There is stuff here to like but they eventually work against themselves as the songs progress. And that is for every song, to the point that it feels like its all just one song. The vocals are interesting in timbre but there is a lack of variation and it becomes monotonous, the orchestration and arrangement does the same. Much like a dream it all flows together and I have. hard time remembering any of it. Maybe that’s the point.

This album is fraught with the bloat of 80’s production, bad arrangements and songwriting. Not all of the songs are bad, “I Might Have Been Queen” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It” in particular are favorites, I don’t mind the 80’s sound here. They kept it clean and simple. The extended version of “Private Dancer” was long winded for no reason, and this version of “Let’s Stay Together” seems like a weird ‘about face’ to the attitude of “I Might Have Been Queen”. Tina is a specific voice, a strong voice, but not a large voice like an Aretha (who had their own issues production wise at this time as well). Tina’s biggest strength is in live performance, this should have been a live album with all the greats, and far better originals and cover arrangements, and it would have been killer.

Meh.

Solid listen. Everything was well performed, the band was tight. Sam Cooke was definitely on top of his performing game. A downside would be some of the lackluster tunes from the singers perspective and would have loved to hear a band let loose a bit and do some extended breaks and improvisation. But dancey. Regardless, performance was good, the audience was into it and the quality of recording is excellent for a live album from the time period.

Forceful, but not belligerent hard rock with a few sweet tunes to boot. At times grating due to Robert Plant ad libbing too damn much but, thankfully, everyone else is there to help ignore him when he does. Jimmy is at his sloppy, fantastic best (before heroin made it worse), Bonham could knock over buildings with the weight of his groove, and John Paul Jones is the one keeping everything together and nailing it every time. Basic parts put together well, and played effectively. It would have been something to experience when it first came out, as opposed to living in the world after it exists and too many people rehashing and treading on its desiccated remains. Favorite track is “What is and What Should Never Be”. Gotta love a track about LotR that isn’t being obvious about it.

U2 doing the whole rock and dance thing that was popular in the U.K. Underground at the time. Not only did they do Joy Division but badly, they also did a New Order and Stone Roses but subpar as well. “The Fly” and “Mysterious Ways” are the most interesting and listenable tracks. “One” seems to be the schematic that many Brit bands, Coldplay and after, from which drew their sound. Not the biggest fan of U2, their best is “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”, on the Batman Forever soundtrack. 30th Anniversary version has some very annoying remixes on it, including a really bad version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love”. Bono is the worst, but I do have love for the rhythm section.

Classic album. Dre at his best musically speaking. I have never been a fan of certain aspects of west coast gangster rap as far as some of the lyrical choices and skits but I didn’t grow up in that situation. Best album I have been recommended.

This album is fraught with the bloat of 80’s production, bad arrangements and songwriting. Not all of the songs are bad, “I Might Have Been Queen” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It” in particular are favorites, I don’t mind the 80’s sound here. They kept it clean and simple. The extended version of “Private Dancer” was long winded for no reason, and this version of “Let’s Stay Together” seems like a weird ‘about face’ to the attitude of “I Might Have Been Queen”. Tina is a specific voice, a strong voice, but not a large voice like an Aretha (who had their own issues production wise at this time as well). Tina’s biggest strength is in live performance, this should have been a live album with all the greats, and far better originals and cover arrangements, and it would have been killer.

This seemed like a demo tape for what would become a concept album and then that didn’t happen. The hit songs are great, but a lot of this is not for me. Not really sure why it’s here.

One of my favorite albums of all time. It was very well executed and Nirvana choosing to do other peoples tunes over their hits at the time was an excellent choice. Hard to pick favorites but I really enjoy this version of “Man Who Sold the World” more than Bowie’s. The use of cello at the time was something different and unexpected in the pop focused world, definitely influenced people to experiment with more variation in bands afterwards. Love this album.

Stevie absolutely kills it on this album. He is a master of arranging and use of synthesis and layering with voice and other instrumentation. “Superstition” is an amazing track and undeniably one of the best tracks ever recorded, but it sits amongst many on this album to say a lot about.

I had not heard this album before, had a limited understanding of who this was. This is a solid album of well written English/Irish folk influenced rock. I am reminded of certain aspects of American folk styles and bands/artists that showcase this influence, i.e. the Band, and Songs:Ohia. Favorite songs: “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” and “Down Where the Drunkards Roll”. Solid listen.

This was a good listen. A very beatlesy punk album. Ferghal has an interesting voice.

If the only downside to this album is the song “Changes”, then it really isn’t such a bad thing. Tony is still reigning Riff Engineer General, Geezer plays all the right notes and locks in with Bill Ward, who slays the drums. If there is a weak link it is Ozzy. But he is still solid and Sabbath wouldn’t be Sabbath, in this period, without him.

Excellently produced, interesting arrangements, a bit hokey at times musically and lyrically, but still worth a damn listen. Favorites: Knowing Me, Knowing You and Fernando.

I can get why people are into this, but I don’t find it to be Amazing. Definitely some good listens but it just isn’t hitting me in the way I have heard other people speak of this band. Scottish doing a Beatles but more Rockin’.

The part of this album I enjoyed was the instrumentation, and arrangements. However, his voice is of the sort I do not care for when listening to male voices. It is a faux sense of soulful, or “world weary”, sound. Think a Citizen Cope, or Ray LaMontagne. Again: another album that is hard to understand why it is a “bucket list” album.

I would say this is the originator of the sound that I described for John Martyn. Or, at least, this is what I identify in my experience of music as the originator of that sound. Though I didn’t say the term in those notes, I refer to it as ‘Sundown’ or ‘Sunset’ music, as it seems like something they would play in a sequence of a film when two characters are having a moment on a porch, slow dancing and the feelings are happening and the sun is setting. Sometimes it’s the end of the movie and we are meant to be believe that this world is okay. It’s a bias I have and I am okay with it. To add to artist’s who have this sound I am including Norah Jones as well, as it isn’t the sound of just male singers but it is the male singers who do it that annoy me the most. John Mayer too. Best song by far is ‘Moondance’, from this album anyway. There is a certain amount of cheese to this style I can’t endorse.

Listening to this after the last two suggestions was a breath of fresh air. Tracey Thorn is a fantastic vocalist and her with Massive Attack is a brilliant pairing. This IS an album that people should be told to listen to.

Solid songs, great performances. The one glaring, obnoxious, ahistorical and idiotic issue is of course the monologue of the last song. An absolutely ignorant ending to an otherwise, perfectly fine album. A little bit country and a little bit rock n roll.

Considering that this is one of my favorite bands, and one of my favorite albums, I have a bias. I love this album, no notes.

I had not heard much from Faces, mostly overlooked for Rolling Stones, and Rod Stewart’s solo song (“Maggie Mae”) from the time was played constantly. However, this album was a good bit of fun. Very quick and to the point rock n roll, Rod Stewart at his most enjoyable.

This is a reason why I am taking part in this listening exercise: to hear albums like this that I had little to no knowledge of. I enjoyed it, need to listen more.

It’s a good listen. Nothing has caught my attention specifically but I like the overall sound. This is an artist whose influence I have heard expressed in a lot of 2nd generation punks “maturing” into their older selves and doing solo efforts. Instead of doing rockabilly (for good or ill) like the first gen, they do desert soundscape murder songs. It is both praise and an indictment of the tendencies. Will listen to more Nick Cave w/ or w/o his Bad Seeds.

It was perfectly fine. There is a quaintness of arrangement/orchestration I can’t look past that makes it less interesting to listen to. I understand it’s importance but it lives in the time it is from without moving beyond that time. It is a stepping stone to better things from both Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

It was fine. In context of the time maybe it would have been more interesting.

An excellent voice, solid songs, wonderful playing. Fantastic pop rock, there is nothing pretentious about this album, just well made art. “Time after Time” “All Through the Night” and the Cover of Prince’s “When You Were Mine”. Also of note, both the original and rerelease are available via streaming. That’s fantastic, I wish every rerelease was that way.

There is stuff here to like but they eventually work against themselves as the songs progress. And that is for every song, to the point that it feels like its all just one song. The vocals are interesting in timbre but there is a lack of variation and it becomes monotonous, the orchestration and arrangement does the same. Much like a dream it all flows together and I have. hard time remembering any of it. Maybe that’s the point.

I am confused as to why I should hear this one before I die. It is serviceable “New Wave” music, I wouldn’t say anything is particularly memorable. The worst part about this album, for me, is that any level of excitement I should get from the performance seems to be utterly muted in the mix. This music should be exciting but I don’t really get it from the sound and that is sad because it seems like they can play their instruments.

A perfectly enjoyable Christmas album based in that 60’s sound, despite being involved with Phil Spector. It’s the sort of must listen for people into music, not for everyone.

I am not a Sinatra fan. He was a capable meh singer, maybe he was a revolution at some point, maybe he helped some performers breakthrough, mostly he was a mediocre vocalist who had some good arrangers, and hella talented players backing him. He was tied to the mob, he was full bluster, and just a shit human being. I do not suffer from a nostalgia for this person. There are better more talented artists to listen to, his daughter is hella more interesting and a good singer in her own right. Fuck Sinatra. I have heard enough and will definitely vote a 1 on this, enough people exist to slobber over this assholes history that 1 person not liking him will be fine.

Solid, no frills live album. It isn’t amazing, but good versions of hits.

This is a fantastic album, the only downside is it being as short as it is. Absolutely love this album. The opening track, “Billy Jack”, is a slow burn intro to the album that sets the mood and that doesn’t let up even going to more thoughtful and sweet “So In Love” and certainly is bolstered by “Blue Monday People”, and the silver lining of “Love to the People” is where the mood seems to lighten somewhat.

I need to spend more time with the Kinks.

Pop drenched in distortion, to misquote someone else. I enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone.

This is an absolutely fun, and entertaining album. The band is killing it, Ian Dury is enjoying himself, the production is solid.

Good songs, great performances, solid arrangements but I find the big band sound takes away a lot from what could be an amazing small band performance. The choral arrangements come across as hokey to me, and that’s not even specific to Ray, as it is all over pop music at this time that has a “big sound”. This is an aural meal that is too rich to be really enjoyed as nothing is left to ask for, but somehow I am still left mostly unsatisfied.

A very well done electronic pop album. This was referred to by a critic somewhere as a “singer-songwriter” electronic album and I agree with that. It seems very personal, as though in conversation with the singer but thoughtful enough to be understood by the listener for themselves. I enjoy the use of vocal effects to create the different voices for the songs, as well as the use of synthesis.

A fine enough Brit rock thing. Falling somewhere between the jingle jangle of the Smiths and the Beatles with a bit of the more raucous side of the Isles every now and again, musically speaking and then the, at best, fun but, mostly, half clever lyrically we have then 90’s retro-present Oasis. Ignore all of the extracurricular activity of the brothers either at each others throats or someone else’s, and you have perfectly acceptable pop music made with guitars. I ain’t mad about it, and it is wonderful for a sing song. There are other bands, i.e. the Smiths or Blur, I would pick at any point over them but they fit neatly in with things.

Meh. I understand why people like this but its just “meh”.

This is a killer album. So much energy throughout. Quincy is killing it on the production and arrangements.

I enjoy this. Not mind blowing but I see why it would have been something more revolutionary in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Frank Blacks vocal approach is more of an accent to the instruments as opposed to being a sole focus of any particular section of a song. Well made and interesting rock music.

There is a lot to this album. I really enjoy the instrumentation and the sounds, the playing is top notch and the choice of material is excellent, this not an album for heavy rotation but I appreciate what they did.

Enjoyed it.

Good songwriting, and a very clean production. Willie can tell a story, convey the sense of loss and the toll of grief and make you believe in the hope for something better knowing that the character will never do the same.

An interesting mish mash of ideas.

It was fine.

Absolute classic album. Paul Di’Anno is a fantastic singer and this album showcases all of the fantastic traits, and sometimes the shortcomings of Iron Maiden. Absolutely fantastic album.

The synth work and sounds are stellar. Stevie is working the arrangements hard.

Some good tunes, some not so good tunes, and interesting playing.

Already here for this.

No notes.

Tragic and beautiful. An unfortunate cliche.

Enjoyed this album a lot. A bit silly, but well played swingin’ pop.

Lush, delicate arrangements and compositions for interesting pop tunes.

There are elements of this that are great, and then there are elements that are annoying.

Billie is a national treasure. Nothing but love for this album.

Loved it.

Meh.