Was fully in the groove with the final three tracks. Bonus points for the relentless bass that drowned out the jerk blasting music next to me on the train.
Willie!! I didn't realize!! Incidentally, harmonica solos are my weakness 😍
That song is called Clint Eastwood!
Knew the hits but had never listened to the album from end to end. Loved the back half of Dying of Thirst and Money Trees is a perennial favorite. Sets up To Pimp a Butterfly in big ways
It's giving "I don't care if you like it." Like being immersed in carbonated water. Fun listening experience.
Incident at Neshabur ✅ Samba Pa Ti ✅
In Rainbows meets White Ladder meets Mellon Collie ... and yet, didn't quite resonate. Angeles is pretty.
Though there were some stirring moments in Family Band and Midnight Carousel, I felt like I was listening to a musical theater recording. Too much emphasis/reliance on the lyrical sentimentality/profundity. Felt thematically antiquated and musically affected, even for 1972.
Darlene Love's voice! Minus 1 star for the convicted murderer's production role, and the Silent Night signoff.
✅ Persian Love
The Joshua Tree!!!! Here we go!!!! 🚨Core memory alert🚨: This album was my exclusive soundtrack for playing Neopets on weekend mornings as a 12yo. 20 years ago, music videos were available on Yahoo Music (anyone else?) and I remember thinking Bono was quite sultry in I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. So much eye contact! This album kicks off with three intensely longing and, yes, completely generic love songs—perfect for tweens with no real-world relationship experience coming off complete Disney saturation. Special mention for Red Hill Mining Town, too. Scratches the same itch as All The Young Dudes and Salisbury Hill (which is more a specifically high school era itch, to be continued...) Sentimental? Yes. Basic. Yes! But sometimes music needs to meet you where you are.
The Beatles should not cover Motown hits. If I want to hear Please Me. Postman or You Really Got a Hold on Me or Money, I’ll listen to the Marvelettes, the Miracles, and Barrett Strong, respectively and respectfully. Call me when Abbey Road is up.
Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies ... This lady is here for it, with way more fondness than when she started off, only knowing Under the Table before today
This guys rock pretty hard! Uncompromising on volume as well as sound.
The Cure-ish
Won’t be confusing these guys with The Beach Boys again! Not my preferred sound, but it was expanding.
Zany and transporting
Justice for Knoxville Girl!!!! Appalling songs of life, maybe.
I hear the opening chords over the screaming crowds and I see the album cover and I get it. That hair, those eyes! That Daft Punkesque foghorn(??) on the final track. We are mere mortals—take the wheel! Show us the way, Peter!
Was fully in the groove with the final three tracks. Bonus points for the relentless bass that drowned out the jerk blasting music next to me on the train.
Was seeking more of a Reelin’ in the Years electric jolt.
Automatic 3 for Sir Duke and As. Enjoyed Black Man and Another Star, too. The faster, the better for me, so the more spiritual songs were less engaging.
Pleasantly surprised. The first track was what I had expected from Kraftwerk—monotone chanting, synthesizer. But the rest was lovely accompaniment for the walk home.
Well, well, well—it’s the greatest rock song countdown stalwart, Hotel California! On the Jersey/Philly radio stations, it always seems to rank #4 all-time behind Stairway to Heaven, Freebird, and … something much less memorable, evidently. The commentary is resonant, the metaphors incisive. Then the guitar solo! Hotel California earns its berth. Wasted Time sounded a bit like Elton John—nice. Try and Love Again was my other favorite; these guys really make the most out of harmony.
I got halfway through Side B, then had to head home. But I hold a place for music with lyrics in languages I do not understand; they can be very meditative, like chanting or noise machines. This closed out the workweek nicely with me, and despite lack of understanding or familiarity with the music, I could detect the album's arc and through line.
Y'all, Hallowed Be Thy Name totally rocks!!!! I had wanted to join this (4-year-long) project/challenge/???? in part as encouragement to move past pre- or misconceptions of bands I knew superficially. This week, 1001 paid off big!! Hallowed is the best new rock song I've heard since joining. Generally, I thought it was musically terrific, with that hard-driving guitar. The lyrics are a little on the nose—and scream-y. But honestly I'm a bit enamored after Hallowed. The solos in Prisoner and 22 Acadia are great, too.
Woncha Come On Home has been a fave of mine for several years now. Love Joan's voice, too. All said, this album felt a bit meandering on first listen, but I wouldn't be surprised if it grew on me over time.