Interesting folk prog rock. 3.5 stars if available. Aqualung, Locomotive Breath and Wind-Up are really good, middle of the album acoustic songs run together.
Perfect jazz album, what more could you want. Fantastic sound, musicians, solos, tunes.
Fantastic album. The hits are great, the throwback punk songs are fun and the instrumentals are really enjoyable. Probably a top 10 from 1994.
Great opening three songs. Drum solo opening of the mule is way too long and excessive. The back and forth Ian/Ritchie is a bit much too. When they are all jamming through songs it’s what live music is all about. When they start meandering and rambling it’s too unfocused for me.
Very nice jazz album. Easy to listen to and enjoy.
Interesting alternative album a few songs a liked quite a bit a few others I did not.
Great album, love the songwriting, production and arrangement choices. Will definitely listen many more times.
A few good funky moments but mostly repetitive filter sweeps that sound like a DAWless jammer with a Behringer 303 knockoff. How many times can I hear “around the world” in three minutes?
Very nice album. I was familiar with the singles but the entire album feels exactly like an album should, a flow, a theme and execution.
It’s The Beatles White Album.
Pleasant album. Would never have heard if not for the project.
Someone said it could be background music for a 90’s movie. I agree.
Great album. You can sense the evolution of the genre that this album kicked off. Sometimes I prefer the Di’Anno sound, most straightforward than what was to come.
Goofy until I got to “Energy Fools the Musician”, that’s the Eno I know. Through Hollow Lands is fantastic as well.
A few interesting songs, mostly not my thing.
Usually I am not a fan of primarily sample based albums and dance music in general but this is an aural delight, always new surprises coming at you. Another reviewer mentioned Paul’s Boutique and the Avalanches and I agree. An amazing array of disparate samples put together into a cohesive album.
I really like Vernon Reid’s playing but the songwriting is ok. Probably a 3.7 for me.
Interesting album, the ads interspersed seem revolutionary for the time. Enjoyable, with a little psychedelic turn from earlier albums.
When I first listened to this album I didn’t like the repetitive drum machine loops and Thom Yorke’s singing style. Many years later I can appreciate the music but Thom doesn’t need to make vocal sounds continually throughout the phrases. Rests and silence are music too.
I like this album far more than I thought I would. I’m not too into disco and dance but the music and the vibe are great. Much closer to funk than what I was expecting.
Interesting post punk, I’m glad it’s here as I wouldn’t have sought it out. I love the chorused guitars.
Maybe Metal’s best album?
Art rock is a tough one for me. I like when artists push boundaries but I also like listening to enjoyable music. There are quite a few moments here that remind me Pink Floyd (both 60’s era and 70’s era like Dogs) and Radiohead and there are moments that are a slog.
I didn’t realize how much ambient was on the the early Cure albums. The chorused guitars are a cliche now but it was brand new then. Also the drum machine was very innovative. I’d come back to this album.
I’m not really a hip hop fan so it’s hard to judge a lot of different albums, but Timbaland’s production, Missy’s raps, flows and tone and Busta’s guests are fantastic. The Rain is an all time classic.
I loved the title track as a kid and I still get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I appreciate the other tracks but I prefer artists like Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michele Jarre for the more experimental electronic pieces. A fun trip down memory lane for me.
Fantastic, genre defining album. I think there is still growth from here to the next Black Sabbath albums and they were still finding their feet.
Great rock and roll album, just too short!
Quite possibly the perfect folk album.
Interesting classic country album.
Real nice harmonic content for a pop album, clearly Beatles and other psychedelia inspired. Need some more listens to dig in.
Not a fan, out of tune singing and playing.
I enjoy the sweeping grand vistas of Robert Smith.
Great modern era folk album. Need to dig more into the catalog.
Interesting, contemplative album. Winter seems like a good time to get this one.
I know it’s their breakout, but 90’s REM does more for me. Some great songs and some misses.
Is this album a joke? The grooves are fantastic but the put on accent is ridiculous.
Yes is the type of band I never think of listening to but I enjoy when I have the opportunity. Some parts groove more than they have a right to, you’ve got a little quasi classical section, a psych inspired section.
Great alternative rock album. Might be Grohl’s best.
Awesome psych record I never knew about, going to lookin into the rest of the discography.
Awesome takes on classic songs.
Raw and powerful rock and roll.
Fantastic album, great song choices and performances.
Very nostalgic. It’s not their best performances nor their best productions but it did change the world.
I get how people love Radiohead, I just can’t stand Thom Yorke’s singing. This one is better since it’s a full band and not mostly electronic bits and bobs with Thom. Great musical compositions with interesting guitar parts and effects.
I still prefer John Lennon with Paul McCartney, but still some fantastic work.
Traditionally good songs but not a style I particularly enjoy.
White Stripes are interesting, the production value and instrumentation was novel at the time but seems like a forced hipster vibe with the last two decades to reflect. In the end the songwriting is very good and it all feels honest.
It’s certainly an interesting album. I’m glad I heard it but I don’t see putting it on again..
One of the best debut albums of all time. Amazing that it was one guy.
Great album until you get to the 15 minute drum solo. No one wants a 15 minute drum solo. The first four songs are fantastic though.
Not sure how I missed this Beck album years ago, it’s a very enjoyable rainy day listen. Different than the Beck albums I am more accustomed to. I enjoy the meandering semi-folk style songs. One thing, he seems to have really latched onto a specific descending chord progression, it’s used on quite a few choruses here.
I really enjoy Sufjan’s style, it was so new and unexpected when I first heard it, but it has continually drawn me in the last two decades.
This album cover is like the banana on Velvet Underground and Dark Side of the Moon. I had seen it a ton but never listened to it. This album is fantastic, a perfect blend of alt rock and electronic/house keeping the interest of rock with the new textures of the emergent electronic scene.
Great synth textures but not a fan of the songwriting that seems to go on and on.
Fantastic hard rock blended with perfect melodies and virtuosic guitar playing.
Some interesting moments and some that drag.
Everyone loves Talking Heads and Byrne, but I can’t get into it and it’s not my thing. Psycho Killer is a bright spot for me but only because I’ve heard it so many times.
Very good blues album, it seems interesting that it’s a Joplin album when most of the songs were written by others and other than one guitar track all music is handled by a backing band.
If one wanted to write a pop song, just listen to this album on repeat about 100 times. Traditional and clever structures, progressions and melodies all that serve the song perfectly.
Fiery blues album that set the stage for what was to come for 60’s and 70’s rock music.
Better than I expected. Now I understand why he’s one of the modern greats.
Just fantastic album front to back. Songwriting, performances, etc.
Interesting, only knew the single. I think I prefer other new wave bands.
One of the ultimate metal albums. Genre defining. The bass in War Pigs is fantastic.
I’m not typically a fan of crooning showtune style albums but the performances are so great here.
Cool transition hip hop album. This and the triple called quest albums are great.
Great album that takes the bluesy stomp of 70’s Aerosmith with the glossy 80’s production and songwriting assistance. Does it lose the authenticity of 70’s Aerosmith? Of course. Are they enjoyable poppy rock songs? Absolutely.
Fantastic, prog with beautiful melodies.
Great country album. The way country should sound.
David Byrne is like the annoying manic theater kid who thinks it’s his job to entertain everyone when you just want him to shut up and go away. The music and band is fantastic though.
If the Runaways are the cool older sister out getting into trouble, The Go-Go’s are the good younger sister. Nice 80’s quasi-punk/new wave pop.
Great retro 70’s smooth baroque pop mixed with 60’s garage grit.
It’s the flip side of a sample album like Paul’s Boutique. It exists, many people like it, it doesn’t really do anything for me (and it probably wasn’t intended to)
Good, but I think this is an example of the prog excess that pink pushed back against.
Classic hard rock album. It’s actually not groundbreaking but it’s just a well executed version of the genre.
Wow, what a fantastic album. A materclass on songwriting.
Fantastic funk, soul, R&B.
Great classic country album. Very enjoyable.
What a fantastic album. I knew son of a preacher man but the story of her recording vocals really puts the album in new light.
The hits are so good, there are some other standout moments but I was actually hoping to like the whole album a little more.
A couple of good tracks, some that drone on. Doesn’t grab me like others of the era.
Nice vocal harmonies, I was expecting more like California Dreamin’ with the late 60’s vibe. It’s more just poppy harmonies.
Fantastic album. Amazing what Stevie Wonder put out in such a short amount of time.
Good live proto punk/garage album.
If it wasn’t for a 1998 line by the Coens (and an attitude by the two main songwriters) this album would be viewed through a different lens today. Great easy country rock.
It feels highly inspired by the Beatles albums the previous few years. It’s missing all the raw rock that makes the debut awesome and doesn’t have the hooks that Village Green would have.
Sounds like a wildly expensive album. A prototypical female pop artist album that setup how to make this style onto today. Samples, drum machines, some studio players and decent songwriting along with the inescapable gloss of 1989. Interesting story of Janet’s lyrics, and it’s still relevant today with topics like race, school shootings and poverty.
Sounds like a very well produced late 80’s blues rock album in the vein of SRV. All the songwriting is good, there are a couple of great hooks here and there and Bonnie’s playing is very tasteful.
Interesting avant-garde album, the fusion portions are fun but the more experimental sections go on too long for me.
It combines the energy of the 90’s pop punk era with the grandiose theater of the 70’s rock operas in a a tidy little package. Also a perfect album for its time.
I’m not a Bruce fan but this was a great opportunity to listen to an album in whole. Other than the obvious title track that everyone knows the story of and a few radio singles, every single song on this album is very strong. I didn’t expect it to hit me like it did.
This breathy whisper singing is not my thing. Extremely tedious to get through. The compositions and melodies are nice but the bedroom production style of modern pop doesn’t do it for me.
Perfectly pleasant AM Gold for 70’s NPCs that find Rod Stewart and The Beatles just a bit too harsh. I enjoyed Crescent Noon and Mr. Guder.
I guess the album is important for its role in reestablishing the garage rock sound in pop culture along with making record labels sign the “The” bands at a rate on par they signed bands from Seattle in 1992. It’s a good straightforward rock album, I appreciate the lack of fat and and how it’s right to the point but in the end I think i just want to listen to the original garage rock bands.
This is the kind of album that is interesting for this book and project. No one need this project to listen to Abbey Road, Rumours and Dark Side of the Moon, but I’ve never heard of this artist or album. Now on the other hand I’m curious why this specific one was chosen? It being an influence on other artists in the book may be a reason, but I share the sentiments of other listeners, it wasn’t particularly compelling for me to listen to.
I really enjoy Willie Nelson, when country is done right it’s just straight forward songwriting and singing.
Feels a little derivative of What’s Going On. Even Keep Gettin It On feels like the jam after Let’s Get It On. Obviously a great soul album but I’ll just choose What’s Going On everytime.
I had to come back to this one a few times, but I’m starting to get it now. I hear the influence over quite a few bands. In the end I like some of the songs but not nearly as much as I’ve found I like The Cure.
When Missy Elliott and Timbaland join forces it just works for me.
Recent issues with lyrics and age old issues of mediocre reinterpretation not withstanding, it’s still a top album.
The raps and rhymes feel dated but the music is still top notch. Over very good album I really like.
Amnesiac starts with so much potential. Pakt in a Sardine Can has such a cool groove, I’ve loved this song since I heard it in 2001. Then we get Thom’s caterwauling on Pyramid Song. Just can’t stand it. The music behind it is interesting too. Pull/Pull is a cool composition, the robotic voice over the incessant electronic beat. Back to the Caterwauling on You and Whose Army. The riff for You Might Be Wrong is so great. Typically I’d want garage style drums with it but the electronic beat and synth bass works well, it almost reminds me of an Aphex Twin type beat.
I like the ominous Chromatic Mediant of Morning Bell but could do without Thom’s singing. Dollars and Cents is a cool surfy/psychedelic groove.
Overall I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
If one wanted a masterclass in late 80’s pop, this might be the top of the list. Unfortunately for me I don’t really want that but I can admit it is pretty masterful.
Tough to describe how much I dislike this band and album.
Perfectly pleasant crooning.
The number of times Miles Davis said “no, THIS is jazz now” is amazing.
It sounds like some kids watched a few movies about California, heard some songs and then looked at a map to write them.
I’m sure this album is top of the list for people that think prog is awful. I played the original piece in several groups as a kid and hearing this was fun. Definitely an interesting listen. I could have done without nutrocker though.
Just a blisteringly fantastic blues rock album.
I was worried when I got this, I thought the label “pop” was going to be some eurodance album. I love the psychedelic baroque pop sound, and the songwriting is really great. I’m glad I found this on the project.
One of my favorite jam albums.
I don’t really love it, and I feel without the nostalgia of being 13 it looses some appeal. Then again I’m not a hip hop fan but Snoop is unquestionably one of the top rappers of all time. I also think Dre’s productions are far more enjoyable than the east coast albums of the 90’s. I can do without all the skits always appear on these albums.
I’m not a fan of Ronnie’s piercing voice. But I’ve listened to these songs so many times over my life they are all classics. It’s a pretty interesting story how Phil Spector put it all together, and his outro is a very unique thing.
Not nearly as good as a Beatles album, but Paul is a fantastic songwriter and so is this album.
Jeff Lynne’s magnum opus. Great songwriting, instrumentation, production and mixing/mastering. It’s also enough ELO for me for the next year or two.
Just can’t stand this band, singer or guitar tone. Not my thing.
Black Angel’s Death is unlistenable. Other than that it’s ok. Odd pairing having Nico on a couple of tracks. Some Dylanish rhymes. Some Kinksish riffs. Some Beatlesesque drones. Wild that this inspired some of the best music.
One of the best metal albums of all time.
A lot of times the Wikipedia entry is interesting but doesn’t really change my view on an album. For this album it did. An improvised concert on an accidentally provided old rickety piano that was barely tuned hours before thr performance, leading to the artist changing his style to fit the instrument. The pieces are a little long for my preference and I’d prefer more distinct melody, so that brings it to a 4 instead of a 5 for me.
Actually on second listen I retract that last statement.
I love the rat fink album cover. It’s the best part of the album. I understand it’s supposed to be abrasive to listen to but there’s never a groove or something to latch onto. I’m sure the lofi heavy reverb doesn’t help but I prefer my punkish music to have a bit more melody or groove.
