ABBA is a quintessential "singles" band- undoubtedly fantastic band but the album provides an overall good experience where a studio album cannot do them justice like a compilation can. Some of the stuff is really great- the odd time signatured "Soldiers" or hit single "One of Us," and nothing here is rough. It's just nothing more than pleasant as a record.
Too many songs feel like pastiches of better artists' songs: I hear Paul McCartney, (lots of) Led Zeppelin, and even Tom Waits- lending the record an identity crisis. Just go full alt rock, or full blues, or full "marimba rock" or whatever those first few songs were. Blue Orchid makes for a great opener, though. This is ultimately Greta Van Fleet-core with better production.
Really solid- not a bad song here, makes for an easy listen with excellent instrumentation and production alike, sounding very mid-90s for being a 1989 record. "She Bangs the Drums" is the clear best but everything is very good.
Super chilled-out and smooth. Not a single moment where I'm not enjoying what I'm listening to. I think the organ kind of outclasses every other instrument here, though. Would definitely vibe out to this again- actually super calming.
Iconic stuff. Super ahead of its time when it's great, and kinda sappy when it's not. Overall a pretty good listen though.
Very solid listen. Pleasant voice and instrumentation, pleasant experience. Sounded like a 90s record, in all honesty.
Really great album of top-notch early 70s psychedelia on top of its iconic cover. Blah blah blah Student Demonstration Time sucks.
At first, I was disappointed in its kind of lackluster sound. I do think it won me over a bit by the end. That one spoken word about the maiden was pretty funny and I thought a few tracks here were actually really great. Its main issue is its genre-leaping. It's hard to feel invested in the sound when at any moment it breaks its own cohesion song to song.
It's alright. She's got a pretty voice, and I dug their blend of British folk and old-timey American folk, but I did not get much out of it beyond being calmed a bit while listening
Not a dull moment to be found on this impeccably recorded, excellently presented, approachable yet artful piece of art. Incredibly impressive stuff that I will be relistening to as soon as possible.
A celebrated artist that I do not "get." I don't find his voice interesting at all, and his lyrics are not nearly ear-catching for me to get the appeal. The songs all sound the same to me, too, though I appreciated the orchestral aspects here
Might be the most obnoxious rapping I've ever heard. The same staccato, slurred flow on every track. Illustrative because it shows not every album here is redeemable and that the early 90s had some hot garbage music amidst an excellent string of years in music history. Plus it's nearly an hour long?! Why?
Not bad- but everything here is secondhand in comparison to the big single "Back 2 Life"
Probably my 100th listen. Every song is fantastic- even the interludes! Ian Anderson remains one of my favorite musicians of all time and this is my favorite project of his.
Every song is so powerful, so composed. The features are all deliberate, and the album's flow from song to song thoughtfully presented (although "Christian Dior Denim Flow" should have replaced "Blame Game" 100%). A reasonable contender for greatest hip hop album of all time. "Runaway" is my all-time favorite, but this re-listen solidified that "Monster" is one of his greatest songs across his career
I prefer Coldplay a little more punchy; Viva La Vida is one of my all-time favorite albums. This record is a lot more low-key, sometimes to its detriment, albeit with some exceptions- "Yellow" and "Don't Panic" are excellent.
I wish this site could let me give half star ratings, as three does not do this justice. Not a bad song here and his classic voice really elevates some of the more filler-y tracks in comparison to the massive title track and the standout "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart"
One really great song, a couple decent songs, and a lot of very forgettable 90s bubblegum pop. Particularly rough was that dated duet with Generic McAverage
Trimming like 4 songs off this would have resulted in a four-star rating. Some really great tracks up front, good production, variety, and instrumentation. Does not sound dated at all.
Everything here feels intentional and layered. Production sounds pretty great. Funky songs were really great. So why am I so lukewarm about it? Maybe not melodic enough for me?
Noticed this time how important Slash was to their sound, as much as Axl, honestly. Aggressive but not overly so- still super smooth and approachable sound. Every song hits. Fantastic instrumental performances pretty much from top to bottom. Really expected this to age poorly but it has held up since being amazed by this as a kid. No snobby RYM-brain is gonna tell me that "Sweet Child O' Mine" isn't a fantastic song.
Spectacular sonic atmospheres from track to track as per usual from MBV. My favorite was "New You." Reminded me most of the stuff I've most enjoyed from Loveless.
Important album but it's hard to listen to the same "My name is ____ and I'm hear to say, I like to rap in a major way" flow over and over again. "The Message" is pretty great, tho
Solid, but not outstanding overall. Liked the Philip Glass feature though
Nothingburger. His vocals are so bland. At least Bryter Layter had some nice orchestral instrumentals
So many classics. Another one of the all-time debuts in music history
Lots of really great songs here, but the length is not justified so I gotta give a 3, unfortunately
Difficult to rate, as the album was not made for me. It seems like people on this site are way too hard to please. This was really nice record to listen to and the reviews unnecessarily harsh
Funky from beginning to end. Check the Rhime is easily the best song here but not a bad moment
A fookin' quality album
While the songs overall aren't as strong as some of his other records, the creativity and talent still shines through, both in strong vocals and the overall songwriting.
Two Weeks and Ready, Able outshine the bulk of this. But it's a high 3/5 fs