My 1001 Albums Journey

Album	You	Global	Diff
Phaedra	5	2.73	+2.27
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury	5	2.88	+2.12
Sail Away	5	2.97	+2.03
Heavy Weather	5	2.98	+2.02
Deserter's Songs	5	3.02	+1.98
Electric	5	3.02	+1.98
Modern Kosmology	5	3.08	+1.92
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway	5	3.08	+1.92
Everything Must Go	5	3.11	+1.89
Drunk	5	3.12	+1.88

Album	You	Global	Diff
Nevermind	1	4.37	-3.37
MTV Unplugged In New York	1	4.21	-3.21
In Utero	1	3.83	-2.83
Metallica	1	3.79	-2.79
Parallel Lines	1	3.76	-2.76
White Blood Cells	1	3.68	-2.68
Transformer	1	3.67	-2.67
The Velvet Underground & Nico	1	3.62	-2.62
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)	1	3.61	-2.61
good kid, m.A.A.d city	1	3.61	-2.61

Artist	Albums	Avg	Score
Radiohead	6	4.67	4.11
Beatles	7	4.57	4.1
Led Zeppelin	5	4.6	4
Joni Mitchell	4	4.75	4
Yes	3	5	4
Simon & Garfunkel	3	5	4
The Who	5	4.4	3.88
Stevie Wonder	4	4.5	3.86
Public Enemy	3	4.67	3.83
Deep Purple	3	4.67	3.83
The Flaming Lips	2	5	3.8
AC/DC	2	5	3.8
The Police	2	5	3.8
Genesis	2	5	3.8
Rush	2	5	3.8
Van Halen	2	5	3.8
Nick Drake	3	4.33	3.67
Queen	3	4.33	3.67
Kate Bush	3	4.33	3.67
Black Sabbath	3	4.33	3.67
Peter Gabriel	3	4.33	3.67

Artist	Albums	Avg	Score
Leonard Cohen	5	1	1.75
Sonic Youth	5	1.2	1.88
Metallica	4	1.25	2
Kanye West	3	1	2
Nirvana	3	1	2
The Stooges	3	1	2
The Fall	3	1	2
Tom Waits	5	1.6	2.13
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds	5	1.6	2.13
The Velvet Underground	3	1.33	2.17
Fatboy Slim	2	1	2.2
Hole	2	1	2.2
Lou Reed	2	1	2.2
Pavement	2	1	2.2
Eminem	2	1	2.2
Public Image Ltd.	2	1	2.2
Mudhoney	2	1	2.2
Sepultura	2	1	2.2
Slipknot	2	1	2.2
Arcade Fire	3	1.67	2.33
The Pogues	2	1.5	2.4
Can	2	1.5	2.4
Missy Elliott	2	1.5	2.4
The Divine Comedy	2	1.5	2.4
Kendrick Lamar	2	1.5	2.4
Baaba Maal	2	1.5	2.4
Dinosaur Jr.	2	1.5	2.4
Pere Ubu	2	1.5	2.4
Pixies	3	2	2.5
The White Stripes	3	2	2.5
Tim Buckley	3	2	2.5
The Doors	3	2	2.5
Dexys Midnight Runners	3	2	2.5

Manu Chao

2/5

Definitely not a style of music I generally enjoy but gave it a full chance; one positive is that I did enjoy the production ... (I feel like I've cheated this for others who enjoy the genre)

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

Aretha Franklin

4/5

I'd only heard a few of the classics but never this album in its entirety. Absolutely fantastic and even hearing a song you feel like you've heard 1000 times ("Respect") and paying it closer attention (maybe just not hearing it in a commercial, sporting event, etc) shows how perfect a song it really is. Made in 1967 and I love the mix and clarity. I often marvel at how good some old records sound - so many times better than mixes 40-50 years later - and so much is due to careful arrangement and pre-production; knowing what *not* to put in just as much as knowing what to put in. Similarly, this is obviously a vocal artist so Aretha is the feature but on a personal mixing note I *so vastly prefer* what is apparently an older style of mixing the vocals much lower than what has become standard over the last few decades. The vocals mesh with the music far better in mixes like these as opposed to the modern-ish method of sitting way up front and "over" the music.

Da Capo

Love

2/5

Love is one of those "deep dive" groups I completely missed growing up but would occasionally read about - having a supposed "huge influence" on groups in the 60s/70s. Then when Rush did a cover of '7 and 7 Is' in 2004 I figured I had to delve in and did briefly... There's absolutely some advanced musical knowledge here - changing time signatures, varied textures and moods which on the surface should be something I usually like. Overall the album seems very "of the time" which occasionally works for me but in the end unfortunately I just don't really like any of the songs at all - nothing was remotely memorable to me. Hate to boil this down to a lazy simple word but.... boring. (additionally...it's the voice - I can't get by it.)

Exodus

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

I'm not the best reviewer of reggae as I've never been much of a fan of the genre; I find a lot of it too repetitive for my taste. Having said that, this album i've found to be at a minimum excellent background/work environment music (which probably sounds insulting to Marley fans) - there's a hypnotic aspect to many of the songs ("Exodus" for one example) that has almost an inherent internal build. I went into this one not too excited about listening to it but honestly have enjoyed it more than I expected to. The minimalism of many of the arrangements is a big plus factor for me, but I've found this to have more of a sneaky variety than I'd mistakenly assumed; there are some great instrumental passages that catch the ear, and simply - there are really good *songs* here (as opposed to something else highly-revered but to me lacking in songwriting, the album I've most recently-listened to by "Love") I usually give 2 to something that I can acknowledge has artistic value but isn't something I'd listen to again, but clearly this exercise is doing its job in exposing me to my previously-unexplored genres/subgenres - the fact that I'm replaying the album definitely boosts this to a strong 3 for me - really enjoying it.

Sound Affects

The Jam

3/5

I've never explicitly listened to The Jam, only here and there in passing and always at parties with C in attendance, the Paul Weller freak :) My first listen didn't really click with me but I'm currently on a 3rd pass and I'm finding it yields a lot more than I'd initially thought. There are noticeable nods to The Who's early years combined with that 70s/early 80s uniquely British/aggressive sound that I didn't like as a kid but has really grown on me. Pretty Green, That's Entertainment, and Boy About Town are standouts. Not sure this will ever be an all-time favourite but I will definitely be coming back to this one in the future.

The Coral

2/5

Based on the description in Apple Music ("...this eponymous debut from psychedelic Wirral peninsula sextet...") I expected something much different. This was more up-front and brash than I'd expected, and of course nothing at all wrong about that. There's a strong musical ability throughout each of these songs, demonstrated by excellent arrangement among the instrumentation and layered vocals. Unfortunately the end-result to me is that it sort of bashes me over the head without much in the way of memorable songs, or anything I can sink my teeth into. Rhythms end up as a wash of UK-white-raga that doesn't stick out as unique or catchy. I'd not heard of this band and can see they have quite a decent discography so perhaps they've developed songwriting past the first impressive attempt, but in the end this isn't for me.

Bad Company

4/5

This was definitely an album in heavy heavy rotation in my house during my middle school days - 4 or 5 of these songs were so prominent on radio through the 80s that even if you didn't have the record, you knew most of it. Not much to analyze here - it's prototypical "Classic Rock" with very little wiggle room into anything else, and whether that's a pro or con is (as everything) up to personal taste, but for that quality (limitation?) this is almost as good as it gets. Paul Rodgers is or was *the* classic rock voice of the 70s/early 80s. There's nothing overly creative or experimental in terms of production and that's likely what makes it still work today - guitar/bass/drums and occasional piano/keys. It's also hard not to think of the movie "Almost Famous" when listening to this and also looking at the band (see the cover for "Burnin' Sky" and it seems pretty obvious where the movie writers got inspiration for the controversial t-shirts!) Deserving of an isolated comment is the bass playing of Boz Burrell on this album - to my ears he was the secret weapon on many of these songs, most of which have a simple and potentially dull chord progression but Burrell's fluid lines tied them together brilliantly. In particular check out the work on "Movin' On" Funny that when this came up I smiled but wasn't too excited to revisit it...if I'd written this before playing it again i would have said something like: "...even though I'm unlikely to go out of my way to listen to this again, that's just as much due to my having heard it hundreds of times as changing tastes..." but damn if it hasn't been fun listening to this album again. In the end, for what it is...it really is great from start to finish, and sometimes you just need uncomplicated straight up 70s guitar rock.

Aqualung

Jethro Tull

4/5

So many classics within - I've never been a Tull "fan" per se, but it's hard to argue with this album. Ranging from straight rock to progressive with dashes of english folk in-between, enough interesting variety to make this a true classic album. Highlights include the epic title track of course, the heavy metal of "Cross Eyed Mary" (Iron Maiden did a cool cover of this in the 80s), and the bitter "Hymn 43" - even as one who doesn't always pay attention to the lyrics, I do love the cynicism and iconoclastic imagery throughout the album. Statement: we need more flute in modern music, dammit.

Emergency On Planet Earth

Jamiroquai

4/5

Embarrassingly I'd only been familiar with the band's "hits" so was happy to give a deeper dive here. Didn't know this was their debut album and *wow* - elements of 70s Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock combined with 90s production... Perfect instrumentation - the horns, Rhodes piano, percussion... My initial favourite is "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop" holymoly. That growly bass is the bomb. This is the first strong 4 i'm giving to something I'd never heard before - this will get many many listens.

Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black

Public Enemy

4/5

Public Enemy were one of the first music acts that I finally listened to the lyrics seriously (kind of hard to ignore them in this genre). Chuck D made all other rappers look subpar :P and virtually all of his tracks are fantastic. "By The Time I Get To Arizona" is probably my favourite rap song of all-time (I'm old enough to remember it being banned on MTV. :) ) so that's the starting point for me. Other highlights include "Move" "...Radio Consultant" and "Shut 'Em Down" - the samples/beats are perfect. Flavor Flav is a fine sideman for Chuck D but I've never much liked Flav's featured tracks, so I tend to skip most of his lead cuts on any PE album (and a few on here are indeed immediate skips...) - his goofy takes and abrasive voice get old quickly and don't really carry a song for me. Having said that, the strong points on this album are great and the themes are still so timely that even though it's nowhere near perfect (lyrics are mostly great, but some that have not aged well....) it's one I come back to often. "these days you can't see who's in cahoots cuz now the KKK is wearing three piece suits..."

Tres Hombres

ZZ Top

3/5

As a teen in the 80s it was impossible to avoid Zed Zed Top in their highly successful if not overly commercial era (MTV videos in heavy rotation). Wasn't bad, wasn't my taste. Just there. I was aware of a handful of their older tunes through radio but never thought about them. At the time I remember working a restaurant job late one night on cleanup and one of the older guys blasted this album while we worked and I was pretty surprised "Jesus Just Left Chicago" was the same band that did "Legs" - almost a 180degree turn in production as this album is super dry, simple guitars/bass/drums and barely a hint of reverb anywhere. While southern-tinged bluesy rock isn't something I really reach for, this is a fun album and definitely has a sound and place.

Doolittle

Pixies

2/5

I realize Pixies were a huge influence on the 1990s so-called "alternative" scene - the quiet/LOUD/quiet music that among others Nirvana capitalized on. So there are a lot of people that like it obviously :) - confession: I really hated this genre of music and especially when I lived in Boston around the time the Pixies were active; almost the opposite of the kind of music I was into and grew up on. I always find it good to revisit music I rejected years ago to see how I might hear it differently... I'm definitely way more open-minded about music than i was in my early 20s. I can appreciate a few of the songs as having a decent melody and I definitely tip my cap to them for being pioneers of this sound. Hearing "Here Comes Your Man" and "Monkey Gone to Heaven" throws me right back to being 22 again and walking around Harvard Square, heading into Newbury Comics... that was a nice memory :) All said, beyond those songs I don't enjoy it and won't listen again - would have reflexively given it a 1 star 20 years ago :D just out of spite haha and honestly still feel that way for most of it (would be 2 or 3/10) but I'll give it a 2 on influence -> still not for me (and Black Francis' voice is just a straight up 'no').

Another Green World

Brian Eno

3/5

I like it - alternating between dreamy "70s future" music and nice pop tunes. I'm not sure how memorable it is tho ... ? --> I wrote that before giving it a few more listens today and even though background listening might be what it is best for (that's not a bad thing!) I really started hearing more that I loved upon second listen. That guitar (Robert Fripp!) in both St Elmo's Fire and Golden Hours really stands out. Another plus having Phil Collins guesting on a few cuts (but of course Phil guested on ~43% of other artists' from 1975-1985. Facts.). Speaking of Phil, I definitely hear some crossover between this album and Genesis' "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" which was released less than a year before this and on which Eno contributed some "Enossification" Strong 3 stars - I'll be coming back to this one.

A Wizard, A True Star

Todd Rundgren

2/5

Doctor Who enters our solar system and clones Carole King and together they bring a home 8 track recorder to Todd Rundgren's house, feed him LSD, and tell him to record an album with no commercial prospects yet must have a steady diet of major 7th chords, catchy melodies, and soaring harmonies. At least 9 of the songs must be under 2 minutes long, but cannot rely on "traditional" rock instrumentation or progressions. Todd responds with A Wizard, A True Star. I'm familiar with Rundgren's "hits" and much of the album "Something/Anything" but had never heard this one. This album is definitely out there but not caustically-weird, just.... more like a weird/interesting aural scrapbook. If you can call it a "flaw" it is apparently preferential and intentional - I know the album was constructed without respect to creating singles (specifically created without regard to complete songs - quote by TR himself - with *notable exception* of the last tune "Just One Victory" which definitely could have been) but that's also making it difficult to sink into so will require multiple listens. These types of albums are really hard to rate if you've (I've) never heard them before so it's likely unfair but I give this a 2; there's a lot of interesting work in here but it's too scattered for me.

Paul Simon

4/5

Listening to Paul Simon makes me feel like I'm 7 years old again and riding in the back of my parents' station wagon, just watching out the window. To be clear, this is a very good thing. Even though for me the highs of Simon & Garfunkel may be higher than any of their solo works, solo Simon (and especially this album) is consistently excellent; and for an album that is nearly 50 (!) years old now this still holds up so well sonically and musically; the arrangements are perfect in that each song may seem simple (accessible) but underneath lies a sneaky complexity. Some classic singles in here that most people will know and yet the deep cuts are all quality - not a bad song in the entire batch - 4 stars. (aside: I love the old-school short length of records back then - perfectly digestible lengths)

Here, My Dear

Marvin Gaye

2/5

I like to read about an album and its history especially if I'm hearing it for the first time; for this one specifically I wanted to understand *why* it's considered a top 1001 album because to me ... it's dull. I love a good Marvin Gaye song and definitely am a fan of a lot of 70s soul music, but this seems an hour-long compilation of ...meh. Mid-tempo songs that sort of blend with one another - lukewarm vocals without a ton of passion (oddly, considering the topic)... there's absolutely nothing terrible here but it feels more like something I'd hear playing in the background of a slow-moving old street drama starring a young Gene Hackman. Additionally, the "reason" this is now a highly-regarded album is in fact largely *because of* the awkwardness of the lyrics and subject matter. Essentially the album is a document about MG's divorce, starting from the weird and not-convincing opening track of "Here My Dear" where he is almost literally giving us the verbal version of a final "I'm sorry this happened to us" letter. Even as someone who often ignores lyrics, I can't help but notice these and not in a good way. One highlight I will note is "Anger" which would probably stand out more on a more varied album. "Is That Enough" shows great promise with a slow funky groove but unfortunately just drags on a bit too long. Hard pass on this one, I'll give it a disappointed 2 and move to other/better Marvin.

Back At The Chicken Shack

Jimmy Smith

3/5

I like instrumental jazz quite a bit although nothing near an expert; just enjoy it for its own sake. Although this is good and I could play it in any setting, in general I prefer a bit less of the overt blues influence like this - doing a little research on this album, it seems that this was one of (if not the?) first to really emphasize the Hammond B3 organ and it's of course the pre-eminent sound here. Having said that, it is a nice album that I would put on as a good "entry level listening" for others. 3 for influence.

The White Album

Beatles

5/5

No review of this is going to break any ground obviously. Seems more relevant to mention the (few) negatives rather than why this always rates among the "best albums of all-time" - first off, it's obviously a bit long, and many (most?) of the filler songs are bad or pointless (Wild Honey Pie, Why Don't We Do It In The Road good god). I do love experimental weirdness but I think The Who did this kind of thing better (Sell Out; Tommy). Maybe not a popular opinion but some of John's songs are often mediocre to me, and that holds here as well (Yer Blues and I'm So Tired for example) - I'll take Paul's "corny" and melodic songs every day (e.g. "Mother Nature's Son" and "Martha My Dear") and more George Harrison songs would have been nice as While My Guitar Gently Weeps is perfect. No more negatives - the 20 (!!!!) or so best songs on this are legendary for a reason and the amazing variety is a perfect CV for why the Beatles were...The Beatles. Might seem wrong for me to give a 5 since I'd end up skipping/cutting maybe 20% of this but this would be 9/10 and dammit it's my scale. 9/10 5 stars

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden

5/5

One of my favourite hard rock albums ever - the musicianship, relatively raw production, and punctuated with two of the biggest hits of the genre: "Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills" - have made this a frequent listen for me for decades (although as a little kid I was a little scared of Number of the Beast :D....). This was the first Maiden album that put them into the stratosphere, introducing new vocalist Bruce Dickinson. Iron Maiden is probably not everyone's cup of tea so to speak, so if this early metal platter seems a turnoff, please start with "Run to the Hills" to appreciate the songwriting and musicianship. What initially attracted me to Maiden wasn't necessarily the volume and power but the strong sense of melody atop it all, something they'd perfect throughout the next 3 albums. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "The Prisoner" are the other standouts here. 9/10, only thing keeping this from perfection is a slightly weaker first half (side 1) but overall this is an all-time classic.

Tubular Bells

Mike Oldfield

3/5

Anyone above a certain age knows the beginning theme from the first two or three notes and for some it immediately sends a chill down the back of their necks. So I'm one of those and I love that beginning part.... yet amazingly had never heard the entirety of either the album or even the full song (although to be fair it is 26 minutes long). There's so much more to it than the blood-curdling proggy-intro: ventures into heavy rock, Chuck Mangione-type light jazz, Yes-like progressions, fusion, new age major chords via synthesizer... I definitely don't know how to review this, nor how to recommend it, but I will say it's a really really interesting listen - the two lengthy tracks at least (the final two short ones are weird throwaways). I give it 3 stars for the genius mind that put this all together - it's not exactly catchy due to the fact that it kind of sounds like a very long rock opera prelude, but I could see putting this on again.

Fever Ray

2/5

I've definitely grown to appreciate and like electronic music much more over the last decade or so - this was a totally unknown artist for me so I had zero preconceived notions about it and was excited to hear it... In the end though....it's nice-ish enough but hasn't stood out to me; not yet sure why this is groundbreaking or impactful? It may be unfair to have to rate an album after just one listen (or one day) and there's nothing i actively dislike about this (although some of the deep vocals are a little distracting) but thus far i don't hear it as much more than decent-enough background/ambient music. 2 for "it's fine" - just not hearing much magic.

Either Or

Elliott Smith

3/5

Not my favourite Elliott Smith album - I tend to prefer his other albums (this a little too far on the mellow/low-fi spectrum) - but it's still Elliott Smith, which means good melodic songs which is in my wheelhouse. Very listenable but by the end there's a sameness that leads to diminishing returns. Take the top ~7 songs and it would have made a great EP - 3 stars (6/10).

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

1/5

jesus this is annoying. sorry :D - i've heard tons of snippets of some of these songs for years, and as it turns out that's as much as i can take. Most of these "songs" start out fine for 10-20 seconds and stay the same throughout, only adding more horribly unimaginative editing or absolutely terrible vocal loops/drones throughout. I do like electronic music but not annoying/repetitive noise that reminds me of old records that were skipping. In my insistence of listening to the entirety of every one of these 1001 albums I kept it on but it was borderline torture. hard hard pass.

Brilliant Corners

Thelonious Monk

4/5

Driving me crazy trying to figure out how/where I know this title track from. I'm a very passive jazz listener - while it's not my favourite music I still do especially enjoy this particular brand/style (instrumental, jazz-trio type). After two full run-throughs I can see why this is on a top list both because it's eminently listenable, interesting, and I've absolutely heard no less than three of these tracks before. Since I'm basic :P if you like Miles Davis Kind of Blue (nearly everyone has heard at least bits of that) you'll probably like this, although it seems a little more bebop/uptempo. It's quite good, I had this as a solid 3 but I think I'd put this as a 4 as I'll keep this one as something to come back to.

Red Dirt Girl

Emmylou Harris

3/5

Have always steered away from country music but was willing to give this a fair listen, being familiar with Emmylou Harris... And I'm thankful I did, this is a great album. Calling it Country almost shortchanges it; I would also label it folk, Americana, Heartland. Although Emmylou is clearly the focus, it was really the music here that was the surprise. Highlight is "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now" 7/10

Vulgar Display Of Power

Pantera

2/5

Pantera must be one of the pioneers of the cookie monster vocals and for that alone they should be excoriated if not tarred and feathered. I'll throw a slight amount of credit their way due to technical dexterity and a few listenable solos. Again it should be obvious this isn't my bag and as such take into account as I find the vocals comical at best and generally horrific and the so-called songwriting non-existent outside the poor man's Maiden lifting of the intro to Hollow. A generous 2 from me since this doesn't seem to be a genre to easily grow into, even for one who grew up on hard rock. Where are the songs?

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Arctic Monkeys

2/5

I can't put my finger on why this doesn't connect with me at all but there it is - it just doesn't. The description would ideally sound good to me: British guitar rock revival with an edge. But if you tend towards getting chills and sucked in by a killer hook or melody...this album doesn't have that for me at all. Not terrible but personally not memorable nor enjoyable. 2.

Heartbreaker

Ryan Adams

2/5

Not sure I'd ever really heard Ryan Adams, only heard "of" him so I was ready to dive in. Instead of a succinct review, here is the timeline of my thoughts as i listened to this album...: "hmm. this seems affected, I'm gonna be annoyed by this..." [1 or 2 songs in] "....you know, this might be pretty good. There are some great melodies in here. I may want to admit it but if we keep going like this I might end up liking it, let's see how the album progresses..." [5 songs in] "....." [after ~7 songs] "...I thought I was listening to Damien Rice for a bit, and I prefer Damien Rice. This is getting a lot more laid-back, slow-paced, and frankly boring..." [after 10 songs] "....sigh...." [a few more] "....." [the album ends depressingly] "yeah, now i want to kill myself. Better yet, I think I'll put on some old Van Halen" 4/10

Live Through This

Hole

1/5

I really hated this back when it came out, but it's always good to give something a fresh try with hopefully more mature ears :) .... ...but less than a minute into "Miss World" and I want to take some of those kill-me pills C Love is screaming about. Vocals rarely "make" an album/song for me but they do often destroy it and this is a great example of the latter. If you like this style of punk vocals or it simply doesn't bother you, you might really like this album - some of the music is aggressive in a quintessential early 90s fashion and there is some room for quality melodies. Obvious similarities to ~Smashing Pumpkins, Juliana Hatfield. I almost feel like there's little middle-ground here, and for me mostly because of vocals I can guarantee I'll wait at least 20 years to voluntarily listen to this again. 2/10

Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane

3/5

Two monstrous/timeless songs on this one I am/was very familiar with but didn't think I knew the rest of it. I wasn't too excited about getting through it as I thought it might lose my interest but I'm glad I stuck with it - the excellent blend of vocal harmonies and clearly talented musicianship make this a success. It is however definitely a product of its time; there are a few pace-interrupters (Comin Back To Me, How Do You Feel) which might have worked better [for me] without the very typical-of-the-age huge reverb. Then again, I suppose it's hard to *not* be "of the time" and the high points here make this more enjoyable than many of the era. White Rabbit used to scare the shit out of me as a kid, and is still suitably creepy. Even after hearing it a million times, it's still worthy. 6/10

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin

5/5

There are a lot of bigger Zeppelin fans than me - I would say I definitely like their highs but there's a lot of "miss" in their collection as well... Nothing more to say here than Zeppelin II is a *direct hit* - from top to bottom I believe their most consistent and best album (however, i'll definitely reconsider that statement when Zep IV is reviewed). Whole Lotta Love is a statement kickoff, a classic, and to me the worst song on the record which says a lot. Everyone in the band is peaking here and aside from their early-period standard of ripping off old blues legends (not quite as bad as on their first album but close :P....) their songwriting got a lot better here; excellent mix of riff rock, acoustic/mellow, dynamics, and melody. Page/Plant always had the aura but the rhythm section of Jones/Bonham was the heartbeat of this band, nowhere more evident than on this album. Almost perfect. 9/10 (5 stars)

The Fat Of The Land

The Prodigy

3/5

Definitely not in my wheelhouse, and for that very reason I was happy to listen to this again - I remember 20 years ago playing video games with a friend and we'd loop this album. Perfect for racing games btw. At any rate as one who grew up definitely more of a "traditionalist" this ordinarily wouldn't be something i liked but oddly enough I do; on the tracks where there are vocals it's a little off-putting but not enough to distract from the head-bobbing electronic loops and catchy as hell beats - . (contrasting with the Fatboy Slim album I listened to a week ago which was unlistenable to me) Absolutely not an album for all settings :) but as I'm working while listening to this, it's really kind of the perfect soundtrack. Now I wish I still had my Playstation NASCAR game to veg out to... 6/10 3 stars

Bitches Brew

Miles Davis

2/5

[wrote really long review, lost it...] boiled down...: i enjoy jazz/fusion and this is interesting in terms of it being influential and a launching pad for musicians/genre (and better albums of this type in the 70s), I don't think its all that listenable. Mostly because there's zero structure - length of a song/track doesn't preclude some recurring motif/theme/pattern etc (see Hancock, Cobham, Pastorius, etc for much more enjoyable works, IMO). 2 stars for "interesting" but not sure I'd come back to this.

Tellin’ Stories

The Charlatans

4/5

This is some really good Brit-pop -> in an alternate universe most of these tracks would replace the same timeless status as Oasis' big hits. This is a better band with better songwriting (melodies, dynamics, whocaresaboutlyrics :).....) - the single "One To Another" was immediately recognizable and got some radio play way back in the day - deservedly so. Even though this may not be anything super-complex or groundbreaking, this is a great melodic guitar album that is easy-entry and eminently catchy with fantastic songs. And I was going to give it a solid 3 but as I've found myself listening to it on repeat and am already on my 4th listen - this is a 4 star keeper for me. 7/10 4 stars (One small nitpick is that I'd love to hear a remix; this sounds a little ... cloudy... for my liking.)

Dance Mania

Tito Puente

3/5

This album-a-day is great for many reasons but one of the best reasons I do this is to get albums like this one - a genre I would never in a million years select on my own. Tito Puente was a bit before my time and probably is more known by people my age from him being a suspect in the shooting of Montgomery Burns in the Simpsons (NOT GUILTY ha) so it's good to get the real education here. I'm not a dance fan nor will I ever be a big listener of this genre but it is/was far more interesting than I'd have given it credit for - complex as hell rhythms that are still accessible and catchy. I definitely vastly prefer the instrumental passages as I don't often focus much on vocal/lyrics. This is definitely both a fun record and a good one for background (working as I listen now). A surprise 3 stars for this rock fan (although I'm sure deserving of much higher for those more attuned to big band / swing). 7/10 3 stars.

Here Are the Sonics

The Sonics

1/5

hmm. After suffering through a number of tracks, I did a little recon on this band as to ... well, why they're in this 1001 list at all. "Major influence" on garage and punk bands...simple chord progressions...tonal aggression." ... vocals: "wwWOWWWWWWWW!!!!!" <lather/rinse/repeat ad nauseum> Just because you're among the first to create a subgenre of not enjoyable noisy music doesn't really make you a legend IMO. Then again, to each their own :P It's not my bag. (the covers were not terrible, admittedly. If I were being particularly snarky I'd accuse them of sprinkling them perfectly throughout the album to prevent some ppl from turning it off...) 2/10 1 star

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

5/5

Another great surprise that expelled any/all preconceived notions I had upon seeing today's entry. Apparently (obviously) I know/knew absolutely nothing about The Flaming Lips, but this was/is immediately right in my wheelhouse. Maybe a concept album....sign me up. Dreamy - melodic - mysterious - gorgeous - electronic loops mixed with organic elements - just great music which is simultaneously accessible yet not predictable. How have I missed this album all these years? I'm looking forward to repeat listens of this in headphones. I wonder if at some point I end up viewing this as a five.....this is awesome. ...screw it. 5 stars for an album I'd never heard of 24 hrs ago 9/10 5 stars.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

2/5

Seems wrong to not give Ray Charles a larger rating, especially as the album starts with Let The Good Times Roll which is great but after that it's just not my style. A bit too mellow and the string arrangements are for me distracting. Would probably enjoy a simpler remix of this more with emphasis on the jazz trio components. Wouldn't mind if this came on at a restaurant or party but probably would look elsewhere for different Ray.

Superunknown

Soundgarden

4/5

Was such a big album, this album IS 1994. The constant comparison or association was always with Nirvana and Pearl Jam but there's a significant difference. Time signature changes, more variety in mood, power and melody. I was always in the minority in not getting or enjoying Nirvana at all, but this was different and far more enjoyable for me. I'd had trouble enjoying Soundgarden's previous albums as they were either too sludgy or screamy :) Chris Cornell reeled it in for this album and fit the songs perfectly, and most of the songs became more diverse and interesting. Highlights are definitely the big hits. One of the best rock albums of the era. 8/10. 4 stars.

The Last Broadcast

Doves

4/5

Oddly I was only familiar with the Doves' first album Lost Souls which I love. This one on first pass didn't do as much for me. But. Almost immediately upon second play i am hearing the differences...in a good way. The strong sense of melody I was waiting for is everywhere but I think more varied this time around. I almost wish I had multiple days per album to properly digest some of them, this is a good example. I'm thinking I'm going to like this more and more as I get to know it. If you like melodic dreamy melodies, this is for you. 7/10 4 stars.

White Light / White Heat

The Velvet Underground

1/5

The aural equivalent of 8mm black and white endless sweaty torture nightmare fuel. The horror... 1/10

Band On The Run

Paul McCartney and Wings

4/5

(what a great melodic salve after the eardrilling of the Velvet Underground) A handful of classics from my childhood sound as good as I remember and the title track alone almost gives this a 4 on its own. To me the best of this matches well with Paul's better Beatles tunes, and although it falters just a bit near the end I love the weird sci-fi-ish "1985" as a closer. 8/10 4 stars

The Yes Album

Yes

5/5

This is and has everything I love about so-called rock music: power.. melody.. mystery...great musicianship... catchy riffs... majestic yet accessible. Don't let the 4 rather long songs put you off if you've not experienced this before, and it may take some time to sink in but it's best listened either in headphones or fully immersed stereo - and loud! Starship Troopers is my personal favourite here but each track stands out for different reasons. Chris Squire's growly bass and band vocal harmonies are specifically individual standouts throughout. 9/10. 5 stars.

London Calling

The Clash

4/5

Glad to have a few decades pass - I definitely didn't appreciate this album in its time. The Clash we're often mislabeled as merely punk, which does them a disservice - this album in particular is incredibly diverse - credit to the songwriting and in particular musically. A bit of everything from rock to raga to rockabilly - all while pleasantly not autotuned 😊 8/10 4 stars

Seventeen Seconds

The Cure

4/5

As a "rock" kid in the 80s I really hated this band - totally ignorant and stubborn, admittedly, but Robert Smith's voice was an immediate and huge turn off for me. Having said that, I was excited to get this album today to have a clean revisit to the band and see what I may have missed. ...and I'm not sure what to think. I'm passingly familiar with some of their bigger hits, and this sounds very little like anything I'd heard from them before. The music often sounds little more than a well-produced 4-track demo in parts, and I can't decide whether I'm scoffing at it or really enjoying it ... after multiple listens, I think I'm really enjoying it. I'm far more-easily able to bypass the vocals (either because it's early-Cure or i've "matured" i'm not yet sure) and in parts I don't mind them at all; they are buried quite low in the mix which balances them out against the music. And most-importantly, it *fits* perfectly. What interested me right away was the very dry and up-front guitar that is deceptively clever in chord structure in parts. My favourite song is "At Night" - haunting/powerful/dissonant (although the enduring track "A Forest" really is tremendous as well). Almost like they hit a/the wrong chord on guitar in the main riff and decided "screw it, we're keeping that." Overall the album wasn't what I expected in a good way and I will listen to this again - I think I'm belatedly becoming a fan. I think in the end my criticism (which dissipated after multiple listens) of it sounding like a well-crafted demo that I'd *thought* I'd have liked to hear developed a little more was wrong - of course that minimalism was perhaps the point and is exactly what gives it the haunting sound. So, I'm a goth now. Ok. 8/10 4 stars

Parachutes

Coldplay

5/5

I love this album - and I think it's notable and hopefully accurate to mention this doesn't sound much at all like what Coldplay became, for better or worse. I suppose in my case for the better, as this is a relatively raw moody rock band utilizing dynamics and haunting open chords (Coldplay's work after their 2nd album is - for me - far too dense/overproduced). I recall a friend recommending this album to me soon after its release, calling it "early-Radiohead-lite" which isn't a terrible comparison. The 4 piece organic band construction works so well on every song on this album - the fantastic guitar lines with heavy emphasis on delays/reverb are a great contrast with the relatively dry vocals. "Shiver" was and is still my favourite track from this collection - aggressive and delicate at different points, just a tremendous song. "High Speed" and "Spies" are other huge standouts. "Yellow" is of course the big single from the album and i'm not as crazy about it, but it's still damn catchy - everything on the album is a great example of the best of ~early 2000s era melodic guitar rock. It's not *quite* perfect (but few are) - the last two songs for me drag just a little bit - but in the end it's the rare album that you can play top to bottom without a thought to skipping or wishing a song was over. 9/10 5 stars.

Deja Vu

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

5/5

This is weirdly a difficult album to review - do I mark it 4/5 stars because at this point it has become almost a stereotypical "classic" ... or because I know each of the songs altogether too well ... or is it really this great? For the millions of people who are of a similar viewpoint, it's probably the same (or else you've heard the songs so much by now you ever want to hear them again!). Not much point in commenting on the style - excellent songwriting and musicianship, each member definitely contributing their own unique flair (and apparently almost all at different times - there was much conflict among the members while recording, so the stories go...). If nothing else, it's a great and important document of the biggest and/or most important music of the time. It does falter just a little for me at the end (it frustrates me when albums do that - save me a golden nugget for the album closer plz (...eagerly awaiting Who's Next...)) but the first 7-8 tracks are all too great to knock this down a star. 9/10 5 stars

When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop

1/5

I'd never heard of this band - missed them first time around apparently - which is kind of fun to have zero preconceived notions... Upon first (and only, to be fair) play it has sort of an immediate lo-fi reggae type beat which is definitely not my cup of tea. "Brimful of Asha" was apparently the big hit and it is boring me to tears with its standard I-IV-V progression over and over and over and... etc etc. It sounds like they wrote it in literal real-time. ...hmm...after careful analysis, i think what the singer is trying to tell us is that the funky days are back again and that everybody needs a bosom for a pillow.... /s ok I don't love to criticize acts that I either don't know much about or don't like the sub-genre but I gotta be honest with myself I was really really annoyed by this entire album; either with the mis-timed loops ("Butter the Soul") or in general - it sounds like guys got high and just giggled their way through assembling this album with loops, simple chord progressions, and repetitive lyrics. Just throwing in random samples of voices and scratches/beats isn't clever or remotely interesting for me, and it only sounds like pandering...like "aren't we cool? We're so modern and hip!" I'm not (necessarily) looking for a freaking Yes tune or even complexity. Technology is vital and co-opting it is important. But. You still have to write a damn song. At best boring boring boring and at worst annoying as shit. Hated it. 1/10 1 star

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Maxwell

4/5

I remember this being released and a huge buzz around it but not much else - it just wasn't the right time for me to appreciate it... ...as opposed to now: wow - this just hits all the right notes (sure, pun intended). Smooth in the best ways but for me it is rarely boring - tremendous production and musicianship. It took everything I liked about the best Marvin Gaye but this is better - just the right doses of edge that Marvin rarely ever had (e.g. angular guitar lines on "Dancewitme"). Also point of note: while Maxwell the "singer" is clearly the feature here, the music is the big standout for me - the album starts with a great instrumental which sets the tone that this will be not just a vocal album. A great album for its genre, which while not ever going to be my favourite/daily listen it is so well-crafted that it's a keeper. 8/10 4 stars

All Hail the Queen

Queen Latifah

4/5

I like this old-school hip-hop; emphasis on aggressive and rhythmic vocals, with some great samples (e.g. Sly and the Family Stone right off the bat) before copyright law caught up with the new artform :) Some of it sounds a little dated at this point ("Princess of the Possee" [but *huge* props for the "Barney Miller" bassline in the remix on the extended version!] or "Come Into My House" where the drums sound like wet paper and are distracting) but a. i'll still prefer it over the dull/uncreative "modern" trap beats and b. for every sound that's meh she comes back with tracks like "Latifah's Law" and "Ladies First" which are too great to ignore. It's a great document of the golden age of hip-hop when women especially were seen as more of a novelty instead of a force like Queen Latifah is here. 8/10 4 stars

If I Could Only Remember My Name

David Crosby

1/5

This album cover is hilarious. Just needed to state that right off the bat. The familiarity of Crosby's voice is nice/pleasing to those of us old enough to have heard CSN so often on the radio, but I'm finding this a bit aimless. "Cowboy Song" as the second track...an 8-minute jam over two chords...seems a poor choice here, if not just a poor song. Once "Tamalpais High" kicks in though, those *harmonies* start right away - that's what we came for. But ... that's all that song delivers - almost literally - David just thought "yeah that's enough here" :D "Laughing" is a little more constructed but unimaginative, and the rest of the album sort of peters out. I know each of the CSNY members released solo albums in the aftermath of their classic "Deja Vu" and probably wanted to establish their own voice, no pun intended. But listening to this even while acknowledging DC's best asset (his gorgeous harmony construction) is still strong here it's hard not to think that Crosby needed the rest of his sometime-bandmates to help him put together anything resembling memorable songs. This ends up just being a half-hour of often nice sounding notes. If I could only remember any of them. mostly because it should have been better but it's just trash.... 2/10 1 star.

Mask

Bauhaus

2/5

Was mildly interested in listening to this - I think the only song I'd ever heard from Bauhaus was "Bela Legosi's Dead" which is 9 minutes that should be 2, but I'll give them a pass since I think they were each like 7 years old when they recorded it. Quick research shows this is their second album and being Goth "pioneers" this was apparently where they expanded their sound. It's ... weird. Which was expected. It's also very 1981 which is neither good nor bad but the sound/production alone makes it very much of its time for what that's worth. "Of Lilies and Remains" reminds me a little of some old Gang of Four with the aggressive guitar parts. Overall it's definitely appropriate that I'm listening to this in my darkened basement :) - it's not bad at all, although I can see how some people might loathe this. I prefer [vocalist] Peter Murphy's later highly melodic and darkly catchy solo hit "Cut You Up" much more as this album is more experimental and aggressive/noisy. In the end it definitely does what it set out to do and invoke a very cold/dark mood - i.e. they're good at what they do but aside from a knowing nod if I hear it anywhere I doubt I'd go out of my way for this outside of Halloween :P 5/10 2 stars

Beauty And The Beat

The Go-Go's

3/5

For a long time when this first song ("Our Lips Are Sealed") was released I thought they were singing "Honest I See You..." (I was 10. but still.) Aside from the obvious all-female angle which was kind of a big "novelty" at the time (before ppl realized the music was just...good) it's not really groundbreaking musically and not super-repeatable but it's still just *fun* and catchy. Very melodic sing-along light up-tempo rock. A near guarantee for my generation (80s kids) to get an "oh my god!" if you put this album on with like-aged company. 6/10 3 stars.

In Rainbows

Radiohead

4/5

...the one where a hugely popular experimental band finally free of their record deal releases their first independent album by letting fans pay what they want then leads it off with a song in 5/4 time... Big thumbs-up here. :) In Rainbows is probably not the easiest intro to Radiohead (probably the best way to try to ease into the band is to go chronologically (but skip their debut Pablo Honey)) but if you want an accessible-ish great start, go with "All I Need" which is as normal as it gets here, and is still a great song. But Radiohead is not a singles band, meaning it's impossible to "get" or (for me) truly enjoy the band by listening to one song - in many ways they harken back to earlier days by truly being an "album band" - you need to digest this in its entirety to get the full breadth and scope. A song like "House Of Cards" is gorgeous in its layered melodies but it alone doesn't touch upon the organized chaos that the band brings so well in another track like "Bodysnatchers." All in all though, one of my favourite collections from the band and nearly as good as it gets - unlike some of their bigger albums (looking at you OK Computer) this one doesn't peter off at the end and stays strong through the final song "Videotape." Like most of their albums, this one also truly gets better upon repeated listens. Also a perfectly-digestible 43 minutes long (just because CDs ushered in an era where you could jam 72 minutes into an album didn't mean you should...). 8/10 4 stars

Bryter Layter

Nick Drake

4/5

Definitely a mood album - what mood might depend on the person :P - this could either be one of the more depressing albums or one of the more joyous, I honestly can't ever decide. Either way, it's gorgeous in total - the full band arrangements, horns, strings, and Nick Drake's odd/dry/intimate vocal style all work for me. Hardly a party album :D (I'd love to get Van Halen 1 after this one for contrast) nor one that I think can be fully appreciated on first or second listens but for fascinating acoustic tunings/chords/arrangements and non-traditional "pop" singer-songwriter albums this is tremendous. 8/10 4 stars

The Who Sell Out

The Who

3/5

As a pre-teen big Who fan I never "got" this album - where were the big arena / bombastic classic windmilling tunes akin to "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again?" A few decades later I can more fully appreciate it; both Pete's snarky sarcasm and the creative faux-pirate-radio aspect of it as well as the lesser-known 60s pop music styles within. Definitely still feels like a different band than what they developed into just a few years later - the first cut "Armenia City In The Sky" is a backwards-guitar psychedelic trip, but you can hear a few elements of the upcoming "Tommy" in the first few songs, especially with the vocals/harmonies. Yet although I do enjoy it more than I did as a kid and it's definitely still "The Who" ...to be a little blunt: the songs just aren't that strong. Sure "I Can See For Miles" is an all-time classic but songs like "Odorono" and "Tattoo" are frustrating because there are such great turns in the melodies but they never rise above kitschy novelty demos for me. ... I give it a lot of credit for being creative and different with the songwriting also being far more advanced than many other pop-rock tunes of the era... I know Pete wasn't pleased with how "Tommy" eventually ended up because they weren't properly finished with it, and I feel the same about this album. At least Tommy had/has some fully-formed songs even if they're just above demo form. I'd love to have heard the band take these tapes back to the studio in 1970, be given 3 months, then refine the tracks and just crush this album. 5/10 3 stars - credit for impressive vision and innovation, but can't rise into "repeat play" status.

1977

Ash

2/5

I somehow was completely unfamiliar with this band so another blank slate to begin on... My initial impressions run from *this is fun aggressive rock album with somewhat typical (in a good way) 90s alt-rock progressions* to *...wow this gets a little boring...* And as I'm into my second listen through, I lean heavily towards the second sentiment. It's decent enough but a cynical commenter (me?) might question why this is one of the 1001 albums you must listen to. Not that it isn't fine, it actually is, but it's also...maybe just not that memorable? I gave this yet another spin today to see if something grabbed hold but you could have told me this was _______ [fill in with any of ~25 early-mid 90s bands from Boston or London or Seattle] and I wouldn't have blinked. Loud stereo guitars with a generally non-aggressive melodic vocal track over the top. Again: decent enough. For the most part. Inoffensive but I don't really remember anything about it. 4/10 2 stars for a fine of-the-period rock album but suffers from a sameness and lack of depth.

Miriam Makeba

3/5

This is definitely outside of my usual listening sphere and so provided a nice diversion from my usual fare. I did have to steer my expectations in a way since I generally don't focus much on vocals and seeing that Miriam Makeba is very clearly a vocal artist...:D but this was very much worth the trip. One standout song is "The Click Song" because of how obviously different and very non-Western it is. I'm not sure how to properly describe it but you have to listen - she sings with a "click-consonant" that is part of some African languages - very cool! "Olilili" also features a deep background chorus that sounds funereal yet uplifting in a way. As with many well-produced older (analog) albums, I really enjoyed the clarity of the mix. Since I'm much more a rock fan I don't feel really qualified to rate this in a proper way and wouldn't "measure" it against other collections more to my knowledge - but the vocals are truly unique (from my POV) and this was fascinating to listen to. 7/10 3 stars

Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear

4/5

Just within the first minute+ of their first song "Southern Point" you start to get an idea that this isn't going to be easily-categorized. Acoustically-driven "pop" music but with unresolving and unpredictable chord structures punctuated with smooth yet mysterious vocals with lush harmonies... If it sounds like this could be a review of some late-60s folk act, we need to add in just the right dose of synths and looping technology to bring this into the 21st century. Could Grizzly Bear be the CSN for a modern age? (Veckatimest 2009 = Deja Vu 1971?) I was given a copy of this album when it was first released and I don't think gave it the proper settling-in period. To me I needed a return and even then a few successive listens to really get hold of what the band is doing - these are much more complex tunes than you might assume if you have this album on as merely background music. The creative twists and turns in what starts out as a simple piano melody in "Two Weeks" are unexpected and distinguish this band from others. I enjoy the first half more than the second, which still retains that lovely-yet-mysterious sound but many of the songs seem to lumber a bit and ironically may seem to work better as background music (notable exception: "While You Wait For The Others") - TL;DR: would have liked some more up-tempo songs on "Side 2" but overall, more details are revealed upon each listen - recommended and (but?) especially for repeat plays. 7/10 4 stars

Exile In Guyville

Liz Phair

1/5

This record exhausted me. I remember the buzz after its release, hearing about how "revolutionary" it was. Was it? Is it? After all this time and a re-listen the remaster actually does give it a little more sheen (I'm very much not a low-fi fan)... the music is sometimes just "ok" (actually "Shatter" could or should be a great song) but sweet fancy moses there's no getting by her voice which is absolutely unmanageable and the up-front and dry mix (lo-fi!) does absolutely zero favours to. Was this album cool because of her "bold language?" Maybe. Ordinarily I'm all for it but not in and of itself - for the most part it's used in such a stupid high school back row of the class teenage-giggly way and as a result most of these songs just are a sloppy pile of absolutely nothing. If you get off on "pushing boundaries" in the sense that being edgy with sex and language in music is super important - or maybe all that's important - then go for it here. If you're of the theory that even if your lyrics have the effort of repeating a kindergarten nursery rhyme but you still need to put some effort and thought and creativity into actually freaking making art then you'll probably feel as I do after enduring this. This revolution should not have been televised and instead should have been exiled to the "do not release" pile. 2/10 1 star.

Remain In Light

Talking Heads

4/5

For its time, this album kind of re-defines what "rock music" really meant. Or rather stretched the definition of rock music. I didn't (choose to) understand this as a kid but it's worth the trip -> a weird cold yet somehow joyful experimental collection of loops, non-western-rhythms, and layered vocals. All put together well enough to create actual songs that supersede the experimentation - which for me is always the correct order. "Once In A Lifetime" is the one most people might know but overall this album is chock full of creativity and punctuated with excellent musicianship - in particular I love that guitar solo on "The Great Curve" [courtesy of Adrian Belew]. Remain In Light is not exactly your 80s backyard party album :D but rather a soundtrack for your indoor gathering while the VCR is playing "Weird Science" in the background. Even though this may not fit snugly within any of my favourite subgenres this is a really unique sound and is interesting from start to finish. Even at 40+ (!) years old it somehow sounds fresh. 8/10 4 stars

Groovin'

The Young Rascals

3/5

This to me is like a perfect slice of stereotypical easy-to-listen-to late 60s vocal pop/rock music. It's never going to end up as a personal favourite ... it's not mysterious nor edgy nor aggressive nor moody - rather "just" a collection of quite short and easily-accessible pop tunes. Yet by the same token there's literally nothing to *not* like, either. Lovely melodies and a all-time classic single "Groovin'" make this a worthy choice. Also I never had any idea that "You Better Run" was not a Pat Benatar original!? Can't ever go wrong putting this on for a spin on a Sunday afternoon. 7/10 3 stars

Low-Life

New Order

4/5

...apparently I had no idea about what New Order actually were. I was most definitely not expecting this to start off with a accessible *upbeat as hell* simple 80s pop rock song - what!? As an 80s rocker kid I avoided New Order because I thought "ick - no guitars or "real" drums but all moody electronic synths??" (n.b. which I would likely love now) but "Love Vigilantes" seems like it could have been something from Big Country or The Alarm. And to be sure the album soon covers moody-synth territory, with heavily layered sequencers moving right in on the second cut but I definitely have a new-found appreciation for the music - it's far more complex and deep than I would have imagined. Yet there's a peculiar mix of styles on this album - just when it seems to be settling into this sequenced new wave we get something like "Sunrise" which is just a killer rock track. I do find some of the instrumentation or mix ... weird (e.g. on "This Time of Night" the overdubbed drum fills practically coat the song) on some of the colder songs but that's a retroactive-80s style thing I'm still not used to :D Overall though this was highly unexpected and is a pleasantly odd mix of synthy dark 80s dance tunes and up-tempo pop-rock songs. I'm glad to have listened to this - a keeper and not just as a timepiece for the era. 7/10 4 stars

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

The Mamas & The Papas

4/5

Another album that for me at first was difficult to rate on merit vs nostalgia. My parents had this album from the time I was born so putting it on was a bit of a personal time machine :) - but also the songs at first play (in decades) have such an overly sweet and dated sound to them that I found myself a little bored. However I did play it again last night through headphones and more-fully appreciated how awesome those vocal harmonies are. Since the mix was probably done on an old 4 track for most songs the 3 or 4 part harmonies are exclusively in the left-channel which makes them blend so perfectly I often can't even figure out how they create those parts. Also when you start listening to the lyrics they're nowhere near as "sweet" as maybe they wanted you to think :D - these guys may have had as much interpersonal drama as Fleetwood Mac did nearly a decade later. The two all-time music classics of "Monday Monday" and "California Dreamin" are so ubiquitous (commercials, tv shows, etc) and justifiably so but "Go Where You Wanna Go" and "Straight Shooter" are every bit as catchy. Gotta give this its proper due even if it's not something I'd ordinarily listen to - these are perfectly constructed pop songs absolutely "of the time" but with melodies (and harmonies) this good it's a keeper. 8/10 4 stars

Fear Of A Black Planet

Public Enemy

5/5

Public Enemy does not sound dated at all - so many (too many) of the lyrics and topics are 100% as relevant today (30+ years later holy hell). Yet what makes this album (and PE's other early (pre~1994) albums) especially fantastic isn't just the lyrics/topics but the kickass music - judicious samples and hard beats; if the music isn't any good, the message isn't going to be heard - and the music is great. Chuck D was never better than on this collection - "Welcome to the Terrordome" and of course the huge hit "Fight the Power" are standouts. "Burn Hollywood Burn" might be the best of them all - the beat is intense and high-paced, and guest verses from Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube make this catchy as hell. I'm unlikely to ever give a perfect score for a PE album because of Flavor Flav's songs (I like him well enough as a sidekick but as a sidekick alone) - him taking lead on a song mostly kills the vibe for me but on this album he is thankfully more limited and he hits a little differently - "911 Is a Joke" had a huge impact and actually had something to say. Fear Of A Black Planet also works so well because it is truly a complete *album* rather than a smattering of tracks here and there - in some ways (it's a reach, I'll admit) it's not unlike The Who's Sell Out in terms of there being "connecting tracks" ("Incident at 66.6FM" "Reggie Jax" "Leave This Off Your Fn Charts") that work as a path from one "proper" song to the next. In other words - you lose a ton if you listen to some of these songs on a mix... listen to this from tip to tail for the full effect. And admittedly even though it is a dense album you do have to listen to it as a complete collection and worth any effort - it also gets better upon multiple spins. If it's not the best hip-hop album ever made it has to be in the conversation.... 9/10 5 stars.

Dig Me Out

Sleater-Kinney

2/5

I like the idea of this record...but I don't like this record. Trying to objectively figure out why... I think it's two-fold: the mix is too low-fi/"indie" for me (at times it sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom which...hey, personal taste, but it sounds cheap especially with the drums). But mainly it's that the main singer (the one singing in the higher register) is abrasive as hell and just gets worse within each song and as the album goes on. There are a handful of songs where I found myself starting to bop my head (e.g. "Turn It On") and then the vocals just move more and more towards the same damn timbre and limited frantic-at-the-edge-of-a-shriek and it kills the vibe. It's like she works herself to this frenzy and gets to the peak note and just stays there the rest of the song. That being said, I can see why people would like this and I imagine Sleater-Kinney being a fun live band; pretty sure I would enjoy a solid hour long set in a club. Big points for the aggression fueled melodic content - and there's enough musical variety and talent to make it quite interesting - but the vocals and that 90s DIY sound make this album a miss for me. 4/10 2 stars.

School's Out

Alice Cooper

4/5

Very surprising. Was not excited to give this a listen as I've grown up with (and every elementary school final day singing) "School's Out" and knowing some more of AC's hits, I did not expect the pleasantly *weird* variety herein. The track "School's Out" needs no review other than everybody knows it, it's silly fun, but honestly nothing like what's to come and the least-interesting song on the album.... ...horn-infested and more than a little creepy "Blue Turk" ...the West Side Story-ish "Gutter Cat vs The Jets" ..."Alma Mater" sounds like it was stolen from a Paul McCartney and Wings session. ..."My Stars" could (or should) have been a deep-cut on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (and frankly better than some of its throwaway tracks). Alice(the singer - as this was also the name of the band at the time)'s vocals are almost instantly recognizable - for better or worse - but aside from that I would not have been able to identify any of these as an Alice Cooper recording. Preconceived notions shattered. As a collection, the relatively short (37 minutes) length is perfect as it ends before it might get tiring. I almost can't believe I'm saying this but after 3 listens today I would listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars

Achtung Baby

U2

3/5

I never know how to feel about this band. I'm old enough to remember nearly all of their releases...I tried hard for Unforgettable Fire (1984), then again with Rattle n Hum/Achtung Baby (1989-1991)...and one last gasp for All That You Can't Leave Behind (2002)... Is it possible to both acknowledge that an album is probably excellent but that you just don't like it? I remember buying this upon release and maybe just *believing* I liked it based on so many hits... to be fair, the music is definitely a "new" sound for U2 compared to much of their previous work...those clean delayed guitars, space/reverb which were all so prevalent. I guess I do appreciate if not like that aspect of change. On this disc right away we hear elements of techno, distorted guitars, loops... and as a result many of these songs are quickly catchy...but at the same time boring. Notably I'll point out "One" which can probably safely be called a classic song, if not their best then in the conversation and builds to an inspiring climax. Why is this never among my favourite albums or bands? I don't fully know - on Achtung Baby the drums sound like hitting wet paper, that's definitely a turn-off. I'm not enveloped in the sound of this album, despite it having a richness of content. If there's one thing alone though - it's the vocals. I think I'm not a fan of vocalist Bono, and more specifically from roughly this album forward. Allowing for the obvious that albums are recorded as multitrack and layered over and over.... it still always sounds too obvious with U2 and Bono, like the music is a distant accompaniment and Bono is in a small room crooning way way too close to the microphone. He never feels a part of the action - there's nothing inherently bad about it...it's just distracting to me on almost every song. This is a terrible review, I just don't know how to put it - U2: a band I want to like, I like some songs, bits of a few albums, but I've never said "hey i'm in the mood for U2". Listen to this album to get a very accurate slice of the early 90s in the rock world. I'll give big points for creativity especially in the guitar category but it's not my thing. 6/10 3 stars.

Horses

Patti Smith

1/5

Ahhh another "critics' favourite" - likely a longer debate but why are these so often terrible? So this exhibits a "punk attitude" which means what exactly? It's a little bit funny (or annoying if any of it mattered at all) that it's likely the same critics at the time who loved this labeled prog-rock as "pretentious" - but what could be more pretentious than this sonic shit sandwich? Bad meandering poetry loudly (so dreadfully loudly) mixed over mind-numblingly boring boring boring basic 3 chord blues-ish music and songs that go on so fffffffffffking long.... As a whole the album was 43 minutes too long. 1/10 1 very dim star

The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground

1/5

Who did I wrong in this or another life to deserve this week...Patti Smith and now this back to back. Uninspiring-at-best so-called songs about drugs and the streets, many of which were "sung" by Lou Reed. oooo edgy! Oh but at least it closes with *pure genius* [suffers through untold minutes of no-composition feedback-drenched dissonant sounds of a band openly mocking the idea of music and/or anyone in the future voluntarily listening to this] in "European Son" ..... what the absolute hell - was there nobody around to put the brakes on this?? -10/10 0 stars to everyone responsible in 1967 for foisting this mess upon the public.

The Bends

Radiohead

4/5

Categorizing this as "alternative" is a bit puzzling - this is a straight-up fantastic rock album that felt very fresh for the mid-90s. Incorporating modern elements/sounds into a layered guitar approach it was a great step above their meh debut album, and would only be a temporary stepping stone to their next string of albums which went off in then-unpredictable and amazing directions. I'm not entirely sure it's as revolutionary or amazing or alt-rock as was (is?) made out to be and if there's any negativity from me it's that at some point the songs do tend to blend in with one another somehow, despite the decent variety. Seems weird to say it but even though I like every song on this album, as a whole it bores me and I don't know if I have ever been able to sit through it at once. If you've heard and disliked later-period Radiohead give this a try as it is a far more traditional rock format in terms of the instrumentation and song structure. Highlights are "The Bends" "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" 7/10 4 stars

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

2/5

I was surprised to see this pop up on the list - I of course remember the 2 big singles in the mid-80s and then nothing else about them so I'm essentially going in blind. It's a well-produced (slick) very 80s-representative album produced by Trevor Horn (who had his hand in a lot of big music of the era) and as such it plays more like a nice resume point for him rather than featuring the music or band itself. Even their two big hits in retrospect have excellent hooks but are not developed much further than that; they thankfully each wrap up in under 4 minutes. For a lot of these tracks, they *sound* good but if anything they show the shortcomings as songwriters the band had, peppered with some weird/unexpected covers ("Born To Run" "San Jose" "War" - ??). In fact the first true song on the album is about 14 minutes of decent enough music but it's not really a song, per se - it sounds more like a poorly constructed overture. Summing up - nothing at all unpleasant to listen to with some very cool instrumental passages but with a slew of those odd covers and decent-enough sounding poppy dance tunes I don't really see why it's on the "1001 list" - to me it's not much more than background music. 4/10 2 stars

Le Tigre

1/5

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha <wheezes...deep breath....> hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ....no. You can write about injustice and/or name check all the great activists in history you want but if you pair it with unlistenable audio poop - it doesn't matter. Awful. 0/10 1 star.

3 + 3

The Isley Brothers

4/5

This is a great and easy-entry selection of classic 70s soul+rock+r&b. Starting right out with "That Lady" - a high-energy uptempo song which can sit alongside any rock song of the era. I'm not often a fan of albums consisting of many covers (and this has no less than 4 that are/were already well-known) so it docks it a bit for me...but these are done in such an *Isley Brothers style* that it's hard to believe they're not originals. 7/10 4 stars

With The Beatles

Beatles

3/5

Hard to criticize anything by The Beatles, even if this particular platter is not something I'd put on too often. This is definitely "early Beatles" with their late 50s influences prominent - vocal harmony laden clean-guitar-driven pop songs. That's no insult and there's really no criticism here - nobody did it like this before and almost nobody has done it this well since. "All My Loving" is probably the biggest / most famous one here amidst roughly half originals/half cover tunes. Even though I vastly prefer their later style it's still great art of the time (1963) - it just doesn't give me chills. It's a nice easy-listening experience with great vocal harmonies. i.e. the only reason I'm putting it at 3 stars is personal preference. 7/10 3 stars

Ramones

3/5

14 songs - 29 minutes. :D I tend to lean towards big/anthemic/complex rock and pop music so the idea of a slab of short punk songs with a few power chords wouldn't necessarily be in my A-list collection. But this is what it is and it's fun which is the point. No tracks longer than 2:39 which was absolutely the right call - no need for solos or belaboring the (minimal?) points - this is a quick half-hour of smiling and banging your head with good simple melodies and just when you're about to be sick of it...it's done. Even for someone (me) whose first choices would be music with advanced musicianship, lengthy passages and new reveals upon each listen, this actually does have an important place. Don't think - just rock. 7/10 3 stars

Palo Congo

Sabu

2/5

I might be able to chalk this up to my own ignorance but I just couldn't get too into this. Not being much of a samba fan at all, I can still give credit to the decent musicianship but I don't love the singing ("Simba" in particular is especially annoying). Maybe would be more up my alley if this were all instrumental - e.g. "Rhapsodia Del Maravilloso" is a highly enjoyable uptempo song highlighted by fantastic guitar playing. 2 stars for feeling like I can't rate it properly - just not my bag. 3/10 2 stars

Birth Of The Cool

Miles Davis

2/5

Very listenable jazz, although a touch too "old-timey" jazz for me; I do feel like I should put on a suit and be smoking at a table in a black and white movie while this band plays in the background. I very much enjoy some (not that much) later period Miles Davis and can hear where he's heading with this collection, so it's interesting on that level in knowing the path he'd travel from here to something like Kind of Blue in just 8 or 9 years. 5/10 2 stars for excellent music history and I'd be good with putting this as background music but I prefer less boppy and more mysterious jazz.

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

3/5

I'm never sure how to feel about this album. I recall when it was released (aside from the "controversial" Money For Nothing track and state of the art video) frankly being terribly bored by it all. And listening to it again...part of me doesn't feel that much different. It's just so damned laid back and smooth, even on more uptempo songs like "Walk of Life." But then again, that's sort of what Dire Straits is (was). Can I really enjoy Making Movies that much more than this album, and if I really do was it only because this was hugely "popular" - so much so that 3 or 4 songs were absolutely unavoidable on radio for a year. Is this album that much different? It sort of feels that way to me - there's nothing inherently wrong with being commercial or poppy, and this album has that in abundance, especially in the first half (Side 1!). The positives though - "Money For Nothing" is an undeniably fantastic song; that main guitar riff is legendary and the extended haunting intro is perfect. And Sting you arrogant and talented bastard: you completely nailed it with the background vocals here (and of *course* got co-writing credit). "The Man's Too Strong" is my personal favourite; the powerful contrast between the acoustic backing and the heavy power chords in the chorus set a commanding mood. Dire Straits is a band that takes some time to sink in - in the end I do like this more than I used to, and perhaps the lesser-known second half a bit more than the poppier first. Overall the album *sounds* good - especially the guitar tones - although I do waver on that a bit as there is a very mid-80s sound to it. Again - not inherently bad at all (plenty of albums I like are very dated-sounding), but there's not anything like a timelessness about it that makes it rise up for me either. 6/10 3 stars - very listenable overall with a few big highlights but suffers from a sameness of sound that may either be 80s syndrome or simply über-Dire Straits.

Cheap Thrills

Big Brother & The Holding Company

3/5

Important in that it was the first major release featuring Janis Joplin - it is interesting to hear other songs aside from the big hit and eternal classic radio staple "Piece Of My Heart" It's not necessarily ground-breaking or mind-blowing though, which isn't necessarily a criticism, but after a while the blues-based songs take on a sameness - perhaps one that they've had all along. Good musicianship by the band though, that definitely comes through especially on tracks like "Oh, Sweet Mary." Enjoyable enough listen I suppose in some ways (as I waver between giving this 2 or 3 stars) but would this get a look/listen if it weren't featuring "Janis Joplin™" on vocals? Too many times I'm hearing this as "generic late 60s capable psychedelic blues hard rocking band" and throughout this album that's what you get i.e. it's not really one I'd ever think to immediately repeat once it's done. 5/10 3 stars.

Hunting High And Low

a-ha

3/5

I was in high school when this album came out and so heavily into hard rock and heavy metal that the idea of a fully synth-laden pop band was anathema to me at the time :) Having said that, this lead single (and as it turns out the only song I can even remember from the band) was not dismissed by me... because of *the video* - which everyone knows. And the reason that it was/is important is that the video was so damn compelling at the time that it got me to look past my stubborn narrow-minded music tastes at the time and just enjoy it for what it was and is - a truly great pop song - that's not a light statement: "Take On Me" is so perfectly constructed as to stay interesting and high-paced throughout its perfectly short-enough length. ...oh wait, there's more to this album? Unsurprisingly the album is very very 80s - the pulsing 16th note synth bass, layered keyboards, rigid electronic percussion, heavy reverbs. So yeah - it's dated. But it sounds good - it may not be my favourite genre but it's a highly melodic throwback with decent songs that is a fun 37 minute retro-ride. 7/10 3 stars.

Revolver

Beatles

5/5

Yes yes, as if this album hasn't been reviewed 3 million times already...ok ok ok top 10 album of all-time, highly influential, etc etc. I don't think any Beatles album is anything less than interesting, even their (to me) very dated earliest material - this is where they started to get experimental, which is probably why as a little kid listening to some of these songs scared me a bit (musically the sitar freaked me out a bit; lyrically "Eleanor Rigby" especially was a trip - 'keeps her face in a jar' - the metaphor was way over my head). But...scary music sticks with you. Honestly, a few of the songs kind of bore me ("I'm Only Sleeping" and "Love You To") - but the best here are among the best songs....ever? "Good Day Sunshine" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" in particular are worthy of their fame. For me they got even better after this, but this is the true genesis of them steering away from their 50s influences (perhaps excepting "Here, There and Everywhere") and becoming the "weird Beatles" - which is my preference. 9/10 5 stars

Music for the Masses

Depeche Mode

3/5

Another band I wanted no part of during the late-80s; "don't even show me any moody synth-pop!" So... as has been the case in this exercise, I was actually excited to get it today and give it a re-listen. Right off the bat it's both a lot of what I expected and I ... kind of like it? My teen-filter never let me like Dave Gahan's voice at all but it's perfect for this music and the more I listen the more I like it. To be critical, the songwriting as a whole is fairly limited - there is a sameness to the songs once I start listening. But keeping positive, to me the band's strength is more in invoking a gloomy and dark mood instead which in an odd way is not necessarily a bad thing; almost like all these minor-key synth songs begin to wash over you and create more like a 45 minute experience rather than crafting quality "songs". I'm not sure I'd ever have strong cravings for this specifically, mostly because of the lack of great (or good?) songs... but if someone (including me) says "i'm feeling emo/sad and need to be alone for a while" I know the right album to put on. 5/10 3 stars

Kala

M.I.A.

1/5

After literally 2 minutes my first (second, third, and...) thoughts are the same as some other oddly critically-praised albums on this list... I've always considered that so-called good music has to have one critical ingredient: *the music has to be good* - crazy concept. This first track is flat out unlistenable. Unimaginatively simple beat topped with a monotoned vocal throughout. Wait, did I say "first track?" - scratch that...apply to all tracks... It goes well beyond "I don't get this" for me - normally if I don't like something it's fine; there are more than a few I don't "get" or like but still can see how they might be influential but this... what I don't get here is why this is even on the 1001 list - it sounds like an undisciplined 8 year old from Birmingham got some primitive 808 machine and a microphone and was allowed to put this out. Not a particularly pleasing rapper - I'm not hearing anything interesting in the rhythm, it's toneless and bland, and altogether was a slog just trying to finish the album. Unlistenable. 1/10 1 star.

Court And Spark

Joni Mitchell

5/5

I like virtually everything about this album - complex jazz-rock songs that could end up boring but due to intriguing rhythmic breaks, sneaky time signature changes, unconventional chord progressions, and of course the added unpredictable melodies of Joni Mitchell's voice the songs keep moving in new directions at all times. What makes this work so well for me is that it's not even remotely all about Joni's voice - this is a collection of A+ level musicians, musicianship, and songwriting. The electric guitar playing (mostly Larry Carlton) is compelling, with elements of slide, country, and rock. But the technical stuff doesn't matter if it's not good, obviously. I don't think you have to be a musician to be intrigued by and in love with this album. Such a short duration (~37 minutes) actually works in its favour as well - you're done before you're ready which is always better than the alternative. I was mildly surprised to find that this was her highest-selling album [as a little kid in the back of the car I do recall hearing "Help Me" on the radio a lot!]; I would have expected "Blue" to be tops - this album was only 3 years removed from Blue and is so very different. I love Blue as well and yet I think I like this as much - even a little more (and perfected in 2 yrs on her "Hejira") at times - the move into more of a jazzy territory and accompanied by more instrumentation really showcases the unique songwriting talent Joni had. While I don't know if I could say it's an album I'd always consider in my top 25 or whatever, for what it is it is fantastic: a well-produced smooth musical gem that shows off the best of talented early 70s elite of the music business and I'm never not fully taken in by it when I'm listening. 9/10 5 stars

Parklife

Blur

4/5

Throwback to the 90s "Britpop rivalries" - I was originally more in the Oasis camp but as time has gone on even though Oasis may have a few singles that have higher peaks I think Blur is more listenable over the long haul (i.e. for an entire album). Tons of cool/odd melody on this album with a lot of British influences. "Tracy Jacks" could very well have been a deep-cut old-school Who song. There are some annoyingly-overly-British songs here (e.g. "Bank Holiday") but that's more my lack of preference for punky fast-paced chanting. Fortunately for any irritating moments they are either short or countered quickly; for example "Badhead" is a very mellow tune with some simple and nice guitar lines weaving throughout the song. Then they go from "Far Out" through "To The End" and "London Loves" - that trio typifies this surprisingly diverse and melodic slice of the 90s that for me was a welcome diversion from the angsty-Nirvana trend. 7/10 4 stars.

Peace Sells...But Who's Buying

Megadeth

2/5

Dave Mustaine is a complete moron and giant asshole. Doesn't matter to the music but it needed to be said. onward... I wasn't too excited for this - I was very into hard rock in the 80s but the heaviest never appealed to me - I was a big Iron Maiden fan but their appeal was due to their melody and anthemic songs. Knowing Megadeth was an offshoot of Metallica (a band I've never liked) and in the thrash metal vein I'm not sure I ever explicitly listened to them, outside of the random video or someone else playing them. After the first song honestly the music is kind of cool in parts, but I'm definitely turned off by the growly vocals. And especially where Dave Mustaine sounds like James Hetfield is a big turn-off. "Peace Sells" is a fun throwback as that opening bass riff was the theme for MTV news back in the early 90s :) and "My Last Words" is frenetic in an early-Maiden kind of way, that's one I don't mind at all. But this is definitely not for everyone, and not really for me - "The Conjuring" is a good example of what I had expected: incredibly fast and precise thrashing, double kick-drums on display, quick tempo pivoting - really talented playing and musicianship. Overall not much constructive to say from my standpoint - I like it better than Metallica (low bar) and I can see why people would like this but I can't get into it. 3/10 2 stars

Debut

Björk

4/5

One of the few albums I'll ever increase a rating *because* of the vocals, because Björk is one of the most unique vocalists I've ever heard. This would simply be a completely different - and likely boring - album if any other person in the world was the vocalist. Hard to describe - it's not just her voice, it's in the way she sings the songs in a manner that's at times arrhythmic or disjointed, as if it were layered on top of the music as a separate entity. Which sounds like it wouldn't work, but it completely does. The music itself is mildly interesting and might not be on its own but after many listens (and to be fair I did have this album when it was released, so there have been many listens!) the music seems to become part of Björk. Meaning I can't imagine it not being joined at the hip with her vocals - it all just fits. I'm neither much of a dance nor electronic music aficionado but again - the voice jumps right out and grabs your ears and never lets go which for me makes this album transcend boundaries. It's unique and for that it's a keeper and worthy of classic status. 8/10 4 stars

Talking Book

Stevie Wonder

4/5

Stevie Wonder rapidly approaching peak status here - the heavy use and layering of synthesizers and played in large part only by Stevie himself give it a looseness that crosses between soul, funk, and rock. Virtually everyone on earth knows who Stevie Wonder is and is at least passably familiar with at least a few tracks so there's not much intro to the artist needed here - "Superstition" is one of the all-time classic songs and is the clear gateway-drug for this record. "Tuesday Heartbreak" makes me think of summer vacation driving with the top down. "I Believe" is a great album closer - end credits vibe on this one - just a simple and perfectly catchy chorus. Although it does suffer from what a number of the other songs have... ...if there's a knock - and there is - I do find a fair few of these songs to ... just not quite be *there* yet. As if they could have spent 3 more months in the writing room before release - "Maybe Your Baby" sounds fantastic and starts well with a great groove but it stagnates and is just far too long. Many of the others are slow and hard to latch onto - slow in and of itself connotes neither negative nor positive but slow and at times meandering gets dangerously close to boring. So the classic Stevie sound has been established here and rating aside...this is an excellent listen - nearly keeper status. But to me this is just his launching pad for Hall of Fame status which would come literally months later with Innervisions. 7/10 4 stars.

If I Should Fall From Grace With God

The Pogues

2/5

First/second/third impressions are that this would be a blast to hear live in a smallish pub in Ireland - fun foot-stomping, get the crowd going a bit. On disc though? Doesn't hold much for me - the music is good but tends to get repetitive in sound/pattern and Shane McGowan on vocals gets....old. Recusing myself a bit as this likely has more of a cultural bent to it and they do sound talented but as a collection of songs to listen to I think I could do 2 or 3 at a time but as a full album it's not something I'm likely to return to. 4/10 2 stars.

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

The Incredible String Band

1/5

Perhaps the right music if I were in a forest visiting Tom Bombadil for a weekend pipe-weed smoking getaway while hiding the One Ring. As I'm listening it's impossible to not imagine a number of hilariously-dressed flautists prancing around a stage while singers are skipping in different directions while gently tossing flower petals into the audience. Very much of the era (late 60s) and I had to try to dial in a wider acceptance rather than judge this in a standard pop/rock vein. Points for usage of many non-traditional (in a pop sense) instruments which is what I ended up trying to focus on. I really tried. But wow - this one is tough to get through. Very tough. Completely unfamiliar with the band before today, I had no expectations. After a few minutes I was hoping and wanted it to go off in a truly weird/fun/trippy direction (ala Gong) but instead just stayed odd in a tiresome way for me and went south from there. The vocals carry a nearly extreme cringe factor for me which makes this unrecoverable overall. I can't definitively say that "Three Is A Green Crown" is the worst song I've ever heard but I'm not going to argue with anyone who claims it. holy hell..... somebody put the wounded animal singing it out of its misery already. ...which only leads into "Swift As The Wind" ... oh. oh my. I've just come across their previously-hidden pre-production notes: "how can we make a song worse than having one wailing vocalist?" "......TWO wailing vocalists??" "genius." I'm resisting a reflexive "I really don't like this" because I was hoping upon a second listen I get it a little more but .... there's no way I can get through it again as it just kept getting worse and worse and yes: *I really don't like this.* 2/10 1 star.

James Brown Live At The Apollo

James Brown

3/5

Uncomplicated fun. James Brown is great to listen to, although this particular selection of songs isn't necessarily my favourite - being recorded in 1962 it has a huge 50s flair/sound to it and I'm not a big fan of that era (e.g. doowop) but nevertheless it's a highly enjoyable collection especially (mostly?) because it's live. And that intro is fantastic :) 6/10 3 stars - will never be a keeper for me but would reach for this again in the right setting.

Toys In The Attic

Aerosmith

4/5

As a kid I grew up listening to current rock which now happens to be "classic rock" - and sometime in the early 90s like a lot of my generation I got tired of nearly all of it (turn on any of 7-8 local FM stations anywhere and it's (still) the same 50-60 songs) and just never played a lot of it for a long time. Combine that with a move to Boston and living there for many years ... with the extra amount of Aerosmith played there in the late 80s/90s I grew to have a "holygodihatethisbandpleaseneverletmehearthemagain" attitude about them. ..... But holy crap I had forgotten - this is a goddamn great rock and roll album. Greasy, nasty, tight yet at the same time loosely played, ballsy riffs with unexpected chords and melodic vocals - it really jumped beyond blues-based rock into something far more interesting with surprising variety: the aggression of the title track, the Alice Cooper-like creepiness of "Uncle Salty" and the gorgeous melodies of songs like "No More No More" and "You See Me Crying" ... and I haven't even had to mention the two eternally monstrous hits of "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" - turns out when you voluntarily listen to them, and especially in context of the album, it helps you realize how good they actually are. :) Only thing keeping this album from a 5 star rating for me is the weirdly out-of-place drudgery of "Round and Round" - it's as if Spinal Tap went back in time and copped the worst of Black Sabbath. 5 lost minutes in an otherwise kick-ass collection. So the key is to just not listen to something for 20+ years - if it's good, it'll come back to you. 9/10 4 big stars

Violator

Depeche Mode

4/5

Two Depeche Mode records in two weeks?? My 20-yr old guitar-hero-worshiping self would be apoplectic. I really like it though; it's a great *sounding* album - great stereo spread - even if most of it is so painfully synthy. If there's any criticism, none of it *swings* at all; it's so on-the-grid and I'm sure at one point I would have hated that but that's the point. The songs are nothing overly complex, but they all sound so coldly clean that it makes them easy to digest and I've found it gets better upon repeated listens. Great moody and sorrowfully melodic album - I'll come back to this one. I love the obvious nod to Pink Floyd on the intro to "Clean" too! 7/10 4 stars

Like A Prayer

Madonna

3/5

Not sure if I've ever voluntarily listened to Madonna before, other than Ray Of Light (which was really good). The big singles here are probably known by most everyone and in retrospect the title cut "Like A Prayer" is a pretty excellent song; I love the minor-key bridge - builds so well and finally resolves into the big final chorus. Just great. And "Love Song" was one I'd not heard before - Prince definitely makes a great collaborator on this and it's fun (if not a shade too long). "Till Death Do Us Part" is a nice-enough upbeat song.... "Dear Jessie" is an unexpected light melodic treat as well. But there is a pattern here - none of the tracks are even close to bad or objectionable, and the album *sounds* fantastic - you can really tell that a ton of time (i.e. money) was spent getting this to sound sonically great. They're all "nice" or easy enough to spend 4-5 minutes listening to but I can't ever envision being in the car or in the living room and suddenly think "yeah I have to listen to 'Cherish' or 'Express Yourself'" After that first track to me most of the album has a good melodic or dance mood but individually the songs don't grab me much overall. 5/10 3 stars

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

The Kinks

4/5

When I was 9 our local library had records available to borrow. Since The Who's "Tommy" was rudely already checked-out, I knew of The Kinks and saw "Sleepwalker" so grabbed it. I remember trying so hard to like it but didn't get them at all so sort of forgot about the band. Looking back, their hard rock phase was mostly pretty lame. Also around that time my older cousin for some reason had some serious hate for the band - "worst band ever!" so at that age you take that stuff seriously. Anyways I've never heard this album before so what the hell, let's give it a go... "Victoria" is just a great single - funny that I thought it was released much later than 1969; I must be familiar with the later live version. This has a very British sound to it (shocking, that, being that they're...you know.....). Being a huge fan of The Who I started hearing some similarities to the early Who period and ... um, this is better? Like...much better?? "Shangri-La" would sit comfortably as one of the best cuts on "Tommy" - easily. As hard as I've tried over the years to really like "Sell Out" by The Who (and if I'm honest most of their pre-Tommy albums), even just upon first listen of this album it's far superior in songwriting and recording. Concise, excellent variety not only between songs but often times within a song - the instrumentation is also endlessly interesting...e.g. harpsichord on "She's Bought a Hat..." and "Young and Innocent Days" ... the heavy "Brainwashed" which rocks with horns ... another song that sounds like The Who but better than The Who (if only the Kinks had sold this song to the Who it would have killed with those musicians) Upon second listen I'm understanding why Pete Townshend always praised this band. This is great. ...reeling, I am currently re-evaluating all my priorities and potential misconceptions in life. 8/10 4 stars

Imperial Bedroom

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

I have a fading but still distinct memory of being a little kid and for some reason up LATE on a Saturday night in the 70s - the tv was on in the living room (shag carpet + fireplace - obviously) and the much-whispered-about in 1st grade [but only ever actually seen by "Dennis" who was clearly at that time the class rebel (i.e. degenerate-in-training)] Saturday Night Live was on. I recall a very aggressive and odd looking guy singing emphatically and getting RIGHTUPTHISCLOSE to the camera. Of course this was Elvis Costello and his (in)famous appearance before being banned from SNL for years. This was not the Elton John or Queen I was used to listening to. And certainly not the Muppet Show. Fast forward a few decades when I re-arrived very very late to the Costello game - only within the last 15 or so years? And this was one I'd never heard before; I don't even know if I'd heard any of these in passing back in the early 80s - if any were in the MTV mix between Def Leppard and Rainbow I clearly don't remember. I wouldn't have been ripe for it. Right off the bat "Beyond Belief" brings a great haunting melody and I love the bass riffs into and through the fade out. Another quick standout is "Shabby Doll" which combines EC's crooner feel over a funky beat. My two personal faves. There's a fullness to the sound on this entire album - much bigger than his earlier raw material but defining it on its own merit it does sound fantastic. It's funny though, after liking it a lot over the first few songs I'm not sure my interest stayed at the same level. Historically I love big sounding huge mixes on albums. But I don't know if I love it for Elvis Costello? "...And In Every Home" is unquestionably well-crafted - with horns and strings, it sounds like something 3 levels above something off of Sgt. Pepper - but do I actually like it? It's ... fine. This song could have been better served by another band (early Kinks?) perhaps. I will say that the album closes really well - "Pidgin English" and "You Little Fool" especially really brought it back for me - some "familiar unexpected" EC musical choices within each of these songs. I feel like my rating is possibly premature - even though it didn't hit me overall, this is an ambitious album and absolutely showcases what a talent Costello is. I feel like this is one that might grow on a listener over time. Overall the album sounds really great, but I initially find that I really prefer the early rawness of EC's first few albums. For now it's in the "intriguing enough to give a few more spins" bin with other 3 star ratings... 7/10 3 stars.

I Should Coco

Supergrass

2/5

Things I was doing in 1995: - playing a lot of NHL '94. - touring with a band in the back of a van around the northeastern US. - eating poorly. - holding down a tech support job during the day which funded the rest of said list. Things I was not doing in 1995: listening to pop/punk. So I missed this one although kind of surprising considering how embedded I (thought I) was into the current music scene, almost by necessity. I do like the songs "Alright" and "Time To Go" - nice melodies - the keys on Alright are a nice instrumental change-up and Time To Go is a great pace slowdown from the rest of the album but on the whole it is not in my wheelhouse, being fast-paced shouty punk-ish music. I'll give a nod to the fact that it's much more melodic than I might have expected but its never-ending frenetic pace is just too much for me. This one I can see how others would like but not my cup of tea (tea very much a pointed analogy. they're British? get it? of course you do.). 4/10 2 stars.

Different Class

Pulp

3/5

I've been appreciating Britpop a lot more of late - no doubt due to this fantastic 1001 exercise. In general - and Pulp here absolutely follows suit - there is such an emphasis on melodic progressions which I am a sucker for. For this Pulp album, songs like "Mis-shapes" and "Disco 2000" just ring out with irresistible sing-song melodies - so much that I like and appreciate about song structure is wrapped up in these. Yet...I find that my problem with Pulp is not necessarily Jarvis Cocker's voice, it's perhaps his manner of singing on many of the songs ("I Spy") that can prove ...difficult? - actually it's the combination of style and lyrics, and as a listener who finds that lyrics should serve as a "get in & get out of the way" piece rather than sitting right up top as the main focus, they're FAR too often a distraction. The verses in "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E" annoyed me so much - dry right-up-in-your-head vocals but once the song kicks in I like it - so what the hell am I supposed to think about this? The weird lyrics to "Underwear" kinda wreck what I love about the music in this song. I'm going to have to give this another few spins - as of now 3 stars but almost disappointing; I feel like this album wasthisclose to being great for me. Freaking lyrics, man... 6/10 3 stars

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Bruce Springsteen

4/5

Wherein Bruce's dad gets a new camera for the holidays and says "Kid! Stand over there by the damn closet so I can try this out" and Bruce uses it as the album cover. ??? I heard so much of this as a kid, then got into a phase where I didn't want to hear his voice at all, but even if I still felt that way there is so much more to these songs - Springsteen had a way of putting a song together musically that sounded simple (read: accessible) but had enough twists and turns and use of dynamics to keep a music dork (me) hearing something new upon each listen. There's little point trying to argue that (most of) these aren't great songs. The combination of the joyous melodies ("Badlands" - those triumphant keys, soaring sax, and galloping drums) and - ok i'll admit it - the lyrics make for classic American music. The only miss for me is "Adam Raised A Cain" - droning and repetitive. There was a time I didn't give 2 shits about anything he did and even though I do enjoy it far more now, it's not music that gives me chills. That's not a knock that he'll never be a favourite but he sure could write a tune and sometimes that alone is the right play and hits just right. 7/10 4 stars

I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail

Buck Owens

2/5

Because I was a kid in the 70s, I watched Hee Haw every time I was at my grandma's house because, well, it was the law. I pretty much digested anything I heard in those days which in retrospect is a pretty great way to start your life don't you think? No preconceived notions, no prejudices, no concept of modern vs old vs popular vs obscure. Oh - Buck Owens was one of the stars of Hee Haw, hence my 12 second autobiography. I'd say soon after - sometime in the late 70s - my personal tastes locked heavily in to rock music and I probably didn't hear a country song outside of a K-Tel commercial for...decades. Honestly I can't properly rate this - as much as it's nostalgic to think of being ~6 and watching terrible shows like HeeHaw...I just can't really appreciate this - I play guitar; I know I can't play slide or pedal remotely like they can on this album, and so give huge credit to the musicianship - but there's a laconic sameness to all of it that I doubt I can ever get into. I'll give it 2 stars for name recognition and apologies to country lovers... 5/10 2 stars.

Electric Warrior

T. Rex

2/5

Confession: first time I'd ever heard "Bang A Gong" it was the Power Station cover, c1985. Since then I've heard the original a few thousand times - it's fine. It's fine. Just like the rest of the album. It's all fine. I suspect if I had been a teenager in 1971 when this came out I'd have loved it - the simple driving beats, 4 chords, accessible and simple melodies. It's just that I've heard it all so many times, and frankly ... I've heard better. I will say that I'd bet these songs would be really good live - ample room for good musicians to jam and expand the sound. It's tough to gauge something that may have been rather ground-breaking for the time which I know a lot of people hold this as, so I allow a little deference there. But.... is/was it so groundbreaking? Are these anything that early Kinks or Stones wouldn't trounce into the ground musically? I read that this is the "beginning of glam rock" but is that actually a genre or because Marc Bolan started wearing glitter? Absolutely nothing bad in here, and might get a knowing nod from me if I heard it out somewhere, but it's like a Ritz cracker with no topping. Oh, if you desperately need something to eat it'll do, but I'd really like some good cheese on top. Or frankly - a better cracker. 4/10 2 stars.

1989

Taylor Swift

3/5

I'm not really a modern-pop fan. It's not necessarily terrible, it just too often bores me. But I want to know everything :) so this was more than welcomed. It doesn't take long to really ... figure it out. More clichés than a Bon Jovi album, no adventurous or even unexpected musical turns, and is TSwift really a great - or good - singer? She *might* be - she does have a very nice/pleasant voice, but something that I notice at least in this collection is that she's not an *adventurous* singer at all (not necessarily in range, but in rhythm and taking many chances) but boy is she - and this album - produced within an inch of its life. It really is the equivalent of pixy sticks - remember those? A paper straw literally filled with flavoured sugar. You never get full, as you're sucking it down it's admittedly enjoyable, but like when you're getting the last of the sugar... almost immediately after the next song starts...I can't really remember much about the previous one. I will note two standouts: "Shake It Off" is one that's known even by me and dammit, it's good. TS gives something extra in this one - something about the rhythm of the lyrics and the way she delivers the lines, and just the absolute catchiness of it - it's a great pop song - period. "This Love" immediately stuck out to me as the best song on the album because it's really the only one that doesn't sound like many of the others - a really nice mellow feel based around a simple guitar pattern. I'd like more of these - I feel like 3 songs in this vein would have boosted my overall enjoyment of the album. With zero evidence :D I feel like this album people will either love it or slam it because it's the *most simple* of pop. I feel like both can be true at the same time. Maybe that's a good thing. As a music producer myself, I've found myself listening to each song a few times trying to figure out how some of the uber-smooth vocal techniques are done, it's quite enjoyable on that level and for me just edges it into 3 star territory. But the simplicity of the 4 chords songs just runs a little thin after a while - I could do a few songs - say, an EP - of this just gets a little long to go through the full album. One positive is that even though I know she's the biggest star on the planet I'm actually unfamiliar with most of her music and I'm curious to hear where she's gone after this. 5/10 3 stars

Disraeli Gears

Cream

2/5

Weirdly difficult for me to rate. I have this possibly overly-unrealistic dislike of Eric Clapton - I feel like his solo work was and is absolute trash and the worst of lazy-middle-of-the-road so-called "rock." Also seems like a right dingus. But. I admit Cream were different - I'll give Jack Bruce all the credit to make myself feel better. "Sunshine of Your Love" is a classic that everyone knows (although the lyrics are just dumb dumb dumb but who cares) and overall there is a unique and probably for the time groundbreaking sound they had. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is hilarious/ridiculous lyrically (wtf?) and boy did Clapton like that kind of chord progression but it's a great tune - this is one of my favourites by them. In a number of songs you can hear what I assume is Ginger Baker (drums) shouting out changes which gives those tunes a cool live-in-the-studio effect. But "sound" only goes so far, and too many of these songs are just....snoozers. "Blue Condition" sounds like a bunch of guys who were up drinking for 24 hours against their will and told to record RIGHT NOW. "We're Going Wrong" is about as accurate a song title as is on the album. I realize this is considered a classic and it's fun to hear a few of these songs again after a while but it's not something I can listen as a whole any more - Cream is an excellent "Greatest Hits" kinda band for me. Most of the songs here are just dull. 5/10 2 stars

Very

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

I've always thought the Pet Shop Boys' singer sounded like a gentle and kindly old British muppet heavily processed with compression and reverb. The album? It's...well, it's not so bad, really - but overall is this really one of the so-called 1001 must-hear albums? I don't know enough about synth/dance music to fully appreciate why this might be revolutionary or impactful - it's a nice album. Yes, it's nice. In a pleasant dreamscape kind of way - it's light and airy and smooth. And that might cover the positives and negatives for me. Same keys and synthetic percussion sounds throughout, which makes it in a lot of ways run like a 53 minute song in multiple movements - no singular points are so recognizable or memorable as to have me humming them later. Still....I have listened to it twice today. I think in the end it really is background music for me - great to work to! I give way too many 3 star ratings but if the synth fits... 5/10 3 stars.

Odessey And Oracle

The Zombies

4/5

I really like this album. "Time Of The Season" has almost become a standard by now, and like so many others I grew up hearing it and almost ignoring it. I may be old but 60s rock for the most part bores me, so when I was given this album probably 20 years ago and told to listen to it I didn't think I'd enjoy it much. Wrongwrongwrong. Right off the bat the melodic "Care of Cell 44" starts the album right; a comically weird song about someone writing to their partner in jail. The 90s band Jellyfish is one of my favourite bands of all-time and this song *is* Jellyfish 25 years early. Jumps right into the song after a very short intro; killer vocal harmonies in the chorus - brilliant. The rest of the album follows suit with melodic twists and turns and although its unmistakable echos of 60s arrangements (a little too reverby, prevalent strings, etc) are a little too much on a personal taste level, there's so much to like on this record that it's a keeper. A few dips (e.g. "Changes" and "Butcher's Tale" aren't favourites) but nothing immediately skip-worthy. And to finish off, the aforementioned "Time Of The Season" is a great album closer and I've found I appreciate it's slinky creepiness much more in the album context than I ever had before. 8/10 4 stars

Beyond Skin

Nitin Sawhney

3/5

Trippy. How do you even characterize an album like this? Smooth, airy, haunting... usage of percussion loops, acoustic guitars, mellow layered vocals, various environmental sound effects. I definitely don't like everything, e.g. - the spoken word/raps (e.g. "Pilgrim") don't connect with me and I'm probably just not used to that quarter-tone eastern melody style which is used a lot here ("Anthem Without Nation"). This isn't rock music by any stretch - I still don't know what to call it (electro-easter-jazz-rap?) but the best bits sure were/are interesting and for every turn I don't love [sadly most of the vocal parts especially later in the album] it comes back to maybe jazz piano ("Tides") or breakbeats ("Serpent") that I get into. I don't like it enough to call it a keeper but I could listen to (most of) this again. 6/10 3 stars.

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle & Sebastian

4/5

My first introduction to Belle & Sebastian was when Jack Black came into my record shop in Chicago singing "Jacob's Ladder" from Rush's Permanent Waves (which would be an automatic 5 stars stop the presses if it were in this top-1001 list which it damn well should be holy hell who put this list together anyways) and in mid-Lifeson-solo he stopped and asked me, and I quote, "holy shiite - what the fuck is that?" and I told him it's the new B... crap, no, that wasn't me. But still, that really was my first exposure to this old sad-bastard music and maybe I wasn't (yet?) an old sad bastard so I didn't hear them again for years. First off, let's put out there that Stuart Murdoch's vocals are tough. I'm not saying bad, I repeat: tough. My formative years were cut on either screechy, loud, or faux-macho (or sometimes all three) LEAD SINGERS, not the introverted sort that are what B&S is almost exclusively about. Now that's exactly what took me a long time to "get" and then - yes - like this group. They are introverted. They're introspective. And the music itself is kindasorta perfect for his voice. Or it may be the other way around. I just had a funny thought of David Lee Roth being tasked with singing for this band. I suspect these songs would sound pretty much exactly the same live in your living room, if any such weird occurrence like the band showing up at your house happened. The sound is small, dry, tight, and filled with haunting major 7ths and minor chords, all with a bit of polite emo vocals over and in-between it all. I love the melodies and although it's a stretch to call any of it exciting, it really sticks with you and upon repeat listens gets better and better. This album fits and is a particular mood and setting. That setting is kinda up to you but I'm thinking Saturday morning pouring rain, drinking coffee - just staring out a window somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. I would go for that right now in a second. Keeper. 7/10 4 stars

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

1/5

I don't want it darker. I want it to be better. Jesus H Christmas...he sounds like I do when I mumble to my dog in the dark when she wakes me up too early in the winter.... AH wait! There's the "darker" part! I respect that a fair set of people consider Leonard Cohen to be a visionary genius and I'm in no position to refute this - perhaps he is ... in the written word. But holy hell, I'd 100% rather give a shot to reading a book of his poetry rather than listen to this gravel dump truck set to song; and even if I could get by the vocals... the music itself I find dull and unimaginative. Hard no. 2/10 1 star.

Repeater

Fugazi

1/5

I loved the opening notes of this album - I was thinking I was going to really enjoy this.... and then the vocals started. Sigh. Getting tired of vocals ruining so many records on this list. I feel like I've written this so many times but for me vocals will almost never ever make an album but they sure as shit can wreck one. Could use a solid week of instrumental albums after this and Methuselah Leonard Cohen. No constructive review here - I am not really fond of listening to most things in the punk realm, so I couldn't say this is horrid trash (e.g. Velvet Underground, Le Tigre, FatBoy Slim - I question life itself when hearing those) and if punk is your thing, this is probably gonna be highly-rated. ... I suppose if anything positive here...the music is actually pretty good? Kinda? Maybe? Yay? no it's ok to admit it: I hate this. 3/10 1 star

Something Else By The Kinks

The Kinks

3/5

My second early-Kinks album in the past few weeks ("Arthur"). Not wanting to repeat too much but it's another very-British sounding collection - I do like it, but not as much as "Arthur" which came a few years after this. I think my earlier Kinks comment applies here, making comparisons to The Who. I'm wishing the Kinks had sold a whole bunch of their tunes to The Who - who I grew up a huge fan of, but if I'm honest only had a very short peak of greatness. Imagine Moon/Entwistle/Townshend crushing these tunes - would have been something... Anyways - I can hear a lot of where they'd end up over the next few years in this one; "David Watts" is a great opener - the album does fade quite a bit in the 2nd half, with lack of energy but "Waterloo Sunset" is a lovely closer. I think that second half contributes to me feeling like overall it's not too edgy or aggressive which an extra dose of overall would have pushed this up a notch for me, but it's a solid 3 - a nice example of good early British pop-rock. 6/10 3 stars.

S.F. Sorrow

The Pretty Things

2/5

The so-called "first rock opera?" - I thought I'd be down for this but....ehh? So I didn't want to leave a lame review like the above but so why is, say, "Tommy" (which apparently these guys thought was at least somewhat cribbed from them...ok...) so much better? Not really fair of me to compare the two since I've heard Tommy about 400 times in my life and this exactly once, today. If I had to hazard a guess, there's no anchor - there's no obvious central musical theme, and/or no "killer single" - just a bunch of very psychedelic-sounding nice enough songs, some have some really nice harmonies (e.g. "The Journey"), but it's honestly hard to really remember any of them. i.e. where's the album's "Pinball Wizard" or "Tommy Can You Hear Me?" I might need a few more listens to fully digest the story/opera part and I suppose I could since I didn't dislike it...but I kinda don't want to. Just a touch above boring as an album. Maybe a good long 17 minute epic would have tied everything together, but to be fair that's not so easily well-done. Speaking of which, I'll head over to my copy of "Supper's Ready..." 5/10 2 stars.

Bad

Michael Jackson

2/5

Listen - MJ was a musical icon for good reason and the duo of "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" are deserving of accolades. I don't know how much percentage credit to give Quincy Jones for those, but it doesn't matter - those are great pop/soul/dance records with timeless songs (even the cheesy ones, I'd argue). But this is just.... ok honestly, if this wasn't "Michael Jackson™" would it have been so big? He probably could/would have released Metal Machine Music V2 and sold 15 million after people waited for the follow-up to Thriller. I like his voice, but despite the 1987-slick production this music is just so terribly weak overall - "Man In The Mirror" is kinda good I suppose. But call it as it is: this album is appropriately titled. Bad, indeed. 3/10 2 stars

The Blueprint

JAY Z

3/5

I've of course heard *of* Jay-Z but have never heard a song by him, so this is perfect - let's go.... My initial impressions over the first two songs were - ehhh I like the music, I don't love the rapper/rap-style. Just didn't click - there's an aggressive monotony that I don't "get" but the third track "Izzo" is great. Jay-Z does a great job rhyming and it's really the rhythm of his rap here which is catchy as hell. More of this please. I don't know...this is a tough one to rank after only listening once - I feel like there's such a density here that I missed a ton, BUT - most of the time the music is the real attraction here. Great sampling and the production is top-notch. Overall though there's a lot of hit and miss for me - the aforementioned "Izzo" "Hola Hovito" and "Heart of the City" (last one really/mostly for the sampled original song) and "Blueprint" are my standouts but as an album it didn't have enough to make me mark it as a keeper. i.e. wouldn't reject it if it were on but probably wouldn't voluntarily listen again. 5/10 3 stars

Sunshine Superman

Donovan

2/5

ehhh... A case where the singles are unsurprisingly and not excitingly the best songs on the album ("Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch" are good...although it's possible I'm having some confirmation bias since these are the songs I know) - the rest is ... well, painfully dated. I guess there's nothing wrong with that but rather than a group of good songs it sounds more like a pastiche of what the late 60s were supposed to sound like. Yay here's some psychedelia ... I could picture many of these as background music to any Austin Powers movie. Also the lack of stereo knocks it down a bit more in listenability for me. 3/10 2 stars.

Soul Mining

The The

3/5

After two songs I thought I was disappointed - there seemed to be nothing special or exciting or different about them, just kind of boring faceless early 80s rock that washed over me. So my mind drifted as the album went on... ...and somewhere perhaps in "The Twilight Hour" I realized something had been clicking for a while. "Soul Mining" started and immediately grabbed me - haunting, different, exactly what I wanted from this album. So let's start this album over and see what I missed... And I did miss a lot. Actually the first track "I've Been Waiting For Tomorrow" *is* different and with the heavily 80s gated aggressive drum beat starting things off it grabs you - I must have been in a peanut butter haze my first time around on this one. Another highlight is "Uncertain Smile" - I don't know how I glossed over the awesome piano in it the first time - the super long extended solo/break is fantastic. So. I'm on my third spin of this one today. And while I haven't been able to get into everything - e.g. "The Sinking Feeling" doesn't really connect with me (yet?) - and will probably only give this a 3...I wonder if this one will rise over time. 7/10 3 stars.

Truth

Jeff Beck

4/5

Forget Jeff Beck for a minute or two - this album is a good reminder for me that Rod Stewart actually had a (very) small period where he absolutely killed it. It's kinda important to bring up Rod because this is absolutely as much his album as Beck's; it's almost akin to if Led Zeppelin I had been billed as "Jimmy Page" (who plays on one song here) and in a lot of ways I like this album more. Mostly because Jimmy Page's guitar playing occasionally irritates me as Beck was (is) a more interesting player to me; I think as a guitar player I enjoy his sound/tones quite a bit and on this album he runs the gamut from wailing on "Shapes of Things" to gentle acoustic on his rendition of "Greensleeves" and generous wahwah double tracking on "I Ain't Superstitious." And back to Rod Stewart ... maybe I'm focused on him because in the 80s he was ubiquitous for his milquetoast and lame songs/singing, so to hear him as the young rock god here is not only refreshing but he actually saves a lot of otherwise boring songs ("Ol' Man River", "Blues Deluxe") Overall there is a little too much slow blues for my tastes but getting beyond the occasionally dull songwriting Beck's playing (and definitely Stewart's vocals) saves the show when needed. And even though most of the best songs are covers, this is a great album not only for its time but a keeper which features a number of legendary musicians all hitting their peak. 8/10 4 stars

Green Onions

Booker T. & The MG's

3/5

Booker T (organ) was 17 when they recorded this. 17. So the title track has been so ubiquitous throughout my life that it almost feels like it's not a "real" song - just a theme that people hum from time to time. That's not to say it's not great - it is - it's just so known to me that I was curious to hear the rest of this album. It's pretty decent. Yeah it's...ok. I don't know, maybe it's just....meh? So I did some reading - the band were one of the first integrated bands which is really cool so I get that impact and is definitely important. And it's an easy listen - good playing, especially for 1962 - but for me is decent background music and not too much more. I'll give it 5/10 for cultural impact and it probably would have had a MUCH bigger impact on me had I been alive for it at the time. 5/10 3 stars

It's A Shame About Ray

The Lemonheads

4/5

A fun throwback to my immediate post-college years, this album is nothing complicated but filled with immediately catchy pop-rock songs in the vein of early-ish Goo Goo Dolls. The album gets going right off the bat with "Rockin Stroll" and those first four songs in particular are great. My personal favourite is "Rudderless" in that it stays relatively contained until that very end double time chorus gives a great release. If there's a negative, Evan Dando's voice gets a little tiresome for me (would have liked Juliana Hatfield to sing a few tunes - would have made this album even better, mixing it up a bit) but the good thing is that it's a short album :) that closes with a banging cover of "Mrs. Robinson." Again - nothing specialized but highly recommended. 7/10 4 stars (ranked based on the original release. I'm not a fan of the "extended" album / demos - so if you're in the same boat stop playing after "Mrs. Robinson" (Apple Music))

The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

5/5

OK here's another group i've heard so much about but I don't know if I've ever listened to - was far too much into guitar rock at the time but *wow* I missed out on this. Or maybe I wasn't ready - but this is the kind of hip-hop I love. Should I even categorize it merely as hip-hop? Because forget the rap for a minute - the first thing I'll ever notice on any album is the music and the music *KILLS* here. It's impossible to not move to the opening track "Excursions" - there's a hard jazz element with heavy drum loops (no 808s - and although these are samples they sample the real deal which IMO is always better. Always.) and the album never lets up at all. The music mostly isn't loud and in your face, but at the same time it propels and is never dull. I want to hear and see them performing this entire album with a full band - I can hear it translating brilliantly. Moving to the actual vocals I *love* the attack of multiple rappers (and as big a Public Enemy fan I am, and Chuck D is the best, Flav is a sideshow...) - it works so well on every song - including the guest spots (e.g. "Show Business"). I think my favourite aspect of the rapping is how rhythmic they are - accentuating, complimenting, and becoming *part* of the music - so much more than a ton of modern hip-hop that I just haven't been able to connect with. It's hard for me to find a favourite, but some other standouts are "Verses From The Abstract" "Check the Rhime" and "Jazz." Tribe feel like a BAND on every track here, rather than rapping over a beat - it's an integrated experience. This defines cool in every way and I'm psyched to add this to my collection - if there's any negative, it seems to tail off on the last few tracks - nothing bad, just loses a little steam. But the highs are so good that for only the second time in ~150 albums I've gone in completely blind and come out looking at 5 stars... 9/10 5 stars.

Blonde On Blonde

Bob Dylan

2/5

Look. There's no review on Dylan or this very very famous album that is gonna be new anywhere. Dylan...the great(est?) American songwriter, revolutionary, etc etc etc. Oooh he went electric... I just don't enjoy the songs. It's that simple. I know there are great messages and symbolism in here. I do. Just that for me music is music first and this ... eh, it really strains my ears to listen to the blues or folk with that harmonica just wailing (screeching) over and over and endlessly. It's not even so much his voice - that seems a tired critique although I get that too. Hey I like a lot of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler sounds eerily similar to Dylan. "Rainy Day..." is funny in a novelty sense (in fact as a kid I thought it *was* a novelty song for years) but I only need to hear it once a year. Anyways - it's the music. It's laconic, repetitive, and dull and sure I'll hear you out if you tell me if i were alive and a teenager in 1966 this would have blown my mind and I believe you. I'll even be fine if I come to your house and it's playing: "oh hey! Blonde on Blonde! cool. ... got any Rush?" See also: Leonard Cohen. Not my bag. Pass. 4/10 2 stars.

Crosby, Stills & Nash

5/5

Yeahhhh now this is some old-timey music that still crushes it. I've had some 60s folk/singer-songwriter albums of late which have been ... eh. For a most-recent example and in a musical vein that is sort of similar: I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan - maybe he could turn a phrase and accurately tap into the young mood of the time but his music just wasn't very good - almost like a quick basic template for him to write poetry over. Dylan's music for me pales to this - CSN's first album is different and you know it right off the bat - this isn't going to be 40 minutes of basic blues-based V-IV-I progressions. What I love most is that although CSN were all singers, and each excellent (those harmonies are worth the admission), these songs are legit and would be good even without the great vocals. Which is everything. Variety! Progressive rock - folk - straight up rock... often with unpredictable progressions and chord voicings ("Guinevere" is an example that's hard to categorize - lush and strange harmonies over unresolving guitar melodies) It's admittedly hard for me to be objective to music that I've heard for decades - some of these songs are just all-time world classics. Seems facile to say "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (I thought it was "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes until I was a teenager) is one of my favourites since it's so ubiquitous but it really is that great. It's essentially 3 songs in one - it's Yes before Yes were Yes. But better (and coming from a Yes fan, this). There are some points where the album slows up a bit but I think it may add to the album, giving it all an ebb and flow. "Long Time Gone" as a near-final track is as hard rock as rock could be in 1969 with soft voices and (mostly) acoustic guitars. Overall this is an indispensable album - a template of the best music of its time and holy hell this is a freaking *debut* album. Top notch. 9/10 5 stars

The Queen Is Dead

The Smiths

4/5

Leading with this to make a belaboured and petulant yet important point: Morrissey is a pitiful racist shit-for-brains asshole. now then... Morrissey was the stereotypical epitome of mopey British whiny music that I thought I loathed while I was in high school. It's likely that outside of a lousy party or three I'd never listened to more than 4 straight minutes of The Smiths. But seeing as high school was a long time ago :P maybe this means I'm now a whiny British mope? Or at least I'm able to see past the vocals because what is wrong with me...I'm now starting to enjoy The Cure and Depeche Mode and...this first song kinda kicks ass? "The Queen is Dead" and apparently so are my previously-held musical blocks because this is a great song. There's so much more variety than I'd expected on this album - the first two cuts move along nicely and then "I Know It's Over" starts in and just when you think it might be a little too slow and dull, there's just the right musical touch - the string lines, a faint clean guitar riff - that adds the perfect colour and takes the song to the next level. Other standouts for me: "Never Had No One Ever" is haunting and "Cemetry Gates" has some tremendous guitar work. I definitely overlooked this band to my detriment - the music is melodic and sad (predictable, that) and quite lovely, and for the most part the oddly-coiffed goose-stepper behind the mic doesn't sound too bad on many of these although he definitely goes off the rails or just grows tiring on a few for me. In particular the final two "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and "Some Girls..." would have been better without him, or maybe just different lyrics. All in all, pretty enjoyable and enlightening. Morrissey can still get stuffed with a well-done steak though. 7/10 4 stars

It's Blitz!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3/5

That's a cool album cover. Oh the music? Another one going in fully blind on as I know nothing about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and I like the way it starts with "Zero" - but (and I'm typing as the song ends) I'm wondering if the entire album is going to be this similar up-tempo electronic dance vibe. Which would be fine but is it going to bore me over the better part of an hour....? One thing that immediately grabbed me halfway through is the actual *tone* and *sounds* of the (plentiful) synths - they're great. "Soft Shock" has that deep and full/growly bass that really sounds fantastic. I like a lot of electronic music but making electronic music *be* a rock band often loses something for me. And I feel a little of that early on here, even if each song on its own is pretty good....but - as it turns out I found myself already pre-judging the record because after 4 pretty decent studio songs the next batch starting with "Dull Life" completely changes it up and this record feels more...alive. I found there was a definite ebb and flow in my interest over the album - e.g. I wasn't not that into "Dragon Queen" which was where I'd feared the album might go and it does peter out a bit for me near the end, i.e over the last 4 songs. Will this album stand up for me over repeated listens? I'm hoping it does - there were no songs that immediately jumped at me to give me chills but it also seems a little wrong to only give this a 3 as there's more variety than I ever expected and although the song construction isn't anything revolutionary, the production does push it into more-interesting territory. Call it a 3.5. 7/10 3 stars

Jack Takes the Floor

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

3/5

This is kind of hilarious. Definitely not my standard kind of music at all but I .... weirdly enjoyed it? Not just a little reminiscent of Stompin' Tom Conners. The "Ramblin'" part is what makes it for me - it's totally silly listened through a modern lens...his low-key folksy chatting to the audience before each song as he's strumming a few chords... but I think that's what draws me in. Probably wouldn't like much more of this and definitely not a repeat spin but for a quick half-hour it's worth the simple and fun look back at raw mid-20th century country-folk. 7/10 3 stars

British Steel

Judas Priest

3/5

Ages ago as a teenager I once walked out of a Judas Priest concert early - they had a concert in town that for some forgotten reason was postponed 2 or 3 times and by the time they showed up in town apparently they couldn't sell tickets. Or even give them away. A friend of a friend was "working security" and snuck two of us in the back door of the arena (hey, free concert why not) so we were 2 of maybe 4000 in a cavernous hockey arena. Stayed for maybe 7 or 8 songs and it got a bit much - eh, I was much more judgey about music back then, it was free after all - I should have stayed dammit (but I thought it sucked). Sometimes timing is everything when listening to music. Because this morning after some (fine!) folk albums and a few rainy days blasting tunes like "Breaking the Law" was absolutely perfect. Unfortunately JP was/is always like the watered-down version of a lot of their (better, IMO) peers like Maiden, Dio/Sabbath, etc. They were a little more AC/DC without the humour than their (more-talented) British peers but that is high compliment to the best songs here (including "Living After Midnight" "Metal Gods" and "You Don't Have to Be Old to be Wise") which are pretty fun. I actually don't much like Judas Priest overall - Priest were definitely more of a Greatest Hits type band but I can objectively give this a solid 3 for having some of those hits here. This album is a good representation of those times of simple heavy rock (bridging between rock and metal) - the best cuts are definitely enjoyable. 6/10 3 stars

Want Two

Rufus Wainwright

4/5

Always wanted to delve into Rufus Wainwright (who I always call "Adam" in my head. Baseball.) and my immediate reaction here is that the first song should be the album closer :D - it's a challenging intro, leading off with "Agnus Dei" - this being my idea of Thom Yorke given the assignment of leading a cathedral congregation in a Latin dirge for 5 minutes. It's not *not* impressive - just ... well, listen to it. Once the album gets started properly with "The One You Love" the Thom Yorke comparison really holds for me; the voice and manner of laconic singing. But there's a lot going on here - a few odd chord turns that really make me sit up and take notice. "Little Sister" and "The Art Teacher" are the early standouts for me on this album - one a complex layered orchestration and the next mostly just vocals and piano (with a subtle/tasteful horn part) - the latter feels like it could have fit comfortably on Elton John's self-titled 1970 album. That said, this album is probably not gonna be for everyone and is a little tough in spots but the music for me is really intriguing - complex, lush, very very melodic. It's not easily digestible. I like that. Dammit I feel like I give everything a 3 - because of the density of this one, I think it's hard to get a real feel for the album with 1 or 2 spins. But the talent, diversity, and thought that clearly went into this recording for me make me push this to 4 - I feel like I'm anticipating eventually liking this album more than I already do right now :) 8/10 4 stars

xx

The xx

2/5

eh. I was looking forward to this one and I like the way it starts off. Appropriately enough..."Intro" - seemed to want to set up the album in a mysterious way... ...but this album doesn't *go* anywhere. It's like a demo version of collected soft Interpol B-sides with terrifically soft (weak?) vocals. And it just kept going like that. And going. It's melodic enough for sure, but it absolutely never swings at all. And I guess there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But there was also nothing at all that ever caught me; dammit, I just wanted it to $#%!ng kick at any time. Just once! But these vocals man... "Infinity" - now there's an appropriate title - *give it up* already. Too bedroom-emo-mumbly for me to like. Frankly it sounds like a demo and to be honest this one was frustrating as hell for me because rather than outright hate it (like I do with a band like Pixies or gd Velvet fng Underground) I kind of feel that most of these songs could or would or should be really good! ...if recorded by another band. 3/10 2 stars.

The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald

4/5

Exactly the kind of album I would not have listened to for much of my life and is the benefit of this exercise. Big band / jazz singing was something I really didn't appreciate (like) growing up so this is a relatively new genre for me... ...but who hasn't heard of Ella Fitzgerald? I think the thing I appreciate most right way is how good this sounds - 1959?? Getting a full orchestra sounding this good and clear while blending with Ella's perfect voice had to be a crazy challenge. I'm usually more turned off than on by singing but her voice is truly perfect - there's a clarity and casual vibe to the way she sang that could probably never be taught - how do you learn to lay back on the beat like this and yet nail it so perfectly? It would be an insult to call her singing effortless but therein lies the genius talent I suppose, that she sounds like she could have been told "Ella! quick, sing this song" and she would have cut it on a first take then been on her way. And perhaps that casual-yet-perfect delivery is the reason that millions of people thought/think they could sing like her. (where's my mother-in-law...? ha) Now... the entire album is 3 hours long. Hello. Wayy too much. Then again, where am I gonna go - I'm listening on work time and this is actually perfect working music. I'm not focused on lyrics so it's more the entire sound that washes over me in a much more enjoyable way than I'd have thought... as a negative, on the rare occasion that I do end up hearing the lyrics they're a bit...goofy? I don't like it much at all - but it's the era, I get that, so I'll not knock Gershwin - just grading on Ella and the band here. Not really a genre I love but this is one of the most famous and celebrated singers in American history; for those like me it's a necessary education/addition to the list and has been an excellent listen. I feel like I'm giving this a bit of a legacy rating - even though I'm unlikely to listen to the album again, I enjoyed it more than I expected (again not grading the lyrics so much which for me are best-ignored) and to get by the mammoth running time of this I could see making a (much) shorter "best of" this best of for a personal compilation. 7/10 4 stars

Femi Kuti

3/5

Apple music marks this as "funk" - which...it is not. Categorizing music often isn't easy so how to categorize? I've seen "Afrobeat" which, ok. World+jazz+fusion maybe? For the most part this is simultaneously easy to listen to (passive listening) yet complex enough to actively dig in and appreciate the music and musicians on an individual level. My personal issues with it are that most of the songs just go on too long and soon become repetitive which that alone kind of knocks this down a peg for me - it's not the length alone that gets me, but each of these could probably have been cut down to around 4 minutes. All in all I like the music but it simply got a little tiring. 5/10 3 stars

Fishscale

Ghostface Killah

2/5

I do love the music. The "skits" are totally grade-10 juvenile stuff but still provide some interest - to a point - in making this feel like an album rather than a collection of songs. His voice/vocal style and lyrics are tough, though. Real tough. There's this urgent-sameness to his vocals that I do not love at all on the most uptempo songs. And as much as I try to - and mostly do - ignore lyrics, they're just .... ehh. Way too much gangster for me and at some point it's like...come on. Rating wise i'd have given this a 4 for the music/production but the vocals/lyrics completely submarine it as a fun listening experience for me - after the first handful of cuts I was ok with it but holyhell by the end I was desperate for this to be over. 3/10 2 stars

There's A Riot Goin' On

Sly & The Family Stone

2/5

I'm conflicted on this one. On the positive side - I like a lot of Sly & The Family material, and in general love a lot of early 70s funk/rock. So there's an immediate connection here. But... I've never been able to get into this specific album. There's very little of the band cohesion and unpredictability of their best work and there were reasons ... drum machines dominate this, which give a cold/sterile feel to most of the songs, and Sly's vocals overall tend to reflect who/where he was at the time: often in bed and on drugs :P - literally recording some vocals from bed. Even the hit single "Family Affair" should have been so much better; to me it comes across more like a great demo. e.g. "Africa Talks To You" goes on and on and never goes anywhere - but so many times it's so close. You hear constant echoes of Sly vocal melodies and some keyboard riffs here and there but ... that's the song. Like a collection of musical phrases patched onto a repetitive chord/beat. Definitely focusing on the negative which isn't entirely fair - there are some great grooves on this record which to me is sort of the bare minimum for a Sly record. I respect the wide (eventual) acceptance and praising of the album due to it being an accurate portrayal of the seeming betrayal of the 60s and entering the grime and fading dreams of the 70s. But honestly who cares. Am I or am I not drawn into the music... or at least entertained? I am not. It's a frustrating and hollow 2 stars because I've always wanted to like this album but there's just a solid disconnect that I'll never get by. p.s. Graham Central Station were better. 5/10 2 stars

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Wilco

3/5

Ready to give this one another chance - from my poor memory I recall being bored by it... My first impression was frustration. Simply: I think this music is cool and could bring some mystery but if I don't get used to these vocals - and soon - this is gonna be a longass boring trip. I don't like Jeff Tweedy's vocals, so there's one major factor. How about mixing him lower. Or more of the band/instrumental? I actually started to not mind the vocals on the second song ("Kamera") but that's as good as it got - and again... as I go on I'd like to have heard more from the rest of the band. OK a good example is "War On War" - I love the beginning synth pattern - here we go - and then...I'm just not sure about this - I kept thinking where are the dynamics - where's the excitement? ----- ok before I forget, here's a meta-comment on this book [the 1001 Albums... book of course] as I'm 4+ songs into this album and nearly 200 albums in overall...: I've noticed that there is - and will be - a dearth of Canadian representation. That's fine; it's a list, I get it, and by definition it is subjective. I bring this up right now because these songs (and really hit home with "War on War") sound like demo versions of songs by THE RHEOSTATICS (a band *everyone should hear* and who should have been worldly-massive but were too fng good and unique and and ...). I know Wilco are (were?) very popular so if by some chance there are Wilco fans reading this and have never heard the Rheostatics stop right now - go and put on Whale Music [in my "solid-lockdown-likely-no-chance-of-ever-being-bumped" top 3-4 albums I've ever heard] and listen to what I think is the next step(s) above what I'm hearing here. ----- So that's a bit harsh and not really talking about my feelings of this album. In a vacuum? You know...ok, it's not bad at all - I can definitely see the appeal. And actually I liked the 2nd half quite a lot more than the first - will keep my original comments but Tweedy's voice seems to mesh better with these later songs (*or am I just get accustomed to it??*). "Reservations" is a perfect album-closer btw. Since writing the above I gave this a few more spins - have to give it a 3 as of now because it hadn't given me chills whatsoever but it was a nice and polite 50+ minute ride. But...based on my 2nd/3rd listens (this one benefitted from being my weekend album) I feel like this might be a slow-burn and I'll come back to it at some point. 6/10 3 stars

Sound of Silver

LCD Soundsystem

4/5

"All My Friends" sounds like the Mr Rogers trolley music. This is such a weird album. It's a fun listen, even if at the same time I don't "get" the huge hype for the band...not really sure why this in particular is a top-1001? I do *almost* love it even if not my favourite type of music, but it definitely has its purpose - just that many of the songs a little too repetitive for me. Maybe that's the damn point of dance music? Eh - again - I had fun listening to it. I wouldn't call anything here musical genius or revolutionary but there is a surprising amount of diversity in the (again, repetitive) dance up-tempo rock, and the final song ("New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down") was a bit of a surprise. They sure like their cowbells, too. I'm feeling generous today - 4 stars. 7/10 4 stars

Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart

4/5

If you grew up in the 80s, Rod Stewart could be (was) looked at a cheesy clown - boring middle of the road soccer mom music - and it even got a lot worse after that. And I definitely slagged on him a lot - for most of his video "hits" and even some in his recent past (e.g. disco stylings of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"). Good god no turn the station now please. But goddamn if there wasn't about an 18-24 month period in the early 70s where Rod Stewart wasn't the Man. And this is in that sweet spot - right off the bat from the first song, the title track (which makes me think of one of my favourite movies "Almost Famous" as it was used in a scene). The album vacillates between driving rock and mellow folk, from guitar-based to country violin and mandolins. I believe "Maggie May" was his biggest hit, in North America at least. To today's ears it surely sounds, well, old. But gritty blues-based rock has to start somewhere and if it didn't start here it was refined (in a year - 1971 - that had an absurd and historic amount of amazing music released) or distilled on this album to near perfection, backed by The Faces who for some stupid business reasons couldn't all be credited. Personal favourites are the title track and "I'm Losing You" It's not perfect (e.g. the weird Amazing Grace bit seems a little out of place and I wouldn't have minded a little more of the better up-tempo material) but it's a great snapshot and an easy ~40 minute listen - a perfect example of all the musical creativity exploding everywhere in 1971. 8/10 4 stars

Night Life

Ray Price

3/5

Well this is certainly outside of my wheelhouse :) I was completely amused by the "introduction" - how he welcomes the listeners to the Columbia product (RAY YOU CORPORATE SHILL). Yow - they loved to drench his voice in cavernous reverb. So I'm not a country fan but I didn't completely dislike it, it's more a slow american western blues. I was a bit tired of the pedal-steel (no slight to the playing whatsoever; I know how difficult it is) as it really defines the sound. I liked to think of it as a soundtrack to a slow-moving 60s movie . Probably won't listen again but it's good to get an education on this classic American musician (also: Willie Nelson plays bass!) 6/10 3 stars

Elastica

4/5

...a few bars into the opening number "Line Up" and listening to the 1/4 note vomit sounds i'm wondering what the hell is coming next... I loved this album - there's such a typical mid-90s sound to this, vocals mixed so low you have to strain to try to pick out lyrics but i *love* that - makes the vocals an equal instrument in the band - additionally the sweet harmonies put a lot of these songs over the top. And there's more unpredictability than I'd thought (having only been familiar with their US sorta-hit "Connection") - the strangely-non-imaginatively-titled "Indian Song" (likely based on the musical modality of the song?) was one of the surprises - "Blue" is another killer. Another small point is that these songs for the most part are so short they don't have time to get repetitive. Done! Off to the next one... Really enjoyed this. 7/10 4 stars

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

3/5

Yeah, this is a long album. And not all that poppy (for a band coming off a pop-rock masterpiece). For sure there are some definite pop elements (mostly Christine McVie) but famously (infamously?) it was a conscious effort to not be "Rumours: The Sequel" - total respect for that because it would have been boring, not possible, etc. But so yes - this is a long and a weird one. Not shitty-weird-for-the-sake-of-it-but-ends-up-being-a-pile-of-ass like Velvet goddamn Underground but definitely something way more than a collection of pop songs - it's a diverse mix. While there are some Stevie songs like "Sara" which are the kind of "ah yeah that's some AM-gold Fleetwood Mac (and the rather dull Christine McVie cuts "Over and Over" and "Never Make Me Cry"), but also the title track "Tusk" which I recall getting considerable airplay as a kid. Tusk is sort of an unsettling song... which I like. And to double back so as not to pick on Christine McVie's boring cuts - "Brown Eyes" has a slinky creepy vibe to it that probably couldn't have been a hit yet is still accessible. Love it. Also this album *sounds* amazing - just sonically. Don't listen to it in through chintzy phone speaker - put on some headphones at least. I grew up kinda thinking I hated Fleetwood Mac - as a kid in the late 70s and 80s very into music, I preferred more mystery, more hard-hitting, more drama, and Fleetwood Mac's smooth hits were always on the radio. But this is kinda/sorta their White Album? If I critique it in a negative way, there honestly aren't a lot of amazing songs, but on the other hand there just aren't really any bad ones which is something. What a milquetoast review - ha. I'd sum it up by saying there is a little of everything from good to less good, but it is quite a talented piece of art and I'm glad to give it a revisit, just won't be an all-time favourite of mine. 7/10 3 stars

Transformer

Lou Reed

1/5

I can't definitively tell you that the Velvet Underground is the worst music I've ever heard. But I wouldn't argue against it. I'm still angry that I got 2 VU albums in one week last month so getting Lou Reed today makes for a frustrating morning - but let's go, surprise me, Lou, you jackass. I knew the big hit of course but nothing else. Fortunately the album isn't nearly as awful as the sonic sewer of VU (how could it be). The music here is just fine at best - nothing totally unlistenable [yes my bar was extremely low this morning] but also not really ever interesting. And of course now we have to talk about the vocals - I'm never going to get around the double feature of Lou's dry (and fng terrible, just 100% terrible) vocals with distractingly-weird and awful lyrics. Having said that...if you're someone who really zeroes in on unorthodox / unsettling or weird lyrics (e.g. drugs, sexuality, etc.) - I could see the appeal here on that level. For me I'm always going to connect with the music first and it's just not enjoyable. So yes - this is not anywhere close to what I like in rock music and another 1 for Lou. If he's on this list again at all let alone anytime soon I'm calling the editors. 2/10 1 star.

KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)

Ministry

1/5

Come on. No. Very literally my dog started to bark *upstairs* when this started. I feel you, Sadie. This sounds like someone violently vomiting up steel-spiked cheerios in the midst of 100,000 Orcs on coffee destroying Fangorn forest while they're frantically building a freeway. I'm tired and this is awful and it's making me angry - first album out of ~200 that I couldn't even finish. 1/10 1 star.

Hypnotised

The Undertones

3/5

I don't remember if I'd ever heard this band, but I do remember a Feargal Sharkey (how do you forget that name?) video or two from the 80s. The music here is simple fun punk-pop, although to be fair, I'm not sure exactly why it's on the 1001 list as it seems nothing special (not a criticism actually). But points for the accessible simplicity and maybe I'm also enjoying it as it came up for me at the right time after a run of terrible albums lately; it's nice to hear some simple short melodic head boppers. Sharkey's odd wavering voice can start to get a little abrasive at times but after hearing Ministry and Lou Reed this week he sounds like Freddie Mercury in comparison. Not a keeper but I'd probably never turn it off if I heard it again. 6/10 3 stars

Life Thru A Lens

Robbie Williams

4/5

Not at all what I'd expected - in a good way. I've always been aware of Robbie Williams in that "oh right, he's always been huge in the UK ... former boy band guy?" way but I don't know that I'd ever heard anything by him. A bit of reading about this album shows that he wanted to break away from his previous career and was heavily influenced by the Britpop that was so prevalent/popular at the time. After even one song I'd say that's mostly accurate - I like a lot of that mid90s rock subgenre but find a lot of negatives in most of it...some combination of overly compressed loudness and constant whinging (Oasis at their worst, although they were great at their best... I digress). This is ... better? This has a good mix of instrumentation - layered guitars (but not too thick), heavy drums, cool keyboards, the occasional piano (on the semi-cheesy ballad "Angels" in particular), the vocals are mostly not annoying me - tons of melody overall... "Killing Me" has a really great chord progression - might be my favourite. Negatives: when/if I start listening to the lyrics I start to question my judgement ("Angels") which is exactly why I try to ignore lyrics if possible. So yeah, they're a little distracting to me at times - simplicity, cliched, etc (god help me if #$@$ Bon Jovi is anywhere on this list). So some of the songs are probably skip-worthy (e.g. "South of the Border") but even on that one there are a few cool instrumental parts (i.e. the funky organ post-solo). Anyways - for the most part this is a good and fun rock album I'd never have given a look at before. 7/10 4 stars

Actually

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

Well this is the *second* Pet Shop Boys album in the first 150 albums. ....? really? By the end of this exercise in about 3 years I'm going to be upset that they have (at least!?!?) 2 more albums on this list than most of my favourite bands but ok it's NOT ABOUT ME...sigh... (where was I?) Right. Pet Shop Boys. I scorned new-wavey-all-synth music in the 80s but now I quite enjoy it. To a point. Without looking back at my first review of the PSBs it probably goes something like this... it's nice. And this is nice! Nothing too memorable, though - it plays like a very pleasant sounding 80s soundtrack and is *fantastic* for background/working music. Nothing particularly negative outside of the fact that no individual songs are all that memorable. I can't remember anything in particular after finishing and looking at the song titles. Which...so why is this album on the list? Not that it's bad - it's nice! I've said that! But... It's a solid 3, would never argue against listening to this but not sure if I'd be in an overt mood: "PUT ON ACTUALLY!" In fact... the album cover is a brilliant slideshow of my reactions while first seeing this album then again sometime around song 7. In fact this would be nice to fall asleep to... [creates sleep playlist...] 5/10 3 stars.

Queen Of Denmark

John Grant

4/5

I'd never heard of John Grant nor his band The Czars before so I had zero idea of what kind of music this would be. And almost immediately after the first track "TC and Honeybear" started I had a feeling I was going to love this. Simple but beautifully-recorded acoustic guitars to start what is a song steeped in melody and unexpected but brilliant chord changes I'm noticing the lyrics which can often lead to me downgrading but they're so bizarre in points in a fun way (e.g. "Sigourney Weaver" and "Chicken Bones" - one that I enjoyed was "...my head feels like it's filled to the top with pop rocks and cyanide...") and still the melodies and music construction have constantly kept me engaged. (also thank beelzebub or whomever for this not being yet another lo-fi indie album. Just recording something on your 4 track doesn't make it automatically cool, in fact it's probably awful. Yes I have residual anger for having been forced to listen to too many bedroom indie lo-fi "aesthetic" awfulness...ok onward!) And so in the end yes - I am kind of loving this album - maybe keeping it at "only" a strong 4 because it gets a little slow in points but the melodies, instrumentation (one particular holy crap moment is the synth solo in "Outer Space" - I love that 70s ARP sound), production, and musical construction are all things I love - what a great surprise and a keeper. 8/10 4 stars

Oar

Alexander 'Skip' Spence

1/5

If you enjoy hearing the real-time sounds of a guy singing songs with a terrible voice while in a mental breakdown with acoustic guitar in hand and sounding as if he's been awake for 24 hours drinking non-stop and sounding like he has never touched an instrument before, HAVE I GOT AN ALBUM FOR YOU... Nothing redeeming here - it sounds like a crude 4 track demo I would have made in my high school bedroom but without questionable language, fart noises, and silly giggling. Any/all of those would have improved things here. ...take "The Prison Song" - seriously, things like this make me unnecessarily angry. Not tuning the guitar/bass doesn't make it authentic - it makes it AWFUL. Sorry, that's not fair. It implies that tuning the guitars would have any effect on this - it wouldn't. <Please insert a gif of me diving headfirst through a skyscraper window here>. I love reading and hearing about the history of pop/rock music and what-if stories but honestly what the absolute bloody hell. Here's a what-if: what if this album never saw the light of day? It would have allowed anything else in the history of earth onto this 1001 list. 0/10 1 star only because I tried digging lower and there's nothing underneath.

Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan

4/5

As a little kid relegated to the unsafe back-of-the-station wagon (seatbelts?) I was subject to all that AM radio (and my dad's preference) had to deliver out of the rear-wheel speaker at my ear. Something about Steely Dan kind of freaked me out and I never enjoyed their smooth mysterious ways... But hot damn those smooth mysterious ways are pretty great - took me decades to appreciate them and now just hearing the simple opening riff to "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is like a time machine - and how can a kid appreciate or understand the slightly odd jazzy *only Steely Dan* chord changes that take this pop song from simple to complex within 4 chords? Also I wouldn't have noticed how amazing this record (record. I'm listening through digital technology that couldn't have been dreamt of in the 70s) sounds - and it does sound amazing. It's at once full and clear, perfect separation of instruments, amazing musicianship. This is an album (band?) that sounds "dated" but somehow not in a negative way - more like a nostalgic slice of the 70s that celebrated creative and complex songwriting. Ironically what probably prevents me from giving this a 5 would be that some of the songs aren't as stereotypically "Steely Dan" as I'd now prefer (e.g. Barrytown doesn't seem good enough for them if that makes sense) but still overall a great listen. 8/10 4 stars.

Yeezus

Kanye West

1/5

What's the appeal? The music is abrasive and just terrible, the rapping is... mediocre at best when it's not shitty. The lyrics??? Holy hell.... unimaginative, utterly stupid and sophomoric and distasteful. I mean, other than that I loved it. WTactualF Again: what is the appeal? Anywhere. This should have been a perfect album for me since I'd never heard Kayne before, I was legitimately excited. For exactly one minute. Now I know. I never need to hear this again. Ever. E.V.E.R. One of the most painful and disgraceful albums I've ever listened to front to back if not *the* worst. 0/10 not worthy of anything close to a star.

The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

Pink Floyd

2/5

Still always hard for me to believe that this is the "same" band that within a decade would release Dark Side..., Wish You Were Here, and Animals. I say "same" band realizing it kind of wasn't... Syd Barrett blahblahblah. I just don't know about this album. Some of Floyd's mid-70s period albums are among my favourites of all-time but so it's hard and maybe unfair to judge this as the beginning of some continuum. So to judge it on its own.... It's certainly weird. And at certain times interesting but is it actually good? I've listened to it 3x this weekend and I keep wavering on my own question. I guess as a poor summary I can't say if there is anything truly memorable or catchy here and that's not always necessarily a bad thing. This is definitely more of a feel album (or drug album which i've just eaten 2 enormous slices of homemade chocolate cake and the sugar coursing through me is definitely a kind of high...) that needs to be heard as a complete entity. It's maybe fun/weird/interesting in a mild way but the vocals are almost stereotypically 60s trippy/boring, most of the songs have interesting effects and often start to go somewhere but don't really have any cohesion to them. And honestly it's just not something I really would crave listening to. I tried. It's not bad, but give me "Animals" all day any day instead. 5/10 2 stars

All Directions

The Temptations

3/5

The first three songs on this album are everything I love about 70s R&B/Soul - great simple mix, space in the arrangements, and of course the music - funky grooves that especially on the big hit "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" are so restrained as to become mysterious. I remember hearing that song in the car a lot as a kid but I'm not sure I ever heard the full 12 minute version - I love it. After those first three though, things dull more than a little for me. Maybe it's more of the "early" Temptations smooth doo-wop style - there's nothing remotely bad about it, I just prefer the funkier/edgier material. The final cut "Do Your Thing" is a return to the funk, albeit at a very deliberate/slow pace but that just creates a great tension. This album for me could have been much more - in sum those 4 great cuts would have been a high 4 for me but the middle slowdown on the album drops it to a 3. 7/10 3 stars

The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow

4/5

I'd only recently been acquainted with Elbow but had not heard anything from this album, so here we go... The vocals sound like a mix of Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Fish (Marillion)....this is a high compliment. I'm not often/usually/ever "into" vocals - mostly they're a necessary addition (or distraction) but too up front or over the top and it takes over and ruins things. But I'm finding them (vocalist: Guy Garvey) a real equal/compliment to the music -> which i *love* - mysterious, cinematic, melodic, yet accessible. For me their best songs keep the mystery - there are literally no bad tracks on this album but some of the more up-tempo/rock ones seem slightly out of their comfort zone (specifically "Grounds For Divorce" is a bit of a throwaway). You definitely need variety on an album of course but Elbow works best at any tempo when they're using more instrumentation. Having said that, it's nitpicking and if you're a fan of complex and delicate melodies in the vein of anything from Radiohead to Genesis to Pink Floyd and with a modern bent this is a keeper. I also feel like this album will only grow on me as I get more familiar with the songs. 8/10 4 stars

Sail Away

Randy Newman

5/5

My first memory of Randy Newman was as a little kid and "Short People" was being played all over and I just didn't get it - why was this guy so mean to short people? Of course my dad had to explain the satire to me and once I got it, I loved it. That was pretty much the last I'd heard Randy Newman outside the random cut (e.g. "I Love L.A.") as he would never really again be played on my rock radio stations. So when I discovered this album "Sail Away" only a few years ago it blew me away. Starting off with the title track "Sail Away" is pure genius - one of the saddest songs I've ever heard for obvious reasons when you quickly realize what it's really about. I'm not sure I would have been able to appreciate this album when I was a little younger but I'm a huge fan - the music is tremendous; occasionally to me sounding like Broadway tunes for people who really don't like Broadway tunes (mea culpa). I enjoy the *sound* of this record - the clarity and simplicity of the production centered around Newman's piano and voice while accented by perfect accompaniments - of particular note is Ry Cooder's slide guitar on "Last Night I Had a Dream." And Newman is the rare songwriter who just through his unique voice actually makes me listen to the lyrics which are most often brilliantly satirical - poking fun at religion, nationalism, exceptionalism - fits comfortably in with my worldview :) As one who is mostly a rock fan first and foremost, I absolutely love everything about this album - perhaps because it gives me a curveball in my listening habits - and there are no missteps in this whatsoever. 9/10 5 stars.

Exile On Main Street

The Rolling Stones

3/5

Well, it's sure miles better than the execrable Exile in Guyville... (i'm still reeling from that one, weeks later). This is making me give Exile a deep dive for the first time in years and ... it's still just ok? That's it for me - it's only ever ok at best. I recognize that this comes in many peoples' top 10 albums of all time ... I mean, damning with faint praise here in that there's nothing in its (VERY) long running time that made me want to skip but on the other hand it's also like an hour+ of blues riffs often with 3 or 2 chords...or 1... and just meandering. Like someone would start a simple riff, they'd all jam on it, and forget that they were supposed to write a song. Print it - next. Also it really does sound like they recorded a lot of it in a living room - which I think they did. Which I suppose none of these are really hard critiques - I could see really liking (loving?) this if you're a fan of "vibey" albums and this is definitely one - is that what the attraction has been for it over the years? That they were on the run/lam in France, super smacked out, and "let's just let the tapes roll" ....? It's a fun story maybe but for me if you're defending an album's greatness based on the background of it coming together over the actual content it's not much of a defence. I don't want to continually rip this (joint?) album by pointing out things I don't like (I probably started with the negatives because so much has been written about it over the years) as there are definitely positives here - for example, when "Tumbling Dice" finally comes on 5 songs in it's fantastic, but maybe more of a relief - it feels like this should be the launching point for more of what was the best of the Stones. Turns out that it's not, but it is still nice to hear a good song. Other standouts for me are "Loving Cup" (which is probably my favourite song on the album) and "Happy" is a fine single. Also I suspect a lot of this comes down to whether you gravitate more towards blues in rock as opposed to more classical/jazz influence, which I generally do not. Sure, I like a lot of Stones songs - e.g. Gimme Shelter is definitely one of my fave popular/classic rock songs ever (less influence from a blues scale on that one, hmm.) - but I think they're generally not my thing. Summary: this album is bloated and often suffers from a lack of cohesive songwriting/songs. Cut this down to ~7 songs (are there 7 actual/good songs here?) and we might have had the start of something at least. 5/10 3 stars

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

5/5

After getting Floyd's debut album earlier this week (and still not really enjoying it all that much) it's nice to get this one for the weekend. Interesting meta-album concept to me ... I just listened to the Stones' "Exile on Main Street" which is an album I don't particularly like, one of the reasons being that rather than a collection of decent songwriting I found that album more of just a vibe (A bluesy drugged out communal country house vibe if that's your thing). To be consistent - I should say the same of "Wish You Were Here" - this is definitely a vibe album, but instead this one being a slow space travel vibe...? It's different because even if the longest song tracks in at over 20 (!) minutes, it still works as a *song* as do the 3 shorter ones. Right off the bat this album draws you in: the almost eternally-long instrumental intro to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" doesn't give us any vocals until nearly 9 minutes in. But it's right for this music - it sets up tension before "that riff" comes in at about 3:55, slowly repeating into a crescendo before the band kicks in for a bit, backs off, etc. Perhaps a bit of confirmation bias here but this never could have worked as a shorter song. I don't think you can fully appreciate the (overplayed?) singles until you hear them within context of the full album. Which...of course just means playing them between the cut 20 minute "Shine On..." Random note: I never knew until many decades later that the vocalist on Have A Cigar wasn't anyone from the band but English musician Roy Harper. A word or two about the production - this is prime-era Floyd where the mix sounds gorgeous...the great 70s analog synths blending perfectly with Gilmour's perfectly restrained guitar, clarity in vocals and acoustic guitars - the overall sound is just as much what makes this a classic as the music itself. This might not be for everyone (but shouldn't everyone enjoy a 20 minute song now and again) and may not be in my favourite ~50 albums ever but for what they were going for it's perfection - turn the lights down, turn the volume way up, and this is a vibe I can always get behind. 9/10 5 stars.

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

It seems like there's often very little middle-ground on Neil Young. There are those "NEIL!" fans (or my wife who will no question be singing Cinnamon Girl the rest of the day after this is playing ha) and then those who think Neil's voice is a bit of a non-starter to say the least. Of course I'm taking the easy way out and staking a little middle-ground here but I think this album is a pretty good listen even for those who might "hate" Neil. You've got some good heavy rock starting off with the aforementioned "Cinnamon Girl" followed up with a nice easy rocker in the title track. "Down By The River" is one of those old-time 'holycow this is creepy' songs, which I like. And sticking to this song in particular...for the most part I kind of enjoy his voice on this album - although if anything I often find his electric guitar work (solos) more than a bit harsh and difficult to get through. But on the other hand it's also his unique *sound* and as much as you could always tell an Edward Van Halen guitar part you can do the same for Neil Young. That counts for something significant I think. Another album that I like the overall sound of - you can definitely hear the space in this one, even in the louder songs - a dry production that's somehow not annoying. The album peters out a little for me on the (former) second side - I'm not as much a fan of the country and slow/plodding feel on songs like "The Losing End" and "Running Dry" which knocks it down a notch. Anyways as a "yeah sure Neil Young is alright" kind of music fan this is a decent album - relatively short and with some undeniably important/classic songs that still sound good. 7/10 3 stars

Duck Rock

Malcolm McLaren

2/5

This one's a bit of a mystery. I knew Malcolm McLaren's name as a promoter/manager (e.g. Sex Pistols, Bow Wow Wow) - was totally unaware he released music? I had to read about this one as to what makes it worthy of *the list* - "bringing hip-hop to a wider audience in the UK" is one, which ... ok, decent reason but maybe I had to be there. There's definitely a strong African-beat influence and perhaps is/was an early blending of music genres; not hard to hear that. Unfortunately to me a lot of it ends up sounding like giant sample patches for the first Korg keyboard I bought. Or mid80s Sesame Street music. It's not bad. Just not much in the way of songs and doesn't really hold up for me - kinda boring and not very memorable. 3/10 2 stars.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

2/5

Wow this is a long album. I feel completely inadequate in giving any review to this album - I'm just not a fan of this kind of country music at all, even though I could appreciate the musicianship. It's really the singing (e.g. "The Precious Jewel" - sorry Roy Acuff, we'll just have to part ways here....) that I cannot enjoy. On a positive note, I actually really like the conversations between songs though; I like hearing how creative processes come together. 2 stars - I know it's probably good but I just can't. Also the confederate flags on the cover ... yeah nope.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

4/5

Am I the only one who misses short albums? I mean...ok, 30 minutes is a bit *too* short but there was something about a shorter overall statement that of course made you want more. Probably anything around 45 minutes is ideal - I know the CD age allowed and then encouraged longer-playing albums so things started changing in the late 80s. Anyways back to this one - I wasn't a big Tom Petty fan growing up probably a little because of his voice and also because of my prog/arena-rock preferences but he's really grown on me over the years. This is my first pass through his debut album, although I was definitely familiar with Breakdown and American Girl - two staples of rock radio over the decades (although American Girl never got played back in the day - I like to think that "Silence of the Lambs" gave that song new life ~15 years after its release). Nothing incredibly unique or special in this collection but at the same time it's direct rock that just sounds great and clean and yet with minimal production tricks. Excellent guitar-based melodic short rock tunes (nothing even hitting the 4 minute mark). "The Wild One, Forever" and "Fooled Again" were songs I'd not heard before that stood out for me. A strong debut album - would recommend. 7/10 4 stars.

Hejira

Joni Mitchell

5/5

I listened to this one on a solo midnight bus ride from Los Angeles to Snata Barbara. I own this album, it's one I've listened to a hundred times but never like this and it finally dawned on me that this is a solitaire album. The music is incredibly complex, as is the musicianship. Tunings. Chords. Progressions. None of which are predictable or even easily accessible. Which makes it reveal more and more on every listen. It's a long way from Blue, a record only ~5 years in the past. This is an electric jazzy record. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's right up my alley - mysterious and haunting. Don't listen to this album just once. Give it a few runs and all the way through each time (although the clear highlight is "Amelia"). Slam dunk 5 stars: 10/10. One of my alltime favourite albums by anyone.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

1/5

Seems harsh for me to give this less than a 2 but I really don't like this genre. After a minute or two it seemed like this could be a decent change of pace for me, but that's about the time I started tiring of it. And I think that first song ("Big Iron") was probably the best of the lot. I just can't with the simple tunes with that 50s echoey crooning vocal sound. Not exactly digging the lyrics either. I think it's really not so much the country - it's the western. 2/10 1 star - i'm sure there's a reason he's here but I just can't look beyond my personal distaste.

Crazysexycool

TLC

4/5

A great sounding groovy R&B album - was not in my wheelhouse when it came out although the great singles "Creep" and "Waterfalls" were unavoidable. Glad to give this a full listen as I appreciate it way more today - good songwriting and musicianship (noted: guitar solo on "Red Light Special") and even if it's not my preferred genre this is a great album with top-notch catchy songs and fantastic production especially for 1994. Recommended. 7/10 4 stars.

Deserter's Songs

Mercury Rev

5/5

Another band I was familiar with by name only so I had no idea what to expect from this Buffalo NY band - within 20 seconds I thought of the Flaming Lips (having been introduced to them by the otherworldly "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"). Apparently the two bands are or have been connected so I wasn't too far off... ...and in terms of immediate impact on me it is/was the same: I immediately had to stop what I was doing to listen to "Holes" which has a cinematic feel to it, almost visual in its melodies, which continues throughout the album. A vast array of instrumentation - strings, horns, woodwinds, keyboards - make each song consistently engaging; the songwriting keeps each song evolving. If there's a negative that I'm sure will be noted, it could be the fluttery and maybe... not-so-textbook lead vocals :D - I could definitely see that being a turnoff for some but instead for me it works perfectly with and for the music, bringing a vulnerability to the gorgeous and haunting melodies. Overall this is an amazing experience and - like many great albums - not too long at 45 minutes; like "Yoshimi..." before it this album was a revelation for me. If you look for something a bit different yet terrifically melodic and ultimately re-playable (assuming so - I'm on my 3rd spin of it today) this is an absolute keeper. 9/10 5 stars.

Future Days

Can

2/5

Hmm. OK I have heard of Can and have never been shy about my early prog-leanings. I mean....I grew up listening to Rush...Yes...Genesis... even some ELP for godsake so the idea of a 20+ minute song actually gets/got me kinda interested. First two songs are in the 9 minute range, they're fine, but not so much songs. The title track plays like a decent intro, even if it goes on a little longer than it should. I was sorta queued up waiting for the big 2nd half epic of "Bel Air" and .... Ugh, it's not that this is all bad - it's not (well....mostly.... the 2nd half of "Bel Air" is pretty rough and pointless) - it just didn't/doesn't hold my interest anywhere and it's frustrating. For example, Supper's Ready (Genesis) is perhaps my ideal of a 20 minute song that is cinematic/epic/captivating/enthralling - here "Bel Air" takes up the entire 2nd half of this album and it... meanders endlessly. Again if that's your thing - great - but to me this is just sound (not quite approaching flaming hot trash territory like Velvet Underground "sound/noise") and occasionally interesting musical passages but I was never able to latch onto it - maybe a semi-parallel could be the band Gong, who I really liked (Flying Teapot is gold) and knew how to construct *something* out of spacey jamming/weirdness but this ... does not have it at all. Mostly just disappointed. Pass. 3/10 2 stars

Fear Of Music

Talking Heads

3/5

Talking Heads. They're a tough one for me... I'm glad this one came on a weekend so I've been able to listen multiple times; I just knew I wasn't going to connect on first listen and I definitely didn't. There's this weird dichotomy I've found with Talking Heads (and most definitely on this album) of sounding rhythmically worldly yet stilted at the same time - very pronounced to me over the first few songs especially. For example on "I Zimbra" the opening cut - my first instinct was that it was/is too repetitive/boring. But that's also my Western perspective - there's a hypnotic element which seems reminiscent of African beats. Perhaps this is the point - this band forces me to step outside of what I'd traditionally think of in terms of a pop music structure for a song. Rhythms and chord progressions that don't resolve in a traditional sense (e.g. both "Mind" and "Paper") initially are frustrating to me but I start to "get it" a bit more each subsequent listen. The second part of the album starts to drift back into more-accessible structures (e.g. "Heaven") and there are a few tunes on here that I'm familiar with (esp. "Life During Wartime" and "Memories Can't Wait" oddly enough initially through Living Colour's very cool cover version...). This is one of the weirdest "3" ratings I'll give. I kind of think there's a ton to unpack here, yet I still can't fully connect with some of the frequent atonal aspects of it. I think in the end very often with Talking Heads...I very much appreciate the skill and composition yet I can't connect emotionally with them. It feels like a total copout but they're a good "sure I'll listen to them" band for me. 7/10 3 stars

The Soft Bulletin

The Flaming Lips

5/5

After hearing the follow-up to this album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and giving it a 5 upon first listen I was hoping this one wouldn't disappoint... and it does not. Honestly I have no idea how I missed out on these guys when these albums were released - it has everything I love about music; detailed harmonies, gorgeous melodies, dramatic arrangements, interesting instrumentation, and just a little imperfection here and there (e.g. vocals - which work perfectly with their music). All the while having accessible songs. Another 5 - this is becoming a favourite act of mine. 9/10 5 stars

Olympia 64

Jacques Brel

3/5

Definitely a mood album...! I feel like I should be smoking an unfiltered cigarette drinking coffee at an outdoor table just watching the world go by. I don't feel adequately equipped to review an album of this genre (...overly-theatrical French love songs...?) so perhaps my best review could be that this is enjoyable background music; I'm sure I enjoy it more (mostly?) because I don't understand the language - it helps Brel's aggressive voice wash amongst the instrumentation as if it were it's own complimentary instrument. Being a live album only adds to the mystique - the hall reverb, the urgent crowd responses are as important to the vibe as any other component. Somewhere roughly in the 2nd half of this album his vocals start getting....more weird? Little chirps and yelps - more akin to overacting :P although I'm sure some things are lost in translation. It gets a little annoying here and there but rarely lasts too long. Not necessarily a personal keeper only due to personal tastes but it is a worthy listen at least once - putting this on transports you to a different time and place and I could see how people love this album. 7/10 3 stars.

Pictures At An Exhibition

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

3/5

Well...it's different, I'll give you that... I love the diversity in this 1001-albums list and was actually pretty pleased to see this one on the list. It's not exactly entry-level ELP (which probably doesn't exist) as it's mostly a rock-classical hybrid cover of a Russian classical piece. The most impressive part is that they performed this entire suite live in one go which seems near-impossible. I'd never heard the entire album before ("Nut Rocker" at the end is the exception and not actually part of the full suite) so it was pretty fascinating to hear the interplay between the 3 guys and try to figure out how they did it. Oddly I feel like even though Greg Lake did the vocals for me I knew/know the least about him growing up as the other two got more acclaim - Lake's guitar playing is fantastic and there's no way a young Randy Rhodes didn't listen to him; *strong* echoes of his acoustic playing on Ozzy's "Diary of a Madman" in "The Sage" It's not at all an everyday album but holy hell these guys were A++ musicians and points alone for pulling this off in such a manner. Again not for everyone to be sure but a slice of history when an album like this could actually make the top-10. 7/10 3 stars

Midnight Ride

Paul Revere & The Raiders

2/5

My first exposure to music came probably before I could walk as my parents had one of those massive 8000lb stereo consoles - about 7 feet wide, speakers embedded, turntable AND... an 8-track player. Worst music format ever? Some songs would be playing and *CLICK!* right in the middle of a damn song... more of a pause....then another *CLICK* and the song would continue. Apparently it could only play a few minutes (10 maybe?) at a time before clicking to the next "track" - brutal. This long annoying intro is only to state that one of the 8 tracks my dad had was a Paul Revere & The Raiders album. Funny how the band was apparently quite big in the late 60s/early 70s but you never hear of them now. I never really gravitated towards them; I was more into the CSN but I suppose one could do worse for late 60s rock. "Kicks" and "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" are the hits, and I'd be fine hearing another song or two but in the end I'm still not getting a lot out of this - the simple twangy music is just not my bag. I did find the 180-turn funny that just yesterday a live ELP album was the album of the day...just a little different. 4/10 2 stars.

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

Various Artists

4/5

Well hell if I'm gonna be the Grinch who criticizes this album... Obviously I'm not wanting to hear these songs for maybe 49-50 weeks of the year but if we're gonna have Christmas songs this isn't a bad way to go at all. Short, not too filled with saccharine; so shed the cynicism and enjoy a half-hour of simple early 60s holiday pop rock. (Um...you can skip Killer Spector's silly thank you "song" at the end tho) 7/10 4 stars

Street Life

The Crusaders

2/5

I don't have much great to say about this one - I really wanted to like this a lot more than I do. Jazz with potentially a funk flavour (based on the wiki entry) from the 70s sounded like it would be fantastic but I don't get any bit of funk in this. It's smooth - wayyy too smooth - and not being a fan of vocal jazz the first song was a rough start for me. On the positive note, this band could play - that much is obvious - some outstanding individual musicianship is evident (notably in "Rodeo Drive") but my problem is that the songs aren't that memorable or interesting either. Even in Rodeo Drive it just sounds ... dated. I expect to hear this in the background of an old Dudley Moore movie. Not that that would be a bad thing in context :P - it's just kinda meh to listen to on its own. I've heard their earlier album "The 2nd Crusade" (1973) which hit me deeper - on this one I expected as much or more but it isn't anything that sticks with me at all. 4/10 2 stars.

Here Come The Warm Jets

Brian Eno

3/5

I don't think I fully "get" this album. (...yet?...) It's not bad - there's a lot of melody in here. But in terms of songs and structure/writing, there's far less. And yet from reading about it that seems exactly the intent. Brain..lacking..anchor. Something I definitely appreciate from Eno's own words was that lyrics were a true afterthought for many of these songs, if not all - making the voice "just" another instrument. e.g. "On Some Faraway Beach" is nearly all instrumental with a lovely if not simple melody and the vocals don't come in until late in the song, almost as just an orchestral addition. I like that non-traditional aspect of it. Yet for every time I think I enjoy the different aspect/s of the album, I find myself reaching for something to sink into. Some hook or memorable chorus - anything - to keep me coming back. e.g. "Dead Finks Don't Talk" is ... different. 4 minutes of being different within itself. I love the piano / drum march intro then the vocals join which are most unexpected and jarring. This song is a good microcosm of the album itself. 6/10 3 stars - I think this is a tough one to give much higher on only one or two listens - potential slow burn and will come back to this one.

Eli And The Thirteenth Confession

Laura Nyro

4/5

Laura Nyro is one of those names I know but completely missed out on her music somehow. Quick review: if you're partial to early 70s complex singer/songwriter artists like Carole King, Elton John, Todd Rundgren ... you will love this. There's definitely a strong and immediate Carole King comparison to be made in songs like "Stoned Soul Picnic" both in voice and melody; it's a high compliment yet I find Nyro in parts to be more complex in her arrangements. For example - the amount of tempo changes within songs isn't quite jarring but it is eminently noticeable in a way that forces you to listen to these songs. Heck you could almost call it progressive 70s AM gold. Summing up -> I enjoy nearly every minute of this album... but what makes me drop it just south of a 5 is the mix. It's a very clear recording but boy the voice is too hot/loud and I just can't get by it after many listens. The music itself is everything I'd want though - a preponderance of major 7th chords amidst jazz+pop progressions, gorgeous harmony, dynamics, varying melodies constantly in motion, variety in songs... giddyup. 8/10 4 stars.

Graceland

Paul Simon

2/5

I grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel - to clarify: I almost literally learned to read by following along with the lyrics on the back of their albums. So yes, I was/am a big fan of theirs (most notably their final 2 albums). Additionally, as a little kid in the 70s it was impossible to not be exposed to a shittonne (scientific measurement) of solo Paul Simon on the radio. Which for me wasn't the same without Art but still - very good songs that helped define a lot of my childhood. But - and I know I'm in the minority here - I never could connect with this one. Sure I was in high school and in my peak hard rock / metal fandom but I (thought I) could still appreciate the finer musical arts, but I rejected this *huge* album at the time. So what better time to do a reappraisal of an album in so many "top 10 alltime" lists... And I know I'm wrong here ...but I still don't like it at all. What about this album is so cold to me even amidst the many radio hits that should at this point hit me with some degree of nostalgic fondness? I think on one level the overly-wordy tendency of Paul in these songs is almost an overt turnoff; of course he has made a career of storytelling in his songs but something in these is just too much. Also the music ... there's no passion, no energy or mystery...all of it is just not exciting to me in any way; I want so much to like this with the incorporation of African musical cultures but the progressions on nearly every song are terribly repetitive and none of it carries anywhere near the same musical weight as his earlier material. Maybe it just carries too much of that 80s sterile shine. Honestly I just think it's the songwriting. For a very lazy one word review - I did and still do just find it all terribly boring. I won't argue the consensus on this, I know it's a beloved album, but it'll never hit me. Personal pass. 3/10 2 stars.

Mermaid Avenue

Billy Bragg

2/5

So...this is kind of a wannabe-Woody Guthrie record. Hmm. That probably is the (only) explanation for this being on a list of albums one MUST HEAR. Nothing against Billy Bragg or Wilco; I wouldn't say I'm a *fan* of either yet I've semi-enjoyed their music at times. But not this. The first two songs were dreadful but once we got to "Way Over Yonder In the Minor Key" I thought I could start to enjoy this; not to seem pedantic but the movement to the minor key in this gives me chills and is the kind of music I'm looking for, I felt this one. But it retreats back into laconic country dullness after that - I just don't feel this kind of music, for me the progressions need to go somewhere and for the most part they don't. If you're a student of lyrics and american history over musical construction there would definitely be some interest here, but I'll detour around Mermaid Avenue next time thanks. 3/10 2 stars.

Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple

4/5

Trying to imagine someone hearing this for the first time in 1970... After even just one pass-through of the frenetic "Speed King" one thing should be obvious - these guys could PLAY. Amazing musicianship that over the course of this album they were clearly not shy about showing off - nearly every song has some sort of solo or break from each instrument. This was Purple's 4th album but the first with this lineup and the changes from their previous incarnation are dramatic, mostly with the stunning vocals from Ian Gillan. Nobody could go from a soft melodic passage to a blood-curdling scream and back again like him. Deep Purple were/are an interesting study - I know for a short time in the early 70s they were as big as any artist but as time goes on their influence seems to be hidden or forgotten. Black Sabbath gets a lot of credit as perhaps the "originators" of heavy metal but I softly disagree - put this album up against Sabbath's debut which came out the same year and this hits more of the "metal" benchmarks [aside: Sabbath's first is fantastic and belongs more in a doom rock realm] - fast, loud, articulate playing, moody (e.g. "Child In Time" which admittedly is a bit doomy-sounding). Having said that, simply labeling this as "heavy metal" isn't accurate -> aside from the obvious heavy blues base there are elements of prog and jazz throughout the album, and not to be discounted is guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's heavy medieval/classical influence which is obvious in pretty much every solo he's ever recorded. His interplay with organist Jon Lord is what helped define this sound and I don't know of many (any?) others that really matched this formula. My one complaint with this album isn't necessarily with the band/material but the fact that it kind of sounds like shit on many songs. Yes it was 1970 but sonically it never has matched up with their contemporaries and is sometimes a turnoff for me. Knocked down a bit for lack of obvious hits and mix but it's still a vital document in the advent of talented hard rock / metal. Highly recommended. 8/10 4 stars.

Low

David Bowie

4/5

Could this be the Bowie album for listeners who are not Bowie fans? I've tried (admittedly not *that* hard) over the years to like Bowie, or even "get" him - but aside from a few cuts (mostly Ziggy Stardust) here and there I never enjoyed him and if I could pick only one reason it'd probably be his voice. No getting around his voice, really... unless... he recorded an album that sounded a lot like a focused Brian Eno record (hmm...) and he didn't sing a lot on it and when he did it was mixed down low with every other instrument.... Low! Eno worked on this record with him a lot which after listening to 3 early Eno records over the past few months it's not hard to pick out the similarities. But as referenced above, this is more focused (at least on the first half!). The first "half" (7 songs) are tight songs that are nonetheless not predictable; a lot of which has to do with lack of vocals or even just not having them come in when one might traditionally expect. That second half is weird and I love it - put on some headphones and turn out the lights and you can lose yourself in the sounds; I'd hesitate to call most of these "songs" but there is melody and depth to them. Shocking to me that this is the same guy that sang "Fame" or "Young Americans" - at any rate, the 2nd side is like a different album entirely, yet still fits under the same experimental melodic umbrella. A lot can be read about the production techniques on the album; especially the drum sounds on a few songs; they have a crunchy gated effect that suits the music really well. I enjoy the mix as well (again: headphones). This one surprised me - I saw David Bowie and thought "meh" but what a great surprise and a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Slanted And Enchanted

Pavement

1/5

Man. I do not ever get the appeal of this. When you sing like Lou Reed you're on borrowed time in my ears. Slacker rock? Is that how to define this? I don't know...at the risk (that I don't care about) of maybe sounding like I'm gatekeeping, at times it sounds like this band isn't even trying. Hence... slacker? I'm not asking for complexity, and in fact some of these songs do have that. But I do have some sort of baseline of composition and this is a goddamn mess. The first song is just flat out dreadful and although it gets a little less-bad, that's the best I can give. 2/10 1 star. I'll never listen to this again.

Sheer Heart Attack

Queen

4/5

This is where Queen started to become "Queen" - drenched in layers of sound, melody, those harmonies... the undisputed classic here is "Killer Queen" which you can't go a few hours without hearing on any classic rock radio station. It's easy to dismiss it from familiarity but honestly who else ever had the talent and brains to pull off an amazingly complex harmonic song like this and in 3 minutes? Slight negative takes on this album might be that it can trend bit boring at times, e.g. I'm not wild about "Stone Cold Crazy" although it seems to be a fan favourite; I don't think they were great at metal overall) and "She Makes Me" is too plodding. But every time they lapse they come right back to their best work which is heavily melodic songs, utilizing tens of vocal harmonies at once, multiple instruments (either adding piano/keys or ~821 guitars to create a quasi-orchestra), and even giving a nod to 30s big band sounds ("Bring Back Leroy Brown"). Queen's follow-up to this ("A Night At the Opera") started a run of 6-7 albums that to me were a little more consistently excellent but this is a really good album (side 1 is the better half) and really brings a lot of their theatrical side to most of these songs. 7/10 4 stars for good variety.

Nothing's Shocking

Jane's Addiction

3/5

This was a tough one to judge. I really didn't like Jane's Addiction when this came out, but decades later and now after a few listens this weekend I'm definitely more intrigued. I'd say the hardest barrier is Perry Ferrell's voice...yet there are times it fits perfectly. My highlights would be "Standing In the Shower...Thinking" - weird heavy/funky beat, the hypnotic metal "Mountain Song" and "Idiots Rule" - the added horns make it funky and different. Lowlight: "Ted, Just Admit It..." I like the idea of the weirdness but it's droning and irritating. Which ... when I'm not in the right mood, droning/caustic/irritating is how I feel about this album maybe half the time I hear it. Would like to have heard more sonic variety... sometimes the wall of sound is a bit much. 7/10 3 stars. Not sure if it's a keeper but points for a unique sound and spin on heavy late 80s guitar rock. I feel like I'll come back to this one on occasion.

Tidal

Fiona Apple

4/5

Right from the first few seconds there's a darkness to this album that made it one of the more impressive debut albums I've heard. I can't remember why I originally bought this album but likely for something in the first single "Shadowboxer" - there was something there but the rest of the album proved how deep this all was. The opening track "Sleep To Dream" is bold and creepy, minimalist but powerful - a really unusual album opener and a captivating one - it feels like it's going to explode at any moment but it's all kept together by that tension... ...and then she hits you with "Sullen Girl" which starts with a gorgeous piano line and soon Fiona enters with her dry intimate vocals. And when the band gently kicks in after the first few lines it's hard to not be fully engaged - there's so much emotion and melody in this music and I particularly love the piano-driven aspect of it - here and in the rest of the album. "Shadowboxer" and "Criminal" were the big singles and very worthy/catchy bluesy hit tunes. But the rest of the first half shows so much more. The fact that she was a teenager when writing this albums ideally shouldn't have much bearing on how likable it is but... a teenager!? Borderline unreal to display this much depth in singing and restrained songwriting. The downside: I always felt this album started so damn strong over the first 5 songs and faded after that - I'm a sucker for at least a killer album closer - this second half really drags; needed at least one big uptempo track. But overall the strength of the first half is enough that I can listen to this album pretty much any time and in any mood. Love it. 7/10 4 stars

Music For The Jilted Generation

The Prodigy

3/5

Years ago while living with my best friend in a sketchy apartment we would play hours (HOURS) of an old racing game, Playstation Nascar I think. Often til dawn. Important stuff. His brother visited one weekend and joined our league/circuit/whatever and put on a Prodigy album while we played. I'd never listened to electronic music before but for whatever reason it was the absolutely perfect soundtrack to making virtual 200mph left turns for 3 hours straight before you inevitably crashed on the final lap. I guess what I'm saying is that I really want to play that game again right now. Judging this on what it is (as opposed to comparing it to what I guess I'd call a "normal" album?) it is kind of compelling. Hypnotic. Good to work to, especially if I want to stay awake. Sum: it's not something I can see putting on when I want to listen to *songs* because they're not really songs - more of an aggressive soundscape, but it works really well as a caffeine-substitute. Or additive. 7/10 3 stars

Country Life

Roxy Music

4/5

Somehow a big gap in my 70s rock knowledge is/was Roxy Music. I think before this all I knew was their later single "Love is The Drug" and their - to me - very tepid "Avalon" so my impression before putting this on was that it would be smooth crooner type songs. Obviously right off the top "The Thrill of It All" is a high-energy rock tune which although may not be exactly ground-breaking, is just a good rock song. After that "Three And Nine" changes gears a bit - there's the Bryan Ferry as crooner I sort of expected. This is an odd one - almost at first listen it seems "normal" but there's a lot going on in each song. e.g. "Out Of The Blue" is a rocker but takes a few weird directions closing with a weird synth? (electric violin type sound) solo closing it out. I like it. "Bitter Sweet" has some unsettling Peter Gabriel meets Gong vibe to it. "Casanova" is a compelling funky galloping swaggering beat matched with Ferry's odd Bowie-like vocals (which i like much better than Bowie). Sum: weirdly diverse early 70s art-rock album. I feel like this is gonna take a few listens to sink in (or not) which I'm willing to give - I'm not yet sure what to think but this is far more than I'd expected which is always nice. 7/10 4 stars.

Wild Is The Wind

Nina Simone

3/5

Nina Simone had a crazy-unique voice - at times sounding very deep and masculine and then others where she could reach the high notes with such power (e.g. ending of "Four Women"). Very compelling. The music is at times not terribly interesting to me but the best songs are really good, much of the first 5 or 6 especially - it's interesting as a fan of Jeff Buckley to hear this. There's the obvious connection with "Lilac Wine" which he covered on his debut album but more than that in listening to this album you can hear how much he copped from her in terms of vocal style. Nothing wrong with that but when I hear praise for Buckley's vocals it bears remembering where it came from. Interesting to read that "Four Women" was actually banned due to the lyrics which makes me like it even more. I'm less partial to some of the slower jazz-vocal cuts (e.g. "Wild Is The Wind") and steer more towards the first half of the album and bluesier songs. 7/10 3 stars - I'm sure if vocal jazz was more of my thing I'd have given this at least a 4 but it's definitely worth listening to by all.

The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus

4/5

Reviewing as mostly a jazz novice, I like this quite a bit. I briefly studied Mingus in college and enjoy instrumental jazz infinitely more than vocal - this has an interesting continuity to it, definitely worthy as a full-album listen rather than any one of the tracks by themselves. The only part I don't love personally is the flamenco-ish parts in the final suite - it's just not a favourite style for me - but musically it's still impressive how the band can transition from one section and one genre to another so well. Funny note at 5:25 of the final cut, listen for someone (Mingus?) yelling "goddamnit" in the right channel :D 8/10 4 stars

Aja

Steely Dan

5/5

I get that some people just do not like Steely Dan. Heck as a kid when they would come on the radio - and they did, often - I pretty much hated them. Smooth but weird...songs that didn't necessarily have the standard structure I was accustomed to. Then again I was a stupid kid. It's different and I guess that was what i didn't like at the time or freaked me out or whatever, but this is ridiculously-complex and good music. Is/was it pop? rock? fusion? jazz? who knows, probably all of the above and who cares. Can't even pick out a favourite song - literally good from beginning to end but if forced I might pick "Aja" as the unique standout. Also of importance: you just cannot listen to this album through a phone speaker, you've got to put on either earbuds/headphones, or play it through a decent stereo. Without succumbing to boredom about how amazing the studio techniques and worldly session musicians were... if you're listening to this for the first time just make sure you at least give it a chance in this way. It's one of the most celebrated *recordings* of all time for a reason - the clarity and fidelity are pretty much perfect. Jazz rock may not be my favourite subgenre but I'm not sure an album gets much better than this. 9/10 5 stars

This Year's Model

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

My second EC album on the list and this one different than his later Imperial Bedroom - definitely a more raw approach which I think he had for his first ~3/4 albums. Major point: I love Costello's bass playing; I thought that warranted more credit than I ever remember hearing - it really drives all of these songs and it's hot in the mix. Overall this album is catchy as hell, with "Pump It Up" always being a radio favourite of mine and the US versions of this album always contained "Radio Radio" which is another classic 70s pop rock tune. One detailed semi-negative -> I do like his early material far more than after e.g. first 4 albums but in retrospect I sometimes grow tired of that organ. It's definitely a *sound* and in a lot of ways that's a great thing for an artist to have; to me it is distinctly Elvis/The Attractions, but just something a bit droning at times. Anyways - a fun album that doesn't necessarily give me chills but it's quality driving late 70s raw rock and I'll always enjoy hearing it. 7/10 4 stars.

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

3/5

So. Yesterday I had Elvis Costello. Today? Elvis Costello. When I went to the wiki page for this album I found out that this is one of SIX E.C. albums in the top 1001. ...?? SIX! Well screw it, at this point I expect - nay, want - the rest of the week to be Elvis Costello. (OK but really?) Look, I like Elvis Costello. Like. I don't quite get it though (meaning 6 albums?) and this isn't a fair review because now I'm creating some sort of meta-critique of how much he should or should not be represented in a subjective listing of the ~1k most important albums ever. He's not 6-worthy. Not sure anyone is to be fair. I can only assume this one is here because he reunited with his band The Attractions for the first time in nearly a decade. Cool? I mean, it's pretty decent - but I don't know if it's better (or worse) than his other few I'm familiar with. It's...Elvis Costello and if you're familiar with his old work it sounds like a slightly softer 90s version of his 70s material. Which yeah, nice enough. So. Overall, there are some good songs (personal faves: "13 Steps Lead Down" and "My Science Fiction Twin"), but the album is too long (EC was definitely an artist who benefitted from the pre-CD era of ~45minute max album lengths) by about 5 songs, it's not quite as punk/raw as 15 years prior but it's still a fun listen. Kind of an easy 6/10; straight 3 stars. A safe album, aka nothing explicitly bad but outside of a few choice cuts I probably wouldn't go out of my way for it. Then again maybe I've just had too much Elvis for one week...

Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

2/5

eh. I don't know about this. ok ok these guys could play complex music. But could they write a song? Not on this one at least. Even a 20 minute song ("Supper's Ready" - Genesis) can be fascinating and well-crafted with distinct parts, a beginning/theme/ending. This just seems like a mash of Carl Palmer staccato-snare fills, Keith Emerson's organ dancing in 5/4 time, and then oh here's Greg Lake with his smooth double-tracked vocals to put a nice sheen on it. But it doesn't work. Second half (side) of the album was supposed to be more "traditional" short songs but even there nothing works very well. I used to think prog was my favourite style of rock when I was a kid but as the years go on I'm pretty sure that wasn't/isn't true at all. I loved - and still do - the best of the genre but this ain't it. This is prog-for-prog's-sake complete with the hilarious album cover. It's just dull. 3/10 2 stars.

Elephant Mountain

The Youngbloods

3/5

There is/was absolutely more to this than meets the eye. ...or...ear. I did not think I'd like this at all...some notes of country rock which prejudiced me before I heard it but it was way more complex musically than calling it country rock (which i don't like). Some really advanced progressions and diversions that are unpredictable. I kind of had a tough time rating this though.... it's never going to be a favourite but there is some deep musicianship and songwriting here that probably will make me put this on again - definitely lacking a killer track or two which is likely what makes me give it a strong 3 rather than a 4. (Also...I am curious as to why this is on the list? The band was a one hit wonder in US, but the hit isn't even on this album.) 7/10 3 stars - Interesting to be sure and may eventually rate higher.

Cosmo's Factory

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

This is a definite hit parade. Although I've never listened to this album before I quickly realized that I already knew maybe 7 songs. I've often found it hard to separate my built-up biases over the years with being objective. In this case with CCR, I always feel like I never *ever* want to hear them again - always the same stuff on terrible classic radio in any city [see any of the 60s/70s bands, there's a list of 5-6 songs per band that have been played to death for decades]. But none of that is/are the bands' faults - and in this case I'm finding it's almost like hearing CCR for the first time, listening in an album format rather than a Two-For-Tuesday on Rock101. Personal favourites are "Up Around The Bend", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" and the odd album opener "Ramble Tamble" which sounds like it probably would be more suited as an album closer but maybe that's why I liked it. The big negatives for me are that I'm not a fan of the bluesy remakes ("Before You Accuse Me" "My Baby Left Me" and the silly "Ooby Dooby") at all, but oddly I really like the absurdly-long "... Grapevine" a lot. Even if it's a little too often no-frills for my liking, this is classic American rock and probably required listening for anyone looking to tap into popular music as the 60s led into the 70s. 8/10 4 stars.

Pretenders

5/5

Tremendous album. If you only know The Pretenders material from the late-80s and after...this is not that band, almost literally. This album always felt like one of those rare crossover albums back in the 80s that appealed to punks, new wavers, rockers, dweebs, geeks (etc etc). The pure energy from the angular attack of the band combined with the sneer of Chrissy Hynde's vocals is almost sad to hear in a way, knowing the musical (guitar/bass) half of the band would be dead due to drugs within ~2 years, but almost adds to its urgency. I've had this discussion with friends before on the best debuts by an act in history - not only in terms of an album but a song and "Precious" made everyone's short list - what a kick-ass song filled with attack, swagger, and musicality. Amidst so many good cuts, you still can't beat "Tattooed Love Boys" with that galloping rhythm trading off 7/8 and 4/4 measures in the verses. Punk? raw hard rock? Again who knows, who cares, it's awesome and those breakdowns are just weird in a great way. And all in 3 minutes. Not many downturns on this album* - the instrumental "Space Invader" serves as kind of a breather after Tattooed Love Boys. I will say that the first half is definitely the stronger one as some of the slower songs do bring the energy down a bit (the Kinks cover of "Stop Your Sobbing" is a misstep; it's not *bad* but doesn't fit well) but in general they do provide a nice ebb and flow - "Brass In Pocket" may be a middle of the road tune but it's an undeniably excellent and deserving hit song. Overall I just love the raw yet interesting production on this. Guitars sound fantastic, the double-tracked vocals often differ just enough to create some interesting tones at times especially in the heavier songs. Production combined with great songs... this is a keeper and one of the great debut albums ever. 9/10 5 stars. *only referring to the original release: 12 songs ending with Mystery Achievement.

Ready To Die

The Notorious B.I.G.

2/5

Excellent album to put on at family dinners. ... ok seriously for a minute putting aside the tough language (which for me does get distracting quickly...and then even more so) this is my first true foray into Biggie and it's pretty good - I love the production and heavy head-bobbing beats. As for Big's actual rapping I like it a lot - he's forceful, very rhythmic (which is definitely my preference). Super tragic, obviously; it would have been great to hear how he progressed because this as a debut was damn impressive. So it's tough for me to give this a good rating because...when I notice lyrics on an album it's usually for a bad reason. I noticed these lyrics. eh, not to be all pearl-clutching but ... they were a lot to take in the best of songs :D and at the worst they're just gross or even worse. The skits are stupid even by stupid standards and it all started to slide further about halfway through. So on a musical level it's definitely fantastic, and again - a damn shame he died early because if he had grown a little lyrically who knows how good he would have been but for this album I gotta think a lot of the praise is too damn apologetic - these lyrics are awful. Could recommend a few songs and again - the music is pretty great everywhere but it all gets dragged down by the misogyny and infantilism. 4/10 2 stars.

Tuesday Night Music Club

Sheryl Crow

3/5

I had a predisposition to not like this - sure I've heard the singles which were fine - but I remember reading an article a few years after its release about how Crow was either claiming exclusive songwriting or dismissing others' contributions to it. I realize that should have nothing to do with enjoying an album or not :D but it kinda does... (anyways it's all disputed anyways so who tf cares) but Sheryl is starting from behind the blocks already as I put this on... But ok I admit this first song "Run, Baby, Run" is great - some really nice subtly-different chord changes; probably ends up being my favourite song on the album. After that it's fine - I went back and forth almost within each song. Sometimes her voice is a little shrill and hard to take, other times I really like it. The music is varied and put together really well but for me overall it's just "nice" - probably deserves more than a 3 and I could see people loving it (could i equivocate more?) - ok summing up with: "worth a listen". 7/10 3 stars

Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

3/5

Like Jack Black of Tenacious D said: "don't confuse the art..with the artist!" - although that's often difficult - referring to Clapton the racist anti-science lunatic, to be clear. Looking at this objectively (even before learning more than i ever wanted to about that idiot) - even as a guitar player since forever i've never been in the Clapton-is-God camp. Probably a taste thing, but for me his songwriting was almost always crap, even if he could lay down a blues riff (which goes only so far ....zzzz). But so here it's mostly covers so I need a new excuse here. Some 50+ years later it's probably hard to understand the impact this might have had - I know this album was a huge influence on a ton of musicians that I love and guitar players in particular; this type of heavy rock+blues had never been done or at least on a popular scale before. Clapton's solos are definitely the reason this is on the list; 1966 probably didn't find many solos like this so I'll give full credit for being a forerunner. Overall it just gets a little ... same-ish after a while but being fair, it's a fine album, just not one that i need to play over and over. 7/10 3 stars on a personal level. probably worthy of 4+ for historic purposes.

My Aim Is True

Elvis Costello

4/5

Number of albums reviewed thus far: 193 Number of those that are Elvis Costello: 4 We all bow to Elvis (no for real this doesn't seem right. Come on now.) Ok this isn't about me - and no offence to Elvis because I really like this album a lot - I love how the album starts with a catchy tune that's less than 90 seconds long - it plays as a great intro. There are a few radio classics that many people will know ("Alison" "Red Shoes" and "Watching the Detectives") but honestly most of the others are as good or better than the hits. Personal favourite: "I'm Not Angry." Overall it's a quick 36 minutes of great rock that's actually quite a bit more complex than one might think - it's the kind of album you can play in any setting, i.e. easily digested but also more than enough musical complexity and density beyond standard "rock music" to sustain repeat plays. Keeper. 8/10 4 stars

Superfly

Curtis Mayfield

5/5

Just a classic album on many levels - Curtis Mayfield's falsetto voice just works so well over the fantastic funk/soul music; hard to explain but there's a perfect balance between his voice and the music. Probably as a testament to how good and accessible the music is, so much of this album has been sampled over the years from artists as ranging as Biggie Smalls to Beastie Boys to Alicia Keys. I'll admit to not having seen the movie but even without ... this album really does *feel* like a movie; there's a great flow to it - starting with "Little Child..." and the classic final title track truly feels like an end credits. Those two are probably my favourites although I really love the instrumental "Think" - Curtis was also a masterful guitar player and the tone and melody on this track are gorgeous. Maybe the only drawback would be a general sameness that runs throughout but I think the shortness of the album (37 minutes) helps stave that off enough to keep it nearly perfect. An album for pretty much any occasion. 9/10 5 stars.

Dog Man Star

Suede

2/5

Dense. I did some reading about this album which sounds like a great stereotypical rock mess fraught with tension, drugs, and pretension. I had an idea of what I'd hoped to hear before I put it on ... and it doesn't really match. The idea of a complex, sprawling album is appealing to me but - and I fully admit that it may be difficult to digest in just one or two plays today - there's not much here that's catchy. I'm not necessarily meaning in a pop-sugary way, but even some of the more proggy and lengthy songs I've liked or loved have something to sink your teeth into; e.g. some hook or theme. This album seems a mass of ~5 minute songs, none of which are bad, but none of which I can really remember. Mid-tempo, massive reverb on overly-emotive vocals, nothing really catchy, edgy, weird, or heck even poppy. If I were to be harsh...much ado about nothing? 3/10 2 stars.

Technique

New Order

3/5

New Order's "Low Life" surprised me a few months back in terms of how much I liked it - really made me re-evaluate my preconceived notions; great record. So today when I saw this come up I wondered if it'd be the same... Who can tell with this band? The opening track "Fine Time" was probably exactly what I'd thought they'd sound like overall - it seems a very dull/unimaginative synth dance tune and not much of a song. So my initial instinct was that that wasn't starting out so well... but then "All The Way" and "Love Less" are great tunes - lovely melodies, good pop construction. ...which are followed by "Round & Round" which is back to the sequencers and electronic formula that seem so meta-New Order....but I like this one? Are they just indoctrinating me? What's happening here? This is a weird album obviously - did New Order just not know what kind of a band they wanted to be? And if so is there anything wrong with that at all? (Of some note: so many of their non-sequencer songs sound very much like The Cure) Not really sure how to rank this one; I still think I like Still Life better but this is growing on me. 6/10 3 stars

Jagged Little Pill

Alanis Morissette

4/5

I probably hadn't explicitly listened to this album in 20+ years but still know virtually every part of it. This album was *everywhere* in the mid-late 90s. Sometimes I can't really tell if I *like* it or not - there are (many) times where Alanis' voice is tough to take, and especially on the opening track "All I Really Want" but at the same time it's catchy as hell... ...which might be a review of every single song on the album - almost to a track, they're each catchy in their own unique way. It's an impressive record in terms of variety - from the alt-rock of "You Oughta Know" to the top-down easy-going sound of "Hand In My Pocket" and the by-now overplayed and over-memed "Ironic" it doesn't really get boring. It sounds really good too - I enjoy the creative double/multi-tracking of her vocals in spots which really punches through the mix. Not that it really matters but she was 21 when she wrote these songs (with Glen Ballard) which is amazing. Her vocal imperfections while occasionally distracting are actually interesting to me (still in the era of not correcting every single note) in that you're hearing her emotion [also apparently most of the songs' vocals were done in one or two takes]. You can almost call this a/the quintessential 90s album - put this on and you're instantly back in time. It's definitely an important album and worth hearing for sure...couldn't figure whether 3 or 4 but i'll give it the nostalgic bump. 7/10 4 stars.

Something/Anything?

Todd Rundgren

4/5

cool fact: on most of these songs Todd Rundgren played all of the instruments. Whether that fact alone affects one's enjoyment of this or not is unclear, but you could make the case that there's something unique and special about an album like this because of the very fact that it is *not* democratic, and all under one person's vision. Contrast that with a lot of pop music today that has up to 10 or more songwriters -which runs the risk of drifting towards "the middle" or whatever might be popular at the time. That risk is nowhere to be heard here - there are some undeniably all-time classic singles that many people will know ("I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me"), but amidst the 23 (!!!!!) other tracks the variety and non-commercialism shows; yet at the same time even though many of these couldn't have been singles they're mostly quite accessible. Incredible sense of melody (this guy never met a major 7th chord he didn't love - I approve). "Couldn't I Just Tell You" should have been a bigger hit, that's a great pop-rock song right there. As for the "non-traditional" parts of the album, not only am I not put off by the spoken word parts (e.g. beginning of "Couldn't I Just Tell You" "Hello It's Me" and the entirety of "Intro") it adds to the experience for me (being a studio junkie). It's almost like (well, it essentially was) being there for a home recording yet decidedly NOT low-fi (thank god); you'll hear Todd talking about recording techniques, counting in other musicians (I believe the only songs he used other musicians on are in the final 1/4 of the album). Ok so... the album is long. LONG. Some of my favourite albums are double-albums but they tend to have a theme; maybe it's only that I'm not familiar enough with this one and/or it doesn't have enough cultural touchstones (outside the 2 aforementioned singles) so at some point I get just a little tired of it before it picks up steam again over the last half. But overall: the album sounds amazing; I'm a sucker for these kinds of melodic turns. It's Rundgren's most famous album for a reason and much more accessible than the one to follow... (A Wizard, A True Star) because when at their best, many/most of these songs are cohesive and a great intro to both Rundgren and 70s melodic rock in general. 8/10 4 stars

Wild Wood

Paul Weller

4/5

OK I was expecting The Jam (which would have been good) but instead I got.... something warmer and bluesier that sounds like excerpts from a 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar offshoot? Which to be clear is a compliment... So I don't think there's anything remotely groundbreaking or revelatory here, but who cares - it's a bit of a straight-up rock album with good if uncomplicated production. Every other song seems to harken back to something familiar... I'm hearing a bit of Traffic, Faces, and CSN in here. My only criticism: ... it's too long. This kind of album/music doesn't lend itself to much more runtime than ~40 minutes; it's not prog, most of the songs follow a fairly standard rock structure. Again: none of this is bad at all. It's just that it's better to leave 'em wanting more rather than something along the lines of "hmm...3 more songs...ok...." Still, it's an excellent rock record that I think suits a lot of palettes and grows on you. 8/10 4 stars.

Winter In America

Gil Scott-Heron

4/5

...unfortunately for me this wasn't available on Apple Music in the States - here's a YouTube playlist if others have the same issue; first 9 songs are the original album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSSNXW9EANA&list=PLDIxWXRU4UDpUpAB4vMTUroYuvodq118L - - - - Different. Excellent. I really enjoy this - very raw with not a ton of instrumentation; I enjoy Gil's voice quite a bit and it meshes perfectly with Brian Jackson's keyboard sound - perfect compliments to each other. The jazz-soul aspects of this definitely are "of the age" and one might say it sounds dated (and it definitely does) but in this case I like it. Really nice listening musically and lyrically interesting especially on multiple listens; many topics dealing with inner city issues and neglect. "H20Gate Blues" is sort of the outlier musically but still fun to listen to and important - a funny mostly-ad-libbed poem dealing with the then-timely Nixon/Agnew fkery of the country. This is one I'd like to actually find on vinyl - will definitely come back to this one. 8/10 4 stars.

Back to Mystery City

Hanoi Rocks

2/5

Wow. This seems...random. For years my only exposure to Hanoi Rocks was from the car accident with Motley Crue (I can only hope they're not on this list) that killed their drummer. A bit of reading shows these guys (from Finland) were *hugely* influential on the early 80s hard rock scene, bringing a mix of glam and metal. Ok cool music history moment but what about the music? Yes as it turns out this has a strong early 80s sound but it's more Bowie+New York Dolls+Poison. If that's your bag. Aside from the fact that this sounds like a demo (I'm reminded of Van Halen's unreleased mid-70s demo that sounds similar yet better than this) the album is filled with simple melodies and predictable if not bad good-time party hooks, it's.... fine. So why is this on the 1001 list? Influence? I could be mean and complain that bands that merely influenced some emerging trends but weren't any good themselves should probably not be on this list (...but then i'd just be talking about the horrific abomination that were the Velvet Underground and that's playing dirty). "Sailing Down The Tears" sounds like a coke-fueled bash with Slash playing aside a drunk Alice Cooper. To sum up: this sounds like a good high school band that played their dance in 1983 and then should have gone to college and gotten better at songwriting instead of becoming Poison a few years later. 3/10 2 very dim and generous stars: early 80s "hard rock" for 13 year olds. At least there's melody.

Melody A.M.

Röyksopp

3/5

This one puzzles me. On the one hand...it's nice. Nice. On the other.... I'm not sure I'd ever want to actively listen to this...? It's great background music. Is that worthy of a top-1001? It's all subjective of course but I can't ever see myself having enough interest in something that's manufactured like this (not necessarily a critique) to voluntarily think "I need this album and nothing else for the next 45 minutes." Atmospheric, uber-mellow, again: it's nice and truthfully after a few songs I was really liking it but afterwards it suffers a ton from just being itself. Repeated loops and beats that have a nice melody and effect still just don't hold up over and over. I have a hard time rating it and will give it a nice 3; would listen again, wouldn't necessarily remember anything from it other than the mood. Maybe that's the point... 5/10 3 stars.

Aftermath

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Probably worth it to mention that I've never been much of a Stones fan. So there's nothing outside of maybe "Gimme Shelter" that ever gives me chills or demands listening. Having said that, it's pretty clear this is an important historical rock document - the album where the Stones became The Stones™ in a lot of ways; first one consisting of all originals, first one recorded in stereo; more usage of different instruments (largely due to Brian Jones' influence). There are some all-time hits on this album [depending on which version: the UK version doesn't have "Paint It Black" while the US version is missing "Mother's Little Helper" - both classics] which makes it worthwhile. And even though they're not really my favourites, I feel like this is too important to not give a 4 star rating to - inarguably one of the 2 or 3 most recognizable and influential rock bands in history with their first proper original album. Even if some of it sounds incredibly dated, it's certainly worth a few listens at least. 7/10 4 stars

Rapture

Anita Baker

4/5

This album was everywhere in ~1987 - as a teen into hard rock at the time it's safe to say I ignored it. :) ...and while it's still not necessarily my favourite [it's a bit smooth for my personal tastes] for what it is, it does sound freaking fantastic. Anita Baker is a great singer who didn't necessarily sound like anyone else but still was very accessible. Maybe it was her slightly-lower register or husky timbre; it definitely sits above others for me in the genre (contrast with wailing soprano vocalists of the day that I definitely still don't care for) and despite a general same-ness to the album, it's short enough (~38 minutes) to not really drag much at all. Again on a personal level, it would have been nice overall to hear more of the musicians/instruments reaching a bit - it's a very "safe" album musically which no doubt was the intent. If you're more into any instrumental flights of fancy over vocals, like me you might knock it down a few pegs. Having said that, this is objectively an excellent soft-soul album. 7/10 4 stars

Space Ritual

Hawkwind

2/5

Zzzz. I'm a fan of some of the early-70s Gong material and there's definitely a parallel here at least in terms of the long-form space rock...hanging on to one chord seemingly forever through an extended trippy section...sax solos...heavy heavy reverb... A big difference to me is complexity and interest... both of which are considerably lower here (again comparing to Gong). I'm not sure the musicians ...vocals...guitar...bass (sorry Lemmy)...drums... are any good at all, nor am I sold on any of the songwriting - "Time We Left This World Today" is akin to a slightly sped-up terrible Black Sabbath jam. I do respect that this is supposed to be more of a "feel" or a jam and given that this is a live recording I would accept that maybe [under the influence of something] this would have been super-trippy to experience in person. There's just nothing worth mentioning that's anywhere near adventurous or dammit just *interesting* on the instrumental side. Take "Orgone Accumulator" for a 10-minute example. It goes nowhere. Which...ok. But how is it any different than any other "song" on this album. Positives? I enjoy the effects; i.e. the synths are quite good and might be the only thing in this band/performance outside the occasional flight on the sax that elevates what would otherwise be completely base 2-3 chord songs into something slightly edgier or different. It's tough - I really wanted to like this; I like the idea of it - this weird fake mysticism, spacey/trippy rock that's not adhering to standard 4-5 minute songs but .... not even halfway through I wanted to hear just one standard 4-5 minute song. "10 Seconds of Forever" - I couldn't come up with a more appropriate song describing the album. It's disappointingly bad. 3/10 2 stars.

The Scream

Siouxsie And The Banshees

3/5

I've had a hard time connecting with this one. I fully appreciate how people could like (and conversely, could hate) this - it's so radically different and in 1978?? Man - almost unheard of. The part that I'm having most difficulty with is how can I like a lot of Gang of Four and Wire which I hear similarities but not this as much. Is it Siouxsie's voice? I appreciate and enjoy a lot of the non traditional aspects of this...the horror movie intro of "Pure"...the 5/4 time of "Overground" the almost but not quite straightforward "Carcass" - unique use of drums especially in that one, in that almost everything is on toms rather than the standard snare/kick. But then the album almost falls off a cliff... a song like "Metal Postcard" seems droning and doesn't hit the same promise as the songs in the first half of the record. "Nicotine Stain" and "Suburban Relapse" are just not good - bad atonal punk and the vocals are brutal. But then they come back with the excellent "Switch" and...? I have no idea how to rate this...my second time through I confess to starting to "get" this, at least the first half. I'll leave at this: this is not for everyone to be sure. I'll give big marks for being super unique and the best/mysterious songs are really worth a look, but overall it's not an easy listen. 6/10 3 stars for unique highs, but the lows are pretty low.

Fleet Foxes

4/5

This is a very rich sounding album. Lush, even. I've generally not gravitated towards the modern folky-harmonic type genres but when this album came out there was something about it that grabbed me. I hadn't listened to it in probably a decade so it was interesting to revisit and definitely *sounds* gorgeous. Highly melodic and soft-ish tunes but quite complex instrumentation. It's a pleasantly short record - 39 minutes or so; any more might really start to get repetitive or suffer from a sameness for me. This works as more of an album experience as songs tend to run into one another but i'm treating this as a feature rather than a bug. Highly recommended. 8/10 4 stars.

Entertainment

Gang Of Four

4/5

Picture yourself as a 20-yr old living in the doldrums of the Thatcher-Reagan hellscape, surviving in a shitty London suburb with 4 other people in a 2 bedroom leaky apartment with no job and it's raining all the time. And you're just tired and angry but wired like an East Vancouver tweaker jumping from skateboard to stairs to railing at 100mph. That's what this album sounds like. There's no way I should like this album...I love grandiose sweeping music, big production, arena or stadium filling chills-inducing progressive side-long complex time-signature and key jumping epics. But for some reason I kind of have always loved this album. Angular and angry guitars, very very dry production. I usually hate that but here, it's awesome. This is nowhere near calming music - this is not breakfast table music - this is generally not to be played after Fleet Foxes (which in my case it was but I love them both). Killer tracks are "I Found That Essence Rare" and "Anthrax" the latter of which is just.so.weird. Two completely different vocal tracks stepping right on top of each other, spoken word, but every once in a while they align. You might really hate this album and I wouldn't blame you one bit. It's ugly. I don't even like punk music... I don't know - I just love this - I shouldn't but it's a mood. Aggressive, interesting and unique guitar work, bass propelling everything. I always forget to pronounce migraine as "mee-grain" - I'll get there. 8/10 4 stars.

Lady Soul

Aretha Franklin

5/5

Outstanding. A quick 30 minute primer into one of the greatest singers of all-time. Many hits and a few I'd never heard before. "Niki Hoeky" in particular is a banger. But they're all good - literally. It's Aretha, and prime Aretha. A great variety of up-tempo and more soulful/mellow. Just listen, buy it, save it, all of the above. 9/10 5 stars.

Songs From A Room

Leonard Cohen

1/5

Songs From A Panic Room. ... Ok I was gonna try - honest - but literally from the first note ("note") I hated this. His terrible up-front vocals drenched in reverb upon more reverb over slow slice-your-wrist songs are not my bag. Which begs the question: whose bag are they? Yeah yeah poetry genius whatever. David Lee Roth wasn't a poet (or was he...) and/but used humour dammit and had Eddie by his side making some entertainment. This is not entertaining. I've had two LC albums thus far. I can think of ... a hundred? 200? artists I *hate*...that I'd rather have two albums from. Easily. Bring me Liz Phair's Greatest Monotone Middle School Naughty Words! Bring me Bon Jovi's Worst Ballads! Sigh. (...actually don't...) ...now i'm scared. Are there more Leonards?? Please say there won't be any more. [brain: ...say something nice... say something nice...] He's Canadian! [brain: invalid. ...where are the Rheostatics?...there should be at least 4 of their albums... try again; Canadian alone is worthless] Um, he's like a slightly less smacked out Lou Reed? [brain: ...what is wrong with you ... this is your base-level bar? we cannot stand anything about Lou Reed, remember? that's not a bar - that's a concrete floor. Again.] well. um...it's only 36 minutes so it'll be over soon.... [brain: ...GAK...send help - there is no way this is only 36 minutes it feels like days...brain dying...] 1/10 1 burned out dim star.

She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper

2/5

random note: as a huge baseball fan I never noticed the "Roberto Clemente" sign behind her on this album. My memory of when this came out is that in school there was the "Cindy Lauper or Madonna" debate. At the time I couldn't stand "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and still can't but catchy is catchy and there's something to it to be sure. Her voice is certainly unique which is always polarizing in an artist. I get/got the appeal for sure in 1984 but I just can't do it though, too many of the up-tempo songs are very dated (which seems more common for 80s music) and her voice has that quality that for me is distracting (notably on "Girls Just..." and "When You Were Mine"). The mellower-songs are definitely more appealing - "Time After Time" is an outstanding song, well-written and I do like her voice on this one; "All Through The Night" is another where her voice is appropriate but holy hell the keyboard sounds on that one are just awful - were they even good at the time? Bedroom Casio keyboard.. In the end if you'd never heard this before you could pretty much nail down 1984 just based on the terrible keyboard sounds - I keep saying that but it is so distracting that I don't need to hear most of these again save "Time After Time" 4/10 2 stars.

Lady In Satin

Billie Holiday

2/5

I'm a terrible person - I know "Lady Day" is celebrated as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Who am I to argue? Very distinctive, no question. I just really don't properly appreciate vocal jazz at all. Or to be fully honest I don't like it. So my rating is purely subjective (aren't they all?) and if you're inclined to like this genre just ignore me. 3/10 2 stars.

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

3/5

Interesting history. This album can't be labeled as just "hip-hop" - yes there are elements of it in most songs but "Dreamin'" and "You Are" are melodic soul songs without a trace of rap. But songs like "She's Fresh" which is awesome and catchy-as-hell (a perfect opening track) and the early/timeless hit "The Message" are just fun old-school hip-hop with killer basslines/melodies. "Scorpio" sounds like something Beck would definitely have listened to and taken a lot from 15-20 years later. Interesting/cool crossover note: "The Message" influenced Genesis in 1983 so much that in their hit song "Mama" Phil Collins took that "hahahaha" laugh directly from this song. It definitely is "of the time" but for me that's what makes it enjoyable - it's definitely worth a listen now and again, especially if you really like early hip-hop. Fun. 7/10 3 stars.

Marquee Moon

Television

3/5

One of those "never popular but launched a million bands" bands. Which is a definite trigger-warning for me (FU Velvet Underground you were the worst). But these guys are definitely better - way better. I hate to break it down to something so base but Tom Verlaine's voice is a real tough thing to get by. It's a shame because the guitar and melodies are so interesting, especially on songs like "Venus" (which Verlaine is playing lead on) - I keep thinking what if Elvis Costello sang for these guys? I realize his voice is a bit polarizing as well but for me that would have been an amazing marriage... Avoiding the vocals for a bit - the music is really cool here - definitely has that dry 70s "post-punk" vibe but I kind of hate that term; there's also quite a bit of interesting progressions within each of these songs; good and creative use of chord voicings and dynamics. After the album is over I'm still humming those guitar arpeggios from "Venus" which is a good thing. Upon replay I find I both like and dislike the album more - the instrumental passages for obvious reasons are really good but... I don't need a perfect tonal vocalist like .... Freddie Mercury? to enjoy a band, but Verlaine's attack-style vocals are grating and detract from each song rather than compliment; comparing to some of his contemporaries like Costello or Tom Petty. They worked better with the songs IMO. 6/10 3 stars. Kind of a waste - really needed a different/better singer.

Young Americans

David Bowie

2/5

Well... another Bowie album. Maybe it's Bowie+saxophone that i don't like? I mean...it's hard to separate the fact that this album contains "Young Americans" and "Fame" which have been unavoidable on radio for over 40 years. I could make the defence that I'm just tired of them but honestly I've never liked these songs, and maybe this is the pinpoint of my not being a Bowie fan? I'm not denying the talent involved or it's not that I can't understand *why* people like them/him, but these songs never resonate with me in any way. Maybe it's the faux-soul/funkiness with these songs that low-key irritates me? I think that's it. They all seem to have that similar vibe that turned me away from those hits so many years ago. Listen to the song "Right" - a perfect example. It's not *bad* - it's just not interesting. If I had to nitpick specifics, the constant saxophone and soulful bg vocals - while undoubtedly give the vibe he was looking for - are exactly what I don't enjoy. The other songs are new to me and ... meh... (although I actively dislike the cover of "Across the Universe") Random note: listen to the beginning of "Win" then go listen to "Debra" by Beck. :) Just a personal thing in the end I suppose: I've never really been a Bowie fan and this album definitely would be the nadir for me; however I previously had the album "Low" (which was new to me) and just listened to it again to affirm what I'd thought before and stand by: *that* is the Bowie album for people who don't like Bowie - I still love it. I'll stick with Low and pass hard here. 3/10 2 stars.

Club Classics Vol. One

Soul II Soul

2/5

Dance music is most definitely not my thing but overall... this is pretty good. At its best it's soulful with great production especially for the 80s - I mean...you know it's the 80s but also kind of not? :P I remember "Back to Life" being the big hit and I like it far better now than in my mullet days. Other highlights for me are "Fairplay" - smooth yet with a fantastic groove - and the instrumental "African Dance" with flute solo throughout works even if the electronic percussion does get repetitive. But the parts of this album that I don't love aren't necessarily bad by any means (e.g. "Holdin' On") they're just more of a standard club/dance beat that don't hold my interest as songs and that's my overall feel here... Overall it's not really something I feel like is or would be an "active listen" for me; good party music perhaps. My rating is totally a personal thing - if you're more into dance/r&b this is probably like a 9/10 4 or 5 star. 5/10 2 stars

Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized

2/5

I read about this before putting it on and based on the descriptions - space-rock...neo-psychedelia...epic - I was ready to love this. But I don't. It's dense in a way that becomes inaccessible. Is it something that comes with time? The songs are long already yet seem longer than they are. Not a compliment. I had this one over the weekend which gave me time with it but I actually am finding myself liking it *less* the 2nd/3rd times through. It's noisier than i'd wanted (holy hell "The Individual" is an abomination that I didn't need in my headphones with the lights off). And I don't necessarily need pop but there aren't anything resembling hooks *anywhere* on this album that I could remember - even the best/longest prog songs will have recurring themes. I still don't really remember anything from this. I think I'm trying too hard - just cannot connect with this one. Clearly a lot of time/effort was put into this which - great - but there seems to be so much effort into making a vast variety of sounds and tones that they forgot to put any effort into the craft of songwriting. Lack of any good actual songs makes it essentially unlistenable for me. 2/10 2 stars.

Rain Dogs

Tom Waits

1/5

The other night - very late - I had a giant 3 scoop bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce, and a small glass of tequila afterwards. ... to describe the nightmare I had after falling asleep soon afterwards would be to listen to "Cemetery Polka." Man... This voice. It all seems absurdly affected. I'm trying. Well, I tried. I know I know - it's "cool" to like Tom Waits and if you're not cool apparently you don't get it. See also: Leonard Cohen (n.b.: don't.). I don't care about how great his lyrics *might* be - not that I could tell. They might be unreal, hell I'll give it without knowing - sure, amazing lyrics so I'm told. I can't listen to this. I don't get it. That's it. That's the review. I'm tired. I don't get it, I don't appreciate it, and I don't like it. 2/10 1 star.

B-52's

The B-52's

1/5

My instinct was gonna be to pan this. Because that first song "Planet Claire" and jesusf#R#*&^#$ "Rock Lobster" are just straight up awful. I hate that keyboard sound and Fred.... yeah that's a big no from me. But then "52 Girls" is pretty good - the dueling vocals (read: NOT Fred) and punky guitars make for a fun song. I could maybe have gotten behind a full album of that. Maybe. Or maybe it's just that it's the only part of the album that floats above the sewage and kitsch. Because it dunks right back into that, which are what I cannot stand and unfortunately what I remember and think of with this album/band. "Lava" makes me want to drown in it. 2/10 1 star.

Appetite For Destruction

Guns N' Roses

5/5

I'm not sure there's anyone over the age of...10? 12? who hasn't heard at least a few songs from this. I remember when this came out - there was a slow burn, people were sort of aware of it, then BAM it blew up and was *everywhere* - it was lumped in with the other longhair/spandex heavy rock of the time but is definitely different: greasier, dirtier, more raw - like the punk rock of hair metal. Due to the popularity - and it's gotten bigger over the years, too - I honestly never ever need to hear Paradise City, Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child again thanks to unimaginative and boring classic rock radio [or watch any hockey game and guaranteed at least 2/3 are played between plays], although to be fair in context they do sound great here. Some of the non-hits are absolute killers, especially the first half up to Paradise City; my highlight is that "Mr Brownstone" riff which has always been one of my favourites. So yeah - I hadn't voluntarily put this on in years but it's just a damn great angry punky stupid infantile amazing sounding album - emphasis on how cool it sounds; the dual guitars were/are nothing new but the way they didn't exactly match up and kept that perfectly-designed sloppiness in a Stones kinda way is probably what puts this album over the top. I'm not always in the mood for it and it's not necessarily my favourite kind of music [mostly please please look away from the totally 80s sexist-as-hell-at-best lyrics] but it's also arguably one of the 3-4 greatest debuts in rock history, perfect for the time, and I'm not sure could have been any better... if that's not a 5 star then what's the point... 9/10 5 stars.

Be

Common

4/5

First and most importantly to me - the music is excellent - gives a real 70s analog soul/r&b feel and Common has a great voice and I really like his flow. No trap beats either thank god. "The Corner" has a fantastic groove and has the feel of a gritty 70s movie. "Testify" and "Real People" are other favourites. Actually the bookends of "Be" and "It's Your World" are perfect as opener/closer and I think "It's Your World" is the highlight - really love the spoken word aspects to finish the album. Be....eternal. Hip-hop isn't the genre I'm most familiar with but I know enough to realize what i do like, and these ingredients are the perfect recipe for me. He lets the music shine through enough that it makes it a better musical experience than a lot of modern popular music. After a few listens this is a strong 4 - this is an album that will continue to grow on me. 8/10 4 stars

Joan Armatrading

4/5

This is a slow-burn album - I wasn't sure over the first few songs ... it's inevitable that you try to make comparisons...Joni Mitchell? Laura Nyro? I don't know if either of those match. Way more than just the vocals on this one - the music and songs are each interesting/diverse. It's pop, it's folk, it's rock, bluesy... but at the same time nothing is so "out there" that makes any of it inaccessible. My highlights would be "Join the Boys" and "Like Fire" which is my favourite - this has such a crazy-cool acoustic guitar intro from Joan, and that last song "Tall In The Saddle" is a surprise; you think it's gonna be a slow jazzy tune to end it all and then about 2/3 through that changeup to uptempo was great. Really enjoyed this one. 8/10 4 stars

Rum Sodomy & The Lash

The Pogues

1/5

eh. My 2nd Pogues album in the first 250. At least 1.5 too many. I suspect my thoughts about this are the same as the first - would likely enjoy live in a pub for 30-45 minutes with a pint, probably as the music is designed, but listening as an album - very uh not-enjoyable for me. Actually...I don't think I hated the other one as much as this. Vocals are shit and I cannot get beyond that. Not something I'd ever put on to listen to voluntarily. Might even go to the basement if it were on the upstairs stereo. um...track 3 "Wild Cats of Kilkenny" was nice (instrumental). 2/10 1 star

Double Nickels On The Dime

Minutemen

3/5

Ha I legitimately have no idea what to think about this one. I am not a fan of punk... but I don't think it's at all right to call this a punk album. "Cohesion" isn't punk - it could be an acoustic Black Sabbath song. Some of the chord progressions and musicianship clearly show these guys knew what they were doing. Dammit tho again with the vocals. I hate it. but...then sometimes i don't. ...ok let's face it, it's just so/too damn long. come on. After about 15 songs I'm like...ok I'm done. Glad I heard it, there are definitely a lot of bands I like that *clearly* listened to the Minutemen, and they definitely took cues from Gang of Four and Wire which I also like. In the end...I like it and more than I'd thought I would but not sure how often I'd voluntarily listen. 6/10 3 stars

Strangeways, Here We Come

The Smiths

3/5

There's no way to prove it...but fng Morrissey is the most annoying pop/rock star of all-time. Utter bullshit singer, and absolutely stupid/ridiculous lyrics ...oh i'm sorry "Girlfriend in a coma...there were times i could have murdered her" is SUCH QUIET GENIUS tittered a hundred thousand Benetton-turtle-necked-with-bangs teenage girls in the late 80s - it's completely laughably awful; he only semi-got away with it with his prancy fey overly-wraught whiny British pomposity. He's awful and the worst of 80s Brit indie alt pop. And it's a fking shame - because the music here is *fantastic* - Smiths 2 3 and 4 brought their A-games and if they had pretty much any other singer on earth this album would be permanently in my collection. Give me any Johnny Marr solo record over this - he may not be the best singer but he's not distracting from the great/moody/melodic music. Morrissey 1 other Smiths 5 so we'll even it out and give a 3. Angrily. 6/10 3 stars.

Being There

Wilco

3/5

I'm lukewarm on their "big" album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot so I wasn't psyched about getting this one but you know.... I like this one a lot better. Well....the first half at least. Another album that's just way too bloated for its own good. I'm not a fan of the uber-country tunes [stay tuned for the 2nd half...] but after a half hour or more already "Misunderstood" "Outtasite..." "I Got You..." "Hotel Arizona" are great songs - very interesting musically, and in contrast to the YHF album I'm not minding Tweedy's vocals (again, outside the country milieu) at all. I'll have to revisit YHF but I do feel like they were mixed a little differently here. More of a 90s-vocal mix rather than the 2000s vocals-way-up-front style that has become so prevalent. So... I wrote all of this up through the first ~10 or 11 songs. Do/should I detract my feelings since I really don't like the album much after that? There's a real slowing down of momentum for me; a lot of what doesn't interest me starts in around track 12 ("Someday Soon") - I mean...i don't hate it. It just doesn't interest me. I do enjoy the last two cuts (of 19 so... I mean, the more times you come to the plate, you've got more chances to get a hit I guess...). I'll pretend the album was only 10 tracks long. I mentioned it in my other Wilco review but there's some similarity to my favourite band Rheostatics; a little less oddball which is unfortunate :) but at its best there are some really nice surprises here (I might make my own edited cut of the album omitting the snoozers...)... probably 3.5 stars and just can't bring myself to boost it to 4 but I might listen to this again. 7/10 3 stars.

The Man Who

Travis

4/5

Love it. As if Keane discovered guitars, combined forces with Elbow, and channeled the smoothest of early Radiohead. This one grabs me right away - first song, first verse. The melodies are fantastic, love the vocals, and is a excellent mix. Revolutionary? Nah. Doesn't matter - sometimes a group of fairly basic pop-rock songs can just be great on its own. Honestly no dogs on the entire album - "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" was the hit; "Writing to Reach You" "The Fear" and "Slide Show" are others I love. Well-produced, judicious instrumentation, nothing overplayed. A keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Maxinquaye

Tricky

3/5

Another unexpected one - not my favourite genre and even though it's not something I'd actively listen to this is really good music to work to or just have as background. I really like the vocals from Martina Topley-Bird - very low-key and chill, nice voice, mixed low. Note: interesting how "Pumpkin" sounds exactly like something from the Smashing Pumpkins' first album...hmmm... 6/10 3 stars

The Modern Lovers

1/5

No. Nope. nononono. At first I thought the music wasn't terrible in a low-rent Elvis Costello kinda way, something I'd be ok with hearing a band playing at a pub but me not paying 100% attention or having paid a large cover for. Unfortunately before the first song ended I really wanted to leave the bar. But I couldn't because I'm not in a bar, I'm at home listening. I'M TRAPPED! SEND HELP. "Hospital" makes me want to check into one. JFC. I think what frustrates me about music like this isn't at all that people like it - hell, listen to 35 minutes of someone banging on a pipe and screaming that's fine who cares. It's that something like this makes a list of 1001 albums you must listen to rather than 1001 albums that, well, only a few people and their roommates might like and you *might* enjoy it but it's really not anything groundbreaking (there I go being subjective again). But no - critics love this shit *and* enjoyed deriding other acts for being too complex. That's the part that frosts me a bit. Oh look! John Cale produced it - what a surprise. Jonathan Richman has the vocal range of a walrus high jumping. Apologies to the walrus who is undoubtedly trying their best. <inner voice: Stop pussy-footing around, this is your review dammit!> Holy hell this is one of the worst things I've ever heard. I hate this. 1/10 1 star.

Kind Of Blue

Miles Davis

5/5

Long ago in a lifetime far away I took a college jazz course for my music studies - very early in the semester our homework one weekend was this album. Just that - listen to this album. My previous exposure to jazz was probably anything random from a movie or tv show. I knew I didn't enjoy jazz singing so I assume that's probably what I thought I was getting into. I'm not sure the word or term "jazz" is accurate (too widespread) because this album blew me away literally the first time I heard it. The mysterious almost creepy no-time intro to "So What" sets everything up before that classic call and response between bass and piano and gradual build... it's awesome. There's a *space* to this album - I'm not sure how to describe it well, but that space gives the mystery. There's no overload of sound; it always feels like something's coming around the corner and retaining the uncertainty. The entire album feels like that - every track. I love it. Again, I'm probably still speaking out of ignorance but this album might be the one cliché jazz album that everyone knows. To use my words carefully here...so what. Nothing I'll write here will be new - jazz is a little down the list of my preferred genres and I'll still not pretend to be able to know more than the next person but this kind of jazz is what I love and this album is perfection - I'm primarily a rock fan but after >200 albums this is my first 10/10. 10/10 5 stars

Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

The Adverts

4/5

Surprising. I'm not a fan of punk and had definite trepidation on getting this, fearing truly one chord wonders with lofi production. Wrong! There's a ton of melody here, with frequent unexpected rhythmic twists and turns. Is it...crazy to say that maybe some very early Iron Maiden took some cues from this album? Seriously - there are hints of the Paul Di'Anno era of Maiden here and hey, who arrived first? It's raw without sounding garage-y. I like the twin guitar spread and simple yet effective and not distracting mix. I'd say the second half falls off from the excellent first - nothing bad, but suffers from a bit of same-ness. 7/10 4 maybe generous stars but this is an album that is a big crossover for me that held my attention

Oracular Spectacular

MGMT

3/5

Didn't know anything about this group - the cover gives nothing away. Are they EDM? folk? hip-hop? emo? I'm not sure I expected the immediate lush melodies though - right off the bat it's hard to not be captivated by this. This melodic and catchy trippy electronic pop/rock carries on throughout the entire album - if i have any criticisms, it's almost an assault on the ears. Not that it's overly loud or abrasive, just that it's too *dense* to a fault in many of the songs. There's a lot of suffering from modern/digital production - jamming all the levels of every instrument to their peaks and after a while I didn't realize it but my ears get a little tired. I'd definitely listen to any/all of this again but even with the short runtime it's just a bit much to take in all in one gulp. Still, worthy of a strong 3 stars. 7/10 3 stars

Phrenology

The Roots

2/5

Neo soul / progressive rap - these should be indicators that I'm going to enjoy this. The problem is that I don't like many of the songs. Is that simple enough? I shouldn't blanket it like that - "The Seed" is a good one, but it took 8 songs for me to enjoy a few. Not a good sign. I will say that the second half is definitely an improvement - one that's an interesting experimental spoken word piece is "Something In The Way of Things" which is probably my favourite. Overall it took too long to get going and find very few that were really catchy; that first half of music is too glitchy and chaotic for me, which I found it distracting and approaching annoying. Left me a bit disappointed. 4/10 2 stars.

Ocean Rain

Echo And The Bunnymen

4/5

Lush Orchestral Moody Melodic I enjoyed this - I missed a lot of the 80s new wave in my teen guitar-solo-oriented days and often to my detriment. Most of this is an enjoyable and elegant-sounding slice of early80s British music that at the time I thought was moodier and more somber than I do now. Or maybe I'm just moody and somber at this point in my life. Possible. "Thorn of Crowns" is an odd one... I can't decide if it's ridiculous or I actually like it. ... although maybe both apply. Overall the minor keys with a soaring production is a combination I find myself enjoying - even though it's very "of its age" is that a bad thing here? I say not. A keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

Solid Air

John Martyn

4/5

Thoroughly enjoyable album. Like a more-accessible Nick Drake meets Jonathan Edwards, both of whom I enjoy quite a bit. It's simple in one sense; acoustic guitar, Rhodes piano, bass, some drums, vocals. But for every nice simple tune like "May You Never" there's quiet jazz like "Solid Air" and spacious and anticipatory latter part of "I'd Rather Be the Devil" - the other standout is "Over The Hill" The album ends a little weakly with a few straight blues tunes... "The Easy Blues" wouldn't be a favourite of mine with the affected blues vocals but the great acoustic playing overrides it and makes it a good listen. Still, it is more diverse than I'd expected and all in a nice and tidy 34 minutes. 7/10 4 stars.

Hard Again

Muddy Waters

4/5

As much as I get bored by heavily blues-derivative rock... it's nice to be reminded that the real deal once in a while is a blast. Production is perfect on this, Muddy's voice is great, and I love the occasional "voices in the background" giving it the real feel of being in the room with the band. Of course there's only so long I can listen to 3 (or 2...or....) chord songs before I'm feeling a little worn down, but self-check: the entire genre is based not around songwriting/craft but feel and attitude, which this album churns with. The aforementioned voices of the band themselves give it that authenticity - and I usually hate that word associated with music but I have to admit it fits here. An absolutely essential primer for anyone who doesn't "get" blues. Learn from the master. 8/10 4 stars.

Fever To Tell

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

1/5

No No No. These screechy gimmicky-radio-frequency vocals get old by the 2nd song. And it's not a single, which means there were 10 more to get through. (jumping back in after I wrote an angry review to say that "Maps" is actually pretty decent, if still *sounding* lousy overall - if only the rest of the album were like this I could have dealt. Got rid of the tired effects on the vocals, she actually sings, decent mood-building. Ok I now return to my previous diatribe...) I may have recalled occasionally interesting or potentially interesting music but a lot of it sounded too lo-fi / shitty production ala White Stripes (hate) but ahhhhhh ALL I CAN REALLY REMEMBER IS TICK TICK T T T T T TICK TICK TICK shut it 2/10 1 star.

Woodface

Crowded House

3/5

Seems important in an unimportant way to mention right away: this album cover is literally one of the worst I've ever seen, not to mention kinda terrifying. .03 points docked. OK! To the music: on the one (cynical) hand, I've been wondering why such a seemingly simple or rather un-complex album can make a list of 1001 albums you must hear. On the other hand.... it's not a bad selection. It's kind of a joyous sounding album right from the start - the melodies are fantastic (e.g. "Fall At Your Feet") if not gorgeous, and even if the composition is a collection of mostly 4/4 songs in a very late-80s predictable vein ... it works well. I'd never put this near revolutionary but it's a really *nice* album. I'm familiar with other/older Crowded House songs and I'm not sure this ever made much of an impact in North America - if I'd grown up hearing a bunch of these pop songs I wonder if they'd currently have more of an impact on me. 3 stars which may seem a little unfair but it does really drag after a while and has - for me - a lack of real spine-tingling/chilling songs that keeps it down a hair. 6/10 3 stars.

NEU! 75

Neu!

2/5

"Isi" - the first song on the album - is such a nice intro; hard not to love the gently building major melody; the added synths/sequencers partway through are slightly-reminiscent of mid-Who period. The problem for me is ... that song works as described: a lovely intro. After listening to it (and it doesn't really *go* anywhere, which would be fine if only...) serve as such, I want/expected the story to start. "Isi" serves as a transitional piece - an overture. After 4 minutes I wanted more and the rest of the songs just end up following the same slightly-repetitive pattern only less-catchy. ...except for "Hero" - that song is a damn abomination. Stop singing. Please. Best suited for background music to an indie-film about a divorced guy driving his pickup solo across the canadian prairies with no other dialogue. 4/10 2 stars.

Boston

5/5

I'm sure there are some out there who haven't heard this album. I don't know where they live but it would/will be fascinating to hear their reactions. Does classic/legendary status come from non-stop aural bombardment over many years? Or is greatness inherent in a work from the start? There has to be some gradient in there. It's an interesting exercise - this rating/critiquing of albums. There is no subjectivity, ever - whether you're hearing an album for the first time or for the 500th time. Even though I haven't explicitly listened to this album in...decades(?) I could and likely will be able to sing/hum every single riff. I'd bet that 500 figure I cited might be a conservative one. If you're of a certain age, and even if you didn't own this record (yeah i said record and meant it) there's no way you haven't heard many or *all* of these songs on the radio, in a ballpark, in someone's car hundreds of times. Literally. So it's easy to dismiss on one front - there was a point where I was convinced that I never EVER wanted to hear any of these songs again; enough already. That personal sentiment lasted for years. I still will roll my eyes hearing one of them on a car radio. But. Say what you want about Boston yet they quite literally were the Ultimate Garage Band - Tom Scholz writing/recording *everything* in his Watertown, MA basement. Pure genius on so many fronts. It's not his "fault" that the songs were an absolutely perfect blend of rock and melody - every single one - plus it sounded huge yet personal and gorgeous and it struck the right nerve and sold approximately 30 kabillion copies. Ok "fault" is the wrong word here, but you have to at least try to separate the art from the commerce. In what amounts to a greatest hits album (Truly: every song has either been a 40+ year old hit and/or is still occasionally played on classic rock radio stations) "Foreplay/Long Time" stands out as the winner here. Favourite moment on the album is at ~6:19 - that high guitar note... yes. *chef's kiss* Even though I still won't voluntarily put this on much anymore due to changing tastes and undying/occasionally tiresome familiarity, there's no denying the impact this album *still* has and the quality of the songs within. Can I say it's the perfect 70s rock album even if it's not a favourite anymore? I think I can. 10/10 5 stars.

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane

4/5

Hardly a jazz aficionado but this is exactly the flavour of jazz I like - combo/quartet, no vocals, spacious. Works either as something to actively listen to but also fantastic mood pieces to set as semi-background music. Classic for a reason. 8/10 4 stars.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

OutKast

4/5

What "is* this album?? I'd never heard anything beyond the single "Hey Ya" so the first part of this was wholly unexpected. Often it sounds like an updated Parliament which *thumbs up* or a modern version of smooth 70s R&B; hints of Curtis Mayfield. It's...weird. mostly amazingly so. Then the second half hits and maybe I expected it to be less weird and something more traditional....nope. Piano flourishes, goofy lyrics almost with a Flight of the Conchords bent. Negative: too lonnnng. Over two hours for anything is a lot to digest. There are just a few definitively lousy songs (e.g. "Tomb of the Boom") which is a bummer - momentum is occasionally lost. I'm never a fan of little interludes or comic bits either. I know they serve as resets but they always take me out of the vibe and do again here. A bit of editing and shaving a few cuts off this would have made it solid gold. As it is tho, grading on the best material there's a lot of strange and great music here. I have to redigest this much more slowly. I was thinking a three star for a while and maybe is on a personal level but man did they make something different and odd and I feel like this could grow even more on me. 7/10 4 stars for massive ambition.

Blur

2/5

Disappointing. I really loved Parklife - lots of varied melody and creativity. This one can only be described as abrasive; in music and vocals. The ubiquitous "Song 2" has always been a bit obnoxious outside of a sporting chant and unfortunately it's probably the most catchy of the lot. I don't have anything creative to add - maybe would add boring. Pass on this, focus on their earlier work for sure. 3/10 2 stars.

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

The Smashing Pumpkins

2/5

I was a big fan of Gish and Siamese Daydream but when this came out I never liked it...time for a revisit to figure out why or how wrong I was... Eh. Bloated. I do love the beginning... gentle piano medley into "Tonight, Tonight" but there's something that was lost for me in this album and never quite sure what. Billy Corgan's vocals were never smooth, obviously, but immediately I find them more abrasive than ever. I'll have to compare but I wonder if more effort was made to fix him dry and clear on these songs. Don't like. It's just too much. What I loved about the band's first 2 albums was the dreamy and mysterious sonic landscape they created...even in their heavier songs. Many of these - while rarely bad - just don't hit that same way. It ends up as a long aural assault that I still can't connect with. There are definitely moments and it never doesn't sound like the Pumpkins. And of course there was density on the first two albums but I always felt was countered with more dynamics and *space* - (e.g Hummer from S.D.) Also 2 hours come on. Should have at least Use Your Illusion'd it. Halfway between 2 and 3 and the answer to "will I voluntarily listen to this again?" gives it the tiebreaker. 5/10 2 stars

The Sensual World

Kate Bush

4/5

The voice. The mysterious yet uplifting atmosphere. These are things that sit right up front and center for any Kate Bush record. I'm not as familiar with this particular one but it doesn't disappoint. If there's any negative there's definitely no escaping some of the 80s feel to it (e.g. chorus, gated drums)...but honestly somehow it's rarely distracting I think because the music itself is so interesting. There's often much going on and yet not so much as to be distracting or anything approaching a wall of sound. Her arrangements are always impeccable in terms of instrumentation within a song. Highlights: "Love and Anger" (with notable guitar from David Gilmour) "Reaching Out" and "This Woman's Work" 7/10 4 stars.

Clube Da Esquina

Milton Nascimento

4/5

This Brazilian jazz/folk album became the soundtrack for my driving around the remote Western Irish countryside. It was a perfect match - obviously. I thought I wasn't a fan of this genre - but this was a massive eye (ear) opener - occasionally reminiscent of an early Chuck Mangione live album ("Friends and Love"). And not being much of a vocal fan in general the old time low-mix of vocals here is appropriate to appreciate the music; filled with unpredictable chord progressions, tempo changs and dynamic arrangements. Some of the guitar work fits alongside the early 70s progressive movement. Favourites are tracks 1 ("Tudo O Que Você Podia Ser") and 3 ("O Trem Azul") It's long which probably prevented me from immediately grabbing onto it but honestly, not only glad I heard this - it's kind of mind-expanding and is a new keeper. I steer heavily towards the more complex musical numbers and not so much to the overtly vocal/guitar ones, but it's a good ratio. This is pretty outstanding and quite the new discovery for me - have already enjoyed as background or digested in headphones. 8/10 4 stars

Chirping Crickets

Buddy Holly & The Crickets

3/5

Before you can leap you have to run, and before that you have to walk. The Crickets and Buddy Holly are the walkers here in (white) rock history. They took short 12 bar blues and the rock combo and excelled at turning them into harmonized if not sanitized dance hall tunes. Without these songs the next levels of popular-rock music would likely have gone in different directions if anywhere at all. The trouble is listening today it often sounds facile, with middle school lyrics and a sameness to it that doesn't hold a ton of excitement. In other words I'm not likely to put this on except when referencing original rock and roll. Or after a Happy Days marathon obviously. But the hits at least are songs that everyone should at least know - building blocks for everything to come. 6/10 3 stars

Loveless

My Bloody Valentine

3/5

A tough one. There's a lot I've liked about this - the essential furry sound of droning early 90s mega-distorted guitars; so much you can't even identify strings being played - acoustic chords strumming atop - more a sense of feel overall than the songs going in a hard and fast direction. A dreamscape of music. But it's often too much. I love a low vocal mix but this is so low as to become barely noticed. And that variable-speed effect on most of the songs ....? It's terribly disorienting. You're left with this feeling akin to an aural seasickness which i'm sure was the intent and might be cool/different/interesting for one verse of one song but over and over makes it disconcerting. Many of the positives I like from this record were for me done better by the best of Smashing Pumpkins at the same time on Gish, with a better mix and better dynamics (any dynamics, really). Hard to rate - I've heard it now and again and maybe need to really lose myself in it more to appreciate it fully; next time I'm feeling super-emo I'll try to fight through the tears and remember to put this on. Because I go back and forth i'll cut it down the middle - it's really interesting at times but doesn't give me chills either. Worth a listen for everyone tho since I can't really compare it to many other bands. 6/10 3 stars

More Songs About Buildings And Food

Talking Heads

3/5

Third Talking Heads album in my first 250. OK it's not my list - so here we go. I...like it? It's actually a bit more accessible to me than their previous albums I've reviewed. At the same time nothing is jumping at me in the "holy crap i need to hear this over and over" realm. I do like "Artists Only" - odd, and a really cool bass sound; I will also note that "Take Me To The River" is such a great cover - they really made it their own and honestly I like it as much as the original. I enjoy the overall mix/sound of this album too. Talking Heads were a good band I definitely underrated back in the day and even though I don't know if I'd frequently put them on, I would never object to listening to an album of theirs. That screams 3 stars to me... 6/10 3 stars.

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé

3/5

I'm not a big pop fan so I'd love for this to surprise me a bit. It....sort of does? I'll go negative first: the trap beats I'll just never like; 808s, those fake hihats...it's a preference and i prefer to never hear them. This would sound SO COOL with - well, with real percussion (holy crap - listen to "Drunk In Love" and imagine it with a powerhouse drummer playing to it - it would be fantastic). So there's something I'm not gonna get past so...what else? There are some good and occasionally unexpected melodic turns on this; more so than e.g. Taylor Swift (who I've found a painfully simple songwriter). The album *sounds* like a few million dollars went into it, that's for sure. I'm not yet sure that's a great thing for me. So many producers in modern pop music tend to bring things back around to what is popular and smooths out any rough or adventurous ideas. Again - whether this is good or bad is as always up to the listener. There's no denying Beyoncé has a really nice voice - a lot of the production puts her voice rightupfrontandcenter which is definitely competing with other modern pop. It's a little distracting - I'd love to hear some vocal tracks a little less-perfect; put a little space on the vocals. If it sounds like I'm criticizing the mix/production more than the songs, I guess I am. That's a huge percentage of what modern pop music is and at times it frustrates me a little extra...like now. Because these songs are so much better than many of Beyoncé's contemporaries, I'd love to hear them a little more organic ("Blow" is funky as hell; could get a little Stevie Wonder treatment from this). Not my fave but I can definitely appreciate a lot of the skill and creativity that went into this. 6/10 3 stars.

Run-D.M.C.

3/5

This album is so utterly peak 80s. It's not necessarily a bad thing - really kind of a testament to the record; being able to put this on and immediately be transported to middle school (wait...that's a terrible thing) The emergence of Run DMC was the first time a lot of suburban kids heard rap in the mainstream - there was a lot of predictable handwringing for various reasons (some you could guess) but it's just FUN music. "Rock Box" - fit right in with a lot of the early-mid 80s semi-cheesy-but-fun-for-its-own-sake rock music of the time. I like the retroactive simplicity of the beats and rapping - the interplay between Run and DMC is a huge plus. It's a fun listen and this is where so much of everything started - popular music would be completely different if Run DMC never existed. 7/10 3 stars

Brothers

The Black Keys

3/5

I hadn't heard the Black Keys in a long time - I think my impressions of them (early albums maybe?) were that they rarely used a bass guitar. Not a fan at all of minimalist rock so it was nice to hear a more-full sound right away. Not a ton to say - I do like it overall and "Sinister Kid" is the hilight for me - even such a simple song can be driven and carried by a killer backbeat. I like most of these songs (although to be fair if the album had ended after "Sinister Kid" it would have been better; the last few songs really get tiresome) individually but my critique as a whole is the general sameness that I get from it all. There's only so much one can do with the blues and they do make the most of it - I like the production (the oversaturated vocals may be gimmicky but it works for these guys) as well. No objection to hearing this time and again but maybe in smaller chunks. 6/10 3 stars.

Elvis Is Back

Elvis Presley

2/5

Elvis...was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me. Straight up racist that sucker was simple and plain. Come on - that's a memorable lyric. OK the album isn't terrible, it's just... yeah kinda plain. A lot of similar-sounding slow ballads. One thing though - I have to admit this record *sounds* really good; way better than I'd expected for a 1960 album. Recycled simple blues songs for suburban America. Just not my bag. 5/10 2 stars.

Murder Ballads

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1/5

do.not.like. awful. That's as creative as I can get. It seems unfair; there was clearly a great deal of effort and creativity given to the music - haunting. It's almost entirely his voice - awful, dry, in-your-face;literally impossible to get by. Hearing his lip smacks - this is the kind of thing that would have gotten me a failing mark in engineering school having left that garbage in the tracks. omg these lyrics. jfc. Might have been really interesting as an instrumental soundtrack. Lovely album cover tho 2/10 1 star

Bat Out Of Hell

Meat Loaf

3/5

Completely absurd. Well, isn't it? That's not to say it's terrible - it's just absurd; knowingly-so. It's fun and campy and theatrical and overwrought but I do think we need music like this on occasion. I don't think I'd listened to this album since i was 8 years old at my cousin's house on cassette tape. Of course like everyone in my generation I grew up hearing the 3 big hits pretty often and as a baseball fan loved the Phil Rizzuto monologue in "Paradise..." (even if i hated the Yankees). (...only struck me now that there's no small similarity between the vocal stylings of Meatloaf and Jack Black...) It's a bit much to listen to on repeat for me but probably a required listen to gain any understanding of the culture/music scene of the late 70s in america. It's a fun spin. 7/10 3 stars.

69 Love Songs

The Magnetic Fields

1/5

3 hours? 3 HOURS. and then i read that wikipedia states this about the singer Stephin Merritt: "He is known for his distinctive and untrained bass voice" this is gonna be really really hard. really hard. ..... ...and when he doesn't sound like a terrible version of Leonard Cohen he sounds like Morrissey. 2 singers I can't abide by. These lyrics are terrible - trying to be clever, it's actually distracting. Look - it's clear a lot of effort went into this and as a musician I can completely appreciate that. AND YET! And yet I'm not writing these reviews for the general public - it's how much I do or do NOT connect with the music or the project. And I'm so gd disconnected right now and i'm only 12 songs in. I can't do this. Wait i did. Song 14 "How F****g Romantic" is the worst yet and i'm how far from finishing this? "Sweet Lovin' Man" (track 22 dear lord) isn't so bad mostly because we've got a new vocalist, although it could really drop right into 1983 as an unspectacular late night MTV video. holy crap i'm only 1/3 through this - i ..... "Love Is Like Jazz" was my final straw. only the second of >250 albums i could not finish no nope no no nyet nah pass 2/10 1 star.

Younger Than Yesterday

The Byrds

3/5

A good entry point for classic or stereotypical "60s music" sound. Jangly electric guitars, smooth creamy harmonies, the oddly off balance mix (e.g. drums right, guitars left), a solid dose of late60s psychedelia in many of the songs. It's not something that hits me hard in any emotional way though, so it feels more like mood music - i.e. those days i'm putting on my paisley shirt, hey throw on the Byrds! But it is a collection of great melodic tunes [except for "Mind Gardens" which is a psychedelic wet fart] from a band that's probably often overlooked as one of the more influential bands of the early rock era. Absolutely worth a listen or two. 7/10 3 stars.

Black Holes and Revelations

Muse

4/5

I've often not known how to feel about Muse. At their best (whatever that means on a personal level) they seem a perfect modern mix of Queen and Radiohead with a metal-ish bent but with strong melodic tendencies. Then other times they turn me off with overblown production, overly-emotive vocals and just...too much. This album has always had a bit of both but I think overall it's a really good intro to whether someone's going to like them or not - i'll start with the annoying because there's less of that for me on this album: the only track I really dislike is "Assassin" - it's the too much/too dense/too loud all crystalized. Overall the album (and band) do suffer from a sameness and density that's occasionally tough to get through in long stretches for me. But at the same time the album is an interesting and rather diverse platter of weird and haunting melodies - you have a very accessible "Starlight" which has a very late80s new wave melodic sound to it in the verses...."Supermassive Black Hole" sounds a bit like a different band - took me a while to like that one with affected falsetto vocals but the thickythic riffs are pretty compelling. Speaking of riffs, "Map of the Problematique" is a pretty great one. "Exo-Politics" is a rather basic (for Muse) composition but a good straightforward rock song. Nice to finally hear a bit of dynamics (i.e. acoustic guitar) on the beginning of "City of Delusion" even if it (of course) launches into a much bigger song - albeit with different middle-eastern tonalities on this one (which carry into the next one "Hoodoo" - speaking of which...Jeff Buckley vocal influence on the beginning there...?). I can see why some would dislike this band for the same reasons others would love them: a larger-than life loud arena guitar rock band that utilizes a ton of electronic effects and overwrought vocals... it's not a band for everyone, but I'll take this over something like Lou Reed's* shit any day. 7/10 4 stars. *(yes it's a personal vendetta to crap on Lou Reed and his acolytes when/wherever possible even when there's absolutely no reason. Because he was a musical mockery and that's enough of a reason any day.)

Let It Be

The Replacements

3/5

Replacements are a bridge band for me - I don't like punk but can appreciate a ton of the energy and the bands that flirt with that aesthetic (of course like the Replacements, Clash, early Goo Goo Dolls). So the best songs here are super catchy and fun and yeah holy cow listen to Goo Goo Dolls Hold Me Up and Superstar Car Wash and you can hear the strong Replacements influence. The best songs. First two are great - "I Will Dare" and "Favourite Thing" but then comes "We're Comin' Out" - the first 90 seconds of that are unlistenable. Noise/shit with no emphasis on even basic songwriting - I strongly dislike this. So much back and forth on this damn album - track 5 "Androgynous" is a cool piano ballad out of left field that even with its low-fi feel (usually an immediate skip for me) has a nice back-of-the-barroom sound to it. Probably need to note somewhere in here (uh...here) that Paul Westerberg's voice sometimes is like listening to Drano. I think I'm a Replacements greatest hits kinda fan; I hear a lot of great things on this album but a *lot* of hit and miss. Too much for me to have this album as a keeper but the best have the common thread of a great melody - more of that please. 6/10 3 stars.

Coles Corner

Richard Hawley

2/5

I can absolutely appreciate the gentle melodies and craft involved - full stop. Even the singing is likely objectively nice. It's just that this crooning style doesn't resonate with me on a gut level at all, and especially on the more country-oriented songs. I feel a little bad giving this a 2; it's entirely a personal-preference thing; this could be someone's favourite album and I'd kind of get it but the generally laconic overall feel isn't hitting me. 5/10 2 stars

From Elvis In Memphis

Elvis Presley

2/5

Well, it's Elvis again. There comes a point in a lot of the more/most famous artists in which I wonder whether the album is considered important or great in and of itself or simply due to the artist? Is it even possible to distill the difference at some point? Probably not - so...the music. I like it quite a bit more than the previous/much older Elvis release. The more up-tempo songs are decent; notably the first track "Wearin' That Loved On Look" which according to wiki was the first track Elvis recorded that had electric bass. Gave it a more modern (for the time) rock feel. Songs in that up-tempo/blues ilk I liked well-enough (e.g. "Power Of My Love"); the slower ones just are really not that good. And ok yeah it's "ELVIS" but are these really groundbreaking or even any good or distinctive? Do they stand out as "better" than anything actually original (Elvis never wrote anything as far as I know) or was it his good-lookin'-white-dude bona fides that got him here? Going down a different path with that line of thinking :) to be sure so again all I can rate is the music. It's fine, it's ok, but for this style I'd rather listen to Little Richard or Chuck Berry or Roy Orbison. 5/10 2 stars

The Chronic

Dr. Dre

3/5

Tough one; this one always frustrates me. The music: fantastic - there's no way to avoid moving your head to virtually every track; if you grew up listening to 70s funk and r&b this is a direct descendant (if not more than occasional ripoff...) of that. Sneaky laid-back synth bass lines, good sounding drums - I like it. The lyrics: there's no way to avoid them. Sadly. No point in my reviewing them, a million others have. I just can't with the "bitches yo...my dick..etc etc" every minute yeah yeah ok jeez; the gunplay, etc. Just a massive distraction at best and deeply troublesome at worst. The vocals: separating the performance from the lyrics...damn, the vocal performances are great. I like Dre's (and to an extent, Snoop's...) voice a *lot* and his rhythmic flow is outstanding. It's just so often hard to reconcile with the lyrics which are so often just so goddamn stupid. If I detach a bit I just try to ignore it :D The production: man this album *sounds great* - it's not a wall of sound; there's enough space for everything to be heard, and there's a great stereo spread - A+ So many individual highs and lows, I think I'm going right up the middle with a 3. It's just hard to get by the stupidity...the misogyny and just too much gangsta (not to mention the skits which are like really really bad high school back of the classroom interludes - hard pass), even if the music and vocals are that good. 7/10 3 stars

Dookie

Green Day

3/5

I've heard the big songs on this roughly 800,000 times but never put the entire album on. I get why people might love this - it's definitely engineered (both literally and figuratively/songwriting-wise) to be catchy as hell; fast-paced power chords in a major key, with very melodic vocal lines. It's generally not my cup of tea (I hate tea) overall; I'm not really a fan of punk and although this is more pop-punk along the lines of a more melodic Ramones or early Goo Goo Dolls it still has that non-stop intensity that again - I get, but I just like a little more instrumentation and/or tempo variety. Having said that, it's such a representation of the mid-90s and really is a good sounding record, will put it right up the middle as a 3 even if it's not something I'm putting on. 7/10 3 stars

Little Earthquakes

Tori Amos

4/5

Excellent album. There have been Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell comparisons which occasionally make sense but I think this stands on its own - great piano melodies, Tori has a unique and super-expressive and emotional voice that - rarely, for me - considerably adds to the music rather than detracts. I remember when this hit; amongst the exploding grunge and alt-rock you would hear everywhere this album stuck out; on the surface it seems like it might have been at the other end of the spectrum from the Pearl Jam/STP/Nirvana wall but I actually think it compliments them perfectly. There's a hard edge here amidst the surface-level mellow piano ballads which is encapsulated in her voice and lyrics - the rare album where I do notice lyrics, and for good reason. Emotional, haunting, clear, and yet somehow still catchy. Highly recommended. 9/10 4 stars.

Headquarters

The Monkees

3/5

ehh? My reaction went from "aw jeez, i don't need to hear the Monkees" to "ok this is different..." to "yeah i'm just not that interested in this." I mean, it's fine - it's truly not bad at all, just that i think 60s pop music like this doesn't hold my interest for very long. Each song is kind of quirky and fun and I suppose "Randy Scouse Git" might be my favourite; it's almost like a very early period Who song. I'd say if you like 60s pop (I've seen this labeled as psychedelic but i don't agree) this might be up your alley. I'll give it a soft 3 seeing as nothing made me turn it off (what an endorsement eh). n.b. I had no idea that "Mr Dobalina" came from the Monkees (catchy Del Tha Funky Homosapien early 90s hiphop hit) 5/10 3 stars.

Ambient 1/Music For Airports

Brian Eno

4/5

This is such a different kind of album or listening experience that it's hard to put this on any type of scale similar to the others. I mean...Brian Eno himself said that this music is meant to be "as ignorable as it is interesting." That's as good a description as I can think of. As a point of note I feel I should say that I absolutely HAVE listened to this album in airports before. It's very relaxing. I can also imagine very clearly many people loathing this album - like..."this isn't music!" or "the most boring 45+ minutes possible" and I get it. e.g. I got this a few days after getting Green Day's "Dookie" - they are not similar. Compartmentalizing it (because you have to)...: this album is not meant to be "enjoyed" in the same way a typical pop music album is; it is literally background loop music (but it is music, let's be fair) and I do find it entrancing, dreamlike [n.b. it's great to fall asleep to, if not already obvious], and mysteriously haunting at times. Also points for being one of, if not the very, first truly ambient records. I'm a fan. 8/10 4 stars

Rust Never Sleeps

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Who can write something about Neil Young that hasn't been written (positive or negative and everything in-between...)... There is definitely a large handful of his songs that I enjoy, some quite a lot - is it nostalgia or do I actually love them? Hard to unravel. I'll say this - tons of people hate his voice but I think it's his primary signature and at least in non-huge doses I like it. What I DO hate is his electric guitar playing - I haven't spent the time figuring it out but he might be my most annoying lead player of all-time - any genre. Every gd solo is the same shit: frenetic coked-out endless string bends, rarely letting any notes just *be* - I hate it. Maybe a bit hypocritical because that's also a big signature of his, but it's too much. He should have let anyone else on earth play leads for him. Having said that, "Hey Hey My My" is a classic - no question. The acoustic songs here are quite nice. I think after a while he does get a little ... eh, "boring" is overused (probably by me)... there are only so many major-minor 4/4 songs you can do with this ensemble before you have to try something different, and I love when he finally does - one notable example for me is "Ride my Llama" - some very cool chord progressions in this one. I steer away from the more country-laden ones (e.g. "Sail Away") (also token "something something...great lyrics" here i guess) Overall it's a nice listen - not too long, I like the spaciousness of the acoustic live recordings, but most of the band tracks are meh. I know we have about 80 Neil Young albums to go on this list (....) - I'd personally distill this one to liking 5-6 of the 9 songs, so I'll cop out and give this a pretty strong 3 and move on. 6/10 3 stars

Seventh Tree

Goldfrapp

4/5

I like this a lot. Great melodies that are just unexpected enough to be constantly interesting yet still completely accessible. "Happiness" is a particular favourite - I love the classic-pop progression combined with electronics; fantastic. If you'd told me "Road to Somewhere" or "Monster Love" was Kate Bush I wouldn't have batted an eye. The album drags just a bit in parts - each song in isolation is quite good, but the album suffers a little from too many similarly slow-paced songs. Pacing could have been a bit better overall, but in sum I really enjoyed this - nothing necessarily chill-inducing but I'll listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars

Queens of the Stone Age

2/5

There's definitely "a sound" to these guys - that propelling/droning doubled guitar power chords, combined with Josh Homme's almost laconic singing style. I've just never been able to figure out how much I like it. Well I'd yet to hear this debut album so here we go.... and yeah it starts exactly as I'd expect on the first cut "Regular John" Maybe this is a Josh Homme problem (or rather me with his work...). I listened to a lot of Them Crooked Vultures when that album came out and I loved it. Well...I thought I loved it. I wanted to love it. I realized I didn't love it. My problem is that even though the sound is kinda cool - like a hopped-up Black Sabbath - none of these are great *songs* at all. It just sort of reveals itself as a stoner wallpaper that looks weird and cool in black lighting but sometimes you just need to turn that stupid light off and want to see something interesting on the walls. And it just ends up being a bunch of detuned sludgy progressions that all meld into one another. Terrible analogy but I just want to leave the room. And if that's the point, ok great - achievement unlocked. I just wanted a few songs - any song - to really sink my teeth into, but absolutely none of them are memorable and before the end i just wanted it to finish already... 4/10 2 stars

Master Of Puppets

Metallica

2/5

Man, was I ready to hate this. I really cannot stand the Metallica you hear on the radio - every song some diversion in E minor with James Hetfield's awful stupid growly roar after every phrase. I really really don't like them, and only had been peripherally aware of their early material ("...And Justice For All" and back) - I recall appreciating a few cuts so I'm ready... And...i still don't *really* like this - thrash is not my bag in any fashion. But there's a lot to appreciate musically here - twin guitar parts (as a big Maiden fan I do like these parts), acoustic-to-electric dynamics, time signature changes. From a musician p.o.v. I can listen for these. Favourite parts: middle section in "Master of Puppets" - sounds like a full Iron Maiden tribute - and "Orion" (no vocals, mostly medium tempo). Least favourite parts: anything double-timed (alas, most of the album) and any part where Hetfield is singing (again...). It's a personal taste thing - mostly the frenetic pace is nothing I can identify with or enjoy; those double-kick drums assaulting my ears don't help either - I absolutely do get why some people like this, I'm just not one of them. 2 stars is my personal rating but it's also unquestionably a creative album and showing off some impressive musical chops; stuck out in the 80s in a time where melodic poppy hard rock was dominating. 6/10 for impact - 2 stars for me

Tigermilk

Belle & Sebastian

4/5

Wow - a second Belle And Sebastian album? OK let's do this... I suspect my feelings on this are the same as they were with my first B&S review: I would have hated this 30 years ago and now I hear it as gorgeous and shy and delicate and introspective - highly melodic, clear instrumentation... Just lovely and another keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Jazz Samba

Stan Getz

3/5

While it's definitely composed of the jazz ingredients I like most (standard combo + no vocals), I'm also lukewarm about bossa nova. It's either not dramatic or mysterious enough for me - something about the rhythm is just unexciting. So the album didn't stand a chance. :D Kidding - mostly - it's still great playing and absolutely fine-to-mildly enjoyable to have on as background music for me; it just doesn't hit me the same way others in the same era (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charlie Parker, etc) have. Would rarely if ever turn this off, but just as unlikely to reach for it by choice. 7/10 3 stars.

Led Zeppelin

4/5

I've had the discussion with friends on what is the best / most dramatic debut song by an artist in history. "Good Times, Bad Times" was on everyone's short list. But also...over the years I had kind of forgotten about this album - I'm very hit and miss on Zeppelin; so much overplay on radio from the 90s on turned me off to even their best for years, and I also don't care for some of their longer/more self-indulgent cuts (e.g. Kashmir no thanks; same with Dazed & Confused here). Zeppelin II->Houses has always been my sweet spot if and when I go back to them, but it started here and this debut is pretty damn great all things considered. ...even if you consider that half the tracks are literally ripped off from older blues artists. But still... Quite a few highlights aside from the kick-ass opening track: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" just sounds really good with the contrast between acoustics and electric bombast, super heavy reverb... that grandiose and gorgeously huge organ intro to "Your Time Is Gonna Come" and the pure simple power of "Communication Breakdown" - both classics. Negatives: This will seem like too many negatives but the band was just finding themselves on this album - once they started writing more of their own material their diversity really shined. On the debut even when *sounding* great, it still drags in parts. "You Shook Me" is a plodding and dull ill-advised cover; "I Can't Quit You Baby" is similar, too often sloppy/ugly (i'm no fan of Jimmy Page solos - love his chord voicings/progressions but the blues solos are a hard pass from me); "Dazed And Confused" (despite being one of their more famous cuts) just drags too often (and ffs if you agree with that avoid their execrable live version which goes on for 3 weeks...). Hell, it is a very bluesy album which does occasionally sound repetitive by the end. Still though that's really nitpicking - this is a worthy and amazing debut overall and one which they'd refine to perfection just months (?!?!?) later on their near-perfect second album. 7/10 4 stars.

Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)

Bob Dylan

3/5

Keeping this one short as I have a feeling more Dylan albums will come - I've had one and will probably repeat this on each review: I'm fine with his voice etc, he's a lovely poet...I just don't get much out of the music. After reading a bit about this in advance however and giving it a listen...it is fun / interesting to listen to as a(n?) historical document - learning about the heckling as he "goes electric" is just...weird (get over it already, people). Although...I didn't realize I would enjoy his music much better in this live setting - both acoustic and with band - enough that I would say if I were told I needed to listen to one Dylan album... thus far this is the one I'd pick. 7/10 for history 3 stars.

The ArchAndroid

Janelle Monáe

4/5

This is a required multiple-listen album. I don't even know how to categorize it - it's dense; so many melodies happening within each song. There are elements of alt-rock, modern pop, 70s r&b, traditional folk, psychedelia....all within some odd idea of an android concept throughout? The production and sound are excellent - I don't think it's immediately-accessible enough for it to be a 5 but it's a minimum slamdunk 4 keeper because I feel like each time I've listened I've discovered new favourites (currently: "Tightrope" and "Neon Valley Street"). 8/10 4 stars.

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

3/5

Another I wasn't thrilled about getting this morning - not really being a fan of much southern rock, nor did I really feel like hearing Freebird. Again. But heh ... ok it's catchy and fun and legit. It's really hard to extricate yourself from what you've been (over)exposed to throughout your life and radio has spoiled a lot of excellent music from overexposure. This album has great guitar sounds; I love the riff-rock - I don't need to hear "Gimme Three Steps" or "Free Bird" on the radio ever (EVER) again but a) hearing them in context of the album and time period is different somehow; and b) there are a few songs I'd never heard which gave me a little more objective appreciation to the playing and songwriting. Yeah it's necessary to hear this to understand and appreciate the development of blues-rock-southern rock in the 70s. ...and f it -> ha...hearing Free Bird close this out wasn't so bad after all. 7/10 3 stars.

Pink Moon

Nick Drake

5/5

I love this album. Both mysterious and beautiful; raw and almost uncomfortably dry with Nick's vocals right up in your face. Almost ironically the minimalist nature of this album makes me pay more attention to it than many "big" sounding records. Something about the chords and/or the tuning he used on these songs (just listen to the first/title track) are so unique (yet the simplicity occasionally lends itself to little chill moments (e.g. piano melody in "Pink Moon" which is also - I think - the only overdub on the album). Maybe not for everyone but the haunting melodic nature of this (and maybe combined with the very short running time) makes this an alltime favourite of mine. 9/10 5 stars.

Fulfillingness' First Finale

Stevie Wonder

4/5

A few albums into the peak Stevie Wonder period here - it's not quite the high for me of his previous disc "Innervisions" nor his next one "Songs In The Key of Life" - even though there really aren't any bad moments at all here, the songs as a whole aren't up to the previous (perhaps unattainable) standards. Not really fair when you're competing against yourself, though - it's like complaining about a 33-year old Wayne Gretzky getting "only" 130 points. "Boogie On Reggae Woman" and "You Haven't Done Nothin'" are the highest of highs here. As with his other great albums around this time, the sounds and production are part and parcel with the greatness of the music and composition. It somehow feels like these songs were from the 70s AND from the distant future all at once. Could listen to this album at any time anywhere, just needed like 2 or 3 more killer individual songs to put it to a 5 for me 8/10 4 stars

Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division

3/5

I wonder if Interpol have ever heard of these guys....? Spooky. The album sounds like you can vividly picture them playing in a dank grey dimly-lit-by-singular-flickering-flourescent-bulb concrete basement room - but way way in the back of the room, and we're all on the opposite side just feeling cold. This is not a critique. I've grown to like this kind of post-punk gloom and doom rock. Ian Curtis' voice is *definitely* tough to take at times but I almost find that i have to dial myself in to that mood. Things that I don't like are jusssst a little of the low-fi aesthetic in here (which i hate) and some frankly sloppy playing at times (e.g. "New Dawn Fades") but it's not enough to make it terribly distracting. Personal favourite: "Shadowplay" Will never be my favourite kind of music but I was glad to have finally been exposed to this a few years back and it's occasionally the perfect record to put on when that mood strikes. Important record to hear for how much these guys clearly influenced so many bands not just in the immediate aftermath but for decades... 7/10 3 stars.

Paris 1919

John Cale

3/5

I was definitely triggered by seeing John Cale's name, with his association with perhaps my least-enjoyed act of all-time (Velvet Underground). But perhaps you can judge an album by its cover - it sounds very much like the cover looks. Much more melodic, classically-pop-oriented, and well-crafted than I'd expect, and I enjoy those aspects of it quite a bit. The mix is bad though - not in a dated way as 1973 should be prime analog era recording - but it's just cloudy and dense in a way that does not bring out the best elements of the songs in a way I'd have liked. Cale has a ... not good at all? voice ... which is really weak but at times ironically works with the music. "Macbeth" was almost out-of-place up-tempo/aggressive but when he starts singing it brings it back into line with the rest of the album. So... I don't know how to feel about this. I like so many of the musical ideas in this - e.g. "Paris 1919" and its near chamber-music melodies are really nice; overall I feel like this is something I should love and need to give it a few more spins - I've connected on little melodies but have yet to truly love any of the songs. Initial reaction is 6/10 3 stars - should have been more with a better mix.

Screamadelica

Primal Scream

2/5

Immediately recognized the opening notes of "Movin' On Up" - what a throwback. It's a good song, head-bopper, nothing amazing or revolutionary just...listenable. Which sort of applies to every song on the album. Probably why the name of the band/song didn't immediately make me remember anything because it all sort of blends into that very early 90s dance-rock sound ... I was feeling good about this album about halfway through and then realized...I could have started this album at any point and felt the same at any 3 or 4 minute segment. Just....fine. Is that just the definition of average? (also the 2nd half of laconic trippy repetition started putting me to sleep which made the downgrade to 2 easier) 5/10 2 stars.

MTV Unplugged In New York

Nirvana

1/5

I'm sure I will never get the appeal of this band. Really of Kurt Cobain. I never have come close to connecting with the jarring amelodic chord changes, the not-interesting and bad/sloppy guitar playing, and... the distractingly awful vocals. And that was for the studio-produced albums where you can polish up a turd so to speak, so having put it in an acoustic format.... ugh. The first few songs are fine in a "ehh..." kind of way then when Kurt Cobain starts wailing...I cannot. His voice makes me want to hurt myself. I remember watching this on MTV when it was first televised, trying even then to tap into something. In the "competition" during the birth of grunge (admittedly silly, all that) gimme Pearl Jam every damn time. I do not like. 2/10 1 star.

Highway 61 Revisited

Bob Dylan

2/5

Culturally this is important - most definitely. Even as someone who doesn't pay much attention to lyrics and focuses almost entirely on the music, this is an important touchstone in music if not American history. But...the music. I could just copy/paste all of my studio Dylan reviews - essentially: I appreciate and even enjoy his poetry, I don't really like the music/songs enough to listen to him voluntarily. Boring writeup but that's all I've got. no wait: why did nobody do anything about the horrific out of tune harmonica especially on "Queen Jane....?" jesush... 5/10 2 stars.

The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boy

4/5

I've always liked this album even if I couldn't give you the name of any of the tracks - it's not like there isn't some variety between them, it's just that it plays more as an album for me rather than any collection of memorable singles. For that reason maybe it might take a few spins before this clicks. My big negative is that it's too long - it'd have been perfect at about 45 minutes (the vinyl-era limitations were actually FEATURES) at which point the sameness of it sets in. There's definitely a strong Elliott Smith connection/homage in BDB's work and even if I find some of Smith's highs to be higher I think this is more consistently enjoyable. Highly melodic, multi-instrumental, creative and introspective - recommended in 40-45 minute segments :) 7/10 4 stars

Junkyard

The Birthday Party

1/5

...are you shitting me? this is a goddamn mockery of music/fun/creativity. i have a visceral hatred for any/everyone involved with this. 0/10 0 stars. (thus far the third of ~300 albums i couldn't/wouldn't finish)

The Idiot

Iggy Pop

2/5

..ehh... I saw Iggy Pop and thought "nah" but I was a bit more interested to listen to this after reading that Bowie wrote the music during his "Low" period (the only Bowie album I've ever really connected with). And...it's...ok. The music isn't quite as mysterious/odd as "Low" but certainly more appealing to me than anything I've heard from The Stooges. On an educational note - I never knew "China Girl" wasn't originally recorded by Bowie. Not that I really connect with either version. I just can't get into this - it's just ok at best, boring in the aggregate, and often worse than ok (that last cut "Mass Production" is just awful. 8+ minutes of droning hideousity that goes absolutely nowhere). Much of it comes down to the fact that I just don't like Iggy's voice at all. It's not that it's not "good" - whatever that might mean - he's distracting and abrasive and maybe that works for harder-edged punk-ish material but it's often off-putting here. On "Dum Dum Boys" he sounds like a wobbly cross between Jim Morrison and Paul Banks (singer for Interpol). I almost liked that song. 3/10 2 stars.

Me Against The World

2Pac

2/5

I'm not sure how I feel about this album. On the positive side, I really love/d 2Pac's voice - the deep and smooth way he'd deliver his lines, not in a rush but not lethargic either. He was really great - one of the best IMO. On the negative, the music is.... not quite there for me. I love that it predates trap beats which I hate - I love the sound/production of it - but not many of the songs/compositions in and of themselves are hugely memorable for me. Even though a lot of the lyrics are ehhh "too much" for me :P I did really enjoy "Old School" 5/10 2 stars

Closer

Joy Division

2/5

Hmm. Both Joy Division albums within 8 days here. I suspect my feeling on this album is roughly similar to the first - it's something that I very much disliked or just wasn't ready for. Ian Curtis' voice yeah yeah it's tough to listen to and I don't know if it was that I just heard the debut album or it really is more grating on this one but I'm steering towards the latter. When I focus on the dark/sparse mood of the music which again - there's a bit of sloppy and repetitive playing here - it's that *mood* that's the selling point. I'm never going to listen to this in the same vein as I'll listen to a Beatles or Van Halen album :D However, this one didn't hit me the same way as the first one; it might need/have needed more time to sink in but this one sounded more like a demo than the first and although at times I liked the effect it just didn't connect much at all. 4/10 2 stars.

The Rising

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

Well yeah...this album does *sound nice* But it doesn't really hit me - I'm not expecting anything edgy, or even necessarily wanting that. Just some musical magic I suppose, as corny as that sounds. And everything just flows on by - I'm bobbing my head a little bit because it's utterly and completely accessible and frankly...melodically and rhythmically predictable. Inherently nothing at all wrong with that, but I wonder if you have to be a real Springsteen FAN to love and connect with this album. I'd probably never complain if this were playing, it's easy to listen to, but I don't think I'll ever remember any of these songs. 5/10 for just fine. 3 stars.

The Slim Shady LP

Eminem

1/5

Not a fan at all. The music is mostly excellent but isn't that to Dr Dre's credit? Sure it's integral to the album and I care infinitely more about music than lyrics/vocals but when it's so damn distracting and obviously the main course and I hate it.... then I can't enjoy it at all. And I don't. Sure time passing has a way of making what was once shocking almost humorous, but jfc this is still gross - it's just awful. I really do still hate Eminem's voice and his style; whiny/nasally and slightly behind the beat. Hard hard pass on all fronts. 2/10 1 star.

Live At Leeds

The Who

5/5

(There are ~183 different versions of this album - I'm going with the "Deluxe Edition" -> the one with 33 songs; as it's the actual complete original setlist in correct running order. The original 6 track disc doesn't do justice...) This album could provide the answer to the question "if you could go back in time to see any artist at any time, what would it be?" Many have called Live At Leeds the greatest live rock album ever recorded. As a kid I didn't entirely get it, probably/mostly because there were originally only 6 songs, half of which were covers - apparently at age 12 I just wanted the hits. I was stupid. The Who had so many hits that everyone knows, and I grew up a huge fan...yet aside from the essentially perfect Who's Next and Quadrophenia albums I have to admit they never really "nailed it" in terms of ... something. Weak production? Restraint? Something was always missing. This album NAILS it. I loved "Tommy" but Pete always said it was released without really being finished - does that mean it would have had more tracks? More layers? That might have been amazing to hear. Then again.... virtually every track from Tommy played here live by obviously just the 4 guys is *better* than the studio versions. Similarly, I could never truly get into their early period albums and hearing some of those songs in this live format (e.g. "Tattoo" "Substitute" "I'm A Boy") are so much better here they almost sound like a heavier/better band covering the originals. Not sure any band ever had the power and controlled chaos in a live setting like The Who in their prime, and this is the proof. This album makes you feel like you're sitting in the front row - I also can't think of a better live album and that combined with the great material makes this flawless. 10/10 5 stars.

Cloud Nine

The Temptations

3/5

This starts off perfectly - right from the first note of the title track "Cloud Nine." Sounds fantastic, great soulful groove - this mostly continues for the first 3 songs (especially in the long/weird "Runaway Child, Running Wild"). After that the genre changes a bit; the band almost feels like they're going back in time a bit starting with "Love Is A Hurtin' Thing" - it's not bad, just occasionally more slow-paced, a bit of doo-wop influence; just a little more straight-forward and less experimental. It approached being a little boring for me. I'm definitely far more partial to the more psychedelic songs but overall it's a good listen. 7/10 3 stars.

Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen

2/5

Man I hated this album when it came out. As a teenager in the crap-center of the horseshit Reagan years, yeah all I needed was more jingoistic bullshit (gee, sadly familiar...). Of course...nevermind that it actually wasn't jingoistic at *all* but that didn't stop the yahoos from using it OH SHIT BRUCE HAS A RED GD HAT IN HIS POCKET IT ALL MAKES SENSE (no it doesn't). Also nearly every song was played on the radio and MTV all.the.goddamn.time. Millions of others can corroborate this. I was wanting my Police/Rush/Van Halen not this. Also and I only realized this years later - this album made me *think* I hated Bruce Springsteen. But i didn't, and don't. As a little kid I loved Born to Run and most of his other late 70s work, so this threw me off the scent for years until I willingly rediscovered him. But do I still hate the album? I don't. But I also don't like it and never will. It's repetitive (that title song riff good god man, you couldn't have at a minimum written a middle 8 to call it off for half a minute?) as hell musically in every song, bombastically boring, at times too pop, at times too country. All too simplistically upbeat for my taste - I prefer the darker or more majestic Bruce, and not the lyrics - the music. If I had to choose personal high points, "Cover Me" isn't nearly as bad as I recalled and has a particularly killer guitar solo; "My Hometown" is a nice ballad. I didn't mind a re-listen today but I realized it was mostly because it was nostalgic and really threw me back to my early teen years. But it's just not an album I like - even if I'll absolutely admit it was arguably the biggest rock album of the last 40 years (to my chagrin). 3/10 2 stars.

John Prine

2/5

I'm happy to have finally listened to John Prine - he's one of those artists I've heard about for years and have heard cover versions of his songs but never heard him. It's not the kind of music I enjoy listening to, though, which makes it tough (or unfair) to rate - I'm partial to the lyrics on "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" :) but lyrics are a nice accompaniment for me and not the main course - I can definitely appreciate the sincerity and absolutely understand why people love him, I just can't get into it. 5/10 2 stars.

Live And Dangerous

Thin Lizzy

5/5

I love this album. I don't listen to much hard rock anymore but this one still hits - everything about the dual/harmony guitars, Phil Lynott's voice, vocal harmonies, the band's tight power, the mix, the song selections - there's never too much heavy as they'll drop back to more melodic songs (e.g. Emerald to Southbound) or classic mellow rock (Dancing In The Moonlight). Rock/Metal/Groove/Soulful. oh - plus some bonus Huey Lewis late in the album (he was part of their touring band in these days). 9/10 5 stars. ...who doesn't always get chocolate stains on their pants...

Quiet Life

Japan

3/5

I'd never heard (of) this before but holy hell - i literally would have put a dollar on this being an early Duran Duran album (listen to "Halloween" especially). It's actually a pretty cool album, although I'm a little puzzled as to it being on this list. Maybe/probably because it was one of the first to adopt this sound - I suppose I just admitted as much calling them early Duran Duran. Strong 3 from/for me - I wonder if I'd have ranked this higher if I'd known it beforehand (i.e. nostalgia) and I'll probably listen again. 6/10 3 stars.

At Folsom Prison

Johnny Cash

4/5

Said from one who does not enjoy so-called country music.... this is a great album. It's definitely the live aspect that really makes it stand out (i.e. I know to me it would be more staid and frankly dull if it were just in a sterile studio setting). Much of it really borrowed from (or established?) old rock/punky folk ... in addition his low-key band should get nearly equal billing for propelling these songs along. I actually love the banter between - and often during - these songs. 8/10 4 stars.

Dig Your Own Hole

The Chemical Brothers

2/5

My only comparables to this thus far have been The Prodigy (decent) and Fatboy Slim (shit sandwich) and this falls somewhere in the lower-middle. I'd never put this kind of music on for "listening" - more of a background soundtrack or something to work to. The Prodigy held my interest a lot more - this is too or most often just incredibly repetitive. I get that "that's the genre" in many ways but maybe I just don't like the genre. Positives: i like the drum sounds...? Sum: too much of the same thing which isn't that interesting to begin with. 2/10 2 stars

Maverick A Strike

Finley Quaye

2/5

Don't have my usual litany of words for this one, I've just never been drawn to reggae so I was never going to love this album. It sounds good, has a clean production, good playing. It's probably a decent mix of 90s pop/reggae - I can see how people might like it, although it's just not my bag. 5/10 2 stars.

Arrival

ABBA

3/5

In the 90s a band I was in did a really cool rock guitar version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" - we butchered the vocal harmonies, alas, but I think we crushed it overall. I mean, it is what it is: it's ABBA: the sound of listening to the rear speakers in my parents' crappy station wagon while the family looked for open gas stations in the 70s. It's fluffy very melodic excellent pop - while it's not my favourite genre, it's still enjoyable and nice (in smaller doses) to listen to on occasion. 6/10 3 stars.

Back In Black

AC/DC

5/5

This is the 2nd biggest selling album in world history. !! So many things someone/I could write about this but I don't know the point because even if you're one of the 8 people who doesn't own a copy...you've probably heard at least some of this record. Let's go with: ...a rising hard rock band on the verge of superstardom...their lead singer dies...replaced by an unknown...and they sell 50 million of the first album with him. All while the new singer sounds like he gargled Krusty O's Cereal. And it's ....perfect?? Yeah that's it - perfect. 10/10 5 stars.

KIWANUKA

Michael Kiwanuka

5/5

I'd never heard of Michael Kiwanuka before and so I had zero expectations or preconceived notions... Wow - this is great. Expansive yet accessible; harkens back to a lot of 70s music with its melodies and chord structure, but all in/with a modern sound. Multi-instruments, great vocals, varied rhythms and tempos - this is a treat. I figured this would take a few listens to fully settle in and I'm 3 times through already (got this on a weekend) - even after one pass I was really intrigued/impressed and will be keeping this in the library...hell, I'm enjoying this so much I can't say anything remotely negative about it - it's not even too long in the age of wayyyy too long albums. I guess I just talked this one into a 5. Love it. 9/10 5 stars.

Fisherman's Blues

The Waterboys

3/5

I went in cold on this one which I like. I remembered one song by the band, I'd thought, but I definitely recall and really liked the first/title track. I'm thinking this is going to be a highly enjoyable Irish inflected album. but...it kinda all blends together for me. Frankly, by the second (long/repetitive) song I was getting real tired. ok to be fair, there are some really nice moments and although it still has that 80s sheen it does sound very nice. I just got back from Ireland so there's a little nostalgia still in me which may make me a little more generous with this... I'm sure I wouldn't reach for the album as overall I find it fairly milquetoast but then again it's not likely to be offensive in any setting. that's a real non committal review right there.... 5/10 3 stars.

Before And After Science

Brian Eno

4/5

My 4th (!) Brian Eno record; considering the fact that aside from "Music For Airports" prior to this 1001 list I don't think I'd never put an Eno record on front to back - I would have thought I'd be annoyed... I feel like this album puts 70s Genesis and Pink Floyd in a cake pan, mixed it just a touch more, and came out with something even better (and I love those bands). Also you can hear a clear path to/from Eno and Adrian Belew and Talking Heads. It appears that I've become a big Eno fan, and this is perhaps my favourite. It's weird yet somehow accessible. Blessedly short at 40 minutes (not a sarcastic knock at all; I much prefer shorter albums as a general rule - get in, get out, leave 'em wanting more), there's a ton of melody, the vocals are mixed low enough so they're not a distraction and more of an instrument - exactly how I prefer it. "Here He Comes" and "Julie With..." might be my current favourite tracks - the former seems simple and light but there's a subtle oddness to it and the latter is on the surface very mellow but it's almost off-putting in a way that draws me to it. I could see how the latter part might bore some listeners - it definitely gets very dreamlike/new age-y but it's just short enough for me to be the perfect amount combined with the pop-rock first half. 8/10 4 stars.

Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

Derek & The Dominos

2/5

I don't like Eric Clapton. Strap in and let me count the ways...: Well yes he sucks as a human being. But damnit I'll say it: I do not get the hype as a guitar player. He wasn't particularly innovative nor interesting in any way whatsoever to me. Blues riffs yada yada yada. Snooze. Switch stations. If you just want to stick to the era give me Blackmore/Beck/Hendrix/Page (who annoyed me as a lead player but his chord voicings and progressions were one of a kind)/Gilmour/Townshend all day every day instead and that's naming only some of the so-called classic contemporary rockers of the 60s/early 70s...I could list 100+ more that were far more exciting or emotive or unique. I emulated a lot of guitarists and styles over the past decades and never once did I yearn to cop anything Clapton ever did. Boring. Plus songwriting?? Jeeez most of his solo material is utter shit. Lay Down Sally good god man i hated that song with a passion when i was SIX - it was all over AM radio. I knew even then I was not a fan. Have I expressed this enough?? ... Ok. Now ... this album is not that bad. :D But let's be honest - it's really just the title track "Layla" that carries it all - as much as I laid out the reasons I don't like Clapton (oh yeah i left out his singing...) this is a legit classic song which definitely goes on too long, but then is rescued by the out-of-nowhere long fantastic piano outro. If you haven't heard this song you're about to join the 99% who have. The rest? It's fine at best. Although god DAMN it's too long. Virtually all bluesy laid-back guitar rock - not my favourite style at all, but it's made relatively more-interesting with Duane Allman's cool slide guitar. I was originally going to give this a 3 for "everyone should hear/know Layla" but it takes forever to even get there and by the time I did get to it I just wanted anything else...I can't get into this. If you're into blues guitar this is fine I suppose. For a good example of what makes me roll my eyes at Clapton, see: "I Am Yours" - it's not that it's mellow, it's that it's...annoyingly laconic. No more Clapton please. 4/10 2 stars.

Astral Weeks

Van Morrison

2/5

Another album I've heard about for decades but never listened to - I know Van Morrison's big hits but not this - first pass: it's way better than "Brown Eyed Girl" that's for sure. Overall it's nice; very of-the-era (60s) mellow and almost optimistically beautiful at times - yet I think I'll never fully embrace it. Van's voice is epic and immediately identifiable and classic...until the point where it gets annoying. And I find that I'm there on many if not most of these songs. First/title track is really nice but "Beside You" is awful - frankly it's entirely his vocals. Ugh. The initial chords/guitar playing in "Sweet Thing" really makes me think of Joni Mitchell (although they were contemporary so who influenced whom here I guess?) which is nice. ehh I don't know what to think - maybe it's just the music that doesn't hold me? It just seems like a lot of these are 2 or 3 chord songs (with nice flourishes over them, to be fair) that get really repetitive - look at "Madame George" especially - it's almost like each song grabs me in some part but in the end I can't remember any of them; maybe he needed some searing out-of-nowhere arena guitar solos. :D jkjk (i think) OK upon further review it is his vocals. I don't like them. Too loud/warbly and the music is mediocre - not for me. 4/10 2 stars.

Blue

Joni Mitchell

5/5

Complex in a "how did she come up with the idea for these chord progressions?" way but still extremely accessible on literally every track. Incredible guitar playing, airy piano, her vocals are not only never too much for me and (as not someone who focuses much on vocals) at times it's simply arresting as to how perfect her voice is. I think the lyrics are probably pretty good too :P It's never good enough for me to just listen to one song on this album, even though literally every song is excellent. It works so well as an entire unit and it's only ~36 minutes long anyways.... which often means an immediate replay. In sum: this is pretty much perfect. 10/10 5 stars.

High Violet

The National

1/5

I remember when this band first started to hit it big, and I thought I'd get in on the ground(ish) floor with an up and coming band. But I lowkey kinda hated them and after a few spins of an early album gave up on them. Fast forward >10 years and so when I saw this I thought "excellent - let's give 'er another go..." And I still hate it. Some mental notes as I was cleaning the room trying to get through this: laconic, plodding, god I hate this dude's voice Leonard Cohen sucked enough the first time around, won't these songs go somewhere [I appreciate and often love songs with a great long build but these seem like cheap U2-knockoffs and U2 did it better and I generally don't like all that much U2].... I don't exactly know why this band bugs me so much - a song like "Little Faith" is actually pretty good and almost great - they did that dramatic one right for me; a little Radiohead-ish oddity near the end. But virtually everything else is a chore to get through. "Lemonworld" holy stab my ears "dih dih dih dih dih dih..." AWFUL. I'm sure over 75% of all of this stems from the mopey vocals - I'm not fully anti-mope, I liked a bit of Depeche Mode and early Cure, even a few Joy Division songs hit right. But if the goal of this was to sound miserable while making me feel miserable, goal achieved. I feel not *entirely* right giving this one star, as I consider some of the trash i've listened to and given an easy 1 star... because there's absolutely talent here and oddly i *can* see how people would like this. But not me. It actually did put me in a lousy mood while listening to it and as soon as I realized I'd probably go out of my way to not listen to this band again...1 it is. 2/10 1 star.

1999

Prince

2/5

First of all - the best songs here are legit great pop, rock, dance, whatever you want to call it: "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" - those 2 songs, what a start to the album. But the rest is a bit....dated? Aside from the voice (which I'll get to), for the most part the instrumentation, sounds, drum machines, synths just doesn't distinguish itself from a lot from this era. e.g. "Delirious" I hadn't heard in decades. and it sounds it... Too many long songs that sadly don't delve into 7/4 and long passages about rainbows or planets. Seriously: 8 minutes of a rather repetitive dance beat makes me lose interest. (also: "Automatic" is just messed up - listening to the crying while I had headphones on and lying down was creepy as hell and not in any sort of fun way.) Finishing with a positive tho: Prince's voice is the real star - he commands confidence in these songs. I feel like I write this in half of my reviews: I don't focus much at all on either vocals or lyrics except when they're distracting/bad. It's rare that I'll boost an album in my mind for this but I think this qualifies. I do wish there was a touch more of his guitar playing. 5/10 2 stars - the music overall is meh but vocals/swagger bring it up...but I can't bring myself to give it more than 2.

Picture Book

Simply Red

2/5

It does instantly make me feel like I'm in high school again. That's not a bad thing. But I don't really love the music - it's just more than a little dull and smooth. Very distinctive singer, not sure if I like it or not, but I'm sure it wouldn't matter - it's just sort of non-memorable. Funny - there are albums I disliked a hell of a lot more than this one but understood why they could be on the list. This one's a mystery. 4/10 2 stars.

Diamond Life

Sade

3/5

Today I learned that "Sade" was/is the name of the group, not just the singer. Huh. I kinda hated this when it came out - then again i was a young teenager injecting non-stop Van Halen and Def Leppard into my veins so I didn't allow for this smooth neo-soul to enter into my consciousness. My loss - this is pretty excellent - I appreciate and actually like it way more than I used to and it's wonderfully produced. Personal favourite: "Cherry Pie" - that little echo guitar fill is gold. 7/10 3+ stars

Imagine

John Lennon

3/5

OK, the title track may be simple and overplayed but it's an undeniable all-time classic. I just don't know about the rest of it. It's fine. I like the Beatles as much as the next person (that isn't a Beatles diehard) but I think John really missed Paul. :) Maybe not *literally* ("How Do You Sleep" is an early diss track haha) ok ok obviously it's not supposed to be the Beatles and it shouldn't be but there's a melodic and quirky element that's often missing from John's songs that is...nothing *bad* by any means, but a little more straightforward than I care for. And some of these songs just drag. Still, I'm nitpicking - it's a good listen, just not a great one. 5/10 3 stars.

Trans Europe Express

Kraftwerk

2/5

Honestly it's kind of hilarious; I feel like it's almost a self-parody. "The Hall of Mirrors" really? .... "even the greatest stars....dislike themselves in the looking glahhhss...." LOL. I actually don't hate it - it's just... and i hate using this lazy word but ... BORING. I can't see ever putting this on voluntarily other than when my German former college roommate visits for a laugh. Minimalist electronica - kinda cool at times, but extremely repetitive and too tiring for any active listening. 3/10 2 stars.

Tommy

The Who

5/5

When I was ~9 yrs old I used to check out this record from our local library - they'd package it up in this ginormous special packaging and I'd trundle it home under my tiny arm, what a sight that must have been hahaha. (I wasn't allowed to watch the (weirdasshit) movie that had just started airing on HBO though...) This album (obviously) has a long history for me and was/is one of the pillars for my love of imaginative music - music that is at once bombastic, melodic, sometimes ridiculous, aggressive, a little scary, mysterious, powerful. I became a big Who fan for some years starting at that point, which at times frustrated me - I often felt that they should have been ... better? they had a relatively short peak (which this album marked the start of) that matched any band in history, but couldn't sustain. And during my later teenage years when I was more a fan of hard rock I learned that this album was released when it wasn't completely finished (according to Pete Townshend) - at the time I wanted some of the tracks to have been bigger/louder. But that would have been disastrous - a lot of the space in some of these songs gives room for that mystery. Plus the extended "Live At Leeds" with the full Tommy performance gives that hard rock edge if you need it... Tommy the story [for the few that wouldn't know, this is a concept album, if not the original concept album...] is both essential (i.e. about half of these songs would seem half as good out of context of the album) and ridiculous at the same time. Doesn't really matter that it doesn't always make sense; there's a flow to it that when I listen to it for the first time in a while (today, in fact) makes it impossible to not go through the entire 75 minutes. Obvious highlights here are the alltime single "Pinball Wizard" - which has been overplayed on classic radio for at least 30 years, but when it kicks in midway through the album you remember why - and the epic closer "We're Not Gonna Take It" but put on some headphones and listen to the entirety as picking out two famous singles almost deflates the entire project. "Amazing Journey" indeed - 10/10 5 stars.

Wild Gift

X

2/5

Not a fan of "punk" really at all, but I have fleeting memories of seeing this band late at night on MTV as a kid and thinking they were more than punk - I'd definitely stand by that.... although if anything the vocals are the "punk" aspect which are ... not good... So the positive: I really dig the music on almost all of this. But.... yeesh. The dry dual out-of-tune vocals bring it all down for me. e.g. "Universal Corner" would have been better simply as an instrumental - gave me a little very early Pretenders vibe just from the guitar. The opening/main riff on "It's Who You Know" almost has a raw Iron Maiden feel. Love these. Eh it's kinda frustrating. Yeah - the music is cool but it sounds like a decent university band - I'm trying to justify a lot of parts but overall it rarely lifts itself above a fairly-well-polished demo; not just in terms of sound but performance - I wouldn't want anything modern/Pro Tools/perfectly aligned/on the beat but even slightly better musicianship would have taken this a lot further for me. 5/10 2 stars.

Elephant

The White Stripes

2/5

Nope. Hey - like what you want obviously - but this whole idea that "back to basics / simple and primitive / low-fi / raw" is some sort of ROCK PURITY that counters and surpasses anything else that has more art, thought, creativity, melody, and <gasp> a goddamn bass line is utter shit and insulting. I hate this. ...ok....upon a bit more subjective reflection and listening...am boosting to 2 stars. Having been subjected to the grating banality of Seven Nation Army for years I was ready to give this 0 stars if possible but there's actually more melody in here than I'd thought or expected. e.g. "I Want To Be The Boy..." and "You've Got Her In Your Pocket" were pretty nice - I'd really like to have heard these with a full (better?) band. But overall the lack of bass gives the entire production a hollowness that's impossible to listen to; the drumming is terribly pedestrian and sloppy, and the low-fi aesthetic is something I would be surprised I'd ever rate higher than a 2. So...yay I guess for Jack White's talent - and/but I like the Ranconteurs infinitely more than this band... 3/10 2 stars.

Marcus Garvey

Burning Spear

2/5

Well, it sounds good - I especially appreciate the lack of density; i.e. each element and instrument are clearly-defined and there is good use of space here. I'm not much of a reggae fan so I have zero quality comparison to/with other similar acts - facile review but my gut reaction is that I have trouble enjoying this because it's just too/so repetitive. 5/10 2 stars.

Buffalo Springfield Again

Buffalo Springfield

3/5

Man this is a hit and miss album. I was ready to give up after the second track "A Child's Claim To Fame" but the next 5 or so songs are great. I really dislike the Richie Furay songs - country/weak - and love most of the others (excepting the confused final track "Broken Arrow" which is an apt title. broken bits is more like it). So essentially the Steven Stills cuts are excellent and he should have kept them for himself. 6/10 3 stars for a messy hodgepodge; I'm glad to have heard the middle of this album which was good enough to keep my interest.

Vol. 4

Black Sabbath

4/5

I like Sabbath. At times quite a bit. But still... I can't help but occasionally feel like Sabbath were no better than a high school band at times. This album gives a few good examples -> i.e. some of the riffs are really interesting but then either don't subtly diversify or lead into a good derivative part. Maybe they just weren't great songwriters. Or needed stronger preproduction. Or were inhaling Scarface amounts of coke and peaked on the intake during this album. It's probably that. Enough nitpicking, this is actually for the most part cool. Sludgy and creepy (Ozzy's voice of course the primary cause) but with enough unexpected turns to make most of the songs interesting. The first track for example...that tempo increase out of nowhere is weird as hell. "Tomorrow's Dream" and "Supernaut" are just awesome hard rock classics, my two faves on this album and brilliantly showcase how good this band could be at their best. Overall tho, there are parts that are tough for me. e.g. sometimes the sloppy performances (excepting Ozzy. I actually think his vocals are tremendous) are a bit distracting. Again...it's probably utterly patronizing but it's like talented high schoolers trying to play a bit above their weight class. I love Tony Iommi's sound of course, it's probably at worst half of what made this band unique. But the solos...ehh. FX might be the dumbest waste of major label studio time in history. thankfully it's short. "Changes" is their mellow "hit" here and frankly it's kinda childish. And "Snowblind" - even tho it's a catchy tune - has always driven me nuts because could not *one* stoned to the gills person in that studio have told Tony Iommi to tune his goddamn guitar?? one string is just ahhhhh (I think it's the G string, I can't not hear it on the arpeggios. still like the tune... mostly). "Cornucopia" has such a bad intro; it leads into a fine enough main section but that comical sludge is too much. Still still... I don't know why I focus on the negative. Because even if there are a few ehhh tunes this is one that's a worthy early metal collection - and the 2/3 of it that rocks is worthy of a recommendation. I think I'm a bit harsh on it because I often think they should have been so much *better* than they already were! e.g. a clean or better band w/could have made this a 10/10. Then again they wouldn't have been Black Sabbath so round and round it goes... 7/10 4 stars.

Tonight's The Night

Neil Young

4/5

Neil Young ...so many revere him, so many can't stand him. I don't think it's necessarily an either/or, and I tend to straddle the line a lot with him. I like him ok but would never call myself a fan; dad had a few of his old records I listened to as a kid so there's some nostalgia involved. But this one I don't know much about at all so I was kind of pleased to hear it... ...this one is raw. I wouldn't think I'd like something like this; often sounds like they just threw two mics in a room, didn't worry about levels or compression, and just went for it... but man it seems perfect especially on the title track which is great. It ends up being my favourite cut on the album (although "Borrowed Time" is also outstanding) but I have to say I like this. nothing groundbreaking - it doesn't have the same soft emotional touch of something like After The Gold Rush...it's raw and more basic and drives harder. I feel like if this were recorded today it would have been massively overproduced and ruin the vibe. Aggressive and more in your face than previous Neil records I've heard. I gave this a second spin and liked it even more, this might be my fave of his. (specific mention for the very cool solo by Nils Lofgren on "Speakin Out") 8/10 4 stars.

Sincere

Mj Cole

2/5

I like the idea, but i could not connect with this. There's a lot of effort that goes into creating music like this, I get that, but this ends up grating to me. Repetitive and mostly the vocals are ... not good at all. actually I think I'd probably have boosted this a full star if it were all instrumental.... (although some of the repetition is jarring). I just don't like it and wouldn't listen again. 3/10 2 stars

(What's The Story) Morning Glory

Oasis

4/5

This is a weird one - always has been. I'd say I've always had a love/hate thing with this but it's not quite true at all - more like a love/frustrated relationship. On the one hand, these songs are catchy AF. They can get tiring after a while because of a certain sameness (or production....see the negative below) but individually I might have to say that ... literally every single song is good? Nothing super groundbreaking but definitely above average songwriting at worst and they really do go for the killer chorus which is infectious. ... Yeah that's it: these songs are damn infectious. Favourite: "Don't Look Back in Anger" [maybe because Noel sings lead on this...?] Negatives? Liam's voice is really tough to sit through for a long spell. Seems cliché to say that at this point but doesn't make it any less-true. But the BIG negative for me is the terrible mix/production overall. No need to get technical about it - it's just TOO LOUD and everything is up front for the entire album. Everything was/is massively over-compressed into this wall of sound / cacophony and there's no subtlety whatsoever ("Some Might Say" and the almost-alltime-awesome "Morning Glory" are maybe the best (worst) examples - distorted/noisy/everything peaking. Frustrating.). Song-wise this would be (and probably is) an all-time classic but it's unfortunately tiring on the ears to listen to (in headphones esp.) which knocks it down for me. Still - it's probably most-awesome coming out of a phone speaker or on the beach or from a convertible - it's just a great rock album reeking of that 90s vibe. 8/10 4 stars.

Thriller

Michael Jackson

5/5

It's Thriller. I mean ... Edward Van Halen and 70 million fans weren't wrong here. 9/10 5 stars.

Faith

George Michael

2/5

I could never connect with this album and still can't. Nothing is *bad* at all...just the combination of GM's overly-breathy vocals (just *sing* already - what a great voice he had when belting it out but i feel like 75% of the time he adapts this annoyingly-faux-intimate affected voice) and it all sounding so very 80s just still makes it just sort of wash over me. It's fine - I'd even say well or superbly-crafted - I just have absolutely zero chills or connection to any of it at all. 5/10 2 stars.

m b v

My Bloody Valentine

2/5

Two MBV albums? i don't know if i agree - i mean the first "Loveless" even if it's not my favourite music I can definitely understand being on the list; it really sounded and *felt* like nothing i'd heard before. I suppose though the same things I could never fully connect with on Loveless apply here as well - underwater/warbly effects to the extreme... just doesn't seem as revolutionary when it's another album of the same. None of these are truly "songs" in any traditional sense - again, that's kind of cool in the abstract but it's also not really working for me as any sort of background or atmospheric mood. I've just ended up either being annoyed/distracted at what is often approaching grating. The first half was fine - but after 20 minutes or so it really started to fall apart, and maybe it's simply that after 20 minutes of this ... that's enough. Also the final two cuts are omg please stop - especially "nothing is" - a joke on anyone who bought this album. come on, now. A 20 years waiting for the same thing is a long slog - I'm fine with Loveless on occasion but a big no to the remix. 4/10 2 stars.

Goodbye And Hello

Tim Buckley

2/5

a.k.a. Jeff's dad. is that why this is on the list? If the name were Tim Johnson would this even be remembered? I don't hate it, I just don't really connect with it overall - I will say that "Phantasmagoria In Two" is unique and "Pleasant Street" is a cool-enough song that is (as is everything else) very of-the-era. The rest seems to blend into the "oh this is clearly of the late 60s" sound - this may be unfair as there are a few sorta-unique/odd songs (e.g. "Goodbye and Hello") but at the same time they don't grab me - i.e. I don't know if I'll remember much from it. 4/10 2 stars.

Heaven Or Las Vegas

Cocteau Twins

3/5

I remember this group as a teenager but it was so out of my sphere of listening that I'm sure I'd dismissed them out of hand - but I really like it. Parts of it sounds like ABBA meets The Sundays :) There's still an unavoidable late-80s production value to it but I suspect this album would hit much differently and not as well if it didn't have that aspect. Dreamy yet accessible, happy (as far as I can tell - I couldn't pick out anything in terms of lyrics :D....), hypnotic. Simply enjoyable. 7/10 3 stars.

My Generation

The Who

4/5

Raw and - for 1965 - quite new. For the most part if the only exposure to The Who is via terrible classic rock radio stations, aside from the title track this is going to sound quite different. Very much power-pop with a few hints of the aggression that would come about in roughly 5 years time. There's a bit of hit and miss but that's probably looking through a modern lens (I do think the singles are truly the best songs here - My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, A Legal Matter). One thing that stands out is that these kids (!) were outstanding musicians - virtually every song but especially near the close of the album; listen to A Legal Matter and The Ox. They just had that raw talent (especially comparing to similar/contemporaneous bands e.g. The Kinks) that could let them pull off advanced-for-the-time songs like these. I suppose purists will claim the mono version but apparently I'm picky (I find it tough listening in mono) and went for the Stereo remix. Also I'm not sure it counts past "The Ox" because that was the original end to the album, but if you include tracks from the bonus/expanded versions it increases the quality even just if you count the classics "I Can't Explain" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere." Either way an important early rock document that presages the legendary status of this band just a few years out from this point.... 7/10 4 stars.

We Are Family

Sister Sledge

3/5

2 strong childhood memories associated with the legendary title track: 1 - dad driving me and friends to my summer birthday party with at least 2-3 times the legal limit of 9 year olds literally crammed into the station wagon, all of us having the time of our lives belting out this song (which was the summer hit and on the radio every 15 minutes) 2 - Willie Stargell Check out the bass on this album (Bernard Edwards - RIP) - especially on the title track and "Thinking Of You" - an album highlight. Very VERY 1979. That could hit different ways depending on your view or mood but I for one could almost always go for homemade cake, wiffle ball, hide and seek, a classic World Series, and fun singalongs that remind me of it all. 6/10 3 stars.

The Colour Of Spring

Talk Talk

4/5

I was only familiar with a few Talk Talk songs before this, and I don't think any from this album which is a shame - this is great. It's 80s without sounding *too* 80s (in a dated way) - the songs are all catchy without being saccharine, a great mix of dynamics and instruments. A keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

The Holy Bible

Manic Street Preachers

3/5

Boy this is a mixed bag. After the first ~3 songs I was loving this - aggressive yet melodic, with enough complexity to keep interest. And although there is/was nothing I actively disliked...It just didn't hold up in the long run. Is it too long? Would I have loved this in the LP-age when were were almost limited to around 45 minutes? Maybe it's that. Maybe it's the vocals - they're good ... until they're not (the more aggressive tunes near the middle of the album just don't work for me). Some of the songs have an abrasiveness that I'm sure was intended but isn't my favourite...e.g. "The Intense Humming of Evil" is slightly uncomfortable but also has some great parts in it - I think I should sum it up by saying it - along with a handful of other tracks here - sounds like a bunch of cool parts that end up not being great songwriting. But I will note "This Is Yesterday" and I think how was this not a hit? Great mid-tempo song that could probably have appealed to a variety of audiences. I don't know if I'd say it's a completely satisfying album overall, but there's a lot of good rock here ... I'll split this one right down the middle and will come back to about half the tracks. 5/10 3 stars

American Pie

Don McLean

4/5

I listened to this record a lot when I was a *very* little kid - courtesy of my dad's stack of albums. I do recall even trying to emulate the cover by magic markering my thumb. Although I could never have articulated it, it always left me with a sense that I couldn't identify - not just the title track but the collection as a whole - a sort of sadness. I'm pretty certain you can't be wistful or nostalgic at age ~4 but it was akin to that, and for that alone it was a pretty powerful record. It's easy to sarcastically "Gen-X" that title track as overplayed old guy classic rock; having been (over)exposed to it again and again first in crappy college parties, through cover bands, then later on unimaginative classic rock stations everywhere, in boomer bars or through the eventual commercialization of rock music. But it's not the song's fault, and maybe it should be to its credit. It really is that good, that epic. And although that title song overshadows anything else here (and probably should have been the album closer?) don't ignore the rest of the album either, although the best of it is much more ethereal and mellow. "Vincent" was another hit song that has mostly been lost to time but is a lovely sad song (about Van Gogh). The only negative is that by the end there's definitely a certain sameness to it, despite McLean's excellent vocals - the acoustic ballads do blend together a bit too much, and I feel like the other uptempo songs (e.g. "Everybody Loves Me Baby") detract from the overall album. Still a nice snapshot of an era and on a personal level a definite nostalgia blast. 7/10 4 stars.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie

3/5

Some undeniably famous all-time classic cuts on this one. So why can I never connect with it? I think a lot for me has to do with Bowie's voice. I like the silly/stupid concept album, I like the sound of the album, the first ~4 cuts are really good, but I get tired of it all after that. I don't know, this has always been a tough call for me - like, if "Ziggy Stardust" comes on the radio it's kinda cool but by the time I get to it here (track 9) it's nothing special for me. I never much liked "Suffragette City" Weak review - I just have never been much for Bowie overall (outside of "Low"). I think the best I can say is that at my most generous I kind of like it. Like, Dotty. Like. High points: "Five Years" "Moonage Daydream" 5/10 3 stars.

Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake

4/5

One of the rare artists who I am at least partially drawn to by their vocals; his deep haunting melodic and never strained voice is integral to the music which for me is all of the above and more - uniquely-played acoustic guitar using alternate tunings and the occasional odd time signature. Nick Drake is/was the rare acoustic artist that for me was fully captivating. In a marked change from my usual preferences, my favourites are the songs with a minimal mix as well - the songs work best when there's just vocals and guitar although I do enjoy when seemingly from nowhere another instrument or two (e.g. "Three Hours") emerges from the depths. Compelling. 8/10 4 stars.

Scott 2

Scott Walker

3/5

Completely unfamiliar going in... My first comment is that I am most definitely not much of a lyrics-noticer but :D this first song "Jackie" is hilariously weird. Like a tongue firmly-in-cheek Tom Jones-esque knockoff of James Bond or Austin Powers 30 years early. "Cute-cute in a stupid-ass waaaaayyyyy" :D what is this. I shouldn't really judge this compared to anything else or at least not to anything I'd grown up with as contemporary popular music. "Next" :D "Now I always will recall the brothel truck, the flying flags - the queer lieutenant who slapped our asses as if we were fags - I swear on the wet head of my first case of gonorrhea" i mean.... that was impossible to miss. I gotta say .... I don't dislike it at all. I mean, it's *all* kinds of ridiculous and there were times during the album where I actually laughed out loud - the music isn't at all anywhere close to my usual preferences but ...this absolutely works with the vocals/lyrics and to its credit you really feel in another place and time while listening to it, and I'd say in a fun way. It gets a little more tame along the way which lessens the fun a bit for me. I'm thrown a bit in a goofy way after finishing this but for weird / fun factor I think I'd "softly" recommend it - just with a few words of caution :D 6/10 3 stars

One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic

4/5

There's so much going on in pretty much every one of these songs - yet it doesn't seem messy or scattered. Each part, each instrument, each voice - sits just right in the arrangement and the mix. Sure it's funky, but in many (most?) places I'd call this rock - even progressive in parts? there are a lot of complex musical passages in here to keep the interest up just where you might think it's about to become repetitive. Killer lead guitar almost throughout the entirety of the record. Contains more than enough weirdness to make it classic Funkadelic yet is oddly accessible, even if to my ears there was absolutely nothing that could have been a hit single (although from online accounts this was their biggest selling album so what do I know). Fun and great party (or probably stoner) music :) 7/10 4 stars.

Stardust

Willie Nelson

3/5

There's something about Willie Nelson's voice that just makes me happy. Corny as hell but there it is. Not a country fan per se, but this sort of old/raw style suits me just fine. I think there are better Willie Nelson albums - this one being an album of cover tunes from his childhood which was about 371 years ago - but there's such a relaxing feel to this that it's just simple enjoyment...and the album cover suits the material perfectly. Makes you feel like sitting on a back porch at night with some Willie Nelson and just staring at the sky. 6/10 3 stars.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

I had a nanny when I was ~2 and we used to sing together constantly. We'd put records on and have the best time while I learned to read (liner notes/lyrics on the back cover!), and the most-played record by far was Bridge Over Troubled Water. So the impact this record has on me moves well past just how goddamn great it was and is; it is inextricably tied together with some of the best early memories I have. I'll consider this rating one of my most personal. The title track alone - one of the most (if not THE most) captivating, arresting, and gorgeous songs ever recorded - would make the album great. It's not the songwriting alone - any other version of this song would be and is wrong and far far inferior. The grandiose piano intro, the *dynamics* - the ethereal vocals - all draw in the listener. Then there's the build to the semi-false ending which leads to the big third/final verse (which was written in-studio almost last-minute to give the song its dramatic ending) - unequaled. Again - this is the first song and the rest could be simple 1-4-5 blues songs and the album would stand out. But there's so much more quality - a lot of variety on the album and a few others that could be called classics, most notably "The Boxer" which is another chill-inducing track, especially during the giant snare crashes in the choruses (recorded in an empty elevator shaft to get that huge natural reverb) - other highlights are "El Condor Pasa" "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" and "The Only Living Boy In New York" Paul Simon is a fantastic songwriter but (aside from "The Boxer") my favourite songs or parts of the songs are where Artie G sings - he brought everything to those songs and is one of the few vocalists for me that can stop me in my tracks and force me to actively listen. The only slowdown on the record for me (although I loved it as a little kid) is "Bye Bye Love" which in retrospect seems a bit simplistic for this album; maybe it could have been placed better in the album rather than a second-to-last track (I'm also more of a studio-recording fan, this track recorded live). Still it's not enough to knock the album down in any way. One of my all-time favourite records (along with their previous record "Bookends") quite literally since I started to walk and through my own changing preferences over the years I've never stopped listening. What a tremendous way to close their short career. 10/10 5 stars.

Urban Hymns

The Verve

2/5

That big single ("Bitter Sweet Symphony") was and remains just as annoying as possible. Hated and continue to hate it. So I wasn't too excited to get this album. But! It admittedly all changes immediately with the second song "Sonnet" - nothing groundbreaking at all but it's a hell of a lot nicer than cut 1 and a huge contrast. It's decent brit-pop. But after getting through it, it never strikes me as anything beyond that. Is it levels above Suede/Pulp/Oasis/generic1995UKband? Maybe, maybe not. I think one major detraction is the utter and complete lack of vocal range - I don't need or even necessarily want someone with the most beautiful voice but on too many songs ("This Time" jfc ugh) there's literally no adventure or reaching out - no alternate melodies, often just one or two notes. Horribly distracting. It's the kind of album I could put on and nobody would complain and yet nobody would remember either. 5/10 2.49 stars. Perfectly generic and safe mid-90s UK album.

Pelican West

Haircut 100

3/5

Haircut 100? The (barely) one-hit wonder from the early 80s? Essential album? All spoken/written from admitted ignorance and after listening I could take two paths: 1) Sure, this album is light fun from the early 80s but why is this mandatory or special listening? 2) This was an overlooked gem (at least in North America) and there should have been 3-4 radio or MTV staples. I could make a quick Duran Duran comparison but I like this far more. There's an airiness to the mix and arrangements that absolutely has that 80s feel but still sounds kinda fresh some 40! years later. Never imagined I'd discover a Haircut 100 album but I'm kinda glad I did; I hear some unpredictably jazzy/funky elements of Joe Jackson and Madness (compliments, those). I'll split the difference between the above thoughts and say while it might never be a favourite I think I'll happily listen to this again. A pleasant surprise. 6/10 3 stars.

Channel Orange

Frank Ocean

3/5

This is a big old curveball compared to many others on the list and I cheated a little looking at others' reviews. So many 5s and 1s, incredibly polarizing. I've heard a few songs from this - "Lost" is a very catchy tune, quite enjoyable. And there's more variety than I had expected going into this one. I think I can't think of it in the highest terms tho because of a few things; notably the tuned and outrageously-compressed production in his vocals. How would one describe his vocal style? It's not exactly mumble, but it approaches that at times and it's just not my preference, although I quite like it when he brings the vocal range up. How about "Bad Religion" as a positive example - this is a tremendous track and stellar vocal performance. Love it. More of this. Some positives and negatives: I don't enjoy the "sameness" of much of modern hit music - actually the production/mix: e.g. 808s, compression to the point where every aspect of the music is either confined to a small room or is quite obviously a loop. I love studio creations - hell, the Beatles were among the first to perfect the studio-as-instrument - and occasionally this album falls into that category - too many songs don't breathe. Yet the ones that don't sound like that - when the songs do have a little room, a little air, they *really* stand out. The aforementioned "Bad Religion" and my favourite track "Sweet Life" - I love the keyboards - a bit of a Stevie Wonder feel on this one - and having live drums is a *huge* attraction. More of this please! I'm going to give this a few more listens - I think this one might just be too dense for a one-day listen/evaluation. I suppose that alone is complimentary... I like a lot of the melodies here although too often they don't fully resolve which is frustrating - I wouldn't say I disliked any of the songs but only a few of them truly stuck out. Ehh I'm completely schizophrenic about this album. Let's give it a solid grade and give it another chance, shall we? 7/10 3 stars

Black Sabbath

4/5

This album was a game-changer. One of the creepiest low-res album covers ever ... an album leading off with thunder and then the "Devil's Interval" (tritone - which ancient cultures and probably today's fking amerikkkan south thought that simply playing notes in this interval - you'll know it when you hear it - conjured the devil.) ... dark and ugly songs that talk of possession and unfriendly/otherworldly spirits... Never done before. Probably never even *thought* of before. This will be the 8 millionth time someone has written "the birth of heavy metal" but it's more like the birth of doom/dark/"satanic"/scary metal-music. If you just know the name "Black Sabbath" or "Ozzy!" and have either never heard them or only heard the (few) radio hits, this is not gonna be what you expect. Sure I'll take a nostalgic teenaged trip and enjoy the cheesy Ozzy 80s "metal" (not metal) hit "Shot In the Dark" on occasion but that wasn't dangerous or frightening in any way (unless you saw Ozzy's makeup and outfit in the video). This album is terrifying - laugh if you will but try sitting in the dark by yourself after midnight...no other media or lights... and putting this album on at a high volume. A lot of it is slow. Sludge/stoner metal. There's no 80s wall-of-sound/guitars; rather in many/most places there's a lot of *space* which 100% contributes to the creepy feel. There's *harmonica* on this album. And then there's the vocals. Ozzy is... well, Ozzy. And there was nobody who sounded like him before and maybe since. Also and especially for 1970 it just sounds so fantastic - it sounds like the band is almost live in front of you (I mean, you can of course hear double-tracked guitars and vocals but there's a natural reverb to the entire mix and with enough .... kinda-sloppy playing it's easy to imagine 75% of this as being recorded in one take). If anything negative, I do tire a little of the album by the end - the uncomplicated blues-riffery starts to get stale and I find that I never want to put this on repeat, so for that I dock a point from personal preference. But if someone has to come up with a short list of albums that influenced millions of musicians and listeners forever after, this is a slam dunk. You very well might hate it, but you'll not deny the unique place this holds in rock history. 8/10 4 stars.

Dirt

Alice In Chains

4/5

No soft introduction to this album - right away you're launched into a screaming 7/4 odd time signature heavy guitar riff. Welcome to the album if you've never heard this before ha. It was always a bit fascinating to me how big this band got - not because I didn't like them - which I did quite a bit - but they seemed a band that could only have gotten huge at that particular point in musical history. Grunge had just taken hold so abrasive/angry music was the sound of the times but this took it to a new level - this album was everywhere in 1992. There was really nothing like these guys and this album was their peak - bizarre and unsettling vocal harmonies, thickythicc guitar sound, great dynamics, sludgy-stonery in a Black Sabbath kind of style yet much better musicianship, angular and unpredictably dissonant chord progressions that could then resolve into something gorgeous - all the hallmarks of the best of this band. They got the singles right on this album: "Rooster" "Would?" "Down In A Hole" are definitely the three best tracks - "Them Bones" "Dam That River" and What keeps this down just a bit is the overly-dissonant songs - which sounds like a total contradiction from what I'd just praised this album for - but some of them just don't resolve well at all (e.g. "Sickman" "God Smack" "Hate to Feel") - Although...now that I'm listening again I might be off on this critique because those are the moments that likely make the gloriously-melodic resolutions shine even more. e.g. would the album be as dramatic and awesome if those ugly moments didn't exist? hmm maybe not. But they also make the album feel a bit longer than it is, which is a shame - knock like 3 songs from this album and it would have been pretty much flawless. It's not a pretty album by design so I'm sure it's not going to be in everyone's wheelhouse, but I love it. 8/10 4 stars.

Connected

Stereo MC's

3/5

Nice chill organic-sounding dancey-trip-hop. A few nice singles that I remember from the long-ago. I don't have anything negative to say but then again .... I don't know, it's not entirely memorable? i.e. nothing made me sit up and take notice and/or give me chills - the inherent nature of the music, the style, etc - gives the overall sentiment and impression of a bit of repetitiveness. It's not bad, per se, just more of a vibe that's interesting but harder than normal to distill into individual songs or "tracks" - your mileage may vary. So in sum It's more of an attitude record for me, something that would likely be great background/party/gaming/sleeping soundtrack - passive listening. And there's considerable value in that. 6/10 3 stars.

Penance Soiree

The Icarus Line

1/5

abrasive and terrible vocals? check. noisy and distorted music without any logical direction? check. rotten low-fi production? check. unmemorable and poorly-constructed songs? check. overall painful to literally listen to let alone get through? check. 1 star rating? checkmate. 1/10 1 star.

Sticky Fingers

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Not really a Stones fan here even if I'm likely firmly in an ideal demographic.... but this is *the* album. No 60s polite rock, no meandering like they were about to bore me with on "Exile..." - this is 45 minutes of mostly to-the-point grimy greasy excellent bluesy ROCK. Virtually every song works and there's a decent flow to the album, especially the first half: from the killer opening single of "Brown Sugar," the mellow "Wild Horses" through the groove of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and rollicking "Bitch" it's a great collection. Strong American blues/country influence throughout - although at times a bit too much - e.g the painfully slow bluesy tunes do nothing for me (e.g. "I Got the Blues" and "You Gotta Move" which also seems a bit too derivative) - and the 2nd half drags a bit but this might be the album to give the casual rock fan / i.e. someone who isn't always convinced of the Rolling Stones (e.g. me). When they were on like they were here, they were tough to top. 8/10 4 stars.

Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Aphex Twin

4/5

Have definitely heard "Pulsewidth" before and it's driving me nuts trying to figure out where. I'm often puzzled by the potential for this type of music performed "live" or I guess maybe I just don't "get" the concept of live DJs or raves. Not really a critique of the music I don't think because... I kinda love this...? It's completely different from what I usually listen to and doesn't follow anything like a traditional form of "songs" - I could call it background or better-yet atmospheric. I just really like the way it sounds - spacial, mysterious, never really abrasive but still not so safe that it's boring. Again - still not really active listening music but more music or melodic sound with a purpose. Would and will listen to again. 7/10 4 stars.

Dear Science

TV On The Radio

4/5

This isn't an immediately-accessible album; I feel like I've proven that to myself twice now - when it was first released I was given a copy of it and listened to it a number of times on the train on a long commute and it took some time to click, which it eventually did. For whatever life reason I hadn't listened to this in over a decade and today I'm feeling the same on the first re-listen .... so I know :D The vocals always gave me an early solo Peter Gabriel feel; not always necessarily with the voice but with the inflections and style of singing. Progressive music for the 21st century? Maybe (minus any overly-long tracks) - there are so many layers to this both in song construction and instrumentation; and perhaps the lack of a lot of repetition is the precise reason that it takes some time to fully digest this album. It's anti-pop. Personal highlights: "Halfway Home" "Shout Me Out" and "DLZ" wavering between a 3 and 4 but it's so unique that I'll round up 7/10 4 stars

Here's Little Richard

Little Richard

4/5

How can you not smile at the very first "words" of this album. "Tutti Frutti" is ridiculous in/by today's environment but I'm pretty sure pop/rock music wouldn't exist as we know it without Little Richard. In general I don't get much out of "old" rock but this one is the real deal and - intentional naiveté here - when rock and roll was fun. Mandatory listening for history and for fun. It's Little Richard, just play it. 8/10 4 stars.

Arc Of A Diver

Steve Winwood

4/5

This album - and in particular the lead single - will never not transport me to being a little kid / 1980 / good times. No way to remove the nostalgia from any objectivity in this one for me. In saying that, this is a highly melodic album with jazzy twists and turns. Nothing really comes close to matching the opening track "While You See a Chance" which is pretty much melodic softish-rock perfection, although the subsequent "Arc of a Diver" is a left-turn that showcases the best of Steve Winwood (who, incidentally, played all the instruments on this album). After a few ok tracks the album picks up again on the second half with "Spanish Dancer" and "Night Train" - the former stays restrained and the space keeps the tension throughout the song while "Night Train" has a catchy repetitive groove that works well. It's not perfect - I'm not a fan of the album closer "Dust" at all; could have used a better end to this album which overall is enjoyable. In particular I've always enjoyed the sound on this album - nice mix Steve. 7/10 4 stars.

american dream

LCD Soundsystem

3/5

This is kind of a tough one because ... it's interesting. It's weird, it's different. A lot of homages to 80s synth pop. But I'm not yet sure how *enjoyable* it is? I very much enjoy a lot of Brian Eno and this is definitely giving me an Eno vibe so it might be one that requires patience? The leadoff track "o baby" is a nice melodic start, although becomes a bit repetitive, and doesn't necessarily tip off the listener to the rest. I did notice a huge Talking Heads feel to a bunch of these, including "other voices" and "change yr mind" I will note that "call the police" bucks the challenging trend; it's immediately accessible and is a great tune if not a touch too long. Labeled a few places as "dance music" but it's way more challenging overall. I feel like you put this on in a random group of 10 people and 4 will call it an all-time greatest album, 4 will call it the worst garbage they've ever heard, and 2 will just be confused. Kind of an accomplishment, actually. Even though it's occasionally a hair too abrasive for my likes ("emotional haircut" for one) and I prefer the less-aggressive tracks, this is worth a few listens at minimum. 6/10 3 stars.

Songs Of Love And Hate

Leonard Cohen

1/5

I've been sitting here trying to compose some witty or sarcastic or even sincere defense on why I hate this so much. There's a bit of a cult around Leonard Cohen - oh what a poet blahblahblah - But isn't this just for me? Ok then... The emperor has no clothes - this is terrible. 3 goddamn Cohen albums already what the everliving hell. I'll finish listening because apparently I enjoy pain - this is/was not my first Leonard Cohen disc and I pray to any musical deities that it will be my last. Absolute shit. 1/10 1 star.

Drunk

Thundercat

5/5

At times I've had no idea what I'm listening to - except that it's ... fucking amazing? Melodic yet completely unpredictable, odd timings and key shifts punctuate this highly enjoyable album that is absolutely going to take 4 or 5 spins (and did) before I start fully digesting it but this is great. Early favourite: "Them Changes" Based on how many repeat listens I gave this off the bat and how often I've listened to this, 5 pretty easily. Wild and completely unique. 9/10 5 stars.

Vauxhall And I

Morrissey

2/5

Short one: the music is really nice - excellent melodic poppy rock. The unfortunate and unavoidable downside is that I cannot stand listening to Morrissey sing. The (rare) parts where he's less-emotive (an impossibility, I realize) or is mostly instrumental (e.g. Billy Budd) is frustratingly good. Really just cannot stand Morrissey overall and there's no getting by that. The end. 5/10 2 stars.

Strange Cargo III

William Orbit

4/5

Never would have connected with this at the time but I've really come to enjoy this sort of ambient electronic trippy music. The only critique - and it's not much of one - is that it's much more of a mood/feel than a collection of what we traditionally think of as "songs" - so I don't necessarily have a favourite but this has been great to loop and work all day to. I'll listen to this again in the right atmosphere for sure. So it's tough to "rank" this and though I'd never make this anything close to a favourite album or genre, I'm giving this 4 stars for hitting the exact buttons it means to. 7/10 4 stars.

Blackstar

David Bowie

2/5

Almost immediately - and I hate having a knee-jerk reaction - I come back to my usual Bowie thoughts: I really don't like him as a singer at all. It's not just his voice, it's the affectations and the style. Obviously a personal taste but it has always been nearly-impossible to get around. His album "Low" was a rare project where his voice didn't seem to be the main instrument and was more a part of the environment, which resulted in a different sort of album I enjoyed. This one had hype upon its release (because of Bowie's concurrent death) but I'd never listened before. And yeah - his vocals are often horrible. Apologies if you loved the dude. Music is wild but too often in a bad way. e.g. "Sue" is difficult to get through. Also stop already with the yodeling on "Girl Loves Me" Positive: I actually like "I Can't Give Everything Away" - would have loved more of this. I just have to settle on the fact that I don't really like Bowie's music overall and I look forward to the next 74 albums I'll have to listen to of his on this list... 4/10 2 stars.

Ritual De Lo Habitual

Jane's Addiction

4/5

Liking this more than I'd expected - I feel like I always have the same reaction to JA which is: Perry's voice is tough in larger doses. But the music is damn cool, and while "Been Caught Stealing" can just be annoying it's much better for me in context of the album as a whole. The guitar playing is fantastic on the album, keeping things from sliding into any typical late 80s/early 90s metal (not that there's anything wrong with that). Different styles and tones from song to song keep it fresh. Really good and somewhat unique hard rock album that I like more now than when it was released and a marked improvement over their debut with more diversity and dynamics. Also: do yourself a favour and don't listen to this (or anything) out of a single crappy phone speaker - makes a huge difference. 7/10 4 stars.

New York Dolls

1/5

If one were to take a list of major label acts in history that weren't successful but deemed to be influential due to "attitude" over talent and songwriting and then cross-reference it with acts I don't like.... the Venn diagram is probably a circle. Hello New York Dolls. Here: let me introduce you to an album of 2-3 chord songs with horrible singing, poor musicianship, and barely-held-together arrangements. Ah but they were bucking social tradition! ...which I support 100%. But insert the modern meme here: "um...sirs, this is a Wendy's" - you're recording an album here. I suspect this became a critics' darling kinda album because of how shocking their act/dress were at such a legitimately dangerous time for it. Would and do completely support that, it's just the simple problem that this is unquestionably and definitively not one of the 1001 (10001) albums I'd like to hear again before I die. As with all of them, I'm judging this on the music. Put this in my Venn file and toss it in the dumpster. 2/10 1 star

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill

3/5

Straight up: I've never been able to fully connect with this. I don't dislike it at all - but maybe it's *too* smooth at points? I don't know - everything here sounds amazing, it's soulful and melodic, but at the same time is - for me - missing *something* that gives me chills. But...I do love the theme/concept aspect of the album. Teacher & students discussions at the tail of many of the tracks, it does give it a certain cohesiveness and after going through it as an entire unit....that's the attraction. It's a vibe album; a definite feeling that listening to a track or two at a time doesn't nearly give the same fulfilling aspect as the full album. "Ex-Factor" [love that lead guitar near the end], "Doo Wop" and "Every Ghetto, Every City" are favourites. Yeah in the end it's not going to be a favourite but it's an impressive piece of work that you have to give the time to. 7/10 3 stars.

Histoire De Melody Nelson

Serge Gainsbourg

2/5

Well. That was weird. The music is... kinda funky and fun? It gets a little dull at times with a repetitive progression but is overall short enough to be a fine listen. Can definitely see how parts of this could be sampled (and apparently was) for triphop tracks. But... this isn't creepy nope not at all...: [wikipedia] "....Its narrative follows an illicit romance which develops between the middle-aged narrator and 15-year-old girl Melody Nelson...." uhhh 4/10 2 stars.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen

1/5

nope. not even 400 albums in and having a 4th Leonard Cohen album is absurd. This is terrorism. will not and you cannot make me. 0 poutines.

John Barleycorn Must Die

Traffic

3/5

The major problem I've always had with this album - and the band - is simply that the songwriting is wildly inconsistent. Damn they could nail it at times - start with a killer and catchy instrumental in "Glad" and later an absolutely classic song like "Empty Pages" which completely showcases the rhythm, dynamics, and instrumental arrangement and chops of the band not to mention Steve Winwood's vocals.... And to be honest...those are the only excellent songs. Probably the only *good* songs. e.g. in between those two is Freedom Rider which... is awkward. Frustratingly so. Jazzy riffs that don't resolve well. That chorus has always felt wrong, as in it doesn't fit the song at all. And much of the rest of the album suffers the same inconsistency. Each song has some sections that work and each has sections that don't. Which add up to a lot of it being the most dreadful of words: boring. e.g. "Stranger To Himself" almost drags itself to its own death halfway through; it feels like the band is about to just collectively pass out from boredom. There's enough here to make it worth a listen but man ... the best of Traffic is so good - could they ever have just put together a full quality album? 5/10 3 stars.

Modern Kosmology

Jane Weaver

5/5

A completely unknown artist to me - and only a few minutes in I knew I'd have to give this one at least two listens due to everything that was going on sonically. But all it took was about halfway through the first before I realized I loved it - love the spacey/mysterious/hypnotic/DoctorWho-in-space/melodic feels I'm getting from this. Yet it still has such an organic bent to it - live/acoustic drums, guitars - all blended so well with the kind of melodic sequencers and synthesizers I love. It's modern yet with heavy doses of 70s Gong+Hawkwind and 80s art rock. 4 complete listens today. I love everything about this entire album, and we're in and out in a cool 44 minutes. 9/10 5 stars.

White Blood Cells

The White Stripes

1/5

There is so much I could write in detail while actually analyzing my feelings and thoughts and strangely enough - emotions - about each song, each chord change, the arrangements and each note of this record. Instead I'll keep it simple: I unequivocally and wholeheartedly hate everything about this album. 2/10 1 star.

American IV: The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

2/5

Well this is unfair because I reflexively hate covers albums - fine, record a cover song here or there but an entire album... it couldn't be less in my wheelhouse. I hear a cover and inevitably feel like it asks the listener to compare/contrast to the original. Which to me is already a stamp, a statement; a record in time of the original artists' vision. Of course I didn't know that not *all* the songs are covers. Which surprised me when I ... liked? the first song (an original). And the next few were...kind of good? But then OK I cannot abide by his take on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - it's lazy and completely misses the point of the original which should never ever be covered (even/especially by Paul Simon. It's an Art-vocal song and nobody else's and that's a hill i'll die on). Other big misses: "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "In My Life" - just do not work with this voice, yikes. "Desperado" sucked with the Eagles and sucks here.... Ehh... i think listing all the songs I don't like isn't serving me well. It's a majority. I enjoy the arrangements that stick to almost a traditional blues/country progression (e.g. "Tear Stained Letter" - an original!) I suppose the overall goal was achieved in that I'd never have given this a chance before this exercise (always keep an open mind!) and it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. Still not a fan overall; a few songs were good but it's truly pick a few and move on. 4/10 2 stars.

Who's Next

The Who

5/5

Over the last 20-30 years radio has kinda killed (or maybe just wounded) a lot of classic rock. Use/abuse the same goddamn 100 songs everywhere, so it might be easy to dismiss this since I've heard it 10000 times (and own multiple copies). It's still an absolutely perfect, flawless, and infinitely repeatable album. Over and over and over. Even the ... very slightly "lesser" songs (the three from "Love Ain't For Keeping" through "The Song Is Over") are only that because of the absolute monster works surrounding them. And I'd even say those three that close out <ahem> Side 1 of the vinyl I would and will defend as being integral to the flow of the record as a whole. It's almost an ebb and flow - like they're collectively saying: "I'm sorry...you just wouldn't be able to handle this much timeless genius all at once - we're going to bring things down just a touch while you catch your breath for side 2 which will kick the world's ass for the next 50+ years." Both explosive and gentle at times, the sound is huge overall - mixing hard rock with incredible melody and impeccable musicianship that never is overplayed. Also that ARP synth all over the place holyhellyes. I don't know if this is the greatest album ever made but I won't argue if you stake that claim to the death. One of the few absolute pinnacles of 20th century music. 10/10 5 stars.

Fragile

Yes

5/5

Visions of me as a 100lb 12 year old biking home from the used record store with a tattered copy of this under my arm after having heard Roundabout on mystery FM radio for years and putting it on and being given an aural representation of that trippy Roger Dean cover... Honestly I do remember putting the vinyl on my cheap turntable and it being a kind of instant magic. Led me to being a fan of this band's 70s work right around when they were making their big 80s comeback. The combination of instrumentation - interplay between guitar and (lead!) bass and keys - is unlike any band I'd ever heard before or since; like them or not (and even though I have their entire 70s collection, I don't really like all of it) I kind of feel like this version of Yes were possibly the most unique "rock/popular music" band I can think of that ever made it so big. Others were progressive, sure, but either far more bombastic or heavy and just never as appealing as the best Yes could offer. And for this album in particular, those 4 true songs (3 of which you'll still hear on some of the slightly-more-adventurous classic/old radio stations) are progressive melodic perfection. Just listen to "Heart of the Sunrise" and truly digesting it...has there ever been anything like this before? From the powerful repeated riff to those gentle piano runs in the middle... it's not a background song, I can definitely spend 11 minutes in a dark room just blasting this. Incredible musicians - every single one. I've tried to play this stuff. It's not easy and the complexity + melody/accessibility is what made them - and this - stand out. OK. However. The obvious whatthehell?? aspect of this album has always been the 4 (or 5) "individual/solo" pieces are absolutely weird and jarring and really cannot be played as one-offs (i.e. you're not hearing "We Have Heaven" on the radio). Do I "like" them? I've never really known but I honestly don't think so (I like "Mood for a Day" enough for a nice classical guitar piece, I suppose. Couldn't play that for shit either.). But in context they do sort of fit - you have the long band pieces and those interludes give the listener a bit of a rest in-between. Blahblahblah still this is and always has been an all-time keeper for me even with (or because of?) the strangeness. 10/10 5 stars.

Kenya

Machito

4/5

This kind of upbeat jazz isn't usually something I'd get excited about but this was just darn enjoyable. Kinda made me happy on a cold Monday morning. Not sure if I'd always reach for this but also seems too good to give it a 3 - I do like me some instrumental jazz combos and maybe as I get older I really am getting more open-minded :D At a minimum it's really good and productive work music. Try to be in a bad mood while this is playing. 8/10 4 stars.

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Brian Eno

2/5

Listening through hundreds of albums, one of the artists I've rediscovered has been Brian Eno to the point where I definitely consider myself somewhat of a fan. This one might be thrown in the exception pile. I get the concept though - it was probably a *lot* of fun to make, in the same sense (but far far more advanced) as when I first got a 4-track recorder I was making all sorts of weird shit and sounds and I loved it. I seriously doubt I could have sold a copy :D With apologies to experimental music and with a few exceptions, this one doesn't serve as much more than almost an aural equivalent of a whiteboard - trying out ideas that could (or should?) have been left in the garage and further developed. ["Regiment" is an outlier - I really love that groove. But it could or should have been used for a better final product.] Actually.... I could see this as a great repository for *other* artists to use and sample from. Like a sound/sample grocery store. "..ok, gimme some of Mea Culpa, i'll take 16 bars of Regiment, and ... yeah, a touch of Moonlight In Glory. All at 90bpm please, thanks." As a proper "album" though - it's a little disappointing and not that easy to listen to, even as background. 4/10 2 stars.

Electric Prunes

The Electric Prunes

2/5

Generic sounding for the era and overused/cliched effects (tremolo, reverb, hard panning) make this end up a perfect stereotype of boring late 60s psychedelia. It's not all terrible. But it's...not sticking out much for me either (and honestly it really gets worse as the album progresses; oy the last few songs are trash). I'm trying to figure out what the influence is? And by my count 10 of these 12 songs were not even written by the band - the group were forced by the record company to bring in a writing team at the last minute to push the album; even by the band's own admission the album was rushed "...there are definitely songs that I do believe didn't belong on the album" Not the worst but I'll forget this ever existed in about 8 minutes. 3/10 2 stars.

Caetano Veloso

2/5

It's...eh? At the risk of an easy/novice comparison... the only other Brazilian artist i've heard on here was Clube da Esquina which was mind-blowing and has become a favourite. This album doesn't have anywhere near the same musical passages, drama, diversity, and occasional explosiveness of expression that that one has. And I realize it's a lame comparison (sample size of TWO) but I can't help but make the parallel. And this just comes up short and uninteresting overall. 4/10 2 stars

All Mod Cons

The Jam

5/5

Ahh I love this album. Aggressive yet extremely melodic (and very British) songs - has an early Police meets angry early Who vibe and I just love the mix. The bass fits in so perfectly (Elvis Costello-ish) and Bruce Foxton's playing propels so many of these songs, it might be my favourite individual aspect of this album. Sound Affects is their most-lauded album and it's good but this is my favourite Jam album from top to bottom - no filler whatsoever. 9/10 5 stars.

The Boatman's Call

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1/5

I would rather have sat in silence for an hour. you can't shoot me. I'm already dead. biggest nope from me. dreadfully laconic, plodding, depressing, uninspiring. And I've already had far too much Leonard Cohen. 2/10 1 star.

In Utero

Nirvana

1/5

I enjoyed some damn good years in the 90s. But what I've come to realize is that how much of that was surrounded in myth because I don't miss the decade of snark, the cynicism, and in music that manifested into the "if it's not indie (which this wasn't...) it's utter shit" credo that wasn't even so much stated as just assumed. And Nirvana was the perfect synthesis of all of that. Which is probably why when they hit I hated them right off the bat. I wasn't stuck in the 80s or any particular era; as a marked counterpoint to that, the early 90s brought a revelation of/in rock music to me - so much amazing new music EVERYWHERE (I would say comfortably that nearly 100% of any excess money i made for a 2-3 year stretch went to buying new CDs) that I couldn't believe *this* was the band that stuck out and somehow got to be the symbol of the GenX rock fans. Goddammit WHY?! I wanted to revisit this today and give it a fresh ear. Because I hated this album. But I still hate it and maybe even more-so. Members of the loud/soft/loud cult of the late80s/early90s which I never enjoyed - there's not much melody to be found anywhere on this album; it's a noise record and - ok I can see how some people would like or even love this - but as much as I love power and energy in music there's no release in Nirvana's music for me. Kurt Cobain's voice is like listening to my cat angrily vomit into a microphone over and over which doesn't cover up the lack of musical progression. Listening to "Scentless Apprentice" are 4 of the worst minutes you'll ever spend. Until "Tourette's" - it's less than 2 minutes but feels like 20. Was going to give small points for occasional - OCCASIONAL - nostalgia. But then that same nostalgia gets some points docked because this is even worse than I remembered. No apologies. 1/10 1 star.

Throwing Muses

2/5

More than a bit too lo-fi for my tastes. Although there are some interesting and compelling musical twists and turns, it's not enough to sustain a ton of interest for me. They eventually developed a bit more (and splintered into rather more successful groups) but essentially my lazy summary is: late 80s college music that was on at parties - just a solid 2. 5/10 2 stars.

Dirty

Sonic Youth

1/5

Something that starts ok with "100%" but then shits itself with a non-effort like "Swimsuit Issue" just pisses me off and remains just as awful ... until it gets worse. Just an ugly-sounding hour of insulting laziness. no. 2/10 1 star

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Frank Sinatra

3/5

Not my usual genre to be sure, so it's a tough one to grade - I think the older I get the more I can appreciate this, even if I don't love it? It's of course by its nature quite light - string orchestras dictating the melodies throughout - and thusly doesn't have much emotional impact on me. On the other hand I can certainly appreciate those well-crafted melodies and the arrangements; whatever one might think of this genre - in some ways it sounds *so* dated that it almost seems new again. Even though it's a "vocal" album I think I like this as background music; and not being much of a vocals fan I'm "whatever" about Frank as a singer, although I will say that I prefer/like when he's quite laid-back which is the case over most of this album. In other words, listening to this feels like I'm watching an Austin Powers movie. 5/10 3 stars.

The Wall

Pink Floyd

4/5

I used to criticize this one quite a bit, and for decades never really got into this Floyd album. I found it cold...which it definitely is, but of course that's the intent. It goes on and on, gets a bit too dark-musical-theaterish...and yes, it's overblown, patronizing, far too long, alienating, etc etc... And yet... I find that I like it far more than I'd thought I did. My favorite Floyd LPs were their previous 2 albums but instead of comparing I'm realizing this was fng huge and ambitious and epic and... you know - I like modern music a lot but there could and should be more projects like this. I stand by those flaws, and they were not great at hard rock (Young Lust, e.g. - my least favourite track by a longshot) and like many huge classic albums, I always feel like I never want to hear the radio songs again - ever. But (for the most part) they were huge for a reason and work far better in context. Also in headphones it all sounds like a different fascinating and terrifying world. Also the musicianship is fantastic. Throw on some cans and sit alone for an hour and a half and soak it up while trying to wait out a baseball rain delay like I just did. No regrets and I'm glad I reevaluated this one. 7/10 4 stars

Aladdin Sane

David Bowie

3/5

Without looking, I'd bet I could copy/paste my review from Ziggy Stardust. It's a catchy-at-first early 70s rock album that I slowly get tired of because I'm just not able to really be moved by Bowie's music. It's fine - starting with "Watch That Man" is easy-entry rock (although there's a little bit of Lou Reed sound to this which puts me off - am not a fan of LR). And the title cut "Aladdin Sane" is a nice diversion from the initial cut - but then it just gets...Bowie-ish. And if you're a Bowie fan I can see how you'd like this but his voice is always a little distracting for me. On a positive note, aside from "Low" which feels to me like an Eno record that Bowie happens to sing on, this is probably one of the more-enjoyable or perhaps immediately-accessible records of his but I'll never voluntarily put it on. It feels like I always use his voice as a cop-out because there are plenty of artists who I listen to that I don't necessarily like the singer's voice and I like the music. It's as simple as this even if I can't articulate it well: I don't connect with his music on any emotional level - can just appreciate it from a distance. 5/10 3 stars.

The Gilded Palace Of Sin

The Flying Burrito Brothers

3/5

I used to watch Hee-Haw at my grandma's house when I was a kid. To be accurate, she would put it on and what was I gonna do? Trying to be objective I can definitely hear how this was an influence on a lot of 70s music, and not just the same genre. You can hear how artists like The Eagles, Elton John, and the Stones to name a few took a lot from this (also there are shittonne of echoes of "AM Gold" type music in here; e.g. listen to "Hot Burrito #1" - could be Bread). There's a nice simple clarity to the record that makes it easy-listening. Having said that ... I'm not sure I actually *like* this all that much...? just on a personal level; it's fine to listen to but not something I'm going to ever reach for not being much of a country fan (having said that, "Hot Burrito #2" is really good and more along the lines of an early-70s vibe I enjoy). But props to not trying to do too much. And for the 37 minute run-time. Everybody could probably get something out of this for one listen at least. 6/10 3 stars.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin

4/5

Ahh the "acoustic Zeppelin album" (as was poorly nicknamed by friends in middle school) - this was a slow burn if you grew up on "THE CLASSIC HITS" on radio but damn this is so much better than a "superset of zeppelin" on the radio any day. Maybe it's the lack of overkill from old DJs, but likely it's the variety in here that I enjoy. Sure we start off with one of those short hard rock classics in "Immigrant Song" but "Friends" is a really odd change of pace - and a fantastic one. Odd and semi-off-putting chords create this almost Middle Eastern droning effect. Love it. Aside from Friends, the rest of "first side" isn't too out of character - I'm not a big fan of "Since I've Been Loving You" - bluesy yeah yeah we get it get on with it already. Far too long and uninteresting. But surrounded by a few great rockers it's not unfamilar Zeppelin. But the real changes start with "Gallows Pole" through the rest of the album - a lighter touch (meaning laying off the electric guitars / big drums) and some mysterious and lovely chord progressions - very folky and very much *not* bombastic. There's nothing I actively dislike on the album, but I just can't quite bring myself to give it a 5 - perhaps primarily Plant's voice has always been a bit much to take at times and although it's *mostly* perfectly mixed on this album, his blues warblings i'm just all done with by "Hats of to Harper." Overall this is among my favourite Zeppelin works - especially the first 4 cut sequence from side 2 - and I'm not convinced they got much better after this. 9/10 4 stars.

Ill Communication

Beastie Boys

4/5

A little abrasive at times - certainly by design - but the funk and groove in these beats are undeniable. I'm especially drawn to the excessive live instrumentation used (e.g. fuzz bass, drums/percussion) which makes a *huge* difference in terms of overall groove. Hip-hop/rap might not be my expertise but this just kinda rocks (aside from the throwaway thrash tracks - definitely not my bag) and having known nothing outside of "Sabotage" I was surprised and thrilled with the funk and even the instrumentals. Definite keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

George Michael

2/5

I don't know about this album. I mean.... it's really well-crafted pop. Definitely. There's something just *too smooth* about it for me - is it his voice? A lot of it might be his voice - which...he was a great singer. Definitely. But I really enjoy when he sorta aired it out, ya know? e.g. This guy should have joined Queen like 11 seconds after that Freddie Mercury tribute concert because he had the charisma and the voice to carry those tunes. For an example here, the big single "Freedom! '90" shows off some of that, but it's the more exaggerated breathy vocals (even on the same song) that just feel not just overproduced (which is a cliché to be sure) but overwrought. It's almost as if there's a theatrical insincerity to his vocals that I've never been able to get by. In listening both more critically and generously, I would love to have heard more of a live band type of feel to many of these songs - I feel like we'd have had more of an improv feel from his vocals even on the mellower ones. Can definitely see how this was a smash hit and how some would elevate this to great status - just not connecting with it on an emotional or deep level. 5/10 - 2 stars.

Supa Dupa Fly

Missy Elliott

2/5

eh. it's ok. I don't care much for the uber-laid-back style of rap - everything hanging on the back of the beat - so it's never gonna be a favourite; pretty much every song does have a nice soulful feel but they all blend together. Missy has a nice voice though. Preference thing - it's good but the laconic style ends up repetitive and a bit boring. Talented but not my thing. 5/10 2 stars.

Golden Hour

Kacey Musgraves

4/5

I've never been a fan of country outside of the occasional one-off or a few outlaw country albums but I really really like this. The simplicity and clarity of the arrangements, Kacey's almost childlike enunciation and voice seems weirdly authentic and refreshing. Many of the tracks here have more elements than merely country - e.g. vocoder on "Oh, What a World" ?? love it. At the risk of sounding ignorant, I feel like this is like old-school country with modern production, yet avoiding the way-too-common over-produced pitfalls of modern music that make it all so bland and disposable - there's no overlayering or walls of guitars and/or voices; there's just that innocent-sounding clarity to each of these songs that I have no idea why I connect with it ... but maybe I already gave the reasons. 8/10 4 stars.

Hybrid Theory

Linkin Park

1/5

Awful. Unfair but this album/band comprises almost every single thing that I hated about turn-of-the-millenium nu-rock: massive wall of tuned-down guitars so overly compressed and processed within an inch of their lives that sound more like a steel factory than like guitars... and what.is.up with the Cookie Monster vocals - honestly wtf I never understood how that became a thing for a few years. Hard hard nope. I actually kinda get why some people would like this - but I can't get through this overly aggressive unrelenting assault. Did/could not finish. 2/10 1 star.

The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan

3/5

so many disparate thoughts... the entire album sounds like the soundtrack to a low budget local access tv show from the early 80s. but I kind of like it. but I also sort of think it's not that good at all. I mean, we're all here for "Cars" right? it's a classic, my entire elementary school would sing it at lunch. but again... the entire album sorta sounds like an extended remix of Cars.... what's going on here? I love the spacy synth sound until I don't. I like the acoustic drums and bass, making this a real rock band that just has no guitar and a weord robotic singer with not much range. I have never been able to pull this one together - clearly. I suppose I'll admit that I just occasionally enjoy the weird almost amateurish simplicity here despite its repetitive nature. 6/10 3 stars.

The College Dropout

Kanye West

1/5

not gonna give one second of streaming credit to this moron. 0 stars - eat shit you nazi pig

Automatic For The People

R.E.M.

5/5

As a kid of the 80s REM was a band I was "supposed" to like but when my go-to acts were Van Halen and the like.... it was a big/strong/closed-minded NO from me, right on into college. It's the end of the world and guh this song sucks fk no no no no. So I can vividly recall where I was in Cambridge MA in 1992 when I heard "Ignoreland" on the radio without knowing the band until afterwards ("...that was REM? ....hmmm...") - having grown tired of my usual musical interests, I went to Newbury Comics that day and bought my first REM album not having heard a single cut from the rest of it - I took a shot. And loved it all immediately and still do to this day. OK I could honestly skip the treacly hit "Everybody Hurts" every time and never miss it but that just feels like a harmless outlier; that's the only semi-throwaway on the entire album. I'd initially considered "Drive" to be an odd opener; a slow-starter if you will - but I've since seen it as a feature rather than a bug. It preps the listener for so many songs that could be (and were) hit-worthy, and not even counting the gorgeous cuts like "Try Not to Breathe" "Sweetness Follows" and "Nightswimming" - all brilliant highlights. They'd largely moved on from their early days of mumble lyrics and jangly Rickenbacker chords (which only a decade late finally hit me in the right places) and it must have been the perfect time/place for me to embrace this one - while this album rarely if ever sounds huge* this is a lush sounding record driven largely by clear acoustic guitars, and perfectly accompanied by accordions, mandolins, intelligible vocals, and perfectly accessible yet memorable melodies. * the notable/cool exception is the brilliant and huge "Ignoreland" - is this REM channeling early-mid period Who? I mostly don't care much about lyrics but this one strikes a direct hit on the plague that Reagan brought to the US/world, etc. Read those lyrics today in 2022 and sadly/terrifyingly they apply even more. Long-belated thanks to WBCN radio in Boston for that fateful afternoon drive. Tremendous album. 9/10 5 stars.

Rising Above Bedlam

Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart

3/5

Parts of this make me feel as if I were dropped into a 1990 Sesame Street marathon. And so much of the keyboard and drum machine sounds just scream of an old Benneton commercial. OK seriously - this is fairly complex in places and more interesting than I'm giving credit for - it's never going to be a favourite due to the genre, but there's enough catchy bass lines and varied instruments (notable: guitar on "Everyman's An Island" and guest vocals by Sinead on "Visions Of You" was a nice touch - could've used more of that) to make this decent, outside the often-dated sounds. Not necessarily memorable but very listenable. 5/10 3 stars.

Floodland

Sisters Of Mercy

3/5

It takes exactly one second to figure out which decade this was made in. (gated reverb drums although it certainly sounds like it's just a programmed drum machine). I do quite like the mostly minor key of most of this album; the 80s goth mood is definitely intriguing and cool (even if i didn't at all like this kind of thing at the time). It's just that so much of the instrumentation (drum machine in particular; keyboards) sounds so very dated and often too much so. Not sure why this in particular is so noticeable to me but it becomes a little distracting and often detracts from the songs - e.g. not the fact that there's a drum machine but that there's often little variation in the rhythm (and it's also mixed so damn hot; esp on "Never Land" yeeeeesh turn that snare down) - it's a bit soulless/joyless. Again... it's hard to distill that from the intent and what gives this a unique sound but it often makes it fall just short of me connecting as much as I think I could have or really want to. Would enjoy hearing again but it's a bit short of elite. 5/10 3 stars.

Hotel California

Eagles

3/5

This will be impossible to grade fairly. I always thought as a kid: "who doesn't hate the Eagles??" meanwhile conveniently ignoring that 32 million people bought this album. Even 10-15 years ago I'd have panned this upon seeing it, but I seem to be more open-minded (and perhaps nostalgic about some) about music and sweeping aside the easy jokes and constant classic rock airplay... I'm ready to give this a new ear. First of all - and easiest to discuss: how can you deny the awesomeness of the title track? Can't be done - it's a great song; the haunting opening, the dramatic lyrical build throughout the song, and of course the fantastic double-guitar solo. Ah nearly everyone on earth knows this - nothing new here. The rest? I mean - I did truly dislike "New Kid In Town" but <ahem> mature ears and really listening to this song for the first time in probably uhh 35 years - wow that transition from verses to chorus is really gorgeous - great songwriting. Dammit I'm finding new things to appreciate in this. Maybe I didn't want to admit this to myself. "Life In The Fast Lane" - the 3rd big hit and another you hear all the time... again it's often hard to separate the cliche and the fact that if you're over 35? you've heard this song 3172 times, mostly unwillingly. It's fine-to-good. It's after that where it starts getting ... Eagle-ish? Syrupy ballads (with the exception of "Victim of Love" which is an average-at-best hard rock song that is completely unmemorable) that maybe don't entirely harken back to their country-rock roots but do a good job of ... boring me. Let's cut to it here: this album is built on the monstrous first 3 cuts, all of which were or/and still are big hits. The rest is kinda wasted time <rimshot> Even though I'll never voluntarily put this on I'll be generous and acknowledge the historic aspect of the album and the enduring quality of those first few songs. 6/10 3 stars

Surf's Up

The Beach Boys

4/5

Hold up if you "don't like the Beach Boys" (i.e. me)...: I'd never heard anything off of this and when I saw "Beach Boys" it was predictable disappointment. I never caught on to any of their music; the admittedly impressive vocal harmonies and perfectly crafted major melodies had always missed me as being less dramatic or frankly interesting than music I usually gravitate towards. But the dark and mysterious cover actually does give some insight to what's inside; aside from the opening obvious vocal calling card... this doesn't sound anything at all like "The Beach Boys™" - mostly gone are the thick 3 and 4 part harmonies in favour of far more variety and creative progressions. And even if you're of the sort where lyrics tend to be secondary to the music, it's impossible to miss the obvious soft concept running through this one: environmental and societal concerns abound on virtually every song give each of these more weight than any typical surf song they'd built a career on. And musically it's a complete changeup - e.g. listen to "Disney Girls (1957)" which is far more complex and difficult than it seems, which shows how impressive it is. "A Day In the Life of a Tree" is just weird and lush and gorgeous. No giant or quick big melodic chorus or hooks within, I had to immediately play the entire (short) album again to really digest this - mark of a creative album. The highlight overall is "Feel Flows" - the best song on this [and I do know this from the film "Almost Famous"] album and definitely the best Beach Boys song I've ever heard - so good, mysterious/sad/happy all at once - some great studio effects on the piano and vocals that add to the mood. The only real miss for me is "Student Demonstration Time" - a dullish bluesy number that seems out of place even here on what to me is a (beautifully)n out of place album - it's lyrically simple and a bit dull overall. But overall this album's melodies and craft seem to carry forward echoes of highly melodic bands 10-20 years later like Jellyfish and XTC. I definitely didn't think I'd enjoy this but there you go - it's not flawless but I'm glad to have been given the chance to be surprised and discover it. A keeper. 7/10 4 stars

Dare!

The Human League

3/5

Almost the essence of what I stereotypically think of as an early-80s robotic synth pop sound. Completely dated but that's probably the point of this being influential - I don't know how often this kind of sound broke through to the masses before this. Even if I only know the smash single it all has a familiarity to it; giving it a generous 3 as it doesn't have much that "sticks" but at ~40 minutes is short enough to not get annoying (and I kind of like that the hit is the last track). It is admittedly kind of fun; definitely worth putting on at a party. Sneaky best song: "Seconds" 6/10 3 stars

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music

3/5

Second Roxy Music album. Roxy are a great example of why this 1001 album exercise is a blast - I had almost completely bypassed all of Roxy's work until this past year. Highly varied and interesting British rock. Such a dull and lame description but how else do you describe this band? They rock out right at the start with "Do The Strand" then they tap a bit into glam on "Beauty Queen" - and what the hell even is "Strictly Confidential" - almost a touch of early Genesis in there...? "Editions of You" adds a touch of (not shitty) punk into the glam... and this all in the first half of the album. All along the way topped by Bryan Ferry's adaptable vocal styles...In recalling "Country Life" I believe I thought of Bryan Ferry as "a better Bowie" - odd inflections in his vocal stylings that - forced or not - works way way better for me than anything Bowie ever did. Also this music is far superior (ending the Bowie comparisons right now) - this was a band in the truest sense i.e. it was not the Ferry Show by any means: individual performances from each of keys/sax/guitar/drums all stand out. On the negative side... this album is difficult to really dig into - it is a bit weird-weird. i.e. It's tough to latch onto many hooks or memorable phrasing, especially in the second half / side. But I'll turn that around and say it's a feature not a bug - actually it almost pains me to say that this is not that much unlike Velvet Underground ... only the biggest difference is that this band doesn't suck ass. So in the end - I don't think I like this as much as "Country Life" even though that one took a few listens to really start to catch me. I could see this being another slow burn but I'm going to round down here due to songwriting that's just not quite there yet. Weird fun art rock but lacking just a bit of lure that emerges on other Roxy records. 6/10 3 stars.

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa

4/5

Frank Zappa released something like 412 albums during (and after) his life so the great thing if you like Zappa is that if someone doesn't like one of his albums, you can steer them in almost literally any other musical direction with another of his releases. Of course with some of them you might need to be mindful of the audience as some of the lyrical content gets a bit *questionable* let's say. Only leading with that because this one barely has any vocals/lyrics at all ("Willie the Pimp" - which incidentally is most definitely not Frank on vocals). If you're immediately turned off from/by instrumental albums this is still worth a spin or two - there's a rock/jazz feel to it that has just the right balance - it doesn't go off into too esoteric a space nor does it simplify to the point of boredom. I'd put myself in the "I like Zappa" category (emphasis on *like*, not love) and one of the things that might be impossible for me to extricate from my enjoyment of this album is that lack of vocals. I actually like Frank's voice and *some* of the vocalists that he had through the years but on too many of his albums the lyrics were often a 30 year old's idea of a dirty middle school song - completely distracting at best and downright stupid at worst. "The Gumbo Variations" is the one that is just too long. Venturing dangerously into "jam" territory which is like....get on with it already. In a vacuum though I'll just call this record "cool" - some memorable and catchy musical phrasing throughout. This is the Zappa album that can be mostly enjoyed by musicians, nerds, geeks, rockers, sportos, motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, and dickheads alike. 7/10 4 stars.

Dry

PJ Harvey

1/5

Listening to this makes me feel like I'm looking for bugs in a dirty apartment complex; I suddenly open a dark and dingy closet and this is the soundtrack of what would blast at me with 200 silverfish scurrying out. Appropriately titled album. Low effort music, repetitive nonsense, lo-fi. No appeal whatsoever. 2/10 1 star.

Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

2/5

Well I can say that it's not *anywhere* near as bad as the previous THREE albums with Nick Cave (there's no way he didn't blackmail the author/s.). I try to stay objective but thus far when literally more than 1% of the albums thus far are Nick Cave or his crappy offshoots I start to get a little itchy seeing his name pop up this morning... OK OK OK to be fair...this is different. And a different singer would have made this album pretty decent. It really is far better than the previous Nick Cave I've heard - bigger and better mixes, less dry, and better arrangements: in many songs there is clearly more emphasis on melodic craft and instrumentation than his typical gargling vocals. There are definite highlights here. Some songs like "There She Goes, My Beautiful World" even succeed despite him, or generously perhaps... his voice is mixed low enough to actually compliment the song and not be a distraction. There's almost a touch of David Byrne in this? "Nature Boy" is another nice one - a dash of middle/late Springsteen perhaps? A touch of Warren Zevon in some of the slower ballads? "Supernaturally" has a rousing feel to it, like a Spirit of the West shanty. It's all more creative than I'd expected based on previous (more punk/aggressive/noisy) recordings - points for that. I only wish the rest of this (long) album could be like the non-gargle-voice tracks, and some of the slower ones do plod a bit. Honestly - cut this down to a 7-8 song single album and I'd have definite interest. 5/10 2 stars.

Electric Music For The Mind And Body

Country Joe & The Fish

1/5

The album might have been mind-blowing for 1967 but wow there's really not a lot of "there" there. Psychedelia in the lamest-sense - not really even a collection of songs, just more of a soundscape that does not resonate at 7am to be sure. I'll take their Woodstock performance for a one-off humor trip but this is easily forgotten at best and kinda awful at worst. 3/10 1 star.

Spy Vs. Spy: The Music Of Ornette Coleman

John Zorn

1/5

what the fkng hell was definitely down for some cool jazz, not this absolute and utter mess. Would - or could - have been amusing if there was one 45 second passage like this to start the album, then it settled into something listenable, but it does not - it's a chaotic violent garbage plate of musicians who might know their jazz but they play it like they've been on coke for 48 hours and in between have been fed pixie stix. Or the creatures from the movie Gremlins but sped up to 16x the speed and insanity. What an exhausting disaster. I tortured myself and made it through. This is unquestionably in the small runoff for worst albums I've ever heard. 1/10 1 star.

Gris Gris

Dr. John

2/5

A bit unusual for me but I've always liked Dr John's voice, only being familiar with his rare hits or the occasional crossing over into the wider public eye. The problem here is the music. I'll appreciate weirdness and offbeat melodies but when it meanders is when things start to go off the rails. (esp on tracks 2 and 5 - Danse Kalinda Ba Boom and Croker Courtbullion) The very rare record where I wish there was *more* singing from the main vocalist. I suppose this serves as an intro to Dr John? But there's more aimless 60s psychedelia here than anything else which I'm slowly learning is a subgenre that I... do not find much or any comfort nor interest in. If there was better Dr J. to come - and I know there was - I'd much have rather heard that. This is the right singer - must've been the wrong album. ;) 4/10 2 stars

Come Away With Me

Norah Jones

4/5

Didn't really love the laconic lead single when it came out so my enthusiasm was a bit tepid upon playing this ... But I'm glad I stuck with it - it's a nice easy-listening album but not without complexity. As is often the case, the single is the least-interesting song on the album. Probably what I appreciate most is the space within the album. One can easily envision themselves in a very small club listening to the band perform these tracks as is. The tracks are tight in an intimate way; raw yet still polished but not overly smooth. Again - picture a very small stage with 4 musicians playing to a late-night Sunday gathering. Highlight of the album is "Nightingale" - a great example of taking a simple 3 chord progression and turning it into something special, both in vocals and instrumentation (n.b. especially outstanding drumming). Although i can't necessarily see myself always in the mood for it it's just a real nice album for a quiet night. 7/10 4 stars.

Beggars Banquet

The Rolling Stones

4/5

Written as one who would always take the Beatles over the Stones..... this is pretty great. This was the beginning of their classic run, jumping out of the peaceful 60s and headlong into dirty blues-based rock, leading off with inarguably one of the handful of most famous rock songs ever released and really one of the best. I could get picky and say how great can a song be with the same chord progression for 6 minutes but damn "Sympathy For The Devil" is one of the greatest almost *because* of that. If you're more a music-before-lyrics fan (mea culpa) here's maybe your best exception possible. I recall as a kid following along with the words accompanied by not a little anxiousness: singing about dead bodies, revolutions...it's brilliant. Almost anything after that will pale by comparison - and to be fair it does - but also doesn't try to compete with the power of Sympathy. The Stones' brand of country-blues takes flight here and I find it far more palatable than their lauded and frankly aimless, meandering, and boring "Exile..." just a few years later. The only single from the album was "Street Fighting Man" and I'm finding I like it now far more than I did growing up... my perceived lack of constant musical progression within some of their songs doesn't seem as important or necessary when they had a great sense of arrangement and build like this one does. "Stray Cat Blues" is another grimy rocker. I even like the slower acoustic/country type songs, there's a structure and discipline to each of these tracks that makes every cut listenable ...wait, maybe I kinda like the Stones after all??? 8/10 4 stars

Moondance

Van Morrison

4/5

Van has some highly infectious songs on this collection and it would be hard to be inoculated against falling for timeless classics like "Into the Mystic" "Crazy Love" or "Moondance" - that would just be a conspiracy. Why, you'd have to own the media to refute such pseudoscience. Hey, I'm just asking the questions. It's too bad that at particular period of time (1970) he couldn't have been locked down and quarantined yet alas, he had the freedom to go on shedding his fake news all over humanity lo these many decades since. 7/10 4 stars for the music only. Not for the shithead who won't be missed when he inevitably keels over bloated and dead from his own freedom.

A Short Album About Love

The Divine Comedy

2/5

I always appreciate and often love well-crafted melodic pop music, and this seems to qualify. Yet sadly after 32 minutes I'm left with not much I remember, which is frustrating. The vocals are occasionally slightly off-putting; a bit musical theater-ish maybe, but not enough to derail it on its own... as for the music, there's almost too much polish, too much that's evened out here - i.e. I can think of nothing that sticks out either instrumentally, or a creative bridge, chord progression, hook, vocal.... it just sort of washes over you in a (pleasant, to be sure) hurry and after the half-hour I'm left with "wait, what did I just listen to again?" 5/10 2 stars.

Fred Neil

2/5

While I appreciate the fact that he was a big influence on many greats from the late 60s/70s, and wrote some classics including the excellent "Everybody's Talkin'" (...which I actually like Nilsson's version better...) .. I don't really like the album. And it's almost entirely his voice. It's not bad, really. He occasionally approaches a bit of Gord Lightfoot and someone else of the era that I just can't put my finger on.... yet it seems to always in my mind deteriorate into almost a campy tent revivalist style. I half expect him to start singing at me either about my soul or some elixir he's trying to sell me. I'mma pass on this one and actually pick up on some of his covers instead. 3/10 2 stars.

At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

2/5

[reviewing the original 7 track album, not the week-long reissues...] So. I like the Allman Brothers, and was lucky enough to see a later period show of theirs around 1991. Great musicians - each of them, and there was a chemistry on stage that was unique. To be more specific...I like their songs. THEIR songs. I like the beautiful melodies, the intricate time signatures, the dual guitar shredding. All of it came out in their original music....in a *slightly* ;) more concise formatting. This is a long-winded way of me getting around to saying this: while this album is a nice timestamp of their "legendary jams" in the early days.... most of it isn't their music, and just long long LONNNNNNNG blues jams. Which sounds cool and all but at best ends up as background music for me. Jamming for 10 minutes over one chord... man. It's a bit odd because it seems to work out more than fine in a live setting (i.e. when you're actually there) and is fun and you feel part of that on-the-spot creative performance. But on record....ok. come on. It's like get on with it already. I'll say it: it's *boring* - do i need 20 minutes of "You Don't Love Me" - no I do not. I do not love you. Next song. NEXT song. NEXT. It's occasionally nice to listen to and again - great chemistry - but this is definitely not for everyone, or I'd even say most. I'm not a huge jamming fan so I can get through it once every few (many) years. If you love the jams oh man you MUST hear this. And. if you hate jamming well don't even bother:) I hate to do the Allmans dirty like this because their 4 albums around this are great and if this is playing somewhere...sure, I'll be good with it - but I'm not reaching for it by choice. Ironic highlight: "Hot 'Lanta" (ironic because after I rip the long jams....this is one long-ish ("only" 5+ minutes) jam piece but it's original and jazzy and absolutely sticks out from the rest of the mediocre material) In a word: meandering. 5/10 2 stars.

Disintegration

The Cure

4/5

The idea of me ~30 yrs ago giving The Cure any respect whatsoever is hilarious; I was so stupidly-prejudiced against this band that I never gave them any semblance of a chance while I was basking in late 80s loud/turn it up to 11 guitar rock. Robert Smith's kinda whiny and somewhat prancy British vocals :P were an immediate and stubborn NOPE for me - "man somebody get me some David Lee Roth dammit." Times change but the music remains for me to have re-evaluated many many times over and this album is awesome - no apologies to 17 yr old me. I knew years ago I'd like the Cure as soon as I'd set my mind to it - moody synths combined with minor-key guitar riffs and emotional vocals - there's nothing *not* to like for me, even (or even especially?) while still affirming any semblance of guitar-worship I once had. There are so many hilites here - starting with the perfect album opener "Plainsong" - lush and melodic but (of course) at the same time moody and sad; it washes over the listener giving a perfect intro to the next hour. "Pictures of You" and "Lovesong" were/are the perfect singles and really hold up ... "Last Dance" has almost an 80s/modern prog feel at times - not unlike Marillion in parts ... the hypnotic and almost evil-sounding "Prayers for Rain" might be my favourite. I haven't heard this in its entirety in years and one of the great aspects that strikes me is that it sounds both from the 80s yet not *of* the 80s. It's not nearly as dated as I'd expected. If I had one complaint it's that it runs too long for my liking - ideally would have cut maybe 2-3 of the uber-long tracks at the end - but with no bad cuts this is still an easy keeper. 9/10 4 stars

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

4/5

This is what the soundtrack would have been to a more serious/depressing "Peanuts" special, but set in the adult world. Snoopy as an aged dog, wandering the streets after Charlie Brown left home... Linus becomes an addict and ends up working at the docks where blankets are most definitely not allowed.... n.b. that's the highest of compliments. Peanuts rule. Labeling this "jazz" might be accurate but it's not describing it at all. Super accessible but not in a simplistic way. I love the melodies he composes on the spot - his occasional vocal outbursts add to the live feel - the record wouldn't have been the same without those. I've owned this record for years and never am sure how I came by it - maybe inherited from an older relative, tucked away between old Elvis Costello and Cars albums. But it's been a Sunday morning go-to for a while - perfect soundtrack for a quiet snowy day. Even if you think you hate jazz, give it a shot. This isn't bebop; it's more just instrumental melodic composition. Love it and definitely recommended for all. 8/10 4 stars

Hunky Dory

David Bowie

2/5

6th Bowie album out of the first 411. Come. On. I don't think I have much effort anymore with Bowie reviews; my last one (which felt like last week) was for Aladdin Sane and I made commentary about how I felt like I could copy/paste my previous Bowie review.... and since that absolutely once again applies here, I'll just *literally* copy/paste, while replacing a few specifics. I stand by it: -------copy/paste------ Without looking, I'd bet I could copy/paste my review from _Aladdin Sane_. It's a catchy-at-first early 70s rock album that I slowly get tired of because I'm just not able to really be moved by Bowie's music. It's fine - starting with "_Changes_" which is perhaps his most famous cut and deservedly-so. It's admittedly timeless and very well-crafted musically ..... And the cut "_Life On Mars?_" is a nice diversion from the initial track - but then it just gets...Bowie-ish. And if you're a Bowie fan I can see how you'd like this but his voice is always a little distracting for me. On a positive note, aside from "Low" which feels to me like an Eno record that Bowie happens to sing on, this is probably one of the more-enjoyable or perhaps immediately-accessible records of his but I'll never voluntarily put it on. It feels like I always use his voice as a cop-out because there are plenty of artists who I listen to that I don't necessarily like the singer's voice and I like the music. It's as simple as this even if I can't articulate it well: I don't connect with his music on any emotional level - can just appreciate it from a distance. -----end self-plagiarism----- TL;DR: I don't hate his music, I just don't really *like* it or ever connect with it and after so many years don't really care that much. 5/10 2 stars

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Public Enemy

5/5

BASS! The album that woke me to rap both in terms of music and lyrics - it was the natural progression of rebellious r&b rock and roll. And as much as I love Chuck D - the best rapper/lyricist in history don't even question it - it's the beats and music that make this album essential - e.g. "Don't Believe the Hype" is as funky as possible with the James Brown samples - it's an immediate groove. Flavor Flav is less annoying on this album than he'd be soon afterwards - he's a great foil for Chuck when his adlibs are interspersed amidst a song but I still maintain he doesn't carry a song on his own. Having said that, it does almost provide a perfect break in the relentless album (e.g. "Cold Lampin'" brings a silly levity between "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic"). Impossible to pick a favourite track or two off this since it's almost a non-stop aural assault, but "Bring the Noise" is among the all-time GET THE HELL *UP* opening tracks in music history. "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" might be my favourite with Isaac Hayes' music propelling the mid-tempo fury of Chuck D's rap. Or no, it might be "Louder Than A Bomb" ... Eh words words words - greatest rap album of all-time and one of my favourites of any genre. 10/10 5 stars

Paul's Boutique

Beastie Boys

5/5

When "Fight For Your Right to Party" came out it was humorous for/as a teenager but honestly still kinda sucked - the kind of joke that worked once or twice then got tired; hard pass on the Beasties for me then. And as an aside I wasn't ready for hiphop at all yet. Then this album hit and a friend of mine bought it and played it for me and .... holy hell - this was completely different. I still found it hard to break from my "traditional" rock roots and pretending to be offended at all the classic samples that were used (e.g. Zeppelin, Isley Bros, Curtis Mayfield, Beatles, etc) so I merely stuck to the immediately-accessible "funny" cuts like "Shake Your Rump" (that BASS) and "Hey Ladies" at first. But damn. This album is awesome. It was a new artform and it sounds idiotic but once I let myself be open to it I loved the entire album almost immediately. The time and creativity spent to craft the beats is almost unimaginable to me - fitting it all together to make 15+ songs that are (mostly) catchy as hell, not to mention the really good and rhythmic raps. The only negatives are I suppose what I'd deem hangovers from their first album - the humour occasionally isn't all that funny; the infantile stuff barely passed back then and now just doesn't work for me. BUT it's almost entirely ignorable because even as they're being young morons :P the beats are so good and funky that I've already forgotten (or just not paid attention to) them, but a small personal deduction for immaturity. Lesson for my younger self: don't be a closed-minded idiot. This is a classic. 9/10 4 stars.

I'm Your Man

Leonard Cohen

1/5

o my GODDDDDD i am not listening to any more of this man's shitty music AGAIN 4 of his albums?!?!?!????? GET BENT and and and on this one his horrid MIXED WAY UP FRONT IN YOUR FACE vocals get treated with sequencers, the worst of 80s keyboard sounds, and drum machines? Also this dead emporer was buried with no clothes: these lyrics are embarrassing. I need to be more clear: this is utter utter shit. 0/10 and chafed that I can't give 0 stars

Fetch The Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple

2/5

This one is a challenge - not always or necessarily in a bad way. It's just absolutely not readily-accessible even after a few listens - I first heard it upon release and thought "interesting" but nothing stuck. Or continues to stick. I think it's the exact intent and nature of the album that makes it seemingly-impenetrable: it's aggressive, very percussive, and not smooth in any way which if someone was only familiar with Fiona's debut album it's a bit of a switch especially on the first ~3 tracks. She's almost creatively rap-singing on many of the songs which creatively acts as a perfect accompaniment to the percussive elements of the album. There's very little that's "normal" about this record - there's no 3 1/2 minute standard singles with a catchy chorus or hook, or nothing close to that; it's like a smattering of paint thrown across a large canvas then before drying it was pushed into slightly-familiar patterns. That description makes it sound...terrible, and it *is* frustrating. Frustrating enough to say that I don't think I could voluntarily put this on, as opposed to earlier works of Apple's. But I do think there's value in giving it a listen or two - it's an impressive effort towards art, even if I'm not entirely sure whether I actually like it or not ... (and steer towards the latter.... ) 5/10 2 stars

Nowhere

Ride

3/5

I've always been somewhat lukewarm to the shoegaze and emo bands - rarely do I dislike them, but it's hard to describe - it's almost like even when bands like Ride were new/fresh in the early 90s they already all had a sameness to them. Not necessarily bad, but so much of the music truly became interchangeable to me. In a parallel way to the 80s I can probably pinpoint the release date/s of albums like this within a year. Bringing it back to this album by Ride - I've listened to it from time to time and always enjoyed it a bit but if someone put it on by surprise would I be able to identify this as Ride as opposed to one of a handful of brief shining star bands like Mystery Machine? Maybe that's ok - because this album really is almost a soundscape; a mood. Vocals mixed very low and a likely-intentional lack of clarity and high-end both in said vocals and overall give it that almost-muddy cape of sound that just overtakes you as you listen. So AGAIN like similar albums this isn't one I can say "oh these ~3 songs are my favourites" - it's more a "put on the entire album"* listen and pretend like I'm in college again. 6/10 3 stars *"the entire album" meaning the original 8 tracks; extended versions are often just too much.

Pink Flag

Wire

3/5

From someone who does not "like" punk rock... I've always liked this. Not as frenetically chaotic as many punk bands - this is more melodic than most (I'm not a fan of the most aggressive songs (e.g. Surgeon's Girl) but then again, they're over in usually less than 2 minutes :D...). At its best it's good British rock and I feel like it seems to have more in common with some Britpop than I'd realized. Not for everyday consumption but who doesn't want to occasionally slam dance around the living room and terrorize the family. 21 songs in 36 minutes. It's an aggressive but fun trip. 6/10 3 stars.

Endtroducing.....

DJ Shadow

3/5

I love the concept - trip hop with no vocals, mostly samples put together to create a groove. There's a lot to enjoy here - e.g. I love tracks like "Changeling" and "What Does Your Soul Look Like/4" "Stem/Long Stem"- that's how I want the entire record to sound; not exactly the same, but these are tracks that you can really feel. The negatives though....it's inconsistent overall, especially early on; there are many jarring moments (e.g. "Mutual Slump"); too often for me the tracks are aimless and don't go anywhere. The sounds and grooves are individually pretty cool but too often it's hard to really settle in. It's a bit of nitpicking - overall I like it, would listen again and probably selectively pick out 6-7 tracks. 7/10 3 stars

Dust

Screaming Trees

2/5

I'm pretty sure I could/would have liked these guys better back in the day (and now) if the music wasn't accompanied by the sadly sorta quintessential 90s slacker vocals. Evan Dando esque. I often sound hypocritical to myself as I mostly don't care about vocals/lyrics but I find that I do on a negative level (e.g. if they're distracting or bring everything down) and Screaming Trees are a perfect example. Almost zero emotion, low register, low effort... just the entire package immediately dulls any potential edges for me. There's nothing *bad* here - the guitar sounds are really nice and clean; it's a great *sounding* rock album. It's just very boring with virtually every song carrying simple and safe chord progressions. I'll make note of the odd and out of nowhere keyboard solo in "Sworn and Broken" which was maybe the first thing that caught my ear but even that seemed forced - like someone was thinking "we've gotta break outta the mold" and slapped that on. A small step up from Pavement and nowhere near the better of the new crop of 90s rock artists that freshened up the entire genre. 3/10 2 stars.

Californication

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2/5

I'm getting this outta the way first, because it's the first thing I thought after groaning upon seeing this album's picture this morning: there's not going to be a situation - now, nor looking forward into the future for 100 years (yes I am living that long) - where i'm not going to wish Anthony Kiedis was never a singer and I'd never heard of him. Just.the.worst. <Ok? are you done?> Yeah yeah I'm done, and it's a shame. Because the rest of this band is so good - in musicianship, creativity, spontaneity. It's frustrating because this band came so far from their first few albums - the music on this album from song to song is incredibly diverse - some beautiful and subtle moods in "Scar Tissue" - great rock songwriting and arrangements all around from "Around The World" to the funky "Get On Top" - but a song like "Right On Time" is a perfect example of what I can't listen to. I'd heard the big singles for years on the radio but never put on this album in full and in doing so today...discovered that this is one of the handful of worst-sounding / poorly mixed records I've ever heard from a major band. The mixes range from either not-great to just bad; e.g. Parallel Universe - what the hell happened to any low end on this song. So much of that song - and most of the others - is compressed within an inch of destruction - becoming really tiring on the ears pretty damn quickly. And holy crap - everything is just so damn "hot" and distorted - pops and crackles galore on every single song and seems to get worse as the album goes on - it all does a huge disservice to the music. I'll put the blame on producer Rick Rubin here even if he didn't mix it himself; ffs give us back *dynamics* in rock music - this was a dogshit job. A lot of what I love about this 1001 albums exercise is to challenge you (me) to revisit any preconceived notions about acts, good and bad. RHCP is one I've come closer to liking because of the music, but they'll never be a favourite because of well.... and damn a remix of this album is goddamn necessary. 5/10 2 stars.

Real Life

Magazine

3/5

So many thoughts in just the first 3 minutes here - I love how the album starts - the musical introduction in "Definitive Gaze" - but then the vocals start and ...GAK. It just doesn't seem to match at all for me - at first I'm thinking this is gonna be a cool art-rock maybe moving slightly into a light-proggy realm but now is it punk?? and if so why? Which would be fine I suppose but for me the snotty vocals are ruining what could have been an interesting project. Even just sticking with this opening cut - the dissonance of the breakdown/bridge even has a touch of some Joe Jackson or other advanced new wave. The track would have been a great instrumental. ... Ehh a funny thing happened along the way though after writing those live-ish thoughts. ...I kind of got used to the vocals. And.... hmm. Do I actually kind of *like* this?? It's weird. Kind of wonderfully weird in parts. Not all songs are equal of course :P - there's some throwaway material that just didn't develop into good songs (e.g. "Parade") and the overt punkish songs is just not my bag. After 5-6 minutes I was convinced I was going to give this a 1 or 2 but the weirdness wins out. Holy hell this isn't for everyone and my family was ready to kill me while this was playing but the high points are much more melodic than I'd have expected. I might sneak this in from time to time. 6/10 3 stars.

Group Sex

Circle Jerks

1/5

i absolutely LOVELOVELOVE .... that this was only 16 minutes long. TL;DR: no. 1 star.

At Mister Kelly's

Sarah Vaughan

2/5

First off - I love the uncut very live feel (obviously since it IS live) of this record, especially how it starts with a very understated talk to the audience then introduction. And the talent on this is tremendous. But. Man, I hate giving an obvious talent a low personal ranking - I really do. There's just no getting around my personal disinterest in old time vocal jazz. Which I can't entirely explain because I love old instrumental jazz combos - just adding in the vocals crushes any mystery or intrigue for me. Fully acknowledging Sarah Vaughan's talents, I can hear them, I can appreciate them, it's just not my thing. 5/10 2 stars

All Things Must Pass

George Harrison

4/5

I'm not entirely sure why this album didn't connect with me when I was younger. There are no songs that are worse than average and the best are truly excellent. Lennon/McCartney definitely edged out a great songwriter and it really would have been nice to perhaps have heard many of these songs as Beatles songs, accompanied by their musicianship and backing vocals. Having said that there's a sameness that takes over and perhaps I was more picky about that in previous years - I do wonder if there was some inherent bias by my expecting or wanting to hear J/P/R sing a bit after listening to so much George over and over. Although that's not fair - this is his damn album. Still, it's kind of impossible to separate each of the Beatles' solo work from their former group. Unfair for sure but how can you not. e.g. there's not as much edginess with George's solo material and as a result if it's missing anything it's a bit of that old mystique. I'm a little harsh tho as aside from the great classic hits a song like "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp" provides a bit of that and almost sounds like a precursor to Peter Gabriel+Genesis. "Art of Dying" is another hidden gem. I will say that it's too long, although understandable since he was apparently yearning to break out and write his own material. At any rate blah blah it really is an excellent album overall and worthy of classic status. 8/10 4 stars

Cross

Justice

1/5

This sounds exactly like 2 guys got hopped up on goofballs and had access to Ableton Live for 72 hours and endless sound patches. Individually on a very micro level the sounds are really interesting. Drop in at almost any point for 20 seconds and something cool is going on. The problem is that *none* of these work as songs. And after wayyyy too short a time this is exhausting, literally. It's an assault on your ears. Like "let's cram EVERY hardcore saw wave synth patch into these and change sounds every 30 seconds!" enough, please. And fuuuuuu... the sidechain pumping is off the charts nauseating (that sense of pumping on the beat every 2 or 4 beats. it's too too much. all.the.time) Headphones on for a "whoa!" experience but take them off after half a minute before you get dizzy. 2/10 1 star

The Downward Spiral

Nine Inch Nails

1/5

Van Gogh was not crazy - just perhaps ahead of his time. My ears are crying. 1/10 1 star.

Moon Safari

Air

4/5

How many bands/acts are more appropriately named than "Air" is? The name fits them to a T - the music is airy and light and non-threatening (mostly) instrumental music that still has a tiny slice of mysterious progression to it. And it all does sound so French :D The biggest negative for me is that I don't like the vocal songs much; they almost detract from the vibe which one can easily lose themselves in. This is the kind of mood and sound I like from downbeat electronic music. There's a sameness to a lot of it to be sure but I feel like I can play Air in almost any setting or mood. Feeling like I may not put this on as much as most 4s but it still feels worthy. 7/10 4 stars.

Smash

The Offspring

1/5

With having to revisit so many faux-angsty 90s loud no dynamics super high tempo distortion drenched power chords shouty vocal albums of late, I'm no longer wondering why mainstream guitar rock died. File under: boring (see also: awful). 2/10 1 star

The Village Green Preservation Society

The Kinks

4/5

Another early Kinks album to continue revising my opinion of this band, at least the early period of their work. It's so damn British and fun, and I write once again that in almost the exact same way the very early Who were - and I'm writing this as a long time Who fan, but the overall songwriting is better here. "Phenomenal Cat" would have fit comfortably on The Who Sell Out. "Do You Remember Walter?" is the immediate favourite, but there's so much variety of styles on the album that it's easy to find a new hilite upon each listen. Tempo changes and various instrumentation both keep the songs fresh - dammit we always need more flute in popular music. I'm not sure what's keeping me from giving this a 5, perhaps a touch of previous unfamiliarity but there's nothing I don't love about virtually all the songs both in sound/composition and the almost nostalgic subject matter. It might come down to a slight disconnect with the actual playing... too often when I listen to The Kinks I wish they could have played a bit more recklessly or without abandon. ...kind of like The Who, to continue to beat the hell out of that comparison. Which to be fair the reserved playing might make this even more authentically British. Overall an excellent musical trip and an absolute keeper of an album. 9/10 4.5 stars

Bone Machine

Tom Waits

1/5

It's the vocals. If course - it's always the vocals that ruin absolutely everything. The earth died screaming and I died listening to this. Tom Waits... I can see him having some small - SMALL - cult following but there's no goddamn way this or anything else I've ever heard from him should approach any list of something I need to hear before I die. If he'd given the tracks to someone else - anyone else - to sing over this it could have been something real nice. But he didn't, and it's not. Wrecked. 2/10 1 star

Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton

4/5

As a little kid the family would get together every few weeks at my older cousins' house and they had a killer collection of records (to my 6yr old eyes at least). There would be a lull in playing outside or an hour to kill and for one summer I would do the same thing each time: ask someone to hook me up with the cool headphones with the 10' curly cord and put on Frampton Comes Alive and I would listen in solitude. I never actually owned the album, just listened for hours upon hours to it each family gathering. It's too easy decades later to dismiss this album as simple classic or even corporate rock (whatever that means which is nothing other than popular) but this was different - how else could a previously mostly little known solo artist suddenly release a live album and sell 187 quibillion copies of it. It seems to have just hit every box at the time and from my admittedly foggy childhood memory these songs were all OVER the radio. Not sure about hilites other than ... the talkbox. Truth: that was probably the biggest initial draw for a little kid so "Do You Feel..." has to top anything else - the perfect concert and album closer here. Prior to today I don't know if I've even considered listening to this album in the last ...30? years - just have slowly tired of a lot of guitar or classic rock but it's very cool how feelings come back immediately just hearing it. In headphones obviously. In retrospect it's not earth shattering on its own, but does it have to be? It was and is a document of the time - it sounds great, is a fun rock record and the live aspect of it puts it over the top. 8/10 4 stars

São Paulo Confessions

Suba

3/5

I don't have much experience or enough knowledge to talk about various genres of electronic music... but I know what I like, and I do like this. There's a chill (downtempo?) vibe that makes it excellent semi-active background music. The vocals I'm back and forth on.... occasionally a bit distracting and only works best when easing into the background and letting the groove take over. Not my forte but I would definitely listen to this again. 7/10 3 stars.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John

5/5

I don't know what to tell someone that doesn't like this album - after being fed a recent diet of low-fi punk, DIY indie rock, and fake-angry 90s loud guitar bands, listening to this absolutely ridiculous pompous grandiose overly long self-indulgent magnum opus ... confirms its status as an goddamn all-time classic. This isn't Lou Reed and thank fkng god for that. Put "Funeral for a Friend" in the pantheon of greatest and most appropriate album openers ever recorded - building up dramatically in mood and tempo to the relatively straightforward rocker "Love Lies Bleeding" (ht to Dee Murray's bass line in that song) ... holy hell the first 4/5 songs up thru the title cut would be a greatest hits for 99% of artists. OK even though I love it, it's not perfect. Yeah there are plenty of radio hits (even to this day) to satisfy the curious listener but many of the deep cuts I'll say can get ... weird, at best. And they're not all great - there are at least 4 or 5 throwaways that could have been cut to streamline the record a bit; e.g. I've always thought "Your Sister Can't Twist" is an unimaginative/annoying throwaway that in context almost - *almost* - lessens the impact of the hard rock classic "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" that immediately follows... "Jamaica Jerk-Off" ehhh I get it - they were going for the vibe where they went to initially record the album, but the lame humour and forced fake-reggae vibe is best skipped. "Sweet Painted Lady" is just boring. It's a double-album so in a way who cares - the flow gets interrupted at times but for every dog there's a fantastic song like "This Song Has No Title" "Grey Seal" or "The Ballad of Danny Bailey." Just a note - I think over the years Elton John eased in and out from being a "personality/celebrity" rather than the insanely gifted musician that he was and still is. One point of note: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - that song is a songwriting masterpiece even if you've heard it a billion times. My favourite part is the musical twist in the chorus - written so you think the phrase is gonna conclude after "....beyond the yellow brick...." and then the band* shifts into some unexpected chord progression.... dammit i love that. {*A word about the Elton John Band who are severely underrated (Davey Johnstone guitar / Dee Murray bass / Nigel Olsson drums) - I don't think it was a coincidence that when they split/were fired/who knows after 1975 the quality of the music fell sharply.} Elton's productivity in his first ~6 years of recording is probably only rivaled by The Beatles, seriously unbelievable. I would say of the 9 (!) albums he put out from 1969-1975 you could label 7 of them as classics or indispensable and this is firmly in the wheelhouse. 9/10 5 stars

The Renaissance

Q-Tip

4/5

Having been a fan of A Tribe Called Quest I was curious to hear how/it member Q-Tip would carry on a similar vibe ... Love it. love the smooth jazz and soul vibes but it still has just a little edge to it all which for me never lets it become boring or repetitive. And the analog samples and real instrumentation is fantastic - gimme more of this in hip-hop all day and night. Also the vocals are mixed *right* - I feel like I put this in half of my reviews but it kills a song or an album for me if the vocals are too loud, and they are way too often ... not here. It's low enough to let the great music cut through- the vocals are an instrument. Q's vocal style is what I like - on beat and creatively rhythmic, neither close to mumble rap nor spewing of too many lyrics at once. He has a great sense of the music and what works for the song. Hard to pick a fave but "We Fight/We Love" and the groove of "ManWomanBoogie" and "Good Thang" can't steer you wrong. 8/10 and a strong 4 stars

I See A Darkness

Bonnie "Prince" Billy

1/5

Being honest with myself - I already know that I'm really never giving this much of a chance when within 10 seconds I'm given a taste of the slacker vocals within. I'm not necessarily saying he's *bad* - it's just the style. Semi lo-fi, low impact, low volume, and yeah - slacker vocals. Do you have a better term for any of that? I hate it all. It's not a tuning issue, it's not that there's weakness in points - not at all. In fact so-called perfection in vocals is equally distracting. Just... jesus, clear your damn throat, take a step or 2 back from the mic and let'er go. And yeah yeah even in the second song he's giving a little more but it absolutely still carries the same aesthetic. Absolutely 100% not my bag. As for the music - if it bored me it'd be more interesting. Hard hard no. 2/10 1 star.

Close To The Edge

Yes

5/5

I'm admittedly a bit surprised this album is on the list. I'm familiar with it and know that as much as I loved it growing up... it's definitely not gonna be for everyone, and even might be tough for some who casually enjoy some old Yes. You're getting through an 18 minute song right off the bat - it'd be hilarious if someone got Close To The Edge right after The Ramones, say. It's an adventure though, and if you're not inclined to listen to long songs give it just one legit chance, and the best way - only way, really - is to immerse yourself. i.e. don't have it on your phone as you're making dinner - sit and listen or put on headphones in bed. The title track has considerable dissonance until the band locks in to a few themes so it's not an easy entry but absolutely worth the trip; "And You And I" is the highlight and was always a favourite song of theirs - to me it never seems as long as it is; that's at least one you can play for company :D In the end though, I can't ever properly conceive how anyone could even write music like this - this album is like a 40 minute dream world and to this day every time I listen to it I hear something new. That's probably why I'm still mesmerized by it. TL;DR: Unlike anything else I've ever heard. Put headphones on and get lost. 9/10 5 stars.

Cut

The Slits

2/5

Well...it's different, i'll give you that. OK this is not my taste BUT after reading about it before listening, it's definitely far more interesting than I'd expected. I appreciate the use of space and it's actually quite melodic and catchy in parts. I like it quite a bit more than many of the bands/acts that cite them as influential - it just *sounds* way better. You can almost hear a weird Bjork like quality to the vocals, and the British reggae feel sorrrrta has a light early Police feel. My biggest personal critique is that the songs just aren't very good. Can't get far on sound/attitude alone. I'd say overall it's fairly well-done and might enjoy if I heard a track or two on occasion - I just don't love the genre nor most of the actual songs but can see how people would love this. (that cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is *spectacularly* awful. Epically bad.) 5/10 2 stars.

Rio

Duran Duran

3/5

Had to laugh upon seeing this - I wish I'd written a review when I was a kid because holyhell did I hate this band as a middle schooler - heavily into Van Halen and the guitar gods of the day - they were practically ground zero for my opinion of the worst of rock. But... come on, this is nothing more than simple fun which is fine. What stands out most to me now is the great bass playing - it's insanely great, the musical highlight for me - and I definitely never before gave credit to the band's overall musicianship on this album. As for the tracks, nearly every song is catchy; sure in that early-80s way but Duran Duran pretty much helped to define that style all their own so credit where it's due (or blame, if you like). I do end up growing a little tired of the sound by the second half (side B?) and honestly Simon LeBon's voice is annoying after so many little quivers so while I could never retro-fit this into a favourite it's nice to know my 12-year old instinctive screaming "this band sucks!" is long-gone :D 7/10 3 stars.

Machine Head

Deep Purple

5/5

I have a memory of being maybe 4 years old in the back seat of the car when Smoke On the Water was probably relatively new / constantly on the radio and my dad just singing that riff over and over and over. Then years later - well before I could drive - my older cousin took me to see Deep Purple in Niagara Falls; seeing these legends up-close was pretty cool, except for when someone threw an M80 onto the stage and Ian Gillan got pissed and stopped singing to berate the idiot. Oh and it was so loud we couldn't even talk to each other on the way home. Memorable. As for Machine Head - this is DP at their absolute peak. 5 incredibly talented musicians who go well beyond any standard blues rock; venturing into jazz riffs so subtle as to not knock their train off the hard rock track. And they finally got it right with songwriting as well - good pacing and enough variety to make it always a good listen. Plus they recorded this in a hotel which is a few levels of awesome. Thing about this album ... it's kind of like Dwight Gooden's 1985 season. He/they are spoken of in legendary tones and had seemingly quickly reached a status few ever got to before and after.... but even with some great moments to come they never came close to anything like this again. As for the album it's not even 40 minutes long (perfect length) of what was for the time groundbreaking heavy driving music. The key to this band and especially on this album always was Jon Lord on the organ - so much of what I'd thought was guitar as a kid is actually him just cranked through distorted Marshall stacks. Also included: the most played (and most incorrectly-played) guitar riff of all-time. In sum: this is nonstop excellence. Enjoy the 1.53 ERA while it lasted. 10/10 5 stars

Melodrama

Lorde

3/5

It's a little surprising that such a relatively recent album is on the list but I welcome it - it's nice to jump from early 70s to 50(!) years later and listen to how popular music has progressed. This is a great *sounding* album - there's a lot going on even in the simpler songs - e.g. "Writer In The Dark" seems like a simple piano ballad but there are subtly layered vocal tracks, orchestra samples that bolster a chord here and there - these are little things that make a track huge and I love it. I'll say it but not harp on it but Lorde uses a lot of "that affect" where she scrunches her vowel sounds - think of adding an "i" into words (e.g. "another" becomes "anoiither"). It's hard to turn my brain from that. I guess...I am harping on it? :P OK pivoting to something positive - in a lot of better places I get a Kate Bush vibe (e.g. "Supercut" especially in the refrain "...supercut of us...") I'm not sure how I feel about the album overall in terms of how much this sticks - or will stick with me. I was familiar with a few of the songs before listening ("Green Light" in particular - which is a compelling single) and yet it's just so dense in a modern production sense that even while it's interesting it's still hard to immediately connect with it. I think in the end while I do like it and recommend / would listen again I feel like it could have done with a bit more organic sound that would work well with Lorde's voice. 7/10 3 stars.

Alien Lanes

Guided By Voices

2/5

28 songs - 41 minutes. I went to hang with friends on a weekend in Maine years ago and why this is barely relevant is because on the long drive home that Sunday on very little sleep the friend who was driving threw in the new Guided By Voices (GBV) album (Isolation Drills). I was only slightly familiar with the band and was under the impression that they were this low-fi indie type band I wouldn't have been interested in - but i immediately *loved* that album; bought it the next day. Highly melodic, an excellently written and big sounding rock album. Isolation Drills was pretty much the extent of my GBV knowledge aside from a few other tracks here and there; I'd put that album on heavy rotation but rarely if ever ventured beyond it to the rest of their catalog; this morning I was kind of excited to see this... But the very first line up there: *28 songs - 41 minutes* sums a lot up. It's goddamn frustrating - each of these demos (they're songs in name only) has that slightly off-kilter melody that I know and *like* from their later *well-produced/mixed* album but this one .... ? Aside from this literally sounding like demos I recorded on TDK-90 cassette tapes in my bedroom decades ago... each track gets going a bit and then...ends?? Frustrating. I can't call it awful because I love this band's melodies but jesus - these are post-it notes written in broken crayon that could have eventually ended up as a good album. How can you get any emotional connection whatsoever to songs that last 90 seconds at most? And just as much - it all sounds *terrible* to the point of being almost unlistenable over the entirety of the record; this honestly could be a neat bonus release for superGBV fans wanting to hear demos/home 4-tracks/behind the scenes writing sessions, but as a major release? No. Slightly angering me as to why this is considered a top 1001 - it's like picking up Hemingway's drunken back of the notebook ideas he left on the dock and calling it a finished product. It's insulting - there are other and better GBV worlds than this. 3/10 2 stars.

Crime Of The Century

Supertramp

3/5

I'm a kid of the 70s so I enjoyed seeing this album cover today - but I can't always connect with Supertramp. I don't dislike them at all, and in fact the recipe seems to all be there for me: multiple instruments, multiple vocalists, excellent sounding records, dynamics, non cookie-cutter songwriting. And their best is truly great (looking forward to the inevitable "Breakfast In America" which is an alltime great record) even on this album: "School" is a really different kind of opener - creepy and dark; think Pink Floyd before The Wall. "Dreamer" is just a lovely song - I love the vocal interplay, the unique piano arrangement. And I almost forgot to mention the very British cut "Bloody Well Right" - love the ridiculously long and fantastic intro with solos on Rhodes keyboard and guitar before any vocals. No songs are bad here. But I just can't fully connect to the album as a whole. I think I'm being more harsh on this than most because I want to love it but "only" like it :P For the most part I find it harder to connect on most of their longer/more progressive songs (e.g. "Hide In Your Shell" "Crime of the Century" "Asylum" "Rudy") - maybe in the end for me they were a really good melodic rock band that excelled at interesting/catchy singles and were for the most part best staying in that lane. It's a 3.5 for me that despite skilled musicianship and great singles I'm rounding down knowing that I really only end up connecting with half the album. 7/10 3 stars.

Neon Bible

Arcade Fire

2/5

I have tried for years with this album and this band - I wish I could figure out or better-explain why it is I don't like this, or them. I tried again this morning and I wanted to dig something specific out but I just can't - I think there's a lot around the rotten and muddy mix* where I can't really hear the individual instruments very well, perhaps a great dose of the overly-faux-eager but not very good vocals that irritate me, or just that I don't connect with any of the songs whatsoever. I could see how one could make the case of this being this grandiose album but I hear it as utterly overblown and overwrought pablum. * (this mix feels like it's by design - a soundscape to perhaps give an effect or mood rather than focus on any particular part; frankly it sounds like there's a pillow over every microphone giving a "soft" feel to it all. If so, ok that's art of course - but to me it's terribly distracting and puts a dull cloud over it all. Not sure if I'd like it more with a clear distinct sound but it wouldn't hurt.) It's not ... horrible; I've heard a lot that I like considerably less, but it is a chore to get through. Flat-out I think this experiment can end without any grand proclamation, other than I just don't enjoy or like Arcade Fire. 3/10 2 stars.

Bayou Country

Creedence Clearwater Revival

2/5

CCR - kind of a straightforward American band without too much outward complexity, standard four piece 60s blues based music that oh by the way my generation was completely overexposed to as kids and teenagers on classic radio. I would rarely keep them on the dial... and yet... I guess I'm kind of surprised that I don't entirely dislike this band. e.g. when it comes down to it "Born On The Bayou" is just kind of fantastic and I should probably finally admit I've always liked it. It's like...98% one chord for 5 minutes and some slow 7th chord riffing... and goddamn if it doesn't groove. I keep thinking about if this song were recorded today, it would be completely fkd up by quantization and perfection and tuning but it's entirely the human element that crushes this song. Unfortunately the problem with this album is that it never gets far beyond that simplicity and when it doesn't groove it's just terribly boring. "Graveyard Train" is a plodding waste of time and space. Uninteresting blues riffs with nowhere to go. There are two undeniably great songs in here; Bayou and "Proud Mary" which is such a classic that it almost feels like nobody wrote it, it just always existed - so it's worth a listen but the overall inconsistency makes it hit and a little more miss. There would be better albums to come (i.e."Cosmo's Factory") but save a few obvious tracks to your library from this one and move on. 5/10 2 stars.

90

808 State

2/5

(n.b. this linked to a different/US/longer version on my Apple Music. To my ears that one is much worse than this original disc and I was panning the hell out of it until i realized the mistake. I do like ("like") the proper version more - it seems to cut a lot of the most repetitive and dated sounding tracks which doesn't make sense to me but hey... fewer annoying minutes is better. Still not a fan tho. Am keeping my initial reactions to the longer/worse album just for my own weirdness but I'll never read it again. Anyways, this is enough for me to boost from a 1 to a 2. the world quakes.) 1989 release date. I never could have guessed. /s This could have been a sample disc included with the "new for the 90s!" budget drum machines. It's not interesting at all and sounds like you might guess it does... very early-period electronica; like someone just got a bunch of new-for-the-time tools and put together a series of loops with canned beats. Incredibly dated like so many other 80s music of all genres. Playing with the then-new technology turns out to just sound lame pretty quickly. I like electronic music but a lot of this is shockingly weak come on. 3/10 2 stars.

The Wildest!

Louis Prima

3/5

Those around my age upon starting this album will immediately go to YouTube to replay the 80s classic "Just A Gigolo..." video from David Lee Roth - which at the time seemed like the coming of the rock apocalypse - he left Van Halen to do .... lounge songs?? But being young and stupid and pretty much only focused on the video, I didn't/couldn't realize that this music was and is a blast. Sure it doesn't rock... but ... doesn't it though? 7/10 3 stars.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Raekwon

2/5

ehh i know there's a big cult following around Wu Tang and the various acts (e.g. Raekwon) but this is not in my realm of favourite hip-hop styles; I'm much more inclined to love something more musical (e.g. Tribe Called Quest / Public Enemy) - this is way too attitude / gangster / guest feature-y for my taste. I don't love the actual rapping either - I suppose it's the style, maybe a little of the mix that makes it all a little less-clear. Then again I'm not that into the subject matter either so lack of clarity could be a feature. I'm not much of a skit fan at all either or with all the staged "conversations" - jeez guys just get on with it already, stop screwing around - stop playing with that 4 track and lay down a song dammit :P I'm not sure why I'm being so kind, I actually kind of hate this. Its laconic style and lack of absolutely anything catchy musically almost angers me. This album is just boring and tired and I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times, just get me to the end - it doesn't distinguish itself in any way from the better albums of the genre. Hard pass and the only thing keeping me from marking this a 1 is the existence of Lou Reed and a ton of shitty low-fi 90s rock on this list :P 3/10 2 stars.

Daydream Nation

Sonic Youth

2/5

First impression this morning upon just seeing the name "Sonic Youth" was something bordering between anger and frustration. But fk it - we'll give it a shot - even though I am (was) petulantly expecting noisy low-fi awful vocal indie trash... .... a curious thing though.... this first song "Teen Age Riot" is way way different than my expectations. It's more polished than I'd feared - it's a bit more structured - the vocals aren't (yet?) completely annoying... ehh but then here comes "Silver Rocket" and I just don't get the appeal. It's far from the worst thing I've heard but it's sloppy and while there are bits that I can see were honed and perfected by bands like Smashing Pumpkins for example, this is a lot of what I'd feared - noisy, tempo swaying, and not really catchy or dramatic - if you're going for pure energy as the overwhelmingly prominent feature in your music then you'll probably feel the exact opposite of me in terms of enjoying music. Double album and i'm on song 2. Sigh. This is gonna be a long morning. Ehhh to save myself the trouble of live-blogging this ("The Sprawl" - it's the vocals, ugh, it's just not appealing let alone good) let's sum this up after the hour of discontent...: So many of these songs just devolve into nothingness - not only am I not against experimentation, I think it's important to branch out - but branching out isn't 4-5 minutes of two chords back and forth and 3 guitars meandering aimlessly over the top. That's just a mess. Would have been nice if a strong producer would just yell at them to clean up your rooms and come out in a day and let's see what you have. Because many (most?) of these songs start out pretty nicely - it's just they can't cross the finish line. "Candle" is alright (minus the vocals yeah yeah) - some really progressive and interesting twists and turns that again, I can definitely hear in bands that were to immediately follow. Overall dammit - there is some occasional intrigue here which almost makes it more frustrating - I like a fair amount of the unique guitar playing (e.g. "Hey Joni" uses some good aggressive rhythmic playing; muted chords, harmonics) that actually are reflected in a number of early 90s bands I like infinitely more. So perhaps some credit is due here. It's just ... the songs, man. Sum: This album is like a relay team with a good runner off the blocks and then handing off to a bunch of guys in potato sacks carrying giant bags of ketchup. It's a goddamn mess that could have used better coaching. 3/10 2 stars.

Close To You

Carpenters

3/5

I'm not sure if there will be any other album that in less than 20 seconds will as-quickly and shockingly transport me to being a preschooler in the back of the family station wagon. Boom. 1975. Nothing like handfuls of major 7th chords to make one think of bellbottoms, airbrushed pictures, and Big Wheels. So ... sigh. I'm finding there's a balance here - even though it's an aural blast of nostalgia which is almost always a good/fun thing.... I do remember even as a kid not really *liking* The Carpenters. I do love me some smooth easy listening 70s music - damn you if you say you don't. But I do recall being slightly annoyed by - dammit i'm sorry - Karen Carpenter's voice. It is absolutely lovely by any measure - full stop. But maybe just too lovely and perfect for my personal tastes. I'm sure it was my age/the time but I think I conflated a lot of this music with some of the softer and more sweet extended pieces on Sesame Street. Come on - couldn't you soundtrack mid70s Sesame Street to this album? That's all I'm thinking of as I'm going through this again; a grainy film about some little kid having to picnic by him/herself in a different neighbourhood... not fitting in with the new city elementary school...it's sad for a little time but then someone comes over and shares a PB&J sandwich ("Reason To Believe" - someone like youuuuu.... makes it easy to give...never thinking of myself...") I'll drop the cynicism. I've no doubt that without growing up with these songs - maybe coming of age in the cynical 90s or exclusively with punk - this album will come across as a treacly vat of maple syrup. Which isn't wrong. But this is a very nice/pleasant record and absolutely beautiful *sounding* record, with some undeniably all-time standards and very talented songwriting ("ladies and gentlemen...mister Burt Bacharach!") - and what's wrong with that? 7/10 3 stars.

Suzanne Vega

3/5

I was expecting this to be the "Luka" album but I'd never heard this before. My immediate reactions were about her vocals - something about her voice has always felt a little too "plain" - like her diction is almost exaggeratingly-perfect. It's off-putting to an extent ... until it's not. I feel like I went through a cycle in the first ~4 songs of "oh yeah, she sings like this" then "it's borderline annoying, let it loose a little..." to "this is her signature and shit, I think I like it." It's almost sweet in its sincerity and that ends up being her style. Some of these keyboards are very of-the-80s in not a great way but they're used sparingly (and they weren't even necessary). As for the music itself, it's quite good; although it isn't complex there's no cookie-cutter folk or pop here, while all the time being accessible. There's a well-utilized space in each of these songs - I'll give high marks to the arrangement of the instruments. Vega's skill on acoustic is not limited to how she plays, but more to what she's not playing. I wouldn't say any one instrument is primary but each a part of the whole, and still not overwhelming. Highlight is "Straight Lines" and I really like the lead guitar on "Marlene On The Wall." Overall I liked it far more than I'd expected, and will keep this around. 7/10 a high 3 stars.

Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine

Cee Lo Green

3/5

It's a decent/fun album - good balance between singing and rapping with good enough music - but it is *just* enjoyable and not enough for me to be all that memorable. Maybe it's too long. Albums are just so often more digestible in smaller doses unless there's a story or a tie or something to draw you in for the length. There's nothing bad here, but for some reason this one feels even longer than its 65 minute running time. Cut this down to maybe 8 or 9 tracks and maybe I could have latched onto something a bit more. 5/10 3 stars.

Abraxas

Santana

3/5

Apropos of nothing really, but I always find it amazing that Journey was born out of a fair chunk of the Santana band. No slam whatsoever, it's just a cool rock fact. Anyways Santana. Honestly I'm not sure. I often hate giving 3s because it feels like a copout. Take this album ... the first ~4 tracks are great - some classics and are just different enough from standard classic rock fare to stick out. That Latin flair just is rarely (never?) heard in mainstream rock. So that element alone gives it a little separation. It's just that it ...wears thin. The instrumentals are good....but...haven't I heard this before? like last track? And when they try to get more up tempo/rock i.e. the vocal tracks on side 2 .... they're just not good. Had a great 4+ start and petered out with a lame 2... sounds like an overall 3 here. But side 1 is worth the admission. Should have been an EP! 7/10 3 stars.

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

1/5

an apology poem: i do not like the wu-tan clan i have not liked any solo albums from the band i do not want killah i do not want kwan i do not want these to continue to go on i've been trying them all i've tried i've tried i must be missing something inside it's not hip-hop - a genre i like but wu family albums are always a swing-and-miss strike i prefer more jazzy hop to my hip like chuck d, the beasties, or q-tip but the clan is annoyingly bland and i don't understand and the next member we have to review is gonna set seriously panned 1/10 1 star

Gorillaz

2/5

I do have to say that I very much appreciate a song in 5/4 that's just entitled "5/4" Noel Gallagher once called this band "music for 12 year olds" which is hilariously petulant and so on-point for Noel but it's mostly true. Not... that that's necessarily bad or even something I would be against. Hell I still dig listening to old Van Halen which is definitely music for 12 year old boys :P Inconsistent and laconic is what I'd call this. There's some kinda-cool stuff here beyond the forced odd time signature; e.g. "Tomorrow Comes Today" is just that - kinda cool - but is it good is what I'm asking myself with no real answer. So much of this is sort of just chill downbeat ("Sound Check") that's fine to listen to but am I ever gonna crave it? I'm never sure what the actual point is of calling this a "virtual band" or with the cartoons etc. - seems silly and/or pointless but what the hell do I care - call yourself a snowman if you want. I guess I only bring it up because it has no bearing on the music; a few guys who wanted to "hide" their identity (but not *really* so again - why). Maybe the cartoon logos are a perfect representation of the band after all - short term low-level gratification. It was fine but after listening to it I don't really remember it at all - no hooks, no instruments/instrumentation/no big soaring impact. Isn't that at least part of the point? 5/10 2 stars.

The Suburbs

Arcade Fire

2/5

Second Arcade Fire album in a month, and the annoyance I felt listening to Neon Bible only seems accentuated on this one just a few songs in. I tried, I really did and will actually do a little cut/paste from the previous review because I feel *almost* exactly the same - some relevant snippets that apply to The Suburbs: • I have tried for years with this band - I wish I could figure out or better-explain why it is I don't like them. • I think there's a *lot* around the muddy mix [especially with close listening to 2 of their albums within the last month I think it's by design and I hate it] where I can't really hear the individual instruments very well. This seems to tire me out, aurally. Overly/aggressively compressed? Either way it's a stylistic choice - go for it - but it's hard for me to listen to. • perhaps [no question about it this time - this is a big reason] the overly-faux-eager and not good lead vocals** irritate me. ** big big exception on the vocals is with "Empty Room" which obviously the lead is sung by someone else (Régine Chassagne). They 100% should have given her at least half the songs because I liked this one - knocking off Win Butler (a bit extreme - perhaps retiring him) would have probably bumped this album up a full star for me. • ...or [TL;DR] - it's just that I don't connect with many of these songs whatsoever. I could see how one could make the case of this being this grandiose album but I hear it as utterly overblown and overwrought pablum. • generally it is a bit of a chore for me to get through although I'll reluctantly admit that the middle part of the album is *not bad* - damning with faint praise. And in the end I do think it's a little better than Neon Bible. I know the band is listening to me and has never had success /s so here's my blueprint for success: 1) get rid of that lead singer, or at a bare minimum go 50-50. 2) try your next album with a clear mix, these albums sound awful - take the dishcloths off the drum kit and also try letting some goddamn dynamics of sound onto the record. I think I'd actually like it. 5/10 2 stars.

Wonderful Rainbow

Lightning Bolt

1/5

Get bent. Appropriately enough, I actually am getting a root canal this afternoon and after listening to this shit I'm excited about my day improving. I have a morbid fascination at/about any appeal here, and reading some of the actually-published reviews of this is hilarious. Just look at this tripe: "...perhaps the album's most remarkable feat is its utter lack of density: One never gets the sense that anything excessive or unnecessary was utilized in constructing its sonic brickworks." HAHAHA yeah lack of density how profound. This is such a perfect encapsulation of the worst kind of alt-smugness - "oh how different is this!" - it's beyond not good. This is almost literally the sound of being in a metal factory with machines on full tilt. F right off 0/10 0 stars.

Beautiful Freak

Eels

3/5

Mixed reaction here - as ever, vocals get in the way of interesting music. In this case it's not in an aggressive way, but it really gets tiring and quickly. It's more that tired 90s plain-yet-overly-earnest and dry vocal that's at once trying to be sincere but has that wink-wink *i'm just kinda kidding guys remember we're all snarky and don't give a shit* attitude that makes me roll my eyes. I'm Gen-X and it's the worst part of this generation by far - which seems a weird statement commenting on an album :P but it seeps in to so.damn.many of these 90s albums and I hate it. So there's the big negative and it was hard to shake - a lot of this music is interesting, or could have been very interesting with a little more work and emphasis on the music over the vocals; melodic and accessible but not always predictable. It's a good combination and very hard to pull off successfully - e.g. a few times the vocals would obliquely remind me of Ben Folds and his/their album "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" which is one of my alltime favourites - so what's the difference? Maybe variance - in arrangement, in dynamics, and perhaps mostly in tempo (a lot of these tracks have that mid-tempo 90s slacker vibe which ehhhh). But really it's the singing. Completely overwrought absurd affected take on "Spunky" ok please just stop it. For now it seems like between a low 3 (and probably only that high because of the garbage noise rock i've had this week) or a high 2 - no real chills but enough to listen to that is melodic but...AGAIN...sigh...it's just that it seems over the longhaul (i.e. the album) it gets a little boring and his voice starts grating on me more and more. Different/varied instrumentation - and an emphasis on same - would have helped too. 5/10 3 stars. "Mental" is maybe my fave track

Hail To the Thief

Radiohead

5/5

When this album was released I had just started reading Stephen King's "The Waste Lands" which is one segment of an epic post-apocalyptic fantasy which seems unimportant and completely irrelevant to this album but shut up it's NOT - because in my brain these two works are inexplicably tied together. I spent a good 2 weeks of mornings taking the long train ride in to work with this album in my headphones while reading the book, and I still can picture the landscapes described in the book just upon hearing the opening 7/8 rhythm of "2+2=5." Anyways yeah with my good fortune the book merged perfectly with the music and themes on this record. It's low-key kinda terrifying. By Thom Yorke's own words many of the songs are about either a general sense of terror or even fascism that had suddenly come to prominence in the world (thanks 9/11). And even though lyrics/vocals are usually boring and a distraction (...for me...) this is the rare album that weaves the creepy-AF music with the lyrics in such a perfect way that it's impossible not to notice. "Hail To The Thief" is and was the perfect brooding sad terror soundtrack for the book - you have a fantasy world in print where a few lone travellers are fending for themselves in a world gone mad where nobody can be trusted and so many are out for themselves - and for the current real-world, both in 2003 and pitifully maybe even more-so today. I loved Radiohead's previous 2 albums KidA and Amnesiac although I know a lot of older fans were a little turned off by the swift pivot to electronic music - this album seemed a great balance between electronics as they're backed off quite a bit - I love the varied instrumentation used on this album, the production which gives so much of a feel of being in the studio with the band ("We Suck Young Blood" - the off-timing on the claps is something I particularly enjoy). A little something for everyone in the family on this album - weirdness abound, odd time signatures, and if you just want a good driving rock song that's still inherently and all Radiohead you've got the imperceptibly complex "Go to Sleep" and slightly more straightforward "There, There." Personal fave: "Sit Down, Stand Up" - that haunting and seemingly everlasting build until the "and the raindrops...and the raindrops..." etc. Amazing. Slows just a little on the last few tracks but not enough to knock it down - I love just about everything about this album even if it's considerably less than uplifting and I'm almost sure that's exactly why I love it. 9/10 5 stars.

good kid, m.A.A.d city

Kendrick Lamar

1/5

The hiphop I enjoy most has either great funky sampling and/or jazz or otherwise organic music and the actual MCing has got to be rhythmic. Right away in the first track the rhythmic rapping is thrown right out the window - I know it's a preferential thing but there's no sense of rhythm to this, it's stream-of-consciousness words that I've no doubt I'd never be able to do but it all exists completely independently from the music. As if they're 2 completely unrelated parallel entities that were just placed together almost randomly. Like - could you tell or would it matter if the chorus were the verse or vice versa? And these lyrics are junior-high level immature trash. That reaction was all from one track - yikes. BUT ... track 2 starts out almost completely differently; I like the music and the weird vocals. The lyrics are not interesting to me but there's a noticeable step up in tying the vocals to the music. The "real-life" voices (I hesitate to call them "skits") get distracting and for me lessen the impact of the songs. Have I mentioned these lyrics are weak? They're weak - come on pussy this dick that yeah yeah giggle giggle. OK the album definitely improves as it goes on - full stop - but ehh I had a real hard time getting through this - aside from the eye-rolling lyrics his voice is difficult to digest. As for my rhythmic critiques early, that aspect definitely gets much better on many of the following tracks - I know it's a stylistic choice and I choose to avoid the freestyle/stream type songs/rappers. "Money Trees" - I do like this one. I've heard some of Kendrick's later work which I do recall liking considerably more, but this one is not only not my bag but I would and will avoid this. 3/10 1 star

...And Justice For All

Metallica

1/5

Throughout my likely-annoying and common "I really hate Metallica" ramblings over the years, I'll admit that *most* of that comes from some combination of their big "hit" years of loud songs in E minor with ridiculous growlinnnng...gUHH! vocalsss...sUHH! and my annoyance at the band in general, specifically James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Back in their early days they were merely this shadowy musical presence - literally never played on the radio; MTV and video shows were the only other way to publicly hear music and I'm guessing the only songs I'd ever really heard from them were a few from "Ride The Lightning" and then "One" from this album. They were just not my thing but easily avoidable back then just by making zero effort. I then happened to see them in concert on this tour and holyhell I had to walk away - literal headache. Also I suppose it's funny in retrospect that I chose to accept the now-comically-fraudulent generic stage banter from most of the big arena rock bands of the time over these guys who at the time just rubbed me completely the wrong way on and off-stage. Especially James Hetfield who always came (comes?) off as that quintessential age-stunted 16 year old asshole who is barely hanging on in high school and gets off on being a general prick to everyone in the hallways. That concert was the moment decades ago that cemented my "wow I really hate this band" opinion. So...um...hey let's revisit an old favourite! Well...it's not freaking "Unforgiven" or the now-clichéd hockey arena anthem "Enter Sandman" so at least it'll be ......... nope. This is too damn much - mostly that Hetfield's vocals are a do-not-pass-GO no-fly-zone - awful. Also the mix is shite, literally no bass whatsoever - none - what the hell - and I suppose the dry aspect is a preference and it's absolutely not mine. Besides all that, the thrash riffing - while technically very impressive - is something I just can't get through. The only part of the album that's kind of enjoyable is/are many of the mellow guitar lines on "One" The headache remains. 2/10 1 star.

Germfree Adolescents

X-Ray Spex

2/5

Well, punk. Sigh. To be fair, to me this leans a bit more to new wave than punk, but...jeeeez the big roadblock here is the vocals, as ever. Honestly the music is pretty cool - if we had someone who could sing just a bit - just a bit - this could have been something bigger. Short review/impression: head bobbing music that I can absolutely see being fun in the right situation but those vocals (and *weirdly* out of place saxophone) just make it impossible to recommend. killer bass lines tho. 4/10 2 stars

Skylarking

XTC

4/5

Love it. This album is somehow both poppy and melodic while being incredibly complex. Sometimes Andy Partridge's often unorthodox vocal melodies are hard to follow (he's a bit quirky that one) that I know that I didn't immediately always gravitate to back in their heyday but it fits the music to a T. Also noting the production on this album that you don't necessarily notice at first, there are tiny gems in each song that makes it all worth multiple plays - one little example is the chime melodies that parallel the vocal lines (e.g. "The Meeting Place") - just gives it an extra boost and sounds fantastic. The melodic influences bleed all over this album (Beach Boys; Beatles; Badfinger) - but also you can hear how they influenced the next generation of melodic pop rock; e.g. one of my alltime favourite bands is "Jellyfish" and holy hell you can hear how XTC influenced them, especially on a song like "Season Cycle" - the propelling melodies and unorthodox chord changes are never boring, and the vocals are Beach Boys level of smooth and complex. Keeper for anyone who likes power pop/rock and a bit of complexity. 8/10 4 stars.

The Joshua Tree

U2

5/5

I'm not really a big U2 fan but I can't ignore the impact and quality of this entire album, even if as a kid it annoyed the hell out of me when it was released (i.e. it was everywhere and also it wasn't metal). I could probably have put my thoughts on this album down without even listening to it again - I know each and every song so well just from osmosis and from having grown to love it not long after my initial stubbornness. But it is fascinating to *really* listen to this in headphones - songs I've heard maybe 1000s of times ... there are often tiny little / subtle guitar lines starting and stopping, almost as if by mistake but it all adds to the layers of gorgeous melodies - I love it. It's considered a perfect album by many and yet these tiny little imperfections that you can find if you hunt for them only add to it for me. Future albums (which I know I shouldn't focus on) from U2 pushed Bono's voice so so far into the front of the mix that it became distracting and killed any band vibe they once had, but on Joshua Tree it's all a perfect blend. Like a lot of other uber-popular albums of my generation I don't put this on often, or ever, but listening to the entirety in context just shows how great a collection it is - nearly flawless. 9/10 5 stars.

Step In The Arena

Gang Starr

4/5

Groovy. I'd forgotten about these guys - I love the chill and rhythmic rhyming; Guru's clear voice and style are definitely up my alley in terms of hip-hop. The music is very derivative (in a good way) of 70s soul/jazz/funk - it's a great combination with Guru's rapping. I definitely prefer and miss this style of hip-hop and need to remember to listen to this more often - a keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

A Northern Soul

The Verve

3/5

Seeing "The Verve" made me immediately realize how much I hated their later track Bitter Sweet Symphony which (in the US at least) was played incessantly and was/is boring mopey dreck. This is a bit different - I wouldn't call this anything remotely unique or remotely revolutionary, or.... even memorable? It's not *necessarily* a slight - it's essentially fairly decent British 90s rock but man does it get boring over the long haul. As for the occasional spin, it's not a bad thing. Perhaps damning with faint praise but eh you can do worse, although the more this goes on the more I want to downgrade to a 2... I suppose gimme any random 4 songs at a time from this and that's enough. 5/10 3 stars.

Done By The Forces Of Nature

Jungle Brothers

3/5

I like it but as I was listening I was trying to figure why I don't like it *quite* as much as some of the other old-school hip hop acts, and I have to think it's the music. Because on the plus side I love these vocals; chill and clear rap style and e.g. on "Feelin' Alright" and "Sunshine" I love the free spirited scat/jazz singing. Keeps it all upbeat and is the best part of this group. But the music is just kind of average on a lot of these tracks - not bad, but using the technology of the day too much of it ends up sounding dated, especially the drum machine (listen to "'U' Make Me Sweat" for a perfect example) so I couldn't connect as much as I have with more jazz and soul-oriented/influenced acts (e.g. Gang Starr, Tribe). Still good quality though and worth a listen for fans of old rhythmic hip-hop. 6/10 3 stars

Treasure

Cocteau Twins

2/5

Starts off on with a nice dreamy, ethereal feel but something is lost along the way here.... This is the second Cocteau Twins album we've had and while the mood if not the sound is similar, I'm not connecting nearly as much with this one. The other/later one (1990's "Heaven Or Las Vegas") has a much better sound to it - almost like this one is a demo that needs a remix, especially with the drums/percussion - too often it sounds like a bad driver backing into the garage. Distracting at best. I'm ok with this being mood/background music but much prefer their later material. 4/10 2 stars.

Is This It

The Strokes

2/5

All the hype and retrowaxing about this album... ...this is *it*? 3/10 snoozefest with little unique to offer - 2 stars.

Illmatic

Nas

3/5

Most of all, I really like the music. There's not a lot of hardcore rap I like and my instinct is always to feel distant from this record but... it's different. The album sounds great, it's not overly aggressive, has fantastic production and a clean mix, and Nas' rapping has a rhythm to it that even if I can't personally connect with a lot of the themes I tend to not really even hear it as I end up grooving with virtually every cut. Not always my favourite genre but this is a good one - jazzy chill sounding cuts countered with the edgy topics ends up working here. (plus it comes in at a smart length at just under 40 minutes.) 7/10 3 stars

Mothership Connection

Parliament

4/5

Dial into radio station: WEFUNK Results: Funktastic Bombs. There's nothing not *fun* about this - a great sounding record, and the musicianship is top-notch (special head-nod for/to that bass in "Give Up the Funk"). If there's a negative for me - and I think it's a fair point that applies to a lot of Parliament's work - it's that the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts; a negative to me meaning that not many of these tracks are actually great *songs* in the traditional sense. The band will lock into a theme and not deviate that much from it, which might be why it weirdly works as an overall piece of work but each song by itself is merely ok. I'd rather listen to the entire album then have a song on a mixtape/playlist. You can clearly hear the massive influence these guys have had on popular music even (especially?) in the past decade; so many of these grooves and sounds are copied or even sampled on a lot of music today. TL;DR: As with all P-Funk, listen to the entire album at once. 7/10 4 stars.

Nick Of Time

Bonnie Raitt

3/5

I probably hadn't heard "Thing Called Love" in 20 years - throwback. I remember when this came out and was all over the radio thinking naively this was a new artist LOL but quickly found out she'd been releasing albums for more than 15 years. Kinda cool that she's having another/similar renaissance today (2023). Blues music for me is just *ok* and often gets old quick; Bonnie Raitt is a bit of an exception ... maybe because just by not being some milquetoast boring male blues singer/guitarist (e.g. Eric Clapton - the very definition) she stands out. This album works best when it features Bonnie's voice and great guitar playing, because at times the album suffers from a *lot* of that weak 80s sound that became dated in about 3 years (e.g. the weak single "Have A Heart" - the keys on "Love Letter" and "Cry On My Shoulder"). "Real Man" isn't a great song but is a good example of letting the right elements of her skill come out. Aside from "Thing Called Love" the acoustic "Nobody's Girl" might be the best track. Not the most exciting album overall - can toss about 4 forgettable songs away mostly due to "the smooth" (cheese) - but I could do a "best of" from this any day. 6/10 3 stars.

Scream, Dracula, Scream

Rocket From The Crypt

1/5

I hate you for making me listen to this singer. And by "you" i mean literally everyone involved in his life: his parents for birthing him, his schoolmates who encouraged him to stay in a band, his teachers/mentors for not nurturing him to get a degree in something less annoying and eventually years later keep his noxious bleatings out of my earholes. And then whoever was responsible for foisting this album upon the public. Other than that, I loved it. (...the music is occasionally ok/fine, if not supercompressed in that 90s-style where everything had to be as loud as goddamn possible and literally tires your ears within minutes. Turn the volume down and it's still loud. That's just ... ...actually...I'm gonna take back even the hint of any quasi-compliments - now here's some of that stupid 90s "let's add HORNS to this punk-like song to be cool" ["Young Livers"] no it just makes it even more awful. Is this album done yet?) but as ever, singers ruin everything. Burn me tf alive. 2/10 1 star.

Inspiration Information

Shuggie Otis

4/5

THIS BOPS Almost can't believe this is 1974; just a great sound and I don't know I'd have picked out that all the drums are a drum machine (aside from some obvious tracks like "Pling!"). Sounds great and very organic. Keyboard/organ sounds are especially perfect. Note: at 1:28 of "Pling!" you can hear coughing in the background. That's it - nothing magical about it; just that I love and miss when stuff like that would either be missed or they'd just be like "screw it" and keep it in the track. Perfection is boring. Lack of a real killer track or 2 (although "Magic" is pretty great) keeps this down a bit but this is a keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

Forever Changes

Love

3/5

Love is one of those bands your favourite - or your parents' favourite - bands are always talking about in terms of influence (e.g. "The Red Telephone" is reminding me at times of 60s-era Who), but I definitely never heard them growing up, or thought I didn't ("Alone Again Or" and "Andmoreagain" are definitely familiar and nice songs). It's obviously an old album and sounds it. I can buy that this was a "you had to be there" album in terms of it being different/revolutionary, but today if you're listening to it for the first time...? Not sure - I probably heard it for the first time ~20 years ago and was "meh" about it then and put it aside, which wasn't fair at all. It's definitely better than that and even if it sounds a little "samey" as you get near the end I rather enjoy it now for what it is, rather than trying to put history on it, if that makes any sense. 6/10 3 stars.

Purple Rain

Prince

4/5

Man this album was huge - it was also a bit of an eye-opener in terms of seeing/hearing Prince's elite musicianship. But then - and still now - it kind of pains me how sleek the production/mix often is. I lived it :D - it was *definitely* a product of the times with the glossy synths etc but not far underneath is a collection of perfect pop-rock hits that I always end up wanting to hear more of. It's kind of a mandatory album to "understand" the 80s - I still wouldn't say I love it (rock/raw remix someday??) but there are no truly weak tracks, just a few average ones among the classics and those alone make it more than worthwhile - highlighted by the all-time track "Purple Rain" to close the record. I always seem to find or focus on the negative more than the positive which isn't fair by a long shot - in the end I'd probably listen to this any time, and not least-important: the lead and end tracks on this album are *perfectly* arranged/placed on the album. 7/10 4 stars

Butterfly

Mariah Carey

2/5

This album is just smooooooth. But more than a little *too* smooth for my taste - it's like a satin sheet is over the entire production - the same things that sound really neat/nice in headphones are weirdly the same things that grow tiring over just a few songs (also that weird (impressive?) absurdly high whistle-voice she uses sometimes is a no from me). OK but still - even though this isn't my bag, it's a pretty good R&B album. The parts that hit me most are those where she's singing in her lower registers especially; working the slow soulful parts. The rest just sort of washes over me. TL;DR: after a few songs I just zone out of this - boring? It's not bad at all - just kinda boring. I hate to rely on a lazy word but it really is - this might be good background/chill music and not necessarily an hour of active listening. I respect the obvious skill in arrangement and production - I can definitely see how ppl could love this, but it's not exciting or dramatic enough for my tastes. 5/10 2 stars.

Nilsson Schmilsson

Harry Nilsson

4/5

This kind of melodic pop is my wheelhouse - leading off with "Gotta Get Up" really sets the mood of the album - I'm not often a fan when the best track is the opening track but it was the right call here. Overall it's just a bit of hit and miss, but the best is really really good - including the opening track, "Without You" (which is completely overwrought, overblown, and works perfectly) and "Let the Good Times Roll" The novelty hit "Coconut" is a bit of a throwaway for me. pass. A few songs are just average (I'd rather pass on his louder stuff e.g. "Jump Into The Fire") but every one of them still conveys that same mood - overall the album is musically interesting enough to give a few almost Broadway-esque melodic turns but is obviously accessible enough to have been a huge hit. Even with the few hiccups, the *hit* parts of this record are so perfect that it ranks a very strong 4. 8/10 4 stars

S&M

Metallica

1/5

Ok ok adding classical orchestra to heavy rock music... I've heard it before and I pretty much loathe Metallica but let's give it a shot.... .... This is kind of like - work with me here - attempting to take a very high-end waxing product, or like a Lemon Pledge maybe? Something to use where you want to buff something up and...yes - POLISH it for general viewing or consumption, that's it. A polish. Anyways think about a butler, using said polish. Wanting to improve everything around them - make things more palatable, say. And then think of them attempting to use said polish on a gruesome item, something organic and wasteful. Perhaps - as distasteful as it may be - a human feces. Yes ok - think of someone attempting to use said product on said human waste. I believe it is not possible. You would not do this. You cannot do this. But if only there were some catchy and/or crude phrase in the English vernacular for such a theoretical action. That phrase would apply here. 1/10 1 star.

People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

A Tribe Called Quest

4/5

Tribe were for me nearly the best of everything about hiphop - jazzy beats with no trap-drums, actually good rhythmic verses and mellow-ish voices trading off verses. Can't find anything specifically negative, but the big negative: it runs too damn long. It ends up sounding repetitive. Partially as a result, it's not quite at the level of their followup album to come but a hell of a debut; cut this down to 45-50 minutes for near-perfection. 7/10 4 stars.

Let It Bleed

The Rolling Stones

4/5

I had to go through my history and being that this is the 5th? Rolling Stones album.... every single one I've said something about my not liking the Stones. Yet... I keep giving most of them 4s. What in the hell is going on here? So I guess I'll stay consistent... As one who is definitely not a "Stones fan" ... "Gimme Shelter" is still straight-up one of the greatest rock songs in history. This even while being firmly entrenched within the nauseatingly constant, repetitive, and limited identical classic rock playlist on two stations in every single market in North America (i.e. I've involuntarily heard the song 1000 times) ... every time I do hear it it's still fresh. It's totally hack at this point to point out the background vocals by Merry Clayton but...damn. My favourite part is while listening in headphones to hear Mick in the background sort of cheering her on in the bridge. Honestly that song is so good that it elevates the album nearly on its own - because there are a lot that I skip here. I actively do not like "country-Stones" (e.g. "Love In Vain" "Country Honk") so this album is a real mixed bag of nuts and nearly comes to a screeching halt after the amazing beginning. For my enjoyment, I have to pick out the few early nasty almonds and dry pecans and savour the cashews and peanuts (e.g. "Live With Me" "Midnight Rambler" "Monkey Man" "You Can't Always Get What You Want") - fortunately the ratio is tilted a bit in my favour and the best is comprised of some all-time greats. 7/10 4 stars.

Killing Joke

2/5

Industrial raw roughly-mixed punk sounds like my biggest musical nightmare. ...but man the opener "Requiem" is pretty damn good. It's only after that that things slip off the rails - "Wardance" yeah when your lead singer sounds like gargling thumbtacks would improve things, it's just not gonna go far. The music isn't bad albeit a bit too simplistic to carry the song. And I feel like that applies to virtually the entirety of the rest of the album. I guess to someone who would really hate this genre what's the difference between this and something like Gang of Four? I don't know that these guys could play very well or more importantly write good songs. Based on what I could tell from the wiki article they wanted this recorded as quickly as possible and raw. And... that's where I jump ship. Who gives a fk about whatever the hell "authenticity" means if it's not any good? I can't fully slag on this because it's not all bad - "Bloodsport" I love that synthesizer running through it. But it's ... eh it's just not a good song. That was a great start and then it didn't go anywhere. "Primitive" suffers a similar fate albeit without synth - there's a very cool idea in there but it just drags. This is far from the worst album and there really are elements that work (or come frustratingly close to working) simply because they're cold and angular and even spacious but damn, they should've hired a producer. 4/10 2 stars.

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy

5/5

This checks all my boxes for rap/hip-hop: • political/social hip-hop • heavy organically sampled beats • jazz/funk music that can actually stand on its own • deep rhythmic vocals... If there are negatives, it's almost entirely around trying to jam a few too many words in places and making a few tracks sound awkward - to be fair, some of the lyrics are *very* awkward which had me waver between a 4 and 5...but I think even those slowdowns are worth it for the best material. Overall this album is a great example of the best of the golden age of hip-hop that almost sounds as much like Gil Scott-Heron (n.b. "Music and Politics" - love the music on this one as well, great guitar) as Public Enemy. Wish we had more of this. 9/10 5 stars. n.b. Apple Music missing 4 tracks from the album :/

The Cars

5/5

Not sure I fully appreciated this growing up since *nearly every single song* was constantly on the radio. It was just always there - a constant. Put this in with one of the small handful of greatest debuts in history - hell, it's one of the best albums period. Not necessarily the most imaginative or complex but when virtually every song is pop rock perfection like these - a great sounding combination of cool keyboard sounds, *highly* underrated guitar playing from Elliot Easton, and two lead vocalists.... "Just What I Needed" - top of the mountain right here: the killer guitar solo, the drum turnarounds in the 3rd verse, the ARP-like keyboard lines... Hot damn - these guys could really play. ah just listen to it. Flawless. 10/10 5 stars.

The Marshall Mathers LP

Eminem

1/5

An album that sounds like it was made by every 14yr old shithead degenerate sitting in the back of the lunchroom throwing crackers at all the "nerds" and girls while calling them sluts. What a fkng tool. Too much great hip-hop in the world to put up with this bullshit. Hardest pass possible. 1/10 1 star

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Soft Cell

2/5

I mean.... is this album living solely and completely off of the hit single "Tainted Love" which was a cover anyways? I retro-loved hearing it (for the 723rd time) but the rest is just so minimalist in effort - like a fairly decent sounding demo recorded in a 1982 bedroom studio (was there such a thing?). I'm left wondering how this is on the list? It's weirdly not terrible or even bad enough that it could be on the list for some groundbreaking or profane influence - it's wholly unremarkable in an inoffensive way. Which might make it worse :P The cold and sparse sound that permeates ... I can see how there'd be attraction to it but eventually the terrible-sounding drum machine just ends up being the soundtrack for the entire album and blending it all together into one long slog; the one notable *almost-exception* but simultaneously best/worst example of the uniformity being the last song "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" - it's a nice ballad that would have stood out more without someone clicking "PLAY" on their chintzy drum machine and keeping the same pattern on repeat for 5 minutes. TL;DR: it all sounds the same. sadly boring. 4/10 2 stars.

Street Signs

Ozomatli

2/5

eh. On paper it sounds creative - some rock songs, some rap, attempts at international flavour.... Ends up being a collection of songs with dull and predictable chord progressions and too often sounds like a low-effort and highly (over) produced Santana record ("Who Discovered America?") or a chaotic party with uninvited horns. Notable exception: "Dona Isabelle" with its odd piano intro was the best intro and best part of any of the songs - would have loved more of that. Overall just not that interesting. 3/10 2 stars.

Shalimar

Rahul Dev Burman

3/5

Is this Edwin Diaz' bullpen entrance music?? Well this one is a curveball. As much as I expected to not care about it... it kinda drew me in right away - song 1. Just ... kinda fun. Also it sounds much older than 1978 and I think that's part of the attraction as well. Totally personal issue here but I *vastly* prefer the instrumentals than any with vocals...although I think the non-English actually improves it for me; keeps the vocals as more of an instrument which I prefer rather than taking too much precedence (e.g. I enjoy track 2 "One Two Cha Cha Cha" as opposed to the 3rd track which is more mellow and vocally distracting - not my vibe) "Countess' Caper" sounds like it would fit right in to a Pink Panther cartoon - this is highest of praise. But track 6 is really tough to get through (see also: track 3). Even so, overall I (MOSTLY) liked this way more than I thought I would. So far outside any of my standard or usual listening patterns and I don't know if I'd seek it out again but maybe that's exactly why I enjoyed it. Weird/different/fun. 7/10 3 stars.

Vespertine

Björk

3/5

Put the voice aside for a second... I can't imagine not listening to this album in headphones - there are so many little glitchy/computer/electronic/subtly-tactile sounds and rhythms that go from ear to ear that it envelops you - almost feeling like you're within the music. Now the voice - Bjork is the very very rare singer for me that I actually enjoy and/or pay attention to. Customarily i want the vocals to blend with the music and not detract - just sit down and be part of the song. Bjork is completely different in every way. Obviously. It kinda matches the really challenging music - really becoming entwined with the music: another instrument! Still ... I can't fall in love with this one - it's a difficult album to really sink your teeth into - almost completely devoid of hooks of any sort; a song doesn't need to be pop but any sort of recurring motif to sink into would have helped a bit. I listened a few times...it's a fascinating album and one I'd likely listen to again but it's a pretty select choice. 6/10 3 stars

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Beatles

5/5

An incomplete list of where this album low-key terrified me as a little kid: • Lennon's eerie vocals, especially on "Lucy In The Sky..." • sitar on "Within You Without You" • random background voices/speaking in many of the tracks • "She's Leaving Home" didn't necessarily scare me but definitely made 3yr old me sad. • in "Day In the Life" after "I fell into a dream..." John's "ahhhhh...." • the eternal fade out on the same song • the album cover In retrospect what "scared" me about the record (but were also the very same reasons for drawing me to it) were all the bizarre effects and studio trickery that made it far more compelling (and different) a listen than anything I knew at the time and certainly more than the good but safe and relatively straightforward early Beatles. Highlights: Paul's bass playing / overall mood which was my early intro to mysterious music. TL;DR: The ultimate studio album and is arguably the most famous album of all-time for a reason. come on now obviously -> 10/10 5 stars

Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche

Koffi Olomide

3/5

Sweet jacket on Koffi, but a little more effort for the cover could have been put forth. Highly enjoyable and pleasant album - I wouldn't say I got chills from the music but nearly the entire hour is both easy to listen to and mostly not boring ("Obrigado" is where it begins to tire me, maybe the repetitive nature of the last songs or the fact that we're pushing 50+ minutes at that point). Overall excellent clarity with the instruments although it's a bit heavy-handed with the reverb... I'm finding that I like non-English albums much more than I realized - vocals/lyrics are too often distracting - with my not understanding them they become an instrument melding in with the rest of the music - nice. 6/10 3 stars

Heartattack And Vine

Tom Waits

1/5

I particularly enjoy how at the beginning of the first track they neglected to edit out the parts where it sounds like he's on the toilet. goddammit. fking THREE albums of this guy thus far. hardest of nopes. 2/10 1 star.

Djam Leelii

Baaba Maal

1/5

.... this might be the first non-english vocals album where I actively don't like the vocals and it's absolutely nothing to do with the language (i might prefer it) but the voice. The reedy piercing tone of the voice isn't smoothing this music out at all - there's an attack to his vocals that I'm just not attuned to and it gets worse song by song.... ...and/but the music isn't my style either - from the initial "Lam Tooro" which is terribly repetitive and doesn't add enough along the way, it doesn't really progress much at all beyond that ... in fact.... I don't know what I was expecting but this acts as more of an extremely weak 2-person attempt at new-agey type background music. Slow it down by about 1/4 tempo, eliminate the vocals, and this is what I might expect to hear at a low volume while getting a massage. Of which I'd consider walking out of. I feel kinda terrible giving this such a low mark as I'll usually give a 2 to something that's just not my taste but this is ... bad. 2/10 1 star.

Grace

Jeff Buckley

5/5

Righteous. Impossible to define - this album is all over the place, in a good way. Both guitar and vocal hero all at once all over this one ... guitar hero not necessarily with ripping solos but with unusual chord voicings (almost reminiscent of how Joni Mitchell would use alt-tuning and come up with what almost sounded like new chords) and fingerpicking; his guitar tone ranges from pure clarity to hard-rock aggressive. Jeff was the rare singer who drew my attention, even on lesser songs - had vocal acrobatics akin to both Robert Plant and Nina Simone and everywhere in-between. So the best on here was truly unique and amazing (e.g. first 3 cuts set the tone and mood; the album probably would be worth a minimum 4/5 if the next 7 were simply silence). As a complete entity it sometimes feels not *perfect* to me (although "Last Goodbye" is a 100/10 song) but I wonder if that's just because he was trying *everything* for his first album as it goes from old hymns to hard rock ... but again: this is/was *his first album* (and of course his only album before dying). Cannot imagine where he'd have taken things when he'd have shed some covers and stuck with his own material. In the small handful of greatest debuts in history, worthy of any keeper status. Love getting a 5 star weekend album. 9.5/10 5 stars.

System Of A Down

1/5

5 seconds in and i'm exhausted, this is gonna be an in my face slog to get through I c... ... oh no. nope. cookie monster vocals holy hell. how does anyone get through this. automatic 1 - goodnight and lock the door on the way out. 1/10 1 star

I Against I

Bad Brains

3/5

Definitely a precursor to / contemporary of a lot of bands I liked (Living Colour, Rage). I remember hearing these guys 30yrs (!) ago while I was in "guitar hero" mode and being impressed by the playing. And although it's no longer the kind of music I particularly enjoy much, this album is a nice example where the old/dated production makes it very listenable (think about if this exact band/record were recorded today - the loudness/compression would be mind-drilling). There's actually a bit of air and space amidst the punk/metal sound. I wasn't sure how to feel while first re-listening, but actually I liked the album more as it went along - overall a nice surprise in that it was more enjoyable than I'd remembered/expected - some unexpected variety in pacing and I love the guitar sounds - with the downside being that the songwriting wasn't quite there overall. Still a fun hard rock - punk listen (and I don't like punk). 6/10 3 stars.

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Blur

4/5

Blur album number 3 within the first 500 - not necessarily a complaint (although we're 1 for 2 on the previous selections...) just noting the very heavy British slant to the list. It's kind of nice from a North American perspective as for the most part we didn't get nearly the hype on this side for many of these artists... Blur a great example. This was the only Blur album I owned so being familiar with it probably skews me a bit. Damon Albarn's vocals can definitely grate just a bit :P - but overall this is a great 90s Britpop album - token comment about the Blur v Oasis rivalry - Blur's albums always *sounded* better than Oasis' did, this is no exception. faves: "Colin Zeal" TL;DR: Good melodic 90s rock, one of the better of the Britpop era - album is too long; cut this by about 15 minutes and it could have knocked it up to a 5 7/10 4 stars.

New Boots And Panties

Ian Dury

4/5

This album is absolutely stupid and ridiculous. I love it. Play it for your grandma. 7/10 4 stars.

Bossanova

Pixies

2/5

I just don't like the Pixies at all. Or Pixies is it? I gave this a chance but ... "Rock Music" might be the worst song I have ever heard. w t f Once we get by that one - I'll be fair, I don't dislike it as much as their earlier albums - in many ways it's absolutely more accessible (for this band at least). Still - I just don't like the band much and will never get by it; they have a style and I accept why ppl of my generation like them. Sorta. But dammit - most of these are half-baked or half-formed ideas rather than finished tunes; the songwriting is just goddamn lazy and I'm probably retroactively applying it to the decade but so typical of the "whatever" 90s that I lived through. Ugh. Also please: these vocals are a goddamn travesty. ...They were better than Nirvana though. Low bar. 3/10 2 stars

3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...

Arrested Development

4/5

Outstanding. More of this type of hip-hop needs to return to the mainstream. It's about the music, which is perfectly-mixed using great samples as well as organic instrumentation, and the vocals are set just right which also doesn't happen often enough. Those vocals feel part of the music rather than on top and they're just damn *good* - not overly-aggressive; a great combination of singing and rapping. Hadn't heard AD in decades and am happy to be reminded of them. Keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

First Band On The Moon

The Cardigans

4/5

Where a Swedish light-rock band fronted by a singer with a lovely and perfectly clear voice covers Black Sabbath - and crushes it. Obviously "Lovefool" was the big N American hit but I've always loved this entire album. I even formed a band trying in some ways to pattern ourselves after the Cardigans' template. 11 relatively short melodic pop songs but somehow/oddly never boring to me. Excellent musicianship without ever showing off; these guys were subtle about creating little melodic twists in nearly every song (e.g. "Choke" there's a little in-unison riff that starts the song then poof - into the song we go. It reprises a few times in the song and almost doesn't seem like it belongs... yet of course it does) that keep it all interesting. Maybe the <40 minute length was always the best part of it. TAKE NOTE: albums longer than 45 minutes were/are almost *always* too much. Hard to be in a bad mood listening to this album - love it. 8/10 4 stars.

Countdown To Ecstasy

Steely Dan

3/5

I feel like Steely Dan is sort of the soundtrack of my "back of the station wagon" 5yr old self listening to AM radio en route to some parental errand I was dragged to. As with all Steely Dan records, it simply *sounds* phenomenal. I've never really liked Bodhisattva much, so it's unfortunate to have it as the album opener. I don't know - overall this one doesn't hit me like Pretzel Logic (or certainly not like Aja) does; maybe it's the lack of truly great songs (most notable exception: "My Old School")? The songwriting seems not quite there on this album; e.g. "Show Biz Kids" is essentially one semi-riff for 5 minutes, and that kind of symbolizes a lot of the album. Having said that, the last 3 tracks are fully great, and that delay guitar effect on "King of the World" is definitely my jam - probably my favourite song on the record. A fine record that's relatively easy to listen to and gets better by the end. It's one that I'd probably rarely turn off, but still noting there are absolutely better albums in the SD catalog. 6/10 3 stars

Africa Brasil

Jorge Ben Jor

2/5

I don't know - this one may have caught me on a bad day. I kinda liked the first few cuts, good music - and I almost always love that mid-70s creamy recorded sound - and it all fit. Then after ~track 3 or 4 it got boring or lazy or just not-interesting to me. A bit repetitive; sure it's a kind of dance music which that comes with the territory but gimme some variety. Feel like I should be fair and give this a 3 although I'm likely to forget it in an hour... so unfortunately downgrading. Just didn't connect with it. 5/10 2 stars.

Goo

Sonic Youth

1/5

Pretentious fraudulent bullshit. I don't like Sonic Youth. And a 3rd album (please make it stop) seems at best more than a little unfair. Admittedly this isn't the worst I've heard (which would be their album "Dirty") from them - which is unbelievable in and of itself. Although the "tribute" song to/about Karen Carpenter is just fkd-up weird in a not-good way. A subset of things I don't like about the band: • the vocals (from either lead). Absolute and utter shit. • abrasive nature of the chord progressions (unless they just hammer on/around one chord for minutes. which isn't better.). in a similar vein... • the songs almost always sound like small ideas that are never complete • raw-ish production/mix • the band bears a strong responsibility for Nirvana's emergence And the biggest: • almost a sneering lack-of-effort on so much of it (e.g. "My Friend Goo" - really?). these guys are just tooooo cooool to care! /s They're terrible songwriters. ... no, that's not even fair - they don't even *try* to compose a song. There are no rules of course nor should there be - you don't have to create some traditional composition obviously - but it's like (...it's not like, it IS what they do...) they just shit-distorted their instruments, figured out how to play one or two semi-dissonent chords and just hashed away then "sang" some shitty thing over the noise. I'll just hard pass with these guys every time - I wanted to give them another chance but it's not my bag in any way. The subgenre of noise (or "alt" which ... that's not really a genre) rock they belonged to or helped allow emerge was/is absolutely not among my listening preferences. Give me melody and musicianship instead. p.s. the best part was hearing Chuck D's voice for like 6 seconds. 2/10 1 star

Pornography

The Cure

3/5

Having grown to appreciate then really enjoy The Cure over the past decade I was excited for this one but it's a bit tougher to (initially) really sink into. e.g. I love "Disintegration" and also liked their very early "Seventeen Seconds" (after some time) - this one falls between them chronologically and it's got that haunting Cure sound but I've had trouble connecting with most of the songs. Notable exception: "A Strange Day" which is great; notably the guitar work. Am going with *this is a feel* record which works, but it might take some time to really enjoy this one on a different level. Having said that, a lot of albums that become all-timers for me are hard to digest at first so i'm going with a 3 thinking it could grow on me... 6/10 3 stars

Natty Dread

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

The album seems less about the songs than about the sound and the vibe; very chill and sparse. Love the clear mix. There aren't many songs I can remember from it (I know the first 2 cuts) so will place firmly in the 3 category as a good listen for someone who's not much of a reggae fan. 7/10 3 stars.

Warehouse: Songs And Stories

Hüsker Dü

3/5

Unfortunately my first reaction is something like "...I shouldn't care much about the terrible drum sound so much but wow... the drums sound terrible." Ok it's semi-typical 80s production blah blah (which was a time of emerging technology and experimentation which is always needed but it's hilarious how "80s sound" is a thing and 9/10 times it's a terrible thing...) but the guitars hold up. Husker Du weren't a band near my tastes at the time but I really liked Bob Mould's next band Sugar and there's such a Bob Mould sound to these songs. It's fun and immediately-accessible music. I don't know if I'd call this "punk" as it's described on wiki - far too much melody, too many (minor!) chord changes (you can really hear how Green Day emerged from these guys...) One specific frustration that's semi-indicative of the album: "Ice Cold Ice" starts off differently; moody slow feel which directly counters the previous cuts - love it - and then it's as if they gave up on that idea and 1!2!3!4! launch back into the frenetic pace of the rest of their songs. .... to be fair, I do really like the song. Just.... could have used the change-up. So that's the negative, which is fairly large: there's a sameness to so much of it (see: previous paragraph) which combined with the FAR TOO LONG runtime makes me tire of it far too quickly. Cut this to an 8 or 9 track album and it'd have far more intrigue. Can even stick to just taking the first 8 or 9 songs - the latter half of the album ends up sounding like a not-so-good demo. The Grant Hart vocal songs are like a not-quite-as-good REM and I don't like them as much. And weirdly even though Bob Mould has a really boring singing voice I still kinda like it. Still - points for melody which makes the best of it at minimum a decent listen. 5/10 3 stars

Reggatta De Blanc

The Police

5/5

Punchy. I love the Police but early Police most of all, just so raw yet clear. I listened to this album recently because I remember buying it as a kid and ... really not getting into it right away. Often a sign of a deep album for me, and yeah - there's so much I love about it now. They were such a *band* on this album: Stewart Copeland's ridiculous precision especially on the hi hat; Andy Summers' best album - weird/odd yet tasteful chords, shimmering chorus on songs like "Walking On The Moon" and the (I think) underrated bass lines from Sting. Not a ton of hits here but that might be why I ended up liking it more as the years went on. Songwriting noticably tails off a bit near the end but it's still not enough for me to knock it down, I love it... 9/10 5 stars

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

4/5

Never been much of a Dylan fan at all ... having said that, this seems to be THE one to go to. Many of his most-enduring songs are here and as one who is always "music over lyrics" this is a notable exception; this raw format (acoustic/vocals/harmonica) seems perfectly suited for Dylan's songs which are sadly still (more-so?) relevant today. Even a schmuck like me will pick up the lyrics and themes and pay attention. I like it far more than his fuller-compositions - these songs hit hard because they're direct, and these simple music progressions would be dull with more instrumentation. Essential if not for music than for 20th (21st?) century American history. 9/10 4 stars

The Lexicon Of Love

ABC

2/5

Not sure how to rate this one objectively. I know at the time I hated this music for ... essentially exactly what it is. Bouncy 80s synth-pop slickly-produced and mixed almost entirely without emotion. But now I listen to it and it kinda makes me smile a little. But is that purely nostalgia for wanting to go back to grade 7 or whatever? And if so is that even commenting on the music at all? My tastes have definitely changed over 40 (daammmmmnnnniiitttt) years and it's often difficult to separate memories from objectivity. Which is fine I guess... but in the end as the album went on I fairly quickly became a bit tired of it all. There's a sameness to the songs and none of them specifically hit me in any meaningful way. The entire album is just a bit too much early-80s prancy dance music that I can absolutely enjoy for a song or 2 - for nostalgia's sake - but it really doesn't hold up at all for the long haul. 4/10 2 stars.

Destroyer

KISS

2/5

The last time I listened to this album I was in 4th grade and absolutely terrified of Gene Simmons. This isn't the most cerebral of bands ... and in retrospect i can't decide if it's hilarious or maximum creepy that this gross band straight-up marketed themselves to little kids - which obviously completely worked (on me as well). ...but leading off with "Detroit Rock City" is a pretty great opening track. Classic riff - basic rock that's just fun - I'll sign up for that. Yet after that it's ... plodding and dumb. SO. DUMB. Some of it is ok but ho-lee-hell a big shout out to "Great Expectations" which absolutely has to be one of the worst songs ever recorded. Ever. Words can't do it justice, and the orchestra ... honestly. I have to remember this as an entry when the question is asked. Nostalgia does make it occasionally enjoyable, notably (only?) on the singles (e.g. "Beth" - it's terrible but ... is it though? It makes me want to pack my lunch box.) but as a full album if I'm in the mood for 70s meat and potatoes rock I'm reaching for something else. 4/10 2 stars.

Mama's Gun

Erykah Badu

4/5

I feel like there's a lot of advantages for an album when it starts with a great track - "Penitentiary Philosophy" fits the bill here. Perfect example of the kind of funky soul with a touch of rock that I love. Great album and all due respect to the vocals, the music is the big selling point - great mix of instrumentation (n.b. the vibraphone on track 5 "Cleva") and it sounds fantastic. A quick read shows that much of this album was recorded with older mics and on tape as opposed to digital - not that one way is better than another but i have to think it contributed to the throwback sound/feel. Moving from soul to funk ("Kiss Me On My Neck" with an obvious P-Funk vocal homage) and everywhere in-between, this is a keeper - if any critiques it's a little long; i'd have like it cut down to maybe 10/11 tracks instead. 7/10 4 stars.

Liege And Lief

Fairport Convention

4/5

Somehow I've bypassed Fairport Convention all these years. And based on the concept/description I did not think I was going to like this - but damn, this is weirdly interesting to me. I feel like I might have the complete opposite reaction/analysis from many on this but it ends up being less-meandering than I'd suspected. Having said that - yeah, in a way it's *exactly* as-advertised. Weird (absurd?) lyrics about fawns, kings, and sorcerers and if I were to close my eyes and imagine a fair maiden in a sundress prancing through an English meadow tossing flowers left and right while a flautist and mandolin player were mounted on large mushrooms playing accompanying music all while viewed through a soft-focus lens.... that seems spot-on. Sandy Denny's vocals are the perfect and perhaps only accompaniment possible for this music. TL;DR: British folk that actually has a bit of a light rock feel and doesn't have songs that go on for too long; nice old-timey recording. Highlight: "Come All Ye" 7/10 4 stars.

Amnesiac

Radiohead

5/5

Next cloudless night you're out in the country - far away from any city lights - get in the car and find an isolated place to park, then put on the song "Pyramid Song" at top volume, turn out all the lights, and lie down and stare up at the universe. It will change your life. Additionally 20 years on and I still can't entirely get the timing right on that song. Which I kind of enjoy that it's still a challenge. (also: if your wife hates Radiohead this album *really* isn't gonna change her mind and I'm not gonna push it (e.g. "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" on the stereo would get me a tent in the backyard without a key to the door).) Related: this one is gonna have an absolute deluge of 5s and 1s. I get it. This (and "Kid A") was my gateway to breaking out and discovering a wider world of electronic rock/pop. The sheer variety of music on this album is just whacked; just thinking of the percussion sounds alone: digital tickety-tack, noise-percussion, then standard acoustic kit (the latter esp. on "Knives Out" which is arguably the most "normal" song on the album but with the standard Radiohead disquieting chord progressions). Electronic washes and digital manipulations ("Pulk/Pull...", "Like Spinning Plates") - utterly bizarre and almost incomprehensible yet it all works. Truthfully, the album falters just a bit in the second half on a song-quality level (n.b. I'm not a big fan of this version of "Morning Bell" - the Kid A version for me is unassailable, this is oddly too straightforward, almost plodding); it was *almost* enough for me to dock it a star, but the impact this album had on my overall music listening is probably something I'd not thought enough about. I wouldn't call this my favourite Radiohead album because ... well oddly partly because of everything above (i.e. difficulty/entry level: HIGH). At the same time it came out at the exact perfect time in history and my life to change everything. Played amidst or just thinking of the backdrop of 2001 is forcing the issue but holyshit was it the right soundtrack for the apocalyptical shit that launched in that year and has never ended since. Amnesiac is more of a "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" vibe and taken as a singular 43 minute unit it's in my pantheon of most-influential (to me) albums. 9/10 5 stars

Ray Of Light

Madonna

4/5

Pleasant surprise this morning getting this; I had forgotten about this record and hadn't heard it in ages - when it came out it was the first time in my life that I voluntarily kept going back to a Madonna album. Not about the vocals (which to be fair are rather pedestrian, but that's more than ok here - it fits as just one small part of the entire package) but about the whole trip-hop vibe. It's the kind of album you sorta wish wasn't just given to "Madonna" but credited to a group because this is obviously a massive collab. Regardless, she mentions that she spent longer writing and re-writing songs on this album than at any point in her career - definitely worth it. I love the production, love the heaviness of some of the songs e.g. "Candy Perfume Girl" has a heavy dance/techno vibe that was unlike anything I'd heard from her before. Other faves: "Swim" "Frozen" Overall it's a bit long and by the latter half I'm left with the feeling like...ok i'm done; getting tedious. Keeping it positive though - if this were cut down to ~9 or 10 songs it might have been perfect, but it's still an excellent album crossing a few genres. 7/10 4 stars

Good Old Boys

Randy Newman

4/5

Randy Newman is awesome. How many years ago and "Rednecks" still applies. "we don't know our ass from a hole in the ground" - doesn't apply to the South alone in America, not by a longshot... This music is great - the second Randy album we've had in the first ~500 - again, the kind of music I would have stopped listening to around age 9 and re-appreciated in middle age. Melodic, purposeful, piano-driven, outstanding musical composition, and hilarious (in a sigh-goddammit-pour-a-whiskey way). First pass through it didn't hit me quite as hard as "Sail Away" did but further listens have gotten me to listen more deeply - feel like it will keep growing on me. worthy of a keeper and a very high 4 at minimum... 9/10 4 stars.

Steve McQueen

Prefab Sprout

2/5

The UK version of Crowded House? Not a critique; just the immediate and impression after the first few songs. update: more like Crowded House crashes Joe Jackson's recording session. Combining the wiki quotes from press reviews combined with it being firmly planted in the mid-80s i'm actually surprised it doesn't sound *more* mid-80s than it does. Sure, the music fits the era to a T but other aspects of it sound a little more pleasing (i.e. less-dated) to me (keyboard sounds being a notable exception). Overall it's nothing chill-inducing or otherwise mesmerizing for me; it was a pleasant-enough listen and does make me sit back and think of an era of crowded malls, video games, and riding bikes in overly bright clothing; nostalgic value alone though didn't boost it enough - I'd have no trouble listening to it again but not something that'll really stick with me. Having had a vague memory of their existence, I suspect I'll have the same thought if I hear the name again years from now. 5/10 2+ stars.

Selling England By The Pound

Genesis

5/5

"Me? I'm just a lawn mower. You can tell by the way I walk." That line alone might be enough to divide the 5s and 1s. The musicianship and creativity on this album are nearly unparalleled in "popular music" history. I could do 5 separate listens to focus on each member of the band. Also more people should be aware of how absolutely insanely great a drummer Phil Collins was. Give me Gabriel-Genesis all day every day. Fking brilliance. 10/10 5 stars.

Berlin

Lou Reed

1/5

I fking hate everything Lou Reed. Get bent with this drug-addled pompous mumbly dogshit. 1/10 0 stars.

Nevermind

Nirvana

1/5

Many years ago my best friend in college and I were sitting around with guitars - and drinks, as will become obvious - and we wanted to write a gloom or death metal song. We came up with a stupid riff starting on F# that we kept repeating with lyrics that began: "in the depths of hell I'll kill you....the serpent sleeps tonight." It was good, I'm telling you. Literally 2 months later on the radio I hear the song "Come As You Are" by some new band. It is LITERALLY THE EXACT SAME RIFF. Phone calls are made, lawsuits are discussed, then acceptance sets in that we blew it and further realization hits us that we were just two drunk kids in a shoddy apartment. All of the above is 100% true. Not for nothing and not even relevant to the story: I never liked Nirvana and still don't - almost aggressively-so. I tried, I really did. "Hey - some of my best friends are Nirvana fans." Hell even my music production mentor is a diehard fan and I love the guy but man I do not like that band. This band. At all. What's more annoying and likely irrelevant to the actual music is that they're constantly named as one of the bands that "speaks for my generation [X]" which is total horseshit. If I/you weigh in hype (you shouldn't) as a factor this might be my most hated musical act (as I eagerly step on Lou Reed's grave) of all-time. ...Hmm... you know, great drumming, though - whatever happened to that kid. I'll say that at least this album is better than the horrific unplugged album, JFC that's terrible. Or In Utero jeeeeeezussssss kill me (no wait that's his wife's equally horrible song god am i done with that garbage yet) quickly. Ok I thought about giving this a generous 2 stars just because they must have done something right and occasionally you can polish a turd (some of the singles I admit are not half-bad) but after around track 5 it is utter trash and it took a long time today before I could finish this. This loud-soft-loud theme was always annoying or garbage-y at worst (looking at you Pixies, jesus h christ). Plus Cobain really was an asshole in every interview. It was the 90s, you just *had* to be "anti-cool" - I'm so glad that shit is done with as I tried to avoid it whenever I could. Fine - like what you want obviously but don't force this noisy shit on me or attribute it as something that it wasn't. ...oh well, whatever. Never mind indeed. (also Kurt's vocals sucked ginormous ass) 2/10 1 star.

Unhalfbricking

Fairport Convention

3/5

Second Fairport Convention album in 2 weeks and I like it. Especially after noise rock the last few days... It doesn't hit me the same way that "Liege & Lief" did/does; weirdly I think I liked the more fantastical types of songs on that one, but this is still a great listen. Not a big fan when Sandy Denny isn't singing and I prefer the originals here (i.e. the Dylan songs are meh). The middle of this album is where the meat is, from "Autopsy" through "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" Not my fave of theirs but I'd still listen tip to tail and not be put out :) 6/10 3 stars.

The La's

2/5

Sure it's nice and easy but is it really memorable? I suspect once tomorrow [or tonight] comes I'll forget every song on this save the big single "There She Goes" which - let's be honest here - is 2.5 minutes of the same head bobbing riff over and over with zero variation. But I *will* want to re-watch "So I Married An Axe Murderer" so, points awarded for early 90s nostalgia I guess. I still can't bring myself to give this more than a 2 tho; it's really not bad! It just bored me. Candy equivalent: a mini pixi-stix. Quick little smile but 10 minutes later I'm hungry and don't want another one. 5/10 2 stars.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings of Leon

2/5

If the singer would have taken the Chick Fil-A sandwich out of his mouth for a goddamn minute before singing I might have liked this a lot more. As it is, the music is fine enough but I realized it kind of doesn't go anywhere, and the dry weird/distracting vocals just end up making this annoying. 5/10 2 stars.

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

4/5

Always liked this kind of hip-hop - it's about the music! Old school organic/sampled beats and a very rhythmic vocal style that doesn't overtake the music. I also love Ice-T's voice - perfect combination of aggression and smoothness. Negatives? Too long. Also skits in general are lame - automatic skips. Still when this album is rolling it is fantastic - grading on the best, it's a keeper. 7/10 4 stars

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Sinead O'Connor

4/5

This album is better than I remember it being - not that I thought I didn't like it but I'd forgotten how good it actually is and still sounds. Great variety here - catchy/bouncy numbers (e.g. "Emperor's New Clothes") that can appeal to a general audience and others that are gentle ("Last Day of Our Acquaintance") then some much more challenging and/or intricate songs ("Black Boys on Mopeds" or "Feel So Different"). I don't usually gravitate towards albums that might be focused solely on the singer but this one feels different; like it's not merely a showcase for Sinead but the music as a whole. Also to me it sounds surprisingly not dated, especially considering the time of release (i.e. right out of the 80s). Keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room

Dwight Yoakam

2/5

I can appreciate the musicianship. This is just very much not my bag. Simply constructed three chord songs with honky tonk vocals....."Next!" 3/10 2 stars.

Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

Lupe Fiasco

2/5

I don't know ... it's definitely ambitious, I'll give him that. Dense; there's a lot going on. I just don't *like* it, and I can't exactly pinpoint all of the reasons but the hefty share of the blame goes to his flow - there's an Eminem kind of vibe to his verses of whom i'm definitely not a fan at all. Monotone with jamming a lot of words in - might be a 90s hiphop thing/style? Weird - there's almost so much trying to go on, with too many words...the whole thing was just boring boring boring. I could see how or why people like it but i've been introduced to so much great hiphop through this 1001 and this one is just not my thing at all and was a struggle to finish. 3/10 2 stars.

Yank Crime

Drive Like Jehu

1/5

jesusfkingchrist "Here Come the Rome Plows" is on the shortlist for worst rock song ever recorded. Overall: a great representation of the parts I hated about the 90s "alt" scene. TL;DR: No composition skills, gross screaming, faux-complexity as if showing off to high school freaks how much the world sucks and trying to pass off as mysterious art. NO. 0 anythings.

Machine Gun Etiquette

The Damned

3/5

I had to give this one a chance - not really a fan of punk and especially the "1234!" rabid-energy-and-little-else cuts like the first one here .... but there's a lot more once I moved on. Sense of humour on some cuts and more of a variety/complexity/maturity than I'd have guessed. e.g. "Plan 9 Channel 7" fits in comfortably alongside The Clash and other late 70s/early 80s British new wave/post-punk acts. Will never be close to a favourite kind of music and for me real hit and miss but the "more than meets the eye" factor boosts this to a semi-enjoyable 3. 6/10 3 stars.

Pet Sounds

The Beach Boys

4/5

One of the best - if not *the* best - aspects of this entire exercise is learning or re-learning the history of popular music; e.g. why certain albums are considered classics, or even lost/should-have-been classics. Pet Sounds is always placed on "greatest/alltime best" album lists but aside from a few unavoidably huge singles, I'd wondered why I never listened to it or even heard it while growing up (or knew anyone that owned it) ... I'm reminded that the album was actually out of print for years before reissued on CD in the 90s. I never could get into the Beach Boys. Or as a kid even get beyond "I *really* don't like the Beach Boys" - they always seemed intertwined in my brain with minor league baseball promo nights and songs that sounded like commercial jingles. But let's go - I enjoyed and was surprised by their "Surf's Up" album so keeping an open mind here... "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows" are really just great pieces of music that exist beyond any pop or rock definitions. And my first time through it today almost restricted my view to these particular singles which I already knew well. But on my second pass - and a pointedly uninterrupted one at that - things kinda clicked. I like this far more as a full or singular work rather than a collection of songs. It's an experience; almost dream-like with heavy usage of major 7th and complex chords, key changes, and unique harmonies. I'm not a fan of some of the cheesy/dated lyrics which I only seem to notice when the music dips a bit for me (e.g. "You Still Believe In Me") but it really is an impressive body of work overall, especially considering the time (1966). And it's pretty apparent that a lot of conceptual albums to follow wouldn't or couldn't have existed without this preceding them. One example is Jellyfish: one of my favourite bands of all-time - they could never have existed without this album. Not a fan of some of the overly-syrupy sounds but it was era-appropriate. Also not into Mike Love's lead vocals but when he's kept at a minimum I'm all-in. TL;DR: I get it now. 8/10 4 stars.

Sea Change

Beck

2/5

Laconic. Odd. Or rather, not close to what I'd expected. I like a fair amount (most?) of this music when it doesn't sound like a (more) boring Wilco. One of my problems is that Beck's slacker vocals become tiring after a while. Real tiring. Sounding too much like Cobain (not a compliment). I don't know how to feel here - e.g. "Lonesome Tears" has a Radiohead+Elbow+Travis feel to it - all bands that I like, but I'm not fully connecting here. A few years prior to this one he put out "Midnight Vultures" which was a game-changer for me; I loved the modern/electronic/sampling touches he put on those tracks which were a lot more aggressive and upbeat than this platter. Don't want to suggest that he should have put out more of the same but jeez man - listening to this makes me understand how my wife feels when I play too much Radiohead. TL;DR: Too much of the same drudging pace; any one of these tracks would have been great on a better album. Slightly disappointing. 4/10 2 stars.

The Rise & Fall

Madness

4/5

(unavailable in N America on Apple Music - had to navigate the gross morass of YouTube) Even before playing this album, just the name "Madness" evokes childhood memories - in the first year or 2 of MTV Madness were one of the bands in heavy rotation and for a kid they were a fascinating act; seemingly a bunch of lunatics with hilarious videos and catchy-as-hell songs. It's the kind of music in your (my) youth that you (I) wouldn't necessarily or immediately appreciate how complex and intricate it is because of the overly melodic nature. Honestly it's amazing/joyous/diverse and more than I even expected (also it sounds great). Favourites: "Primrose Hill" and of course the classic "Our House" Love it. 8/10 4 stars

Now I Got Worry

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

1/5

(.....Where the hell is the bass?) "...Will one of you please close the garage door, our neighbours on the next block can hear your shit aimless music?!" dreadful. 1/10 1 star.

Fromohio

fIREHOSE

3/5

New to me and there's some interesting stuff in here - "Whisperin' While Hollerin'" and "Time With You" are the initial favourites. Biggest problem I have just a few songs in is that the album sounds thin. Where's the beef dammit. But also a bunch of these in the middle aren't great songs. Some very cool ideas and riffs but not a lot glues together. I'm giving this another pass to see if it clicks more.... ....which ... hey, it kinda did. There are still some songs that mostly suck around the mushy middle of the album but they're short enough to not matter as much :) and by the end I've already forgotten them. e.g. "Understanding" is a real nice song. This ended up a pleasant surprise with more melody and complexity than I'd expected - I could nitpick about this and that but I'm glad this ended up a weekend album so I could spend more time with it. Giving it a high 3 and could come back to this one. 7/10 3 stars

The Stooges

1/5

Dumb, unimaginative, untalented, moronic - boring. My dog has farted out far more creative melodies - and lyrics. Staggeringly awful and pointless. 1/10 1 star.

21

Adele

5/5

Yeah this is straight-up fantastic. It's really quite a simple album which oddly is what I like about it - not overly-produced in any way, not terribly cutting-edge, no electronics or sampling - just great bluesy/soul/rock with a simple backing band and her killer voice which is honestly why the album rises from nice to great - the best part is she *never* overdoes it vocally. Every track is catchy in some way, and this is more than worth the hype of being an all-time seller (plus it's a family favourite). 9/10 5 stars.

The Man Machine

Kraftwerk

4/5

This one hits me so much deeper than Trans-Europe Express. Not really sure why, it's still hilariously dorky ("we are the rrrrrrobots!") and electronic repetitiveness but I feel like this has more subtle hooks. I feel like I'm watching Doctor Who in 1979 all over again and that freaking rocks. Better actual song composition combined with an almost otherworldly sound - the various synth patches/sounds all work so well together... Not gonna think too much harder about it but this one is a nerdy keeper for me. 7/10 4 stars

The Predator

Ice Cube

3/5

Torn. I enjoy Ice Cube's voice a lot and especially his rap style/flow. I really like the beats (despite the bad mix). I really hate skits - makes it hard to get into [although admittedly there aren't that many], yet i say this and suddenly I find myself lost like 25 minutes in and I'm grooving so... maybe I should shut up and enjoy the good parts. Another negative is that It doesn't *sound* all that great, it's loud and way too compressed, but I do like this musical style (outside the dumb ones like "Dirty Mack" or "Gangsta's Fairytale 2" - terrible). I'll call it right up the middle - probably not something I'll reach for that often but 5 or 6 excellent cuts make it for me; some faves are "Check Yo Self" and "It Was a Good Day". And in retrospect "F**k 'Em" and "Integration" are important so on second listen I found it easier to get through. Fk the police indeed. 6/10 3 stars.

Manassas

Stephen Stills

3/5

Hearing Stephen Stills' voice with a warm early 70s analog mix instantly turns me back into a 5yr old at the whim of dad's record player or AM radio in the station wagon. Problems with this (double) album are more than just that it's long; it more-than-occasionally threatens my tolerance for rootsy American rock (e.g. I don't like any of the country-tinged tracks on side 2 ("The Wilderness") of 4 - everything from track 6-11 is totally skippable for me). It's better on vinyl since you (I) can easily never put on side 2. Side 3 ("Consider") is so CSN in that apparently Stills almost actually named it "CSN" - I like 1 and 3 best; 4 is a little too clichéd early 70s rock. Obviously such a mixed bag, I could probably cut this down to a selective 8 song album to make it a high 4 but the bloat is way too much. 5/10 3 stars

Live!

Fela Kuti

4/5

ayy this is cool; I used to think I didn't like live albums but I just don't like many live rock albums. This one kinda puts you right into the space of the band. Nice and clean, I still can never get over how good some of these old recordings sound. As for the music itself - Afrobeat? I don't know enough of the genre but it's a good mix of jazzy r&b with dashes of funk and an occasional rock bent - and very little in the way of (English) vocals. nice. n.b. I'm excluding the online 5th bonus track, an interminable drum solo. If it's not Neil Peart yeahnothankyou. 8/10, 4 stars.

The United States Of America

2/5

I liked/like the idea of this far more than the actual album. It's too bad as there are some cool effects that must have been out of this world for 1968, and they're applied well in each song for the most part, but the songs kinda don't go anywhere. None of them are bad! Just few are memorable or catchy. The vocals aren't annoying so much as they are just terribly basic, almost like they were a guide vocal and meant to be overdubbed by ... better vocalists. Despite that, it's an interesting historical listen and not off-putting or offensive to listen to but maybe a better producer could have corralled a lot of these excellent ideas into better songs - it's just not something I'd likely actively care to listen to again. I feel a little bad not raising this to a 3 since you can tell they were groundbreaking, but since it was a little tiring getting through how does a 2 and a pat on the back sound instead? Favourite song: "Stranded In Time" - very of-the-era (Beatles/Zombies) yet progressive. 5/10 2 stars

Vincebus Eruptum

Blue Cheer

2/5

Early (1981/2) MTV would play anything they could find which was amazing - so many early/60s clips from British music/variety shows I'd never heard of etc. and one was for "Summertime Blues" - what the hell, who are these old guys I'd never heard of who were doing a weird cover of that Who song from Live At Leeds (... being ~10, so I had little context)? I've never heard the entire album before today. Totally respecting that it was quite different from anything else at the time - not sure Sabbath could/would have developed their sound w/o these guys. So their (Eddie Cochran) cover of "Summertime Blues" for me is by far the best cut on the disc, the rest are just sorta there and not ... really great songs at all, but again I appreciate it's more about the heavy sound they brought - and it is cool to listen to in that vein. But 32 minutes is more than enough of the history lesson for this morning. 5/10 2 stars.

Maggot Brain

Funkadelic

4/5

This album (while I really like it) has always creeped me out. Has to be the absurd 10 minute guitar solo to start the album; it really does set a tone that affects the more basic tracks. e.g. "Can You Get To That" is a great/classic tune with I suppose you'd call a happy/major sound to it - it reminds me of the theme song to the old freaky '70s kids show "Vegetable Soup" which captivated and terrified me (the animation). Disparate and weird thoughts but even after hearing this album for the ~75th time my mind still goes there. Anyhow - the album is of course a keeper, even if I occasionally think putting "Maggot Brain" as the lead track was a terrible move... maybe it works exactly as-intended. e.g would I hear the rest of the album in the same way without the dark/space/haunting (and too long by about 5 minutes, honestly) solo to lead it off? It all would maybe have sounded "more normal" (which it kind of is, not disparaging it tho) eh I don't know. The bookends of the title track and "Wars of Armageddon" are like the horror-bun to the album's party mix tunes on the inside; a combination of great/accessible funk-rock tracks and a proto-metal song in "Super Stupid" - anyways, even if I occasionally get annoyed by a bit of the beginning and end, it's a complete album in the truest sense - listen to the entire thing. 8/10 4 stars.

Punishing Kiss

Ute Lemper

1/5

Struggling very very hard to at least respect the time and effort involved in putting a grand package like this together ... ... ...ok no but the schmaltz is immeasurable and as I suffer very very slowly through song after song and try to find anything to enjoy I think "of course nick cave has *something* to do with this" albeit obliquely. It's ironic that I save my 1s for the unlistenable gargling-up-phlegm sounds of Nick Cave or low-fi talentless alt-hacks recording their angsty attitude on 4-tracks while middle aged white dudes from Chicago fall all over themselves writing 2000 words trying to explain to their co-worker in the food review department how this THIS is the past present and future of what music should be... ...have I gone off-track? I shouldn't feel bad - spend a million dollars on the greatest mixers/producers and musicians and this is the drek that's produced - it's actually quite hilarious. I won't put the punishment solely on Ute Lemper since she apparently didn't write them but these are some of the worst *songs* I've ever heard. #4 Tango Ballad I'm looking at you especially. This album makes me want to re-evaluate my interest in music altogether. This is tragically, shockingly, comically, and definitively awful. 1/10 1 star.

Snivilisation

Orbital

3/5

I've heard a bit of Orbital, not sure I was familiar with this one. At the risk of coming across as the amateur I am in terms of the history and details of EDM, this is really good background music. Sounds like a shot but isn't meant to be - it has been great (and weirdly-motivating) to work to this morning, I can imagine it being a nice soundtrack to run or workout to if that's your thing. Negative: sometimes it's... a lot to take; like... I can't imagine people actively listening to this without doing something else. e.g. "Sad but True" that main riff is catchy but I don't need it 100 times, boring into my head repeatedly. I know that's also the genre, so.... \shrug/ .... it is what it is. Related: I actually listened to a little of this in the car (e.g. "Crash and Carry" - maybe a poor driving choice) and was annoyed - proving for me that this is ... actively a non-active-listening album. But back home "Science Friction" is back to nice background music. Almost a perfect 3 star album for me - it's just "there" but I actually might reach for this one from time to time when I need the right life soundtrack. 6/10 3 stars

Suicide

1/5

Ooo this reminded me that I was familiar with the lovely "Frankie Teardrop" - I hadn't heard that once since my wedding reception... This is what happened when you left Tommy the little delinquent punk at home for the weekend in the late 70s with nothing but Oreos and coke and his new cheap little Radio Shack gadgets. Seriously: as low an "effort" as I've ever heard - not just on the 1001 - ever. Straight up in the running for worst album ever released. 0/10 0 stars (i wish).

The Rolling Stones

2/5

Objectively it's pretty fascinating hearing this and knowing they (or some of them...3/5? 2/5? i can't keep straight who's dead) are still performing - this sounds like something put into a time capsule a hundred years ago. Almost all are cover songs (ripped off from blues singers) and they're not a great band yet and although it's occasionally pretty cool to listen to it does get old (pun) rather quickly. More of a historical document of what was to come than anything. Roots, baby, roots. 5/10 2.5 stars.

Devotional Songs

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

2/5

ehh I feel bad not liking this because it's so outside my world and I love to get exposed to something new and different... ...but this is just not something I enjoy listening to. At all. Would be able to get through it much more easily if it were instrumental but there's something about this Eastern vocal style - the quick little inflections. ...I'll allow that it's tough to give this less than a 2 (given that this week I had to listen to the band Suicide so I'll pay some respect to tradition and talent) so I'll give it my ignorant grade and move on... 3/10 2 stars

Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water

Limp Bizkit

1/5

the absolute worst of roided fat headed backwards hat wearing white frat boy bullshit that somehow gets called music. I don't have enough terrible things to say about everything and everyone responsible for creating and liking this. 0 anythings and if you like this I hate you too.

This Is Hardcore

Pulp

2/5

I don't know...there's definitely a lot of Roxy and Bowie sound here with the vocals especially and maybe that's why I waver back and forth. It's just too featured, too hot in the mix, too detached - again it's the odd Jarvis Cocker distraction here. It always is. The lyrics and phrasing are just....they're just weird. Or unsettling in a not-cool way. Like "Dishes" - gak no. Roxy did this better. I can definitely see how ppl loved him/them, but I can never get beyond a 4 or 5 stretch of cleverly-sarcastic subtly depressive-laced dreary life tales ("Sylvia" is good, if not merely in a tasty cookie cutter mid 90s Brit ballad kinda way, but it sticks out on this otherwise almost loungey rock sound to the disc) and it really seems pointed on this album. ok it's all fine - it's fine! But I like it a bit less than Different Class and stop trying to convince me otherwise. I just don't know if it's ok enough to give a 3 here, I think I've already forgotten it an hour later. 5/10 2+ stars

Architecture And Morality

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

2/5

It's a bit stiff, innit...? More 80s than most other 80s synth bands, it's just too cold, too plodding, too fey, too mid-tempo bland. Not objectionable or bad whatsoever, but it sounds like synth music made for pre-schoolers. Any song would be ok in context of some period piece television show but any 4 song segment of this is exhausting let alone an hour.* Not my fave. Gimme Echo or New Order instead. 4/10 2 stars. *[n.b. i listened to the extended version - didn't know the original ended after 9 songs. might upgrade to a 2.1]

Rip It Up

Orange Juice

3/5

I'd never heard of these guys before but within a minute I'd weirdly recognized the voice (a quick search shows that Edwyn Collins was the singer; big mid-90s single that one had...). I dunno - weird mix of Chic and Style Council all blurred with a very soft brushstroke of Bryan Ferry and light Smiths (vocal and lyrical stylings)...? Not really my jam so to speak but at the same time it's kind of an enjoyable listen in a happy/"blue-eyed soul" kinda way - not sure I'll reach for this again but it sounds really good and it's well-done enough to give a nice mark. 6/10 3 stars.

Public Image: First Issue

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

Ho lee hell. This first song ("Theme") is one of the worst album openers I've ever had the pleasure of enduring. Was tempted to stop the review right there... ...and so while I truly appreciate the (any) anti-religious sentiments, there's more than a bit of me that harkens back to my Leonard Cohen reviews - "oh he's a poet" yeah ok great give me the book instead - can you put some thought into the gd music? I like a lot of late 70s British alt/post-punk but this is noise for the sake of ...what? sounding aggrieved? There's almost no structure or effort or point - it's just not good. Only/notable exception is the track "Public Image" which - vocals a major aside - sounds like it could almost have fit on the Pretenders' debut; I almost actually like it. Not enough to ever listen to this again tho. 2/10 1 star.

Central Reservation

Beth Orton

3/5

Great driving opening cut with "Stolen Car" - man, I don't think a good opening track can be understated - you can almost go anywhere you want after that, at least for a 3 or 4 song run. And it definitely dips a little after that - "Sweetest Decline" is a bit torch song like, and it's good but had *this* been the opener the entire model shifts. Overall a really nice listen, although I suppose in keeping with my opening statement I'd have loved more up-tempo songs; most are a bit relaxed (although each of high quality). Highlights: "Stolen Car" "So Much More" "Stars All Seem to Weep" TL;DR: Easy to listen to, would have liked more energetic songs, but overall good work. 7/10 3 stars.

GREY Area

Little Simz

4/5

Different, to be sure. First off - the music is *awesome* - as in; full 5 star quality. Love the organic sampling, the soulful singing interludes and progressions - definitely right up my alley. Also the length hello perfect - keep it short and sweet! OK as for the main performer here Little Simz - how is the flow? .... Here's where I wavered from song to song: no question she has amazing talent here; her ability to get all the lyrics out with such clarity is impressive, I don't know how that's done. But there are times that her rhythm wavers - I'm big on the old-school method of being on the beat, it's an intrinsic part of the music for me and at times there's a bit of "overflow" with the words and phrasing. It's a style more than any "flaw" and I just don't like that style, so at times it's a bit distracting. Also - damn: her rapping is monotoned. Way too monotoned. If there was some or any expressiveness throughout the delivery there'd be no nitpicking. If that's something she develops/ed after this album I'd be psyched, because there's still a lot to like from her. Sum: music is a 5, rapping/flow is somewhere in the frustrating 3 range for me, but with let's say a higher potential. I'm curious enough that I'll seek out her later albums to see where she went from here and even with the limitations overall the music is really good and I'll listen again. 7/10 4 stars.

Infected

The The

3/5

Very 80s. Very. Interesting how it can sound both dated and advanced at the same time. Probably advanced wrt the song construction and instrumentation; very creative. It is just too easy to place this in the mid-80s with the (synth/percussion) sounds and production - which isn't always/necessarily bad, it just ... is. Matt Johnson's overly-exuberant vocals *should* grate on me but for the most part don't for some reason - maybe that is one part of the 80s production/mix that i appreciate/miss; it's that the vocals aren't mixed so up front like modern pop/rock tracks that it would be enough to obscure the rest of the music. Even if you don't pay close attention to the lyrics (mea culpa) you can hear the anger and darkness which is a good contrast to the music. Overall it's good, and it's quick (thank you: vinyl era). 7/10 3 stars.

Idlewild

Everything But The Girl

3/5

Light, very melodic, nice, and just a bit too-80s-jazzy-pop a lot of times. This is exactly the kind of safe album you can put on at either a chill party or dinner gathering and nobody will be offended or question the choice or maybe even remember the exact artist or songs. Not a bad thing; it's quite handy to have a few "bridge album" choices for those indecisive moments before you break out the late night live Iron Maiden discs to weed out the true friends... 6/10 3 stars.

Music From Big Pink

The Band

2/5

Immediately you succumb to the album's laid-back rootsy feel - it has the perfect sound for the late 60s... ...and just about every song bores me to tears. It's not quite Clapton-boredom because I think the songs aren't remotely *that* bad, but just that there's no energy whatsoever to any of this - everyone plodding along and topping off at about 66 beats per minute...and that's only when they really feel like giving 'er. It feels like a giant weighted blanket was placed over the entire neighbourhood where they recorded this and the mics picked up the sound from the neighbouring highway, and yet weirdly it doesn't sound *bad* but that just contributes to the entire project's mood; i.e. it really is "of the era" but something/s about this album has just always prevented me from ever even getting through it. Vocals? It might be part of it (especially Rick Danko songs - Rick are you ok? are you about to cry? just cry already.). Essentially it's just that nothing about this record jumps out and excites me. I don't need a ripping guitar solo (necessarily...) but each song starts and that's kind of...the mood for the rest of that song. No twists/turns, no drum break, no weird whispery creepy interludes. I understand it is what it is (I hate that phrase - apologies to myself); it's not Sgt Pepper nor should it try to be. There could be *some* excitement or mystery in here and there is absolutely zero. I really don't know how to sum it up and maybe it's the sneaky laconic power of the album itself that's preventing me from making the effort to find the right words. One exception: I do like (most of) "Chest Fever" - that deep (Purple??) organ to kick it off is almost exactly the kind of different thing I wanted more of and even tho the song is uneven, adding the cool solo within really saves the entire record for me. I fully and completely understand why people like this album...it's historic, harkens back to a different time, is such an influence on so much (dull) American(a) music... yadayadyada I'm just tired and bored and after xxx years I'm done trying. Take a load off indeed - this is not my thing. 5/10 2 stars.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

PJ Harvey

4/5

She obviously progressed a lot since her debut album (nowhere to go but up?), and on first pass I can't entirely get a handle on whether or how much I actually like this one. Because every time I really like one song (e.g. "The Whores Hustle...") another song comes along (like "Horses In My Dreams") where her vocals are almost purposefully awful and distracting; that one could have been like a dreamy Radiohead song - HEY YOU JUST HAD THOM SING A FEW TRACKS EARLIER WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE HIM THIS ONE TOO?!? Sorry for yelling. I feel like I really want to like this, and first pass through was frustrating because I know there's something here, it just hasn't hit me. Lucky for you Polly that it's a weekend album so I have 3 days to boost you (or ...), so let's see how a few more spins go here... ... and yes ok I definitely like it (3 listens and counting) much more than first pass... ... ...and even then I thought it just was going to end up at a solid 3 - I didn't think I was getting any chills from it (other than ... Thom Yorke singing "The Mess We're In").... until I really heard "We Float" to close the album. That chorus. And there it is. The positives were quite groovy and honestly the first ~7 cuts are a solid album right there. Funny - I absolutely would have given this a 2 or 3 had it been a weekday but it was the magical 4th listen over the weekend that got me. There are negatives - it occasionally veers dangerously-close to my low-fi indie hatebox (e.g. her first album) and there's that 4 song stretch near the end that I dislike (I still can't enjoy her vocals on "Horses...") but the fact that each time I'm listening to the album I'm hearing more and more is a huge pull. 7/10 4 stars

Blue Lines

Massive Attack

3/5

a. realizing once again that I really like trip-hop b. especially with this album, I generally do NOT like vocals in conjunction with said trip-hop. I'm paraphrasing what one of the members of the band said about this album, and by extension the genre since this album is considered one of the first trip-hop albums: "this is dance music not for the feet but for the mind" - that's probably what I like most about it. What brings it down is how dated it still sounds in parts - I get that there was only so much you could do in 1991 but... some of those 80s sounding drum beats/synths just don't age well. Like where they're going here but future work is more enjoyable for me. 6/10 3 stars

Joan Baez

2/5

As I'm listening to this, sometimes I feel nostalgic for my early childhood or even impossibly a time before my birth. And then sometimes I feel like her fluttering voice makes me want to jab my ears repeatedly. Still - she was just 19 while recording this which is/was impressive, and it was absolutely a different world, and so a lot of credit should be given. Just that it's impossible to translate to today in a lot of ways which is probably a tragedy in some ways. So it's sort of an interesting document of a long-ago time, and for me occasionally it's fascinating to hear a simple recording of voice and acoustic guitar, but being blunt I don't really like these *songs* much - is it because they're all covers? - eh without much more self-analysis this is a one-and-done archeological dig for me... 5/10 2 stars.

Like Water For Chocolate

Common

2/5

More than kinda-disappointed with this one - I cannot connect with this at all. Yet if it were described to me I'd think there's no way I wouldn't love it: r&b and soul mid-tempo grooves with acoustic drum samples... I think I'm not a fan of Common's rap style on this album, and it might be that simple. Less rhythm and more spitting (too) many words - meh. Yet 5 years later he releases "Be" which is an album I really liked - did he get better? Did he change his style? I don't think it's *that* different in terms of his style, but something about it here I really don't like - e.g. "Be" is maybe a more positive album and this one kinda feels distasteful at times; does/did this affect how he performed on it? Or maybe I can and should grade this on the same level as other genres - the songs themselves are far superior and catchier on "Be" than on this one. If this were an instrumental album I might buy it, but his rapping here breaks all the groove for me - it's a frustrating listen. Re-listening to "Be" right now to reenforce how much more I like it over this disappointing one. 3/10 2 stars.

Kick Out The Jams (Live)

MC5

3/5

I have wavered between this being either: a) a sloppy and often pedestrian set of live tunes from a band that is cited infinitely more by critics than anyone I'd ever met in terms of how good they're supposed to have been ... or ... b) this just being a fun high energy live rock album with little to no thought needed. Being fair, energy mostly wins out - you really can feel the (mostly controlled) chaos on stage. It's not something I put on repeat, isn't the most melodic of collections, and gets pretty ridiculous by the end but some days you really need to turn it up to 11 and simply kick out the jams, motherfucker. 6/10 3 stars.

Tanto Tempo

Bebel Gilberto

2/5

I'm finding I can work well to this music... Yet I'm not going to be putting this on for active listening. I feel like I'm listening to a super-extended version of Girl From Ipanema - not necessarily a bad thing, just the mood. Soundtrack music? Feels like a lazy way out of describing it but while listening I'm not *really* listening, I feel like I should be watching some mid70s movie scene of a car with the top down and gently rolling across the Spanish coast, all the while not a lot is happening. Which sounds great... I just can't fully connect with it on an active level. 5/10 2.49 stars.

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

Otis Redding

4/5

There aren't many vocalists that I'm either drawn to or excite me - on the contrary most singers annoy or are just a distraction. Be holistic ffs - my biggest complaint about modern music isn't really the music it's the production - i.e. I like to hear singers as just another instrument, not the weighted blanket on top of all those cozy sheets. Otis Redding is an exception. He was awesome and not in an over-the-top way. Just perfect for the music - I guess there's a good reason for this being considered the first definitive soul/r&b album. I always forget that he wrote "Respect" Anyways - this seems to break a few rules for me or maybe I'm just a hypocrite: vocally-featured* record consisting of mostly covers is something that would turn me off by definition but you can't be in a bad mood listening to this album. 8/10 4 stars. *the backing band is worth another play of the record to focus on them a bit. Never overplaying but at the same time not just a backing track by any means. n.b. I'm not a big fan of mono releases (yes yes purists "BUT THAT'S HOW IT WAS INTENDED" meh sue me - I like a good sounding recording.) but that's what I'm listening to - with a few exceptions I mostly avoid re-releases that add on 49 demos, live versions, and outtakes

Second Toughest In The Infants

Underworld

2/5

First 10 minutes were a dreadful mistake on my part. As an album to listen to anywhere near active-listening - e.g. in the car - this is absolutely disastrous. Literally about 8 minutes into track one which centers (drones) completely around one single chord/note was nearly literally driving me to madness. When I realized I was halfway done with track 1 I self-corrected into waiting until I could put headphones on and have this as background. And most definitely works as such - this is the album you want if you're working for 75 minutes at your computer, which... :) It's odd how an album like this actually makes me concentrate on my job/task at hand even better. Question: does that mean I actually *like* it? Maybe not. It's specialized to be sure as there's no way I could put this on for many other things other than work - it's like an audio tuning-out landscape. Hard to rate because I like the vibe it provides but it's almost like when i turn my attention back to the "songs" I don't like it at all - ends up sounding like cold repetitive nonsense. So while it serves a definitive purpose for me...Is that 3-worthy? It's like an appliance. Useful. It almost feels like I'd be giving an oven or a Roomba a 3. Can't do it, even if I might "use" this album again. 5/10 2 stars.

Parallel Lines

Blondie

1/5

...I have always hated Blondie. As a kid when they were at their "peak" it was an immediate jab at dad's radio presets in the station wagon when they'd come on. So admittedly I've never sat through an album...sigh...ok let's do this. Yeah still don't like the singles at all, not even for nostalgia. Nor do I like the album cuts. Well. <wipes hands on pants> That wraps this one up. 2/10 1 star. *(some detail for only my future-self to laugh at. I'm not exactly sure why this band elicits such anger in me - I don't love Debbie's voice sure but it's more (or less) than that - there are too many acts from that 70s-NYC scene that I dislike... that punky vibe is it really that different from something like ~The Cars (whose first album is unassailable to me)? Might also be partially the mix/production; this dry mix gives me some B52s vibes which are bad bad vibes. Ahh who tf is this review for other than me - I hated this group in 1980 and still really really don't like this band and really don't like this record. My 8 yr old self was right. OWNING IT.)

Superfuzz Bigmuff

Mudhoney

1/5

In high school an equally-emotionally-stunted friend of mine and I wrote "songs" for a fake band we made up to amuse ourselves to no end. He had no musical talent but I taught him how to play bass enough to be able to record some of our absolutely gross-out, talentless, puerile, and frankly hilarious tunes on my c1982 Panasonic cassette recorder in my living room when the family was far far away. Worst-quality recordings imaginable. Our *big hit single* was called "Follow The Glowing Green Gonad." That song was infinitely better than anything on this donkeyshitparade. 0/10 1 star. are you kidding me with this trash. Figures that Cobain loved it of course he did.

Electric Ladyland

Jimi Hendrix

3/5

Yeah yeah i'm the guy who shits in the punchbowl. Mr. iconoclast. Hendrix (Experience) kind of bored me. Bores me. I don't think any of it is bad at all, and it/he is definitely historic for how different it was to most/all rock before it. But I just sat through this album again for the first time in maybe a decade and it was cool but I don't really remember a lot of it. Yeah yeah the big singles <yawn> I mean it's all fine and like what you want and sure Hendrix was a genius but .... ? Do we say this just reflexively? Overall the songs here were/are not.that.good. Aside: I remember discovering Band of Gypsys many years ago and THAT was mind-blowing. So much better. This is a long and meandering album; it's very welcomed in the context of me closing up a long dry spell of borderline-unlistenable albums, but I'm still not walking away from this with chills - many songs start out interesting then don't go anywhere amidst a sea of blues-based wanking. Turning it positive - there's obviously excellent musicianship here and as a guitarist, I appreciate and enjoy Jimi's (still) unique playing. He was the first of his kind, I don't need to go into it you know you know. A+ and I love listening to him play. I just want a few songs that became all time favorites and nothing has ever come close. maybe that's not the point, maybe I'm holding him to a higher standard. Possibly. 3 stars for definite talent that was to that point unfulfilled. It's just too long and without many great or even good songs to latch onto. Notable exception/s are the last 2 songs which are the best tracks on the album; of course one not even being his own ("...Watchtower" then the better/kickass version of "Voodoo Child..."). Double albums have to have some purpose to them, other than throwing everything against the wall and letting it stick. Probably could/should have filtered this down to ~7/8 songs. And maybe some jazzy instrumentals to round it out. Ehhh Band of Gypsys filled that need. 6/10 3 stars.

La Revancha Del Tango

Gotan Project

3/5

I cheated and looked at what some others of you had written and with full credit I'll paraphrase the top comment: "this is like high-class on-hold music." I definitely expect an abrupt interruption any time with "...you are caller number....THIRTEEN.... do *not* hang up....." Very nice background music to work to. Very pleasant. Not much more than that. 5/10 3 stars.

Music Has The Right To Children

Boards of Canada

4/5

There's such a subtle difference between electronic music that either just misses or seems ephemeral to me and something like this which both works as background music and also hits me while actively listening. The synths and samples used here are obviously intentionally evocative of old media ("the 70s!") and totally work as such on me. Another thing I love about this album is that it isn't "electronicmusic-as-dancemusic" (i.e. EDM, not that there's anything wrong with that) - it works as a piece or pieces of music and/or a soundtrack for a tv-show (documentary?) in my head. Reminds me of Biosphere's album "Substrata" in terms of mood and sound but with more concrete song structures. Particular highlight: "Roygbiv" which isn't nearly long enough of a song for how good it is and ironically is probably why it works on me so well. Not sure what it would take for an ambient album to get a 5 (probably would take repeat listens and a history in my head) but this is close and may get there in time. 8/10 4 stars.

Definitely Maybe

Oasis

4/5

These guys may have been total idiots (sorry: wankers) but they wrote damn great pop songs. The usual Oasis critiques apply: Liam's voice can irritate after a while and the mix/production is a dense sloppy pile of shit. The fact that this is still catchy-enough to rise above that is a testament to how good a debut it is. Extra points for beating a lot of the crappy and miserable contemporaneous low-fi/grunge that was happening at the time. Sum: Songs are good-to-great; not quite on par with their next album, but the mix isn't as bad as that one either so it almost evens out. Great fun - bring back the early 90s. 7/10 4 stars.

Foo Fighters

3/5

Well, it's not Nirvana which is a quick win. I suppose it's inevitable yet also unfair to make the comparison so getting it out of the way ... I enjoy everything about Dave Grohl's songwriting, voice, and guitar playing far more than Kurt's. There's a strong sense of melody that Dave had/has that permeates the songs. I hadn't heard this album in at least 20 years and it's interesting to hear the evolution in his music; ok it's not progressive by any means but this early raw listen (it's all Grohl) is just that - not nearly as produced and slick as his/their later work. I suppose that's to the listener whether they like it or not - as someone who almost actively hates the intentionally lo-fi/indie aesthetic that was somehow catching fire around this time, I do prefer the sound of the later songs. But it's also kinda undeniable that some things were lost as well - a friend and I years ago coined the "Foo Fraction" - wherein each new FF release would have some killer single and we'd rush out and grab the album only to be somewhat disappointed in that much of the album/s was filler. I feel like for the most part I'm enjoying these songs on the whole more than later albums; another interesting aspect is that it's clear Dave had so relatively little confidence in his voice; much less-aggressive than in later years. And I think I like this version of him better (not a fan of yell/scream-singing). "Big Me" - holy hell the memories of this video; suddenly I'm in my early 20s again. personal favourite: "Floaty" ...mmm those major7ths. Sum: Definitely sounds like a well-crafted demo; i.e. not lo-fi enough to be annoying and well-conceived enough to be a group of catchy songs. Negative is that overall it's a bit too thrashy (often countered nicely by mellow-Dave-voice). Not sure it's anything approaching a favourite but I'm probably not turning it off if it comes on. 7/10 3 stars.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd

5/5

In 1998 J and S and I rented Wizard Of Oz and queued up the lion's third roar then hit play on this CD. It was trippy, man. For real. Do it. The album that's almost become a meme. Two or three of the big songs are probably playing on your classic rock stations at this very moment which completely kills the vibe of this album listening to a one off of Money followed by Aerosmith and .38 Special. Gak. It sounds completely different and wrong when shuffled in with other 70s songs. This is an album in the truest sense - I hear or think of it as one 45 minute suite. Play it in it's entirety, at high volume or in headphones and don't stop it. It is that good. Rather, all-time great. 10/10 epic 5 stars obviously.

Exit Planet Dust

The Chemical Brothers

3/5

ASMR for GenX. 5/10, 3 stars

Chelsea Girl

Nico

1/5

trigger warning velvet underground association. jfc. Starts off deceptively sweet or nice but quickly dissolves into nothingness and then chaos and hey - who allowed Nico into the studio? simply rotten singer. Dreadful. Seems a pattern since that cretin Lou Reed was involved. "It Was A Pleasure Then" is definitely a bad joke played on anyone foolish enough to have purchased this. Burn your records. This one, at least. 1/10 1 star

Sweet Baby James

James Taylor

4/5

No idea whether younger generations can get into JT? But having grown up with this music and hearing it again here for the first time in ages is like a great time machine. You might not love the singer/songwriter genre but I'll fight you if you hate a song like "Country Road" come on. The singles here are borderline legendary even if they seem rather simple (which may be in terms of production but the songwriting is genius on "Fire and Rain" and the title track). A few missteps (e.g. "Steamroller" which kind of sucks, and "Oh Susanna" which is just an odd choice to include) knocks this down for me but the best is so enjoyable that it remains a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

The Only Ones

2/5

First song impressions: this singer sounds like my grandmother would sound today trying to sing through constipation. And she's dead. The music is... interesting?? Kinda surprising to be honest. But as ever: singers wreck everything. This could and should have been alright. But isn't. 4/10 2 stars.

Nighthawks At The Diner

Tom Waits

2/5

...I guess I can give some points for trying something different and unique. But it's still Tom Waits. Is any middle ground possible with this guy? I'm not sure how anyone could voluntarily put this album on and listen to it. It's not as much a slam as that sounds (... although....) just that it's so distracting. A really good jazz band playing behind what is essentially a one man soliloquy on drunkenness, loneliness, and ...ehh god knows what else he rambled on about. Step aside and let the music play although that's not really possible. I'll save it from a 1 even though I'll never listen to this again just for the creative aspect of the recording. And because it's SO damn niche I suppose I can see some people liking it. Not here, tho. 3/10 2 stars. Also please no more Tom Waits. 3 is about 2.9 too many.

OK Computer

Radiohead

5/5

Remembering working one of my first jobs during the still-hot CD age and pre-Napster.... I had one of the first portable mp3 players that held up to FIFTEEN SONGS on it that you could swap in and out. Amazing. Anyways it was in this period where I was given this album at said job, who the hell knows what I was listening to at the time but Radiohead? Eh. Creep was just another angsty mid90s song. Forgettable but for that KUH-chuh...KUH-chuh.... You know. I kind of missed The Bends as I was busy in/with my own band at the time living the emaciated van life. Glamour - non-stop .... This is an absolute mess where was I - OH but Rick wherever you are, thanks for the loaner CD. WTF - Paranoid Android?? A friend described it months later as our generation's Bohemian Rhapsody - idk if true but I liked it nonetheless and it stuck with me. I know it's on a lot of shortlists for bEsT aLbUm EVAH!!.! and yeah it maybe is that good; I will subscribe in the sense that those first 4 songs rival anything I've ever drowned myself in with regards to nonstop holyshitness (see: Rush Moving Pictures). Each of these songs are different, melodic, terrifying, gorgeous, lush, mysterious...captivating. I always think once "Subterranean Homesick Alien" is done that it can't get more beautiful than that and yet then "Exit Music..." comes on and holy hell it's haunting. Lyrically sure but the music is a perfect match. My "problem" is that it doesn't hold onto the unimaginable bar those first 4 set. It's probably not possible (Camera Eye, Moving Pictures side 2 / track 5 - there's your bar) so it's unfair to judge against itself. The rest is merely quite good. Just not necessarily ethereal. Then again they could have put something as stupid as a Mac Classic computer voice on any of the remaining 8 tracks and still earned a 5 here so.... 10/10 5 stars

Get Rich Or Die Tryin'

50 Cent

1/5

.... currently sitting on a plane after midnight listening and realizing I'd much rather watch 50 Cent throw out another first pitch than listen to any more of this. Monotoned spitting of often too many lyrics and lyrics I don't care about... and crucially: repetitive music without much in the way of hooks... hard pass. 2/10 1 star

The Velvet Underground

2/5

In perhaps the exact same vein as Kurt Cobain, I will never understand - nor honestly give a shit about - the obsession with Lou Reed. Just awful. I want to give this a 1 just for my visceral hatred of The Lou Reed Family Funtime Experience but to be fair (why) after listening I will begrudgingly admit this is "better" than their previous 2 nightmare albums which I had the misfortune of being forced to listen to again this year. So/yet if I take away the moniker "Velvet Underground" what would I objectively think? Likely that this is/was a fairly unspectacular, unmemorable, but surprisingly safe album. That's still covered with Lou Reed's terrible voice and pedestrian musical imagination, but I'm grading on a curve here. It's just fine and boring and we'll slap a 2 on it and move on. 3/10 2 stars.

Two Dancers

Wild Beasts

2/5

Love the music. Diverse in terms of instrumentation focus, good variety in moods, this could bear repeating.... BUT. EXCEPT! Once again, I'm having considerable trouble with the vocals. I'm being kind. More-than-considerable. They're awful. I don't know - maybe I just don't like singing much or at all and it's time to admit it to myself? I realize the biggest reason I don't like most of modern pop music isn't actually the over-production and perfection-to-boredom aspect of the repetitive 3-4 chords, but it's the ~90% focus on vocals for every artist. That doesn't or wouldn't seem to apply here as this music is very much not-poppy, but my terrible point is that I suppose I hear vocals as an instrument not to be placed up front and on top of everything but as an at-most 20% engagement with the rest of the music. Which doesn't entirely apply to this (again) as the mix isn't really the issue here - it's the actual singer/s (I looked. there are 2. I don't like either of them) and vocals themselves. They're terrible and distract me to the point where I don't like the song. Songs. Falsetto howling, low moaning, god it's like a bad opera or musical. It's frustrating OKAY!??!? leave me alone. fk. I don't know... 4.5 on the music, absolute 1 on the vocals ... eh I was gonna compromise (or be generous) and give it a 3 but thought about it during the last song and realized I'll probably never listen to this again which means 2. Make me an instrumental version, someone. 5/10 2 stars.

Queen II

Queen

4/5

Interesting selection - very early Queen with none of the typical hits you hear 5x/day on "CLASSIC KROK 93.9!" - haven't heard this in decades but I'm still familiar with a few of these cuts... It's cool to think about how different these guys must have sounded when emerging out of the early 70s. Queen at some point became (and still is) "QUEEN™" and became instantly recognizable by/for their sound or for Freddie's voice but here they're kinda just starting out (with admittedly hilarious/odd topics for lyrics - ogres/paintings/fantasy worlds - hey you gotta have some fun so screw you, punks) and the symphonic and layered sound with progressions that bear some resemblance to classical forms was really revolutionary. As legitimately legendary as Freddie was, I actually love hearing Brian May sing on occasion as well - not sure he could really carry an album but his gentle voice is a real nice contrast at times which gives this record more of a flow (e.g. "Some Day One Day"). [...although in contrast, despite his excellent and essential background vocals I'm not a big fan of Roger Taylor taking lead vox ("Loser In the End")] It was a bit weird (re)listening to this album ... I gave it 2 full listens because the first one didn't catch me at first and i suspect it's because of the unfamiliarity with the songs relative to the *very* familiar Queen "sound" - which created almost a wash over me; i.e. there's a comfort that almost prevented me from actually hearing the songs as individual units. Upon 2nd listen more songs popped out, esp. "The March of the Black Queen" which will probably be dismissed as "old rock" but holyshit think of 1974 here - this was brand new. These vocal layers? The massive guitar harmonies? Dynamics and tempo-shifts? This was and is complex material and truly creative/imaginative. Sum: Not yet ready for the stadiums without the killer (pun) Queen hits but this is a *dense* album that showcases the genius musicianship, creativity, and imagination of all 4 musicians. A great document of a talented band just on the verge of becoming one of the largest acts of all-time. 7/10 4 stars.

Fun House

The Stooges

1/5

As if it's not bad enough that it's a Monday morning, now I have to listen to another goddamn zero-talent repetitive sludgy 3-note-faux-blues unimaginative bullshit platter topped with the shit-frosting of Iggy Pop's voice Stooges album. I'll admit that it is better than their first album in the same way that a stray dry cat shit is better than a puddle of wet vomit in the carpet. It's easier to clean up and move on with your day. 2/10 1 star.

#1 Record

Big Star

4/5

At first I used to think it's fine. They're fine. Ever since I first heard* of this band I thought "I should love them." So many of the bands they influenced is music I either really like or love; e.g. the so-called "power-pop" groups like Jellyfish, Cheap Trick, etc. I just never heard the killer single to draw me in. *which - I'm of the age, so I guess I probably *should* have heard of them yet nobody I knew had their albums in the 80s as far as I knew... but it was The Replacements' song "Alex Chilton" of course that brought them into focus for me which is a fantastic cut and an obviously direct homage to AC/Big Star and in fact is one that I like better than any actual Big Star song... This album? It's ... yeah it's pretty good. And yet I couldn't ever get these songs to sink in until today... I played it 3x until the melodies, great harmonies, accessible hooks... they finally started to hit. "Thirteen" is probably the closest (and obviously a big Replacements/Westerburg influence) to a quick hit - capturing a simple chord progression with nice harmonies and is just really sweet. I think I'd just always rooted for more - I wanted to be a fan of Big Star and i think it took me a while because they don't have The Big Song™ (or Songs) but it's such a listenable album from start to finish with more melodic twists than I'd initially given it credit for (it also sounds so clean for 1972). The fact that you can put this on many times in a row - as I just did - and it's not only not tiring but starts to reveal more is what puts it in keeper category. I'll keep listening. 7/10 4 stars.

Blood And Chocolate

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

3/5

I was wondering why I didn't like the sound on this album - I kept checking my headphones and the audio settings and then read that "...Blood & Chocolate was recorded in a single large room at high volume, with the band listening to each other on monitor speakers and playing at stage volume..." I sometimes wish the actual sound of the record/recording didn't make such a difference to me but then again I'm not just listening to the "song" in and of itself, I'm listening to the recording (aren't we all) *of* the song and it's a stupid distinction but also vital. Why am I writing this all to myself?? Anyways - I don't connect with this album as much as his/their first few albums. There are a few tracks on here that I think would have fit in well (e.g. "I Hope You're Happy Now") earlier but it feels like there's more an emphasis on his singing rather than the instrumentation/songs as a whole. Still - it's not bad and a decent listen at worst, just not among my favourites. 5/10 3 stars.

Catch A Fire

Bob Marley & The Wailers

3/5

I'll say that the first cut "Concrete Jungle" is so good - wailing (pun) guitar and minor key...this is reggae I can sink into. Doesn't suffer from much repetition and a ton of emotion and excellent playing from the band. The album is good overall - I like the variety of vocals - but the last 4 or 5 cuts after "Stir It Up" kinda blended which I think keeps this from jumping up to a 4 for me. Would never kick it off the turntable if someone spun it tho... 7/10 3 stars

Casanova

The Divine Comedy

1/5

Two songs in and I'm noticing the lyrics (almost always a bad sign). And I hate them. In a not-shocking corollary, I'm quickly loathing the lounge-singer/musicals garbage singing on this - almost making me irrationally angry. Mostly because the music is interesting in so many ways - so the only question is: will I get used to these absurd second-rate Bryan Ferry vocals by the end of the album....? ...good god no; by just track 3 I'm already all set. Feels tough to slap down such an obvious musical effort but it doesn't take much introspection for me to admit that I hated this and in the end rather than feeling bad about not giving this a 3, not even midway through the album I was trying to come up with reasons to not give this a 1. And by song 5 was re-evaluating my interest in music altogether. (HOLY HELL OF COURSE this guy assisted on Ute Lemper's "Punishing Kiss" album!) I'm not sure how to even sum this up. Almost like listening to a way way over-the-top soundtrack of a somewhat-funny nightmare. e.g. It's not Velvet Underground-horror but more like "clowns aren't really funny so please direct me to the exit" horror. Memo for future-me: just listen to the song "Charge" and you'll know. Almost a shame it couldn't have been more *restrained* like "Songs of Love" which is actually kind of quaint in a Brian May / Queen way. Not nearly enough to save this in any way for me. 2/10 1 star.

It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van Morrison

5/5

I'm always kinda lukewarm on Van Morrison but this one is different - my favourite Van record by a longshot; probably the only one (maybe aside from Moondance) that I'd seek out and/or recommend. Just a fantastic (perfect??) live recording - upbeat and engaging, and the tracks are actually *better* live with the full band. Love it, even at the length - if anything the 2nd half is better. Personal highlight: "St Dominic's Preview" 9/10 5 stars. (oh and p.s. fk Van Morrison for what he's become)

Live At The Regal

B.B. King

4/5

It's been ages since I went through my blues phase so I wasn't sure how much I'd like it coming back to this after so long ... but yeah it's great :) Where blues gets tiring real fast is fairly obvious in that it doesn't go into too many surprising places; you've got your I-IV-V and slight variations on the theme. Quickly boring. So it's what you do with those - the rhythms, the dynamics, the instruments, and the voice/s that can push it into something else, and the band here gets it all - especially the dynamics - letting BB orchestrate the show via voice/guitar, but it's not all him either. This record probably sounds better *because* it's so old - maybe a few microphones on stage keeps everything all glued together and maybe strangely puts you more in the space of/at the time. My favourite moment which wouldn't happen or would be corrected in the studio: in "How Blue Can You Get" when BB sings so loudly that the mic distorts ... it's gold, Jerry. I know that this wouldn't have been nearly as good as a studio album - huh... as I'm typing this to myself its a good note that since I mostly avoid live albums -> it's live albums from rock bands that I (generally) don't care for - e.g. jazz/blues are definitely enhanced in the live format. Not complex yet intricate all the same - a great band playing off of each other in a mid-sized theater with all the on-stage banter - it's an outstanding quick listen and blues at its best. 8/10 4 stars.

Get Behind Me Satan

The White Stripes

3/5

After the insultingly-terrible White Blood Cells I was actively not wanting any more of this band, but this is demonstrably better (which, when the bar is the floor is almost literally impossible to not meet that criteria) - it's rather apparent within a song or two that this is definitely more constructed, a little more full-sounding ... aside: wtf I have never understood the enjoyment of what is generously called stripped-down or raw music but in every single way is just a euphemism for "...ehh...more than half the band didn't show up for recording but we're gonna lay down the track anyways! can you play drums?" Ok anger abated (yes White Blood Cells angered me). There's more experimentation here as well, some harmonies, I like the liberal addition of piano, plus a few interesting (guitar) effects to broaden it a bit. I still don't like all of it - e.g. "Instinct Blues" is more indicative of the sloppy/gross earlier sound. I think by the time the 2nd half comes around I'm like "ok enough already" I suppose this also reenforces one goal of the exercise for me; I had absolutely (ill)formed an opinion about this band based on White Blood Cells and a few singles I loathed, and even if I'm not gonna put this record on I (finally?) get it here. Hell maybe they (like almost every act) simply needed to mature. Just didn't need to release anything before this that sounded like bad demos... Drummer is still an unprofessional shambles though that if anything actually detracts from the songs. Come on. 5/10 3 stars.

Foxbase Alpha

Saint Etienne

3/5

I enjoy an album like this one that - while not necessarily having a theme - ties a lot of the songs together, almost a cohesive listening "experience" if you will. Bonus interest in having seemingly-random samples and movie/tv clips to put me in a different listening place. Small downside in this case is that a lot of the songs tend to blend together (which I realize is almost a contradictory complaint), so I'm not sure I can pinpoint a favourite track or 2, more that this is a vibe album. Some with vocals, some less a song and more a trance chillout (e.g. "Stoned to Say the Least"). It's a bit of "let's try a bunch of stuff" which does go hand in hand with this being their debut album. In the end, I'm not sure *why* I like it but it does seem to fit really nice with a summer early morning downpour**. Highly melodic and breezy - I'm not sure there's enough *there* there to give it a keeper's 4 (e.g. there are a few lousy low-effort ones - "Kiss and Make Up" is just weak fluff - other lesser cuts near the end too...) but a strong 3 seems right as it's prompted me to listen to more of the group's later material. 6/10 3 stars **since I wrote that I've been thinking about how many ratings I may have given to albums i'd previously been unfamiliar with that are/were based on that day's mood or circumstance or weather or whoknows. If this album had come while I could only listen while driving 500km by myself I might have fallen asleep or been annoyed as hell etc.

Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle

Bill Callahan

4/5

Reading the description before I read it, I thought "man am I gonna hate this" - very open-minded, I know. But....the music gets me right away; it's gentle and simple, slowly meandering, but something/s in it are immediately infectious. Ok the singing. I'll say that his voice is...unorthodox. And after just once sentence I was thinking "o boy here we go..." but it works, and fits perfectly with the music. Take the lead track "Jim Cain" - ah, it sounds so stupid writing about how a song sounds or makes you feel if you think about it for like 3 seconds - but this song is like a soundtrack for a slow-motion wide-open panorama, driving or flying over the north american rocky mountains or floating down a river. Immediate images that were put into my head upon hearing it. ... so yes, back to his voice or rather "the vocals" (because it's more the dry and up-front style of recording that's the primary aural landing point, rather than "his voice" per se) - it can be really off-putting at times. It's just ... unusual - but it fits. And since I first wrote that, I've listened 2x more and it is just part of the music for me now. This is throwing me though: I just read someone comparing him to Leonard Cohen which now I'm going to have to re-evaluate my entire existence due to the fact that Leonard Cohen is on my permanent no-fly-list so now how can I go on. Dammit no. Seriously tho his vocals remind me more of a better Canadian: Mendelson Joe. Worst cut: "Faith/Void" - not due to the lyrics (because i completely agree) but <pun alert> JESUS ok ok yes it is time to put god thusly stated roughly 78 times so goddamned <2nd pun!> laconically. The music is so nice and would have been a great instrumental at half the length to gently fade the album out, instead it was a bad misstep. Anyways - against all odds overall I like it quite a bit. I think more than it's just "different" but the music is at once accessible yet not simple. Excellent and detailed arrangements. It's not for everyone, it won't even be for me that often, but I will definitely listen to this again. ....but boy do I know someone who is gonna *hate* this ... :D 7/10 4 stars

Come Find Yourself

Fun Lovin' Criminals

3/5

"Check that ass like Phil Esposito" That line alone gets it a minimum 3. I like it more than I did when it came out; sometimes it's a weird/bad mix of genres that doesn't always work (I'm not feeling the bad-tone heavy wall of guitars here for a second) but there are enough other fun grooves here to make this worthy. Cut it down to a top-7 and I'd listen again. 6/10 3 stars

Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin

5/5

Much like: Boston - Boston ACDC - Back In Black The Who - Who's Next Pink Floyd - Dark Side... this album has been abused, overplayed, stretched beyond limits, beaten to death, overanalyzed, overfawned, and because of all this - ignored by me for the last 30 years. I probably haven't put Zeppelin IV on voluntarily since college? Every time freaking "Rock and Roll" comes on in the car I can't jab my finger at the radio to get away from it fast enough. Then you put this record on again in its complete form and listen all the way through - not just the big/overplayed singles - at top volume and know why if this were the last album you ever heard you'd be thinking "...yeah it was a good life..." Legendary. 10/10 5 stars.

The Grand Tour

George Jones

2/5

Hey ChatGPT: "invent the name of a fictional 1970 clean-cut Texas-born American slow country singer playing acoustic guitar and wearing a huge collar" GhatGPT: "George Jones" I know George is a legend and absolute respect given, but after giving it a full shot I'm gonna have to chalk this up to laconic pedal-steel country songs not being my preference. 4/10 2 stars

Os Mutantes

2/5

Sure - as advertised, this is a bit weird. I like weird, I appreciate weird. This is almost not weird enough? Like it was trying to bridge weird/new/experimental with just straight-up Brazilian pop; it's kind of all over the place. I'm also thinking I would have liked this more had it been a more-modern production; as it is, the mono recording doesn't give it the full-head-space i'd have loved to hear in a well-mixed stereo recording. TL;DR: It's not bad, if I'm not lazy someday I might want to seek out some of their future recordings because there's definitely a groundwork for something here, but this one is not quite realized for me. 5/10 2 stars.

Faust IV

Faust

2/5

I really *want* to like this. Weird/trippy is a draw for me in theory but give me something like Gong (which "Giggy Smile" definitely has more than a passing resemblance to...); songs that go somewhere, even if meandering into weird or seemingly aimless directions, ones that come back to any type of theme. I realize much or even most of my critique of this album is based off the opening track "Krautrock" which is plodding and even 4 minutes into it how can I not feel like: "get ON with it already." It was such a horrible decision putting this as the lead track ... for the love of Udo Dirkschneider - why?? Even just stick it at the end of side 1 (records!) as a weird interlude but with this as the first song (and "song" is not right, it's a 2 note progression over and over for 12 minutes) ... eh, parts of it are kind of cool but it just leaves a cynical taste in me for the rest of it. It's a weekend album so I was able to give it a few more spins through and am not sure if that did anything for me. Could they not have put more weird into the rest of the "more normal" tracks and added a little groove or mystery to the odd ones? Idk, it's asking a band to change their style so I guess I'll chalk it up to not liking it, with the notable exception of the aforementioned goofy "Giggy Smile." Regretful pass. 4/10 2 stars

Highly Evolved

The Vines

2/5

Too much like Nirvana in enough spots to prevent the occasional breaches into legitimately-talented songwriting to shine through. Highlight: "Sunshinin" Not my bag. 4/10 2 stars.

Talking Timbuktu

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Decent-enough. Gets quite repetitive and has a too-smooth sound throughout which almost makes it grow a bit stale after a while; nothing off-putting at all about it but it gives the feel of one long track. i.e. you could put this album on at any track and it wouldn't change the listening experience. Yet, it's a nice listen. Meant with all sincerity, this is just a pleasant album. There are few (if any) chills nor challenging listening moments, but its melodic and low-key nature make it a nice listen, probably more/mostly for background music or working/studying 6/10 3 stars

Tical

Method Man

1/5

Man, this list just loves to sneak in all the Wu-Tang members one by one don't they...and I haven't liked a-one of them (Raekwon, Ghostface, Wu) - I could go back and try to connect lines between them but who cares. As for Method Man...I'm not a fan of his rapping (monotoned), and I don't like the production (almost lo-fi bass heavy) nor much of the music on this one. Sounds like a winner! 2/10 1 star

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Genesis

5/5

Repeated listens to this during a college-insomnia spell probably have contributed more to my occasional mental instability as much as anything else I can think of. Yes it's weird. Not just standard "oh old Genesis was weird" weird but kinda messed-up weird. Epic. I can see how/why Pete left after this one - where else were they gonna go from here? (and both PG's and Genesis' next albums were my respective faves from each so a good call by all parties) I guess it is prog but I wonder if that's truly accurate. Sweeping melodies, some memorable choruses, there are even a few catchy singles. I mean...you do have mellotron, 7/4 timing, tracks that blend into one another telling a non sensical story that's still a bit terrifying... sure sure prog ok. But still so much more immediately accessible than most of their peers' records. Not to be listened-to in parts; it's a full album - really best listened to all at once. Or at least in halves... my only critique and it's probably significant is that after "Lilywhite Lilith" (first song on "side 3") it really is not so great [even after decades of me trying to enjoy it] - it's got the weird but without the decent song-structure. It definitely picks up a bit more near the end but never connects quite like the first half does. Still - that first part alone is so bizarre/fantastic on its own that it's worthy of full marks and has been a personal fave for ages. 9/10 5 stars.

Chore of Enchantment

Giant Sand

1/5

Well, they got the word "chore" right. These kind of Robbie Robertson-Lou Reed slacker mumble-vocals are most definitely not only outside my wheelhouse but an immediate turn-off. The music isn't anything so adventurous that would alone make it objectionable - it's nice! - but. but. but. Maybe/likely if this album weren't led by a singing tree sloth I'd have given it more of a chance. For I'm sure at least the 50th time in 600 albums: singers ruin everything. Hard pass. 3/10 1 star

Can't Buy A Thrill

Steely Dan

4/5

Another strong entry in the "childhood rides in the family car" nostalgia AM radio bin. The singles are all-time classics for a reason but it's nice to get back to some of the deep cuts here; "Fire In The Hole" always sticks out with that killer piano. Less-jazzy than their later albums which is neither a critique nor compliment (but still more complex musical arrangements than so many of their contemporaries) - I probably would take at least 2 of their later albums over this but as a debut? Tremendous. Weirdly it is both an easy and complex 41 minute listen - anyways, highly recommended and also probably does serve as a good intro to Steely Dan. 8/10 4 stars.

Document

R.E.M.

3/5

Mixed feelings on this one - as a teen I hated this album and although I've long-ago shed any negative feelings about them and have vastly changing/different musical preferences, it's still occasionally hard for me to escape how much I hated e.g. "It's The End Of The World..." (I still don't like it). A lot was made about how on this album you could finally hear Michael Stipe's lyrics/vocals and while true and while change is good and right and keeps things from getting stale ... what happens when you end up liking the previous sound more? I feel like they lost a lot (all?) of their mystery with this record. Is it fair to compare a band to itself? I don't even know nor really care - I mean, "Finest Worksong" is - while not in any way complex - a good powerful album opener and was a worthy hit. But whether I compare it to earlier (or later! "Automatic For the People" would come out 5 years later and ended up being my favourite REM album) or not, I just don't connect much with this album. I don't know, it's always sounded a little ... goofy, maybe? Not in terms of the mix which is clear and powerful, but the songwriting/melodies. I'm heavily-coloured by "End of the World" I'm sure but maybe I just missed their more subdued cuts punctuated with arpeggios. In all it still ends up just sort of passing me by, like I play the record and it's nice but I'm still hungry after listening. Too much MSG. OK honestly it'd be hard to give this anything less than a 3 - acknowledging how impactful this album was while also recognizing the talent needed to put together even simple melodies/construction. Also there's a lot of shit out there and it's not worth beefing about an average melodic college rock record when Lou Reed records exist. 5/10 3 stars.

Tracy Chapman

4/5

College! This hits much harder now for me now than it did when it was released. Solid and impactful, one of the few vocalists anywhere that is not only distinct but pleasantly-so while still not distracting from the music, and a rarity - she makes me want to listen to the lyrics! Slight negative for me is that after the first few songs it seems to slip a bit in musical impact during the middle of the record - not sure if it's a sameness to the sound or seem a little bit too..."late 80s" in sound - but it does close in a quality fashion and is a worthy record overall. 7/10 4 stars.

Tank Battles

Dagmar Krause

2/5

Finally, we get a glimpse of Lily Von Schtupp's ill-conceived career after she left the backwater town of Rock Ridge. 3/10 2 stars

Devil Without A Cause

Kid Rock

1/5

what a goddamned moron. yayamerica. 0/10 - nothing of value.

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Mudhoney

1/5

Middle school level infantile low-fi dogshit. How can two of this ass-sounding band's work get on this list. I never can nor will understand the theory that making something intentionally shitty is somehow a badge of individuality. 1/10 1 bag of flaming shit that when stepped on angrily looks vaguely like an exploding star.

Scissor Sisters

3/5

Better than I remember - there's definitely a rock/disco crossover appeal here that is at once modern yet reminiscent of a lot of 70s rock; "Mary" is giving me a cool Elton vibe or what Elton should have morphed into during the 80s. I'm trying (mostly) to overlook the hideous cover of "Comfortably Numb" which at best is just bad; it's probably the vocals which sound too throwaway/tongue-in-cheek/jokey to make it work at all. All in all it's a mostly fun and not-difficult listen but a bit too much cheesy/dancey vibe overall for me e.g. has a relative sameness to it especially early that i'm not sure it's enough for me to elevate it to keeper/4 status. Best songs: Mary, Take Your Mama 7/10 3 stars.

Physical Graffiti

Led Zeppelin

5/5

The Zep album where the singles sucked (or maybe just have been overplayed). Ah, no, it's a classic. I'm pretty sure. I've analyzed this album an embarrassing number of times. It's a weird dichotomy in my head w/ this one because DAMN for the most part this is Zep at their best. It SOUNDS great. There are some negatives for me, and one being just a bit bloated. Yet.... if it were only a single album no doubt a lot of experimental tracks I love wouldn't have made it so I have to allow for that. Their White Album perhaps? I'll get this out of the way: I hate Kashmir. I said it. Oooo Jimmy Page came up with a middle-eastern riff how progressive....meh. It's plodding and dull. Trampled Under Foot is terrible and embarrassing because of Plant, who sounds particularly awful on this one. Extremely cool clav riff though - as ever, JPJ carrying the load quietly in the background... I don't know why it's weirdly easy for me to kind of rip on Zeppelin. Yet I'm still giving this album a keeper mark; I think I naturally rebel against hero worship of this band but goddammit there are reasons they're venerated and this album in particular. This review is awful - I'm gonna sum up my feelings from bad to great: • Plant is annoying as a singer for me more often than not. I don't like singers anyways so grain of salt and all that... • Page was one of my least-favourite guitar players bc *for the most part* I hate the way he sounds, was a sloppy player, etc. • But .... Page was legit top-tier at song structure, chord voicings, and dynamics. And his guitar tone/sound on this album was the best it ever was. • John Paul Jones made this band for me and it shows on virtually every song, whether on bass or keys. • JPJ with Bonham...<chef's kiss> - Page/Plant get all the press but screw that - without the rhythm section this band would simply not have been. Anyways - do I penalize an album for the fat I have to cut out? Do you complain about the perfectly-grilled steak because there are a few unpleasant bits on the ends? Here's my final verdict for a perfect PG: Custard Pie is a tough call; I don't like it that much but it's also not a bad opener. Out of 15 songs I would just cut these 4: Trampled Under Foot Kashmir Wanton Song Black Country Woman that sheds 22 minutes making it 61 minutes total. Too long for a 70s vinyl single album. ...Let's cut the fine-yet-aimless "Sick Again" as well to bring it to about 56 minutes and rearrange. BAM. Everything else crushes. Also this may the one LZ album where Jimmy Page's guitar tone doesn't incessantly bother me but perhaps ironically it also made me realize that Plant's voice is actually an irritant. It's a bit of nitpicking tho - JPJ and Bonzo carry the day and today with streaming/playlists etc. we can simply trim the fat to make a killer 3 sided LP. Wavering between 4 and 5 but feeling like I should be less iconoclastic at times so 5 it is based mostly on the 2nd half diversity and melody... 9/10 5 stars for my own memories - i'd gone track by track on this album just a year ago w friends, my notes: Custard Pie - cool riff that kinda goes nowhere. JPJ the star with the clavinet. Plant annoying and embarrassingly stupid lyrics The Rover - excellent. better riff than most of their hits; i tried playing this w a band in college (poorly). Plant annoying whiny on this one. In My Time of Dying - excellent - even if a little long. But it's not a bad thing to go over the allotment once in a while; air it out, ya know? Live feel - this is so much better than e.g. Kashmir. Houses of the Holy - excellent Trampled Under Foot - dogshit; always hated this song. cool clav riff tho. Kashmir - honestly this song is boring as fk / massively overrated. skipped. In the Light - Weird Zep excels on this one. Bron-Yr-Aur - nice, Jimmy. This is where he excelled. Man. Down By the Seaside - quite lovely actually - i love it; wonder if this was a Zep 3 leftover. I love the tempo and mood change halfway through. Ten Years Gone - love it. Along the lines of Stairway; a little less-pretentious or ambitious maybe, but similar mix of styles. Night Flight - great song, if a bit simple - but how was this not a single. The Wanton Song - ehh. annoying Plant, too. pass on this one even if it "sounds" cool Boogie With Stu - silly, kinda fun / kinda throwaway. a totally ok track for a double-album. Black Country Woman - whiny-Plant again. I do like the live/acoustic aspect (listen to the live airplane at the beginning). No bass tho wtf. This sounds like something that should have been on a posthumous release of demos/outtakes - would have fit better there. Sick Again - average. It *sounds* good...cool odd time sig in parts, but not a great song. A fine album ender I guess.

Our Aim Is To Satisfy

Red Snapper

3/5

"Some Kind of Kink" (track 2) - this has to be a cop on the old riff from "Rock On" - if so (and even if not-so) I love it. Unfortunately more than a little inconsistent throughout; after 2 tracks I had high hopes but I don't like any of the vocal tracks and it sort of slides in general. At its best though I enjoy the live/organic feel, but it's way too hit and miss to give higher marks; I would absolutely throw the best ~4 or 5 on a playlist. 5/10 3 stars

Remedy

Basement Jaxx

1/5

Never sure what or how I feel about albums like this. I'll listen closely for a minute and be impressed by the meticulous production and transfixed by the beat. Then another few minutes go by and I'm bored and it goes downhill from there. Not to diminish the effort because I know what it takes/took, but there are no *songs* here - just continuous beats (at best) with no push/pull or resolution. Reading an excerpt from an interview with them they stated that they wanted to make dance music that wasn't devoid of feeling and less robotic. They failed miserably. I felt progressively less-generous the further this album went on and if I felt bad slandering this effort ~5 tracks in, by track 8 I was just pissed. TL;DR: This is maybe ok fine background music for playing video games while eating a bag of chips. I am not playing video games and I am out of snacks. 3/10 1 star.

Call of the Valley

Shivkumar Sharma

4/5

Wondering if the Beatles heard this before Sgt. Pepper ... ... This is the kind of music that would have scared the shit out of me had i listened as a kid (e.g. "Within You, Without You" was haunting me at 4yrs old), which I think is part of the attraction. It's definitely dramatic and almost gives a sense of foreboding or perhaps just mystery at times. (when it's not interrupted by an ad on YouTube which was the only place I could find this) This was - to me - unexpectedly serene; I didn't think I was going to like this one but it's quite relaxing. Not an "at any time" album by any measure (e.g. I'd probably crash on the freeway if this were on in the car) but sitting or lying at home, working, etc - it's really nice. Also: very glad it's instrumental. 7/10 4 stars.

Third/Sister Lovers

Big Star

1/5

Loved Big Star's first but ho lee shit this is a goddamn mess. Most of these songs are just ...dumb ("Kizza Me" is not a good choice for anything, let alone the first cut). Lost are most of the catchy melodies and good pop rock - 2tf happened? Those were all replaced by mopey bullshit reminiscent of the worst of Lou Reed. aka Lou Reed. At least Alex's voice is a mostly palatable topping. I know I'm not being generous here, as there are a few nice cuts such as "For You" and "Nightie" but does it / do they stick out because of how meandering and dull the rest is? I think so - rhese would/should have been among the lesser cuts on a better album. After one more challenging pass...yeah those are really the only decent ones. This just kept getting worse and by the end it's just an insulting collection of garbage. It may be titled "Third" but "#2 record" would have been more appropriate 3/10 1 star

Felt Mountain

Goldfrapp

3/5

Interesting if not a bit impenetrable. Seems more of a showy cabaret style than lush electronic pop as shown in their later "Seventh Tree" (which I like a bit more). Almost hard to imagine this as a debut album - what were they going for in terms of target or goal I'm not sure, nor does it particularly matter I suppose. And even as I call it impenetrable I'm listening to it for the 3rd time, I feel like I am trying to discover more gems within. Admirable and elaborate effort, a bit haunting, but I find myself wishing for resolve on many songs that never really comes. 6/10 3 stars

Guero

Beck

4/5

A strong opening track so often makes a difference - throw me into the pool already. Job done here by an aggressive beat on "E-Pro" leading off a (for me) comeback album - I didn't much like Beck's previous Sea Change but this has more of the fun/groove of Midnight Vultures. Not quite the same funky vibe but with some different moods and rhythms he regains a lot of the energy he'd lost which for me is what makes his songs (and therefore the lack of it, breaks them). It does fade a bit over the final few tracks - weirdly his dropped tuning feels off-putting - but it's still a quality listen overall and a keeper. Fave cut: "Earthquake Weather" 7/10 4 stars

Bummed

Happy Mondays

2/5

The pervasive commentary around this album seems to focus squarely on how drugged out the entire band were at all times. Which after listening in one sitting...definitely tracks. Just look at the perfect album cover - that *is* the album. It's really not terrible, but more disappointing - each song has some sort of melodic bent which would seem to be right in my wheelhouse but none of them go anywhere. It all just plays out as a ~38 minute* uniform stoned uptempo not very dynamic compressed dance rock rave. If that's your thing, hit it. 4/10 2 stars *I couldn't bring myself to for the 2 hour collector's edition which is all that Apple Music offers. That ecstasy trip is way too long for me.

Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)

Loretta Lynn

3/5

Country is definitely far far outside my preferred genres, and I'll admit to bordering on intolerant of it at times but I get why this one is here - a woman's voice hasn't exactly been welcomed in stupid society throughout history and the American South in particular sure does love themselves some stupid society. I make no apologies for that statement but at the same time acknowledge my own hypocrisy here - funny when you let your mind open up a little bit, isn't it? Once this album started I immediately was itchy from the simple chord progressions and predictable lyrics... but again: preconceived notions and all... Once I stopped thinking about how I feel about "country music" and after letting it play through for about 20 minutes I find myself ... enjoying the mood? And I'm not much a fan of (any) vocals in general but her voice really does shine. So kudos and credit to her (limited as her thinking may have been in later life ....) for breaking through the male Nashville walls and even though this/she probably deserves higher I'll give a 3 for enduring impact and paving the way for not just country artists but anyone that doesn't fit in "the box" whatever it may be. 6/10 3 stars.

Bitte Orca

Dirty Projectors

3/5

I've had this one for years and it's a tough one. Not *awful* tough but more of a challenge. I'm not sure how you describe this music - art pop? There were a lot of "this kind" (all different, so that phrase is kinda meaningless) of artists emerging around this time in the Animal Collective, Juliana Barwick, Grizzly Bear melodic-yet-jarringly-odd camp. That's just it - it's impossible to describe; you just have to listen to it. And after ... 20? listens (i hadn't listened to this album in a decade) I still have trouble judging it. It's fascinating, it's different, it's impeccably-crafted, the instrumentation is unique, the arrangement is completely unpredictable. And yet I cannot connect with it. I don't dislike it at all - it's a mood - but it's that connection that I've never been able to make that makes it a touch frustrating. I often wonder if I need hooks or a killer chorus and sometimes that's the case but ... if I can thoroughly immerse myself in a 20+ minute song like Genesis' Supper's Ready which has no hooks or chorus whatsoever then it's not a mandatory prerequisite. Yes, these are the negatives, if they *are* negative. So while it's certainly a challenging album, it does have its rewards. For instance "Two Doves" is lovely. "Useful Chamber" has a fascinating structure - beautiful and delicate interspersed with brief aggression. ...So. After a 2nd consecutive listen today I think an obvious personal sticking point I've missed is this: I don't like David Longstreth's voice. As soon as that light bulb went off I was able to hear this in a new and different way; I'm certain I'd love this album if it were instrumental or if either of the other vocalists (Amber Coffman / Angel Deradoorian) took over instead. This second listen was me focusing on everything *but* his vocals and I liked it so much more. TL;DR: very dense; at times too much so. But with such creative and atypical chord progressions and dynamics, it's really worth a few listens before judging. I hope to not wait another decade before listening again, but also might check out more of Coffman's/Deradoorian's solo work as a result. 6/10 3 stars *also it means nothing but reading an interview w Longstreth only hurt my view of him - slamming older/incredible musical artists and talents was supposed to go out when Cobain shot himself. Bullshit 90s "my music is cooler than yours but i'm pretending not to be cool" attitude that frosted/s me. Makes me hate his voice even more which is absolutely stupid I admit.

Dire Straits

4/5

I don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band. jk - throwing on headphones and letting the sound of this album envelope me was an awesome trip. I am reminded that not only do I not have any opinion of Dire Straits, I dig this album quite a bit. Grew up in this era and got so damn tired of 70s/80s rock bands (and especially this band when Brothers In Arms came out and was overplayed like so much of that era) but man this is actually a breath of fresh air. Mark Knopfler's guitar playing is the first thing anyone will say about it - legitimately so - but it all just sounds awesome, the band is tight (especially the drumming of Pick Withers!), and I love the unadorned but pro production. Obviously "Sultans..." is the highlight but my favourite is "In the Gallery" - perfect groove by the rhythm section and Knopfler's playing/singing are the perfect compliment. 8/10 4 stars.

This Nation’s Saving Grace

The Fall

1/5

I see alternative-mid80s-UK and I'm ready and eager to enjoy it but jesus christ - this is like a terrible Velvet Underground (redundant phrase) tribute band that is depressing to listen to without any of the cool goth/emo aspects I wanted in my head. It's not even quality haunted moping like Joy Division. I just do not like this. Where are the actual songs? Each song follows a crap formula... a weak riff repeated for minutes that doesn't resolve nor progress - and no dynamics. "L.A." was almost the last straw - I liked the synthy riff and .... that was it. Like everything else, it went absolutely nowhere. Sum: Frustratingly awful faux-avant-garde lack-of-musical-talent-lazy-shitty album. And got actually *worse* the longer it went on - after 6 songs I was ready to just dismiss it; and by My New House I'm ready to hurt myself and others. One of the worst of >600 thus far, so congratulations. 1/10 1 star

Deloused in the Comatorium

The Mars Volta

5/5

Terrifying. I'd never heard anything remotely like this before; 'twas recommended upon release by a friend with my having had zero knowledge of anything surrounding the band so... quite the shock. The opening is amazing: from the perfect haunting-yet-something-bigger-is-coming-i-can-feel-it intro song of "Son et lumière" which folds directly into the beat-you-through-the-brain "Inertiatic ESP" - you're in or out at this point. I was in. Amazing. The cover definitely fits, too. This is an *album* - you can't listen in parts, or have a song on a playlist (MIXTAPE) - it's headphones-on and take the hour-long trip. These lyrics man wtf I've never bothered trying, but when I occasionally grab onto a word or phrase it doesn't make sense yet definitely contributes to the terror of the album overall. Incredible musicianship that hits the proggy geek part of me yet has a controlled aggression I can't compare to any others. But honestly it's sometimes too much, even if I do love it...I love it but don't always *like* it, if that makes any sense. It's jarring, dissonant, completely frenetic, noisy yet ... melodic. It's 100% worth it but feels exhausting and therefore not an album I listen to often, it's almost like it takes a lot out of me. No passive listening here. Best moment without question: "Roulette Dares" chorus....: "Exo-skeletal junction at the railroad delayyyyyyyed!" - chills. The flame-broiled un-wakeable dystopian nightmare hard rock compliment to the frozen-dark introspective electronic Kid A. No coincidence: two of my favourites. 9/10 5 stars.

Whatever

Aimee Mann

3/5

Funny how some albums or artists scream "throwback" to me as Aimee Mann does here (which to be fair 1993 is THIRTY GODDAMN YEARS AGO) yet something from say 1983 doesn't... At its best this is excellent pop rock that has the type of melodic progression that hits me right in the sweet spot. "I Should've Known" is a big opener that could have sit comfortably side by side with Jellyfish (greatest "never really made it" band in history) in '93. There's nothing bad in this album at all. Sort of a damning with faint praise there ... my issue with Aimee Mann is that I feel like I can ever only listen to maybe 5 or 6 in a row of her. She has a nice voice to be sure; recognizable as well - but I feel like her easy energy vocal clarity gets ... stale after a while. Gimme a little passion, a little difference somewhere. And that has an effect on the songs - again, they're all in isolation very nice to good. Just that for me her voice blends them all together after a spell and the entire effect becomes a bit boring. Excellent songwriting, but she's a perfect EP kinda artist for me. Not quite enough for me to hit a 4 star but I'd never turn it off (until like the 7th son of course...) Faves: "I Should've Known" and "I've Had It" 6/10 3 stars

Rust In Peace

Megadeth

3/5

This is not my jam but wasn't nearly as bad to revisit as I'd feared. For one, they're not Metallica and for that we can be grateful - I've of course always lumped them together (and thrown them away) as Dave Mustaine was a former member, but this has far more interesting melodic turns for me. Seems odd to say about a thrash metal album but hey that's why we're doing this. I don't like the vocals - surprise surprise - but he's far more palatable than James Hetfield's ridiculous growl-bark-in-E-minor. Essentially he's easier to ignore; maybe some of that is how he's mixed - just a bit lower in the mix, giving the music more power. Obviously the musicianship is quite incredible. Anyways even though I'm not gonna be reaching for it anytime soon, I have to admit I liked it more than I'd expected (especially with how low I view Dave Mustaine as a human). 5/10 3 stars.

At San Quentin

Johnny Cash

2/5

What the ... how many prison albums does this guy have... I mean - do you need more than 1? You do not. The "At Folsom Prison" album is pretty great but this one musically isn't nearly as enticing. Two (consecutive!) versions of the same song is really ... yeah, say it: it's stupid. OK admittedly there's something fascinating about listening to it all play out in real time - the inmates are asking for the same song ("San Quentin" of course) again and at the same time that it's interesting hearing the raw as-it-was aspect of it, just fade out after the request for the album. FILLER MATERIAL! (it's not even a good song) eh just wasn't into it, even though it might be interesting watching a video of the entire proceeding if this wasn't "JOHNNY CASH™" I'd absolutely not have given it as much a chance as I did, he doesn't even sound particularly good singing or playing. Pass. 4/10 2 stars.

Darkdancer

Les Rythmes Digitales

1/5

"It's...fine? I guess?" This was my first thought after maybe 10 minutes. ...I would hazard an assumption that most of us make while going through this massive list of albums - that there's *something* in each of these that can make us say 'holy shit' or 'ok that's unique' or even 'i didn't know music could even sound like this...and this is the worst thing i could have imagined' - something that sticks out. 1000+ albums is a lot but obviously a drop in the ocean of everything ever released so give me something. So what actually does this album even have?? Honestly this is like listening to someone's boring sample pack for an hour. "For just $39.99 you get these copyright-free beats to compose your own..." blahblah. This finally and fully went off the rails for me when it went from "fine background" to "what am I even listening to" to "holy shit this is terribly boring." I'd been thinking all along: "where are the songs?" and then the track "Sometimes" came on and it became terribly apparent that he *cannot write a song* - junior-high-school level writing. As an album: this stinks. 2/10 1 star.

Talking With the Taxman About Poetry

Billy Bragg

4/5

I saw Billy Bragg open up for the Barenaked Ladies back in ~1995, sat front and center as he came out playing just a guitar and I felt for the guy - he was so fng passionate and earnest and yet seemed so *nice*. Not sure the BNL crowd was the right audience for his socialist working-class music - it's not that the crowd were rude, just more...indifferent and more-ready to fire boxed of Kraft Dinner in an hour than hear about Levi Stubbs' Tears. I would definitely have said it wasn't my thing but hell - he was fantastic; played a bunch of songs from this album. Which is far better than a previous (later release) entry on the list; his music and message hit so much harder for me when it's mostly just him and his guitar - and I more often go in for big sounding music i.e. completely over the top prog or heavily produced. Bragg is the rare (truly) solo act that I'll listen to. Stick it to the goddamn MAN, Billy. 7/10 4 stars.

461 Ocean Boulevard

Eric Clapton

1/5

I have a legitimate memory at age 4 of I Shot The Sheriff being on the radio while I was in the back seat of my dad's car and me shouting to turn the station - I can picture exactly where we were to this day. I hated that damn song when it came out and I like the idea of honouring my toddler self. Screw Eric Clapton the racist wanker. Laid back lazy milquetoast soft rock rubbish. I never cared for his guitar playing either. 3/10 1 star

Vivid

Living Colour

5/5

Hell yes. This album broke our brains in university when it came out. What pissed me off was that I could never play any of this on guitar right at all. Still sounds as killer today as it did long ago. I try to find a highlight but I literally love every single track on this album (ok: "Desperate People" wins) - melodic rock/funk/prog/thrash/soul... incredible musicianship, great vocals, excellent groove, not over-produced... I think I like it. 10/10 5 stars.

Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Come on. A double album with this much variety of rock, soul, R&B, jazz, *prog???* ("Contusion"), incredible songwriting, smash hits, amazing production .... This is like cramming 1982 Gretzky, 2023 Ohtani, and 1979 Balboa all into one package. 10/10 5 stars.

2112

Rush

5/5

I'm a kid in the early 80s on a bus trip with other middle school kids and had run out of my own cassettes so I borrowed 2112 from BB. I'd just purchased a live album of theirs over the winter and was mystified as to how huge and varied this band's sound was. But had never yet listened through any of their studio albums and so put this on in my headphones and pressed play... Game over. Immediately. Thanks B. Album purchased upon returning home. New life path defined. :) How can I possibly write about this album? Best gateway drug of all-time. Read the story of/on how the band came to making this album - their "go for broke" career choice which paved the way for everything else. 2112/10 5 giant red stars.

Trio

Dolly Parton

3/5

Country is almost as "un-preferential" a genre that I can find, mostly because the musical construction of the songs are always so predictable to me. Also - hey, sue me - I don't like the too-often overly twangy vocal dialects. So there has to be something different - vastly different - for me to even make it through an album. As we go deeper into this list I have found some subtle country dividing lines - most notably that I *vastly* prefer women singers here. And on this album Dolly Parton especially shines - she's someone whose music I'd never sought out but she really is a fantastic singer to listen to (especially that I generally don't care for most singers). Something about her voice that even though she's clearly got a beautiful voice she never seems to overdo it like so many do. Some of these songs are still lousy / soaked-in-80s-schmalz ("Telling Me Lies" is painful) but at its best it's ... pleasant. And that's not a bad thing. Definitely worth a 3 for respect and frankly none of the 3 overdo it vocally which is what makes it work. 6/10 3 stars.

Giant Steps

The Boo Radleys

3/5

More of a cool sound/vibe overall rather than a collection of good songs; there are some exceptions ("Best Lose the Fear") but the sense it gives when done is that I've just spent the last hour in a dark drugged out overly chill British basement club with 120 slowly swaying zombies and who brought me here anyways? I don't dislike it; in fact it's some of the better emo/wall-of-guitar sound bands of the early 90s. Just that after a (short) while it's all a blend. Maybe that's the point. 5/10 3 stars.

Iron Maiden

4/5

VERY important note: one of the few bands to pull off the holy trifecta of: 1) releasing an album 2) which is simply entitled as the same name as the band 3) which ALSO contains a song with said same name. PUT RESPECT ON THESE LEGENDS. I vastly prefer prime-era Maiden fan - starting with Number of the Beast through Somewhere In Time - but it's definitely interesting to revisit the Paul Di'Anno (singer) albums (...stirring up memories of being a little kid during the first year of MTV - they'd often televise an old Maiden concert from this era..). They're almost a punk-metal blend here and while nowhere near as progressive (and nerdy) as what they'd become, it's pretty awesome to hear their start. Although "Strange World" could almost have been a b-side from Rush's "Caress of Steel." As for the vocals... no offence to him - Di'Anno isn't anything like his successor Bruce Dickenson who is legendary and I think Bruce added so much more to the music that wouldn't have been possible with Paul. But looking/listening to this as almost a different band works in this context of a young band putting themselves together. Was clear they made the right move replacing Di'Anno but on this album they were able to put together a few classics that carried through the Bruce era in live shows. Legendary start to their career - and that twin guitar attack is a tasty teaser of what was to come over the next decade. 7/10 4 stars.

Axis: Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix

4/5

Ok *this* is the Hendrix album. So much better than the aimless Electric Ladyland to follow. Amazingly I don't think I'd ever actually listened to this album all the way through, having not ever truly connected w/ The Experience's music but this is definitely my favourite of Hendrix' 3 JHE albums. Pretty much the entire album is great but in particular "Spanish Castle Magic" "Little Wing" of course and "If 6 Was 9" all especially kick hard. Maybe my biggest complaint about Hendrix in this band is that they weren't the best songwriters but these are more compact and work better for me. Irony: One of my favourites is the longest track - "If 6 Was 9" TL;DR: Yeah this is the shit - lots of good tunes, some of which I honestly wish were a little longer but I CAN DIG IT. 8/10 4 stars.

Odelay

Beck

2/5

Man. Is Beck hit or miss or what. This is our third Beck album thus far - best album cover at least. I just don't know about this one - I love Guero, don't like Sea Change so if this one is the tiebreaker .... it's not going well after one listen... OK one more spin through - Odelay is the ultimate 90s slacker music. And I don't like it. I'm sort of comparing Beck to himself which may not be fair, but when I know the best of what he's done and then hear this it's just not that inspiring or even catchy. Very few moments of getting chills, or staying in a groove, it's a weird and misguided pastiche of mangled beats and samples - very few if any songs have any flow whatsoever, and at worst a lot becomes atonal ("High 5" is the equivalent of opening the spice cabinet and everything spills out onto the floor). In fact I hate to use this word because it's thoughtless but I keep falling back on it being boring. Which after 2 listens is where I'm committing. 4/10 2 stars.

Sex Packets

Digital Underground

2/5

A nostalgia throwback leading off with "Humpty Dance" but after a minute or two it just ... got tiring. I think the memory of the song was/is better than how I feel about it now. The rest ... eh...? at times I found myself vibing with it but only "at times" Really most of it is that these lyrics are so bad. SO. DAMN. BAD. e.g. "Freaks of the Industry" is one of the more stupid tracks I've ever heard - a lot of that statement might reside in the fact that it would have gone from a 1 to an 8 simply if it were instrumental. TL;DR: I generally like old school hip-hop but for this I just can't dig in. I like to ignore lyrics if/when I can but even the best parts of this where/when it grooves they're too much of a distraction. 3/10 2 stars.

Rejoicing In The Hands

Devendra Banhart

1/5

Scene: ...I find myself going out to dinner in summertime in the city and there ends up being a ~45 minute wait for a table and we decide to just sit outside on a bench and pass the time listening to a nice mellow busker across the cobblestone... this sounds quite nice.... I mean, sure, it's the setting - we're all feeling non-committal just sitting here absorbing, he's over there with his acoustic guitar, got some interesting chordal structures, a very unusual voice, hmm not sure where some of the songs are going so I drift a little ..."...man, is our table ready yet?... yeah he's pretty decent although maybe this would sound a little better with a band or some production backing him up I'm getting a little sleepy and maybe grouchy but no no it's fine I have a Snickers bar in my pocket, should be only a few more minutes this is sort of dragging no? is his voice getting worse? ah let's stay here they're probably calling us any second... yeah i heard those lyrics too, the ones that went 'i could take my teeth out and show them a real good time' yeahyeah what...ok you're right let's go wait inside instead good call..." Then after my unexpectedly not great and still unsettling meal I go home to find that my "album of the day" just happens to be this same music which has been placed on an album that sounds like it may have been recorded in an empty refrigerator box in the corner of his tiny kitchen in his grimy 3rd story apartment and consisting of exactly the same set and not only does it just not ring true I really can just reach for a snack in my fridge or better yet the Tums in the medicine cabinet and call it a night and be done already. 2/10 1 star.

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

5/5

800 years ago the band I was in did a guitar rock version of "Inner City Blues" which is my favourite Marvin song. I don't know if it was any good or even if it didn't suck but man, if that wasn't the most fun I had playing a cover I don't know what was. Other than the aforementioned best song, some things I love most about this album: - how the songs flow into one another, creating a full album/suite experience. - the not-quite-doubled but rather 2 unique lead tracks Marvin has for most cuts, almost a sort of self-duet Marvin has going on with himself. - it's all about the bass. James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt. Funk Brothers FTW. - "you know that woo? that single woo?" Critique: I'm not always crazy about the strings; I'd have loved to hear a lot of these songs arranged differently (i.e. without so much orchestration or even completely without) but not quite enough to knock it off a 5. The grooves and Marvin's vocals win out. 9/10 5 stars.

Myths Of The Near Future

Klaxons

2/5

Totally unfamiliar with these guys so let's go... ... eh. jeez I don't know - not connecting early - REALLY not connecting - and especially after/during the 2nd song. Worrisome thought: do I just not like rock music anymore? Or "modern" rock (although this album is now almost 20 years old so what the hell am I even talking about). I don't think that's it <convincing myself of this by writing that, yup> - more that it falls under the Arcade Fire but faux-disco-aggression of Arctic Monkeys annoying group singing and uber-dense production (let the goddamn music breathe already ... guh) - part of that small subgenre of so-called "alt" (meaningless term) rock that I range from not connecting with to outright disliking. And to yet again fall back on my tried and true tiebreaker, these vocals are annoying AF. I honestly think I might actively dislike this one and confident enough in that appraisal that I'm sure another pass won't improve this lot. Also sonically it *sounds* fng AWFUL. Hard pass. 3/10 2 stars.

Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson

3/5

Hard to get a handle on this one. I'd never heard any of it - certainly on the surface it's nothing like the Beach Boys' typical faux-happy-go-lucky singalongs. On the other hand, there's a sneaky underlying lushness to almost every one of the tracks (I stopped at 12, "End of the Show" which comprises the original album) that even without much of the (often cloying, if impressive) vocal harmonies* made notable by the family band has revealed a bit more from most songs upon repeat listens. *notable exception right off the bat with the excellent first cut "River Song." The downside is there's a bit of sameness to the overall mood which is frankly more than a bit depressing. At the risk of obviousness maybe that was the intent. Or simply unavoidable given the life and personality of Dennis Wilson himself. Still although it's an uneven listen I still think after a few listens it's worthwhile as I keep finding really nice little nuggets throughout most songs. Is that hedging? I'll hedge. Highlights: "Friday Night" "Thoughts of You" "River Song" Mood record (and not for every mood), but it sounds great and I can definitely see coming back to this one. Could be a sneaky slow build. 6/10 3 stars

Fuzzy Logic

Super Furry Animals

3/5

A bit of a personal nostalgic throwback but I'm left wondering if I liked it more 20 years ago because it seemed new and different rather than for the absolute value. Translation: it's fine but I'm not feeling it like I used to. A little too dense and 90s sounding even with the cool Welsh accents. "Hangin' with Howard Marks" still bangs tho. 6/10 3 stars.

Shleep

Robert Wyatt

3/5

Hard to believe this is a 1997 release as it sounds right out of 1974. Even if I hadn't read it, track one "Heaps of Sheeps" just oozes Brian Eno who has become a bit of a fave here after ~650 albums. As for the negative, it's a little ... passive? Very English-passive. By contrast, take Gong for instance - much more actively-weird, actively moving. This is more a pastoral counterpoint to space-rock weirdness. In case anyone needed me pointing this out, during "A Sunday In Madrid" he sings one note the entire song. The. Entire. Song. (no wait, he went up one whole note twice there... not sure that even counts.) I can only imagine how many people hated this one....but I don't :P. It's just weird enough that it could be a sneaky good weird jazzy chill listen. I hate giving 3s but this is almost my perfect 3 - at different times you could put this on and I'd get almost physically angry yet another time it might be the perfect salve with a cup of tea (or scotch) sitting on the back porch. 5/10 3 stars.

Station To Station

David Bowie

2/5

I knew more Bowie was coming and since we've had about a year in between I suppose I'm ok with it, although his big single from this - "Golden Years" - represents everything I didn't (and don't) like about Bowie growing up, admittedly never delving deep and only ever hearing the singles. What is that? Smooth funk? eh it's awful. "Low" was a true surprise to/for me as it's been the one Bowie album I have truly enjoyed - (mostly) avoiding that weird crooner-style of his that I don't like. I mean... there's no ever getting around the fact that I never liked his vocals, so the only question for me here is whether there's going to be enough interesting around it to catch me (ala "Low"). This starts differently-enough with "Station to Station" which could either be plodding and dull or a mysterious instrumental intro to an experimental work... I'm going with the latter, perhaps reaching for anything nice to say or simply reaching back to my long ago love of long tracks with multiple sections (hat tip: 70s Yes/Genesis). 10 minute cut to lead off the album? Bold. But I still don't connect with this album - I'd say accurately that I (again) prefer the parts where he's not singing and it *sounds* good but it's generally not that interesting; the songs aren't great. It's effortless in not a complimentary way, in a way that it feels like he made little effort. In singing (again i know i beat this horse to death but it's my comment dammit) and in construction. It's almost worse in a way that none of it is really terrible but the songs are just not memorable. I just listened again and what even happened over the last 40 minutes other than i had to endure Golden Years again. That alone just made me a little angry. Once again I pass on Bowie. Fine fine give me the next 8 albums of his....sigh... 4/10 2 stars.

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse

Faces

3/5

Decent bluesy-grimy rock very much akin to Stones - not the best but still in that very brief but excellent peak of Rod Stewart's; whether with Jeff Beck, solo, or here with the Faces, his output from c1969-1972 was generally top shelf. I often wonder why The Faces as a band didn't stick in the consciousness as much as other short-lived bands, like Free for example - similar blues-based gritty rock. This has always felt to me like - blasphemy alert - better Stones-type-music for people who didn't really get into the Stones (guilty). I guess we do have the [guitarist] Ron Wood connection between the two bands. Anyways it's not perfect, a little dated, and can get a little dull at times but overall a non-complex and fun listen, but the lack of more good actual songs has me wavering this down to a 3. More of a ... you're at a party and someone says "we need a soundtrack for early 70s music, whattya got?" and this is the answer. 6/10 3 stars.

Better Living Through Chemistry

Fatboy Slim

1/5

My audible groan when I saw today's album artist very literally scared my poor dog. I'd rather continue to listen to her not-so-silent farts of varying pitch than be subjected to *another* (jfc wasn't 1 enough) bullshit album by Fatboy Slim. Awful. -- ...admittedly that was all written before i listened to a note of this so in the spirit of an open mind... -- Yup - after 2 tracks it's probably the same - I like electronic music quite a bit. BUT. Not repetitive drill-a-fake-kick-drum-through-your-head with the same pattern for 16 (or more!) bars, then ooooh! change it up a little bit ... here's the drop ... 16 more bars with an added cool snare ... ooo add an EQ filter here to create the cool swirly-phasing sensation zzzzz Any random 20 second sampling of this album sounds fine and yet that is the big joke. It's a huge fake-out. idk maybe I'm being intentionally sarcastic and avoiding the aspect that this was one of the first to loop to such effect. Was he? If so does it even matter? I don't care or like it enough to look it up - in the end for me this is terribly-droning-repetitive-music-on-autopilot. Just struck me - this album is more akin or suite to being a user's manual / sound palette on: "these are some cool things you *can* do with your music!" Hmmm...now if this had been marketed as such - e.g. given away as a freebie with the latest Akai controller or Ableton version - that would be a cool/valuable resourse. As a commercial album to purchase? GTFO. Musicians: listen and try all of these admittedly neat tricks and sounds and use like...*THREE*... interspersed within actually interesting music. 2/10 1 star.

Virgin Suicides

Air

4/5

On first pass the opening track took some time to warm up to (vocals...meh) but after that comes the short instrumental "Clouds Up" and this is definitely more what I was hoping for. It's just that I can't decide whether it's something I'm voluntarily putting on (other than...well, right now of course) at any point... ...which is what I had thought after maybe 3 or 4 cuts. But now that I'm done I admit this is chill, semi-ambient, and I absolutely *will* put this on again :) - hypnotic in a way to make me feel like the last 40 minutes I've been living in slow motion. Biggest and maybe only real negative is that I'd have liked to hear an instrumental version of the last track - eliminate that narration over the top which is too distracting and mostly pointless on an album; I'll pass on that cut on further listens. Final addition: weekend albums always have the biggest chance of rising in the ratings and this was no different - after a few plays I'm noticing other weirdness that I absolutely love in terms of the music; e.g. <nerd alert> a few tritone progressions that are both jarring and gorgeous. Also upon repeat listens I'm down with track #1. Sum: "It's different, alright..." Not at all like a typical "album" whatever that actually means. I really like it. 8/10 4 stars.

Tapestry

Carole King

5/5

*yes - please bring me ALL the major 7th chords* It's not just that so many of these songs are such classics (at this point almost standards) - it's more than just "70s singer-songwriter" - I didn't notice until much later in life that there's a great band (session musicians) playing on this. While it sounds "dated" to be sure, it's a cool sound - the ultra-dry sound to Carole's vocals seems almost weirdly unattainable today. And with the full caveat that "yeah of course, it was 1971" there are no effects on her vocals - just very real and it makes you miss these authentic recordings. Also it's not always as mellow as it's made out to be - you can make "I Feel the Earth Move" into a credible live hard rock guitar jam... <....personal experience...> All-timer etc etc - TL; DR: worth the hype; just perfect songwriting. 10/10 5 stars.

There's No Place Like America Today

Curtis Mayfield

4/5

So many great Curtis Mayfield tunes but "Billy Jack" is my favourite. Any/everything else that follows is just smooth gravy. Overall I'm a little more preferential towards "Superfly" as this one brings it all down a bit more than I like for the long haul - would have liked a bit more funk/groove/slightly uptempo. It's a bit of nitpicking though, as it's a very nice album with Curtis' classic falsetto carrying through catchy melodic tunes, even if a bit too laid back. Best tracks: "Billy Jack" (put it on repeat) and "Love to the People" 7/10 4 stars.

Rattus Norvegicus

The Stranglers

3/5

The fast keyboard riff in "Sometimes" (in the right channel/ear) makes me think of "Sorry Mario but our princess is in another castle!" - so it was clearly way ahead of its time. OK let's get this out - the vocals are bad. So. Bad. No getting around it. But unlike the equally-shitty Lou Reed the band doesn't take themselves seriously enough for it to matter as much and also the music is way better. The album was also mixed in such that 70s punk/post-punk way that you can almost dial your head around the vocals, if that makes any sense (which I do, gladly) ...but/and the rest? Weird. It's not my favourite style but at the same time that it's totally cheesy it's not nearly as bad as I'd feared. There's some talent here and goddamn if some of these songs aren't catchy. I mean this without any sarcasm... I don't hate it. 6/10 3 stars.

Antichrist Superstar

Marilyn Manson

1/5

While I am all-in for anything that mocks/derides the evil hell that is the Christian right and fascism ... on a daily basis I'm more all-in for listenable music. This was never - and still ain't - it. Utterly unlistenable. 1/10 1 star.

Feast of Wire

Calexico

3/5

There's something about this album that makes it all at once eminently listenable and yet utterly forgettable. There's far too much craftsmanship throughout this album to rank it lower than a 3 but weirdly it hits none of my musical buttons at all. Although I'll say these instrumental piece would be real nice in a movie. I'd compare it to Wilco in the way that I know these guys are "good" but I feel nothing, other than a little sleepy. 5/10 3 stars.

Traffic

2/5

Traffic seems a greatest-hits-only band. I'll say it: for the *most part* they as a group were not good songwriters. There's a sound there, and I'll claim mostly or even solely due to Steve Winwood, but most of these songs are either poorly or oddly constructed; not enough catchy riffs or hooks. Notable exception being the single "Feelin Alright" which honestly Joe Cocker's version is better. "No Time to Live" is more of the overall sound I was hoping for, and has some nice parts but is a decent microcosm of the band overall. Nothing here is bad, just not grabbing me in any way. More of a late-60s sound that is fine in the background but for active listening doesn't go anywhere. Would much rather hear the 12 minute "High Spark of Lowheeled Boys" any day. 4/10 2 stars

Vento De Maio

Elis Regina

2/5

Hilariously cheesy, when not simply almost shockingly awful. To be clear it's not the non-English aspect of the vocals (which I've loved from e.g. Milton Nascimento). This is falling on its own (de)merits. However in good conscience I can't give it a 1 to lie with the drek of Fatboy Slims, Lou Reeds, and Limp Bizkits since there's obviously talent here but I'll hopefully never listen again. 3/10 2 stars

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective

4/5

"My Girls" will forever be a family anthem. This alone gets this weirdAF album a 4 star here. So much melody, and yet almost no traditional musical structure whatsoever. I remember when I first bought the album I listened so often and yet even though I "liked" it, I could never fully click. I'm not sure that was ever the point. Beautiful weirdness that won't work if you (I) compare it to anything else musically - embrace it. 7/10 4 stars.

Shake Your Money Maker

The Black Crowes

4/5

Just the opening slide riffs are giving massive flashbacks to college - this album was hyuge. Saw these guys in a smallish club on this tour and they killed it - I was onboard the Black Crowes train for a time... But after a (relatively short) while it all seemed to grow stale for me - eh i was never a big Stones fan and blues-based music got a bit boring - gimme moody/emo/synthy/alt. "She Talks To Angels" getting massive airplay didn't help matters. I don't know when I've listened to this album last... ...but goddamn if hearing Twice As Hard this morning for the first time in ...? 25 years? hasn't been a fantastic trip. Sum: uncomplicated dirty Faces/Stones-esque album that while it may not be my first pick of the litter, sounds fantastic and is pretty great rock and/or roll. 8/10 4 stars (p.s. no cheating allowed but go ahead and try to pick out 2 words from any of the verses in "Struttin' Blues" - can't be done)

More Specials

The Specials

3/5

I can't help but make the comparison to Madness and while there's some similar enjoyable elements I don't connect w the Specials quite as much as the more upbeat melodies of Madness. Maybe an over-reliance on the ska side grates after a time. The sound is fine in short doses but over a long haul ... eh it just gets to be too much. On the positive side, the biggest aspect of this style of music and this band in particular is the arrangement - nearly every song has a relatively simple chord progression but there are often so many distinct melodies and counter melodies running through the tunes on varied instruments. It's worth a repeated listen just to pay attention to these fine tuning aspects. I like it, I like them and maybe more-so appreciate the song construction. I just think 4 or 5 songs is my limit at a time. 6/10 3 stars.

Darklands

The Jesus And Mary Chain

2/5

I often look back at many of these 80s bands/albums with nostalgia - even if I didn't like them much at the time - but this one does almost nothing for me. Melodic sure but nearly catastrophically-predictably dull progressions topped with by awful dense/reverb-drenched late 80s production. And programmed drums to boot. Oh and vocals that are just a bit too much like a Lou Reed who can almost sing. At best they're indicative of a slightly more upbeat (emphasis on "slightly") early shoegaze. Not entirely awful but not at all interesting either. 3/10 2 stars.

Songs The Lord Taught Us

The Cramps

1/5

nice bass. ... "BUT IT'S ALL aTtItUuUuUdE!!!!!" ... 1/10 1 star.

Trout Mask Replica

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

2/5

Everything you read about this album is correct. Everything. Halfway through while I was laughing I thought to read the reviews here amongst our greater-1001-group and from 1 (many) to 5 (few) I can't and won't argue a thing. Beefheart/someone had a lot of balls recording this and then just even releasing it. It's so off-the-hook that I can't give it a 1 on sheer chutzpah alone (plus the Zappa connection wins a point). I won't be putting this on at my kids' weddings but for shits and giggles I might leave instructions to play it at my funeral. I think I can sum this up in one word...: Beware. 3/10 2 stars.

Music

Madonna

2/5

Where her previous album "Ray of Light" worked so well this one just falls flat on its face. Surface-wise it probably seems like the logical progression but this one just seems like she/her people got all the hottest producers and newest studio/editing tricks and let them all run wild with little to no thought on song construction. Sure it *sounds* fantastic. But do any of these songs go anywhere (comparison: "Candy Perfume Girl" or "Subsitute for Love" from previous album)? Picking on the worst attempt here to be sure but "I Deserve It" is the very definition of *banal* - for someone who doesn't pay much attention to lyrics...I noticed. The bad-even-for-BonJovi lyrics combined with Madonna's rather unemotional vocals... man I don't know what else to say. Actually.... are all of her lyrics this bad? Is she 12??? The next track "Amazing" would have been a good song (and sounds like a decent outtake from her previous record) but I'm totally distracted by these lyrics holy crap. I can't look away now. As for the rest of the album - it sometimes sorta works as a club and/or party album but as for listening to it as...Music... it's not doing anything for me. At least it's relatively short. TL;DR: Lyrics taken from the back of her 7th grade Biology notebook combined with quickly-annoying modern production edits makes for a bad album. 3/10 2 (to be fair, very generous) stars.

New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

Simple Minds

3/5

Could be a candidate for "Most 80s Sounding Album" Great and prominent bass lines punctuate most of these melodic and overly-boppy and over washed in reverb songs. I'm certain I'd have hated this in 1982 (although in growing just a bit I enjoyed some of their later singles) which god-damn was a long time ago... in my middle age now I am mildly enjoying it in a way I couldn't have conceived in grade 7 - the sound itself is a mental time machine. So I'm not sure the songs themselves hold up all that well on their own but since it's all so inextricably entwined with the era, I'll hand it to them for grasping that dated sound so hard that it weirdly works today. "Big Sleep" almost sounds like a Marillion demo. Probably my fave and one that sticks out. (not important but since I'm staring at it: the cover is a weird (in a not good way) pastiche if the Book of Kells and some awful weekly church missive (redundant, that)...) 6/10 3 stars

Let's Stay Together

Al Green

4/5

First instinct is to be happy about this album then it starts and I remember that .... I don't actually love the title track that everyone seems to love. I don't dislike it! Just sorta meh - maybe I've heard it too much, and maybe I just think it's a little bland... With one exception* the rest of the album is much better - "So You're Leaving" for example has much more of a groove as do pretty much every one of the remaining cuts. Nice to hear the original "Ain't No Fun To Me" but I still lean towards Graham Central Station's version... I suppose if the famous title track is almost the worst cut on the album you've got a winner. 7/10 4 stars *that BeeGees cover is bad - plodding and seemingly endless.

Hms Fable

Shack

3/5

Either I don't remember them or I'd never even heard of Shack....let's go... First/immediate thought: I could have dated this right away with the 90s overly-crispy massively-compressed production. It was a bad era in the studio. I'm finding it hard to separate the sound from the songs. I like the melodic nature and especially a song like "Beautiful" - love that intro, there's a lot of power-pop influence shining through here (Beatles, Jellyfish, Nilsson), and even into the chorus with the strings. Hard to not hear a little Oasis albeit with more dynamics. In the end tho...ehhh....it decent I feel like this is an album I'd likely have ranked higher if I had any nostalgic love for / knowledge of it. In other words, how have I ranked Oasis higher than this album? Were they that much better? Probably sadly admit it's because of familiarity. Maybe these guys really should have been what Oasis were. Or maybe it's just another melodic Britpop sugar-high album that sounds good while listening to but I'm going to forget about tomorrow. 6/10 3 stars.

The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys

2/5

Never was a fan of the Beach Boys, although over the years I've found a lot more to at least appreciate - if not enjoy - about some of their music. This has that traditional "Beach Boys sound" with the soaring harmonies that definitely turned me off as a kid - it's impressive and unique, I just never connected with it and still don't. Eh not much to say - it's the Beach Boys; a few well known songs and a famous classic (e.g. "Help Me Rhonda") - I can start to look beyond the saccharine-sweet vocals (a little bit) to better-appreciate the sneaky complexity in musical arrangements overall. Multiple and varied instruments on every track, counter melodies, honestly quite impressive for 1965 let alone any time. End compliments there - most of the songs are boring. The ballads that the second half of this album loads up on somehow make a 29 minute album feel 3x as long. Regardless I suppose everyone should at least be familiar with their sound and a few hits but as an album this is a giant meh. 5/10 2 stars

The Specials

2/5

2 weeks...2 Specials albums. ok. I enjoyed their follow-up a bit more than this debut, there's just a little more raw ska sound here which is fine but they didn't develop their melodic complexity quite yet here... And where their 2nd album is fine for a 5-6 song sampler and nothing is bad here but I find myself really focusing on the similar sounds to each cut, which makes it not all that exciting overall. A fair start but go with More Specials instead. 5/10 2 stars

The Sounds Of India

Ravi Shankar

2/5

Next up on the 1001-list: a 1985 instructional VHS tape by Yngwie J Malmsteen on the emerging classical movement in metal guitar and how the Phrygian scale is the most-interesting mode to solo in. And how everyone else sucks, including you the viewer. I digress. ... No disrespect intended but after that hilarious "how-to" track 1 I got as much out of this in terms of music as I did from Yngwie back in the day. At first legitimately mesmerized by the very different sound/s then never wanting to listen again. 3/10 2 stars. barely.

Youth And Young Manhood

Kings of Leon

2/5

Man I hate the lazy and over-affected vocal style here. Objectively I could see why ppl like it - but I am not one of those people. Our 2nd Kings of Leon record for some reason. I grew up on rock and really wanted to like these guys when they came out, and I have tried again, and i'm more than underwhelmed. Or less-than. I'm whelmed. No great or witty critiques here - they're like a better-tempo White Stripes with a bass player. I hate the White Stripes. I'll grade accordingly. But I actually really hate it. 3/10 2 stars.

Logical Progression

LTJ Bukem

2/5

<clicks on link to album in Apple Music...> me: "What in the everliving hell...!?! **THIS IS A 3.5 HOUR COMPILATION OF DRUM AND BASS?!***" .... and I don't hate it...? In all seriousness - I can put this on at literally any point for a ~10-15 minute period and hear the same thing. I suppose that's almost the point, which ... this works really great for studying or working. I'm working now in fact. Just make it 40 minutes. Tops. There's no need for anything longer - I can set it on repeat and get the same effect. I have no idea what to "rate" this album - it doesn't work like anything else. If I want to listen to music....I don't really want to listen to this at all. If I want background ambience and to not be distracted by intricate melodies or structure, this is kind of perfect. I should probably give it a 3 since I could see myself playing it in the right conditions...on the other hand I just can't give it middle of the road because I don't know if I can distinguish this from any random youtube highlight video of 3 hours of e.g. Space Station footage or some of my weekend Ableton experimentation. 5/10 2 stars

The Score

Fugees

2/5

Not wanting to be the contrarian here because I know how huge this was and is beloved ... I like hip-hop, I love soul/r&b. I don't like this. It's this particular style of rapping that I have always disliked - behind the beat - that permeates most if not all of the album. I know the talent behind being able to rap like this; excellent wordplay and lyrics, I just get zero out of it. And I suspect if you don't focus on (or even notice) lyrics for the most part - like me - you lose any sense of why this album is beloved. I'm a music fan as in I focus on the music first... the music sounds fantastic on every track - right from the beginning - until every single one gets boring and repetitive within 20 seconds. Uncreative loops with no variation - it's a palette for the vocals which again - not my thing. High point: "Ready Or Not" is actually nice with Lauryn Hill's vocals but when the rap (Wyclef?) comes in it loses me quickly. Not my bag, but points for talent. 3/10 2 stars.

Kings Of The Wild Frontier

Adam & The Ants

3/5

From the first drum rhythm of Dog Eat Dog this becomes recognizable as Adam & The Ants. For a band that didn't get much airplay in N America aside from a big video hit or 2, it's interesting that even 40(!) years later I can identify them as having a sound. Which might be case enough for them to be on this list. I knew they were UK-big but hadn't realized how big their albums were (all 3 topped at least one UK chart). Super fun throwback - obviously very dated-sounding but in this case I'm loving it, well...some of it. It's pretty inconsistent with some not-great songs (e.g. "Feed Me to the Lions" is weak) and to be fair, their sound gets repetitive. But the best of this make it at least a fun if not worthy listen e.g. my fave: "Antmusic" which I hadn't heard in ages. I WANT MY MTV! 6/10 3 stars <n.b. only considering the 12 songs from the initial release, not the collected works of The Ants' entire history which Apple Music seems to think I need to hear...>

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo

MC Solaar

4/5

Had a run of mediocrity of late and was more in the mood for some uncomplicated rock, so French hip-hop on the weekend wasn't exactly welcomed this morning... Except about halfway through track 2 (the first proper track) I found myself grooving. I really like it. Love the music, I especially love MC Solaar's flow and rhythm, and frankly love the fact that I don't understand most of the lyrics. Treating everything as an instrument / parts of the whole. This was a genuine surprise, not only do I have nothing bad to say about it I'll probably listen again. 8/10 4 stars.

Stand!

Sly & The Family Stone

4/5

"There's a midget standing tall" I'm immature. I laugh every time. OK but this is *the* Sly album. Great singles, great overall sound, the band is killing it. I see Larry Graham, I get happy. Only a few weaker songs (e.g. "Somebody's Watching You" and the too-long and aimless "Sex Machine") keep this from me giving a 5 but the bulk/best of it make it a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Safe As Milk

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

3/5

Two Captain Beefhearts. TWO. And in just 2 weeks' time. Well this ain't Mike Trout Mask Replica that's for sure - honestly, this is not terrible. Once you get by his voice a bit it all sorta fits. Maybe my bar was so skewed as I'd only heard the aforementioned album and his complimentary work with Zappa that I wasn't expecting a relatively straightforward ("relatively" - it's not straightforward at all, just compared to his other work) bluesy-rootsy+psychedelic 60s album. At the same time, it's not really in my wheelhouse but might be a mood album, setting a definite time and place. Good to hear it and I gave it a few spins today but won't make a permanent rotation. 5/10 3 stars

I See You

The xx

3/5

Ok my first reaction is/was "wow" because after really not liking their first album (emo to the point of self-caricature; boring, etc) I was not expecting this melodic explosion at all. Modern as hell production, sampling, loops, etc; i.e. an electronic album in every conceivable way yet song construction fully in the standard 20th century pop-rock vein... much more variety in songs and mood than on their debut. I think my problem was that I listened twice. I loved the first pass. Yet the second go-around sounded... sterile. Seems like the first time around I was blinded with the apparent energy and melody and as I settle in and really digest the songs...none are bad (although I'm not a fan of "On Hold" - more of a tarted-up cheesy 80s song that tries to hard to not be and fails) but there's a clinical precision to the crafting of each of the tracks that overall it becomes too polished. I can see how people might love this - overall it does have a great sound and makes me re-evaluate the band overall, but I need more...daring? edge? a guitar solo or sense that it's not all/so crafted "in the box" - it's too bad because why should I hold a "group" up to a standard that I don't hold a stereotypical electronic artist to. I suppose standard-form songs like this for me come with some expectation of feeling the energy and that's what's missing here. 6/10 3 stars

Metallica

1/5

This is music for an army of braindead orcs marching out of Mordor. Jingoistic bullshit - this was probably Henry Kissinger's favourite band. enjoy the maggots, pig. 4 Metallica albums and counting. This band is awful. Oooh another growling in E minor song? ugh. Great guitar player tho. .... ok personal feelings aside this isn't the absolute worst. I still don't like it - will hold my nose a little for Enter Sandman even if it now unfortunately rivals "Crazy Train" as "most played song between periods" at hockey games.... it's catchy. Some melody in a few cuts and yeah Bob Rock gave this the big power pop production but .... no no no the drums sound like ass cannons. no I retract anything positive I really hate this. 3/10 1 star

Siembra

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades

4/5

I am definitely not much for salsa music... ...but I like this. So maybe I just don't even know myself. Good album for good vibes - like how can I be in a bad mood listening to this...great musicianship and sounds more modern than 1978 - and also is working as excellent study/work music. ...and if I keep giving 3s for albums that aren't necessarily up my alley am I really being honest with myself? Just because most days I'm not likely to put this on ahead of the genres i like better doesn't diminish the fact that this is catchy as hell. 7/10 4 stars

Hysteria

Def Leppard

3/5

Am I writing this through the eyes of me when it was first released .... or how I feel about it now when I hear any of these songs on the radio (jabbing so hard at the controls with potential to break the first knuckle)...? It's probably not fair - I mean yes I bought this album upon release and listened to it with as much muster as my greasy 1988 mullet could handle. My reaction upon seeing this cover now was at "...is Pour Some Sugar On Me actually the most awful yet successful single ever released?" Yet I haven't listened to the album since probably 1990 so here goes the nostalgia trip ... (...i honestly think like 8 of these songs were singles if not hits - Mutt Lange said he wanted to make the "Thriller" of rock albums and credit to him, that crazy bastard really did it...) OK it's honestly an impressive feat of engineering - the technology and the way that technology was used to record these tracks is fascinating to me. Creatively (over-)layered guitars with odd tones, the produced-to-death background vocals (and in 1987!) that would make any 2020s pop star envious [some of those songs had as many as 120 background voices WTF], the drum replacement (all drum sounds were sampled which I don't even know how this was done pre digital workstation)... I love reading and thinking about this. It's just that it overshadowed the songs for the most part. Likely they would have been cheese to begin with. I do still get occasional enjoyment out of hearing a very early Def Leppard song (definitely from High and Dry, a few from Pyromania) just for that more raw British attack (NWOBHM!). Would these songs have aged better with .... fewer or less-processed guitars? fewer background vocals? or are the myriad soft ballads - oh so many of them, god they're bad - just what they are and would still have sucked? eh maybe they're not as bad when listening to the full album in context, in the sense that they don't anger me when they start like they do on radio :) I'm sure it's a stupid fine line that many people would dismiss but even the original Bringing On the Heartbreak (not the lousy re-release with keyboard lines added) from High & Dry - which was or could have been a total cheese single if given the Hysteria treatment - had balls. That guitar sound - real amps, etc. blahblahblah one lump or two it doesn't matter. Do I like the album? Not really, no. I'll be curious to see if this album is as polarizing as I expect it to be in reviews. In the end it's exactly what I'd remembered: very expensive junk food. I loved that pixy-stix sugar rush in 1988. I try to eat avocados now. Yeah yeah I'm no fun. I'm gonna give it a gutless 3 though I'll probably never put it on again, but it really was a cultural phenomenon even if a lot of people want to deny it. 5/10 3 stars.

Walking Wounded

Everything But The Girl

3/5

Definitely a more techno/trippy feel than our previous EBTG album Idlewild but after a song or two it's just... them. It's weird that I feel like I can alternate between saying this band both has a generic 90s sound yet is indelibly always "Everything But The Girl" - it likely is her vocals which although on the surface seem nothing spectacular ... I think that's what makes them perfect. She (Tracey Thorn) has a "nice" voice; smooth and chill, and never overdoes it - thereby making her palatable for my picky anti-vocal ears. A song like "Wrong" for example could have been made for Madonna in the early 2000s and it would have been annoying (perfectly-digitally-tuned most likely). Anyways - a good chill album that's easy to play in most settings. I feel like these are such automatic 3 albums which undersells it a bit. It's not haunting or scary or kickass or never going to give me chills, but it's nice to listen to which sounds like a backhanded compliment - but it's like a nice after dinner mint. 7/10 3 stars.

Among The Living

Anthrax

2/5

Nah. Thrash metal I just don't like at all - the double-kick drum speed and relentlessness of it... I know that's the point. It really is a jackhammer to the skull. Not taking anything away from these guys who - holy crap - are fantastic musicians. Credit to them for the talent and complexity, as well as the obvious Stephen King nods - and I can usually sit through a track. Usually. It's just not my thing musically at all. 4/10 2 stars.

C'est Chic

CHIC

2/5

I STILL OWN THE ORIGINAL 45 OF LE FREAK! (...it means the single. record. the little thing...) I got it when I was ...6? 7? It still - as they say - slaps. ----- Gotta say tho, the album is a giant disappointment. I'd never heard it before (outside of "I Want Your Love") and it's kind of a drag to get through. It's hard to say that about an album with absolutely TOP NOTCH guitar and bass playing and crystal clear mix/production. A++. But it's dull dull dull. Outside of "Savoir Faire" which showcases the guitar playing of Nile, this is mostly uninteresting background/syrupy music for any 70s cheesy movie. Again: disappointment. I'll stick to my old 45. 4/10 2 stars.

Untitled (Black Is)

SAULT

4/5

Was not familiar at all with this group and had no idea what to expect but this is fantastic. I don't know if it's entirely right to call this a concept album but there's certainly a theme running through it and aside from the fact that I wholeheartedly endorse said theme (if you don't please find an island somewhere) on a musical level I just enjoy an album that has a theme or commonality running through it; it helps give a cohesive listening experience. Which I suppose makes a great album. At any rate, high marks and a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Slippery When Wet

Bon Jovi

2/5

The most cliché band in rock history. Try me. Just look at the cheese flowing from these grooves; arguably the 3 cheesiest songs of the 80s packed into one 43 minute album. Truly an amazing feat. The lyrics from each of these songs - just take the hits if you want - are just a list of cliches strung together to create huge chant anthems. Honestly - I mean, you can throw a dart at a group of albums to find grade 10 level phrases like this ... bad lyrics are a dime a dozen (<--see what I did there) - but has there ever an album more chock full of thoughtless throwaway bumper-sticker simple stupid slogan lyrics than here? I usually don't care but... I guess I do here. Start the album with "Let It Rock" - please, that's nothing ... "you can't stop a fire raging out of control... if you want to cross that line... " i mean this is just song 1. Before arguably the worst big song ever in "You Give Love A..." (no wait, we had "Pour Some Sugar On Me" last week... no no wait "Wanted Dead or Alive" is only a few tracks away!) which is collegiate-level instruction on how to cookie-cutter an 80s rock song - or current pop song. Hmm... there really is a similarity between Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift... oh "you can't start a fire without a spark" in track 4, did they run out of shitty lyrics already and had to recycle? I'm not being fair, I do love to shit all over this band (and also in full disclosure I remember their first single as a kid and I liked it - "Runaway" - so how was this any different at all, other than EVERYWHERE.) often without thinking - I knew this album would come along one day. It'll sound absurd (and does) but this group edged out what my (loser) group would have called "proper" hard rock - who gives a shit but apparently as a teenager I did. I can throw out some compliments - they can play (although with the incredible production who knows how much this was sliced up - credit to Bruce Fairbairn, this is just as much his album) their instruments. And any guitar solo that can be "sung" is a good and memorable one; Richie Sambora has his share on this. OK much like Def Leppard's 2nd era these guys put out absolutely commercial and *perfect* for-the-era pop rock that just happened to have that snarly pinched-harmonic guitar to put it into the "hard rock" (it wasn't) category. Add in the huge and massively tracked background gang vocals and it all sounds huge and amazing and was brilliant. Hell, it is brilliant. It's a perfectly constructed 1987 album that was a monster I'll give that to them. I just really really don't like this band. The effort made saves this from a 1 although I will now resume shitting on them for eternity. 3/10 2 stars.

Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey

2/5

Thus far I've hated a PJ album and loved another. Here comes the tiebreaker ... Knowing how much 3 listens of an album of hers made a difference in me really liking it, I've been giving this a heavy listen today. There are a lot of elements of what I hated about her first album (although honestly.... I should revisit and perhaps re-evaluate) e.g. "Hook" but also so much of what she was becoming - more intricate and complex - that's the stuff I like. Change up those time signatures yeah. It's definitely better than her debut but in the end not nearly up to the melodies of "Stories From the City..." yet I can see how she gets there. I'm feeling this between a high 2 and low 3 for potential but not sure if I can listen much more. I'm pretty certain that I don't like (producer) Steve Albini's work at all so I'll blame him and go with the 2 - it's not sticking. 5/10 2 stars.

The Sun Rises In The East

Jeru The Damaja

3/5

Maybe a little ironic that the usual dividing line on whether I like a hiphop record or not is primarily based on the music. 808s and trap beats are almost always gonna deliver a quick 1 or 2, I just can't get into it so when we get a semi-old-school beat delivered like this one from Jeru it already has a step up. Good jazz or soulful feel to most of these tracks, good head bobbing music. For the most part I like his flow, although his voice gets a little repetitive/monotonous over the long haul. Even tho the album is relatively short at 39 minutes I'm not sure I'm an album fan of his - and there are a few real real embarrassing or terrible tracks (skits, the execrable "Da Bichez" come tf on) that bring this down. I'll take a few tracks or maybe half the album at a time and call this one right up the middle. 6/10 3 stars.

Fire Of Love

The Gun Club

1/5

Yeah I can see why some people would like this - combination of punk and rockabilly .... I am not one of these people. I appreciate that the mix is fine for this genre i.e. this isn't a low-fi noise mess like Stooges (which they don't sound all that far from), but that's more than a bit of damning with faint praise. It's attitude music - it's an attitude album. Whereas I either look for or just gravitate towards melody and construction; some drama. We're just not ever gonna see eye to eye on this album/band/genre so let's call it a night and go our separate ways. ...I was considering giving a generous 2 but after 5 ... now 6 songs it's making me irritable. I'll never listen again and frankly hate it and so what else is a 1 for? EDIT: i actually had completed writing the above after 7 songs. I had to come back in during goddamn track 10 to reiterate how much i hate this. fairly unexpectedly not terrible mix be damned, this is utter shite. 2/10 1 star.

Power In Numbers

Jurassic 5

4/5

My kind of hip-hop right here; using acoustic and realistic-sounding drum samples sets the entire sound palette for me. Fantastic rhythmic rhyming and flow - even when there's a plethora of words (which for artists like Eminem it's a big turnoff) it's all done so cleverly and rhythmically that you can't stop moving your head. Keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Meat Puppets II

Meat Puppets

1/5

"...it was merely a 2 word review that just said....'Shit Puppets'...." 2/10 1 star

Ananda Shankar

2/5

While I appreciate and applaud the idea of melding different genres in new ways, I can't help but think this "Jumpin' Jack Flash" cover is an elaborate Austin Powers type joke. Every possible dancing girl, swirly colours, groovy Laugh-In stereotype of the era seems appropriate. I don't hate it but still kind of do. I love me some Moog but I'm not sure it's really featured here and certainly not like the sitar which ... since there's a picture of one on the cover, I suppose one should expect it. Eh nothing in here is that bad - definitely cheesy covers including "Light My Fire" - but it works more for background music than active listening for me. I will say that the last few songs seem more legit and maybe that's more of him not melding as many genres - i.e. Dance Indra has a deep Moog tone going on underneath the sitar that - even if i don't personally get that into it - seems more at ease with itself. Although in the end not being a huge fan of the sitar, i'm pushing it just a little further into the background. 5/10 2 stars

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys

3/5

I remember a kid in my high school in the span of one summer moving from Rush to Dead Kennedys as his go-to band which I just could.not.compute. Actually that's still pretty odd. But being older and more open to everything let's go - I'm not sure I've actively listened to them since the 80s so... Holy hell I remember "California Über Alles" This is SO not my shit that it somehow made me listen even more. I'm filing this in a specialty column. I don't really *like* the music although a lot of it is more complex and difficult than is apparent on a casual listen <n.b: not possible> ...Jello's vocals are...something. But this is the very rare attitude album that I sort of get. Fave part: the guitar work on "Holiday in Cambodia" Outrageous, unpredictable, obviously in-your-goddamn-face lyrics/subjects - it's nothing I'm going to think about and consider for a rainy Saturday afternoon sitting in the living room. But this might be a mowing-the-lawn or walking-the-dog while pissed at the world album, and honestly we need these on occasion. 6/10 3 stars

Made In Japan

Deep Purple

5/5

I still have the old vinyl but never appreciated it enough as a kid when I initially wanted to just hear the hits as I heard them on dad's old car AM radio. But this kicks ass in every way and each of these songs are actually better than their (excellent) originals. The mix is great in the way so many early 70s mixes were - the vocals never overpower - and you can pick out a few very minor mistakes here and there from the band which only makes it feel more like a document of and in the moment when this band was top of the world. Also interesting in that it must just pre-date the often condescending arena rock distance between band and audience. Even though it's obviously a large crowd, it really does give the feel of a band plugging in and just crushing it. Also notable: there's no added fake/huge reverb; i.e. the drums especially have a much more dry feel to them than most other hard rock arena albums. Listen to that dry crisp snare drum for example. I love this overall sound. The only "ok enough already" for me is the far too long "Space Truckin'" (I find most "jam bands" to be boring/tiresome and although listening to Deep Purple extends back to my earliest memories I think I have to admit as hard rock as they were....they were definitely a jam band of sorts. Really need some introspection here...). It's the rare "deluxe" version of an album that I prefer here though; the original release stopped at 7 songs (after the extended "Space Truckin'") but this *gentle* re-release (i.e. it's not 3+ hours long as too many deluxe releases are) adds 3 more songs that should have been there in the first place - they fill out this concert perfectly and actually put the 20 minute "Space Truckin'" journey into better context. In general I don't love many live rock albums but there are rare exceptions. This qualifies. 9/10 5 stars.

Sister

Sonic Youth

1/5

Sonic Youth on a weekend is the same kind of torture that young boy in the lower right is gonna get when he walks too close to his older brother's front bicycle wheel as he rides by. I get that we're not gonna like everything, and perhaps actively dislike others, but a FOURTH ALBUM - let me type this again - a FOURTH (for those in the back: FOUR. 4. IV. IIII. 1...plus 3 MORE.) ALBUM from this bullshit band .... just seeing their name makes me want to make them go play in the street with their Lou Reed records. I wanted to leave just the first sentence as my complete review but I will admit that after a few minutes it seems they actually made - for them - some slight effort into what they would call composing. So my extra unnecessary words here are the equivalent. I am respecting the art! Obligatory objective sentence: We *need* completely different and varied music forms - it expands everything and all possibilities, even if we/I don't like it. But! Enough of this bullshit - Sonic Youth are one of the rare acts that achieve one thing: I actually get more angry/agitated the longer I listen to them. I can't even count the ways. I still cannot believe 4 slots of my first 700 are taken up by this carnie act. Thousands of awesome and unheralded acts weep... 2/10 1 star

The Doors

2/5

I grew up hearing these lounge lizards all over the radio as a kid. Sometime during university there was a period where I really gave a fresh go at these fellas although in retrospect I remember now that it was because I was in one of those stupid CD-of-the-month clubs and they sent me this because I forgot to send in my card then I was too lazy to send back. Don't be lazy. I of course found out that they still had that awful/cheesy organ dominating every damn song along with the deep and overly-ponderous stylings of THE POET Jim Morrison. They were obviously good musicians and credit to them - they had a sound that nobody else has ever really come close to. And through many decades of digesting music and shifting preferences, I still never liked the Doors. I suppose one has to listen to this album to fully round out the history of rock - so many famous songs, and much like a lot of other so-called classic acts it does work better all in context (i.e. listening to the entire album). Even a few one-off tracks here that I can listen to...e.g. "Break On Through" is a worthy cut and even if "The End" is so stupidly-pretentious as to seem parodic - still, it's creepy enough to warrant....something. The rest I'll continue to pass on. 5/10 2 stars

White Light

Gene Clark

3/5

I didn't think I'd like this one - not really a fan of Americana/country-rock for the most part - but the gentle simplicity and easy production of this one is just ... nice. Not great but nice. Reminds me a bit of a softer Jonathan Edwards and occasional Don McLean. A nice self-reminder to not always look too deeply into finding complexity or drama and take the music for what it is - honestly, the album cover alone is an apt description of the feel of the album - a little boring, a little slow, but sometimes you just need a little uncomplicated 3 chord melodies for a few minutes. 6/10 3 stars.

The Stone Roses

4/5

The hype about this is a little annoying but goddammit it would have been so much nicer had this band been the "face of the 90s" instead of shitty Nirvana. Melodic, harmonic, actual/real guitar work, dynamics ... I feel like this is an album that can or should appeal to a lot of preferences. If there's any downside there's often a samey-ness to the album in that sometimes it's hard for me to remember or immediately distinguish one song from another. Is that a lack of variety? Might it have to do with the smooth/creaminess of the vocals (that also have a lack of emotion or passion ... he's not great) that have it all blend together? The very-1989 production with a wash of reverb? At any rate that's too much written about nitpicking - this is a great album that while I don't put it near a top 50 of all-time it obviously influenced a whole generation of Britpop to come and was better than pretty much the entire lot of it. 8/10 4 stars.

Shadowland

k.d. lang

3/5

This is country. VERY country. I don't have the experience nor truly the preference to determine how or where this ranks in terms of older classics but to my ears it seems quite authentic in terms of voice, song structure, and arrangement. Which also seems impressive for 1988 when I'm guessing there was a strong early bent towards pop-country. Anyways, I don't really *like* it but it's quite obviously well-constructed and kd has a great voice for this which even as/for a non-country fan makes it a decent listen. TL;DR: Seems too high-quality to give less than a 3 and points for Canadian coolness. 6/10 3 stars.

Born To Run

Bruce Springsteen

5/5

It's a weird album cover, no? I mean we're all just used to it as one of the more famous albums in history - not really a bold statement - and I know you're supposed to unfold the LP to reveal Clarence but it just kinda looks ridiculous in the post-vinyl era (wait now we're in a/the post-post-vinyl age which is actually translated into: "What was once sold new at $7.99 is now $43!"). It's a great picture for sure when you see the whole thing, but damn - poor Clarence got merely one elbow and half of his ass on the display shelves. Unfair. As a teen in the 80s I thought Bruce was hopelessly uncool - Born In The USA my ass, man that sucked - but I did like him as a kid and rediscovered this one after my anti-classic rock rebellion and well shit who was actually the uncool one in the end? Best part: the middle section of "Born To Run" - headphones reveals more than you ever heard in the back of a station wagon. Intentionally great flow to the entire album, too. Clear beginning/middle/end. I'm not a member of the cult of Bruce but this is awesome. Duh. 9/10 5 stars.

Madman Across The Water

Elton John

4/5

If you don't get the feels with this first track you're either completely jaded or a Nick Cave fan. This first side (first 4 songs) you could call a master class in pop songwriting. "Levon" always kinda made me either sad or slightly uneasy as a kid - maybe it's the "Jesus - he wants to go to Venus" line which is hilariously weird. But to be fair, the second side/half isn't nearly as good - how could it be - and for years have tried to like it more than I do. There are no truly bad songs, just fewer memorable ones and a severe lack of big hooks. I was trying to think this morning why this album took me longer to jump into (as a fan of early EJ) and along with the side 2 slump I think it's that it is much more dense an album than the releases on either side of this; i.e. aside from the obvious catchy "Tiny Dancer" there are fewer of those immediately-accessible Elton tunes ... which isn't necessarily a bad thing but the title track isn't immediately accessible and is a classic... Speaking of which - "Madman..." is probably the highlight of the album, although not naming "Tiny Dancer" also ignores how much that song eventually permeated pop culture. Kind of impressive that I'd say this dramatic and melodic album isn't his best - shows how unmatched Elton's ~5/6 year (1970-75) recording period truly was - not sure there was anyone else who had a massive and incredible pop output to this extent (maybe Stevie Wonder). Wavering between 4 and 5 and it feels like 1 more killer song would have put it in the pantheon. 8/10 4 stars.

Nixon

Lambchop

3/5

Self-prejudice alert: I see "alt-country" and I'm immediately at the ready to peak at a 2/5 stars. Maybe. I don't hear this as alt-country. Or - perhaps in a moment of self-improvement - maybe I just don't know what alt-country can really mean. This is (or was for me) for the most part unexpectedly melodic, joyous, adventurous music. The negatives though....sigh: the lyrics are sometimes noticeable in an odd way ("Nashville Parent"). And the worst is that the vocals - again with vocals - start to become comically bad (holy hell the falsetto delivery on "What Else Could It Be?" has to be a joke? Whywhywhy and then continued here and there later on) ... The vocals are by far the biggest distraction which is a disappointment as they'd started out ... normal-ish? not-noticeable? When he sings in a plain matter-of-fact Bill Callahan style it works. This falsetto distracts from the entire project which is frustrating and as the album progressed the bizarre vocals became more noticeable to me. TL;DR: very very creative and skilled in composition, vocals (as always...) bring it down. Could listen to *some* of this again and happily. Sounds like a 3. 5/10 3 stars.

Funeral

Arcade Fire

1/5

I've tried with this band a few times over the years and have never come close to connecting with this music in any way. It's hard to explain. Complex and dense, dramatically building... this should be right up my alley. I actually end up hating this album. I think it's a combination of the vocals (always) and yet more something/everything with the arrangements and/or mix. It's all so dense (and unclear) that it becomes impersonal and bland to the point of having no personality whatsoever. You often can't single out particular instruments - it just becomes an Arcade Fire Sound which ...ehh... credit to them I guess; that should be the dream of every act - develop your own unique sound. It's just too much and in a weird roundabout way leaves me at best devoid of absolutely any emotion while listening to them and quickly devolves into irritation. It's a weird dichotomy that I can on one hand appreciate the craft that went into each of these tracks (which all sound like 1 long slightly annoying emotional "journey") and on the other at the same time feel like I'm being forced to watch some overwrought Netflix 3 part documentary on *tragedy-followed-by-searching-for-myself-through-van-life-through-the-prairies* - goodgodman. Can I call this music pretentious? It's terribly terribly uninteresting while still being ponderous. It's just not ever happening Arcade Fire. We just need to see other people. Lose my number please and don't call again. ...I'd been hanging on a 2 rating until the last few songs and have long resisted giving 1s to something that's at least creative and talented, not lo-fi, etc, but this is just irritating to the point where it's no longer tolerable passive music. If it were a 7 song EP it'd be a 2 but the nerve of injecting themselves into my earholes for nearly an hour - the sheer audacity - goddammit take the 1. 3/10 1 star.

Eagles

2/5

"...ohhhh....witchAYYY woman!" Great harmonizing, a lot of familiarity from growing up with (constant) play on the radio....I grew up hating them actually; am (hopefully) far more accepting of different styles now even if I don't enjoy country rock and putting aside the fact that Henley/Frey are/were grade A dicks. "Take It Easy" isn't a bad song at all, I've definitely hung on hating it for ages for no reason. "Most of Us Are Sad" - there's a multitude of jokes one could make around this; although even if the song truly is plodding there are some nice harmonies - as there are on most tunes here. Another album where the cover does match the music pretty well - if you're into sleeping out on the desert floor, rolling over into a cactus, and just looking out at the world - this is your album. Ehh...It's mostly fine [but "Chug All Night?" hahaha seriously how is this not worse than most trashy 80s popmetal throwaways] and I can absolutely see how people would love this, it's just ...there for me. Not much more. It does tug at those nostalgic strings and easily brings one back to the 70s. If one wishes for this particular time machine. I'd lean towards the Deep Purple/Stevie Wonder setting myself. 5/10 2 stars.

Freak Out!

The Mothers Of Invention

2/5

One size does not fit all. I like Zappa. I even own a number of his albums - actual physical media! But there's a high qualification to that initial statement - he put out something like 815 albums...? There was a bit of a progression and this being his/The Mothers' first album .... it's more than a little different from "Inca Roads" Mid 60s sounds mixed with a healthy dose of the Zappa unpredictability; sarcastic to the point of "ok ok I get it already..." lyrics. It's interesting from a historic standpoint and I have *on occasion* been amused by his lyrics but lyrics alone don't drive the bus and sometimes derail it. In other words - it's fine to listen to this to hear how his official recording career started but it's not something I can put on and enjoy. I don't like "funny" or snarky albums. The 90s were difficult... TL;DR: It's a little like reading The Hobbit. Quaint and occasionally cute and prescient, but it just whets your appetite for the One Ring. Give me the 70s fusion Zappa. 5/10 2 stars.

Teen Dream

Beach House

2/5

Soporific. I honestly think if only one of these songs were on a mixtape/playlist it would work nicely. But one of the big problems I have with this album is the mid-to-slow tempo near exact sameness of every track. Also important: not advised to play while driving in a northeast blizzard. The other - and I would say largest - aspect is their very-2010s approach to so-called indie music [and yet I fully understand why people like it] the fact that you're listening to a band (or yeah yeah studio layered instruments, we'll all play along) and for the most part can't even pick out a particular instrument that is highlighted. I mean it's a slight exaggeration but ... listen to it. Not really. There's some guitar, there are keyboard lines, pads, organs, it's all very melodic - truly. It's all a wash and just so bland. Incredibly bland. This took me a while with this band to really grasp what was strongly preventing me from making any connection whatsoever to this quite melodic group - and that really nails it. Nothing sticks out at all. Awash in reverb, I suppose there's your dream-pop. I do see why people like it. It's not that I hate it, it's that I feel nothing listening to this. zero. Give me one song as a mellow break - sure, it's nice. But over and over it not only doesn't work but I've already forgotten nearly everything about the record. Not my speed; almost literally. 3/10 2 stars.

Broken English

Marianne Faithfull

3/5

Not exactly sure why this is here and not even gonna argue with you if you tell me this sucks hard. But oddly ... I don't hate it - despite the fact that it's too-often cheesy, she's just a terrible terrible vocalist, it's all even a little predictable in form, but hell - it's SO late 70s in sound that it became a throwback for me and I've never even heard it. Nowhere near worthy of anything more than a 3 but I keep resisting giving it less. In the end I just like those bouncy synths and the overall sound. 5/10 3 stars.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West

1/5

nope. up yours and fk off. not streaming a Nazi. 0 everything

Kollaps

Einstürzende Neubauten

1/5

While appreciating and generally celebrating the need for different approaches to music overall.... ....holy crap this is *literally* highest-decibel noise. ...except for the oversaturated screaming. Mustn't leave that out. Where are the words to properly express this - it's not terrible in the same way I view bands/acts that I just hate. This is a straight-up nightmare and will be one of the few albums I wasn't able to get through, or even close to it. It doesn't even work as a novelty. If this isn't the worst album on the list I don't want to know. 0/10 1 star (only because we have a minimum).

Bug

Dinosaur Jr.

2/5

I remember this being a bit of a regional hit in 1989 and it has that early 90s indie sound all over it. I don't like it. That's too simple - here's what I didn't like about it then: the vocals. Jesus the vocals. Obviously - J Mascis is awful. Amazingly it's not even that much worse than others in/around that same period - at least on par - that slacker mentality of not quite going for the notes that was deemed "cool" at the time was never gonna hit me and actually turn me off from virtually everything else. I still hate the vocals and it immediately knocks it down to a max of 3 if everything else did work out... ...which it doesn't. Definitely preferential (isn't it all, I suppose) - eh I'll admit to connecting a little bit with *some* of the music. But in trying to pinpoint what specifically.... i'm left with nothing to answer but nostalgia for a simpler time - listening to this definitely brings me back. Which is nice. ish. But if that's 3 of the 4 table legs, it's falling down pretty quickly. Don't love the production, the overly-processed heavy guitar yet somehow a parallel sound that sounds .... thin. The rare excellent song like "No Bones" comes so close but still is just an exercise in frustration - I could almost guarantee I'd like the song if performed completely by a different, tighter, better band. Can't you picture Smashing Pumpkins c1992 (i.e. when they were still decent) doing "They Always Come" - it's messy in a not good way here. Sum: Far more melodic than their obvious followers in Nirvana but it's still not enough to make me want to actively listen again. 4/10 2 stars.

Let England Shake

PJ Harvey

4/5

4 albums out of 700 thus far are PJ Harvey. Can I get one of my old band's albums up in this thing? What the actual... ---- thus far i am hate/love/hate with the 3 albums - really hoping this steers towards the "Stories From the City..." album rather than their/her early crappy dry <pun> work. ---- Immediately I can tell this is definitely better - far better. Melody, actual production value, interesting time signatures and instrumentation - dammit it irritates me that I've been subjected to the early stuff (or that she/they - ?? is it proper to just refer to Polly/her? or are they really a band? - even released those first few albums) because these later-period albums are so different - they simply *sound* so much more full and expressive. I'm not getting as many tracks that elicit chills as "Stories From The City..." did - but much like that album, it bears repeat listening - after a 2nd spin I'm appreciating the craft even more. Not sure if I like it as much as that one but there's a depth here that I think will only make this more appealing the more I listen. Also: big appreciation for these old-school short-ish albums. 42 minutes is perfect. 7/10 4 stars

Larks' Tongues In Aspic

King Crimson

4/5

I love a lot of early 70s prog but could never get into King Crimson, but never had given this album a try. It was then interesting that Apple Music closes their little blurb about this album with "....is arguably the toughest for new fans to process..." but by the time I'd gotten to the 3rd track "Exiles" I already knew that I liked this far more than other Crimson I'd heard. Not as obnoxiously-complex-for-its-own-sake as a few other of their albums (or like most ELP), even allowing for the fact that there's not a ton of vocals on this album. Definite points scored for Bill Bruford joining the band on drums. It'll never hit those unfairly-high Yes/Genesis bars and might not be a frequent/common listen but I do like to sprinkle in some musical complexity now and then and this has enough crazy musicianship and *space* in the music that I'll come back to it. 7/10 4 stars.

Truth And Soul

Fishbone

3/5

It took a while for me to appreciate ska-type rhythms - although I'll admit sometimes the horns still don't connect (i know - that's the main deal) - but I have come around on this band over the years. Very talented musicians, kinda joyous party-type atmosphere vibe going on which almost belies the complexity and variation of the music in here. I think the "problem" and it's just me is that while I can listen, it's not ever giving me that *feeling* - chills, inspiration, etc. I think it's as simple as taste - this is an album I almost feel bad giving less than 4, feel like I should enjoy it more than I do... 6/10 3 stars.

Go Girl Crazy

The Dictators

2/5

Marginally-better-than-high-school-band gets a producer and somehow releases an album. I've heard worse - and this week, even - but they sounds like a low-rent Kiss ... who weren't exactly playing in a deluxe apartment in the sky themselves. The cover of "I Got You Babe" is beyond terrible, not even worthy of comic inclusion. Jeez - make an effort. TL;DR: it's dumb. 3/10 2 stars.

We're Only In It For The Money

The Mothers Of Invention

2/5

Similar feeling to my listening to Freak Out! just 2 weeks ago ... I like a lot of Zappa but later Zappa. This music is better than Freak Out! - but i'm not a fan of albums that base their entire existence on sarcasm. I'm sarcastic. I get it. But for me it doesn't carry a song, and definitely not an album. Plus this is a good way of making music sound dated. As it is the music has to drive the bus and even though it's getting there... it's not nearly enough to make this a favourite. Also... every song is like 2 minutes long. There's nothing to sink your teeth into. Of course this record is (in)famous for its mockery - that's the point - but it's not all that enjoyable outside of a novelty factor. Smart-ass album that is good for a few haha laughs but once again - give me jazz fusion Zappa. I hate giving bad ratings to Zappa but man it's also reminding me that when you release 700 albums, there's a good chance you've released a few hundred that aren't that good. He'll get there, but until then... 5/10 2 stars. p.s. Hot Poop.

Happy Sad

Tim Buckley

3/5

Wasn't too excited to see this as I didn't like his previous album "Goodbye and Hello" but this seems different. Immediately...it seems like he's copying Miles Davis. Which he absolutely was (first track "Strange Feelin'" is a direct chord ripoff of "All Blue", but it's a good thing) and it works. Very 60s but the jazz influence really carries this song - eliminates all of the annoyingly-folky aspects in his previous work. Wow you can really hear his son in "Gypsy Woman" (or vice versa, obviously) although only Yes/Genesis/Rush should be allowed 12 minute tracks... The overall downfall for me is that there are no great or even really good songs - it's a mostly-decent and short-enough listen at 45 minutes but nothing stuck out, perhaps outside the first track. Good document, doesn't hold up as something epic but I'd be fine listening to this as a period piece. 5/10 3 stars

Smokers Delight

Nightmares On Wax

4/5

This is awesome to work to - yet not so awesome to drive alone long distance in a car to ... I get a little trance-like while listening to this album, which i like (except while driving, obvs). This particular kind of instrumental music is specialized for me meaning i can't always be in the mood for it but conversely when i *do* need some chill/study/work/sleep music this is absolutely perfect. So weirdly I think it does exactly what you want it to do and i like it so why is that not 4 worthy... 7/10 4 stars.

Ingenue

k.d. lang

3/5

Definitely not as country (or...country at all) as her previous work - obviously highlighted by the big single "Constant Craving" - I do really like that song, most notably the background harmonies. It's a pretty laconic album - not necessarily a critique, but it's not ever exciting in any way. So if you're going in looking for that it's definitely a losing battle... But overall it sounds fantastic - very clear and intimate-sounding. Sounds like damning with faint praise but it's just a *nice* album, and I do very much enjoy kd's voice - a great singer that still doesn't dominate the songs nor overdo it at any point. Had been wondering about having the big hit as the last song, but honestly after listening to the album it's really nice to end with it - just a tremendous song and I don't know if I can explain *why* I like it so much. It's the arrangement, her voice/harmonies, the instrumentation - extra point for an album that ends with a killer track. 7/10 3 stars

Eliminator

ZZ Top

3/5

Hard to believe I have never listened to this album before. Of course I've heard half of these songs at least 1300 times *each* - utterly and completely unavoidable if you didn't live in a bubble as an 80s kid (and if you did you were probably given this album). When listening in a contained (headphones) environment and all at once, it really comes through how processed this album was. Not really a criticism - nor an original thought - since it was pretty obvious that you never had to scratch very deep to notice the sequenced-aspect of nearly every one of these songs. i.e. Press play and let the quantized boogie commence. There's very little variety in the "drumming" or bass playing. So it all comes across as quite soulless, even if at its best there are undeniably catchy moments/songs. I mean ... there's a nostalgic essence to this that is undeniable. And the best songs (the singles) are definitely catchy and even memorable, if still shallow (it's only rock and roll). It's just that it becomes tiresome pretty quickly. Side 2 isn't really any good. And it's the autopilot aspect of the actual "performances" that is the primary and huge culprit - even if you're not a big fan of southwest boogie rock (me) in ZZTop's older days you could at least have an appreciation of the semi-organic blues trio aspect of their music. Full credit to them for embracing emerging technology and probably alienating some of their fans, but it ends up not that exciting in total when every song ends up at nearly the same pace, etc. TL;DR: Stick to the big 3 hits and you'll get it; wavering btwn 2 and 3 but if you have this big an impact on pop culture what the hell, bumping it up. 5/10 3 stars.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab

4/5

"....Ahhhhhhh...the French...." As a GenXer I shouldn't - but i do and did - dislike most of what passed as popular music in the 90s...snarky nihilistic attitude not just in lyrics but musical ability and talent. Ya know, it's ok to be good. ...ok it wasn't nearly all bad and this is a weird and notable exception - it's not like a lot of the others in structure or in sound. I'm not even sure if one can compress a description of it in a paragraph but it's melodic, modern, clear, and not necessarily rock, electronic, or pop. Lives a bit amongst all of it... Also I am realizing I do enjoy French pop music ("Air") and generally am annoyed by vocals...maybe it's English lyrics I don't like. I think I prefer when the singer is just one of the instruments at least in my brain mix. This isn't my favourite genre and I have gone back and forth a bit, but being a weekend album benefitted this as has happened in the past. Repeat listens reveal more layers. I also feel like it's probably an album I only will listen to solo. Not a bad thing - just different. Anyways ... ça me plaît. 7/10 4 stars

The Contino Sessions

Death In Vegas

2/5

This feels both directionless and boring. Not a great combo. There's nothing specifically/particularly objectionable, but it's not that imaginative. Like ok let's give someone a month with Ableton and let them go create a bunch of loops, get some terrible singers to put vocals on a few songs... It doesn't go anywhere. It's not bad-bad; there are small individual elements in almost each song that are decent, but it's just that I don't remember any of it when it finished. Not one complete track that held my interest for more than a minute. Will not listen again. 3/10 2 stars.

Playing With Fire

Spacemen 3

1/5

I got as far as the track "Suicide" but didn't finish because i killed myself half way through so I could spare myself any more. Mission Accomplished, Spacemen... "How Does It Feel" is one of the most hilariously-terrible mopey/shoegazey songs we've had in over 2 years. I can almost picture exactly the college scene - walking into a darkened room, this playing (on cassette) with 7 people sprawled out across the floor barely moving. That track in particular has a lot of "GET ON WITH IT ALREADY" to it even within a minute. I love long songs when done right - this was not. And .... ok gloves off, this actually bothers me - like - make an effort already? This album gets exponentially worse and worse - I'd thought after the first track or 2 that this had some potential but it all plays out like one big fking joke. "Revolution" - really? one chord - spoken vocals - eh this is not my bag which I ordinarily can just appreciate and move on but this is actively offensive. Maybe the worst part for me is that some decent band from Bristol in 1985 probably got screwed out of releasing an album to the world because shit like this was pushed instead. 1 out of spite. 2/10 1 star. n.b. jfc of course .... FROM WIKI: "...the band drew inspiration from acts like the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and Suicide..." ...a genuine triple-decker shit sandwich. It makes so much sense now.

Live At The Harlem Square Club

Sam Cooke

5/5

Music is so much about context. After some extremely low-effort / low-rent noise albums a raw and sincere live hard R&B show from the 60s hits perfectly. Although I'm sure I'd have connected with it on any day - love Sam's voice/vocals, love the band, the crowd interaction, love the length of the album. Nothing world-shattering but at the same time this is a classic/keeper - incredibly fun - what a performer. Was wavering between 4 and 5 but for what it is it could not have been any better so 5 it is. 9/10 5 stars

Blood, Sweat & Tears

4/5

Them boys could play! Top musicianship on this album. It's a really weird one though - I think even now most everyone knows "Spinning Wheel" and probably "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and the rest is...? Broadway? Orchestral? Jazz? Jazz*y* for sure. Half of it sounds like it could be a soundtrack for questionable musical theater. A wild variety trip of what in the late 60s was actually hugely popular - I respect the crazy diversity even if I don't necessarily love it all, but they had a real sound, very unique. Also this album *sounds* so good even now - just makes it more frustrating when you hear other albums from this period that sound like garbage. Best songs are all-timers, although the album isn't all gold - e.g. "Sometimes In Winter" is probably too complex a composition for me to put it down and sure it sounds fantastic but I'm not keen on the vocals (the only one Steve Katz sings .... should've left it to DCT). Throw up the jazz hands - it's still worth a few listens and the combo of classic songs and musicianship push it to a 4 for me. 7/10 4 stars.

Southern Rock Opera

Drive-By Truckers

1/5

This album put me in a bad mood. It's a shame really - this music alone with different lyrics altogether and different vocals might be a minimum 3. Honestly is there that huge of a musical difference between this and early Tragically Hip which I love...? It's just that holy crap not only do I not give a shit about southern American bullshit so-called culture...actually I give a negative shit about it - it's mocked for a good reason. Hey - an album about meth heads and drunken good old boys drivin' around is hard to ignore - every damn song? jfc. Even if it's self-deprecating - i don't want to hear it. ...and I will say some of it is semi-appreciated, e.g. the half-assed effort in "The Three Great Alabama Icons" to not entirely smooth over some of the endless bullshit peddled for decades which caused so much harm to this day but ... as I listened to it and started to kinda want to come around to this quasi-open discussion ... it all came across as more than a little pandering and a little (ahem) south of poetic. Frankly the trying to have it both ways about this "Southern duality" - it ain't clever boys - it's just a little whataboutism. "Fk George Wallace" - how about that for a better title? oh how nice that he felt bad in later life. I remember Georgie and he was an evil asshole who yeah -> caused continuous and irreparable harm mostly because of the cretins that believed in him. Fk off you shall rise again. Shut up - I know I'm sensitive to this stuff, it's my review. My rating shows me that my scale isn't linear and probably not fair. The lyrics, the subject matter, the vocals just annoy me so much that I'm in a mood and don't care about being objective. I hate it - one of the few DNFs in 700+ albums. 2/10 1 star.

Morrison Hotel

The Doors

2/5

ehh. It's hard to think about giving this a 2 when I just gave ZZTop Eliminator a 3 and I don't think I even liked it. I've never liked the Doors even if I like a lot of old organic rock - this one has much less of that awful lounge organ that permeates so much of their music. And it's still not good. I think it's as simple as they weren't good songwriters. They had a sound - a distinct one - and I can see that being an attraction for people in and of itself. Just not for me Same old Doors, but with even fewer catchy songs. Boring. 4/10 2 stars.

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

4/5

Listening conjures immediate images/flashbacks to high school halls, shopping malls, basement bars, backs of cars, etc. etc. 3 massive singles that are still popular and even though they reek of 80s production and sound (the cavernously-reverbed saxophone REALLY screams 80s in the most cheesy way) they might even sound better today - really among the best of the best of the 80s so-called synth bands but this one hit a little deeper and seemed a little less...light/airy. There's some sneaky cool guitar work on this album; especially love that outro solo on Everybody Wants To Rule the World. "Broken" wouldn't have been out of place as a Yes-90125 outtake. I like/appreciate this a lot more now than I did then; not quite all-time status as there are a few meh slowdowns ("I Believe" is mediocre) but it's a real strong entry. 8/10 4 stars

Colour By Numbers

Culture Club

2/5

80s week continues ... this is one I most definitely did not like this as a kid and even though so much of what I thought was "uncool" I either legitimately enjoy now or have a fond nostalgia for ... this isn't fitting under either. Just too smooth/polished/nice. Easy to understand how it was so popular - even the album colours are so of-the-time - and I don't have a thing against pop but man I really really don't like this and in a similar vein to George Michael - recognizing that he and Boy George are at the same time good singers that just turn me right off. The music is almost like cookie-cutter / Sesame Street ideas of what pop-meets-fake-soul should be. Moving on. 4/10 2 stars

Tea for the Tillerman

Cat Stevens

4/5

One of the few singers that I actually enjoy for their own sake - good old Cat. He seems to take songs that would have otherwise been a bit mid and elevate them. I'm a little more of a fan of his next album Teaser & The Firecat as I think the songs are stronger and a little more diverse there but this is still a great joyous throwback that also provides almost a wistful vibe throughout. An album I think I can always listen to. Highlight: "On The Road to Find Out" 7/10 4 stars

Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes

TV On The Radio

3/5

I've always thought this singer had a style very similar to mid-period Peter Gabriel - not just his actual voice, but the way he delivers the lines, the dynamics, etc. I like. I got this album as a gift years ago and obsessed over it for a bit but hadn't listened in probably 15 years - it's weird, unconventional, melodic, moody, not catchy, and dark. Sounds like a hit! I keep wavering tho and am settling on a 3 - on the one hand i like that there's no immediately catchy earworms ... on the other hand ... there's nothing catchy. :P I think this album could have used a killer cut (or 2) to really push it over the line. Having said that, its worth a few listens at minimum. (n.b. definitely stop after "Wear You Out" which is the original album - because the bonus cut of "You Could Be Love" is so bad as to almost knock my rating down by itself...) 7/10 3 stars.

Getz/Gilberto

Stan Getz

4/5

This is the first time in over 700 albums that I'm going to write *both* the following: - this [bossa nova] is not a preferred genre for me - I'm immediately adding this to my music library Everyone knows "Girl From Ipanema" - even if you don't know it, you know it. This is the chillest of chill music that still keeps (or puts) you in a good mood. A little Stan Getz sax playing that gives the vibe of being in a club drinking whisky on your own without a care. Great stuff. And these old jazz albums just sound fantastic. Headphones recommended. 8/10 4 stars.

War

U2

5/5

I've always wavered from kinda-ok-to-meh-to-dislike on U2 but this is one of those rare "all killer no filler" albums for anyone. As a kid I think this was probably my first introduction to the band - the "New Year's Day" video and classic Red Rocks concert clips... Early raw sound, band churning aggressively, love The Edge's unique style, Bono belting out emotional vocal lines - and best for me: the vocals are mixed nice and low with everyone else in the band (as opposed to the up front mix/mic technique from the 90s on). The band sounds live on just about every cut. A great throwback that both invokes nostalgia yet still more than holds up and I'll choose to remember this era when thinking of U2. Also made me dig this vinyl out of the collection; has been collecting dust for too long... They have a few other early albums I enjoy, but this was and is quite easily the best album the band ever made - just about flawless. 9/10 5 stars.

Make Yourself

Incubus

2/5

ugh: nu-metal. A million layered and compressed-to-a-millimeter guitars is definitely not something I enjoy at all. The production is something I immediately notice, can't ignore, and can't stand. e.g. the vocals right up in your face. ok - that was my initial knee-jerk reaction, but ... I will admit there's a lot of complexity and depth here. Song 2 "Nowhere Fast" is a real surprise - I actually love these swirling guitars in the verses. my usual rant: vocals are annoying. they're always annoying. why do singers even exist. ok onward. but overall ehhhh....I know I have to adjust my tastes or radar or whatever to be more accepting of this kind of recording (no *breath* in the audio anywhere) but it's hard and I'll never like it; that uber-late-90s-compression studio trend just kills every dynamic and sounds completely mechanical and unreal but not in a good way. e.g. "Stellar" just in the first minute is a perfect example - the quiet part isn't even quiet, just subdued, then they crush it into the 'loud' chorus - it just sounds so goddamn fake to me. Which is a shame - because the arrangement, the chord structures, the instrumentation ... all of that is really creative. I'd have liked those mellow parts to be actually quiet - let me hear the sounds of the room (n.b. there *was* no room). As for the music...I really really don't like the heaviest parts of this record ... having said that the quieter (read: clean guitars) parts are quite interesting. These guys are definitely talented, so points for that creativity, but it's so infrequent and the album actually gets worse as it goes on. What a review eh - ok, i'll sum it up in one bad phrase -> it's impressive but frustrating. I know I'll never reach for it. 4/10 2 stars. (I also reacted with: "oh so THIS is the band that does that milquetoast wanna-be Alice In Chains song "Drive"!!!")

Rock 'N Soul

Solomon Burke

3/5

Mixed bag for me. I do like some of the songs considerably more than others, e.g. "Cry To Me" but not so much the 50s-style slow ballads ("Just Out of Reach"). On the positive side, Solomon Burke - and maybe a few other soul singers (Wilson Pickett comes to mind) - breaks my personal mold of usual lack of caring (or even distaste) for singers, or just the focusing on vocalists. Burke on a song like "Can't Nobody Love You" really does make the song. In the end, the songs themselves are nothing remarkable but this is the rare "only the singer is making this worthwhile" album, and he really was expressive/soulful/fantastic. 6/10 3 stars

A Night At The Opera

Queen

5/5

Absurd, grandiose, ridiculous, contrived, pretentious, cheeky, melodic, dandy, epic ... legendary. The utter opposite of the emerging punk aesthetic which probably made it stick out even more. Historically it's cool how within a year of each other both Queen and Rush ("2112") put out something so over the top and completely against their record companies' wishes but crushed it so hard as to ensure their career longevity. Has there ever been a bigger album that jumped genres like this one does? From quaint little English odes ("'39") to metal ("Death on Two Legs") to prog ("The Prophet's Song") to ...? 20's Dixieland maybe ("Good Company") and of course a weird long composite song about whothehellknows that became one of the most famous songs ever recorded. Even (especially?) the fact that Roger Taylor and Brian May also get lead vocals on a few tracks make it that much more diverse. TL;DR: This album threw absolutely everything imaginable in the huge studio sink and goddamn I love it. 10/10 5 stars.

Blunderbuss

Jack White

4/5

Best thing this guy ever did was leave the shitty White Stripes; the worst he's done beyond them is better than the best of the Stripes - this definitely included. This is my first taste of his solo album - more keyboards! I especially like the Rhodes piano right off the bat in "Missing Pieces" and the piano in "Weep Themselves To Sleep" - it's in part due to this instrumentation that catches my ear. The only negative is that a few songs tend to run together. On the other hand, there's not a bad cut in the collection. Might have to add this to the rotation - it's not super-complicated rock but definitely huge steps above almost all other modern rock; the album has a warm sound that comes across as organic and like an actual band. Nice surprise. 7/10 4 stars

McCartney

Paul McCartney

4/5

I often hear of this album being an "inspiration" to future lo-fi experiments and releases yet this album still sounds so much better than lo-fi rock...even though it really is not much more than a demo. Still, hearing Paul McCartney sing a demo (most evident on his over-saturated vocals) is an unfair advantage that...well, only Paul had. Cheater. I don't know - it's not "great" but I legitimately enjoy the simplicity of it and always have liked his vocals and the way he crafts his melodies. A simple 4. Plus "Maybe I'm Amazed" is just legendary so come on... 7/10 4 stars.

Rage Against The Machine

5/5

I've played this album more over the last 8 years than in the 20+ years prior. ALL of those who work forces. That moment where the straight groove kicks in on "Killing In the Name Of..." is perfect. It's all just so good. Grooves, sound, message. For what they do, this is perfection [the only quasi-negative is that it gets a bit samey by the end, although the closer "Freedom" is worth waiting around for] and nobody else in this quasi-genre got it right but RATM did. The angriest album I own/love. 9/10 5 stars.

Rattlesnakes

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions

3/5

Feels weird that I wouldn't recognize or remember this - weird only in that initially it fits so comfortably and unspectacularly in with a basket of similarly-sounding mid-80s melodic pop-rock bands that I'm surprised at least one of these tracks wasn't a summer '85 memory. Maybe radio figured that Lloyd Cole and Crowded House would have been too similar for North American tastes, and Crowded House had far-better singles. eh, I don't mind it - that clean/processed guitar sound where you can hear every note - it's both dated (very 1984/5) but appealing. The breathy vocals can border on "that's enough already" - there's enough melody to keep the album on but rarely-if-ever anything to make you really notice what you're listening to. And actually that last song "Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken" is just terrible - throwing way way too many cringey lyrics into each stanza over a lush/laconic/banal melodic progression... it's hard to even listen to. Sum: it's a safe album that I could put on the turntable for any crowd and would never be out of place yet nobody would ever remember it. 5/10 3 stars

Reign In Blood

Slayer

1/5

... halfway through the album with headphones still on from somewhere inside my intestines erupted an unholy roar as I shredded off my clothes and sprinted full speed to the front of the house and dove through the window - shattering the pane and leaving screaming children in my wake, all the while having sliced my head in 12 places I felt nothing but the pleasure of the pain as I regained my footing - while drinking my own blood that was pouring down my face and giving me nourishment I ran to the end of the road where i killed that annoying stray dog with my bare hands and started eating the raw meat in the middle of the road and screamed SAAAAAATAAAAANNNNNNNN! to morning commuters ...how's *your* day going? 2/10 1 star

Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

4/5

Initial instinct upon seeing this was that I wasn't going to be in the mood for it ... which turned out to be the best feeling because how can you not smile listening to this. Unadorned and clear, almost a gospel sound to it. I've really found that I enjoy non-English albums far more than I'd expected - no focusing on the lyrics and just the rhythm and melodies of the vocals themselves and how they fit with the music. An excellent surprise, and an amazing segue from yesterday's Slayer. 8/10 4 stars.

So

Peter Gabriel

3/5

A monumental pillar of teenage years and high school. Instant and constant nostalgia with every verse and chorus. And yet this is a tough one. I have never loved this album. I love Peter Gabriel but this was and still is hard to connect with. It's cold -> sterile/cold. Which I often like and even do here - plus "Red Rain" is as killer an opener as you can have. Then ... it's weird - I think the only way I can explain my conflicted feelings about this album is to *listen through headphones* which also demonstrates how amazingly detailed and intricate it is at every single moment. Listening to different subtle keyboard parts drifting in and out; repeating...it's a testament to Gabriel's skill as a composer and arranger that he was able to have 4 monster radio hits from this album - it was in many ways the perfect melding of complexity and commercial viability. Yet the negatives -> in a way the album cover is a perfect representation in some ways for this - the black and white starkness of the image is indicative of the sounds within ... back to the headphones - even after nearly 40 years of hearing this again and again I can hear parts i'd never noticed before. Which is amazing and interesting and yet oddly it further pushes me away from the album and points out how it's all a wash of cold synths that while don't *necessarily* sound dated (shocking for the mid-80s, truly) the lack of warmth gives it all a clinical sound that after a few songs starts to sound soulless. And by the end *is* soulless. I don't really *feel* anything from this album. Which might seem ironic since I'm sure many reviews have this as a "soulful" album but that's probably due to his voice (which I love). It feels as soulful as a pristinely clean marble-topped bathroom counter. The musicianship is fantastic, especially the drumming (even accounting for the extensive programming involved, often side-by-side with acoustic drumming) Maybe it was just that I miss/ed more of his earlier creepy/edgier style which "We Do What We're Told" would have fit in very well with; that weird track is the logical progression between his first 4 and "So" but not much else is. There's nothing I find inherently unappealing about any of the individual songs (outside of the big "Sledgehammer" which I never liked and still don't. I can appreciate the craft and the weaving lines constantly pulsing throughout - a perfect example of a pop song that structurally/chordwise is as simple as can be but the components are almost chaotic - I just don't like the song. Hmmm wait "Big Time" kind of sucks too in retrospect). It's the aggregate that leaves me hanging. Maybe I've been noticing one thing all along - the million little details and complexities hide the fact that the songs at their essence are simple and don't carry the weight of his previous work for me. TL;DR: Odd that when this popped up I thought "oh here's probably a guaranteed 5" based on nostalgia and familiarity and feelings for the artist but I listened twice and yeah I can see and would promote this being a 5 for many - it's just not my favourite. 6/10 3 stars.

Timeless

Goldie

1/5

I like drum and bass breaks. For about 8 measures. Not 21 minutes. In the first track. Slightly exaggerating here, but only slightly. I like a bit of trance music - it has a definite place in terms of either working/studying/concentration on something. Take out the very very distracting and monolithic drum assault and it's nearly indistinguishable from many space station videos I'll put on to relax to. In the background. The harsh and repetitive drum breaks sound interesting for a bit - yeah, 8 measures or so - until they completely reverse gears and are just irritating at best - devoid of dynamics, utter chaos in their glitchy breakdowns. Come on. I'm not going to encroach on any "this isn't music" diatribe because it most certainly is, but it really is confined to a narrow focus and honestly I don't get the hype - even if I *do* occasionally listen to music LIKE this on the fringes. It's more a testament to the dedication of "Goldie" (not their real name you're not fooling anyone *Clifford*....) on assembling all these pieces (although I'm not sure how it was done in 1995). Good on ya. Yay. But it all comes across as excessively self-indulgent without any sense of awareness at all. This genre was gonna be dicey anyways but this particular album is not even close to enjoyable at all and frankly mostly terrible - also not advised for those who drift towards the occasional migraine. 2/10 1 star.

1984

Van Halen

5/5

short: Epic party album. Epic guitar hero album. Pure fun rock album. long: I'll pull the age card here and state that as a teenager in the 80s there was nothing like the spectacle of Van Halen. Nothing. Eddie and Dave were the coolest duo (never mind their toxic relationship and all the ugliness that we learned about later, when you're 12 you do not give a shit) in rock, in entertainment, in pop culture - everywhere. The anticipation for this album was only exceeded by the quality, shock ("keyboards???"), and absolute phenomenon that the album and band were in the year 1984. They were my first concert that spring and I'm sure nothing could ever have topped it afterwards - Dave coming out screaming and they kick into "Unchained" ...? game over. Yeah the album 1984 is all that and everything else. Van Halen were never taken "seriously" by the un-fun button-downed, (self-appointed) "serious" music critics but beneath the bluster, egos, and pomp and circumstance these guys were (mostly) more self-aware than they were given credit for. And WAY more talented than anyone else in the genre not to mention what/who they may have wrought... I mean, Van Halen the band (and guitarist) probably unwittingly spawned much (most?) of the terribly-boring to downright-awful so-called "hair metal" bands of the 80s - almost every one of them kinda sucked and were *nothing at all* like Van Halen - yet sometimes VH still gets lumped in with the dull/guitarpop/all image/schlock of the 80s. My hard rock loving era was intense but very brief in high school yet this album STILL fking rules and somehow sounds even better all these decades later. Maybe *because* of how much Van Halen completely lapped the field back in the day. Even though this was their final album (you heard me) they would always be the last ones of that era standing and to me still are. There was a time where/when I think I forgot how holy shit good this was and ignored it - I fell into the trap of this being more flash than substance in my moody 90s/2000 era but it's both flash AND substance and what rock was always supposed to be - fun. Favourite song? Impossible. But I'll go off the board a little and name "Drop Dead Legs" that shows the groove side of Ed's playing. Bottom line: this is goddamned genius rock and roll. 10/10 5 stars.

No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)

Motörhead

2/5

I do enjoy the occasional Ace Of Spades and love the history and tales of Lemmy and company but beyond a handful of tracks at a time it's a lot to take.... definitely a direct line from here to the imminent thrash genre, although this has more a nod to hardcore and punk than anything else. Those genres aren't faves - although I do appreciate how tight this 3 piece was in a live setting and oddly despite its aural assault it's not that hard on the ears (although the album has a bootleg feel to it and is a little off-putting at times in headphones - almost sounds like it's in mono outside of drum fills and the crowd noise...?). Lemmy's Rickenbacker bass sound is dirty-great. Just don't love the tunes in aggregate so I'll enjoy a few cuts here and there but overall put it on the shelf only to be brought out for special occasions, dinner parties, etc. 5/10 2 stars

Raw Like Sushi

Neneh Cherry

2/5

If you weren't around to experience what 1989 life was like... just listen to this entire album - it was pretty much this. I secretly always liked "Buffalo Stance" when it came out even if I was almost exclusively listening to shitty hard rock at the time. Never heard the rest of this and it's kinda fun at first but really chintzy-1989-sounding at worst - and definitely that sound carries throughout the album which makes it ...not *bad* in any way but kinda tiresome. Not sure it all holds up for me, but I'll take Buffalo Stance on a mix and move on. 4/10 2 stars

Pump

Aerosmith

2/5

Cheesy faux-hard pop-rock for immature snickering teenage boys. I feel qualified to make that statement as I bought this when I was all of the above; in retrospect it was a knee-jerk purchase ("i'm supposed to like these guys...") - funny how I tried so hard to listen and like it and couldn't admit to myself for a while that *it was ok if I didn't like this* - in fact I'm now confident that this very album was literally the turning point in my record purchasing / i.e. the end of the l.i.n.e. for cheese rock. e.g. I'm not sure there's a more archetypal song for what I hate than Love In An Elevator but I'd be ignorant to claim it's not catchy, in a similar way to the 10 days of Covid I had last year. ok ok objectivity: many (most??) of these songs music-wise are groove-catchy in a good way e.g. Monkey On My Back; F.I.N.E. (verses-only) but in the dreadfully unfortunate case of you/me latching onto the lyrics it drills it all right back into the gutter. Beyond awful. And then in the end I think it might come down to me really really hating Liv Tyler's dad's voice. And throw in the late 20th century production technique of a handful of same-voice harmonies it's 5 STEVE TYLERS AT ONCE! sigh. Couple his annoyance with some of the worst lyrics this side of Sammy Hagar ever put to disc and there's no lasting value here. I've written some version of this on probably 50+ albums but vocals ruin everything. In sum: yeah man this is a large platter of rock hits, no denying it. But is that reason alone to be on this list? Ehh...maybe it is, but if someone tries to convince me that "Rocks" was a lesser album than this schlock (not all on Tyler - the production was/is so 1989 - horns, faux-horns at that, subtle synth additions galore, layered vocals, etc)? Oy. Much like my bout with the coronavirus - best left in the past and trying hard not to catch it again. 3/10 2 stars

Frank

Amy Winehouse

3/5

One of the massive dividing lines I discovered upon becoming a parent was how utterly and completely you don't know what tf is happening in many parts of the outside world. It's one ginormous blind spot for about a decade. Prime example: not only did I completely miss Amy Winehouse, I'm not convinced I had even ever heard her before she passed away. OK this is the spot where I'm going to gush over how my late discovery of her changed everything blahblahblah.... I can't remember if I feel this way about her singing on the next album Back to Black (and I know that's coming here soon so I'll get there) and she had a great talent but man, sometimes her vocals grate on me. It's in the ending of some of her phrasings - the multi-syllable-izing (?) of the end of words. It's an annoying habit that *thankfully* she doesn't do on every song but it's enough to be off-putting. Maybe that was a youth-thing. Maybe I can blame the producer (which a quick check shows 4 of them. ...another generic critique: too many cooks in modern music) The music is generally refreshing; different and obviously-intentional to throwback to lounge/jazz music but with a very modern flair and mix (even if those crackles on "Know You Now" and "No Greater Love" are obviously added after-the-fact.... eh it's still neat). It gets a little stale by the end of the record for me. TL;DR: I retroactively apologize to all my older relatives when I mocked them in the 80s for not hearing of X, Y, Z. I get it. As for the album, it's *ok* - i like the sound, the music... in small doses. And those songs where Amy isn't sounding so affected. 5/10 3 stars.

Viva Hate

Morrissey

3/5

This guy sucks. Which makes it a bit maddening that I don't outright hate this album at all which would have made this review a lot easier and shorter. Eh maybe I'm getting softer but his annoying vocals are wearing me down in the sense that they don't bother me as much anymore. As for his endless lyrics -> from someone rarely paying attention to lyrics at all, his are often (always) un-ignorable. I can't decide whether I want him to shut tf up or if I'm passively amused by the rambling weirdness of his soliloquies. Enjoying a few recognizable singles and overall the sad melodies and surprising guitar heroics that are barely under the surface are fairly compelling at times. eh I'm questioning a lot right now, leave me alone. 6/10 3 stars.

Ghosteen

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

3/5

It's now almost a rite of passage to mock the fact that Elvis Costello has a bizarrely out-weighted representation on this 1001 list. But at Costello's worst he's at least palatable. ...and so here I was when I initially wrote about how there are (at least!) 4 Nick Cave albums. FOUR - and how at some point you've gotta read the room - I get it, absolutely give us 1 since everyone should hear (almost) everything/everyone once, and if you insist on a 2nd fine but you have to know half the audience is gonna nope right out. Even my favourite artist I'm gonna push 2 on you tops and after that you're on your own to discover more of them. I wrote all this and more (including questions about the album cover) without having yet listened ... ..annnnnd then great: I then read that he wrote this about and for his son who died. So who's the asshole now. Sigh. So. I listened. Here's the amazing and fun thing - it is and was nothing at all like I'd expected (i.e. nothing like the previous 3 of his I've had). The music is actually undeniably ...lovely?? Soaring, sad, dramatic. Almost hints of Brian Eno. His voice is ...emotional and tentative? Sensitive? Of course too often he reminded me of Leonard Cohen whose vocals I can't abide by. But there is definite distinction - this is definitely better in that I feel more emotion (although I'm likely reverse engineering this knowing what I do about his inspiration for the record). In the end maybe a different singer but definitely with the vocals backed off a little in the mix and I could have bumped this to a 4. Still I never expected to give Nick Cave a 3 and will tip my hat to him for a surprising, different, and emotional ambient project. I guess that's the point of this damn thing (I've only said that at least 10 times). TL;DR: Shockingly and unexpectedly different. 7/10 3 stars

Teenager Of The Year

Frank Black

1/5

Wholly and shockingly unremarkable...when not otherwise just terrible. I hated this album then, and I hate it now. Sounds like a talentless kid gifted some recording equipment and a budget. A few non-horrible songs (e.g. "Calistan") don't save the overall boring dogshit. Anything in the Pixies family tree should have suffered the fate of the Fangorn trees at the behest of Saruman. Tear them all down. 2/10 1 star.

Scott 4

Scott Walker

2/5

This album cover looks like poor Scott just had a Depends accident on the city bus. "All kinds of ridiculous" was a phrase I used in thinking about our previous Walker album "Scott 2" and doesn't apply quite as much here, even if it starts off like a 50s western. ...idk, I kind of liked Scott 2 but overall this one just seems extra maudlin and dull, and even though I know the maudlin is kind of the point - and it's actually refreshing coming off a crappy Pixies (redundant) offshoot - I'm not gonna be listening to it again. I'd probably give it a 3 or 4 for effort and actual talent but personally a 2. 5/10 2 stars.

Red Headed Stranger

Willie Nelson

4/5

Anytime someone says they don't like country - and I say it too often myself - play them some 70s Willie Nelson. This is just real nice. 15 songs, 33 minutes. Willie makes his point and gets out. Mostly just Willie on vocals and guitar save gentle backing/adornment on most songs, this music really works best this way. Also I think I don't love pedal steel which is notably *not* featured on this album, so it comes across as more universal - more folk. I particularly enjoy the piano as accompaniment. A very comforting album that's relaxing to listen to. Highly recommended. 8/10 4 stars.

Triangle

The Beau Brummels

2/5

Like if Bob Dylan wrote Big Star songs but 10 years earlier...? Not sure how I feel about this one. Started off kind of interesting...no bad songs, some nice melodies, but after (just!) 28 minutes I don't remember a thing and it really got long in the tooth by the end - honestly surprised it was only 28 minutes, felt almost twice that. Not really a great sign. Feels not "bad" enough for a 2 but far too boring not to. 4/10 2 stars.

Atomizer

Big Black

1/5

Music for Columbine terrorists. Dreadful. Steve Albini can eat it - I uncelebrate the guy's entire catalogue. 0/10 0 stars

Trafalgar

Bee Gees

3/5

I can have wildly different reactions to the BeeGees' voices depending on the song or mood. At times they drive home such a strong and wonderful nostalgia for childhood - not just that I remember them from my youth but there's an innocent quality to their harmonies that elicits a simple joy. Other times they sound like 2nd rate goddamn muppets. The music is mostly nice although the slow/mid tempo of everything really drags it after ....not so long. "It's Just the Way" is nice and so Beatleish I went looking for a Lennon or McCartney credit. Except the lyrics are too lame. Speaking of which...the lyrics are extraordinarily tepid. Based on the cover I wanted some sea shanties or verses on the Victorian era, but the Kinks' Arthur this ain't. Maudlin and hilariously banal like a last minute grade 8 kid's creative writing assignment. Or awkward and pitiful love letter. Overall on the low end is where the Kermit-y vocals and pedestrian lyrics are just too much to take seriously. And couldn't we have had one up tempo track? At the high end are the beautiful harmonies and lovely progressions and arrangements to the songs. But the lack of nowhere enough excellent songs really caps this at 3 6/10 3 stars

Arular

M.I.A.

3/5

It's not my thing and I really really hated her second album but sometimes this album reminds me a little of early 80s Brit art punk... almost a bit of Bow Wow Wow in here. I don't know if it's the mood I'm in or I've changed just in the past year but I go from "tolerating" to "I actually like some of these songs" (e.g. Bingo and Amazon). A lot of it does just get annoying after a bit and especially her actual voice so I can't do this album as a whole but after a slow-ish start there are a few songs that have something - it might not necessarily be her voice (although...) but her performance and rhythm on the best tracks that make it catchy. Better music on said best cuts as well. Again, I could never have thought I'd be listening to this twice after my initial M.I.A. foray. Maybe I should even re-evaluate that 2nd album... Even tho I'll never put the album on, I'll definitely want to hear a few cuts again and I think that's 3 worthy. 5/10 3 stars

Apocalypse Dudes

Turbonegro

3/5

The first song "The Age of Pamparius" is unquestionably the best and most ass-kicking song about pizza that I've ever heard. This is hilarious - like a punk version of The Darkness with great production and 80s level hard rock guitar sounds. It's not deep or maybe even not that good in the long run but who gives a shit when you're rocking against ass (????). It's fun tongue-in-cheek (OR IS IT) guitar rock to appeal to 70s punk, 80s hair metal, and 90s alt-rock all at once. 7/10 3 stars

Bright Flight

Silver Jews

1/5

Of course there's a Pavement connection. There are a few exceptions for sure (weirdly: Bill Callahan who has such a similarity but he gets away with it somehow), but I hear dead-dry vocals like this and it's about a 95.12% chance I'm not gonna make it out alive. ...it's not that his voice is bad (and it is - it's terrible), it's his style. Technically bad singers can and often do get away with it with individuality and simply some effort but this slacked/slacker "i just woke up and am still in bed" voice that permeates more than a bit of indie rock over the last 20-30+ years is a big fat nope and get tf out. It's too bad - because the music can often be nice here, but these damn vocals wrecked it all. This sad sack bullshit mumblingthisclose to the microphone permeates everything else about this record to make it completely distracting. A chore to get through - hard no. 3/10 1 star.

Time Out

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

5/5

I already knew from my old scratchy vinyl copy - I'm nowhere near a jazz aficionado here but I like a fair share of this non-vocal jazz combo style (cool jazz?) and this is maybe my favourite. With the fascinating time signature changes, I always think of this as the prog rock of jazz albums. Super engaging as it's both challenging yet easy to listen to from beginning to end. I feel like even if you "don't like jazz" this is a good one for everyone to have in the collection. The rare album that's both among the most popular in its genre and worthy of any/all accolades. Perfection. 10/10 5 stars.

Green River

Creedence Clearwater Revival

4/5

CCR always works better for me on album than their hits interspersed on the radio - and tho their albums can be a mixed bag this is a good one; an especially great leadoff with the title track. I will start to get a little bored with their slower cuts (e.g. "Wrote A Song For Everyone") but Fogerty's voice propels more than the music would warrant on its own. Feel like I'm caught between a 3 and 4 here but CCR's best songs are worthy of their status ... bumping up for no less than 3 songs that you still hear 50+ years later, and also for "Sinister Purpose" - one of my fave CCR deep cuts. 7/10 4 stars.

Pearl

Janis Joplin

5/5

This grooves so hard and makes me wonder why historically record companies have no goddamn idea what they're doing in releasing singles - why isn't something like the rocking/bluesy "Half Moon" constantly played as much as "Me and Bobby McGee" - not that there's anything wrong with the latter but you're not getting anything close to the complete picture with the latter song. Not just from Janis' vocals (the rare vocalist that I actually love listening to) but this band which kicked ass all over this album. Love everything about this - a great rock album and just obviously sucks that it was her last one, but in retrospect it's a hell of a way to go out. If anything I wish it was released as a band since everyone contributed. Highest point: "Half Moon" which is the best song she ever recorded (including the band on that compliment for sure) but the entire album has no skips. 10/10 5 stars.

Smile

Brian Wilson

4/5

Dense. Very dense. I'd never heard this when it came out, partly due to little kid distraction (redundant) and partly due to a lifelong aversion to most Beach Boys material. Which is weird because this kind of iconoclastic overtly melodic composition is fascinating to me and extremely appealing. Nothing in here is immediate single/radio material (outside the newly recorded version of "Food Vibrations" which honestly I like better than the original) which is great - full stop. But again that makes it a (good) challenge to delve into and oft-times feels longer than the 52 minute runtime. But damn if this isn't worth repeat listens - it *sounds* fantastic, there are multiple layers of melody running in and out of every song. I can't imagine how many writes / re-writes / edits this went through over the decades - and the end result is so lush and complex... the satisfaction on finishing must have been a true life goal. Compared to (more) modern artists I can hear strong elements of Jellyfish and Animal Collective running through the work (even tho much of this was finally compiled from music that was 30+ years old). Although a lot of the critical wanking is just too much to take seriously, i really do enjoy a good album creation story. It's hard to personally evaluate this in just one day and yeah, it's hard to find the quick big hooks but inevitably that's the hallmark (for me) of a great album. And I don't even like those old Beach Boys harmonies...but this feels better - a lot better. I'm gonna mark this as a 4 after two listens knowing I haven't really even tapped into this in any meaningful way yet. 8/10 4 stars

Scum

Napalm Death

1/5

Sounds from the latest American Republican party brain summit. 28 songs - 33 minutes. This is technically an album of music in that I do hear instruments and the occasional assembling of said instruments into an attempt at cohesion. A very very loose attempt. 1/10 1 star

Stripped

Christina Aguilera

2/5

Undeniably an excellent singer at the same time it booooorrrrres me. Seems totally insulting to casually dismiss a talent that few people have but when it's presented in such an overproduced / massively compressed package i don't know.... the music overall loses most impact it might have had. And it's such a LONG album enough already. "Beautiful" is the track I know and it's a good song that's just ... eh, it's the aural equivalent of a sausage. So tightly packed, let that thing breathe. Nothing in and of itself is bad here (well "Make Over" is pretty awful) - but it mostly all rolls together into one "oh yeah I listened to highly and expensively produced turn of the century pop for the last hour" ho hum. Actually... if this album had 8 songs and were ~43 minutes long (old school LP length) I think it would have had a much bigger impact on me. Worst part of the CD era was jamming as much into an album as possible. Shed some dead weight / trim it down and I probably could have given this a 3. Mostly it's just too slick (and long - did i mention that?) for my taste - admittedly I know almost nothing about her career other than she's a "star" so maybe she's done it but what Miley Cyrus did by playing with an actual live band, releasing some acoustic type songs.... would love to hear that. It's not that it needs to be stripped down (necessarily) it's just too much sheen - can't get into it. 4/10 2 stars.

Slayed?

Slade

3/5

It feels a little weird that my favourite cuts on this are the covers of Janis Joplin and Quiet Riot. 5/10 3 stars

At Newport 1960

Muddy Waters

3/5

Love Muddy Waters - his voice is perfect classic-blues-about-to-birth-rock. How many Zeppelin and Stones songs ripped him off from this collection almost directly? My only issue here - and it's not insignificant - is that the sound drives me a little nuts - I almost didn't believe there was even a bass on these tracks, it's tough-to-impossible to hear and the overall effect is one that sounds incomplete. It's a great document tho because a lot of these versions are better than the originals. Classic songs to be sure, I'd listen again but prefer the more balanced studio versions. 7/10 3 stars

Behaviour

Pet Shop Boys

3/5

I'm thinking another very solid 3 for the Pet Shop Boys here. They're like a dependable middle infielder who isn't going to wow you with his power or any spectacular diving plays up the middle but at the same time when your lineup is mostly injured and you need something reliable and you know exactly what he's gonna give you. If I am ever feeling up to it I could go through the - at present - THREE (!?) Pet Shop Boys albums we've had on the list and truly dissect them and either further critique or find a favourite but they all seem to wash over me the same way; it's not ever bad - they have a very soothing aspect to the sound (friendly English Muppet vocals). If anything I don't really like some of the (distorted) guitar brought into some of the songs, in a way the mix of their brand of electro-pop doesn't blend well with it and actually makes it sound more dated. But I don't recall much difference between this and the previous 2, maybe this one is a little more ... smooth? Fave cut: "Being Boring" 6/10 3 stars

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

3/5

Agreed that this definitely sounds like it could've been Big Star's 4th album and overall the music is better than much of BS's material. Great melodic guitar pop rock. What always held it back from truly sticking out for me was/are the lead vocals. Preferential (isn't it always) to be sure but he always fell into that early 90s not-quite-but-approaching-slacker vocal style. This is better than the crappy Pavement-style leads as he's in tune but maybe *lackadaisical* is the best word to describe it. Love the harmonies of course, this album/band just could have used a much more-interesting lead singer for me. I like this album, but dull vocals bring it down to merely real nice for me rather than what would have been a favourite. 7/10 3 stars.

In The Wee Small Hours

Frank Sinatra

2/5

Frank is a mood - I'm not always or even often in that mood - although 10+ years ago I'd never imagine I'd ever want to hear crooning like this so maybe hit me up in 10 more and I might think higher of it. It's hard not to look more than a little askance at this/Sinatra's voice being schmaltzy or cheesy; maybe the bane of being GenX and looking sarcastically at many sources of (supposed) sincerity. Then again, this album has actual song construction and arrangement which I like to think I can appreciate in just about any format. In the end tho even tho it's nice background music for me at best ... as the album goes on it's just flooded with slow-paced songs to the point of it being laconic and I can't help rolling my eyes at it. By about track 8 I'm thinking somebody give me a cymbal crash or something. It's Frank's singing tho. It's too much. I hate giving 3s - too often it feels like a copout, and as I listened I started on the higher end but really moved lower as it went on ... seems a little wrong due to the undeniable skill involved with the Nelson Riddle orchestra and arrangements but who tf is gonna read this anyways? I don't really like the album - there it is. It drags - and honestly it's his voice. Enough already. Maybe it just hasn't aged well. 5/10 2 stars.

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators

1/5

Immediately the vocals made me think of The Sonics. I hated the Sonics. Hard pass for me - mono aggressively-jangly-garage-rock with stereotypical arrangements (other than an electric jug which adds....nothing?) is something I'll never listen to again. I suppose I've heard a lot worse but this was wholly unspectacular and wholly unenjoyable. 3/10 1 star

Planet Rock: The Album

Afrika Bambaataa

2/5

Although in the early 80s this was definitely new/groundbreaking, now it just sounds a bit dated and naive. I like a lot of old-school hiphop but this seems to work better as background/motivational music for working or maybe i don't know mowing the lawn? It's fine but mostly just sounds like a demo for a "new*" Casio keyboard. *c1983 4/10 2 stars.

Spiderland

Slint

3/5

First impression (although there's some deja vu, i'm sure I've heard this album before) was/is that I really like the musical mood set here; foreboding post-rock dissonance with strains of beautiful melody that always portends something sinister around the corner. But the vocals ... they're something. Honestly the spoken-word vocals at first seem to be the right recipe for this, especially referring to the opening "Breadcrumb Trail" - seems to match the almost sinister dry mix of odd music (which doesn't get repetitive either). It just gets old fast. It's frustrating because the music is challenging and interesting. I quite obviously enjoy the long instrumental passages infinitely more than the mumbles-then-semishouting. ...ugh i don't know. by the time I'm listening to "Don, Aman" I don't know whether this is kind of cool - this low near-whispering vocals - or it's the most pretentious bullshit I've ever heard. Because it's pretty close to teetering on that edge. Related: this is exactly the kind of thing that critics love to praise while simultaneously shitting on more-popular music for being arrogant, pretentious, bombastic, and/or overwrought. Because what is *this* album if not all of that? It's absurd and absolutely pretentious and I want to hate it but damn there's still something very mysterious and cool about it. I've listened twice and haven't given up on it. Gimme an 80% instrumental version of this and we've got something. 6/10 3 stars.

Billion Dollar Babies

Alice Cooper

4/5

My second Alice album and even more of a throwback with a few tracks I remember well from being freaked out by him as a kid - YOU DON'T SCARE ME NOW ... *VINCENT* I think I'm a Cooper fan. Much like the "School's Out" album there's a lot of musical prowess and interesting variety here; there's so much more to the Alice Cooper band than the image. It's fun, a little comic-book silly/scary/stupid which is a great deal of the fun, and less-predictable than I could have appreciated as a little kid. 8/10 4 stars.

Dub Housing

Pere Ubu

1/5

Someone needs to fix this - lines got crossed and I got linked to the "1001 albums that will make you die" list instead. jesushchrist here's another beyond-shitty vocalist who immediately wrecks the entire vibe before there's even a vibe to wreck. or maybe that is the vibe. wow. Awful. 2/10 1 star

Figure 8

Elliott Smith

4/5

Always liked this one - my only critique/preference about Elliott Smith is that often the songs seem to blend and run into one another (I think it's his voice which rarely ventured past that gentle timbre), but not nearly as much on this album - there's more musical variety in terms of tempo and mood than on some of his earlier work. My favourite aspect to his music is how he packed a ton of musical ideas into short songs; i.e. they always seem longer than they are which is *usually* a recipe for boredom but not here - there's rarely any standard or repeated arrangements; a lot of melodic left-turns. "Color Bars" has always been my favourite cut on this one (honourable mention to "L.A." - a keeper. 8/10 4 stars

The Atomic Mr Basie

Count Basie & His Orchestra

4/5

Obviously old-timey and almost like it's SO old-fashioned it goes beyond dated and is just kind of fun. Swing/big band is not really music I listen to at all but this is great to work to, just sort of hit in the right way today. I like it. Interesting choice of cover art tho... Bonus point for no vocals. 8/10 4 stars.

World Clique

Deee-Lite

3/5

As an album it can get a little boring but there were more than enough "surprisingly interesting/fun" cuts to make this one a pleasant surprise. "Who Was That?" and the classic "Groove Is In The Heart" are my faves - overall it's a *little* lightweight but I've definitely highlighted a few tracks to listen to again, and you could do a lot worse at a party than putting this disc on. 6/10 3 stars

Rocks

Aerosmith

5/5

Another reminder that my "hatred" of Aerosmith for the past ~30 years was mostly a combination of their mid-'80s-and-later material and the rise of the most banal of classic rock playlists (read: every rock station in north america) that killed their most known singles in a barrage of boredom. Much like with their previous "Toys In The Attic" album, hearing e.g. "Back in the Saddle" on a drive to the grocery store is an immediate turnoff (turn...off...) but listening to this entire album again in its entirety proves that that song in particular was such a killer opener for a great album. Pretty much every song kicks ass (although I never loved "Nobody's Fault" that much) here - maybe more-so than its excellent predecessor "Toys..." - love the raw guitar sounds and the entire band is in drugged-out rock bliss with high-paced excellent hard rock that rarely if ever loses melodic direction. TL;DR: In the end all you really need from Aerosmith are "Toys in the Attic" and this one then leave the rest. Greasy 70s rock that hits - weird for me to give 5 to a band I never think I like at all but this one is essentially flawless and if this isn't a 5 and a huge influence on a million bands to follow nothing is. 9/10 5 stars.

Under Construction

Missy Elliott

1/5

Missy is a good rhythmic rapper, which I like (as opposed to spitting a million words a minute ala Eminem) but I don't really like any of the songs...which (obviously) defeats the entire premise. For the most part it's the production/mix which is awful - way too hot for my preference - understatement as its actually annoying and painful to listen to especially in headphones. As for Missy herself, she's technically good but I don't get anything in terms of legit emotion or power and I actually don't like her voice. Plus these lyrics - god. Beyond cringe. Not even funny in a stupid middle school way, just embarrassing. I can see how she was influential - as well as the album - but I don't like it at all and had a lot of trouble getting through it. Probably should give 2 stars for influence but an easy 1 for me personally.... 3/10 1 star

Meat Is Murder

The Smiths

3/5

The music is great on every level - excellent and interesting playing, some unexpected turns right in the middle of a melodic phrase that keep anything from becoming stale - really enjoy it.... It's Morrissey who's tough to take (on every level) - his voice is annoying AF but I could get beyond it if he weren't - to say the least - excessively wordy, which is sort of his entire schtick so... that's that. 5 for the band, 1 for the absurdly self-absorbed lyrics vocals and lyrics (which i can ignore at times thanks to 80s mixes where they wouldn't have the singer too-up-front) and it's right up the middle. When do we get The Smiths' instrumental remixes? 6/10 3 stars.

Out of Step

Minor Threat

3/5

9 songs 21 minutes Memories of university where during our first week we met B and he played us this terrifying music which was literally like nothing most of us had ever heard before. I must have soothed myself to sleep with some 21 minute single song prog pieces that night. I don't like hardcore, but I can definitely appreciate the influence and talent (or just *stamina*) to be able to play at that tempo that tightly. And by "that" tempo I mean the same frenetic pace that every one of these songs has. Vocals are awful but that's also kind of the point, so we'll allow it. TL;DR: not my bag, but I get it and actually in a way it was kind of fun to crush my skull for 21 minutes, as 22 would definitely have been too long (for real). high point: bass on "Think Again" 5/10 3 stars

Permission to Land

The Darkness

4/5

This is absolutely and utterly ridiculous and I could/can never tell if the singer was serious or channeling Jack Black / Tenacious D. Fkn hell - i'll admit it's also kinda fun right from the first chords of "Black Shuck." I haven't listened to any sort of glam metal for about 35 years so I still react a little "meh" to the idea of this but the guitars are so goddamn AC/DC sounding (huge props to the engineer and/or producer for working out those perfect huge tones) that it's hard to resist. The album is a bit much overall - however using the "nothing can exist in a vacuum" cliche, if these guys had released this in 1983 they'd probably be lumped in with Autograph and Fastway but say what you will, releasing this album unapologetically in 2003 took balls. It's all an absurd schtick as I'm sitting here laughing at the lyrics on "Friday Night" but sometimes you really do need a strong kick-in-the-balls counterpoint to the precious Morrisseys of the world. Points for bringing stupid hard rock back. I'm in. 7/10 4 stars.

The Bones Of What You Believe

CHVRCHES

3/5

Feels like I could either patronizingly skewer this or praise it. The childlike/simple vocals (a great review has it being a mix between Lorde and KidzBop) have this almost childlike quality which isn't necessarily devoid of emotion but approaches it. Yet that vocal clarity kind of cuts through the synths perfectly. And wow...the synths...: everywhere and everything. Almost right away the sequencers seem a bit much. On every track. I guess that's the entire point of the album/band. But.... still the melody is pretty damn infectious on every track. Maybe it's not necessarily a dichotomy that the sound is so lightweight AND each song carries a strong melody. My biggest *want* would be that I keep thinking that on at least some of these songs changing up the instrumentation to add some organic elements like guitars - both electric and acoustic - could really have pushed this to another level. Still - what they do, they do pretty damn well here. Not sure I can listen to the entire album as a whole again but I can't dismiss it either. 7/10 3 stars.

Celebrity Skin

Hole

1/5

The first band where I've wished the producer DID overuse autotune. I hate this nearly as much as her lousy husband's overrated garbage. 2/10 1 star.

Back To Black

Amy Winehouse

4/5

It's nice to have a more-recent album in here on occasion but a little ironic this one comes dialed in with a retro sound - I like it. The music on this album is definitely more to my liking than from her first album. She still does that vocal thing I don't love (although much less on this album). I feel like I critique vocals on every album (I do) - she's got a great voice but it's her style that sometimes triggers me. The modern extension at the end of words that's hard to describe... over-vowelizing? I think it's changing her formants in the vowels. It's a choice, I don't love it. The scratchy and organic sound to the music tho - this is great and definitely overshadows any ridiculous gripes I have about vocals. Is this a mono sound on the drums? I usually hate lo-fi but it's more like a stylistic choice here. Fave tracks: "Tears Dry On Their Own" and "Back To Black." TL;DR: cool album overall (I nitpick. Vocalists hate me.) and short which really works for it - any more would be too much. 7/10 4 stars

Third

Soft Machine

3/5

That was weird. And long. And felt even longer than the double-album runtime. .... Well, I really wanted to like this, especially knowing the influence they've had on space rock, psychedelic trippy prog, etc, but...it's a lot. Actually I should erase that but I won't because it's actually *not* a lot - there's a lot of filler. ELP was/is a lot. This kinda shoulda been half the length not necessarily overall but each "song" (come on) could be like 7 minutes. I like long songs. Supper's Ready might be my "you get one song before your execution" pick, and not just that it's 20+ minutes. But it rarely surpasses the points where they just sound like they're experimenting and decided to release it as an album. And a double! I don't hate it, it's actually at its best kinda trippy and chill but the moments are spread out. Gimme some Gong and the Planet Pixies for trippiness that I can latch onto. This sounds like a poorly-formed Hot Rats. Oh also the sound is shit which yeah, it matters. I feel like I'm being generous with my rating as I'm definitely giving an extra point for influence but it's not for me. 5/10 3 stars

A Date With The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

2/5

Does not hold up at all, both musically and <super cringe> lyrically. Trying to weigh in my head the obvious fame and influence these guys had...I suppose it's the vocal harmonies - yeah, definitely the harmonies, there's your influence. I'm not much of a vocal listener but that's pretty impressive and I can definitely see how that would have carried thru into the next decade and influencing pop/rock acts. Music overall is simplistic - probably to be expected given how old it is, and I'm sure I'd have felt totally differently had I been alive at the time, but for now it's just an influence/historical document that I don't get much out of listening to. Thankfully it was over quickly. 4/10 2 stars.

Out Of The Blue

Electric Light Orchestra

4/5

This album immediately gives the strongest "kid in back of the giant station wagon" vibes. Total throwback. ELO freaked me out a little as a kid (have you *heard* the full version of Fire On High??) - always a little dangerous and mysterious sounding amidst the poppy strings and sometimes too-smooth processed vocal harmonies. It's kind of a cool combination. Mr Blue Sky reigns supreme on this album but I really like that entire "side 3" which is a sort of suite ("Concerto For A Rainy Day") - I think it was derided because it was too ambitious...jeez god forbid. Yeah it's definitely too long because that *ELO Sound* really starts to blend after a while - it's a total 70s throwback/period piece but that last bit is also part of the charm - you could say it's totally indicative of the era but who else sounded like this? Completely unique and if you want to criticize it as too long I'd agree but damn this is cool and different even if it was wildly popular and successful. 7/10 4 stars.

The Trinity Session

Cowboy Junkies

2/5

Well. There's definitely a place for this. I just get absolutely nothing out of it whatsoever. Positives...? Lovely sound to it (all recorded live in a large church which is definitely interesting/unique). ... Just terrifically soporific from start to finish and cannot recommend enough to avoid this while driving alone on a highway. 4/10 2 stars.

Hearts And Bones

Paul Simon

3/5

Doesn't happen often but I have absolutely zero recollection of this album's release or mere existence; even if Paul Simon wasn't necessarily on my immediate radar at that point in my young life (i.e. didn't Def Leppard release Pyromania around this time??) ....still, it's Paul Simon. Wondering if any of this will suddenly sound familiar... My single biggest generic problem with solo Paul Simon is how overly-wordy he can get (e.g. Graceland which apparently I'm alone in really disliking). I'm always extremely partial to Simon & Garfunkel and letting Art take the gentle melodies rather than a 2000 word treatise on a man walking down the street and bumping into his ex-wife while eating an ice cream cone that makes him feel nostalgic or wistful and eager to mend his ways.... A bit unfair, all that, because his best songs are some of the greatest of all-time. OK I suppose I should get to *this* album which does immediately precede Graceland which is a bit of the crystallization of the "enough already" aspect of his work... .... 2 songs in and I'm already loving this - why did/do I even write the above, live-blogging my brain. I think I like going back and reading if/when I change my mind on something. So these first two cuts are really nice - *not* overly wordy and sound like classic Simon with letting the songs breathe a bit. A few songs (e.g. "When Numbers Get Serious" and "Think Too Much (a)") can be just a touch too bouncy and beginning to approach 80s production but this is a nice surprise - nothing rang a bell at all with me. Apparently I was too wrapped up at the time in early 80s UK hard rock... TL;DR: not a game-changer (and "Cars Are Cars" is just dumb) but mostly just a nice Paul Simon album and nothing negative about that. Not sure I'd go out of my way for this one but not gonna complain if I hear it again. 6/10 3 stars.

Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Lana Del Rey

4/5

My first instincts are that I love the opening piano and live feel - but then her voice... a combination of the overly-breathy phrasing and "that vowel-thing" (don't pretend you don't know what i'm talking about) distracts a bit. I feel like I must listen to music differently than most - her lyrics are immediately distracting to me, for the most part I don't *want* to notice lyrics - I like when the vocals are an instrument as part of the package. I'm not saying I don't like the lyrics, but it's an adjustment here especially right away on "White Dress" - but maybe it all takes a little getting used to... ... OK... As the album goes on though I found myself kinda leaning into it (vocals), and actually liking the unique style. The music is wide open using a lot of space - nice slow builds on many tracks - love the piano-focus and general emphasis on instruments. Organic-sounding. And by the end of the album I didn't even notice anything that might annoy me about the vocals - I just really like this music. I'm not sure what I expected but definitely not this - it sounds great but arrangement-wise could have been release 50 years ago (compliment). Nice surprise and I'll definitely listen again - really like this album. 8/10 4 stars

Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus

Spirit

4/5

The title is hilarious, and having seen the absurd/campy/fun/stupid movie Mr. Sardonicus it seems weirdly appropriate once you start listening. More than a bit of "WTF?" all along ... weird weird these lyrics - "it's nature's way of telling you something's wrong" overandover and *very* earnestly...."married to the same bride" ... "much too fat and a little too long" whaaaat Even the music is a bit of WTF as it goes on - Space Child with the Moog synth is out there and I love it. I honestly don't know what the hell to think about this one but that's probably a great thought to have - it's not boring. I don't often give a weekday album an extra full listen but this one warrants it. The sound/mix for the time is especially excellent, each song is different enough to sustain interest, it's delightfully weird enough to keep you on your toes a little bit. It's sometimes like a harder-rock Gong in parts. It's hardly perfect but even the "worst" parts are just a little pedestrian (e.g. "Morning Will Come") if anything. Great musicianship and just the fact that I'm spending so much time thinking about this one puts it into keeper status. 7/10 4 stars.

Time Out Of Mind

Bob Dylan

1/5

A classic case of the emperor having no clothes? These songs are bloody awful. This is the kind of release that borderline angers me - like, obviously I don't care what people like, fine fine, so it's not all the album itself but I'm just reading that it not only won record of the year but is considered this massive and amazing "comeback" album and a classic - what, I can't go to 1997 releases and find even one better? Hi - OK Computer??? Obviously I'm being snarky and it's all subjective of course but how is this not merely a legacy honouring. "Oh Bob has a new album and it's organic and he's sober - what a genius!" I call total bullshit on this. These lyrics are beyond banal. The music is a recycled low-effort of I-IV-V progressions that were tired by 1973. So what was the point of this album? OK great - they helped him make an album that *sounds* retro. Yeah that is kind of a cool concept when digital and overly-technological recording was starting to dominate. Yet grading it on the same scale as the opposite, i.e. something that goes overboard with technology.... if you don't have interesting songs you don't have shit. There is nothing remotely interesting or new, the lyrics are incredibly weak; I'm not expecting The Times Are A Changing pt II but maybe I am and should. (...say something nice....ok "Cold Irons Bound" isn't bad) Man, I guess I'm wrong because everyone seemed to love it. I say don't believe the hype. This is terrifically lame. 2/10 1 star.

American Gothic

David Ackles

3/5

Becomes quite obvious within seconds that Ackles grew up a show-biz kid. Extraordinarily theatrical albeit instrumentally sparse (in a quite lovely way) I visualize stage curtains opening and closing, cheesy sets being wheeled around backstage ... It's so hilariously and dramatically cheesy ("One Night Stand" - ... "hey...what's your name? come here...i'm gonna kiss you...") that it got literal LOLs from me in parts. Having said that, there's something about it. I know that he opened for Elton John at that famous 1970 Troubadour show and EJ was a huge fan - if you squint a little there's a bit of crossover between this and the raw Tumbleweed Connection (one of my favourite albums) era of Elton, just in terms of sound. It's unique, I'm glad to have finally heard it - there's a real compelling aspect to the music (again - it really is a theater production) but it's just too over-the-top emotionally (vocally, and I don't really even dislike his voice - it's the emoting) for me to attach to. It's not fully over-wrought but man it's knocking on the door. Points for the dry clear production and instrumentation as well as clear talent, I just don't think this is really up my alley. 6/10 3 stars

Dusty In Memphis

Dusty Springfield

4/5

Groovy, baby! Funny that during the 2nd song ("So Much Love") I was thinking this sounded like it could be a slightly earlier Carole King record - she wrote that song. Never knew any of this outside the classic "...Preacher Man" - good listen, excellent singer without overdoing anything, classic backing band. Maybe a little over-produced in some parts but overall a great late 60s keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

The Poet

Bobby Womack

3/5

It feels like a set you'd hear at Vroman's. I do like it. Or I should say it's kinda-sorta-enjoyable. But in a way it's still really disappointing. It *sounds* really good/clear yet is comically dated all at once. I'm definitely a fan of soul and R&B - and previous Bobby Womack releases - but a song like "Secrets" while not *bad* can also serve as a great stereotypical example of what 1981 sounded like. Good and bad. The lyrics on that one in particular are a comical plus, though. Great and fun vocals and guitar work especially on "Games" Eh this is maybe a puzzling addition to this list for me, even though it's fine. Feels like I'd listen again but would probably forget anything I just heard just as quickly. 5/10 3 stars

Licensed To Ill

Beastie Boys

3/5

Almost immediately generates high school memories. Teachers in the 80s must have hated hearing "Fight for Your Right" so much and most probably never heard the original, instead just a bunch of idiots shouting it in the halls, cafeteria, etc etc. At times kinda funny (although 99% of "funny" in music sucks) but that doesn't always hold up. I have always liked their rapping style - annoying voices and all - it's definitely the clever interplay between all 3 of them. I was smiling while listening to this entire album but it's more a nostalgia trip than something i actively like; sounds are dated (drum machine sounds, processed guitar) and the music doesn't really hold up in many of the songs - contrast this with their next few albums which are fantastic. The perfect high school album - equal parts nostalgia trip and embarrassing. 6/10 3 stars.

Isn't Anything

My Bloody Valentine

2/5

I appreciate the originality for sure. Just the thought that 3 albums by my bloody valentine needed to be on this list approaches absurdity. That shouldn't necessarily be a factor in how I feel about this particular album, but I'm not sure all 3 add unique and independently influential creativity to the world. I'd have picked "Loveless" (or maybe this - their debut) and ended it. Even though I really don't like the music all that much. An album that's so goddamn frustratingly (intentionally???) poorly mixed as to almost sound mono for songs that meander - I'm not sure there are many albums I've ever liked with crappy sound like this. I 100% had better sounding infantile demos on my mono Panasonic tape recorder around the same time of this "studio recording." As for the writing itself, I usually found a part in each song where I would start to take interest but too often the songs stay in the same wavering mid-tempo slackerdom that while isn't nearly quite as abrasively-awful as e.g. Pavement it more frustrates me than anything. Like - wake the fk up already and play/sing like you give a shit. For influence and originality I give marks - it's definitely a full album experience for the overall sound/attitude rather than anything belonging on a mix tape. There were certainly some bands that grew something bigger and better out of this in the early 90s, so it's good to hear what could be a genesis of sorts, but on its own....I don't enjoy it and it got worse as it went on. Generous 2 here. 5/10 2 stars.

Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby

Girls Against Boys

1/5

Boys against music. 2/10 1 star

No Other

Gene Clark

4/5

Seems odd to have (at least?) 2 albums from Gene Clark, including this one that "was largely ignored or lambasted by critics and was a commercial failure; the studio time and cost were seen as excessive and indulgent." Sounds great! But I remember pleasantly enjoying his album "White Light" so let's see.... starts off as rather safe and unspectacular country rock but by the 3rd song "No Other" we're moving somewhere else entirely - now this is really cool / unexpected. Is it groovy? A little proggy?? And the last cut "Lady of the North" is ... great? Needed to give this a 2nd listen and was worth it - I think even on that 2nd listen the opening which I'd previously thought was tepid just gives it a more easing-in aspect. Surprise album - I really like it and will definitely listen again. 7/10 4 stars.

Talking Heads 77

Talking Heads

3/5

Pretty good. Mostly good. I feel like sometimes it's easier to note what parts of Talking Heads I don't always like.... David's voice gets a little old, the rhythms of the band are at once cool but also tend to be... stilted? they don't swing but they try to. In thinking a little about it, I think that IS a function of the vocals. it's a tough thing to parse, he's such a vital component of the band but I do think held them back on some material. e.g. "New Feeling" The drumming is a little.. mid? merely competent? Ok keep it positive here - the bass playing is a highlight on pretty much every song. Excellent guitar work. and even though they have a "sound" each song 8a pretty unique. They're a very mid 70s "square" sounding band which is in no way an insult. just is. and sometimes it's awesome and sometimes it's not. Solid 3 and that's probably low - I would never be sorry to hear it even if it's not a top favourite. 7/10 3 stars

Shaft

Isaac Hayes

4/5

Of course this album is completely of its time and place. Hard to not love the title track SHUT YOUR MOUTH but after that I'm never sure. It's not the fact that it's a soundtrack but it's more that it's so clearly a *background* soundtrack. Even just take the 'song' titles: "Shaft's Cab Ride" "Cafe Regio's" which are placed in those scenes in the movie but sort of accompany those parts rather than drive the action or story. It's not even close to a bad listen - just not an active listen. It's just different. I keep comparing my listening to another similar-type album in Air's soundtrack to "The Virgin Suicides" which I loved - both are albums I can put on in almost any situation, Sunday coffee, working, making dinner, etc. Almost in a different category altogether and so I'm not sure my personal rating is even relevant but for that alone I think it's almost a keeper...even if it is strictly for my own background listening as well. Giving it a 4 for delivering on exactly what it meant to. Highlights: title track, "No Name Bar", "Do Your Thing" - all 19 minutes of it. 7/10 4 stars.

Peter Gabriel 3

Peter Gabriel

5/5

This album is damn close to artistic perfection. I wouldn't call myself a Peter Gabriel diehard (it's between this and his debut for my overwhelming PG favourite and beyond that I range from enjoyable to ehh) but this is so good in every way and all encapsulated within a perfect 46 minute runtime. The songwriting is great - nothing close to a dud and a few all-time tracks. Even for those of us who don't pay much attention to lyrics, they jump out in each song without ever outweighing the music. PG has the very rare voice that I not only tolerate but actually *enjoy* listening to - love how he strains himself, it's sort of his classic "sound" going back to his Genesis days. I do love when an album has proper flow and this fits the bill with the dramatic beginning and end cuts - starting with a creepy AF track in "Intruder" which yeah new gated reverb snare sound courtesy of the - yes - underrated Phil Collins and producer Hugh Padgham - and closing with the haunting "Biko" - everything in-between is a little scary, a little more challenging, and always interesting. A++ musicianship across the album. Could mark highlights - probably the hits, but the lesser-known tracks are just as crucial. Nothing I can even try to nitpick here - a rare perfect score here for me... 10/10 5 stars.

I Am a Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

1/5

They sound like I did as a little kid when I'd "sing" through a giant rotating box fan. I just can't with their voice, I really can't. It's almost a shame that the music is so lovely and admittedly this is all unique ... ehh I acknowledge it's totally subjective but Anohni's voice detracts and distracts from the music so completely that it's almost disturbing. 3/10 1 star

Armed Forces

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

4/5

Our 6th Costello album!! It's been at least a year so we were due... Snark aside this is one of his best - not a weak track on the album - if I'm nitpicking I can sometimes get tired of the twee keyboard sound that occasionally dominates, but the songs win out. Love the righteous anger and sarcasm that lurks barely below the surface of many of these lyrics but more importantly for me, the upbeat music is catchy as hell and never drags. 8/10 4 stars.

The Last Of The True Believers

Nanci Griffith

3/5

Not one of my favourite/usual genres and I feel like I'd have liked this a lot more hearing/seeing it live but points for excellent construction - it's hard to deny this is just a really nice sounding album. Clear instrumentation and vocals. 6/10 3 stars

3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul

4/5

Some albums/sounds hit harder as a throwback to a particular time and this is one. I wasn't even a fan of this or much hip-hop at all at the time but this is an immediate transport to younger/simpler days. Chill hip-hop that while sometimes approaches repetitive [although that's often the case with hip-hop overall] was and is so refreshing in its upbeat and fun sound. Non-aggressive rapping which fits the music perfectly - and the music is a blast. Excellent album - perfect summer playlist. 7/10 4 stars.

Chris

Christine and the Queens

2/5

Glossy-to-a-fault wanna-be 80s modern pop that I'll expect to hear at medium-to-low volume waiting for my mocha frappachino - please hold the whipped cream. Rarely if ever offensive-sounding but entirely unmemorable and vacuous. 4/10 2 stars.

Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter

3/5

I kept thinking I'd heard these guys before but I feel like I'm confusing them more than a little with Grizzly Bear (another band I can't tell if I like or not). Roundabout way of saying I'm a bit confused by this album. At times it's quite lovely and there's not much I can point to that makes me scream 'I don't like this' ("Basement Scene" kind of sucks though - this is the kind of lofi 21st century rock I really can't go for. no can do.) ... but there are no tracks that make me excited. That's a polite way of saying it approaches boring. On the other hand - after giving it 2 tries I think it's apparent that this isn't a mixtape album or band, it really is its own unit as an album. More of a feel/vibe than killer songs. Nothing wrong with that although it does lose immediate impact. Although...extra points for the final song "He Would Have Laughed" - a little too long for its own good but it's a nice album closer that probably bumped my rating up to a 3... 5/10 3 stars. (longest/most boring review I've written for me to essentially just say it's fine.)

The Undertones

3/5

More Feargal Sharkey! Much like their 2nd album, but I think I like this a little more. Immediately accessible with a nice gentle touch of that late 70s not-too-scary UK punk. Short (16 songs, 35 minutes) major-melody aggressive tunes with vocals that are almost annoying but not quite - perfectly appropriate. Never a favourite but it's fun rock. 6/10 3 stars.

Ragged Glory

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

3/5

Funny how polarizing Neil is - ppl that don't like him REALLY don't like him. I cut down the middle - he's fine, some of his songs are absolutely all-time epic - but his rock stuff is often just unremarkable to me. I don't dislike any of it here, but in the end it sometimes feels like just a barn full of I-IV-V-vi type progressions with some nice harmonies. Harmless and nice. Also Neil might be the most annoying guitar player of alltime jfc. OK - it's easy to knock things if you want to but there are a lot of positives here too: it's a good sounding record, very garage-band with good production. And my initial thought about the simplistic progressions ...while sort of true, it's the subtleties in this music that puts it a bit past something mundane. e.g. the harmonies aren't Simon & Garfunkel but they're very distinct and absolutely add to what could otherwise potentially be plodding songs - e.g. "Mansion on the Hill" I think it's utterly impossible at times (always?) to separate the art from the artist in terms of historical impact - like, that's an obvious statement but I have thought a number of times on this exercise - if this particular/exact album was recorded by Gordon Jump and the Turkey Drop would it still be considered classic? 6/10 3 stars.

Welcome to the Afterfuture

Mike Ladd

2/5

Tough one - there are some really groovy um....grooves and beat on this especially around the bass and drums, but there's zero cohesion to any of these songs whatsoever and I'm not a huge fan of his rapping... I like the occasionally jazzy beats and it could have led to more - nay, should have led to more. Maybe he did with future albums? Not sure I care enough to find out as even minutes after listening I don't really remember much of it... 5/10 2 stars

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

3/5

The first half feels like music to a 70s comedy train caper starring Michael Caine before switching channels to watch obscure Looney Tunes cartoons. I really want to like this more than I do - in a way I want it to be *more* weird. I'm left mystified after listening and I feel like my 3 is even a little generous, but knowing the musicianship on display here I felt a little badly giving it less... 5/10 3 stars.

Play

Moby

4/5

I've always resented people talking bullshit about "the good old days" ... but truthfully holy hell do I miss 1999. My hockey team was good, fascism was just a history lesson, we still talked to other people, and sampled electronic music was still kinda unique - certainly not mainstream before this album... I've never known how to feel about "Play" even though I listened a whole heck of a lot to it back then. At the risk of simplicity, I remember almost every song being catchy but ending up too repetitive. Which is probably the point. OK though - I hadn't listened to this in probably 20 years and I'm sure this is a familiarity grade but I am finding myself bopping to pretty much all of these tracks - I like it better than I remember. Although yeah, it's crazy-repetitive - would have been better around 12 or 13 tracks tops. I suppose in a slightly different universe I could ask myself why I like this album but think Fatboy Slim is the shittiest form of this genre... 7/10 4 stars. n.b. I cut myself off after 18 songs - the length of the original album (18 is quite enough).

White Ladder

David Gray

3/5

Another period-piece that's an immediate throwback to a simpler time. It's nice, nostalgic, but still just too mid-tempo and unexciting overall to make it last the full 50+ minutes. Could really have used fewer drum machine / guitar loops. Let these songs breathe a little more and it would be really something. The best songs are really nice ("Babylon" "Sail Away") and are absolutely worthwhile even though....yeah, they're also mid-tempo safe-ish songs. Nothing wrong with a little of that from time to time and in this case the nostalgia is welcomed - i.e. I can't imagine I'd be in the mood to pick this album out of the blue but it'll always bring back good memories so that's worth something, innit? 6/10 3 stars.

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

5/5

Revelatory. Their previous album ("The Holy Bible") was a mix of good and ... not good ... but this blew me away - the music is so vastly different from their previous release - obvious reason being a tribute to their bandmate who tragically went missing. Massively anthemic yet subtly complex - I always see it classified as Britpop but it's more than a little wrong to lump this in with Pulp/Oasis/Blur - no offence whatsoever - this is rock with grandiosity yet lacking any cliche. The musical head-turns on this album - e.g. in the chorus of "Kevin Carter" that 3rd guitar chord is just so goddamn cool and unexpected - are what propels it throughout. The vocals were much more palatable this time around, and I weirdly hear echoes of Jellyfish in some of the higher-register vocals of James Dean Bradfield. I love the guitar work with the aforementioned unexpected and/or unusual chords, the strings add a ton to these soaring songs that upon closer listen (i'm not that observant apparently) are way more dark than they sound. Love that dichotomy. There are distant echoes of The Bends - maybe that's a simple reach being a pair of UK bands - I'm a big Radiohead fan but this is the better album. A band I'm sorry I missed the first time around and no idea how I did - I've been wavering between 4 and 5 on this but the perfect runtime, virtually every song of quality (might except "Removables" here - everyone's allowed a slight hiccup), and the story behind the tragic creation of this album easily push it to the top for me. 10/10 5 stars.

Juju

Siouxsie And The Banshees

5/5

When you don't think guitar genius can come in a package other than 80s spandex, whammy bars, and ripping solos (but to be clear - they really do. or did.) this is a great counter-point. Man I love this album - I like it so much more than their debut for many reasons: Siouxsie's vocals are far more assured, the guitar work from John McGeoch is absolutely fantastic and unique. Most of all this album has way better songs than they'd written in the past. Is this goth? Is it post-punk? Just art rock? Who gives a shit - it's not for everyone but it's weird, it's jarring, it's anxious and paranoid and it's great. Faves: "Spellbound" "Into the Light" "Halloween" TL;DR: This album makes me want to go back to my youth and trade in all my baseball shirts and jeans for black eyeliner and hoodies. 9/10 5 stars.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Coldplay

3/5

I remember actually being *excited* about a 2nd Coldplay album after digesting the shit out of their debut. Then after a few plays of this back in the day my reaction was ... meh? It's fine. But was/is never nearly as emotional or impactful for me as their first album was - I missed that raw space and mystery in their first songs and will still defend their debut. What is it about this one though - there's nothing *bad* here and in fact most of the songs follow the 3 or 4 chord repetition similar in template to "Parachutes" so why does it feel different? Like ... 45 seconds in to most songs I'm like "yeah yeah ok i get it" and by the end of the song you can sit at the piano or pick up a guitar and already have it all figured out. Ok ok let's take "Daylight" as a great example: this track is *almost* there - that chorus (if it is even a chorus) is a nice ray of <ahem> light in an otherwise nicely dissonant song, but there's barely any variety so that's it. it doesn't go anywhere. Same guitar riff, drums that could almost be just a loop, the vocals are horribly repetitive (the end!?? come on) - anything at all new added would have been more than welcome so it just ends up dull. There's nothing *wrong* with this album, it's just not that inspiring nor interesting overall. Even if admittedly some of the singles bring a dash of nostalgia...which is pretty fleeting. Although I really don't like "Green Eyes" and that was a big red flag since the simple arrangement is the closest thing to "Parachutes" on the album but is so lightweight and un-mysterious that it's just a throwaway. The highlight for me is the final cut "Amsterdam" although it's a bit of a slog to get there and even when you do it's like "...how is this exciting?" but that payoff about 3/4 of the way through is worth it. I guess in the end this album was a signal that the band were in the process of turning into a bore which who tf am I to say as they became the biggest band in the world, so good on them. We amicably agreed to see other people at this point as I politely exited the Coldplay express. 5/10 3 stars

Your Arsenal

Morrissey

4/5

"COME ON! not *another* Morrissey album.....!!!" was my first thought upon opening this site today. Also the reason I took 3 hours before starting to listen to it. ...but....shit. Do I kind of like this album?? The guy is a grade-A jackass and yes that doesn't really matter so I guess I'm saying it to myself to justify why I actually enjoyed this unexpectedly (mostly) *rock* album that (mostly) minimizes his mopey bullshit and weird lyrics that I don't ever want to look too closely at. I remember the as-usual clumsily-titled "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" and hated it at the time but it's probably because I was listening to grunge that year. Goddammit though... sigh. Aside from a few classic plodders, overall this is a rather thick/heavy/nod your head album by that bellend Morrissey - never would have guessed it... Faves: "The National Front Disco" (that bass) and "Tomorrow" (that Marillion-like delay guitar hello what) 7/10 4 stars.

Kilimanjaro

The Teardrop Explodes

3/5

If given the chance to place this release in a ~2 year time frame, I'd have been willing to drop $100 on my guess. Tight drums, reverb vocals, slightly-cheesy keyboard, galloping up-front bass line, occasional white ska influence - all the hallmarks of its era and .... yeah it's very British-1980. hmm from somewhere in my brain I remember this closing track "When I Dream" I don't know... it's not spectacular and YMMV - but I like it, yet I wonder how much I'll remember of it tomorrow, and in a way that's a shame - feels like the kind of album that had I heard often and/or known growing up would bring some strong nostalgia. If I have the wherewithal and memory I might listen to this a few more times. 7/10 3 stars.

Roots

Sepultura

1/5

"Sepultura" is the Portuguese word for "grave" which is also a place I'd rather be than listening to this assault on the living. Or perhaps will end up after (if) I finish this album. So yes - the name checks out. 0/10 wishing for a 0 star rating.

Henry's Dream

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1/5

Dumb. I mostly hate reading the off-putting and closed-minded Robert Christgau but he nailed it here: "...if this is your idea of great writing, you may be ripe for his cult. Otherwise, forget it—the voice alone definitely won't do the trick." also this is the 93rd Nick Cave album on this list. 92.5 too many. 2/10 1 star

On The Beach

Neil Young

3/5

I sometimes feel weird giving 3s - like ... does that mean i think it's average? Have i given it enough thought or a worthy listen or 2? Or is it really just.... ok? I'm sorta take-him-or-leave-him with Neil - I like some, am annoyed by others, but admittedly haven't listened to all 300 albums of his. I suspect by the time I'm through the 1001+ i'll have put a heavy dent in that. "On The Beach" is fine. It's a 3. It's a mood, a mellow/raw mood, and that could go south real quick for me but so I'm a little surprised it didn't here. There were moments where he almost ventured dangerously close to Leonard Cohen territory which is a strong no-fly-zone here, but the music always seemed to take over even if there's a bit of sameness. Simple as hell songs which I want to be bored with and yet for the most part am not (would skip "Vampire Blues" though, actually that one does suck. Minimal effort lazy waste). I almost just want to sit in one of those beach chairs on the cover - nobody else around - and listen to this in silence other than the surf coming in. So I guess the cover is nicely appropriate. TL;DR: not gonna be a favourite, but something nice to put on at the end of the evening or around a campfire. 6/10 3 stars.

Life's Too Good

The Sugarcubes

4/5

I went to Iceland many years ago, partially in hopes of seeing the northern lights. On the night they were supposed to be brilliant ... it snowed. I just walked around Reykjavik and bought local music in a store. Sometimes the universe steers you in the right direction. Man this is a fun album. Music is all over the place while still being a good trip - vocals are more than a little out there with Bjork and that other guy (who is not unlike an Icelandic Fred Schneider, but thankfully more reigned in) but that's actually a selling point for this band. The lyrics are.... wild ("Deus" in particular). And there's absolutely something about them being sung (or spoken) with such heavy accents that gives it extra intrigue - something it would absolutely not have if this band were from, say, Indiana. No offence, Terre Haute. It'll never escape being so very 1988 but in this case I love it - the sound/mix and music are perfectly enmeshed. 8/10 4 stars

In A Silent Way

Miles Davis

4/5

This preceded the far-more-known and popular "Bitches Brew" but I like this infinitely more. The cool groove and tension that builds (endlessly?) in the first half is a perfect meld of jazz and rock...ish genres. Much like with the best of Miles' earlier jazz, it's the space in the music that ties it all together. You get the feeling while listening that they could go nuclear at any moment which would of course destroy that tension. Odd reach / parallel: you can clearly hear the edits especially in the first track where they patched long passages together and it makes me think of some of those old classic Yes tunes like "Yours Is No Disgrace" where you hear a similar cut. Apparently that was a big critique of this album - I say it gets more points for it. Gorgeous soundscape - I love it. 8/10 4 stars

Violent Femmes

1/5

Dry like dog shit. Violent Failures. 0/10 0 stars.

Follow The Leader

Korn

1/5

White male aggression poorly disguised in nu-metal form - what could go wrong. Corn shit. One of the very very worst things you can do in life is to listen to any of this, let alone all of it. 0/10 1 plunger for my ears/brain 🪠

Sunshine Hit Me

The Bees

3/5

If someone were to describe an album as light lofi whimsical indie pop from the beginning of the century I'd almost certainly place 14 beans and a rabbit's foot on my loathing it. But oddly I don't. Hate it, that is. Yeah it's light and just barely not stepping over the wry "aren't we cute" line that would place it in the firmly annoying, but somehow sidesteps it for the most part. At its best, you could assemble 5 or 6 tracks for lounging in a chair with a very light beer, probably with a lime twist. Having said that, I may forget it 2 minutes after I click Save below. Easy listening and nice in headphones. 6/10 3 stars

Vanishing Point

Primal Scream

2/5

My exposure to Primal Scream was almost exclusively their track "Kill All Hippies" which is awesome; wasn't sure what to expect from an entire album.... ...which ends up VERY very inconsistent in a different kind of way - e.g.: Songs like "Star" "Medication" and "Long Life" feel so out of place.... who doesn't like variety in an album but to jump from the hypnotic-techno-mostly instrumental jams that at least to my simple mind IS their style into a relatively facile, basic, and boring rock format that isn't very good at all... ehhh as much as the techno-jams *do* end up repetitive, that's sort of the point, and breaking out of that sort of disrupts the mood. Then on "Motorhead" they *almost* try to meld the genres, but it doesn't work. Anyways those specific songs suck and maybe especially because they end up as bad britpop turds in an electronic punchbowl. That's a party killer right there. The vocalist sucks and sometimes that's ok if you lean into other aspects, i.e. when he does the whisper-type non-singing which serves almost as an afterthought to a 99% instrumental.... that's your lane, pal. Sounding like a *bad* version of the singer from The Verve or a Gallagher brother is not a goal. TL;DR: I actively like about 4 or 5 cuts from this which is usually enough to garner at least a 3 from me but the odd nature of this as an album makes it sound like a shitty K-Tel sampler album and I wouldn't be able to actively listen to the entirety. So... Primal Scream is not an album band - stick to a few cuts on a playlist. 5/10 2 stars.

The Dreaming

Kate Bush

4/5

This one isn't anything close to an easy-listening experience which is a huge plus; i.e. none of these songs are "just push play" or follow any clichéd arrangement - meaning they jump around rhythmically, unexpected instrumental passages, changing time signatures within songs, etc. Too easy to say she's the opposite gender companion to early Peter Gabriel but it kind of fits. Very proggy which is what initially drew me to her. Lyrically she almost takes an 80s-Neil Peart path (or maybe he borrowed from her) - another huge plus. Yes sometimes her voice is *adventurous* :) but I like that she goes for it rather than take the easy route. TL;DR: right up my alley and definitely an album to enjoy solo rather than during a cookout. 8/10 4 stars.

Mr. Tambourine Man

The Byrds

3/5

The electric jangly 12-string has rarely worked for me with anyone. Which was sorta The Byrds' jam, and likely the major reason I've never been able to connect at all with them. There's absolutely nothing offensive or unlistenable, and it's probably unfair and impossible to detach from the time period (1965) and how revolutionary this band and sound were. The simple and syrupy vocals are impressive yet completely unmoving to me. Technically...yes...nice harmonies. But how can it all be so dull. Gimme CSN. Nostalgically it's sorta nice to hear the big singles (first 2 tracks) so familiarity probably wins some points here - I feel like it's a personal 2 since I'd never put this on but it's undeniably filled with melodic songs and it feels a little lame to not acknowledge the impact so I'll give it a reluctant and honourary 3 and move on. 7/10 3 stars.

OK

Talvin Singh

2/5

Feels like a soundtrack to watching one of those 45 minute videos of the international space station circling the earth. I can't think of a situation where I'm ever listening to this without it accompanying something/anything else and even then I might mute the sound after 20 minutes. An hour-long dull palette of sound I lost interest in quickly. 3/10 2 stars.

Gentlemen

The Afghan Whigs

1/5

Rock vocalists suck. Didn't take me long to remember why I hated these guys at the time; to say I'm not a big fan of this singer - Greg Dulli - is an understatement. The music was worthy of better. Even instrumental would have been better (which the final song is, thankfully) since we wouldn't have to listen to these lyrics either, which were written by Greg Dulli. Annnd it got progressively worse as it went on - by the time I got to track 5 "When We Two Parted" I was ready to rage listening to these vocals - by Greg Dulli - which sounded like he was being disemboweled. For a minute I felt bad thinking of giving this a 1 considering some of the music is really not bad but all I can unfortunately focus on while listening to this is Greg Dulli. The vocalist's name is Greg Dulli, to spare you from looking that up. Pass. Due to Greg Dulli of course. 3/10 1 star.

Ace of Spades

Motörhead

3/5

My first exposure to Motorhead was the video to "Ace of Spades" when i was ~11. Scary and compelling. Never been a fan of thrash or proto-thrash (is this pre-thrash?) and I don't love their classic live album.... but this is kinda cool. Lemmy cannot sing - obviously - but who cares. It's an energy record, very fast and with a punk edge of heavy metal. I know Lemmy ended up hating "Ace of Spades" because he probably had to play it 12000 times but it does kick ass and is the right album opener. Not for everyone, not necessarily for me all the time but I'd dig this again. 6/10 3 stars

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Richard Thompson

4/5

On the one hand you could call this kind of boring and you'd probably be right. But giving it another listen there's more than I thought when passively listening the first time - I enjoy the instrumentation and the songs are really well-crafted. I'd say I'm rather neutral on folk but this is a cut above - and usually i avoid any extra tracks but the 3 live cuts here on the Apple Music version definitely add value. Wouldn't always put this on as it gets a little sleepy but we can all do with a bit of calm now and then and apparently today I did - I also appreciate the honesty and simplicity around it enough to push it to a 4. 7/10 4 stars.

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain

Pavement

1/5

This band sucks your grandmother's ass. Utter bullshit and insulting. I lived through this band's "heyday" and so I "get" what they're doing and stop letting yourself be fooled - this is all one giant middle finger to you and everyone attempting to create and enjoy music. A blueprint for the worst of 20yr olds' GenX sarcasm that attempted to come across as cool and flippant, which somehow amazingly even comes across in the music itself....fk. For that feat alone maybe I should give them points. 0/10 0 stars

Peter Gabriel

5/5

Among the best debuts ever recorded (although of course there's no small cheat since PG had a big head start with Genesis). Every track is great in its own right and no two songs are alike ... from the prog weirdness of "Moribund..." to the masterpiece of the odd-timing "Solisbury Hill" to the grand finale of "Here Comes The Flood" (I quite prefer this big production as opposed to his self-remakes of the song in later years with minimal instrumentation). I even like the murky 70s mix/production overall - just fits the mysterious vibe. One of my all-time favourite albums, nothing to critique here. 10/10 5 stars.

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Ice Cube

3/5

It's just impossible for me to separate the nearly perfect beats and excellent flow by Cube....from the lyrics. Which are hideous. These national reviews which couch the issue by calling the songs "a mirror to America" "ugly in its observations about race" etc etc - not sorry: I call bullshit. It's an easy out and this kind of lowest-denominator rap is made even worse because of the talent that set this up to be one of the greats. It's goddamn frustrating because when I'm able to detach from the lyrics (i.e. when they're not misogynist or braggadocio-gangster - which isn't often enough) it would be enough to make this fantastic. Musically it's the kind of hip-hop I love - Bomb Squad representing! 5 for the music and actual vocal *delivery* but 1 for the horrid lyrics, I just can't.... bitch - grow tf up. 5/10 very generous 3 stars.

Pyromania

Def Leppard

4/5

I owned this on cassette and probably bought it first week of release. Hence it's impossible to separate the now-reality of my listening to this album again from the nostalgia / memory of it / time of its release - i.e. this album was probably my 1983 soundtrack. Take me back to age 12 and i'd have put this as a 6 on a 5 scale. Although through today's ears the slickness (gang vocals sometimes/apparently upward of 80 bg vocal tracks(!), mechanized drums - probably one of the first albums to ever use drum samples like this? i.e. the snare is tough to listen to with no human variance at all; sounds like a gunshot) and clichéd hooks are probably the first thing I notice. Which admittedly is rather pissy, since there are undoubtedly great hooks and melodies with excellent pop songwriting throughout the album. Pyromania might have been the blueprint for mid-late 80s hair metal so you can either get angry at it/them for what it wrought or you can give it credit for being a catchy-as-hell and unique for the time pop+hard rock masterpiece - or acknowledge both can be true. I could never give this a 5 based on what I've been listening to since probably high school, but I'd be a cynical prick to not admit to having great memories of this album/time. Yeah it's dumb but man, it's a lot more *fun* than some of the serious(ly awful) indie/lo-fi drivel on this list and isn't that at least some of the point? For what it is, it really is a classic. 8/10 4 stars.

Homework

Daft Punk

2/5

Lost Season 6 was the "sideways" season - 2 different but parallel paths/lives for each of the characters.... Path 1: This album is so painfully and terribly repetitive in every track that it feels like cheating - how is it entertaining or innovative simply coming up with 2 measures of an electronic loop, then ever-so-gently rotating that resonance filter on the analog synth while repeating some 3 word phrase, rinse and repeat for 4-5 minutes. Next song - same formula. Path 2: This album is so great to work to - it doesn't follow any pop/rock formula in terms of song structure, it's entirely about the vibe and feel - don't focus on any one segment but instead just let it all wash over and around you and the synth sounds melding with driving beats are compelling. Resolve: While many of the songs ("songs") have something in it that sounds awesome ... none of the songs go anywhere. And yeah that might be the point and I might be cool listening to this as background while i'm working on something that weirdly requires concentration because even as some tracks are abrasive as hell....it's oddly not memorable. e.g. background noise. Notable awful exceptions that ruined the vibe: "Around the World" is not just repetitive but I couldn't get through it. "Rollin' & Scratchin'" I couldn't get past a minute - terribly annoying. I slid down the scale gradually as the album went on and while I started near a 4 by the time I got to track 9 I was heavily debating a 1. I'll cut myself off right here (i.e. we have another DNF), give 'er a 2 for not my taste at all, and not revisit. 3/10 2 stars.

Kimono My House

Sparks

4/5

On first listen I really have little idea what to think - it always intrigues me to be introduced to the rare act that has been around forever yet I'm completely unfamiliar with - I think my only familiarity was their video/single with Jane Wiedlin (Go-Gos) when I was a kid. I thought she was part of a new group. This required a second listen - like early Roxy Music with a dab of Queen but more dense...? I don't know how much I love it (yet) but holy hell there's so much musicality here that I think I have to call this a keeper - after just 2 full listens I'm already hearing so much complexity wrapped in a weird package. The vocals are admittedly...off-putting at times ("Equator" especially) with the falsetto but it's mostly mixed low enough that I can get by it. Favourite track: "Thank God It's Not Christmas" least-favourite: "Equator" Gonna keep coming back to this one - always cool to learn a "new" old group - this is *weird AF* and I think I can see this being a keeper. 8/10 4 stars

Ys

Joanna Newsom

3/5

I know this one - I don't want to pile on about her voice.... but at the same time... yeah, you gotta get by it to be able to enjoy this. And I'm not sure how good I am at getting by it. This only works (perhaps ironically) when you listen to the album straight through - at that point her voice does start to become part of the overall sound (as opposed to the few times I've had to pause a song and come back 30 minutes later - getting that squeak-shock all over again). The music is potentially fascinating when you can channel into it - complex in composition and instrumentation - major points awarded. It's different as hell, and on the whole I'd always rather take my chances with "out there" albums over another shitty lo-fi Pavement-ish 3 chord gen-x slacker, but the Mickey Mouse at a Renaissance Fair impression is tough sledding at times. 6/10 3 stars.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Iron Butterfly

3/5

Of course this is only here for the closing hymn "In The Garden of Eden" by....I, Ron Butterfly. Hard to believe but it's true that radio stations used to play the entire damn song - I remember it. Not sure I ever sat through it before today. They HAVE to be the "most successful" one-hit-wonder group of all time right? After the first year of release it was the highest-selling album *of all time* which ...!? yeah yeah facts who cares is it any good? I don't know - it was more of a curio for me hearing side 1 for the first time (has anyone listened to this in the past ~45 years) - singer Doug Ingle at times sounds like a more tripped-out Burton Cummings. The music is...ok? I don't know if I like it and/or am able to pick out anything other than "this is obviously late 60s acid rock" As for what everyone came for ... you know, it works well in headphones as you're drifting off to sleep. Yes that's slightly sarcastic but also true. I suppose it also works when one is in some sort of altered state... 17 minutes mostly around that one unique riff - punctuated with a few uninteresting solos - which is about 14 minutes too much. Just seems like something Zeppelin would have done (i.e. did do) with a boring live album. It's interesting in that everyone should hear the song once just for the now-dying cultural references (see old Simpsons reference above) but I don't really like it much. To compare it to contemporary sounds, they've got a much better sound than say, The Doors (lowest bar) but the Doors wrote better songs - after 2 spins of this one I don't remember anything but *the riff* Probably a 2+ in most cases but bumped to a 3 for impact. 30 freaking million albums sold!?!? 5/10 3 stars

Grievous Angel

Gram Parsons

3/5

Favourite part of this album: I enjoy the ombre on the cover - those blues and greens really look lovely and shade together nicely. A lot of progressions around I-IV-V-vi with a strong dose of pedal steel. It's all just not my cup of coffee, although I'm certain it's well-done and is a definite mood. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if Emmylou Harris took 75% of the leads instead. "Brass Buttons" gives me a little Glen Campbell vibe, ok I kind of like this one. I was about to give this a 2 - totally a personal rating of course, I'm sure some will take umbrage with it and if you like country this is probably awesome - but then I gave it a second spin and ... things clicked a little more. Even if it is just a bit plain for my tastes overall, that gentle mood is kind of the point and I think worthy of my non-country-lovin' ways to give an extra mark to. 6/10 3 stars.

Risque

CHIC

3/5

2 Chic albums on this list was unexpected. I'm feeling ... almost exactly the same about this as their previous record - the big single ("Good Times") is awesome and of course has been kept alive in different ways by being sampled a bunch ... but the overall album is eh. Incredible production/mix, great bass/guitar, but - and maybe i'm listening through a retroactive lens here - at best it often feels like a template for future sampling (which...hmmm...) Maybe this doesn't drag as much as the previous record, so I think it's a small step up but too many of these cuts go on too long and just repeat themselves. Cut these tracks to 3 1/2 minutes and it would have been better (n.b. the 2nd side's shorter songs are easier to digest). Needed more variety in songs but also *within* the songs - e.g. maybe my favourite part is in the chorus of "What About Me" - that very low level clavinet part in the left speaker is so good - more of that and fewer syrupy strings would have been awesome. Very stereotypically 70s disco - not always a bad thing! But Chic is definitely a greatest hits kinda band for me. 5/10 3 stars

The Infotainment Scan

The Fall

1/5

...ooooo I LOVE an album that sounds like a poorly-recorded demo with a crappy sounding drum machine and direct guitars that a real producer could maybe have whipped into shape with some direction and imagination but instead they did a HARD pivot, went to their local dock with their tape recorder, and found the most-tweaked out piss-stained wastoid with his legs wrapped around a pole and said "we need you to sing the first words that come to your addled brain - now." -uh! no. 1/10 1 star

A Walk Across The Rooftops

The Blue Nile

2/5

It's all so lovely and all so boring. I find myself having the desire to turn each song's BPM up by 25% - everything is incredibly laconic and mostly "driven" in that sense by the vocals. Bit of a shame as there's a lot of lovely melody here but I find it tripping over itself for the entirety of the album and the "do i love you? i do love you" repetitiveness of the lyrics early on are a distraction. I only notice them because it takes him so long to deliver the next word 4/10 2 stars.

Liquid Swords

GZA

1/5

This might be the most boring hip-hop album I've ever heard. 2 bar musical phrases - set to repeat ad infinitum - then a million lyrics over the top without much if any emotional variance whatsoever. And yet *another* Wu family album. How/why? Make it stop. 2/10 1 star

Cupid & Psyche 85

Scritti Politti

1/5

Combining canned 80s pop-synth sound with fey faux-soft vocals and processed drums and putting it all to a Casio-sounding preset beat .... it's not so much that it's bad - and it really is - it's mostly that it all sounds like a Freshen-Up gum commercial I'd hear while watching afternoon reruns in the 80s. I tried to talk myself into a slightly more respectable mark here in trying to understand *why* this might be important.... landmark sampling isn't gonna cut it. Tools ain't songs. And man, his voice is killing me. A more perfect pastiche of cookie-cutter awful 80s dance pop tropes you will not find. Awful. "...Sunday night at 9pm - a new episode of The Beachcombers.....and now we return you the conclusion of Star Blazers...." 2/10 1 star.

Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs

3/5

Richard Butler's vocals are limited at best and become a factor on some songs (e.g. "I Wanna Sleep With You") but this is *mostly* an easy album to listen to - I haven't heard many of these songs, probably being more familiar with the Furs' mid 80s softer sounds. e.g. "Mr. Jones" is much more a driving post-punk rocker than I'd remembered this band could deliver. Some definite missteps here - i.e. I'm really not buying the sax in these songs (e.g. "No Tears") and after a while there is a same-ness to the sound. Doesn't quite reach the pantheon of 80s post-punk/mopey Brit bands and I think it's mostly due to the vocals which quickly grow tiring, but I'd dig listening to some of this again. 6/10 3 stars

Lazer Guided Melodies

Spiritualized

2/5

overwhelming reaction while listening....: GET ON WITH IT!!!! 2 Spiritualized albums (...at least...) this far isn't necessarily a travesty of any kind, but is it necessary? Almost like a more soporific and boring Stone Roses. At first I'm thinking I do like it better than their "big" album ("Ladies and Gentlemen...") but there's still an utter lack of developed songs. Like they hit their "cool" spacey vibe and never deviate - take the song "Run" for example. I don't need to describe it - you know when you hear it. song was about 3 minutes too long and it's only 4 minutes. This is their inherent problem. ...I take it back, it's *not* better than their future album - it's the same meandering sound palette that you might hear in a modern art gallery or while doing goat yoga. this is going nowhere. It's frustrating because in one sense it's close to being really cool but in another it's nowhere near close - existing a goddamn galaxy away from well-constructed - or even constructed - popular music. ...re-evaluating my early comment: it WILL be a travesty if there's a 3rd album from this band on the list. 3/10 2 stars.

The Stranger

Billy Joel

5/5

Always legitimately curious how he didn't/doesn't get the Springsteen/Costello respect. Absolutely top of the craft in songwriting, musicianship, creativity, variety... Come on, this album is fking great and sure he sold 8 billion copies of it and has been everywhere since and maybe you were sick of him ... and sure although he put out a few more good records right after but then just 7 years later sang the execrable horror show Uptown Girl yet are we grading Stevie Wonder on I Just Called To Say I Love You??? We are not. Sure "Just The Way You Are" is cheesy but .... those chord changes are exquisite and he hated how the song made people think he was a sensitive balladeer rather than a rocker so I think slack should be cut. Great nostalgic listen for sure but also it has really endured and is definitely in the American pantheon of pop rock records. TL;DR: Stop being such a cynical bastard, lighten up, and let yourself enjoy this. 10/10 5 stars

Pieces Of The Sky

Emmylou Harris

4/5

Another great example of "this is why we're doing this project" - I of course know who Emmylou Harris is but had never really listened to her. This is gorgeous and while I'm not always going to be in a country mood it's just beautiful music - and not just her voice; the entire recording has space and evokes the right feeling. Generally not a covers fan but probably since I didn't know most of these songs they hit right - and I must admit I do love the Beatles' cover. Highly recommended even (especially?) for those of us who never grew up with much country music. 8/10 4 stars.

Survivor

Destiny's Child

1/5

I love looking at an album's wikipedia entry, specifically the personnel section - I enjoy knowing who the players are, who might have snuck in a solo here or a drum part there .... bitch the list for this album is no fewer than 74 GODDAMN NAMES LONG. SEVENTY FOUR. How can anything with 74 people contributing to a pop album be anything other than manufactured pablum. I'm not usually one to call something commercial tripe but this is lowest common denominator pandering - the express purpose of this record was to sound so fake, so false, so sterile and compressed with zero dynamics, so *constructed* - there's no soul or honesty to this at all. hate it. 2/10 1 star

Stephen Stills

4/5

My Dad actually had this on an 8 track. Have you ever seen or even used an 8 track? Worst format ever (...not relevant to this review really but it's likely my only chance to reference the 8 track.). 20+ years later a band I was in headlined at my university playing the "Love The One You're With" valentine's dance. In retrospect, kind of a spicy and borderline questionable title for the event. Again, irrelevant to the album. Stills' voice is of course immediately recognizable but his guitar playing has always been underrated. Didn't know he learned lead from Hendrix (who is on track 4 here). Surprisingly diverse album that doesn't necessarily follow the massive single that leads it off; that's not a bad thing - get the pop hit out of the way. Reveals more upon repeat listens - I like it. 7/10 4 stars.

Honky Tonk Heroes

Waylon Jennings

3/5

27 minutes - get in and get out - much appreciated for this genre. No knock, that, just that it can start to get stale real quick for me so this was perfect. Favourite track: "Honky Tonk Heroes" - love the change of pace after the first chorus. Subtly great bass playing in this cut too. I'll cut the album off after 9 songs (not a fan of the final track "We Had It All" - too syrupy and slow-country that is very much not to my liking but the rest of the album makes up for it) - good clarity in the mix, no reliance on pedal steel which grates on me; this is the kind of old/outlaw country I enjoy from time to time. Could definitely listen to this again. 6/10 3 stars.

Metal Box

Public Image Ltd.

1/5

Knowing how much I hate their debut, I can't WAIT to hear this one... First song: Albatross. This sounds remarkably similar to something I recorded in high school as a joke on my pocket cassette recorder. And because I was a stupid 16 yr old with the accompanying sense of humour and used that in the "lyrics" it was infinitely better than this zero effort pile of dogshit. I like my fair share of post punk emo mopey Brit c1980 fare but this is hilarious how utterly and distinctly terrible it all is. I don't chafe a bit at the length of the songs. I do mind however that there's no evidence whatsoever that whomever recorded the parts on this album had ever actually played an instrument before. Comical that this album even was released let alone in this book. Run Away. 0/10 1 joke of a star

Cafe Bleu

The Style Council

3/5

A definite / hard turn from The Jam - and more than a bit precious and bouncy at times i.e. the heavy mod rock from Paul Weller is gone gone gone but it's quite a nice listen for the most part. Musicianship is outstanding which carries the load even in most of the weaker parts (notable exception: the embarrassing rap of "A Gospel" which is hilariously out of step and just terrible). I don't know that I'd ever heard this album version of "My Ever Changing Moods" before which is so different from the single/video - I like this piano-driven one better. Overall I don't know how much I truly connect with it even if it's "nice" to listen to throughout (the terrible rap the high/notable exception) - damning with faint praise, that. Almost a classic 3.5 here - not quite enough to put into keeper status but I'll also never be upset to hear it. 7/10 3 stars

Elvis Presley

3/5

Only a few artists even approach being this difficult to "rate" based on their eternal cultural {appropriation} impact - is it fair in 2024 to rip on the fact that not only did he not write any of these songs at all but also helped (literally) whitewash African American music for the ignorant masses? "Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me...." - Chuck D Or do we just accept this as literally one of - if not THE - first "rock" albums ever released, and blasting out 12 rockabilly/country/rock and roll songs in under a half hour with some cool energy? In the time I typed that 4 songs went by. OK I guess it's kind of simple and fun to listen to - "Blue Suede Shoes" is the highlight (*mostly* fun... e.g. "Blue Moon" is terrible) - and also impossible to truly grade nearly 70 (!) years later. I'm not really a big fan of the vocal affectations and the I-IV-V gets stale but again, this was all new at the time. And even ignoring the racial implications (n.b. his version of "Tutti Frutti" here just flat out sucks and almost caused me to give the whole thing a 1), almost reluctantly I have to admit that without this/him we'd never have had The Beatles which means we'd never have had anything. 5/10 3 stars.

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!

Frank Sinatra

4/5

Just had Elvis' debut yesterday which came out this same year which seems anachronistic. I am not a Sinatra fan - the whole persona combined with often-schmalzy vocals are usually just a "just pass, Milton..." from me. e.g. his slower stuff - especially the album "In The Wee Small Hours" grows painful after a few minutes. But ok, this one is alright and maybe even fun. Maybe I'm just picturing the ice-skating scene from Elf during "You Make Me Feel So Young" but it's more upbeat, and has that stereotypical upbeat happy feel. More than the ~45 minutes here would be too much and while swing is nowhere near a genre I generally like.... I don't have anything bad to say about this - this'll be my go-to album when I reach for my fedora. 7/10 4 stars.

One World

John Martyn

3/5

His 1973 album "Solid Air" is fantastic but I'd never heard this one - right away this one hits different and I'm not sure how much I like it. I keep reading about how this is was an early influence on or by dub which...ok, but I don't know if it just doesn't work / is awkward / or simply I don't connect much with it. Having said that, I'm left wishing that more of the album was like the final track "Small Hours" - that ethereal guitar with delays, all kinds of reverbs, some nature sounds in the background.... I *love* this one. (holyshite: I was thinking that Steve Winwood took his keys sound from this but it is actually Steve Winwood playing on it - ha!) TL;DR: inconsistent and unsure about it - ALTHOUGH a second listen made it much more palatable; "Small Hours" made it all worthwhile anyways. 7/10 3 stars

Illinois

Sufjan Stevens

3/5

When this album came out it inspired me to write an album with one song based on/within each of Canada's 13 provinces or territories. Work still in progress, unfortunately. Goddammit. This album has such a massive reach, and in theory should be everything I like. It's...close. Sorta. ..... Actually it's not - it's just too much in so many ways which is something I don't often complain about; I should really go on about how melodic it is while being so complex in composition and arrangement. It is! Jumpy rhythms and odd time signatures punctuating many of the songs.... It's all very pleasant and interesting to listen to! In an "I'm strolling excruciatingly slowly through a museum with my hands behind my back like an 89 year old Italian guy just slowly taking in the local bocce game in the park" kinda way. Specific critiques? ...for one, it has to be said but man - his voice is more than just a little too sensitive and especially over what feels like 82 songs. That dry precious sound would have been great for the first song then maybe varying it up a little ... get fking angry or even just ... agitated? Are you reading a Dr. Seuss book to a 3 year old? As a whole it's all also weirdly/simultaneously too dense *and* too bland. Insulting, I know. At some points I'd wished I would/could write something similar. But vary up the formula a little bit??? Or use some freaking dynamics?? Maybe this album needed a smash single or something or a killer 8 minute Pink Floyd-esque odd-time organ break. It's hard to sink into, but maybe therein lies the secret? Maybe the charm is to just get lost in this sound. - - You know who did/does this almost exact thing yet way better: Jeremy Messersmith. That guy knows how to write a song, keep it to a reasonable length, be precious without being annoying, and make you feel something. - - I thought I needed to spend more time with it - and maybe I still do (but who has that kind of time?) - and not give up on it like I did 12 years ago like when I got to my Manitoba song. But in another way, I knew my project wasn't (still isn't) ready and I sliced a few cuts (provinces) within the first 2 years, in part because other collaborators gave me some needed perspective... ...and so I'm left thinking Sufjan needed an external voice or 3 here as well - if this were say 10 (or 13!) songs and had at least one centrepiece or killer track it probably could have been close to greatness. As it is, I think I'm good for 4 or 5 cuts - any ones, actually - start at track 6? sure! who would know?!? - and then moving on to something else. Points for serious effort and spending a lot of time at the Chicago public library (although some of these lyrics come out like they were written by me in 4th grade so maybe he should have gone out to Wrigley Field instead. What, no Ernie Banks songs?) but in the end it's like one singular 75 minute soundtrack for a cute 6th grade holiday pageant that has gone on far too long and our kid already had their quick little sheep cameo so can we go home already?? (I probably graded it too high but I need to separate this from the shitty lo-fi/lo-efforts of the world in my own stupid little headspace) 5/10 3 stars

Copper Blue

Sugar

3/5

That heavy in-your-face thick yet clear wall of guitar sound with Bob Mould's vocals actually stood out a little amongst that first wave of new music in 1992. Bob Mould has this weird-old-muppety-sameness to his voice that I don't actually dislike for a few songs, it just gets .... samey after a while. I always kinda liked Sugar but as I listen to this for the first time in a few decades I realized it's a bit shallow - not sure beyond this if I could ever really sit through an entire album. Maybe it's the simplicity - there's only so far you can go with the chunky 1/8 note rhythms in every song. It definitely works, but there's really not a ton more than that. I like it enough for a quick fix - decent high-adrenaline overly-distorted rock that couldn't be more early 90s if it tried. Come to think of it, they couldn't have picked a better name for the band. 6/10 3 stars.

Zombie

Fela Kuti

4/5

Please read the wiki entry on this album - even if just the first section. Sometimes the right album hits on the right day - this is one. Righteously political and fantastic music yet without a lot of vocals (a plus; no knock on Fela); gave it 2 spins today while working and on the 2nd I got to kick back and just enjoy it all. I think I really like African jazz and this is a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Harvest

Neil Young

4/5

There is something undeniably warm and soothing about this album, even as I usually grow quickly bored of "simple" rootsy music like this. Which sounds hilarious considering a song title like "Needle and the Damage Done" admittedly... Not sure it's possible to distill nostalgia from objectivity on this, but isn't that the point of music and art anyways.... at least 3 huge and worthy classics/hits on this which help propel it along when it drags (it's Neil Young so it's gonna drag here and there, and does). Sequencing of the tracks was smart on this too - the opening track "Out on the Weekend" is a snoozer but at the same time makes sense to open up the album - it would be lost later in the record and probably skippable. Honestly there are times where this album will piss me off, and has - it's so stupidly laconic that if I want some energy I'll want to fling the record into a wall - so it'll never be a favourite, but there's an undeniable appeal when you're lazy or depressed or sitting and swinging slowly on a shaded porch on a hot summer day or i suppose strung out on heroin if that's your jam. blahblahblah this is probably the Neil album to have if only just for the musical history. 7/10 4 stars.

Roxy Music

3/5

I find Bryan Ferry tough to take on this one more than I do on their next 2 albums - fortunately there's so much other weird shit going on that I can often ignore him. e.g.: a) the oboe solo on Ladytron what. b) that wild way-too-loud-but-still-cool synth on Virginia Plain. ... Ferry is *really* annoying on this which sucks because the music is so fun and diverse and quirky yet still rock ... I'm gonna have to give this more of a chance, and yet I wish I could get a remix with Ferry barely being audible. Thinking with repeat listens I might get used to him. Great band tho... 6/10 3 stars.

Porcupine

Echo And The Bunnymen

3/5

+1 for the cover - I've been to that waterfall and can't imagine trekking that trail in the winter... Great energy on this album but on my first rip through I kept thinking the songs aren't as memorable as on their next album Ocean Rain. Overall it feels like this album kind of needs a killer track, although upon second listen The Cutter is a pretty great opener. It's close. Maybe if anything I was a tad put off that I didn't love it which made me give it a second critical listen, which helped. Maybe a case of expectations here - I was looking forward to this after digesting (their next album after this) Ocean Rain last year and while Echo had their own sound by this album...it's decent and yet as absurd as this sounds being that it was just their 3rd album, it almost sounds like a cookie-cutter version of the band. Like they were still figuring out how to finish off a great idea.it wasn't completely matched by the songwriting. Yet... 6/10 3stars

The Notorious Byrd Brothers

The Byrds

3/5

It's the creamy-soft vocals from the Byrds that make me lose interest, nearly fall asleep, or conversely put on some Iron Maiden. The music is pretty great on this though - especially considering it was released in 1968 - weird effects, synths, no fewer than *two* songs in 5/4 time signature, etc. All of which give it a little more something than what I'd expected or heard from the previous/bigger Byrds radio hits. "Tribal Gathering" is notable - totally sounds like it could have been on the B-side of CSNY's "Deja Vu" - I wonder why.... Oh and they steered further away from the 12-string jangly shit that I think of when I hear "The Byrds" which was a good call - those songs are my least-favourite. It's Roger McGuinn's vocals that I've never vibed with which could never make them a favourite old-timey band for me. Still worthy of a listen or 3 for sure and if you like these vocals/harmonies which probably most people do I'd even highly recommend it. 6/10 3 stars

Moby Grape

2/5

I feel like I would have appreciated this more if I were around for its release but I just listened to the album and while it was obviously a talented group and at points I noticed some creative spots I don't remember a damn thing I listened to. I'm left with the feeling that I just listened to the/a generic late 60s California soundtrack. Not a bad thing but wasn't an active listening trip for me. 4/10 2 stars. [n.b. not on Apple Music - looked it up on youtube]

In It For The Money

Supergrass

4/5

Didn't like their debut but - wow. I'd never heard this one - the first/title track made me sit up immediately as it kicked in, loving the harmonic quality combined with the punk energy. The worst part of the album though is by far the mix. Awful. So-typical mid90s over compressed shit which is unfortunate because I'd really like to have heard this in/with more dynamics and clarity. When I can ignore the mix it's great - much more variety than I'd expected. Vocals *can* tend to be a little grating in a Billy Corgan kinda way but for the most part the music overshadows it. "Sun Hits the Sky" is an early favourite because of the bass. That last one though ("Sometimes I Make You Sad") is out there...Bloodrock vibes? TL;DR: Really surprised how much I like this - stands out from most Brit-pop, could have been on the high 4 / maybe 5 end with a better mix but sounding like shit keeps it down. Still a keeper and a fun rock album. 7/10 4 stars.

The Healer

John Lee Hooker

2/5

These collab albums always irk me, even (especially?) for a legend like Hooker. For a modern comparison we had that Beyonce album that had nearly 100 people who worked on / co-wrote the album. So...truly, whose album is it anyways? Obviously this one seems different but is it really? An attempt to modernize or 80s-gloss-up what was one of the ~3 most influential true blues artists of the 20th century... this should have been right in my righteous teenaged wheelhouse at the time but wasn't. Feels a bit wrong to slam this one but I mostly hate it, although full disclosure: it does get a ton better after the first half - I love his voice and while/as he's singing I enjoy it but the sterilized and impersonal juxtaposition of the rest of the recording/band/mix makes it a bit ridiculous. Also I don't want to hear fking Carlos Santana - dude you have your own band - the first track is clearly a Santana song with JLH vocals. Should that matter? Probably not. But I don't like it. On the real-life positive side, I know this finally made JLH financially comfortable after a long live in the business so I begrudge him nothing. Best songs: "Sally Mae" / "That's Alright" - feels like this is the way he should be presented (even though admittedly it could get boring with 40 minutes of this). Actually I should interrupt and check my rant - the entire 2nd half is legit. In general I don't really love much raw music but actual/pure blues kinda has to be that way. Despite the better 2nd half of the album, the first half turned me right off - give me his early recordings. 5/10 2 stars.

Duck Stab/Buster & Glen

The Residents

2/5

What. The actual fk. Did I just listen to. I'm all for anything Doctor Demento would have featured on his show being out there in the world, but I can't question enough why this is on the list. Someone else in here wrote it better than I could, thank you fellow reviewer: "I’m convinced that no one actually listens to this kind of stuff out of pure personal enjoyment, and it instead becomes known and popularized from the kinds of reactions you get from people when you put it on..." It is "entertaining" as a curio and absolutely invokes memories of more of the bizarre/disturbing saturday morning cartoons as a kid, so I am perhaps slightly intrigued by it.... But/so in every way...this only works as a background, or accompaniment, or soundtrack to something hilariously disturbing. As music to explicitly place on your turntable/ipod/streaming device .... there's just no fking way. Yet, having said that (and to be clear, it's pretty awful) after finishing it I just couldn't bring myself to give this a 1. There's too much rock/pop/whatever music out there that is either so lowest-common-denominator, lo-fi/lo-effort, or just goddamn terrible that something this absurd and *obviously* not meant to be played on KISS-96 or Q-107 or whatever, that I have to give them some credit. In fact I might just let this aural freak flag fly on Halloween to wig out the little freeloaders coming to the house... 3/10 2 stars.

Bookends

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

"Honey - they're on pot." A personally-formative album (this one's for Cordie) - one of the ~5 or so records in my parents' collection that I learned to read from and love music all at once as a toddler. I still have little tinges of remembering how a few parts of songs scared me at age 2 (the voices, sound fx, something in "At The Zoo" that only would make sense to a 2yr old), this was the "freaky" S&G album - bonus points for that which help earn it a score of timeless utter perfection. Experimental, weirdly unpredictable for a "folk duo" and definitely a few echoes of Sgt. Pepper in terms of use of the studio as an instrument. I'll just leave it as perfect, including the quick running time. 10/10 5 stars

Psychocandy

The Jesus And Mary Chain

2/5

I think they need more reverb. .... This band also had the worst snare drum sound outside of an 808 in pop/rock history. From the literal first measure of the album I can't get by it. My music tastes changed a ton since the 80s and I like most of what I'd thought I hated back then but this one I just can't - the songs are not bad at the core yet wholly unremarkable so of course the band was all about the sound, which is frankly terrible. Zzzzz.... there were/are so many other better retro 80s alt-rock artists. Pass. 3/10 2 stars.

Suede

3/5

I remember this album but not sure how much time - if any - I gave it back upon release. It holds up, and is way better than their follow-up album (Dog Man Star). Really the biggest negative is that the vocals get (more than?) a little trying at times, but I do say that on ~80% of albums. I like the music, although it all gets tiring by the end and I can't figure why it doesn't sustain my interest. e.g. I'd put any 2 of these songs on at any time and dig it but after 6 or 7 the mind wanders... I know on their next album I felt this way a lot more quickly. Is it production? Lack of dynamics? TL;DR: Decently surprising variety, and definitely stands out amongst the other billion or so 90s Brit-pop entries on this list not to mention what still gets (over)played on radio, but can't sustain my long-term interest. Good for a few tracks on a playlist. 6/10 3 stars.

Basket of Light

Pentangle

4/5

The first song Light Flight sounds like it alternates between time signatures of 5 and 7 in the verses which is possibly my favourite thing about this album. Your mileage may vary wildly on this. It gets a little churchy (13th Century Cathedral-ly?) in parts, a bit "tilling the fields in my bonnet" in others. It's a bit fey so tread lightly - as the band did. So while it's very possible or even probable that I may not listen to this again, it kinda feels like too much creativity, uniqueness, and talent to not give it respect. Definitely puts you in another time and space and how many records can really do that? 7/10 4 stars

After The Gold Rush

Neil Young

5/5

Another nostalgia album. Age 3, trying to learn to read via the enclosed poster with the lyrics and being freaked out by that 2nd song with "I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships coming...." but listening to it over and over and over and being weirdly mesmirized... I shouldn't like most albums like this ... but it just hits in some fundamental way, and then the piano songs (title track obvs, "Birds") really add in a full color to this record and then we've got the classic "Southern Man" rocker on the other side of the ledger... damn I think this weekend I realized I'd mostly forgotten about this album for about 40 years and hearing it makes me feel like a kid again and that I actually love this freaking record. 9/10 5 stars

The Age Of The Understatement

The Last Shadow Puppets

2/5

As if The Arctic Monkeys traveled back in time to 1969 and tried to record a groovy album. If you like Arctic Monkeys, sounds like a great idea. But just like I cannot connect at all with Arctic Monkeys, I can't here either. Obvious vocal connection but it's maybe no worse than half the other groups on here... maybe that impersonal flat-tone just overshadows everything else and makes this a boring listen. I know there's a lot here but I can never grab ahold of anything - I do think it's the vocals. Also dude - you.never.stop.singing. Let it breathe just a little. Not my bag. 5/10 2 stars

Millions Now Living Will Never Die

Tortoise

4/5

First impression - this is a great headphone album. I'm not entirely sure about the song delineation/s here. Djed is 20 minutes but it's not 1 "song" or even really a good pastiche like those old 20 minute prog rock classics (e.g. suppers ready, 2112). When we get to the next track tho I'm really digging it - I love the vibraphone on "Glass Museum" - giving a bit of a fusion-Zappa vibe. Overall - this is hard or impossible to categorize. This is a "great to work to" album - no vocals to distract, not even any jarring instrumental breaks but at the same time it doesn't lapse into boredom (much). I think the 20 minute "Djed" is a bit of a downer; should either have been the last track or subdivided into 2 or 3 shorter cuts. This one feels especially weird reducing it to a number/score because similar rankings I'm sure I'll listen to more, but for what this is...it's pretty excellent, and might be a zen go-to album for me. 7/10 4 stars

Music From The Penguin Cafe

Penguin Cafe Orchestra

4/5

I've loved getting 2 instrumental albums back to back - first the post-rock of Tortoise and now the.... how do you categorize this? Apple Music says "rock" and I politely and firmly disagree... Brian Eno was executive producer which might mean nothing more than "I'll pay for your studio time" but "Eno" should be a category because that would track here. I love it - it's ... Penguin Cafe Orchestra, I don't know if there's a better description. I was familiar with their later track "Perpetuum Mobile" which is a favourite but am not sure I'd heard this album. Highlight: keys (Fender Rhodes?) on the longest track "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter" Different and weirdly unpredictable. 8/10 4 stars

The Madcap Laughs

Syd Barrett

1/5

Weird - this album sounds like someone ushered a sad, mentally ill, doped up dude off the street into a small room, gave him an untuned guitar, then turned on an old tape recorder and said GO! Oh wait... "....informing the music press that Barrett was suffering from nervous exhaustion..." -wiki Nervous exhaustion? I've got nervous exhaustion every damn day - who doesn't? I didn't get a major label release. It would be a far fking sight better than this tripe. Sorrynotsorryabit to sound unsympathetic but the excuses made for Syd Barrett and this pile of dog shit recording can get real tiring to read about. I've no patience for this twaddle - guy couldn't sing, couldn't play, had trouble putting shit together to make even somewhat of a cohesive song - SHOCKING that Pink Floyd took off after his dismissal... That was sarcasm. This is awful. 1/10 1 star.

The Clash

3/5

Fun if a bit uncomplicated; always great to hear a classic band's debut to see/hear how far they'd take their music. This is definitely a huge step over most (all?) so-called punk of the time, mostly with the themes and lyrics. My overall issue is that the music isn't quite *there* yet as they'd quickly develop as tremendous songwriters. It's a fun album to listen to in some respects but song for song there's nothing I'd put up as an individual standout. Enjoyable and historically important but their best was coming soon... 5/10 3 stars

Lost In The Dream

The War On Drugs

3/5

Opening up an album with a 9 minute song - what is this, peak Genesis? Alas, it is not (and for that we are all the lesser) but off the top it still emerged as a nice soundscape. Through this first song it's a little same-y by alternating between 2 chord sequences virtually the entire time, but altering the mood with different arrangements helps a lot. It's a well-done track but might have been better served as the/an album closer? A lot of David Gray sound to it which is somewhat troubling in that he has an immediately-accessible sound/voice which got/gets old very fast. So those were thoughts just through said first 9 minutes / first song and the rest of the album kind of held up to my last thought there - it just all doesn't go much further in a lot of ways... It all sounds *nice* - very nice. But it washes over me, and each song is far too long for its own good - these would have been much better-served being 3.5-4 minute songs with a clear chorus - actually a rare album where I think they (he?) should have set a goal of being more commercial in terms of appeal. There's a lot of meandering around a simple/nice idea to the point where suddenly 5 minutes have gone by, I'd forgotten what I was listening to, and wow is it the same song? huh. One specific example: I don't love the repetitive "drum" tracks; especially on track 4 "An Ocean in Between the Waves; this could/should have been much more emotional impact on this song - it's good but without a live drummer it fails for me. Also: it's all a little too Arcade Fire meets Bob Dylan for my tastes. TL;DR: It doesn't feel right giving this a low grade because it's so melodic and a lot of care, effort, and talent was put into it. It just left me wanting a lot more and ended up being not edgy or mysterious enough for me to put it in keeper status. It's a nice listen, but that's as far as I can get behind it. 5/10 3 stars.

Protection

Massive Attack

4/5

I immediately like this better than their debut album; they bring their trippy yet warm sounds into a more modern/accessible forum - plus the vocals here for a change I actually like (track 1: "Protection") from Tracey Thorn (of Everything But the Girl...). The space given in the music is perfect - creating tension that rarely breaks yet is still always compelling. Combined with the great instrumentation - creative/tasteful synths, excellent subtle guitar work, drum loops that somehow don't get stale or frustrating. It's not perfect to me because of some of the vocalists - I vastly prefer no vocals or Thorn's (tracks 1 and 6, "Better Things") to the others (although the Tricky cuts definitely match the vibe); wishing an entire album's worth was done with her but the great music [notable exception being the crappy "Light My Fire" cover] makes this one to keep. 8/10 4 stars.

Your New Favourite Band

The Hives

1/5

This, in fact, is *not* my new favourite band and I would like my money back, so put your little hand back into the cash register and give me my next album, please....Brad. Only good thing to say about this travesty of sound is that it was only a half-hour out of my life. Fking terrible. 1/10 1 star.

Justified

Justin Timberlake

1/5

No. This is so 2002 in the most Target/Abercrombie/suburban strip mall way possible, all punctuated with a million "producers" zzzzz. Say something positive.... ok... I appreciate the organic drum sounds on many of these songs, which only occasionally add the smallest bit of humanity to this soulless product that all blends together into a boring, often-embarrassing, forgettable, and too damn long by about 12 songs album. 2/10 1 star.

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

4/5

That bass on the opening hit "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is enough to give this a minimum 4/5 on its own. Sets the tone for the album - an awesome R&B-meets-disco collection with organic instrumentation and even though it's super-produced (Quincy Jones) to a fine detail...it's still not over-produced (even though that makes no sense). Best overall aspect is that there's a great sense of space in all of these songs, it's not too much. Don't care what genre you like or not, and I don't like or listen to much dance music per se, but this fkng rocks. Even though through cultural osmosis his next album Thriller permeates/d everything, I like this first half better than Thriller. Counterpoint: the 2nd half is a marked step down... tracks 6-9 are generously-average which kills the vibe (although the final cut "Burn This Disco Out" does redeem it before the end) a bit. TL;DR: The first 5 songs are a slam-dunk 10/10 then it gets a little....soupy/sappy.... after that, so i'll give it a high 4 overall. 9/10 4 stars.

Innervisions

Stevie Wonder

5/5

Question: If this is the peak of peak-Stevie, and Stevie Wonder is near or at the peak of all-time musicians, by transitive property does that put this album near or even at the peak of all recorded music? I believe it does. Highlights: everything, although gun to my head "Living For The City" is one of my favourite cuts by anyone anywhere. Too much greatness to succumb to any detailed description. Flawless / timeless / genius: a top 10 all-time album. 10/10 5 stars.

Let Love Rule

Lenny Kravitz

3/5

The title track will never not remind me of college, for better or (and?) worse. First experience with cable living on my own. Lotta MTV that year. Grades may have suffered. When I think of "Lenny Kravitz" now I think of autotuned/overproduced middle-of-the-road extreme boredom but this debut was kinda cool - I probably haven't heard it since 1989. It's raw and LK definitely gets points for playing almost all the instruments himself. Negatives pretty much revolve around some of the songs just not being fully developed - e.g. "Freedom Train" has a great groove and after half a minute I'm loving it then a minute later I'm thinking "let's get on with it already." But the cool harmonies on many of these songs (when the "Let Love Rule" single came out that's what we all took note of) are the signature hook/feature. Not a perfect album and few chills but I could do a lot worse than listening to this again. 6/10 3 stars.

Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart

4/5

The best Rod Stewart ever got might be right here - the title track is fantastic and a perfect time machine for 1970 on its own. Quintessential "old rock" that isn't complicated at all but better than 80% of shitty classic rock you hear on FM107 every day - this is what should be played instead. Even though by the end of the album I start to get a little tired of the formula and some of the tunes are ehhhh (was going to mention the Elton John cover but Jo's Lament is an unneeded brake on the album's momentum before the raw closing track "You're My Girl" which is my favourite on the record), it's still an excellent listen - get it on vinyl. 7/10 4 stars.

Tago Mago

Can

1/5

Can't. Wanking over one chord for 18 minutes is uninspired, directionless, and unimaginative dreck. Not to even mention the unmusical halloween horror show of the last half. Fans of VU will probably love it tho. 1/10 1 star

L'Eau Rouge

The Young Gods

2/5

Ministry kidnaps an evil and angry Leonard Cohen then force feeds him heavy laxatives, and puts him on the toilet at center stage with a microphone while simultaneously a French orchestra is playing alongside trying to keep up with the industrial and fecal onslaught. I will say - it's different. Awarding a point for serious effort but honestly: holy shit. 3/10 2 stars

25

Adele

3/5

Excellent melody throughout a collection of very accessible songs and it is the rare album for me that the focus properly *is* the vocals - I do enjoy Adele's singing, one of the few that bring me in just with their voice. I already know many of these tunes which might actually have been an initial false-boost because after listening to a few in a row the mega-production here just does not hit any of the same raw nerves for me as pretty much everything on her previous album "21" did/does. 21 felt raw in a good way, you could almost imagine a singer and band in a studio/room/lounge and the songs would feel the same. These songs aren't all that different structurally on this album which in the end when you're putting a few chords together melodically and then putting all the music through every studio cleanser/polisher possible .... it all just ends up having the effect of approaching boredom which is never what you want in a record. It all sounds so ... safe. So even with my at least enjoying virtually any/every one of these songs in isolation ... over the expanse of the album it all sort of smooths out into one chunk of "I don't know if I actually remember any individual songs..." In the end it's all just fine. For me this sounds like a massive-budget record company push album which of course it was/is. The songs are fine but a lot is lost for me with the huge studio sheen. Nitpicking, but if it doesn't move me... I do love a good closing song and "Sweetest Devotion" is probably my favourite track here. TL;DR: Good stuff that I'd never turn off, but it's not an active play/favourite as a whole package like "21" was. 6/10 3 stars

The Next Day

David Bowie

3/5

8 Bowie. This is our 8th David Bowie album on the list. Thus far. I don't need to go 8 albums deep by anyone on a cross-section list and that *might* even include The Beatles. I've got 100 to go, odds are that there will be *another* Bowie album. ... Do you want me putting Rush's "A Farewell to Kings" on here? My 1001 list would have it (and at least 7 others from the band) but most people would probably (sadly) reject that and say for the love of John Rutsey stop this already and I truly understand that because that would be RIDICULOUS. I haven't even listened yet. Nice effort on the album cover, btw. Jeez was he dying by then and just wanted literally anything? Embarrassing. .... ok I'll listen but blahblah as I say with every Bowie...he's not my thing, I just don't like his voice, I'll never be a fan, can we just see other people and be cordial without meeting up like this every 2 months.... .... Ok - I listened and it's not bad. :D I debated deleting some of the above but I'm the only one who'll ever read this anyways. The music is decent and easy enough to steer away from Bowie's weird affectations as the worst of that Bowie was his blue-eyed soul efforts of the mid 70s which this is far-removed from. It's just not much of anything special, just a rock album, but a fair-to-decent enough record to put on without much pushback. So...meh? ok? Am I not trying hard enough? An hour later and I don't remember any of the songs. Next... 6/10 3 stars.

All That You Can't Leave Behind

U2

2/5

The vocals on this album always sounded to me like Bono was lying in bed while recording many of these songs. Think about that while listening to this record. Once that got into my head I realized quickly that it was Bono's voice that had driven me fully away from the band. Liked their early stuff a lot, started wavering in the late 80s, but this one it sounds like Bono mailed in. I think I bought this within a day or 2 of its release. Not at all sure why, maybe I got caught up in the buzz and was bored with whatever I'd been listening to at the time and wanted to like them again, but instead I never bought another U2 album. (aside: it's a bit weird isn't it how people hate Bono the person so much... really? Fine - he can come across as pompous and all-knowing but check your fking heads - if you'll rail on him but less-so on actual shithead wankers like Lou Reed, Stephen Tyler, Roger Waters, Jimmy fucking Page, or hello Eric Clapton who are actual for-real shitty people ... that ain't right) TL;DR: Inoffensive and bland but fine. The worst is that it was a formerly excellent band signing off from a run of creativity and authenticity but honestly who cares. First few songs were big hits and that catchiness carries the day as that second half is a real rough slog to get through. In retrospect this album highlights how U2 were the blueprint for the Coldplay career path. 5/10 2 stars

The Band

3/5

Unscientifically, I believe the only music I've ever loved that expressly sings about the American South is by a pair of Brits named Reginald Dwight and Bernie Taupin on the perfect "Tumbleweed Connection" album ... which probably took some sort of lyrical influence from this one but actually added a massive amount of musical diversity (and tempo). I still - or especially now, perhaps - don't give a shit about the American South and their so-called Dixie heritage so points deducted for bullshit pandering. Secede already, ffs. ok ok honestly, even though this is nowhere near my favourite styles of music, this album is better than I remember and maybe it's partially because I'm not 20 anymore. If I had to choose an album by The Band, this is the one. Even though they tend to plod a bit for my likings, I've not truly noticed the musicality within and this is a good variety that ends just in time for it not to overstay its welcome. But why do each of the singers sound like a muppet. 7/10 3 stars.

The Modern Dance

Pere Ubu

2/5

The Cuyahoga River flows directly through Cleveland (OH, USA) and in the 1960s would actually *catch on fire* frequently due to how polluted it was. Crocus Behemoth is the moniker adopted by the "vocalist" in the band, who were founded in Cleveland. There must be some correlation here. 4/10 2 stars. (Stunning that not one album from Pere Ubu is here but 2. This is not as terrible as their followup - that's the best I can give it)

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

2/5

This sounds a lot like a bunch of noises the tape drive on my friend's shitty Vic-20 (look it up) computer used to make. So. We have an album of that, including bonus mumbled voices and screams from the basement. Ok so yes it is hilariously terrible and it's not really "music" per se, but weirdly I didn't turn it off and it IS here just in time for Halloween - I imagine just looping this at the front door for 3 hours would be enough to weed out the pretenders. And honestly if given the choice I would re-listen to this than anything by Lou Reed or Leonard Cohen so go off, I guess. 3/10 2 stars.

Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins

5/5

I look back at 1993 with lots of nostalgia - I know I'm washing away a ton of anxiety, bad young-person decision making, and awful diets, but for me it was a watershed year noted by waves of new music, Geddy Lee singing O Canada at the all-star game, Wendel Clark, and Joe Carter. Anything on this album brings me back to all of it - I listened to it endlessly that year from week 1 of release. Although "Cherub Rock" is the perfect album starter that makes me want to run through a wall, it's the 4th track "Hummer" that immediately killed me and still does - absolutely their best song and one of my favourites by anyone from the decade. Everything in that song and then you get to the soft guitar outro to "Hummer" holy shit. That stuck with me. Man I hadn't listened to this in way too long. My only critique is that it's a bit too long in running time - they could have cut maybe 3 songs (even just stop after "Mayonaise" or just keep "Silverfuck" of the last 4 which would have been an insane album-closer) and it probably would have made for a bigger impact. The last 2 cuts are nice but almost feel like pleasant EP bonus tracks. Overall I still love it length notwithstanding and for me this was it for the Pumpkins - after the exhausting and boring Mellon Collie I don't think I ever heard another SP song. This ranks as one of my favourite guitar rock albums. 9/10 5 stars.

Lam Toro

Baaba Maal

2/5

Mixed bag at best. Some of this was straight up disappointing - e.g. the first two tracks especially "Toro" aren't necessarily bad but there's a sterility and dated sound to it that just prevents me from making any connection. Actually track 6 "Gidelam" IS bad. Track 3 "Daande Lenol" is more of what I'd like to hear. I don't know, overall I was expecting something different... maybe it's my ignorance which I'll fully cop to but the attempted melding of genres ends up occasionally sounding cheesy. I do think much if not most of it stems from the arrangement and production. Anyways I'm nowhere near knowledgeable-enough about Senegalese or even African music but my limited knowledge can't help but compare to MC Solaar or Amadou and Miriam which I like infinitely more. Baaba Maal isn't getting to me. 4/10 2 stars.

Heavy Weather

Weather Report

5/5

Jaco on bass (esp: "Teen Town") is worth the admission alone. A classic - one of our Sunday morning vinyl staples. I do love good jazz fusion and although it's not quite up to my favourites in the genre (i.e. Herbie Hancock, Billy Cobham, George Duke) it is infinitely more accessible. That might be a drawback for HARDCORE FUSION HEADS but there's a lot of value in an album with tight songs that's not gonna drive away your family (sometimes...). Aside from Jaco's playing, my favourite individual moments/sounds are Joe Zawinul playing the ARP synth on "Palladium." 9/10 5 stars.

Destroy Rock & Roll

Mylo

2/5

Each time I thought this might be a little bit catchy it inevitably would soon devolve into a typically uninteresting repetitive part over and over....and at times was just straight up annoying. The satanic panic song could have been a funny idea but is lazy.... just unimaginatively playing this preacher's speech endlessly which ended up having the effect of me wanting to agree with the lunatic just so the music would stop ... I didn't even get a nostalgic pang for some of the recognizable 80s samples. it just felt like audio engineering class project pandering. I like when electronica freaks me out, transports me, or soothes me. this did none of the above. ...how is this something I need to hear?? 3/10 2 stars. barely.

L.A. Woman

The Doors

2/5

Eh. 3rd Doors album is about 2.5 too many. I'm probably in the lower end of the demographic that *should* theoretically like The Doors, but Morrison's voice and Manzarek's lounge-keyboard have always rubbed me the wrong way. On this album you add those ingredients to mostly shitty bluesy songs ("Been Down So Long" is hideous) and you've got shit soup. "L'America" holycow you've got to make an effort to put out a song as bad as that one. HOWEVER! Some positive notes -> saving this album are two songs I actually like: the title track comes just in time at track 5 - it works despite Morrison's ... meta-Morrison thing. This song takes you on a ride so much more than nearly anything else they ever did. Best though is the final cut - it's hard to argue with "Riders On The Storm" though - that's a great mood piece. TL;DR: Take those 2 songs and kill the rest quickly. 5/10 2 stars.

Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches

Happy Mondays

2/5

Well, it's definitely better than their previous directionless mess of an album "Bummed" but... it's a fairly pedestrian if pleasant melodic british rock album. Meh. And pedestrian in the "accompanying a middle-aged overweight pedestrian who needs to sit and rest every once in a while" sense. So I guess this album to me is like a dull slow walk on a rather unsightly street that gives me no exercise. I'm just so bored. 4/10 2 stars

Moss Side Story

Barry Adamson

2/5

This is your talented friend's demo reel he's sending out to the Vancouver Film Board to get some post-production work. It's impressive and a creative audio C.V. but so who's listening to this as entertainment? "Hey Quinn! Put on Moss Side Story, willya???" - not bloody likely. 4/10 2 stars.

Are You Experienced

Jimi Hendrix

5/5

And so it seems that The Hendrix Experience finally clicked with me *today* - after just 45+ years of digesting and playing rock music.... I grew up on guitar-based music, have played professionally for decades, etc, I just never got into JHE songs at all. I honestly do think my dislike was heavily based around the lousy mix and the hits I know all too well immediately sound so much goddamn better than they ever did on ~Rock101 back in 1982 - holy hell. With this album having been remixed/remastered (which is too-often nothing at best and a shitty overly-compressed money grab at worst) it feels like I'm hearing it all for the first time, even though 5 or 6 of these songs have been big hits since before I was born. Not much else to say - it's awesome, the *band* were great, and there really was nothing like this before 1967 to prepare the world. It's not my favourite music of all-time but my all-time favourite music would not have been made without this. Ergo it has to be a 5... 9/10 5 stars.

Another Music In A Different Kitchen

Buzzcocks

1/5

Actual original 70s punk would have been so much better if even 50% of the band members were halfway good at learning how to play their instruments. Shit like this gives everyone decent around them a shitty name. Run along back to class now, little boys. 3/10 1 star

Fifth Dimension

The Byrds

2/5

Yes yes fine it's The Byrds. Instantly recognizable harmonies and 12 string electric guitar. Obviously massively influential even to this day. But JFC....the guitar playing bugs the everliving shit out of me. Jim (or...I thought his name was Roger? Did he change his name somewhere along the years...?) McGuinn has to be the absolute worst 12 string player in rock history. Fine, sue me. He sounded like a drunken bumblebee. He's absolutely fkng terrible and permeates too much of this. The shitty guitar playing doesn't help the already poor songs. I'm just not a fan - the wiki entry is littered with middling-at-best reviews both upon release and contemporary which...yes, it truly is "scattered" but I think that just means "lousy." 3/10 2 stars.

New Wave

The Auteurs

2/5

After taking a THC gummy I'll end up saying something and very literally forget what I was talking about even 2 sentences later - you take the gummy for a specific effect but so if you're actually trying to concentrate on saying anything worthwhile at all it's annoying and even off-putting , which of course why would you... TL;DR: this album is that gummy. At any point during these <checks notes> 43 minutes I couldn't / can't remember a thing from 2 minutes ago. The singer is like a less-engaged George Harrison, who was a bland singer to begin with. It's fine. Terribly boring. Inoffensive. Rubber-stamped new-early-90s-Britpop. I think...? 4/10 2 stars

Greetings From L.A.

Tim Buckley

1/5

I hate to be so facile as to throw another complaint on the pile along the lines of "WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY ALBUMS BY OBSCURE ARTIST XXXX" I truly do. But why tf do we have THREE albums by Tim Buckley? The previous 2 were at best curios and at worst a mess. But this album is immediately and sustainably comically-awful - one of the worst in >900 for many reasons. It mostly plays like a parody - is this a sexist-racist Barney Gumble singing??? What the actual living (dead) hell? Beyond a throwaway, this is insulting. This spot on this list would have been better served by even another Bowie album (mostly kidding). I've no way to prove it but "worst/most-stupid lyrics of all time" is not a reach in any way and sometime during the 3rd song I pulled the cord and bailed tf out of this travesty. Bass player (Chuck Rainey!) is killer, though. Have to remember this one when i'm done and compiling the 10 worst albums because this is an easy call. 1/10 0 stars.

Lust For Life

Iggy Pop

2/5

I'll never get the attraction of this guy from the lowest of the low (music critics). OK yes - the title track is a fine enough pop song, I tap my foot to it, sure, but that's the extent of it. "The Passenger" probably took 3 minutes to write and I'm sure that MAKES IT AUTHENTIC no no wrong it just makes it a low effort sequence of 4 chords and 2 vocal notes over and over. Miss me with this and all of that low-rent 70s NYC punk/new wave rock scene rubbish and throw it in the overloaded bin. "Tonight" sounds like a very pale imitation of classic Alice Cooper. Positives: I'll give one -> overall this is markedly better than his previous effort or anything by The (awful) Stooges - I'm sure David Bowie's hand helped keep it a lot more melodic - but right, right: I don't like David Bowie which explains why I still don't like this. 4/10 2 stars.

Hot Fuss

The Killers

4/5

eh i don't have to always make this so complicated: I want to *not* like these guys and the singer is more than a bit mid and I absolutely hate this mega-compressed terrible mix but ... dammit there's a dumb and irresistible catchiness to it all. Maybe it's good for me to not think too hard about rock music sometimes because I'd be stupid to deny the nostalgia here with the big hits. And even though those first 4 songs could carry the album alone, the second half (which I'd never heard) is actually just as fun, if not more-so. Much less wall-of-guitar-heavy and reliant on synths and melody.... I really like it. "Change Your Mind" is a straight-from-the-80s synth pop hit tarted up for this millennium. TL;DR: went into it thinking I was gonna be arrogantly rolling my eyes for the better part of an hour lumping them in with hipster and fecking horrible shit like Arctic Monkeys / Strokes / Hives but instead added an album to my collection. I feel slightly less-jaded tonight. 8/10 4 stars.

Rumours

Fleetwood Mac

4/5

"Rumours? No - that's all true." If I have anything negative to say it's completely a personal-taste thing, as I never liked Fleetwood Mac as a kid. Too often the super-sweet melodies/harmonies of this album especially hadn't connected with me (even if I've actually owned the album since forever ago) much at all and there was no edge or danger to the music....and for me Christine McVie had an objectively lovely voice and yet her songs and singing did nothing for me. ...but at the same time wtf it sold like 30 MILLION copies and when they apparently went into the studio aiming for a flawless record where every song could potentially be a hit, they nailed it in a way that maybe only a small handful of acts in history have ever nailed it. So, huge props for achieving the nearly unachievable goal. Also I'm older so who GAF about being edgy. Also it *sounds* absolutely amazing. There's a lot of subtlety in virtually each and every song from all instruments that gets uncovered when you carefully listen in headphones, even if you (I) have heard these songs a quabillion times. TL;DR: Like most of the diamond-selling monster classic rock albums I'm always sick of these songs if I hear one in the wild but listening to the album front to back is the way to do it and I'll always fully-appreciate it this way. Favourite track: "Gold Dust Woman" 8/10 4 stars

Bringing It All Back Home

Bob Dylan

3/5

I'm more partial to Subterranean Homesick Alien. Hearing Dylan play straight blues ("On the Road Again") is painful but the rest of the album is alright enough. Recognize/acknowledge that this is where he (partially, at least) WENT ELECTRIC so history etc etc. I will say his original version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is much more palatable to me than the arguably more-famous version by The Byrds. I guess that really cements that I don't care much about perfect-pitch singing.... Anyways, it's fine. More songs about grey flannel dwarves would have been kick-ass. Favourite cut: "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" 5/10 3 stars

I’m a Lonesome Fugitive

Merle Haggard

2/5

While understanding and respecting his massive musical influence (on a genre that I often don't enjoy) - and perhaps this completely cements how influential he was - at this point in 2024 I can walk into any Nashville bar on Broadway at noon on a Wednesday and hear songs just like these. Probably these very songs. Again - maybe that's exactly the point, but it doesn't exactly pump me full of lead. I feel like this so-called "outlaw country" is a bit of a canard - I don't buy it here at all, or maybe anywhere - and isn't badass in any way if all it takes is extremely predictable 3 chord unimaginative progressions with milquetoast "oh my woman left me and i hopped a train after escaping from prison lyrics" accompanied by gentle vocals - ugh. Gimme Willie Nelson any and every day over this. 3/10 2 stars.

The Nightfly

Donald Fagen

4/5

Smoooooth. Sure I know on a lot of levels it’s pretty cheesy but then again just back tf off: this isn't stupid-shit-bon-jovi cheese, it’s light-jazz cheese. More of a hard gouda rather than a processed Velveeta. I wouldn’t put it up with the best of Steely Dan but it’s only a small step down; occasionally suffers from a *little* too-sterile 80s sound (it was one of the first-ever fully digital recordings, wondering if that sterility crept in) but also in a way it seems to be appropriate for this. Definitely a headphones-album. Fave track (as a kid and now): “New Frontiers” - in fact this was probably the first/only Steely-Dan-family track I liked until college, no doubt influenced by early MTV. WJAZ. 7/10 4 stars.

You're Living All Over Me

Dinosaur Jr.

1/5

Alright - which one of you gave everyone on the short bus access to instruments and a microphone? Lo-fi slacker out of tune shit hits all my buttons! Awful awful awful (loading up that word cloud for this one) awfulness. 1/10 1 dead star

American Idiot

Green Day

2/5

Redundant title, cynically infinitely more-appropriate for 2024. But a pop-punk concept album and from a band I never liked sounds awful...? I absolutely didn't give time to this back in 2004 - let's see how I feel 20 (!) years later... --- yeah every Green Day song sounds so ... Green Day. Every time. Billie Joe's voice is so utterly featureless as to almost seem fake - this was always one big aspect that prevented me from liking Green Day. That and the standard plowing ahead with nothing-beyond-power-chords aspect of the songs .... nitpicking I guess since that IS their thing? But I really don't like it - just not hitting with me at all. There may be some things more complex/interesting than Dookie (the only other album I know from them) and at the risk of sounding like a pompous douche ... it seems like they really tried pushing the limits of their limited songwriting abilities here, so ... good on them! <while patting them gently on the head as they head back to their seats> I shouldn't have read that they listened to "Quadrophenia" a lot to get some concept album ideas because ... this ain't that (nothing is). TL;DR: ... good effort, I guess? This music simply isn't for me: power pop punk with ironically no emotion at all and just one volume (thanks, 2000-era compression?). 5/10 2 stars.

The Libertines

2/5

Me: <reads notes about this album/band> \"...I'm gonna hate this.\" ... ...and ya know, it wasn't the worst (that bar is extraordinarily low). See? Set expectations at the bottom and you can't go down. Positive: surprisingly better-than-average songwriting. Negative: the band are legitimately awful at their instruments/vocals. Sum: not nearly as bad as the bands they're compared to (Strokes/Vines) but it's still shit because *they can't play* - give these songs to a better band and it might have been something special. 4/10 2 stars.

Surfer Rosa

Pixies

2/5

No more Pixies they exhaust me. Occasionally interesting music, I surprisingly like the sound of this record, but both singers are hideous and the atonal shit always overtakes any potential for a decent listen. Yes they're influential on like 4 bands you've heard of but ENOUGH ALREADY. They became one of the most overrated bands ever - write a damn song, tune your guitar and get off my lawn. 4/10 2 stars

Kenza

Khaled

2/5

(struggled through a YouTube playlist, not on Apple Music) While the vocals take some adjustment for these limited Western ears... I have to say the music on the first cut ("Aâlach Tloumouni") surprised me with a great groove utilizing those middle eastern quarter tones that I don't usually appreciate or even enjoy. But after that ....whooo....that Imagine cover is like being in a dentist chair in an endless elevator..and it got cheesier from there....what are we doing here?? idk, there were a few bits of coolness in hear but overall it's so far from anything I enjoy.... I'd take track 1 and then chalk the rest up to the equivalent of a layover in Budapest. 3/10 2 stars

D

White Denim

5/5

Zero knowledge of this band nor what to expect led to ... !!!!?!!!! <--- my reaction throughout the entire album. Complex, melodic, sorta jam-like but thankfully not at all. Well-thought-out killer riffs, a bit of time signature hopping, a small dose of Allmans, a little prog, a little fusion..."Bess St." even gives me classic Yes vibes - what the hell IS this??? Oh and flute on "River to Consider" heck yes. I'm actually glad it's only 36 minutes - not in a "this album sucks" way at all but I'm almost just overwhelmed. This is a keeper and I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface of this album or band. Will be listening a ton this week. Honestly fantastic. Amazing to hear such musical talent. 9/10 5 stars

Garbage

1/5

Laughably more insincere, passionless, and fake than most of the so-called hair bands of the 80s. Sure some of these were big hits and when I saw this as today's album I felt a bit of nostalgia but after listening ... it actually sucks. I probably didn't notice at the time since I only heard the radio hits but listening decades later I just hate the sound of this album which combined with the completely generic at best mid-90s music... zzzz Absurdly specific complaint: the opening cut "Supervixen" - those terrible (and horribly edited, like wtf) full-stops are so fake, it's utterly obvious in the worst way that this is not the band stopping on a dime for a beat. Or even really a band. I like electronic music - I like "sterile" constructed-in-the-box compositions - but this sounds like a 7th grader put this together and it foretells the entire record. TL;DR: I didn't expect I'd hate this as much as I did today. In retrospect you can do infinitely better for "mid 90s female-fronted rock" (immediate e.g.: Elastica, Cranberries, Letters To Cleo, Cardigans, PJ Harvey, etc etc....) if that's why this album is even on this list. And Shirley Manson was kind of a 90s icon but was kind of a shit/nothing singer. I know there are albums I've ranked a 2 that I probably think are worse than this but the passionless - pun intended - garbage is nothing I want to hear again. 3/10 1 star.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2/5

I will never like this band. Mostly due to Anthony Keidis being either the most-annoying or worst (sometimes at the same time) singer in the rock genre outside of nu-metal. In general the RHCPs make me think of ritalin-eating high-energy bros and serves as an immediate knuckle punch of the *seek* button when heard in the car. Something legitimately positive: the other 3 are great musicians. I may not like the style but they can be enjoyable to listen to. At times. Sum: yes please give it away. 4/10 2 stars.

16 Lovers Lane

The Go-Betweens

3/5

A no-brainer to put on at a polite party of 45+ yr adults late in the evening when there are 8 people left just chatting on the couch and you just want to put the wine bottles back in the recycling bin and go to sleep. Painfully obvious late-80s melodic love song album. It's not bad - very easy-listening and "nice" which ends up not that interesting overall but in no way offensive either. Maybe the safest (approaching boring?) album on the list thus far but won't rankle any feathers. In a way my most milquetoast comments/review befit this album. 5/10 3 stars.

Fear and Whiskey

Mekons

1/5

...in retrospect the group decided that drinking grain alcohol for 3 days straight then heading straight to the studio while handing the microphone to the local bridge troll for this album was an egregious mistake... 2/10 1 star

Rhythm Nation 1814

Janet Jackson

2/5

New jack swing isn't my thing. Probably great if it's yours, but ... why? Very 80s and sounds like one dead-ass boring 65 minute song ... that incessant drum machine is giving me meegraine, is it over yet... 3/10 2 generous stars.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake

Small Faces

4/5

I always thought I'd been familiar with this but apparently I've just heard *of* it .... because I'd have remembered. This is some weird shit. Someone here before me said this is like Monty Python meets early Pink Floyd which is brilliant and I don't disagree but ... I kind of like it...? That's probably more descriptive of the 2nd side/half which is the "conceptual" part - the first half is a bit more straightforward (at least up until "Lazy Sunday) if late-60s almost-psychedelic but a bit more rock-oriented. But that 2nd part becomes almost meta-1960s British whimsical rock. Cockney narration...a bit more Kinks and Beatles-lite with a dash of mod-Who without the violence. Thinking halfway between 3 and 4 but it kinda made me happy this morning so giving it the generous 4 bc why not - I could listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars.

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye

4/5

The rare album that cements itself as a keeper literally in the first notes - that riff and the title track alone set the table. Nothing after the initial track could approach that - nor does - which puts it a notch below What's Going On. It's not perfect especially that there's essentially a repeat ("Keep Gettin' It On") song :P, it gets a little ridiculous lyrically (um..."You Sure Love to Ball" what) and the last cut is too awash with strings but the album's best make this a classic. Everyone talks about the lyrics (and hmm, I did too) but the music is what carries it. Band members and/or musicians should be on the cover dammit - James Jamerson (bass) especially. 8/10 4 stars

E.V.O.L.

Sonic Youth

1/5

oh no NONONONO you are not giving me a goddamn FIFTH fucking Sonic Youth album Calling bullshit right here right now. I think we should all get to throw a flag or call for VAR or get some hard nope after 900 reviews to throw it back in the bin, call a suspension, any analogy you like. FIVE?? And I listened - again - and yes this record predictably sounds like the album cover. These are not songs. These are not serious people. eat my ass. that's my review: eat my ass. 0/10 💩🪠🤡🪠☢️🏳️

Crocodiles

Echo And The Bunnymen

4/5

I'm more familiar with their later more-lush material but it's interesting to hear their raw origins. I'm getting echoes (no pun intended, truly) of very early U2 in production and vocals, without the passion (or tuning, at times...) but also maybe without as much annoyance? The music still had a little ways to go, although it's still eminently listenable. Particular standouts were bass (Les Pattinson) and the dissonant chordal structure which has been a slow burn... An impressive debut, I'd been thinking 3 all along but after a 2nd spin I'm giving extra credit for a first record ... 7/10 4 stars.

Microshift

Hookworms

4/5

Like Spiritualized....but 20x better? I'm getting a little hint of Flaming Lips with better singing and more direct melodies. Like everyone else, I'd never heard of this band (and after perusing their brief history never will again, alas...yeesh...) but swirling melodic keyboard-laden tunes is something I'm definitely into. Album loses a bit of momentum near the end (esp. "Boxing Day" which might be the only skippable song) but I'll definitely listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars

Van Halen

5/5

There may be debut albums that are as captivating as this one but there's never been a better or perhaps unique one - more like a declaration of revolution than a debut. This is the greatest party around and everyone on earth and beyond are invited. If you're in a good mood, this drug amplifies it. If you're in a bad mood, it's hard to not say goddammit while a smile emerges and you're soon nodding your head and air-guitaring finger-taps. Also the minor point of introducing the greatest guitar player in history. Some have said that this was the beginning of the so-called "hair metal" era but these guys were completely on their own - a unicorn of a band. They were an (the?) outlier and an entity unto themselves in the hard rock realm. It's not their fault what spawned after them as the similarities were only in guitar flash - not in songwriting, camp, sense of humour, and overall musicianship. Absolute rock perfection in every way and one of the greatest albums - period. It's 10/10s all the way down. 5 massive stars.

Oedipus Schmoedipus

Barry Adamson

3/5

This was certainly a variety pack. Didn't much enjoy Barry's previous entry to this list ("Moss Side Story") but this one - even though it *also* is supposed to play out like a soundtrack to a nonexistent film - works a little better. Sometimes. Most of it was great to have as background work music, so much that I immediately played it again - except "It's Business As Usual" is kinda like .... dafuq?? Some very cool trippy tunes, some upbeat fun, and no shortage of some batshit "wtf?!" non-songs... I mean why not, it's better than yet another tuneless/thoughtless/untalented wet shit Sonic Youth mess - he was giving something new a go. On a less-important note...one of the worst album covers on the list. 6/10 3 stars

Konnichiwa

Skepta

1/5

a.k.a. that feeling when some shitforbrains in a obscene overly-huge tricked out 7mpg Range Rover with 4ft high tires pulls up next to you at a stoplight in the city blasting this at 120dB and *your* rearview mirror is literally vibrating... Thanks, I legitimately hated every minute and every aspect of this. I did learn that "grime" is a thing and now I can safely tag it with both "Worst Music Genres" and "Embarrassed for Humanity" Headache-inducing overly-huge bass synths + trap beats + childish gangster cosplay + skits = 1 dead star 1/10 1 pile. 🪠

Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

2/5

If the first 2 tracks are any indication of the full album ... how is looping something basic/boring that I would have made at 21 on my first drum machine anything remotely interesting to listen to for 10 minutes....? ...and it *was* an indication. I can see the appeal of music in this genre of course and there's definite usage as a background aspect for some of these tracks but there's nothing special or unique or notable in any way about this album. It very literally could be a demo reel for any early/mid 90s electronic instrument. TL;DR: There must be 500 more-interesting and creative techno/downtempo albums than this. Shocking waste of an hour listening to what conceivably could be a big gag on all of us. 3/10 2 stars

evermore

Taylor Swift

2/5

Feels more a component of the 1001 Pieces of the Current Cultural Zeitgeist list. Can anything at all released within (at least) the past 4 years already be deemed that important? I will give her this: it'd be pretty cool if you were a big fan and had no idea an album was coming then *bam* here's a new release, that's undeniably fun and maybe the reason it's here (not a good one, but...)...? As for the actual music - it's kinda nice I suppose...her normal melodic if not predictably bland tunes - but as ever she is really the current Bon Jovi for the world teenage circuit in terms of painfully obvious cliched and annoyingly awful lyrics. I guess I need to remind myself this is all just not for me - long narratives of (dubiously) personal mundane first-person experiences but dropping little weirdly unhip cultural references like wearing an Eagles t-shirt...ehh.... that alone is so meta-Taylor Swift. I realized listening to this that even though the perfectly tuned production and mix are off-putting to me and not my jam, it's truly her lyrics that make me roll my eyes and bypass her (on the very rare occasions I am subjected to her music). It's all fine enough and inoffensive but I just don't think much of her at all as a lyricist or singer - lovely voice in a way but there's not any *there* there. So emotionless, it's just Color-By-Numbers pop music that's safe enough for all ages. I'd much rather listen to her sing a "Shake It Off" pixie-stix-like fun pop song. Again: this is fine, my life isn't any worse for having listened to this and I don't truly dislike anything (although it's 2x as long as my attention span is for pop music) but I don't remember any of it afterwards. It'd have been nice to give almost any other artist a shot. (...amending: I do actually *actively* dislike the songs with The National and Bon Iver - terribly annoying singers) 4/10 2 stars.

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road

Lucinda Williams

2/5

To each their own I suppose, but this kind of country vocal is rough for me to get through. I do like the title track I guess. I know of Lucinda Williams but ...after a few songs though I'm thinking is she not just a shitty singer? I don't even like the songs... Eh - not my most eloquent review but it's cold and i'm tired and this is just not good at all. The weak effort on the album cover and title are actually perfect. 3/10 2 stars.

A Little Deeper

Ms. Dynamite

4/5

Pleasant surprise - didn't know what to expect but the description kind of threw me off the mark in the wrong way. At the risk of simplifying.... Ms Dynamite is like a way better Amy Winehouse? In both songs and (definitely) in voice. Reminds me a lot of Res which is a high compliment. Soulful and catchy but not really over the top in ways that often irritates - she keeps it reserved. Negative is a common one with 2qst century albums: it's too long. I'm good after about 10 songs - c'mon, keep 'em wanting more. Overall this is a different direction I usually take but something about it hit me right - adding this one to the library. 7/10 4 stars

Tom Tom Club

1/5

I feel trapped in a never-ending 1981 Sesame Street animation. Interminable. Given any 15 second segment it's fine enough in a boring early 80s way but repeat that for an hour - no thank you. 3/10 1 star

Immigrés

Youssou N'Dour

4/5

Took a while to click that I have to consciously listen to this differently than I do to traditional western pop music. There's a repetitive string that at first I thought could annoy me but if/when you (I) really digest the music through good speakers or headphones you recognize how the songs subtly build or change. Rhythm is a (the?) true focus especially on the first cut - which took a tempo turn that I did not expect - and elevated it. Probably like a lot of 80s kids I recognize N'Dour from the Peter Gabriel hit and I know his voice is the focus but I liked the music much more than I'd expected to...so much that after it was done I realized I didn't even notice his voice all that much. Ya this was a great album and the short length makes it a keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

Home Is Where The Music Is

Hugh Masekela

4/5

Excellent album, and that's some damn impressive flugelhorn playing - especially the rapid-fire technique which there's probably a name for. Although it's not as mysterious or adventurous as my favorite jazz albums after an hour had passed I guess I'd enjoyed the trip more than I thought as I immediately replayed it. The advantage is that these really did come across as individual compositions rather than (which I admittedly often love) free-form off-on-a-tangent jazz. Feels caught between a 3 and 4 but even if it's not the dark weird I like most in this general genre, there were no low points at all and the pure enjoyment pushes it to a 4 for me (and as a bonus got me learning more about Hugh Masekela). 7/10 4 stars

The Good, The Bad & The Queen

3/5

Mostly subdued and melodic; recognizably Albarn in voice and in style. Your mileage may vary but it's immediately listenable, which comes across as faint praise for sure.... It's nice but my critique is that at times (most times?) this is sounding like a very well-crafted demo. Occasionally giving me hints of Pete Townshend's Scoop projects in terms of only being somewhere between 50-75% there. i.e. not finished. Maybe some of that is related to the distinct lack of harmonies or bg vocals in most songs. If I had to sum it up, it almost feels reserved, like it wants (needs?) to really explode at some point or points and rarely if ever does. That's not necessarily a bad thing in itself but also prevents it from reaching any memorable bar you look for in classic or favorite albums. In the end it's not bad, just....not fully cooked? A few more minutes in the oven could have been a lovely and memorable cake. 6/10 3 stars

New Forms

Roni Size

2/5

Next-up in the 1001 British Albums You'll Never Hear Again book: "Sir Morwin Hedwig Cavendish III sings lullabies from the Lake District" Yes this is all about being open and wide ranging -- but the problem is that this album is *so* niche in a "there's no goddamn way this should be on any essential wide ranging list of any size" way that after 930+ albums I finally and truly understand all the critiques about this list being outrageously British-origin heavy, so it's a little hard to not be snarky about it. Drum & Bass has its place for sure, but jeez... you've got to bring something compelling and different and digestible to the table for something so potentially polarizing and **especially** an album that's in some forms LITERALLY OVER 5 HOURS LONG. jfc. I did make it through 13 songs. Begrudgingly. Enough already. Will give 2 stars for obvious influence on the ~17 remaining people who continue to obsess about D&B (I know one!) but this is a tough task to listen to for more than a few tracks. 3/10 2 stars

Green

R.E.M.

3/5

REM At the time of this release I wasn't much of an REM fan and truly and sincerely hated their poppy songs from this period - feels like they were trying to simplify from their previously-cool mysterious/dark/imperceptible period. Or perhaps I was a bit limited being that I was listening to a lot of "real" music at the time (read: screaming guitars, spandex, lasers. Obviously.). Hmm. Interesting to revisit this a few decades and taste-revolutions later and ... I don't mind the pop songs so much anymore. But it's the major key clarity in their songs overall that still loses me from truly connecting with much of it. Maybe I'm just anti-mandolin? Songs that are mandolin-heavy here are my least-favourites. Fave: "Turn You Inside-Out" - a rare rock/distorted guitar REM song that really works for me - something about that simple pre-chorus. Least-fave: "The Wrong Child" - terrible. Competing vocals sounds more than sloppy. Overall it's better than I was expecting, although at 41 minutes I was ready to jump ship so I appreciate the short runtime. It's a fuller-sounding record than I'd been expecting - sounds great in headphones - and very different from their early/first-4-albums period that I've grown to love. Anyways - no chills but mostly a fine rock listen. 5/10 3 stars

Sunday At The Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio

5/5

As I listen to this album I picture an older chain-smoking Charlie Brown walking or slowly skating through the park by himself, just pleasantly reminiscing about the old gang and that dog whatshisname. Yeah this is my favourite kind of jazz and it's perfect here. No horns and ffs no vocals - just piano/drums/bass (Scott LaFaro who was *killing* it here, and sadly died not 2 weeks later). Killer. 9/10 5 stars.

Heaux Tales

Jazmine Sullivan

1/5

My dislike for this album is almost entirely due to the modern production/mix techniques. ...also it's boring. Immediately distracting as to how cut and paste it is - Jazmine has a unique voice but it's only one ingredient of many (all) that are so processed it's impossible for me to fall into the music. Which is again: boring. I respect and enjoy when someone puts a concept or theme album together, but the spoken parts throw me out of any flow... then again when the flow continues it's super compressed and such separation of parts that it almost makes me dizzy. Maybe this is an album to actively *not* listen to in headphones. TL;DR: I don't like it. :P 3/10 1 star.

Time (The Revelator)

Gillian Welch

3/5

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like this album, but the immediate subtle/haunting minor key of the opening track "Revelator" was exactly that and kept me engaged. Favourite song on the album. Just 2 acoustic guitars, 2 voices. Not entirely sure how to grade it overall since I'm probably not going to be adding to my "must play" collection - solely due to my listening tastes. The album is very *very* low-key [the last track at 14 minutes is way way way (way) beyond necessary and a crippling stagger-to-the-end for the album - only Yes songs need to be that length] and a bit overly-Americana for my tastes, but for what it is it's fantastic. I guess I can see justifying any ranking for this but i'll give a strong 3 knowing the talent and care taken. 6/10 3 stars.

California

American Music Club

2/5

Like a more-boring American Crowded House complete with 1988 production. This definitely includes some songs that could have been legitimately nice without that dated reverb everywhere, but docking 1 full star due to "Bad Liquor" being unequivocally one of the worst songs I've heard in some time. 5/10 2 stars

Phaedra

Tangerine Dream

5/5

Otherworldly space-travel escape dream synth trance music with no lyrics is my jam. I can see how people might hate this but I could live in this album. Headphones are mandatory. Debated whether giving this a 5 is consistent for me but knowing this is and will be a go-to for background/backdrop is enough. Memo to myself: even though it probably should...not everything has to be in 7/4 time. 9/10 5 stars.

To Pimp A Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar

2/5

Immediately better than his previous ("...m a.a.d city"). Strong and overly-obvious PFunk influence which is great, even starring George Clinton on the opening track. I do love the afrofunk style on many of the songs, that's definitely in my wheelhouse. Where I can't get into it is... Kendrick himself. His style improved since the last album but i just don't know if I like his voice or style. Actually I *do* know ... and I do not. For his style and art he's undeniably talented but it's just too many words crammed in for me to not get distracted and then annoyed. And when the rhythm is off or non-existent in the rapping...I start to hate it. Also this mix is awful. The exaggerated compression killing me in headphones - pump pump pump. Take a dramamine to get through an hour or more. Another negative: I hate skits or these little wordplay interludes. Kills the vibe for me. TL;DR: Yeah this is a big album for a reason - it's super ambitious but it's too exhausting for me to listen to. I've little idea what to mark this - most of the music is pretty great which is almost all I care about. I think this one (as they all should, I suppose...) comes down to preference. I'm just not a fan of his vocal style - it's not bad, just not what gets to me - and the mix is so distracting that listening to the entire album was tough. Feels like I should give it a 3 for reaching for the moon but I won't listen again - if this had a less dense mix and a different vocalist (the whining style on e.g. "Hood Politics" is where it all falls off the rails for me) .... eh, I guess it'd be someone else. :P 5/10 2 stars

Who Killed...... The Zutons?

The Zutons

2/5

Not picking on <...checks top of page again to remember the name of the band...> The Zutons in particular but they feel like yet another 21st century "been there" rock band, most of which is so unmemorable I've already lost the memory of any of the songs not 3 minutes after it's all over. As for this specifically I think if it were released in 1971 instead of 2004 I'd think a lot more highly of it - which I admit is 101% unfair - but I didn't fight for you all in WWII so I would lose my freedom to enjoy or not enjoy whatever the hell I want so in keeping with a love it or leave it theme, I am indeed leaving it. Also I hate that honking sax. 4/10 2 stars.

Let's Get Killed

David Holmes

2/5

I like the concept of the album - kid visits NYC with a tape recorder and talks to all kinds of characters, weaves a trancey electronic album around it all. The concept was far better than the execution. It's just a tough album to get through - at best it's fine as background soundtrack for doing something active and I could give it credit for that but it's just boring and filled with repetitive loops that would amuse me had I made them myself but as for releasing as-is let alone calling it an album i *need* to hear is a bit presumptive. Pass. 4/10 2 stars.

A Hard Day's Night

Beatles

4/5

A Hard Day’s Night feels like the first proper Beatles album right from that first crazy chord. This album is almost non-stop hits (could probably say that about most Beatles albums but maybe it hits especially hard after the first 2 albums) and is probably the first of their early ones I’d reach for. I’m remembering how often I played this record as a little kid. Getting rid of the cover tunes and moving quickly towards a pop-rock style was massive. I'll still vastly prefer their soon-to-arrive experimental weird-shit era which changed everything, but this was a big step forward and judging strictly in the time-frame/era there was of course nothing like it and them. 8/10 4 stars.

Born To Be With You

Dion

2/5

Is it me or was this a weird selection? Are we getting Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka later period next? Not even being judgy; just seems so out of place. I mean ... it's not *overtly* terrible, but it is nearly-overtly-cheesy... I feel like I just spent a half hour hearing this on AM radio while bouncing around the back seat of my parents' station wagon at age 5 on the way to my grandparents house which would potentially be a nice nostalgic mental trip, but ... as I'd never heard (of) any of these songs a little Yacht Rock trip of Ambrosia or Pablo Cruise or similar mid70s smooth pop would have been better. Actually why tf is Al Stewart not on this list?!? 4/10 2 stars

Franz Ferdinand

2/5

Was familiar with the band in name only and not just because I'm an old Austrian scholar, but have never explicitly listened. And the description alone is probably something I shouldn't read before listening because going in I have a bad attitude about this - comparisons on Apple Music to Arctic Monkeys and Libertines are aggravating me in advance. Is that any way to live life? (Q: *being aggravated* or *listening to shitty music* ? hmmm...) Ok even just with track one I'll give them that they're immediately better than those 2 but I can't help but perhaps lazily lump them in with so many of these early 2000s-debut bands with the heavily distorted and processed vocals. It's not *as* bad here but it's hard to get around sometimes. Often. Wait I know this song Take Me Out - of course. It's all ok I guess. There's a little bit of song variety in ... the sameness. It's just all so goddamn forgettable - there's no soul at all in/with this band, with a lot (most?) of these early century landfill indie bands. Not R&B type soul, but this music just sounds so manufactured. Calculated. Hard to put my finger on it but also I don't really give a shit - oddly I don't hate it but also I'm not connecting with it at all. Idk - maybe I'm just ancient and don't like new rock music anymore? The ArchDuke was shot over a century ago now, and these bunions seem to hurt more every day... 5/10 2.5 stars. Probably a 3 since if someone plays it at a party I'll not cringe but I'm still giving it a 2 so I don't actively look this up again.

Vulnicura

Björk

3/5

It's Bjork so it's dense. Very dense. Nothing about this is really background music or vibey or danceable which is pretty cool actually. A lot of reviews I read before listening were about it being a breakup album which I couldn't care less about - can anyone actually understand the lyrics/vocals anyways? And why even try to pay attention - there's so much going on musically that is bizarre/different/out of the ordinary that for me the/her voice is just one of the instruments. General overarching negative on most albums: no guest singers please (notable here: Anohni whose voice is so off-putting to me that I have to dock a star), at least as a lead. More of a soundscape and not that off from latest-period Radiohead (which to be fair isn't my favourite) - I want to love this, but I think I only kinda like it. 6/10 3 stars.

Chicago Transit Authority

Chicago

4/5

This album is the shit. All over the map (directionless...maybe. But come on....can you imagine a debut like this today? You cannot. go listen to Lou Reed ya cretins) and literally as far from this band's later hit making bullshit as possible. Jazz...prog...pop... where does it fit, who knows/cares. Incredible musicianship (esp. Terry Kath and Robert Lamm on guitar and keys respectively) and arrangement. Plus it sounds fantastic. Negatives.... it definitely gets a little long in the tooth and some of the extended jams are....too extended. Kath was great and I'm a guitarist but "Free-Form Guitar" is....um.... stupid. So yes the album could maybe have been shorter overall but sometimes (e.g. White Album) the misfires or reaches (or bombs....rhe aforementioned guitar track being the Revolution #9 of this double album) end up getting you the all-time gems. The singles are the best tunes here but it's still a keeper overall. Classic. 8/10 4 stars.

Third

Portishead

3/5

First impressions after about 10 minutes - am getting a strong sense of unease while listening. I like it. Nothing is predictable here - hypnotic. Unfortunately some of it gets a little much and after the first run of 5 or so songs I don't know anymore - e.g. "Machine Gun?" perfectly-titled. Kind of (completely) unlistenable. Which followed the oddly-placed Deep Water (ukelele??). We'll call this a mixed bag - I really really like and am lost in about half the songs which is usually enough to cruise to an easy 4 or 5 but it might be more suited to making my own playlist of half the album. Would i have to call it 1/6th? (....because .... half of a third is..... ...) 6/10 3 stars.

Since I Left You

The Avalanches

1/5

I loved the idea of this while reading the description and wiki entry but the actual album is so goddamn annoyingly repetitive that it's very quickly distracting. Seems like a lot of the good reviews or credit for this album are simply excusing the band for how difficult and skilled it was to put all this together. Bully for them. I just can't not be put off (annoyed) when most tracks are built around one small part that is looped over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and by the time I got to Flight Tonight I was thinking of and starting to hope for the sweet silent bliss of being buried alive under an actual avalanche... 3/10 1 star

Heroes

David Bowie

2/5

Oh wow - 960 albums in and i've never heard of this guy... ..... Sigh. Anticipating this to be the quickest "2" since ... the last Bowie album (of which this is our NINTH). I'm treating most Bowie albums like I do my quarterly reviews which my boss admittedly never reads - cut and paste. With the exception of the surprising "Low" Bowie almost always slots in at a solid 2.4 for me. Don't like his vocals. I know the title track of course but after the entire album ... yes - more of the same...: -------copy/paste------ It feels like I always use his voice as a cop-out because there are plenty of artists who I listen to that I don't necessarily like the singer's voice and I like the music. It's as simple as this even if I can't articulate it well: I don't ever connect with his music on any emotional level - can just appreciate it from a [long] distance. -----end self-plagiarism----- I don't even like the sonics of this album; I don't get any of it. It's fine, it's just a bit auto-play for me (especially "Heroes"); not dynamic musically or in the mix, not mysterious other than the instrumental curios near the end - weirdly somewhat of an improvement but it's still all so saturated and hard on the ears. TL;DR: I really think there's an emperor's new clothes aspect to a lot of the Bowie mystique which has only grown since he died (I get it). I don't hate his music, I just don't *like* it or ever connect with it and after so many years don't really care that much. 4/10 2 stars.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon

3/5

I feel like this is going to be a case of trying to separate the legend and the overall influence from this actual singular work of art. Which is likely impossible in every circumstance, so how do you do it with John freaking Lennon? There are some excellent cuts on this - punctuated with the emotional and raw "Working Class Hero" but overall I don't know if I need to be present for his sensitive-then-primal scream therapy that seems to punctuate every other song? And I know John is held up as the "serious" Beatle (yes everything he did after as all of them is coloured by the Beatles - it has to be that way) but he really truly did better work when given better melodic structure from Paul. As someone who is primarily and heavily music > lyrics, this work admittedly does force you to focus more on the lyrics but lyrics alone aren't going to carry the water. Especially when I feel like I'm eavesdropping on his psych sessions. It's just not that interesting. Not fair for me to criticize more than compliment - I guess I can say I enjoy listening to this album but again ... it might be more the familiarity aspect of John's voice (those Beatles again) that is comforting in some ways. I can't blame him for being...him. Seems a fair 3 - I'll probably never crave it but can nod along when listening. Also it's nice to hear Ringo behind the kit. 5/10 3 stars

Signing Off

UB40

4/5

I have to sadly admit that my only exposure to UB40 was through their string of cover hits from the 80s, all of which I hated. I was a young kid and reggae-infused dub was nowhere near what I liked but as I'm a bit older, maybe no wiser, my first foray into what i'm learning is "true" UB40 today is an eye and ear-opener. I'm a music-first listener - always - or...almost always, but the slow chill hypnotic vibe is oddly making me pay attention to the lyrics which are powerful - great and stark contrast to the vibe. The bass playing carries so much of it, as I'd expect (they rolled off any of that high-end on the bass - took me a little bit to get used to it, now I find it essential for this reggae/dub) Only took this through the first 10 songs (Apple has one of those deluxe uber-long versions as the only version available) - really enjoyed it far more than I'd expected. Not a genre I really ever listen to and I'll listen to this again. 8/10 4 stars.

A Seat at the Table

Solange

3/5

Textural without going (too?) overboard in production - like the songs actually breathe. I suppose the easy thing is to make the sister comparison and I'll bite - this is much more listenable and sincere-sounding than Beyonce. One of the most-positive aspects for me - which I've just found a few ppl criticized - is that her voice is *not* mixed way up high like so much modern pop. Can we please make that a trend? Negatives: it's too long for what it is - not enough variety, which might seem contradictory since what I like about it is that it is chill. Probably could have chopped this at about 40 minutes and it'd be perfect. Easily my least-favourite aspect as always: the features. Just always takes me out of the moment, out of the trance. The interludes tho are actually ok here - powerful messages and might be the first time I was kind of into this concept. Being not much of a neo soul fan (often too much processing/sterile studio manufacturing) surprisingly I didn't mind this - there's nothing that ever jumps out and grabs me so it wouldn't be a favourite but maybe that's part of the reason - the music is nice enough to have as background music. I'll skip Lil' Wayne's rasp every time tho. 6/10 3 stars.

A Girl Called Dusty

Dusty Springfield

3/5

Although I did/do enjoy her live "Dusty in Memphis" quite a bit this studio debut is a bit old-timey for my specific tastes, but can still appreciate the musicality of not just her voice but the compositions and arrangements. A good bunch of these became standards or were covered by others so I was surprised how much sounded familiar. It is a great time capsule to the early 60s pop music scene and you can definitely hear her influence on the next generations of female vocalists - for that alone it's a more than worthy addition to this list. 6/10 3 stars.

Leftism

Leftfield

1/5

This first song makes me want to hurt myself and small animals. ...I was tempted to leave it at that, but there actually is some merit in here. For example track 3 "Melt" is nice - that's the kind of background chill techno I could put on. It's just too rare on this collection. Also it feels like cheating writing so little about something so I'll say this -> I do like to look back and try to remember albums that I listened to that I don't remember...reasons I gave scores I did -> I'm just not interested at all in this - it doesn't feel creative or even fun. There are definitely times where there's a nice groove (e.g. "Inspection") but this album feels like a shiny and shitty toy. Obviously different genres/tastes for different people - or the same people at different times - but this just feels like (is) a pastiche of loops copied and pasted together to occasionally make me nod my head, but I feel like I'm being played. And none of these are really songs which again, fine, but I don't like it. And I truly hate the vocals (John Lydon esp good god). 2/10 1 star

Hot Shots II

The Beta Band

2/5

For one thing a better singer could have made this worth something. These monotone vocals made even the first track a bit of a sludge to get through and it literally never varies for the entire damn album. Also Mr Beta - I noticed your lyrics. 90% of the time for me that's a bad sign and oh yes it is the 90 %. These are banal and stupid stupid lyrics . Yeah this one just pissed me off - nearly always frustratingly stuck in 1st or 2nd gear. And many times it was *so close* to making something out of nothing that it almost made me mad. Plus it is way way too inorganic - not sure we get a sound of air from any element whatsoever and it really hit me for whatever reason - in the end made this an easy 2 at best. 4/10 2 stars

Stankonia

OutKast

3/5

This is kinda nuts. I'm not sure how much I like it as a full project - still some silly/stupid skit type things / lyrics that I'm like....ok c'mon - this is stupid, we all know it's stupid, and yet reading the wiki entry is hilariously apologetic about the stupidity - like... own it at least. It's fine but a lot of it is silly. Skits are terrible. Always and everywhere. Immediate -1. But the music is so very damn cool and trying to stick this into a genre is impossible - hip-hop I guess but funk / rock / rap / frenetic trip-hop. These guys are terrific rappers even if/when the crazy paced rapping is not usually something I like, I appreciate and am honestly amazed how clear and rhythmic it is. I think I like the followup more but I want to come back to like half of these songs. Definitely time to make an Outkast playlist and keep it at that. 6/10 3 stars.

The Real Thing

Faith No More

4/5

These first 3 songs make me feel like I can lift a car off a baby. Yaaaas I hadn't listened to this in decades. Interesting to look back - for years I thought I'd hated the mix of rap+rock but I did love this album (and Rage...) which mostly preceded it all. Instead I realize it was definitely the closely-aligned gross nu-metal that was and still is goddamn reprehensible. It's a fine line and maybe they should be docked a point for perhaps being the genesis of the worst "musical" genre to ever exist on mother earth... I digress ... and truly this is not quite that - a definite head banger this one. The negative - and it's huge and in no way could I properly express or identify it back in the day - is the massively loud and overly compressed mix. It sounds awful, just everything is at 11 at all times. Gets real weary on the ears. I hate thrash but for some reason the few examples approaching it here (e.g. "Surprise! You're Dead!") don't bother me as much - maybe it's the tongue-in-cheek aspect of it, or that it's just a little flight of fancy. Great to hear this one again, the CD is somewhere deep in the basement so I gotta keep this in the streaming library - I'd forgotten about the "War Pigs" cover and that was a fun re-discovery. 8/10 4 stars.

All Hope Is Gone

Slipknot

1/5

I couldn't say enough bad things about whatever the actual fuck this group of children is.... so simply the word "unlistenable" is what I settled on. I got a minute into the first proper track and had to skip.... the 2nd song is the same... and the next...and... If you like anger for anger's sake in the guise of tuned down and turned up moronic cosplay this is for you! Which part? This type of machine gun processed kick drum - literally the first "music" you hear - is .... horrific. Cookie monster turned up to 11 and distorted even more? Eh what's the point Congrats! I think after 960 albums this is my most-hated album on the list and i could only make it through a minute of each song, max. "oh but that's cheating!" I hear the children of the corn yelling at me - OH YES because I'm sure something beautiful was to be uncovered once you crawl through the 500 yards of shit smelling foulness I'd find something so beautiful I can't even imagine.... ZEROS.

Live At The Witch Trials

The Fall

1/5

jesus cracking christ The best I can say about this THIRD ^$%#@ ALBUM BY THE FALL ON THIS LIST is that it's not as terrible as the other 2. ...which is like saying my picking up hot dog poop last night wasn't as bad as being stuck for 3 hours on a stalled commuter rail with no open windows in dead of summer when the train's plumbing is also not functioning. ...*occasional minutes in a row* of the music isn't terrible and has a decent-70s-raw sound but the fact that there are 3 albums by this shitty drunken buffoonish band led by this dead shithead for a "singer"... "oooo but you just don't GET it" - yeah stfu - this idiot was so far up his own ass... write a fkng song like a lot of their contemporaries did in the early punk age. This is rubbish. 3/10 1 star.

Don't Stand Me Down

Dexys Midnight Runners

1/5

"The album was a commercial failure upon release, and its rejection by both critics and the public resulted in the group's disbandment in 1987." Well. I certainly can't think of a better reason for this to be on this list. .... That line should be all you need - wow. Going from the legitimately excellent and fun predecessor "Too-Rye-Ay" to this is about as fun and exciting as the album cover so they got that right. What a snoozer at best. Embarrassing fail and mostly due to whatever track 2 was trying to be - the music could have been ok but this is a chuckle and a hard pass, never to be heard again. This is a legitimate 1/5 and yet I also felt like I needed a delineation between the nu-metal we've gotten and this mere god-awful wet shart of a release ...but no, alas, this IS terrible and a 1 it shall be. Dexys (really Kevin Rowland) down in the stormdrain with Linkin Park, Korn, and Slipknot you go. Everything floats down there - you'll float too..... 2/10 1 star.

Bubble And Scrape

Sebadoh

1/5

To whomever wrote in their review: "...Intentionally dissonant poverty tier indie rock..." - I love you. Vindicating all my memories of the worst tendencies of the cynicism of my generation and the lack-of-effort 90s SUPER COOL INDIE SCENE! This is dogshit, and intentional dogshit. They're insulting you. Fking slacker rock. I hate this band. 0/10 0 stars.

Too Rye Ay

Dexys Midnight Runners

3/5

2 Dexys in three days. !!?? You do know in the States that - easily? - 99.9% of the entire populace (if they've even heard of them) can only name one song of theirs and in fact likely think they only actually *released* one song (which is here, and definitely a classic). This album is nothing like the dressed up compost heap of their next album at least. Kevin Rowland gets mewly and more than a bit self-reverent on a lot of songs (nothing like the followup. please avoid at all costs.) which brings it down in spots (the mellow parts of "Plan B") but the music mostly keeps it at a comfortable level. The best of it is worth a replay - they cleverly have you wait for the big payoff at track 10 but the danger is that by then you might already be tired of having heard it at 10000 weddings. Anyways, it's a fun listen we'll keep at at that and they should have called it a day after this album. 7/10 3 stars.

Guitar Town

Steve Earle

2/5

At best I could generally say this is fine. It's not a genre I often like and with the 80s reverb wash over everything it sounds incredibly of-its-time which is not a great sound. I have a hard time connecting with music like this - it could and probably would be fun to hear this / him / them in a live setting, but the rote and uncreative 4 chord country rock washes over me in a forgetful way; i.e. I don't feel any emotions or chills at all, it's just.... *there* - how has Steve Earle gotten so (relatively) famous? I expected and maybe wanted more. This is - as the kids say - pretty mid. Also, simple (I could say boring...) music like this almost forces you (me) to rely on something else, which I suppose the only other thing IS the lyrics which are laughable - almost a self-parody. They do absolutely nothing to me other than - I admit - allow me to adhere to certain stereotypes. Hillybilly Highway, good ol' boy, etc.... Ok...there is some decent stuff midway through - "My Old Friend the Blues" is nice - will definitely give points to this slow one; gives a little of an old-school feel which would have been nice to hear more of. "Someday" has a strong Springsteen vibe although the lyrics start to dance that line between Bruce and Bon Jovi.... Overall though - a disappointing pass. 3/10 2 stars.

So Much For The City

The Thrills

4/5

The Thrills were completely new to me (...would never have pegged this band as Irish - infinitely more a southwest American VW bus vibe...) and after the first song I'm already intrigued by the melodies/harmonies - definitely venturing into the slightly-unpredictable melodic pop rock that I enjoy (I'm hearing elements of Jellyfish, Flaming Lips, Elliot Smith). Although how many times one needs to actually say "Santa Cruz" within a song is certainly up for debate. "One Horse Town" definitely has a little Pete Townshend guitar influence in there ok. Overall I love the music - the lead vocals really do start to approach preciously fey self-reflective annoyance. For the most part I've gotten good (better) at tuning out vocals where I need to and a few times it was necessary here. Wasn't entirely sure about how much I liked it but after giving it a 2nd listen today...yes it's inoffensive but it's just kinda nice and I feel like something nice right now is a good thing to have. I think I would listen to this again. 7/10 4 stars.

Blood On The Tracks

Bob Dylan

3/5

Eh I guess I have to get this out of the way for myself AGAIN (7 Dylan albums maybe?) and probably write much of the same reaction/review: I don't dislike nor like Dylan, and in particular I really have no problem with his vocals at all - at times I might even like them - it's true and authentic. It's just that his music often doesn't do much of anything. I appreciate peoples' opinions on him and dissecting his poetry, his storytelling, etc. It's just not how I make an emotional connection to music. Great that he's writing deep love songs or whatever but *I just don't care*. I don't need or want dance music, nor quick/short little pop songs - I certainly have a long attention-span for music, but not really one for most simply-constructed music. Writing all this makes it sound like I hate this, which ... I categorically don't. I'll say that this is one of the more-accessible records of his for me, almost in a mid-70s Gord Lightfoot vein but I'll still take Gord (e.g. Summertime Dream) any and every day over Dylan simply because I like his music better. I can semi-enjoy most of the first half (side) but I think my limit is around 20 minutes - the album does grow a bit tiresome, especially when getting to the nearly 9 MINUTE track on side 2. I saw the running time and was counting on 70s Bob to gonna incorporate a mellotron and a long spacey prog intro but .... nope: just 9 minutes of a country-blues 3 chord snooze-fest. Plus it's not like Bob is singing about a sunken Great Lakes freighter or anything interesting, come on... 5/10 3 stars. I'll gladly take ~4 or 5 cuts max and cut the rest.

Buena Vista Social Club

2/5

I've found that I like non-English vocals either a lot more than I'd thought or simply a lot more than I used to. It's far less-distracting and lets me as a listener have the vocals settle in as more of an instrument which I prefer. Get that shit out of the way dammit and let's hear the music which I was excited to... Yet after all that, this doesn't grab my interest. Zzzz. This album is unchallenging - it's fine, but feels like the kind of music I (yeah stereotyping) might hear street musicians playing which sets a nice evening mood as I'm strolling by but I'm not really compelled to stop and listen, nor would I remember much about it. Nor do I remember any of the melodies here as they pass me by. 4 chord traditional structures, eh ok. It bores me. By way of contrast, one of our first Spanish-vocal albums was Milton Nascimento's "Clube da Esquina" which has become a favourite - not for anything vocal-wise, but the music is mysterious and challenging which is my jam - that's a compelling album that I can play anytime. Not much of a review, but I'm not feeling much of anything either. 5/10 2 stars.

Cypress Hill

3/5

Dammit - how can you not groove to this. But. I'm noticing the lyrics. Dumb and too often not even in a funny way and at worst they're terrible/offensive but again damn ... the music and these beats just hit right, funky, old school organic... Just about good enough to let me ignore the lyrics.... Just about. Breaking it down -> 5 for the music, 4 for the actual rapping, 1.5 for the content. 7/10 3 stars.

Hounds Of Love

Kate Bush

5/5

For individual tracks, there's not much better in terms of an emotional impact than "Cloudbusting" (one of the great videos as well - a true 6 minute movie). This album takes me somewhere else, which is a high mark for art - the highest maybe? It's a pretty demanding album (although aren't all Kate Bush albums?) and I get why some people are turned off but these kinds of albums that aren't uniform in arrangement, tempo, mood are exactly those for me that are worth returning to again and again. On that note, this album does require multiple listens for me at least even now - even though I know it, if I haven't listened in a while there's still a certain barrier for entry. Not a big fan of "Jig of Life" if I'm nitpicking, but I'll overlook it - it's not like Genesis' "Who Dunnit?" or anything. I don't know if my giving it a 5 is truly consistent with my other 5s - I won't always be in the mood for this and sometimes am actively not - but for something this grandiose, intelligent, melodic, haunting, etc etc. anything less feels completely wrong. A work of genius. 9/10 5 stars.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray Charles

3/5

Is this truly "country" music? If I had more bluesy vocals like this - and less (no) twang and/or pedal steel like Ray Charles delivers here - I'd be more-inclined to listen to more. I've always hated those creamy 40s/50s style background vocals and still do here - I suppose I understand what he was doing which was revolutionary, just that roughly half the album doesn't hold my interest as a listener 60+ years later - thankfully Ray's voice brings it back (even on the songs I don't care for). BUT the "boppers" are great - I particularly enjoyed the bonus track of "You Are My Sunshine" which takes that traditional standard and makes it wholly unique. Probably can file this as one in a bucket of albums on this list that were groundbreaking and historic at the time and you have to put into context to appreciate even more. Not that I didn't enjoy this (the slower maudlin songs are far too schmalzy for my liking and kill the flow a bit) since the uptempo tracks are worth the price. Excellent album, not sure how much it aligns with my tastes, but worthy of praise for what it was and I'd probably listen again. 7/10 3 stars.

Ten

Pearl Jam

5/5

Late summer 1991: lying around the house sometime at night watching MTV when they make a big deal of premiering a video from this new band (those of that era can also corroborate it was kind of an exciting thing) - and then they cut to black and white and reveal an actual live performance video and the whole thing coalesces into this big ending and I'm like what the hell *was* that? Followup: taking a bus downtown to Tower Records (RIP) to buy the CD (along with Black Sabbath's debut - I remember where I bought most of my albums but not where I put my winter gloves last night) and played the hell out of it all winter. TL;DR: great/stunning/unique debut with haunting lyrics that matched the more-complex/creative-than-it-seemed-on-the-surface music. The album always felt too reverb-heavy even for the time (and I just found out there's a remix...I'm curious) and it tends to drag just a bit at the end (really just the song "Deep" which is the only potential skip for me), not enough to knock it down tho. Loved their next album yet not much after that but this still has a big place in my memory. Don't tell me Nirvana was the "poster band for GenX" because this band lapped them 10x over with this release alone (of course I know why - Eddie Vedder didn't off himself. Good on him - he eventually got to see his Cubs win the Series). I don't know if life was truly better in 1991 (although....) but this album is a guaranteed time machine every time I listen to it and was formative for my next new wave of music. 9/10 5 stars.

Live / Dead

Grateful Dead

2/5

I'm rarely moved either way by the Dead. Like "Dark Star" seems nice in/at any particular 1 or 2 minute point but it *never.goes.anywhere* - the world's longest intro to a song that never arrives. And yes that's a/the cliché with this band but that doesn't mean it isn't true. Apply to virtually all the songs. Man it's so disappointing that they made a song in 11/8 boring to me. And honestly who the hell is listening to those last 8+ minutes.... "Feedback?" what a prank - I thought Sabbath's "FX" was the biggest prank by a major band on an album but apparently they couldn't hold a candle to the Dead. I guess digesting the GD is more akin to channeling a mood rather than expecting "traditional" song structure, etc. I know this intellectually yet any time I hear them I think I expect some dramatic bridge or breakdown. They're always instantly recognizable which is probably the ultimate goal for any artist - that individuality. I could see maybe enjoying this as background music. Just for me trying to actively listen it's just too much. Or no...maybe I should say it's not ever enough. It's just bland and completely and utterly unfocused - never approaches danger or even passion? It's fine if you like this but it's .... limp. 5/10 2 stars.

Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

4/5

Turns out that old-style country music without the pedal steel and overtly mewling vocals is something I quite like. Dolly Parton is one of the few vocalists of any genre that I actually/actively enjoy listening to - there's something so pure and clear and *unaffected* about her voice that is somehow soothing. As for the album itself I'd never heard this one - quite simple and direct which I feel like I've written about rock albums and been bored afterwards yet here it just works so well. Definite keeper. 8/10 4 stars.

LP1

FKA twigs

2/5

oh man Twigs - don't you try to lure me in with this deceptive avant-garde ethereal Kate Bush Lana Del Ray Imogen Heap vocal cosplaying and then just drop in that glitchy shit that almost immediately gives me a headache... Hard to even get through the first song as I was worried about a big bait-and-switch but honestly when it avoids the full glitch (it's still there most everywhere but not quite to the Skrillex level of turnthisshitoff) it's not as bad. Although I'm not sure what the goal of this music is - it stresses me out. I suppose some could enjoy the contrast of legato dreamlike vocals with the hyper-frenetic cut and cut and cut and paste Ableton project that each of these songs are but I need a Xanax. And as for the vocals it's just very samey - by the time I get to track 4 I'm thinking "ah yes, this again" and the falsetto only goes so far before becoming a dull and unnoticeable blend. Objectively I can definitely see how people could love this, but I can state I do not. Just remember: Never go full-glitch. 4/10 2 stars.

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

3/5

While I don't explicitly *like* this music, there is something unique about an ascending star (superstar) running off the path to create something so barren and unsafe as a 4 track acoustic album. There's an old review that said it might be "more admirable than likeable" and I get that. The lyrics are a little "ok ok already" for me, yeah auto plant, johnny down at the mill, mister trooper kinda clichés so that gets old but it's really about the overall mood/feel. The simplistic album cover kinda nails it. Overall feeling: listening to it through a different lens than a knee-jerk "...well this is *nothing* like 'Hungry Heart'...." does give it a different kind of potency that - surprisingly to me - makes it worthwhile for the occasional listen. (the harmonica does kind of bug me a little, but I'll side-eye it and move on.) 7/10 3 stars.

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

4/5

I do love mid-70s jazzy Joni - even if this one isn't perfect and a little weird for weird's sake at times. I always heard this as a transitional/experimental album by Joni, wedged between 2 of my favourites of hers. e.g. "The Jungle Line" is a real curve although I respect the efforts and completely different feel - was a poor choice making it the 2nd song on the album; that's a classic "bury it on side 2" deep cut, come on. It throws off the flow a bit, as everything after just follows so well with smooth clarity. I know a number of people who have no use for *this* Joni, sticking with the "Blue" era which I get - that's a perfect album - but in that way of thinking why continue down that road when every and anything would inevitably be measured by it? Even if she doesn't perfect this direction until the next album (Hejira) by coalescing the sound into better songs overall, the vibe here is something I can always be in the mood for and I just love this sound - including the ridiculous musicianship and production. 7/10 4 stars.

Fuzzy

Grant Lee Buffalo

2/5

I remember these guys. I remember being a bit bored. It's very 1993 in the sense of not sure what it's trying to be - it sounds nice sonically, but I'm not feeling any bit of it. Bit of a Bowie knockoff on track 2, no? I don't particularly like Bowie. Fuzzy. Yes, I remember this song now. ... or do I? ehh...man I've already forgotten it all after finishing 10 minutes ago. Absolutely inoffensive and completely fine and utterly reverb-washed-boring. On some level it is weird criticizing something that's not "bad" but this is a great anti-example of everything I listen to music for. I felt nothing during this other than an impatience to finish to get to something more dramatic, more exciting, more dynamic, more passionate, more dangerous. More ANYTHING. 4/10 2 stars.

Black Monk Time

The Monks

1/5

Points for the strident/direct fuck you to the war at a time when it was probably taboo (and especially for GIs!) and I've read about their schtick which is interesting but we're here for the music and holy hell the music sucks so spectacularly hard that maybe they were just 60 years ahead of the "Sirs, this is a Wendy's...." meme. Hard to believe they never made it big. 2/10 1 star

Post Orgasmic Chill

Skunk Anansie

2/5

It's not easy to be objective but if you like this aggression, I get it - far more than other in the alt or even approaching nu-metal sounds. I truly and uncompromisingly hate that up-front massively compressed "guitar" sound in any and everything so I can't see how I can even get through this, but her voice definitely soothes things a bit - it's objectively a good contrast (as well as a contrast to many others in similar heavy-spheres). There are some songs later on that are *close* - I really just don't like the presentation and still will never get past this genre/sound overall. Not for me. 4/10 2 stars.

Eternally Yours

The Saints

1/5

Low-rent simplistic nonsense. Fine at best which generously would be some random 20 second span, but mostly boring - can't really distinguish it from <petulantly throws down a shitty list of 50+ previous entries in the British - OH NO I'M SO SORRY THEY'RE ORIGINALLY AUSTRALIAN sigh - 1970s punk "legends" bin that you've only heard of if you're super cool or if you stuck a pin up or twisted it through your arse in 1979 but what's the gd difference> any of these other ~35minute pointless forays through 4 chords and terrible denture work. meh this sucks. 3/10 1 star.

This Is Fats Domino

Fats Domino

4/5

I couldn't find the original album so I went with Fats Domino Swings. Which he did. The true father of rock and roll? Definitely more so than Elvis (duh) and more fun. 8/10 4 stars.

The White Room

The KLF

3/5

I waver between getting annoyed at how fake this all is and bopping a lil bit since it's better than a lot of the electronic useless tripe we've gotten on this list. It's loopy - that's inherent in the somewhat limited genre - but there was at least some semblance of song construction in some of these as opposed to a shitty Fatboy Slim album. Not generally my cuppa but this wouldn't be terrible to video game or work to which gave it the "rounding up from a 2.5" faintest of praise. 5/10 3 stars

Only By The Night

Kings of Leon

4/5

3 Kings Of Leon albums and no Tragically Hip. (wtaf) Come on now. One thing that occurred to me recently is that I just don't know if I like rock - or specifically modern rock - anymore. Not saying I don't, I legitimately don't know. Like...do I feel like I'm tired of the 4 piece rock concept overall, having heard so much of the first 50+ years of the structure? I'm so often bored with it all. I truly didn't enjoy our first two albums from this band, and scoffed today getting this one - my biggest personal gripe with them is that the singer still sounds like he swallowed his tongue. But I have also (self-awareness??) realized after 980+ albums that I hate almost all singers so I'm gonna have to judge on a curve here... So I was immediately ready to give this a knee-jerk mid rating, allowing for the 2 singles I'm actually familiar with. But ok ok it's definitely better - varied music, and in general this one has some catchier songs than their earlier albums. It doesn't rewrite anything in the rock pantheon, and maybe I'm right to not expect that from rock music anymore. But the simple formula is done with a little flavour here and despite my sarcastic jaded outlook I'll admit I enjoyed it more than I'd expected to. They're never going to be a favourite but does that even matter - what they tried to do here they did pretty well. 7/10 4 stars

Locust Abortion Technician

Butthole Surfers

1/5

Disturbing and not in a fun way. The 80s version of Trout Mask Replica? I suppose points for being nothing approaching accessible music but holy hell. Was thinking of giving 2 for creativity but I'm gonna need therapy as a result and I'll need to remember to not listen again. 3/10 1 star

Dr. Octagonecologyst

Dr. Octagon

1/5

Sounds like an overeager teenager stole his older brother's recording equipment and spent a week making late night mostly lame recordings. Not a big fan of his rap style nor the stupid grade 7 lyrics. Jeez grow up a little. "No Awareness" isn't terrible, but overall this is bad. Couldn't finish. Best singular moment: Gnip-Gnop reference. 3/10 1 star.

Opus Dei

Laibach

1/5

On a family road trip in 1983 as a young creative child I decided to pass the time by loudly burping the lyrics to Eddy Grant's big hit "Electric Avenue" over the course of an entire day, much to the endless amusement of my family. They thought I was special. I just didn't know it had been recorded. 2/10 1 star

Teenage Head

Flamin' Groovies

3/5

Slightly confused until I realized it wasn't actually the Hamilton band Teenage Head. One of those "oh yeah I've heard of them..." bands that after I had read about this album I thought I was going to enjoy it more. I'm sure everyone points out that Mick Jagger heard this and thought it a better version of their "Sticky Fingers" but I'm hearing a raw-just-about-to-the-point-of-annoyance recording (a sound that always grinds my gears), and I'm also not hearing any "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" type classics. More like a Stones-ish punky late 60s/early 70s MC5 garage band combo. Which I totally understand why people who like music in that intersection would dig this and yet each time I'm a little surprised they didn't "make it" to the exhaustion of the classic rock radio staple set.... I realize they had the sound nailed down, but they just didn't have the songs. It's a fine listen but Mick was wrong. 5/10 2.5 (3) stars.

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Liars

1/5

What the actual everliving shit. Not only is this hot garbage with no musical talent whatsoever within, it also sounds horrible. Bonus! They're insulting you. 1/10 1 projectile vomit 🤮

Medúlla

Björk

3/5

Wow there's a lot of Bjork on this list. While I do enjoy her vocals and massively appreciate her unconventional approach to music and songcraft, this album is tougher - I don't necessarily dislike it, but it's virtually *all* vocals and vocal effects, etc. and.... it feels like once a week I say I don't pay much attention to vocals which is true but even with one of the few vocalists that I enjoy listening to it's just a lot to take in. I'd bet this could be some Bjork fans' favourite just because it feels "meta-Bjork" but it's maybe an acquired taste. Major credit for the creativity and unique style (as always) but I'm going for her other albums first. 5/10 3 stars.

...Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

1/5

Britney Spears is in the list but e.g. Heart is not. That's the review. OK I'll try again...: music for people who don't really like digesting music which was made/processed/bought/sold in a factory by a ton of people notably and nearly tragically not really including the actual marketing ploy on the cover. This is all so utterly formulaic (ooo! a key change! didn't see that one coming...just like the previous song...) and fake - it's AI before AI. 3/10 1 star (feels a little bad lumping it with the Korn/KidRock/Slipknot genresofshit but this is straight-up terrible).

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Simon & Garfunkel

5/5

These guys were maybe my first "obsession" (...as a 3 year old but it counts...). A rare act that got progressively better with each release - which when you only have 5 albums isn't that monumental but still impressive - and this one was a big leap from very quaint folk to bigger productions (e.g. "The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine") and even a song like "Feelin’ Groovy" feels like would have sounded less full / more amateur a year or 2 before. Feels like I should give a note about Art G since he's one of the few vocalists I love so... here's the note. He's the best. Rapidly reaching their songwriting and performance peak which they'd get to on their final 2 albums but literally every song is worthy here (although truthfully "The Dangling Conversation" is a little too Paul Simon-y...enough already) and if you can't spend a half hour with this then well, best of luck to you. 9/10 5 stars.

Ctrl

SZA

1/5

Personal taste (isn't it all) but man do I hate this "style" of singing when I can even get by the processing. What does she really even sound like? Who tf knows - this is one of the most - if not THE most - overly-processed albums on this list. Even forgetting that (because singing sucks anyways) these lyrics would have to be better to be trash. Complete and pedal-to-the-floor pass on this robotic boring and just middle-school stupid soulless cut and paste project. 1/10 1 star

Ellington at Newport

Duke Ellington

4/5

Listening to Sir Duke immediately after having to sit through a SZA album is akin to slowly sipping a neat 15-year Talisker single-malt in front of a roaring fire after having been force-fed a bowl of moldy Weetabix soaking in your dog's water dish for a month. 9/10 4 stars.

Movies

Holger Czukay

4/5

As I'm listening I can't stop giggling picturing this as some sort of early-season Simpsons takeoff on the Germans taking over the Springfield nuclear plant or the "I must get back to Dance centrum in Stuttgart in time to see Kraftwerk - HEY FUN BOIZ - GET A ROOM!" lines. Has a bit of an absurdist alt-early-Roxy sound to it. It's ridiculous ... but why do I kind of love this... Wacky/trippy/beyond unusual but actually unlike much of Czukay's previous incarnation in Can I like this a lot more - although I'm docking a point for a lot of "Persian Love" - it's just that middle-eastern sound I don't love (having said that, i love the ARP and some of the guitar work is reminiscent of Zappa / Watermelon in Easter Hay). Weird keeper - too many of the weird albums here are just fkd-up weird but this is oddly listenable and fun. 8/10 4 stars.

Happy Trails

Quicksilver Messenger Service

2/5

Van Halen's version of Happy Trails was exponentially better. So. The entire first side/half is *entirely* an absurdly-extended live version of a Bo Diddley blues bop. This sounds exciting. ... Oh wait as it turns out the "Where You Love" portion meanders into endless Grateful Dead like noodling. Over 2 chords. So there's that, if that's your thing. Lots of chatter about this at least being a great extended guitar solo. Agree to disagree. Maybe it's not the solo's fault but a blues solo over 2 chords for 25 minutes that feels like 50.... eh there's not too much you can do. I'm thinking maybe a flute would have helped. Honestly it's hardly the worst thing I've heard but this sounds infinitely more like a personal recording of one's own band rehearsal/jam for them to listen to later IN PRIVATE to see if there was anything to dig out of the half-hour of directionless psychedelia to form into anything cohesive. I'll answer for them: there was not. Meh. I imagine it may have been a bit more exciting to have "been there" for this but it's truly a(nother) great example of why most live rock (or rock-adjacent) albums suck. 4/10 2 stars.

Black Metal

Venom

2/5

Satan looks kind of cuddly on the cover doesn't he? Like you just want to scratch his chin and give him a little treat...awww...go play in the yard like a good little demon! Funny to hear the early 80s reverb on this - tends to kill the evil mood they're going for and combined with the lyrics it makes it sound appropriately back of the middle-school cafeteria comic book hilarious. This is not my bag in any way but it's *slightly* more melodic than the genre/s this spawned and I can obviously hear the influence on (much worse/more offensively-loud) speed metal to come. 3/10 2 stars.

Highway to Hell

AC/DC

5/5

Me at age 10 in the front seat of our new-ish station wagon accompanying my mom on some errands ... she goes into a store I wanted no part of and I was more than content to stay in the car and fiddle with the new radio. I remember exactly where the car was when I first heard these opening chords. I turned it up. And then up again at the chorus. By the time mom got back to the car I was into the 2nd chorus and feeling just a little weird about singing the words "I'm on a highway to hell...!" having been dragged to church every week and made to feel lousy about everything including some fantasy-land called hell (which turned out to be real, just that hell is actually the checkout line in a metropolitan Costco) but not nearly enough to stop. Anyways - mom was apoplectic not about the lyrics but the volume which she could apparently hear from inside the store. Buzzkill. TL;DR: Gloriously dumb ("the body of Venus with arms" LOLOLOLOL) fun and if you're not smiling after those initial A power chords then it's never gonna happen and I feel sorry for you that you hate fun. Shazbat! Nanu nanu.... R.I.P. Bon. 10/10 5 stars.

Lost Souls

Doves

4/5

Back in early 2002 I participated in a "CD exchange" with R where he gave me 10 albums I didn't know and I reciprocated. (digression: funny that here in 2025 CDs actually seem (are) far more antiquated than vinyl) This album was one of the 10 - which i loved - I hadn't listened to it in at least a decade which now immediately sends me back in time and suddenly here I am with a whole heap of nostalgia. Great stuff - overall it gives the feel of the aftermath of a long, exhausting, and fun night and now you're just sitting amongst the detritus that you'll have to clean up but it can wait 'til morning... I put "Catch The Sun" on countless mix-CDs (there they are again) in the years following this - an obviously-catchy song that is also so weirdly out of place here - the outlier for the near-tranquility of the rest of the album. If there's any criticism it's that it can all feel a little singular by the end; meaning that for the most part I tend to link these songs together - i.e. they become a bit indistinguishable from each other. Which might actually be a feature. This is a good example of the album-as-a-whole (despite "Catch The Sun") working as a mood piece. 8/10 4 stars.

Abbey Road

Beatles

5/5

I think the generator has an AI plant on me as I was just listening to this obscure album yesterday. I'm sure at least half the reviews will claim that side 2 is as good as music gets, and they would be correct. Yes side 1 is pretty excellent as well (and absurdly-so if we grade against virtually every other rock album in history) although “I Want You” is probably my least-favourite Beatles song and mostly terrible (only "mostly" because listening to Billy Preston's organ is worth a listen). I’d almost rather listen to “Revolution 9” - John was such a tool; all that "granny music" and a revolutionary sense of melody was the main ingredient in what made this band. I'll almost always hit the kill switch on the turntable after "Octopus' Garden" (which I un-ironically like - I always enjoyed the playful songs interspersed with their creepy late-period songs) and flip to side 2. Collection of some of my favourite little and not-so-little gems: • Ringo's drumming on "Come Together" - the performance and the sound. • Paul's bassline on "Something" - will go to bat saying that's what turns that song from potentially boring to musical genius. • 11/8 time in "Here Comes the Sun" • The piano on "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Golden Slumber" - always always gives me chills. • The entire medley, holy moly. A perfect send-off from the band. Sum: it's Abbey Road. Take out one song and it's perfection. 9/10 5 stars.

Sheet Music

10cc

3/5

I'm sure I'm not the only one initially wishing "I'm Not In Love" was here, but ok obscure (for 2025) 10cc album show me the way... Hmmm this is immediately musically intriguing in a mid-Roxy period way. These 70s bands could all freaking play and write complex pop songs. I'm not sure there was anyone like these guys - maybe Sparks? This kind of musical creativity is just not matched today; sounds like a "back in my day" treatise but seriously - just listen to the first minute *alone* of "The Wall Street Shuffle" - the arrangement, the chord changes, dynamics - I miss this in too much of modern music. Having said that ... That's the good, and that creativity does carry through most if not all of the album, but here's the bad: the humour is so forced and frankly terrible. Outside of maybe The Tubes and *some* Zappa, attempts at being humourous usually just end up lame (e.g. "The Worst Band In The World") or worse. Is Oh Effendi (aka "Oh Offensive?") dumb or anti-arabic or just both? So upon 2nd listen I hear a similar energy and controlled insanity to similar-era albums from Sparks, but not as many quality songs. Overall it starts strong and peters out over the last few songs but these lyrics are too ditracting - melody almost always wins out for me and there's a ton of complex melody here to re-listen to maybe 5 songs but HAVE I MENTIONED I NOTICE THE LYRICS. It's a bad thing. I'd listen to a few tracks again for sure but might be a slog to get through the entire album... 6/10 3 stars.

Take Me Apart

Kelela

3/5

Not a genre I listen to often, but this seems to cross a few - one immediate like is that she's not oversinging - I like the restraint in her voice which adds a bit of tension to the music. Big strike against the trap beats - something I really dislike, and does an even bigger disservice here because the music is pretty good. But overall I'm left trying to remember details of what I just listened to...? Nothing annoying at all, and a generally smooth sound (and the trap beats weren't entirely pervasive, thankfully) that lets each song run into each other which I always end up feeling mid about. Feels like a great mood record and as a result I don't have a favourite track because 1=14 and everything in-between. Very nice chill vibe (if pressed, my fave song: "Better" - I'd swear whoever wrote the initial keyboard lines cribbed Marillion's "Kayleigh") - honestly would have loved a bit more variety but it's a solid 3 here. 7/10 3 stars.

Raw Power

The Stooges

1/5

This tool again. 5 times thus far - FIVE. Maybe the most hilarious outrage of the 1001+. No-talent obnoxious wanker - I'm more stupid for having listened to this. 30 minutes ago before I started I was doing quadratic equations for fun on my Chaucer bookmark and am now doodling boobs on a rocketship. So so dumb. 2/10 1 star.

Face to Face

The Kinks

3/5

Thus far our oldest (3rd album into a long-ass career) and 4th early-period Kinks album ... it's often more of a challenge getting through early rock albums due to the rough mixes and this doesn't buck that trend. As for the songs I didn't know - it's nice in the exact way I'd have expected: a collection of polite-ish British...Kinks songs. It's fine - meaning I'm not sure I would go out of my way for this outside of a few tracks. I very much enjoyed their next few albums about to follow much more, as both the songwriting and production show improvement. You can see where they're about to go on this album even if many of the songs are pedestrian. Highlight: the easy answer maybe due to familiarity: "Sunny Afternoon" 5/10 3 stars.

Heroes to Zeros

The Beta Band

3/5

Didn't care much for their previous release but sure let's have a 2nd album by a band nobody knows outside of a few UK pockets - I guess you get Radiohead's producer and that'll elevate you in the NME. Hate the album cover so we're off to a rough start. And the music .... ok fine. It's not bad. It's a bit as I remember their last one - a singer with zero emotion - and I recognize my hypocrisy since I hate singers but this is approaching slackerdom which is probably what got me to hate singers in the first place. Better vocals and a tweak or 3 here and there would have made this something. Jeez even an all black cover would be better - you could see yourself in both sides.... It's fine. We do not need 2 from this band. We might not need 1. 5/10 3 stars

The Slider

T. Rex

3/5

Their previous album "Electric Warrior" didn't age well and this suffers a bit of the same... except I can clearly hear more of what came *next* in power pop/glam rock than in their previous work. Echoes of Jellyfish, Cheap Trick, 70s Bowie, etc. and I can even hear the path to a bit of melodic riff pop-metal. The same problem remains though in that I'm not sure I love the songs or the band all that much, but since the variety is a step up (although on "Telegram Sam" did they rip themselves off? i.e. "Bang A Gong" v2.0 with a totally different vocal track) I'd go with this over the previous breakthrough album. There are a few cuts to make a sampling somewhat worthwhile. /tepid review 5/10 3 stars.

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Rós

4/5

I remember liking Sigur Ros 15 years ago but I'm not sure I've listened to them since then ... I do know that evaluating or ranking this in any sort of comparison to nearly anything else on this list or elsewhere is a pointless/fruitless exercise. Even in their own words, they set out to "change music forever" which is just a little bold but not entirely wrong. Could definitely file under atmospheric / mood music, since it's not exactly a blasting down the highway or party album. It is great to work to and (perhaps only) great in isolation - i.e. it's an album (for me at least) to listen to alone and that's the only way it could work. i.e. I couldn't imagine a collective decision to listen to this unless you were playing games or cooking a complex meal or de-molding the basement. Could get annoying pretty quickly, I'll admit, but for what it is I do like it. Notable exception is "Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)" which actually is kind of cool but much of the first part of it fits awkwardly at best with the rest of the album... I might have to revisit their followup to this ("()") again. Anyways, how does one rank or simplify judging of this? I'll be grading on the Vonlenska scale here... 7/10 4 stars

2/5

Well, I really liked it until he started singing - and about his Swampsnake, no less. That pattern pretty much followed for each song. There's a fine line between Alex Harvey and Bon Scott, and it might be nitpicking, but the tongue-in-cheek wink-wink aspect of Bon was miles above this 40-IQ nonsense. Shame, because the music is really adventurous - the vocals and lyrics alone shot this down from what would have been a likely 4 - sensational work Alex! 5/10 2 stars

Head Hunters

Herbie Hancock

5/5

Well this was an easy 5. Favourite song: "Watermelon Man" but my favourite moment is in the classic "Chameleon" at ~6:53 when Herbie dials up the pitch wheel for a few bars. It's kind of ridiculous and non-traditional and perfect. One of those "no shit" classics that everyone should just *have* in their collection. 10/10 5 stars.

In Our Heads

Hot Chip

2/5

So there's of course a difference between music you don't necessarily like and music you can appreciate for its influence and progression - but what about an act like this? It's not *bad* in any way, and actually kinda boppy in some moments but for 2012 - isn't this just re-repackaged Pet Shop Boys or even a lighter New Order? Sure it's kind of nice at times, but I didn't really remember anything after I was done other than the music being almost entirely emotionless and completely vapid insipid nothingness to the lyrics. Which all may be the point. I don't know... I don't want to gatekeep and state "oh if it's not influential or entirely original then why is it here" because we'd have a list of about 75 albums but as roughly the 823rd mostly-unknown British album on the list I'd be feeling more generous if these guys were, say, Albanian or Thai or somewhere else not exposed to oh EVERY 80s SYNTH BAND EVER. Ehhh I tried again and made it through about 5 songs and then really got tired of it. If you really really miss or like the 80s (and who doesn't ...) and emo/synthy/pop Benneton turtle neck pastel styles, skinny belts, and reliving The Breakfast Club this is your perfect jam. No judgement at all. 5/10 2 stars.

Paranoid

Black Sabbath

5/5

Legendary and maybe the most-influential heavy metal album of all-time? What else is in the conversation? In college I would occasionally take naps while listening to this album and my dreams during "Hand of Doom" .... that's still the coolest deep cut here. Ozzy was a great vocalist - no qualifier. A unique style and voice (obvs), he was what you immediately noticed and perfect for the original incarnation of this band but Geezer was the backbone - writing the riffs and laying down the bass so Toni Iommi could get that evil guitar drone down pat. I would argue that the absurd grade-9 (at best) intro-to-photography album cover with a wonky font actually *adds* to the brilliance inside. Funny how raw and *basic* the album is - Bill Ward's drums are so dry (they're great; underrated by me for years especially on this album) it hardly portends the massive-room / reverb and effects-laden genre that they spawned. TL;DR: I know a 5 when I see it and it's the triple-exposure cheesy cosplaying sword guy for me every time. 🤘🏽to classic Sabbath (and UpTheVilla!) 10/10 5 stars.

Peggy Suicide

Julian Cope

1/5

Hoping to like this was my first mistake. Continuing to listen was my major mistake. The music overall could maybe have reached a low 3 - even if a lot of it carries a dated cheesy sound - but *holy jumpin* these vocals and repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive (and annoying) lyrics almost seem like an intentional sandbagging. What the hell?? I can't remember not being able to finish so many songs on an album in years. Woof. This sucked. 3/10 1 star

Swordfishtrombones

Tom Waits

3/5

Huh, that's weird. All I heard was: <3 PIERCING TONES> followed by an AI voice saying: ".....We are sorry - you have exceeded the maximum number of ... 'TOM...WAITS' .... albums allowed in such a list. The maximum is 2. You have reached .... 5. Please move on." ...also is that Rudy Guiliani in drag on the cover? Tom should have shivved him right then and there and saved the world the trouble. (TL; DR: to be fair even if it's not my usual cuppa I definitely see the appeal, even if it is more....selective... than most. Gotta digest it and buy in, because if/when you (I) try to listen passively it just annoys). 6/10 3 stars.

You Are The Quarry

Morrissey

3/5

The *7th* Morrissey-fronted album on the list (and counting!). Although as this has progressed I've gone from reflexive "i hate this asshole" to "i still hate this asshole but um ... goddammit some of his [and The Smiths] albums are pretty good...." I think after all these years I've gotten used to his voice but it's his lyrics that are *absolutely ridiculous* and what never puts his music in a place I can enjoy it fully - they're just so over the top and wordy that he makes Paul Simon sound concise. Most songs have no flow to them lyrically, even if some of the ideas are interesting. Half of them sound more like a New Yorker essay or bitter letter to the editor put to (good) music. Again, it's too bad, since this is a decent-enough musical album when I can dial my brain away from paying attention to the word salad. On the other other hand.... I'm not convinced that many or any of these albums are "holy shit you've got to hear this" albums. More like someone was the world's biggest Morrissey fan and wanted to put *SEVEN* albums of his on the list. I mean I know I listen to Rush's Caress of Steel often enough to put it my top 1001 albums but I'm not sure it's more than a deep-interest.... and yet I'd still put that over "You Are The Quarry" - I think I am going bald trying to slog through this guy. WAYYYY TL; DR: Speaking of word salad holy hell I've no idea where I'm going with this. I guess this is a mostly enjoyable listen, full stop. Not revolutionary. 6/10 3 stars.

Apple Venus Volume 1

XTC

4/5

I've always enjoyed XTC and this is different but still great. Heavily-melodic and if I'm a little disappointed in perhaps losing nearly all of the edgier sound of their earlier material it seems to more-than make up for that with simple melodic lines intertwining (... like a Mach piece...?) amidst lovely but not overly-done orchestration, excellent clear guitar work, etc etc... Always melodic and unpredictable - right up my alley. Definitely need to find a hard copy of this one. 8/10 4 stars.

G. Love And Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce

3/5

"Glove" I had a lot of vitriol for this back in the day when it was seemingly everywhere - I suppose when all you want to hear is art rock or mysterious mood time-shifting space bombast a bluesy/mumbly rap (?) combo is *definitely* gonna irritate and did. Laughing as I get to "Cold Beverages" - holy hell I hated and mocked this song incessantly... Eh honestly the music is kind of cool - chill fun blues vibe. GLOVE gets annoying real quick with his (intentionally?) stupid voice. Real. Quick. I can enjoy this when I'm focusing on the groove and a lot of unexpected turns on guitar (most interesting: chords on "Walk to Slide"). I could be fine with a few of these cuts or just instrumental interludes; overall a bit better than I'd remembered. 6/10 3 stars.

Electric

The Cult

5/5

In full honesty (with myself) - if I didn't live through this album there's a very high chance I might have heard this today and thought it was laughably terrible. But. I did live through it, it IS hilarious in many ways, and I fucking love it unapologetically and know pretty much every riff and note by heart before even putting MY ORIGINAL 1987 VINYL copy on the turntable and truly annoying the fam. PEACE! DOG! ...I really came close to docking it a full star for Born To Be Wild which even as a kid I knew could end up historically-awful. Goal achieved! But yeah the whole album brings back memories - learning every song on guitar (a great album to learn riff rock from). And yes it's all so goddamn dumb but I dgaf - it's a blast. 9/10 5 stars.

Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde

The Pharcyde

3/5

Reading about this before listening did not give me much hope of liking it - "filled with skits" etc, for me the worst part of any hiphop album - but i'll admit the music and rapping on this was generally way better than I'd hoped for. The silliness is pervasive for sure but the best of it gives a strong P-Funk vibe. Good organic music throughout. Some of it is just downright idiotic of course so I'm not likely to give it a front to back listen again but I'd definitely put some of these on a playlist or just create one that deletes the skits. (also the skits just make the album feel way longer than it already is) fave cut: "Otha Fish" 5/10 3 stars.

In The Court Of The Crimson King

King Crimson

3/5

One of those "you gotta hear/own/worship it!" seminal prog albums that I just could never get into. Sure Greg Lake has the voice that immediately takes me back to childhood listening to dad's albums (ELP) - not sure I like the chaotic ones here but a few of the more "boring" ones (e.g. "Epitaph") really suit Lake well. But maybe - just maybe - Lake's milquetoast voice *is* a big part of the problem? He doesn't have the mysterious prancey camp of Peter Gabriel or the aggressive attack of 1970s Geddy Lee - instead he's just...there. Sounding pretty and polite. ehh. It's fine - I know it's a great influence on a lot of my favourite bands and for that it's worthy enough to occasionally put on. I guess I'm not as into prog as I thought I was as a teenager. I have to imagine this coming out when it did was a game changer tho, not sure people had heard anything like it before so that definitely counts for a lot. Having said that, gimme 2112 or Supper's Ready all day every day. In fact .... "...walking across the sitting room, I turn the television off...." 5/10 3 stars.

Oxygène

Jean-Michel Jarre

4/5

This immediately makes me want to go back and be 8 again watching Tom Baker's Doctor Who in his long-ass scarf and me thinking the future was going to be a lot cooler than it ended up being. Loved it. 8/10 4 stars.

Honky Tonk Masquerade

Joe Ely

2/5

Throughout these past 4 years I've discovered that not only do I actually not hate all country music but I legitimately enjoy quite a bit of older country; outlaw, folky type music etc. ... This is not one of those. I can't say it's *bad* because it probably isn't for what it is, but... with a combination of twangy American vocals + slide guitar + semi-predictable chord progressions + plaintive paeans to the midwest plains .... I'm sorry we're just never going to agree on this - I just don't enjoy it. 3/10 2 stars.

Odessa

Bee Gees

3/5

Lovely if not a bit dated (which also may add to the quaint mood). It's nice to listen to for the most part and some of the musical aspects can get fairly adventurous. "Melody Fair" almost makes me think of late 80s/early 90s mellow Britpop (Madchester even?) sounds at least vocally - had to be an influence if not subconsciously. The parts that get either tiring or weird can sometimes stem from odd or stilted lyrics but in general at times the crazy warbling nature of the vocals (very notably Robin, see "Lamplight") are too much. Muppety. Honestly just keep the songs with Barry on lead vocals and cut the rest and it'd be a nice abridged version. It's crazy how much this group changed and over such a relatively short time - from this quaint folky material to jive talkin' in 6 years. 6/10 3 stars

Bert Jansch

4/5

Feels like this would be a great personal soundtrack for a long quiet solo bus ride through a/the countryside. With just solo acoustic and vocals it's not dynamic or exciting, but I still kind of like it. Almost could pass as a slightly more direct Nick Drake? Outstanding guitar playing that I almost didn't even notice until a few songs in and then realizes this is some serious talent. I'm not that knowledgeable on folk which might be why I'm not familiar with him, and it's not a party album :) but I'd put this on again, this is nice. 7/10 4 stars

Water From An Ancient Well

Abdullah Ibrahim

4/5

Nice jazz - nothing too esoteric and I mean that in a positive way; feels like the kind of album you can play for most any audience and everyone's gonna like it (or at least not moan about it too much). I'm not familiar with Abdullah Ibrahim but I'm really liking this and will definitely put him on a keeper list. 7/10 4 stars YouTube music stream for future reference since it wasn't on Apple Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mCC8-vI9pwvt_wvS9zTjzEeZ_H8gOWCKg

Beach Samba

Astrud Gilberto

4/5

Me refreshing the site to see today's album: "....sigh...." Me after one measure of the album: 🕺🍸🎶🪇 I didn't live through the 60s but I kinda feel like I just spent an hour there. So I guess I like Samba now. 8/10 4 stars

Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

The Byrds

2/5

It sounds crystal clear, beautiful melodies and harmonies, excellent playing - I can absolutely see why/how many people might 5/5 this one. I just cannot connect with it, and not just because I really am not a fan of the Byrds. Purely on personal preference / taste (pedal steel, overly-twangy vocals, weirdly religious lyrics?) I won't listen again. 5/10 2 stars

Legalize It

Peter Tosh

4/5

Sure the title track is a "classic" of the genre and Peter Tosh is a legend but to be objective, the title track is sadly typical of a lot of reggae is that the repetitive aspect of it is just too much. Or...not enough? A bit boring and not a particularly great song. Hey but proof you (I) should always be patient - the rest was/is a pleasant surprise - FAR more diverse than the first song; different rhythms, chord progressions, tempos, moods. I was ready to pan this after that first cut but as someone who isn't much of a fan of the genre this is one of the better reggae offerings we've had. 7/10 4 stars.

What's That Noise?

Coldcut

2/5

Dance music specifically made for ... dancing. Neither are really my thing. Early cut and paste music that has essentially no flow or purpose other than dancing. Which is totally fine, but I'm not sure why anyone would actually buy or play this at home. Only thing that saved me from punching in a very annoyed "1" for this is Queen Latifah. 3/10 2 stars.

The Visitors

ABBA

3/5

So...it sounds like ABBA listened to Gary Numan for 3 months and then released this. ...although then they couldn't help themselves - by the 2nd song they're in full ABBA mode. YMMV - for me it's light nostalgia just hearing their harmonies and it's a fine enough listen - not entirely sure why it's essential though. A very light 3 here and moving on. 5/10 3 stars

Savane

Ali Farka Touré

3/5

Conflicted. The positives are that there's a great sound to this - almost a mix of old swampy southern-USA-blues but clearly with more modern African influences. Negatives are that there aren't really any great songs here. But it's a great mood album - would make an excellent soundtrack playing constantly in the background of a movie, or even works well as background atmosphere. More of a passive-listen but I have to say it grew on me - in the background. 6/10 3 stars.

Live At The Star Club, Hamburg

Jerry Lee Lewis

4/5

The Pete Rose of rock music. I didn't want to like or appreciate this but for 22 minutes I kinda did (and especially for 1964 the sound is great), then I felt lousy about it. 7/10 4 stars goddammit.

Tragic Songs of Life

The Louvin Brothers

1/5

Kinda wish we'd had their banger "SATAN IS REAL!" instead of this one. Nice muppet harmonies, mandolins and repetitive 3 chord songs about satan lying to these guys is just not a genre I can get behind or excited about. I'll take one Sabbath Bloody Sabbath instead, please and thanks. 2/10 1 star.

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

4/5

You could call some of this dated and might be right (e.g. some of those keyboard stabs in "Around The Way Girl") but I feel like that's a feature not a bug here. There's never been better music for rap than when organic instruments and/or samples were used (see: "Golden Age of HipHop"); not just drums (although yes 100% drums - kill the 808s forever) but great old funk samples (e.g. James Brown, Rick James) as used liberally here. So the music is catchy as hell and/but LL's rapping is top-notch - not just his great deep voice but his rhythmic flow is perfect. The album is a bit too long (should have capped off around 45 minutes) but the high points make it a great hiphop throwback. 7/10 4 stars.

Moving Pictures

Rush

5/5

Well, finally here we are - this is IT. I could and want to write 10000 words or more about this album and how it shaped my entire musical life. Pretend I did and it's written as if describing ancient aliens or gods or whomever you positively might conceive of or believe in bestowing upon you the ultimate and most grand gift of art - the likes of which had never even been contemplated beforehand and is never to be achieved again. Very simply: if you don't like - or at a minimum appreciate - this album, I'm so sorry but we can't be friends. Unsubscribe. Go. Now. Listen. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Don't ever stop. I haven't. Summary: The most dramatic and hypnotic sudden opening to an album suitably begins the most-perfect 40 minutes of music ever recorded. 2112/10. 5 stars. The end. Shut the generator down.

Bongo Rock

Incredible Bongo Band

4/5

Turns out that there are, in fact, an *incredible* amount of bongos played on this album. Everywhere. To be fair, this is actually a pretty fun listen - especially noting how much of this was sampled later on. Fun background party album, upbeat, no annoying vocals to get in the way... Also to be fair if they had dialed back the bongos let's say ... 40% or so (honestly 50% would be better) it might have had a bit more impact when they actually did come in. Then again they'd have had to come up with a different band/album name so the whole thing falls apart with any sort of scrutiny... Still, I weirdly can't help but like this quite a bit even with far too much BONGO FURY. 7/10 4 stars

Django Django

3/5

Charitably (or just very loosely) could call it a weird mix of 1960s folkie melodies with that early 21st century modern reverb-y Fleet Foxes *sound* and sprinkle in a bit of electronica but still keeping it all sparse enough to keep some mystery. Which sounds like it should be awesome. I liked it .... but really wanted to like it a lot more. Everything sounded nice but never truly grabbed me either. I don't know, maybe it's a (very) slow builder but could have used a few more uptempo songs for variety. Honestly in the end it's cool to pick (any) ~3 songs, get a nice chill feel, and move on. Also "Zumm Zumm" is annoying. 5/10 3 stars

American Beauty

Grateful Dead

3/5

I guess it's fine? I know the big hits and they're "enjoyable enough" in terms of being recognizable but I'm never going to love this band after too many friends pleading that I just don't get it. They're right. And I think for the most part - besides the major scale noodling which is boring, I hate using that terms but it's true, it's the vocals. They're so milquetoast and emotionless and just... there. A few times listening I wondered how much more I'd like it if it were instrumental and I realized I wouldn't because this music actually does need vocals. Just something better. It's not terrible, it really isn't, but it's also just never gripped me. Willing to give a 3 because it's vital to the story of popular/rock music and worth listening to but that's about it. 5/10 3 stars

Brown Sugar

D'Angelo

2/5

Man - this guy is a talented musician. But the smooth mid 90s R&B (which he might be / is partially responsible for?) is just so....boring? It's a lazy adjective to use, I own it, but sometimes boring is boring. I don't remember any songs here other than "Shit, Damn, Motherfucker" which was pretty good. TL;DR: Funky and soulful and sounds .... too good? It's just too chill for my liking - not tons of dynamics or tempo and mood changes, just kinda waited it out until it was over... 4/10 2 stars

Slipknot

1/5

These goddamn clowns? (heh heh) OK for real: holy fuck *AND* hell no to this preadolescent dogshit. This almost makes Limp Bizkit listenable. DNF 0/10 0 stars if possible

Kid A

Radiohead

5/5

Soon after the album's release we started calling our soon-to-arrive firstborn "Kid A" out of wit, convenience, or pure laziness. Not hyperbole to say this album changed the way I listen to music and/or altered my perception of it. The rapid transformation - and acceleration - of this band was and is almost unprecedented. I liked the Bends fine-enough, then loved OK Computer, but wasn't prepared for this - who was? As a guitar player, a nearly all-computerized sterile cold synthy studio-constructed album as a followup doesn't compute <pun definitely intended> to be a favourite but hell if this isn't a top 20 all time album for me. It also doesn't work fully unless you listen to the album as a whole - I've had songs pop up in playlists and it doesn't have the same effect. Headphones on, chills from the first creepy notes until the chilling end. 10/10 5 perfect stars.

Fly Or Die

N.E.R.D

4/5

This was pretty crazy - I'd never heard these guys before and just slightly familiar with Pharrell's bigger later works so no idea what to expect here which ... I'm still not sure how to categorize it - is it rock? it's not really rap-rock... some fusion? some jazz elements? Next generation P-Funk disciples? Who cares - the music was great - never predictable, organic instruments with a 21st century modern sound (which despite a few overly in-the-can type mixing moments that took me out of the flow a bit) worked perfectly. Negatives: I noticed the lyrics and while they're not terrible ... I noticed them. Seemed a throwaway on a lot of tunes, and maybe that's not fair -there's a uniqueness to the music that maybe didn't or wouldn't lend itself to anything deeply introspective or cosmic or or or. Idk, I'm not the lyrics guy, stop asking me. Seems hypocritical for me to criticize the lyrics and after a 2nd listen I realize they bug me *because* they distract me from how complex and interesting these musical arrangements are. I'm willing to ignore them for the most part. TL;DR: Definitely unique, felt a little long in the tooth after a while but very worthy of a listen. Wavering between 3 and 4, probably would listen again - after looking at some my other 3s I'm feeling like I should be more generous here... 7/10 4 stars.

The World is a Ghetto

War

4/5

Throwback! I don't think I'd heard "Cisco Kid" since I was riding in the back of my parents' station wagon. Laid-back funky soulful rock - the album cover seems to really match well. Hard to be in a bad mood listening to this album; I'll definitely add to my collection - long overdue. 7/10 4 stars.

Orbital 2

Orbital

2/5

Easily one of the most annoying beginnings to any album with "Time Becomes" - lazy/tiring throwaway to show off their early ability to utilize cut and paste. Fascinating. :/ Which leads into the beginning of the 2nd track doubling down on the same thing. Come on. We've had their album "Snivilisation" which I thought was perfect background/zone-out music but it takes too long to get into it here... I suppose this is on the list because a) they're English b) it was some sort of early adopter of EDM and c) they're English. Maybe it's unfair and it's Monday morning and I haven't had a proper coffee intake yet but I'm not feeling it even the way I was able to get a little bit into Snivilisation. Repetition is the name of the game in this genre but this was too much (or too little?). Couldn't hold my interest or vibe. 4/10 2 stars.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo

Devo

4/5

Seems appropriate to bring up the de-evolution of mankind these days. I grew up on "Whip It" but was mostly confused by the rest of their material as a kid (and that video for "Satisfaction" freaked me out a little) - the soulless robotic/machine-like aspect of the music wasn't something I was ready for when I was little but honestly exactly all of exactly that - the weird and disjointed and absolutely ungroovy aspect of it - is nearly perfect. Love it. 8/10 4 stars.

Murmur

R.E.M.

5/5

After starting this I'm often left wondering about pop/rock albums that frustrate me by leading off with a mid or challenging opening track - why not bring the house down immediately like this album does? That bass in "Radio Free Europe" is everything [and is a/the sneaky weapon on this entire album] - it drives the entire killer opening track, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Mysterious and haunting while maintaining strong melodies throughout, I really like this early period R.E.M. Sparse and a little weird in that boxy early 80s way you know when you hear it - might be the band's best album and one of the better debut albums by anyone. Personal faves: "Radio Free Europe" "Moral Kiosk" and "9-9" 9/10 5 stars.

Autobahn

Kraftwerk

4/5

3 Kraftwerk albums!? OK let's go - mixed bag for me thus far, but I know this title cut... What else to write about a Kraftwerk album? I feel...incredibly efficient after listening? Autobahn is a fun track - 22 minutes of fun though. It is a long road, true. Not sure how rating these types ("these types" as if there are more like this...other than the other Kraftwerk albums of course) of albums does any good - they're not really "songs" per se in the sense of how we think of songs. I mean "Mitternacht" is what, dripping pipes in a huge empty metal warehouse combined with the "Escape from New York" soundtrack? Although I'm reverse-engineering it since this is from 1974 Honestly it's just kind of cool and you can't really compare this to much of anything. I'm not going to be listening to this on a roadrip, no pun intended, but for just weird background music to work to or maybe even sleep to, I'm in. 7/10 4 stars.

Boy In Da Corner

Dizzee Rascal

1/5

Brutal. Don't like the music, the vocals are layered poorly and tripping all over themselves like they're not even planned. I suppose people must like this but holy hell. So much great hiphop and "grime" ain't it for me at all - mostly to entirely unlistenable. 2/10 1 star.

...The Dandy Warhols Come Down

The Dandy Warhols

3/5

Holy jeez what a mixed bag, one of the more weirdly frustrating album listens I can remember. I honestly love the way it starts. Mysterious and building into 2 excellent 90s rock songs. Then it fell the hell apart; next 2 songs are just terrible, followed by ....roll the dice on the rest of em. Holy hell I really hate all the low-vocals songs. Like a Pavement meets Lou Reed which ...kill me immediately. I can't tell if that's a different vocalist or they were on crack for those songs but I infinitely prefer the crack-less. I've got a few cuts saved and would listen to maybe 4 or 5 of these anytime but trash the rest. Maybe the first 3 star ranking I'm giving that feels perfectly-placed (i.e. credit is due for a few damn catchy songs. Just crazy how much I hate half of this.What is with the stupid weird droney last cut "The Creep Out" too. One note for almost 9 minutes??? One note!! Honestly impressive in its focused insanity. Almost.) Faves: "Be-in" "Boys Better" "Every Day ...Holiday" 5/10 3 stars

Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds

3/5

A little long in the tooth 60 years on. Yardbirds were/are obviously a massively influential group, being Ground Zero for a trio of legendary British guitarists (of which Jeff Beck - here - was miles beyond the other two yet probably had the lowest profile of them) It's just not filled with great - or sometimes not even good - songs. Hell Beck's guitar playing for 1966 is awesome (and still even if/while he was placed in the pantheon of guitarists this guy was forever underrated right to the end), but it's mostly just subjecting him to playing over (on/under) mediocre songs (mostly rote blues or simple folky arrangements) and extremely uninteresting vocals. Best and even recommended to listen to this once for historical purposes then move to Beck's next group and solo albums. Personal note on "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" - have heard this song in passing since forever but never knew the title, thanks 1001+. Feels rough giving this a 2 - I have no desire to listen again, but it's mostly not *bad* - am fine hearing a track or three...rounding up for historic purposes and Jeff's Boogie. 5/10 3 stars.

Want One

Rufus Wainwright

3/5

While enjoying a nice 48 hour migraine, hearing a vocalist that's copping a more precious Thom Yorke can be a bit of a struggle. And I absolutely love Radiohead. But I'm told that's what drugs are for, so bottoms up. First song is indeed too precious and I was a bit put off while nauseous but it gets rolling with "I Don't Know What It Is" "Want Two" was the "darker sibling" to this album - in Adam Wainwright's own words - and I'll agree. This is a tough one in some ways - the talent and songwriting is truly top shelf; there's some weird mix of ragtime, 90s-moody alt Britpop, and glossy showtunes. Much like "Want Two" it's truly not easy to ... just get into. Feels a bit too .... <parade-y/showy> for me to give a 4 as I could see it going either way with 5 more listens - either I love it or I'd want to buy a physical copy to break in half. Depends on the drugs. 7/10 3 stars

GI

Germs

1/5

The album cover delivers the accurate rating of the quality within. 2/10 1 reluctant star.

Rings Around The World

Super Furry Animals

4/5

1000 years ago I used to compile a mixed CD each year for my hockey pals, mixed with topical and/or humorous cuts and back in 2001 I was doing what all the kids do and doing hit and miss searches through LimeWire or whatever shitty "is this illegal?" app I had at the time and discovered this great song "Ice Hockey Hair" by a band with crazy accents I'd never heard of. I downloaded everything I could find by them, which included this just-released album which - psychedelic? alternative? 70s throwbacks (title track)? All of the above - it can be a bit much to get through at first but the overall emphasis on melody at all times makes it a keeper. I eventually bought the CD so lay off. 8/10 4 stars.

Hot Buttered Soul

Isaac Hayes

4/5

BLACK STEEL IN THE HOUR OF CHAOS (actually Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic but) I heard that unmistakable piano riff first with Public Enemy and the original is just as good. On a mostly (?) unimportant note, there might not be 10 better-titled albums than this one. Classic that sounds amazing even after holy hell over 50 years, with the aforementioned 2nd track being my fave. Sure they're long tracks but it takes time for butter to melt, what the hell's your hurry? 8/10 4 stars.

En-Tact

The Shamen

2/5

An equally-lame Euro version of C&C Music Factory, although maybe not as fun. ZZZZZZsnore. Very difficult not giving this a 1, but this doesn't make me violent, just bored AF. 3/10 2 stars.

Rock Bottom

Robert Wyatt

3/5

<my stream of consciousness notes during just the first track...> Well. All sympathy due to him while recording this [paralyzing accident] but those vocals on the first track "Sea Song" are something else - maybe borderline inexcusable. The music is great tho; early 70s Canterbury sound of mystery and almost a fantasy-English landscape. Just that hospital bed warbling what the actual.... <end> ....but...interestingly while moving on through the album .... this is one of the more weird ones we've had [that's a statement] not least of which because the longer this went on it became ... more compelling? To be clear - the initial wtf-ness of it doesn't vary and probably just increases. See also: Twin Peaks - Red Room ["Alife"]. Holy hell if I listen to this in a dark room at night it's gonna trigger something. Maybe it's like being entranced or under its spell for long enough that i'm like "...but yes *of course* he'd sing like that with these weird slightly demented and frightening woodland elf unstructured songs..." Radiohead have heard this album for sure ("Alife" ---> "The National Anthem"). I get the 1s and probably wouldn't play this for most (all?) friends but something about it got me and I'm giving a strong 3 because...well, because I wants to, precious. 7/10 3 stars.

Private Dancer

Tina Turner

2/5

Everything about this is exactly how I remember the year 1984. Great for Tina that this album was made without Ike and a massive hit for her [it really was everywhere that year, or so i peripherally recall between my ~2821 spins of the new Van Halen record] but the music and glossy emotionless production completely overshadow her great voice (best heard in live setting or earlier bluesy hits). The album is a perfect encapsulation of 80s "product" in nearly every way - related: she had no songwriting credits on any song. At best it was somewhat nostalgic to hear these songs again but yeah once in 30 years (wait, 40? fuuuuuuuuuucccc....) is more than enough - it's "professional" in every way and also just as soulless, perhaps ironically. I'm not sure this is really a 1001-worthy record outside the huge publicity it gained. n.b. the nostalgia wears off pretty quickly and the last 2 covers are absolute horrors (Help, 1984). 4/10 2 stars.

Sulk

The Associates

1/5

I literally thought my streaming account was skipping while playing the first minute of the first track. After confirming on a YouTube link that the awful timing/playing was *actually* what was recorded I'm completely offended on a musical level that this was even released. Are there 2 drummers? 2 drum machines? Is this 2 songs just overlapping? Did someone not plan this out? Driving me nuts. Whatever .... how will the rest of this soun... GOOD LORD THESE VOCALS Is any of this any good at all? .... quoting both the title of their 2nd song and Marcel Marceau in Mel Brooks' Silent Movie........: "NO" Worst theatrical stereotypes of mopey early 80s synthy bad post-punk newwave all in one obnoxious package. 2/10 1 star.

Arise

Sepultura

1/5

Thinking of all the glaring omissions when there are *2* Sepultura albums on this list. .................... ...at least this cover reminds me of some of the artwork in the old Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, I guess? well, I'm now rolling a d20 for a +2 Mace against the Gelatinous Cube and some of its pals and based on the double-kicks and insane bpms drilling painfully into my skull and it looks like I've rolled a 1 so that's that for this campaign. 2/10 1 star.

Underwater Moonlight

The Soft Boys

3/5

The longer I stare at this cover the more creeped out I feel - no sir, I do not like it. More interesting than I expected; starting with a good/catchy/smart/aggressive and to-the-point opening cut with "I Wanna Destroy You" and then immediately to "Kingdom of Love" which sounds like it's straight out of 1968 in a cool way. I don't know, at the same time I'm thinking even if I didn't love this album... I really did kind of enjoy listening to it. High 3 seems reasonable as there was nothing overly-remarkable for me but it was just a good sorta post-punk-meets-new-wave with a dash of late 60s jangle pop rock album (except "Old Pervert" which wants to be a Gang of Four song but it just sucks). n.b. streaming has this album at like 837 songs, I cut it off at the original 10. 7/10 3 stars.

Dummy

Portishead

4/5

I like the super-intelligent shade of blue on the cover, which somehow does matter. Spooky, ethereal, mysterious. Trip-hop is cool to me but also can get a little tiring over the (not-so) long haul, but for the most part this one doesn't seem to drag on too long. Right length, a few classics of the genre which give a real film noir kind of feel to a lot of it. I like that the album works either as background and (occasional) active listening. Not sure how often I'd put the entire album on but I like everything here - a keeper and perfect encapsulation/sampler of trip-hop overall. 8/10 4 stars.

Calenture

The Triffids

1/5

Immediate thoughts after the first chord: late 80s soft overly-reverb-laden fey mid-tempo faux-sensitive pop "rock" that will be utterly unremarkable and indistinguishable from myriad others of the era. Unfair, right? Actually I think I nailed it. Ranking these even on a personal level is such a weird concept - am I really going to place this at the same basement level of Linkin Park, White Stripes, and Leonard Cohen? Based on my revulsion in attempting to get through this, yes. Yes I am. I am 1070 albums in and perhaps had I had this at, say, album 37 I may have stated it's just not for me with a 2 but it seems I've run out of time for this vanilla pablum. Utterly terrible and not even funny-terrible. Uninspiring - that's it. One of the 10-20 most uninspiring albums on the entire list. 3/10 1 star.

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Dexys Midnight Runners

2/5

I'm finding it extraordinarily difficult to dial in to Kevin Rowland's voice/vocals on this. I really enjoy the Too-Rye-Ay album but this one (our THIRD Dexys album!!?) too often just sounds like a much much less fun version of Madness. I think we're done here. 4/10 2 stars.

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

3/5

Total wankers. eh ok but actually it's still kinda catchy... but only: a) for about 1 minute per song and b) 10 minutes in total. To paraphrase something I admittedly think is a lazy comment: each song really does sound pretty much the same. Not good musicians, mediocre songs, fun in the shortest of bursts. Yeah yeah pioneers (of marketing more than anything) - agreed that everyone should hear it once but that's probably enough for most. Gimme 3 tracks max and I'm good. 5/10 3 stars.

Mott

Mott The Hoople

2/5

Perhaps.... all of the good...all of the good albums were taken... I'd say it's a cheap Bowie but I don't like Bowie either so maybe Bowie is a more affected Hoople instead? These awful analogies are falling apart. Ahh it's actually not all terrible it's just kinda there and very very of its time. i.e. if you're making a 70s glam rock mix you can use anything here with confidence, e.g. a song here or there is fine but any more is a drag. My favourite cut is actually the instrumental El Camino Dolo Roso. Sorry, Ian. 5/10 2 stars.

Rubber Soul

Beatles

5/5

Where The Beatles truly became THE BEATLES. Ok obviously a 5. ...even if there are a few weak(ish) spots (for them - they set their own bar, it's their fault dammit) this was among the first albums anywhere to be a true *album* as opposed to a collection of singles (although speaking of which, they couldn't have included "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper"? "Paperback Writer????" Damn- it'd be a 6 star with those...) which eh it doesn't really matter - here's where they became beyond unassailable. 10/10 5 stars

Doggystyle

Snoop Dogg

2/5

I like Snoop's voice, I really like his flow, I especially like the old-school funk and r&b samples used on the album. Overall musically it just...flows. There's a chill vibe that works perfectly. Seems a perfect audio companion to a hot summer in the city. The negatives are big ones: I hate skits / chatter / etc. And the biggest is that too many of the lyrics are just ridiculously bad. Just dumb. Yeahhhh bitches'n'hoes yo....ugh. I'd rather have stupid lyrics that literally mean nothing but these are tough to get through - it's embarrassing. TL;DR: In the end it's almost a 5 for the great music but an easy dismissal with the shitty lyrics... I know it's sort of the "Snoop character" but it gets tiresome real quick and by the midway point of the album I'm too tired of it. 5/10 2 stars.

That's The Way Of The World

Earth, Wind & Fire

4/5

First two tracks are absolute classics, which alone would probably be enough to push it to a 3 - then you add in the afro-r&b-fusion-funk aspects of much of the rest of the album and it's strong... Although/but while I am very pro Phil Bailey (if you are so jaded that you don't like Easy Lover then get bent) .... sometimes his nonstop falsetto is a bit much on mellow tunes. i.e. I'm not a huge fan of their 3rd hit "Reasons" Still an excellent listen - awesome musicians, good songs, and coming in at the right length (clocking in under 40 minutes). Keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

Gold

Ryan Adams

2/5

FK YEAH let's GOOOO CUTS LIKE A KNIFE is a bange..... .... wait who the fuck is this? ugh.... "Americana" paint by numbers schlock. JFC his music just bores the shit out of me. It's a lazy critique but what if it really does bore me?? Am I supposed to not write that?? Who the hell are you anyways.... [sorry sorry....I think this album is actually making me edgy and angry] I'm not really a Bryan fan but I honestly would at least enjoy some of his guilty pleasure singles a shittonne more than this. 3/10 2 very dim stars.

Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17

2/5

...I suppose among all the music I don't care for at least some (this) are openly anti-fascist, so.... yay? Ok - this is pretty definitively terrible as well as unremarkable and I'm puzzled who paid what to get this album nobody has heard of on the list. Nobody bought it, and the hilarious wikipedia defence of it having been "regarded as an important outing" is literally only quoting some rando from AllMusic which is akin in importance and credibility to a 12 year old tone deaf kid with a hook for a hand saying "hey my mom was proud of my piano recital." Killer bass though which barely pulls it over the 1 star line... 3/10 2 stars.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.

3/5

These gentlemen seem angry. Love the music (old school samples) and the flow - Ice Cube was especially great and the multiple voice counterpoint with Easy E works really well; this is the rhythmic rap style I love - not necessarily freestyle but the kind you can feel. Ok the lyrics.... have not aged well at all. ACAB obviously but too much of the rest of it is a bit <yeesh> (bitchpussyetc). The key to getting through this album is not listening too closely to a lot of it. Which gets harder and harder as it goes on. Obviously a massive influence (and one of few gangster rap albums I remotely like) and having lived through it even in today's fkd up world it's hard to describe how terrified amerikkka was of these guys at the time - it's almost quaint. I could give less than a shit about the complaints about anti-cop stuff but the misogyny is impossible to completely ignore. 5 for the rap skills, 4 for the music, 0 for the cringe.... since I'll happily listen to 2 or 3 of these cuts, cut it down the middle... 5/10 3 stars

Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby

2/5

The Prince comparison seemed embarrassingly transparent from the start so get that out of the way immediately. I bought this record based off of "Wishing Well" even though that little flute riff annoyed me (and still does), but it is still a damn catchy song. But the album overall comes off as more than a bit cheesy - I can't remember if I felt that way back then but "get up outta your rocking chair grandma!" followed by some very 80s dated keys isn't aging well. What does age well is his voice - more Teddy Pendergrass than the aforementioned artist - and that alone might be what makes this worth one listen at least, but that's enough. I'm probably too hard on the dated aspect of it - nearly everything from c1984-1989 has/had "new" keyboard sounds for the time that sound like ass now - but it's real and it's not spectacular. TL;DR: It's fine for a few songs' worth, but not anything close to the entire album. Honestly kinda disappointing after all these years. 5/10 2 stars.

Damaged

Black Flag

1/5

I'm sure I could vibe with some things they're singing about but I'd really much rather just listen to Henry Rollins speaking softly, thanks. TV Party is kinda funny. Once. 3/10 1 star.

A Grand Don't Come For Free

The Streets

1/5

Make-A-Wish album of the year. I've given a fair number of 1s over the past 4 years but this one resets the definition. May be the least talent-driven entry on the entire list. 0/10 come tf on.

At Budokan

Cheap Trick

4/5

Mike Damone loved these guys and would sell you the best tickets to see them. Sure it's basic power pop and they're not the best or most creative musicians but it's dumb fun and goddamn this album was massive (if memes existed in the 80s/90s it would have been everywhere) - that's why it's on this list, kids. Pro tip: side 2 (...2nd half) is way better than the first - if it feels a little light at the top of the lineup, once you get to the heart of the order the cleanup hitter will bring you home. Man have you heard the studio version of "I Want You To Want Me?" I bought that record when I was about 14 and it was not the droid I was looking for - this version's the shit. Also I haven't listened to the album in about 30 years but I swear this streaming version is totally different than the original CD I grew up with - drums sound more raw yet...better than I remember? 8/10 4 stars.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

Eurythmics

4/5

It's silly to think how as a little middle school metalhead I hated this so much - such an affront to "proper guitar-based ROCK" haha whatever. Mature me: it's super-creative and for the time very unique - it's kind of hard to put into today's world because especially that title track is just like a "classic rock standard" which is hilarious because it was so out of the known-universe at the time. Have to admit that the video and androgynous looks of Annie Lennox absolutely contributed to its success, too... I'd never listened to the entire album before and "Wrap It Up" completely threw me since I always thought it was a Fabulous Thunderbirds song (1984/5?) but it's originally a Sam & Dave tune. Huh. The more you know... While it's not an all-killer no-filler album, there are no bad songs - just a few ehh unmemorable ones - and actually after a 2nd full listen it's really is a "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" kind of album which I fully appreciate. Having said that I would tap "Somebody Told Me" as my favourite; just weird in a fun/mysterious way with non-traditional arrangements, a bit of Laurie Anderson comes to mind. Not necessarily a favourite but with a few fantastic tracks and that overall album feel and sound I really enjoy, it's a keeper. 7/10 4 stars.

Synchronicity

The Police

5/5

Back in '83 my friend M and I were dropped off at the mall and we went to Cavages to get the new Police album that was all over the radio - every hour, every day. Immediately afterwards we walked across the hall to the pizza shop and sat in a booth eating a slice and opened up our new purchases - yeah obviously we couldn't listen to them there but you HAD to read the liner notes ("are the lyrics there??") because that was 50% of the joy of new albums. I can still picture all of this quite clearly - simpler times. But it was then that I got this sinking feeling that I'd been ripped off because while I bought the obviously higher-quality vinyl version M had purchased the chintzy cassette.... but it had a BONUS SONG on it ...???? What is this absolute bullshit??? M laughed at me for which I should have punched or at least thrown a pepperoni at him but not being a violent sort I just kept it in as usual but then he said the weirdest things; I still remember and am only now understanding: M: "...ok listen I know I can be kind of a prick but honestly don't worry about it because in like 40 years you can just listen to the entire extended album on your *phone* - extra song and all - and the *best* part about that is that not only can you get this (admittedly not really all that great) extra song BUT you can much more easily repeat the lesser-known and actually *far* better and cooler songs on this album like, well, just about everything* on side 1 - the Synchronicities, O My God, Miss Gradenko, Walking In Your Footsteps... those all sound like full group efforts and collaborations; a bit of the early Police but with a great dose of modern production and world music influence - right?" "As for Side 2 which omg they're playing "Every Breath You Take" right now right here in the pizza joint that's hilarious right?! But hahaha you think you're tired of it *now* as well as the rest of those milky smooth songs on Side 2 that have Sting at the forefront (omg you *know* he's gonna break up this fking band isn't he? ugh that dink... just look at this smug asshole all over the cover, I'm surprised he let the other guys even get a mention in the credits...) - just wait a few decades, because those songs are gonna be like easy listening - you'll hate them. HATE them. I know, I know. They're fanTAStic songs, but you'll never want to hear them again - trust me on this." *"oh right, one more thing - i know you love every goddamn song ever written in 7/8 and I don't even understand what you mean by 7/8 but "Mother" is so bad, am I right? What the heck are they thinking? But yeah you can keep that off your playlists when we're older, too." "but the wild thing is that if we're even still alive we'll probably *still* be listening to this album and that's kind of a cool thing... anyways, what time is your mom picking us up?" [I thought about a 4 for a soft second side that has the mega hits but for the last 30 years I really have skipped nearly every time but kinda wimping out and feels like I have to give...] 9/10 5 stars for historic/timeless/greatness/etc... although their debut was still my favourite.

Sign 'O' The Times

Prince

3/5

I feel like Prince was simultaneously the most over-rated and under-utilized (or mis-utilized?) musician of my generation. If only this album were recorded in a way that the album cover seems to (mis)represent...I don't really love any of his studio albums (Purple Rain comes close), yet I can't think of a live video/concert I've seen of his that wasn't everything that's awesome about live music/musicianship. Ironically it was probably a <ahem> sign of the times using that shitty drum machine which not only sounds crappy and dated but was *boring AF* - ok Prince you perfectionist, why didn't you at least just play the actual drums yourself on every song?? Frustrating because this is close to being excellent (if not just too goddamn long - double albums that don't feel too long are maybe once per decade events, and this wasn't it) - feels like most of these songs and this album as a whole could have been awesome with an outside producer/voice - someone to tell him to give this more of an organic feel. Maybe even a band? Like...The Revolution? I can't escape the 80s on this one and the further we all get from the 80s the more I really hate that generic "80s sound." I'm unfair here - maybe I should be judging it on what it is and not what it isn't, but it's not easy. There's a lot of diversity in arrangement but each time I hear that coffee can drum sound or very closeted/canned keyboard sound or that pitched-up "alter-ego voice" it brings me back to frustration. I'm ripping on this much more than maybe it deserves because I just wanted this to groove more. And it almost gets there - the album closes pretty well - the individual highlight is that latter-part guitar almost-out-of-place guitar solo on "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" - it has a very Stonesy/Can't You Hear Me Knockin' feel to it ... then the following song "The Cross" has a real raw emotional feel to it - dammit, why wasn't this all over the record!? I'm repeating myself here so in sum: it's not bad and it's hugely ambitious, but it's not altogether good either and what's worst is that it could/should have been so much better as a 10 song album by a Prince-led BAND co-written (or at least co-produced) by others. 5/10 3 stars.

Raising Hell

Run-D.M.C.

4/5

This cover of "Walk This Way" really did change everything. A little danger in writing that, painting a bit of white saviour brush to the smackheads in Aerosmith but it was such a crossover smash that even the metalheads in my circle had to begrudgingly admit the marriage of rap and rock fit perfectly here. This album was the Run-DMC jam - memories of "It's Tricky" and "My Adidas" on school skibus trips. I'll forego my usual crapping on chintzy "percussion" sounds because this was the first, or at least the first to hit the mainstream, and the songs are just too catchy and fun to ignore even 40 years later. THE old-school hip-hop classic. 8/10 4 stars.

Back to Basics

Christina Aguilera

2/5

The problem with this album is that it's *just not long enough* .... Fine, she has a great voice but only in a technical sense - kinda makes me remember 1985 when as a stupid kid I very briefly thought Yngwie J (the J is important) Malmsteen was the most amazing guitar player I'd ever heard ...sure he could and can literally still play 68 notes in the space of my 4 but he was and is boring as shit to listen to and that's honestly how I feel hearing Christina sing. Vitally important to note: There is actually a track right in the middle of this endless album that is comprised of / filled with vacuous sycophantic voice mails from fans slobbering all over her HAHAHAHAHAHAHA - So hilariously embarrassing and pitiful. TL;DR: It's just so slick it doesn't sound real, and not in a "oh this is otherworldly/space-rock/EDM/trance" unreal but fake. Plasticine. Maybe it's better than Stripped but ...idk, is it? In an attempt to go "back to basics" it just ends up a platter of very samey ersatz "tributes" to supposed influences and is completely and utterly focused on the vocals in arrangement and mix - just not my thing. Maybe it just needed more fan mail. 3/10 2 stars

Music in Exile

Songhoy Blues

3/5

Inconsistent? It starts out kind of awesome, actually - bluesy rock but so much better than that lame description - with a heavy African feel to it, it's different and entirely unique at least to western culture (i.e. my ears). The problems lie in the longer more repetitive songs later in the album - this is the kind of music you'd feel great listening to if you're watching the band live and feeling the jam but at home on an album it just feels...eh, it drags. I'm gonna give a solid 3 based on the fact that the first chunk of songs I could definitely get into again although the album overall falls flat - but how many bands can even give 4 songs worthy of a playlist? 6/10 3 stars.

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