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Mon Dec 04 2023
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme
Simon & Garfunkel
3
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Tue Dec 05 2023
Debut
Björk
2
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Wed Dec 06 2023
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Charles Mingus
More frantic and noisy than Mingus Mingus Mingus. I wasn't in the mood
3
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Thu Dec 07 2023
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Never quite got them at the time. This is patchy and oh-so-affected in a whiney Morrissey way. Cherub Raock and Today do still stand out and hold very well.
3
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Fri Dec 08 2023
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
I tried. I don't like him and never have, but don't deny his appeal and talent. Suspicious Minds is a stone cold banger. But the rest is a very light scrape against the church wall of gospel and soul. So syrupy and middle-of-the-road makes Tony Bennett sound like Motorhead. In the Ghetto and Daddy Don't Cry made me cringe so hard it's going to take a week to unfold myself.
2
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Sat Dec 09 2023
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beatles
Not my fave Beatles album. Still a breath of fresh air though, so varied, so original.
4
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Sun Dec 10 2023
Graceland
Paul Simon
Somehow never listened to this completely before. It sure is eclectic. Energetic and original production. I think it does sound pioneering in the inclusion for other musicians and other musical styles other than US staples. Title track is much sadder than I realised, I have to skip "Al" because that's one song I never need to hear another time in my life. Will probably re-listen in the future I do find Simons solo stuff patchy, probably cos it's so varied, sometimes it's hard to settle into a groove.
3
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Mon Dec 11 2023
Closer
Joy Division
Fucking Nora. What a monday morning pick me up. Once again struggling to see the appeal, this lot make me sound cheerful and I can't stand the drums. Obviously not worthless but heavy going for me.
2
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Tue Dec 12 2023
In A Silent Way
Miles Davis
OK now we are talking. Not that keen on the Vamp section of this, but the slow moody bits are enjoyable and atmospheric. Still not a 5 due to its lack of really solid content.
4
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Wed Dec 13 2023
Disraeli Gears
Cream
4
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Thu Dec 14 2023
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Hmmm interesting, know the hit single from this and have heard her do a great relaxed and warn set at Glastonbury but never really listened to her before. Very different. Kind of intriguing must listen again.
3
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Fri Dec 15 2023
Hot Shots II
The Beta Band
Oh man. We talking overrated again? It has a certain original hazy charm but I much prefer Steve Mason’s more mature Boys Outside album. This is kind of dopey hipster music for dopey hipsters
3
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Sat Dec 16 2023
Synchronicity
The Police
Yeah. Definitely their most sophisticated and polished. Synchronocoty 2 and Wrapped Around Your Finger have stood up very well.
3
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Mon Dec 18 2023
Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
It's packed full of influential bangers, but the production sounds sketchy and it's moralising is risible. No go on, say junky again. Sounds a bit victim blamey to me. Deserves all the respect it gets though.
4
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Tue Dec 19 2023
Jazz Samba
Stan Getz
Finally an album I had no knowledge of! A bit soft for me on first listen, though the latin vibes did make me want to drive an open top Cadillac along a Cuban coast road... or something. Need to listen more... at some point.
3
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Wed Dec 20 2023
Parallel Lines
Blondie
So packed full of bangers it's hardly worth listening to as an album since the filler is just that. And surprisingly rockabilly too. Hanging on the Telephone is the perfect pop single and the greatest cover version of all time.
4
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Thu Dec 21 2023
A Short Album About Love
The Divine Comedy
A bit twee and knowing. Everybody knows is great. Didn't really take to the rest but it sure does have some lyrics "If you were a horse I'd clean the crap out of your stable". Will give it another go.
2
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Fri Dec 22 2023
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
I mean... I find this very lightweight musically, doesn't do much, doesn't go anywhere. Grand use of samples and great soundscaping, but very linear. Superficial? Made it half way. Not terrible music, not offensively bad, just a hackneyed waste of time to listen to. Harsh.
1
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Sat Dec 23 2023
Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
I can’t liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisten to this more than twice. Pretty shit big single aside. Just very run of the mill except the questionable “you put de lime in de coconut” which… I don’t even know.
2
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Sun Dec 31 2023
Mr. Tambourine Man
The Byrds
The Hollies! But with whiney Americans. This album starts well with it's bright jangly folk rock formula... which continues somewhat incessantly throughout. There are some more thoughtful tunes in here that hint at the later works of the personnel. They really sound like copycats at this point to me. Also shiny black shoes and blue jeans. Hmmmm.
3
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Mon Jan 01 2024
Who's Next
The Who
EEE-YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
4
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Tue Jan 02 2024
The Clash
The Clash
Yuck. These guys are to blame for all the boring bland corporate American punk bands. Joe Strummer's Mockney accent is a joke and isn't White Riot just a bit racist? Can't be doing with it.
2
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Wed Jan 03 2024
Dire Straits
Dire Straits
This starts so well with Down to the Waterfront, and obviously Sultans is great. My hopes were dashed by the pretend gruffness and country vibes. Don't like country. Seems like a wasted opportunity as those two fast, clean gritty songs are belters.
2
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Thu Jan 04 2024
Kick Out The Jams (Live)
MC5
So influential. Just not very good. Laughable “revolutionary” shtick and borrowed riffs from The Who. You can’t deny its importance. Just sounds a bit shit these days
3
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Fri Jan 05 2024
Rip It Up
Orange Juice
2
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Sat Jan 06 2024
The Seldom Seen Kid
Elbow
Not listened to this for a decade! Saw them live on this tour and they were great. Not my favourite album of theirs, I prefer "Leaders". Mirrorball will creep into my brain unbidden at anytime, Grounds for Divorce is just a barrel of noisy slightly menacing fun, Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver is very unusual, and desperately swaggering quite incredible vocal performance. And of course then we have the overplayed big hit single of "One day like this" which listened to again with fresh ears deserves all it's plaudits, plastic pint glass raising anthemic gold.
4
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Mon Jan 08 2024
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
I came to this one late having obsessed over the first 5 albums as a teen. Funnily it is more mature and settled, even for being a bit of a catch up album after all those tours, it sounds relaxed and confident and cohesive. Very good
4
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Tue Jan 09 2024
The Bends
Radiohead
Hated the singles from this at the time. But grew to realise my mistake and embrace this excellent original but still firmly rock and pop album.
4
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Wed Jan 10 2024
Dear Science
TV On The Radio
Was familiar with Half way home. I like that one. Struggled with the rest of this. I think this came out around the time I started to become an old bastard and that has a lot to do with it.
2
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Thu Jan 11 2024
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon
Never managed to listen to a Lennon solo album all the way through before. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting. Despite the obvious personal content that is being laid bluntly bare here, there is a sense of relief that the whole Beatles hullabaloo is over and he can just be a singer songwriter. It’s nice and stripped down though I hate all that weird slap back reverb everywhere. Tough to listen to in places due to near screaming etc. enjoyable for the lack of pretence. Distinct lack of big tunes though.
3
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Fri Jan 12 2024
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
Less than essential. Probably was quite an early exponent of this rambling, expansive new ambient thing. I see this is a year before FSOLs Lifeforms came out. Not earth shattering but quietly influential and a stepping stone towards his later success as a producer.
2
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Sat Jan 13 2024
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
I have to force myself to make it through this album, not because it's poor but because it seems to be the same song again and again. All very similar sounding tracks. But making the effort does pay off, his vocals are as plaintive and angelic as you'd expect, and the over-reaching sense of hopelessness and futility in a world going off the rails is annoyingly still pretty relevant. A benchmark album in terms of creative freedom and political awareness... just maybe not quite the musical epic it is made out to be.
4
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Tue Jan 16 2024
Grace
Jeff Buckley
4
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Wed Jan 17 2024
Rattus Norvegicus
The Stranglers
OK what is funnier than Joe Strummer's Mockney accent? Hugh Cornwells grrr I'm such a tough guy voice. Another album where all the songs have very similar instrumentation. Peaches is skin-crawling. Get a Grip is good. It's basically toss though, especially considering the mountain of vital and long lived stuff that was around at the time this is a very poor album.
2
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Fri Jan 19 2024
Transformer
Lou Reed
This was a lot more fun than I remembered, really tuneful and light hearted.
3
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Sat Jan 20 2024
Live At The Harlem Square Club
Sam Cooke
Well this was a speedy and energetic rip through the hits. The quality of Sam's voice in this live setting is just amazing, tons of natural talent and the band punch out the classics with pace. Definitely sounds like they are playing fast to jam as many well known songs in their set (probably limited by others on same roster that night). The evidently delighted audience got their moneys worth. Smashing.
3
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Sun Jan 21 2024
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet Jackson
Not sure what to make of this one. I remember Miss You Much and the tilte track as singles, liked them both causally at the time. Very original and unrelenting sample based production. Does have that thing of telling us all we need to pull together to make things better whilst being a very comfortable and successful person. Comes across a bit lame and preachy. It's the gritty midlle bit to Janet's excellent purple patch though.
3
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Tue Jan 23 2024
Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
Yeah man. Almost impossible to knock from any angle. If you met someone who had never heard pop music and you wanted to give them a top flight example of great tunes, great performance, great recording this would have to be near the top of the pile. Big hits, groovy album tracks, only the slightly embarassing New York arrival bit stumbles. Do your self a favour people. Just great to hear such a multi-talented individual at the top of his game.
5
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Thu Jan 25 2024
White Light
Gene Clark
I must have heard Gene before but really can’t remember. This is a bit too country and middle of road for me. Feels like the kind of thing that would really have been on the radio in the US in the early 70s rather than the psychedelic rock and soul stuff that younger people like me revere from that era. Inoffensive but kind of like Nilsson just not my sort of thing. Gave up at “Stand by Me”. Yuck.
2
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Tortoise
Godspeed you bland Mogwai! I dunno I guess Tortoise started this gloomy downbeat instrumental thing and I don’t hate it. But it’s not atmospheric enough to enjoy on its own and the lack of dynamics and drama just leave you with a soundscape. Probably good music for driving at night or walking by the sea.
2
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Sat Jan 27 2024
Reggatta De Blanc
The Police
Actually their best. Hard to dislike, loads of big hits, some great album tracks like Bring on the Night and Contact. Sharp bright production that lets you hear the musicianship clearly. This was an album I was a bit young for but listened to it a lot in my secondary school years. Surprised to discover what a soft spot I have for it.
4
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Sun Jan 28 2024
The Specials
The Specials
Wow people hate this one. Always been a fan of their singles, have a compilation of theirs. I have to say this album is uneven, and yeah moaning lyrics are a bit of a drag. Hall is doing that "I'm young and I think I'm being edgy, but really I just sound quite conservative" thing. But the good songs are great, Gangsters, Message to you Rudy are total classics. The album version of Too Much Too Young is trounced by the live single version which captures the bands energy much better.
3
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Arular
M.I.A.
This one's a non stop attack of catchy eclectic sample based hip hop insanity. I always like Galang but had't listened to the rest of this album at all, really not my cup of tea, I'm far too old. Also somehow seems a bit too clever and knowing. Good to listen to stuff that's not in your normal listening scope, but this album is quite a lot and by about song 28 I was really hoping it would finish soon.
2
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Tue Jan 30 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
Thought this would be fine to listen through, this was big in my early 20s and I always found the singles OK. Had no idea I was going to dislike it as much as I do! The first half really leans into the immature "psycho ex who needs to let-go and move on" theme a bit too much. It's fairly excruciating and the music is lightweight MTV freindly guff. We have a moment of self-awareness and maturity with "You Learn" then it's basically pure Middle-Of-the-road. By the end we are driving squarely down the middle of the Canadian highway in a winnebago listening to Linda Rondstat on 8-Track. Also first of the Sinead O'Connor copying yodellers. Yikes. Still not as insufferable as "What's Up" by Four Non-Blondes.
1
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Wed Jan 31 2024
Juju
Siouxsie And The Banshees
I was looking forward to this one. Had a best of compilation for years and like nearly every track, and obviously despite a shambolic start they became very influential very quickly and developed a fair bit over their career. Already knew and liked Arabian Nights and Spellbound from this... not much on here really improved on those. Siouxsie is at least trying to break out of her signature monotone vocal sound here, but it all does sound a bit samey. There are no hidden treasures on this album sadly. Passable.
3
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Selling England By The Pound
Genesis
Heard this a few times before, not very familiar with Gabriel era Genesis. Always loved the Seconds Out live album as peak Genesis and of course a lot of the originals are on here. I suppose this is their most formative album, it really sounds like each guy is developing into the artist they would become. Peter and Phil sound great singing together, Steve and Tony are playing their wonderful flowing original solo parts. It sounds cohesive and concise, there's no noodling really. Great stuff.
4
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Lana Del Rey
Don't test me. Managed half the first song. Life is too short to make the effort on dreary over-produced piss like this. Really don't feel this is essential at this point, maybe time will prove me wrong.
1
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Sat Feb 03 2024
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
Not a big fan of Pixies, and not quite sure the idolisation they sometimes get is justified, but A) Really enjoyed listening to this properly for the first time and B) You really can't deny how influential these guys were on music going into the 90s. I can also see why they were initially more successful in the UK, they have some of the genuine anarchy and disinterest in genre that British bands such as The Fall had. We've still got some great big tunes on here that are now pretty legendary, and the rest fits together well and has the energy of a band discovering themselves and finding it good. Good.
3
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Sun Feb 04 2024
The Message
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Thought I knew what I was going to get here: The Message, and more like it. Nope! This album is actually a bit crazy. It starts with a fairly typical disco-funk song that could have been by Breakwater or Cameo, which surprised me straight off, I was expecting tag-team rapping over 808s and scratching. Straight into the uber-sampled "It's Nasty" as in Tom-Tom Club and Mariah. Then next Scorpio which I don't think I've ever heard before but how not I have no idea as surely this is one of the most prescient things in electro, was totally not ready for that growling 303... so they even influenced Acid. Taking another turn "It's a shame" precedes De La Soul with it's sweet swinging guitar lick lifted from the Spinners song of the same name. OK the next rack can't be any more influential?... Err, no, it's not. Incomprehensibly the next tracks are overly silky gospel soul which sound madly out of place before we finally get to the message. Twelveteen out of ten for schizophrenia. Stupidly important and influential album, but also just mad and disjointed. That was an experience.
4
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Mon Feb 05 2024
This Is Hardcore
Pulp
Not as bad as I was expecting. Not a lot of Britpop has held up well over the years, and Pulp are no exception. But they were always a bit more cerebral than the other knuckle-draggers and overgrown school prefects. Patchy this one, I frankly detest the title track and "Help the aged" but some of the faux cinematic stuff is a bit stronger, and the opener does sound like a cold night after the pubs have shut and you missed the last bus. But if you are going to copy Bowie, copy the good stuff. Can't work out if this needs to sound less creepy and overblown or more. One listen was enough thanks.
2
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Blackstar
David Bowie
Apologies to teary eyed Bowie devotees, especially the enforcers of the Bowie Orthodoxy on BBC 6Music and even R3. This is not very amazing. It's the same formula of 'get some already out of date eclectronic-lite rhythms and then do-a-Bow-eee-voice all over them' that haunts a lot of his later work. It's inoffensive and has it's moments. The eponymous opener does sound like the soundtrack to some as yet unmade space opera, Dollar Days is very nearly a nice song to go out on. I don't know, I was honestly expecting more given the extreme reverence this one gained, I hoped it would be a touching or disturbing goodbye from one of our greatest music icons. Really, it's just more of the same.
2
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Central Reservation
Beth Orton
So glad I got this recommendation today firstly because it’s a good album but also I’ve had a run of sub-par music from female artists on here and was feeling sexist. Bad bits: sometimes veers off into quite poor trip-hop production, and that near-shout middle part of her voice wears a bit after a while. That’s it though, the rest l like a lot. It definitely wanders as an album, and in this case I like that, it meanders gently. When singing softly her voice is beautiful and in few places she stretches her vocals quite powerfully. Most of the songs are thoughtful and atmospheric and in “Pass in time” really quite moving.
3
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
I'm not sure i was listening to the real album on Spotify. Was nice, and I must track down the original. Didn't have time to absorb it in one day.
3
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Sat Feb 10 2024
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
This is from my era but I was probably listening to Megadeth at the time. This is quite inventive and sounds like they are doing something new, I suppose pioneering in the use of samples for nearly everything apart from the rapping. I have a lot more time for these guys, De La Soul and other artists I heard back then than the huge-production look at me I'm a billionaire rap of Kanye and Jay-Z and those that followed. But i'm not the right person to ask about hip-hop. Enjoyable and important benchmark album I think.
3
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Sun Feb 11 2024
Remain In Light
Talking Heads
2
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Mon Feb 12 2024
The Wall
Pink Floyd
Rock star decides to write album about rock star going off the rails and turning his band into a brutal dictatorship, in realising this idea as an album, he goes off the rails and turns his his band into a brutal dictatorship. Musical wonderment ensues.
Not fair to new listeners to expect any kind of real appreciation for this thumping great brontosaurus of an album in one day.
That said I don't think it's as self-indulgent as people say, it's self-examining and self-absorbed, but it is about taking a long cold look at yourself ultimately so it has to be. It is the most fully realised opera in rock music, it doesn't just drone on mostly, (though it has it's moments) it goes from scene to scene explaining Pink's spiral into mania, delusion and ultimate redemption.
If you require happy uplifting music that puts a positive spin on everything in 3 minutes then this claustrophobic, large scale work of unreleting doom will wear you down in a trice. But if you can take a bit of darkness and can manage repeated listens you will be rewarded.
'Goodbye Blue Sky', 'Hey You', and 'Comfortably Numb' are some of the best Floyd tracks, Glimour's voice and guitar playing are on typically superlative form here, there are classic studio effects and atmospheres (dive bombers, helicopters, TVs getting sledge-hammered, and a child innocently identifying the airborne apocalypse, a man drunkenly threatening a woman with poetry in the middle of a freeway as cars whizz past).
It's one of those rare albums where the ridiculous scale and ambition of a stupendous overblown idea is in fact upheld by the resulting recording. It makes 'Tommy' sound like an EP.
It's too long, it's depressing and scatalogical, Waters voice sounds like a particularly grouchy cat being strangled, and it really is the record of a band dying on it's feet. The songs 'Vera' and 'Bring the Boys Back Home' are annoying preludes to the subsequent Final Cut album.
The soaring guitar solos in 'Comfortably Numb' are really only bettered by the one in 'Time' by the same guitarist.
Spectacular, chilling and peerless.
5
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Stardust
Willie Nelson
Tried giving this a go but I just can't manage what to my ears are sentimental country versions of well trodden standards. Sorry Willie.
1
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Wed Feb 14 2024
Tidal
Fiona Apple
Oh this is OK isn’t it? Nice enough. Falls a bit too easily into background music. I like her deep velvety expressive voice, the arrangements are quite atmospheric and sweeping but never too dramatic. The same descending progression seems to appear a few times. Not setting the world on fire for me but a pleasant and thoughtful trip through some not too tempestuous seas.
2
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Thu Feb 15 2024
White Ladder
David Gray
Another nice 1990s album of nice music for nice people who can only bear to listen to nice things. Male Dido. OK 'Sail Away' is a good, the rest is wishy-washy and forgettable... I was happy to have forgotten this.
1
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Amnesiac
Radiohead
This is just the sound of accepting lifelong disappointment. I was hoping, after the left turn of 'Kid A' that they had got that out of their system and would get back to making, you know, good, cohesive albums full of strong poignant original songs and only a bit of atmospheric and unsettling filler.
It's time to let this hope go for me. Need to stop thinking if I put 'Hail to the Thief' or 'In Rainbows' on that I will finally click with them. I like all Radiohead's stuff, but I like it, respect it, don't love it. 'The Bends' and 'OK Computer' are just classics for me.
Oh well it's not all wide of the mark, 'Pyramid Song' is indelibly linked in my mind with the events and outfall of the attacks of 2001, and looms with indecent gravity in my mind. I like 'Knives out' too.
It's a serious and inventive album, and to be fair Radiohead have totally trodden their own path since, but they's never quite lived up to their promise. Possibly on purpose.
I need to let them go, the next Radiohead album is never going to be the one.
3
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Sat Feb 17 2024
Bringing It All Back Home
Bob Dylan
Never listened to a Dylan album that I can remember and had to check this one wasn't a compilation as it contains so many well known songs.
He can't sing, he simply can't, everyone knows he has a nasal yowling voice and is simply tone deaf, but he is still just about getting away with it here, later in his career I find him unlistenable. The harmonica though just lives up to all the stereotypes, what is he doing? I swear you could wave a mouth organ under a hand dryer and it would sound better than Bob's attempts.
But the songs are great and influenced even people who don't think they've been influenced. The electric tracks sound a bit samey and the acoustc tracks sound a bit samey. It's just great though.
It does sound like an artist who is really in their prime and having a great time.
'Maggies Farm' is my favourite, snarky funny lyrics about sociual injustice with a catchy jangly backing that would set the tone for so many bands to follow.
4
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Sun Feb 18 2024
The Who Sell Out
The Who
Deifinitely not the best recorded album, but it's only 1967 and they have done a lot with the technology available to them on this one. Better than the horrors of The Kinks "self-produced" albums which have all the sonic grace of a donkey pissing in a bucket.
The idea of making a sort of virtual radio station for this album complete with jingles and adverts is really quite original, doesn't feel like it now, such pastiche is commonplace.
In truth the songs are patchy, enjoyable little comic songs such as 'Odorono', and 'Tattoo' meditate on the small worries of day to day life, whereas the coruscating psychedelic crash of 'I can see for miles' goes nowhere but makes quite an impact on the way.
Later on we have the excellent 'I can't reach you', 'Sunrise' and 'Our love was' are more mature and thoughtful pieces that point towards 'Who's Next' and 'Tommy'
In short this is the middle stage of The Who's manic race from garage R&B band to full on rock operatics which took barely 5 years.
Uneven, but important, contains a few great songs and is worth a spin just for historical interest. No joss sticks and ponchos for The Who in 1967.
4
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Mon Feb 19 2024
If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Plastic people. Oh baby now you're such a drag. This is so shiny and polished and bland and happy and superficial and inoffensive. So much so it made me angry. It is also derivative.
Do you find the Monkees a bit edgy? Are the Beach Boys a little subversive for you? This is the album for you.
Just the most banal, lightweight, pointless un-engaging sack of piffle. 'California dreamin' is a bona fide hit but still a pretty cheesy and jaded one. And how did they mange to such a gutless, souless, off tune version of the usually crisp and jaunty 'The In-crowd'.
They should have all got in toilet not the bath.
1
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Tue Feb 20 2024
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Not sure there's too much I can add about this album, I'm not a rap fan but this is a total whirlwind. Really does leave the current ego-driven super slick hip hop in the shade. A great album for an grumpy monday morning.
3
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Wed Feb 21 2024
(What's The Story) Morning Glory
Oasis
Ah the best album by the greatest of the Mancunian Simian bands.
This is very much an album of my time, it was everywhere. I was not a huge Oasis fan, the stolen riffs, the dumbo lyrics, the "production", that top-flight gob-shitery. Enough to put anyone off, also they were a band that non music fans would go crazy about. I haven't listened to this old pup for 20 years...
Except. As I did, between snorking at the brain dead words, and rolling my eyes at the dog shit sound quality I found myself singing along happily to every word of nearly all the tunes. And it reminded me of friends and good weather and pubs when they were pubs not family restaurants, and feeling good to be in a Britain that seemed to be on the up and a world that was getting less frightening.
That's nostalgia folks. I'm not usually susceptible, so I was surprised when this braying donkey of a band sent me straight back to my twenties.
I never could, and still can't stand 'Roll with it' and 'Don't look back in anger' and 'Wonderwall' is overrated and will never recover from being so overplayed everywhere for ever.
'Hey Now' and 'Cast no shadow' are no-apology great songs, well done Noel. Liam could still really sing here too, 'She's Electric' is still a bundle of homespun fun, and 'Champagne Supernova' and the like are the overblown goodness you want. Trades description-worrying original drummer has been jettisoned for Alan White by this album and he makes a world of difference also.
Even better Noel gets his just desserts eventually for ceaseless riff pilfering by nicking one from Gary Glitter. You win some you lose some my mono-browed amigos. And though this was a far more complete and (if not polished) well-burnished affair than the debut, it was all downhill from here.
3
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Thu Feb 22 2024
Freak Out!
The Mothers Of Invention
Well this is an old favourite of mine.
$27,000 in 1965 to record a bunch of dive bar R&B wannabes. Tom Wilson signed them after seeing them at the Whisky on the Strip, he had also signed Simon and Garfunkel, and produced Bob Dylan. So he must have known what he was doing. Turns out he had no idea in this case.
Freak Out is an early double gatefold album and an early concept album, though what precisely the concept is might be hard to tell. The high quality Warner Bros production sounds incredible for the mid 60s especially since there is so much going on.
The satire isn't as biting as you might expect, we've already got comedy songs which put a lot of people off Zappa, see also the self indulgent and pointless sound collage at the end. But it does feature real social commentary on 'More trouble everyday' and 'Hungry Freaks Daddy'
There's a lot of sardonic doo-wop and the album title is done in the same type face as that year's 'Pet Sounds' album by the Beach Boys, probably Frank poking fun at how via the continued success of the Beach Boys Doo-wop and surf music were somehow still top of the charts in spite of everything.
Most of the songs are silly, poppy and feature some early blistering guitar work fom the man with the moustache (OK they all had moustaches) and it apparently influenced Hendrix, Clapton, The Who and The Beatles. Not a bad start.
'Who are the brain police', 'Help I'm a rock' and 'It can't happen here' really set the tempo for The Mothers more discordant, paranoid and counter-cultural work to follow.
Not for everyone, but a real milestone in expansive album production, psychedelia (despite Zppas strongest drug choices being coffee and beer) and anti-establishment culture.
4
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
Now I am an old bastard I am of course moving into Steely Dan territory.
Like many reviews I see here, when I was younger I thought the soul and charm of the music and lyrics if there was any was eclipsed by the obsession with surgically clean production and endlessly winnowing session takes down to the "ultimate" studio performance. I found the music smug, superficial and overly shiny and produced. It had no grit.
Yeah, then I got older. Now I appreciate the dedication and thoughfulness, and also now I like the snarky, self-depricating and doom laden lyrics. This isn't happy-go-lucky cocktail lounge music at all.
That said this album is new to me, previously I have got into 'Aja' and 'The Royal Scam' on which Becker and Fagen had reached the apex of Steely Dan-ness. It's OK, it's not grown on me like the others yet, I'm familiar with 'Any Major Dude'. 'Rikki' and the title track and those aren't my favourite SD numbers. The other tracks will need a bit of time.
I'll circle back, the good stuff always takes a while to appreciate. At least this one has a half-decent photo on the cover.
3
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Sat Feb 24 2024
Dirt
Alice In Chains
Another one I came to later despite it being right up my alley on release, trouble is there was a lot of music to absorb in those days if you liked rock / grunge / alternative and then the wave of UK electronic music that wasn't just doof-doof-doof.
Of course I liked all the singles at the time due to continual rotation on MTV Europe, but the album is actually very solid. I preferred the less shouty 'Jar of Flies' album back then and still do, but really this is jam-packed with banging riffs and ripping solos, great vocals and harmonies.
It moves pace nicely opening with the hard charging 'Them bones' and 'Dam that river' before later giving way to the meditative 'Rooster' and self-hatred anthems of 'Dirt' and 'Down in a hole' before ending with the stone-cold-classic 'Would?'
The lyrics are troubling and explicit about drug use and psychological pain, which clearly transpired to be honest at least. There are some misses like 'Stickman' and a few others at the tail of the album that could have been happily omitted to no ill effect.
All in all a well played serious but accessible staple of that era of MTV botty-kicking rawk, with a sleazy and soulful but druggy edge.
4
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Sun Feb 25 2024
Mask
Bauhaus
No mate, it's the weekend. I really don't want to feel that gloomy. I managed a few songs. I should try harder since they are original and influential, I just think they influenced other artists I don't care for also.
2
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Straight Outta Compton
N.W.A.
Doesn't sound revolutionary to me. Sounds like a rip off of a Bomb Squad production at the start, then by the end it's just 808 beats and rambling rapping.
Over the top of that there's the desperate attempt to outrage everyone by doing lots of naughty swear words. I just hope their mummies don't find out. See also horrible misogyny and ridiculous boastful violence. Oooooh I'm scared.
This is the album equivalent of one of those video games that the media have a moral panic about every 10 years, oh it's so violent and it's making our kids kill each other. Net result, a lot of people rush out to buy the game to see what the fuss is about and then are disappointed by the lack of gameplay or substance.
The absolute towering cynicism of adding the totally harmless and radio-friendly 'Express yourself' deserves an award for sheer bullshittery.
1
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Wed Feb 28 2024
At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band
A band I've always been meaning to give more time to, they are so well loved, they must be worth a listen.
Well there's things to like about this album, lovely recording, lots of live atmosphere, the guitars and vocals are excellent.
That's about it though, it's a well recorded and well played load of country blues, with forgetable songs and boring extended musical work outs.
Enjoyably free of Lynyrd Skynyrd's country-blues cliches, but lacking the muscular boogie and catchy tunes of early ZZ Top.
You probably had to be there. Nice enough but marred by the endless noodling.
2
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Tellin’ Stories
The Charlatans
Not amazing, more original and less annoying than many of the UK guitar bands of the 90s, and this was their peak I suppose.
I'm bored to death of the big singles since they were overplayed for years, and the rest is fairly bland.
This one surprised me with it's dullness. Saw them at Reading Festival back in 2000 I think, they were great, more hit songs than I remebered remembering. But this just isn't much cop as an album.
2
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
Didn't get time to absorb tis properly on this occasion which us annoying as I've heard it before and enjoy the late 60s British folk stuff generally.
Another one I'll return to. Enjoyed what I heard so far.
3
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Sat Mar 02 2024
Bossanova
Pixies
Another Pixies album? I like them, they are important but I'd say one was enough, and this one seems less vital and original than Surfer Rosa.
Nothing much wrong with it, just seems like they are in their groove a bit here.
3
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Sun Mar 03 2024
Lost Souls
Doves
This is not derivative of Coldplay. Both band's debuts were released in 2000 and Doves were an electronic act called Sub-Sub before that, and were Badly Drawn Boy band members in between.
And that's what makes the difference. Doves arrived with a bit of dance/groove built in from the start, and sound Northern and bleak and they are named after the imprint on a popular ecstasy tab. Whereas Coldplay were a bunch of posh London boys who had more in common with Travis initially before becoming the worlds most bland and therefore most successful outfit.
This is one of my favourites of all time, it came out when it was all festivals and girlfriends and hot-hatchbacks and post-pub sessions and job prospects for me. It's mix of doomy atmosphere, driven percussive songs and grimly-fought euphoria hooked me straight away and has stayed with me since, even if all the other things mentioned buggered off ages ago.
It's a well paced and atmospheric album too and works as a piece. The portentous opening, followed by a series of engaging songs that are in turns optimistic, reflective, swelling, and then coming down to earth with the title track before we are off to a forgotten night at the fairground with 'Melody Calls'.
Absolutely in place 'Catch the sun' ditches the introspective and bitter-sweet tone that preceded, and blasts into the open sunshine for an air-punching anthem, even if we do seem to be only just outrunning the ever present storm clouds.
The album ends with the wrung out heartbreak of 'Cedar Room' then ultimately 'A house' which hints at the studio fire that caused Doves to become Doves.
For a lot of people this will just be another gloomy English guitar band album but for me it's a stone-cold, copper-bottomed, masterstroke.
5
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Mon Mar 04 2024
Junkyard
The Birthday Party
Nick Cave has done better. I always thought the Birthday Party were noisy and oh-so-challenging over being good, but i hadn't heard much of it. Now I've heard a whole album I discover I was correct.
Not terrible all the way through but has little to recommend it. They seem to be trying to jump on the psychobilly bandwagon of the time, it definitely has some Cramps style sounds but is no where near as catchy or characterful.
Prototype Grinderman but less good.
The only thing I like is that the guy on the cover is probably what Nick looks like now without the hair dye and fake tan.
2
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Another album from my teenage years, though this was already sounding very dated in the late 80s when I heard it.
Interesting debut for the band that once Bruce joined did 40 albums that sound the same.
Some of the standard features of Maiden are apparent straight away, Steve Harris's bass sound and gallop, twin guitar attack and fast pace. Also nicking ideas for songs from books.
Still sounds like a funny mix this one and it's successor 'Killers', Paul Diano's voice was not much cop but at least a bit punky. That against the more expansive slow bits in 'Remember Tomorrow' or 'Strange World'.
These are definitely a band I grew out of but it was nice to reminisce for a bit. Mostly good fun, fast paced, slightly punky sounding metal.
3
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Live At The Regal
B.B. King
A nice ramble through some classic blues. I do prefer Otis Rush, and the other 2 Kings but you can't deny BB's influence, graceful playing and audience bonhomie.
This is probably a lot more important than it sounds, but there's not much to complain about.
A really warm enjoyable live album with great atmosphere.
3
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Thu Mar 07 2024
For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music
I listened to this twice. But I feel like I haven't.
Generally like early Roxy Music and this was fine, 'Do the Strand' and 'Editions of You' I knew already, not much esle jumped out... ok maybe some weird Eno synth noises jumped out, probably not in a good way.
Probably better than it sounded after 2 listens but not that engaging for me.
2
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
Influential is a word I use a lot going through these suggestions. I think this and Oxygene by Jean Michel-Jarre have to be the joint most influential albums in electronic music history.
I know there was electronic stuff before this. But this is such a complete electronic album, and you can hear it's influence everywhere.
Trouble is I just don't like it that much. It's still getting 4 stars because it's amazing and so important it's hard ot know where to start.
4
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Sat Mar 09 2024
Lady Soul
Aretha Franklin
The greatest voice in soul at the vertiginous peak of her formidable power. Where is it coming from? How does she do it? One of those people whose talent does appear to be supernatural.
This is an old fashioned singles and album-tracks album so I can’t quite feel a 5 coming on. That said there’s loads of great tracks on here, and if this album did have a theme it’s simply “sit back and smile as you get joyfully atomised by a force of nature”.
Aretha is just rolling along like a river of soulful lava here. It’s not just the staggering range, power and flexibility of her voice either. Like Sinatra she is the perfect interpreter, the perfect conduit to get the song across to the audience, she embodies every song completely and effortlessly you just know that all the things in the song have happened to her personally (even if they haven’t).
I think this is my favourite recommendation of an album I’ve not heard so far.
Amen.
4
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Sun Mar 10 2024
Heaux Tales
Jazmine Sullivan
Albums I have not been recommended yet:
'Mama's Gun' Erikah Badu
'Raw like sushi' Neneh Cherry
'Adventures in Paradise' Minnie Ripperton
Thankfully I've already heard those and one track from any of them is worth more than this entire album.
Not objectively bad, but how I needed to hear this before I died I've no idea. Is it a control specimen so I can judge talent, greatness and influence since this is pretty neutral on those key factors?
I am far too old and this album is far too new. It also just sounds derivative, it's an also-ran melting-pot of nothing in particular.
Apparently the lyrics are good or at least interesting, but I couldn't stay focussed to give them any thought.
Also the "candid" conversation bits need to get in the sea, if I want to hear that shit I can just get on a busy bus and not put my earphones in.
NEXT.
1
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Dog Man Star
Suede
It's a funny one this. The debut Suede album was a slutty great wallop of glam pop singles, and did light a bit of a fire under the UK music scene in the midst of US dominated grunge. And then the one after this 'Coming up' was similarly full of swaggering original and snarky music that did very well.
This one, was a bit of a wet fart by comparison (possibly pictured on the cover).
So just classic second album doldrums? Well listening to it now maybe not, it's so totally of it's self, it's pretty theatrical and not that amazing, but it does have a strong central identity and some bordeline anthems.
'Wild Ones' is better than I remember now, though it is a bit too emotionally overwrought for my tastes.
Suede kicked off Britpop yet never conformed to it which is a rather neat trick. The best was still to come.
3
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Tue Mar 12 2024
Sea Change
Beck
Another all-time favourite of mine. This was a wonderful change in direction from Beck at the height of his career.
After the success of Odelay things had really got a bit too "produced" on Midnight Vultures in my opinion. I remember seeing him at Reading Festival during that time and really struggled to work out what the hell was going on, it was like watching a rich white high school kid impersonate Prince.
But this one is pretty sublime, it's obviously very downbeat and acoustic but also features very straightforward and powerful song writing, that doesn't rely on samples or studio tricks or a big slick band.
Saw him do the sunset slot at Reading in 2003 and all was redeemed as we got most of this album with Beck and the band all just dressed in black jeans and t-shirts. That was one of my best gig memories.
Wonderful stuff.
5
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Axis: Bold As Love
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi was too busy revolutionising guitar playing and psychedlic rock in general to do really consistent albums in his short life.
I've always liked this one best of the 3 real studio albums of his. After the silly intro there's quite a few plain-old good songs on here, 'Little Wing' and 'Spanish Castle Magic' in particular. Noel Reddings songs seem like filler but are passable.
It's a staple alright, and a surprisingly coherent pop album.
4
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Dare!
The Human League
This sounds like the first time synthesisers and electronic music really sounded polished and shiny and pop-tastic.
More songs I remember and they are pretty good too.
Pivotal and fun.
3
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Sat Mar 16 2024
Mothership Connection
Parliament
More of a Funkadelic fan myself. Maybe this isn’t the greatest album in itself, starts strongly but the later tracks are forgettable.
You have to view the ParliaFunkadelicMent things as one big rambling project which gave birth to the greatest sample bank of all time.
That said you certainly must endeavour to put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip and head on over to the mothership.
3
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Sun Mar 17 2024
Harvest
Neil Young
Probably the easiest listening of my all time favourites. Geffen Folk Rock sounds like anathema to me, but of course Neil’s incredible talent for being shonky but persuasive gives this album his usual underlying grit.
Tuneful, thoughtful, tragic. His best.
5
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Tue Mar 19 2024
The Score
Fugees
This list is opening me up to how many varied types of hip-hop I don't care for (and a few I do). The opening rample about corporations is pretty laughable given the extreme commerciality of this highly polished effort. Apparently they are refugees... well one of them... probably... form some where in the Caribbean. Isn't Lauryn Hill a refugee from Hollywood child stardom?
I don't know, so many post 1990 rap/hip-hop things seem very fake and over-produced to me. And to my untrained ears this is mostly just another rambling rap album with not much original to say, and some limp wristed reggae thrown in towards the end when they remember they are cosplaying as refugees.
Of course it's saving grace and key to success are the storming vocals of Lauryn Hill, her voice is wasted on this album.
Those are my thoughts.
But then I only listened one time (one time).
2
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
The sound of a whole genre going overground. Also the sound of a rough and ready local music scene being given a very well judged polish to help it on it's way.
I often complain about over-production and commercial sounding albums, but sometimes just knocking off a few rough edges and warming the sound up a little with some accompaniment goes a long way. As here. You can listen to the "Jamaican" version of this album, i.e. without Island Records interference, it's still great due to the strength of the songs and performances, but this version is just perfect.
This is still truly 'The Wailers' as Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh are still here and Tosh in particular as musician and song writer, before it became the Bob Marley show.
So many great songs, and the influence of the band’s visits to London can be clearly heard.
The perfect starting point for new reggae fans, and a milestone for those already on the journey. Ideal balance between rootsy Jamaican music and world wide pop success, with simply stated political points too.
4
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Stripped
Christina Aguilera
I’m sure a lot of clever, talented, determined and imaginative people worked together to make the latest Ford Pickup Truck. But I don’t care and never will because I am not the target market demographic for that consumer product. I do not need a Ford Pickup Truck in my life.
Same thing with this album, no doubt the product of endless toil by top notch professionals to target the specific market segment they wanted to milk.
Well done everyone. Big each other up on LinkedIn or something.
On top of that I really don’t like the shouting instead of singing thing.
Competent pop music that says literally nothing to me.
2
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Blue
Joni Mitchell
I haven't got time to write everything I would say about this one, but to me it's peak Joni. Everything seems to have come to gether to make a perfect album. Happy, sad, reflective, and derisive songs sit shoulder to shoulder quite comfortably.
'A Case of You' and 'The Last Time I saw Richard' probably deserve health warnings for their ability to put a lump in your throat.
Also her use of various stringed instruments and piano definitely sets her apart from the typical 6-string strumming of some of the more popular folk-influenced acts of the time.
Heartbreak and disillusion never soounded more perfect and original.
5
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Sat Mar 23 2024
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
I had gone off Sly Stone since Spotify incessantly suggests 'There's a riot going on'. But it never once suggested this, so much for algorithms as this is a treat.
Knew more of these songs than I realised and I have to say it sounds ahead of it's time fo 69, definitely kicking the door open for all the funk and soul of the 70s.
Very punchy and energetic and full of catchy songs. Nice.
3
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Mon Mar 25 2024
Trans Europe Express
Kraftwerk
3
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Tue Mar 26 2024
OK Computer
Radiohead
My generation’s ’Dark Side of the Moon’
The most complete album of the era. Two self standing hit singles, a film soundtrack song, experimental noises and soundscapes and really no filler.
Rock steady performance from the band, explosive guitar insanity from Johnny and you can still hear what Thom is whining on about (actually his vocals are quite impressive in places).
A whole mini industry has appeared online analysing this album, its themes, musical complexity and originality there’s just so much to get your teeth into.
Also this is the final wave from the band as they for better or worse turned in on themselves and became the Radiohead we know and are faintly interested in today.
Top ten of all time in my lifetime.
5
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Thu Mar 28 2024
Pornography
The Cure
I just don't get this band. So affected, so dreary, so downbeat. I think it's a post-Bowie case of style over substance to be honest.
A band for the girls who wrote poetry all over the covers of their exercise books at school and who thought Morrissey was "sensitive".
Dull.
2
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Sat Mar 30 2024
Appetite For Destruction
Guns N' Roses
Bon Jovi for girls who hate their Dads.
1
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Sun Mar 31 2024
The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
3
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Songs In The Key Of Life
Stevie Wonder
4
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Wed Apr 03 2024
In Our Heads
Hot Chip
Was expecting to like this one a bit more than I did. 'Night and Day' is a banger, a lot of the rest was just too lightweight disco pop for me.
3
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Modern Kosmology
Jane Weaver
I think I preferred her earlier album 'Silver Globe', but this is still enjoyable. Not sure it's truly essential like most of the more modern choices on here but definitely worth a spin.
I'd say there are fewer stand out tracks on this one, this one is more of a spacey psychedelic journey with the usual lush analogue sounding electronics.
2
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Kimono My House
Sparks
Better than I thought. Totally worn down by the endless playing of ‘This town ain’t big enough for the both of us’ and the whole gimmicky nature of the band I was not expecting too much.
Which is kind of what I got. Definitely carving their own path through the varied world of 70s pop, you can’t accuse them of copying anyone. But it’s not that inventive or attention grabbing.
I did find my head bobbing to a few tracks along the way.
Deserves to be on this list just to highlight how many different styles of music were available back then.
2
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Sat Apr 06 2024
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
The Kinks
The Kinks are a bit of a Greatest Hits band for me despite them being quite pioneering and relentless at concept albums. I like 'Something Else' as an album but not spent too much time listening to the others and certainly not this one.
And it's OK. Always loved 'Victoria' and 'Shangri-la' and those really stand out, the rest does seem to be treading familiar ground, complainy nostalgic lyrics with strummed guitars and a clumping rhythm section.
Also I really don't know why The Kinks were always so behind the times with sound quality, sounds like it was recorded in a shipping container. Compared to other 1969 albums it sounds horrible, in the same year we had 'Hot Buttered Soul', 'In the Court of the Crimson King' and even the folky 'Five leaves left' from Nick Drake is miles ahead of this.
Not amazing and the arch snarkiness seems ill aimed and just a little bitter.
2
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Tue Apr 09 2024
1989
Taylor Swift
Was determined to stay open minded and pleasant about this one after all pop music is harmless and I am an old fart. I couldn’t even remember whether Taylor Swift made golf clubs or luxury motor yachts.
That didn’t last long. This is powdered milk in musical form. Homogeneous Music Product has been generated for you. Guaranteed to contain no deadly viruses or sharp objects at a proven 0% musical nutrient level.
What has “my queen” got against interesting progressions, or light and shade and especially bridges. Haters gonna hate my lack of middle eights.
How to write a Taylor Swift vocal melody: pick a note then stay on that note and do this rhythm: duh duh duh duh duh duhh duhh. Forever.
Her voice sounds like a helium AI impression of Christina Aguilera but without the shouting or raunchiness. The whole thing is so empty and sexless.
Apparently the world wants bland and by gum this delivers.
Taylor Swift is living proof that entertainment is not about refining the perfect response to public approval.
Oh unless you want to be the biggest selling artist of the age in which case well done, the share holders are delighted and nobody had to experience anything.
1
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Sunshine Superman
Donovan
Hmmm never been a fan and I'm not converted, but I am quite impressed how early he got his psychedelic touchstones in a row.
1966 does seem early for sitar, and the use of gloomy cellos and and the like seem to pre-figure Led Zep and the British Folk Rock Scene.
I still find him somewhat patronising in tone and it's all pretty lightweight. Inoffensive and faintly interesting. Very much of it's times.
2
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Thu Apr 11 2024
Shaft
Isaac Hayes
I hope 'Black Moses' or 'Hot Buttered Soul' are also on this list as they are better albums. This is obviously influentiial but it really is a collection of soundtrack music.
I honestly don't think the main theme song is even that strong though of course it's a self-made meme these days.
That said it's a high quality funk and soul soundscape and has some classic staples of the type on display, wakka-wakka-waah guitar, crisp horns and grooovy vocals baby.
Ike has much more to give than this though.
3
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Sun Apr 14 2024
Rock Bottom
Robert Wyatt
Not an easy one to take in during 24 hours. I had heard this before having tracked it down for the original version of "Sea Song" as covered by The Unthanks. I really like that as a starter on this album though it does drone on too long.
The rest of the album is less melodic and between the atonal wheezy synths and Robert's nasal whine this can be quite grating if you aren't in the mood.
I have to say though I like it anyway, it sounds like it has come from a very dark period in his life (which it did), and it's very original.
Probably not essential but worth a listen again just to appreciate the variety of music in the 1970s.
Also a great album for apparently annoying reviewers on here who think music is good or bad depending on which genre they decide it's in.
A spooky wonky and slightly disturbing album of droning tunes that make you worry for the artist's and possibly your own mental health. Definitely an odd one, but not without merit. Also if you think this is too weird, for god's sake don't listen to any of his other stuff.
3
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Songs From The Big Chair
Tears For Fears
This is an album that sounds of it's era but has stood the test of time very well.
Mature complex pop music which seems to be making a lot of the studio technology and modern instruments but stays memorable. It's a real time capsule of what you could do with an album in the 80s.
The hits are huge and sound amazing, the album tracks don't grab me as much but it all goes together as a piece nicely.
We should forgive the mullets in this case.
3
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Maxinquaye
Tricky
Well now. Here's an album that certainly deserves it's place on this list. This is a definitive one for those of you obsessed with genre labels.
Tricky left Massive Attack to do more of his own thing and he really has, despite several of his Massive Attack lyrics being recycled here. It's trip-hop alright but moves away from the reggae re-makes and orchestral juggenauts of his previous band and move into a creepy and varied new sound world.
The audacious Public Enemy cover of 'Black Steel' was very popular at the time and stands out like an enjoyable sore thumb amongst all the dense atmospheres and rumbling electronica of the rest of the album.
Comparison is always drawn to Portishead for their shared use of the Isaac Hayes sample but to my ears the 2 songs 'Hell is around the corner' and 'Glory Box' couldn't sound more different and just show how a sample canused originally. There's no blues guitar and noir-film samples on this, nor does Martina Topley-Bird wring her heart out on every song like Beth Gibbons does. In fact Martina's detached composure is a signature of this album.
So it's an original, far reaching, and unique album with personal themes explored in a way only Tricky would seem to. It's a class act.
I just don't like it that much paersonally. A bit short on tunes, wanders on too long. I do find something about it a bit too creepy and claustrophobic.
A landmark, worth visitng.
3
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Cross
Justice
Another album that deserves to be here and is important, but isn't totally amazing.
In fact this is a classic of the incredible start, several strong tracks, then tails off, and in places descends into laughable cringe-worthy nonsense. If I never hear 'The Party' and 'D.U.N.C.E' again I will be just fine.
Have to admit the first time I heard the opening track I heard it on a very large high quality hi-fi and it blew me away. It still sounds very original today.
It wears thin quickly though. It sounds revolutionary at first but it seems like they kicked a new door open which absolutely no-one ran through.
An interesting footnote in electronic dance music history.
2
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Fri Apr 19 2024
This Nation’s Saving Grace
The Fall
This seems to be one of the more consistent Fall albums. I have not listened to all 40 or whatever it is, but they seemed to be going through a good spell here.
I think the central band of Hanley, Scanlon and Burns is pretty classic and they sound very together in this era. I reckon Brix Smith's pop ideas and catchy (if familiar) riffs help this along nicely.
Mark E. Smith is on top cantankerous form and yowls and snarls in trademark style.
Yes. Basically a good solid Fall album. I do think acts such as Pixies and Pavement must have been influenced by this band, the dry snarky humour, the refusal to be in any genre or do anything that you would be expected to, just plough your own scatalogical furrow.
That said this is hardly earth shattering, and might be quite a hard listen for many, it's not exactly The Carpenters.
3
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Sat Apr 20 2024
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
The ultimate and greatest example of the British blues nerds supercharging the black music of America.
But oh god Robert Plant's moaning and groaning on this is ridiculous. When I was a teen and discovered this amazing album I used to worry my mum would hear there was a Brummy man having an operatic orgasm in my room. Jeez Percy, pack it in.
Not a fan of 'Whole lottta Love' for above mentioned issue and also instantly tired sounding cliched riff. They could do better and immediately prove that.
As well as the Beavis and Butthead approved bluesy metal riffs juddering about all over this album there is a fair bit of light and shade, 'Thank you' is Beatlesesque and quite lovely really, prefiguring 'Stairway' and 'Rain song' on future albums.
But to me the thing on this album is the energy, much as Plant's vocals and associated pillow-humping noises can grate, just listen to the end section of 'Heartbreaker' just after the frenetic guitar solo, the band stop for one final huge gulp of air before crashing into the main refrain, John-Paul Jones' seismic jelly wobble of a bass loosens your fillings ready for the last time Percy almost sings himself inside-out with the final "Go away heart breaker!" and his voice just slightly cracks in the middle.
Holy smokes that's how you do it people. It is no wonder they became such a phenomenon following this.
5
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Songs For Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra
Frank's in perfect swinging pop form here. Bright and breezy standards, played sung and orchestrated to a tee.
I prefer Sinatra when he's gloomy, this kind of stuff is just too corny for me.
I imagine this was a breath of fressh air after 'The wee small hours'.
Great but not for me.
3
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Wed Apr 24 2024
Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
Another PE album! Wasn't too familiar with the titles on thos one except 'Shut 'em Down'. Was expecting to find it a bit 'more of the same' to the ground-breaking early albums.
But really they are still in full swing now and seem to have a new target in Gangsta-rap. Made me laugh out loud in a couple of places.
It does continue the feel of the other ones, sampling maelstrom, shouty polemic and Flav as slightly soulful sounding court jester.
It's good.
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
What to say? Top ten for me. Known it and loved it for 30 plus years, still blows me away. Better structured and more cohesive than most prog. The most amazing soaring lyrical guitar parts you could ever hope for. Dense studio soundscapes with ground breaking efffects.
It's in a league of it's own. Does sound very 1970s and the lyrics are a bit schoolboy-ish. Deal with it, make this one your friend for life.
5
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Born In The U.S.A.
Bruce Springsteen
Another popular album not to my taste that I thought "It's got some good singles, let's give it a go", ut then ended up disliking it immediately and thoroughly.
'I'm on fire' is good, 'Dancing in the dark' is a no-holds-barred classic. The title track is not even getting a listen I'm so sick of it already.
Now 'Born to Run' is a great song too, from earlier in Bruce's career, but it's a novelty song. You can only write one song that's quite so camp and cliched about being a blue collar working guy who's gunna make it sum day.
Except all the other tracks on this album are just continuing that trope but without the tunes.
This is bad. Extremely dull.
1
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Sat Apr 27 2024
On The Beach
Neil Young
The somewhat muted follow up to Harvest. Really quite atmospheric though in an understated kind of way. A consistent one. Won't set your hair on fire though.
Solid, haunted and melancholy.
4
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Sun Apr 28 2024
Traffic
Traffic
This is a very OK album. Though a bit long given the lack of really cracking tunes. 'Medicated Goo' is pretty great.
Seems less than essential, a very also-ran album given the competition at the time, and it's not particularly original either.
It sounds great and Steve's voice is amazing as ever. Um. Yeah.
Better stuff was yet to come from Steve Winwood.
2
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Felt Mountain
Goldfrapp
Quite a nice surprise this one. Was familiar with 'Lovely Head' and 'Utopia' don't think I'd listened to the album before.
Wasn't expecting it to be so wistful. Also that thing where she does the "guitar" solo by singing soprano through effects pedals still does it for me.
Enjoyable soundscape with some good strong songs holding it up. Trip=hop esque but the varied use of instruments makes it sound a bit more original.
Baroque-hop?
3
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Figure 8
Elliott Smith
I remember hearing a lot about Elliot Smith at the time he was successful. Apparently he was one of those artists you needed to check out, below the radar, if you know, you know. So under the radar people never stopped talking about him. I never heard much of his music.
Now I have and it sounds like Teenage Fanclub and The High Llamas with a bit of Badly Drawn Boy mixed in. I places it's quite loud and rocks a long a bit.
Nice enough but wishy washy and bland to me. Not sure I've missed out on too much.
2
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Wed May 01 2024
Red Dirt Girl
Emmylou Harris
Not as country as I was expecting, but fairly middle of the road folk pop with an updated production. Maybe I'll like this when I'm 80 or something. She does have a great velvety voice.
2