A painful display of brit pop, that only got worse whenever he’d try to slow things down on tracks like Angels. Then it’d just be this shittier Oasis/U2 style of sound with a guy whose lyrics could only rival Bob Dylan’s. Seriously one of the worst albums I’ve listened to in my life.
Feels like he tried taking five different artist's sound and did it worse than every single one on every single track… 2000's indie/romcom movie core (derogatory) Way too bloated, filled end to end with ad music.
The way this album inspired future artists was palpable which was fascinating, but by the end it started to feel a bit same-y. Highs were strong (Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Quicksand), but the kooky silly voices in some of the low-lights (Song for Bob Dylan, Fill Your Heart, Andy Warhol) reached a point of "ok I've had enough" pretty quick. A pattern of gentle opening for 45 seconds into full orchestral chorus(?), calm for 45 seconds into full orchestral chorus a second time is sonically pleasant but got a bit boring.
These dudes are rockin! Thick sounds, distortion pedals, jamming for 10 minutes because why do they have to play by YOUR rules, power riffs, hair metal style yells!! You can clearly tell how this influenced 70s heavy rock and heavy metal to follow, you should listen while working with power tools.
the blues-inspired rock opera vibe just really not in line with what i tend to enjoy also the discordant interludes of (seemingly) random notes / chords are not enjoyable Lady Grinning Soul was probably the strongest track on the album for me, but there wasn't a single track i'd go back to listen to
Shockingly contemporary in sound, with some tracks fitting in just as well if you told me they were 2025 releases (guess that's why he's considered timeless). The back half of the album felt more like a score to a film I wasn't watching, but I can appreciate the experimentation and artistry. With that, there was a bit less to sink my teeth into -- BUT there was no formulaic nature to the songs a la Hunky Dory. This is a bit more of a 3.5 (and the first Bowie album was really a 2.5), but a notable step up from the other Bowie albums reviewed so far so I'll round up.
Folksy, flute-y, hard rock meets The Shire..? Interesting album for sure, just not my standard fare. Gave the feeling of Irish pub songs at times, always with an epic tale being sung.
I went into this album with the intent of giving it a fair shake and it let me down in ways I couldn’t have even imagined. I understand he’s singing about important topics like war and racism in America but his lyricism is that of a child trying to write their first song. While riding on a train goin' west I fell asleep for to take my rest I dreamed a dream that made me sad Concerning myself and the first few friends I had are you joking — are we even being serious? does he just get a pass for free because of how *important* he is as an artist? or how there’s subtle beauty you just need to realize in it? pretentious, terrible, god awful singing voice, and fairly off beat.
Another time I wish I could give 2.5 stars. Nothing wrong with the album, just not really my taste. Felt like a more country Carole King, perfect for my mother-in-law — not so much for me. The more uptempo songs were the bigger hits for me (Album name, Fly By Night), while slower love songs always just feel a bit boring.
Deeply personal with plenty of both angst and pain to be seen here. Some songs have ear worm melodies, and others increased sales on distortion pedals by 50%. Punk albums can often feel more bark than bite — I believe the case is clear here that In Utero is not. Least favorite — Very Ape, Tourette’s, Radio Friendly Unit Shelter Top tracks — the rest
It’s hard to separate “importance” from actual sound. This album set the standard for MPC sampling in hip hop, and can be seen as the grandfather to both sample heavy rap beats a la Kanye or the chiller lofi style like J Dilla. That being said, this album is not without its flaws. Some tracks run considerably long, others fall a bit hollow, but there’s still enough meat in the winners to enjoy consistently. Genre hopping tracks kept me engaged through the whole thing. Importance: 5 / 5 Songs: 3 / 5
A painful display of brit pop, that only got worse whenever he’d try to slow things down on tracks like Angels. Then it’d just be this shittier Oasis/U2 style of sound with a guy whose lyrics could only rival Bob Dylan’s. Seriously one of the worst albums I’ve listened to in my life.
Better than The Freewheeling Bob Dylan by a good bit with the inclusion of actual instruments in the back. The biggest weaknesses here are still Bob Dylan’s vocals and lyrics. There would be times where all the pieces of the song were working well, then he’d remember “oh wait I’m Bob Dylan, I have to sing unbelievably nasally and irritating” — then crank it up and immediately ruin things. Again it just feels like there are better blues artists in every facet to enjoy rather than this.
Angelic and ethereal irish / celtic folk vibes from this one. Felt like I was at a renaissance faire or transported into Braveheart. This style of folk music isn’t usually my thing but I respect the artistry through and through — also the lyrics are such a nice departure from Bob Dylan. Also Chelsea enjoyed listening which is a nice bonus. Wish I could do 3.5 stars, will have to give 3.
This album rocked. One of those 1960’s releases where I can see the DNA path lines to like 20 different bands in the contemporary. The genre shifting within tracks was rad as hell. I think the entire experience was probably enhanced by the fact that I was running around town to grab light beers. Jazzier tracks were a bigger hit for me (Little Umbrellas / Peaches) but there’s something to enjoy in each of the 7+ min tracks lol.
Listened through about two and a half times, really is a masterpiece of an album. Every single track (except Smackwater Jack for me) hits exactly how it should. It’s easy to see the DNA once again in contemporary artists, which I always appreciate. Jazzy interludes (and a saxophone solo!) were fun to hear but the piano and Carole King’s vocals together are enough to make an incredible song. Lyrics are heartbreaking at times but that’s life I suppose.
Most tracks felt like something I'd listen to while playing Tony Hawk as a kid, in a good way. Raw sound, fantastic drums and guitar distortion, kick-ass fem punk vocals. Funny stumbling into an incredibly popular TikTok song in "Maps" organically. "Tick" had some really infectious "Cherry Bomb" style energy to it. Nostalgic for an indie rock time I didn't really live through, cool stuff!
Intensely forgettable. “The Complete Recordings” version of this album has an unreal amount of bloat that sound more like test or incomplete tracks. There are some obviously catchy tracks on here, but having heard them 10,000 times in life, the novelty was a bit busted.
Genuinely awful. Sunday’s Best takes the crown as the new worst song I’ve ever listened to. It’s like a bizarro-world Beach Boys with Bob Dylan’s singing voice, horrifyingly bad.
At least I can say with certainty that I’m no fan of (punk) rock operas. Really no hate towards this album it’s just not for me whatsoever. I’ve heard each song 20x more often than I’d care to growing up and I’ve always felt the same sense of loathing towards it. Re-listening in full as an adult, it did make it plainly clear how flat some of the social commentary really is. It falls far more pop than punk to me as well.
Hip hop history that still makes for a fun listen, if you're willing to contextualize some lyrics that aged as well as you'd expect them to (bonus points for modern-day-MAGA Ice Cube!). Also two things are clear after a full listen: 1. Eazy E is the weakest part of NWA 2. NWA is not NWA without Eazy E His rhymes are terrible but his sound is iconic, and I think played a big part in setting the group apart. Beyond the instant classics, "Fuck the Police", "Express Yourself", and "Straight Outta Compton" there are some fun listens here. "Dopeman" has a hilariously anti-drug message, "I Ain't Tha 1" has a hilariously anti-materialistic message, "Parental Discretion Iz Advised" literally says "we're not role models, this is my record, watch your kids, do not blame us". They're proactively mocking all criticisms in a way that's genuinely funny to listen to. This is a 3.5 rounded down to a 3 star, but make no mistake, it was fun to listen to twice while mowing my very suburban lawn -- which I'm sure is exactly how N.W.A. intended the record to be listened to.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WwMN5rVQdYo "My name's Colin and I'm here to say, stay off weed and pray every day!!" Felt more like a Hip-hop PSA I'd watch on Nickelodeon as a kid. Terrible beats, whack rhymes, preachy holier-than-thou attitude all over the place. "I'm not Ice Cube but I WILL shoot your ass if you step too close, but don't because we should unite together!!" There were fleeting moments of enjoyable tracks here and there, so this is more of a 1.5 out of 5 that I've rounded down.
Smooth, funky, summer-time soul. This would be a great record to own, as it fits the "throw it on and go about your day" vibe really well. Felt like every single track could be sampled 20 different ways for some of the best contemporary beats you could hear. Only wish I could've listened while sitting on a block in Baltimore.
One of those “nothing wrong with it, just not for me” type of albums. Highly reminiscent of Wawa’s Hoagiefest jingle. Makes me think of drive in theaters and malt shakes. Fun for the summer but I’ve never heard a track I felt compelled to throw onto a playlist.
Felt like an experimental jaunt from their usual sound, before then retreating back to their classic tracks. A Forest, M, and Play for Today were all great. Some other tracks fell a bit hollow and ethereal for my tastes. Still delivers on the expected style of The Cure. Unofficial rating: 3.5 / 5
Dope album and a fun listen. Already knew the hits off of this one but worth going through to find a few tracks that were new to me. The balance between R&B with Killing Me Softly, wutang style rap on Fu-Gee-Lah, and reggae hip hop on No Woman, No Cry or Zealots is really enjoyable. Not flawless as I was not a fan of How Many Mics or Mista Mista. Only makes me wish Wyclef Jean was a better person and Lauren Hill was a better performer.
Really surprised by this album. Had the radio hits I knew well but there’s a lot of raw emotion and fantastic vocals to be found in between. Clear to tell she was going through a lot. Wild this came out BEFORE The Diary of Alicia Keys given the similarities in some of the tracks. Not a huge fan of Fighter, Make Over, or Dirrty. I much prefer the sound on the rest of the album than these little breaks. Also surprised by how raw “I’m OK” was, never would have expected a ballad on this album about her father’s physical abuse to her during childhood.
Dark Side of the Moon if Pink Floyd was really into Lord of the Rings instead of LSD. Always enjoy a cohesive album and you can clearly tell this was constructed to play out cinematically. Lead singer's voice would be a bit distracting at times but there are some incredibly cool riffs and moments within here.
Nostalgic PS2 game soundtrack vibes thanks to the heavy drum and bass / jungle kick snares. So easy to listen to that I ended up getting halfway through a second time. I was also listening to it while playing Path of Exile on a day off, so it’s likely this was the perfect album to meet the occasion.
Real “it was okay” for me, first half felt a bit vacuous before Murder Mystery came in and really shook things up sonically. Interesting religious break with Jesus and Beginning to See The Light… felt out of place but maybe I was missing the album’s motif. The back half was all right as well, just wasn’t enough for me to really consider the album a winner. Not a painful listen just not one that’s particularly memorable or that I will end up putting on any playlists.
Another prog rock winner for me. 21st Century Schizoid Man was incredible and hearing the kanye sample out of no where was a fun experience. Title track is everything I enjoy about prog rock. The way it builds, the sinister sound, just a 10/10. I don’t understand the ambition behind Moonchild’s final 8 minutes — but as the wife said, “it’s calming background music”.
Goofy album I couldn't help smiling at. This is the kind of album that your uncle would toss on to explain how "rap nowadays is all mumbling, this is REAL hip hop". It's hilarious man, just look at the album cover! Hip hop history! I also like the demonstration that they're just as capable as making soft and sweet melodies like you'd expect of that era with 'Dreamin' and 'You Are'. 'The Message' is one of the catchiest songs of all time and I'll die on that hill.
Has a bit of a garage-band-punk-rock sound. Electric when it hits, a bit grating when it doesn’t. There was plenty to enjoy here though, and the lyrics rock. Not sure why but it was giving me some vibes like British version of Cake mashed with Rage Against the Machine.
Hitting on women by asking them to just surrender is a choice. Not a terrible listening experience (apart from Rag Mama Rag or Jemima Surrender). Just not my choice of music really.
The perfect album to enjoy in the summertime. Meaningful lyrics speaking to Jamaican independence and the fight for freedom. Cohesive sound and vision executed perfectly. No notes really, just enjoyed the jams. Listened through the Deluxe edition. I would say I enjoyed the Jamaican version and original recordings equally for different reasons, but added the Jamaican versions to my playlists.
Excellent album — compelled to buy the vinyl of it. My only complaint is the mixing on the first half (yeesh do those trumpets get blown out), but the piano ballads in the back half more than make up for it. The kind of music I’d like to hear while on a fancy date out on the town in the 60’s. Beautiful.
Was leaning towards a 3 but had to bump to a 4 after the Bob Dylan diss track. Feels like a soundtrack for a cartoon mouse prince who lives amongst woodland creatures. Can see the influence in Woodlands by Paper Kites, Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens, all over the place really.
Feels like he tried taking five different artist's sound and did it worse than every single one on every single track… 2000's indie/romcom movie core (derogatory) Way too bloated, filled end to end with ad music.
Cool sound, nostalgic 80’s vibe with some unique artistic choices for a britpop album. Nothing that really blew my mind, but I had no trouble listening through the whole thing. Appetite, When the Angels, Desire As, all solid tracks!
The Queen of Soul proves her worthiness. If you can overlook recording errors of the time period I think this is a clean five, but the backing instruments and vocals fall flat occasionally. Was Motley Crue doing an Aretha Franklin cover with Dr Feel Good???
“It was edgy, avant garde, it pushed the envelope while promoting violence and drug use!!” https://youtu.be/xXNy5YvF6l0?si=H0RgT5Gv6HMDRo5T Dumb, repetitive simple lyrics with the same chords in each two minute song; self described as a “return to pop” during a period of highly produced albums. It’s incredible to me how much this gets a pass from reviewers. How many reviewers feel the same way about a song like Gucci Gang? Surely Lil Pump’s punk enough with that endeavor, no?
When I was growing up, we'd be listening to the radio in the car, and 9 times out of 10 my dad would say "THIS is QUINTESSENTIAL 80's!!" with a fist pump. I think this album is the truest definition of "quintessential 80's", for all the good and bad reasons. The difference between the lead-off hit and the low-lights on this album are a real canyon, but hey it was the era of one-hit wonders and they're not THAT bad! Beyond the genre (and era) defining "Take On Me", there's not much else offered within the synth-pop on the rest of the album to really sink your teeth into. The title track is a highlight, and there are some very catchy melodies / choruses within here, but it doesn't do much to stand out to me. Some orchestral pieces, some border-line gospel elements? If I compare this against a contemporary like Songs from the Big Chair, I know which I'm throwing on 100 times out of 100.
Did not know this existed, so a real fun experience since I’m a fan of Metallica and symphony orchestras. Plain and simple, this shit rocks — some pairings here provide a completely new sound to some absolute classics. There’s a James Bond / cinematic score nature to a few of the tracks. Moments of dissonance do detract a bit (really just times where I felt the original identity of the track is lost with an orchestra), but that’s rare across the album.
I’m glad I’m selective with my 5 stars when albums like this come along.
Very easy listen, especially in the car with the windows down. The start was so strong I thought this was a quick 4, maybe even 5 potential — so I was bummed that the songs veered away from the initial vibe. Still good, still enjoyed.
Iconic album that defined a genre for a generation, tight 38 minutes with no skips and catchy songs all throughout. The re-listening experience is laden with nostalgia but there's some real artistry to be found in this album. Songwriting is great, bass lines and riffs are immediate ear-worms, and the up-tempo drums are infectious. This album has energy man.
Impressive how immediately recognizable the hits are on this album. Easy to listen through at a brisk 34 minute run-time, and a sound that never overstays its welcome between tracks. Not exactly my cup of tea stylistically, but worth a 3 for a genuine “I liked it”.
So absurd in its lyricism that it reached the point where I thought, “oh surely they’re in on the joke.” No. They are not in on the joke. It’s like they saw the satanic panic of the 80’s as a premier marketing opportunity and leaned in as hard as possible with the corniest satanist lyrics you’ve ever heard. Compare this with an album I genuinely love, Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden, which was also released in 1982, and the difference couldn’t be harsher. It gets two stars for the guitarist and drummer rockin their hearts out, even if the lead singer is ruining all their aura.
Shockingly well mixed and mastered for an album from the 1950's! The symphony was well paired, but I think a simpler jazz trio backing her vocals would have hit the whiskey-bar-vibe a bit nicer, to me at least. At times it sounded like her voice was weak (or maybe she was drunk), so it was interesting to read on the album's Wikipedia page that her voice had changed from years of alcohol and drug abuse. Enjoyable listen that I'm sure would sound nice on vinyl, perhaps I just need an Italian villa to play it in to reach the pinnacle of the listening experience for this album.
A solid album that feels like it gets 60-70% there on each track. Unfortunately, that hollowness does get a bit distracting. It’s very hard for an electronic album like this to blow my mind when I’ve heard the best works of the best artists that came thereafter. They’re clearly the originator in the genre DNA, but still… gotta rate an album on the album.
Would rate 3.5 if I could. Enjoyable listen through the end, though I did start thinking that Liam Gallagher might be the Brit-rock Bob Dylan with how nasally he’d lean into the vocals in some tracks. Ultimately the album presents itself as inoffensive and digestible tunes. Nothing that really blows me away, but I could see myself returning to a few tracks. Favorites: Slide Away, Married With Children, Up In The Sky, Live Forever
If I purchased a record in 1970 as a child that opened with Immigrant Song I think I’d shit my pants immediately. Wild how much depth and variety they bring to this album. The cover is a perfect representation of what you’re about to experience. I prefer the rock-heavier Zeppelin sound but it’s still a great album that I listened through three times. Unfortunately, due to the final track, my left ear gives this album a 5, yet the right a 3.
Imagine having the balls in the year 1970 to say “yeah our lead off self-titled track is going to be you being dragged down to Hell while crying out for God”. Even with the triple recordings, this album flows incredibly well. End to end it just fuckin rocks, every piece of the band sounds unified, and it’s no mystery how this set the standard for heavy metal.
Noticeably her first album. So slow, so tame, it felt like Missy Elliott was scared of rapping nearly the whole time. I know there wasn’t a market for women rappers at the time, but all you’re left with is a hollow kinda-R&B album with some weak bars and snooze worthy tempo. For an album with 17 tracks, you’d really expect a bit more variety… It’s no shock to me that her big hits came later, after embracing higher bpm beats and actually rapping.