Disliked this album from the start but by the end I had a slight appreciation. For an album that came out in the 90s it feels hopelessly lost in the 80s. The weird village people cover at the end was the icing on the cake.
Smooth and sexy. Portuguese Bossa Nova/Jazzy vibing by the pool kind of music. Did just that. Saved to listen again. Not exact album but close, it’s a weird pick apparently.
I could almost smell the cigarettes and martinis from this live recording. Smooth and sultry. Even though I’ve never listened to her she sounds like I picture every jazz singer SHOULD sound like.
Wow. Not a big jazz fan but this hit differently. African vibes with an almost improvisational feel. Trumpeting is pretty low on my list of favorite instruments but he allows the other instruments to thrive and drive. Killer drumming on Blues for Huey.
Haven’t listened to this album in years. It’s heavier and sludgier than I remember. Chris Cornell’s voice always stands out but on this album surprisingly I didn’t grow tired of it. A few of the guitar riffs could have been lifted off a Tool album.
I was in a bad mood when I listened to this so may warrant another future listen. Not a big funk fan but there were some parts with great jamming that caught my attention. Other parts I just glazed over because I didn’t feel it, even though it was interesting and sounded good.
I had a vague familiarity of the Pixies and knew how influential they were to other artists I like, but didn’t think I would love this album as much as I did. Ended up listening three times through in a row. Surprisingly catchy tunes for this genre.
I feel like I should love The Smiths … They check most boxes of what I like musically. Solid production and instrumentation back Morrissey’s clever lyricism. I just don’t feel it. Had a found them during my younger and “edgier” years this may have been one of my favorites.
Let me start by saying I think Loveless is a masterpiece. I think this is also a remarkable piece of music but during and after I realized I didn’t really enjoy. Loveless took me several listens to appreciate so I will probably go back and revisit this one.
Heavy metal with blues riffs and harmonicas? Sign me up. Interesting to know the story and hear the origins of heavy metal in this album. Sort of strange to go from a pure doom metal song (the first ever!) to blues heavy tracks but I loved it. Glad I listened to the origin album now.
First album where I’ve literally never even heard the name of the artist. Had no idea what I was getting into. Soon I was slipping in a weird acidy jazz trip hop world disoriented as hell. Felt like I was in a rave from a Guy Ritchie movie. Unhinged Massive Attack vibes and I loved it. At the final track I was so anxious I had to turn it off for a few before finishing. Surprised in the best way, and an album like this is the reason I started this challenge. Never would have found it otherwise.
Perfect album title. Found it interesting there are two versions, the Bowie Mix and the Iggy Mix that sound so different. Punk doesn’t do it for me much as a grow older but I respect what the Stooges did for the genre. The guitar work here is the standout for me even though I feel like it should have been Iggy’s moment.
Definitely a classic. Amazing that this is a soundtrack - it feels more like a fully fledged concept album. I’m sure I need to watch the movie to fully grasp this one.
Bowie! So many bangers. Practically flawless.
Disliked this album from the start but by the end I had a slight appreciation. For an album that came out in the 90s it feels hopelessly lost in the 80s. The weird village people cover at the end was the icing on the cake.
Based on the band name, the album cover and the description of the band as "art rock" on Wikipedia I assumed I would hate this album. It's nice to be wrong. The perfect kind of album that makes you want to get up and dance but it's too weird to do so without looking like you are having a seizure.
Classic album, but I really struggled with how to rate it. It’s not my favorite Who album, or even my favorite rock opera by The Who, but in the end it’s hard to deny how important this album became in pop culture and to the development of the band. Not all the tracks are bangers but they all hold together as an album flawlessly. The success of the weird concept album in and of itself warrants 5 stars.
Aka Papa was a Rolling Stone and some other songs. At 12 min it takes up 1/3 of the 36 min playtime and it was the only thing memorable. Maybe Motown just doesn’t do it for me.
Neptunes/Timbaland production is what makes this album shine. The main singles are pretty great for what they are and the era, but the rest was almost painful to listen to. Timberlake is definitely talented but nothing about his vocals stands out on this album to me.
So freaking good. This is their White Album. While they sound the best together it’s amazing to see their individual styles and compare them to their masterpieces Aquemini and Stankonia. Equally brilliant in their very different ways.
Can’t believe this is the same band that made Revolver. Good for the time and place but nothing like what they would become.
This is the direction I wish “punk” had went. No thrashing three power cord songs for two minutes here. The entire album felt epic. Especially loved the guitar work.
Album filled with sugary songs about love with grade school lyrics. Without the obligatory cutscene of 1960s Venice Beach in the backdrop California Dreaming is about as boring as it gets. Very much feels like the product of its time and place.
The Beatles never clicked for me until the first time I listened to the White Album. It’s so musically disjointed in the best way. Blackbird is beautiful, Helter Skelter is rough and abrasive, yet it all somehow works together. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is my favorite Beatles songs and high up there for any artist.
Really interesting. That Pet Sounds wall of sound is amazing. I’m not a musician but I can tell it’s an amazing feat to produce and engineer an album with this much going on. Should be a 5, but I rate off of my pure enjoyment factor.
I like everyone else my age had this album when it came out and loved it. I haven’t listened to most of these songs in 25 years. I now get the experience of listening to it as a middle aged parent and I’m mortified that my parents let me listen to this music.
A mentor of mine a long time ago told me his favorite band was Steely Dan and I laughed out loud. As I’m getting older I realize that I really like Steely Dan now. There is a subtleness to them that requires maturity. While not my favorite album by them, it’s hard not to appreciate their technical abilities and album production.
This was the first Arcade Fire I heard when it was first released. The critics and other musicians went NUTS over this band at the time. I played Keep the Car Running on repeat and I could still do it today. Not as quite as good as Funeral or the Suburbs overall but still fantastic.
POWER CHORDS! Post grunge was a weird time in music and I feel like this album would have been forgotten if Dave Grohl wasn’t behind it. A couple of staple PopRock songs prevented it from fading into obscurity.
Don’t judge an album by its single. Not that There She Goes is a bad song, but after a thousand listens over the 90s including that saccharine cover by Sixpence None the Richer I expected the album to be the soundtrack to a Freddie Prince Jr movie. Instead I got a quirky Britpop album that feels like it’s out of place in time. While the US was ramping up on grunge this band was doubling down on the Beatles and Kinks. No filler just great classic sounding music from beginning to end.
I was already very familiar with this album. Balances precariously from brilliant to boring old white peoples music, depending on the day and mood when listening. Today blasting Caravan it was brilliant.