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Wed Mar 13 2024
Hotel California
Eagles
While the Eagles are one of the best selling bands of all time, it's notable that they aren't really loved by the younger generations. Certainly not at all the way Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin or of course The Beatles are
They do almost everything very well; they all are very strong instrumentalists, the harmonies are on point, they have good musical chemistry and occasionally can churn out a strong lyric. Morever if the rest of the album was as strong as the first two songs the album would merit a really high rating, but the album decreases in quality (mostly songwritingwise) after that. And exposes the fact that The Eagles can be cheesy and boring at times. Still "New kid in town" and particularly Hotel California are fantastic songs fully deserving of being classics. Try and love are alright as well.
Would give it 3.5 stars , because the album starts out so strong. But can't bring myself to give it 4
3
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Thu Mar 14 2024
Automatic For The People
R.E.M.
While I really like some of REM's songs, I found to chord progressions to be relatively uninteresting, and the album doesn't have the attitude or transcendent performance to make up for it.
I have to admit though, that I don't think I gave it a deep listen, and that my opinion might change if I do
2
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Fri Mar 15 2024
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
I respect the ambition to create this, but don't enjoy listening to it
2
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Mon Mar 18 2024
Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Average sounding blues/rock band with a singer who stands out.
Listening to a song or 2 with can be enjoyable given the sheer power of Janis Joplin, but can't make up for songwriting and instrumentation which doesn't sound particularly good.
Listened to about half the album, before I got tired of it.
2
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Tue Mar 19 2024
Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Very good storyteller, the songs are basically like short stories.
And the music is really enjoyable to listen too also
4
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Wed Mar 20 2024
Vol. 4
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are one of the central pioneers in the metal genre, while
Beatle song's such as Helter Skelter or I want you or Jimi Hendrix's Manic depression were also very heavy it's Black Sabbath that puts the whole package together. The low end heavy and at times dissonant riffs, the iconic imagery, the often times dark lyrical themes. What sets Sabbath apart though from other metal icons is their versatility, the drummer's funkiness, the authentic vulnerability of Ozzy's lyrics on songs like changes. The riffage of Tony Iommi sometimes leading the way to beautiful almost celtic sounding ballads. This is pure metal, darkness explored in a way that is meaningful and real. Not the cartoonish "edgy-ness" of later bands, nor the dick-measuring contest of who can shred faster or play louder. Heavy, funky and at times beautiful
4.5 stars
4
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Thu Mar 21 2024
The Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks
Good melodies and guitar-work, with at times clever lyrics.
Also interesting that each song is a character study.
However this nostalgia for all things traditionally english (which I and most people can't relate to at all) , and it clearly taking place in it's time gives it character but also dates it.
(The Beatles have kind of similar themes in songs like Penny Lane, but the visuals / story-telling and central themes are so good that it makes it universal and timeless)
.To me the album is imaginative and upbeat but simply sounds kind of dated, and doesn't transcend in such a way that I feel really compelled to revisit it again beyond a couple songs.
Would give it 3.5 stars as I thought it was pretty good, but not amazing
3
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Fri Mar 22 2024
Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches
Happy Mondays
Very funky and original.
Well performed and produced, even though its at times deeply layered you can hear every element clearly and it's never overloaded.
The lyrics are fun and catchy too.
Particularly excellent guitar playing and bass playing
Lastly, making good happy music isn't easy, and they really pull it off so there's that too
4
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Sat Mar 23 2024
Exodus
Bob Marley & The Wailers
5
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Sun Mar 24 2024
Diamond Life
Sade
4
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Tue Mar 26 2024
Fear Of A Black Planet
Public Enemy
3
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Wed Mar 27 2024
A Little Deeper
Ms. Dynamite
Decent album, first artist I hadn't heard of at all from the generator.
When I heard "Dy-Na-Mi-Tee" I thought I might be in for a banger of an album. But it turned out to be the best song on the album.
Very of it's era, both in it's production/performance and lyrical themes.
There are occasionally pretty original arrangements and Ms.Dynamite is a very good singer, I can understand why it resonated at the time it was released but can also understand why it isn't viewed as a classic album all these years.
3
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Fri Mar 29 2024
The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
Interesting elements, but couldn't really get into it
3
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Sat Mar 30 2024
Surrealistic Pillow
Jefferson Airplane
Somewhat inconsistent album, and sometimes to hippy-ish.
But the standout tracks are really amazing.
I love the poetry of Today and particularly of Comin Back to Me, just beautiful songwriting.
As well as the power of Grace Slick and catchiness of Somebody to Love.
Interesting production choices too, what an insane amount of reverb on the drums. Sounds like someone is playing far in the distance.
The band plays well, has two very good singers (who compliment each other perfectly) and the songwriting is at times amazing. That trascends any weaknessess the album may have
4
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Sun Mar 31 2024
Cross
Justice
2
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Mon Apr 01 2024
Daydream Nation
Sonic Youth
I admit I went into this with a bias against Sonic Youth.
They seemed to me to be the definition of style over substance, and they seemed like they viewed themselves as the coolest people ever. (See their interview with Nardwuar) Already in the first song I could hear that they were pretty innovative, as they sound like a 90s band despite the fact the album was made in the 80s. I could hear how the instrumentation(particularly the guitars) influenced great bands and albums (Loveless, The Bends) I would say they sound like an assortment of important 90s bands, but in reality I guess many 90s bands sound like them. Despite that, listening to the album confirmed some of my prejudices; the spoken word sections are meaningless and pretentious. The social critiques (lyrically) sound really basic and the album is excessively long. Still there are really interesting moments musically, particularly in the instrumental sections. The music sounds raw and at the same time very clear and layered. It sounds DIY but sophisticated and even when it's noisy and wild they create an interesting atmosphere.
3.5/5 because while it's innovative and interesting, it has it's drawbacks and to my ear's doesn't have that much replay value.
3
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Tue Apr 02 2024
Highway 61 Revisited
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan goes electric, with a fantastic backing band (The Band)
What's interesting about Bob Dylan (from a lyrical perspective) is how the lyrics seem at once polished while simultaneously seeming like a total stream of consciousness. The lyrics sound good, the story-telling is amazing (and at many times funny) and yet something about his delivery and perhaps his willingness of veer off course narratively (though he always finds his way back) make it seems fresh.
It's an interesting contrast with Leonard Cohen, who's lyrics sound totally perfect and thought-out. Dylan instead comes across as kind of wild and unpredictable (Cohen can be unpredictable too in his words, but everything seems pre-meditated) While with Dylan it's like fuck it, "the sun's not yellow it's chicken!"
The first song is a masterpiece, just incredible story-telling. Every line is piercing, and often clever and devastating. You feel mixed about the once-rich main character who was fucked over by a diplomat with a siamese cat, yet was oblivious to inequality and suffering when they were well off.
Tombstone blues is fantastic too, so fun and stimulating.
Musically the album has it's high points but is less interesting than it's lyrics with some songs in my opinion being almost a little boring. The Band sounds better playing their own songs.
However the high points are awesome, so I think 4 stars make sense. 5 stars lyrically, 3 stars musically.
4
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Wed Apr 03 2024
Siamese Dream
The Smashing Pumpkins
Instantly recognizable as a band.
They found their space in the scene and I understand their popularity. The songwriting is alright, and the band also sounds tight.
But I just can't tune into their music, stylistically the production sounds too crisp. Corrigan's voice is grating and the songs don't stick with me.
I appreciate the fact that the lyrical themes are dark, in a way that seems genuine. But it's easier to relate to that if you dig the music (which I experience when I listen to Alice in Chains)
2
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Thu Apr 04 2024
From Elvis In Memphis
Elvis Presley
By 1969, Elvis had lost a lot of his cultural relevancy.
With the Beatles and psychedelia taking over.
Just as Sinatra wasn't welcoming to Elvis, when Elvis became huge. Elvis put down the Beatles (remarking to Nixon that they were a bad influence)
His move to las vegas where his act was once too risqué is an indication that he was no longer the cool rebel but rather a symbol of times past.
Still Elvis, rather than change stylistically to keep with the times sticks to what he does well.
Vocally he sounds fantastic and the backing band sounds great too.
The album does drag a little bit though, and doesn't seem to acknowledge the incredibly interesting changes happening at the time in popular music. At times it swings but at others it sounds dated. The guitar's bass and drums sound earthy and great but the string arrangements sound cheesy.
Rather than listening to the whole album, I might re-visit specific songs.
3
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Fri Apr 05 2024
Oar
Alexander 'Skip' Spence
Can't help but feel this album made the list due to the mentally unstable- genius romanticism. But this isn't Brian Wilson making Smile.
There are moments that album show's some potential, but it is so half-assed in it's production and performance that it makes it very difficult to listen to.
I don't enjoy listening to someone having a mental breakdown, it's just sad
1
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Sat Apr 06 2024
James Brown Live At The Apollo
James Brown
5
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Mon Apr 08 2024
Home Is Where The Music Is
Hugh Masekela
I appreciate his influence in South Africa as a jazz pioneer, but I didn't find the album particularly inspiring. The playing is solid and grooves, and there are high moments but I don't have the feeling that this is something I have to revisit
3
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Wed Apr 10 2024
Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Really good songwriting, which in my mind is one of the most valuable and hardest things to find in music.
4
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Sun Apr 14 2024
Third
Portishead
A very hard album to rate.
Full of dissonant chord changes and melodies, hypnotic arrangements/loops. The singer captures isolation and trauma almost uncomfortably well.
The lack of emotional diversity (it almost all sounds isolated/alienated to me) hurts the replay value of it, this is an album to listen to when in a specific mood. I also think it's a very good album to listen to in small doses. There's a ton of interesting ideas and arrangements and they certainly accomplish what it is they seemed to be going for (capturing said isolation)
3.5 stars for the many fresh interesting ideas, I don't feel good giving the album 3 stars (seems to low for such a well executed album) but 4 seems excessive given that I didn't enjoy listening to the whole album much.
Going to give it 4
Do check out individual songs though
Machine head, Nylon Smile, We Carry on
4
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Mon Apr 22 2024
Ellington at Newport
Duke Ellington
The band sounds so crisp, sharp and sexy.
So full of life, big band music at it's best
5
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Thu Apr 25 2024
The Bones Of What You Believe
CHVRCHES
Catchy, well done pop.
The voice sounds so neutral, that it doesn't express any emotion at all to me, the music has it moments but tires fast as it doesn't swing.
Ultimately it's well done but sounds sterile to me.
2
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Fri Apr 26 2024
Dare!
The Human League
2
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Sat Apr 27 2024
The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd's greatest album.
5
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Sun Apr 28 2024
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
A rare example of an album who's second half is much stronger than the first.
The Byrds are at their best when they go introspective and personal. Everybody's Been Burned is beautiful and mysterious song with a lyric that reflects on the nature of love. Crosby's odd phrasing works perfectly in the song making it sound like he has deeply meditated both emotionally/spiritually on whether it is worth it to become vulnerable in the face of love with inevitable brevity and pain that certainly comes with it. Mind Gardens is also a fantastic song with with reflects on coping mechanisms in a very fresh and different way. The song builds perfectly along with the lyric, holding you the whole time.
There are times where the Byrds can sound just pleasant and not particularly interesting or deep, but Crosby's compositions elevate the album and give it a different dimension. It's a shame the album consists mostly of other writer's compositions. Most of the album is a 3, but because it has a couple incredible songs I'm going to round up to 4
Best songs: (in order)
Everybody's been burned
Mind Gardens
My Back Pages
Renaissance Fair
4
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Mon Apr 29 2024
MTV Unplugged In New York
Nirvana
Was expecting more from this, based on the couple songs I had heard in the past.
Part of the appeal of Nirvana is the fact that they combine really catchy almost pop-ish melodies with a explosive explosive instrumentation that has a genuine edge. Kurt Cobain can sing the living hell out of a song, and his voice has a yearning, an anger and delicateness which put's all of Nirvana's elements together.
The issue I have with the unplugged, is that a lot of songs don't hold up as well in the acoustic format. Songs like "Come as you Are" "I'm on a plain" lose of all their thrill factor and don't hold up well enough as compositions to excel in that context. Others though, like "All Apologies and Something in the way" lend themselves better to an acoustic format. The stand out of the show is Leadbelly's "Where do you sleep at night" where Kurt Cobain delivers an incredibly heart-felt vocal.
The album attained a legendary status, in part because seeing the top grunge icons of the day (especially one so punky) playing acoustic with a really beautiful setting was no doubt really interesting at the time, and Kurt Cobain's pre-mature death gives seeing such an intimate performance an added dimension.
If you take out Nirvana's status as grunge legends and all the mystique that exists around them, what you have is a band that doesn't sound it's best in an acoustic format. An exceptional singer delivering songs that don't hold up as well in an acoustic format
3
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Sat May 04 2024
Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
Very original, and bursting with ideas.
Although it was not always stylistically my thing, DJ Shadow is amazing at his ability to create surprising and fresh arrangements. At times the album really grooved too and created interesting atmospheres.
4
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Sun May 05 2024
Brilliant Corners
Thelonious Monk
Love this, contains both depth and humor.
Constantly surprising and always grooving
5
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Mon May 06 2024
The Infotainment Scan
The Fall
2
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Tue May 07 2024
A Night At The Opera
Queen
An incredibly eclectic and ambitious album.
While the album has moments where is varies in quality, the high points are historically amazing.
Bohemian Rhapsody and Love of my Life are so original and intricate. I really liked "Lazing on a sunday Afternoon"
While it's not always my style, they do what they do perfectly. Everything is played amazing, the vocals are fantastic. The music is bombastic but in a way that has aged well (which is rare)
Going to give it 4 stars because while the best songs are all timer's. I only really liked about half the album
4