Blue Lines
Massive AttackThe original trip hop album. Still sounds just as good now as it did 30 years ago.
The original trip hop album. Still sounds just as good now as it did 30 years ago.
First CD I ever owned. Got it for Christmas 1991 - which was the same date that I got my first CD player / stereo. I was 13 years and this played in my room more or less constantly for well over a year. A seminal album in rock n' roll - along with Nirvana's Nevermind, probably THE defining album of the Seattle scene / grunge movement. And, amazingly, it has aged extremely well.
I had heard his name - mainly in association with other folkies from his era (Bert Jansch, Roy Harper, Nick Drake, etc), but I don’t think I’d ever heard his music. This is an absolutely unique, strange, and fascinating listen. A crazy mix of straightforward, earnest folk music and MUCH more experimental stuff. Acoustic backslap guitar, pronounced jazz-like bass, saxophone, off-kilter beats/drums, odd instrumentation (did I hear a dijereedoo in there?) and borderline stream of consciousness slippery/mumbled lyrics that play along with the music. I could listen to this all day long. I’m going to dig into the rest of his catalog.
I love this album. Haven’t listened to it in a long time. It’s the spirit of Cuba - and by extension - the Caribbean. The songs have a folk-tune, comforting quality to them that transfers to the listener, even if you can’t understand all the lyrics.
I can objectively appreciate what it is, but this is decidedly not for me.
Very familiar. One of the best hip hop albums of all time - followed up Check Your Head in the BB’s progression into more mature / thoughtful themes (religion, domestic violence, music history, social issues, etc) while also remaining funky as hell and super funny/fun.
I love this album. Haven’t listened to it in a long time. It’s the spirit of Cuba - and by extension - the Caribbean. The songs have a folk-tune, comforting quality to them that transfers to the listener, even if you can’t understand all the lyrics.
The two songs that became famous - “sweet emotion” and “walk this way” - were the right ones. Especially “sweet emotion.” They’re legitimately great rock songs and sound totally different than everything else on the album. The rest of the album is kinda pedestrian guitar rock, with the exception of “big ten inch record,” which is just freaking awful and filled with bad sexual double entendres, to boot. “You See Me Crying” is foreshadowing of the absolute garbage that Aerosmith would put out in the 90’s.
In my opinion, Tea for the Tillerman (and his followup Teaser and the Firecat) are the two best folk albums of the 1970’s. Just great from start to finish. “Wild World” is an obvious standout and gives the album it’s needed pop hit, but “Father and Son” is one of the best songs - in any genre - ever written.
I can appreciate her talent, but she’s not my cup of tea.
I knew Husker Du and Mould’s solo stuff, but somehow totally missed out on Sugar. Great album.
I had never heard this (or heard OF this). And I’m not a fan. I’m not sure if it’s just a dated sound or what, but the production sort of sounds like this album was made as a joke. Like a mocking of David Bowie. Maybe it was? Some of this is just straight up cringeworthy.
Similar feelings to my thoughts about the Aerosmith album that I had to listen to the other day. Mostly meh guitar rock with a few standouts.
I had heard his name - mainly in association with other folkies from his era (Bert Jansch, Roy Harper, Nick Drake, etc), but I don’t think I’d ever heard his music. This is an absolutely unique, strange, and fascinating listen. A crazy mix of straightforward, earnest folk music and MUCH more experimental stuff. Acoustic backslap guitar, pronounced jazz-like bass, saxophone, off-kilter beats/drums, odd instrumentation (did I hear a dijereedoo in there?) and borderline stream of consciousness slippery/mumbled lyrics that play along with the music. I could listen to this all day long. I’m going to dig into the rest of his catalog.
Gotta be honest. I had never heard of this album or this band. This is a great album. It sounds like if Oasis had the creative sensibilities of Stephen Malkmus. Gritty, somewhat dark 90’s alt/brit rock. Good stuff.
I can appreciate Eminem’s abilities and his place in the ‘pantheon of rap,’ but I honestly can’t listen to this album. It’s like he just picked a bunch of topics to be edgy or contrarian about and then rapped about them. I felt similarly about it when it came out in 1999 (when I was 21) and my opinion hasn’t changed in the years since.
First CD I ever owned. Got it for Christmas 1991 - which was the same date that I got my first CD player / stereo. I was 13 years and this played in my room more or less constantly for well over a year. A seminal album in rock n' roll - along with Nirvana's Nevermind, probably THE defining album of the Seattle scene / grunge movement. And, amazingly, it has aged extremely well.
It’s fine. Paved the way for some other female-fronted alternative/rock bands in a scene that was decidedly male-dominated. In terms of the actual music, I was never that big a fan.
Super weird and uniquely Eno - at his transitional stage between rock and minimalism/ambient. Great album.
Legitimately good album, even though I personally can’t stand Courtney Love any anything she stands for culturally, historically, or otherwise.
Yep, that’s Black Sabbath.
One of my favorite albums - if not my favorite - of all time. The title song is the first song I learned to play on guitar and is still my go-to “noodling” song when I pick up the instrument. I love everything about the album and all of its weird little idiosyncrasies.
One of the best albums ever recorded. Full stop.
Great live album. Although - to be honest - I found it somewhat underwhelming overall this time around.
I had listened to a lot of Bob Marley but had somehow never heard this album. In retrospect, I don’t know how that is possible. Great album and really interesting versions of well known songs.
I love anything Fela Kuti did. This album is awesome.
I don’t know much about Crowded House. I’m digging this album. Easy to listen to, hook-heavy 90’s pop. Kind of reminds me of Toad the Wet Sprocket a bit.
Super funky and socially conscious. I can dig it.
meh
Great record. Throwback to 50s/60s rock and r&b but with 70s punk vibe/influences. Also somewhat of a landmark for alt/indie rock.
I like his later stuff better. This was maybe a little too weird for me.
pffft
Good album. A few standouts and a bunch of kind of “generic” psych-rock songs (that were probably no generic at all at the time).
Not bad, but also not that good. I can fully understand why the other BritPop bands passed them by.
I like Metallica. Not an uber fan by any stretch, but I like their stuff. This is great. And even better if you watch the live concert on Youtube.
Great album. Roxy Music is kind of a blind spot for me.
Awesome.
I had literally zero knowledge of this band. This is actually a really interesting psych/folk listen.
one of the best albums ever made. period.
She’s awesome.
Oh hell yes. Best soul singer of all time.
The original trip hop album. Still sounds just as good now as it did 30 years ago.
Genuinely didn’t know what I expected from this album. I hadn’t heard overly good things about Echo & the Bunnymen - I was pleasantly surprised. This sounds quite a bit like some of the more obscure alt/indie rock from the mid 2000s. I dig it. “The Killing Moon” is a straight-up great song.
One of the best live albums ever made. Period.
huzzah.
This record is fucking bananas and I kind of love it. Also, I can’t believe it came out in 1966 - in Germany. Holy shit.
great album “Shabby Doll” suck, though.
Just flat-out awesome.
I can objectively appreciate what it is, but this is decidedly not for me.
This is fucking awesome.
Really like this. Doesn’t feel overly “groundbreaking” but it may have been for the time. Good stuff.
Ok. Not bad, but not my favorite. Bass is pretty badass.
I’ve never given cheap trick the time of day. This album is legitimately great.
Solid album, although not great (in my opinion) due to it being somewhat inconsistent and a bit repetitive at times. A few REALLY amazing songs on there though.
Ok. Not bad, but not my favorite. Bass is pretty badass.
yes
It’s Elvis. I mean, c’mon. 5 stars.
I had never heard of this, which is somewhat surprising given that this type of music was right up my alley during this timeframe (college). Pretty great stuff.
This is unbelievably good.
One of my favorite albums. Unique and weird and quirky and funny and funky. It was awesome then and it’s awesome now.
Technically, this might be the best pop record ever made. An absolute masterpiece that is completely enjoyable on multiple levels.
One of the best pure guitar driven hard rock albums ever.
In terms of pure folk beauty, the high points on this album are about as good as it gets. Overall, it’s a little inconsistent - but when it hits its peaks - damn.
Meh.
This album hasn’t aged well, but her voice is absolutely something to behold when it’s used correctly. Her version of Nothing Compares 2 U is one of the best vocal performances of all time in any genre.
He looks like Frankenstein’s monster on the cover. Besides “Perfect Day” and “Walk On The Wild Side” (which are both fantastic) and to a lesser extent “Satellite of Love” and maybe “Goodnight Ladies” (for its weirdness), this album kind of sucks. Like quickly scrawled high school lyrics mangled and shoehorned to fit over basic power chord guitar music.
Not my thing.
Musically fantastic. I think I’d like it better if someone else was singing the songs, however.
Yes. All of this. All the time.
No thanks.
Great album. “Ramble On” might be my favorite song of theirs (among many).
I don’t personally like this one as much as My Aim Is True, but still - it’s Elvis Costello at the peak of his powers and it’s great.
Great album. It’s interesting to consider just how weird David Byrne’s cadence / singing patterns were.
Never heard of this album or band previously. This is pretty great.
Great, funky, weird album.
One of the best albums of all time. Period.
Love her or not, Baez is definitely one of the foundational pillars of modern folk in America.
not my bag
not my bag
I can appreciate what she’s doing, but I don’t necessarily enjoy listening to it.
Amazingly good album.
one of the best
Good album, but there are probably 10 better Stones albums than this one.
slorgggggh
Amazing album. Has all the McCartney-esque verve of the late Beatles albums.
No, fuck that guy.