Great first impression with the first couple of songs. Right on the end of 80s alt-rock, but it has a retro 60s vibe. You could bump this while hanging out and people would think you're cool.
Ohhhh so this is what Oasis was trying to do
ok this was a great album to start with. the kind of thing that makes you glad electric guitars exist.
You're not making jazz better, you're making rock worse
Great album to show off your sound system, though
ok im turning around on this, it's classic rock but jazzier, there's a place for that
ok seriously, the audio production on this is amazing, it's making my headphones SING
Overall: If you're ever at the type of party where this is background music, stuff your purse with hors d'oeuvres, then immediately leave.
This is refreshing after Steely Dan yesterday. I'm gonna feel bad if I give this the same score, though. I should have rated yesterday's album lower.
This is a subwoofer album, that's for sure.
The bottom line: Portishead's "Dummy" is a slick rainy night, foggy and crisp all at once.
CHILDREN OF THE DAAAAAMNED!!
I'm gonna give this a 4, only cuz I'm reserving 5 stars for albums that become an important part of my life/attitude/personality. But I'd give this 4 and a half easily.
Also, this might be the best rock bass album ever made.
The bottom line: The Number Of The Beast is heavy metal perfected. (At least until Metallica shows up)
Ella Fitzgerald's voice is a magic spell that makes you believe in love again.
I do not like this. Blues without the soul, southern rock without the nuance. I'd give this 1.5 stars for a couple songs on the B side, but overall it's pretty annoying music.
The Bottom Line: "Tres Hombres" by ZZ Top is a barbecue you wish you hadn't been invited to.
oh i get it, it's like punk but without the appeal
I don't understand this album but I like it.
The greatest combination of rock and rap ever made, maybe? This music makes me wanna burn down a police station. Just as potent now as it was 30 years ago. Well, I assume.
So far, this is by far the best weightlifting soundtrack of any album I've reviewed here.
I think this is the first time I've ever heard rap-rock that wasn't cringe
I feel bad for the producer(s?) on this album, making such fire beats only for this guy to sing over them about being the baddest dude in London or whatever.
This ain't it, chief. If this didn't have David Bowie's name on it, it would just be another 70s/80s art-pop record. I feel bad giving Bowie 2 stars, but this album just doesn't hook me at all.
3 white guys rapping like Bugs Bunny, apparently in 1986 this was mind-blowing
there's a bit of charm and catchy beats here to save it from a 1-star rating, but this is a low 2-star. Nobody born after 1991 will ever think this is good music.
I loaded this album up in Clone Hero and played bass to the whole thing.
For someone who was basically the biggest musician in the world at the time, this album is surprisingly down-to-earth. John clearly wanted to play some old-fashioned rock n roll. There's some really insightful social commentary on here (the title track is vapid by comparison when you listen to "How?").
I wasn't expecting much from this album (I've found Lennon to generally by over-hyped), but I actually quite liked this. Three stars, but not a video game critic three stars-- a real three stars, where it means that the album has interesting and good stuff on it, and I'll play it again in the future.
Didn't expect to like this as much as I did. The beats are undeniable. This also has some "cool factor", if I put this on with company, i'd seem cool and obscure. All in all, a good time.
Eh. Guitar is good on this but other than that it doesn't speak to me.
I always thought I liked the Ramones more, but it turns out I never really listened to the Sex Pistols. Holy shit, they knocked punk out of the park on the first swing. Thought about giving it 4 stars for the guitar work alone. Settled on 3 stars because it drags on the second half, and some of the attitude didn't age well. Still, these guys laid a great foundation for others to build on, and it's still great to listen to today.
But yeah, turns out I still like the Ramones more.
Got this one right after the Sex Pistols. Can't help but compare and constrast. The songs on this one are mercifully shorter. The lyrics are smarter, but the instrumentation has less speed and passion. It's more cerebral punk, but that's not what I come to punk music for.
Was tempted to give this 2 stars, possibly due to punk fatigue, but the second half is stronger; it has more heart that I initially thought.
I've listened to this one before. God, the guitar sound on this is so good. Definitely an all-time cool kids' record.
How the hell are the songs on this shorter than the Sex Pistols? Brevity is wit, Sid. Take notes.
Overall, a great album for a slick summer day. Sometimes the classics are classic for a reason.
Generic, mid-tier classic rock. With the exception of "American Girl", this album feels unfinished and forgettable, more like a series of jams than meaningful songs. There's some good music in Tom Petty's catalog, but this ain't it.
Beautiful piano and vocals, but something about this didn't hold my attention as much as I expected it to. Still, can't deny Simone's talent.
This is a record you listen to alone. This is a cryin' record. Deeply personal, and about as sad as you can get.
It's groovy and bassy, but D'Angelo doesn't have the staying power to keep the album interesting through its runtime. The beats are cool, but the record loses its novelty about halfway through.
A surprise winner. The gentle start and ramp up to proper classic rock makes this an ideal morning album. I'm gonna add this to my "music for plants" playlist.
Boring. It's listenable, it's inoffensive, it's boring. It's like a lost Beatles record from an alternate universe where the Beatles weren't fun. Was the New Zealand music scene just really boring in the early 90s? Meh.
Wow, this kicks ass. Energetic, interesting, great instrumentation and vocals. No idea what the lyrics are about but I don't care. This is some good-ass rock music.
For the most part, 70s classic rock seems to fall on either side of two stars (boring, not worth listening to again) or three stars (has some cool ideas, might listen to it again). This one gets to three stars by breaking the conventions of song structure, having cool guitar sounds, and the lead vocalist singing with a lot of conviction. This works as a cooler-than-you alternative to The Talking Heads, or other early new wave stuff.
Oh cool, cowboy punk! I don't love the vocals on this one, but the instrumentation is good. Also a surprising amount of variety, especially for a punk record. This definitely isn't for everyone, but it's got charm.
There's a lot going on here, and it doesn't all feel cohesive. You can really sense that the band had a lot to prove (or at least they think they did).
Was not surprised at all to find one of the member's has a parent with a blue name on Wikipedia.
There's some really interesting, mature songwriting here. Unfortunately, it's locked behind cheesy singing, overproduction, and a bad case of synthesizeritis.
This is definitely an older ABBA singing about darker, more serious themes. But their sound hasn't aged with them, or at least it hasn't aged well.
Reminder, to any archaeologist in the year 3000 combing through these reviews: the scores I give are for how the album sounds now, in the year 2023. It doesn't matter if Elvis paved the way for this and that; if there are better options now, I'd rather listen to them.
So even though women were throwing themselves at The King in the early 60s, in the modern age his music is tame and cheesy. On top of that, I really can't listen to his songs without thinking of the Black artists I could (should?) be listening to instead. It's not identity politics; I just don't want a watered-down version of the real thing.
Anyway, at best it's a passable easy-listening album. It's pleasant enough that I won't complain if I hear it, but it's not something I'm gonna be queuing up. Two stars.
I'm a sucker for these cheesy late 80s funky beats. The lyrics are... Jackson really thought she was doing something here, huh. Kind of a weird mashup of social commentary and "let's boogie". But the boogieing is good! I simply can't deny the vibes here.
Sidenote: The title track has been known to crash hard drives due to resonance frequencies, which puts it in the canon of essential cyberpunk media.
A couple days ago I came down pretty hard on Elvis. Maybe I'm a huge hypocrite, but I like the Beatles quite a bit more. Even this early record is quite good, thanks largely to the band's stellar vocals and catchy-ass melodies. Bonus points for fitting 14 songs into a 33-minute record; my short attention span appreciates it.
Sidenote: I listened to this in mono. I hate 1960s hard-panned stereo so, so much. Mono version sounds quite good.
The Rumor Come Out: Does Bruce Springsteen is Overrated?
I like a good ballad, but an entire album of ballads about Americana is boring and out-played. Maybe I'll enjoy the other Springsteen album(s) on this list more. It started strong with "Badlands" but nothing really caught my ear otherwise. I'm also not a huge fan of Springsteen's voice-- an opinion which might get my crucified in certain circles. All in all, this is about as mid as mid gets.
Whew, a lil alternative hip-hop for a change! This sounds like something you'd hear in the PS2-era Tony Hawk games. The beats are simple but good, and the lyrics are decidedly conscious. It's not excellent but it's good, and simultaneously lets you chill out while also stimulating your brain. A lot of the songs are way too long, though, especially with mostly unchanging backing tracks.
Wow this is way better than I was expecting. The title track is ofc a classic, but there's a lot of different stuff in here and it's all put together with a lot of thought, care, and skill. In particular, shoutout to Dennis Dunaway on the bass guitar, bringing a lot of fascinating melody to the basslines. The more experimental songs on this record almost sound like lost Who songs. Good show, Cooper!
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This album is undeniably metal, but it has a lot in common with hardcore punk too. The extremely short runtime and straight-to-the-point song structure makes it less indulgent than the other big thrash metal bands of this era. The guitar solos border on noise at times, as do the vocals. This is pure hardcore, and you're either gonna love it or hate it. I fucking love it.
The Walmart version of mid-career Beatles. I wanted to hate this, but the songs are really catchy and infectious. The male vocals are cheesy, but the female vocals are quite good, with a good bit of attitude in 'em. The Mama's carry the Papa's here.
By far the most unique record I've gotten so far in this project. Extremely cinematic and cool, in the old-school sense of the word.
Almost certain I hear a string sample on "A Moment Of Clarity" that's also in some N64 games.
Anyway, this album is cool as hell. Neo-noir filmic jazz with an experimental turn. I dig it.
The Who's debut album is lopsided. They definitely were the loudest, heaviest band at the time (or at least the loudest that I know of), but they were still playing off of 60s RnB, blues, and pop, and they weren't great with those types of songs. The vocal harmonies are particularly rough; Roger Daltrey sounds great, but Townshend and Entwistle's backing vocals don't sound so good and don't sit well in the mix, title track excepted. Still, there's enough here that's worth a listen, but just barely.
I procrastinated this one because it's a double LP, but it's quite pleasant to listen to. Larry Willis' piano playing in particular is incredible here; are we sure he doesn't have three, maybe four hands?
The more I listen to this, the more virtuosic and engaging it sounds. I didn't expect to give it 4 stars, but damn this is a good record.
Absolutely infectious beats. Super cheery and danceable. Nothing of substance, but that's not what these guys are here to do. A fun little funky throwback.
This is just barely uninteresting enough to slip into 2 stars. Orleans is a cool song, but the rest is boring. Nothing stands out. It's not virtuosic or clever enough to differentiate from the other folk and blue rock of this period.
Oh see this is the cool kind of classic rock. Every band member is doing really well here, including the flute. Vocals sound a little like a South Park character, which you can't unhear. The flute adds an almost Lord of the Rings vibe to a really solid rock album.
Clever lyrics, good beats. Not the best rap I've heard, but good enough to listen to again.
Kinda feels like these guys walked so the Pixies could run.
This is peak "pretend you're in an indie movie" music. Rich, layered instrumentation feels cinematic and lush. It's like if the Smiths weren't problematic! Still, nothing quite sticks with me enough to give this 4 stars, but it easily earns 3.
I tried this in stereo and mono, and it just isn't for me. It's very intense, almost violent jazz, and that's fine but I just didn't vibe with it. Too noisy.
I wonder if Garfunkel heard this album and thought, "Well, it's all over for me."
Good folk-rock album. Not every song is a winner, but there's some real good stuff here.
It's hard to separate this music from the Fallout: New Vegas memes, but it's actually quite lovely on its own. I like how Robbins sings, and the vocal harmonies are great too. I'm into it, man, I'm really into it.
Good but not great post-punk, or whatever you call this genre. Bass lines are awesome on pretty much every song, really elevating the drive of each beat. It's cool music but not life-changing. It's a weak 3 stars; I like it enough to listen again sometime, but it didn't blow me away.
Wario Land 4-ass music. This exists right on the edge of rock music and elevator Muzak. Fortunately for Mr T and his M.G.s, I happen to like Muzak.
Oh hell to the yes. Can't fault this album for variety, energy, or virtuosity. Starts with that cool Gymnopedie cover, then the rock kicks in. Fun fact: the band toured with Jason Paige as their lead singer; he's best known for singing the theme song to Pokémon.
Ok first up: I hate this album cover. This smarmy, hipster, it's-2010-and-you're-in-an-Urban-Outfitters album cover.
Anyways, the music is pretty great. It's groovy, it's confident, it sounds cool and fun and the production and arrangements are nuanced. This album is good enough to make up for it's shitty, we-think-we're-better-than-you-but-we're-pretending-we-don't album art.
Fuckit, I'm doing something different: I'm listening to Redd Blood Cells, the remixed version by Steve McDonald which adds a bass guitar track to each song. It works well sometimes, and sounds unnecessary at other times.
Either way, the underlying album is real bloody good. Hard rock was not popular in the 2000s, but the White Stripes clearly didnt care, cuz they play their asses off on this record. I don't care what anyone says, Meg White is a great drummer and this sound wouldn't work at all without her. It's a great album from a great band.
Another album that's vastly superior in mono. I definitely prefer Rubber Soul, but... it's mid-career Beatles, you gotta love it. They swung wide and hit just about everything out of the park. The songs are short, so you hear a lot of different ideas in 35 minutes. It also means I only have to listen to George Harrison's sitar for 3 minutes-- I never liked his take on Indian music, and it's only gotten worse with time. Everything else is solid as a rock here, though.
This just isn't for me. The songs are way, way too long. I'm sure this was revolutionary and inspiring to the people it hit at the right time, but it's quite dull to me.
As an album standing on its own: It has a strong start, strong finish, and a whole lot of good in between. This may be the essential rock album.
As an album in my own life: This is what really opened my eyes to classic rock. This is what got me into bands, into artists, into music as art. Who's Next solidly earns this list's first 5-star rating.
