Oct 06 2023
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Blue
Joni Mitchell
Great album! Joni at her best! California and Case of you are incredible. The writing on River is impressive. Not as musically interesting as Hejira for my liking, but still a behemoth of an album!
5
Oct 09 2023
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Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious is a genius! I had heard a few songs from this album before, but the whole thing was incredible. A superb jazz album.
5
Oct 10 2023
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Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Wu-Tang Clan
One of the best hip hop albums ever.
4
Oct 11 2023
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Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
Today is PJ Harvey's birthday and I wanted to listen to this album. Strange how things work.
4
Oct 12 2023
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
One of the most badass album covers of all time. It's been awhile since I've listened to the whole album, or any Pink Floyd album, in full.
The instrumentals on the first track are tight. Great guitar playing by Gilmore. The synth work is very moody and sets a somber tone for the rest of the album.
Welcome to the Machine is not my favorite...
Have a Cigar is definitely a Rogers Waters song. Motifs of corporate greed, I'm sure they heard a lot of the things he sings about after the success of Dark Side of the Moon. The guitar tone is insane.
Wish You Were Here is one of the best Pink Floyd Songs. Just an overall great tune.
After listening to the whole thing, it's probably my fourth favorite Pink Floyd album. It is important in their discography though. Marks a change into the concept albums that came after it. The run from Dark Side of the Moon to The Wall is probably the strongest run of albums ever.
4
Oct 13 2023
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Pretty good album. Lauren's voice is superb. I feel like the album tries to do a little too much. The song with Santana is a little out of place.
4
Oct 16 2023
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Figure 8
Elliott Smith
4
Oct 17 2023
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Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Mark Knopfler is a killer guitar player, I don't know how he's able to play some of those riffs. The first half of the album is great. Money For Nothing is an all time song. The back half kind of meanders along and doesn't command attention like the beginning.
4
Oct 18 2023
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More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
Talking Heads' second album builds upon there first. Great vocals from David, instrumentation is solid. Not really anything super significant in their discography. Still a great record, good sequencing, goes down easy.
4
Oct 19 2023
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A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
This was the first album so far that I had never heard. I had known of the Everly Brothers but never have knowingly listened to them before. Definitely old school. The kind of 12 bar blues thing with the turn arounds are fun. Their harmonies are great. I can see why they were popular back in that era. I don't know if this is a popular record of theirs, but it's a solid one.
3
Oct 30 2023
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Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
Pavement
Pavement is the best. Classic album. This one has some great songs on it. Stephen Malkmus' lazy voice is great. Silence Kid is a good opening track, that guitar riff with all the fuzz sounds awesome. Range Life and Gold Soundz are quintessential Pavement songs. The perfect balance of heaviness while still being fun and catchy to listen to. In the midst of hair and grunge bands, this album came and set the tone for modern indie music.
5
Oct 31 2023
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Urban Hymns
The Verve
It's a meh album. Pretty dated at this point. Bittersweet Symphony is a good song. I like The Drugs Don't Work but it sounds similar to another song but I can't tell which song it reminds me of. It's a fine album.
3
Nov 01 2023
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Homework
Daft Punk
Ok. Daft Punk's first album. Can't say I listen to them too much. Should be fun!
After listening to it, I realized why I don't listen to Daft Punk all that often. After an hour and change, all the music starts to get very repetitive. Samples that repeat the same phrase 20 times over a four minute song gets to be a little grating. Some of the songs are undeniably great. The samples and drums they used are really good. For this to be their first album is pretty telling of the great music they were able to make on later records. But overall, an album of pure electronic music just isn't for me.
3
Nov 02 2023
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West
Kanye's best. The sound is so lush and layered on this album. Mixing and mastering is impeccable. Kayne's ear for samples is second to none. The lyrics are mostly surface level, but sonically is where this album really shines.
4
Nov 03 2023
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Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
This was an interesting album for sure. I've never heard of these guys before. Definitely a talent group. They sound like a bunch of different bands throughout the album. Sometimes Big Star, sometimes Traffic, sometimes like a Kansas or Chicago type thing. Because they change up so much, it was a little hard to grasp. Overall the drumming was tight. Vocal harmonies were good. The pieces of a good album were there, but it didn't really come together.
3
Nov 06 2023
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Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen
BRUUUUUCE!
One of his best! Every song on this album is great. Thunder Road is an awesome opener, the chorus soars. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out is one of my favorite Springsteen songs, not very meaningful but a fun song none the less. The Big Man's saxophone on night is perfect. There isn't much to say about Born to Run that hasn't been said already. It really encapsulates what Bruce Springsteen means as a songwriter and musician.
One of the best albums ever in my opinion.
5
Nov 07 2023
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There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
I don't think I've heard anything from this album before. Early 1970's is Curtis' prime, so I'm excited.
The album was a solid listen. There wasn't a song that really stood out on this album. All of the horns sounded really good, you can tell D'Angelo was influenced by them.
4
Nov 09 2023
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The Cars
The Cars
Classic album. Every song on here is incredible. It's hard to believe this was their debut album. Even though it came out in 1978, it is a quintessential 80's album. I have to imagine that almost every song on this album were played relentlessly on the radio. I'm not sure what genre I would classify this album as. I've seen it be called a new wave album and I'm sure at the time it was pretty new and experimental, but now so many people have tried to emulate that sound that it's almost mainstream. Which I think is a testament to how great the album is.
5
Nov 10 2023
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Horses
Patti Smith
Oh man... Where to begin. This is my favorite album of all time. Patti means so much to me as a musician, poet, author, and a person. This album is truly incredible. To be able to merge her moving prose, her fiery intensive vocals, and the driving rhythms of her band brings me to a place only few musicians can do. To go from the raucous and rowdy cover of Gloria to the beautifully haunting Redondo Beach makes me tear up almost every time. The climaxing Birdland, with her frenetic spoken word, the story of a fatherless boy going through grief is powerful. Free Money is a great punk song. Kimberly is a live staple to this day. A good mix of prose and punk which she is known for. The soaring choruses of Break it up showcase the energy of Patti and her band.
5
Nov 13 2023
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Red Headed Stranger
Willie Nelson
A classic country album. It's a very simple album, just Willie and Trigger for the most part. The concept idea for a country album is fun. The movie that accompanies the album is pretty good as well. It's not my personal favorite Nelson album, but there's no doubt that this started his ascent to super stardom. This album was my introduction to Willie, so it's a memorable one for me, but I enjoy the "Outlaw" sound a little more than this pure old school country album.
4
Nov 14 2023
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The White Album
Beatles
It's been a long time since I've listened to the entire album. It has some of the most essential Beatles songs on it. The way Dear Prudence swells on the final chorus is incredible. Glass Onion is a fun tongue and cheek song about other Beatles songs with an infectious rhythm. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is maybe the best Beatles song? The instrumentation is perfectly layered. The driving, chunky bass line is on full display. George's solo guitar is iconic, the tone is legendary. It is subdued, but also intense and emotional at the same time. The mono mixing of the track (the whole album actually) is superb.
My only gripe with the album is it is extremely bloated. There are a lot of songs that have no reason to be on this album. None of them are necessarily bad by any means, but had they trimmed the album a bit, it could have been one of the greatest albums of all time. I guess it just goes to show the greatness of The Beatles, even their subpar songs would've been a highlight for most other musicians.
4
Nov 15 2023
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Kings Of The Wild Frontier
Adam & The Ants
Pretty solid album with some high points. Dog Eat Dog, Antmusic, and Kings of the Wild Frontier are all great songs. I dug the drumming on this album, it provided a good driving rhythm on a lot of the songs.
3
Nov 16 2023
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Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
Can't really get into this album. A little too mellow for my liking. I wanted to figure out why she has such a huge following, but this album doesn't help me understand too much. Her voice is soothing. I like the song with Nikki Lane.
2
Nov 22 2023
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I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen
Never heard this album. From the first couple of seconds, it's not what I expected. I normally associate Leonard Cohen with folksier stuff, but this is like some Kraftwork 80's synth type of stuff.
Great album, spooky almost. Leonard's low gravely voice paints along with the futuristic sounding instrumentals paints this almost bleak dystopian vision of the world. On first listen, it's a little hard to pick up on the minutia of what he's talking about. I hope to go deeper with more listens.
I've listened to this album quite a few times, and I really love it. Leonard's vocal delivery is very unique here, and it really draws you in and makes you want to understand what it is he is saying.
An album that will be in rotation for years to come!
5
Nov 23 2023
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Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod Stewart
Decent Album. Rod Stewart has an incredible voice, and his band is solid. I think Ronnie Wood plays guitar on most of the album, and he produces some memorable riffs. The 12 guitar on the title track is great. Maggie May is obviously the stand out track. The chorus is infectious, the intro guitar part is reminiscent of some baroque chamber music that then jumps straight into another pleasant sounding 12-string riff.
3
Nov 24 2023
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Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
I love Neil, but his music not being on Spotify is a real drag. Having trouble finding this album to listen to.
This is Neil's first album with Crazy Horse, I think this is really the "start" to Neil Young.
This album is incredibly fierce and frenetic. Neils vocals are full of energy and despair. The opening riff of Cinnamon Girl is powerful. Neil conveys an incredible amount of longing and sadness on Round and Round. Down by the River is the first signature "Neil Young" song. At almost 10 minutes in length, Neil unleashes some masterful solos that he has become known for. A true jam that you get lost in. Cowgirl in the Sand, the final song on the album, is another fiery track. Distorted and ferocious. The dichotomy between Neil's soft vocals harmonies and the screaming squeals of his solos makes for truly incredible song. The looseness with which Crazy Horse plays with, while still being able to hold an infectious rhythm, gives Neil an extraordinaire pallet to solo over. His unrefined quality is what makes him so unique.
5
Nov 27 2023
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Paul's Boutique
Beastie Boys
A pretty monumental album. The was the Beastie Boys and Rick Rubin meshed so many samples together to create such lush songs, without the use of today's modern technology, is quite the achievement. The bravado the Beastie Boys bring to every song is energizing. Personally, I enjoy the samples and beats more then their collective rapping on the album.
4
Nov 28 2023
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The Score
Fugees
Great album. Lauryn Hill is obviously the standout of this album. Her voice and rhymes are impeccable. The beats are excellent. Has three all time hip hop songs, there aren't really duds on here.
4
Dec 08 2023
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21
Adele
I've never listened to this whole album, but have obviously heard many on the songs already.
For a mainstream pop album, it isn't overly produced. Adele's voice is pretty remarkable. Very powerful. She is able to carry most of these songs just with her voice alone. I assume based on the title of the album that she was only 21 when she created this, which is pretty incredible. She has a commanding presence and these songs are captivating, which is extremely impressive for anyone, let alone someone that young. The Cure cover was a little surprising.
4
Dec 11 2023
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The Wildest!
Louis Prima
I love big band jazz music! There's something about it that I romanticize. It hearkens back to a time that I find to be almost other worldly.
I didn't know Louis Prima by name, but some of these songs definitely sounded familiar. After giving the album a few listens, I would place him the Louis Armstrong echelon of Big Band Jazz musicians. It is an incredibly fun album. Prima loads each song with tons of charisma, and his voice is exactly what I would want for this type of music.
Loved this album!
4
Dec 12 2023
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Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
4
Dec 13 2023
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That's The Way Of The World
Earth, Wind & Fire
Pretty solid disco album. Earth Wind and Fire never miss. Gets a little experimental towards the end, which is interesting.
3
Dec 14 2023
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Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention
Based on the album cover, I'm expecting a Belle and Sebastian type of band.
Pretty cool album! I don't think I was too far off with the Belle and Sebastian comparison. A very folk forward album.
4
Dec 15 2023
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
A favorite album of mine! Jump Into the Fire is badass. Gotta Get Up is great. Overall the album is a good mix of slow and harder songs. The only thing that really brings this album down is coconut, that song has been over played and I hate it.
4
Dec 18 2023
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Stankonia
OutKast
A very bloated album. Way too many skits and random interludes that bring down what would be a pretty incredible album. It has three of Outkast's most iconic songs in So Fresh, So Clean, Ms. Jackson, and Bombs Over Baghdad. But those three songs can't hold up the rest of the fluff of the album.
3
Dec 19 2023
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S&M
Metallica
Not a big Metallica fan. The band sounds tight with the orchestra. But I find most of their songs a little cheesy.
3
Dec 20 2023
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Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
Dexys Midnight Runners
Really fun album! A little bit of punk, a little ska. The instrumental groove on The Teams That Meet in Caffs is a standout for me, that song is really cool. Geno sounds like a precursor to more modern ska music. A lot of the songs on this album give me a noir kind of feeling. A pretty great album from a band I've never heard of before.
4
Dec 21 2023
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Djam Leelii
Baaba Maal
Was a little hard to get in to this one at work. Gonna have to give it another shot at a later time. I dug it, but it requires some serious listening that I couldn't give.
3
Dec 22 2023
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The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
Incredible album. The version I listened to had a live section at the end that was awesome. The actual album has some of the Velvet Undergrounds best songs. Pale Blue Eyes is probably my second favorite song of theirs. There's something about the simplicity of the song, and Lou's longing on it. Love it! After Hours is a good one too. As far as other Velvet Underground albums go, this one is pretty straight forward, not too experimental. I believe this is pretty much Lou Reed at this point in the band, Cale had left the band I think. Lou really shines as the main songwriter. Only he could sing about the seedy parts of New York, drug addiction, the kooky characters that surrounded him, and make you want to be there with him. Lou is one of a kind.
5
Dec 25 2023
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Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
3
Jan 17 2024
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A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector
Various Artists
Might be my new go-to Christmas album. There's some great acts on here. The Ronnettes and The Crystals really shine here. The Wall of Sound reigns supreme. On a side note, I did some research on Phil Spector and he was quite the character... He had some major contributions to modern producing and mixing regardless of all the bad stuff that he did.
3
Jan 18 2024
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Debut
Björk
a great debut album! Pretty tame compared to her other albums, but I suppose that's to be expected from a debut album. It has all the trademarks of what Bjork became to be associated. The gnarls, the screams. The instrumentals are pretty dated, but groovy. I love Big Time Sensuality, Venus as a Boy is awesome.
4
Jan 19 2024
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Nowhere
Ride
Really cool album! It made me think of a harder Stone Roses. The guitars rip, it feels like a wall of fuzz and distortion crashing over you. I dug it a lot, and I'm sure it's a pivotal album in the shoegaze genre
4
Jan 22 2024
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Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Just a guy and his guitar. An excellent album for a rainy day or Sunday morning. Nick's dulcet voice and mellow guitar playing makes for a somber album.
4
Jan 23 2024
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Moondance
Van Morrison
Van Morrison may be a pretty bad person, but man can he croon. Moondance is a timeless album that's good for just about any occasion. The title track is excellent. Caravan is one of my favorites off of the album, and may be one of my favorites in his discography. All of the acoustic instrumentation on this album really fits the vibe and let's Van's voice shine.
4
Jan 24 2024
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Signing Off
UB40
Pretty solid reggae album! UB40 was a band I had heard of due to them being on the outside of the British Punk movement in the late 70's and 80's. I particularly enjoy the "punkier" reggae songs from this era, but there are some great one on this album none the less. Overall it's a pretty chill album, and I would have to imagine this band was influential to the modern ska movement.
3
Jan 25 2024
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Sound Affects
The Jam
Man, what a killer album. I really enjoyed it. As of right now, this era of music is probably my favorite. Late 70's and 80's punk is the best. This album will definitely be a mainstay going forward. Monday is a great one, the chorus is great. Who really dreams of Monday? Start! is a great homage to the Beatles. Their bass player and drummer really shine on many of the songs. The bass is heavy and very forward in the mix. The lyrics on That's Entertainment and the way in which they are delivered make me feel like I'm a punk perusing the dark streets of England.
Overall I really loved this album!
5
Jan 26 2024
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Master Of Puppets
Metallica
Not a big Metallica fan... They are incredible musicians, and the album is mixed to perfection. All the instruments sound great. But the music is a little too dramatic for my taste. If I'm in the right mood I can listen to a few songs, but it starts to get a little grating past that.
3
Jan 29 2024
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Aja
Steely Dan
Steely Dan's most concise and well constructed album. From a technical standpoint, it's hard to top this album. Every song is meticulously crafted, from the composition down to the final mastering and mixing. Every single instrument stands out, yet blends together simultaneously. This album may not have produced their most listened to songs, but every song on Aja is great. No fillers on this one. The drumming and sax solo on the title track is superb.
5
Jan 30 2024
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Van Halen
Van Halen
Not a Van Halen guy....
2
Jan 31 2024
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Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Soft Cell
This album contains one of the most iconic 80's dance songs, "Tainted Love".
3