Ultimately not interesting, but REM was not something I had decided to explore more previously. The post-punk influence seems obvious now but I had missed it before.
Their earlier work seems like it may be more pace after a very cursory listen. Radio free Europe seems overhyped but pilgrimage and laughing are very solid.
it's funky and cool. The recording is absolutely pristine for the time. Ultimately just not something I find overly interesting or expect myself to come back to. It's rare that the most played song is my personal favorite, but Love and Affection was really the standout, a sax solo always does it for me.
3/5
This is an existential crisis as a music reviewer.
It just doesn't feel like something like this was ever designed to be evaluated? Yet, here we are.
It is genuinely astounding the level of success they found on a debut album, with 3 singles clearing a billion spotify streams, and that's part of the issue for me. I came into this album already tired of it, in a genre that was tired before I was even born.
I can't find anything wrong with it, the songs are varied and clever, the instrumental sounds and vocals are unique and play well together, I just cannot find it in my heart to care about this album and that's on me.
There were a handful of tracks that I had never listened to in here, and of them "Think About You" is my favorite despite a bland start. I found myself subtly head banging to a rift with a surprisingly post-punk influence in the chorus.
Ultimately, I won't be returning to this album intentionally but I think I can listen to it a little more favorably when I inevitably hear it out and about. The musicianship and creativity is undeniable, I'm the problem.
3/5
I owe Joni more time, but I've always had an averse reaction to Big Yellow Taxi and this album didn't help my impression of her. I found it pretty throughout but the closing stretch really lost me.
As one of two 1001 albums a day singer songwriter album I've been suggested, I found myself putting it head to head again Joan Armatradings 1976 album and most popular track from it "Love and Affection", which I can't help but think beats probably everything but the opening minute and a half from "Help Me".
2/5
I do find this preferable to Wish You Were Here which I found... middling. Breathe is beautiful, and once the saxophone hit on Us and Them I knew it would be my favorite of the bunch.
Some songs lose me though, Money especially. I'm sure there was novelty in the sampling of a cash register at the time, but it's lost on me and frankly it felt out of place.
There is a wonderful review on RYM from a user who experienced this album for the first time while deployed in Vietnam. Imagining that setting gave me a much deeper appreciation.
I read much about co-founder syd barrett and it lead me to their earlier discography, which feels more raw and truthfully more interesting.
3.5/5
Clearly an exceptional talent, the songs just do nothing for me. I know a lot of detractors take issue with his vocals and delivery, but that's not my issue. He just has failed to find a way to make me care. So far on my 1001 albums journey, spending time with an album and reading more about it usually brings greater appreciation for an artist I had a level of familiarity with but had never done a deep dive, and this is the first one I felt disappointed by. By reputation, Dylan should be delivering more.
2/5
I'm sure it was Bold as Love for the time, but Hendrix failed to live up to his legendary name for me. Removed from the context of his time, I can't appreciate what he brought to the table.
2.5/5
unimpressed with this version of Bowie
How do you appropriately rate old experimental music?
There are a lot of big moments here but a lot of failed experiments. When dialed in it's truly impressive, yet I find myself mostly waiting for what I know they can do.
2/5
I've been wrestling with how to rate older albums that just can't grab my interest and comparing them to video game consoles has given me solace.
A Joan Baez album is like a Super Nintendo. Top of its class at the time, but as advancements in gaming happen, new things are just better. It will always hold nostalgic value but certainly the ps5 is better as it can just do more. You couldn't blame a kid for not enjoying a SNES after growing up with a PS5, and similarly you can't blame someone for not enjoying a record like this because it's from before their time.
2/5
I get it. The author was trying to make some picks on modern music that would hold up into the future and just had a total miss here.
The icarus line really wrote music that turned out to utilize the very worst of rock at the time.
1/5
I think my impression of Norah has been unfair. I can only picture gen-x women living peaceful lives when I think of this album, and really... that doesn't change, but it really is a pleasant record. Completely inoffensive but not devoid of interesting ideas. The major knock being that it starts with it's strongest single and tends to drag on without much else to note beyond it.
2.5/5
I wish we got a little more AZ in here, but this has a credible claim to being the greatest hiphop album of all time.
5/5
This is the first one that has really impressed me.
Ive been craving that noise aspect after listening to things like the pristine Joan Baez. Jennifer is stunning. I hear moments that clearly inspired bands like Ariel Pink, and others that inspired King Gizzard.
If it was a little more tighter and focused this could have been my first 5, but it's a 4 because it wanders a little too much. But I'm taking note of this album, it feels so fresh despite it's age. Exceptional.
4/5
Hip hop is at its best with east coast boom bap, and ATCQ are absolutely icons and pioneers of this style. There is just little to hang onto here. The timeless moments in songs like can I kick it are few and far between.
2/5
The album opener is massive, the lyrics are genuinely funny yet still effortless, this is a timeless album.
4/5
A bloated journey. There are some incredible moments in here but my god it's just so much to package together. Some of the most genre defying and iconic songs ever composed, sandwiched between musical waste.
3/5
It's fine, but to me this is just pure shrek soundtrack material.
1.5/5
I genuinely hate everything about this album and am shocked to discover this band is still pulling millions of listeners. I would have thought this would be another miss by the author, taking a gamble on a current artist that would otherwise be forgotten to time.
1/5
It's fine. I'm sure stevens vocals were quite genre pushing at the time but for me at this stage, I found it entirely forgettable.
2/5
It actually took a modern interpretation of the beastie boys (joey valence and brae) for me to more deeply appreciate what the beastie boys do.
Humor dates easily though, and I think a lot of it is just too far gone.
3.5/5
A little sleepy for me but better than I'd always anticipated. 3.5/5
This isn't for me. Chason has been long forgotten for a good reason, but... Brel still oozes cool. Supremely talented but too dated for me.
2/5
I have always said creep is their best song, miles ahead of no scrubs or waterfalls.
With that said, it's an interlude, creep, three more interludes.
The tracks are pretty forgettable, big closer with andre 3000, but that's it.
2/5
This sucks lol.
It's like if a theater kid tried to make post punk.
1/5
Walk on by really is one of the coolest songs ever written, there may not have been a man as cool as Hayes alive in 1969. It is all downhill from there, though.
2.5/5
Limelight rules. Rush is a cool band but the types of kids wearing their shirts growing up were not lol.
4/5
I can forgive the man for thinking the darkness could pull it off more than once. Truthfully a more complete album than i was expecting due to the smash hit of IBIATCL and complete silence of the rest.
At the time I couldn't believe this was a modern band, it sounded so 80s. I don't feel like that anymore, it sounds so much more 2000s.
2/5
Stevie Wonder what I'm missing here hehe
Just didn't find anything to hold onto here.
proto-noise, thank you for your contribution, I will never listen to this again. 1.5/5
surprisingly enjoyable. 3/5
Finally pulling through with a modern pick that stood the test of time. MGMT is a special band.
