New to me.
First impressions: Liking it a lot.
After listening:
I enjoyed this album a fair bit - especially the use of moog synths. I would not have guessed this album came out in 1998 - it has bit of an old soul to it but at the same time sounds like it could have came out today and not sounded out of time.
Some of the back half of the album is maybe a bit too chill and relaxed for my taste. Not bad, but not music that gets me excited.
Will want the record. Not an immediate buy, but one I'll definitely watch for.
Standout tracks: La femme d'argent, Talisman, Le voyage de Penelope.
Would probably give this a 3/5.
New to me.
First impression: is this really supposed to be a 3+ hour album? *checks*
Yep - the original album was indeed a 5LP + 1EP box set. It's not a compilation either - a legit album. Ambitions be applauded.
In the end the three hour runtime wasn't as much of a slog as I had worried it would be. The performances and arrangements aren't unengaging, even if I don't necessarily have an appreciation for vocal jazz.
Generally I'm enjoying the songs with the more playful and bombastic sounding backing arrangements and I probably would have enjoyed this more had it been a more concise collection of those songs. I feel like "But Not for Me" as a title describes how I feel about this album. It's good, and I can see why this is a significant album and I'm glad to have listened, but it's something I feel like I'll have any need to go back to.
One thing that does surprise me: the sound quality. I can't say I listen to many albums from this period, and I'm so used to early 60's pop albums (the beatles, pf, etc) having wild stereo effects that hearing a natural sounding stereo field on a record from 1959 was a pleasant surprise.
Standout tracks: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, Just Another Rhumba, He Loves and She Loves, You've Got What Gets Me, Clap Yo' Hands
tentative rank: 2.5/5
(probably worth noting that I'm ranking these based on my personal level of enjoyment. I feel like every album on this list has to be notable enough to be a five star album on some metric, so a low score is not necessarily a negative judgement).
Familiar with the title track.
First impressions: smooooooth.
Not much to say here. Soulful. The vocal delivery is dripping with passion. (I use the word "dripping" deliberately because what the heck is up with that typography on the album cover?)
Standout tracks: Let's Stay Together, I've Never Found A Girl, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
3.25 / 5
One of my favourite albums, I listen to it every few years. I don’t recall there being a single bad song on this record.
I remember hearing Debaser on the campus radio station in my first year of university and thinking it was the catchiest riff ever. Immediately checked out the rest of the album, and was hooked. I remember checking out their other albums at the time but nothing hooked me quite as much as this one.
This album is foundational alternative rock - set the stage for so much that came after it.
Standout tracks: Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, I Bleed, This Monkey’s Gone To Heaven, Mr. Grieves, There Goes My Gun
4.5/5
I was too young to appreciate this when it came out. My brother was a fan of Alanis going back to her first two dance pop albums, so this got some plays on family road trips. Haven’t listened to it in the years since, apart from the singles that still get radio play here. (context: I live in her home town so she probably gets more than usual here).
First impressions: I remembered this being more of a pop album, but it’s more alt-rock than I remember. The lyrics have teeth and the vocal delivery in particular strikes me as singular, and I have a hard time imagining this being a hit today.
The bass on You Oughta Know goes harder than I ever realized. (checks: of course it’s Flea.)
You Learn, Head Over Feet, Ironic might be why I thought of this as a more poppy album. Easy to see how this was so successful - feels like it can appeal to a lot of audiences without pandering to them. At the same time, it’s the pop production on these that make this feel more dated than it otherwise would.
Not sure if I needed this You Oughta Know remix. Feels like b-side material, not different enough to justify including it on the album proper.
The hidden track is neat too, but feels like an unfinished song. The acoustic version on the deluxe set feels more finished.
Standout tracks: All I Really Want, You Oughta Know, Wake Up
3.25
I don't think I've ever really *listened* to this album, but I've definitely heard most of these songs before. It took until track 8 until I felt I was listening to something that didn't sound familiar. Not sure if that's because I've actually heard these songs before, or if that so much of the pop music from this period is all made in the same mold and sounds so damn similar.
I feel like these songs have said all they have to say musically long before the runtime is up. You could shave a minute off of most of these songs and not lose anything.
Title track feels like the only real standout. The guitar solo in the second song was a bit of a surprise (seems a remix was the version that got the radio play), but it's gone before it does anything meaningful.
The Beat Goes On is a nice curveball. The cover doesn't redeem the album, but is worth checking out if only for how different it is from the rest.
1/5
Confession: I’ve never really been a Metallica fan. That’s more apathy than an actual opinion, though. I’ve listened to this album before (10+ years ago?) but I feel like I’ve never given them a proper shot.
I’m enjoying this more than I remembered. Still, some songs are not doing much for me. For every song I like there’s another I could leave behind. I feel like there are too few musical ideas here - the songs started to blur together at times. Maybe that’s a track sequencing thing? I’d maybe like this more if it had been culled down to a ~40 min LP.
Standout tracks: The Unforgiven, Through The Never, Nothing Else Matters, The God That Failed, Struggle Within
3.75/4
I’m somewhat familiar with this band, but I have not heard this album beyond the three most popular songs.
This album feels kinda like late period Beatles except instead of visiting India they took a year long trip to a remote, wood fired log cabin in the mountains and made regular visits to a dusty honky-tonk bar.
Folky and fun - I’m getting the impression that they’re not taking themselves too seriously but at the same time there’s a competence and confidence in the performances on this record.
Some of the lyrics haven't aged well here.
Standouts:
Whispering Pines, King Harvest
3.5/5
Completely new to me.
I'm having difficulty placing this album. I'm hearing what sounds like so many other bands - a heavier version of REM, with a dash of Pixies... If I Can't Change Your Mind set the Mould for a bunch of Barenaked Ladies stuff. Fortune Teller sounds like Foo Fighters. Is this is an early example of 90's alt rock that set the tone for things to come? Or is it just a hodge-podge of all of the other bands of the time? I can't tell, but I'm guessing the former.
The 5+ minute songs drag on a bit. They feel like they've said all they need to say long before the run time is up. Hoover Dam gets points for varying the sound a bit, but loses them again for going on too long.
I can see how this made the list. It feels emblematic of a lot of 90's alt-rock. A bit middle of the road for me.
Standout tracks: A Good Idea, The Slim, Man On The Moon
3.75/5
Not familiar with this album. I've heard other songs by Cohen, and I'm pretty sure we studied one of his poems in high school.
I generally focus on the music rather than the words, but that doesn't work here. The lyrics do all of the heavy lifting, the music is like a cushion they're casually resting on… but that cushion is comfy.
Cohen's voice is more musical and lighter than I was anticipating. I guess he wasn't always quite so gruff as he is on his later recordings. Some moments here sound almost like Syd Barrett but with less idiosyncratic time shifts.
Standout tracks: Master Song, Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
3.25/5
80’s pop metal, polished to a mirror shine.
I think I have a copy of this, gifted to me as a part of my neighbour’s record collection. Kinda long album for a 1xLP.
It’s a solid album, and I’m enjoying it more than expected. Concentration of hits is strong here - if I didn’t know better I’d have guessed this was a greatest hits compilation just based on the sheer number of songs I’ve heard on the radio before. Not every song is a keeper here though - Excitable seems like b-side territory.
Standouts: Women, Rocket, Animal, Run Riot.
3.5
Completely new to me.
Not bad, this. Some of the tracks feel a touch underdeveloped and repetitive, but they don’t detract much from the album. Skip the outro, though.
Backing tracks are rich and layered.
I’m finding I enjoy the back half of this album more than the first. Guess I like Liquor more than Food.
Standout tracks: Daydreamin’, Pressure, American Terrorist
3.25
I’ve heard parts of this album before, but not enough to say I’m familiar with it.
I love the cacophony of distortion, noise, and percussion that’s bubbling under this album, and the way it occasionally boils over. Lots of ear candy here. Can’t think of anything quite like this. I really enjoyed this, and I can see myself wanting to dig this out to listen again.
Standouts: I am trying to break your heart, Pot Kettle Black, Poor Places
3.75
Somewhat familiar with this band, but not this album.
Lots of great grooves here. Rhythm section is solid through the entire album. The songs themselves aren’t grabbing me all that much though.
Standouts: Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, Artists Only, I’m Not In Love
3.25
I’ve never intentionally listened to Elvis before.
This is more bluesy and soulful than I would have expected. The Wikipedia article gives some helpful context. This came after five years of films and soundtrack albums he was dissatisfied with, after those he resolved to not record anything he wasn’t satisfied with.
Not really my thing. I don’t hate it, but it’s not something I’m going to be eager to listen to again.
Standout tracks: Power of my Love.
2.75
New to me.
Laid back east coast hiphop. The vocal delivery felt a little drab at times, and the content started to wear thin (how many ways can you say that my rhymes are better than yours?) but overall this wasn’t bad. Some of the backing tracks are a bit grating but thankfully they don’t overstay their welcome.
Standouts: Check the Technique, Love Sick, Take a Rest.
2.75
I’ve heard of this band but I have never sat and listened before.
This band had a reputation for having a great sounding live show PA system, and sort of you can tell that they care about that here - this is a lush mix with lots of little details. Feels more luxurious than a lot of the contemporaries I’m familiar with.
That said, the music isn’t grabbing me much. Friend of the Devil was an early standout (I feel like I’ve heard a cover of this before) but nothing else stood out to me.
Standouts: Friend of the Devil
3
This is my favourite of the Talking Heads albums I’ve heard to date.
The repetition that would drive me mad on any other record is saved and strengthened by two things: it’s fun and funky as shit, and it’s human. This is not the work of samplers: the loops are played live.
The back half of the album drags on a bit. I think The Overload would have worked better as a mid-album palette cleanse rather than a closer and placed next to Listening Wind (a strong track - love the guitar here! - but not the most energetic.)
Standouts: Born Under Punches, Crosseyed and Painless, Once In A Lifetime, Listening Wind
4.25
Not familiar with this at all.
Classic punk intensity, but these guys are not the “One Chord Wonders” you might expect - there are some clever hooks and strong vocal melodies.
Standouts: Bombsite Boy, On Wheels, Great British Mistake
3.5
I’ve never listened to this album from start to finish before. We’ve all heard the singles a million times, though.
God damn this album is loud and compressed. It’s bad enough that I’m finding it distracting.
Lots of good songs on this. Some of the lyrics I would happily leave behind (Get on Top, I Like Dirt, Purple Stain) but those even songs have plenty of redeeming qualities.
3.75
Another album where I’ve heard the singles a million and one times, but never had a strong urge to check the album.
Not horrible, but not anything special either. First half of the album is stronger, towards the end my finger is was inching towards the track skip button.
I liked maybe a handful of U2 songs before this. Listening to this album added one to the list. Success, I guess.
Standouts: Until The End of the World
2.75
Familiar with We Got The Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed, other than that this is new to me.
Power-pop-punk. This has a good, fun energy, and there some neat hooks. Wasn’t expecting anything other than straight and fast 4:4 here, so the slower numbers were a nice surprise and a welcome change of pace.
Very abrupt ending to the final song. Almost sounds like an error.
I enjoyed this but I’m not feeling like I will want to revisit it often.
Standouts: Tonite
3.5
I recognize the name but I don't think I could identify any of her songs.
The first 25 seconds had me optimistic for something a bit more experimental, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that this album was start to finish, singer-songwriter pop rock. Not that it's bad, it's just that the intro hinted at something that could have had a wider style palette.
I kept waiting for a song to anchor this album for me, but it never came. The vocal delivery might have been holding this back. The lyrics have some emotion, but the singing feels a bit too laid back.
Highlights: I Should Have Known, I've Had It, Way Back When
2.75
This CD never left my wife's car when we were first dating and will forever remind me of rainy day drives. I can see myself pulling this out and putting it on from time to time.
3.5
Hard to pin this one down. Good variety in sounds and pacing gives this album some staying power.
Standouts: Que Onda Guero, Girl, Missing, Hell Yes
4
Found this kind of fatiguing to listen to to be honest. Some of the lyrics are clever enough but a bit on the repetitive side - almost as if there are two different drafts for a first verse rather than a true second verse.
Not bad, but I don’t see myself digging this one back out.
2.25
Not bad. Rod's scratchy voice suits this material well, and the performances are loose and fun. Mix is a little unconventional at times (panned bass!)
I've heard Maggie May a million times and didn't think much of it at first but a couple years ago I learned an interesting factoid about it.
Back in 1979, Rod Stewart was among a group of artists who each pledged to give all the future royalties from a song to UNICEF. All the other participants gave their current hits - for example, the Bee Gees pledged "Too Much Heaven" which was the current number 1. Rod Stewart chose Maggie May, and was criticized for giving such an old song: "[it] surely won't earn many more royalties for UNICEF". Show of hands: who has heard "Too Much Heaven" recently? And "Maggie May"?
Standout tracks: Every Picture Tells A Story, Mandolin Wind
3.5
Not my favorite Daft Punk. It definitely has some shades of what was to to come, and shows these two know how to craft a beat, and loop, and occasionally a good hook, but not so much a song.
I could see these tracks working in a club, but not so much an album. The repetition is grating.
2.5
Cracking performance from the band, intense and sublime vocals, enthusiastic audience... but man, what a recording and mix. Part of me wants to track down a mono pressing, because the stereo mix isn't doing this album any favors.
This pacing of this album, especially the first half, is unlike anything I've heard before. It feels like a watching a speeding train suddenly screech to a stop to pick up passengers (all screaming "ow!", enthusiastically!) for 10 minutes. The ending of the album lacks the punch I would have expected.
Solid, enjoyable, but flawed live album.
3.5
I am somewhat surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The opening track was the standout - great blend of natural and synthetic sounds. It also felt like the piece that evolved the most over the duration of the track.
I could have done without 2/1 - the vocals worked better as an element in the broader soundscape of 1/2 than they did in isolation.
5/5 for 1/1, 2/5 for 2/1, 3/5 for 1/2 and 2/2.
3.25
The only Blur song to get regular airplay here is Song 2. This ain't anything like Song 2.
I get the impression that this album is trying hard to recreate the feeling of a mid-period Beatles album with the shifting styles and songwriting. The production is good - it has some unquestionably 90s aspects but I'd argue it's aged better than some of it's peers.
The album doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. I can see how and why this is on the list.
I enjoyed this a lot more than Definitely Maybe.
3.5
Pretty maximalist, indulgent arrangements (Gospel choruses, orchestral backing, etc), and leaning into progressive rock territory. Track durations are similarly indulgent, but for the most part are used well - the 2:30 long buildup to the chorus in Tiny Dancer is completely worthwhile.
I think Goodbye Yellow Brick Road might be a better executed album, but despite some mid-album filler this album isn't a slouch.
Highlights: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Indian Summer
3.75
Somehow I have not listened to this before! There isn't a weak song here at all.
Immediately added this album to my discogs wantlist.
Lots of popular songs on this album. I wasn’t too familiar with AC/DC’s discography and for some reason I thought this album came later, at least a few albums after Bon Scott’s death. They clearly rallied HARD after that.
Strong album. Lyrics haven’t aged well (Let Me Put My Love Into You seems a bit rapey (“don’t you struggle, don’t you fight”? really?) but the riffs are solid.
3.75
This is WAY more punk than I was expecting. I remember Walk Idiot Walk and Tick Tick Boom, and this album opens up like a prototype version of those, but by the middle of the album it’s clear that this is more garage punk than the opening tracks. Neat.
Standouts: AKA IDIOT
3
Powerful live document of a band in its prime. I generally prefer the studio versions of most of these songs, but hearing them retain their strength even without the studio (hotel) polish is still a real treat.
4
This feels like it could be two separate albums. Both sides have their merits but I found myself enjoying the somber side more, if only for the more exposed piano.
Sucks that the recording is so hot - I found the distortion and overmodulation distracting. Hard to believe that this was an aesthetic choice, but apparently it's on all of Charles' recordings from this era.
3
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Cool and clever uses of sampling, and great musicianship throughout. Rap delivery was engaging.
Standouts: ManWomanBoogie, Move
3.75
I wanted to like this album. It has some shining moments (the shorter tracks in particular), but overall it lacks motion and feels directionless.
2
I've seen a lot of praise for BoC. This album had a reputation to live up to and at first I wasn't quite sure if this album delivered. The second half of the album won me over. I'd suggest that anyone hesitant about this record stays on through the end. Overall this was pretty enjoyable.
standouts: Bocuma, Roygbiv, Aquarius
3.5
I bought a copy of this album a few years ago purely based on reputation. I was not disappointed.
Incredibly fun prog / jazz / fusion jams.
4.5
aawww tooww baaawwnnnnnnn
*breath in*
aawww tooww baaawwwwnnnnnnn
*breath in*
AAWWW TOOWW BAAAAAWWWWNNNNNNN
*breath in*
𝔸𝔸𝕎𝕎𝕎 𝕋𝕆𝕆𝕎𝕎 𝔹𝔸𝔸𝔸𝔸𝔸𝔸𝕎𝕎𝕎𝕎ℕℕℕℕℕℕℕ
3.75
Never really attempted to dive into The Doors before. Familiar with a few songs but that’s about it.
This is more bluesy and stripped back than I expected. Title track and Riders on the Storm are easy highlights.
3.5
I've heard Hallelujah before, but nothing else.
Digging this. It's maybe a bit overdramatic and emotionally overwrought, but Buckley and the band sell it. Great use of dynamics.
I'll want to dig this out again.
4.5
Completely new to me. Getting shades of Talking Heads and Duran Duran here.
Not bad. The trumpets give this a unique sound, and I'm liking the unconventional synth chord choices.
Some of these songs don't know when to stop. When I Dream, I dream of that song being 3-4 minutes shorter. Same goes with Poppies.
3.5
Even if I don't understand the lyrics here, this is still pretty enjoyable. Great and varied styles. One of the criticisms I've had with other hiphop albums from this era that this list has presented was the consistent (to a fault) vocal delivery. Not the case here: compare Quartier Nord and Caroline and Bouge de la and you might have a hard time believing these are the same artist.
Caroline is definitely the standout for me. Loving the mellotron.
3.5
Rolling Stones does RnB covers. Loose, but confidently loose performances, if that makes any sense - it has an edge to it.
One has to wonder if this album would be well regarded if the band never went on to be as successful.
Not really my thing.
2.75
This album is rich, indulgent, and excessive. A delicious cheesecake in pop record form.
The run time is excessive. The arrangements are excessive. The artwork is excessive (it originally included a cardboard diorama of the space station on the cover that you could punch out and assemble).
I love every moment of it.
Side C (tracks 10-13) might be one of my favorite vinyl sides on a pop record.
Years ago, my band was invited to contribute to an ELO tribute album. Everyone else on the album immediately picked one of the big singles, greatest hits material. Me? I chose "The Whale". Lots of ear candy in that song.
I wouldn't want to listen to this album every day. But whenever I do listen to it, it makes me feel happy, full, satisfied. Like cheesecake.
5
This is an album that I enjoy more and more each time I listen to it. At first I couldn’t reconcile these largely lethargic songs with the sound I knew of the Beach Boys from one of the greatest hits packages I listened to as a kid. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why this was such a highly regarded album.
In recent years I’ve come to appreciate how ambitious this album is. The sound palette and arrangements are lush and huge and unconventional for the time. The original mono mix is pretty dense, but the stereo mix reveals just how much ear candy is jammed into this record. I’ve never bought a copy of this record, mostly because I could never decide which mix I wanted. Listening to them side by side, I’ve decided I should have both.
4.5
Not hearing anything too compelling here. Feels apathetic all around.
I remember a girl in my highschool being super into Pete Doherty. I have to wonder, if it wasn't for that demographic would this album be notable?
No desire to listen to this again.
1
A snapshot of evolution in progress.
I realize there’s only so much that can be done with the typical blues progression, but man, this album could have benefited from a few more chord progressions. More than one song on this record felt like “Tutti Frutti Pt2”. I mean, it makes sense - if you’re innovating and finding success, it’s worth iterating on it.
Important, noteworthy. Not something I’ll want to dig into much in the future.
I don’t know if I can explain why I like this album so much, but I do.
4.5
Undeniable talent, great tracks and great delivery but I’m not connecting to the lyrical content at all. Skits did nothing but make me feel gross and uncomfortable.
Deserves to be listened to, deserves to be on this list, but since I’m rating these based on how likely I am to want to listen to this in the future…
1.5
The songs are all short, but are all so similar that you could blend them all together and not even notice anything was different.
The Nazism references are really weird and off putting - which is a shame because that last song starts to finally show some variation.
4 for Good Times, 2 for everything else.
I think I prefer the Smile Sessions version, but this still has a lot to offer.
I did not know that so much of this album was instrumental. Whoa.
Not my favorite Peter Gabriel but not bad either. Probably a 3.5, rounding to 4.
This album is catching me off guard. I'm familiar with a few of these songs (specifically the ones on the Greatest Hits album which features Paul Simon suggestively caressing a shiny chrome egg cup on the album cover). Those few songs set expectations which have been greatly exceeded by the rest of the album.
Sonically, it's less dated sounding than I thought it would be. Very lush, satisfying listen.
Lands somewhere between a 3 & 4 for me.
4, maybe 4.5. I love how weird this album gets.
Was initially feeling this was somewhere between a 3 and 3.5, but it grew on me as the album went on. Excellent production and excellent performances.
Solid album. Somewhere between a 4 and 5.
Some great shining moments but I felt the urge to skip a lot of these.
Seems like an important album but it’s not something I’m going to seek out again.
Perhaps a bit too long, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a compelling listen for me. Definitely one I will want to revisit.
I really enjoy this album, but it might as well be in a foreign language. 😵💫
Not connecting with this one all that much. A few song tracks but the rest aren't sticking with me as much. Somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.
There's a few songs that drag on and on here, but the vocal layering and harmonies are pretty ear catching. The final song is solid and I would have enjoyed more of that. 2.5, rounding down.
A challenging listen. A lot of it strikes me as an attempt to squeeze an album out of a person who wasn’t completely ready or able.
Dark Globe is haunting as hell.
