Did your teachers ever say "you cannot get a 0% on this test, because that would require you to know all the answers and purposely get them wrong?" I don't know music theory, but I felt like that was the case while listening to this. Whether or not it was meant to sound like this is rather irrelevant to my opinion--if I thought it sounded good regardless of intent, it would get a better score. However, one thing I almost never felt was boredom, and that makes this album avoid the dreaded one-star rating.
Folks, I am not a dancer. I am a nerd through and through, not blessed with rhythm, and to add to that I listened to this album while on a two-hour drive. As such, I am not the type of person and was not in the situation to enjoy this type of music. It was okay--as with most dance music, it overstays its welcome fairly frequently (Us V Them could so easily be far shorter and would be a lot better for it; I feel like the repetition of "over and over again" just had to be self-aware), but the beats were catchy and distinct from song to song. "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" is quite a good song, and coincidentally the least dancy on the album. Overall, it isn't quite my thing, but there's a whole lot worse out there.
Definitely sad boy music, but there's nothing wrong with that. This is a well-crafted album, and despite the sadness, it felt more hopeful than other albums of its ilk. That said, sadness just isn't what I'm looking for in music the vast majority of the time, so I can't quite say this album is for me. However, it's good at what it does, and I can't do anything but respect that.
I went into this having heard "Bohemian Rhapsody" (as I've lived on the Earth for 22 years and it's hard not to), but not much else from this album. That song would probably get a 3.5/5 from me, and I do think it would get grating if it were the whole album. However, it's not, and what they chose to do outside of it is almost all good in my opinion.
"I'm In Love With My Car" is a 70s rock song in every sense of the word, but one that's perfectly suited to my cheese tolerance. "'39" came out of absolutely nowhere and is very likely my favorite song on the whole thing, as something about it is just so pretty to my ears. The only thing I'd really call a miss would be "The Prophet's Song," which just overstays its welcome. The a cappella part in the middle sort of goes on repeating the same three words for two minutes, and it feels like an intrusion on what was a fine enough song before and after it.
Overall, this whole album surprised me in the best way I could've hoped. Is this partly because I listened to it with a friend who's been Queen-obsessed for a few months and who fed me all the little fun facts? Probably. But even disregarding him, there's a reason this has stuck around for 50 years come November.
This feels like one of those albums that you have to be high to enjoy. I don't say that as an insult; although it sounds like one, I do believe that was the artistic intent here. As someone who has never partook in anything harder than whiskey, this one flew over my head a bit (as doves tend to do).
Musically, the album is fine enough dance rock, but I don't exaggerate when I say that I forgot I was listening to music a few times throughout this album. If that was the vibe they were going for, then it was done to perfection. However, it also isn't really a vibe that I enjoy listening to. These songs are almost all too long, and some really drag. "Rise" and "A House" would be my two favorite picks, but that makes them solid songs in a mediocre album by my rating.
This album is by, for, and about stoners, which I am not. It instead served as a cruel reminder that I am five hours away from the nearest beach. I probably would've had more fun with this if any part of it were accurate to the vibe in my life, but that simply isn't the world I live in.
Well, Ozzy's time had to come eventually. My little metalhead brain was pretty sad about it, but what better lens to view the album that started my favorite genre through?
The first track is the prototype for all doom metal to come, one done by countless bands in Sabbath's wake, and it's easy to see why so many saw fit to take influence from it. Ominous vocals, a good riff, and a strong buildup are really all the ingredients they need, and yet the bass and drums equally add to the atmosphere. The Wizard follows, and it's here that you remember just how strongly metal was influenced by the blues at its beginnings. Who wouldn't listen to metal if every song had a harmonica, right?
Those two are my highlights, but I don't think there's much more I need to add. This album is the single biggest reason most of my favorite music exists. What more reason could a man need to give an album a 5?
I don't listen to a whole lot of rap (mostly due to not enjoying where the genre has gone in the past decade), but something in this album just made it a good time for me. Dre's production is immaculate, and it perfectly compliments the way Snoop chooses to flow.
The interludes are some of the goofiest things I've heard, and I love them for it. It makes the admittedly cringe-inducing lyrics easier to brush off as equally not serious, which is badly needed--a lot of the material here didn't age too well. I did find that the beats got a bit samey as the album went on, a problem best avoided by "Gin and Juice," "Lodi Dodi," and "Gz and Hustlaz." Not so coincidentally, those were my three favorites here.
As mentioned, the album did start to meld together a bit as it went on, and I think part of the issue there is that this is a 54-minute album. That's quite long for my usual standards, and trimming some of the fat ("Doggy Dogg World," perhaps) could make the album more enjoyable for me.
Overall, I did enjoy this one quite a lot, especially compared to expectations. Isn't that what this project is all about?
