As much as I loved this at the time, something about it hasn’t aged great. The singles are awesome; crystallized is a 10/10. Some of the deeper cuts on the album get a little tedious. Still solid though!
(I was going to say 3.5 but I can’t so… I’m rounding down)
Christ, I really hated this. Sounds like Billy Joel doing a Bowie impression. Derivative crap that was forgotten for a reason.
“Marz” is one of the worst songs I’ve heard in a long time. Imagine being influenced by Savoy Truffle but ending up with a song that sounds like a slowed down Porcupine Pie…
“Golden champagne, juicy grapefruit, lucky monday High school, football, hot fudge, buffalo, tulip Sunday” 🤮
Damn bro this is like that effin movie la la land dude
Yeah forreal though I’ve never been a jazz guy so admittedly a lot of this goes over my head. I did enjoy it but Im honestly just too big of a jazz dummy to have anything meaningful to say about it. It kinda just IS a five, objectively speaking. Yknow?
This is another one that hasn’t aged that well imo. It has its moments. There’s a lot of care in the production but after 15 years it sounds stale and passé.
But honestly even amongst their contemporaries, this is mid. They’re not as bad as The Lumineers, but they sure ain’t as good as Arcade Fire
More like 1001 albums that make me want to die.
Seriously though, why the eff is this on here? I skipped down the track listing to be fair, and surprise surprise, it’s terrible. Sounds like every pub band in the country. Like a rich suburban dad with a ton of money to professionally record ZZ Top covers. Devoid of original thought at best, grating on the ears at worst.
If we have to scrape the bottom of the barrel like this, I think 501 albums would have been enough tbh. Justice for Lightning Bolt!!!!
Pretty bad. Kind of like a UK Sugar Ray with no hits.
Every song feels like it’s stretching 30s of good ideas into 5/6min. And all those boring instrumental cuts? Half this thing is like Britpop elevator music, what a snooze!
Kicks ass. Pretty much the coolest prog nerds have ever been. The performances are airtight and every song brings a little something new to the table. A risky album that saved their career, love to see it
Great stuff. Not their best but definitely a blueprint. Pulled up is underrated!!
One of the most influential albums of all time for a reason. It’s kind of wild to hear a genre get created so abruptly. It would only take another 7 months for them to perfect the sound on Paranoid, but this album was the guidebook and it came out fully realized.
The performances are amazing, the experimentation is exciting, and the wizard is an instant classic
“[we] nicked a few ideas”
Credit where credit is due blah blah blah this probably the Beatles’ worst record and easily their most overrated. They listened to Pet Sounds and tried to make something better and they failed.
It seems to me that a lot of what is considered “avant-garde” and “experimental” about this is in most cases, completely derivative. In a way, the LHCB alter ego is a perfect cover - hollow, phony, a band playing music that sounds like someone else’s ideas. When you strip away the first couple layers you’re left with a few classics and a lot of cornball junk.
Just another one of these shitty forgotten albums that clogs this list. Brings nothing to the table. Completely average, boring, unremarkable pile of crud. Bargain bin-core.
Dang idk this is probably more like a 3.5. Rounding up because the production is pristine and Stevie sounds great, but there are a lot of snoozers on this. Never would have guessed this album was so boring
Couldn’t make it very far. Would make great hold music, which is better than elevator music, but by no means does someone have to listen to this before they die. #clogger
This was always an album that I knew by the singles, but never realized how good it was as a whole until now. in terms of producing other artists, this might be Bowie’s best. He’s got my guy Lou sounding like T. Rex and it rules; it’s a makeover that shouldn’t make sense but it does.
Side note:
I’m with mister tunes - perfect day sucks. Compared to everything else, it’s a stale song that just doesn’t work. While the glam compliments Lou, perfect day almost goes out of its way to make him sound bad. Unless it’s the version he did with Paravotti lmao that was hilarious
I almost don’t want to admit this but… I don’t hate it?
I’ve been playing Neon White lately (a must play imo, check it out) which has a lot of D&B on its OST, and I didn’t realize how much of an impression it made on me until now.
Not something I would casually listen to, but I get it. It’s vibey. Can also appreciate that it’s a defining album for the genre.
Not into it. There’s a quality to the vocals that I can’t fully put my finger on, but more often than not it sounds at odds with the arrangement - clashy, underwhelming. Like a bargain bin Donna Summer.
I like some moments on this but they’re fleeting. Flips between mid and irritating
“I was rollin around, in my mind it occurred // what if God was a her?” 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Went into this cold and within 10 seconds I was like “oh shit I didn’t know Kanye produced this”. His name is written all over it, and it’s the best part of the album - it upstages Common constantly.
He’s not terrible or anything, but there isn’t a single bar on this album that stood out to me (except the one above, technically lol). All the highlights are Kanye. Common is passable but tends to be a little corny, often failing to be the introspective artiste that he’s trying to be. Very light 4.
The sound they captured is unreal, but it feels like they don’t know what to do with it yet. There are high highs, and a handful of meandering songs as well. The 4 star rating comes more from what they’re doing sonically, not so much from the compositions themselves
lol it’s not very good but when it hits it hits.
Even by ska standards this is awful
Looking at the critical reception for this album on Wikipedia and I’m floored - everyone loved it. Pitchfork gave it a fucking 8.4!!!
Objectively speaking, this album is dogshit. They were all tricked, somehow. It’s hard to even say this album is “catchy” because no - Queen and AC/DC are catchy. The Darkness didn’t come up with any of this. It’s the uncanny valley of dad rock.
They are the Greta Van Fleet of the early 2000s and they deserve to be treated as such.
Still fresh after almost 50 years. Neu! is a building block for so many of my favorite bands; I feel like if anything, their influence on psych/experimental music has only gotten stronger.
Really have no complaints. This thing is phenomenal and covers so much ground.
This might sound jaded, but a classically beautiful voice on its own is not impressive to me. Look, I’ve heard a million beautiful voices in my life, so what? This is not an anti-pop take either, because I would even argue that other pop artists (like Ariana, Beyoncé, and Gaga for example) either have unique qualities to their voice, or just use it in a way that’s more effective. Adele’s voice does not make up for this albums shortcomings.
The singles are pretty good, the non-singles are rough. Most of 21 is very boilerplate and impersonal. Production is hit or miss, and on songs like “I’ll be waiting” the track is so thin it sounds like she’s singing to a karaoke track.
All filler no killer. Strong 2, like a 2.8
Always hated having to play black magic woman on guitar hero, what a bloated hunk of fudge that song is.
In adulthood, it’s not bad, but not impressive. If you came up to me and said “my uncle just recorded an album, check it out!” And then started spinning this, I’d simply say “oh that’s cool” and then go on my phone
Wow. I did not expect to hate this, but I seriously hate this. What’s the vibe here, Circus rock? Sgt. Pepper’s bloated farts club band? What a tedious pile of crud. Skipped halfway through almost every song, and there’s no way in hell I’m making it through the whole album. Terrible!
Everything sounds decent I guess, but the whole thing is a little forgettable. This is one where I’m surprised how regarded it is, to me it’s a dime a dozen.
Trying to keep my bias in check because I really can’t stand Zappa. Putting all of his goofball crud aside, I think the pop elements on this are mid and the “experimentation” is insincere and uninteresting.
Not to be contrarian here but… I think this album is misunderstood! It’s giving diarrhea planet, it’s giving liquor store. Some songs sound so much like Jeff the Brotherhood it’s kinda crazy.
Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s a party rock album that’s weirdly timeless; it could easily get released tomorrow. It’s catchy and fun!
3.5/5 tbh, would go see Fidlar open for them
Never really liked this and probably never will. Not going to come out here and say that it’s poorly made or anything, I’m just not really impressed with the concept or the songwriting. I have always kinda felt like this was well traveled territory by 1973; to me it’s less of a revolutionary record and more like one that exposed a wider audience to this kinda headass music. Which isn’t a bad thing, but let’s just say that the album art has dominated the Kohl’s graphic tee rack for a reason.
3/5, it’s well crafted but very overrated
Take this with a grain of salt because 1) I know next to nothing about be genre and 2) sitting on the train listening to this is definitely not the ideal experience for it
Much prefer the LTJ record on this list. For me these cuts are too minimalist; 7-8 minutes of drum track with some light sampling just isn’t enough for me. I’m 1000% sure it would be a better experience if it was played in the proper setting ( a club, etc)
Not really a hot take to say Tommy sucks but I’ll take it one step further - pinball wizard also really fucking sucks.
Kicks ass. Highway star is one of the best rock tracks ever idgaf
There are moments on here where I am pleasantly surprised, but at its worst this is a truck commercial soundtrack. It’s a stepping stone for discovering better things, the missing link between popular and good. See also: black keys, foo fighters, coldplay. Really a 2.5, will round to 3 cuz I’m such a nice guy
