Took a few listens to grow on me, but this album has no skips. Probably requires a bit of historical context to consider this an all-timer but can still be appreciated today.
Best deep cut - I Know There's an An Answer
The Queen of soul for a reason, beautiful voice.
Great album with a timeless sound. Some beautiful tracks that seamlessly transition between gloomy and lively. The first 5 songs really standout with A Rose for Emily being the highlight.
Decent album. None of the tracks really stand out. The first half is strong but it begins to drag on near the end, a change of pace or some shorter tracks would've helped. Their Spotify streaming numbers blow my mind, I don't see the mass appeal.
A bunch of hits. Great music and pop ballads. Songs are all short and catchy and the album never loses momentum. Easy to see why these early albums propelled them to fame.
Maybe all of the hits have been too overplayed to be fully appreciated but this album was a bore. Wildest Dreams still slaps but didn't find anything new here.
Awesome rock concert. Heaven and Hell gets things kicked off right away and never loses momentum from there. Young Man Blues was probably the peak.
Decent album but a little boring. Songs don't feel very distinct from one another and can blur together if your focused elsewhere. Play for Today was the best track.
I am bored
Other than the hits it fell a bit flat for me. Sound felt a bit repetitive and no real hidden gems here.
You can definitely hear the influence albums like this one had on east coast rap throughout the 90's. The production is great throughout the record, and there is lots of good storytelling here that makes up for a pretty basic rhyme schemes. Very similar to A Tribe Called Quest but there's not much here that The Low End Theory doesn't do better.
Sounds like its out of a different era. Amy's unique voice adds so much to what are pretty mundane songs but it can start to irritate by the end of the album.
More of Paul guy I guess. A few interesting tracks but overall not much to get excited by.
This album fucking rocks
Mellow rock with some cool guitar riffs. After Witchy Woman there wasn't a ton here that I would revisit.
It took a couple of listens to really appreciate, but you can hear how this sound influenced a lot of early 2000's indie/punk music. There are unreal guitar riffs all over this album and some great solo's on Marquee Moon which is worth the 10 minute listen everytime.
Not a big fan of this. James' voice isn't interesting enough to carry the simple melodies and lack of rhythm. Fire and rain was good but not much else worth a relisten.
Meh
A different genre of music then I'm used to. Took a few listens to appreciate the sound, but I came to really enjoy it
Front loaded album with a really strong opener. A lot of versatility showed in one piece of work.
I've never given U2 a chance before this album but I can see why they've had so much commercial success. A real timeless rock sound. Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and Like a Song were my favorites but the back half is just as good.
Would give this a 3.5, really enjoy Lorde's sound and she definitely hit her peak on this one.
Good background music
Electric stuff. So much versatility and bravado comes through on these songs. Mercury's powerful vocals and May's skillful solos are mesmerizing. Shame that this rock style has gone extinct along with a ton of other great 70's rock sounds.
Santana is very fun on guitar, and the songs are incredibly groovy.
Not usually a metal fan but this album rocks. Every guitar riff and solo is riveting, and the heavy drums and bass make up such a hard-hitting sound.
Experimental in sound, it's trying to explore a lot of different genres. Maybe they pioneered some of these sounds that went on to be better refined, but feels like a demo tape. Guitar sounds like me playing after 6 beers.
Pretty mid
OutKast at their best. Their albums always seem to run a bit too long but they have such a fun and unique sound that it never becomes dry.
Buddy has a great voice and there are some great moments throughout this album, but it's a bit too plain for modern day rock. That being said I get why his music has lived on for so long.
The front end of this album was much stronger then the later half. Fun funk/soul music. There wasn't anything too memorable here but it was overall an enjoyable listen.
Enjoyable listen. Some of the songs were a bit goofy but there were some beautiful tracks as well. Paul Simon has a very smooth and soothing voice. I'll definitely explore more of his work.
This was an interesting album. Unique sounds, good vibes. Nothing super special but a fun divergence into a new genre.
One of the all-time bests, no skips.
If nothing else, Janis has a very powerful and unique voice. There is a lot of raw passion and soul poured into every song, but I'm not sure if the raspy, gritty vocals are actually enjoyable. I don't think the instrumentation is particularly interesting, but it's purposely leaving a lot of room for Janis to shine.
I only made it through half of the album, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it doesn't improve much on the back side. He sings about as well as Bob Dylan and mumbles every word, so who knows if the lyrics are good. Lots of boring drum tracks and bass lines. Made me long for Sweet Baby James which is sad.
Listened to this album too many times and I still don't have a great opinion. I like rock Elvis a lot more than crooner Elvis.
Great album. The instrumentation work is awesome, whether it’s the dual guitars, horns or the keys it all works. There is great variety in style and ambiance throughout the album.
This album has a few songs I’ve heard my whole life but never knew who sang them. They have a real hippie rock sound that’s enjoyable but I think it’s gets a bit boring by the end of it.
This album was a treat. Neil isn't the best singer but it's his unique voice and tone that adds some grittiness to his country rock style. Instrumentally, Neil and the band are so strong, it's a joy to listen to them riff for minutes at a time on several tracks.
There seems to be a lot of depth in the lyricism but this is far too boring of a listen to try to grasp what's being said. Every song is Cohen whispering over some light guitar chords. Heavy amount of religious elements. Would be a better to read as a poem book.
Takes a couple of listens to appreciate but there are a lot of great tracks on this record. Very groovy house music. Not surprising that Holmes has been involved in so many movie soundtracks.
Otis is such a powerful singer. He can show such a range of emotion and makes you feel the words along with him. One of the best soul/blues albums, but there is some great rock elements mixed in as well.
Beautiful, beautiful jazz/bossa nova album. The instrumentation and vocals work to create this gloomy ambiance. Lovely sax solo's layered in to incredible arrangements on every track.
Solange has a lovely voice and the songs are a fine listen, with deep messaging. But it's a bit dull musically.
Some sort of abstract art gallery noise more then a coherent album. A bunch of random guitar lifts with bad singing, or talking or whatever they decided to switch to from track to track. I get it the guy can play the bass.
Not quite my tempo
Mark Knopfler is the goat. I'll forever be trying to replicate his guitar style. Iconic stuff.
I'm not that familiar with reggae and what I have heard hasn't interested me much. But this album is hard to deny. Just an awesome, chill, vibe that feels like a day at the beach. Includes a few of Marley's biggest hits. I think there's a bit more funk/blues elements in here that stand out from other reggae I've heard.
A few legendary songs that make this an all-timer, but all of the songs in between don't disappoint either. Amazing guitar riffs throughout and smooth rock vocals.
I have a bit of a soft spot for this album. It came out at the start of Covid and listening to it bored and stoned it felt very unique and profound. But, some of the tracks I saved have been instant skips in the years since. Some albums take a few listens to love, this album is the opposite.
Really enjoyed this album. They have a very similar sound to the Beatles, but they skew bit more toward hard rock with heavy blues elements mixed in. Fascinating to learn about this band and the guitarist that came from it
Halfway through Disc 1 and I'm already tired of Corgan's voice. I like the bands moody, heavy rock style but they might be better in small doses.
Listening to this after Van Halen, and 70's rock is so much better than the 80's. Steve Howe is truly spectacular. The songs are long but they don't bore, similar to Television's Marquee Moon in that aspect.
None of the songs are bad but it's all so repetitive. It was probably new and exciting in it's time but through modern day ears it's very basic electronic music. I imagine there has been some great rap samples taken from this album.
This album took a bit to grow on me but I've become a big fan of it. I think there's more variety here than other early punk acts like the Ramones, Sex Pistols, X-Ray Spex. Maybe because it was their third album they blended more blues and rock elements.
The first half was great, fun pop-rock with seemingly a bit of 90's grunge influence mixed in. I don't know why the last 20 minutes of this album wasn't cut. It just goes on forever for no discernible reason. Really killed the quality of this album holistically.
Really debated between a 3 or 4 here, but will go with a 4 due to it's historical significance and impact to music. It's a good album with a bunch of good songs, a nice variety and a cohesive concept. But its not my favourite Beatles project and there's some meh tracks along the way.
EVH's solos are very impressive and he makes the guitar screech in unique ways, but I don't think it's to my taste. Sometimes less is more. Beyond the solos the songs are uninteresting.
Not sure if I enjoy Rowland's moody, whiny singing or not, it definitely fits the genre but it tires on you. The horns really carry this album, especially in the first three tracks. Not sure I understood a word of the lyrics.
Not my favorite style of rap. It beats out a lot of the modern day stuff but there are countless 90's New York rap albums I'd rather listen to. The beats are pretty plain and they have the same flow and cadence in every song.
The RZA's beats throughout this album are unmatched. Wu-Tang as a collective works better than any other rap group because they all have unique styles but everyone of them can spit bars. Iconic album, no skips, 5 stars.
I think there were a couple tracks that were decent, it's just really not a style of music I enjoy. I can't tap into that angsty, aggressive, violent, fuck the world attitude that this album requires.
I don't want to listen to Morrissey anymore. I'm not quick to label music pretentious but the irony of a Brit telling another country to stay where they belong was quite the kick-off. Morrissey continues to whine over uninteresting backing tracks through the entirety of the album. There are a couple of decent tracks here but even the less pretentious songs aren't special in any way.
The song structure and writing is so generic and boring it made me feel like I was too hard on Van Halen. The solo’s make up for some of it but even they seem a bit formulaic. Could use some more energy and more talented song writers.
Live Blues/Jazz jam band music. Obviously not as polished as a studio album but that's really the beauty of it. Duane is awesome and is so smooth and rhythmic with his solos, even 10, 15, 20 minutes of it doesn't get old.
Iconic west-coast album. Never has been my favourite though, they all rap with the same cadence and the basic rhyme schemes get repetitive. The beats are hit or miss and so are the lyrics. I think everyone went on to make much better music after NWA, but there's still so much more passion, energy and creativity in these songs than you'll find in today's rap.
It's not terrible but it sounds like a worse version of Blondie, especially the vocals. The saxophone work adds a nice element, but 70's punk is always a bit underwhelming. A good listen but far from great.
This album was surprisingly awesome. I'm familiar with their hits like Sabotage, Brass Monkey, No Sleep Till Brooklyn but I assumed they were kind of a one trick pony and a whole album would get old fast, but boy was I wrong. It's hard to catch every bar, but just the diversity in styles and beats make for an interesting listen. Love the funky/jazz instrumental tracks between hyped rap songs, shows they put thought into curating this album as a full experience. Q-Tip knocks it out the park with the feature.
When the album ended Spotify queued up Pet Sounds and I just thought how much better the back half of the album was until I realized what had happened. This is a pretty good album but is definitely a step down in comparison. There's a good variety of songs, some classic rock and soft melodic tunes.
I gave this a few tries but it was really a bore. I didn't find Stipe's vocals enjoyable, the arrangements were uninteresting and the lyrics were somewhat goofy. R.E.M. might've been a pioneer of alt-rock but I think it pales in comparison to the bands the came after.
In an era chalk full of iconic rap albums, this album really stands apart. Whether she's rapping or singing over the groovy R&B beats, every song is sincere and has genuine feeling behind it. Another reminder of how far the genre has descended in quality in the 21st century.
