Idlewild
Everything But The GirlThe kind of music that would be perfect to play at a barely audible level in a dentist's waiting room. Innocuous, inoffensive, and completely forgettable.
The kind of music that would be perfect to play at a barely audible level in a dentist's waiting room. Innocuous, inoffensive, and completely forgettable.
Beautifully produced, lush sounds, Peter Gabriel's great voice. "Sledgehammer" is the beast of this album, and I still don't know what it's about, but it's a great song. "In Your Eyes" is a classic, along with "Big Time" and "Red Rain". "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" seems the odd one out. I love how these songs aren't afraid to breathe, the majority of them 4, 5 or even 6 minutes long. Doesn't quite warrant a 5⭐ for me, but it's at the top of the 4⭐ list.
Garbage from beginning to end. Textbook example of a body grown to manhood, but a mind stuck in adolescence. Kendrick should read a book sometime, then maybe he'd be able to sing about something more than guns, drugs, and bitches.
Metallica obviously have loads of talent. But honestly, after "Master of Puppets", each song started to sound a lot like the previous. I think I can only handle Metallica in small doses.
One of the most over-rated albums in history. I enjoy a few songs such as Cover Me, I'm On Fire, Glory Days, but can't stand the titular song. All of them suffer from having been massively overplayed in their heyday. The rest of the album is middling at best.
Was pleasantly surprised by this album, will definitely put it in my normal rotation. Especially enjoyed Roads and Glory Box.
Changes is a classic, and there's the germ of Ziggy Stardust, but mostly it's standard Bowie fare. Meaning, it's not bad, but it's not particularly memorable either.
15-year old me spent a lot of time rocking along with this album when it was released. Good times.
I was a little too young to appreciate this (or even know about it) when it was released, but I wish I would have discovered it sooner. Definitely will enjoy this again.
Enjoyed The Next Big Thing, Back to Africa, Weekend. Covers of I Got You Babe and California Sun.
If I never hear "bitch, don't kill my vibe" again, it'll be too soon. This barely qualifies as music. The vaunted story-telling is so myopic it quickly turns to cliche; a world so small as to only consist of dicks, pussy, guns, drugs, and bravado that should have been left on the middle-school playground, but somehow becomes a cloak of identity. Not for me.
Surfer Rosa tarts out promising with Bone Machine and Break My Body, though the musicality is somewhat lacking. Something Against You has an enjoyable beat, but ends up being mostly noise. Broken Face I can do without. Gigantic returns to some semblance of music, with interesting vocals and guitar, and some actual song structure. River Euphrates is immediately forgettable. Where Is My Mind? is the highpoint, and it's decent with the steady beat, jangly guitar, and haunting voice, but then it's all downhill from there.
First time hearing this album. It was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed "Gentlemen", "Debonair", "Now You Know", and especially "My Curse", but others like "I Keep Coming Back" just sounded like whiny teenage angst. Maybe that's what it was, after all.
If you're looking for ambient music, this is a good album to pick.
Perfectly anodyne, perfectly uninspiring. I simultaneaously felt like I had heard every song before, and none of them. They were aiming for the Beatles, but hit the Monkees instead. Champagne Supernova is cool, though.
Very enjoyable mix of delta blues guitar, African percussion, and Arabic melodies.
When other reviews say this is mostly noise, they're not being figurative. Most of this album is literal noise, and purposely so. I'm not sure what counter-culture anti-establishment message they were trying to deliver, but whatever it was, I didn't receive it. I'm glad to be aware of this album, and having listened to it ... once. I doubt it will happen again.
Truly a great double-album. Aside from the obvious Layla, other great tracks include Bell Bottom Blues, Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out, Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?, Have You Ever Loved a Woman?, and Little Wing. I also regularly listen to the "Jams" portion of the "Layla Sessions" boxed set, which has 5 extended tracks of purely instrumental jam sessions.
Was fine, I guess, for what it is. But it's not my kind of music.
A few great songs such as the title track, and a bunch of middle-of-the-road songs. But even mid AC/DC songs are very good.
This was a monumental album when it came out and had a big impact on teenage me. Not a bad track on the album.
The kind of music that would be perfect to play at a barely audible level in a dentist's waiting room. Innocuous, inoffensive, and completely forgettable.
Listening to this transported me completely ... I felt like I was in a fancy department store, shopping for a nice, fitted dress shirt, and hearing the same song over and over again.
Not a big fan of funk, but I don't know how anybody can listen to this and not get all funked up. "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples"? I'll take it.
One of the best rock albums of all time. Opens with attitude with "Runnin' with the Devil", followed by "Eruption", *the* iconic guitar shred. Completely owned their cover of "You Really Got Me". "Jamie's Cryin'" and "Feel Your Love Tonight" are great. "Ice Cream Man" is totally David Lee Roth. I've listened regularly to this album for 40 years now and have no intention to stop. If that "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", I don't know what is.
Tons of great songs on this classic early Beatles album.
I don't know what to think about this album. And I don't think the album knows what it is either. It's all over the place, from wall of noise to orchestral harmony to soft ballad. And just when I was looking forward to its finish, the finale is an ungodly 17 minutes long. I don't think I will be revisiting it.
Love the Special Sauce, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Can do without G. Love ⭐ But really, the music is great. Bluesy, jazzy, nice guitar, nice beat. But then you get whatever G. Love is doing (it ain't singing), and that ruins it for me. If I could get a version of this without the vocals, I'd be happy.
So many great songs. Exodus, Jamming, Waiting In Vain, Three Little Birds, One Love. Classic album.
Love the classics Old Man and Heart of Gold, but there's only so much of Neil Young's voice I can handle in one session.
The only thing keeping this from a 1⭐ review is the excellent production by Dr. Dre. Eminem, on the other hand, is basically a precocious 13-year-old in a grown man's body.
I'm sure it is my ignorance, but most of these tracks were barely distinguishable from a string of random notes. Whatever the case, this is not for me.
This album is emblematic of my love/hate relationship with The Stones. Sandwiched between the two classics of "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a stream of tracks that are mediocre at best, and some (looking at you "Country Honk" and "Monkey Man") are plainly horrible. The Rolling Stones are a band that has a spectacular "greatest hits" list, but for every hit there are half a dozen misses.
A nice surprise. Channels a lot of '60s influence, with the orchestration, horns, organs, reverb. This one will get a few more listens, for sure.
I enjoyed the mix of bluesy guitar and middle-eastern-tinged west African melody.
Wasn't quite my taste. I had heard "I Saw the Light" and "Hello It's Me" before, and they're fine songs. The only pleasant surprise was "Black Maria", which I quite enjoyed. Everything else I could do without.
Surprisingly good. Reminded me a bit of The Clash or Sex Pistols.
I love how Lorde has embraced her unmistakable style. From the very beginning of the first song, there was no doubt who was performing. I might not like this as much as I did Pure Heroine, but Melodrama is a solid, enjoyable album.
Early Bowie is so expressive and inventive. This lacks some of the polish of his later albums, but the creativity and emotion are unmistakable. Solid album.
Beautifully produced, lush sounds, Peter Gabriel's great voice. "Sledgehammer" is the beast of this album, and I still don't know what it's about, but it's a great song. "In Your Eyes" is a classic, along with "Big Time" and "Red Rain". "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" seems the odd one out. I love how these songs aren't afraid to breathe, the majority of them 4, 5 or even 6 minutes long. Doesn't quite warrant a 5⭐ for me, but it's at the top of the 4⭐ list.
Garbage from beginning to end. Textbook example of a body grown to manhood, but a mind stuck in adolescence. Kendrick should read a book sometime, then maybe he'd be able to sing about something more than guns, drugs, and bitches.
I'm sure this was fine back in 1988, but today it sounds extremely formulaic, both from a musical and a lyrical perspective. When AI finally perfects writing songs, the first convincing ones will sound just like this.
I don't think this really stands the test of time. Sounds really dated.
Not my favorite Prince, but a solid effort. A bit too much synth-pop for my tastes, as I prefer his work with real drums and more guitar. My favorites on the album are "U Got the Look" (with Sheena Easton) and "Starfish and Coffee". I remember enjoying "Housequake" at the time, but it seems kinda quaint now.
I like Sarah Vaughan's blues work more than the jazz, and I like her studio work more than the live, so this album didn't hit the spot for me. Clearly she has great talent and her voice is strong and beautiful, but there are MANY other albums that better display it. "How High the Moon" is a travesty. "🎵 I don't know the words to this song... 🎶". No, I didn't really like it.
So many great, great songs. The titular "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Cecilia", "The Boxer", "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)", all absolute classics, surrounded by song after song dripping with love and musicality.
Probably my favorite Eagles tune in "Witchy Woman". The rest of the album is solid.
Metallica obviously have loads of talent. But honestly, after "Master of Puppets", each song started to sound a lot like the previous. I think I can only handle Metallica in small doses.
Jack White never disappoints.
I liked this album more than I thought I would. An interesting mix of styles, all with Christina's voice as the central theme. Songs I particularly enjoyed: Can't Hold Us Down Walk Away Fighter Infatuation Beautiful Make Over Dirrty I'm OK Keep on Singin' My Song
Is Bob Dylan perhaps the most overrated recording artist of all time? That's how I feel every time I listen to his stuff. Middling instruments, and a voice only a mother could love. "Blowing in the Wind" is an ok song at best, though I do recognize the impact it made socially and historically. The rest of the songs, if you can call them that, I've already forgotten.
Lots of great songs, my favorites being "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", "Mother and Child Reunion", "Duncan", "Hobo's Blues". Not quite a 5⭐ classic, but close.
Sorry Madonna, Whitney, Janet... this is my favorite female solo pop album of the 80s.
This feels like an elaborate stunt to see how bad an album can be and still have people listen to it.
Her voice is great, the songs are ok
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did.
This is the classic, Texas blues, pre-1980's ZZ Top that I love. Every song is great. La Grange is one of the best songs ever. These tres hombres get an easy 5⭐ for this one.
Unexpectedly good. I'm not a huge fan of reggae, although I do enjoy it when I'm in the mood. But this album sounds really tight, and I'll definitely revisit it from time to time. Interesting how the political commentary sounds simultaneously specific to the time, but also timelessly relevant.
Solid debut album, with a couple of hits and a lot or other decent songs. Not even close to the best Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album though.
An interesting mix of Sarah Vaughan inspired vocals and modern pop-infused lounge music, resulting in a unique style that's distinctly hers.
Much better than I was expecting. Nothing like her classics that I listened to throughout the 80's. Perhaps better.
Starts off with "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" (5⭐), which is a great song, and becomes a bit boring after that. 3⭐ If you like Steely Dan's style, then the album is ok. If not, then I feel sorry for you.
With every song, I kept waiting for it to go somewhere, but it never did. Each one was yet another droning repetition... I'm falling asleep just trying to describe it.
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the greatest rock songs ever written, but even it couldn't elevate the rest of the album to a 5⭐ for me. But I do like Queen, so 4⭐ it is.
A familiar building stripped to bare brick and steel, with Cash's voice and guitar haunting every room.
Not as good as their Mind Bomb album, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Nope nope nope. Not for me. "Girlfriend in a Coma" is a great title though. Honorable mention for "Unhappy Birthday" as one of the worst songs ever.
My 4th or 5th favorite Led Zeppelin album, and it's still an easy 5⭐. "Immigrant Song" and "Since I've Been Loving You" are all-time great songs, the cream on top of an all-time great album.
Very enjoyable. I even liked their covers of "Listen to the Music" (Doobie Brothers) and "Summer Breeze" (Seals and Croft).
Amazing album. Of course, the classics "Chain of Fools" and "A Natural Woman" are great, but I don't know how one cannot also be moved by "Good to Me as I Am to You", "Come Back Baby", and "Ain't No Way". Also deserving of special mention are "People Get Ready" and "Groovin'".
I didn't realize at first that this is a motion picture soundtrack, but knowing so makes it more understandable. I enjoyed it. I'll probably listen to it again as background music some time. The standout track for me was "Highschool Lover".
Love the classics "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I've Got My Mojo Workin'". I only occasionally listen to Muddy Waters himself, but I hear his influence in most of my favorite artists.
Quintessential grunge album, by the quintessential grunge band, chock full of great songs.
Saw the Germs described as "initially a strikingly inept band that could barely play" and I'm not sure they ever really graduated from that, if this is their only studio album. I thought that maybe I was missing something by not being able to make out the words of the sputtered and growled lyrics, but after looking up the lyrics I've decided I'm not missing anything after all. They're just bad. "The sounds the metals driving us mad" indeed.
I liked it more than I wanted to. Too many of the "seminal punk bands" end up sounding like garbled noise to me, more about the attitude than the music, to the detriment of the music. At least the Ramones, with the few tricks they had in their bag, attempt to actually *sing* and make music. Yeah, it is mostly repetitive, but it is fun nonetheless. Blitzkrieg Bop is a classic.
Might have popular for its time, but doesn't seem to have held up. Feels like the kind of generic music and sample loops I can make today with free software on my Android phone.
Oh hell no. Not three hours of this. 5 songs in and I just want to take a whole bottle of sleeping pills just to forget it. Mediocre lyrics, mediocre singing. Sounds like a dime store They Might Be Giants, but is instead They Might Be Depressed. Another episode of "Why tf is this album on the list?!?"
Decent entry by Fleetwood Mac, but far from their best. Of course, the title track is a classic, and I also enjoy "Sara" and "Think About Me", but most of the other songs are average at best.