I bought this album when it was released but hadn’t listened to in full for a long time. It’s really held up - what a talent and what a loss.
I really enjoyed listening to this (once I found it) but it might have been five stars if some of the tracks didn’t drag on a bit too long. Who says a funk band doesn’t know when to stop? Me, but I say it with love.
I always thought of Exile on Main Street as their classic, undeniable album but I think I’ve been underrating this one. Loved it.
I’ve been listening listening to this album on a regular basis since the 1990s and I never get tired of it.
Some absolute bangers, but a couple I would skip on a re-listen.
I first listened to this album as a teen when I played my parents’ vinyl copy, which sparked a (mild) argument about who bought it - my mum or my dad. I can see why they both wanted to claim credit, because it’s a masterpiece.
I wasn't looking forward to this one as I'm not a big prog fan, but it wasn't a slog to listen to and I liked a couple of the songs. Don't think I would revisit it though.
Some great tunes, but a bit front-loaded.
I bought this album when it was released but hadn’t listened to in full for a long time. It’s really held up - what a talent and what a loss.
I’d always thought of Abba as more of a singles band, and this hasn’t entirely changed my mind. Those singles are pop masterpieces though!
I quite enjoyed this, but I do have a soft spot for showtunes, and as a non-French speaker, this was quite musical theatre in feel and delivery. The audience is certainly into it.
I had a couple of Stereolab singles in the 1990s, but had never listened to a full album before. I don’t feel like I was missing out - I liked this but nothing really grabbed me like French Disko.
I’d never heard of them, and at first I thought I’d made a real discovery as I loved the mix of punk and horns. However, by the end of the album I did feel like the songs were all bleeding into each other.
Yesterday, I marked an album down for being too same-y, and here I am today giving four stars to the Ramones. In my defence, it’s catchy as hell, is too short and snappy to wear out its welcome, and no one said I had to be consistent.
I really enjoyed listening to this (once I found it) but it might have been five stars if some of the tracks didn’t drag on a bit too long. Who says a funk band doesn’t know when to stop? Me, but I say it with love.
I always thought of Exile on Main Street as their classic, undeniable album but I think I’ve been underrating this one. Loved it.
The banger to ballad ratio is maybe better on a couple of his other 70s albums, but still a classic.
I’ve always thought that Don’t Tell Me is Madonna’s most underrated single and that American Pie is her worst. The rest of the album is somewhere in the middle - and largely forgettable.
I don’t think the generator needed to add a year - everything about this screams 1989. Still, timelessness is overrated and I really enjoyed this.
I feel like I should appreciate the ambition and that it wants to be more than just another indie album, but I also don’t really want to listen to it again, so…
I started off loving it, thought it dipped in the middle, but they pulled me back in with the last track. Always good to go out on a high.
Prog and 1980s soft rock aren’t my favourite genres, but put them together and you get… something that’s still not my cup of tea. Good drumming though.
If it was 2000 and a friend invited a few people back to their flat to hang out after the club and put this on in the background, I bet it would sound fantastic. I listened to it in 2025 while cleaning my kitchen, so it probably lost something.
Some absolute bangers, but it goes on a bit. If he’d wanted to make some edits, cutting out the grim sex skits would have been a good starting point.
It’s Springsteen at his most Springsteen-esque (there are songs about cars! And factories! And the chorus of The Promised Land sounds like someone doing a Springsteen impression!), so it’s unlikely to convert a non-believer. I’m fully on board with the Boss though, so it’s five stars from me.