Jun 07 2024
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Ten
Pearl Jam
As solid as I remembered it being.
4
Jun 10 2024
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Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Still rocks
5
Jun 11 2024
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Bookends
Simon & Garfunkel
Everyone knows the tracks America, Mrs Robinson, and Hazy Shade of Winter from this album, but Save the Life of My Child was the surprise favorite on the album for me, especially having never heard it before. Voices of Old People felt a little out of place with the rest of the album, especially being in the middle of it.
3
Jun 19 2024
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Sea Change
Beck
First time I heard this when it came out and wasnt a fan, but over time I've grown to like this mellower side of Beck. Listening to it today, I still do.
4
Jun 20 2024
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Nilsson Schmilsson
Harry Nilsson
Didn't think I knew who this was, and then I heard Coconut and realized I did. I also recognized his covers of Let the Good Times Roll and Without You having heard them at some point in the past I guess. Most of the rest of the tracks were just okay to me. Jump Into the Fire was an easy standout as the best on the album for me.
3
Jun 21 2024
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The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
It kinda blended into the background on my first listen through, so I had to listen through again. I dug the instrumentals more than the rest of the tracks.
3
Jun 24 2024
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Bayou Country
Creedence Clearwater Revival
I've heard almost all the songs on this album here or there, but I don't think I've ever listened to this album all the way through until now. They all fit together quite well and this album as a whole sounds like peak CCR to me.
4
Jun 25 2024
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Endtroducing.....
DJ Shadow
I'm guessing Untitled was meant as the end of side one of a cassette, but I wish it was a full track because I dug its sound. The standout track for me was Mutual Slump. The rest had good samples but were overall just okay.
2
Jun 26 2024
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Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water
Limp Bizkit
Really? This made the list? Well here it goes...
I'm not sure if he's trying to diss Nine Inch Nails or if he's a fan of them based on Hot Dog. And then he copies Roger Daltrey's purposeful stuttering on The Who's My Generation?
I completely forgot how Take a Look Around was used in Mission Impossible 2 and then I heard the opening riff. Pretty fitting that I think that movie is the worst one in the franchise.
I did have a good laugh hearing DMX barking in Rollin (Urban Assault Vehicle). Including him and RedMan and Method Man makes the track less bad.
I will admit when this album came out I listened to it a few times after being introduced to it by a friend, but I feel like this album is meant to only appeal to a teenager. I can't see how a grown adult would actually enjoy this.
1
Jun 27 2024
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The White Album
Beatles
This was a good palette cleanser after the album I got yesterday (Limp Bizkit's CSatHFW). This album includes one of my fave if not the fave song from The Beatles, While My Guitar Gently Weeps. That opening bass gets me every time. So many great songs on this, and a Beatles record I think I could listen to anytime, anywhere.
5
Jun 28 2024
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Pelican West
Haircut 100
A band I had never heard of. But from the first track I could dig the sound. Baked Beans is my fave track (despite no singing about baked beans!) with Fantastic Day a close second. A number of the songs, like Baked Beans and Love's Got Me In Triangles give me some early Talking Heads vibes and I like it.
5
Jul 01 2024
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Synchronicity
The Police
Never have listened to this album fully. Only heard a few of the tracks before giving this a full listen through. Not a bad album but not a lot of great tracks to me. Synchronicity II is the only song on the album I really liked. Every Breath You Take still sounds real stalkery. The chorus of Murder By Numbers is just silly. "Murder by numbers ,one, two three. It's as easy to learn as your A,B,C,D,E".
2
Jul 02 2024
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Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd
A Pink Floyd album with way less posters hung up in college dorms compared to Dark Side of The Moon, but I'd say its just as good of album. It has some similar ethereal sounds and build up in each song, just maybe a little less trippy.
3
Jul 03 2024
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Atomizer
Big Black
The general fuzz noise from this album is great from start to finish. I can definitely hear how this might have influenced early NIN, Nirvana, and a few other bands (that I know of). Shame I never heard this band until now.
4
Jul 04 2024
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If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Never listened to this whole album, but have heard Monday Monday and California Dreamin of course. I like those two songs but the remainder of the songs on the album were meh to me.
2
Jul 05 2024
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Call of the Valley
Shivkumar Sharma
It's okay. Not my normal jam. Seems like it would be good elevator or mediation music.
2
Jul 08 2024
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Either Or
Elliott Smith
I know most of his work is on the softer side usually, but on this album the loudest songs are my fave. Pictures of Me and Cupids Trick. But Say Yes is also great.
3
Jul 09 2024
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Moving Pictures
Rush
This album has to have one of the most if not the most recognizable sounds for an album to kick off with.
Neal's drums are the throughline of this album for me. They elevate every song to another level.
Geddy's bass groove that he lays down on YYZ is just stellar.
Alex's opening guitar riff on Limelight is just as iconic as Neal's drum opening on Tom Sawyer to me.
I guess I've never listened to this album all the way through before since I don't recall ever hearing Witch Hunt or Vital Signs before but I've heard every other song on the album.
As a kid I ignored Rush and would change the radio station every time it came on the classic rock station. What the heck was wrong with me??
Now I gotta go get this on vinyl.
5
Jul 10 2024
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Crazysexycool
TLC
I've never listened to TLC despite them being an always popular band when I was growing up, and only heard the hits from this album, like Waterfalls and Creep.
This album gives me middle school dance vibes, but I guess that's just because it's a product of that time for me.
I liked Diggin on You. It's beat kind of reminded me of the one in Geto Boys Damn It Feels Good To Be a Gangsta.
The guitar on Red Light Special gave me some real Prince vibes that I dug.
You can also add Switch to the list of good songs that have sampled Mr Good Stuff.
3
Jul 11 2024
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The Healer
John Lee Hooker
The song with Santana to start the album sounded like more Santana, featuring John Lee Hooker instead of the other way around, which made me question what this album was going to be like.
Luckily, the rest of the album was more in the style of John Lee Hooker I had listened to before.
Overall a decent album. Not sure how much I'd listen to it again though.
2
Jul 12 2024
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Exile In Guyville
Liz Phair
Peak raw 90s. The lyrics, the sound, all of it.
Somehow (misogyny) this didn't reach the levels of popularity and radio play as other musicians of the same time but it should have.
3
Jul 15 2024
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Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes
I honestly didn't realize this came out in 1990. I've heard most of the songs before but I guess I just assumed it came out in the late 90s and not at the start of the decade.
I went in thinking that I would probably not like this album as much as I did back in the 90s, but I actually still did.
"Seeing Things" gave me some real Joe Cocker "With A Little Help From My Friends" vibes.
"Struttin Blues" was a song I hadn't heard before and I think I like it better than the albums hits. That might just be because I'm a sucker for when a band features an organ prominently on a track in just in the right way.
3
Jul 16 2024
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Tidal
Fiona Apple
Good album, but some songs kind of do blend together with each other. Why didn't I ever listen to this whole thing when it first came out and settled for only knowing Criminal and Never Is a Promise this whole time? Those two are great songs and all, but I just might like Shadowboxer even more.
3
Jul 17 2024
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One World
John Martyn
Very ambient. So much so it just kinda blended into the background and I forgot what I was listening to, and then the album was over so I had to listen to it again to try and get a better idea about it.
I dug the the funky bass on Big Muff.
If you told me that Explosions in the Sky was a big fan of his or at least the song Small Hours, it would not surprise me. It's long, its ethereal, its got guitar fading in and out, it changes to a slightly different song in the middle to come back around to how it started.
Outside of Small Hours, I can't pinpoint any other influences but I definitely hear how this could have influenced artists/songs that came after it.
3
Jul 18 2024
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Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys
I can hear the influences while also hearing what this could have influenced on quite a few tracks , like Tom Petty on Kingdom of Love, Rolling Stones on Alien, and Franz Ferdinand on Insanely Jealous and Leave Me Alone.
Unrelated to reviewing this album, this is an example of how I wish Spotify and other streaming services would split out re-issues. What shows up there now isn't the original release and is some sort of combination of the original album plus the two re-issues of it.
3 stars.
3
Jul 19 2024
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Shleep
Robert Wyatt
Eh. Not sure what to say. Had two listens through and nothing was imparted on me.
1
Jul 22 2024
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Violator
Depeche Mode
Another album on this list where I only ever listened to the hits and am glad to have finally listened to this full thing.
This is one of those albums that necessitates listening to on a true sound system or high quality headphones that can handle the highest highs and lowest lows. If you listen to this on earbuds are are missing out on so much.
All the singles are still just as good as they were before.
Of all the new to me tracks, Clean might be a new standout. Or maybe its Dangerous. Or maybe its just all of them.
Revisiting the original Personal Jesus has me thinking about Johnny's Cash's cover that everyone has talked about a lot. His version is good, but the original is still better.
5 stars.
5
Jul 23 2024
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This Is Fats Domino
Fats Domino
3
Jul 24 2024
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BEYONCÉ
Beyoncé
Barely ever listened to anything from her before, and I feel like what I have listened to outside of this was better. Some of the lyrics were very personal and autobiographical (and not ridiculous like Drunk In Love), but the rest of the aspects of the album/songs I couldn't really get into. XO was the only song that stood out to me in a good way.
2
Jul 25 2024
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Remedy
Basement Jaxx
This was okay. Decent house music but I'm not sure I could distinguish it from most other house music of the time or that followed it.
2
Jul 26 2024
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Happy Sad
Tim Buckley
When listening to this, I keep thinking about how it reminds me a lot of Andrew Bird, just without the whistling and also much less captivating sounds overall.
2
Jul 29 2024
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Moon Safari
Air
What a debut album for a band. I don't think I had ever heard anything from it until 10 years after it came out. Boy what I was missing. Love the sound you get from all the different Moog's, synthesizers, and keyboards they used to make this album. I think it would be impossible to find a time when I would not want to listen to this album at this point.
Fave track: Kelly Watch The Stars
Least fave track: You Make It Easy. It's still good, but just not as good as the rest.
5
Jul 30 2024
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Abraxas
Santana
Of course I knew the hits Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va before listening to the rest of this, but there were some other good songs on here I've been missing out on, like Mothers Daughter and Hope You're Feeling Better.
This had less guitar solos than I was expecting, but the percussion section was on point for the whole album.
4
Jul 31 2024
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Double Nickels On The Dime
Minutemen
Some real simple punk songs. By keeping all their songs so short they were able to cram so many onto a single record and they are all mostly solid, but there were some I occasionally wished were longer. With them being so short, none of them really stuck with me past the first listen through. I liked it, but it just wasn't memorable due to the quick pace.
Couldn't find anything to really confirm it, but I assume The Toadies named themselves after the song on this album?
Heard the start of Corona and had to think really hard about where I recognize it from and finally remembered.
4
Aug 01 2024
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Rain Dogs
Tom Waits
I managed to know who Tom Waits was, but never really listen to his music at all until this point.
The first two songs immediately made me think of The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack for some reason.
Otherwise the rest of the album was just okay to me. Nothing much to write about it.
2
Aug 02 2024
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Birth Of The Cool
Miles Davis
An album everyone says you should listen to, but I never have.
Good but not great. Kinda just fell into the background while I was listening.
3
Aug 05 2024
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I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Aretha Franklin
3
Aug 06 2024
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S&M
Metallica
Starting out covering the great Ennio Morricone? I guess to show off the symphony and not Metallica itself?
Not a big Metallica fan, but I do usually like symphony covers of popular songs. This wasn't quite that, but I did like classical spin on the songs, but it was just okay overall to me. Not sure I would choose to listen to it again.
2
Aug 07 2024
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The La's
The La's
I forgot I had heard of them before, just with their one hit of There She Goes. I like most everything else on the album more than that song now that I've heard the whole thing.
Also hearing the album as a whole, it almost sounded like they were going for being a newer version of Tommy era The Who, in a good way.
3
Aug 08 2024
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Vulnicura
Björk
Sounds like Bjork to me. Not in a good or bad way. Not sure what else to say about it.
3
Aug 09 2024
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Phrenology
The Roots
Not bad. Not sure how much I want to listen to it again, but I can appreciate the lyrical masterwork of the songs at least.
Water is quite out there though.. Gave me some free form jazz vibes.
2
Aug 12 2024
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1984
Van Halen
What an energy from this album. The guitars, the drums, the ridiculously fun lyrics. It's what makes Van Halen well...Van Halen.
Those drums on Hot For Teacher. So good. Listening more to the guitar on it now, I pick up some ZZ Top sounds that I don't think I noticed before.
4
Aug 13 2024
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Diamond Life
Sade
2
Aug 14 2024
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At Budokan
Cheap Trick
I usually shy away from live albums, but this one is pretty decent. But for being a live album, it doesn't have much in the way of interaction with the crowd besides being able to hear them cheer. Not a negative, but just kind of odd.
Unrelated, but I've only ever heard the live version of I Want You to Want me from this album and never the studio recording, and listening to the studio recording, I'm okay only ever hearing this live one again. The studio one isn't bad, but the live one is just so much better.
3
Aug 15 2024
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In The Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra
It's fine. I can listen to it and not cringe like I did with Limp Bizkit, but I don't think I'll ever pick it up to listen to again.
2
Aug 16 2024
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Zombie
Fela Kuti
4
Aug 19 2024
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Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
3
Aug 20 2024
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
Ah yes, the first album so many teenagers listened to while high. Or listened to it when it was synced up The Wizard of Oz...while high.
Not as mind blowing now as I thought it was when I was a kid, compared to newer psych rock I've heard in the last 10 years. But I appreciate the great sound engineering done for the album, where you can hear each distinct instrument on their own and hear how they all combine so well in every track.
4
Aug 21 2024
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Smash
The Offspring
Angry teenage me loved this album. Sorry to everyone else on the road when I was listening to this. It still holds up some for me, but probably not for everyone else.
3
Aug 22 2024
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Black Monk Time
The Monks
Never even heard of this band before, despite one of their songs being in one of my favorite movies.
It simultaneously sounds like something that could have come out in the garage rock era with The Vines and White Stripes while also being something that came out in the 60s alongside The Doors or The Kinks.
3
Aug 23 2024
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Emperor Tomato Ketchup
Stereolab
This is great. Sad I missed hearing them in the 90s when this came out.
4
Aug 26 2024
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Illinois
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan is someone I've heard of plenty but barely ever listened to. This album shows me I should have listened more. I feel like I can just say the album is "beautiful" and leave it at that. I don't know what else to say about it as a whole.
Just wow to Chicago. Such a good song. Best on the album. But The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts is a real close second.
5
Aug 27 2024
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Abbey Road
Beatles
Side one starts out strong with Come Together and mostly keeps it going except for Maxwells Silver Hammer and Because. But the medley of side two is just vastly superior. No duds, all hits to me. To top all that off we get alternating guitar solos from John and Paul and a drum solo from Ringo on The End? Pretty great
5
Aug 28 2024
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461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
2
Aug 29 2024
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Nighthawks At The Diner
Tom Waits
Semi-comedic rambling to a good bass and drum back beat in a jazz club atmosphere. No thanks.
Didn't even listen to the whole album.
1
Aug 30 2024
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Dr. Octagonecologyst
Dr. Octagon
3
Sep 04 2024
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Ramones
Ramones
A quick half hour album of solid punk hits, one right after the other.
5
Sep 05 2024
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All Directions
The Temptations
Some good classic soul and funk.
4
Sep 06 2024
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Private Dancer
Tina Turner
Not a bad album, considering I assumed I wouldn't like this album and I've heard very little of her work outside of "What's Love Got to Do with It". The album has a decent cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together. Not sure what else to say about it. My fave track is Show Some Respect.
2