Got quite a few catchy tunes; hand in my pocket was a surprise to the eardrum. Some offalty lyrics, but during listening I sweated profusely from the right armpit and that only happens when we're onto something.
Strong 3 to a light 4.
The most sophisticated one yet. They didn't cater for people with ADHD with those song lengths though, and Peter was talking a lot of papulty.
Kicks off with a glory tune that makes me hyperventilate.
Nothing needs to be said about the tune Heroes.
Instrumental tunes a higher level than other instrumental tunes. V2 Schneider is listenable on repeat, and Sense of Doubt makes me feel like I'm in the corner of a dark room with Jeffrey Dahmer. Moss Garden somehow sounds like being sat in Magna, space, the sea, the jungle and Japan all in a single song.
Secrets of Arabia's funky bassline is an underrated surprise.
Blackout and Neukoln are the only two which don't sound unique, but Brian Eno still powers through like a sausage powers through a hot dog bun.
An album best listened to with undivided attention.
4.5
Testosterone levels doubled listening to this. Sounded like they were cruising for smacked botty.
Uncertain Smile, This is the Day and Perfect all groovy tunes.
The rest have too many jazzy bridges, are too long, and are generally not interesting enough. Wasn't fond first time I heard it, still aren't.
Can't tell if the guy's voice is interesting or paedophile.
Listening to Moonchild my housemates probably thought I was trying to summon the Goblin King.
Objectively I can understand it being a 5, but jazz and prog rock pay a high rent to live in my head and struggle to get over a 3.
Glad it was suggested, but 2018 album Little Dark Age beats this I'd say.
Race for the Prize what a Choo Choo CHOON
Others were probably good but I was getting too stressed by how full the number 88 bus was.
Good for a debut album in 1999. It has that very 1999 feel about it, in the same way The Breeders do.
Do I detect some Stripey Jack in those riffs Beau?
3.5
Been thinking for years that Frank Zappa was a modern day rapper. Was surprised he wasn't, but not pleasantly.
Started off thinking it's jazz but ended up really enjoying it. I think that may have been because of the sun penetrating through the morning mist, the families traversing the Clapham plains with their dogs, the smell of coffee wafting through the breeze. I have been enlightened to a new world, and Abdullah Ibrahim, you have been my light.
Songs are alright too.
3.5
Bjork's music is better without Bjork. The voice goes through my head.
Also prefer her previous band The Sugacubes.
Muse/My Chemical Romance/Underworld vibes. Some sounds I've not heard before. Head looks like an old step dad.
3/5, mostly for the album art
A bit soft in the way it went in my ears.
Good tunes though and deserves a reasonable score for songwriting CAPICHE
Love Yes and their 90125 album is getting a high score, but not this. Five percent for nothing - 35 seconds of uberbobble
Can hear Brian Eno loud and clear on those synths, but seems overall a pretty roughly made record. Prefer RM's later stuff.
Actually quite captivating for just an hour of piano. It made it onto the 'work facilitators' playlist. I'm not sure the grunts were necessary
Sounds like music for 40 year old unhappily married men.
Downtown's alright. The rest doesn't have enough going on, but that's jazz for you. I do appreciate On The Nickel is quite beautiful mind you.
ONEPOINTFIVE
One of the stand out rap albums. Lyrics and vocals of these three are innovative as hell - every song I feel like I've been kegged in the middle of everyone laughing. Still, seeing them live would be 5/5 experience.
Production is highly rated, though it's sometimes hard to follow. Appreciate this being a 5, but for me personally it's a 4.49.
Thanks,
Josh
Pleasantly surprised the first time round. Second time less so. Musically it's got some pretty mental sounds - swear I heard some sort of electronic wobbleboard at some points - but not sure the songs are catchy enough.
Saying that, if Prince had made I want your s.e.x. we'd all be racing about it.
3.5
Best listened to on a Sunday night with your head in a bucket. Emotive as hell, and a stand out for 1979. Many of the best Joy Division songs never made it to an album though (Love WTUA, Transmission, Atmosphere). Still, a breath of fresh air and I feel a cool cat just for having listened to it
Rip It Up - reminds me of Sixth Form and exploring these, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Haircut 100, The Cure etc all the first time.
Never heard the entire album before and found nearly all of the songs had something going for them. Some more so than others.
Very close to being 5 for me, but will stick with 4.
Not a fan of raggae, but some of the songs are good.
3.5
Now I'm not sure Dre and I have the same values - especially his attitude to violent crime and cats - but we share a love for a some muthatrucking synthesized beats. Every song had some crazy hook, often backed by Snoop D going all in. Aggressive as hell, but it needed to be.
Hadn't realised that Doctor Dre, Snoop and NWA were all cut from the same cloth - a cloth wiped on the botbot and thrown in an old lady's face whilst it called her a BIATCH - but glad I found out. Synthesizer a bonus.
FIVE STARS
Should've stuck to making chocolate.
Not their most catchy tunes. I reckon if I was listening to it whilst laying in the bath it'd get a higher score. I wasn't laying in the bath though.
Starts strong,and the funk elements were adequate. Adding rock is innovative but I dosed off a little
An absolute scandal that this is on here but their 5 star album 'Power, Corruption and Lies' isn't
Hit me right in the chops. Some crazy brats they are. Struggles a bit in the middle but makes up for it just for being so out there with the sounds.
Imagine it would be even better live
Luke a male Adele, but I don't like Adele.
There's a few catchy tunes on there, very middle of the road
Might not have been as high if I hadn't been playing Red Dead Redemption recently. Album art intrigued my brain.
Can't argue it's not unique for 1986. I always think that they need to turn the vocals up though.
3.5
Very pleasant, but that's about it
It's the God damn jazz juice.
One for the Bobby Nuts' Offal Collection.
Alright, but it mainly served to show how good ol' Bobby Marls was
2.5
Starts off strong with one of the best pop/altpop/artpop songs ever and follows up strong with the whole first half of the album.
The second half is also crackers. I don't know what's going on in Waking the Witch but it fires off the neurones in my brain for its eccentricity - YOU MUST WAKE UP. Second half is made even better when you realise that it's a conceptual half about a woman drifting alone at sea at night.
FIVE ESTRELLAS
Quite a lot of odd things going on in this album, and I like it. It might be because I can hear a lot of Talking Heads on some of the tunes. And all these backing sounds/vocals bring the eccentricity level up to at least 6 or 7.
Jennifer is a stand out track I hadn't heard before. It could've been made last week.
English rosen at it again.
Otherwise, when it comes to Paul Weller, I prefer the style council
All this time I thought Suede were around in the late 1970s - they're actually part of Britpop.
A lot of David Bowie in the vocals. Alright, overall
3.49
Never heard of this but pleasanrly surprised. Cool Waves and the title track stand outs
3.5
Prefer Helplessness Blues. Mind just switched off for most of this
Wholesome as hell and it doesn't even have his best tune. The Ocean, Born under a bad sign, Just like the rain - all tunes that make me jolly in my belly.
Makes me feel I'm sitting there with a scotch whiskey agreeing that life is affording me all that it has to offer.
I'm drunk
Read that this one was divisive, and can see why. Some songs could be played in steerage class of the Titanic; others feel like we're at a medieval banquet as a jousting match is about to start.
But none of them are like the Whole of the Moon, and that puts me on the thumbs down side of listeners.
I thought this was going to be pretty relaxing music which was in danger of being bland, but it wasn't bland and simultaneously lived up to its name
It started off a 2
Then a 2.5
Then a 3
Then a 3.5
Could it go further?
No. No it can't. Still good though, and Bless My Soul is going to be played on repeat for the few days.
3.5
I'd probably call it grumble punk
Faultless. Every single song is glory. It's bursting with glory - they even have to release bangers like Sally Cinnamon and Mersey Paradise separately because there's too much glory for one record here.
Listened to this on repeat when I first discovered it in around 2011 - the only downside is that I can't go back and hear it again for the first time.
Fools gold continues to be one of the more odd songs going, but it works. Remember hearing it for the first time in 2004 cruising around San Andreas with Big Smoke.
Favourites: She Bangs the Drums, Waterfall, Sugar Spun Sister, Made of Stone, I am the Resurrection, Fools Gold, I Wanna Be Adored
FIVE ESTRELLAS
Perhaps it was the name; perhaps it was one or two songs I'd heard before, but I always thought these were basically some parents on the governing board of a primary school or something.
Meant I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. Many of the tunes on here are catchy, and Monday Monday came along at the right time. In fact, when it comes to songwriting, there's more to like on here than not to like, so fair play to them. In fact, I reckon if the same tunes came out now without that typical 1960s vibe we'd be raving about it. Not literally raving of course, that'd be difficult.
Album art, what the hell are they doing, but if anything that's increased its score for me. They changed the album art in later editions, which I thought was understandable until I found out it was just to cover the toilet up because they didn't want poo on the album.
Where do you start? Unreal that this came out in 1980. Everything about it is unique: the groove, the out of space sounds, the out-there lyrics. starts off with a groovy space beat, moves through the bangers of Once in a Lifetime and Houses in Motion, then ends up in with a feeling of walking through an eerie African jungle. The number of layers on each track is mad as well.
Not really an album that can be listened to whilst multitasking.
But everything about this is eccentric as hell, still sounding fresh 40 years later. For that I say
FIVE ESTRELLAS PLEASE BARTENDER
I confess I couldn't get past the second song. What are they so angry about?
Decent. Not my favourite from Siouxie but I think the mix of a chocolate melting middle and 6 beers made me think that this had something to say. And it did. It said listen to me because I have something to say.
Can't fault many tunes on here. BIG UP the London song.
A few songs stood out, but may not be best listening to whilst feeling like the dirt of a dog
Got nothing on the Mamas and the Papas. And what is that song all about 'opening your gob'
"Imagine" must be short for "Imagine this album being good"
Mainly powered by the lead track, which itself is overplayed these days.
.5 more because couple of tracks towards the end were alright
2.5
Was a fan of this, a lot more listenable then other similar American stuff coming out at this time. Got a bit of The Replacements vibe.
Susan's House got a permanent like; the album cover did not.
3.5
A few songs on here I've heard but didn't know the name, but either way the whole album is transport you to a far away land where the aliens with silver heads recreate using sheep wool.
Another one of those albums is great to listen to whilst waking across the Common and the sun shines across the earth.
Poor Leno is a secret banger, I'm saying
3.5
Just your typical 1967 album
There's some crazy sounds on here I admit. Dark, industrial, spacey, it's quite unique.
It seems to be in two minds though. Too dingy to be listening to on your bed, but too tranquil to be listening to in a witch's dungeon.
Got big Massive Attack vibes
Yes, it's got some funky, weird, hip hop sounds, but it's just too slow for me. I could drift off to sleep, albeit I accept it would a a deep sleep dreaming of candyswirls and popsicles.
There's also been too much of this genre recently, and by too much I mean one album
Groovy as ever especially the second half. Also feel like the synth from Ballad of Dorothy Parker was used by Daft Punk in a song on Discovery (maybe Something About us?)
I tried to sing along. Managed two words.
I was thinking that this would be best love, but I'm not sure even that would bring this album into the high status. Too repetitive.
You know what, I was a fan. Sounds like the precursor to the Lemonheads with a smidgen of Flaming Lips in parts, but that's cool with me.
Like a dairy milk you forgot you had - a simple delight.
When did this come out? Refreshing as hell compared to the other stuff coming out at the time.
It's A Bit of Pain is beautiful but I'm not sure they needed that Dalek on backing vocals.
I sometimes think American hard rock overdoes it a bit, but this seems to be a bit more in the sweet spot of rock, catchy riffs, melodies and vocals. Probably some would argue it's commercial, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
Am hearing Def Leopard and Kiss, but then there's a bit of hop hop and Talking Heads in the tune Funny Vibe.
3.5
I am a fan of our Joan. She puts pleasant messages on Facebook.
Think her best tunes are scattered across her discography though. This is quite good, but only a few stand out tracks.
I remember hearing this for the first time on BBC Radio 2 when it first came out. I was sitting there having a poopoo in my family bathroom.
I just thought it was Franz Ferdinand at the time, which says if all really.
It's a compilation album, except they've made the error of compiling papulty
Standalone I could have given this a 4, but half of it is covers so that gets a thumbs down. They're not bad covers, though
Can't find many faults with this album. Walk of Life is a jolly good tune, and Why Worry was a nice slow ballad thing with some weird synth moments. Other tunes all had something to them.
Money for Nothing steals the show, even if it is 8 minutes long. That riff can inspire a generation to play the GEE-TAR. Not sure it needed the word "faggot" four times in back to back sentences though, but it was 1985.
Yeah I was bamboozled listening to this, but it had some unique sombre sounds that said yes to me. A really odd soundtrack, but I liked it. It said BIG UP MY HOMIE LISTEN TO THIS
Alright as far as 1980s R&B albums go. They've squeezed everything they can put of that one 80s drumbeat though.
2.5
Got some nice tunes but that's it. Nice tunes
Some neat, short punk tracks, but that's about it.
2.5
I'm a sucker for short, catchy melodies. I thought they only had There She Goes, but their other tunes are not half bad. It's true that none of them live up to the lead single, though.
3.5
I find jazz boring. This is just random and noisy. I imagine people say "you just don't appreciate it" and to that I say I wouldn't want to
Seemed to not take itself too seriously. Some of the rapping was like they were trying to do it for the first time though, especially on Gutfest 89.
This album suffers from having too many overplayed tunes on it, but that's because the tunes are BANGERS and MASH, quicktime ya see.
Has funk, has industrial, has some glory samples. What's going on in the background of Praise You is bonkers - bongos, industrial beats, lasers. It's what I imagine kezzle is like.
One downfall is the drums, which are pretty much the same all the way through.
4.5
A year after this release Mr Slim played Woodstock and the crowd brought a van onto the dancefloor and set it alight and Fatboy had to escape. I'm not surprised.
Some truly unique sounds in this. Deserves a decent score
Credit has to be given to the songwriting given a lot of it is just a guitar.
Anthony Fantono has this as one of his 'top albums to get into new wave', alongside OMD and Depeche Mode.
I'm not sure though. Something just feels off about it - like it is never quite reaching its potential - but that might be because Father Snell has a deep dislike of Pet Shop Boys and it may have rubbed off.
Main regret is not having time to listen to this more than once. Even with one listen though, I think this can get at least to 4.5.
How can you start putting out some of your best work on album number 15?
I probably just didn't get it
Very wholesome, very listenable, bonus for its unique setting. A bit repetitive, though.
Starts well, then tails off just in time to remember you're listening to Coldplay.
2.5
Coming back into this after trips to Bucharest and Warsaw.
This was experimental as hell, but at the same time some of the sounds I feel I heard whilst going through security at Warsaw airport.
1.5 - another one that needs more fumph
Maybe one of the worst album pictures I've seen. What are they all looking in different directions? The guy on the left looks like he's just come up on acid. Why is that guy's left hand so veiny?
Also, they're trying to act natural but not once have I ever been with a group of mates and we all just stood like that.
The album is just full of covers as well. Snell awards 2 points.
Very pleasant for one of the few days I'm not pumping my body of the world's goodies.
Bob Dylan vibes.
I think this was the best selling album ever for a while - might still be. Must've been being bought by the same people over and over again, because it's okay and that's it
Once again, utterly okay. Album cover reminds me of BeauFol
2.5
An inconic album.
They do look like a bunch of pervingtons on that album cover though.
Honestly just sounds like a 3 year old let loose on a trumpet.
3.5
Rod Stewart stole Do You Think I'm Sexy from the Taj Mahal
The filling of this musical sandwich needed for spice. Tasted very similar to other rock/pop rock albums of the time.
Plus what is that albums cover straight from Duke Nukem
Only listened to half of it but it was not the Bruce I know. Get this man some help!
I remember hearing this all the time as I suckled on my mother's teet. I think that may have factored into this rating, but either way you can't say that not every song is a corker in some way. Even the ballads have got it going on, and Meatloaf can belt them out.
Maybe it's because it was developed from a musical; maybe it's because it's often compared to Bruce Springsteen's albums. Either way, it deserves a respectable score.
4.5
About time we heard from this legend, but This Year's Girl and Armed Forces seem to win over this.
Very much a necessary album for The Clash - they needed to get this album out of the way so that they could move onto their classic sound. Sounds like it was recorded in a teapot though
Police & Thieves and White Riot stand out
Seems to be a mix of melodic hits and jazz-type instrumentals that Ezra Collective were probably influenced by.
A wholesome set of tunes, not that I was listening to the lyrics. Everyday People stands out, as does Stand. Stand.
Always thought this wasn't their best album, and still do, but don't think you can argue with the tunes on here.
Shame the lead guy is called Win and is Pervy Pete
Surprisingly good album - didn't understand a word of it
I wonder if suicide rates got higher when this came out
.5 more for having my name in it
3.5
Big fan of our boy Todd. He can switch between making decent album tracks like this and coming with singles.
Big fan of Mated and Bang the Drum All Day.
He knows his way around a recording studio too - think he produced Bat Out of Hell and an XTC album or two.
This album has that kind of late 60s/early 70s vibe, but the synth stuff takes it to another level of what was around at the same time.
Very John Cale, but not as good
Really only kept afloat by the first song, which was actually written by Terry Hall of the Specials
Started well, but went a bit too leftfield after that
I remember when I was younger I used to tell people Seven Seas of Rye was the fastest song on record. Do with that what you will.
Ultimately prefer their later stuff. This seems like it could be coming from any band around in 1974.
