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Thu Feb 10 2022
Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Dire Straits has such an easily-dated sound, but captures some of the best of what came out of 80's pop music. I love Mark Knoppfler's voice and guitar playing. The hook for "Money for Nothing" is maybe the most iconic guitar riff from my entire childhood; that song will never be played out for me. "Walk of Life" has an organ riff and boogie-woogie guitar combo that is near impossible to not bop my head to. "Ride of the River" has almost an Oingo Boingo-like lead in with the various synths, percussion and horns. Some of the slower songs are instantly forgettable, but the album ends pretty strong with "Brother in Arms".
4
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Fri Feb 11 2022
Live 1966 (The Royal Albert Hall Concert)
Bob Dylan
I've never been a fan of Dylan, and this performance does nothing to change that. Dylan's "style" of singing always rubs me the wrong way, and takes away from what might otherwise be pretty decent songs.
1
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Mon Feb 14 2022
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
Overall not bad. Has some of my least (Bridge Over Troubled Water) and most (Baby Driver) favorite S&G tunes.
3
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Wed Feb 16 2022
White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
I love the variety of recorded sounds on this album. Everything sounds great, even though there's a ton of lo-fi quality types of recording technique. Highlights for me are the first half of the album; "Finding it Harder to be a Gentleman" has some great electric piano, "Fell in Love With a Girl" has a great guitar hook, and "Same Boy You've Always Known" has a really great classic rock sound. Songs like "Union Forever" are kind of clams in my mind; seems like pretentious psych-rock filler, but overall a pretty good album.
4
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Thu Feb 17 2022
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
First time listening to this record. Norah Jones has a great voice, but most of the songs in the top half of the album just don't do much to grab my attention. "I've Got to See You Again" is pretty good with it's slow syncopated beat, and I started to like this album a little more starting here. "Painter Song" was interesting, and "Nightingale" had some great instrumental lines in it. So a few decent tracks in an otherwise very bland album.
3
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Fri Feb 18 2022
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
Now we're talkin'! This is an album that takes me right back to high school when I would listen to it constantly. One of the bands that first drew me into listening to heavy music. I spent endless hours trying to learn all of these riffs on guitar, and "Mouth for War" was the first drum track I transposed into MIDI for my drum machine, so this album taught me tons as an amateur musician. Over the years, the tone of the guitars and drums on this album have taken on a "ridiculous" sound in my ears, in that it's an extremely polished and over the top but dated sound, one that I don't think I'd enjoy on anyone else's material, but I just love it on these songs.
5
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Mon Feb 21 2022
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
This record got me into Pink Floyd, and is the first of the three albums that I consider the best of their discography; Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and Animals. I love David Gilmour's style and tone. Lots of really great analog synth lines. The song writing is a good balance of Gilmour's and Waters' styles. An album I've listened to probably hundreds of times at this point, but still isn't played out in my mind.
5
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Tue Feb 22 2022
Astral Weeks
Van Morrison
Album starts off decent. Noodling on flute, acoustic guitar and bass on Astral Weeks is interesting, maybe a little disjointed.
Love the vibrophone on Beside You.
Cyprus Avenue is a mess; each performer is doing their own thing and the harpsichord is just plain distracting
It sounds like Van Morrison recorded himself first then everything got overdubbed afterwards. I read the wiki article on the recording sessions after listening and it's close to what I guessed; Morrison recorded in a separate iso-booth while the rest of the session players recorded together in a room. The session players were all jazz musicians, which explains the constant noodling, and most tracks were done in a single take.
Overall a super-meh album. None of the songs beyond the first three stood out to me at all other than the constant distraction of trying to figure out why everything sounds so off. Could potentially be better on further listens.
2
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Wed Feb 23 2022
KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)
Ministry
Another formative record from my teens, this is an album that has not been tarnished by time in my ears. Ministry is what I imagined all metal music sounded like to people who didn't listen to a lot of it; fast, cheesy, repetitive, and blasphemous. NWO, Just One Fix, and Hero are still monster tracks to me. Jesus Built My Hotrod is such a stupid, awesome song, and Gibby Haynes' gibberish vocals are always great.
Wow; so in TV II, only now after 30 years have I realized Al is saying "connect the goddamn dots" and not "connect the goddamn darts"; lol, yeah, I dunno.
5
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Thu Feb 24 2022
Supa Dupa Fly
Missy Elliott
Never listened to this before, other than hearing the singles when they were popular. Pretty good overall. I like Missy Elliott's voice and production skills, but a lot of this album isn't as memorable as tracks she released later in her career. Some good guests like Busta and Aaliyah, but Timbaland is an immediate detractor from any track he appears on.
3
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Fri Feb 25 2022
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Album starts great; cool drum-machine sample, great piano hook with lots of spicy dissonance added at the end along with ambient effects. Such a cool track. Pedal steel guitar, vibrophone, and mellotron instrumentation is great on Shadowboxer. I've never noticed all the great counter-melody in Criminal, though I think I've only ever heard it on the radio or on PAs; this is the first time listening on good headphones. Rest of the album continues to be interesting and dynamic. All in all pretty good.
4
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Mon Feb 28 2022
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
I've never really seen the appeal of Kanye. His public persona aside, his music has always just been kind of "meh" for me. Opening track, Dark Fantasy, does nothing to improve this; sounds like it was written and recorded by a 12 year old. There are some decent guest appearances, and a couple of good hooks, but overall I didn't really enjoy this.
2
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Tue Mar 01 2022
Licensed To Ill
Beastie Boys
This is a fun album; lots of classic Beastie songs, lots of lyrics about being a stupid kid. Some good grade school nostalgia from listening to this.
4
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Wed Mar 02 2022
Ghosteen
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Beautiful composition and instrumentation. Didn't impress me a ton at first, but after reading some background and listening a second time, the vocal performances and lyrics are pretty devastating. It's not something I'd put on for myself, but a solid record otherwise.
3
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Thu Mar 03 2022
Vincebus Eruptum
Blue Cheer
Very so-so for me; not much remarkable, but I probably wouldn't skip it if it came up on a random play. I generally like bluesy-rock like this, but the way Blue Cheer puts it together is just not my favorite.
3
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Fri Mar 04 2022
Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
Tangled up in Blue is decent. So is Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, though it kind of reminds me of the awkward studio recording scene from the movie Inside Llewyn Davis. The rest is just fine, so overall the album is a solid meh/5.
2
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Mon Mar 07 2022
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
This album is rad. Lots of classic Hendrix hits. I know lots of modern players give Hendrix flack for not being the most precise guitar player, but I love his playing style on this record. There was a time when I was a bit burned out on most of these tracks, but listening now after having not listened in several years they don't seem played out and I really enjoyed the whole album.
5
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Tue Mar 08 2022
Rock 'N Soul
Solomon Burke
This is a pretty good record. Cry To Me is a great classic tune. You Can't Love 'Em All is a little creepy in a Mambo Number 5 kind of way. Solomon has such a powerful voice and I like how subtly he goes from crooning to wailing. The album has a really great 60's R&B/Soul feel.
4
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Wed Mar 09 2022
Close To You
Carpenters
The opening track is one I've never really been a fan of, but many of these are just catchy as fuck. Reason to Believe has a great opening Rhodes riff and the rolling country feel after that is hard not to bop along to...until the violins at least. Their cover of Help makes me like this Beatles tune even less than I already did. I like the zaniness (jazz flute!) on the final track Another Song. All in all not too bad; not really my cup of tea, but I enjoyed much of the album.
3
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Thu Mar 10 2022
Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Nina Simone has such a great characteristic voice for jazz. I'm only familiar with a few of her songs, so this entire album was new to me. Most of these songs were decent, though not many of them really stuck with me. This slow, vocal jazz style is something I enjoy putting on in the background but not always actively listening to.
3
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Fri Mar 11 2022
Funeral
Arcade Fire
Just okay. Some of the tracks were good, Rebellion for example I found pretty interesting with some of the key modulations, but overall there wasn't much on here that I really liked. Maybe more listens are necessary, but this kind of just made me want to put on the Pixies or Modest Mouse instead.
3
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Mon Mar 14 2022
Screamadelica
Primal Scream
Never listened to Primal Scream before, although I recognize Movin' on Up? Slip Inside the House; this is a strange pivot, but I like it. Higher than the Sun is a bit of a relic; breaks between the lyrical verses is pretty dope though. Overall I liked this more than I would have expected; not my preferred style but great songs pretty much throughout.
4
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Tue Mar 15 2022
Truth
Jeff Beck
This is a very ok late 60's rock album. Nothing bad about it, nothing really remarkable either. I've really never gotten the appeal of Jeff Beck; this album changes nothing.
3
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Wed Mar 16 2022
Another Green World
Brian Eno
This album is decent. Some interesting early synth sounds, but not much that really held my attention overall.
3
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Thu Mar 17 2022
Diamond Life
Sade
4
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Fri Mar 18 2022
Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
4
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Mon Mar 21 2022
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
I really dug this. Not familiar with Elbow at all, but there was so much to listen to in these songs. Hard to pin just how many things I'm reminded of listening to this, but overall I really enjoyed it.
4
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Tue Mar 22 2022
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
4
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Wed Mar 23 2022
No Other
Gene Clark
Life's Greatest Fool was a good song. I didn't like Silver Raven so much; Clark's voice isn't well suited to this style of singing. No Other is a great song; has enough cowbell to make Blue Oyster Cult jealous. Strength of Strings sounds a lot like Neil Young. From a Silver Phial sounds a lot like Pink Floyd. Album kind of lost my interest after this point until Lady of the North, which I kind of liked towards the end. 3 good songs, but then the rest I didn't particularly enjoy.
3
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Thu Mar 24 2022
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
4
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Fri Mar 25 2022
Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
4
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Mon Mar 28 2022
...And Justice For All
Metallica
4
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Tue Mar 29 2022
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
2
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Wed Mar 30 2022
Synchronicity
The Police
I like lots of Police songs, but this album is not my favorite. It seems like they're going for a kind of Residents vibe with some of these tunes. Some bands pull off that type of theatrical weirdness well, but I don't like how it's done on Synchronicity. The hit singles are decent: Synchronicity II is a banger, and Every Breath You Take has a great guitar hook, despite being the most famous stalker anthem of all time.
3
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Thu Mar 31 2022
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
I was ready to hate this because I'm sick to death of their singles...but some of these songs I really enjoyed. So, pleasantly surprised.
3
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Fri Apr 01 2022
Achtung Baby
U2
TIHI
1
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Mon Apr 04 2022
The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
This had a nice mixture of kind of classic big band type jazz, but also some really great bebop and dixieland style. Some really sweet guitar and clarinet lines in places, and the piano playing of course is super rad. I like this quite a bit, works well as some upbeat background music, but also interesting stuff happening for active listening too.
4
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Tue Apr 05 2022
Kenya
Machito
4
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Wed Apr 06 2022
Crocodiles
Echo And The Bunnymen
3
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Thu Apr 07 2022
The Pleasure Principle
Gary Numan
The sound of this album captures this era of time so well for me. So many great obvious and subtle synth sounds. There's times when I can't tell if some of the backing tracks are stringed instruments with effects or synthesizers made to sound like stringed instruments.
4
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Fri Apr 08 2022
Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
Holy shit, this is really good. "Music makes you lose control", that bass hook is rad! Never heard of this before, but I kind of love it, makes you want to shake your ass.
4
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Mon Apr 11 2022
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
2
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Tue Apr 12 2022
Murmur
R.E.M.
There's a bar I sometimes end up at named Mulligan's which has the slogan "The OK-est bar on Hawthorne"...this album is like that but for music. Nothing in here I either hated or loved, it was all ok.
3
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Wed Apr 13 2022
Murder Ballads
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3
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Thu Apr 14 2022
Signing Off
UB40
3
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Fri Apr 15 2022
La Revancha Del Tango
Gotan Project
3
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Mon Apr 18 2022
Is This It
The Strokes
4
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Tue Apr 19 2022
The Slider
T. Rex
3
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Wed Apr 20 2022
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
4
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Thu Apr 21 2022
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
3
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Fri Apr 22 2022
Fear and Whiskey
Mekons
2
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Mon Apr 25 2022
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
4
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Tue Apr 26 2022
The Hour Of Bewilderbeast
Badly Drawn Boy
4
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Wed Apr 27 2022
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
5
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Thu Apr 28 2022
Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
5
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Fri Apr 29 2022
Oxygène
Jean-Michel Jarre
3
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Mon May 02 2022
John Prine
John Prine
5
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Tue May 03 2022
Dusty In Memphis
Dusty Springfield
4
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Wed May 04 2022
Sweet Baby James
James Taylor
4
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Thu May 05 2022
Here Are the Sonics
The Sonics
3
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Fri May 06 2022
Follow The Leader
Korn
Blast from the past; I tried so hard to get into this album when I was in high school, being a huge fan of the first two. But Follow the Leader never really clicked for me and still doesn't. Most of the songs seem to be trying to recapture the sound that made them big, but with a few exceptions it comes off as kind of flat.
2
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Mon May 09 2022
Hysteria
Def Leppard
So bland. Something about the "huge" production of this record just saps it of all dynamics for me, so it loses my interest if I listen to more than a few songs in a row. Piecemeal it's alright, but the album as a whole is kind of tiresome to listen to.
2
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Tue May 10 2022
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
3
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Wed May 11 2022
Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
Not exceptional, but still pretty good straight rock and roll.
3
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Thu May 12 2022
Rocks
Aerosmith
Pretty decent guitar rock. Nothing super special about, but I enjoyed the play through.
3
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Fri May 13 2022
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
Huh; this was very strange, but I kind of liked it. If Henry Mancini ever went through a post-punk phase it seems like it would sound like this.
3
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Mon May 16 2022
Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Not bad, not great. I like a lot of the riffs, but there's also quite a few which just kind of sound like "insert generic thrash riff". That's kind of what you get with the big four, to be fair. Also not a fan of Mustaine's voice.
3
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Tue May 17 2022
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
God. Damn. Hippies.
2
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Wed May 18 2022
Roots
Sepultura
I love this album, though a lot of that is for nostalgic reasons. They really jumped on the nu-metal bandwagon with this album, but 16 year old me didn't care about that in 1997, I just loved playing this and Chaos AD over and over. In addition to being a gateway metal album from my formative years, Sepultura was also one of those bands that kind of opened my eyes to a wider world beyond the small conservative community I grew up in. To this day, I just love Max Cavalera's voice, and Igor Cavalera varies up his drumming so much that even songs with the simplest riffs end up being some of the most dynamic.
5
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Thu May 19 2022
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
This has got some of the best Dire Straits songs on it. They don't all kick ass, but the ones that do have some of my favorite guitar playing of all time.
4
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Fri May 20 2022
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
I liked this album and it seems like one that will get even better on repeated listens. It reminds me of Dirty Computer in that the themes of the songs are just as striking as the music, and the more I listen the more I pick out.
4
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Mon May 23 2022
Be
Common
3
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Tue May 24 2022
Violator
Depeche Mode
I never liked Depeche Mode growing up (always chuckled at KMFDM jokingly standing for Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode), but I actually enjoyed this album quite a bit.
4
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Wed May 25 2022
The Poet
Bobby Womack
4
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Thu May 26 2022
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
3
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Fri May 27 2022
Black Holes and Revelations
Muse
I don't like everything Muse has done, but I really like this album. There's such a cool mix of fun theatric songs mixed with more "serious" rock songs, often going back and forth in the same track. Just about every song has many nuanced layers; it's a real listener's album as Gina Gleason likes to say.
5
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Mon May 30 2022
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
5
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Tue May 31 2022
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
This is such a solid album; Amy's voice is amazing and I love all of the old-school production and instrumentation/arrangement.
4
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Wed Jun 01 2022
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
Eh, it's just ok. I like Willie Nelson as a cultural icon and for his activist endeavors, but his music is pretty meh for me, this album being a prime example.
3
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Thu Jun 02 2022
Olympia 64
Jacques Brel
I enjoyed the orchestra (more accordian and theremin, please!), but not much else. I can give Jacques credit for giving his all, his performance is clearly passionate, but I would not choose to listen to this again.
2
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Fri Jun 03 2022
Lazer Guided Melodies
Spiritualized
2
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Mon Jun 06 2022
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
Pretty good, makes for some good upbeat background music while doing other things. Don't think I'd put it on for much else, but I enjoyed it enough for the first playthrough.
3
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Tue Jun 07 2022
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
3
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Wed Jun 08 2022
At San Quentin
Johnny Cash
5
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Thu Jun 09 2022
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
2
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Fri Jun 10 2022
American Idiot
Green Day
3
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Mon Jun 13 2022
Darklands
The Jesus And Mary Chain
4
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Tue Jun 14 2022
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
3
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Wed Jun 15 2022
Sound Affects
The Jam
I really liked this. Never heard of this group before, but I hear so many other groups that I enjoy in this album.
5
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Thu Jun 16 2022
System Of A Down
System Of A Down
5
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Fri Jun 17 2022
Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
This album really grew on me. I didn't like track 1 at all at first, but track 2 hooked me and the rest of the album clicked too. It always takes me awhile to get into some of these shoegaze bands (Medicine is still a group that I'm kind of bipolar on), but overall I liked this album a lot.
4
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Mon Jun 20 2022
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
This album gives me some high-precision nostalgia; makes me want to Hack the Planet. I kind of hate what they done to my beloved L7 with their Fuel My Fire cover.
3
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Tue Jun 21 2022
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
3
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Wed Jun 22 2022
The Sun Rises In The East
Jeru The Damaja
Wow, I didn't think I was familiar with Jeru other than recognizing the name, but I actually know some of these tracks from 311 skate videos I used to watch in high school. Pretty good album; has that 90's hip hop sound and that east coast style of using dissonant samples.
4
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Thu Jun 23 2022
Groovin'
The Young Rascals
This is a decent early rock album. I like how much soul influence there is in many of these songs.
4
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Fri Jun 24 2022
Pelican West
Haircut 100
5
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Mon Jun 27 2022
Van Halen
Van Halen
Lots of classic songs on here. Most are pretty played out from me; only FM rock station where I grew up played lots of Van Halen every day. I've grown to like most of these songs as I've gotten older. Hard not to appreciate Eddie as a guitar player. I still Like 4 Non Blondes version of I'm The One better, and 2 Minutes to Late Night mined this album hard for their Bedroom Covers series, so at the end of the day there are versions of most of these songs I'd rather listen to.
3
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Tue Jun 28 2022
The Genius Of Ray Charles
Ray Charles
3
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Wed Jun 29 2022
Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
Wasn't familiar at all with Julian Cope before this. The first track didn't do much for me, but it took off after that. I love the sound of this album, and I dig the variety of styles. I read a little about Julian's background and there's definitely evidence of his post-punk roots, but there's so much cool exploration and weirdness. The song You... is fantastic. This is an album I would for sure spin again, way too much to hear in only one sitting.
4
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Thu Jun 30 2022
Grace
Jeff Buckley
Not much to say; Jeff Buckley is pretty damn good. The songwriting and singing are great, and considering he was a session guitar player before recording this album the songs are pretty balanced instrumentation wise, not entirely guitar-centric.
5
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Fri Jul 01 2022
Boston
Boston
4
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Mon Jul 04 2022
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
4
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Tue Jul 05 2022
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
2
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Wed Jul 06 2022
L.A. Woman
The Doors
4
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Thu Jul 07 2022
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
I appreciate the songwriting and arrangement of these songs, but the Flaming Lips are not a band I really ever enjoy. Everything on this album sounds great, but nothing that has me wanting to play it again.
3
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Fri Jul 08 2022
Phrenology
The Roots
5
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Mon Jul 11 2022
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
5
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Tue Jul 12 2022
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
3
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Wed Jul 13 2022
Here, My Dear
Marvin Gaye
5
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Thu Jul 14 2022
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
This album surprised me a bit. I had low expectations but I think for the first time in a long time I really heard the appeal of Bob Dylan from many of these songs. I think a lot of it had to do with him staying in his vocal range more and keeping it real simple. I was able to appreciate the songs as a whole and not get distracted by his voice. Probably not something I'd spin again for myself, but would definitely consider it for a backyard gathering or group roadtrip.
3
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Fri Jul 15 2022
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
Simple Minds
4
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Mon Jul 18 2022
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
I'm not a big fan of straight blues, so this record didn't do much for me. I enjoyed the songs well enough while it played, but nothing really stuck out to me and overall it is kind of forgettable.
2
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Tue Jul 19 2022
Actually
Pet Shop Boys
4
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Wed Jul 20 2022
Document
R.E.M.
2
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Thu Jul 21 2022
Wild Wood
Paul Weller
I'm liking this a lot. Very mellow, but some great composition and instrumentation. Occasionally some very uniquely dirty sounding synths used along with some big classic 70's sounding arrangements with flute and horns; I love it. He used to be in the Jam; I can sort of hear it knowing that, though wouldn't have connected those two dots without a wiki. This list is my first exposure to both Weller and the Jam, and I'm quite happy for both.
4
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Fri Jul 22 2022
Live Through This
Hole
I have a very well loved copy of this on CD; happy to dust it off and give it a spin today.
5
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Mon Jul 25 2022
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
My dad played this record regularly all through my childhood. This type of jazz remains my favorite to this day (had to look it up, modal jazz; will seek out more); simple motifs stated and restated, with minor variations and improv that's not shy about hitting a phrase multiple times, whether it's harmonious or dissonant.
5
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Tue Jul 26 2022
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
Not bad. Bluesy jam bands aren't really my thing, but there were some interesting riffs. Not much that held my intention more than intermittently. Might try again some other time.
3
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Wed Jul 27 2022
Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
2
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Thu Jul 28 2022
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Pink Floyd
Love me some Floyd, but I'm not the biggest fan of the really early stuff. Meddle is kind of the furthest back in their catalog that I've done most of my listening. This album was just ok for me. Nothing that turned me off, but it's not the record I would put on by choice; give me Animals any day, every day.
3
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Fri Jul 29 2022
Pearl
Janis Joplin
4
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Mon Aug 01 2022
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I love how raw and unpolished this recording sounds. Everything is kind of overly dynamic and noisy, but it fits the style of the music perfectly and sounds like you're listening to them live. S'good
5
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Tue Aug 02 2022
B-52's
The B-52's
I played the HELL out of side-A on this cassette on my Walkman as a kid. I still love this album so much. It honestly makes me wish I could renormalize the rest of my album scores because this 5/5 is so much more significant than some of my others. To this day I pretty much compare anything coined as "psychedelic" to Planet Claire; such a cool, weird and creepy track. The way Kate and Cindy sing together on 52 girls, oscillating between unison, harmony, and dissonance is one of my favorite things ever. The catty call-and-response on Dance This Mess Around. Rock Lobster is loved by everyone and for good reason; song is a fucking banger, and Fred Schneider's beach party is clearly an interspecies rager. B-side of the album loses a little steam. Lava is pretty good and laid back; I love that they included the line "Krakatoa, East of Java" after the '68 disaster movie which misses the tiny fact that Krakatoa is west of Java. The vocals on Hero Worship are great; very unironically loose-in-a-tight-way. Closing track Downtown seems like a great drunken karaoke version captured. 10/5
5
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Wed Aug 03 2022
En-Tact
The Shamen
2
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Thu Aug 04 2022
Odessa
Bee Gees
Ugh, not a fan. Contemplated not even completing a single playthrough several times, but sallied forth in the spirit of the 1001. I guess it's impressive how un-mixed all of the instruments feel at times; everything sounds very compartmentalized. I also would not have placed any of these songs as Bee Gees songs if I'd heard them randomly in the wild; I really only know them for their disco singles.
2
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Fri Aug 05 2022
Femi Kuti
Femi Kuti
This is dope. Really great sax playing and I like the arrangements. Electric piano all over the place dates it, but not always negatively. Femi's voice is really great, and I like all afrobeat call and response.
4
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Mon Aug 08 2022
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
3
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Tue Aug 09 2022
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
4
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Wed Aug 10 2022
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Very strange. I like odd recordings like this, though I don't know this is one I would listen to often. I read that one of the band members went on to form Psychic TV, which makes a lot of sense. Knowing that, I really want to give a second listen in a much quieter environment; probably lots of hidden aural treats.
3
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Thu Aug 11 2022
Play
Moby
This is the only Moby album I'm familiar with, but I really like it. I love all of the sampled Lomax recordings and roots music. Some of these tracks are just down-right haunting.
4
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Fri Aug 12 2022
Mothership Connection
Parliament
Pretty good. Didn't realize just how much of The Chronic was taken directly from this album. I want to play SNES NBA Jam all of a sudden...
3
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Mon Aug 15 2022
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
4
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Tue Aug 16 2022
Highway to Hell
AC/DC
I wanted blood. I got it.
4
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Wed Aug 17 2022
Teenage Head
Flamin' Groovies
Not bad. Very garage band-y rock and roll. I liked most of it, though it started to get more blues-centric and generic towards the end of the album.
3
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Thu Aug 18 2022
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
Pretty good. Very laid back, nice instrumentation, interesting chord changes. Something I would put on for mixed company, but probably not listen to a lot on my own.
3
View Album
Fri Aug 19 2022
The Only Ones
The Only Ones
Nice opening with saxophone and shimmering guitar...not a fan of this singer at first. As the album goes on, the rest of the band makes up for the singing, and I got accustomed to it. Overall not bad. Worth additional spins.
3
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Mon Aug 22 2022
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
This album is pretty good. Folk rock is a style that's blended especially while by the Byrds. I love how jangly the guitar sounds on this record. Time Between has some great country finger pickin' guitar.
3
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Tue Aug 23 2022
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
Pretty good. I was never a fan of Miss Misery when it got super popular, but this album surprised me. Looks like I need to chase down some more Elliott Smith.
4
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Wed Aug 24 2022
Vento De Maio
Elis Regina
First impression: wow, this first song has me hooked right from the start! This album is super tight; really jazzy and funky, polished production, and just tons of great little musical moments and riffs. I'm pretty blown away; first song was a 5/5, and the rest of the record backed it up. Last track is such a banger!
5
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Thu Aug 25 2022
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
S'allright. Songs are pretty decent, definitely not as interesting as their later stuff.
3
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Fri Aug 26 2022
Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3
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Mon Aug 29 2022
Harvest
Neil Young
4
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Tue Aug 30 2022
Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
3
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Wed Aug 31 2022
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
4
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Thu Sep 01 2022
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
3
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Fri Sep 02 2022
Street Signs
Ozomatli
4
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Mon Sep 05 2022
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
Pretty good. I like bebop and modal stuff much more than this type of soul jazz, but there were still lots of great moments in here. Loved the back and forth with the sax and Hammond organ, and overall just liked the very mellow vibe, even during some of the more complicated solos.
4
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Tue Sep 06 2022
Moondance
Van Morrison
4
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Wed Sep 07 2022
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
This is pretty solid. Not my favorite Petty album; I think I like his second and third albums better, but still pretty good.
4
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Thu Sep 08 2022
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Another new one to me, I pretty much immediately liked it. Sleeping Gas devolved into such a chaotic mess of organ and horns. Did a little research; Julian Cope got his start here, that's cool. Yeah, this album was pretty rad. Will definitely listen again.
5
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Fri Sep 09 2022
Triangle
The Beau Brummels
Never heard of this group before, but I really didn't enjoy this. It just seems to me like the worst of Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan combined.
2
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Mon Sep 12 2022
The Queen Is Dead
The Smiths
The timing of today's album; lol. This was pretty great. I need to spend more time with The Smiths, and this album reminded me of that.
4
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Tue Sep 13 2022
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
4
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Wed Sep 14 2022
21
Adele
Pretty good. Doesn't really hold my attention, but great in the background. The singles I was familiar with and enjoy, but some of the other deep cuts were really good too. "I'll Be Waiting" is a stand out track, love the horns and multiple vocalists hitting the chorus.
4
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Thu Sep 15 2022
Atomizer
Big Black
Lol, this is incredible! The production is so noisy and raw. Steve Albini's band, so that makes sense. Sometimes gives me some Ministry vibes with the combination of drum machine and distorted vocals.
5
View Album
Fri Sep 16 2022
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Not familiar with this record. Pretty strange hearing Maiden without Bruce Dickinson's voice, but the galloping rhythms and frantic bass are pretty unmistakable. Not bad overall; not my favorite Maiden record though.
3
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Mon Sep 19 2022
Bossanova
Pixies
First Pixies record I ever bought. Played the hell out of it, but as I started collecting the rest of their records this one became the least favorite of them all as a teenager. Listening to this now; I don't know why this ever fell to the bottom. The reverbed out guitar, the super clean vocal harmonies, Black Francis' range from velvety smooth to gnarly growls, experimenting with the spacey dissonant melodies that made Trompe Le Monde such a great album.
Easily a 5/5 album.
5
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Tue Sep 20 2022
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
4
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Wed Sep 21 2022
Colour By Numbers
Culture Club
2
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Thu Sep 22 2022
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
5
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Fri Sep 23 2022
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
3
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Mon Sep 26 2022
Tommy
The Who
How can you not love an opening track with flugelhorn? Overall just OK.
3
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Tue Sep 27 2022
Dust
Screaming Trees
This album kind of snuck up on me. I was initially not impressed, but by halfway through started really paying attention and immediately played it through a second time. Really good overall. There are hints of gospel in lots of the songs, and I love how smoothly its integrated with the rest of the alternative rock sound of the late 90's that's pretty unmistakable.
4
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Wed Sep 28 2022
Done By The Forces Of Nature
Jungle Brothers
It's pretty apparent from the sound of this album how it's a bridge from early hip hop to the golden age. Not my favorite from this era, but still pretty good overall.
4
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Thu Sep 29 2022
The Lexicon Of Love
ABC
Love that bass! Production on this album is crazy; so dense and massive. I don't know ABC, but I really like this record.
4
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Fri Sep 30 2022
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
3
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Mon Oct 03 2022
xx
The xx
4
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Tue Oct 04 2022
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
Great album from a great era in country music. Dolly has such an unmistakable voice, with some crazy vibrato on some of these songs, and her song and lyric writing are great too.
4
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Wed Oct 05 2022
Raising Hell
Run-D.M.C.
3
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Thu Oct 06 2022
Queen II
Queen
4
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Fri Oct 07 2022
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Stones, baby! There's some pretty great guitar sounds on this album. Richards is by no means the best player, but I do like many of his licks; it's really hard to beat Can't You Hear Me Knocking.
4
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Mon Oct 10 2022
Aja
Steely Dan
Pretty great! Such a great blend of prog rock, jazz and mellow funk.
4
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Tue Oct 11 2022
There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
2
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Wed Oct 12 2022
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
This is decent, but not much really striking me or holding my attention. Pleasant to listen to but mostly forgettable for me. First and last tracks I found the most interesting and pretty good though; there's enough here in these two tracks that I might try the album as a whole again later.
3
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Thu Oct 13 2022
In It For The Money
Supergrass
Supergrass was one of those bands I was aware of but never listened to in the 90's. I'm now very much kicking myself for not having checked this out earlier. This album has so much great stuff in it; kind of seems like a precursor to proggy rock bands like Closure in Moscow. Instant fan.
5
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Fri Oct 14 2022
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
Hmm; not super impressed. Wiki says this album was their most acclaimed and at the peak of their accessibility, but I found it all pretty bland, with one or two exceptions. Just ok overall.
3
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Mon Oct 17 2022
The Man Who
Travis
Just ok, but likely won't ever listen again to be honest.
2
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Tue Oct 18 2022
Eagles
Eagles
Love Take it Easy. Hate Witchy Woman. Rest of the album did nothing for me. Eagles remain high on my list of overrated 70's bands.
2
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Wed Oct 19 2022
The Renaissance
Q-Tip
Took a tiny bit of warming up to, but this album was great overall. Captures some of what I love about Tribe's sound without sounding totally like them, and there are some monster hooks on this record.
4
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Thu Oct 20 2022
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
4
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Fri Oct 21 2022
Real Life
Magazine
5
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Mon Oct 24 2022
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
3
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Tue Oct 25 2022
1984
Van Halen
Such a monster album. Not perfect, but pretty close.
4
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Wed Oct 26 2022
Destroyer
KISS
3
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Thu Oct 27 2022
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
4
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Fri Oct 28 2022
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
So many hits! Start to finish this album is solid and has some of my favorite versions of the covers done on it.
4
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Mon Oct 31 2022
Risque
CHIC
Very cool. It usually into disco, but this album kind of ruled. Plus, the bass line and slapping ham-bone on My Feet Keep Dancing; hell yeah!
4
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Tue Nov 01 2022
Oracular Spectacular
MGMT
5
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Wed Nov 02 2022
Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
There were some songs that I really liked, but overall the album just kind of dragged on. Also, some of the noisier tracks were kind of grating and too wall-of-sound-y, so I found myself adjusting my listening volume constantly.
3
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Thu Nov 03 2022
Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
5
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Fri Nov 04 2022
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
Super fun album; cover versions of Listen to the Music and Summer Breeze are pretty fantastic. Love the gnarly fuzz guitar tone!
4
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Mon Nov 07 2022
Disraeli Gears
Cream
I like Cream's hit songs, so I had higher hopes for this. But the majority of the album kind of just sounded like standard 60's Brit rock. So overall, just ok.
3
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Tue Nov 08 2022
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
All around good album. I've always liked Neil Young and his elegant stripped down style. Crazy Horse makes a great backing band for him, so this whole record is just fun straight-forward rock and roll.
4
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Wed Nov 09 2022
Graceland
Paul Simon
Love this record. The production is all super polished and Paul Simon's voice, as well as the other backup vocalists and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, just shine through the whole album.
4
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Thu Nov 10 2022
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
I mostly liked this. Some of the songs devolved a little too much into kind of weird hippy horniness, especially the back half of the album, but overall not bad.
3
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Fri Nov 11 2022
The Stranger
Billy Joel
Billy Joel is an artist I always enjoy listening to and will never choose to listen to. Not sure why, his music is fine, but just never really tickles my fancy enough to want to come back I guess.
3
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Mon Nov 14 2022
Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio
I liked this instantly. This recording sounds so great, so much space taken up by only three instruments. Bill Evans piano playing is simultaneously unpredictable, but at the same time phrases never seem surprising. Reminds me a bit of some of the Miles Davis records I like, no surprise they played together in the late 50's.
5
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Tue Nov 15 2022
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Love this album. I've always really dug just how up front in the mix the bass guitar is. And it's such a clean but also unpolished recording. If it weren't for the sound of the vocals, it's easy to think this was recorded in the 60's or 70's.
5
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Wed Nov 16 2022
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yup, they're pretty good. I don't quite like this album as much as Fever to Tell. Blitz has a much cleaner and pop-ier production, which suits the songs on this album well.
4
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Thu Nov 17 2022
The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem
3
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Fri Nov 18 2022
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I remember being super into this album as a teenager. I still like most of the songs, but the album as a whole runs way too long. 3.5/4
3
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Mon Nov 21 2022
Purple Rain
Prince
This album is so good. It has so much of what people like to parody Prince for, but done so god damn well. I challenge anyone to listen to Baby I'm a Star and not shake their ass. 4/5
4
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Tue Nov 22 2022
Woodface
Crowded House
Hmm, well that was certainly an album. Very little that I liked about this. Maybe an occasional hook, but overall just kind of a snooze fest.
2
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Wed Nov 23 2022
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
I liked this album okay. Fun and playful, but not much really stuck with me.
3
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Thu Nov 24 2022
Dare!
The Human League
Human League is a group I've always had on my "need to check them out more" list. This album has highs and lows for me. I love all of the synths being used, but there are some tunes where the use of portamento is kind of exhausting. But songs like Do or Die and Don't You Want Me are undeniable bangers. Overall good, I would give this a spin again. 3.5/5
4
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Fri Nov 25 2022
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
I'm not familiar with this album other than the singles. It's just okay for me. The lyrics made me chuckle at times, and some tracks had a sound I liked, but overall the lyrics and production didn't do much for me.
3
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Mon Nov 28 2022
Melodrama
Lorde
Hmm, not bad for pop music I guess. Nothing that would make me want to choose to listen to it, but I didn't dislike it while it was playing. 2.5/5
3
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Tue Nov 29 2022
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Love me some PJ Harvey. I'm more familiar with To Bring You My Love, so I was only familiar with a handful of tracks off this album before today. This album is maybe a little more polished and less avant garde than TBYML, so I think I still prefer that album, but overall I enjoyed this whole record quite a bit.
4
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Wed Nov 30 2022
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Another group that I've always had on my "should listen to someday" list, until now. This record dipped a little in energy for me in the middle for a few tracks, but I really liked the rest. Voodoo Dolly was a nice dark kind of psychedelic spin out at the end. I can hear this group's influence in lots of things I'm into by more recent artists.
4
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Thu Dec 01 2022
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Helluva opening; this stereo, fuzzy wah guitar tone would make both Hendrix and Jerry Cantrell drool. The rest of the album was ok; fun to listen to, but didn't necessarily keep me engaged. Very nice as background music, just not a lot there for active listening.
3
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Fri Dec 02 2022
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
3
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Mon Dec 05 2022
Lust For Life
Iggy Pop
4
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Tue Dec 06 2022
Modern Life Is Rubbish
Blur
4
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Wed Dec 07 2022
Hms Fable
Shack
3
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Thu Dec 08 2022
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
Skipped Rolling Stone; I've heard it too many god damn times and I don't think it's a great song. Tombstone Blues surprised me initially, I liked it more than I thought I would, but then it just kept going on for almost 6 minutes with little change. The rest of the album was a chore; the harmonica in Queen Jane gave me a headache, even after I turned it down, and that fucking spin-whistle in HWY 61, what in the pretentious-folk-hero-hippy-square-scaring-mid-60's-edge-lord kind of fucking bullshit is that?!? Well, the album is almost over at least, this last song is only...11 minutes longWHATTHEFUCKBOB!!!!
1
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Fri Dec 09 2022
Surf's Up
The Beach Boys
3
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Mon Dec 12 2022
Countdown To Ecstasy
Steely Dan
This album has some really great jazz-feeling guitar lines, and I love the variety in instrumentation (I'm a sucker for a track with vibraphone). Not every song is a banger, but the bookends of the record alone make me want to listen again.
4
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Tue Dec 13 2022
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
3
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Wed Dec 14 2022
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
The Incredible String Band
Lol, I can't take this band seriously, it just makes me think of Spinal Tap. This was just the first few songs; the album goes downhill after that for me. Very much not by bag, baby.
1
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Thu Dec 15 2022
Treasure
Cocteau Twins
4
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Fri Dec 16 2022
Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17
I dug this. Love all the frantic funky guitar and bass mixed with synth and drum machine. Some nice sax samples in there too. 3.5/4
4
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Mon Dec 19 2022
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
Man, there's a lot to like in this record. I kept hearing things that reminded me of later groups like Oingo Boingo and Jesus and Mary Chain. I will for sure be playing this again.
5
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Tue Dec 20 2022
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
Love it. I could listen to this all the time. Never was there a greater combination than Tom Wait's voice and the quirky folk music he sings over.
5
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Wed Dec 21 2022
Honky Tonk Heroes
Waylon Jennings
Very standard-issue-Waylon Jennings. Decent country music, if not my favorite, but also not super remarkable.
3
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Thu Dec 22 2022
Mermaid Avenue
Billy Bragg
I like most alt country when I here it, even though it's not a style I often put on myself, but this album did very little for me.
2
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Fri Dec 23 2022
Dog Man Star
Suede
2
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Tue Dec 27 2022
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple
4
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Wed Dec 28 2022
Gentlemen
The Afghan Whigs
2
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Thu Dec 29 2022
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
4
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Fri Dec 30 2022
All Hail the Queen
Queen Latifah
I've only ever heard Queen Latifah's records from the 90's. This was pretty good, nice bridge between the 80's hip hop rap sound and the style that became popular in the 90's.
4
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Mon Jan 02 2023
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
3
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Tue Jan 03 2023
Blue
Joni Mitchell
3
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Wed Jan 04 2023
Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
This was pretty good. It has that characteristic manic Lightning Bolt sound, although seems maybe a little more tame than some of their later stuff.
4
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Thu Jan 05 2023
That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Love me a tight horn section, and I was surprised how often the keyboard playing and melodic percussion on this album stood out as well. The big funk/soul groups don't always do it for me, but I liked this entire album.
4
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Fri Jan 06 2023
Life Thru A Lens
Robbie Williams
I'm imagining a record producer in the 90's, totally gakked on cocaine, screaming at the top of his longs in a studio control room "MAKE IT MOOOOORE BRI' 'IISSHHHHHH!!!!" Seriously, this is hilarious in how just how Brit-pop it is. He literally sings "jolly good" in the first damn song. Too pop-y and polished for my liking.
2
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Mon Jan 09 2023
Paul Simon
Paul Simon
4
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Tue Jan 10 2023
Liquid Swords
GZA
3
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Wed Jan 11 2023
First Band On The Moon
The Cardigans
First time I've listened to this full album. I like all of the Black Sabbath nods; intro to Heartbreaker using the opening riff from Black Sabbath was a cool surprise. The album is super pop-y, but luckily it's not all as disco inspired as Lovefool. I like that song, but I really enjoyed the variety of styles across the album.
4
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Thu Jan 12 2023
Bummed
Happy Mondays
3
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Fri Jan 13 2023
Drunk
Thundercat
I've been listening to a lot of Louis Cole recently and I've heard Thundercat is a similar style. This definitely has a similar vibe, and it's great! Inferno was a top track for me. It's got a great combination of laid back but also very nuanced playing, so I'll be listening again for sure.
4
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Mon Jan 16 2023
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
4
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Tue Jan 17 2023
Solid Air
John Martyn
Took me awhile to get used to the singing style, but I really liked the variety of styles and instrumentation on this album. Some really great understated saxophone, electric piano and vibraphone runs on many of the songs. The more straight forward blues tracks were a bit forgettable, but overall a solid album.
4
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Wed Jan 18 2023
Public Image: First Issue
Public Image Ltd.
I didn't like this at all. Very bland throughout, and Rotten's vocals seem all but phoned in.
2
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Thu Jan 19 2023
The Cars
The Cars
I’ve loved the Cars ever since I was 8, so this is an album that gets played in our house pretty regularly already.
5
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Fri Jan 20 2023
Frampton Comes Alive
Peter Frampton
Just ok. Really not my preferred style of rock and roll.
3
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Mon Jan 23 2023
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley has always been about as neutral in my music likes as anything. With the exception of listening for this project, I don't think I've ever chosen to listen to Bob Marley, but any time someone else plays it or I hear it happenstance I've enjoyed it. It was fun listening to the Jamaican versions versus the US releases back to back. It's pretty clear that the US releases were made to sound closer to the contemporary rock music of the time.
3
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Tue Jan 24 2023
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
This record is kind of wild. I didn't really like it the first playthrough until about halfway through Mode D, then something just clicked. I started it from the beginning immediately after the first playthrough and actively listened and was blown away at how much I had missed the first time through. Solid 4/5.
4
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Wed Jan 25 2023
The Yes Album
Yes
I was hoping to like this album more, but it never really clicked for me other than a few nice moments.
3
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Thu Jan 26 2023
Rapture
Anita Baker
3
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Fri Jan 27 2023
Faith
George Michael
This album is kind of gross. The number of songs about sexual relationships that include references to patriarchal archetypes has really not aged well. It makes the attempt at social commentary towards the end of the album feel a little phoned in. At least the production is decent; lots of really great classic Roland patch sounds, and some super tight horns on the sex song that just completely does away with all lyrical nuance.
2
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Mon Jan 30 2023
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
What's Love Got to Do With It holds a firm place as beloved nostalgia for me and I had a huge childhood crush on Tina Turner, but I wasn't wowed by this album as a whole. I really wanted to like the cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together, but it had too much 80's production on it for my liking. Steel Claw is pretty fun. Overall just an OK album for me.
3
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Tue Jan 31 2023
Either Or
Elliott Smith
This record was ok. Smith's song writing talent is unmistakable, but it's just a style that I am not super into, so I wouldn't likely listen to this again.
3
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Wed Feb 01 2023
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
I like the moodiness to this, sometimes reminded me of Roy Orbison. Overall a very pretty record; love the sound of Richard's voice, I like the understated guitar playing, and I would likely come back to this record again for a more focused listen.
4
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Thu Feb 02 2023
My Aim Is True
Elvis Costello
3
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Fri Feb 03 2023
Slanted And Enchanted
Pavement
3
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Mon Feb 06 2023
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
First time I've listened to this in its entirety since high school. I enjoyed it a lot back then, and it's still a pretty decent record to these 42 year old ears.
4
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Tue Feb 07 2023
If I Should Fall From Grace With God
The Pogues
This was pretty hot and cold for me. I enjoyed the more raucous tunes, but any time things mellowed down and got more folky, Shane MacGowan's voice and/or delivery just didn't do much for me. On average it's a decent record.
3
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Wed Feb 08 2023
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell
Hard to put my finger on what is so good about this era of popular folk music, but the Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon records on this list have been so damn good! Maybe it's not this era necessarily, and more Joni Mitchell's strength as a song writer, but there's something about this record sonically that just makes it so easy to place in pop music chronology. Great record, will definitely listen again, and most likely seek out a physical copy at some point.
4
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Thu Feb 09 2023
Out of Step
Minor Threat
Can't ever go wrong with Minor Threat, in my opinion. Liked this record as a kid, still like it as I careen gleefully towards my old-fart years.
4
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Fri Feb 10 2023
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
Good stuff. I got a bit into post-rock in my 20's, but this is a record I'd not heard of before today, and it's pretty great. The occasional, without being gimick-y, inclusion of non-western instruments almost sounds to me like it could be a precursor to Tuatara's Breaking the Ethers. Definitely worth additional listens.
4
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Mon Feb 13 2023
Dance Mania
Tito Puente
Nobody does a mambo like Tito! I love the sound of this album; it's such a classic sound that not only instantly registers the Latin style, but also the time it came from. The tracks Hong Kong Mambo and Estoy Siempre Junto a Ti are great with their marimba and vibraphone tracks, respectively. Overall pretty fun record; maybe not for everyday listening, but there's definitely times when I like putting on some of these older Latin styles like mambo or psychedlic cumbria.
4
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Tue Feb 14 2023
Superunknown
Soundgarden
I've loved this record ever since it came out when I was still in junior high. I enjoy it no less today. I often go back and forth on whether I like Superunknown more or Badmotorfinger. Superunknown is definitely more tame, but some of the melodies are so much darker that it's a no-less entertaining album. Limo Wreck is still a song that gives me goosebumps every time; such a heavy verse, and Chris Cornell's vocals just absolutely soar in the chorus. Can't say enough good things.
5
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Wed Feb 15 2023
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
Hmm, separating art from artist, this record is decent. The first half of the album is loaded with lots of the classic disco hits, and it's hard not to bop to them. The album kind of loses momentum for me after the first five tracks or so. By the end, I was kind of wishing that I was listening to one of the later artists clearly inspired by this album (say, Thundercat or Louis Cole, both of which I played immediately after), but it was pretty cool hearing this in comparison.
3
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Thu Feb 16 2023
The Who Sell Out
The Who
This is such a silly album. I remember my dad showing me this record growing up. I had just gotten way into Weird Al, and so we were going through all of this records that were either weird in art or concept, or just unique artists in general. There was The Who Sell Out, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull, and Floyd's Ummagumma, to name a few. When my friends and I all turned 18 and wanted to get tattoos, "Tattoo" was the song we'd get cheesed and laugh with.
Nostalgia aside, the album as a whole is just okay. I'm usually pretty hot or cold with The Who, and this album is no exception. I did appreciate the Boris the Spider nod at the end of the weird psychedelic take on Hall of the Mountain King. Overall, yeah, pretty standard issue Who, which is just "meh".
3
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Fri Feb 17 2023
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
I'm glad I didn't listen to this driving home; I might have fallen asleep and killed somebody.
2
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Mon Feb 20 2023
Hybrid Theory
Linkin Park
After a decade plus of not hearing the singles from this album played out multiple times a day on the radio, I went into this record hoping to enjoy it. But everything just kind of fell flat. It's a nu metal record that doesn't really feel like it's adding anything to the genre. When it tries to go hard, it doesn't have the blistering ferocity of Slipknot. When Chester Bennington sings during quieter melodic parts, it doesn't have the ethereal beaty of the Deftones. And when Mike Shinoda raps over guitar and synth tracks, it doesn't have the Fred Dursity of Limp Bizkit. So it kind of just doesn't really push the envelope in any direction, good or bad.
2
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Tue Feb 21 2023
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
Whoa... I haven't listened to this in maybe 30 years, and I can honestly say that even then I never really paid much attention. This album slaps! Lots of groups sample Public Enemy, but the samples really don't do these songs justice. The composition and flow as a whole is really great.
4
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Wed Feb 22 2023
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
I kind of always think of The Byrds as the band that made Bob Dylan songs actually sound good. I like their blend of folk rock and psychedelia, and this album has got great examples of that. Mr. Spaceman is a fantastic folk-rock song, and 8 Miles High has one of the most iconic guitar intro lines. The rest of the album was decent, though the two hits mentioned resonated the most with me.
3
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Thu Feb 23 2023
Leftism
Leftfield
Not a huge EDM listener, but the afro influence on this record made it much more interesting to me. Fun record to have on in the background. Will very likely listen again.
3
View Album
Fri Feb 24 2023
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Heh, dope. Cypress Hill is dope, and Cypress Hill loves dope. Love the sound of both Sen's and B Real's voices, and even though the follow up to this album, Black Sunday, is the one I'll always prefer, I still really like this S/T as well.
4
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Mon Feb 27 2023
Moon Safari
Air
Not bad overall. I'm such a sucker for a good Rhodes track, so the first song had me hooked right away. They weren't all winners though. I hate the sound of vocoder with only a few exceptions, and track 6 is not one of those exceptions. However, it did win me back with all the theramin and haunting vocals in the back half of the song.
3
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Tue Feb 28 2023
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
This one takes me back. I love the production on this album. I don't think any of the other 90's gangster rap artists ever pulled off the musicality that Dre did. It was such a polished sound. I can't get behind a lot of the homophobia and misogynist lyrics, but I still enjoy the album as a whole.
4
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Wed Mar 01 2023
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
Sounds an awful lot like Flaming Lips to me. Not sure which one came first, but I'm not a huge fan of either.
2
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Thu Mar 02 2023
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
Whoa. This is really good! This is a band I've always heard reference to and just never listened to. Kicking myself for that now, this record had me immediately hooked. Will have to listen to again, but I have a feeling it will be repeated listens.
4
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Fri Mar 03 2023
Smile
Brian Wilson
I remember when this came out and not getting why it was so popular. I still don't get it. In fact, I hate it. The whole Beach Boys sound is so strange, but it at least fits with other genres of the 60's. Listening to this now, it just seems like the musical version of boomer nostalgia. If the opening statement "back in my day..." could be captured in a long-play format, this would be it. It's nearly as hateworthy as the acapella scene from Trading Places where the four Wall Street frat bros sing barbershop quartet style about their shared sexual conquests. At least that scene is satire; Brian Wilson is just up his own ass. The only time this sound has ever been good in my opinion is when Mr. Bungle used it behind the lyrics "...rots your brain just like a catchy tune, yeah. You will hate life more than life hates you. Happiness is your illness in an air-conditioned nightmare". The sentiment of Mr. Bungle's Air Conditioned Nightmare matches my experience of Brian Wilson Presents Smile perfectly; kill me now.
1
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Mon Mar 06 2023
Low-Life
New Order
2
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Tue Mar 07 2023
Lady In Satin
Billie Holiday
I love Billie Holiday's voice. Nobody else can can hit and hover around notes like she can. I don't know enough of her work to draw comparisons between this record and others of hers, but I really enjoyed this one and will likely be playing it again to get more familiar.
4
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Wed Mar 08 2023
Da Capo
Love
Track 1: Unhinged version of \"What's up, pussycat\" by Tom Jones.
Track 2: Sick flute, vocal verse is very odd
Track 4: I kind of like this one; manic psyche punk rock?
Overall, pretty interesting. It devolved a little too much into psychedelic rock in the second half of the album, so kind of started to lose my interest.
4
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Thu Mar 09 2023
The Bends
Radiohead
I found my copy of this CD only about a week before it popped up on this list. Even though it's not my favorite Radiohead album, it's still so, so good. It's got elements of the more experimental things they leaned into harder on OK Computer and Kid A, but still has quite a few more "straight forward" rock songs, which are still brilliant.
4
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Fri Mar 10 2023
Bryter Layter
Nick Drake
Another solid Nick Drake album. Similar to his others, this is an album that has a style I usually don't go for but it's done so well that I actually really enjoyed much of it.
3
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Mon Mar 13 2023
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
I was prepared to not really like this, but it was more interesting than I expected. It being super early Jeff Beck, there wasn't any of the usual self-indulgent atonal wankery that turns me off of his later solo stuff. A decent classic rock and roll record.
3
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Tue Mar 14 2023
Clube Da Esquina
Milton Nascimento
Really good, I loved the instrumentation and style of this. Probably need more listens to truly appreciate, so I imagine it will get even better on subsequent listens.
4
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Wed Mar 15 2023
Bad
Michael Jackson
Pure nostalgia. I played the hell out of this on my Walkman when I was like 7 or 8. Still a really great record.
4
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Thu Mar 16 2023
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
I love this album. It has lots of Page's fun recording tricks on it and the strings and horns in Kashmir crush it.
4
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Fri Mar 17 2023
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators
The 13th Floor Elevators
Lol, wut? I've heard other groups from later eras messing with sounds and frequencies like this to try and enhance psychedelic experiences, but that fact that if you just removed the electric jug it would just be standard issue garage rock was very strange. Not bad per se, but I don't think I'd listen to this again, on drugs or not.
2
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Mon Mar 20 2023
Celebrity Skin
Hole
I've never listened to this full album before. For as much as I love Live Through This, Celebrity Skin is surprisingly disappointing. Seems like they leaned hard into what a lot of other post-Grunge era bands were doing, and it just doesn't suite them, IMO.
2
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Tue Mar 21 2023
Chirping Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Not really into this. It's fine for background music, but not really something I'd choose to listen to again start to finish.
2
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Wed Mar 22 2023
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
This is so over the top melodramatic, I kind of can't help but like it. I was surprised to hear what sounded like influences for Hedwig and the Angry Inch in this record. Apparently this is adapted from a rock-and-roll musical interpretation of Peter Pan; well now I'm going to have to go back and listen again and pay more attention to the lyrics.
3
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Thu Mar 23 2023
Music for the Masses
Depeche Mode
Can't believe I've been missing out on Depeche Mode all these years.
4
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Fri Mar 24 2023
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
Pretty good! It took me awhile to recognize Change is Gonna Come, and I really like this version that's kind of in between Sam Cooke and the Gits. Not much else to say; classic Aretha!
3
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Mon Mar 27 2023
Goo
Sonic Youth
4
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Tue Mar 28 2023
Crime Of The Century
Supertramp
4
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Wed Mar 29 2023
Let's Get Killed
David Holmes
Another new album to me. Closest thing I listen to regularly that's similar is DJ Shadow. I liked all the spoken sound bytes, it gave the album overall a very "scenes from NY" kind of feel.
4
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Thu Mar 30 2023
Slipknot
Slipknot
A++ This record was ferocious when it came out and it has continued to kick ass over the decades. In my opinion they never achieved this level of intensity again, but good lord is this album a fucking monster.
5
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Fri Mar 31 2023
Destroy Rock & Roll
Mylo
Really good; not familiar with Mylo at all, but another artist that sounds to me to be DJ Shadow adjacent. Loved the track with beats put over a religious coalition listing what I have to assume are "unwholesome" artists, and it's just a list of everyone...including Cyndi "Looper", lol.
4
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Mon Apr 03 2023
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
3
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Tue Apr 04 2023
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
I don't like all of the Doors albums, but this one I enjoyed most of the way through.
3
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Wed Apr 05 2023
Scott 2
Scott Walker
Not a fan of this at all. Seems like super self-indulgent pretentious 60's horny music. I feel like I really didn't need to listen to this before I died, but here we are.
1
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Thu Apr 06 2023
Doggystyle
Snoop Dogg
I had a friend who played this non-stop in high school, so I think my enjoyment of this album comes at least as much from nostalgia as the music itself. The posturing of this album is pretty funny in light of how Snoop's image as a pop icon has changed in the intervening decades. But the production is super great, like everything that Dr. Dre was putting his hands on in this era, even if the lyrics are just absolutely dripping with misogyny.
3
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Fri Apr 07 2023
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
Fuck yeah! I loved this record as a kid. I love this record as an adult. The combination of old-school punk, surf rock, and Jello Biafra's unhinged vocals is one of the most iconic sounds, and the occasional throw in of schizophrenic xylophone or Rhodes piano just puts the icing on the cake. Too bad the shit they were satirizing 43 years ago hasn't changed much...I'll just have to steal some mail to feel better about that I guess.
5
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Mon Apr 10 2023
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
Another good Byrds album. Not much new to say; it's another example of folk-rock done right, in my ears at least.
3
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Tue Apr 11 2023
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
Still listen to this album regularly to this day. My read on much of the lyrical content has changed over the decades, some for better, some for worse, but overall I still love this album and all the great audio tricks used in its production.
5
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Wed Apr 12 2023
The Visitors
ABBA
Catchy, poppy, and over the top. I actually kind of dug it! I wouldn't say no to a second spin of this further down the road.
3
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Thu Apr 13 2023
Grievous Angel
Gram Parsons
Pretty decent old school country. I'm a sucker for a lap steel guitar, so that bumps it up for me too.
4
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Fri Apr 14 2023
Heroes
David Bowie
4
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Mon Apr 17 2023
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
This was just ok for me. This era of rap isn’t one I listen to much except for the occasional nostalgic spin of The Chronic. It’s kind of novel listening to all these artists together before they started feuding later in their careers, but the music itself didn’t do much for me
2
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Tue Apr 18 2023
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
I've never been a huge fan of Springsteen's style, but his songs undeniably have a ton of heart and he's a great song writer and band leader. I've listened to Born In The USA off and on since I was a kid, and it always kind of hits the same: I really like listening to it but I will rarely ever choose to listen to it.
3
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Wed Apr 19 2023
Tigermilk
Belle & Sebastian
3
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Thu Apr 20 2023
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
Well, not my cup of tea really, but undeniably catchy. There were enough interesting things going on that I gave it a second spin even.
3
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Fri Apr 21 2023
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
3
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Mon Apr 24 2023
Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Hell yeah. Hard to beat old school thrashy Metallica.
5
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Tue Apr 25 2023
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
Not my favorite of theirs, but it does seem to consolidate all of the S&G songs that I've kind of always found the least interesting.
2
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Wed Apr 26 2023
Shadowland
k.d. lang
I have a memory of k.d lang from when I was a kid and she first became popular. For some reason that memory did not include that fact that she's a country singer, and a crooner at that. So I was pleasantly surprised. The album is decent overall, and again, that lap steel guitar always gets me.
3
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Thu Apr 27 2023
A Walk Across The Rooftops
The Blue Nile
This was ok, but overall kind of forgettable to me. Might give it a try again later, but there just wasn't too much, aside from the occasional use of unique instruments or Oingo Boingo-like chord changes, to grab my attention.
2
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Fri Apr 28 2023
1977
Ash
This album was hot or cold for me. A lot of really great songs with some absolutely killer guitar and bass tones. Then just lots of songs I found very uninteresting. But the album was fun all around, so it registers as higher than average for that. Wouldn't be opposed to playing again and see how it grows on me.
4
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Mon May 01 2023
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Damn, I still really like most of this album. The duet with McCartney always seemed weird to me, but the rest of the record is great. I love how Thriller is basically a pop song with death metal lyrics, and I love the mix of live horn sections and synth horns; this album has a lot of potential cheese, but the production is so tight that it all works.
4
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Tue May 02 2023
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Lot of range on here. Our House has always been a forgettable track to me, but Deja Vu is a prog-folk banger. I need to listen to more of this (more Neil Young in general), but the first two listens were quite enjoyable.
4
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Wed May 03 2023
Disintegration
The Cure
I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy listening to The Cure, but I still will rarely ever choose to put it on. The song writing is so good, but there's just something about the vibe overall I don't seek out, but enjoy once I'm there.
4
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Thu May 04 2023
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Devo
This album rules. Super fun, very unique, lots to love about it. I sometimes like how subtle the electronic instrument use is, other times I feel like it could be a little more emphasized, but overall a solid record.
4
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Fri May 05 2023
Dirt
Alice In Chains
One of my all time favorite records. Alice in Chains was one of the gateway bands for me into much heavier music, but I learned so much about music in general, song structure, and guitar playing by listening to this album over and over as a teenager. I still love how it sounds to this day. I think this is their best LP, and tied with the Jar of Flies and SAP EPs in my mind for best AIC record.
5
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Mon May 08 2023
Face to Face
The Kinks
This was just ok. I kind of lost interest in it a few times over the course of my listen. Sounds like lots of other stuff from that era. Probably wouldn't choose to listen to again.
2
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Tue May 09 2023
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
CSN with no Y is not quite the same, but still pretty darn good. I love me some high harmony "doo doo"s. I'd jam this again for sure.
4
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Wed May 10 2023
New Boots And Panties
Ian Dury
Man, what a silly record. But I liked it quite a bit. I was only familiar with "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n Roll" before, so I liked hearing the rest of the horny songs and clever limericks Ian Dury had to offer.
4
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Thu May 11 2023
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
David Bowie
Man, hard to say anything about Bowie that hasn't been said before, but this is such a great record. I haven't listened to it in it's entirety before I don't think, but I played this multiple times today and loved every second.
5
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Fri May 12 2023
The World is a Ghetto
War
4
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Mon May 15 2023
Live!
Fela Kuti
I liked this album. Ginger Baker's drumming blended in pretty seamlessly with the rest of the percussion, and Fela's voice is just great. I liked all of the energy this has from being a live album, but it's till super tight performance wise.
4
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Tue May 16 2023
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
Hmm, kind of like Springsteen mashed up with U2. Not my favorite, but it was pleasant enough for a single playthrough. Will have to play again some time.
3
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Wed May 17 2023
Viva Hate
Morrissey
2
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Thu May 18 2023
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Never really been able to get into the Mamas & Papas. I know most of these songs already and they are ok individually I guess, but hearing them all together was mostly a chore. I wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
2
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Fri May 19 2023
Let's Get It On
Marvin Gaye
Pretty ok soul album. It never wanders far from Let's Get it On, and so it feels kind of samey throughout because of that. But there's some decent arrangements on some of the tunes and I wouldn't complain at listening again.
3
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Mon May 22 2023
Station To Station
David Bowie
3
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Tue May 23 2023
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
This was decent. I liked it even though it didn't really hold my attention. Probably the combination of my enjoyment of the playing but not being a huge fan of samba.
3
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Wed May 24 2023
Manassas
Stephen Stills
A lot of range on this album. I liked some of the bluegrass inspired tunes and songs that were a little more proggy, but there was some other stuff that kind of fell flat. Not bad overall.
3
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Thu May 25 2023
Elephant Mountain
The Youngbloods
Not bad. I liked how super chill this was, but also had lots of variety. A nice album to kick back to, for sure.
3
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Fri May 26 2023
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
I'm surprised at how little singing there is on this record. I've always thought of Isaac Hayes as primarily a vocalist, but he composed all the tracks on this record. It's pretty obviously a soundtrack meant to sit back in a movie's audio mix, but I kind of liked it. Works great as background music for going about my day.
3
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Mon May 29 2023
The Stooges
The Stooges
Another good Stooges album. Songs are a little more hit or miss on this one, but I love how raw it sounds, and I never realized some of these songs were from the late 60's; crazy!
4
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Tue May 30 2023
Blackstar
David Bowie
This is such a great album. It's got such a good blend of sounds on it that it doesn't fit neatly into any genre, or really match anything that he's done in the past.
4
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Wed May 31 2023
Black Monk Time
The Monks
2
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Thu Jun 01 2023
My Generation
The Who
A little different for a Who album. Seems like some more experimentation and guest artists. It was all kind of middle of the road for me though.
3
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Fri Jun 02 2023
Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
2
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Mon Jun 05 2023
Rio
Duran Duran
This album is pretty great. Duran Duran kind of encapsulates a lot of the 80's in a lot of ways for me: musically, album art wise, and other aspects of their catalog aside from Rio. Super fun, super cheese, and this won't be the last time I listen to it.
4
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Tue Jun 06 2023
Illmatic
Nas
Decent 90's era hip hop. Nothing stuck out much in my mind, other than I could imagine most of these tracks playing in a 411 skate video.
3
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Wed Jun 07 2023
Dookie
Green Day
I don't think I've listened to this in full in about 25 years, but it's just as I remembered it. Solid song writing, and very much captures the polished SoCal Punk sound of the 90's.
4
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Thu Jun 08 2023
My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
Brian Eno
I really wanted to like this, but it just did not hold my attention and was pretty forgettable. Maybe a future listen will change that, but for now it's a 2/5.
2
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Fri Jun 09 2023
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
I thought this would be kind of meh, but I actually really liked it. It had a lot going on even though it's pretty straightforward, old school R&B. Would definitely listen again.
4
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Mon Jun 12 2023
Toys In The Attic
Aerosmith
Not bad for this type of straight-forward rock, though it's just really not my style. Probably wouldn't ever choose to listen to it either.
2
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Tue Jun 13 2023
Revolver
Beatles
I was expecting to like this more as it has a lot of the Beatles songs I grew up loving, but as a whole the album was just ok. Still love Eleanor Rigby.
3
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Wed Jun 14 2023
Sheet Music
10cc
I really liked most of this, and would love it if it weren't for the very dated and problematic lyrics in some of the songs. But overall it's a really fun album with lots of musical twists and turns.
4
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Thu Jun 15 2023
Bandwagonesque
Teenage Fanclub
Don't remember hearing about this group in the 90's, but I don't think I would have been into them then. Definitely not into it now. Just not much going on to hold my interest.
2
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Fri Jun 16 2023
Garbage
Garbage
This record hits about the same as it did in the 90's, which is just a solid "s'alright". I appreciate a lot of what's going on on this album, but it's not music that really wows me and I don't think I've ever really chosen to listen to a Garbage album.
2
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Mon Jun 19 2023
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
4
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Tue Jun 20 2023
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club
Haven't listened to this album since it came out, but it's much like I remember it. Nice to put on in the background and pleasant to listen to, but not really something I'm going to choose often.
3
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Wed Jun 21 2023
Dummy
Portishead
Such a great record. It's always had a timeless feel to me; the mix of synthesizers both modern and classic, and the soulful jazz singing make it seem very anachronistic. I've played this album to death in the last 29 years, but I don't see myself getting tired of it anytime soon.
5
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Thu Jun 22 2023
Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
Yeah, I didn't really like this. Nothing ever grabbed me or held my attention, not even enough to merit a relisten.
2
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Fri Jun 23 2023
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
This was pretty great, wish I had given it some attention when it was contemporary. I remember hearing the Meat Puppets for the first time, as many did, when they appeared on Nirvana Unplugged. Their subsequent album didn't do much for me, but I never went back and listened to their older stuff. I love the mix of country and psychedelic and punk. It's funny they are credited with being an early "cow punk" band as some of their tracks remind me of The Cows.
4
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Mon Jun 26 2023
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Lot of ups and downs on this album. I love Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You and Dazed and Confused (though listening to Robert Plant jizz in my headphones has never not been awkward), and Communication Breakdown. Rest of the album is decent. I'm rarely in an entire album of Led Zeppelin mood anymore, but would probably give this another whirl some day.
3
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Tue Jun 27 2023
2112
Rush
This was decent, I listened all the way through a few times and was hoping to like it more. Rush is one of those early prog bands that I really only know the hits and have wanted to get more into their catalog. I'll probably still do that, but I don't know how often I'll come back to this.
3
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Wed Jun 28 2023
Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
Not much remarkable, but nothing I didn't like either. Chemical Brothers were on my radar from when they first became popular, and this is much like what I remember hearing in the 90's.
3
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Thu Jun 29 2023
Marquee Moon
Television
I really liked this. Good overall vibe, and I loved the guitar playing. Would play this regularly.
4
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Fri Jun 30 2023
Moby Grape
Moby Grape
This was ok, but kind of forgettable and from an era of rock I just usually don't choose to listen to much.
3
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Mon Jul 03 2023
The Score
Fugees
This is an album that gets played regularly in our house. While I wasn't a Fugees fan in the 90's, The Score has grown on me over time as my wife is a huge fan. I'm to the point where I enjoy it while it's on, but rarely do I ever choose to put it on.
3
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Tue Jul 04 2023
Nevermind
Nirvana
I've probably listened to this record 100's of times, but haven't sat down and played all of the way through in decades. My tastes in music have shifted quite a bit in those years, but I still love it. It's always struck me as funny that this is considered by many to be the quintessential grunge album, but the recording production is so pristine and polished. I think this is my least favorite Nirvana album, partially because of that polish, but that still puts it at a 4.5/5.
5
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Wed Jul 05 2023
Slayed?
Slade
This is pretty fun, and it grew on me over the course of listening. It had lots of familiar sounds and styles in it; at times I felt like I was listening to AC/DC + the Beatles + Twisted Sister. The Janis Joplin cover was great, better than the original in my opinion. These guys did the original version of Cum on Feel the Noise, which explains why I'm hearing some Sister/Quiet Riot in here. Not every song was great, but overall it's a decent record.
3
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Thu Jul 06 2023
Hot Fuss
The Killers
Not super into it, but it wasn't bad either. The Killers are good at writing tunes that are catchy at first but don't have a lot of real substance. But there's nothing in their music I actively dislike, so I guess it's a solid "average" record for me.
3
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Fri Jul 07 2023
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
Not bad overall. The final track on the album was my favorite, though it was quite different from the rest. It felt like it could be more at home on an Opeth album than on a collection of folk rock tunes.
3
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Mon Jul 10 2023
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
I liked this quite a bit. It had a different sound to it than the bebop and modal jazz that I'm more familiar with, which I imagine is the South African influence. He can flugelhorn with the best!
4
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Tue Jul 11 2023
Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
A bit of hit or miss. I like Love the One You're With and Cherokee, but many of the other songs didn't leave a strong impression.
3
View Album
Wed Jul 12 2023
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Seems like I should listen to more Steely Dan. They pull off a lot of the proggy elements that lots of their contemporary and modern prog bands do. In reading their wiki, looks like session musicians from this album and its follow-up went on to form Toto; that makes sense.
3
View Album
Thu Jul 13 2023
Antichrist Superstar
Marilyn Manson
Hard to separate how I feel about this album now with how I felt about it in high school (loved it, played it all the time). Almost every song is peak edge-lord energy, but it's all still delivered in a polished and powerful recording, and Manson excels at delivering over the top cheesy melodies and themes with really good composition that comes off as legitimately spooky. Most of this playthrough was waxing nostalgia, but because of that I enjoyed it and will almost certainly listen again in the distant future.
4
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Fri Jul 14 2023
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
This was decent. I liked the sound of the album overall, though there were no single tracks that really stuck out or wowed me. I
3
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Mon Jul 17 2023
In Rainbows
Radiohead
4
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Tue Jul 18 2023
British Steel
Judas Priest
S'alright. There's some classic Priest hits on here, and it has the early sounds of what will become Screaming For Vengeance. It's rooted quite a bit in hard rock, so it doesn't always hit for me, but I still liked this.
3
View Album
Wed Jul 19 2023
Make Yourself
Incubus
I had mixed feelings about this album when it came out. On the one hand, it sounds great and the song writing is pretty great. Also, lots of great guitar and bass sounds, which Incubus has always been great at. On the other hand, the thing I kind of loved about Incubus' two previous albums is that they sounded like a band still madly searching for their sound. Are they funk-rock, nu-metal, jazz-fusion, Faith No More born again? The answer was "all of it". I loved that, and Make Yourself seems like a zero-ing in on a more polished sound that incorporates lots of their old tricks but turned down on some of the experimentation and mania. Listening now having not listened to any Incubus in a decade or so, I was able to enjoy this album quite a bit. However, I immediately listened to S.C.I.E.N.C.E. after and still much prefer the pre-Make Yourself Incubus.
4
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Thu Jul 20 2023
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
Neither loved nor hated this. I like later Stones albums better, but this was still pretty good for mid 60's rock.
3
View Album
Fri Jul 21 2023
Django Django
Django Django
This was good. Never heard of Django Django before, but I really liked all of the experimentation, even though every song still sounded very clean and pop-y.
4
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Mon Jul 24 2023
Cross
Justice
I don't listen to lots of electronic music, but this album is one I will likely come back to. Sounds great sonically without being overly dense.
3
View Album
Tue Jul 25 2023
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Arctic Monkeys
Hmm, this is at times OK, but mostly is a type of energetic and upbeat that I'm not really a fan of.
2
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Wed Jul 26 2023
On The Beach
Neil Young
3
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Thu Jul 27 2023
Scum
Napalm Death
This seems like a time-and-place kind of album. I'm sure when it was released it was revolutionary, but it doesn't really hold up with how much Napalm Death have evolved over the years, let alone grind core as a genre in general. There were a couple of songs that were bangers for sure, and You'll Suffer cracks me up every time, but as a whole it's not a grind album I'm going to choose to go back to often.
3
View Album
Fri Jul 28 2023
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
Pretty good, this is an album that definitely held my interest the whole time, even though it never really went the places I wanted it to.
3
View Album
Mon Jul 31 2023
Debut
Björk
I distinctly remember when the singles from this album came out in the early 90's. Bjork's singing style has always been super captivating in how she holds onto, and sometimes chews on, notes in a way nobody else does. Still love listening to this today.
4
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Tue Aug 01 2023
London Calling
The Clash
The variety of styles on this album is pretty fun, although some of the more rockabilly and straight forward rock style songs weren't my favorite. Never been super into the Clash, but still enjoyed this overall.
3
View Album
Wed Aug 02 2023
Parachutes
Coldplay
When "Yellow" first started playing on the radio, I remember thinking "wow, this new Radiohead single is really shitty". Coldplay has forever been remembered to me as shitty Radiohead. There are a few times where some interesting things happen musically here, like the first parts of Shiver and the Pink Floyd-esque chorus of Trouble. But there's also just tons of stuff I can't stand; Shiver takes a turn for the boring, and the main hook of Yellow sounds like someone who just figured out how to do a string bend on guitar. Overall, the interesting stuff doesn't save the rest of the album.
2
View Album
Thu Aug 03 2023
Made In Japan
Deep Purple
This is fun. I like all the crazy falsetto vocal moments, the crazily overdriven organ sounds, and just the playfulness of this album. The studio version of Highway Star is already a tune I love, but this live version kicks in fucking hard! I need to listen to this again in a live room instead of headphones, but it was still rad.
4
View Album
Fri Aug 04 2023
In Utero
Nirvana
Haven't listened to this in a long time, but I loved it as a teenager and it holds up really well. I love the tonal feel of this album; I know Steve Albini caught lots of shit for the mix when this came out, but it makes the album fit better with Bleach and Incesticide, as does the songwriting itself. I think the sound of this album was a nice gateway to listening to more experimental artists. It's not perfect, but definitely deserves a 4.5/5.
5
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Mon Aug 07 2023
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
I was surprised with how familiar I was with several of these tunes. Probably a combination of hearing them as a kid, having some friends in my mid 20's that were huge jazz buffs, and their appearance in various other forms of pop media over the decades. Some of these tunes remind me of some of the modal jazz artists on this list that I have liked; apparently modal comes from this style (cool jazz), so that makes sense. Gonna have to find more Brubek now.
4
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Tue Aug 08 2023
Tea for the Tillerman
Cat Stevens
Pretty good. Cat Stevens has a helluva voice, so even on songs where overall it wasn't my favorite, his performance always struck me as great.
3
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Wed Aug 09 2023
Joan Baez
Joan Baez
I mostly enjoyed this. Some nice arrangements and I really like folk music that does interesting modal things like the song Henry Martin. There were a few songs I really didn't care for; the end of Fare Thee Well for example made me think "now I know who Nadja is trying to sing like in What We Do in the Shadows." House of the Rising Sun is a song I don't ever need to hear played by anybody, ever again; it's not a bad song, just played to f-ing death (admittedly mostly post 1960, but still).
3
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Thu Aug 10 2023
Live At Leeds
The Who
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Expected to not be impressed, but the live performance added a lot to most of the songs on here, so I enjoyed it for the most part.
4
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Fri Aug 11 2023
American Beauty
Grateful Dead
I grew up surrounded by the Grateful Dead records and have never really been a fan. But it's been decades since I gave this an honest listen and it was honestly better than I recall. I love how neatly carved out the bass sounds on this record, and Phil Lesh is unquestionably a hell of a bass player. Overall not bad.
3
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Mon Aug 14 2023
Cosmo's Factory
Creedence Clearwater Revival
This album is pretty damn good. I love the energy of the opening track, and most everything that follows keeps matches or flows naturally from that. 11 minutes of Through the Grapevine is a little much, and Long As I Can See the Light is a bit of a lackluster album closer (except for that sweet, sexy 70's sax solo...mmm, mmm, good). Top tier 70's rock, and some of my favorite from CCR.
4
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Tue Aug 15 2023
The Next Day
David Bowie
Decent, playful record. Can't say any one song stuck out as impressive, but it was good enough to want to come back to.
3
View Album
Wed Aug 16 2023
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean
I really liked the ambience and feel of this album. Lots to listen to besides just the singing, and Frank Ocean has a great voice too. Not my usual cup of tea, but I would listen to this again for sure.
3
View Album
Thu Aug 17 2023
Soul Mining
The The
Not really a fan. This Is the Day is ok and I recognize, but some of the other songs I just had to keep turning down cause they were kind of exhausting, and the rest just didn't do much for me. Don't think I'll listen to this again.
2
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Fri Aug 18 2023
Copper Blue
Sugar
I remember hearing about Bob Mould's new band back in the 90's but never really sought them out and promptly kind of forgot about them. But I like this a lot; it's kind of living in the space between a post-grunge sound and pop SoCal punk sound. Similar to Dinosaur Jr., it's a guitar player's album with lots of great hooks, noodles, and cool pedal tones. Pretty apparent that it's fun music to play, and it's fun to listen to as well.
4
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Mon Aug 21 2023
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
This might be my favorite Zeppelin record. That's a tough call with the size of their catalog, but Out On the Tiles has long been one of my favorite Zeppelin songs, as has Friends with its haunting dissonant strings. Tangerine was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar and is one of the songs responsible for my love of lap steel playing. I think the only song I'm not in love with is Gallows Pole, and that's mostly just from memories of how much the video of the Zeppeling Unledded version of this was overplayed in the 90's. 4.5/5
5
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Tue Aug 22 2023
Natty Dread
Bob Marley & The Wailers
I neither love nor hate this. I always find Bob Marley to be quite soothing and pleasant to listen to, but I never choose to put it on.
3
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Wed Aug 23 2023
I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail
Buck Owens
Clearly a Buster Scruggs inspiration, but I dig these old Buck Owens albums. Something about the dual tracked vocal harmonies and the silliness of the baritone voice that sometimes just comes booming in for dramatic effect.
3
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Thu Aug 24 2023
Frank
Amy Winehouse
While I don't like this nearly as much as Back to Black, I found this album super intriguing even though I wasn't super into it musically. It sounds like an artist trying to find the best fit for their talents by experimenting with several styles. Sometimes the soul sound Amy's most known for come through, but there's also some decent R&B, jazz and even hip-hop here.
3
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Fri Aug 25 2023
Eli And The Thirteenth Confession
Laura Nyro
I liked parts of this, but the whole thing kind of suffered from a late 60's era production sound. Later half of the album I found to be more interesting and unique.
3
View Album
Mon Aug 28 2023
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Solid Zeppelin album, neither the best nor the worst. I don't know if I'll ever get sick of Ramble On. Moby Dick is, despite all I keep hearing and many attempts to be into it, still just ok. Yeah; overall, s'good.
3
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Tue Aug 29 2023
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Pretty good. First few tracks were really interesting, though the rest of the album kind of started to sound samey to me. Enjoyed it overall though.
3
View Album
Wed Aug 30 2023
Ace of Spades
Motörhead
Hard to go wrong with Motorhead. I regret not listening to this in an environment where I could have turned the volume up to the appropriate level, but it still made for a decent listen.
3
View Album
Thu Aug 31 2023
Zombie
Fela Kuti
Another good Fela Kuti album. Not music I seek out, but I love listening to it when his records pop up on the list. 4/5
4
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Fri Sep 01 2023
A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse
Faces
This was ok. Mostly very straight forward rock, with only a few interesting deviations from what seems like a very standard formula. I liked the variety of having Stewart and Lane trading off lead vocals. I might listen to this again; 2.5/5.
3
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Mon Sep 04 2023
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
Pretty good album. Especially impactful if you read the background for the song lyric context. I don't think it's my favorite of the Neil Young albums we've heard, but it definitely merits more listens and seems like a grower.
3
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Tue Sep 05 2023
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
I've hated many of the songs on this album for a long time, mostly due to them being played multiple times a day on the muzak player of an awful retail job I had in my 20's. So I was hoping that with decades of not hearing Wings, that dislike would be tempered. I'm just okay with Band on the Run and Jet now. However, the last two tracks on the album got my attention; got to love a track when you know shit's getting real when the synth and clarinet drop! The end of the album alone makes me really want to listen to this again, so I'm giving this a 3.5/5 much to my surprise.
4
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Wed Sep 06 2023
Bug
Dinosaur Jr.
I liked this a lot. Haven't heard this album before, but I like it more than other Dinosaur Jr. stuff that I've heard before.
4
View Album
Thu Sep 07 2023
If You're Feeling Sinister
Belle & Sebastian
This is alright. I don't have strong feelings one way or the either about this album, it's perfectly average.
3
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Fri Sep 08 2023
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
I loved this. I've heard many vocalists attempt to pull off the vocal ranges and operatic falsettos performed on this album, but something about how Wild Beasts put it together totally works for me. Kind of reminds me a bit of Agent Fresco at times. Super into it, totally adding this to the list of "must return to" albums!
5
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Mon Sep 11 2023
Justified
Justin Timberlake
This album is super over-produced empty-calorie pop, but I can't help but like it. It probably comes from listening to Michael Jackson basically non stop when I was in the second and third grade. I can't say that I ever go out of my way to listen to JT, but I'm never sorry for hearing it in the wild, so this gets a 3/5 for that.
3
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Wed Sep 13 2023
Forever Changes
Love
This was really good for late 60's rock. They seem to take musical ideas that I know I've heard other groups from that era do and put it together in a way that seemed unique to my ears.
4
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Thu Sep 14 2023
25
Adele
I love Adele's voice, but this album sounds like it's leaning a little too much on some of its influences. But I did like how many styles were covered. Overall I liked it okay.
3
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Fri Sep 15 2023
NEU! 75
Neu!
This album I found kind of boring. It seemed like it was going to get better about halfway through with the song Hero, but kind of petered out after that.
2
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Mon Sep 18 2023
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
Maybe my favorite artists from hip hop's golden era, I still love most of the tracks on this album. Something about the production and the samples used on these early Tribe albums just makes them timeless classics to me. There's unfortunately several songs with some peak-90's "nice guy" misogyny which I hadn't really clocked until this listen. Those songs aside, I'll never get tired of Low End Theory.
4
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Tue Sep 19 2023
Raw Power
The Stooges
Loving how much Iggy Pop is on this list. Not much else to say, this album rules!
4
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Wed Sep 20 2023
Fly Or Die
N.E.R.D
I could not get into this at all. Something about it seems so superficial; it was just kind of lifeless from start to finish. Even the song that was supposedly about being high felt like it was written by someone who's only ever seen drug use in late 90's sitcoms.
2
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Thu Sep 21 2023
Quiet Life
Japan
This was okay. Didn't really stand out to me from other new wave bands from this era; not my go-to style, but I enjoyed the listen.
3
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Mon Sep 25 2023
1989
Taylor Swift
This sounds exactly how I imagined Taylor Swift would sound. It's not my thing; production is the best money can by, and I like her voice, but I wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
2
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Tue Sep 26 2023
Here's Little Richard
Little Richard
I like a lot of the old R&B and Rock and Rollers from the 50's, but I love Little Richard. Lot of great hits on this record. Also, I can't hear Long Tall Sally and not think of Jesse Ventura in a helicopter talking about being a sexual tyrannosaur.
4
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Wed Sep 27 2023
Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
This was good. I like this style of country/folk, and even though it's not something I would put on often, this is certainly a record I wouldn't mind listening to again.
3
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Thu Sep 28 2023
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
I have nothing against this album, but something about it has never connected for me. I've listened to it many times to try and see what I'm missing, but every time I've come away with a feeling of "yeah, s'alright I guess".
3
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Fri Sep 29 2023
Sunshine Hit Me
The Bees
This band is completely new to me, but I'm an instant fan. I loved all the great keys and organ parts, the raw-sounding vocals gave it a kind of timeless quality, and the variety in style over the album all made it great for me.
4
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Mon Oct 02 2023
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This album is pretty great, and is the first Sabbath album I became super familiar with. It's pretty dynamic throughout, though loses some steam in the last few songs for me. 3.5/5
4
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Tue Oct 03 2023
Hounds Of Love
Kate Bush
Man, this album was basically ear candy. So many great synth sounds and recording gimmicks; pretty sure one track had backing vocals dubbed to a mellotron to give it an uncanny valley sounding vibrato. I liked all the occasional creepy voices or synth sounds that got snuck in, gave the album a haunted kind of feel. Will definitely be listening again to hear more.
4
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Wed Oct 04 2023
The Grand Tour
George Jones
This album really didn't do much for me. There were 1 or 2 tracks that had some nice pedal steel playing, and some with some decent chicken pickin', but overall I wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
2
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Thu Oct 05 2023
Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
I like this album a lot, though I haven't heard any of these songs in several years. But they still sound good to these ears!
4
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Fri Oct 06 2023
Pretenders
Pretenders
I love me some Pretenders. This album is really great in the first half, but then loses a little of bit of steam in the middle. Overall though it's a solid rock album.
4
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Mon Oct 09 2023
Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
Super dope album! I love how playful it is instead of being just straight forward old school punk the whole way through. It's not perfect, but it does hit like a 4.5/5 for me.
5
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Tue Oct 10 2023
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
Yeah, it's alright. I was never super into GNR growing up, but everyone around me seemed to be so I know most of these songs by heart. Listening to this again this week did nothing to endear them to me more.
Can't really diss the guitar playing too much, it's about as good as this big rock style of playing gets, though it has a super dated tone, but man did I find the drums boring. So, I have nothing against it necessarily, but since I would never choose to listen to this again, it's getting a 2 from me.
2
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Wed Oct 11 2023
Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
I put off listening to this one for a while, not being familiar with Bert Jansch and assuming he wouldn't be the type of folk singer/songwriter I would be into. Totally wrong; I really liked this record and it's something I definitely plan on coming back to. So many of these guitar licks would sit right at home on an Opeth album.
5
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Thu Oct 12 2023
Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors
Whoa, this was super cool! I loved all of the unique combos of tempo and phrasing, the vocal harmonies were amazing, and even the guitar parts that had tones which kind of pierced my ears found a way to sit in the mix as a whole in a way that I enjoyed. New to me, but great stuff!
4
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Fri Oct 13 2023
We're Only In It For The Money
The Mothers Of Invention
This album is fantastic; has all of the Zappa kookiness and is just dripping with satire, taking shots at hippies, the police, 60's rock culture and 60's consumerism all at once.
4
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Mon Oct 16 2023
Fromohio
fIREHOSE
Good stuff. I was a big Mike Watt fan in high school when I was first learning to play the bass, though I haven't listened to either Firehose or the Minutemen in a long time. I still love how effective he is at making simple bass lines ground a tune.
4
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Tue Oct 17 2023
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I really, really tried to like this. I did not succeed. Some of the backing tracks I kind of dug, but overall this was another Dylan slog to get through.
2
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Thu Oct 19 2023
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Eurythmics
Not bad. Only a few songs stuck out to me though. Sweet Dreams has always been great, the cover of Wrap it Up was pretty good (I'm more familiar with the Fabulous Thunderbirds version, didn't even know it was written by Isaac Hayes), and Jennifer and This is the House were fun.
3
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Fri Oct 20 2023
Green
R.E.M.
Meh. I liked some of the songs that changed up the instrumentation with mandolin or lap steel a little more than the rest, but overall this album kind of fell flat. I remember liking the song "Stand" as a kid, but hearing it for the first time in maybe decades it's just the blandest song ever. Nothing on here I actively disliked necessarily, so I guess it's a 2.5/5.
3
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Mon Oct 23 2023
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
I almost really liked this. When it was wasn’t sounding like most other 60’s psychedelic singer/songwriters, it had some really interesting moments. Crazy to hear his voice as a young man too, since I mostly only know of his work from the 90’s on. 3.4/5
3
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Tue Oct 24 2023
Kala
M.I.A.
Never listened to a full MIA album before, but I dug it. It was a little weird that Timbaland got the last verse of the record I thought, but whatever.
4
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Wed Oct 25 2023
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
Couldn't get into this at all. Didn't hate it necessarily, but it did nothing for me and I wouldn't ever choose to listen it again.
2
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Thu Oct 26 2023
Repeater
Fugazi
This album rules. That is all.
4
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Fri Oct 27 2023
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
Decent; didn't love it but I enjoyed it well enough. I heard some very Daughters reminiscent guitar sounds on at least one track of this album, that's pretty cool.
3
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Mon Oct 30 2023
Protection
Massive Attack
I know the opening track of this album well, but as a whole this album was just so-so. Some of the songs just sound like noodling over backing tracks; not bad necessarily, but it just didn't do much to hold my attention. This would be good music to put on in the background if I'm looking to do focused work though.
3
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Tue Oct 31 2023
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
I played this album all of the time as a teenager. Having not listened to it in decades, it has not held up as well as other Nirvana albums for me. The lack of skill in Cobain's playing and singing, which works just fine for stuff that's noisy and sludgy, just doesn't work for me as an acoustic set any more. That said, the covers in this set I actually do still enjoy somewhat. I love the Bowie song, even if the performance is not the best, and the Meat Puppets section is also still a fun little set of 3 songs.
3
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Wed Nov 01 2023
G. Love And Special Sauce
G. Love & Special Sauce
Mixed feelings about this album. The backing tracks are mostly good, especially the bass, and would fit in with any of the Golden Age hip-hop albums. But I'm really not a fan of G. Love's voice or rapping technique. I think I pieced it together by the end; it's like if Anthony Kiedis had a hip-hop career, the vocabulary of a kindergartener, and was also really into Sublime. I don't think I ever need to hear this again.
2
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Thu Nov 02 2023
Don't Stand Me Down
Dexys Midnight Runners
Didn't like this. Seemed like an entire album of Come On Eileen B-Sides.
2
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Fri Nov 03 2023
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
I haven't listened to this since it first came out. It's still pretty good, not something I'd listen to all the time, but lots of the songs are catchy, and I like their version of Comfortably Numb.
3
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Mon Nov 06 2023
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
This wasn't bad, though it often kind of just faded into the background of whatever I was doing. Nothing wrong with that, just not enough to keep me actively engaged when listening.
3
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Tue Nov 07 2023
The Dreaming
Kate Bush
I liked this album, though I think I liked Hounds of Love much better. The wild vocal affectations on this album were sometimes cool, other times just not hitting for me.
3
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Wed Nov 08 2023
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
This album is like concentrated 80's nostalgia and fun. I remember rocking out to these as a kid and I enjoyed them just as much listening to them today.
5
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Thu Nov 09 2023
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
Pretty interesting, though I'd never heard of Robert Wyatt before. Kind of reminds me of some of Pink Floyd's experimental stuff from the early 70's. Makes sense; this album was produced by Nick Mason. It didn't always work for me, but overall I enjoyed the varied moments of cacophony.
4
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Fri Nov 10 2023
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
This is kind of exactly what I was expecting, a very 90's sounding East Coast/Wutang style hip hop record. Didn't really make much of an impression other than that; neither hated nor loved it.
3
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Mon Nov 13 2023
Hunting High And Low
a-ha
I was hoping to like this more, but I found that only a handful of tracks really grabbed me. That said, I still liked this overall. I don't think I've ever listened to much a-ha aside from Take on Me.
3
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Tue Nov 14 2023
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
Highs and lows for me on this album. It started out pretty good, with more of an Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead sound to it than I was expecting. It lost lots of steam once it started just kind of repeating 12-bar blues/rock songs though, even though it kind of picks up again near the end. 2.5/5
3
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Wed Nov 15 2023
Third
Soft Machine
Hey cool, more Robert Wyatt! I liked this a lot, as far out as it got at times. Reminded me at times of an album's worth of Mr. Bungle interludes. Kind of crazy this is considered jazz rock, as it seemed like 95% jazz with only occasional rock elements.
4
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Thu Nov 16 2023
evermore
Taylor Swift
This wasn't half bad. Kind of somewhere between pop and folk/country, but not in the same way as a lot of modern country music, and much less pop-y than what I expected from Taylor Swift. I wouldn't be mad about listening to this again.
3
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Devil Without A Cause
Kid Rock
I wasn't looking forward to listening to this, and it was exactly as bad as I expected it to be. It's not as bad as the alt-right drivel he's putting out today, but still not something I would ever choose to listen to again.
2
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Mon Nov 20 2023
Lost Souls
Doves
I really liked this. Not every song caught me, but for the most part I really liked the sound and vibe of this.
4
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Tue Nov 21 2023
C'est Chic
CHIC
This was okay. Not a huge disco fan, but the bass playing was interesting enough to keep me listening. It's fine as background music.
3
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Wed Nov 22 2023
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Good stuff. This album made me want to shut up and play my guitar.
4
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Thu Nov 23 2023
Locust Abortion Technician
Butthole Surfers
Happy to see some Butthole Surfers on this list. Locust Abortion Technician is such a bonkers album, though it's not one I've listened to a ton. It's fun to hear less constrained versions of sounds that they continue to play with on later albums. Album description describes that they had their own house to record in with long sessions broken up by heavy drug use...yeah, that tracks, lol!
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Mon Nov 27 2023
Rid Of Me
PJ Harvey
This album kicks so much ass. I love how raw and live some of the songs sound; Steve Albini produced, so no shock there, and I've read he caught a lot of shit for it, again no surprise. Even the Bob Dylan song on this record is good!
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