I can see how people can love this but going into this I knew I wasn't a Springsteen fan and this just reinforces that for me.
It's very booming, slow, stadium music that is good at what it is but what it is isn't for me.
Pre listen: Hell yeah. I've been meaning to listen to more Fiona Apple and going into this Criminal is a banger!
Post: Big fan but not as good as other work I've heard before from her. Feels like a less extravagant Regina Spektor style singing even if the music style is heavier.
Highlight: Never Is a Promise
Pre Listen: Going into this I've never really listened to much Muddy Waters but his reputation does precede him so I was expecting classic blues but beyond that no expectations.
Post: It's funny how when something becomes so classic it is hard to fully comprehend it. So much of this sounds almost like parody from 65 years of music after. I think with releases like this it is impossible to judge something like this. It seems a lie to say I went in blind because this brought nothing new to the table for me musically because everyone has stolen so much from his work since. I can see this becoming another favourite live album for me. So much of his and the bands energy comes through well here. The mixing is excellent too with exactly as much audience needed to breath a bit of life into the record, but I've no idea how the remaster changes the original release so I am curious about that.
As an aside it's interesting that Newport is only notable to me because of the Jazz festival so I thought that the festival would be newer, not that this would be Muddy performing at the same festival. Also finding out Nina Simone released a set from 1960 meant I checked the lineup and it was a hell of a year for the festival (without going into crowd behaviour)
Highlight: Feels so Good (hard to choose this one cause it maintains a quality throughout)
Pre: I've listened to some Velvet Underground before but that's mostly been from their debut with Nico and some from Loaded. It just occurred to me that I'm familiar with both Nico's solo work and Lou Reed's but not John Cale (I'll confess I did have to Google that). I do at least know Pale Blue Eyes well but I have been meaning into more VU anyway.
Post: Okay I forgot about After Hours. On the whole this album is decent but to me it rarely goes far enough off the path to become that interesting. The Murder Mystery feels like the track oddity that tries enough to pique interest at least, not that it really seemed to work. On the whole it does seem like a transitional record between avant garde beginnings to traditional rock of later.
Highlight: After Hours (even though Pale Blue Eyes may be the overall better song)
Pre: I've been meaning to listen to more Silver Jews as they are a band I have heard enough songs I've liked but I've typically bounced off each album I've listened to so far. I also did not realise until checking the background of this that Stephen Malkmus was a founding member!
I can't remember how I first heard about Silver Jews but I know I started listening to them after the Courtney Barnett cover of We Could be Looking for the Same Thing.
Post: I think one of my takeaways of this is that I'm not a huge fan of David Berman's vocals. My favourite moments are when either he is not singing or someone else is on vocals. Thinking about it this makes sense how my most listened to songs by them are either group vocals or through a cover.
I was surprised how much of this I would say is country, I always placed them as mostly folk and indie rock. It seems to lean closer to country for the second half but sadly this is where it starts to leave my interest.
Maybe I'll come back to this album for the first few songs but it's unlikely I'll want to revisit the latter half.
Highlight: Slow Education
Pre: Well first of all I've listened to the album dozens of times so not sure I can remember a pre-listen. Though going into this it is my least favourite of the 'Top 4' of Dark Side to The Wall, though this does still place it as an amazing album. My memory of this is basically some amazing songs and some lengthy intermissions between that vary in quality (I'll leave any ideas of what that means to me up to you).
One issue that does kinda bother me about the idea of this site/book is that you don't really need to listen to this album I think. It certainly wouldn't be my Floyd number 1 recommendation and if I'm being honest you don't need to listen to all the Pink Floyd albums before you die, 2 or 3 would certainly do with more if you actually like them.
Funnily enough as a background to this, I received this for Christmas this year and hadn't listened to it yet, so it's one of my most recent albums I've gotten. That's a nice contrast to Kind of Blue which I saw on sale the weekend of that appearing in this list (not that I've listened to it yet but cmon I've been busy!)
Post: Okay I thought I preferred Animals but this may feature David Gilmours best work. Both halves of Shine On has some of the best guitar work around. The other side of this though is that I think this has some of Waters' weaker singing even when his songwriting is strong. The same could also be said for Wright and his synths which can be interesting like on Have a Cigar but ultimately I think the album is worse off for them. Welcome to the Machine really does cause so much momentum to stop that it could be fine on another album but the quality of everything surrounding it shows too big a gulf on pretty much every front.
Speaking generally of Shine On, but this does cover the whole album, one of my favourite parts of this record is listening to each instrument not in the lead role and appreciating how often they will deviate from the same timings or pace of the song in a way that stills feels sonically cohesive. It's not unique to the record, especially from Floyd, but it is quite noticeable here.
Ultimately I'm giving it a 5 but it feels like a forgiving 5 because of WttM. Sucks that for me this album has such a weak spot but as a whole it just hits too good for me to deny it.
Highlight: Wish You Were Here (c'mon now, it's crazy to think another track here could top that!)
Pre: As always with many of these Dylan's an artist I've been meaning to listen to more of. I've mostly been a fan of what I've listened to at least. I've never been a huge fan of his singing though except for a few exceptions so we'll see if my opinions have changed.
Post: Kind of insane to think of any way to judge it because it was 1966. I don't think the album stands up on its own nowadays really, but it is interesting as a piece of music history. It's funny how a lot of Dylan's music is timeless except this one highlight which is such a specific moment to capture.
Maybe I would be one of those crazy booing people after all! Truth betold I'm not a huge fan of Electric Dylan, hell I can't stand Like a Rolling Stone, so this isn't much of a surprise. Maybe I would be one of those crazy booing people after all!
I did go see A Complete Unknown yesterday though in fortuitous timing. Since then, and because of this album, I have been listening to more and more Dylan so maybe I'll come back to this album in a bit with a different view. No doubt my thoughts will vary heavily listen to listen and day to day, such is the obvious result of the album a day review.
Highlight: Mr Tambourine Man
Pre: If you're gonna choose 1 Gorillaz album you'd choose Demon Days but okay sure let's go back to the beginning. I think I remember having this CD but I don't think it was played often since I can only recall the two hits. It'll be interesting to come back to it after getting more into Del and Handsome Boy Modelling School though.
Post: A lot of the songs here are kinda rippers until Damon starts singing and then everything kinda lowers to about 50% fullness. Like on M1 A1, the instrumental is quite good until we get to the vocals and then everything strips back slightly but in my opinion not for the better. I don't think I have an issue with Damon's singing usually but it's interesting how it sounds a bit work-in-progress here and got better with later Gorillaz releases despite all of Blur preceeding this.
It's interesting to see where a lot of the Gorillaz later stuff comes from but most of this album felt like filler or at least as something of a first step towards later work.
Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 are still great but they are adrift amongst the rest of this.
Highlight: 19-2000 (Specifically not the remix because I've had arguments about which is better before and I'd like this codified here)
Pre: It's funny to get this right after Gorillaz. In my heart they're the winners of the britpop battle! Plus they're the only one I actually would want to go see at least, despite not listening to too much Pulp other than a handful of tracks over their albums.
Post: Cocker's lyrics are either bang on and excellent, albeit cheesy, or they are just a complete whiff for me. But lyrics aren't everything and thankfully Pulp are excellent but on the whole this didn't hit. It's a shame I didn't find anything new to come back to from this listen though. It's a strong vibe but not one that does that much for me.
Shockingly, I may not like Britpop all that much outside of the hits.
Highlight: Disco 2000 is still a complete banger
Pre:
2007, Christmas time, my brother got Mothership by Led Zepplin for CD and I remember him almost discarding it aside (this was peak kerrang and emo at this time), but it led to me absorbing everything there. I fully believe the opening to Good Times Bad Times (the album opener too) led to me drumming a few years later. It's still hard to think of drummers competing for best drummer with Bonzo. It was really my gateway into Rock I think, or at least Classic Rock. A couple Black Sabbath CDs, some Blue Oyster Cult and Machine Head by Deep Purple and pre-teenage me was locked into 70s rocks for years to come.
2007 also had Guitar Hero 3 and I don't think any year before or since has affected me as much as that Christmas.
Anyway some years down the line Spotify happened, and whether that helped or hindered musicians as a whole aside, I got to go back and revisit all the artists I learned from Games, films and Best-Of albums I knew front to back.
Annoyingly this is my least favourite of the numbered Led Zepplins but still I haven't dug into it as much as the others so I'm excited nonetheless. There's a few songs here that I've listened to so much that they've detached from the Album completely so it'll be good to see them more in context, not that Zep albums have every really prioritised cohesion of songs.
Post:
John Paul Jones man. I think I overlistened to Immigrant Song for too long that I started skipping it. I can't believe I missed the bass on that.
It's interesting how orchestral Friends is, it really feels like the precursor to the later highs of Kashmir and No Quarter.
Bonham on Since I've Been Loving You feels held back in a way that really helps propel that song. His drumming feels so much more deliberate and it really helps being a good sense of unity from the group as it builds and builds. Out of the Tiles is not a held back Bonham and it too is glorious.
Yet another album that trends from one genre to another so I guess I was wrong about Zep albums then! The latter half really goes more blues until it's the only thing left. Hard not to think about the creditation of the songs at this point but that's a whole other matter!
On the whole though I liked this better on this listen than past times. It's not Zep IV or II but I'll come back to this more than I used to.
Highlight:
Since I've Been Loving You
Pre:
Never heard of him, never heard of any of the songs.
Post:
I bet this hits so much better if you're American.
The guitar is decent at least, sometimes actually great.
Wasn't a fan at the start and around 4 songs in I was more on board, but the slower ones kinda lose me a bit.
I am impressed that it has a lot more Latin influence than I expected, like the accordion on Bakersfield.
Big fan of the first song immediately name dropping a car. I wish I could hear genres I listen to often like Rock or Metal and maybe Funk the way I hear Country. I think I'm blind to a lot of the clichés in those genres now.
Highlight:
I Hear You Knockin'
Pre:
My knowledge of Depeche Mode consists solely of Enjoy The Silence, Just Can't Get Enough, and Personal Jesus. Now we're in new territory though.
Post:
Wasn't feeling it in the first half but by the second it rips. I'll come back to this album. It feels like the genesis of many Synth artists now like Makeup and Vanity or Scattle, surprisingly more than Carpenter. The weird ones here are the highlights though, it reminds me of Angel Dust by Faith No More, especially Pimpf, as an album that's truly not afraid to be weird.
The album as a whole is a pleasant surprise to me that I'm gonna come back to this a few times I think.
Side note: The Smashing Pumpkins cover of Never Let Me Down Again also rips.
Highlight:
Never Let Me Go (Aggro Mix) (Yeah it's technically a bonus song but that's some good stuff).
Pre:
Yeah it's hard to qualify this as a pre-listen cause this is one of the first albums I bought on CD and listened to for many a car journey.
Still, because of that I haven't listened to it in years so it's good to come back to it.
Post:
I know a good amount of this isn't Sabbath originals so it's interesting to see how a lot of it does come across heavily bluesy before they really found their footing. Coming back to this though I was mostly surprised how Ozzy doesn't seem to have found his footing yet really, which is hardly surprising for a debut but compared to Paranoid released the same year it's an interesting difference. Despite that though everyone else is on point. Geezer Butler is one of the reasons I wanted to learn Bass and this album has some amazing work in spades. N.I.B. has some excellent highlights from everyone all round.
On the whole though I'd rate this album higher if I hadn't listened to the proceeding albums from them and what they're capable of. The Wizard, Black Sabbath are highlights to me but on the whole this does and is a band that hasn't quite found it's footing yet.
Highlight:
N.I.B. (Specifically the Geezer noodling at the start)
Interesting start on this with (to paraphrase) 'You're good at having sex with me'.
The drums on 2 Kool sound eerily similar to the drums on Dani California. I mean the actual drums though, not Chad Smith. (I looked it up and the link here is Rick Rubin) I may just be overthinking this though. Can't get over that song name though. Big fan of it sticking out like a sore thumb in the track list.
Kinda loses some steam by the end but that may just be me not being a huge country fan. I liked it though and there's a few songs I added to my rotation I reckon I'll come back to this when I get a country itch.
Instrumentally it's interesting, some sick guitars on this, and I'm a much bigger fan of Lucinda's style of singing compared to other country artists.
Highlight: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
Going into this I only really know Peace Frog but it's one of those songs in heavy rotation so I'm happy to dig more into The Doors.
Its a fun album, quite front loaded, but listening to it it feels like a lot of the songs blend into each other without much distinction, which is fine but these tracks never give me much reason to revisit them. Then this is all the more obvious when there is a standout song that makes you realise you mentally checked out a few minutes ago just to snap you back to appreciating The Doors. When they're good, they're great.
Looking at the album as a whole it does seem very weird to have Maggie M'Gill as the album closer when it's placed right after Indian Summer. It goes from an amazing wind down to right back to one more regular-ass song. Plus Maggie just ends on a fade-out too! The lamest way to end a song.
Highlight: Indian Summer
Bonus: There's a bit from Waiting For The Sun that's sampled in the album All Day by Girl Talk (Maybe the best mashup album). I love finding these samples in the wild.
I wish I could come into this with fresh eyes but twenty years on I think that's impossible for anyone my age. I've heard this countless times in cars, TV, radios. It's simply impossible for me to not have some strong opinions on at least a third of this album.
I can't believe how much I went into this with a dislike for many songs for how much they rip. It's hardly surprising but I cannot believe Boulevard won me over. Are We Waiting is a bit of a weak followup though.
I do not remember Extrordinary Girl at all. Contrasting to this I have had the start of Letterbomb stuck in my head for 2 decades and only now have I learned where it has been from.
I could do without Wake Me Up When September Ends but I cannot truly hold that against this album. I don't hate it in the context of this album but I'd be okay if I never heard the song again, which isn't even a slight against the song itself!
All in all this has been a surprising enjoyable jaunt down memory lane. It has been at least a decade since I've listened to this album and it's been a delight.
Listened to this at 11pm driving through the rain and gotta say, at least for that, it works. Not particularly adventurous but stays in a decent lane. I'd be bumping this down if there were any bad songs but it's fairly consistent. Shame there aren't really any actually good songs here.
I didn't know the name of In The Pines before so it's been cool to spend a lot of the day just listening to variations on the same song. Nothing I've heard has topped Nirvana though, but shout out to the Leadbelly, Smog (or Bill Callahan who I did not know until now is behind Smog), and Norma Tanega versions.
Highlight: Let Her Go, God Bless Her
Solid album throughout but it is missing any standout songs. Ain't no Waiting Room here. What this is though is a vibe, and a strong consistent one.
It's gonna be in my regular rotation from now on though. It's short, it's punchy, there's a lot to dig in as this is not a punk band made up of kids still learning their chops.
Highlight: Think Again
It's a 3 star album or higher if they didn't make it over an hour long.
I also could not find this in anything other than Deluxe or remastered. State of the industry and all.
I wanted to dig into more Cohen before getting to this but I've been putting it off for 9 years apparently.
Pretty awesome Epitaph. Though it's one of those albums that suffers when lacking context around it
Highlight: Travelling Light
Going into this I've listened to it before but I only really know Riki and Any Major Dude.
One listen never really does a Steely Dan album justice, almost every song is dense with layers without being overwhelming but it means that a lot is gained by focusing on each instrument after listening to how they work with each other.
It's still not beating Aja for my favourite Dan record but that also took a few listens to love. The mid section of Pretzel isn't my favourite but I'll give it a few more listens and who knows.
Highlight: Riki Don't Lose That Number
This might be my favourite Pixies album, though Dolittle is close enough that it on more listens it might take that. I love how distinct they feel as a band and despite nothing that complex instrumentally they really do carve their own space. I'm a big fan of the production on it that makes it really feel loose. It's got a good amount of space that despite it being a short record it still doesn't feel dense.
I was surprised how Ska adjacent the album felt. Songs like Something Against You feel like some early third wave Ska but swerving into punk before reaching that.
Also, listen to Kim Deal's new solo album, it's very good.
Highlight: Gigantic
Yeah nah this isn't it.
I imagine this was produced the same way Clint Eastwood makes movies with as little takes as you need to make an album.
There's a couple of songs I dug that I may come back to but as a whole this was a rough listen for me.
Insane choice to say you need to listen to this album specifically. Is every Bowie album on here? There's at least 10 albums by him I could see being rightfully on this list. Did we really need more?
Highlight: Boss of Me
I remember liking this album less, which is a very backhanded compliment but I'm more used to later Chilis and my most listened to album by them is either By The Way or Stadium Arcadium from their less funky times.
I'm not gonna pretend all the songs hit and this is more of a 4.5 but damn this just one of the albums that I can always chuck on.
I do often wonder (often during some insane scatting or when Keidis gives up on actual words) what the band would be like with a different frontman but I suppose the spirit of Funk is there in inane sounds and groovy beats.
Highlight: Funky Monks
So did AC/DC sneak into the studio and record You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise?
Some excellent 80s metal there. Some really punchy production on this that makes it both perfectly of its time and somehow timeless. The drums on Living After Midnight are so clean and forceful. The twin guitars are so good here too.
The main issue I have is that it's too consistent for me to listen to it often. I'd mostly listen to a few songs from this and not the whole album. United kinda brings a break in the album to help with this but for me that songs is a skip.
Highlight: Steeler
Excellent album but personally not much struck a huge chord with me. I'll be coming back to this again though and I'll see what grips me in future listens.
It is interesting to finally listen to Natural Woman after knowing the Carole King version front to back. I definitely don't prefer Aretha's version but that might just be from a difference of familiarity.
Highlight: Chain of Fools (the full bonus song is even better in my opinion)
I was thinking about this being a 4 because of how often I just listen to the highlights but honestly if I put this on from Flight Test there is always a good chance I'm finishing the album. It's so good.
The production of this whole album is just glorious. I love how many layers add so much to this. It's bright, poppy, fun and made with so much heart.
This album really is maximalist. It uses drum machines well, while also having some excellent drumming. There are 1000 samples on every song and nothing ever comes through clean in the mix but it comes together to make something beautiful. No track is ever done as simply as it could have been. Which works amazingly with the themes of the album, it feels so close to nature and the world. I'd argue it presents large themes that are presented in a simple way for concepts that are usually overwhelming.
Highlight: In the Morning of the Magicians (but usually it'd be Do You Realize)
This is one of those albums one of us would own on CD that you'd start to learn front to back in car journeys despite not liking the music that much to begin with. I'm sure if I kept digging I'd find some parts that really vibed with me, but this isn't then and I shan't be doing that.
It does remind me a bit of Incubus but where they go heavy often and gets a bit crazier, here there is always a focus on the vocals that doesn't work so well for me.
It's fine, some interesting parts but on the whole nothing interested me much.
Highlight: And This Is Nothing That I Thought I Had
I remember getting this album on CD because it wasn't available on Spotify and was iffy at best on youtube. Classic early 10's issues!
I do think this was a major influence in my music tastes. Everything here is so grand and awesome. I think I still know all the drums to 21st Century Schizoid Man.
Plus I know the sparse area of Moonchild was a bit eye opening to younger me. I'm at the point now where I think the saxaphone solo on 21st Century does not go on too long.
I've still got plenty of Crimson to check out but I forgot Greg Lake was on this, still got so much more ELP that I haven't cracked. It's interesting that this is such a weird album but it's one of the most accessible prog ones.
Highlight: Court of the Crimson King
Going into this I was worried it's actually a 4 cause in my head the album is front loaded. (It is, but) the only reason I think of it as front-loaded is because those first 4 songs are all Rush at their absolute best. On revisit I am sad to report I have been grossly neglecting Witch Hunt and especially Camera Eye, though Vital Signs is still kind of a weak ending to the album. With most of this album being a new 80s sleek sound for Rush I think Camera Eye here sounds the most Rush-like so coming back to it again has been excellent.
This album isn't just sensational but I'd argue, moreso, inspirational. Peart, Geddy, and Lifeson inspired generations of people to pick up instruments because of this album. Hell, I still want a Rickenbacker because of this.
I'm not gonna pretend I can perfectly play YYZ but every time I have sat down at a drumkit I have tried to play that song every time, granted with at most half of Peart's kit.
Highlight: Camera Eye
I think Black Metal is perhaps a terrible name for this album, especially in a modern context. I do suppose that is my ignorance of the genre though too as I didn't realise there were different waves of Black Metal, still it's hard to link this and Mercyful Fate together.
I went into this expecting something different than what I got and it led to me disliking it heavily. Coming back to it a few days later though, I get it.
This is to say I took them initially to be darker and more sincere. It took me until the song Teacher's Pet to really get them. It's crucially not a remotely serious song, and the studio yelling at the end is what sold me on this album. This isn't Metallica, this is a bunch of pub blokes trying to recreate Black Sabbath as thrash. It's a parody of satanic metal in the same vein as La Villa Strangiato is parody of Prog while still being shining examples of what they parody.
I think most of my issues with this stem from a difference in preference. It's not really up there in metal records for me. This thing was released after Motorhead has already released 5 albums including Overkill and Ace of Spades. It does share a lot of the same English metal energy as them but about 20% less serious. If this were the 80s maybe I'd come back to this but nowadays this album reminds me too much of music that I much prefer to this.
I do kinda like the production on this thing though even if it isn't my preference. It sounds like the whole thing was recorded in a long corridor with very boomy echoey vocals and very heavy bass.
I do still think the start of the album is weak, especially To Hell and Back which is so underbaked.
Highlight: Teachers Pet
Can't tell if my rating either goes way down if I ever learn Portuguese but I'm keeping high hopes that these are banger lyrics.
It's funny to think that the only song I knew here was girl from Ipanema and I think that may be the worst song on here, or at least the most straightforward.
Need to delve into this more but it's short and sweet. Loved it.
Highlight: Para Machuchar Meu Coracao
I think I know this front to back by now but I've not listened to the whole album in ages. This is one of those CD albums you learn over driving hundreds of hours.
Little things I loved on this listen though:
The into to Top Jimmy, though it's one of the weakest songs here.
Listening the drum solo intro to Hot for Teacher for the 1000th time. It's one of the best bits of drumming put to song ever. I just wish that double bass only lasted for a couple bars more.
Forgot how good Girl Gone Bad is.
Things I disliked:
I forgot how bad House of Pain is.
One thing that I always disliked is the damn fade outs. Finish the damn song!
I'll Wait and Top Jimmy would be skips I reckon if I hadn't come to like them. I remember liking House of Pain but now I do think it's the weakest song here which is a terrible way to finish an album but even that song has a pretty sick breakdown at least. So it's a bit rougher than I'd like but I still think it's the best Van Halen album.
Highlight: Hot for Teacher (no duh, but I did like coming back to Drop Dead Legs).
Once again not my favourite Dan album but every time I listen I find more stuff to enjoy, this time I was vibing a lot to Fire in the Hole.
Highlight: Reelin in the Years (some genuinely excellent guitar work which you can forget when you hear the song 100 times)
How have I never noticed that banjo on Take it Easy? That's wild man.
There's a reason everyone owns The Best of the Eagles and sadly it is not because they have amazing albums.
Peaceful Easy Feeling is an amazing song, one of my recent favourites, and makes this album for me. Having said that, the last song Tryin' was a surprise to me, and a great one.
What an awesome closer song and yet what a weird choice to include one solid rock song on this as the end. It's not cohesive to the album at all but
Highlight: Tryin'
I wish the album hit for me better but once again the production on this thing just does it for me. I'm gonna keep coming back to this album and maybe it'll hit better in the future, but for now it feels like I'm still surface level.
Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus are so good. They would be good songs on another album but here they've been pushed to where they need to be fully.
Personal Jesus is such a strong electronic song that it's shocking that it's built around an acoustic guitar riff.
You'd think the reverb and echo on the album would get old but it suits it so damn well.
Highlight: Personal Jesus (I know that's the lame choice but I liked it before and now I find myself going for the song often)
You can hear the room it's recorded in. It's so damn clean it's unbelievable. If you tune out of the groove you can hear the gradual diminish of each last note.
Sonically incredible and to not only have some of the best sounding instruments but some of the best compositions too. The bass sounds truly incredible, nevermind how tasty the licks are. This an album you can listen to each song 10 times and hear something new hidden each time. The guitar solo on Peg isn't even treated like the incredible piece of work it is.
This is Becker and Fagen at the top of their game along with every session musician. Aside from virtuosity there is so much groove and funk put into each song it's hard not to find at least one moment to make you smile on each track.
Highlight: This time it was the keyboards on Aja. Or maybe the drums on Aja. Or maybe the sax...
...okay maybe it's the bassline on Josie. Incredible stuff.
Gonna dig into this more but this is the kinda shit I can listen to so easily.
Highlight: My Mate Paul (Could be any track really)
Insane that they came out with anything decent from the sessions, let alone this. This is an album I typically rate lower in my head until it's been a while and chuck it on and it rocks my shit. Though it did take me a while to appreciate the theatrical elements as it it's really what differentiates it from the previous Pink Floyd albums.
I love that listening to it on Spotify you can tell when a side finishes. The album as a whole flows so well that any stop is so noticeable and really shows how considered it was a whole album. Some of the best song transitions around in this one album.
The contrast from the start and end between the two 'In The Flesh's is interesting as a corruption of Pink and then leading into the best transition between songs ever into Run Like Hell.
The album looping back into itself is so good, both to notice as a listener as novelty and also as a major theme of a cyclical nature of destruction brought on generation to generation. In a way you can read the true end of the album as Goodbye, which is certainly the darkest and most cynical way to read it.
My personal Floyd preference rates this as the lowest of that awesome 4 album run, but there is just something special here. It's a tough balance between each member and I think this is the most Waters I can take but it's a shame that the balance couldn't have been maintained but that's the way of most bands with such a string of hits.
Highlight: Mother (when the guitar solo halfway through kicks in it's magical)
Didn't think much of this on a first listen but I've come back to it a few times. I can see how people can revere this. It's not quite a 5 but it's gonna enter I guess irregular rotation for me.
Highlight: Donkey Doctor
When I was a teenager I bought the set of Faith No More's albums from The Real Thing to Album of the Year. This is brining me back to summers driving around while blasting Epic and singing along to it. It's a shame with the ease of Spotify and streaming that it's so easy to avoid digging into a catalogue but there is no better way than a CD and many car journeys!
I think I first found out about FNM after hearing midlife crisis on a Dad Rock compilation that had Midlife Crisis on it (which is an incredible pick for a Dad Rock album).
I think it's hard to pick a more Gen X band than these guys. To call them Dad Rock is an offhand comment nowadays but it does them a huge disservice to how much they went away from the norm on many levels. They're weird. Maybe not Primus weird, and definitely not quite Mr Bungle weird (gonna get to that) but still weird nonetheless.
It's interesting to have an album of a band that's on the precepice of finding its sound and it still sounds great! The biggest thing this album is lacking is variety. They're trying to find their sound and you hear some of their future peaking through but by and large this is the progression of Introduce Yourself's FNM with Patton now at the helm.
I do wish we could've had an album between this and Angel Dust. For one thing there is a large jump in styles between the two albums that something inbetween could be interesting, albeit perhaps impossible. There was so much left to explore with that lineup that it's a shame we couldn't get more before Jim Martin left.
There's low points to the album for certain! 'Suprise! You're Dead!' is bit half baked (that riff on the guitar is sick though) and Woodpecker From Mars runs a bit too long I reckon.
Despite that, this album has a special place in my heart. It's fairly straightforward but it hides a weirder streak amongst itself. The growl of the bass that often comes alive halfway through songs, the drums that do anything but play a basic 4/4 rock beat, the weird midi keyboard strings that come in to disarm, some sicks guitar solos and weird riffs, and obviously Patton being one of the more unique singers in the rock world.
This is one of those albums that formed a pillar of my music taste. I was hovering about 4 for this for a bit but that's me being more critical of an album because I love it enough to view all of its flaws.
Highlight: Underwater Love
Bonus Highlight: Cowboy Song from Live at Brixton Academy as an Outtake from the album
(Also Patton is one of those singers I find myself identifying myself as a guy who loves singing in weird voices)
This is an amazing live album but for me it ain't quite a 5. That transition from Cowboy Song to The Boys is an all timer though.
I remember initially not being impressed with the album when I first bought it. This was an album I wore out in the CD player until it broke through to me.
The style here is actually Thrash and coming from later Metallica, and even the albums they released at this time, I wasn't prepared for that and the roughness of it. It took some time to appreciate the awesome bass riffs here and Benante's drumming that doesn't sound too complex but is more creative than a lot of the other Big Four's songs at the time.
It takes a special band to respond to Master of Puppets with a album containing a song about Judge Dredd. Awesome stuff.
My only real critisicm of the album is that the last two songs should be swapped. Horror Of It All is too strong a closer to be the penultimate song.
Highlight: Caught In A Mosh
Don't need to say much here, it's all been said before.
Highlight: Brain Damage (apparently I'm a sucker for a title drop)
It's not my favourite of theirs, which is still Paul's Boutique, but it's probably their best. The length does mean I don't listen to this fully often.
Highlight: Flute Loop
It has some bangers but I rarely make it through the whole album without a few skips.
I got to Muse late so, to me, they aren't an album band.
Highlight: Assassin
Leftfield is someone who I need to be in the right mood for but it hits well when it does hit.
Getting in a Wipeout mood for this one, but I do find myself listening to Rhythm and Stealth more. A few more listens would be good to dig into this.
Highlight: Open Up
My favourite of ATCQ.
Highlight: Jazz (We've Got)
Maybe the greatest guitar solo ever, followed by some real funky shit.
Though... I'm not sure how well saying random shit into the mic works for me at the end.
Highlight: Maggot Brain
I'm a bass head so this is a Hall of Famer for me. I've sat and played through the entire album on the drums because it's not only sick as hell but also fun as hell to play. This album goes.
I don't need to give reasons why this album is great as it's already got a legacy that I think it lives up to.
Highlight: Bullet In The Head
Funnily enough I think Tapestry is the weakest track here easily. Smackwater Jack is another weak one, but as a whole this is incredible.
There's rarely a day I can't listen to this.
Highlight: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
LCD to me never has amazing albums, which is funny because they have some of my favourite songs of all time but I can never fully embrace every song on one of their albums and here is no exception.
Pulse feels like a weird end to the album but who knows what I'll think on next listen. I'm sure there's more to like here.
Anyway there's a couple bangers here so I'm gonna listen more to this but as a whole I'm not there.
Highlight: how do you sleep?
Crazy that this is too short and too monotonous, I much the same way Dopesmoker is not too long or too monotonous.
It's cool and awesome but after a few songs it just loses me. I like my metal with either some more craziness or more melody I think. I think in '86 I'd be a Reign in Blood guy.
Highlight: M.A.D.
I almost gave this a 2 because it's fairly competent. Almost.But it's all surface level. Kid Rock is actually a pretty good producer, but holy fuck I cannot stand this rapping. Decent at best and at worst it's unlistenable.
It's the tough guy macho-ness of House of Pain without any of the skill.
I'm sure this is harsher too because of an initial dislike of Kid Rock too but that doesn't make this a good album.
Maybe my favourite Dire Straits album. I remember having this in the car when I was a teenager and so I was wondering how well it'd hold up because mostly I just remember Sultans and Southbound Again.
An insane debut. It's insane how well formed they come through and how clear it is what Mark Knopfler wanted to do. Some of the best guitar work around here with what feels like very little ego (at least on the tracks).
It starts to run out of steam by the end but the album does not outstay its welcome so the chiller vibe of Lions makes for a great album end.
Highlight: Down To The Waterline
