the Thom Yorke bits seemed very un-Thom Yorke and that made it a bit strange
Undeniable classic. The Police had many finest hours, fortunately, and this was absolutely one of them. I remember it being somewhat critically underrated at the time, despite several huge hit singles. As always, there are occasional lines of breathtakingly trite lyrics or even completely sophomoric moments - all Sting's fault; but he can be mostly absolved given his creative genius elsewhere on Police records. I always thought they were at their best in their most sonically exotic and mysterious passages, and that's evident on this record in spades. Excruciatingly close to being a masterpiece.
Good power pop from an obscure band. Only so much could be done with the genre at the time, since bands like Jellyfish and the Posies were still several years away.
Experimental avant-rock classic. There would probably be no Radiohead without this LP. There would probably be no a-lot-of-modern-music without this LP.
Love this whole album, except for the last track. Joni has always been criminally underrated in the modern era.
A couple of early alternative classics and some decent songs, but frankly the acoustic guitar-and-cocktail drum band format is tedious after a few songs. I've always felt they were okay, but overrated.
Swirly, orchestral, shimmery, innovative, original rock and roll for the tuna sandwich demi-intellectual who appreciates both Beethoven and the Beatles. Almost prog rock, but never actually lands in that haunted territory. Not a blue note in sight, but minor keys appear liberally, making this both shiny-happy and occasionally ominous (somehow, occasionally even simultaneously). This album is so much more than its tiny handful of massive hits, with very little fat but a lot of cream (and pure cane sugar).
A classic of early '90s psychedelic pop. Songs generally hold up to time pretty well, all things considered. A certifiable Very Good Record.
Prime, essential jazzy pop as smooth and as sweet as caramel. Beyond pleasant listening.
excellent downtempo... although problematically built largely around samples taken from Lomax "field" recordings where the original performers' and composers' roles are heavily downplayed or just outright ignored.
It's literally impossible to overstate the importance and originality of this record. Plus, unlike Morrissey's solo work, this one only had one stupid song.
It may be easy to judge this record with modern ears several decades after it was released, but this is lazy, unoriginal music based on the standard '50s-revivalist framework of the same tired chord progressions we've heard over and over for far too long - even for back then. It's only dangerous in the sense that it sounds like somebody gambled on marketing an LP made by brain-damaged Lesser Apes on a booze-and-cocaine bender during one of those "lost weekends" that should have stayed lost. Next to the Stooges and the MC5, this is bubblegum from the bottom of your shoe. (Use Lou Reed to scrape it off, but be sure to wash thoroughly after.)
This is one of the finest hours of music ever recorded. It's absolutely criminal that this isn't more notorious than it is, because Tom Waits really turned his entire career over with this, by tearing his own music down and rebuilding his songs as unconventionally as he felt like (or not). Stunningly brilliant and beautiful, tasteful musicianship throughout. Runs the gamut from heartbreaking to hilarious to seriously fucking frightening. Definitely top ten Greatest Albums of All Time. Top Twenty at worst.
Fuck you if you think Frank Zappa is better or weirder than King Crimson. This album is basically perfect. Normies should not even begin to consider thinking about attempting to try listening to this without the proper headgear. All necessary precautions must be taken, not to be limited to the usage of thick wall padding, a straitjacket. This album is legally and medically considered a highly effective (if extremely unsafe) method of boosting one's IQ to beyond normal human range. Severe volume is recommended for maximum dilation of the third through fifth eyes and/or other sensory organs. Do not attempt while primitively confined to any arbitrary set of three dimensions; alternately, if confined to less than the necessary number of dimensions: use quickly, far too much, and in any way not recommended.
Seriously, this is some heavy-duty shit, man
so much stronger than i remember, this is actually downright classic; almost as good as The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste.
Holy shit how did I forget the psychedelic masterpiece which is "Today"? That song sounds exactly like blotter acid physiologically feels and tastes. I genuinely hope i die to the gorgeous strains of that song. The rest of this album, other than the two huge hit singles, is largely forgettable.
Very basic early rock but incredibly advanced stylistically, considering how aggressively raucous it was; this album predates punk rock by a decade or more. It predates even the MC5 and the Stooges. Kind of astonishing to think about. This had to have been the most dangerous rock and roll of its time, and may have even earned the most dangerous and edgy rock music of any era, considering just how far out on a ledge this had to have been. I feel bad rating it so low but i do have modern ears and it's not really my cup of tea.
Utterly essential funk rock. Amazing. Sly Stone in his prime. There's just no competition, there's no equal at all. Whereas a lot of funk is groove-oriented, Sly was always song-oriented. So much heart; so much feeling.
Unfairly categorized as country, but this is straight Americana - equal parts folk, country, and rock & roll. One of the best albums of its kind, and Steve is one of the great songwriters of the American experience. Amazing songs. Great record.
She's a fantastic singer, even if her overly-commercial pop genre is not my cup of tea. Some good songs and fine performances here, but my god everybody involved should be mortified and embarrassed by including the godawful cover of the Prince song ("The Beautiful Ones," here played for seven excruciating god damn minutes at such a sluggish pace it's actually distracting and frankly upsetting).
A god damn classic for a god damn reason. This album is a perfect culmination of the sound they invented.
Brilliant, beautiful funky nu-jazzy electro hip hop. I hadn't heard them before, but now I'm a fan. Really, really good.
Great if you like SMELLING your rock & roll, and you prefer its scent to be patchouli and the weed of the era. There's no denying Janis was one of the greatest belters, and she certainly put her whole self into it. Good performances all around, even inventive for its time. A cover that doesn't even remotely work today, but which used to take heads a whole album just to read all the panels.
Probably the best example of the Stones – far from the twee pop they flirted with just a couple years beforehand – doing what the Stones do better than anybody else, recorded at their absolute prime no less. An album so influential to musicians and songwriters and producers of rock and country (and even blues) genres and beyond, that you can't go anywhere without either hearing a song from it or a song inspired by/ripping off one from this album. Just because you don't recognize some of the song titles doesn't mean they're filler, because while this record may be sprawling, it's entirely full of perfect gems.
A great electro-pop album, at the height of new wave and yet more future-forward than "new," this album was ahead of its time. No one can argue the unique creative power of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart together. But also no one should ever cover "Wrap It Up" (certainly nobody this melanin-deprived, but honestly i would argue NOBODY EVER).
It doesn't get much better than this, because it CAN'T get much better than this.
One of the best and coolest in hip hop, and nicely weird too. I can't stand corporate commercial pop crap, and this is thankfully not that. Some of the lyrics are trite as hell, but some are fucking brilliant too. The talking between songs is just completely buzzkill though.
Honestly not quite as great and cohesive as their decade-later followup LP Deep Down And Dirty, but still great fun to listen to.
It's almost a joke how dumb The Who's lyrics are. Look, i like them well enough, but let's be realistic: any reasonably intelligent 5th grader could write more artful lyrics than their crap. Often the music is brilliant, but their lyrics have always made them sound like idiots. Everybody worships this album, and i just don't get it. It's ok! Not great, and not even close to their best.
Generic alt rock. With his lyrics, he's trying to be as abstract as M. Stipe while being as clever as E. Costello and as cool as T. Waits, and not always hitting the mark. He sounds like the guy from the Pixies trying not to sound like the guy from the Pixies. It's not BAD, it's just not great. There is nothing essential about this LP. Pixies were vastly better. Get Kim Deal back.
Some fascinatingly frantic 12-string on this LP. There would probably be no John Fogarty without Solomon Burke. A great record.
perfectly fun to listen to, but ultimately not the most fulfilling, memorable, or substantive electronic headmusic LP. Still, nice.
How did I miss this? Incredibly good. Funky and rustic at once. Great vibe, stellar voice.
Really good britpop LP. Not sure how I missed this one. I still prefer Teenage Fanclub or Del Amitri.
Way ahead of their time. I still prefer This Mortal Coil's version of "I Come and Stand At Every Door" though. Not my favorite psychedelia, but still obviously a seminal record. David Crosby, man. David Crosby. Obviously McGuinn is an uttery genius too.
Alright I finally listened to it again after 25 blissful years of NOT. Honestly, this was peak dangerous rock and roll at the time. But it got dated fast, and has sounded nothing more than obnoxious ever since. It's... ok, but god damn those big hit singles were fucking terrible. I can't believe people ever bought into that crap. And still do.
If there is a perfect contemporary music group out there, it is The Roots. Every member is a god damn genius, and mind-meltingly skilled. And the songs on this joint? Damn. A great listen from start to finish. Favorite Track: "Something In The Way of Things" which is straight up beat jazz complete with spoken word. Fantastic!
The real cowboy shit. They just don't make country music like this anymore, at all. i'm not much a fan of country music but this was definitely among the best of that genre. Every single song is a story. Which is somewhat exhausing, like bingeing a whole 15-episode season of an anthology TV series. Nearly every song is 3 minutes or less, but feels like several minutes because they're so lyrically dense.
hopefully the worst album to make this list. horrible, trite, affected, sophomoric lyrics. despite that, some of the tracks are definitely fun listens, and she got better at least.
This is not important music. This is anything BUT important, profound music. What it is is fun. It's still art, just something like pop art. Wacky and sometimes goofy (although not as goofy as some of their other material). A fun listen.
one of my favorite LPs, though for Soundgarden I usually go for Badmotorfinger or Louder Than Love. Utterly original, which is difficult to do within the constraints of hard rock. Finest rhythm section since Led Zeppelin or Cream. Not a dull moment.
