Aug 16 2023
View Album
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
The most self deprecating hip hop album I've ever heard.
5
Aug 17 2023
View Album
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden
Starts off kinda clunky but by "22 Acacia Avenue" it finds its stride. The intro to "The Prisoner" is *chef's kiss*.
And, of course, "The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills" are bangers.
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" is the perfect ending.
4
Aug 18 2023
View Album
War
U2
Separating this U2 from the U2 we know of today...
This U2 was a breath of fresh air and like catching lightning in a bottle. They came out swinging with their sonic assault and their political lyrics (things that people weren't really talking about during the Reagan/Thatcher era). This album -- along with Boy -- gave them a reputation among the alternative/new wave crowd of the 80s. So much so that they were spoken of in hushed tones.
Great album with alternative rock standards.
4
Aug 19 2023
View Album
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
This is such a classic album.
5
Aug 19 2023
View Album
C'est Chic
CHIC
Didn't move me all that much. Feels like an overbloated album with two well known songs surrounded by filler. It's pleasant enough and I can understand its importance to multiple genres. But, I don't see me listening to it again.
Thanks to its over exposure, I really don't care for "Le Freak."
Also, I've never really cared for the singing style in Chic. It was a style that repeated so often through the 70s and 80s and it never worked for me.
3
Aug 20 2023
View Album
Tapestry
Carole King
I love how raw and unpolished this album is. Just Carol and her piano. My only complaint is that I didn't really care for her version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."
4
Aug 21 2023
View Album
90
808 State
This did not age well. I mean, Pacifica 202 is a classic and very likely will always be. But this acid house/techno sound really died out a long time ago and sounds extremely dated.
1
Aug 22 2023
View Album
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
I did not want to listen to this since I'm not a huge David Byrne fan. But, I was proven wrong. Really enjoyable listen.
4
Aug 23 2023
View Album
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Nice one. Been aware of Ruben Blades but never dove into his music. They say in NYC in the 70s there were three separate musical explosions... hip hop, punk, and salsa. I've never had an opportunity to check out the salsa movement nor did I know where to start. I can understand why Ruben is such an icon in the Latino community.
4
Aug 24 2023
View Album
Winter In America
Gil Scott-Heron
This was great. A nice snapshot of 1970s Black America. Gil Scott-Heron never held back in his life and he does not disappoint in "H2OGate Blues." Love how he touched upon so many social issues.
I can definitely see why this is such an important album.
5
Aug 25 2023
View Album
Horses
Patti Smith
This is a classic. Don't know what else to say about it.
5
Aug 26 2023
View Album
The Doors
The Doors
Starts off sort of strong but then falls apart quickly.
"Twentieth Century Fox" is just a bad attempt at a song and I don't care what anyone else says.
"Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)" is a very good attempt at ruining a Bertolt Brecht song.
Their attempt at covering Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man" fails miserably and ends up sounding like some teenagers jamming in their parents' basement.
I refuse to spend another second listening to "Light My Fire."
This is a downright horrible album that suffers from the weight of their own egos. The only highlight is the openers and closers. But, they've also been ruined by overplaying on classic rock stations. Confirms that the Doors were a shit band.
1
Aug 27 2023
View Album
Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
Never really have been a big fan of Joni Mitchell. Her vocals are a bit unpolished and her style is a bit too clunky for my taste.
I suppose this is nice and I know she has a lot of fans. But, it's just not for me.
2
Aug 28 2023
View Album
Station To Station
David Bowie
It's not my favorite David Bowie album. Still, I'm giving it three stars because it's David Bowie.
3
Aug 29 2023
View Album
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
Love this album. Listen to it all the time. It's a classic in my mind.
5
Aug 30 2023
View Album
The Scream
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Enjoyed this a lot. Sometimes Siouxsie can be just background wallpaper and it's just perfect.
4
Aug 31 2023
View Album
Beautiful Freak
Eels
So damn good.
5
Sep 01 2023
View Album
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
This is cheeseballs.
1
Sep 02 2023
View Album
2112
Rush
A classic.
5
Sep 03 2023
View Album
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
4
Sep 04 2023
View Album
In Our Heads
Hot Chip
4
Sep 05 2023
View Album
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
A classic.
4
Sep 06 2023
View Album
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
This album is so damn good.
5
Sep 07 2023
View Album
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
I really like this album. I never realized how similar sounding they were to the Mamas and the Papas. My only real exposure to them has been "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love." Nice to finally listen.
The bluesy stuff was good but not as good as the first half. Feels like two different bands.
Too bad this band eventually became Starship.
4
Sep 08 2023
View Album
Blue Lines
Massive Attack
This is a classic album front to back. This whole album is a "shots fired" situation that ignited a new genre and I'm so thankful for it.
5
Sep 09 2023
View Album
Graceland
Paul Simon
4
Sep 12 2023
View Album
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys
Classic DK album
4
Sep 13 2023
View Album
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
Y'know, this is a tough one. I get how influential these guys are to grunge and, very specifically, to Nirvana. But, it was a tough listen. I do know that the Meat Puppets got more melodic later in their career, so do love them for that. However, the off key singing is a bit off-putting.
3
Sep 14 2023
View Album
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
Very pleasant
4
Sep 15 2023
View Album
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
Such an amazing classic album that's really fun and inventive. So many genres were influenced by Kraftwerk.
5
Sep 16 2023
View Album
Moondance
Van Morrison
Looooooove this album so much.
5
Sep 17 2023
View Album
The Suburbs
Arcade Fire
Great album.
4
Sep 18 2023
View Album
High Violet
The National
Another great album that I've listened to before.
5
Sep 19 2023
View Album
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
This actually grew old fast. The hits are still the hits. But, I don't need Stevie telling me to turn to God.
3
Sep 20 2023
View Album
Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
So, let's get his straight. Rod wasn't getting laid in Rome and decided to write a song about it? And then he proceeds to say racist things about a woman he met on a ferry in Peking/Beijing? Great album opener there, Rod.
A good portion of this album is dated white guy rock that steals heavily from blues and is nowhere as good.
I've always really liked Maggie May, but it has super misogynistic lyrics. The last few songs are good, though.
2
Sep 22 2023
View Album
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
This was so pleasant and cool. Full of torch songs and often reminded me of Scott Walker or Johnny Cash's American Recordings. Great recommendation.
4
Sep 23 2023
View Album
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
Excellent album. I don't think there was one bad album in the White Stripes discography.
4
Sep 26 2023
View Album
In The Court Of The Crimson King
King Crimson
Great stuff! Didn't want the title track to end.
4
Sep 27 2023
View Album
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
This is honestly just kind of mid. The hits are the hits. But, a lot of it is filler. I can see the appeal of this in 1966. But, this is before they got super creative and stopped ripping off black R&B artists.
3
Sep 28 2023
View Album
All Directions
The Temptations
Very nice. This album is gold solely for "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," which is a masterpiece of a song. The rest of the songs are just nice to have.
4
Sep 29 2023
View Album
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
So damn good. Curtis was at the top of his game when he made this.
5
Sep 30 2023
View Album
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
Great album
4
Oct 03 2023
View Album
Nevermind
Nirvana
I listened to this one so much in the 90s that I can recite the lyrics in my sleep.
5
Oct 04 2023
View Album
Hotel California
Eagles
Still a good album
4
Oct 06 2023
View Album
Fisherman's Blues
The Waterboys
Well. This is just excellent.
5
Oct 11 2023
View Album
Five Leaves Left
Nick Drake
4
Oct 14 2023
View Album
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin
4