I get it, there are some classic bangers on this album, and Snoop Dogg doesn't get to be hyper-famous without being talented. But man, I just can't stand him as a person. Musically this is a 4-star album, but I can't give it more than a 2.
Can an otherwise forgettable album be redeemed based on the strength of one or two songs? In the case of Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel, the answer is no. There's nothing more pretentious than people in their mid-20s writing and singing songs as if they're in their 70s, and then to put in "voices of old people" in is just boring and trite.
Two stars, one star for Mrs. Robinson and one star for A Hazy Shade of Winter.
The underlying music is great. The subject matter in the lyrics is not. 1 star.
I really needed to listen to this generic Elvis Costello album before I died? If anybody else had released this album it would have ended up forgotten, but with Costello's name on it it's somehow important enough for this list. No thanks.
Will I remember any song off this album half an hour after I listen to it? No. Do I want to listen to this record again? No. Is it bad music? Also no, but it's just entirely forgettable.
Hey, it's an Oasis album! Sounds just like every Oasis album!
Solid punk.
It wasn't bad, but will I listen to it again? Nope. Will I even remember the name "Julian Cope"? Nope, I had a hard time remembering it even while I was listening to the music.
Still, the music isn't terrible. Forgettable, but not terrible.
Am... am I a Jethro Tull fan? When I loaded the page and saw Jethro Tull I thought "Ugh, great, another famous 70s prog rock band that's way overhyped." Listened to the album once, I recognized Aqualung but that was it.
Then on the second playback I started getting into it. Then on the third I started liking it.
Will I run out and buy this album? Nope. Would I listen to it again? Yep. Is it worth being on this list? Definite yep.
4/5.
It's a good soundtrack, which means it's music that mostly fades into the background of whatever you're doing. I listened to it while I worked, and it just faded into the background.
As an album I'd go out of my way to listen to? Maybe one or two tracks, but not the entire thing.
Timu Daft Punk.
I get it. Pet Sounds is one of the most innovative and influential albums of its time. I get why it needs to be on this list.
But the songs just aren't that good. Yes, there are bangers (Wouldn't It Be Nice is classic Beach Boys but amped up in a great way, Sloop John B is one of the best songs of all time) but eh, the rest feel like Brian Wilson heard of this new Wall of Sound thing and thought "yeah shit I can just throw everything at it and it's going to be fucking awesome" although who knows what he was actually thinking, given he had a teenage wife (gross, they started "dating" when he was 21 and she was 15), or maybe it was the LSD that made him think it was going to be good.
Long review short, influential album, couple of good songs, rest are filler. Solid 3/5.
I hadn't listened to this album for years and years. I saw it come up and thought "oh yes finally a banger of an album that isn't yet another random britpop band that was popular in Manchester for three weeks".
Reader, I was disappointed. The album is not a banger. The Song is a banger (you know which one) but the rest of the tracks are all kind of mid. Without The Song this would be a solid two-star album.
I have never been so bored by a live album. And from a band that was supposed to be one of the greatest live rock bands ever? Yawn.
An album made by an anti-vax racist who made his career on ripping off Black and brown artists and culture? Can't wait for the next "must listen" album from this guy, that'll get a solid one star rating as well.
If this was by any other artist it'd likely be a strong three-star album. But Jesus, if any artist was worthy of a zero-star rating, it'd be Kanye.
Honestly? You remaster the album and keep the drums tinny and the bass non-existent? Come on.
There's One good song on this album and the rest... I get it that Metallica is one of the fundamental thrash metal bands (at least, its early stuff) but the songs should have been half the length, at least.
This album is like the thrash metal equivalent of a tiresome jam band where they just go on and on and nothing interesting happens.
The one lasting memory I have of Blood Sugar Sex Magik is back in Grade 11 English. We were asked to bring in a poem that we'd read aloud and then give our thoughts about it. One kid, the cringey stoner kid, read one of the songs off this album. He thought it was great, we were indifferent, and we could tell the teacher thought it was dreck.
Looking back at BSSM now, I think that ratio stands. There's one or two great songs, the rest are indifferent, and overall the album is kind of dreck.
These days, RHCP make music that's "funk for boomers", it's got no soul, it's got no funk, it could very easily be background music at a Safeway. And listening to BSSM now, you can see that too.
Also, Anthony Kiedis is a bit of a creep.
Two stars.
