Journey in Progress
Discovering music one album at a time
215
Albums Rated
3
Avg Rating
31
5-Star Albums
20%
Complete
874 albums remaining
Rating Speed
2.5
Per Week
612
Days Active
Reviews
213
Written
99%
Review Rate
vs Global
-0.37
Avg Diff
3
Avg Rating
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How you rate albums
Rating Timeline
Average rating over time
Ratings by Decade
Which era do you prefer?
Activity by Day
When do you listen?
Taste Profile
1960s
Favorite Decade
Singer-songwriter
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Harsh
Rater Style
21
1-Star Albums
Taste Analysis
Genre Preferences
Ratings by genre
Origin Preferences
Ratings by country
Rating Style
You Love More Than Most
Albums you rated higher than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Classics Vol. One | 5 | 2.82 | +2.18 |
| Rattlesnakes | 5 | 2.9 | +2.1 |
| Ingenue | 5 | 2.94 | +2.06 |
| Duck Stab/Buster & Glen | 4 | 2.03 | +1.97 |
| Elephant Mountain | 5 | 3.07 | +1.93 |
| Oxygène | 5 | 3.08 | +1.92 |
| Talking Timbuktu | 5 | 3.13 | +1.87 |
| Chicago Transit Authority | 5 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| The Seldom Seen Kid | 5 | 3.26 | +1.74 |
| You Want It Darker | 5 | 3.34 | +1.66 |
You Love Less Than Most
Albums you rated lower than global average
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appetite For Destruction | 1 | 3.74 | -2.74 |
| Master Of Puppets | 1 | 3.73 | -2.73 |
| Illmatic | 1 | 3.61 | -2.61 |
| Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1 | 3.5 | -2.5 |
| Illinois | 1 | 3.49 | -2.49 |
| Fear Of Music | 1 | 3.47 | -2.47 |
| The ArchAndroid | 1 | 3.46 | -2.46 |
| ...And Justice For All | 1 | 3.43 | -2.43 |
| Nevermind | 2 | 4.37 | -2.37 |
| Deep Purple In Rock | 1 | 3.33 | -2.33 |
Artist Analysis
Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and high weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles Davis | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Bruce Springsteen | 2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Beatles | 3 | 4.33 | 3.67 |
Least Favorite Artists
Artists with 2+ albums and low weighted score
| Artist | Albums | Avg | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metallica | 4 | 1.5 | 2.14 |
| Deep Purple | 3 | 2 | 2.5 |
5-Star Albums (31)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
Well, that was a discovery. I know EWF but I've never actually listened to them other than what the Radio offers during a hits retrospective. A couple of tracks here I liked, one on different album thatI adore. I was unaware about their funk/soul & Baptist style and how disco era overlapped. I think it's a good album, not huge enjoyment for me though - just interest. An occasional track is a stonker, but this album, for all it being often ranked the best of EWF, it just doesn't connect with me. I'm unlikely to listen to again. I liked the last track the most. I've been unsure if it's a 2 or a 3 for me. I'm not comfortable with it being a low 3 so let's say high 2 stars.
4 likes
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Well, I tried. Several times. It's just not connecting. He is just not connecting. Lyrics appear and then slide off. I like the bass riffs and the arrangements but it's not feeling like my music. The vocals, sliding and tremulous, high and delicate with strength and substance, but still, not for me. Thanks. 2 stars.
2 likes
Elton John
4/5
First listen - ok, some classics there, plonky piano n classic Elton vocals, and what's all the rest of the music, it just blurs.
Second listen - hang on, there's something there, that 'Jamaican Rub' track is kind of interesting. So different to the rest. Actually, its all kinda different. Hmm. *scratches*
Third listen - what a diverse performance, so many styles done so well, it's a honker of a long album too. I keep getting distracted. So joyous and interesting ...
1 likes
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Really nice. I found this unexpectedly satisfying to lightly listen to. I could definitely spend more time listening to it. I found online reviews of it surprisingly full of praise, and on reading them, I can understand the depts to explore in this, initially superficially joyous, but subsequently quite intimate and explorative. As a friend says, I want to listen again with my ears on. 3 stars, maybe 4, let's go three for now.
1 likes
1-Star Albums (21)
All Ratings
The Stone Roses
4/5
I've a lot of satisfaction from this album. The sound is distinctive, vocals atmospheric and it's been an album, or a couple of singles, that I have returned to several times in my life. Good to re-discover.
Blondie
3/5
One or two classic tracks, wonderful recognisable voice, but somehow lacking in a wish to replay other than the two tracks I recognise from frequent play.
AC/DC
5/5
Absolutely great album of strong solid rock music with lyrics and pulsating energy. Easy to listen to, easy to move to. Just great. Reputation is sullied by being a stereotype of itself, but putting that societal story aside, as music in and of itself, its excellent, high repeat value, hard to get tired of, and I can see it being part of my regular go-to albums going forward.
3/5
Enjoyed, one track was superb, the sounds and style I love, the rest were really quite enjoyable. I'd remove one or two tracks that didn't agree, but entirely satisfied with this new discovery ...
LCD Soundsystem
2/5
It was nice, but not much for me to return to. I read others reviews and it is a lovely slice of other people's time-place anthems and I think its great for that, but as an album for me to listen to, its not a package that takes me anywhere special or brings me to a musical place I particularly enjoy. One track I have fav'ed.
ZZ Top
5/5
Regretfully this is 5 stars for me. Regretfully because it brings back memories of being confused about dating and desire, confused about how loud to play music in one's home, how to drive a car and stay within the speed limit - I copped so many speeding fines with this album. Regretfully I still enjoy it and regretfully, I cannot play it in my car still because it generates speeding fines. It's a bad album, it's so good.
Massive Attack
4/5
Exceptionally enjoyable. Happy to listen to this, two tracks in my top 100 easily, others are very happily listened to and rediscovered.
Suede
2/5
Not my thing, not opposed to it, just not that interested.
4/5
Familar and comfortable, the vocals get a bit annoying and there is a twang to the music that brings me out of my slightly distracted trip down memory lane, but for all that. it's a nice piece of music that I would listen to in a car at 8pm at night or expect to hear getting into a restaurant that is getting into its groove. Its also good around the garden. I enjoyed weeding to this. So, I think 4 stars.
MC Solaar
2/5
It had something but it didn't engage with me fully. Didn't finish listening.
Metallica
1/5
Did not finish.
Kinda interesting but not my thing.
David Bowie
3/5
Surprised me. I had it on secret repeat (as in I didn't know it was repeating) and I managed to enjoy about three turns of the album before realising it had been on too much of a repeat. The vocals are curious, very David Bowie but also rather jazz. I think an excellent piece of overall work and I would happily listen to it again. Is it three stars? Four? High three, but not quite four, it could get there with more listening. Lets go three. Something about the vocals being spacious and atmospheric, and the music being a touch discordant (which could be the jazz notes through it) ... unsure.
The Residents
4/5
Pretty amazing, it's not at all my usual type of listening, but i really enjoyed the novelty and difference of how music was presented by it. I think its damn good, and I would happily listen to it again.
Eurythmics
3/5
Some absolutely magic memories and pieces are here on this album. About four tracks that really sing strongly with me. I don't hold the rest of the album that strongly, the extended remix album is pretty good, but as a whole body of work, its not something I listen to with gusty. I will go high 3 stars, which puts it at 3. Tracks yes, whole album, not really.
Waylon Jennings
2/5
Pretty amazing, it's not at all my usual type of listening, but i really enjoyed the novelty and difference of how music was presented by it. I think its damn good, and I would happily listen to it again.
Deep Purple
1/5
It may be a time and a place album, its not my time, i don't like that place, and a whole album of it ... nope, not for me. Did not finish. 1 Star
Metallica
2/5
It was enjoyable and I would return to it. Not in a rush. 2 stars.
Eminem
3/5
I enjoyed. It's been a while, quite a while, but I could listen again. It tells a story, and for it to get into my ears so I could understand it and respond to it, it's rare an album does that. Really good. Not high repeat, occasional only, but good. Um, not 5 stars, I'd like to give high 3 but not quite 4. Let's go 3.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
1/5
Nice. Like afternoons at the pool in the 60's nice. I can't imagine wanting to listen to this again, but I would encounter it and think - yes, this is where my music came from, and I appreciate it for that, but its not my music. That bright enthusiastic stiffness of rock is a great energy, for then, but it's not the energy that works for me now. Historically, its valuable but contemporarily, it's an artifact to my current listening environment. 1 star, because it's worth reviewing. But not two because I will not seek to listen to it again.
The Jesus And Mary Chain
2/5
I have been listening to this several times and found it enjoyable. Not remarkable. Not an album that I felt compelled by or delighted by but satisfied. It sounds like my type of music, but I cannot quite get into the lyrics and patterns behind the tracks. So, I think its a two-star rating for me. Not quite 3. It may be something I get into, but I am not compelled to just yet.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Never really llistend to JC before, and now I seem to find him inside my mind, singing his songs in his resonant voice often. A magnificent discovery. Is it 4 stars or a very high 4, or 5? I think I will go with 5 stars as I seemingly could go back to listening to him on repeat over many of my earlier similar male vocal rock singers.
R.E.M.
2/5
I know I enjoyed it, I remember listening, but I dont remember engaging. Its interesting but uncompelling background noise. Disappointed in my reaction to a group so many others like. I Guess they are not really for me. 2 stars.
The Doors
5/5
Atmospheric afternoon listening, scent of dust and old hair oil with men still preferring to talk about cars, carpentry and concrete than anything else. A time that has passed. I'd not heard of these pieces. Its not the Doors that I was given to discover. It's a good album. Message is nothing particularly resonant that I could tell but its good capture of a time and place and people. 3 stars meaning I'd listen again but not necessarily seek it out. (ADDENDUM - I've been seeking it out ... how awesome is that!)
Soundgarden
3/5
The mood I took from it was fierce focus and attention - the music is full of energy and emotion, with vocals that are dynamic and do not become bland. Quite full textured grunge-rock.
I recall the name; I don't recall actually listening to it before.
I feel I need to re-listen a couple more times and when I do so, I know I will find more depth and interest of the music of that time and that place. So, three stars for potential and first experience.
The Notorious B.I.G.
4/5
I can see why it is a solid entry for the top albums of all time. Its so easy to listen to and pick apart all the elements of the work, it has stages and chapters, flow and content. Its listenable. Its also rap, not really my thing. I could easily, however, go and listen to it more. I think I will give it a go later on. (later on - I have listened to it again, it is listenable) Going an unusual 4 stars here. I think its got something. It surprises me that I found it so good.
Metallica
2/5
Some memorable tracks from my music listening past. Some 'oh god, its the same noise over and over and over again' with no idea about the lyrics. a bit Meh. Not shocking but meh. 2 stars
Sufjan Stevens
1/5
Not my thing. Tried a few times. Just not my thing. As someone else said, if yoghurt made an album, this would be it.
Pink Floyd
5/5
I found this album, when exposed to it while at Uni, to be so engaging. I was deep into it then. And on rediscovering it again, I am deep into it now. It feels timeless. Beautiful atmospheric and gritty in a sad depressingly artistic way. Easily able to listen to again and again. Clearly 5 stars.
Johnny Cash
4/5
Yeah, damn good. Damn nice. Happy to listen to this. Lyrics are clear. Music is solid. Issues are engaging. I like it. Is it 5 stars, almost. Lets go 4. I'll listen again.
Blur
3/5
Man I enjoyed returning to this album. Easy re-listening. They are a bunch of obnoxious arrogant young fools, but I enjoyed listening to them. I may have been one for a while, and I was such a Pillock. Pleased to have moved on in experience and wisdom, but this brings back the memory of it all. 3 stars
Nine Inch Nails
2/5
I found this better than I expected. There were parts that were quite entrancing. Was it good? Unsure. Did I want to seek it out again? Kinda. I re-listened to it after realising I had finished the album without remembering it, and that happened a second time. So, its background music that I barely remember. I think I would prefer to remember it than to find it forgettable. So, what to do now, is that a 3 star or a 2 star? Let's try 2 stars for now.
Cypress Hill
1/5
Again, its not my thing. Did not finish.
The Stooges
1/5
Thanks for the opportunity. Been there, listened to that. I can see where folks would love to see the history of artists and how they came from space/place/time/occasion. This is one for them, not for me. 1 star.
Stevie Wonder
3/5
That was nice and full of excellent rhythm and melody. I enjoyed or took meaning from the lyrics. I think it's worth a re-listen or 5. So, put into my 'of future interest' list. 3 stars.
The Doors
3/5
It's a comfort food, the Doors. The sound, spangly vocals, sense of time and place that has now gone, a brittle brilliant USA that had hopeful opportunity in abundance. There is only a joy with this re-listening, familiar journeys of mine with the music of this album. It passed pleasingly and well. Not quite 4 stars, but almost.
The Beach Boys
4/5
Man that was pleasant, it just rolled along, some delightful moments of optimism and smiles of an amazing optimistic America full of delight and entertainment. Listened to it twice back-to-back so easily. Thanks for the discovery.
David Crosby
4/5
This album a beautiful peace of work. I have placed it into my regular listen list. I find it comforting and comfortable to listen to. Thank you for including this and letting me discover it. 4 stars.
Megadeth
1/5
It's just noise. Did not finish.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3/5
What a pleasant surprise. I smiled. A bit of a delightful album, cheeky, fun, joyous, accessible and approachable. Very happy with this. Easy three stars, not quite 4, as it's not yet got under my skin, but it very well may do so. Good recommendation. Pleased with this.
The Rolling Stones
2/5
I've not heard of this album before. I don't think I've heard the music either. I am not a great Rolling Stones fan. I've heard their music and its been something 'Rock-and-Roll' ish without much appetite in it. There were some tracks in this which were blues-ish which I found appealing. Mick's vocals are not my thing. There is a twang, or whine, which doesn't work for me. The rest, it just is noise. I want to give it 3 stars, but I know I won't seek this album out again. I'd be surprised if I heard any further tracks from it in my life. 2 stars, I don't hate it, I finished listening to it (twice even) but it's not for me.
Dr. Dre
3/5
Damn, that was suprisingly good. Approachable and entertaining. I got a lot out of it. Mostly swearing and the N word, but apart from that, oh, drugs, and aggression, but apart from that ....well, not much more.. Bitches..yeah, I got that as well..and that's it. That's all I got. 3 stars.
Kate Bush
2/5
Why doesn't this connect to me more. Breathless, sensitive, evocative, quirky and clever. I think it's got potential still, barely a three star. Just because it's Kate, because she is clever and because I am prepared to try to listen again. But not quite a three star because I wouldn't ask her out, or this album out, for my own modest personal reasons for how I enjoy music. Let's hope 2 stars can rise to three with more listening.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2/5
Yeah, listened to it three times, did not really connect. Vocals are just not connecting to me. Active listening probably required rather than passive. 2 generous stars.
Michael Jackson
2/5
Oh, the reviews for this are entertaining. I remember the album being awaited, then launched, then listened to, and it just sticking to the airwaves like a stain. It just dominated. For all its design brilliance, and clever music, it just felt a little forced, saying 'how clever am I' - he was clever, he did do brilliant things, but the charm of young Michael compared to this Michael, something is lost. I wish I had more to like about the album right now l, the legacy is not one I'm particularly thrilled by. Some bits are good. Some great, overall ... Unlikely to seek out and listen to again. I can't think why I'd like to listen to this, it's not got much of the joys that I find with my re-listened to albums. So, 2 stars. Sorry Michael, for all your genius and trauma, your tainted legacy, this isn't one I'm going to get excited by.
Beastie Boys
2/5
Friends moved this. Went to the concert repeatedly. Threw lyrics at me. I was bemused. It's rappy and white boy preppy and gang language and cultural riffs and all the stuff that did not see growing up in white Australia. I enjoyed a couple of the tracks while at the gym, I worked out a bit harder than usual, it was kinda nice and kinda naff.
I'll probably listen again now I know what the album experience is. individual tracks, they have weight and quality. I do feel a bit shouted at by strangers though. It's all a bit odd. 2 stars. No more, no less.
Primal Scream
4/5
What a joy. Awesome playful audio, sonorous vocals, clever mixes and a superb fun attitude. I'm walking t lo work and just so enjoying this music. It would be good for gym and headphones and listening reflective moments around the garden. Fabulous. A new favourite. Is it 5, it almost could be. Let's see if it's high rotate in 12 months. Solid solid 4.
Talking Heads
1/5
Didn't gell for me.
The Flaming Lips
3/5
Oh what a lot of fun this is. Quite darn enjoyable. I've saved it for future playing. It's high three stars as a discovery. Let's see if it gets a to 4 after more listening.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1/5
Bought it when younger. Played it seeking understanding and clarity, Failed to really connect with it then. Failed to really connect with it now. I hear it and can kind of enjoy it, but its an effort. I think the type of rock that it is is not my rock, and its not the type of music I actively seek out. Is it good music, not my music, not my good music. Thanks for the memories. I never noticed the CD getting swiped by someone who liked it more than me, good on them for taking it. I hope it gives you all the joys you deserve. For me, its none of them. Will not be seeking to listen to again.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
3/5
Very different. Nice clear vocals and background harmonies.veeybppeasant. it just seems warm relaxing Sunday afternoon music when relaxing. 3 stars because I have not yet had those afternoons, but I'd like to
Ali Farka Touré
5/5
Very enjoyable listening. I had a copy on my Tape collection decades ago, and always found it a delight infrequently found. I enjoyed. I'll continue to enjoy. Just 4 stars.
Van Morrison
2/5
It's a theme of Van Morrison, for me. I encounter, kinda sideways, and I think that there's something for me to explore. When I face him front on, I don't do as well as I would have thought. There is something there, there is interest, but I don't engage deeply or well. I feel compatible emotions, interesting catchy melodies, he is a male voice of some wisdom and hard won experience, but I don't connect. I don't quite know why. I should do more. I'll try again, but for now, like my experience of Kate Bush, I just leave at 2 stars wondering what it is that's not connecting for me.
Rufus Wainwright
2/5
I wasn't in the right mind to appreciate this album. I don't know if I ever will. Sumptuous sounds, lush vocals, interesting depth to hear a layered set of music but somehow, it didn't gell. On my Maybe Later list. So, not 1 star, but not three either.
The Allman Brothers Band
4/5
Suprisingly good..at first, naff, after the second and third listen, really satisfying. Almost but not quite 4 stars ... Oh hang it. 4.
Deep Purple
1/5
Oh god, I listened to this blindly in my Streaming player, and it was so not Deep Purple - it turns out that Deep Forest also released an album called 'Made in Japan' - the styles are quite different. I can't get into deep purple. I just can't. I tried. I listened. I parsed lyrics. I felt the vibe and the energy. Nope, I just can't. Bring back Deep Forest! Bye Bye Deep Purple. 1 star.
Peter Frampton
2/5
Cheery, exciting, full of energy. But it left me flat. Friends grew up with Frampton in their lounge room and have much of a soft spot for his work. I will listen to him again but on the whole, for reasons I don't quite understand, I'm not that enthused.
Carpenters
4/5
My gosh that was nice. So nice. If I were in the 1970's I would be filled with niceness after listening to that. Rasbery Jelly, vanilla ice cream, driving long distances in an open soft-top convertible listening to crackly AM radio, wondering at how a mechanical device like a space ship can fly let along orbit the world, holding rotary phones in my hand connected to the wall so I can call anyone with a number (as long as the switchboard is staffed) and being absolutely delighted at listening to harmonious voices being recorded like that on a utterly wizard record made of Vinal.
Today, its sweetness is a parody from shopping malls and tired radio repeats somewhere, but back then, its magic was undeniable.
I choose to give it 4 stars because of that past magic. One star removed because of the parody sweetness, and one star returned after the tragedy of Karen Carpenter. Thanks for this. I could very much listen to it (and be transported to a particular type of 1970's) again.
Ice Cube
3/5
I'm reasonably ok with this, it's a journey and an education as well as powerful rhythm, but it's not really my thing. I do wonder what my white self is meant to do with a clearly black American statement records from a time when race riots started to erupt. Do I look at Aboriginal issues with a similar eye? Do I look at my own behaviour? Do I just appreciate what I can from this or do I ... I don't know what do I?
A record that has you thinking is a good piece of work. Maybe this is what makes a good album? 3 stars.
Justice
3/5
This has ground on and on in my ears over the weekend. I've listened to it oh, I don't know, maybe 6 times. It's been pleasant. It's had energy. It's had interest. It's had 'oh god why' and it had sparks of recognition in me as some riff and rhythm reappears after a couple of other tracks and it's done in an interesting and fun way. In another universe, I was a keen disco dancer. Not this universe, another one where I was perfectly happy with Cuban heels, shapely cotton shirts and taught denim, all washed hard with sweat from hours being cheeky on the dance floor while attempting to find my own style and panash. Thats not the now me. I don't do that (I kind of wish I did) but that guy, he LOVES this album. Its bringing back dance echos of the 90's, spinning into fun energy from the90's, avoids the trance rubbish of the 00's and stays honest with disco themed feelings that track back to fun vocals of the 70's. I don't know if the vocals are actually fun in this one. They seem to just be artifacts of getting a type of sound out. One track has an urgency of getting to dance, that's a fairly good bit of music I could actually listen to and kind of understand (I'm not good at lyrics, I really struggle to parse them). How to rate this, its a good discovery, I'd listen to it again, was it spectacular? No, was it rubbish? No. Let's go 3 stars, with optimism.
Elvis Presley
4/5
Thanks. Listened to this before. I might have even owned it as a Cassette. Appreciated the history that this young man had before him was visible in this fun, tight, snappy piece of music. Is it an album to respect, yes. Is it an album to listen to again? It's context is important. A bit of research helped appreciate what a magnificent effort that first album of young, yet to be discovered Elvis was. I didn't appreciate how he moved through styles and genres, how it was the first real Rock and Roll album and how it was a young man with a guitar just giving it his all. Just for the love of music. No other real reason. Not money. Some fame. Just music. 4 stars. But, being honest, I'm not likely to listen to it again all that much.
Guns N' Roses
1/5
I've heard them before. Had rh album, listened to it. Couldn't connect. It's not my thing. I know others who love it. They are not my tribe. It's not my preferred album. I couldn't be bothered trying to unpack it. I did a couple of stanzas and I just thought, it's all so same ... So same ... 1 star.
Syd Barrett
3/5
The man suffered but he gave great fragments of capability and his own emotional musings. It' s not great music, it' s not great craft, but its great vulnerability and I enjoyed listening to the takes and variations that were recorded. It feels both like a teenager's first album and it feels like a tired echo of a master. I read up on this finding that it has many musicians I really adore putting this on their favourite album list. Probably because the process of creation and the clear psychedelia elements of a past master, with all flaws and attempted healings, are on display. With that in mind, knowing who Syd Barrett is, I would happily listen to it again, and enjoy the process. It's a great find. Thanks for letting me find something that could be magical, in all its flaws. 3 stars.
Lauryn Hill
2/5
I've listened twice and a half. There is depth here. Striking depth. My background is not black, female and American, but i still get themes here - themes that hold injustice and insufficient opportunity. The message is complex and really well delivered. Music elements are engaging, like really engaging..the classroom queries on what Love means, what it is, all that is really good spacing of the pieces, the pieces themselves, it's quite good. It still requires more concentration from me. It's among the more approachable pieces of rap and rhythm I've encountered. I do think it would be worthwhile pursuing more. More listening required. I don't quite know about the musical composition though, I heard the vocals strongly - they are powerful - possibly compelling with all the elements there. High 2 stars for me, but not three. Not yet anyway. It might rise to a 4.. but more time needs to pass before I can say that. It's the first time I've listened to her whole album, and for that, it's a good discovery. Takeaway - listen to the whole before making up your mind. Like, LISTEN.
Wu-Tang Clan
2/5
Here we go It's a hip hop. It's a rap. It's a gritty urban feel. It's a flood of somewhat tedious M****r F**king swearing. It's culturally black and I'm not *and* it's an iconic album that started a scene of this type of gritty music. The why is interesting. I read about it with far more interest than I had in the album itself. I found myself looking at old Hong Kong kung-fu movies from the 1980's - something I also found interesting. I just can't put myself into the space to listen to 'Enter the Wu-Tang' and glean some value. It's better, to me, than Metallica, but that isn't saying much. So, low low low two stars. Never going to go higher, but two because I *might* try listening again.
U2
5/5
I'm tossing up whether this is a 4 star, or a 5 star album. 5 stars should be the cream of my personal list of albums. 4 merely the excellent that I also enjoy. 5 should have enduring wonder and depths to unpack. 4 be a returnable joys but not necessarily one that requires work to unpack. It's consumable. Digestible. Done.
There is a lot to unpack in U2 War, the development of the artists, the development of their message at that time and place, how the album meant so much in so many ways, and how the album resonates with me, in the past, present and through to the future. I'm not a huge Bono fan, he doesn't offend, but he does not greatly inspire either. Maybe his status as a personality has overshown his status as a musician in my current view. Maybe he could, with more work from me.
I think U2 has huge historic impact on how my music appreciation developed, but I didn't focus on U2 for that. It was there, just not central. I find on re-listenings, it does have that depth and that interest, possibly that joy of a message well crafted and well delivered. It's anti-war message is still so intensely valid now. Everything has changed, and nothing has changed.
It is a good blend of music and intent, vocals and message. I can engage more with this than with many other artists and their seminal works.
I think I've convinced myself to give the album 5 stars. I will re-listen, I will dig more into this and I will continue to appreciate it craft of this album. Yes. Ok. I'm doing it.
Worthy 5 stars.
Jeff Beck
2/5
Kinda middling effort and not something that resonated with me. Nice is as far as I would go. 1 star is for obviously bad. Nice = 2 stars. Maybe (unlikely) to listen to again.
Fats Domino
2/5
Thanks Antoine (Fats) Domino., your legacy is strong and valuable. It's not my delight, but it is others, and I'm pleased you are remembered fondly. Joyous plunking R&B, but so short and brief. 2 stars.
Tom Waits
4/5
Those that love Tom Waits LOVE TOM WAITS. He is such a mess of a musician, nothing beautiful, graceful or elegant. It's all thumpy, gritty and anguished. I bloody well love it. I've two of these albums, and had a third but it got swiped. I listened to it late at night during dark long countryside drives. Magical. Mesmerising. Disturbing. Illuminating. It taught me something about being male. No idea what, but something. High 4 stars. About as high as you can get without being 5.
Earth, Wind & Fire
2/5
Well, that was a discovery. I know EWF but I've never actually listened to them other than what the Radio offers during a hits retrospective. A couple of tracks here I liked, one on different album thatI adore. I was unaware about their funk/soul & Baptist style and how disco era overlapped. I think it's a good album, not huge enjoyment for me though - just interest. An occasional track is a stonker, but this album, for all it being often ranked the best of EWF, it just doesn't connect with me. I'm unlikely to listen to again. I liked the last track the most. I've been unsure if it's a 2 or a 3 for me. I'm not comfortable with it being a low 3 so let's say high 2 stars.
Yes
1/5
Progressive Rock was, I though, my thing. Symphonic rock was, I thought, my thing. Syth was, I thought, my thing. Yes is all of these, and it leaves me uninspired. A couple of parts might be of interest, but on the whole, it's not that exciting for me. Lyrics are flamboyant, but the tone of the vocals, it just feels pitched to an uncomfortable space in my ear. The mildly interesting tracks here for me are the instrumental ones where artists are pushing their skills, and work wonderful melody's. I miss a sense of an overall work here is, of depth and feeling, of intricacy to be unwrapped. It's not here for me. Opaque and yes, fragile, but not fun. Let's try more Yes, but no yes to this Yes from me. 1 star.
David Gray
3/5
Kinda nice. Kinda bland. Kinda engaging. Sweet. Vulnerable. Listened a few times. Enjoyed the Wikipedia page. May listen again. Nice.
Coldcut
3/5
Quite a Suprise. Joyous and fun. Worth listening to more. Only could find it on YouTube music, and not on my preferred streaming services. If it comes across my desk again, I will listen again. It's fun.
Supergrass
5/5
Man this is a good find. Joyous, strong, pulsating. Ripping vocals. I don't have enough nice words. I'm sure others have. It's fun and I connect to it so well. It brings me back to my teenage tearaway years. Excellent! So happy to give this 5 stars. It's got all I want in an album. :)
MGMT
2/5
Ok, that's a nice bit of work. Some delight. Some indifference. Not quite 3 stars. Pleased to have encountered it. I may return when I have the urge.
Bon Jovi
2/5
Oh boy was this familiar. Strident glitzy music - music of a time. It was my time but during this album my time got mixed up with the trashier humans I spent time with. It seems the whole album was always on high radio rotation during my youth; the songs are so familiar. Optimistically, as familiar as sunshine, beaches, sunscreen and sunburn. Looking a bit closer, it's more like the familiar of sunburn, driving beat up old cars, sadness and hangovers, with a side notes of burnt asphalt, bad crushes and stale beer. It's definitely flavoured with frantic teenager energy being exerted from a weekend of social posing, followed by the tired Sunday, the money poured into the local bar/nightclub/pizza store, and the late Sunday moody feelings, wondering, how do I fit. Listen to Bon Jovi? I dunno - Iet's try music therapy. It's those memories I get from this album, but the music? It's ok. Just a bit better than ok, still, I'm unlikely to listen to it again. It was good to return to the memory of sunburn and stale beer though - I don't miss those years at all.
Grateful Dead
1/5
Nice. Enthusiastic. Not great. I can see where they joy of the Dead come from. It's not really my joy. As an album. its distinctly average. Can't give it more than 1 star.
The Electric Prunes
3/5
What a pleasant surprise. Keen to listen to these fine chaps some more. The bands name is bizarre, the music delighted me. Lyrics & sound is somewhat curious. Keen for more. I think 3 stars because I don't know much about them or their other work, but I'm going to explore more.
Taylor Swift
3/5
Different from what I expected. Better in some ways. I'm not a person who can connect tightly to the work here but I get why folks do. Taylor has lyrics that are a little bit like life therapy. Good therapy.
I'm never going to be a girl born in 1989 progressing through the America experience, with boyfriends and loves and lessons of life being full of ups and downs - but if I was, this would be a lovely balm to coping with the shit times, and a lovely anthem for celebrating the great times.
It's got music and style and complexity behind simplicity and it's done exceptionally well. It deserves its place on this list. It doesn't work for me because
a)I'm not that type of girl (alert: I'm a guy, over 50, greying and partnered - so thinking in that way has me feeling uncomfortable)
b) Tailors voice grates on me. Just the pitch. I'm embarrassed at that, but I don't like Barbera Streisand for the same reason.
c) some of the musical tricks she uses are repetitive, but that might just be her style, and I'm just unlucky at not being excited by them.
That's all the complaints or issues I have. They are minor and selfish, but this *is* my personal review.
3 stars.
Will listen to again, but not with intent or expectation. Just lightly.
Nas
1/5
Only listened a bit. Not my thing. Pass.
Peter Gabriel
2/5
Ok, I guess. One great song. Two interesting. Unlikely to listen to again. Don't know why this was in the list. It's my music, kinda, but it's not that great a find.
k.d. lang
2/5
Rather sweet. I like k.d. Lang very much. I loved discovering her later albums, had them on high rotation. This one, for all its polish/clarity and quality, is not my music. Sharing Shadowland with others, yes there is shared joy, it's so nice to hear others being delighted - but it's not for me. I so so so enjoyed later k.d. lang - it's still a special experience listening to her first confident work, her origin, even it's not my music. 2 stars.
Carole King
5/5
Clean, crisp, strong, sensual. Just delightful. I could listen to Carol King all day. Such a beautiful album, so many detailed and intricately styled yet simple songs. I don't have words to criticise it. None. Thanks for appearing on the list. A worthy member. Huge urge to listen to others of hers to see the tower of music and capability that is Carol King. So nice to hear in high fidelity. 6 stars. Wait, damn, only 5 available.
Elton John
4/5
First listen - ok, some classics there, plonky piano n classic Elton vocals, and what's all the rest of the music, it just blurs.
Second listen - hang on, there's something there, that 'Jamaican Rub' track is kind of interesting. So different to the rest. Actually, its all kinda different. Hmm. *scratches*
Third listen - what a diverse performance, so many styles done so well, it's a honker of a long album too. I keep getting distracted. So joyous and interesting ...
The Pogues
2/5
I kinda like it and I kinda don't. I feel the space and place of the Pogues isn't mine, I have friends and associates who would really appreciate this energy and attitude. I think its something I will return to out of whimsy, but not with any strong intent. I do appreciate the attitude and energy, there are some cracking lyrics. It's just not for me. Can't quite justify 3 stars. Lets go 2.
The Who
2/5
Yeah, kinda memorable, but it is not in my window of appreciation. Driving, cleaning house and maybe hucking our rubbish background music.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
2/5
Well, I've dropped this album and picked it up several times and while it's nice, it's not resonating to me. Some beauty here but it's somehow cluttered with how the sound is. It's rather folksy. A bit of a shrill tenor - not a smooth base,l - music experience. The strings and vocals are a clear combo. Quite the signature. It's got firm harmony's, but that doesn't mean I like it. I can see tracks to like, it's just not gelling for me. I can't really think of a place or time to enjoy this. It's just a bit of a void album to me. It just sinks within me without a trace. 2 stars. Maybe three ... Nah, let's go 2.
Beach House
2/5
Nice, but not nice enough to put into my regular play list.
Paul Weller
2/5
Kinda nice, kinda gentle. An evening album after a day of work, but not a day of exhaustion. An album to be gentle around, and to be gentled to. It reminds me of Jack Johnson, but maybe Mr Weller was there before Jack was Jack? There is a place for an album in my group. I see it as light and joyous background music in a summer afternoon house after swimming in a crips ocean and the sun is escaping for the evening that will be long and conversational. Listening with my ears on, that could happen too. But its not there for me currently. Lets go 3 stars. ... nah, not quite. Lets go 2.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Cracker. Seminal. One of the better psychedelic rock I've found. Nice. Very enjoyable. Other reviews I have read are also enjoyable. I've never known some music I greatly enjoyed, was them all along. 4/5
Tina Turner
2/5
Sorry Tina of 1984 - I always preferred you as an Actor in Thunderdome. Not as this singer with a strident voice and ample wig. Sorry.
The Temptations
3/5
Sweet, silky, clear, soulful. Satisfying. I'll listen again. Good choice. 39 minutes! Sweet.
Christine and the Queens
3/5
Really nice. I found this unexpectedly satisfying to lightly listen to. I could definitely spend more time listening to it. I found online reviews of it surprisingly full of praise, and on reading them, I can understand the depts to explore in this, initially superficially joyous, but subsequently quite intimate and explorative. As a friend says, I want to listen again with my ears on. 3 stars, maybe 4, let's go three for now.
Pantera
1/5
Listened. Ears feel bashed. Words just slurried around like a bad concrete experience, all gravel and debris. Swearing, thrashing, guttural throat wounds shouting into my ear. Again, this is not my thing. No wish to repeat.
Funkadelic
3/5
I think, for all the historic nature of this album, the glory of how it was recorded and thought about by all those involved, thinking it was going to presage a movement of change powered by music, it's a little lost on me. I listened to it about 3 times and it grew on me. Nicely. Feelings and characteristics just developed so nicely.
I feel that for this album, it's the time and place has somewhat passed. The sounds are a bit dated, as are the attitudes. I do feel this is a historic album, and I was pretty chuffed to be able to spend time and hear it - and reading up on it was educational - but it lacked personal contemporary value on first listen - I finished with a firm 'nope, it's not one I feel keen to listen to again'.
There are other funk albums that I responded to on a first listen, so much better. Yes, Funkadellic is good to experience, there are fantastic features to it. But as a Funk album, it is a bit flat.
But, as a Rock album with funk, as a Prog Rock album with some funk, and as a psychedelia album, with some funk, heck I can enjoy this album. I like all those elements when I started to listen for them. It was a fun experience.
It's a three stars for me, not quite 4, but I can see it getting there over time.
Radiohead
3/5
I've listened to a few Radiohead albums, and easily gotten lost in the delicate framework given by Radiohead. It's never really fully gelled for me. I can see the craft and beauty though. It's a music for late night driving along darkened roads thinking profound thoughts. Interesting. Spiritual and engaging. Not quite 4 stars.
Talking Heads
4/5
I've quite enjoyed this. I've always always had a bit of a chip on my shoulder against Talking Heads. Something about the voice. It's grumped me in the past. But this time, this listen, the first, the second and the third, it's all been satisfying and enjoyable. Lyrically interesting. Musically interesting. Finally, vocally is a bit of a key down, but it is what David Byrne is, so I enjoyed him too, after a bit. 4 stars. Ahead of the pack.
Depeche Mode
3/5
I adore Depeche Mode. I thought I did. The music is a mood all of itself. I feel somber and disquieted. Tentative and unsettled. Its not necessarily nice feelings. As other reviews have said, there is a tonality that sounds same-ish. There is good variety but there is also same-ish-ness. I feel satisfied with the album, but not blown away which is what I would give for a 5/5. Its not an album that I return to easily, but when a mood is upon me. A mood for late 80's new romantic British sombre dissonance. When do I have such a mood ... not often, but I know where to go now. 3 stars. Not 4, the depth within the album or vocals does not seem to be there.
The Youngbloods
5/5
First listen, I did not finish. Felt it was such blah tripe.
Second listen, after reading a bit about it, was a bit better. There is no one song that is a chest grabbing cracker No#1 hit. But there is something there.
Third listen, and forth fourth, it gelled a little better me it's not country, it's something more playful. There is a lot of joy here. Quiet understated joyful play. I'm on the sixth listen now, very happy with the find. I'll put the this into my regular listen playlist.
There's a little off fun here that's not on one style of music, it's a bit prog-rock, bit 60' psychedelia, a bit classical rock, a bit folk, a bit country, a bit R&B. It's quite the mix. I'm going to give it a good rating because I can see myself listening and relistening to this, enjoyably, with a range of environments. Driving, dishwashing, art-ing, gardening, just being. It fits with a lot of my lifestyle activities.
It's good. 5 stars. (I never would have thought that at first listen, I was going to do a 'did not listen' - but here we are)
Frank Sinatra
2/5
Pleasantly enjoyable. The music is so tight. Well crafted. Sounds so easy, but it's so well done.
I heard my father crooning along in my memories, r called him moving in his beslippered, arthritic yet graceful way, demonstrating how he danced in dance halls to fresh this faced young Sinatra chap.
2 stars. A worthy member of this list, but not likely to be a repeat contribution to my playlists. Thanks Frank, I'll listen again when I want a rich dose of nostalgia.
Nick Drake
4/5
I know this is an excellent album. There is something special about it, and his so sweet but sad legacy. Would I listen to it a lot. Probably not. Would I return to it when the mood is upon me. Yes. Would that mood visit me often? Unlikely. Let's call it a treasure to access on rare occasions. Thanks for the discovery. A surprisingly awesome little gem. 4 stars.
Kendrick Lamar
2/5
I wish I had more to say, but it's not an album that has grabbed me and I don't wish to work on it more. I have listened, and I can't find it in me to do more. It's probably really good in its own way, I just can't gell with this style or this message..
The Lemonheads
2/5
I found I owned a Lemonheads album. Not this one. I looked for delight and joy. Connection and a sense of my community. The music has that alternative buzzy-ness..guitar and drums and vocals . A simple sparse setup. And, even after listening to this and that, and again, I'm untouched. I know folks do enjoy, but like other alt rock groups, it's missing me somehow. Not the worst, not the best.
Apart from Confetti. That rather confessional lyrics/vocals set. Yes, solid sentiments there. The strangeness of of that state, well set up.
But apart from that, kinda meh at best. I'll probably continue to forget the Lemonheads. 2 stars.
Parliament
4/5
Joyous, exciting, dynamic, fun, bouncy. Odd listen to it again. I keep thinking of what would I need doing where this is a pretty awesome thing to listen to. In I think walking to work. Commuting. Gymming. Gardening. It's a good bit of energy to have through your ears. 3 stars, 4 stars? Unsure. Let's go 4.
David Bowie
2/5
I wish I liked David Bowie more. I can't really engage. Base lines were nice in a couple of places. It felt innocuous and backgroundy. Won't pick up again. Disappointed actually. 2 stars because it's not horrible. Just uninteresting to me.
5/5
How can I not like this absolute beast of an album. So interesting and memorable, even today after a lifetime of exposure, it still feels fresh. Superb.
Daft Punk
4/5
I found it a great album, and a dismal one. So much repetition. But some interesting variation within them. I found myself tapping along to most. Almost dancing sometimes. I struggled with the meaning of phrases, I just enjoyed the album. Suprisingly. I found no depths of understanding, no illumination of the human condition, just fun, interest and expressiveness. 4 stars. Should be three just I enjoy it too much.
Dusty Springfield
2/5
A DEBUT album of a former group singer, of nothing but covers, sung in a style a decade old, with verve and resonance. Virtuoso performance yes, but deserving of being on this list? Unsure. Lyrically very clear. 2 stars. Unlikely to listen to again.
Van Halen
3/5
Big Hair, Big Ego, Big Guitar, oh the polyester and vinyl. I think I will leave this collection of memories in my 3 star bucket. Of a time and place, but not my time or place.
R.E.M.
3/5
Yeah, pretty good this time around. Purchased in the past, and ignored. This time, yeah, I got into it.
Billy Joel
5/5
It's a delight. I can hear the lyrics easily, I can follow the tune, the narrative. I connect with what is being said. How it is said. The infusion of a time and place of a romantic America that never will be again. My wish to be a part of that in some small delightful way. That is such a good album in all the ways that me from 1989 listening to this 1977 album was so scornful of. Which shows that I have changed too. 5 stars. On my regular repeat list now. I rabbitholed down about this albums history, the reaction by the community of ears listening to this, and the types of responses that Billy Joel gets. That was also fun. This album is now one of my favourites, it is a discovery and a good good find.
Meat Loaf
3/5
I thought I would love this album again, and was somehow disappointed. Either I have matured or the album has de-matured. Mildly interested in the album, that's all. 2 stars. (Wait, that's low, surely three? No, not feeling it, not even Paradise by the Dashboard light) Ok. 3 stars, after an argument with myself.
Wire
2/5
Ok, interesting. Returnable. Not struck with delight. Not offended. Better than neural. I know folks who would love it. Not quite me. 2 stars for future potential.
2/5
Something about this is lovely, something about this is lonely and something about this is not my thing. Nice. Glad to have encountered. Unlikely to return. Neutral indifferent? 2 stars.
Goldie
2/5
Man, what a bit of a disappointment. Loved the album cover, loved the Wikipedia description, OK, i thought, this would be an ace discovery for my music collection, but it just didn't land for me. Neither did other albums of Goldies. I listened around. Hopeful. I was dreaming for an artist a bit more like Massive or Big Audio Dynamite, and this wasn't that. Disappointed. 2 stars. Not hated, not liked..
Gorillaz
4/5
I quite enjoyed this album. Many pieces on here I managed to enjoy more second or third time around. A couple od tracks are dross, and a couple grew on me. The Wikipedia article on them was also a revelation. I had no idea of Blur being a connection. I'll listen to this again, and enjoy it again then as well. While really only worth three stars, but I've given it 4 stars because, to me, there is an element of exploring the human condition here, some interesting facets of illuminating interest were unpacked.
Little Richard
2/5
Ok. A nice piece of history. Thanks. Moving on ...
Deep Purple
4/5
I don't like heavy metal.
I don't like heavy metal.
I don't like heavy metal,
But I do like this Deep Purple.
Ride
2/5
Yeah. Ok. Kinda nice? Kinda background noise in many ways. Not really inspiring. I had no idea of this genera or that it mattered to some folks. Nice is my overall review. Thanks for the discovery. Moving on. 2 stars.
Frank Ocean
3/5
Surprisingly satisfying. One new favourite track.
Moby Grape
3/5
Moby Grape
What a mess. My provider did not have the album listed in full. Just some tracks. Not the best tracks. I listened and came away nonplussed. This I should listen to before I die? I'm not hearing it. So I tried again, then noticing only tracks 3, 7, 9, 13 and one other. Where's the rest? Who is this fractured group? Wikipedia had headlines that sounded exciting and tragic, so I went down a rabbit hole of wonky weird crazy stuff. Gifted musician with mental breakdowns fueled by LSD, asylum occupations, late night recording sessions, band support despite their absence and just weirdness. That's one of the 5 lead singers in this 5 person act. So, I listen again, this time on YouTube - and I haven't a clue. What am I listening to? It's eccentric? Oh, psychedelia More Wikipedia. I was wrong. It's not an album to listen too before you die, it's a symphony of lost potential played out in reality to read up on before you die. Court cases, squandered cash, drugs, good folks passively watching malfeaience played out in front of them, a crooked manager, albums mismanaged and still the group manages to make musical successes. Frantically. Erratically. Despondantly. It's a mess. The band that is. It's also mesmerising. I listened to more tracks and albums and I just can't quite comprehend how so much potential became so decayed. It's a supergroup that never got out of its toddler stage of rebellion. I think it's a 2 stars album, what I could find, but it's a four star story. So, it's getting a three from me.
John Coltrane
3/5
Sweet. Nice. Jazz. It just flowed by me. Gossamer musical intensity.
The Beau Brummels
2/5
Nope, not sure why it's here. An undiscovered Dylan style album all folksy and nice? Lyrics from the late 60's. OK. Nice. Still dont see why its been brought to this list. Why no Dylan album then? Do I even like Dylan?
Will listen to it again and see ...
Apparently not.
2 stars.
Joni Mitchell
3/5
I've encountered these types of albums before. I find them delightful. It feels more of a diary entry set to music than an album. Thats not a bad thing. The prospect of listening to a series of crafted songs for listening to while on radio, is not this type of album. I feel I can dip into and out of the words and the lyrics, if I want to, or it can wash over me like a comfortable balm. Either way, its a lovely discover, and I gotta say, Canadians rock. Even if it is quiet subdued and quirky melodic poetic-rocking like this. Almost 4 stars, but not quite. 3.
Miles Davis
5/5
Yeah, I can't say anything bad about this album. All the reviews say what's good about it far better than I. 5 stars.
The Who
4/5
Yep. Excellent. A new album to put on my regular listen list. Never really heard it all before, and I've really enjoyed it! Repeatedly. Even the inane tracks where the lyrics just talk about being able to sing in tune. I meant really?
Television
2/5
Kinda nice. A maybe again album. Didn't get into it despite a couple of listens. Didn't really grab. Moderate interest in trying again. Low 3 stars. Maybe 2. Um, um ,um let's go 2.
The Pogues
2/5
Sorry, not for me, not for the me I am now. Maybe a me that was hard driving, hard drinking, hard living etc, But, it's just not appealing. Thanks. I know it's for other folks. You folks enjoy away. 2 stars.
Pretenders
3/5
Satisfactory, one banger. The others enjoyable but not really a big connection. But many many good elements revealed. 3 stars.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I really enjoyed this, suprisingly so. Wasn't that taken with her other album on this list, but the nuances of her vocals here are incredible. The topics of some of her music are not really nice, they seem to be related to gaslighting relationship abuse. When you read her bio, it kinda makes sense. A very 60's story. But her vocals, the mix of some of these songs. So impressed.
Janelle Monáe
1/5
Nope, not for me. Too over produced and top entwined with itself.
k.d. lang
5/5
I bought this with ignorance. I listed with open ears & expectations. Decades later, I'm still haunted, still quietly taken aback by this. Never mind her earlier debut this site gave, this is the album I am both haunted and graced by still. Superb. 5 stars.
Leonard Cohen
5/5
Ya gotta listen, with your ears on and mind open.
Once you do, those that like Leonard, would love this. Those that have never encountered him, would be intrigued by this. Those who like your music to be thrashy, nope, not for you. If you have a spiritual side to your being, you would probably connect strongly to his work.
The pieces are poetry plus music. As his work evolved through his years, it became more poetry and philosophy than music n beats. There is a beauty, and grace to his work, it's not just music, it's a mixture of the human condition set to music, and placed on an album.
I think we are all better for having Leonards efforts and vulnerabilities at such a striking time near the end of his life, shared like this.
5 stars.
The xx
4/5
Really enjoyable and really satisfying. Surprisingly so. Ann album of go to when I want some quiet contemplating time.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
2/5
Ok. Kinda nice. Kinda Meh. Thanks. Probably won't return to this album. 2 tinsel stars ...
Circle Jerks
2/5
Ok. Box ticked. Can see why it's here. Moving on.
Paul Simon
4/5
A good album to rediscover. Quite the powerful album at the time, I found it very approachable and was a window to many new forms of music for me, both the past of Simon and Garfunkel and the breadth of some musics from Africa. It's an occasional listen for me, I don't know the matching occasion. Maybe a long afternoon drive? Maybe painting a room? Unsure. 4 wobbly stars.
4/5
Dang I enjoyed this. Special voice n vocals. Probably special lyrics too but I'm a heathen when it comes to parsing lyrics. I found this a fairly effortless 3x repeat listen. Easy 4 stars. Good find.
Radiohead
3/5
It's been a regular visitor to my ears. It's not blessed my ears, it's not offended them either. Entirely satisfactory album. Not quite 4 stars.
Tom Waits
4/5
It makes no sense I adore this album. None. It's messy and atonal and grumpy and somehow dirty to listen to, but I adore it. Best for late nights thinking of whiskey, long midnight countryside drives with solitary thoughts and those times when it's 3am and you have an itch within your soul. 4 stars.
B.B. King
2/5
Nice, Boyant, fulsome and energetic. Enjoyable. I'd rank it ... Um ... Three? Maybe 2? Not really my thing but could listen to it if I was doing something at the time ...
Marty Robbins
2/5
Ha, delightful. I'd never have found this in a million years. Such a time where riding horses, pining after women, being hung for murder, and shooting folk were the common language of being a man. So, let's make a song or 12 about it. Thanks. I'm now a bit more aware of where Johnny Cash came from, and Leonard Cohen, and perhaps even k d lang. Three stars. Two? It could be two. Let's go two. It was nice but not really nice.
Curtis Mayfield
2/5
Well, I tried. Several times. It's just not connecting. He is just not connecting. Lyrics appear and then slide off. I like the bass riffs and the arrangements but it's not feeling like my music. The vocals, sliding and tremulous, high and delicate with strength and substance, but still, not for me. Thanks. 2 stars.
Willie Nelson
3/5
Not expecting covers, but enjoyed very much anyway. Is it special. Yes. Is it to die for? Not so much. 3 stars, for the harmonica.
Elbow
5/5
I really liked this. Really felt it was rewarding and satisfying album. I feel, after 4 or so listens, it will move into being a 5 stars album, so I'm going to give it that. Noice!
Fugees
3/5
Pretty impressive. One of the more enjoyable albums of this type I've listened to. Clear narrative and enjoyable interpretations of music and moments. I think I'd rate it three. Not for any particular personal enjoyment, but for it being a good example of an album with a good overall theme, that holds its voice well, and is damn interesting to listen to. I may listen to it again, I may not. *Shrugs* TBH only the 'killing me softly' song really took my heart and mind.
Prince
2/5
I thought I'd like it more, it was solid. Interesting. I'll listen again sometime, but for now, it was kinda OK and kinda not my thing. 2 stars. If I put in effort, I think it would be more, but I'm not really inclined to do so right now.
David Bowie
2/5
Well, kinda ok, but not something I'd get overly excited for. I got more from the reviews of the album here, than the album itself. 2 stars.
Beck
4/5
Man, I enjoy this album. Good then. Good now. Years in between. Just fun and clear changes in style and skill. Happy. 4 stars.
4/5
Well, that was better than I expected. Enjoyable couple of listen throughs. I reckon they will be on my occasion listen to list when I feel like a dose of obscure nostalgic 60's folk rock Americana. So, once every 4 months, maybe? 4 stars.
Santana
5/5
Yeah, a superb piece of music. It feels timeless and if feels like a peak of musicality. I've heard parts of it many many times, but the whole is just so easy to enjoy. It's going to get my rare five star rating. Why ... It's got so much more potential to enjoy as time passes. Thanks 1001, a worthy addition.
Prince
2/5
Ah, Prince, gifted, so capable, such a beacon and groundbreaking artist, yet he is so uninteresting to me. I try. I do try. I'm just not moved. So, moving on with a 2 star rating.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
That was a lot of Nick Cave. They all blend in. It's my second from here and it's about the same as the first. I guess they all do indeed sound like Nick Cave. From this album, I have one track saved, a faint sense of having been soul abraded,with moods and scenes from a life I'll never live. Interesting, I'll say interesting but not with any passion. I gotta dig into the lyrics a lot more to connect more, and I don't know if I want to do that. When? Let's say that it's at a special time of a life when the rain is settled in, the fire is low, there is whiskey on hand and you just want to pour yourself a nice mood of melancholy and insight into the whole bitter mess that is being a human being. That's the scene I see this album fitting best. 3 stars.
Neil Young
3/5
Ok, nice, contemplative. Pleasing. Blended. Taupe. Clear. Whimsical. Subtle. Caring. Introspective. 3 stars..
The Beta Band
3/5
Yeah, this was better than expected. Suprisingly bright and joyous to the ears. Some creat tonal harmonies. Lyrics unsure. Might listen again to develop an opinion. Three star album.
Cream
4/5
So enjoyable. It's a repeat for me. High 4 stars. I enjoyed the diverse musicality and vocals of this group. The guitar is standout. Just superb mixing and character. The vocals and the guitar are all speaking the same sentiments. So satisfying. I'd never heard the whole album before, and the last track was a suprise. Such rubbish lingo from the cheaper UK tv shows, there on an album. I laughed. When I finished, I started all over again, and it made my gym session a breeze :)
Beatles
5/5
I'd never heard this in its whole before, and it's so very very good. I read up and around on this album as well, and oh my, so much depth and iso many interesting aspects uncovered. This album is a doctorate worth of background and influence in its own right, and then there is the quality of the music and lyrics. Bloody awesome. 5 stars. (I've confirmed, it's a good gym workout album too, good hard sweat from this album, now, what else?)
Faust
3/5
Much better, and much worse than I expected. There is one track here I have been hunting for over a decade, and it's here. Magical work. Half the album is ok, half the album is dross. So, 2 stars for the dross and 4 stars for the magic means a 3 star album.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Really enjoyed. Excellent. New favourite.
Sugar
1/5
Kinda ok. Kinda not my thing. Unlikely to listen to again. 1 star.
Dead Kennedys
1/5
The Killers
2/5
Maybe ok? Kinda? I feel too old to appreciate this. I got my grumpy grandfather frump on for all but two of these tracks. And yes those are the best two tracks that everyone else raves on about. 2 stars, unlikely to revisit, not that enamored, but not hating things either.
Funkadelic
3/5
Kinda interesting and kinda ok. Was pleased I heard it, but not quite the music I want right now. Mild comfort. 3 stars. Potential for more, but not quite seen or felt right now.
Happy Mondays
1/5
Kinda ok. Kinda forgettable. Actually, now I've listened and thought back, quite forgettable. What was it I listened to again? 1 star
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Yeah, nice, smooth & clear as day, within the ears I listen to Jazz with at the back of my minds attention span. If I listen hard, it's fascinating. I listen loose it's clear and clean to lighten the day with. Yeah, I think it's a really solid piece of music to listen to. I can see me picking this up many times to listen to into the future. Very nice. 4 stars.
The Psychedelic Furs
2/5
A nice bit of British post-punk rock. I enjoyed. I'd listen to them again. Not earth shaking stuff, just good. 2 stars but not quite there. Just cos the quality is not there, but the listenability is.
Dr. Octagon
2/5
Better than I expected. Kinda old school, kinda shock horror and kinda groovy. The shock was - yeah - a bit of 'walk away from this one, that's inappropriate' but it's still kinda interesting. Unsure if I like it. Let's say I marginally do, for rap. That gives it an equal high score of 2 stars for all Rap music listened to on this list. 2.
Beatles
3/5
That scratchy early Beatles is something that sits in my mind as something to scorn. It's not proper rock, it's not proper roll, and it is not the music that connects me with events or occasions with meaning. It's just music from before my time and an early version of their greatness. It's still great, but not an album to return to. 3 stars.
Miles Davis
5/5
Magic. I can't hear all of it on my streaming service but what I can listen to is mesmerising and superb. It's been on my repeat for ages. A wonderful revelation.
Ella Fitzgerald
3/5
Pleasant. I can see my 90yo Dad delighting in this if he were still around. I'd say great, truly great for then, for now, ok. 3 stars. Unlikely to listen again, but nice to hear her work in this way.
The Style Council
3/5
Not as good as I hoped for. Their best is great, I like the classic sound of that single which took them all around the world, but the rest of their catalogue is not really engaging for me. High three stars, not quite 4.
Duke Ellington
2/5
Quite satisfying, if not my thing, it certainly was my father's thing. He loved big bands and the swaying and dancing that took place with fancy small town dance halls that thronged to this music. 2 stars. Not likely to listen to again.
The Stranglers
2/5
Not what I expected and not one to be repeated, I did dive into their 'best of' and enjoyed that a lot. 2 stars.
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Ok, I've heard it now. It's a classic unfurling of Herbie music. I've a better track on my squirreled away set of music, but as a series of tracks laid down in one setting and it's pure joy, it is very fine. 4 stars. Will listen to again. Not premiere music for me, just very fine.
The Rolling Stones
3/5
It's just the Stones man. Good for who and where they are.
Gene Clark
4/5
A suprise. A very nice surprise. I'll dig into this album a lot more in the future. It's got that sense of depth and interest and a world I'd like to know more. A couple of tracks are too country for my liking but there are some great tracks that sounds comfortably a mix of rock/pop/ambient that interests me. High 3 stars, so 4
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
5/5
Superb. Really superb. A magnificent discovery. I greatly enjoyed hearing this album and I will listen to it again and probably again. 5 stars.
Joy Division
2/5
Yeah, nah. Disappointed overall.
Once. I would have loved it. The mood of my decade in my 20s. Definately once, but not now. Best thing is the album graphic now.
2 stars being generous.
Soul II Soul
5/5
Thoroughly enjoyed. A good find. Some heard before, some worth discovering. 4 stars plus bonus 1 for rediscovery credits.
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
Yeah, this is pretty excellent. I like this. I liked it then and do now. It feels like it's going to stay a classic album. Beautiful vocals and strong lyrics. Evocative. It's the story of an America that I wish was still present.
Elvis Costello
3/5
I think I like it. I really don't know. It's hard to listen to his voice, it grates, and the chords he chooses, the way they unfold, also grates. But when I follow the lyrics, and see how the whole of the album has it's unified story it's impressive. I've struggled with listening to it several times and I keep thinking it's worth the effort. I could see it being a 4 stars, but let's go three for today (or three for this week, it has been quite the struggle)
Stan Getz
2/5
Ok, but not inspiring. I might re-listen later on. 2 stars.
Faith No More
2/5
I remember this mob. They were the act for a while. Filled the airwaves, that special sound they found just rocked it. The album ... Not quite so much. I had a hear, and it was recognisable and energetic, and that's all I can really say about it. Unlikely to listen to again. Not never, but unlikely. 2 stars.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
A delight. Sumptuous. Listenable and re-listenable. Very happy discovery. I am going to dig deeper and dog more ...
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I'm not a fan of the Stones. I've found myself sneering in mind when I encounter them. Poncy arrogant rockstars, all glam and no substance. Maraccas and Parodies on the 'Kenny Everett Video Cassette' show. What's to enjoy? It's just not my energy.
But ...
Yeah, it's got something for me now and I'm enjoying listening. 4 stars.
Ananda Shankar
2/5
Nice historical album. Not quite my music, but interesting to have heard it and gained an understanding of where it came from, how it influenced other artists and how the raga moved into western music. There is no way on God's Green Earth that is would have found myself listening to this ordinarily ... Let's go high two stars ... Possible for me to listen to again ... Possible.
Al Green
3/5
Yeah, very nice. He helped develop some magnificent threads of music in my past, and this was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. Re-listenability is high. :) high 3 stars. Maybe 4.
Black Sabbath
4/5
I never expected to enjoy this. Never. Relistenable. I meant how? It's a good album. I must be losing my marbles. It's the only conclusion. 4 stars.
George Jones
1/5
Could not listen to this album directly but heard on several 'greatest' hits. Not really my thing. 1 star.
Randy Newman
4/5
Mixed feelings..
Lyrics are disturbing. Reviews elsewhere reveal this. But the sound and feel audio wise, is very appealing. I don't know what to think. Maybe 4 stars, it's got something, and I want to hear the album unpacked by wiser minds than me, from a music viewpoint and from a racism viewpoint. That the album exists, is that white privilege? From today? Or the time of the album's release? What do colored folks feel about the album if it is a wry deconstruction of racism? What it it's straight out racist?
But the sound is really engaging to me. I'm.perplexd. and for that, it's a good album.
Electric Light Orchestra
5/5
Gee, I really enjoyed this. I felt like I should have known it more, and that it was a special discovery. Yes the Marvel movies use of ELO flavoured that, but I always thought there was something to them even when I couldn't find them on the airwaves or in the record/tape/CD shop.
The Isley Brothers
4/5
For the time, magnificent.
For the now, pretty damn good.
Relistenability - kinda high. It was an album that I'd not really encountered before. It had some really nice energy and excitement. I'd put this on my playlist for a 70s themed party for sure. Actually, now that you think of it ... :)
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Rarely encountered in the wild, but now I have, yes, this is just excellent. I do not like the screaming vocals, they just annoy me, but the musicianship, of, so very very niiiiice. Thank you world. Another album to put into my 'i enjoy this very much' pile.
Chicago
5/5
Quite enjoyable. I felt this was a refreshing window into a better America and a better musical world. Delightful. A re-listen album find for me.
Brian Eno
2/5
Ok. Better than I thought. Bit groundbreaking. Not rubbish. Amongst the best? No, not really. Kinda experimental which is a theme here. High 2 stars? Maybe?
Dire Straits
5/5
Just lovely. Delightful. So easy to listen to and to enjoy. 5
Fairport Convention
3/5
Nice? Nice and pleasant? It feels like an album to be very English to. When you put on a persona and this is the background material you use to get into the mood. It's definately of an era, and it's not bad, but as a choice to listen to? I'm unsure. I think I like it, but I'm not making an effort to like it. I think this is an album to enjoy with company. Come over, I'll make lunch, let's listen to this album together in the afternoon and decide together if it's nice, or not. White bread with cheese, radish and cucumber sandwiches. You bring the tea. 3 stars for the delightful scenario prospects.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Pretty damn good. Happy with this album. Beaut slice of time, place, experimentation and dynamism. Will re-listen to this in the future. 4 stars.
The Fall
4/5
Kinda ok. Interesting. I can see why that album is part of th mix, and why it's a well rated one, or a poorly rated one. I may listen to it again. It has something a bit special. 4 stars.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
2/5
My mum would have lived this. Loved this. Danced and had hours of joy listening to this. Not me. Irritating and frustrating. 2 stars being generous.
Metallica
1/5
Thanks. Listened. Orion is ok, not interested in the rest. Thrash metal ain't my thing, the pulsing guitar riffs set me off in a not-good-way. METALICA not my thing confirmed. 1 star.
The Prodigy
4/5
Enjoyed this far more than I expected. Floored. I thought these stage rodents were trash. I enjoyed this album. 4 stars. 4!
Underworld
4/5
Thoroughly enjoying. Suprised to do so. Its so pleasant to listen to. It blends back, it blends forward, it stands out, it quietly nestles in your thoughts, its really interesting. I can imagine listening to this for multiple hours of activities around the house, and while driving and while working and while cooking. Yes, its enjoyable. high 4 stars.
Radiohead
3/5
Better than I expected. Three or four listens in and I feel I can do another three or four more. Lyrics are getting to me more so than other albums..3 stars with potential for more.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
5/5
I enjoyed this album so much. Reminders of history and reminders of what I enjoyed about music back then. On my high repeat list. Awesome vocals, evocative lyrics, atmospherics and it just works.
Van Morrison
4/5
So, who are you who likes this? What are you doing if you like this? I think you are either a humble toes-in-the-dirt naturalist with scruffy hair, or a pretentious taffeta wearing dilettante with curated manners, and you don't really like it, you are just pretending to do so because it's retro cool.
It's an album that would have angered off 17yo me, bored 21yo me, charmed 26yo me, been poisonously dismissed by 30yo me, and been discovered with a bit of nostalgia by 50yo me. So, I'm still a bit nostalgic about this discovered album.
The lyrics, they wash over me. Not too sure about the meaning. I stopped and wondered if he was promoting troubling attractions with older men and much younger women, and I tried to parse the lyrics a bit more. It felt very stream of consciousness in th retelling.
I think it's good? It feels florid, but joyous, in good ways. Yesh, I think it's good. Is it a repeat listen, I'm unsure, maybe. I think so. But the lyrics, just wandering around an expression of passive aggressive descriptions of love. I'm not sure what to make of them.
It feels both annoying and superb, and I don't know which. I'm willing to keep trying and actively listening, and for that, 4 stars. Thanks for the album.
Nirvana
2/5
An occasional listen to, at best for me.
Lou Reed
5/5
An absolute classic. Stripped, textural, dynamic, edgy. It's all the stuff I like, am perturbed by, ask questions about and bloody well can understand the lyrics as sung. It's not an effort to hear what's being said. I don't really like it, but I respect it. 5 stars.
Jean-Michel Jarre
5/5
4 is just superb. The rest are a beautiful accompaniment to the arrival of, and departure of, 4. It gave me goosebumps rediscovering it. I used to have this album. It was a delight, I saw and felt so many things on playing this music, the analogies the digital, the wind, the clicks and the layering. It has aged but not lost its significance to me of loving and delighting in good electronic music. 5 stars.
3/5
Smooth and genteel. I've listened to it before. It's pleasing in the same way having your teeth cleaned is pleasing afterwards. It's nust so polished and nice. Three stars. Not epic, not superb, good replay potential. Modest message on being human in today's world. 3 is perfect for this album.
Louis Prima
5/5
Oh this is a lot of fun. A lot of joy. It's a gem..5 stars.
Einstürzende Neubauten
3/5
Oof. Hard work. Not immediately approachable. It sounds like a dystopian punk band playing with the detritus of civilisation years after a war zone. It's a shocker. I would never have heard of this outside of the 1001. Is it good? Dunno... Would I listen to it again ? Unlikely. Am I a better human being for having listens to and felt it's expression of existence? Yes. Do I give it 5 stars, no way, not in a link for. 3 for novelty and fascination that this exists and that there are fans of this. Barely. Barely.
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
Oh, so heavy. Not fun. Serious and pointed. I saw these play once. Powerful and serious. Today's politics have not moved one iota from the points they have made then. It's a great bit of work. I don't like listening, but they have their place ... 4 stars, easy.
Patti Smith
3/5
I found half really good, and half uninteresting. The history of the album is excellent and I enjoyed the story of the place in the album within history. Is it an album id listen to again? Unsure. Really unsure. Maybe? So, a star for th find, a star for the history, a star for musicality and interest, a bonus star for the good tracks, and a negative star for the meh tracks. That takes me to 3 stars, which seems about right.
Oasis
2/5
It's not the gem for me that others have found. The people I hear in the album, I just don't like or respect. An unpleasantness about them. As to musicality and significance, similar to Milli Vanilli or Frankie goes to Hollywood, it feels manufactured and sterile after the first few listens. Two stars.