This was my introduction to grunge. Memories of head thrashing to frequent plays of Smells Like Teen Spirit on MTV. Moody, offbeat lyrics set to solid guitar riffs and the pounding rhythm of drums and bass. Kurt Cobain captured the mood of my generation, angry at society.
First time I've listened to Kendrick Lamar. Once I got through the profanity, I got that he was telling a story, laying some strong lyrics over a smooth and funky beat. This album points to the deterioration of race relations that were occurring at the time and also called to mind Public Enemy with its history lessons. It was also a chronicle of Kendrick Lamar's personal journey, overcoming his surroundings and the new temptations accompanying his success and rise to fame.
OK, I get it. He's hyper-depressed and all in his head. The album cover tells the story, as concerned friends look through the haze at him as he fades from existence. Very heavy and challenging. Very different from their pop tunes like Friday I'm in Love or Like Heaven. I guess 'The Cure' was to put all of this melancholy in a record, freeing him to pursue joy on the other side. Thematically (not musically), it reminds me of The Wall, except that that tells a story, whereas this is just a funereal slog, start to finish.
Maybe the launch of pop-punk? Guitars and Billy Joe's vocals suggest punk, but bass makes it fun and very listenable. Familiar tunes that received heavy airplay, but they don't grow old. Each track short and formulaic, as though intended as a single.
Memories of my freshman year of college. Didn't understand the lyrics or appeal then, and 38 years later, the lyrics are mostly as nonsensical now. It's like what I remember college radio being like then, random words and sounds, though the music is more listenable than that was. Too ironic, too cool for me, but some memorable, singalong tunes.
A bizarre soundscape that starts you off wondering what you're listening to and how much longer till it's over, but it pulls you in and leaves you wondering where it went when it's over.
Not for me. Discordant cacophony, mumbled lyrics and no sense of purpose. Experiments with synthesizers, but it's hard to know if they achieved their result because the hypothesis is unguessable.
Like a smoky Brazilian lounge, with a cool cat in a fedora on the sax.
First time listening to a reggae album. Easy, lilting music belies harsh message about slavery, oppression and a longing for Africa. Sparse, repetitive lyrics made most songs like chants.
Familiar music of my youth. Album full of singles with catchy rhythms, guitar, keyboards and Ric Ocasek's distinctive vocals.
How did I miss this?! It came out my final semester of college, and it sounds like something I would have loved to listen to in a college bar. But, with how tight the drums are, they were too good to have played in the places I would have gone. I really liked this!
Smooth, melodic, easy to listen to. Surprised to hear beach music sounds in some tracks.
This was a big waste of my time. No connection, no purpose.
Once I get past the raspy voice, I understand the depth of emotion in the lyrics. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is good, and the profane rage of the betrayed lover in the final track gives an energy that breaks from the introspection that precedes.
Too long by half, but some good songs toward the end of the second disk that showcase her musical talent and not just power and stretching of vowels. The first disk starts out with an almost gospel sound and moves through stories of love, heartbreak and even overcoming abuse. Through it all, Christina briefly lays out the lyrics then showboats and growls over backup singers repeating the chorus. Side B opens weirdly, with some throwback, raunchy burlesque stuff. Put the final three songs with some from Side A, and that could have been a good album on its own.
Less energy, more bluesy than earlier Doors albums. Only one song, Roadhouse Blues, that I recognized. OK, I guess.
An album I once owned. Still solid. Great debut and maybe still their best. Slash's guitar phenomenal and Axl's vocals still fresh and distinctive.
Lots of rebellion and frustration with convention. The music isn't really my thing, but I can see how it would energize disaffected youth.
Some pop, some disco, some filler to round out an album with timeless hits like One Way or Another and Heart of Glass. This was the first time I'd ever seen the lyrics for Heart of Glass, which I've never understood. Cryptic lyrics in some other songs.
I had very little exposure to the Smiths and found them moody and whiny, so this album by their lead singer totally shattered my expectations. It's actually very listenable and solid throughout. Surprises like this make me glad for this service!