I adore Nina Simone. This album has some knockouts, but because it is a compilation of sorts it has some uneven moments to me that perhaps wouldn’t be there or noticed as much were this a regular studio album.
I revisited this album just to confirm my recollection: it’s a solid album but it’s inferior to Arcade Fire’s true masterpiece, Funeral. I wonder if I’d like this more on its own merits had they not released Funeral before. I might be unfair here but there’s nothing I can do: I have a very strong emotional memory arranged to their first album, so their sophomore effort was bound to disappoint me.
This album has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember being a music lover. Nico’s cool detachment and Lou Reed’s achingly beautiful lyrics were a combustible combo. It’s perfect, from start to finish, but if I had to pick some favorite songs then “I’ll Be Your Mirror”, closely followed by “Sunday Morning” and “Femme Fatale,” would probably be on such a list. But it’s an impossible ask, because then I remember the incredible storytelling of “I’m Waiting For The Man” and how, the first time I found myself walking around Lexington Ave and 125th St after I moved to NYC, this song sprung from some corner of my subconscious and I immediately started singing “ I'm waiting for my man/ 26 dollars in my hand/ Up to Lexington 125/ Feel sick and dirty/ more dead than alive/ I'm waiting for my man.” No, I cannot just love a few songs - I love them all. 10/10, all killers, no fillers.
While familiar with this album for years, I had never given it a proper listen other than to my three favorite songs: Disco 2000, Something Changed, and, of course, Common People. I can’t say that I found another song that I liked as much as these three, but I also know I’d need more time with this album than I really gave to it. So I’m scoring it 3 (I really wanted to score it 3.5), knowing that it has the potential to be a 4.
Another classic VU album! While not as perfect as Velvet Underground & Nico (to me), this is still a fantastic album with some of VU’s most wonderful songs: What Goes On, Beginning To See The Light, That’s The Story of My Life, and, of course, the two gems that are Pale Blue Eyes and After Hours. I’m curious to see if the entire VU discography will make this list!
As a baseline, any Beatles album is a 4 to me, just out of respect. In that sense, The White Album ranks lower than others because its sheer length makes it hard to really be with it and, of course, it gives more space to songs that do not rise to the overall brilliance of Dear Prudence, Helter Skelter, Black Bird, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, or my personal favorite, WMGGW. Still, it’s unfathomable that so much talent was bestowed upon those four guys and an album such as this, had it been released by a lesser band, would be considered an indisputable masterpiece by me (yes, I know it’s considered a masterpiece as it is).
This is the first Curtis Mayfield album I’ve ever listened. I generally liked and thought it was a consistently good album with a couple of songs I liked more. Still, overall, it didn’t blow me away on a personal level, which doesn’t detract from the album itself - I’m not super familiar with the genre, so I don’t have a good knowledge basis for comparison.
Guitars played with an urgency and female vocals howling words of frustration and despair: I love this kind of music. I’d imagine that most people who are not contemporaries of X-Ray Spex found the band from listening to the fantastic “Oh! Bondage Up Yours!” This was definitely my case, although I can’t remember when I first heard it. This song is undoubtedly the highlight of this album, but there are enough good songs that make this a cohesive and interesting record (like “Plastic Bag” and “Art-I-Ficial,” for example), if not a brilliant one. If possible, I’d give it a 3.5 - 3 for the album and another notch for the stepping stone that this was for all the riot grrrls that came after it.
It’s hard to find any fault on a Simon & Garfunkel album. So many classics on this one, but Cecilia and El Condor Pasa are my favorites!
I really wanted to love this one - I had listened to some songs here and there but never the whole album. But alas, despite the greatness of My Generation and a couple of other good songs such as The Kids Are Alright, this album didn’t really grab me. If I could, I’d give it a 3.5
I really like Sonic Youth, but Evol is not my favorite album. Still a solid one!
Arcade Fire’s first album is damn near perfect and remains one of my favorites. Crown of Love remains a deeply romantic song with just the right amount of inner torture. I have such fond memories of seeing them open for the Strokes after this album came out nearly 20 (!!!) years ago.
I don’t love all songs, but the ones that I do…there are some killers here that make this an amazing album.
Any album that has “In My Life” is a great album.
Enjoy The Silence and Personal Jesus continue to be amazing songs, but to me they’re the only ones I really loved from this otherwise uneven album. I’d give it 3.5 if I could.
I listen to Dirty Boots and Kool Thing and I’m magically a teenager again.
The concerts that Johnny Cash did at prisons bring a completely different vibe to the usual live album listening experience. Knowing what a unusual occurrence this was for those behind bars and hearing how they reacted to some lyrics bring forth a sense of urgency, joy, and an undercurrent of menace when you listen to these recordings. My favorite of these albums remains At Folsom Prison, but this is a great album with the best live rendition ((IMO) of a Boy Named Sue, a favorite song of mine. Other fantastic songs like I Walk The Line, Big River, Ring of Fire, and, of course, San Quentin make this a fantastic album.
Not much today other than this is a fantastic album.
Before I started listening to this album again, which has some of my favorite songs ever, I started to think of what makes an album deserve four vs. five stars. The whole album is cohesive and strong, but I guess the difference comes to the fore when you compare the album as a whole to the individual strength of amazing songs like Someone Great or All My Friends. Regardless, this is a great, great one.
This score is based on the cultural relevance of Girls & Boys alone.
I like The Cure and this album evokes a mood that’s very much of their general sound, but this didn’t quite speak to me.
I love R.E.M. and this is one amazing album. Many, many favorites here like World Leader Pretend, Untitled, You Are The Everything, The Wrong Child, etc. It’s only a 4 to me (it would be a 4.5) here when compared to other albums in the R.E.M. catalog that are flawless from beginning to end, but when compared to albums generally this could even be a 5. This album, like other R.E.M. albums, has a deep emotional imprint on me like only music that accompanied you in your formative years can have.
Radiohead is one of those bands that I really like but for some reason never became one whose career I follow closely or buy ever album. The Bends is a great album and about half of the songs would be in my favorite songs playlist.
Devendra Banhart is one of those artists I feel I should know more about, but I tried listening to this album and couldn’t finish. I do like the feel of it, the softness of it, but it felt like a rough cut, like a better version of those songs were hiding somewhere.
I quite like some of B&S’s albums from the late 1990s/early 2000s, and actually thought I had this one in my collection. Turns out I don’t, but that’s fine because while it’s the quintessential B&S sound, this album was just average to me.
“To create a universe/You must taste/The forbidden fruit.” When I was much younger and first listened to “Deus” this sounded so profound to me; needless to say, I’ve loved this song forever but for some reason never listened to the whole album. The album is a fun listen, but no other song came to the same level.
I’m surprised that I has never fully listened to War before, it then again U2 is one of those bands I like just fine, appreciate many of their songs, but never was a true fan. Of course, Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day are amazing songs, but they were the only ones to move me - the score is on the strength and importance of those two songs alone.
Strangelove is the highlight of the album by far, but I still like the whole vibe.
Bob Marley is one of those artists who’s really transcendent. Who can listen to this album and not be moved in some way? So many amazing songs that we will collective listen to for decades to come.
I enjoyed this album, specially the first song, Protect Ya Neck, and Tearz, I just don’t know enough about the genre.
Brazilian music makes me so proud of my country. Jorge Ben is a master and it shows. This album is more of a 4.5 for me, but that it’s only because I know his true masterpiece is A Tábua da Esmeralda. Also, it’s pretty fun seeing many other reviewers finding out that Rod Stewart “borrowed” way too much from Taj Mahal.
This album’s whole vibe is great and it has a handful of amazing songs.
Mercury Rev has been on my list of bands to check for quite a while, so this was the perfect chance to do so. This albums opens on a high with Holes, my favorite, but while I liked the general vibe the rest of the album didn’t quite grab me. A 3.5 if we could give half points.
I imagine how amazing Kraftwerk must have sounded when these sorts of effects weren’t a proper music genre, and the idea of humans making music as robots is an interesting one. Still, it’s not quite for me, but I liked The Model and Neon Lights.
Amazing energy! Raise above is an awesome song.
Amazing energy! Raise above is an awesome song.
I love Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but Ghosteen is not an album that I enjoyed.
The highlights here will forever be Blue Moon and Sweet Jane, but this album is lovely throughout.
The ultimate breakup album.
Time of the Season and This Will Be our Year are beloved songs.
This is not my favorite Pixies album, but Bossanova is still an amazing album with so many gems: Dig For Fire, Is She Weird, Velouria, Allison. It’s not a 5-star to me but it’s quality is undeniable.
I liked the album, but no song is as good as Band on The Run.
This is a solid album and “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is one of my favorite songs. Wish I could give it 3.5.
What an absolute masterpiece! Not much to say that would do this album justice. There are just so many amazing songs here that makes no sense listing my faves… but, anyway, I Want to Tell You, Eleanor Rigby, and For No One are it.
R.E.M. is one of my absolutely favorite bands. Document is a strong album with many highlights - some of these songs still move me deeply to this day.
Gang of Four is a band that I knew I needed to listen to but never came around to it for some reason. Listening to Entertainment! now I can see why it makes sense that many of the musicians I admire mention this band as an influence. Damage Goods, I Found that Essence Rare, Love Like Anthrax, and 5:45 were favorites. This is more like a 3.5 for me, but, like, a really good 3.5.
I’m familiar with Sinead’s hits, but for some reason had never listened to a full album beginning to end. I’m so glad I finally did, and how awesome to listen again to The Last Day of Our Acquaintance, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds, and, of course, her gut wrenching rendition of Nothing Compares to You. Awesome album!
A forever favorite.
Sepultura, yeah! Heavy metal is not my genre, but Sepultura was such a massive band and this album (and Chaos A.D. before this) had such heavy play that they were inescapable, which is good. Roots’ mix of metal with Indigenous influences and percussions arranged by Carlinhos Brown make this such a unique album. Roots Bloody Roots and Ratamahatta are my favorites, but I also like Born Stubborn a lot.
I’ve been long aware that not being familiar with The Replacements is a glaring gap in my music knowledge. I think this is the first album that I’ve listened beginning to end. I really enjoyed this, but need a few more listens: 3.5 for now.
I adore Nina Simone. This album has some knockouts, but because it is a compilation of sorts it has some uneven moments to me that perhaps wouldn’t be there or noticed as much were this a regular studio album.
What a great album! Waterloo Sunset is a fucking masterpiece.
I first listened to the Beastie Boys through my brother, who was a fan and played Ill Communication and Check Your Head constantly. Although I liked them, I don’t think I truly appreciated at the time how cool and innovative they were (I was the older sister pretty locked into alternative rock). Ill Communication is a damn nearly perfect album and forever entwined in my subconscious with great memories of my brother.
What a great album! Wilco is one of those bands that has some individual songs that I adore but that never quite rose to the level of being an absolute favorite band of mine. This album, however, is consistently amazing and definitely a personal highlight.
Fast and fun, like Buzzcocks are wont to be.