If you ever listened to the Beatles and thought, “I wish they had way less talent, and horrible production, and circus music,” then do I have the album for you…
Parts of the album were beautiful, while other parts did little for me, sometimes within the same song; “A Sailor’s Life” was gorgeous for the first 3-4 minutes, but the additional 7-8 minutes of instrumental lost what I loved and felt excessive.
This came out when I was in high school. What fun to revisit it. Joyous, quirky, and unique. I didn’t even remember Fishin’ 4 Religion and that might have been my favorite track this time through.
Very solid. 8/10
Talking Heads can be a lot of fun, they can also feel pretty repetitive. I feel I should love this album more than I do, but 7/10
The album is uneven, but the highlights are so high. When Grace Slick sings, this album soars. 8.5/10
The first album on this list where I let it play a second time through straight. I knew Time of the Season but couldn’t have told you who sang it before today. Really enjoyed the album 8/10
Perfectly fine.
There’s certainly talent in blending all these voices together. But I couldn’t get into it. 5/10
Some of these tracks would be cool background to a gathering or behind poetry, but as a stand alone album, it doesn’t feel worthy of a straight listen, let alone an inclusion on this list. But I would have given two stars until the second to last track came on and was just absolutely grating. 2/10
5/10
Fun and unique with great energy
The only thing I liked about this album was when it ended.
Tracks 6-11 get five stars. The rest of the tracks on the original release get a 3. I guess we’ll split the difference.
Johnny Cash, at the end of his life, sat with an eclectic mix of cover songs and turned them into a powerful meditation on life and death. A poignant and sometimes haunting death bed serenade. 10/10
Didn’t do much for me
Bruce being Bruce, which isn’t a bad thing. But not necessarily a great thing either. 6/10
Nothing Compares 2 U is gorgeous, and the rest of the album is very good. 8/10
I know I’m supposed to love Radiohead, but often they’re just perfectly fine to me. 6/10
Feels like an album I might like even more on repeated viewings. 8/10
Great flow and energy. 8/10
A little inconsistent to me. But when it’s on, like Heart of Gold, Old Man, or the Needle and the Damage Done, it’s terrific. 7/10
I wasn’t into the first several tracks, but it ends well, with the last track being my favorite
Since college, The Smiths have seemed like a band I should really like, but I’ve never fully gotten into them.
Enjoyed, didn’t love
I loved this album when it was new. I love it just as much now. I was excited to see it make the list.
It was perfectly enjoyable I’ll probably forget about it in a few days
The album has a good sound, in music and vocals. The two songs where they shout the title repeatedly for way too long cost it a star.
Very solid album
If you ever listened to the Beatles and thought, “I wish they had way less talent, and horrible production, and circus music,” then do I have the album for you…
It wasn’t bad, but I just couldn’t get into even one track. I do like the cover art though.
This album is so quirky and crazy and still so damn beautiful
A lovely little album
Incredible album
He combination of showmanship in music and vocals is pretty damn special.
Formidable start for Perry’s career, already cranking out some great tracks. Other tracks are less impressive, so I’m going to keep this to a four but the highlights are excellent
It’s an interesting concept, but I just didn’t like the music
Perfectly fine in the background, but not something I’d ever pick to listen to intentionally again
If you are a fan of punk music, perhaps this is a great album. I just couldn’t wait for it to end.
One of the best of one of the best
Some tracks I genuinely enjoyed (6, 7, 10, 11) but I hope to never hear the rest again
So damn smooth
She’s got a beautiful voice. The highs are stunning (Where Does It Lead, her cover of House of the Rising Sun). The lows felt pretty low (The Naughty Little Flea, and whatever the hell laugh/cry annoyance Charles Colman brings to One Last Dance). I‘m not quite sure how to rate this…
A beautiful album
There were tracks I thought were pretty interesting and others I was ready to hit skip.
I liked hearing all three sing together, but room for improvement with some of the song choices and production.
I kinda liked the first two tracks, but the album kept going…
It’s already slipping from memory
Occasional moments of interest spaced far apart.
If - and this is a big if - you can get past the casual sexism and homophobia- this album is a masterclass. Filled with sick beats, flawlessly integrating four MCs whose voices combine and trade off, every one as strong as the other. It is filled with so much joy and life, while also getting heavy, including what is still the best musical call out of the systemic racism of the police system. But there’s that sexism and homophobia... I’m going to give this five stars, but with a big fucking asterisk.
Beautiful