A boring, droning mess. I understand that this is seen as a highly influential album for it's genre, possibly the first of its kind for this style, but it doesn't appeal to me other than to serve as background filler, or maybe in a movie/TV show for ambience. These songs have very little movement or development, more resembling a soundscape than actual song. The drums are severely undermixed (and seem to be only programmed...) and the vocals are largely unintelligible. The guitar being the loudest thing at all times is bad enough but not being able to understand the lyrics at all is criminal. I gave it 2 stars only because of its influence.
Not as bad as I imagined it would be... truthfully my impression of this is that they were always severely overrated with no longevity (basically a flash in the pan), but after listening to this I can see why it's so influential. Nothing sounded like this in 1977. Negatives: Johnny Rotten's vocals are terrible (on purpose, I know...), the songs are longer than I expected (several overstayed their welcome) and I feel there is a lack of memorable, catchy songs. The energy is definitely there, though. 3 stars because of it being the blueprint, but I don't think I'll come back to it.
A lot of interesting riffs and grooves on this, but overall it feels like a rambling mess. Many of the songs feel like they didn't know how to end them or when a new part was happening. This makes everything feel shoddy in the songwriting department. But there are moments of brilliance, and the vibe is cool; it really feels like you're in the live room with them while tape was rolling.
I'm familiar with a few of these songs but have never listened to the whole album. It's pretty good, with a very good raw energy. What I keep thinking is that if this is on the 1001 Album list then all of their next 6 albums should be as well because they are all better than this. Was this included because of a moment-in-time impact?
Very enjoyable album. Beautifully performed and recorded.
Very enjoyable, good sounding record. I'm not into this style of music so I don't understand why this record is mandatory listening, but I liked it.
This is a very interesting listen, quite enjoyable for the songwriting, instrumentation and dynamics... but I don't get the pretense of the long-winded song titles and fluff 40 second tracks (the shortest one is 6 seconds). I feel like it is quite a statement but it could be a stronger statement without the fluff and pretense. Is it highly regarded because of the poetry and obtuseness? I feel like that is the case. Musically it's very good, just a bit too rambley and self-important for me.
pretty good album, once I got into it and was able to pick out the actual songs. I guess, I don't like this style much. Someone needs to explain to me why this won Grammys though.
I like the raw energy of this but it just seems too spontaneous and not worked out, which apparently is typical of everything Neil Young does. Really this album could be 25-28 minutes long as the solos in Down By The River and Cowgirl are needless and unfocused, Running Dry and Round and Round (It Won't Be Long) are much longer than they need to be... again, like the energy but feels too unrehearsed.
Very good, this is how I like rap to be. Even with the cringingly misogynistic lyrics.
Very fun, a bit raw and loose but definitely with a guilty pleasure type of vibe. A lot of good tunes on this. I can hear the influence on bands like Def Lep and GnR.
I want to like this but the lazy vocals and out of key guitar solos (and synths on occasion) really kill this. Good vibe with ok songs but lazy execution.
Nice album, very spirited. Even though I like how this sounds and their vibe, these songs didn't stick out to me too much (note: The One I Love is one of my favorite songs from b.i.t.d.)
Cool record, not a fan of when it gets noisy and I was a little worried because of the thin buzzsaw guitar tone right off the bat in Turnover but it all worked out (got used to it?)
This album is loaded with bangers, at least the first 10-11 tracks are all great with a little back-end slippage. A very enjoyable listen.
It's hard for me to be unbiased here because Rush is my favorite band ever. Objectively, 2112 is not a perfect album but there's so much energy and fire here that you can't help but feel moved. This is the first of at least 5 albums where they were firing on all cylinders, and it's the right blend of their early rawness (i.e. before synthesizers, double-necked guitars and orchestral percussion) and their expansive vision.
Slayed? is just a great, fun, no frills, unabashed, unapologetic, sleazy slab of rock n roll. The way it should be. Not a fan of the mix, the vocals are generally too loud and the drums are often lost under tambourine or shakers, but those issues don't take away from the vibe at all.
Good album, I prefer the more organic U2 to their '90s sound though. The hits from this record are huge but I feel like the quality dips a bit with the deep cuts.
This is cruel giving me this the day after Ozzy died!!! But it's best to start at the beginning. The rain, the church bell, that tritone riff of doom that launched 10000 bands, Ozzy's frightful but matter-of-fact vocal delivery... Then a trip through their then-current live set, replete with jazz grooves and blues jams with a unique edge. Killer stuff.
Listened through twice, still haven't decided if I like the guy's voice or not... But this is a fun listen, very zany and quirky without being weird, and none of the songs over stay their welcome. Terrible album cover though.
The vocals are atrocious, and the playing is often sloppy. Thank God for the instrumentals, they're the best songs musically anyway.
This was the most boring, limp-wristed, derivative, and uneventful pile of crap I've had to sit through. It should be renamed "The Man Who Died of Boredom" in my honor. Driftwood is ok but nowhere near enough to make up for the constantly annoying whiny British vocals. Seriously, why was this ever big, England? Please explain.
More-than-servicable easy listening pop, expertly presented by Adele.
Good stuff, not my bag but enjoyable. I like that he can play just about every instrument to execute his vision.
I'm not a Stones guy, but I definitely respect them. For as little as I know about them, I know enough to know that they've made a few iconic albums. This is far from that. Derivative blues, far from finding their voice... I can deal with the fact that oftentimes the loudest thing is the tambourine, shakers, or handclaps (this is 1964 after all), but golly, the performances here are rough, with almost no songs of reputation. I know I'm missing the context of this coming out in '64, but this is rough.
Uhhh..... First "song" was horrendous but USA saved itself with some of the later songs... barely. I feel like this was some shit slapped together in a college studio that was not meant to go far but somehow did.
I'm all for a band going into the studio with free rein to be creative and come up with as much material as they can, but I just don't think RHCP are dynamic or versatile enough to warrant what amounts to a double album here. The hit songs (and a few of the deep cuts) are incredible but they're just diluted by tracks that feel like incomplete outtakes and are barely good enough to be B-sides. And Anthony Keidis' lyrics are just embarrassing. Great sounding record that would have been worthy of its reputation if it was pared down to 10 songs.
This is fkd up, making me listen to RHCP two days in a row...
This album was more enjoyable than I thought it would be, given I've always hated Scar Tissue, never cared for Californication, and really dislike Around The World (yeah, the song where he rhymes "my johnson" with "woods of Wisconsin"...), but it does have Otherside which I love, and some of the deep cuts were very likable. They're showing some growth; normally I see RHCP as rather one dimensional but thought the non-funk rock tunes were better than before, Anthony Keidis' vocals have improved (a lot) , and I was really surprised by Road Trippin'.
There was a time, about 15 years ago, when I was listening to the first Big Star record a lot, just really into the jangle pop vibe and the catchy melodies. Third is nowhere near as good and often feels like a slapped together random mess. As with a lot of albums on this list, if they think this is essential listening, ok I guess I'll take your word for it but I'm not hearing it.
Very enjoyable record, though I wish it was more organic and stripped of the mid '80s production. And I kinda don't like the vocals too much (just don't like their voices personally). The melodies, arrangements, and songwriting are all excellent. Listened to it twice today which is a first (about 50 albums in).
An absolute joy to listen to front to back.
Thanks. It's been a number of years since I've listened to this wild, unhinged slab of proto-metal/proto-grunge/proto-stoner rock.
Typical 70s easy listening schmaltz that was ruined by Phil Spector's Ball of Mush production style. I think. The songs may or may not be hiding under there but not 100% sure.
One of the greatest rock albums of all time. Aerosmith at their grittiest and sleaziest, Rocks grooves like a MF.
Playlisted: Lick and a Promise ("he grabbed a guitar and a couple a beers, now the crowd will keep screaming for more")
Nobody's Fault (one of my favorite songs EVER)
Sick As A Dog (great riff written by Tom Hamilton)
It should be illegal for one person to have this much talent. So many bangers in this one, even the throwaway tracks at the end were great. WTF Stevie Wonder.
Playlisted: Contusion
Summer Soft
Ordinary Pain
Joy Inside My Tears
If It's Magic
Another Star
Saturn
I was willing to give this 2 stars, figuring that there was some good reason why it was a thing back in 1990. Even after Bob's Yer Uncle which is a truly horrible song, I was willing to give the album a full and fair listen. But after that it was yet another song with a single unchanging drum pattern for 5 fucking minutes and it really pissed me off. The hi hat just started feeling like an ice pick in my ears and I was done. One star.
Playlisted: Loose Fit, Grandbag's Funeral, Kinky Afro.
Clearly I don't know what I'm doing with my life. What i really should be doing is finding a guy that sounds like Jar-Jar Binks, bring him to my band's rehearsal space and just record us hanging on shit and sometimes playing half-assed grooves for 35 minutes. Maybe if I'm lucky in 40+ years some critic will think it's awesome and deem it mandatory listening.
This is 5 stars on so many levels.
Playlisted: I'm The One, Little Dreamer, On Fire
