I thought this was ok, just not really my thing. She was a good singer, but I was always more into Billie Holiday.
Pretty good album, amazing voice, tragic circumstances. Hard to believe she bas been gone thirteen years.
Pretty good but nothing by them tops Remain in Light for me.
This was a tedious listen for me. I just wasn’t feeling any of it, although I can appreciate the musicianship. Normally pretty into jazz, these songs just didn’t feel like they were going anywhere. Nice enough 70s sound suitable for background music in a movie or something I guess. Just not for me.
Good stuff. Not much to say that hasn’t been said about Bob Marley. Relaxing music, powerful message. Classic.
This was an unusual folk album to me, I really thought it sounded almost timeless but couldn’t fully get into it. It seemed ahead of its time almost in some ways, and behind in others. The vocals were maybe too loud in the mix and not my type, and I wasn’t much going for the harmonica either. I read that Tim Buckley produced this and took a lot of inspiration from Fred Neil, and that makes sense. I didn’t really listen to the whole thing but the Dolphins and Everybody’s Talkin were pretty great songs imo, but the rest didn’t really interest me. For me it’s kinda just alright, I may or may not give it another chance.
Being completely honest this was my first full uncut listen of this album, 25 years later. Some of the stuff is pretty dark or violent yadda yadda but it is all so cartoony and over the top it just makes me laugh about anyone finding it offensive. There’s a lot of raw truth and real feelings in here too, some great writing and storytelling. It feels effortless and nothing sounds pretentious or falls flat, but at the same time it does show its age and while it has some good beats I feel like the music is the most dated and that’s where I find the most weakness here. I just don't feel like that holds up as well as the next LP or what I have heard of it, which is fine.
It kinda sucks that having those demons of his was what made him produce a few good albums as he hasn’t really done much of note since the early 2000s. But good he seems to have put them down.
This was pretty good, I was digging a lot of the guitar work. Lots of soulful playing and all around good jams. Doesn’t overstay its welcome. Someone said the hippies, folksters, rockers, and country listeners all come together and sing the praises of Neil Young. It’s true, I’d say, and he does bridge the gap quite well although I’d say far more folk than country. A lot of people seem to not like his voice but his singing fits the songs and his technique is good, or at least he has a good natural vibratto. Reminds me a bit of Willie Nelson but a bit more nasal. Now I just want to go listen to Cortez the Killer.
I love Lauryn Hill, probably her solo album more than this, but this does have Ready Or Not and Killing Me Softly on it. Still, some pretty good beats and lyrics overall. Definitely a classic in my eyes.
Great album, possibly their best along with Yoshimi. They have a perfect mix of psychedelic and pop and it is easy listening for me. Upbeat and easy to get lost in.
Smashing Pumpkins was a big part of my childhood for sure. Songs like Disarm, Today, Tonight Tonight, 1979… honestly can’t be beat. Rocket was my favorite music video of the time. Total 90s Edward Scissorhands meets Radio Flyer vibes, maybe throw in a little Explorers/Flight of the Navigator.
Anyway, musically the album is fairly varied, some songs heavier, some songs more brooding or melancholic, some more melodic and upbeat. There’s angst, drama, hope… music at its best should always be so dynamic. But being a double album it’s perhaps no surprise that some of the material isn’t as consistently engaging. Nonetheless it’s all still very solid and one of few albums I don’t really skip songs.
While listening to To Forgive I thought of AFI’s This Time Imperfect, the final, “hidden” track from Sing the Sorrow. They have similar chord progressions and trajectory, although AFI’s song is a bit more emotionally hefty. Just an interesting thing to look into, and I found out Billy Corgan actually helped write a more recent AFI tune, Dulcería. The more you know, I guess.
Speaking of which, I always loved the Tonight, Tonight video directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris, in all its Méliès-homage glory. Did you know they directed Little Miss Sunshine? And married couple Tom Kenny and Jill Talley, who were in the video, met in 1992 while working together on a sketch comedy show called The Edge, for which Charlie Kaufman was one of the writers? They were also in Mr. Show, and voiced Spongebob and Karen in Spongebob Squarepants. And Tom Kenny also voiced Ice King. And I haven’t figured out how Kevin Bacon fits into all this yet. But now I want to watch The Edge.
I wasn’t particularly moved by this recording, idk. I like the blues, and Muddy Waters, but this performance just felt a bit off to me, like there wasn’t enough energy from Muddy or the crowd until Mojo hit. Nonetheless it had pretty great sound fidelity for 1960 and the voice was clear.
I’ve seen this album get a lot of praise and a lot of criticism. Really it just comes down to a matter of preference, I guess, like anything else. His singing is a bit monotone, rather Dylanesque, the lyrics are heartfelt and honest - stories of real people and real pain, sung straight and true. No frills, no real technique, just folksy country singing.
In 1971 the Vietnam War still ongoing, on its last leg, four years until the US would pull out. This album would hold a lot more sway I feel with people who lived through that time, but to call this album soulless or over-produced as I have seen some say is just baffling. I guess I just feel Prine and his music are more down to earth and relatable than some other folk music and the songwriting and lyrics are great even if you can’t quite love his voice. It’s a wonderful debut, and not hard for me to see why it is so influential.
Can’t seem to ever get into Elvis Costello. Not a bad album though, just not my cup of tea.
Pretty good Stones album as a whole, but doesn’t really have any of my favorite songs of theirs on it.
Familiar tunes, nice enough for background music but not wild about it.
Pretty good debut, couple of classic songs I know I have definitely heard before. Upbeat and fun listen, and holds up. If you like this, give Aja a try, seems to be considered their best.
This sounds competent for what it is, but I don’t feel connected to it at all. I feel like it would be good playing on a jukebox in a bar, or something. But just not my playlist.
Beautiful album. I love his music, it’s easy listening for me. Just hits all the right folksy/jazzy notes and his distinct voice is just smooth and calm. Definitely for more of a laid back mood. It can be gloomy at times, especially in lyrical content upon closer inspection, but it isn’t as immediately obvious to me in every song as with some more modern artists. It’s more of a light introspective melancholy. It’s sadder when realizing he passed away so young, of an apparent antidepressant overdose ruled as a suicide. Sucks how such talent is all too often taken from us in such a way.
Pretty phenomenal stuff. Got them synths sounding like cars on the autobahn, how cool is that? I wonder how many people have listened to it while driving on the autobahn? If only Total Ghost were able to open for them in May…
The singles were pretty good but I didn’t care for this nearly as much as Absolution, or especially Origin of Symmetry. Probably their only good album since then though.
Man, I love Tom Waits. Even stuff of his I don’t like to listen to as much I at least find interesting and well written most of the time. Some of it is an acquired taste for sure. But some of the instrumentation is off the wall or just so earthy feeling, I guess kinda like hobo blues rock buried underneath decades of cigar smoke and bourbon whiskey, chased with gravel. Sometimes folksy, sometimes dark cabaret. And some NYC avant garde musicians join the eclectic hobo as he eats some beans then sings with his mouth full while strumming some guitar he made out of a box.
Anyway, what I like best is probably the lyrics. And the man is just a showman. No bones about it. I guess for better or worse he’s eccentric to a fault and may come off as pompous or aloof, but you can’t convince me he isn’t as half cool as he thinks he is, or at least his fanbase does. But I guess I am a part of that so of course I am biased.
Rain Dogs sees Me. Waits at top form, and is widely considered his best album. Songs like Jockey Full of Bourbon, Downtown Train, Anywhere I Lay My Head…. Lots of unmistakeable and timeless classics if you ask me. And it’s all just so heartfelt and human, if sarcastic and wry.
I wish he wasn’t so old now and I could still catch hik live, as expensive as it would inevitably be but if not, well, at least I got to see Man Man I guess.
Vitamin C has one of my favorite drum beats ever. So smooth and hypnotic. Perfect for Inherent Vice if you remember hearing it in that.
Man, this band was like no other, honestly blew me away when I first listened to this. And Ege Bamyasi. And Future Days. And Monster Movie. I mean Velvet Underground, Can, Neu, and Faust inspired so much music it’s insane. I guess TVU is the oddball but I guess I just mentioned them because of listening to them recently for this site. The other three are basically the pillars of Krautrock. Personally I think Can is the best, but Faust is right up there. Ah, ze Germans. Ist wunderbar.
I remember growing up, the 1989 biopic with Dennis Quaid was pretty popular… or at least my dad liked to watch it a lot. Because of it, I also recall the scandal of Lewis marrying his thirteen year old cousin. How even in 1993, I was halfway to that age, and understood enough how messed up it was. And he died only two years ago. Man, just imagine being married 7 times. I bet his balls were on fire, or at least they deserved to be.
Anyway, I’m not crazy about the music. Songs are plenty familiar. But for a live album recorded in Germany in 1964 it sounds pretty good, and clear. I guess it’s highly regarded as far as live albums go.
Honestly I could see this as having influenced everything from the Doors to the Misfits, and punk rock in general. And it is a pretty short release. I guess I don’t really feel one way or the other about the music itself. But it probably would be one of those “you had to be there” kinda things, it definitely sounds like it would be more entertaining like it seemed in the film.
This is pretty good, it’s like real down to earth stuff. It’s got a 70s look to the album cover and the music isn’t too far off in some ways but it just feels different. Not what I expected. Soulful and engaging, but has some mellower parts that almost feel like imitating dance/electronic… idk, I think I need more concentrated listens when I am actually awake lol. Anyway, liked a lot of stuff on this.
