Not new to me, an old favourite. Not bad Monday morning listening!
How have I never listened to this?
The World is Yours is a standout on first listen. Clean, simple beats. Didn't expect it to be so jazzy.
*One Love
*The World is Yours
*Memory Lane
No commute today, so listening at home. On Google speaker for first listen. Have listened previously, maybe once.
The bangers are bangers, but for a 28 minute album, left me feeling underwhelmed
Knew this a little, was a bigger De La fan. But shit. This is magnificent.
* to a flame
* Love the one you're with
* faster
* Locked inside
* Oh, Maker
* Actually, all of it!
Jagged, angular. D Boon must have been a fan! Really good although won't be a regular listen.
I think this is new to me. Might have heard him in the concert for Bangladesh?
Loved the introduction to indian music, otherwise fairly decent soundtrack to my day. Not mind-blowing to me, but given the impact on 60s western music a 2.5
Very much looking forward to this, know of the influences, but haven't heard it.
* Friend of the Devil
*Ripple
*Attics of my Life
*Box of Rain (second listen)
Really enjoyable. I hope this hasn't awakened something in me.
(later) Listened to some live recordings. Nope, it hasn't awakened anything in me. I'll probably go and listen to The Band now.
No notes. Fucking magnificent
I like the song Bad Company from the album Bad Company by the band Bad Company, but it's no Iron Maiden from Iron Maiden by Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath from Black Sabbath.
Well constructed and performed but lacking soul.
Appreciate the skill, but didn't land for me as an album.
Was very much expecting it to be fairly decent background music, and last night with a glass of wine it was. But damn it has really clicked today during work and I just keep stopping to admire her voice and phrasing. Ended up spending the day with Ella. Enjoyed her bebop especially
First thoughts. I love/hate the bee gees. Used to hate them, started to appreciate them. I only recognise one song here. Will be interesting. Update: wasn't interesting. Two stars, mostly for the voices and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.
Jesus, this wonderful album! Young's first recording with harmonica. He's bringing "Helpless" to CSN&Y at the same time he's recording this.
Nils just pounding the piano on Southern Man.
When you Dance needs to be played louder that I did first listen
Vaudeville and music hall is such a pervasive influence on English culture, especially in the 60s and 70s! You even see it in Iron Maiden gigs.
A day in the life is a perfect ending to the album.
The most influential album of all time?
God, imagine this with Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. Song by song not my favourite album, or even my favourite Beatles album, but daaaaamn
Man it wasn't the day for this album! I appreciated it, the artistic vision especially. But I did not vibe with it. Needs the right environment. Will revisit, but more of a bad seeds fan I think.
Liked it a lot more than expected. Especially when driving
Thinking back, this album was probably my gateway to metal. On relisten didn't hate it like I thought I would. Hysteria leaves me cold, this still has knuckles, Mutt polished them out of Hysteria. Still, the worst of the NWOBHM bands
Excited to hear this one!
The good songs were creepy
This album is in my DNA. The man Johnny Cash called the greatest country singer. A hugely underrated lead guitarist. Great bass. Basically Patsy Cline's band on this one, and recorded in 8 hours.
Cool and synthetic but heartfelt. Love it
This is hitting better than when I listened to it a few years ago. I wonder if this project is opening my ears a bit?
I really wanted to love this!
Came into this expecting samey one trick pony songs about weed. Fucking loved it! I'm not a reggae fan, but this has opened me to it quite a bit. Maybe I'm not a fan of non Jamaican reggae? Really varied in subject, tone and style. A really good, complete album.
More variation than expected, given some familiarity with the singles. How good is train in vain? 4 stars but only because I'll dip back into it, but maybe not relisten to the whole thing. Fuck, who am I kidding, I'll relisten to the whole thing. Currently looking for it on vinyl.
Right, know nothing about this! Can't pick the genre from the cover. 1999. Hmmmm. Ambient? Avant jazz?
Wow, first track is very affecting, and dark. Didn't expect Indian fusion jazz trip hoppy drum and bass. Love it. Cold and warm at once
The whole album is a real journey. Immigrant my least favourite track, sounding a bit like a Disney song.
Listening with a glass of wine and a book, the catch in her voice keeps catching my attention
Love when I get an album I have on vinyl, but have hardly listened to. Got this from my dad who was giving away a bunch of albums (hope Herb Alpert comes up too, not likely). The trick is in the old standards without the schmaltz. Willie lets you have fresh ears on an album where every song has it's own Wikipedia page. It's understated, clean and utterly wonderful. 10 songs at mid tempo just creating a great vibe.
Really enjoyed this one, wish I had got it in summer. Chill vibes, will revisit it as an album
Nearly 5 stars, could do with trimming a few tracks off. But some stunning songs here, and lyrical guitar playing.
Oh Emmylou, when you come in after the first two bars! Such a great duo, wonderfully complimentary voices. Hell of a band, great songs.
Loved this at the time, detest everything they've done since. Extra star for nostalgia, knew every word but a tough listen.
Less profound than when I was 16! Probably my 3rd favourite Pink Floyd album. It's masterful, but falls flat in places. Time starts with clocks. Money with cash registers. Ugh.
My fifth favourite Metallica album and the last decent one
Really liked this, and if it it was on Spotify I would have spent more time with it.
Slapped. Some tasty guitar in there too
The breakdown in Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way sounds like Flight of the Conchords! Love the choice to avoid hooks and fluid bars. There's something quite disarming about the main character, in many ways a beautiful loser.
Strangely fascinating album
This stuck with me better than Third. I think it's the influence of Bell. Still not quite feeling Big Star though. Much better listen at work than in the car - perhaps too trebley?
Oh man, Dickie Betts just passed away and I've been meaning to listen to the Allman Brothers. Only know a couple of songs. This was great! Nothing I already knew. Spectacular guitar, playing off each other effortlessly. Sure it's a little jammy but much interesting than stoned noodling.
Solid three. Liked it well enough. Interesting for the stacked band! Much easier on the ears than Buck Owens. Sounded a bit more city than country.
Great guitar interplay, no song outlives it's welcome. A LOT of early Iron Maiden in this, Dave Murray especially clearly influenced.
Sweet but not saccharin, jangly but not too jangly. A little pretentious, but not too wanky. *Very* Antipodean, whatever that means. Sunny and glum in equal measures. Quite a lovely album, I'm grateful to be hearing it for the first time. Hearing the Chills, Don McGlashan etc in this.
Lyrically meh, musically it slaps.
Scared my kid, will revisit
Liked it, although prefer her a little more country. Constant Craving is a great song!
A great album let down by the covers.
Easy listening enough. The nonchalant vocals grew on me.
Muddy sure as hell has his mojo working! The harp player is fire. The guitars could be mixed up a bit. I generally like my blues with a bit more space, fair to say the drumming really fills the space, heavily jazz.
This album would have been my life if I'd heard it when I was 16.
Loved this! Musically interesting, incredible vibes and great humoured.
Bloody pleasant. They should consider getting another singer/songwriter though - feels like CSN is missing something a bit grittier...
This smells like hackysack.
Urgent, angsty. The epitome of this era of punk. Astonished I've never heard it before, astonished by how good it is.
Much more accessible than I remember. Glorious stuff
Not keen first listen, but it was a real grower. A few more listens will see it rate higher and higher I bet, but I need to rate it as of now.
Haven't heard this, but first thought is why is this necessary when You've Come A Long Way Baby is in the book? Ugh, it was alright I guess
Surprisingly poppy and melodic. Some elements of Pixies (Joey on guitar in a few tracks). Many nice moments and varied enough. It doesn't outstay it's welcome but doesn't hang around either.
Love the beats and the lyricism, but just didn't hit for me
I've generally not been a fan of mid period Cohen, prefering the early or very late albums. But I suspect I just haven't given him a chance, especially now I'm out of my total music wanker/poser period in my old age. His lyrics are insightful and acerbicly humourous as always. Yeah, the production is dated but his deeper, more mature voice is coming into its own. He carries *weight* now, an old testament prophet, a battle scared lion.
Was expecting a bit less from this, and frankly expecting it to sound quite dated. It didn't to my ears, and hell you can't argue with the hits!
Really enjoyed the production and Jeru's flow. Lyrically it's dated. This was robbed of wider success - if only it had come out any other year! The newly released (like a week ago as I write this - great timing!) expanded version on spotify has instrumental versions of D. Original, You Can't Stop The Prophet, and Come Clean. They slap.
Can't argue that it's done right. Amazing that this came out after their first greatest hits. Smells like a slightly cloying perfume and the hot vinyl seats in a late 70s family car.
It's good, but it's not great.
*Peaches
*Sometimes
*(Get A) Grip [on Yourself]
What a revelation! Fantastic album
The classic line-up. Mustaine's political lyrics to the fore. Essential listening for the history of metal - especially the impact on speed/thrash metal - probably the epitome of the movement. Angular, mechanical playing (there's something cybernetic about Mustaine) with Friedman's neoclassical style bringing in more human elements.
Gorgeous, the reason I'm doing this project.
I know the Breul covers, Jackie has been a favourite song for decades. Next is magnificent. But the originals are new to me and holy shit. Masterpiece. The Girls From The Streets is the perfect follow up to Next.
Songs:great. Misogyny:not such
Wish I knew more about jazz! I know what I like, and this I like. Not a dud on this album. It rewarded both focused listening and inattentive listening.
Vernon Reid is a genius! I knew the hits off this, but weirdly hadn't listened to the whole thing. Varied, genre mashing. Similar albums from this time have turned me off lyrically - I'm as much into songs about cars and fucking as I was in the 80s. This album had more socially conscious writing, as well as some straight up party bangers. Good stuff.
Found it here: https://youtu.be/JbYmWrfNJpQ?si=KB05SRDULWAIWZRY
It's giving me Cohen vibes weirdly. If Nico was a good singer and covered Scott Walker covering Jacques Brel. I like it. It's dark, avante-gard. Challenging, but rewarding.
The two half decent songs on this do not make up for the murder of Little Wing.
Feel like this would go to 4 with more listens, started to really get into its vibe after being put off by the singing style.
I just wish they had a song called "The Doors" so they could join the heady company of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Bad Company! Jokes aside, for me, over the last 30 years, The Doors have gone from "This band is my life and Jim Morrison is Kerouac, Rimbaud, and Blake combined" to "Fuck, I'm so embarrassed I used to listen to The Doors", to my latest position. The band is important culturally, a touch stone for many other artists. The music is bloody good actually. Little heavy on the keys occasionally but Krieger has a unique style and Densmore is a fantastic drummer, given the space he has to fill. This is psychedelic with a gothic tint. Later albums move a bit further into the dark and have a bit more interest for me due to that.
I didn't think I liked Rush, but I'm glad I gave this the time to grow on me. 4 stars for side 1 alone.
Just about tore my throat out during the drive to work thanks to this!
Really liked this. The movement of the bass doesn't allow it to wash over you and you're almost forced to listen - not unpleasant though! Lyrically interesting and poetic. Joni's a new treasure for me from this list, I only knew of her and maybe one or two hits. What a guitarist she is too!
The 2nd listen through hit better, but I'm finding the music a bit frenetic. Listening around their oeuvre, the later albums are more to my taste. 2.5, round to a gentleman's 3.
I think this was the first album in over 250 I've faced listening to with dread. The songs I heard from it at the time I thought were the worst excesses of bland mass fodder. I've reassessed. It's not bad. The songwriting seems more mature and the guitar is certainly tasteful. Flea always provides a joyful lower end. Even Keidis wasn't as annoying as I remember.
Fuck I miss MCs rapping about rapping and how to spell their names.
Fuck Morrissey. It's not for loving that you're hated, mate. That said, magnificent album, damn it. 4 stars.
First song. Fuck am I going to have to like Steely Dan? (Turns out no, but can tolerate it)
When this came out, I had a lot of "where the fuck are the guitars?" feelings. I was a The Bends guy. Looking forward to listening with less prejudiced ears.
This surprised me. I've heard of Pere Ubu but every time I tried to listen to them it didn't hit. This did. 4 plays today and I'll go back for more. Surprisingly emotional.
Honestly, not as bad as I thought it would be. I appreciated Chester's singing, and an angsty teenage me would have been all over it at the time. The lyrics were more vulnerable that I expected. But, it's fairly bland and formulaic. The rapping is terrible and banal. 2/5.
Oh Cliff / Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if / You really are a cliff / when fascists keep trying to push you over it / Are they the lemmings / Or are you, Cliff
OK. So, Marilyn Manson is a piece of shit. The shock value seems banal with hindsight. Trent Reznor is the best thing about this album - it's not strong musically. The Man That You Fear is a great track, but no Hurt. But, it holds interest across the 77 minutes. It was a hugely important moral touch stone and cultural moment. Important conversations were opened and it heralded a sea change from the grunge movement (musically that is. It's perhaps an extension of the vibes of alienation in grunge). I enjoyed it, found it banal and full of high schooler edgy poetry, was never bored and never need to hear it again. 3 stars seems fair.
This one is a workday balm!
Greatly prefer Bee Thousand
This is a real flowstate album!
So, if I've got this right, they thought to themselves "What if Radiohead but boring" and as a result we have a world with Coldplay in it?
Was going to give this a 4, but felt hard not to give it a 5. I guess that means 4.5, rounded up.
Wikipedia states it, but I was thinking it before I read the article. Richard Hawley has a great record collection. On first listen I'm getting Marc Almond, Edwyn Collins, maybe some Walker Brothers? Defo some Roy Orbison in there, both in presentation and delivery. Measured singing with immaculate songwriting with themes of loss and love.
5 at the front, 3 at the back. A gentleman's 4.
20 years ago this would have been a no question 5. The soundtrack to so many bittersweet memories. A few years ago, feeling betrayed by the artist, I may have awarded a 1. Now I feel like I can separate the album from the artist and my nostalgia. The songs are good. It could lose a couple of tracks and drop some harmonica. It's not a masterpiece exactly but it isn't far off, and deserves to be here.
Motorik! A bit french! Links to Dunedin sound! Avant Garde! Left wing!
Look, I don't hate this. The soft rock yachty vibe is fine. It's we'll put together, and Winwood is a great instrumentalist and an adequate singer. But an album is too much, and I'm rating the album. 2.5/5, a rare rounding down to 2 (rather than a gentleman's 3, a knaves 2) because I just wanted to FEEL SOMETHING.
I would have enjoyed any two songs by themselves. The album was a slog.
I get that it's good, and important. But I would have rather just listened to Kick out the Jams 8 times.
I listened to the QFPS Version on Spotify - seems to be closest to the original mix and no extra tracks.
This is some great early garage. You're Going To Miss Me is an all timer. Splash One brings it down so sensitively. Reverberation is a song that could (and was) be covered by ZZ Top and Jesus and the Mary Chain on the same album. Just splendid and hugely influential. Well, apart from the lack of electric jug in today's music. But there's still time! It's a 4.5 for me, bringing it up to a 5 in honour of poor Roky and the worst ever plea.
The cover of American Pie is the longest 4:33 I've had in 548 albums. Ugh.
Glad I gave this a second listen - first listen through I didn't rate it at all, but it really hit differently on the drive to work. 3.5/5
First listen, the singing grated. Glad I gave it another couple of listens as it really grew in me. 3.5 rounded up to 4 as I feel it'll keep growing
2 hits I'd heard before. I really liked the transition into Rudy. Not sure why I like this so much more than Steely Dan. It's warmer I guess? 3.5 rounded to a 4.
Really strong in the front half, soon declines. It's ok - I'm surprised how identifiable the production and songwriting styles were with that period. Just didn't quite make 3 stars.
This directly after "...Baby One More Time". Is it 1999 week on 1001 Albums?
Surprisingly interesting, diiiirty bass
Fun, varied but ultimately fairly derivative
I was expecting sea shanties. Wish they were sea shanties. I found this album rather bland and unexceptional. It was a long 45 minutes - I just couldn't find anything to hook onto.
This is really bloody good. I'd heard of Super Furry Animals but for some reason thought they weren't my cup of tea. Wrong.
Blown away by the flow and lyricism here. Those lyrics are poetic and abhorrent. 4/5 and I'll likely never listen to it again.
This has to be THE Creedence album right? I don't think I've ever realised what an amazing band they were. Their 5th album in what, 2 years? 11 tracks, five of which were top 5 singles?
Magnificent.
This was a hard rate. There She Goes is immaculate. The rest of the album...
The songs are relatively short at least.
Great singles, weak in places. But Karen could sing the dictionary and I'd swoon
The Alpha Couple, a month before John Darnielle was born
Wish I had more time with this, may reassess
Saved by the back half, would have been a 2. I like it when they get atmospheric
Take on me is an all timer! The rest of the album tho
I fell in love at 0:09 where she quotes Johnathan Richman.
Worse than a late period Metallica album, or an SFO concert. Might be ok without the terrible singing - uh. I'd rate Metallica's early albums right up there, struggled to finish this one.
Not terrible, quite diverse and a style of singing I hadn't heard from Alice before. It just didn't hit, ya know?
Another that will grow with more time!