I'm not quite sure why nearly every song is so long - they drag. Layla is a proper banger though, even at the 7 minute run-length.
Some good stuff, but a little self-indulgent. Did not listen to the whole three hours.
I enjoyed one or two songs. I didn't enjoy the rest.
The quality of the top songs outweighs the mad shite from Paul. Superb.
Good album, nice memories of listening to it when younger.
Not on my radar, fairly fine, wouldn't listen again.
The first few tracks put me on edge, but I got into it after a while. Pleasant surprise, have since listened to a few more of Bill's albums.
Fine - probably wouldn't listen again, but didn't dislike it.
Great start, a little meandering in the middle, and ends strongly enough. A really nice surprise.
I can appreciate that the album is very good, just not for me.
Better than I expected. The album has a good flow, and can't really argue with good R&B/soul music.
Found it a bit dated, however clearly some very good songwriting going on. The album seemed rather consistent too, which was nice.
Melancholy and hip. Great stuff, even gave it a second listen.
Decent album. Realised I'd not heard much outside of their first album, will be going back and listening to more.
More mellow than I was expecting, apart from Immigrant Song. Pleasant to listen to, not sure I'd go back and listen again though.
Not a big queen fan, found it a bit of a slog. Love of My Life is always good, but I've heard better versions, I found the album version a bit overproduced.
More like it. Fantastic stuff, strong sounds of the era.
Nicely bland and listenable. Can't say I'd listen again, but also can't say I didn't like it, on the whole. First half of the album is stronger than the second half.
Pleasant enough background music, seems a little dated now. Enjoyed a few of the "hits" but not memorable. I've listened to better background music, probably won't listen again.
Didn't enjoy it, +1 bump for bad behaviour from Boy George
I think the guy has a lot of artistic integrity and is consistent. Big fan of some of his music, Poses and Release the Stars are good albums. But this album never really took off for me. Unfortunately underwhelmed.
Not bad at all - didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised.
After a recommendation from a renowned music journalist, listened properly to the second half of the album. Four stars for that part, two for the first half.
The album jumps around a bit thematically, but top quality and happy to re-listen. Great memories of Need For Speed Underground 2 for the Riders on the Storm remix, as good as the original.
Quite enjoyed that, something different. I definitely recognised one or two of the songs, no idea why or where from.
I expected this to be a bit more interesting, as I know Songs for the Deaf pretty well. I was disappointed - quite a lot of it was forgettable.
Bridge over Troubled Water is a strong opener, ending triumphantly. Possibly their most famous song, Art sounds particularly good. How Paul Simon came up with the lyrics I will never understand, I find the whole composition striking and timeless. El Condor Pasa is one of my two favourite songs on the album. Seems like it fades in and out, really captures the mood of the Peruvian Andes, despite both Paul & Art being from New York. Cecilia is a classic – faster than most of the other songs, poppy and less plaintive, works as a nice counterpoint to most of the wonderful mournful songs on the album without jumping out as not belonging. Keep the Customer Satisfied is a little more middling. I find it not necessarily reflective of Simon & Garfunkel, more of a world pop sound that reminds me more of Simon rather than the both of them. I like the general sound of it, jangly guitar and the refrain, but is overproduced. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright is pleasant but doesn’t really do anything for me. The Boxer – this is my favourite song. I read it took them 100 hours to record, which I can believe. I’ve probably listened to it at least 100 times in the past two years. Punchy, memorable, imaginative, and I love the melody and complexity with the way the lyrics are transposed. Outstanding. Baby Driver is very reminiscent of the era. Long break sections, a shouty chorus, can’t complain. The Only Living Boy in New York is good. I know this is a particular favourite of a renowned music reviewer, however I can’t get as excited as he is about it. Would still listen to it over 95% of songs though. Why Don’t You Write Me is probably my least favourite song, I find it a little derivative and weird. My LP skips on the chorus, giving it a frantic drum and bass sound. Bye Bye Love is also excellent, especially the live version, quite a sing-along. Song for the Asking is right up my street. Introspective, mournful, and lovely light guitar work. To summarise, it really is an excellent album. Lots of range with it all fitting well together. What a time it would have been to be alive!
Many classics that I had no idea were Fats Domino. Good to put a face to a sound.
Much of it was quite hard to listen to. Rock Lobster was a welcome reprieve.
Thoroughly enjoyed it. Master of Puppets was great of course, but also really enjoyed Leper Messiah.
Not really my thing at all. Started off incredibly blandly. Was going to give one star, but enjoyed the flute solo on African Dance, and Back to Life is a club banger. Two will do!
I had a bit of a negative view going in - I missed Pulp when they were big, but rather enjoyed the album as a whole. His singing has a certain style to it that lends itself to the melancholy numbers. The composition of the songs is overall excellent.
Solid 4 star. Memorable and melancholy.
Seems quite dated, nothing particularly sticks out. One star feels harsh, I can appreciate that it was well received at the time.
Really couldn't get into it. I don't understand why it is in this list.
I thought I'd like this more than I actually did. I like music from Central and South America, but I found this rather disappointing.
Some of it was fine, but again not really my kind of thing. Guy has a good voice.
Not a classic - I found it incredibly indulgent. About 4 good (and to be fair they are very good) songs, and the rest wanky psychadelic nonsense.
A lot of the songs sounded the same as each other. Powerful voice. Didn't enjoy the Let's Stay Together cover, -1 star.
I have one of their compilation CDs in the (old) car, so I'm quite partial to this stuff. They pioneered a certain classic rock sound. This is one of the better albums, which, according to Google, they were churning out at an incredible rate. Green River, Bad Moon Rising, and Tombstone Shadow are my favourites.
I'd had enough of this one a lot quicker than I thought.
Hadn't heard of them, but it seems that they are meant to be quite good.I thought the album was just fine, but still not overly memorable. I liked For You.
I do like a concept album, but I struggled to get into this one. Sure, there are the famous songs, but the rest of it was a bit on the quiet side, and it dragged. Not for me, I'm afraid.
The extra star is for Hello, undeniably a good song. I didn't enjoy it - lots of wailing. The majority of the album is made up of forgettable easy-listening café music. Sorry Adele, better luck next time.
A difficult listen. This kind of music doesn't hold up very well, in my opinion. The sound has been designed to be as annoying as possible. I forgot Paper Planes was 90% gunshots.
The first two songs seemed near identical. I wasn't thrilled with the rest of it.
4 stars for audacity. What works works, what doesn't work is terrifying. The album is unsettling, and I believe that was the goal. A great introduction to the neo-folk martial industrial genre! Raus!
I'm afraid I found this rather dull, coming off the back of Laibach. I'm sure it is great, Wikipedia seems to suggest so, but many songs felt like they never got going.
Enjoyed the sound, but a few too many tracks were on the forgettable side.
I found this challenging to listen to, rather dull and repetitive. I have to admit I didn't finish the album, sorry MJ Cole.
Probably wouldn't listen again but I found it pretty reasonable. Reminded me of a lot of Classic Rock of the same era, of which I think there are better examples.
I expected a bit more really, I found it pleasant enough background music.
I enjoyed this rather a lot - Eisler on the Go and Way over Yonder in the Minor Key were great.
I enjoy a concept album but only really liked Some Mother's Son.
Some of this was pleasant as background music, but it was forgettable. Sorry penguins, should stick to swimming and fishing.
A lot of this album was rather strange. The guy either sings in an annoying baby voice, or wails atonally. The lyrics are mostly nonsense. However I did enjoy the actual music behind the singing, which was creative and different.
Not quite for me. Half way through it seems like he gives up on singing, lots of instrumentals.
I prefer other versions of almost every song. The Wall of Sound effect doesn't help. +1 bump for bad behaviour.
Beautiful voice, but almost every song sounds the same as the choices are all on the maudlin side.
I enjoyed it slightly more than I thought I would, but it isn't half dreary. Still finding their feet, I guess. Most of the album tracks are forgettable.
I couldn't finish it. Super bland, really not my thing.
Quite enjoyed that. More memorable than I expected, if I have time I'll explore their back catalogue.
I will instantly forget this album, only remembering that the title track is some impressive guitar spread over 10 minutes. Can appreciate the musicianship, just not for me.
Roundabout is one of my favourite songs ever. It's insane, I've enjoyed it long before it acquired the meme status. I don't think the rest of the album quite lives up to Roundabout, despite being thoroughly listenable and clearly influenced by heavy drug use.
Considering the talent on the album, I expected more. I am disappointed, unfortunately. A lot of this is maudlin, forgettable stuff. Quite good as background music though.
A weird one, couldn't decide if I really liked it or not. Great musicianship, although a few too many tracks veered into "noise". I liked Little Fury Things, Kracked, and Just Like Heaven.
Really pleasantly surprised. I thought this would be lame, but it's very listenable. Great memories of 2006-2008 with Walk being on in most clubs, never knew it was Pantera. If you could distill the smell of a sweaty goth into a record, this is it. My olfactory bulb is tingling.
Not the best from Nina. I find her best work to be the piano pieces where her voice really soars, but this album feels very dreary and overproduced.
Jack tried to convince me this was akin to Simon and Garfunkel. I'm afraid I found it quiet and forgettable. I have heard that their other albums are good, if I have a respite from this task I might take a look through their back catalogue.
I presumed all reggae sounded the same - I was very wrong, this album is coherent and full of individual crackers. Brilliant rhythms and artistry on display. Lots of complexity in the lyrics. Reminds me a lot of Tabac in Liverpool, they had reggae on repeat but at the stage of the evening we ended up there, I wasn't using my ears. Concrete Jungle, No More Trouble, High Tide or Low Tide - all great. Despite Kinky Reggae being a misstep, 5 stars feels deserved.
I've never been a big Bowie fan. I don't think this was the album to ch-ch-ch-change that, however I enjoyed patches of it.
No Sleep till Brooklyn is great, but a whole album of very similar songs became a little bit too much.
I'm not sure what I expected, but I found it didn't really go anywhere. I'm not sure I'd listen to any of the songs again, and unfortunately I didn't find it memorable.
Feels dated now, and Snoop does all the heavy lifting.
Never really listened to anything by the Pixies before. I like their sound.
I preferred You Want It Darker, but this was still excellent. I'd never heard any of the songs before; Joan of Arc and Avalanche were probably my favourites.
A few interesting sounds, but I found most of this unremarkable. Less than the sum of its parts.
Very strong outing by The Who. Not sure about some of the longer songs, but the majority of it was good enough.
This is a better album than Disintegration, though without any big tunes. Everything was pleasantly listenable, pleasantly forgettable.
Big fan of Johnny Cash. I'd heard most of these songs in one way or another in different formats, and it made me remember the slightly more obscure songs - Starkville City Jail is great fun, and I don't listen to Wanted Man enough. Unlike many other artists, I think his live albums have an added edge, he's very comfortable in front of an audience, and prisoners, and that comes across in this album. His calm voice rings loudly through every song.
I'm finding it hard to consider anything higher than a 2. Most of the songs on the album are filler, and I'm convinced Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Rock With You are too long. I really like She's Out Of My Life, but I think I've heard better covers of it. Bad boy bump seems inappropriate in this situation. Sorry MJ. He has better albums, in any case.
Quite funky and jazzy, better than I would have thought. Listenable.
It is okay. Sultans of Swing is fantastic, but the rest of the album never really got going. Pleasant enough. +1 for Sultans of Swing.
Still pretty good. Much more listenable than I would have imagined. Couple of songs I'd never heard that are memorable enough, I liked New York.
From the first couple of songs, I thought I was going to really enjoy it, but the album slowly petered out. I found myself unable to remember any of it. A few too many instrumentals. On paper, this was my kind of thing, but I've read he has two better albums, likely also in this list, so I'll wait for those.
I found this album an extreme example of prog/psychedelic rock. Firth of Fifth is a masterpiece, but I hated Dancing with the Moonlight Knight. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) is fantastically odd. There's no clear story running through the album, and often seemingly within the longer songs themselves. Overall I liked it, it provoked a strong reaction from me.
Rather bracing
Very odd album. I didn't like it overall, but you cannot fault the commitment to a naff concept. Much of it was dreary and monotonous, however I didn't mind Where the Wild Roses Grow - nice to break things up. Red Right Hand is a good song, so I might be tempted to go and listen to some of his other work with the Bad Seeds, but I do feel there's no stylistic range.
The hits are great, as are a few of the album tracks. Hypnotic.
I have their greatest hits for my car, so I am partial. Judy Blue Eyes is a great start to an album, loads going on, iconic sounds. Jangly folky rock, smooth harmonies, thoughtful lyrics (for the most part), what more could you ask for? A second peak for the album is Lady of the Island, Helplessly Hoping and Long Time Gone. Helplessly Hoping in particular is a top 10 song for me - melancholy, introspective, but powerful. Exactly my kind of music. I just like the era and this kind of sound. I have to say that this is not my favourite album of theirs, I prefer Deja Vu (with Neil Young) as I think it is stronger as an overall product, but this one is a 5 nonetheless.
I thought the cover of I Don't Want to Talk About It was the best song on the album. Everything sounded near exactly the same, I barely noticed where one track stopped and the next started. Saying that, it was inoffensive easy background listening.
I'm not a Queen fan - never have been. This album is so different from their later work - in particular the guitar is excellent, but it falls short of other prog rock artists and albums of the same era. Too many non-descript songs. Despite "finding" their sound over the next few years, I would probably still prefer their earlier work.
Utterly inoffensive, some nice sounds, but won't be going back.
Feels kind of dated, not the most interesting thing to listen to.
Most songs sounded the same, and I was a bit disappointed.
Apart from Clint Eastwood, this seems like one long jam session. Not a lot of thought into the album, lots of bells and whistles, very little enjoyment.
I found this a bit of a weird one. Totally forgettable noise, except that I didn't mind it on in the background. I can't remember anything about it, despite fully listening, but I'm glad I've heard at least one Björk album. Wouldn't listen again, but +1 for a background bonus.
I didn't listen to this type of music when young, so it doesn't resonate with me from a nostalgia perspective, nor now from an enjoyment perspective. I see some merits, but not enough for a higher score.
Nothing stood out, but I didn't mind it and would listen again.
Very much enjoyed that. Had to knock a star off as many of the songs sound the same, especially in the back part of the album. I didn't notice where one ended and another began. Despite this, I thought that the second half of the album was on the whole stronger than the first. Based on the public reviews, I think I need to refine myself.
Not my favourite, a lot of the songs are forgettable and meander. It also sounds like Frank isn't really putting in a lot of effort.
Not my kind of thing. Cool that Ginger Baker makes an appearance a few times, and the wikipedia article about the album is pretty good, but I just didn't enjoy it.
What an odd album. First few tracks were lovely cocktail lounge background music, very 60's, and then some nonsense with a circus.
I quite liked it. The problem is that nothing stood out. The whole album played through, and I didn't really notice anything. I didn't find it irritating, nor did I find it overwhelmingly good. But the fact I didn't turn it off is enough for a 3 star.
I'd forgotten that she came from more of a jazz background, which is evident on the album tracks. It is a strong album. I can't listen to Rehab, but You Know I'm No Good and Back to Black make up for it. Can't believe this was 17 years ago, still sounds fresh. Only 4 stars, not sure about the album tracks, they are quite bland compared to the emotion and sadness on show elsewhere. RIP - I do wish she'd taken Rehab with her.
I skipped Imagine, but had forgotten that Oh My Love is on this album. My favourite song of John's solo work. I listened to the album with an open mind, and parts I really liked (Oh Yoko! has whimsy) and other parts I was on the fence - a worse Beatles sound. At least the Solo stuff from George and Paul has its own identity away from their group work. I'd give this a 3.5 if I could (based on Oh My Love, Oh Yoko!, and Jealous Guy), but no half scores, so I'll award the +0.5 bad boy bump.
I really enjoyed this - it was a bit bland and not memorable, but that was the charm. I fell asleep twice listening to it.
I didn't mind this at all. Some interesting ideas and concepts, not always well executed. Lyrics are insane. Not sure I'd listen again, but I am pleased I did.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, has the misty quality of indie rock that I like. Never heard anything by The National before, and I feel like I've missed out. Highlights were Runaway, Anyone's Ghost, and Terrible Love. Was on a rail replacement bus in Poland on Friday listening to it, providing the perfect soundtrack to a weird experience.
A bit of a low for the list. Forgettable and generic, and difficult to understand.
I'm on the fence with this. I can hear the musicianship in places, but why is every song incredibly long? Or at least, the repetitive nature lends itself to making most songs feel like a drag. I'd give it maybe 1 more star if it was shorter. Although, maybe not, it really isn't my kind of thing. North American Scum is of course pretty great, I know it from Top Spin 4, the tennis game. No big "Love" from me for this one.
Good stuff, very impressive considering he was 19 or so when he did these. Enjoyed the Sailor's Hornpipe at the end of Part II, bit of a laugh.
Some of the transitions within songs are quite jarring. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, cannot out my finger on why. I think the variety helps. It doesn't really sound like a jam session either, more like the band are showing each other their skills. Odd samples. I don't know what to think.