Oct 23 2023
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
Road trip camping music. Long buildup that pays off. Key changes midway through songs are wonderful too.
5
Oct 24 2023
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Hotel California
Eagles
Everyone loves Hotel California, it's reputation speaks for itself.
New Kid in Town is just okay in my mind, it's forgettable and a little lacking in substance. It kind of strikes a similar chord to Billy Joel's Updown Girl except more somber.
Life in the fast lane starts out better and gives me memories of 5 guys visits. Vocals are again, lacking in substance and for me. It feels like music from a by-gone era, possibly something that would reverberate quietly in the bathroom of a BBQ restaurant.
Wasted time is exactly what the title states. A reminiscent song for which I have no times to reminisce on. Guitar carries the vocals the enitre time. Orchestral variant is significantly better.
Victim of Love was not my style at all.
Pretty Maids all in a Row had promise, I thought it was going to be my favorite until the vocals came in. He alternates between too loud and too quiet, while trying to mimic the nasal quality of an electric guitar.
Try and love again had some good parts, the ending made me turn my volume down though.
Last resort was a better ending. Well put together and I enjoyed it. Second place to hotel California.
2
Oct 25 2023
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Made In Japan
Deep Purple
Each song is way too long. Instrumentals aren't good enough to warrant listening to 122 minutes straight of this.
I ended up skipping through the repeat songs.
I hate all the vocals, and I wish the songs were two minutes tops. Not my type of music really.
The electric guitar solos can be very impressive but I don't really want to listen to them.
I didn't find the 6+ minute long drum solos enjoyable either, even if it's technically impressive and hard to perform.
Bonus star because smoke on the water has such a good guitar riff.
2
Oct 26 2023
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Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
One of the most iconic albums of all time.
The Chain, don't stop, go your own way and dreams are so memorable and iconic, 5/5.
There are some songs that don't hit the mark for me, but I wouldn't consider any songs on this album bad by any means. Second Hand News has the "scatting" section that probably shouldn't have made it in the final cut though, but other than that I love this album.
I really appreciate the chill vibes, warm and comforting vocals all in one great package deal.
A note to the mixing and mastering of this album, I can't find a single thing I would change in this entire album. Every instrument has its groove and nothing overpowers anything else. Listening with good headphones is required to get the spacial aspect of each instrument. Especially the vocals in dreams when the duplicated tracks expand the width of the soundscape coming at me.
All around a great album!
5
Oct 27 2023
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Purple Rain
Prince
When doves cry is decent but I'm really not a fan of any of his music. It's very jumbled disjointed and filled with voids.
I generally don't like how slow yet fast paced each song is. It's just not my type of music but I can appreciate that Prince was very influencial and important in his time.
These songs play quietly in consignment store at 6:45pm while the employees consider the sweet release of a semi truck.
2
Oct 30 2023
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Blood On The Tracks
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is such an interesting musician, he isn't the greatest singer but his voice fits the vibe perfectly. I really liked the album but it started to get slightly worse at the end of the album.
I really like the harmonica that Bob pulls out, it really ties it all together and boy does he go hard with it.
I haven't listened to a lot of Bob dylan, but I went through a phase of this style of music while I was playing a videogame set in viet nam. This isn't my favorite album he has released, and does not include the fan favorites such as blowin in the wind, The times, they are a-changing, and knocking on heavens door.
Great album, I will be listening to it more in the future. Four stars because it's not the best that Bob Dylan can do.
4
Oct 31 2023
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Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
A fantastic album, I enjoyed listening to every song. I actually really liked the addition of "Old People Talking". It sets the mood and atmosphere for the next 30 minutes. There are a few talking / story telling parts of songs which are a happy addition.
This album does not have their most popular songs on it, but I think it is Simon and Garfunkel's best album when listened start to finish.
I was hearing this static / white noise throughout the entire album which I found really pleasant too.
Save the life of my Child is really interesting, for a minute I didn't think it was even S&G but I really liked it.
The forlorn yearning / screaming turned gospel with seamlessly hits you with "Hello darkness my old friend" was really something else. The synth is SICK too.
I've had "America" favorited for years now, I have always liked this melody. It feels like I am in a storybook, and the journey is wonderful. That wind instrument in it (Clarinet?) is great.
I have too many compliments to give this album but I will summarize them here:
The vocals are so soothing, wonderful acoustic instruments all tied together with some very well placed woodwinds and brass (especially at the last half of "Old Friends"
There are also many songs that are much more Beatles esque like "Fakin' it" and "Mrs. Robinson" are also fantastic. These songs are what I would play for almost anyone.
A last note, "A Hazy Shade of Winter" has such a sick guitar riff, this should be in the hall of fame of riffs, even though it's not electric.
5
Nov 01 2023
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Live!
Fela Kuti
I'll start of by saying that a lot of the live versions are not going to be as good as studio versions. That being said I don't think I would want to listen to the studio versions either.
It's not terrible but it's certainly very hard to listen to. Black Man's cry is very goofy sounding, and I can't tell if he is speaking a language or gibberish. The random screams are kind of good though, I feel like these songs would be great for sampling.
The drum solo is not doing anything for me. I don't actually like drum solos unless they're like aphex twin flim.
2
Nov 02 2023
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Document
R.E.M.
This album is just alright to me, I didn't mind most of the songs.
I found that his voice was a little too nasally and high pitched for me.
It seemed like the songs got better as album went on.
I didn't mind "The One I love" and "It's the end of the world". These songs are the best of the album in my opinion but they're still not perfect.
King of birds has some good moments but still could be better. I like his voice more in this song than any other song here. I wish I could give this rating more granularity, because I believe it deserves a 2.7 stars.
3
Nov 03 2023
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Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
This album is very important, and many hip hop songs would not exist without this album.
But MY GOD is this annoying. Tough to listen to, the rap isn't really bad, its the horrible backing track.
It's really repetitive and annoying. Just straight up annoying.
+ 1 star just because it's a very influential album.
2
Nov 06 2023
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Tommy
The Who
Overall not a very catchy album.
None of the songs were memorably bad or unlistenable, but I didn't find myself really loving the songs.
I thought that the songs were slightly sparce but there were some good parts. Go to the mirror was pretty good, and so was Sally Simpson.
The harmonization in the vocals felt natural and I found myself liking it more than not, but it's not really anything to write home about.
Overall I would consider this album to be better than average but not truly worth of a four star rating.
I would give it a 3.6 star, but I will have to round up.
It's also really really long, I skipped through some of these songs the the underture. Just didn't want to hear it for that long.
4
Nov 07 2023
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21
Adele
This is a super popular album that seems to be universally loved. Adele has a strong and very impressive voice and she really uses it on this album.
I'm not a regular listener of Adele and this is the first time I've heard some of these songs, but they're alright.
There are a few songs that are just too much for me, especially with long drawn out vocal notes (screams). Not a fan of it, and just because you have the lung capacity to hold a note longer doesn't mean you should.
As for more specifics, rumour has it was very repetitive and overplayed. Rolling in the deep is well mastered but you'll never hear me playing it for myself. Same thing with set fire to the rain and someone like you. I was forced to listen to these on the bus ride to and from school as well as my overly positive and outgoing art teacher in middle school. Don't want to hear it again but I recognize that they're objectively well done.
I like the piano, and I find the melodies pleasing. I would not choose to put this album on though, which makes me feel like I'm overrating it at four stars.
4
Nov 08 2023
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Urban Hymns
The Verve
When I mentioned that I was listening to this album to Jon, he laughed and said "that one hit wonder band made it to the top 1001 albums?".
After listening to it, I liked it way more than expected. Bittersweet symphony actually is very good but it's not my favorite on this album.
Sonet, drugs don't work, catching the butterfly, space and time, Lucky man, One day really took me by surprise. I didn't expect to hear songs that I liked so much yet were entirely new to me.
This genre is also right up my alley in terms of somber tone, mellow piano and guitar and laid back vocals. It's like they're not pushing too hard for any part of these songs.
This album also incorporates a lot of serious topics and covers them in a very approachable and listenable way. This is especially evident in Sonet and Drugs don't work.
All in all this album really took me by surprise in a great way. The lyrics are very culturally relevant and convey a great image of the bands thoughts and feelings. I really love the warm sound of acoustic instruments paired with a mellow timbre.
Sonet is going to be played very frequently for me.
5
Nov 09 2023
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Nevermind
Nirvana
This is a sweet album with some really fantastic songs.
There were actually more songs here that I didn't know but I recognized them as they went on.
Smells Like Teen Spirit and Something In The Way are incredible. I think these songs are so outstanding that it really puts the rest of this album to shame.
In Bloom was also really great, I love the grunge and emotion put into every part of this song.
Come As You are is also quite nice, I like the simple yet solid guitar line.
Breed was a head banger as well, a little higher energy than the rest. There were some repetitive parts but they were welcome if you are vibing to it.
Lithium was pretty rad but it sounded quite samey to the rest of the album.
Polly was very mellow but I enjoyed the change of pace.
Going straight into Territorial Pissing was not my favorite, it's a little too harsh and violent for my taste. It's definitely not a bad song though.
Drain you seemed like a super early version of Smells like Teen Spirit. Of course I didn't think it was the best song on this album but it's very listenable.
As a closing note, this album had a very
cohesive style, but my favorite song is "Something In The Way" which goes slightly out of the normal tendencies of this album. Really stands out to me, not only as the best songs in the album but one of the best songs in general.
5
Nov 10 2023
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The Grand Tour
George Jones
This was a classic early country album. I like the vibes, I think it is very inviting and warm sounding. I probably wouldn't put it on for most occasions, but when it is the right time I feel like this album would be my top choice for country music of this style.
No one song was more remarkable than the next in my opinion though, but to be fair I did listen to this more passively than the other albums so far. I'm going to give it a three star rating because it really didn't wow me.
3
Nov 17 2023
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Vanishing Point
Primal Scream
This was actually very cool, industrial sounding and very well mastered.
I like all the wacky sounds, but played all together it's a very nice video game soundtrack.
I could totally imagine playing this whole album while speedrunning half life 1.
4
Nov 21 2023
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Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
4
Nov 22 2023
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Imperial Bedroom
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
This album is pretty funky and really out of the ordinary with the vocals in my mind.
I wish the dude would stop talking all the time. He never shuts up and he's not really adding positive things to this album.
I like the keyboard and other jazzy instruments but I really wish this dude would shut up. It's like a karaoke bar singer who is way too full of himself, and way too full of cheap margaritas.
Pigeon English is probably my favorite on the album but I would probably not add it to my liked songs.
Plus one star because the rest of the band is pretty with it.
2
Nov 23 2023
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Planet Rock: The Album
Afrika Bambaataa
2
Nov 24 2023
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
I think soul music takes you back to when it was written. Sometimes I try to imagine the sound quality being even worse played through the radio of an old Cadillac in 1959 late at night.
Really relaxing and enjoyable music for sure.
Blueberry Hill is my favorite for sure. Blue Monday is also very nice.
4
Nov 27 2023
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Talking Book
Stevie Wonder
Maybe your baby has a real great bass line but this is not my type of music.
You and I really is great. The theremin in the background is my favorite, this song takes this album to three stars. I know he can make fantastic music but I usually don't like the style.
Superstition is another song that just slaps, it's a real marker of an era for me. Shag green carpets, those dangling door beads and
Blame it on the sun also has some pretty solid parts.
The last song, I believe, really wrapped it all up well. I came out enjoying this album a lot more than I expected to. I wouldn't mind listening to this again!
Honestly some solid bangers on this album, I would just skip the first few songs. Everything after that is very enjoyable.
4
Nov 28 2023
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The Chronic
Dr. Dre
This album has a lot of bangers.
I generally liked a lot of it too, which says a lot seeing as this is quite an old rap album.
I enjoyed how the group dynamic seemed very supportive of each other and very wholesome.
This probably got a real bad "rap" back in the day, but the topics covered really aren't anything crazy or horrible (other than murder I guess).
Extra points for snoop.
4
Nov 29 2023
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Private Dancer
Tina Turner
She sounds that an estranged aunt that thinks shes good at singing.
I am a certified hater, so don't take my opinion too seriously if you like her music.
"What's love got to do with it" has a fun 8 bit nintendo music sound to it when she isn't screaming like a walmart denizen scrabbling over the last discounted TV.
It's not horrible but I don't like her voice and what she does with it.
Wouldn't ever listen to it by my own volition, but I think Kelsey likes a few of these songs.
2
Nov 30 2023
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Abraxas
Santana
Oye como va is a banger for sure.
I liked these songs a lot actually, they have a good vibe that is pretty jazzy.
I appreciate all the instrumentals.
This is a great background album, but if you really want to pay attention to the songs they don't disappoint.
I also really liked the song "mother's daughter". Solid rock song.
4
Dec 01 2023
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Sign 'O' The Times
Prince
Turns out I just really hate Prince.
His music is pretty much just not my type.
I have heard kidz bop that sounds better.
I am not listening to all of this, HouseQuake sucks mega balls.
I also despise Hot thing and Let me be your girlfriend. Sucks through and through, lyrical content, beat, and singing.
This might be the worst album yet, and I really hope we start getting better albums soon because I might lose hope in "1001 albums to listen to".
1
Dec 04 2023
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Paranoid
Black Sabbath
This is an album that I have listened to before. I really like Black Sabbath so this album was perfect for me.
War pigs, Paranoid, Iron Man, Hand of Doom are all fantastic.
Planet Caravan also needs a special shout out for being so out of the ordinary for this band. I like the smooth and more calm switch up.
Solid album that I will continue to listen to.
4
Dec 05 2023
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Court And Spark
Joni Mitchell
Very nice pleasant music. I don't have a ton of notes though. I like her voice though. It seems so natural and unforced.
4
Dec 06 2023
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
I've never heard of this band before but he's great! Listened through the entire album without a bad thought. I really like 2:45, angeles and between the bars.
Really nice music with lots of great guitar. Might be one of my favorite albums here so far.
5
Dec 07 2023
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Truth And Soul
Fishbone
Turns out I am not a huge fan of ska, and this album was not really a surprise.
It's just okay, I didn't find myself really jamming to anything. It was unpleasant enough that I skipped around, but it's just not my favorite.
4
Dec 08 2023
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Sincere
Mj Cole
The vocals are hot garbage.
Danny Vicious and Elizabeth Troy have very grating voices.
This whole album made me sad, the string and piano backing track isn't horrible but I hate the vocals.
This seems like it would play at a department store at 8:00am, it's bad.
The whole album feels disjunct and hard to listen to.
Concept noir also did nothing for me.
It's all the parts I hate from gospel music.
Just because it takes skill to sing like this, does not mean it's good.
I will never listen to this.
1
Dec 13 2023
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Graceland
Paul Simon
There are some cool songs on this album. The theme of savior / rapture and his son is kind of interesting, for his sake I hope he and his son made it to Graceland.
Graceland is catchy and chill.
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes is great. I enjoyed the different parts of the song, especially the intro. It's the same group as homeless, which is my favorite song on the album.
Homeless just hits a spot in my brain, I must have heard this as a child because it's very nostalgic and brings back warm memories.
"That was your mother" was much better once I listened to the lyrics. I could imagine myself as Simons son, listening to this song about my family.
Cool album.
4