I don’t love listening to a whole album of essentially the same song. But it sounds like it was a lot of fun to be there.

The last gasp of American three chord garage rock. Went down kicking and screaming.

One of the great weirdo masterpieces. Normally a white dude playing funk would come off inauthentic or kitschy, but w/ Bowie the artificiality is part of the appeal, and he embraces it so hard that it somehow loops back around to feel authentic again. That plus every single song is a jam in its own right. I fucking love David Bowie.

I’ve learned through this exercise that that there is an art to sampling. When done right it can create a whole new art form, enhancing not just the new song but recontextualizing and updating the old. When I heard the ‘ocean’ riff in ‘she’s crafty’ I felt like I’d just seen a retarded 8 year old draw a dick on the Mona Lisa. And then the crowd all clapped and said congratulations, good job buddy. This is pablum. This is the decline of western civilization. This is music for pedophiles in disguise as 40 year old sneakerheads. I know I’m prone to hyperbole but this album is the most inane, infantile bullshit I’ve ever heard in my entire fucking life.

I can’t believe how many classics are on this album. The addition of Neil young gave CSN the edge they needed (for my taste). Just When they are at their most hippie (teach your children) they follow it up w a soulful rocker like almost cut my hair. Woodstock and helpless are my favorites, but this has more classics per album than almost any other american album of this genre

I thought mgmt was gonna be the biggest band in the world after this album. Huge at college parties in 2010 ish. There are three great songs and some other decent ones, a few misses. After this it seems like they turned their noses up at what made them famous (catchy dance songs) and tried to become something more alternative/psychedelic, losing some of their charm.

Had a bit of a replacements phase in college so fun to return to them. Many gems on here (unsatisfied, androgynous, answering machine, Gary’s got a boner) but a few too many songs that seem included just to prove their punk bonafides and don’t add to the whole. The rare band that is better when they deviate from their genre than when they try to exemplify it. Underrated in American music history for their impact on college / alternative radio.

Never particularly liked this kind of music , but it has aged better than a lot of stuff that came after.

I thought I hated jethro till but it’s really just the song ‘aqualung’ that sucks. Hymn 43 rocks and I was surprised that I liked some of the other deep cuts. They remind me of an English folkloric version of Rush. Very technically skilled and musically eclectic but also kind of soulless and overly cerebral, with dumb/ pretentious lyrics.

Most songs sound exactly the same. Ok to listen to in the background but not a lot going on

Probably more of a 4 but he died young so I’ll give it to him. Really nice sound and unique songs. Loved Hazey Jane 2 and one of these things first. Would be a true 5 if I liked his voice a little more. Would love to hear someone cover these songs.

Loved this. Instant 5 for me. Upbeat and catchy but also different. Lovefool is one of the best songs of the 90s but the whole album rips. Been it and your new cuckoo are great. Feel like an early progenitor of the theatrical art girl rock style mitski has gotten famous for

Maybe you have to be a teenager to like this. I found the whole album, outside of all apologies, which is a good song, to be a depressing slog. For the most part Kurt just seems to want us to know that he’s having a really bad time, not enjoying himself at all. Point taken.

Liked this more than I expected to. I’m a sucker for weird time signatures like the 7/4 in Spoonman and whatever is going on in Fell On Black Days. Especially in grunge, which otherwise can be dreary and monotonous. Cornell’s voice grates on me after awhile. The day I tried to live is another highlight.

Hell yeah. HE AIN'T GONNA DIE.

I don’t love listening to a whole album of essentially the same song. But it sounds like it was a lot of fun to be there.

Not really for me. Just don’t like country

The first true classic we’ve gotten. As fresh and original today as when it came out. Listening to this makes you feel like you’re losing your mind a little, but in the best way. Huge influence on so many musicians from all types of genres, from hip hop to Prince to (one of my favorite bands) Ween, who’s ‘a tear for Eddie’ I just realized is a tribute to Eddie Hazel.

What were all these guys in the 90s so depressed about? Get a grip dudes. Elliot smith is obviously really talented and writes some beautiful melodies that he ruins by being a whiny little bitch. Even with that criticism there are still some good songs on here. It just could have been so much better

Didn’t hate it but not really for me. Hasn’t aged that well other than hungry like the wolf.

There’s a fine line between relaxing and boring. This is right on the edge. I am both unmoved and unbothered by this album. Reminds me of the shins but less catchy. Where’s the beef?

I never knew I loved Elvis. This sound has not aged much at all. Catchy and soulful, rocks harder than modern music by far. I love the combo of the acoustic guitar, powerful voice, with occasional horns and female backing vocals. Also, I know he didn’t write the songs, but I love this style of story songwriting that seems not done any more.

It’d be nearly impossible to make an album this long that didn’t feel bloated. There are great songs on here but a lot of dross, and all that heaviness and melancholy starts to suffocate. If they’d cut out 15 songs this could have been a 5. Everyone needs an editor.

Fuck this album

Listening to Bonham play drums enhances and elevates the experience of being alive. My musical taste has not changed since I was 13 years old. Both these discs fuck so fucking hard.

This sounds like part of a whole subgenre within UK new wave music I just can’t connect with. Like moody, surly dance music? Im never in a moody dance mood. The smiths, joy division come to mind. Sounds like an early progenitor of schlock like Panic at the disco. these songs have no melodies and no choruses and so seem kind of flat and featureless after a while. I’ll give it an extra point for good rhythm and a hint of the avant- garde, even if it doesn’t work for me.

I’m a simple man

This was fine. Bowie might be my all time favorite artist, but have to honest, if these songs weren’t by him I don’t think any of them would pique my interest. It’s impressive to still make music 25 albums in, but nothing on here was more than fine.

Freedom 90 makes announcing to the world that you’re gay sound like a real blast. That’s a hard act to follow and the rest of the album doesn’t seem to really try. As a piece of art, the album itself is almost hindered by how infectious and upbeat freedom 90 is, because the listener can’t help but wonder where this energy is for the remaining fairly sedate 9 songs. Still, 3 stars for one of the best pop songs of the decade.

This sucks. Overwrought vocal style and overproduced sound. The songs all feel stiff and cerebral to me. Hard to engage with.

The only two songs I really like on here are covers. The rest I find kind of boring and repetitive, tho I’m sure the lyrics mean more to some people than they do to me. It might be a character defect in me that makes me not really like intelligent rap. Wish wyclef Jean hadn’t defrauded haiti to such an unfashionable extent. Not cool man.

I hate Metallica and I hate the whole concept of symphony cross-overs so I’m not listening to this and giving it one star

The last gasp of American three chord garage rock. Went down kicking and screaming.

This doesn’t rock. I understand how this kind of dissonant, naturalistic noise rock could have felt fresh and exciting as a reaction to overly manufactured, artificial 80s pop - but that only works for me on an intellectual level. When I actually listen to these songs, I just feel bored and faintly irritated. I need the songs to work as pieces unto themselves, not as a reaction to external influences, which are forgotten over time.

Have to be in the exact right mood to listen to this, and listening while on the elliptical was definitely not it. Still, I don’t love the combo of spare instrumentation and heavily reverbed vocals. Feels like a clash of aesthetics. Atlantic City is obviously a classic but nothing else really moved the needle for me.

Probably more of a 3.5 but I’ll round up. Had never even heard of them before this. This is the rare album that I like more in its entirety than I do at the individual song level. Pretty cool sound and I’m a sucker for high energy, fun loving rock. Highlights for me are English Rose and down in the tube at midnight, but a lot of the other songs are pleasant but unmemorable. Reminds me of one my favorite albums ever, my aim is true by Elvis Costello. Though not at the same level musically or lyrically, has the same snarl to it.

3 stars for the album, 1 for being a literal revolutionary (read his bio). I like Fela’s unique but accessible sound (mostly zombie) but am really excited to read Sean’s review. He is the biggest kuti guy I know

Sitting in my kitchen doing bullshit work on my laptop while listening and this makes me want to throw the computer out the window, quit my job, drive my car through my neighbors house, get out and seduce his wife. This is the opposite of Sonic Youth. Fuck yeah.

Raw charisma.

I liked this a lot. Upbeat and fun. Don’t know much about this kind of music so it’s tough to be too discerning, but I’ll return to some of these songs, especially the first two.

The samples are cool and they have a nice laid back vibe. Can I kick it is great, but throughout they album there are dumb lines like ‘wipe your feet really good on the rhythm rug’ so I can’t go higher than 3

I like the vibe here and the poetry is haunting and moving at the same time. It’s a lot of the same tone and sentiment and no songs really stand out to me. The songs are obviously very limited by the voice. Not 80 year old Leonard’s fault but it does cap the album at a 3 for me.

I also expected to like this more. Most of it was pleasant but not that memorable. Let’s stay together is obviously a classic but the rest was just ok. Maybe I would have felt differently if I hadn’t read his bio first and learned about all the times he kicked the shit out of his wife.

I find this album musically somewhat interesting and at times even innovative, but lyrically, aesthetically and maybe even spiritually embarassing. The songs are exuberant and misguided in equal measure. Still, I do appreciate how they ‘go for it’ on almost every song, even if what they are going for ends up being terrible. All in the family is probably the worst song I’ve ever heard, but freak on a leash rocks. The abject unholy awfulness of the former almost makes the latter feel like it must have happened by accident - or from another lens, by miracle? I dunno man. All I know is I respect an earnest, authentic disaster more than an aloof, pretentious one, which is to say I have to rate this higher than sonic youth. Fuck sonic youth.

I didn’t need to hear this before I died. This is just sitar karaoke.

This would be a five except there is maybe one too many songs that feel like filler. Peter gabriel’s voice is so emotive- plaintive, wry and powerful all at the same time. The opening trio of red rain, sledgehammer and don’t give up shows off his versatility as a songwriter, then the album meanders a bit, but he brings it home with in your eyes. There are dance songs and songs about not killing yourself that are equally catchy. And the sound is so unique - right in the border of intricately complex and overproduced. He doesn’t quite tip over to the latter side, which is why it all works.

Music to listen to when NPR goes to break. The grilled salmon of indie rock. Music to listen to while cleaning the kitchen with your wife. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this album. It feels healthy - like I’m making a mature, responsible decision by listening to it. I wish I was the kind of guy this appeals to. I think I’d be a better, more thoughtful person. I’d have gone to grad school. I would compost. Unfortunately, I liked the Korn album better.

5 stars, obviously. Is Paul Simon the most accomplished American singer/ songwriter of all time? Who would it be between? Paul, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen?

I’d heard enough of this after like 3 songs. Then there were 14 more to go and they were all the same thing.

I liked this. Very proggy and over the top, so not my usual thing. But I liked it for what it was

I loved this album. Had never heard of these guys before, which shows my limited rap knowledge. I’ve always thought the reliance on samples was one of hip hops biggest limitations. But after this album I feel like I finally get it - here, they aren’t just used to evoke nostalgia or lift an already proven hook, but more like unique instruments that combine to create something new. “Good news coming” really drove that point home to me. Elsewhere, I just like the way these guys sound and how their rhyming patterns play off and on the beat. It’s upbeat but not corny. I also love whenever anyone unironically refers to their ‘funky rhymes’ . Don’t know why, just gets me.

I’m not too cool for many things. But I’m too cool for Common.

One of the great weirdo masterpieces. Normally a white dude playing funk would come off inauthentic or kitschy, but w/ Bowie the artificiality is part of the appeal, and he embraces it so hard that it somehow loops back around to feel authentic again. That plus every single song is a jam in its own right. I fucking love David Bowie.

Great music for a haunted house. Was gonna give 1 star (obviously) but then I saw a video of the crowds going nuts for this vaguely evil nonsense noise and I have to give them another star for the impressiveness of the con.

I wonder if the reason this album struck me as so bland, toothless and mediocre is that it came immediately after that Kollaps album. At the time, I hated that album. But two days later I can’t stop thinking about it. Now all I want to hear is scary machine noise that makes me question my entire conception of what music is, what art means, what life could be. I’m like a cannibal who has tasted human blood and can now only be sated by the most forbidden meats. 2 stars for Sarah vaughan’s safe, acceptable jazz. 2 stars for my safe, acceptable existence. Somewhere, far off in the distance, the sound of a mechanical drill whirs. It calls to me. I’m coming home.

The first time I heard Hendrix, at maybe 12, I knew I wanted to become an artist of some sort. A mixed blessing in many ways but wouldn’t trade that for anything. Now back to writing my erotic novel in progress.

So menacing. Makes you want to be 18 again.

I liked the weirdo-texan punk vibe on this and especially enjoyed the syncopated grooves on the instrumental songs. They have a unique and original sound. Unfortunately the vocals are borderline intolerable to me, so I can't really go any higher than 3.

Only got through a few songs. This sucks. Feels like a mishmash of random beats and samples thrown around poppy choruses to cash in on ‘street culture’ despite this chick being from Sweden.

This album is nice but doesn’t grab me. In some places her voice and style feel a little more melancholy than these songs warrant. In other places her gloominess feels melodramatic. A lot of this is too downbeat / minor key for my taste in pop and makes the songs all kinda blur together. ‘Written on the forehead’ breaks this mold and so is a highlight for me

In my teens and twenties I had a weird antipathy to Steely Dan - I think because of the polished, studio sound and subdued technical competence - they represented a 'maturity' I wasn't ready to embrace. 'Peg' is the song that changed all that to me - specifically the falsetto harmony 'peggggg' in the chorus and that moment when the saxophone line comes in the verse. Now I see that there is ebullience in their competence, an ecstasy to their mastery, and that something can feel both refined and raw at the same time if you've truly mastered your craft. I fucking love this album and listened to it probably 8 times back to back on Friday. Another thing that made me change my mind about them is that they named themselves after a dildo in Naked Lunch. Rock and roll.

Wasn’t sure how I felt on first listen. Had always thought the smiths, and morrisey specifically, were one of those bands I just didn’t get. But this album made me want to relisten a few times. Though only a few standouts (the disco one and happy birthday because you’re evil) to me - on the whole I have to say this sounds both unique and familiar, the lyrics are witty and fun, and there’s really a lot to like on the whole

Liked this more than I expected. There’s a kind of aw shucks veneer to the style that, counterintuitively, both softens and enhances the subtle nastiness in his lyrics and persona. Occasionally, you can hear this coming out in the growl in his voice - and he sounds like a wild animal trying and failing to fit in with the rest of us upstanding citizens. It’s kinda rock and roll.

For baby-making music, this felt like a lot of foreplay with no finish (IF YOU WILL). Don’t tease us Marvin. We want it.

“I hate the fuckin’ eagles, man!’ I used to kind of like the eagles until I saw the big Lebowski. It had never occurred to me to hate them until I heard lebowski’s opinion. Since then, all I hear is brainless, soulless schlock where I used to hear anodyne but well-made pop rock. I guess I’m saying this is sort of an arbitrary reaction - but when I tried to give this album a fair shot, I couldn’t tune out the lebowski in my head, and so turned it off halfway through the truly execrable ‘chug all night’

There's something about Van Halen that has never connected with me. I think it's the clash between the technical virtuosity of the instrument playing and the sort of idiot-cock-rock mentality of the lyrics and persona (largely david lee roth's fault, I'm guessing). It sounds like wasted potential to me. Like the band, as a whole, was always settling for appeasing their fans of horny teenage boys and trying to get laid by groupies rather than committing to making great art. That's no great sin in most cases, but it seems sort of tragic to me in this specific case, because EVH clearly had real, no-doubt transcendent genius in him. While some of the great albums from the 50s and 60s we've heard still sound current today, and some albums we've heard from Africa or the deep south sound great no matter what culture the listener is part of, VH (to me) still sounds locked in to a very particular moment (the 80s in LA). I think that's what happens when you never push your own boundaries artistically.

This is honestly probably a five. Lots of great songs and he really defined a very specific New York sound that also has appeal outside that niche. He’s both catchy, danceable and innovative which is a rare combination. Also true: James Murphy has an extremely punchable face and reminds me very viscerally of all the smug hipsters I went to college with. I have no choice but to dock him one point for that, even though it’s completely unfair. New York I love you is a great song.

My parents listened to this album at least once a weekend for like 5 years, so almost every song feels like a classic, tho it’s only because I personally have had way too much exposure to this album. I used to think it was kind of embarassing for my dad, who otherwise has cultivated an almost comically masculine persona, to be SO into Sheryl crow. But you know what? I get it. I love her too, Dad.

The low edge in her voice gives these airy pop songs a languid quality. These songs are tight and catchy musically and chaste and innocent lyrically, yet her delivery makes them vaguely sultry. definitely a strong influence on Amy winehouse, both in persona and singing style.

A little melodramatic for me on the whole. Songs about being annoyed by the music industry that has made all your dreams come true (have a cigar) might be my least favorite artistic theme. wish you were here is an incredible song but as an album, wish you were here is is more morose than engaging. Guessing this will be an unpopular take.

Theatrical but tight. Somehow both self-serious and fun. Dark but not somber. I thought this was a blast. Maybe didn't need to be a double album - but I really enjoyed most of these songs, and I especially respect the originality and distinctiveness of Cave's oddball perspective.

I find the prison concert thing to be kind of a cheap gimmick. Like, whooooaaaa dude, so badasssss, you were actually NEAR some REAL LIFE prisoners? No wayyyyy. This album is just one hokey shuffle after another, with a false, unearned veneer of 'grit' siphoned from the prisoners in attendance for what ultimately amounts to marketing purposes.

That part in gimme shelter where the background singers voice cracks while she’s screaming MURDER! Is one of my favorite moments in any rock song, and in a way encapsulates everything I love about the stones. Just having a blast out there, letting it all hang out. Also, Mick fucked that singer. Classic Stones.

I’ve learned through this exercise that that there is an art to sampling. When done right it can create a whole new art form, enhancing not just the new song but recontextualizing and updating the old. When I heard the ‘ocean’ riff in ‘she’s crafty’ I felt like I’d just seen a retarded 8 year old draw a dick on the Mona Lisa. And then the crowd all clapped and said congratulations, good job buddy. This is pablum. This is the decline of western civilization. This is music for pedophiles in disguise as 40 year old sneakerheads. I know I’m prone to hyperbole but this album is the most inane, infantile bullshit I’ve ever heard in my entire fucking life.

Went in with no expectations (or context) but this album put me in a great mood. I think I’ve heard Another Girl Another Planet before but this was otherwise completely new to me. This album is really tight and fun, with a playful energy, though maybe lacking in real stand out hits. I am generally a fan of the sort of louche, jagger-esque singing style on display here, and I think it works here. I usually think punk is a little too artless for me, but these guys can really play. This feels like an early influence on definitely the replacements and maybe the strokes (a top ten band for me)? Anyway this is probably a 4 but I feel a little guilty calling the beastie boys inane pedophile music yesterday so I’m gonna be more generous than usual.

Agree with other's takes that, while I also love Stevie, I didn't find much outside of 'Boogie on Reggae Woman' that really landed with me on this album. I listened through a few times even, thinking it might have been user error on my part. But still, no dice. I appreciate the artistry of 'They Won't Go' but don't really like it, for whatever reason. Normally, if an album doesn't connect with me I'd give it a 2, but in this case I'm having trouble finding any good reason for my dislike, so I don't feel as confident in my take. For that reason I'm gonna round up to 3 because Stevie is a legend, but I acknowledge this is more or less an act of cowardice.

Easy to like, hard to love. Good music to have on in the background while you prepare a Christmas ham. My two year son loved this and I think that’s probably the ideal audience for this kind of music.

The whole appeal of Bob Dylan is the interesting offbeat lyrics, the mysterious storytelling, the vaguely messianic character he made himself into. But w this album, it’s like he wasn’t even trying. Every song is just one tired cliche (eg ‘weeping clouds’ ‘i’d do anything for you) after another. That’d be fine if the music was good or distinctive or really just had a pulse. But this backing band is playing w all the creativity of christian radio act, and, when singing banal lyrics, then idiosyncratic nature of Dylan’s voice loses all its charm, and he sounds like a warbling amateur. This album is pure uninspired slop, ladled out w all the joie de vivre of a depressed lifer at the prison cafeteria. Four songs in I felt like I’d been poisoned, I had to find the antidote or my organs might just lose the will to keep pumping. The antidote, it turned out, was an album we heard a few months ago - Thin Lizzy’s “Live and Dangerous.” I think it is the spiritual opposite of this corpse of an album. I turned it up as loud as it would go and blasted myself clean.

I appreciate the avante-garde ambitions of the band and the uniqueness of the sound (in parts), but don't individually like any song enough to return to it. Some of what they do is cool and interesting, but occasionally they go off the rails in ways that somehow feel predictable, almost rote. Like if you were reading out the song structure, some parts would just read (insert dissonance here). Some of it reminds me a little of some the Velvet Underground's most annoying songs (Venus in Furs). Definitely hear some Animal Collective and TV on the Radio too, though that's mostly in the vocals. Song for song, this is probably a 2.5 (a 4 for the first half, then a 1 for the back half where it starts to really drag), but I'll round up because they did manage to create a unique sound that works in places.

In some ways this exercise has greatly expanded my musical taste, but it’s also been great to re-confirm what I already knew. Which is that Led Zeppelin fucking rocks. You can clearly tell they’re making a conscious effort not to rock so hard, minimizing the heavy drums, the feral moaning of Robert plant, and screaming solos. But it doesn’t matter. They can’t help it. It still rocks.

Watermelon man is one of my favorite grooves of all time. Many of the albums we’ve listened to are so desperately trying to sound avante-garde, they forget you actually have to sound good too for your inventiveness to matter. Herbie does this and makes it feel effortless. One of my favorite quotes about art applies: “talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. “

In terms of this genre of garage new wave bands (thinking of The Cars, Joe Jackson, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello) I don't think the Pretenders can really compete in terms of writing a hook or just songwriting in general. They have a strong, clean sound, but the songs themselves aren't always strong enough to stand out, even from each other. Since this is basically pop, I think lack of catchiness has to be held against them. Still this album rocks pretty hard in some places (The Wait and Kid are my favorites), and Chrissy Hynes oozes cool. Brass in Pocket is probably the most catchy song, but it feels like it doesn't fit in with the rest of the album. I think I might be contradicting myself, saying in one breath I want the songs to stand out from each other, then complaining about one standing out too much. It makes sense to me.

Massachusetts boys! I've been to maybe 5 concerts in the last three years and somehow two of them were Dinosaur Junior, so I think I've tried to convince myself they were better than they actually were. They play incredibly loud - and J Mascis goes off on most songs, but they often fall into a kind of 'wall of sound' approach where it feels like their main goal is to blast you away. To me, the effect of that is usually more distancing than engaging. "Freak Scene" is an awesome song, and I like a few others. But too often they favor dissonance to melody, and the album suffers from a lack of texture: they don't mix up either the volume or the rhythm enough - so it all has a flattening, almost hostile effect after awhile. The listener leaves with ringing in their ears and need for some peace and quiet. Or maybe I'm just old.

I don't know anything about this person or this kind of music - is it piano jazz/blues/classical fusion? So without any comparators or understanding of the tradition its drawing from, I don't have much to say, other than that I loved the journey these songs took me on, and will be playing it as background music frequently over the next few months. I particularly enjoyed the little bluesy flourishes he'd throw in when I wasn't expecting them at all.

Lighthearted and genial grooves with some interesting arrangements and occasionally hokey flourishes. Sounds very much of its time, but not in a limiting way. the vocals are perfect, and the songs only occasionally lean into standard disco tropes. A bit of 70s schlockishness holds this back from greatness, but still a solid album and a really fun time.

At times the simplicity of the song structure and the spare arrangements on this album are part of the appeal (fell in love w a girl, dead leaves on the dirty ground, hotel yorba) and make the sound feel fresh and original. But in other places, the playing (especially the drums) feels a bit too bare-bones, less intentional and more like a demo than a fully realized song (I can learn, This Protector). I think at this point, Jack White was still more an artist than a musician - it's not until Elephant that he really merged the two and reached his full potential. Still, this album breathed life (if only briefly) back into the genre (rock) that's given me more joy than almost any other art-form in life, so for that it gets 4 starts.

This album is very strangely constructed. It starts off with a three straight fun, upbeat singles, then the wheels completely fall off and it goes absolutely nowhere. The entire rest of the album is meandering nothingness that seems to go on forever. It's like Mark invited you to a party at his house and you thought it would be awesome, but now you're sitting in his living room watching him sit on the couch in sweatpants, noodling on his guitar every so often and muttering to himself. Can I at least get a drink or something, man? It stinks in here.

Sometimes I really miss cocaine.

I wonder if Beck sounds so bored singing because even he is bored w these songs. Almost every song on this album is the same structure - a single repeating riff or progression w at most a single variation differentiating verse from chorus. No bridge. Meaningless disaffected lyrics sung without emotion or enthusiasm, w superficial trappings of quirk meant to distract you from the lack of actual talent or creativity. I bet even Beck couldn’t remember how to play most of these entirely disposable, interchangeable songs without looking at the sheet music. These aren’t songs so much as notions. Vaguely upbeat, non-objectionable auditory mood boards meant to play in the background of a commercial and make you want to lease a Kia. I’m going to steal a quote from my wife, who I made listen to this w me while driving to thanksgiving: “this sounds like a band you hear at a music festival when you’re waiting for the band you want to go on.” After ten songs or so helpings of this tasteless sludge I had to listen to Steve winwood back to back to get me in the right mood to see my in-laws. Happy fucking Thanksgiving.

I feel like I have the cilantro tasting like soap gene except for w Van Halen’s music, because these songs sound like complete shit across the board to me. The vocals. The guitar. The songs themselves, other than Jamie’s crying. It all sounds so cheesy and simultaneously overproduced and underbaked. Still, VH’s near legendary status makes me think there is some context I’m missing - something that doesn’t translate across eras. Like maybe vh’s tone and playing was so innovative and new at the time that nothing else mattered? Because other than that it doesn’t seem like there’s anything else here. Even eruption just sounds like button mashing to me. I don’t know. Maybe this is just the kind of music that isn’t meant to be listened to w a critical ear. Still, even trying to be open minded - I hate this. I went to a neighborhood party recently and this other Dad was going on and on about how innovative and fresh these death metal bands he’s into are (while shitting on steely Dan! The nerve) - so I tried to have an open mind and went home and listened. It was the worst shit id ever heard! Not only unlistenable but also cliche, pandering, derivative dreck. I felt like he’d tricked me into dog food or something. I honestly think liking the shit he recommended means you are subhuman and it shouldn’t be a crime to physically assault you - or at least it should be a reduced crime, like animal cruelty. Next time I see this dude I’m gonna (be polite and say it was interesting) slap him in the face and I don’t think there should be any consequences. Anyway, I don’t quite feel the same way listening to VH, but it’s a similarly alienating experience. Whew, back to back 1s for me. I swear I’m actually a pretty happy person.

Lyrics that are fun to think about, even if inscrutable at times. Been thinking about death a lot lately, for no particular reason other than getting older, and for some reason this album made me feel better about it - which I think is one of the best side effects of any kind of art. ‘Suzanne’ and ‘so long Marianne’ are highlights, but I like all of it and will be listening all day.

Every song is a 3 but the album is a 2

The 5-6 song stretch from 'Looking Out My Back Door' through 'Long as I Can See the Light' is one of the best in American rock music. Every song is simple yet layered, both musically and lyrically, and the rhythms are straightforward but also varied and never stale. Fogarty's feral howl centers the listener by reaching out from all reverb and grabbing you by the throat. I often overlook CCR as one of the great American bands of the 20th century, but their influence on rock and creation of 'roots rock' is hard to ignore after listening to this album. I also appreciate the subtle air of no-bullshittery about them, despite coming out of CA at the height of flower-child moony-eyed nonsense.

Not for me. Nice pic tho

I don't know much about rap, but I do remember hearing 'ms jackson' for the first time in like 5th-6th grade and it being one of the first rap songs I ever liked, while also feeling SCANDALIZED that it was about having a baby out of wedlock (I'm from Massachusetts). Fast forward a few years to high school, I have a distinct memory of this song coming on my iPod shuffle in my Honda Element during a week or so period when my girlfriend was 'late' and I thought I might become a teen dad - even in the moment it made me laugh. Anyway, these days, I usually only listen to rap either in a party setting or if I wanna feel menacing/dangerous rolling around the suburbs after dropping the kids off at daycare - rarely to feel 'moved' or more connected w the human experience. But Ms. Jackson tells a whole, relatable story, with these fully drawn out characters going through such a common thing. A whole album of that would be tiring, so luckily we don't get that. The rest of the album is a blast, with so much creativity not only in the songs and lyrics, but the delivery too, the pronunciations, the little odd flourishes that fit perfectly w the emotion theyre expressing and make this feel so full of life (e.g forever, forever ever? forEVER EVER?) Rapheads will disagree I'm sure - but I think IN GENERAL rap is one of the less creative kinds of music, relying so much on sampling, established hooks from better songs, and a million rappers riffing on like three basic themes over and over and over. But this album is not like that at all. Songs like Bombs over Baghdad and I'll Call before I Come are bursting with playfulness and creativity. They arent limited by trying to be cool or macho. They remind me a little bit of Funkadelic, with the overflowing creativity, which is ironic since they don't sample them incessantly like so many mediocre 90s-2000s rappers did.

This made me wonder what percentage of my rating system accounts for novelty. Because if I only have to listen to one Fela Kuti album, it’s a 4. But by the end of the second one, they’ve both become 3s. This is good for what it is, but that’s enough Fela Kuti for me now.

Nice sound, with the distinctive piano playing holding it all together. Ray’s voice is huge and comforting. Can only go so high for an album of standards not re-invented in a particularly unique way, but still a thoroughly pleasant experience.

I like to imagine this album was made by Jez from Peep Show. Has anyone else seen that show? It’s a British sitcom from the early-mid 2000s and maybe the funniest sitcom of all time (imo). Anyway, Jez is one of the main characters - a clueless, lazy and talentless electronica DJ with delusions of grandeur, and this sounds exactly like the music he and his crackhead bandmate Superhans make together. To me, it’s not that it sounds bad (it sounds fine) but just that there is a general aimlessness to these songs where it feels like keeping ‘the groove’ going is a distraction from the fact that the songs don’t actually go anywhere. they just add increasing layers to themselves as they go on, which is a neat trick once or twice, but I just don’t think these musicians are pulling from a deep enough bag of tricks to keep this interesting for more than a few songs.

Most of this sounds dated, especially the schmaltzy instrumentation. That's not necessarily a criticism of them, just my own taste I guess. Still, other than California Dreaming, many of these songs sound like imitations of Beatles songs of the era that I like better (Straight shooter sounds just like Paperback writer to me) or Beach Boys songs that have stood the test of time better, for whatever reason, maybe just because they were more iconic. Maybe its because the lyrics to these songs tend more toward cliche. While the singing and harmonies are obviously well-executed, harmony for harmony's sake can have the effect of de-personalizing the tone, as it sounds like a crowd of people singing to you rather than the voice of one person telling you how they feel.

I love this. Sophisticated, sensual, playful. I’m definitely going to make sure this is on the playlist next time I throw an orgy.

I've been struggling all weekend to articulate why my gut reaction is to give this album a 4 instead of a 5. Obviously, it sounds amazing, the harmonies are spectacular, and it was hugely innovative and influential, so I have no objection to it being generally considered one of the greatest albums of all time (other than maybe to spite Sean). But something being objectively great doesn't mean I personally have to love it - and there is something about the Beach Boys I just don't fully connect with. For lack of a better word, I think it's a lack of 'edge.' I don't mean that the sound is too refined or over-produced - the sound manages to be both perfect and inviting. Instead, I think it's more about the songwriter's POV. There's a childlike quality to the songs, an innocence, I guess, that when sung by men in their 20s with beautiful singing voices, leaves my inner skeptic wanting more. I want these songs to hit a littler harder, to have some teeth to them, to sound like this music is coming from a man who has lived a little more of life instead of an extremely talented group of kids with great singing voices. With the innocent act, I feel like Brian's not giving me the whole truth - not that he has to, but if he isn't, he should lie a little better. I know this isn't a valid criticism, I'm just justifying my own taste.

6/5. Kings, midnight cruiser, fire in the hole - hook this shit directly to my nipples and jolt me till I scream, baby. There isn’t a single choice that is phoned in or expected, no riff that’s not alive. I can’t believe they made this shit when they were like 24. This album fucking rips.

I love this album. Something about Carole king’s voice just gets me. It’s just bluesy enough while also sounding a bit like a suburban mom. Also the interplay between her jazzy chording and the booming simple bass lines creates a full, unique sound. The idea that she ever had to ask someone ‘will you still love me in morning’ fills me with righteous indignation. Is it sexist that everytime I like a female musician I basically fall in love with her?

If you’re going to sing this poorly, over such standard melodies, you better really bring it lyrically. Instead bill here is rambling on about tender willow branches and jaunty bees and too many birds and whatever the fuck.

If I have to hear my boss tell me I need to be using AI more for the sake of efficiency, I’m going to kill him and myself. Fuck this robot music.