Jan 01 2025
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If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
The Mamas & The Papas
Are these albums really randomly generated? Because the first track on this album seems like the perfect starting track for a daily album challenge... "Monday, Monday."
Always have love "California Dreamin'" and have heard other various Mamas and Papas songs over the years, but this was a first time I sat down and specifically listened to them in one big chunk and my reaction is kind of "meh."
The end of the album snuck up on me and all of a sudden Spotify was playing "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. I guess it just because background noise. All of the songs just started to sound the same.
2
Jan 02 2025
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Pearl
Janis Joplin
First track feels very lo-fi. Due to my lack of knowledge of this era I always mix up Janis Joplin and Joan Baez. And sometimes Stevie Nicks even though it doesn't make any sense. I felt myself grooving more to this album than the Mamas and the Papas (my previous album).
Felt powerful at times... especially as opposed to the Mamas and Papas. Maybe that the difference between rock and pop?
Me and Bobby Mcgee was the most familiar track thanks to Rock Band and LPS. Also Mercedes Benz.
Other stand-outs: Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, Buried Alive in the Blues (super groovy instrumental)
4
Jan 03 2025
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Wild Is The Wind
Nina Simone
Stand out tracks: "Four Women" (powerful with great vibe), "Lilac Wine," "If I Should Lose You," and "Either Way I Lose."
I haven't listened to a lot of Nina Simone before, but enough that I shouldn't have been surprised by how amazing her voice was. I was still blown away.
The instrumentations were so interesting and had a lot more variety than I expected in terms of style. I particularly enjoyed the use of male voices as a sort of bass line in "Either Way I Lose"
4
Jan 04 2025
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Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs
Marty Robbins
Yeah... not my cup of tea. Not much of a gunfighter or in need of a trail song. This seems to be the kind of music that rock and roll rose up as a counterpoint to.
The only situation I could see liking this music would be in Frontierland at Disneyland.
1
Jan 05 2025
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Queen II
Queen
Excited to listen to some Queen, but I am entirely unfamiliar with this album. Didn't know a single track on it and it turned out to be a bit to concept-y for me. Weird juxtaposition between the country rock sounding song "The Loser in the End" and "Ogre Battle." "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke......." Really??? And ends with a sort of sea shanty? Feels like Queen trying to figure out who they are.
3
Jan 06 2025
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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
My first true classic. This is probably in the top 50 albums one should listen to. Even so, I was not familiar with a number of the tracks and it was fun to hear them in the curated order they were intended among those I know very well. "Changes" and "Life on Mars?" are the types of tracks that are played all the time but don't get old. Particularly enjoyed "Fill Your Heart," "Andy Warhol," "Queen Bitch" (found myself bopping to this one), and "The Bewlay Brothers" was a excellent end track. Really felt like a conclusion.
5
Jan 07 2025
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Rust Never Sleeps
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Not a huge Neil Young fan, but I do generally enjoy his songs when I hear them. I found this album surprisingly enjoyable. "Powderfinger" was a stand out for me--couldn't help but bop to it. The lyrics got to be a little much at times. A little too "clever." Is that Neil Young's thing? "Sedan Delivery..." s it meant to be sort of psychedelic?
4
Jan 08 2025
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Darkdancer
Les Rythmes Digitales
1
Jan 09 2025
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Sea Change
Beck
This is the first album I am intimately familiar with. I didn't love it when it first came out, but have come to appreciate more over time. I really loved his previous album "Midnight Vultures" and practically wore that CD out I listened to it so much. This album was so much of a departure I was disappointed at the time. Perhaps "Sea Change" wasn't just a clever name. In retrospect the whole album feels like an interlude between "Midnight Vultures" and "Guero." "End of the Day" was my favorite track back then and was the one I enjoyed the most during this listen as well.
4
Jan 10 2025
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More Songs About Buildings And Food
Talking Heads
There are a few Talking Heads songs I will enjoy listening to, but those are mostly from a little bit later in the 80s. And part of the enjoyment comes from the sort of quirkiness that this album lacks. It just feels like they weren't quite there yet with their sound. I didn't hate it but it--it was just kind of "meh." Not surprisingly, the song I dug the most was the one with the most listens on Spotify and also the only single from the album, a cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River."
3
Jan 11 2025
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Pretzel Logic
Steely Dan
3