My only regret with this album is that my headphones only play music so loud.
Rumor has it they were only in it for the money.
The title track is one of the worst songs ever written, wallowing in insipid melodies and whiny intonations. Several other songs re-tread the heavily trodden (and never interesting) ground of basic-chord country/folk. Lowest common denominator music.
Weird yet accessible.
Absolute fire
Meh
Ahead of its time
Classic album. Every song is strong with original ideas and excellent musicianship.
A few of the songs are straight filler, more than a few overstay their welcome, and the production quality is quite poor, even for the era. Neverrtheless, the band's creativty and songwriting abitlities shine through nicely on a number of tracks, resulting in some fantastic moments. A reluctant 3.5 stars rounded up to four.
The first song is awful, but if you push past that the album becomes more experimental and you can hear the clear influence this album had on many other artists.
The blueprint for making a risk-avoidant and derivative album with minimum artisitic effort.
Intriguing album and very cohesive
A lot of interesting ideas, even if some of them should have been cut form the album.
Live fast
Jazz stylings over rock without ever approaching prog is a clever sound that really works for the band.
The grunge and pop bits are very interchangeable with almost any other post-1990 group, but when the band are exploring different ideas the album is excellent. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.
Lots of bold choices on this album, even if it is a little boring.
Alexander "Skip Every Song on This Album" Spence. An absolutely intolerable, lukewarm mess.
Now we know why the Blues died. Almost every other blues album I've heard is better simply by virtue of not choosing to be annoying. There's more sounds of dying fowl then blues chords on this record. Points for creativity, so 2 stars.
I never want to hear steel guitar again
Jazz/jazz-fusion with an ebb and flow to the compostions that I really liked.
5 stars if it had no vocals
The quintessential one-star album. A talentless predator riding on the coat-tails of better men and better artists.
Worth the two hours for the guitar melodies alone.
Perhaps THE defining New Wave of British Heavy Metal album. This is the album where Maiden began to embrace proggier sounds, but the tight, bass-driven songwriting remains. An all-time classic, and an easy five stars.
Great start, tailed off at the end though.
Interesting ideas, but always ends up sounding like Sesame Street
Really interesting album with great production but an annoying vocal style
It's very creative, but almost sounds like someone is pulling a prank and convincing people this is a serious album
This would be a great album if it was 25 minutes shorter. As it is, Mick's vocals really wear thin by minute 55.
Nothing to see here. Basic, run of the mill, exactly what you'd expect barely-rock.
Really Interesting album. The best Talking Heads album I've heard.
Interesting use of strings.
Classic album
There were no more riffs left after this album. Easiest 5 stars I'll have to give.
Classic - 5 Stars
Not their best, but still a good album
She can definitely hold a note without coming up for air, but musically this album is the equivalent of C-grade middle school project.
Kinda boring tbh
Weird yet accessible.
Super catchy songs
Sounded kinda goofy ngl
The ultimate classic hard rock album
Interesting album. Like if you Crossed The Doors and The Cure.
Pretty run of the mill
Some interesting ideas but pretty boring overall.
This album is so cheesy Kraft Foods called - they want their Velveeta back
Just like the band, I almost threw a dead sheep when I heard this album. JK - it's alright, if a little annoying.
This probably was the birth of the cool to be fair.
Mara-ju-wanna is bad, mkay?
The only street sign this album needs is "CAUTION: Great Musicians at Play".
OK, this is actually incredible.
They took a lot of chances on this album and not all of them worked, but points for trying.
Every song is a single 4 second idea repeated for 5 minutes.
The Woolworth's in the background of the album cover is the only place she could convince to play this driveling wannabe-sixties-country-folk pablum.
Not as good as "The Marble Index" but a good album nonetheless.
Nothing interesting or new here.
I mean, it's Sgt Peppers.
So this is what it would sound like if Adele sang with a mouth full of peanut butter while driving on a bumpy road.
One of the first and best concept albums
Cheesy electronica. I didn't hate it. Good background music.
The best live album from one of the best live bands ever.
A mixture of some very forgettable songs and some very powerfuls songs. 2.4999 stars rounded down to 2.
He just talks about himself at a quick pace for 78 minutes.
I enjoyed this one
OK pop music.
A personal favorite.
When my dog attacked an armadillo in the yard at 4:00 am I ran outside shouting "What's going on?!!" and that was a lot more chaotic then this album. Great bass though.
It's called Deja Vu because it sounds like every other country/folk/rock/blues mashup album released at around the same time. OK in places.
Such an unique sound
Interesting pop
Great production, great songs.
Thrash has been completely abandoned on this album for a generic heavy rock sound. Still a great album, but things predictably went off the rails for Metallica in subsequent releases.
Yeah, not good. It's bloated both as a whole and each song individually. The music is an incoherent mess. I can't even give it points for creativity - it's just poorly done electronica.
I Beck this album was big
Was expecting something a little heavier for a straight-edge band but I guess it was early in the scene.
Fun album
This was around the point when someone should have taken Lou aside and told him to stop making music, but he never did until death did him from us part. This album does sneak in an extra star for creatvity though.
90s B-movie background music
LZ really gets experimental on this one. A bloated but still 5 stars
Never unplug.
Rumour has it they were, indeed, born on the bayou
Enjoyable. A little too same-y and bloated to get 5 stars though.
This album is very reliant upon the audience's emotional response and I don't have time for that today
everything about this is wrong
Pretty standard late-era swing crooning, but dang are the performances top-notch.
Normal pants are not an option
THIS ALBUM BEGS THE QUESTION, "WHY IS MY CAPSLOCK STUCK?????" (IT DOESN'T REALLY BUT HOW DO I GET IT UNSTUCK ASKING FOR A FRIEND)
Love Thin Lizzy, but live albums are rarely 5 stars
Cinnamon Toast Crunch review: Honestly not that toasty but definitely comes through on the cinnamon and crunch aspects.
Octopus Schadenfreude or something
Mostly boring and pretentious. Art rock should still be interesting, which this album definitely isn't. A few good punk moments.
Hit or miss. Opening track is great. Title track is garbage. The whole album is like this. A tug-of-war between good/interesting and bad/dull.
Distractingly, Kid B never returned from his hike in the forest and was lost to us forever.
Turns out this WAS NOT the last broadcast. I checked.
Fantastic, really. Incredibly eclectic selection of songs without losing any quality or cohesiveness, regardless of genre attempted.
Interesting album musically. Vocals wear a little over time. 3.5 stars.
Music is great, and I get that it's live, but the talking in the background is unacceptable and not charming at all.
Great voice, although the live production kinda sucks. The music is also corny - the type of stuff Martin Scorsese would play over the 17th montage of his latest 4 hour film
Rumor has it they were only in it for the money.
More like broken voice. Wailing in the wrong key over simple loops does not make for a good time.
Fun album, but not all that unique for the genre
Surprisingly coherent for a debut album. Every song is good, and there are a few bangers as well (Moral Kiosk)
Music is really great, but the vocal performance definitely dates this album. 3.5 stars for me.
1. The songs are good. 2. The sonic textures are really interesting. 3. The fade-out-sudden-switch structure of each song lends a unique sound to the album.
Mediocre vocals on every level (rapping, metal screams, melodies), but some killer drumming and interestign musical choices
I don't think this was meant to be listened to as an album. If it was, this is one of the least interesting records ever.
Mind-numbingly boring and formulaic rock. Everything is humdrum and by rote. Save yourself the time and skip this one.
It was OK but nothing really that special
Great songs; diverse selection; good voice. Only a couple of annoying ones.
I had to stop halfway through. Good lord this was awful. References to "Honky-tonk angels" and doubts as to whether his girlfriend would make a good wife are the general tenor and thrust of this mashup of the endlessly rehashed musical pablum that is country music.
Lyin' Badams
Hair salon at the mall kinda music.
Not great, but still better than Presley.
Probably a bad idea to wear a watch in the shower.
Really interesting, diverse selection of good songs. Elements of everything from early glam to English folk.
Maiden at their punkiest. Paul Di'Anno was still on vocals, providing a grittier, less dramatic sound than his successor. The star of the album is Steve Harris' melodic and driving baselines. The songs are catchy and well-written (even if they bear a heavy resemblance to late seventies New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, or Diamond Head).
Absolute fire
Too catchy not to be five stars even if it's nothing new.
The music is pretty good, but the vocals are just trash. If you want to hear this style of vocal done well, listen to Layne Staley.
Very rarely does any band write such great vocal melodies over such heavy guitar parts. One of the best albums ever made.
Super creative album with a lot of diversity in the song selection, especially for dance album. Also very catchy (of course).
Clearly influenced by Jim Morrison here, but the music isn't nearly at the level of The Doors. OK album overall.
Not only is the musicianship great, but the album is fulll of fresh-sounding ideas and unusual choices. A little long perhaps, but the quality of the album makes it feel shorter.
A tad long, but the songs are really good.
Fantastic vocal performance over subtle jazz.
What are the chances that someone would pick up a bass for the first time at exactly the same moment as another person standing next to a hot mic was attacked by a chicken, all while inside a recording studio?
Nope, that definitely wasn't it.
Aboslutely outstanding in every facet - songwriting, performance, use of genre, etc.
Interchangeable boring folk rock. The bluesy parts are better, but even then the musical performance is below average.
Mostly good songs, but I don't know if I'd go back for a second listen.
I'm a sucker for bossa nova, so this is an easy five.
Instant classic mixing jazz/trip-hop/post-punk
Another slightly different than what was expected at the time R.E.M. album. Nothing special, but the nods to country-folk and pop punk are nice.
If nothing else, it's interesting.
There's better music in this vein made at around the same time but it's still enjoyable.
Vocalist is in the wrong key and sounds like he's falling asleep. Production is incredibly cheesy - like what a 14 year-old thinks rock should sound like. Drummer is just drumming random time signatures. Low-effort nonsense.
oof.
The only temptation I had was to skip every track.
Great bass and some interesting and (intentionally) amusing artistic choices.
A lot of good songs, but a few very annoying ones bring this down to a three.
Exceptional. Really had to Take Five after it was over to soak it in.
I get why some people might like it, but it's intolerably slow with annoying vocals. At its best, its background music.
Yes, he nicked Scott Walker's sound, but the music does sound like Scott Walker, so 5 stars.
More like "yeah - no".
More like 5 stars, am I right?
Performances are off the charts on this one.
A tad long with some filler, but the good moments are very good.
Annoying vocals, utterly predictable lyrics, basic guitars, and cheesy sounding "new age" drumming accented with inexplicable honking that might be saxophone.
Excellent music but honestly could afford to drop a few of the tracks at the end.
I've always been stunned that anyone could listen to this paragon of boring, run-of-the-mill rock. Everything is by rote, and nothing that hadn't been done a million times before is attempted.
Has a weird sound, even for early hardcore, but still very enojayable.
It's a classic for a reason
If you ignore the incredibly moronic lyrics and forced country accent (both par for the course), the instrumentation isn't bad.
Not a great live album - I know they recorded in a prison but at least try to get the production into a listenable state.
Should've been The Banned. Like many artists of this ilk, the country/folk aspects are repetitive and boring, and the bluesy/funky parts are good. Unfortunately, the majority of the tracks lean hard into country/folk.
I honestly don't know if I've ever heard a more annoying and whiny album. The music is utterly predictable, throwing every well-worn post-punk trick at the wall. The guitars, bass, and drums do exactly what you expect (slow-builds, 2-note riffs, etc.) and never surprise or create interesting melodies. On top of this, the vocals are horrendous. The vocalist spends the whole album accidentally drifting out of key, which would seem to be almost impossible given that the vocal melodies are also incredibly unimaginative. Every note is the most predictable (and whiny) note available to choose – and he still struggles to belt it out correctly. Definitely an album to skip.
The hooks/choruses are pretty basic, but the rest is interesting and sometimes surprising.
GOod music, but unfortunately boring.
Some interesting songs and great melodies, but entirely too long to the point of being obnoxious.
The title track is one of the worst songs ever written, wallowing in insipid melodies and whiny intonations. Several other songs re-tread the heavily trodden (and never interesting) ground of basic-chord country/folk. Lowest common denominator music.
Actually interesting, creative, progressive music.
Really well done album with some great performances.
Some good music can be found here, but my goodness. Not every song has to end with Rod repeating the same line for 3 minutes and/or an out of place hymn.
Very predictable songwriting, but at least he knows not to overstay his welcome for the most part. Still, I was wishing the album would end by the third-to-last song, so two stars.
Unfortunately, The Man was still trying to make music at this point, which essentially boils down to inane, out of breath mumbling, with no (or very poor) vocal melodies, and basic musical arrangements. Additionally, the celebrated covers on this album are decidedly worse than the originals.
A little whiny tbh
This sounds like it was recorded in a closet full of straw, but it is entertaining, and you can even hear the clear influence the band had on future hard rock bands with tracks like "Have Love Will Travel", "Walkin' the Dog", and "Strychnine." These (and other) forays away from 50s rock'n'roll staples are also the strong points on the album. With a little more originality this could be five stars, but ends up at 3.5 for me.
My only regret with this album is that my headphones only play music so loud.
Super creative progressive pop full of unexpected moments that fit the music perfectly. Probably Supertramp's best album - which is saying a lot for band that pretty much only made good music.
The music isn't bad, which is about as much of a complement as I can give this record. The songs feel unedited (constant repetition) and incomplete (the repetition leads nowhere). Additionally, The production is rough, lending to that feeling of incompleteness (a remarkable feat for an album well over an hour long). If FM had cut 7 or 8 songs, and edited or re-produced the rest, this album has great potential. As it stands, however, this is a bit of a mess.
This album is far removed from the band's blackened-thrash beginnings that yielded such brilliant records as "Beneath the Remains." They've exchanged their heavy metal credentials for (early) Nu Metal trappings, and, as far as Nu Metal goes, it's not bad. The liberal sprinkling of traditional instrumentation is nice and provides variation for the band’s primary songwriting method – A simple, heavy, repetitive riff. Nevertheless, the aforementioned repetition can get tiresome, especially over the hardly justified 72 minute runtime. As a piece of heavy metal history this is an influential and controversial album that is worth listening too, but lacks the songwriting chops, actual heaviness, or variation to reach the 5 star level.
This album is a mashup of '60s contemporary influences - The Beatlesesque harmonies, The Doors-y keyboards, and the riff-heavy songs structures of Cream. Unfortunately, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The various elements of each song seem to clash rather than cohere, making the listening experience unintentionally uncomfortable. For example, the track "Termination" begins with an interesting groove but somehow ends up with almost medieval melodies sparring with child-like keyboard noodling before fading away inexplicably, leaving the listener thoroughly unsatisfied. Finally, the title track is wholly unworthy of being 17 minutes long given that it consists of a single riff and some out of place solos. The album does earn an extra star for a nice bass tone.
If you've ever wondered what a blues album would sound like with the reverb-drenched '80s production style, this album is your chance to experience that. In a word, the glossy production feels antithetical to the blues. The "perfect" production makes the music lose grit, and feel pre-packaged. However, the production does lend the album a unique sound. As for the music, the performances, both from JLH and his guests, are excellent, and only a few of the songs overstay their welcome. That said, it's diffcult to give this album more than three stars given the plethora of much better blues albums out there.
The story behind the creation of this album is fascinating, and it unsurprisingly resulted in fascinating - even enthralling - music. I was truly bummed out when the album ended. An easy 5 stars.
The music isn't just boring - it's a simple amalgamation of pre-set drumbeats and basslines, with nary a melodic lead apart from Adele's voice. And this is where the album really fails. While Adele has a strong voice, her vocal meoldy choices also feel like pre-sets. It's like she went with the first melody that came into her head and never tried actually writing anything. The result is a thoroughly boring, unimaginative, album with no surprises.
Great songwriting with memorable melodies even if some songs (anything Yoko-related) initiate a gag-reflex.
Sounds like The Beach Boys playing punk - which I'm not mad about. There's a lot of variety to the songs, including insertions of accoustic guitars and organ. Also, nice bass sound.
When they stray towards country, the music is atrocious (utterly predictable vocal lines, half-hearted musical arrangements). When they stick to rock, it's actually interesting, with a killer rhythm section. Unfortunately, there are a significant number of country tracks on this album, which really drags the final score down.
Has the potential to be a great album, with lots of variety and great tracks. However there's a ton of filler and unnecessary interludes, and, at well over two hours in length, the album is far too long to thoroughly enjoy. 3 stars.
Very entertaining with good performances. 32 minute runtime helps as well.
Oh my god. His voice is just terrible. From the first few seconds of the album all the way through minute 90(!!!!!). His nasality and generally lazy vocal delivery quash any chance his lyrical ability had at shining through. Also, the harmonica is at a level beyond grating, and the entire first half of the album is painfully driveling accoustic folk. The second half of the album finally shows some energy, but no amount of average rock can save the travesty that is the first half of this record. Overall, this album is pure torture; a test of endurance that only the most masochistic person would put themselves through.
Fun album. Slide guitar in a punk record works surprisingly well.
The music sounds like New Order playing an Amon Duul II album (post punk, electronica, and krautrock genre mix). A very engrossing experience. While there are no "bangers", the album as a whole has a great flow and really works as just that - the album as a single piece of art, rather than a collection of songs.
One of the most influential albums ever made, In the Court of the Crimson King essentially created a genre (progressive rock) out of thin air. On top of this influence, the album holds its own to this day. It's a potent mix of heavy riffs, bizarre folk, and weird jazz fusion, all while remaining chock-full of great melodies, memorable hooks, and astonishing virtuoso performances. Quite easily one of the top ten records ever made.
A lot of good stuff here, but the second half of the album drags a bit.
I don't know if I'd ever listen to it again, but it's very soothing.
First track is hot garbage but the rest of the album is really good yacht rock/lounge jazz.
I didn't think I was gonna like this album based on "Soul" being in the title, but this isn't run-of-the-mill Goodfellas background music. There's some very interesting musical interpretations of rock and/or soul here, including some fairly intricate accoustic guitars. And of course, his voice is great.
Yes, the skits are unpleasant, but the music is really good, and importantly, is not one-dimensional.
Powerful voice, but the songs themselves are also great (Adele, take notes).
Good songs for the most part with great performances. The one or two tracks emulating Bob Dylan bring this down to four stars.
Just no. All Christmas music is negative 10 trillion stars.
Great music, even if it's prog at its most excessive.
Arguably the greatest album cover of all time and arguably the most influential album of all time. Easy 5 stars.
A good rhythm section does not automatically translate to a good album. The vocals are nasal, the melodies are pure whine, and the lyrics are a melodramatic mess. 2 stars for Flea.
Clearly not much effort went in to the writing of these songs, but the DIY sound is what punk is all about, and the songs are fun.
Art rock must be interesting, and this is not that. Weak vocals struggling to produce mediocre, repetitive melodies over music, that, while unusual, is utterly forgettable.
This album is intentionally hilarious, and I'm here for it. Literally made me laugh out loud. Also hugely influential in the Rock In Opposition movement Henry Cow started a few years later, and you can even hear that influence in more modern bands like System of a Down.
Really phenomenal new wave/post punk. Boasts some super-creative songwriting, great sing-along melodies, and some early rock influences.
The music isn't bad per se, but his voice is grating, and every song is much too long given the lack of muscial development in the songwriting.
Good music, but like a lot of post-CD revolution albums, it feels a little bloated.
There are some OK moments in the back half of the album, and no one can say it isn't creative, but not every musical idea needs to be recorded. However, if you enjoy mooing sounds, fire kazoo, and grade-school level recorder, this album is for you.
Another 90s album with bloat, but the songwriting is really good - full of unexpected moments and melodies.
Phenomenal latin jazz/blues.
While a few of the songs are catchy, the music is plastic, shiny, and safe. On top of that, the vibrato vocals sound like the braying of a donkey. This combination means that the music is neither interesting nor well performed.
While his voice takes some getting used to, the songwriting and performances are great. This album must have been a light in The Darkness at a time of alternative rock slop.
I can't help it; I like disco.
All talk-singing and sing-talking sucks. The sing-talkers/talk-singers should all have their vocal cords removed and save us from the pain of listening to them. I would also say the vocalist was out of tune, but I'm not sure there was a tune, and the songs were moving so slowly it would be hard to tell anyway. The production also sucks. The music is decent enough but is buried deep behind the ever-present talking. Some parts were so bad I couldn't help laughing.
The number of amazing songs on this is unbelievable. Will always be my favorite Hendrix album.
Sure it's bubblegum pop, but it's difficult to believe how many absolutely fantastic vocal melodies are on this album. Combine that with clever, succinct songwriting and unusual instrumentation, and this is one of the very best albums on this list. The nods to Black Sabbath (both the cover and sneaking the riff to "Black Sabbath" into "Heartbreaker") are nice, totally unexpected touches.
It's been a few years since I listened to this album in full, so it was an interresting exxperience going back to it. I really wanted to give it five stars because of how good the music itself is, but Dave's vocals really are atrocious, even for a subgenre not particularly noted for great vocal performances. His vocals have no bite and serve no sonic function like most metal vocals. Still a four though.
Same old story here. The country folk parts are some of the worst sounds ever recorded and are further proof that this unimaginitive and annoying genre should be banned. The title track and few of the others are stray from country folk and are actually OK in places, but even when exploring other genres this album is still grating and uninteresting.
Weird album, but I didn't hate it
Super interesting songwriting and good performances.
Despite the preoccupation with insects, this album doesn't suck. Unlike the pretentious and posturing country/folk of the seventies peddled by Neil Young and Van Morrison, there's a real, bluesy, gritty edge to this music. It's just a man and his guitar, and it's enjoyable.
Really interesting album with creative and varied song ideas.
Kinda hypnotic.
I didn't hate this, but pretty forgettable rock with punk influences. I can't imagine ever going back to this, but again, not terrible.
Another very interesting album from Talking Heads.
The first track is unlistenable, and the closer is not quite interesting enough to warrant its runtime, but the five songs in between are surprisingly good with a lot of variety.
Incredibly boring with almost toneless singing. Some interesting ideas bring this up to a 2-star album.
Not even my style of music, but the songwriting/vocal melodies are too good for this to be less than a four.
Great songs/performances with more than a few classics.
Very interesting music, but the over-16 minute long drum solo brings this down from a 4 to a 2.5.
Easy to see how influential this album was. Good music, too.
Not really my style. A little repetitive and shouty, which leads to exhaustion quickly. Still - not terrible.