Incredibly relevant to the social climate of today. I can’t believe this came out in 1992.
This gives me vibes of a more funky Hendrix. The guitar work is fantastic! Would get a higher rating but I find “War of Armageddon” almost unlistenable. My favorite tracks are “Hit It and Quit It” and “Super Stupid”.
The only reason to listen to this is Dave Navarro’s guitar work and even that isn’t enough for me to come back to it again.
“Mr. Blue Sky” is an instant mood booster! The moment it comes on I can’t help but be in a better mood. I wish the rest of the album was more in line with the driving upbeat vibe of it. Unfortunately the rest of the album kind of drags to me and it’s way too long. Still, very creative and well done.
On my first listen I wasn’t too sure about this one but once I got to “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” the summer vibes were flowing and the aesthetic of this album started to click. Top tracks were “Diamonds...”, “You Can Call Me Al”, and “Crazy Love, Vol. II” which I’m pretty sure is the song that Vampire Weekend modeled their entire sound after.
The only song that really differentiates itself to me is the hit “Cars”. Has the hooks and pop sensibilities that the rest of the album is missing Everything else just kind of blends in to one another.
I’m definitely more a fan of the 80s Springsteen sound but this was a solid listen. “Born To Run” is a classic and I enjoyed discovering “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” as well.
This may be the perfect 80s pop album and I’ll definitely be revisiting this one! My favorite tracks are “Shout”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head Over Heels”.
Political art in the form of music! I just wish Spotify had the full album. Absolutely love it! I’m also finding it hard to believe this is the same guy from Spearhead. Favorite tracks are “Satanic Reverses” (I’m a sucker for any jazz tinged hip-hop) and “Television The Drug of the Nation”.
Painfully boring at the beginning and end of the album. Like listening to paint dry. There’s a few good songs in the middle, namely “Jesus Etc.” and “Heavy Metal Drummer” but there’s not enough there to revisit this album for me. I think it’d be a lot more listenable without all the 7 minute “art rock” tracks.
I found it kind of silly and weird. Not for me.
I knew I’d love this one from the first few chords! Perfectly walks the line between being weird and accessible. Way ahead of their time. Favorite tracks are “I Wanna Destroy You” and “Positive Vibrations”.
Techno is not my thing but I can appreciate the creativity that went into making this.
I’m usually not into live albums but I was completely won over by this one. James Brown is just too good a performer and hearing the reaction of the crowd just enhances the overall experience so much. It’s also crazy how good this sounds for a live recording from 1962!
I like the first half but the songs get too long and chaotic as the album goes on, which I think is by design as part of an avant-garde style, but it’s just not for me. L.A. Blues is pretty much unlistenable. My favorite tracks are “Down On The Street” and “Loose”.
The musicianship on this album is actually enough to get past the awesomely cheesy operatic delivery of the vocalist, and over time it even grows on you. This would be a 3 for me except the fact the guitars absolutely shred which bumps it to a 4. Will definitely be coming back to this one.
I like parts of most of the songs but the lyrics are pretty weird. Seems like you need to be doing drugs at some chic underground NYC club in the 80s to really get the vibe of this one. My favorite track is “52 Girls”.
“Take Me Out” is still a banger! Love their dancey post-punk with a kiss of late stage Beatles sound. This whole thing takes me back to high school.
If my anxiety had a soundtrack it would be this album. No thanks.
The precursor to my beloved pop punk! I’m a sucker for this sort of thing and found this to be an incredibly enjoyable listen that I had on repeat all day.
I’m not usually a Blues guy but this B.B. King album may have won me over. His guitar work and vocal performance is just fantastic! All the more impressive that this is a live album. My favorite track is “How Blue Can You Get?”
The music isn’t bad but the vocalist’s “seductive vampire” thing he does just about ruins it for me.
It’s creative but a bit too out there to be something I’d regularly listen to.
This album sounds incredible but the lyrical content really holds it back. Bragging and misogyny have never really been my thing.
This album taught me I don’t have the attention span for 20 minute long songs. You’ve got to respect the talent here but a little too much “jamming” going on for this to be something I’d regularly listen to.
The electric jug was cool for a couple of songs but gets a little irritating the more I hear it. Would of liked it more as an accent than warbling through entire songs.
More like a bongo jam session with some call and response shouting than an actual album. Not enjoyable at all.
Enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. I hadn’t heard anything by these guys other than “Smoke on the Water” and found the rest of the album to be equally solid and enjoyable.
Just got worse the farther into the album I went. I’m really not a fan of this psychedelic background music thing they’ve got going on. A chore to get through.
I’m finding that I’m just not into art rock. When the songs have structure and melody on this album they’re really good but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Too many long, quiet, and droning songs for me to come back to this one regularly.
Kind of lame but good all at the same time. I enjoy the fusion of jazz and pop but the lyrics are really cheesy. Not something I’ll be coming back to. Makes decent inoffensive background music.
It’s okay folky rock. The story songs wear a bit thin after the first few tracks. Nothing super memorable or great to latch on to.
This album was more fun to listen to than I was expecting and I really liked finding a rap album that didn’t overly rely on cussing throughout each song.
I couldn’t help but love this album! It’s like Aerosmith was challenged to write the greatest 80s inspired rock album and they said “hold my beer”. They take all of the best parts of 80s rock and incorporate it with their own vibe to make an incredibly varied and enjoyable album.
Inoffensive background music. Nothing special or incredibly interesting to me.
Stop making 20 minute songs! No one has time for this! The whole thing is artful but not for me.
This is a group I’ve always wanted to get into so I was excited to dive into this one today. This album is so awesome from beginning to end! Love the combination of jazz and hip-hop with intelligent lyrics. Wish I’d discovered this sooner.
Pleasant enough to dance to but not something I’d listen to everyday.
At first I was really into this. I really liked the aggressive nature of the music and the quality of the recording and performances are incredible. The problem is it’s pretty long and the longer it went on the more dark and depressing the lyrics got. It’s fine as an art piece but not something I’m going to want to listen to again. Just too depressing.
I knew I was going to enjoy this one because I was familiar with the singles but what completely won me over was how punk and hardcore this album can get. There’s a ton of diversity here and I get why this record changed music seemingly overnight.
Such a weird, yet cool blend of blues and psychedelic rock. Normally this isn’t something I’d like but The Doors just pull it off so we’ll. I especially love “Waiting for the Sun”. Such a cool groove to it.
At first this struck me as your typical boring Britpop but on my second listen under headphones this album began to click. I do wish the tracks were a little shorter but overall this was an enjoyable listen by a band I’d never heard of.
I liked it for the first few tracks but it just keeps going on forever and it’s so repetitive. This album could be so much better if they cut 4-5 tracks and got it under 40 minutes.
I had no idea Courtney Love’s music was actually good! I’d grown up just knowing she had a band and was married to Kurt Cobain but had wrongly assumed the band was trash. This whole thing sounds so full and the melodies are as catchy as they come while remaining powerfully aggressive. Love it!
I found this one to be a more enjoyable listen than “Nothing’s Shocking”. Gets a little long and weird towards the end but there’s some pretty awesome songs on the front half that really let Navarro’s guitar work shine.
Ferocious and snarky dance punk that hits hard from the first to last track! Somehow I overlooked this band when I was in high school and only really ever listened to the singles. Will have this one on repeat for a while.
I’ve never understood why this is such a revered album. Aside from “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” this album is a snooze fest. Give me the version of The Beach Boys that’s all about girls, surfing and fun.
If they took out all of the needless arpeggios this album would only be 30 minutes long and much better. Still, the parts that are good are really good and I found myself leaving this one on in the background for most of the day.
When this first came on my first thought is that it would be getting 5 stars. I love most punk stuff and the addition of the saxophone was really cool but pretty much every song on this album sounds exactly the same. I need just a little bit more variety to keep me interested for the length of the whole album.
What’s not to like here? The guy’s a legend and every song is super listenable even 60ish years later.
It’s probably because I grew up in the era of Flavor Flav on VH1 but his voice annoys me so much! I still enjoyed this but it would have been so much better without him.
Inoffensive hipster background music.
If the rest of album was as good as “Life In The Fast Lane” and “Hotel California” we’d have a 5 here but sadly the rest of it is just okay to me. Solid 3.
This is a pretty great listen with a lot of variety for the genre. There’s some great songs on here and while I don’t love all of them this is still a great album!
I absolutely love this album! Melancholy and funny with a delivery that only Morrissey could pull off.
Beautiful and powerful! Love how the interludes are worked in and add to the emotion of the music.
Took a second listen to get this one but it’s actually pretty good. I really like the way they use the guy and girl vocals and some of the weird guitar timing was really interesting. I could see this growing on me and deserving a higher rating but for now it’s a 3. My favorite tracks were “Cannibal Resource” and “Stillness Is The Move”.
My first full Bowie album and I’ve got to say I’m a fan now! The piano and Bowie’s vocals really set this one apart for me. “Lady Grinning Soul” is hauntingly beautiful and the title track’s piano riffage is insane.
It’s alright and I hear how influential this is but I’m not just going to sit around listening to space vibe music.
The only thing that keeps this from a 5 is “Wrote A Song For Everyone” which I found absolutely unlistenable especially after how good the first few tracks are. Love the rest of the album though!
I prefer early rock n’ roll Elvis to this. “Suspicious Minds” is pretty great but “In The Ghetto” is overrated and the rest is mostly forgettable.
Someone get this guy a lozenge! Not a voice I want to listen to again.
Pretty impressive 90s rock that is just as effective whether it’s cranked up or toned down. My favorite track is the opener, “Planet Telex”. Love that guitar effect they have going on throughout it. I could see this getting a higher rating once I have more time to spend with it but for now it’s a solid 3.
I like the big band side but it kind of loses me on the back half with all of the ballads.
I feel like every band I ever saw at Warped Tour could trace their lineage back to this album. Very influential! I especially love the gang vocals and guitar riffs throughout.
It’s fine until the tedious 20 minute closer. Get over yourself. No one wants to hear a 20 minute song about nothing.
I know some people will love this album for this, but is just way too unnecessarily dramatic. And what is with the seductive vampire sound to this guy’s voice. Almost unlistenable. It’s a shame too because I really wanted to like this one for the album artwork alone.
These songs sound great but sadly (like most blues) it’s just too repetitive to be something I’d listen to all the time. If you’re in the mood for the blues though I can’t imagine it gets much better than this. 3.5 but I’ll round up to 4.
Not something I would typically listen to but I’m glad I did. Very cool artsy electronic pop that doesn’t get so artsy it becomes unlistenable. Dark and ethereal. My favorite track was “Human” which I swear could have been a title song for a Bond movie.
The bass on this one caught my attention from the very first moments. Really catchy lines that seem to carry the whole thing. Keyboards are cool in some parts and cheesy in others. A good listen but probably not something I’ll come back to a lot.
Pretty decent 90s rock album. I do like the variety of instrumentation here and the singles are pretty good. Solid album.
I’ve never been a big Clapton fan, and this album didn’t really change that, but if there’s one song I do like it’s “Layla”. “Key to the Highway” was pretty good too, but the whole thing is just too long.
Techno’s never really been my thing but I did find this fairly enjoyable. Made me feel like I should be hacking something.
I’ve been aware of The Flaming Lips but never given their music a chance. Overall I’m pretty impressed and could see this growing on me the more I dive into it. A solid 3 for now. “Race For The Prize” was my favorite.
Pretty cool blend of early ska, metal, and alternative funk. Not sure I’ll come back but it was a fun listen.
Pretty cool background music. Not something I would usually listen to but enjoyable. Some of the songs are too long but as instrumentals I guess that’s okay. “Building Steam…” was probably my favorite track. Just felt really epic and I love that piano part.
“Don’t You Want Me” is a bop but everything else was pretty boring and the vocalist delivery and style came across really monotone throughout. At the time I would suspect the synth mixed with pop was really ground breaking and interesting but now it just sounds dated.
Had this on repeat all day! Loved the lyrics and indie pop sensibilities. Definitely heavily influenced the following decades of indie music.
This was really bad. All the reasons people think they don’t like 80s music wrapped up in one album. Feels like I just got “Rick Rolled”.
The middle eastern grunge thing going on in “Halo of Ashes” is really cool and unique. A lot of folk and blues influences I’m enjoying here too as I get into “Dying Days”. Really solid 90s rock album by a band I’d never heard of!
The music is pretty cool in “The Seventh Seal” but these lyrics and vocal delivery throughout the album are comically over the top.
I’m finding I really don’t like Rod Stewart’s voice. This is my second album of his and it’s like nails on a chalk board to me. “Maggie May” is tolerable.
Sounds like the Beatles doing new wave jangle rock. Pretty good and something I could get into with more time dedicated to it. Favorite tracks are “She Bangs The Drum” and “Made of Stone”.
Much better than the previous Portishead album I had reviewers! Cool spy movie soundtrack vibes mixed with electronica hip hop jazz.
Okay techno. Won’t be listening again.
Pleasant inoffensive 60s rock. Like listening to knock off Beatles.
I usually don’t like weird artsy rock but this seems so genuine and original I find it really endearing. “The Gift” was probably my favorite of the track here.
I really like the blend of different styles here. An enjoyable listen and while the lyrical content is a little ridiculous it seems to be pretty tongue in cheek. Refreshing to have a band not take themselves too seriously.
If Phoebe from “Friends” had an album.
The soundtrack to Halloween no one asked for. There’s some good ideas here musically but it’s way too dramatic and over the top. See The Cure for how to do this style right without slipping into cheesiness.
Could be a 5 if there were less skits and he cut the “The New Workout Plan”…which did not age well and ruins a pretty well thought out and socially conscious piece of art. Favorite tracks are “All Falls Down”, “Spaceship”, and “Jesus Walks”.
Fully expected to hate this album since I’m not into dance music but found it overall pretty enjoyable. Songs are a little long and repetitive but I guess that’s just the genre. Standout tracks were “Right Here, Right Now” and “Gangster Trippin”.
Would have never guessed this came out in 2005! A really great and eclectic take on musical styles from decades before. Favorite tracks were “Just Like The Rain” and “The Ocean”.
