Unknown Pleasures
Joy DivisionI was kind of into it for the first couple songs, but I didn't hear much after that that made me want to come back.
I was kind of into it for the first couple songs, but I didn't hear much after that that made me want to come back.
Really enjoyed this introduction to her. Honeysuckle Rose, Be Anything but Darling Be Mine, Stairway to the Stars were standouts after the first listen. Love the emotion, and I would like to explore some more.
The part I most enjoyed was tuning out Dancing Queen (ugh) in order to contemplate how one might report evidence of a suspicious teacher student relationship from the 70s. (Thank you Jason for identifying Wikipedia as the answer, I had not thought of that). The second most enjoyable part was when I gave up hating on the synth bagpipes(?) in Arrival and just appreciated that they were totally committed to it and doing something that was not the same as the rest of an album that I could not finish fast enough.
I've enjoyed Simon and Garfunkel in the past and some of their other hits are just great. From this album Bridge over Troubled Water and The Boxer are favorites. Other songs didn't really connect much sound or lyric wise. Cecilia is catchy but listening to the lyrics...WTF? Bye Bye Love is familiar, but it is an odd song for people to clap enthusiastically along to, that seems weird.
I'm wondering if this is one of the greatest albums of all time simply because it was released in 1986, which would seem to me to make it a seminal forerunner of alternative rock, which is kind of impressive. I can imagine rising Gen Xers embracing the rebelliousness of their sound as a way of flipping the bird to their Byrds loving Boomer parents. But as music I want to listen to more, not really.
I dug this the whole way through. Great album.
This was fun. I’m glad I was exposed to it. I could feel the chemistry among the band members., and that was enjoyable. I would gladly fire up the holodeck and go hang out at a club with Riker and these folks.
I enjoyed this album more than some other times I’ve tried to get into the Beatles in the past, when I’ve wanted to like their music more but just found I couldn’t get into more than a handful of songs. There was a lot I liked in this, even if some of the songs were forgettable. “Tomorrow Never Knows” is one I tagged for more future listens.
The first few songs were impressive, I liked his energy, vocals and it worked musically. The rest of the album didn’t stand out much.
Obviously, as “music” this leaves something to be desired. Which is why we must have to be able to appreciate it on another level to understand how it is one of the greatest albums of all time. Fortunately, I have figured out that that level is “sound to be forced into one’s ear holes as one lies on the floor of a sub-basement London rave twitching and spasming uncontrollably in a pool of the mixed bodily fluids of one’s fellow ravers while one hallucinates fragmented horror scenes too disturbing to recount here, all from the effects of whatever the fuck was in that shit one just bought from the sketchy creep at the door on the way down to this particular incarnation of hell.” In that context, this shit is fucking lit, I am sure.
This was fun for a while. The comedy routine in rhythm with a backing track is impressive. His voice is great. I did get bored with it about halfway through. Not something I want more of necessarily, but it definitely has some genius to it.
Mostly similar thoughts as with EVOL. I listened to a lot of alternative rock on Columbus radio in the 90s. I imagine I heard some of their songs on it, but found them forgettable, and forgot them, as I will forget this.
This had me dancing in the kitchen a bit. Super cool, smooth. I could go back to this sometime, I really enjoyed the vibes.
This is not something I need to revisit but I didn’t have a hard time seeing why it is considered great.
I super enjoyed this. This is my favorite new-to-me album from this list. Soulful and fun.
I didn’t get Radiohead’s popularity in the 90s, but I do really like this.
I never listened to them much beyond the tracks that were so overplayed on the radio back in the day. It was the overplaying that turned me off of them, but it turns out I like their sound on this album a lot.
Like a lot of the Beatles I like it, but don't love it.
The early tracks had me thinking I could really get into this, but by the end I think I wanted to like it more than I did. Worth another listen or two at least.
Ok, didn't really engage me.
I enjoyed this very much. This just feels like quintessential 90s alternative rock, some of the best of it anyway. I know the main hits were so overdone, but unlike a lot of hits that get overplayed I still like them.
Lovely voice, pleasant listening.
Why? Actually, nevermind.
I enjoyed it well enough. Wouldn't mind listening again sometime.
This was great. Lots of tracks I want to hear more. "Water of Love" in particular is sticking with me.
This was frustrating. I really enjoyed People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and wanted to like this too, but it was just whiny and annoying. Whatever song it was about trash talking other rap artists with "Your lyrics is butt"... Yeah, that sums it up.
Maybe this qualified as experimental and edgy in the world of British synth-pop in 1982, or something. For me, it qualifies as straight 1 star, very unpleasant listening.
Good, solid rock. I enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t mind hearing it again.
This was a nice surprise. I had never heard of them before. The socio-political commentary holds up for me because of the raw emotionality the lead singer brings. I like the realness, and the lyrics were often impressive. Loved “Music and Politics”.
My impression going in was that Daft Punk was super cool and I was really going to like this. That made this experience all the more disappointing. Maybe they are still super cool and just beyond me, but I did not enjoy this slog through the incessant repetition of slapped together beats and refrains.
Part of me wants to like Bob Dylan because he is legendary as a lyricist, everyman poet, etc. I just really did not like anything about this, the instrumentation, his voice. Some of the lyrics were striking, but that’s it.
I was just on the edge of liking this, but it never really pushed me over. Not bad. Solid 3.
I've been appreciating The Flaming Lips more over the last few years. I really love this whole album. Waitin' for a Superman in particular is sublime and touching.