Enjoyable southern blues rock, no real standouts for me. I suspect their other albums of the era probably had more to offer, this one was made so quickly after the last one... Still, perfectly fine, inoffensive music if a bit samey. I can see a lot of the influence this music has had on later artists.
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of funk and soul, easy to vibe to. Simple, yet varied.
I loved this one way more than I thought I would. I don't know why I'm so surprised in retrospect - on paper this album is a lot of the things that I like. For some unknown reason I was worried this one would be boring but there is a depth to this that simply demands your attention and definitely warrants another listen from me at some stage. What is at first glance generic post-punk by a band with the most bland name there could possibly be is full of rich musicality and bizarre insight.
I wanted to enjoy this more. I like Led Zeppelin III and IV well enough (at least what I remember of them) and hoped this album would be another on that list. I'm not sure if their first album just isn't as refined, or maybe it caught me on an off day... but I found myself bored. After the first couple of songs it was a bit of a slog to get through. Don't get me wrong, the songs were all fine, it wasn't unpleasant - but it didn't feel particularly special or cohesive in any way worth noting. I may give it another go some time, and I'm certainly looking forward to some later offerings from Jimmy, Robert and the Johns when they come up.
I only knew one song off this album going in, and had in my head that R.E.M. were generally a bit depressing, maybe with the exception of "shiny happy people" - I only really knew a few of their hits. Imagine my surprise when the dreary, depressing R.E.M. sound I was familiar with came to life with all sorts of colours and tones, and frankly beautiful lyrical imagery throughout! This album is a masterclass in writing variety while maintaining a signature sound.
After the first song I thought to myself "well the rest of the album must be better". Throughout the experience I continued to search for redeeming qualities. There are some, but not enough to overcome the fact that listening to this literally gave me a migraine. I'm sure there is some deep art in there, but to me it just seems pretentious at the expense of being enjoyable. I tried so hard to find a reason to rate it higher and just couldn't.
This was great! I have a soft spot for life on mars in particular, but the album as a whole holds up well. It's catchy, varied, well written... You can tell he was writing from the piano for most of it, which I tend to like as a pianist. Songs just sound different when you write them from different instruments, even if those instruments aren't in the final recording at all. This wasn't quite masterpiece level for me, but a good time was had listening, and I'd definitely listen again.
Elliott Smith is not someone I had heard of previously, but his melancholic indie sound and deep lyrical themes really resonated with me. I also liked how unpolished it all sounded... As someone who wrestles with perfectionism in songwriting, I feel like this makes me feel better about things not having to sound exactly perfect. I will be listening to more of his stuff for sure.
A hard listen. Nothing "bad" per se, but every song felt like it was just one idea - and even then it might not be all that different to the others. There is far better electronic music out there, and I really hope to find some on this list.
This was fun. Good, solid glam rock that I had a great time listening to.
Solid offering by the eagles bringing country and rock together on an album that sounds consistently great start to finish and doesn't get boring.
I adore this album. I'm not typically a listener of rap, hip-hop or RnB... and yet I cannot help but love this album from the bottom of my heart. Lauryn Hill delivers a "soft concept" album that is full of deep reflections, big questions and buckets of soul - exploring love, faith, parenthood, pain and hope. The composition is stunning, and her performance is captivating from the moment her name is called to no answer. To write so evocatively, compose with such precision and perform with such feeling is rare. I wish I understood more about where this album comes from, and indeed Lauryn herself. This is the second time I've heard this album and it won't be the last. A true masterpiece, the likes of which don't come around often.
This is a decent album, but definitely not my personal favourite U2 album, nor their most popular. It's got a lot of what makes U2 sound like U2 (specifically later U2), which is great if you're into that and I can't fault them for. I can't decide how I feel about U2 as a whole. At times I love it - I certainly can't deny the musicianship and passion in their music, and they've written some of the greatest songs of all time (including one of my own favourites). At other times U2 can feel a bit flat and boring to me... I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I suspect it's the tone and style. I feel that U2 are at their best when they're being strong and/or expressive (see City of Blinding Lights, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Miracle Drug, Pride and many more). Often I think the rest of their music can feel a bit flat. This album is mostly that - flatness. Not at all unpleasant, and certainly well written... Just missing a certain spark that engages me. That said, there are songs and moments across the album that earn some of that attention back, which is why I'm pushing the rating up to a 3. I'd have no qualms listening to it again, but I'm far more likely to just pick a few songs I liked rather than going start to finish on it.
Great fun, big glam/hard rock energy. This is where Queen really properly started becoming Queen, paving the way for the incredible A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. This album was great, and showcases a Queen that are finding their sound.
Wow. I don't know what I expected when I saw that this was a more ambient album, but I was completely blindsided by what is one of my favourite albums to date. It's hauntingly beautiful, unsettling and intimate. One of my common criticisms of albums on here is that things sound boring or samey, but this has a simplicity that somehow defies that idea that simple or repetitive equals boring. It's so rich and full, even though a lot of the music involves just exploring one loop or idea. I cannot give this anything other than a 5, which it has earned completely.
I thought long and hard about what I was going to rate this. I don't think any answer feels right to me and here's why.
This album is clearly (on some level, by some metric) good. On the one hand the beats are sick and the G-funk thing is really working.
...On the other hand, I find it almost unlistenable because every third word is something obscene. Even just writing this review without using any of their vulgar language was a difficult decision I had to make. I recognise that there's artistry in here, and if I pretend for a moment that this is a concept album where they're playing "characters" then I can sort of see what they're choosing to do creatively and engage with the vibe... But this rating is meant to be about my enjoyment of the album, and the lyrical content just isn't for me. I can only listen to two guys rapping about gratuitous sex, drugs and violence for so long before it just becomes uncomfortable. It's also one of the longer albums on this list so far, which doesn't help this problem.
Both Dre and Snoop went on to do amazing things, and while I can't deny that this album was hugely influential and launched them into greater things, I'm not rating those things. I'm rating this album, which feels to me like a very one-note slog - and that one note is "look at my massive schlong and my gun and my weed". I seriously reckon you could string together at random any combination of four particular profanities and the resulting lyric will be in here somewhere. Exactly which four profanities I'm referring to is left as an exercise for the reader.
One final thought: for people who claim to get so many women, this album has an awful lot of two dudes talking about slurping johnsons - and that's pretty gay.
This was not my cup of tea. I can see that it's trying to play with noise and push some musical boundaries, but the simple fact is that I don't really care for it.
Well this was a weird one... Having read a few reviews I could see this was quite polarising, with some people touting it as innovative and influential, and others frustrated at the unpolished noise. Needless to say, I was worried.
To my delight, I found that I liked it! I can't see myself seeking it out to listen to again probably, but it was an experience I'm glad I had once, it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared, and if someone else put it on I wouldn't object at all.
I listened to this on my way to work this morning, and didn't quite gel with it - which felt disappointing. I used to play sax many years ago and Coltrane is a legend... I had high expectations that were not met. I was all ready to pick apart the form and enjoy each player's solo and do all the usual melodic/chordal jazz things, and instead what I got was none of that. There's no structure, no system, no regular changes... just 33 minutes of through-composed modal/free jazz. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised... the guy was a pioneer. I could tell it had some real raw emotional gold I wasn't seeing just under the surface, and certainly all the players have technical chops out the wazoo, but despite that I just didn't... get it? Connect with it? More than that, I couldn't work out what on earth I was going to rate this thing.
So I did something I haven't yet done for any other album on this list: reserved my judgement for the time being, and listened a second time. First I did a bit of research. I wanted to understand - even on a surface level - what it was supposed to be. I had no idea that the last movement had words! On my second listen, I could hear the motifs more clearly; the deep acknowledgement of the love of the almighty, the screeching wails of a sinner desperately crying out to his lord... during that last movement I had the words of his prayer in front of me, following along with the saxophone as it called out to God.
I am so glad I took the time to dig a little and listen again. This is a true masterpiece, that just needed me to pay closer attention to reveal its depth.
Didn't know punk electronica was a thing, but it makes sense... I've listened to this album once before some years ago, and my reaction is largely unchanged: it's not bad, the amen-break-style backbeat throughout makes it all feels a bit repetitive and samey, and I can't work out whether "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up" is misogyny or just a fun way of saying "I'm doing this, let's goooo".
I will say that starting this one immediately off the back of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" - a transcendent free jazz odyssey that is a cry to God himself as his saxophone prays and preaches... and suddenly being hit with "SMACK MY BITCH UP" was a weird time. I feel like I should be learning something about perspective from this, but I really have no idea what.
I really need to remember to look at some basic info on each album before I put it on. I listened once, and while some of the songs were enjoyable enough, the whole thing was pretty incoherent and the choice to put some of the best stuff at the end baffled me. Once I realised side A was a concept thing and side B was just individual songs I knew I had to listen again. Thankfully it's one of the shorter albums on this list, but I'm very glad I did! Understanding what it was supposed to be opened me up to enjoying it more.
Side A was interesting, if a little weird. "Save the Life of My Child" was a standout, but I felt pretty neutral about the rest of it - it was fine, but nothing I really loved. Side B is full of bangers. I'd listen to just side B any day.
Having read some of these reviews, I know this album seems to be pretty polarising... Half the listeners think Paul Simon is a genius (which on some level I can't deny), and the other half think he's pretentious (which is also hard to deny) and the album is rubbish. I personally think the album as a whole struggles because it's trying to be too clever... but when they're just doing good music, it's really good music. This places my rating somewhere between the coveted 5/5 and a lousy 2.
Also I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but this version of "Mrs. Robinson" is way better than The Lemonheads' cover. Sorry. The Lemonheads' version is fine, but it just doesn't live up to the original.
On the other hand, The Bangles' cover of "A Hazy Shade of Winter" is an absolute banger and far outstrips the original - although that's not to say the original isn't good.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.... I just don't get this one. Especially the 10 minute tracks at the start and end. I guess technically it's clever? Well made? I just simply didn't enjoy it.
I know this is a weak-ass review, but the truth is I got bored. I listened to the whole thing, but just felt bored and confused - which sucks, because I usually find avant garde stuff interesting.
Meh.
I don't have much to say about this album, but it was perfectly fine. Good even! Worthy of some praise, but not a stand-out to me.
I found this album to be a little tough to get through. Something I'm learning about myself is that when the music feels repetitive I can find a whole album to be a bit of a slog.
That said, any one song off this album was awesome! Especially D.A.N.C.E. - a song whose slightly off-key child vocals should have annoyed me but absolutely didn't.
I'd listen to any of this again, just maybe not all at once.
A great album, start to finish. Love the intricate melodies throughout, especially in the guitar parts.
This was perfectly inoffensive. I could go into detail about the style, the performance and the composition, but... Meh. It was fine. One of those albums I'm not sure really belongs on this list, because I see no need for the average person to have listened to it before they die.
This album feels like the punk rock parts of a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack. (As opposed to the metal, hip-hop and ska parts)
It was fun. Not the best punk music out there but not a bad way to spend 45 minutes. The existence of the bonus track at the end made me very happy.
It takes real talent to write a whole album of songs in only two(ish) keys that's this good. AC/DC make up for only knowing a handful of basic chords by producing some of the biggest, boldest riffs known to man. What they lack in diversity of musical palette or depth of lyrics they make up for in sheer energy. Banger after banger. If they had been able to include a single interesting chord change this would be a 5 star album.
This was good. They certainly have a vibe that doesn't change much from song to song... But there were a few songs that I quite liked.
This album is a bunch of crazy bizarre glam rock masquerading as unapologetic decade-late hair metal, it's all bangers and I love it. Such an absurd yet earnest album. Listening to it makes me so happy. I usually reserve 5 stars for the utmost pinaccle of absolute masterpieces, but this just brings me so much joy, and really isn't that what music is all about?
I had never heard of Nick Drake before listening to this. I was very ready to be bored by early 70's folk music, and instead found myself absolutely mesmerised by an incredible singer-songwriter. Bryter Layter is a beautifully arranged folk masterpiece, and I cannot wait to hear more from Nick Drake. I get the feeling this is an artist I will gel with strongly.
I find the beastie boys' vocals to be a little challenging for extended periods. I'm definitely not alone in this, but I also don't feel that it's insurmountable. Here's the thing: this album is brilliantly produced, the sampling is unreal and the songs are all really well written. Any one of them on their own is punchy and interesting and a great listen. - it's just that a whole album of it is difficult to get through. On the other hand, the album as a whole is also quite good and has a tonne of hidden depth, and I feel like if I took the time to listen to this again a couple of times I'd get used to it and really enjoy finding everything that's layered in there.
As such, it doesn't really feel fair to mark this one down for those vocals... They're a strong stylistic choice that I actually really respect, even if it'd take me a bit of getting used to.
Plus 5 piece chicken dinner caught me completely off-guard while driving and I almost had to pull over.
Great album.
I really had fun with this album. Having never heard of The Black Crowes, I was mistakenly prepared for a very different vibe based only on the name of the band and the album cover - They look like they're impersonating Richmond from the I.T. crowd. As such, when the album wasn't moody at all - but rather a bluesy, southern rock n roll jam I was caught way off guard in the best possible way.
Is this a masterpiece of an album? No.
Is this a heck of a lot of fun to listen to? You bet your ass it is!
It may not be the most memorable or unique record out there, but the songs are bangers, it's a joy to listen to, and any Otis Redding cover is hard to go wrong with.
I really didn't enjoy this one. I recognise that a lot of the abrasiveness is intentional, and on some level I applaud that... But overall it's just not for me.
My only real criticism of this album is that Songs in the Key of Life is better, and that's not exactly harsh. This is classic Stevie, and a hell of an album.
This album is too much in all the best ways. I was very apprehensive at the length of some of these tracks, worried they'd drag on too long... But there's so much variety and composition and musicianship in every big cheesy over the top moment that I just couldn't get bored. Half the time I got lost in the changes and didn't realise I was still on the same song as a few minutes ago. This is rock and roll done to a spectacular, orchestrated extreme. The kind of music that makes you feel powerful and also deeply embarrassed and cringey; like a gangly nerd LARPing as a dragon-slaying warrior knight.
This was SO much better than "Plastic Ono Band", good lord that one was awful. This album is very boring by comparison, and in this case that's a good thing. Hard to listen to imagine these days without thinking of Gal Gadot.
Hey, so uh... This really isn't my thing, but actually it was pretty good! I was particularly surprised by the back half. Probably won't listen to it again, but I'm glad I did once and I feel like my horizons have been broadened in a way that I'm not unhappy with.
A lot of people seem to really like this album, and I wish I was one of them. It's fine, it's not bad, but it doesn't do much for me. I might need to listen again at some point and try and get a better sense of it.
I don't know how to describe what this music is, but I like it. Celtic-inspired new wave maybe?
Crazy that the big hit is the last song on the album.
I know this music annoys a lot of people and I understand, but to me this was just fun. A tonne of good instrumentation, jazzy, folky, ska-ish, upbeat and jaunty, with lyrics that run deeper than the tunes betray. Enjoyable!
If you want some upbeat feel-good rock this is a great way to spend your time. Van Halen showcase great musical skill combined with an incredible energy that I'm sure would absolutely destroy live. It may be big and a little cheesy, and belong to an era I never lived, but it's a real fun taste of 80's Arena Rock.
By all rights, my ADHD-having-ass shouldn't have enjoyed this. It's quite ambient, it's in a foreign language... very little to catch and keep my attention.
And yet, I couldn't help but be spellbound by over an hour of Icelandic orchestral post-rock. I read that the album was about the journey of a life from birth to death, but didn't look up any translations or meanings for any specific songs - instead just letting the vibe tell the story, which it does incredibly well. There's something about searching in the music for a story you know is there but haven't heard before that's deeply arresting.
Because of its musical insistence on telling its story to me despite my inability to understand the language, I am absolutely convinced that this album is a masterclass in composing. I choose to give it 5 stars, with only one caveat: the lyrics *might* be a steaming pile of dookie... and without translating them I'll never know.
I don't plan to.
I'm happier this way.
80's synth-pop that belies its political depth. Started out feeling cheesy but as the album went on it revealed itself as a solid collection of tracks. It's not necessarily something I'll come back to, but I appreciate it for what it is.
Never heard of spirit, but this album has a cool name... Slightly unsettling album cover... Sure - I'm intrigued, let's see what we're in for:
Oh, what? Some of the best psychedelic dad rock I've ever had the pleasure of listening to?
Seriously though, this album is unironically groovy - a word that is so far from my usual lexicon, yet somehow just fits. The writing is catchy, the production is amazing and every instrument pulls you in with its own detailed little hooks. The whole thing is brilliant. I'm not particularly au fait with classic 70s rock or psychedelic rock beyond some of the bigger bands and hits, but this is a real diamond in the rough.
I'm on a 10 album run of nothing below a 3, multiple 5s... (I try not to hand out too many 5s or 1s) and was just starting to wonder if I'm being too generous lately when this album came along to assuage my concerns. Musically, Next is nothing special. It's fine, perfectly listenable... which would normally earn it a 3 from me - 3 star albums for me are good but nothing more. Nothing I dislike, but not deserving of any higher.
Lyrically, this album is a travesty. How one man wrote an entire album of mediocre songs about his penis and what he does with it (with the exception of one track where he instead wrote about what he and his 27 friends do with their penises) that is considered by *anyone* to qualify as "must hear before you die" is beyond me. Nobody needs to hear this. I probably would've died happier having not heard it.
Like I said, I try not to give out too many 5s or 1s, and I tried as hard as I could to not judge this too harshly on the lyrics alone, but at the end of the day, the music doesn't do enough to redeem it.
I really wanted to rate this higher. Bob Dylan is widely known as one of the greatest songwriters to ever live... And yet I can't help but think of that Bob Dylan appreciation timeline/bell curve meme:
"Bob Dylan sucks"
...
"Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time, he captures the human experience so perfectly in a way that nobody had done before or since"
...
"Bob Dylan sucks"
(Sorry, hard to do a visual meme justice in a text review)
Bob Dylan is great to listen to - whenever I feel self-doubt about my singing ability. If he can sing like that and be that massively successful, my voice is just great!
I might have pushed this up to a 3... Until the last track went on for an agonising nearly 12 minutes. Too much, Bob. Just too much.
I had no idea I liked The Boss.
My knowledge of "The Boss" an hour ago consisted of the one line everyone knows from each of two songs: "Born in the USA" and "Born to Run", and a vague understanding that people from New Jersey love this guy. I'm not American, nor of the target age group for this but I understand that he's beloved there in a way that doesn't have much bearing on me as a 30 year old from down under.
This album is fantastic! It's more piano and saxophone heavy than I thought it was going to be (which I really like) and really cohesive as an album (which I also really like). It took me a few tracks to see where it was leading, but once I got to the high point of the title track and began the journey back down the other side it all just seemed to click. There is such strong, "wall of sound" production, lyrics that beautifully straddle cryptic depth and raw heart-on-sleeve emotion, and a musical consistency and through-line that feels connected but not repetitive.
This embodies so much of what I love in an album, and whilst initially I felt that this was going to be a 3 or 4 star review, the back half of the album has retroactively sold me on this deserving a 5. Everything just comes together so nicely by the end and now that I've finished it I just want to go back and listen to the first few songs again with a new appreciation for what they're building to... and I'm sure I will! This is definitely one I'll listen to again.
I first listened to this album about 5 years ago, and couldn't stand it. For whatever reason I just couldn't engage with it, struggled through and came out of it feeling like I had wasted my time and never wanted to hear it again. I would have given it 1 star at the time.
5 years on, it's way better than I remember. It's powerful, hard-hitting, and has plenty going on. Sinead O'Connor was clearly talented.
I still don't love it - it's not going into my regular rotation any time soon - but I think I definitely appreciate it more this time around. It might not be to my tastes, but it's good.
As such, I'm choosing to give it a 3, with one caveat: 5 years from now I may decide to listen again, change my mind and give it a 5... could just be that this album is taking 10 years to grow on me!
All rock 'n' roll of this era sounds the same to me, but I don't think that's a problem - It's kind of supposed to. It's all 12 bar blues, the same pentatonic scales and arrangements and some lyrics about a girl... There's a reason Marty McFly is able to say "Blues riff in E, watch me for the changes and try to keep up" and the band knows exactly what to play - it's just the way the music was at the time.
Instead, the real artistry of little Richard (and other contemporaries of his) comes not through interesting structures or pushing compositional boundaries, but rather pushing tonal boundaries at the birth of a genre. The tone and energy that little Richard and his band bring to this whole album is incredibly good - the vocal delivery is unreal, the band plays with such precision and such expression and they don't let up for a second.
So much of what is on this album went on to inspire so much of popular music since, and I can forgive the sameness of the album on account of the sheer performance that's on display.
Decent album, perfectly good folk rock. Some good songs - everybody's talking is a classic, though like many I know Harry Nilsson's cover better. It's good! That's all I have to say.
This reminds me very much of the vocal harmonies sung by Polynesian peoples - for me personally that's memories of Fijian friends. So easy to get lost in and carried away by, and not for a moment do I feel like anything is missing despite it being entirely a capella. Much like Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros, I don't understand the words they're singing and I don't feel I need to.
Ooft. I thought I liked Kings of Leon... I remember back in high school, jamming out to "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire" and feeling like this was a pretty cool band for cool people (which I was most definitely not).
This album was dreadful. So much amazing, culturally significant, high quality and varied music got left off this list - whole artists that by all rights should have been represented and just aren't - and for what? This? At least with some of my other 1 star albums I can see why one might make an argument that despite being quite bad they hold some musical significance or do something that warrants hearing once from a purely educational standpoint - you know, it's not enjoyable but at least I feel I've gained some intellectual value from hearing it. Not this one. Sorry.
Instructions were unclear; raged too hard against the wrong machine. Now I need a new toaster.
No real stand-outs for me, but an overall good record. The sound of the Beatles and the versatility of the Rolling Stones - these are both very high compliments, but it is also to say that they don't have as strong a sound as the Stones or the versatility of the Beatles.
This is why I don't go to clubs. Well, one of the reasons.
This album feels like a big ol' nothingburger. The most egregious crime it commits is the repetitive 6 minute instrumental track, immediately followed by a further nearly 4 minutes of the SAME SONG, but this time with some nothingburger lyrics about making you dance and putting you in a trance. Even so, it could've been worse.
I complained in my review of Achtung Baby that U2 were missing a certain spark... The music was generally a bit flat, and I much prefer when they're giving it everything. War is that. This album goes hard and really doesn't let up. The Edge is kind of at his best here (and in some ways his least "edgy"), Larry Mullen Jr. Kills it throughout the album, Adam Clayton holds everything together and Bono is the most passionate and intense he has ever been. This is the sound that U2 is best as - 80s U2. This and Joshua Tree are classic albums for a reason, and whilst I have a personal soft spot for Vertigo, I think objectively speaking this is a better album.
Hard one to rate... On the one hand, the raw talent is incredible. On the other hand, the obnoxious persona is... Well, obnoxious. No getting around that.
I don't think this is his best work, but clearly Eminem is damn good at what he does, and that's on full display here. Will I be listening to this album again? No, probably not. Will I listen to some of his other music? Absolutely. It seems a shame that such a talented wordsmith would waste it on this stuff, but I know for a fact that he doesn't give a f*** about my opinion on that, and on some level I gotta respect that.
Wow. Simply beautiful. "Help Me" will always be a favourite of mine, but the whole album is a work of art. Joni seems to have a knack for writing the most beautiful and poignant lyrics that I so often don't understand a lick of, while dancing them around clothed in meandering melodies that just make you want to get lost in them. A stunning album.
My beard is the one part of my appearance that I put real effort into looking good; the one part that real care goes into, and I really feel is important to me.
Why am I telling you this?
Because you need to understand how upsetting to me it is that tonight I accidentally took a chunk out of it while trimming it, and completely decimated it in the process of trying to fix it. I know it's superficial, and it'll grow back, but still, it matters to me... I also just spent time tonight cleaning my daughter's bed and her toys and her hair after she woke up and vomited at 1am; and this not long after injuring my back hanging laundry.
I tell you this so that you may understand: when I say that listening to this album was one of the best things I did tonight, it's technically true but not because it was in any way good. This album is a great example of "I really didn't need to hear this before I died".
This album deserves a 5 for Baby Driver alone, and from looking at other reviews that's not even considered one of the better songs on here. What an unbelievable album this is! Banger after banger, traversing genres and emotions like it's nothing. The haunting Garfunkel vocals on the opening track, the ripping sax solo on Baby Driver, the weird percussion, the harmonies, the flutes... GOOD GOD MAN, THE FLUTES!
In some ways it's sad that this is the last album that Simon and Garfunkel created together, and one that was fraught with turmoil and (as Paul Simon put it) "personality abrasions", but also... What a way to go out! Truly one of the greatest albums ever made, and one that genuinely embodies the idea of this list. This is one everyone should hear before they die.
I've never listened to Depeche Mode before... It was okay. They've done a great job of claiming a particular vibe and sound - broody synth music - and they do it well. It's not up my alley, but I respect that it's someone's thing. It was perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned.
I was pretty harsh on the first Bob Dylan album I got a few weeks ago, Blonde on Blonde. I said some fairly strong things about the album and about Dylan based on that album (that I stand by). Now that I'm on a second Dylan album, I'm quite pleased to say that Blood On The Tracks defies my previous assessment. It's really good! Everything on here is poetic and beautiful, the singing and performance are fantastic and not once did I feel I had to press on to get through it. Even the 9 minute long "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" managed to hold me - and might actually be my favourite on the album. If I ever find myself needing to listen to Bob Dylan, this (so far) is the album I'm picking by a mile. Really great stuff, and a pleasant surprise! Nice to know I don't hate Bob Dylan after all.
I listened to this album once some years ago, and was blown away by the originality and the production on it. Revisiting it today, it really holds up. I know this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea - and honestly it wouldn't usually be mine... but there's such cleverness and depth and artistry going on here, and on a debut album no less! An easy 5.
I like the part where he says Majin Buu. Also: "A potato flew around my room before you came excuse me..."
God, I miss Vine.
I really enjoyed this! It's got a great energy. I haven't really listened to the Zutons before today, the one exception being "Valerie" (of which I hold the wildly unpopular opinion that the Zuton's original version is better than either of Amy Winehouse's covers, despite how insanely good they are. This is not a diss against Amy, those covers are phenomenal).
I'd happily listen to this album any day of the week - in fact I probably will.
Oh boy... people really like this one, huh? Am I brave enough to say I didn't like an Iggy Pop album? Well it's true, and this is anonymous so sure, why not?
I get that this album is a big deal and everything, but I just can't vibe with it at all. Not for me.
Iggy Pop looks like a Stand user on the cover. That is all.
My first Beatles album on the list! It's... okay? There's a few really good songs (Eleanor Rigby, for one) but as a whole I'm a little disappointed. I quite like the Beatles, but apparently Revolver isn't my album. Still, there's nothing bad about it whatsoever... I just wish the whole album were the few great songs on repeat.
The Band invented the concept of playing music in a group back in the 1960s, where previously only solo artists had existed. The Band is called The Band because at the time they were the only band. Their debut album "The Album" featured the songs, including the singles and the b-sides.
Jokes aside, these names would be quite fitting for this music, as it's perfectly inoffensive but bland and uninteresting.
This seems like the kind of album I'd probably really get into if I forced myself to listen to it a few more times and really tried to get it. At some point it would click, and become one of my favourite albums of all time.
The problem is I don't want to have to put that much work into enjoying something. It's deep and moody and introspective in ways that don't seem to fit me, and I often found myself wishing for something more distinctive in the wash of dull indie rock that didn't seem to ever pay itself off.
Maybe that's the point of it (I suspect so), and if so kudos! It's really well done. That's an artistic choice I can respect, even if I don't personally love it. I would willingly listen to this again, but I won't be seeking it out.
I want to issue a formal apology to Depeche Mode.
Let me explain:
I'm a good few albums behind on my list and recently listened to one of theirs, which I personally didn't love. That's okay, everyone has what they like.
Last night I excitedly noted that I was only a few albums away from Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" which I'm eagerly waiting for... but rather rudely lamented to my wife that "I have to sit through another Depeche Mode album first".
Now, with that Depeche Mode album up next, Fleetwood Mac after that and Ian Dury's "New Boots and Panties" just finished, I hereby formally apologise for complaining about having to listen to Depeche Mode. Depeche - can I call you Depeche? If you're reading this (which I'm sure you are) I want you to know that your music is incredibly good in comparison to this utter garbage, and I was way out of line for being so disparaging. I will give your album a good crack shortly, confident in the knowledge that it will be better than what I just had to endure.
Now, to Ian Dury: I really don't have the words to describe the painful experience this album was. Nobody should have to listen to this before they die, and I worry that for some people this may drive them to an early grave. Even if you could take out all of the offensive and cringeworthy lyrics (and be left with just instrumentals) you'd still have something that is musically upsetting.
I don't give out many 1s... that's because most albums have some redeeming quality.
I'm Sorry, WHAT!?
It was only a week ago I was listening to Music for the Masses and just not getting it. It was fine, but it really didn't do it for me. Only yesterday I was lamenting that I had another Depeche Mode album to get through, and I really came into this one with such reluctance to even start it...
...and it's one of my favourite albums to date.
I don't know why. By all rights there's no good reason why this album and the other one should be so wildly disparate in my assessment of them - they're two very similar, back-to-back albums by the same artist, with similar style and vibe, and yet for some unfathomable reason I had to press on through that one, but I absolutely adore this one.
My shock is immeasurable and my day is made.
No surprises here, this is one of the strongest albums on this list and rightfully deserves its place. Chock full of certified hits, and everything else is just as good. Amazing what you can do with a whole bunch of interpersonal drama, loathing and cocaine. It's a travesty that Silver Springs never made it onto a vinyl pressing of this album, but at least the super deluxe version restores it in some way.
I've never listened to this album before, but I already know half of the songs just by being a person who exists... and I could talk about what I love about this album for hours and fill pages of review, but so much of what I'd want to say has already been said by many other people.
I know it's a pretty basic-ass opinion given this is the top rated album on here, but I think this is my favourite album so far. Listening to it makes me happy.
I was quite excited for this one. I love "Just What I Needed"! and "Cars"... wait, idiot... that's the Gary Numan song. What other Cars songs do I know? Let's see... uh... hm. Nope. Okay, well that's fine. I do like "Just What I Needed", so I'm sure the rest of the album is probably just as good. Fun rock stuff with great energy, right? Oh. It's... fine? Underwhelming? Ah. okay. I mean it's not bad at least... Overall, worthy of a 3.
I genuinely have no idea what to make of this one. It feels witty... Is it supposed to be satire? Comedy? Real commentary? Is this taking itself seriously, or not? And should I? I just can't tell. It's bizarre, it's a little avant garde,and yet the music itself is quite good. His voice in particular is really solid. I find myself less loving or hating this, and more just bewildered. As is often the case though, it's not bad. I don't dislike it, I just don't feel I understand it.
There are some unfortunate dated lyrics here, but I'm usually willing to overlook that as being just a product of its time.
Only because I don't understand it, I'm giving it a 2. If I manage to work out what the point of this is and what it's trying to be, it may get bumped up a little higher.
Wow, what a ride this one is! I was aware of this existing, but had never listened. To my mind, live albums have never really counted as proper albums for some reason, and why would I want to listen to Johnny Cash in a live venue with crowd noises when I can listen to Johnny Cash in the studio?
Little did I understand that the presence of the crowd - the atmosphere in the room - is what makes this album so good. Johnny's banter with the inmates, the choice of a whole lot of prison themed/gallows humour type songs... Thematically it's such a clever idea, that is pulled off flawlessly.
The music itself is classic country stuff performed exceptionally well, with an almost effortless feeling imbued by just how funny and relaxed the whole thing is. Johnny is a real comfortable entertainer, and this album is nothing if not entertaining.
I don't know why I'm listening to the country/folk rock artist Neil Young doing what Rolling Stone describes as the "36th best grunge album of all time", but I can tell you I don't really care for it. Also - vocally speaking, you know you can do another take, right? Certain songs were so rough and off key! (See Over and Over) Was that intentional? Couldn't say.
Coldplay cop a lot of flak for a lot of contradictory things. I've heard them described as too dreary, but also too saccharine; as bland but also grating. In part this might be due to the way the band has reinvented itself over the years and gone from sounding like "Radiohead 2" to a sort of spacey/electronic anthemic pop rock outfit, but I suspect it's more just because finding reasons to hate Coldplay is popular.
The fact is, they're clever songwriters and talented musicians. The first 4-5 albums in particular are really good, and frankly I'm surprised Viva La Vida isn't on this list.
I dated a girl 15 years ago who was super into Coldplay, and then it turned out my parents had some of their CDs so I got into them at the time (casually, but enough to impress my then-girlfriend). We went to their concert together (Mylo Xyloto tour) and as much as she turned out to be, uh... how do I put this gently? "Not a good person for me" shall we say? I still appreciate that we got to do that, and I haven't let go of my appreciation of early Coldplay.
Anyway, back to A Rush of Blood... It's great! You just need to ignore that it's "Coldplay" and give it a genuine chance. Honestly, enough said.
Not much to say on this one. Carole King is an excellent songwriter and "You've Got a Friend" is a favourite of mine.
Plus the original version of the Gilmore Girls theme? What a bonus - Just needs more of her daughter and less pining for a man. Yes, I mean the Gilmore Girls version is better.
Great album!
The last Springsteen album I got was "Born to Run" which I gave a 5, declaring loudly that I had discovered a love for "The Boss" that I never knew I had.
This one was just okay. I don't know why I didn't like it as much, maybe I'm having a bad day, or maybe it's just different and that's okay.
Now THIS is podracin- I mean, THIS is what this list is about for me. I've never listened to Tom Waits before, but had a picture in my head of a sort of... Jazz/Blues Crooner, maybe? In walks Swordfishtrombones, an album as weird as its name, catches me completely off guard and shows me something new I haven't experienced before, that also happens to be really good.
I know this was a stylistic pivot for him at the time, so maybe my intuition about what Tom Waits music is isn't that far off for some of his earlier work? Not sure. What I am sure about is that this album slaps. The experimental, industrial stuff, combined with his gravelly voice and dark but evocative storytelling... This music evokes equal parts creepy carnival, old crazy prospector and that one scene from the hobbit movies where the goblin king sings a musical number and weirdly I love it.
(EDIT: I've realised that the opening track was familiar to me because it features in Dreamworks' amazing movie "Robots", in an 'evil underground lair/evil assembly line' scene, and honestly that makes WAY too much sense.)
Any time an album can catch me by surprise by being utterly brilliant in a way I wasn't ready for it's an easy 5 and a prime example of what this list should be. I do believe you should hear this before you die... It's so interesting and eccentric, and I think there's something to be learned from it in terms of a broader appreciation of music.
I get why this is not a super high rated album, it's weird, and probably quite divisive. It's not a crowd-pleaser - but it is a me pleaser.
I didn't love this one, but it was perfectly fine. I do wish "I don't feel like dancing" was on here... Might have bumped my rating up a little, that song goes hard. Maybe I'm not gay enough to get it, maybe it's just fine and that's it.
Interesting how many of the reviews compare this to rumors... But also, I get it.
I loved rumors and gave it a 5. Tusk is its own beast, interesting in different ways... And I can see why it wasn't as successful. It's definitely the weirder album, and I absolutely can believe what I've read about them basically being given free reign and a blank cheque, and deciding to get as far away from a follow up to rumors as they could. A broken and crashing out Fleetwood Mac deliver this weird album that doesn't have as much pop appeal, and doesn't feel anywhere near as cohesive... And it's a double to boot!
It's a strange choice, but at the same time I understand it in a way... I wish I could give this more, but for me it earns a 3.
What an interesting album! I personally really liked it, enough to listen twice (I was somewhat distracted the first time, and felt like I didn't properly take it all in) and I think it's well deserving of its place on the list. People need to remember this list isn't "1001 best albums of all time", it's "1001 albums you must hear before you die". To me that means these albums should be interesting or noteworthy, not necessarily good.
With that in mind, I think this album well and truly belongs on this list - it's a fusion of genres, telling a story in reverse chronology about nuclear warfare, xenophobia and the British-Asian experience, and It's a stoke of genius to connect those things via Oppenheimer's famous quoting of the Bhagavad Gita.
Throw on top of it that I like the music, it kept me engaged and interested and vibing throughout... And it's an easy 5.
I didn't find much to like about this album, and was going to give it a 2, maybe even a 3... And then "Suicide" went on for ELEVEN WHOLE MINUTES. Worse still, it might be the most boring, repetitive song on the album.
Thank goodness I looked up the original tracklisting and decided to skip the bonus and live tracks from the rerelease as well as the whole second disk. I would not have coped with nearly 2 hours of this.
I had no idea who this band was, but saw the name Janis Joplin somewhere and thought to myself "oh, that's a big name... Surely this'll be good!".
Little did I know that Janis Joplin sounds like Jimmy Page slowly turning into Marge Simpson.
Also, there are some songs that can pull off being longer than 5 or 6 minutes, usually because they're through-composed, and have multiple sections that are essentially little songs in their own right (eg. Bohemian Rhapsody, Jesus of Suburbia) but "Ball and Chain" isn't one of them. No song needs to sound the same for 9 1/2 minutes.
This is a fascinating listen. Dark and haunting, full of pain and suffering... Leo ard Cohen was always an excellent songwriter, and so writing from his "deathbed" as it were is obviously no exception. I often find his voice a struggle to sit through, but not on this album. It's exactly right here for what it's doing.
Kate Bush perfectly straddles the line between utter genius and completely unbearable. Her songwriting is phenomenal, but the arrangement and vocals are a struggle for me. She's a bit of an enigma for me in that sense... Somehow I'm simultaneously glad "Wuthering Heights" wasn't on this album and wishing that "Running Up That Hill" was. Yes, those are the two Kate Bush songs I can name, what of it?
I recently listened to Swordfishtrombones and absolutely loved it, 5/5. When I saw that this was loosely a follow up album, part 2 of a "trilogy" of sorts, I was excited but apprehensive. How could Rain Dogs possibly live up to its predecessor?
For me, the answer is it didn't, but it certainly didn't fall flat either. This album was great! It had a few songs that were more... "Normal sounding"? Does that make sense? Some guitars and things that felt more straightforward and less experimental.
Overall the whole album feels less weird than Swordfishtrombones, and that was probably a good thing at the time from a "writing another album" standpoint, but it doesn't quite capture the magic for me in the same way. Still a very solid offering, and in spectacular Tom Waits fashion.
Confession time: I always thought Sid Vicious was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols. Not sure why, maybe because he's the one everybody talks about? Of course the name Johnny Rotten clicks for me as well, so maybe on some level I did know. Also this band was a band for way less band than I thought they banded for. You know what I mean.
I was worried this would be a slog, after playing so much Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 that "Anarchy in the UK" is burned permanently into the back of my brain, but was happy to discover that it wasn't a struggle at all. I really enjoyed it -even "Anarchy" for what it's worth.
I'm always wary of idolizing messed up people, especially ones like Sid Vicious... But now that I know he was just the bassist, it's a lot easier to avoid. No shade to bassists, you guys are the best. It's more that he's not the singer.
I can separate the music from the artist well enough, and man this was great.
This is definitely an unusual album,. Not my usual thing, but interesting for sure. Very sci-fi in a good way. I probably won't listen to it again, but it was an interesting experience.
The last album I listened to was "Phaedra" by Tangerine Dream which is a weird, experimental German electronic album. The title, I assume refers to the Cretan princess from greek mythology, but why? I couldn't possibly say.
This album on the other hand is exactly what it says on the tin! At just 31 minutes and full of love songs, theres no denying that this is indeed a short album about love.
Look, I should probably talk a bit about the album, tell you that it was good, some decent chamber pop, yada, yada, yada... Nobody cares. This is the most factually accurate title on the list. I would give it a perfect score for the accuracy of the title if that's what this were about.
What a great album! Loads of good songs, but I feel like Parklife is one of those albums you listen to for Blur, not for specific songs (with maybe one or two exceptions)
Not bad! I'm not an electronic music kind of person usually, but this had a groove to it and made for perfect background chill vibe music while working this morning. Nothing here wows me, but I'd happily listen to it again.
This album is at least 16 minutes too long, and I have a suggestion of which 16 minutes could have been cut...
I can't decide how I feel about Dylan. This is the third album of his I've hit within my first 100, and I feel I've had very mixed responses to them. This one was dreary, all blended together and felt like it'd never end.
I'm glad it eventually did.
I wish I had more to say other than "Bored!". I guess technically nothing wrong with it, the music is fine. Just didn't do anything for me.
I like this, and any song in isolation (especially off the first half of the record) would be a great time on its own. As a whole album, I find it gets a bit stale.
There's not much to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's pretty damning that when you look through the reviews, all the lengthy, verbose reviews are 1 star and the first 5 star reviews you see are just "nice, it's Korn"...
But in the interest of evening things out, providing some balance - playing "Korn's advocate" as it were - Here are some positives from this album:
- "Freak On A Leash" is genuinely, unironically great.
- There are two whole tracks that don't have an explicit tag on Spotify, and are therefore suitable to subject my children to. (I'm a good Dad though, so I won't be doing this)
- Nu-Metal was an innovation as a genre. Not so much this album specifically, but Nu-Metal as a whole...
- I don't have to listen to this album ever again.
1/5 I wish "Twist" was on this album YU NA RRUGH EE AH NN DA NN DA BRRRR...
Let me try to rate this sound
(talking bout evaluation)
The Who's first album let me down
(talking bout my expectations)
Quadrophenia they missed
(talking bout its relegation)
At least Who's Next is on this list
(talking bout their reparation)
The Who are yet to find their groove
(talking bout anticipation)
Their later music will improve
(talking bout some augmentation)
Overall it isn't bad
(talking bout some validation)
Better than Plastic Ono Band
(talking bout that tribulation)
It's not Bridge Over Troubled Water, but no less deserving of a 5 in my view. I'd never listened to this album before (please, I'm far too young for this "old people" music) but the songwriting continues to impress me. Occasionally I wonder what it would've been like if these guys had access to modern equipment, recording techniques and sounds... but honestly I think part of the charm and the vibe of this is that it's largely minimalist and folky, and that lets the writing and the harmonies shine through.
Also the phrase "largely minimalist" is one of the weirdest things I've ever written, but I love it.
Wow, people sure do love this album... There's absolutely no denying that Hendrix is one of the most talented and influential musicians to have ever lived, but I'm here to rate the album - not the talent and influence of Jimi Hendrix (though I will concede that these things should absolutely contribute to the album's inclusion on the list - people should definitely hear this before they die simply because of its influence, completely irrespective of its quality).
As for the album itself, it's fantastic! It doesn't earn a 5 star rating from me, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on... suffice to say it just didn't do it for me the way my other 5 star albums have. My gut feelings aside though, It's truly excellent - just maybe not exactly my thing.
I'm a little disappointed. When this album started I felt like this was going to be a 5 for sure... It's melancholic 2010s indie rock that reminds me of the Killers - a band I love. The vibe is strong, the music is a joy to listen to, the lyrics are solid... "This is an album I'll listen to on repeat for years to come!" I thought to myself.
Sweet naive boy... You're only on the second track. You can't make those kinds of predictions.
By the end of the album I feel differently. To be clear, the music is just as good as I initially evaluated - nothing changed per se... except it's long. A lot of the tracks are longer than 5 or even 6 minutes, the longest being almost 9. The whole thing goes for exactly an hour, which would be totally fine except a lot of it sounds the same.
And that's the problem; I LIKE IT. I don't want to mark it down for being too much of a good thing, but... even the best song in the world starts to get repetitive after a straight hour of listening, and whilst it's not quite as extreme as sounding like one song for a whole hour, it definitely starts to get a little tedious.
I will probably revisit this album at some point and try and find some hidden depths and variation that I'm not hearing on a first listen that make it more enjoyable. I'll also definitely listen to this again just as background music, or in shorter bursts. I suspect that with a little time and some relistening this could definitely become a 5 for me.
I don't mind this album, it's certainly a strong offering and very much worthy of the list. Hip hop isn't really my genre, but I recognise the greatness in what's going on here. This album is probably objectively worth a 5 for what it is, but my own taste and enjoyment still has to factor in.
I went back and forth for a while on whether this was personally a 3 or a 4, but in the end, the thing that tipped it over for me is "By The Time I Get To Arizona". I love that song, and not just because of all the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 I played growing up (but it sure helps).
So much fun... equal parts poppy and moody, classic "sad pop music" lyrics, bangers and ballads. This is a super solid album from a more recent artist who has really shown that she can write fantastic music. I love seeing this sort of thing on the list. It's a nice change of pace from a lot of the older stuff. I know that stuff is there because of the influence it's had, but it's nice to see some albums that are still relatively new - ones that I hope have that kind of influence in the future.
Some artists have a moment in time where they spit out a deluge of hits all on the one album. Sometimes that's Michael Jackson's Thriller or Taylor Swift's 1989 - a standout success in a body of work that is already impressive enough as it is, and sometimes it's Jeff Buckley's "Grace", Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" or The Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the Bollocks" - one defining release that stands alone as their great achievement.
The Police are not like that. I realised today as I looked through their discography that I know exactly one song from every Police album. Literally exactly one song per album.
That's not to say The Police didn't make a lot of good music; they just have more slow-burn consistency - and I have to say, I like the Police songs I know! They're all great.
Listening to Synchronicity I felt this quite strongly - that there was one hit song, (I'll give you one guess...) and the rest of the album was quite good but nothing really stuck out.
I'd happily listen to this again, but honestly I'm probably more likely to just seek out the hits.
(Side note: Stewart Copeland is completely brilliant, what a drummer...)
What a great album! Poppy, punk fun that at times borders on surf rock... one of the most successful ever releases from an all-female band, and music I would never have listened to if not for this list. A well deserving entry for sure.
I did know a couple of the songs, but couldn't have told you whose songs they were, which is always a nice surprise. I'd absolutely listen to this again any day.
I mean... no surprises here, right? It's not quite what I'd call a masterpiece, but it's ABBA... such talent and skill went into making everything they did, this was obviously going to be a strong pop offering, if a little cheesy at times.
When I was a kid, maybe about 7 years old, my Great Grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. We got the whole family together to celebrate at my Nanna's house, they opened their letter from the Queen in front of everyone (we're Australian, so we get those), there was food, there was cake, there were speeches... and there was a performance.
You see, I come from quite a musical family, especially on my Dad's side, so as part of this celebration we had organised a surprise for them - a rendition of "When I Grow Too Old To Dream", an appropriate song for the occasion, but also as I understand one of their favourites. Good old Hammerstein!
Our family isn't huge (and certainly was less so at the time), but there were still enough family members to provide a full choral arrangement accompanied on keyboard by their eldest Great Grandson, little 7-year-old me.
I worked hard to learn that song. It wasn't a particularly advanced arrangement of course, but no less beautiful. I practiced for weeks, got nerves on the day and made plenty of mistakes I'm sure... But it didn't matter. What shone through in that moment was not whether I played well or not, it was the love that these two had for each other as they joined in singing, my Great Grandfather's tremendous, almost operatic voice singing out unending love for his wife of 60 wonderful years, surrounded by generations of the family they had made together.
But holy shit, Jimmy Smith's version of it is jazzy as fuck!
I was only 7, I didn't even know that was an option, my guy! If I'd have known you were allowed go this hard on that song I would've put that stank on it for SURE hot damn.
What is this dreadful music? I admit I've never listened to the cure before, although my ex used to rave about them. I should've known it'd be hot garbage... She had as much taste as a tongueless amoeboid with long covid.
I'm told this is supposed to be clever and artistic, but honestly it just makes me want to drive a pickaxe through my eye socket. It's not just boring, it's also terrible!
I'm a little behind, so I'm listening to this on January 8th... That possibly impacts my enjoyment a little bit, but I gotta say it's pretty good!
I'm not a big fan of Christmas music in general, I get sick of it pretty easily, but even I have to admit this is a pretty influential record. Phil Spector is doing awesome "wall of sound" stuff and the production is so clean for something so old. All of the artists featured are very good, and for its time this is quite the release.
I'm trying my hardest to be objective, and put aside being sick of these songs, pretending I'm hearing all of this for the first time - and given that's the case it earns a 4.
Only a few years ago I would've struggled with this album, mostly because I didn't really understand Jazz. Especially this kind of structured modal Jazz, with its sections and solos and responses - this whole notion was very foreign to me.
I'm very thankful for the guidance I was given that helped me learn to appreciate Jazz. Kind Of Blue is nothing short of a masterpiece, and it breaks my heart a little to think that there's a world where I may not have understood that.
Once again, I'm choosing to interpret what the beastie boys are doing as self-aware and/or satire of frat boys. Through that lens, this album is really good. A few hits, a whole lotta fun, and all you have to put up with is three dudes saying some unfortunate things about women and reminding you of their names over and over!
Also, today I learned things about Jimmy Page and his contemporaries that I was too foolish and naive to know before listening to this album, hearing a line that made me stop dead in my tracks and looking up what the deal was with the beastie boys and underage girls... Turns out they were having a go at Page for it, or so I'm led to believe. The more you know I guess.
One of the beastie boys has an inflection that irritates me so much and I'm not sure which beastie boy it is, which is ironic considering how often they remind me what their names are. I thought at first it might have been Mike D, but maybe it's actually MCA... Or it's two of them and I'm just confused.
Last time I listened to a Beastie Boys album (Paul's Boutique) I said that their annoying vocals are a stylistic choice that I don't like but I can respect and I wasn't going to mark them down for it given how good everything else about it was. I'm going to do them the same courtesy with this one, in the interests of a fair comparison between the two.
Overall I feel like this album is less interesting than Paul's Boutique, but it's got more to offer in the way of straight up bangers. "Fight For Your Right" and "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" are stone cold classics by this point. These albums both get the same 4/5 score from me, but for quite different reasons.
I couldn't get through this album in one go. I had to take a break at one point early on because I just felt like I was struggling with it a bit. Came back to it a bit later and listened for a while before realising it was actually inducing an anxiety attack. I'm not sure why, something about the particular sounds in it and the repetitive nature just triggered a panic and had me overwhelmed.
I do have an anxiety disorder, so this isn't completely out of the blue, but I've never really had it triggered by music like this before.
I took another break, and came back later on in the day to finish the last few tracks, so I did listen to the whole thing eventually. I already wasn't finding the music enjoyable before all this happened, so for it to also provoke that response in me makes the rating pretty easy unfortunately. I'm sorry to The Shamen, I'm sure there are people who love your music - I'm just not one of them.
Needless to say, I definitely won't listen to this ever again. Music is often my coping mechanism, and I feel like today it betrayed me.
It's not Bowie at his best, is it? It's fine, it's perfectly listenable but certainly not his best work.
Bowie reinvented himself constantly, and for this particular album I don't think it worked. I'd rather listen to real soul music, or listen to good Bowie music. I don't need him doing a weak attempt at the genre.
This album is just okay, there are a few good songs but nothing truly exciting. When we're trying to showcase the best or most important music ever made, this just isn't it.
Oh dang!
Didn't think I was gonna like this one, but I worked out pretty quickly that this was going to be a 5.
I've listened to a few albums on here that have made me uncomfortable because of some of the more explicit content, and that's true of this one as well... The difference is that unlike Alex Harvey, Ian Dury or Dr. Dre, Liz Phair is being clever and confrontational. Where other albums got overtly sexual just because they wanted to, Exile In Guyville is doing it subversively in a way that highlights sexualisation and goes full feminist on its ass.
"Flower" in particular made me squirm, and really made me stop and think about some of the things men say about women in their music. Deeply uncomfortable to listen to, and that's exactly the point.
I now have a problem: I was intending on trying to collect vinyl copies of all the albums I give a 5 to, so I can listen to them and enjoy them... and now for the sheer songwriting and artistry I'm going to have to get a copy of an album that made me feel gross, and that I definitely can't put on around my kids!
For real though, this album went hard even when you take the lyrics out - musically it's full of bangers. I'm not even mad, this was an experience!
I'm really glad I looked at what this album is before I started listening, and was primed for it a little bit. I'm still trying really hard not to let my disappointment at it not being disco impact my feelings about it and my rating, but even with that preparedness it's difficult.
This was obviously not Saturday Night Fever (which I think should be on this list in place of Odessa, despite being technically a soundtrack (although I'd have no issue with the inclusion of soundtracks and maybe others would)) and so I knew I wasn't expecting "Stayin' Alive", "You Should Be Dancing", "More Than A Woman"... not to mention my personal favourite: "How Deep Is Your Love?", and yet I had still hoped for something similar at least.
Again, good thing I checked first.
Anyway, this album is quite long, and doesn't have many standouts... It's all a bit flat and miserable in a way. The one song I actually really enjoyed - "Never Say Never Again" - is unfortunately burdened with the terrible lyric "I never lived inside your hole, child".
This gets a 2 from me, and a strong urge to go and listen to Saturday Night Fever instead.
Hm, let's see what's up next... Marvin Gaye! I don't know much Marvin Gaye, let me think... "Let's Get It On", "Sexual Healing"... Ah, so this is gonna be a sultry, sexy album.
~35 excellent minutes later~
Okay, I wasn't expecting anything so deep and political... and I *certainly* wasn't expecting so much about God and Jesus. Had no idea Marvin Gaye contained so many multitudes.
Not to mention the excellent production, and the connected 'song cycle' nature of the album... It's a fantastic album that really showcases and champions the album as an artform.
I really like "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" but hadn't heard anything else on this album, most of which was quite different. It was okay, but a lot of it was a bit repetitive, and all of the tracks were too long.
This album is beautiful. I really don't know or understand the trans experience, but I feel I do slightly more now than I did an hour ago. Yes, the vocals can be a bit much at times, but they do have a haunting quality that I can't deny. This album is full of stunning lyric writing and raw emotion, and does an excellent job of not ruining that by being over the top with the music. There's a simple beauty and elegance on display here, and Anohni and the Johnsons kill it.
Yeah no. This one was not good. If you like chaotic, out of tune, rough and all over the shop then maybe this is for you... but this certainly wasn't for me. I'm sure there are albums that fit the same description that I'd enjoy, but this one didn't redeem itself in other ways at all. Not my bag, sorry.
Not peak queen, but still a strong glam/prog rock album that displays some of their roots. This is not the queen we all know and love, but it's still good! Not much in the way of stand-out tracks aside from "Seven Seas of Rhye" but it's consistently solid throughout. Worthy of a 4.
This album suffers form a severe case of "averageness". It's not bad - the music is fine, there's some interesting moments here and there... but it's pretty underwhelming stuff, especially considering what else was happening in the late 60s musically. It's no secret that this band started as a manufactured cookie-cutter Beatles parody, but by this point I'd argue this isn't the case anymore. They're becoming a band in their own right.
I got pretty bored listening to this, until "Zilch" happened - at which point it was a song's worth of confusion, and then back to the boredom.
I will say, (though it's not on this album) more bands need their own theme song. I think that would be fun.
One time I forgot about some Pico de Gallo in the back of my fridge for a few weeks and when I found it it was covered in a thick layer of blue fuzz. The smell was unbearable.
Unlike that experience, Steet Signs is the kind of Salsa Funk I can really get behind.
It's a shame spotify doesn't have all of it available, but I'm planning on buying this one anyway so I'm not too worried... Just glad I found a way to listen to it all (albeit with a different/live recording here and there and maybe not at the highest quality). I do wonder how much the overall rating of this album has suffered from people marking it down because they're annoyed that it's not as available to listen to.
For me, Steet Signs is an easy 5 even with the difficulties associated with actually listening to it. Chali 2na's track in particular is excellent (and apparently he was a founding member of the band, so I may need to find some of their earlier stuff!) and I really enjoyed the overall sound. This album brilliantly walks that difficult line between showcasing variety and range, and having a definitive and recognisable sound. Avoiding becoming stale and boring while maintaining a cohesive vibe and experience is a hard thing to do, and they've pulled it off very well here.
Not usually an early punk kind of guy, but this was pretty great! Opening with a bold energetic brass riff certainly helped. As an Aussie, I can also hear that thing - I don't know what it is, but so often there's some distinct quality to Australian music that you can just hear... I couldn't possibly describe it and it's certainly not all Australian music, but occasionally I hear it and just know. (No, I'm not talking about Aussie accents)
The brass on the opening track is very reminiscent of Kick by INXS. Same chord structure, big bold brass section intro over the rock guitars... Frankly it's crazy that INXS aren't on this list, but I'll take "Know Your Product" for the Kick vibes for sure.
Black Sabbath... the iconic metal band so prolific they have their own equivalent of "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon" in the music industry. War Pigs, Iron Man... What an album of bangers.
My only complaints are that most of the tracks are too long, and the first 70% of the album is all in the same key, which doesn't help the feeling of it dragging on a bit.
To be fair to the legendary Tommy Iommi though, as I understand it he lost two fingertips in an industrial accident and tunes his guitar down with super light strings so they're easier to fret with his prosthetic fingertips... which would certainly lend itself to exploring a particular lower, darker sound and a specific key using those lower open strings.
I can't complain too hard. Much like AC/DC, what they lack in key diversity they make up for in riffs.
There's a rare genius in writing music like this. Underneath all of the catchy hooks, vibe-worthy rhythms and energetic arrangements lies a precision and intentionality that pervades every note. This is lovingly, painstakingly hand-crafted pop music with not a beat out of place - everything is where it is supposed to be exactly by design.
It doesn't show though. For all of the exactitude on this record, the music doesn't feel manufactured or forced.
This is one of the greatest albums ever made, by a true musical savant. He knows what he wants to create and creates it exactly how he wants it.
I wish I spoke French, alas I do not. I can't accurately judge the songwriting therefore, only the performance.
It's nice! ...And that's about it. I hear Brel's brilliance is in his wit and lyricism, which makes it a shame that I can't judge it based on that. On the sound of it alone, this is worth a 3. I suspect if I spoke French this would rank higher for me. (and no, I'm not going to look up translations or find English language covers. That, I feel, wouldn't be in the spirit of the original work.)
So there it is: a 3/5, with my apologies to Jacques Brel, and indeed the entire nation of France. I'll pass the apology on in person to my French friend next time I see her.
This is my fourth Bob Dylan album (and I'm only 127 albums in) and so far I've only really liked one of them. This is not that one.
"Blowin' in the Wind" is good. I think it's some beautiful folk songwriting, and the rest of the album is unneccessary.
I'm exaggerating slightly here, but Bob Dylan seems to be afraid of 3-4 minute songs. It feels as though every song is either 2 minutes long or 6-7 minutes, which means you get these long tedious stretches that feel repetitive (he's not much one for writing bridges, he'd much rather add another verse or 5) and the shorter tracks in between are forgettable because you don't spend enough time in them.
This would be a third 2/5 rating for Dylan, but "Blowin' in the Wind" has got me feeling generous.
Hot Damn, I really enjoyed this one. It's like 60's Mod Rock with a cinematic flair and some Arctic Monkeys vibes thrown in. I'm not a big Mod Rock or Arctic Monkeys fan by any means, (not that I *dislike* them necessarily) but all of it combined together is phenomenal. Had to go and do some research on this, turns out they're a "supergroup" of people I haven't heard of... That's on me though, clearly. This is genuinely really good, and I will be listening to it again.
We all know exactly one deep purple song, and honestly I'd forgotten it was them. As soon as "Smoke on the Water" came on I went "oh yeah, I DO know a Deep Purple song".
At this point I don't even think most people have listened to the whole song, we all just know the riff because it's so ubiquitous - which itself only happened because it's so simple that everyone who has ever learned beginner guitar has learned to play it awkwardly.
It is my belief that this album was included on this list entirely because of that one riff, and the riff is not even that good.
I was all ready to kick of my review with "Look, it was never going to be as good as Pet Sounds" but boy was I wrong!
This album certainly isn't Pet Sounds, but I think it's as good - just wildly different. This album is more experimental and weird in ways that fascinate me, and I'm so glad I got to listen to it today. This whole album feels like it's trying not to be beach or boy, but rather darker and deeper like the ocean itself. Unusually for me, I've already put this one on a second time, and will undoubtedly listen to it again shortly.
To quote a young white man: "I am not a beach. I am not a boy. I am an elderly black woman, hear me roar." I never really understood that quote - until today.
