Incredibly nostalgic album. I remember Dad playing this as a kid. It’s dynamic and varied, with tunes for every emotion. Not a lot of thematic through-lines here, as far as I can tell.
This is a whimsical Christmas record featuring mostly standard & inoffensive covers. However, Sleigh Ride wormed its way into my brain as a high schooler in band and this classic version of it sparks very little joy at this point. The last track features a corny spiel by Phil Spector that destroys Silent Night and is something I hate. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is a standout.
As smooth as it is infectious as it is energetic. This record is unbelievably good!
Sarcastic & musically dynamic. I wasn’t expecting this record to be as annoying as it becomes though, but at least it’s whimsical about it. Standout track is: “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”.
I listened to a lot of this but not the entirety. It’s almost impossible to rank as an album. Ella doesn’t miss though, so it deserves a four.
Funky fresh is the only way to describe it. Reminds me of A’s games. Middle of the record wears a little thin.
Found this one on YouTube. When it hits, it hits hard! Bells, synths, and funky bass lines. This was my second Funkadelic album after Maggot Brain, and I enjoyed it more. I can think of a million r&b cuts that owe their life to this album, at least spiritually.
This was an extremely frustrating album to listen to. The songwriting at times is so infectious as to be unbelievable, only for the song to transition wildly into something incoherent, and then again to a third thing. I don’t pick up on the through line here. Stand out track is Mr. Blue Sky, obviously.
Solid & sonically consistent. Pretty hard for 1971. The novelty doesn’t land for me though because of how influential the who are. I dont love Daltrey’s voice, which knocks it down a peg.
Sweet, sensual & melodic. Unlike my father I appreciate Frank’s falsetto. A very nostalgic album for me.
Lots of Beatles & Pschedelic influence. The problem is the Who just…don’t do it as well. This album is a bit disjointed and far less epic than Who’s Next. Standout track is “Odorono”.
Groundbreaking album art over a strong group of only somewhat derivative songs. Elvis’ voice sounds perfect on the more country-twinged rockabilly stuff. He should have always gone the Country route. Standout tracks are “Trying to Get to You” and “I’m Counting on You”.
Beautiful guitar work and some nice strings. Solid Morrissey vocals. This album has a dark tone and isn’t something I’d often return to because it makes my heart hurt. Stand out tracks are “Late Night, Maudlin Street” and “Everyday is like Sunday”.
I moderately disliked this. The bass work is nice obviously, and the band is tight, but the vocals are grating to me like in a lot of classic rock, and it evoked literally no emotion in me.
Dreamy, smooth AND chunky. I love pretty much everything ever played by a jam band and this is no exception. Standout track is “Ripple”.
Diverse, catchy, and jazzy. I appreciate the fuzzy vocals, tight drumming, and long guitar solos. Standout song is “Marquee moon”. This song rips. Also “prove it”
American “British Invasion” rock mixed with some classic American folk sensibilities. I think it’s a nice, but doesn’t evoke much in me.
Classic Rock of the type I don’t typically love, but there were some surprises here and it’s a decent album. The little bits of sax in “Brown Sugar” are nice and the lengthy guitar solos throughout are appreciated. Mick Jagger is seriously a bad singer and is absolutely brutal on “Dead Flowers”. Standout track is “Wild Horses”.
Obviously an influential record, but one I find relatively boring. Pretty dynamic beats but pretty standard flows (to modern ears uneducated in hip hop at least).
Perfect encapsulation of early aughts atomization & disillusionment. Somewhat translatable to the current political environment. Ended Neoconservatism. Stand Out attacks are “Holiday” and “Give Me Novacaine”.
This album is far more epic than I thought. The vocals are impeccable, the piano is notable throughout and the whole thing is very campy and musical theatrical. The standout tracks are “I’ve Seen That Movie Too” and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”.
No thank you! I despise Radiohead. Thom Yorke’s voice is weak, metallic, formless, and grating and ruins whatever interesting musical flourishes or polyrhythms there are. Nice bass playing throughout though. The standout track is “Optimistic”, I guess.
This is a sweet album. Good, but not perfect. Beautiful & impeccable Paul Simon vocals. Standard folk instrumentation. I’m thrown off by the insertion of a live track in the midst of all the other studio versions. Stand out tracks are “The Boxer” and “The Only Living Biy in New York”.
Warm, fuzzy, and oh so jazzy. Great sax & trumpet licks throughout. Gasser made us listen to this one back in the day. Almost perfect or actually perfect.
This album is almost operatic in a certain way. I like the vibe and the story tellling where it exists, but Billy Corgan’s voice literally ruins the entire thing for me though. It’s metallic and whiny. Standout tracks are “1979” and “Zero”.
I’m not convinced that this album isn’t a prank. It really sounds like prince just went wild over bop-it samples. I’m sure this was innovative in its day, but I can’t take it seriously.
Confirms my suspicion that the Stones are actually at their best when not playing rock music. I like the bluesy and country vibes on this album. Standout track is “Sweet Virginia”
This hits hard. I’ve never really listened to Steve Earle but I love his classic voice and the modern country instrumentation.
WOW. It was hard to find this album, but YouTube came in clutch. I absolutely love it. An hour of rage, driving bass, and hard hitting percussion. Took years off my life in a good way.
Stan Getz is my all-around favorite saxophonist and this album is superb, though I actually prefer his earlier non-bossy nova work. This is vivacious and danceable.
Very creative & energetic, but feels disjointed. I don’t love the musical palette.
Bright & Well-textured. Great guitar solos and Robert Plant vocals, as always. Standout tracks are “Since I’ve Been Loving You and “Hats off To (Roy) Harper”
Doesn’t feel inspired to me. Evoked nothing. It’s the type of classic rock I dislike amped up.
Respectable considering how much I dislike pano ballads in general. Very tender & emotional lyricism. Don’t love the vibratto in the vocals. Standout track is: “My Lady Story”
Pretty lovely. Buddy Holly’s voice is very boyish and somehow holds up seventy years later. Had only ever listened to That’ll Be The Day but there are better tracks on here. Standout tracks are: “Maybe Baby” and “Last Night”.
This was quite surprising! Having not listened to much Springsteen, this was far more introspective and sensitive than the machismo I expected. Strangely lots of law enforcement content. I appreciate the blue-sky harmonica and stripped down guitar. Standout track is: “State Troooper”
Both funky & silky smooth. I particularly love the piano ballads like “They Won’t Go When I Go” and “Too Shy to Say”. I could see Elton singing these. I didnt really know Stevie Wonder had this side to him.
I like the otherworldly aesthetics and it certainly sounds like it too. Great fat bass tone & soulful vocals. Standout track is: “Handcuffs”
Wow. This album is pure joy. I’d never listened to Dexy’s apart from Come on Eileen. They call it pop rock, but it really is just the perfect ska record. Melodic & upbeat with some unexpected vocal samples and spoken word. Will be on repeat forever.
I abhors Snoop’s voice and no sick beat can overcome it. Absolutely terrible.
Noisy Brit pop. Occasionally nice, but occasionally harshes my mellow. I don’t find the melodies particularly catchy here & I dislike the palette overall. Standout track is: “Time”
Great “Age of Aquarius” vibes from this record. Haunting vocals and cool guitar work. Could use a bit more sitar. Standout track are: “Somebody to Love” and “3/5 of a mile in Ten Seconds”.
Amazing live album! I normally don’t love live performances because of the awkward breaks and crowd noise, but this is a tasteful recording. Great set of classic blues tunes. No real complaints. Standout track is “I’ve Got my Mojo Working”.
Incredibly nostalgic album. I remember Dad playing this as a kid. It’s dynamic and varied, with tunes for every emotion. Not a lot of thematic through-lines here, as far as I can tell.