Sad stuff but always love his songwriting, and influenced so much of what I like today. Goes beyond singer songwriter stuff, interesting chord progressions and layered instrumentation. The early part of the album starts off so strong and feels like it stretches a bit at times in the middle, but overall really like the pacing.
Really love just about anything Jack White touches. Great song writer, guitarist, and singer. One of my favorite guitar tones today and so recognizable. Probably prefer Raconteurs stuff out of all of it, as I like the more Americana southern rock stuff, and also has a more interesting rhythm section than just Meg, but it’s just all so so good across the board. With how much Jack was influenced by, and maybe even ripped off Zep/Plant, now feels like the appropriate time to publicly walk by my low rating of Physical Graffiti, after many more listens. That album is really damn good, and I clearly need to listen to more of them.
Foundational band for a lot of other stuff I like today. Have listened to a lot of their other albums. Most of these songs were super solid, I just think I prefer them in slightly smaller doses. Love the A side. Stars for Morrissey’s growling on track one. Johnny Marr is such a classic rockstar too - impressive range of projects since the Smiths.
This was weird and fun. Don’t even recognize the name of this band. Contemporary with punk, but ahead of their time - sounds more post punk like Talking Heads, early Modest Mouse, or, more modern, Parquet Courts. I love this stuff. Clean guitars, bass high in the mix. Messy and noisy, but finds a way to keep the wheels on - until the last few songs I suppose. Maybe a little too arty for me to return to super regularly or to play around the house, but it was great for a couple of spins with headphones on. Highlights for me are Chinese Radiation, Street Waves, and Over My Head. Great as a complete album piece. Also, newcomer Frank 2/Fascist Frank found this amazing rule book the band/collective wrote: https://www.ubuprojex.com/facts/uburules.html
Have never been a big reggae fan but this definitely challenged my tastes in a good way. Some very interesting layering and Bobs voice is incredible.
Really fun album. Just the right amount of cheesiness. Dickerson’s voice is great and Adrian Smith guitar parts are very fun. Love the prog rock aspects and the themed lyrics.
Great album front to back. Such interesting recording. Can definitely hear the influence on Radiohead - love the atmospheric stuff pulsed by more straight rock songs like time and money. Can see myself listening to this again sometime, but less relisten value only because I would need to pay more attention than just listen passively.
Wonderful album from front to back. Not a dud in the bunch. Harmonies are amazing. Rockers are good and the ballads are just as good.
Honestly a lot less exciting than I expected. Songs are a little dragged out and sounds a little flat. A lot fewer surprises on this album compared to the others I’ve heard this week. Know this is a foundational album - I’ll give it a few more listens!
Fun album overall. Really like Try and Love Again.
Fun nostalgia album
The first very unexpected find. Might not be an enjoyable listen all of the time, but it was tonight. Sounds of Radiohead for sure, and surprisingly modern given the release date. Excited to hear more of this band someday.
Good beats but way too long. Somewhere between a 2 and 3 but not everything can hit! Fun enough for one listen through, but I had never heard it until now, so couldn’t rely on nostalgia to carry me through this one. Probably no relisten.
A bit of a snooze at first listen, but really grows after a few more through.
Love Stevie but not a super consistent album overall.
Really enjoyed the first half of the album. Would give 3.5 if able. Think I like Exodus a bit more. Like High Tide a lot.
Some good sounds and even some decent tracks but doesn’t feel like it ever takes off.
This one started out as a 2 or so for me, but after a couple of relistens, notched its way up. By that point found very few duds in the bunch and the whole album holds together so well. Definitely raw, but you can hear the building blocks of where they, and the other bands they influenced, are going. Looking forward to more of the catalog.
Fun album overall. Very easy listening.
Love this album. Great 80s vibe and much more punk sound than I expected. 4.5 rounded up to a 5. Great band!
Wonderful live album. Loved the shorter original version, and the longer play added some fun live elements to it as well. So many great sax solos.
Nope nope nope. So boring. Not a single song worth going back to.
Like the idea overall. Great musicians, nice song writing, but the album just doesn't hang together that. I wanted it to either be catchier or weirder and doesn't feel like it went in either direction.
Who made this list? Make it stop.
Very enjoyable but a little repetitive.
Really fun band. Surprised by this album - great mix of prog rock and other genres.
Nice listen but not much variety. Not a huge fan of reggae and this doesn’t feel like an essential album from the genre.
Knew the name and a few songs but hadn’t dug in. Beautiful album from top to bottom. Love the guitar work with backing instrumentation, especially the piano tracks. Enough familiar folk sounds to hold onto, with some unexpected layers. Stand out was Hotline Bling.
Had a bit of trouble at first getting past what sounds like kind of a muddier mix? But love the songs - Sabbath references are fun. Step On Me was a highlight. Some sounds of Mitski, Beths, Big Thief throughout. So much more than just Lovefool.
Nice mix of some raw and some more polished songs. Not too easy on the ears at times, but the tension tends to finds a quick enough resolution. I gravitate toward the mellow moments in the end - Dumb and All Apologies stand out.
Cornell has a great voice but I can’t seem to get into this. Feels like every song is the same on this very long album, musically and lyrically not very interesting.
Found the vocals pretty annoying and the guitar style just not my thing. Sounded much more dated than other grunge albums we’ve been suggested - and man have there been a lot lately.
Three sad grunge albums followed up by the BLUES, talk about kicking a man while he’s down. BB brings so much emotion into simple his vocal melodies and guitar licks. It’s My Own Faul stands out but it’s a short album that has few dull moments. Fun to hear the interplay with the crowd and think about this being performed live in Chicago. Extra points for some really helpful advice to not go upside your woman on the head.
Love the introduction and title track - Night Life. What an amazing song. Get’s a little repetitive from there, but Ray’s vocals shine throughout. Had no idea this was Willie’s beginnings in music!
Very weird and very fun. Probably something I will put on a ton, but really enjoyed it as an album.
Sad stuff but always love his songwriting, and influenced so much of what I like today. Goes beyond singer songwriter stuff, interesting chord progressions and layered instrumentation. The early part of the album starts off so strong and feels like it stretches a bit at times in the middle, but overall really like the pacing.
Was never huge on 80s synth stuff, but am starting to like it a lot more, branching out from the earlier Go Gos album. Thought Last Chance on the Stairway was the biggest surprise on this one and am also surprised it wasn’t a single. Found the third single, Save a Prayer, a little boring.
Remember really loving this album when it came in college, listened to it a ton on the pre-Spotify streaming platform Grooveshark. Thought it would be an easy 5, but just found it a lot more boring than I remember. Kind of crazy that this album is on this list but not a single Vampire Weekend album made it. Still love the band and their sound.
Mostly a boring slog and a chore to get through. Some interesting moments in the instrumentals, especially great drumming, but Damon’s vocals and melodies just really don’t do it for me.
Elvis loomed large in my childhood. In third grade music class, we spent an entire month on an Elvis module. Mrs. M believed he had faked his death to escape his celebrity status, and she made a bunch of nine year olds sit cross legged on the floor and watch a documentary about how it was actually a wax body in the casket. My first encounter with a good conspiracy theory. Later in high school, Brian would regularly perform Elvis songs with a pretty great Elvis impression at all-school assemblies. And at Sunday mass with my family, there was always an off-duty Elvis impersonator in the congregation, doing his best to blend in with jeans and a t-shirt, but given away by his huge black-dyed pompadour. To the music, I always thought Elvis was incredibly corny - an over the top personality who doesn’t even write his own songs. But I really enjoyed going through this album. I love his voice, even the silly Elvis vibrato, and his arrangements (which I believe he had a bigger part in) really bring to life some rather simple songs. Long Black Limousine, True Love, and Suspicious Minds stand out. Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for this album, with an extra bump for nostalgia. As Mrs. M said, the king is alive.
Disc one was pretty close to a 5 for me, loved almost all of it, such great blend of loud and soft tunes. Loved Muzzle and the singles. Disc 2 felt like much more of a drag and didn’t really hit its stride as much. Plan to return to this one though, as there seems to be more here. Listened to this one live from their hometown of Chicago!
Love pop punk, but was never a massive Green Day fan and kind of thought their newer stuff was a little lame. After listening to this one, I think my only major gripe is how overplayed so much of this album was growing up, and how everything on this album sounds like it’s trying to be an anthem. But the songs are great and I love the double song, Rock opera thing. Had never heard Are We The Waiting / St Jimmy - liked that one in addition to some of the singles.
This album ROCKS - I’m sure - but just found it a little boring and even annoying at times. Some great songs on here but not enough to carry the album.
Some cool moments on here. Catchy bass lines and some horn parts. Feels a little aimless in the end, likes it’s not building toward anything. Wanted to rate it higher.
Side A is flawless - and a great summer album.
Definitely an important album in the overall Bowie story, even if not musically the most interesting. Some nice songs on here - first few tracks stand out - love almost all instrumentals across the album.
Hell of a voice but just a little too corny. Needs more Limp Bizkit covers.
I had seen the band name in passing (and unfortunately have heard the No Doubt cover of It’s My Life) but had never looked into their story or catalogue. From what I’ve read, this was a transition album from Brit synth pop to a less structured style, which didn’t come into full view until the next two albums Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, neither of which are on this list. Just an insane trajectory of reinvention for a band that seemed to be on a fast path to a more commercial life. I think this band and album may be my favorite new discovery from this list so far. I love the way they play with volume and space in the arrangements, and the vocal melodies have some unexpected turns without sounding too arty - jazz influenced but keeping some of the pop and rock footing. Clear influence on later bands like Radiohead and Slowdive. I listened to Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock as well, and think Spirit is probably my favorite of the three but this one is definitely the catchiest and most upbeat.
This album came out a year or two before I started finding and listening to my own music and for whatever reason I never listened to this one cover to cover beyond the singles. I grew up knowing Wyclef and Lauren Hill more as solo artists. I don’t know hip hop well enough, but love 90s stuff and thought this was super fun. Love the Beast and the Score.
Tried to come into this with an open mind but in the end just really don’t care for Metallica, such a self-serious band - if I’m going to listen to metal give me a little more prog rock mixed in, like some MAIDEN. Symphony was cool, but would rather just hear them on their own.
Really love just about anything Jack White touches. Great song writer, guitarist, and singer. One of my favorite guitar tones today and so recognizable. Probably prefer Raconteurs stuff out of all of it, as I like the more Americana southern rock stuff, and also has a more interesting rhythm section than just Meg, but it’s just all so so good across the board. With how much Jack was influenced by, and maybe even ripped off Zep/Plant, now feels like the appropriate time to publicly walk by my low rating of Physical Graffiti, after many more listens. That album is really damn good, and I clearly need to listen to more of them.
Feels like there’s a bit too much to “get” here and not enough to enjoy. A bit of a frustrating listen, as SY has always been on my list of bands I should probably dive deeper into. I like a lot of their contemporaries and bands they’ve influenced, but gave this a few listens and can’t really break through, beyond a few songs - Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl. Overall like the guitar layering and pushing of dissonance, but doesn’t really hang together as an album.
Grew up listening to and seeing a lot of Bruce. Saw him with my dad on the Rising tour in 2002. At college in Philly, it was kind of an obligation to have some Bruce knowledge, saw him play the final show at NY Giants stadium, and later the final show at Philly Spectrum. More recently saw him in SF with “The Sheriff”. I’ve mostly gravitated toward the full band songs and albums, and haven’t spent a lot of time with the quieter stripped down albums like Nebraska and Tom Joad beyond the hits like Atlantic City. Tried to listen to this first during the day as background, and that just didn’t work at all. This is definitely a dark nighttime album - hey it starts with a song about a murderer going to the electric chair. After a closer and slower listen, really enjoyed the songwriting, simple production, and economical storytelling. I don’t think it’s something I’ll come back to a ton, but I’m happy I finally took the time to go through it. Highlight for me is still Atlantic City, but also enjoyed Nebraska, Highway Patrolman, and State Trooper.
Enjoyed the first couple of songs. Tight drums and bass throughout and fun English mod vibe. Album felt very average overall and not something I would seek out later.
Fun grooves and solos of a little repetitive. Fun break from the US/UK shuffle of the list. Closer to a 3.5 for me, rounding up for variety.
The boys. They’re back.
Loved Snoop and this album as a kid so much. Such an iconic album cover too. Still super fun, but felt like a lot of filler too. Somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.
Wikipedia on this guy is pretty dicey - sounds like the R. Kelly of the Congo. Separating art from artist, some really fun grooves and great voice on Koffi. So many similarities with Vampire Weekend (learned Kwassa Kwassa from their song Cape Cod is named after a Congo dance) and way more obviously Paul Simon Graceland - sucker for the little looped arpeggiated licks with the bright guitar tone you hear across the three of these guys. Stars for this album, but also just for opening up a new genre/region - have really only heard Fela and Amadou & Miriam previously - would be interested to hear artists more related to this style.
A little corny at times, but the 90s were just so damn fun.
Was listening to this album on the elliptical when some asshole drove his car through my front door and started seducing my wife. All I really know of Cohen is Hallelujah, that he was with Joni Mitchell for a bit, and that he influenced a ton of today’s songwriters - Isakov and the National for sure. The title track is incredible - will definitely be coming back to it. Overall, this is more poetry set over music. I went back and listened to a bit of Cohen’s old stuff and this album does seem to have more musical structure and movement than some of this earlier tracks. Not that one can compare, but thought this album was much more memorable than Bowie’s later-life albums. Kind of the perfect album for a foggy September weekend in San Francisco.
Expected much more of a classic. Opening title track set the bar but the rest of the album felt pretty generic. Green’s vocals are certainly awesome, but the melodies felt kind of aimless. Very soulful but almost no hooks. Maybe I just don’t know what to listen for in this one and will end up eating my words later.
This was the worst thing to happen to me in a long time. I honestly can’t believe I sat through it all. The lowlights eventually became the highlights: I’ve never heard a song as bad as All In the Family. There was nothing redeeming happening on this album.
Kind of like the Fatboy Slim of India - fun grooves and interesting, just not sure I needed it. Would be interested to hear more in the genre though.
After a week of Korn and sitar covers, feels like we deserved this. I'd put Peter Gabriel and Genesis pretty high up on the list of bands that I knew I needed to hear more than I had, and drew me to slog through this list. Sledgehammer is obviously a total classic, maybe one of the best songs of all time - instantly takes me back to some of the best wedding dance floors of the last ten years. Some other tracks that stood out on their own - That Voice Again, Big Time, and even Don't Give Up somehow rocks in the end. There are some songs that I would call filler on a bad day - like Mercy Street - but I think they help the pacing and add up to a full album. Not every song can be a sledgehammer. This is the Picture is definitely "filler" but also a nice reminder from Pete that - yeah, this might be a commercially successful album, but I'm still a big fucking weirdo and I have to tell you about some excellent birds. And of course, In Your Eyes. This is live version is one of my favorite YouTube videos of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evN6DIGPIJM - such a goofy and talented dude. Went down a bit of a rabbit hole on the personnel on this album: Kate Bush on vocals, Stewart Copeland for some reason only on the hi-hat. And the violinist - L. Shankar (no relation to the Shankars) - also played in a band called Jonathan Davis and the SFA. Yes, Jonathan Davis of Korn, and the "Simply Fucking Amazings". It's like the seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, but every artist ends up leading back to Korn.
Big nostalgia album for me - listened to this and other Sufjan in college, and in Chicago after graduation. I think he’s just super talented as an arranger, and love hearing some pretty simple ideas develop. Only complaint here is the end of the album feels like it drags and doesn’t explore much new space. Frank, at the same time you nailed it. I listened to this while cleaning the kitchen with my wife this evening, and we had a very full compost bag.
Opening title track absolutely rips, Garfunkel has such a smooth upper register, just an all-timer. The rest is basically a greatest hits album. Is it a little soft and inoffensive? Sure, but these are great tunes, and I’ll always love Paul Simon. That’s three fives in a row for me - I guess I’m a little easy to please.
Ended up liking this more in the end than when I first put it on. Fun sampling, obviously experimental for the time, and foundational for stuff to come. Found myself grooving a bit to a few of these, especially the ones that sound a little more like Talking Heads - Regiment, Help Me Somebody. Good background music. Torn somewhere between a 3 and 4 on this but will pull back because I realistically won’t come back to this - but enjoyed the ride and happy I heard it. Now more familiar with Eno beyond the crossword puzzle.
Thought this was pretty cool - lots of similarities with Tull. Funny to hear the Kanye sample source here. Fripp also played guitar on the Eno/Byrne record - this was better!
Fun sounds from the same collective as Tribe. Feelin' Alright stood out, and I had fun throughout the rest, but it was a bit of a blur, other than Know Your Own History, which stood out as being, well, not good. Overall, not something I'll return to, but cool to hear some of the wider context of the era - funny to learn that Queen Latifah also came from this same collective.
I fell asleep every time I tried to get through this - one time at 2pm in the middle of the work day.
Bowie is one of those artists I’ve heard a lot of but haven’t done the full albums, but have been intending to. I only really knew Young Americans, Fame, and Across coming in. Reading more about him when we listened to Next Day (which I didn’t love) know that he has reinvented himself a few times and this was a bit of a soul-inspired phase. I think I like this Bowie sound the most, but I’m sure that will evolve as I get more into the discography. Thinking about the previous note that Sufjan needed to let loose on the vocals a bit, and this really brings that into focus: just so impressive how expressive and free Bowie is, so hard to capture that on record. The whole album feels so organic. Had to be fun as hell to be in that session with him and Lennon. This session player on the sax really brings it together, and looks like he’s played on just a ridiculous number of other big albums from the era. Have already listened to this one three times today and don’t know how or when I’m going to stop.
This is an audio-only recording of the Blue Man Group
Solid and beautiful live album. I tend to prefer instrumental jazz overall, but this was very pleasant.
I’ll admit that despite playing a lot of guitar growing up, I was for whatever reason just not that into Hendrix. Maybe it’s my first guitar teacher who said Hendrix is overrated (I think he was super into Steely Dan). This album is not really what I expected, and took a lot of listens to really figure out if I liked it or not. I thought it would be more of a blues rocker, and had it on during a run. Got a couple of miles in and Mermaid came on - not exactly a pump up song. At first listen, I found the whole thing kind of chaotic and disjointed, and there are a lot of spots where Jimmy is playing sloppy/free that I found tough to get past. After reading about how chaotic the production process was (more of an acid field party than a structured session) the vibe made more sense. It help to break it up into the four sides - side 1 is bluesy, side 2 is the most accessible, side 3 is weird and awesome, and side 4 brings it home. Also helped for me to realize that Jimmy attacked the guitar in such a unique way, especially for the time. Its not always technically insane or perfectly executed, but so expressive in phrasing and pushed tone of amp and rig to new places. Also realized from Mermaid and Lamp that he’s just a really cool songwriter. I have a lot more respect for him after rabbit holing on this album this weekend - jumping from a 3 to maybe a 4.5. Giving it a 5 more as a bookmark of an album and artist I know I need to hear more.
Interesting to read their story, and some cool connections to western music - sort of discovered by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, played alot of the big festivals, and opened for Alabama Shakes in NYC. Spotify happened to auto-play their newer 2020 album "Optimisme" after this one, and it's a completely different band. These influences above come out so much more. Obviously something sounding western shouldn't be the bar, but this album brings through the blues sounds and guitar chops so much more, while still keeping some of the west African rhythms and licks. And it rocks - especially the opening track "Bandala". Music in Exile wasn't really my thing, but will give these guys some stars as a band overall, and because we could be distant Hoy cousins.
Knew G Thang and Bitches Ain’t Shit (probably heard the Ben Folds cover more than the original). Enjoyed Lyrical Gangbang as new track to me. Great production quality and some more interesting backing tracks than other stuff from the era. Overall thought this was kind of lame though and not as fun as Snoop or the other 90s rap. Snoop really carried a lot of these songs.
This might be a controversial pick - but I just love alt-country stuff - early Wilco like AM and Summerteeth, Son Volt, Drive-by Truckers. Lots of similarities to those guys in the Puppets, though just alot of more punk on top of it. This was one of Cobain's favorite bands - they played a bunch of their songs on MTV Unplugged. Yeah, some of these songs are pretty annoying at first (and second and third listen), but overall I'm super into it. The instrumental tracks are the highlights for me - Aurora Borealis, Mindless Idiot, 100% of Nothing. Pretty close to a 5 for me.
Pretty fun listen but nothing stood out at all.
I’ve always been interested in hearing more PJ Harvey, seems like a super talented songwriter and definitely in my wheelhouse on paper, but this album felt like it never really took off. I think one of my issues with this generator is that it can drop you into an artists catalogue anywhere in their journey - in many cases it seems to have given us the most recent/last one first. I might have appreciated this album a bit more if I had more context on the progression. I skipped around on a few of her other top songs and am still interested to hear more.
I'm pretty torn on this one. Part of me is saying, hell yeah a total classic. Another part of me is saying, holy cow this is kind of a sterile, over-produced snooze. The songs are perfect, but almost too perfect, like there are too few moments where you feel like you're listening to a real band and not a synth backing track. Could use just a little more energy and emotion throughout. That said, this was super fun to listen to overall - incredible headphones album. You can hear literally every instrument crystal clear. Liking the B side more, probably because it has more guitar solos. I know I could end up liking this alot more with some additional listens. And now when Aja comes up in the crossword, I'll know what I'm talking about.
Foundational band for a lot of other stuff I like today. Have listened to a lot of their other albums. Most of these songs were super solid, I just think I prefer them in slightly smaller doses. Love the A side. Stars for Morrissey’s growling on track one. Johnny Marr is such a classic rockstar too - impressive range of projects since the Smiths.
Old country is just so cool. Liked this more than Ray Price, but this really made me want to go back and listen to Elvis, which I did, and it was great. Overall this album never really gets past good vibes, for me.
Actually liked this more than What’s Going On - super compelling conceptually, musically and lyrically. The whole thing is just so damn sad though, so need to dock a star because I don’t think I can will come back to this too often. Was also thinking, you’re a young college boy, bring a nice girl back to your place and throw a little Marvin on shuffle to set the mood, just to get hit with 90 minutes or divorce jamz.
Grew up listening to Eagles. Have seen Eagles. Thought I liked Eagles. I think I still enjoy the hits, despite them being objectively soft, but man I was surprised that this just did not hit. Made me want to go blast some Skynard.
Teeters on cheesy but Eddie saves it every time.
LCD was one of the first shows I saw with my wife, back in 2017 at Brooklyn Steel - just a great live act. I don’t really care for pure electronic music in general, but I love when a band can pull off that sound and vibe with a full band. I also love a full circle/serendipity moment - this was the assigned album on the day my first kid was born - two days ago, over seven years after that first show with my wife. I only got through a few songs in the morning when I went to grab coffees, before things got real. And here I am a few days later back home listening to New York I Love You with him sleeping on my chest. So far fatherhood gets 5 out of 5 stars, and I can’t give his first album anything less. Can’t wait to introduce him to Kollaps.
This album also threw me back to memories of first discovering my parents very limited CD collection in kindergarten. This album cover is absolutely seared into my mind, along with a few of the well known greatest hits albums - Seger, Eagles. My parents had incredibly simple music tastes - they were both focused on school for too many years when the great music from their generation was stirring up. My dad, heads down in med school at the time, once asked Jerry Harrison from the Talking Heads if they play a lot of shows around Milwaukee, thinking they were a local act. Despite that, he knew I was into music (or at least saw I sucked at sports) and was always interested in listening to or talking about music with me. He went way out of his way to take me to shows from a young age. First show I ever saw, in third grade, we were eating pizza together across from where the Goo Goo Dolls were playing, and he suggested we go, on a school night. He took me to a few Dave Matthews shows before I even finished grade school, later saw McCartney, more recently the Stones. I hadn’t thought about it in a long time, but seeing this album cover reminded me of that very small stack of CDs - the 90s parents canon of sorts. Makes me re-appreciate the interest he took in discovering new music along with me. As for this album and music, man I still love 90s music so much, and this album is a perfect time capsule of that era.
So modern sounding for an album from ‘64. This album hit so much harder than I thought it would. I would marry Dusty Springfield, fuck Buffalo Springfield, and kill Rick Springfield. Sorry, was that not the question?
Dark Side was one of the first albums served through this site, in the first couple of weeks I was doing this alone. At the time I gave it a 4 - thought I needed to leave room in the ceiling. I would give it a 5 now. I really like prog rock, through composed stuff, and albums that hang together beyond individual hits. I didn’t realize how much of a full album band Pink Floyd is, probably why I never really “got” them. They’re kind of the perfect band for this process of slowing down to listen to the whole thing. Maybe I’ll end up reranking this as well, enjoyed this a lot - man I love the title track - but didn’t really enjoy this as much as Darkside.
A weird and fun ride. Dark but somehow also jubilant. Felt like it could be a Broadway soundtrack in story, mix of styles, pacing - and well, length. Nature Boy:A Ric Flair Story. I loved this.
In high school, after Napster got shut down and before Spotify launched, I would borrow stacks of albums from the library and rip them to my computer and load them on my iPod Classic - simpler times. Cash is one that I remember well from that loot. I guess the whole prison marketing thing may be a little questionable in hindsight but these guys sound like they’re having a pretty rowdy time, and I am too.
Tight race between this album and Main Street for favorite Stones album. This one is so tight.
I could maybe do one of these tracks - Fight for Your Right or No Sleep - on a playlist as a fun throw back. A whole album of this shit is honestly so much worse than I expected. Anything redeeming I would have to say about it is offset by how mad I am I listened to this whole thing.
This was bad. A couple of redeeming things I can say about this: they seemed ahead of their time - really sound like a generic 90s band in the 70s. And Lilywhite is one of the first producers I ever knew by name, cool to hear his early work, before he went on to make more listenable music. Some nice moments in the instrumentals. I have a very high tolerance for bad/unconventional vocals, if the melodies are there and the lyrics seem worthwhile - this misses the mark.
Gave this several listens expecting to get to a 5 eventually, and I’m close but just not enough killer songs in the end for my taste. Love Boogie On, You Haven’t Done Nothin, They Won’t Go, and Please Don’t Go. The rest are good but not songs I would go back to a ton. Story here is super interesting - first album back after his big accident. Also went down a rabbit hole watching YouTube videos on his TONTO synth, that thing is freaking massive.
Great vibe and foundational for almost everything we listen to today - Elvis, Beatles and all of the artists they influenced. In that light, feels like a crime to not give this 5 stars, but don’t see this being in a regular rotation if I’m being totally honest - good dinner party album though. Favorite track was So Long.
My Dylan knowledge probably only goes 20-30 songs deep, and hadn’t heard this one. At first, thought another old man album, like we’ve heard before - Bowie, Cohen. I’ve liked it more after a few listens, and reading a little more about the story behind it. A successful comeback album after many years playing his same songs on tour. Songs were written shortly after Jerry’s passing, so lots of songs about how things eventually come to an end. As for the music, getting Tom Waits vibes in tone and production. Lanois has so many big production credits, and actually this was my first time learning that he and Eno did Joshua Tree together. Agree these songs could use a little editorial.
This was weird and fun. Don’t even recognize the name of this band. Contemporary with punk, but ahead of their time - sounds more post punk like Talking Heads, early Modest Mouse, or, more modern, Parquet Courts. I love this stuff. Clean guitars, bass high in the mix. Messy and noisy, but finds a way to keep the wheels on - until the last few songs I suppose. Maybe a little too arty for me to return to super regularly or to play around the house, but it was great for a couple of spins with headphones on. Highlights for me are Chinese Radiation, Street Waves, and Over My Head. Great as a complete album piece. Also, newcomer Frank 2/Fascist Frank found this amazing rule book the band/collective wrote: https://www.ubuprojex.com/facts/uburules.html
Of the two we’ve gotten so far, I prefer Physical Graffiti by quite an bit. At the time I didn’t really enjoy that album but it’s one of my top replays overall since. This is an interesting side of LZ with the shift to more acoustic guitar-led songs. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the rhythm section a bit in the back half, it just doesn’t rock as hard as PG, but it’s nice as an album that stretched their sound. Tangerine is one of my favorites, and have always loved Immigrant Song. The slow burn to the peak of Since I’ve Been Loving You into Tiles hits so hard. Cool as hell to think about Page and Plant, fresh off a huge tour, hanging out at a family cabin off the grid, going on walks by the pond and writing many of these songs together. The classic rock junkies in this group will have more interesting takes here I’m sure. I’ll just be over here listening to Pere Ubu.
I started learning and became obsessed with guitar in fifth grade. My Catholic grade school didn’t have a jazz band, but we were a few blocks from the public middle school, and my dad was friendly with their band director, Mr O, who let me “audition” for and join the band in 7th grade. A few mornings a week, my dad would drop me at the public school at 7am, and after practice I would lug my guitar to my school down the street - even in the Iowa winters. I didn’t really know much about jazz at the time - still know only a drop in the bucket - but Mr O was this super passionate, light hearted, and sincere guy who made everyone want to learn and get better. He would stay after school on Fridays to host bonus jam sessions with a smaller group and booked us monthly gigs at the local wine/pizza bar to play to a crowd of slightly drunk parents and their friends. Mr O had a way of making very awkward middle schoolers feel cool and important. After my “audition” he sent me home with a CD I had to listen to to get started with jazz/funk - that album?Drops of Jupiter by Train.
Chrissie Hynde is an interesting character, loved reading her Wikipedia. Raised in Akron. I can add her to the list of Akronites I’ve always known as LeBron, Devo, and the Black Keys. She played in a college band with a dude from Devo. Then moved the UK and tried to get both Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten to marry her to give her citizenship. And she has a baby with the lead singer of the Kinks. Really enjoyed this overall, but also agree with the take that a lot of this washed over me. Could see this becoming a real favorite or becoming completely forgotten in my collection. Deserves a few more relistens for sure.
Have seen the name and given these guys a chance a few times, but never clicked. Still found this pretty challenging on the first listen, but liked it more after listening a bit more closely to J’s guitar work. Agree that it feels like the bones are there for an even better band if they would take the foot off the gas every now and then. Way better than Sonic Youth but not as good as The Replacements. Wouldn’t put this in my top tier, just based on listenability, but happy I dug a little deeper on them and would be interested to hear more. The spinoff band Sebadoh, is much more my speed. More melodic, better dynamics and song structure, though doesn’t have the same guitar power. Their Album Bakesale was on my regular rotation more than 10 years ago - had forgot about them until now - time for a revisit.
I was listening to this album and my baby monitor at the same time and thought Jarret’s grunting was my son waking up from his nap. This album hit on the rainiest day we’ve had in a while, kind of the perfect soundtrack for this weather. At its best, this album is beautiful and cinematic - Jarret is clearly a freak. The listening experience improved for me once I realized this isn’t really a full on jazz album - he’s playing mostly pop progressions, with a few jazz ideas mixed in. I love jazz/pop fusion stuff, so this worked for me. And the fact that it’s all improvised is so impressive. That said, I found the wall of piano a little tiring, and was clamoring for some drum and bass behind him. I also found myself wanting more dissonance and tension to balance out the beauty - bordered on easy listening customer service hold music at times. Get weird Keith. I did really enjoy this, and just so funny to pair this with Dinosaur Jr yesterday. Rating doesn’t matter, but somewhere between a 3 and 4.
Thought this would be way cornier, but man it’s good. Smooth vocals, rippin’ horns, and dialed production. Hits multiple genres without feeling disjointed. I had probably heard Shining Star but everything else was new to me. Highlights are Yearnin’, Africano, and All About Love. No misses in my book. Hook of Shining Star sounds like Virtual Insanity by Jamiroquai, and That’s the Way of the World sounds so much like It Ain’t Over Til it’s Over. Side note, I had no idea that was a Lenny Kravitz song from 1991 - would have pegged it as a much older Motown song. Saw that Miles said EWF was his favorite band - that’s high praise. Giving a bump for that and because this is our 100th album! Now I’m thinking about that photo of Lenny Kravitz’ hog popping out of his ripped leather pants.