Shining Star is an absolute banger...helluva way to open an album. Wish there was more funk and less ballads. This is a 3.49 ⭐️, so it rounds down to 3.

72 minutes is an audacious run time for this genre. They could have chopped off 3 songs and made it 60 minutes. A lot of it sounds the same. I dig a lot of the bass. Love Song is a classic and Pictures of You was good. If the previous EWF album was a 3, this can't be a 3. Giving it a 2. Maybe setting the bar high too soon, but we got a long way to go.

I love a lot of this album. "Thinkin Bout You" is a flawless song. Vocals/lyrics/instrumentation are incredible. "Pyramids" - I could listen to this ten minute r&b/pop/dance suite(?) ten times in a row and not get tired of it. "Lost" - fun little catchy beat on this one Andre 3000 and Earl Sweatshirt both drop a verse  A few too many weak points (Forrest Gump, Monks, Pilot Jones, Sierra Leone) to be five stars....but this does have great replay-ability.

Very solid album as a whole, but a bit surprised that 4 of the 9 tracks are covers. I love the takes on "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" and "Summer Breeze", but prefer the original "Listen to the Music" I don't think I know the "Sunshine (Go Away Today)" original - Wikipedia says it's a country/folk song so no way the original gets down as hard as this jam That lead guitar on "Summer Breeze" is killer Really enjoyed it...gonna give it a 4.5 since almost half of it is covers.

A lot of good rock here...that 8-minute "Still In Love With You" might be my favorite. "Cowboy Song" into "The Boys Are Back in Town" was a fantastic transition. Drums at the end of "Sha La La" were a highlight for me. Fun fact if you didn't catch the introductions: "Baby Drives Me Crazy" has Huey Lewis on the harmonica. All of it sounds good....a little too good. Started skimming the Wikipedia page and it appears that A LOT of it was overdubbed in the studio. Sounds like there are conflicting reports on how much was live vs. studio-boosted, but I gotta give it 3 based off of that.

I love the 70's glam sound, but nothing totally grabbed me. I liked "Personality Crisis" and "Trash" the most. Was wondering if it influenced Bowie, but of course Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane came out before this one.

I can confidently say I've never heard this album....and maybe even never heard of Solomon Burke Not really finding a bad track here...I especially enjoy the ones with the female backing vocals. Surprise Surprise: Jerry Wexler produced this album I like this a lot. The 60's soul/r&b sound is totally in my wheelhouse, but I think I'm going to call this a 4.5 star album. I would definitely spin this again outside of this project, but nothing is telling me "I HAVE to hear it again."

Didn't care much for this. I know they are pretty big across the pond but I'd rather listen to Oasis...or Gorillaz. Tracks that stood out to me: "Clover Over Dover", "Badhead", "London Loves" Wouldn't actively seek out listening to this full album again.

5 stars off of "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" by themselves. Throw in the title track and "Cinnamon Girl" and we're in business. 7 tracks, 40 minutes in and out, no filler....classic album

The best thing that this album has going for it, besides Phil Spector, is that the songs aren't religious. Never been a huge on Christmas music, but greatly prefer these types of songs over the praise baby Jesus songs.   Kind of wish it was all Darlene Love and The Ronettes...."Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is probably the best non-traditional Christmas song ever. Since it's Christmas tunes, it can't be a four....but it's definitely not a two. I liked quite a few renditions of the songs.

Never dug much into Oasis, outside of the radio songs and the song from the Snatch Soundtrack, but I really liked this one. "Live Forever" still slaps. Other favorites: "Slide Away", "Supersonic", "Cigarettes & Alcohol" I don't know if it's because it's more electric, more melodic, or just more consistent, but I prefer this to Parklife. These reviews should probably be in a vacuum, but since the 1,001 albums gods decided to bless up with both 1994 Britpop classics this week, I feel the need to draw the comparison. This album makes me want to dig into more Oasis....and watch Snatch again.

This is nothing I'd every seek out personally. "Smooth Operator" is the only song I really knew by Sade, which I could really take or leave, so was wondering if it would all be like that. I liked it a lot more than I expected I would...It ended up being a pretty decent listen for a cloudy Friday morning. Glad to hear a few upbeat tracks: "Hang On to Your Love", "When Am I Going to Make a Living", "Cherry Pie" have some fun grooves. 3.49 stars.

I'll never forgive The Big Lebowski for making me think I shouldn't like this band. I have grown to appreciate their country rock and their harmonies are solid fucking gold. "Train Leaves Here" is a perfect example of those harmonies in action. Love the banjo on "Earlybird" but were the sound effects really necessary? Too many weak points to be five stars - "Chug All Night" does nothing for me. "Witchy Woman" really doesn't fit in.

So many classics here....my favorites would be "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War." I've never been critical of his singing because the lyrics and overall vibe of his music overpower them....I just don't really care for the songs where he talk-sings. Every song on the track list on Wikipedia has a blue link, so I guess they are all pretty important. I really enjoyed this listen, but wouldn't take it upon myself to spin the whole thing again a week, or even a month from now. 4.5 stars.

Quite an eclectic, entertaining mix here. I actually really liked the songs where Freddie Mercury wasn't singing: "39" and "I'm in Love With My Car", specifically. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still a banger, and would be without Wayne's World. When it was over, I was ready to hit play again.

Pleasantly surprised with this one. Nice mix of pop/blues/rock/garage. The only time I was really bored was "My Generation" since I've heard it so much. "The Ox" was a helluva way to end the album. 4.5 stars.

Great music for spreadsheet navigation. I liked the second half more than the first....not sure if the second half is better, or if the coffee had just kicked in by then. "No Good (Start the Dance)" is such a banger. "Poison" was one of the songs I really liked but that "Yeaaaaaah!" kept making me think of Howard Dean. They really used EVERY inch of the 80-minute compact disc capacity....so much so, that it really does get monotonous after a while. I liked most of this more than the radio songs I remember: "Firestarter" and "Breathe." The length and repetitiveness though, make me not really want to spin this any time in the future. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Call me a dolt if you must, but I just don't really get it.

How did this get on the list? No "Last Train to Clarksville"...no "I'm a Believer." Boring and bland album. It reminds me of all the worst Beatles songs. The only time it really picks up is the final track....why not throw that in somewhere in the middle?

As they're not all classic rock radio staples, I don't really know many of these. Still an entertaining listen. I like the folkiness in some/mos(?) of the songs, specifically "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp." "Since I've Been Loving You" is probably the top track....it's gonna be hard for me to rate any Led Zep less than four.

Whenever I hear Radiohead, I think to myself "Self, you should listen to more Radiohead." In Rainbows is the only album I REALLY know, and that one is incredible. These are good tunes. When it was over, I could have spun it again. I probably could have listened to it all day, but no tracks really grabbed me. Didn't really get the allegory of the US election or whatever, but maybe I could unpack that on more listens.

Love the mandolin on the opening track. Title track and "End of the Rainbow" are probably my favorite tracks. Some of the songs are a little TOO folky....like you would hear them in the Shire or some shit. 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Starting this album with "Shakey Dog" and "Kilo" is diabolical. The lyrics are incredible and the beats are outrageous. Throw in "The Champ" as the third song, and it's off and running. Unfortunately, these three set the tone for the album and it can't really keep the pace or recover. I lost interest pretty quickly. I hate hate hate the early aughts pattern of rappers throwing in unfunny skits in between songs...just give me the music. As much as I love Ghostface - probably in my top 2 or 3 of Wu-Tang, I'm a little unimpressed with this album as a whole. If the tracklist was moved around and the skits were dropped, it'd be a 4.....as it stands, 3.5 rounding down. Footnote: "Kilo" might have one of the greatest samples ever: https://youtu.be/XMOp7YXYqvc?si=9AYPQfdINDPYaO5W

Decent songs...great harmonies.

Catchy tunes...fantastic harmonies. Great folk rock.

This album felt like being on hold with the cable company for 45 minutes...I really don't want to experience either situation ever again.

'Five Years' is an incredible song to start the album and set the tone of the story/theme. 'Moonage Daydream' absolutely shreds. 'Starman', 'Ziggy Stardust' still hold up. 'Hang On To Yourself' and 'Suffragette City' are bops. Classic album.

Track one and two gave me high expectations for this album. I feel like 'Buffalo Stance' was in heavy rotation on the radio when I was a wee one. That hook bangs, for sure. The rapping on track two is actually decent for someone from Europe in the 80's. ...then the album quickly goes downhill. The rapping and subject matter are REALLY 80's. Typical late 80's/early 90's new jack swing...nothing too memorable, in my opinion. (Only listened to the 10 tracks from the original vinyl release)

Pretty killer blues/psychedelic rock. I'm never a big fan of people covering 'Summertime', but Goddamn this rendition shreds.

Call me Judas if you must, but I prefer this to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. 4.6 stars...rounding down.

This whole album is fire....'Pusherman', 'Freddie's Dead', and 'Superfly' makes it 5 stars by itself. I noticed 'Think' is used in the beat for 'Nobody's Perfect' by Missy Elliot and J. Cole. Always fun to track one of those down in the wild.

Not a fan of the vocals...not a fan of the instrumentation. The only good thing was the provocative album cover, and I could only see a 1" by 1" version of it on Spotify. Seems like anything classified as post-punk just means "Yea, the music IS shit....but they paved the way for all these other bands." Would prefer to never hear this again.

Decent enough for spreadsheet navigation - luckily I was already awake so I wasn't too bored with it. Nothing I would ever really seek out...or listen to again. And that last track was straight up bizarre.

Johnny Cash rules. This album is a great album. I like the banter in between songs. It actually gives you the feel of being there. It's strange to me that they would include both takes of "San Quentin", even making them track one and two of Side B. "Folsom Prison Blues" unfortunately cuts off....did the warden shut the concert down? I'm surprised this was the final release. Looking at the reissue and legacy edition, it seems like they had a lot more material they could include. This is pretty minor nitpicking, but something about this just won't let me give it 5.

Hell yes. This is the kind of funky groovy jazz I can vibe with. 'Watermelon Man' is such a cool song. Unfortunately another album that suffers by the track order. 'Vein Melter' is such a letdown to close out the album after the first 3 tracks. Looking at the track times, it looks like it could ONLY be track 3 or 4. Would have loved it to be the first track - damn outdated technology.

White guy blues done right. Double LP is a lofty aspiration...but I don't see enough to chop off to make it a single LP. Favorite tracks are covers: "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Little Wing" "Layla" still rips after hearing it time after time after time on classic rock radio.

Super Fly it ain't. This was, dare I say, a bit boring. 'Jesus' and 'Blue Monday People' just don't do it for me. I need more funk in my life....we all need more funk in our lives.

I can't believe ■ this album came out 32 years ago ■ how vulgar/raunchy it is ■ that I was bumping this nonstop in 5th grade ■ that I still know the vast majority of the lyrics Classic rap album for sure. Being 32 years old, it still holds up. The beats don't sound outdated (G Funk is timeless) and the lyrics, although misogynistic here and there, seem like they'd fit in today's rap game. 🎶 everybody's got to hear the shit, on WBALLZ WBALLZ WBALLZ 🎶

A classic for sure. Side A is perfect. 'War Pigs', 'Paranoid', AND 'Iron Man'?!?! What else needs to be said? Black Sabbath must have blown people's minds in the 70's.

This was the peak of rap rock (nu-metal?). Sounds dated, but still kind of holds up.