I had a realisation whilst listening to this that I've only heard the original, normal Wonderwall a handful of times. I've heard the memes a million times though.
had a sad realisation whilst listening that Lisztomania was not only not on this album, it's a song from a completely different band
in music school, one of my piano skills benchmark exams required me to learn to play + sing this song and that choice of rep still fascinates me years later
I like how western-y some of the guitars are?? I was not expecting that at all
I was not expecting this to be so surreal and emotional, I had no idea about the background of this album. the Beach Boys make way more sense now.
what a fantastic way to start my week. lets go baby
honestly wild that I've listened to Boy King SO many times since like... 2018? 2017? I found it right before they announced their breakup. and yet I never checked out their other music. I did enjoy this one.
go, white boy, go!!
this album was WAY more corny and insufferable than I expected. the title track (which is the opener) does NOT prepare you for it.
I would make a joke about John Lennon hating the whole "celebrity Imagine video during covid" thing if he'd been alive to see it, but I actually have NO idea how he'd feel about it.
nice, fresh way to start the week
ma'am... I'm so sorry... I wasn't aware of your game
I was expecting this to be much heavier? also: did you know she floated away? well, she floated away. she sure did float away. aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
songs that just lazily repeat the song title as the primary lyric without any nuance drive me CRAZY. this hatred is probably borne of having to play "the Prince is Giving a Ball" 800 times. whatever. Pristeen wasn't my favourite.
I can confirm that Mike Mills is very nice and cool to work with (he is the only member of R.E.M. that I have worked with but I will never miss a chance to mention it)
I LOVE ABSTRACT NOISE MUSIC RAAAAAAAAAAA
nothing but love for a legend
don't these cats know that guitar music is on the way out?
all of these songs sound the same but like... I like that One Song? so it's ok
listening to Teenage Riot will always make me think about sitting by the campus greenhouse on a silent, chilly autumn night. laying on the garden bench and staring up at the stars. the sound of deer rustling through the nearby bushes. feeling a million miles away from the rest of the world. perfect.
it was fine, it was good. not the metal I reach for but important to history.
I did not expect the back half of this album to be mostly ambient-type instrumentals and that did not bode well as the soundtrack to my fatigued commute home
nothing but good things to say. there's something really peaceful and healing about listening to heartfelt, powerful music like this in the quiet of night or on an early morning.
no joke, yesterday I looked up and listened to Raining Blood because I hadn't heard it in forever and thought of it randomly. I wondered if this album was on the list. yes, yes it is. and I loved it as much as I always have. it will always remind me of the Pedro Winter interview where he mentions Raining Blood and him and the interviewer just sit and headbang along to it.
this album has two things in common with Dead Kennedys: they both like using slurs and talking shit about MTV. that’s it! that was me trying to find positives.
the instrumental/musical aspects were just middle of the road for me. it felt like it should be in a movie… but not in a good way. it’s a direct-to-TV movie.
there's something really special about listening to this while already being pretty familiar with his work immediately following this. you can hear "You've Come a Long Way Baby" brewing in this.
silly, sweet, and sounds lovely. when people say they like "classic rock", they better be talking about stuff like this.
is this what jazz sounds like to people who don't like it?
jokes. that's kind of what came to mind for the first track... but I was relieved that the rest of the album didn't feel like that for me. it was chill but still had thoughtful lyrics. it's not necessarily something I'd reach for, but I get why folks like it.
I really enjoyed listening this on a quiet drive to work while the sun came up. it makes me miss living in Appalachia. and makes me want to visit out west...
it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the monologuing, and the vocals weren't hitting for me. I KNOW Marvin Gaye that I fuck with. this just wasn't that. and that's ok! I see why people DO like it.
it was fine. idk why I had it in my head that this was going to be far more of the proto-punk variety. that's not a flaw, that's just me being unnecessarily prescriptive. whatever
as a redhead, I approve of this message.
Willie Nelson is someone I don't really know much about/much of his work but I am always pleased by what I hear. I remember watching and listening to him a bit in my guitar classes in university and enjoying his style and technique. you can just tell he feels his music so intensely, and there's such an ease about his playing.
is this satire? genuine question
Nick Cave seems like the kind of guy who thinks he's the smartest, deepest guy in your English class but is actually dumb as a bag of rocks
teriffic, teriffic, teriffic
I will always have a soft spot for femme-fronted bands, particularly 50's-70's. such strong (literally and figuratively) voices are SO important, and Blondie really rises to that occasion.
I almost exclusively listen to musicals (and musical-esque things) in one of two conditions:
I am viewing a live theatrical performance, or
I am being paid to play the music for a theatrical performance.
I honestly don't like musicals outside of that.
honestly, I really liked this one. it was raw, it was weird, and it was what I needed in my late night grind.
"Sound of Silver" is the kind of album where hating it is, to me, a big red flag, but insisting it's the best album ever bar none is, to me, also a big red flag.
it was fine. it was good. I didn't think about it much.
average Beach Boys album:
"I HATE YOUR BOYFRIEND"
"look at this cool boat :)"
"I WOULD LOVE YOU MORE THAN HIM"
look, I like the Beach Boys. I'm more of a 20/20 guy myself, but I love the sound of their music overall. but boy howdy, they sure fucking know how to write songs that are every Nice Guy's "your boyfriend doesn't love you properly but I am perfect for you actually and you just don't know it yet but I can FIX you" anthem. I've been asked out on dates by guys like that. it's not endearing, folks.
instrumentally fantastic. so many tracks that made me go, "oh my god, THIS is that song!!" while listening. but man, the lyrics are a piece of work. I will forever consider it a red flag for a grown adult (of any gender) to write songs about being in high school. get over it!!
I love how nonsensical-yet-biting Pavement can be. it cuts deep for me.
do you want to hear a story? I've got a story.
back when I was like 16, I had a really big crush on this guy I knew. we met at a summer music programme and he was a very good musician. I found out that he listened to Supertramp, who have long been a band that I LOVE. this was in the 2010's, so that wasn't exactly super common. so we would talk about them sometimes. and he told me, "you HAVE to check out this song 'Watch the Sunrise' by this band Big Star. I think you'll really like it".
he was absolutely right - it's such a great song and I still think about it all the time all these years later. it was the first song I learned on guitar with alternate tunings. the song definitely has the same feel in my mind as "Sister Moonshine," and they blend together in my brain all the time. the rest of the album doesn't sound totally the same, but it still feels warm and nice.
also: "Thirteen" is an example of a song written by an adult about adolesence that is done beautifully. it actually feels like a look back, but also like you're seeing through the eyes of the kid. it's nostalgic in an authentic way. instead of feeling like an adult in arrested development having a weird retroactive fantasy about having a weird power trip or edgy experience as a teen.
listening to Alanis Morissette will always make me think of my primary music theory professor. he loved her music and played songs from "Jagged Little Pill" a number of times in class. I have a vivid memory of him singing (in his heavy Brooklyn accent) and pantomiming along to "One Hand in My Pocket", doing the peace sign and everything. I think when the line about playing piano came up, he walked over to the piano in class and played a bit, too.
the Smiths is one of those bands where ever song sounds the same to me, but it's fine because I do like that song. but they really are all the same
there are SEVEN Beatles albums on this list.
there are ZERO classical (western or otherwise) albums on this list. classical genres were specifically excluded.
that's all.
this album has long been on my list of concerts I'd travel back in time to attend if I could. also on that list:
-Alive 2007 (obviously)
-Sinatra at the Sands in 1966
-at least half of the performances featuerd in "Desolation Center" (2018)
I like the beats, but I understand why people think it drags on. just listening to the album at face value does make it drag on a bit if you're looking for something to be actively listening to. but it's great for passive listening, and I'm sure it was great for DJs who wanted something that was longer to mix with.
"I want to sleep with Pocahontas" she was like 16, Neil
I really was expecting the whole album to sound more like "Black Hole Sun"
I can recognise the significance of this album even if it wasn't for me (though I do enjoy hip-hop in general). and any album that opens with a quote of Mussorgsky has my vote.
I really enjoyed this one start to finish. I love a good soundtrack, and I definitely see how someone like Isaac Hayes would make a good sountrack - something atmospheric and tone-setting - especially for a cool and groovy movie like Shaft.
this is the kind of album that took me forever to actually listen to front to back, but in the meantime I had listened to almost every individual song a ton of times. it's just so great as a whole though!
not necessarily super my thing, but I also understand why it's popular. and hey, I do like some CAN music, so who am I to judge?
not to be a "media literacy is dead" guy, but all the folks saying "ugh I hate all that RAP MUSIC that just uses those SWEARS and talks about SEX and GANGS and DRUGS, this album is the perfect example of that!!" really make me think that George W. Bush owes us all a huge apology for what he did to the American education system
noisy and raw, just the way I like it
kind of middle of the road for me, but it was a fine listen and I can certainly appreciate where it was coming from (particularly for the time).
wild, wacky, wonderful.
it's so great to listen to albums like this and look back. you can hear all of the different bits and pieces that served as inspiration for the artists that came after. this shaped so many artists and still continues to shape music today.
rest in power Ozzy 🖤
the one and only! one of the first jazz musicians who I started to really identify with charts from. Blue Monk was one of my favourite charts to play in high school.
it was fine. it was just more Neil Young.
always a blast, always a trip
so many fun tracks, but I love how "were going to be friends" interrupts it all so beautifully
such a fun way to start my day, an iconic album for sure
I refuse to listen to albums by men who sound like they would tell their girlfriends whom they cheated on that they should "bear some of the responsibility"
yeah ok he's a silly goofy guy, things'll be great as long as this fella stays away from electric guitars
what can I say? it was glitzy and fun!
this is the kind of thing I wouldn't reach for on my own, but I'd enjoy it if I'm out and I hear it.
lost a star because of the weird song about Indigenous people. I know it was 1971, but like... do we have to use every stereotype at once? really?
when I was in middle school, I had a hand-me-down Beastie Boys shirt that I loved to wear. I enjoyed their music even back then. an annoying guy in one of my classes challenged whether or not I knew who they were. I lied and said I had no idea who they were just because I knew it would piss him off
the music was fine, but man that album cover set me up to expect the completely wrong style of music
still not over the time they forced every iPhone user to have their album saved. evil
there's something very apt about the fact that I listened to this album whilst prepping my new platform Docs to wear
this was so slow and relaxing and lovely. like sitting out on the porch of a cottage at sunset in June. just... peace, but still energetic.
light and dreamy. so wonderful
a couple nice tracks, but the rest just kinda sounded all the same to me
I don't have beef with you if you enjoy this music, but can we all agree that a song where the narrator essentially says "I want to have sex with you, stop resisting" is... not the best look?
*Gordon Ramsay Voice*
finally, some good fucking music
I'm not against having sex noises in music (Mr Flash's "Monsieur Sexe" mix is one I've listened to many times!) but man. not like this
this sure was another Oasis album
I must have been 15 or 16 the first time I heard Elliott Smith. even back then, I knew he just understood it.
Stan Getz and João Gilberto are irreplaceable. I've enjoyed every chart of theirs that I've played, and it really does bring you closer with whatever band you're playing with (if it's the right group)
not anything I'm super crazy about but it had a nice feel to it generally. nice listen overall
fun, energetic, and makes you feel a little bit lighter
I fared better with this album than the last U2 one I had to listen to. I still think there shouldn't be this much U2 on this list, though
I was actually talking about this with a client recently. I GET why Bey is popular, and I'll give her credit for how culturally significant she and her work are. and, regardless of my interest in the music itself, she knows how to put on a show and definitely works her ass off in that regard, which I deeply respect. her music isn't for me, but I get why other people dig it so much.
unmatched! there's nobody like the King
looove listening to this and hearing all of the bits and bobs that influenced musicians who came after. even the album cover served as an inspiration for one of my favourite albums! how could I not enjoy this?
I have always felt Some Type of Way about Ska music and its place in the punk sphere. I get why it's popular, and I definitely think it's fun and has a good groove to it. but like. Jello didn't write any songs about breaking up with a girl or genuinely wanting to get laid... the only songs he wrote about a guy getting it up were from a mocking perspective. he was too busy yelling about Reagan and throwing bricks at cops, ya know?
this was a fun, fresh, and moving way to start my morning. and I had no idea that Cry To Me was his!
I kept expecting Bring Me to Life to play next even though that's a song on a different album by a different artist
woulda been higher but that riff in track two... you know which one :/
whoooo doesn't love some smooth Tropicália
I really vividly remember when David Bowie died (not that it was that long ago). it was such a weird vacuum of time. I was a teenager. somehow, though, I'd never listened to this album. it was a weird, meditative experience.
