Was not all that taken with this album on first listen. There were the singles I was already familiar with and they were still good. Near the end, I was warming to it, so I relistened and realized that most of my negativity were around "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry", which were both snoozefests. I like the end of the album quite a bit. If it were all like that, I'd give it a 4. As it is with the snoozefests, I'll give it a 3.
The first half was only passable by me. It wasn't offensive, but I was definitely bored. I dislike Dylan's vocal style with his upward inflections. I was ready to just slog through it, but did the research quickly and saw the back half is electric so I waited for that. I found the electric half much more enjoyable, as I'm way more taken with interesting guitars and drums and such than the lyrical content. The electric saved it from being a 1-2 star listen.
This was different from my expectations 1. Less vocal harmonies overall than I would expect from S&G. 2. More orchestration as well, and variation in orchestration across songs. 3. Bridge over Troubled Water is just a decent song. I liked the rest of the album more. 4. Cecilia is a banger. 5. Why Don't You Write Me is also a banger, and I was surprised to see it the least-listened-to song on the album (according to Spotify). It reminded me of late Beatles output. Very good album. I'd give it a 3.7/5 if I could.
Already loved this album. 5/5 I don't know if I can be objective about it. 1. I love all the songs, even the "weird" ones. Little Room, Aluminum, Expecting (less weird, but still) are all great. 2. I think I prefer the back half of the album overall, but that's because those songs are underappreciated. Favorite Songs: Same Boy You've Always Known Offend in Every Way Now Mary This Protector Hotel Yorba Finding It Hard To Be a Gentleman
1. Don't know why doesn't do anything for me, probably because I've heard it a million times (like everyone). 2. Seven Years had some cool slide guitar after I thought it was going to continue doing the arpegiated guitar forever. I liked that. 3. Cold Cold Heart's slight bass swing is pretty cool, and I like this song. 4. Feelin' the Same Way was pretty boring. 5. Haven't heard a song that really stood out since Cold Cold Heart 6. I've Got To See You Again is a cool song. Little bit of a gypsy swing thing going on. 7. Last few songs are pretty. Good way to close out the album. 3/5
I know I've listened to this before, but I didn't remember it very well. Listening with fresh 2022 ears, I found a lot to like. The singles still hold up pretty well, although I probably could never hear Walk again and be ok. This Love is still good. I was most surprised by Fucking Hostile and Rise. Those are straight bangers and I enjoyed them a lot. It fell off a bit near the end, but not by a lot. I was still enjoying it. Too bad Anselmo is a shithead. 4/5
Great album. Not much to say otherwise though. Classis and will stay classic.
Weird album. I liked it, but it was also pretty same-y. There was some weird things with desyncing between instruments in like, Madame George. That was off-putting a bit, as it just seemed clumsy and didn't add to the music. Also, Slim Slow Slider just fucking ends. It has a little weird freakout and then quick fade. What a weird way to end an album. 3/5
never listened to this. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Highlights: Just One Fix Corrosion Scare Crow (I knew this one from Inter Arma cover) 4/5
really enjoyed it, surprisingly. I was mostly passively listening, but didn't get bored and any time I really tuned in it was all good. 4/5
Was a fun jaunt. The singles were as good as I remembered, and the songs I didn't know were mostly as good as the singles. 4/5
5/5 I will say it's a little front-loaded, and I don't think that Blame Game needs to be 7 minutes just to hear Chris Rock talk about Yeezy teaching women how to sex good. Hell of a Life sampling 21st Century Schizoid Man is real good too. It's all really good. Like really really good.
Pretty decent album. Some songs were great but some were sort of a slog. I liked it more than I thought I did, but I like their later stuff that has more going on instrumentally.
Somber album, but very pretty. I thought I'd get bored and I may have if I listened in one sitting, but over a couple sittings, I quite liked it.
liked it a lot more than the live bootleg we heard. That being said, I think only half the songs were all that good. Another thing I noticed was that the longest songs were also the ones with the least going on. What's that about, Bob? 3/5
Great album. I listened to jimi in middle school and sorta burnt myself out on him then, but I guess 30 years is long enough to come back.
I really really liked this album. Some of my favorites: If You Need Me Won't You Give Him (One More Chance) Hard, Ain't It Hard I liked the production a lot. I don't listen to basically anything pre mid-60s, and I like how the guitar was panned all the way to one channel with other instruments sometimes solitary in a channel and sometimes mixed stereo. It felt like the guitar was next to me and not "around me" like I'm used to. I listened through it twice and want to listen again. 5/5
Huh. So I assumed I was not going to like this, because the bits of individual Carpenters songs I've heard have done nothing for me. However... I find myself liking this over the full listen. I guess hearing them in the context of the album is a different and better thing. Beginning of We've Only Just Begun - reminds me of Carole King, but then the chorus goes in a brighter direction, which is sorta cheesy, but I don't hate. I prefer the non-chorus portions of the song, but overall I like it. Love is Surrender - just ok, but not bad. I like the organ and background more than the singing in this one. Sorta a Charlie Brown vibe. Maybe It's You - nice melancholy song. Sorta reminds me of Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. I like when the woman sings on her own, more than the vocal harmonies, I think. She has a nice lilt. Reason to Believe - reminds me of a chill country song. It again has a Carole King quality that's sorta nice, but overall this song is just ok. Help - this song is a banger and a surprise. I like it. (They Long to Be) Close To You - everyone's heard this song. It's basically a meme at this point. I did find myself enjoying it more than I expected. The twinkly keys in the background reminded me of something from like Willy Wonka. It's a chill song. It also has lots of just the woman singing (I should find out her name. Karen). Baby It's You - Just ok one. Not much to say. I don't like "sha la la la la oooh" portions in songs though. I'll Never Fall in Love Again - More Carole King vibes. Like, quite a bit. I like this song for that reason. More of just Karen singing, except a few overdubs. Crescent Noon - more of a jazzy number. I like it. Not in the instruments so much, but in the singing. Again, sort of a melancholy, moody song, which is my style. Mr Guder - weird song, which makes me like it. It has the "ba da da da" stuff, but in a weird way and I dig it. I Kept On Loving You - Ken(?)-led song. That's my least favorite part about it, but the rest has that Belle and Sebastian quality I noticed. The instrumentation is quite nice. Another Song - more Carole King feel. I am realizing these guys preceded Carole King in general, so probably I should be saying it the other way around. I like Karen's singing a lot by this point. The instrumentation is really nice on this song too. I like the harpsichord and the drumming, especially. Weird song to end on, and apparently it's the least-listened song on the album, according to Spotify numbers. Overall: I'm realizing that a lot of the background sounds that I'm liking are similarly represented in Belle and Sebastian's happier music. I think without that touchpoint, I might find this more cheesy than I did. Didn't expect to like this, but I did. 4/5
I listened through this twice and there are nice songs and some that are not so great for me. I think overall, it was a good listen, but not necessarily something I'd come back to. Sorry, Nina. 3/5
There's some good stuff on here, but I had heard how great this album is and I wasn't so impressed. It at times reminded me of Modest Mouse or Pixies, but not as good. The singles are solid, and some of the others were pretty good as well. I just don't see myself coming back to it. It wasn't offensive, it just didn't hold my attention. 3/5
I thought this was ok, but it really wasn't catching me. I don't have much to say except I don't think I'd choose to listen to it again on my own. 3/5
I don't have much to say about this album. It was just ok. I wouldn't be able to identify it in a line-up with other classic rock of the era. I did like the song title "Blues Deluxe" though. Like, "you guys are blues lite. we're blues deluxe". 3/5
Wasn't in love with it on the first listen, but I liked it more on the 2nd listen. I don't really have any touchpoint for this style of music. I enjoyed it, but probably not enough to revisit. 3.5/5
Great great album. Was surprised how much I liked it. This is the 2nd really big discovery where I hadn't heard of the artist before and it was 5/5. Stoked!
Initially, I was pretty taken with this. First few songs were great. I found myself gettin bored by the end, however :( A lot of the singles stand on their own, but I'm not in love with it as an album. It tended to be a bit same-y. 3/5
Good album. Brought me back to middle school. There's enough catchy little ditties here to make this a 4/5
Wasn't bad, wasn't great. I sorta don't remember much about it already. 3/5
weird album, but enjoyable enough. I would almost definitely never choose to listen to this again, however. I respect it for what it is, and it was neat to hear the source of Renegades of Funk from RATM covers album.
Really liked this album. Mother is weird and like Birthday Party. I actually thought the singles stood out as not fitting with the rest
Pretty good album. I actually liked a lot of the songs I hadn't heard before. Sorta sounded like Radiohead-lite. Enjoyable. 3.5/5
this is not good at all. I sorta like Mysterious Ways, but that's the *only* saving grace on here. I dislike this quite a bit. 2/5
Liked this just fine. Enjoyable but not amazing.
Catchy and fun. Very easy listening. I enjoyed it for what it is, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.
Didn't know this one, but knew the artist. I like it quite a bit. Listened through twice. Very good post-punk. Would listen again.
Good album. Of course I knew Gary Numan, but never listened to a full album. Observer sounds *very* similar to Cars. Funny that they're only 2 tracks apart. The thing that's stopping this from being a 5 is that some songs are same-y. 4/5
Liked this quite a lot. The thing stopping this from being a 5/5 is just that the vocals are over-repeated without enough other variation to keep it from being grating. Some songs are better than others in this regard. It doesn't bother me much over a single listen, but I know it'd stop me from playing the album on repeat, and thus 4/5 instead of 5/5
I didn't think much of this at all. It was ok. I did like 9-9 though. It sorta reminded me of Gang of Four or something like that w/ the scrape-y guitarwork.
Great album. I think on a single listen, I'd give this a 4. However, I suspect it'd grow on me with a few more listens even more, so I'm going to give it a 5/5.
Just meh. I don't get this style of dub. Not offensive, but would never seek it out.
Pretty good, but also pretty same-y. I liked it but probably don't need to hear it again. Reminds me of the background parts of Igorrr sort of, when he's being all french-y.
Haven't listened to this in forever. I really really enjoyed the relisten though. 5/5
Not bad. Actually quite liked the sound. Similar to Bowie. Why it's a 3/5 is because there's not enough variation from song to song. Any one single is probably a 5/5, but overall it's like hearing it on repeat.
I enjoyed this, but not a ton. I like the Stones, but they can be pretty same-y. Overall, I'd say it's a 3.75/5, so I'll round up.
4/5 very enjoyable listen. I listened through twice and this is definitely not my sort of standard listening. However, I found it engaging and never got bored.
Initially thought this was going to be a 4/5, but as the songs progressed, I liked it less and less. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't especially good either. 3/5
Not bad but not amazing, by any means. I wouldn't have necessarily even have called this a punk album if I hadn't looked up a bit of context on the album.
3/5. Some was nice, but overall I didn't really care for it. Sorta reminds me of more boring version of things like The Shins.
I liked this, but didn't love it. I feel like it sorta grew on me over two listens, however, and think I'd like it more on future listens. It reminds me Breeders or something to that effect. 3.75/5. rounding up to 4/5
Really liked this, and was not familiar at all. I didn't know this level of complexity existed in electronic music in 1976. Very very cool. 5/5
I really liked this album, surprisingly. The lyrics were good, the music was good, and it sorta reminded me of Jim Croce (I don't have a lot of context for this type of music, so forgive my bad comparisons). 4/5
I liked this and there's a few great songs but by the end of the 2nd listen I knew it wouldn't stick with me.
Not bad but not amazing. The screaming was done too much imo for the music.
This album was way better than I remembered. Back in the day, I disliked this album for not being as good as Life is Peachy and for, I dunno, the rap influence or whatever. It's actually really fun in general though.
Eh. I got bored of this pretty quick. Every song sounds basically the same. It's like ACDC.
Just as good as it was when I was 13 and first heard it. I love this album. 5/5
This was so meh I almost died. There's nothing about this that is engaging, except "Hard to Handle" has a bit of nostalgia. It works better as a single than in the context of the album though. I was so bored listening to this... 2/5
Wasn't bad as I was expecting. Some songs were even maybe good? The faster-paced songs were pretty good, like Rats in the Cellar. Get the Lead Out was also decent. Lick and a Promise was also decent. Overall, I'd rather be listening to another band like Led Zeppelin though. 3/5
I didn't care for this at all. initially, I thought it was maybe going to be something like Belle and Sebastian, but it just was nothing in the end. 2/5
I thought this was going to be passable, but didn't have high hopes. I thought I knew what Megadeth sounded like and I didn't think I liked it. Turns out I was wrong and this is a great album! I listened to it all the way through like 4 times in a row. I don't really care for Mustaine's vocals, but they're easy enough to get over. The rest is excellent. 5/5
Not bad. I didn't know about Janis stuff before solo work. I enjoyed it OK, but wasn't blown away by any means.
I had heard this before and it didn't really click, but I enjoyed it more this time. I'd say it is a little long for no good reason, and it would be better if it were like 40 minutes instead of 70.
I liked this one more than Brothers in Arms, although I couldn't tell you exactly why. It's a decent album but not amazing.
Liked this, and wanna return to it and understand the concepts better.
Good album. Reminds me of Kanye stuff from the same period, except more uplifting.
I like this alright. There's some good singles, but the other songs don't do much for me. I am between a 3 and a 4, so I guess I'll put as 3.5 and round up 3.5/5
Pretty good! I listened through twice. It was hard to stay focused on, but the singles were quite good. The other songs were pretty forgettable. I think overall I wouldn't revisit this again, but I enjoyed it enough. 3.49/5
I like this album. It reminded me of Esperanza Spalding, somewhat, but less jazzy and more country. It was good and I'd listen to it again. 4/5
Not bad, but it didn't have any sticking power with me. I listened to it twice and I can't remember any songs other than Knights of Cydonia. I do remember there's a few that have Queen vibes and that's pretty cool. Overall, it's just not for me though.
Very good album. I'd heard parts of it before, but never sat down with the whole thing. Very neat that it's the first album only made of samples. Some of the songs go on a bit too long for my tastes, which is what is keeping this from being a 5/5. But It's still great. 4/5
This really shouldn't be something I like, but her voice is so good, and it interacts with the backing instrumentation so well. I like this quite a bit. 4/5
I kinda liked this? but also, I'm sure I don't ever need to hear it again. 3/5
Found this very boring and wasn't into it at all. I don't get the appeal. 2/5
Here's a band I've heard of many times, but never listened to. I think I tried to listen to the follow-up, but don't remember it at all. This album was quite good though, and I'd listen to it more. 3.75/5
This one grew on me over the listen. I liked it enough to listen through a 2nd time. 4/5
Good album. I liked the banter. I've never cared much for Johnny Cash but this is decent. 3/5
Liked this. Didn't love it. TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS I liked some of the songs more than others though. Highlights: Hall of mirrors Showroom Dummies Franz Schubert 3/5
Thought I would hate this because I remember hating it in 2004. Instead, it's a mix of good songs and bad ballads. Overall it's a meh. Good attempt though. 3/5
I didn't really care for this. It was a real snooze. Sometimes sounded like boring pixies.
Liked this more than I expected. I think it's because of the goofiness. The lyrics were funny and engaging. 3.75/5
Already loved this album. Haven't listened to it in a long time though. It really holds up.
Just OK. I am surprised by how meh this is, as I really like loveless.
Was a good listen. I've listened before. It a little too repeaty for me, but it's still really good. 3.75/5
Wasn't bad, but also not that great (for me). I don't know why I don't connect with this sort of music very much. It wasn't very engaging. 3/5
I generally don't care for most rap, but I enjoyed this album quite a bit. I would listen to this again for sure.
Pretty meh. It was totally inoffensive though. I did like You Better Run though. 2.75/5
Not bad, but also sorta same-y across the album. I liked the bass, but the sax was the same a lot, and same with the vocals and such. I don't see myself returning to this one. 3/5