A Night At The Opera
Queen“Mamaaaaa, uwu” - Freddie Mercury
“Mamaaaaa, uwu” - Freddie Mercury
Alright I’m officially tilted at how many boomer rock albums we’ve pulled. I would like to use this album to bring to light the 2010 remix of My Generation featuring Slash and Will.i.am., in which he sings about the war in Iraq and the recession
I have a soft spot for a lot of these sounds. People like Aphex Twin would take this and iterate on it. So I see this album as important, but not necessary amazing. Probably very cool if you were into this when it came out tho
Saw a tweet one time that was just this picture, captioned “these honkeys were COOKING” and it’s so true. ‘Shout’ is just one of those few 80’s gems that will never be replicated. It’s got AURA. It’s got ATTITUDE. This can be said for the entire album actually. Tight, direct song structure that knows when to slip in and out of instrumental atmospheres. A massive generational pop hit. One iconic vocal melody after another. A mystical album ender. Socially conscious messaging. This album has it all and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. Perfect! It’s incredible that we got this less than a year after Purple Rain. It’s worth noting that they’ve done the impossible recently - they made a song that’s unique and new sounding, unlike every other legacy band from the 80’s or earlier pumping out nothing-burgers to cash in on yet another world tour. Check out ‘No Small Thing’ it’s worth a listen
Makes me wanna mull over a glass of whiskey in a black&white downtown diner while figuring out cold case crimes. Flames
Did I hear some crooning vibrato vocal runs? Damn Post Malone kinda stole her flow. Very heartfelt very personal very nice
“Mamaaaaa, uwu” - Freddie Mercury
What a fun goofy band! I wonder how they feel about the war in Iraq.
the stronks 🗣️
Genesis/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel but for British millennials 🔥🔥🔥
🔥🔥🔥🔥SKA MUSIC🔥🔥🔥🔥
What in the WORLD is this hippie going on about???
https://youtu.be/zLk6bUvS6Ic?si=M_uO2c8Ata2fpNoW
Millennials know that Deep Purple rocks they were the first song in Guitar Hero 3 AND the intro to Rockband
One liberating thing about turning 26 is being able to say “Neil Young just doesn’t do it for me” without the fear of being disowned by my parents and dropped from the family healthcare plan. Too old for that now
Fucking AMPED for this one. Wildly ahead of it’s time. The prodigy did the dubstep/riddim/bass music aesthetic 20 years before it became a thing. Producers like G Jones and Nitepunk are just now making Prodigy-style sounds popular in edm. The first two tracks on here are widely considered to be classics, but Mindfields is such a slept on banger. The Noisia remix of Smack My Bitch Up & the Glitch Mob remix of Breathe are modernized versions of these bangers, worth checking out
Points for going full Jack Black there at the end
I’m more of a blink-182 guy a very soft 3/5 on this one
I’m convinced she dated bob dylan just to show everyone how she clears him in many categories (multi-lingual, sane)
Such a good way to end the earlier traditional Beatles sound. Very polished. Nowhere Man gotta be the highlight here. But the real treat of this album is Ringo Starr doing a lead vocal (What Goes On) where he’s NOT singing about an imaginary creature or some drug-induced situation he finds himself in
She sings the hell outta this album. Generational vocal talent. Adele, Karen Carpenter, Aretha Franklin. Can't think of many other singers who stick the landing on EVERY single note like this. Unless that new Ringo Starr album HITS XD
Front half of the album is good, back half is a snoozer. And what does Kings of Leon do that The Killers, The Strokes, Muse, U2, or Black Keys didn’t already do better? Album is fine in a vacuum but on a 1000 albums you must listen to list? I don’t knoooow about that
• Blissed out and hypnotic. Like I’m in a UK warehouse on acid • Lush 3-1 gets played at a rave happening inside Donkey Kong Country 2 • This album is what old excision is gonna sound like in 30 years • The la la la vocal from Halcyon And On And On is a famous sample. Most recently used in a Skrillex & Boys Noize BANGER called “Fine Day Anthem” • There’s some more important/better electronic albums I’d rather see on this list • If Parker blind-rates this above a 2 then I will give myself $20
I downed a red sour patch ghost energy drink and put this on to start work at 5:30AM and I got real productive real fast. Hijacking the arena sport aux to play this during soccer games 🔥
Aretha-tier vocalist doing some ice cream + red wine jams
Please please please go listen to their next album “This Is Happening” It’s iconic it should be on this list so I can give it 5 stars Why is this album on here instead? >:(
One of the albums of the 90’s
Take a journey inside the mind of the average league of legends player
While I don’t go back to this album often, you gotta respect the creativity and raw talent here. "Calm down folks, now just tell me what did the Jimster do?" - Hugh Neutron
Simple but effective. Some sadder British Jim Croce/James Taylor vibes. My one tiny criticism with this album is that there isn’t enough tight chorus/catchy parts, my monkey peanut brain needs a little more to remember and sing along to. But this is great imma listen to more of the better Drake here. He was 21 when he made this??? Damn
Sultans of swing great song to do cocaine too everything else is meh
First time listeners do NOT let this be your final impression of him, go listen to Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town to get that classic anthemic Bruce sound. He was going through some dark times when he made this album & would immediately turn around to write his “pop album” Born In The USA. Firm 3.5 out of 5. Depressed minimalist Bruce Springsteen still clears many artists in the story telling department
Eddie Vedder drank wine from the bottle when I saw him at the mariners stadium then belted out Black just as it sounds on this album
Wake up honey, it’s time for your daily seattle grunge album ⏰ Not as solid as Ten but Layne Staley has some pipes on him. Must be something about fellas born in the Bellevue/Kirkland area that makes them destined to make it big 🤔 you and me Layne, equal levels of greatness
After two albums, I can list the ingredients needed for your typical Bobby song: 1. Play a loopy acoustic guitar melody. Keep playing the melody the entire time. 2. Bob proceeds to word-vomit about the latest adventures of his imaginary friends during a drug-induced psychosis. 3. Harmonica outro.
*refined* new wave. The most refined
Solid for what it is. “Zilch” went crazy
George Harrison - ass album. Very impressive that he made this at 19 though, serious musicality. Hard working 3 out of 5 from me
Emma as my witness I fell asleep for this one
Very solid 2000’s indie sleaze! Now let’s all listen to “Heads Will Roll (Atrak remix)” - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A lot more cowbell on this than I remember. Pretty one dimensional album but the highs are so high, some of the greatest arena rock songs of all time on here
Very fun very lively I would’ve never found something like this if it weren’t for this list 🙏
He knew we were going to someday be reviewing this album when he titled that song “midnight ravers”
Imma call this genre “the opposite of edm.” Better album than I remember, wears out its welcome towards the end. Great songwriting and composition, just kinda wish it was performed in more unique ways? The 90’s singer-songwriter sound doesn’t always hit for me
master storytelling ability and succinct songwriting
*deferring my right to comment on this one so our native Kiwi can have a moment of Oceania pride*
2 stars, doesn’t have West End Girls on it
Was a little skeptical about this but then learned that Brian Eno was in the band so of course this album was very musically sound and in some ways ahead of it’s time. You can really hear the Eno on the last track it’s almost like a transition song to his solo masterpiece that dropped two years later “Another Green World”
Strong writing strong voice. Doing some research into what she had going on in life makes many of these songs even more impactful
God, if you’re listening, please give me something from the 21st century man. This should be a Lady Gaga album
An album that gets better the older (and sleepier) i get. I didn’t understand the point of this album when I first listened maybe a decade ago but now I have more patience and willingness to listen to this beauty. Kinda invented ambient music as we know it
I can’t handle much CCR beyond their greatest hits. Do I love their greatest hits? Yes. Do I strongly affiliate them with early childhood memories of music? Yes. Am I tired of rolling the boomer rock albums? YES.
He oscillates between being a total cornball to having some really clever bars. Pretty good for 1990! A hard-working 3/5 for me
Peak 50’s crooning
Really enjoyed some of the more mellow and experimental songs on here. Lou Reed has unlimited singer/songwriter rizz. I would just like to point out how the song “Murder Mystery” on here is eerily similar to “Chop Suey” by System of a Down
Alright I’m officially tilted at how many boomer rock albums we’ve pulled. I would like to use this album to bring to light the 2010 remix of My Generation featuring Slash and Will.i.am., in which he sings about the war in Iraq and the recession
...I’m hate-listening now. Smite me down, God, end my boomer-rock-induced suffering
It’s kinda like if My Chemical Romance got inspired by Muse then just went crazy with it. Very thoughtful very technical i just need to listen to it more
Really liked this one, I feel like tumblr probably liked it even more though
The most disingenuous thing I can do is adjust my rating just because it’s Christmas and this is a Christmas album. Imagine if i just ripped a 1/5 though. Also he invented the 2014 Forest Hills Drive album closer style with this one, just doing a spoken narrative thank you
Pulling two heavy tumblr-core albums in a row is huge after all the boomer rock. The highlight of this album for me isnt the atmospheric pads and melodies that everyone knows it for - to me its the way the bass player chooses to play in a more sparse and often repetitive manner. Long repeated one-note hits with quick fill melodies at the end of a verse. Induces the same feeling of the best house music songs of this albums time - hypnotic and blissful
This album is a TRIP. Was cruising along thinking “huh nice a little Rush meets ska revivalism ok ok” then the song ‘Deep Inside’ comes on. Then it’s just Music To Ride Your Harley To. And then socially conscious protest music???
High intensity soul
This would’ve gotten me torqued if I was a British teen in the 70’s. Not just the messages but the playing is really tight and it has a huge, booming sound for its time
amazing posse rap dynamic and incredibly menacing for the early 90's
They’re all so on the same page it’s insane
Personal results of this daily listening list: - developing a genuine aversion for classic rock - coming to the conclusion that the drugs in the 60’s must’ve HIT to make this type of music culturally enjoyable
They scared a lot of people back in the day, but hindsight let’s this album stand it’s ground. Layered instrumentation & memorable grooves. I’m addicted to the opening song on this record there’s like 3 separate perfect melodies going at once towards the end of it
Despite this album only being a few years older than the Five Leaves Left album we pulled a month or two ago, he definitely sounds a bit older/more rough around the edges. Becoming a fan of his delivery
This is so close to a full 5/5 stars for me. I think the most impressive thing about this album is how many songs have absolutely killer hooks, all done by the trio, all sung by people who consider themselves rappers/mc’s before singers. Intstrumentals are so pleasing and easy on the ears
I was so torn on what to give this album, until I asked myself “what’s holding this album back from being a 5/5?” and I couldn’t come up with anything. So ladies and gentlemen we got my third ever 5/5 here. It’s just so full of life, addresses very universal human emotion/struggle. I’m beginning to create a scale for boomer music: on one end is the “songs to ride your Harley to” and on the other end is “songs to do a line to” and this one is more on the latter side
More “music to do lines to.” A very solid 3 for me. I’m learning a lot about popular musicians pre or post famous bands they were in. Steve Winwood in this one John Barleycorn is an opp 🖕🗣️
Was this really so uniquely essential that it needed to be in the list? A bit of a nothing burger tbh
This is the quintessential sound of any GTA game based in the west coast. Highlight for me is the clean sampling in the production, the beats were clearly made to blow out the low-end of boomboxes and car radios. This sound is totally made for cruising in a convertible
What a fun way to say “im not like the other girls” Pop songwriting perfection and all-out performance
Solid. A little better than the first wailers album we pulled. This is like the 4th duplicate artist in 60ish days of this list
Loving the amount of “YEOOW” they’re dropping on these songs. Never has a band been more synergized the EW&F and this album is proof
I enjoyed this more than most rock from its time. They seemed to be on the cutting edge of punk. Probably had a lot of people up in arms back then
Ten minutes in and I was already amazed by his ability to weave in and out of melodic ideas and different motifs. The audible woo’s and noises he makes confirms that he is but a vehicle for these beautiful motifs to manifest on the keys. I needed a new type of calming background music and this is it
Listening to U2 confused me a lot as a kid because some of their music is so sonically timeless. Like, this is from 1987, but With Or Without you sounds exactly like a mid 2000’s moody radio hit. No aged synth leads, no annoying programmed electronic percussion. All that being said, this album is just fine. Revolutionary and timeless for something from the 80’s, but nothing more than solid
This was kind of a fun vibe! When I hear the term krautrock, I don’t really have much of a frame of reference so I assume it’s just very on the nose guitar based stuff. But this was much more nuanced and chill. Great background music that enhances whatever you’re doing at the time
This is what the list is best for - I would’ve never listened to this otherwise. Opening song was crazy
Very good music to start your work day to at 5am. Bill Withers type beat
Not quite the right rock opus that Machine Head is, but still solid. A little more sprawling and all over the place. I can see how these guys inspired a lot of early metal. I have gained knowledge and respect for them beyond the Guitar Hero 3 smoke on the water band
Second greatest vocal harmonics in rock behind the eagles. Forgot our house is on here. More dynamic songwriting than I remember. Last album: Deep Purple. If you hang out around Emma’s dad enough you’ll hear Deep Purple. Today’s album: CSN&Y. If you hang out around my dad enough you’ll hear CSN&Y.
Was going through this album thinking of how badly it needed a remaster. I couldn’t hear shit and it was just meh. At least in the context of Lou Reed’s full career. Then “Sister Ray” came on at the end. She was too busy doing HUH to WHAT????
Incubus, Soundgarden for pop punk heads. This aged a little better than I expected! Drive was a good shot of nostalgia
I have a soft spot for a lot of these sounds. People like Aphex Twin would take this and iterate on it. So I see this album as important, but not necessary amazing. Probably very cool if you were into this when it came out tho
Damn what a cohesive vocal unit. A nice newer iteration of the temptations that isn’t just “oooohh ahhh I like this girl.” Also the deep bassy baritone guy popping in every once in a while cracked me up. Sounded like a cartoon charecter
TWO CSN ALBUMS WITHIN A WEEK? 🤔🤔🤔🤔 this time without Young, and these guys sound more cohesive without him tbh. Neil Young’s incredible but his voice was its own thing that stuck out a bit in the other record. That being said, these honkeys were COOKING with a few songs on here - Helplessly Hoping (S+ tier song), Teach Your Children, Judy Blue Eyes. If I could sum up this album, I’d say it’s like Simon & Garfunkel for people who grew up near the appalachians. Graham Nash isn’t even American too, that’s insane
Picture a scuzzy cartoon alligator in a rocking chair on the porch of a house in the swamp. Bottle of bourbon in hand, belting out these songs while his tattered fedora falls over his eyes. The first song had me a little unsure of how this would go, some interesting lyrics, and his singing voice made me wonder if I was supposed to take him seriously or not. But Tom manages to execute both sides of an interesting coin here: Half the songs are gritty, southeastern honkeytonk blues with some sort of loose storyline. Then the other half are somehow the most beautiful piano-and-string love ballads I’ve maybe ever heard, where genuine sincerity shines through his weathered voice. I can’t believe I’m giving this album a five outta five but I have to. Masterful songwriting. Insane vocal commitment. Clear sonic theme. Rob Dougans “Drinking Song” is a clear homage to this style of ballad too, and I highly recommend the album it’s on, “Furious Angels”
Ok there’s no way this thing is random. I give Tom Waits a 5 yesterday on my first time listening to him then I pull this?????? No way. This wasn’t as memorable as Heartattack and Vine. I likened him to a scuzzy cartoon alligator on that last album. He sounds more like a slimy river eel on this one. A little more devilish and doomer-pilled, dropping the sense of sincerity from Heartattack in favor of more lofi experimentation
Very safe solo debut. Just some mostly stripped back songs with basic but interesting stories, until Maybe Im Amazed comes on and blows everything else out of the water
It seems like he kinda has creative control as one of the figureheads of this bluesy sound
She’s had an interesting musical arc and I’ve liked Dirty Computer since it came out about 5 years ago. Much like her other stuff, this is a very nice easy listen that falls just short of absolutely great. Solid and unique but not wildly amazing. This is one of many musical works to be largely inspired by the movie metropolis from like 100 years ago. Another musical trilogy that shares the name and inspiration is the metropolis EP series by the M Machine. A must listen
Man. A whole can of worms with Oasis. It helps being a gen z American, to view this band outside of the social context they existed with in the UK in the 90’s. So there is some positives to this album and oasis in general. I think this was probably the baby boomers last time they ‘got’ the sound of pop radio music. Because this album definitely has some Beatles, classic rocknroll structure to it. And the songwriting at its core is really solid - it’s fleshed out pop and rock. But maaaaan. Did this really push pop music forward in any significant way? Does oasis even function as a gateway to anything else besides a look back at the rock that influenced them? Is that important? The sonic choices are so plain and polished to the extent that it washes away a lot of the impressive songwriting aspects about it. It makes you appreciate the Billie Eilish’s or Lady Gaga’s of the world that pushed their way into pop radio with great songwriting AND unique, forward thinking artistic/musical aesthetics (at least for pop standards). Really torn on oasis, always. Hard to separate how huge they were from a social standpoint, with how down the middle their music was
This shit slapped front to back. This is tight, colorful, memorable pop + r&b. Stellar. The ultimate compliment i can give an album is the honor of going to its Wikipedia page to see who has production credits on it. They produced the hell out of this album. It’s obviously a Y2K pop album (rimshot snare, the use of a triangle/bell shake, synthetic strings everywhere). But the lead on Perfect Man? That intro to Independant Woman II? Cmoooon this is masterful.
Look at their past members list on wikipedia. Maybe slightly better than most surf/psych rock if it’s time. It nothing crazy
Was ho-humming this album as another quirky alt British rock joint but then Caught By The Fuzz played and I remembered the Oasis album from a few days ago, which was made around the same time. I would’ve killed for Oasis to make anything this explosive and raw. This album seems like a precursor to the blog rock and tumblr rock sound that lasted for a good 20 years after. Solid stuff I may give this a relisten
We’ve said goodbye to the beatles of old, say hello to the influence of fame and drugs kids! Paul is starting to test out all sorts of genres, John is starting to get a little pretentious, George is finding his sense of self in India, Ringo is letting the psychedelics manifest in yet another whimsical song about being underwater. After having not listened for a while, I notice how Eleanor Rigby and Got to Get You Into My Life are a precursor to some of Paul’s most ambitious Wings stuff, namely Band on the Run. But honestly this album has a lot of snoozers at least by late Beatles standards. Also is Tomorrow Never Knows the first DnB/breaks song ever??? :eyes:
I knew we were in for a long one when they busted out the keys and started noodling on the first song. And much like this album, I have nothing else to say
So good. A beautiful blend of country, lounge, ballads, & singer-songwriter stuff. She’s so good at expressing love & longing. Engaging and personal, lots of textured instrumentals, unique compositions. One minute it sounds like I’m in the hills of rural Italy, the next it sounds like I’m in the dustbowls of Nebraska, the next it sounds like a pacific island beach. Close to a 5, will get many relistens outta me. Enough listens over time could turn this into a real 5, actually. Highlights are: Miss Chatelaine, Wash Me Clean, and DEFINITELY Season of Hollow Soul
Ok so I was like “who tf is this guy I should know him” and it turns out yeah I do but not for this project. He has some really good stuff later on as the Thin White Duke (Four To The Floor Remix) and then as Jacques Lu Cont (remixed tons of pop songs). And he produced Madonna’s best album imo. So this guy has chops, no doubt about it. BUT, I consider myself someone who has his ear to the ground for all things dance music from the mid-90’s onward, and I cannot in good faith figure out why this record is on here, and Daft Punks Discovery is not (and a whole list of other edm records tbh). Discovery is one of the most influential, perfect dance records, and this one from just a few years earlier…is kinda not even noteable? This album has not held its own in the past two decades, nobody talks about this album. In fact, this album is a spineless nothing-burger in the context of this list and in the context of its respective genre. This album can’t make up its mind if it wants to be something for your headphones or something for the dance floor. It uses a lot of dated sounds even for its time of release. The grooves and loops are sometimes grading on the ears. What are we doing here? This album feels like such a disconnected music nerd’s token pick of what they think good electronic music maybe could sound like. Do yourself a favor - instead of listening to this album, listen to Chicane’s “Far From The Maddening Crowds”. It came out at a similar time and actually commits to its melodies and ideas. It scratches the same itch that this album SHOULD be scratching. It is actually danceable AND more sonically layered. I’m so mad this took up a spot on the list.
Great 100th album to have for this list. Shout out to Emma, this is one of her favorite Gorillaz records and we’ve gone back and forth on this vs. Plastic Beach for a while. I think the best thing about this album is how it sets a good listening atmosphere. Some of the lyrics aren’t immediately intelligible, there’s a lot of lofi sounds, classic drumloop samples (like to a DJ Shadow extent), and there’s a bit of a punk/postpunk influence (literally the song Punk on here). This isn’t nearly as clean or tight as almost every mainline Gorillaz album after it, but that doesn’t detract from it! It’s a good easy listen with some HITS sprinkled in
This is a sprawling masterpiece that’s surprisingly mostly about genuine affection. There’s a ton of clear-eyed love ballads and entertaining skits especially on the Love Below. The DNA for Kendrick’s to Pimp a Butterfly can be found all over this record. Much like Kendrick, Andre3000 has more unique thoughts on this album than I feel like Ive had in my whole life. And this is SO ahead of its time. The intro alone could have been released today, it’s so modern. Most of the first album is this way! Lastly, while I know this is a double album made by two different people with two different visions, I think it flows together very well. Nearly a 5
For what this is, it’s solid. There’s another ‘fear of the bomb’ 80’s song in here and it made me notice an interesting split in music and how it represents different perspectives on life. I don’t think too many black artists were making songs about fearing the bomb during the Cold War, and instead were making songs about the struggles of day to day life. Interesting to see how that split has evolved over the years
OOOooooh baby OOOH! On a hot streak right now of like four albums in a row from the mid-80’s or later. A lot of people with my listening habits give this one an instant 5 and point out the similarities to Daft Punk’s Discovery (which again, is better than this album and not on this list somehow). I think this album’s shining moments are the dreamy, blissful waves of samples that come together to create a sound collage. Extra points to this record for creating one of my favorite feelings you can get from music: sample-based ecstasy. Very much worth listening to their most recent album, We Will Always Love You. It tightens up the song structure, and has a handful of INCREDIBLE additive guest features on it. & specifically an 11/10 song built entirely around a Carpenters sample. This record is a little shy of a 5 for me, with the only detractor being sometimes it gets a little too lost in a fugue state with the sampling starting to all blend together a little toooo much. Everything else though? Beautiful.
A whole week+ with no albums from before 1980 let’s go. This was alright. If you’re into ska I could see this going crazy. Some nice moments, some that blended all together. Another song about fearing the bomb in 1980’s, just a few days after another 80’s album with a fear of the bomb song on it
Yeah it’s Bad alright. Ok so it’s Off The Wall > Thriller > this album. And I think each album has more hype and cultural buzz around it, while each album also has less substance in it (yes Off The Wall has more substance than Thriller). To further go on about comparisons, Purple Rain just kinda does everything on here but better? As far as this album goes on its own…I wish for so much more edge. So much more soul. It seems like Michael is being pulled between the desire to be his own unique voice and the need for this album to have a universal commercial appeal. Smooth Criminal is a beautiful Thriller holdover that CLEARS everything else on this album. What a fun song. I don’t get much enjoyment out of the rest of this album
Was this the first instance of money being referred to as long?
Soft 3 for me. Some albums are greater than the sum of their parts. This album is the opposite. The bangers BANG, everything else gets a bit annoying in the ears. It’s funny how Mr. Brightside isn’t even the best song in this album, it’s All These Things That I’ve Done. Still a karaoke banger though. I wonder how future generations will take to The Killers. Hopefully well. Now the REAL actually good Killers album is Pressure Machine. Earnest portraits of the struggles of inland America without being preachy or ideological
Love a good indietronic throwback. As with most records in the genre, this is very good at being whistful. Slows down a little too much for me towards the end of the album. Heads Will Roll is a classic, Atrack is a genius for what he did in the remix too. Probably won’t go back to this album as much as Fever To Tell from a few months ago
Can’t find the quote but I’m pretty sure one time George Carlin said something along the lines of “if you work in advertising, kill yourself.” and that basically sums up the ethos of this album!
I was BOOOOOOOORN by the river!
The crazy tonal shift from Stupid Girl (spiteful, misogynistic) to Lady Jane (respectful, regal) is crazy. Why tf would I listen to the UK version that doesn’t have Paint It Black on there??? Whack suggestion. Most everything else here stays within the lines of the stones stuff for this time - a little honkytonk, a little bluesy stuff, rock, slight instrumental experimentation. Solid
Does “Tragedy” have the same drum loop as “Clint Eastwood” ???? I respect this album a lot, I think Brandy Carlisle owes a ton to this album in particular. Best compliment I can give this albums authenticity is that my grandmother born and raised in West by god Virginia wouldve enjoyed this
First off, this album cover goes so insanely hard. This record really confused me. Some songs on here are the most drab 90’s britpop. At other times though, they’re pushing very interesting experiments. Songs that sound like a leftover Spiritualized cut. Very washed out melodic passages, like the end of Butterfly McQueen, which sound like an early Hum song. So while there are some highlights on here, I have a hard time grasping and what this albums concept or vision is.
Opening track is among the all time greatest openers. Smooth, fluid ideas that flow from one song to the next. Who knew more classical instruments could be so emotive?
Hindsight has made this album the slightly more acceptable version of insane clown posse. My absolute favorite part about D12 era eminem is easily the courage the cowardly dog type of sounds in the instrumentals. A whirling theramin, the circus-style bouncy keys. It’s like a dumb carnival/haunted mansion. I don’t have anything to add to the shitty lyrics discourse that hasn’t already been said. I will have to say that once you hear a few songs on here you kinda hear them all. I wonder if people see earlier Eminem like I do too, as a tandem project with Dr. Dre just as important to the whole project. Not taking anything away from mr. Venommmm himself, but Dre was in the right to put himself in the picture as much as he did.
We all knew this was a 5 outta 5. There’s so much that’s been said on so many levels about this album, so I’d just like to say that what I appreciate most about Kendrick, on this album and in general, is that he gives his ALL in these performances. No one can ever question Kendrick’s dedication to his craft, his consideration in his lyricism, or his effort in his performances. I’m glad I’m around at the same time Kendrick is around, I’m glad he makes it cool to push oneself in dedication to one’s craft. This album is a crowning achievement and a brilliant ode to specifically the black experience and the human experience in general.
This is Brian Eno-core 110%. I appreciated much of this album in all of its whimsy. Highlights was Blues In Bob Minor, which is a better (and more cogent) Bob Dylan song than half the Bob Dylan songs.
There’s something so intoxicating about an early Kanye beat. He had it figured out. Had such a good persona and a good ability to communicate like he was talking to you while rapping. What happened man
If the black keys knew how to hold a groove and let it simmer
Charming, slightly kitschy. Meg Whites drumming is killer, it embodies the spirit of the project as a whole. Interesting if you’re into post 2000’s rock, but doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel. “I Think I Smell a Rat” sounds strangely like an MCR demo
Jump Into The Fire was on the Shaun White Snowboarding soundtrack and maybe it was just the context of the game but I always thought it was like a 2000’s rock/funk/alt jam. Even though this album didn’t totally click for me on first listen, I recognize good songwriting when I hear it
Such a fascinating album to me. Cash’s cover of Hurt is a perfect statement on age. There are few songs from the perspective of a man his age, even fewer that are bound with such complicated emotions as he looks back on a life lived to the fullest. While I consider the Eagles original version of Desperado to be one of the greatest songs of all time, I’m glad Cash put his elderly spin on it here too. Don Henly comes in to harmonize the post-chorus and it could bring a tear to the eye. He knew how to pick ‘em for this record, because he picks a third song I’d consider to be one of the greatest written pieces of music of all time - with Danny Boy. Think we are done with good covers of the greatest songs of all time? WRONG! How about Bridge Over Troubled Water too! I’d seriously consider all four songs talks about above to be put on a record to introduce aliens to music, if we ever encounter them (although most of them as originals). That being said, I’ve always felt like Personal Jesus is overhyped and this cover doesn’t redeem it any more
These guys go crazy what a fun listen front to back. A lot of punk for me suffers from the same repetitive structure and sound but these guys have tons of unique passages in each song. A swing drum line, actual rock guitar solos. Wonderful!
The punk aesthetics were alienating to me as a child but listening to this again you realize this is just charged up pop music slammed into very efficient punk aesthetics and it works so well
Solid rock opera. I think the only thing supertramp sometimes suffers from is star power. everything about the music is there, there just isnt a sense of personality in here all the time maybe? hard to grasp. Either way, super impressive arrangements
ELO’s greatest hits is up there with any rock band’s. Seriously, go listen to it. However, with this album, once you’ve heard a few songs you’ve kinda heard em all
Hard for me to grasp that this was someone’s G Jones. I appreciate it for what it was at its time, but I’m so far removed from music like this now
I should be giving this a 2 stars just on the principle of this list containing over three Pink Floyd albums. Putting that aside. Today we get to learn about artistic foreshadowing! Syd Barrett sings about whimsical gnomes and leads the band into wild vocal/instrumental passages, surely foreshadowing is imminent mental spiral! Fun!
This is my first 1/5 stars (a little over 100 albums in). There is nothing redeemable or functionable about this record. I tried SO hard to justify a 2/5. But I can’t. The instruments are often atonal, the composition is so forgettable, the recordings/mixing is ?????. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/260817778/Guy-taking-off-headphones
Tough week for me, this ends a full week of albums from 1969-1980. Most metal is a bit hard for me to really dig into, since modern dubstep festival kinda fills a similar role for me. But I super respect this regardless. A little samey all the way through but that’s expected. Super tight arrangements. A neat feature for me was all the drum fills peppered in throughout the album
Life could be dream type beat. Actually really entertaining, it’s clear that this guy was an entertainer as much as he was a musician. Most joyful listen I’ve had in a bit
This album is such a 2014 time capsule. It’s features, the themes of self-love and new-wave feminism. The trappy production choices. I think it’s aged pretty well though, the composition and writing stands on its own especially in the most memorable songs to have come from this album. A 1.5 hour album is such a slap in the face to the listener, she just did it again with the Cowboy Carter record. I am one of the few people that has the time and attention to listen to albums at that length, most people don’t! Streaming has ruined the succinct album experience. Very solid 3 for me almost a 4.
Strange and extravagant. Went to the grimes school of music. Sometimes gets a bit lost in the crazy atmosphere of the album. I’m glad she’s since done more pop-focused projects, she’s got the chops for it! I think she deserves more mainstream recognition for the space she’s carved out for herself in contemporary music.
This set a nice ambiance for me to get ruthlessly ledge-camped by a marth named “TheNik” on slipping during my paid day off. TheNik, no amount of bluesy lamenting on this album can replicate the misery of your play style.
Do we really need to prove that Van Morrison sounds good in a live setting on the 1001 albums you should listen to before you die list? No problem with the album in a vacuum, he’s super talented. More a problem with the album in the context of this list
Oh baby this has long been in many peoples top albums of all time list. On that note Sloop John B -> God Only Knows is incredible, two generational songs back to back. I think God Only Knows is a top 5 song of all time. This album has such a specific sound and formula, not only unique for it’s time but unique for almost anytime.
Peggy NOOOOO 😳 I dunno, I see the appeal to this, and if I actively listened enough times I could find the enjoyment in it. But I don’t think I should have to do that much legwork to meet this album where it is, especially when there are more albums of it’s time that execute its sound better. Respect, but not enjoyment
Saw a tweet one time that was just this picture, captioned “these honkeys were COOKING” and it’s so true. ‘Shout’ is just one of those few 80’s gems that will never be replicated. It’s got AURA. It’s got ATTITUDE. This can be said for the entire album actually. Tight, direct song structure that knows when to slip in and out of instrumental atmospheres. A massive generational pop hit. One iconic vocal melody after another. A mystical album ender. Socially conscious messaging. This album has it all and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. Perfect! It’s incredible that we got this less than a year after Purple Rain. It’s worth noting that they’ve done the impossible recently - they made a song that’s unique and new sounding, unlike every other legacy band from the 80’s or earlier pumping out nothing-burgers to cash in on yet another world tour. Check out ‘No Small Thing’ it’s worth a listen
Quick, someone who was alive back then tell me how bad and persistant the comparisons to Prince were. This is solid, I think it’s survived it’s time and aged maybe better than most mainstream rock albums of it’s time. A hard-working 3 from me.
Cause ALLLLLLL I neeeeeed, is a beauty and a beeeaaaaaat This album is sweet, tight, punchy, and fun. I can see this having inspired all sorts of projects and genres that came after it, everything from Sleater-Kinney to No Doubt.
Not much to say here fun listen
Really makes you feel like you’re in a snooty jazz bar
It’s a damn shame these two hate each other now. Because together they were such a force of songwriting and harmony. This album displays some of their most creative and whimsical ideas alongside some of their most sincere lyrics and instrumentals. And this isn’t even their best album. Incredible! Maybe it’s just the constant harmonization but there’s something so natural about a good Simon & Garfunkel song
This album was the ultimate “falling into your dad’s music taste check” and it checked me HARD. I used to think Valarie as a song as so mild when I’d listen to it compared to the sampled version from Eric Prydz/Thomas Bangalter. Then I listen to this album and maaaaan Steve’s in the POCKET on these songs. Not overdoing it, just groovin
There are way too many live albums on here that aren’t Alive 2007 by Daft Punk. There are too many live albums on this list in general. Is it good? Yes. Very good. Incredible noodling and drum soloing throughout. Is it necessary to the list? ………..
While impressive for it’s time, is this album really that unique when you strip it of it’s psychedelic presentation? Clapton doesn’t even carry it
Radical for its time, but a time we are so far removed from that it doesn’t shake any modern musical conventions
Elite r&b. The Wurlitzer-rhodsy chords just glide through this whole album creating a masterclass in atmosphere. Perfect amount of crooning. Punchy yet subtle basslines. Wonderful
Fun musical ideas turned into whole journeys. Well ahead of its time and aside from everything else that was coming out around then, with the exception of maybe Brian Eno. Great way to start my morning with this album