What a blast from the past. I had this cassette and listened to it quite a bit. Gotta remember late-80s mainstream music wasn’t that great, and this was an excellent alternative to hair metal (pre-grunge). Couple of great covers (Memories Can’t Wait!!). Still has bones!

Shocked this is 1993. I kept thinking about Prodigy’s Firestarter. That was 1996. So this is really novel stuff for that time.

There are moments that feel like you’re in the studio with the band. Not much sampling going on in 1980, which means most of this album is played pretty straight. That means those are real drums. Really great stuff.

Tried listening to this objectively rather than just dismissing as int'l pop. First, the synths for 1981 are excellent! It's hard to put in context that synths didn't really penetrate pop music until the very late 70s and early 80s. Even then, they were mainly reserved for Prog Rock and Punk/New Wave. ABBA's earlier albums were more BeeGees disco, while this sounds more like Ultravox's Vienna. So, credit goes to ABBA for bringing 70s soft rock together with disco beats and polyphonic synths. Some experimentation with genres here and there. Harmonies are strong. Melodies and lyrics are often cheeky, but let's give them the benefit of singing in a second-language. Never heard "One of Us," which is the most played song on Spotify. I'll chalk that up to the continental listeners. Only song I recognized was "Cassandra," and that's fairly complex with almost a waltz beat. So this one doesn't have all the popular hits, but maybe that's why I liked it a bit more than I had expected.

Don't think this will age well. 2.5/5

5/4 time

Hard to contextualize this one. Progressive female rapper from the 90's. Groovy jams. Trouble is I can't remember if this was breaking new ground or just sounding like what else was out there at the time.

Now we're talking. The birth of Trip Hop. I'll listen to that funk all day!

OK pre-Twisted Sister ... so what. These guys are too good to be punk, not good enough to be metal. Maybe a bigger deal in 1975.

A good listen. Nothing earth shattering. Just a master at the helm enjoying his craft.

It’s like when you’re in a Canadian bar and everyone starts singing every word of a song you’ve never heard before. That’s how I felt about “Weather With You” the most played song on this album.

Beautiful

Awesome! Nina is under appreciated appreciated

Almost a 4

Not my bag but great harmonies.

Shocked this is 1993. I kept thinking about Prodigy’s Firestarter. That was 1996. So this is really novel stuff for that time.

Seems like something I would have listened to in ‘92. Kind of like a heavier, trippier combo of Mazzy Star and Yo Lo Tengo.

OK this is cool! Probably wouldn’t put it on without prompting but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Album is all over the place. I'm hearing (Revolver) Beatles, Monkeys, Chicago, Jeff Airplane, even Burt Bacharach. Best song definitely "You Better Run" though Pat Benetar does it better.

An 8-track best-seller. Not bad.

Put on a tux. Pour a scotch. Light a cig. Would listen to this anytime.

Never really knew what to do with or where to put this band. However, this live album does keep the toe tapping. Flip-flopping between 2, 3 & 4.

Not Electric Ladyland. But it’s Hendrix.

Those synths. Those bass lines. Simon Lebon. I wore this cassette out completely. Seeing Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf on MTV was transformative. And I was like 11! The 80s had arrived. Wanna give this a 4 so bad ...

Some good riffs. 2.5

There’s a lot of music we wouldn’t have without this album.

The Rev. Al Green to us common folk. Every Sunday morning in my house.

Did not enjoy as much as Wyclef Jean's solo album.

Perhaps one of the greatest double albums of all time. Jimmy Page was 30 years old when they made it. What were you doing when you were 30?

A little conflicted. I think Bowie was a genius and his musical spectrum is wide and varied. Even though I hadn’t listed to this album before, I have to say I struggled with it a bit.

I enjoyed this way more than I expected. Double-track vocaling, reverb drums, acoustic-fuzz guitar combos, all must have been a novelty at the time. Great songwriting. Great stuff.

New Wave all the way. Nice riffs, harmonies, bass lines, vocals by Belinda, girl power in the 80s ... plus I had quite the 11-year-old crush on one of the guitarists. 3.85 stars

Still a completely unique sound in my mind, plus three huge hits.

I recognize it’s significance in country music, women singing about rotten men, and frankly it’s good singing and songwriting. But the music is just so basic, which is my problem with country (and pop) in general. First track is catchy

Nothing enjoyable or noteworthy here

Definitely more my speed. I hear Hüsker Dü in there. Not sure who was influencing who. Zen Arcade was out around the same time.

Enjoyed it.

Fond memories of dinner with my grandparents. I think every song on this has probably been done better but no one matches her consistency.

Definitely not 'Friday I'm in Love' now is it? The '80s definitely had a dark side and this was it. I think I'm hearing voices now... 3/3.25

Was interesting listening to Black Flag (1981) next to The Cure's Pornography (1982). I hear where a lot of bands drew inspiration from these guys, perhaps even The Beastie Boys. Fond of "TV Party" and "Rise Above" otherwise exhausting to listen to the whole album in one sitting. Giving it a 2.5

U2 was one of my favorite bands in HS/College until about Achtung Baby or even Zooropa. But after that... Maybe I just expect more. Lots of respect to the band and some good songs here. But overall, pretty flat. Lyrics are even a bit lame and album seems a bit over-produced. Hard for me to even give it a 3.

Groovy baby.

Sure there’s better. But this is Maiden.

Definitely top-three Smiths albums.

This album started out sounding like a bunch of college dudes who used their student loan money to buy ESP guitars, Marshall stacks, and an array of pedals. Then it just went down from there. They lost me with Rendezvous with Anus, if not even before. Beginning to question Dimery’s album selection.

Yup, liked that.

More than 200 samples included on this album. https://paulsboutique.info/ Liked Ill Comm better. Still a solid

Pleasant. Doubt I'd ever listen again.

OK I guess. Fine in the background. But nothing all that noteworthy. Barely hits a 2 in my book.

Ok I guess. Just couldn’t get into it.

Good!

Nothing wrong with this album.

Nope!

Damn that Moog bass synth on the opening track just gives me the chills. Love it! Sly gets a little insane. 3.5

If there was ever an album that could make a grown man cry, this is it.

Get points for originality, and McCulloch’s voice. Couple solid tracks.

I like Jefferson Air/Star. But there's something about this album that makes me understand why punk, garage, avant-guard, new wave, heavy metal and grunge all exist -- to rebel against this.

This album encompasses past, present, and future R.E.M. It's all there. Nostalgic for me in many ways. Most likely my introduction into "alternative music" or what we called back then college radio. So, it's always going to be an important album to me persoanally. Still in my regular rotation.

Kind of Leonard Cohen-esque. But nothing really jumped out to me. Perhaps that's why I've never heard of the guy before.

"Tapestry still holds the record for most consecutive weeks at number one by a female solo artist." Interesting story about James Taylor recording HER song, "You've Got a Friend", at the same time she recorded it, with the same musicians, both winning Grammys.

Love that tune. Good soundtrack. Stops there.

Pretty good in places, esp. the samples. Mixed well, so sounds good for '91. But I found it rather tiring to listen to overall.

These guys were doing grunge before anyone knew what grunge was. With the exception of Youth Against Fascism, one of my favorite SY songs, this is not my favorite SY album. I’d put Daydream Nation, Master-Dik, Goo, Sister, and maybe even others ahead.

They had Gatorade in 1972?

Really enjoyed this album. Giving it 3 stars b/c it isn't the most technical of albums. But very creative and unique in sound.

I listened to this album way to much in my early 20s. A couple of classic songs, plus some interesting jams on side two. Not groundbreaking, but it carved its own niche in the grunge era.

Had no idea what to expect here. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I never said this wasn't a great album. It's a great album! Despite turning the masses onto grunge, my argument has been that I still don't think its sound came out of no where. You can hear in this album all the punk, post-punk and alt music that had come before it. Just not that many people were tuned into it all ... until this album broke through. As Dave Grohl likes to say, Wilson-Phillips had the No. 1 song in the U.S. when Nevermind was released on Sept. 24, 1991 (same day as Badmotorfinger and one month after Ten, fwiw). 'Nough said.

I remember when this came out thinking what a breath of fresh air after the final years of the 1990s (Radiohead aside, of course) and all the post-alt-grunge and pop crap that was being played on the radio at that time (Bootylicious by Destiny's Child was No. 1 on the charts the week this came out). Great tracks start to finish. Think of all the bands they inspired. These guys and the White Stripes helped save American Rock-n-Roll.

Yeah, not entirely sure how I feel about it. I didn't not enjoy it, I just didn't get that into it. 2.5 stars

This made me happy.

Never would have remembered this was from 2008. Perfectly enjoyable.

Fantastic voice. Superb production. Way more to offer than just Constant Craving. So ... what exactly does it say about me if I really liked this album?

Yup

Kind of an unusual album. Freedom ‘90 is completely unrelated to the rest of the songs here. Praying for Time is moving. They Won’t Go When I Go probably most interesting track. Waiting (Reprise) sounded a way too close to Every Rose Has Its Thorn. The rest of the album does little to nothing. Overall, album was not mixed all that well, at least what I listened to on Spotify.

There are moments that feel like you’re in the studio with the band. Not much sampling going on in 1980, which means most of this album is played pretty straight. That means those are real drums. Really great stuff.

Excellent! 4.5/5

Tracks 2 and 3 are keepers. The rest of the songs can go. Definitely marks a demarcation point between Woodstock ‘94 and ‘99.

Here and there ok. Threw the kitchen sink of instruments at times.

Tried listening to this objectively rather than just dismissing as int'l pop. First, the synths for 1981 are excellent! It's hard to put in context that synths didn't really penetrate pop music until the very late 70s and early 80s. Even then, they were mainly reserved for Prog Rock and Punk/New Wave. ABBA's earlier albums were more BeeGees disco, while this sounds more like Ultravox's Vienna. So, credit goes to ABBA for bringing 70s soft rock together with disco beats and polyphonic synths. Some experimentation with genres here and there. Harmonies are strong. Melodies and lyrics are often cheeky, but let's give them the benefit of singing in a second-language. Never heard "One of Us," which is the most played song on Spotify. I'll chalk that up to the continental listeners. Only song I recognized was "Cassandra," and that's fairly complex with almost a waltz beat. So this one doesn't have all the popular hits, but maybe that's why I liked it a bit more than I had expected.

Giving it a three for Loose and for it’s huge significance on so much that comes after it.

A great musical journey

Feels like this was the precursor to a lot of 1970s studio-based albums. More like a 2.5

Enjoyed more than expected.

I’m a huge 80s music fan. But I have no use for this album.

Now see that's an interesting album. "Up With People" has popped up on some of my other playlists. While I'm not sure it's something I'd turn to regularly, I might put it on again. I liked the layering of tracks, subtle brass and string sections, non-predictable lyrics, and groovy licks. That all makes for an unexpectedly enjoyable album to listen to versus, say, The Triffids. Surprised to learn they were out of Nashville.

I know this is Bob Dylan, but this didn't offer up much and sounded pretty worn out

I don't recall owning this CD or cassette, but I felt an strong connected to each one of these songs. This will be going into rotation for me.

Creative dreaminess

Liked everything about this. 4.5+

Interesting album. Thoroughly enjoyed start-to-finish, although one or two songs could have ended a bit sooner. Minor complaint overall.

This CD is always close-by and ready to be put in the deck. While one of my favs of that era, perhaps also a bit nostalgic for me personally for various personal reasons. It was unique and refreshing in the middle of grungevolution.

Awesome!

Some good some not so good. Liked the guitar playing. First song could have been cut down to about :45 seconds. 2.5

Great guitarists and Rod’s voice is killer. I just think I’m burnt out on 60s blues/rock & roll. I also see why Cream might have gotten the edge. More like a 2.75

I listened. Kind of enjoyed but not entirely sure how to rate this album. Going with a 2 because I don't think I'd ever say, hey, put on SOM's Floodland.

Classic. 3.5

One of the best things to ever come out of Texas. Also, my first concert ever (Eliminator tour). Gonna give this one a thumbs up.

Hard to believe this came out just a year after Kurt passed. Album starts strong but kind of trails off.

Enjoyed it!

Ok I suppose. A bit trite in places but some good jams here and there

Bowie!

Ok background music

Yay more (post)punk! Couple decent tracks.

I enjoyed overall

“Walk on By” great track. Those drums on track 2 … I picture Isaac saying, “no fills, no cymbals, you just hold that f***ing beat ‘til I tell you to stop. Got it!?”

Lovely. Zach lip-synchs her so well: https://youtu.be/kFjRyVjFVFE

Can't really assess, though definitely appreciate the work for this period of time

Easy 5

Pretty cool stuff for 1966. Not every song was great, but really dug their sound, esp. the distortion. Progressive stuff

I know Elvis C. isn’t everyone’s favorite. But this is a great album! 4.5

Whooo that album kicks off with a bang and just doesn’t stop. What a great and unique sound. Killer!

Chrissie is one of the hardest rockers there is! Plus ... who else could sing about Cuyahoga Falls (not on this album, but still)?

Never heard of DJ Shadow and didn't recognize one song on the album. Not terrible. Repetitive overall. That said, I have added it to to my "study and writing" playlist. 2.5

Great tracks on this album

Brings me back to high school. Not the greatest album but I enjoyed listening to it.

Only reason I’m not giving this a 5 is because I’m reserving that rank for at least two other TH albums. Still at least a 4.5 for me

Albums like these always put me in a bind. It was in near constant rotation in my car cassette deck for at least two years. It’s a great album! Yet, every time I hear a song off of it, I feel a bit nauseous (that is unless I'm at a Boston tribute band concert in the middle of summer somewhere on the US-Canadian border).

I'd probably listen to that again

Never liked this band much. Didn't enjoy listening to this 30+ years later.

I would put Tricky below a Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, and Portishead in the trip hop genre. Always liked Black Steel though 2.75

I mean really

Classic

"Spin magazine's 1995 Alternative Record Guide cited Technique as New Order's best album because it represented the perfect synthesis of the band's abilities as a punk-influenced rock band and as synthpop pioneers." 3.25/5

Excellent

Good stuff!

What a blast from the past. I had this cassette and listened to it quite a bit. Gotta remember late-80s mainstream music wasn’t that great, and this was an excellent alternative to hair metal (pre-grunge). Couple of great covers (Memories Can’t Wait!!). Still has bones!

Certainly didn't expect those R&B tracks in the middle. Not sure what was sampled vs what was actually played. But some damn fine tracks on this album. 3.5/5

There were some things I liked but can't put my finger on. There were things I didn't like but can't put my finger on. There's a bit of Taylor Swift syndrome here ... it's like she's singing her blog. Could have used a good editor. Still not terrible. 2.5/5

I don't get it ... Yet, this won the Mercury Prize for best UK album of 2005? OK. Giving it a 2 b/c I don't want to seem completely ignorant.

Punk meets the Ronettes and Bay City Rollers. Gotta love it.

I mean ... it's Frank!

Never listened to before. Certainly more enjoyable (to me) than much of the what makes up the rap genre today.

Best thing to come out of Iceland since the Sugarcubes I suppose. About one 10-min song is enough for me.

It works. Got pretty repetitive. Not a bad listen though

Solid. Now I know where "I Zimbra" came from.

Only reason it got 2 stars was for “It’s a Sin”. The yawning on the cover is an accurate depiction of the album overall.

Really is an incredible album.

Every song … excellent!!

You can hear the start of something. But one listen is probably enough for me.

Good album!

Um, no thanks

Really a 4.5/5 but feeling generous today

Who doesn't love a little bit of Janet now and again?

Let's get some brats up in here! 2.5/5

Enjoyed that more than I expected. “Speed Metal” comes alive. 3.5/5

Like Damon Albarn and Gorrilaz. Had a hard time getting into this album

Always thought they ripped off Radiohead. But still a guilty pleasure album. At times, the mix sounded distorted. Tried different devices, settings, same. Don’t know if Spotify or something in my end

Really enjoyed listening

Classic

These guys were so damn cool!

Don't think this will age well. 2.5/5

Love The Smiths and earlier Morrissey but struggled to get into this album

3.5/5. Great bookend songs

4.5/5 Basically one notch below "Remain in Light"

Now they don’t make music like that anymore, do they?

Ok. Long. Found it hard to get into. 2.5-ish

Not as ground breaking as their 1991 album. Enjoyed in places.

No matter what one thinks of Radiohead, this is one avant-guard album. I liked the band’s music before, but this signaled something much different. It remains one of my favorites.

Enjoyed every song.

Groovy. 2½ ✨

These guys were more punk than most punk bands.

I’m usually a big Aimee Mann fan. But didn't really get into this album. Maybe it was just because it was 1993

Groovy. That fits right in my bag, baby! (well kind of) Not sure what the bubbly sound is throughout the album, but not a fan. All said and done, I think several of these tracks could be deconstructed to yield some cool songs. 2.8/3

Drove around in the Riviera with this playing more than a few times. An album from a bygone era.

Had some Tricky vibes in places. Not bad overall.

Great guitar work in this album. Kind of got into it 3.5/5

Such a great album!

Can’t lie, definitely enjoyed listening to Hot For Teacher.

Giving it a 2 for that one song only. More like a 1.5

Nice to hear some jazz for a change

Longtime Siouxsie fan

Great album. More disco than I remember. But also a portent of things to come.

Ah, no.

This album came out in 1977, which is just amazing. I wonder how many bands drew their inspiration from this album. 4.5/5

I'll never totally understand why I wasn't dialed into this band until much later on. I was 20 when this album came out and totally into the whole post punk and grunge movements. Yet, this band completely escaped me. Maybe I was still too Republican at the time. I can't imagine being more pissed off at life than in 1992.

Yeah, OK, uh-huh.

Airy

A sophomore album that crushes their debut. This is a great guitar album with several enduring songs.

While I’m a huge (early) Synth-Pop/New Wave fan and think OMD’s first two albums are pretty good, this album is not one I would choose to showcase. I’m being generous with ⭐️ ⭐️

Lovely all around

Fine to have on in the background but never really rises to the level of anything all that special. Probably deserves a 2, but I'm giving it a 3 because I'll probably be listening to it in the background again soon.

Fun!

I recognize her talents. Amazing pipes, great lyrics. Yet, the music (chord structure, instrumentation) just isn’t very interesting in the end.

Iconic songs, but there still are better albums out there.

Who doesn't love Frontier Psychiatrist?

Enjoyed overall.

Always considered Rubber Soul as marking that step toward Sgt. Pepper and beyond. 4/5 on the Beatles scale.