Currently at track 5 - very futuristic for the fact it was made in 1977. Bowie's vocals are good but wouldn't be a repeat listen for me as is.
I read some things about this being the first of the Berlin Trilogy: I'm very excited to hear the other 2 albums because the ambiance of Subterraneans is fantastic. The general "soul" of the track, the feeling it carries with it is very good in execution. I'd rate this album a 7/10 on first listen, but I can imagine some of these tracks really growing on me soon.
Looking forward to listening to the first 3 tracks of the album as I didn't like those at first.
Not my style, although it is a very good album to have on in the background
Listened to a live performance which didn't really help this time around. Also didn't really sit down for the listen, so 2 hours is just a bit too long for an album I feel. Some classics on this record but the genre just doesn't tickle my fancy.
Great listen, did some gardening to this music. I'm not the largest fan of the spoken word sections included at the start of many of the tracks, but the musical sections are a fantastic addition to any social event.
Really liked this album, shorter runtime allowed for the big hits to really keep their energy. The last 3 songs on the album were still missing in some parts, Cyndi's higher pitches don't come off too well in my opinion. First section is great though.
Honestly? I thought I'd like this album a lot more. The start is strong, and I was very excited to hear more. About 10 minutes in however, the shifts between styles become less of a exploration of music and what instruments can be composed together to more of a excercise of jarring sounds.
It's quite uncharacteristic for me not to like a long-form instrumental piece such as this, but really didn't hit the right notes. Personal pet peeve of introducing things into your song and naming them in vocals was also hit.
Pretty much every track on this album is strong, no standouts that made me question their presence. Loved the energy in every performance and I feel the remaster does justice to the original by upping the quality.
A great folk album. It might've been the moment I listened, but this is one of the first albums I listened front to back in this project.
The vocals really took me on a journey that I didn't mind being on, the execution of the ideas on this album are wonderful and made me feel very serene.
Upon reading the history, my dislike for this album doesn't really make sense. There's a lot of Bowie influence in this album related to the Berlin Trilogy, of which I sorta liked Low.
"The Idiot" misses where Low hits, specifically the instrumental sections. Mass production is a good example of this, where the experimental instrumentals are more jarring than inspiring. Iggy Pop's voice also just sounds off to me in some odd way.
Furthermore, Tiny Girls really hits the wrong note with me. I don't quite know why and I don't think it's the intention but to me it just sounds like Iggy wants to be with a girl who's really young
I was skeptic on Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but after listening to this album I’m pleasantly surprised: there are some great songs (There she goes, Lyre of Orpheus, Hiding all Away, Carry me) and the general level of this album is very high.
Happy that I took the time to listen to this album, although I dread Nick’s songwriting on Ghosteen.
Good album: I love the lyrics Missy Elliott throws out without any shame, and her pronounciation is a refreshing change from more recent vocals that tend to go more towards mumbling. There are a few tracks that miss imo, but the beats are generally enticing and the features add to the songs. Not sure if I'll come back to it but I can defo grab some songs from here to go in the playlist
Just don't really connect with the source material, but good execution of an older style of hip hop.
Good songs but I listened on headphones and the stereo effect gives me headaches on about 3 songs. Would rate a lot higher if the stereo wasn't present as the highs on this album are very high.
First 1 I’m handing out. Neill Youngs vocal inflections are not good and it seems like he’s always just a few Hz off his intended note. The instrumentals are fine but bland in my opinion. The combined package is just straight unappealing with mediocre songwriting, bad vocal performance and boring instrumentals.
Not my usual genres, but Ray Charles has a very smooth voice that can carry a song. Combined with smooth jazzy, country and pop instrumentals the whole collection is a friendly listen with short songs.
Popsynth album with a lot of radio hits on it. Well executed, although some of the songs on this are not as stellar as I would like. The general feel of the album is great however, but it does end up feeling more like a compilation then an album to me
Not sure what I need to say here, but all of the songs on this album are hiphop anthems. Outkast deserve their status as GOATs of hiphop and this album is one of their best works.
Grime, something I have a tendency to like but I have big issues with the mixing. Vocals have a tendency to not pop out from the instrumentals making it hard to follow the lyrics, which is not for the best. The songs sound disconnected and only Jus’ a Rascal popped out as a good bop.
Not great, not bad. I liked the instrumentals but nothing really popped out to me to warrant a place on 1001 albums that you need to listen to.
What do you want me to say, classics front to bacl
Got Abbey Road before this, so this record doesn’t leave as good an impression.
Good swingin’ , would defo put this on if I had an SO over and I felt like dancing a little. Don’t feel like the entire album is really that consistent however and jt kinda gets stale
Love this Board of Canada record, I have listened to GeoGaddi before this and this record does better on many aspects. Not giving it a 5 because there are still some small issues with jt, but loved the execution of ambiant-esque tracks with some vocal layering.
Eh, Bruce Springsteen doesn't seem to quite hit the right emotional notes for me. I can't deny he has good delivery of his lyrics, but he doesn't quite convince me with the stories he tells in each song.
Really don’t like this style of hip hop and not being American doesn’t help as the issues that are mentioned in multiple songs don’t do anything for me. There are just too many songs that annoy me, although I can appreciate the ideas in some of the songs
Listened to this one for pretty much an entire day, the composition is amazing and absolutely fantastic as background music for a relaxed diner. It does really feel like it was recorded in a Cuban social club, and the album is amazing for it.
This album feels more like a collection of song ideas than actual songs, there is just a missing element everywhere which I atribute to the fact that songs rarely go past 2 minutes. The style itself just doesn't suit me either, with songs like Toadies and Take 5, D. making me question why they are on an album to begin with. This might have been an interesting experiment in 1984 but it has aged like milk from exactly that period for me.
No coherence, this seems to be a running trend in most of the albums I don't like. They tend to be less albums and more strings of songs.
I might just not get Jazz
Really liked this album, not sure if I'll come back to it later but good songs
This stuff is really nice, Rod Stewart has a great voice and he's not scared to use it to help lead a track. Would give it a 4 but some of the tracks fall a little flat towards the end of tracks - I think if they were a little shorter they'd retain more of the punch that's present in Stewart's voice.
2, loses SO MUCH steam. I suppose bland has to be defined somewhere and this feels like a record that was copied to death after it's creation, and I can't appreciate the history and ideas that went into making this a record a nominee for this list.
6/10, some of these song could have been left on the editing room floor. Love the general hippie aesthetic.
I do not like Iggy Pop and his blatant pedophelia, 16 is an atrocity and although the artistry on some songs is aight I am always less keen to give Iggy the benefit of the doubt compared to other artists. 3/10
6.5/10, positively surprised by the jazz
7.5, WAY better than the last Neill Young I got. Grabbed the lyrics on the side, his voice didn't annoy me this time. Some of the guitar plings don't agree with my ears but they add to the melancholy feeling of days past. Nice one Neill, I feel sad now about a time I'm still experiencing as a young adult.
BLM/10
I don't want to rate this. Musically, I don't think it's very good. It is however an album very much in the spirit of BLM, which I personally agree with but don't identify with. Rating this album from my perspective does not do it the justice it deserves in the context it requires.
The only thing I really want to say about this is that RTJ4 does a (imo) better job talking about specific issues in many of their songs and are sonically more in tune with how it can be expressed powerfully.
Landmark hiphop album, which apparently released on 9/11. I liked it but it doesn't really scratch the hip hop itch I'm feeling currently? It's good music don't get me wrong, but without me knowing this is an album that reintroduced sampling to the hiphop scene and put Kanye on the map as a producer it'd not really realise it's significance.
6/10. Just a solid album but didn't move me to anything particular
7/10, a good Kanye album that changed the game in hiphop but Kanye doesn't translate the trappings of fame in a way that I find extra enticing compared to his other material. It's a great album, but for Kanye not a masterpiece.
This faded into the background every single time for me, did not leave an impression at all. Maybe I didn't take the time to listen to it properly, 3.5/10
Chill, liked this a lot. Introspective country like this is something I've not seeked out before but gives me a calmness of the soul. 7/10
Wow, I do NOT like punk. This one could benefit from a remaster. Sounds like a lot of noise to me - although there's a good amount of creativity. Song titles like Califoria Uber Alles get me thinking, which is part of the intention of this record.
I'm also noticing that a lot of albums from 1980-2000 just have covers/alternate renditions of songs? I don't like this trend, Viva las Vegas isn't a good song for this album IMO.
Sonically though, just not for me. 3/10
7/10, missing some more action. I got Aphex Twin feelings at the start but was wrong in an ok way :)
Prog rock? More like prog not very good :(
This just doesn't make sense to me, it doesn't sound good at all. The horns are strange, singing isn't great imo and the instrumental arrangements just don't sound good half the time. 2.5/10
7/10, banger of an opener
Almost made me cry in public, 8/10
Feeling like a 6/10, it's just not that interesting in what it does. Due to being a more recent album this style is very well known to me on the radio while in the back of the car. It's comfort music for some, but not for me. Still a good album but could use some more diverse tracks.
Man, this one feels like a dud. Not interesting AT ALL, the fact this is one of the first metal albums I get makes me a little concerned that they're going to be a lowlight of this list. Also shoutout to the fact I got Marvin Gaye after this. 3.5/10
6.5/10 great opener but the rest didn't hit as well
4/10, no more metal please :(
Interesting blend of genres, but never seemed to truly grip me. Did listen to it on a busy day though. 6.5/10
This is skit. Not an album, a skit. Except there's no punchline, you get to listen to monkey noises for 5 minutes or ramblings on cream cheese. Progressive concept album for the time, and vastly improved on since.
6.5/10, not that landmark when taking the other records into account. Just did not leave the impression much of their later material did. Still good music!
Classic Eminem record, I like this old-school hip hop. Often a clam story telling approach like '97 Bonnie and Clyde, but has way more energetic songs as well. A healthy mix that opens strong.
4/10, vibes album but lacked real substance
3.5/10, why sing good when you can sing off tune? The infuriating part for me is that Poly Styrene can sing well but just decides not to???
3.5/10, this feels like an album a 16 year old boy will post #deep to and the nostalgia for those feelings is not there for me. The vocals annoy me, it really felt like a slog to get through this.
Didn't really leave an impression, 4/10
8.5/10, I thought his vocals were going to be grating for a second but it fits the material very well
5/10, didn't like this form of country that much. Inclusion of a live performance on this album was not a highlight
1/10, no, bad, don't listen to this
5/10, didn't really get into this? Some of the repeating elements were cool, but the minimalism aspect didn't shine through well for me
not that interesting, 4/10
6.5/10, I don't smoke enough weed to love this anymore
I overrated the first van Halen I got, in retrospect I'd downgrade is from 5 to 4 stars. This one sits close to that - 7/10
I like Elvis, consistently good if not great albums on this list. 7.5/10
Don't even need to listen to this as it's one of my favorite records of all time. Curious to see if other Kendrick albums will show up on this list. 9/10
Back to Black is better imo, but this is still great RnB 7/10
Blasted this in the morning, going shopping, playing board games, and quality time. Slapped all the way. 8.5/10
Do not like the opening, stronger middle and end. 6/10
5/10, not my thing. Lyrics sometimes made me a little uncomfortable, Elvis Costello is a good singer and instrumentation is also fine. Not my record, maybe a different Elvis Costello record sounds better to me.
This is endearing, and a very different sound than other hiphop from aorund this time - NWE and Public Enemy. I did not like Public Enemy because their message was not for me, and this suits more. However, I still can't take it seriously but you're not supposed to. Fresh, but not a repeat listen for me. 6/10
Misty Mountain Hop kinda hurt my ears at the start, but goes into a good melody afterwards. Still kinda jarring rythmitically, but gets a little better. Other songs on here are classics, and album in general is worth the praise it gets.
8/10
Defo not for me, glamrock is not my genre. 5/10
6.5, alright album. I like the soul and what sounds a little like old-school Dubstep in some of these tracks, but it's just too slow to really enjoy as a full album. Many of these tracks are okay but the format of this music does not lend itself that great to an album format in my opinion.
Monotone, not interesting. Wouldn't keep me awake in a comfortable chair. A fine trait to have, but not what the artists where going for here. I can't appreciate the context of when this was released and how influential it was then. 4/10
It's the same song for 30 minutes feels like 1/10
Loved listening to this, breath of fresh air to have contemporary experimental-ish music. Going into my rotation of albums. 9/10
Long songs, and they're alright. This one would be amazing in a live crowd but on my own I wasn't able to get into the "flow" that this music is supposed to induce. Still appreciate it. 6.5/10
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOH
3/10
This just feels kinda... bland? I ended up listening to this a few times and it never stuck. 4.5/10
Loved this one for the first half, but felt like it lost some steam? I don't dislike it and don't really get why, but I tuned out a little towards the end. Still appreciate it - great ambient with some flair 6.5/10
Frankie Teardrop goes insane, very experimental. I liked it but it's too long for the concept. Trance like but the screaming took me out of it. Very interesting, 7/10
Theme I'm noticing is that the first ones to do it sound corny to me, probably due to being copied due to their originality. Run-D.M.C sounds simple to me, basic even 4/10
6/10
Is this really an album I need to have listened before I die? Close to 200 albums deep and I'm missing some of the fringes of what musicians are doing at the moment. This is good but I won't die content getting hit by a double decker bus knowing I listened to the 5th Neil Young album on this list
bruh, this aint it. Is this why people don't like nu-metal? 3/10
Cover really threw me off, with this album I realise that David Bowie makes the kind of art rock that I really like :) 8/10
7.5, This could be on the level of something like the Strokes but quite simply put the vocal freakouts aren't _quite_ there yet. I know Kings of Leon made some fantastic hits later in their career so I might listen to one of their later albums to see where they developed to.
4/10
Experimental, this deserves a place on the list but it's not that good imo. Good to listen to once, beats are minimal and well crafted but the flows don't quite do justice to the instrumental
Noy my style, nice mix of genres but feels too over the place for me. Interesting album though 4/10
6/10, first half good murder mystery wtf
9/10, love the style and bopped to every single beat on the album.
Well, this feels like a big one. Jazz has not been high up on my list, and this confirms that I do not appreciate the fine touches of the craft. Oh well. 6/10
Vocal inflections annoyed me to no end, was a slog to go through. 2/10
Agressively british, I don't hate the lyricism but the long voice pulls aren't great, they're grating. 4/10
As long as you scream hard enough your music becomes better right? This is just loud. Gave me active annoyance 2/10
6/10, it was OK but this the album that got me to pause reviewing again even though I didn't hate it
4/10 didn't leave an impression
Could it be... Punk? Yes it is. I don't like it.
2/10
I always feel like listening these albums in mono, because the localised trumpeting in my left ear annoys me to no end. It's genuine headache stuff - next to that, Aretha Franklin has great vocals and the lyrics are catchy. Losing a lot of point for the stereo in this one.
4/10
Please, I beg for mono. "You don't love me" has the drums very hard on the right side and it destroys my enjoyment of the song. Guitar riffs are good, the rare vocals glide through the instrumentals, but holy shit I'm getting allergic to 60's-80's bands discovering what stereo sound was and ruining their record because of it. If it was good enough for the Beatles, it should've been good enough for you too. this shit funky though
6/10
I won't write a full review, but this might be the hardest I thought about what I was going to rate an album.
To preface - this deserves a spot on the list. It's odd, out of the box, and has interesting ideas. But it's not what I would call good music to listen to. This is music you develop a deeply personal connection to because you're a fan of Björk and it's themes touch on your own life.
I'm not a fan of Björk - I also did not recently get a divorce. For those reasons, I mostly find this album to be a very long winded vocal exercise with slow instrumentals, and there are better albums in that category in my opinion. One specific example I can think of is "Real Death" by Mount Eerie. If you like the concept of this album, I think the Mount Eerie version does all of it better - from conveying the subject matter to the vocal inflections showing the true emotion of the artist.
3/10
7.5/10
Sonic Youth is good
Neil Young #6?
This did not feel different than all other Young albums.
6/10, but it examplifies the problem with this list - too much of the same things without getting really interesting.
Clean old-school hiphop as far as I'm concerned, liked the flows
7/10
Sitting in anticipation for one of the strongest 3 song runs in album history - Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean.
PYT them immediately gave me the creeps. Woops.
Musically, this album is just very strong. It defined what got played on the radio for years following it, and it still holds up as a strong album to this day. 8.5/10
Whenever someone says honky tonky I stop taking country seriously
Why is this 2 hours long? The instrumental tracks are the better part, vocals usually glide into parody country
3/10
Not very impressed by this - I wanted to make a comparison to another album but I already forgot which one. oops.
4/10
This started very strong, but Herz-Felde is a massive question mark to me...
Strong record, makes me want to topple some statues. And then a super experimental chopped sample song comes on for 5 minutes that kills the entire flow?
The opening of Jagerspiel had me scared it would continue - and then it did. This suddenly went from great industrial music to a failed version of MGMT. Deserves to be on the list, but more of a show of missed potential than a great record. I think the Spotify listening numbers of the version linked here tell a very clear story. Rough.
First section is 8/10, everything past Herz-Felde a 1/10.
Total a 4/10. Shame.
Now this. This is interesting music. Sounds improvised, I think 'industrial' might be the best word. Has signs of country, rock and many other genres, but Tom Waits would maybe disagree.
Main issues I have with it are that "All Striped Down" has a very odd cutoff on the left tambourine, and that some of the rhythms at the start of songs are too odd for my taste. Tom Waits has a great voice and he uses it to great effect.
Without albums like this, modern experimental would not be the same. I like it for that. Some of the tracks are slightly too discordant for my taste - part of reaching for boundaries is crossing them sometimes.
7/10
Not very impressed with this one, some of the vocal inflections a tad grating. Assuming this is another album that set the standard going forward but didn't age the most gracefully
4/10
Very inoffensive. It's aight. I'd expect more from an album on this list
4/10
Aphex Twin? On a lazy sunday? You spoil me. I know this album already, and will be giving it a score I think it's deserved since I first listened to it after having a DnB and Skrillex inspired Dubstep phase. One of the albums that inspired me to form more of a catalogue than what I and others in my niche already knew.
9.5/10
One of the most controversial artists I know of at the moment, barring legendary figures like Kanye. Frank Ocean had a great set of albums and then disappeared from the face of the Earth, only dropping lackluster appearances at festivals. The disappointment from this is understandable - channel ORANGE is a fantastic album that touches on many of the anxieties experienced by my generation. The album doesnt hold a special place in my heart, but the appreciation for the craft is audible in every song.
Andre 3K feature is a nice bonus.
7.5/10
4/10
Flat imitation of a better album felt like
What is it with records from the 70's trumpeting "fantastic vocalists" and having the strangest vocal inflections? This is getting old fast. Some parts of songs are good, but neeeEEEEXXXT isn't pleasing to listen to.
4/10
I usually like older hip-hop records, but this one didn't age that well. The "go mommy" and other ad libs using some intensely vocoded samples is just... bad? The age on this record (mostly on the production sides) really shines through for me. It distracts from the other qualities of the music, as the beats are aight but just missing a little bang.
4/10
oof ouch owie my atonal ears
2/10
I like this one! Can't fully explain why but it sounds well crafted and interesting. Not on the level of Led Zeppellin but its aight
7/10
Liked this less than anticipated
6/10
Meat is Murder is ironically the worst song on the album
8/10
