Ok, everyone knows Otis Redding for "(Sittin on the) Dock of the Bay)" so I went in with high expectations. I won't say it met the five stars I was hoping for, but Redding still has a strong and wonderful voice. And looking at the history, he had ridiculous talent behind him in the band. It's a very solid album, just not a perfect album. I'd probably put it at 3.75 if I could make very accurate ratings but I'll give it a 4 for how soulful and melodic it is.
Everyone has heard Every Breath You Take fifty billion times, so that one part of the album is kind of annoying, but I won't hold it against the album that it had a successful single.
The rest of the album is GREAT. The last couple songs drop off, but not offensively, just kind of boring. Mother is a jarring addition in the middle of the album, but I think it could've played out really well if they just moved the order around. Every Breath You Take (the stalker song) into Mother (the oh my god why won't my girlfriends leave me alone song) would've been a good back to back.
King of Pain and Synchronicity II really stand out on this album. I'd probably honestly give it a 4.25-4.5 if I could break the stars down further, which is surprising. Usually I hate Sting on the singles.
Loved it. This would be a five except for there was one bit of TERRIBLE rapping that was just obliged back then, and some of the songs were kind of forgettable.
I've heard this album five billion times, I love The Cure. Pictures of you is a classic. The soundscapes they managed on this album are beautiful
I really struggled with whether or not this album was a 2 star or 3 star. It really wasn't all that interesting, but there were a few moments that were kind of cool. But my god Precious and Grace really brought this down to a two.
I love the Beatles' early work. All the experimentation is fun and everything, but sometimes you just want some straight ahead pop that has a few interesting chordal choices and notes choices.
I thought the horns were fun, and the songs themselves were good. But my god did the vocals ruin the album. And they're all over, so it's not like I can escape it.
I wish I could use half stars because this is the most 3.5 album I've ever heard. I really, really enjoyed some of the moments that came out of the chaos, but too much of the album is really just chaos over a really repetitive vamp.
I don't know what's up with all the low reviews. This album was an Absolute bop through and through. Yes, they are kind of like a discount Wham! The thing is, Wham! is perfect through and through, so what could they really do?
I love the synths, the drum machines, the arrangements and note choices. Really, my only problem is that this album was mixed weirdly. Everything is a bit thinner than it should be, and that's why I think it sounds like discount Wham! They needed a bit more reverb on everything.
I was kind of enjoying it, and then I actually properly heard the lyrics of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.
Who fucking cares about the suffering of southern white confederate soldiers? Fuck em, I hope they burn in hell. Go look up quotes from the confederate soldiers, they were explicitly fighting to protect slavery. Even the ones that weren't were fighting out of "obligation to their friend's and family". Obligation for what, to join in protecting slavery? I'm sure that worked real well for the nazis. Grow a spine you fucking pieces of shit.
Basically, I don't care if the person in the song suffered. In fact, I hope they did. A lot. The world would've been better if all the confederates died in the war or were shot afterwards, like the traitors they were.
This probably would've been fun to drink and dance to in the 90s. Hell, it might even be fun to drink and dance to right now.
Being completely sober though, it's a bit of an exercise in boredom.
Still, it got me moving a bit, so I think a 3 is appropriate.
It's ok. There are some nice, brain dead pop moments that are catchy, but it also has this extremely grating sound to it sometimes. It's a very dated late 90s, early 2000s house type of sound that I just hate. So it really balances out.
It's also very, very clear that this must've had something to do with the direction of pop 5-15 years down the road.
This is like REALLY boring, but in a non-offensive, background kind of way.
This album was pretty funky, I loved it, through and through. The Beastie Boys got pretty experimental on here, too. And of course, Sabotage is a classic.
Love. Many loves. The voice makes it, this would be quite diminished if not for Mark Coyne's voice.
I'm sure this was revolutionary for the time, pretty cool even. But I fucking HATE the Hammond Organ and I hate the tone of the guitar in this. I just couldn't take it. It was so boring.
I'm rounding this one up, because it's really more like a 3.5 instead of a 4. A lot of the songs feel like they were ALMOST good songs (except two of them were like, REALLY bad). They just couldn't quite get there, quite push them to the heights of Dreams or something like that.
It was alright. Very danceable. I'd probably like it a lot more if I was drunk, and also dancing.
It was just alright. Really, the only song I'd want to hear again is Pinball Wizard, since that song goes so hard. I'll give it three stars just for being the first rock opera (the first big one at least).
This is ONLY interesting because I really like Keane and Keane very clearly was inspired by this. For that, I will give it 3 stars. But only because it managed to let something else better come out of it.
It was so incredibly painfully boring. Jack White seems like a really cool guy, but every time I hear his music, it bears me to tears.
I have no idea how this group managed to take such a decadent, overdone work and make it the most BORING thing I've heard in a long while. It has no coherency. It's basically just a lot of sound all at once for a while, and then a REALLY boring ostinato
Loved it. It's the precursor to a large majority of music I like, though, so that makes sense.
