Ga ga ga ga junga ga junga. My inner Beavis is shining. I enjoyed this more than I expected. Doubt I'll ever listen to it again, but I am glad to have heard it before I died.
I never heard of this guy. Listened to the album, and tbh it was a bit of a sleeper. Neither his music nor words pulled me in. When it was done, I started reading to understand why he is in this 1001 album collection. I still can't figure out the rationale, but I did learn he's a putz called out in the me too movement and previously for just being a general shit. I also learned he's put out 29 studio albums in his less than 50 years on this planet. 6 between 2000 and 2002 while embroiled in the me too controversy. What? Why? How? If they are as boring as this one, God bless. 2 for the album. Minutes one for the human.
It's impressive how it can be both pure noise and melodic at the same time. I have owned this album since it first came out but I rarely come back to it. But when I do, I enjoy it.
I've been enjoying this. A first time hearing this album. Started with some fairly straight forward Bowie pop tunes, but then migrated to instrumental tracks and synth ambient. Mellow.
A bit of a shock on first play. Poor production and an assault of sound took a second to get used to. By the second track, I was all in, and that crappy production enhanced the experience. An album meant to be listened to on a sony walkman with tinny headphones on a school bus wearing a denim jacket as a 14 year-old with angst. OK, the walkman was 10 years after this release, but carrying a record player on a bus is impractical, and besides, I'm not quite that old. I need somebody is the Iggy I know. I don't know if this is a flashback to older work or a premonition of later albums, but this is the sound I expect from Iggy Pop.
My first time hearing this as an album. Somehow this one slipped by, adjacent to much of what I listened to at the time. Clint Eastwood single was familiar but not the full album. So very stoner centric, but I'm digging the groove without any aids. Double base stood out to me. Great groove, grabbed and held my attention as they traded off focus between different instruments. If I find myself in altered states I hope I remember to put this document on again. Then I feel asleep about 2/3 through, so I guess it didn't grab me all that well. Need to go back and relisten to the end I guess...
Brings me back to my older brother in high school. This was his favorite and his band would cover all of them surprisingly well for their age. Amazing album with the tone of the guitars and wonderful feel driving it all forward. Every track brings something a little different and stands up to the 50+ years of time. My hair grew 6 inches while listening to it.
This was a good but straight forward collection of tracks. Very clean blues rock, fun to listen to but didn't blow me away. Many songs were massive hits and of course very familiar. Some were less popular or new to me. But as an album composition, it was sort of just a collection of fun tunes to me.
I had to struggle a bit to listen to this one properly. Spotify playlist link was only partial. Ended up finding a different playlist that was more complete but was missing The Fat Man's Hop. I ended up searching that one on YouTube as it wasn't available on Spotify, and that was the best track on the list! Anyway, glad I checked the Discogs page for the album to see the original track list and did the legwork to hear the whole thing. Anyway. as someone else said, what's up with putting a compilation album in a best albums list?!? That's a total cheat. A great collection of songs, of course, it's the greatest hits, duh! Thoroughly enjoyed it all. The Fat Man's Hop was a standout and was a bit different than the rest as an instrumental and real showcase of the musicianship. 5 stars for Fats but knocking the album as a best of collection.
Sitting down to listen to this album reminds me why I don't listen to this album. It's a jumbled mess of disorganized ideas. Whole fans call him a creative genius, I think he can't figure out which style to ape so he apes them all. I hear people label this lofi. That's not a fair label, this is massively produced and worked over. Nothing lofi about it. Off key or off rhythm can't be blamed on "being raw". Oh, and what's up with adding record dust popping noise as a theme. Like in the silence between tracks for ready made, and carried through the whole track. That's not leftover from sampling, it's just added noise. Nope. Last track, Ramshackle, is far and away the best on the album. A cohesive and moving composition played and sung genuinely. Left the gimmicks on the cutting room floor and let it flow.
Woo hoo! Taylor is a guilty pleasure. Listening to this should be fun. ;) So I guess I never heard this album before, which is a surprise. I certainly knew the many singles, but interspersed were a few new to me tracks I didn't expect. I'm more a fan of her early more Nashville roots, and this full shift to pop is hit or miss to me. I love some of her wittier and more self effacing tracks. And of course her signature tell a story songs. I'm not sure I really want this many images implanted in my head of her coital dalliances, however. Seemed like most tracks had some alusion to bumping nasties. I get it, she's all grown up now, message received, move on. Overall, a good album. Clearly a star maker with more than half the tracks being radio hits. Good on her, but only getting 4 stars. If I were being objective, it would probably have been 3. But what can I say, she's a guilty pleasure and I'm not that objective.
This will be fun. I'll need to give this one a second listen, as somewhere after Bonita Applebum, I slipped into unconsciousness and let this seep into my dreams. Great grooves, great lyrics, catchy and fun all the way through (the first half). Second half yet to be judged...
Something new and fun. I think I want to revisit this one when I'm more focused just on it.
I was optimistic on this one from all the positive reviews. It was good but but great. I don't feel like hearing this had deepened my world view and understanding of the genre. The previous generation, tribe, digable planets, de la sol, etc, are at least as strong. Less known but more comparable was Boo Yaa Tribe, from a decade earlier. This was a good album but doesn't seem to take the genre further than the decades before. Liked but not love.
What a fun album! I haven't listened to these guys in too long, but it was and is such a fun assault to the senses. You hear the first notes and smile. Within seconds, you're tapping your feet. Eventually you just have to get up and move around! There is stored energy in these tracks which must be released. Bonin In The Boneyard explodes. Gotta love funky ass bass.
A solid album. I think I like this more than most white stripes I've heard. While I enjoyed this, I don't think it's something I would put on without prompting or for a specific reason (like the 1001 Albums project :) ). It's certainly not music to relax to. It's a band I'd love to see live, it just requires a level of activity and attention that listening on the stereo can't provide. And for that, 3 stars.
This was fun from the first drop of the needle until the final beat. Masters of the genre. Nothing more needs be said. 5 stars.
This was a fun listen to drive home to. Some songs were very sound alike to tracks from other albums. And I can't say I'd jump to put this on outside special listening situations. And for that, 4 stars.
This was a lot of fun. When it started with the overplayed radio smash, Immigrant Song, I was gearing up for Led Zep rock front start to finish. Then it spun to blues, still holding their theme sound. Then folk. Then something from the Renaissance Fair. It kept changing, kept rocking, and kept sucking me in. Easy 5 stars.
This was a hard one to listen to. I mean physically. It wasn't available on Spotify, I had to use Amazon music which kept stopping midway. Really annoying. First world problems... This was really good. My main exposure to Neil Young is the double CD Decade compilation. It was great just hearing a single album of an era. I enjoyed every track. 5 stars, not quite. I'm rounding down to 4, but it's close.
This will be a good one... And it was. It's been a while since I listened to that one. A clear 5. Every track is brilliant. J Marcus joining was brilliant. Covers were brilliant. Left on stuck a high note with where did you sleep last night.
I would have loved seeing this at an easy village club. Hearing it on a stereo isn't quite doing it for me. I'm liking it but not loving it so far (Caroline says I). My enjoyment picked up. I think because the production got more sparse which made it more clean and raw at the same time. By the time Caroline Says II rolled around I was way more inside the album. It's still getting a 3, but 2 is totally off the table now.
I did not expect huge rip off (homage?) to led zep guitar riff at the beginning of Dying Days. These guys exude the mid 90s alt rock sound. Nothing revolutionary but a solid power pop consistency from start to finish. The definition of 3 in my mind. The last 2 tracks were the highlights to me.
Not their best album but so much fun none the less.
I never heard of this guy. Listened to the album, and tbh it was a bit of a sleeper. Neither his music nor words pulled me in. When it was done, I started reading to understand why he is in this 1001 album collection. I still can't figure out the rationale, but I did learn he's a putz called out in the me too movement and previously for just being a general shit. I also learned he's put out 29 studio albums in his less than 50 years on this planet. 6 between 2000 and 2002 while embroiled in the me too controversy. What? Why? How? If they are as boring as this one, God bless. 2 for the album. Minutes one for the human.
This was kind of fun. Kind of the hits album with the title track and Fame bookending it. A bit more soul/r&b than I usually like but it worked here. A solid 3.
I forgot about this album. Reminds me of visiting my sister in college. Amazing how a few notes can bring you into a room from 30 years past, with the sounds, smells, people, everything so close you can touch them. But that's not the album. The album is wonderfully produced. Great grooves with layers of samples and instrumentation that add to the whole. The opposite of that Jurassic 5 nonsense I was subjected to a few weeks ago. An easy 5.
If only I could give 6 stars, this album deserves it. Start to finish it's just brilliant musically and entertainingly.
Never heard this one. I'm looking forward to the PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowen collaborations. I gave a distracted listen and liked what I heard but need to go back. I'm going to say did not listen as a reminder to go back. Went back and listened more properly and this one did not impress. I'm not going to 1, but it's probably a 1.5... ah heck, joining the crowd and rounding down to the single star.
Never heard this band before. And won't ever put them on again. They lost me with the first 2 vocoder abominations. Some of the later tracks were better with some jungle and krump but not my bag and I can point to other albums in the genre is rather hear. Same old show was one of the better bits.
I love this album. I own it, I enjoy it, and I'm so glad to get to listen again from this project. Great guitar work, great songs. But, it's not his best, so could it be a 5? I'll round up, so yes.
They seem to really like Bowie... This was a fun one. I only knew the one popular song going in. I enjoyed the whole thing. Very cohesive song-to-song and very different (in a good way) to the previous one reviewed (which happened to also be Bowie's previous chronologically). I think I'm still going 4 here, but it's a strong 4.
You can't help but feel like a guy who own's a boat. Going to go sport a pink button down and lace up my loafers today. It's shorts with belts weather!
Ga ga ga ga junga ga junga. My inner Beavis is shining. I enjoyed this more than I expected. Doubt I'll ever listen to it again, but I am glad to have heard it before I died.
Wasn't loving this album, it was leaning way too country without the promised rock. But then the medley came on and his cover of Charlie Louvin's Hickory Wind, with Emmy Lou Harris won me over. One of my all-time favorite albums is a band called Idha's Melody Inn, where I first was introduced to that song. Was a solid 2 until that came on but that bumped it up a star. And if you haven't heard Idha - Melody Inn, go seek it out. You'll be glad you did. And then Love Hurts. OK, Side B of this album was way better than Side A.
I thoroughly enjoyed this from beginning to end. Great musicality. Great blues guitar and groove. I love Mark's voice. Another album I'm surprised I never heard before considering how much I've listened to brother in arms. Another cultural hole has been filled by this pleasant hour in my evening. Thank you 1001 Album Generator. 5
I really like her voice and can so get into her crazy. This would at least be a 4 in my musical memory file cabinet, but for who she is as a person. Since I learned she is a Nazi racist I can't rate her that highly. And so a guilty 3. Should an artists music be derated for their personal character? We don't give bonus points for good Samaritan's making music. Discuss amongst yourselves.
I don't think I've heard a "Live Concert" album from another band that made me feel more like I was in the audience at the club than this album which I THINK was studio recorded. Completely engrossing. Demands you to just sit in front of the speakers, clear your mind, and just let it all absorb into you. I've never listened to a Hendrix album, only the radio singles. I'm starting to understand why people say he was a genius.
What a brilliant collection of songs. Hard to believe the 12 songs are under 30 minutes total running time. From the classics to the deep cuts, the whole album stays together, mixes things up, and keeps you interested. The easiest 5.
This was the first CD I ever owned. Not my favorite R.E.M. album, but certainly a trip down memory lane. Ah to be walking in a denim jacket, bright yellow Sony Diskman in the pocket, skipping more than it was playing... Solid album. A transitional from their young college rock days to the adult contemporary soft rock band they became. It would be a 3 but for the nostalgia.
This was something new. I enjoyed it. The sound was quite dated, very much a product of mid-70s rock, but the songs were solid. Nothing totally grabbed me or compelled me to replay it, so for that, ***.
This was so much fun. I thought I knew the talking heads, but I never heard this album, and I guess most of what I heard came after. This was so raw and unpolished. I loved it and all it's crazy nonsense.
I like drum and base and 90's trip hop. I like Everything But The Girl's dance vibe. Their prior, Amplified Heart, has been a go to in my collection over the years. This one is a lot more D&B/Triphop than that one, which had leaned to bossa nova and more traditional dance beats. Walking Wounded - Omni Trio remix was a strong way to end. Love the cymbal bell work. I may need to revisit this one a few times and see if it seeps under my skin like Amplified Heart has through the decades of re-listens.
I did not expect a one hit wonder band to have a place on the 1001 albums. I especially didn't expect the album to not have the one hit! I dig the basic genre and style. I like Horn heavy band. Enjoyed their Specials reminiscent vibe. His voice is an acquired taste at best. Fun, solid, but I think I'm good with one and done. Listened and now I'm one album closer to being about to die with completeness. Somewhere between 2 and 3. I'll decide in the morning. As I near the end, it's upgraded to between 3 and 4, but I think it rounds down.
So much fun. Love this album. Love the ska influenced punk. The sense of play. You can't help but tap your feet and smile with each track.
I wanted to like this more and there was a time when I would totally jam to this noise, but alas, either this, or I, did not age well. I'm giving ** on optimism that it's not me, it's them. I've become my parents. My parents were great, I've subsequently learned.
This was a fun one. Nothing I heard before but many songs were familiar standards. Great guitar, great voice. I liked the guest appearance with what sounded like a fairly aged Woody Guthrie.
I wanted to love this but it was only like. A bit more r&b pop than I wanted. Good, but just a 3.
I tried liking this. I feel asleep on 2 separate attempts. I think that defines a 2.
It's impressive how it can be both pure noise and melodic at the same time. I have owned this album since it first came out but I rarely come back to it. But when I do, I enjoy it.
Good clean rock n roll. I don't like the singers voice so it's tiresome to listen to, but the music is solid if not inspired.
Man this was a good album. I will need to come back to it a few more times. I forgot how great they were.
I know it's not for everyone, but I like this. This was an interesting bridge between where they were, Sex Pistols, and where they went, the eclectic pop hit, Rise.
I'm going to be off-trend on this one, but I enjoyed this album. Never heard it or the band before, but it reminds me of The Jesus Lizard or the Black Flag instrumental album "The Process of Weeding Out". Loaded with energy and angst. Can't help but release adrenalin into your veins and lift your heart bit, or perhaps your blood pressure. Some songs are in the 4s, but there are enough that are more noise than rhythm that I'm only getting to the 3. But definitely not a 1 in my book.
Another album and artist I hadn't heard of. I was generally happy but not in love with it. Some was really nice. Some came off to me as pretentious art house pop. But then One Day Like This came on. Why they buried the best track as 2nd to last on the album seems very strange. That was far and away my favorite. I even relistened to see if I warmed to the album after hearing the good song. Nope. Just an album with one song that stands far above the rest.
It started strong. Chill electronica. Wasn't a huge fan of the 3rd track but I get the suggestions of sounding like Massive Attack. Next track got back on the groove motif. This would be a good album to have on a long road trip, especially driving an empty highway at night. I think I'm satisfied.
An album I've owned and loved for decades. But being honest with myself, it's a 4, there are better albums out there. But very glad to see it on this list.
I enjoyed this one. Not a 5 but above a 3, sounds like a 4 if my math is right. Was not a good album to run too, tempos were just too slow. But since I can't run well, it was fine music to walk to, which was most of my outing, anyway. Looking forward to playing this album backwards so I can get my dog, wife and job back.
This wasn't what I was expecting. It was a softer, blues-ier Black Sabbath. I liked it.
I oscillated between 2 and 4 several times while listening to this. I mean within the genre, this was no Arrested Development where everything was top notch. Some great tracks. Some historic tracks. Some duds. Some offensive world views that shouldn't be perpetuated and applauded. Let's average to a conflicted 3.
The only song I know the Psych Furs by was the Pretty In Pink track. It was fun to hear the whole album and put some context around it. I think I'll need to revisit this at least once, but for now lets call it a 3. Super 80s. Love the thick accents. Call me a US nob.
A favorite in my collection. Something to listen to on pensive quiet nights. Great voice, great lyrics, great music necessary it.
I really enjoyed this one. Added to my spotify library, which has been a rare result so far. The first track had a tune that reminded me of what I think was a Miles Davis track but I just can't place it. I want to listen to this a few more times and really absorb it. I'm surprised I never heard of him before. Thank you 1001 Albums!
So much fun. I never realized how much The Cars sounded like Devo. Was that just the sound of the day, or what?
I enjoy his voice and sound, but he hasn't aged gracefully. From those angsty teen heartache songs from his hay day, now it just sounds vapid and whiny. I wanted to like this one. The wiki said there were 4 singles that charted on the album. I couldn't figure out which they were, none seemed chart worthy in my book.
I'm really not a Bruce fan. I tried twice on this one to see if it resonated. Her just doesn't do it for me. Not bad. Just not good enough to get me to focus.
I would have liked this more if it was all Special Sauce and left the G Love in the car. His voice and style were grating but the music was great that was behind it. And for that... ***
This is a repeat for me from before we created the group. I'm wondering what I wrote on my first pass. I suspect I am enjoying it more on this pass than on the first. I had fun letting this wash over me while doing my work e-mails. Very ethereal at times, mellow overall. Just a pleasant listening experience. I didn't recognize any track (beyond hearing the album a month ago, of course...), no radio hits/charting singles that I knew. I think Sound and Vision was the highlight for me.
This wasn't what I was expecting and I liked it much more because of that. Raw, unpolished, energetic and fun, but missing the angry I was expecting. Not angry, but Iggy seemed disappointed.
I'm confused. This was right in the center of the music I listened to in 1990 as a DJ in a college radio station. But somehow despite totally knowing the name, I don't recognize any song in the album. I love it and think had I heard it then, I'd have bought the CD or record, or at least got a tape copy if I was strapped for cash. So maybe I'm rediscovering an old lost favorite or hearing something new for the first time. 5 either way.
There were times I thought this would be a 4. Solid album.
A name I recognized but never really knew who she was. What a great album. I want to go back and re-explore this one a few more times.
A fine drum and bass album. This wasn't ideal on spotify. The album spotify plays isn't quite the album being requested, it's an instrumental version. They did have 2 tracks at the bottom that I think were closer to the original but not sure they were the same. I saw from other reviews that YouTube had "more correct" copies but I heard enough, I didn't bother chasing it down further. A fine example of the sound of that era, but didn't strike me as being much better than several other comps and albums I have. I don't feel like this album was keeping me from dying a complete person.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I didn't know the name of this band but several tracks were familiar. Great sound, just fun to listen to. The biggest quip was the primitive use of stereo with many instruments and mics hard panned fully into one ear. That was a distraction and unnatural.
Just a solid album start to end.
Another fun album. If you haven't seen "Beware of Mr Baker" it's well worth the time. Such a great and ornery drummer.
This had some fun stuff. Groovin' is such a classic.
The second talking heads album in our journey, and man, I just love them. This album was such a blast to listen to.
This was fun, dark, ethereal Sabbath. A healthy dose of satan in every riff.
Eh. Kind of boring if you ask me. In the beginning it recommend me of the Joe Strummer post clash work but that all had interest and sucked you in. This seemed to fight to keep me out. 2
On the one hand, this totally brought me back to my college band days, and so much fun to play. On the other hand, I never liked to listen to the music I used to play. Great to play, cathartic, and awesome to join live on stage or in the pit, but never as much fun recorded. Belongs on the 1001 shows to see before you die, but not the 1001 albums to listen to.
What a great album this is. He's got it right the 5th time with this one. So many brilliant tracks. Some timeless, some exuding the mid 70s vibe. But a great album as a full composition with an opening, an arc, a climax and ending with a release.
This one was kind of meh. At times I thought it would be fun and entertaining but most of the time it got on my nerves. Very busy and cluttered. They could use a producer who scales them back and focuses them on one idea at a time. Isle of Her was a good example of where they managed to strip things down and layer effectively to a place where it became a great track.
When this album came up I thought to myself "This is a band I always saw the name of but I can't think of one song they do." I was excited to fill out a cultural gap, as they were right in the zone of what I listened to when they were popular. When I heard the album, I understood the Wikipedia comment that they were always "almost famous". I wanted to like them, but angsty vocals, muddy playing between the guitar and bass, generally lacked the hooks of a good pop song, they were close, but just not quite there. Sort of like what AI would produce if prompted to create a guitar oriented power pop band from the 90s. It just lacked a soul.
This was fun. I heard the one hit, Alright, but the rest was new to me. Fun and playful. Some blues rock bits towards the end (Time). Didn't make my jaw drop and wonder where has this been all my life, but I wouldn't turn it off it I was on a long drive.
This was a really fun one for me. The band name didn't ring a bell for me and the album came out when the house was filled with babies and I wasn't looking at new music. But several songs were familiar and by their sound, I know I've heard and liked other songs from other albums. A few albums back, I dinged a band for being too busy and cluttered and becoming a muddy mess. This album is an example of busy and cluttered done right. While there were so many layers and instruments on each track, they were tight, each contributing, and working toward a whole. Not a world altering 5, but hitting above the "that was quite good" 3 in my book.
From start to finish, an amazing album. Every song is a classic. Great hooks, great production, great words. Undeniably one of the most important and influential albums in the evolution of rock to follow. The easiest 5 so far.
Another album already in my collection and a fan favorite. I sort of saw her when visiting my brother out in SF almost 30 years ago. We got there but missed way too much of the set. It was still a great show and great night. I love her quiet than screaming sound. She makes you work for it, but the effort is rewarded with catharsis and joy.
I'll need to listen to this more. Definitely more accessible than "Rid of Me", the album fed to us just prior on our particular journey. But while Rid of Me was in my collection and was completely familiar, I'd never heard any of her later work, so while it was an easier listen, to me, it was still foreign. I want to listen more and suspect my rating would rise over time, but for now...
This was fun. Very much country more than rock. It seemed familiar though I don't think I've ever heard it before. It shows the influence it had on later bands and also the familiarity of Gram Parsons from his many other projects.
Good times. Some classics and some I've never heard. Great sound, love their keyboards. Happy to have heard and will look for more from them.
This album brings me back to my college radio days. I forgot how much I enjoy them. A bit louder/harder than my typical go to listen, but they pack a solid rhythm and punch that is contagious.
So much fun. Doesn't take much imagination to understand why this still shines almost 70 years later.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The songs I knew were what made it onto their Standing on the Beach best of album. It was great to hear those familiar tracks in the context of the album they came from. The dry guitar, sparse drums and edgy bass. Not punk but punk adjacent and unpolished.
This was a fun one. Kind of basic but fun to listen to, none the less.
A brilliant album. Start to finish. One of my favorites.
I had never heard of these folks but enjoyed them. A familiar sound without being something I'd ever heard before. 60's psych rock, well produced. I'll keep my ears out for them again.
A pleasant Sunday in the park playing guitar kind of album.
Enjoyed this one. I didn't realize how much they sounded like old Cure, which I wouldn't have known but for the Seventeen Seconds album assigned to our group a few weeks ago. Good times.
This was fine. I heard of them and expected to like them more. I guess I didn't not like them but did not live up to my expectations. Giving the 3, but only barely.
Just a fun listen, start to finish. Turn it on and let it wash over you. Wake up and go to bed.
I love The The. Brings me back to middle school. This isn't my favorite album of theirs, but still enjoyable. I wanted to rate higher but if being honest, it's a solid 3.
Just a classic start to finish
So did the who cover them out did they come the who with summer time blues? I'm guessing this was the original. This seems like the beginnings of punk taking shape. Enjoyed, but not sure I'll go find them to relisten. Ok, just read the wiki. I guess summertime blues was Eddie Cochran, and this was the roots of heavy metal. Closer enough for me.
Want my bag. There are other rap/hip hop albums I enjoyed more.
I really loved this one. Great guitar work, great voice, loads of fun. Never heard of them but will seek it more.
I keep oscillating between loving and being annoyed by Rufus Wainwright singing. I think today I leaned more toward liking. My enjoyment of few artists is as sensitive to my mood as with him. It's a sound that effects, just not always in a good way.
Started out as "normal" Bowie pop. Ended up as trippy ethereal head music. I enjoyed it. Heroes is a great song. Surprising that was the radio hit given it's over 6min long and radio's infatuation with the 3 minute track.
I was totally going to give the king a 4, but Spotify auto played a Johnny Cash song when the album finished and I realized Elvis was good but there was clearly better.
I did not expect to enjoy this. Rod Stewart in my mind is synonymous with the worst aspects of adult contemporary/easy listening schlock rock radio. The pre-cursor to Shania Twain. I was surprised to hear this album begin and enjoy a blues rock, rough around the edges first few tracks. Didn't lift above 3 in my mind, but 2 higher than expected.
I love me my King Crimson. To be listened to on the best quality system available to you, while doing nothing but letting the album play out in it's own manner. Don't multitask. Don't fight it. Resistance is useless.
I'm not a fan of the smooth jazz vibes, but loved the fusion and funk parts. It was a mixed bag from loving it to being turned off. I wouldn't have guessed this was from 2017, it has such a strong late 70s early 80s vibe. Would have been a 3 but bumping to 4 for production quality and the perfection of what they were trying to do, even if it wasn't my bag.
This was fun. Reminiscent of taking heads and oingo boingo, but maybe that's just the sound of that minute in music. Liked the horns.
I liked this one. Well, I liked the music. I read the description and I may regret having liked it if the words are as off as the Murder Ballads album. I really wasn't paying much attention to the lyrics but I liked his voice and the music and the generally dark and brooding mood of it all.
A fine album. They do good work. Some tracks were straight up hip hop. Much was creative transitions and asides. A good album to enjoy in its entirety and a rare rebellion from the iTunes only listen to songs in isolation world we have made.
I don't think I heard any of this album before, which surprised me. I liked it. Didn't blow me away but solid tunes all the way through.
This was a mixed bag for me. Some recommend me of the Manchester scene like Inspired Carpets, then it moved into trip hop and bounced around between those worlds. What I didn't find was a cohesive album, just a string of different ideas each produced well as what they were.
This one will need a second listen. I learned of the Bunnymen only in the late 80's. It was interesting hearing this early release from them. Well produced but just a bit more raw and unpolished.
I forgot or maybe never knew that I liked Chicago. I definitely didn't remember them as being a variant on 70s funk. I had a lot of fun listening to this one and will definitely be coming back to it.
I listened to this album so much in high school. Dear God and Grass are both amazing. They brought something new at the time and still sound fresh and different. But I can't deny at times it just seemed a bit much.
When I got the Stiff box set in college, my eyes and ears lit up. So much great stuff and most was new to me at the time. Ian Dury was one of those gems, with Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Razzle In My Pocket and My Old Man featuring on the discs. My first listen to the rest of the album and I love it. His thick cockney accent and penchant for speaking in limericks, while backed by super clean, funky drum and bass lines. Love this.
This was fine. Nothing really grabbed me. Just an album playing in the background on a long drive.
I wanted to like this more than I did. Kind of flew by me without resonating any chords of pleasure. Wasn't bad. Just wasn't something I wanted to hear. Could have been mood.
In the vein of Fat Boy Slim and Chemical Brothers. Fun listen.
I thought I would like this more. It was fine but not as catchy as I expected and hoped.
One of my all time favorite artists and one of her best albums. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do.
I am speaking with a bit of a drawl now.
I'll need to relisten to this. Some I enjoyed, some I appreciated, some just wasn't what I wanted to listen to at the time.
I expected to be all in on this. Turns out I was at most half in. I think I need to listen again. Fell asleep towards the end. But where the hits I knew were kicking and as solid as they ever were, the bulk of the album hit me as more meh. Much the mixed bag of brilliance and filler.
This wasn't my genre and didn't convince me it should become it. I knew the name, didn't know the music. Hearing it, nothing pulled me in. Lyrics didn't grab me. Most of the music was fairly basic. Continuing my original perception on the name as famous for reasons I can't explain.
I'm a big fan of the Country Joe I've heard, mostly his solo albums. My first taste of this one and from the first two tracks, I'm picking up what he's putting down. Surprised how musically similar to Doors. Ok, now I realize if you play a Hammond then it sounds like the doors in my world.
I liked this one more than the more recent (2004?, the one with a white egg on white background) Wilco album I was more familiar with. This band has always been a bit outside what I want to listen to at any given moment, but they are starting to grow on me more and more. I'll go back to this one again.
I was enjoying the album just fine when Confusion popped on. My liking increased 10 fold with that one. It was a good album. Some winners and some tracks were more middling. They should branch away from the well trodden structures more often because I think those were the better tracks.
Mellow jam music. Kind of fun but didn't blow me a way.
Took a few tracks to adjust my mindset to match the music, but once I got into it I liked it. I wasn't expecting the punk rock edgy thing. Thank you 1001 for knocking me off my center once again.
The only thing better than this album was their prior, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash. Love them. Loved this.
Great band. Very good album. There were a few bits where I wasn't totally vibing with it, but then it ended with Just Like Heaven cover that I love love love. I'm giving it a second listen today, but for now, it's sitting at a happy 4.
Discovering gems like this is my reason for participating in the 1001 albums project. Thank you once again for introducing me to an album I missed from a band I probably never would have heard otherwise. Great mellow indie psych rock. Beautiful harmonies, great instrumentation and just wonderful.
What a mellow experience. My heart rate slowed and stressed melted away.
First song, Bittersweet Symphony, sets off the tone and the album moves on from there. Definitely starts at the peak, but I think the rest held up fairly well. I was pleasantly surprised and think this is an album I want to add to my collection. They aren't the one hit wonder I had thought they were. Go Verve.
Nothing screams black hair and white makeup like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Let the teen angst out and your inner goth have a moment.
If this album just had the song hurt repeated 13 times it would still be a 5.
I really like Portishead, especially the album Dummy, but this one didn't quite grab me. It lacked the musicality to tie it together and was more a collection of ethereal and experimental sounds without a common thread.
I expected to hate this and was very pleasantly surprised. A bit too aping of beasties Ill Communication but otherwise really solid. This album was pushing 5 for me until the insanely bad vocoder schlock rock abortion of Only God Knows Why. Bad enough to knock a star off. Re-listen later with less distraction, I liked the music but very much didn't like the misogynistic and mostly pathetic lyrics. Musically, 5*. Lyrically 2* star. Vocoder ballad -1.
This was great. Clean musicianship and recording. Grabbed my interest from the get go and held it. Sometimes jazz, sometimes electronica, sometimes tabla and indian influence, other times more western trad.
It was fine.
What a fantastic album. An easy 5 in my book.
This was a bit of a mixed bag. At some points, it seemed inauthentic, delivering a corporate message. Very different set of sounds to Pet Sounds, somewhat loose production. There were some really good tracks mixed with a bit of meh.
This was fun. Better than "murder ballads," but at some points it reminded me of that one.
I like experimental music. I often tell people, and the 1001 albums has general been evidence, that no matter the genre, there are always examples of good music even for genres one doesn't usually enjoy. But this album was not good, even for someone who likes this often unloved musical subsector.
Not my normal listen, but surprisingly good. Didn't pay attention to the words, but the musicality was surprisingly infectious.
I didn't realize Colin Jost was in this band? Love that picture. This was a mixed bag for me. That cheesy 80s synth British sound grates on my nerves, but there are still some very good tracks mixed in.
Solid. New to me. Heard the name but not the music. Glad to fill this cultural gap. Not my favorite but well above average. And holds together as individual tracks and as a cohesive album. 4
Brilliant start to finish. Nothing more needs be said. 5
Everything about this is brilliant. Riff rock has never achieved such heights before or since.
Great voice, great lyrics, great album. Starts on a high note and keeps climbing.
I enjoyed this more than I expected. Dr. Dre's shtick outside of music generally grates on my nerves, so I never tried listening to his music. I've heard bits over the years which was fine, but I never sought him out or listened to an album until this one. Lyrically, I'm not sold, but rhythmically and musically, this was fantastic. I will re-listen.
Solid. Not my favorite I've heard by her but a good listen.
A good album to study to. Mellow trip hop electronica. Well done.
A bit of a mixed bag with some parts being sublime and others missing the mark and devolving into noise. I keep bouncing between 2 and 3.
Kind of slow. It didn't grab me. Just always seemed a bit off key to my ears.
I liked the tracks that pushed into trip hop vein, experimental electronic, more than the straight hip-hop. Had some good moments. Takes More Than 41.
This was an amazing find.
This was a bit more raw for Elvis Costello, especially that first track. Didn't read the wiki yet, but I'm assuming this was one of his earliest albums. Great but not at his best. Still had some growing into his style to do.
Dancing on the fence between prog rock and riff rock, then flipping into the blues jams to mix it up (lazy). A classic from start to finish. Love the fat sounds of the guitars and bass, and their signature synth pushing into distortion making it almost like another guitar. All tubes and analogue. No rough edges to be found.
Radiohead remains on the fringe of the bands in my normal rotation. This album was a bit different. I liked the mellow, somber tone of it. Nothing is a single or a pop hit, but as a theme/mood album, it works. I'm going to mope now.
This is the album that never ends. 2hrs 12 minutes. A very talented editor/produce might have been able slice together a brilliant 40 minute album out of it. Maybe.
Just some straight up Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Right down the middle from start to finish. Listen to the fist 30 seconds. Like it or lump it, the next 40 minutes will just reinforce whatever you thought initially.
All triplets and shuffles all the time. A classic head bangers ball. Lighter and more bluesy than the later Maiden I seem to recall.
This was a bit painful. Started with some good stuff. Devolved into not so good stuff. Knowing a small bit of the personal troubles of Syd during this time, especially, it didn't help me find the good in the bad. 2
The first song reminded me of early Clash. The next reminded me of PIL. Just hints of commonality that I enjoyed. I was expecting much more punk rock and this was solidly post-punk mixed with that early 80's sound. Bloodsport reminded me of Roxy Music. Ever song seemed to bring back memories of something from that era. Not sure who was influencing who in the musical timeline.
I hate it when my eloquent notes from listening don't save and I have to remember what I typed. Anyway, started off setting a mood with Firesuite and held it through to the end. A great album well worth repeated listening.
Prefab Sprout were on my periphery in high school. Their CD was always around in the used bin, but I never succumbed. I think it was my loss. I am enjoying this. A lot of commonality with Squeeze, but musically and lyrically. Clean 80s brit-pop. A few more tracks in and putting myself in my orange Chuck's, I probably did hear it back then and thought it was too cheesy. By the time Appetite hit, I was getting pretty sick of them. Did anyone else hear the odd grab of Steely Dan Aja in that track? Desire As - pops out as an anomaly on the album standing well above the rest.
A classic. Not today my thing but can't help but enjoy it.
A fine album. Chill, and phenomenal guitar work through-out. The repeated use of faggot in "Money For Nothing" did not age well, but it was such a common usage word back then, I have to cut them some slack.
Oh my. I guess I only knew Tainted Love, the radio hit of the era. Frustration starts this off making me wanna turn it off. Tainted Love pops on and I'm dancing in my seat, the frustration of the prior track fading into the past. Was a bit hit or miss after that. Most I enjoyed, but at times it dragged on and was a bit too campy/dance club for my taste. Where Did Our Love Go? came back at the end to redeem it once more. Fighting with myself between 2 and 3. Fun City sealed the deal. 2 it is.
I see why they were popular but it still wasn't my bag. Not sure why, to be honest.
This was not my bag. I like electronica but not so much the EDM, apparently. Definitely not the right thing to play early on a Monday morning while going through the weekend e-mails. Too hectic, stopping and starting, it seemed more high stress than high energy. I could see this inducing bad trips and paranoia if taking the wrong substances while playing this. Not sure what the right substance would be.
Solid alt rock. I liked the steady tempo build they had going on. I don't think I'd what to see them live, but a good album to play at home alone.
Like 311 but harder. Very clean, but too clean. It came across as sterile and soulless. I'd guess this is better in a live setting where there is more play. In the studio, the click track seemed to rule them.
My prior album was Incubus. Incubus seriously need to spend some time listening to The Allman Brothers and unclench their butt cheeks a bit. Some easy jam band blues performed well. Listening via Spotify, it sounds a bit muffled/dull, which I think was limitations of an old live recording.
I enjoyed what I heard, but listening on YouTube was terrible. I ordered the CDs because I liked what I heard enough and will circle back when the album has arrived.
I do love me the pretentious rappers of the late 80s and early 90s. reminded my of Consolidated.
I get why others love him, but he really gets on my nerves. I thought I'd like this more than I did. Your Sister Can't Twist is on now and I'm wanting to tear my ears out. Vapid. Was going to be a 3 until this trash came on.
Even when I want to hate him I love him. Solo Morrisey isn't as good as the Smiths, but he still croons out some whiny emo goodness. Pardon me while I go mope in the corner for a bit. Some tracks definitely better than others, making this a solid ***.
This wasn't at all what I was expecting. I thought Motorhead was more like Metallica. This was way more in the vein of punk rock. Much more to my tastes.
Not what I was expecting, once again. Post punk art rock. Reminded me of instrumental black flag at times. I think I'd have liked this much more when I was younger and may need to come back for a few more listening sessions. I understand why this is in the list but for me to objectively rate it here and now, it'll be a 3, pushing toward 2.
That is a banger from start to finish. Say no more, say no less.
This fits with my memory. Orbital was all about the drug fueled rave. Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers understood the good bits of this, but also recognized that when listening to a CD, most people were not most commonly fully zonked on party drugs. This album makes for fun DJ rave fodder, but doesn't appeal to other listening. Other albums of the same genre were better crafted to pull this sound into a song and album structure. 3. It'd be a 5 if properly zonked. And probably a 1 if I didn't recognize how good it was at meeting it's niche where they were at.
This is just too much 80's synth for me to get behind it. Not the analog synths, but the hollow and sterile digital synths that followed. Soulless and grating. I keep trying to listen with fresh ears, knowing they repelled me in my younger days. But then things like Sacred Heart come on dragging me back to this just being something I don't enjoy.
To use the lingo of the kids, this is a banger. From start to finish, driving and intense guitars, bass and drums with a great voice rising over the top. My complaint is the overly clean production over the distorted instruments. Feels like click tracks and vocoders stripped the soul and optimizing for radio accessibility. I never saw them live, but would bet they weren't this clean as they rose up and built their following.
The intro/outro filler was a bit forced and kitschy, nothing that hasn't been done many times before 2004 and not done better here. Lyrics were similarly non-attention grabbing. Of the 21 tracks, 3-5 were really solid. Not a great hit ratio. Breathe in Breathe out was pretty solid. Then lost it with School Spirit as the follow up. That pattern seems to repeat. The critique of college is shallow and annoying. And as far as I could glean, his proposed alternative is to deal drugs and smoke pot? If everyone is dealing, then the value of being a dealer goes down, that's just simple economics, but I guess he dropped out of that class...
Sometimes I forget how great they were. So much hype at the time, but history has shown that in this instance it was entirely deserved.
This band brings me back to an era. The sound is so distinct to that time that it floods me with memories. Never heard this specific album before, but will look to listen to more of them in the future.
What a great band to now know about. Excellent Latin, hip hop, soul and funk. I'll be adding this to my regular rotation.
This was pretty good. A bit too somber to be yacht rock. Better than the hits they are known for, in my opinion.
The album cover makes my brain hurt. The music doesn't. Loved Lion In A Coma, and the whole vibe. Ended on a high note with Brother Sport.
This one took me several tracks for my brain to adjust to their sound, but once it did, I really enjoyed it. I liken it to The Decemberists, but with more experimental and punk/edgy influences.
Just your basic 60s folk pop pleasantry. Didn't wow me but perfectly enjoyable.
A classic from beginning to end. They had such a great sound that pushed the whole genre forward and has stood the test of time. From the blue note jazz samples and break beats to the flowing lyrics. Respect.
Kind of a slower, more mellow variant of Sonic Youth. I liked what I heard from these guys but can't call it love.
Except for the radio hit, Antmusic, I hadn't heard this one. And hadn't heard or thought of Adam Ant in decades. This was a blast to go back in time to my grade school years. Post-punk pop, in the vein of Devo, the sound aged surprisingly well.
I remember seeing them in 1996, at Maxwell's in Hoboken, if I recall, to a half filled room, and then only 2-3 months later to a packed hall down in the Bowrey as they exploded overnight. An amazing album from start to finish.
Another great album. One that defined an era for me and that I always come back to with joy. Love the great use of synth and ultra deep bass in parts, echo in others. And just a fun vibe all the way through. Not like anything else I've heard.
A 5 for music and style. I love this album. I need to back off a bit because at least some of the tracks have lyrics I can't get behind.
I do enjoy old Kinks. I'm always surprised when I hear them because I'm so used to Lola as the sound of theirs I'm most familiar with, but this almost Beatles sounding stuff makes me smile.