One of those bands I'd heard about but never heard. Everything I heard about them sounded like they aren't my thing. Listening to this confirms they are not my thing.
A classic, stone cold. The smoldering 6/8 burn is strong with this one.
Not a fan of Black Keys. I'll try to give it a listen.
Welp, still very meh. I don't see the appeal to these guys at all.
The heavy riffing songs are the epitome of swamp music. That opening drum groove on "I Ain't The One" really sets it all up. I'd be surprised if that hasn't been sampled for a bunch of hip hop songs. I never need to hear "Free Bird" or "Simple Man" ever again. Those have lost all their punch due to being overplayed, and Free Bird just being a straight up punch line.
This is one of those albums that is like air. It's such an integral part of the musical landscape that I can't imagine what pop music would be without it. That said these songs are also so ubiquitous that I rarely seek them out on their own. Wait a little bit and if you're listening to the right radio stations you'll hear one of them.
Well fuck. I wrote a long, almost thoughtful review for this one and when I had to refresh the page it got lost. Fuck it, now you get two stars because I'm petty like that.
Very mopey and weepy. I'm glad I didn't discover this when I was a sullen teenager full of imaginary heartbreak. I skipped a lot of these songs, too slow and boring. I was going to give it two stars benefit of the doubt for being a product of its time, then I realized that "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" was the only song I listened to all the way through. I'm okay to never hear any of these songs again. Glad the BeeGees left this behind for the more energetic tunes in the mid '70s.
This aged better than I thought it would back in the day. Could say more about my thought process back then. Super solid grooves. My one gripe is that it's too long. Everyone was trying to fill the 70 minute capacity of the cd and I get worn out before it's over. Could've been two albums.
I've known about "That Lady" for decades, feel really foolish for sleeping on the rest of this album. Their choices of covers and the arrangements just kick ass. I gotta go buy it and add it to my library. These songs need to be in my regular rotation.
Everyone knows "LaGrange" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago". The real killers on this album are "Master of Sparks" and "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers". One of the very first albums I bought with my own money (5 or so years after it came out) because of LaGrange and I had no idea what I was in for!
Definitely an album that is of its time. The style isn't really my thing but the playing and production are top notch. Great guitar/bass interplay and a locked in drum beat are hard to resist.
The themes they're singing about are still way too relevant today. The level of cognitive dissonance of right wingers listening to this and interpreting it as a paean to corporate bootlicking is off the charts. This band had something righteous to say and those tools took that message 180° in the opposite direction.
I didn't listen to this back when it came out but I remember there was a lot of hype and praise around it. I was pretty ready to not like it and was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed this one.
It started to feel pretty same-y to me so the different voices on "Get Out of My House" and instrumentation on "Fit But You Know It" were really welcome change-ups.
I'd listen to this again, maybe more in chunks than the whole thing though.
Dug it, a lot. Haven't listened to it in years and it kinda took me by surprise as I'd felt like I'd had my fill of Radiohead. Reminded me of why they're such a great band.
Starting off great. Recognized "Ponta De Lança Africano" from a mixtape given to me in the '90s. This bodes well. Apparently Rod Stewart yoinked the melody for "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" from "Taj Mahal". And no Rod, I don't.
This record grooves hard! I also appreciate that most of the songs are in the 3-4 minute range. It's going on my cookout/picnic playlist for sure.
Being a 'young punk' in the late '70s I was stupidly dismissive of anything with a synth and programmed beats as 'new wave fluff'. Listening to this decades later with more accepting ears I'm realizing how much I missed by being a young proto-hipster snob. This album is kicking ass. The bass is killing it from beginning to end. Social inequality themes are still all too topical.
A+ record. Been listening to these songs since the early '80s and they still sound as fresh as back in the day. Say no more.
This is hitting the spot on a Monday morning. When "One Two Cha Cha Cha" came on I got a big smile. Now I want to see this movie!
The local dosa restaurant has contemporary Indian music videos playing all day. The old white dude cultural bias in me wants to hear these tunes in there. Next time I go I'll look for some similarities or nods to the oldies in those videos/songs.
Listening on a Tuesday morning. This one isn't landing with me very much. I really got into "Hail To The Thief" but I'm just not feeling this one. A little too samey tempos makes the songs all kind of blend into one long Thom Yorke moan. A little goes a long way. This one might work for me if I'm in the right mood but I doubt I'll give it another chance. Too many other things to check out.
Worked for me as background music and certainly a cut above meditation music. Some good themes going on but for me could've used a little more tension/release moments. The youtube cut I found was ripped from vinyl and had some hisses and other noise. Being old and remembering the days of scratchy records I really appreciated that.
1977? Feels like this one's been around a lot longer really. I tried to leave as much of my memories and feelings about the hits on this one behind for this listen. Had marginal success. "Get It Right The First Time" felt fresh at least. I still think "Everybody Has A Dream" was unnecessary. That one feels like he was angling for the Saturday Night Live outro song. I"d have put my feelings about the hits behind and given this 4 stars if not for that song.
This one's took me on a fantastic little trip. Works to either sit, listen and get lost in the music or to have on when doing something to help keep me going. I'd love to sit and listen to this on vinyl through a state of the art early '60s hi-fi, as God intended.
Ah what the hell, first one (I'm only 20 in) I listened to twice in one day.
Aw hell yeah! I remember when this came out, it wasn't my scene but a lot of it was inescapable. Listening to it as a whole today I don't know if I would've liked it then as much as I do now (which is a lot). Sadly the themes are all too relevant (maybe even moreso) in 2025. Music and loops are definitely of their time but are still super solid grooves. I will be revisiting this fairly regularly.
Making 'simple' songs sound so vital and alive is no small task. Enjoyed this listen, haven't heard a lot of these songs in years. "Who'll Stop The Rain?" still can stop me in my tracks.
I don't usually go for extended editions and bonus tracks but noticed that Booker T and the MGs are on a bonus track of "Born On The Bayou", Had to give that a listen and I wasn't disappointed.
Good lord this makes me cringe at what a blockhead I was back in my early 20s. I dismissed it as fluff, akin to the bubblegum pop that was all over AM radio in the '70s. If it wasn't fast and loud with distorted guitars and snide vocals I had no use for it. Listening in the intervening years I've opened up to the substance behind the slickness. There's some great music here. The hits are the strongest tunes, but there are a lot of those. Happy to hear this on a busy Wednesday morning.
I had this one back in the day (thanks, BMG Music Club) and don't recall what happened to it. Listening now I know why I don't miss it. I really appreciate the bigger names collaborating and bringing attention to Mr. Hooker, but the songs don't really bear repeat listens. JLH doing vocal vamps over Hooker-esque grooves laid down in a workmanlike fashion ends up with a somewhat sterile result. Oddly enough the track furthest from my sweet spot, "No Substitute", is my favorite one on the album. Taking it back to just JLH and a 12 string guitar has the strongest punch of the whole album. For that track and putting John Lee Hooker in the ears of a lot of people who had never heard (or heard of) him before I'm giving it three stars.
The blueprint for the 'Neil Young Sound'. I was hesitant to even give it a spin at first being pretty familiar with these songs over the years but I'm glad I did. I always seem to like the Crazy Horse stuff. Hearing the full album in order really gave me a lift.
I guess you had to be there. I get it, they were on fire and playing the hell out of their instruments. It just doesn't move me, and I'm familiar with a lot of the songs. From Wikipedia, "but were unenthusiastic about recording a live album..." and I can see why. There's something lost in the translation to vinyl here for me. Would have been a fantastic show to have attended but not having been there I'd rather listen to the studio versions of these songs. "Lazy" is maybe the exception to that feeling for me. This version is killing it. However I don't need a twenty minute version of "Space Truckin'"...ever.
Another of those bands whose name I was familiar with but the music not so much. Started off okay, pleasant sounding tune that moved along well, until it didn't end. These guys have a serious problem of not knowing when a song should be over. An unhealthy addiction to reverb too.
Meh. A pretty high chaff to wheat ratio. I'm not into this much. It would've gotten a higher rating if I'd never listened to it.
One of the few live rock albums I honestly enjoy listening to. Most fall into the "had to be there" bin for me. The too long version of "Need Your Love" cost this one a star in my rating. Other than that one this album has it goin' on.
I liked this a whole lot better than I expected to. Cave's uber-goth reputation precedes him. The title of the album is a giveaway about the subject matter. It does grow old over the length of an album (a couple three of them per album is just fine) but damn, the music and the musicians really make this a standout album for me. I will get it and let it live in the shuffle section of my music library.
Solid '90s indie pop music. Nothing particularly compelling to me. Better/different than my preconceived idea of what they were about so they get 3 instead of 2 stars.
This is what it sounds like when the dentist cranks the nitrous oxide up to eleven. That can be good or bad depending on how long they're drilling.
Dang! I was familiar with "Love and Affection" and even saw her SNL performance back in the day. I'm really digging this much more than I expected. One of the community radio shows I follow (The Time Machine on WDBX) plays her occasionally but more of the mellow tunes as opposed to the bangers. That DJ is doing Joan a disservice. Love the breadth of styles and feel.
Laying out the Foo's blueprint. I like that this is before he got way too shouty. Overdoing the shouting really detracts from the songs but I guess that's what the hitmakers require.
Boring. Sounds like it was made with the idea of selling the songs to commercials and overly earnest mid budget indie movies. Did not finish.
Do you realize...you could've done just about anything else with that last hour?
Good stuff. I didn't really seek out or get into much hip hop back in the day, my loss.
So goddamn much fun! The release date bumps it from four to five stars for personal reasons.
When Elvis outgrew his "angry young man" days I kind of drifted away. I was bound and determined to stay angry well into my old age. Eventually I did mellow out and you know what? I really like this album. Maybe the Attractions have something to do with that.
Stoked to see this one this morning! Still sounds as in your face and immediate as the day it was released.
Was going to just give it a three based on how much it's part of our cultural soundscape and not really listen. I'm glad I did and it was the perfect album for Halloween.
5/5, how could I not? I wasn't much of a Beatles fan growing up in the '60s/'70s, they were pretty inescapable back then. I may not always be in the mood for these tunes these days but can't deny how f-in' good this album is.
Good greasy rock'n'roll. Feels like getting ready to hit the town on a Friday night.
A good warm up for his next album (I'm Still in Love with You), favorite Al Green album. Needs no extra tracks, the 34 minute run time is just the right amount.
A much more compelling listen than I remember. Pretty badass that this came out in '81.
Put it on while doing some house cleaning. It was okay for that. Mostly it reminds me why I don't smoke dope and sit around in my underwear giggling at nothing for hours on end. Bailed on it way before the halfway point. This ain't my cup of tea.
Put it on while doing some house cleaning. It was okay for that. Mostly it reminds me why I don't smoke dope and sit around in my underwear giggling at nothing for hours on end. Bailed on it way before the halfway point. This ain't my cup of tea.
This is really annoying. I've heard of them and had the impression they leaned into twee. This is far worse than twee. Skipped the first few songs after about 30-45 seconds and then bailed on the album. Make it stop.
Good Lord! I'm 17 years old again and "that kid" in school introduced me to punk rock. This is going to be part of the soundtrack at the old folks' home I get sent to.
Oh yeah. Yesterday the Circle Jerks, today Sinatra and Jobim. Everything's coming up Milhouse! Setting a supreme '60s mood. I want to throw an elegant dinner party but that would mean cleaning the house. Much better to chill out and listen to this goodness.
Undeniably excellent. I'm not always in the mood for this kind of music but when it hits it hits. Any time the Crazy Horse lineup is most of the musicians on the album it's a lock I'm going to like it.
Good stuff but most of these songs I've heard so much I don't care if I ever hear them again. Up On Cripple Creek is the exception, still love hearing that one.
Title song is a classic. I remember hearing it as a little one and wanting a coat like it myself. "A Better Place To Live" shows Dolly's been true to herself for a long time. All that said this album lands differently to 2025 me than 1975 me, as it should.
Back when I was a teenager and all about the Who and the Stones I really neglected the Kinks. I wish I'd given these guys more attention, this is some really good shit.
Still sounds as vital today as it did 40+ years ago. It was fun to hear it again as a full album.
Tried listening to this maybe 25 years ago and really didn't get it. It sure did click today. I feel like I've been missing out but I guess I just had to wait until I was ready.
Never really listened to Ice T. This one surprised me. Seeing 24 tracks I thought I was in for a slog. I turned it on and started doing some chores. These songs got my attention, in a good way. Really kind of cinematic (not just New-Jack Hustler). Telling stories and painting pictures with words. Frequently troubling and disturbing, but that's the point.
The title song is ubiquitous that it's become a meme. I listened to it and it's still an undeniable banger. Brings back memories of my friend's mom driving us around in their VW Beetle and singing along to the AM radio cut. Loss is a big theme of this album, but it really just made me numb to the impact of the later songs, particularly "The Grave".
I pretty much checked out on REM after "Life's Rich Pageant". I no longer have that 'ew they sold out' hipster mentality but their later albums still don't really hit with me the way their early ones do. This is okay I guess. None of the songs really move me though.
If this doesn't move me check for rigor mortis. People like Louis Prima and Louis Jordan don't get as much credit as Little Richard and Ike Turner for being part of the creation of rock'n'roll but without them things just wouldn't be the same today. This music really lights me up and sets me off. A double espresso for my ears! Even though most of these tunes are already in my library from various compilations I'm adding this album for sure. Even the 2002 bonus tracks.
A double album? Uh-oh. First track is 7+ minutes long? Big uh-oh. So many similar tempo songs. Everything just kind of blends into one long meh. Y'know Dimery, I really would've been fine with not ever hearing this album.
It's alright. I liked "Ill Communication" better. I do appreciate the shorter tunes but the yelling vocals get old pretty quick.
Good stuff, definitely of its time. Glad I listened to the whole thing but also not really feeling any need to revisit it.
It all sounds good and is very well made. He can definitely establish a solid groove. I just don't find anything here very catchy, none of it really sticks with me. I probably wouldn't turn it off if it came on the radio in the car but I'm not adding it to my library.
Once again the generator wiped out my review. I think it was along the lines of innocuous aural wallpaper.
Disappointing. Each song was pretty monotonous. The beats seemed like an afterthought. That's what draws me in and gets me to pay attention to the words. Without an interesting beat it loses my attention fast.
Bringing the bombast with swagger- in the best way possible.
This album cover is pretty iconic, surprised I've never listened to these guys. Here goes! Ah well, it's not for me. 28 year old me would've dug this when it came out but old me doesn't have the patience for all this slow dissonance.
This is pretty close to right in my wheelhouse. I'm sure I've heard a few of these before but never really got into these guys back in the day. It does kind of have a generic proto-grunge sound, could've been any of a number of early '90s bands. The ballads -"When We Two Parted" and "I Keep Coming Back" really make this album a chore to listen to.
Really ambitious and over the top. Where a fever dream and a passion project collide. The ballads really suck all the energy and fun out of it. The musicians are killing it all the way through which makes it a joy to listen to.
The boogie and swagger tunes are on a par with Big Star's best tunes. The anthems are dirgey slogs on a par with Aerosmith's most overwrought late stage power ballads. Unfortunately the ratio of slog to kickass is like the rent- too damn high.
I can't stand the big hit from this album, just horrible, no redeeming qualities. Held my breath and started with the second track, mostly meh at best. Still nowhere near as awful as the opening song. Holy shit! 75 minutes long!? I'm never going to make it through this dreck. Fuck you, Dimery, you can kiss my ass.
In the early aughts I once described Coldplay to a friend as "Watered down Radiohead for mass-consumption." (Martin's falsetto may have had something to do with that take) I don't even give them that much credit today. Complete dreck.
Oddly I just listened to "Back To Black" yesterday after my sister in-law said she like Winehouse's music. I was only passingly familiar with the hits which turned out to pretty much all be on BtoB. I liked it okay, got a little too samey with the heartbreak and dysfunctional relationship themes but the music is all top notch. I have the same impression of "Frank" and can see how it grew into BtoB. To me these songs are better suited to being on a shuffled playlist where they pop up once in a while. Strung together on an album is a little too much of the same theme beaten into the ground.
Back in the day I checked out on the Pixies after "Doolittle". Most likely due to my late twenties hipster tendencies, once they had a hit they couldn't possibly be cool anymore. Listening to this today the songs don't grab me the way those first two albums did, but now I'm quite a bit older so things hit differently these days. It's alright, still very Pixies and off-kilter at just the right moments.
Albums like this are what I'm doing this for! I'd heard of Monáe before but never really listened to her music. I assumed she was another neo/retro R and B artist, boy was I wrong. I really dig this and now have to listen to the first suite and this all the way through in order. So many different sounds and styles all done with extreme aplomb. This one's got to end up in my library.
Starts out a lot different than I was expecting, that's a good thing. I don't remember hearing about them back in the '90s. Evokes some of the early Pixies sound, not just because of the woman's vocals but the off-kilter riffs and dynamic shifts. I'm also hearing Chairs Missing era Wire and maybe a touch of early Gang of Four. Still sounds like a fresh take on those post-punk sounds, smart guitar rock with attitude.
I was a freshman in high school when this came out. What's lost in all the (deserved) talk about how EVH changed the landscape for guitar players is how damn hard Alex and Michael swing. While Eddie is the tinsel and lights (DLR providing the ornaments) all over the tree the rhythm section is the trunk and branches holding it all together.
All in all a pretty fun and nostalgic trip for me. Kinda hard to not give this five stars for its historical significance alone. So even though the non-singles tracks don't add much to the statement/album, that's what I got.
Q: Has there ever been a better debut album?
A: No
Hot Damn! There was a point in my life when I had three copies of this album in my record collection. I wonder what happened to all my old albums?
This is also my third debut album in three days- Van Halen, John Prine, and New York Dolls. Merry Christmas to me! This is going to be the perfect soundtrack to whatever prep I'm doing today for tomorrow's dinner. Hell yeah! The swagger and attitude and ambition are pure rock and roll.-We're doing this and you can't stop us. Hitting as hard as diner coffee at 3am.
Enjoyable enough. It's hard for me to separate what a shit human being Phil was from the music. The musicians are killing it, Hal Blaine in particular seems to be really getting his jollies. Spector's squick aside after a while the wall of sound becomes a barrage of sound to me so the 34 minute run time is just about perfect. Overall fun takes on some classics and a fitting soundtrack to getting started on Christmas dinner.
The generator's back on debut albums after the Christmas bump. A bold statement to kick off the album with a blatant rip on Horace Silver's "Song For My Father". At least "Do It Again" doesn't linger there and goes off in a different direction. A lot of nostalgia tied to this one. Then I realized that the only ones that really stuck with me were pretty much the 'hits'. "Reelin' In The Years" just moves along so well, still moves me, but "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" is really kind of a dud of an album closer. Might've rated this higher on a different day.
Another debut album, that's five in a row (leaving out the Christmas 'bonus'). Not as gimmicky as I was expecting knowing about the band's penchant for costumes and clowns. The drum sound is pretty awful though. Between that and the shouty unintelligible vocals I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through the whole thing. When the singer forgets to pretend he's a monster with a sore throat the vocals are pretty good. I suppose that is supposed to reflect angry and disaffected youth, I can get behind the sentiment but have a hard time dealing with the delivery, to each their own. "Diluted" is my favorite track. I could see going back to this song. Seeing the 19+ minute run time of "Scissors" I was fully prepared to bail on it - then I was reminded of hidden tracks, haha!
Started out kinda cool. Early songs have a fun, "We're going on a weird sonic road trip, hop in and enjoy the ride." But by the middle it feels like driving through Nebraska, a lot of the same and it ain't going by very fast. If the beginning vibe kept up this could've been a 4 maybe 5 stars for me. I really wish it had lived up to the promise of the first couple songs.
It's okay I guess. Good rocking but it starts sounding samey to me after a handful of songs. I know the hits from this one and they're good tunes. I just don't see myself coming back to this one.
Love the energy and attitude. Another pretty samey sounding album but this one doesn't overstay its welcome. That said it's not going into my library. Okay songs if I hear them in the wild but nothing to go out of my way for.
Not much I can say about this one. The '70s wouldn't be the same without ol' Cat. I barely even noticed it was over, not much difference between this and silence.
This is an easy five star. It loomed large in the soundtrack to a lot of my Saturday nights/Sunday mornings in the '80s. I hadn't listened to the entire album as a piece in almost thirty years, really glad to see it come up today.
Holy Cow! Must crank this one. Takes no prisoners. Get in the car and step on the gas.
So many similar tempos in the mid section of the album, hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins. At least "Minus" kicked this one out of the doldrums for a short bit. I don't need to hear this again, not sure why I needed to hear this once.
Didn't hit with me the way OG did. I dig the martial arts influences for sure.
Don't even have to look at the release date to know this is from the '90s. It's good '90s though.
Smooth, makes me feel like I'm cool just for listening to it.
So cheesy it's gooey sometimes. The music blows me away, the choice of songs tends to amp up the cheese factor. EP's delivery is what it is. He really knew how to use his voice as an instrument. Would've loved to have seen the sessions- the musicians and back up singers were really firing on all cylinders. All in all though a three is about it for me. It's interesting from a pop music history perspective but not something I'll listen to again.
Hadn't heard of them so I checked wikipedia and saw the 1982 release date. I figured I was in for something good. This makes me want to mosh like Beavis and Butthead! If this had come out ten years later it would've been cartoonish, instead it's a blueprint for a lot of what followed. Very cool.
Brings back memories of discovering "Art Rock" in high school with the other stoners. Nice little nostalgia trip- didn't listen to the extended edition, 40 minutes is enough. These guys could play their asses off and they sure wanted everyone to know that.
Rather meh. None of these songs stuck with me. Also none of them grated on me or otherwise made me want to skip them. Sort of like a beige wall I guess.
Really hitting me as a novelty album, not sure why it's on the list. That said it's more enjoyable than some of the other things on the list. Wavering between two stars for wtf and three stars because I don't really dislike it. Sounds like it was a helluva lot of fun to make this album anyway.
