Psycho Killer the obvious standout, Uh-oh, Love Comes to Town an excellent tone setter for a pretty good and fun album. No Compassion also a standout.
channel ORANGE had a hill to climb before my ears wrapped themselves around Ocean’s debut album. Truth be told, and whilst I have become more receptive to albums and genres that haven’t been my first choice (see: Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and Nas’s Illmatic receiving five [5] star reviews on my RYM), R&B in its entirety just isn’t my cup of tea. And whilst I had previously acquainted myself with Lost, the rest of the album remained a mystery.
Unfortunately, that aforementioned hill was one simply too tall to climb for this to be anything greater than what the rating suggests. Whilst there are some golden moments on this track, like Lost, Thinkin Bout You and Bad Religion, the rest of the album feels like more of a miss, than a hit. Three interlude type beats within the first seven songs? No thank you.
Whilst this isn’t the worst album I have ever listened to, far from it, it doesn’t stand out enough for me to come back to this. A good debut album, but that’s about it. Three stars.
My first exposure to Boom Bap was Illmatic (Nas, 1994), as my housemate implored me to listen to it, citing that it was the greatest album of all time, with N.Y. State of Mind being the best rap song ever made. If I am nothing else I am curious, and inclined to greet music with an open mind. Am I a rap enthusiast that could possibly challenge the validity of either claim? No, admittedly I am the furthest thing from it, but with how good both the album was, and N.Y. State of Mind, I had unfortunately started my listening journey within the sub-genre at the pinnacle of what it could be, rather than working my way to the summit through other artists and their works.
Enter the Wu-Tang Clan, who’s 1993 debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), whilst not as good as the impossibly high watermark set by Nas just one year later, but is still a fantastic piece of work within its own right. Tearz a standout. Four stars.
Soul has never been in my repertoire, this much is true, so picture my surprise when this website decided to zag, rather than zig, by presenting me something I never would have organically listened to.
But I’m glad it did. Whilst Dusty In Memphis wasn’t my pick of the litter, it was solid throughout. Springfield’s beautiful voice was refreshing after two of the first three albums presented to me were either boom bap, or R&B.
Son Of A Preacher Man is an obvious all time classic, but the songs opening trio of songs (Just A Little Lovin’ and So Much Love) was fantastic. The rest of the album was consistent also, solid the whole way through. Three stars.
The moment I saw Indie Rock as the listed genre for this cut, I felt at peace. It was like I went home to see my parents, say hello to my dogs, like I found the nicest coffee, or enjoyed the warmest hug. The genre I’m most in love with.
The War On Drugs decided to greet me with an anthemic, cathartic opener, and then proceeded to hold my hand throughout the rest of the record, combining the familiar sound I know and love. The album was fantastic, would recommend to anyone.
Joplin never had the chance to see the success that would be her second, and final, album. Pearl was released posthumously in 1971, three months after Joplin’s death in October 1970. What would come of it would be a good album, one with incredible vocals, soul-catching moments and everything inbetween.
As is so often the case with this journey I’m on, this isn’t an album, or genre of music, that I would have found organically. Blues and Soul have never been in my repertoire. In saying that, I’m glad it is now.
Cry Baby, Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz all standout tracks. Three stars.
As is so often the case with this website, this was my first foray into a band and it’s work. Ocean Rain, at points, had me calling out comparisons to The Cure, and even Talking Heads, which helped fuel my further intrigue around this particular cut.
However, whilst there were some high points (The Killing Moon), the record, I felt at times, lacked teeth for myself to really get into the album, something I wanted to do. Two stars.
There isn’t much to say about Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon that hasn’t been said already. This isn’t just an album, it’s a moment, a point in time where music came together to form something far greater than itself. The Dark Side Of The Moon is what other artists aspire to create, it’s what has become the darling of so many, and what has influenced so many more.
I can continue to go on with the loose adjectives, and how it takes very literal moments on the record (items that immediately spring to mind are the bashing chimes of a grandfather clock on Time, or the crass cha-chings of an old-time cash register on it’s most recognisable track, Money), but I use this time to cut to the chase.
This is one of the greatest albums of all time, and something I am so finally glad I got around to listening to in full. Favourite tracks are the aforementioned Money, the ethereal Great Gig in the Sky, and Us and Them (which also turned into one of my favourite moments on the cut). Wherever you look, it’s expertly produced, and even 42 years from its release, timeless. A masterpiece in every sense of the word, and for the very first time: Five stars.
Band On The Run was by no means a completely foreign project for me to listen to. Car rides to and from anywhere as a child would so very often be greeted with the soothing sounds of WSFM, a radio station specialising in music from the 60s to the 90s, and Band On The Run was there.
It’s always been there.
In saying that, despite the title track being a key part of my ventures as a child, the rest of the album remained a mystery to me, which was quite the shock considering how big of a Paul McCartney fan my parents have turned out to be. The album was fantastic, and knowing about life post-Beatles for McCartney, the way it all came together was exactly what the doctor ordered. Band On The Run, Jet and Picasso’s Last Words all a standout. Drink to me! Four stars.
AND NOWWWWWWWW
FOR YOUR CHICAGO BULLS…
Baba O’Riley is as iconic as they come, but the rest of Who’s Next is that of a good album. The aforementioned Baba O’Riley combines with Won’t Get Fooled Again to create two of the finest bookends an album can have, with Behind Blue Eyes and Song Is Over presenting great value, but the rest of the album pales in comparison to these four songs.
Rock, and all its constituencies, is clearly home for me, I gravitate towards this more than anything else. The Who? Delightful, Three Stars.
It’s such a pitty we never saw Jimi past 27, the legacy he left is incredible.
An amazing record.
Finally, an album that I have previously listened to before venturing on this adventure.
Highway 61 Revisted is fantastic, a landmark record for Dylan and music in general.
