Feb 27 2025
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Green Onions
Booker T. & The MG's
Great one to start with. I've heard of the band but didn't know their music or so i thought until I heard the first track, the title track, and I've heard it millions of times. Playlist worthy classic. The album is solid early rock instrumental, lots of real nice spanky telecaster action all over it. The second song is a bit fluff but the rest is good rockin, plus a couple of good slow blues numbers.
4
Feb 28 2025
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My Generation
The Who
Well this is interesting. So I've never really got into the Who, for whatever reason. Maybe it's Townsend's weird songs, but its their mod sensibilities (I definitely would not have been a mod had I been there). But I've only heard their big songs, all the standard FM radio stuff. From this album, I knew the title track and the Kids are Alright. But the rest was new, and quite a surprise. There's some tracks that sound like the Who at their peak, like MG, with Moon and Entwhistle just tearing through it. KaA I found surprisingly beatlesesque. But many of the rest are blues and soul numbers, Please Please Please was a real standout, and on I'm a Man, I really didn't know Daltrey could sing like that. Does this record make me a Who fan? Not really, but I like them more than I did, and I would even listen to this one again.
4
Mar 01 2025
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2112
Rush
Now this is an album I know. I've been a Rush fan since the 80s, and this serves as a standard introduction to the band, esp for those who are fans of their prog 70s sounds (which I am, though I do prefer their 80s material). The classic side 1 is one of the all time greats in prog rock history. Side 2 is weaker but still a fun listen.
4
Mar 02 2025
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Sheer Heart Attack
Queen
3
Mar 03 2025
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Young Americans
David Bowie
Another classic album that I know 2 songs from (title track and Fame, well of course I know Across the Universe but never heard Bowie's version). This album is OK, I love the title track, always have, Bowie's soulful free form on the outro is unmatched. And he shows a lot of that throughout the album, focusing heavily on soul stylings. But unfortunately, not much of it really grabs me.
3
Mar 04 2025
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Africa Brasil
Jorge Ben Jor
Holy cow this is what this list is good, I would have never heard this otherwise! The opening track is surely one I've heard before though I can't place where, but it is fully outstanding and I've added it to my main playlist. The rest ranges from nearly as great to maybe, I don't want to say cheesy, but a little, such as the disco of Taj Mahal, but it was interesting to hear the source material for Do ya think I'm sexy? I listened to twice on my day, and I'll be coming back in. Superior!
5
Mar 05 2025
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Night Life
Ray Price
Tough one to rate. In one sense I really like it, its the kinda of nostalgic and sad old country music that my grandparents listened and I wouldn't be surprised if I had heard some of this before. When you're in the mood to sit and cry in your beer, this is the record for you. Although I would say that the title track also makes a great slow dance and seduction song, and how. But the downside? All the songs started to feel like variations on the same theme and my attention wavered. This isn't an album that makes it easy to listen front to back. But pick any handful of tracks and in you're in for a good (I mean sad) time.
3
Mar 06 2025
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The Colour Of Spring
Talk Talk
What a frustrating listen. Sonically, musically, this album is really super interesting. Great groove and creativity on the drums, fluid and funky bass lines, creative chord progressions and layered synth and keyboard sounds. A lot of it reminds me of the old Jah Wobble/Invaders of the Heart stuff I used to listen to or even the Eno/Wobble collab disc. So what's wrong? Hollis's flaccid crooning all over this thing...he sings like a limp dick. So totally unlistenable and its weird because he doesn't seem like that too much on their older stuff. For this one though, I just can't.
2
Mar 07 2025
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Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
Well I was curious heading in, knowing (and liking) only 2 songs from the album, but turns out, meh. So as I understand this was largely experimentation by Buckingham, trying to integrate into the post-punk new wave era. And for the most part that just didn't work. There's a few good songs on this, like the title track and Sara, the 2 that got the most airplay and were the ones I knew. The opening track is a lovely Christine McVie song, though it lacks a good hook. And so it does, either a bunch of "that's nice but it doesn't hook me" or "what were they thinking?" Unfortunately the latter outnumber the former.
3
Mar 08 2025
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The World is a Ghetto
War
This album is a creative and progressive achievement. I already knew Cisco Kid, but I didn't know how deep these guys go. The great progressive soul of Where was you at, the psychedelic jazz of City Country City. The cosmic blues of Four cornered room. This album is a near masterpiece.
4
Mar 09 2025
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Virgin Suicides
Air
Maddeningly awful. What is this even doing on the list? Absolutely terrible boring electronic music, seemingly ripping off interludes from Pink Floyd. (I swear I think its the track High School Lover that directly rips off Richard Wright's piano part on Great Gig in the Sky. Cheesy drama-goth titles like Cemetary (sic) Party. Every single track was skippable.
1
Mar 10 2025
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Swordfishtrombones
Tom Waits
Brilliant - I love this sort of thing. I've known Wait's music for a time, also a big Captain Beefheart fan, so Wait's particular brand of off-kilter music, singing and story telling is right for me.
5
Mar 11 2025
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Fever To Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
This is pretty solid and for some reason I've overlooked this group. I suspect I might have lumped them in with pop punk acts and thus never paid any attention. But this isn't that. There's a roughness and attitude here that is real punk. A lot of catchy stuff, though no super grabby hooks, just an even keel of hard stuff and I'm good with it.
4
Mar 12 2025
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Eternally Yours
The Saints
Great stuff! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of these guys and I thought I knew my punk! This was a really solid punk record, nice mix of songs, I feel a lot of inspiration coming from Lou Reed and maybe The Stooges. Although their use of horns is pretty unique but it works, much like xray spec successfully used sax in punk
4
Mar 13 2025
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Dear Science
TV On The Radio
Hard to get into. A real eclectic mix of styles that sits squarely in the middle of that post-rock age led by the likes of Radiohead. Given that I couldn't get into post-rock, its no surprise I'm not into this. It's both interesting that they've managed to integrate so many styles (punk, rap, dance/electronica, roots, etc) but also off-putting in ways I can't put into words.
2
Mar 14 2025
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People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
This is some good stuff and I don’t even like rap that much but this album is a solid jam. Light one up and chill.
4
Mar 15 2025
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Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
I'm afraid I don't see the appeal. Its not bad of course, mildly catchy, driving rhythm, a lot of post-punk or post-grunge elements mixed with dance and electronica - but I think its the latter that I don't like, it's just not for me.
3