Fantastic and foundational disco. You could probably learn everything you need to know about rhythm guitar by only listening to this album. Some of the canned audience sounds cheapen things a bit, but otherwise timeless.
You have no heart if you don't like this album - it's a cornerstone of soul music. Every moment feels good, which isn't surprising with it all glued together by the Muscle Shoals rhythm section. Absolute peak Aretha.
It's difficult to categorize Björk's unique artistry. The variety alone should be enough to hold almost anyone's attention: dancy off kilter pop, introspective electronic slow burners, even a moody jazz standard. No one has a voice like Björk, and the arrangements perfectly support her across the whole record. In addition to an abundance of unique textures she conjures, the music itself is often melodically and harmonically adventurous. There's very little not to like.
Sheesh... that was hard to get through. I remember being into AC/DC's hits back in middle school, but I'm not sure I've ever listened to an album all the way through - definitely not in adulthood. The songs here are pretty monotonous, particularly through the first half - there's very little in the way of dynamic or tonal variety to maintain interest. Sure, it may be one of the best selling albums of all time, but can anyone really argue bands like Led Zeppelin weren't playing better heavy, blues inflected hard rock nearly a decade before this album, while also being able to incorporate some other sounds, too? The only bright spot for me are Angus Young's leads, which place him as one of the more lyrical and tasteful soloists of the era, which is striking when very little of the rest of the music exhibits any sort of nuance.
It's shocking that this was made in 1973 - the enormous influence it had on so much music that came afterwards is clear. Every garage band should aspire to this sort of raw energy; it shows how working with a limited sonic pallette dosn't mean sacrificing interest. Despite its rawness, I find a surprising amount of balance on the record.
It's fine. A lot of the beats feel pretty sterile, and I'm not a huge fan of the flatulent synth bass sounds. Skepta's flow is pretty cool. I'm sure this had some profound influence on some hip-hop sub-genre, but it doesn't come across as vital as many other contemporary records.
Sweet Love is the only track I was familiar with going into this album, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was indicative of the quality of the rest of the record. Anita Baker's voice is of course powerful and one of a kind, driving pretty much every song. Beyond that, there are lots of really clever and enjoyable moments in the arrangements - I particularly liked the sparse but extremely effective backup harmonies on 'You Bring Me Joy' - and there are cool bass/keyboard/guitar parts sprinkled throughout. There's a lot of harmonic depth to the music, as well; we're far out of three-chord pop music territory. However, the 80's synth sounds just haven't aged well to my ears, nor has the overly produced mix - the reverb drenched vocals seem very lonely, almost like the album was performed in an empty stadium. I'd really love to hear Baker in a more stripped down setting, or even with some sort of jazz ensemble (the scatting near the end of 'Been so Long' indicates she has the chops), not this sterile, corporate sounding environment.
Come on, there's very little better than 70's Stevie Wonder. FFF was released in the middle of a slew of near perfect records. Every song is interesting in its own way, theres a huge amount of diversity, but Wonder maintains some thread throughout them all that ties them all together. The harmony is constistently sophisticated without sacrificing soulful feeling, and, of course, everything grooves very hard. This is the sort of album you can enjoy listening to over and over again, catching something new each time.
Pleasant to listen to, but sort of bland for my taste. There are some really nice sounds on the album, and Tony Allen's drumming is sublime. However, I'm not sure it achieves the same vitality that any of the members' main projects have. A little forgettable, like most supergroup outings.
Much of this album feels like it was made in the future. The groove is aggressively precise on almost every track without feeling sterile. Many albums from this era haven't aged well conically, what with the synth sounds available at the time, but I only count a couple places where they verge on stale. Prince's guitar playing is like an alien who learned by listening only to Jimmy Nolen on James Brown records. There are so many little things sprinkled throughout each track that the whole album merits endless re-listening.
It's hard for me to get behind anything but Brian Wilson's singular vision with the Beach Boys - particularly anything after the aborted Smile sessions. Surf's Up (the song) is obviously a highlight, and there are other redeeming moments. However, most of it feels a little stale.
Definitely not for me - it's rare I find myself fighting the urge to skip songs, but nearly every track was a bummer. The melodies, harmony, and rhythm were all unimaginative and bland. All of the performances, from the vocals to the guitars, were at best uninspired and at worst obnoxious off-putting, lacking any sort of subtlety, and I really am not a fan of the mix. Probably a fun band to see live back in the day, but that doesn't translate to a great or even a good album.
I guess it's well made, but good god do I never want to listen to that again.
There's nothing particularly flashy or fancy about this album, but its vibes are huge all the way through. The way Callahan's musical, but understated vocals meld with the instrumentation creates a unique sound that I imagine would be very hard for any artist to try and replicate. Most of the songs are hypnotic in their repetition, although there are times where it can border on redundant. All in all, I expect this will be something I revisit from time to time when I need to throw something soothing on.
Lots of great songs here. Armatrading's voice is top notch - a unique blend of folk and blues impulses delivered very cleanly. The arrangements are all well put together, and a lot of the album really grooves. For all the positives, I don't find it the most memorable record; Armatrading's style seems to largely eschew hooks for a more storyfull approach, which is not quite my preference. Some of the quieter/slower moments also lack the vitality the rest of the record. Still, an incredibly joyful and enjoyable listen - definitely worth revisiting.
Man, I love Talking Heads. Their blend of art-rock, afrobeat, funk, punk, and whatever other influences they have kicking around just speak to me. That said, I'm not sure Fear of Music is quite up to the same quality of some of their other releases - particularly in the somewhat meandering second half. There are definitely classic songs on this record; Life During Wartime, Heaven, Memories Can't Wait, but some of the rest don't hit. Sonically, the record is a winner - everything sounds great, particularly the off-kilter guitar parts. David Byrne's performances are also fantastic throughout, showcasing why he's proved to be one of the most endearing front men of his era. Not perfect, but a lot of fun and certainly head and shoulders above many of the other albums on this list.
Somehow I missed listening through this whole album until now, and it's probably about as perfect of a record as you can get. First off, it sounds incredible - all of the instruments are clear, the mix is great, really a pleasure to listen to. It also grooves like no other, everyone is just completely sunk into the pocket with no wasted notes. Everything is well crafted without losing a sense of spontaneity and groove that makes the music feel good. Thematically, it's obvious Bob was on a mission, and the songs communicate his urgent message. Reggae, particularly its modern practitioners, can be pretty watered down, redundant, and boring, but Natty Dread shows how vital it can be.
Look, Elvis is super cool and one of the most important folks ever in music - his voice is one of a kind and he revolutionized popular music. This is definitely a strong collection of songs, but its not the most memorable, especially on the back half. I'm not sure about the incessant background vocals on almost every track, but otherwise it's hard to argue with the instrumentation and arrangements. The mix is surprisingly lively and most of the songs sound really good. Personally, it's closer to a 3 star, but we'll round up since there's only one Elvis.
I don't want to give every important Bob Dylan album a 5 stars, but that may be impossible - they're just too important. Pretty much every track is a classic; they can stand on their own and function together even better. The idea of an electric and acoustic side to the record is a stroke of genius. Sure, there are nit-picky issues with some of the performances, and obviously Dylan's voice isn't for everyone. However, great music is seldom if ever free of 'imperfections', which often are a huge part of the appeal anyways (the idea of these songs being introduced to the world by a polished band and vocalist is actually pretty repugnant). Some of these songs are likely going to be with us until we stop making music, it's worth getting to know them from the source.
This was a lot of fun to hear, but I'm not sure it's the most relistenable album for me. Bollywood is probably not for me, and although the Indian tinged funk and pop is cool and all, it feels like a cheap mix of all the styles going into it. The musicianship is top notch, and the arrangements are definitely well crafted. However, I don't really feel a pure artistic vision I expect from a really timeless album. Of course, no complaints listening to this - it's fun, campy, and easy to get into.
This kinda sucked for me. There were some interesting textures/instrumentation, but nearly every song was two chords repeated ad nauseam with very little in the way of melody or rhythmic variation. The vocal performances were pretty subpar, which really was the nail in the coffin - something more inspired could've helped with the monotony. There were a couple songs (Susan's House had its moments) that held my interest, but overall not my thing.
I'm a sucker for 'conscious rap' or whatever this would be classified as, but even then - 'Be' definitely stands out. The performances are top notch, but good lord, the producing is something else. Hearing Kanye at the top of his game, before he lost his mind, with Dilla is special.
I'm 50/50 here, but it's split between either really enjoying things or really wishing I could skip a song. There are a few VERY famous songs on here, but I'm not sure anything but the hits really stands out. The harmony is cool - these guys were definitely jazz fans and adopted some pretty advanced concepts. There's really cool guitar playing, too. However, the vocals are definitely not for me, and many songs seemed one or two minutes too long ('Shout' comes across like the same ten seconds of music repeated indefinitely). Overall, a good onetime listen, but probably not revisiting.
This album seems like a book that you need to re-read several times to really understand. Not perfect musically, but that's not the point. Hugely influential, not hard to see why.
At first I thought it was fun, but by the end I was annoyed by this album. I like a lot of the stuff going on around this time - the Beach Boys seem to be a relevant touchstone - but there's something here that feels off.
There's nobody more gangster than Johnny Cash, and he's near his best here. Unfortunately, the music isn't the star here - the record also makes a point of documenting the interactions with the inmates and chatter between songs. Although it's amusing, the pacing suffers some. 'At Folsom Prison' is a bit more balanced for my tastes. Regardless, this is a treasure and enjoyable to listen to.
That was pretty unpleasant.
Absolutely stunning. Everything Nick Drake is pretty much flawless for me, although I will admit to going to his other two releases before Bryter Layter. Regardless, Drake was some sort of genius - it's unfortunate we got so little from him.
Obviously, it's flawlessly constructed - it's Queen. Freddie Mercury's vocals are out of this world and Brian May's guitar work is excellent. Sadly, that's not enough to salvage a pretty forgettable bunch of songs. Much of the album borders on some sort of strange thespian flavored rock and roll, which I find pretty annoying. Despite the objective quality of their craft, even Queen's best work doesn't do much for me, and this record is not among their best.
You really have to try not to take yourself too seriously when listening to the Beastie Boys, and then you'll be alright. Ill Communication is a lot of fun - lots of angsty bangers and catchy beats. On this re-listen, I caught a lot of really clever production I'd never paid attention to; maybe these guys deserve a more careful listen than I initially thought. The beats are stacked with cool funk, jazz, and soul references that keep things extremely musical. Sure, it isn't the sort of music winning Pulitzer prizes, but that's not what these guys were about. At the same time, this record is surprisingly sophisticated if given enough attention.
This was pretty boring. I'm not familiar with this band or if they had a significant impact on anything, but I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the sound. It's in the same vein as other hard-rock from the era (AC/DC seems to be a relevant reference), not super imaginative. Everything felt very obvious, maybe a good time at a bar, but not so much an attentive listen.
This stuff is badass. Unique, catchy, angsty, and a little annoying. Dead Kennedys are emblematic of a particular type of punk, and this is them at their best. Not everybody's cup of tea, but damn it works for me.
Cream was made up of three of the most exciting and unstable musicians in the UK at that time. I'm a huge fan of their live stuff, but Disraeli Gears really keeps them confined to short, almost poppy songs rather than the balls-to-the-wall psychedelic blues-rock I prefer. There are some cool songs, and they don't lose too much of their swagger, but I'm not totally convinced by all of the songwriting and would much rather listen to them stretch out than try to make a radio hit.
Not for me. It's sort of catchy and obviously a cornerstone of pop music, but I'm not into it.
