*sigh* Okay. Yeah, this all just sounds like parody to me at this point. It's earnest to the point of being silly. There's obviously craft involved here, and Karen Carpenter has a lovely voice, but the overall effect is just emphatically not for me. Like listening to the fever dream of someone in a diabetic coma.
I get it, but it's not for me. I think I'd rather just read a collection of short stories about these characters than listen to this. Also, does anyone actually ENJOY listening to a harmonica? At no point do I ever want to hear loud, atonal blatting just farting over the entire song. It's just unpleasant.
Oh, this is ambient background music for hipster coffee shops. I feel like I missed a lot of 00s indie as it was happening, but going back much of it feels flat and rather lifeless. This is no exception, so I guess I didn't miss much.
OK, I get it. Dad rock bad, 80s pop shallow. This is clearly not an album for Serious Music Appreciators. Which is great, because then I can crank Panama the fuck up and chase all the dreary, try-hard, tedious wankers away and enjoy myself. Because that's the thing some people seem to forget: joy and exuberance are human experiences that are worthy of celebrating. And duh, this particular brand of dude rock need not appeal to everyone. But you know, sometimes you end up in a class with a very attractive instructor and words fail you. Well, Van Halen's got you. Just raise your hand and yell "I brought my pencil!" And that'll probably work out great. Also, Eddie is a wizard and Dave is a genial doofus. So relax, enjoy life a little. Just reach down, between your legs... and ease the seat back.
An interesting album, in that I don't ever actually need to hear any of the big hits off of it, really. They rather saturated both MTV back in the day, and classic rock radio ever after. But they're enduring for a reason, just excellent 80s pop rock. I'm not mad when they come on, you know? The album cuts are... there, I guess. "Thug" is trying to do something. What that is, exactly, I'm not sure, but the bass is wilding out and that's kinda fun. Generally speaking, the 80s were pretty rough for the big, influential acts of the 60s and 70s. I mean, look no further than Jefferson Starship to illustrate the point. With this record, ZZ Top fared a little better than, say, Steve Miller. You can still hear that lil ol band out of Texas under all the glitzy sheen of 80s production, at least. And good for that one lady in "Legs." I assume that's a feel good story of triumph over the adversity of being unable to walk, but now she has legs and knows how to use them?
I would have enjoyed this quite a bit more if it were a tighter experience. Not only is the album too long, but pretty much every song is roughly two minutes overlong. That said, this is a heavy vibes record, so if you're not feeling it the album will seem interminable. That said Bittersweet Symphony holds up, even if I never really need to hear it again. If I could give half stars, I would, but alas.
Ooh, my first 5 star! The funny thing is, there isn't much left to say about it. The skits are a terrible waste of time, they've always been pointless. For some reason, it was the style at the time. But the juvenile dipshittery can be overlooked because of the sheer talent on display. The weaker tracks are only weak because they exist next to things like Gimmie the Loot and motherfucking Juicy, you know? It's a classic for a reason. Fuck Puffy for real, though.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's, you know, fine. It's not quite passive, ambient background music, but it's close. Frank Ocean is an artist I've heard a lot about, but never really sought out. I can see how this is a new direction for R&B, which I appreciate, however it's missing something. Soul? Simmering rage beneath the funk? This album feels very smooth, like there's not much being said. The only time I started to get really into a track - Pyramids - it turns out the thing is 10 damn minutes long and thus loses some steam. That said, I don't hate it. Just didn't register much. Sure do with I could rate half stars, because this is a straight 2.5 - but, it gets the benefit of rounding up.
Well, it's certainly no Skylarking, but by no means is it terrible. This is one of those records where my initial reaction is: "it's interesting!" And then after some reflection: "it's interesting!" Nothing really reached out to grab me, but I was relatively engaged throughout. I get the sense it would reward relistening, but there's not quite enough gravity to pull me back in. Oh, and that dictionary song is bad. Like bad bad. Like I worry about people who think it's good bad.
Oh man, the energy radiating off this thing. Definitely the cocaine to The Velvet Underground's heroin (although who are we kidding, it's clearly an all of the drugs situation). I was a little surprised at the 7+ minute long freakouts, which I could probably do without, but the proto-punk attitude carries the entire record. I doubt I would listen straight through again, but Down On The Street is a banger and I'm glad I checked this out. Good to know the roots of one of my favorite genres. 3.5 rounded up.
Early albums like this can be difficult to rate. The way things worked were just so different then, right? Anyway, as a collection of songs, this is fine. But as a talent? As influence? R-E-S-P-E-C-T. You get it. Anyway, 5/5 as a milestone, but imma give it a three.
On the one hand, this is the weakest of Stevie's legendary 70s run of albums. So, you know, there's only like two certified all-timers on here. This record is a bit slower, and the vibe is definitely a bit heavier. Also, You Haven't Done Nothin' still being as relevant as ever is quite the disappointment.
I've always wanted to like prog rock more than I do. And while I do enjoy Rush, it's mostly classic rock radio nostalgia. I never had a full on Rush phase... probably because I'm too impatient to really immerse myself fully in a prog rock concept album. A personal failing, I'm sure.
Early albums are weird and difficult to rate. This has some classic, formative songs on it. "Oh Boy," "That'll be the Day," stuff like that. Sonic wallpaper for those of us over 35. I'll probably never go out of my way to hear these songs again, but I won't mind if they're on somewhere. 2.5 rounded up.
Ah, the super random album selection today is... huh. Well good call because any Ozzy is good Ozzy, and I've actually never listened to this one! Which is a shame cuz it fucking rules. I don't have much to add to the billions of words being written about the legend, suffice to say the legend is accurate. RIP to a metal god.
Cut the overall time on this by a third and it would be so much better. Not every song has to be over 4 minutes! Still, better than I expected considering I had never heard of these guys. I assume their inclusion boils down to "semi-popular, from Northern Ireland." Not exactly essential, though. Still, cool stuff.