Liked and could hear lots of influences, like Beatles and David Bowie, that weren’t obvious to me when the album first came out.
Still amazing after all these years. One intriguing song I wasn’t familiar with: “Keep the Customer Satisfied.”
Might just be a little too esoteric and experimental for me. I admire but do not love. The album’s opening is pretty iconic, though.
So smart, so prescient. I would need to listen to the lyrics closely and repeatedly to really get its impact. Besides the songs I already knew, I really liked “Burn Hollywood Burn” and “Can’t Do Nuttin.” “Fight the Power” will be forever linked to Do the Right Thing as one of the best film musical combos of all time.
Transformer was delightful, not at all what I expected. It’s playful and even fun. The instrumentation and arrangements are creative, and Reed has a wry sensibility (and crystal clear enunciation) that somehow I didn’t know about. What a revelation!
Meh, I missed this album when it came out and I don’t find it compelling now.
While Sinatra’s voice is amazing, the album felt monotonous. All the songs kind of blended together for me.
Mellow and enjoyable.
Honestly, I would never have listened to this album if not for this project, and I was so glad to be introduced to it. The songs sound modern and fresh, and the grooves are irresistible.
On paper this band is up my alley, but I failed to get into their music 15 odd years ago and still am not feeling it. I like “Islands” but the album as a whole seemed drab and unremarkable.
Genre busting brilliance. There’s a little bit of everything and somehow it all works together.
Good, with some standouts.
It’s hard to separate this album from me at 17, but it still sounds great. “You Are the Everything” is my favorite now, probably not back then.
Another one suffused with nostalgia for me, but it didn’t live up to my hype. A few songs are magical, and obviously the sound was super influential for Brit pop, but much of the album is forgettable.
5 stars for originality. 0 stars for accessibility and enjoyment. That averages out to a 1. 😂 Maybe I would understand and appreciate better with repeated listens, but I have no interest in doing that, I’m afraid.