Crazy that this album came out 5 whole years after Rapper's Delight. It's Like That and 30 Days bumped it up from a 2.5 to 3 stars.
Great: Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Give Me Novacaine Very Good: American Idiot, St. Jimmy, She's a Rebel, Wake Me Up When September Ends (borderline good/fine) Fine: Jesus of Suburbia, Extraordinary Girl, Letterbomb, Whatsername Bad: Are We the Waiting (bad in a way that genuinely pisses me off), Homecoming (not great in a way that brings the rest of the album down) Overall: I've already heard many times and I didn't change my mind on any tracks really. Just a very front-stacked album that gets noticeably less good as you hit the second half.
First time hearing any of these songs aside from Little Wing! Really enjoyed the album but it's a 4.5 for me- it can't be 5 stars because Electric Ladyland is a step above, sorry :( I'll definitely be coming back to this album in the future. For Real Life Changing: Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing (makes me remember that guitar is my favorite instrument in the world) Great: Exp, Up From the Skies (very fun lyrics, love when a 60s album mentions global warming), One Rainy Wish, Little Miss Lover, Bold As Love (saved by the final guitar solos) Very very good but not quite there for me as a whole: Wait Until Tomorrow (funky!! too British sounding), Ain't No Telling, If 6 Was 9, Castles Made of Sand Eh. Whatever: You Got Me Floatin and She's So Fine
Overall: These dudes can't write lyrics but they can play instruments. This album made me think about how much good rock music had already come out 5+ years before this album. This sound is the White Man 80s Rock that I personally don't enjoy. I wouldn't complain if this were on in someone's car but I will not be revisiting any of the songs here. Invaders, Children of the Damn, Gangland, The Number of the Beast: Very fun guitar soloing, love the instruments. Lyrics feel like a bunch of 8th graders having a fun time playing pretend and talking about movies they watched while staying up late last night. These guys are not good at writing lyrics! But they do know how to save their song with a fun instrumental break. The Prisoner: Fine. Whatever 22 Acacia Avenue: One of the songs that really makes me think about how by 1982 this had already 1. Been Done 2. Been Done Better. The lyrics are genuinely bad (not just because they're misogynistic, which they are). At no point am I convinced the singer has seen a woman before!! Run For the Hills: Led Zeppelin put out "Achilles Last Stand" six whole years before this album was released. Makes you think. Hallowed Be Thy Name: Best song on the album imo!! Good strong ending.
Have never heard this despite knowing Alex Turner and Miles Kane’s solo/group music! I really liked the direction of the album but it worked more on some tracks than others. For me this is a HIGH 3, but some of the misses stop it from rounding up to a 4. Some tracks maybe weren’t objectively amazing but they were tailor made for me so. I'm trying to be a bit more objective I guess. Personally really love: Standing Next to Me, My Mistakes Were Made For You (Alex Turner has a way of making the syllables of his lyrics flow so well), Black Pant (their Beatles slay…...) Really good: The Age of Understatement, Calm Like You (Frank and Nancy Sinatra + Lee Hazlewood I see..) Cute nice songs: The Meeting Place, Time Has Come Again Solid but not the best version of the album’s sound: Separate and Ever Deadly (lyrics and guitar solo are good but Miles Kane’s voice does nothing for me here. Mediocre Arctic Monkeys track), Only the Truth (I like the experimentation but it doesn’t work as well), I Don’t Like You Anymore (the start/stop trick has worn thin by this point) Fine: The Chamber, In My Room
Five stars for me!!!!! It accomplishes everything it wants to, the lyrics vocals instrumentals and song structure work together so well on every single song. Every song works together to make this not just a great collection of songs but a great Album. An exploration of Cold War Vietnam War late 60s paranoia and fear and also an incredible blend of what was going on in rock, jazz, pop, etc at the time. I was shocked that this is from 1969- I had heard the first and last tracks before and would have guessed they were from 1975 or later even. I don't have a favorite or least favorite here, every single song hits in some way. Man. What a closer!!!
Love this album even though I usually just listen to the first side of it. What can I say about Bitches Brew. Um. Listening to Pharaoh's Dance on repeat in college made me a better listener. I don't know if I would be as into funk if I hadn't heard Bitches Brew- and also, I don't know if I would be as into Bitches Brew if I didn't have prior experience with funk and long rock compositions of the 60s/early 70s. Insane that this is from 1969!!!! Sorry I don't have anything good to say I'm running to go tutor
Got a bit tired after a while but it does a very solid job at what it’s trying to accomplish! I liked this more than I thought I would, so I definitely wouldn’t mind hearing it if someone else turned it on. I counted at least two Doors references which was cute. Really just feels like a hard rock/rock and roll album (complete with the teenage girl song lyrics). Fun solos! Good fun: Ace of Spades, Love Me Like a Reptile (love the lyrics), Shoot You in the Back, Road Crew (vocals aren’t my favorite but that wah-wah solo!!), Bite the Bullet (sounds like a 50 year old man divorce anthem which is cool), the Hammer (LMAO????? Okay Paul McCartney!) Fine but boring: Live to Win, Fast and Loose, Fire Fire, Dance Evil and not even fun: Jailbait, The Chase is Better than the Catch
Very fun album, definitely on the high high end of 3 stars for me! Stand out tracks: Rock Lobster (obviously), Planet Claire, 52 Girls (lyrics, not instrumentals etc). Was debating 4 stars because of its general importance and the group’s importance but I’m rounding down sorry :(
One of my very first favorite albums since I was a kid. Insanely good. Only wish that Country Honk were replaced by Honky Tonk Women but it’s fine. It’s just hit after hit after hit. What can I even say!!!!!! Excited to see what you guys thought if it was your first time listening :O
“Dudes rock”, the album. A lower 4 stars for me, but it got pushed over because it’s from 1986 and I did enjoy it :) go white boys go white boys etc. A lot of songs and moments here I really enjoyed aside from the three songs I already knew! Really great: Brass Monkey (already knew it v well but it’s sooooo fucking good), Rhymin and Stealin (cute lyrics!! Love the led zeppelin sample for an opener), The New Style, She’s Crafty (speaking of Led Zeppelin samples!), and Girls Very good: Time to Get lll, Paul Revere, Hold It Now Hit It, Posse in Effect To be honest I enjoyed every song on here. Repetitive and sometimes awkward, yes, but the three of them have a real charisma in their delivery, plus some unexpectedly fun sampling moments! Me talking about [redacted (pre-boycott)] vs Kanye rapping about his car accident vs the Beastie Boys rapping about White Castle
Low 4 but I enjoyed this one! Didn’t realize that Alice In Chains was a Seattle grunge band?? Always thought of them as late 80s arena rock for some reason. I hope things got better for their lyricist because this is not a happy man. Running late to work bye
Really good album!! Man!! I underestimated the Cars! I only knew Just What I Needed, which I thought was from the mid 80s, so imagine my surprise.. By the way, much weirder song than I realized. Love it. The album overall is quirky but pretty confident for a debut. Shades of Queen, shades of early Talking Heads and maybe even Television. Thomas Dolby even, if you will. Each song is pretty fun on its own, but man to go back to Just What I Needed- what the fuck are the drums doing ?? So so fun. Ok I prommy I’ll start doing more organized responses after today. But this is a HIGH HIGH HIGH four for me.
I love an album with bitchy lyrics and bouncy beats what can I say!! Favorites are some I already knew like Gangsters (not sure if this is actually on the album?), A Message to You Rudy, Too Much Too Young, and Monkey Man (SOOOO fun) plus new favorites like Do the Dog, Stupid Marriage, and Dawning of a New Era. But every other song was still so good- great lyrics all around, plus that Rolling Stones sample on Little Bitch? Fun! It’s an album that’s full of covers and also most songs sound like they would be more fun to hear live, but a super strong debut imo! Also why was Elvis Costello the producer. Just curious.
It's a good album with good songs, but I don't think I'll be listening in the future! I do think it's really funny to end your album on a song that's like "these mean punks ruined our show .. that was so GAY of them don't you guys agree". I do think I would've liked the album much more if it had something more interesting happening melodically, because everything else should have clicked more for me. I kept thinking about In the Court of the Crimson King and how much better it was while covering some similar themes and moods. I'm going to give this a 4.... but it's a conflicted 4. Favorite songs: War Pigs, Paranoid, Planet Caravan Worst song: Fairies Wear Boots. why don't you go eat a dove's head and calm down Ozzy.
Didn’t expect it but I really enjoyed this one! It’s a strong album and I at the very least enjoyed every song. It’s not a 5 for me just because it was missing SOMETHING, but definitely an album I’ll revisit! We love you Nick Drake (apparently!!!) Favorites: Hazey Jane II (very nice, the lyrics made me smile!! Love the feeling of this one), At the Chime of a City Clock (really beautiful lyrics and melody, but unfortunately I am currently feeling very lonely and isolated and sad and I live in a city so. It hit too hard. Shades of Kirchner's "Street, Dresden" (1908)), Poor Boy (that little Latin flair and gospel chorus and sax + piano solos have my foot tapping and head nodding.. Depressing lyrics but I really really do love the instrumentation on this one) Very nice: One of These Things First (miserable but cute lyrics), Hazey Jane I: (like if Bob Dylan had written a song for a PG-13 coming of age movie circa 2014), Fly (it's a nice song, just not my favorite on the album. Unexpectedly leans into that mid/late 60s British Invasion instrumentation (like something off a Beatles album from Revolver to Magical Mystery Tour)), Northern Sky (not my favorite but very sweet) I love all the instrumentals
We love you Off the Wall by Michael Jackson!!! Told Ray I would give it five stars but I’m sorry there are a few tracks toward the end that I’m like. Neutral about. But the first half is sooooo fucking good. I’m sure Thriller is on this list somewhere so I’ll save the five stars for that. Favorites: don’t stop till you get enough (duh), rock with you (ALLLLL NIIIIGHTTT), workin’ day and night (makes me wish I could do a jump into a split), get on the floor (makes me wish I could spin 5x just purely based off momentum from one slide), off the wall, and MAYBE girlfriend (Paul McCartney shoutout….)
One of my favorite albums of all time. Just such a good combo of the old and the new- the piano solo on Aladdin Sane, the bluesy Rolling Stones/Kinks moments, the music hall and art rock and glam rock guitar and the LYRICS!!! My three favorites are always Aladdin Sane, Drive in Saturday (that’s MY SONG!!), and Time, and also The Prettiest Star as of the past year or two or three. Um. Idk what to say. If anyone says they hate this album I’m going to kill myself on the timeline. Just kidding. I do dislike the cover of Let’s Spend the Night Together. If I were any of The Rolling Stones I would be so pissed. But the same year that the album was released Davis Bowie and Mick Jagger were hooking up so! Love wins.
I’m so sorry the album was very nice and did what it wanted and the lyrics were good but MY GODDDDDD IT NEVER ENDED. BUT I’M FREE!!! I’M FREE!!!!! Maybe if she had a harmonica instead of a harp… the mouth harp if you will… I would’ve enjoyed it more. I’m so sorry Joanna.
An inoffensive album with a few fun moments. I had a longer review and then the site reloaded and it all disappeared. Horrible. Favorites: Boxcars (a fun song!!), Cornbread Moon, I'll Be Your Moon Evil lyrics: Fingernails Everything else was like. Fine. Some truly cheesy moments of 70s rock instrumentation, but otherwise it's the kind of album that I would never put on but wouldn't notice playing in a public space.
I really liked this one! Not a single song was a miss for me, and there are definitely a few that I'll come back to when I remember. Listened to this one three times (once for sound, once for lyrics, once for fun) and enjoyed it each time. Absolute favorites: Anti-Pope, Smash It Up Pts 1 and 2 (loooove the guitars) Very good: Love Song (cute lyrics!!), I Just Can’t Be Happy Today (mediocre lyrics but felt like a Kaiser Chiefs song overall), These Hands (murderous circus theme.. inspired), Plan 9 Channel 7 (make me wonder why The Damned and The Clash were both making Dead Hollywood Actor songs in the late 70s), Looking at You Fun little songs: Machine Gun Etiquette, Melody Lee, Noise Noise Noise, Liar (the last two are a bit teenage-ish lyrically) My favorite lines are these from Anti-Pope: “Religion doesn't mean a thing It's just another way of being right wing I think sex films are okay I don't dig that pope, no way” Funny stuff.
It took me several days to review this because I was so pissed off about slipping and falling at the Herald Square station while listening to this that I refused to submit my review. But here it is: I enjoyed this album consistently but it never felt like there were any insane stand out tracks, unlike The Queen is Dead, which I believe was released the year before Strangeways. All the tracks were new to me, and I would listen to this album again (and I’d enjoy it!), but it also disappointed me in some ways. I consistently enjoyed the instrumentals as usual, but something about the sound mixing was a bit off on some of these. Good lyrics but nothing too life-changing. A low four stars. Really good: Death of a Disco Dancer (Bowie-esque in some ways?), Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One Before (dream-pop-y?!)
Some tracks were stronger than others, but yeah man they knew what to do with those guitars! I've had Elizabeth Reed in my iTunes library since high school so I already loved that one but their version of Stormy Monday was also really nice
Okay. I get and respect what they were trying to do with this album. But a lot of the time it really felt like I was listening to an amateur band at a bar cover a song that I usually enjoy while I sit back and wait for it to be over. The singing especially wasn't my thing. I don't know, I think the album felt too similar to other mid 80s albums that I DO enjoy, so this one really fell flat to me. It was so close to being something that I would've loved that I got very annoyed instead. Favorites: Psycho Cupid (genuinely good!!), Last Dance. Also wasn't too mad about Darkness and Doubt and Flitcraft. Lost Highway was a bizarre album closer- feels like the sort of song John and Paul would've given Ringo.
Wholly unexpected five stars from me! It looks like this is actually a mistake on the original author's end, where he added a rare compilation album, but I loved this one and can't wait to revisit it over and over (plus it got me to accidentally listen to another album titled "Vento De Maio", by Nara Leao, which I also ended up loving, although this is stronger). I checked out the lyrics where I could find them. Overall a great combination of fun and funky instruments, great singing that fit the lyrics and mood super well each time, and really amazing lyrics!!! Sorry to make this long but here are my thoughts, song by song: Vento de Maio: Interesting musically and lyrically! Combination of genres and moods, intriguing imagery, and the nice inclusion of the wind instruments to emphasize the idea of the wind of May. Sai Dessa: Wish it were longer!! I want this to be a 6 minute track. SOOO so fun and funky and playful. I didn’t expect this!! Tiro Ao Alvaro: Really fun stuff going on with the lyrics, puns and intentional mispronunciations (according to a very helpful man on lyricstranslate.com)! I also wish this one were longer, and that I could watch people dance to it. Wow!!! So Deus E Quem Sabe: That slightly sleazy and orchestral 70s vibe.. I really like her voice on this one. Very strong song… has me closing my eyes and snapping my fingers. O Que Foi Feito Devera: The lyrics blew me away on this one. Loooove the part where Milton Nascimento comes in. Insane insane insane song. GOD!!! Nova Estacao: Nice song! Not my favorite on the album so far but still pleasant and smooth. Saudade Eterna: GIRL GET UP!! Very fun little song. Groovy.. has me dancing in my seat.. Outro Cais: Nice lyrics and singing, just not my preferred vibe. Rebento: Really beautiful lyrics, not my preferred vibe either but it is a very good type of song for that specific genre/vibe, if that makes sense. It does a great job of what it wants to do. I think a lot of 70s female singer-songwriter fans would go nuts for this song. O Trem Azul: Love the imagery here in the lyrics.. the sultry and soulful backing.. her voice.. just a really well put together song. That build up with her wailing and the horns in the final couple minutes… so so good. O Medo De Amar E O Medo De Ser Livre: Love the guitar on this one (and the cowbell!), a nice groove. The songs on this album will sometimes throw in really great imagery that hits in just a few words or lines. Great stuff. Se Eu Quiser Falar Com Deus: Perfectly delivered and preached Gospel-soul song.. damn! I wasn’t expecting this but it’s so well done. Aprendendo A Jogar: Super funky and groovy, love this one – the kind of song you want to sing along to as you hear it for the first time! Thank you commenters on Genius Lyrics who helped me understand the cool interplay of the common sayings used in the lyrics. Great stuff!!
IT'S MY ALBUM RANKING AND I GET TO GIVE MUDDY WATERS AT NEWPORT 1960 FIVE STARS IF I WANT TO! I mean... it's Muddy Waters and Otis Spann and James Cotton and the rest of the Muddy Waters Blues Band recording the first real live blues album. What else could I possibly give it. They're firing on all cylinders, Muddy Waters sounds cool and in control as always, the harmonica is wailing away, and the audience is loving them (you can see more of that if you watch the recorded footage of the concert). Just a fun and joyful moment in blues history. Favorites: Hoochie Coochie Man and Got My Mojo Working are classics, and Goodbye Newport Blues is a very nice ending with Otis Spann on vocals. They're all standouts to me sorry for not being objective about Muddy Waters
Very embarrassed to say this was my first time listening! I’d vaguely listened to NY State of Mind and The World Is Yours a few times but not enough to really catch the lyrics much. I’m finishing up my 4th or 5th listen and wanted to start writing out my favorites but I started writing down every track name. Man!!!! The kind of album where every song has several moments where I’m genuinely taken aback by the idea that someone could’ve come up with those lyrics (especially at 19/20???). Love the samples, love the storytelling, love the rhyming and diction, love the fact that Q Tip randomly shows up as usual, idk it’s fucking good!!!! It’s Illmatic. Five stars
I initially didn't like this one because the majority of the first half felt weak to me, but it grew on me a lot after my second/third listens. I think it benefits from considering it in the context of Marvin Gaye's own personal life and biography as well as considering it within the broader musical developments of the 60s and early 70s. It's obviously a very important album for Marvin Gaye's own public image and it shows a greater experimentation with funk, sexuality and sensuality, etc. I think the second half is clearly the stronger side, but like... the first half kicks off with Let's Get It On.... hard to top that one!! Also it's so so funny to end your crazy horny album with a divorce song. Top songs: Let's Get It On (haven't listened to the lyrics on this one in a long time but MAN!! crazy ass charisma) and Come Get to This. It's a four stars but imo a very low four stars, benefitting mostly from the title, from the context, and from the fact that Marvin Gaye can sing the hell out of a song, no matter how repetitive it might feel.
I'll relisten to this in a bit but just to get it out of the way- WE LOVE YOU LED ZEPPELIN II!!! Singlehandedly got me through several months of high school. And college. And adult life. My favorites are Whole Lotta Love (duh), Heartbreaker (duh), Ramble On (duh), and Bring It On Home (that's MY song!!!!). The rest are all so good that it felt bad not including them. I will say that The Lemon Song is less appealing to me now that I'm 26 and not 15 but! Still hits. Sexy ass album. Sorry.
There were some things I liked about this album. There were many touching lyrics. The organ was nice. One or two songs briefly caught my attention. But overall it was a long, painful album to get through and I'm glad it's over. That feels horrible to say because I do think this album is a nice 9/11 tribute but man. I'm already not a huge Springsteen fan so this was tough. I'm giving it 3 stars because it felt like a 2 to me but I also was not the target audience, so.
Wish I could've found lyrics for more than one song, especially since it seems like songwriting is a big part of the artist's reputation! Really hypnotic and enjoyable music to have on while working- the singing and repetitive guitar consistently work together really beautifully. Makes me want to learn more about Senegalese music!
This album surprised me! I think one of Blur's strengths are that they're great at drawing clear inspiration from other artists and still maintaining a clear voice. Half the songs on this album made me think, "Oh hold on, this sounds just like _____", but those songs were still very strong on their own. I think that's hard to do! A lot of surprising influences in this one but man, I don't think a single song fell flat! I already really like Blur on a song-by-song basis but I was expecting to only like about half of these (including the ones I already knew and love, Beetlebum and Song 2). But yeah, I'll definitely continue spending time with this album in the future. Some of these really blew me away, like "Theme From Retro" (which really sounded like something off of Blondie's Automerican). A strong 4 for me!
A high 3 stars- it definitely grew on me during my second listen! It's the kind of album where I'd enjoy the music if someone else turned it on in a bar or something but I wouldn't turn it on myself. I already knew La Grange going in and that remained the highlight of the album, although each song did have at least one part that I enjoyed. Generally fun guitars and bluesier/groovier than I expected in some parts, with a few fun moments lyrically. Last point- it's funny when an album has a song about a brothel sandwiched in between a few songs about the second coming of Christ.
I came into this already knowing 1/3 of the songs very well, vaguely knowing 1/3 of the songs, and then never having heard the final 1/3. It was my first time getting into the lyrics of any of these tracks (aside from Mardy Bum + Riot Van). Happy to report that almost every one of the songs ranges from really good to great! Overall a cohesive and well done album from start to finish - there were a few weaker tracks sprinkled in but by the time the album's over you've forgotten them already. It doesn't quite reach the highest highs of Favorite Worst Nightmare in my opinion but it's still a very solid album (and a crazy good debut imo!) Really great: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Fake Tales of San Francisco, Riot Van, Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured, Mardy Bum, A Certain Romance Great: The View From the Afternoon, When the Sun Goes Down, From the Ritz to the Rubble Solid: Dancing Shoes, You Probably Couldn't..., Still Take You Home, Perhaps Vampires...
Absolutely not what I expected! Damn! Musical theater and dramatics and anguish and ecstasy... A lot of fun, but not really for me! Incredibly funny album art choice for an album that draws influence from like. The Ronettes and the Shangri-Las.
I put off listening to this because I thought I would really need to be in a certain mood and mental space to appreciate it- and I was partially right. I think if I had listened to this a few years ago in my childhood bedroom staring out the window at night it would've been one of my favorite albums of all time and fundamentally changed my music-listening-trajectory. It's a really strong album on every level and is great at sounding cohesive and setting a mood without ever getting repetitive or boring. It's hard for me to gauge just how unique and never-before-done this album was- I suspect it wasn't the first of its kind, but maybe the first time people heard this sort of music from a hugely popular rock group? The first two songs scared the hell out of me and I came into this review thinking I'd give it a four stars and move on but man. I'm halfway through my second listen to the album and I really think it's a five star for me. Sorry this review is all over the place but I'm just taking in the album.
I already suspected this but it really seems like metal is not for me. Love hard rock, love punk, but metal just..... comes off as silly, sorry.
I’m very very familiar with four of the songs on the album but hadn’t ever listened to the rest and man.. when you put them all together it really does sound like a suicide album. A very strong and fun album but absolutely a Final Album. I imagine people might like this album less than I did if they’re not as into blues. The first side is definitely weaker than the second half, and the album would definitely be a 4.5 instead of a 5 if that were an option here. But songs like Hyacinth House and Been Down So Long and even Cars Hiss By My Window stood out in addition to the four that are already some of my favorite songs of all time so. I had no choice but to go with five stars here. The band is firing on all cylinders (not just organ, although Ray Manzarek kills it as always), the album sound is cohesive, Morrison sounds great, and some of these lyrics are so important to me that I can’t even joke about them. “The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)” changed my life in high school. So glad this album came up on the generator and I finally checked it out as a whole!!
Fun album with a lot of variety! Some hits, some misses, a lot of stuff I was neutral-positive about.
Really enjoyed the first set of songs but it starts to go downhill for me toward the middle. That’s entirely due to my own personal taste- I enjoy an early 70s classic rock bluesy sound but I’m not as into bluegrass or folk rock. It’s a solid album! But I’m gonna have to give it a high 3: I wont be seeking it out again but I enjoy some of the songs a lot.
What a surprise!! Went in thinking I would find it incredibly boring and cheesy, but I like this more with each listen. It's not my preferred sound as far as late 60s/early 70s goes, but it fits the lyrics so well that I can't really complain. There are some moments of instrumentation I really enjoyed- like Country Road, which is pure Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet/Sticky Fingers. A few songs that I really like (Sunny Skies, Steamroller Blues, Fire and Rain surprisingly), some that I found nice, and only one really that I wish he hadn't included (Oh! Susanna) just because I personally am not a huge minstrel song fan. Hope that's not too controversial to say. Anyway, definitely going to revisit this one! I really can't overstate how surprised I was- I always thought Fire and Rain was this big dramatic mid 80s song for some reason.
Really really wanted to give them 2 stars because the Confederate song pissed me off so bad but I do mildly enjoy some of the songs. King Harvest is a great closer. Do you know that that one Village Voice critic said this was the best album of the year, beating out Abbey Road? Imagine if Paul had made Her Majesty be a sad song about a British person who suffered because colonialism ended or whatever the fuck. Give me a BREAK!
We love you GEORGE CLINTON we love you PFUNK we love you SONGS ABOUT SHITTING!
Thought this would be a hard rock album, so this was unexpected but very very welcome! I really like this one, definitely going to come back to it in the future! A spacey, groovy, pretty album, not a single song I didn't enjoy.
Once I took a 20 minute cab ride and the song Thriller played the entire time, but it kept skipping around and played the spoken word bit for almost fifteen minutes straight. The cab driver didn't react at all. Just the two of us listening to Vincent Price chopped and screwed.
Listened to half of it, didn’t care for it, then came back for a double lesson weeks later and loved it! Very plastic and sleazy and silly in the best way possible. Frustration is such a good opener
Hadn’t ever listened to Radiohead before this project (too nervous) and each of these albums is so good. The Bends is more my taste than Kid A actually, I’ve been listening to it all day and my Sunday has been great. Sorry that you had to suffer for my enjoyment Mr. Yorke 🫡
Jump scare on the final track. Glad he's dead now. Good album though!! Darlene Love kills it on every song she sings!!
I think Dion was right, Phil Spector really did not do his best work on this one. It's cheesy and overwrought in some ways but I really do love Dion's voice.. it tugs at my heartstrings.. a very even 3 stars for this one. I really hope the superior Dion album is on this list (Runaround Sue, 1961)!
I've avoided rating this for weeks now because I couldn't decide if I should try and be objective (4 stars) or be true to myself (5 stars). This was my first ever "favorite album" and, while a few songs are Nice instead of Great, I still keep coming back to it over and over and over again. Crazy ass opener and closer. We love you PAUL MCCARTNEY! RIP Denny Laine!!!!
This is a rare instance of an album I'm giving a 4 but will probably never listen to again. I absolutely don't think it belongs in this list, but it's also a strong live album with some very fun moments and a good selection of songs. It accomplishes what a live album is meant to do, in that it makes me respect Van Morrison as a performer and makes me interested in checking him out as a studio musician.
Plagiarism accusations be damned, the boy can write a hit! Also isn't it crazy how this album got me through high school and now I'm almost the same age George was when he released this. Fucked up
It grew on me after a couple listens, it definitely has its moments instrumentally and lyrically! Sounds like something that would be on the radio in gym class- I wouldn't be upset about it but I wouldn't actively listen.
Need to spend more time with the lyrics because during both listens I only processed a few at a time but I'm giving it a tentative 4! Not all of the songs hit musically/instrumentally for me but I enjoyed something in each song
Generally inoffensive, which isn't a compliment for punk bands. Crazy that this was being compared to the first Clash album? Have some respect. Overall it's fine.
A rare case where I liked the lyrics enough to round up to 4 stars. Nothing Compares 2 U might be one of my less favorites on the album? Really liked I Am Stretched On Your Grave (using a James Brown Funky Drummer sample looped over the words to a 17th century Irish poem… inspired), The Emperor’s New Clothes, Black Boys on Mopeds (!!!!), and Last Day Of Our Acquaintance.
Jefferson Airplane are a band that I generally looked down on and avoided (aside from Somebody to Love/White Rabbit) when I first explored 60s music in depth ~10 years ago, mostly because I aligned them with hippie culture which I wasn't personally fond of. Surprisingly I really enjoyed this album and was able to find a lot of tracks that I would love to revisit in the future! Once again very happy that I started this 1001 Albums journey. Really good: She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, Today, Comin' Back, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, White Rabbit, Plastic Fantastic Lover Cute: My Best Friend, DCBA-25, Embryonic Journey Fine: How Do You Feel (sounds like a not-great cover of a Rubber Soul cut)
I have repeated instances in my memories of early childhood of thinking the exact thought: "The Red Hot Chili Peppers are uncool but I like their music." I don't know where I was hearing that they were uncool, and I don't know which songs of theirs I was hearing- I just had those two strong emotions toward them. Now that I've heard a full album of theirs, the sentiment hasn't changed. I like every song on this album, although it really is just as loud as everyone said. Favorites: Around the World, Parallel Universe, Californication, Porcelain, I Like Dirt
For some reason this one took me until the second listen to really enjoy it- honestly not my preferred style of 90s hip hop but it's hard to dislike a Wu Tang/Wu Tang adjacent album so. 4 stars!
I really want to give this a 4- it's a good album (strong debut!), it has a cohesive sound, I enjoyed listening to it, no problems with lyrics or production really, and some songs really did stand out. But man, there's just something a bit too unconvincing about it? Sorry Shirley :(
An hour of insane and beautiful storytelling. The songs, the skits, man!! I do think that the last track is slightly underwhelming- it was always my least favorite and that hasn't changed. Isn't it crazy that this lost out to Macklemore at the Grammys. Life is wild. So grateful we get to enjoy music together
This is the kind of stuff Spotify Radio wanted me to listen to back in high school. It pissed me off then and it pisses me off now. I guess it's good that I finally listened to it just to say that I've heard a Classic Album of early 2010s Tumblr but I did want to cheer when the album finally finished. Just boring boring boring. No second listen needed
Haven't ever listened to it all the way through but man!! This is what music is all about In My Humble Opinion
Just finished my second listen, and I may be feeling contrarian and/or my feelings here might be impacted by my having been born the same year this album came out- but honestly? It's pretty boring basic stuff. A few moments I enjoyed but otherwise inoffensive and like. Fine. A solid 3.5 for me. Won't be listening again. Catching the Butterfly: Very good!! I like this one a lot!! Bittersweet Symphony: always felt neutral-positive about this one. Not a bad song but I would forget it exists if not for the Rolling Stones copyright drama. Sonnet, Space and Time, Weeping Willow, Lucky Man, Deep Freeze: Enjoyable in a very passive way, a neutral example of a genre that I usually like The Rolling People, Neon Wilderness, Come On: Feels like they were inspired by a lot of good music and came up with a much more neutral version of what they heard. I do actually really like the end of Come On though, it's good. The Drugs Don't Work, One Day, This Time, Velvet Morning: Okay. whatever.
I don't know, I guess I have specific tastes when it comes to 90s rock and some of these albums do NOT feel like.. necessary to me. Sorry. Definitely not a bad album! Just not sure I absolutely had to listen to it really. I Was a Teenage Hand Model: absolutely favorite song on the album Regular John, You Would Know: solid track, enjoyable! Walkin' on the Sidewalks, How to Handle a Rope, Give the Mule What He Wants: close to being something I would enjoy... but not quite there Avon, If Only, Mexicola, Hispanic Impressions, You Can't Quit Me Baby: Decent but not really standouts
Didn’t realize that Simple Minds were that big in the UK- in my mind they’re firmly in the one hit wonder category (whoops?). Fun album! We love you unexpected Herbie Hancock solo (by the way, Hunter and the Hunted sounds so much like an A-Ha song). Favorite tracks: Someone Somewhere, Promised You a Miracle, Big Sleep, New Gold Dream.
I’m so so sorry but Lorde has never been for me. I can’t relate to her lyrics, I don’t enjoy her voice, and the production isn’t fun either. I can respect it/her!!! Just isn’t for me. Favorite song: Hard Feelings Least favorite songs: The Louvre, Writer in the Dark
Said I would rate this 4 stars but I can’t do it. It’s so fucking good… life changing album for teenage Elizabeth… it’s a 4.5 star album but I must round up for personal reasons….
Honestly, a solid album from start to finish. The highs are high, the lows are generally mid. Generation defining etc etc. Stand-outs: Obviously Kids and Electric Feel, but also Time to Pretend and Of Moons Birds and Monsters.
Very solid working music. Love that this kind of album made the cut- it sounds like the soundtrack to one of the 90s computer games that I would play in the background back in high school when doing homework (thank you Age of Empires II soundtrack for getting me through many difficult assignments).
I like the story and concept a lot, but a lot of the music on the album is Just Fine in my opinion. A few good songs, a few incredible ones of course, but overall my thing with concept albums is like. I personally prefer for them to be able to stand on their own musically, and there are enough of these songs that really just fade into the background for me. Still 4 stars but I doubt I’ll listen to it again as an album aside from the songs I already knew (and loved!!)
I've been avoiding listening to A Love Supreme since I first heard of it in undergrad, just because it seemed like one of those incredibly famous and beloved jazz albums that I would have to immediately "get" or face eternal ridicule from jazz-heads. I listened to it on the subway this afternoon while half-asleep and felt real emotion from it. I've now listened to it 4 times through this evening, read about it, read the poem while listening to Part IV, and MAN! Music is so beautiful and important. Does it ever hit you how good the world can be. I'm not particularly religious but, to quote Coltrane- "God breathes through us so completely ... so gently we hardly feel it ... yet, it is our everything. Thank you God. ELATION-ELEGANCE-EXALTATION All from God. Thank you God. Amen."
Cohesive sound! Not a sound that I find interesting or innovative or even frankly enjoyable, but it sure was cohesive! What can I say. I fully went into this wanting to dislike it and I did dislike it. Boring production mixed with constant talk-singing that delivered lyrics so simple and unimaginitive that it had me double checking how old she was when she made this one (25!!!! 25 years old!) Generally fine, had me asking "who cares": All You Had to Do Was Stay, I Wish You Would, Wildest Dreams, How You Get the Girl, This Love, I Know Places, Clean Pissed Me Off: Welcome to New York, Shake It Off (her Meghan Trainor slay?), BAD BLOOD (the fucking stomp clap, give me a breeeaakkk. Just the most infantile rhymes and lyrics in this one with her grating talk-singing... it doesn't earn the final chorus but really seems to think it deserves it! "Did. You. Have to do this. I was thinking you could be trusted." KILL MEEEEE) Solid pop singles for the radio: Blank Space (decent chorus! cheesy generally.) and Style (boring but definitely my favorite song on here). I'm giving it two stars because I am trying to be nice.
I enjoyed the lyrics, but it isn’t my preferred vibe generally. I did, however, fall asleep to it for a long nap and slept very well so I’ll give it a 4 🫡
This album has been so important to me that all I can really say to the negative comments is please... open your mind.... look into your heart.... the Rolling Stones were BROKE, HIDING FROM THE UK GOVT, and DOING TONS OF HEROIN...three ingredients for a masterpiece.... I love this album so much that my phone password for most of high school was Rocks Off because I didn't learn what that phrase meant until age 17. Just day after day typing "rocks off" into my phone, not a care in the world.
I avoided listening to My Bloody Valentine for many years so I'm pleased to discover that this album is really really good. Love the last track.
The people complaining about the shouts and screams don’t get it- you can feel the energy build through the Apollo as the show goes on, reaching a fever pitch on the second side, and James Brown and the band know exactly what to do with it. Crazy that he had to pay for this album out of pocket because King didn’t believe it would make them money. There’s nothing worse than a bad live album, and there’s nothing better than a good live album, and James Brown (and the Famous Flames!!) do such a good job that you spend the whole thing wishing you could’ve been there at the Apollo in person (and also that it went on for another 20-30 minutes). Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really could have been such a solid punk album! They sound pretty good, some of the songs even venture into having good lyrics, but my god these dudes do not have a single interesting opinion or thought to share. The Sex Pistols are the best example of people who loudly talk about hating authority without a single real thought behind that vocal hatred. Bodies is interesting but sounds wildly conservative in my own personal interpretation (but at least it's saying SOMETHING). Holidays in the Sun, God Save the Queen, EMI, and a few others are good songs. I could easily have given this 4 stars instead of 3. But at a certain point it's like... if the only thing differentiating you from Kiss singing Rock and Roll All Nite is that you indulge in a different form of theatricality while singing essentially the same "authority SUCKS my band RULES" sort of thing then.. idk! Time to go listen to the Clash for a few hours.
Prog rock is like a younger cousin to me. I can relate to it but sometimes I roll my eyes a bit (fondly). I enjoyed the album! Roundabout is really good. But I can't rate it a 4 in good faith.... I'm so sorry....
It had its moments but it also had moments where I nervously checked how many more minutes were left so. A very low 3.
A fun album! I can imagine that a lot of people probably won't find it as enjoyable as I did, but I don't know, it kept a smile on my face... it kept my head nodding to the beat... it sampled Werewolves of London.... what else could I want
The thing is, I really enjoyed some Black Keys singles when I was 13/14 years old. But now that I'm 26 and have listened to the blues and blues rock for over a decade, it's hard to say this is like... good music? It's not actively bad, and I do still enjoy songs like Tighten Up, but man! Obama Era Manufactured Blues. Howlin' For You and Ten Cent Pistol have their moments!
Some really strong songs and great lyrics on here, love the usage of movie clips and the features from other WuTang members, but overall the vibe isn't 100% what I would want from an album. It's really strong, definitely a 4 star, and I'll definitely come back to some of these songs, especially the title track and Killah Hills + Shadowboxin! But I probably won't be listening obsessively to it as a whole project
When I was in middle school my sister and I saw our mom had a note on her phone titled "Grounds For Divorce" and panicked about it for a week until we found out she wanted to remember the name of the song to look it up later. Anyway, a few solid songs with good lyrics that I might come back to later (especially Audience with the Pope) but also many annoying and cheesy moments. It's so obvious that this came out in 2008. What an era.
It's not that I don't get it- I do get it! It just sucks! It's not doing anything new or interesting or even weird? And every now and then there's a 5-10 second moment where you think Aha! They're doing something good here! It's fun to listen to, or maybe it'll move into something exciting! And then it goes back to that smug boring slop from before. Oh well. I'm free! I'm free! I never have to listen to it again!!
Very very high 3! Really solid album, with great blues and jazz and psychedelic moments. I loved the cover of I’m A Man- just not more than the original. Ranking this a 3 because there aren’t any standout tracks to me that I’ll necessarily revisit.
This one is difficult, because it really is a good album, but I also know the blues well enough (and Muddy Waters well enough) that I can't give it 5 stars. Yes, I listened to it over and over, yes the final few tracks are great, yes Mannish Boy is insane every time he records it, but it's not quite as good as something like At Newport 1960. But man!!! He really was hard again on this one. James Cotton just wailing away on the harp as usual, Pinetop Perkins my good friend Pinetop Perkins, etc. And Johnny Winter! And Muddy Waters! A very very strong 4.
This is really a very high 4.5 but I'm rounding up because I've loved this album for ~8 years now. It's not all hits - there are a few songs there that I skip almost every time - but it's hard to beat that opening three song run. The album is stacked with crazy good tracks: Hanging on the Telephone, One Way or Another, Picture This (!!), 11:59, Sunday Girl, Heart of Glass, etc. Debbie Harry's voice in Picture This is worth a few stars alone. We love you Blondie <3
Opening with 1969... that distorted guitar, the perfect proto-punk lyrics, and that Bo Diddley rhythm... moving into one of the best songs of the 60s with I Wanna Be Your Dog. The sleigh bell and constant single piano note.. I've heard both songs a million times but they never get old. It was my first time hearing the rest of the album, and I liked it (aside from the mediocre attempt at riffing on the Velvet Underground with We Will Fall)! One note in many ways, sure, but it's still good, and that can be ignored because it's short and tight. A very strong 4 for me!
Very fun and cute album. Felt like clapping and cheering and tossing my hat in the air at the halfway point of Empty Cans.
Crazy that this album came out 5 whole years after Rapper's Delight. It's Like That and 30 Days bumped it up from a 2.5 to 3 stars.
Just barely a 4. A lot of lyrics that I enjoyed but also not my favorite like.. sonically for a lot of songs. Love the opening two songs, especially Neighborhood #2 (Laika), plus the last song.
I liked this more than The Number of the Beast! A mix of songs that I was neutrally positive about and a few that caught my attention- especially Prowler and Strange World. I also think it's really good that Iron Maiden have a song called Iron Maiden on their album Iron Maiden.
Just like the last Baaba Maal album (from just a few years prior), I was only able to find lyrics for a minority of the songs, but I was really interested in them! Themes of love and freedom and community and Senegalese history, a cool hypnotic instrumental backing, incredibly precise and powerful singing, what's not to like! I'm guessing this is going to be another album that's going to get very low ratings from listeners who can't be bothered to look up lyrics or consider music from other cultures. Lol.
Happy to hear another Nick Drake album :’) a really beautiful start to my weekend. No particular favorites since it’s so short, but I do like the lyrics from Place to Be and Road!
It’s tough because on one hand, this is really a close to perfect album as far as late 60s/early 70s French music goes, and that’s a genre I love. Gainsbourg’s influence on so many other legendary musicians (including Joe Dassin) is impossible to ignore. But he was also a certifiable freak who liked making songs about little girls and liked making actual real life little girls sing provocative songs whose lyrics they did not understand. So for that reason I must give it a 4. I’m glad Serge Gainsbourg is dead. But it is a very nice album. Ughhhhhhhh
This is a high 4 for me that gets pushed into the 5 territory on the virtue of its lyrics. The continued feeling of paranoia and frenzy and undeserved self-confidence and cyclicality and !!! It's all very good. We love you Talking Heads.
This one is harder to rate just because you can't really rate it as an "album", since that conceptually didn't exist yet, really. It's a great collection of songs, although I was hoping we'd get the album with "The Fat Man". "Blueberry Hill" and "Blue Monday" go crazy every time. WE LOVE YOU FATS DOMINO!!!
Man, what an album!! Really reaffirms my excitement in this 1001 Albums project. The funky samples, Chuck D's lyrics, Flava Flav hyping him up, it's all sooo good and works together on every single track. Never a dull or bad moment. It's kind of my ideal rap album in many ways, to the point where I can't even really pick out a favorite song. Who knew that all it took was nonstop James Brown samples and Flava Flav shouting YEAH BOIIIII
Isn't it incredible that a 43 minute album can sum up so much of your own internal experience as a human being. That with the right guitar solo and wailing and sound effects and lyrics you can really just come out of it feeling Changed, no matter how many times you've heard the album?
Not something I enjoyed in any real way, although the last song wasn’t bad. It really just isn’t my style of music ultimately but I wouldn’t say it was a BAD album really. Very neutral 3 stars
Very nice but not life changing! If this were the first bossa nova I ever heard I would’ve gone crazy, though, so I understand why it’s capital I Important.
Went into this with a superiority complex about Steely Dan (deliberately never listened), thought it was Alright on the first listen, and now, as my second listen draws to an end, I'm forced to acknowledge that this is a really good time. Interesting and enjoyable and lyrically fun and WAYNE SHORTER SAX SOLO?? Why not! I've learned a valuable lesson about preemptive hating.
Another case of very pleasant and good bossa nova without anything too life-changing that could bump it up to five stars (aside from the obvious song!!) We love you JOBIM!!!!!
I've listened through a few times now, and each time I spend the first 20 minutes thinking it's a pretty nice album and the last 20 minutes thinking Man, it really should be ending around now. It's a decent album! Nice guitars! Nothing too special though overall
This took me ages (weeks) to get through because I kept stopping halfway through the first track. Was so sure this would be a polite 2 stars, but once I got to later tracks I really settled into the groove of it. Not sure I'll ever come back to it, but not bad overall! I can see why it was a hit
If I were a cheesy music critic being quoted for the album PR, I'd say something like "....a revelation" and I would fully mean it. Imagine starting your opening album with "Smooth Operator" and then going to "Your Love Is King" and then going to "Hang On To Your Love". INSANE!!
A very high 4! This year I’ve been coming to the realization that I really do like Oasis- and it might be because I like all of their musical inspirations, but I can’t deny that every single song on this album hits for me
In many ways this felt like sometimes pleasant background music with occasionally fun lyrics. Nothing against the album, though
It's not a bad album at all! I do think it went on too long, but that could've been solved by having something more interesting going on with the instrumentation + melodies. Some songs like Australia really tested my nerves. But I do enjoy a good amount of the lyrics, especially the first track- but it really did start feeling like a full hour of commercial rock with frequently interesting lyrics, and I can't fuck with that, sorry :( A high three stars!
Some incredible tracks on this one (Cowgirl in the Sand, Down By the River), some solid ones (Cinnamon Girl), some I didn’t really care for (Running Dry)- listened through a few times over the past week and I’m definitely going to come back to some of these.
Debated if this is a 4.5 or a 5 star situation but there’s really only one appropriate rating for an album that has Rehab, You Know I’m No Good, Me & Mr. Jones, Back to Black, Tears Dry On Their Own (one of my favorite 200 songs probably), and Some Unholy War. We love you Amy Winehouse, we love you Back to Black!!!!
In general, when it comes to The Band, I always understand why people would enjoy their music, but I also understand that it will never be for me. It's like we started off at the same point but then branched in irreconcilably different directions. There are songs like This Wheel's On Fire where I have a pretty good time, but others where I'm just politely smiling and waiting for it to be over.
A very surprising high 4 from me! Excited to keep revisiting this. Every time I listen to Beck, I realize the guy is super interesting and talented. So many fun influences on this album, just a real pleasure to listen to.
Pretty much a one-trick pony of an album, but I greatly enjoy that one trick. Sort of like an audio version of a music history chart going from 1950 to 1980. I'm guessing this one's going to have a lower average/global rating on here, but for me it's an easy 3.75 (rounding up to a 4) Favorites: TV Set, Mystery Plane, Fever
Hmm. Hard to decide between a 3 or a 4 here but settling on a 3. A lot of moments that I really loved (especially that vibraphone!! and so early on, only 1968!!) but ultimately don't know if I'll be coming back to this one. Nice album though, I enjoyed a few listens through!
Really very good! I only knew Tightrope but the whole first half is full of great stuff. Something is stopping me from making this a full 5 stars but it's a 4.5 for me. We love you Janelle Monae!
Sales were down... rent wasn't getting paid... critics were saying he was a decade into his flop era... Duke Ellington and his Orchestra came on that stage at Newport and did what had to be done. I can't give this anything less than 5 stars. Beautiful and so so fun. Stevie was right, you really can feel it all over!! Note: Normally I try to just listen to the track listing from the original recording, but I'm glad I decided to go with the later remastering/reissue that was twice as long! And then to see that it was produced by Phil Schaap (RIP) :') Always good to see a friend on here :')
Moving between a 4 and a 5 on this one, but that opening song... Man. Insane that in 2016 we got two different incredibly strong albums about death from musicians who died right after.
Man, Eminem really hates women. It's hard to understate how much the guy's musical output is grounded in this real hatred for every single woman he can think of, real or imaginary- except for his daughter, whom he frequently positions as the one good person in the world. Intensely self-deprecating, very frequently funny, and fairly self-aware, with consistently good beats.... I'm gonna have to give this one a 4. Also, why is it impossible to find the original version of My Name Is on Spotify? Beginning to think I imagined the whole thing back in 7th grade.
I liked this one a lot more than I expected to! It took multiple days to listen and relisten, so I never had a smooth listen from start to finish, but still enjoyed. Loved songs like "Wolfman Jack", "I Went to the Mirror", "Black Maria", and those last few tracks. A fun mix of Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers, The Cars self titled album, and maybe Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. Could've done with less of the very 70s ballads.
Another surprise from Arcade Fire, where I realize that if I had listened to them in my early teenage years (instead of avoiding them because I associated them with a certain type of person) I would've been a very different type of annoying! Good stuff here! This is a very high 4 for me. I can't give it a 5 due to fundamentally being trained to view this sort of thing as inherently annoying and cringey, but who am I to say no to a little baroque pop.... Can't stop thinking about the middle of My Body Is a Cage, where it bursts into The Beatles I Want You (She's So Heavy).... the Beatles really were the greatest to do it. Anyway, back to Arcade Fire! Favorites: Intervention, the Well and the Lighthouse, (Antichrist Television Blues), Windowsill