Made In Japan
Deep PurpleDeep Purple kills it. All classic tracks, all expanded and harder than ever. Not to mention an absolutely amazing drum solo.
Deep Purple kills it. All classic tracks, all expanded and harder than ever. Not to mention an absolutely amazing drum solo.
The B-52s self titled just popped up as my album today, which is quite the coincidence, because I just listened to it for the first time yesterday! Strange. I'm slowly learning that New Wave is a genre that either hits hard for me, or falls flat. Love Talking Heads and some of King Crimson's 80s work, but have been left a little cold by other recent listens. This lands more in the latter category for me. The women's vocal work on this album is actually quite lovely. But Fred Schneider's inflections get on my nerves. I've always found Rock Lobster to be particularly annoying. Luckily that's the peak of the annoyance; the rest of the record is fine enough, but nothing I feel compelled by. *Heard before.
Classic. Dreamy, dark, moody catchy. *Heard before
I SEE NO... EEEEVVVIIIIIIIIIIILLL
Gorgeous classic. Heard before.
Listened to the expanded edition. Felt like a little too much. Some great cuts here, but not everything grabs me.
Catchy and playful. Don't think I was in the mood for this today, but I could see getting into it more when the vibe is right
Wild and experimental in a raw, punky way. Right up my alley.
Great album that has never stuck with me. Should be my thing, but it just isn't. Enjoy every song, but don't love any of them. Might click one day.
Chill and vibe-y. Cool to revisit this with fresh ears. Heard before.
Maybe I'm growing softer as I age, but hearing this four years later, Ghosteen has gripped my heart in a way it didn't the firs time I heard it. The themes of life, death, grief, faith, and acceptance, amongst many others, paint a sorrowful and beautiful picture that brought me to tears at times. *Heard before
Kinds wish these albums were released separately. Both are full of highs on par with any other Outkast album, but the two records are so different and the run time is so long that I don't see a major benefit to them being packaged like this.
Not familiar with any Steely Dan albums, but front-man Donald here has some smooth, catchy tunes.
Prog bliss. A tight 37 minutes of soaring symphonic rock, and not a dull moment present. *Heard before
Amazing performances on this album. The flute work ranges from beautiful to beautifully erratic. Classic. *Heard Before
Always thought this was a little too long, but an undeniable classic either way. RIP BIG. *Heard before
Inoffensive, but bland. Lacks any edge or personality. It's like an AI generated rock music. Maybe if I was 14 in 1976 this would really hit. Don't get me wrong, if I WAS, and I was invited to a KISS concert, I'd go and probably be blown away.
Soft and quiet. Could put this on any afternoon and a read a book, or give it your full attention. Lot's here to appreciate. Need to delve deeper and relisten to more of VU's catalogue. *Heard before
The Who still hasn't quite grabbed me, but this is still a good listen. There's a lot of youthful energy the performances, attitude, and rougher production. The title track especially exemplifies these qualities.
Bluesy music made by Louisiana swamp people. Listened to it twice. Generally like this aesthetic, but don't foresee me spinning this much in the future.
Early punk rock sound and some fun songs, but would need more listens for it to catch on.
The first Queens album isn't polished. A little grittier sounding than later records. Not my favorite of theirs, but a good time nonetheless. I listened to the reissue that's all over streaming services, which adds three extra songs. While the songs are pretty good, the added length is unnecessary. Goes from a tight 45-ish minutes to an hour.
Slept on this for way too long. NOISY. MELLOWDRAMATIC. SHOEGAZEY.
While most of the songs don't blow me away, they sure blew away the audience. Brown and the crowd both feed off each other's energy an amazing way. Worth listening to just for the relationship between the performer and fans.
New Wavey and pretty fun.
As a massive Toy Story fan I surprisingly never delved into Newman's music outside of his film scores. This is a nice set of simple, satirical, and clever songs.
Funky and a bit quirky. Listened to it twice and few tracks stick with me. Wish it was catchier.
Fairly dull, and outdated for its time, hard rock. Every song captures the same vibe. Bad Fun was featured in THPS4, so there's at least a little nostalgia for me there.
Bluesy. Not something I'll likely revisit though.
This is a tough one. There's great production on both discs of this double album - DJ Premier on disc 1 was a pleasant surprise - but it's overall too long, and the two discs don't really feel connected. I much preferred the second disc to the first with its jazz club style. If this were two separate albums I'd probably actually dig this a lot more.
Not for me
A blind spot in my Curtis Mayfield listening. Funky and buttery smooth as ever.
Never listened to a Foo album before. Despite loving Nirvana's output, the pseudo-follow-up band never grabbed my attention. This debut is enjoyable, but doesn't hold my attention. Would be curious to check out their following work.
Wasn't into it.
Love the raw sound and Kirstin Hersch's angry and strained vocals.
When every song is an anthem, none of them are. Joshua tree is immaculately produced, but seems constantly concerned with making you feel emotional.
Fun new-wavey tunes.
Deserves to be in the classic thrash conversation with the big four. The death metal style vocals aren't my thing, but looking past that there's some excellent thrash here.
Lemmy and co come through with some heavy, gritty riffs. A rock classic. Some lyrics, especially those on the song Jailbait, are pretty rough and uncomfortable. I've read that it may have been satirical, but if it is I have a hard time hearing it as such. A shame too, because it's an otherwise good song. *heard before
The production and songwriting are immaculate. This blues rock sound almost never does it for me though. Good to listen to in the moment, but never stays with me. *heard before
A few standout tracks for me like Pull Together. Enjoyable listen.
Deep Purple kills it. All classic tracks, all expanded and harder than ever. Not to mention an absolutely amazing drum solo.
Stankonia is a move in a poppier direction, but doesn't sacrifice the bars or experimentation. The production is lush, the hooks are funky, the wordplay is as clever as ever, and Outkast still has things to say and stories to tell. It doesn't feel as laser focused as their previous couple albums, but you probably won't notice as you bob along to the beat. *Heard before.
I can't say if Ornette Coleman ever heard this album, but I like to think he would approve. John Zorn and his band spin Coleman's free jazz in a new direction, taking influence from the 80s hardcore scene, with two (!!) sets of blistering drums, a heavy bass guitar, and short, quick compositions. With a different saxophone improvising in each ear you're blasted with a beautiful wall of sound. A pleasant and unexpected discovery for me.
Morrison's final album consistently provides what made The Doors great. His vocal performance ranges from energetic to cool, and laid back. Great songs all around. The addition of a bass guitar creates a unique sound in The Doors' discography. *Heard before.
Rush straddles the line between Prog and Hard Rock. 2112 manages to be epic and otherworldly, while also providing some classic, catchy rock riffs. *Heard before.
Evermore is one of Taylor's better projects, following up Folklore, which was also pretty good. I've not heard her newest, but she was on a bit of a streak in 2020. This style of folk music is a nice change of pace from her radio-pop hits I'm used to hearing day-to-day.
Not a style of music I'm familiar with. Would love to dive deeper into it, and give this some more spins. Very pleasant record.
Every time I give Violent Femmes' debut a listen, it's hard not to sing along from front to back. Despite some uncomfortably angsty, sexual lyrics, I can't help but join in. It's just that good. Gano can be singing the most pathetic, dumb-ass-teenager-brained lyrics, but the performance is so fun that he makes it sound cool. The grooves are extremely funky and a joy to listen to. Always loved this album, and the follow up is pretty great too. *Heard before.
My first introduction to Carlos Santana was a collaborative album her did with Alice Coltrane called Illuminations. His guitar fit perfectly with the rest of the instrumentation. His playing is gorgeous and filled with jazzy grooves. While Abraxas isn't necessarily a jazz album, it caries these same qualities in spades.
Both halves of On the Beach have their own vibe. First half is more upbeat and folksy. The second half is more calm and meditative. Would like to continue to revisit Neil Young's discography in the future. *Heard before.
I don't hate Guns N' Roses. They're cheesy and kind of obnoxious, but I've never seriously disliked them when they've come on day-to-day. Re-listening to Appetite, the near hour straight of their goofy hard rock and Rose's shrieking vocals starts to test my patience though. It's like a caricature of rock. *Heard before.
Went back and forth listening to this. Very likable music, but I'm just not in a New Wave mood today. Might have to try it again in the future.
Other than Highway to Hell, nothing ever stands out to me. After GnR just two albums ago, I've had my fill of this style of hard rock. *Heard before.
Tangerine Dream were ahead of their time. Beautiful ambient record. There's something special about this era of ambient music. The 70s had this certain synth sound that hits different.
Remember first listening to this late in highschool. One of the first R&B albums I ever heard and it stuck with me. Not quite as tight as Blonde, but just as soulful. *Heard before
Wonderwall has given Oasis a bad reputation. I'm admittedly not a big fan of the aforementioned song; maybe due to overplaying, but I find it pretty annoying. Wow! What a hot take! The rest of the album is smooth sailing. Chill, poppy songs that are easy and accessible. Not breaking any new ground, but completely inoffensive.
Maggot Brain is as fresh as ever. Opens and closes with wild, epic 10 minute tracks, and fills the middle with some of the funkiest cuts imaginable. The guitar work especially stands out. George Clinton and co knew what they were doing. *Heard before.
I can normally separate the art from the artist. It's something I rarely have an issue with. Jerry Lee Lewis is an issue. I don't care how bombastic the performances are, how wild the crowd is cheering, or how iconic the melodies are. Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year old first cousin's daughter. Twice! And big surprise, she was "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable". That's just one (major) bullet point in the list of reasons why JLL was a piece of sub-human scum. This album came out over 6 years after their marriage was public. The fact that he even had an audience to record this in front of is digesting.
A Wu classic. While I prefer the debut and Liquid Swords, this might be third. Depends on how I'm feeling; Ghostface has a few records that could fill that spot. Either way Cuban Linx is over an hour of immaculate beats and intricate rhymes. Raekwon's flow is as luxurious as ever was. *Heard before.
The Beatles were essentially my introduction to music. They hold a special place in my heart and I could put on any of their albums any day and have a great time. While I've heard a good chunk of it all, I'm much, much less familiar with the bands solo works. Imagine is no exception. Something I should rectify. The iconic ballad Imagine feels sonically out of place with the rest of the songs. It's so much more soft and moody than everything else. It opens the album and looms over the rest of the tracks. Nothing quite lives up to its heights. There's plenty more to like here though. I especially like the lovely closing track "Oh, Yoko!". It's a simple, playful love song that has a lot of passion behind it. Songs like I Don't Want to Be a Soldier don't really hit for me, regardless of the messaging. *Heard before.
The B-52s self titled just popped up as my album today, which is quite the coincidence, because I just listened to it for the first time yesterday! Strange. I'm slowly learning that New Wave is a genre that either hits hard for me, or falls flat. Love Talking Heads and some of King Crimson's 80s work, but have been left a little cold by other recent listens. This lands more in the latter category for me. The women's vocal work on this album is actually quite lovely. But Fred Schneider's inflections get on my nerves. I've always found Rock Lobster to be particularly annoying. Luckily that's the peak of the annoyance; the rest of the record is fine enough, but nothing I feel compelled by. *Heard before.
Slowly but surely Bruce is finally starting to win me over. Never got the hype no matter how many times I've tried. Something was different today. Bruce's vocal stylings have a unique energy that I never took notice of before. Give me some more time and I could see me growing to enjoy Bruce and this album a bit more.
The energetic flows and catchy rhythms of the core tacks contrast nicely against textured and funky instrumental cuts. Beastie Boys have one foot in the roots of their past and the other in the future. Raw and loud. Fresh and innovative.
Enjoyed the atmospheric and psychedelic songs a lot more than the melodic ones. Too long for me. Needed to be cut down.
A lot of Christmas classics all wrapped up in a Phil Spector bow. Talented producer, but you know what, the murder taints it just a little bit. Might be easier to forget about if his name wasn't in the title and he didn't give a creepy, "heartfelt" message at the end. As it stands, a little uncomfortable, but the music here is classic.
I don't know who the post card on the cover is addressed to, but whoever it is, he wants them to know that he's horny. Tim has a lot of other acclaimed records, but I haven't heard them. Is he always like this? Is this his thing? I did enjoy the album, but I don't know that this was the right introduction. We just met, Tim. Let me get to know you first.
For a guy that talks about soul music so much, he doesn't seem to 100% understand what it is. This is a pretty mediocre hip-hop album. Cee-Lo has a distinct voice, but the topics are dull, the beats are same-y, and the album runs way too long.
Wasn't feeling it at first, but really picks up on the B side. Good mix of standard 60s pop tunes, some more psychedelic pop tunes, and goofy stuff like Zilch. Sounds more like an early 60s album than a late 60s album though. Doesn't try to push the envelope at all, but doesn't really need to.
Truly one of the greatest of all time. Stevie Wonder is, and I don't say this lightly, one of the most gifted musicians to have ever lived. More than a generational talent. A centennial talent and then some. Songs in the Key of Life is just one of many masterpieces by Wonder. One of the things that makes this stand out amongst the rest of his work is its lengthy run time. It's rare that a double albums plays through without overstaying its welcome. SitKoL manages to maintain its extremely high quality while spanning three LPs! It's a miracle that over a quick hour and a half I'm still fully engaged and entranced by the funky, lush instrumentation, and Stevie's smooth soulful voice. Maybe it's not as tight as Innervisions or Talking Book, but it doesn't need to be. SinKoL takes up as much space as it needs; its unabashed in its passion. Just a couple days ago this site served me up a Cee-Lo Green album where he constantly talks about soul, and how soulful he is. SitKoL makes me wonder (heh) how such an album could ever occupy the same space as it. I can't imagine anyone listening to both of these albums and thinking the Cee-Lo album is something that must be heard. SitKoL doesn't need to tell you that it's soul, because it IS soul, and you can feel it in every corner. *Heard before.
Not my kind of metal. A little cheesy with its overt edginess. If I heard just one of these songs mixed into a THPS soundtrack, I'd probably love it. As an album it's too same-y for me. Amazing album cover though.
Kind of fun in a nostalgic way. Not something I would put on normally though. Love some of the creative choices like the loud buzz in the middle of The Rockafeller Skank.
Is this it? Yes it is. Indie rock perfection. It's like Marquee Moon for the 2000s. Short and to the point, fun, catchy, iconic. *Heard before (a lot)
Has always dipped a bit in the second half for me, but when MPP hits, it HITS. Laying back in a dark room and letting the textures and layers of sound wash over you is always wonderful. Around Lion in a Coma is where I release I'm pulled out of the experience. Not that any of it is bad, I just start to get a little bored. The closing track Brother Sport is a nice finish that caps off the record on a postive note. *Heard before.
Wish I would have gotten their previous album first. This being the first Hole album I've heard leaves me with a bad impression, and I've heard their previous is much better. Celebrity Skin is fine. It's pretty good even, but all the songs flow together for me. Maybe need a few more listens.
A steak of an album. Thick, juicy, and twitching with life. It leaves you full, but more importantly, with a lot to digest. It might not hit on the first listen, but give it some time and you'll surely come to appreciate all its complex flavors. *Heard before.
The Beatles first truly great album; although I do like their '63 output too. Front to back classic, catchy pop songs. And this is just year two of seven. This and the rest of their albums made me fall in love with music; and how could it not. *Heard before.
Pretty standard folk album. Lovely vocals and a nice listen, but nothing I'm enamored with.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous album. Monae's passionate vocals, the soaring guitars, the swelling stings. All gorgeous. Love how the electronic elements blend with the soulful ones and add to the album's overall sci-fi concept. Back in 2018 I had heard Monae's, then new, Dirty Computer. I don't remember much about it, but if ArchAndroid is anything to go off of, it's due for a revisit.
A perfect four tracks. A perfect beginning, middle, and end. Hot Buttered Soul only exists thanks to the label's complete desperation after losing their back catalogue over night. Hayes was in the right place at the right time and he capitalized on it. Truly a cosmic gift. RIP to the GOAT. *Heard before.
Fairly simple new wave album. Was pretty bored at first, but came around on it. Some fun sounds throughout. Some more listens and I think this would grow on me.
I think the reason the Pumpkins haven't ever clicked with me is Billy Corgan's voice. And if there ever was an album to test this theory, this would be the one. At just over two hours this is a trial by fire. My theory may be correct? It's hard to say, because at times I'm annoyed with the vocals, other times I feel they fit perfectly, and then there's times where both are true. Either way this is a mondo album filled with an intense variety of sounds and genres. It's hard not to admire the sheer scope, and I came out on the other end rather liking it in spite of my mixed feelings on Billy's vocals.
Basic psychrock. But that's not a bad thing. Had a lot of fun listening to this. Others have done this sound better, but it's still worth a listen. A chill time.
Otherworldly live album. Jarrett pulls sounds and moods out of the piano previously unheard to me. Loved every minute.
Good stuff.
I've played this album countless times, but this is only the second time I've ever listened to it completely, front to back. It's a fat three hours of eclectic love songs, and they nail it. Even with a topic as broad as "love" the task of writing sixty-nine songs concerning the same subject is quite an accomplishment. The fact that they achieved such breadth is one thing, but the songs are also full of depth and life. Just about every facet of love is covered in some way. Lovely album. *Heard before.