The mandolin industry really owes Rod quite a great debt. Dude absolutely owned that sound. Also every Rod Stewart song on this album is secretly two to three Rod Stewart's songs - it's a secret to everybody.

Iggy is a legend for a reason. And the reason is The Stooges. Not necessarily his solo work. This album has it's moments, but it's pretty clear that it's a passion project, not a commercial one. None of the songs really pop or sell. This is one of those albums that are good to know about - even if you can only tolerate them once.

Ah yeah - we got the funk. Get ready for some interpolation. Super interesting to me how *long* funk songs are - very similar to jazz in the sense that the musicians just get 'in the groove' and get after it.

Ah - the good ol' days of 2 disc sets. I personally love the Pumpkins, but this wasn't my favorite album. It's definitely got all of the best bits of them, but it feels a bit like a 'throw everything at the wall and see what sticks' approach. Knowing the history, I know this isn't really the situation, it's more how it feels in modern music release schedules. Similar to Iggy Pop's album we listened to the other day, this is a clear passion project and didn't have much of a commercial influence. That makes it important - if not incredibly engaging. An artist being given the chance to create what they want to create is a special thing.

You know... we really don't get a lot of concept albums anymore. I feel like this album at least deserves a bit of love for that. Narrative aside - the album is a fun and harmonious listen. The tunes are fun. Almost Brian Wilson-esque at points (wonder if there is some cross-seas inspiration going on here?) All that and the Python-esque art makes for a fun and interesting concept album that I enjoyed having on in the background. Doubt I'll take any of the songs with me going forward, but enjoyed meeting them once.

A pioneer for sure - Walk on the Wild Side is an absolute staple of the early rock scene and has been influential to so many future artists. One thing worth noting is the insane variety on this album - the dissonance between the tracks is challenging and yet very entertaining. Imagine being at a live show and going from the iconic hits to the downright Sesame Street "New York Telephone Conversation." A cheery reminder that Lou Reed is all at once thoroughly rock-and-roll and also quite embracing of his Rabinowitz self. It's always fascinating to me when artists have more success as solo performers. Lou Reed's #1s will always be bigger than The Velvet Undergrounds, even if both are important to the history of rock.

Okay, so bear with me for a sec... I'll never forget the first time I listened to a full Chuck Berry album. I was baffled to go back and hear every song be the same riff with different words. It changed my understanding of interpolation, song-writing, and novelty. Slipknot is similar in the sense that they have cornered their own market and sound, but I feel like each song is practically just a slightly different iteration of the last. I think it has more to do with tone than riffing. I know Jordison was one who prized the group for it's experimentation - and the drum craft is easily the most experimental part of the listing - but the current iteration of metal is so drastically more experimental. We wouldn't have the metal we have nowadays without Slipknot. But I think the pathway they've paved, much like the pathway Chuck Berry paved, has been explored better by their successors. **I want to also acknowledge that I grew up in the era of the Christian Metal movement and *most* of my peers were involved in multiple metal bands that my *very* acoustic Christian rock group played with. So, my understanding of experimental metal is literally grassroots. That may muddy my interpretation.

Man, those are some wacky sounds in this one! I'm elated to finally have an album I've never heard before for this one. It seems like the real kicker for this album is the lyricism and it's importance in the 1980s UK. Most people brushed it off when it dropped and only picked it up as a faux warsong album. As a 70s diehard, it feels very nostalgic of the post-Vietnam era songwriting, but with an early metal vibe. As I'm listening, I'm most drawn to the weird instrumentation during the intros of most of their songs and then by the vocals. I don't know the name Jaz Coleman, but, after hearing his voice, I want to know more. All in all, a very interesting piece. I'm sure it would mean even more to those that lived through the protest era in the UK. I wonder if the lyrics might be an interesting study given the current climate of protests and civil unrest. Might be more to it than we think.

Man, that was nice. What an excellent piece of collected tunes I've literally never heard before. I loved the instrumentation. And consider looking up the contributing artists list if you ever get bored. More folks took part in this album that Band-Aid.

Man, I'd love to just go drive around and listen to these songs. Love that tone.

Iconic sound that's making a comeback right now. Can't deny the cultural phenom that was and is Ice Cube.