer to smashing that like button than in the past.
Seems like a grower, not a shower. Maybe in another two years I’ll dig it.
Brian Wilson
2/5
Didn’t make me smile.
But that’s not to say it won’t ever make me smile.
David Bowie
4/5
Wow, two Bowies in one week? I think there's a Flight of the Conchords song about that.
Oddly, I'd never listened to this entire album before. I really like it. Feels like it's in the same wheelhouse sonically as Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. And maybe that's part of the reason why Bowie was so apt to change his sound so frequently. Maybe not. He seems like a weirdo, right? So who knows.
But yeah, 70s piano-driven melodic rock. Why has this sound not seen a renaissance of some kind in modern music? Or has it and I just don't know about it? Kids these days...
The Go-Go's
4/5
Yeah, this is pretty great! You know it's a good sign when the song an album is most well-known for is one of your least favorites on the record. I had no clue that this band had this other moody, mid-tempo side to them. "This Town" and "Automatic" are the shit.
I guess you can't judge a record by its cover? I don't know, I'm still on the fence on the cover. It's either great or terrible and I can't decide.
But the music is conclusively solid.
New York Dolls
2/5
Hmm. This website totally thinks I'm in a different time zone. It's 11pm and a few moments ago it was telling me this album was tomorrow's album, and didn't show me The Byrds one at all. (Which I listened to and found pleasant enough. I liked "Thoughts and Words.")
I didn't have much fun with the Dolls here. I get the appeal of attitude and image. I don't want to undersell the importance of that stuff and get all snooty about songs and musicianship and whatnot, because I like plenty of bands and songs that aren't performed by the most skilled musicians ever.
But good crikey the bulk of this record sounds like a less nuanced version of the Stones to me. This is like Greta Van Fleet level imitation. And without being able to visually appreciate the attitude and image, I didn't have much to cling to. I sort of like the "Frankenstein" song, but it should've ended a solid thirty seconds before it actually ended. There were a few others in the back half that felt like they were approaching something at least less obviously influenced by The Rolling Stones, but overall... this feels to me like a band that probably got a lot of press simply by having the words "New York" in their name. So I'm giving them 2 New York stars.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
I gotta be in the right mood to listen to something like this. And I was!
I can't name a list of songs from this album that I'd say are incredible, or even pulling me back in to listen to them again immediately, but there was something about the overall tone and timbre of the record that I really enjoyed. It's moody and nothing but stories that unfold through Joni doing her Joni thing. Hell, it's almost spoken word. If you asked me to name a song on the album that has a repeated chorus, I'm not sure I could do it. But it worked. I also quite liked the clean guitar tones throughout.
Here's a little exchange that stuck out to me from "Song of Sharon:"
Well, there's a wide wide world of noble causes
And lovely landscapes to discover
But all i really want right now
Is to find another lover
That's my kind of poetry right there. Plus there's a dick on the cover?? Thanks for pointing that out, Andy. Irrefutable fact.
Cee Lo Green
1/5
Nope. Can't make it through this one today. I made it to track number 5 and there are still 13 to go.
I don't mind his singing voice, but I don't know how anyone could be drawn to his rapping voice. Oof.
The Smiths
4/5
Too soon.
Or wait - how soon is now?
I don't know what I'm talking about, but I do know I enjoyed this album. Good solid way to start off a Monday. I don't know crap about the trajectory or release order of this band's material, but this one sounds like the type of album that would be praised as a band hitting their stride. Okay, just checked and it's their third record so that makes a ton of sense.
I will be listening to this again. Soon. Too soon.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Not a whole lot for me to say here except this: somehow, impossibly so, this album gets the balance of acoustic and electric rock 100% perfectly right. That's harder than it seems and if you don't believe me, then have I got a Foo Fighters album for you! (It's "In Your Honor." Disc 2. The one that's entirely acoustic/softer rock. Try it if you dare.) I think it's because Zep can do more than one style of acoustic rock, so that when they slow things down on this album it still feels moody and heavy enough that it just *feels* like hard rock even when it ain't rockin' hard.
8 songs, 43 minutes, and all of them are good. Just hard to find fault in that equation.
Venom
4/5
I can't recall if I've ever listened to this one before, but my expectations were low and the album exceeded them on almost every level. It's fascinating to me that the sub-genre this album spawned has so little in common with the actual music on the record. It's like a bunch of Norwegian teenagers just saw the artwork and decided to take what they thought Venom probably sounded and looked like and made up their own bands based around that. I can't quite explain how else they got from this album to corpsepaint screeching blast-beat insanity that sounds like it was recorded on an electric can opener. Not to dismiss the whole genre, because there are moments that really work for me. I just don't understand the evolution here.
Which is too bad, as well, because I really dig what this album actually is. In essence, it's just a grimier Satanic infused version of Motorhead. That's a winning recipe in my kitchen and I'd have no problem with other bands stealing and modifying that recipe. (see: High on Fire and/or Kvelertak!)
Also, how the hell does a church-burning bandmate murdering Norwegian black metal diehard brush off the inarguably terrible song "Teacher's Pet"? (Naturally, it's the longest song on the album.) Worse than the half-baked blues riff bullshit, did you see the lyrics to that one? Good god. I'll give them credit for beating Van Halen to the party, but that song's an X-rated joke that damn near derails the whole album. Keep it in your pants, fellas.
Even so, I'll stand up for this one. You know what I love? Songs where they literally spell out words. "Sacrifice" is a banger. "Countess Bathory" rules. "Buried Alive" is tortured and creepy.
I wish I had found this at age 12.
Common
2/5
Listenable, yes. But it's saying something when the only time I REALLY perk up during the whole album is when Kanye makes an appearance. It's like suddenly someone has pushed the speaker six feet closer to your ears.
Common is fine. But he lives up to his namesake when he's standing next to people who are better at what he does than he is. Also, this is why you should never, ever have guest artists on your album!
Boston
3/5
I was kinda dreading this one. The only Boston song I could remember off the top of my head was the one where they talk about being a band out of Boston, and I never loved that song. Is there anything more Boston than being from Boston and naming your band Boston? Or singing a song about life on the road as a band from Boston... on your debut record? Your career hasn't even begun yet, son! What are you talking about?
Anywho, I was naturally then surprised to realize I knew the first 5 damn songs on this record. There's only 8 tracks on here total. (At a perfect 38 minute runtime.) For better or worse, the fact I knew 5 of these songs tells me that this album absolutely slaughtered classic rock radio. I would've never guessed all 5 songs were on the same record. Would've never guessed they were even the same band. Impressive.
And yet! I don't think I liked this one quite as much as you bros. There's something about it all that just feels indistinct to me and not as enjoyable as some of their contemporaries. The tunes are good, the musicians are clearly talented, but... the lyrics and the voice don't really elevate it above the field the way, say, a band like Journey does.
I have no clue if Journey has an album with 5 songs on it that I know. But if you ask me if I'd rather hear "Don't Stop Believing" for the 9,000th or "More Than I Feeling" for the 9,000th time, I'm going with the Journey song. Every time.
Aerosmith
3/5
They were just another band out of Boston... Oh wait, that was yesterday.
So, I'll split the difference. I like this album and, in particular, I like the songs that lean a little darker and rawer than the singles. "Combination" and "Nobody's Fault" are standouts to me. I've always had a soft spot for the 90s MTV pop rock version of this band and their Alicia Silverstone videos, but when I'm tired at 11pm on a Wednesday I am much more in the mood for the version of Aerosmith that sounds like they haven't sleep in 4 days. They sound like Boston if Boston hadn't showered in a week. The tunes aren't as catchy as they would be later on, but there's some stank on this album that I appreciate.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4/5
I didn't get the option to input a review for Heaven17, but I really dug that album. Never heard of that group before in my life and I'm so confused by so much of what they do, from the album cover to the idea of a fascist groove thang to taking the M out of M-A-D and on and on. But it all added up to a really wonderfully strange experience. "Geisha Boys" and "Let's Make a Bomb" are a great one-two punch on the back half of the album. I do wonder though... if these guys thought Reagan was a fascist, did they even survive the last six years on this planet or did their heads explode? Hope they're okay. Four stars.
If nothing else, this list has turned me into an Elvis Costello fan. I wouldn't complain if they press the chill button on having every single one of his records on this list, but I've enjoyed them all. I'd argue this one is maybe five songs too long, but there's some great stuff here. Lots of range, variety and his voice/lyrics are stellar. Loved "Almost Blue."
Arctic Monkeys
2/5
“Like a 20 something pretending to be cynical.” Lol. It does feel like that doesn’t it??
I’m not even sure these monkeys were 20 when they recorded this. Wasn’t that the story on them when they broke? They were basically babies.
It’s fine. I don’t hate it, nor do I really want to listen to it again. I like the poppier record they broke through with a few years back. I think they must have also realized the whole overall attitude on this one wasn’t going to work once they reached voting age. #adulting
Coldplay
2/5
"Baby food music." Hahaha.
I actually own this record and am proud to say that even at the time and height of "Yellow" popularity I found the album as a whole completely underwhelming.
I was dreading listening to it again, but actually found the first couple songs didn't bug me the way I remembered. You can hear their influences loud and clear, but it's all kind of low key and it doesn't feel like they're trying too hard to be cute or anything, unlike say whatever it was they were doing on that album cycle where they all dressed like they got hit with paintball guns.
Still, every single song after "Yellow" is so entirely unremarkable and boring that I don't even think you would be impressed if a friend handed you these same songs on a cassette that he had recorded in his bedroom. There's just nothing there. It's borderline music. It's sound from an app loaded with rain sounds and wind chimes. And it utterly destroys any goodwill gained from the first half of the record.
Please give us something good tomorrow, list. OR ELSE...
Nine Inch Nails
5/5
I love it. This whole era of NIN from Pretty Hate to Broken to this album... I was the poster child for their target demo, minus the divorced parents, and it worked completely. Nobody sounded like this. I still don't think anyone sounds like this. If someone asks you what industrial metal is you can just hand them this album. And yet it's more than that!
If there's a nit to pick, it's that I've never felt the sequencing made for the optimal listening experience. From "March of the Pigs" on this album just does not miss a beat. I love those first three songs on their own! But I think they'd be better off dispersed somewhere else on the album. Would that break up the flow of the rest of it? Maybe. But I bet there's a solution. If there's a 2nd nit to pick it's that at times the lyrics are pretty damn basic. ("God is dead. And no one cares." Kinda low hanging fruit, no?) But I think those moments are surrounded by songs like "Closer" - which I was kind of floored by how well that song holds up after 8 thousand listens - and "Hurt" and "The Becoming" which I think are much more nuanced.
And for real, that out of nowhere piano-driven line of "Doesn't it make you feel better?" in "March of the Pigs" might be my favorite moment of musical cynicism of the entire decade.
I really enjoyed listening to this again. If Pretty Hate Machine isn't on this list because of Kid Rock then burn down the entire internet.
Alice Cooper
4/5
Am I an idiot for not being aware of the overt WEST SIDE STORY bent on this album? I wasn't prepared for "Gutter Cats vs. the Jets" on here but enjoyed his take on it. "Blue Turk" was solid. "Public Animal #9." The "Grand Finale." I enjoyed my time with this one.
That said... I think "Billion Dollar Babies" is a superior record. I wrote "Elected" into the script for THE CAMPAIGN as a music cue, but I don't think anybody ever bothered to actually listen to it. Lol. Here's hoping that one makes it on the list, as well.
Erykah Badu
2/5
Didn't hate it, but it was only an hour long and it felt more like three. Things just really slowed to a crawl at times and having a ten minute finale didn't help. Strangely enough, my favorite track on here was one of the slower ones "Orange Moon." I think I could absolutely get behind an album of these slower, more acoustic or jazz-adjacent tunes if it had a runtime of about 30 minutes. That feels like maximum Badu to me.
Otherwise I had the same issues I've had with similar records where it seems like every song introduces a new vocal affectation. There were too many times on this record where I found myself wishing she would just sing instead of making the word "water" sound like it's being sung by a weird 4 year old kid.
I don't know. I get - and vaguely remember - that Badu existed as a sort of welcomed alternative to the Mariah Careys and Whitney Houstons of the world. She is for sure different and for sure talented. But I can't help but wonder what she could do with just a straight up pop banger. I'd like to hear that.
Elbow
2/5
Completely agree on the track with Richard Hawley. The best thing on the album by a good bit. But I like "An Audience with the Pope," too. It's not the kind of thing I would gravitate too frequently but if the whole album was as moody as those two songs I could see this being something I'd put on from time to time.
As is though, it's a little too blah overall. And I just don't want to go around my elbow to get to my asshole, ya know?
Missy Elliott
1/5
I saw the mention that this was 17 tracks long and I almost couldn't bring myself to even press play. But then I thought of all the people who have sacrificed so much for us to even have an internet in 2022, and I said, "No, dammit. Be strong. You can do this."
And I did! For like five or six tracks. That was enough.
It felt like there was just a lack of actual songs present. There were beats. There were words. There was occasional singing. But somehow those things couldn't combine to make an honest to god song. Is that too casually dismissive and unfair of me to say?
Call me Dismissy Elliott, I guess.
DJ Shadow
2/5
Yeahhhh, I don't know. I don't dislike the mood, but neither am I moved by anything here one way or another. Using the word "shadow" feels appropriate. Sometimes shadows can be creepy, but then you realize they're just shadows and you're like why did I have an emotional response to that at all? It's a shadow. Now... imagine that shadow had a laptop and synth. Boom.
Truthfully, I liked the Justice album better although the site also conspired to keep me away from reviewing it. Damn you Brexit!!!
Steely Dan
2/5
I. Just. Do. Not. Get. It.
This isn't my first attempt to listen to this album and I made it all the way through this time. Occasionally, I like what's happening on the guitar. But overall it this music has as much edge as a tub of butter.
Why is this band and this album so revered? Wouldn't you rather just listen to prog rock?? Or jazz?? Or butter???
Help me.
The Birthday Party
2/5
I really, really wanted to like this. But I didn't.
I see the influence on a lot of music that I am a fan of, but for whatever reason this one wasn't working its junkyard magic on me. Are the vocals too loud in the mix? Something made me wish it was a bit grimier sounding overall, if that makes sense.
I'll revisit this one on another day. Maybe it will be a different reaction.
The Prodigy
1/5
This is not good. I could stomach "Firestarter," but that's not on this record which you know what that means? We are for sure getting at least one more record from The Prodigy on this list. Hell, maybe we already reviewed that one. Nobody knows.
My favorite part was the one "song" that had like a car alarm or police siren just going off in the background for a solid minute plus. Because people just LOVE listening to that when they're high. Lol.
Gorillaz
2/5
I'm listening to it now, so we'll see... but I'm going to go ahead and assume it's a 2 star affair based off of the likelihood that "Clint Eastwood" is the best song here, so that I can catch up and see what the next record is.
I can say with certainty though that after two songs I definitely prefer the Monkees to Gorillaz.
Baaba Maal
3/5
This is the best Paul Simon album yet.
Jane's Addiction
2/5
Yep, also in camp "Nothing's Shocking" and for some reason never owned this one. Probably because it was on the radio too much, though oddly I actually really enjoyed hearing "Been Caught Stealing" again and that's not something I at all expected. As far as production goes, that song seems to jump out of the speakers from a sound standpoint in a way that none of the others do. It comes at a good time in the track sequence, too.
I liked Side B better than Side A overall. But for a band intent on blending genres there's a lot of sameness to some of these tunes. I expected a bit more exploring, I guess. Where's this album's "Summertime Rolls"?
At the end of the day, I'd rather listen to Faith No More.
Yes
5/5
Listened to this loudly in my car and it sounds better than like 99% of all recorded music.
“South Side of the Sky!” Jesus, that song.
This is my Steely Dan.
Dinosaur Jr.
3/5
I got into this band around 1993 or so when they were being played on MTV. Never really done my due diligence and listened to the older stuff until now. There's no getting around Mascis's voice; you either like it or you probably want to rip your own ears off and feed them to an actual dinosaur. And that's way more pronounced on this album than any of the stuff from the 90s onward.
It works for me. The guitars have always been the thing that pulled me in and there's some stuff on here that rips. ("Sludgefeast," "Lose," "Tarpit.") It sounds like the instruments are all covered in a wet blanket because of the production, but it still feels loud and raw and big. And about as far removed from any kind of popular rock music in 1987 as possible.
It's music you think you can make in your basement. And maybe can! There's something approachable to it. And a good yin to yesterday's Yes yang. (Say that ten times fast.)
Suicide
1/5
This record sounds like Lou Reed both literally and figuratively jerking off in a bathroom with a tape recorder and Casio keyboard.
Pulp
3/5
I'm probably more in the 2 and 1/2 range here, but it's Halloween so they're getting the extra half star. Just like I'm gonna get an extra half of a Reese's cup, baby!
I don't think any of the other songs come close to touching "Common People" with a ten meter (because it's the UK) pole. But I liked having this on in the background. "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E." made me perk up, despite how annoying it was to type out that song title just now.
Pink Floyd
4/5
I’ve yet to go through a Pink Floyd phase in my life and I’m guessing that at this point I never will.
As such, I am not overly exposed to this album and really liked it. Definitely meanders a tad, but the middle is strong and the title track never fails to make me wish I could sing. Anybody remember when Limp Bizkit and the Goo Goo Dolls covered it for the televised concert after 9/11??
Never forget.
Billy Bragg
2/5
I own this album and I don't think I've ever listened to it more than once.
Wait, do I own this album? Maybe I borrowed it from the library? Who knows.
I like Bragg's voice every now and then, but it's not for me.
The Temptations
4/5
This is funking great. You'd have to be pretty funked in the head to not enjoy at least part of this motherfunker.
First half is definitely the tempo setter, but I quite liked, "I Ain't Got Nothin'," which fell right in the middle. It had me at the first "shoo-bada-bop."
That one Temptation could get right down there in those baritone registers, huh? I found myself wondering what kind of person would find that seductive. Like that's a very special person that's moved in that way by a voice that's deeper than the Oak Ridge Boy who does the "oom-boppa-mow-mow" part of "Elvira." I guess there's truly a lid for every pot.
Good record.
Eminem
2/5
There's so much cleverness in some of the word choices here. I actually do like the tone of Eminen's voice and the style and some of the beats and all of that. I can get behind the creativity.
But it's a damn shame that all of that is poured into content that sounds like the rantings of a 12 year old edgelord writing on a fanfiction subreddit. I tried real hard to be open minded, going so far as to just imagine I was listening to a concept album that was written as if it was the story for a horror film. But even that didn't hold up. And I shouldn't have to do that much work as a listener.
This was just a bad era for music. It's lazy to blame the media, but I kind of blame the media. It created this weird feedback loop where people like Eminem and Marilyn Manson got publicity for being controversial so then they started to write songs about how they were controversial in order to create more controversy, which of course only fed the media what they wanted, and, really, was any of it actually good music? Prolly not.
Unless you're the writer of this list and then ALL of it was shit you HaVe tO HeaR beFoRe yOu DiE!!!
4/5
This was a good time. I like how often the vocal choices almost make them sound drunk, but it kinda works ya know? Very pro-alcoholism over here.
"Australia" was too long, but otherwise I enjoyed the whole experience.
Hole
4/5
Did you know Courtney Love wanted to be the singer of Faith No More at one point in the 80s? There's video of a rehearsal on YouTube. It's not what you'd expect on any level, and definitely worked out best for all parties that the experiment never went that far.
I owned this album (and the one before it), liked this album, saw them in concert on this tour, and then just kind of quickly moved on from this band. I'm guessing I felt they got a little too polished during the "Celebrity Skin" era, but now I'm wondering if I should give that a 2nd chance. I still like how imperfect all of this album is, but I can appreciate their pop sensibilities now more than I did at the time. Maybe I'd like a song like "Malibu" in 2022.
Anywho, "Asking for It" was a really nice rediscovery for me on this listen. That's a cool tune and a good mix of the acoustic and electric sides of this band that works better for me than, say, "Doll Parts" or even "Rock Star." Also, did you notice that "Miss World" is I think quite literally the same three chords for the entire duration of the song? Verse and chorus, just one is distorted. Cool.
I saw Hole on this tour and got a t-shirt, too! Mine was not soft; it was the faux gas station attendant looking thing with the band patch where a nametag/corporate logo would be. That really, really confused the hell out of some rednecks when I wore it to school. (Which makes me think of the dude who once asked me if I was into stock car racing because of my "Jesus Built my Hot Rod" Ministry t-shirt, haha.)
I think that concert was the first time in my life I had registered the sight an adult who was completely off the rails. Courtney looked baaaaad. Rambling during song breaks. I think she climbed an amp and I was convinced for a second she was going to fall and die. It was pretty raw.
But here we are and it's 2022, she's still alive and I haven't showered yet today.
The Who
4/5
Another classic rock staple for a reason. There just ain’t much fat on this meat. It’s all the prime cuts. Pound for pound, it’s sliced perfectly. I truly don’t know if I’m talking about this album anymore or a sub from Jersey Mike’s.
But yeah. I like pretty much all of it and it’s my favorite album from this band. Tommy and Quadrophenia are fine, but nope. This is the one for me.
Can you imagine all the licensing fees they have made off of these tunes in the past 20 years? I can’t imagine it’s not legitimately in the millions. (For C.S.I. alone, maybe.)
So, who’s next?
Johnny Cash
4/5
Good collection of tunes and his voice fits the arrangements perfectly. Not the shit-kicking prison-pumping Cash that I prefer overall, but impossible not to appreciate the intent and execution here.
Not so sure about "Personal Jesus" and "Danny Boy," but whatevs. Ending with "We'll Meet Again," kinda makes up for the missteps on the way.
Randy Newman
4/5
My wife turned me onto this one many moons ago and it's still my favorite Randy Newman anything I've ever heard. The lyrics are interesting and suit his voice, and the instrumentation (or, basically, lack of drums and guitars) really stands out from so much of the pack in the singer-songwriter space.
Lots of favorites here and glad it made the list!
David Bowie
4/5
Very pleasant surprised by this one. In fact, I’ll dare say I kind of loved it. There’s energy and interesting ideas from start to finish and things sound like songs to my ears instead of experiments.
Also, it straight up sounds like a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds record at times. “My father ran the prison. I can only love you by hating him more.” C’mon, that’s gotta be a Nick Cave lyric! Well, it’s Bowie’s here and it closes the album. Which is another thing I really appreciated; I think the back half is just as good as the front. “(You Will) Set the World on Fire” is a pretty great track for the 12th one on an album.
Solid. Let’s roll.
Def Leppard
3/5
The hits hold up. “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages” are bangers no matter how you cut it.
The rest didn’t move me and mostly I was struck by how over produced this all is. The gang vocals in every chorus sound like they’ve been auto-tuned and that didn’t even exist back then. How did they do that? There’s like six guys singing different harmonies but it all comes out sounding like one guy yelling at the end of a hallway in perfect pitch? It’s so weird and when you focus on it that’s all you hear.
I bet it would’ve been cool to see this band live in a club setting back in the day. It was probably the last time they sounded human.
GZA
3/5
Happy Thanksgiving! Could’ve used a liquid sword to carve that turkey. Maybe next year.
And while I did not pass on having multiple desserts, I did pass on listening to this. But I’ll assume three stars. Excuse me, three STZAs.
Milton Nascimento
3/5
Too long but kinda beautiful in places. I’d put this on again for some background music that will sounds good and clear coming out of my good speakers. Really like the quiet simplicity of “Os Povos.” It’s like jazz but not quite. The piano coming in there at the end of “Cais” was pretty terrific, too. (Though why the hard pan to one channel?)
Never heard of this dude, but cool stuff. Interesting that Apple Music credits the album to Milton and Lo Borges, implying they’re a duo.
Television
3/5
I liked the title track and "Guiding Light" but I'm gonna mess up the curve here, sorry. Really just come's down to Verlaine's voice; I would flat out love to hear these same songs with a different singer. Can't promise I would have a different reaction, but I think the possibility is high. I hear the influence and appreciate the mood, guitars, production, etc.
But when it comes to this television all I want to do... is change the channel. (cue cheesy 1990s Siskel and Ebert TV show music annnnd out.)
4/5
I'm with Craiggers on this one almost to a tee. Wanted nothing to do with this band when they first blew up, but eventually gave in to the songs on this record and pretty much adore it. I would lop off the first two tracks, but from "Wonderwall" on it's basically one track after another that you just KNOW you'd sing like an idiot at the top of your lungs by yourself in your car.
But if you did that in the back seat and a non-Oasis fan was driving, then you could say, "HEY. Don't look back in anger." And all would be right in the world.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
1/5
This did not, in fact, rise above anything for me.
Fugees
3/5
Some good moments, some meh-ments. I like “Fu-gee-La.” When they lean into a great sample and embrace the pop side of what they do that’s when I perk up.
Fleet Foxes
2/5
I'd rather just listen to My Morning Jacket.
Kate Bush
3/5
Enjoyed this one much more than the last Bush (unlike the Presidents Bush), but I've got some work to do before I'd call myself a fan. The first track is a no-brainer, and I am on board with the 80s synth pop moments here. But in other areas it's just all a bit too theatrical for me and my persnickety druthers. I see signs that I could warm up to it eventually, so just be patient bros.
Gillian Welch
3/5
Works. I like the ballads more than the bluegrass. A sleepy listen, but not unpleasant. Have always liked her harmonies with David Rawlings (whom I assume is the voice we hear in the background on this one).
Alex, you never heard the soundtrack for O' Brother Where Art Thou? That soundtrack, somehow, was a big deal in America the year it came out and Welch is on there a good bit.
3/5
I'm probably not going to be able to make it to the 2nd half today, but I assume I'll like it better. The acoustic performances on disc 1 left me cold. I've probably heard "Visions of Johanna" before, but this time I realllly noticed the 8 minute length and the fact that dude's rhyming "jeez" and "please" and "knees," like he's a damn child. Enjoyed "Desolation Row," but that's about it from disc 1.
Is this the tour he got booed on for going electric? I've seen clips from that shit and it's hilarious. People were way too far up in their own acoustic buttholes, ha.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Didn't quite hit as hard as I was hoping it would. "Icy" feels right in terms of a description, so tip hat to Alex. Case in point: "I Want You Now." For a song with the breathy moans of boning, it's about as arousing as Eyes Wide Shut, like someone dumped a glass of cold sadness over the whole thing. (hello shrinkage!)
And like Eyes Wide Shut, I wanted more and it never quite pulls me in, but I can't turn away from it nonetheless.
Looking forward to comparing whatever album is next to Lolita tomorrow.
Primal Scream
1/5
I got about three songs in and Apple Music stopped working completely and has yet to recover, even after signing out of my account and signing back in. It does not want me to listen to this album.
As such, I think the universe is trying to tell me something. To which I say to the universe: fucking THANK YOU! Because those three songs were not good.
Unfortunately, I did want to copy and past the blurb about this album that's on Apple Music, but won't be able to word for word. But it was freaking hysterical. Literally used the words "blew the minds of a collective generation" in some form or another. Hahaha!
I don't know a soul from ANY generation who has ever said a word about this album. Except the author of this list.
PJ Harvey
4/5
Dang it. Didn’t have time to listen to this one but I really want to. Four stars for my enthusiasm level.
Daft Punk
2/5
I enjoyed this more than I expected. There's something about a lot of the tracks here that remind me of the music you'd hear when you're waiting for some dumb game to load on your phone. Does that make sense? Probably not. And, of course, Daft Punk probably influenced all of that stuff. For dance music, it felt like there was at least a sliver of fun to be had here.
But man, I didn't come close to finishing the record let alone listen to disc 2 of the anniversary deluxe edition. I got to number 11 and there were still five songs to go. I like to think at least someone at the record label said, "D.P., we love you guys. We do. But let's go with ten tracks. It's a solid even number. That's like a good hour of dancing and people will be so high they won't know if the DJ just puts the record on repeat and plays all ten tracks again for hour number two. They'll love it. So, what do you say? Do we really need all 16 of these? Cause I gotta be honest, some of them - I can't tell the difference. It's just the boom boom boom boom. Which is great. It's great! Visionary even. But how about it... you can keep the helmets. But let's make it ten. Eh?"
And Daft Punk just said, "Fuck you." in French. Rest is history.
John Prine
4/5
Really quite liked this. It hits the sweet spot of country and western music that I like, in that it sounds like something you’d hear at a bar in Texas before there were cell phones and every now and then something in the lyrics would make you grin slyly. Will listen to more!
Neil Young
5/5
Not about to mess up the curve on this one. I somehow came into possession of this on vinyl in the very early 2000s. It may have been my father’s, though I don’t ever remember hearing it growing up. (Too busy listening to the Oak Ridge Boys.) But I listened to the shit out of it then. “Heart of Gold” is my main go-to whenever I pick up an acoustic guitar. And it never gets old.
This is a classic, no doubt.
Liz Phair
3/5
Kinda liked, kinda was bored by it. I never quite caught Liz-fever back in the day, and while I can appreciate it more now... a lot still just kind of feels like Sheryl Crow minus the pop melodies.
For an album with 18 tracks, I'll say though that I was surprisingly engaged with the last six tracks. Everything from "Shatter" on stood out to me the most and probably would've made for a pretty sweet EP.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
3/5
Pretty fun listen and enjoyable overall. Does it sound like the Beach Boys a lot of the time?
Yes. Yes it does. There are worse things a band could do...
Coincidentally, I'm reading the novelization of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (which is actually really good, fyi) and this band comes up a lot in it for whatever reason. I'll throw 'em a star for that.
Fun Lovin' Criminals
2/5
I didn't love the single back in the days and didn't enjoy the rest of it anymore today.
I guess I prefer my criminals to be more of the sad, depressing and full of regrettable life choices kind. Oh well!
Aerosmith
3/5
This seems like the album where Aerosmith got it together and joined Def Lepard and Bon Jovi’s pop-influenced parade, which promptly marched them all the way to the bank. I don’t think they ever looked back.
And really, Steven Tyler’s voice was made for this side of the rock coin. The lyrics are almost comically sex-obsessed. But he seems so shameless and the melodies are strong enough that I almost don’t even notice when he sings things like shoving a tongue between two cheeks.
Almost.
The hits were catchy and still are. I wish the lyrics were different, but then it wouldn’t be Aerosmith. And Alex, “What it Takes” was a big hit over here if memory serves. There was a period of years where every video they made was an event. They knew what they were doing on that front better than most, and it doesn’t surprise me that any of their singles from that era has a high play count on Spotify.
Even though “Dream On” is still their best song by a mileosmith.
Alice Cooper
4/5
I didn't get a chance to listen to it today, but I own it and love it. I think I maybe mentioned this before, but I wrote "Elected" into the script for THE CAMPAIGN and am still disappointed to this day that it never found it's way into the final film. I mean, damn.
I've never been a huge Kiss fan, but there are certainly songs of theirs I like a lot. But if given the choice to listen to this album or the best Kiss album, I'd very likely go with Cooper 5 or 6 days a week.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
Shit just works for me. I’ve never owned this album and never needed to; is there a song here that hasn’t been played on classic rock radio?
Regardless, to actually sit down and listen to this all at once was just a treat. Classic for a reason.
Bill Evans Trio
3/5
I've heard other Bill Evans stuff that I enjoy more, but this was some perfect background-clean-the-office music the other day.
I'll never listen to it again, probably. But it didn't annoy me.
Prince
2/5
Color me disappointed. Have always enjoyed the first two tracks, but it was all downhill after that and the hill was steep, long, and rocky. “Automatic” felt like the longest song of all time, and while I’m down with the occasional song that is just unabashedly horny (see: “2 Become 1” by Spice Girls), there are some moments in the back half of this record that made me want to just tell His Purpleness to get a room already. Say what you will about “Darling Nikki,” but at least you can hum it if you don’t like the lyrical content. Not the case here.
I mistakenly thought this album came out after Purple Rain. It makes so much more sense knowing that situation is reversed. The blueprint was established on this one, but perfected on the other, I suppose. Or maybe I should say the blue balls were established on this one. I dunno. Dude was herrrrny.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Too long, but I actually really enjoyed so many of the instrumental score tracks. I mean, it's hard to beat the title track just as a song of the era and one that's probably better than the movie itself (don't know; never seen it and just making a dumb assumption). But there's also some fine film composing going on here, too, and I don't know that this has been the cultural takeaway from this album at all.
Which is too bad! I will single-handedly change that.
Radiohead
4/5
Still a fan of this one. I can understand why it doesn’t float everyone’s boat, but it hit for me at the time in my life when I was hungry for sad music. “Just,” “Nice Dream,” “Fake Plastic Trees” and “Street Spirit” are all songs I haven’t tired of and the ones around them don’t make me mad either.
Pixies
3/5
Enjoyed this. I've never owned, nor even felt particularly compelled to own, a single album by the Pixies. My experience has always been that the ones I've heard were too much of a mixed bag for my tastes; the good stuff is real good and the stuff that didn't grab me didn't seem like it would EVER grab me, not even on repeat listens.
Well, I know I've heard this one before and you know what? I probably indeed liked it more than the last time I listened to it. But gosh darnit, it still feels too long with too many songs that aren't "Here Comes Your Man." But I enjoyed "Debaser" and "Tame" and a few others, so who knows? Maybe there's hope for me yet, Craig. (I think he's on vacation, so I could probably say ANYTHING right now. Eat farts, Craig!) But there's no way this album is only 38 minutes long. That doesn't track with my brain. Felt longer than that, but math is math. I'll give this another listen.
Stan Getz
3/5
I kinda dug this. In fact, listening to some solo Charlie Byrd right now because I liked the guitar playing so much. Guitar and sax? I assumed that was a duo best left in the 1980s (and maybe it is), but I quite liked the pairing in the context of the jazz-anova tunes.
And hey you know what's missing from this Charlie Byrd solo record so far? Sax. It's not as good without it. Whoulda thunk?
I went on a little U2 kick right around the time this album came out. Owned it on CD, but mostly listened on my iPod. "Beautiful Day" was a song basically written for an iPod, right? Why was U2 so prominent in the iPod space? No one will ever know.
But I like this album as a whole well enough. It ain't "the Joshua Tree," but I kinda don't blame them for playing it a little safe after the whole "Pop" débâcle. They had to compete with Coldplay.
Speaking of "Pop," I saw U2 on that tour at a stadium in South Carolina with Krista Loheed and Brian Crane. It was fun! I don't really care about seeing another stadium show, but it was hard not to appreciate the effect of that many people singing along to a song like "With or Without You." Glad I went, though still pissed we arrived too late to see Rage Against the Machine open. I'd seen 'em twice before, but at a stadium in South Carolina? That must've been something.
Moby Grape
3/5
Well, I think we have a winner for shortest album on this list unless I listened to the wrong thing. 18 minutes! Wow. Is this technically an EP?
Either way, I should've listened closer because I expected it to go on for another 45 minutes. As such, not a ton stood out to me on first listen, but I'm going back over it now and having a more enjoyable time. In general, I dig a lot of instrumentals from this era and "Rounder" was no exception. I would've loved an entire 18 minutes of songs like that. Really liked that one.
"Bitter Wind" is my other favorite and "Sweet Ride" ain't bad. If you play any of those songs six weeks from now and ask me who it is there's not a chance I'll remember. It all just kind of blends in with a lot of sounds from the era for me. For all I know, this could be Jefferson Starship outtakes. Or The Moody Blues. Or (fill in the blank).
That's not a terrible thing though in and of itself. The album sounds good and I can see why people would have held it in high regard in 1967.
Thundercat
3/5
I think you all covered all the bases with this one. It starts really well, then sort of hits the "rinse and repeat" cycle for a bit too long. I love the freaky-funky-jazzy more instrumental stuff and think those tracks work quite well to break up the other tunes. There just ain't enough of 'em.
And yeah, I was like, "Wait, did he just say 'Ladies and gentlemen, Michael McDonald?'" That cameo went buy with a big shoulder shrug. (To be fair: that's my reaction to most of McDonald's music.)
This is an odd bird. But I'm intrigued to see where else this cat could take these sounds. I'd be real, real interested to hear his take on a Stevie Wonder record.
John Martyn
3/5
I'm listening to this at 11pm quietly on a laptop and it's pretty good late night music. I like the mood of it and can appreciate that there's a time and place for this kind of thing. I can't imagine listening to this in a car in the middle of the day, for example. But at night, quietly on a laptop? Yeah, sign me up.
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1/5
This stupid site skipped right over Public Enemy for me and instead showed me this mofo all day for the past 2 days. Grrr.
Intellectually speaking I like the experiment of what is essentially an album consisting of one single extended song. (See: Sleep's "Dopesmoker.") Emotionally, I just wish it was any song other than this one. And the sloppy cover of "Happy Trails" doesn't count.
Some good guitar playing here and there, and then some utterly obnoxious guitar playing there and here.
This is not my jam.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2/5
I might be more in the mood for this someday, but today is not that day. I mean... wouldn't it make more sense to just listen to Woody Guthrie instead of this? Maybe that's too harsh, but it's all I can think at the moment.
I'll give him credit though. Apparently "Ramblin' Jack" the country boy is actually "Elliott Adnopoz" from Brooklyn. Takes guts to completely reinvent yourself like this and even crazier to think it actually worked out.
Good on him?
Blur
2/5
I was going to listen to this but then the day just got busy and things went by in a real...
blur.
I will say that I was not looking forward to it, so two stars for low expectations.
3/5
Enjoyed this. Not every song struck my fancy, but "Adult Books" really stood out. Good energy and I like the vocal tandem.
Ryan Adams
2/5
It dawned on me listening to this again that in spite of all that's been written about how this album connected to NYC right after 9/11, maybe the two best songs on the whole thing have LA icons in the title. Go figure.
I can't pretend that I didn't buy this record in 2001 and listen to it alot, but as I suspected it doesn't hold up and certainly pales in comparison to Springsteen's take on roots rock. In fact, my favorite track on the whole thing is "Enemy Fire," which feels nothing like Springsteen at all. But it also sort of shows just how prolific Ryan Adams has been at trying on too many sounds without maybe ever really landing on one that's all his own.
Actually, now that I've made it to "Wild Flowers," I'm enjoying this one. There's no need for the three songs between this and "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd." And no reason whatsoever for this album to be 16 tracks long, but that's Ryan Adams for you. Quantity > Quality.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
I've made some bad musical decisions in my life, but never caving into the temptation of buying this album - or any Chili Peppers album - isn't one of them.
If I had any revelation upon listening to this it's that I can't place all of the blame solely on the vocals of Anthony Kiedis. His voice has always, always bugged the crap out of me (yes, before it was cool to hate him) and I always wondered if they would be better with a different signer. But now I have the opinion that I probably wouldn't like this band no matter who was singing for them. I know Frusciante seems to get a pass because he does some cool stuff on the guitar, has a solo career, was a junkie, etc. But more times than not anything funk-adjacent on this record makes me cringe before Kiedis even opens his mouth. So, there's blame to go around.
I liked "Breaking the Girl" and, surprisingly, "Give it Away." Whatever's happening on those two songs at least feels like the band is in unison. But the rest is a complete pass for me.
And maybe I told this story already, but I saw them headline Lolapalooza 1992 (right after Ministry, which is just wild to think about) and... I had fun! So, I'm not too cool to dislike this band entirely, but I am too cool to like them on record. If I'm going to be subjected to silliness, I suppose it works much better on me visually in the same way I don't want to listen to a Benny Hill record, I want to see that shit.
Dire Straits
4/5
You guys already said it, but to get specific: "Sultans of Swing" has one of the best guitar solos ever recorded, right? It's not the most melodic, or probably the most technically challenging, or any of that. It's the way it's performed. It's so staccato and you can hear he's not using a pick because of how the notes sort of fall off in places. It's so damn cool and really makes that song groove.
The rest of the album was a mixed bag for me, but overall I very much enjoyed it. "Wild West End" was a nice bit of slower 70s acoustic rock that I had never heard before.
I wonder if they ever opened for Fleetwood Mac during this era. That'd be a pretty sweet bill.
Rod Stewart
2/5
Don’t hate it, but good grief a lot of these songs sound exactly the damn same. And I’m prettttttty sure Rod Stewart was never a down on his luck depression area New Yorker, though it sure seems as if he’s trying to make the soundtrack for warming your hands over a tin drum fire.
I’d rather listen to “Da Ya Think I’m sexy?” Even though I had no idea it was spelled this way until I looked it up just now, and I’m never going to forget this.
Tracy Chapman
3/5
Quite enjoyed this! Just a nice voice, interesting lyrics and solid melodies.
David Bowie
4/5
I liked it! Not as much as you two Bowieners, but overall it was a good time with an album I had zero familiarity with going in.
“Sound and Vision” was the clear winner in my book, but I appreciated the experimentation here throughout more than I have on some of the other Bowie records on this list. A song like “Subterranean” feels pretty wild for 1977 in some ways.
Carpenters
3/5
I probably could not have pointed out a Carpenters song by name prior to this, but now of course I realize that I knew a handful of these tunes already.
I don't want to listen to this on repeat, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it overall. It may be the softest of soft rock, but I really like her voice. "Another Song" was a pretty great closer.
Also, you gotta love that there's a song called "Maybe It's You" and another one called "Baby It's You." Lolz.
Fleetwood Mac
3/5
Not as immediate as "Rumours," but I found a lot to like here. "That's All for Everyone," really stood out to me and I'm fairly certain I'd never heard that before. It feels like an album of moods; there'd be a lot of usage of the word "vibe" if this were being reviewed in 2023.
Does it need more tracks with Stevie Nicks taking the lead? Probably. Definitely. But I can see me listening to this again and finding even more to appreciate on repeated listens.
Alice In Chains
4/5
Andy! I completely forgot about that, but yes - Layne's sister (or step-sister?) did indeed go to School of the Arts. Jamie Elmer. The first picture that popped up on Google is of the two of them when she must have been a pre-teen, but I remember that face. Crazy. What a weird, sad thing to have hanging over your head at that age.
Easy to understand why there's not much middle ground on this band, but for me they were a huge gateway band from metal to alternative and other types of music. Not unlike Nirvana and Soundgarden, I'm 99.9% certain I was first exposed to Alice in Chains through Headbanger's Ball on MTV. (And speaking of, I swear to God the 'Ball - which was on Saturdays - played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" before 120 Minutes - which was on Sundays - did.) If you were a young teenage ding-dong getting bored with hair metal, then boom: "Man in the Box" was there to hold your hand and lead you to a strange new land.
And oddly, I've forever remembered being more of a fan of the album and EP that came out before this one, but listening again I'm wondering if that holds true any more. I enjoyed all of this. The words were all still in the recesses of my brain and I really like the overall sequencing. If it were 9 songs instead of 13, I would rank it even higher. I don't know that we need ALL three of "Sickman," "Junkhead," and "God Smack," but it helps sell the theme.
And what a depressing, grimy ass theme it is! Made all the worse by what inevitably happened. Can a cry for help also be multi-platinum and on the radio? Strange.
Anyway, I'll die on the hill that "Would?" is the best album closer of the entire grunge era. Also, that hill will be made of heroin.
The Clash
4/5
This would probably be a 4 and 1/2 star event if we could do that. The only thing that's keeping it from 5 stars for me is just the length. It comes ever so close, but can't quite (imo) help from losing a little bit of steam here and there and I think that's primarily due to the sheer fact that it's a double album and, well, basically all double albums have this problem.
But man. What a good collection of songs and sounds, by and large. The title track is such a good tune that it seems impossible to top. I'm not sure anything else on the album quite does, and yet they kind of don't even try. Instead, the band just shifts genres/moods entirely and writes an aces song in that lane. "Lost in the Supermarket?" Forget about it. Feels entirely different from the title track, or "Guns of Brixton," or "Rudie," or fill-in-the-blank and yet somehow they all still sound organically like they came from the same band. I think that's the hardest thing to do with a double album; there's usually one or two outliers that just feel like one of the band members wanted to fart around a bit and it somehow made the cut - because nothing didn't make the cut.
Not here. It's not all perfect, but it's all impressive. And it's pretty much the only thing remotely approaching ska that I will ever admit to liking.
Everything But The Girl
1/5
This sounds like 10,000 Maniacs minus several thousand maniacs.
Also, I don't really like 10,000 Maniacs. Utterly bored by this.
Bobby Womack
3/5
Didn't get to listen to the whole thing, but liked what I heard. Extra star for those glasses.
Grateful Dead
2/5
Yeah, fine. It's so hard for me to wrap my head around this album as something that's part of a genuine phenomenon. How do they get from what's pretty basic rootsy rock to being a band that inspires an entire lifestyle? I guess you had to be there.
There are some good tunes here and there, but I'd much rather listen to Neil Young or The Band.
Air
3/5
Love the movie, like the soundtrack. It's weird though how separate this music feels from the movie when you listen to it by itself. I guess that's a compliment in that it works on its own? Or a criticism that the music never quite melds completely with the film?
Only a magic 8 ball could give us that answer.
(Also, the Jimmy Smith album is pretty sweet and that cover photo is worth a million bucks.)
The Specials
2/5
Eh. I mean, ehhhhh.
Charles Mingus
3/5
I listened to this! But now I'm confusing it with the Thelonius Monk in my head. But I know I definitely preferred the Monk, so let's just hit that 3 star button.
The Darkness
3/5
Yeah, I liked this more than I expected. It all felt like one big gimmick when it came out and I still can't stand dude's falsetto. Buuut... I kind of feel about this the way I feel about Steel Panther and Tenacious D. You get that it's all sort of a joke, but when the songs are good then it becomes really fun to be in on the joke with them. And some of the songs here reach that level.
Would I rather just listen to AC/DC or Cheap Trick? Sure, most of the time. But I'd visit this again and I wasn't sure I was going to come out of the listening experience with that as the takeaway, so I guess you could say I am stepping out of the light and into The Darkness.
There's just no chance a major publication didn't use that last line in one of their reviews at the time of the album's release. Zero chance.
XTC
3/5
Interesting, interesting. Not really familiar with this band. I liked some (the umbrellas tune), and disliked others. ("the man who sailed around his soul") Surprised by others - was that a kid singing the opening of "Dear God"?
I hear stuff like this album and think: this is VERY British. But even I don't really know what that means. Sorry, Alex!
Thelonious Monk
4/5
This is the kind of background jazz I like. It's good enough to become foreground jazz if you want it to, not obnoxious enough to force that decision upon you.
Solid through and through.
Leftfield
2/5
Some interesting moments and sounds, but when I played little league I got stuck in RIGHT field. So maybe this just wasn't meant to be.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Been listening to this one for years and I really like it. “River” is my favorite sad Christmas song that isn’t really a Christmas song. But I like “Carey” a lot too and it’s not nearly as sad or Christmas-y.
Just a good sounding record. You know she has a disease where you imagine there are things crawling underneath your skin or something like that? Sounds awful. Poor Joni.
Linkin Park
2/5
Somehow this was both not as bad as I expected and exactly as bad as I expected. Every now and then I’d hear some guitar progressions that made me think there’s a cool song in here, but it’s all so very overproduced. Keyboards and DJs and two singers and one of those singers using two very distinct vocal styles himself. It’s just all a bit much which is strange then to think of how quickly you pick up the formula as a listener. Two songs in you know you’re in for an album of soft verse-hard chorus and it goes to that well over and over. At the end of the day, I think I could forgive all of that (I like plenty of bands that do similar things) if I just liked Chester Bennington’s vocals more. What a sad ending to his life. I know he’s the reason a whole lot of people liked this band in the first place. But those boy band style clean vocals and boy band style screaming vocals never, ever worked for me. RIP.
Nanci Griffith
4/5
I'm a noob to Ms. Griffith and if this album is at all indicative of her total output, then I will be listening to much more. Really liked it overall. "Love's Found a Shoulder" was a late album standout to my ears.
Basically, I'm as jealous as Andy's mom.
PJ Harvey
3/5
Enjoyed. I've never quite done a deep dive into all things PJ, but I don't ever dislike listening to her. "Happy and Bleeding" was fun. "Plants and rags." I like the slower, quirkier stuff more than the grunge-laced riot grrrl tracks. But hey, 1992. I get it.
ZZ Top
3/5
Listened to this while driving into Knoxville, TN on a sunny Saturday. It definitely kinda works in that type of soundtrack to a Southern car ride, though for sure would've been better to swap out Tennessee for Texas. (Though, thank God I wasn't driving there.) But in some ways it's difficult for me to hear anything here other than one of the world's premiere white boy blues bar bands. Maybe it's because I just watched that Elvis movie and had cultural appropriation on the brain? I don't know. The 'Top put their own spin on things and, of course, took this sound to a very different area later on. But of the batch here my favorite was easily the ballad "Hot, Blue and Righteous." It stands out to me as having one foot in Southern Rock, three toes into country & western, and only like two toes into the blues. Lots of drunken slow dance opportunities with that number.
The Cars
4/5
Guys? This is just what I needed.
Love it. Loses a little steam here and there in the back half, but gosh those guitar sounds are just fantastic and the songs are as catchy as a coldy.
A Tribe Called Quest
3/5
Like it, but I don't think I could ever love it. Q-Tip's voice is fantastic and even my culturally ignorant ass knows enough to know that there weren't a whole lot of groups - if any - doing what A Tribe Called Quest was doing in hip-hop at this time. To overuse an overused word, the whole vibe is different. And hey Busta Rhymes!
I just wish it would click with me. Maybe one day.
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
3/5
Liked this much more than I expected. I think that's mainly due to how well and full it sounds. If this had come out in 1986 - or even 1976 - instead of 1966 I'd probably be shitting all over it as nothing more than a copy of a copy. It's still that, in essence, but I'm willing to give it a pass as at least being in early gen versions of this type of blues rock.
The guitars sound damn good and I didn't mind the voice! Maybe my bar was real, real low. Not saying I'd listen to it again but not saying I wouldn't.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
This held up well! Give me "Y Control," "Maps," and "Modern Romance" all day long. If this had turned out to be the future of rock music we could've done a lot worse.
One thing I always think of with this band is the drummer who holds his sticks like Max Weinberg. You know what I'm talking about. What's that style of playing called? I'm a go with "under thumb." As in, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer plays in an under thumb style. That sounds right.
David Bowie
3/5
Fine, but never quite leaped out of the background for me.
This has gotta be the 9th or 27th Bowie record on this list, no?
Laibach
3/5
Rammstein! Well, not actually but now I know how it is that Rammstein exists. Enjoyed it!
Bert Jansch
3/5
Not bad. Dug the instrumental stuff; vocals reminded me a bit of Leonard Cohen (though Nick Drake is a great comp) without being as good as Leonard Cohen.
But yeah - some great guitar playing!
Cheap Trick
4/5
Had a lot of fun with this one. Good Lord did they pump the ever-loving-hell out of the crowd volume in the mix. It's practically louder than it would be at an actual concert, lol. But hey - why else would you bother with a live album if you're not going to at least make an earnest attempt to make it feel like an experience in some way?
Anyway, this is all about "Surrender" for me. Never get tired of that song and it's especially fun here.
The Stranglers
3/5
Peaches! Completely forgot about this song and this band, but if you've seen SEXY BEAST then you know that tune is vital for setting the mood of the opening of that flick. It's so gross, too. I watched that scene once with the subtitles on and it was hysterical.
Anywho, overall the record doesn't quite reach those heights elsewhere but I liked a good chunk of it and really liked the "Down in the Sewer" medley. That's another one that feels like it's screaming out to be used in a film somewhere.
3/5
I don't think I've ever listened to a Devo album all the way through before. As someone who grew up with MTV, they made such a big visual impact on my young eyeballs that the music has always been somewhat secondary.
And I'm still not positive if I'm supposed to take the music itself seriously... but I kinda don't care. There's a general tone and feeling that came through while listening to the collection of songs here that I enjoyed overall. I don't like the Stones cover and I agree with Craig that the songs aren't as strong as I'd hoped for, especially thinking in comparison to that album we listened to recently from The Cars.
But again this one is more about the feeling and it gave me a good one. Plus, I got to have a meeting with Mark Mothersbaugh once and he couldn't have been nicer. Their offices had weird instruments laying around and was exactly what I hoped it would be. Towards the end of the meeting, Mark had to leave to go talk to David O'Russell about scoring one of his films and asked if I'd rather go in his place. Ha. Top 10 moment in my entire film endeavor.
Neneh Cherry
2/5
Yeah, you guys pretty much covered it. Honestly, I had a moment early on where I thought, "You know, this is kind of nostalgically fun." But that lasted maybe two songs? Craig, that lyric you quoted is terrible and it's not even the worse line in that song! Bad, bad.
Sadly, I guess my takeaway is that Neneh Cherry is horny?
The Velvet Underground
2/5
I gotta really be in the mood to enjoy this much feedback and repetitive madness. Today was not that day.
I still like "Stephanie Says," but Shawn says, "Not today, Lou."
The Rolling Stones
3/5
This is a pretty clean sounding album for something so bluesy. I both enjoyed it and was never blown away; this tends to constantly show up as one of the best albums of all time and I gotta tell you I was expecting way more familiar hits on here. I guess I'll give the public discourse credit for picking one that's maybe less obvious than some of the others.
Anyway, I quite liked "Loving Cup" and will never complain about having too many songs with the word "turd" in the title, so bonus points for "Turd on the Run."
My biggest takeaway? Holy crap does ZZ Top's "La Grange" sound exactly like "Shake Your Hips." Like lawsuit close. These songs came out a year apart? Wow.
Hot Chip
1/5
Wasn't feeling it, didn't finish. Just was not feeling it.
I guess I like my chips cold? Unless they're warm tortillas or California Highway Patrol officers, specifically on motorcycles, specifically in the 1970s.
Destiny's Child
2/5
"Real Housewives of Destiny's Child," lololol.
Dammit, now I gotta listen to this. Plugging in a two as a placeholder, but I bet it sticks.
Sleater-Kinney
4/5
Realllly liked this. "Heart Factory" and "Jenny" are aces. I just love the guitars in so many of these songs.
I think I said this before, but sonically it reminds me so much of Fugazi in places and I literally can't think of another band that I can make that comparison with. I want them to combine forces in a supergroup and I'd like that to happen right now, please.
Lana Del Rey
3/5
Liked it overall, but was surprised by how low key it was. I guess I don't know much of her work except for that "Summertime Sadness" tune, which is A) almost a dance song and B) not done in the whisper style of "White Dress" and some of the others here.
I'm amazed by how prevalent this style of singing is. Who do we trace this back to? Billie Eilish seems to bear some responsibility, but I know there are folks in this vein who predate her considerably.
Anywho, I didn't mind it so much here! Lyrically I thought there was some interesting stuff going on and I'd listen to this again, but I'm more inclined to check out "Norman Fuckin' Rockwell" at long last now.
T. Rex
3/5
This one was just o.k. in my book. To be fair, my book is pretty just o.k. to begin with, so it's not like it's in bad company or anything. (In fact, Bad Company's not even in my book.)
It was pleasant and made me think of Bowie. I suspect something else is there and I may just need to hear it another few times to find it.
Amy Winehouse
3/5
I had fun with this. Nice to listen to it without the distraction of Winehouse being part of the weekly news cycle, though of course I'd prefer that to her being dead. My big takeaway here? Mainly wondering if Adele would have had a harder pathway to success had this record not popped 2 years prior to her debut.
Hard to say there's anything original here, but I don't know. My bar was low and the record exceeded it.
The Specials
3/5
Hey I liked this one much more than the other one for whatever reasons!
Actually, I think I do know: it was the James Bond song. If you can pull off something as hokey is that then you deserve at least another star from my star bag. Enjoyed "Hey Little Rich Girl" and a few others, too.
Let's go skank that pickle! (That's something ska people say, right? I feel like I've read that somewhere.)
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
Didn't like this one as much as the other Sioux we listened to, but still enjoyed the experience overall. Dare I say I actually liked the "Helter Skelter" cover? I do dare. I do.
Thought it finished strong, too. "Hong Kong Garden" and "The Staircase" were both two of my faves here. I'll welcome more appearances on this list.
Nick Drake
4/5
There's only one "Pink Moon" on PINK MOON, but it's the pinkest of moons and still such a lovely song no matter how many times I've heard it. Fortunately, there are other songs that at least get close to the bull's eye and - thank you Jesus! - the whole thing is only 28 minutes long. And, annnnnd "From the Morning" is a damn great closer. Probably my 2nd favorite song on the album. So killer start, killer finish. That's a good recipe.
Fun fact about that VW commercial: according to Wiki it was directed by Dayton & Farris of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE fame and boosted sales of the album from 6k the year before to 74k. Crazy!
I think this album would be very well-received if it came out today. Quiet's the new loud and dude would for sure be playing shows with Phoebe Bridgers. Ahead of his time or have we just moved backwards? Nobody knows.
Sonic Youth
3/5
I’ve always wanted to like this band and every now and then I do. But their experimental tendencies always challenge that feeling. I don’t know what it is. I can listen to Fugazi go off on a musical tangent all day long. But here those tangents run too far from the main plot. But hey, Thurston Moore was in a black metal band so that’s something!
The Louvin Brothers
3/5
This one worked really well for me until it went full on gospel there at the end. But I like this mix of not-quite country and not-quite bluegrass. It's all held together by the voices and harmonies, but there's some nice guitar work in here, too.
Mostly though, pretty much every song about a state or city stood out to me. If I ever wanted somebody to write a song about my hometown, I know who to ask.
Janelle Monáe
3/5
First time listener, long time caller. There’s enough here that’s interesting and enjoyable for me to give a solid three stars. Really liked “Locked Inside.” It’s funny to me how weird modern pop music gets at times. Like, could you imagine Whitney Houston ever putting out an android themed album? Not a chance. Times have changed. Pop singers today embrace the weird and it’s better (probably) than the alternative.
Biggest complaints? Too long. Obviously. And, while I haven’t listened to a ton of Beyoncé… a lot of this sounds to me like Beyoncé.
Basement Jaxx
1/5
Not. For. Me.
At all.
1/5
Oof. Yeah, no way am I making it through all of this. Just fartin' around on the web and I see that Spin magazine gave this album an F and called it "unlistenable."
Whoever that brave journalist is and where ever you are... I salute you.
The Doors
3/5
BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE SLIP N' SLIDE!!
I feel like these songs have been woven into the background of my life so much that I almost don't even recognize it as music anymore; more just like people in an airport talking. I don't know them, they don't know me, but we're both there doing our separate things.
I still like "The End." To me, it's the ultimate Doors song. And then the rest is just weird music you might hear at a Renaissance Faire and the occasional blues-rocker.
Bonnie Raitt
2/5
Yeah, it's okay. Hard for me to dislike her voice, easy for me to dislike the songs. Production is clean and clear. But this adult contemporary business felt old and stodgy in the 80s and 90s, and being a contemporary adult myself now has done nothing to change that perspective.
I wonder if I'm older now than Raitt was when she put this out. Lemme check...
OH THANK GOD. She was 50 when she put this out. I've got a couple years left before I dedicate my life to this type of music. Whew!
Living Colour
4/5
I have a lot of respect for this band. Without question, they helped bridge the gap from metal to alternative for a lot of little white teenage suburban weirdos. Did a Living Colour/Faith No More tour ever happen in the late 1980s? If not, file that under B for Bad Business Decisions.
But as much as I respected the band at the time, I was always a little lukewarm on this record because of the very obvious fact that there's only one song that even comes close to touching "Cult of Personality." You know what though? I remember owning not just one, but BOTH of the records that followed "Vivd." And those I really liked! I was like a hipster before I even knew that word existed. Give me the more sophisticated and challenging, less popular, 2nd and 3rd records or give me nothing.
So, colour me surprised that I had a very pleasant time listening to this again. "Broken Hearts" was great, and I'm positive I didn't feel that way in 1988. And "Glamour Boys"! There's no chance in hell I wanted anything to do with hose Caribbean-tinged jams at age 11. (Jesus Christ, I was young.)
So it's all positive over here. I'm listening to album 2 as I type this and "Pride" slaps just as much as it always has. Little Richard cameos on that record. Little freaking Richard! What a world.
Holger Czukay
3/5
I mean, that song about the pool was fantastic. Put that in a movie right now, please.
The rest? Eh. But I’m all for more EPs on this list.
Slade
3/5
Fun enough, innit? Don't know if you guys listened to the expanded version, but there's a track that's a weird sort of promo where they play a little of a song and then have guys from the band send their hearty thanks out to the readers of Melody Maker. And then they play a little more music. And then another guy gets on and gives his thanks. And so forth. Kind of cool and you can hear what is clearly the sound of vinyl/needle cracks - which means this is a recording of a recording? Not sure how that would've worked, but it's a fun inclusion from a bygone era.
Certainly not everything here works, but I quite liked "I Don't Mind" which I had never heard before. It's funny though, this dude's voice - it's so distinctive that now I feel like Quiet Riot not only owes their commercial success to this band and the song "Cum on Feel the Noize," but that they also simply wouldn't exist without this band.
Anywho, enjoyed it!
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Listened to this right after listening to the Slade album. Feels like some overlap there, but with a bit more theatricality with these guys? I've never heard of this band before and am now sad to read that Mr. Harvey didn't make it out of the 80s. That's too bad and probably has something to do with why they weren't on my radar.
At any rate, I'm intrigued. I mean, there's a song called "Giddy up a Ding Dong," so the odds were good that I'd at least give it a giggle.
Slipknot
3/5
I can't necessarily defend this opinion, but guys I didn't hate it. The version I listened to is for sure too long, there's too much similarity from song to song, yes the production is weak and yes it is just anger from start to finish, with very little nuance about what it actually is that they're so angry about.
But goddamit I would've loved this if I was 13 in 2003 or whenever. You can't say it's not heavy. And you can't say there aren't melodies there. Which is, frankly, so so much more than most of what passes for popular hard rock/radio metal right now.
I think sometimes about the shit I listened to back when I was a kid and how there were metal bands you could hear on the radio late at night or see occasionally on MTV who seemed to me to actually be scary. Like they were trying to convey horror through music. And while a band like W.A.S.P seems utterly ridiculous now, you could still wrap your head around the idea of why parents in the 1980s might take a look at that band and go, "Now hey wait. I'm not so sure I want my pre-teen listening to that." To say nothing of a Carcass or Morbid Angel or Napalm Death.
Black metal was too obscure to scare the mainstream and most of it didn't sound like music anyway. But Slipknot? I bet they scared some suburban moms and dads around the time this album came out and I'm giving them a star just for trying.
Hole
3/5
Is this the album Billy Corgan and/or Trent Reznor wrote? I can't keep up with the hot goss.
The best thing about this record is that Samantha Maloney got to be their drummer for the tour and in the videos, and that Steve Pedulla and I saw her play drums for a great post-hardcore band called SHIFT at some tiny club in Chapel Hill or somewhere while we were in film school. SHIFT is/was great. Hard not to be happy for her. And then she played for Motley Crue at a point where Tommy Lee must've been doing his nu-metal solo thing? And THEN she played drums for Peaches?? What a strange career path. Surprised she's not the new drummer for the Foo Fighters at this rate.
Anywho, yeah the songs just aren't as strong on this album as I'd hoped. I like the opener and I liked "Playing Your Song." "Awful" is catchy. But there's a lot here that plays like filler - which probably would've worked better if it still retained the bite of their earlier material. Alas, the riot grrrrrl grunge was exchanged for more of a mild-mannered meeting grrrrl and, ironically, I think the album ages worse because of it.
And I'm going to blame Billy Corgan regardless. Just because.
Serge Gainsbourg
4/5
An overused word, but it feels like it applies perfectly here: vibes.
The vibes are good. I've done some exploring of Gainsbourg and haven't come away enjoying each song or sound, but there's unison and mood on this record that worked for me from start to finish.
Hoping we'll see some more on the list.
Aerosmith
4/5
Same score, but for opposite reasons as Craig. I really quite like most everything about this record EXCEPT "Big Ten Inch Record." Get rid of it! Go on! Get!
How good of a closer is "You See Me Crying"? Sure, that's a song that maybe predicted the overwrought ballad days ahead for Aerosmith, but between it and "Dream On," there was all the reason in the world to think that they knew how to do that type of song better than most.
And then Michael Bay came calling.
Mercury Rev
2/5
Ehh, I could maybe come around to liking this more on repeated listens and on a different day. I had no idea about the Flaming Lips connection, but have been aware of Mercury Rev as a band for ages. Problem is, I completely expected something entirely different. I had it in my head that they were a post-punk band of some ilk or another, and I was very wrong about that.
So, I should give this another shot sometime. I suspect I’ll like it more… but until then TWO STARS. #nomercy
Black Flag
4/5
I know it’s a short album, but I wish it were even shorter. Because it was a damn blast to listen to overall, only a few tunes in the 2nd half kind of failed to stand out. Not the closer though. Freaking “Damaged I,” dudes. Whew. That’s a bruiser of a song and I love it. The only other Black Flag album I’ve ever really earnestly listened to is “My War,” and it’s strange to me to read how that album apparently alienated a bunch of the early Flag-heads, because I feel like the closer of this one set the stage for the heavy-sludgy songs to come on the second half of “My War.” But maybe Im crazy. I’m sure it was different if you were all up in that scene at the time.
Anyway, god bless the refrain on “Jeffersons” in “TV Party.” It kills me every time.
Paul McCartney
3/5
Yeah, this is kind of surprisingly low-key isn't it? Not at all what I was expecting. While nothing quite stood out in memory aside from "Maybe I'm Amazed," I have the suspicion that this is one of those albums that could reveal itself to be really rewarding once you've listened to it three or four times.
Or not! Never can tell and who the hell does this McCartney bloke think he is anyway?
Shivkumar Sharma
3/5
Good call on the Skinemax vibes, Craig. I was thinking more that if I had a candle shop, or like a tea and spice shop, or basically any type of store in downtown Asheville… this album would be on heavy rotation for the house speakers.
Which is not to say I didn’t like it. I found it very pleasant and thought it sounded great and super clean. “Stars Twinkling Within” was a standout and just a uggh, isn’t it? We’re all made of twinkling shiny stars, you guys!
The Cure
4/5
I wasn't familiar with this album and that's a big fail on my part. Loved it. I've grown to quite like the Cure over the years, but that's mainly been a result of listening to the more obvious cuts. Well, no more! Didn't recognize a single song on here, but mood and tone for days. I really gotta do more homework on this band.
Make my summer gothy. I'll be indoors.
The xx
3/5
Never heard of this band and completely missed any and all hoopla around them in 2009. (Too busy listening to Mastodon at the time, surely.)
As is, the timing works better now than then anyway as far as them getting a fair chance from me and my silly ears. I've been listening to Low a lot lately. And Codeine. So I'm all here for some minimalism. But listening to Low is a really great example of how this album would have been infinitely better if the two singers had any proclivity to harmonize whatsoever.
Instead, I found myself wishing that they were either better singers, or maybe that even if they were worse singers that would be an improvement, in a way. Trade vocal ability for pure attitude, emotion, and lyricism. Yeah, that's fine! That would be interesting at least! But that ain't what we got. The vocals are all in this gray area of just not being very good OR interesting.
In fact, my favorite song here by a country mile was "Shelter," and that's largely due to the fact that only the female vocalist sings on that one. Sounds mean, but I would listen to a remix of this album that got rid of the male vocals and I promise you I would like it better.
I'd go 2 and 1/2 if I could, but I'm feeling nice because it's summer and I was still in my pajamas at like 11:45 today.
Iggy Pop
4/5
Really, really enjoyed this! Man, between "Lust for Life" and "The Passenger," I wonder how many homes Iggy has been able to buy just from the licensing fees for commercials.
"Some Weird Sin" and "Success" were other standouts, but this thing is solid throughout. Now I know why Renton from Trainspotting was such a fan.
But not from Trainspotting 2 because that was terrible.
Underworld
1/5
I started listening to this… and then stopped.
Ray Price
3/5
Yep yep. Completely enjoyable and pleasant soundtrack for the background of a work day.
Couldn’t name a single song if you asked me, but I’d listen to it again!
Caetano Veloso
3/5
That is a cool cover. Would make a great poster on the wall of a record shop in 1969. You could only get more 60s psychedlic if it glowed under a black light and had a pot leaf on it.
Anyway, enjoyed the listen and the Brazilian vibes. Every now and then it felt like there was a moodier, darker undertone to a tune and I really liked that aspect.
Again though, just chill with trying to ask me to name a single song off of this, alright? Not gonna happen.
Jane Weaver
2/5
Spinning the same yarn as Craig here today. I listened. I'm positive of it. There was music playing. It was this album. I'm sure of it.
But nothing stood out whatsoever.
The Mothers Of Invention
2/5
Fine. I liked that they worked in a dig at "corporate logos" into the lyrics of one song. And made fun of hippies and San Francisco way before that was cool.
And yet... the music just doesn't do much for me. I can appreciate that we probably don't have some of the noisier, weirder bands I do like without these mothers, but it's rare for me to listen to something repeatedly just because I appreciate it.
1/5
Truly one of the worst lyricists of all time. If there weren't enough reasons to dislike Fred Durst, I had no idea that they had this song where they basically just took Nine Inch Nails lyrics and turned them into a shitfest. How? Why? Why again? What on earth are they thinking here? Goddamit, why again?!
I hate, hate, hate his stupid whiny voice. Dude sounds like angry Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. I hate his "singing" voice. I hate that there's a line about how he doesn't even smoke marijuana, but he loves the smell. NOBODY thinks that. Even if they did, who the hell decides that's a cool thing to rap about?? Just stupid. So, so dumb. I hate the title of this album. I hate the font they chose. I hate the cover "art." I hate that there's a butthole on that starfish, and typically that's an idea I could get behind, and I hate them for that.
There's one song on here that would be a good Deftnes song. I don't even want to say which one, because the title is dumb and the lyrics are dumber. The Mission Impossible song would be good minus the vocals, but then separating Durst from this band is the real impossible mission, innit?
You can't. I can't. I won't. The only thing I can appreciate is the probability that the album is on the list for the sole purpose of fucking with us. That's the only explanation here.
Barry Adamson
2/5
Oh right - I listened the hell out of the Lost Highway soundtrack, too. Not sure I ever bothered to look at the name “Barry Adamson” though. My bad, Barry.
So this was a really interesting one to listen to in the car driving down the interstate. Wouldn’t exactly call it road trip music, but it started promising enough and I like some of the dark jazz stuff. The song with “vibes” in the title was solid. I remember that one. I liked the Nick Cave song near the end of the record. That one, too.
But there were a whole slew of tunes that had me reaching for the next button on my steering wheel. And while some of those, sure, might make for good mood pieces in a Lynch film… it felt like there were more that were better suited for soft core porn.
TLDR: more Lynch, less soft core porn, Barry.
Radiohead
4/5
I'm gonna blow up the curve here slightly. Genuinely expected to be cool on this one after not listening to it for a number of years, but I enjoyed almost all of it. In fact, I really quite like the back half of it from "I Might Be Wrong" onward through to the end. It's moody and explores a bit without ever feeling too tedious or dull to me. And then the whole thing culminates with a jazzy sad ditty.
What can I say? It works for me.
Hüsker Dü
3/5
Craig, I'll give you an honorary golf clap for the pun even though you didn't really get to use it in a serious way. Just the kind of thing I'm willing to dü for yü. Don't mention it.
I feel like there's a whole midwestern corner of foundational indie rock bands that I've never really gone down the rabbit hole with and probably should do so at some point. Hüsker, (early) Soul Asylum, Guided By Voices, (early) Goo Goo Dolls - who else am I missing? I know I'm missing somebody. My impression is that they all kind of sound like this album: lots of distortion, fairly straightforward songs, and a production that leaves you knowing for certain that they probably sound a zillion times better live.
In that spirit, I liked this and DEFINITELY think it would be fun as hell live cranked all to hell and sweat bouncing off the stage. The songs where I can recognize Bob Mould's voice at the forefront of the production stand out to me as the best of the bunch: "Ice Cold Ice" is soooo much better than that title would suggest. "Friend, You've Got to Fall" is every bit as good as that title would suggest. "Visionary" is cool. And so forth.
I'd listen to more and suspect this might be one of those bands where I actually prefer the newer stuff to the old. Sometimes that happens. It's like reverse hipsterism. I dunno, there's gotta be a better word for that. I'll let Craig come up with it. Maybe he will, or maybe he wön't.
The Electric Prunes
2/5
Onie
Sold to the Highest Bidder
Try Me on for Size
Those are the ones I liked, or liked parts of, and that's it. Daddio.
Supergrass
2/5
Ohhhh riiiiight. "Late in the Day." I remember that one. This is another one of those bands that I'm positive must have been bigger in the UK than in the United States of Something Something.
And that tracks. They've got a little bit of the Oasis thing going on. Probably some Stone Roses and Pulp. Maybe a little Blur and the Verve. A touch of Travis. A sliver of Spacehog. A growler of Gomez. (I'm just throwing out all the names I can think of here; not even positive all these bands are from the U.K.)
I didn't mind it, but it doesn't rise to the rigorous level of 3 stars criteria that I hold my albums to. Also, please do not ask me to define that criteria in writing. It can't be done.
Anybody else hear a little Smashing Pumpkins every now and then?
Elvis Presley
4/5
Yeah, I was pretty won over by this one as well. A good mix of tunes that kept the energy up, and while I won’t claim that his takes are the definitive versions of songs like “I got a woman” or “tutti frutti,” the performances were still top notch.
In short, I’d much rather listen to this again than rewatch Baz Luhrman’s movie. And hey good timing with yesterday’s release of the trailer for Sofia Coppola’s upcoming “Priscilla.” Everything’s coming up Elvis, I guess.
Donald Fagen
2/5
I’m trying, guys, but I ain’t winning. I’ll keep putting quarters in the machine the next time there’s a record from the Dan-iverse on this list, but much like Donkey Kong I don’t like the odds of it going well.
Peter Gabriel
5/5
Cocteau Twins
3/5
Ditto.
The Libertines
2/5
I may be behind you guys, but I'm with you. Nothing here moved me.
The Jam
3/5
Didn't mind this one. It all sounds pretty good and even though I was only 3 years old when it came out, it just *feels* like the perfect 1980 album; it kinda sounds like the '70s, but also kinda sounds like the '80s. Cue the New Year's Eve scene in BOOGIE NIGHTS.
OutKast
3/5
You're never gonna guess what I'm gonna say about this album...
It doesn't need to be over an hour long. That's it. All I got.
Neil Young
4/5
I’m playing catch up here, but thoroughly enjoyed this. “Mellow my Mind” is so dang good. I need to see Neil live before one of us dies.
Shack
2/5
Liked the first song, but on the whole it all feels a bit like a band you’d stumble into seeing live at some bar and go, “Hey they weren’t bad,” and then probably forget about for the rest of your life.
Also, “Shack” is an awesome band name but in no way should it belong to this band. Some hardcore kids need to reclaim it.
Primal Scream
3/5
Interesting, but a mixed bag to my ears. I like some of the instrumental stuff like \"Get Duffy,\" but not all of the instrumental stuff. Same goes for the tunes with vocals; \"Long Life\" is cool and laid back, \"Medication\" is the opposite of that, and while I don't hate either neither one sounds particularly original to me.
Mostly I just have questions. Does this genre have a name? Does it need one? Is it cool to just names songs \"Motorhead\" and \"Trainspotting\" without neither one being as good as the things they're named after?
I don't know. I'm on the fence and not moving.
Duke Ellington
4/5
Would you believe there was a time where I would listen to Duke Ellington on cassette in my car… in high school? Don’t worry, I wasn’t in jazz band. Rather, I took guitar lessons from a shredder turned jazz and bluegrass head, and he kept throwing standards at me in my lessons until some of it rubbed off. This is a great recording and you just can’t go wrong with a triple threat of “Take the A Train,” “Sophisticated Lady,” and “I Got it Bad.” Only complaint is that it takes a little time getting there. But I could listen to this all day.
Kraftwerk
5/5
This one felt pretty close to perfect in its execution of intent. The whole thing sounds incredible over headphones, it’s short, “Neon Lights” is the shit, and I like their version of the future circa 1978 more than the one we’re currently living in.
I want a robot, dammit, and I want it to sound like Kraftwerk.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Mostly with Alex on this one (though I like “Tell Me”!) in that this is all about Jagger. It’s easy to imagine superior versions of these songs being performed by Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis or somebody else from the 50’s, but… there is something about what Jagger’s doing here that makes these versions unique enough to stand apart. His whole approach to this type of music is just different, almost like he doesn’t belong at the table at first but then somehow wins you over. Really wonder what the old school American blues heads must’ve thought of this guy and this band when they first broke. Must’ve been an interesting time.
Anywho, really liked “Can I get a Witness” and did not like “Now I’ve got a Witness.” It’s weird that they sequences the latter before the former on the record, but hey man it was the 60s man.
The Flaming Lips
2/5
I’m not even sure what I think about this record. There are some really nice sounds and instrumental moments, and while Wayne’s voice has always been an acquired taste I’ve never quite acquired, it’s hard for me to argue that it doesn’t fit pretty perfectly with a song like “Do You Realize?”
But I truly spent much of this record wondering… what if this was a Beastie Boys album? All those farty synth sounds and occasional samples, plus those big drum beats with an emphasis on the open hi-hat - I’m telling you, I think post-Ill Communications era Beasties could have taken this exact same music and made something with much more vitality and fun.
And I guess that’s the real beef. I wish this album were as fun as the title.
Scissor Sisters
3/5
Interesting. On the one hand, this sounds oh so very early 2000s indie rock and the kind of thing that would’ve sent journalists off to write their next “rock is dead and dance is back” article for some music blog that no longer exists. On the other, it also sounds like the SNL skit where Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake pretend to be the BeeGees. And despite all of that… I didn’t hate it!
More than anything, it sounds mostly like Elton John (hat tip, Andy). I was thinking though of musicians who sound like Elton John and my list ended up being only 2 long. And one of them is Elton John himself. Then I was thinking, ya know what? I bet Elton John would like this band. I could totally see that. And that made me feel better about it all.
I probably won’t listen to this band again. (Unless they do a whole album of disco Pink Floyd covers; not that “Numb” was good, but it was admittedly interesting.) But I liked “Return to Oz,” and “Tits on the Radio,” as well as a few others I don’t remember the names of. Let’s call it a 2.5 but I’ll round up to be nice.
Beyoncé
2/5
Heard "Irreplaceable" over the weekend. I may be a simple man, but I'll take that again over anything on this record. I have no doubt this is a mature outing and does some deconstructing of pop/soul/hip-hop/etc. It's probably even much more rewarding upon multiple listens.
But I'm not really looking for that out of this type of music and this good of a voice. Bring me the songs that make me want to sing along with you. Not sure that was accomplished much here, nor do I really think it was even the intent.
Super Furry Animals
2/5
This feels like the modern version of The Monkees, minus the hits.
Songs and vocals didn't do it for me, but at least there were real instruments?
The Jesus And Mary Chain
3/5
Kinda in line with Craig, here. The vibe is great. There's shades of The Velvet Underground in here, but it always seems to avoid the total experimental excess in favor of shorter, poppier songs. I wish I remembered more of them, but yeah that first track is a real standout.
Still can't believe I saw them at Lolapalooza '92 in the middle of the day. I can imagine that had I first experienced them (and their big hair) in a darkened club they would have had a much greater impact on me. Nonetheless, I need to do a deeper dive on this band at some point.
Tom Waits
3/5
Playing catch up here. Mostly enjoyed this one, especially the ballads. Agree that “Ruby’s Arms” was a terrific closer. I could do with a whole album’s worth of similar songs to that one. Enjoyed “Jersey Girl,” too. The song, not the movie. Did I even see the movie? Even if I didn’t, it’s no Chasing Amy.
Tom Tom Club
3/5
For whatever reason I was expecting an 80s band with a dude who has a Rick Astley voice of some kind or another, and that's not at all what this is and that made me happy.
I liked it. The first half and the second. "Booming and Zooming" was fun and then it turned into some weird air traffic control or CB radio call and somehow I liked it even more.
I'm not going 4 stars in case I wake up in the morning with a hangover and rethink my choice, but this is solid 3 for me.
Orbital
2/5
Definitely not my thing, but I was listening to it in my car and thought I should try cranking the volume in order to get (presumably) closer to the feel of hearing it in a club environment. It was crazy! People just started walking up to my car and shoving drugs into the tailpipe and grinding up against the side mirrors. I hit the locks real fast and turned it down immediately.
Actually, it was way more enjoyable played loudly but still not my thing. I kinda liked the opening track (?) and parts of "Remind" and "Halcyon and On and On," but at the end of the day I'd rather just listen to that Kraftwerk record again.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
4/5
Ooo wheeee, I look just like Buddy Holly. Oh oh and you’re all of the other guys in that band that no one knows. Look at those poor dudes without guitars who were asked to put their hands on the guitars anyway for that cover photo. Hahaha. Bet they resented that.
Anyway, yeah it’s a classic. I thought the whole thing sounded fantastic. I like all the hits and really enjoyed “It’s Too Late,” which was less familiar to me.
But notes? You know I got ‘em. Well one. Backup singers sound like they’re singing for the church choir at times. Glad rock n’ roll moved away from that. Very glad.
We all know “Everyday” is still the best Buddy Holly song ever, but this is a solid collection of well performed second tier hits.
Traffic
3/5
Pretty much ditto what Craig said. Enjoyed it in the background for the musicianship, in the same way I might enjoy an Allman Bros. album or something in that lane. Never truly got the blood pumping, but also never annoyed me. Except that of course it’s too long because music.
Sade
3/5
This was 1984?? That doesn’t seem right. And yet… yeah, I guess it does. While I could’ve sworn “Smooth Operator” was more of a 1988 or 1989 thing, much of this album feels more connected to sounds of the ‘70s than what I think of when I think of “‘80s music.” For example, if you say “Cherry Pie + ‘80s music,” I’m going to reply with “Warrant” every single time even though that technically came out in 1990. Just how my mind works. I’m not good with dates, guys.
But speaking of, there are some songs on here like “Cherry Pie” that don’t much move the needle for me, but on the whole I liked the album more than I expected. And I think I may even like “Frankie’s First Affair” more than “Smooth Operator,” which has never been a song I’ve loved, per se. But there’s no denying it’s got a vine and an ability to stick in your head for (almost) four decades. And that’s gotta count for something. Good on ya, Sade.
De La Soul
3/5
I like it, I like it. But “Me, Myself and I” is track twenty?? Twenty?!? Mannn, that takes way too long to get to, imo. Detrimentally too long.
Really loved “Eye Know,” which isn’t a tune I was familiar with and I had fun with their spin on “The Magic Number.” (PSA: if you haven’t heard Blind Melon’s version of that song give it a listen! It’s sweet.) But, gents, there’s too much here that I could easily push to an outtakes album and I think we’d be left with a blessedly shorter and better collection of tunes. “Take it Off,” is a prime example. Don’t need it. Ditto the one about dandruff. Sorry dandruff song, you’re going on the outtakes album.
But I also recognize that is just the playbook for a lot of these hip hop albums. To my ears I hear bloat and entirely forgettable, unnecessary interludes. Other ears are obviously a lot more forgiving and I probably just need to get over it. In the meantime, I’ll be here messing up the curve.
Klaxons
2/5
I definitely listened to this and I definitely do not remember much about it.
2006 is right around the time I stopped listening to indie rock because too much of what I was tuned into felt uneventful and uninspired. I don’t necessarily think this album fell victim to the “write songs for iPod commercials” trap that a lot of similar sounding bands got seemingly caught up in, but it surely doesn’t bring anything particularly new to the table either.
Is anyone still talking about this band in 2023? Never even heard of ‘em before today.
Brian Eno
4/5
Hey I like this! Feels like it's been awhile since I've said that. "Needles in the Camel's Eye," "Baby's on Fire," "On Some Faraway Beach," - all right up my little ol' alley today.
Not everything hits the mark for me and I have so many questions about the song title "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch," but I was definitely expecting something more experimental than what I got. Or rather, something with less obvious melody than what I got. And maybe that just reveals how little I know about Brian Eno's music, but regardless I would listen to this again. A lot of moments in here that feel like they'd be good (or already are?) movie soundtrack songs.
Death In Vegas
1/5
Didn't make it all the way through, but heard plenty. You'd think a band with the name Death in Vegas would at the very freaking least have some iota of energy in their music. Something slightly exciting or interesting about them, if asking for a single memorable song is too much.
But nahhhhhhhhhh.
Leonard Cohen
4/5
I’m a 4 star guy on this one. “Bird on a Wire” is right up there as maybe my fave Cohen song, and I have a strong suspicion we will not have another album on this list with anywhere near this much mouth harp. That’s gotta be acknowledged and rewarded.
Teenage Fanclub
4/5
Catching up, not only on the week but also the past however many decades I’ve gone without ever really listening to Teenage Fanclub. And I liked it! I also haven’t done my due diligence with Big Star, so the comp that I kept thinking of was the Lemonheads. Not so much that they sound like ‘em, but if they had gone on tour together in 1994 that would have made a lot of sense in my brain and would have also been a show I would’ve enjoyed.
It feels like there’s a fair amount of meandering between the songs with discernible choruses, but otherwise good stuff. I’d maybe go 3.5 if I could, but I can’t so enjoy the no half-star bump, ya damn teenagers.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Jesus Christ, Eileen. Come on already!
I can't believe we listened to a DMR record without the one song the entire world thinks of when they think of DMR, if they ever think of DMR at all. And I'm going to stop typing DMR now.
All that aside, I liked this record in a way. Specifically, I actually liked the horns. I can't say that about many rock-ish records with horns, but I liked them here. The vocals kind of drive me nuts and I kept thinking there ought to be a word to describe this type of singing, the way people threw around the term "yarling" when talking about the way Eddie Vedder sang on those first Pearl Jam records, that the guys in Creed and STP initially copied.
There's also gotta be an indie band that had a moment in the oughts that sounds exactly like this band, but I can't think of who it is.
Anywho, it was interesting even without Eileen.
Ministry
4/5
So, let me tell you about my relationship to this era Ministry. I loved this band in high school. Ministry, NIN, Godflesh, Skinny Puppy - I'm all in. I had the three disc box set from Wax Trax. I had a keyboard that could do drum sounds and would run it through distortion pedals. It was a good time in my life. I also had a "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" t-shirt which had a big ol' engine of some kind or another on the front of it. And one day in the pizza line the dude behind me said, "Hey, if you're into racing you should come out to the speedway in South Caldwell on Friday nights." I wasn't about to go. (I probably should have.) That shirt confused the shit out of everybody and I absolutely loved that. I also saw Ministry at Lollapalooza 92, and despite Pearl Jam and Soundgarden being on the bill in their absolute primes... 1992 me probably would've told you Ministry was the best band there. They tore shit up and nobody else on that bill sounded remotely like them.
BUT... t-shirts and concerts aside, I also just really, genuinely liked the music and this album still holds up for me. It does what it does and doesn't make any bones about it. The guy lost me when he started getting political in his music a way that had absolutely zero nuance about it, but that didn't come until later. I have way more appreciation now for the first two records, but their transition to a metal band was made for nerds like me. I still love "Scarecrow," and "Just One Fix." They're grimier songs than what Trent Reznor or (uggh) Rob Zombie was doing, and then of course the album doesn't just stay in the sewer. "Hotrod" is a fun song! "TV II" is fun. "N.W.O." is a great opener and tone-setter.
And none of you are probably even reading this, but damnit now it's on the record.
Iron Maiden
4/5
Oh man. Ministry and Iron Maiden back to back? Crazy, list. Crazy.
This is definitely not the record I return to when listening to this band which I love, but I very much like the record. I'm a Dickinson guy, but it's a little like saying you're a Bon Scott or Brian Johnson person. In some ways, it's a little irrelevant given how much of AC/DC's sound is made up by the entire rhythm section. Same thing for Maiden. They get more and more progressive, and the songs get longer and longer, as these years go by... but their hallmark sound is certainly in abundance on this record. The things that make them Iron Maiden are here, regardless of who's singing.
That said, yeah I really love the vocals and hearing a version of the band that's a little less polished. There's a bit of excitement and energy to the whole endeavor that isn't always at the forefront of a lot of Maiden records. And then songs are just good. There's a handful of tunes here that they played when I saw 'em in the 2010s, and I'm sure they've been on the setlist forever and will never leave.
With good reason! This is pretty damn great.
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
Own this record, love this record. Every time I see a clock that reads "11:11" I immediately think of that song and it makes me happy. Waking up at 11:11 would also make me VERY happy, btw.
"A little piece of bacon never eaten by Elvis," is one of my favorite bits of pop-adjacent lyrics ever.
Great, lush record!
Grateful Dead
2/5
I tried. Made it about three songs in and it felt like I had already been listening for an hour.
I do, generally, like the sound. So that's something!
Jungle Brothers
2/5
I didn't listen to the whole thing, but heard enough. Not my cup of tea. Specifically, none of the Jungleos had a voice that really made me lean in. I'm picky like that.
Also, it's a little discombobulating to have a song like "Black Woman" and "U Make Me Sweat" on the same record. One seems to praise women, the other seems to catalog the ways in which the vocalist is put off by them existing. But maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Marvin Gaye
4/5
This was a more morose affair than I anticipated, but yeah - classic for a reason.
Surprised by how many versions there were on Apple Music. Anybody listen to "The Detroit mix"?
Beck
2/5
Man, this record sounds pretty darn good overall when played loudly in a car. Not as good as “Sea Change,” but pretty darn good.
Too bad the songs are no bueno.
Nothing ever seems to build to anything on any given song. It’s a collection of sounds that are never really given any direction to go other than to just be played and repeated. It also really dawned on me while listening to this just how much success Beck has had in spite (because?) of a very less than impressive singing voice. That’s nothing new, but dude has multiple Grammys and is still going strong-ish 30 years after his breakout. I’m trying to think of who else from the 90’s falls into that category and I’m drawing a blank.
Must be the Scientology bump.
Taylor Swift
2/5
I’ve heard so much current pop music the past two years and there’s so many others things in that space that I would rather listen to than Taylor Swift. And, of course, this isn’t even really a pop record is it? But everything she touches gets treated as such and I’m not sure why that is other than for reasons having to do with celebrity.
It feels like the songwriting matured, but the lyrics did not. That “no body, no crime” song? Yikes. And I kinda felt bad for the dude from The National on that one song, and I don’t even like The National. There’s the opportunity to do something interesting there, but the lyrics let me down.
Honestly, this should just be a country record. To her credit, I will say I think that “antihero” song is a step in the right direction. It feels like a blend of pop and folk that works better for me than it does on anything here.
KISS
2/5
I think KISS is why they invented greatest hits albums. There's just zero reason to listen to the stuff that didn't make it to the radio, because a lot of that isn't great anyway so you KNOW the deep cuts are going to be pretty flaccid. "Flaming Youth?" Ooof.
I will say, I don't think I'd ever heard the song "Great Expectations" before and I found that one really interesting, in the sense that it could almost be something if it were performed by almost anyone other than KISS. Because it sure as shit is not why anyone is listening to KISS in the first place.
Which is true for probably a lot of their catalog. Go listen to the cover of "God of Thunder" by Death. Shit rips.
Queens of the Stone Age
4/5
Not even in my top 3 Queens records, but what a pleasant surprise to see this on the list at all. Maybe we'll get one of the Kyuss records? Nah, who am I kidding.
Anyway, the guitar and drums make me happy. I just like that sound. I like that the riffs lean repetitive and heavy, like it's just almost metal, and yet it for sure is something else entirely. "How to Handle," "Mexicola," and "Hispanic Impressions" are a stellar trio in the middle of this sandwich. They'd get better at writing choruses and songs in general, but the seeds of what's to come are definitely sticking up in the soil here.
Flip it to the neck pickup, crank the fuzz and have at it.
Tortoise
4/5
Man, what's up with the list this week? We get Beck, Queens, Kiss, and Tortoise records, but none of the ones that fans of these bands would call their best work. (Dunno about Taylor; it's why I left her out.)
I for sure would choose to listen to "TNT" over this album nearly every day of the week, but I'm again just surprised Tortoise made the list at all. These songs are built to be driven primarily by moments versus the entirety, I think, and there are some beautiful and moodily wonderful moments throughout. The part of "Died" - which, yeah, is 20 minutes freaking long - where the vibes or xylophones or whatever kick in is so damn good that it almost makes up for the rest of the song which is a tad tame. The last song, too. Really liked that one and felt like it could've been in a David Lynch movie somewhere.
Like the Queens record, you can sense the coolness to come. Enjoyed it and it made me realize that I've missed listening to post-rock of this era.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
You know, I'm not sure I had ever listened to this album all the way through before. It's for sure a lesser piece of work than Zep IV, and kind of peters out at the end, but... I've had moments of these songs stuck in my head for 12+ hours now after listening and that tells me it's likely an album I will appreciate more on repeat listens.
"Out on the Tiles," and "Tangerine" stand out as songs from the catalog I'd never given much attention to before. "Immigrant Song" is a classic for a reason. But I think the real litmus test here is "Since I've Been Loving You." If you can stomach that song then there's probably nothing Zeppelin can throw at you that you won't, at least in some small way, appreciate. For me, this song produced a big sigh at the beginning of it; "another classic rock band just straight up ripping the blues." But it wins me over as it goes along and, in my opinion, becomes something else entirely. It's an experience, that song. I can see what somebody might absolutely loathe it.
But I'm a simple man, fellas. I like riffy guitars, loud drums, and screeching vocals. And it's impossible to argue even 50 years later, that this band didn't do that formula better than most.
Peter Gabriel
4/5
This one is just shy of great, imo. I've never listened to this entire album before, but the impact the videos for "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" had on me as a wee lad was overwhelmingly apparent as soon as those songs came on. I couldn't tell you the last time I've listened to either of those two songs. But as soon as they came on, it was like stepping into a house I once lived in. Doesn't hurt that they're great songs, too.
My critique here is mainly that the track order isn't right. But we can easily fix that. So, without further ado here is the proper track listing of "So (Taylor's Version)":
1. Red Rain
2. Sledgehammer
3. Big Time
4. Kate Bush song
5. We Do What We're Told
6. That Voice Again
7. In Your Eyes
8. Mercy Street
"This is the Picture" gets saved for a B-side where it belongs and now the record is front loaded with the upbeat hits, giving the whole thing a better spread of energy and momentum that propels us to "In Your Eyes" and closes with a more contemplative note in "Mercy Street."
That record is a 5 star record. But the one we got is 4. Hopefully, Peter Gabriel will read this and call me next time.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Aww, man. I was looking forward to this but ended up being let down like the lot of you. Is it mean to say there's just too many words? That sounds like the criticism in the movie Amadeus, but... I felt like my ears and brain reached capacity pretty early in the album and ol' Elvis was just getting warm. There's no doubt he puts more effort into having a literary voice than most vocalists, but it came off as a bit too much on this one for my tastes.
I liked "Uncomplicated" and "Battered Old Bird." There are certainly good ideas here, but a lot of these songs feel stripped down and minimal to the point of unfortunately never reaching a point where I felt genuinely excited by any one tune.
Ah well. Given that this is the 46th Costello record on the list and there are 72 more to go I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there's at least one that kind of missed the mark.
Gram Parsons
3/5
"Love Hurts." Has anyone ever played a bad cover of this tune? I'm sure such a thing exists. But man what a song.
Anywho, this didn't move my needle much but I didn't hate it. Peaceful easy feelings and relieved to see it categorized as country instead of soft rock, because I wasn't sure there before I looked. The 70s were a pretty loose time in that regard.
I'd listen to more from Mr. Parsons, but would hope to hear a more memorable set of songs.
Bad Company
2/5
Apple Music called this album "The definition of no-nonsense 70's hard rock."
That seems fair and I get the appeal. You could say that about AC/DC for every generation they've been a band. And yet...
I could go for some nonsense, you know? At least just a little.
I like "Ready for Love" and enjoyed hearing "Seagull" and "The Way I Choose" for the first time. I'm here for the ballads, dude.
Otherwise, it's the stuff I've heard on the radio a gajillion times and never much cared for. There are better bands that do this exact formula.
But main talking point: where's the line between the song "Don't Let Me Down" and the Beatles song of the same name? Bad Company didn't record a cover, and it's not exactly ripping them off. But I don't know how you hear this version *without* thinking of the Beatles tune. There's enough overlap there that it at least should've warrant the question: "Should we change the lyrics?"
And the answer should've been: "Duh. Obviously."
The Hives
2/5
Yeah, I'm closer to Andy on this one than you other two knuckleheads. I think my taste for garage rock revivalists has gone the way of the Meg Whiteosaur and disappeared entirely. I can admire the fossils and bones for what they are, but at the end of the day I'd rather watch Jurassic Park.
Still, I'll hand it to them for delivering a short album and I think the Hives clearly had more fun than anyone else from this era. (Are we getting one of The Vines records?) I'm confused by the fact this album was listed as a compilation on Apple Music and whether that's what we're doing now with this list, or if this means we're gonna get "Veni Vidi Vicious" and have to repeat the fact that "Hate to Say I Told You So" is the best song this band (or many bands) will ever write.
Until then, I'll end on a positive note: I liked the last song! More instrumentals with synths, dudes.
Dead Kennedys
4/5
Interesting to listen to this after recently listening to The Hives. I've been aware of the Dead Kennedys since I was probably 13 or 14, and am pretty sure I've listened to this album before though never owned it or considered myself a fan. But a phrase like "let's lynch the landlord" registered much differently now than it did back then, and I think I've maybe put a finger on why I've been so cold on the 2000s garage rock we've listened to on this list. The tunes on this record are fun AND about something. It's in your face and up your nose and I think that helps give it a maybe unexpected longevity that others lack. Contrast that with the Hives; are any of their songs about anything?? If they were, I couldn't tell.
And not that every album needs to be political in any way shape or form. I love plenty of songs that are about shit all. Half the time I'm not even paying attention to the lyrics anyway.
But it's nice to hear music like this that takes aim at all of America's bullshit and puts it in an energetic package that's got less to do with talent than sheer willpower. The first song is called "Kill the Poor" and you can sing along to it! That's a potent combination that will probably resonate as long as America is still being all America.
2/5
It's pretty simple, folks. You go out a drinking'? And then you come home and dare to think you might get some lovin' that you had on your mind?
THINK AGAIN.
Loved that title song and love her voice, but this one is just too much of a single musical pattern repeated twelve times. By the time you get through the first verse you know exactly how the rest of the song is gonna go and, in most instances, you know exactly what the title of the song is at that exact moment because it's the first line of the chorus. Every single time.
"Get What 'Cha Got and Go" had a little zest to it that made it stand out, but mostly I just liked that the whole entire album was basically Lynn railing against a no-good, drinking, cheating husband... and then ends with a song about how she cheated, too. Whoopsie! Lol.
Nico
4/5
The sad songs are so good here and the one-two punch in the opening would be impossible for almost any artist to maintain. Such is the case here as the wheels kind of fell off for me with the song "It Was a Pleasure Then," but then I do feel like the album recovers pretty well and finishes strong with the Lenny Bruce eulogy.
Great sounding record across the board though! Love the guitar sounds. Random comparison: this album made me think about Jeremy Enigk's "Return of the Frog Queen." Sort of a spin on acoustic/folk music, with a strange voice people either love or hate, and orchestration runs through most of it. Probably shouldn't work, but it does somehow.
I dig it.
John Lee Hooker
2/5
Yeah, it’s missing some snarl, isn’t it? I actually quite liked the final track (“No Substitute”), which is quiet and unlike anything else I’ve ever heard from JLH. An entire album that’s that stripped down and hushed like that would maybe have been interesting, but that’s not what we got.
I’d rather hear a live version and I don't think that’s the reaction you want coming out of the studio.
Kings of Leon
1/5
Well, here’s what I know: rock n’ roll must have been in a really weird damn place in 2003 for how much hype was given to records that absolutely do not hold up twenty years later.
My memory is that this is one of those albums from an American band that did well everywhere except America, which makes perfect sense that it’s included on this list. But oh man did it annoy me. You know that one song where the singer was basically screaming? It made me cringe inside my soul, and I still think it might be the best moment on the record.
It’s safe as hell and basically a Coldplay song, but I would rather listen to “Use Somebody” a dozen times in a row than hear some of these songs more than twice.
Robbie Williams
1/5
Nope. Not good.
Kinda feels like he heard Oasis and thought, "I reckon I could do that better by making the songs less interesting and more shallow, but poppier."
Did I seriously hear my dude sing a line about living long enough to see the Pope get high? Sheezus...
Beatles
4/5
Some of my favorite deeper cuts, if there is such a thing with this band, are on this record. “I’m Only Sleeping” and “For No One” would be the best two songs ever by most bands on this list. Here they are relegated to being strong complimentary pieces.
And that’s kind of how I feel about the album as a whole. It’s not my favorite Beatles record, but good lord does it compliment the overall story of this band exceptionally well.
The Triffids
2/5
Who does this guy sound like?? It's driving me crazy.
I wasn't moved by most of this, but really quite liked "Unmade Love." If the whole album was that song on repeat it'd be getting a much higher score for me. Or if it just had more songs that had a similar energy and darker tone to them I'd be here for it.
As is, it's really that one song and the instrumental title track that stood out. Too bad, because I can see the potential here for something more interesting than what the album delivered.
Björk
3/5
Kind of indifferent to this one here. Bjork seems so sweet and likable and has an impressive voice, and I could listen to “Army of Me” on repeat. But whenever I’ve delved into the albums, I kind of find myself admittedly looking for a chorus that repeats itself just once so that I can feel better about being able to tell one song from the next. But it never happens! Things are pretty and pretty weird and I just know that if she lets me in we’ll be friends! (Annnd she just locked the door in my face.)
As is, the music sort of just washes over me and keeps me at a distance. I give Von Trier credit; it for sure feels like Bjork’s in her own musical at times. That was a good call to take her and put that in a movie. But if I were directing this album, there’d be more payoff to go with all the set up.
That said, “History of Touches,” “Quicksand” and “Stonemilker” were all interesting. Hell, it’s all interesting. I just wish it were more than that.
Björk
3/5
What the what?!? Two Bjork-bums in a row? This shit’s getting crazy now. Also, I’m glad they didn’t do this with Kid Rock or we’d probably have all just up and quit.
Definitely liked this Bjork better than the other Bjork; where that one Bjorked a little too hard to the left, I think this one Bjorks a bit more down the middle, which I guess is where my Bjork-taste Bjorks most Bjorkably.
Love “Human Behaviour” and always have. “Big Time Sensuality,” like several songs here seems to suffer from instrumentation/beats that are showing their age in a way that feels so much safer than the vocals on top of them. “Anchor” was new to me and a nice discovery. Can see her closing the album as if to say “This is where I’ll be heading in the future,” but more importantly it was just a lush, pretty song.
It’s still a three star package to me, but if there’s more Bjork to be had I’m a bit more hopeful that one of these things is going to make a mark on me.
Guided By Voices
3/5
Kinda feels like REM meets The Beatles. I know of this band without knowing them, but what I do know is that they’re supposed to be very enjoyable live. That makes sense after listening to this.
So many songs in so little time. I reckon I enjoyed about one quarter of them, which makes me want to just put together a playlist of the choicest nuggets. You’d probably be left with a pretty solid little 20 minute record, which they could bang out live in its entirety twice in one set!
PJ Harvey
4/5
Gotta say, not only did I quite like the songs on this album, but considering how much crap I’ve given this list for being more British than Benny Hill, I should also confess that I specifically liked how much lyrical attention PJ gave to England. (My fave song overall probably was “England” itself.) Writing songs about place seems to be a fairly good formula for critical success. I really liked “All & Everything,” too. I’ll be listening to this one again.
The Cure
3/5
This is the most mellow album from The Cure I’ve ever heard. And I dug it. I still mostly prefer the hits, but I’d put this on again for sure when in need of some good writing music.
Can
2/5
Am I wrong to have thought that there's an electronic band also named Can? Or is that this same band and they just hadn't got to that point yet when this record came out?
Either way, I was expecting keyboards and banging on kitchen appliances and instead I got what struck my ears as a psychedelic jam band. (Redundant?)
I'd have to listen to this one again to give it a fair shake, but I didn't hate it on the surface.
Django Django
2/5
This is a weird one. Kinda liked it when it was at its most minimal and just leaned into the electronic nature of it all in a song like "Love's Dart."
But much of the time I was just like: "This kinda sounds like Beck. And I don't feel good about that."
And that's just where things lay.
Jeff Buckley
3/5
The cynic in me thinks this album would have never become the touchstone it is for so many people had Buckley not died at the age he did.
I also recognize that's a pretty shitty thing to think, and also there's little point to that thought exercise. So, trying to judge the music just for what it is mostly reinforced what I already suspected about the album: "Last Goodbye" and "Hallelujah" are the clear standouts and nothing else really rises to that level for me. That said, I quite like "So Real," whether it sounds like Tears for Fears or not.
I also kept simply thinking about how much the guy from Muse reeeeallly borrowed vocally from Buckley and how that's kinda icky.
Arcade Fire
3/5
You know what? I was prepared to pan this. I moved on to other things after Neon Bible and had yet to really check back in to all things Arcade Fire until this list thrust it upon me.
It's too long. But it's not bad. Of all the bands out there attempting to write indie rock anthems, I'm not sure many do it in a way that's as interesting or genuine (?) as Arcade Fire on these first few records they put out.
But there's just no way that continued, right? I feel like I would've heard some of their music sneak onto the radio or into movies since 2010, but I don't recall that happening. Maybe I'm just unawares.
TLC
1/5
Guys, this is terrible. I'm only giving it one star because of the phone sex on the toilet gag on song number 12. The rest is just horny waterfalls.
Stephen Stills
2/5
Ehhhhhhhh. I mean, it's not bad but it's not Neil Young. I also liked the last song, but was less ecstatic about the cream in the middle of this particular Oreo.
Btw, did you notice how often he used the word "Stills" in his album titles? Wow.
Tim Buckley
2/5
Good list suggestion, Andy. Let's get it up on the internet, stat.
I don't have a ton to say about this album other than it feels appropriately titled, because I was happy for a second and then mostly sad. Ironically, the sad songs are definitely the ones that came the closest to making me happy. Just not all the way.
I'd still probably listen to this again before I revisit the TLC record though. (Should've called that one "Horny Sad.")
Pink Floyd
2/5
Yeah. Just yeah. Obviously better things to come.
Nas
4/5
Pretty much every song where the beat uses a jazz sample is a good time in hip hop town. Can't say I loved the entire album, or even part of it, but I can say I appreciated that this is different in a noticeably good way from a lot of the stuff we've heard in this genre from the list. I'll go with the four to copy you cats.
Frank Black
3/5
I think I have a better understanding after listening to this of why I’ve never fully gone all in on the Pixies or Frank Black. There are so many great ideas and yet I feel like it’s rare that they add up to make great songs. With this album specifically, it’s like Frank is always more interested in the next song than in making the current one really, really good. Swear to God, if you combined every three songs on this record into a single song, you’d be left with like 7 pretty damn good songs. But that’s not what we get.
“Headache” is excellent and there were others I liked. But the album as a whole is more like a quilt of disparate and interesting ideas when all I want it to be is a really good warm blanket.
George Jones
4/5
Yeah, I probably spent some time with this as a kid without knowing it. This era of country music works well in the background and foreground. There's enough variation here to keep me engaged and the last song mentions heavy drinking. Boxes checked.
Blondie
4/5
This is as 4 stars as 4 stars gets. Never lulls, never quite grabs the halo of perfection.
I miss this attitude.
Devendra Banhart
1/5
Not gonna lie and not gonna apologize: I couldn't make it through this. Songs about beards are one thing, but that shit where he's basically naming Elvis songs in the lyrics and adding twenty extra V's to the word "viva"? I'm out.
Not saying he doesn't follow in a long line of folk singer songwriters whose voices are an acquired taste, but I have no desire to acquire this particular one and I'm just gonna chalk that up to taste.
Miriam Makeba
4/5
Completely and unexpectedly charmed by this. "Lakutshn Ilanga" is beautiful and how fun was "One More Dance"?
Aside from being enjoyable all year round, I oddly got "this would work well at Christmas" vibes from this one, too. I'm gonna make that happen.
Frank Sinatra
4/5
Use your mentality
Wake up to reality
Frank’s spitting hot bars here, fellas. I quite enjoyed this. My daughter came in when I was listening and said it sounded like Christmas music. I’m telling you, I am going to have a banging non-Christmas Christmas playlist this holiday season. Keep ‘em coming!
George Michael
3/5
Man, this one starts off really well and just can’t maintain it. At the same time, it seems pretty clear that George had no intentions of doing so in the first place. This thing reeks of “I made a huge hit so I’m gonna do whatever the hell I want to now.” This is maybe most evident on a song like “Cowboys and Angels.” I would love to the see the record exec who had to sit with George and listen to this for the first time and diplomatically say, “So you’re *sure* you want this smooth jazz David Lynch soundtrack song on the follow up to Faith?”
I’m here for it though. That song, the opener, and “They won’t go when I go” are all darn good songs on their own (I think? Or maybe just “good.”) But they exist on album that was probably never going to meet pop expectations in the first place and only exacerbate the feeling that the only focus to this record was to not make Faith again.
Mission accomplished?
Fela Kuti
3/5
I can dig, I can dig. Title song is pretty great, but "Mr. Follow Follow" should follow follow something else, because it kinda took me out of the groove.
Also, I now know that Berlin has/had a jazz festival. Who knew!
Portishead
3/5
You know what? I wasn't feeling this to start off. In fact, I was prepared to make some sort of joke about how no one has ever seen the world's biggest trip hop fan and the creator of this list in two separate locations at the same time. Because clearly the guy who made this list is the One True Trip Hop Fan of All Time and there's no arguing the point. And I won't argue that Third is in any way as good as Portishead's other stuff, but by the end I was pretty won over. "The Rip" is a pretty fantastic song. I liked "Threads" a lot, too. And really, everything in between was kind of working for me in a way that is different from the way their other stuff does. There's a more alternative bent to these songs, maybe?
I don't know. I just know I liked it.
Genesis
4/5
Too long, too ornamental, too pretentious, too much of everything. That's prog baby!
And I loved it.
Somehow I had not taken the time to listen to this one, in spite of going on a bit of a classic Genesis kick a few years ago. The length probably put me off. But I'll be revisiting this one a lot. No way to really process it all after just one listen.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
2/5
Can I agree with you both at the same time? Love how this record songs, but don't love the record. Guy sounds like Tom Jones (or maybe vice versa, I dunno) and I can't quite make out what direction this record is headed. It's like trying to walk a dog on a leash and expecting it to go in a straight line; just not happening. My arm/ear is getting yanked all over the place and we're basically walking in a circle.
Still. It does sound good! And I kinda like that they sneak in the riff from "Sunshine of Your Love" in a song. But also kinda hate that. Again, dog yanking the arm.
Carole King
4/5
I had no idea I knew this many Carole King songs.
This is just pretty darn good from start to finish. And I actually like the title song! There's maybe a little too much lyrical repetition in "You've Got a Friend" and "Where You Lead," but maybe that's just me. Lots of telling friends they just need to call. Ehh.
But speaking of "You've Got a Friend," I also had no idea that this version and the James Taylor cover were recorded simultaneously and released in the same year. What a cool little experiment that worked better than probably anyone could have imagined. This album has sold 30 million copies! That's a big ass number.
Tricky
3/5
Funny, I watched a video on YouTube over the weekend with this audiophile guy who was raving about this record. I started listening to it, but stopped and now here we are. The circle of life and all that.
I should point out the guy in the video was British and as such is required by law to like this kind of music. (That's factually correct, right Alex?) Hell, he maybe is the author of this very list. I'll look into it.
Anyway, I didn't find it earth shattering or as good as the Portishead record we just listened to. But I did like moments and overall it has a cool kind of temperature to it. "Pumpkin" was my favorite song. That's something I could listen to multiple times and I even looked up Alison Goldfrapp on Wikipedia because I liked her voice on that track. The opening tune stood out and I did notice that there's some solid cussin' going on here and there, but mostly it was just some good sounding background beats.
Mike Ladd
2/5
Samesies. I played it, music happened, no emotional connection was made one way or the other.
Michael Kiwanuka
4/5
Really liked this and had no clue it existed. For sure lives in the homage territory, but that's where the sweet $$$ is these days.
Or not. I just assume so because otherwise I can't explain Greta Van Fleet.
Happy Mondays
2/5
I feel like this guy's voice does not fit this music. There's a rub here, right?
I couldn't get into it. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of the three things in the album title on their own, let alone all together. It was always going to be a tough sell.
Pavement
2/5
For every song I like there were two I didn't. If it matters, this is the first time I think I've ever listened to an entire Pavement record.
There's a lot in the sound of this record that I appreciate. It's about as 90s indie and one can indie. It also made me think of The Dead Milkmen for some reason. When's the last time you listened to that band?
Anyway, I liked "In the Mouth of the Desert" and "Here," specifically. One star for each of those songs.
Circle Jerks
3/5
Favorite song was the last one. Those drum fills on “Red Tape” are tight!!
Other than that, my main takeaway here is that I’m sure this was fun live but it’s not a record I’m just gonna listen to casually on repeat.
Still, glad to check Circle Jerks off my punk rock bingo card. Short songs, good energy, and occasionally something to say.
Dolly Parton
3/5
How can something that sounds this pretty have an album cover that is that ugly? Jeeeeezus. That is horrid.
That aside, I found this to be a very pleasing album to listen. I played in my car, which is probably not ideal, but it did sound very good overall and it’s hard to argue that these three voices just work very well together. Even their vibrato at times seemed to be in perfect unison, which I’m guessing is quite tricky to do.
“To Know Him is to Love Him” is a stand out, as is “I’ve Had Enough” and that clarinet swell that came out of nowhere.
But come on - you’ll never hear a prettier song with the word “Hobo” in the title than “Hobo’s Meditation.” And that’s just the facts, Jack.
3/5
I think I liked this one more than you guys. Full disclosure: I got to meet Wayne Kramer a couple times, as he did a good bit of the music on Eastbound and Down. Cool guy who was nice enough to tolerate me asking him about the one time he played with Soundgarden and Tad instead of anything MC5 related. But that did not influence this review. (It totally influenced this review.)
I’ve listened to this record before, but probably not more than once. Had it on today in the car and found more to appreciate. It’s sloppy as hell, kinda annoying, and falls into the old standard blues rock bag of tricks on “Motor City Burning.” But the five songs prior to that one all kinda worked for me in the context of being a live show with good energy and a terrible mix. It’s the kind of concert that would be great fun at a hole in the wall club that isn’t even really a club. “Borderline” was cool and unexpected. “Starship” is ridiculous. And before you know it the whole thing is over.
I don’t know, there’s definitely something here even all these years later.
System Of A Down
3/5
I'm gonna also go to bat for this one. This band is an acquired taste, to say the least, and our dear List Leaders have unfortunately again gone with an album that very few fans would say is the group's best. Which is too bad because "Toxicity" is maybe the only good thing to come out of nu-metal and I have a hunch it ain't coming up in our queue.
You can hear the progression towards that album on this one, but there's far too much dependence on pretty basic breakdowns and the kitchen sink approach to the vocals. He tames that shit down a tad later and it just fits better on an album that is more thrashy and spastic musically all around. I realize saying that probably means there's no chance in hell that Craig will listen to it now, but I'm telling you... if you give it a chance to click, and it clicks? It's a hell of a guilty-esque pleasure. And not even that guilty! Because unlike most (all?) of their counterparts, System of a Down chose more interesting things to write songs about than say, "the nookie" or "bawitiba da-bang da-bang please-shoot-me-in-the-face." Low bar, yes, but dudes were signing crazy weird ass songs about the Armenian genocide and the industrial prison complex.
What I'm trying to say is they're better than Disturbed. Can we all just agree on that?
UB40
3/5
UB40? Cool, IB46.
Now that we know each other, let me say that I didn’t know this band had even made a record that didn’t have “Red, Red Wine” on it. I mean, it makes sense. Just never crossed my mind.
I didn’t hate this. In fact, there was one song I even listened to twice. (“Food for Thought”) The whole thing sounded good enough to make for decent background music, and while it’s not something I’d ever reach for when I actively want to listen to something, anything… I can kind of wrap my head around how this would have made an impression in 1980. And, yeah, the OG fans who were into this then must’ve hated the turn to radio friendly reggae a few years later.
Big Star
4/5
This album makes me miss VH1. I like the record just fine, but I would watch the shit out of a behind the music style making-of about this one. Show me some crusty old producer/mixer behind a giant console playing the stems for various instruments and I would eat it up with a spoon. Some of the mixes on this thing are wild. I'd love to hear about how they made these decisions.
Anyway, it's a bit too long for my liking but I pretty much liked all the slow songs. It's like a deconstructed late-era Beatles record or something. I don't know how else to describe it. "Big Black Car" is great. "Holocaust." "Nightime." The cover of "Nature Boy." All pretty darn great.
But dang there's 18 songs here and I wish that number was smaller. Maybe some of the others would grow on me with repeated listens; they definitely would grow on me if they could be heard in my hypothetical dream VH1 doc.
Deep Purple
3/5
This one’s all about “Child in Time.” If you dig that song then the odds are good you’ll remember it and remember this album. If not, then the whole thing probably falls into the category of a collection of overlong rock tunes that never quite compete with Led Zeppelin.
I like “Child in Time” and still think the other songs are mostly too long and lacking in melody and lyrics that really stick in the brain. “Into the Fire” stood out on this listen and I really like a lot of the guitar playing throughout. But yeah - Deep Purple continues to be one of those bands that means more to other musicians I like than they mean to me.
Ray Charles
4/5
Ahh. This is nice. This is refreshing. It's like the Sprite of this week's list.
Kings of Leon
2/5
Damn, this still isn't the one with the radio hits on it?
I like "The Bucket" and "Where Nobody Knows." But just give me the damn one with the popular songs and let's get it over with already, list.
Talvin Singh
2/5
Is this the week I catch up on everything? We'll see! Depends on if you believe in Christmas miracles.
Anyway, this is one of those albums that makes it easy to not want to catch up. It's there, it has music, it has some interesting moments, but ultimately it just makes me wonder who on earth thinks that there aren't 1000 other albums better than this.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
2/5
Not entirely sure why, but this plane didn't land entirely on the runway for me this go around. Some obvious good songs, but "Am-A-Do" struck me as a truly bad way to end the album and left a sour taste in my mouth.
I'm taking down the average, sorry!
LTJ Bukem
1/5
My biggest issue with drum and bass is the lack of guitar and vocals.
Other than that this was fantastic.
Japan
3/5
I like it. Makes me think of Duran Duran on sedatives.
"Despair" was maybe my fave? But I liked most of it, and by "most," I mean pretty much everything except for the cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties."
Which is why it's a good thing that on this version I'm listening to on Apple Music, that song only appears on the record (*checks tracklist*) THREE times.
Somebody's got to put me in charge of all album sequencing ever. Sigh.
The Associates
2/5
Not familiar with this one but it’s an interesting beast. Shades of The Cure or were these guys first to the scene?
I liked “Club Country” best and a few others tied for second. “Bap de la Bap” though? No, thank you. Keep you Bap to yourself, please.
On the whole, I couldn’t quite reach a solid point of enjoyment with this one and I mainly blame the vocals. There’s a lot going on there.
SZA
4/5
Digging this. I didn't know what to expect given the only other song I've heard from Miss SZA is "Kill Bill," which I like and is fun, but I suspected is probably a bit of an anamoly from the rest of her work. If this album is any indication, that suspicion is about half right. Good news I didn't dislike the other half nearly as much as I feared.
Might as well state the obvious, too: it takes a special kind of talent to rap/sing about Forest Gump and pussy in the same song. That's just not something a lot of people in the world can do. At the very least, it's worth a star.
I had a mostly good time with this albzm. (Did I do that right?)
Hawkwind
2/5
Space is deep, so deep it put ya butt to sleep...
Okay, not entirely. I actually like this a lot in a very generalized way, but I would A) have to take a lot of drugs to be willing to sit through a concert this long and this loose, and B) have to develop an interest in taking a lot of drugs, in order to really say it moved me. That's a big ask.
Lemmy from Motorhead was in Hawkwind, correct? That's all I knew about them before listening to this. At least now I know a bit more. And sure enough there's some pretty cool bass work going on here.
Fairport Convention
4/5
Kings of Leon
3/5
Well, I basically asked for this one just to get it over with, so I felt obligated to listen to it.
As suspected, it’s a much more enjoyable affair. It at least feels of a piece and I do think “Sex is on Fire” works just fine for what it is. “Use Somebody” is catchy and there were a few others like “Revelry” and the opener that I didn’t mind. They’re a better mainstream alternative band than the southern garage whatever they were trying to be on those other records, and I don’t care if this is a more boring record - it at least has some memorable tunes.
That said, I found myself imagine what these songs would sound like with any other singer and came to the conclusion that the answer is basically My Morning Jacket. That band probably could have made this exact same record if they wanted to and it would have been less annoying vocally.
So then. Since I willed this one into being I’m going to take a shot at predicting this will, mercifully, be the last Kings of Leon album on this list.
Judas Priest
4/5
United, united, united we stand!
For the longest time my only thought regarding Judas Priest is that they were music for rednecks. When I started getting properly back into metal in the mid-aughts I bought a copy of this album in the used cd section and (finally) realized young me was a big dummy. This thing sounds great, doesn’t overstay its welcome, has the radio hits AND has a bunch of gems I’d never heard but now hold in high regard. Why didn’t they play “Metal Gods” on the classic rock station? That song rips and gets to the point right there in the title. “The Rage” is a mid-tempo stomper and “United” is a sing-a-long song from a guy nobody can really sing like.
If I liked “Breaking the Law” better this would be a 5 star banger for me, but… that song is still kinda for rednecks. Which is fine! Just not my favorite.
The War On Drugs
2/5
This is such a cool name for a band, and such a disappointing one for a band that sounds like this.
I don't hate it, but it totally reminds me of that one non-folksy Ryan Adams album, except he's a better singer. (I think? Do I care?)
But, man, this would be such a killer name for a hardcore band...
The Zutons
2/5
I didn’t mind this so much when they weren’t trying to do that garage rock thing. Not something I’ll be clamoring to listen to again, but the presence of a saxophone was appreciated.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Who knew this existed? It's not even on Apple Music. But I'm sure ding-dang glad I found it on YouTube. Is this the jazz discovery of the entire list??
I think that's a solid yes. This thing swings, sounds terrific, doesn't overstay it's welcome, and is just pleasing to listen to. Real, real good!
Soft Cell
2/5
I've gone this long in my life with only knowing a single song by Soft Cell. And now I know why!
"Tainted Love" is so far above and beyond everything else on this record that it's kinda hard to believe they managed to so completely knock that one out of the park when the rest of the album is mostly filled with foul balls. I could tolerate "Chips on My Shoulder" and "Bedsitter," but the same can not be said for many of the others. "Sex Dwarf" got skipped pretty hard, guys.
Most of all, I have come away with the impression that this dude just isn't a very good singer. Or the songs aren't written for his voice. Or they could really benefit from some 1981 auto-tune. (Looking at you final track.) Either way, the fit is off.
Except for when it isn't. Which is "Tainted Love."
Magazine
3/5
Plucky little album, isn't it? I've heard "Shot by Both Sides" before and I can't tell you where. My guess is that it's in a movie. At any rate, that song is indicative of the others in that I frequently love the music here, but don't as frequently love the vocals. (That's the trend of the week, it seems.)
That said, this cover of "Goldfinger" is the shit. Worth a star on its own.
M.I.A.
3/5
Is it possible to both like and be annoyed by an album at the same time?
That's how I'm feeling about this one. Sometimes it felt intentionally grating and other times it just has this cool groove to it that I enjoyed. Crazy to me that "Paper Planes" is track 11, but then it does at least give the back of the album a real banger.
Not sure how I feel about the use of those Pixies lyrics in whatever song that was. Hmm.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
4/5
Uggh with this stinking site... they never showed me Nick Cave and just went straight to Big Brother and the Holding Company.
I will have to listen to this album, but yeah - it's a guaranteed three+ stars for me, so I'll just go ahead and call it a four.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
2/5
Afraid I've come away thinking the best thing about this one is the (awesome) album artwork from Mr. Crumb. Maybe it's just that I wasn't in the mood, but dare I say I found Joplin's screeching and howling on every single song a bit grating?
Works on "Piece of My Heart" but I'll argue that's the exception and not the rule.
Grumpalump over and out!
Dexys Midnight Runners
2/5
Absolute insanity. We still haven't had "Come on Eileen"! They gotta be effing with us, right? Damn trolls. Lol.
Digging some of the music here, but my dude sounds like he's singing with a sock in his mouth half the time. And I don't know why the hell he'd do that; he's got kind of a cool thing going on when he's not eating socks. God I'd love to hear the vocal stems for this...
I'm hoping now that EVER single album Dexys put out is on the list and that the very last album we listen to - number 1000 - is finally, mercifully the one with Eileen. If that happens, immediate 5 stars.
TV On The Radio
3/5
Rumor is that if you write down the number "2004" on a little piece of paper, put it in a bottle with a little bit of topsoil and water, and put that bottle on a table near a window, that in two weeks time that piece of paper will grow into this album, not unlike a Chia Pet.
I was more into the one that follows this one, but I like this one well enough. "Staring at the Sun" is hard to ignore and the guitar on "Poppy" makes me happy. A lot of these songs though sound like they're on the burner but never quite come to a boil.
Still, I'll gladly take this side of early 2000s indie over the garage rock revivalists.
Calexico
3/5
Yeah, you know at first I just thought this was a band that Ryan Adams was in that I didn't remember. The first couple songs definitely lean that way. But the run from "Black Heart" to "Woven Birds" went in very different directions and I went right along for the ride. The latin influences really added quite a bit, imo. I'd listen to more from these amigos.
Pet Shop Boys
4/5
I *actually* really liked this! I of course know this band, and yet probably couldn't name a single song title prior to sitting with this record. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," "It Couldn't Happen Here," "It's a Sin" - I liked all three of those a real good bit and enjoyed the rest overall. I like the dude's voice. I like the album cover. I like the sound.
I'm lukewarm on "Shopping" and also shopping. But you know what? You can't have Pet Shop Boys without pet shops. And I've shopped at plenty of pet shops. So what do I know? Four stars.
Jamiroquai
2/5
In all honesty I would genuinely rather listen to Maroon 5. It's like they took the blueprint from Jamiroquai and realized that all anybody cares about are the melodies and pop hooks, and just got rid of all the stuff that wasn't quite Stevie, wasn't quite funk, and wasn't quite jazz.
Case in point: I actually liked that one song that was all jazz and no vocals.
Morrissey
4/5
I'll be the outlier. I'm not a huge Smiths-head. I like 'em, but haven't really done the deep dive. But I remember when "Irish Blood, English Heart" came out that it really caught my attention. It still does!
I like the opener. I like the flute on "I'm Not Sorry." I like "Let Me Kiss You." "All the Lazy Dykes" is... interesting. Etc.
I'll definitely allow that it may pale in comparison to the rest of the dude's catalog, but maybe ignorance is bliss here for those of us who don't know a damn thing about a damn thing.
Snoop Dogg
3/5
There are albums you know because you listened to them, and then there are albums you know because you listened to them in your friend’s car. This is one of those.
I can’t hate the thing. But what’s more fun is this: go look up Snoop and Kevin Hart doing commentary on horse dressage during the last Olympics. That made me laugh. This album just kinda makes me grin.
The Damned
4/5
Hey this was damned good. Never listened to this band before in my life, but "Plan 9 Channel 7"? That song smokes. The chorus is sooo good.
Love the incorporation of keys and some of the other instrumentation, while still feeling very much like a tried and true punk record. I gotta hear more of this band.
The Adverts
4/5
This was cool from start to finish. Who the hell are the Adverts?
Sonic Youth
4/5
Really, really liking this. Somehow I've gone my whole life without ever owning a Sonic Youth record. Seems strange, too, because the guitars are so up my alley. I think I've probably just struggled to hear the "songs" amidst the chaos in the past, but it's clicking for me now. "Wish Fulfillment" and "Sugar Kane" is a hell of a one-two punch. And "Chapel Hill"!
Mudhoney
4/5
Oh man. School schedule got me slammed, but I can't believe the stuff that's been rolling on this list this week!
My first thought when seeing this Mudhoney album here was... is it possible, just possible, that "Superfuzz/Bigmuff" is also gonna be on this list? Seems unlikely, but anybody who knows Mudhoney knows that their best album ain't the one with "fudge" in the title. I guess we shall see.
Anyway, I enjoy this sucker for what it is and was surprised at how well it holds up. If I were writing clickbait headlines for bad music blogs, I could easily imagine cooking up one that says, "Mudhoney is the best grunge band you've never heard of." I've always found Mark Arm's voice to be off-putting and grimy. I think it's because it almost always sounds as if it's doubled in some capacity? I'm not sure. He doesn't sound like any of the other grunge singers, and yet... I hear it and I just think "That's grunge." And I love it.
But this isn't their Nevermind.
The The
2/5
Not feeling this, y’all. Help me help myself: what am I missing?
Joan Baez
2/5
Joni > Joan