May 02 2025
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Superfly
Curtis Mayfield
3
May 03 2025
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Queen II
Queen
Did not really enjoy this as much as I was hoping. Some guitar sounds like Sabbath inspired stuff but not as good. I get what they're doing and how it was progressive, but none of it really connected or came together for me. Despite hearing so many elements of Bohemian Rhapsody, none of it is Bohemian Rhapsody. Yes, of course Queen had so much other stuff that's great, but c'mon, that's what the damn biopic was called...
1
May 04 2025
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Rust In Peace
Megadeth
Ultimately by my contemporary ears this album was very silly especially in terms of the singing style and lyrics. Musically I appreciate the guitar virtuosity. It's bombastic and over the top. Nuance is not a thing here and it's not supposed to be. Big skills on display and I like the dual lead guitar thing, but it's not something I'd personally want to listen to for straight enjoyment, rather for a laugh while doing a Beavis and Butthead impersonation. This is probably an age thing too. Born in 1980, I'd bet this hits a nostalgia button for folks just a tad bit older than me since I didn't get into thrash metal until I stole my brother's cassette of Metallica's black album...
2
May 05 2025
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Ill Communication
Beastie Boys
A really, really great album that isn't a *perfect* album. I was excited when this was my album for the day and was honestly expecting that after I listened to it, I'd find it to be a perfect 5/5 album. As a late Gen Xer or early millennial (I'm the Oregon trail generation), this came out at a formative time for me. I wasn't huge into the beasties then, but damnit if sabotage didn't become an increasingly favorite of mine and has had way more staying power than one might have guessed when it was the hot thing on MTV. Many great instrumentals, and of course get it together is masterful, but there a few parts that, for me, lagged or didn't hit that notched this down a little more than I expected as a full album. Still great. So so great. I want it to be a perfect album, but it's not quite there.
4
May 06 2025
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Disraeli Gears
Cream
Another one I was excited to check out since I hadn't actually listened to much of Cream beyond Sunshine...
I found the majority of this album to be completely "meh" for me. Sunshing of your love was the sure high point, and I don't know how much of that is just because the riffs are so iconic in popular culture at this point. There's some other decent elements, but not something I'll be revisiting. I appreciate the guitar skills in the same way I appreciated what Megadeth was doing - high skills but not something that connected to me in the same way that others of this era have.
1
May 07 2025
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Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
This is an album that's significant to me. It came out when my wife and I were first dating and we got to see them when they came through town. Additionally, I can still remember perfectly the first time I heard. Take me out, arguably a perfect song. Later when my wife wand I were dating, she put a b-side track by them onto the first mix CD she made me. Needless to say, I have some sentimental attachment to this band and I think this album is quite stellar. Tight playing and song writing.
4
May 08 2025
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Something/Anything?
Todd Rundgren
Couldn't even finish it. Not my thing.
1
May 09 2025
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Ray Of Light
Madonna
Real talk: I was 18 when this came out. Ray of Light was all over the place, and I was not into it. I liked techno at the time, Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, stuff like that. I loved the soundtrack to the Matrix and Fight Club (all a little after this if I recall without looking it up).
Listening to the album now, being older and less judgmental about the "cool" factor (I've since realized just how uncool I am and was), I can see that this album was probably kind of a big deal. Every track isn't knocking my socks off, but after the disappointment of Todd Rundgren in yesterday's album, this is a delightful thing to get, listen to, and appreciate for what it is. Still not really my jam, but less vapid than I expected it to be. That said, it got more annoying the further I got into it
2.5/5
2
May 10 2025
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People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
A Tribe Called Quest
3
May 11 2025
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Electric Warrior
T. Rex
Favorite tracks on this:
Mambo Sun
Cosmic Dancer
Girl
I love the cover for this album. Pretty iconic. The album's significance in the canon of guitar driven rock is appreciated. Some of the guitar riffs are pretty great. A fun, good album. Not a perfect album..
3.5/5
3
May 12 2025
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McCartney
Paul McCartney
2
May 13 2025
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The Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd
A perfect album. A perfect example of a perfect album. Opening heartbeat, bass, samples, blending into each of the next. Musically epic, this album is gushed over for a reason to the point of being a cliché. Ive loved this album and knew I'd be excited when it showed up on here. What I wasn't expecting is that it took longer for me to get to actually listening to this
than any of the other albums I've been given so far. I think this was in large part because of my history with and reverence for the album.
I'm not going to "review" this. That'd be silly at this point. I'll just happily chime in with everyone else- 5/5.
5
May 14 2025
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Broken English
Marianne Faithfull
This was better than I expected. As I began listening to the album I sort of worried that I wasn't going to like it at all but as it progressed there were more interesting things being done, especially with the synths and production, that I though were really interesting and worth spending some more time with. I'm earmarking this one for a revisit, but in the meantime my initial take is a 2.7/5, so I'll round up and give it a 3.
3
May 15 2025
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Triangle
The Beau Brummels
Kinda ok but nothing I'm going to revisit. Cool to read their Wikipedia page and learn about them since I'd never heard of them before.
1
May 16 2025
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The Gershwin Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Ok. This music is not my jam. Also, I know it's really good and historically important. My father was a big fan. Though I don't expect this to be something I'll choose to listen to on my own when I'm just choosing something to listen to for enjoyment, I think it's still good enough to give a 4 and probably should be a 5.
4
May 17 2025
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2112
Rush
I like this album more than I think I should. I'm not a Rush fan but I'm not a hater either, but I'm well aware of the stigma their fanbase carries, and I kinda feel bad for that because I get it, the band is really good and some of their stuff can really hit if you don't look too closely at the camp and somewhat cliché lyrics. This album should probably get a 2 but I'm giving it a 3. I'll go back to parts of it for sure.
3
May 18 2025
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Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart
Not my thing. I can kind of appreciate his voice and it's uniqueness, but the music feels kinda cheesy and doesn't grab my attention.
1
May 19 2025
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Let Love Rule
Lenny Kravitz
This album surpassed my expectations, especially the front half. Way better than I expected, however the lyrics seemed to become more sacchrine and on the nose as the album continued on, which wore on me.
2/5
2
May 20 2025
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The Clash
The Clash
Such a great album. I listened to the remastered version this time and liked it. The Clash aren't actually the "only band that matters," but they earn the title anyway. Strummer is in the top echelons of my own personal "cool artist" lists, alongside Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Bowie, and a select few others.
This album sounds fresh and great 45 years later. 4.8/5
5
May 21 2025
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Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
Raekwon
3
May 22 2025
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Definitely Maybe
Oasis
Did not hold up for me.
1
May 23 2025
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Tusk
Fleetwood Mac
3
May 24 2025
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The Fat Of The Land
The Prodigy
A fun album to revisit from my teenage years. Some of it comes off a little more campy than I remember it, like most things I liked when I was younger. Ultimately though, this is a pretty great album of you've ever connected with any of the techno and rave culture if the nineties, and it's obviously an important album to that sound. Is it something I'll go back and listen to on my own? Probably not, but I'm glad I did here. 2/5
2
May 25 2025
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S.F. Sorrow
The Pretty Things
I'm on the fence about this being a 2 or 3 star album. I've had a friend trying to turn me on to this band for years but it's never fully clicked, though there's something there I should be into based on my other tastes... I'll probably continue to explore their stuff periodically.
3
May 26 2025
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Catch A Fire
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Reggae just isn't my thing. I did enjoy the opening track, Concrete Jungle, quite a bit though.
1.5/5
2
May 27 2025
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KIWANUKA
Michael Kiwanuka
2