Aja
Steely DanHigh school Jazz band meets America. Not for me.
High school Jazz band meets America. Not for me.
Well... starting strong. For the first one of these, one of my absolute favourite albums of all time. As a kid who played classical piano and felt left out of all the rock bands, my mind was opened. The Boss is a god. Roy Bittan most definitely is The Professor. Clarence Clemons and that signature sound could move a mountain. Jungleland to finish, are you kidding me?! This album to me is resignation to the loser in us but at the same time achieving perfection despite it. Through grit, talent, and just being true to your lot in life. It sticks to my being and something I try to remember to emulate, if not in sound then in spirit.
One of my lesser listened Beatles albums. Respecting the fact that, at the time, Revolver introduced some revolutionary and controversial elements to pop music. But, with the power of retrospect it sits low in the ranks of Beatles albums for me. Not to say that it is bad, I think it is a great album. But I find it a halfway house from the early pop earworms to my preferable fully conseptualized albums of Sgt P and the White album. Some good songs, but none that are my absolute favorites, and an album that meanders at times without a focus.
High school Jazz band meets America. Not for me.
Some albums are so formative and disruptive to your regular listening that they set you on a new path. You remember when and where you heard it for the first time, and how it made you feel. That was Doolittle for me. I didn't know music could sound like this and from the first bass line of Debaser my mind was opened.
A superficial listen might make you think this is a cosy album. It is not. It is dark, it is unsettling, it is an album you put on and lay on the floor in darkness, wallowing in regret. That is part of Dummy's power, it lures you in under false pretenses and forces you to feel. For me it is a timeless album, never "of its time" because it envokes feelings that are universal and leaves gaps in its alluring grooves for the listener to fill in, wherever or whenever they may be.
How did this scrape in? Was it 1001?
I think this album is just as strong as Unknown Pleasures and just as much a masterpiece. Atrocity Exhibition is a phenomenal opener and Decades a magnificent closer... Along the way you are treated to the best post punk had to offer. Dark and jagged.
Interesting to see the blueprint for how to get heavy metal break into the mainstream. But as someone who is not a fan of heavy metal as such or the thrash and speed sub genres that came from this, I can only appreciate it so much. I prefer a little less polish. Some great solos though.
Solsbury Hill is an objective banger. The rest of it is okay to good. I like it's quirky moments and it was a great breakaway from Genesis. But in many ways he was still finding his feet.
You ever eat too much of the same thing and the thought of it makes you sick? Well, there was a year in high school where all I listened to was Led Zeppelin, and I've steered clear since. Not my favorite of their albums. Could cull a few so it's not a double album and it would be a higher score. One positive is there are some moments through the album where John Paul Jones and John Bonham really shine... When the other two give it a rest for a second.
Bless this mess. Non-debatable, this is the best Stones album. It may be the best rock album of all time. The legends behind the recording of it, the personalities that came through the mansion, the heroin.. It is lightning in a bottle.
Green Light is an okay pop song. But this album is very forgettable. The same vocal delivery and tone on every single song.
An absolute power house display of great hip hop. So much talent on this album.
Not bad. Pretty good. A bit same same at times.
It seems the rest of the Beatles kept a lot of John's worse instincts at bay. Most of the times I can try and not let the quality of the person muddy my assessment of the album, but it makes it tougher this time where said person is actively being hypocritical in the album. John could write a song, sure, but these are a but meh. Also being overly preachy, asking for the world to do better when you're ultra rich? I'm a terrible person feel sorry for me I don't deserve love...it was tough to separate the artist from the art on this one.
A masterpiece. One of the best debuts of all time. The lyricism is perfection. The sampling and production is so so so good It teleports you to a time and a place so vividly. Hip hop had well and truly spread to the mainstream and been commercialized by this stage. But Illmatic brought it back to street level, a human level.
Didn't know much about Smile or it's story. Watched some of the documentary about it and really enjoyed getting deeper into it. I enjoyed the album itself very much. I don't know if I'd put it over Pet Sounds, but there are some great sounds and ideas. 3.5 rounded up
Alright. It was background music and inoffensive. I get why people like R.E.M, but for my they lack hooks and it all kinda washes past you. Probably why I like Losing My Religion most, it's the one you can most sing along to.
Perfection. Plain and simple
A classic I can appreciate in parts, but not completely to my taste. Some absolutely incredible songs, some so-so. I "borrowed" my dad's copy of this LP when I was 12 and still have it.