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Wed Jan 24 2024
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac
One of the best albums of the 70s, not a weak track on the record. All the separate members at the height of their powers combining to make an album greater than it's individual parts. In a vacuum you could just raise this up as a Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits album.
All the more amazing is how this album was even recorded at all. With all of the interpersonal strife, relationships merging, intertwining, and imploding; it is a miracle that anything was recorded. The massive amounts of Cocaine could not have made it an easier environment either.
But through all of the strife and tears, fornication and fighting, Rumours emerged as a rare work of art that continues to be held up as a benchmark for other artists and a watershed moment for the group and music in general of that era.
5
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Wed Jan 24 2024
Surfer Rosa
Pixies
There is something primal and irresistibly urgent about the first run of Pixies albums.
The line up...
David Lovering on drums: Straight forward pop/rock sensibilities and just TIGHT AS FUCK. As many drummers find they have to do, David is the glue that keeps the madness together. Driving where he needs to, sparse where it calls for, with whip crack punch he creates the canvas...the skeleton...the outline.
Kim Deal: During the credits to the film "Empire Records", two characters argue about the best bass players. There is an argument for Big BassAPotomus style badassery ala Les Claypool from Primus, but the counter to that is Kim. You can play as ballsy, flashy, crazy as you want to....but can you play the perfect bass line for the song? That is Kim's super power. They are often simple and repeating, but they are the hook and the line. They catch you and make you groove. Added Bonus: Her back up vocals are utterly enchanting and unexpected(especially in this era)
Joey Santiago: Mad Fucking Genius Guitar Wizard. Master of feedback and sound. Coaxing and willing the screams from his guitar with black magic. I saw them after they got back together and watched Joey perform the solo to 'Vamos'. He took the guitar off his shoulder, placed it in the his guitar stand, and he made the most spectacular sounds emerge; walking around it as he would circle, attack, retreat and repeat. It was like watching a wolf chase it's prey.
Frank Black: A vocalist with the range from an unassuming whisper to a soul wrenching scream that wakes the dead. A lyricist to blend the mundane and surreal to teach you of the biblical to the extra terrestrial and everything in between. A rhythm guitarist that knows how to punish an acoustic. A songsmith that could do more with 3 minutes or less than most bands accomplish with their entire discography. An unassuming front man that lures you into his world with a calm presence before exploding with volcanic frenzy.
When they first hit the scene they always seemed right on the cusp of exploding. They had major proponents and fans with the likes of David Bowie(who would go on to cover the song 'Cactus' from this album) and U2(who had them open up for ZooTV Tour). I once read a quote, and I am paraphrasing here, that while not everybody heard the Pixies, everyone who did wanted to start a band.
Surfer Rosa, the first of their studio albums. They had 'The Purple Tapes' and 'Come On Pilgrim' floating around and making noise in the music world, but Surfer Rosa was their first real chance with a label. With Steve Albini set to produce, they booked 10 days in a Boston studio.
Albini is the one who set the tapes to keep recording to get all the snippets of the band in mid conversation which he then used to intersperse between the tracks. Some breadcrumbs between the bars.
LOUDquietLOUD is used quite often to describe the sound. The songs are short, sweet, fast, brash, and can turn on a dime quick enough to give you whiplash.
"Bone Machine" starts the record off giving you a taste of what is to come. Some guitar driven rock with a mix of loud and sweet vocals.
"Break My Body" takes off next with a harsher tack and Frank really starts to lean into the scream and show you just what he is capable of. Joey sounds like he is beating his guitar as much as David is pounding the drums. The accents that Kim uses on the bass line are subtle and sweet.
"Something Against You" continues with the attack and builds the pressure, just like something pressing against you. A sonic affront that gives you a moment or two of respite before smothering you again even stronger.
"Broken Face" is sporadic and hectic, staccato vocals and airstrike guitar. Bass and drums drive it relentlessly off the edge.
"Gigantic" gives us Kim in the vocal spotlight for this voyeuristic love letter. Creamy and silky smooth bass before David kicks on the door and Joey with the quick attack before dropping into the background. Let's do it again and again. A Big Big Love.
"River Euphrates" starts you on a lazy river float but this is the Euphrates and you are gonna RIDE THE TIGER. And while it might slow down around the curves you won't be safe.
Side two begins with one of the quietest tunes: "Where Is My Mind?" Frank Blacks' Caribbean adventure makes you feel like you are listening to it underwater. Sonic calls and hidden depths for an iconic song.
"Cactus" - A prisoner missing his woman, pleading for any contact. With imagery like "bloody your hands on a cactus tree, wipe it on your dress and send it to me" " a letter in your writing doesn't mean you're not dead" evokes isolation and desperation
"Tony's Theme" - This song is about a Super Hero Named Tony!!!
"Oh My Golly!" continues Frank Blacks use of Spanish/Spanglish/Esperanto interspersed with an English chorus to bring you back in.
11. "Vamos" RE: My description of how Joey plays his guitar and this solo in particular. While the Bass and Drums Beat and Bear down on you like a train, Frank Black screams and spits and gnashes his way through the song "YOUR MAMA'S A PRETTY THING"
Vamos a jugar por la playa(Let's Go Play at The Beach)
"I'm Amazed" Bombastic drumming, with a battle between Frank and Joey to see who comes out on top Vocals or Guitar, all while Kim dances sweetly across the fretboard
"Brick Is Red" closes out the disc and if you are not too exhausted from the whirlwind of an album, Frank Black pleads with you "It's not time for me to go, It's not time for me to go" so maybe flip that disc over and Ride the Tiger.
10/10 - no notes, everybody. Don't change a thing. (and this isn't even my favourite Pixies Album)
5
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Thu Jan 25 2024
Ready To Die
The Notorious B.I.G.
Not my cup of tea, but the production is solid. Samples are from everywhere and the beats are tight and infectious. This record is very close to being a concept album and is almost overshadowed by the history surrounding BIG. His name is ubiquitous with rap of that era and style and you can hear the DNA from this album through countless other records even today.
3
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Fri Jan 26 2024
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
Brian Wilson's answer to the Phil Spector Wall Of Sound production design and the Beatles Rubber Soul album. Here is a band pushing to be even more than they were, a transition from the beach sound persona and stretching and experimenting with sound and what an album could be.
They brought in the infamous Wrecking Crew to play the instruments on this album and then layered vocal harmonies, strings, and orchestra. A fuller sound and a departure from the standard method of creating a few hot singles for 45 sales and then padding out the rest of the album with fluff. Brian pushed hard to create a record with no filler, a concept album more to do with design than lyrically.
Brian began to delve into psychedelics and continued with marijuana use here, claiming that it opened him up creatively. Whether that was the case, it is hard to argue with the beauty of the songs on the album. Pet Sounds stands as an album that was influenced by other greats of the time and in turn was an influence on those same greats amongst others.
Pretty, happy, yet melancholic throughout.
5
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Mon Jan 29 2024
Low
David Bowie
The first of Bowies' Berlin Trilogy being recorded in Germany with Brian Eno. Further experimenting with sound and electonica in music.
Front end of the album has more vocals and as it progresses it goes more fully into instrumental.
Sound and Vision is probably the most recognized song off the album, but it has tons of high points that are more ambient driven. Bowie, ever the changeling in his career, gives a mood setting piece that plants seeds for his future recordings. A wonderful album to sit in a dark room and enjoy with a glass of wine.
5
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Tue Jan 30 2024
New York Dolls
New York Dolls
Glam Rock meets Pop/Punk in a way only NYC scene could blend in the 70's. Sets an example for several punk albums that followed. It was a precursor to the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and plenty of others that would explode the Punk Movement just a few years later. You can definitely hear the influence that this record must have had (ex. Trash sounds like a blueprint for the Dead Milkmen, put more sneer and an appropriate accent on it and Bad Girl could have been a Sex Pistols tune). An impressive first outing for a band. I much prefer this David Johansen as opposed to his later Buster Poindexter persona.
3
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Wed Jan 31 2024
At Budokan
Cheap Trick
Solid live album. Stand out tracks are 'I Want You To Want Me' and 'Surrender'. These live versions are probably even more recognizable than their studio album counterparts. It shows Cheap Trick to have a strong live performance, but I do not know that it should be on this list.
3
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Thu Feb 01 2024
Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Short & sweet punk rock songs done NYC Garage Style. Minimal trio still gives more body to their songs than many larger outfits. The guitars sound huge and the drumming is immense. Attack and retreat, all the while listening to the siren like crooning of Karen O. Amazing first album that is gripping with its urgency, like pulling you aside amidst a wild party to whisper/yell its' affections to you. Hard not to love it back. The songs 'Maps' or 'Y Control', either alone would make this a must listen album.
5
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Fri Feb 02 2024
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
In the late eighties, amidst the hair metal, punk rock, new wave, and boy bands this album landed and shook the music world. Black, female, singer/songwriter comes in with an album of folk songs filled with protest and personal pain. 'Fast Car' is the obvious stand out, but every song hits you with Chapman's emotion and sincerity. An album of delicate power and beauty.
5
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Mon Feb 05 2024
Out Of The Blue
Electric Light Orchestra
Jeff Lynne sure can write a catchy tune. Add that to his skill with string and vocal arrangements, synth and keyboards, and round it off with his top notch production makes it hard to go wrong with any ELO album.
'Turn to Stone', 'Mr. Blue Sky', and 'Sweet Talkin Woman' are almost universally known and have been put to use countless times across all kinds of media. No one puts together so much aggressive happy tunes, but still leveling it with a bit of wistfulness and melancholy.
A beautiful double album, start to finish.
4
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Tue Feb 06 2024
Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
This is THE Hendrix album. This is his Citizen Cane. This is Hendrix given full creative and artistic control.
Sit down with this album and put on a good set of headphones to get the full experience. Feel the way the music moves across the landscape, this is sound in Ultra 3D.
Jimi takes Delta Blues and fuses it with the Psychedelic. We travel from the sky and mountaintops to the ocean and below. From city streets to outer space and everywhere in between.
Starting off with "... And the Gods Made Love", and right off you know this is not just another rock album. Weird and wild sounds attack and subside, ebb and flow and take you into the greeting of "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)". A welcome to the show, open arms inviting you in.
But now we gotta speed up to get across the city
with "Crosstown Traffic" showing you the chops include more than mellow mixes.
"Voodoo Chile" throws down the gauntlet and let's you know just how much a BAMF Jimi is.
Break into "Little Miss Strange" for a bit lighter fare, fun and bouncy before sliding into a sultry"Long Hot Summer Night"
"Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)" & "Gypsy Eyes" take us back towards the blues. Then"Burning of the Midnight Lamp" slows it down and starts to let us know we are gonna get deep.
"Rainy Day, Dream Away", "1983....(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" , &"Moon, Turn the Tides....Gently Gently Away" are our seaside adventures that dive into the epic and surreal with music to suit.
"Still Raining, Still Dreaming" brings us back out and gets us ready to close out the album with some (literal) burners.
"House Burning Down" is a barn burner of an epic only to be topped by the next song, arguable on of the best covers of all time.
Jimi stole "All Along the Watchtower" from Dylan, put his stamp on it and forever made it his own. The whole album has built up to this release, and boy does it deliver.
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" shores the album up and rounds it off, reminding you that Jimi is a BAD MOTHERFUCKER and that you have just experienced one of the greatest albums of all time.
15/10 this is a testament to what amazing things can be achieved in a music studio.
Remember...headphones, good headphones and let yourself be immersed in this thing of beauty.
5
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Wed Feb 07 2024
Billion Dollar Babies
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper has always seemed more Rock than Shock, more Glam than Rock, more Light Tin than Heavy Metal and for all of his seemingly bad boy persona seemingly toothless and catering more to FM Radio than its' outskirts...even considering the timeframe.
The album is fine. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' is a classic. 'I Love The Dead' seems tacked on for the shock/creepy factor to keep up the image. The rest seems like pretty standard rock.
3
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Thu Feb 08 2024
Duck Rock
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren is quite the divisive character. Manager(and sometimes the ostensible creator) of many great musical groups like The Sex Pistols, New York Dolls, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow. And while he had a large hand in making them famous, I don't think any of these relationships ended well.
On Duck Rock, there is a wide variety of wonderful musicians and sounds from across the world. And while McLaren has done a good job bringing them together on this album, my thoughts on it are colored by his controversial approach to how he treated and (ab)used these musicians.
Relationship Status: It's Complicated
3
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Fri Feb 09 2024
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
That was some cool and complex sound coming at ya. Monk is working overtime here with his composition and play. Wonderful to hear an artist at work pushing the envelope.
5
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Mon Feb 12 2024
2112
Rush
This is probably my favorite RUSH album. This is the trio at their most experimental and weird laying down grooves across time and space. A pseudo-concept album that was a wild statement in the musical landscape of its time.
While I believe that they individually are some of the most talented technical musicians in rock, especially of that era, I always feel somewhat let down by their albums. I know and appreciate just how spectacular they are in their instruments, but I guess I expect that to result in a better whole product. I don't think I have been surprised at a RUSH album, no matter how much I enjoy them. Still 5 stars here for 2112
5
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Tue Feb 13 2024
Pink Moon
Nick Drake
Such a pretty album. Amazing what Nick Drake accomplishes with just a guitar and a voice here. Melancholy but hopeful in an intimate setting like someone sharing their secrets with you at 2am after a couple bottles of wine.
5
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Wed Feb 14 2024
A Date With The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
Some songs recognized the world over along with strong vocal harmonies. A solid benchmark for the genre.
3
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Thu Feb 15 2024
Siembra
Willie Colón & Rubén Blades
Right from the beginning, it grabs you by the waist and you can't help but dance and sway to the beat. Salsa/World/Disco, blended and fused to masterful effect. I found myself singing along even though I had no idea what the lyrics were. The rhythm section is top notch and the bass in particular sweeps you away and fills you up.
Siembra is insistent and overwhelming in the best of ways. An excellent record, start to finish.
5
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Fri Feb 16 2024
Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone
This is a powerhouse of an album both musically and in the scope of history. Released just one year after the assassination of Dr. King and in the face of the civil rights movement turmoil, Sly and the Family Stone kept preaching unity. STAND! was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.
But, not only it is a record of import, it is a tremendously universal and pervasive even to this day. Covered and sampled by the likes of Diana Ross, the Jackson 5, Jimi Hendrix, amongst countless others. These tunes are used in movies, tv, advertisements...if you haven't heard some piece or version of Everyday People, I don't know how you you have moved through the world thus far. It is even claimed that this is the first presentation of the slap/pop bass playing technique.
On top of all that, every track here is a gem of Soul/Funk/Rock fusion goodness. The band is kicking ass, having fun, and bringing the listener with them on a groove filled adventure. Nothing but love for this record.
5
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Mon Feb 19 2024
Aqualung
Jethro Tull
Could listen to this on repeat(and have) for hours on end. Delicate acoustic coupled with with heavy brashness. Evocative lyrics and composition. Top of their game here.
5
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Tue Feb 20 2024
Oedipus Schmoedipus
Barry Adamson
Interesting concept, well produced. I would watch this fictional movie based on this 'Soundtrack'
4
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Wed Feb 21 2024
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
Folk Pop sounds through the lens of Psychedelia. Picture Book is probably the best known track. Solid songwriting and playing.
4
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Thu Feb 22 2024
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin
Arguably one of the top bands. All of their albums play like Greatest Hits albums. Add to it one of the most recognizable songs of all time and it is an instant include on this list.
Page and Plant scream to the heavens while Bonham and Jones drives them through the paces and changes on this classic record.
5
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Fri Feb 23 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Even with the MASSIVE drug and alcohol abuse, Black Sabbath put out an amazing record. A veritable blueprint for Heavy Metal albums to come.
4
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Mon Feb 26 2024
Pretenders
Pretenders
Chrissie Hynde's voice is irresistible A great debut album with the absolute classic 'Brass in Pocket' leading the charge. An excellent introduction to an impressive talent.
4
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Tue Feb 27 2024
Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
Our mad, American poet troubadour.
5
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Wed Feb 28 2024
Germfree Adolescents
X-Ray Spex
Early New Wave/Punk album. Poly Styrene definitely makes her mark here and blazes her own trail.
4
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Thu Feb 29 2024
Arular
M.I.A.
Fun beats and a wide mix of sounds. Glad that I pulled up the UK version so that I got to hear Sanford and Son on URAQT.
3
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Fri Mar 01 2024
Kind Of Blue
Miles Davis
Look up the definition of 'Cool' in any dictionary and you should see a picture of Miles Davis just being his badass self. And then you add the rest of this murderer's row of musicians and it is no surprise with just how fantastic of a sound they get.
So What is one of the best jazz tunes ever written. All that build up at the beginning, so tense and restrained, then finally release to float off into the groove.
Titans of Jazz here just laying down the good stuff.
5
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Mon Mar 04 2024
There's No Place Like America Today
Curtis Mayfield
Smooth and soulful. Quietly understated.
4
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Tue Mar 05 2024
Ragged Glory
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
It was....fine, I guess. Not sure that I am a Neil Young fan.
3
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Wed Mar 06 2024
Liquid Swords
GZA
Rap is not a style that I listen to often, but I do enjoy story tellers in all genres and GZA (along with the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan) delivers in this area. I absolutely love the aesthetic of Wu-Tang Clan, mixing the East Coast hip-hop/rap of early/mid 90s with the backdrops of Martial Art movies and Motown grooves and samples. I have always appreciated that aspect of it without really listening to it before recently.
The album was mixed in RZA's basement studio and that gives a guerilla warfare feel to it. The beats are simple but tight with samples layered into the background. All laid down to paint a picture, no real wasted brushstrokes here, everything seems to serve the narrative of each song.
Having just recently done a dive into Enter the Wu Tang(36 Chambers), I appreciate the rest of the crew jumping in with GZA on these tracks. They accentuate but don't overshadow the solo work here. I can see this album working it's way into a regular rotation for me when the Rap mood hits me.
4
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Fri Mar 08 2024
Different Class
Pulp
Less poppy than Oasis, Less disco than Blur, a good mix and blend of guitars and beats with more experimental sounds to give it a variety not reached by the other 90s Brit Pop bands.
Common People is super catchy. I more enjoy the Shatner/BenFolds version, but see why they liked it enough to want to pay tribute.
I Spy gives off the feel of a Leonard Cohen ballad, silky smooth and covered in cigarette smoke.
Disco 2000 reminds me of Laura Branigan's Gloria.
Something Changed evokesThe Smiths with wispy keyboards in the background dancing with Johnny Marr jangles on the guitar.
Underwear is a track that I could see Arctic Monkees using as a template for a good portion of their tunes.
Rounding out the album with the manic energy of Monday Morning breaking into the cool, soothing denouement of Bar Italia. Well crafted from start to finish. Well plied hooks and eminently easy to sing along to
3
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Mon Mar 11 2024
Power In Numbers
Jurassic 5
Tight, jazzy beats. An excellent groove. On some of the tunes, the vocals don't mix as well as others; they are a bit too much in the foreground. All the samples make a smooth interstitial thread that keeps the movement through the tracks nice and buttery.
3
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Tue Mar 12 2024
The Wall
Pink Floyd
A band at the apex of their creativity and execution. The rock opera/concept album that all others are judged beside. The orchestration, repeating motifs, cyclical structure, the pure raw emotion on display, the juxtaposition of the grand and the personal. Filled with iconic tunes and moments, a masterpiece greater than the sum of its' parts.
5
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Wed Mar 13 2024
Tarkus
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I bit of Prog Rock Weirdness. Starting off side A with a 21 minute song with 7 movements like a movie soundtrack conveying the whole story. Side B seems to be 6 unrelated songs that veer between Prog and Rockabilly. Solid musicians but it is like 2 different albums. THAT COVER THOUGH!!!!! That cover is a 5!
4
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Heavy Weather
Weather Report
A great Jazz Fusion album. The interplay betwixt the musicians is top notch. Jaco Pastorius on bass is fantastic, slinky and smooth on the fretless...a talent gone too soon.
4
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Live And Dangerous
Thin Lizzy
Solid live performance.
3
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Coat Of Many Colors
Dolly Parton
A wonderful mix of the personal and over arching themes ubiquitous in this life. I am not a country fan, but if everyone were to listen to her and take her words to heart it would be just like that final track, 'A Better Place to Live'. Dolly has spent her life quietly doing her best to live up to that mantra.
5
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Is This It
The Strokes
When this came out over 20 years ago, the Sous Chef where I was working told me about this band that reminded him of the Velvet Underground. He was about the age I am now and we both shared a love of music.
'This Is It' is such a New York album for me. Quick paced and loud. Every song is like a New York Conversation. All of the instruments are distinct, weaving in and out, sometimes arguing, sometimes complementing, sometimes taking turns. All atop Julian Casablancas lyrical storytelling introducing us to a cast of characters throughout.
Loved it then, love it still.
4
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Wed Mar 20 2024
S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
Some claims that this is the 1st rock opera/concept album. Solid Psychedelic Rock coming out of the 60s. Mad sounds, quick changes and fanciful lyrics keep it afloat.
3
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Thu Mar 21 2024
Trio
Dolly Parton
3 top tier country voices and excellent session backing crew. Not my genre but solid performances all around. This was a much anticipated grouping that had been in the making for probably over a decade. I don't think anyone was disappointed.
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Want One
Rufus Wainwright
Delicate and brash, pulling from a wide array of genres. Lyrically playful and vocally enticing, the songs ebb and flow throughout. A beautiful album
5
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Mon Mar 25 2024
A Night At The Opera
Queen
One of the greatest of all time. 15/10 No Notes.
5
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Back At The Chicken Shack
Jimmy Smith
Smooth and mellow all the way through.
3
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Wed Mar 27 2024
The United States Of America
The United States Of America
Solid psychadelic rock. Sounds like Floyd meets experimental era Beatles.
3
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Thu Mar 28 2024
Private Dancer
Tina Turner
The album that solidified Tina as a solo act.
3
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Fri Mar 29 2024
Ágætis Byrjun
Sigur Rós
Ambient and moody. Etherial and weighty. Melodic and dissonant.
I picked up the album they put out after his one based off of their sound.
Their music would not be an every day play for me, but it can hit the right spot when needed.
3
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Hot Buttered Soul
Isaac Hayes
Only 4 song, but one is 12 minutes and one is 19 minutes and the whole album is fantastic. The tension, build, and release of each piece is masterful.
5
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Band On The Run
Paul McCartney and Wings
McCartney can write the hell out of pop songs. And they are not just formulaic. Constant changes and movements, but all the while with an irresistible hook and immensely singable lyrics layered with wonderful harmonies.
4
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Hearts And Bones
Paul Simon
Not sure about this one, I guess I expected something different going in. It definitely seemed smaller in theme and scope, everything on a much more personal scale. Everything was good with a couple great moments thrown in.
3
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Thu Apr 04 2024
Lost In The Dream
The War On Drugs
The best 80s album of 2014.
It was good, very reminiscent of 80s era new wave and radio rock.
3
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Fri Apr 05 2024
1999
Prince
A master musician and excellent artist. One of the best of its' era.
5
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Jagged Little Pill
Alanis Morissette
I don't think that I have really listened to this since the 90s. It really hit at just a perfect time. I feel like if it comes out a year or two earlier or later it doesn't become as big as it did.
It has the whole gamut of emotions, harsh and soft, calm and frenetic, and everything in between.
And it has Flea on bass for a song.
4
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Tue Apr 09 2024
Nevermind
Nirvana
An album that hit at the perfect time. It set sail to 1000 bands. Not overly complex but every song on there is catchy and instantly recognizable.
4
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Basket of Light
Pentangle
The sounds of a Renaissance Faire. Read on Wikipedia that they were Folk Jazz and I don't think that I knew how that would sound until I played the album and the moniker fit perfectly.
3
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Thu Apr 11 2024
Liege And Lief
Fairport Convention
Was fine, maybe I am too removed from it and context would be important.
3
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Fri Apr 12 2024
Tommy
The Who
Maybe I just have a soft spot for Rock Operas, but this is a great album. Universally known and respected amongst listeners and musicians alike. Any time a piece of art s translated across multiple media, you know you have something special.
5
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Mon Apr 15 2024
good kid, m.A.A.d city
Kendrick Lamar
I will probably have to come back to this one. I think there is something more there but I don't know if I am in the mindset for it.
3
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Tue Apr 16 2024
Synchronicity
The Police
The last Police Album and boy did they come with guns blazing. This is one of those albums that captures a band at the moment right before they disband. Egos and creative differences all come to a head and while it can make a record go wrong, if it gets done it really pushes the artists to limits that they may not have reached elsewise. A masterpiece, start to finish.
5
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Wed Apr 17 2024
Dub Housing
Pere Ubu
Talking Heads meet the Minutemen. Coming out in 78, it had to be on the forefront of the post punk movement and I am sure it was a huge influence on bands that came after. DIY and experimental, punk and weird. A fun listen.
4
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Thu Apr 18 2024
Talking With the Taxman About Poetry
Billy Bragg
3
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Fri Apr 19 2024
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Richard Thompson
Inoffensive and middling but not poorly done. The album cover itself definitely evoked more of a response.
3
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
Solid jazz all the way through, but the Afrobeat coming through(especially on the latter half of the album) puts it over the top.
4
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Tue Apr 23 2024
Station To Station
David Bowie
The Return of the Thin White Duke. The album right between Young Americans and the start of his Berlin Trilogy (Low). Weird and enigmatic with Golden Years being the song probably most known. Each song has a different feel, but a definite line that passes through the entire album and ties it all together.
Coming off of starring in The Man Who Fell to Earth, so coked out of his mind that years later he admitted to only having vague flashes of memories of recording/producing the album. Chaos and madness and vision and collaboration...and still a brilliant work of art,.
5
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Wed Apr 24 2024
School's Out
Alice Cooper
The title track is a classic. The bass player does a lot of heavy lifting on this album. The pseudo showtunes are a little weird, did not expect to hear West Side Story tracks here. I never got the hype on Alice Cooper but the album is fine.
3
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Thu Apr 25 2024
L'Eau Rouge
The Young Gods
Can definitely see the DNA of this album making its' way through the later Industrial album.
4
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Virgin Suicides
Air
Starts off with a great tune and continues on with it a a motif throughout. Not sure how it would set with me if I had watched the movie before listening. Good album, plan to watch the movie to see if it gives greater impact.
4
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Mon Apr 29 2024
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash
CSN puts together some good music. Their harmonies really set them apart. A very strong debut album.
4
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Tue Apr 30 2024
Paranoid
Black Sabbath
One of the best of its era, one of the best of its genre. A seminal work that holds up today and will stand the test of time.
5
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Wed May 01 2024
Music
Madonna
Seems only tangentially related to Madonna. Could have been anyone singing these tracks. I think I had heard 2 of the songs on here before. It was inoffensive and forgettable but okay for what it is.
3
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Thu May 02 2024
The Cars
The Cars
The Cars came about at what seems the perfect time for them. They were able to masterfully mix Rock, Pop, and New Wave in such a way that created a catalog of almost nothing but gold. The songwriting from start to finish is in perfect balance. Catchy riffs and lyrics, but in such a way that you never tire of hearing them. An amazing debut album from a criminally underrated band. Every song on here is an instantly recognizable hit.
5
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Fri May 03 2024
Marcus Garvey
Burning Spear
Mellow and powerful and scathing and soothing and light and heavy all in turns. Many levels to enjoy this on and you could just have it on in the background all day.
5
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Mon May 06 2024
Physical Graffiti
Led Zeppelin
I wish I liked them more than I do. That being said, I never really find any fault in their albums. Excellent musicianship, production, and songwriting. I enjoy all their stuff, but it never seems to grab me like some other music does. Still top notch in every way.
5
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Tue May 07 2024
Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
A scathing jab at the record industry and its' costs and a plaintive look at innocence lost, Wish You Were Here is an outstanding work of art. Any part of it can be taken in and enjoyed but to feel the full weight one has to listen to the album in its' entirety.
I had listened to everything piecemeal and loved them all. One night while sitting alone in a car at night waiting, I had the radio on and was listening. The station was one that was on the outside fringes of reception and they while they played great stuff they were sometimes erratic with actually having music on. So when the radio went silent for a bit I almost turned it off. But I thought I heard something quiet in the distance so I turned it up. It was Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) and it absolutely gutted me. If anything had been open I would have run to go get the album immediately. As it was I picked it up the next day and it has been one of my favorites ever since.
Few albums convey such pain, anguish and longing in such a beautiful manner.
5
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Wed May 08 2024
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
One hell of a live album showcasing just how James Brown could own a crowd.
4
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Thu May 09 2024
Dust
Screaming Trees
Good album, but not enough to really stand out for me especially for the time frame it came out. No real surprises until the last track, but there were many hooks and phrases that are either reminiscent of something previous or influenced something later.
3
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Fri May 10 2024
Celebrity Skin
Hole
I am not a fan of Courtney Love.
I am a fan of Melissa Auf der Maur and Billy Corgan can write music like few others(especially at this point in time).
4
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Mon May 13 2024
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
Beautiful background music. I could see myself sinking into this deeper.
4
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Tue May 14 2024
Off The Wall
Michael Jackson
A classic. Songwriting credits include Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney on top of Jackson himself. And with production by Quincy Jones. Start to finish top notch songs. He was called the King of Pop for a reason.
5
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Wed May 15 2024
Youth And Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
I wanted to like this more. I think it was the voice that turned me off of it.
3
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Thu May 16 2024
Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
Starts off as a standard early 80s album and then branches more into the psychedelic.
4
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Fri May 17 2024
Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Enjoyed it. A sparse record, but a lot to unpack. Mind boggled at it being bought by the record company for 100 Pounds and went on to sell 150,000 copies.
4
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Mon May 20 2024
3 + 3
The Isley Brothers
This goes hard as hell, funky and smooth as fuck.
4
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Tue May 21 2024
Van Halen
Van Halen
One of the greatest debut albums from a band that quickly moved them to legendary status. One of the best rock guitarists of all time with one of the best front men of all time. While Eddie is the Wizard Dave is the Showman. Dave brought a sort of Vaudville mentality to the rock world and really added a sense of fun and joviality to the standard flamboyance and overt sexuality of the rock and roll front man.
5
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Wed May 22 2024
Beach Samba
Astrud Gilberto
Fine for a mid 60s bossanova/samba feel.
3
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Thu May 23 2024
Third
Soft Machine
Jazz/Prog/Psychadelic/Rock Fusion. Good Times.
4
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Fri May 24 2024
OK
Talvin Singh
Very much 90's electronica. There were some spots that sounded a bit low tech but that could have been on purpose.
3
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Mon May 27 2024
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smashing Pumpkins
One of the greatest albums of the 90s. The musical range on this is amazing, a sonic voyage across a two hour roller coaster ride.
I saw them on the RHCP tour double opening with Peal Jam during their Gish release. Thought they were okay, but kinda shitty to the crowd and each other so their next couple of albums were had stuff I listened too but never picked up. Then Mellon Collie came along and blew everything around it out of the water, it raised the Smashing Pumpkins out of the 90s era 'Every Grunge Band Ever' into a whole new pantheon. It has to be in my top 50.
5
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Tue May 28 2024
1984
Van Halen
The last 80s Van Halen album to feature Diamond Dave and nothing but hits again. While at the end of their run, Van Halen still put out some of their most recognizable tunes. Jump and Panama are probably the biggest tunes but I defy anyone to listen to the opening drums of Hot For Teacher and not instantly know what they are listening to.
10/10
One of the most iconic albums of the 80s
Would listen to over and over(and I have).
5
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Wed May 29 2024
Guitar Town
Steve Earle
Country is not for me, but this was fine. Solid production and good musicians.
3
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Thu May 30 2024
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
Not a fan of Elvis, but he was a top notch performer.
4
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Fri May 31 2024
Aftermath
The Rolling Stones
Often thought of as the first album where they really become the Rolling Stones.
They say that you are either a Beatles fan or a Stones fan. While I am staunchly in the Beatles side of this argument, when the Stones are on they are hard to beat. Paint it Black is one of the GREAT rock and roll songs. The rest of the album holds pace with it and shows off just what they can do.
5
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Mon Jun 03 2024
Harvest
Neil Young
Just not a fan of Neil. Somethin about his voice or style just leaves me cold. I respect his writing and musicianship but I don't think that he will ever(on his own) get more than a 3 from me.
3
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Tue Jun 04 2024
Meat Is Murder
The Smiths
I have never liked Morrissey.
That being said, all of the musical output from the Smiths is excellent. Especially perfect for its' time. And the rest of the band is just fantastic. Johnny Marr is SUCH a masterful guitarist. Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce in the rhythm section are tight as hell. The people who hated the Smiths in the 80s wished they could make music just half as good.
5
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Wed Jun 05 2024
...And Justice For All
Metallica
This one comes with A LOT of baggage. Puppets is one of the greatest metal albums of all time and the Black Album is one of the most commercially successful albums of all time. Justice is right there in between them in many ways.
It is the first full length album after the passing of Cliff Burton, after their first real surge in popularity, after a monster amount of touring, first with Jason Newsted, first with a new label, first with a huge amount of money. It occurred during such a maelstrom of variables that they had never dealt with.
Even with their treatment of Newsted and the near disappearance of the bass on the record, it is heavy sounding record(if a bit tinny). There are a lot of stories told as to why Lars and James effectively erased the bass from the album, but it had to have been difficult to make this album without Cliff. Sure they made the $5.98 EP, but that was a couple of covers one a one off.
On the tracks themselves, they kept to many of the same themes that they had covered in previous albums but expanded in length and scope. Packing more riffs and changes while still keeping each song relatively tight. "One" became their breakout hit and this mix seemed to solidify a structure to their albums. It had enough "quiet" to make it onto the radio(the video did a LOT of heavy lifting in this respect as well) but still had the brash, thrash and anger. Something 'toned down' just enough to hook people in that might not have ever given them a second listen.
....And Justice is that middle child that desperately wants attention but is going to do it their own way. It is a stepping stone between stages in Metallica's career. Without it, metal does not come to the forefront in popular culture for several more years...if ever.
A classic album.
Give me the low end mix so I can hear the bass and I would give it an instant 5 stars.
4
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Thu Jun 06 2024
Strange Cargo III
William Orbit
I definitely heard this in the clubs during the 90s. Another album that I maybe don't have the context for why it is on the list, but it seems fine.
3
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Fri Jun 07 2024
Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes
Seems pretty run of the mill psychedelic garage rock. Nothing really stood out for me.
3
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Mon Jun 10 2024
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles
Classic Beatles album. Probably one of the best representations of the Pop era Beatles before they started to branch out.
5
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Tue Jun 11 2024
Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
This is the Beasties album that won me over to them. Less schtick and more substance.
4
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Wed Jun 12 2024
Play
Moby
The album that convinced thousand of mediocre dudes that they could be a musician/dj.
Definitely a product of its' time. The tech has come so far since then.
First half of the album is fine. Latter half tapers off a bit.
I did always enjoy learning that he worked on an Atari ST. I might know some of the guys that programmed the tools he used.
3
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Thu Jun 13 2024
Brothers
The Black Keys
Great album to proclaim that rock is not dead.
4
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Fri Jun 14 2024
Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
One of the great troubadour songsmiths. I would probably give any of his works 5 stars without needing to listen. But this is the first album, ad his early minimalist style really emphasizes the lyrics and core of the music. Beautiful, fragile, and powerful.
5
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Mon Jun 17 2024
One Nation Under A Groove
Funkadelic
The Mothership brought us The Funk. This album is irrepressible and cannot be denied. Equal parts groove, fun, and genius.
5
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Tue Jun 18 2024
Disraeli Gears
Cream
Bluesy, Psychedelic Rock...Classic album with great musicians. Would almost give it a 5 simply based on Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love. Or maybe if those 2 songs did not open the album...everything after that kinda pales after that.
4
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Wed Jun 19 2024
Sound Affects
The Jam
Excellent Brit/New Wave/Pop from the early 80s. Can tell that this where this influenced from and to. Right up my alley.
4
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Thu Jun 20 2024
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Eighties New Wave album with heavy Bass lead. Never really directly listened to any Julian Cope stuff, but he has had his fingers in many pies. Solid work but tends to stray into Psychedelia for some extended bits.
4
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Fri Jun 21 2024
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields
The concept of making 69 Love Songs seems wild on the surface. Amazingly they pull it off. It seems like they took every line and phrase you might put into one but they made each one the focus of a song. With a wide range of silly, dark, light, meaningful, soulful, playful...there seems a bit of everything here. 3.5 hours is daunting, but impressively executed.
4
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Mon Jun 24 2024
The Band
The Band
4
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Tue Jun 25 2024
Disintegration
The Cure
If you are feeling sad and melancholy and WANT to feel sad and melancholy, there are few better records. In the midst of late 80s rock turning into early 90s grunge, The Cure one of the most brooding Goth/Emo rock records of all time and arguably their most popular one.
After the 'cheerier' outings of Head On The Door and Kiss Me, Kiss, Me Kiss Me, Disintegration is a return the comfortable gloom that you can wrap yourself up in. Heavy with synths and slow moving changes, Disintegration was an album that...I can't saw it blew them away but it definitely made millions of teens FEEL.
Its' production and construction hold up today. Disintegration may have hit the age that it is probably more well known for the use of its' singles in movies, tv, and commercials, but it is an album that stood alone in its' time.
5
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Wed Jun 26 2024
Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey
More tame than Rid of Me, but you cannot deny Polly Jean Harvey. Silky and urgent, longing and demanding.
4
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Thu Jun 27 2024
California
American Music Club
It was fine, I don't know that I was in the mood for this style. I may revisit later.
3
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Fri Jun 28 2024
Third
Portishead
Portishead is great, could listen to them most anytime.
4
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Mon Jul 01 2024
What's Going On
Marvin Gaye
On of THE GREAT voices laying down love and humanity for all. Impeccable backing and such a great backdrop for the vocals. Could listen over and over.
5
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Tue Jul 02 2024
The Doors
The Doors
Few bands have a debut album of this caliber. The Doors come out of the gate fully formed...dark, dreamlike and disturbing with twisted sense of fun. Almost every track here is a classic and one of the most epic ending tracks ever produced.
5
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Wed Jul 03 2024
Morrison Hotel
The Doors
Back to back with their debut album is a weird coincidence. Not as strong as some but still a classic.
4
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Thu Jul 04 2024
Country Life
Roxy Music
Great Art Rock, all over the place stylistically. Good production, excellent musicians.
4
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Fri Jul 05 2024
Out of Step
Minor Threat
Influencing punk rock since the beginning of time. Classic punk sound and ethos.
4
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Mon Jul 08 2024
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
Every song a rocker, every one playing at such a high level. Zeppelin sets a new bar every time they make music.
5
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Tue Jul 09 2024
Deja Vu
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
They are definitely more than the sum of their parts. Great songwriting, excellent production, and masterful harmonizing.
5
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Wed Jul 10 2024
Skylarking
XTC
Definitely got more into it as it progressed. Quite a pretty album with great sound.
4
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Thu Jul 11 2024
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
Anytime he comes up I am reminded of the Bowie tune, Song For Bob Dylan...
\"Oh, hear this Robert Zimmerman
I wrote a song for you
About a strange young man called Dylan
With a voice like sand and glue
Some words had truthful vengeance
That could pin us to the floor
Brought a few more people on
And put the fear in a whole lot more\"
With a voice like sand and glue, Dylan is a troubadour, songwriter, and above all else a story teller.
5
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Fri Jul 12 2024
I See You
The xx
Started off with a strong sound with a cool bass line but tapered off almost to the point of plodding. Okay but not anything I see myself doing a deep dive on.
3
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Mon Jul 15 2024
Either Or
Elliott Smith
Delicate and beautiful and sad and sweet and tragic.
5
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Tue Jul 16 2024
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
The Original, The One and Only. These guys put out the template and opened the door for all that came after and this is one hell of a first outing.
5
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Wed Jul 17 2024
Permission to Land
The Darkness
I Believe In A Thing Called Love is definitely the most recognizable song on the album. The rest of the songs were fine, but nothing that really stood out.
3
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Thu Jul 18 2024
Technique
New Order
A great album full of instantly recognizable tracks that are institutions to themselves.
4
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Fri Jul 19 2024
Hot Rats
Frank Zappa
Great musicians that know their stuff but it just sounds too much like a jam band session for my taste.
3
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Mon Jul 22 2024
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Chock full of standards known the world over. Top notch Jazz.
5
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Tue Jul 23 2024
Exile On Main Street
The Rolling Stones
Mostly straight up Blues Rock on this Stones album. Not as many 'hits' as some other albums but solid rock and roll throughout.
4
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Wed Jul 24 2024
So
Peter Gabriel
The most conventionally popular album for Peter Gabriel. Chock full of excellent musicians and fantastic tunes. The first album that I bought with my own money, the first artist I did a major deep dive into their discography, #2 best live performance I have ever seen. SO is truly a bridge to the rest of his works, more accessible but with all the things that you love in a Peter Gabriel album.
5
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Thu Jul 25 2024
D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
When listening, I had left the repeat on and I think it got around to the 3rd play through before I noticed. I guess it is an interesting album for the time frame it came out. I can see what they were going for and it was fine, fairly inoffensive for what it is.
3
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Fri Jul 26 2024
What's That Noise?
Coldcut
I can hear how this influenced later works in the genre. Good beats and a playful style with the sampling.
3