Pretty solid blues rock. Sounded a lot to me like the Allman Brothers. I only knew ZZ Top from when they went more mainstream. Not really my cup of tea but some of it was chill.
I was so delighted when I saw this one come up. I haven't listened to it in decades. A friend made me a cassette dub back then and I would listen to it traveling around Manhattan. Brought me right back to those days when we would stay up recording our own raps. There's so much joy and playfulness here. I'm diving into the rest of their catalogue after this.
What can be said about this album? It's a stone cold classic. It's not the kind of thing I'd be listening to as an album these days as it's completely out of context with my life, but it brought me back to the vibe in my crunchy college for sure. Little Wing, You Got Me Floating', Castles Made of Sand and Bold as Love sound as good as ever.
I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I'm not a big rap fan but I've heard of Common but I had never listened to him. There are so many good tracks - GO!, Love Is, They Say are highlights. It also has a really positive vibe. I'll be playing this again and checking out more from his catalogue.
These are songs that most of us know as American classics and they are just great. If I closed my eyes I could imagine the excitement of this concert. Having said that, live albums are not my favorite. I am totally going to go back and listen to the studio versions of these and more again.
So happy that this came up. I used to listen to this record all the time when it came out. It's an exotic, ambient sound that you can just sink into. We would put it on and drink wine and talk all night. Also good for studying, tripping, taking long drives through austere landscapes, and floating in a pool looking up at the stars. This band to me goes hand in hand with Ulrich Schnauss.
First of all, Kicks is a banger, so I loved hearing that again. The only other song I was familiar with was the Monkey's version of Stepping Stone. I had no idea this was a Paul Revere song. You can hear the influence of this band on so many similar bands today with a pared down rock sound. There was also surprisingly some proper surf music in here.
I don't know how I went this long without ever hearing of this band. I'm not that knowledgable about EDM but still, these seem to be the OGs. If you told me this came out yesterday instead of 30 years ago I would believe you, it's so fresh. A whole lot of fun.
This was a real blast from the past. I didn't own this album but my friend did, and I was brought right back to my tween years listening to this in her bedroom. I don't know if we even realized how groundbreaking this band was at the time. They were going into all kinds of sonic directions here. We were just obsessed with Bohemian Rhapsody and it still sounds just as good.
Somehow I had never heard this album, although of course I knew 1999 and Little Red Corvette. This has a combination of sounds that range from classic Prince that I remembered from his early TV appearances to songs that I would have never guessed were him. This was the first album with the Revolution, including many co-lead and backing vocals. I was great going back to the origins of his influential sound. I can only imagine how much fun these concerts were.
This is some prog rock with a capital P. You can hear how much they must have influenced the artists that came after in the big, thematic AOR category. It's huge and bombastic, and you really have to be in the right vibe to take it in. This would have been hardcore even at my crunchy college back in the day.
Haven't listened to this one in years. What's even more apparent now is what a great singer we've lost. If you close your eyes you think that you're listening to one of the jazz greats of old, although she made the sound thoroughly modern. Her most enduring songs are on this album.
It's been a few years, but I listened to this quite a bit when it came out. This album is at turns screechy and jarring, and then as adorable as a bunny. I don't really know what to make of them, but they're utterly unique. There was a spot on Samantha Bee's show where they played some of his noisy-ass guitar playing and she said "I'm so glad someone told me to like this." It's sure as hell not soothing, but very often sweet.
While I've certainly heard her songs, this is my first time listening to a Sarah Vaughan album, and let me tell you it was a revelation. I usually am not a fan of live recordings, but this might be the exception. At the beginning of the record, the host explains to the audience that she'll be using lyric sheets. Well she must have lost some of them, because she frequently doesn't have the words and she doesn't need them either. These moments when you hear her just go off on a riff are jaw-dropping. The sound of the recording is studio-quality, but you get to hear the spontaneous, playful side of her as well. I don't know why anyone else bothers singing after hearing this. The piano by Jimmy Jones is just gorgeous.
I had never listened to this album all the way through, although I was familiar with the hits. I really enjoyed this so much. I always thought of them as the kind of noisy punk that I wasn't so into, although I liked some songs and their message. What I didn't expect were the tracks that were 2 songs in one, and the ones that had so much going musically. Much more complex than their genre would suggest. Billy Jo Armstrong is a great singer and the band is tight.
I enjoyed this album so much. This is the kind of music that sounds timeless. You could play it at a party right now and it would fit right in. Blueberry Hill is the only song I was familiar with but the rest is classic and lots of fun
This was a big album back when it was released and seemed to be everywhere. It was the first hard-driving rock that took on racial issues head-on (Rage is more hip-hop/rap). The songs still sound really good, though a bit heavy-handed at times and kind of shouty. Would like to hear them slow it down a bit here and there. This is a proper rock and roll album.
I had never heard of this band, and there wasn't much about the album that spoke to me. I wouldn't know how to categorize it, as it went from punk to rock to folk. Some songs were catchy, but as a whole it sounded under-produced. Someone's cup of tea, but not mine.
From the first track, Born on the Bayou, I cranked this one up. This is an early one of theirs and I wasn't so familiar with most of the songs. They have so many amazing songs that are on their later albums, but this definitely set the tone. This is proper Vietnam War music.
I've always felt that I was deeply uncool because I wasn't into Siouxsie and the Banshees. I really should have been because I know how infuential they are and I love other bands like the Cure and psychedelic Furs. This was a fun listen and there were songs like Monitor which had a groove I really liked. I think it's maybe her voice for me which is so extra. I'm giving this 4 stars for their being on the vanguard of the New Wave.
I had never listened to a whole album by this band but I love some of their songs. They're super fun and have such a unique sound because of their lead singer. It's 50 years old but you would never know. I live in LA and was listening to this driving around in the car and it gives off a real Cali beach vibe, even though they're British. A bunch of goofballs in the best way. It would be even better if it had All the Young Dudes.
I like the Who well enough, but not live albums. I tried, but this was a meh
My dad was a huge Country & Western fan so I grew up listening to Marty Robbins. This album promises gunfighter ballads and trail songs and that's exactly what it delivers. This is proper cowboy music, light on the corniness and delivered with a beautiful voice. I found myself cranking it up so I could hear the stories. I'm not a country fan but have developed an appreciation for this old school stuff. Mary Robbins is a cowboy poet.
I remember when this album was everywhere, but I never realized just how epic it is. It's one unbelievable banger after another, for two whole albums! These songs, his voice, and the musicianship is just off the charts. It's timeless and wildly ambitious. I dare you to find anything released in the last 25 years (or more) that even comes close.
I know the Yardbirds are legend but this one just didn't hit. I think some music may have an expiration date, regardless of how influential it is.
Bob Marley always sounds like the right music to be playing in any given situation. I've listened to Uprising a lot and was only familiar with one of these songs (Stir it Up) but I liked all of them. They are dealing with some heavy subjects here, but in ways that are somehow uplifting.
I had never heard of this band before, but the music was a lot of fun.
What can I say about this album. One of my very favorites of all time. It brings me right back to summer of '86 when all of us at my theatre school got turned onto Tom Waits and were obsessed. Forty years after it was recorded, it sounds as good as it did then. This has everything and is indescribable, unless your description is honky-tonky circus pirate cabaret jazz, recorded in an abandoned warehouse with very good equipment. Poetic, moving, hilarious, weird, unforgettable. Tom at the very height of his powers.
I couldn't find this album anywhere, so I listened to a few tracks from it and some other songs. I like the retro jazzy vibe of it.
I loved this album when it came out and listened to it all the time. I had listened to her before but this album really pulled things together in a complete package. So many great songs. I'm not the biggest punk fan but there's something about her that's emotionally affecting. Her voice and playing are really raw and authentic.
I've always loved this band, but this was one I wasn't too familiar with except for a few songs. Great as always, and they get even better.
I really tried listening to this but just couldn't make myself do it. Got about three songs in before crying uncle. I love 70's prog rock but not this. I'm sure it has some great musicianship but not being able to tolerate it has taken away a star
R.E.M. is one of those bands whose songs I know well but I've never actually listened to an album. This was really good, familiar and yet new. If I took the time to really listen to the lyrics I'm sure I"d appreciate them even more.
I happy to get a Judas Priest. I knew this would be a fun listen. I liked them well enough back in the day, but when my son was 12 he started to get into them so we took him to see them in concert. Some really solid songs on here, and now I can't get Grinder out of my head.
It's amazing to hear a whole album by Paul Simon and not recognize one song, because he's everywhere. His songwriting is so intimate and specific. This album is 50 years old and still sounds fresh.
This album is delightful. Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side themselves make it great. There's something about his skewed take on things and slightly off key voice that I love.
Zappa is the kind of music lots of cool kids were listening to in college but it never resonated with me. This still holds true. I was also surprised this was an instrumental album. All props to him, the frenetic musicianship and his wide influence, but not my cup of tea
Somehow I had never listened to anything by this band before this, so I was excited. At first I was getting a Siouxie vibe, which is not my favorite, but the album was many-layered and diverse. Favorite song: Runaway. Worth another listen. I was surprised this was only their third album as it seemed like they've been around forever.
It's noisy punk and I just couldn't do it. It may be great noisy punk, but I wouldn't know. I've never heard of this band.
I've heard of this band but had never listened to them. I really liked this electronic pop dreamscape and the manic pixie singer. Her voice is on the higher and lighter side but packs some emotional power.
I remember some of these songs from my childhood and I liked everything about this album. Glam rock that's fun and approachable and sounds good today.
It's wild to listen to BB King as a young man. I only remember him as an old blues guy who was always showing up on The Tonight Show. This music is classic and has such great energy. There's something about this genre that sounds even better live
This is a really tough one to rate. In this album you can really hear the move into musical theatre, and there are a few really interesting songs. The whole time though I was wanting to hear their monster hits. I have to grade this on a curve considering all their other music. Musically ambitious, but nothing makes me want to keep listening to it.
I remember liking the Jam but had never heard Paul Weller's solo work. It's decidedly more laid-back and explores several genres.
This was for the most part really fun, loose, and a lot of it sounded live. There was only one track I had to skip through because of how crazy violent and explicit it was. You could tell they were joking with each other, but still.
I'm not a country fan at all, but his was such a refreshing album. I would call it crossover country/folk. Her voice is twangy as it comes but her songs are really good and not corny in the least. Beautiful voice and a slightly quirky take on things you don't usually find in country.
This was on heavy rotation for me in high school, but I'd say it doesn't really hold up. For me, this brings back people, places and things I've moved on from long ago. Like a lot of old psychedelic rock, it's hard to imagine the right context to listen to it now. War Pigs still rocks.
This album is an absolute classic
Beautiful, inventive piano music
I always thought I might like the Pixies but never really listened to them. This is pretty noisy punk. I do remember the song Gigantic which was a highlight. Some other fun songs too.
Cockney guy reads the diary of his boring and pointless life in a rhythmless monotone over sick beats. Gave it an extra star because it is truly like nothing I've heard before.
I like old school rap and hip-hop and this one brings me back
This album is iconic based on the title song alone. There are some other beautiful ones as well. Trying to be objective despite problematic things that have come about about him. He used to be my favorite Beatle.
This is one of those classics I'd never listened to all the way through before. Great stuff
It put such a smile on my face to hear these songs again. Band on the Run and Jet are classics that sound as good as ever.
I somehow never listened to this band before. It was just kind of okay for me. At times it reminded me of Nirvana or Foo Fighters with a lot of fuzz. I can see how people like them.
This album is one of the towering achievements of prog rock. The music is huge, emotional, and soaring, with unbelievable musicianship. Yes, there are some pretentious tracks, but that's the price you had to pay for such brilliance. I was a little kid when it came out, but it was very much in the soundtrack of life for decades after. Hearing Heart of the Sunrise again nearly tore me up. So, so, so many feels. If you don't know this music, this is the one to just sit and listen to with headphones and let it wash over you. A powerful masterpiece.
This was such a cool, chill album. They've been played a lot on KCRW over the years but this is my first time listening to an album. I'd call them electro-soul. Perfect music for driving around LA at night.
I listened to this with my Gen Z son who assured me that's it's high end stuff. Could be, but it's hard for me to get past the constant vulgarity.
Pretty hardcore and heavy 90's grunge that's classic but not resonating with me these days.
1999 was a great year for music so not sure how I missed this one. I had only heard Drive before which is a pretty good song.
This was a group I'd never heard of but I really liked the vibe. Chill and eclectic R&B with a 60's groove.
Old school hip hip that brings me back. Some fun and clever stuff.
Some early classics on this one. I was surprised how many covers were on here. A preview of the greatness to come.
This was pretty fun. I had only heard Enjoy Yourself before.
Fun and funky party music
Love the One You're With is the banger on this album. The rest is petty chill bluesy/psychedelic folk that sounds very much like 1970.
