You know you’re in for a dud when the Wikipedia entry is pretty much “ya this album existed”
Unfortunately as bland as the album cover art. I’m never a fan of a “double album” like this. Like come on, cut it down to just down to essential tracks. Lindsey buckingham christie mcvie and Stevie nicks vocals are still timeless but not enough to make this shine. I was surprised to read in the little “wiki” section that this was supposed to be an experimental album, as it feels very weak and almost intentional to not be like rumors
Man I miss the ol kanye. I’m mean come on, this album has so much nostalgia. Jesus walks was probably one of the first rap songs that I can actually remember listening to on the radio. I also vividly remember when this song came out, I was in the lobby waiting to get my allergy shots and my mom picked up a magazine and Kanye was on it shirtless on a cross with a crown of thorns. My mom, obviously appalled but it was the first time I can actually remember something being controversial in pop culture and that actually enticing me. A slew of other good songs, all falls down is def one of my fave Kanye’s, and i kinda forgot about breathe in breathe out, I feel like that song was always played at lame dances and stuff. Relatively simple beats and a decent variety of features to change it up some. I know we’ve said it before on these reviews before but gosh dang, I forget how annoying it is to listen to a rap album with all these skits. Why was this a thing
Give me the funk!!! There’s zero doubt these guys can jam. As I had said, every song on here is either a cover or has been covered. The unfortunate thing for me personally is that except for don’t let me be lonely, I like the other version of the song better. Which I was surprised by as their groove is right up my alley. Don’t hate me Mr Isley brothers for my 3
Was excited going one cuz I hadn’t heard of these guys and I saw they had a lot of listens on Spotify but unfortunately I found it rather “meh”.
The first half really has a nirvana type vibe and then “here comes your man” kinda comes out of nowhere with a complete different sound which threw me off a bit. Not the biggest fan of his voice but I do love the guitar/bass riffs
This album makes me feel like I’m in a small club with a bunch of beefy sweaty white dudes banging our heads. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Again, singers voice isn’t my cup of tea but the guitar riffs are excellent and I’m humming along by the end of the song. Seems like it really wants to keep the grunge era alive but I don’t think this could save it. Key tracks: Rich, Date with the night, maps
It was gonna be hard to be objective on this one cause I automatically love any Stevie song. That being said, this is a great album. It has everything I want in an album. Interesting chords, amazing Vocals, and a harmonica solo. Great variety of songs. Also was not prepared for that racist talking bit during living for the city. Key tracks: golden lady, higher ground, all in love is fair, don’t you worry about a thing
Has a cool sound where it seems like classic rock but at the same time kinda modern. I was jammin to this album, granted I was at the gym at the time so idk if I would listen to it casually but if u need to get amped, this is an album to do it
The fact that I know most of the words to seven different songs on here and I wouldn’t even describe myself as a “Taylor swift fan” is all that needs to be said about this album. Extreme relistenability. Taylor fucks.
Unfortunately as bland as the album cover art. I’m never a fan of a “double album” like this. Like come on, cut it down to just down to essential tracks. Lindsey buckingham christie mcvie and Stevie nicks vocals are still timeless but not enough to make this shine. I was surprised to read in the little “wiki” section that this was supposed to be an experimental album, as it feels very weak and almost intentional to not be like rumors
Can someone get this man a cough drop??? Jesus Christ. The Tom DeLonge/Ben Folds award for worst vocalist goes to this poor man. I could barely get through a minute of each song. Maybe I’m still a little hungover but I highly doubt that is the root cause of my dislike. I miiiiiiiildly enjoyed some of the steel guitar/country vibes in a few songs but then the vocals came in and it was ruined. Maybe that one song at the end of the album that wasn’t available to listen to on Spotify redeemed the whole album, but unlike the Steelers ability to cover the spread, I would not bet on it.
Loved Matty Groves (did Lynnard Skynard steal some of this guitar solo…??). Great change of pace from some of our recent albums. Very background listenable. Didn’t get to listen to the whole album and I could see that if I did, their sound may get old after awhile and drop it to a three but fuck it we’ll do it live, four!
If there’s ever an album that makes u want to put a dip in, hop in the back of your red ford f-150 and watch the clouds roll by on a summer day, this is it (if that’s not your cup of tea then idk what to tell u). Y’all may be able to tell my preferences by now, but like the Fred Armisen meme from Parks and Rec, you play a harmonica solo, straight to a five. John fogerty(?)’s voice is just freakin incredible and I would go so far to say unmatched by any of his contemporaries. It’s cool listening to this early album for CCR and hearing the bones/formula for what will become a plethora of hits soon to come. Something I found interesting listening to this album (and I could be talking out my ass here) but something we take so for granted especially in live music is the concept of just giving each band member 64-128 bars just to go off, and I wonder if that tradition started around this time, not to say that CCR necessarily started it but maybe popularized it. Could be cool. Regardless, I don’t know what chooglin is but I will be sure to keep on doin it after listening to this album. (Bonus stars for using the word bayou, such a great word). Key tracks: born on the bayou, good golly miss Molly, proud Mary, keep on chooglin.
Not gonna lie, this was kind of a slog to get through. Some of the instrumentation was nice in certain parts but that’s all I really enjoyed. Can anyone else understand a word she’s saying?? It’s like every word is whispered. Say it with your chest lady!! But alas, probably should just be remembered as a one hit wonder. If I want to listen to some 80s power ballads I think I’ll look elsewhere.
I came in expecting to hate it, especially after real bad vibes from the cover art. I mean come on. I get the name of your album is beautiful freak but u don’t have to creep me the fuck out. But alas, it actually turned out much better than i expected, especially in the second half of the album. I guess albums, like ogres, can sometimes be like an onion.
Not gonna lie I only listened to the first three songs. They were decent but I wasn’t wowed. I was excited to listen to this tho because iggy pop is one of those people I’ve always heard about but knew nothing about him. I liked the wiki bit about him with ziggy (coincidence on the rhyming??) stardust. Other than that cool little factoid, I’m just kinda meh.
Disclaimer: Ive admitted multiple times that I am not an expert in 90s rap and thus I don’t know what I’m talking about. That being said, this feels like a seminal album in the rap game. Coming out in ‘93 this clearly sounds like Biggie and Jay z. When that first snare drum hits, you immediately know what you’re getting and takes u back to a specific time and place. I also love the production value of this, like it sounds kinda garage band-y, like the mic is kinda off and the beats are relatively simple but that also elevates it. The fact that I didn’t know any wu tang songs off the top of my head but then discovered that C.R.E.A.M is on here is super cool, a phrase that is just so engrained in modern vernacular that I didn’t even know it came from this album. I want to give this album more than a three, I really do but I’m not gonna lie I probs won’t be listening to this on the reg. The song Method Man really creeped me the fuck out. The nickname “dirty old bastard” is such a great name and I think someone in our group needs to be take this on, lookin at u Spence ;)
I have to start off by saying this album was extremely important for me musically just because it’s when i discovered that there was other music out there other than what was on 99.9 kiss country or the rap songs my brother would always play in the car. Sure tighten up was played ad nauseam but there is a reason for it. One of the best guitar riffs of the past two decades and maybe only topped by their subsequent album with lonely boy. Side A of this album is definitely a five with everlasting light tighten up Howlin for u and she’s long gone all straight jams. B side does kinda drag on a bit without a lot of variety and does make it a four unfortunately. I also love when band is around for awhile before they have commercial success. It clearly comes through in their song writing where they don’t give an f and are just here to make music they want to make. Lastly, one of the greatest album covers, period. So badass
Like this album (or at least what I could listen to) I will keep it short and sweet. I’m always a fan of the oldies but as a wise philosopher DD Freer once said, since the advent of modern music, it just didn’t resonate with me enough to get my music juices goin (I added that last bit but u know what I mean)
Disclaimer for Michael and any other controversial artists on here, just because I love music so much I’ve always been in the camp of separating the art from the artist but I fully understand/support anyone that doesn’t agree with that. Now back to regularly scheduled programming. Now that’s how u open a fucking album. When that 20 piece orchestra drops, strings flying, the brass blaring, u know you’re in for a good time. Just a very good album with surprising variety of songs. Fast-fast, slow-fast, soultry-slow, fast again, it has it all. I’ve never really heard a slow Michael Jackson song until she’s out of my life. I’m a sucker for any Wurlitzer electric keyboard and he sings with more soul than I expected. He sets the template for future pop artists to come (see Lizzos about damn time 2:15 and Michaels Rock with you 2:17…) Ya disco music gets kind of a bad rap but I’m here for the funk. Cha mone eh Key tracks: don’t stop till, rock with you, workin day and night, she’s out of my life, burn this disco out
It’s wild to me how rap like this has aged so poorly as opposed to like 4-5 years later. The beats are kinda decent? Otherwise this is unlistenable.
I honestly had to double check the date this album came out a few times. It really has a cool indie rock sound that it could have come out like 5-10 years ago. The “Michael Buble playing in the background of a coffee shop” award goes to REM. This a great album to just have on in the background of a 30-40 minute drive. I did enjoy it more than the three stars suggests but no real standouts to make it a four.
Hey that’s that one song I know. I usually like 60s classic rock but I just wasn’t feelin this as much. Beautiful album art and the band name “cream” is so great
What the fuck is this?? As soon as he started talking I knew this was going to be unlistenable (and was confirmed with the “la la la la las” in the following song). I award you no points, and may god have mercy on your soul.
Really solid album. Definitely a step up from the previous one we listened to. One thing I really like about this is the production value/sound editing of this album. It still has enough grit to still make u say “ya fuck the man” but very clear and balanced vocals and instrumentation that makes it actually pleasurable to listen to. This sound really dominates the indie rock genre for awhile around this time circa MGMT, M83, etc. idk if they started it but they definitely put a good stamp on it. Good variety for an indie rock album which sometimes hard to find.
First and foremost, the audacity to call your album “Nilsson Schmilsson” and then just be lookin rough wearing a ratty ass robe for your album cover takes some balls. (Speaking of balls, mad props to the due who must’ve cut his own off to get that high Db on the harmony of without you, goodness). I love when a piece of pop culture can make me go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and this one certainly did. You can clearly hear Beatles influences on here and it was cool to find out this guy and John Lennon were boys. Without you is a certified power ballad. Sure Mariah can belt better but I was pleased that schmilsson still held his own. Very good pop/rockish songwriting here. The bass solo at the end of jump into the fire is sick. (The only time I’ve heard of this dude before is he plays a song Remember from the hanks/Ryan classic you’ve got mail, which I highly recommend if you don’t know either, and I will definitely start playing again on the piano after hearing this album, sorry geege)
Not necessarily any certified bangers on here but regardless, such a more enjoyable classic rock listen as opposed to someone like Cream for example (ya I’ll throw Clapton under the bus). It still amazes me with how weird there compositions are that they were able to break such into the mainstream (in the lap of god, bring back Leroy brown). This was a good prep for their subsequent album which I can only assume is on this list.
I really can’t get past the voice.
Has real Regina Spector vibes, but not nearly as good. Contrary to her lyrics in Under the Table, I wish you would just “shut up”.
Damn this jams. This makes me want to steal my old dead beat alcoholic step dads grey and black striped 1967 mustang Shelby GT500 and peruse the town with the boys in search of the ever elusive poon tang. Is this one of the best debut albums of all time?? I mean to have three of the most iconic rock songs of all time on your first album is unreal. What amazes me is that you could tell me any other song besides those three are iconic and I would believe it. They all just have such a dope, confident and slick sound. An interesting exception to the rule of lack of variety which usually brings me down on an album but somehow despite most of these sounding relatively similar, each song has a unique vibe. Slash is shredding and axl has the voice of a dark angel.
Give me the funk!!! There’s zero doubt these guys can jam. As I had said, every song on here is either a cover or has been covered. The unfortunate thing for me personally is that except for don’t let me be lonely, I like the other version of the song better. Which I was surprised by as their groove is right up my alley. Don’t hate me Mr Isley brothers for my 3
Shockingly did not make me want to do the hankey pankey
Contains 3 out of the 5 U2 songs I know! I do love Bono’s songwriting. Just very epic sounding and just super solid tunes.
This is a hard album for me. There’s lots of parts (it’s hard to even call some of them songs) that I really liked but there were still a good amount that I didn’t. The idea of a concept album never really resonates with me. I know people have been doing it for years but for some reason I just can’t get in to them. The actual “songs” on here are very very good but then I would be like 45 seconds into one of the other instrumentations or weird songs and I’d be like wtf is this?
I had a traumatic karaoke experience where I was forced into listening to the entirety of two white peoples in hawiiaian shirts singing paradise by the dashboard light. I’ve protested listening to meat loaf ever since and no I didn’t listen to this album but I can imagine it’s a two.
The “Leonardo decaprio in ‘The Revanant’ award for really good award winning performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it while watching but despite that, I will probably never rewatch/relisten to it again” goes to this album. A little bit of a low four for me but gosh darn those funky beats in waterfalls, shooo boy.
The voice. Dear god the voice. I know there’s of lot of Dylan stans out there but man I just can’t get into him. This gets my obligatory extra star for use of the harmonica fortunately. Rolling stone is obvs good but otherwise meh. Sure there may be a bajillion allegories, sonnets, lymrics, haikus, etc in here but if the song tonally doesn’t entice me to listen to said “poetry”, then you just kinda wasted my precious time. Oh did I mention the voice?
Ozzy: Boobs Sharon: boobs ozzy? Ozzy: These filmmakers are just f***** boobs Kid: what do u mean dad Ozzy: well they’re using the same f***** joke as the last Austin powers movie. Ozzy is a legend. I liked this a lot more than I anticipated
I think I’ve told y’all about it before but that documentary on Netflix “the greatest night in pop”. Cyndi lauper is in it and man is she freakin weird. Like definitely someone I would never want to hang out with but when it comes for her time to sing, it’s like shockingly amazing. Very powerful voice and tone is spot on. And she’s pretty much one of the only female singers they asked to be on that song which is really saying something. Oh ya the album, ya it’s ok.
It did not need to be this long. I enjoyed it but lordy. I was also shocked to read the wiki and that this has been certified diamond and was the the number one album on billboard. It just goes to show how weird of a time the 90s were for music. Also that’s what she said to my first sentence
He’s the freakin king for a reason. Shame on me for being scared that I wouldn’t like it. I wish it had a few more bangers on here for me to give it a five but overall just straight up good music. Love the blues, country, gospel vibe.
I was excited looking at the wiki that this was an indie rock band from the 2000’s that I’d never heard of. But then I discovered there’s a reason I hadn’t heard of them.
“I’ve made a huge mistake”, is not what I would say about listening to this album. “There’s always money in [90s rap]” “That was a a freebie” is what I would say about this album being placed on this list. If people ask why this album is on this list, “I don’t understand the question and I won’t respond to it”. After listening to this album, “I’m afraid I just blue myself”. These arrested development jokes doing anything for anyone? No? Damn. I did enjoy this album. A good change up from most 90s rap I know. Also shout out to Lin Manuel Miranda for copying one of these dudes flow
It got my attention with “Roundabout” with some Pre-Queen vibes with the layered harmonies. And then to have a weird, random ass Baroque style piano solo next with “Cans and Brahms”, ok I’m listening…. and then it’s shit. There’s a reason we all know and love Queen and not these guys. Relies way to heavily on the harmonies gimmick. There is some intriguing instrumentation here but they make the cardinal sin of forgetting to make it actually sound pleasing to listen to.
For a “supergroup” this isn’t that super
Paul McCartney. One of, if not THE greatest songwriters of his generation. First the quantity of songs and then second the quality of said quantity in a relatively short amount of time up until this point is amazing. Ya the whole “the Beatles aren’t even that good” mantra has been circulating amongst gen z or gen x or whoever and they can fuck off. The term “pop (popular) music” was literally invented because of McCartney in the late 50s. Why was it popular music? Because he has an incredible art for writing memorable melodies and catchy hooks. Sure the early stuff is relatively simple 4 chord progressions when u actually look at it but just because something is simple does not negate the difficulty of creating sustained success off this writing style (see any flailing pop artist from the 2000s). I say all that to say, in his later Beatles/post Beatles years, it does feel like he’s trying a bit too hard to overcompensate and write more difficult/unique compositions and it works for the most part on this album. Namely the title track. Band on the run is an incredible example of this where it completely works. This is popular style of songwriting around this time where a song is seemingly a blend of multiple different songs as opposed to the standard mold of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-outro. We’ve seen it not work on multiple occasions (see that brutal yes album) but McCartney still has the talent to create hits. That opening guitar riff, to the excellent use of harmonies, then to the acoustic guitar, then a random quick section of brass, and then finally the chorus repeated a few times. Each section has masterful songwriting with memorable vocals/instrumentation that is a testament to his craft. Also his vocals are still so prime on this track. The rest of the album might not be as memorable but there are still great moments sprinkled throughout. Shoutout to Van Halen jump (1982) sounding like Jet and to the lumineers for basically basing their whole careers on Mrs Vanderbilt (Ho Hey 2012). Because I’m worried we won’t get any other wings albums I was perusing their other hits which need to be shouted out: live and let die, silly love songs, maybe I’m amazed, hi hi hi are all bangers. Also I love how incredibly lame this album art is.
I forgot how hard closer goes. When the “beat” drops during the second half it makes me wanna run through a brick wall. That being said, I hope I never hear the word penetrate in any song ever again. This album is a weird one where it’s like a understand the vulgarity and why it’s used, especially how shit was going in the 90s but does that make it “better”?? Hard to say. But I did really enjoy this album. I knew hurt was NIN song but don’t think I had actually heard it all the way through. I was expecting to really not like it just because of how much I like the cover but I was pleasantly surprised and like it in its own right. Fun fact if you didn’t know. Lead singer Trent Reznor does a lot of movie/tv scores now. He’s done essentially every David fincher movie (which when you rewatch those movies, all the electric synths really make those movies so great)
Harmonies, Americana, acoustic guitars, blue ridge mountains, and artistic album art. A recipe to my heart. If you haven’t heard pentatonix cover of white winter hymnal you definitely should. It’s always on my holiday music rotation. Verbal meme: spiderman pointing at each other fleet foxes and local natives.
If you’re gonna do the whole singer songwriter thing, either be Sara barielles or just get out of the game. This one was actually listenable as opposed the previous FA we got which was borderline unlistenable. But Shania said it best, “that don’t impress me much”.
She’s got some freakin soul!
Starts off, “Rock and roll can never die!” Then proceeds to not “rock and roll”. Ugh I was just not feeling this, especially in my post nc state win bliss. Listened to 2.5 songs then turned off. “Stop trying to make Neil Young happen. It’s never going to happen” - Mean Girls (Pete Ciaccio)
Listened to two songs. Did not like it. Turned it off. I fear it could’ve been a one had I kept listening.
**See Michael Jackson review for my comments on separating the art from artist. One of the biggest memories I have with this album is my freshman roommate Ravi playing the trombone part of “All of the Lights” in our dorm room and him thinking it was the coolest thing. Now despite how lame that story is, Ravi did surprisingly have a vast knowledge and appreciation for Kanye and we listened to this album so many times. I mean the bangers are all there. The production value is insane. Each song has so many different elements (choir, auto tune, orchestra, variety of instrumentation, synth, samples, etc.) I also forgot how long each song was. Like each song seems to be around 5 minutes but doesn’t necessarily seem to drag or lose my interest by the end of it. “Lost in the world”was one of my favorite songs at this time that I listened to on repeat. The bon iver sample is so sick. Thanks Ravi.
I knew that one song pale blue eyes cuz I think it was in an episode of sex education. It has very indie movie/show vibes where you’re down on the world, you’re girl/guy has just left you, and your mad at the world for what it’s given you. Sometimes you need some vibes like that.
I know an embarrassingly little about Van Halen other than Jump (and even that I was shocked to learn that song was by them later on in life). I didn’t know “eruption” until I was an adult and all because of the Minions movie or maybe despicable me 3. Idk. One of those. I’m sure plenty has been said about eruption but Jesus Christ, the harmonics and chord structure is literally if Bach or Chopin was a rocker. God tier writing. This album is everything I want out of a classic rock album. Great guitar riffs and memorable choruses. (Another hand up, I didn’t know “you really got me” was VH…..🤦🏻 love that song tho
As Spencer distinctly put it, I am definitely a Gaye guy. Like any other elementary school kid, I was infatuated with him after titans and then developed a true romance after some contestant on American idol performed “you’re all I need to get by” (I’ve tried looking up and down to find out who it was but alas, I cannot. Regardless, it really made me look into Marvin more). I did struggle in giving this a four because it has one of my fave songs of all time with inner city and obvs what’s going on is an American staple. Whenever I listen to this on vinyl, I very actively listen to those two songs and then for the middle section kind of just casually listen. So I did have to go back and reevaluate a lot of the middle songs. Gaye’s voice and music style is on another level and already take each song to a higher tier than plenty of his contemporaries but I can’t in good conscious say that these middle songs (for me personally) are life changing. I’m sure the meaning behind the lyrics are incredible and obviously he touches on a number of bold themes of God, racism, environmentalism, and so on, which at this time is I’m sure an achievement in of itself. The last thing I wanted to say about this album is the “free flowing” aspect in which most of the songs seamlessly blend together has not aged well for me personally. This is not Gaye’s fault at all and I think I’ve read somewhere that this is one of the first albums that has done that. Unfortunately this has been done and copied ad nauseam in modern music that it just annoys me. I have no problem with it as a musical device and honestly it works perfectly for this album, it’s just the whole, being born in a different era thing and having heard it to diminishing returns so many times. Now, as for the song “what’s going on”, plenty has been written and documented about the importance of this song in post Vietnam protest song culture and for good reason and I really don’t have anything too unique to add. The one thing I’ll say is just how poignant the phrase “what’s going on” is to truly describe the indescribable of war and its tumultuous effects that literally transcends to this day. True poetry. The first 40 seconds of inner city changed my musical life. I remember exactly where I was the moment I heard it. That single repeated distorted Eb minor7 chord, then the bongo, then the sultry scat, and then finally a bass line that will make yo panties drop. Just perfection. Like an ogre, there are just so many layers to this song that are all beautiful by themselves and make a perfect song. I feel guilty in loving this song because of its lyrical content and what black people during this time must have gone through but man does Marvin just put it all on the line. I really want to give this album a five just because of this song. (Of note John Mayer does a cover of this song that has aged extremely poorly unfortunately). Also I find it comical that rolling stone retroactively made this album their number one album of all time after they got so much shit in not having any black artists in the top 15. It’s a little too late RS.
This album jams. A little too metal/grunge for me in certain spots but overall very solid. I always used to confuse Rage Against The Machine with Cage The Elephant for some reason. Drastically different.
You know you’re in for a dud when the Wikipedia entry is pretty much “ya this album existed”
Seemingly a Beatles knockoff. The rarely seen album that had their most famous song as the last song on the album. Unfortunately I do hate this song. It’s not the zombies fault but Jesus I feel like I’ve heard it so many times against my will. It’s in so many movies/tv shows or any oldies station in like doctors office.
I don’t know if we’ve had a triple threat before to have the song Black Sabbath, on the album Black Sabbath, by the band Black Sabbath. Really trying to get brand recognition out there. I didn’t know I was such an Ozzy fan. As the second album from him I really do enjoy his voice and song style. Also another rare occasion to actually have an album that was too short with only six songs. I don’t think their was enough songs to have a truly memorable chorus or guitar riff to give it a four but I still really enjoyed it. It was funny tho I think there were two separate songs that have the starting notes to iron man and I was like oh oh wait is this it??? But then it wasn’t. Sad
Man I miss the ol kanye. I’m mean come on, this album has so much nostalgia. Jesus walks was probably one of the first rap songs that I can actually remember listening to on the radio. I also vividly remember when this song came out, I was in the lobby waiting to get my allergy shots and my mom picked up a magazine and Kanye was on it shirtless on a cross with a crown of thorns. My mom, obviously appalled but it was the first time I can actually remember something being controversial in pop culture and that actually enticing me. A slew of other good songs, all falls down is def one of my fave Kanye’s, and i kinda forgot about breathe in breathe out, I feel like that song was always played at lame dances and stuff. Relatively simple beats and a decent variety of features to change it up some. I know we’ve said it before on these reviews before but gosh dang, I forget how annoying it is to listen to a rap album with all these skits. Why was this a thing
Uhhh wtf is this. Was not prepared for that opening song while driving home from work this morning trying not to fall asleep, it def kept me awake, so it had that going for it? I guess some of them were essentially just lo fi beats so that was ok but I hated the “talking” going on. This album really painted a picture for me of a sleazy underground British club with a bunch of sweaty pale British dudes, tea sloshing around everywhere. Not about that life. If Tom waits is the bar for a one then I can’t really put this that low but man it was close.
This album was a lot of fun and had aged much better than I expected. This style of rap will also be so nostalgic. There’s just nothing cooler than rapping over essentially just a drum kit. I didn’t know all that stuff about walk this way which was cool. So are they essentially saying this was the first rap song to sample someone essentially?
Love the album title. A nice little change up jazz album. Would be a good vinyl to have playing while eating a nice meal
This ain’t it dog
I was surprised to find out this wasn’t really a soundtrack at all but rather the score. I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and listened to a random movies score before so I’m giving it a little bit of a higher rating just because it was interesting and a fresh listen on this list. Is the quality of said composition that high? Probably not but still pretty good. There were a lot of songs that are in minor keys but use a lot of major chord progressions which was pretty fascinating but then they become to reliant of the half step minor 3rd to major 3rd change somewhere around the middle of the album and it starts to get a little redundant. This would be fine in a movie setting as it gives characters or ideas a theme, which all the great ones do (i.e John Williams, Howard shore, etc), but no so great in just a listening setting
I always did think the arctic monkeys were overrated. That being said, I guess it was after the got oomper famous after that later album. That being said, I guess when this album came out they were a diamond in the rough. That being said, I still don’t think they’re that great after this album. Now with that being said, I did listen to this album while on a road trip and was talking the whole time. Now with that being said, there still wasn’t a song that made me say hey, stop talking I need to listen to this song. Now with alllllll that being said, I give it a three.
I could see this being “cool” just when it came out just because she’s being kinda edgy and her lyrics are scandalous but dear god her voice is pretty terrible at times. For some reason during the choruses it’s not too bad and on the verge of good but during the verses there were times that it was fingernails on a chalkboard.
Just freakin give me Jonny cash and quit giving me a weak ass handy with this clown.
“Ya this album was too goth even for me” - Geege. Agreed
Dope album title. Actual music not so dope
The Usher “most underrated vocalist of his generation and when you hear them you’re like damn why isn’t this guy considered one of the top vocalists in the game right now” award goes to George Michael. I really forgot how dope his voice is. I could do without some of the breathy and cheesy vocals he does but when he belts it, damn he is on (I would strongly recommend listening to some of the live recordings of don’t let the sun go down on me. His pitch and tone are phenomenal). This album really appealed to the chorus nerd in me. Very unique arrangements and intriguing harmonies. Not all of them work but I liked most of them. Freedom has just been used in so many movies I feel like so I’m kinda over it but it is a good catchy song in its own right. Also my dad always jammed to waiting for that day and I do love The Rolling Stones sample(?) at the end of that.
This list really is seven degrees of Remember the Titans. I feel like there have been so many connections. Apparently these guys sing that one song Spill the Wine in that one scene. Sunshine pulls up looking obviously out of place with long blonde hair. Bertier: “hey guys, look at that fruitcake” Yost: “Gary keep your mouth shut” Sunshine’s dad: “hey we just moved here from Virginia, my boy plays quarterback” Yost: well we’re pretty set at the qb position but y’all should try up at north high school” Sunshine’s dad: “we tried up there but they don’t let blacks play with whites. The way I see it, if you can fight a war together you can play football together” Sunshine picks up a football and throws it a quarter mile and hits bertier in the back. Julius laughing hysterically: “oh fruitcake huh?” Great song. Great scene. Oh the album? It was aight
That’s how you freakin start an album! There’s nothing I love more than album that grabs you right away with an amazing guitar hook and just sets the tone for the rest of the album. We got this album on the perfect day of our road trip. We were off roading in gods country Utah which just adds to legend of how cool it was and will be an experience I’ll never forget. Especially with songs I Like Dirt and Road Trippin on here. Bless you flea, chad smith, and the other guys who I don’t know their names. Bless you.
It would suck to be beyonces sister. Especially if you’re not as good singer and not as good looking. I guess her name maybe is a little cooler than Beys? This was just aight for me
I mean this album is already at minimum a four just because of enter sandman. Just an amazing song. I knew a few others like nothing else matters and holier than thou but I was excited to listen to some of the album tracks. Like The Unforgiven, was super interesting starting out like a western and then bringing in their metal sound. Metal country? New genre? I liked the wiki entry talking about how that new producer came in and kind of refined their sound because it really shows on this whole album. The guitars are crisp and the lyrics are actually understandable. I could definitely be persuaded into a five on this one
Could barely get through 20 seconds of first three songs then turned off. If shit like this is on here and something like Nysync No strings attached isn’t on here I will be furious
The album starts off really strong with down on the street and the next few are pretty good where I thought it was going to be a four but then the longer songs start coming in and it becomes much more of a chore and bore.
I wasn’t anticipating this being as bad as it was. I love maybe I’m amazed but that’s not enough to help all the others. Feels rushed and incomplete which I guess makes sense with the context of what was going on with the Beatles and such at the time.
I distinctly remember the first time I ever heard The Beach Boys. I was in the back of Andrew’s parents car coming home from the lake and the song “I get around” came on the radio. It was a type of sound that I had never heard before. Their harmonies were just so cool. Listening to this album brought a rush back of that nostalgia and appreciation. I mean “wouldn’t it be nice” is one of my top 50 songs of all time. I did enjoy even some of the other songs that I hadn’t heard before but I couldn’t give this one a five just because some of them were a bit toooo cheesy sounding. It’s not that they’re straight up bad, it’s just 60 years is hard for anything to age well, but especially The Beach Boys kind of sound.
Solid rock album. Has a few different vibes from vegging out on a couch trippin some acid vs drinkin some bud heavy at a summer amphitheater show. Despite a way too long album, most of the songs are surprisingly not too long. Which is nice
I can definitely see how this album wouldn’t be for everyone. I specifically remember the first time I heard it I really didn’t like it but the more I heard a few of the songs I came to love it more and more. Super rich kids is my fave but thinkin bout you, pyramids, and lost are all great.
I know I’m a Beatles stan but the “backlash to the backlash” kind of treatment that’s been going on recently to say they actually aren’t good is still so wild to me. Much has already been said and documented about the opening chord of a hard days night and I don’t have anything super creative or different to contribute other than just acknowledging that it is such a freakin iconic sound and incredible way to open an album (also fun fact, there is still open debate about every note that is played in the recording which is dope to me that it hasn’t really been officially locked down). Hard days night and can’t buy me love are obviously the bangers but I did enjoy some of the others as well that I hadn’t heard before. Lennon and McCartneys iconic fifth harmonies intermixed with tight unison is an easily distinguishable sound that we’ve already seen emulated on multiple early 60s albums on this list. It’s cool to start to see some of the unique compositions start to take place here in this early album that begin to become so prevalent in their later stuff such as with If I Fell which has pretty wild chord progressions, especially for this time. You definitely can’t buy my love but they can sure sing for it.
Parts of this album go so hard. But there are also parts where I hate the lead singers voice. I like when he’s kinda growling or screaming but when he tries to actually sing or use his falsetto it’s pretty brutal. It’s pretty wild listening to guitar solos like this in 69 when just five years before they were comparatively laughable (such as a hard days night). I know we get annoyed of all the 60s albums sometimes but it is cool to see the evolution of rock music in such a small period of time. The live album part of this was fun!
Uhh ya sure I guess…. It was kinda fun, never having heard of this movie, making up a story while listening to the soundtrack based on how everything sounded. For a Bollywood movie it had a very eclectic variety of sounds and genres. Like at one point it had this very Spanish/American vibe where it was like something out of zorro. Maybe this was a super important Bollywood movie at the time but idk if I could truly feel the significance of this
Was excited for this one cuz the only song I knew by then was The Weight which is a jam and I was hoping they had some more hidden gems. Sadly no gems, just unrefined unpolished rocks you know that you just find in your yard and there’s nothing really special about them at all and your like ugh I don’t want this rock in my yard and you don’t know what to do within them cuz you don’t want a big rock pile in your yard but you feel weird throwing a rock away in the trash but do it anyway just to get rid of it. That kind of rock. THEYRE MINERALS MARIE!
Had never heard of this dude but he jams!!
My parents listened to this album a lot when I was a kid and I hated it. Come to find out it’s considered one of the greatest albums of all time, critically acclaimed, blah blah blah. So I was excited to come back to it as an adult with new perspective. Sadly, still no dice for me. The biggest thing I can’t get over on this album is that I know Paul Simon can sing (see bridge over troubled water) but for some reason this whole album is mostly weird half singing/talking randomness. Even though I typically love a good brass section, it just really doesn’t do it for me here either. You can call me, unsatisfied.
Wut
LFG!! I was jamming to this. The one weird thing was that there were times where it seems like the sound engineer forgot to turn the mic up for the lead singer. It’s rare in these types of albums where I actually want to hear more from the lead singer
Definitely liked this better than the first REM album we had. More personality and variety but I just still don’t totally love their sound. Still very solid though.
Definitely has bob dylan vibes but I like cohen a lot more. Some of the guitar playing in certain songs is amazing. I also could actually understand what he was saying (as opposed to bob) and thus actually enjoyed some of the stories he tells. All that being said, I can’t give this really higher than a three because there is pretty much no relistenability to this album. I enjoyed it but probs not gonna come back to it.
Decent 90s jam band vibes. That first song sounds really familiar but I can’t figure out from what.
I wanted to like it more than I did cuz I remember when he went solo and got all these Grammys and stuff so I was excited to listen to it. Sadly, I just really don’t like his falsetto singing which is a good chunk of his songs. Some of the guitar riffs are nice I guess. I did like the slower Love Interruption though.
I’ll never forget the first time I heard “Don’t look back in anger”. Ariana grande sang it after she had this terrorist attack at her show and it was beautiful. When I finally listened to the original I was like damn, this is an freakin anthem right here. This album was already at minimum going to be a 4 for me just because of how much I like that song but I was kinda shocked how much I liked a bunch of the other songs I didn’t know as well. She’s electric and champagne supernova freakin jam. Every song I found myself humming along, even on a first listen which is pretty incredible. Pretentious music snobs could argue that being a sign of a sell out/simplistic songwriting but to me it’s in fact quite the opposite. With some of the shite we’ve seen on this list before we know how hard it can be to create a listenable/memorable album, let alone a single song. Well anyways, here a 5
Ahh maybe we’ve just had too much Brit rock but I just wasn’t into this. It was good though and I know the Sex Pistols are supposed to be important but ya
Was prepared to do a whole, ahh they sound like a queen ripoff and ahhh why is it so long but when I actually sat down to listen to it these songs are all actually pretty good. They all freakin move and don’t drag. Don’t know who came first, these guys or queen but even if they are ripoffs, honestly their songwriting is pretty on par with them on this album so I’m not mad about it.
Gretchen, stop trying to make Lou Reed/The velvet underground happen. It’s not gonna happen.
Solid. Cool instrumentation. Catchy. Vibin.
Was excited going one cuz I hadn’t heard of these guys and I saw they had a lot of listens on Spotify but unfortunately I found it rather “meh”.
After the first twenty seconds I was fully prepared to give this a one. It was like, well here we go this just seems like this is going to be awful but then the lead singer comes in and made me do a complete 180. Don’t think I can give it a 4 but I like a strong 3 just because I don’t think I’ll be listening to these again but I enjoyed it more than expected. Just wish I could actually understand what he was saying
Definitely fun. It really puts u in that cheesy 1970s action movie kind of vibe.
I really enjoyed the change up! Good vibes and I like her voice. Don’t think I can give it higher to a three because it was all a little too similar but had a good time
This was a complete opposite of my recent (yet sparse) reviews where I was excited going in to the album, then let down. This one I was real self conscious about listening to while at the gym and quickly locking my phone before anyone could see the album cover. The way each song starts is kinda cringey and cheesy but boy I’ll tell u what, once the “beat” drops in each song, I was kinda jammin. Don’t really know any Madonna stuff other than like a prayer but I thought this was a good affirmation that she is super talented even though I didn’t know any of these songs.
Hot take, the song the girl from impanema sucks. Y’all know I like the classics but I’ve always hated this song for some reason and never understood why it was so popular. I do imagine that no one else at this time was having both English and Spanish lyrics in a song so that’s kinda cool I guess. I really am not a big “bossa nova” fan. Give me big band or GTFO. This album is at minimum 3 stars just because Sinatra voice is a top ten of all time.
I had a good time
Wow, shoutout to the haters. Drops a single album, gets commercially and critically panned then gives up. I kinda have to agree with the haters and I just couldn’t do it with this one. He’s all over the place with genres, like i feel at times he’s trying to be all singer/songwriter vibe, then kind of folk rock, and then weirdly on Eternal Life he thinks he’s the red hot chilli peppers or something? I’m fine with variety but this just did not click. And what was with that ethereal carol thing?? I usually praise artists for different/interesting chord structures but this was just not it. They were different sure, but in a real dissonant not fun to listen to way. So now for the hallelujah bit. So I thought I knew the history of Buckleys version because it is considered to be at least one the most influential versions of the song to make it more popular as cohens original was more of a cult hit until after Buckleys. So much so that his version eventually was inducted into the library of Congress I read somewhere. Buttttttt come to find out, the first person to actually make a cover of it is John Cale, of whom I have a complicated relationship with because of his work in the Velvet Underground (see previous reviews). Cales version is actually the one that really sets the template of the hallelujah song that we know today and has been covered ad nauseam (if you go back and listen to cohens version it’s kind of weird, but cale really established the classic piano melody bit that u hear at the beginning of the song and for the verses of which Buckley pretty much copies). We actually all know cales version much better because his was the version that’s actually played in shrek. Confusingly enough though, Rufus wrainwrights version is on the shrek soundtrack and not cale which is then why wrainwrights version became so popular (and my favorite cover). All that to say, Buckleys version feels much less influential to me now and that was the only thing he had going for him, thus only a two. Apparently there’s a whole documentary and book just about the history of the hallelujah and its evolution. Wild. Also shoutout to DD, if you’re still reading this far, for playing on the true cover of the song with me (and probs more importantly Christina Maxwell).
This is just a bit too grunge for me. I really liked the two songs I recognized, heart shaped box and all apologies. I also had a traumatic experience this is album. I was out running while listening to it and then my headphones died right after Rape Me….so then I had like two miles of just of being on the greenway, alone in my thoughts, with that being the last song stuck in my head. Not super pleasant.
Didn’t have the major zeppelin hits on here but I still really enjoyed it. Since I’m not on lcd or heroin, some of the slower ones really dragged on. Interesting fact, you can clearly hear the similarities between “babe I’m gonna leave you” and “25 or 6 to 4” and so I looked it up and apparently 25 came out a year after babe and the Chicago writer was asked about the similarities and he had no comment. So that’s sad cuz I really like Chicago.
I felt a lot is pressure coming into this, not having listened to this whole album before and really only knowing money. It’s hard to be objective when there’s so much noise about how this is the best album of all time, etc. I can give a sigh of relief though because even though it didn’t necessarily exceed my expectations it certainly met the already lofty pre meditated expectations. The only way I really know how to describe this is just that it’s epic. I was worried that it was just going to sound like a classic rock album and without certified bangers other than money, I didn’t know how it was going to meet those expectations. But this truly is an “experience” album that u need to listen to the whole thing and I understand now why this has been recommended so much. There’s such a wide variety of musical sounds and instrumentation but nothing feels excessive or forced (I could’ve done with a little less vocal runs in great gig in sky but I’ll allow it). Absolutely loved the transition from side a to b from the end of great gig into money. It really feels like the end of something into a completely different vibe. Also, I feel like we don’t talk about album covers enough but the bold minimalism of this cover really is just so epic (despite it being diluted by every 60 year old white dad as a t shirt). Now for my music theory homies. So in Money at the beginning there’s obviously all of the abstract money sounds but then as soon as the baseline drops, they quickly fall in line with the beat which I cannot imagineeeeeeeee how freakin hard that must have been for the engineers in the 70s without having any computer technology to artificially place those sounds on the beat. And speaking of the beat, it’s a 7/4 time signature which honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen before and is kinda badass that it’s just in a random rock song like this but gives it a weird dynamic that you don’t really pick up on on first listen
I really wanted to give this a one for old times sake but I feel like there was some nice instrumentation here. But the gall to think people need an hour and twenty minutes of your music is unnerving
I hate that the eagles have become synonymous with “dad rock”, which is clearly meant to have a negative connotation. What the fuck is wrong with having an actual melody, tight harmonies, and just an easy listening vibe?? Glenn Freys vocals are so good and their instrumentation is just so pleasant to listen to. Also, I splooge every time a band does a 1-2 minute orchestra version of a song. You hear that every now and then in rap albums and it’s always such a nice surprise. And speaking of splooging, I just love eagles background harmonies. They’re so distinctive and really just make for a nice sound. Side B of this album is pretty surprisingly bad and was borderline going to take this down to a 3 but side A is so strong it had to be a 4.
Ugh, I kinda hated this
“Hey aqualung!!” - Ron Burgundy while performing sick yazz flute rendition. Ehh it was ok.
Iconic opening riff. Lot of good riffs and melodies dispersed throughout.
I always underestimate the power of British techno. I was absolutely shocked to see Enjoy the Silence had 700 million listens on Spotify. That’s outrageous. No one should be listening to this that many times. I mean there’s times where I enjoyed certain sounds and melodies but as a cohesive entity I just still can’t get behind it. Just that electronic 90s experimental techno sound is just so cheesy to me.
Stevie’s voice is just unquestionably one one the top five male vocalists of all time. His runs/scats are so next level that it’s insane. That on top of inventive and unique piano/keyboard arrangements that he really is one of my favorite artists that we’ve had in this list. You and I literally brought a tear to my eye with how beautiful it was (or it could’ve been just how bad state played, who’s to say). Really wanted to give it a five but there was just one to many stinkers on here.
I usually hate some of the British techno/synth pop that we’ve had before but I actually liked this one a little more surprisingly. Had some good melodies. The synth sounds have not aged well and sound super cheap, like some of the sounds are identical to this $50 electric keyboard I had when I was a kid. Also British people are so obsessed with Joan of arc. Haven’t we had like 3 albums have a song about her?
Really wanted to like this more than I did. Maybe I only like creep? Hopefully will get another of theirs to see again
I liked it. Sting has a very unique voice and some decent variety. But what the f was up with that mother song? That was terrible.
Ya I was anticipating this was going to be a five just with how strong bayou country was but man did it still deliver. Excellent opening riff and just a great way to open an album. 4 singles that I had heard before nicely spaced throughout the album. I always shoutout lead guitars but I’ll swerve and give some love to the unsung heroes: the bass player. On freakin travelin band, I did have to look it up, but it was a quarter note=168 which is fuckin flyinggg. Talk about slappin da bass. Guy killed it. I also loved on the wiki article where the band describes their genre as “swamp rock” which is just a cool genre title that I had no idea existed but makes perfect sense for them. It’s interesting that in this time in rock so many people were doing the whole psychedelic thing but CCR is just like nah, and really tap in to those bluesy rock vibes circa Elvis, etc. I think My Baby Left Me is a cover of an Elvis song? Don’t quote me but pretty sure. Or maybe I’m just thinking of heartbreak hotel cuz it has similar cadences. This resets the bar as a good classic rock album as I’ve been lulled into a feeling of mediocrity with some of our most recent classic rock albums (like I think I would retroactively drop my rating for the police to a three). Give me more CCR. And yes, the harmonica still fucks.
Super glad this was on here as I probably would never have gone back to it without it. Just real solid music. Kind of poppy, singer songwriter, jazz, a few country ish songs. I’m not surprised this is one of the top selling albums of all time cuz I feel like this was everywhere. On the radio, every Starbucks, and everyone’s iTunes.
Just really not a fan of his voice.
Just a really fun album. Also, really pleasantly surprised by the first song Time to Pretend. I guess I didn’t know that song was by them or on this album. When I think of MGMT I always just think of kids or electric feel. They just use such different instrumentation and synth sounds in such a cool way. Also, seems like they had a real grassroots type rise to fame where it took a long time for this album to get recognized. Which is cool.
I mean ya this is technically pretty good. Especially in a time before lofi beats. But this brings up a larger problem that if something like this is on this list and I don’t get any 90s country (Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Brad paisley, Garth brooks were all massive at this time) I will be irate.
Ya it’s considered one of the best albums of all time and I don’t have anything revolutionary to say about it so I’ll give some fun facts: Having 7 out of 9 songs be singles is so wild. What’s also wild is how far apart they were released. In looking at the wiki entry, the song thriller wasn’t even released as a single until over a year after the albums release! That’s just so unfathomable now where an album is basically irrelevant after a couple months. I was also surprised to see this described as a “post disco” album where they were trying to move away from the sound which is weird because the bass lines for thriller and Billie Jean are straight up disco beats, which I’m totally down for though. Thriller is such a freakin good song. The musical structure of it seems kind of simple at first glance with just a repeating bass line and essentially four chords but what is so badass is after the third chorus, when the whole song has been in a minor key, you get this coda that has these major 7 chords with a full on Roger’s and Hammerstein vocal track all the way up to a 57sus4 splooge worthy chord that just comes out of nowhere. Also, I’m amazed how well the outro talking bit still holds up. Like this should have aged so poorly because it’s so cheesy but it’s still iconic. Beat it is great. Billie Jean is obvs real good, but this is one where there are so many good covers of this song (the civil wars is my fave) that I do kinda prefer the covers. On PYT there’s a bit at the end where it sounds like Alvin the chipmunk that kanye samples for the background noise of Good Life. I actually kinda hated the girl is mine. This should be so good with the Paul collab but this talking bit at the end really has aged poorly. Why on earth did they think that was a good idea. Overall, this is just an amazing album that truly showed the power of music in popular culture.
Just really hate their voices. I liked the brass/chicago like instrumentation but that’s really the only thing that brings it up to a two for me. I also did kind of like the scrolling the radio bit on the first track but had it gone on for like five more seconds it would’ve gotten kinda annoying.
I distinctly remember listening to this when it came out and being like, this is the start of the fall for Kanye. The starting line of the new Kanye vs the old Kanye if u will. Originally I thought that was a bad thing but revisiting this I was shocked by how much I liked it. Some of these songs and beats go so freakin hard. There is zero “poppiness” to this album compared to his previous albums for better or worse for his fans. All the beats are very abrasive and in your face. There are a number of very provocative one liners, especially on new slaves, that isn’t just for happy go lucky type listening. The album really makes u pay attention. Came in expecting to give 3 or 4 but I can’t deny that I really liked it. Did not expect it to age better like this. Also i remember black skinhead playing in the wolf of Wall Street trailer and was so epic that i was like omg I have to see this movie.
I’m glad I listened to this cuz I’ve heard so much about Janis Joplin but unfortunately it didn’t really blow me away or anything. When she gets in her upper register “scream” voice, she truly is lights out. Very unique and intriguing voice. Just none of the songs got me too hype.
This felt pretty unoriginal to me, even by 1960 standards. By this time, Ray Charles was off doing his thing, making songs that seem inventive even looking through a modern day lens, so it seems kinda weird to me that this just seems like such basic blues/jazz songs that don’t really move the needle at all. But this could be just classic white guy trying to analyze jazz so idk if I’m right.
It’s like if daft punk had a baby and then Shania Twain had a baby and then by some miracle those two babies met and [at the appropriate legal age] fucked, that would be this album. Unfortunately, that genetic amalgamation is no good. But you know what is good, madonnas song die another day from the movie die another day. I feel like no one ever talks about that song but it was a banger. And it was cool like usually during a bond credits opening it’s just like random stuff going on but in this like the scene keeps going and it’s bond being tortured with silhouetted women on fire all around him. Pretty cool. Maybe people were just focused on that scene where bond parasails down that massive wave with the roof of that weird ice speed racer and a parachute. Like who the hell green lit that idea. So bad. But freakin Halle berry. Wow. What a run she had. So hot. And that orange bikini. Goodness. But ya this album sucked.
Loved this album. Sure the front half is more loaded than the back but that really can’t negate how good that front half is. All these things that I’ve done is one of my favorite songs of all time. The use of the gospel choir with the I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier refrain is just so memorable. It’s hard to say at this point that Mr brightside is a favorite song just because it’s kinda like Colton eye joe, where you’ve heard it a million times so you’re kinda tired of it, but it’s nonetheless a banger.
I was super hopefully after hearing those first acoustic chords and his voice in the first song but then my excitement started to wane. It’s like each song would start really well then by the end, it would just lose my interest. I really liked his voice though and Cello Song.
Hated it
I mean I guess it’s technically good for just electronic synth noises? This kinda music makes me think of that Friends episode where Ross thinks he’s this amazing artist at playing the electric keyboard.
I don’t necessarily have that much nostalgia for dr Dre or the chronic so I can’t really say I absolutely loved this album or anything. Obviously a lot of recognizable songs on here and classic beats/riffs which I do appreciate. Also shoutout to Ben folds cover of bitches ain’t shit, I forget how truly filthy that song is, hahaha.
I liked this more than our other who albums but that’s bolstered mostly just by baba o Riley and behind blue eyes. The other stuff is just ok. Their other songs have a really early queen sound and sometimes kinda mixed with CCR. It’s interesting.
Definitely funky. I’m all about that funk but it started to get a little old by the end. I don’t know too much about prince other than his main songs so this was a good introduction. None of these songs seemed super innovative here but seems like he’s forming his overall sound. I’m excited for more of him tho.
My grandfather was a big Johnny cash fan. He used to be in a jazz combo when he was in the army and was a music teacher for most of his life. One of the first records I ever got from him was a Johnny cash album “Orange Blossom Special”. He could also play the guitar better than anyone I knew and wrote out all of his own arrangements for hundreds of different songs by ear. Listening to this album takes me back to the days sitting in his old shed watching him play those old American classics for hours. The song selection on this album and the stripped back minimalist arrangements here are just so perfect. Sure his voice is completely shot by this point in his life but man does it really hit home for me. Also I saw that this is his 62nd studio album!! Unreal. I could write a whole bit for most of these songs but I really don’t think that’s necessary. I really missed my grandfather after listening to this and everything he taught me about music. The final track “we’ll meet again” truly brought me to tears. You really can’t script that any better for this to be the last song chronologically that Cash put out before he died. My grandfather was a religious man and I know he believed that we would meet again, and that’s comforting enough for me. Bless you Papa. Bless you Johnny cash. And bless every other musician who contributed to this album. Masterpiece
I’ve never been a big stones fan but I did enjoy this more than I expected. Their bluesy rock sound is somehow a little more endearing now that I’m a little older I guess. Something for me that I just can’t get over on any stones song is mick jaggers voice. I feel like it’s either u hate it or love it. There is a decent variety of instrumentation here so that’s cool. A strong three.
Ahhh man 1 hour 15 of house music??? I mean ya I guess if I was gettin down and dirty in the club in the mid 2000s. I’m sure this was pretty wild in 1996 but listening to a whole album was pretty brutal.
I fully recognize that by the end of the album it’s kind of the same thing over and over again but man their harmonies are just so tight and pure that I really can’t give it less than a 4. Amazing singers.
Real solid 70s rock album. Some catchy tunes and two that I knew. I liked their bluesy sound. They seem like a band that would be better to see live than just listening to an album. Strong 3
Really enjoyed this album. Her songwriting is very interesting and distinct. It’s super cool, like the lyrics and the actual composition of the songs are not over produced or bogged down in symbolism. It’s simple yet powerful. She’s very “to the point” which allows for an engaging listen (as evident in the song Behind the wall). And Jesus fast car. What a freakin powerful heartbreaking song. The light nature of the acoustic guitar makes you feel that it’s going to be a happy ending but then she hits you with the final verse “see more of your friends then you do your kids” and you see the vicious circle of growing up around alcoholism. I know this song is everywhere now but something that I feel needs to be specifically pointed out and praised that people can take for granted is the songwriting ability to make the most memorable part of the song (the eye-ee-eye of the chorus) a completely original way to just say the word “I”. Top tier songwriting.
Metallica definitely jams. I love their sound but I wouldn’t say any of these songs are my favorites of theirs and so I settled on a three. Also, this was a very aggressive way to go to work at 6 am this weekend. When I pulled up to the parking garage and rolled down my window to open the gate with this album blaring, the security guard gave me a look that was just “damn, white people are crazy” and I couldn’t really argue with him.
It’s so hard to place them in a genre for me. Like they technically aren’t pop rock just because of how many electric guitars they use but their melodies and compositions really do have a catchy (if not formulaic) sound. Which isn’t a bad thing. Definitely enjoyed myself and I think I liked it better than the last one so I’ll give it a four.
I’ve only ever sold one album in my life and it was my uncle buying my cd from my senior project as a joke, so these guys are technically 50,000x better than me, and u know glass houses and not throwing stones and all that, but if you’re this band you’ve gotta go in your own Wikipedia article and remove that little tidbit of this selling 50,000 copies. Like that seems like a laughable number. I hated Djed. And all the scratchy noises through its entirety was painful. I guess some of the other songs would be decent for an action/thriller movie score but I’m not here to listen to that. One star.
So this is obviously in their earlier stage of their career before they became synonymous with disco and high falsettos. It unfortunately falls a little flat and kinda boring but I have always freakin loved how do you mend a broken heart. That harmony section near the end of the song (dahhh dah dahdah dah dah dayah dahhhh…) I could listen to on repeat. So good. It is also cool though to see some of the beginnings (even though this is like their ninth album apparently??) of their sound that they will become famous for later on like in the song Israel. Barry does this little vocal riff but in a normal octave that sounds like his falsetto stuff later on. Also, would really encourage yall to watch the documentary about them on hbo. I thought it was really cool
Not a fan. It’s the end of the world… wasn’t enough to save it.
Was way more folksy than I was anticipating which I’m down for! Also a surprising amount of variety in sounds which really made this an engaging album for me. Obviously had the key tracks black dog and stairway. We don’t often talk about this too much but they definitely deserve the recognition for making the song title “stairway to heaven”. Even if that song didn’t get that famous that’s just such an iconic song title. I loved the final jam track when the levee breaks (the first half of which sounds like every black keys song.
This album feels like it’s the background music the live band is playing at the honky tonk while youre more focused on getting the girl with the ruby red lips blonde hair blue eyes and are about to bid your heart goodbye. Pretty boring and forgettable. But thank u Mr Earle for giving us copperhead road.
Even though I listened to this probably not in the proper setting (ideally would have been on my porch or living room with a nice bourbon) and rather while on a run, I found myself more engaged with the music than I expected to be. It’s such a mocked concept now in jazz that it’s actually just about “the notes that aren’t being played” but I didn’t find that to be the case here. Even in the improvisations, everything seemed very purposeful. The background rhythm sections are very pleasant and nice to listen to. I also wish I could live the days of these awesome jazz nickname people, I.e cannonball adderly. Like there goes ol’ Jackhammer McEntire
Something I found kind of ironic about this album is that even though it oozes anti establishment and the whole grunge era stuff etc, it’s relatively formulaic. Hear me out, if you take out some of the distorted guitar and clean up cobains voice a little, it could sound like a pop punk album. Now I don’t mean this in a bad way and actually quite the opposite. I think that’s why this album was so commercially successful in that it disguises itself as this full on grunge thing but actually has very catchy/easy to learn choruses and pop-adjacent chord structures. Even the songs I didn’t know I found myself singing along to by the end of like 2-3 minutes. Having that kind of songwriting ability is so freakin rare to where it’s not just a distinct “one for me and one for them” type of vibe but rather a beautiful blend of writing what you know and actually making it something people want to listen to. There’s like six songs on here that are certified to but I’ve got to give special love to come as you are. Gahhhh that opening guitar riff is sooooooo good. Splooge worthy. Also, something in the way in the new Batman movie was sick. I hate the baby penis just staring me in the face. But other than that, I really can’t not give this a five.
This sounds like the kind of music Jenny from Forrest Gump wanted to play. I kinda liked the folksy vibe at the start but by the end I kinda hated it.
I liked this better than the last bob we had. Can actually understand him a little more here and he doesn’t use the traditional “bob dylan voice” as much. I like the way his verses flow. His sing/talky way of moving through the song can be nice sometimes. I feel like he would’ve been a great Freddie Spaghetti of the 60s. I just really didn’t like it overall. Even though I’m a sucker for the harmonica, maybe like the recording systems they had back then just really make it sound so abrasive where it’s really not pleasing.
Has a timeless voice but it didn’t really budge over a three for me in this album.
Hated it. If that’s the kind of sound these guys imagine as the “passion of lovers” then one of us ain’t doing love right and I don’t think it’s me.
Didn’t get to the second disk but I think I get the gist. Always love me some banjo, fiddle, mandolin, etc. Could obvs do without the confederate flag. I enjoyed it but I like my bluegrass a little tighter, as in sharper harmonies and stuff like that. Clearly some of these old timers that are featured just don’t have the voice anymore. The instrumentation was out of sight though. Incredible string picking. It was cool to see mother maybelle (mother of June Carter ((wife of Johnny cash))) on here cuz she’s such an important part of music history but sadly I didn’t really care for that song.
I’ve always loved this album. One of the original vinyls that I got from my grandfather that got me into collecting. I didn’t really know anything about this album when I got it. I had just picked it out cuz of Willie but then I happened to watch this Netflix documentary thing and they were discussing this album a lot. Apparently this was peak Willie Nelson in his outlaw country phase and the studio kept pushing him to do more of the same and he was like, nah, ima do my own thing, and made this album of old standards, which by this point, was pretty worn out and people weren’t really doing anymore. What came out of it is a really no nonsense, zero frills album that on the surface you could argue that this is a pretty boring, nothing spectacular kind of thing. What I’ve come to realize though is that is kind of the point. It gives enough spin on the original song to make it uniquely Willy but still honors those classic compositions by just letting the songwriting speak for itself and prove why these songs are considered standards.
Of the jazz albums we’ve had so far, I definitely enjoyed this one the most. It felt very upbeat and more fun to listen to. Thanks to American Hustle for introducing me to jeeps blues. That song is a banger and just the epitome of that old school jazz sound that u need sometimes. Also this gets an extra star just for that trumpet player at the end of festival junction. That last note that he plays at the end is a Db(7) as in 3 octaves higher than middle c, and only 11 notes higher than this on the entire musical spectrum. If you’ve ever played a trumpet before or any wind instrument, that’s just insane. God tier lip, cheek, lung, and breath control.
What an embarrassment of riches here. So many great jams on this album. What I always love about a Billy Joel album is it’s never too long in terms of song count. It’s always just like 8 or 9 songs which really is the way an album should be. Don’t give me half assed filler songs just to make an album longer. That kind of mindset about an album is likely why 6 of these 9 songs are easily recognizable of anyone who is not just a fan of Joel but of classic rock in general. Such a great variety of jams here and all with such unique features that make them easy to fall in love with. The ack ack ack bit of movin out, the distinct Rhodes electric piano on just the way you are, the middle interlude of Scenes, the beautiful piano riff of Vienna, the easy to sing and clap along chorus of only the good die young and the come down ballad of she’s always a woman. Just great songwriting. Theres such a special place for albums like this where you don’t need to be inspired by the lyrics or progress the genre forward but just having good fun music that you want to sing along to. Joel has always been a man of the people and, speaking for the people, thank you for what you’ve given us.
It was ok. Wasn’t a big fan of the voice.