Okay. While there are few fun hits on here. The lyrical storytelling and musical experimentation didn't feel super astounding to me. Pretty average, some good pop, but not one that I will likely find myself returning to regularly.
Some really good and fun singles on this one. The production has some really great moments along with the lyrics. The overall album experience isn't fully rewarding.
So many of these songs had musicality and intros that a really dug, but the vibes were just a little too off for me. As others have pointed out the vocals are a big turn off. I liked a few of the songs, but there was nothing that really hooked me on this record. Reading the lyrics, it sounded like there were some interesting ideas there, but they just didn't connect with my ear. Feels like sacrilege because I know how iconic this album is, but I'm met with a little bit of a shrug.
What an incredibly fun and moody album. First listen through I really dug every song, and also the first album in this project (4th album I've come to) where I really wanted to re-listen to everything instead of just a couple of songs here or there (sorry Joy Division, you didn't get a single perma-like on anything). Fun production on almost every song, the vocals and the lyrics tell some compelling stuff. I think, maybe "Unhappy Birthday" was the one that made me cringe a little first time through, but, honestly, the three song streak of Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me was an absolute overture, so I give "Unhappy Birthday"'s out-of-place cuteness a pass. Really good. Listening again now, not because I feel like I need to (again sorry Joy Division, I gave you a fair shake), but because I really want to. Between 4 and 5. Would probably be 5 after a little more time.
This, for me, is kind of like the ur-rock album. When I think of how rock sounds in my brain it sounds like this album. Granted, I'm young-ish, so my understanding of rock was definitely formed through the Guitar Hero era (which relied heavily on the hits from the album). The hits are still bangers, like all timers. Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child o Mine... all masterpieces of rock from the orchestration and production to the vocals. Each a 5 minute odyssey in their own right. The other songs don't necessarily "slouch", but I think my taste in music, generally, has moved beyond this type of thing. A 15-16 year old version of myself still rocks out to these songs, but it's not me anymore.
Rebellious, loud, and sexy. This is in the I-appreciate-it-more-than-I-enjoy-it box. I can't imagine listening to this in '73 as a teenager. It must have captured so much angst and horniness. I also listen to this and can see the way it set the tone for the rebellious energy of the punk/ sleaze rock scene to come. Unfortunately, I don't foresee myself listening to a ton of this moving forward. I listened to the "Iggy Mix" (according to Apple music) and I may give the "Bowie Mix" a shot as well to see what the differences are. Influential, clearly, but not the thing I would regularly listen to.
Yeah, I was really into this. Refreshing to hear something really unique after hearing a lot of punk/ rock music back-to-back. Not that I despise those genres or anything. But there was something groovy and whimsical about this whole album. The "East meets West" thing maybe doesn't totally work for me, I probably agree with what appears to be a consensus that the covers don't work as well as the rest of the album. But I basically disagree that the last half of this album drags. Metamorphosis and Sagar were probably my two big pulls from this album. (I also liked Snow Flower). Which I think mostly means I liked this album most when it leaned towards it's Indian roots (but maybe someone with more knowledge of Indian music would have differing opinions because I know fundamentally nothing about Indian music). Anyhow, really enjoyed, the three that I mentioned will be joining a couple of my instrumental and dancey/party playlists.
I received whiplash reading the other reviews for this. While most to maybe half of the high rated reviews for this notice it's brilliance, I was shocked by the amount of reviews that are totally derisive. I do not listen to rap or hip-hop too much (one of my goals with this project is to expand those horizons), and from track 1, I was pretty hooked on the thematic complexity. Lamar is clearly working through a lot of ideas with this album (and if his cultural clout proceeds him, he hasn't stopped working through ideas). The interweaving and complexity of themes of religious morality and guilt, with responsibility towards family and friends, and trying to remain true to your home that you love while knowing you may need to escape. God... it just captures something so beautifully. Which is where the whiplash at seeing negative reviews minimize the expansiveness of this album into "disgusting", "trash", or "boring" totally caught me off-guard. Anyway, I don't know a lot about rap or the history of the genre, but this album was great. I almost broke into tears at the end of "Real". Such a cogent album. Great storytelling and thematics. One of my favs that I've listened to in this project so far. I expect there is some bias in the negative reviews, but I'll try to have a better outlook on humanity.
I was pretty excited about a CCR album, but aside from "Bad Moon..." which is still great, I just didn't vibe. Surprisingly meh for a band I tend to enjoy.
I liked it a lot. Pretty vibey. Good for background music, but I expect it rewards close listening as well. Maggot Brain and Wars of Armageddon were my favs.