Overall a nice album but not something I would necessarily listen to over and over again. I never knew how much of the album was influenced by reggae music until I listened to the whole thing. I can see how it was influential.
Favorite song: "The Bed's Too Big Without You".
A very smooth album, almost "easy listening" to my ears. All of the songs flow together nicely and it keeps a consistent feeling throughout. I like the use of synths and the guitar especially, I'm always a sucker for that raw "plucky" sound of an acoustic used in that way. I'd only heard "Superstition" before so it's interesting to hear it in conversation with the rest of the album, which generally flows in a less funky direction. A fun album and a nice chance to hear more of Stevie's music.
Favorite song: "Superstition".
A surprisingly quick listen! Definitely heavier on the "folksy" elements than I usually think of for Beatles songs, kind of somewhere between the more straight 60's pop of their first albums and the more experimental later albums. I'm kind of surprised I haven't really heard any of these songs before, or at least not as often as with their other discography. Several very unique songs, even different from others on the album.
Favorite song: "I'm Looking Through You" or "You Won't See Me"
Best representation of the album: "The Word"
The first album of a genre that I don't normally listen to. Very powerful themes that honestly did draw me in. I was honestly a little surprised how much the songs could draw me in despite the fact that I have had very different life experiences; I think that's a mark of a good storyteller. I especially like the songs that include some elements of spoken poetry, which give the whole album a stronger and grander identity.
Favorite song: "The Corner"
Best representation of the album: "It's Your World (Part 1 & 2)"
The music has a very folksy feel that perfectly matches the simple illustration for the album art. A very sincere album, although overall I would say to be a tad repetitive in tone and sound, except for a few songs that add a violin.
Favorite song: "Wild World"
Best representation of the album: "On the Road to Find Out"
A funky album. I'm ashamed to say I didn't know that the "Heard it Through the Grape Vine" that I'm familiar with was a cover. Wild. Overall I'd say it makes for good listening and I'd enjoy popping on a record of it for an evening, the album in general was kind of flat and the songs all sounded similar to my ears.
Favorite song: "Hey Girl"
Most representative of the album: "Cloud Nine"
Definitely hear the proto-punk right away. It sound like a later album than it is. It's funny to see how the album cover was shocking in the day when I would just be confused by it nowadays. I would have to agree that for a debut album the band has a decent and unique sound, and I can definitely see how they acquired their local following. Overall a fun listening experience.
Favorite song: "Vietnamese Baby"
Best representation of the album: "Frankenstein"
I like the cleaver use of track titles "Know Your Product" and "No, Your Product". It's a funny joke within the album. Overall this is very much the kind of rock music I listen to on the radio. The driving, heavy guitar and drums feels like a precursor to the Seattle sound of the 90's. The horns are only in a few songs but they do add a fun new element you don't normally hear in rock music. A really fun album.
Favorite song: "A Minor Aversion"
Best representation of the album: "Orstralia"
A very unusual sound that I'm not used to listening to. It's been very unique among the albums so far. It's not exactly the kind of music I listen to, but again I can see how it became popular and is an important album. It's funny, listening to the music and especially looking at the album cover, I wouldn't say it sounds particularly 90's but I definitely get that feeling from the music videos.
Favorite song: "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop"
Best representation of the album: "Revolution 1993"
This is definitely the kind of music my parents listened to when I was little. Even if I don't explicitly recognize all the songs it has a certain comforting nostalgic feeling to it. I like that it's more laid back but still heartfelt. I think the brief interlude at the end that had a very "hobo" twang-guitar vibe hilarious and very unexpected. Definitely a creative decision, even if I don't agree with it.
Favorite song: "Duncan"
Best representation of the album: "Peace Like a River"
An album I’m really excited for! I was actually just reading about this a little bit ago. I really liked the orchestral opening and I think that gives it a grander feel. Of course I am also a fan of the more rock elements of the album too. There are several songs on here that I already know and enjoy so that does raise my overall appreciation. This is a LONG album - the longest I’ve listened to so far, with two hour-long halves. That isn’t necessarily bad, but it does make listening to it a bigger undertaking.
Favorite song: “Tonight, Tonight”
Best representation of the album: “Porcelina of the Vast Oceans”
This is the kind of music I don't normally listen to but was excited to try. I'll admit that because the music is all beats and doesn't include lyrics I have a bit of a hard time remembering any of them specifically and there weren't any big standouts. I do however believe that the album was technically well made and the music does a very good job of creating a "mood" rather than saying a message. Some of the tracks are too discordant and off-putting for my taste, but overall I do enjoy the album.
Favorite song: "Heliosphan"
Best representation of the album: "Tha"
This album is surprisingly musical for a hip-hop album. Many of the songs don't include lyrics and are purely instrumental. It's a nice mix actually, and this is from someone who doesn't normally listen to hip-hop. I really appreciate the African and Latin influences with the drums and melodies. They give it a very unique kind of sound, especially for the time. Sometimes it sounds like it's from the 90's instead of the early 80's.
Favorite song: "Legba"
Best representation of the album: "Buffalo Gals"
This is a tough album to rate. I guess I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, as I didn't particularly enjoy the experience of the album. It wasn't bad in the sense that it's poorly made, but the tones, sounds, and overall feeling of the album gave me a vague sense of uneasiness. I especially found the use of sound samples of people's voices to be haunting in an indeterminate way, like they were the sounds of people trapped in the loops of the music. The faceless people on the album art certainly didn't help that.
Favorite song: "Sixtyten"
Best representation of the album: "
The album was ok. Generally good music, but nothing really stood out to me. I think they had a good sound. Nothing extraordinary, at least from my perspective in the present and not when it came out.
Favorite song: "Disco 2000"
Best representation of the album: "Common People"
