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Thu May 06 2021
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
Unexpectedly hip. Gotta listen to more Elvis.
4
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Fri May 07 2021
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
This is a little hit and miss. "Ted Just Admit It" is awfully self-indulgent and 7 plodding minutes that don't really go anywhere. Maybe I should just listen a few more times. Mountain Song and Jane Says are such perfect songs tho
3
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Sat May 08 2021
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
This is an easy one. What's not to love? There's not a single song that couldn't have been a radio hit, not one.
All the bonus tracks are a little useless, but that's not saying much. There's enough for 4 hit albums in the main tracks.
5
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Sun May 09 2021
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
4
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Mon May 10 2021
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Coming to realize I get tired of people who belt all their vocals. If everything’s at 11, nothing’s interesting and the brain just gets bored. It’s a shame because the guitar work is amazing
4
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Tue May 11 2021
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
3
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Wed May 12 2021
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
4
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Thu May 13 2021
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure
Gosh, really surprisingly not my style at all. No momentum, nor enough emotional range. Just ennui. But the production is really pretty. Admirable and easy to appreciate despite not being my style.
3
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Fri May 14 2021
Like A Prayer
Madonna
4
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Sat May 15 2021
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
4
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Sun May 16 2021
The Wall
Pink Floyd
5
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Mon May 17 2021
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying
Megadeth
4
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Tue May 18 2021
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
3
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Wed May 19 2021
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
3
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Thu May 20 2021
Under Construction
Missy Elliott
4
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Fri May 21 2021
Life's Too Good
The Sugarcubes
4
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Sat May 22 2021
Solid Air
John Martyn
3
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Sun May 23 2021
Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
2
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Mon May 24 2021
Treasure
Cocteau Twins
5
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Tue May 25 2021
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
3
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Wed May 26 2021
1984
Van Halen
Awesome. Front to back. Not very long either!
5
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Thu May 27 2021
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
5
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Fri May 28 2021
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
2
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Sat May 29 2021
B-52's
The B-52's
3
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Sun May 30 2021
The Grand Tour
George Jones
5
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Mon May 31 2021
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
3
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Tue Jun 01 2021
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
4
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Wed Jun 02 2021
xx
The xx
Fanstastic opener, kinda underwhelming and sleepy after. Pretty though.
3
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Thu Jun 03 2021
Night Life
Ray Price
4
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Fri Jun 04 2021
Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
4
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Sat Jun 05 2021
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
3
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Sun Jun 06 2021
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
Never heard the non-singles. Wow, Contusion is one of the best he's ever written. This deserves its reputation. Although.... most of the vamps go on like 2x too long, and it's a repeated problem so it gets kinda distracting. Ordinary Pain's vamp is great, the rest kinda go nowhere.
4
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Mon Jun 07 2021
1999
Prince
3
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Tue Jun 08 2021
Play
Moby
Never listened to this in the 90s, because I heard everyone thought it was vapid. What a bummer. It's perfectly nice, probably even groundbreaking for its time. Not "fascinating" or "challenging" perhaps, but very good for repeated listens, study music, etc and holds up very, very well against what we would now call "ambient." I bet the hate is mostly backlash against saturation.
4
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Wed Jun 09 2021
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
4
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Thu Jun 10 2021
The Joshua Tree
U2
4
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Fri Jun 11 2021
London Calling
The Clash
Wow! I knew the first and last songs, but everything in between is great!
5
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Sat Jun 12 2021
The Boatman's Call
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Really beautifully made. A few to keep on rotation for good.
4
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Sun Jun 13 2021
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
2
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Mon Jun 14 2021
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
3
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Tue Jun 15 2021
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Some good stuff, but pretty mixed; some tracks are kind of a chore to listen to. The cover art is great. Generation Landslide and Unfinished Sweet were my favorites.
3
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Wed Jun 16 2021
Legalize It
Peter Tosh
Couplea good tracks. Just okay.
3
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Thu Jun 17 2021
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
4
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Sat Jun 19 2021
Odessey And Oracle
The Zombies
5
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Sun Jun 20 2021
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
I don't understand how this was so influential. I love this style, raw and unpolished, and the drums sound so good. But most songs don't even seem like they have a plan (except for Where Is My Mind). This sounds like a rehearsal/brainstorm, not a finished record.
2
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Mon Jun 21 2021
Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
Now I have heard this often-cited album. And I don't hear what the fuss is about. Perhaps it's because the ground they broke is thoroughly trodden by now, but it's just okay.
2
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Tue Jun 22 2021
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
Just OK. A lot of it way too indulgent. Must have been a fun live band though.
3
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Wed Jun 23 2021
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Ha. As though I'm going to add anything interesting to the history of reviews of this album.
5
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Thu Jun 24 2021
The Rise & Fall
Madness
3
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Fri Jun 25 2021
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
Seems like the kind of thing you’d have to listen to a couple dozen times to “get.” Ain’t got time for that in this game. It’s… more than a little weird.
3
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Sat Jun 26 2021
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
3
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Sun Jun 27 2021
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
4
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Mon Jun 28 2021
S&M
Metallica
Like a greatest hits collection from an all-time group, PLUS some songs are much better with orchestra. (Some aren’t helped at all, but that’s hardly a liability.) Ktulu, Fuel, Bleeding Me are FANTASTIC
5
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Tue Jun 29 2021
American Pie
Don McLean
4
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Wed Jun 30 2021
Phrenology
The Roots
Sounds nice. Nothing for me. Reliance on n-bombs makes it hard for me to enjoy all but the most trancendant rap
3
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Thu Jul 01 2021
Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
3
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Fri Jul 02 2021
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
Neat little time capsule of 70s vibe, but a bit much to listen to all at once... This kind of soul sound but with the bongos turned down to a reasonable level was done well on The Olympians' self-titled (2016).
2
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Sat Jul 03 2021
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
4
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Sun Jul 04 2021
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
Kinda kitschy, but the grooves, tunes and especially bass lines are worth almost every minute. I enjoyed it despite my dim expectations.
4
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Mon Jul 05 2021
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
4
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Tue Jul 06 2021
Quiet Life
Japan
These guys need a cup of coffee before recording an influential album
2
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Wed Jul 07 2021
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
4
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Thu Jul 08 2021
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
3
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Fri Jul 09 2021
Bad Company
Bad Company
3
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Sat Jul 10 2021
The Slider
T. Rex
3
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Sun Jul 11 2021
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
3
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Mon Jul 12 2021
Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby
Terence Trent D'Arby
Kinda Michael Jackson with not as much unique delivery? One or two fun songs but I had a hard time recognizing the genius he claimed, or at least the notability reviewers do.
2
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Tue Jul 13 2021
Dirt
Alice In Chains
5
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Wed Jul 14 2021
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
4
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Thu Jul 15 2021
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
4
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Fri Jul 16 2021
Ingenue
k.d. lang
Nothing I could really appreciate. Sleepy pop with no hooks.
2
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Sat Jul 17 2021
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Practically have this album memorized. 9 fantastic songs on a 10-track album. The composition, lyrics, diction are all off the charts and she was 18/19 when she recorded it. Blows my mind.
5
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Sun Jul 18 2021
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3
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Mon Jul 19 2021
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
Rollicking good time. Surprised how much I like this band! I'm glad to discover so much beyond "The Boys Are Back in Town."
Also, I always thought they were American. That voice sounds like a cross between Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, and lyrics have a similar quality to many of their songs.. But it turns out they're Irish, which just interests me more.
5
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Tue Jul 20 2021
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
There are some indispensable bangers, but a lot of space fillers too... "Listen" is three times too long
4
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Wed Jul 21 2021
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
3
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Thu Jul 22 2021
Virgin Suicides
Air
3
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Fri Jul 23 2021
Psychocandy
The Jesus And Mary Chain
Meh. Same energy as Velvet Underground & Nico, which could be a good thing, but with the chaotic grating production of the Pixies.
2
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Sat Jul 24 2021
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
This is pretty cool. Really interesting instrumentation, bright clear production, good lyrics & vocals.
5
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Sun Jul 25 2021
Rum Sodomy & The Lash
The Pogues
3
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Mon Jul 26 2021
Apocalypse Dudes
Turbonegro
3
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Tue Jul 27 2021
The Stooges
The Stooges
3
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Wed Jul 28 2021
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
Crazy to know it’s from 1973. Pretty enjoyable ambient-type sounds from very early in its origins.
4
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Thu Jul 29 2021
Dummy
Portishead
5
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Fri Jul 30 2021
Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
I keep hearing Alison Krauss. But this is way before!
4
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Sat Jul 31 2021
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
I listened to it five times in two days. What a revelation! Undeniably booty-shaking.
5
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Sun Aug 01 2021
Urban Hymns
The Verve
The rest of the album doesn’t stand up to the first track
3
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Mon Aug 02 2021
Spiderland
Slint
So strange… I truly enjoyed it but it also put me to sleep.
4
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Tue Aug 03 2021
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
What a pleasant surprise! H>A>K and The Architect are awesome. The whole thing is pretty good. Not my style but I still enjoyed it a lot.
4
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Wed Aug 04 2021
The Band
The Band
3
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Thu Aug 05 2021
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
Pretty but nothing engaging. Inoffensive. Acceptable at a cocktail party. Not really for this kind of list.
2
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Fri Aug 06 2021
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
3
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Sat Aug 07 2021
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4
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Sun Aug 08 2021
Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Stereolab
3
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Mon Aug 09 2021
Haut de gamme / Koweït, rive gauche
Koffi Olomide
4
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Tue Aug 10 2021
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
Every single track is too long. Not my jam.
2
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Wed Aug 11 2021
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
4
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Thu Aug 12 2021
You Are The Quarry
Morrissey
3
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Fri Aug 13 2021
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
I got two Public Enemy albums in a week. “Nation of Millions” earned my respect and this is even better.
4
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Sat Aug 14 2021
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
3
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Sun Aug 15 2021
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Two hours of absolute pinnacles of talent. Kind of a lot all at once, but what a treat.
5
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Mon Aug 16 2021
Transformer
Lou Reed
Totally seductive. Somehow he makes living on the wild side feel glamorous. I thought I’d get tired of his delivery which almost sounds bored, but it fits the music and lyrics well
5
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Tue Aug 17 2021
Street Life
The Crusaders
3
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Wed Aug 18 2021
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
3
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Thu Aug 19 2021
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
Great humor. Jump into the Fire is a headbanger.
3
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Fri Aug 20 2021
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
3
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Sun Aug 22 2021
Suicide
Suicide
2
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Mon Aug 23 2021
Van Halen
Van Halen
5
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Tue Aug 24 2021
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
3
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Wed Aug 25 2021
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
This could have been recorded by The 1975. Sounds great, really catchy end to end.
5
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Thu Aug 26 2021
Heroes
David Bowie
3
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Fri Aug 27 2021
John Prine
John Prine
3
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Sat Aug 28 2021
Sheet Music
10cc
2 means “it wasn’t totally offensive, but I have no idea why it belongs in this list…”
2
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Sun Aug 29 2021
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
Tunesome, classic. The loudness wars got to this one a little bit. Never listened to the non-singles, but almost every track could have been a single. That’s a rare thing!
4
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Mon Aug 30 2021
Pictures At An Exhibition
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Solid 3. Interesting interpretation, damn they're virtuosos, I'm glad I listened, and I'd put this on a 1001 list... but for this piece, one of the best ever, I'd rather just listen to Mussorgsky by a true symphony orchestra.
3
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Tue Aug 31 2021
Stardust
Willie Nelson
Kinda cool, respect the outlaw just kinda doing what he loves, but this was for him not me.
2
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Wed Sep 01 2021
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Sinead O'Connor
Absolutely belongs for for Nothing Compares 2 U. One of the best vocal takes ever cut to a record. The rest is... honestly interesting, but not highly repeatable for me.
3
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Thu Sep 02 2021
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Glad I listened. I can appreciate how influential it's all been. But nothing artistically useful to me.
2
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Fri Sep 03 2021
Calenture
The Triffids
I listened to this a week or two ago and I can't remember a damn thing to say. Must have been memorable....
2
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Tue Sep 07 2021
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
A little too crunchy for some at times, but so great. They've never come close to this ever since. There are 28 full tracks, 2 hours and maybe 4-5 stinkers, so I'll give them a pass on those and call this the honor roll it is.
5
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Wed Sep 08 2021
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Better than the earlier one. Even downright pretty at times. And especially in Gypsy Woman, you can really hear his son's voice too. But I guess not "essential."
3
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Thu Sep 09 2021
Floodland
Sisters Of Mercy
Interesting listen. Probably won't return to it much, but it sounded really good. Goth rock certainly had a big moment...
3
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Fri Sep 10 2021
Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
2
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Sun Sep 12 2021
Who's Next
The Who
Got better and better over its brief run. There's nobody who ever played like Keith Moon.
5
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Mon Sep 13 2021
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
Woodshedding music, not interest keeping. Sounds cool I guess
2
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Tue Sep 14 2021
Cross
Justice
Proto dubstep, nice enough but not bucket list material. Might come back to this for woodshedding at work
2
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Wed Sep 15 2021
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
One of the best albums the Stones ever put together was not actually by the Stones. Most excellent blues rock.
4
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Thu Sep 16 2021
Reign In Blood
Slayer
Technically difficult, but thrash is paradoxically boring if it has no intensity variation. RAWR RAH ARRHEHR RAH RAH RAH RAH RARARARARAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! for 38 minutes, becomes background noise after three minutes. The last track is ok. Metallica is much more consistent at recognizing this.
2
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Fri Sep 17 2021
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
Way cool pop! Not sure I’ll return much, but I enjoyed the listen very much.
3
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Sat Sep 18 2021
Eagles
Eagles
3
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Sun Sep 19 2021
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Ice Cube
2
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Mon Sep 20 2021
New Forms
Roni Size
Pretty cool, but ran out of steam and interest very quickly. Probably belongs on this list but not one to return to much.
3
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Tue Sep 21 2021
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
Some great ones, fun to listen to, but pretty inconsistent. Rainy Day Women is the best.
3
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Wed Sep 22 2021
Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
Ooh! Bit of a surprise. Beautifully mixed and nice vocal harmonies. The lead vocal is overproduced tho. Sounds very dated to the 90s, but can't help but enjoy it. Highlights: Lazy Days, South of the Border
3
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Thu Sep 23 2021
Low-Life
New Order
Bunch of meh. That anemic 80s vocal just doesn't make me feel a damn thing
2
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Fri Sep 24 2021
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Unique vox, unique voice.
4
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Sat Sep 25 2021
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Sure, must hear. Maggot Brain is great. But the album all-in is a mess. Sounds like a lot of fun live tho.
3
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Sun Sep 26 2021
Tical
Method Man
Like this more than most 90s rap. N-bombs at an efficient minimum and the flow is pretty smooth.
3
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Mon Sep 27 2021
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
WOW. Can’t believe I actually hated one. This was nearly insufferably boring.
1
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Tue Sep 28 2021
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen
3
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Wed Sep 29 2021
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
4
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Thu Sep 30 2021
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
4
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Fri Oct 01 2021
Brown Sugar
D'Angelo
So damn good. S-t Damn Motherf-ker and Higher are the highlights. But several more great ones. The bass sound on Lady is dreamy.
I dismissed this guy as some basic R&B crooner in the 90s. First, the music is better. Second, he wrote it. Third, he plays not just sings. I'm sorry D'Angelo, I did not give you a chance until now.
4
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Sat Oct 02 2021
Smash
The Offspring
Great way to nudge punk a little to the radio. It gets a little samey all at once, but that's the only knock. All trax are pretty good!
4
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Sun Oct 03 2021
Scum
Napalm Death
Ok, so grindcore. Either you hate it, or you're at least a little damaged yourself. But there's a lot to appreciate here. I hate the vocals of this style, but otherwise it's clearly so influential. Musicians very skilled and precise. Anyway, glad I listened but I will not return to anything longer than the track "You Suffer."
3
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Mon Oct 04 2021
Face to Face
The Kinks
I think to appreciate this one I have to put it in 1966 context. It came out a couple months after Revolver. Nice inoffensive pop rock. But little to grab you, tweak your expectations, or surprise you.
2
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Tue Oct 05 2021
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Invaders, title track, Run to the Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Name. good shit! Another one I've heard of for decades but never put on.
5
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Wed Oct 06 2021
Fragile
Yes
3
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Thu Oct 07 2021
Nowhere
Ride
So… guess I like shoegaze?? I don’t care for the anemic vox (this is becoming a theme…). I hate how it seems like he’d rather be doing anything else. Especially when every other aspect of this is actually brilliant. Driving rhythm section. Good use of dynamics and harmonic tension. Creative macro and micro songwriting. Put Thom Yorke or PJ Harvey or Phoebe Bridgers in charge of vocals and you’ve got an all-timer.
4
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Fri Oct 08 2021
Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
I just don’t get it. It didn’t bore me much. That’s the best I can say. Better than Screamadelica.
2
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Sat Oct 09 2021
Moving Pictures
Rush
Yeah. I know this one. Red Barchetta is the okayest track, and that’s saying it all.
5
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Sun Oct 10 2021
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
I figured I’d never listened to this beyond Beautiful People, but I got flashbacks to a LAN party in 1998 when Jared was playing this and Mechanical Animals on repeat ALL NIGHT. Jared, you’re a weird one. Anyway, there’s a lot of anger and no subtlety in the writing, and lots of interesting things in the engineering. Important arguments made about hegemony, commercialism, celebrity, but Altogether, it’s about as redeeming as a Nuremberg Rally speech, but still “notable” in a similar sort of way. Glad I listened. Influential artifact of a specific time, and good for a bucket list, not a “best” list.
3
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Mon Oct 11 2021
Debut
Björk
Love the jazz and trip hop influences. I find her music incredibly interesting but not always pleasing. Don’t miss Play Dead, a single “from this album,” but not released until the bonus track version. That and Anchor Song are my favorites.
4
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Tue Oct 12 2021
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Needed to take a couple listens, which was easy because it's pretty short. The title track is obviously a classic, and it's the slow stuff like Behave Yourself that really shows off creativity and talent. The others are just covers, and a cover has to be really special, or else I'd rather just listen to the original.
3
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Wed Oct 13 2021
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
So much fun. I'm not cool enough to like this album. Harmonica is too high in the mix if he's going to wail on that one E/G trill for most of the whole album, but otherwise I could listen to this 10x. 100x if in person. Muddy Waters has the best voice for blues.
4
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Thu Oct 14 2021
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Amazed. Perhaps not every single track was perfect, but the first one hits so hard and there are lots of good ones scattered throughout the album. Not just the singles. So much so that I went looking for bonus tracks and other albums as soon as this was done and I never have energy for that. This is a keeper for life now.
5
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Fri Oct 15 2021
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
Kinda disappointing, TBH. Take On Me is obviously a classic, and I always like the rich orchestration, jazz harmonies, and thought that goes into 80s pop; this is no exception. But none of the rest of the album grabs me. On the very last track I thought they had something, then they got weird and boring. "And You Tell Me" is pretty funny, but at 1:51..... that's not enough to carry the album.
2
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Sat Oct 16 2021
Ten
Pearl Jam
I wonder sometimes why they're associated so closely with grunge. They're not nearly so muddy and dark. Their music is emotional and definitely coherent but almost impressionistic, not least because you sometimes have no idea what he's mumbling. Anyway, this is nearly an hour of great riffs and strong writing. The production's a little dated, but there's a remaster from a few years back that just about fixes everything. 4.5 rounded up.
5
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Sun Oct 17 2021
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
They could have called this Goosebumps. As wonderful from beginning to end as any album ever. Beautiful, a little weird, evocative, poignant. I have loved it most of my life, to the point that I don't put it on much any more for fear of getting tired of it. But I think I listened to it for the first time on a very good system, and it's even better than I remember. The drums in America. The french horns in Old Friends. The rattle in the voice of the guy who doesn't think it's an ordinary cold in Voices of Old People. The entirety of Hazy Shade of Winter. So beautiful it literally brought me to tears.
5
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Mon Oct 18 2021
Rapture
Anita Baker
Lovely jazz bass. I got pretty excited for the first thirty seconds, but the rest of the album was too sleepy and schmaltzy. Wouldn't be on my version of this list = 2.
2
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Tue Oct 19 2021
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I mostly don't get Bob Dylan. It seems like he writes a libretto 4x the length of other writers, but the badly un-economic tactics almost never seem to cohere for me. It's like he's just stringing together as many semi-poetic phrases as he can. Definitely belongs on this list, but I don't dig it.
3
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Wed Oct 20 2021
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Note to self, try this one again. It was nasty and interesting. A little on the fence about its artistic merit, but it's definitely appropriate for this kind of list.
3
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Thu Oct 21 2021
Music From Big Pink
The Band
This is bunches better than the self-titled one also on this list. Tears of Rage is very, very good. I looked it up and am reminded of a recurring observation: Bob Dylan should write songs and other people should record them. Recipe for greatness.
4
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Fri Oct 22 2021
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Great blues. House-filling presence even on a small system. Graveyard Train and Chooglin are twice as long as they should be, Proud Mary is perfect, and the rest are very good. But you can put this on over and over. That's worth a lot!
4
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Sat Oct 23 2021
Either Or
Elliott Smith
Oh yeah. I know this one already.
He was already dead before I discovered him, so I didn't get the "loss" part of this firsthand, but listening to this makes me feel for him, a little sad for what he must have wrestled with.
The production is so intimate and unique. Multitracking vocals, the mic is practically in his mouth. The snare drum feels like a millimeter from your eardrum, the guitar's next to you on the couch, but the cymbals are out in the backyard. You can hear how he's influenced Beck, PortugalThaMan, of course Ásgeir Trausti, even Olivia Rodrigo.
If you dig this guy but hadn't heard of him before... keep listening to XO and self-titled. And don't miss Mic City Sons from his previous band, Heatmiser.
5
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Sun Oct 24 2021
The Sensual World
Kate Bush
This kind of discovery is exactly why I was excited about the prospect of this project. I would never have given it a chance. Wikipedia says "Art Pop?" Gag. But I listened once and felt a spark. Then again and started digging it. Now a third time in four days and it keeps growing on me.
I love the theme (of most tracks) of yearning for human connection in various types. It's human and earnest and totally disarmed my assumptions about being pretentious. It's a little weird, but just a little, so it seems like it's in a sweet spot for me. So like, Tori Amos and Robyn and Portishead in a stew, not Bjork salad.
5
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Mon Oct 25 2021
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I got this just a few days after another CCR, so I can't help but compare them. This doesn't have the barnstorming power of Bayou Country. The long jams like Ramble Tamble or Grapevine don't quite amaze, or keep the booty shaking. And while all the parts sound nice and tight, it also sounds like it was recorded in a antiseptic studio, not a dank basement. That's not well-suited to the jams.
But these things which hurt the jams do all kinds of favors for the shorter, disciplined tracks. Great for making dinner and singing along, whereas Bayou Country might be more for a party or a stoner's night in.
4
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Tue Oct 26 2021
Doolittle
Pixies
I've been hearing that this is almost universally beloved for a long time. Nice to finally make the time to listen.
Considering how totally disappointing was Surfer Rosa, this is WAY better. A decent producer seems to make a big difference, and it sounds like someone made them rehearse everything at least a couple times. The sound of every instrument is vastly better. The subjects are weird and wonderful and make me think. It's still quite rough and grating, it's not love at first sight, but I'll definitely be able to give this a few more tries and I think it'll grow on me.
4
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Wed Oct 27 2021
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
I love love love their arrangements. Living, organic percussion that reminds me of Blue Man Group or Gotye (or the Knife, naturally). Confident and conservative songwriting that isn't trying to blow you away but get you slow like honey. But their whiny vocals tire me out so damn fast. When they're not whiny they're in this weird compressed autotune that's equally annoying. Probably real good just one song at a time.
3
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Thu Oct 28 2021
Water From An Ancient Well
Abdullah Ibrahim
Very "nice" conventional 80s/90s jazz. Pretty, and not to say boring, but not terribly attention-grabbing. Interchangeable with 101 other very good, but not very unique jazz albums, so... not what I'd hope for from this list.
2
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Fri Oct 29 2021
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
I listened to it once and was unimpressed. But something made me hold off on reviewing and listen to it another day. It got better, and I can see how it must have been an interesting crossroads between punk and 80s popular music, but I don't think there's really anything to return to after Track 1.
3
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Sat Oct 30 2021
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
For the first time, I think, I listened to this while trying to separate it from the contrast with their studio records and take it as itself. The performance itself is just okay, pretty ragged at times (and I'm not just talking about the IDGAF of grunge in general; the guy's in bad shape).
I suspect the knowledge of Cobain's fate shortly after this colors all interpretation and I'm no different. There are some brilliant ones in here. (All Apologies, Lake of Fire, WDYSLN). But I disagree with the "greatest live albums of all time" designation.
3
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Sun Oct 31 2021
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
This is the third Dylan album in 170 records for me, but it's the best one. Great melodies, much more focus to his lyrics, good arrangements, more structure to his songs and most of them are a poetic adventure. I can't even pick the best, they're all different and all pretty damn effective. Even the long ones (115th Dream; It's Alright Ma) don't feel long when you're interested, which was not the case on the other albums for me.
5
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Mon Nov 01 2021
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Strange ride. The first couple songs were pretty fun. Then it settled into a bunch of songs that made me think he was trying to be Lou Reed -- but not very successfully. Then he was trying to be Lou Reed -- rather successfully! Finally he settled into some more poppy punk from 18-21 that was fun.
Ultimately, I can't shake the impression that this is a too-long album made by a guy who's convinced everything he writes is great stuff. And he's right only part of the time.
3
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Tue Nov 02 2021
Here Come The Warm Jets
Brian Eno
I have now spent 42 minutes with Brian Eno, and I have learned nothing. I've heard the name a lot over the years, and I always got the sense that his was a name you dropped if you were about to say, "you probably don't GET it." Well, I don't.
1
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Wed Nov 03 2021
Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
Another one I've heard of but probably never listened to. The first few tracks and the last one were a lot of fun. I'll return to those for sure. It reminds me of Sponge and Morphine.
3
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Thu Nov 04 2021
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
Who gave these cats a record contract?? That's what I want to know. It is THOROUGHLY weird, but thankfully vibes with my specific brand of attention- and hyperactivity-related deficits. I will be returning to this a few times. I feel like they took Sgt Pepper's a few steps into another dimension.
Also sounds GREAT for being recorded and mixed 50 years ago. The bass, drums and voice are clear and deep.
Could really do without the pipe organ cameos tho. Circus music doesn't belong anywhere.
3
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Fri Nov 05 2021
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
Boy oh boy are love songs creepy in the 50s. "Made to Love" got me off on a real bad foot. Interesting to hear, I guess.
2
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Sat Nov 06 2021
The Healer
John Lee Hooker
I read that this got Hooker the recognition he deserved his whole life, got him a Grammy, and the royalties allowed him to live his late life in relative comfort. Those are great things, but for the little I know of his other music, this doesn't show why he was great. The Bonnie Raitt song and the tracks near the end after he dropped the collabs were the best, and getting there.
3
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Sun Nov 07 2021
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
"I think drugs have done some good things for us, I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know what? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years... rrrrrrrreal fucking high on drugs. Man, the Beatles were so high, they let Ringo sing a couple of tunes. Tell me they weren't partying. (singing) "We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine." We all live in a-do you know how fucking high they were when they wrote that? They had to pull Ringo off the ceiling with a rake to sing that fucking song. (Beatle voices) John, get Ringo, he's in the corner. Ooh, look at him scoot, grab him! Hook his bellbottom, hook his bellbottom! He's got a song he wants to sing us. Something about living in a yellow tambourine or something. Ringo, Yoko's gone, come down, we can party again! They were real high, they wrote great music, drugs did have a positive effect." -- Bill Hicks
3
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Mon Nov 08 2021
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
4
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Tue Nov 09 2021
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Never thought I’d like more thrash metal than Metallica, but this is great. The vocals get a little annoying but so much fun to listen to and even more fun to notice their technical skill.
4
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Wed Nov 10 2021
The Blueprint
JAY Z
People who spend 45 minutes rhyming about how much money they have and how much tail they pull make me roll my eyes. I find it nearly impossible to look past that to any artistic interest or cultural significance.
2
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Thu Nov 11 2021
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Just brilliant. Never sat down to listen to his albums, just the ones still in common rotation today. This is brilliant all the way through.
5
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Fri Nov 12 2021
My Generation
The Who
This is fun, but the other one is way better cover to cover. Glad I listened but I won’t return to more than a couple tracks.
3
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Sat Nov 13 2021
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
This is very disorienting. Nothing like what I know of the Beach Boys, and I respect that they just kinda did what they wanted and flipped a bird to their expectations. It's a strange mix of songs: socially conscious (DGNTW and Student Demonstration Time), nostalgic and tropey but lush (Disney Girls), whimsical (TALOYF). Another one of those "glad i listened," but what mood do you need to be in to return to it as a whole? Solid 3.
3
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Sun Nov 14 2021
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
First of all, let it be known that "Fell in Love With a Girl" takes its hook from Fun Lovin' Criminals' "Smoke 'Em" and nobody else noticed. But I did. I see you Jack White.
Anyway, a few tracks in, I realized the sheer simplicity of every instrument and every song. And the drummer's... uh, not good. I realize the story goes that Meg unlocked something in Jack that let to their very fruitful collaboration. I can't argue at all with their success; I know also that Jack has gone on to impress me in many groups and many songs, so I know there's talent there, hiding somewhere. But this album has very little on display. And yet... I kinda dig it.
They undoubtedly got lucky in some ways to make it big with this, but I shouldn't underestimate the musical power and charisma that comes across in putting 150% into your work.
There's one absolute highlight. "I Can Tell That" is one of those songs that's a perfect combination of all elements: form, harmony, instrumentation, production, and the emotional content of the thing. Instant and powerful nostalgia bomb to your best friendships growing up.
3
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Mon Nov 15 2021
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
It's very pretty but this kind of music rarely grabs me. The imposition of quotes for the upcoming nuclear apocalypse and the juxtaposition against beauty and slick production are jarring, however, and it certainly had an effect. I found myself morose for most of the day after listening. So four stars for really meaning something, and for getting a rise out of me, and for several songs I get to add to the rotation.
4
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Tue Nov 16 2021
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
Proto-psychedelic. Precocious!
3
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Wed Nov 17 2021
Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
Dense as heck with cool samples and references. But you can’t listen to BB for long before it all seems so samey. Hey Ladies is basically She’s Crafty down to all the rhymes and phrasing.
3
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Thu Nov 18 2021
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Stones cover is much better than the original. The rest is just ok. There’s so much better in his catalog!
3
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Fri Nov 19 2021
More Specials
The Specials
Roots of ska and dub madly evident. But someone in this band thought too much of himself and the rest of the band didn’t push back… or I guess they did, because they quit shortly after. But they are what makes this good.
3
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Sat Nov 20 2021
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
3
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Sun Nov 21 2021
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
This is sneaky. I spent the first half doing something while listening and thought it was just ok. Unemotional, smoove jaz. But this kind of music rewards attention. Way better if you focus on it.
4
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Mon Nov 22 2021
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
Probably need to come back to this one. It should be up my alley but it just seemed one-note and on the nose. Maybe that's the point. Teenage me would have loved this.
3
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Tue Nov 23 2021
Teen Dream
Beach House
Dreamy. Pretty... but kinda boring. Reminds me of the XX, but this one's a little more interesting. There's a few tracks I liked more than the rest, when they managed to do something really weird with polymodality like Norway.
3
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Wed Nov 24 2021
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
The lovely thing about this list is that while I knew about the Pogues (and I have previously been assigned Rum Sodomy & The Lash), I would never have put this on without this exercise. This is better than the other one and their sound, which seems to me truly unique, is this amazing mishmash of cultural styles that keeps entertaining. And their skills are much better since the other album as well. I even made it through the "extended version" of the album before I realized it was coming over.
4
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Thu Nov 25 2021
On The Beach
Neil Young
I don’t have the words, other than that it was damn perfect for this tea-on-the-couch Thursday evening.
4
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Fri Nov 26 2021
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Oh my god. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get into music that sounds like the musicians are bored out of their minds even while making it. There are two tracks that DON’T do this and they’re nothing special.
1
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Sat Nov 27 2021
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
Got a soft spot for this, even though I can't stand the genre in general. Every track is pretty engaging for its variety in sounds, beats and/or tempos. Narayana is the best.
4
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Sun Nov 28 2021
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
This one's got a couple keepers. And the vocals are deceptive, delivering lyrics that are more interesting than they appeared to me at first. And not one but two Black Sabbath references in a Swedish pop package. Ultimately, though, nothing close to a completely invaluable package, end to end.
3
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Mon Nov 29 2021
The Rising
Bruce Springsteen
I'm almost sure he's had better; this is a little formulaic. Quite singable. I feel like this is also especially important for its context as a 9/11 catharsis album.
3
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Tue Nov 30 2021
Back In Black
AC/DC
About 8 of these 10 songs could have carried an entire career. So much swagger, absolutely unique sound.
5
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Wed Dec 01 2021
Buffalo Springfield Again
Buffalo Springfield
I was excited to see this, as I’ve heard often about it. But I’m pretty underwhelmed. Maybe a victim of expectations. Glad to hear the origins of later talented stuff though, so there’s that.
3
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Thu Dec 02 2021
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
Solid “should be on this list.” But so very strange. There’s so much more that’s this weird and borderline offensive, but actually better (e.g. Fantomas)
2
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Fri Dec 03 2021
Ocean Rain
Echo And The Bunnymen
The first five tracks or so were so bland. Kicked up a bit later and I actually saved Seven Seas for permanent rotation. Must be influential or something, because standing alone it’s not terribly worth the time.
2
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Sat Dec 04 2021
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Very impressive. You can hear glam rock finding a voice track by track. Cosmic Dancer is so hypnotizing, I had to listen a couple more times after the album was done.
4
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Sun Dec 05 2021
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
The music is fantastic. Hard, of course, but surprisingly nuanced for metal. Slow bits and quiet bits make the hard bits harder. But I still can’t stand screamo vocals. I need to tune it out to get through the thing, which is not fair to the musicians present. Too bad.
2
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Mon Dec 06 2021
Dookie
Green Day
What is there to write that hasn’t been written? The apex of its style and time and place.
5
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Tue Dec 07 2021
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
Nope. Few redeeming qualities and track 4 or 5 lost me for good.
1
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Wed Dec 08 2021
Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
3
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Thu Dec 09 2021
Fred Neil
Fred Neil
2
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Fri Dec 10 2021
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
Brave to make this, brave to publish it, and wonderfully strange that such raw unpolished girl power was wildly successful. It’s rather inconsistent, but the good tracks are just phenomenal. 6’1”, Dance of the 7 Veils, Explain it to Me, Divorce Song, Flower, and Gunshy for me.
4
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Sat Dec 11 2021
Zombie
Fela Kuti
Endlessly repeatable. Great great afrobeat album.
5
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Sun Dec 12 2021
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
Nobody sounds good for an entire album in head voice. Anyway, this music still has this crazy tendency to make me feel nostalgic even though the lyrics are of a life and a memory relatively foreign to mine. Spooky. Extra points for covering Joni, even though no one could ever outdo the original.
3
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Mon Dec 13 2021
No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (Live)
Motörhead
Meh. If your music has only one intensity setting, it may as well be Muzak.
2
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Tue Dec 14 2021
Station To Station
David Bowie
Weird and lovely but I think it’d take more listens to really sink my teeth in. I think Bowie must have been in an off period for this. He seems a little unsatisfied with it himself.
2
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Wed Dec 15 2021
Punishing Kiss
Ute Lemper
A little Dresden Dolls-esque, crossed with Kurt Weill. Rich orchestrating and a very strong German vocal. Too theatrical for me, but it was nice to listen to once.
2
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Thu Dec 16 2021
Medúlla
Björk
Very cool experiment. Can never go wrong collaborating with Rahzel and Patton. But hardly repeatable.
3
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Fri Dec 17 2021
The Score
Fugees
Five absolutely classic tracks in a 90s time capsule. But also, maybe just take those tracks and drop the rest. N bombs still constantly distracting; I wish they weren’t necessary to make the point.
3
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Sat Dec 18 2021
Pornography
The Cure
Less interesting than Seventeen Seconds. Kinda a chore to get through, but good to hear once.
2
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Sun Dec 19 2021
Microshift
Hookworms
Useful to listen to, if only to see what is hip for modern music. The first 45 seconds or so are catchy as heck. It sounds really good, but nothing really grabbed me except the first bit.
3
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Mon Dec 20 2021
Forever Changes
Love
This got better and better as I got a handle on the style of this record. Sounds extremely well-rehearsed, creatively composed and recorded. Mostly conventionally “pretty,” but there are more weird and brave steps everywhere that pretty much land well. This one will need to get repeats when I come back around to the greatest hits of this list.
4
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Tue Dec 21 2021
The Undertones
The Undertones
Early punk. Nothing stupendous but still fun throughout.
3
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Wed Dec 22 2021
Manassas
Stephen Stills
Wow! This is what CSNY aspires to and sometimes reaches. Guess we know who is the heartbeat of that outfit. Bunch of really good musicians having a great time.
5
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Thu Dec 23 2021
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
I’ve never gotten into Springsteen. Still haven’t, yet, but I think you probably have to pay attention to the stories in the lyrics to really appreciate what half the USA loves about it. Gonna be tough to do that with the next album coming at me every day, but at least this made me believe in that proposition. Another one to return to at a leisurely pace.
3
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Fri Dec 24 2021
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
One of those that grows on you as you get used to it. Touching, organic, and full of soul. Sailor’s Life is the best; Cajun Woman’s a bit of a mess but still fun.
4
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Sat Dec 25 2021
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Needs no comment. Flawless from composition to lyrics to delivery to production.
5
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Sun Dec 26 2021
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Who knew all these canonical versions came from a single compilation?
3
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Mon Dec 27 2021
Young Americans
David Bowie
White boy tries funk, mostly gets the gist. Story at 8.
3
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Tue Dec 28 2021
The Bends
Radiohead
All tracks great. All tracks have inspired at least one inventive and interesting cover--that I know of. Shows that this all-time band was making excellent music even before they started going really weird. Now they’re making excellent music AND it’s really weird.
5
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Wed Dec 29 2021
GI
Germs
This singer has a hell of a lot of charisma. I hate screaming vocals but this is just short of that and I liked it despite my prejudices. The guitarist is hella good and the bass/drums are incredibly tight. If not for them I think the music would be a hot mess.
3
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Thu Dec 30 2021
Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
At least to a beginner, all the dance tunes sound alike. It’s a good formula, but it gets boring. The slow songs all have character of their own. Not sure I’d return to much here though.
3
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Fri Dec 31 2021
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
One or two of these at a time are awesome. Not a surprise that his voice gets grating all at once though. By the middle of My Michelle I had to take a break. 3 stars for good headbangin’ rock straight through, and an extra star for the 45 seconds of Sweet Child alone.
4
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Sat Jan 01 2022
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
A couple of gimmicky throwaway tracks… Hats Off should have been an instrumental. But the great Immigrant Song is only like the fifth-best one, and that’s really saying something. I saved several of these for permanent rotation, and I’m so glad I finally heard the drums on Out On The Tiles.
4
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Sun Jan 02 2022
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
As a fan of Nine Inch Nails, this kept my interest well enough. Longue Route is a pretty good one. I can hear the echoes of this influence in NIN, Mike Patton’s various groups, Trans Am, Rammstein, Meat Beat Manifesto. Inventive use of samples, and pads, I think.
3
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Mon Jan 03 2022
Arrival
ABBA
Never took ABBA seriously. That was a mistake. All tracks have a lot of inventiveness to entertain the music geek. And a couple to keep for good. Just a couple of throwaways.
3
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Tue Jan 04 2022
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
Never took Kanye West seriously either. All I really know about him is he’s a batshit crazy cringe lord. Maybe so, and yet. Still can’t stand boast songs and there are a couple that would be better if there were no vox, but damn if it doesn’t sound really, really good end to end.
4
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Wed Jan 05 2022
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
The music beneath the vocals sounds amazing. Really cool drum stuff. But the extreme vibrato is not helping anything; it's extremely distracting. All the King's Men sounds like the band "Battles." Kinda makes me want to listen to them instead, since they don't have any singers as such.
2
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Thu Jan 06 2022
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
God, what a chore to get through. These guys don't give a damn about anything, even their music, and why should I? I'll admit that the end of Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), which repeats the same line about fifty times, achieved a sort of kaleidoscopic beauty in its repetition... but that's all I got.
Mike Patton does this schtick 20x better.
I was going to write that this sounds uncannily like Nick Cave without any skill whatsoever, and then I looked it up... That's EXACTLY what it is! Good thing he got better with age and practice.
1
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Fri Jan 07 2022
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
Thoroughly enjoyable, nothing much that's eye-opening or inventive. Early 90s radio. Mrs. Robinson cover is pretty good. If you're wondering what other song sounds like "My Drug Buddy"... took me a while, but I think it's Dirty Work by Steely Dan.
3
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Sat Jan 08 2022
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
Music media darling. Awfully catchy front to back, and DLZ is now inseparable from the "stay out of my territory" scene in Breaking Bad. But it didn't, like, blow my mind right out, and unfortunately I've been conditioned to expect that from all the times I've seen allusions to this album.
4
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Sun Jan 09 2022
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Pretty standard blues/rock. It might have been groundbreaking in its release year, but it hasn't aged too badly and remains a fun listen. "The Nazz are Blue" is a highlight.
3
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Mon Jan 10 2022
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
Awfully dated sound. Expensive production in the 80s that sounds like factory effects for karaoke on a 90s boom box. The low end has lovely punch, but the rest is just meh.
2
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Tue Jan 11 2022
High Violet
The National
When I read that they played one song on repeat for several hours--and that the released the whole thing on vinyl--I prejudged that this would be pretentious as heck. Pleasantly surprised to be wrong, or at least it's also pretty darn good. Sounds great, stays interesting and varied. The singer seems effortlessly pretty. I had to work while listening, but this'll be an important candidate to return to.
3
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Wed Jan 12 2022
The Who Sell Out
The Who
Not up to snuff. Big ok’ meh.
2
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Thu Jan 13 2022
Pelican West
Haircut 100
2
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Fri Jan 14 2022
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
Kinda like a pop rock opiate dream. Not sure what I was supposed to take from it.
2
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Sat Jan 15 2022
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Never loved this. Too inconsistent, especially knowing what they were capable of.
3
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Sun Jan 16 2022
Snivilisation
Orbital
2
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Mon Jan 17 2022
Woodface
Crowded House
3
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Tue Jan 18 2022
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
3
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Wed Jan 19 2022
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
3
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Thu Jan 20 2022
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
Not my style AT ALL. Charmed anyway.
3
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Fri Jan 21 2022
Diamond Life
Sade
3
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Sat Jan 22 2022
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
4
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Sun Jan 23 2022
Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3
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Mon Jan 24 2022
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
4
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Tue Jan 25 2022
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
3
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Wed Jan 26 2022
The Poet
Bobby Womack
Nice soul. But just ok. The bassist is too showy and distracting for most of the album and only they and Bobby have much soul. “Games” is really good.
If this is on this list but I don’t see any Tower of Power anytime soonish, I’m going to send a strongly worded letter to the editor.
2
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Thu Jan 27 2022
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
4 for impact and nascent talent. Not my style, perhaps, but his talent for rhyming is undeniable. 2 for artistic merit.
3
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Fri Jan 28 2022
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
Really great, but not their most enduring. This blurb from Apple Music is perfect: "the first glimpse of our modern idea of the Beatles: safe but a little strange; warm but with shades of bleakness; a band that experimented tirelessly without ever leaving the mainstream."
4
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Sat Jan 29 2022
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
Really polished, but it doesn't make me feel much. It almost sounds too nice? No tension, no conflict, no suspension. He's got so much talent but I think this doesn't show much of it off.
2
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Sun Jan 30 2022
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
Sigh. It's really hard to impress with dreamy weird stuff. Not everyone can be radiohead. Lots of props for the winds--I was just reading someone say it's revolutionary to take winds into rock, that only Ben Folds, Paul Simon, and Bon Iver are that cool. Well the person saying that (Bon Iver's trumpeter) obviously never heard this stuff.
Shine a Light is insufferable. But the rest..... I think I'll try to return to this later. I think it might grow on me.
3
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Mon Jan 31 2022
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
Love this, but I can’t go to 5. It’s a hell of a first record and set a standard for 15 years of metal, but not quite as complete as Toxicity or Mezmerize/Hypnotize.
4
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Tue Feb 01 2022
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy are absolutely perfect. Several more are great. But there’s a lot of throwaway too. All the things this is good at— Mezzanine and Dummy are much better overall.
4
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Wed Feb 02 2022
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
Raw and charismatic. I can see the obvious influence on punk. Important to hear but not much I'll come back to.
3
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Thu Feb 03 2022
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
3
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Fri Feb 04 2022
Space Ritual
Hawkwind
Me parece que more jam band than psychedelic or prof. An impressive feat of recording technique and player’s endurance but everything goes on way too long.
2
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Sat Feb 05 2022
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
3
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Sun Feb 06 2022
Club Classics Vol. One
Soul II Soul
2
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Mon Feb 07 2022
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
I notice the social commentary much more than on albums I’m slightly more familiar with. This was nice and pleasant, but hardly any of the catchiness of other stuff by them.
2
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Tue Feb 08 2022
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
Maybe this is some of the best of 60s pretty pop, but it’s still something I find hard to find things to latch on to. A Girl like You is a cool arrangement. You Better Run, too. But overall pretty meh. A pop band trying to bite soul.
2
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Wed Feb 09 2022
Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
Very well done for a debut, and kinda seems like it's ahead of its time? Or at least comfortably independent from what was hot at the time. But also nothing really amazing or eye-opening.
3
View Album
Thu Feb 10 2022
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
I keep thinking I can't stand Neil Young's voice, and he keeps making things that transcend that voice and make it so I really don't care. It's some kind of sorcery. This whole thing threatened to break my heart, and that was even before I read up on the background/inspirations for the album. Borrowed Tune is one of the most poignant songs I've ever heard.
4
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Fri Feb 11 2022
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
A perfect case for this list. I had no idea he was like all disco for this debut album. The man had endless talent for arrangement and melody. Lots of booty shakers and lovely ballads. And those bass lines…
4
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Sat Feb 12 2022
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
Holy crap. Although I like her, I never put this one on because I’d never heard of any of its tracks. I figured it was one of those dud albums that even good artists have.
Nope. Maybe my new favorite, might be better than Hejira. The strings, winds and horns in Down to You are jaw-droppingly good. I listened to it three times over.
5
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Sun Feb 13 2022
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3
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Mon Feb 14 2022
Goo
Sonic Youth
A few really great tracks, especially on the first half. Tunic and Kool Thing are keepers. Vibes of Velvet Underground in a 90s setting.
It’s very distracting, however, that they seem to be fascinated and self-impressed by the noise and sound they can make with abused electronics without having any intentions of meaning in it. And “it’s just ennui and nihilism man,” wouldn’t convince me at all. What they’re singing, particularly the lady vocalist, is very important and deeply felt.
3
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Tue Feb 15 2022
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Another band I never gave a chance to. This is awesome.
4
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Wed Feb 16 2022
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
I listened to this totally sober. For me that means I was not nearly high enough to get it. And already too high to enjoy it.
2
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Thu Feb 17 2022
OK
Talvin Singh
Can't help but notice it's just common Indian compositions (and not very profound) on common EDM stuff (and not very exceptional structure). It got a lot better for the final few tracks. Still there's a great recipe here, so it gets some credit assuming it led that principle a bit. (I think the Prodigy may have played with this a bit earlier, tho.) It was explored more, and better, by Tabla Beat Science's "Tala Matrix" so check that out if you liked this.
2
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Fri Feb 18 2022
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Man that’s a good rhythm section.
4
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Sat Feb 19 2022
American Idiot
Green Day
4
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Tue Feb 22 2022
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Thing about geniuses like Jimi Hendrix who thrive on improvisation… sometimes it’s lightning in a bottle and sometimes it just sounds like noodling. There’s a lot of this that could have used a better plan, tighter writing, or maybe a few more takes or something. But man, when it works it’s so damn good. Voodoo Child, Voodoo Chile, and 1983 could be an album on their own, almost. And then it would be a really tight, great one!
3
View Album
Sat Feb 26 2022
The White Album
Beatles
Not my favorite but there’s an intimacy and a confidence that are really nice. Feels like this is making music especially for themselves, what they had inside wanting out. And it took until this listen to realize I’ve been playing Blackbird wrong.
4
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Tue Mar 01 2022
Hejira
Joni Mitchell
Perfect to me.
5
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Sat Mar 05 2022
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Considering I hated the Mothers of Invention, this was a huge surprise. Virtuistic, clever, groovy, complex.
5
View Album
Sun Mar 06 2022
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
Constantly groovy and totally forgettable. I’m just waiting patiently every four bars for the next entrance or drum break. Times 50 minutes.
2
View Album
Mon Mar 07 2022
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
Undeniable confidence and charisma. I have no idea why it's so good, when other similarly unpolished things strike me as pretentious and annoying. Denied a perfect rating by that *actually* pretentious and annoying closer...
4
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Tue Mar 08 2022
Disintegration
The Cure
Ok, I'm still kinda wondering why two other Cure albums are taking up spots on this list (17 Seconds and Porn) but at least they can contrast with this, several years later and much better. The songs are sometimes still a little meandering and overlong, but the whole thing is certainly a vibe. There's now a point and it's *resonant* with ennui in the listener, not just *inspiring* some like those others. The production is much better, or at least less dated. Especially on the drums and vox.
Lot of respect when a song makes me go get an instrument and pick it out to figure out what's going on, like the bass on Fascination Street.
3
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Wed Mar 09 2022
The College Dropout
Kanye West
All I really know about him is that he’s a celebrity-enabled psych case study. It seems to me that before he was so huge he really had some interesting things to say. I didn’t expect to save anything, but Spaceship did it for me. All Falls Down was excellent too.
Even so, I guess even in this debut album he ran out of complexity a few tracks in. “Always said if I rapped, I’d say something significant. But now I’m rapping about money, hoes, and rims again.” Ok bud, very self aware but are you going to do anything about it?
Jay-Z almost never has anything to say except how spiffy we ought to think he is, and that track seems to start the downturn. Workout, Slow Jamz, Breathe etc. sound nice but amount to nothing interesting. Through the Wire is a classic. Very mixed bag.
3
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Wed Mar 09 2022
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
Pretty meh. Nothing that caught my attention or made me want to return to it.
2
View Album
Thu Mar 10 2022
British Steel
Judas Priest
How many times have I seen this album cover and wondered if I'd like the music? I love that the project gave me cause to do so.
Unfortunately the cover, while great, is way more enduring than the contents. Some of it, like United, and Wise, is so damn corny. It's a fun time but hardly fills the heart or head. The Rage was the song I enjoyed most.
2
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Thu Mar 10 2022
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
Meh. Guess I just don't like shoegaze.
2
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Fri Mar 11 2022
Nothing's Shocking
Jane's Addiction
This is a little hit and miss. "Ted Just Admit It" is awfully self-indulgent and 7 plodding minutes that don't really go anywhere. Maybe I should just listen a few more times. Mountain Song and Jane Says are such perfect songs tho {prior rated}
3
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Fri Mar 11 2022
Celebrity Skin
Hole
more than the front lady! A lot more. I had to go through twice to try to appreciate more things than I could at the first.
4
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Sun Mar 13 2022
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
I was really intrigued by the bits I read ahead. Maybe a victim of my expectations, but this was a bit disappointing. I get the poetic elements, but the vamps (lyrical and musical) just peter out all the momentum of the art, several times. The two tracks with a bit more structure, instrumentation, and a hell of a lot better economy, are Sweet Thing and Young Lovers. And an album more like that would have been four stars. Can an artsy, jazzy, indulgent and pensive rock album ever be amazing? (YES! and speaking of which, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira had better be on this list somewhere…)
2
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Mon Mar 14 2022
Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael
Really polished, but it doesn't make me feel much. It almost sounds too nice? No tension, no conflict, no suspension. He's got so much talent but I think this doesn't show much of it off. {Prior rated}
2
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Tue Mar 15 2022
More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
A great example of how making good music makes no sense. Besides his... unique... vocal delivery, there's so many nonconventional choices. Why is there a choir in the Good Thing?! Why is the chorus just the same melodic line repeated like 6x? It seems amateurish, if bold. But there's obviously a plan. And usually it doesn't work (The Mothers of Invention, IMO) and sometimes it works.
The bassist is so tasteful. Never a star, and she could show off a bit more, but not at all boring.
3
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Wed Mar 16 2022
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I got this just a few days after another CCR, so I can't help but compare them. This doesn't have the barnstorming power of Bayou Country. The long jams like Ramble Tamble or Grapevine don't quite amaze, or keep the booty shaking. And while all the parts sound nice and tight, it also sounds like it was recorded in a antiseptic studio, not a dank basement. That's not well-suited to the jams.
But these things which hurt the jams do all kinds of favors for the shorter, disciplined tracks. Great for making dinner and singing along, whereas Bayou Country might be more for a party or a stoner's night in. {Prior rated}
4
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Thu Mar 17 2022
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Really can’t figure out why this is supposed to be any good. Most songs are two chords with no direction, followed by two semi-related chords with no direction. Nearly zero variety in sound, instrumentation, or drumming approach.
“Reward” is actually pretty good, if you can make it that far. Honestly enjoyed it and added it to my rotation. But it’s not enough to save the album a spot here.
2
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Fri Mar 18 2022
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
I know this well. I put it on trying to Hear it with new ears, and first- well, that’s impossible. But to the extent I succeeded at all, it’s still brilliant, unique, gloomy, sorrowful, and beautiful. IMHO. Worst I can say about it is that the transition from Have a Cigar to the title track is really awkward. Second-worst thing I can say is that it’s not even one of this band’s top three…
5
View Album
Sat Mar 19 2022
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Surprisingly entertaining from end to end. I'm not usually one for doom and gloom; I didn't expect to like it so much. I guess I can see why Ozzy is famous now! (at least at first)
4
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Mon Mar 21 2022
Bossanova
Pixies
Not as disappointing as Surfer Rosa. Still a chore to allow to proceed through all 14 tracks and 44 minutes. Best track: the Happening
2
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Tue Mar 22 2022
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I expected to LOVE it, but I can't say that end to end. Two songs in particular are all-time favorites for me (Natural Mystic and 3 Little Birds). And it's great for listening while working. But turn the microscope on it and it gets a pretty long.
God, I bet they'd have been fun live tho.
3
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Wed Mar 23 2022
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
I’ve never gotten into Springsteen. Still haven’t, yet, but I think you probably have to pay attention to the stories in the lyrics to really appreciate what half the USA loves about it. Gonna be tough to do that with the next album coming at me every day, but at least this made me believe in that proposition. Another one to return to at a leisurely pace. {Prior rated}
3
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Thu Mar 24 2022
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
This band recorded "Golden Brown"???
I kinda dig the marriage of punk and keyboards. Aggro and New Wave. Decent chops, especially for the bassist. And chord progressions longer than 3. Whimsical modulations and lyrics in Peaches. It's giving me a Cheap Trick feeling. And one of the vocalists sounds a lot like Nick Cave.
Ugly should have been kicked off this island. The rest were a pleasant surprise.
But seriously... six years later, "Golden Brown"??????
3
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Fri Mar 25 2022
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
NOPE. Few redeeming qualities and the lyrics of track 4 or 5 lost me for good.
1
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Sat Mar 26 2022
Blackstar
David Bowie
Sounds like Bowie-Patton-radiohead to me. Five stars.
5
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Mon Mar 28 2022
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
The absolute swagger. Nine minutes of storytime followed by 11 minutes of groove for "Phoenix."
At this point in the timeline we have better makeout music than Isaac Hayes, but only by hair's widths.
Also I love 2Wicky by Hooverphonic and the whole reason is that it's basically a dub remix of Walk On. That's all on Hayes, not Hooverphonic.
3
View Album
Mon Mar 28 2022
The College Dropout
Kanye West
All I really know about him is that he’s a celebrity-enabled psych case study. It seems to me that before he was so huge he really had some interesting things to say. I didn’t expect to save anything, but Spaceship did it for me. All Falls Down was excellent too.
Even so, I guess even in this debut album he ran out of complexity a few tracks in. “Always said if I rapped, I’d say something significant. But now I’m rapping about money, hoes, and rims again.” Ok bud, very self aware but are you going to do anything about it?
Jay-Z almost never has anything to say except how spiffy we ought to think he is, and that track seems to start the downturn. Workout, Slow Jamz, Breathe etc. sound nice but amount to nothing interesting. Through the Wire is a classic. Very mixed bag.
3
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Tue Mar 29 2022
Spiderland
Slint
So strange… I truly enjoyed it but it also put me to sleep.
4
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Wed Mar 30 2022
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
Holy crap. Although I like her, I never put this one on because I’d never heard of any of its tracks. I figured it was one of those dud albums that even good artists have.
Nope. Maybe my new favorite, might be better than Hejira. The strings, winds and horns in Down to You are jaw-droppingly good. I listened to it three times over.
5
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Thu Mar 31 2022
Young Americans
David Bowie
White boy tries funk, ...mostly gets the gist. Story at 8.
3
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Thu Mar 31 2022
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
I liked the production and grooves. The really unique delivery of the singer often sounds like singsong narration rather than melody. Sometimes that's cool, but it's a little much for a long listen, even on this short-ish album. The lyrics are also really literal and expository rather than esoteric and poetical. It's strange feeling: to be surprised, by the thought, that this is unusual!
3
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Mon Apr 04 2022
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Lots of excellent grooves and rhymes. A Day at the Races is AWESOME. The rest is nice but not terribly challenging.
Once you start to notice the consistent monotonous swing that characterizes most of their lyrics in the other songs, it's hard to hear anything else including the semantic meanings!
3
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Tue Apr 05 2022
Beautiful Freak
Eels
One of those things (like more famously, Semi-Charmed Life) where the whole color of the room changes depending whether you're paying attention to the lyrics. I listened once about halfway through before I realized this and decided to try it again once I had time to focus a little more on it. I appreciated it a lot more then, it's deceptively dark. Though I can't imagine when I'd want to return to it. One song is enough, and Novocaine for the Soul plays that role just fine!
3
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Wed Apr 06 2022
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy are absolutely perfect. Several more are great. But there’s a lot of throwaway too. All the things this is good at— Mezzanine and Dummy are much better overall. {prior rated}
4
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Thu Apr 07 2022
Raw Like Sushi
Neneh Cherry
So dated. Nothing that sounds great these years later besides her nice voice. Not a total waste, still interesting to peruse through it, so it's saved from the dreaded 1...
2
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Fri Apr 08 2022
Suede
Suede
Nothing I could really get into. It had a sort of David Bowie vibe to it, but not as catchy as most of what he's done. Not offensive, though.
2
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Mon Apr 11 2022
Bad Company
Bad Company
Fun enough. You basically get the whole point of the songs by reading the titles :)
Doesn't seem to break new ground or do anything unique, but it's very solid blues rock I'd be proud to have on any party playlist. Definitely deserves a spot on this list for the supergroup aspect. The fun they have doing this stuff with other vets definitely comes through.
3
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Tue Apr 12 2022
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
I don't often care for this style, and it has to be something really special to catch my notice. This did that, at least. Playing with expectations a bit in song structure. Their subjects are a little more interesting than "it feels good to dance," or "I got dumped and it's no fun." (There's a place for those too, but I need more from disco I guess.) It's a Sin is a banger, but one great track doesn't make a whole album in this game.
3
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Wed Apr 13 2022
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
Ok, I enjoyed this top to bottom. Despite the obvious flaws like thin voice, dated production and cheesyness, it makes up for a lot with lots of hooks, earnest effort, compositional creativity, and some je ne sais quoi I can only call charisma. Sam Smith is awesome, but I hope it’s safe to say it helps to have blue-eyed soul like this to stand on and move ever forward.
4
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Thu Apr 14 2022
C'est Chic
CHIC
I was vaguely familiar with Le Freak, and on that basis (and Wikipedia) I assumed I was in for a disco album. But not a minute into the first track, it occurred me this is more like a jam band. And the next hour was so much fun! It earned a repeat play before the day was over and several tracks are staying on rotation. I Want Your Love is stupendous. Pleasant surprise.
4
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Fri Apr 15 2022
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
I had this earlier last summer and I couldn’t muster any commentary, and gave it a “meh, 2”. But I’m wondering if I was in a nasty mood, or listened to the wrong album. Because this is so good. Earnest useful lyrics, creative and skilled instruments, economical writing. This could go on anytime.
4
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Mon Apr 18 2022
The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground
Undeniable confidence and charisma. I have no idea why it's so good, when other similarly unpolished things strike me as pretentious and annoying. Denied a perfect rating by that *actually* pretentious and annoying closer...
4
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Tue Apr 19 2022
The Wall
Pink Floyd
As a piece of art, the movie & album are just perfect. But as an album, standing alone, I have to admit it gets just a little long after Comfortably Numb without a story to drive it. There's nothing else I could write about this that hasn't been done better!
4
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Wed Apr 20 2022
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
Thing about geniuses like Jimi Hendrix who thrive on improvisation… sometimes it’s lightning in a bottle and sometimes it just sounds like noodling. There’s a lot of this that could have used a better plan, tighter writing, or maybe a few more takes or something. But man, when it works it’s so damn good. Voodoo Child, Voodoo Chile, and 1983 could be an album on their own, almost. And then it would be a really tight, great one!
3
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Thu Apr 21 2022
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
Kinda like a pop rock opiate dream. Not sure what I was supposed to take from it. {Prior rating}
2
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Fri Apr 22 2022
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
I’m sure much is to be made of his voice, but the real takeaway for me is the really great preparation of his band. They keep the party moving like a skilled DJ might! Without the crutch of easy cues and a tempo fader. I don’t think I’d listened to much of him at all before, if any, but it’s cool to take in the raw crowd pleasing power and charisma even if he doesn’t make me, personally, swoon.
3
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Mon Apr 25 2022
Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
This is sneaky. I spent the first half doing something while listening and thought it was just ok. Unemotional, smoove jaz. But this kind of music rewards attention. Way better if you focus on it. Also worth noting: this sounds like normal 70s-2010s jazz mostly because this comes before all those biters.
3
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Tue Apr 26 2022
Protection
Massive Attack
I can’t believe I never noticed that the title track is 8 minutes long. Just goes to show how DAMN smooth it is. Passes like a river, and it could go longer and I wouldn’t mind.
This is even better than Blue Lines- better choices, more mature. I love it so. Still not perfect, end to end, though… if Mezzanine doesn’t come up on this list at some point, I’m going to freak out!
4
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Wed Apr 27 2022
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
I’m scoring this an incomplete. It really defies an opinion on first listen. I was just sort of meh at first, but then i started to write this note and flipped through the beginning of So in Love and Love to the People. And then listened to the whole thing again. So I have to just say I have to score it with an asterisk and come back at some point.
I don’t love his constant whiny falsetto, but everything else is so funky, peaceful, pessimistic… all at once? Really brilliant songwriting.
3
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Thu Apr 28 2022
Now I Got Worry
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Who puts this on by choice?!?!?
Can't Stop is ok, if you can make it that far. But I want my 45 minutes back, so you get the dreaded 1.
Kinda makes me want to find some actually good southern swagger. Better Than Ezra's Paper Empire coming up next.
1
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Fri Apr 29 2022
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective
2
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Mon May 02 2022
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
For the first time, I think, I listened to this while trying to separate it from the context, the contrast with their studio records, and take it standing alone. The performance itself is just okay, pretty ragged at times (and I'm not just talking about the IDGAF of grunge in general; the guy's in bad shape).
I suspect the knowledge of Cobain's fate, coming shortly after this show and before it was released, colors all interpretation and I'm no different. There are some brilliant ones in here. (All Apologies, Lake of Fire, WDYSLN). It’s mostly great. But I disagree with the "greatest live albums of all time" designation. {prior rate}
3
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Tue May 03 2022
(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)
Lynyrd Skynyrd
So this is their debut? Incredible. Even the ones I’d never heard are awesome.
I have to say I’ve always found Simple Man to be too long, too slow, too repetitive. But that’s faint criticism for an otherwise timeless work.
4
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Wed May 04 2022
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
4
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Thu May 05 2022
The Poet
Bobby Womack
Nice soul. But just ok. The bassist is too showy and distracting for most of the album and only they and Bobby have much soul. “Games” is really good.
If this is on this list but I don’t see any Tower of Power anytime soonish, I’m going to send a strongly worded letter to the editor. {prior rated}
2
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Fri May 06 2022
In Utero
Nirvana
Another one I know "of" but never put on end to end. What fire in their bellies. And I'm sure I never really listened to the drums on this record. They hit HARD.
I guess in my own ruleset I can't give this a 5 because I don't think every last track is a keeper or at least serves the whole, but it's damn close.
Surprises: Scentless Apprentice, Frances Farmer
Not surprises: Rape Me, All Apologies, Dumb
4
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Mon May 09 2022
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
I was really intrigued by the bits I read ahead. Maybe a victim of my expectations, but this was a bit disappointing. I get the poetic elements, but the vamps (lyrical and musical) just peter out all the momentum of the art, several times. The two tracks with a bit more structure, instrumentation, and a hell of a lot better economy, are Sweet Thing and Young Lovers. And an album more like that would have been four stars. Can an artsy, jazzy, indulgent and pensive rock album ever be amazing? (YES! and speaking of which, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira had better be on this list somewhere…)
2
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Tue May 10 2022
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
When I rotated through this before, I gave it a 4 but had nothing to say. Dunno where that came from! There's a lot to love here, and a lot of variety. Tracks 5-6-7-8 are a tour de force.
4
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Wed May 11 2022
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
Let’s suppose this is an important and representative example of “post-punk.” In that case although I liked listening to this once through, I don’t think I will be looking for more. Another case of nearly all songs being 2-3x longer than they should be. Probably they were fun live, tho.
3
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Thu May 12 2022
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
“She’s Bought a Hat” is like Sgt Peppers remixed for a Monty Python fanfic. I started just humoring this, but by golly, by the end I loved it. Not everyone can reinvent pop music like the Beatles; this takes a lot of inspiration from that group and shines with its own voice and whimsy.
4
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Fri May 13 2022
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Ray Charles
String arrangements are boss. I feel old to say this/think this, but pop songs used to be really complicated! I love that. Some still go to the trouble--like I've noticed on Silk Sonic's music-- but most do not. It's such a lovely pleasure to sit down with stuff like this.
I can't say I prefer Charles' versions of anything over others, but they're all lovely and this gets plenty of bonus for breaking barriers.
4
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Mon May 16 2022
The Stooges
The Stooges
Getting this so soon after Velvet Underground and Nico... it's so much like those cats with extra sneer. I really dig it.
People were really into dirges in the 60s. If that track were like 6 minutes, this album is less than a half hour long. That's a little weak... but what remains is really good.
3
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Tue May 17 2022
Songs Of Love And Hate
Leonard Cohen
Thoroughly belongs on this list. I love his lyrics and never would have made it through an album without this list. But it's all so morose all at once!
I think it's really only morose at a certain depth. It makes me aspire to sit down and pay attention to something for more than 140 characters at a time so I can appreciate it at that deeper level. Aspire, but not succeed today.
3
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Wed May 18 2022
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
First track was boss. I find that i do love glam.
4
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Thu May 19 2022
L.A. Woman
The Doors
I went for a long drive and listened to the Doors from a cliff overlooking the Bay and San Francisco. It was just the right music. This is pretty tunesome blues throughout and has a great allegory for the title track. I didn't even notice how long it was. Not a perfect album but a great vibe, soup to nuts, and several permanent takeaways.
3
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Fri May 20 2022
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Vocals, beautiful. Delivery, dreamy. ARRANGEMENT, folk and jazz and classical perfectly merged. Haunting melodies and a totally unique "voice." This is a quiet masterpiece of an album and it's not even his best. It's not even his second-best! I'll admit a couple songs could have been cut down or cut. That, and because he needs somewhere higher to go for other albums, are the only reasons this gets a 4.
4
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Mon May 23 2022
Moon Safari
Air
My reaction to this is a testament to my own prejudices. I enjoyed this greatly, and it's definitely going into rotation for repeated listens, study music, etc. And yet I have some kind of bias against taking it seriously as art. What's up with that? It is not immediately "challenging" or "riveting," but I don't think it's trying to be and it doesn't have to be. In 1998 it must have been way ahead of its peers and for the trails it's blazed for Royksopp, Tycho, etc I am thoroughly grateful.
4
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Tue May 24 2022
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Sure, must hear. The title track is great. But the album all-in is a mess. Sounds like a lot of fun live tho. [prior rate]
3
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Wed May 25 2022
Calenture
The Triffids
I listened to this a week or two ago and I can't remember a damn thing to say. Must have been memorable....
2
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Thu May 26 2022
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Another band I never gave a chance to. This is awesome. {prior rating}
Also rocks a lot better than the later album on this list!
4
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Fri May 27 2022
Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
I WANTED to like this a lot. It's some really groovy bottled napalm. But it's just a little too edgy for me. Several times I thought a track was going to be a big highlight, but by the time it reached its full crescendo it just wasn't enjoyable any more. I actually suspect this is a problem exacerbated on the first-impression. If I knew where each song was going I think I wouldn't find it as annoying..... but Oh well! on to the next day!
3
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Mon May 30 2022
Like A Prayer
Madonna
Lovely little time capsule. Other than her (brilliant) singles on this, the rest shows an unexpected diversity of styles. I really dig it.
4
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Tue May 31 2022
Smile
Brian Wilson
I get that this album was mythical for decades, but I dunno if it was worth the wait... I like the really diverse instruments and structures. But I think Brian Wilson's melodies are usually just too smart for me. The through-composed nature of most of these songs gives you nothing to latch on to. Those with at least a little bit of motif (e.g. Vege-Tables, Wind Chimes, and obviously Good Vibrations) are therefore the highlights.
3
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Wed Jun 01 2022
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
Who gave these cats a record contract?? That's what I want to know. It is THOROUGHLY weird, but thankfully vibes with my specific brand of attention- and hyperactivity-related deficits.
I will be returning to this a few times. I feel like they took Sgt Pepper's a few steps into another dimension. Also sounds GREAT for being recorded and mixed 50 years ago. The bass, drums and voice are clear and deep.
Could really do without the pipe organ cameos tho. Circus music doesn't belong anywhere.
3
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Thu Jun 02 2022
Ambient 1/Music For Airports
Brian Eno
Imagine a rainy day off work. It’s coming down decently hard but it’s early morning. So the rain is coming from above and the sun is streaming in the windows on your eastern side. Your cup of coffee is just at your elbow and you had a good night’s sleep. You can just kinda space out and watch the old dog dog at your feet breathe. Or you can read poetry from Lenore Kandel that fuddy-duddies were trying to ban for obscenity during the Summer of Love. Or you can try to figure some personal stuff out. Or you can rehearse your next argument with your politically awful relatives. And all the while, you can use the rain and the dog and the sunlight as anchors to the real world, or springboard for more abstract thought.
This is kinda that.
5
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Fri Jun 03 2022
A Girl Called Dusty
Dusty Springfield
I bet she played a role in bringing this music to more cultures and countries, and that's lovely. But there wasn't much that really impressed me more than other singers' versions of most of this. Good for history and context.
3
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Mon Jun 06 2022
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
When he starts rambling and vamping for what seems like minutes at a time he loses all interest for me. (e.g. A Hard Rain). I feel like at LEAST once an album he has a song which is just a list of things and it's great the first time but gets old fast.
But when he's a lot more focused and seems to have more ideas for melody, he's so good. Even a longish song like I Shall Be Free carries none of the boredom of his less-focused songs.
3
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Tue Jun 07 2022
Too Rye Ay
Dexys Midnight Runners
Pop? New wave? What I hear is ska. And I love it! I saved a bunch of tracks from this and I listened -- really listened -- to Come on Eileen for the first time in forever. There's a lot of filler and overly fussy tweaks evident in the production, but lots of fun front to back.
4
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Wed Jun 08 2022
Mama's Gun
Erykah Badu
So much life on this album. She has such a unique voice and delivery, and lyrics. Besides the all-time great Green Eyes, the first track Penitentiary Philosophy never fails to bang the head. And Cleva's lyrics are so heartfelt and convincing. Damn solid album. 4.4444444 repeating.
4
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Thu Jun 09 2022
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
Good for history. Huge for its time, I'm sure, but it doesn't really engage me in 2022 (for example the way Sam Cooke's live album did)
3
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Fri Jun 10 2022
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
I liked the production and grooves. The really unique delivery of the singer often sounds like singsong narration rather than melody. Sometimes that's cool, but it's a little much for a long listen, even on this short-ish album. The lyrics are also really literal and expository rather than esoteric and poetical. It's strange feeling: to be surprised, by the thought, that this is unusual!
3
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Mon Jun 13 2022
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
I have now listened to a full album by the famous Rod Stewart. And for that cost of admission? I no longer have to report that I don’t know his music at all. Instead, I can now report that I just don’t care for him!
2
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Tue Jun 14 2022
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
Pretty disappointing, considering I've been hearing this band's name for years. The recipe is: make a groove with interesting and varied instruments, repeat it for six minutes, yelp over the top, and for god's sake don't change the groove or develop your lyrics.
This was a chore to get through; I kept hoping they would turn a corner. But the last track was a major redemption! That one, at least, is really great and succeeds in many of the ways that the rest of the album fails.
2
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Wed Jun 15 2022
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
Especially satisfying to bookend this album with two absolute classics. Definitely an album with lots of replay power. There are a couple puzzling tracks here but that's mild criticism.
4
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Thu Jun 16 2022
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco
Even as the first impression, i'm convinced that this will keep interest and keep rewarding over many, many listens. Lovely variety and instrumentation, brave/weird choices, singalong writing and interesting lyrics. Definitely one to return to.
4
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Fri Jun 17 2022
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
Really great, but not their most enduring. This blurb from Apple Music is perfect: "the first glimpse of our modern idea of the Beatles: safe but a little strange; warm but with shades of bleakness; a band that experimented tirelessly without ever leaving the mainstream." [prior rate]
4
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Mon Jun 20 2022
Kid A
Radiohead
Yeah, like I’ll have anything clever to say about this.
5
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Tue Jun 21 2022
Stankonia
OutKast
Four of these tracks are on constant rotation (BOB, Humble Mumble, So Fresh So Clean, Ms Jackson). I had forgotten why I don't listen to the whole thing anymore, but it all came back. The rest is a VERY mixed bag, sometimes veering into terrible (We Love Deez Hoez). Still a deserving entry for this list.
3
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Wed Jun 22 2022
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
This takes itself so damn serious, it's more a lecture than an album. It was sometimes jawdropping how relevant it all is 30 years later. All these fears from 1992 are still a big problem or have come to fruition. Hong Kong troubles (Satanic Reverses), code-switching and black minstrelism (Amos and Andy), TV propaganda (TV the Drug), war as theater (Winter), racial health disparities in San Francisco (Everyday Life), upside-down public spending (Financial Leprosy), smarmy gov wants to be prez (CA Uber Alles).... on one hand, it makes me think it's not so bad now if it was always this bad. On the other hand that's damn depressing.
I can't give it a 5 in my arbitrary rating system because it's not a lot of replay value. But damn this is a good one. I had no idea about Michael Franti's prior incarnation as a worthy peer of Public Enemy.
4
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Thu Jun 23 2022
Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
Stupendous. I had no idea such a thing existed. And to this big Sublime fan, hearing so much on one album that obviously influenced Sublime is an extra treat. I can honestly say that every track of this very long album was appreciated. (Good thing that a couple "meh" tracks got cut for the digital release. I sought them out too, but I didn't love them). Every track with its own character and unique rhythmic backbone. The drums are stupendous, and the lyrics are especially consistently good too. What a lovely surprise.
5
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Fri Jun 24 2022
Bad
Michael Jackson
A lovely consequence of this project is the reason to listen to even familiar music with renewed attention, especially if I take the trouble to listen with higher volume on a good setup.
For some reason I always heard the synth bassline of "The Way You Make Me Feel" was a pedal tone, but it moves! I hear stuff in the mix for "Bad" that I never realized was there. The chord changes in the bridge of "Speed Demon." And so on.
Liberian Girl and Dirty Diana are a little dud-y. And it's not as good as Thriller. So I guess it's only a 4.
4
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Mon Jun 27 2022
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
I expected to like this a lot more. I guess the proto-screamo gets old if it's a whole album at once. Can't deny the hits, but the rest of the album was ... fine.
2
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Tue Jun 28 2022
The Man Who
Travis
So sleepy. There must be something deep I'm missing-- all I heard was inoffensive soft rock.
2
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Wed Jun 29 2022
Boston
Boston
Bass lines out the wazoo. Every track could be someone else's career-defining single.
5
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Thu Jun 30 2022
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
Pretty meh. Nothing that caught my attention or made me want to return to it.
2
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Fri Jul 01 2022
All Mod Cons
The Jam
Seemed pretty generic to me, I had a hard time figuring out what's "important" about this album. Last couple tracks are heartfelt and quite serious. And I see what commenters have said about the ode to England being earnest without cringey patriotism.
3
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Mon Jul 04 2022
Pornography
The Cure
Less interesting than Seventeen Seconds. Kinda a chore to get through, but good to hear once. (Prior rate)
2
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Tue Jul 05 2022
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
Nice to hear that the rest of this debut is up to the standard of their singles even though it doesn’t grab me personally. Very singable throughout
3
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Wed Jul 06 2022
I Should Coco
Supergrass
Drummer is superb, and their infectious energy and evident polish, especially for teenagers, brings a lot of charisma
4
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Thu Jul 07 2022
Melody A.M.
Röyksopp
Electronic tastes are so finicky. I've heard a bunch of times that this group should be up my alley. And it's not too far off from Thievery or Tycho, who I really like. But this whole thing gets a meh from me. And Eple, the supposed breakout hit, was the most annoying part.
2
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Fri Jul 08 2022
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago
Seems like I really like Chicago, especially their early works with Terry Kath. Lots of great musicians, earnest (slightly cheezy) lyrics, and dense arrangements.
"DARKWTII" is a puzzling track. Apparently it was a radio hit, but the first half is a bit of a chore. After that, though, it's the perfect kind of tunesome sardonicism that is right up my alley.
The whole album is pretty good with the energy of (what was surely) a rollicking live show with the polish of a studio. Some tracks are a little indulgent, but that's ok. It's a good one and deserves to go on the ol' hi-fi end-to-end.
4
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Mon Jul 11 2022
Urban Hymns
The Verve
The rest of the album doesn’t stand up at all to the first track. (prior rate)
2
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Tue Jul 12 2022
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
First four are awesome. Lost a little steam in the late middle, but pretty enjoyable and ends strong. One track #10 is real bad.
Clever rhymes, plenty willingness to write about more than “how special I am” in contrast to many of the most successful rappers.
4
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Wed Jul 13 2022
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
Pleasant surprise! It sounds great, the musicians are very, very good, every track is a hell of a good time, and despite ending with 17 minutes on a single theme, it doesn't overstay the welcome, amazingly. Everyone knows the title track, but I bet few have listened to it all the way. I know I hadn't. I will be returning to this for sure!
5
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Thu Jul 14 2022
Among The Living
Anthrax
Tasteful (for thrash, certainly!), inventive, interesting and technically skilled. I respect it even if I don't think I'll seek it again. I did not expect to claim "Efilnikufesin" as my favorite, but here we are!
3
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Fri Jul 15 2022
Teenager Of The Year
Frank Black
Strange ride. The first couple songs were pretty fun. Then it settled into a bunch of songs that made me think he was trying to be Lou Reed -- but not very successfully. Then he was trying to be Lou Reed -- rather successfully! Finally he settled into some more poppy punk from 18-21 that was fun. Ultimately, I can't shake the impression that this is a too-long album made by a guy who's convinced everything he writes is great stuff. And he's right only part of the time.
3
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Mon Jul 18 2022
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
Haven't really loved others by him, despite the singles and stellar reputation. this one's great start to finish. Bowie has many personas and personalities--seems like there's something for everyone and someone for all of him.
4
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Tue Jul 19 2022
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
I listened to it five times in two days. What a revelation! Undeniably booty-shaking. (Prior rating)
5
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Wed Jul 20 2022
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
It sounds really, really good but there's like ZERO contrast so it gets old quickly. Shadowplay is differentiated a little bit. I would put any two songs on a nice long playlist for getting a ton of work done, but no more than two--otherwise I'd be distracted by thinking it's repeating itself.
3
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Thu Jul 21 2022
Close To You
Carpenters
Earnest love songs never make a big splash. Unless they do. And these are deserving of the hype. Carefully composed like they used to do, wistfully delivered by a magnetic voice (except for that so-so one when her brother had a go).
4
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Fri Jul 22 2022
Arc Of A Diver
Steve Winwood
Big ol' meh. Night Train was okay tho.
2
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Mon Jul 25 2022
Smash
The Offspring
Great way to nudge punk a little to the radio. It gets a little samey all at once, but that's the only knock. All trax are pretty good!
4
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Tue Jul 26 2022
Fragile
Yes
4
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Wed Jul 27 2022
Dirt
Alice In Chains
Too much, and not enough to say.
5
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Thu Jul 28 2022
Tommy
The Who
75 minutes of very good music! Incredible. Overture and Underture are my favorites (besides Pinball of course)
4
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Fri Jul 29 2022
Like Water For Chocolate
Common
I heard he was an antidote to the popular violence and misogyny of the era. I guess homophobia sounds so groovy we don’t mind?
2
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Mon Aug 01 2022
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
Quite dated sound, it seems to me. But there's still some great tracks to keep and return to -- What's Love, Steel Claw, and Can't Stand the Rain
3
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Tue Aug 02 2022
Funeral
Arcade Fire
The instruments, production and lyrics were good from track one. The drummer needs to try something besides a hi-hat disco beat. The constantly strained vocals were not my favorite but they grew on me—or at least, the virtues overcame the distraction over time. Haiti Mon Pays and Rebellion(Lies) cemented it for me. This is a great album!
4
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Wed Aug 03 2022
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
One or two of these at a time are awesome. Not a surprise that his voice gets grating all at once though. By the middle of My Michelle I had to take a break. 3 stars for good headbangin’ rock straight through, and an extra star for the first 45 perfect seconds of Sweet Child alone.
4
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Thu Aug 04 2022
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
Blues is such a perfect form for playing and listening that there’s a whole genre even though it’s fairly limited boundaries of that form (compared with other genres). What makes it so perfect also makes it all same to me. Except for a few like BB King.
The boundaries and predictable nature of the form leave brain and heart space to really express while the band can stay really tight without having to think about it so much. And King never abdicates that territory.
4
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Fri Aug 05 2022
Transformer
Lou Reed
Totally seductive. Somehow he makes living on the wild side feel glamorous. I thought I’d get tired of his delivery which almost sounds bored, but it fits the music and lyrics well
5
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Mon Aug 08 2022
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
Perfectly inoffensive. Pretty, even. But not a single track grabbed me or made me want to dig in more. I could never make something so nice myself, but “nice” doesn’t define this list of 1001+
2
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Tue Aug 09 2022
On The Beach
Neil Young
Sedate, unhurried. Certainly not uplifting. Probably pretty good for tea and a book on the couch, but not so good for a drive down to mom's house.
3
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Wed Aug 10 2022
Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
I had a wild time with this. I was climbing in the car after visiting my mom and she asked what I was listening to. I said "Adam and the Ants," described the project and went on my way. Halfway home, I had this inescapable waking nightmare where I get into a horrific crash and my mom takes up listening to my last album as a way of mourning. Then at some point she becomes familiar enough to kinda dig it, and thinks of me fondly while nodding her head to "ant music for sex people, sex music for ant people."
In summary, I did not have a great time.
The apparent "Burundi beat," however, did remind me of the excellent Naked Eyes song "Always Something There to Remind Me" and I learned it's actually a cover of a very good 1964 version by Lou Johnson. So there is a silver lining.
2
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Thu Aug 11 2022
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
With such a stellar reputation and pedigree, I really wanted to broaden my tastes a little bit. I gave it no less than five tries. But the almost atonal vocals are just a poison pill for this. Maybe if I spoke Portuguese the profundity would come through.
2
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Fri Aug 12 2022
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Three stars for Lilac Wine alone. The chords, my god, and her yearning voice... Another each for Black is the Color and Four Women. One more for Wild is the Wind and If I Should Lose You. That's six stars... the other tracks could be pigs squealing (but they're not) and we'd still have an absolute juggernaut.
5
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Mon Aug 15 2022
The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
Stupendous. I listened to it three times in a row. Part 1 is especially stupendous. What he can do with two chords is just jaw dropping.
5
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Tue Aug 16 2022
A Night At The Opera
Queen
Sounds downright Beatlesque at times! I caught a few new tracks to save. Pretty funny that I’ve never troubled to listen to the entire album from which we get Bohemian Freakin Rhapsody.
4
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Wed Aug 17 2022
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
Awfully dated sound. Expensive production in the 80s that sounds like factory effects for karaoke on a 90s boom box. The low end has lovely punch, but the rest is just meh. (Prior listen)
2
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Thu Aug 18 2022
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
Nothing that really stuck with me; although I generally like psychedelic rock, I prefer it a little harder. I imagine The Byrds were pretty influential so they get a lot of credit from me for that.
3
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Fri Aug 19 2022
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
This is on constant, constant rotation. Still holds up, obviously. The only mild, tedious stinker is Settle For Nothing, but even that has one of the most pretty guitar solos anywhere.
5
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Mon Aug 22 2022
Disraeli Gears
Cream
The plodding, deliberate pace of Sunshine is married with eyelash-fluttering instrument tones, poetic lyrics, and flashes of tempo change. The rest of the album isn't so much... so I can see why Sunshine is the standout. The rest is just ok, but important historically.
3
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Tue Aug 23 2022
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
OutKast
I listen to The Love Below cover to cover, a LOT. As far as I'm concerned it's 100% perfect. Speakerboxxx, mostly meh. So listening to this fresh was a nice reminder. 5+ stars for one, two for the other.
4
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Wed Aug 24 2022
Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
Shucks, another horizon-broadener I wanted to like more than I actually liked. Love the energy though! And the song "Taj Mahal" made me wonder why it's so familiar - which made me find Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" - which made me find that although i can't stand him, that song is BOSS.
3
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Thu Aug 25 2022
Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Great blues. House-filling presence even on a small system. Graveyard Train and Chooglin are twice as long as they should be, Proud Mary is perfect, and the rest are very good. But you can put this on over and over. That's worth a lot! (prior listen)
4
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Fri Aug 26 2022
Seventh Tree
Goldfrapp
Very dreamy. Sounds just nice. But for the expectations of this list it's a "damning with faint praise" type of situation.
This might grow on me with repeated listens, but at first it didn't really grab me. At its best, like during "AE," it sounds remarkably like a Joni Mitchell song.
2
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Mon Aug 29 2022
Dookie
Green Day
Great music, great lyrics, influential, still so relevant. Launched an absolutely incandescent band into their mainstream.
5
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Tue Aug 30 2022
Face to Face
The Kinks
I think to appreciate this one I have to put it in 1966 context. It came out a couple months after Revolver. Nice inoffensive pop rock. But little to grab you, tweak your expectations, or surprise you. (prior listen)
2
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Wed Aug 31 2022
The La's
The La's
2
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Thu Sep 01 2022
Scott 2
Scott Walker
I don’t hate it. Unexpectedly very dark, holy crap.
3
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Fri Sep 02 2022
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
No highlights. Literally can't remember a single tune. But it was a fun time the whole thing through! Charisma and energy and lots of participants (somewhat) well-wrangled. Haven't had that experience since one of my first albums on this, from the Clash.
4
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Mon Sep 05 2022
It's A Shame About Ray
The Lemonheads
Thoroughly enjoyable, nothing much that's eye-opening or inventive. Early 90s radio. Mrs. Robinson cover is pretty good. If you're wondering what other song sounds like "My Drug Buddy"... took me a while, but I think it's Dirty Work by Steely Dan.
3
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Tue Sep 06 2022
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Obviously stellar and a "must listen before you die." But I gotta say not perfect wall-to-wall. There are at least two tracks that are totally forgettable.
4
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Wed Sep 07 2022
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
I got two Public Enemy albums in a week. “Nation of Millions” earned my respect and this is even better. (prior listen)
4
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Thu Sep 08 2022
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Better than the earlier one. Even downright pretty at times. And especially in Gypsy Woman, you can really hear his son's voice too. But I guess not "essential."
3
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Fri Sep 09 2022
The Last Of The True Believers
Nanci Griffith
I guess i should return to this one at some point. It was fine, but I didn't pick up on what makes it exceptional or noteworthy.
2
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Mon Sep 12 2022
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
4
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Tue Sep 13 2022
Sea Change
Beck
I put this on when I am feeling down and I really want to wallow in it. It's not fun but it's so heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The end of Lonesome Tears goes on and on and on, climbing to the stratosphere, tugging and tugging until you can't bear it any longer, and still keeps going. Past the point of discomfort to a kaleidoscopic mad huge picture of loss and grief.
5
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Wed Sep 14 2022
High Violet
The National
When I read that they played one song on repeat for several hours--and that the released the whole thing on vinyl--I prejudged that this would be pretentious as heck. Pleasantly surprised to be wrong, or at least it's also pretty darn good. Sounds great, stays interesting and varied. The singer seems effortlessly pretty. I had to work while listening, but this'll be an important candidate to return to. (prior listen)
3
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Thu Sep 15 2022
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
I do like myself an ADHD trip from time to time. I mean, I listen to Fantomas and They Might Be Giants -- by choice. But the individual fleeting components have to be good. This is maybe 10% good and none of the good bits get to stick around for long before they move on to the next whatever.
1
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Fri Sep 16 2022
Scream, Dracula, Scream
Rocket From The Crypt
This is NOT what I assumed from the name and album art! I love that so many different songs remind me of other bands I like, but never all at once? One song sounds like Morphine, one song sounds like Sponge, one song sounds like Arctic Monkeys, Rancid, etc. On a Rope is an all-time great.
5
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Mon Sep 19 2022
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
3
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Tue Sep 20 2022
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Pretty standard blues/rock. It might have been groundbreaking in its release year, but it hasn't aged too badly and remains a fun listen. "The Nazz are Blue" is a highlight. (prior listen)
3
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Wed Sep 21 2022
You're Living All Over Me
Dinosaur Jr.
Hmmm. I forgot all about this music 20 minutes after listening. didn't offend me at least.
2
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Thu Sep 22 2022
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
I like most of this, but I love Grey Seal the very most. Incredible variety for a man with a piano, but yeah.... sometimes he really misses (Jamaica Jerk Off).
4
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Fri Sep 23 2022
Connected
Stereo MC's
Even their massive hit is meh. Fine for background music while working. But there's no emotional or musical tension to the whole thing.
2
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Mon Sep 26 2022
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
What a contrast to the previous day's flat affect. Incredible that this is considered pop - although I don't know what else I'd call it. I got this album at a thrift shop after wondering what the "Good Vibrations" and "Barbara Ann" group ever did to make an album I'd always heard was transcendent. Well, it is! (and for the record, Good Vibrations started to make more sense too). Incredibly creative instrumentation and arrangements, deep lyrics, beautiful production.
5
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Tue Sep 27 2022
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
Never took Kanye West seriously either. All I really know about him is he’s a batshit crazy cringe lord. Maybe so, and yet. Still can’t stand boast songs and there are a couple that would be better if there were no vox, but damn if it doesn’t sound really, really good end to end. (previously listened)
4
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Wed Sep 28 2022
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
Every single track is too long. Not my jam. (previously listened)
2
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Thu Sep 29 2022
Bongo Rock
Incredible Bongo Band
Neat little time capsule of 70s vibe, but a bit much to listen to all at once... This kind of soul sound but with the bongos turned down to a reasonable level was done well on The Olympians' self-titled (2016). (previously listened)
2
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Fri Sep 30 2022
Everything Must Go
Manic Street Preachers
Hm... not terribly impressed. It got much better later, but I won't have any cause to return to it. I read a wild story about their disappearing bandmate tho.
2
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Mon Oct 03 2022
Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Lends some nice variety to this list. I am going to give this a "3, belongs, even if maybe not my style" but the more I think about their lyrics the more I like them. This strikes me more as an art/commentary project than a musical album.
3
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Tue Oct 04 2022
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Never loved this. Too inconsistent, especially knowing what they were capable of. (previously listened)
3
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Wed Oct 05 2022
Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield
Reputation precedes this one for sure. I can hear a VERY talented multi-instrumentalist exploring what he can do. Sort of aimless. And then once in a while the clouds part, the low end gets DEEP, I mean *DEEEEEP*, and the clouds part to expose some focused and really interesting music. Definitely deserves a spot, but would I ever return sober? Nah.
3
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Thu Oct 06 2022
The Last Broadcast
Doves
A little too much forlornness in the vocal for a single sitting, but I really enjoyed this and almost every song got added to rotations.
4
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Fri Oct 07 2022
Can't Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan
I thought I'd like to focus on just one song, Reelin in the Years. Consider a song that really sounds like it was written on, and for, piano. But it starts with a guitar solo?! and the piano just drops out entirely in sections. The vocals are free and "lyrical," with complex and melsimatic harmony. Totally emblematic of a true group effort, not the product of one single creative force. The drums are a little formulaic, but all the other elements on this album are top notch.
4
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Mon Oct 10 2022
Grace
Jeff Buckley
Perfect.
5
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Tue Oct 11 2022
...And Justice For All
Metallica
All that's missing is Jason Newsted. Dyers Eve contrasts tragically with a song ten years later, "Mama Said."
4
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Wed Oct 12 2022
Veckatimest
Grizzly Bear
Not perfect, but for a reason I can't explain I had to listen four times. Vexing that I can't describe why!
I love the instrumentation, vocal lines, and lyrics. Definitely will come back to this and maybe after 10 times I'll have an idea why I must.
4
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Thu Oct 13 2022
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
Meh. Guess I just don't like shoegaze.
2
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Fri Oct 14 2022
Music From Big Pink
The Band
This is bunches better than the self-titled one also on this list. Tears of Rage is very, very good. I looked it up and am reminded of a recurring observation: Bob Dylan should write songs and other people should record them. Recipe for greatness. (prior listen)
4
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Mon Oct 17 2022
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
Enjoyable enough, but it all struck me as too derivative of Bob Dylan’s rock phases, slightly less good.
2
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Tue Oct 18 2022
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Sometimes bands that I’m not familiar with get a little old for an entire album all at once. But this was the opposite; the longer I listened the more I wanted to hear more. And that’s really incredible for a double album! As a matter of fact, this is really like two very different albums. The first is rock, and the second is somehow even more moody. They’re both great, but I’m partial to the second one by far.
5
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Wed Oct 19 2022
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
Tunesome, classic. The loudness wars got to this one a little bit. Never listened to the non-singles, but almost every track could have been a single. That’s a rare thing! (Prior listen)
4
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Thu Oct 20 2022
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
Older roots reggae like this is really meditative. I forget that a lot since I gravitate to modern reggae.
3
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Fri Oct 21 2022
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Surprisingly entertaining from end to end. I'm not usually one for doom and gloom; I didn't expect to like it so much. I guess I can see why Ozzy is famous now! (at least at first)
4
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Mon Oct 24 2022
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
I didn’t listen to every word, but it mostly struck me as way more engaging subjects than what’s usually popular. Lots of extra credit for that. The Message is classic, and She’s Fresh was great too. The rest was just okay.
3
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Tue Oct 25 2022
Frank
Amy Winehouse
I was avoiding trying Amy Winehouse’s first album for years. TF for? I don’t mind it’s not Back to Black; it’s still great!
There’s some gender keeping and homophobia in the first track that’s pretty cringy. Otherwise good stuff.
4
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Wed Oct 26 2022
Legalize It
Peter Tosh
Couplea good tracks. But just okay.
3
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Fri Oct 28 2022
Orbital 2
Orbital
This inclusion is a reminder that there is a lot of music with no piano, guitar, or voice that has had enormous success and large bases of fans. Ok, point taken. If there’s something in that world for me, this ain’t it.
2
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Mon Oct 31 2022
Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
Not my style at all and it didn’t convert me. But I enjoyed it enough, a few passages were pretty clever, and I can respect its enormous influence. I recognized a bunch of phrases, particularly in CREAM, that must have entered pop culture via this record.
3
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Tue Nov 01 2022
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
3
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Wed Nov 02 2022
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
I listened to it once and was unimpressed. But something made me hold off on reviewing and listen to it another day. It got better, and I can see how it must have been an interesting crossroads between punk and 80s popular music, but I don't think there's really anything to return to after Track 1. (prior listen)
3
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Thu Nov 03 2022
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
Crazy to know it’s from 1973. Pretty enjoyable ambient-type sounds from very early in its origins. (prior listen)
4
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Fri Nov 04 2022
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
4
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Mon Nov 07 2022
The Beach Boys Today!
The Beach Boys
Vapid heartthrob pop. Pet Sounds is a five; this shouldn’t even be here.
2
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Tue Nov 08 2022
Horses
Patti Smith
What a voice. So raw, authentic, so undeniably evocative of the person in the era. I’ve never listened to this, even though I’ve heard about it a lot.
4
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Wed Nov 09 2022
Hotel California
Eagles
Reading up on this album made me realize that the best selling album of all time is a greatest hits, and yet, doesn’t even include the the single greatest hit of this band!
This album, however, it’s just a little bit too sleepy after the title track and life in the fast lane. Although, the latter is almost better than Hotel California!
3
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Thu Nov 10 2022
Deloused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
Well, this was awesome. I don’t recognize a single bit of it, although I should have been exposed when it was new back in 2003. I don’t think I would have been ready to like it then, but I love it now. I’m still never a fan of the screamo voice. But I could look past it, and maybe after repeated lessons I’ll get over it. That’s really the only drawback!
4
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Fri Nov 11 2022
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
Weirdos. But I kinda like it.
3
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Mon Nov 14 2022
Queen II
Queen
4
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Tue Nov 15 2022
With The Beatles
Beatles
4
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Wed Nov 16 2022
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
3
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Thu Nov 17 2022
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
2
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Fri Nov 18 2022
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
Kinda kitschy, but the grooves, tunes and especially bass lines are worth almost every minute. I enjoyed it despite my dim expectations. (prior listen)
4
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Mon Nov 21 2022
Vespertine
Björk
3
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Tue Nov 22 2022
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
4
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Wed Nov 23 2022
Faith
George Michael
3
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Thu Nov 24 2022
Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
2
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Fri Nov 25 2022
Music From The Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
2
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Mon Nov 28 2022
evermore
Taylor Swift
4
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Tue Nov 29 2022
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
4
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Wed Nov 30 2022
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
Head nodding but forgettable
3
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Thu Dec 01 2022
Mask
Bauhaus
Vocalist makes a big difference. Even though the music is fairly high-energy, the delivery made me bored.
2
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Fri Dec 02 2022
Music For The Jilted Generation
The Prodigy
Catchy, but too long and repetitive. None of the focus of Fat of the Land.
2
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Mon Dec 05 2022
OK Computer
Radiohead
No comment needed
5
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Tue Dec 06 2022
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
Didn't enjoy this as much as the other one, but I still saved a few. I like that it all merges together from track to track.
3
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Wed Dec 07 2022
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
Not nearly as gorgeous as The Sensual World. A little more "try stuff and see what works." That's important! But I think you should leave what doesn't work on the studio archives. This is too hit/miss for me.
3
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Thu Dec 08 2022
Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
I noticed and appreciated the songwriting most on this one. Didn't seem to suit his delivery mostly, except "16 Shells" and "Soldier's Things" worked very well.
3
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Fri Dec 09 2022
Cafe Bleu
The Style Council
Good musicians! Boppy but forgettable. I have a hard time coming up with highlight tracks when I sit down to write this.
3
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Mon Dec 12 2022
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
Chuck D's relentless delivery is really something. Not my style but he commanded attention from the second track to the end.
4
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Tue Dec 13 2022
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
I think I've had a similar reaction as with Motorhead. Lots of sound and fury but doesn't go anywhere or mean anything to me. Good to listen to as a "history lesson," but nothing much to return to.
2
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Wed Dec 14 2022
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
Very cheeky, but this was an awful chore to get through. I can’t see why it belongs on the list as such.
2
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Thu Dec 15 2022
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
A little too crunchy for some at times, but so great. They've never come close to this ever since. There are 28 full tracks, 2 hours and maybe 4-5 stinkers, so I'll give them a pass on those and call this the honor roll it is.
5
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Fri Dec 16 2022
Abraxas
Santana
Oooh, I wanted to love this so much, but it was "just" enjoyable. I really only love Oye Como Va, not even BMW.
3
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Mon Dec 19 2022
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
3
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Tue Dec 20 2022
Dust
Screaming Trees
How did I miss this at the time??
4
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Wed Dec 21 2022
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
One of the best albums the Stones ever put together was not actually by the Stones. Most excellent blues rock. (prior listen)
4
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Thu Dec 22 2022
Beggars Banquet
The Rolling Stones
This is a lot of fun, but I've heard better from them! This runthough I noticed the really awesome *recording*. I don't often appreciate that part of the artistry. All the instruments are clear, distinct, warm, lively.
3
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Fri Dec 23 2022
Moondance
Van Morrison
This isn't about blowing you away, but it blew me away anyway. A world apart from Astral Weeks. Absolutely perfect for a small night in with friends.
5
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Wed Jan 04 2023
A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Who knew all these canonical versions came from a single compilation?
3
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Thu Jan 05 2023
Elephant
The White Stripes
I finally understand some sense of why Jack White's chops get so much respect. Little Acorns and Faith in Medicine are particularly impressive. Blues bones under a very creative muscle and skin. I don't think I'd put it on randomly, but it was thoroughly enjoyable to listen.
But I also understand why people ragged on Meg White's chops. I'd like to think I should be charitable but it was really distracting at times. Bummer.
3
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Fri Jan 06 2023
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
First time I really listened to Stairway in a lot of years. And I’ll be damned if it’s good, but not like legendary? I can’t believe what I’m saying. Still great end to end though.
5
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Mon Jan 09 2023
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
4
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Tue Jan 10 2023
Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Very impressive. You can hear glam rock finding a voice track by track. Cosmic Dancer is so hypnotizing, I had to listen a couple more times after the album was done.
4
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Wed Jan 11 2023
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
4
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Thu Jan 12 2023
Let It Be
The Replacements
I swear this is Nirvana. Six years earlier!
3
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Fri Jan 13 2023
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
Constantly groovy and totally forgettable. I’m just waiting patiently every four bars for the next entrance or drum break. Times 50 minutes.
2
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Mon Jan 16 2023
Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Needed to take a couple listens, which was easy because it's pretty short. The title track is obviously a classic, and it's the slow stuff like Behave Yourself that really shows off creativity and talent. The others are just covers, and a cover has to be really special, or else I'd rather just listen to the original. (prior listen)
3
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Tue Jan 17 2023
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
There are some indispensable bangers, but a lot of space fillers too... "Listen" is three times too long. (prior listen)
4
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Wed Jan 18 2023
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Respect is one of my top 10 covers so yeah. It takes a fresh listen to remind myself how damn good it is. And also that the iconic spelling refrain is not a chorus but more like the bridge/outro.
The rest is very soulful and good writing, but I have to admit the recording is a little distracting. She’s pitchy sometimes and even overmodulated a bunch on the title track. So not a perfect album but pretty close.
4
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Thu Jan 19 2023
Destroyer
KISS
Wow, I had no idea how much power of their songs are sapped by the studio. I’m familiar with (and like!) live versions of Detroit Rock City and Beth, and it’s almost criminal how mundane they sound here. I checked out the reimagined “Resurrected” version of this album and it was a huge improvement.
3
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Fri Jan 20 2023
3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of...
Arrested Development
Awesome discovery. Like A Tribe Called Quest, this is the sort of hip hop I always hoped would be made. It was! I just wasn’t paying attention. Mama’s Always on Stage and Mr Wendal are my favorites.
4
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Mon Jan 23 2023
Risque
CHIC
Every track is 20%-50% too long. I guess that’s the disco style so you can keep dancing, but it sure didn’t feel like this with their other album. This has some fantastic grooves, but… does not reward focused listening.
2
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Tue Jan 24 2023
The White Album
Beatles
Not my favorite but there’s an intimacy and a confidence that are really nice. Feels like this is making music especially for themselves, what they had inside wanting out. And it took until this listen to realize I’ve been playing Blackbird wrong.
4
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Wed Jan 25 2023
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
Decent mood music, sad back story.
3
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Thu Jan 26 2023
London Calling
The Clash
Wow! I knew the first and last songs, but everything in between is great! This has rocketed up to my favorites list. (prior listen)
5
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Fri Jan 27 2023
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
All the things about Dylan that bore me quickly, turned up to 11. The things that pique my interest - obscured or in short supply. Big fat nope.
One little bump up for being a document of the transition from folk to rock for a generation.
2
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Mon Jan 30 2023
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
Just OK. A lot of it way too indulgent. Must have been a fun live band though. (prior listen)
2
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Tue Jan 31 2023
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
4
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Wed Feb 01 2023
The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
The compositions are timeless. The arrangements and definitely the tempos are a little disappointing. But we're not kidding anyone. The First Lady owns everything she touches. It's not her best and leaves out her improvisational whiz, but it's way above anyone else...
5
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Thu Feb 02 2023
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
More than a few cringy dated lyrics, but otherwise influential, interesting, groundbreaking, entertaining.
4
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Fri Feb 03 2023
Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
A little Velvet Underground, a little early Better than Ezra and POTUSA. A little too sneering for me; somehow the attitude doesn’t quite land right.
2
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Mon Feb 06 2023
The Joshua Tree
U2
U2 can’t get no respect from me, I have no idea where I got that prejudice. I think part of it is that Bono’s delivery is so earnest and also “pretty” that it reminds me negatively of musical theatre style. But to give this a full chance like this list asks me to, their talent and hard work are totally undeniable. Not a single stinker or throwaway track. Bullet The Blue Sky and One Tree Hill are especially great surprise.
5
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Tue Feb 07 2023
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
This is very disorienting. Nothing like what I know of the Beach Boys, and I respect that they just kinda did what they wanted and flipped a bird to their expectations. It's a strange mix of songs: socially conscious (DGNTW and Student Demonstration Time), nostalgic and tropey but lush (Disney Girls), whimsical (TALOYF). Another one of those "glad i listened," but what mood do you need to be in to return to it as a whole? Solid 3.
3
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Wed Feb 08 2023
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
This could have been Girls and Time After Time, the latter of which among my all-time favorites, followed by seven tracks of llamas passing gas, and I would have given it a biased 3. But it’s not, of course. The rest is really good! Heartfelt, catchy, and really unique to her sound.
4
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Thu Feb 09 2023
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
I appreciated listening to it but it’s pretty dated and samey. The Indian song is especially cringy.
2
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Fri Feb 10 2023
Repeater
Fugazi
Most excellent pre-grunge. The rhythm section sounds amazing. Not usually my style but I saved a couple - Sieve-Fisted Find and Joe #1.
3
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Mon Feb 13 2023
Hejira
Joni Mitchell
Perfect to me.
5
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Tue Feb 14 2023
The Yes Album
Yes
Incredible talent! I could really get into this band some more. Worth sitting down and focusing on.
4
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Wed Feb 15 2023
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
A nice contrast to the Chemical Brothers I got a little bit ago. But still constantly groovy and totally forgettable. I do admit that the vocals make it a little bit more interesting from soup to nuts. But I still can’t give it any better a rating than I did that one.
2
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Thu Feb 16 2023
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Imagining a time when this kind of music was not only good but commercially successful blows my mind. I love the virtuosity, the tight arrangements and execution, and the pictures painted by the libretto.
5
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Fri Feb 17 2023
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
Some prog seems too much like they just got a bunch of very talented musicians in a studio and recorded them trying stuff out. They are talented, no doubt, but this either needs more polishing to be prog I can enjoy, or more of a plan to be jazz I can enjoy.
2
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Mon Feb 20 2023
Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
I actually really liked the first track, and the last one. The rest was sonic experimentation, “art” but not “music” to me. I enjoyed listening, and put the bookends on my rotation. But the rest is one and done.
3
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Tue Feb 21 2023
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
Never heard the non-singles. Wow, Contusion is one of the best he's ever written. This deserves its reputation. Although.... most of the vamps go on like 2x too long, and it's a repeated problem so it gets kinda distracting. Ordinary Pain's vamp is great, the rest kinda go nowhere.
4
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Wed Feb 22 2023
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
Past romantic into maudlin. She’s got a great voice but this style is meant for singles, not a whole album at a time.
3
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Thu Feb 23 2023
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
So much fun. I'm not cool enough to like this album. Harmonica is too high in the mix if he's going to wail on that one E/G trill for most of the whole album, but otherwise I could listen to this 10x. 100x if in person. Muddy Waters has the best voice for blues.
4
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Fri Feb 24 2023
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
3
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Mon Feb 27 2023
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
3
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Tue Feb 28 2023
Heartattack And Vine
Tom Waits
3
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Wed Mar 01 2023
Tuesday Night Music Club
Sheryl Crow
2
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Thu Mar 02 2023
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
This is a nice, pretty, heartfelt set. Probably reveals a lot more depth with repeats and listens. And wouldn’t be bad for an armchair and a book.
3
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Fri Mar 03 2023
Django Django
Django Django
I cannot describe why I like it, but I do! A lot reminds me of the Pogo remixes of Disney.
4
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Mon Mar 06 2023
Violator
Depeche Mode
Essential for the singles and the first track. Totally unique sound.
4
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Tue Mar 07 2023
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
A couple of fun tracks, especially "All the Pictures on the Wall" and "the Weaver." I feel like this could become a comforting and familiar voice with a little more exposure.
3
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Wed Mar 08 2023
Diamond Life
Sade
Would be rad playing in a party under conversation, but focusing on it revealed few secrets or rewards.
3
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Thu Mar 09 2023
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
The vibe is really cool, but several songs just go way too long. Candyman and Attics especially. I think a major part of this is the overuse of harmony. When it’s the whole song there’s no contrast or emphasis, and the lyrics get muddied so I don’t even get an idea what they’re singing about. Trucking uses it more sparingly and is so much more interesting for it.
3
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Fri Mar 10 2023
Play
Moby
Never listened to this in the 90s, because I heard everyone thought it was vapid. What a bummer. It's perfectly nice, probably even groundbreaking for its time. Not "fascinating" or "challenging" perhaps, but very good for repeated listens, study music, etc and holds up very, very well against what we would now call "ambient." I bet the hate is mostly backlash against saturation. (prior listen)
4
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Mon Mar 13 2023
1989
Taylor Swift
This long list of overplayed radio songs sounds pretty damn good after being allowed to fallow a few years. Bad Blood is kind of a stinker. But if that’s the worst on a pop album you’re in elevated territory.
4
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Tue Mar 14 2023
Different Class
Pulp
Lots of fun in my headphones! The hard pans were really well done, sparingly but noticeable. Stayed just the right side of 80s goofy to be taken seriously (at least by me). I wish I could conjure up what song "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E." reminds me of.
4
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Wed Mar 15 2023
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
The drums sound great. The whole album gets a little too long on one curled-lip so I’ll keep the singles and leave the rest.
3
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Thu Mar 16 2023
GI
Germs
This singer has a hell of a lot of charisma. I hate screaming vocals but this is just short of that and I liked it despite my prejudices. The guitarist is hella good and the bass/drums are incredibly tight. If not for them I think the music would be a hot mess. (Prior listen)
3
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Fri Mar 17 2023
Paris 1919
John Cale
Great orchestration and composing. I should expect no less from John Cale but I had no idea he did pop.
4
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Mon Mar 20 2023
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Just brilliant. Never sat down to listen to his albums, just the ones still in common rotation today. This is brilliant all the way through. (prior listen)
5
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Tue Mar 21 2023
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
Cool one time for sure. I can see how influential it has been.
3
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Wed Mar 22 2023
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Hip-hop, it started out in the parks. Hip-hop, you know how we do it. Get out on the block, start breakdancing. We hanging out with our friends. Shaking hands. We do the dance. Go to the ball and shoot some hoop. Doot doot doot doot doot doot doot.
3
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Thu Mar 23 2023
Blackstar
David Bowie
Sounds like Bowie-Patton-radiohead to me. Five stars.
5
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Fri Mar 24 2023
Chris
Christine and the Queens
Didn’t do much for me. Maybe I should have tried the English version, but I usually prefer a person’s first language (eg Ásgeir, Shakira)
2
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Mon Mar 27 2023
Queen Of Denmark
John Grant
I found this simultaneously touching and weird a bunch of times. Chicken Bones, Silver Platter Club, God Hates Fs, really unique and keepers. Might need a real special mood for Carmel. Diverse moods, instruments, and topics. Really interesting throughout.
4
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Tue Mar 28 2023
Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
I didn’t enjoy this as much as I assumed I would. The recording is a little dated. But it’s still Otis Redding’s awesome voice.
3
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Wed Mar 29 2023
Blue
Joni Mitchell
5
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Thu Mar 30 2023
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
Honestly a lot of fun , more than I expected, and pretty ideal for doing chores. I really like that it is a lot more harmonically rich than most dance/electronic.
4
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Fri Mar 31 2023
Celebrity Skin
Hole
more than the front lady! A lot more. I had to go through twice to try to appreciate more things than I could at the first.
4
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Mon Apr 03 2023
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
Unique voice, generational knack for internal rhymes. Devoid of any appeal to me.
2
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Tue Apr 04 2023
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
What a pleasant surprise! H>A>K and The Architect are awesome. The whole thing is pretty good. Not my style but I still enjoyed it a lot. (Prior listen)
4
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Wed Apr 05 2023
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
2
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Thu Apr 06 2023
Station To Station
David Bowie
Weird and lovely but I think it’d take more listens to really sink my teeth in. I think Bowie must have been in an off period for this. He seems a little unsatisfied with it himself. (Prior listen)
2
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Fri Apr 07 2023
Heroes
David Bowie
A little deliciously weird, but also a little boring… don’t kill me.
Wallflowers version of Heroes took a very excellently-written song and executed it much better… don’t kill me.
3
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Mon Apr 10 2023
Street Life
The Crusaders
2
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Tue Apr 11 2023
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
I mostly don't get Bob Dylan. It seems like he writes a libretto 4x the length of other writers, but the badly un-economic tactics almost never seem to cohere for me. It's like he's just stringing together as many semi-poetic phrases as he can. Definitely belongs on this list, but I don't dig it. (prior listen)
3
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Wed Apr 12 2023
A Love Supreme
John Coltrane
I don't need any notes for this. And you, dear reader, don't need my notes for this. An Album Supreme.
5
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Thu Apr 13 2023
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
Catchy pop-type stuff. Good to see they weren't a one-trick pony.
3
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Fri Apr 14 2023
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
God, what a chore to get through. These guys don't give a damn about anything, even their music, and why should I? I'll admit that the end of Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), which repeats the same line about fifty times, achieved a sort of kaleidoscopic beauty in its repetition... but that's all I got. Mike Patton does this schtick 20x better. I was going to write that this sounds uncannily like Nick Cave without any skill whatsoever, and then I looked it up... That's EXACTLY what it is! Good thing he got better with age and practice.
1
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Mon Apr 17 2023
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
Pretty but nothing engaging. Inoffensive. Acceptable at a cocktail party. Not really for this kind of list.
2
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Tue Apr 18 2023
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Irregular time signatures and uplifting themes in a rap album. Had my number from the jump!
4
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Wed Apr 19 2023
Marquee Moon
Television
Punk with a brain. Not really my style to return to, but I think I might anyway! Reminds me of the best Thin Lizzy.
4
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Thu Apr 20 2023
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Practically have this album memorized. 9 fantastic songs on a 10-track album. The composition, lyrics, diction are all off the charts and she was 18/19 when she recorded it. Blows my mind.
5
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Fri Apr 21 2023
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
Tempting fate to give me this so soon after Tigermilk, a real downer. This is much better! Really lovely mixing - everything is really clear and lively. The compositions are more varied and interesting. And the instruments too.
4
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Mon Apr 24 2023
Teen Dream
Beach House
Dreamy. Pretty... but kinda boring. Reminds me of the XX, but this one's a little more interesting. There's a few tracks I liked more than the rest, when they managed to do something really weird with polymodality like Norway. (prior listen)
2
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Tue Apr 25 2023
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
Sure Shot, Sabotage, Do It, The Scoop, Bodhisattva Vow… and a shit load of whatever. As an album this is a disappointment - it’s like the bonus tracks you’d find on the 50-track 25th anniversary edition of a much better album.
2
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Wed Apr 26 2023
Yeezus
Kanye West
“My mind moves like a Tron bike, pop a wheelie on the zeitgeist”
Every track sounds so good, production and construction. And he has flashes of lyrical brilliance and interesting commentary. But his words and personality are inseparable from the music and they’re mostly insufferable.
2
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Thu Apr 27 2023
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
This guy plays everything but the cuíca. Crazy.
4
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Fri Apr 28 2023
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
Already know this one. Incredible respect for its influence on small combos from the 60s to the 2020s.
4
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Mon May 01 2023
Document
R.E.M.
Newfound appreciation for the two chart hits, which I haven’t listened to closely, perhaps ever. They deserve their enormous (over?)exposure. But the rest is… just okay.
3
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Tue May 02 2023
Low-Life
New Order
Bunch of meh. That anemic 80s vocal just doesn't make me feel a damn thing.
2
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Wed May 03 2023
The Undertones
The Undertones
Early punk. Nothing stupendous but still fun throughout.
3
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Thu May 04 2023
Halcyon Digest
Deerhunter
Oh my god. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get into music that sounds like the musicians are bored out of their minds even while making it. There are two tracks that DON’T do this and they’re nothing special. (Prior listen)
1
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Fri May 05 2023
Copper Blue
Sugar
Hoover Dam is a major keeper. The rest is pretty often but so damn dense. It tires the ear, and the brain, all at once!
3
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Mon May 08 2023
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Not bangers from end to end, but lots of bangers throughout. I only knew track 1 and the rest stacks up!
4
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Tue May 09 2023
Blur
Blur
I guess they were onto something with the 2-minute pop single. This got too long pretty quick!
2
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Wed May 10 2023
Vauxhall And I
Morrissey
Meh. Didn't waste my time but nothing grabbed me.
2
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Thu May 11 2023
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
Soft spot for this one. Every song is great, even the moody romantic ones. I used to think it is badly paced with all that slow burn at the end, but I like it now. This can pep up any doldrum day.
5
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Fri May 12 2023
Post Orgasmic Chill
Skunk Anansie
3
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Mon May 15 2023
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
I'm sure it was groundbreaking, but it hasn't aged well. Just sounds like a german preteen's attempt to learn a DAW in 2023.
2
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Tue May 16 2023
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
If this had been a Beatles album there would be books and blogs and DVDs analyzing and overanalyzing every note. This is nowhere near the best Beatles album but at least it's within spitting distance in form, function and quirkiness. But like the lesser Beatles albums, there's about a third of this that only a fanatic could love.
4
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Wed May 17 2023
Leftism
Leftfield
This is one of those albums that stops my progress on daily albums for a week or so because I keep putting this on. The first 5 tracks are awesome.
4
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Thu May 18 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
4
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Fri May 19 2023
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Considering I hated the Mothers of Invention, this was a huge surprise. Virtuistic, clever, groovy, complex.
5
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Mon May 22 2023
Murmur
R.E.M.
I think I have to come back to this sometime. I was distracted while listening and realized only when it ended that I kinda dug it, but didn’t register any reasons whatsoever. And I didn’t recognize any songs from previous experience
3
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Tue May 23 2023
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Subtract the baseless boasting, n-bombs and mf-bombs, and you’ll have a six-minute album of awfully catchy beats and skits about weed. That’s not bad! But you have to get through the rest to get to it.
1
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Wed May 24 2023
A Wizard, A True Star
Todd Rundgren
This 1973 album sounds like cutting edge weird/groovy from 1990. “You Need Your Head” especially. Reminds me of when Zappa gives just a passing thought to sounding good in addition to being weird/frantic.
3
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Thu May 25 2023
Cee-Lo Green... Is The Soul Machine
Cee Lo Green
Nothing on this list turns me off faster than a majority of tracks talking about how special he is. but I can't help loving the soul, the voice, and the incredibly eclectic/creative rhymes. There's a really touching tribute to friends-grown-apart (When We Were Friends) that I really haven't noticed anyone do so sensitively... but it's so n-word heavy it'll never be for me. So I loved most of this, but ultimately I'm disappointed and won't return, pretty much at all.
3
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Fri May 26 2023
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
5
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Mon May 29 2023
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
The lovely thing about this list is that while I knew about the Pogues (and I have previously been assigned Rum Sodomy & The Lash), I would never have put this on without this exercise. This is better than the other one and their sound, which seems to me truly unique, is this amazing mishmash of cultural styles that keeps entertaining. And their skills are much better since the other album as well. I even made it through the "extended version" of the album before I realized it was coming over.
4
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Tue May 30 2023
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Great vibe for a drive.
3
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Wed May 31 2023
McCartney
Paul McCartney
This was really frustrating. Many ideas for good Beatles songs. Just one completed one. Everything but Maybe I’m Amazed and Kreen Akrore is fine; just not finished.
2
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Thu Jun 01 2023
Dare!
The Human League
Boring. Not until the last track did they show any life, passion, or variety, which made a great single and exposed the rest of the album in even worse light.
1
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Fri Jun 02 2023
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
First of all, let it be known that "Fell in Love With a Girl" takes its hook from Fun Lovin' Criminals' "Smoke 'Em" and nobody else noticed. But I did. I see you Jack White.
Anyway, a few tracks in, I realized the sheer simplicity of every instrument and every song. And the drummer's... uh, not good. I realize the story goes that Meg unlocked something in Jack that let to their very fruitful collaboration. I can't argue at all with their success; I know also that Jack has gone on to impress me in many groups and many songs, so I know there's talent there, hiding somewhere. But this album has very little on display. And yet... I kinda dig it.
They undoubtedly got lucky in some ways to make it big with this, but I shouldn't underestimate the musical power and charisma that comes across in putting 150% into your work.
There's one absolute highlight. "I Can Tell That" is one of those songs that's a perfect combination of all elements: form, harmony, instrumentation, production, and the emotional content of the thing. Instant and powerful nostalgia bomb to your best friendships growing up.
3
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Mon Jun 05 2023
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
This is the third Dylan album for me, but it's the best one. Great melodies, much more focus to his lyrics, good arrangements, more structure to his songs and most of them are a poetic adventure. I can't even pick the best, they're all different and all pretty damn effective. Even the long ones (115th Dream; It's Alright Ma) don't feel long when you're interested, which was not the case on the other albums for me.
5
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Tue Jun 06 2023
The Cars
The Cars
Enjoyable and a really good ambassador for its milieu, not really my style.
3
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Wed Jun 07 2023
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
I already know and love much of this, but it's a little too noodley and indulgent to be a whole package.
3
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Thu Jun 08 2023
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Superficial. I couldn’t get anything interesting out of it, not least because every single idea is vamped about 1/5 too long.
1
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Fri Jun 09 2023
90
808 State
The Roland Bass Line makes videogame boss music. Not a waste of time at all, but like... why?
2
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Mon Jun 12 2023
Deep Purple In Rock
Deep Purple
This is some absolutely serious rock ‘n’ roll. I had never heard of any of the tracks before, but it delivered on all of my expectations. Flight of the rat is an absolute highlight, and I also give a listen to black night, because although it wasn’t on this album, it was released in support of his album.
4
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Tue Jun 13 2023
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
This could be another band’s best album, but against Fleetwood Mac’s best, this is just a very good album.
3
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Wed Jun 14 2023
Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
Christgau says this is the best band of the decade. Um no.
2
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Thu Jun 15 2023
Armed Forces
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
A nice listen, sounds great for being 40! But nothing jaw dropping.
3
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Fri Jun 16 2023
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Superb vocal performance. Not all the songs are my style but she’s seriously impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of her. Join the Boys has some delicious stank, and I’m pretty sure Vulfpeck copied from it, at least unintentionally, for Dean Town.
4
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Mon Jun 19 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
I think this pretty much only makes sense in a row—making it a true album, at least. There are a couple nice standalone tracks. His voice is so effortless, not smooth at all but gentle. I still don’t understand the outlaw epithet, but I get the charisma.
3
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Tue Jun 20 2023
Is This It
The Strokes
Dead ringer for this list. Literally everyone wanted to copy them for 2-3 years
4
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Mon Jul 10 2023
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
Kinda disappointing, TBH. Take On Me is obviously a classic, and I always like the rich orchestration, jazz harmonies, and thought that goes into 80s pop; this is no exception. But none of the rest of the album grabs me. On the very last track I thought they had something, then they got weird and boring. "And You Tell Me" is pretty funny, but at 1:51..... that's not enough to carry the album.
2
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Tue Jul 11 2023
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
4
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Wed Jul 12 2023
I Am a Bird Now
Antony and the Johnsons
Their voice is lovely, and the music is so unique. But it's all too much all at once.
3
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Thu Jul 13 2023
Goodbye And Hello
Tim Buckley
Lovely to get to know the guy who helped give me Jeff. But the pere is not the equal of the fils. Also, he sounds so much like Grace Slick.
2
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Fri Jul 14 2023
Suicide
Suicide
This is brutalist architecture in musical form. And just like brutalist architecture in Building form, it might be trying to say something, but it sucks and nobody likes it.
1
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Mon Jul 17 2023
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Awesome rhythm and feel. Perhaps not the most technically amazing, but it's got such charisma and even some decent stank at times.
4
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Tue Jul 18 2023
1999
Prince
Pretty groovy, but it gets quite long in the tooth TBH.
3
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Wed Jul 19 2023
Beyond Skin
Nitin Sawhney
It's very pretty but this kind of music rarely grabs me. The imposition of quotes for the upcoming nuclear apocalypse and the juxtaposition against beauty and slick production are jarring, however, and it certainly had an effect. I found myself morose for most of the day after listening. So four stars for really meaning something, and for getting a rise out of me, and for several songs I get to add to the rotation.
4
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Thu Jul 20 2023
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
2
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Fri Jul 21 2023
Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Maybe Your Baby done made some other plans. And by the time you got done repeating that line, she came back from those plans, got changed for bed, and went to sleep.
This is funky but it is too indulgent and lacks either variety or focus that I really want from him.
3
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Mon Jul 24 2023
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
This is brilliant production. It's joyous, weird, eclectic and still seems like everything fits well. Including the
mariachi brass and the vocoder(?) out of nowhere.
some of the tracks around 8-12 get a little long and lose momentum. you could lose a couple there and I wouldn't miss them. But that's faint criticism.
Rhapsody in Blue in the Birmingham Blues, lol.
4
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Tue Jul 25 2023
Either Or
Elliott Smith
Oh yeah. I know this one already.
He was already dead before I discovered him, so I didn't get the "loss" part of this firsthand, but listening to this makes me feel for him, a little sad for what he must have wrestled with.
The production is so intimate and unique. Multitracking vocals, the mic is practically in his mouth. The snare drum feels like a millimeter from your eardrum, the guitar's next to you on the couch, but the cymbals are out in the backyard. You can hear how he's influenced Beck, PortugalThaMan, of course Ásgeir Trausti, even Olivia Rodrigo.
If you dig this guy but hadn't heard of him before... keep listening to XO and self-titled. And don't miss Mic City Sons from his previous band, Heatmiser.
5
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Wed Jul 26 2023
S&M
Metallica
Like a greatest hits collection from an all-time group, PLUS some songs are much better with orchestra. (Some aren’t helped at all, but that’s hardly a liability.) Ktulu, Fuel, Bleeding Me are FANTASTIC
5
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Thu Jul 27 2023
Rejoicing In The Hands
Devendra Banhart
It's certainly an interesting delivery, but it's not for me. I can't tell if he's just weird and singing his truth or putting on airs. Probably the former, but the thought that it might be the latter makes it hard to enjoy.
2
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Fri Jul 28 2023
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
ENERGY. This was a firecracker.
4
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Mon Jul 31 2023
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Stones cover is much better than the original. The rest is just ok. There’s so much better in his catalog!
3
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Tue Aug 01 2023
Sound Affects
The Jam
Crazy that halfway through I began to think of them as disco. Must be the bass lines.
3
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Wed Aug 02 2023
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
This must be the best Stones album I've tried, end to end. Super polished, confident, showy and groovy all at once. All this despite Brown Sugar makes me wildly uncomfortable...
4
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Thu Aug 03 2023
Palo Congo
Sabu
I wanted to like this a lot more, as a drummer, and I'm sure it must have done a lot for the horde. But this was just not a good "album." I guess it's good to hear once and to know his name.
2
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Fri Aug 04 2023
american dream
LCD Soundsystem
This grows on me over the course of the album. Talking Heads 2.0. They have the same effect. The lyrics snuck up on me- I was halfway through before I realized how lovely and sarcastic they were.
3
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Mon Aug 07 2023
Let's Stay Together
Al Green
Nice to confirm that the single is not a fluke, it's all very good, smooth and very pretty. A very nice complete package.
3
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Tue Aug 08 2023
The Clash
The Clash
Raw and yet polished. Very confident. Not quite London Calling but I enjoyed every track.
4
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Wed Aug 09 2023
Pelican West
Haircut 100
2
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Thu Aug 10 2023
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
A few songs really grabbed my attention for good and bad reasons, including Promised Land, Safesurfer, and Western Front 1992 CE. I am starting to resent having to review new music by comparing it to other music I know, but in this case, the way he reminded me of Velvet Underground, Sugar, Morphine, Bowie, Henry Rollins.... some wide variety and usually a positive comparison. And now learning he's a paleolithic scholar on top of this, I'm really intrigued and will return to this.
4
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Fri Aug 11 2023
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
Totally captivated by the first track. The rest were really good too, but a little too much all at once. This guy really seems to construct a song deliberately, carefully, with purpose and patience. Really beautiful throughout.
4
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Mon Aug 14 2023
Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
A little inconsistent, if I'm honest. Does not compare favorably with e.g. Synchronicity. A few tracks are awesome though: Bed's Too Big, Walking on the Moon, and of course Message.
3
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Tue Aug 15 2023
Eliminator
ZZ Top
I really want to like this unapologetically shallow rock. It's got great attitude and lovely grooves. Great for background, but what's it all for?
3
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Wed Aug 16 2023
Third/Sister Lovers
Big Star
Now I have heard this often-cited album. And I don't hear what the fuss is about. Perhaps it's because the ground they broke is thoroughly trodden by now, but it's just okay.
2
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Thu Aug 17 2023
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Flying Burrito Brothers
Exquisitely crafted country. Considering the publication date, I bet the rock fusion was really something unique.
3
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Fri Aug 18 2023
Pink Flag
Wire
Track one has a pronounced deccelerando; track ten has an accelerando. Both reminded me how rare they are in rock, and how thrilling they can be. Really damn good punk. (Post punk?) Like everyone else, Three Girl Rhumba made me jump out of my chair.
4
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Tue Aug 22 2023
American IV: The Man Comes Around
Johnny Cash
I don't know what it is about his voice, the charisma is undeniable. We give him a lot of slack because he's an old guy with a long track record, so I doubt anyone but him could get away with the languid pace of some of these songs. But as he takes advantage of that slack he makes good use of it.
4
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Wed Aug 30 2023
Ingenue
k.d. lang
Nothing I could really appreciate. Sleepy pop with no hooks.
2
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Mon Sep 04 2023
Stardust
Willie Nelson
Kinda cool, respect the outlaw just kinda doing what he loves, but this was for him not me.
2
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Wed Sep 13 2023
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
5
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Wed Sep 20 2023
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
A perfect case for this list. I had no idea he was like all disco for this debut album. The man had endless talent for arrangement and melody. Lots of booty shakers and lovely ballads. And those bass lines…
4
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Thu Sep 21 2023
Scum
Napalm Death
Ok, so grindcore. Either you hate it, or you're at least a little damaged yourself. But there's a lot to appreciate here. I truly hate the vocals of this style, but otherwise it's clearly so influential. Musicians very skilled and precise. Anyway, glad I listened but I will not return to anything longer than the track "You Suffer."
3
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Fri Sep 22 2023
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
4 for impact and nascent talent. Not my style, perhaps, but his talent for rhyming is undeniable. 2 for artistic merit.
3