455
Albums Rated
3.83
Average Rating
42%
Complete
634 albums remaining
Rating Distribution
Rating Timeline
Taste Profile
1950s
Favorite Decade
World
Favorite Genre
other
Top Origin
Cheerleader
Rater Style ?
121
5-Star Albums
3
1-Star Albums
Breakdown
By Genre
By Decade
By Origin
Albums
You Love More Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cupid & Psyche 85
Scritti Politti
|
5 | 2.39 | +2.61 |
|
Damaged
Black Flag
|
5 | 2.87 | +2.13 |
|
Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
Maxwell
|
5 | 2.91 | +2.09 |
|
Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
|
5 | 2.95 | +2.05 |
|
Truth And Soul
Fishbone
|
5 | 2.96 | +2.04 |
|
All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
|
5 | 2.98 | +2.02 |
|
Deserter's Songs
Mercury Rev
|
5 | 3.02 | +1.98 |
|
Time (The Revelator)
Gillian Welch
|
5 | 3.06 | +1.94 |
|
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
MC Solaar
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
|
Autobahn
Kraftwerk
|
5 | 3.09 | +1.91 |
You Love Less Than Most
| Album | You | Global | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The College Dropout
Kanye West
|
1 | 3.31 | -2.31 |
|
Spiderland
Slint
|
1 | 2.98 | -1.98 |
|
Californication
Red Hot Chili Peppers
|
2 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
|
It's Blitz!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
|
2 | 3.49 | -1.49 |
|
Play
Moby
|
2 | 3.47 | -1.47 |
|
Bossanova
Pixies
|
2 | 3.38 | -1.38 |
|
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
|
2 | 3.37 | -1.37 |
|
The Chronic
Dr. Dre
|
2 | 3.33 | -1.33 |
|
The Man Machine
Kraftwerk
|
2 | 3.32 | -1.32 |
|
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
|
2 | 3.3 | -1.3 |
Artists
Favorites
| Artist | Albums | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Dylan | 6 | 4.5 |
| The Rolling Stones | 5 | 4.6 |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4.75 |
| Radiohead | 3 | 5 |
| Miles Davis | 3 | 5 |
| U2 | 3 | 5 |
| Beatles | 4 | 4.5 |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 4.67 |
| Led Zeppelin | 3 | 4.67 |
| Joni Mitchell | 3 | 4.67 |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 5 |
| AC/DC | 2 | 5 |
| Johnny Cash | 2 | 5 |
| Fiona Apple | 2 | 5 |
| Aretha Franklin | 2 | 5 |
| Dire Straits | 2 | 5 |
| Metallica | 3 | 4.33 |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 4.33 |
| The Doors | 3 | 4.33 |
| David Bowie | 5 | 4 |
Controversial
| Artist | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Kraftwerk | 3, 2, 5 |
5-Star Albums (121)
View Album Wall
Popular Reviews
Maxwell
5/5
I am a middle aged, straight, white guy.
I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant.
6 likes
Scritti Politti
5/5
I remember getting this album for Christmas when I was a kid. I was huge into the Greek myths back then and Cupid and Psyche's story was one of my favorites. I was so happy that I knew what was behind the title.
I loved it then, but I haven't revisited it in a *long* time. Friends, this was such a friendly warm bath of a listen in these crazy times. The lyrics went completely over the head of young me -- but hearing it again now evokes a certain type of innocence among the peak 80's of it all.
It gets a five from me because it still touches my heart and reminds me of all the mixtapes I used to make folks. "Absolute" still rules.
5 likes
Spiritualized
2/5
Um...OK.
Sure. Space rock. Stoned drone.
Could be retitled "Music for Dealing with Spreadsheets."
I saw that I'd liked "Shine a Light" at some point along the way -- and after hearing it again, I can't figure out what my vibe must have been at the time.
There must be better stuff in their catalog.
2 likes
The Specials
4/5
So that's what "real" ska actually sounds like! I can get down with this.
2 likes
Neil Young
5/5
Listened during the day while working?
"This is a damned good rock and roll album."
Listened at night while a little toasty?
"This is a goddamned symphony!"
2 likes
1-Star Albums (3)
All Ratings
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Solid front to back with only a couple of bobbles. Great swampy blues groove. Unexpected banger: "Tombstone Shadow."
George Harrison
3/5
I really enjoyed what would have been the first disc of this album. But the long bluesy jams from "Out of the Blue" to the end of the second disc are all samey. Decent, but samey and not overly interesting.
Unexpected banger: Let It Down.
Arctic Monkeys
4/5
God this is a FUN album if you're really looking to slamdance at the local disco. If the Ramones had gone ska (and Johnny had learned some actual riffs) -- you'd land somewhere in this neighborhood.
Unexpected banger: Red Light Indicates Doors are Secured
The Who
4/5
I can only imagine how different this would have sounded in 1965. All the stomp and storm. It would have been like hearing Nirvana for the first time in the 90's. All in all, a very listenable record.
Unexpected banger: La-La-La Lies
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2/5
I've heard the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the radio for years and I've always liked what I've heard from them. I was excited when this came up, because I've never listened to an entire album from them.
Well, now I know why. The first three songs were the ones that got radio play. After that, the formula starts wearing a little thin. It probably gave birth to what the kids are calling DIY.
Unexpected banger -- really, none, but Shame and Fortune's probably the best of the rest.
David Bowie
4/5
My first experience with this particular Bowie. Don't know why I hadn't listened to it, but heck, this is a good one -- shuffle and psych. Really good stuff.
Unexpected banger -- Stay
Megadeth
3/5
RIFFAGE! RIFFAGE! RIFFAGE!
You can tell why this is the blueprint for so many metal bands. Lotsa tempo and key changes. Sledgehammer rhythm. Awesome solos.
Would I want to listen to Mustaine and crew every day? Probably not. Is this classic peel-your-face-off evolution of Iron Maiden? You betcha.
Unexpected banger: Poison Was The Cure/Tornado of Souls.
Jacques Brel
4/5
First "French Crooner" (I guess "chanson" is the proper term) album I've come across. I can imagine this as musical theater. The klezmer and big band sound is good fun. I can see why folks went a little crazy for him. Thumbs up.
Unexpected banger: Les Timides
The Yardbirds
5/5
This is another fun one. A real window into 60's psychedelia with some of the best guitarists in history. Jeff Beck shows what an absolute monster he is. Just so many good tunes here. And this was all new to me. I basically knew the Yardbirds from "For Your Love" and because they birthed Led Zeppelin and Clapton. This was a whole new trip. Definitely enjoyed!
Unexpected banger(s): Over Under Sideways Down, Rack My Mind, Farewell, Jeff's Boogie
Massive Attack
5/5
What a wonderful album this is. The birth of trip-hop in a tight little 44 minutes. The whole album just whispers "vibes." Basically set the stage for what could be done with beats. Just cover to cover quality, although I think "Hymn of the Big Wheel" kinda bobbles the finish. But by the time you get to that track, whatever substances you may have ingested are fully kicked in, so you can just lay back, take a deep breath, and let the waves crash over you.
Harry Nilsson
5/5
I can't hear "Without You" without a mental image of the suicide scene from The Rules of Attraction.
Great album here. Bastard child of Randy Newman and the Beatles.
Unexpected bangers: Jump Into The Fire, Let the Good Times Roll
Kings of Leon
2/5
I mean, this is *fine* for straightahead rock and roll, but they sound like a tighter version of any number of bands I've seen in bars over the years. Their guitarist does some interesting fingerpicking stuff here and there, but the singer's voice is nothing spectacular and all in all, I'll probably forget about this album in short order.
Unexpected banger: Rememo
Animal Collective
2/5
The wikipedia entry says "reverb heavy." They could have just said "redundant" instead. Vocal-based electronica has never been much of my thing. This would be decent enough background music, I guess -- but I was honestly bored by most of it.
Unexpected "banger" -- Lion in a Coma
AC/DC
5/5
I've long said that the best job in rock & roll belonged to Malcolm Young (RIP). All he had to do was play three chords, shake that big greasy mop of hair, and occasionally step up to the mic to bellow "Oy!"
Pretty much a perfect hard rock album from start to finish. I remember as a kid being actually frightened by AC/DC. There's just so much carefree menace here.
Hell, the fact that You Shook Me is on the back half of the album just illustrates how killer this whole thing is. Side 2 of the original album is pretty much flawless.
No unexpected banger here. They're all bangers. Well, except for Let Me Put My Love Into You -- which is the weakest entry. And even that's better than 90% of rock and roll.
Common
4/5
Hip hop has never really been my consistent jam -- but I really enjoyed this. Common's got bars, as the kids say. Really enjoy his voice, his flow. While it's not something I'd want to pull out on a regular basis, I'm glad to get it into the rotation.
Unexpected banger: GO!, Chi-City.
Yes
4/5
Classic proggy stuff here. I never got into Yes until I heard 90125 as a teen. When I went back through their catalog, this was the one with which I connected best. Just good vibes all around here. Fun to revisit it, since it's not really in my wheelhouse these days.
Not "unexpected" bangers, since I was familiar with this. But you can't go wrong with "All Good People."
Deep Purple
4/5
Damn. Just makes me want to get in my car and break several local ordinances. Blackmore is riffs to the max. And Gillan set the vocal stylings for so many that followed -- especially Dio (which makes sense cuz Rainbow). I'd give it five stars, but that damn organ sets my teeth on edge every other song.
Slint
1/5
Wow. That was a truly unpleasant listen. Atonal spoken/screaming word, nothing interesting musically. This is supposed to be an "influential" album -- like the old saying about White Light/White Heat spawning countless bands even without commercial success. This spawns feelings of contemplating suicide, wishing for it to be over.
At least King Missile has a sense of humor.
Unexpected bangers: none.
Bob Dylan
5/5
I never "got" Dylan when I was younger. Just never had the occasion to listen to him much. Didn't appeal. When I was learning about music, I knew who he was, of course -- but he was just some folk singer to me. I knew people loved him, but that whiny voice and what I found to be uninteresting music (since at the time I was way into stuff like Queensryche) -- just never figured it out.
Well, I grew up and I started to understand. And listening to him now as an adult is a new experience. This is spellcasting as much as it is songwriting. Going to have to do some revisiting. Thumbs way up.
Unexpected banger: Talkin' World War III Blues
Supergrass
3/5
Mid 90's Brit rock. I can see where these guys gave birth to the Arctic Monkeys, Radio 4, and the like. Not exactly my cup of tea, as it gets kinda noisy and samey by the end of the album. But it's a solid enough rocker.
Unexpected banger: Sofa (Of My Lethargy)
Tracy Chapman
4/5
Fascinating that this came up the day after social media is all atwitter at Chapman's performance with Luke Combs at the Grammys. Wonder if that's intentional? Even so, I'd never heard anything from this outside of Fast Car and Talkin Bout a Revolution.
It's a lovely album. Straightforward and poignant. Like that it's getting revisited by a new generation.
Unexpected bangers: Mountains O'Things, For You.
The Who
4/5
A really fascinating listen. Great jangly sound. Probably the most humor you'll hear in a Who album. Also fascinating to hear the seeds of Tommy being sown throughout. While I'm not rapturous about it, any album with "I Can See For Miles" is going to be worth a listen.
Unexpected banger: Glittering Girl.
The Black Crowes
5/5
Sophomore year in college when this came out, and it kicks as much ass now as then. Those first riffs of Jealous Again are just about as perfect as anything Mick, Keith, and the boys have ever played.
For a straight-ahead rock, blues, and boogie album -- this is the finest from the Crowes. I lean towards Southern Harmony as an all-around album. But this just straight fucks.
3/5
A pleasant enough listen with plenty of politics women throughout. This is one of the few Kinks albums I've listened to straight through -- and it's certainly inferior to Village Green, in my estimation.
That's not to say it's bad. It's just not great.
Unexpected banger: Brainwashed, I guess...
Muddy Waters
4/5
What's to say? There's really nothing not to like here if you're into rock & roll or blues at all. Ol' Muddy's a monster -- without him, basically the entire Stones/Yardbirds side of the British Invasion never happens.
Surprised a little at how mellow a lot of it sounds. But it's straight pure blues. Find a chair, pour a drink, and let Muddy shuffle your sads away.
Unexpected banger: Tiger in Your Tank
Keith Jarrett
5/5
So gorgeous. Even more so when I discovered that the whole thing is improvised. What an incredible talent! You can just lay back and let the whole thing wash over you. Exceptional.
The Damned
4/5
Better than I expected. Never been a band I was into, although I know how influential they are. (I thought "Smash It Up" was an Offspring song before I listened to this.) It would have been great scare your parents music. Enjoyed it.
Unexpected bangers: Anti-pope, Noise Noise Noise.
Japan
4/5
Interesting. It's proto-Duran Duran. (I mean, the synth in the first song is basically "Hold Back the Rain.") I imagine everyone who's sequences beats has this album tucked away somewhere. Some pretty interesting tracks on here.
Unexpected bangers: In Vogue, Quiet Life, All Tomorrow's Parties
Ute Lemper
3/5
One of the things I enjoy about this little project is getting these out of the blue genres that I'd never have picked on my own. Cabaret singer doing Nick Cave and Tom Waits? Heck sure, why not. It's pretty good! I don't know if I'll ever have the desire to listen to it again -- but if one of these tunes comes up on shuffle, I'm not hitting FF.
Unexpected bangers: Tango Ballad, Split
ZZ Top
3/5
OK -- this was an inescapable album when I was in high school. Just hit after hit for the masters of Texas Boogie. But I'd basically put about a third of the album completely out of my mind. And hearing it again, I understand why. Side 2 gets very samey (except for the slap bass on "Thug.") Fun to revisit, because Side 1 is all aces.
So, stick to the Greatest Hits...
Unexpected bangers: I Got the Six, Thug
Radiohead
5/5
I listened to this while I was working -- I've heard it so many times. I love this album, but listening to it on headphones while tapping away at the very machines that cause the ennui was a little jarring. I have to unironically use the word "synergies" in my work.
If you want to listen to this, let it be central to your attention.
No unexpected bangers. Idioteque is brilliant.
2/5
Egads. This is a rough one.
If you are subject to migraines, I'd seriously suggest skipping this one. I get that free jazz is supposed to be out there -- but this just doesn't work for me. I can't imagine putting something like this on just to listen to, or even try to appreciate.
But if you like the idea of thrash metal saxophone, well, this is your huckleberry.
Unexpected bangers: none. Ecars and Feet Music are at least listenable. The second half of the album is somewhat less screechy.
If you do get through this, it's worth listening to this playlist to see what they were drawing from. So much better. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3giq4xcBIglHlE5suAQShL?si=ca98a0fbb10d4970
Throwing Muses
2/5
Loud and jangly. Answers the question, "Mommy, where does Sleater-Kinney come from?" For me, pretty unpleasant.
Unexpected bangers: Since it's not on Spotify, I don't have tracks and sounds lined up, I guess America or Fear.
The Hives
3/5
OK, so straightforward garage band stuff. Now, it's good garage band stuff if you're into the screamy. There's the one big hit that leads it off that's been in car commercial after car commercial. After that, it just gets repetitive to my ears. Same three chords, same tempo, same blarg blarg.
Unexpected bangers: Untutored Youth, Here We Go Again.
AC/DC
5/5
In the Bon Scott vs. Brian Johnson competition, I've long been firmly on Team Scott. Brian Johnson's a solid vocalist, but Bon Scott had that edge of menace and humor to him that I never get from Johnson. And he's at the peak of his powers here.
Thing is, this album was actually much better front to back then I remembered. Aside from "Love Hungry Man" (which Angus Young himself hates) -- it's just straight fire from cover to cover.
Of course, if Scott doesn't drink himself to death, there's no Back in Black, which is a slightly better overall album. But still, can't deny greatness.
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
Hadn't listened to this in ages. They were always adjacent to the grunge scene, and they were on the Singles soundtrack -- so I knew them from there. Then came "Mellon Collie" and I wrote them off.
Revisiting was...much as I remember. Several bangers (Cherub Rock, Disarm, Rocket, Mayonaise), but then a whole lot of fuzz. I mean, no one needs 8 1/2 minutes of "Silverfuck" unless you're feeling nostalgic for Metal Machine Music or something.
Anyway, some good, some bad.
Roxy Music
4/5
I wasn't familiar with Roxy pre-Avalon, so this was the first time I got to hear the Ferry/Eno duo -- and I admittedly love Eno as a solo artist. Was very interesting to hear his elements of weirdness reflected in a straight rock album. Ferry, of course, has those gorgeous pipes. Really nice stuff. Not a perfect album, but certainly worth a relisten.
Unexpected Banger: Chance Meeting.
Femi Kuti
5/5
When I was a young whippersnapper, my buddy Deen from Nigeria turned me on to Femi's dad Fela Kuti. My first exposure to Afrobeat. Fast forward a few decades and here's his kid -- who may be a better musician than his father was. This is just a fun album...about revolution! Play it loud!
Unexpected bangers: Wonder Wonder, Plenty Nonsense, Stubbor Problems
Gang Of Four
2/5
A late friend of mine was super into the Gang of Four. Talked about how awesome they were anytime you asked them about music.
Is it better than most 70's punk, musically? Sure. Is it whiny? Absolutely. And there's only so much whiny I can take.
Unexpected banger: Return the Gift, I guess.
R.E.M.
5/5
When it all came together for R.E.M.
Just a great disc from front to back. Fabulous harmonies, great addled songwriting, and just musically solid.
Nothing unexpected, but Turn You Inside-Out still rips.
Johnny Cash
5/5
Classic live album -- what can I say that hasn't been said a million times. It's the Man in Black doing Johnny Cash stuff.
If you can't find something that resonates here, you're not looking.
Unexpected bangers: Orange Blossom Special, Long Black Veil
Can
3/5
OK. Well, if you're into ambient jazz, this is a decent listen. Clearly talented players keeping it smooth. I guess you could call it somewhat experimental, and it's easy enough to give a spin to. But hardly earth changing stuff.
5/5
The "Dylan goes electric" moment -- or at least the one that folks point to. I've only recently started listening to Dylan on a semi-regular basis, but it's fascinating to hear the contrast between disc 1 and disc 2. And it's pretty damned killer all the way through. Nice Jewish boy makes good.,
Sonic Youth
3/5
Completely unaware of Sonic Youth in my uncool younger days. Thought this was a pretty interesting listen, but it's pretty noisy. Centainly had wide ranging influences on all sorts of alt and grunge. Can see why folks reference it.
Unexpected bangers: Green Light, Marilyn Moore, Starpower
Metallica
4/5
Ah, the sweet riffhammer of James Hetfield's right hand is on full display here. This never quite rose to the level of Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning, but it's still pretty good for what it is.
I listened to the "remastered" version -- Jason Newstead is still nowhere to be found in the mix.
Someone once did a parody of "Blackened" about cooking fish. I wish I could remember it better.
Anyway, solid four stars.
Frank Zappa
3/5
Never been much of a Zappa guy, despite several of my friends' best attempts. Just could never get into the whole weirdness of it. This one, being mostly instrumental, was easier to digest.
Unexpected banger: The Gumbo Variations
The Jam
4/5
I had a friend, now deceased, who spent a year studying abroad in Scotland during college around 1979. During that time, he picked up basically all of his musical interests -- which honestly became frozen in time. All of his favorite bands and performers were from that era. One of those bands was The Jam. I first heard the album when I was visiting him in San Francisco -- and I didn't get it at all.
Fast forward a bunch of years -- I haven't listened to this since then and only had fleeting memories of Down in The Tube Station at Midnight.
You know what? This is a damned fine album -- and it clearly bridged the punk and new wave eras. You can hear the Jam in just about every other rock band popular in the 80's...regardless of specific genre.
Unexpected bangers: Billy Hunt, English Rose, A Bomb in Wardour Street
The Louvin Brothers
4/5
Really quite a listen. Old timey country that's metal as all hell. Knoxville Girl, My Brother's Will, In The Pines -- just powerful story songs. Great harmonies. Listening to this, and then hearing the bro-country that they're pumping out at a local restaurants, makes me realize that modern country is music for people who hate music.
Anyway, definitely worth a listen.
Hot Chip
3/5
Reminiscent of 80's New Wave -- it's pleasant enough for background music, but doesn't really push any boundaries for me.
Unexpected banger: Flutes, I guess.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
2/5
If you want the best song ever written about fingering a woman while she's on her period, you've come to the right place. They get John Fruschante back for this album -- to little effect. Sure, you've got Flea's bouncy bass and songs about how great California is and how sex is awesome, and look at us we used to wear socks on our cocks but now we're grown up and do deep songs like "Get on Top."
The hits are all frontloaded here. I forgot how ubiquitous the Peppers were there for awhile -- but if they're going to feed us a RHCP album, why not at least Blood Sugar Sex Magik instead of this overproduced mess.
Scar Tissue is still one of the best songs they've written, tho.
The Flaming Lips
4/5
I liked this a lot. I didn't think I would.
Loud drums mixed to be quiet.
Some genuine love in the lyrics.
Still weird and not to everyone's taste -- but it hit me nicely.
Unexpected bangers: Waiting for a Superman, A Spoonful Weighs a Ton
The Beau Brummels
4/5
Getting an album like this is great. Aside from the big names, the less heavy psychedelic rock stuff has been a black box for me. This is a damned good album. And when the album finished and the algo started feeding related stuff -- you know, it was pretty cool. A lot of good groovy background music in there. Kudos, Brummels! Kudos.
David Bowie
4/5
So I liked this a lot. The back half gets a little rambly. Bowie needs to remind us that he is an Artiste.
But it's still some kickass rock and roll for the most part. A couple of his vocal stylings (like "Boss of Me") get a little overwrought and detract from what would ordinarily be great songs. And his antiwar "How does the Grass Grow" is a bit cringeworthy.
Unexpected bangers: If You Can See Me, The Next Day, Where Are We Now?
Gillian Welch
5/5
This is just a gorgeous Bluegrass-ish album. Welch's voice is incredible -- and I love the arrangements here. Just quiet, pensive, and beautiful.
Unexpected bangers: I Dream A Highway, Dear Someone, Red Clay Halo
The Zutons
3/5
It's fine. Kinda generic Brit rock. Not as interesting as Gomez or some their contemporaries. But certainly listenable.
Unexpected bangers: Pressure Point, Nightmare Part II
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5/5
Come on. It's Bob. It's classic stuff. Pure reggae. Even so, hadn't often heard a lot of the songs on this disc not on the Greatest Hits. Guiltiness and So Much Things to Say. *chef's kiss*
5/5
So damned brilliant from cover to cover. Bowie at his absolute peak. No skips, just apocalyptic joy and reality.
Unexpected bangers: none, but if you can't get into the Lady Stardust groove, you can't be my friend.
John Lennon
3/5
"Hi, I'm John Lennon. I feel things very deeply. I get angry a lot. So I wrote some songs about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes."
Not entranced by this. Some good grooves. Some misses.
Don't mind hearing this. But I probably won't revisit too often.
Unexpected banger: Jealous Guy.
Ian Dury
2/5
A late friend of mine absolutely *loved* Ian Dury and the Blockheads. He described himself as a punk rocker -- although his life was in constant pursuit of stock options in Silicon Valley. He died waiting for a kidney transplant.
Anyway, hearing this makes me a little wistful. Not my cup of tea, really.
Unexpected bangers: Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, I guess.
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
5/5
If you can't hear Buddy Holly, you don't deserve rock and roll.
Dusty Springfield
4/5
I really enjoyed this one. Can see where Amy Winehouse got her inspiration. Just some wonderful soul. Big thumbs up.
Unexpected bangers: Summer is Over, 24 Hours from Tulsa, Do Re Mi
Beastie Boys
5/5
Got more hits than Sadaharu Oh.
God this is just wonderful, wonderful stuff. Just listening to B-Boy Bouillabaisse again just slaps such a bigass smile on my face.
No unexpected bangers. Just sheer genius and flow.
Shake your rump-a!
Herbie Hancock
4/5
Funky, jazzy, bluesy. Broad array of influences. All the players can get it. Loved the funked-up version of Watermelon Man. Vein Melter is an underrated classic. Nice.
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
4/5
A fascinating piece of avant-garde jazz. As I'm listening to this, I keep hearing snippets of tunes that I could swear I've heard before, even though I've never heard this disc at all. Then I saw that it was produced by Brian Eno and it all made sense. His atmospherics are all over this album. Some very nice playing -- quite approachable for jazz heads and newbies alike. I give it a thumbs up.
Robbie Williams
4/5
The Robbie Williams phemomenon largely missed the States. I remember hearing about him during my time down in Florida, which I would prefer to largely forget -- but I'd never heard a single one of his songs that I could remember.
I missed out on this for 25 years? If you're looking for pop-rock done well and cheekily, this is for you. Now, I don't quite get how this collection of songs would sell out three days as Knebworth, but then, beans from a can is not my first choice for breakfast.
Anyway, plenty of catchy tracks for you to nod along to. "Let Me Entertain You" is certified killer -- and even the ballads are decent, although they're my least favorite points on this album.
Unexpected banger: South of the Border
The Byrds
3/5
Dude! What a great soundtrack for a smoke sesh! I'm convinced that it was sequenced so that if you start hitting the bong when the album begins, you'll get through the initial giggles and such by the time you're through with "Mr. Spaceman." I See You and What's Happening build you up, and then the horrific subject matter of I Come and Stand at Every Door gives you a quick tether to reality before Eight Miles High kicks in and you get into some good floaty tunes on the back half of the album. Probably would have been better had I lit up first, but it's a decent listen regardless.
Unexpected banger: Captain Soul
Nick Drake
4/5
High quality quiet folk. Just largely Nick and his guitar. Super poignant and lovely. Good kickback album. Hard to believe he was largely discovered posthumously.
Unexpected bangers: Things Behind the Sun, Parasite
Queen
4/5
Ah, Freddie -- I think this is the album where you truly became a rock star. His range of vocal talent's on full display here. The playing, as always, has that "Queen sound" with the overdubbed guitars and vocal harmonies. Stone Cold Crazy remains the seed crystal for the existence of thrash metal.
Things is, I've seen video so many of these songs live but haven't heard the studio versions. The live versions of these songs are at another level. (Seriously, pull the YouTube for "Queen Live at the Rainbow" and compare the versions of "Now I'm Here."
Still, such good shit here. Enjoy.
Thundercat
4/5
Now this is the good shit. Being an old head, I am now being exposed to actual modern shit and it gives me hope. Because this is just downright righteous.
Play on, player. I like this a ton.
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Had never heard anything from this (other than Can I Kick It). Such a vibe. Got just an amazing flow. Smart lyrics, rump shaking rhythms. I like.
Unexpected bangers: I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Mr. Muhammed, Ham 'n' Eggs.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
I mean, when you're starting out with Sympathy for the Devil, you've got to have a great collection of songs to follow -- and the Stones certainly didn't miss here. Almost no skips -- just Dear Doctor, really. But otherwise a stone classic.
"Unexpected" bangers -- Factory Girl, Jig-Saw Puzzle.
The Who
5/5
Pixies
2/5
One of those "All 30,000 people who bought the Velvet Underground's first album went on to start their own bands" kinda deals, I guess. I didn't find anything overly interesting here, and I actually *like* some of the Pixies stuff. My old college roommate was super into this and I'm just like, "Huh?" Nothing here that I'd want to revisit.
Unexpectedly bangerish? Ana.
LCD Soundsystem
3/5
"Hi. I'm white but I'm cool. Isn't this great background music. So cool, right? just have a drink or get high or whatevr. Each song has at least a minute where you can just vibe, y'know. Just lots of beats to talk about how rejection is hard. Wait, did you not notice the music? So edgy, right? Wait, where are you going...?"
Just the same, All My Friends is a bop and New York I Love You is awesome.
The Divine Comedy
4/5
Torch songs are not usually my cup of tea. When I started playing this album, I was quite dubious. But it grew on me as we went. Really lovely musically and the lyrics can be downright clever, if not chuckle-worthy. By the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the cheekiness. A nice surprise.
Unexpected bangers: In and Out of Paris and London, Middle Class Heroes, A Woman of the World.
American Music Club
3/5
Note: Had to go to YouTube for this one -- not available on Spotify or Amazon.
Not quite sure what differentiates this from a lot of other Americana-ish rock bands. Now they're certainly a *solid* band, and they've got some pretty good tunes, but there's a band like this in almost every major city that swears they could have been the next Gin Blossoms. Middle-aged sounding white guys with a musical ear, some decent songwriting, and a couple of good hooks. But ultimately background music. This is one of the few where I can't say, "I see why you included this, for better or worse."
Unexpected bangers: Pale and Skinny Girl, Western Sky
Fiona Apple
5/5
How an 18 year old wrote "Slow Like Honey" is beyond me. Loved this album from the first notes of "Sleep to Dream" all the way to the end. So much talent. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when the Swifties get to college and discover Fiona.
David Bowie
3/5
I know I've heard this before. I could never hang with my brother from another mother without some Bowie entering the chat. But this time around, this leaves me cold. The Eno-ish experimentation on the back half of the album does little for me. The title track, of course, is impeccable.
Unexpected banger: Joe the Lion.
Kate Bush
4/5
The lush 80's production is better than most albums of that era. Kate's got all the Irish going on -- she walked so PJ Harvey could run. It's a lovely album to have on in the background -- until you that weird glitchy effect she uses on "Waking the Witch" -- which made me think that my headphones were shorting out. All in all solid, though.
Unexpected bangers: Cloudbusting, Under Ice
TV On The Radio
4/5
Only was familiar with a few TVotR tunes before listening to this. It's good! Love the vibe that they're able to put together here. Smart lyrics, tight playing, unique voices. I'd pick it up again.
Unexpected bangers: Stork & Owl, Red Dress
Maxwell
5/5
I am a middle aged, straight, white guy.
I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Where to start with an album that I first listened to 40 years ago this summer? DSotM is pretty much a perfect crystal of an album. Themes that resonate just as strongly today, Alan Parsons' magical production, Gilmour at his finest, all wrapped up in a beautiful sonic package.
This time around -- "Time" hits differently at 54 than at 14 for certain. The Great Gig in the Sky remains transcendent. This listen made me realize why Gilmour is the guitarist that he is. He's a storyteller with his solos, complementing the lyrics beautifully. There's an actual sneer to the sound of the solo on "Money," for instance. No other solo would have worked there.
The album's construction is also glorious to behold -- the addition of the saxophone holds so many of these songs together. And Great Gig is just opera with those soaring lyricless arias.
Glorious to be both transported to my youth and contemporarily basking in the beauty of a band that has everything working at once.
Judas Priest
3/5
It's Priest. You know what you're getting when you sign up. Dual-guitar riffage, three or four different tempos of metal, lyrics you can scream along with. (I mean, how did people pretend that Rob Halford *wasn't* gay with a song like "Grinder.")
Straight up and straightforward. If you're a metalhead, this is a touchstone. If you're not -- at least there's "Living After Midnight."
Unexpected banger -- Steeler.
Paul Simon
4/5
So, the "Simon and Garfunkel breakup album."
I was worried when the album started -- afraid that this was going to be a massive sea of twee during "Allergies." But things rapidly improved from there. It's certainly easy to listen to -- and Simon's poetry is his usual blend of observational, horny, and dreamy. Goes down smooth.
Unexpected bangers: Song About the Moon, Train in the Distance.
Incubus
4/5
There was a window of time between escaping an abusive relationship and meeting my now-spouse where I was, for the first time, on my own without roommates, with a steady job, and freedom to move, to date, to explore who I am without consequence. During that span, this was one of the albums that was released. It's a good album. Lyrics are basically stoned profundity, but the harmonies are fun and there's plenty of interesting hooks and such.
When I was listening to this album and it came to an end, the player started cueing up other songs from that era -- the soundtrack of alternative rock from the late 90's/early aughts that was my constant companion as I zoomed around the highways and byways while putting myself back together.
Interesting to look back on it now. Anyway, this is a good listen.
Unexpected bangers: The Warmth, I Miss You, Clean.
Tortoise
2/5
"Post-rock" = "Dull"
If this is what got the Friends of Dean Martinez together, then cool.
That gets them a second star.
Otherwise, it's barista music.
Elvis Presley
5/5
When I was coming up, Elvis was already a nostalgia act. Tacky velvet posters. The crazy jumpsuits. The "karate." The hair. I couldn't get it. Why was this guy the "King of Rock and Roll" when there was so much *better* rock and roll out there. I basically ignored Elvis and the myth around him for the better part of my life, minus a trip to Graceland where I thought, "Damn. This is tacky as hell."
Fast forward to me in my 40's, drinking and getting high with my best friend. I have no idea how the conversation got to where it did, but he asked me "Have you ever seen Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii?" which is the christmas special he recorded in 1973 at the beginning of his long fade.
For the first few songs of the set, he's dope-addled and bleary -- and I'm like "this is embarassing for him." And then lightning strikes. The pharmaceuticals either balance themselves out, or Elvis just decided, "You know, I'm going to kick some ass tonight." And like a switch was thrown, there he was -- one of the great showmen and voices to grace a stage. He just had so much power in his vocals. His version of "Steamroller" is still one of my favorite rock and roll moments.
So when this came up -- this big-band album from 1969, I was determined to approach it with an open mind -- and I'm sure glad that I did. Everyone's heard In the Ghetto and Suspicious Minds, but the whole album is Elvis just going for it. The back-to-back of "I'm Movin' On" and "Power of My Love" is just sexy blue energy.
A great listen.
Unexpected bangers: Long Black Limousine, Kentucky Rain, Mama Liked the Roses.
Jimmy Smith
5/5
When I got this album yesterday, my undercaffeinated brain read "Jimmy Smith" as "Jimmy Cliff." Pushing play, I didn't get the expected snare and envelope filtered-guitar of a reggae tune, but instead the lovely tones of a Hammond B-3.
Damn is this good. Five tracks of tight, smooth groove. If you've ever nodded your head to the sound of "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MG's, then you're in for a real treat. Just a great listen from start to finish. Enjoy!
Unexpected banger: Messy Bessie.
Sonic Youth
3/5
OK. Nothing wrong with noisy rock, but it just doesn't click with me to sit and listen to a full hour of this. There are some high points, but it turns into mush by the end.
Unexpected bangers: Shoot, Sugar Kane, Swimsuit Issue
The Sonics
3/5
If I wanted to listen to a Kinks album, I'd just listen to the Kinks.
Yes, I know. Cobain loved him some Sonics and their big drum sound. James Murphy shouted them out multiple times in "Losing my Edge."
It's *fine*, I guess. I mean, it's loud and straightahead and probably pissed off a lot of mid-1960's parents. And I'm sure it's one of those "influential" records -- there was a lot going on in rock and roll then.
But it's a bunch of covers with a couple of originals. The lead singer has the "OOOHYEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" scream down to a science, but the whole thing -- I dunno. Just didn't click with me.
4/5
This is almost messy perfection....except.
The Spotify version of this album does *not* include the iconic "KICK OUT THE JAMS, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
Listen on any other platform. Otherwise, it's one of the most awesome basement concerts I could ever imagine. Could I have done with two minutes less of "Starship"? Sure. But I wasn't drunk and high enough when I listened to it.
There are rare moments I wish I could have been in the audience, just all fucked up and unworried. This is one of them.
Motherfuckers.
Beatles
4/5
You know what? This doesn't hit the way it used to. Don't get me wrong...it's a great album -- a great SINGLE album. I mean, it's kinda fun to hear the lads basically given carte blanche to do whatever they want sonically. The hits are there, but there's a lot of filler to wade through as they explore the studio space. They could have trimmed this, but they were the fucking Beatles.
Anyway, it belongs on all the lists. Yer Blues is still one of the most underrated Beatles tunes, and it was fun being stoned and listening to the album on headphones -- which really is the medium of choice.
R.E.M.
5/5
First time listening to this straight through in ages. REM decided to make a damned rock record for once. You can actually understand most of Stipe's vocals (other than End of the World, of course). Some wonderful songwriting and some pretty damned awesome guitar work.
I don't know why I didn't become more of an REM fan over the years. This is really good.
Unexpected bangers: Strange, Fireplace
The Smashing Pumpkins
3/5
There was a time in the musical zeitgeist when a turn of phrase as farcical as "Emptiness is loneliness and loneliness is cleanliness and cleanliness is godliness, and God is empty just like me" would score you a Top 10 hit on actual radio. The year was 1995, kids, and this fucking band was inescapable. Especially "Tonight, Tonight" -- which I think may be one of the overwrought songs ever recorded.
There's no mistaking that Billy Corgan can write angsty songs. A LOT of angsty songs. But his desire to be an artiste gets in the way of what should be something you can enjoy listening to. And I've never really liked his voice. What's interesting to me listening to all two hours of this monstrosity is that there are some songs where he actually sounds *good* and his voice lines up with the music. But his screeching (like on the horrid X.Y.U) just puts teeth on edge. And noisy guitar can be fine -- but some of this is just noodling.
That said, there are some songs that have aged nicely. I've always liked "Muzzle" -- it's a great stadium rock song. "33" makes me think of Rolling Rock beer. In The Arms of Sleep is strangely affecting.
But dear lord does the back half of Disc 2 just drag and drag. This is the Pumpkins "Use Your Illusion" -- which would have been great if it would have been a single rather than a double album. Same here -- you could compress this down to a single disc with the same range of styles and not lose anything.
Christina Aguilera
4/5
Damn does this woman have PIPES. I've only known Xtina through her singles and such. This is a fun album, beautifully produced. It's cotton candy for the ears. Not overly deep, but that's not what you're listening to Ms. Aguilera for. Much better than I expected.
Tom Waits
3/5
Ever wonder what a leisurely stroll through hell sounds like?
Michael Jackson
4/5
I cannot begin to tell you how much I *loathed* Michael Jackson when I was a teenager. My sister was huge into him of course and this album was utterly inescapable. The only thing I found cool about it at all was Eddie's "Beat It" solo.
Fast forward a bunch of years and my take on this has softened quite a bit -- because there are so many solid songs on here that turned into hits. But it's still bubblegum, as it's supposed to be. He was the King of Pop, after all.
Anyway, interesting to return to bad 80's production and an album that literally blew up the charts like nothing seen until the last 20 years, when musical consolidation left the charts to like six rappers and Taylor Swift.
Norah Jones
4/5
I wonder what the reception to this album would have been had it come out after Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" instead of four years earlier. I'm not certain the reception would have been quite as rapturous. But make no mistake, this is a lovely jazz vocal album. If she'd come along later -- I can hear tracks on here that likely would have been pushed in an alt-country direction. As it is, it's a really nice listen.
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
There's something about being a standard. Standards change. And as revolutionary as this was when it (and Aerosmith) exploded in the mid 80's, their protegees made much more interesting beats and lyrics. ATCQ, Beasties, De La Soul, and on and on.
Sure, there's some good shit here. But some of it is just plain ol' stupid (Dumb Girl) or just kinda average (You Be Illin').
They're giant shoulders to stand on, sure -- but I think the shoulder-standers perfected what they started.
PJ Harvey
3/5
If you're in the mood for "sorta beautiful and utterly depressing," this is the album for you. Songs about war, blood, and dying empire. There's so little joy in this album (not that Polly Jean is known to be super-uplifting) that it makes it a bit of a slog as you go along. Her voice has rarely sounded better and the arrangements are cool.
But if you're looking for hope for the future and an uplifting trip -- don't push play on this one.
Unexpected bangers: On Battleship Hill, Bitter Branches
Scott Walker
2/5
The title "Scott 2" implies the existence of a "Scott 1," which is not the best thought -- especially since this dude shares a name with one of Wisconsin's most odious politicians.
This mashup (or at least that's what we'd call it now) of The Divine Comedy's baroque storytelling and cut-rate Neil Diamond vocals absolutely doesn't work for me.
Sure, there's some wit here -- and that raises it higher than Slint, but I'm not going back to this one.
Sigur Rós
2/5
Since I don't speak Icelandic, I can't comment on the lyrical quality of this disk. It's musically fine if you need some background music. For that, it's perfectly fine. Beyond that, maybe I'm not indie enough to get it -- or maybe I just haven't watched the naked video.
Anyway, if you want to drift off to a lovely album full of unpronounceable titles, by all means, have at it.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Dear Lawrd is this good. Sure, there are the hits on here, but it all just adheres. It's painful and beautiful and sexy and shit all at once. I was 45 when I first listened to this straight through,
Don't let that happen to you.
Shake your hips and embrace the boogie.
T. Rex
4/5
This album is just fun.
Bolan is so damned happy to be rocking and rolling -- and it comes through. Lot of really solid tunes here. You probably know Telegram Sam and Metal Guru. The rest of the album is supremely listenable. Is it the greatest thing ever set to vinyl? No, but it's a great crank on the porch in the summer album -- as it's supposed to be.
Unexpected bangers: Buick Mackane, Baby Strange, Chariot Choogle
Stan Getz
4/5
Blame it on the bossa nova -- the dance of love. A friend of mine recommended this album to me years ago when I was first learning about jazz. To this day, it's still like a warm bath. Everyone knows the Girl from Ipanema as she goes walking. But the rest of the album is just lovely, soothing sounds, gorgeous playing, and an unhurried good time. Back in my dating days, this was a can't miss romantic album. :-)
Just sink into it. You'll enjoy.
The Police
4/5
I've always had a soft spot for the Police. Yes, there's the insufferable pseudointellectualism of Sting's songwriting. But Stewart Copeland is one of the great underappreciated drummers in history, and Andy Summers remains a guitar legend.
Approaching this album now, it strikes me that Side A is actually the weaker side of the original album, although the title track is arguably the best song on the album. Side B is straight gold -- from Every Breath You Take to Murder By Numbers.
Twenty years ago, I'd probably say this was one of the great albums of all time. But the cracks in the band really start to show through. And, of course, the weirdness of Mother breaks up the album in a not-so-positive way.
All in all, it's a very good listen with plenty of good tracks. But it's not the perfection I once thought.
Curtis Mayfield
4/5
This album got me on a binge of 70's funk and soul, which is a genre I came to quite late. I love the sound here -- and I didn't realize just what an excellent guitarist (and overall composer) Mayfield was. Such good stuff here for vibing purposes.
Unexpected bangers: Blue Monday People, Billy Jack
The Who
3/5
I do enjoy these boys. Live albums are always a bit "meh" to me. Sure, it's kinda fun to listen to Pete wheedly-wheedle while Mr. Moon smashes the drums into submission, but listening to a show like this makes you realize that you weren't there, and there's something missing.
Is it, as the Wiki says, "Widely considered to be the finest live album of all time?" Hard to say. It's good -- but I'd rather listen to studio stuff.
Coldcut
4/5
Note: Not on Spotify or Amazon Music. Had to go to YouTube for this one.
There was a stretch where I was way into artists like DJ Shadow, Nightmares on Wax, Tricky and Massive Attack, and other folks from the trip hop scene. And every single one of them owes a debt to Coldcut, apparently.
I'm still stunned that this was made in *1989*. It's a pretty vibrant collection of beats, samples, and sequences -- all kinda jostled together. Musically pretty cool -- because you can just tell that everyone in EDM-land owns a copy (or have chopped up tracks from) this.
You have to be in the mood for it, but it's pretty darned solid.
Aretha Franklin
5/5
It's the damned Queen of Soul. Start it up and get hit in all the feels.
Gorgeous.
Primal Scream
5/5
This is really quite good. Had no expectations going in -- and I just thought it was great from front to back.
I'm not sure why the two dub odysseys "Come Together" and "Screamadelica" are greyed out on Spotify, but it's worth the 20 minutes to find them and play them back to back.
Such a vibe.
Van Halen
5/5
Straight fire. Still hangs together from beginning to end. No skips. Just an explosion of rock and roll. One of the best hard rock albums ever.
Depeche Mode
3/5
Ah, music for the proto-goth/figuring out LGBTQ+ identity set. My college girlfriend loved Depeche Mode, as did my roommate. I was of course up my own classic rock infused ass at the time. Fun to revisit. The first half of the album holds up much better than the second after "Nothing", where you get the weirdness of "Pimpf" and "Agent Orange" and some remixes that sound ridiculously dated.
In any case, it's still worth a listen -- some pretty good tracks on here, both the ones you know and the ones you don't.
Unexpected bangers: I Want You Now, To Have and To Hold
John Martyn
4/5
No expectations going in. Liked it quite a bit coming out. Some wonderful songwriting here. Good playing. Really like his voice. Not sure how often I'll revisit this, but it's certainly good to chill with.
Unexpected bangers: I'd Rather Be The Devil, Dreams by the Sea, Don't Want to Know.
Also, as Spotify continued, it hit me with a couple of additional Scott Walker tracks that were better than "Scott 2" by a mile.
The Go-Go's
5/5
How many parents in 1981-82 bought this album for their daughters thinking it's bubblegum pop. Instead, they opened the kids' eyes to a tidal wave of punk rock agony and irony, all wrapped up in a nice bow of Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin.
Honestly, I'd never listened to the *lyrics* of Go-Go's songs before this -- I mean, "We Got The Beat" is really "You're all conformist assholes, grow up." And it's so *lesbian* in an 80's coded way.
The kids got to keep this a secret I was too young myself to understand at the time -- and really didn't for 40 years.
Unexpected bangers: Lust to Love, This Town, Automatic, Skidmarks on my Heart.
Bob Dylan
3/5
Not one of my favorite Dylan albums, but it is interesting to hear Daniel Lanois work with the old man. Bob's voice isn't what it was -- he's started to drift into "more cheerful Tom Waits" territory here. It's fine. I know it won a Grammy, but I still prefer several of his other albums.
Unexpected bangers: Million Miles, Tryin' to Get to Heaven, Highlands.
Queen
5/5
Best to approach this album as the opera that it is. Devour it in one fell swoop, because it really hangs together best that way. And, if you can, listen on headphones, not buds. Everything really builds towards Bohemian Rhapsody at the end -- but the journey across sonic styles, those crazy Roger Taylor high harmonies flying around in the mix. The whole aspect is just beautiful madness.
And if you can't listen to "Love of My Life" without being touched, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you as a human.
No unexpected bangers -- just all the good shit.
Wu-Tang Clan
3/5
OK, then.
Dope beats, check. A parade of talented MC's spittin bars, check. Lots of kung fu samples, check, check, and double check.
With all due respect to the "gangsta rap" in the 80's, the Wu opened the door for what became the Tupac/Biggie sound of 90's hip hop.
Just the same, getting all the way through this was a slog towards the end. The tacked on remixes at the end don't help much -- and the back end of the album drags after Protect Ya Neck. It's groundbreaking stuff, sure -- but it doesn't reverberate with me in my 50's like it did in my 20's.
Flamin' Groovies
3/5
Decent 70's rock and boogie. Stones-ish. I couldn't quite get into the guy's voice. The covers on this album, though, are the highlights. They play the hell out of other people's stuff!
Unexpected Bangers: Doctor Boogie, Yesterday's Numbers
The Divine Comedy
3/5
Um, OK. I don't know if I really needed a second album by the Divine Comedy. Casanova was pretty good, I admit -- but this is just more of the same, and not particularly interesting, in my humble opinion.
Enough crooning.
Merle Haggard
3/5
Another album where the "related songs" that played on Spotify after it finished were more interesting than the album itself. Nothing against ol' Merle or anything, but there's more interesting honky tonk music out there -- some of which was on the old K-Tel "Keep on Truckin'" album.
Still, it's fine and good to get another genre after all that damned crooning.
Unexpected bangers: Drink Up and Be Somebody, My Rough and Rowdy Ways.
Joan Armatrading
5/5
Had no idea this was going to be so good. A little folk, a little blues, a dash of jazz and just some fantastic songwriting. Don't know how this one got by me for so long. I was tangentially aware of her name -- she got lumped in my mind with Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez and the like. But she's unique. Lovely.
Beck
3/5
Floaty, pleasant enough music to lay around and be stoned to. Nothing really stands out -- it's almost like Beck decided to do his own version of a Brian Eno album. Wonderful soundscapes and the like, but nothing overly essential here.
The Pretty Things
4/5
So I got turned on to this very album by my brother from another mother a few weeks ago. It's a good one. Lesser known rock opera. But a cool disc of psychedelic 60's. Well worth the time.
Neil Young
5/5
Listened during the day while working?
"This is a damned good rock and roll album."
Listened at night while a little toasty?
"This is a goddamned symphony!"
MC Solaar
5/5
I can't understand a word of this. And it's still beautiful. 1991? The godfather of trip hop right here. Just smooth and sexy. Wish I'd had this in my arsenal in my 20's.
Unexpected bangers: La devise, Armand est mort, Victim de la mode.
Beck
4/5
When I pulled this up, I did a double take. I thought this must have been an expanded edition or something, because I forgot that *all* of these tunes were on the same album. "Where it's At," "Devil's Haircut," "The New Pollution," "Jack-Ass" (which for some reason is unavailable on Spotify), "Hotwax." Gads, that's a banging lineup. And the rest of it is pretty good as well. It meanders a bit, but it's a Beck album -- it's a good one to crank from time to time.
Unexpected bangers: Lord Only Knows, Novacane, High 5.
Frank Ocean
4/5
Well this was some good shit. I don't know if it's transcendant as many make it to be, but it's a hell of a groove. I do think this is one of the few albums, regardless of genre, that gets what sadness is. There's plenty of agony and ecstacy, I mean, that's what the blues are built on, right? But they don't do nuance -- and this album is all nuance. All the troubles -- sex, money, home, family, legacy -- they're all just there as inescapable as in the ambient buzz around us all.
Morrissey
2/5
Not sure why I needed to listen to a random Morrissey album before I died. There are actually a couple of pretty strong songs on here, but most of it is just him warbling away trying to recapture his Smiths cool.
Not really my cup of tea, though.
The Specials
3/5
Fun bouncy ska. Easy to see why everyone into ska comes back to this album -- it is one of the genesis points. Pretty solid.
Beastie Boys
4/5
The B-Boys stylin' and profilin'. No one had heard anything like this in '86. Some of the songs' misogynoir reads much more cringy than it did back then. (Like slipping drugs in a girl's drink in Brass Monkey.) But it still kicks for the most part. Samples all over the place. And plenty of wit. Good stuff.
Simon & Garfunkel
5/5
Under half an hour for this collection of gentleness and wit. I've always thought Scarborough Fair was one of the loveliest harmonies I've ever heard. Lots of hits here -- you can't get much more folky than this. Not much to complain about here.
Unexpected bangers: The Dangling Conversation, A Poem on the Underground Wall.
Manic Street Preachers
3/5
One of the angriest albums that I've ever heard -- not anger like shouty-shouty -- but bitterness in all its nihilistic rage. Its core is just cynical and dark expressions of societal displeasure. Therapy's good for you, boys.
Musically, it's fine -- although I felt like it kinda goes up its own ass a little too far.
Maybe once their guitarist disappeared, they were able to lighten up a little bit. Anyway, it's OK.
Unexpected bangers: She is Suffering, Faster
Kacey Musgraves
3/5
I find it funny that I discovered Chappell Roan not long before hearing this album -- because I could totally hear Musgraves covering "Casual." She's got a perfect voice for it.
Anyway, it's a contemporary country album by a woman -- which already makes it 50x better than any bro-country out there. She sings all lovely. The songs are fine. I can see why a lot of folks love Musgraves and this album.
Just not my cup of tea.
Suzanne Vega
4/5
Her staccato gave way to Liz Phair. For that I am forever grateful.
It's good. I was 15 when this came out and I had no idea how to process it.
Sarah Vaughan
5/5
I absolutely adore Sarah Vaughan. This is just beautiful stuff. If you don't like it, there's no hope for your eternal soul.
MGMT
3/5
I hear these guys every other time I turn on Sirius XMU. I always thought -- "this is pretty decent, catchy stuff." So giving a whole album a listen -- my thought was "this is pretty decent, catchy stuff."
Good upbeat background stuff. Quite a bit of filler -- but the highs (largely the hits -- Time to Pretend, Electric Feel, Kids) are better than average.
Unexpected bangers: The Handshake, The Youth
Aerosmith
5/5
What a damned solid rock and roll album this is. Just boogie and blues and sleaze and fun. Familiar with the hits of course, but the other tracks hold up alongside. You can hear the DNA emerging of some of their smashes in the 80's/90's. (Especially the album's closer.)
Tom Hamilton's also one of the most underrated bass players in history. Like Duff McKagan was for GnR, Hamilton holds the whole mess together.
Unexpected bangers: Big Ten Inch Record, Round and Round, You See Me Crying.
Beastie Boys
4/5
Whomever wrote the book this is drawing from has a real thing for Brooklyn. This is the *third* Beasties album that I've pulled so far. Not that I'm complaining. It's good shit. The boys play a lot of their own instruments on these tracks -- so it's got a more organic sound than the sample-heavy first few. They still flow like few others. They really found their sound here.
Unexpected bangers: Bodhisattva Vow, Flute Loop, Get It Together
New York Dolls
4/5
Good fun! No wonder parents got all weird in the 70's.
Buena Vista Social Club
5/5
I forget why I picked this album up back in the nineties. Listening to indigenous Cuban music wasn't a thing for me then. I was a full-on grungehead then. Maybe I was having a brief Ry Cooder moment or some such and thought it sounded interesting. From the first notes of "Chan Chan," I was mesmerized. This is simply gorgeous music -- timeless and ethereal. Let yourself just drift and enjoy.
Parliament
4/5
Groovy!
While I generally come down on the Funkadelic side of things, the other half of George Clinton's madness is a fun ride. Some of it doesn't age particularly well (Handcuffs!) -- but it's a great mashup of genres and a super party album.
Unexpected bangers: Mothership Connection, Unfunky UFO
Brian Eno
3/5
The lovely insanity of Brian Eno. I remember coming across this album probably 15 years ago and was pretty taken by it. The years haven't held it together as much for me. Sure, it's weird and solid and fun in places -- but I've been exposed to so much tune-age since then that there are better albums in more specific genres for me. Just the same -- nice to revisit.
Unexpected bangers: On Some Faraway Beach, Needles in the Camel's Eye
Brian Eno
3/5
Um...OK. Two Brian Eno albums in a row? I don't know if we needed two of them from his rock era. If you like Warm Jets, you'll like this a lot, too. Same formula -- crazy production, slightly weird tunes, some catchy hooks here and there. But I don't think this would warrant inclusion over his later ambient stuff. (Of course, watch me pull Music for Airports next...)
Unexpected bangers: Energy Fools the Magician, No One Receiving, By This River.
David Bowie
4/5
After two consecutive Brian Eno albums, I get...a David Bowie album produced by Brian Eno. And it's a good one. Can really hear Eno starting to develop that ethereal sound which became his trademark in the 90's. As for the album. It's Bowie and it's downbeat and it's great.
Unexpected bangers: What in the World, Warszawa, Always Crashing in the Same Car.
Santana
5/5
Oh wow. I hadn't heard this in such a long time. It's so damned good. One of the best groove albums on the planet. Got me revisiting the first and third Santana albums -- which are also fire.
Seriously, have a puff of your favorite combustible, pour yourself a drink, slap on the cans, and just let ol' Carlos take the reins.
The Stone Roses
3/5
Pretty decent Brit-rock. Still don't understand why this is such a vaunted album, though. I mean, it's good for a rock album, but I don't get why people look at it as transcendent, rather than just what Oasis ripped off in the 90's.
The Rolling Stones
5/5
Seriously, how do you argue with the most rock and roll verse ever committed to vinyl:
"She said my breasts they will always be open
Baby, you can rest your weary head right on me
And there will always be a space in my parking lot
When you need a little coke and sympathy"
Just fucking fantastic.
Sure, you want to nitpick this album? Country Honk is an unfinished piece, obviously. Love in Vain and Live with Me can't live up to the fire that is everything from track 5 on. But goddamn. When you're starting an album with Gimme Shelter, there's bound to be a dropoff.
It's a brilliant album. Don't fight it.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
2/5
Just not my cup of tea. Punk x blues is an interesting combination on paper, but not in execution.
Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart
4/5
Had no idea what I was expecting here. I have vague recollections of Jah Wobble doing a collab with The Edge, but I couldn't pull up anything else from the dust of my brain.
You know, what a pleasant surprise this album turned out to be. Thoroughly enjoyable in a weird sort of way. Definitely would be an acquired taste for some, but I found it interesting and listenable.
Bob Dylan
5/5
The album when Bob Dylan became Bob FUCKING Dylan.
I'm sure Elizabeth Nelson (seriously, look her up) could put together a lengthy paean to how damned solid and sordid and angry and odd this piece of work is, but it's art.
Tombstone Blues is just a damned banger. As for the rest, well, it's famous for a reason.
Led Zeppelin
5/5
The tightest of all the Zep albums, in my opinion. No filler whatsoever. Nothing but solid tunes from front to back. Know every note.
Jefferson Airplane
4/5
Say you're a teenager thinking about dropping acid (or just doing drugs in general) for the first time. You've heard that there's as much a chance as something wonderfully life-altering as bizarro freakout happening. What do you do?
You put on Surrealistic Pillow -- the gentlest drug album ever recorded. It's good rock and roll, for sure, but there are plenty of psychedelic fun times with sounds and space to be had. But nothing threatening. Even "White Rabbit" -- as dread-inducing as that beat can be -- comes across as a friendly guide in the context of the album.
It's plenty good.
Unexpected bangers: 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, Plastic Fantastic Lover, Go to Her
Kraftwerk
3/5
Help! I'm trapped in an early 80's movie soundtrack!
No, seriously -- this came out in 1977. At the time, I'm certain it sounded like the future with all those synths and sequences. But now it's got more of a "Now iz ze time on Sprockets ven ve dance!" vibe.
Doesn't mean it's not good -- but it's hard to get the cliche out of my head.
The Cure
3/5
I came around on the Cure in my thirties -- and I feel like I'm kinda backing away now.
If there's an instrumental sound that's not aged well -- it's the late 80's "lush synthesizer" which sounded ethereal in 1989, but now just sounds pretty stale. Especially for the long, weepy interludes that the boys throw in throughout. Fun fact: when I was working a Cure show as a tech in college after pulling a near all-nighter the day before, I fell asleep backstage to one of those eternal chords.
There are some good tunes here, for sure. The Cure's best work is when they maintain some focus. Fascination Street, Plainsong, Lullaby -- they all work. But what really hit me this time around is just so goddamn creepy Lovesong is. It's like when I understood that "Every Breath You Take" wasn't really a love song. Lovesong evokes a middle-aged man grooming a teenager on the downlow and now I can't get it out of my head.
Unexpected banger: The Same Deep Water as You
Nina Simone
4/5
On one level, this is a transcendent listen. There's so much beauty and pain in that vibrato of hers. Just perfect songs of longing and love.
That said, it's almost TOO much. By the end, the vibe was almost too much for me to handle. I ended up pulling up on the last song because it was jangling my nerves and heart too much.
But it's gorgeous just the same.
Jerry Lee Lewis
5/5
This is metal as all hell.
I'd never heard a JLL live recording. I knew his hits, of course, but never really understood that whole "The Killer" thing. Until now.
He just brings the fire from start to finish. I'm really not a big live album person. But this one's an exception, because he really does show the flash and flair that made him what he is.
Good listening -- and only 22 minutes!
Common
4/5
Hip hop before everything got real shouty again in the oughts and teens. Great flow from Common. Man's got bars for days. Not my primary place of fandom, but it was still a good listen.
Unexpected bangers: Cold Blooded, Funky for You, A Film called (PIMP), Song for Assata
Elliott Smith
4/5
Very nice singer-songwriter stuff here. Solid lyrics, great background listen.
The Beta Band
3/5
Ever since the Beta Band joke in High Fidelity, I've been a little curious about them -- but this album didn't help. "Squares" is a literal ripoff of "Daydream" by the Wallace Collection. The rest of the album is sonically interesting -- but just midtempo experimentation. I had a bowlie and listened again and quit halfway through.
It's fine. I don't get how this is considered one of the best albums of the Aughts, though...
The Smiths
3/5
Well, it's Britrock. And Morrissey is very happy that he finally is getting laid on the regular. And there's lots of angst. The kind of angst that populates every universal sophomore dorm room.
The last track is gross as hell. Which is, of course, the point.
Anyway, it's fine.
Unexpected bangers: Nowhere Fast, Well I wonder
The Prodigy
4/5
I unabashedly loved this album when it came out. My introduction to industrial electronica was Nine Inch Nails -- but this was more fun, and just as horny (although not quite as *good). It's an album that holds together song-to-song better than most, and there are no real skips here -- other than maybe Fuel My Fire. Great driving music.
Unexpected bangers: Diesel Power, Mindfields, Climbatize
Shivkumar Sharma
5/5
Just a lovely album. Great for working to.
The Specials
4/5
So that's what "real" ska actually sounds like! I can get down with this.
The Byrds
2/5
It's a country album done by very talented musicians. Sometimes stoned conversations don't need to become concepts of plans. I hope when Gram Parsons died, he realized this wasn't a good idea.
Unexpected bangers: The last half of Track 19, which is an old radio commercial trying to convince people to buy this "departure" from what people knew as the Byrds.
Pink Floyd
5/5
Oh, please. Twist my arm and make me listen to one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded one more time.
I mean, it's frickin' Wish You Were Here -- it's basically a perfect album from start to finish, can be enjoyed in any state, and has some of the best guitar work ever rendered to vinyl.
Pink Floyd's run through the 70's is pretty much unmatched by anyone except maybe the Stones or Radiohead.
Nas
4/5
Heard of it, never heard it.
Damned if this isn't some heavy shit -- and well-written shit at that! Nas walked so Kendrick could run, I think.
Well worth a listen.
The Isley Brothers
5/5
It fucking slaps. Never expected such great guitar work on an album like this, but there it is. Just infectious grooves from front to back. Put it on and be happy.
The Doors
4/5
Jimmy Snakepants and the boys put together a pretty decent collection of tunes here. This was the first Doors album that I was ever convinced to listen to. Better than I remember it, although the long stretches of self-important noodling can get a little old. Just the same, a very solid listen. You can't have an album with Roadhouse Blues, Peace Frog, and Waiting for the Sun and consider it anything other than at least decent.
Unexpected bangers: Blue Sunday, Maggie M'Gill
The Icarus Line
3/5
Didn't have great hopes for this initially -- first couple of songs left me cold with that whole Soup Dragons x Soundgarden vibe. But it grew on me as the album wore on. Once I got into the aesthetic of it, it's a pretty decent rock and roll album. Kinda sludgy in places, but the latter half of the album is definitely the strength. Solid.
Unexpected bangers: Spike Island, White Devil, Virgin Velcro
ABBA
3/5
Took me until listening to this to understand why "Mamma Mia" was such a success. Sure, it's solidly from the disco era, of course, but all of these songs sound like they belong in a musical theater production -- from the harmonies to the largely "We're going to burst into song in random places" lyrics.
"When I Kissed the Teacher" reads like a different take on "Don't Stand So Close to Me."
It's bubblegum with an odd darkness behind it in places -- and far hornier than I remembered ABBA being.
The Black Keys
4/5
Another one from my days of hanging out in our local rock and roll scene. This minimalist bluesy stuff was all the rage there for awhile. The front half of this album is solidly good. The back half gets a little bit too farting the way through the blues, but it's still worth a listen. I can imagine they still get plenty of royalties from that Howlin' For You lick.
Unexpected bangers: Sinister Kid, Unknown Brother
The Streets
3/5
Another "Hey, the stuff that Spotify recommended afterwards was considerably cooler" album. A "rap opera" is an interesting concept -- one that probably would have been more interesting with a stronger MC. It's fine BritHop. And he's a pretty good storyteller, but the flow just didn't work for me. Aside from "Fit and You Know It," I'm not sure why I needed to hear this before I died -- except that it introduced me to Ghost Poet, who seems to majorly slap.
My Bloody Valentine
3/5
When I was about 15, a couple of buddies and I had an "avant-garde rock" band called The Eternal Time Clock. None of us were particularly good musicians -- we just liked to mess around with noise and overtracking. If we'd kept at it, we could have aspired to be MBV.
This album has two purposes: background music while you work (especially if you have ADHD) and doing drifty drugs. If you're a fan of Loveless, then you'll probably like this -- even though it's even more unfocused.
Otherwise, I could see this being a really challenging listen for many.
The Doors
4/5
I think this is probably my favorite Doors album -- but I'd been away from them for so long (before this little project) that I lost track of it.
Probably the most solid album from front to back that Jimmy Snakepants and the boys put together. Aside from the silly "L'America" and the unfocused "Hyacinth House" -- they're all pretty solid tracks.
Unexpected bangers: Cars Hiss by My Window, The WASP
The White Stripes
5/5
I liked this a LOT more than I thought I would. I last heard this album a long time ago and I didn't realize just how well it hangs together. Just good minimalist rock and roll.
Unexpected bangers: Little Ghost, Passive Manipulation, As Ugly As I Seem
Talking Heads
4/5
Pleasantly bizarre. I wouldn't have known what to make of this when it came out, with its wild ranges in style and David Byrne's...shall we say...interesting voice. But it works. Just a really good alternative-ish album.
Unexpected bangers: Who Is It?, Pulled Up, Love->Building on Fire
Derek & The Dominos
5/5
Of the 60's-70's guitar gods, I'm probably the most lukewarm on Clapton. I mean, I'm good with his hits and all -- but he always seemed better to me as a complementary player than the star of the show. And then he descended into farting through blues standards, After Midnight for beer commercials, and Tears in Heaven -- which is a song I personally cannot stand.
So this comes up. I know Layla and Bell Bottom Blues, of course -- but the rest was a mystery. Glad that I looked into it. He sounds like a completely different guitarist here. There's so much joy in his playing that just vanished later in his career. (Heroin will do that to you, I guess.)
Hearing him trading licks with Duane Allman is magical. Allman died a few months after this was recorded. There's just so much phat in the boogie they lay down here. Absolutely essential rock & blues.
Unexpected bangers: Key To The Highway, Tell the Truth, It's Too Late.
Fishbone
5/5
Funky funky funky! Good fun, great playing, solid lyrics. Enjoyed it a bunch.
The Residents
1/5
Only my second one-star review.
Weirdness for the sake of weirdness. Singer sounds kinda like Les Claypool Primus if he didn't have much musical talent. And the whole thing is just not particularly pleasant to listen to. I get the whole 'deconstruction of the musical paradigm' thing -- and at least it has a backbeat instead of just being noise. But it just goes...on...and...on...like the soundtrack to a badly constructed haunted house ride. And really -- all the live tracks and other versions? I mean, just why?
So, really not my thing. I would have been just as happy never hearing this.
DJ Shadow
4/5
Was randomly handed this album by a former neighbor (who turned out to be a complete asshole over the years) -- it was one of my first exposures to this sort of sampletopia. Always enjoyed this one.
Heard it so many times that there aren't really unexpected bangers, but:
Stem/Long Stem, Organ Donor, What Does Your Soul Look Like
Lou Reed
4/5
Sweet Lou doing Sweet Lou things. Difficult to comprehend that this album wasn't as appreciated as it should have been before Bowie got involved. I mean, the hits are there. So is the cynicism and the indulgence. A really good rock and roll record with a couple of swings and misses. But a great listen just the same.
Unexpected bangers: Hangin' 'Round, Wagon Wheel -- along with the usual timeless cuts of awesomeness.
Q-Tip
4/5
Can I Kick It? (My own ass.)
Weird to come across so much good hip hop in my sixth decade, but here we are. When this came out, I was firmly a Rock Guy -- aside from the occasional video on MTV or some such, I was completely oblivious to how good so much of this stuff is. No exception here.
I'm in awe of the bars Q-tip has. And just the whole mellow flow that he perfected with the Tribe. Just a whole genre that I stupidly missed out on.
Jimi Hendrix
4/5
Classic Jimi. Straight, no chaser. Gimme.
From Spanish Castle to Sand Castle -- just let your mind go with this one.
"Unexpected" bangers -- If 6 Was 9, One Rainy Wish, You Got Me Floatin'
Queens of the Stone Age
2/5
They called this "stoner rock." OK. I guess that it's fun with riffage and all -- but there's a difference to me between music that sounds good when you're on drugs and music that you have to be on drugs for it to sound good. This QOTSA album is the latter. Not my thing.
Pulp
4/5
Got introduced to this through my brother from another mother. Pulp's one of those bands that to me is good not great -- but this is a pretty damned solid effort.
Unexpected bangers: Monday Morning, Something Changed, Pencil Skirt
The Cars
5/5
Still rips.
No skips.
Quintessential early 80's rock. Learn it, Know it, Live it.
(And anyone not thinking of Phoebe Cates during "Moving in Stereo" needs to fire up Fast Times at Ridgemont High, stat.)
The Sabres Of Paradise
3/5
It's pretty interesting background music and way ahead of its time. More interesting stuff abounds, though.
The Kinks
4/5
Good jangly Kinks here. Davies with some solid songwriting. A fun listen.
Unexpected bangers: Dandy, A House in the Country, Most Exclusive Residence for Sale
Tears For Fears
4/5
One of the great albums from my youth. It holds up so well. It's basically a concept album -- musical themes come and go throughout. So many good songs here. Solid contemplative pop that I know note for note.
Unexpected bangers: Mother's Talk, Broken.
Blondie
4/5
Enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Blondie is an actual new wave band -- not just a disco act. Certainly worth a good, long listen.
Unexpected bangers: Fade Away and Radiate, 11:59, Sunday Girl
Paul McCartney and Wings
4/5
I'd always ignored Wings -- figured they'd just be the Beatles without the magic. Always enjoyed their hits. Seemed like friendly enough tunage. The album holds together really well. It's a really enjoyable listen.
Unexpected bangers: Mamunia, No Words, Let Me Roll It
Portishead
2/5
I didn't expect this to be such a tough listen. Dummy was one of my favorite trip-hop style albums and I went in expecting something similar. Instead, there's basically an anxiety attack in album form. Atonal synths, heavy beats, and just LOUD. Not at all a pleasant listen. Pass.
Gil Scott-Heron
4/5
Note: Not available on Spotify or Amazon Music -- had to go to YouTube for this one.
Jazzy and real. The message is the groove. Lovely.
The Stooges
4/5
Power chords and Iggy frontin'.
LOUD LOUD LOUD. MORE MORE MORE.
Elliott Smith
4/5
Hadn't listened to a lot of Elliott Smith. I can now understand why he's the emo Cobain. An enjoyable, if somewhat depressing, listen.
3/5
I don't get how people compare Oasis to the Beatles -- aside from their momentary flash of fame. To me, they're more like the final form of the Stone Roses or Soup Dragons. I'd heard the hits from this since they were just inescapable -- but it's a pretty good rock & roll record. Revelatory? No. But pretty damned decent.
Unexpected bangers: Morning Glory, Roll With It
Cream
3/5
When Cream's hitting, they're great. When they're not, it's psychedelic mush.
Sunshine of Your Love is an all-timer, of course. But I hadn't heard the non-hits on Disraeli Gears and, honestly, they didn't add much to my thoughts about the band.
Unexpected bangers: Take it Back
5/5
Sgt. Pepper's in your teens: Wow! This is pretty neat!
Sgt. Pepper's in your twenties: [huge bong rip] This is like...awesome on SO MANY LEVELS.
Sgt. Pepper's in your fifties: The cold grey hand of Death waits for us all.
Never really absorbed just how *dark* the whole album is taken in it's entirety. Whew. Still amazing.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
4/5
Note: Not available on Spotify.
I'm sure it was no coincidence that this got served up on Hallow'een. Creepy and lovely in equal measure, this collection of well-written pieces sits with you and stays for awhile. Quite good.
Unexpected bangers: Death to Everyone, Black, Knockturne
Garbage
5/5
I can't objectively rate this album -- came along at a transitional point in my life when I was just getting out of graduate school and starting to "adult." I wore this album out. My fondest wish was to be broken by Shirley Manson. Something about this album just hit the sweet spot between U2 and Nine Inch Nails that I needed at the time. Listening to it always makes me happy, whether or not it's raining.
Paul Simon
4/5
Culturally important and very good? Yes.
Utterly transcendent? Nah. But still incredibly solid.
Unexpected bangers: I Know what I Know, Under African Skies, That Was Your Mother.
Gene Clark
3/5
Love songs and folk songs. Really good cover of The Band's "Tears of Rage" -- pleasant enough.
The Style Council
3/5
That was a pretty interesting, eclectic listen. Didn't expect all the jazzy instrumentals -- most of which were really good!
Unexpected bangers: Strength of your Nature, You're the Best Thing
Elvis Presley
4/5
Thin Lizzy
5/5
Note: Not available on Spotify.
Now THAT is what a live rock and roll album is supposed to sound like. Tight band, guitar shredding, Phil's mind bending bass and voice. Drum solos that sound like drum solos! A good live album makes you feel like you should have been there -- that you missed out on something special. And this has that in spades. (And it even has Huey Lewis on harmonica!)
Unexpected bangers: Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed, Southbound, Baby Drives Me Crazy, Don't Believe a Word
Pink Floyd
5/5
So you
Think ya'd
Like ta
Go to the show
To feel the warm thrill of confusion
That space cadet glow...
Listened to it on good headphones for the first time in ages. My god, how well this holds up. Atmosphere, music, tone -- all just beautiful.
None of it works without Gilmour, though. Good as the lyrics are -- it's that edgy, glamourous, rich voice that he gets out of that Strat that works so wonderfully as a counterpoint.
Still not an easy listen -- but a necessary one.
The Byrds
3/5
Sure. It's fine. Also has a song ("Triad") about trying to talk a woman into a polygamous relationship, so there's that. If you like twangy psychedelic stuff, you'll like this.
The outtake at the end with the band basically yelling at each other about how to arrange a certain song is pretty funny, though.
The Only Ones
3/5
Not bad. Certainly a template for any number of other bands years later. I figure Paul Westerberg was WAY into these guys. An interesting side diversion into punk.
Unexpected bangers: No Peace for the Wicked, City of Fun
Steely Dan
5/5
Very solid Dan. The only dip on the whole album is I Got The News, and that's better than 90% of other music. Yes, people get weirded by Steely Dan for some reason -- but that mellow cynicism is a life preserver right now.
"Unexpected" banger -- Home at Last
Rage Against The Machine
4/5
The toughest thing was finding a time when 50+ year old me could find space to listen to this nasty bit of aggro brilliance at a sitting. I'd forgotten that it came out just as I was graduating. Remember going out to Arizona and seeing some kids wearing the t-shirts but I really didn't suss it then.
This was pretty popular stuff in the 90's. If there's anything going on right now with this level of rebel energy, I don't know where it is.
The Doors
5/5
How did I not know I was listening to censored versions of Doors songs all these years? The bridge in Break on Through -- I always thought it was just ol' Jim vamping with "She get..." instead of the reality of "She get high..." And I'd never heard that series of "FUCK" in The End before.
This would have been some serious parent scarin', panty droppin' stuff in the mid 60's, I would imagine. And the whole album (aside from I Looked at You and End of the Night) is hits from front to back.
This would have been a hell of a debut album.
Bill Evans Trio
4/5
Just a lovely live jazz recording, suitable for sunny picnics or warm bourbon by the fire. Enjoy!
The KLF
3/5
Note: Not available on Spotify.
I had this on cassette in 1991. One of those "hey, there's a cool song, let's hope the rest of the album rocks" purchases. Me in those days -- it didn't click at all. Since I'm much more into beats and trip hop than I was, I hoped I'd have a better reaction. It's fine. Not great. Some pretty interesting stylings in there, but it's still not really my cup of tea.
Unexpected bangers: Build a Fire, No More Tears
Bonnie Raitt
4/5
The raw sexism in some of these replies is really something to read. Lotsa little boys in these comments bothered by a woman singing about...being a woman. Raitt's voice, of course, is just gorgeous. And she's a hell of a slide player without being overly showy. Unfortunately, the album's production is typical overly compressed late 80's (at least they don't have a ton of gated drums).
It's mellow and lovely. Just roll with it. And pull your heads out of your asses, boys.
Kraftwerk
2/5
Bleep bleep boop.
Boop boop bleep bleep.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Bob Dylan
4/5
It's good stuff. Just not my favorite Dylan. Still certainly worth a listen.
Unexpected bangers: Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts; Meet Me in the Morning
Mike Ladd
3/5
Pretty decent lo-fi hip hop. Kinda cool concept. I liked it.
Cypress Hill
3/5
Hey...here's a song about getting high and shooting people.
Hey...here's a song about getting high and shooting people.
Hey...here's a song about...
It's pretty much like that the whole way through. The more interesting beats and bars are on the second half of the album. But hey, here's a song about...
Unexpected bangers: The Phuncky Feel One, Psycobetabuckdown, Stoned is the Way of the Walk
Red Hot Chili Peppers
3/5
Probably the best of the Peppers' work. Lots of good funky rockers here, pierced in the middle by "Under the Bridge," which is the turd in the punchbowl. But you can't argue with the riffage in Suck My Kiss, the title cut, and Sir Psycho Sexy.
A fun listen if you skip #11.
Green Day
4/5
Been years since I last listened to this. Still pretty fresh! Lyrically, I didn't pay much attention when it first came out, but there's some pretty solid poetry underneath those three chords. Punks that can play!
The hits still sound great -- and the filler stuff is at least passable. I've long thought that "She" is one of the overlooked GD songs.
Just pump your fist and go with it.
Alice Cooper
2/5
Scare your parents in the 70's! Get some Alice!
Don't really care for this. But at least it's somewhat musical. Easy to see where Marilyn Manson found the shtick.
But not a great listen for me.
The Charlatans
4/5
Really enjoyed this one. I can see where they would have been lost in the shuffle during the Oasis/Blur era -- but they felt like the best parts of the Stone Roses and Oasis with a more grounded lyricism.
If you like British guitar rock, this will be a warm blanket for you.
Unexpected bangers: With No Shoes, Tellin' Stories, How High
Chicago
4/5
Holy crap. I had no idea this was going to rock as hard as it does. Aside from basically the first three tracks on the album (and I'm a Man, which I didn't realize was Chicago) -- I hadn't heard any of this. I didn't realize that the original Chicago was the midwestern version of the Allmans. Goddamn.
If you're a fan of awesome guitar work, this is so worth a listen. Terry Kath is an absolute monster -- it's no wonder that Hendrix absolutely loved the guy's playing. And Peter Cetera -- I have a visceral hatred for him because of the soft Chicago 17 stuff that was just *everywhere* when I was growing up. But the man simply crushes it on bass. The horns are earnest and nasty.
"Free Form Guitar" is completely skippable unless you want your teeth to hurt. But Liberation is a 14-minute tour de force in guitar tone. Skip the one track and just let it roll.
Unexpected bangers: I'm a Man, South California Purples, Liberation
Radiohead
5/5
I unabashedly love this album. I remember when they released it as "pay what you want" -- which was unheard of at the time. I wasn't a huge Radiohead fan at the time, but I figured for a couple of bucks, why not?
And then came that awesome opening to "15 Step."
Moody, melodic, mysterious. And it's cool as hell that you can alternate tracks between this and OK Computer (skipping Fitter, Happier & Climbing up the Walls) and come up with a damned interesting playlist that crossfades perfectly. To wit:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/30MHTK5Je56cN8ug5R8jIy?si=28c712afc4c94909
Duke Ellington
5/5
This is just beautiful. Big band jazz at its finest. Such amazing players!
Unless you just need riffage or you don't have a soul -- you'll enjoy this.
Echo And The Bunnymen
3/5
I'm not sure how I lived with my college roommate -- a self-described superfan of E&TB for 3+ years -- and never once heard Porcupine? He had Ocean Rain on repeat for much of this time. Anyway, my first experience with this.
It's BIG music, theatrical in scope. The vocals there front and center -- bellowing in their bleakness. Perfect gothy stuff for folks who are into that.
As for me, now. Well, I liked it OK -- but it's not something I really need on the main.
Unexpected bangers: The Cutter, Ripeness, Clay
Funkadelic
3/5
Note: Not available on Spotify. Had to go to YouTube to find this one.
Like most Funkadelic, it's all over the place. I mean, it goes *extremely* hard into the depths of funkiness, but sometimes forgets to breathe. 11 minutes of the PE Squad can be a little much, after all.
But, in general, it'll make you want to dance your stoned ass right off.
Unexpected bangers: Groovallegiance, Cholly, Lunchmeataphobia
The Velvet Underground
3/5
The Velvets without John Cale certainly have a different sound. Much more straightforward -- the psychedelica less subtle. It's still good -- Uncle Lou's songwriting is solid as always -- but it doesn't quite hang together as well as some of the other entries from the VU.
Unexpected bangers: Some Kinda Love, After Hours, I'm Set Free
Marvin Gaye
5/5
Lovely gospel-inflected groove and soul. I mean, how can you argue with a voice like Marvin's? Just let it wash over you, even if you aren't a believer in any god. It's got something for everyone.
5/5
Queen Polly Jean. There's nothing not to like about this -- raw feel, great playing, just tremendous sensuality in performance and songwriting. Pain, sex, longing, hope, dread, all balled up in this Irish punk pixie.
20+ years this has been out. Gads.
Pavement
2/5
Detuned and whiny. I know a lot of folks really dig Pavement, but I'd never really gotten much into them. After hearing my first complete Pavement album, I really don't have much of a desire to explore further. Back to the alt-90's with you.
The Young Gods
2/5
That was a slog. French grunting over some relatively decent riffage, but nothing that really comes together as overly interesting. Nothing that I need to revisit anytime soon -- but at least it's better than Slint.
The Blue Nile
3/5
A decent album. Not particularly memorable, but I liked it as background music. Perfectly serviceable and decent enough.
Ella Fitzgerald
5/5
Beautiful. Just beautiful. If you really need to rock it out, fine, skip it. But just luxuriate in Ella's voice. In times like these, take the joy and the sex and the longing. You'll be glad you did.
Thelonious Monk
4/5
Deep Purple
3/5
Without going too deeply into the whole Dad Rock discourse, this is fine. It's a legendary, heavy sound that would have freaked the hell out of a lot of parents back in '72.
But you know what? It's kinda boring. I realize how Blackmore influenced just about everyone who ever picked up a guitar with those chops of his, but those chops are now mainstream -- and most bar bands have a guy who can at least keep pace here.
Yep. You've got some certified FM radio classics on here. I hadn't heard "Lazy" before, which is a solid boogie after that big ol' keyboard intro -- but I'm not sure if "plugged a Hammond organ into a Marshall amp" certifies one for utter greatness. And the songwriting is...not great.
But there are some good tunes you know, some you might not, and an understanding of why metal continued to evolve after this...
Grizzly Bear
3/5
The darlings of SiriusXMU. Never listened to a full album from them and I didn't hate it. Mellow and jangly at the same time. Some nice atmosphere if you're into some semi-psyche indie. I thought it was good enough -- but not what I'd schedule my listening around.
Unexpected bangers: Dory, About Face, Fine for Now
Rufus Wainwright
4/5
I've never listened to him before this. He was always one of those artists on the periphery of my knowledge that I knew was a) widely acclaimed and b) quite openly gay. I often mixed him up in my head with Sufjan Stevens -- an artist that I'm lukewarm enough on anyway.
Initially, I thought this was headed to three-star territory, but his Harry-Nilsson-crossed-with-Thom-Yorke stylings grew on me as the album went on. By the end, I really found myself enjoying it, and I'm glad that this was included in the list.
Unexpected bangers: Go or Go Ahead, Vibrate, 14th Street, Beautiful Child, Want.
Spiritualized
2/5
Um...OK.
Sure. Space rock. Stoned drone.
Could be retitled "Music for Dealing with Spreadsheets."
I saw that I'd liked "Shine a Light" at some point along the way -- and after hearing it again, I can't figure out what my vibe must have been at the time.
There must be better stuff in their catalog.
Isaac Hayes
3/5
Baby makin' music. In that you'll get through the entire act before a song ends. I love me some funk and soul, and this was no exception -- but there's no need for 18 minutes of By The Time I Get To Phoenix unless you're really, really into it.
Jurassic 5
4/5
Humorously, I had Jurassic 5 and Maroon 5 conflated in my head. I was so happy to be wrong.
This album is pretty damned cool. Hip hop I hadn't heard before. Dig Chali 2na's voice. Lots of awesome bars throughout. Old school stuff chopped up for the 2000's -- back to the days of boastin' and mixin'.
Worth a listen for sure.
Unexpected bangers: One of Them, Freedom, Hey
The Beach Boys
4/5
So it's Pet Sounds time. Groundbreaking, yes. Incredible harmonies and production, check? Why didn't I like it more?
Maybe it's just a particular day in this world going to shit -- but it just didn't resonate with me. I got kinda bored in the middle stretch. All in all, I'd prefer listening to Smile.
It's still a great album, sure. But it just wasn't what I needed.
The Electric Prunes
4/5
Better than I thought it would be. Some pretty interesting early psychedelic and garage. Ranges all over the place and made for a good listen. An interesting window back into the 60's.
Unexpected bangers: Sold to the Highest Bidder, Bangles, Try Me on For Size.
Method Man
4/5
Bars for days. Your typical rough and tough straight Wu-Tang stuff.
Unexpected bangers: PLO Style, What the Blood Clot, Mr. Sandman, Stimulation.
Songhoy Blues
4/5
Don't know the lyrics, obviously. But interesting take on the blues really slaps. Enjoyed it!
Bob Dylan
5/5
Pretty damned good stuff. I mean, I don't know what you want to say about Dylan other than this is when he was at the peak of his powers and hadn't gotten horribly misogynistic or Christian-y yet. It's a great listen.
The National
4/5
Ah, the deep feels of the boys from Cincinnati. This is a pretty good representation of their brand of emo. I think Trouble Will Find Me is a better overall album -- but this is fine. All the hallmarks of the National are here: Berninger's baritone, the stripped down guitar lines, and oh so much sincerity in the lyrics. They're one of the bands I much prefer recorded versions than live -- because the airy production is as much a part of the band as anything. Quality album.
Unexpected bangers: Sorrow, England, Little Faith.
The 13th Floor Elevators
4/5
Once I got used to the wibblewibblewibble of the electric jug, I thought this was a pretty darned entertaining listen -- right where garage and surf rock washed up on the LSD-driven shore. There's a lot to like here.
But the jug, the jug! It's got to be like ear cilantro for some folks.
Unexpected bangers: Reverberation, Thru the Rhythm, You're Gonna Miss Me.
Raekwon
3/5
Sounds like...a Wu Tang Clan album. If that's your thing -- then great. But it doesn't break much from the mold. They're tremendous rappers, but there's only so many times I can hear about drugs, guns, and being a gangster before it all turns into mush.
Unexpected bangers: Ice Cream, Heaven & Hell, Criminology
Billy Joel
5/5
Billy Joel occupies a weird space in my musical canon. I was too young to catch this album, Piano Man, and the like. His big moments in my coming up were "The Longest Time" and that "We Didn't Start the Fire" thing.
This is some straight-up great storytelling, coupled with fabulous musicianship. The last two tracks are decent, but they're not the quality tune after tune of the rest of the album, which has no other skips.
Really good stuff.
New Order
4/5
I dug it. Neat melodies and a fantastic guitar sound. The gated drums -- well, it was the 80's. But just knowing the hits from Substance and such, this was a nice intro to them.
Unexpected bangers: Sunrise, Sub-Culture.
Randy Newman
3/5
Hard to say what to think of this one. Randy Newman was the proto-Gen X "Everything is horrible so we might as well laugh" songwriter. Hard to tell when he's being ironic or not sometimes. There's a lot of heartfelt emotion tied up in this series of songs -- but leading off with "Rednecks" where he's using the hard-r...doesn't come across the same in 2025 as it did in 1975.
Worth listening to, but not all that fun.
Pink Floyd
4/5
Uneven, but that's what you'd expect from an uneven mind like Old Syd's. Some true classics on here and some that could simply wander off into the haze. But it's got Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive. The rest is gravy.
Nine Inch Nails
4/5
So much angst. So much distortion.
So much awesome.
I'm glad I'm not as angry as I was so many decades ago when I thought this album totally ruled.
It's still good. I hope the twentysomethings can find their voice similarly.
Boston
5/5
Cocteau Twins
4/5
Many reviews described this as a warm bath. I pretty much concur with that assessment. It's lovely atmospheric music that demands little from you other than your relaxed presence.
Unexpected bangers: Heaven or Las Vegas, I Wear Your Ring.
Madonna
4/5
Never a huge Madonna fan -- largely because my little sister absolutely adored her when we were growing up, but I really liked this. Not that there's anything too wild or genre-bending, but a nice set of club bangers, atmospheric beats, and trip-hop adjacent dream pop.
Unexpected bangers: Skin, Little Star
Syd Barrett
3/5
"Hi, Syd. Just stopping by for a visit. Oh sure, I'll be happy to back you up on a few tracks." - a bunch of guys, probably.
It's semi-psychedelic with some pretty twee lyrics. Honestly, I found it to be a little tiresome, but it's Syd. Floyd was much more than the sum of its parts.
Cocteau Twins
3/5
A second Cocteau Twins album this week! Heaven or Las Vegas was a more coherent listen, but it was still fine. Liked it well enough, but it won't really stick in my rotation.
Faves: Ivo, Aloysius.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4/5
If you're into sexy jangles, you're in the right place. I'd heard about half this album over the years on Sirius XMU. Listening to it all at once is a pretty interesting ride. Karen O and her weird sexiness play an elegant front over the weird riffage.
I know it's sacrilege, but I've never understood the appeal of "Maps."
Unexpected bangers: Cold Light, Tick, No No No
Stan Getz
5/5
It's frickin lovely just let the world pass you by jazz.
Perfect for these turbulent times.
Just pour a cocktail, put this on, and check out for 45 minutes. You'll be happier.
George Jones
3/5
I've heard old timey country.
I understand that people like this.
But "Our Private Life" is the most relevant commentary on the modern age, and it was written before smartphones were a thing.
That's the crux of the album.
Miles Davis
5/5
I don't know how you can improve on perfection. Just a glorious jazz experience. Miles, Trane, Adderley in one room!
Janis Joplin
5/5
Had never heard the whole album. It was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Wonderful musicianship, too!
New faves: Half Moon, Buried Alive in the Blues, A Woman Left Lonely
The Temptations
4/5
Good funk and soul here. Didn't move me like some of the other Temps albums did, but still a very worthy listen. Best thing for me about this was getting to the "recommended songs" and discovering Skull Snaps!
Great to groove to.
Dire Straits
5/5
Loved this album when I was in high school. Still love it today. One of my comfort album during awkward teenage times. And "Walk of Life" remains my go-to karaoke song (since I can't hit the notes on "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" anymore).
And for you folks in the back, Money for Nothing is a satire. Still jarring to hear that slur thrown out there -- but a word's mere existence is not reflective of what that word actually means in context. (And I can't wait for the pearl clutching when y'all hit Randy Newman's "Good Ol' Boys" on here...)
Dire Straits, like Steely Dan, is one of those bands that I fully expect the Kids Today to start rediscovering -- because it's a peaceful break amidst our current madness.
Ash
2/5
It's...fine. 90's alt rock. Some decent hooks and riffs, and I can see why this got some airplay. But it's pretty samey and not overly interesting. I mean, if this is what you're in the mood for, you're better off throwing on some Arctic Monkeys than this.
Billy Bragg
4/5
A really nice collection of tunes. I usually come down on the Son Volt side of the Uncle Tupelo split -- but this was probably the most accessible Wilco I've heard. Just good stuff to have on in the background -- a good listen.
Silver Jews
4/5
I find it fascinating that David Berman and Steven Malkmus played together, because Berman's vocal stylings are *so much* like Malkmus'. I wonder who developed that up and down lilt first.
Anyway, this is quite good. I'm not as enamored as many folks who really got into this, but as a sort of proto-emo, I can see that particular appeal.
Unexpected bangers: Time Will Break the World, Tennessee, Death of an Heir of Sorrows.
Supertramp
3/5
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It's fine and all -- but it didn't break a lot of new ground for me. I know the hits here -- and there are a couple of other decent tracks (Asylum, Rudy), but for the most part, it left me cold.
Dire Straits
5/5
Just sweet groove and boogie. Love it love it.
Soft Cell
4/5
Liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Solid 80's New Wave sleaze. The hits, of course, are there. But there's a lot more decent material to scratch that cocaine itch.
Unexpected bangers: Seedy Films, Secret Life, Insecure Me
Van Morrison
4/5
It's some nice singin'.
Kraftwerk
5/5
Still a lovely album. A friend of mine gifted this to me way back and it quickly became one of my favorite study soundtracks when I was in college. Easy to listen to, easy to enjoy.
Every track is distinct here. All of them contribute.
Everything is in its right place.
I dig it.
Dr. Dre
2/5
Gads this doesn't hold up well at all, much fun as it was to hear the Lady of Rage again. I forgot she was part of the Death Row posse.
Anyway, lots of words about shooting people, "hey I'm totally not gay but you'll be sucking my dick," drugs, and such.
Oh yeah -- the samples are cool. But there's no cachet here anymore.
Nirvana
4/5
I was always more of a Pearl Jam/AiC grungehead than Nirvana -- but this sure holds up as a prime example of the period. Five straight bangers to start the album before things start to go a little sideways.
Polly, Pissings, Lounge Act, Stay Away -- none of them really click for me, nor does the closer. But it doesn't change the fact that it's a damned masterful album and still a good listen.
The Smiths
4/5
Again, better than I thought it would be. Some genuine pathos here amidst the sarcasm. Not generally my pile of beans, but it can stay.
Scritti Politti
5/5
I remember getting this album for Christmas when I was a kid. I was huge into the Greek myths back then and Cupid and Psyche's story was one of my favorites. I was so happy that I knew what was behind the title.
I loved it then, but I haven't revisited it in a *long* time. Friends, this was such a friendly warm bath of a listen in these crazy times. The lyrics went completely over the head of young me -- but hearing it again now evokes a certain type of innocence among the peak 80's of it all.
It gets a five from me because it still touches my heart and reminds me of all the mixtapes I used to make folks. "Absolute" still rules.
Lauryn Hill
5/5
Really enjoyed this -- it's one of those albums that I just never got around to, even though everyone was saying at the time how brilliant it was. Wasn't in a hip-hop/soul place in my life then.
It's a little overstuffed and some of the overdubbed flourishes, at least to me, detract a bit from some of the tunefulness. But Ms. Hill has bars for days and a beautiful, beautiful voice.
Unexpected bangers: Forgive them Father, Final Hour, Ex-Factor
Fela Kuti
5/5
A good friend of mine introduced me to Fela before I was ready to really understand just how revolutionary this stuff is. Stands up as the pinnacle of Afrobeat, but also just kinda rips.
Joy Division
3/5
Jangle jangle mumble mumble.
It's *fine* -- but I don't get the towering love for this album. Good songwriting, sure. Interesting sound, but it gets really samey as it goes along. Just so much angst to wallow through. I get that's the idea -- especially with the death of Ian Curtis, but you gotta be in the mood for this one. And I guess I wasn't.
Paul Weller
4/5
Really thought this was enjoyable. A little Jam, a little Cat Stevens, and some really heartfelt songwriting. A lovely surprise.
Unexpected bangers: Sunflower, Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, The Weaver, 5th Season.
Siouxsie And The Banshees
4/5
I didn't find it as transformative as many of the other reviewers. It's dark and weird, of course -- but I prefer some of their slightly later material. Still, worth a listen -- and you can really hear their influence in bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who must have mainlined a *ton* of Siouxsie and such.
Roxy Music
4/5
Pretty good listen. A bit over the top in places, but what do you expect from Eno? Not as moved by this as some -- but it's still pretty decent stuff.
Unexpected bangers: Do the Strand, The Bogus Man, Strictly Confidential.
Country Joe & The Fish
3/5
It's fine for psychedelia -- some pretty decent james on here, but I was more impressed by the "related" stuff that I got served after the album finished playing.
Unexpected bangers: Death Sound, Sad and Lonely Times, Bass Strings
Bruce Springsteen
5/5
I'm old enough to remember when Saint Ronnie Raygun made BITUSA his campaign theme song. Perfectly summed up the intellectual rot among Republicans which continued until an angry talking yam repeatedly danced to a queer anthem.
But I digress -- dear Bruce...only you could make an album full of poppy bangers and yet be so damned dark. There's so little light shining in the lives of the characters in this album unless you squint a bit to see the hope behind the pathos.
My Hometown gets me every time -- thinking about the little coalfield burg where I grew up. Bad luck, bad relationships, the cruelty of the world -- it's all here, wrapped up in stadium anthems that make you pump your fist and sing.
It's genius, really.
Elvis Costello
5/5
There have been a few concerts I've attended where I went in knowing the bare minimum about the artist -- a few hits maybe -- and came away as a fan. Seeing Bruce Springsteen bring the noise for three hours was one. Seeing the Old 97's in a historic ballroom was another. The third? Elvis Costello. Emmylou Harris opened for him. He was astoundingly good as a performer, his stage banter was top notch, and his guitar tech was the hardest working roadie in the biz.
And it all started here with this hard-to-look-at-the-cover album. What a tight set of tunes. No skips -- just rock and roll in all its awesome variations with songwriting that's tight as shit. (Seriously, few lyrics in rock history go as hard as "She's filing her nails while they're dragging the lake.") So many good, hookable songs on here. Just turn it on, turn it up, and enjoy.
Unexpected bangers: Miracle Man, Sneaky Feelings, Mystery Dance
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
5/5
Note: only 3 of 10 tracks currently available on Spotify.
When I got around to locating this, it was a gorgeous listen. So much vocal talent and songsmithing. Highly recommend tracking down the whole thing.
Genesis
3/5
Like most things involving Peter Gabriel, this critter here is a lot. I think I've listened to this -- or part of this -- maybe once before.If you're feeling proggy, there's a lot of good stuff to get into -- solid musicianship, extended concepts, some general weirdness.
I liked it this time around just fine. And that's about as far as I can go -- I really didn't have the time to sit and appreciate it for the full runtime, so it made for pleasant enough background music. I guess my brain wasn't in "challenge me" mode.
Counting Out Time may be the worst song about sex ever written.
Elton John
4/5
Elton is Eltoning very strongly here. Pretty solid material from cover to cover here. Indian Sunset hasn't aged well at all for obvious reasons, but everything else here has that well-produced sheen and lovely Taupin lyrics.
I never knew the name of that song was "Levon." I just knew the chorus about the New York Times saying God was dead -- I thought it was "He shall be leaving." The things we hear.
Good stuff here all around. Recommended.
The Strokes
5/5
Pretty damned solid stuff. The last couple of tracks drag a little bit -- but it does what it was meant to do: A shoutout to the music that Julian Casablancas' evil father had on in the 70's in NYC. Straight line from the Velvets to the Strokes.
Patti Smith
4/5
Big Black
3/5
Pretty wild stuff here. Steve Albini's punk band -- like a proto-KMFDM. If you're in a moshy mood, it's pretty choice. Unfortunately, I wasn't, so...
Joni Mitchell
5/5
Aretha Franklin
5/5
If the Queen of Soul can't move you, you're dead.
Just the vocals alone on A Change is Gonna Come give me hope in these times. Put this on and let her carry you away.
Metallica
5/5
RIP Cliff.
The world is a less joyful place without you shaking that big ol' mop of yours.
For metal fans, this is the real shit. For non-metal fans, just try to hang in to hear James Hetfield's right hand of darkness. He's one of the most incredible rhythm guitarists to ever do it.
Lars is still an ass.
Michael Kiwanuka
5/5
Billy Bragg
4/5
Solid four stars here. Great songwriting as always -- just a lot of material that can get a little samey. Still very much worth a listen.
Pixies
4/5
Ah yes, the "White Light/White Heat" for indie and grunge. Launched a thousand bands and continues to pile up references, critical praise, and influences.
I wonder how things might have been different for me if I'd been exposed to the Pixies during my college days instead of as an afterthought once the grunge wave hit and I wanted to know who Pearl Jam and Nirvana were all googoo over. (Of course, at the time, my favorite band was Queensryche, so take my taste with a grain of salt...)
Fleetwood Mac
5/5
Joni Mitchell
5/5
I'd never heard this whole album before. Just...beautiful from stem to stern. Not to mention horny on main!
So much of this 60's/70's stuff resonates with me now that I'm no longer the young punk I once was. Why couldn't I get it then?
Things to ponder on my birthday...
Sister Sledge
4/5
Your reaction to this album will likely be along the lines of your reaction to the viral "Gen Z boss and a mini" video. If you enjoy the idea of people dancing, cutting up, having a good time, and celebrating themselves -- you've got a quality collection of tunes here.
However, if the thought of those ladies sends you into paroxysms of incel-laced rage, then you're best not to push play here. Instead, go touch grass and get yourself some therapy before you hurt someone for real.
John Coltrane
5/5
"Birdland on fifty-three
The street sounds like a symphony
We got John Coltrane and A Love Supreme" -- U2
With those words from Rattle and Hum, I got hooked on this jazz. I had no idea what it was. I was a member of one of those "12 CDs for a penny" clubs then (which you would just cancel and then rejoin in perpetuity to build your collection) -- and I figured hell, why not see what ol' Bono was singing about?
And it was one of the best music choices a peripatetic twentysomething ever made. I loved this disc so much. Needed to chill at the end of a day? Trane. Need a great soundtrack for cooking someone dinner? You know it. Opened my mental doors for Miles and Cannonball and Mingus and Brubeck and on and on.
It's a near damned perfect piece of music from front to back -- holy, sexy, and just unbelievably gifted.
Sisters Of Mercy
3/5
If some lady sings This Corrosion to me for nine minutes, I'm probably going to ask her politely to give it a rest, despite her healing hands.
I can't think of Sisters of Mercy without remembering an old mixtape a friend gave me decades ago with This Corrosion and I'm like "creepy, but is this ever going to end?"
It's goth. It's fine. Honestly, the last three songs on the album -- at least for me -- were the best atmospherics. And 1959 was a surprise. But yeah -- I'm past this level of mopeyness.
Les Rythmes Digitales
2/5
Note: Only about half of this album is available on Spotify.
Note the second: You don't need to go looking for the rest of it.
This is quite literally "You've heard one song, you've heard them all."
I guess this is fine if you're all mollied up in the club, but for the rest of the day...well...it's backgroundish and repetitive. I guess as a representative of the genre it's OK, but it's pretty mid all in all.
Fela Kuti
4/5
Jane's Addiction
4/5
Have never listened to this in one shot before -- and it's a heck of a lot better than I expected. Some of the heroin-laced instrumental breaks get a little tedious towards the end of the album, but all in all -- a solid four stars.
Unexpected bangers: Three Days, Classic Girl
Arcade Fire
4/5
If Peter Gabriel-era Genesis got mashed up with Bright Eyes, you'd arrive somewhere in the neighborhood of Arcade Fire. And you know, somehow this works pretty well. I've heard a fair number of the singles. I liked the first things they did pretty well ("Wake Up" from their previous album was pretty solid.)
This album works as a concept and does a nice job being the indie rock version of Rush's "Subdivisions." There's enough musical flexibility here to be interesting -- and it actually sounds heartfelt.
It stands up on its own. Just try to forget that the next thing they made was "Reflektor."
Unexpected bangers: City with No Children, Half Light I/II, Wasted Hours
PJ Harvey
4/5
The debut of Queen Polly Jean and it's so very good. It doesn't have the guts, yet, of her later stuff like "Stories from the City..." but the bones are all there. The same raw, horny, pained, confessional that appears throughout -- and that incredible voice of hers.
Probably not the place to start with her catalog (That would be "To Bring You My Love") -- but you really can't go wrong here.
Unexpected bangers: Victory, Plants and Rags, Water
Ray Charles
4/5
What a talent this man was. Just astounding to imagine.
Good solid listen.
Stevie Wonder
4/5
How can it be mere coincidence that I got this back-to-back with Ray Charles?
It's a very solid album, but I wasn't quite as transported by it as many others were. I liked it a lot, just the same. Kinda like the Ray Charles album -- a solid four.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
3/5
Know what you're getting when you push play.
This is not a rock and roll album. It's a spoken word meditation on death over somewhat ambient piano that goes on for a good long time.
If you really want to dig into sadness, read the lyrics. If you want something relatively quiet to work to in the background, it's fine.
But it ain't Red Right Hand if that's what you're looking for.
Guns N' Roses
5/5
I think of GnR as the 80's/90's version of the Stones at their peak. Terrifying to parents, that edge of menace behind the riffs and lyrics, and an all-time great rhythm section. (Seriously, McKagan and Adler are just tremendous on this record.)
It's dirty, nasty, and so much goddamned fun. They really are one of the last "band with a drug problem" instead of "druggies who happen play music" No unexpected bangers here -- they're pretty much all bangers.
Wish Axl and Chris Cornell could have done something together...
Def Leppard
3/5
Let's say some horny British blokes started a band and at one point decided, "Let's make the ultimate strip club soundtrack for white dudes." The result?
The soundtrack of my senior year in high school. Completely inescapable. And for good reason -- probably the best side of "popular" hard rock ever committed to vinyl. Women, Rocket, Animal, Love Bites, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Armageddon It.
We heard these songs again and again. And then rewound because, except for Hysteria, the second side completely peters out. Was a slog to get through the inanity that is Gods of War on through to Love and Affection. It's like they tried to create a substandard b-side for every single.
Anyway, this was good for nostalgia. Everyone loved these guys back in the day. I still prefer Pyromania, myself...
A Tribe Called Quest
4/5
Led Zeppelin
5/5
Erykah Badu
4/5
Dolly Parton
3/5
Looking for some beautiful harmonies? You'll get them right here. All in all, this is extremely tame stuff. It's lovely -- but not all that exciting. Enjoyable enough, but the music that came on afterwards was more interesting to me.
Led Zeppelin
4/5
The Band
4/5
Really good shit. Not as transcendent as I was led to believe. It's in a lane all its own and pretty much everything would sound better live, I figure.
Yes
4/5
Paul McCartney
5/5
Sitting out in the backyard with a glass of wine, looking out at the garden -- headphones on and a slightly chilly spring breeze blowing. Was listening to this and "Oo You" came up. That moment brought me welcome feeling of joy and peace for an instant in this crazy world.
Sir Paul may not be the finest musician on the planet, but damned if he doesn't know how to fit the pieces of a rock song together.
Haircut 100
3/5
Good, solid 80's britpop. Certainly can see the ska influences all over the rhythm section of this album. A genuinely fun listen. Not fantastic, but very good.
Orbital
3/5
Pretty intricate loop work. Great on a good pair of cans.
De La Soul
4/5
Feel the damned groove.
Arcade Fire
3/5
If you like Arcade Fire, this is going to work for you. If not, you'll be put off a bit by the whining.
It's just OK to me.
Little Simz
4/5
Actual discoveries are such fun. I thought this was a sweet listen. Great bars, great instrumentation -- tight and clean.
Unexpected bangers: Venom, Boss, Offence, Sherbet Sunset
Destiny's Child
2/5
Starts out well enough -- but Nasty Girl brings that big record-scratch slut-shaming moment that takes the wind out of the sails of the rest of it, which is perfectly serviceable background R&B.
Still pretty amazing that Beyonce is still cranking out hits 20+ years later, tho. But as for this one, well...there was much more interesting stuff in the neo-soul groove in the early oughts.
Unexpected banger: Emotion -- they've got the right chops to do the BeeGee's proper.
Ice T
4/5
Ah, memories. Had this one on cassette back in the day. Was scandalous at the time. So were Da Lench Mob and NWA and the Geto Boyz. But Ice-T was head and shoulders above 'em all.
Amazed that I still remember the words as an old man...
Prince
4/5
Public Enemy
4/5
I was a huge U2 head in high school. The Unforgettable Fire was my favorite of the early discs. Saw them on the Joshua Tree tour. (Bono had laryngitis, which was a bummer.) Then they got into their Achtung Baby/Zooropa period, which I still enjoyed. Then came Pop -- which I absolutely could *not* get into. The snark, MacPhisto, and "look how over everything we are" just left me cold.
So then I'm 30 and they come out with this. A gorgeous return to form. Yeah, Bono's still writing overwrought lyrics, but Edge still makes his guitar ring like bells and the vibe was back...briefly. The stuff that came after wasn't in the same class.
This is a turning point album for me -- well-titled. What I had to leave behind was my adolescence. I'd come out of a devastatingly bad relationship, was living a bachelor's life of paying bills and dating, and was starting to realize that I needed to figure some shit out. This was part of that soundtrack, so it holds a special place for me.
Violent Femmes
4/5
Good fun. Think every indie rock band in the world has gone through a couple of copies of this one. Drags a bit towards the end, but still really worthwhile angst and xylophone!
Nick Drake
4/5
The xx
3/5
I listen to SiriusXMU as background music while I drive, so I knew the xx as a pleasant enough transition between songs. There are a few decent tracks here, bt it's most just drifty less-than-dream pop.
Good in bursts, tough as a whole.
Joni Mitchell
4/5
Another solid Joni Mitchell album about being lonely and horny on main. Lovely tunes and gorgeous vocal stylings. Pretty interesting album closing with Raised on Robbery, Trouble Child, and Twisted in a row.
Better'n most.
Adele
4/5
Sonic Youth
3/5
That was certainly a Sonic Youth album. Noisy jangle -- odd tunings -- lyrics with an edge -- lots of screaming. But not what I needed today.
The Beach Boys
4/5
How am I not surprised that this popped up literally the day after Brian Wilson died?
A perfectly fine Beach Boys album. There are better.
Pearl Jam
5/5
My desert island disc. I turned 21 the year this came out. Absolutely blew me away from those first bits of syncopation and Ament's fretless bass to the coda at the end. There's not a song on this where I don't recognize every note. Just a perfect hard rock album from start to finish. I can't tell you how many miles I drove with this as a soundtrack -- me screaming the lyrics out into the night.
Gossard and McReady are magicians -- and Eddie was the frontman we never knew we needed.
This album got me through a lot. I can't be objective. It's a part of me.
Beatles
4/5
Burning Spear
4/5
5/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Coldplay
4/5
Jeff Buckley
5/5
Earth, Wind & Fire
4/5
The Magnetic Fields
3/5
Fleet Foxes
3/5
Beatles
5/5
The Dictators
3/5
Well, this is fun and raunchy. Enjoyed it. One of my best friends has a picture with Handsome Dick Manitoba.
Kanye West
1/5
Feeding me this the day he beat the sex trafficking charges?
Hard no.
4/5
The Band
5/5
Dolly Parton
5/5
Van Morrison
4/5
Carpenters
4/5
Treacle of the very best kind.
Abdullah Ibrahim
4/5
Note: the 11 minute title track is unavailable on Spotify.
Nice smooth jazz. A good soundtrack for a relaxing evening.
Talking Heads
4/5
Miles Davis
5/5
Second jazz album of my collection.
Circle Jerks
4/5
15 songs in 15 minutes is pretty damned tidy.
What I noticed -- aside from the whole punkiness of it all -- was that there's a ton of actual musicianship there. Probably the tightest I've heard a punk band other than in the new school stuff like NOFX.
Good fun -- and not a big time commitment!
The Adverts
4/5
Really fun stuff here. Gary Gilmore's Eyes is a straight banger and there are so many good quick tunes to dine on. Certainly can recommend.
Eagles
3/5
A decent debut, all in all. Three all-time AOR hits and a pretty interesting collection of filler, some better than others. Earlybird is the best of the bunch, followed by Take the Devil. Some clunkers like Most of Us Are Sad and Chug All Night.
Certainly easy to see how this laid the tracks for the entire Americana/Alt-country genre.
Adele
4/5
The Flaming Lips
3/5
I really wanted to like this -- I really did. Got all relaxed and slapped on the cans and was ready to just get carried away and...meh. It's certainly decent stuff, but it just didn't click for me. Some fun psychedelia, but it's meandering and self-indulgent. The last track is pretty.
Girls Against Boys
2/5
Like the Afghan Whigs if they decided to just do down-tuned grinding grunge. Nothing overly special here -- outside of "Kill the Sexplayer," which I enjoy because I loved Clerks.
Black Sabbath
5/5
And, like clockwork, this comes over the transom the day after Ozzy dies.
What's really fascinating to me is that once I listen to a seminal album like this -- I hear echoes of it everywhere. "Supernaut" would have been an awesome song for the Allman Brothers to cover. Iommi's riffs play just as well with ZZ Top and Skynyrd as they do with heavier stuff.
It's fucking brilliant.
The White Stripes
4/5
Tasty lo-fi goodness. Some pretty good songwriting, too. They've got a bit and they stick to it. Goes down easy.
Louis Prima
4/5
I dug this. Keely Smith is an amazing vocalist. But let me just say, (I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You is one of the most evil things I've ever heard -- at least on its face. I don't care to look up the actual story. It's not a Prima original, but man is it mean. I get it -- he ran off with your lady, but hell...Slayer couldn't have written it better.
Amy Winehouse
4/5
So once you know the Amy Winehouse story (or at least what's out there) -- this is a fascinating collage of the road to self-destruction. She was at public about her need to collapse herself as any artist that I can remember aside from Cobain. She's an awesome talent. I hope she and Janis are harmonizing in the afterlife.
Faust
3/5
Some kinda wild stuff -- good enough as a background listen, but gets a little drony after awhile.
Wild Beasts
2/5
That was certainly an album.
Duran Duran
5/5
Two things separate Duran Duran from other New Wave bands:
1. Really good songwriting both musically and lyrically.
2. John MFing Taylor on bass.
This album came out when I was in middle school. All the girls were nuts about them -- Simon, Nick, John, Andy, and Roger. They each had a favorite. Being a pubescent boy -- I was just all about the videos.
Revisiting this now, I never noticed just how well arranged every single damn song is on this disc. And then there's John Taylor -- he's just a gifted player, which I'd never really noticed before. But man does he give everything a backbone.
Embrace your inner 80's. This is the good stuff.
Gorillaz
4/5
Pretty good stuff. Demon Days is a better album overall -- but it's fun to hear these guys come together.
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
3/5
Serviceable 80's indie-ish. Some decent tunes on there -- lots of Smiths influences, obviously. Made for an interesting mix once the album was done. But not overly intriguing.
Funkadelic
5/5
Love it love it love it. Always will.
Justin Timberlake
2/5
Fairly bland white boy soul.
Robbie Williams is miles better than Justin, I'm afraid.
U2
5/5
So much hatred for this album based simply on the fact that people don't like Bono. Christ, get a life people. You can hold whatever opinions you want about the man -- but when he was at his peak Bono Vox Superstar moment, which was basically this album -- he was one of the most amazing frontmen ever to grace a stage. I never appreciated Elvis until I saw him get warmed up in an old video of "Aloha from Hawaii." Same with most of the young heads on here who need to give this a chance.
Because goddamn what an incredible album this is. It exploded all over the place just as I turned 21. This was my (and a lot of other folks') absolute soundtrack through the college years.
No weak tracks -- the closest to one might be "Acrobat" which is nonetheless still a banger. Elite songwriting. Edge in utterly stellar form with his guitar weirdnesses. It's a cohesive whole from Zoo Station to Love is Blindness. (I remember having the lyrics to the latter printed out in a "fancy" font on an old Apple printer.) I used Ultra Violet on so many actual mixtapes -- the kind we used to make on Maxell 90 minute cassette tapes to woo each other with.
Every note on this album ties to a memory of mine. Five stars, easily. One of my desert island discs. Hell of a lot more interesting than most.
The Pogues
5/5
I mean. If this is what you want? Rebel songs. Gambling songs. Heartache songs.
This is the highest.
Scott Walker
3/5
Well, another Scott Walker piece.
It's fine. He's a good baroque-ish crooner.
But why did we need two of these?
Sonic Youth
3/5
Some really strong stuff here wrapped in a lot of noise noodling.
Not what I needed yesterday.
Moby
2/5
Not interesting enough loops to hold attention.
Stupid lyrics (especially when Moby isn't sampling old timey record) make it hard to tune out and just relax to.
I was around when this came out -- was on the radio constantly. Bored me then, bores me now.
Please, if you're looking for electronica from this era with a groove, give me Nightmares on Wax or DJ Shadow every day and twice on Sunday before this dreck.
Jethro Tull
4/5
The Associates
2/5
That was not a pleasant listen. Jangly, offputting, and unfortunate.
It's not a one-star, but there's little here to recommend at all. Oof.
The Darkness
2/5
First time I've ever heard the word "motherfucker" pronounced as nine syllables.
Kitchy stuff. I mean, good on 'em -- they want to make glam rock. But they're stuck somewhere in a no-man's land between T.Rex and Queens of the Stone Age. It has its moments, but I'm not a big fan of the frontman's hooting falsetto. Solid riffage. Gets pretty boring in the back half, tbh.
Dexys Midnight Runners
3/5
Unexpectedly good proto-ska. Nice horns and upbeat tunesmithing.
Meat Loaf
4/5
Meat Loaf is Springsteen for theater kids.
It's a damned good album.
R.E.M.
4/5
It's a really good album. I don't find it as transcendent as many, but it did line up with me being somewhat directionless post-college. Drive was just a little too haunting for me, I guess.
Bruce Springsteen
4/5
The folks On Here saying that Springsteen was "profiting" from 9/11 have really no idea what they're talking about. I get it, it was 24 years ago. I imagine a lot of these folks were barely 10 or younger when it happened.
This album was a salve. We were drowning in shit like Toby Keith "We'lll put a boot in your ass/It's the American way" and plenty of music getting censored. Look up the Dixie Chicks sometime.
In any case, Bruce comes out with this very heartfelt piece of music -- hopeful, loving, full of longing and loss -- and it was beautiful. It's not his best work overall, maybe not even top 5. But for a country that felt every bit as crazy as it does today, it was a necessary listen.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
Pretty solid set by the Stones here. Those lyrics though -- hoo, boy...
Marvin Gaye
3/5
Marvin, deep in his feels. Good stuff, but not revelatory like What's Going On.
Leftfield
2/5
I get it. It's early uhnz-uhnz. It's danceable for white folks if you're on enough molly. Some interesting loops here and there, but it's like "Study Beats Playlist 12" except half the tracks are 7+' long.
So, fine.
Fiona Apple
5/5
I just love this album. Dreamy, angry, and hopeful all at the same time. During COVID, this was a lovely soundtrack.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
5/5
Dear lord this rips.
What a band these guys were at their peak. They were a greatest hits band by the time I came to them -- but I can only imagine what it was like to slap this down on an old turntable and crank up "Born on the Bayou."
Pure American rock and roll. The shiznit.
Black Flag
5/5
I was having a conversation with a friend after listening to this all the way through for the first time. There is an alternative timeline where in my teenaged isolation, anger, and anxiety, I came across Hank Rollins and the boys instead of "Subdivisions." My life might have looked very, very different.
Listening to it now, in my thunderous middle age, I can understand why this appealed to so many angsty teens.
Stone cold anomie. Good stuff.
Sam Cooke
5/5
Just hit after hit and a great live performance. Twist the night away...
Basement Jaxx
3/5
Decent electronica. Can see where this added to the club scene as it was just getting started. Not my normal jam, though.
Sepultura
4/5
Not usually my cup o' tea -- but this was quite good. Super tight musicianship, thunderous riffs, great focused anger. Really enjoyed the rhythms that they incorporated.
Basically, this is what Avenged Sevenfold wished they were.
Radiohead
5/5
The most straightforward, plain ol' rocking album that Thom and the boys put together. Excellent songs, musicianship, etc.
If you're into alternative rock at all -- then this is an utter banger. The best entry point for introducing someone to Radiohead, in my opinion.
Kid Rock
2/5
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
3/5
Kinda all over the place. T.Rex if Marc Bolan were a horny 13-year old. Some fun shuffle and rock -- and it certainly doesn't take itself too seriously. The title track, about losing one's virginity with a prostitute while in the Army, is an odd listen as is, of course, "Gang Bang."
But there are some bangers on here. Worth a listen.
Lightning Bolt
3/5
My Bloody Valentine for folks on speed.
Cheap Trick
4/5
Slaps.
Butthole Surfers
3/5
I'm 16 at summer camp. The camp's at a college campus and a bunch of us went to the record store one day. One of the guys found this album on cassette and bought it. We all absolutely cracked up at SATAN SATAN SATAN. That became a chant for a bunch of us that we'd break out at random times.
Listening to this going on 40 years later -- man, you can practically smell the oil in Gibby Haynes' hair and the pot smoke through the uneven production.
Good ol' scare your parents music. Not overly memorable, but it did bring back a flash of the Halcion days of youth.
Kanye West
3/5
Better than I expected.
Living Colour
5/5
Remember seeing these guys live my freshman year in college. They rocked then, they rock now.
You're better off with this album in your life. Some of the best lead guitar and bass work you'll ever hear. Vern and Muzz were just dynamite together.
Desperate People and Memories Can't Wait are the deep cuts to try. (The latter being a Talking Heads cover.)
It was fun in the late 80's. Still fun now.
The Rolling Stones
4/5
I found it interesting that Decca had the Stones do a "proof of concept" album of covers before turning them loose to record their own stuff. There's nothing wrong with this -- these are *good* cover tunes. Their playing is the usual tight as hell, Charlie-follows-Keith bluesy stuff.
But is it indispensible? Not really, no.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
3/5
Don't understand the vitriol in the reviews. It's fine. Some interesting ditties here. A good listen, but not one I'll need again.
Calexico
5/5
Mexican inflected indie. Good shit.
Big Brother & The Holding Company
4/5
Some pretty fantastic playing here -- and Janis is Janis. But it bogs down under its own fuzzy weight in the back half. Still worth a listen.
The Crusaders
3/5
Some pretty cool smooth jazz here. Not for everyone, I can tell you -- but it's got a great groove and you can just put your feet up and go with it.
Manu Chao
5/5
Now this was fresh! Something out of the ordinary and loads of fun. Frenchman singing in Spanish about tequila and marijuana? Sign me up!
Seriously, wonderful Latin grooves and a fun, bouncy sound. You don't need to know what he's singing to have a great time.
Simon & Garfunkel
4/5
Meat Puppets
3/5
They were an enormous deal when I was in school out in Arizona.
It's not really my jam -- but it's interesting to hear the genesis of Nirvana Unplugged.
Big Star
5/5
If this album had been released 20 years later, no one would remember Gin Blossoms.
Of course, they wouldn't exist, so...
Just a tremendous record. So far, far ahead of its time.
Mercury Rev
5/5
This is why I got in on this little project -- unexpected gems like this one. Just a lovely, quirky album with plenty of heart and interesting instrumentation. (Theramin solos? THERAMIN SOLOS!)
Liked this quite a bit. Certainly worth spending some time with.
Everything But The Girl
4/5
Cool and chilled. Good music for a drink with a lover.
Aerosmith
3/5
It's late-stage Aerosmith. Sure, it rocks out. But once they made their comeback with Permanent Vacation, the quality declined.
It's F.I.N.E. -- but nothing out of the ordinary.
Metallica
4/5
Guided By Voices
4/5
David Ackles
2/5
The Divine Comedy.
Scott Walker.
Now this.
The author of this book of albums sure has a weak spot for overwrought cabaret-type singers. Unfortunately, Ackles doesn't have the same sense of humor that the other two do. I found this to be like sitting through a musical with a blindfold on.
No need to revisit.
Rod Stewart
3/5
It's a pretty decent listen if you're a fan of the Faces. Rod's in great voice -- and his particular brand is strong.
But it can be a little wandery.
The Stranglers
5/5
I dug the hell out of this.
The Prodigy
4/5
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5/5
Carole King
5/5
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
5/5
Big Star
4/5
Despondency on vinyl.
I liked the other two Big Star albums so much that I was worried when it came to this one -- their "deterioration as a band" album.
It's so damned good. Caught me by the second half of the first track. You can hear Chilton's struggles throughout. Just a really heartbreaking piece of work -- but one that rocks.
Sparks
3/5
Miriam Makeba
5/5
Stephen Stills
5/5
10cc
3/5
Run-D.M.C.
3/5
Steve Winwood
3/5
James Taylor
3/5
There's a moment about half an hour into the "Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" TV special where whatever mix of Quaaludes, benzos, speed, and booze the King had downed before the show evens itself out.
To that point, Elvis' performance had been pretty damned rough. Losing some lyrics, slurring, and basically looking awful. And then it's like a switch is thrown and he becomes ELVIS PRESLEY again.
Until I saw that show, I never really understood why people went crazy over this deep voiced white dude. When he remembered he was a rock star, his stage presence was downright Plant, Mercury, Daltrey, et al.
Why does this matter in a James Taylor review? One of the songs that Elvis absolutely rips through in the back half of the show is "Steamroller," which is a silly little throwaway on this album. I had no idea it was a cover when I saw it, but Elvis absolutely sells it -- makes it sexy as hell.
Go watch Aloha from Hawaii. As for this disc, it's fine. Super mellow sounds of the 70's. Nice and unassuming, but that's about as far as I'll go.
Tim Buckley
4/5
So Jeff Buckley's dad is a massive horndog. Tracks.
Good sleazy blues if you're into that sort of thing. Better than I thought it would be.
Franz Ferdinand
4/5
Leonard Cohen
4/5
Ice Cube
4/5
The The
4/5
Elis Regina
4/5
Taylor Swift
3/5
My first Taylor Swift album.
I guess I get it. I can see where lots of sad girls would be really into this. It's pleasant enough to listen to.
But that lilting cadence of hers does wear thin after awhile -- and then once you get into "contemporary female singer-songwriter" mode when the album finishes....let's just say you won't be confusing any of this with Joni Mitchell...
The United States Of America
4/5
...as if Jefferson Airplane said, "Nah. We're just too mainstream" after Surrealistic Pillow.
It's really good psychedelia. The first track is a bit hard to get through if you aren't open to it -- just tonally different than a lot of the rest of the record. Once past that, it tightens up considerably. A good trip, and all it will cost is your mind.
Linkin Park
3/5
A time capsule album for me. Came out when I'd come out of a bad relationship and was living on my own for the first time in awhile. At the time, it was an excellent anesthetic -- just angst over some crunchy hooks and samples that went down easy.
Reliving this album 25 years later -- and ooh boy -- it really doesn't hold up well. Lyrics that once sounded heartfelt and painful are pretty damned inane in the harsh light of experience. Couldn't get past it this time around.
Fun to remember the days of blasting down the highway screaming along with Chester and Shinoda -- but now I'm just too old for that shit.
Iron Maiden
4/5
As long as you don't think too hard, this is great fun.
Surrender to the double leads and crunchy riffs!
The Afghan Whigs
3/5
The cover is one of the most intense pieces of art that I've seen in a long time.
The album itself, however, doesn't live up.
Having spent a fair amount of time in Cincinnati, the Whigs were pretty popular scene, but I can't remember anyone saying that they actually *enjoyed* them.
And that's how I felt about this album. A lot of proto-incel "woe is me" sort of wallowing, a lot of anger, and some pretty damned good musicianship.
In my twenties, sure -- but I've outgrown 'em.
Johnny Cash
5/5
C'mon, man. It's Johnny Cash. I didn't like this one as much as the original Live from Folsom Prison, but it's still so much better than 95% of everything else ever recorded.
Koffi Olomide
3/5
Not surprisingly, I'd never heard this. It's danceable and groovy -- but a bit on the repetitive side. I thought the suggestions that came after the album finished (at least on Qobuz) were more interesting.
Iron Maiden
3/5
Not being a real Maidenhead, I'd never listened to anything pre-Bruce Dickinson.
It's pretty clear that Maiden made the correct choice in hiring one of the great voices in rock history. That said, this album is way better than it has any business being.
Heck of a bunch of catchy grooves scattered across the tight 40 minutes. Worth a listen.
Holger Czukay
3/5
"Let's get hot...on the dancing...spot."
Seriously shagadelic krautrock here -- pretty interesting, although a little more out there than I care for. But it's fun!
Pulp
4/5
I can hardly add anything new to the reviews on here. This is a fascinating album with a pitch-black cynical heart. The lyrics are gorgeous and terrible. I'm a fan.
JAY Z
3/5
Great sample work and production. Hov got excellent flow.
But it gets pretty repetitive until Em shows up on Renegade.
Doesn't hold a lot of interest for me .
Motörhead
5/5
This album smells like meth sweat, crankcase oil, stale beer, and tanned leather.
And it fucking rocks.
Straight up, greasy rock and roll. Just killer in every way if you're looking for this sort of thing.
Kings of Leon
4/5