Interesting start. Not what I would I would have picked, and I know Brian Eno for his musical prowess, especially ambient music. I was wondering if this was an early album and found out this was his seventh.
It seems this was his last record to make pop/rock before going to avant garde. I hear Talking Heads in "King's lead Hat", but the next song almost sounds like the Beach Boys making a folk song, with some psychedelia guitar parts.
It's interesting to hear now, and maybe then this felt ahead of its time, but listening now makes me feel it's a just a record very much of its time with some interesting production but not an album I'd return to again. He wrote 100 songs for this but only 10 made the cut. What?!? I would not want to hear the other 90. I'm only on track 6 and I'm ready for tomorrow's listen.
2.5 stars
The fact that this was Stevie's 15th album is mind-blowing to me. It's not just the listening but sitting with the thought of this album afterwards that I'm impressed with just how good it was and still is.
This album is a part of a 4 year stretch of what critics labeled his "classic era" and I can see why. Obviously the go to songs we know but I've always loved "I believe when I fall in love". I confess the first time I heard it really was in the ending of the film High Fidelity and it grabbed me by the collar.
The choice of Robert Margouleff as his producer is so interesting to me as he was a collaborator of Robert Moog (Moog synthesizers) and you see how influential those keyboards and synths were. They became synonymous with Stevie's sound.
You & I is as perfect a love song as you can write, I'd be foolish to label the writing simple because he communicates the simple in profound ways and the arrangement only reveals musically what love can make you feel. I could hear some of his political voice in this as well. I'm a bit embarrassed I haven't sat with this record more in my life. I'll keep coming back to this one.
5 stars
I've never listened to the Stooges before. It never appealed to me and I was sure I only knew them by name or by the forever shirtless Iggy Pop, but by track 2 I realized I did know them. ("I wanna be your dog")
I can see why they are credited with early punk roots, abandoning a lot of the traditional rock n roll form or gimmicks. Although I hear it and can hear right away how melodically the title track still has roots in a blues 12 bar blue format it just manipulated. First listen I just thought the song was a little too long and the second track a little too short.
The third track is 10 minutes of almost eastern new age chanting. I was over it within the first minute, I gave up by the half way mark.
I can see how at the time Iggy Pop's vocals and willingness to push or at times abandon what was the dying stages of the early 60's rock form could be appealing. And I bet live it was even more so. Context is everything, but to me it's not very interesting. His vocals still synonymous of many rock singers of that era, a la Mick Jagger. Songs like Real Cool Time feel like total album filler.
Some albums paved the way for other acts or for artists to evolve. And without the Stooges other artists might not exist. Rolling Stone put this at 388 of top 500 albums of all time. I wouldn't make the list at all for me, but that's what this experience is for. Maybe by the end of this I'll feel differently.
Not an album I'd ever come back to, I just wanted it to end.
1 star
Musical masturbation. Couldn’t finish the album, let alone the first track which was 20 minutes of a 38 minute album. Like medieval jazz symphonies, I question why it’s on this list.
1 star for musicianship
I love hip hop, especially 90’s since I grew up with it but there has to be better options in the genre to expose people than this. There could be a list of 1001 hip hop albums to listen to and I still wouldn’t listen to this.
I realized I've never listened to this whole album before, though I am familiar with Elbow. Enjoyable listen but outside of a few standouts not an album I'd come back to often. Clear standout is One Day Like This, one of the most perfect songs written. And his voice is perfect for this, great orchestration. I could listen on repeat for years. Hope they come up again so I can sit with their music more.
Not my favorite era of rock music, coming on the heels of grunge but I can see the quality of the recordings. Butch Vig who produced Nirvana and many others obviously shaped a strong sound & a strong female frontwoman for the band especially at that time. Still this album isn’t really my taste but interesting to listen back.
Rockabilly punk not for me.
No way, the album starts with saying “the whole world is sound”. This is a prank. Don’t listen past that.
Listening to The Byrds I hear echoes of Tom Petty and other musicians they've influenced. For me, I'd rather listen to Dylan or Petty or the Beatles, but I can respect what they did in music. I reached my limit with the 12 string electric by the 5th song. Still all of this is a musical education.
Never been a fan of the XX. Solid production, I like Jamie xx work but already know this isn't for me, just don't enjoy their voices, personal opinion.
INSTANT groove. I can only hear Faith Evans "Love Like This" on the first track which is a good thing. Can't add anything that hasn't already been said about Le Freak, but good to hear in the context of listening to the whole album.
I realize how much of their sound is not really in singing a traditional vocals but more-so the group vocals just consistently nailing a great hook and chorus. The music has enough to keep you engaged and it's all so dancy I don't think it would matter, I just see people dancing to these records at Studio 54. A fun listen overall, but one I'd love to sample more than anything. I want your love already sounds like a groove loop ready to be chopped up anyways. You see why Daft Punk came back to this record.
A reminder when hip hop was fun, playful and had good samples. Not one my more favorite hip hop albums but a good listen still
Not a country fan though I know there is some incredible country music but he’s a country legend so I gave it listen.
Update, still not a country fan, and this wasn’t one of those albums for me. The singing isn’t even good??
More of a good background album or dinner party music but still interesting to listen to given his status.
Not big on prog rock. Waiting for Aja by Steely Dan
The harmonies, the orchestration, the songwriting. It all is so familiar in the cannon of American music at this point but to truly listen to this like it's the first time you realize how unbelievable unique this group was. You can't compare Bridge Over Troubled Water to another song, and to start an album with that song seems wild now. I love Paul Simon and still can't wrap my head around his guitar playing and the changes/choices he makes but it feels singular and still so familiar. Embarrassingly this was my first time listening cover to cover. The group ended on a high note with their 5th album with a near perfect album.
3 stars alone just for having shadow boxing on this album.
Rather listen to the strokes, keane, something else.
Decent listen, not really for me
First 5 star album of this project. Muddy doesn’t play blues, he IS the blues and you feel it in this record. The fact that they recorded this album in 3 days and captured what they do live in a studio is baffling. Jonny Winters producing helps and you can see his love of blues and admiration of Muddy come though this recording.
I don't like the new-soul label just like most artists of that time did. I feels limiting. Maxwell did something that was throwback while all his own paying homage to artists before him and not catering to the sound of what was current and that give him his unique voice. The songs are soulful and carry a weight and resonance that echoes true still today which is why I can put this album on and immediately connect to songs like Ascension. As a whole this isn't one I can put on and listen to cover to cover but that doesn't diminish its goodness. I love Maxwell and even more so the later work. I'm still surprised he wasn't a bigger artist.
Love Mezzanine but not this one. A couple of them sound like background music for the weather channel. Still some amazing eduction especially for the time.
Never got into Nu Metal or the “screamo” but there’s a reason this band endured past every other band. More dark and 2000’s existential moodiness for my taste but the melodies are still great. Memorable hooks, great hybrid production and energy pulsates through the whole album. Not something I’ll listen to on my own time but a an enjoyable listen and a bit of high school nostalgia
One of the albums you can’t argue with deserves to be on this list. The intro alone puts it on this list. One of my all time favorite hip hop artists, he redefined the genre and defined the era of east coast vs west coast. His voice and storytelling holds you captive and he woos you with storytelling like a ghetto poet and gangster. And songs that become time stamps in the rap catalog. I heard this as a teenager and I blew the doors off the hinges and gave this suburban white kid a peak behind the veil.
My sheltered ears weren’t ready to hear some of this though and I loved it for it.
I bought this cd when it came out but to go back reminds why I got it in the first place. Symphonic, pop, baroque, broadway but so melodic and these long drawn out lines that reel in you into this music are his signature.
I remember the Johnny Cash resurrection and how big these albums were when they came out. This was the best of them and Hurt made me rethink Cash & NIN. Love the raw delivery and vulnerability you heard in an artist who was so much bravado for so long. A solid listen even though I would never think to listen to this.
