Nov 15 2024
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White Blood Cells
The White Stripes
Always been a fan of the White Stripes but mostly through their singles and never really delved deeper in albums. I found myself drifting in and out of this album with the more popular tracks being the songs that pulled me back in. Lyrically interesting and always been a fan of the efficient, driving drums and the spitty, bluesy guitar work and this album is a great example of how those two elements make The White Stripes unique and (sometimes) attention grabbing.
3
Nov 16 2024
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OK Computer
Radiohead
Lyrics great
Sonically really great. Rich and interesting
Really like 'Let Down' & 'Electioneering', 'No Surprises'
Didn't think I'd like it as much as I did with limited Radiohead exposure/familiarity.
4/5
4
Nov 17 2024
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Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Redding
Amazing voice and some great versions of classic songs.
5/5
5
Nov 18 2024
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Strangeways, Here We Come
The Smiths
Never liked The Smiths and this album does nothing to change that. Some nice guitar sounds and Johnny Marr is great but it’s all ruined by Morrissey. Dull vocal delivery as always, accompanied by the smarmy, pseudo-intellectual moaning. He maybe has 3 lines of remotely interesting lyric or melody on the whole album. Here’s hoping I avoid any more of this dross.
1
Nov 19 2024
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Rubber Soul
Beatles
Highlights are 'Drive My Car' and 'In My Life' but I'm always more struck by the middle road-ness of the other songs. Nice harmonies and occasionally interesting guitar parts (I'm looking through you). Inoffensive, nice but just alright. My issue with listening to The Beatles is that having a modern reference point removes the original context that made them so groundbreaking. So now, I just hear twee pop songs. That said, the attitude that everything they produced was an instant classic is hyperbole at best. Even The Beatles had filler tracks and Rubber Soul is no exception. It's a nice listen (apart from Run For Your Life, WTF?) but nothing more, to me.
3
Nov 20 2024
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Electric Ladyland
Jimi Hendrix
A guitar legend and some great songs on here. A finish of 'All Along the Watchtower' and 'Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)' is pretty damn strong. However, the album itself doesn't half drag on a bit. Could be half the length but you might as well jam for a few extra minutes per song when you play like that...
4
Nov 21 2024
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At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
Probably the best live album of all time. Impossibly cool and made even cooler by having the prisoner announcements included through the album and by playing a song written by a Folsom inmate to close out the album.
5
Nov 22 2024
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It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Public Enemy
Completely uneducated when it comes to hip-hop but not completely ignorant. A fan of Beastie Boys and A Tribe called Quest so I enjoyed this. it definitely grows into itself and it also helps if you can tune Flava Flav out. There's only so many "YEAH BOOOOOOOOOOIIIII"s you can take. The guy was stealing a living. Highlights are She Watch Channel Zero?! & Prophets of Rage.
4
Nov 23 2024
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Brothers In Arms
Dire Straits
Money for Nothing gets this an automatic 3 stars but beyond that, it's a bit boring. Knopfler's guitar work is obviously great but the songs themselves aren't that interesting on the whole. It's all a bit limp.
3
Nov 24 2024
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Rapture
Anita Baker
What a voice. It's great to listen to Anita Baker's runs and there's some pretty tasty bass playing too. It's a shame there's also quite a bit of filler on the album. Anita's voice is great but the songs themselves are just too samey. Standout track 'No One In The World'.
3
Nov 25 2024
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Arrival
ABBA
I like Abba. The singles from this album are fantastic pop songs. The album tracks are a bit forgettable so I did find myself waiting for the singles to come around but it's a pleasant enough listen. It's just 70's pop, not sure why people get so upset about it either way.
4
Nov 26 2024
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Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin
I honestly thought I liked Led Zeppelin. At least casually. Having listened to Led Zeppelin II, I now know that I'm not a fan. I've never had time drag like when listening to this album. 41 minute run time felt like 82. 'Whole Lotta Love' whilst being a classic riff, is also mostly made of Robert Plant wailing and screeching. As is the rest of the album. For every great riff, bass or drum part, there's equal parts nails on a chalk board vocals. You can even tell when Robert Plant has ran out of lyric ideas because he'll just start shouting "BABY, BABY, BABY, BABY". Rated this based on the other 3 in the band having some great, albeit few and far between, moments.
2
Nov 27 2024
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Walking Wounded
Everything But The Girl
Found this pretty boring to be honest. Like being on hold at the doctors.
2
Nov 28 2024
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The Atomic Mr Basie
Count Basie & His Orchestra
These are the kind of albums I was hoping to find when listening through the 1001 generator. Something different and new (at least to me). Honestly, never intentionally/actively listened to jazz or big band but really enjoyed listening to this. Amazing playing and really dynamic. Loved 'Midnight Blue' and 'The Kid from Red Bank'. Drum fills in 'Fantail' and overall musicianship is great.
4
Nov 29 2024
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Metal Box
Public Image Ltd.
It's awful but that's ok because it's "avant garde" and it's not meant to be listenable or have structure or be bearable and...and you just don't get it, ok?! Impressively boring. Remember, things could always be worse, you could be listening to PIL.
1
Nov 30 2024
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Innervisions
Stevie Wonder
This was ok. there were moments I found myself get into it and then others where it blended into the background. Higher Ground, Living for the City are highlights but wouldn't go out of my way to listen again. Would give 2.5 stars if I could.
2
Dec 01 2024
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Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones
Enjoyed this. Highlights, aside from the hits, are Dead Flowers & Moonlight Mile.
4
Dec 02 2024
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System Of A Down
System Of A Down
Always quite liked SOAD's rhythms and lyrical phrasing. Their first album shows first signs of how quirky and creative they'll go onto be on future releases. However, there are only flashes of this and it does get a bit samey as you listen through. Highlights for me are Sugar, Soil & War.
3
Dec 03 2024
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Definitely Maybe
Oasis
You think that everything you've done's fantastic
Your music's shite it puts me to sleep
There. Fixed it.
Kind of boring. The most interesting part is a T-Rex riff. Lyrically dull and essentially just nursery rhymes over a pub band who liked The Beatles a bit too much. I don't understand how this was considered exciting or new but Oasis have always been their own biggest fans so hype and tabloid headlines help with the promo. The mix is also pretty bad: muddy and no space.
I'm sure Oasis will crop up again and I expect that later albums are better than this. At least I hope so.
2
Dec 04 2024
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evermore
Taylor Swift
This is a nice listen. I was a fan of folklore and evermore is in a similar vein. Cosy, soft acoustic based songs. It does feel a little like a b-sides compilation from folklore as not all the songs are particularly memorable. Highlights are Coney island, Ivy & Cowboy Like Me. A decent album but not one of Taylor's best.
3
Dec 05 2024
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There's A Riot Goin' On
Sly & The Family Stone
Enjoyed this darker funk album. Some great parts of songs but no one song that will get stuck in your head. Highlights are Brave & Strong, africa Talks to You ("The Asphalt Jungle") & (You Caught Me) Smilin' - the bass on this track is so good, but then again, the whole album is covered in great bass parts. Assuming there are other Sly albums on this list so will look forward to them coming up.
3
Dec 06 2024
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The Nightfly
Donald Fagen
Like listening to paint dry. So full. 80s Soft jazz rock? I’m alright thanks. 2/5 as it’s inoffensive to listen to but so, so boring.
2
Dec 07 2024
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At Mister Kelly's
Sarah Vaughan
Great voice and a very listenable album. Jazz is still not totally my thing so hard to get too excited about this but I did enjoy.
3
Dec 08 2024
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I See You
The xx
I remember seeing The XX a while ago supporting Foo Fighters on a tour and thought they were quite boring then. I still think that. Vocally and lyrically, it's an interesting but the music itself is so monotonous. There's barely a change in tempo/energy for the whole record. Opening track 'Dangerous', like many of the tracks, just feels like it needs to go somewhere but doesn't. It's an overall pleasant enough album but just melds into one, long mid-tempo indie pop track.
2
Dec 09 2024
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...The Dandy Warhols Come Down
The Dandy Warhols
Quite liked this. A few filler tracks towards the end and it's long. Highlights are Not If you Were The Last Junkie On Earth, Every Day Should be a Holiday and Hard on for Jesus.
3
Dec 10 2024
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The Köln Concert
Keith Jarrett
This was nice to have on in the background. Which is partly why it only got 3 stars. I can appreciate the musicianship but some of it just seemed to disappear into the background. I think partly, this just isn’t really my genre so it’s difficult to get blown away at any point or hear anything that grabs my attention. Like I said, it’s a nice listen, but nothing life changing.
3
Dec 11 2024
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Pieces Of The Sky
Emmylou Harris
What a beautiful voice. I'm not a die-hard country fan but this is what I think of when I think of 'real' country music, great storytelling. Highlights are Before Believing, Sleepless Nights & Bluebird Wine.
5