I don't care for John Lennon much at all outside his work with the Beatles so I'm incredibly biased. But I will admit there is an artistry to this album. I don't plan on returning to it frequently but it's decent. He obviously was in his artsy period of working things out so I definitely think he did so in a good way. He also pays alot of homage to rock n' roll which is pretty sick. But overall not really for me tbh.
Not bad but not a favorite either.
Alot of really good songs. I do enjoy most of the album. The musicianship was tight. The vocals were really suave. I definitely think the only downside was pacing but I can't say I hated it at all. Nothing was egregiously bad. I'd be happy to throw this on from time to time ^-^
Honestly a low-frequency banger for the ages. Thoroughly enjoyed this record. Vocals were exactly was these instrumentals needed. It's cool to see the roots of Trip-hop be drawn from this album. I love the crazy usages of samples used here especially for the 90s. Lyrics cut deep. Honestly Bordering 5/5 stars.
I'm huge on every track with the exception of "Sour Times" and "Wandering Star" but that is more of preference thing. There's a lot to enjoy about this whole project.
2/4/26 - So I've ended up listening to this album a lot more and I have to say there are some moments that have genuinely become my favorite. Glory box is probably one of the greatest songs in this scene. Roads is a brilliant heartfelt performance. And honestly the production for this time is kind of unreal. After listening to a little bit more music in this general genre, I can say with certainty this is an album that I favor amongst a lot of others, so I will put it at five stars today because I think it is one of the best if not the best in this genre.
I know many Beatles fans might say it's sacrilege but upon this recent re-listen I unfortunately could not give this a very high score. "If I Fell," "And I Love Her" and I'd say "Hard Day's Night" are all of course iconic, but not enough to save the album for me.
I understand this was still a very early stage for the Beatles but there are other albums and artists from around this decade/genre that I wanna listen to way more than this.
Variety is not something you look for in the early Beatles albums but unfortunately I like it too much to give this higher than a 2.
I like most of this album. "My Old Man," "Little Green," and "Blue" are favorites of mine. The first 5 or so tracks are pretty enjoyable. "California" I think goes on a little too long. "River" has great themes and sentiments lyrically but the intro and the middle sounding like a re-syncopated jingle bells kind of annoyed me (I DO however like how she ends with it in a minor key). It's super sad tho but in a way that's super relatable. Sometimes I'm like "Man her lyrics are SO GOOD" and then there are moments that read as a little corny like the 'O Canada' section in "A Case of You". However it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the album as a whole. The mostly guitar-comprised tracks help the vocals and lyrics really shine. Plus when there are other instruments it gets very good. I can see myself listening to this again.
Musicianship is quite good. Stormy Monday is. Most definitely my favorite one on the record. Mixed pretty well for a live album. Tracks are a bit long for my taste. I love hearing musicians cut loose but I'm not the biggest fan of hearing 20 minutes of jamming at times. While impressive, there is an aspect of this album where I'm like....ok enough is enough. That being said I'm not hating the experience.
Honestly not bad. This is my first album I've ever listened to in full from the band. I do mostly enjoy what I'm hearing but I can definitely this album dragging a little bit. I think the instrumentation is fantastic though. The drums are absolutely killing it with some of these fills. And the vocals are super expressive in their deliveries of verses. Creatively this album goes all over the map I feel like. The lyrics are good but a little too vague at points for my taste but I'd have to go back to listen to them. Very theatrical.
Honestly kind of a vibe. Punk isn't my main genre of interest but the melodies are earworms and the musicianship is actually pretty good. Some pretty rad guitar solo. The drums are genuinely one of the highlights of the tracks minus the content of the lyrics. Good lyricism throughout. The vocals, while not great, serve the songs rather well. And genuinely give the tracks character. Pretty good. Added 2 songs to a playlist.
Honestly this exceeded my expectations. I'm NOT a metal guy and this was fucking epic. I did not care for the Fred Durst feature but I understand sonically why they'd make a song together. Vocals are fucking phenomenal. And the songs are catchy as hell. Plus the Ice Cube feature was both the perfect balance of corny and badass. Also the drums and bass are great.
Honestly, it was a pretty great album! I'd say about. 85% of it is absolutely genius. The only reason why it's not a five is because I feel that some of the songs on it were not grabbing my attention as much, but the musicianship is phenomenal. Her songwriting is incredible and honestly it's mixed very well. Probably a return
Fun, cheeky, slightly comedic live album with a really cool concept and idea of performing at a prison. The recording quality is also considerably good. Johnny cash surprised me with the level of performance he has with this record. I definitely wasn't expecting to end up kind of enjoying his singing style, but it does grow on me. He knows how to get the crowd moving and laughing...at a PRISON no less. The songs themselves are silly and allegorical in that classic country way but still good throughout. His backing band is great and pleasant to listen to. His slower ballad songs are also very nice with their slight introspections and such. Honestly a good listen. Wouldn't single out any tracks to listen to by themselves but I didn't hate it by any means. All that holds the score back is taste!
Really just nice indie rock album. Very much a period piece of where alt was goin at the time. It's fairly reflective. Vocals and instrumental aren't revolutionary but they are pleasant to listen to. Not the most variety Lyrics are simple yet effective. Songs get stuck in your head. Solid and can see myself listening again. Great passive listen but I will definitely need an active one as well. For now, 4 but we'll see if that changes.
I like a good portion of this album. It's definitely one you listen to if you're into a certain vibe. Like a slightly psychedelic, sample supplemented, indie rock type beat. Obviously the big hit, "Bittersweet Symphony" is borderline flawless and easily the best song on the album. There are some deep cuts on here that are genuinely good songs like "Space and Time" "Sonnet" and "This Time" are some quality tracks. The rest of the album has kind of a mishmash of hazy instrumentals that for me were hard to differentiate from one another. I ended up becoming fatigued trying to set some songs apart. So the albums has a little bit of bloat at 14 tracks. But when the tracks stand out they're like REALLY good. I may have to sit with it and give it another listen with these thoughts in mind but for now....I say it's solid for what it is.
Another album I was really expecting to not enjoy nearly as much. Immediately. I was blown away by the elements of jazz fusion that were on this record. Some of the songs were honestly just so well crafted. "Black magic woman", bar the slur in the alternative title, is a phenomenal song. The vocals while they are very sparse serve each track so well. It's funny. I started listening to the intro and I wasn't the biggest fan of how it was sounding and I legit thought I was going to hate the rest of the album but as soon as that track ended you just go right into this upbeat very high energy list of instrumentals. Santana's guitar playing is honestly off the charts and the fact that his band is able to absolutely not only follow his lead very well but also paved the way for his guitar to almost serve as lead vocals. The voicing in his technique is so strong that I can't fathom it. The fact that guitars can wail this hard over top hand drums to give it this incredible psychedelic Latin texture is remarkable for the time and honestly kind of revolutionary. Chicano rock might end up being something that I check out more because of this album and I'm definitely curious to know the rest of his discography.
I definitely can see myself listening to this album again in full. Me being stubborn, I don't want to put this at 5 out of 5 Stars but I might have to eventually depending on the rest of this list.
I think honestly just the novelty of Madonna doing an album like this is what put this album so high up for me. It is a true departure from what I knew her sound to be prior but it works. There are tracks on here that definitely get the blood pumping and honestly just sound really well mixed and inventive. It's cool that she tried to really go outside of her usual style and pay attention to the sound that was around at the time. That being said, the album is not perfect and has a tiny bit of bloat and potentially too many tracks. I definitely like some more than others but I have to say I'm not disappointed and I probably would listen to this again. So right now 4 out of 5 stars. I could see that fluctuating in either direction depending on the rest of my list.
This album is a masterpiece from start to finish. First off, Jimi'a vocals delivery is honestly one of my favorite things about the album. He brings this flare to every track that is unmatched. His guitar playing is in a masterful level that with every solo I was never bored or fatigued in the slightest. It's wild. Songs like "Hey Joe" with its sparse yet vivid storytelling aspect can draw in any listener. "Third Stone From the Sun" has performance form all musicians that paint a vivid picture of the astral world with a frustratingly amazing drum part. The lyrics of every song is relatable even though the themes range all over the album in terms of topics. He was truly wise beyond his years. Stereo mixing may be a factor for many people who want to take points off but honestly it's not exhausting to listen to and honestly makes the album. So the purists can get over themselves. No question for me as a psych rock fan: 5/5 stars.
This was an enjoyable listen. I am a fan of the genre generally speaking so I figured I would like this. I did find myself kind of going into it with pretty high expectations because I've heard legend of this album but I maybe set them way too high. This is far from a bad record and has some great moments like "Think" Freddy's Dead" and the other instrumentals. But I found that sometimes the tracks, and the pacing of the album in spite of its runtime being fairly short the tracks would meander a little too much for my liking. I can't put this lower than a 4/5 stars but I think I'll definitely have to be in a certain mood to listen to this again in full. Overall, literally everything was perfect from music to themes ...and I've never SEEN the movie. Honestly the amount of swagger laced in each track on the album is impressive. Also Curtis has GREAT vocals.
This album has a lot of great musical and lyrical content on it. It's pretty straightforward for 60s music at the time with a bit of whimsy which translates well. I think it's slightly front heavy with a few tracks toward the end kind of losing my attention a little. But still a great listening experience. Solid 10 track run from the beginning of the album. This is my first full album by this band. I'd love to see what their more experimental stuff may look like. But honestly pretty solid album. Fav tracks are 'walter', "Picture Book", "Johnny Thunder", and probably 'Riverside'. Overall, happy I listened.
