I did my best but the album just did not do it for me. Putting aside the private life issues that followed MJ until his death aside from the singles the album seemed to try too hard, his vocal ticks were down right annoying and the songs failed to really catch my attention.
Glorious. I gave it a listen, and then another, and then another. That sweet spot of proto punk and English invasion couldn't have been struck any better. The flow of the album took me on a ride, each song felt arranged perfectly to follow the last and a harmony of themes told a wonderful story. The stand outs for me were Drivin' and Australia, both for their tongue in cheek messages and just overall ear pleasing. Songs laced with messages that both hit on topics today and back in the 60's when they were first recorded are all throughout the album and have definitely placed in my regular rotation. A great timeless album to enjoy any time!
I listened through three times, and this is the definition of easy listening music to me. That’s not a bad thing, it was great to have on while I worked, the music is solid and the vocals, especially the ladies in the group, were fantastic. Unfortunately it also suffered from not having anything that really stood out to me, while easy listening is a blessing it’s also a curse. The album eventually turned into clichéd 1960s prom music in the background of my activities. While enjoyable, not one of those albums I’d find myself reaching for out of random want.
15 step - Great introduction, starting with a simple drum pattern and slowly turning the energy of the song up. The end of the song leaves you with just the right energy for the following -
Body Snatchers - Struck me as a song that could be about body dysmorphia, with lines such as "They got a skin and they put me in, oh the lines wrapped 'round my face, Are for anyone else to see, I'm a lie" and "I'm trapped in this body and can't get out". The relatively high energy lends itself to an almost frantic trapped feeling.
Nude - A short, much needed calm after the frenzy of Body Snatchers, Nude struck me as a song about just not getting it despite trying so hard, maybe too hard. The lyrics are short and bitter, backed by an orchestral ending that lulls you into a calm.
Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi - Turning up the energy a little bit, the weirdest fish based love song I have ever heard backed with the most amazing music that perfectly accompanies the vocals and lyrics.
All I need - "I'm an animal trapped in your hot car" was the line that really caught me. The melancholy tone of the music tells just as much of a story as the lyrics, and together paint a picture of either a stalker or a lopsided, unrequited love. The second half of the song picks up dramatically, rising to a crescendo of melodies all screaming loneliness and ending abruptly.
Faust Arp - A simple "one two three four" count off starts the song led mainly by guitar melody, followed by a barrage of lyrics that are sung masterfully, but the meaning of which still escapes me. Despite that the song demanded multiple listens.
Reckoner - Following the theme of the music throughout the album, Reckoner pairs another beautiful melody and beat with amazing vocals. An almost celebration of death or endings, Reckoner gave me images of death with it's scythe being sung to by an unafraid victim.
House of Cards - A song about wanting what can't be had - "I don't wanna be your friend, I just wanna be your lover" "Throw your keys in the bowl, Kiss your husband goodnight" "Forget about your house of cards, and I'll do mine" Once again the percussion takes the lead and the melodies take a back seat, punctuating important pieces of the lyrics and filling one with a sense of longing for impossible things thoroughly.
Jigsaw Falling Into Place - After the rather calm pace of House of Cards, Jigsaw jumps up and goes back to a faster pace, driven by a solid beat. Packed from beginning to end with lyrics that are masterfully written, I get a sense of a story about a one night stand at a bar and maybe regret after of a missed connection. Another abrupt stop on the song leads you to the calm final track of the album.
Videotape - The piano sends a sense of beautiful dread, foreboding a calamitous end. "This is my way of saying goodbye, 'cause I can't do it face to face, I'm talking to you before, no matter what happens now, you shouldn't be afraid, because I know today has been, the most perfect day I've ever seen." A fitting ending note for the album.
All together the album is a 5/5 - Would highly recommend.
Favorite songs - Body Snatchers, Weird Fishes/ Apreggi, Videotape
I hadn’t ever listened to David Bowie before this album so I had no idea what to expect when I hit play. That being said I absolutely did not expect a wild ride through an experimental jazz rock fusion led by an absolute musical madman who, I am now thoroughly convinced, is not just a master musician but an alien that gifted us with something that would never have come to fruition without the express efforts of David Bowie. My mind is blown.
Favorite songs - Lazarus, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), I Can’t Give Everything Away
5/5. This parting album was a fitting and amazing goodbye from a true master.
I’m fairly certain that entire books have been written on Led Zeppelin and their albums. I’m also fairly certain they were better written and more informed than I will ever be. This album is a work of art. I have no favorite tracks, I love this as a whole. 6/5.
A heavy handed pop punkish album, still one of the quintessential albums of my late teen years though. If you’ve heard broadcast radio in the last 20 years you’ve heard this album. Over. And over. And over. Wake me up when September Ends stops playing.
No favorite songs, it’s a playable album but didn’t cry out for a second helping or have any stand outs that made me want to dig further.
I’d give it a 2.5 but since I can’t- 3/5.
A solid member of the second listen club. Just an all around fun album to listen through, cool to see the roots and that they're more than just the one song that we've all heard a million times.
Favorites - Psycho Killer and New Feeling
Rating - 4/5
This is what happened in the 90s when turtleneck sweater enthusiasts discovered a box with a midi player, a cow bell, and some incense. World music by and for the whitest people you know trying desperately to be super deep. Emphasis on trying. The musicians aren’t bad…so it’s not a 1 but it wasn’t fun to listen to…
2/5 NPR turtlenecks.
In the late 90s I borrowed an all black, ominous looking CD from a friend who told me I had to hear this. The first song left me speechless and somewhere between scared and excited. That was my introduction to metal music, for better or worse, with Slipknot. I imagine that same feeling for the kids in 1970 who put this record on and heard something they hadn’t heard before, it was taboo and forbidden but oh so cool.
Legends for a reason, still a solid album today. 5/5 devil horns.
My first real listen to a Smashing Pumpkins album. Musically it was fantastic, layered and complex with just the right amount of 90s angst. You can tell Billy C is a perfectionist, but I think my feelings are best summed up by a comment I saw on a Reddit post about the band - “Imagine being a perfectionist with the voice of Billy Corigan”. The music kept me listening, but at times the vocals were excessively whiney and high.
Solid album, 4/5 smashed pumpkins.
Quintessential hair metal. Highly produced, catchy and dripping with horny sexual tension. Out of 12 tracks only 2, Gods Of War (a strangely patriotic type song that didn’t feel like it fit at all) and Run Riot (a life sucks let’s rebel and be wild song) weren’t littered with double entendres and sex. Still, for the genre definitely a fitting and solid album.
3/5 one armed drummers approve.
Solid early 90s EDM, way ahead of its time but still grounded firmly in the time it was made. Just didn’t spark anything for me.
3/5 rave kids asking for Molly
The first thought I had was “Oh it’s like Damon Albarn if he hasn’t gone to create the Gorrilaz!” That down tempo melancholy vibe that runs all through the album doesn’t let up, and it really did remind me of why Coldplay was so promising before Yellow kind of crashed the party.
3/5 sad English men.
Pleasantly surprised, had no idea what I was about to get into here and was given a lovely new wave album that gave me Talking Heads vibes. Do It Clean and Happy Death Man stood out and got stuck in my head randomly. I found myself going back over and over and honestly this felt ahead of its time and musically solid and well produced.
4/5 bunny men.
I'm in my kitchen making breakfast and I throw on the album. The Girl From Ipanema plays and within the first few bars I'm already tapping my toes and doing a little sway. Oh my yes. That guitar, smooth as butter, that orchestra, just oozing cool, that voice crooning me into a different time and place. When Dindi begins I find that I suddenly have a smoking jacket on, no idea where it came from. Change Partners brings some comfortable loafers, and my spatula has turned into a cigarette smoking lazily, even though I don't smoke. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars comes on and I'm no longer in my kitchen, a fez has appeared on my head and I now have a pencil mustache twisted at the ends. Meditation and If You Never Come To Me play and now I have a martini, very dry, with two olives. It's only 7AM. It does not matter. How Insensitive and Baubles Bangles and Beads play and I'm sitting in a lounge, the haze of smoke and smell of booze all around, and on stage is Sinatra. My wife walks in, she's wearing a fedora and wondering what on earth is going on. Once I Loved plays and we hold each other and weep at the heartbreak that drips from the song. The album ends and I'm back in my kitchen, the eggs have burned and the toast is charcoal. Nothing to do but hit play again then, I suppose.
Seriously, heartbreak, longing, love and jealousy all in 10 songs and just under half an hour. Take the trip.
5/5 Dry martini's with a smooth jazz guitar.
Folksy in that Bob Dillon style of folk. Interesting songs, solid music, all sung in a similar cadence and tone though. Nothing really struck me on this one, aside from being good vibe music for an early morning on a rainy day.
2/5 sad guitars.
Dropping science like Galileo dropped an orange. There’s always a special spot in my ears for Beastie Boys, this album kept a great tempo and was so entertaining to listen through. The sampling was on point, the beats were tasty and the lyrics were a great mix of goofy, irreverent and at the same time absolutely well written and clever.
Favorite songs - Johnny Ryell, Egg Man, The Sounds of Science, Looking Down The Barrel of a Gun
5/5 Dropped oranges.
Maybe it was the harpsichord, maybe it was the distinct lack of acid to drop before listening, maybe I just hate psychedelic rock but this was an absolute miss for me. The vocals were either over done or the music was complete chaos.
1/5 groovy trips
Solid early punk album, very tight and well produced and played. Vocals were awesome, finally a female vocalist in the mix!
Solid 4/5 punks rocked.
This was a bop. I was hooked, Lust for Life had me going “oh it’s THAT song!” And I had Passenger on repeat several times. Listened through the whole album at least 4 times. The music fantastic and Iggy can sing!
5/5 hypnotized chickens.
Definitely an old favorite. Can’t say much more than has already been said about CCR, it’s in regular rotation for a reason!
I tried it out, but honestly it was boring. I didn’t end up finishing this one.
What. A. Ride. Did not expect what came through my headphones when I put this on. I’m a sucker for a steel slide guitar and a gravelly blues voice. Loved how the songs seemed to grow organically, like they all sat down and someone came up with a riff or had a little fragment they were fiddling with and suddenly there’s a full blown jam session.
5/5 magic beefhearts
Tasty beats but definitely an album made in its time. Girls was a low point. The rest of the album was fantastic.
Good ol rock and roll. Buddy Holly really was a massive influence for a reason!
Good album, didn’t grab me like some of the other Radiohead albums I’ve listened too but still a solid entry.
Fuuuuuuuuunky groovy soul.
Meh. Just…meh. Not bad, just like white wallpaper. Nothing catchy, nothing especially interesting. More references to NYC than the RHCP’s have to California. It’s a cup of NYC tea and it just ain’t mine.
So. Much. Blues. Didn’t think I’d enjoy the album as much as I did. Definitely loved the blues infused rock throughout.
I own this on vinyl. Epic performance. 10/5.
Lauren Hill is queen. Love this album!
Sampling was pretty awesome, Q-Tip doesn’t generally grab me and it wasn’t a bad album but nothing that stood out over a generally good but not great hip hop album.
Pretty sure someone was playing a balloon….
I did not associate with the associates. Just couldn’t get into it.
This was not my thing. Tried to listen through but the 90s house scene just didn’t do it for me.
Wry folksy blues stuff. Not bad but was kind of bland.
I. Hate. Bob. Dylan. His voice is the equivalent of a thousand screeching Yoko Onos to me. Did not listen. Not interested.
This has been one of my favorites for a long time. Always love me some Buck Owens!
Definitely a product of its time. Great hip hop album, although the messages sent by some of the songs are a little old school and sexist. Can definitely feel the difference between this and something like Wu Tang where flow began to diversify.
More funk than I expected, definitely super talented and very poetic but a little experimental for my taste.
Interesting. Made my day feel like I was in a 70s PBS science special.
Meh. It was meh. Whiffs of Bob Dylon here and there, just didn’t catch my interest over all though.
Solid country album. The songs really seemed to come from a genuine place, not some guy who had grown up in LA and decided to write about the 7 hours he once spent in “the country”.
High minded conceptual rock just must not be my thing.
Simple lyrics but AMAZING music. GOATS for a reason. M
