Well, once again I have to say, this just isn’t my thing. I’m not sure whose thing this would be, and I am not too sure that I would want to meet them either. I only listened to a minute or two of most of the songs, with the exception of “it’s Business As Usual”. I was intrigued by this disturbing track, and had to see how the voice message ended. For me, the best thing about this album was its title. I’ll be trying to forget about this album.

I had heard this album a few times before, and don’t know why I didn’t purchase it back in the day. I really like it, and it takes me back to my old college days. The only reason that I don’t give it 5 stars is because I seem to tire of it somewhat quickly. But all in all, it’s excellent.

I’m an old guy that gravitates toward classic 70’s and late 60’s rock, so I didn’t have high hopes for this one. But for the most part I found that I enjoyed it. Not sure it belongs on a list of 1001, but liked it nonetheless. I had never listened to this band before, so I appreciate the introduction.

Not my cup of tea, but although I expected to hate it, I was able to listen to it. To my ears, most of these songs are really repetitive. Not sure that it’s fair for me to rate it, as the rating is a reflection of my personal taste, and I just don’t care for this genre. Although I could give it a listen once, I would never choose to listen to it again. Life is too short.

I thought this one was okay, but didn’t love it. I thought it was quite similar to Electric Warrior as I remember it. Liked a few of the songs, but I would have been disappointed if I had purchased it back in the day. Maybe if I listened to it more, it would grow on me, but on to the next one.

I didn’t like this kind of music in the 80’s, and after listening to this album, I found that I still don’t. I know that there is no accounting for taste, but I am surprised that this one’s on the list. I find a lot of these songs are really similar. Definitely not my thing.

I am just not digging these 80’s synth music albums; just not my decade. Won’t be listening to this one again.

I’m a big Stones fan and I had never listened to this album, but of course knew the singles. Paint it Black is one of my favorites, but the rest of the album was pretty “meh” for me. Although Under My Thumb is catchy, the misogynistic lyrics leave me a bit cold. I liked a couple of the more bluesy numbers, but it’s an album I probably won’t listen to again. For me, the Stones sweet spot was 1968 through 1972, starting from Beggars Banquet through Exile on Main Street. I thought that Aftermath fell well short of any of those efforts.

I have had very little exposure to Elvis Costello. Years ago I purchased a best of CD that was released in 1994, but only listened to it a couple of times because it just didn’t grab me. Needless to say, my expectations were not very high for this album. However, for the most part I enjoyed it and may give it another listen. It isn’t anything that I would purchase, but it exceeded my expectations…not too bad.

Hadn’t heard of this band before. I somewhat enjoyed the music, but a lot of the lyrics were a bit weird for me. And the singer’s voice may be an acquired taste, but wasn’t my cup of tea. Onto the next one.

I listened to the expanded version and other than the first song, “Heaven and Hell”, I really enjoyed this. I am a long time fan of this band, but had never listened to all of this album. Like many live albums, a couple of the cuts seem unnecessarily long and drawn out, but I still give it a solid 4 out of 5. If I stumble on a used copy at an antique or record store, I will probably pick it up.

I was hoping for the blues like Keb Mo or Taj Mahal, but this was the blues with a middle eastern accent. I need to be able to understand the lyrics as well, so this one just didn’t do it for me. Doesn’t really seem fair to rate this one, but I will give a 2 since I am really rating it for my own reference.

Well, once again I have to say, this just isn’t my thing. I’m not sure whose thing this would be, and I am not too sure that I would want to meet them either. I only listened to a minute or two of most of the songs, with the exception of “it’s Business As Usual”. I was intrigued by this disturbing track, and had to see how the voice message ended. For me, the best thing about this album was its title. I’ll be trying to forget about this album.

Meh. No need to hear this one again.

I actually liked this one…didn’t love it, but liked it well enough to save it for another listen someday.

Not a fan of this type of music, but some of the songs I didn’t mind too much. I would like to hear this artist in another genre, as I liked her singing voice. Not really fair to rate it, but my ratings are for my own edification only.

Didn’t mind this one at all. Would possibly give it another listen.

Liked a few, disliked a few, was indifferent about a few. if I could, I would give it 2.5, but I will round it up to a 3.

Didn’t mind it, but found it a bit weird at times. Another one I would rate a 2.5, but I am rounding it up to a 3.

Damn! I think that I would really like this band if not for one thing….Geddy Lee’s vocals. I have never cared for his voice, and although I have heard small samplings of Rush over the years, this is the reason I have never given them a chance. I believe that he is a skilled vocalist, it’s just that I find his voice…annoying. I like it much better when he sings softly, e.g. tears. Anyway, I understand why this band has such ardent fans.

I have to say, I really liked this one, and it surprised me. I had purchased two or three ELO albums back in the 70s, and by the time this one came out I was quite tired of them. Everything kind of sounded the same to me. I didn’t hear Mr. Blue Sky until much later in life, but really did like that one. But needless to say, I had low expectations for this record, but I really did like it a lot. Probably would give it nine out of 10, so I’ll round up to a five. If I see this used in a vinyl store someday, I’ll pick up a copy unless it’s too expensive.

For me, a little goes along way with this type of music. I would enjoy listening to a selection too in a bar restaurant setting, but this album was just way too long for me.

Didn’t mind this one…only had heard the singles from Blondie in the past. Liked a few of the album cuts. I’ll call it a 3.

I owned Teaser and the Firecat on cassette as a kid, and liked that one. I had never heard Tea for the Tillerman, only a couple of selections. I think that overall, I like Tea a bit more. I’ll give it a 4, rounded up from 3.5.

This was like a trip down memory lane for me. I recall driving around with my young daughter in her toddler seat, trying to sing along to she bop. I enjoyed this, mainly because of the memories that brought back. But it’s very typical of 80s music that I’m not particularly fond of. Even so, I’ll give it a three.

I previously had no exposure to Lou Reed other than Walk on the Wild Side. Thought this album might be a bit weird, and it was, but I didn’t hate it. I don’t care much for his half-singing half-talking vocal style, but I guess that’s a big part what makes him Lou Reed. I might have to give it another listening, due to the story telling. Not really my thing, though.

Just a disclaimer: My ratings are a reflection of my own personal taste and nothing more. I bought the singles American pie and Vincent when I was a kid in junior high, but had never listened to the album. I have to say I really enjoyed this one, and will pick up a copy if I see a decent used one in store someday. The song American pie seems to be a bit of a The song American pie seems to be a bit of an anomaly on this album, and most of the other songs are quite similar to Vincent. Definitely will listen to this one more in the future.

Just a disclaimer: My ratings are a reflection of my own personal taste and nothing more. Surprisingly, I really didn’t mind this one. Didn’t particularly care for the lead vocals, but I did enjoy parts of these tracks. Probably won’t listen to it again, but I didn’t hate it.

Just a disclaimer: My ratings are a reflection of my own personal taste and nothing more. I didn’t mind this one, but there was really nothing special about it either. I’m not sure I understand all the vitriol in a lot of the reviews, but I do agree with the notion about its relevance and placement on this list of 1001 Albums. Probably won’t listen to it again.

5 stars, a masterpiece. And Van Morrison is a treasure.

I have heard all of these songs over the years. I really like wish you were here, but the rest of the album is ok for me.

I generally enjoyed this album, but it’s the third Elvis Costello album. I’ve listened to on this list and I’ve been listening to these for less than a month now. I’m not not sure. I understand why he needs so much representation. I didn’t find this one terribly different than the other two I listened to, but I may give it another listen at some point in time.

I really enjoy their harmonies, but only need to listen to them once in a while. I had never heard them do Love Hurts…loved it!

I really liked this album up to a point. This would’ve been a four or five for me, but I didn’t particularly care for the vocals. Guess I’ll give it a three.

I didn’t mind this one, didn’t love it either. Feels like a 2.5 for me, but I’ll go with a 2.0 because I doubt I’d listen to it again. They play a couple of those songs enough on the radio for me to get my fill.

I hadn’t heard of this band before. I had heard the song Lovefoot on the radio, but always thought that was No Doubt. And I don’t understand their cover of Ironman at all. Another record that I don’t need to hear again.

I seem to be saying this a lot, but although I didn’t hate it, I won’t be listening to it again.

Here we go again…I seem to be saying this a lot, but although I didn’t hate it, I won’t be listening to it again.

I liked about half of these songs, and disliked the other half. I enjoyed the ones with a bit of a “country” flair more than the others. Won’t listen to it again.

Well, if the lyrics and subject matter were not so objectionable, I really would’ve liked this one. Too bad.

Yeah… Well, there’s 41 minutes of my life I will never get back. Not sure who the audience for this guy would be. I’ve certainly heard of Tom Waits, but never actually heard him before. Not sure I need to hear him again.

Not sure I understand all of the critical acclaim or the vitriol surrounding this album. I thought it was enjoyable enough, and really liked a couple of the songs, but didn’t find it remarkable either way. Probably a three.

I really didn’t know what to expect out of this one, but I really didn’t expect to like it. I was a bit surprised, I enjoyed the simplicity of it. Certainly have heard of the velvet underground, but actually it never heard them before. I loved the song Jesus, but hated The Murder Mystery. Overall, I would give it a 3.5, so I’m going to give it 3 stars.

I don’t like electronic synth music, and I didn’t like this album. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be. Two stars.

I liked about half of these songs, and didn’t for the others, preferring the less electronic selections. I won’t be listening to it again.

I enjoyed this album for the most part, and may give it another listen; hadn’t heard of the band before. 3 solid stars for me.

Once again I must ask, why do I have to hear this album before I die? 2 stars.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Bob Dylan. On one hand, I think he’s a national treasure, and really respect his career and work, but on the other hand, I have never been a big fan. Having said that, I enjoyed this album lot more than I thought I would. Although in my opinion, so many of these songs sounds so similar, and they often end in a fade out which sounds dissatisfying to me. Still, I enjoyed this one and might just listen to it again. And let me say that this album totally belongs on the list of 1001.

This is yet another artist that I’d certainly heard of, but hadn’t actually listened to before. If nothing else, I’m thankful to this project because it exposes me to a lot of artists that I should’ve listened to, but have not yet. In any event, I did enjoy this album somewhat, But at times, I’m not crazy about Patti Smith’s vocals. Sometimes they are just a bit too out there for me. But all in all, I found this album to be an enjoyable experience. I’ll give it three stars.

What the hell was that?! At least it was mercifully short. I’m looking at all of the five star reviews on this website, and it only reinforces the notion that there truly is no accounting for taste. This is clearly not my thing, while others seem to adore it. I don’t get it.

My music education continues, with yet another band I had heard of, but hadn’t actually listened to. After the first 4 songs, I was ready to rate it a two or even less, as those selections just weren’t my thing. But after that, I didn’t mind the rest of the album and really actually enjoyed some of those cuts. I probably won’t make an effort to listen to it again, but it comes out to be a 3.0 for me.

This was a nice pleasant album, and for the most part, I enjoyed listening to it. This is the type of thing for me that is fine to listen to if it happens to be playing at a friends house or a restaurant, but it’s nothing that I would seek out or purchase for myself. For me, this is three stars.

After reading about this, I didn’t think I would probably like it at all. But as I started listening to it, I didn’t mind it and actually liked a couple of the songs. However, as it went on, I found it really redundant. I’m gonna settle at two stars for this one.

I had never heard of Nick Drake, and I didn’t read any of the info or reviews about him, so I had no idea what I was getting into. For a while there, I thought I was listening to Jack Johnson. I really like the simplicity of this album, and think that it’s really held up well over 52 years. There are one or two selections I didn’t care for, but overall I really like this and will probably listen to it again in the future. To me this one sounds like it could’ve been recorded within the last few years.

I know this is going to sound sacrilegious to some, but after listening to this album, it seems to me to be really overrated. I never cared for the singles off of this record, but went into it with as open of mind as possible, even hoping to like it. But I found several of these songs really redundant and even more repetitive, seeming to go on forever. Most of them were just too long. I never have been a fan of 80s electronic pop, and this album just reaffirms that for me. The last song, International Lover was probably the one I liked best. But, I just don’t get the critical acclaim and love for this album. Two stars from me.

I had never heard of the band Moby Grape. Of course I was young child when it came out, so that probably has something to do with it. I really, really liked the first song 8:05, but the rest of the album was just OK for me. I’m giving it three stars on the strength of the first song alone. The album was enjoyable enough, but probably won’t give it another listen.

Another band that I had not listened to before. I kind of liked some of these, but really didn’t love or hate any of them. Probably a weak 3 for me.

Pleasant enough, despite some of the lyrics. Found it a bit boring for my taste though. Won’t need to hear it again.

A good old-fashioned country album with three voices that blended beautifully, I loved it.

Really liked this one a lot. I will be saving it and listening to it again in the future.

I didn’t mind this one, and found the music very representative of that era. But it was just too damn long, and it would benefit from the concept of addiction by subtraction. There are just too many throw-away songs on this album. Still, I will give it a 3.0. Probably won’t bother to listen to it again, however.

I liked this one, and liked all of the songs with the exception of Silverf*ck. I have a hunch that I would have liked this album more 20 years ago when it came out, but incredibly I had not listened to it before. I think that I must have assumed that it was too “alternative” for my taste and didn’t give it a chance. Anyway, I am giving it four stars, on the lower end.

Not crazy about electronic music like this. It’s a 2 for me.

As my son liked to say when he was a toddler many, many years ago…this is bow-ing! Once again I must asks, why is it important for me to hear this album before I die? I hope the next one is better. I haven’t been enjoying these selections much lately.

I had never heard Suzanne Vega, with the exception of “Luka”. I really liked this album, but would have like it more if not for her penchant for speaking some of the lyrics instead of singing them. To me, it’s such a waste as I really do enjoy her lovely singing voice. This kept me from giving the album four stars. I will listen to it again, however.

Well, I sure thought THAT was horrible! I guess if you’re into devil worship, you might like this, but otherwise… Anyway, is it possible to give an album zero stars? I would’ve been able to tolerate this, if not for the so-called singing and lyrics, but I suppose that’s a lot of the appeal for its audience. I did make myself listen to at least one minute or so of each of the songs. Needless to say, this is just not for me.

For whatever reason, I love the song “Highway to Hell”. I enjoyed the rest of the album just fine. I like to listen to a record like this once in a while, but not often. It’s a very solid three stars for me.

I had heard this album a few times before, and don’t know why I didn’t purchase it back in the day. I really like it, and it takes me back to my old college days. The only reason that I don’t give it 5 stars is because I seem to tire of it somewhat quickly. But all in all, it’s excellent.

This was a fun album, nothing but covers, I believe, and very raw. And since it’s the Stone first album, it definitely belongs on the list. Although I enjoyed it, I probably won’t be playing it again. I give it a three.

Out of nearly 70 albums from this list that I have listened to and reviewed so far, this is remarkably the first one that I owned…and I bet that I hadn’t played it in over 25 years. Unlike most of the critics, this U2 is a band that I just never really got into. There are a few songs on this album that I really like, most notably Cruel, but the rest are pretty “meh” for me. I really dislike the open cut, Zoo Station. Anyway, I give this one a three.

I think I was able to get completely through only 3 out of 16 songs on this album. Please, please, please, for the love God, no more Tom Waits albums. I just don’t get the dude or his appeal.

I was excited to get a David Bowie album, because my exposure to him has been minimal hearing little beyond what was played on the radio, but I have always been curious about his music. I was a bit disappointed in this album. A bit too electronic for me, and many of the cuts were instrumentals or near instrumentals. Hope they have me sample another one before too long.

Of course I was familiar with Beyoncé and this group, but I had really never listened to them before. I thought some of these songs got a bit repetitive, but there nothing I really disliked besides the last song. A few of the songs I did like, but I probably won’t find myself listening to this album again. Although I find them to be very talented singers, it’s just not my thing. It is between 2.5 and 3 stars for me…I’ll settle on 3.

I had never heard or heard of Paul Weller before, so this album was really a pleasant surprise. In reading some of the other reviews, I saw that some found this boring and I guess that I understand this point of view. But for me, the tracks varied enough from each other so this wasn’t a problem for me. I will save this one and will be listening to it again…a solid four stars.

The only White Stripes song I was familiar with was “the Napoleon Dynamite” song, which is on this album. For the most part, I really enjoyed this album, finding it eclectic but still listener friendly. I will save it and listen to it again. I see it as 3.5 stars, so I will round it up to a four.

So, this is the second album of this band that I’ve listened to in as many days. I just have to say I REALLY like them! Yesterday I heard white blood cells, and today elephant is even better. For me, this is just good old fashioned rock ‘n’ roll! Too bad that I’m 20 years late discovering the band, but better late than never. A very solid four stars.

Other than the song, Love is the Drug, I have had no real exposure to this band prior to this album, although I had certainly heard of them. After the first few songs, this sounded like 3 stars for me, but then there were a couple of long, boring stinkers that dragged it down to a two. I am also coming to realize that I am not a Brian Eno fan, as he has been the common denominator in a few offerings on this list of 1001 albums that I have not cared for. I won’t need to hear this one again.

I thought that this was a very solid effort for a first solo album, and in spite of some of its weirdness, I generally liked it. Highlights were of course, Solsbury Hill, and I also really liked Here comes the Flood. I agree with another reviewer about Gabriel seeming to channel his inner Randy Newman on a couple of the tracks, but I also like Randy Newman. If I could, I would give this 7 out of 10 stars, but I will settle on 3. I will save it and probably will listen to it again.

I have never been a big Kiss fan…there is nothing wrong with this album, but I always thought that they sounded a bit generic, for lack of a better term. I won’t need to hear this one again.

This is fun, and would be great for a Holiday party…I would just try to leave Phil Spector’s name out of it, though. It’s 3 stars for me.

I have to say, this one surprised me, and I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. Despite a couple of the song titles, the lyrics themselves aren’t that objectionable. I’ll give this one a three.

This is just good ol’ fashioned, old school blues…good stuff, but for me, I think it would be improved by leaving out the repeated selections. Still, 4 solid stars.

Yet another band that I had heard of, but hadn’t actually heard before. I thought the album was pretty good, but a bit long for me. Although I liked it, I won’t go out of my way to listen to it again. 3 stars from me.

After the movie “Ray” came out, I bought a “best of” Ray Charles CD, and have really enjoyed it over the years, although it has been quite a while since I have listened to it…well this album is better! Even though I would normally find the production, orchestration and backing vocals a bit over the top, I think it really works here. I will definitely listen to this one again. If I could, I would give it 4.5 stars.

I had not heard any of these songs before, but I did genuinely enjoy it. It is classic Beatlesque British sixties rock. It is probably a 3.5 for me, and I may listen to it again.

This is a band that I was totally unfamiliar with…I liked some of the songs, and some parts of some of the songs. I still had about three more songs left to listen to when I wrote this review, but it is probably three stars for me. I may or may not give it another listen; I kind of wish that these selections came out every other day.

I’ve only heard this bands’ singles over the years, and was never that wild about them. After listening to this album, my opinion hasn’t changed. This just isn’t my thing, I’ll give it two stars.

I somehow forgot to give this one a rating, but for me it’s a 3. Disturbing album cover, though.

I didn’t mind this, but didn’t love it either. I think one of the reviews nailed it when it stated that Cale sounds a lot like Ringo Starr at times. Anyway, I found it somewhat enjoyable, but thought it was a three for me on the low end.

I enjoy The Beach Boys, but a dose will last me a long time. In my mind, you need a greatest hits album, Pet Sounds, and Smile by Brian Wilson, and then your bases are covered. This one is Avery solid three for me.

So, there are just way too many songs on here to listen to in one day, unless it was my job to do so. I listened to about a dozen and then quit because even though I am retired, I do still have a life. Anyway, for the most part I did enjoy what I heard, although Stephin Merritt’s voice wasn’t my favorite, especially when at times he seems to have a really loose relationship with the concept of pitch. I guess I will give this one a three based on my limited sampling.

It’s like this guy is trying to sing off key…too bad, because I would have really liked this album if he could sing at all.

I really don’t have much to say about this one…it was okay, but I won’t be saving it or listening to it again.

Although I enjoyed this album for the most part, I didn’t like it as much as I had expected. I thought a lot of the songs dragged on, especially the second one, which I thought would never end. I did appreciate the use of some unconventional instruments like the sitar and harpsichord. But in the end, it gets a disappointing three stars from me.

For the most part, I really liked this album a lot…I realize that Neil Young has an odd, whiny voice and that he may be a bit of an acquired taste, but I thought this one was quite good. I have listened to a couple of his other albums over the years, but I thought this one was superior, even though I was only familiar with the first song. I will definitely be saving this one, and will listen to it again in the future. And if I stumble across a reasonably priced vinyl version, I’ll pick it up. Four stars.

I had never heard of Elliot Smith, and after the first song on this album, I didn’t think I would care much for it. But as it went on, I found it really grew on me and I ended up liking it a lot. I will definitely will listen to this one again. Four stars.

I have always had mixed feelings about the Police, and listening to this album didn’t clear anything up for me. I liked about half of the songs (for the most part, the hits) and didn’t care much for the others. I don’t know what the song “Mother” was doing on the album. In spite of the creepy lyrics, I have always liked “Every Breath You Take” a whole lot. This album is a 3 for me, I guess.

What the hell?? She is really awful. If someone else had been singing…almost anyone else…I would have liked this album, even with the flutes. One positive thing I can take is that I was exposed to a couple of Jackson Browne songs that I was not familiar with. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I will ever to be able to unhear what she did to “These Days”. One star is being generous.

Well, I didn’t hate it, but didn’t really care for it either, not even considering the language barrier. Won’t be giving it another listen…just not my thing. Two stars.

I had never heard of this guy…apparently he is quite a tool. That notwithstanding, I rather enjoyed this album. It was a bit too long for me, but if I can separate the work from the personality, I give it four stars.

So, if you like concerts that have long drawn out songs that are mostly instrumental riffs, you’ll like this album. Also, I think there’s a special place in heaven for those who appreciate and even more so, like drum solos. Me, I just kept asking myself, when will this song be over? Needless to say, this one just isn’t for me. Two stars.

Maybe my old man colors are showing, but for the most part, this sounded like a bunch of noise to me. 2 stars is being generous.

I’m sure that there’s an audience for this, but it definitely isn’t me!

I didn’t dislike this as much as I thought I would, but I don’t get Lou Reed.

I didn’t mind this at all, basic early 70’s rock n roll. Wasn’t crazy about the vocals, though. 3 stars.

To me, this album was fine, and the epitome of a three star album. Pleasant enough to listen to, but nothing particularly memorable either.

I didn’t expect to like this at all, mostly because, what the hell is a virtual band? But I was surprised and didn’t mind most of the songs, and even liked a few of them. It did run a bit long, though. This is another band that I had never heard of but still gets three stars from me.

I thought this was really good, and for the most part, I liked it a lot. I also enjoyed the variety, particularly the country side of one of the albums. Usually I think that a double album is too long and some songs should be cut, but not in this case. If I see a used vinyl copy for a reasonable price, I will pick it up. 4 stars.

For me, this was when the Stones were hitting their sweet spot, and heading into their Golden Age. This era included Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and ended with Exile on Main Street. I still really love a lot of their work before and since that time, but I think these were their best albums. On Beggars Banquet, a lot the songs are bluesy rock, which I really like. I know taste is personal, but for me this album is a solid five, and I’ve listened to it dozens of times over the years. I will continue to do so.

I have listened to this album many times over the years as I purchased it back in the seventies. I wasn’t too crazy about it back then, but it has really grown on me over the years and I genuinely enjoy all of the songs. When looking at his early efforts, I prefer Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau to this one, but I still really like it and will continue to play it from time to time. My only real complaint is many of songs run a bit long. It gets 4 stars plus from me.

The only prior exposure I had to Christina Aguilera is that I once heard the end of “Beautiful” on the radio, and liked what I heard. After listening to the album, I found that I rather enjoyed the ballads, but the other stuff, not so much. Hip-hop just isn’t my thing, so the more the songs leaned towards that the less I liked them. I also thought that overall the album was just too long, and many of the songs lingered on too long as well. Overall, I give it a three.

Well, at least it was mercifully short. I was going to give this a one, but there were a couple of songs in here that weren’t too bad. I thought this album was mostly garbage though. I’m giving it a generous two stars.

If you like weird, discordant music, this album is for you! But it isn’t for me. I’m a little confused by all of the critical acclaim, and all of the love that this album gets on this list by reviewers, but I suspect that it has something to do with paying respect to the man’s career at the time of his death. Once again, not at all my thing.

Well, I am an old man, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t care for this album at all…and it’s so LONG! I agree with those who suggested he’s like a poor man’s Michael Jackson, or that he wanted to be Michael Jackson, but someone beat him to it. Anyway, this one was work for me to listen to. Two stars.

I had never heard of nor heard this band before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I found the album to be a mixed bag…I really liked about half of the songs, and the rest I found to be throw-always. At times I found the lead vocalist’s penchant for sliding between the notes annoying, but enjoyed the gospel-like sound of the backing singers. I enjoyed the horns as well. And as I often comment, most of these songs were just too long. It’s hard for me to land on a rating for this one, but I will give it a three. I will also save it, and will listen to some of the songs again.

I hadn’t listened to this album before, but of course had heard a few of the songs over the years. For the most part, I liked the album but I found the way she uses her voice to often be annoying and harsh. This brought it down from a four to a three for me.

This album really was pretty good, as the critics all seem to purport. This isn’t the type of music I normally listen to, but I can see putting it on from time to time just to mellow out a bit. I could do without the moaning sounds at the beginning of “You Sure Love to Ball” (I always hate this effect, and the title and lyrics could be a bit more subtle as well). Even though this is a blatant sex album, I quite enjoyed it and give it four stars.

I thought this one was pretty good, and caters to my personal tastes. Although a lot of the songs are very similar, this is just good old rock and roll, and very enjoyable. It’s funny, but Legs, which was probably the bands most popular song, is one of my least favorites. It’s not that I dislike it, I just like other songs a lot better, particularly Gimme all your Lovin’ and Sharp Dressed Man. I give this album 4 stars.

When this album popped up, I silently groaned. My limited previous exposure to Brian Eno has not been anything I have enjoyed. This album surprised me. Although I didn’t love it, I didn’t mind it either. I even genuinely liked the last song, Spider and I. Anyway, what I thought was going to be a two star rating from me will be a three star rating. It still isn’t really my thing at all, and I probably won’t listen to it again, but I was glad to be exposed to it.

For the most part, I really liked this album and thought it was really good. I believe it would be even better with some of the weirdness removed…all of the excess noise in Save the Life of my Child, and completely removing Voices of Old People come to mind. But even so, I think this album is deserving of four stars.

I had never heard of Shuggie Otis before, and didn’t know what to expect. All in all, I found this album easy to listen to and enjoyable; this one is a 3 for me. Glad to be exposed to it, but didn’t like it so much that I will need to hear it again.