This is music for a "Now That's What I Call Music" CD that you'd find at the checkout counter at CVS.

Really liked this. Sat on the back porch with Justin, smoking cigars and enjoying this album. Lots of jazz influences. Ginger Baker's drumming is excellent. Definitely worth another listen.

Very familiar with "Take Five", but the rest of the album is pretty cool but not as good as "Take Five." This is good background music to have on while cooking or reading but nothing I'd seek out to listen to often. It's an album I'd listen to if I wanted to try to get into jazz again for the 1,000th time but then I remembered I'm not a huge fan of the genre but have a lot of respect for the musicians themselves.

The harmonies are great, but not for me. I'd rather just listen to Simon and Garfunkel if I was interested in music like this. Wooden Ships is about the only thing I'd want to listen to again.

Ozzy died yesterday and I had a feeling that one of the Black Sabbath albums would pop up this morning. I don’t need to listen to it to know that I love it. 5/5. But I’m going to listen to it happily. The music is great, the album cover is awesome and the lore behind how they recorded it is fantastic. I can’t imagine being alive in 1970 and hearing this for the first time, it was unlike anything else and it still holds up. RIP, Ozzy. Thanks for everything.

This was awesome. This isn't the typical music that I like, but I'm glad I listened to it. I've heard her sing before but I don't think I really got it until just now. Obviously, I've heard "Respect" before but the whole album just hits different. It's not the music I'd listen to on a road trip, but it's the music I'd listen to while cooking dinner with the family. And I don't mean that background music is a bad thing, it can elevate a mood and set a tone which is awesome. I just listened to it while working and it made my monotonous task much more enjoyable. So much is made about her voice and it's certainly one of a kind, but the band/music here is just as good. The Swampers are just excellent on this album...what this album is, is a perfect blend of an amazing vocalist and amazing musicians. 5/5 for sure.

Really familiar with the three major tracks on here, "And It Stoned Me," "Moondance," and "Into the Mystic." Was happy to hear the rest of this album and while it was good, the rest fell a little short for me. It was going well until "Everyone" came on which is just an abomination. The clavinet intro and the flutes were just terrible...it made it sound so old and dated on an album that holds up reasonably well elsewhere. Made me picture a kid with a bowl cut in orange overalls with a yellow longsleeve underneath playing in a field at sunset with a whole lot of lens flare. I can't be the only one who thinks about weird shit like this but those color schemes and that whole aesthetic fits the vibes of that song and that era. It ended on Glad Tidings, another song I'd prefer not to hear again. I'm giving this a 4 because the rest of it is strong, but not quite as strong as the three main tracks from this album that are certified classics but it ended on such a sour note.

Beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats and beats... Takes me back to high school. I don't listen to rap much anymore, but when I do it's the stuff that I listened to in high school and this was one of the major albums that came out at that time. A classic, it's got it all. Clever lyrics, wordplay, Lauryn Hill's voice...the whole thing is great. The skits are a bit much but they're still fun. Can still listen to it the whole way through even though I haven't listened to it in years and probably won't listen to it again for awhile. Maybe it's because it transports me back to happy times, I'm not sure.

I was in jr high and high school when the Pumpkins were popular. I appreciated some of their singles but never really delved into listening a full album of theirs. But I was happy to listen to this...Cherub Rock and Rocket are awesome, Today is a classic. Disarm isn't the whiny emo crap I remembered it being through my teenage lens. I'll also say that Billy Corgan's voice sucks for the most part...I can't understand half the shit he's singing about, especially on Cherub Rock and Rocket...does that stop me from enjoying it somehow? No. I can't explain it. This album is a masterpiece. I get it now.

I’m four songs in and I hate it. I wanted to like it. The production, the rapping, the features…I mean, does every song have to have a feature? What if I just wanted to hear her sing? Finished it, because that’s the goal… listen to all of the albums and give everything a chance. I can’t tell if some of these songs are supposed to be funny, like On It and The Other Side. But I’ll never listen to this again. And I’m well aware that I’m not the target audience for this album. I also can't tell if some of these songs are supposed to be funny...like "On It" was hysterical. So was "The Other Side." Only thing that’s keeping me from giving this a 1 is her voice. She’s got a really nice voice. But too many features, poor production, stupid intros to every song…can’t give it more than a 2.

I saw someone else say this album is "kitchen music" which is a great way to say this is the music you have on in the background while cooking or having people over. There's a lot of cool shit on here, quite frankly the guy's voice almost gets in the way of some of the interesting music and sounds that are here. And he has a good voice, that's not a slam on him...I just find the actual instruments and effects used to be the real winner here. I liked this more than I thought I would, still not sure how often I'd return to it or if I would return to it but I'm glad I listened to it and learned about it.

This was really great and I'm surprised by how much I liked it. I'm not an expert on electronic music, but this sounds like it was way, way ahead of it's time. It's easy to tell that this still has influences on music today...again, not an expert but from what I've heard from Daft Punk, you can see where they draw inspiration from. It's a great album to listen to with headphones on with some of the music going back and forth from left to right, different layers and textures and moods, in and out, all around. What stops me from giving it a 5 is the vocals. Singing isn't their strength and it doesn't need to be heard, it just gets in the way of the music. Don't need to hear "We are the robots" repeated again and again. Every song after the first one had me hoping that that there wasn't going to be anyone singing. But my head was nodding and foot was tapping more than once. Really enjoyed this one, surprisingly so.

This was terrible. There was about a minute or so early on that delved into some jazz type stuff but that was the only part I enjoyed on the whole thing.

Great musicianship, but this was a miss for me. Some of the guitar on this album is absolutely fantastic which is why I'm giving it a 2 star rating. Lots of cool layers and sounds in some areas, too. I don't always dislike repetitive music, but this didn't do it for me The songs are also too long for music that doesn't really go anywhere and that's my biggest gripe here. If another reviewer can say that this is the music you can listen to in the desert (with a Land Rover), I can say it's the music that belongs in the background of a National Geographic documentary, on the credits for some iteration of the Lion King or some other African cliche. Never would have listened to it if it weren't for the project which is cool but I'm happy to not hear this again.

Very familiar with "Running Up That Hill" after hearing it on Stranger Things a few years ago and playing it over and over like everyone else did, so I was happy to give this album a shot. Really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people talk about her songwriting abilities, but I didn't pay too close attention to her lyrics since there's a lot going on here...sonically, a really cool album. Giving this a 4. Not sure if I'd return to it, but I'm glad to know this album has more to offer than "Running Up That Hill." "The Big Sky" was another banger. I also liked "Under Ice" and "Jig of Life."

Loved this. A lot of fun, great musicianship, something I can see myself listening to again. 5/5.

Really cool Brit-pop. I'd never heard of this band and wasn't familiar with their music and then "Alright" came on. I've heard this song a lot over the years, never knew who made it. Something I'd come back to again, for sure. Just started listening to it for a second time this morning...and this is what I was hoping for when starting this project, finding bands and albums that I'd never heard of (but should have, I was well aware of what was going on in 1995) and enjoying them.

This is the way I think jazz should sound. Earlier I listened to the Dave Brubeck album which was fine, but this is more my speed. Really liked this, and liked it a lot. If I'm going to play jazz, this is what I want to hear.

Ah, shit. This is a challenge...jangle pop. I've always wanted to like R.E.M. and I like some of their songs, the popular ones that you and I've heard for years on the radio....even What's The Frequency, Kenneth? I don't care that I like that song, but I do. I've just never really liked listening to their whole albums, the few times I've tried. It's been awhile since I've given one of them a shot but here we go. It starts off with Drive which is absolutely awesome. I love this song. Try Not To Breathe just doesn't really hit for me, it's got this almost celtic/mountain vibe feel that I just don't like. Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite makes my ears bleed. I like Stipe's voice enough but I feel like he's trying to do too much. I don't want to say he's off key but when he tries to reach for these really high notes, it sounds awful...when he's singing TeeeeEEEEEeeeeLLLL her she can kiss my ass...ugh, just bad. And is it me or does he try to do this fake Irish accent thing when he sings the chorus "call me when youtrytowakeherup." But kudos to the band for leaving the part in where Stipe starts chuckling to himself...endearing that they don't take themselves too seriously. Everybody Hurts...know it, love it. Love the video. Just a great song. Really liked New Orleans Instrumental No. 1, though I'm not sure how it really fits in with the rest of the album so far. Very cool, very chill. Sweetness Follows, dig it. Probably the best deep cut I've heard off this album so far. Monty Got A Raw Deal, really liking this one, too. Ignoreland is starting off strong...am I liking an REM album? Holy shit, this song slaps! Star Me Kitten, not bad! Man on the Moon is fantastic. Nightswimming, pretty good! Find the River, even better! I'm giving this a 4...I enjoyed it more than I thought I would but also not rushing out to listen to it again or buy it on vinyl. But I could also put this on during a road trip and skip Try Not To Breathe and Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

I’ve always wanted to like Neil Young. I’ve got a lot of respect for him but I’ve never really liked listening to his albums past one spin and the wondering why I gave it another try only to try again years later. I also can't help but thinking of that old Dana Carvey bit where he goes "this is every Neil Young song you've ever heard" and then proceeds to do a spot on imitation of every Neil Young song you've ever heard. I was going to give this a 4 based on the respect I have for him but I just can't get into this album until the last 3 songs.

It's good. For me, somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I don't always like her voice which is, I realize, blasphemous to some. I'm also aware that this album was made from scraps from her previous recording sessions so it makes me want to check out some of her other work.

One review I read said that this is Dave Matthews meets Celtic rock...I can see that on the track We Will Not Be Lovers, it's got that DMB early galloping violin action going. I hear a lot of different things going on in this album, some Bowie influences, some wannabe Springsteen, the aforementioned DMB. It all works really well, mostly, until the Blackbird breakdown in the middle of Sweet Thing. It's not awful, it's just not necessary...there's no one other than The Waterboys who thought "Hey, know what? This song of ours totally calls for us to inject a classic Beatles song right in the middle." I'm giving this a 4. I feel like a 3 is too harsh, and a 5 is me saying "I can't believe I haven't heard this before and it's now it's an essential part of my music collection." I'm only listening to the first side only as I'm not a collector and I don't feel the need to keep listening to whatever outtakes/alternate versions/live versions are on side 2. 4 sits right in the middle. 4 is, hey, this is pretty cool, I'm glad I listened to it, I might come back to it...and I can also recommend this to a friend who might appreciate it more than I do. 4 sits right in there.

Loved it. Not huge into reggae, but I get this album. The legendary songs on this album are legendary for a reason and the deep cuts are excellent. 5/5.

Had no idea what to expect here but I liked it. Glad I listened to it...to me, it's pure 70s country. And that's not a slam, but when I think of country music from that time, this is the type of sound I think of. Not sure if I'd return to this, but I liked it enough to suggest it to my wife while she's at work today. And if she wanted to listen to it on an upcoming road trip or if she wanted to put it on in the house I'm good with that, too. She has a hell of a voice, the songs are stuff you can tap your foot to and the band is tight. So, 4/5 from me.

Looking at a lot of the reviews written by others, a lot of motherfuckers are trying to show off how smart they are by trying to intellectualize this band and this music. It's not that deep. Just because the people that made it are whip smart art kids that went to RISD and were super creative doesn't mean that this music has to be deciphered at a micro level. It just has to be enjoyed...it's fun to listen to, David Byrne is a spectrum weirdo genius, Tina Weymouth is an all-time bassist. They all did a bunch of blow, experimented with a lot of different sounds and made some cool shit. Not my favorite Talking Heads album, but it's great. 5/5.

Really love this one. A big part of my youth, a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds running around pretending that they knew what Cobain was talking about...somehow, Nevermind gets more play when I'm in the mood to listen to Nirvana. Unplugged gets a lot of playing time, too. That said, I think this is the best album they made. I should listen to it more often. Much has been made and said about Albini's production and how Nirvana went from the polished sound of Nevermind to this..."raw" and "gritty" sound...which it is. No one talks about how this is album is almost proto-metal. Everyone talks about how this was a punk band...and maybe it was in attitude, but there's a lot of Black Sabbath here. Big, crunchy, heavy riffs. And it works, because Black Sabbath was an influence on Cobain. No one would dare call this a metal album because, of course, Nirvana single handedly came along and ended the metal bands of the 80s. That's partially true, but those bands were already teetering on the edge of being played out and overdone, they just needed someone or something to come along and give them a little push. So no one calls In Utero metal as a result because that'd be too confusing for everyone...but it's not the type of metal that Cobain helped kill. You couldn't hear this album and confuse it with Poison and Motley Crue. But anyone who wants to be honest about how heavy this album is can hear it. Scentless Apprentice is metal drums and riffs, Very Ape is metal, so is Radio Friendly Unit Shift and Milk It. It's not the glistening, shimmering hair metal of the 80s, but it's still metal. 5/5.

This was actually a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be, though I was thrown off a little bit because one of the brothers sounds like a female. Much has been made about the lyrics and I've gotta say that I didn't pay too close attention to them, though I'm giving it another listen while I'm doing some work. Really cool to hear "In The Pines" which would be most famously performed by Nirvana during their Unplugged show. Holy shit, this Knoxville Girl song is fucking dark. Jesus Christ...prime example of the music not matching the words. I think this is probably something that you really need to dig deep on the lyrics to get the maximum amount of enjoyability on and I've just not been able to do it for each and every song having listened to it while working a couple times. But I first thought this was going to be awful and it's far from that. 4/5

The soundtrack to a vasectomy. I'm giving this a 2, and one of those is for a great album cover. I've never been to Nebraska, but that's how I picture it...monochrome and everything. The other is for State Trooper and Open All Night...the only songs that have some sort of a beat that commanded my attention. The rest is just a meandering mess of quiet guitar, softly sung lyrics and some intermittent harmonica playing.

Didn't want to listen to the title track due to it being played to death in a cruise commercial and a car commercial years ago. Want to ruin a good song? Give it to a car company, they'll fuck it up. Thought it was an overall good album. Turn Blue was mostly terrible. Anyway, this is every review written about this album: Ohhhmigod! You can totally hear the David Bowie influence! David Bowie! David Bowie! DavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBowie You can totally hear how Bowie influenced Iggy on this album! Pedo Iggy Pop!

Shit, Chef made an absolute fucking banger. Praise up to L. Ron. I've been giving most of what I've rated so far a 4. 4 means I really liked it, I'm glad I listened to it, I might have sent it to a friend, I might come back to it...I really enjoyed it. This is somewhere between a 4 and 5 for me. 5 is reserved for indispensable....but man, 4 tracks, about 45 minutes...what a risk to take. ...holy shit this was good and unexpected. Gonna give this a 5. "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" is my favorite track. The extended jam to close it out is amazing, as is the extended jam to close out "By The Time I Get To Phoenix."

David Bowie goes Germany and makes an album while doing heaps of cocaine that would make Tony Montana jealous.

The lead singer is a sanctimonious douchebag. If you knew anyone who acted and talked like that in your daily life, you'd want to smack the shit out of them...but give him a microphone and a band and all of a sudden he's some rock icon. It's not the fact that he has political/social beliefs, it's how he goes about expressing them that's a turnoff. And if he's bad, their fans are worse. Look here in the reviews, you'll find mentions of how The Edge is the most revolutionary guitarist since Hendrix which is insane. No doubt he's a great guitarist but that claim is going a bit too far and ignores Eddie Van Halen who might be able to lay claim to being the best guitarist ever. This album is fine. I really don't care for Sunday Bloody Sunday but New Year's Day is pretty good. You won't catch me saying that they're bad musicians because that's not the case...this is a band that has top shelf musicians at every position. Bono, despite being insufferable, is a great singer. Clayton's bass slaps throughout this whole thing, Mullen's drumming is fantastic. Would I listen to this again? Hard to say, I can't say this is a bad album or bad music, it's just not what I really want to listen to if left to my own devices. I'm not sure if that's because I hate Bono or if the music doesn't grab me...probably a bit of both.

This is music for a "Now That's What I Call Music" CD that you'd find at the checkout counter at CVS.

After listening to the steaming pile of shit yesterday that is The Killers Hot Fuss, this is a much appreciated change of pace. Well-crafted country music, a great voice, slide/steel guitar...this is fantastic. It is kitchen music...it's the music to play in the kitchen when making dinner. Or background music to have when friends are over. But I'm also working with my headphones on and doing menial daily tasks and it's great for that, too. I feel like that comes across as a slam, but it really isn't. This is somewhere between a 4 and a 5 for me...I will say that there's not a lot of diversity here, the songs all seem to have the same tempo and a really similar rhythm. But the recording and the mix is tremendous, you can hear all the instruments independently of each other, especially the bass...and his voice just glides smoothly over everything. I feel like records these days don't sound this good for some reason...sonically, this is so simple and yet so awesome...so I'm gonna end up giving it a 5. And fuck The Killers. What a shit album.