Approached with caution having listened to Ray Charle compilations in the past, but this was very pleasent surprise.
Top track: It had to be you
First time listening to Hot Chip, got a few Pet Shop boy vibes.
Listened on repeat a couple of times & it continued to grow. Will be back
Standout track, These Chains
Strong opening of first track, upbeat but tailed off into feeling derivative. Most likely it was not at the time of release.
Our House stands out on first listen as familiar songs often do.
A couple more listens (it's a short album) and the harmonies & musicianship shine through
It's music of an era
In parts uplifting, with slower emotive lyrical tracks thrown in. You want an album to take a journey & this delivers
Top track: The Chauffer
Started off OK
By track 4 I'm thinking why am I listening to this shit
Persevere for long enough and there are some interesting tracks but not enough to redeem this as an album
Not my usual listening but enjoyed the listen. Ultimately a little too samey for me which knocked it down a star and made it difficult to pick out an individual track
I already knew the album inside out, word for word.
The tunes are catchy, the mood generally uplifting but with a couple of slower tracks along the way.
Enjoyed the harmonies and a little slice of retro
Top track: You will You won't
This was almost a 4, some good tracks mixed in with what felt a bit more like filler.
Worthy of a bit more of a listen but there were a few too many distracting elements such as the pronunciation of 'im nervous ' on the otherwise excellent 'I'm Shakin'
Top track: Keep themselves to sleep
Joyful, can't help but a boogie
A couple of huge singles off this album gave some familiarity but it's a seamless journey through the album
Top Track: Da Funk
There's some good musicianship, but my overwhelming feeling was one of indifference. This didn't move me, or motivate me to seek out more
In judging an album, it's not just how good are the best songs, but how much filler is in between.
The first half of the album is hit after hit and the second half held up ok too
Tops track: Somebody Told Me
Music for a generation, just not mine
Small slices of juicy pop hits.
It's upbeat & unashamed
Perfect background music for a romantic dinner
Plenty of good, but not outstanding tracks with the common issue of a couple of fillers stuffed in the back half of the album that drag it down
Freedom Song, an unexpected gem
Top track: There She Goes ( the obvious choice, but still a belter)
Not my usual listening fare, but surprisingly engaging
Top track: Halftime
Enjoyed, not a big jazz aficionado so difficult to make comparisons
Surprisingly enjoyable.
A well crafted album, mixing the crowd pleasers with some slower tempo songs
So much to like about his album.
Whilst the first half of the album could be accused of being a but samey & allowing the mind to drift it was a really strong finish from the jazz infused Twisted to the finger tapping Raised on Robbery
This had me quietly rocking out.
Something indefinable missing to rate as 5*
Top track: Today
Not bad, but nothing grabbed me.
This felt like a bit of a musical education to something I didn't know existed.
Enjoyed it, but unlikely to return
Just an incredible voice and enjoyed this album more than some of the past compilations I've listened too
Parts of the album i quite enjoyed, but too many tracks i wanted to skip, too much wailing
Great tempo and intensity.
All round enjoyment of a wall of sound that relentlessly comes at you...in a good way
Inoffensive, which also means it there were no real standout tracks
Really enjoyed this, felt like somehow familiar, perhaps it's inspired many later songs.
Will listen again, good option for background music without the distraction of lyrics
Day 1 listen & not really my thing, trumpet too blarey
However in listening at a different time of day it was better 2nd time round.
Unlikely to return, but still good for it's genre.
Some tracks were ok, a couple good and some self indulgent nonsense in between
Wasn't a big fan first time around (in the 90s), started off poorly, the vocals on You Oughta Know in particular were grating.
But there was enough in the later tracks to balance it out
When it's good, it's great but when it's bad it's ugly
I would happily listen to a cut-down version of this taking away the extraneous & extended tracks
Solid gold, every track 2-3mins of storytelling, catchy melodies and enough variety to avoid being formulaic
An album that could only have come from the 60s, and it really works well
Decent enough but no real standouts
Not bad, but nothing to make me come back again
Had high expectations, but somewhat underwhelmed initially. However playing it on repeat a few times & i started to really warm up to it. There's something in the way his voice interplays with the other instruments that compels you to listen to the lyrics, and the timing is immaculate.
Not for me
The vocals are unpleasant. The music samey
A slightly generous 4
The general vibe was good, classic tracks such as homeward bound still hold the test of time
Definitely a grower of an album
The vocals veer from grating, to melodic
I wasn't fully sold, but could see how its influenced later artists & interested enough to come back & listen more in the future
Delicate and beautiful
The title track is an incredible showcase of minimalistic accompaniment to a haunting voice
Enjoyed this more than I expected too.
A very solid 3, but ultimately drifted into the background rather than holding my attention
No known pleasure here
It didn't speak to me in any way
A couple of tracks are absolute belters, but not the great album i had in my mind when it popped up
Within the first minute I was ready to switch off, but repeated listens I got a lot more from it & whilst it won't be staying on repeat I wouldn't mind coming back in the future
Those was fine, in parts I thought it was going to break into greatness, but never quite made it
Loved this
Music to work to, or just sit & enjoy the melodies
Didn't enjoy it enough to listen again to the parts that were not so bad
It's not just the classics that still hold up all these years later, but the tracks I'd not heard before.
Silky smooth vocals
There are some incredible tracks on this album, but ultimately some of the filler in between is too much R.E.M. by numbers,. It's an unmistakable sound which I love, but they have made better albums
First listen round felt a bit bland, but I warmed up to the album and apart from the monster hit, lovefool, i enjoyed the delicate vocal & wonder why i didn't listen to this back in the day
First up, Thom Yorke is a musical genius.
However whilst there are flashes of genius, some of the tracks miss the mark.
Tracks such as Optimistic & Everything in it's right place are worth the admission money alone
Enjoyed this, only 4 tracks but a nice change of pace between them
This feels like a lot of time went into crafting each song, thinking about the precise timings & effects of every note, all there for a purpose, creating a soundscape that must have influenced a lot later work
Timeless
Not my sort of music, got a little better after a few tracks, but first impressions didn't really change
Some classic elvis, to the point where I started singing aloud as I walked down the street.
Enjoyable
Without knowing this genre it's hard to compare this, but standalone it's inoffensive, nothing jumps out as ground breaking or innovative, so it's also difficult to call.out any stand out tracks
I didn't engage with this as much as I hoped I would, it wasn't bad, but it just didn't pull me in enough
The first 4 tracks are tremendous, rip-roaring, riotous, joyful. 5*
Then Simon Diamond comes in with inane lyrics and it's a bunch of mediocare fare after that.
As an overall album it probably only deserves a 2
I just don't get it
I think the childlike voice is the most grating
It's a pastiche
Starts off at 11, seems to be front loaded with all the singles (i.e.the sings i recognise without checking their discography) and calms down a bit in the 2nd half
Enjoyable if you don't take it too seriously
From the first note of track 1 this album sets out its stall. It feels like it was written for stadium rock, which is exactly what Muse were doing at the time & as a reminder of those experiences watching them lie it probably adds a bonus star to what an objective listener might have rated it.
Didn't do too much for me, but maybe if I'd grown up listening to it it would have been different
Some good tracks, but a lot of filler, probably inevitable as a soundtrack tge instrumental tracks probably worl great in the film, but don't work in the context of a standalone album
Just a bit bland and inconsequential
This was a surprise, not really knowing the stones back catalogue it was much more folk than I expected.
The head is nodding along, this gallops along off the back of some tight beats & vocals floating over the top
Adopt old man pose: it's just too shouty
Loved the story telling of the album, took a couple of listens to get into & not let it float by in the background
It's a cool, laid back album but not quite enough for me to put it onto a regular cycle
It's funky, and unmistakenly the Black Keys within a few notes of the first track.
There's a swagger and a positively that exudes from the speakers and infects the listener.
Whildt i enjoyed the more up tempo tracks, but other times it meandered and I've never been a fan of the Hammond organ
This was fine, but not memorable enough to really have much to.say about it
A funky bassline and some joyful vocals
Haven't heard this album for years & Coming back to it there is a bit much screaming to love it as a whole album. But the more accessible tracks, e.g. Dumb, All apologies make me want to rate it higher
Some stone cold classics that don't miss a beat
It was mostly an easy listening sort of vibe, although with a lot of French I found it blended together to a point where it passed me by somewhat
Straight down the middle of the road, not bad, but nothing special
I was preparing myself for another 70s album and actually enjoyed it more than expected
This was ticking along nicely, let's just try & ignore the penultimate track and imagine a world where it doesn't exist.
That one abomination aside I enjoyed it
I listened a few times and it didn't do quite enough to grab my attention
I'm sure it's a decent example of the genre, it's just totally not my bag baby
Not my favourite Radiohead album, but the layers of sound and musicality come through with every listen
I started started with low expectations but it was mostly quite good
After several albums of more misses than hits, pulp finally struck a winning formulae.
Lyrically cutting and musically catchy
This is quite probably my favourite album of all time.
It's atmospheric, the tonal shifts just work and it's an unmistakable sound that no other band has come close to producing.
Enjoyable enough on a nothing really stood out kind of way
Nothing wrong with this, but unlikely to come back anytime soon
A real mix of top notch songs and self indulgent nonsense.
5 minute drum solos and playing a guitar so fast my brain can't keep up is the limiting factor here
Whilst appreciating the skill i ask myself do I want to listen to this album again, and that's a no thanks
Was hoping for more, but felt a bit middle of the road
Some absolute belters, this is an album to put on, turn it up and sing along to and just skip a couple of duds that
A tortured genius, after initial success this is a series of songs that mangage to capture raw emotions, but can have you singing along and felling uplofted.
When an artist appears thats just vocally unique you have to count yourself fortunate if you watched her live
Just not really the groove for me, it's hard to criticise this too much but I just won't be returning anytime soon
It's all a bit dated, just nothing there to want me to listen again
It's offensive undoubtedly, where's the line between edgy & downright antisocial?
Elton John's story about why Eminem isn't homophobic convinces me that this is firmly tounge in cheek, it's a shock jock approach to selling records and as a commercial success it certainly hit the mark.
The final track,The Kids, which is samples South Park is another bit of supporting evidnce that this album isn't to be taken seriously.
I'm also conflicted on rating an album with 'skit' tracks that mean you want to keep a finger close to the skip track button. The genius of the rhythm & rhyme comes through strongly but ultimately it's probably only 6 or 7 tracks within a bloated 77 minutes.
Despite all these contradictions i think it's great
It's album that feels connected, there's a pervasiveness to the whole album that means nothing stands out too far from the overall ambience
The anticipation for this album when it was released was huge.
It actually stands the test of time well with all time classics, Wonderwall & Don't Look Back in Anger surrounded by a strong supporting cast, and its those strong mid album tracks, Some Might Say, She's Electric & Cast No Shadow that elevate this album.
Initially loved this, but as the album wore on either it became more chaotic, or the novelty wore off, either way unlikely to cpme back for repeat visits
It's nonsense, but didn't burn my eardrums so gains a bit of credit
As a self proclaimed 'not a U2 fan' i was pleasently surprised by this album
Would i put it into my furture playlists? Unlikely
But, would i happily lisyen again? Yes
In some.ways there's nothing outstanding about this album, but on the flip side it's great to chill out to & worth repeat listens
The 3 strong aingles are frontloaded to start the album, so after listening though the rest of the generic dullness that comprises the remaining 9 tracks you'd be forgiven for losing the will to ever listen to this album again.
It's pleasent ebough, but boardering on bland
There isn't a weak track on the album, it's groovy and bears repeated listens
Really enjoyed this, possibly an album with the biggest range of genres packed into 40mins that i've ever heard i think i enjoyed it despite, rather than because of that.
We open with a bit of honky tonk piano, move through instrumental jazz and hip hop stylings that brought beastie boys to mind, and not even sure where we finish.
This got me offside from the start, the first few tracks werr all a bit bit discordant. It got a bit more mellow and the secpnd half of the album was fine
There were tracks i enjoyed, but the falseto/strained vocal stylings got me offside that i wouldn't come back for more
This feels like the definition of an 80s album to someone thay wasn't old enough to remember it at the time.
So seeing it released in 1980 makes me feel like this was ahead of its time and a big influence on the decade - without making any atte.pt to validate this claim.
Warrents further exploration of this band
I dind't love it on first listen, but 2nd time round there's quite a bit to like
I guess you'd call this a concept album, however some modicom of quality control would have helped, case in point track 2: The grand old duke of york, scratched out on a violin with a vocal that i would be ashamed to produce at karaoke
Some of it was quite good, but a lot more misses than hits
Never really 'got' Billy Bragg but this was OK
On the fence a little on this one.
A strong first couple of tracks, a bit of a lull in the middle with a strong finish.
DLZ stood out with the vocals rhythmic and just adding so much to track.
