Came out of the gate with The Bends! Was already one of my favorite albums and another listen solidified that.
Top 3:
Just
My Iron lung
The Bends
Song I appreciate more: Black Star
10/10
Always thought this album was a bit overrated. Handful of great songs but too much filler, even for a concept album.
Top 3 tracks:
1. Comfortably Numb
2. Mother
3. Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2
Song I appreciate more: Young Lust
6/10
Big fan of Stevie Wonder, but I believe this is the first non-greatest hits album I have listened to start to finish. It’s a pretty darn good one. A lot of gems.
Top 3 songs:
1. Sir Duke
2. As
3. I Wish
Most poignant lyrics: Pastime Paradise
Other songs to appreciate:
Joy Inside My Tears, Ordinary Pain
8.5/10
I enjoyed the horns and the swing style of a good portion of the tunes. I like Brown’s later work better though. These songs just did not do it for me.
4/10
First time listening to this set of tunes all the way through. Illmatic is an excellent hip hop album.
Top 3 tracks:
1. N.Y. State of Mind
2. Halftime
3. It Ain’t Hard to Tell
9/10
First time I had sat through an entire Dylan album and I really thought I’d labor through it. I was wrong. I enjoyed the folk music and contemplative lyrics.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Masters of War
2. Blowin’ in the Wind
3. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
6.5/10
Although I enjoy jazz I do not find myself listening to it, so it’s no surprise I had not known about this artist and album. It is a well rounded beautifully crafted set of tunes. Ibrahim gets so much emotion out of all the instruments, especially on the title track. Wonder album.
Top 3 tracks:
1. Water From An Ancient Well
2. Mandela
3. Manenberg Revisited
8.5/10
The music is interesting until it becomes redundant and boring. Lyrics are nonsensical and hard to decipher. This may be my first one star. I cannot determine whether the music pushes it to another star. Just not for me.
The Dark Side Of The Moon is the 2nd Pink Floyd album generated in the two weeks I’ve been on this musical journey. I like it quite a bit better than The Wall. Greatest of all time is a bit far-fetched, but it’s up there as Pink Floyd’s best.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Brain Damage
2. Time
3. Us and Them
8/10
I can see why this album didn’t gain more traction coming out of the British scene in 1968. The Beatles and Stones were already generating more interesting tunes by this time. Had this album come out between 1963-1965, it may have been a different story. Started off strong with Care Of Cell 44 as the Zombies did their best Beach Boys impression. Tunes became less interesting as the album wore on though, until ending with Time of the Season. Still solid.
Top Tracks:
1. Care of Cell 44
2. Time of the season
All other tracks are perfectly fine, ranging from interesting to bouncy to a bit of psychedelic dread.
6/10
It’s definitely a QOTSA album. Hard riffs and a bunch of buzzy feedback. Vocals were the difference compared to albums that followed. Regular John started off the album with musical intention. Vocals were a bit pitchy and high octave. I was into the weird I Was a Teenage Hand Model closer.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Mexicola
2. I Was a Teenage Hand Model
3. Regular John
6.5/10
I give a lot of credit to Run-DMC. This is not my favorite music from them but these tunes definitely inspired the likes of The Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest, two of my favorites in the genre. Run-DMC’s rhymes will get better, but their blend of hip hop and rock was unparalleled at the time.
6/10
I did not listen to a lot of Byrds as I started to get into 60s music in my earlier 20s (I grew il in the 90s so grunge was my upbringing) so I was looking forward to this album. Some songs almost seemed unfinished, and while there were a few good standout songs, the rest was mediocre.
Top 3 Tracks:
1. Thoughts and Words
2. My Back Pages
3. So You Want to be a Rock & Roll Star
6/10
A good blend of rock, dance, and jazz. Instrumentation is really good, but lyrics are so repetitive that they make the music sound repetitive after awhile. Le Freak is the only song I heard from this album before so it was a nice taste of Chic. Not sure I have to dive too deep though.
6/10
Well I liked this a lot better than I thought I would. Never paid much attention to ABBA, but their music is fun and the vocals are solid. The second half of the album upgraded this rating.
7.5/10
The instrumentalists are solid and the lyrics are well sung. The problem is this album doesn’t come together for me. The songs aren’t great, mediocre is probably the best description. It’s a fine album that I more than likely won’t revisit.
5.5/10
Not for me. A step above My Bloody Valentine though, which isn’t saying too much. I do hear an influential piece of the Trent Reznor pie though. I’ll give that credit where credit is due.
3/10
They channel R.E.M. on a good portion of this album but to lesser results. To me, Streets of Kenny is the only standout. The rest is listenable. Not a bad album at all.
6.5/10
Beginning and middle of this album was nice listening but the remaining songs petered out for me. I enjoy jazz, and I know there is a level of artistic flexibility, but this felt too off the cuff.
4.5/10
I guess I can thank them for NIN and to an extent Radiohead, but this isn’t really for me.
3/10
The greatest life swan song of all time.
Just started listening to Rush with a more focused ear. This is the first album I’ve listened to front to back. Such a musically creative band.
7.5/10
Quintessential post-grunge punk rock album by a rockin’ trio. Tucker’s and Brownstein’s vocals play off one another well. I wish I got into them during their 90s run. It wasn’t until Sleater-Kinney opened during Pearl Jam’s Riot Act tour when I started to take notice.
7.5/10
Great Friday listen. I don’t have to think much about the rating, for this is one of my favorite albums from the mid-90s.
Top Tracks:
Supervixen
Queer
Only Happy When It Rains
Not My Idea
Stupid Girl
9/10
Not sure I knew many Pulp songs outside of Common People, but I really dig this album. Some of it comes off Bowie(ish) which I enjoy immensely. The vocals and instrumentals are a throwback to the 1980s. The album is fun and has a bunch of surprising moments. Anyone else jump during their first listen of F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.?
8.5/10
I don’t think Leonard Cohen’s stream of consciousness is all that intelligent. I’ll keep an open mind when the others come up, but this was not for me. So Long, Marianne almost upgraded the album to two stars, but it didn’t make it. The background singer Nancy Priddy is the best part of the album.
2.5/10
After Green Onions the album becomes background music. Does not draw me in in a meaningful way. Pleasant enough.
5/10
I really enjoyed most of this album. Politically motivated but the singles are a lot of fun.
Top 3 tracks:
Black Cat
Miss You Much
Escapade
8.5/10
My favorite of the Beastie Boys albums and one of the best hip hop recordings of all time. Production is near perfect and the blend of hip hop and rock masterful. Nothing I’ve listened to has come close to Licensed To Ill in terms of blending the two musical art forms. “No Sleep…” is still one of my favorite tunes.
Most are great, but the top tracks are: “She’s Crafty”, "Fight for Your Right", "No Sleep till Brooklyn", "Slow and Low"
9/10
Great funky stuff here. I was especially into "Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!"
7.5/10
One of my favorite bands, but at the same time Sgt. Pepper may not be in my top five Beatles albums. It’s a really good album with a theme. I’ve always enjoyed a great concept album and this is one of the originals. Opening four songs and A Day in the Life are classics. The remaining songs are either merely good or filler. Still a legendary album.
8.5/10
You have to respect them, but Sonic Youth’s music is an acquired taste.
6/10
Shame on me for not listening to a Willie Nelson album prior to this musical task at hand. What a nice listen. It’s not so much any particular song or set of songs, it’s the album as a whole. It’s just nice music to sit down, or in my case, drive to. This is definitely my favorite brand of country.
9/10
Theme runs the album. Definitely songs we need to listen to and have an understanding for today.
8/10
I liked these tunes. Felt like a set of darker songs to me.
7.5/10
6/10
Definitely had some interesting tunes.
5/10
Good listening. Upbeat and fun in a bunch of places. Dreaming of You and Waiting for the Heartaches are highlights.
7.5
It’s not my favorite style of music, but I can appreciate Sade. Jazz and funk overtones with good instrumental work. Vocal work is ok. Diamond Life is 80s to the max.
5/10
8/10
If you pay attention to all the parts individually, it’s a pretty cool album.
5.5/10
Found some of this pretty groovy, especially the final track. With that said served more as background music for my drive.
6/10
Some of the swing was pretty cool. Not quite my cup of tea but nothing abrasive here.
4.5/10
Conflicted. Parts were pretty nice but the vocals through a lot of the arrangements off.
4.5/10
Interesting folk/jazz combo
6/10
Similar albums back to back to back.
5.5/10
Easy listening background music
5/10
I guess I’m a bigger fan of Kings of Leon’s older tunes. Grittier and less pop driven than newer albums. Joe’s Head & Molly’s Chambers are the standouts.
8/10
I find myself interested in the Talking Heads moreso than enjoying the music. They become background noise after awhile, but I’m into the quirkiness.
6/10
The Band is Rock n’ Roll Americana. A lot to enjoy here besides Cripple Creek and Old Dixie. Jawbone and the closer King Harvest are other standouts.
8/10
Banger after banger! Would have been life changing with just Baba O’Riley, but you have Bargain, Getting in Tune, and Won’t Get Fooled Again.
9/10
Not into it
4/10
