This record has a LOT of cool cameos, and it definitely was produced well - it sounds pretty amazing. But this was definitely not my kind of music - I didn't really like music like this in the 90s and I feel the same about it now. My wife tells me I can't understand this because I was never a teenage girl đŹ
This was kind of a nice surprise. For Rod Stewart's performance actually stole the show though. Def a record I would listen to again. Jeff Beck is an incredible guitar player and his Clapton/Page/????? combo style shines the whole way through.
I think this deserves a 4. There is lots of invention and experimentation happening here, both in terms of the playing and arranging, and also in the studio work. It's playful and exuberant but also I think the end result is pretty good. I think I will put this on again some time. A good record from a band I never heard of until this listen.
The post-The-Strokes shuffle beat got a little tired by the end, ditto for the vocal effect. Overall the album holds up really well though, Take Me Out and The Dark Of The Matinée esp.
It's hard for me to remember to cultural context of this record as I was too young There are a few truly great tracks here (Enjoy The Silence, Policy Of Truth). It's def bold and experimental, and they mostly pull it off.
Not crazy about this record. There was some interesting lead guitar work, and obviously the title track Hotel California is a bit of a monster. But it kind of feels like they had a great single and released a whole record around it. The second half of the album is... not good.
I was not into the vibe of this record at all. Pretty sure I won't ever listen to this record front-to-back again. There were a lot of talented musicians and composers working on this music but it didn't do much for me. As an 'imitation' it was impressive - Iâm hearing SO MANY influences - Itâs like Grease/Rocky Horror/Jesus Christ Superstar, but with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band, Queen, Boston, 1970s Elton John (the one true Elton obvs) and Bob Seger as the backing band, Alice Cooper is the producer.
Excellent guitar. I actually love his voice. 2 thumbs down for the 'whimsical' flute all over everything. Stand out tracks: - One of these things first - Northern Sky - Poor Boy
Bowie still not clicking for me in general. The 'avant garde' section near the end with no vocal part was actually my favourite part of the whole album - musical but experimental, and def some great individual performances, guitar esp. I think I read this album features a guitar player from King Crimson? This was a nice surprise. Overall I wasn't really impressed actually.
Overall I really liked the aesthetic (big drum machine sound, jangly hollow-body guitars, broody vocals, bells/tambourine on everything) - it sounds like something that would have played at Central Perk! But there were really only 2 tracks worth listening to again: - Happy When It Rains - April Skies
I really liked this record actually! I hear the influences (KISS, Dick Dale, The Beach Boys, The Chantays) I also hear the influenced (Beastie Boys, Black Flag, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covering pop songs in a punked-up style) I'm still not sure this is a great album though - cool and interesting but still only getting 3 stars
Avant Garde and weird. Def a lot of influencing happening here also - the singing esp is so Jefferson Airplane/Grace Slick (Surrealistic Pillow came out before this record did so....) There was some good stuff on here and it was an enjoyable listen but I doubt I'll ever feel the need to come back to it.
Def my 'kind' of music, and a very solid debut. The first half of the record is stronger than the second. This must have been an incredible live show. "The kombucha mushroom people" is one of my favourite rock lines ever for reals.
This album was...fine? Our House is obviously a classic track, and the overall 'sound' of a swing-y version of new wave with horns was cool but not super inspiring to me.
This record has a LOT of cool cameos, and it definitely was produced well - it sounds pretty amazing. But this was definitely not my kind of music - I didn't really like music like this in the 90s and I feel the same about it now. My wife tells me I can't understand this because I was never a teenage girl đŹ
This is a great album. Not stellar, so still only a 4 but def great. Plenty to like, esp the instrumental-ish sections - excellent musicianship and well produced.
Weird but not awful.
I know Rush's catalog decently-well and I while I wouldn't say this is 'the best' Rush record it's def very solid, and there is some great stuff on here. Going to be hard to choose between a 4 or 5
Clearly a huge record and tremendous breakout for a hugely important artist... in a genre I really don't understand well haha Kanye is obviously one of the elite hip-hop producers/writers ever. He's also someone who has, in the intervening time since this record was released, developed some serious mental health issues that make it hard for some to consume/understand his music now. All Falls Down continues to resonate despite the passage of time and oddities of the author.
Easy 4 - great record and a lot of personal nostalgia for me. The Strokes were ultimately a bit of a let down for me - I expected them to be more serious and committed I guess. The big tracks from this one (Is This It?, Last Nite, Someday, New York City Cops) are all still great. The final track Take It Or Leave It is still a banger hands down. Overall the aesthetic of the record is spoiled a bit by the scratchy recording of the vocal - the effect gets a bit thin.
Easy 5. Definitely one of my favourite records ever. This time through I was really struck by how confident and bold the main guitar line is on Time. David Gilmour really was a bit of a visionary.
weird - I actually love a lot of songs by The Who but I guess not this "Rock Opera" thing. The drumming was EXCELLENT as could have been expected, and the recording seemed quite good. It's just not very interesting music I guess.
a solid 4 Wow could this lady belt it out. The vocals on the title track esp are tremendous.
An easy 4, could have been a 5 prob if I 'enjoyed' the album more. It's obviously great, but just not 'my thing' enough to bring me back to it. I loved this listen, but that's prob enough for a while. The "jazz samples over heavy/deep bass and beats" aesthetic is really awesome and was probably quite a revelation when this record was released. Def it's easy to hear this record in later stuff by The Roots.
Great musicianship! Innovative solos etc! Cool analog synths! The cover version of America was really interesting. Def enjoyable though not super inspiring to me.
I didn't /dislike/ this, but I found it to be overall rather uninteresting/uninspiring. Caravan Girl was by far and away the best track, and I was hopeful it signalled a turn for the better as the record concluded.... but alas it was the single bright spot.
I think this is probably quite a great record actually but it was just too sad for me today. The babies crying/calling for mom was just over the top for this middle-aged dad. Tons of emotion but not much in the way of 'hummable' tunes.
I liked this actually - though I'd never heard of it before. The 'instrumental' and 'progressive' nature kind of reminded me of Godspeed You Black Emperor but it was definitely more bite-sized haha The album seems to have been built around the big opener Djed but Taught and Tame was a good one also.
An interesting concept, but the 'fake live' aspect really ruined it for me I think. Def there is some great musicianship and a whole bunch of musical arrangement/structure/performance that I just don't understand haha this 40's swing band stuff just escapes me still. There are a few moments on here that are a bit more 'blue' that seem to have aged better and are interesting. And speaking as someone who has played a brass instrument (poorly) I know how hard it is to make them sound /good/ like this - these folks were dedicated to their craft and performing at the top of their game. Unfortunately this music just doesn't speak to me.
not a great record IMHO Interesting as a 'solo record by one of the Beach Boys' he's got a nice singing voice really nothing else special about this really though it wasn't offensive
This is a really great album. It has my favourite Rush track Red Barchetta and the also wonderful YYZ, and also 2 big radio hits Tom Sawyer and Limelight. A solid 4
almost literally nothing interesting to me about this record. Total snoozer. "Smooth Operator" was a recognizable track and not bad actually. The rest of the record I don't have much to say about really.
This record is not exactly my 'jam' but it's obviously great. I think I kind of hated the title track when I was younger but wow is it growing on me as I get older (and inspect the lyrics more deeply). I'm On Fire is a tremendous track and would be a hit if it were released today. Overall a great listen. The synths are a bit forward in the mix and the "80's" drum sound is grating, but otherwise a pretty great record.
A solid 4. I love the 'slightly more unhinged' version of Jack White on this record. Seven Nation Army, Black Math, The Hardest Button To Button -> all totally awesome tracks I could listen to every day.
good but kind of... forgettable? Def I enjoyed it and would listen again.
I've been through this album a number of times in my life. Def it is striking. The lyrics are pushy and aggressive - comically at some points. The 'production' is quite impressive actually - Something 2 Dance 2 was a surprise on this front. Overall I tried to interpret this as a 'painting' of 'what it's like' rather than a /glorification/ of the themes/ideas. It's otherwise hard for me to listen to music with this lyrical bent. Sonically and /politically/ a ground-breaking record, even if it isn't my thing exactly.
Kind of a strange choice for a representative record from this era and from this band - I can see though how it's kind of a bridge between the earlier and more 'underground' electronic music (Orbital, Underworld) to the late-90s 'big beat' stuff that became so mainstream (Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Prodigy).
I knew I liked AC/DC but this is a killer record. 5 stars. Brian Johnson "fits right in" with this band and sounds like the natural frontman of this group. Young and the rest of the band are phenomenal - solid, loud, rocking. Love it.
A really excellent record. Not exactly 'my thing' but quite an impressive sound and musicianship, and def if I was looking for something groovy this would be a great pick.
This was kind of a nice surprise. For Rod Stewart's performance actually stole the show though. Def a record I would listen to again. Jeff Beck is an incredible guitar player and his Clapton/Page/????? combo style shines the whole way through.
The blurb from the book made me feel like this was kind of a 'come back' effort from Def Leppard following many struggles and setbacks. I think they totally nailed this. It sounds good and feels good and really captures the best of what this era offered. A pretty great record overall.
The music was decent and enjoyable but completely unmemorable to me. A bit like The Band except not as good.
Not something I found particularly inspiring. I was tolerant of music like this when it was new and fresh and I'm less enthusiastic about this sound now. There was nothing wrong with it but it didn't strike me as particularly beautiful or well-crafted given the sea of similar music from the same time period. Perhaps I missed something?
This is a pretty solid 3. Nothing really spectacular but I definitely enjoyed it. A very good sound - well produced.
An easy 4 for me. Lots of really well written songs and excellent performances. The recording of the guitars on this record really impressed me on this listen, as did the vocal echo on Miles From Nowhere. On that song in particular, I liked it on this listen much more than I remember. Def one I'll come back to.
A pretty good record IMO. Nothing really super thrilling but it was def great music and I would def put this record on again. Great musicianship. Great sound. Very funky. Excellent bass work throughout. Great vocal performance also. A lot of covers on this record.
I feel like I was supposed to like this more than I did. Maybe it was just the day or something. Then again I've been through this record before and again didn't /love/ love it. Def there is lots of classic stuff in here but I think Dylan specifically has better and hopefully more consistent. Giving a 3 but it's more like a 3.5
Not my favourite, though Relax is a definite classic. Prob not something I will return to.
There's some good stuff on here but nothing really awesome. Tons of cool guitar work, and this DEFINITELY sounds like a Jane's Addiction record.
a good record but I think just a 3 from me. I like the 'raw'-ness of this record but also found it made things feel a bit... lazy? (production-wise) anyway a good record overall
I knew this album really well heading into this listen. Def this is a great record and iconic and historic even but it's not a 5 for me. Probably I'm supposed to rank it as one of the very best but the meandering in the middle of the record and the weepy vocal delivery let the rest of this record down I think. Still fantastic, just not fantastic enough for a 5
rocking, raw, inventive (clearly porto-punk-y), interesting, powerful. Lots of guitars and swagger and craziness. Definitely my kind of record.
cool and probably a 'bridge' record from early psych/prog rock into the 'country rock' that was so popular in the 70s.
I was surprised by this. A bit of a banger, esp the first half. Amazing sound/production. Foreplay/Longtime was super impressive.
Rod Stewart was(/is) a total baller. What a scene they had in England in that time around 1970 eh? This record was a bit sloppy but I actually loved it. It sounded quite 'live' and 'single-take'-ish though I'm not sure if it was or not. Ronnie Wood + Rod Stewart + Glyn Johns is a great combo, turns out.
def well produced and good musicianship. The first a lot of this record sounds like 'the same song' - little variance in tempo and the drum shuffle is similar/the same. Lots going on in these recordings also, maybe a bit too much sometimes. Mr Blue Sky is obviously a humungous hit and for good reason - it's also the best song on the record by a mile. Jungle was a pleasant surprise also.
This one gets a 5 from me. It's a weak 5 maybe haha - right on the edge. Lots of groove and feel, amazing vibe from the these guys who by this record (number 3?) appear to have really figured out who they are and what they are all about. The ballad Hot, Blue and Righteous is not my favourite, but La Grange is just a monster of a track and would be enough to get this record a 3/4 star rating. That the rest of the tracks are also full of killer guitar and cool lyrics and tons and tons of swagger is just an awesome bonus.
a solid 4 bordering on a 5. I've listened to this record through a NUMBER of times and wasn't as impressed as I was this time for some reason. More intentional listening? Really enjoyed this one.
I liked this but it didn't blow me away. Def brought back some good memories. Def will listen again. I love how mellow it is - so much 'electronic' music is either very 'dub step' or 'hip hop' and this is just chill and nice.
Not super impressed actually. Solsbury Hill is obviously a big one, but the rest of the record is really just alright. It's produced well and everything, and the collection is quite varied and eclectic. Just mostly uninspiring.
Def interesting. Love the speed and aggression. I didn't love the mix - vocals were a bit too 'forward' and 'black flag' but lots of awesome guitar stuff on this one. Close to a 4 but not quite.
Impressed by the technique for sure (pre-ableton sample-heavy techno is such a wonder to me) I don't really /remember/ any of the hooks/riffs a day later though. Def lots of cool beats and grooves though. Very enjoyable.
This is a low 5 for me but kinda just barely. Lots of 'experimentation' and blending of South African stuff right into his more 'traditional' American style. I have a lot of nostalgia associated with this one that helped bump it up a notch for me. A pleasure to listen to even though the shine of surprise/newness have worn off.
An easy 3. Fun and interesting, and the story of being the first record after their star original lead singer left is pretty compelling.
Only a 2 from me. I feel a bit bad about this actually since it's so famous, and for real Wild Side and Perfect Day are both great tracks. But somehow the rest of the record feels like a bit of a joke haha a throwaway. I think this whole 'glam rock' thing doesn't hit a bullseye with me in general.
interesting but not impressive. Maybe another 15 years in the vault will do it some good though.
Knowing Me Knowing You was better than I remembered but overall this was not an album I enjoyed.
pretty happy about this record actually. Def heard Hole/Courtney Love/Liz Phair (even Sleater-Kinney) in here so it's neat to draw a line back to the 'origin' of that. Would def put this back on some time. I didn't LOVE this - it wasn't 100% my 'jam' - her vocal delivery is not super beautiful/moving to me, but I see why it would be to some. 4 stars but barely
I'm glad I listened to this but I didn't really like it. The sort of pseudo-medieval lute-playing bard gimmick never really landed with me and I don't really understand that vibe though it seemed pretty prevalent for a while in the 60's Picture Book wasn't bad but I think I'd skip the rest of this record.
chaotic and crazy - def a good listen but I feel like I need about 10 more to really grasp this one properly. This one almost makes it to a 4 just on the boldness of the mission alone - all those players and so much improvisation - it's a wonder it holds together at all. The guitar player McLaughlin is out of this world - def need to know more about him.
This record is so close to a 4 for me. Def I have a lot of familiarity - people around me were listening to Jamiroquai like crazy in those days. Ultimately this record is just missing that key ingredient of a couple of really truly amazing tracks that reel you in and force you to appreciate the deeper aspects of the rest of it. An excellent record but not quite to the level of great.
This record /sounded/ good and I appreciate it sold a lot of copies - wasn't my thing at all though.
a solid 3. Interesting stuff and def a good sound. The vocal performance is a bit weird and not really my thing but overall this is a good record. The opening track Do The Strand was really impressive.
Def a cool record. Maybe too cool for me? Didn't grab my attention the way I'd hoped but I feel I did give it a fair shake. I appreciate the unconventional-ness of this music, esp the vocal delivery, but it does wear out a bit.
My wife loves this record and it was one of her faves as a teenager. I didn't really love it though. It's interesting and innovative and to people of my generation definitely historically important. I will give it a 3 but it barely makes it.
An easy 3. Love the guitar sound esp. Nothing about this record really resembled a 'hook' though. If I had some nostalgia to mix in maybe this one would feel more important.
this is a GREAT album but I think barely not a 5. Some of the 'aesthetic' feels too dated (90s) to me. But it's def fantastic and an easy 4. Oh man right from the first note though - itâs such a beautiful mash up of live/real guitars and drum machine and samples and noise⊠Like the beat in the chorus of Devils Haircut is the Amen Break right? Such an innovative record.
5 stars no question. There is nostalgia bundled up in this as well - this record came out when I was 13 and really getting into this music scene. BUT this is still a phenomenal record and I still love every twist and turn, every shiver and shake, every haunting space, every performance by every player.
I think this makes it into the 4 start category. This is one of the easier listening jazz records Iâve heard and itâs also got some historical importance (according to the blurb). Great stuff.
This was a surprise 5. I knew I liked early Sabbath, but listening to this front to back and giving it a critical ear, I found I was head-bobbing and foot-tapping more than I expected. It barely squeaks into 5-star territory, but overall I think it makes it. A really solid record with a lot of great tunes, plus it's historically important.
This record is weird though not altogether terrible. IMHO it ranges from âsort of comedic but still not goodâ (Tits On The Radio) to awful (Laura) to reprehensible (Comfortably Numb like WTF seriously) then later kind of Bran-Van eclectic (Filthy/Gorgeous, though TBF they donât quite pull this off) to âhey thatâs not /bad/â (Music Is The Victim, It Canât Come Quickly Enough) Iâm really confused haha
This one squeaks out a 3 I think. Nothing really inspiring but it was interesting and high on the musicianship scale. It was maybe hard to really grasp because it was in another language? but Portuguese is really interesting and smooth at least!
Ok so I know I have not been a 'radiohead' person up to this point. This is a good record, and there are some really brilliant moments on it for sure, but it didn't give me a feeling like I really can't wait to listen to it again. I was bobbing my head and feeling the groove in a few places! But not many. Not 'enough'. I know how many people really do love this band and indeed this record and so it will definitely get a few more listens from me. It's a complex sound and is probably not something I can properly take in and appreciate with only a couple of listens. For example just going through the first track 2 + 2 = 5 I observed: ------------------ I actually restarted it halfway through to do it over with more volume - the big âescalationâ didnât land properly on regular volume haha Cranked up it def was a cool track but I feel like they flaked out for the end of it like they didnât know how to end the song haha - âjust let Thom wail away and the producer can do some cool Beck stuff⊠that should be good right?â TBH this is a great start to the record though. Dig the overall riff and groove (surprise! It has both!), dig the Pablo Honey/The Bends-esque acoustic bit, Thom isnât being too whiney at least.... ------------------------ So the mythical Radiohead 'aha moment' seems to have eluded me again but I will give it another go.
I have a soft spot for this trip-hop style, esp this early-ish stuff. Esthero was a favourite of mine after seeing her live at a festival-style show - I def see the influence here.
On The Beach surprised me. I think Ambulance Blues is my new favourite Neil Young track! There was a lot of 'heart on his sleeve' stuff in this record, the musicianship was a bit on the sloppy side but in a real and expressive way. I think this is a really good record and a bit of a sleeper. I know a bit of Neil Young's catalog but had literally never heard of this album or any of the songs on it.
impressive poetry, cool voice, def plusses On the con side though, kind of weird beats, all of the âactingâ and âexpositionâ in the background Is really distracting I dig the âartâ aspect of this being the âhorror movie flex by the imagined mischief-maker alter ego (Slim Shady) of the stage persona (Eminem) of a person (Marshal Mathers) who trying to work out the giant (mostly ethnic?) chip on his shoulderâ His voice is rad though and (speaking as someone whoâs tried his hand at writing some poetry) his rhymes are so interesting. Like infectious earworm I also dig that in this Slim Shady period when ârealityâ poked it head out from the âhorrorâ aesthetic itâs usually in the form of 1-st person commentary on being poor, which is something I think was/is important
LOVED the poetry. The guitar playing was a really nice surprise. Overall the foundational songwriting is pretty awesome really. Overall this music is too glum and repetitive for me to give a really great review. So Long, Marianne is the big outlier for me - that is a legit fantastic song and something I plan to pop into many playlists. The rest of the music is good but not great enough to make a 4 for me. Close though.
This is an easy 4 for me, and getting close to a 5 The guitar parts are truly excellent. The vocals are really spectacular in places. There are a couple of low-points on this one that keep it from being truly great, but there are some really fantastic highs also. At its best it is funky and folky and bluesy all at once.
This album is just so passionate and inspired. It's kind of amazing how fantastic this still sounds. I thought maybe this would just be a 'nostalgia' pick for me - there is def some of that - but it's just a really gritty, powerful record and time hasn't changed that a bit.
Just an alright record for me. I didn't actively dislike anything really but I didn't see any great reason to listen to this apart from the 2 best tracks - Psycho Killer which is cool but played so much throughout my life it's hard to not see it as radio filler/halloween novelty - Don't Worry About The Government which is legit an interesting song with a good hook and vibe
First listen was rough. By the 3rd listen I was really coming around. I feel like this is the british version of the Northern Pikes or something. I can def understand why this is an important record to someone with the right cultural context/nostalgia. Also the guitar playing was excellent. 3 stars but close to a 4.
I REALLY liked this. Blister In The Sun has been on my radar for years but somehow I missed the rest of the record? They seem to be sitting in between a bunch of stuff, straddling the edges of many genres and styles at once. The punkiness really got me actually. I was finding the 'say shocking stuff' and 'be a big brat' lyrical motives really interesting and funny, and reminded me of Gob (another band I love).
Def dig the early punk vibe - this whole record feels very authentic to me. I dug the 'zero waste' approach to arrangement also This blurb from the book felt perfect: âwith the band grinding to a halt once they had run out of lyrics or had become tired of repeating a riff or hookâ The last section of the record esp was really great - I think 1 2 X U might have been my favourite track on the whole record.
Easy 3. Great singer, great arrangements, even one of my fave tracks by Stevie - Boogie On Reggae Woman Not much else to say about it though - the smooth R&B feel is not 100% my thing I guess. Still a very enjoyable record.
Thin sound, strange arrangements, 1988 trans am and moustaches and shitty beer. Nonetheless, it's rad guitars, amazing lead work, TIGHT playing, and even the aforementioned 'strange' arrangements and 'thin' sound kind of grew on me by the end. Def a decent record.
Fine but not inspiring. I didn't have the history/nostalgia to go along with it so that might have made a bit of a difference. I got big Franz Ferdinand vibes from a few of these tracks which was interesting given the amount of time in between when this record was released in the late 70s and when FF came out in mid-2000s.
I think this deserves a 4. There is lots of invention and experimentation happening here, both in terms of the playing and arranging, and also in the studio work. It's playful and exuberant but also I think the end result is pretty good. I think I will put this on again some time. A good record from a band I never heard of until this listen.
The beginning of the album seemed very promising - I loved how expansive the sound was and there was some good groove to it. But everything kind of started to sound the same by about halfway through and the second half of the record was a real slog for me. I wasn't a huge The Cure fan before this. I have some new appreciation now but mostly I wasn't supremely impressed.
I really enjoyed this! One thing I notice when venturing outside the 'western blues-inspired' world of music is that there is often less emphasis on vocal performance and that's true here. This guy is a fine singer - on pitch, soulful, etc but for me it may as well be Raffi singing here haha there's so little emotion compared to the 'english language' greats like Robert Plant, etc. He did get going on the last track Africa Brasil thought that was a fantastic recording.
Amazing guitar work, amazing vocal performances, innovative synth usage, great songwriting. This doesn't quite make it to a 5 for me but it was close.
I'm sure it's historically important but it didn't seem that compelling to me. I was really into 'ambient' music in the early 2000s - I can see some of the lineage. 2 stars because I didn't have to turn it off and I was able to listen to it multiple times.
This record was fine but very rambling both lyrically and melodically. There was no hook in anything - no rhyme, no repetition, no interest building. Just rambling poetry and no chorus haha that's how it felt anyway. I almost gave this a 3 then remembered the very cringey "we're like America and Russia" metaphor and decided on a 2.
The 1-2 punch combo of Just and My Iron Lung put this over the hump from 3 stars to 4. Def there is a LOT of great stuff on here, and it's period-perfect to a fault. High And Dry and Fake Plastic Tress felt a bit dated actually - maybe just overplayed? I feel like if Radiohead had spent their later years chasing that Just/My Iron Lung thread I may have been along for the ride a little more.
This was just ok for me. Interesting and cool for sure but also def not mind-blowing. 3 stars only.
I really liked this - easy going, hummable, excellent playing It's not as adventurous as some of his later work - but that was kind of nice also haha it wasn't so challenging
Great record! Not a lot to say other than that honestly it's just a great rocker. The "Quiet Riot" chorus on Touch Too Much was a bit distasteful to me and almost pushed this one down to a 4 but the bottom line is this is just a remarkable band with amazing feel and groove and basically every moment of this is enjoyable.
I know this is an unpopular opinion but I absolutely love this record The other folks in my listening group didn't love it as much and noted they esp didn't like "Not That Funny" When I finally made it through to Not That Funny, even with their criticisms in my head I still love it - I love the way Lindsay is just SMASHING the guitar strings and you can hear them banging around all over the place, I love the pre-chorus, I love the melodic instrumental chorus part, I love the crazy noisey âbreakdownâ/fall-apart section at the end⊠love this tune, though I will admit the weird vocal delivery of the ââŠnot that funny is it?â line is a bit ridiculous I was dreading the day this one came up - this is actually my favourite FM record. The tremendous accomplishment of Rumours is impossible to ignore, and it is âbetterâ in almost every way, but this one feels more experimental and raw to me. I feel a lot when I put this in haha. I know though that this is a VERY minority opinion and I will try not to take offence when you guys shit all over it haha I understand its many faults. Christine Mcvieâs writing is top tier on this one though. Honey Hi as a great example I think what a lot of people hate about this record is that Lindsay Buckingham was kind of off the deep end and his songs are just weird. Everyone was expecting another The Chain but they got The Ledge haha which I personally love but is way off track from where he was on rumours. Stevie has some great tracks here also - Sisters Of The Moon is one of her best ever. I actually kind of took it hard when Christine McVie died recently. I went on a huge binge and hardly listened to anything else for a while. When I first got into FM I thought Stevie Nicks was the greatest thing in the world, and then I was in love with Lindsayâs incredible guitar work and strange but brilliant songwriting. But eventually I came around to realize actually all my favourite FM tracks were Christineâs. Her songwriting is so incredible and her songs smack me in the face every time I hear them. As celebrated as she is I think she is vastly underrated in the pop music pantheon I forgot this was the record that has Think About Me -> Iâve worked up an acoustic version of this one. For reals I FUCKING LOVE this song. I know the bass line is bordering on disco but they pull it off. The pairing of Lindsay and Christine is a theme in Rumours/Tusk/Mirage era and they tried to duplicate it with a pair-up record post-FM-breakup but it didnât work out as well - prob they were just too old
I thought the noise-iness aspect was cool but a bit tiring by the end. Not a super 'fun' record but I didn't completely hate it.
Some of the singing was fairly suspect. Not really my cup of tea overall. One in my listening group noted â this is music for people who wear underwear in the showerâ
I love this record.
this tickled that early 2000s alt country nerve a bit. Reminding me of Old 97s etc though not as good. Thinking about that âacross the Atlantic culture ping-pongâ I wonder if this was an Americana ping that didnât receive a proper British pong⊠Like maybe this is the Britain/Europe music pressâ idea of an important example of the Alt Country/Nouveau Americana movement. Whereas I would instead point to Whiskeytown, Old 97s, Jayhawks, Drive-by Truckers, Jason Isbell, âŠ. I dig the instrumental sections- kind of country but kind of chill stoner rock⊠the lyrics/vocals really let this record down hard though. Someone in my listening group noted: âI think ppl were big on Pavement because of the popular weirdness to their music, still somewhat accessible. Then the Brits heard this shittier country version of the same thing and thought it must be more important.â FWIW I actually truly love this Alt Country genre- those 3 Whiskeytown records are some of my fave music ever. Still
I thought this record opened strong, and I didn't hate it... but I was pretty bored of the sound by the end. It kinda felt like the same thing over and over again. There were enough twists and turns to make it worthwhile but it wasn't fantastic. I think my review is also coloured by prior knowledge of the work that came right after this, (Supergrass, Road To Rouen, Diamond Hoo Ha) which I actually know and like quite a bit, esp Road To Rouen.
not my cup of tea. I know it was worked on my 150 people or whatever, but it's lyrically kind of a confusing record, and I found a lot of the improvised vocal lines to be a bit 'first-take-y' - unsure and wandering away from 'in tune' like they rushed this record. Actually the Wikipedia article also indicates it was rushed. The âgroupâ vocal parts sound great - almost too great like sometimes autotunedâŠ? (Not the end of the world but maybe a bit surprising) I guess I just feel like when the entire non-vocal part of your song is a sampled and/or mindlessly repeating bass-line and fake record scratching soundsâŠ. The vocals had better be killer. There is a lot of good vocal performance on here but I think it never rises above merely 'good'. Track 09 Happy Face was a bit of a surprise - pretty good track actually and the only reason this gets 2 stars instead of 1 This strikes me as a hastily created Beyonce solo record where sheâs live action role playing as a member of the Destinyâs Child âperformance groupâ
This one gets a solid 3 stars I love his voice actually. The âmiddle-easternâ-ish digressions in the guitar are very interesting. Heâs finding a groove between Dylan, Nick Drake, similar-era country stuff like early Johnny Cash/Merle Haggard, maybe Roger MillerâŠ.. I dig it
I really dug this recording. Live recordings are actually not always my favourite but this one had amazing power and urgency. Also since this is a live album it's worth mentioning they didn't mix 'crowd noises' in too heavily.
There is some really great stuff on this record but also some stuff that I think just hasn't 'held up' over time. Clapton is relentlessly impressive, both in technical ability and in his artistic choices. The rest of the band is also great. There are some parts of this that are needlessly silly - perhaps I just didn't always get the joke? This one gets a 4 just because so much of this record has become such a part of the 'background' art of society - Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR
I really wanted to give this a 4 and it came really close. When I was finished listening I was a bit worn out - it was quite a ride I dig the dark sound of this record, and the blues-ey-ness is kind of off the charts. This is like grunge music for blues people haha. When I was done I was kind of glad it was over though - I was just about to turn if off for a bit when I realized I was on the last track. I had reached the limit of what I could handle in one sitting. The lyrics on this record are really aggressively sexual. Rub 'Til It Bleeds being the one that sticks out in my mind, but also Hook and Rid Of Me. The opening track Rid Of Me was a standout, as were 50ft Queenie and Man-Size, and also the closer Ecstasy just for crazy blues-ey-ness.
This was quite a surprise for me actually. If I were to do this 'album a day' challenge again in 10 years I wonder if I would rank this one higher? There was a lot to uncover here - the overall story arc that the album provides is actually quite an interesting little fantasy, though it was hidden (to me) behind a different language and behind this weird 60's-ish obsession with relationships with really young girls.... nonetheless there is some SERIOUS groove on this record. The instrumental part of the album is rocking and bluesy and /loose/ but still very awesome. I was bobbing my head a LOT. The deep-voice whispered poetry delivery of the 'lyrics' was very Leonard Cohen-ish and I'd say LC knew all about Serge G. He pushed the 'fantasy' a bit too far a few times - notably the 'laughing' went from cute and bubbly to completely repulsive haha he just didn't know when to quit. The feeling of the final track really pushed this up in the ranking for me. The protagnoist's contemplation "I miss this girl terribly,.... but did I just get away with this terrible thing? do either of those things matter?" was actually quite compelling to me. I feel like I've watched a movie though he never showed me anything visual (except the evocative cover photo I guess) Truly an interesting piece of art, though overall my listening group found the premise to be somewhat revolting.
I didn't love this actually. It's fine but there wasn't a lot for me to hold on to. It was enjoyable to listen to and Cohen's guitar work (I think that was him?) was actually very impressive and squeaks this up to 3 stars.
A really fantastic album. A truly incredible debut. Good Times Bad Times remains one of their best songs. I don't think this is my favourite Led Zeppelin album but it's special in its own way for sure.
I came into this listen pretty familiar with some earlier stuff by Yeah Yeah Yeahs which maybe coloured my experience a bit. I found this record to be fine and enjoyable but not super inspiring. Their earlier work has more urgency to it - like they couldn't help but make that crazy music and it was just busting out of them all the time. This record on the other hand made me feel a bit like they made a record because they were supposed to make one haha. The result is still pretty great though.
The great songs on here on about as great as it gets for pop-ish structured tracks. There are some weird things thrown in there - avant garden one-upmanship I guess. But the good vastly outweighs the bad and it's not hard to give this a 5 star rating. There is some merit to the argument that this is an example of why artists shouldn't do double records. I think the best true double album release I can think of was Mellon Collie (which BTW would def be on my list), but the thing it does really well is kind of stick to the album aesthetic even when the songs are truly incredible The White Album doesnât have much of an âaestheticâ Personally I dig the âavant gardeâ additions but theyâre pretty annoying for full front-to-back listens when you just want to hear the ârealâ songs Comparing to a similar double album my listening group just had recently Tusk by Fleetwood Mac (which I realize no one really liked except me haha) I think itâs a similar process leading to a similar result. Both bands were very fragmented socially during the recording and the effects of ego and drugs were apparent. John McVie (the âMacâ from Fleetwood Mac) was quoted something like Tusk âsounds like 3 records recorded by 3 solo artistsâ and I kind of feel the same way about The White Album
Cool record! Definitely the story of 'finding a following in the 90s' is very interesting also. Ultimately I think it's not the /kind/ of music that really turns my crank, but there wasn't anything objectionable about it whatsoever. An enjoyable record I would probably be happy to listen to again, though ultimately I think I probably won't.
This was a really great album and a lot of fun to listen to. Nothing in specific really stuck out, just a lot of great grooves and awesome guitar work. I think this squeaks out a 4 star rating - if the vocal performances had been better it would have been an easy call, but as it is I think it still meets that mark for me.
This is a great record with a lot to love. There are the obvious hits (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle In The Wind, Benny and the Jets, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting) but there are a couple of sleepers also, notably Gray Seal which (remade for this release) is just a great driving rock track. Elton's piano work is stellar throughout, and Davey Johnstone's guitar is supremely iconic (if not terribly virtuoso/impressive). Bernie's lyrics have a couple of weird turns/low points but overall are pretty great also, the title track maybe being the best example. Doesn't get up to the level of a 5 for me but def a solid listen.
This was a weird one - Sleater Kinney + Bikini Kill + early Hole vibes I've never heard of them before but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is an underrated/underappreciated group. I didn't dig deep on any of the lyrics Definitely this has piqued my interest and I would like to hear more. All that being said, I didn't /love/ love it, though I didn't have trouble listening to the whole thing.
Def interesting, kind of a British take on Arcade Fire
This gets a 3 star rating but man it's so close to a 4. This guy's voice is quite spectacular, and reading the 'life story' was almost worth a 4 on its own - this guy had a crazy life. If it had more in the way of 'hits' than Cry To Me this would prob rank a 4.
I would say this isnât really my âkindâ of music - like the snappy early 2000s boy-band drum-machine shuffle isnât my bag, but these are some rad lyrics and really quite incredible singing compare to the improv singing we heard on the Destinyâs Child record Survivor⊠She is SO GODDAMN SURE of every move A good listen and sad to think of where she might have taken this talent with a few more albums.
I thought this was just an alright record. I think in this record I'm hearing the difference between 'heroin music' and 'coke music' haha (this being heroin music obvs) One in my listening group noted it is 'unsatisfying' and that maybe it was important to the hipsters in the 60s but not to me. It's hard to believe this ranks 13th on the Rolling Stone list... actually that was the biggest let down of this experience - so much hype for what felt like such a droning and repetitive and self-indulgent record.
Trying to keep in mind things that âsell wellâ are generally worth considering for a list like this for sure I didnât hate it as much as I thought I would. The music is seriously dated sonically, but I actually think heâs a good vocalist. For real he sounds good. I also dig the move away from whatever-the-fuck genre of Take That to this âbritpopâ feel (yes itâs overproduced, yes itâs maybe a thin-ish facade over multi-writer/multi-producer/label-engineered âstandardâ pop a la Britney Spears, but itâs coming close to fooling me haha) Angels is a legit radio monster and almost enough to push this to 3 stars... but not quite.
It's crazy that this came out the same year as Daft Punk Homework and Prodigy Fat Of The Land and the Fatboy Slim and Moby records came out the next year I think... so much excellent stuff happening in dance music at that time. Definitely this 'big beat' music can be a bit offensive if you're not in the right mindset. It's not Skrillex/dubstep wub-wub offensive but it can come close. The big tracks Block Rockin' Beats and Setting Sun are both such killer tracks - not a bit out of place all these 25 years later. sidebar: I wonder if there will be a ârediscoveryâ of this music someday - like when I was a kid there was this big movement of young people embracing 60s/70s music and like hippy-inspired culture and clothing and stuffâŠ. I always felt like it was a /reaction/ to the music that had come in between. Like for me personally I was NOT into Madonna and Michael Jackson and Simply Red and Paula Abdul and stuff like that⊠even Elton John had become unrecognizable⊠Looking back I can see that really early (12-ish?) I was really dissatisfied with the music that was on the radio/etc and what people thought was cool and I fell in love with the Beatles and (to a lesser extent) the Stones and Cat Stevens and then later Zeppelin and Hendrix and on and on⊠Really that was /my dadâs/ music. There was new music that moved me for sure (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) but it wasnât very âmainstream'... I guess that's why it was branded 'alternative' I wonder if our kidsâ generation will look at this big beat stuff the same way - like theyâll look around at all the mindless hip-hop oriented âpick a beat from GarageBand and mumble-rap over itâ / wub-wub dubstep craziness new music and have their minds blown by the creativity and energy of the 90s music that it evolved from?
I didn't really love this album but I think it has promise as something that would grow on me with more listens. I'm sure the nostalgia element is strong for those that listened as teenagers. I can hear a similarity to a 'local' band I love called Sloan. I absolutely cherish their first real release Smeared which came out in 1992 - I actually have a vinyl copy signed by the whole band which Rob helped me acquire! To the un-initiated first-time listener would there be anything more special or âbetterâ about Smeared (or Twice Removed etc) over this Teenage Fanclub record? Thatâs a hard question for me to answer personally. Iâm so close to that Sloan music⊠itâs hard to disassociate enough to imagine a world where I listened to it for the first time as an adult. And def Smeared is not on this list (though it might be on my personal list haha) so 3 stars it is - maybe i'll come across this again some day and reconsider.
A siolid 3 A bit weird but definitely cool definitely hear the influence on Daft Punk's Homewerk
Awesome rocking record. Really enjoyed it. We Are The Roadcrew was a highlight.
I am struggling with how to rate this one. I know the Ryan Adams remake really well, and not this original work⊠I agree this record is produced super well. Itâs like listening to glitter. 2 tracks in I can already say I donât really like her voice - like her vocal delivery is grating to me Adding to that I HATE the Lorre-style pronoun citation of some words haha makes me want to puke But I do understand why people like this. Def well put together. I believe I read that she wrote these songs âunpluggedâ haha just her and a guitar in a room - I feel like I might have liked that record better Out Of The Woods is a legit track in every way None of the weird Lorde pronunciation, heart-strings story, the âsparklesâ are even dialled back a bit from ex: Welcome To New York The DRA version is great also, prob because the fundamentals are so solid. All You Had To Do Was Stay is a great contrast haha - well written song but poorly executed IMHO In that case the DRA version is better by some margin Haha I donât think Iâve ever heard the real version of Shake It Off haha this is a bit ridiculous IItâs well done for sure, but it def feels like a rip off (Miley, Pharrell, prob others) - perfect âperiod correctâ pop music though I think Iâm coming to the conclusion that the thing I dislike about this record is actually Max Martin & Shellback If I picture that Tay Tay made this herself I feel a bit impressed actually, but I know itâs hit-maker mass market sausage I think this has to be a 3 - Iâve been challenging myself all morning to take a stand and either go with a 2 or a 4 but I canât - itâs much more enjoyable than a 2. Even though itâs not âmy thingâ enough to be a 4, it is very well done and my level of enjoyment of the DRA remake shows how good the actual songs are.
I enjoyed this, it sounded good, but was a bit boring Maybe more listens would help pull out the subtlety and help me see more of what's interesting here
I found myself grooving with this pretty frequently actually. It was weird that so many tracks were so short. Ex: I loved the little thing he did with John Mayer called White, but it was only 1 minute long! "leave them wanting more"? I guess I think this record rates a solid 3 - there's plenty of inventiveness and creativity and it's well produced and sounds great. It's not my thing for the most part, and still I found it pretty enjoyable.
I think this is a bit of a complex album. I don't like the hollow/thin sound of this record - too synthetic and 80's sounding. I do like the lyrical content and musical complexity. This one surprised me a bit in this way. It starts off a bit more accessible and the first 3 tracks are prob the best set. But as it progresses it descends into more chaos and darkness and as I mentioned already a surprising amount of complexity. Overall this is quite an accomplished record, if not always to my personal tastes.
This one rates a 4 for me, though I think there are a couple of tracks that are a bit weaker and would drag it down to a 3 for most people. I really love the title track and I think it's one of those fantastic examples of Bernie and Elton really clicking on an idea. It's not a hit for sure but it's one of my favourite Elton John songs. The same thing goes for Holiday Inn which is one of my favourites ever also. Davey Johnstone on guitar is a really awesome part of this record also and a signature part of what makes an Elton John record really sound like one.
I really liked this. It's weird and wild and whacky and definitely a bit 'out there'. The only thing that drags it down to a 3 is the lack of a good 'groove'. I appreciate how instrumental this band and record are in forming the progressive rock branch and totally love it. 21st Century Schizoid Man was a real standout, definitely that track is going to be played again in my house.
Definitely cool but also hard to understand. This is awesome jazz, but also so far away from the typical pop structure that it can be hard to fully get into a groove with it. I would definitely listen again, but I doubt I'll seek it out.
Def a great record and a lot of nostalgia is in the mix for me - this was released when I was ~17 and it was just such a huge record. We had the Chemical Brothers record recently Dig Your Own Hole and it has held up better IMHO. This one feels a bit gimmicky by times, whereas the Chemical Brothers feels more sophisticated and nuanced.
I enjoyed this but it didnât captivate me in any way. Itâs definitely neat to see the lineage of that southern branch of hip hop.
This gets a 4 because itâs a pretty good record with Judy Blue Eyes on it haha There is great guitar work on this and super attention to the vocal harmony aspects of the songs. If this had some more groove/feel it could be in contention for a 5. Actually of this had the canonical version of Teach Your Children it /might/ get there. Super first record from this group.
Such an amazing record from an amazing band, possibly at their peak. Stairway has become a bit of a cliche but no less of an achievement. Truly special. Instant 5.
Easily the best Dylan I have heard and really dug the blue set backdrop
Great stuff, super fun, a bit repetitive/same-y but overall really great.
The bass player was rad, though I didn't like how it was recorded/sounded Did not like the drum-machine sound or the lyrical aesthetic or vocal delivery (fist-pump guy-group-sing-along) - the 'fight the power' lyrics could be pretty ok though
Interesting, inventive, def there are parts that felt rockin' but I think ultimately it wasn't particularly engaging for me. High points: Purr, The Destroyed Room, Sugar Cane Low Points: Nic Fit
No real strong memorable groove or chorus here as far as I could find. Lots of great instrumental performances, and good (though melodically ramble-y) vocal stuff. Ultimately a bit boring though more listens may make a difference there.
I think this barely makes it over the hump to a 5 Holy hell what an opening! - Gimme all your lovin - under pressure - sharp dressed man Good god! Actually track #4 Need You Tonight is a bit of a sleeper and pretty wicked also. Def there is some 80s cheddar here but the guitar work almost always makes up for it IMHO Everything after Legs is kind of forgettable but still extremely enjoyable
This one gets over the hump to a 4 purely on the balls and dedication it took to do these prison shows and get them recorded. This one felt a bit more like money-grab by CBS/etc than the Folsom one, but it's recorded well and the songs are great.
not an interesting record to me, and I think I am also able to say this is not an interesting 'genre' to me. There seems to be a lot of boring british new wave with no hook/chorus/groove on this list.
not bad but not great. We've had a bit of british new-wave-y stuff lately and I was maybe a bit burnt out on it? Nonetheless there was some good stuff in here. From a 'cultural context' perspective none of it felt as important as anything Oasis was doing in this same time period. Maybe this was the 'intellectuals' choice but IMHO it didn't hold up over time as well as Oasis did.
I found this to be quite avant garden but also quite interesting. One in my listening group said "You can't say he didn't go for it" and that is 100% true - it's out there but also cool and listenable
I thought this was really great. Def a 'type' of jazz that I enjoy listening to. Not really my 'genre' but I really dug this - squeaks out a 4.
This album is like 311 meets limp bizkit/korn with some Sugar Ray pop sensibility thrown in. Actually it's pretty successful at mixing that cocktail overall. Really the only place this record falls down is the numetal/record-scratching/etc There are some really great tracks on here and some were pretty decent hits. Drive, Pardon Me, I Miss You, Clean - I think I've heard all of those on the radio.
Weird - Dan Francisco/grateful dead vibes. Very groovy. Enjoyable.
very enjoyable - great singing, great songwriting, amazing instrumentation maybe esp drums. A lot of these songs were too long by half haha.
I didn't listen as closely as I should have. Seemed fine but uninspiring. Maybe more/closer listens would have helped.
really enjoyed this a lot. Very upbeat and cool.
A pretty easy 4 for this one. Jet and Band On The Run are both pretty incredible tracks. The rest of the record is solid. In a way this is the McCartney 'golden years' I think. Ultimately I think Wings is a bit of a 'greatest hits' band for me, but this is a great record.
I found this record quite fascinating. I think this FKA twigs person is a very interesting artist and actually quite a good singer, although I'm not sure she really showed that off on this recording. I found the lyrics to be a bit... disturbing? unsettling? Ditto for the overall aesthetic. It seems very druggy and also very sexual. Also overall the music was too avant garde for me to really enjoy it, though I 100% see why people do.
I would say this is not really my cup of tea. She is an interesting guitar player, and there is lots of cool stuff on this record. But it doesn't connect with me very well I think. I told my listening group a story that I vividly remember hearing Fast Car for the first time and loving it - and then hearing it a 2nd time and being totally sick of it haha. Anyway I think I understand why people like this but it's not really for me.
there is a lot to think about on this record. It's rockin' but it's very cerebral. Sounds a bit like Rush and Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead, vocals can sometimes get CSN-ish,... Overall pretty enjoyable. Doesn't /quite/ make it over the hump to a 4 for me, though it's close
This was really not my thing. The guitar sounds were really inventive and interesting but really nothing else about this record 'holds up'. I realize this band/record spawned an entire genre of music that is still popular and evolving today, but it's really not for me. Although the 'hits' are listenable most of the rest of this record is not.