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Tue Aug 29 2023
Unknown Pleasures
Joy Division
I'm generally not a fan of what gets classified as "80s music" so this one didn't do it for me. However, it was fun to discover that they did the original version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" I first heard that song as a cover by Nerina Pallot and absolutely loved it; it's worth checking out.
2
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Wed Aug 30 2023
Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
It's...fine.
3
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Thu Aug 31 2023
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
This works fairly well as background music, but I probably won't come back to this. I appreciate the composition, though; it's like if Rush or some other prog rock band decided to do a super chill album. In Icelandic.
3
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Fri Sep 01 2023
At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
Very chill, very enjoyable.
4
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Mon Sep 04 2023
Arrival
ABBA
This is not my jam...but I didn't hate it! They're real musicians making decent music, I just don't like it.
2
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Tue Sep 05 2023
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
I was hoping to like this one more given the level of respect music people have for Simon & Garfunkel, but it didn't do a whole lot for me. A couple above-average tracks, and I didn't dislike any of them, and I appreciate the harmonies...but the album as a whole didn't stick with me.
3
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Wed Sep 06 2023
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
This is the closest I've gotten to a 4 so far. Didn't quite get there, largely due to a really good point Kevin made in his ABBA review: I can't help but compare this to more contemporary music that I like and find it lacking. I bet I would have given this a strong 4 if I had been born in 1960.
3
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Thu Sep 07 2023
E.V.O.L.
Sonic Youth
This was a real mixed bag for me, as most noise-rock albums are. I kinda liked a few tracks at the beginning, but hated the few before "Bubblegum" and I didn't really like the vocals, so I guess this ends up as a 2 even though some of it worked for me.
2
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Fri Sep 08 2023
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
I guess I need more Neil Young in my life. I'd never really checked him out, largely because I've heard him live (on TV) a few times in the 2000's and didn't care for the vocals. In his prime, though, he sounds pretty damn good.
I liked this album quite a bit. This is the only album so far that's going to get another listen from me (along with some other stuff from Neil, with or without his horse).
4
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Mon Sep 11 2023
The Wildest!
Louis Prima
This one bops! Pretty fun for an album from the '50s.
3
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Tue Sep 12 2023
Revolver
Beatles
I sure hope I don't lose any friends over this, but The Beatles don't do much for me. I think my dad was probably a Stones-over-Beatles guy, and I don't recall 97.5 or 98.5 playing much of the Beatles when I was a kid, so I never listened to them much despite their popularity. I think I listened to one of their greatest hits albums about a decade ago, and it didn't grab me enough to ever follow up.
I feel like "Yellow Submarine" is a terrible song; I just don't get how that became one of their hits. I thought maybe I was missing something, so I listened to the version on the "Yellow Submarine" album, and it still sucks. They named a whole album after this dogshit?? I know people smoked a lot of pot in the '60s and '70s, but I can't imagine being high enough to think this is a good song. Then again, I don't have a great imagination. I guess I just had to be there at the time?
Some of the songs on this album are decent, but I can't say I loved any of them. "Got To Get You Into My Life" was pretty good, though.
Sorry. I know this is sacrilegious, but I can't honestly give this any better than a 2, and I wouldn't blame anyone who gives it a 1. I will now turn in my Music Fan card, admit to being uncultured swine, and delete the 1,300 or so albums on my laptop/iPod.
2
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Wed Sep 13 2023
Greetings From L.A.
Tim Buckley
"Sweet Surrender" was a bit extra for my tastes, but largely I enjoyed this album. Solid funky/bluesy stuff.
3
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Thu Sep 14 2023
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
This is a collection of sound effects, not something a rational person would listen to for pleasure. Let's all agree that even if we tried to listen to this with an open mind, it cannot be classified as "good music" under any rubric.
The best thing you can say about this album is that "Throbbing Gristle" is a mildly amusing band name and "Hamburger Lady" is a mildly amusing song title.
1
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Fri Sep 15 2023
Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
Definitely feels like something best appreciated by paying attention to it, rather than having it play in the background while working (which is how I consume most of these). He's got some good lines, and I'm sure I missed a bunch.
I wasn't familiar with Tom Waits so the vocals definitely took some getting used to, but they grew on me over the course of the album. I'll be interested to see if I like any of his non-live stuff more.
3
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Mon Sep 18 2023
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
I liked this one more than the first Sonic Youth album. It still wasn't great, and I'll probably never listen to it again, but I don't remember hating any of these songs, and some of them were...hmm. I think I'm trying to find a way to justify giving this a 3 just because I liked it more than the last one, but it's hard to do that when my overall reaction was "it wasn't bad" vs. "at least some of them were good."
It was fine. Let's pretend this is a 2.5.
2
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Tue Sep 19 2023
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
This very much sounds like an album from 1990. That being said, it holds up pretty well, and I'm glad this was included on the list as I don't think I've heard any of these other than "Can I Kick It?"
Solid album. I wish I could give it a 3.5.
3
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Wed Sep 20 2023
Fuzzy Logic
Super Furry Animals
I pretty much feel the same about this album as I did about "Daydream Nation." It's fine. It's either a 2 or a 3 for me.
3
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Thu Sep 21 2023
Smokers Delight
Nightmares On Wax
This is like elevator music, but with a beat. It's not bad by any means, but not my jam.
2
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Fri Sep 22 2023
Disintegration
The Cure
I liked this one more than I thought I would. As someone who owns a shit ton of emo/pop-punk, I was familiar with The Cure as a big influence on a bunch of my favorite bands, but I'd only heard a few of their original songs before (I've heard a bunch of covers). This still sounded very much like an album from the 80s, but it was also pretty good.
4
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Mon Sep 25 2023
Bad
Michael Jackson
If you can separate the art from the artist, some of these songs are pretty good. I mean, I prefer the Weird Al version whenever that's an option, but the originals ain't bad.
3.5. Apparently I hate whole numbers and refuse to acclimate to this 1-5 scale.
3
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Tue Sep 26 2023
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Not my jam, but I'm obviously not the targeted audience here. There are unequivocally some good beats on this album, though.
2
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Wed Sep 27 2023
Pink Flag
Wire
I can't believe this was originally released in 1977; I would have believed it was a punk album from 2005. Maybe the fact that it was remastered in 2006 has something to do with that, but still.
Gotta say I liked it. My tastes tend to lean pop-punk and alt-rock, but this was pretty good. I liked it much more than the Sonic Youth stuff we've gotten thus far.
4
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Thu Sep 28 2023
KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
While listening to the first half of this album, I was pretty excited to dole out my first 5 on here; I loved it. Then the second half slowed down into a soul album which, while still good with plenty to recommend it, wasn't nearly as remarkable.
Quality sound throughout, and overall still really good.
4
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Fri Sep 29 2023
Elvis Is Back
Elvis Presley
It's not bad. Decent vocals, and it was pleasantly surprising to hear so much piano from \"the king of rock and roll,\" but this is another one where I had a hard time getting into something made a few decades before I was born. Just not my jam.
I was, however, blown away by how many albums are in his discography. I'm familiar with about10 Elvis songs, but the dude apparently cranked out a billion or so.
2
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Mon Oct 02 2023
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
Fuck yeah! I enjoyed the hell out of this. The guitar started to get a little repetitive by the end of the album, but other than that I thought this was great.
5
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Tue Oct 03 2023
In Rainbows
Radiohead
I think this is the only Radiohead album that I would choose to listen to in its entirety. I haven't listened to a ton of their albums, but I like this better than "OK Computer." That being said...it's fine. It's got some good tracks, like 15 Step and All I Need.
I think this was the "pay whatever you want for it" album, which was a cool idea in the age of music sharing/piracy.
3
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Wed Oct 04 2023
Disraeli Gears
Cream
This was hit-and-miss for me, but not bad.
3
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Thu Oct 05 2023
Arise
Sepultura
My main takeaway from this album is that it gives me a better appreciation for the hard rock bands that I enjoy (like Metallica or Disturbed). I didn't enjoy the vocals here, but yelling is not uncommon in hard rock stuff, so I guess this was...too simple? Not musical enough? I know that's a weird thing to say about music, but I'm struggling to articulate the reasons this didn't work for me, which I suppose is why I'm not a music critic.
2
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Fri Oct 06 2023
When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Cornershop
I'm sad to say this one didn't really work for me. I liked a few of the early tracks that sounded like classic 90s pop-rock, but for whatever reason I didn't dig most of the rest of the album.
2
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Mon Oct 09 2023
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Props to Otis for inspiring so many covers, although I generally liked the covers better than the originals. Still solid.
3
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Tue Oct 10 2023
Hard Again
Muddy Waters
Mm, this was some good shit. I liked it so much I tried a Muddy Waters collection of greatest hits next and didn't like it nearly as much, so glad the 1,001 folks chose this album.
5
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Wed Oct 11 2023
Ritual De Lo Habitual
Jane's Addiction
This was solid but unspectacular to me. A few songs made me think "this is what Blink-182 would have been if they'd been born a decade earlier and listened to more hair metal."
3
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Thu Oct 12 2023
Fifth Dimension
The Byrds
This was fine, although I enjoyed their "Younger than Yesterday" album from earlier in the list more.
3
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Fri Oct 13 2023
School's Out
Alice Cooper
Certainly much more varied than I was expecting; I was only familiar with a few Alice Cooper songs, but there's some range on this album. Largely decent even if it wasn't the hair metal I was expecting.
Also my dog was SUPER interested in some of the weird sound effects he produced, so...props for that?
3
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Mon Oct 16 2023
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is the first band I can remember thinking of as cool. When I was too young to have any input on what to listen to, some of the classic Zeppelin jams were my favorites when they came on the radio, and either 97.5 or 98.5 had a weekly "Get the Led Out" hour where they would play nothing but.
That said, this specific set of songs is probably a 3.5 for me, but I'll round up to a 4 for both nostalgia and what I assume was an original sound in '69. Also rounding up since it was released in '69.
4
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Tue Oct 17 2023
Abbey Road
Beatles
Maybe I'm just in a better headspace to appreciate The Beatles today, but I liked this one WAY more than I liked Revolver. This doesn't even sound like the same band, but in my case that's a very good thing.
3
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Wed Oct 18 2023
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
This rating is purely based on personal preference. For what it is, it's good, but it's not my jam.
2
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Thu Oct 19 2023
Fever Ray
Fever Ray
This was perfectly fine background music while I was working, but it didn't grab me in any way. 2.5.
2
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Fri Oct 20 2023
Chore of Enchantment
Giant Sand
Well, that was quite the mixed bag of stuff. I generally liked it but didn't love it.
3
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Mon Oct 23 2023
Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Pretty good. Rehab was the only song I was familiar with, and I can see why that one made it on the radio as it's probably the catchiest track. I really hate only having 5 options to choose from, as this is more like a 3.5 and that Giant Sand album was more like a 2.5, but they both end up as 3's for me.
3
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Tue Oct 24 2023
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I was a conscious human being in the 90's so I've heard the singles a million times, but I've also had this album and \"Be Here Now\" in my music collection for 20+ years so I've heard the whole album before. Gotta say I didn't love the vocals on most songs, with Champagne Supernova being a notable exception (although I forgot how damn long that one is).
Anyway, I thought this album would be buoyed by nostalgia, but it ends up in the \"good not great\" pile for me.
3
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Wed Oct 25 2023
Come Away With Me
Norah Jones
It's hard to beat this in terms of chill background music to bring my stress level down. This wasn't mind-blowing, but it was consistently good and the vibe was enough for me to bookmark Norah Jones for the next time I want music to chill me the F out.
I didn't realize until today that she's continued to make music for the past 20 years; hopefully the later stuff is good.
4
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Thu Oct 26 2023
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Liars
This was stressful and unpleasant to listen to. I nearly turned it off halfway through the second song because it sucked so hard. Just straight up shitty noise rock.
I listened to the whole thing, though, and I maybe grew to appreciate some elements of it? I didn't enjoy it, but there's some almost-maybe-kinda-decent, like, tribal progressive rock or something, hiding beneath the offensively awful noise rock veneer.
Ultimately this still gets a 1 because I can't pretend this is as good as some of the stuff I've rated as a 2 and Throbbing Gristle can't be the only band to get a 1 from me, but for the record this gets a 1.5. It's definitely bad, but not as bad as TG.
1
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Fri Oct 27 2023
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
This was good.
4
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Mon Oct 30 2023
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
It was fine, but it didn't do much for me. If this doesn't qualify as yacht rock, I don't know what does.
2
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Tue Oct 31 2023
The Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
I liked it as much as the other Tribe album; good not great.
3
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Wed Nov 01 2023
Sulk
The Associates
This is what the term "80s music" makes me think of, and I don't like 80s music. This makes the second album so far (you know the first one) that I didn't finish.
1
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Thu Nov 02 2023
British Steel
Judas Priest
This album makes me think that, had I been an adult in 1980, Judas Priest would have been my favorite band. It sounds a bit dated 40 years later, but it still rocks. 4.5.
4
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Fri Nov 03 2023
Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
It was a little (maybe a lot) heavy-handed, but it wasn't bad.
3
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Mon Nov 06 2023
Homework
Daft Punk
This is another rating based purely on personal preference; EDM/techno just doesn't do it for me. This would be awesome as background music in a futuristic video game, and I respect the musicianship, but this is not something I would choose to listen to on its own.
2
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Tue Nov 07 2023
Blonde On Blonde
Bob Dylan
I wanted to like this more. Love the harmonica (which I hardly ever hear anymore), love the piano, love the whole folk vibe. The sound of Bob Dylan's voice, though...it's almost a caricature of himself. I made a joke a Christmas or two ago that the guy playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard was trying a little too hard to be like Alan Rickman, and I feel like the vocalist here is trying a little too hard to sound like Bob Dylan--as if it's part of an SNL sketch or something.
I fully realize the hypocrisy of criticizing vocals given the vast quantity of emo in my music collection, but I have not acquired a taste for Dylan's voice. Good music otherwise, though.
3
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Wed Nov 08 2023
Yank Crime
Drive Like Jehu
Turns out there's a limit to the amount of screaming I can take, and this album exceeded that limit. 1.5.
2
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Thu Nov 09 2023
Third
Soft Machine
This isn't offensively bad, but I can't really recommend anything about it. 1.5.
2
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Fri Nov 10 2023
Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
Solid if unspectacular. Sounds like what you would hear in a Hollister store 20 years ago, but I don't hold that against it.
3
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Mon Nov 13 2023
Urban Hymns
The Verve
Everything kinda boringly blends together after the first track (which remains a really good song). It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll ever listen to this again.
3
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Tue Nov 14 2023
Young Americans
David Bowie
This didn't do much for me. 2.5.
3
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Wed Nov 15 2023
Suede
Suede
Well, that was unexpected. I'll never listen to this again, but it was fine for an 80's rock album.
3
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Thu Nov 16 2023
The Soft Bulletin
The Flaming Lips
I didn't love it, but I recognize there's some quality stuff here.
3
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Fri Nov 17 2023
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Woof. I was not expecting this to sound so dated. To their credit, this sounds like an album from 1992, so I guess they were ahead of their time (hence influential, hence why this album is on the list), but to me this one does not stand the test of time.
2
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Mon Nov 20 2023
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
The Flaming Lips
That was a fun listen, and it definitely gets points for originality. It didn't quite get there for me upon first listen, but I might come back to this and see if I like it more the second time around. 3.5
3
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Tue Nov 21 2023
War
U2
Solid U2 album.
3
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Wed Nov 22 2023
Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
Well, now I know why I had never heard of Dr. Octagon before. Even as background music I found this hard to get through.
2
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Thu Nov 23 2023
Blur
Blur
So I know that "real music fans" like Blur for all their songs other than "Song 2"...but I just can't get into them. I guess I'm basic. 2.5.
3
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Fri Nov 24 2023
Phaedra
Tangerine Dream
For what it is, it's fine, but this sure felt longer than 38 minutes. Kinda liked the first track, kinda bored by the rest.
2
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Mon Nov 27 2023
Are You Experienced
Jimi Hendrix
I don't want to be hyperbolic when we've still got 900+ albums to go, but this might be the easiest 5 I dole out on here. It helps that I'm already familiar with the album and have enjoyed Jimi Hendrix for 30 years, but this album holds up. I can only imagine how mind-blowing this was in 1967.
5
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Tue Nov 28 2023
Cross
Justice
EDM is still not my jam, but I thought this was more enjoyable than Daft Punk's "Homework" album.
3
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Wed Nov 29 2023
Tanto Tempo
Bebel Gilberto
This was solid if unremarkable.
3
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Thu Nov 30 2023
A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
Just because they're popular doesn't mean they're bad. Do I think Coldplay is overrated? Sure. But I also think they've largely made pretty good music. 3.5.
3
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Fri Dec 01 2023
The Real Thing
Faith No More
A few thoughts:
1. I was only familiar with "Epic" so I was a little surprised by the range on this album. Overall, it was decent stuff.
2. I'm confused as to why a cover of "War Pigs" was included. It sounds pretty dang close to the original from Black Sabbath; this is what I'd expect to hear by a cover band in a bar. So why the hell is it included here? If you're going to cover a song and release it as part of an album under your band name, you've gotta make the song your own. You can't just do a note-for-note remake. Maybe I'm missing a backstory here, but this track being on the album baffles me. Not sure why anyone would ever choose this version over the Black Sabbath version.
I'm tempted to give this a 2 just because of War Pigs, but I'll reluctantly give it a 3 since that's how I feel about the rest of the album.
3
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Mon Dec 04 2023
Live At The Star Club, Hamburg
Jerry Lee Lewis
Dude sounds like a hell of a live performer. I had no idea what to expect from this, but I really enjoyed it. Managing to hit the vocals so well while playing at such a high energy level is pretty impressive.
4
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Tue Dec 05 2023
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
My only complaint is that this album is too short and there's not more Nick Drake. His previous album was not at all like this, and he doesn't have any later albums (at least on Spotify). Bummer.
This was some really good, chill stuff. 4.5.
5
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Wed Dec 06 2023
Music in Exile
Songhoy Blues
Given that I couldn't understand any of the lyrics, that was still a fairly enjoyable listen. Some tracks didn't work for me, but overall it was solid. 3.5.
3
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Thu Dec 07 2023
Manassas
Stephen Stills
Objectively I feel like this is a pretty good album, but it's a little too '70s for me. I liked a lot of it, but I didn't love the album as a whole.
3
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Fri Dec 08 2023
Pacific Ocean Blue
Dennis Wilson
This one just struck me as bland. It's not bad. The musicianship is fine. I don't actively dislike it. I just found it to be relentlessly mediocre, so I gave up after 19/33 songs on Spotify's deluxe edition.
To be honest I probably would have given this a "This was fine, I guess" 3 if it was only 10 songs, but the more I listened to it the less I liked it. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this. 2.5.
2
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Mon Dec 11 2023
Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
It's another album that's not my personal cup of tea, but it's fine for what it is. I didn't dislike it as background music, but this didn't make me want to seek out any more Willie Nelson. 2.5.
3
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Tue Dec 12 2023
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Solid. I'm glad we're getting a variety of rap in the 1,001 as I liked this more than most of the rap we've heard thus far.
3
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Wed Dec 13 2023
In It For The Money
Supergrass
This reminded me of Oasis, which I guess makes sense given the time, location, and genre. It was fine.
3
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
I didn't find the vocals as annoying as I did for "Blonde on Blonde"; not sure if I'm just getting used to Dylan or if this album was less whiny. I didn't like the music overall quite as much, though, so both albums get a 3 from me.
3
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Live Through This
Hole
I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough for a punk album.
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'm willing to be the basic bitch who likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers (even though that means I'm risking going to hell according to "The Good Place").
This album definitely has some filler, and I'm sure it benefits from the fact that I was immature when it came out, but I still like a bunch of the songs on here.
4
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Tue Dec 19 2023
Teen Dream
Beach House
I'll probably never listen to this again, but it was decent.
3
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Wed Dec 20 2023
At Newport 1960
Muddy Waters
Not as good as "Hard Again" but still enjoyable. 3.5.
4
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Thu Dec 21 2023
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Bruce Springsteen
I'm really only familiar with Bruce's big hits, so I was kinda surprised by the vibe of this album--softer than I was expecting. Who knew early Bruce Springsteen had so much piano? (Fans of Bruce Springsteen, probably.)
This reminded me in some ways of the Warren Zevon self-titled album, although I liked Zevon more. 3.5.
3
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Fri Dec 22 2023
1989
Taylor Swift
This album is really up and down. I think there's 5 great songs on it (with Blank Space and Bad Blood being my personal favorites), but I also think there's a bunch of mediocre songs that prevent the album as a whole from getting a 5. The highs are high, though.
I was very late to the Taylor Swift party (Folklore was the first album I heard in its entirety), but she turned out to be exactly like the Harry Potter books: everyone likes them because they're really fucking good. Sometimes popular stuff is legit good, and that definitely applies to Ms. Swift.
4
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Mon Dec 25 2023
Live!
Fela Kuti
Fun jam-band stuff with some good musicianship. 3.5.
3
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Wed Dec 27 2023
Two Dancers
Wild Beasts
I liked a few of the songs in the middle of the album, but I disliked this one on the whole. Not a fan of the vocals, and the music was largely repetitive. Presumably this works for some people since it's on the list, but I am not one of those people. 1.5.
2
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Thu Dec 28 2023
Tonight's The Night
Neil Young
I was pretty disappointed in this one given how much I unexpectedly enjoyed "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." This album was...fine. I guess. 2.5.
3
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Fri Dec 29 2023
Risque
CHIC
Not my genre, and the songs were long. Not to take anything away from the talent of the artists here (which I can appreciate), but this one didn't do it for me. 2.5.
2
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Mon Jan 01 2024
After The Gold Rush
Neil Young
Maybe I only like Neil Young when he does group projects. I enjoyed parts of this album, but some of it was too 70's for me. Another 2.5.
3
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Tue Jan 02 2024
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
This was some perfectly fine jazz that I'll never listen to again. I didn't dislike it, and I'm trying to be open-minded towards genres that I wouldn't seek out on my own, but I can't really say I enjoyed this. 2.5.
2
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Wed Jan 03 2024
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
I'll tell you what: I think this album has a chance to gain some popularity. This Floyd chap seems to have found something that really works here, and if people give it a try I think they'll like it.
----
Pretty surprising how well this holds up given that it's...holy shit, this album came out 50 years ago! It's hard enough to make an artsy album that works the day it comes out, but the fact that it still works 50 years later is incredible. A million artists have tried to make music that evokes an emotional response like this, but few have succeeded; this one just has that je ne sais quoi.
5
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Thu Jan 04 2024
Rocks
Aerosmith
Solid album. Some of these songs were new to me, and they weren't bad. I don't think this is a great album, but I do think it's better than a bunch of other albums on here. 3.5.
4
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Fri Jan 05 2024
Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
Well, that was different. After the first track I thought I'd end up enjoying this album, but unfortunately it all started to blend together for me. Kudos for coming up with something new and different, but I don't think it ultimately worked all that well even though it wasn't bad. 2.5.
3
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Mon Jan 08 2024
Rubber Soul
Beatles
This was decent. I'm never going to love The Beatles, but I'm not immune to some good vocal harmonization and some catchy pop stuff.
3
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Tue Jan 09 2024
Made In Japan
Deep Purple
This isn't universally true, but I generally prefer studio albums over live albums and that holds here. I enjoyed the rockin' on this album, and in some ways it's fun to hear them jam a bit so this was still plenty enjoyable, I just found myself wishing for a cleaner version. 3.5.
3
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Orbital 2
Orbital
I will basically never choose to listen to techno, but this was pretty good for the genre (as far as my ignorant ears are concerned).
Did I think most tracks were too long? Unequivocally yes. Other than that it was fine as background music, and I found myself enjoying the composition from time to time.
3
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Thu Jan 11 2024
Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
Maybe I listened to this while in the wrong headspace, but this did absolutely nothing for me and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I guess I'm just not a minimalist when it comes to music...although, I enjoy plenty of stuff where it's just a dude with an acoustic guitar, so maybe I just don't like Saint Etienne.
1
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
They definitely closed the album on a high note. Fun drum solo on Sha-La-La. High energy, decent classic rock stuff in general. It didn't quite get to a 4 for me, but it was solid. 3.5.
3
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
Derek & The Dominos
I guess we'll have to add \"Layla\" to the list of songs I didn't know were covers. In general I thought this album was pretty solid. I definitely would have liked it more if some of the weaker songs were removed, but overall it was fine.
3
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Kenza
Khaled
Pure pop is generally not my jam, and that holds here.
2
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Thu Jan 18 2024
Heroes to Zeros
The Beta Band
Solid stuff, and good background music while working.
3
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Fri Jan 19 2024
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
Given that this is from 1992, I thought it was pretty good. Easily my favorite of all the rap/hip-hop albums we've seen so far.
4
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Mon Jan 22 2024
The Yes Album
Yes
This isn't anywhere close to that shitty band that sounded like discount David Bowie (Zaggy Moondirt or whatever wonderful string of words Jason came up with), but I can't help but feel that this album sounds like discount Rush. I enjoyed the listen overall, but given how similar they sound to Rush I couldn't help but compare them and find Yes a little wanting. 3.5.
3
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Fear Of Music
Talking Heads
They definitely get points for having a unique sound, but this didn't do enough for me to move it beyond a 3.
3
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Wed Jan 24 2024
São Paulo Confessions
Suba
This is fine for what it is. Not bad, but not my jam. 2.5.
3
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Now this here: this is just good music. I'd never heard of PJ Harvey before, but I will be listening to more PJ Harvey in the future. This isn't groundbreaking or mind-blowing or anything, but it's high quality and enjoyable, and that's ultimately what I want from music. 4.5.
5
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Sex Packets
Digital Underground
Man, hip-hop has really changed. This is another one where I understand why it's here, and I'm sure it was hip at the time...but it has not aged very well (at least to my ears).
It's not really fair to judge this against modern rap, and 80's/90's rap should probably have its own genre altogether, but I can't say I enjoyed much beyond "Humpty."
2
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Beauty And The Beat
The Go-Go's
I'm generally not a fan of 80's music but this was...pretty OK? Also fun since they have a song titled "Skidmarks On My Heart" and I don't think of tires when I hear "skidmarks."
Also I'm 12 years old.
Anyway, I liked this more than I thought I would, but not enough to ever listen to it again.
3
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Tue Jan 30 2024
On The Beach
Neil Young
Better than "Tonight's the Night" and "After the Gold Rush", not as good as "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere." 3.5.
3
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Faith
George Michael
As far as 80's pop goes, this was better than some but still not my jam; I didn't like it but it could have been much worse. 2.5.
2
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Live At The Witch Trials
The Fall
Usually when I personally don't like something on here, my take is "It's good for what it is, but this is not my jam. 2.5." I can't even get that far with this album. I get that it's punk and it sounds the way the band wants it to sound, but I didn't enjoy this one at all.
It's not objectively awful, and I hope others enjoy this more than I did. 1.5.
1
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Fri Feb 02 2024
The Age Of The Understatement
The Last Shadow Puppets
My initial reaction was "this is pretty good. They remind me of the Arctic Monkeys." Turns out that's because one of these dudes is also an Arctic Monkey.
4
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Mon Feb 05 2024
Cloud Nine
The Temptations
This was fine, but not my jam.
2
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Hotel California
Eagles
Given that the title track has 1.5 billion plays on Spotify this record definitely deserves to be on the list, but overall I didn't love it. Good vocal harmonies, and the music is fine, but nothing else really stood out to me.
3
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Hunky Dory
David Bowie
Easily my favorite of the Bowie albums we've heard so far...but for me it only gets into "good not great" territory. 3.5.
4
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Thu Feb 08 2024
Odelay
Beck
Struggling a bit with this one. I feel like it's objectively good, and I appreciate much of it...but I don't think I would ever choose to listen to this again. It's somehow good without being enjoyable to me. Usually in this case I'll think "yeah, I recognize that people who like this kind of music would like it, but I personally don't like this kind of music." In this case, I think I generally *do* like this kind of music, but I just couldn't get into this album.
It definitely gets bonus points for having a komondor on the album cover as those are the most ridiculous-looking-while-still-naturally-occurring dogs on the planet. So there's that.
3
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Maggot Brain
Funkadelic
Mixed bag here. I enjoyed the middle of the album more than expected--I've never really sought out funk music, but this was good. The first track was itself a mixed bag, and the last track decidedly did NOT work for me. Sometimes the experimental track on an album is transcendent, but sometimes it's just noise.
3
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Mon Feb 12 2024
Document
R.E.M.
It's been many, many years since I've heard this album in its entirety, but I enjoyed the re-listen more than expected. Looking at the track list made me think this album had a bunch of filler, but I ended up enjoying the whole thing.
I'm certainly biased towards R.E.M. since Adolescent Kyle spent a bunch of money on their CDs back in the day of Columbia Records (or whoever ran those CD by mail catalogs in the 90's), but Adult Kyle hardly ever listens to a full R.E.M. album (and then it's usually "Green" or "Monster"). Maybe I need to revisit them more often, beyond the singles.
4
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Sounds like it was probably a fun show to see live...except apparently it wasn't actually a live album, they just added crowd noise. Weird. Pretending like it's a live album is like giving yourself a license to be raw and unpolished in the studio, which I guess is fine if you're going for a raw sound, but I didn't like this one as much as I wanted to.
Definitely some good stuff here, though. Can't deny that Joplin is a powerhouse.
3
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Wed Feb 14 2024
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
Per the Wikipedia blurb on here: "At the time of its release, it was considered the band's most accessible album." I admittedly haven't listened to other albums by The Fall (so maybe their earlier stuff is akin to Throbbing Gristle), but I don't know how a rational person could describe this album as "accessible." There is no universe in which this album appeals to a wide range of people.
Enjoyment of art is subjective, and I'm sure some people like this flavor of weird, and that's fine...but I think this is one of those instances where "different" and "good" are conflated. The vocals here are unusual; that does not make them good. The instrumentals, to me, are neither impressive nor aurally pleasant; sometimes they're weird, sometimes they're basic, never are they good (to clarify: I'm not saying anyone in this band is bad at playing their instrument, I'm just saying the composition is bad).
So I think these guys made a bad album, but because it sounds different than the vast majority of albums, some people talk themselves into acting like it's good. Different != good. It's unusual, and I guess it's interesting in some ways, but I did not enjoy this at all.
1
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Tago Mago
Can
This does not sound at all like an album from 1971, so props to them for being ahead of their time. That said, this is largely not my cup of tea. I kinda liked some stuff at the beginning of the album, but then the back half turned into "let's make weird noises (for a long-ass time) and call it art." 2.5 for the first half of the album, but a 1 overall. Not sure how one could enjoy this album in its entirety while sober.
1
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Architecture And Morality
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
This wasn't bad; it wasn't hard to listen to like The Fall or CAN. However, this didn't do much for me and I'll never seek this band out again.
2
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Mon Feb 19 2024
Dummy
Portishead
Good not great for me. I really liked the overall sound of this album, but it got kinda boring by the end of it.
3
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Superunknown
Soundgarden
I was only familiar with the singles before listening to this, and I can't say I'm itching to add the whole album to my collection. I probably would have enjoyed it more closer to when it came out, but for some reason I never sought out any Soundgarden beyond what the radio gave me.
Anyway, solid stuff here. 3.5.
3
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Wed Feb 21 2024
Bossanova
Pixies
I like the Pixies enough to own their greatest hits album, but not enough that I'll ever want to listen to any of their original albums. This was fine.
3
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Thu Feb 22 2024
The Stooges
The Stooges
This was fine. 2.5.
3
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Fri Feb 23 2024
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
This was OK. I liked some elements of it, but on the whole it felt a bit milquetoast. I couldn't tell you what's missing or why it didn't totally work for me, but I feel like this band has the potential to make much better music that what they put on this album.
3
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Madman Across The Water
Elton John
Well gosh dang, that was pretty good! I don't know if I'd ever heard any of these songs beyond Tiny Dancer, but that was a largely enjoyable experience. I think this Mr. John guy has some potential.
4
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Tue Feb 27 2024
This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Another case where I'm sure he was great at the time, but it didn't do much for me listening to it 70 years later.
2
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Wed Feb 28 2024
A Little Deeper
Ms. Dynamite
Perfectly fine R&B, although nothing mind-blowing.
3
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room
Dwight Yoakam
I just don't understand the curators of this project sometimes. They seem to have drawn a hard line in the sand with country music and declared that the only country worth listening to was released before 1990. Just a weird take. The genre is still immensely popular with a big chunk of the country, and personally I think the genre has gotten infinitely better over the past 30 years. I'm obviously influenced by when I was born, but I remember more or less hating country as a youngin' other than a few songs, but I've grown to enjoy some more contemporary artists.
Anyway, classic country typically doesn't do it for me, and this album is no exception.
2
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Talking Heads 77
Talking Heads
Eh. It's fun in parts, and I always enjoy Psycho Killer, but in general I have a hard time getting on the same wavelength as Talking Heads. 2.5.
3
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Mon Mar 04 2024
She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper
As far as 80's pop goes, this was pretty good. It's basically maxed out at a 3 due to the genre, so...great job.
3
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Let It Bleed
The Rolling Stones
Hard to rate this one appropriately. It starts and ends with all time classics, but the middle of the album doesn't keep pace.
3
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
Woof. Maybe if I were in a better mood, or if this was dated 50 years earlier, I'd give it a 2 and say it's simply not my jam.
I started skipping on track 2, listened to a few seconds of each, found them to all basically sound the same, and got the fuck out. No thanks. I'm sure this works for some people, but it ain't me.
1
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Thu Mar 07 2024
Tom Tom Club
Tom Tom Club
Yeah, no. At least these people sound like they're having fun, and I can imagine people dancing to this and enjoying it in an 80's movie or something, but this is not my jam.
2
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Fri Mar 08 2024
The Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers
I'd give the vocals a D, but that's pretty much par for the course for classic punk. Otherwise this was fine.
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
I'll certainly never listen to this again, but that's the case with pretty much anything released before 1965 or so. I thought this was largely pretty good for what it was. 2.5.
2
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Tue Mar 12 2024
Blunderbuss
Jack White
I've had this album for a decade, but it's not one I spin up in its entirety very often since I think it's uneven. The good tracks are really good, and they're all unique, so this is pretty good overall.
4
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Well OK then. The album cover is as weird as the music, so it's nice when those things line up. This didn't totally work for me, but given how old it is that's not terribly surprising.
I'm generally a fan of prog rock, so I appreciate the trail these guys blazed.
3
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Roger the Engineer
The Yardbirds
Pretty good, given this came out almost 60 years ago. I'll never listen to it again, but this was solid. 3.5.
3
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Fri Mar 15 2024
The Downward Spiral
Nine Inch Nails
I think this was the first time I'd listened to an entire NIN album. I was obviously familiar with their singles, but I can't say I really enjoyed many of the songs that were new to me.
This is one of those bands where I feel like I should like them more because I know some people think they're amazing, but they don't do much for me. I didn't dislike any of these songs, but I also didn't love them.
3
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Mon Mar 18 2024
1999
Prince
Sorry, this was just too damn 80's for me. Respect to Prince, but this is not my jam.
2
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Murmur
R.E.M.
I think this album gets so much acclaim since it was at the forefront of this type of rock. At least to me this sounds ahead of its time for being released in 1983. Not my favorite R.E.M. album, but a solid listen and pretty good for a debut. 3.5.
3
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Kid A
Radiohead
Per the Wikipedia blurb on here: Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and the Times ranked Kid A the greatest album of the 2000s, and in 2020 Rolling Stone ranked it number 20 on its updated list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
As someone who was conscious in the 2000s, I'm a little offended. If I could insert the Mugatu/crazy pills GIF here I would. I just don't get Radiohead's popularity. This album is a big ol' bunch of meh. I didn't hate it, but I can assure you I will never choose to listen to this again.
3
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo
Solid.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Hard to decide whether this gets a 4 or 5. There are some certified bangers here, but there are a few slower songs that really drag when you listen to the entire album.
Ultimately I think I'll round the 4.5 up to a 5 given how high the highs are here. Just an iconic 90's album, despite the shots at my beloved Uncle Joey.
5
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton John
On the whole, this album is too long. There's a whole bunch of stuff that, in 2024, does not hold up well to my ears (and maybe half this album has always been filler).
That said, "Saturday Night" still slaps 50 years later.
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Head Hunters
Herbie Hancock
Uhhhh...yeah, this wasn't for me. I recognize the musical talent here, but I guess I'm just not a jazz guy.
2
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Wed Mar 27 2024
Ace of Spades
Motörhead
Yep, that was some 80's hair metal. It was fine, although I remember liking Judas Priest much more when their album came up a few months ago. I'll never listen to this again, but I didn't dislike it.
3
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Thu Mar 28 2024
Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson
Man, this one was all over the place. Some stuff worked, some stuff didn't. It definitely gets points for being this weird in 1973 and (presumably) helping to kick off prog rock as a genre. Before getting into this project, I had always thought of Rush as being the original prog rock band, so it's been interesting to hear a few other bands from the 70's who were also doing weird rock shit.
3
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Fri Mar 29 2024
Machine Gun Etiquette
The Damned
This was fine.
3
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Mon Apr 01 2024
All Directions
The Temptations
Still not the genre for me. 2.5.
2
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Rio
Duran Duran
During the first half of this album, I was worried that I might have a brain tumor as I found myself really enjoying some 80's pop. The latter half definitely brought things back down, so the limit of 3 for an 80's pop album remains unbreached.
3
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
I guess this was largely good, but only a couple tracks stood out on first listen, and the album was similar enough throughout that I was looking forward to it ending. Honestly baffled why this album is on the list given how recent + underwhelming it is. 2.5.
3
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Moondance
Van Morrison
Generally not my speed, but this was pretty good! I did not expect to enjoy a chill album from 1970 this much. 3.5.
3
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Fri Apr 05 2024
I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
For me, the music gets a 2 and the vocals get a 4.
3
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Mon Apr 08 2024
The ArchAndroid
Janelle Monáe
Huh. This was a pleasant surprise. I came into this only knowing that Janelle Monae is a straight up unabashed weirdo. I don't typically go for techno or R&B, so I'd never heard more than a song or two from her.
Gotta say: this was pretty good. It started to drag a bit at the end, but other than that it was an enjoyable listen.
4
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Tue Apr 09 2024
Illmatic
Nas
I didn't dislike this, but ultimately it didn't do much for me. I'm guessing this is at least partially due to the fact that the lyrics largely don't enter my consciousness while I'm listening to these, so if the rhymes are the selling point of this album they were mostly lost on me.
3
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Steve McQueen
Prefab Sprout
This strikes me as wholly unremarkable 80's pop rock.
2
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Thu Apr 11 2024
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
I knew nothing about these folks going in, but this was a largely enjoyable album. Nothing fancy or mind-blowing, just good stuff throughout.
4
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Elastica
Elastica
How have I never heard of this band before, why do they only have two albums, and why wasn't their second album as good as this one? Gosh dang.
4
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Mon Apr 15 2024
We Are Family
Sister Sledge
Disco is still not my jam.
2
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Tue Apr 16 2024
To Pimp A Butterfly
Kendrick Lamar
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. It wasn't bad, but it won't stick with me.
3
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Your Arsenal
Morrissey
Meh. 2.5.
3
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Fulfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder
Fine, but not my jam. 2.5.
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
The La's
The La's
I guess everything gets a 3 this week.
3
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Mon Apr 22 2024
The Slim Shady LP
Eminem
Hard to rate anything from Eminem. I don't really like the sound of his voice, but the flow is pretty good. I don't typically listen to much rap, but I generally find the beats catchy. The lyrical content is generally abhorrent, but they're also intentionally subversive and offensive.
I can (and very often do) enjoy intentionally offensive stuff in the realm of comedy; I love a good irreverent TV show or stand-up comic. Not much of what Eminem does is played for laughs, yet I also don't take most of it seriously. I dunno. I can't help but enjoy much of his stuff even while thinking "man, that guy's fucked up."
There are a million songs I enjoy with lyrics that I can't relate to and don't endorse, and this entire album falls into that bucket. That's art. Overall this doesn't quite get a 4 for me, but still pretty good. 3.5.
3
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Smash
The Offspring
Not my favorite Offspring album, but I'd agree that this is their most influential album. As a huge fan of pop-punk in the aughts, I am by default a fan of The Offspring and the road they paved.
Side story: I will always remember a van ride with the family circa 1994-5 while my dad was driving and in control of the radio. His preference was 97.5 and 98.5, while my sisters and I preferred 100.7 and 92.3 and 107.9 (although I'm guessing this was before 107.9 was The End). He said "I'll change the station if you can name the artist of one of these songs." We kept guessing, like, Eric Clapton or The Eagles as it was on 98.5 (Cleveland's classic rock), but to no avail. Then they had a commercial trying to make a dig at damn kids these days and what has befallen rock music, but don't worry, we're 98.5, we'll never play that shit.
To make their point about terrible modern rock music, they used the intro to "Self-Esteem" that's just "La la lalala, la la lalala" which my sister correctly identified as The Offspring, so we were granted a station change on a technicality. A great win for punk rock.
Anyway, I really enjoyed revisiting this album. Beforehand I was thinking it was a 4 with the iconic singles and some filler...but this holds up well in its entirety.
5
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Maybe this album is good enough for a 2...but I found it hard to get through. 1.5.
1
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
More like "SuperMEH" amiright?
2
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Tellin’ Stories
The Charlatans
This was perfectly fine BritPop. On the whole, I think I actually liked it better than "What's the Story Morning Glory" even though it didn't hit the same highs. Maybe that's a dumb thing to say, and it's just colored by how disappointed I was when that Oasis album came back up here, but at any rate I thought this album was solid. 3.5.
3
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Raw Power
The Stooges
This was fine.
3
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
I'm glad this album's on the list, as otherwise I probably never would have checked out Tracy Chapman. I initially wished there was a little more pace, but I ended up really enjoying the chill vibes on this album. Great vocals and overall an enjoyable listen.
4
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Wed May 01 2024
Vulgar Display Of Power
Pantera
While I'm getting more tolerant of hardcore vocals over time, this album still felt like an assault on my ears at times. The drums are fucking awesome here, and there are some great metal guitar riffs, but I can't say I loved the experience as a whole.
It's definitely a 3.5...and I guess I'm rounding up to a 4 for musicianship this time.
4
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Thu May 02 2024
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys are very much hit-and-miss for me. Personally they get some bonus points for their inclusion in "Patriot" which remains one of the best TV shows of all time. That's enough to round this 2.5 up to a 3 for me. I liked a few of the songs on this album, but overall it was more miss than hit and probably deserves a 2.
3
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Fri May 03 2024
Mothership Connection
Parliament
Well that was fun. I don't seek out funk, but I enjoyed this.
4