Not a blues guy but still a fun listen. The quality of the production is really what carries it for me.
I've heard some of the songs before, most notably "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Beat on the Brat" (I mean, who hasn't heard them?). Haven't listened to the whole album until today. Happy that I finally got around to it. There are plenty of overlooked tracks such as "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" and "Havana Affair". Lots of energy, short, sweet. Does not overstay it's welcome at all.
-Fav tracks: Blitzkrieg Bop, I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basment
-Least fav tracks: None
It's alright, I can see why it's a classic. Its definitely something where you have to listen to all tracks in one sitting to get the most out of it. There are moments where it's brilliant but then everything else in between is a bit boring to me. That being said, there's some great musicianship here. You can tell they've put a lot of effort into it. Keith Moon especially does a great job on this. I wish I could rate albums from a scale of 1 to 10 instead 1 to 5 on this site, because then I'd give it a ~7.5 out of 10. I'll have to round it up to a 4/5. I'll be sure to check out Tommy, the movie when I come across it.
Fav tracks: Pinball Wizard, Christmas
Least fav tracks: Welcome, Fiddle About, most of the short tracks.
I used to love this album as an edgy teenager, I dont feel the same way anymore. The lyrical genius is undeniable, with a lot of funny and absurd bits. I get that slim shady is a character played by Marshal Mathers but there are some songs we're you can feel he's not joking (Bonnie and Clyde 97). I'm not a fan of the woman hating stuff.
Fav tracks: My Name Is, Cum On Everybody, Rolemodel, Bad Meets Evil, Guilty Conscience
Least fav tracks: Just Dont Give a Fuck, I'm Shady
Very goth, very industrial. Ahead of its time l. Even gives me early EBM vibes. The A-side was meh. The B-side however, was awesome. I just have an issue with how the drums were panned all the way to the left on the "Pornography", the last track. It's a serious let peeve of mine when artists do that. "Cold" should get a special shout out. I love the fat, doom-like double bass sound, the massive chords, the singing, it all works so well together. Listening to that was a highlight for me. I was going to give the album a 3/5. But after hearing that, I have to bump it up to a 4/5
Fav tracks: A Strange Day, The Figurehead, Cold
Least fav tracks: Pornography
Amazing effort for a debut album at 19. I don't really understand the hate towards Amy Winehouse or this record. I thought it was pretty decent. Great production, amazing vocals. I didn't feel as if there were bad tracks. Just a few that were less great compared to others. Can't give it anything less than a 9/10. I'll be sure to pick it up if I see it in a record store.
Fav tracks: In my bed, Stronger Than Me, Fuck Me Pumps,
Least fav tracks: October Song
When I saw Neil Young on the cover I was expecting hard rock, not soft country ballads. I usually don't like country but this one was enjoyable. There was some guitar noodling as to be expected from Neil Young. But it didn't happen often enough for it to be annoying. Only 4 stars because its still absolutely not my kind of music. Still another record I'd add to my collection.
Fav tracks: Southern Man, Till the Morning Comes, When You Dance You Can Really Love
Least fav tracks: After the Gold Rush
I hated it at first. My first thoughts were somewhere along the lines of "What a bunch of pretentious garbage". I still decided to force to continue listening and push through. Don't regret it, turned to be much better than I thought. I think the issue is that you really do need to be in the right mood to listen to this. It's a mediation on grief. A very long poem made up by 11 tracks that requires your full attention to listen and reflect. Not all art has to entertain you in order for it to be good. After finishing it I did feel as if I had gone through some sort of journey. I don't think I'll revisit it. It's one of those works of art you could only see or hear once. Otherwise you run the risk of the magic disappearing, and I don't want that to happen.
Fav tracks: Waiting for you, Ghosteen Speaks, Galleon Ship, Ghosteen, Hollywood
Least fav tracks: Spinning song
I was very happy to see this pop up today. I've only listed to his songs on their own or as part of a playlist. Not as an album. So many familiar hits. Perfect length as well. Ending before it starts to get too repetitive.
Fav tracks: Exodus, Jamming, Three Little Birds
Least fav tracks: Turn Your Lights Down Low
First album in this list that I did not enjoy. The issue with electronic music is that they're made and structured in a way that would make it easier if a DJ to create a mix. In most cases a good DJ would be able to pick the right track at the right time to keep the audience engaged. As an album it's boring and if I were to judge the tracks separately as a DJ most of them don't really stand up on their own. Drop the Pressure is a banger. That's why I'm giving it another star.
I was engaged the whole time despite that was a solo piano concert. You absolutely have to read about the backstory to fully appreciate the musicianship. It's proof that equipment does not matter. Only what you're able to put into it. It's fair to say he was able to make every single key count. That fact that it's a live recording makes even better. Like listening to a time capsule. 10/10
It's alright. There weren't any songs that I hated but there weren't any that I loved or felt there were totally unique for its time. It's a good album, not great not terrible.
Awww yeaaahhh. I was so happy to see this pop up today. I was similar with all the big hits (Sir Duke, I Wish, Pastime Paradise, etc) but I never had an excuse to set the time aside to listen to the whole album until today. Better than I would have imagined. Masterpiece. 6/5! There's literally nothing wrong with it.
Yeah it's long. So what? Think of it as a movie for your ears. Each song flows so well into the next for an hour and 45 minutes. You won't even notice the time passing.
Absolutely worth it to invest in some good headphones. It'll sound great even on the crappiest speakers but you're doing yourself a disservice by missing out on all the tiny details.
Not sure if an album like this could be replicated in the future. I'm just happy this exists.
Crazy for me to think that it sold as many copies as it did. Not an easy listening experience for most people. But this is probably his best album. The issue for me is the same that I have with his other albums. You have plenty of great tracks like Real Slim Shady, Stan, Bitch Please, etc; and then a whole lot of filler and juvenile sketches.
Last time I listened to this album as a whole was when I was around 14. After listening to it again today I doubt that I'll revisit it. Still an important cultural artifact which I think deserves some engagement and deep diving. There's a lot to be unpacked and analyzed.
A great album to wake up tom. I was happy to see this pop up in the morning. Love the Stan Getz sound. Although I prefer jazz samba over this I can't find anything wrong with this, hence the 5 star rating.
It was okay. All of the members are obviously great musicians and it was well recorded. Sounded like 5 years ahead of its time. Compared to a similar album such as "Close to the Edge" by Yes I just wasn't moved as much by it.
I'm sure it was ground breaking for its time. In the context of today it doesn't sound as strong as other options from the era (such as the talking heads).
Pretty groovy. Reminded me of Tame Impala. Does get a bit pretentious at times, bit not to the point it's offensive.
Flawless prodticion. Wasn't too impressed by the singing. Would've been better if it was less than 40 minutes. So many filler songs. "Cry Me a River" is an undeniable banger. Rest are forgettable. The 2000s cheese does give it some charm.
I was optimistic at first. But man... I hated it. I don't have anything against UK rap. Grime has to be one of my favorite genres and I have huge respect for its uniqueness. The vocals sound as if they were recorded through a pair of dirty buds. I can't rap by any measure. But I've listened to enough hip hop by now to understand that the lyrics are not good. The beats that sound as if it was made by someone on their 1st day of using FL Studio didn't help. The story is pretty interesting if you're able to follow the not so great music.
Pretty good album compared to what was available at the time but this was not has best. I can see how this would've made an impact but it wasn't my favorite. I am biased because cool or smooth jazz isn't my cup of tea. Crazy to think that he would record "Bitches Brew" 12 years later. It's better to look at it as the beginning of the best.
Great for testing out your new headphones/speakers or as background music for dinner. Not much else. There's still a lot to be appreciated in regards to the musicianship and quality/engineering of the recording. Just feels very safe. Maybe too safe. I still enjoyed it.
I had a lot of fun listening to this. Can't find many flaw.
Too long. Not a classic in my opinion. But I can forgive them since it's a nearly impossible task to follow up an album like "Rumours".
Absolute bop! Loved all of it. Especially summer breeze.
Prog for people who don't like to be challenged. I still thought it was alright. Not everything has to push you. 7.5 out of 10. So I'll have to round it up to 4.
Although I prefer the later era of Radio Head I still liked it. It was a journey.
I like distortion and fuzzy noises.
Interesting as a concept. Some of the songs were nice but many of the songs just pissed me of and were annoying. It would still be useful to have it on vinyl as background music when having friends over.
It flows in a weird way as an album. A lot more funk and soul than I expected. The Message and Scorpio were outliers compared to the rest of track. Something also tells me that they were big fans of Stevie Wonder. 10/10 for Scorpio and The Message. The rest were around 3-6/10 for me.
Fitting that this popped up after the announcement of Brian Wilson's death. This is one of their best albums. Even if Student Demonstration Time is total ass it still works with the rest of the album as a whole. Surfs Up has to be one of the best closers to an album and one of the best songs in the world. And given our current climate I believe that it's more important than ever that people listen to this.
Aww man. Unfortunate that the label withheld the recording and released it 22 years. Criminal behavior from RCA. That being said. It is like travelling back in time. I love that you can hear the crowd throughout. Great playing great singing. Can't complain.
Influencial but not the most enjoyable as an album. Worth a listen if you care about the history of Hip Hop and Electronic Music. Both have come a long way since then.
I'd argue that Chaos AD is better but that's just me.
His most accessable album. My problem with Frank Zappa is that his guitar solos are often too long and often overstay their welcome. Even 5 minutes of noodling can get boring. I'll make an exception for Willie the Pimp because that's a fun jam track. I like of the sense of humor. It walks a fine line between not being serious and chin stroking pretention.
Very middle of the road rock pop. It's alright but too long. 2.5/5
Not all has to blow you away to be good. This is useful as lounge or background music. It helped me sleep so that's an extra star.
Noise noise noise! I love this album. Such a classic. An easy 10/10 for me.
I tried to give it a chance but I wasn't able to find a way to enjoy it. Some of the instrumentals are funky and interesting, but the the singing annoyed the hell out of me. Wouldn't helped if the lyrics weren't boring and pretentious.
Finally! A blues album that isn't boring. Legendary performance!
A rap album which belongs in the Louvre. Kayne at his best and most self aware. Shout-out to Mike Dean for the production on many of the tracks. Total shame given his recent antics. You could make a case for separating the art from the artist, but Kanye puts so much of himself in his work (especially in this album) that you can't really do that. I think it's better instead to understand the context of his life at this point I'm time. Wouldnt be surprised if there have been papers written on this.
Yeah, it's weather report music.
I actually didn't hate it. Very enjoyable. I especially liked the last track.
The first great rap album in my opinion. Beats way ahead of their time that still hold up today. Sharp political commentary. Don't see any reason why this deserves anything less than a 5.
It's like goofy cabaret punk. Wouldn't surprise if this was one of the influences behind the Tiger Lilies. Great album for weeding out the cool and the uncool.
Standard soft rock. Good background music. Not great not terrible.
Another great album from a time before Kanye went insane. Very honest, reflective. Tongue in cheek humour. Overall a great hip hop record but it had too many skits that didn't have to be there.
I used to hate ABBA as a kid. My mom would play them all the time. Constantly. As a result, I have some minor childhood trauma associated with them. I used to think that they were "beneath" me and that only uncool people enjoy ABBA. I'd roll my eyes each time someone plays "Dancing Queen" or any other of their hits at a party. To me they were basic like Ikea furniture.
I've been fortunate to have been able to move out of my parent's place and live away from them for nearly a decade. As a result, I've been able to come to terms with ABBA. They're not bad after all. But it has been a long process of rediscovery.
My comparison with them and Ikea was unfair. They are not boring. Yes, ABBA is pop music. But it's good pop. There's a reason why they've been able to consistently top the charts throughout their career. They're all great musicians, singers and songwriters making fun music. "Fernando" and "Dancing Queen" are still absolute bangers! They've aged well in general.
I'm still giving this a 4 because I've still heard them too many times as a kid. Some things I can't shake. But you bet your ass that I won't be frowning or rolling my eyes when I hear their songs being played at a party.
I tried to give it chance but I wasn't able to find a way to enjoy it. The lyrics and songwriting are fine. But the performance was just boring throughout.
The kind of music you'd use for a Jeep Wrangler commercial. Not totally terrible. The singing and musicianship is pretty good. But to me it's just standard rock.
Out of the 3 Cohen albums I've listened to so far, I hate this one the least. But I hope this is the last album by him I'll have to listen to.
Easiest 5 on this list so far.
It's okay, pop. But not the worst thing I've heard. Candyman was a fun track but the rest didn't really stand out to me.
Total surprise. Loved it!
It might their best but it's still not my favorite. But we're talking about a 9/10 vs a 10/10 so still 5 stars for me.
Sounds cheap, feels cheap is cheap
