I am listening to a 1997 CD version with these bonus tracks:
12. "You Got a Reputation" Tim Hardin 3:08
13. "Lazy Days" Gram Parsons 3:26
14. "Pretty Polly" trad, arr. Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman 2:53
15. "The Christian Life" (Rehearsal – Take #11) Charles Louvin, Ira Louvin 2:55
16. "Life in Prison" (Rehearsal – Take #11) Merle Haggard, Jelly Sanders 2:59
17. "You're Still on My Mind" (Rehearsal – Take #43) Luke McDaniel 2:29
18. "One Hundred Years from Now" (Rehearsal – Take #2) Gram Parsons 3:20
19. "All I Have Are Memories" (Instrumental)
I've listened to this album several times over the years. Always loved it. Some of the reviews sound like those who would've hated Dylan for going to rock from folk. Open your minds, folks.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
1. The Suburbs: Toe-tapping, the piano picks up the pace, great singing, plaintive, great guitar in the background: I didn't like this song at the beginning, but the piano, the vocals, the beat got me...thumbs up. My heads bobbing now. Yep, I like this! Thumbs up to track 1. " We were already, already bored." yes we were..... TBH, I never lived in the suburbs; maybe in Germany? But that wasn't my house. It was my girlfriend's parents. So not really me living there. (We eventually broke up, my fault 100%, I am a cheating MFer.)
Thumbs up to track 1.
Question 1: Is this a concept album? Need the lyrics for the album. My player has provided the lyrics...yes! MUCH BETTER.
2. Ready To Start: Good
3. Modern Man: Great, obviously. There's a reason a song becomes a hit. Plus, you can sing along.
4. Rococo: "They build it up just to burn it back down..." Okay. That line makes sense. Good.
5. Empty Room: I don't speak/understand French, unfortunately. Probably doesn't matter. Enough said: When I'm by myself I can be myself....
6. City With No Children: Well, personally, as an older man in a long-term relationship with a woman, and no children (DINKs), I don't miss having children, personally. We did take in a nephew when he was just becoming a teenager: 13 or 14 years old. That was enough parenting for me...(laughing).
7. Half Light I: a bit slow this one.... This not a celebration either. Just saying. Okay that's a dud.
8. Half Light II (No Celebration): Dud 2.... But I do like this line: "Some people say we've already lost
But they're afraid to pay the cost for what we've lost
Pay the cost for what we've lost" Yeah, still paying for that loss....
9. Suburban War: Just a great song. Most excellent.
10. Month of May: Rocker! Love it...worth the price of admission. Have to say this is my favorite song so far.
11. Wasted Hours: Not my favorite. Screeching brakes on the energy from MoM...yuck.
12. Deep Blue: A song about a computer chess program? Nah....
13. We Used To Wait: A song about pining for waiting for letters/the mail? Okay, I guess. That's quaint. And the US elected Trump...it's gotten worse.
14. Sprawl I (Flatland): Both of these songs are good, this one is better than II though.
15. Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains): Kind of disco...not my thing.
16. The Suburbs (Continued): And we exit with strings....okay.
This one's easy...what more could I add?
Honestly, this is my 2nd favorite Prince album. I like Dirty Mind more. But I like this album (just slightly) more than Purple Rain. And I love Purple Rain.
HaHaHa...is there any question this is 5-star material. Strong guitar, drumming, backing musicians, great material. What rock group would not have given a right (and a left) nut for such a banger opening track? Then getting down/dirty with Sway. Wild Horses? Maybe the best song on this album full of best of... material?
5.
One bad track. The rest are classic funky psychedelia/jams
I loved this album. I hadn't really listened to the several albums I have of The Beta Band, but I am impressed. I need to get more of this and give it a listen. Well done
I am a Neil Young fan and this is one of my favorite albums of his. I can listen to it at any time and any day. I regularly listen to it. So easy to give this 5 stars....
Without You is definitely a great song and played out in the early 70s. And Coconut was a great funny song and also everywhere in the 70s. Otherwise, I'm glad I listened to this...but really most of these songs are at best not horrible. Middle of the road....
Some really great songs: That Lady, Summer Breeze. But also some not so good. But the good ones are truly great.
Not my cup of tea. To be honest, a bit boring. There's better heavy music than this shite.
Not my cup of tea, really. But also, I listened to the whole album and enjoyed many of the cuts. Something new every day....
Dense. Very difficult to find.
Great. I am not a fan of the big hair, but this rocks.
Good: Beechwood Park, Hang Up On A Dream, Butcher's Tale, Friends of Mine, Time of the Season
Okay: Care of Cell 44, A Rose For Emily, Brief Candles, Hung up on a Dream, Changes, I want her...., This will be our year
Overwrought: Maybe After He's Gone,
Surprised how overwrought most of this album is. A bit fey and outdated...., some other 1968 albums which are better imo: Lady Soul, Big Pink, White Album, Cheap Thrills, John Wesley Hardy, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Strictly Personal, Hurdy Gurdy Man, Waiting For the Sun, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Crown of Creation, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, several John Fahey albums, Live at Folsom Prison, Mama Tried, Beggars Banquet, The Circle Game, Astral Weeks,
a classic indie band album. I love this album. And of course it's hilarious too.
Not as great as the best Smith albums, but good enough.
A great album, one of rock's best double whammy albums. I like Beggars Banquet more (Stray Cat Blues is sooooo nasty!), but this is a late-prime Stones rocker. Near perfection.
Not a bad song and a couple very great songs (Tanto Tempo, August Day, So Nice). What's wrong about great background music. Man, one's probably going to get some, too. Is that a bad thing? Life is short and enjoying some downtempo with a "friend" is a way to make it memorable.
Man...I liked this album but the first 2 songs did nothing for me. And still I think this album/band is like nothing else I actually really like. I have most of their stuff (MP3s) yet I don't think I've listened to most of them. Something grating or rhythmically to weird. I'm perplexed so 3 stars it is....
Le Freak is an unbelievable dance song. The rest of the album is much less enjoyable. That being said, I never stopped toe tapping and I could imagine dancing (in the right venue) to these songs. Came out the same year as The Scream, and I liked this better.
I've enjoyed versions of these songs and this album for years. Well-liked here. Easy rating....
I just listened to this one about a week ago. I probably play this album 3 - 6 times a year...because of the amazing grooves that start the album: Flying High, Not so sweet..., Death...by this time I am committed, happily!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OMG...this is horrible. I think we should play this on repeat for at least 24 hours to a certain shackled world leader and hope for the best. There is no way that world leader would survive and we'd all go back to being somewhat better Americans. No other word can describe this: torturous.
nope. No like this bland easy-listening stuff. ⭐
I don't hate any tracks. I don't love any tracks (tracks 2 & 8 were good in that at least they were memorable). It sort of just sits there, no flash, no grab, and a bit of fury. But after 3 songs, I was a bit bored. Could I listen to this once in a blue moon? Sure if on random-album mode. Would I choose to listen? Nope. But if it came on I'd probably listen to 5 (plus track 8) tracks before going, "okay, that's enough." Track 8 at least had a change of pace (at the beginning), there's that...and oddly, that's probably my fave track. The rest just blends into the background of yelling and heavy drumming. (2nd listen, I also liked track 2. Yeah, I'd be in the pit for that!)
Just read the backstory to this album...RIP CB. Still: ⭐⭐⭐(2.99999...)
Sentimentally, 5 stars, right? But really, at best, there's some good (not great) tracks, but all in all, it's an old man's voice with a song itself that's great but Johnny Cash's voice/delivery is the weak link (Hurt, Personal Jesus, In My Life, etc.). I may want to hear these tracks, but not the majority because really they aren't that enjoyable (for me).
Not particularly noteworthy...
After that boring ELP crap...this is gold! Not wankers.
Thank you 1001 rock-gods, actual rock and not wankers.
Such a great album, gives me warm fuzzies....
Damn, we need 6 stars...where the (other) boys mark a line in the white Dover chalk! and claim not the Beatles!
Is it any wonder that Ronnie Lane became a Stone? And there was a time when Rod Stewart wasn't a punch line.... If you don't want a beer and a dirty dance...check your pulse
Very solid 1st album. I enjoyed most of the cuts even though some of them seemed sonically similar to Nirvana tunes. But is that a bad thing?
Interesting music. Never heard of it before today. And I am impressed. Deserved place on this list....
1. War Pigs: Turn it up....the ur-gods of sludge...I am hooked.
2. Paranoid: Even better.
3. Planet Caravan: turn it down boys...let Ozzy sing with a Led Z groove behind. Oh and Tony gets to doodle at about 2:30 mark.
4. Iron Man...massively influential. Tony's guitar parts are now cliche but back then...rage. And Bill's drumming: worth the price of admission.
5. Electric Funeral: such a funk guitar intro, before Ozzy snarls. Tony is bending strings.
6. Hand of Doom. Watcha gonna do?....play some metal, that's what.
7. Rat Salad. Instrumental.
8. Fairies Wear Boot. What a way to end a classic rock metal album.
Okay...I'll listen to again, but it's not my new fave album.
3 or 4??? I'm leaning up...so I'll go with the higher mark.
Starts with a bang, but not as exciting from there. Still, it's enjoyable and I did quite like Skidmarks On My Heart...I will listen to this occasionally for the remainder of my years. No doubt
Hell, yes. Something interesting, loud, abrasive, and I love it....
From Lightning Bolt to Deerhunter...the universe has a sense of humor, and good musical taste!
Thanks universe!
Banal....
Couldn't even make it past the 1st cut
Will try again tomorrow
Horrible. Simply horrible. Is it just one track with different words....
I regularly listen to this album. It's a go-to Sunday morning dink around the house background. Plus it's just so relaxing, no matter when/where. This was an easy rating...and washes out the bile I was feeling having spent any time wasted on Linkin Park.
Sad world we live in now, without Ozzy.
A good, not great, Sabbath album. But compared to Linkin Park, it goes to 11. This will get 4 stars
Really, this hasn't aged well and I don't think many of these 70s/80s albums were something special to that older crowd, yacht-rock lovers. But really, this is just banal studio work. Great, Todd. But learn to play well with others. Another voice in the room might've pulled you back from the general boring shite this is.
The 1st 2 tracks are truly awesome and then it just drops off the cliff into a pile of boring shite. And then to make matters worse, we have CD filler for a 2nd album/disc. OMG...crap!
Yes, this is real. Not some wanker in the studio, self-satisfied bloke who thinks more of himself than he should. Plus, the crown noise is almost erotic with their love. Great album....
1. Overwrought
2. Even worse
3. I'm starting to think that because a rock outfit has strings and orchestral backing, people assume a band is deep and meaningful...well, no. (Suede, Blur, hell, even Oasis are NOT this overwrought. Please stop them from embarrassing themselves and all of us who love "Britpop" This is just crap....)
4. If you were a horse (at first I thought they were singing "whore" which at least might have been a bit edgy)? This is getting ridiculous. Please kill me....
5. If I were you, I'd not have made this crappy song and worse album. I would've put away the strings and the pretense, I definitely would've galloped off...away from you because you're a hack whacker. (Luckily, this might be last time I will ever listen to this crap. I'm going to make the whole 7 songs, but I vote this as one of the worst experiences of Britpop I've ever experienced. Embarrassing.)
6. Puerile. Dammit, it keeps getting more horrible.
7. This guy keeps singing about animals...maybe he is really a pervert who thinks he's funny? This is not cute, nor clever, not even particularly witty.
This might be the worse "best" album ever put on vinyl, plastic, etched anywhere at any time. I'll need to purge this bad bad britpop with some truly excellent stuff by Blur, Suede, Verve, hell even Oasis. Please shoot this guy...the best thing I can say about it was that it was thankfully short and did end before I killed myself.
This album went to -11. I need some better Britpop music. I'll start with Blur (1997)...just about 1 minute in I'm feeling better (Beetlebum, thank you.) And Woo hoo!!!!
I had this in my MP3 collection. But never listened to it.
WOW! Genius is thrown around, probably too much. But Miles had it...here's an example.
this is in my big beat 10, plus in a 1001 albums to listen before burial.
Well deserved accolades 5 big beat stars
Only 2 songs were not 4/5 stars: Crippled Inside and How?
The rest were 4 or 5 stars with most of these 5 stars.
I could and will listen to this going forward....
I prefer the more bare-bones blues (re: Plays and Sings the Blues). But hey, this is damn good, too. 5 easy stars
Whether it is or not, feels like a concept album (what that concept is, I am not certain). But there is a depth to this album, an effort to make a great album, musically and thematically. I really didn't hate any track and I really enjoyed most of the songs. 5 stars...pretty satisfying.
1st album I ever bought. I saw him live at the old Memorial Coliseum in PDX. I was 12. We were way in the back but high up and directly in the middle of the stage so far away. Great experience. You only get to see Elton for the 1st one time. Well worth it.
Pretty good album. I don't much like the person, but he can write some great songs. Yes, he can.
Banal. This is not an impressive album, not even the title track. And the rest is just an excuse to be bored. Sweet Dreams is a great hit/song. But the rest, yikes!
This is better than the Eurythmics. But still, what she will do next, this pales...
Yes, as a man, he was a POS. But man could he rock. I am not judging the man here. This about the music and the show he put on...and just WOW! Jerry Lewis and the Nashville Teens? Humor or horror. This is f'ing rock and roll....
Over Produced, Songs just kind of sound banal. Not bad but nothing that I found exciting. I can't even say I could dance to any of these songs. Unremarkable. Banal. Boring. Where's the passion? This is not rock or roll. This is just (indie/alt) pop, but pop first/foremost.
Good songs: I've had it (still boring though)
Bad songs: Put me on top
Okay Songs: Stupid Thing, Say Anything, Jacob Marley's Chain, Mr. Harris, I could hurt you now, I know there's a word, way back when
Is there a band that's more feel than real? I have tried several lyrics sites...and I still don't think anyone has gotten these lyrics right. but like I said, it is the feel of the music not the exact words.
I still loved this album: 5/5
Grooves strong with this one.
Not much more to say...perfection
1 of 3 must-have Pixie albums....
Too much Paul. The Beatles (as we knew them) were done. To me, this album is banal and over-wrought. We still miss you, John. This is as close as a good album can be to a mediocre, run-of-the-mill effort. But there are great songs, even if they are sugar-shite. 3.51 = 4 stars
I listened to both David Bowie's and Iggy's mixes. As noted by many, including other Stooges, Bowie's mix sounds much better. Iggy's mix sounded a bit tinny/hollow. But hell, I could've mixed it and this album would've blown the doors off....If I could rate "to 11," this album would be it....11 stars!!!
Okay, I am not going to listen to this fully. Some of their hits are wonderful (and I can sing the words to all these songs, well, because I am of a certain age and I listened to the radio in the smallish Oregon town from whence I came): Dancing Queen, Take A Chance..., Mamma Mia, SOS, Fernando, Waterloo....
But that next level? I hope I never hear those songs ever again. And this album is full of next level "ABBA hits," which aren't hits at all (at least in my opinion). I listened to a sampling of that album and I wasn't impressed. Swedish (European) pop is puerile and I don't care who I insult.
This album, even in a short/truncated version, was banal. No way this album should be included in a best of/1001 albums to hear before you die. When I pass, I will not (repeat, NOT) regret ever hearing the full album of this shite! Please...this is an insult to about 5 Beatles albums that didn't make this list, several Rolling Stones albums not to mention some albums that will never make these lists by artists such as Mark Lanegan, Cat Power, Mount Eerie, Felt, Andrew Bird, Bad Brains, Engine Kid, Kyuss, Mimi/Richard Fariña, etc., etc.... Yikes, this was just horrid. -11 stars.
Great album. Well-deserved accolades. Loved it. I will most definitely listen to this again, pre-death.
Here we are again living in a dystopian nightmare, with a regime far more disturbing than what even these guys could imagine. Why does this governance keep getting worse and more dictatorial? But always dressed up in red? and massively long red ties...
While listening to these nightmare-describing songs, I only dread our present reality more deeply. That this was describing a world almost 30 years in the past...if only there were a god to save us. I'd be a believer. But this is the hell we have, still, but it goes to 11....
A hauntingly, disturbingly beautiful look into our dystopia, like a sonic bottle in the ocean from 1997.
Not my genre...I listened to one track. That was enough.
yes: 1,2,5,7,8,9,11,
no: 3,4,6,10,12,13
The bad songs were maudlin.
The good songs were just great pop songs/covers.
They really did credit to Dylan songs or maybe the Dylan songs were just great.
An uneven album that has no direction....
trip-hop, downtempo (yeah I could groove to this in the lounge.)
yes: 1 (definitely, banger start!),2 (another banger),4,5,7,8,9
no:
maybe: 3,6
4 stars...I will listen to this album again. But I might think of skipping a couple tracks...who knows what mood I'm in.
I don't really like Oranges & Lemons. 2*
I like Skylarking quite a bit. 4*
This album lands in the middle. 3*
It starts out with a WTF? then Colin starts singing and it's okay. Definitely a change but not in a bad way. I will definitely listen to this again, because it's interesting.
But I don't get all the Beatles comparisons. What Beatles album, specifically, does this sound like? I personally don't hear it.
I like Three Ragas much more, but this is a great album, though the talking/discussions in An Introduction... does nothing for me. We have YouTube for these things nowadays. But once the players start just playing, it's exquisite. A very fine introduction to sounds of India.
"Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify?
Are you ready?
I give you a testimonial, the MC5"!!!!
F.... yeah!!!!!
Enjoyed this much more than I expected...but wow, talk about fat. This is fat by about a 3rd. Still the tracks that are good are actually great. Which offset the throw-aways (my opinion). I walked in thinking this was gonna suck. But by about the 5th cut, I was blaming my ignorance. And I think this has to be a 5 star because it's an obviously important set of songs. Gotta give it to them....
Good: Bad, The way you make me feel
Bad: everything else...just horrid
Sometimes you just gotta admit that the masses don't know shit....
2 stars
Powerful, insightful, scary, a driving force that just pulses throughout. I didn't hear a single wasted cut on this album. Perfection.
A compilation album which seems (to me) to be a cheating. But here you go. I can't penalize the artist for the choices made by someone/a group years later...these are pretty great cuts. His best work? not by a margin. But better than half of what we have to trudge through here? Hell, yes. 4 stars.
Unique music, vocalization, harmonies...All in all, a great album that warrants its appreciation. I was impressed with every song, but especially Stillness Is The Move. Every song was great not just good. Stillness was exceptional on an exceptional album.
Great album. Cutter is an exceptional cut. But...I am still partial to the 2 earlier albums, especially Crocodile. Man, Crocodile made me a post-punk fan. Absolutely. But still, Porcupine is exceptional.
This album conjures up the year I fall in love with my wife, the summer we met and the summer we worked together doing timber/veg research plots in California, Oregon, and Washington. Magic, simply magic....
Nothing more to add. 5 solid gold stars.
I was not a fan of this album. Upon first (2nd, 3rd...) listen I was so biased because of Ziggy and Diamond Dogs (which I absolutely loved) that I could not give a non-biased ear to this album. Then I moved to Germany and spent so much time in Berlin with my then girlfriend (mid-80s to mid-90s)...and I absorbed so much of the grungy Berlin/German underground music scene. And it dawned on me: I loved this album . If you ever nodded out at the Frankfurt bahnhof, missed your train to Berlin (before the wall came down) and met your junky friends (Germans and GIs) behind the wall, you'll get more of why this album means so much to a gen-X German/American crowd. Warszawa was about the time you'd be nodding out...popping into/out of your nod while the rest of the album played on...and hopefully some of your friends (Germans, Americans, New Zealanders...) could keep you safe enough to see another sun....
First hearing this. Quite enjoyable, to be honest. It's not perfect, some of the tracks not quite that good. But there's enough that is quality to keep this in the 4 star realm.
I am not particularly into metal because I often find it overwrought, self-important, gibberish. Any day of the week, give me punk. But this was better than most, which is usually somewhere in the middling range. I will listen to this again.
I was still in high school and listening to southern rock bands (sometime late in my HS years, I went to a Dead concert which also included Eddie Money and some now forgotten "southern rock" band (.38 special?) at Autzen in Eugene OR). I did start listening to Talking Heads around then. But THIS band? Nope... That was out of my wheelhouse. My bad.... If I had listened to these guys then, man, I'd be (almost) cool. But when you grow up in southern Oregon, you're bound to be at least 20 years behind the times. In this case 45 years....) I missed out. 4 outta 5 stars.
I liked about half these songs, but the album kind of peters out (in my opinion) at the end: 4 awesome songs, 3 great songs, and 3 meh songs, which unfortunately end the album. Which left a bad taste in my mouth. This album should probably be a 4 star, but I have to be honest: those 3 last songs really blew it for me. 3 stars, good but not great and certainly not awesome.
C'mon challenge me....5 big gold stars.
Dum Dum Diddle? That's about right. I've said it before and I am going to say it again: there's only 1 kind of ABBA album, best ofs or Gold...otherwise you get crap upon crap, loads of crap...-5 stars, aka 1 star.
Not everybody is gonna like CCR...especially when they get jamming to start an album. Well, yesterday I had to listen to ABBA...fuck me! That sucked.
This does NOT suck! Give me CCR any day, any time, any year over ABBA. 5 fricking cow bells a-ringing!
I've listened to this album so many times. When I saw this pop up in my list, I was certain that most people would dislike her: the voice, the weird musical timing/wording and, honestly, spoken poetry. Understandably, not for everyone. I am one who has loved her music/songs for years and will continue to look forward to anything she's putting out. Today, I listened to this album 3 times, with an emotional response each time. But I do understand that many would not like her at all. I am just in the other camp: I love this. Give me more.....
Not even remotely. Horrible. At least the last song reminded me of Chit: Do it (lady)! Hopefully, I'll never have to listen to this again. 1 star.
Middle of the road trip-hop/downtempo chill music. Definitely has its place in my rotation. But barely...still, it's not horrid, completely.
Simply a great album. I don't think I can add anything to the accolades already given.
I wasn't exactly excited to listen to this...well, surprise, I really liked this music. Much more than expected. Thanks for the awakening.
Wow, okay, another one I wasn't expecting to enjoy. But, just wow! This will be on a regular rotation.
I can't even begin to reckon how many times I've listened to this album over the years...and how many more times I will listen as I head to no-more-land. But I will enjoy as much if not more as the 1st time I listened. Great album. Perhaps my fave....
A bit too cerebral for my tastes. That being said, I suppose this album/music has it time and place. I can't judge whether his playing is phenomenal or not, but for just over an hour I was engaged enough to lose myself in his playing. I'll definitely listen to this again, right time and all.
I've been to many a fest and when a group does this sort/kind of music...a large group of people, front to back, are dancing in unison to that beat. You gotta dance and nothing better than folks bouncing to that beat. Delirious. I prefer their album Chill Out (echoes of which you can hear here on "Build a Fire"), but this is pretty damn good as well. 4 solid bouncing stars.
Hated it then, hate it now.
Banal. Yikes. But better than Meatloaf.
What more can be said? At a little over 27 minutes, we get a frenetic blast of early rock and roll that just puts a smile on my face. Sure, it's a bit puerile, but hey this about fun, not thinking. And can you imagine how those who were listening to this when it first came out in the the late '50s feel/felt? No wonder so many rock legends point to Little Richard and acknowledge his influence. And talk about sexual confusion...now that's a bit of a tragedy in my mind. Without a doubt a big bunch of stars: it goes to infinity and beyond!
5-star songs (except Lip Service and Night Rally which is thematically brilliant) that I can sing along with even the ones that aren't 5-stars...incredible album...
Costello is such a snark and he's even aged well...
"...You think they're so dumb, you think they're so funny
Wait until they've got you running to the
Night rally, night rally, night rally..."
America, wake up!
That was kind of boring...like in a artsy-fartsy way. Sure, I guess this was an attempt to be so anti- that it was anti-anti or no anti. And I hope I don't have to listen to this again. 2 stars
Ok is right, just okay. Better than Suicide the band/album, but mostly because I suppose this guy to be mostly not too "head up his ass" superior to the rest of us. And I suppose on the right drugs I could dance to this. There are no drugs druggy enough to save us from Suicide (literally).
Some of the songs were okay but most were too this or too that. I don't need x-tian piety. But they are better than Suicide...fact! 2 stars.
Roundabout and filler. Roundabout is undoubtedly a great song. Filler is shite. For 1 good song one gets a load of nothing. Jesus himself would turn over in his grave. This goes to -11.
Great album. I've listened to this so often. So, yeah I like it. I think Morrison Hotel is better but one can nitpick here. 4 solid stars.
Papa & 1st Time: gold classic songs.
And the rest are solid songs. Do your thing stands out. Just a great funk album.
Great music and obviously Marvin Gaye's voice was outstanding and distinct. This is a classic album and deserves to be recognized: 5 stars.
It's the Beatles. Enough said....5 stars.
This here is exactly why one does a project like this. I'm in my mid-60s. I listen to a lot of music and many different genres (admittedly my faves are punk/post-punk bands) and today I received this gift from the music-gods (as unreal as any other gods, but there you go). Thank you sky-genies for bringing this into my life. Yes...5 stars! (Now I will check out his/their back-catalog...more music for my MP3 library!)
I like Britpop, so I'm disposed to finding this music palatable. But it took me a couple of listens, maybe the correct mood and finally I got there. That being said, if I never hear Re-instated again, I'll be pretty happy. Otherwise, I'll be listening to this in the future.
Damn, I was not even going to listen...just write something snarky. But that's not fair, so I listened: Shit this stuff is good. Really good. I am impressed. I enjoyed this stuff, a lot. Bueno! Not the interludes, but the actual stories/songs. Good. 5 solid stars.
I am not a fan of (pure) pop music of the singer/songwriter bent. And this is an easy listen for this type of music. That being said, this is just pop music and is not my preferred listen. I don't won't to bag on it. So, to be fair and not just a bastard about it...3 good stars. I also see that the next one 25(?} is coming up...oh great.
This is a marginal 4 star for me. It starts with a bang and then it's hit/miss the rest of the way:
Can't miss tracks: Metal Guru, Baby Boomerang, Buick McKane.
Not so much: Rock On, Spaceball Ricochet, Rabbit Fighter, Chariot Choogle, Main Man.
The rest....
All told: Good almost great: 3.51 stars > 4 stars
I bought this LP in (probably) 1979. I don't remember what prompted me to buy it, but it was my first Thin Lizzy album...so I have history with this release. And did I ever listen to it. However, that album did not survive my moving to Germany, somewhere lost before moving there or back. Too bad. It would be a jewel in my LP collection. So it goes...now it's just an MP3 (with accumulated memories). A strong 4.
Okay, I was ready to give this album (maybe?) 1 or 2 stars because the first 3 songs were so horrible (the album should have started with No More Mr. Nice Guy which is a banger) but luckily Billion $ babies was a good (not great song). But after that inauspicious start, the music/songs were good to great. I particularly liked No More Mr. Nice Guy, Billion Dollar Babies, Unfinished Sweet, I Love the Dead. But those first 3 songs almost ruined the whole experience for me. Then that 2nd side saved the album: 3 stars.
Okay, I am not certain whether I'm going to like this album now. Maybe 50 years ago. But now? Well, here it goes. An extended jazz-rock jam without lyrics: okay, not horrible but does it still resonate with all the intervening years? Not really, seems dated. And now some lyrics, but kind of banal musically and lyrically. Winwood can sing though. But do the words make themselves available to a new century. Seems dated. Empty Pages is a great song as is Stranger To Himself which is also musically interesting with a little guitar jam: okay there we go. John Barleycorn: are we listening to some Fairport now? (Which to say, I love me some Fairport. And I still miss Sandy Denny...RIP).
I think this album should have been re-tracked:
Side One (over 15 minutes)
1. John Barleycorn (with a female lead/co-lead, a folky lead song, let's lean into the folky element)
2. Stranger To Himself (a bit jazzy upbeat)
3. Freedom Rider (that great flute!)
Side 2 (18 minutes or so?)
1. Glad (an upbeat instrumental in the middle)
2. Empty Pages (a nice groove)
3. Every Mother's Son (a great end to this album)
Of course, Emmylou has a wonder/beautiful voice. The songs she chooses to sing here are good, as far as this genre goes (let me call it Americana). But after a while I'm a bit bored. I bailed on Coat of many colors. I assume the rest of the album is about as good as it was previously. 3 stars.
This is a step up from 21...at least 2 stars up. The music the vocals the lyrics...she's an adult. Bueno. Definitely 5 (pop) stars.
Much better than Billion Dollar Babies...probably because Alice himself wasn't as full of himself. Rocker after rocker. 5 stars.
I never liked this guy and I still don't like this guy...banal americanish crap/rock. Wannabe Springsteen....
I am not usually a big fan for pop music, no matter how it's sliced (power, indie, pure, etc.). But this was really good and I enjoyed the whole album (I was teary eyed in a couple moments.) She definitely deserves her accolades. 4 poppy stars.
This may well be my favorite album. I've listened to it so many times, uncountable. So, I am happy to be able to listen to it again (and again), but I'm afraid I can't do justice to how important this album is to me. Great music, great lyrics, what more could I ask for. For this album, there is a reason there are the unnumbered stars to rank your music. Perfection: it goes to infinity...and beyond. Stars beyond the counting of any being, real or imagined, god/God/gods and certainly humans.
This album, this band, should not be anywhere near a list of (top) 1000 albums. I can't believe there are enough people who think otherwise. I have wasted enough time on this crap. We really need a negative rating for albums that need to get taken off these lists. Unbelievably bad, it's not even banal, it's just shite. -infinity....
Sharp-witted lyricist, but the music (twangy alt-country?) not really my go-to music. I can take an album at a sitting, but at some point I am bored a.s. And there's only so much "witty" lyricism I can take before I go, give me Sabbath! (hell, I'd take KISS or Metallica, 2 bands for which I have little desire to hear before I croakensie.) A solid 3 stars.
tbh, this is a tad "big" for my tastes (stadium-focused, pompous) since I tend toward a quieter, more introspective, club-show band. However, this album is undeniably good. Not perfect by any means (again, it's a bit grandiose). I can't deny, however, that all-in-all I rated all the songs 3-plus, with several 5s. 4 stars.
Obviously, not to everyone's taste. This pushes the limits of what I can take, too. But in the end, this is a classic jam band at their peak. Not as great as the Dead, but still I love it.
1 year later, 77 would be put out. I would never again be a Boston fan. But prior to hearing the Talking Heads, I like many of those growing up in those days we knew every word to Boston. And to this day, like today, I know the lyrics to all these songs. Amazing, really. I will always owe my musical tastes evolving to the Talking Heads. But Boston was an album most of us had and most of us could sing the words to every song, beginning to end. And I still can. I am amazed. That being said, other than for nostalgia, is it an album one must hear before they die? Nah...unless you want to get into the groove of mid-to-late 70s. Otherwise, you'll be fine without ever having to listen to Boston. Nostalgia: 5 stars; reality: 3 stars.
I liked all the songs other than The Genesis, which seemed a throwaway. Otherwise, a strong 4 stars, top to bottom, 5 stars for NY State of Mind.
I did not like this album when it first came out and, in retrospect, I still don't like it. Banal, jingoistic, and bloated. I only liked 2 tracks: Downbound train and I'm on Fire. The rest, if not banal, are unlistenable, semi-patriotic crap. Bruce SHOULD be embarrassed of this shite. Especially after Nebraska, which is the best thing he's done imo. 2 disappointed stars
Liked this album quite a bit. Deserved respect.
A bit twee. But enjoyable nonetheless. A minor 4 stars
Wow. Okay this is just great. Every track, every voice, every beat...definitely goes to 11.
My fave Pixies album. I go back to this regularly, because...well, because I like it. Is it perfect...in its imperfections? Absolutely....
The first side (or the 1st 3 or 4 songs) were great. But I just didn't like anything after Barrytown. The best thing about Steely Dan: I was at one of Levon's Midnight Rambles with a friend (who later passed during the COVID epidemic) in which one of the guest guitarists was Donald Fagan. So many great memories with my friend during this era as we also visited "Big Pink" and the then-present owner allowed us access into the basement. For me, like getting a personal after-hours pass into Graceland for those who love Elvis. Better actually, since I could not give a shite about Elvis/Graceland.
Meh...I love the Pixies. But this was just so mid. After about 5 songs I was looking at college football articles and responding to comments, in the background this album, doing nothing (bad or good) to draw me away from that. Was it bad? No. But was it so good at any point that I dropped what I was doing to re-listen to any song. Nope. So, meh. 2.6 stars to be generous will be 3 stars.
Someone wrote this review: "Legendary album kinda Pedo though" and rated it 5 stars. WTF? I don't know if Michael was or was not a pedo. But his music sucked in my opinion. This is just banal pop music sung by a troubled person who, whatever his sexuality, had a knack for a great hook and had a wonderful voice. It's just not for me. This sucks. I give it 1 star, but really it's no star. Next please....
"he shares my hatred of the rock myth and the rock culture": too bad, Paul, but now you just suck. The Jam were transcendent. This is as bad, if not worse, than Michael Jackson. No matter what you do, don't this ever again. 0 stars rounded up to 1 star.
Volume 1
Damn...I am a happy guy now. This is a killer. And I'm singing every song. 5 stars. Can't wait for Volume 2, coming up!
Volume 2
As good if not better. My only "complaint": Neither volume was long enough. I could've enjoyed an hour or more.
Truly a classic.
I am no expert here. But this engaged me from start to finish. 5 stars.
At best, this album is okay. There were a couple cuts where his attitude and voice grated on me. But I guess if you like this stuff, I suppose you'd find it interesting and compelling. I am just not in that clique. 3 stars.
I definitely like Britpop-directional. This album grew on me as I was listening. I don't know why I had a time aligning with this album, but at some point I started to "get it." Yes, some might say it's derivative but I'd counter "what music isn't?" (to some degree). And personally, I'd not point fingers at these guys particularly. Is it a masterpiece? Of course not. At this point, I prefer other (britpop) groups. But to me it's worthy of inclusion here. 4 stars.
Well, it's a double album, so some of these songs are gonna be a bit meh. That being said, it's "sloppy" for a reason, given that this is rock (country rock?). I was pleasantly surprised and loved that it ended in musical chaos. 5 solid stars.
What more could be said, because this live album epitomizes this sentiment: "It was anti-refinement. That's what we were consciously going for." James Brown was not a saint. But he was a performer and he gave a 110 percent on stage. Certainly, he was no role model unless you find yourself on stage. On stage you give what he gives until you can give no more. 5 stars.
In general, I am prone to like post-punk though some bands are more difficult to like/appreciate than others (I am looking at you Oasis). This album took me a few listens to appreciate. But I am now definitely in the I like this band a lot. And will go out of my way to listen to some of their later albums. 4 stars.
A bit repetitive but really what isn't? I am no fan and this album doesn't change my opinion. That being said who doesn't love to rock? This will definitely do it for you. 4 stars.
Banal. I get it, people loved it. And generally, they fawned over it. Well, some of us don't: this shit is just warmed over pancake batter. Yikes, I hope never to have to listen this s h i t e again. 2 stars.
OMG, please stop this travesty of banal pop music. For people who believe that Trump speaks truth. Anita makes new and enthralling music. Up there with the Velvet Underground, Beatles, Stones, even Bowie. This is just pathetic pop goo. Okay, she has a great voice, I guess. But c'mon, the music is crap, the lyrics are beyond boring. No way...1 star. I've wasted enough time on this shite.
I am not a fan by any means. I recently listened to the black album and it was good. This seems much more heavy metal than the black one, more raw. Well it was earlier. From what I can gather, there are some fans who were/are not happy with the newer sound. This happens in all genres. I am still no fan, but I could probably listen to this again. A happy 3 stars....
I have seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs several times at various WA state fests (Sasquatch, Bumbershoot, or maybe Thing, they all kind of blend together tbh). And the YYYs do the same...I don't specifically remember hearing them, but I know I know I was there when they performed: just great fest music that doesn't feel as immersive on any medium. Which is to say, that I'd bob my head in a live venue, but feel this is just meh. It's not too bad but it's not great either. MOR 3 stars....
I don't really like this sort of MOR metal, rock, grunge?, whatever this is. The vocals are MOR, the lyrics are MOR, the playing just seem MOR. I couldn't pick these guys out of a late 20th/early 21st band lineup. Maybe in the day this was exciting, edge. But now it just seems like a dime a dozen grungy thing. Very MOR 3 stars.
According to Nico, her requests for drums and more guitar were refused, and she disliked the orchestrations: "I didn't like [the strings], but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute." She was spot on...why oh why do "rock" musicians insist on f'ing up their albums with orchestration: Paul McCartney, I'm staring at you. Even so, Nico singing! 4 stars
About an hour of what I consider some evolved Britpop, some of it about as good as you could get, especially both the beginning and end tunes (the last tune is just 11 minutes of interesting beat/drone). If you want to hear some evolved Blur, one starts here.
Not as great, not even close, to Bridge Over Troubled Water. This album seems to have no overriding reason to be other than some half-baked youthful take on life's journey, from youth to old age. There are great songs on here:
I liked every one of these songs, though a couple really stand out for me: I'm Not Sorry, How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel. Otherwise, every song rates 4 stars. A solid solid 4 star effort by Morrissey and crew.
I'm surprised how much I liked almost every song on this album. Admittedly, I am a Brian Eno fan. A big fan. And I probably couldn't recognize Brian (?) Ferry from a lineup. But this album rocked...4 easy stars. Every cut was impressive, musically/lyrically.
This album has a Sandy Denny (a huge loss) appearance. I am a big big fan of Fairport. Of course, growing up in the 70s, I've always loved Led Zeppelin. So that combo was made in heaven. Just a highlight of a great album. Has there been an easier rating? 5 infinity stones....
Who knew? Not a perfect listen, but the majority of these tracks (European edition) were great. Khaled's voice stands out through out; the 2nd track with Amar was outstanding; I will definitely re-visit this in the future for something different, but not in a completely alien voice. 4 solid stars!
All in all, this is a solid indie album. Do I like stuff a little rougher round the edges? Yes. But do I also like sonically pleasing music? Definitely, yes. I've seen these guys several times up here in the Pacific NW....and I enjoyed nodding my head to their beat....solid 4 stars.
Great album. Not much more to say that hasn't been said before and will be said by a million others. Classic rock at its best...maybe played too much on classic rock radio? Easy 5 stars.
Turn it up...this album was made for that. So...TURN IT UP TO ELEVEN M'fers! 5 fricking stars.
A powerful album, a testament about America in the 60s/70s. Struggles we're still having and will probably continue to have way past my demise. But this album will still be standing and be listened to by generations past me. Be thankful there's such beautiful, powerful music/voices in America.
Kind of boring in a banal way. Nothing really stood out, even if it was heavier than expected. Still, I probably won't have this album in a regular rotation. 2 stars.
Too many memories, too much sadness associated with this album and the many times I've listened to it. But that's all about the journey to become the person who we are at the moment we reflect upon this journey. I was in Germany and the young woman I was dating at that time was into The Cure. I was not. But eventually I saw the light (after finally listening to Joy Division). Those were good time, living in Heidelberg, going to the university living in a former Neckar River defensive turret/silo-shaped round repurposed for college students, over looking the river. Cold as hell...but glorious nonetheless. Yes, this album was a part of these memories. My best friend in those days is now a philosophy prof at Boston College. But then he was a young guy who could dance and drink and listened to great music. Yep, memories.
Other than an album from Ozomatli, I have really hit a nice streak of great albums. This is definitely a great one. 5 stars.
Dead Cam Dance put out their self-named album; Minutemen put out Double Nickels...; Bruce Springsteen put out Born In the USA...the closest to the Cocteau Twins, maybe This Mortal Coil's It'll End In Tears? I don't know, but I am thinking the Cocteau Twins were out there on a limb. 5 f'ing stars from a guy who likes hardcore way more than ethereal...but you gotta hand it to these dweebs. 5 blasted stars.
I've always loved this album. It's absolutely transitional for Bowie who is well-known for his transitions. This character (proto-fascist thin white duke) is abhorrent to me. But damn he could write/sing some songs. The weakest song (TVC 15) is still 4 outta 5 stars; the rest all 5 outta 5. When all said and done, one of my fave Bowie albums despite the despicable political leanings of the character. I still prefer the pure rocking of Ziggy-era Bowie, but this cold neo-fascist guy could definitely swing. (I am admittedly far far left of that swinging dick.) Still...5 magnificent glorified right-wing stars for this thin white duke.
She has a great voice. But her songs are kind of blah. mostly pop goo. Country? Nah... 2 stars
The 60s sound of Big Brother/San Francisco sound just outstanding. And on top of that, Janis Joplin to scream/wail her soul to the heavens. I've done a trip or 3 listening to this album plus a few other jam bands which are perfect music to allow the mind to meander into the wide wide universe. Happy time and happy trails. 5 trippin' stars
I've heard worse. I've heard better. The whole demon/death-creature thing is so middle-school. Grow up, lads. Just play the frickin' music. Who cares what mother in some middle America state thinks you play diddly with Satan? It's banal, that. 3 stars for the music; 1 star for the juvenile theatrics.
I liked 5 of the tracks. But mostly because I was trying to be generous. This album is pretty canned, reggae-by-the-numbers. I'd never heard of this guy before today. And he'll probably just as quickly disappear even if I went out and purchased 5 of the tracks here (2, 3, 4, 6, 10). Not gonna break the bank. 2 stars (being generous).
"If you've read some of my other reviews on brit pop bands you will know that this is the best Blur album of all time, hands down, no arguments no fighting me on this, just accept that you know deep down this is the best Blur album of all time." In my opinion, this is the best, most accurate summation/review. I can not do better than this...way to go, mate.
I really enjoyed these songs, either 4 or 5 stars, the majority of which are 5 stars. Having seen these guys a few times over the years, I can say they are a blast live. And this album is apex MGMT: 5 dancing stars.
Better in theory than in practice. Grew tiresome at about 4 songs in. But it's not completely shite. I could imagine listening to this in an inattentive way: back ground dabs and I'm doing something way more interesting. But the vibes might be needed. 3 solid balls of fire.
For some reason, though I've listened to this album numerous times, only about 3 songs were memorable. And the rest, like listening for the 1st time...granted I'm an old guy. Yeah, let's just blame my brain.
Upon this listen, I'll just say, neither high nor low. 3 not disappointed stars.
Never been a Randy Newman fan. I don't get what it is that others rave about and why he belongs on these lists. Lyrically? maybe: musically? about as interesting as paint drying. I am a late year boomer, so don't say I don't understand boomerism. If this is that, no wonder we get ridiculed.
Some really great cuts included here. I've listened to this album so many times I even enjoy the sugary-sweet crap...oh well. 4 heavenly pins of light
I like 3 songs (Mother and Child, Me and Julio, Armistice Day...the rest were not necessarily horrid, just meh. Very easy listening, but that's about it...Congratulations sucked though. 3 stars MOR stars.
I'm a fan...so there's that. I like Portishead far and away more than Radiohead, but these guys are heads/shoulders above most of the pap we have to put up with on this journey. Even an album I'm more or less on the fence (4 star fence, to be clear). But shit, I just had to listen to Paul Simon for f's sake. And that is good but banal. These guys are not banal imo. Plus, other than his 1st released solo album, better than McCartney. 4 solid state stars.
I am trying to not give as many 5ers on this journey. But this deserves every pearly bright twinkler in the universe. Easy...5 sky- diamonds
Can you believe it that I am older than this album, by about 12 years or so. And this is the first time I've listened to every song, every note, every grand turn of his wonderful voice. Shame on me for being a punk-ass snob. F' me! This album deserves any/all accolades it has received here and in the world outside these 1001 album reviews. This is golden. Simply beautiful in all aspects. If God were real and had any musical talents, this would be that thing's perfect output. 5 celestial stars, dammit!
I have listened to this album so many times in so many different contexts (but mostly while drinking/partying). I think any context is a good one for this album. Classic album and great for drinking to oblivion. Waking up in a bathtub. Covered in your tequila-tinted puke. And just hoping that maybe next time you won't be drinking that shite...pipe dreaming. 4 stars for all the good times.
