It’s like Bryan Adams with a pedalboard
This was not a bad album, but it sounded like meat loaf and the velvet underground collabed.
I was a huge hendrix fan growing up, but somehow never listened to this full album. It's "raw" compared to some of the others, but that's what rock and roll is supposed to be all about.
REM was already popular when I “discovered” them my freshman year of high school. I hated them. This was when the automatic for the people album launched. Shiny happy people was awful. Stand was the most derivative thing I’d ever heard (as a young teenager). This album, however, was not bad. It embodies “college” rock.
JFC, how many babies were born 9 months after this album came out. If you don’t like this, you don’t like sex. This album is probably called diamond life due to all the engagement rings people threw at her during her shows.
REM was already popular when I “discovered” them my freshman year of high school. I hated them. This was when the automatic for the people album launched. Shiny happy people was awful. Stand was the most derivative thing I’d ever heard (as a young teenager). This album, however, was not bad. It embodies “college” rock.
Are these guys British? How did this come out in 1997, when I was literally a college radio DJ, and I’ve never heard them? Anyway, good stuff. Love the random moog synths and other psychedelic FX.
As a gen Xr, you can’t think of lemonheads without thinking of their cover of Ms Robinson. Back when mtv was a thing, this song was on heavy rotation during the alternative time slot. It goes without saying that it's a banger. I never gave the rest of the album a listen, aside from the track “my drug buddy” which is great. I also recognized the main guitar parts from the title track which is also OK, as is the rest of the album now that I think about it. Not really my jam.
Sorta reminds me of the Beatles in their psychedelic phase. Although I am staunchly in the Stones camp in the age old "Stones or Beatles" conversation starter, I do like them a lot better after they discovered acid. All this to say, I dig this album a lot. This would be a good album to listen to while hanging out by the pool, or cooking, or working on a motorcycle.
If you don't like this album, you don't like jazz. And I can confidently say that I don't like jazz.
I know a lot of people give Dylan a hard time about having a shit voice, but I really dig it. It's instantly recognizable. You know it's Bob Dylan when you hear Bob Dylan. How many artists can you say that about? Listen here, I know what you're going to say, "I always know Led Zep when I hear them!" Well did you know that "Lonely is the night" was actually Billy Squier? Checkmate, bitches. Dylan is a songwriter without peer and he's got a unique voice. This is a fantastic album. The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because of all the harmonica. Harmonicas and bagpipes can fuck right off.
This album is called Superfuzz Bigmuff. Those are two of the most legendary guitar fuzz pedals of all time and boy do you hear them. The guitar tone on this album is FILTHY! I'm not sure about timelines here but my gut says that these guys paved the way for Nirvana in shaping the Seattle sound of the early 90s. Also, if you look closely at this album cover Mark Arm is playing a Hagstrom guitar. Hagstroms are Swedish. Vikings were Swedish. Vikings were metal. Therefore Mark Arm is metal. It's science.
I lived through Nirvana at the perfect time. I was in high school when Nevermind came out and changed “rock” music. Sure there were other alternative bands, but they weren’t commercially successful so if you wanted to check them out you had to buy their cd (pre internet and pre cd burners were the dark ages). Just prior to this performance, they had reached mainstream and I remember being sick of them (or maybe sick of the hype) so I didn’t really give it any attention. Listening to it now with objective ears- it’s good!
If I ever need to walk through a precarious environment in slow motion, I hope this album is playing in the background.
I once ordered a t-shirt from the band Sasquatch's website and it arrived with a return address name "music for pirates". If you are not familiar with Sasquatch, they're a stoner metal band that sound just like something a pirate would like. I mean, If I were about to go pillage, i'd want to be AMPED UP and I can think of no better way to get the adrenaline flowing than by blasting some badass stoner rock. Anyway, it got me thinking, bands do a really good job of aligning with culture. If you're a leather jacket wearing, motorcycle riding, guy- chances are you're a fan of metal. If you're a hippie type, then jam bands are probably your thing. Art resonates with us because we see ourselves in things that are not us. All this to say, I can't figure out who this music is for. Maybe you have to be Icelandic to understand the Sugarcubes, because I don't.
Aside from "take me to the river", I didn't recognize a single track on this album. However, I would have instantly known it was them... Defo the mark of a good band. And since I resonate most with guitars, I'ma call this album "jangly"
You know how the preacher's kid is always the one that gets in the most trouble? The girl with the slutty mom is the bookish "good girl" in the class? Teenage rebellion is REAL! Well, I grew up in Nashville so the laws of adolescence prevented me from listening to country music (or wearing cowboy boots). I'd never listened to this album. It's great! Every contributing musician to this work is world class.
Anyone: "Black Sabbath started heavy metal."
Some pedantic asshole: "Ackshuulllly, Blue Cheer were active in the 60s and Sabbath didn't come out till 1970."
To my ears, I don't hear any similarities between the two bands. Sure, there's a gnarly guitar tone on this album. But this guy plays nothing like Tony Iommi. If anything, the guitar work on this sounds more like Hendrix... in which case why not just say Jimi Hendrix started heavy metal if you're going to start naming random bands that chronologically came out before 1970.
If you want to say that these guys were an influence on somebody - The break beat bass lines about 2 minutes into "Parchment farm" sound exactly like "Hello, I love you." by the Doors... Oh god, here comes that pedantic asshole again. Yes, I know the Doors didn't have a bass player.
I want you to picture yourself throwing a dinner party. It's for college students. No wait, It's for college professors. No wait, it's for work colleagues. No wait, it's for your house warming in a new neighborhood. Actually, fuck it... it's for all of those people. Here's the catch... you want to seem cool. Well here's the record you're going to play. It's literally impossible to hate on Amy Winehouse because EVERYBODY recognizes real talent when they hear it.
Why do I feel funny when in my pants when I hear "Moving in Stereo" from this album? IYKYK DOGGLER! Seriously though, next time you listen to that track- pan between the left and right channels. Trust me, it's cool. The rest of the album is a damn-near masterpiece. If they had an extra guitar playing the keys parts instead it would be perfect, but that's just my own personal preference.
The talent is undeniable. Just not my kinda jam.
This is a desert island album for me... You know, you're stranded on a desert island and you can only take 10 albums with you? Well, I'd only get 4 because how do you choose between the first 6 Black Sabbath albums? So of the remaining 4, this would be one. You know who agrees with me on this? Duck, Mother fuck'n, Mouth and Booteny Lee Farnsworth, that's who.
I remember trying to be a Sonic Youth fan many times growing up in the 90s. For some reason, they were the alternative band's alternative band. They were; too cool for hits, they had a super cool style, they had Kim Gordon on bass, and let's be real- Sonic Youth is one of the best band names of all time. But I just could never click with them- the guitar work is just so... unpleasing to the ear.
If you would have played this album for me when I was ten years old and told me that this is what music would be like in the future I would have believed you. And you know what, you would have been right. However, as a citizen of the future, I can confidently say that we don't listen to this when we're cooking, or working out, or having futuristic sex orgys. We listen to this in the background of our video game load/ menu screens.
Does the title of this album/ band title mean that the queen is neither good nor bad? She's... neutral? She needs to be acknowledged, but not ascribed any sort of feelings either way? Well what a coincidence, that's exactly how I feel about this album. I don't really dislike this, but there isn's a single song that resonates with me.
Bother me tomorrow, today I'll buy no sorrow.
I’m going to buy another guitar instead. Holy shit, John Fogerty can play.
“Oh, I know this one!” I said to myself as I looked at this album cover. “These are those sisters that can’t play their instruments!”
Then I started listing to it and was all, “ok, the drummer and bass player are keeping time. The guitar is in tune. Vocals are weird, but in an artistic way. And this whole thing has been recorded and produced really well. No wait… I was thinking of the Shaggs”
So I had to go down the rabbit hole on this one. Turns out the singer is John Lydon’s stepdaughter which partially explains HOW this album got made. I also learned that music critics love this album. I also learned that Kurt Cobain loved this album. Personally, I can’t imagine a scenario in which I would want to give this another listen.
I remember trying to like this band back in the day. Teenager logic- Soundgarden or Alice in Chains are from the Pacific Northwest and they fucking rule so therefore every band from the Pacific Northwest must also rule. But, I just couldn't get into 'em. Only later in life did I become a fan of Mark Lanegan thanks to his stint in Queens of the Stone Age... So I'm glad this album came up in the rotation. Still not sure I would call myself Screaming Trees fan, but I'm glad I gave it another listen.
Does the accusation that Michael Jackson touched up kids make you like his music less? We'll come back to that in a second.
I first saw Green Day play at Lollapalooza just one day before their legendary mud fight set at Woodstock '94 that was ALL OVER MTV rotation that year. I thought they were awesome! If you could wear a CD out, I probably would have worn this one out. They went back on tour a year later in 1995, headlining larger venues, and I saw them at a proper arena. This time, however, I noticed something peculiar. I am not being hyperbolic when I say this... the crowd was 50% children. Like, 10 year old children. Was I there to watch modern punk rock or Disney on ice? I think there may have even been vendors walking around selling cotton candy for fucks sake! I know it shouldn't matter. I know that you should listen to music on it's own merit. Thriller will always be an awesome record no matter what Michael got up to. But from that day forward I could not hear them for anything other than a kid's band.
And you know what- the signs were there all along. This album is called Dookie, a word I've never heard an adult use. The biggest hit on this record is about jerking off. The last song on this album is literally just baby-talk. They were ALWAYS a kid's band.
As far as Dylan goes, this album feels a lot less catchy and a lot more ballady than some of the others. I'm not going to do the thing that everyone does where they say that Dylan's voice sucks, because I actually like his voice on the catchy songs. Ballady songs, however, not so much.
Side note: can we just say that putting some form of the word blood into the name of your album makes it 1000% cooler. Example:
Rolling stones - Let it bleed
RHCP - blood sugar sex magic
Slayer- Reign in Blood
Mastodon- Blood and Thunder
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
what do you call chicken breast strips that have been battered and are about to be fried?
Pretenders
Seriously, though... This album is legit!
Remember when Metallica put out those albums Load and Reload because they were growing as artists and didn't want to be stuck in the thrash metal, 10000 notes a second box? Everyone was like, we're here for the thrash metal. Can't you please just give us some thrash metal? You guys are really good at thrash metal. WTF is Lars playing? an empty beer keg instead of a snare drum? has Kirk gone... bluesy?
At first, I thought that's what was going on here. Like... the Bee Gees were tired of being stuck in the fun disco dancy box and set out to write an album with a bit more gravitas. Then I looked into it a bit and realized that the fun dance stuff didn't come until later, so now I don't know what to think.
I do like the fun disco dance stuff better, tho.
I've got no notes about this album musically. It's perfect. Not a single wasted note.
Instead I'm going to tell a quick true story. One day I randomly sat next to this super quirky, super friendly girl at a work thing whom we'll call "G". "G" and I became fast friends. She was one of the most outgoing people I'd ever met. Through her I met "M". Through "M" I met "H". One day I was hanging out with "H" and she introduced me to her former roommate "R". I married "R" and we have a beautiful family together. I often wonder how different my life would be if I'd randomly sat next to someone else that day at work.
Anyway, this album is kinda like that story. The Beatles apparently wrote Sgt. Pepper because they wanted to write something as good as Pet Sounds. Sgt. Pepper inspired Ozzy Ozzborne to pursue music. Black Sabbath inspired every metal, grunge, & hardcore band ever. So... I often wonder what music would be like if this album was never made.
I love it when you hear songs that sound like other songs and wonder if they influenced each other. The main synth part on Extended souvenir from this album sounds a lot like the main synth part from bizarre love triangle by new order.
There’s never a good time for anyone over the age of 25 to do a flip. Nobody wants to see an adult show off.
Sometimes I listen to an album and it feels like showing off. The artist writes some poignant songs and brings in some stringed instruments and slows everything down, carefully choosing each arrangement. And it's objectively good, but not what I showed up for. Sea Change feels like a cloying attempt to be taken seriously. I would argue that it takes just as much talent to write Loser, for example, which is literally just a random string of words that have no meaning.
Maybe I'm just a heartless asshole who has never broken up with somebody that I truly loved. Yea, that's probably it. The Beastie Boys made a similar move with Check Your Head (ditching samples for instruments) and I love it. I guess I just don't like sentimental music that much.
I can't imagine a scenario that wouldn't be improved by having this on in the background. Cooking? Check. Palm Springs Pool Party? Check. The end credits of a rom-com? check. Swingin'? DOUBLE CHECK. Speaking of, would you just look at this album cover? An apparition of 'ol blue eyes creepily looking at a couple that's clearly seconds away from get'n it on. I wonder if Diarrhea Planet wrote the song Ghost With a Boner about this album cover.
Somewhere lying within the fiber of my being, in the deep epigenetic recesses of my DNA, there is a part of me that yearns for a bar-fight, that yearns to swing the hammer of the gods on a battlefield, that yearns to hoist the black flag and commence to slitting throats. I am of Scandinavian lineage, so perhaps it's my long since diluted viking blood bubbling to the surface every now and again. I can't be the only one, either. Maybe all the toxic male masculinity in the modern world comes from our being the descendants of savages. If this sounds like you, here's your LIFE HACK of the day. Don't suppress those urges, bros! Put your headphones in and blast THIS ALBUM on 10 and go for a flat-out run or lift some heavy objects while doing so. For me, it scratches the pillage-itch and I can go back to being the gentle and devoted father and husband that I strive to be day to day. Remember: Slayer + some fitness = a safe and happy Mrs.
Damn, I love it when I get an album I've never heard. Just look at this rascal... you can tell this guy knows his way around a clit. There's a 100% chance a few of these less jaunty songs will make it onto my "the kids aren't home" (aka boner jamz) playlist.
I suspect that most of us can't think about the band XTC without also thinking about the song "Dear God". For me- It came out in a time of my life when I was literally a Catholic schoolboy. Hearing it for the first time had me clutching my proverbial pearls. Was this satanic? It didn't sound anything like the satanic panic bands of the era. But the song was so catchy. So goddamn catchy. It felt so wrong to love the song as much as I did (do). Eventually the lyrics began to resonate and I started to examine my own personal belief system. Sooner or later everyone needs to accept that change is hard, but there is no growth without change. So I think I owe a lot to this band for this song alone.
I don't know if XTC is still making music but we could sure use a few more songs in the same vein. Here's a few suggestions:
Dear responsibility - the drinking bone's connected to the drug bone.
Dear political ideology - maybe I shouldn't be voting on whether or not Einstein got his math right.
Dear bewildered - trying and failing is still progress.
Jazz sets me on edge. I know it's considered by many to be the only true American art-form so I'm probably being un-patriotic when I say that I dislike it. But there is something about this album that resonates with me. I can't hear the trumpet on this album without evoking a dimly lit, smoke filled, prohibition era jazz club where everyone is dressed to the nines and swigging martinis. The sound is cloying, but it a genuine way- And yes, cringe alert*, I'm about to reference a James Baldwin novel when I say it reminds me of the sax player in "Another Country" when he's repeating "do you love me?" through his instrument over and over.
*For some reason it feel pompous for white dudes to quote James Baldwin, IDK why...
Oh hell yes. I love it when I get an album I already dig. You know that scene in the lord of the rings that goes like:
Aragorn: "you have my sword!"
Gimli: "you have my axe!"
Legolas: "you have my bow!"
I picture the formation of this band as follows:
Crosby: "you have my guitar!"
Stills: "you have my guitar!"
Nash: "you have my guitar!"
Young: "you have my guitar!"
Did y'all see that solid gold outfit he wore at that one award show? If you don't know what I'm talking about go ahead and give it a google. Why didn't anyone say Cee-3P-Lo? It was right there!
Anyway- IDK why, but I feel like I'm supposed to be giving this album a haughty critique, but I like the overall vibe of this. So I'll say "Bonne Surprise" which just means "pleasantly surprised", but in French so that I can keep up my streak of being pretentious edgelord.
This came out in '73. Stevie was born in in 1950. By my math, he was 23 when this was released... Could you imagine creating something this good as such a young age? Well here's the thing- it was his SIXTEENTH album by that point. JFC... just... JFC.
This is a tough write-up... I vacillated between being bored, to holy shit that was a pretty sweet guitar riff. I loved elements of this, but when you put it all together it's kinda mid for me. Grits... this is sorta like grits for me. I don't hate grits. Now grits with salt and butter? Better! Kosher salt and Irish butter? Even better! But at the end of the day I'd prefer hash browns.
Every time I listen to a new record I'm always thinking about what setting the music would be perfect for. Is this a cooking album? Is this a chilling by the pool album? Crafting? Anyone else do this? The only activities I'm coming up with on this one are: Hacking into a mainframe, piloting a spaceship, and dancing the robot. Since I rarely do these activities, I probably wont be revisiting this album much in the NEAR future.
PS- Can I just say that these guys got a lot about the future right:
"The Robots" is clearly about AI
"The Model" is clearly about social media influencers
"The Man-Machine" is a all too accurate commentary about how our smart devices have become an extension of, and thus intermeshed with, our personalities.
Can figure out what size pilot jets to install in the carburetor to make your vintage motorcycle idle better? Listen to this album.
Worried that you can't muster the courage to pick up the phone and ask out your crush? Listen to this album.
Can figure out how to resolve the main conflict in the great American novel you're writing? Listen to this album.
Want to be a better guitar player? Listen to this album.
This isn't music, it's a marinade. You soak yourself in it and you become at least 50-75% better at doing cool shit.
Don't believe me on this one? Well try this experiment- put in your headphones, hit play on this bad-boy, and go for a walk down a crowded city street. If you don't feel like the main character in a Tarantino flick I'll eat my hat (mesh-back trucker style, natch).
I'll take "Albums I got from Columbia house for a penny, Alex."
Solid bangers on this, obviously. I do, however, feel like the studio ordered 45 minutes of music and Pete was tapped out of creativity at 25. It's taking everything I've got to not drive down to the local swap meet to buy a fedora and a faux-Damascus steel butterfly knife that I expertly flip around before writing "Peter Gabriel So... More like Peter Gabriel So So" into my keyboard and walking away.
The song "bob's yer uncle" is the sexy track? I know that "Bob's yer uncle" is a way of saying "problem solved" in merry old. In the American south Uncle + Sexy time = very much a problem. Good thing I have such a refined cultural palette so that I can catch these idiosyncrasies. I also know that fanny is NOT slang for ass in England. I bet that's going to come in handy as I continue to listen to this. Sorry if I'm rambling but if you also just listed to this I bet you're used to the feeling.
"Que' onda Guero" is Mexican slang for "what up whitey?" I'm telling you this because I took two years of high school Spanish, a very ill fated run on duo-lingo, and have Mexican-American friends and never knew that. I feel like that should be some day one shit, and not something you learn from a Beck album title track.
Musically, I find this album to be peak Beck. There's so many interesting things going on instrumentally and lyrically. This is definitely one I'm glad I re-listened to through headphones.
Bonus- That's Christina Ricci saying "please enjoy" in "Hell Yes"
There was a time in my life when I can remember not liking Bob Marley. I went to college in a smaller town in Tennessee and it seemed that a lot of my peers were going through their own musical awakenings. Maybe that's typical for any college age kid, but holy shit Bob Marley was everywhere. I think we get a lot of our identity through the kind of music we listen to and Bob hits the intersection of "culturally worldly" and the whole "good vibes only" scene. I can't tell you how many cats named Marley I encountered during that era. It was overwhelming... Anyway, glad I was able to get over that.
I wasn't familiar with this album aside from "one of those things first" which I probably heard in the background of a Wes Anderson movie. No hate for this vibe, it's chill.
One time when my daughters were toddlers I made them some shirts featuring their favorite music. One of them was a "David Bowie, Oh you pretty things!" shirt in a cute rainbow font. My wife posted a pic on social media and some twat insinuated that I was a band shirt bootlegger. It was that day that I decided that facebook will be downfall of western civilization. Anyway, this album is great.
Well, some people try to pick up girls
And get called assholes
This never happened to Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare and so
Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole
I can really get behind this message. You don't have to be good looking, you just have to be an artist. And, that can be cultivated. Artists have to have confidence.
WTF is this? The village people in space?
Just kidding. Of course i know this album. I've often thought that the reason I love grunge music so much is because the guitars sound so much like the guitars in my favorite band, Black Sabbath. Sort of like, you can tell the jar came from the well. I feel like this is the well for all hip hop.
Not sure if this is actually the case, but is sounds to me like young Neil is singing the vocal track, then overdubbing it so that he harmonizes with himself for a lot of this album. It's especially prevalent on the "When you dance I can really love" song. For me, the thing I like the least about his music is his voice. But somehow, when you double it it gets better. I wonder if that trick works anywhere else in life... Shitty cat? Get another. Bland slice of pizza? why not have two? I've tried this trick with guitar ownership and it doesn't seem to work. I keep buying guitars but my skill doesn't seem to be improving.
Did you know that Courtney Love's dad was the tour manager for the Grateful Dead? A lot of people in the 90s dismissed her as just riding Kurt Cobain's coat tails, but I'd say that she probably had the more credible rock and roll resume. In fact, Kurt apparently ODed the night of Nirvana's first appearance on Saturday Night Live and she had the wherewithal to revive him by sticking ice cubes up his ass to get the adrenaline flowing, something she'd seen it done so many times in her youth.
Anyway- "Hole was definitely not overrated" is something you don't hear a lot of gen-X males saying, but not me. I thought their first two albums were great. This one is alright.
Holy shit, I think they misspelled ears. My bloody ears. Please make it stop. It's clear this band has talent, but it feels like they're intentionally trying to be contrarian or something. Almost as if they're too cool for hits.
I love it when I get an album that I had in the before times. You know, before they were all free and you could just stream them out of the ether without having to make a trip somewhere and exchanging cash money.
I feel like this is an album that can only be enjoyed in soft times. It's like, too whimsical to be enjoyed in 2025.
I cant really think of anything clever to say about this album. It reminded me of a cross between the beach boys and... Dylan maybe?
I once had this dog that I'd had since he was a puppy. Once day, a couple years into my owing this dog he saw a bird and went into a perfect "point" stance, alerting me of it's direction just in case I wanted to shoot it. How did he know how to do this? I'm not hunter. I had not taught him how to do that stance?
What I had witnessed was epigenetic response. Somewhere in that dog's lineage was a bird dog that had been taught by a human to point out prey. That somehow got encoded into the dogs DNA for future generations. Really crazy right? We teach a dog how to do something and it sticks with them for future generations.
I've often wondered if the reason I like the Beach Boys is because my dad liked the Beach Boys. Was the fondness passed down in my genes? Here I am, a total metal head... And I'm all, "oh yea, give me that doo wop style vocal harmonization."
Blind Horse would have been a cooler name for the band. Aside from that, what's not to like about this?
I feel like I've run out of clever things to say about XTC. I once heard that the singer has awful stagefright, so they don't tour much.
Remember that scene in the US version of the show The Office where Michel Scott comes back from an all inclusive Jamaica trip with a braid and beads in his hair? He feels worldly and changed by his travel experience to Sandals. I feel like if I were to play this album at a party It would be a similar cringefest. This feels like it's not for me, which is a total shame because this is really good.
I wish I was able to find the "original" version of this and not the 20th anniversary that's 3 hours long...
When I was a kid I set a challenge to myself to see what would happen if I ate 1 piece of every kind of halloween candy in my bag. It was fun at first... then I felt sick. ABBA is like that. I like them in small doses, but a whole album makes me want to barf by the time I get to the end.
Prior to Steely Dan, Fagan and Becker were in a band called Leather Canary. Guess who played drums in that band? Chevy Chase. I've heard that Chevy is a dick in real life... It's a shame he wasn't in this iteration of the band that put out this album. It feels like It could use a bit of the rough. WTF is this toodle-oo bullshit?
Somehow I ended up in a mixed musical marriage. My wife and I have a lot of overlap in terms of bands we like, but there is also a ton of stuff I like that she doesn't. It can become problematic from time to time because there is ALWAYS music on in our house. I never get to put on Slayer when cooking dinner, but on the flip-side I also never have to listen to the Indigo Girls. This album feels like a loophole. I know she's not the biggest Iggy Pop fan, but I can lie and say that it's a Bowie album. Talk about sneaky compromise!
Apparently one of the roadies wanted a bike with derailleur gears and called it Disraeli Gears by mistake. So, just to clown this poor guy, they named this album Disraeli Gears. Seems pretty rock and roll to me.
Dogs have no sense of rhythm. I suppose animals, in general, don't have a sense of rhythm but I can PROVE that dogs don't. How, you say? Well I took my dog for a walk with a bluetooth speaker playing this album and he didn't bob his head once.
Boy do they have a sound! And it's whatever drum machine they used on this.
I don't have a lot of notes on this... Give this a shot along with say, Serge Gainsbourg, if you're a boring white dude living in the suburbs and you want to feel culturally expansive.
Everyone has that friend. He's kinda funny at times, but overall he's a dick and he's got super strong political and religious beliefs that he's always going on about. Eventually, you decide that on the whole you'd prefer not to hang around him all the time. I sorta feel like that with this album. There are some BANGERS on here for sure, but there's also like 30 tracks that are unlistenable.
When I was a teenager in the 1990s I stumbled across my dad's old record collection. This album was in the mix. His only comment, "I got it for that miles and miles song." I guess my dad had pretty good taste back in the day.
Goes hard, what's not to like about this?
I started to type something snarky like. "Where else would the car wheels be?" But then I remembered that cars do better on asphalt.
What are the odds I get this very album just a couple days after seeing the comedian Jim Jeffries at the Ryman Auditorium, with his opening joke being about Johnny Cash being a "shit musician"? He was almost booed off the stage until he made the point that most people like the idea of Johnny Cash more than they like his music. People have bought more middle finger t-shirts then they have albums. There may be some truth to that, but this album proves that he's the real deal.
I'm reminded of a scene in the movie adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs the Word a lot of times while listened to this. Which scene? The part where Brandon Roth's character says "sounds like someone want's to get... funky."
This is one of those albums that feels like it was made by truly talented musicians that wanted to do something a little different, but not just for the sake of being different.
I started listening to this and the word "indie" materialized in my mind like a genie out of a freshly rubbed lamp. It got me thinking about the concept of an indie band and I was all... Wait, what does "indie" even mean? You know, you hear a phrase or concept and you just accept it without ever stopping to examine its origin? For example, there's this book called "the art of the deal" which is supposedly about how to run a business. So I'm all, what does art have to do with business? I have a business degree and clearly says right there on the front in calligraphy "bachelor of science" and not "bachelor of arts". Maybe that's why the author of said book is not doing a great job because he doesn't fully understand the difference. Sorry, got off track there... What were we talking about? Oh yea, so I googled "indie" in the context of bands and it stands for "independent", as in independent from the influence of record labels. Self produced, in other words. Turns out, when you try to take the business aspect out of making music you create art. This album is art.
I remember seeing a cardboard cutout of prince on his moto outside the record store at my local mall when I was just a kid over 40 years ago. Somehow in the span of time from that day to this day, I had never listed to this start to finish. Man... it's all good.
Boy, that song "black skinhead" is starting to make a lot more sense in 2025...
Feel like this would be good to leisurely kayak to.
I tried listening to this but kept falling asleep. There is some undeniable talent in this group, but it's just not my kinda thing.
JFC... this is like a christian stumbling upon a new translation of the dead sea scrolls. I'm a fan of Lynard Skynard, how do I not know about this album?
"I think we should sound like Bowie."
"I think we should sound like Dylan."
"Guys, lets compromise."
This bish needs to change her name to Sultry. Sultry Springfield is not only more alliterative, but ON BRAND with her music. Now that I'm thinking about it, Sultry would be a pretty terrible name to go through life with. "Sultry, will you pass me the salt?" Oof- Nevermind what I said before. Great album though.
This is some bush league shit right here.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before I got one of my all time favorite albums. This, along with the self titled album, Master of Reality, Vol 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and Sabotage are all 5-star perfect albums. Fun fact about Paranoid- it was the last album with guitars tuned to E standard. Starting with the next album (Master of Reality) Tony Iommi started de-tuning 3 steps to c# and Sabbath became the heaviest thing in the known universe.
Well isn't this just lovely? I feel like if golden-doodles had the ability to make music, this would be the kind of album they would make.
The peak way to listen to this album would be through the speakers of a 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible, driving down a bustling city street.
I read this article once (I want to say it was penned by Chuck Klosterman, but AI was no help in confirming) in which a bunch of straight dudes were asked, "if you had to sleep with another dude, who would it be?" The overwhelming response was Robert Plant. I'm telling you this because I feel compelled to write something interesting about Led Zep that hasn't already been said a gazillion times. They're the greatest rock n roll band of all time. Anyone who doesn't give this album 5 stars is an edgelord, a pearl clutcher, or one of those dudes I just mentioned who isn't ready to to confront their feelings about Robert Plant.
Goddamit. Reluctant 4 here. I used to love this album. My wife and I used a song on this album in our wedding. The algorithm picked up on it and started playing the SHIT out of the Black Keys. It's like, "hey guy, I heard you like this band... how about I play them every other song?" Eventually I had to start skipping the second I heard Auerbach's voice. Defiantly a case of technology not improving life. Anyway... still a great album. It's bluesy, but not in a weedily deedily way. It's psychedelic. It's got great drums.
You think these guys are good? You should check out the lil' scamps.
Oh shit! Steve McQueen was a musician too? Actor. Motorsports racer. All around awesome dude! I bet this rips! Oh wait, this is just the name of the album... what a let down.
Oh here we go... an album that came out at a time in my life when I was too cool to listen to this type of music. Glad I don't have those hangups anymore because "trouble" is a mood.
A long, long time ago I was at a high school party (I was in high school at the time, not one of those Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused type of creeps). This cute girl sidled up next to me at the bonfire and struck up a conversation. At some point she asked me if I liked the replacements. I had never listened to them but I, of course, said I was.
She excitedly said "No way! what's your favorite song!?"
Should have seen that one coming. What could I say? I didn't even know what kind of music they played. So what did I do? Abruptly excused myself and found a classmate at the party that was in a band, assuming that he had much better taste in music than I did.
"Luke, do you like the replacements?" I said, apropos of nothing.
"I do." He replied, sagely.
"What's' your favorite song?"
"Gary's got a boner."
Now.. I desperately wanted to continue my conversation with this girl. We were totally vibing and I had to go and ruin it with my lies. And now I couldn't even get back on track because I wasn't sure if Luke was fucking with me. This was the early 90s and there was no way too fact-check whether or not "Gary's got a boner" was a real song.
Long story short- I never saw that girl again and I haven't thought about that interaction until I pulled up this album and and saw track 9 - Gary's got a boner.
He's trading in his chevy for a Cadillacacacacac.
Soundtrack of my childhood right here.
What's 3 feet high and rising? Funk? I think it's funk.
Step 1: create a sugar-based drink company that will make your teeth feel like they're furry after one sip. Step 2: use this album exclusively in your marketing. step 3: Profit.
This album feels free form... Sort of like they went into it with no plan and just sorta winged it. I guess that's the point of Jazz. I wish American Politics in 2025 weren't the same way.
"the vocals to "Sacred Love" were recorded over the phone from the prison where H.R. was serving time on a marijuana distribution
charge." is quite possibly the most metal sentence ever written.
More like, step into the funk
Always thought of these guys as a knock-off Beatles back in the 90s so I never paid them much mind. At some point I realized that everything is inspired by something and perhaps the only true original art is a cave painting. So... good stuff.
For so long I never gave this band a chance. Just look at these guys... how can anyone take this shit seriously? Did they meet in hot topic? Yet, I love the Misfits, which makes me a total hypocrite because they're just as silly. Anyway, as a metal fan, it was inevitable that a few of their songs would work their way into my algorithm and boy do they have some nasty riffs. They definitely went from slipknot-for-me to slipknot-bad.
Feels very experiMENTAL. Heyyyyyyooooo.
Man, between this guy and Bob Marley, there must not be many sheriffs left.
is this what a nervous breakdown sounds like?
What is this, Aldi brand Bruce Springsteen? (Bryce Sprangstien).
Did Jerk-off mean something different in 1973?
I remember stumbling upon a Public Enemy set in 2009 just after it started. I said to myself, "this is the best performance I've seen all weekend." That was saying a lot... because the last ever Beastie Boys performance also happened that weekend. Who can guess where I was?
It's my 10 year high school reunion. I walk in the door and immediately see, let's call him Ricky, in the corner by the bar.
"OH FUCK YEA!" I think to myself. I hadn't seen or thought about Ricky in years but he was the titts (as we used to say back then). Loved that guy! So funny and one of the best players on the soccer team. Just an all around BRO. I couldn't wait to catch up...
But something was different. Maybe he joined a religious cult. Maybe he went off the deep end MAGA. But the guy he used to be just isn't there anymore. We make plans to get together after the reunion but I I know I never will. Best to leave some things in the past.
This album feels like Ricky. You can tell it's Prince... no doubt about it. But it's just not that same magic as the Purple Rain era.
If adderall was a person, and that person was trying to frantically clean the house because they just got a text from their crush saying that they were in the neighborhood and that they were going to pop by, then a lot of these songs would be a good soundtrack for that vibe. The rest of the songs are just straight funky.
Oh here we go... More Sonic Youth. The band I've desperately been trying to like for the majority of my life. I bet if I wore that Sonic Youth t-shirt that everyone had in the 90s that had a washing machine on it to a party when I was in high school I would have been chatted up a by a girl that was much cooler than me (named Raven or Skye or Tempest or something). I've always felt like they're one of those bands that everyone likes the idea of, but nobody can really get into because their guitars are so unpleasing. I wanted to dismiss this album based on my preconceived notions... but WTF- this album actually rocks. Maybe if I checked this out back in the day I could have worn that shirt unironically and without fear of being a poser and Raven and I would have been high-school sweethearts. Fuck... I guess timing is everything.
If I were to try to write the ultimate mushroom trip album I'd probably start out with a sitar and a Moog synth. Who doesn't think about kaleidoscoping colors and laughing, pipe-smoking, top-hat wearing caterpillars when they hear a sitar? For whatever reason, I'm not getting that vibe with this... maybe it's the covers, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm in a drugstore or hotel lobby in india going about my day doing the most mundane shit.
I wonder if this is the same guy I saw at Lollapalooza in the early 90's with a band called the bad seeds? Wow, this is a lot more chill than I remember. Me to Chat GPT - "was Nick Drake the same guy in Nick Drake and the Bad Seeds?"
Chat GPT to me - "No, dumbass, that was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds."
Ah- well that explains it.
Which came first: Salsa the dance? Or Salsa, the stuff you get with crispy tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant? What does it say about me culturally that I think of the latter when I hear this type of music? I mean, I immediately started getting hungry for fajitas and a frosty marg the very second the horns and bongos kicked in. I feel like pavlov's dog, but if dogs could feel existential shame.
What are your go-to "first date" questions? You know, a question that will tell you just about everything you need to know about a person right away? Mine are: What was the last book you read? and which do you prefer, Beatles or Stones? For my entire life, I've been in the Stones camp. They're undeniably more "rock and roll". But you know what, the more Beatles I listen to, the more my opinion is changing. The Beatles are just better songwriters. It's tough to change an opinion of yourself that you've held about yourself for a long time, but hey- there is no growth without change.
Have a little fun, hot dog bun, my sisters a nun. That topless lady had something up her sleeve. Blow up your TV- throw away your paper... I'm not 10 minutes into this album and I've been hit with so many gems I feel like a jewelry maker. You can tell some artists just have a closer connection with the muse than ordinary people.
What can we say about MJ that hasn't already been said? Dude's so much of legend that allegations of inappropriate behavior with kids doesn't even make us like his music less.
I talk a lot about albums setting moods for activities. Some albums are perfect for cooking, some for working out, sexy time... you get the gist. I can say with confidence that this album is not good for hanging christmas lights on your house. I can see this being good for just about anything else, though.
I was walking down the street listening to this on a bluetooth speaker and everyone I passed by tipped their cap and gave me a pleasant smile. Beautiful women way out of my league winked at me. One approached me and slid me a slip of paper that read, "Call me... there's just something about you that I find irresistible [heart emojis]... Debra - 555-183-8375" When I got home I had to hide the note so that my wife wouldn't find it. All I'm saying is, be careful with this gem. Jimmy Smith is going to take you on an adventure.
