The Doors are one of those bands I wish I could hear without the context of their present-day influence. Even just with the first track on this album, it evoked modern bands that strive for this sound as their identity (looking at you Black Keys). But that also means that they did it well enough for that influence to last all these decades later. Obviously the Doors weren't the only artists making bluesy rock music in this way, but their sound is more timeless than some other efforts from that era. Conversely, though, it's also interesting to think about the time that has passed since this album (released 1971) to today (50+ years later), and that at the time it came out, it was already decades after the blues music that influenced it. Songs like Cars Hiss By My Window really drive you back to those earlier eras, while, like I said above, the more modern sounding blues rock influence can come from other tracks. To be clear, I am a blues rock fan. I've never really loved the Doors or listened to them outside of their more famous songs, but this album was a perfect introduction to their full-length efforts for me. It hit the right feel of blues, but also rocked. It had variety between slower songs and some with more pep. I don't consider Morrison to have otherworldly vocal talent, but he still was able to do some impressive things with his voice here. It's one of those situations where the artist fits the song and gives it exactly what it seems to need. I'm not sure another voice would've brought the songs to life as well. The lyrics weren't necessarily amazing, but you could feel what he was singing with them. I mean, who can't appreciate the emotion he put behind "I've been down so goddamn long, that it looks like up to me" in an angry growl. He's gritty, he's angry, he's sad, he's expressive, he's contemplative; he wants you to feel what he feels as he's singing. I definitely like that aspect to a singer rather than the more pop/accessible method that makes things more generic. I also enjoyed the music. It pulled off a good bluesy rock sound. Guitar-driven tracks will almost always pique my interest, and this album had a lot of that. I felt there was a balance to the instrumental focus. It had plenty of guitar, but also a lot of keys. Solid drums and bass holding it down. There were times when it seemed like maybe they could've done more, but the songs didn't feel lacking even though they didn't. They switched it up a bit for Riders on the Storm, going with a jazzy feel, which was a nice change at the end. For the negative, some of the songs just weren't as good as others. I wanted to like L'America and Hyacinth House, but didn't get that much from them (especially compared to the rest of the tracks). Their lyrics were the weakest of the album to me. I felt like they brought down some of the following tracks too, since they all felt more similar than some of the vibes on the first half. To add to that, I do think the album would've benefitted from some more variation in style. As much as I loved the sound, the last half really could use something to mix it up. That eventually happened with Riders, but it was a bit late at that point. To me, this was a really solid album with good blues rock roots and interesting vocal work. It was underwhelming in parts, and probably a little too one-note to be considered an all-time great. Still, a very good one. Overall: 4/5

Pleasant, comforting sound with good vibes.

Some good, some meh, overall not bad.

Kinda meh, bland, boring; it didn't hold my attention. I didn't really care for it.

Not a big fan of Neil Young's voice, so listening to it for the full album was a bit of a struggle. I think I would've liked the songs more with a different voice, and preferred the ones where he was harmonized/paired with less grating vocals. Highlights: Southern Man, When You Dance Overall: 2/5

Jazzy fun. Not something I'd listen to on a regular basis, but I can see why people who are into this type of music enjoy Coltrane. Very talented musician, just the wrong genre for me to appreciate as much as I otherwise could. Overall: 3/5

I'd describe this as a "cool" sound, especially considering that it came out in 1991. It is neither overly complex nor too pop-ishly simple, but covers a lot of the ground between those types of production. It has some funk elements and unique technique, but also has the hooks and stylings of songs that would play on the radio today. Overall, a fun listen, though I don't know that I'd say I love it or that it was my favorite. Overall: 3.5/5

I don't have a great feel on this one- my playback volume started super low and had inconsistent levels as I tried to listen, which caused me to have to adjust it multiple times. It was distracting and took me out of the best mindset to evaluate the album. That said, what I was able to hear clearly didn't really make me want to go back and re-listen to what I missed. Nothing was bad, necessarily, but it also didn't appeal to me all that much. I think it's another one that I just found somewhat boring. Overall: 2.75/5

I liked this better than the other suggested Neil Young album I've gotten (After the Gold Rush). I found his voice less grating- maybe the music suited it better. I also enjoyed the music style more, which maintained some of the folksiness but also had more rock to it. I'd guess it's the addition of Crazy Horse instead of solo NY that made the difference for me. That said, beating the first one was a low bar to cross. I'd consider this album fine to good, with the last few songs being the best part. Overall: 2.75/5

This album is a lot of fun and is very vibe-heavy in a good way. Something you can listen to and jam with both as your main focus or while doing something else. That said, one factor I put weight on that I question for this album is its repeatability. I'm not sure it's something I'd want to listen to in full with frequency, whereas I could see myself revisiting individual songs more often. It also lacks some range/depth that can really hammer home the impact of certain tracks (and what I think really helps make an album "great"), opting for the aforementioned vibes instead. Even with these qualms, it's a very solid album. Overall: 3.4/5

I found this one interesting (in a positive way). Definitely a bit different than my usual listening, but I enjoyed the variety it offered. I thought the album worked well as a whole, maybe greater than the sum of its parts. Not sure I'll come back to it with much regularity though. Still, a solid album. Overall: 3/5

Pleasant, enjoyable jazz. Simple as. Overall: 3/5

As a Bowie fan, I realized listening to this album that the only "record" of his I've ever listened to in full is a greatest hits CD we had in the car growing up. It helped me go into this one with a more open mind rather than already knowing it or having some other to compare it to. Perhaps that was the reason, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the album. Definitely some good ones on there, but others that didn't hold me like Bowie normally does. Overall: 3/5

Solid all the way through. I like the duo better than the either musician individually, and this album showcases how well they make music as a unit. It's mellow, folky, and a bit melancholy, but enjoyable. It also works well as a whole, even though the songs are good on their own. Overall: 3.8/5

Fun and lively album. The songs were short, but didn't seem to be lacking from the brevity. The diverse mix of instruments remained clear in the composition. This was an enjoyable listen, even if it wasn't my usual style of music. Overall: 3/5

I found this one to be a little too melancholy for my taste. While I didn't dislike the album, most of the songs felt like they should be listened to on a rainy day while curled up under a blanket. That has its place, of course, and isn't a bad thing, but does detract from the impact the album had when judging it as "great" or not. I think adding more variety/mixing up the vibes a bit would have made it a much more memorable album all the way through. Overall: 2/5

Pretty good rock album. Maybe it's due to hearing it in today's music environment instead of when it came out almost 25 years ago, but I wouldn't say it's more special than that. It would be interesting to hear it in context of the music that was out around the same time when this style of rock was starting to take off; probably would feel much more fresh after a decade of 80s radio rock than listening to it in the 2020s. That's probably my biggest critique of the album, since as a whole it's solid. Overall: 3/5

Solid if unspectacular; plenty of good and some meh. Nothing that I'd say stood out as great. Overall: 2.75/5

Honestly, really enjoyed this album. It was long, but kept me engaged. Good vibes, fun songs, enjoyable music. I can see myself coming back to it again. Overall: 3.6/5

This one was a lot of fun. I usually feel a little limited when rating jazz albums; I don't love the genre enough to give them high ratings, but don't feel it's fair to knock one down solely for that reason. I really didn't run into that issue here. I think the groovy-ness really helped me get into it even if it wasn't my usual style. The frenetic energy of the songs kept me engaged too- it a situation where I was able to visualize the band ripping it up while the songs were playing. My biggest critique of albums I've had with this generator so far is that they lose my interest or have some meh/boring stuff on there, but that really didn't happen with this album until the end. Unfortunately, the last song was a little slow and felt a bit underwhelming after the energy of the first few. Still, very very solid. Overall: 3.5/5

Really solid album. TLC was getting radio play when I was a little kid, but I can't say I appreciated it much at the time based on my age and interests. I enjoyed this one and thought it was good all the way through. I would say it felt a little dated in some ways; it's hard to describe, but it's almost like you can hear the 90s in the music. I didn't hate that, though. Overall: 3.6/5

Really did not care for this album. The music didn't really impress me, the vocals didn't hold me, and the lyrics didn't seem to say anything all that interesting. As a result, I found it bland and lacking an impact; it was just kinda lame. I felt like the band themselves sounded bored a lot of the time. It did get slightly better as it went on, but the majority of the album suffered from these issues to me. I don't see myself coming back to this one. Overall: 1.25/5

A nice jazz piano album. Couldn't really get into it as it's not my style, but I was able to enjoy it as some background listening even if it didn't lock me in fully. Overall: 2.5/5

I enjoyed the album all the way through, even with being less attuned to the genre compared to my usual listens. I also thought the songs worked well altogether as a whole, which I always like in an album. It felt like there was a lot of variety even if the style was the same throughout, and it didn't seem too bloated even though there were 16 songs. Maybe one negative was how late 80s/early 90s it sounded; I actually thought it contributed in a good way to the feel of the album and found it to be fitting with the messaging, but does take away from the "timelessness" aspect I find a lot of great albums to have. Overall: 3.5/5

Found this one fun and enjoyable. I liked the music styles and how the songs were composed. It had good vibes and worked as a whole. My knock on it is that nothing really stood out as "great" - just a lot of "good". Overall: 3.25/5

Another one I'd call "fun", but also another one that I wouldn't consider "great" even though I enjoyed the album and thought it was a solid listen. As someone who doesn't listen to much instrumental hip hop, I found the compositions and use of sounds interesting and well done. I can't say much more about it, though. That probably has to do with the style of music; it's something I could enjoy having on in the background while doing other things, but not something I'd necessarily have on as my main focus for its hour+ runtime. Overall: 3/5

Not sure exactly why, but I really wasn't impressed by this one. It just seemed... sterile? Generic? Uninspired? Like it was made to be played on radio without much more creativity/thought beyond that. Which, to me, meant that while it was not bad, per se, it was not good either. Just middle-of-the-road in every way. I don't think I'll remember a single song off of this album tomorrow. Overall: 2/5

Despite having seen the artwork (what seems like) a million+ times in my life, I had never listened to this album in full. I had heard a couple songs in various contexts before, so I wasn't completely blind to it. Even so, I was caught a bit off guard from my expectations- in a good way. This one felt like a well thought out, complete album. All the pieces came together to make something impressive and impactful. What weak spots there were blended away into another solid, good song. The music composition wasn't particularly complex or intricate, but seemed perfectly fitting for what each song was. A great example of not overdoing it (which seems to plague a lot of music production). When there was something extra on top, it was complimentary (chaotic strings, for example) and added to the experience rather than distracting from it. Reed's vocals fit the content very well, even though I normally don't love his tone. I actually preferred his effort's to Nico's, for whatever reason. Importantly to me, the album held my attention all the way through. Songs that had long runtimes didn't get old. Songs that were short left me wanting them to go on a bit longer. There were a few negatives; it did seem repetitive at times, and certain songs definitely were weaker than others. It also trended almost too much toward simplicity, and some parts felt like they could use a bit more emphasis or complexity to bring it out. Even so, this is one that I would say is a great album as a whole. I will be coming back to it for another listen. Overall: 4.2/5

This is a strange time to be listening to--and praising--a Kanye West album, but I have to give him credit here. I'll also preface this review by saying that I am decidedly NOT a Kanye West fan, and never really have been, other than enjoying an occasional single. My opinion of him, at least as a person, has only lowered over the last few years. At a time when he was perhaps just starting to show the side of him that would eventually lead to the downward descent he finds himself in now, he released this album. And what an album it is. Every song is well-crafted, full, and meaningful. There are interesting blends of style/effect in songs and throughout the album, and some callbacks to some of his prior efforts. It felt like a culmination of all the music that came in the decade or so before while still being forward-looking. Even where the amount of things going on made me think it should feel bloated or overproduced, it still worked really well. There are songs that are brimming with artists and their contributions, dozens of instruments and effects, and multiple messages, but they are somehow better as a result. He does a great job of placing emphasis in the right spots to make the songs hit as they should, without wasting anything or leaving the lighter parts feeling empty. And let's not skip over the lyrical content- it gets deep and meaningful, even where it covers some heavily-trod ground in music (and this genre, especially). Even the more "generic" songs (like "All of the Lights") get into some pretty heavy topics. You can tell that it isn't just pandering or a product for the masses, but a personal perspective or experience that is being told. I found the weakest part to be "Blame Game", perhaps at least partly because I generally don't enjoy John Legend; combining him and Kanye is a tough one for me. Either way, the song didn't do much for me. The Chris Rock outro went on way too long and felt like a weird amount of self-praise jammed in unnecessarily. Other than that song, I would say that I don't find Kanye's "singing" voice to be very good, and really noticed that at the times he used it instead of his usual style. In sum, this album had powerful content, well-composed instrumentation/music, and was strong both in its separate parts and as a whole piece. I can see myself coming back to it and enjoying it again. There were some parts or aspects that didn't appeal to me, but even so I would call it a great album. Overall: 4.5/5

Not sure what I was expecting here, but it definitely wasn't a head-on funk/soul effort with some songs I might hear on a disco floor. I'm guessing this album had a lot more impact when it was released and Bowie was still known for Ziggy Stardust-type productions than it does in out-of-context listening here. As it is, there are some solid tracks that show Bowie at his best. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of tracks that are rather unimpressive. I guess I have to give him credit for taking on a new genre and style, but I can also criticize that effort for its faults. I can't help but think 90% of the album would've been better had an actual soul singer been performing instead of Bowie. I'm sure the fact that it was Bowie is what made it popular, though. The strongest songs are the ones I've heard before- Young Americans and Fame. The rest ranged from fine to weak. And what was that Beatles cover? It wasn't awful, just weird. Overall: 2.5/5

Nice little album. Songs very short and whimsical. You can hear the 50s in the sound, but also hear some influences it would pass on to later music. Honestly, it didn't really hold me or seem very memorable, but it was fine for what it is. Overall: 2.5/5

Definitely different from my usual listening, but I did enjoy it even if I don't love the style all that much. This is another album that I'd probably never have picked on my own, so I am glad it came up on here. I felt like it would be good to have on in very specific settings, such as while doing meditation or with fog machines and lasers in an art space. I can't say it is something I'd just put on and listen to, but strangely enough I really dug it. I liked the way it flowed and worked as a whole. The negatives are that it does seem a bit niche and replay-ability isn't high for me. I'm not sure I'd call it great, but it was definitely good. Overall: 3.4/5

I have been wanting to explore more SP, so I was happy to see this one come up. Unfortunately, I was left feeling a tad disappointed with it by the end. You can tell all the parts are there- crashing, loud guitars; vocals that range from screaming-in-your-face to lullaby-esque softness; various topics and concepts to keep things interesting. Even so, the overall product felt underwhelming for the most part. It was a solid album as a whole. It had songs that worked both by themselves and together with the rest. It started strong with Cherub Rock. I think the rest didn't live up to that high, however. It also felt long in a way that's difficult to nail down, as the runtime wasn't really the problem. It just got a little tedious or something. Maybe I would've liked it more if it were a song or two shorter? I feel like that was a lot of negative analysis, but that probably comes from having somewhat high expectations. I can say the album was a solid "good" even with the critiques above. I should probably come back to it again later and give it another try. Overall: 3/5

An all-around solid 90s rock album. Nothing particularly special about it, but that is kind of why it's special (if that makes sense). It is what it is, and doesn't try to do anything else besides get in your face and rock out. It has some bangers and some OK songs, but is never boring. Overall: 3.4/5

This was my third 90s rock album in a row, but this one was definitely my favorite of the three. I already was familiar with Incubus and knew (and liked) a number of songs on the album. I had not heard the vast majority, however. While the style was very clearly late-90s rock/metal, it still had some uniqueness and freshness more than two decades after release. It also had varied themes, and felt a bit abstract in how it presented different topics. The vocals were good and kept you engaged. I also like the instrumentality and how it added some different elements than you might normally hear on a rock album. It ranged from the loudness you'd look for to some more quiet, nuanced moments. I think the weakest song was its most popular, "Drive". Not that it was bad, but it just didn't grab me like the rest did. Maybe it felt a little out of place, even though I did like that it changed up the pace a bit from the rest of the album. It could be one of those songs that is strong on its own, but is hard to place on an album. I could see myself coming back to this one and enjoying it every time. I'd say it was at the high end of good. Overall: 3.9/5

What on its surface appears to be a hardcore punk rock album is in fact a hardcore punk rock album. Which really is the essence of punk- it is what it is, and is as in your face about it as it can be. If this is what you're looking for in music, you'll definitely find it here. The album does what it does well. But does that make it one of the greatest of all time? Is it one of the greatest punk albums of all time? It definitely seems to have had a wide influence, as the sound and style persisted and can be heard in some music today. Part of its strength is in its brevity; only three songs run longer than 3 minutes and the whole album is barely more than 20 minutes long. I think if it had gone on longer, it could've gotten tiresome. Even so, it's appeal is likely limited by the aforementioned style and there being little diversity in the energy of the songs. Overall, I have to give it a 2.75/5. Because, while not necessarily great, it's good. And while not bad, it's not great. I would probably rank it higher if I was more of a punk.

I'm already a Led Zeppelin fan, so this one was a bit of a familiar treat more than a new experience. That said, I had never listened to the album in full before. Since I already knew a number of the songs, I tried to expand my critical focus beyond what I might have upon hearing it all for the first time. The album is lengthy- it's a 15 track double album that runs over an hour and 20 minutes long. Throughout that runtime, it covers a pretty diverse range of musical ground. The album has full-on rock songs, some more epic pieces, acoustic tracks, and even a country song. LZ are at their best when they're making a blues-oriented rock song, and that's clear when you compare those tracks with the rest of the songs on the album. The other tracks aren't bad, but do fall short of what they're able to do in their breadbasket. They are divided fairly well; once you get through some of the more subtle tracks, another big rocker comes up. That is, until the end. It felt like things started to cool off by the time you get to side 4, though those songs are still good and might be better without hearing them after the other 3 sides. I think my biggest gripe with the album has to do with its capacity. It just felt like there were one or two songs on there that could've been left off and made the album stronger by omission. My other complaint would be lyrical content. While Plant did have some range and usually does a good job when getting into the abstract and fantasy, far too often it seems he only wants to sing about love and sex. Getting more depth and diversity in the lyrics would have made the songs themselves more interesting. There are many positive things to say, and they outweigh the negatives by a longshot. Sides 1 and 2 are fantastic. The album starts strong with Custard Pie--a cool rock song--and keeps up that quality for a long time. I also liked how the songs ending 1 and starting 2 each have a bit of spiritualism in their themes- one about dying, and one about the heavens. Plus Houses of the Holy is just a fun track with a great groove in general. Kashmir is one of their most famous, and most epic, tracks. The album does slow down a bit on sides 3 and 4, but they still have some really solid tracks too. The instrumentation and composition is fluid but well done, as is to be expected from LZ. They work incredibly well as a unit to make their music come together. They sound great as a whole, and probably are one of the most cohesive bands in terms of the sum of the parts. This is one of their later albums, so they'd had time to perfect their methods too. In sum, this is a great album. Not because it is perfect, but because it is memorable, well-crafted, and showcases the talent of its contributors in a way that created something great. It was a bit slow at times and probably could've been a tad shorter, but those are small complaints compared to the things it does right. As a LZ fan, I may be skewing high, but I found it to be an example of a group at their peak making music like they're good at. Overall: 4.5/5

As an occasional Frank Sinatra enjoyer, I just couldn't get into this one. I think it was too slow/moody for me. Really needed a few upbeat tracks to break up the melancholy slowness of the album. Without that, it all kinda blended together. Positive- none of the songs were bad, really. I could see any of the songs having an appeal on their own, but hearing all 16 in a row was way too much. Overall: 1.75/5

Frank Ocean was a bit of a blind spot for me. I'd heard of him, and probably heard some of his music before without really knowing. I had never sought him out or paid much attention to him, though. Gotta say, I wish I had done so a while ago. Really enjoyed this one musically, really liked the artistry and composition. It felt like an ALBUM, you know? Like it was produced as a cohesive work to be listened to and enjoyed as a whole. The music was diverse, but well done; the rolling drums on Crack Rock transforming into a electronic dream on Pyramids was a good example of just how different the feels could get in a two-song span. The lyrics were loving and harsh, deep and shallow, literal and mystic at different points. Whatever the song called for, they provided. Also, the songs hit. The slow ones were purposeful and meaningful. The more upbeat ones were full of feeling. Some were incredibly simple, others very complex. I can't give him enough credit for bringing the songs to life the way he did. For the negatives, I have to bring it down a bit for the lyrical content despite how strong it was at times. Some of the content just seemed to be bordering on pandering to a lifestyle instead of sticking with the sincerity in the other tracks. The description of the girl we got on Lost, or the girl in Monks, were a bit much for example. It wasn't as over the top as some artists can be, but it still just seemed a little generic. The vibes were definitely geared towards intimacy for listening, so it makes some sense. But it does take away a bit when you're just listening to the album without that setting. The album also felt a long. While of few of the tracks aren't actual songs but bridges between songs, there are still 17 listed tracks running over 55 minutes. I was expecting it to wrap up at one point and saw there were still four songs left. Those last few songs seemed weaker, but maybe that was because I was ready for it to end by that point. Either way, the payoff for continuing to listen wasn't anything special. So, I'd say it's a cohesive album of diverse, well-composed songs with lyrics that range from great to unimpressive. It starts strong, but dwindles toward the end. Even so, it's a very good album. I'll listen to it again. Overall: 4/5

I feel like maybe I've not given Queen enough credit (and Brian May in particular). Which sounds weird, since they're often in the conversation of greatest rock bands ever (with one of the greatest rock guitarists). While I never thought that opinion was wrong, I've always personally knocked them for a variety of reasons- inane lyrics, gimmicky songs, etc. This was actually the first time I've listened to an album of theirs all the way through, and maybe that's been the issue. I immediately enjoyed the first track (Death on Two Legs) and thought it was pretty awesome. Second track less so, but then the guitar in I'm In Love with My Car brought it back to good. And so it went, with the rest of the album, that I really enjoyed the majority of everything on it. The music was pretty great and sounded like it could've been composed in the present, decades later. I even enjoyed some of the change-of-pace tracks that I was not expecting, like '39. Of course, I still feel like the lyrical aspect of the songs just underwhelms on a number of tracks. For as much vocal talent they have in the band, I wish they were singing about more complex topics and a greater depth of emotions more often. The songs are written by different members of the band, so it's not one person's fault as far as I'm aware. There's also some of the compositions I just could not get into- Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon and the show tune-esque Seaside Rendezvous, for example, really did nothing for me (conversely, I enjoyed Good Company). The "opera" concept they fed in really was a bit much at times too; it took me until the drop off into the rock riff for Prophet's Song to not consider it an easy skip. Obviously, though, that's more subjective, and the concept worked amazingly on Bohemian Rhapsody to bring the whole thing together. What the album does well, it does incredibly well. Most of the rest is fine at worst. There are a few parts I would say are not good, but mostly because they they didn't stand up to what they did well on the rest of the album. Even so, the album worked as a whole and did a good job of bringing some unique parts together. Definitely something I can see myself coming back to for repeat listens. Overall: 4.2/5

Much like the previous PE album I got, I enjoyed the album all the way through. I again thought the songs worked well together as a whole, which I always look for. They did a good job with interludes and effects to blend the tracks into an overarching work. This album also had that late 80s/early 90s hip hop sound, and again I thought it contributed in a good way to the feel of the album and found it to be fitting with the messaging. In the same sense, though, it does take away from the "timelessness" aspect I find a lot of great albums to have. It also felt long, though the 1 hour runtime wasn't anything over the top. I think it was just a barrage that made it a bit tiring by the time it culminates in Fight the Power. I can see myself coming back to this one. It's a solid listen. Overall: 3.5/5

I'm not really sure why this one is on the list. I don't see anything particularly notable or good about it. The music is bland and uninteresting. The lyrics are boring and generic. No single aspect did anything beyond being basically competent. Everything seemed to lack sincerity and feeling. On top of that, for as short as the album is (10 songs, 37 minutes), it got old quickly. I was tired of it by the time the third song ended. There were some peppier moments later on, but they didn't do much to improve the listening experience. I'm also unsure if they were actually decent songs, or if they just seemed like it because of how little I liked the songs around them. I'd say this one is pretty close to bad. Nothing special or interesting there, just meh pop music. Very forgettable. Overall: 1/5

What an interesting listening experience. I'm a fan of funk, there's plenty of grooving happening on this album. There's also familiar samples from many future efforts, so it's kind of fun to see them in an early form. It feels like this was an influential album in general, which makes sense given the release year. The musical range was also interesting. There were electronic soundscapes, piano pieces, and standard funk instrumentations depending on the track. Vocal styles varied as well, with some soulful singing juxtaposed with group rap. You never knew what was coming next. For the negative, it did feel dated and as early-80s as it could get at times. There's not much they could do about that, though. I'm sure at the time it sounded cool af. It appears that the playlist I used had some tracks from the extended addition and not just the original album, so I'll do a sort of two-part critique here. For the original 7 songs, the diversity of songs and composition was really well done, as mentioned above. It culminated in a serious (but strangely fun) "Message", which punctuated it nicely. The extended tracks kinda bloated it, even though the added songs weren't bad. I can understand why they weren't included on the initial release. I'd say the album is good, especially considering where it came on the musical timeline. But, for me at least, it was not something I'd consider a level up at great. It's fun, funky, and enjoyable, and I would listen to the songs again. I don't know that I'd want to play the whole album with frequency. Overall: 3.5/5

This one started off strong with Hanging on the Telephone, but devolved quickly into more bland, boring songs. It stayed in that zone for most of the rest of the album. While it never really got "bad" necessarily, very little of it was better than fine. It offers what you would expect from a pop record. The instrumentation is pleasant, but mostly unimpressive when you listen a little bit closer. It does what the song needs, so maybe it's more of a writing problem than a technical one. The vocals were also nice to listen to without really having a lot of substance to their content. All the songs seemed to have similar vibes and simplicity. I found it a bit interesting that some of the songs felt more like old pop than I would expect in 1978. There was an almost 50s-esque sound, just with updated production, on a couple tracks. The album worked as a whole given the details mentioned above, but there are definitely songs I'd rather hear again than the others. Heart of Glass is one of those, though was a song I was already familiar with and liked (brought down by this version having an extended "disco" edition that was unnecessarily long). Was the album fun? Yeah, mostly. Do I see why people like it? Absolutely. Is it anything special? I don't think it is. Overall: 2.75/5

This one didn’t do a lot for me. It’s hard to pinpoint any specific reason why. I didn’t dislike it, but I just didn’t really like any of it. Maybe Costello is just one of those artists that aren’t for everyone. I kinda felt about it the way I do Bruce Springsteen. I can listen to one or two of his songs and enjoy them, but any more than that and I’m over it. There’s something grating there that I can only stand for so long. Having to hear 15 of his tracks in a row over 57 minutes was too much for me. The length was definitely a negative, as I was ready for it to end with several songs left. Also, a lot of it sounded the same. Maybe that’s on me, but I can only recall a few songs individually from the whole thing. Nothing really stood out as something memorable or good (or particularly bad for that matter). It instead was a big blend of mediocre. Overall: 2.1/5

Strange listening experience, but I didn't hate it. There were a few songs I liked (Song of a Baker, Rollin Over), most likely because of the more rock-based sound. Others I didn't care for, even if nothing really stood out as bad. The shift to a narrative on the last half was interesting, though I'm not sure it did much for me. I feel like I'd need to give this one another try at some point, and maybe I'd appreciate it more. Based on just this listening, I'll give it an OK. Overall: 3/5

The Doors are one of those bands I wish I could hear without the context of their present-day influence. Even just with the first track on this album, it evoked modern bands that strive for this sound as their identity (looking at you Black Keys). But that also means that they did it well enough for that influence to last all these decades later. Obviously the Doors weren't the only artists making bluesy rock music in this way, but their sound is more timeless than some other efforts from that era. Conversely, though, it's also interesting to think about the time that has passed since this album (released 1971) to today (50+ years later), and that at the time it came out, it was already decades after the blues music that influenced it. Songs like Cars Hiss By My Window really drive you back to those earlier eras, while, like I said above, the more modern sounding blues rock influence can come from other tracks. To be clear, I am a blues rock fan. I've never really loved the Doors or listened to them outside of their more famous songs, but this album was a perfect introduction to their full-length efforts for me. It hit the right feel of blues, but also rocked. It had variety between slower songs and some with more pep. I don't consider Morrison to have otherworldly vocal talent, but he still was able to do some impressive things with his voice here. It's one of those situations where the artist fits the song and gives it exactly what it seems to need. I'm not sure another voice would've brought the songs to life as well. The lyrics weren't necessarily amazing, but you could feel what he was singing with them. I mean, who can't appreciate the emotion he put behind "I've been down so goddamn long, that it looks like up to me" in an angry growl. He's gritty, he's angry, he's sad, he's expressive, he's contemplative; he wants you to feel what he feels as he's singing. I definitely like that aspect to a singer rather than the more pop/accessible method that makes things more generic. I also enjoyed the music. It pulled off a good bluesy rock sound. Guitar-driven tracks will almost always pique my interest, and this album had a lot of that. I felt there was a balance to the instrumental focus. It had plenty of guitar, but also a lot of keys. Solid drums and bass holding it down. There were times when it seemed like maybe they could've done more, but the songs didn't feel lacking even though they didn't. They switched it up a bit for Riders on the Storm, going with a jazzy feel, which was a nice change at the end. For the negative, some of the songs just weren't as good as others. I wanted to like L'America and Hyacinth House, but didn't get that much from them (especially compared to the rest of the tracks). Their lyrics were the weakest of the album to me. I felt like they brought down some of the following tracks too, since they all felt more similar than some of the vibes on the first half. To add to that, I do think the album would've benefitted from some more variation in style. As much as I loved the sound, the last half really could use something to mix it up. That eventually happened with Riders, but it was a bit late at that point. To me, this was a really solid album with good blues rock roots and interesting vocal work. It was underwhelming in parts, and probably a little too one-note to be considered an all-time great. Still, a very good one. Overall: 4/5

I really wanted to like this one. And some parts I did. But that was the problem- it was only in parts. I don't think there was one song I liked all the way through; some started good and went bad, some started rough and improved, and others oscillated between the two. Anything else was in the "OK" territory of neither good nor bad. To me, a lot of it felt disjointed. Like the guitar was playing one song and the percussion another, and they didn't really match up to make something cohesive. Or the vocals were in one space and the music was in another. It was like they had a ton of ideas for songs when writing the album, but instead of ditching the worst ones, they kept them all (and combined them) anyway. I'm guessing that's what they were going for, as it was definitely pervasive and was the sound of the album. If so, I'd say they accomplished their goal. I'll give them credit for that. I'll say I was underwhelmed, but not turned off. I appreciated it more than some of the super bland stuff that I've gotten on here, as they tried to do something different. It was definitely interesting. But still, I can't say it was good. Overall: 2.5/5

This one had a few good parts and mostly not good parts. A number of tracks sounded dated to me. Some of the songs were decent, but there were also some that were just bad. Unfortunately for Love, this is about albums as a whole, not just the certain songs on them that are good. I think the album was dragged down by the mellow-ness of certain tracks. When the songs had more bite to them, they were much better. It was also an interesting choice to have the last song be 18+ minutes of jamming. It was an enjoyable jam, but it kinda seemed like they just needed to fill space instead of having a whole album's worth of songs. As a whole, it wasn't great. I don't think there are many situations that I would choose to put this album on and enjoy it all the way through. The couple songs that were good were good though. Overall: 2.25/5

Well, that was intense. Overall: 2.5/5

I never really listened to Eminem until he mellowed out a bit from this era. I was a kid at the time of his early releases, so I think I was too young to be attracted to the anger and violence in his music. It was interesting to come into this one with minimal knowledge of the songs on it. I still can't say the angry barrage of energy he emits is something I enjoy, but I will appreciate that he is good at what he does. He can unleash a torrid stream of words in each rap, but is still able to insert meaning into every single syllable. None of the energy is wasted. Whether he actually literally means much of what he says is doubtful, given the extremes that his songs can go to. It seems more like he's highlighting problems that exist in society, but also showcasing that he's seen them in uncomfortably close proximity and experienced them himself in some form. I'd also guess they're more thought experiments, seeing where the thoughts and feelings he has might go if he let them run wild. Or that these are characters, and he's letting them endure the consequences instead of seeing himself carry them out. That's clear from Stan at least, written mostly from the perspective of the fan taking his obsession to the extreme. There were two tracks, Amityville and Bitch Please II, that I felt showed a good balance between the extreme feelings and songwriting. I felt they were actually better than the singles, which were probably my next favorite tracks. I also liked the cohesiveness of the album. Regardless of the topic of each track, it felt like they all worked together to make the whole. That was aided in part by skits added in to bridge a few tracks. Steve Berman is a good example, going from an exec criticizing his efforts into a string of songs about his identity and being himself. The central themes never were far, even if the current song seemed to be a tangent. This was a long album, running around 80 minutes. But it didn't feel too long or drawn out, and I never felt like it was running out of steam. This was likely due to his ability to channel his energy meaningfully as mentioned above. For the negative, the angry vibe just doesn't attract me as a listener. It felt at times like he was writing in a certain way to try to force a reaction from the listener rather than earn it. It's subjective, but I find that to kind of cheapen the experience. If the song itself can't do it, adding in language for that purpose is a lazy substitute. Some of it also felt ignorant or hateful considering the content (ex: there was a lot of graphic criticism of homosexuality). Given that this was released in 2000, it makes some sense; people's lifestyles were viewed without as much open-mindedness as they can be today. But it's also depicted very specifically at times, which is almost a double-edged attack, since those who are truly hatefully would probably be turned off those details. These critiques could be explained by saying they were tools to stir up his critics, especially given the identity songs mentioned above. I can respect that, but I still think it takes away from the music's intrinsic value. Aside from the above, I found most of the musical compositions to be bland. The rap is supposed to be the star, obviously, but I think I would've liked the songs more if the music in them was more memorable. In sum, I found this to be a solid album, and I can see why those who are bigger fans of the genre would hold it in high esteem. Eminem did a lot of things well to craft it, and his energy is undeniable. For me, though, it was hard to appreciate without focusing on the negative aspects. The album is OK, bordering on good, but doesn't go higher than that for me. Overall: 3.3/5

Hard to be objective about this one. I love LZ, and love a lot of the songs on here already. That said, I've never listened to this as a whole album, so it was still a somewhat new experience. And as I expected, it was a great one; it's just rock and roll at its finest. Side 1 is fantastic. Every song is interesting and draws you in. The weakest part was "Thank You", but it worked well as a change of pace to the heavier tracks that came before it. The Lemon Song wasn't great lyrically, but still was a solid, rocking song. Side 2 was even better. It started off hot with Heartbreaker, which really showcased the guitar and vocal aspects of the group. It went right into another strong effort in Living Loving Maid, which had a more free and fun feel than some of the other tracks. Ramble On was also great, and maybe the best song on the entire album. The last two tracks are also good, but slightly less so than the ones before them. As a whole, the music is powerful and meaningful. All instruments contribute, but the guitar is the star of the show. And it really shines. The vocals are almost as much another instrument in the mix as they are telling a story; less important is what they say, and more important is how they say it. The parts all come together to make an awesome record so that you feel like you're enjoying one complete work instead of little pieces put in a row. For negatives, I think the album is a bit homogenous. LZ can definitely range more than they did on II. I actually love the sound and style, but they really didn't stray vary much outside of that lane other than with Thank You. I could see that detracting from the experience for some. Also, not all of the lyrical compositions are particularly strong. Plant's singing is perfect for the band, but some of the stuff he sings about can be inane. He can also have a way with imagery that is incredible, so it's disappointing when he instead gives you a weird sexual innuendo. Even with those detractions, this was an awesome album. I would definitely listen to the whole thing over and over, and may just do that again now. It was great as one work; each song is great on it's own; each part of each song is stimulating and enjoyable. This as good as a rock and roll record can be. Overall: 4.8/5

This one was fine, with some parts going up to good. I would not call it great, however. I think it's another album that's harder to evaluate out of context, since this came out at a time when rock music was ruled by nu-metal, boy bands were huge in pop, and rap/hip hop was often still overshadowed by both in the mainstream (though not always true). This was notable as a different effort than what was making up the market at the time. I'm pretty sure that was the point of the band/album, so it succeeded in that sense. The mostly lo-fi music made it an overall easy listen, if somewhat boring at times. There were a few songs that were great with those beats. The almost lyric-less Double Bass was actually one of my favorite tracks on the album. I found the stronger songs were the ones with outside contributors, or that had mixed elements with rap parts and singing parts. It also worked as a whole because of the musical consistency. But again, it was easy to tune it out at times because of how simple/unintrusive it was. I would've liked a bit more diversity; really, Punk was one of the few tracks that did something that stood out as unique compared to the rest of the album. Even that only lasted 98 seconds. Latin Simone was somewhat different (with the Latin influence) but also similar enough to not stand out much. M1A1 had a more interesting feel compared to the rest. Unfortunately, it was track 15 on the album. There wasn't much I actively didn't like, but the worst part of the album for me was Man Research (Clapper). I found it really grating and would probably skip it if I listen again. In sum, I'd say this is an OK album. It is good in parts, and there are very few bad moments. But the majority of it hovers between the two. I wouldn't say there are any truly great parts. It is probably less unique and interesting now than it was in 2001, but it still has a different feel I can appreciate. It's main flaw for me is that it stays low-key for so much of it that it becomes more background music than something to be captivated by. Overall: 3.1/5

This is another one that I'd call "fun"- I think making fun music is something LCD really excels at. It seems like their songs always take a while to get to the payoff, but somehow it doesn't feel like it's as long as it is, and you don't mind the wait because it's a fun ride. The tracks on Sound of Silver pretty much all were in that mold. In particular, the grooves were good and the music experience was enjoyable. The lyrics and vocals are probably the least attractive part of the mix on most of the songs, but they serve their purpose well. If you consider them as instruments instead of the lead focus of the composition, they work a lot better. The album flowed, even though each song had a fairly distinct feel. It did start to get a bit tedious toward the end for me, though, and I felt like it should've been a bit shorter. All considered, there's just nothing really here to make it great. Most of the songs are good, though a few fell below that. It probably would've been better overall if there was one fewer song on it. North American Scum and All My Friends were the best tracks on the album to me, but they still weren't better than pretty good. Definitely not strong enough to carry the rest of the album higher. It's solid, but not more than that. Overall: 3.25/5

Can't say I was familiar with the Stone Roses before listening, so this was a nice find. I liked the sound they had here. It was both reminiscent of older eras but also modern, even decades later. It could've been released as an indie rock album in the last few years with the style and tones used. Its influence must've been pretty swift, since it's got similarities to certain 90s bands as well (Oasis comes to mind). All the parts worked well together. The guitars, bass, drums, and vocals all complemented each other to make each song a nice whole. In the same way, the songs all worked well on the album together. They complemented each other to make a complete effort that was enjoyable to listen to. Even though some tracks were long and the album ran close to an hour, it never felt like it was dragging or growing stale. There really were no bad songs on the whole album. That said, there's not a lot here to say it's a great one. It's good, but a little bit boring. For the majority of the record, there isn't much going on but the simple compositions you might expect on a poppy rock record. They do make it a little more interesting for the last couple tracks, having extended songs that were stylistically diverse from the previous 10 tracks. The second half of I Am The Resurrection might've been my favorite part of the album. But that just made me wish they'd added some of those funky vibes in earlier instead of holding them off to the very end. And then making the last track 10 minutes (it was fun, but that was a bit much). I'll keep this one high on the good scale, but short of the great scale. I'd definitely listen to it again. Overall: 3.7

Really good one. Hill is great at messaging, no matter the form. She is able to rap and sing, and combine the two into cohesive parts of the same song. She also travels through different, albeit somewhat related, genres as the album carries on. It's impressive to see her talents on display here. Also, the content is deep and personal, and resonates in a way that seems to be missing from the vast majority of major productions. She's putting her money where her mouth is, so to speak, and in doing so adds another dimension to the work beyond what you notice on first hearing. Interestingly, I felt like Doo Wop was one of the weaker songs on the album, despite it being the most famous. To me, it was less personal than the others, and the musical composition wasn't as pleasing. It wasn't bad at all, but didn't have the total impact of the others. There were some negatives; at times it felt like the music was too similar to the rest and kind of blended a bit. It also ran long, which I noticed even if I didn't necessarily dislike. I thought the last couple songs were very good, even if one were a cover. Perhaps one or two of the middle songs could've been swapped out, though I don't think it's anywhere near a fatal flaw. I did like the interweaving of the narrative by use of the "skits" throughout. They didn't add a lot to the experience, but it was a fun touch to show the theme winding its way to the end. Hill gets a lot of props from me here for her musicianship and her lyric writing. I can see why this is often considered a great album. There are a few things I disliked, but the good far outweighs the bad. Overall: 3.9/5

Ok, this was much better than the last Sinatra album I got. Out with the melancholy, in with the joy. I'm sure plenty of 50s lovers were swingin' 'round the dance floor to this one, as it was fun and lively. The shorter song lengths also made it a peppier listening experience since most of the tracks just breezed by. The album's 15 songs lasted less than 45 minutes, which felt like the right amount of time for it to play. There was the distinctly classic sound that you get with brass instruments and Sinatra's voice, which made is a pleasant listening experience. It feels like you're in an earlier version of New York when it plays. I had only heard a few of the songs on the album before, but they all felt familiar as a result. On the other hand, those details meant there wasn't much diversity here. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether I was listening to a different song, or if the previous one was still going. At one point I was on the third song since I'd last looked without realizing the first one had ended. That worked for the feel of the album, but did make it all kind of a general blend. I think the album ending when it did was smart, because any longer and it would've started to get old. It also sounded dated given the stuff mentioned above. Which was great for the vibe, but isn't something that would necessarily mesh with a broader playlist. In short, it was fun and lively with entertaining music, but it didn't really do anything special for me to say it was great. Vibes are important, just not quite enough on their own. It's something I enjoyed listening to, though I question how often I would want to come back to it. I think if Sinatra had combined some of the songs from Wee Small Hours and this one into one album, it would've been a much more interesting work that I could rate higher. Overall: 3.3/5

Always gonna enjoy an album filled with good grooves. It's probably actually more soul and soft rock than pure funk. The vocals were a strong focal point, as you would expect from a group based on the vocalists. But the guitar was a surprise star here for me, cutting through some solid rhythms to deliver a sweet musical experience. The tone was great, and the playing was about as cool as it could be. He really tore it up on Summer Breeze, too. While their original compositions were the real highlights of the album, I did enjoy their covers and reimagined efforts. I still would've swapped one or two of them out for original songs, but that's my own preference for albums in general (and when rating them in this way). It's probably my biggest issue with the album; there's really only 5 songs, then some covers. Even if the covers are pretty cool, it takes away from the experience and impact. Had there been more originals for me to judge it by, it may have gone up a few notches. It still gets a good rating because it was solid regardless, and the covers were good. Plus, that guitar was awesome. Overall: 3.5/5

This was fine. Not really hearing anything special to make it a must-listen. Some good parts and nothing that I would point out as particularly bad. That said, it was mostly just fairly uninteresting rock songs. Looked into it a little and there was a lot of interesting drama around the group and missing band member leading up to it, so maybe the context of the album made a difference for initial reception. I still don't see why it would be considered an all-time great album based on the music. You'd think that would've led to more interesting artistry, but I didn't get much out of it. Overall: 2.5/5

Pretty much an entire album of low-key hip hop, which made it distinct from the other albums I've gotten from the same genre and era. It flowed in a pleasant way, too; the vocals and music paired well together and carried the vibe. I think I enjoyed the instrument production the most. For a type of music entrenched in using samples and digitally (or physically) manipulating existing media to create the compositions, this effort felt like the vocalists were in the same room as the musicians they were rapping over. It was almost like you were listening to it in a jazz club instead of a recording session. There were still samples, but they felt more organic than you get on other albums. It was a nice mix running behind the vocals. As for the raps, they also felt low energy. Comparing it to the other hip hop/rap albums I've had so far, it is far more subdued than Public Enemy, and basically a lullaby compared to Eminem's angry energy. It comes up short of Lauryn Hill's as well, although she did vary in emotional range more. I didn't dislike ATCQ's delivery here, but I'll say I found PE's energy to be more appealing for the style, topics, and era. My biggest issue with the album stems from the energy mentioned above. It just is a little too subdued for me to really appreciate as a whole work. Each part is pretty solid, but everything together kinda blends into each other a bit too much. There aren't many tracks that feel like they stand out or add something new to the mix. The most upbeat track was the last one on the album, which felt way too late to get that energy (then end the album). I think each song on it's own would be a good listen, but having them all in a row got old without more diverse vibes. I'll give it solid, but not much higher for the reasons given above. I think I might appreciate it more on a relisten, though I don't feel a strong pull to listen again. Overall: 2.6/5

I found this to be a much more enjoyable album than the earlier Willie Nelson suggestion. There was a lot more variety to the feeling of the songs than on Stardust. Instead of an onslaught of melancholy, there was some pep in Willie's step. The sadder tracks were still there, but they were broken up by different vibes over the course of the album. The songs also flowed well, and the album breezed by (most songs weren't even 3 minutes long). It didn't feel like a drag at any point. Even so, I still wouldn't say it was something I particularly loved. I can appreciate the musicianship. While the songs weren't overly complicated or made of unique arrangements, they were full of feeling and used the components effectively. Willie's voice is also just right for the stripped-down mix. The album's simple nature makes sense when it feels like the music is trying to take you to somewhere else. Like you're out west, passing time on your journey, and all you have is music and the environment around you. I think I may like this album more if I listen to it again. I just don't know that I have that strong a desire to do so. It's possible that I'll grow into this one at some point, but for now, it just doesn't resonate as a special album. Overall: 2.6/5

This one really has the feel. It's exactly what I would expect to hear in a Latin club while sipping on a mojito on a humid night. It made for a very pleasant listening experience. While all of the songs are in the same style and have a similar feel, they still stand out enough for me to like each one as it's own work. I think I liked it more as it went on. Unfortunately, I have so little knowledge of the genre/style that it's hard for me to give an educated evaluation. Is it influential? Does it have staying power? Is it great? I have no idea. What I do know is that it was fun. I'd listen to it again in the right situation. Overall: 3.25/5

A strong effort from one of the smoothest singers ever. It was a great listening experience. Not a lot more to be said. Biggest negative for me was that it was overwhelmingly covers. Is it really fair to say an album is "great" when it's an immensely talented vocalist singing songs that are already popular? It feels like cheating a little bit, even though they changed up the arrangements somewhat. His few originals are great, and everything I know Otis has written is a good song. Unfortunately we only got three of those on this whole album. The covers are what dropped this back down to just "good" for me. Just not enough original work to get more credit than that. But it was still very good. Overall: 3.5/5

This album had an intriguing, dark sound. I think that was what I liked about it most, as it had a different feel from a lot of the music I've encountered on here so far. It seemed like that's what they were trying for, since it really was the feel through the whole album. And they certainly attained it. Both the instruments and the vocals made it almost unsettling at times. There wasn't a lot more that really worked for me, though. Some of it was good. Much of it was just kind of... unengaging? Hard to explain, since it was interesting. I could see letting it drone on in the background to get an eerie vibe, but not sure it's great for casual listening. I wasn't turned off by it, but it didn't really do a lot for me. I may want to give this another try later and see if I like it better. As it is, it's a little hard to rate highly. Overall: 2.75/5

While I respect Count Basie's contributions to music, this was an album I just couldn't really get into. Probably a genre thing, since brass-focused big bands don't entice me all that much. I generally find the style uninteresting. There were some good moments here, and I can't say it was bad music. The compositions really showed how talented the players were. Even so, I'm not really tempted to listen to it again and I didn't feel like it was a great album. Comparing it to some of the other albums I've gotten in the same general vein, this was one of my least favorite. I'll give it credit for what it did well, but can't personally rate it very high. Overall: 2/5

I struggled with this one a bit. It was long and eclectic, almost disjointed at times. Some parts felt like the band didn't know what they were supposed to be playing and were trying to figure it out on the fly. There were plenty of good moments, but they got vastly overshadowed by the rest of what was happening in the 90+ minutes of runtime. Unfortunately, I felt done with it before the third song was halfway over. To be fair, that was at about the 50 minute mark (!). I did stick through and listen to the whole thing. Not sure that was beneficial; it felt a bit exhausting and probably impacted my ability to evaluate the later songs fairly. But, as this is an exercise in albums, it kind of is the only way to do it. I actually did like the vibe of "Miles Runs the Voodoo" even if it got old by the time the track ended. Jazz isn't really my favorite kind of music so that probably played a role too. I've never actually listened to Miles Davis before, and was interested to hear this one as his reputation precedes him. To his credit, it seemed like there was some interesting stuff happening. I like that he had a diverse mix of instrumentation instead of all brass or piano like some of the other jazz records I've gotten here. Interestingly, I got this generated right after a Count Basie record. Each was very different in composition, but I still didn't particularly like either one. At least Atomic was a more manageable length. Had the tracks and this album been (much) shorter, I probably would've liked it more. As it was, I felt fatigued by it even when there was still a lot left to go. The good parts were overshadowed by the sheer size of the album, and, to me, there weren't enough of them. Overall: 1.75/5

I appreciated getting something different here- this was a combination effort of Metallica and the SFSO to recreate 21 Metallica songs with the orchestra added in. It was a live album, recorded from a concert performance. My biggest issue with this effort is similar to what I find irksome about most live albums: you miss out on half of what makes them worthwhile because you don't get the visual experience. Performers at a show aren't just recording music; they're entertaining the crowd of people in front of them. The whole time I was listening, I was wishing I could see the band and orchestra performing together. The music alone was fine, but didn't seem all that special even with the unique composition. I know plenty of Metallica songs, and to be honest I like the regular versions of them better than with the orchestra combo. Comparing the two versions is weird since I've only ever heard recorded versions of those and the live version of this. I've heard plenty of orchestra-accompanied rock songs that are great, but those came from a studio setting. I think this really needs to be its own thing without the comparison to the regular versions, but that just brings me back to the missing visual component. I can only imagine what an experience it would've been to see it live, but even a video of the show would've added a lot for the listener. I think one other issue I have is that the orchestra kind of mellows it out. Metallica is not a "sit down and enjoy" band, but a "get up and rock out" band. With the orchestra, a number of the songs lost that vibe for me. The ones that kept the energy made it clear why it's a cool idea that can work, but the majority of songs didn't come through. When the album is 2+ hours long, it needs to succeed more than this did for me to be satisfied. As a result, I'd be much more inclined to revisit certain tracks rather than the whole album. I liked this conceptually, but was disappointed by the result. I think I would've liked it a lot better if I had been able to see the performance instead of just hearing it. Overall: 2.25/5

The second REM album I've gotten through this, though I can say I liked this one much more than the first (AFTP). There was some diversity to the music that kept it engaging, plus the songs themselves were enjoyable for the most part. There were still a few I didn't like; Stand stood out for that reason (see what I did there?). I didn't think it was great. But, as someone who doesn't really care for REM, I have to say this was pretty good. Overall: 3.1/5

Listening to this resulted in a near-constant "wtf is this" running through my mind. I don't know what I expected; I've heard "Come on Eileen" too many times to count at this point, but still wasn't prepared for whatever this album was (and COE wasn't on it). Interestingly, the thought went from a bad wtf (first few songs), to an OK/fun/almost good wtf (Geno to Seven Days), back to a bad wtf, then to OK again. I try to avoid other reviews before rating each album to make sure I form my own opinion on them, but this one I had to do some research on. I found the mention of ska an apt descriptor, and that context made sense for the composition choices and overall feel of the album. It apparently also gets mentioned as a soul effort, which I didn't hear myself. The vocals especially seemed way off for being considered soul. I had to take a break before coming back to the last few songs, which I think helped a bit. The whole album at once was a lot to experience. Still, it probably bumped me up to an "OK" on them rather than thinking they were more wtf bad. I just can't rate this very highly. I didn't like most of it. I thought a few parts were OK. I don't see myself listening to it again. Overall: 1.9/5

Let me start by saying that I generally do not like Aerosmith. Maybe my opinion is skewed from only hearing them way later than this era, but I find them pretentious and douchey rock dudes who made really mid music, if not just plain bad music. Whatever the reason, it includes a strong dislike of Steven Tyler. I find him annoying and he usually ruins any chance of me liking their music. Even so, I actually enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected. It was pretty simple, straightforward rock for the most part. Distorted guitars with catchy licks, strong rhythms, and vocals that had some bite to them. A couple songs gave me Motley Crue vibes with how they punched and bit (and I'm sure MC got some inspiration from this album). I think it's biggest strength was that no one element overpowered the others, but everything came together well on most of the tracks. It was probably that lack of pretension that did it for me; instead of it being all Aerosmith-y, it just rocked out. It did get weaker in the second half, where it seemed like Tyler's vocals became more of a star instead of the whole ensemble feel for the earlier tracks. Get the Lead Out especially reminded me of the Aerosmith songs that cause me to not like them; just a lame music number making me have to focus on Tyler's vocals. The album ended strongly with Home Tonight, though. I was not looking forward to this one when I saw it pop up, but I was pleasantly surprised. While it's not great, it's definitely good. Overall: 3.5/5

This one didn't impress me all that much. I get it, the Byrds are supposed to be an American response to the Beatles. And they had a major impact on popular rock music at the time. But listening today, most of the songs are just kinda meh/bland. On top of that, most of the tracks are covers or reworkings of other songs. Which I guess was a big part of the point, to create something different by combining two styles and genres into one. If anything, this album was consistent. Pretty much all the songs sound alike given a lack of diversity in instrumentation and the heavy use of group vocals. I found It's No Use to be a good change, but even that wasn't that much different than the rest. It was honestly a little annoying to hear the same musical aspects on every track. The album was probably weaker as a whole as a result. Honestly, nothing here was actively bad. It just wasn't that good or interesting sounding to me. It's hard for me to appreciate it now, 60 years later, since it's so far removed from its context. Perhaps it was much fresher feeling to listeners then. Instead, it just seemed rather mediocre. Overall: 2.5/5

Despite my previously mentioned dislike for Kanye West, and while not as good as MBDTF, this was another strong effort. I'll separate the art from the artist again and give him credit for his talent. The album was full of overall good production and composition, solid rap efforts, and interesting topics that didn't feel like pandering for the most part. The quantity of artists and musical additions to the album almost make West blend in and disappear into the mix at times, which maybe helps him stay toned down. It makes sense that he worked as a producer for years with these tracks, as they sound well constructed and thought out. Much like his other albums, more is really more for him, and it works. He also uses his singing voice infrequently on this one, which I appreciate since I find it generally weak. Aside from the music, the album imagery is fitting; the way I understand it, West dropped out of college to pursue the music career, but wasn't widely accepted in the rap world given his background. He didn't fit the more urban-focused packaging that dominated the hip hop scene at the time. So there he sits, the would-be "dancing bear". A mascot meant to enthusiastically depict school spirit. But instead of dancing, he is sadly alone, having isolated himself from the suburbanites by leaving college while still being rejected by the group he wanted to be a part of. The ornate surrounding literally frames this isolation as the art itself making up/driving the album. It's one of the better uses of album art I've seen come up through here. While there is a lot to like here, it just didn't stand out to me as "great" even it it was very good. Comparing it to MBDTF, I thought this was the weaker of the two. Overall: 3.75/5

Another jazz album that didn't do a lot for me. I don't think it was bad, I just can't say I enjoyed it all that much. It was subdued and quiet, which I liked better than it being overly jazz-tastic. But, it also just kind of blended into the background. It sounded like something that would be playing at a cafe in the morning. That is good in its niche, but isn't really something I like more than that. I did like Girl from Ipanema, which is obviously a very famous song and I had heard before. I don't know that the other tracks were very memorable. It's also not an album I see myself listening to again. Unfortunately I think this is another casualty of my lack of interest in the genre. For me it was fine, but not all that good. Overall: 2.2/5

This was another one that is hard to evaluate just due to my sheer lack of familiarity with the genre. Even so, I can say that it was a pleasant listen and a nice change from the western music I've gotten on here since starting a few months ago. It wasn't overly complicated in its composition or production, but the parts all worked well together and made satisfying tracks. While the instruments were different than what I'm used to, they weren't abrasive or hard to get a feel for. The parts all went well together to form an album that had a nice vibe to it. It was easy to listen to even without really having any familiarity with the style. That said, I'm not sure what would make this a great album. It was nice, and I enjoyed it. But without knowing more, I can't evaluate it beyond that. I'm also not sure how much it holds in replay value, since I don't see myself wanting to put this on all that often. Overall: 2.8/5

I enjoyed this album a lot. Cool vibes, kind of dark sounding but still easy to enjoy. It felt a little dated, but in the sense that it embodied the genre/era in a time-capsule-ish way. Some really good songs on here, with nothing I considered bad. I think it was just an interesting album and it kept your attention the whole way through. I liked the musical compositions and the vocal additions. I thought they worked well together. I also thought it all sounded good as a whole, and it didn't become bland even though it stayed in the same style. Not sure it reaches the level of great, but it was really good. Overall: 3.75/5

Had a bit of an up-and-down experience listening to this album. Certain tracks were good, but others were pretty subpar. Devo's schtick involves a lot of being quirky/weird, so it's not surprising that their debut album would contain some off-the-wall stuff. While it succeeded at being odd, not all of it succeeded at being good. The flaws showed up early and reappeared throughout. It's good that the album was as short as it was, since I think any longer and it would have grown sour. It was getting grating enough as it was. For the most part, I liked the musical compositions on the album. It had traditional rock/pop components to the songs, with guitar, drums, bass, keys, and vocals featured. Though not completely similar to contemporary rock and pop acts of the time, the songs stayed true to the general song structure you might expect. What they did in those constraints definitely felt different, however, even decades later. The attempts they made at standing out were clear. For me, the hardest part to like was the vocals. Even where the song was strong musically, the vocals detracted from it. I'm not sure exactly why; they seemed too theatrical or intentionally over the top or something. It didn't happen on all the tracks, but when it was bad, it was really bad. I also didn't love how the album was constructed. Putting the cover of Satisfaction as the second song was probably a mistake. It felt like it should've been buried toward the end, or left off entirely. I also didn't find it to be a good reimagining of the song (side note- this is the second style-shifted Satisfaction cover I've gotten, and I haven't liked the alternate in either case). Some of the songs toward the end actually felt stronger than earlier songs, and I think I may have appreciated them more if I had heard them earlier on. I found this to be another instance where an album is carried by its high points, but overall not very strong. I'd guess that it is remembered for those high points as opposed to being celebrated as a whole work. As I've said before, the album as a whole is what matters for evaluating it's greatness. Here, the good parts are outweighed by the rest, which ranged from fine to not so good. It stays above "bad" territory, but isn't better than OK for me. Overall: 2.4/5

I found this album to be another that was carried by its good songs, but otherwise not particularly impressive. The majority of the tracks were solid pop rock efforts, with a few tracks that stood out. Aside from those, though, the rest was pretty forgettable. I think the only track I actively didn't like was Turning Blue, which was also the longest track of the album. Otherwise, the songs weren't bad. I can't say I liked them all, but I didn't hate them either. The album is solidly in OK territory. Some tracks got up to "good" level, but not many. Overall: 3.1/5

Is it just coincidence to get a Beach Boys album the day after learning that Brian Wilson passed away? Or is this site less random than it appears? Something to ponder while listening today. I feel like this album can be summed up as "the Beach Boys get dark." Visually, I was struck by the imagery of the album art and its juxtaposition with the seemingly upbeat "Surf's Up" title. From what I know of the BB's music, they're generally happy, chill, and good-vibe-based. But this makes it look more pessimistic, or at least like dark times are ahead. The music was in this vein as well. Mostly melancholy, versus the generally cheery songs I otherwise would know. I wasn't familiar with any of the tracks on this album prior to listening to it today. It's interesting that the group shifted to this sound, which felt much more band focused (as in fewer harmonies, more instrument-heavy) than I have heard from them before. They also seemed to have more topical mindset, since the lyrics often dealt with societal and environmental problems. While I appreciated this approach from this band, I didn't love the album. Most of it was fine, but none of it really seemed better than good. It's hard to pinpoint anything in particular wrong with it, other than to say it just didn't reach the level of being great. Overall: 3.2/5

My first thought on seeing this come up was along the lines of- "Oh yeah, Smoke on the Water is fine. Anything else worthwhile?" Yes. Yes there was. Deep Purple is another band that I've heard of, but never really listened to. I wish I had earlier. This was a great metal album, but also just an all around solid album in general. It was filled with rocking musical compositions. Blackmore often gets referenced as a great metal guitarist, and he really showed it off here. Killer riffs on the songs, and really nailing that early metal tone and feel. The organ added a cool element to the music that I wouldn't have expected without listening to it. The drums were pretty good too, and the bass really hit. I felt the vocals were a little weaker than the rest, but, as often is the case for hard rock/metal, it's less about the singing talent and more about getting the energy right. The energy was right here. While the album was pretty straightforward, they did change it up a little bit with Lazy. It got more bluesy than the other songs and was a nice diversion from the heavier tracks. Never Before felt a little more subdued compared to other tracks on the album, but was still solid. It's hard to say whether any part of the album was better than the rest, as any two-song stretch could compete with another. It was divided nicely to be a strong listen all the way through. Space Trucking was a great finishing song. The main reason I give this a rating in the 4s instead of higher is that there are better albums out there. Not a knock on this one at all, as it is pretty great. It's just slightly below others I consider better. Overall: 4.1/5

This was another one I found a little tricky to evaluate. At times it was really good. At other points it was close to terrible. The good parts were far more frequent than the bad ones, but man, those were hard to get through. Musically, I found the compositions interesting. It often felt like the bass was the lead instrument, or that the guitar was playing a bass part. As a result, most of the songs had one consistent groove line persisting the whole way through. While it might seem like this would get old in songs that often lasted over 4 minutes long, the band did a solid job of taking the line to different places as each song went on. Probably the best example of this was Paintwork, which was really good for the entire 6:38 runtime. Of course, it wasn't always a success. Some of the earlier tracks, in my opinion, were bad. I wanted to turn them off/skip them and had doubts about the album as a whole when they were on. I'm not sure if the bad songs were less frequent as the album went on, or if I just got more used to the music as it went on. Either way, I thought the album got stronger after the first few tracks. Other negatives included the vocals and the album length. While some of the tracks felt stronger than others, many times the vocals consisted of barking/weirdly emphasized phrases that didn't add much to the music. With the compositions generally being simpler, it meant there was more room to focus on the vocals and hear those details. Even if they weren't necessarily bad, I didn't think they made the songs better. As to length, the album was pretty long. It's partly because I listened to the extended version running over an hour, but there were definitely songs that felt like they could've been cut to make a better overall record (probably some of the tracks I mentioned above for being notably bad). In sum, this album had some nice highs and some very low lows. There was some stuff in the middle, but the wide variation makes it hard for me to come up with an overall rating. I thought I would rate this lowly early on, but I think it deserves higher having gone the whole way through. Given there was more good than bad on here, I'll put it in good territory. Overall: 3.25/5

It's kind of amazing that the Beatles could put out a 30-track album in the midst of releasing so many other songs, and that the album wouldn't really contain any bad songs. There are some that aren't all that good, but mostly the worst tracks are still OK. Interestingly, there's also not really any stand out "great" tracks on the record either. It is pretty much just a steady stream of good songs, though it does end on a couple weak notes. Regardless of your opinion on the Beatles, it's undeniable that they were prolific songwriters. They were able to cover a huge range of stylistic ground in writing the songs as well. There's some hard rock, folk, blues, pop, psychedelia, swing, and more on this album. The diversity kept things interesting over the hour-thirty-plus runtime. The album's main weakness to me is that it is so long. While no song is particularly bad, there are some diversions that really didn't add much to the listening experience. If they weren't Beatles songs, I have to think they would've been regarded much differently, or not at all. Remove four or five of the "meh" tracks from this album and I think it becomes better than it is already. Even just cutting off the last two tracks (the soundscape Revolution 9 and orchestral Good Night) would've solidified the record for me. At the very least, cutting some out would make it easier to appreciate the stronger tracks. As it stands, I think it is one of the most consistently good albums I've had on here. That said, it never really goes beyond simply being good to me. I had this in the low 4s before the last two tracks but they dropped it down a tad. Overall: 3.9/5

Unfortunately, this really didn't do much for me. Most of the tracks were individually OK, but the album itself was overall just too long and specifically-styled for me to say I enjoyed it. Considering that it's probably much more appreciated by its intended audience, I'll try to be objective. There were some interesting and cool aspects to the album. The drums were relentless and impressive. The sounds added to the mix in a not-overbearing way, but still with some complexity. Different instruments showed up throughout to add new elements to the compositions. The vocals were sparing, though some tracks had them all the way through. The artists clearly put a lot of time and energy into crafting the tracks the way they wanted. But, I just can't see how the length of the album and songs is really justified by the content. I listened to the full length album (22 tracks running close to 2 hours and 20 minutes) and it was a slog. All of it was based on the persistent drum beat with some additional parts added on, so there wasn't much diversity in the music experience itself. Most of the songs were 6+ minutes long with several surpassing 8 minutes. Even when I thought I was starting to like a track, it just kept going until it wore me out of it. I did find the last section of songs to be more diverse and engaging than the first block, but it was far too late at that point for me to appreciate them to the full extent I might've otherwise. Had I heard some of the songs on their own, I probably would've enjoyed them much more than I did in the context of the full album. For example, Hi-Potent got me back into it a little bit; I could see myself coming back to that and a couple others in certain contexts. But there's almost no way I could see myself re-listening to this entire album again, unless it's to have on in the background while I do something else. Evaluating the album as a whole, it gets a low rating. Even though there were parts and tracks I liked, I have to consider the work in its entirety. I would probably have a different opinion if the album was about 75% shorter. Overall: 1.8/5