B-52s were punk as fuck. What else sounded like this in 1979? The debut's still as great as the day it was born. And they just got better. B-52s will live forever, because they must.
The standard. I don’t know jazz. But I know that when I listen to A Love Supreme, I think, “oh, I want to hear that again.” And then I understand what I like about jazz, and why it’s the standard.
Lovely, lonely, longing, like a poem written by a weedy traveler left on the table of a diner. Who knows where it will end up, but it needed to be said. The waitress picks it up - at first she thought it was some shitty attempt at a tip - and reads a few lines between orders. It stirs something unknown in her. Maybe she’ll give it to her son and he can pass it around. To someone who appreciates this kind of thing. “The sound of clouds above the world” is a lyric that plays repeatedly in her head.
Brian Wilson drove his bandmates nuts making this album, but no one else could create the original, wildly creative sound he directed. A pop masterpiece that doesn’t sound like pop at all. Like classical music that’s actually interesting.
Bowie gonna Bowie. I don’t love this album apart from “Sound and Vision” and “Speed of Life”. The rest is very introspective and Instrumental. But I keep listening because even rambling, experimental Bowie is still interesting. I think the final track, “Subterraneans”, is a beautiful mood piece.
Hell yeah King of the Apollo, Hardest Working Man in Show Business rips off the roof and renames it the House of James. This album’s really short! But listen to the famously tough Apollo crowd melt in his presence, and you’ll be wanting more too.
Sure! Fun. Not really my thing. Cool, repetitive, kinda ska, kinda reggae. Skeggae. Okay. Good times.
Plenty has been written about this album, so I’ll leave the review to Simon Fernand of BBC Music: “[Franz Ferdinand] may not be a particularly long album, but it is a masterpiece of funky, punky, suave cool from the first track to the last."
You just made the longest-charting album of all time, a stone classic . It’s okay to take a breather.
SCREECHING NOISES BURSTS OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING A HOWLING FIGURE IN THE NIGHT RAIN ATOP A STONY PEAK SEX ANVILS RAIN FROM THE SKY AS THE GODS SPLIT MOUNTAINS AND BRING FORTH TWIN-HEADED DRAGONS FROM THE DEEP OCEANS SEX A SOFT TUNE PLAYED UPON A MANDOLIN AS THE GOATS FROLIC ANVILS I like it
This would get four stars for “Words” alone. As it is, the album’s a repeat listener. Cool and tight with a style I don’t know what to call. Like if 10cc kept it up. Canadian.
It should be a 3.5 star rating, because there’s some seriously filler shit on here, but I’ll err on the side of generosity due to the stone-legend bangers on this record.
From Wikipedia: Chris Ryan, writing in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), called Illmatic "a portrait of an artist as a hood, loner, tortured soul, juvenile delinquent, and fledgling social critic," and wrote that it "still stands as one of rap's crowning achievements". Works for me
Todd Rundgren, hit machine? No! Todd Rundgren, music maker! This MF sits “Hello It’s Me” at #22 on a 25-track album! But before that are plenty of terrific songs. His sound is unique and he’s one prolific artist. He puts out so much but it never sounds “filler”. Another musician I need to spend more time with.
I came to ZZ Top with Eliminator, and I played it until the wheels fell off. So it took me a long time to learn about the origins of the Li’l Ol’ Band from Texas. I didn’t have much taste for the sound of Texas swag-rock, but this album is a blast. It’s fun! It whips, it rocks! Yeeeahhh! Guitars!
I don’t like Karen O’s voice - or more, the way it’s distorted in the Yeahx3’s songs. I’m in the minority on that, I don’t care. And the songs don’t vary. Loud buzzing until the last few songs sound like the whole band crashed after a sugar rush. I will just never like the Yeahx3s.
Sprawling, sensual, wild, overlong, gorgeous, transcendental, overlong, weirdly written, utterly funky and one of a kind. Stevie had a lot to express on this album, and he let it all flow. It doesn’t all work, but it’s unique and legendary.
This shit didn’t age well. MJ knew it would be hard to top “Thriller”, so he didn’t. You can’t dance to any of it, and the beats and lyrics are so soft. Your butt is mine, indeed.
Hell yeah the raw Seattle sound, rippin out the throats of pretenders, mainlining straight into souls of Mudhoney and Tad and Nirvana and Soundgarden, this shit is awesome and LOUD
Warrior-poet draggy nonsense, repetitive, overlong garbage cut with a couple of absolute gems. If Jim Morrison had learned to sing and write songs, they could have had something!
It's a trip! It's got a funky beat, and I can bug out to it!
Like one unbroken track of flow, funny, clever and rude as hell
It was fine. There are one or two semi-bangers outside of "Brimful of Asha", but the rest sounds like a sleepy jam session among friends. Nice beats but forgettable songs.
A couple of really good songs on here. "Only You Know" is a repeat listen. Unfortunately it's on a double-length album full of half-finished songs that sound very much like each other. Pleasant but really forgettable.
Boring, too long, forgettable. Please no more hour-plus albums with the same beat and shitty lyrics
We kick off with an eight-and-a-half minute track that goes absolutely nowhere. It’s downhill, or rather, level ground with no ups or downs from there. I forgot about the existence of this album halfway through listening to it.
Boring bullshit
All B&S albums are beautiful in their own way. This one moves with the grace of a cat in a spacious, warm house. It sounds like their third or fourth album, doesn’t it? Composed, skillful, moving and confident. Get this: it’s their FIRST. That magic only comes from the earth and the air.
I’ll tell you who’s next: me, to play this album over and over again. Out of my way, I say! Classics are classics because you can listen to them anytime and they don’t get old. So I’m an Xer with Boomer taste maybe, I don’t know; this record smacks.
Dreamy pop that fades as it plays. A coupe of songs I like on here, but “Slide Show” is a farce of an album capper.
You know, it was fine. It wasn’t great. It was pretty bad in parts. I didn’t like it. But if I was super-ass high in a sunlit San Francisco apartment in the summer of ‘71, I would dig on this and then fall asleep. So.
Now this is what I like! The damn-you England rant couched in deceptively upbeat and catchy tunes. I listened twice in relief after so many duds on this generator. Man, they can't sing so well, but they are so distinctive. I keep returning to the Kinks because they keep innovating. Great album.
Oh hell yeah, this was fun! Short and sharp. It’s been ages since I went back to the beginnings of (the white knock-off version of) rock and roll. Buoyant and classic hops! The Crickets sound QUITE old-fashioned, but charmingly so. Always worth a revisit.
New Order was a phoenix.
Wayne Coyne is a fabulous human being. I’m glad the Lips make music beloved by millions. They’re just not my cuppa. I don’t really like his singing, and the songs aside from a few slappers don’t reach me.
Disco. I cruise down Sunset in my ‘74 LeBaron, in the glow of an L.A. summer afternoon, past Grauman’s where the Han Solo impersonators do a little dance with the tourists, smelling the sea breeze trying to cut through the smog. I pick you up and we head for the Mangione concert at the Bowl. Stars in our eyes if not in the skies, baby. Disco.
Very skilled musicianship! I like this, but I don't like a whole album of it. I can't believe this is one of 1,001 albums I MUST hear.
Good listen, but forgettable. They kind of sound like Guided by Voices, but without quite the coherence or catchiness. I was hoping for more, but I couldn't get into it.
British folk-rock psychedelia. Sounds like a blend of the Kinks, the Who, the Stoens and Bowie, while still being its own thing. Who influenced whom? It’s a good album that doesn’t quite stand out from its peers.
Unrivaled. Nick, why did you leave us?
Another classic. What’s underrated about Young is that he incorporates so many musical styles/genres into his sound and makes them something unique. There’s a marvelous orchestral piece on here that sits with folk-rock, country and blues. Amid the classic songs is a remarkable catalog of Americana. ITV’s timeless .
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is widely regarded as one of Genesis's most important and influential works, inspiring generations of progressive rock musicians. -- https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/178476/Genesis-The_Lamb_Lies_Down_On_Broadway-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD?srsltid=AfmBOoqY9Ce99zbVJVEBShZlZ8FNg-GMGjxxdWnZBMC8ETwR_b21g0Ci
I don’t like The Band.
B.B. bent low and whispered in Lucille’s ear. “Lucille, my love… why do I play the blues when I’m a successful and beloved musician?” Lucille looked B.B. in the eye. “Blues is part of your soul. It will always be in you. You can make millions and be world-famous, but you can’t leave the blues behind. And you can’t leave me behind either. Now honey… play me.” And B.B. did.
I mean, the title speaks the truth. It's goddamn Ray Charles, motherfucker. Whaddaya need, a road map?
Space jazz. I like it.
I mean, I like some Yes. A couple tracks on this album really spin. Though it would piss off the true Yes-heads that I prefer the mid-80s output of 90125. It’s maybe not a good sign that I couldn’t tell when the album ended until I was three tracks deep into the next playlist. And Jon Anderson shout-sings and it gets on my nerves. So what I’m getting at is, I have to say no to Yes.
This album was shit when I first heard it, and now it’s remastered shit. Congratulations. You got big and decided to write Really Important songs. But they sucked! And you forgot to write good music to accompany your diary entries! You could have been the AC/DC of metal, man. You blew it.
Eurythmics brought the 80s into focus and outclassed all their imitators. This album was so weird and cool in 1983 and still sounds like nothing else. I got shit for having a crush on Annie Lennox, but come on!
Smoooooooooooooooooooooth.
Harrison had the best post-Beatles output, but Lennon cut himself loose and produced some fine, angry and heartfelt music freed from Paul’s ribbons. There’s classic music on here and some working-it-out jams. John always sang with his heart out in the open. I still think about what he could be producing today.
Springy, slinky and full of jams. Not my typical music but a great album to listen to.
Are the Charlatans for real? Not quite. Catchy songs (“One to Another “ has a nice pop to it) but they don’t rise above the sound of better Britpop bands.
“I hate your guts, Art. Let’s break up.” “Likewise, Paul. Screw it. Before we split, should we record one of the greatest folk-pop albums of all time?” “Sure, what the hell.”
The dawn of smooth jazz? It’s well made for what it is, but what it is is not for me.
Big ugly fun. Even the five-minute “Don’t”, which is J Mascis howling “whyyyy don’t you liiiike me” over and over.
Hadn’t heard this one in a while. It’s a killer. What a range she has, and the emotion comes pouring out of every song. “Sweetest Emotion” is such a strong closer; I crank it LOUD
I kind of hated this one, it sounded like half the album was a protracted fade-out. I know the history. But other reviews have called it something great. I’m going to give another listen; for now, it doesn’t work for me.
Killer beats, snap-wit lyrics, confidence on wax. Points off for being a Nazi fuckhead.
Overlong? Indulgent? Sure. But Wilson has a gift for creating songs that reflect his dreamy yearning as an artist. Some beautiful melodies here; it reminds me a little bit of Brian’s work.
Willie’s voice is so pleasing, I can listen to him sing anything. That twang puts a sweet spin on this collection of standards. He really slows the tempo, savoring the lyrics so that the songs really feel lived-in.
Pretty music
I couldn’t find the chosen album on Spotify, so I listened to The Real Ramona instead, and it whipped ass. It burned the grass, stood me up against the glass, completed the pass, and sounded a little bit crass. I liked the album.
Incredible. Jeff had a unique sound, wild and unpredictable and compelling. I’d never listened to Grace all the way through before, but I will listen again. He met his father only once, and the two sound very different, but both made music that was one-of-a-kind.
Much like Big Star’s “Third”, this is an acid-haze album that’s been celebrated retrospectively. Not by me. A collection of unmemorable half-songs that ramble and then just stop. Just ain’t my thing.
Classic tea-and-cakes Brit psychedelic pop. “Time of the Season” is actually my least favorite track - it sounds annoying compared to a banger like “Our Year”. Good groovy stuff.
I don’t usually go in for pebble-gargling grind metal, but my god did I need to hear this album yesterday.
Outstanding, gorgeous, evocative music made by a fucking ass-brained cuntfuck. You can’t win ‘em all.
Prime 90s pop, with the jangle and the alienated lyrics and the catchiness. One I can listen to multiple times. “It’s a Shame About Ray” absolutely holds up. I say: Dando-riffic!
So good. Not much to say, just playing it again. And again. That album cover is mesmerizing. I wonder who won.
A few classic Simon tunes right off the bat. Tentatively finding that distinct Simon sound without Art’s harmonies. Experimental on a few tracks. The first steps of an incredible solo career
If I want to hear a big multi-instrument band of white musicians play various genres, I'll listen to Chicago. If I want to hear the whitest vocalist on Earth, I'll listen to Rush (I won't listen to Rush). If I want to hear unmemorable and dated songs that pass serenely through my ears for an hour, I'll give this a spin.
FREE BRITNEY!!! There are 3-4 club bangers on here, the rest is typical pop album business. All enjoyable and easy on the ears. You lead off with THAT song, you can pretty much do whatever else you want.
I usually don’t like too much CCR but this album was pretty great! Aside from the classics, many tracks I hadn’t heard before really went hard. “Ramble Tamble” is a great opener.
This is the shit. Dylan goes electric, etc. I recently watched “A Complete Unknown” so it was fun to picture Bobby writing these songs with a sly sneer on his face, thinking “one day they’re gonna make a movie of me and they’ll know I was pretty.” The BALLS to make “Baby Blue” the album CLOSER.
Sleek misery. Dreadpop. Beautiful dirge music. I don’t know, it only makes sense after 9:00 pm and it’s entrancing then. In the daylight it’s out of time and place. And with daylight saving time coming around I’ll be more confused than ever.
Let me just say this: KLF is gonna rock you. It is known. Good power-dance nineties pop. 3AM Eternal is the only true standout but the songs aren’t slack. I’ll listen again.
This one doesn’t even have fuckin Sweet Home on it. What’s the point? Neil Young just released a new album in 2025 and he still whips your asses. Why’d you disappear, anyway? Oh right. The title of the album was strictly for the band’s benefit, ‘cos sometimes they’d forget. They knew three chords and their lyrics were the Crystal Pepsi of southern rock. Too bad Tom Petty came later or we might have done without you entirely.
These aren’t songs. And I hated listening to them.
Hoppin'! The band learning to be tight. Weird album: absolute bangers followed by eight-minute intolerable "free-form" guitar pieces. Loses steam as it goes, but you can hear that these guys are skilled as hell and having fun. Maybe they'll make a few more of these.
Never heard of the band or the album before, but I like it. Psychedelic sort of pop, rock, other in interesting combinations. I'd listen again, it's not something I've heard before but it hooked me.
Why don't they make the whole album out of "Green Onions"? I could listen to that track endlessly. The rest of the album is okay, but only a couple more tracks catch the ear and the organ music gets a bit repetitive.
It's fine. Repetitive, not in a great way.
Pretty good, pretty interesting. Sounds like a pastiche of four-guy guitar bands without being derivative. It's its own thing but it's hard to describe how it's different. Worth another listen.
Kinda drops off after the first two tracks, but the first two tracks are so fucking good it really doesn't matter. You get cut a lot of slack when you lead off with music that literally changed the idea of rap and pissed off the cops for life.
Still electric after 35 years to hear that riff open the album. These guys ruled the world for a few months and got out just before Nirvana extinguished them. It’s easy to forget how fucking huge they were. Then they (Axl) got weird and stupid, like so many bands do, but you just need one classic album to live forever.
B-52s were punk as fuck. What else sounded like this in 1979? The debut's still as great as the day it was born. And they just got better. B-52s will live forever, because they must.
Couldn’t finish it. Why did the songs get so strained and uncool? I know they wanted to move on from “Damage Inc.” and the like but I’ll listen to that song fifty times before I crack the case on the later stuff. This album is NOT essential!
Herbie Hancock always cool. I’m happy I sought out more of his material beyond Rockit. Bringing the jazz and the funk together like PB&J.
“Come On Eileen” was an outlier for this band, and I like a lot of this material quite more than that song, which became an eardrill. Kevin Rowland’s voice is A BIT MUCH sometimes, but when he dials it down and the band gets into a groove, there are some terrific relistenable songs.
byrdsrightsactivist gives this album two talons up
Morose music for morose times. Thanks and God bless, Elliott,
Bob Marley is an actual legend, but reggae bores me.
IGGY POWER
Superfly and Shaft should duke it out in the alley. So smooth and beautiful
Ooh this is fun! Heavy beats and guitars, thudding catchy rhythms. Not a raw sound but quick-seared on the grill. Yeah, Black Keys. All right. What it is.
So glad it’s streaming now. I got to see De La Soul at Bumbershoot years ago, and briefly confused them for Yo La Tengo because I’m an idiot. I make it up to them by listening frequently. I’m not sure this one’s their best when there are so many to choose from. My name’s Plug Four.