Instantly loved the intro Peace Go With You, Brother - so tranquil, sad and interestingly produced (listen in headphones). The rest was a bit more "your general jazzy sound" for me - pleasant, but unmemorable. Another gem is ballad Song for Bobby Smith. Album as a whole is about dubious politics and hard life of black americans
Emotional, raw and witty. Unique voice. Clear inspiration for Adele, but funkier. Not something I'd like to listen to often though, beside Back to Black, which is an old time favorite.
Interesting to see cover album here. Some of the rock songs covered are my favorites, but I can admit, Cash did them justice. Hurt sounds like a different tune (love both deeply). Bridge Over Troubled Water is too good as it was, no one beats SaG at duets, but is was a nice take. I Hung My Head've come home with this album. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is just beautiful. With Hurt, two of my favorites here. Personal Jesus by Cash sounds awkward to me, though piano is fun. Desperado suddenly turned into grandpa's loving pep talk, which fits the lyrics perfectly. Ironically, I've enjoyed Cash's own songs the least in the album. Apparently a different genre song covered by a country singer is as much country as I can take. As a whole American IV gives you an impression of wise old man contemplating his life, love and what will come after.
In most songs I found the vocals and the way it produced grating and hard to listen (Whispering Pines being the exception).
I found Sea Change utterly unmemorable maudling and bleak, especially vocal-wise. The only exciting moment came at the end of Lonesome Tears. However, the reviews made me check out previous Beck's works and I found them way more enjoyable. There is even some life to his voice and you can decipher words. Maybe if you follow his career in the right order, Sea Change gets a few points for being different?
It is such an American album from the title track to baseball nostalgia, I just feel like I am out of context here to really connect with lyrics even after reading up on it. Musically it haven't grasped me either.
Not my favorite of Bowie, but up there and a good introduction (I think HD is among the least wierd Bowie albums). Life on Mars is phenomenal, also, listening to early Bowie, I just noticed how well and clear Hunky Dory sounds (compared to, say, TMWSTW, which I still enjoy more bc mood).
Fun political fem punk. Listening to the whole album at once got me tired fast. They sound interesting, but songs are very alike and quite grating to the ear, which, yeah, fits the message alright. I think I'm going to enjoy Le Tigre way more one song at a time in a playlist (Deceptacon, Eau D'Bedroom Dancing and Hot Topic go in there for sure). Slideshow At Free University genuinely made me laugh. Interestingly, they may be an inspiration for some modern groups I enjoy.
The lyrics are cryptic and sad, the music is peaceful and 70s, no question about age here. I would probably say more about some songs, but got lulled to sleep in the middle.
So cheezy, so adolenscent... "I'm kissing the lips that I'm missing", "I love you madly, you treat me badly" - all right, gents, that's early stuff, got it. Still strange that The Beatles of Yesterday, Come Together and Eleanor Rigdy had blown up with this. It was a fun way to shake the dust off the legends.
21 reason why I don't like punk, or variations of noise. The idea of short biting tracks is interesting, but in reality they sound the same bad to me.
Now, this is a discovery, this is the music I want to dance on, despite the (probably? Couldn't find the lyrics) sombre message, or, likely, because of it. I think, I need to dig into desert blues now. Loved Soubour, Al Hassidi Terei and Desert Melody.
Beautiful vocals, very heartfelt performance and yet, this album is exactly the type of music that sounds great at dinner but on itself makes me want to nod off.
It seems to be an album that you either love to pieces, or get a bad headache from, and I'm among the last category.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Am I going to ever see the appeal of pure electronic?
This album took me some time to rate, because it seemed interesting, but for whatever reason I couldn't get into it.
Whenever I hear a snippet of any of the "sad" Cure songs, I think wow and check it out and then check out the album and then can't differentiate between that one song and any other in it. Somehow I like The Cure and don't. This album is just like that, it's full of songs I kind of enjoy, but can't memorize or really care about, which is tragic, because everything I know about the band and Mr Plant is awesome, and his voice is awesome, and they look like a perfect match to me. There wasn't a song I didn't like in 17 seconds, nor particularly loved, but I've picked M and A Forest as favorites.
Wild album. It feels like it should come with a Broadway show. Not very pleasing to the ear or profound, but a fun listen. Thank God It's No Christmas goes to Christmas playlists
If Johny Cash made me question the way I feel about country music for a moment, Dolly Parton set things stright back. I'm sorry, ladies, it sounds horrible.
Every Bruce Springsteen album here reminds me that I'm too young and non-American for a solid part of this list.
This is the fun one. Fits perfectly for a specific mood, while hardly being groundbreaking and having a bunch of really hideous tracks. The treak, I guess, is to not take Blur too seriously, but than, even Blur didn't take this album serious, why people try? On Your Own, You are So Great and Look inside America hurt my ears and Song 2 is ruined by all the commercials it was in. But Beetlebum, Country Sad Ballad Man, Death Of the Party and Strange News from Another Star are the highlights.
This album desperately needs weeding. Most of the songs are just weak. Others feel undercooked and would gain from having more time and effort spent on each of them. Music is repetitive, vocals go from bad to nice but as a whole this is unlistenable.
Listening to a rap album start to end is a big step out of my comfort zone. And in this case it was rewarded. Do I now like rap? No. But I can appreciate the idea behind this work (with the help of lyrics explanations, cause it requires deciphering), the choice of instrumentals, the production and musicality in "To Pimp A Butterfly". It also gives you something to think about beyond the sound. The biggest discovery on 1001 journey so far, because never ever would I just listen to it on my own.
This is an album of perfect OSTs that never were. There's so much space for something else in this album: be it a complimenting video, prominent instrumental solo or vocals from people actually opening their mouths for singing. What is on it is beautiful and stylish, but for most tracks it is not enough to grasp me emotionally or intellectually. Highlights: intro, Crystalised, Night Time.
I could never understand why that guy is so loved beyond doing big stages, this album changed nothing. Corny, gllib, squeaky, overproduced - truly Bad (excl. Smooth Criminal).
With all love to classic rock, The Rolling Stones were never among my favorites. They have great songs, but most of them aren't that interesting to me and kind of repetetive. Sticky Fingers is great as it has two songs I actually enjoy (Can't you hear me knocking and I Got the Blues) and one I love (Sister Morphine). As an album experience, I would gladly relisten to it second half, but the start was shaky.
I do appreciate the irony, but not so much the music here.
"the Beatles meets Simon and Garfunkel" it is. It's a very nice, chill album of guitars and vocal harmonies.
One of my favorites here, so, no discoveries, loads of love. Radiohead started with the music I loved as a teen (Street Spirit in my heart still) and moved to the music I do love now: complex and daring, but full of personality, musicality and feelings.
Everything by REM sounds alright to me, but this is far from their best. Document sounds really clear and well done, but no songs really stood out to me. Personally, I find murky sound of Murmurs and 90s R.E.M. more interesting.
Guitars played like balalaikas make me sad
This album has a bombastic start, Starman for a cherry on top in the middle, and good, but not great finish. I love that album, couldn't give it less than 5.
How did I miss Pulp? They sound like something that should have been on my radar for a long time now. Love the ridiculousness of the lyrics, the raw charisma of vocals, the social commentary hidden in between of all that drama, and the sound. No bad track on the album.
Main vocals are too torchuring to comprehend anything else about this.
I feel bad to automatically rate (almost!) every rap album low, but to me that sounds like an audiobook with bad background music.
This one hurt me. Tina Turner has got one of the most memorable, recognizable and emotionally charged voices of the time. I love her singing. Yet, I hate your typical 80s sound. Private dancer combines those two, and even has a cute cat on the cover, yet the good doesn't win here. I'm sorry, Tina.
The release date for this is sure respectable, but I found no joy in this outside of historical perspective.
I do appreciate how stylish, imaginative and well produced it is. Yet, I can't name a song on Archaandroid that grabbed my attention, or made me feel anything beyond intellectual approval. Another album that would be great as soundtrack or background music on a venue, but not as charged and encompassing as I prefer it to be.
I thought the generator is bugged, when I heard Teach Your Children again, but no, it is just same guys +1 giving me a Deja Vu. Contrary to common opinion, I actually prefer their earlier sound as just CSN.
The great randomize decided to feed me all Neil Young in the list this week. Maybe that why every new album sees me less enthusiastic. There are really bad songs on this one. Most are ok songs. I thought I'm going to love Broken Arrow for about half of the song. But overall it's not my cup of tea.
How did I only know one song from this album? I love it. Garbage provides charismatic vocal delivery layered over dark, hazy atmosphere. And the blending of genres stops it from being repetetive. The first half flies by effortlessly, and though the second does drag a bit, I'm willing to ignore it. Also, having Only Happy When It Rains in such a gloomy album is an ironic statement of respectable proportions.
I've had lots of fun reading this album's lyrics with commentaries. It was a blast. But as it is not just poetry, but a music album, I can't ignore how horrendous it sounds. Take the worst of the worst - 80s mess of generic synth music - and layer above a distinguished gentleman monotonous reading. It can't work and I'm shocked, that, apparently, at some point in time in Canada it did. Anyway, there are a whole bunch of covers that give lyrics justice, and that's the best thing about 'I'm your man' to me.
I found Doolittle to have lots of noise, hardly exemplary vocals, and cryptic lyrics saying everything and nothing in songs that sometimes end before they begin. And yet, it has its charm. By the middle, the Pixies had won me over with their energy—not unlike Nirvana in my school years, but minus Cobain’s voice and plus better music. It must be a rare album where I’d prefer to remove vocals on some tracks and just enjoy the wall of sound undisturbed (Dead, I’m looking at you). There’s just enough versatility here to keep things interesting, but not so much that the album starts to sound all over the place. That’s something I’ve started to appreciate more and more while going through the 1001 Albums list. Best: Monkey Gone to Heaven, Hey, Tame, Wave Of Mutilation Worst: Dead, Here Comes Your Man, Crackity Jones, La La Love You
We're Only in It for the Money is a sad example of an album, that should have been a stand up show. There are lots of very thick satire, noise and talking, and not nearly enough good music in it. As soon as I start liking a song, it gets ruined by the band's wish to be annoying. I take this album being included in the list as its authors' personal statement. Leave my psychedelic dungeons alone, Frank Zappa.
My soul is so dark, this type of feel good groovy funky music leaves me cold and uninterested. It is probably objectively good, but I can't recall a song from it, or a motive, or anything of note on the next day after listening to it.
Half of this album is sang better by someone else, originaly or as a cover. Another half failed to blow my mind either. I don't much appreciate this manner of singing, so, no surprises.
The Colour of Spring is an album that requires context. I'd listened to it mostly unaware of the band's history, and was confused. Checking out Talk Talk before and after 1986 explained things alright. Going from It's My Life to this is wild, yet, TCoS clearly takes a lot from their roots and steeps in a direction unknown at the time. The wind of change is strong in this one, and i love it. Percussion was surprisingly vivid, but the mixing gives shine to every instrument here. Even Harmonica didn't bother me too much. The Colour of Spring just sounds good. That Rolling Stone critic, who dropped the album rating, ruined his karma. What I didn't like as much is pounding one-liner choruses to infinity and beyond, yes, despite Life's What You Make It being an overall cool track. Mark Hollis has an awesome voice, I wouldn't mind hearing more of him here and there with some variety in lyrics and musical phrasing. I liked The Colour of Spring more on a second listen and that's telling. Best: I Don't Believe In You, Life's What You Make It, Chameleon Day.
As far as hip-hop goes, this is a fun album. Tough to the ears with so much shouting and longer than I'd prefer, but diverse and tasteful in motives and samples (espetially in the second half) enough to provide a good experience for a non hip hop fan. Best tracks: instrumental ones.
"I'll tell you this, no eternal reward will forgive us now / For wasting the dawn." I love Morrison as the lyricist and frontman. Even if much of this album doesn’t connect with me, when it does land - it lands. "I had money, yeah, I had none / But I never been so broke that I couldn't leave town." The first half of L.A. Woman is bluesier, more rock’n’roll Doors. While I adore The Changeling (and The WASP) lyrically, I generally prefer their heavier sound. But from L’America onward they deliver - apparently an unpopular opinion. Hyacinth House is as beautiful and tragic as the Greek myth it echoes, with instrumentation to match. And Riders on the Storm, despite overuse, remains iconic. That melody, the rainstorm backdrop, Morrison’s nonchalant delivery: a perfect fatalistic ode. It’s so monumental that the rest of the album pales in comparison. For me, this is an uneven record that builds toward the band’s peak artistry (Riders). A strong finale is great, but it also turnes L.A. Woman into a sort of waiting game. Favourites: Riders On the Storm, The Changeling, Hyacinth House
I'd known a handful of songs from Paranoid before, of course, but I'd never listened to it straight through - and what a mistake that was. The opening trio alone - War Pigs into Paranoid into Planet Caravan - is sick. A hard-hitting anti-war protest slams into a song about losing your mind, then drifts into mellow cosmic bliss. Even if the connection exists only in my head, I love the emotional whiplash - it shows the album's incredible range. And don't sleep on Planet Caravan - it is essential here. Then Iron Man kicks off the "tech horror" suite - all wicked riffs and apocalyptic imagery. Electric Funeral might be my favorite track, with its killer guitar run and nuclear dread hammering home War Pigs' message. Meanwhile, Hand of Doom and Fairies Wear Boots dissect other society's sicknesses. Paranoid might be the first perfect album I've encountered. It's dynamic yet concise, packed with bangers (zero filler), and balances raw energy with deep social commentary. Every melody sticks, every message lands. Truly music for both the mind and the heart.
This album starts with its worst, but gets better on the B-side, especially with the slower songs. I feel like energetic old-school hard rock about the pleasures of rockstar life didn’t age well in general. Can’t say I’m the biggest fan of the vocals here. Basically, nothing exciting happens vocal-wise through the album, though in some songs he sounds better than in others (Look At Last Nite). The instrumentals in Gudbuy Gudbuy shine (but repetitive one-word chorus grates fast). When you realize Ziggy and The Slider happened in the same year, Slayed? starts to sound dated and unimaginative too. Best: Look At Last Nite, Gudbuy Gudbuy, I Don't Mind
Somehow the things you know best are the hardest to rate. I've never aspired to be an objective judge of good taste (as art perception is inherently a subjective matter), but songs that I grew up with and know by heart from listening to the same 10 CDs over and over occupy a different space in my brain than any of the more recent findings. Say, Nirvana. I've heard Smells Like Teen Spirit so many times I kind of hate the song, but automatically want to start ugly dancing to it. I adored Come As You Are, Lithium, and Something In The Way before I could fathom what the hell they were even about. Kurt Cobain and Amy Lee were my first (and only truly star) crushes. That all being said, I haven't willingly listened to Nirvana in years. Nevermind is a crazily energetic album. You start jumping on SLTS, you don't exactly have time (and reason) to stop. Those messy 4 chords on repeat, a good rhythmic section and loud-quiet sequences work well. Kurt's voice is not for everyone, but I always found him very memorable and full of personality, which can be more important than technical perfection. Meanwhile, the lyrics can be pretty disturbing. Nevermind is filled with rage over a lot of things apparently, and a wish to be different, that managed to capture rebellious and secretly fragile teen spirit. "I'd rather be dead than cool" - said the author of the biggest party hymn of troubled youth on the same album that has Polly. It's hard for me nowadays to take Nirvana's protest as serious as they wanted it to be taken. Yet, it's a powerful album, that radically changed the musical landscape in the 90s for a reason, and provides a good listening experience (if you're in the right mood).
Chore of Enchantment suffers from little variation in mood and tempo, with an abundance of tracks that lull you to sleep. Songs like Raw feel less like a reprieve and more like a drag when you're already half-meditating. And I usually love chill music and slow-building tension. Satellite stands out in this album, not because it's necessarily better, but because it offers something different in a sea of samey songs. Take (almost) any song here separately, and it's really good. Some instrumental parts are refreshingly original. But after listening to Chore of Enchantment straight through once, I don’t think I’ll revisit the full experience anytime soon, even though I adore some tracks, the band’s sound, their poetry, and their experimentation. It leaves the impression of a 3-hour album instead of a 1-hour one. This enchantment is too potent to cast regularly. That said, I’ll definitely return to select songs and remix versions.
I used to have some weird disconnection with The Cure's music. Well, Pornography fixed it. Musically, it's so far my favourite album of theirs. I love how immersive it is. The Cure drag you into their dark, murky vision for 43 minutes and make you enjoy the ride. Distorted guitars, haunting slow drums, lots of bass and synth layers, and the way it's all produced makes the album feel raw and, in a way, more real. The imagery they paint here is quite nightmarish without being gruesome, and fits the sound well. It's music for feverish dreams, depression, mystic thrillers, or my everyday playlist. Very lovely. Not a song I didn't like on the tracklist, but my heart goes to the never-ending riff in The Figurehead.
As far as synthpop goes in my book, this is a nice album. Sounds better than most 80s-inspired contemporaries, to be honest. There's enough versatility and talent to provide a fun listening experience, though it's still music made more for dancing than for chilling alone at home in your headphones. I prefer lesser-known songs on Rio, like My Own Way, New Religion, and The Chauffeur, perhaps because they don't insist on drilling the chorus into your brain as much.
There is a lot of nice sentiment on this album. The lyrics seem heartfelt and intimate, so I guess I can see the appeal, but not hear it. Sound-wise, it is pure, crystallized country, with everything I don't like about the genre.
The music of 70-s, that sounds older than even that and not in a good way. Scratchy vocals, very country. I Don't Want to Discuss It instrumentals are kind of cool, but the constant reminders about being the singer's girl is not what I appreciate about early rock 'n' roll era.
Not my thing at all, genre-wise, but to be perfectly honest, this album doesn’t sound very appealing even when judged objectively (at least, as not a fan). The vocals are an acquired taste - I find that delivery exhausting. The instrumentals are pleasant but ultimately forgettable. Nothing here grabs your heart or intrigues the mind.
(One of?) my favorite Bowie albums of the 70s. Which is funny, because while it has none of my absolute favorite songs, if I want to listen to a full Bowie album, Station to Station would be my pick. First, it lacks songs I actively dislike, unlike most of his other albums. Golden Years isn’t a favorite, but it doesn’t derail the experience like *1984* does. No forgettable fillers or misfit tracks here. It just has a nice smooth flow through 6 tracks, giving enough variety, entertainment and drama. Second, Bowie sounds incredible here. His albums vary wildly in style and production quality, but StS nails both. I wish his earlier work had this clarity. Despite quite scary background and dark themes, the StS is very funky. That "we’re going down in flames" energy is palpable. And that touch of dark madness is why I prefer it over the sunnier Hunky Dory. Highlights: Station To Station, TVC15 (love the piano), Stay
I went into this album a bit afraid. Now I’m both more and less scared of thrash metal. I loved the drive, the skill, the mood - but do I wish it was instrumental. The vocals sound like they tortured the guy to make those noises. Or like they recorded a random fan shouting along at a concert. Meanwhile, the instruments are killer. The energy and flow are perfect. Too bad the vocals are ruining it all.
I found Kings of the Wild Frontier chaotic, energetic, inventive, repetitive, and generally annoying. The percussion and mood carry half the appeal. The other half is my begrudging respect for their ambitious concept. Not my thing, but undeniably interesting.
Foo Fighters is an okay alt-rock/grunge album, and as such, entirely forgettable. It delivers exactly what you’d expect from its era and genre, but nothing more. The songs are very samey. There's nothing to be surprised by, or excited about, it's just ok. Maybe growing up on alternative rock desensitized me to it. When a band brings nothing spectacular, it’s like listening to nature sounds - just swap birds and rain for distorted guitars and gravelly male vocals. Foo Fighters is the quintessential example of that effect.
Exile on Main St. is all vibe over quality. The Stones have earlier albums with better production, stronger songs. Hell, even Mick Jagger sounds like he needs a tune-up here. At times, the sound is so messy it’s painful. I get the appeal of controlled chaos in small doses, but this hour-plus slog wouldn’t lose a thing by cutting half its tracks. I suspect the love for Exile comes from its raw rock ‘n’ roll energy, the charm of one-take live recordings and devil-may-care attitude. But I'm still buffled by the accolades it gets. Rolling Stones simply made tighter albums (and just before this one too).
This could be so much better, had I not found Gaz Coombes' vocals in most songs here annoying. It’s not his voice, but the manner: there’s just too much of it. When he dials it back (like in Late In The Day’s opening or Hollow Little Reign), he actually shines. The music itself brings a lot of energy, fan and surprising diversity I appreciate, flipping between classic rock swagger and genuine creativity. The instrumental breaks, buoyed by crisp production, are the album’s real highlights. Lyrically, it’s classic Britpop: a muddle of earnest, whimsical, and downright nonsense. A tighter tracklist would’ve helped. As is, In It For The Money goes noticably harder in its first half, and frustratingly fumbles the finish. I’ve happilly saved a few tracks to playlists, but I don't think I'll be revisiting the full album. Highlights: Late In The Day, G-Song, Sun Hits The Sky, You Can See Me Why is this song here: Sometimes I Make You Sad
I listened to California two days ago and couldn't recall a thing about it now, except that it was not bad. Relistening led to the same conclusion: nice, but utterly unmemorable.
There's stripped-down, and then there's simply half-baked. Pink Moon's sparse arrangements and lo-fi recording leave me with painful flashbacks to my uni days, when everyone was practicing guitar at varying skill levels all time. The lyrics are so vague they barely register. Most tracks feel more like half-remembered lullabies than proper songs. Sure, "singer-songwriter" implies simplicity, but here I just don't get the appeal.
Rapture is a smooth and sophisticated work, built around Anita Baker’s vocals with minimalist arrangements. In a way, it sounds both older (lacking typical ‘80s signifiers) and modern in its timelessness. Anita Baker joins the ranks of gorgeous singers I feel I should love more. Her voice is beautiful: soothing, sensual, impeccably controlled. Yet soul music rarely moves me beyond aesthetic admiration, it seldom reaches that deeper emotional resonance.
I prefer their sound at its most haunting. Some instrumental breakdowns were welcome surprises, but overall the songs blend together making the full album a dull (if inoffensive) listen. The vocalist has a pleasant tone but does nothing memorable with it. Crocodiles just melds into the post-punk albums pile, never distinct enough to stand out.
Bombastic energy, great vocal manner, superb piano. What's not to love
It's like 3 good songs, 3 terrible, and a huge bunch of fillers. You won't convince me that the rating isn't for the name
Siouxsie’s sharp, controlled vocals and those prominent drums create the feel of a mystical war ritual. There are some killer guitar moments too (a reason forInto the Light being my favorite on Juju). That intense sound never lets up. It doesn’t offer much variety, but it builds an immersive mood perfectly. The lyrics range from witchy to horrifying (Head Cut, what the hell?) to clumsy social commentary, yet they fit the sound brilliantly. Coming from just knowing The Cure in goth rock, Siouxsie and the Banshees were a revelation. And with so few women on that 1001 Albums list, this was exactly the kind of discovery I’m here for.
Most of the time, alt-rock of the '90s-00s makes me space out. I blame growing up with this sound constantly around. Now, unless I concentrate hard on what I'm hearing, it all blends into the background. For whatever reason, Smashing Pumpkins were never quite popular in my friend circle; I couldn't even recall if I'd heard them until the *1001* project recommended Mellon Collie to me. And yet, Siamese Dream sounds about like everything else I remember from those years (or, probably, it's the other way around). So, this is my second try with the band, and I'm happy to say that, unlike Mellon Collie, I don't hate the vocals here. Corgan's delivery is very different (and much less painful). Too bad it's an earlier album. The reason I can't help but focus on the vocals and lyrics even more than usual is that the music itself is so familiar, it needs an extra "umph" factor to leave a deep impression. The tracklist could do without a few fillers but has a good flow. Closer to the end, the songs start to sound a bit samey. 15-year-old me would have dug this.
Very nice instrumentals, you feel the age, but still enjoy it
Water from an Ancient Well is an enjoyable jazz record that I'd never recognize if I heard it again. It also sounds more interesting when you read about the ideas behind it than when you actually listen to it.
This album is like a party you want to leave in the middle of. It doesn't sound bad at all, but the repetitiveness (my biggest gripe with electronica) gets old fast. It's not that long of an album, but I would enjoy it more if it were halved, I think. There's just no emotional journey, deep thought, or intricate musicianship to keep eight minutes of, say, Us v Them interesting.
Being raised by two metalheads, I hadn't even heard of Prince until recently. Looking at other reviews here, that may be a blessing. I'm coming into this with an open mind and zero expectations. Prince is surprisingly engaging vocally. Every song offers something different. That keeps things interesting for that hour and twenty minutes, but also makes it a mixed bag. Like, Sign "☮️" the Times may be my favourite here, and Starfish and Coffee is cute, but It and If I Was Your Girlfriend aren't that great, and Slow Love is unbearably cheesy, etc. It also feels more like a random collection of songs than a cohesive album. Funny how Prince's work turned out to be everything I expected (and didn't get) from MJ on this list: sexy, stylish R&B with a touch of social commentary.
I wonder how much effort it takes to sound so oblivious to the music around you? There's a certain charm to the vocals, but mostly it made me smile at how artificial this nonchalant manner is. And it is so in-your-face that one's enjoyment of the album is heavily dependent on whether one finds the vocals pleasant or annoying. In Ladybird I found the sound interesting, but by the end, that interest plummeted. Especially given that the best tracks on the album are the first two.
I'm really not a fan of the country sound. With that in mind, Gram Parsons isn't as bad as some other country artists on the list, but he fully embraces all the traits I don't appreciate about the genre. There's nothing particularly memorable or original about this album, but it does have some nice range, I guess.
I love early psychedelic music in all its unrestrained creativity. Small Faces embrace the weirdness, and I'm applauding them for it some fifty years later. The first half of Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake is a solid collection of psychedelic rock, offering a good variety in its delivery. Instrumental solos sound good, vocals sound good. Can't say I'm particularly enamored with any of them, but overall it's nice to listen to. The second half is a fairytale narration with corresponding songs. Well, why not? It's fun.
Looks like this list is going to drag me through the whole Stones' discography. The only bad thing is, my favourite album of theirs is already past. And their debut is far, far behind it in my personal ranking. The Rolling Stones is full of covers, original songs that sound like covers, harmonica, and blues that I'm not digging. It's not a bad album (especially compared to, say, The Beatles' debut), but it doesn't exactly shine in the band's vast catalogue. The potential is there, but I don't see a point in returning to this album except for curiosity about where they started.
Going through a lot of albums that are obviously not my cup of tea, especially from the same band, makes me feel a bit like a bully. But such is the way of discoveries, even if sometimes they are more about the history of music than enjoyment. I found Trans Europa Express more interesting than the ultimately android-like Die Mensch-Maschine, but still very unmoving. The most lively part of it is the vocals in Spiegelsaal, which is the most lovely track here. Thankfully, Kraftwerk are those super-influential pioneers who can do without my love.
With some albums it's literally down to you liking or not the genre, because theres no step out of it. To me this is the epitome of lame music
Funny how I disliked half of this album and loved the other - the exact opposite of the common consensus. Yes, the first half is more original and fun, I guess, but the piano parts are the best on the album, and they absolutely shine in Sly. And Vein Melter is such a tasteful thing. Meanwhile, Chameleon threw me all over the place in terms of my impression, and Watermelon Man's start is not something I'd want to listen to repeatedly.
It's hard not to think of Bowie, listening to Mott, and the comparision is crushing. Putting that aside, vocals are grating, music is pompous and theatrical without irony, hotness and creativity I appreciate about glam. Some instrumantal parts are jarring (All the Way From Memohis, I'm looking at you), most are just unmemorable. Violence chorus is pretty fun, but I'm not the fan overall.
I am surprised by how much I liked it, especially considering my general lack of love for Rod Stewart's vocals. But Jeff Beck's guitar work and compositions here really caught me. The instruments on the album sound gorgeous and clear. Somehow, Truth hits the perfect mix of blues and hard rock for my taste.
I'm not the biggest punk rock admirer, but what I usually do appreciate about the genre is the energy. If a punk album doesn't charge you up, the deliberate simplicity and abruptness get old pretty fast. The Clash seem to walk the middle road here, mixing genres and making things more interesting compositionally, but the spark is lost for me. For most of this album, I was bored. The only point in this hour-long album where I felt like waking up was Lost In the Supermarket, but after that, things turned ska (and that's rarely a good turn for me). Nothing else quite stood out, and between repetitive songs and pretty rough vocals, I utterly failed to get into London Calling.
That's pretty terrible, being a live jam is the only excuse
This album has grown on me from R&R to Dream Attack on a relisten. I always feel that synthpop has great potential to be annoying, and the happier the song sounds, the worse it is. Maybe it's just my love for sad and dark music. Anyway, the less dancey New Order gets, the more I enjoy it. Technique sets a pleasantly chill mood, mostly due to the vocalist's very detached delivery, which works great with the more energetic music. He's got a very nice timbre, which adds a lot to the overall impression.
My second album from the group, and what growth. Everything that sounded nice but empty in Crocodiles is still here in Ocean Rain, but now filled with beautiful imagery and orchestral backup. Something about this album makes it a perfect soundtrack for long walks at night, sky watching, chilling at the beach in the off-season, and the like. I haven't tried it yet, but now I wish to. Maybe it's the echoing effects on the vocals that give the impression of wide space. Maybe it's the vague poetry of the lyrics that teases the imagination (especially the "c-c-c-cabbage" songs, of course) without being too serious. Anyway, I love it.
Given my general preference for doom and gloom, this may be the most cheerful album I've actually enjoyed (ok, there was also Little Richard). Songs... is full of a not-cheesy wholesomeness that's rare to find. From wishes for love to societal issues, this album talks about life in a very intimate, grown-up, and uplifting way—not ignoring problems, but keeping a positive outlook. The lyrics are pretty straightforward; there's not much poetry to find. It's more of a pleasant conversation that'll still leave you with something to think about. Music-wise, this album is a wonder: 1.5 hours long, and it doesn't get boring or repetitive, yet stays cohesive. Every song offers something new in terms of sound but sticks to the general vibe. The piano is beautiful. Sampling baby speech is a ballsy move I could live without. Some of these songs are too sweet for me to take regularly, and the harmonica should be banned, but overall, this is a great album.
Ever since JT became the hottest pop-boy for parent-approved parties at my school, I couldn't stand the guy. I wouldn't touch anything with his name on it with a ten-foot pole. I still think of any breathy, high, nasal, plastic male pop star as a JT 2.0 and cringe hard. So, I can admit, the guy left an impression. But opinions change with time, so I gave Justified an honest try for the sake of this whole 1001 Albums experiment. And, well... baby me was wise beyond her years. There are a couple of nice beats, but not nearly enough for an hour-long album. The only thing that's changed with years is that now I can understand the lyrics and suffer from that, too.
I heard some Sepultura back in school and just remembered them as being loud. Nowadays, that loudness holds more nuance and appeal. This is also the first full album of theirs I've heard, and it's pretty consistent and energetic. There are some awesome instrumental moments here and there, but I can't say I got really involved into music at any point of "Arise". Looks like "awesome music, please delete vocals" is going to be my universal impression when it comes to thrash metal.
Way to be hot in music. This is what I categorize as "dating music." It's soulful, stylish, romantic, and a bit dreamy. It's not what I'd prefer listening to daily, but it's unquestionably beautiful. Honestly, this album's biggest downside is that it opens with its strongest song and never quite reaches that high again.
This was an interesting experience, but I have very mixed feelings about Kenya. I love the rhythm section throughout the album; it's just superb. The Afro-Cuban motifs are very catchy too, but I can't say they always blend well with, well, jazz as we know it. Parts of the album are both groovy and expressive, but in others, the wind section ruins the aesthetics for me, as it's just too jarring.