I guess I am a sucker for folk, psychedelia, electronica, post-rock, trip hop tunes.
Part of me wants this album to get off of my lawn. Though, another part of me knows the Arctic Monkeys are nice boys and when they mature they will make some stuff I like better. They're kind of like Radiohead that way.
This album accounts for 7 of the songs on their 20 greatest hits album.
The Smiths are a good example of a band that is instantly recognizable based on a singer with a sound and a guitarist with a penchant for catchy hooks. So, in that vein, I am going to invoke a band with similar dynamics: Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne. Singer with a sound? Check. Guitarist with hooks? Check. Beloved by Satan? Bingo.
Here's how I would rank Beastie Boys albums:
1. Ill Communication
2. Check Your Head
3. Hello Nasty
4. Paul's Boutique
5. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
6. To the 5 Boroughs
7. Licensed to Ill
8. The Mix-Up
Fun fact from Beastie Boys Book: Paul's Boutique was a real store and you hear the store's phone number on the album. However, they went out of business shortly after release. Adam Yauch had the presence of mind to acquire the number. The voicemail you hear on Check Your Head--Hey, yo, Paul, this is Al, you can kiss my ass...--comes from a message left at that number.
I am not a fan of heavy metal, per se, but I am down with the vibe of Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath.
What if the Talking Heads had met at prep school, not art school, didn't produce any hits and broke up after two albums?
This album was a mid-life discovery for me, even though I had heard of Television. I had not heard Television. But upon hearing the dueling guitars of See No Evil, I was hooked. Then I heard Tom Verlaine's singing and I said, I don't know...
But the singing and the album grew on me like a barnacle. Is it perfect? Not for me, but as a first album, for its time, this is a great achievement. And I already know I would rather listen to this album than 80 - 90% of the albums on this list.
I guess I did not have a clear sense of who Arcade Fire were prior to listening to this album. I thought I was going to be hearing a fiddle and accordion album, but was very pleasantly surprised with an album that did not feature either. In fact, The Suburbs falls somewhere between like-like and love for me.
Heroes to Zeros is an album so successful that the band broke up after making it. And I low key lurve it. Definitely dig the vibe even if no one song jumps out at me.
I assume this is a soundtrack to a non-existent movie. But one just popped into my head about a superspy named Jaime Contreras. Jaime is on vacation in Rome when the Mexican government requests he retrieve the priceless Mayan artifact El Calendario del Oro.
Jaime tours the Vatican with his love interest Giuseppe. However, Giuseppe dies in a drive by poison dart attack. Jaime must take on the persona of world-renowned Tango dancer Bolo to bring the killers to justice and find the artifact.
This is an album and band I like more in theory than practice. I will come back for “I Need Somebody,” but not much else. You would think after three albums that the songs and production would improve. Nope.
I guess the album got "better" in its second half, but please don't make me listen to it again.
I think it's smart that Willie called this album "Stardust," instead of "Willie sings the songs of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael." It's not particularly my cup of tea, but is quite pleasant on the whole. Thank you for your service, Willie.
Today I learned that Myron Wagtail of the Weird Sisters fronted a Britpop band that did not break in America called Pulp. Pulp released an album called This Is Hardcore where Myron used a voice spell to sound like David Bowie. It's okay.
First off, The Rolling Stones did what Elvis did: Exploit black artists to break. But they don't get nearly the same level of grief as Elvis probably because they wrote their own songs.
So it's wild to consider that here we are in April of 1964 and the Stones have released their first, mostly covers album with one Jagger-Richards song. Thirteen months later, they are recording "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
Listening to "I'm a King Bee" made me think of the Blues Brothers. Ackroyd and Belushi did a proto Blues Brothers cover of "I'm a King Bee" on SNL dressed as bees in January of 1976. They released their live album of covers, Briefcase Full of Blues, in November of 1978. Now, what if, by 1981, the Blues Brothers came out with "Kiss on My List" and they had the career of Hall and Oates? That's kind of like what the Stones did here, only bigger.
There was definitely a deal with the Devil. Which, presumably, came after the release of this album.
Chamber pot music is not my jam. The best thing I can say about this album is that it is, indeed, mercifully short.
This album made me appreciate Eminem as an artist. However, this album also did not inspire me to buy more Eminem albums. I hope he's processed his anger.
I noticed that Terry Melcher produced Midnight Ride. Terry Melcher was the son of Doris Day and an important figure in the book CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties. Melcher lived at the house on Cielo drive where the Tate murders occurred. Vincent Bugliosi made Melcher an important part of the motive angle of the Manson trial--for rejecting Manson's music. However, the book shows that Melcher, along with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, were much closer to the Manson Family--especially the Manson girls--than was previously known. Thus, calling into question Bugliosi's prosecution arguments.
"Kicks" and "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" are the best songs on the album and they weren't written by the band. The latter is an alright cover, but I like The Monkees' version of "Steppin' Stone" better.
In a past life, I used Remedy help desk software for issue tracking. For all I know, this album is about that software.
Exile On Main Street is probably 4.5 stars for me--consistently good, never bad, but not quite great. So I'm going to give it 4 stars. Then I'm going to start another 1001 albums project so I can then give the album 5 stars two years from now.
Guero reminds me of the parking lot at my old job. I would listen to the CD in the car on the way to work, on the way to and from lunch and then on the way home from work.
After "E-Pro," I really like "Earthquake Weather" and "Go It Alone."
This album was better than it had any right being. However, I am slow to warm to strangers.
Nirvana's MTV Unplugged resonates with me. It is one of the handful of albums on this list that I listened to when it came out. The covers stand out, especially a sublime rendition of "The Man Who Sold The World," the Meat Puppets tunes and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night."
If I did not know better, I might think Portishead's Dummy falls into the soundtrack-to-non-existent-movie genre. Regardless, I am a sucker for trip hop. Thus, I am here for it.
Birth Of The Cool is getting played at my next dinner party .
The Rise & Fall was a happy surprise. I was familiar with "Our House" from my MTV indoctrination in the summer of 1983. It was not my life jam, but I liked it then and continue to like it now. To my delight, the rest of the album maintains the style of "Our House," but that may simply be definitive Madness.
I do not love The College Dropout, but I like it well enough.
The first time I listened to Merriweather Post Pavilion, I thought "I do not like this." Then I listened a second time and my opinion did not change.
Pieces Of The Sky is elevated to fine thanks to the voice of Emmylou Harris.
The Wildest! is a definite dinner party album. The jazz is quite smooth and some tunes are most infectious. I also appreciated hearing the original version of "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," which I first heard as a minor David Lee Roth hit in the mid-80s.
Remember when Pearl Jam was going to be The Stones to Nirvana's Beatles? Yeah, me neither, because I have the dementia.
John Lennon was 23 when With The Beatles came out. Paul McCartney was 21. Beatlemania was in full swing and fab four were already worn thin on their second album. There are fourteen songs, but only seven Lennon-McCartney tunes. Only "All My Loving" appears on the Beatles' "Red Album," 1962-1966. So I do not see this album as especially enduring.
Incidentally, With The Beatles was released the same day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
That's The Way Of The World was quite refreshing. I positively recognized "Shining Star" and that made me feel warm and fuzzy. Booties may be shaken.
Honky Tonk Masquerade is fine or whatever.
So the one-time drummer for The Jesus And Mary Chain made "an anarcho-syndicalist speedfreak road-movie record." I am not sure where the anarcho-syndicalism comes in, but "Burning Wheel" sets a nice tone.
However, despite a few more highlights, most of the rest of the album falls into the realm of decent background music. I would probably put this album at a 3.5, so I guess I am feeling generous.
It feels like this list should be split up. One list could be the albums to listen to before you die. There are maybe 500 albums in that list. Then there are the 501 soundtracks to non-existent movies that were only popular in the UK that are fine, but you could live without hearing them. This album falls into the latter category.
At first, I thought that they were piping in the crowd noise on Live At The Regal. No one could possibly be this excited about blues. However, Mr. Riley "Blues Boy" King delivers a bluesy, jazzy, even rocking show. Did you know that he had two marriages that did not produce any kids, but that he possibly fathered up to 18 children? Baller.
What's Going On is a very good album worthy of many accolades. However, I do have one bone to pick which is with "Save The Children," which contains one of my most disliked song topics: children.
I will simply have to defer to Norm Macdonald for the rest of this review: When I was a child, they said 'The children are our future.' Then I grew up and they said, 'No, actually, it's these other children.'
I know a Ponzi scheme when I see it.
My mom introduced me to Siouxsie And The Banshees in the early 80s with Once Upon A Time: The Singles. It contained "Spellbound" and "Arabian Nights," which I have loved since.
Upon listening to Juju in its entirety, I also came to love "Monitor" and "Night Shift." The rest of the album is swanky goth atmosphere thanks, in large part, to the guitar work of John McGeoch. My only complaint about the album is that it does not include "Israel," then I would give it six stars.
Incidentally, I maintain that one of Robert Smith's biggest influences as a guitar player is John McGeoch. Ol' Bob replaced McGeoch as a Banshee, recording Hyaena in 1984 and playing McGeoch's parts live.
After his full-time return to The Cure, you see much more varied guitar work. As an example, "The Blood" sounds like it could have its roots in "Arabian Nights."
Lauren Hill's performance on this album is mind blowing. Would recommend. Five stars.
Something made me think less of Slippery When Wet when I learned that "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" were co-written with prolific songwriter Desmond Child. Sure, they rock, but it does feel like cheating. "Wanted Dead or Alive" was at least only credited to Bon Jovi/Sambora and I do regard it as a classic.
As stated in the Teenage Head AllMusic.com review: Mick Jagger himself "noticed the similarities between the two albums [Sticky Fingers and Teenage Head] and thought the Groovies did the better job."
Now, I do think Teenage Head punches above its weight. However, in no universe do I believe that it is the superior album to Sticky Fingers. I feel like, even if he did say it, Mick was just being especially magnanimous in that moment.
Do yourself a favor and only listen to side 2 of Bookends, i.e. songs 8-12.
Bright Flight reminds me of the album Teddy In The Sky With Magnets by Fish Karma. It features the tunes "God Is A Groovy Guy" and "Baby, Let's Be Methodists Tonight." Check it out. Bright Flight is also fine.
It is hard to deny k.d. lang's singing and songwriting on Ingénue.
Superfly gets extra credit for being a soundtrack to a movie that actually exists. I dig the psychedelic/progressive/cinematic soul and funk vibe.
Listening to The Velvet Underground & Nico for the first time in college made me feel cool. Sadly, that feeling has worn off. However, this is neck and neck with Loaded as my favorite album by The Velvet Underground.
I dig the album Caetano Veloso. I am tempted to add it to my Jazzy Dinner Party playlist. But then I would need to change the name of the playlist to Jazzy, Tropicalia Dinner Party and that does not roll off the tongue. Also, it is a lot of work.
Shout out to Gene Clark. The Bonner Springs High School grad wrote the best two original songs on Mr. Tambourine Man: "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" and "I Knew I'd Want You." He also co-wrote "Eight Miles High" which, along with "I Knew I'd Want You" are my most favorite songs by The Byrds. After that, thank goodness for Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "All I Really Want to Do."
I would think that an album titled The Genius of Ray Charles would include original songs by Ray Charles. Instead, we are treated to The Karaoke of Ray Charles. Do not get me wrong, Ray Charles is really, really good at karaoke. However, an album like this feels like a purely commercial endeavor to sell music to the elderly.
Connected is a groovy acid jazz, trip hop album that gets a boost from its nostalgic title track.
I was less than a year old when Natty Dread came out. That means Natty Dread is old as hell. Thank heavens that good music is timeless.
Bringing It All Back Home is an electrified folk, stylistically transitional album that is a worthy inclusion for Dylan archeologists. I hate to admit that it does not especially move me. At least, it does not move me like later Dylan releases, including Highway 61 Revisited which came out just five months after this.
I like "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Maggie's Farm." But The Byrds made "Mr. Tambourine Man" their own. Also, to be honest, I prefer the Rage Against The Machine version of "Maggie's Farm." "Subterranean Homesick Blues" might be most famous for accompanying Dylan flipping through cue cards with the song's lyrics in the opening to Don't Look Back. Apparently, nobody had thought to use cue cards in front of the camera before.
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul is a really good album. It helps that I have heard a lot of these songs before.
I regret the narrow musical focus of my youth. I really should have listened to Prince albums like 1999 instead of just watching his videos on MTV. I blame my mother.
As I was listening to Rapture, the thought hit me: on this album, Anita Baker is the female Michael McDonald.
With a name like Winehouse, this girl did not have a chance. But she had a smoky voice and left behind a fine album with a neo-retro-Motown vibe.
Malcolm McLaren's Duck Rock is shockingly modern and clearly influential. "Buffalo Gals" made its way to Eminem's "Without Me," while "Duck for the Oyster" sounds like it could have been made by Primus. The album is produced by McLaren and Trevor Horn who you may know better as the guy with the glasses from The Buggles. Horn and McLaren share most writing credits with additional contributions from Ann Dudley of Art of Noise.
I like some singles by Electric Light Orchestra. But I was never inspired to listen to their albums. I realize that Jeff Lynne is just doing his thing, and more power to him. However, a double album's worth of Lynne's maximalist production on Out Of The Blue left me overwhelmed.
I am always happy to add a new album to my Jazzy Dinner Party playlist. Back At The Chicken Shack fits the bill.
