A solid late 60's blues rock album. I think I would have loved this as a teenager, when I was musically voracious for this genre, mood and the guitar solos.
"Ol' Man River" was the standout for me.
I've got all The Doors albums on vinyl like, I imagine, every other 30-something that collects vinyl. If you call yourself a vinyl collector, a bearded ex-hippie magically appears and gives you a copy of Frampton Comes Alive and Waiting For The Sun (and/or their eponymous album) that are scratched to hell. You won't be able to get rid of them. They are your burden for wanting music on an analog format.
I like The Doors, but my interest in The Doors has waned over the years, with my peak interest being around age 19 or 20.
One time I had friends come over and I had each of them go through my vinyl collection and pick an album. We'd play everyone's picks while we talked and hung out. This one guy I know picked Morrison Hotel. It was a bummer. Changed the whole vibe. We all listened out of politeness, but the room was disinterested and anxious, like they were experiencing the musical equivalent of being at a party and being trapped by a guy who is explaining in detail his frisbee golf league, who stops talking only to take some whippits. There's some entertainment to be derived, but there is certainly something more entertaining somewhere else.
But then I listen to L.A. Woman and get to "Love Her Madly", which absolutely rules. It has so many musical parts strong enough to support a whole song, and yet they've been effortlessly sewn together into an interesting structure. Great song.
Listened on Tidal.
An eclectic mix of songs, most of which I like.
I played a game with my friend where I had him try and guess the band. It was “I’m In Love With My Car” and “‘39”. He was pretty mad that I cheated by playing two unrecognizable Queen songs.
Pretty solid album in the Early Beatles discography.
I really like "And I Love Her"
A fun, boisterous, energetic party record. Not the best example of hip-hops lyricism, but it highlights the genre's early energy and playfulness, with some catchy early sampling.
"Passive / Aggressive" -> "The Grave and the Constant" -> "Scooby Snacks" is a pretty solid run.
This album is light and silly, with 90's grooves. Some of them would fit on a Tony Hawks Pro Skater PS1 game.
I'm seeing a lot of hate for the inclusion on the list, which is a fair criticism. If I were voting for that, I'd also vote a 2/5 or less and ask for it's removal.
But I feel like this is an exercise in voting on albums for their individual merit. This is pretty inoffensive; it has solid musicianship and production; it is emblematic of 90's alternative rock and hip-hop. Of course it falls under the shadows of better albums, such as Beck's Odelay or Beastie Boys Check Your Head, but it's still not dire enough to be considered bad.
So a 2.5 rounded up to 3 because it does more right than it does wrong.
It’s 1973 and King Crimson shouts, “We also did an elaborately produced prog rock song themed around money!”
A creative and interesting landmark in the art of music sampling. It's often chill, but there's a haunting melancholy that I connect with. I find myself switching from active listening to passive throughout. It's been a good album to throw on while I'm working on a project.
I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where Limp Bizkit originates, in the 90's and early 00's. I went to school with second cousins of Fred Durst. In my early formative years I experienced the pop culture saturation of Limp Bizkit in real-time. "Rollin'" and "My Way" were inescapable. (Even "Weird Al" Yankovic had "My Way" in his "Angry White Boy Polka" medley from Poodle Hat (2003).)
It was never really my thing.
So today, 1001 Albums Generator wants me to listen to this album even though it's no longer technically on the list.
Thoughts before I listened: This feels like it was included on the list for historical context (late 90's/early 00's white boy nu metal / rap metal) rather than as an example for an incredible album. I don't have any of the books, so I don't know the write-up. I also don't really like Nu Metal. It was such a Thing when I was growing up, but any nostalgia I may have for it is laced in irony. But surely there must be better examples of early 00's Nu Metal to go on the list. Is Hybrid Theory on the list? Also, I am so reluctant to listen to this album on my streaming services out of worry it will fuck up my algorithm. (I know how pretentious that sounds.)
"Intro": Feels like an OutKast rip-off.
"Hot Dog": Tidal doesn't have this uncensored. There's almost no lyrics without the expletives. I had to seek out the uncensored version elsewhere. I was absolutely shocked that the chorus is shoplifted from NIN's "Closer". Absolutely egregious.
"My Generation": Are we invoking The Who with this? Begins with a Jax, FL reference with the Matthews Bridge, which connects Arlington to Downtown over the St. John's River. I do not like driving over this bridge. The turntable riff is monotonous.
"Full Nelson": The lyrical perspective is defensive, prosecuted. The vocal delivery is smarmy and then angsty. It posits both that the narrator will physically assault their enemies for verbal harrassment, but the bridge pleads for everyone to get along (and that people are awful).
"My Way": The most successful song with lyrical consistency and a solid hook in the chorus. Except the post-chorus guitar riff feels way too close to "What It's Like" by Everlast to be considered original (in my book).
"Rollin'": Absolutely crazy how popular this song was. Designed to be a Wrestler intro song. (It was The Undertaker's entrance theme from 2000 to 2002.)
"Livin' It Up": Sampling the Eagles. Lame. Imitating Cyprus Hill. Weird. "I'm the starfish." So you're the... asshole?
"The One": I don't really care for Durst's singing, but the guitar tone is nice and the bass line and drums are funky. Is this secretly the best song on the album? I do not like Fred whispering in my ear.
"Getcha Groove On" (featuring Xzibit): The synth sample is so unusual compared to the rest of the album. Turns out it was sampled from a Cirque du Soleil trapeze act. They sued Limp Bizkit for using the sample. Even French Clowns are out to get Fred!
"Take a Look Around": No one else would be brave enough to do a Mission Impossible Nu-Metal song. John Woo, what hell hath you wrought? So strange that this was made for the film when it's so lyrically irrelevant to the subject and themes. This song had a Grammy nom, but it lost to RAtM's "Guerilla Radio", which we can all agree is a better song.
"It'll Be Okay": The guitar tone reminds me of going to Guitar Center and hearing people fuck around with too many pedals. Part of the guitar riff in the chorus sounds like the guitar riff from "Swamp Thing" by the Chameleons, a song I love.
"Boiler": Has anyone ever written an essay on Limp Bizkit's lyrical anal fixation? I'd read that.
"Hold On": The musical equivalent of someone grabbing you when you're trying to walk away from a conversation.
"Rollin'" (featuring DMX, Method Man & Redman): It is very nice of three legitimately good rappers to just let Fred Durst do his silly shit before they eclipse him with their verses.
"Outro": You know, this vocoder is also a rip-off of "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys. "This is a Phat Beat...by DJ Lethal." No arguments here, it is a nice little beat. Shame it's spent on...this.
Overall Impression: This debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Sold over a million copies in the first week. Eventually certified platinum. Pretty much all of the best choices on this album are taken from better songs with more sincere intelligence and creativity. The term "shoplifted" kept coming to mind. It's 75 minutes, and that's just stupidly long for what's on offer. I think the band--Wes Borland on guitar, John Otto on drums and Sam Rivers on bass--are technically competent but uninspired. It's interesting that a band with such influence and popularity had such short staying power. My conclusion is they never fully had their own identity, something that couldn't easily be traced as being lifted from another artist. Every artist learns from their heroes and influences, but good artists distort it through their own taste and interests into something unique. I don't think Limp Bizkit ever wholly became their own, and so there was nothing for the mainstream to hold onto once the shine of the pop culture spotlight burned out. Considering the artist behind the art, Fred Durst seems like a dick.
For everyone who likes this album, I am so happy for you. This isn't my genre. I would rather hear the bands they're lifting inspiration from than this.
Shifts between mellow and upbeat, but always feels bright, warm and funky.
Seven out of eight songs really worked for me, and the one exception isn't bad (just not interesting enough for me). Some songs have weird tails that feel incongruous but don't break immersion. It's a solid soulful album with some grooves and feel-good optimism.
Single-handedly made doo wop and retro-soul relevant to millions of people around the world in the mid-2000's. It's classic soul style arrangements, performed by veteran musicians, are infused with modern vulgarity, dark sentiments and direct emotions. Amy Winehouse has a powerful, echoic voice that bursts through the songs. Half of the songs are punchy and energizing, and half are sad and soulful but never despairing.
I missed this at its peak of popularity. I thought she was good from hearing "Rehab" pop up everywhere. Everyone around me liked her. I just didn't know that she was making doo wop and soul music, which I've always loved.
This has been my favorite Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album for the past year.
Enter Sandman is inarguably a major hit, but the majority of this listening experience leaves me ambivalent. I don't hate it, but rarely does it grab me.
Every positive review lists "Wherever I May Roam" as a top-tier song on the album and that one didn't do anything for me. I liked "The Unforgiven" and "Nothing Else Matters", though. "Of Wolf and Man" is seemingly about werewolves, so that's pretty cool.
I wouldn't self-identify as a metalhead, although I've got my list of albums and bands I've enjoyed. (Ie, Dopesmoker by Sleep, Dopethrone by Electric Wizard, Ozzy-era Black Sabbath, early Megadeth. More Stoner and Doom than Thrash.) What I like about the metal I enjoy remains intangible to me. I just know that this album doesn't light up my brain like others have.
Personal taste, this is a 2/5. Cultural significance, it's probably a 3/5.
The best album of the 2000s I’ve discovered from this site. Baroque pop with synths that is eerie and beautiful. Some of it feels sci-fi, most of it feels spooky. There’s a polka performed on synths that would somehow please both Tom Waits and The Doors. I respect amazing performers who decide their first project is weird and spooky.
Joe Strummer's lazy, breathy way of singing is just the epitome of cool.
The songs are varied and catchy. Blends world music with 2 tone and punk rock. It may not be direct and refined enough for punk purists, but genre is descriptive not prescriptive. It's more post-punk or new wave, but I'm not gonna wag my finger at anyone calling this their favorite punk album.
Hard to pick between 4 and 5 stars for this. To me it's a 5 star album, but it hasn't fully emerged as an all-time favorite for me despite years of listening to it. Many parts of it, like "Hateful", is on constant rotation for me. I don't have any critiques against it.
Chill, mellow, peaceful, smooth.
Perfect pairing for a cup of coffee in the morning, or a bike ride on a sunny day, or walking around a neighborhood, or hanging out at the beach.
Artistic depiction isn't endorsement.
Feels like a 70's French art film for your ears. That may not be everyone's cup of tea. It's got a consistent groove throughout, although it's erotic overtones do become unsettling even without considering the subject matter.
I've listened to this album multiple times throughout the years and I haven't become Humbert Humbert.
There’s three standout tracks:
she found now
only tomorrow
new you
The rest of it just bled together and the wall-of-noise approach was oppressive in the last few songs.
Bright and beautiful with a golden gauzy haze. Dusty's voice always has a tinge of melancholy, which resonates with me. I'm more inclined towards Side One over Side Two, but it's all lovely.
"Son of a Preacher Man" is the obvious standout, but I really connected with her cover of "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore"and "Breakfast In Bed" on this listen.
Listened on vinyl.
"Supervixen" - Rules. The weird cuts to silence are awesome.
"Queer" - Shirley Manson making an argument for being the best singer of "doot doo doot"s in the 90's.
"I'm Only Happy When It Rains" - We've all be there. Every hook is great, the musical bridge is fun, but I really love the way the end of the chorus rises up.
"As Heaven Is Wide" - Pretty straightforward, but doesn't grab me. Reminds me of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.
"Not My Idea" - This is my favorite song on the album. Everything around the chorus (which is very good!) is just incredible. The best "doot doo doo"s on the album. I just love the way they juxtapose with the whining guitar. The verses and post-chorus are just so much fun.
"A Stroke of Luck" - Straightforward with solid vibes, but nothing especially stands out. Feels like it could have been a song featured on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
"Vow" - The chugging industrial percussion in the middle of the mix, the guitar switching from fuzzy to jangling, the slight distortion on Shirley's voice. A very good song!
"Stupid Girl" - The 'Train in Vain' bassline is a groove, there's a chill dance vibe, there's some weird incongruous electronic noises that sounds like robot vocal fry. This song rules. Very danceable.
"Dog New Tricks" - The post-chorus breakdowns where she shouts "Live and you learn!" are good. Not the most exciting song, though.
"My Lover's Box" - The mellow palm-muted guitar riff and soft singing to a noisey pop chorus, and then some more "doot doo doo"s! Soft trip-hop drums! Hell yeah.
"Fix Me Now" - I'm not a vocalist, so excuse my lack of proper terminology in trying to articulate this: Shirley Manson's voice hits a deeper, more full range in the chorus on this, and it's lovely. Great chorus.
"Milk" - Makes me feel like I'm smoking a cigarette in a dark club late at night, watching everyone dance.
The only hot take I have about this album is that the lesser-known acoustic "demo" version of "Quicksand", made available on CD reissues since 1990, is better than the studio version. Shame it's not as readily available on streaming services. That's why you buy physical, baby!
More like slipkNOT to my taste.
I remember hearing about this band when I was 10 years old. I was intrigued by the masks. Then I heard the music and knew it wasn't my thing.
Most of the songs are pretty concise compositions, which is nice.
I am surprised to read so many reviews that describe this as "chaotic". Not really, dude. It's loud, it's percussive, there's obvious technical skill, it's in-your-face, but it's all pretty intentionally controlled and structured. Go listen to The Shaggs for true chaos.
Standout track: "Eyeless", "Scissors" (some cool textural work here)
1001 Album Generator, please stop making me listen to Nu Metal. Nu thank you.
Standout Tracks:
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Any Major Dude Will Tell You
Barrytown
But it's all good.
"Now they're planning the crime of the century
Well what will it be?"
"Bloody Well Right", "Hide In Your Shell" and "Dreamer" are three of the best songs of the 70's.
Breakfast In America will always be Supertramp's most popular album, and there are incredible songs there, but none of it ever hits the same highs as the three previously mentioned songs from Crime of the Century. Honestly, every song on this album rules. When you're worst song is "Rudy", it's hard not to argue "perfect" album.
Ken Scott's production on the album is stellar. The musical textures on "Bloody Well Right" are incredible. The arrangements are complex, but never oversaturated, always clear and never overbearing.
Most of the lyrics and themes are about existential dissatisfaction, systematic oppression, being shackled to the workforce, social anxieties, but there's an optimistic light shining through, a longing for human connection delivered with Roger Hodgson's bright vocals trying to pull you through the darkness. Not to discount Rick Davies grittier vocals, which I also love.
This album is really a 4.5 for me, but I'm rounding up!
Unrelated: if you look at pics of Rick Davies and Rodger Hodgson from the 70's, they both look like variations of White Jesus.
There was a year where I was obsessed with "Mambo Sun".
Very good album. I own it on vinyl.
The musical equivalent of 90's nostalgia.
Contains multiple indispensable songs from the Led Zeppelin canon:
"Immigrant Song", "Friends", "Since I've Been Loving You", "Gallows Pole", "Tangerine"
But even the lesser offerings, such as "Out on the Tiles" and "That's The Way" are great. Except for "Hats Off to (Roy) Harper)" which I don't really care for.
This album tends to fall between the cracks of their discography, since it's surrounded by albums that weigh heavier in the cultural context. However, I appreciate the more folk-focused offerings.
This album feels like it's secretly Jack White's main inspiration for The White Stripes more than other LZ albums.
I own this on vinyl, but I listened to the hi-fi version on Tidal.
Standout tracks on this listen: Tangerine, Gallows Pole, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
"King of Pain" is their best song. Period. At 5 minutes, it is constantly introducing new sonic layers, new musical ideas, new harmonies until the end. Never overcomplicated, always crystal clear. Depressed existential pain with imagery of death and decay, self-loathing, self-pitying, but endearing and sympathetic rather than sad-sack doldrums.
A good album with some great songs, which is an applicable review for all of their releases.
That's the conundrum with The Police. With only 5 albums of hits and misses, you could seemingly make due with an essential compilation. However, I looked through a dozen of their compilations while listening to this, and every single one of them has a glaring omission. (Usually lesser-known bangers such as "Bring on the Night" or "Man in the Suitcase")
For everyone who has a problem with Sting, may I direct your attention to Stewart fucking Copeland, who's been an incredible influence on video game and film music, and Andy fucking Summers, an incredible guitarist. (His most notable contribution to this album is "Mother", which is abrasive and weird and breaks up the flow of the album, but I think has some interesting musical ideas going on, especially with his guitar. Probably would have been better if it were only 2 minutes and maybe a hidden track at the end rather than a main course.)
With only one clunky (clunky, not bad!) song (Mother), their best song (King of Pain) and their biggest radio hit (Every Breath You Take), this album gets a 4. Even though I'd personally rank it just below Zenyattà Mondatta.
Standout tracks: King of Pain (GOAT status), Synchronicity I, Miss Gradenko, Synchronicity II, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Murder By Numbers (bonus track on most releases)
Peace Frog is peak song. Waiting For The Sun is also great.
Completely new to me. Very enjoyable.
A good album, but a step down from their previous albums. Seven Nation Army is the obvious hit here, but it's been so oversaturated in its use that I mostly associate it with football and other sporting events.
The real stand-out is "The Hardest Button To Button", which is weird, catchy, and full of energy.
There aren't any bad songs, though.
While this rapping style is antiquated now, even compared to Tribe's later releases, this is a milestone in hip-hop that is still fresh and enjoyable. The production feels like you're hanging out with the Tribe and friends at the studio, complete with corny segues that introduce the title of the next song. The beats still bump and the flow is on point even if the rhymes are simple. Does "I Left My Wallet In El Segundo" make any narrative sense? Not really. But the hook and beat are so catchy, I find myself riffing on it after it comes on. "Can I Kick It?" will always be a classic. There's a youthful naivety that's infectious. This album shows hip-hop when it was still green. Some of the sampling is a bit annoying. (I *get* why a baby is crying in the intro, but I don't want to listen to a baby crying.) Nonetheless, it's an influential album that's actually still a fun listen.
3.5, but I'll round up to 4 for historical importance.
When I think about Smooth Soul, I think of Marvin.
My most-listened to album of Wu-Tang Clan's first phase, besides "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)". It wasn't my favorite on first-listen, but every listen has made my appreciation grow. The samples, while lengthy, set such a mood that I don't try skipping them. The beats are sometimes murky, sometimes plucky, sometimes hard-hitting boom bap. Lyrically complex, and varies from introspective to violent.
You can argue where it ranks among "the best 90's rap albums" and "best rap albums of all time". In my experience, you mention this album in hip-hop discussions and everyone agrees it's great.
Pop Punk is just not my flavor of punk, and Green Day epitomizes the mainstreamification and therefore Pop Punkification of Punk. Which is weird, cuz I still like ska. There's a whininess that's inherent to a lot of pop punk that I just find intolerable.
I was in middle school when American Idiot released. Every emo girl had it's album cover artwork everywhere: on backpacks, on notebooks, in lockers, etc. It's weird when you experience something that instantly becomes iconic on first look. However, I just didn't really like Green Day's sound. American Idiot was fine, Wake Me Up When September Ends eventually got it's hooks into me. But as a whole, I skipped it.
In middle school, I knew a Baptist youth pastor who was an effeminate light skinned black guy with curly hair. The 2000's were laced with inherent homophobia and everyone just assumed he was extremely closeted. He was in his early 20's and had the pomposity of a guy who had lost his invite to the barbecue but was trying his damnedest to earn some kind of cred. For instance, he drove a motorcycle, but no one was ever convinced of any badassery. He was obsessed with befriending every teenage girl. He constantly talked about the importance of abstinence and then would then go into an emphatic rant in front of an auditorium full of teenagers about how much he likes fucking his wife. "I love having sex with my wife! Okay fellas? It's incredible! It's incredible BECAUSE we waited." He also had a seething disdain for Green Day, because they were anti-God, anti-Christian and anti-Bush. He loved to tell a story about one of the emo girls of the school approaching him and asking, "Mr. So-and-So, do you really thinks Green Day is anti-Christian?" Yes he did. So she pulled out her American Idiot CD from her backpack, broke the CD in half right in front of him and threw the case in the trash can. He said it was a beautiful, glorious moment, and we should all be so brave. (I've always been incredulous about that story. He never mentioned the girl's name and a teenager breaking a CD in the 00's sounds like music sacrilege. She'd have to go all the way to FYE and buy another one once she realized her mistake.) So that's the climate of my life during Green Day's peak popularity.
I received a lot of consternation at not liking Green Day. Almost everyone with cool music taste I knew would tell me: "Oh yeah, but you've GOTTA like Dookie, right?" "Basket Case is an indisputable classic!"
Now as a less pretentious adult who regularly looks back on the sheer breadth of the music of the 90's, the decade I was born from, I can say that yes, I do like Dookie. And in general I prefer 90's Green Day to 00's Green Day, although there's definitely songs from that era I like.
Still not big into pop punk. This album will never be a favorite of mine. But it's high energy, sardonic, and catchy. The songs are tight. Billie Joe Armstrong isn't a great singer, but his cadence gives the simple vocal melodies a memorable flair. Tre Cool is a great drummer.
Standout tracks: Longview, Welcome To Paradise, Basket Case, She, When I Come Around, All By Myself is genuinely funny
Pulling Teeth was also pretty cool, because it sounds like a more 90's college rock song rather than pop punk.
I know Frank Ocean more for his persona and his interests rather than his music. (I know the dude has really good taste in movies, for example.)
In 2012, his song "Crack Rock" got it's hooks in my friend group and I heard it a bunch. I liked it, to be sure; it's a soulful song with very pretty textures while discussing a depressing topic.
Overall, this is a nice album, from it's PS1 intro theme to it's neo R&B grooves to it's electropop tunes.
It doesn't *all* work for me. "Pilot Jones" is a clunker. I fucking hate John Mayer, the most overrated guitarist in my lifetime and a genuine asshole, so "White" is a waste of a good groove. (Ocean rightly seems to have lifted the only 60 seconds of Mayer's noodling that are worth listening to.)
But the highs are high. "Super Rich Kids" with Earl Sweatshirt is great. The aforementioned "Crack Rock" really fits my sensibilities. "Lost" is so catchy and smooth.
Rating this is hard because: 1) it's very good, 2) I'm not the biggest contemporary R&B fan, but I'm not a hater, 3) there's plenty I enjoy but there's plenty I could skip on a relisten. It's times like these I wish this site offered half stars.
So this is a 3.5 or a 3.75 for me, but I feel reluctant to give it a full 4 stars.
This is basically my dad's favorite band, so CCR and John Fogerty's solo career have been ever-present in my life.
I swear I wrote up a whole review for this album; praising "Lodi" as a great song, detailing Fogerty's deceptively simple but punchy guitar riffs, the Rickenbacker 325 tone with some murky stank, Fogerty's soulful sad-laced singing, how the band gets all the southern cred even though they're from a town outside of Berkley, Oakland and San Fran, California... But then my computer shut down and the review was gone. Oh well!
Standout tracks: Green River (of course), Bad Moon Rising (of course), Lodi (my favorite), Wrote A Song For Everyone (underrated), and the good spooky blues rock of Tombstone Shadow and Sinister Purpose
Standout Tracks: "Forever", "Sad but True", "Crash and Carry", "Science Friction", "Kein Trink Wasser"
A nice album! Plenty of interesting musical textures and catchy hooks.
Somewhere between Silver Jews and Daniel Johnston, although it lacks a sincere vulnerability that are apparent in this band's sonic peers.
This is really in my wheelhouse, so I enjoyed this throughout, but it has a lot of off-putting characteristics. Howe Gelb's mumble-whisper style of singing lacks melodic variety, and it's so forward in the mix. The lyrics are often weird and illustrative, but they don't often feel revealing or poetic. A lot of the compositions feel haphazardly performed by the band, but then there will be well-done intricate production during other parts of songs.
A lot of this doesn't feel like regular rotation for me. It's too singular to throw on a mix tape. And yet the album's mood in it's entirety is interesting and evocative. It feels like a musical grower, not a shower.
Favorite songs: Punishing Sun, Temptation of Egg, Shiver, Bottom Line Man, Way to End the Day
I think almost every Prince album from ‘79 to ‘88 is perfect. This album is incredible from start to finish.
Epitomizes everything I love about country music.
Willie's melodies, while simple, are beautiful and memorable. His cadence is immediately recognizeable, charming and disarming. His lyrics and singing are full of longing, melancholy and sadness, but also delivered with an empathetic warmth.
This album is a cohesive medly. The songs smoothly flow into each other, with Time of the Preacher acting as a repeated theme, and some instrumentals to segue into a new story song. The flow of the album is beautiful.
One of the few albums that's popped up that I listened to several times on repeat, just letting the album loop.
