This album is surprising. I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. I was expecting faux-Gothic horror rock, and there is elements of that, but this really is so much more. Taking influences from Punk, Glam, Bowie, the Clash, Ska, Raggae makes something thats not quite post-punk and not quite new wave. I hear how this influenced others, notably INXS and other late 80s bands. Production is cool. Lo-fi in some songs, but then really artful in others. Cool album to start with. 8/10
Top Songs
The Passion of Lovers
Of Lillies and Remains
Kick in the Eye
Muscle in Plastic
The Man with XRay eyes
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Definitely music made by dorks, but that is cool. No surprise, but the bass tone rips. The standout tracks are the long ones.
An easier listen than I was expecting. Heavy Subject matter, but the instrumentation is so interesting, and it provides for a reflective, but not dour, listening experience. RIP Bowie
A bit hard to divorce this one from the Classic Rock guys that have taken this album. But, all in all it still rips. I've heard most of these songs before, but not in the sequence of the album. Starts off strong, and then gets a little listless towards the end. Crazy that this was just a trip, because the mix is really full. Glad I listened to it, but I don't know if I will again. Certainly tracks for sure.
I'm shocked that I hadnt heard of Solomon Burke before this listen. He has such a great voice. The album itself is mostly standard early 60's soul and ballads. I was also struck by the session musicians on the record, especially the guitar player. They really rip and help to elevate the album. Ultimately, it's a bit "standard." I don't think that ill listen to the whole album again, but all in there are definitely some great tracks that I'll seek out again.
Notable tracks: Cry to Me, Won't You Give Him (One More Chance)
Fine. I'm not the biggest Nirvana or Kurt Cobain fan, but I can appreciate this for the cultural force that it is.
A bit conflicted on this one. First, I think I like The Cure more when they are doing pop songs. I can appreciate this for what it is, and was impressed by the production. However, I think it fell a little flat. It may not be fair to compare it to Mask by Bauhaus, but I left that feeling surprised and delighted to how they blended Goth with Hard Rock, Reggae, and Ska. However, with this album, it was mostly what I expected from an early Cure album. Good, but it met my expectations.
Now that is some socially conscious rap. Wow, that's also a long album. I immediately saw the runtime and thought about those long 90's albums, where they really tried to fill up the whole CD. About half way through this, I was thinking that it may live up to the runtime, but by the end, I was back to thinking that it couldve used some editing. Production and beats were incredibly, unsurprisingly given that J.Dilla and Questlove were behind them. A good amount of questionable "feminism" and lots of homophobia. It was a different time. Ultimately, its a good listen, production is great and certain tracks are classics. However, as an album, its a bit too long, and I dont think it fully holds up in the way that the BlackStar album, or D'Angelo albums do.
Yeah, now this is what I thought this experience would be like. A band I've never heard of, making a long prog-ish, jazz-ish album. In all honesty. this was interminable at points. A bit too noodley, and free form for my tastes. Now, I can certainly appreciate how influential these guys are. The Canterbury Scene is cool, and I do like the boundaries that they pushed with technology and song form, and it's cool that Andy Summers went from this band to the Police. Also at points when the band fully comes together it's not a bad listen. Clearly, these are all fantastic musicians who were experimenting, and thats cool and worthy. But....as an album....it's not something that I am going to listen to again. The 1 star seems low, and it may be, but if I'm grading this on my opinions and predilections, that's where it's at. If I'm grading based on historical significance and coolness, it's probably a 4/5.
Never listened to this before the whole way through, but yeah, it lives up to the hype. Songs are great. Really poignant, and the lyrics are meaningful. Really enjoyed this listen, and I will definitely listen again.
Those crazy Brits, always grappling with their national identity! I really liked this album. The band was very tight and the songs were very sharply written. Victoria is such a great track. Will definitely listen to this album again.
Interesting! I think there's a reason that Blister In the Sun is the most popular track from the album. All in all, it's pretty cool and ahead of it's time, but its not my favorite.
I went into this having never heard of Elis Regina, as it seems to be for many of the people doing this listening experiment. I can see how she was an important figure for Brazilian jazz and music. It seems that the most popular songs on the album were more influenced by folk and traditional Brazilian music. These were good, but the songs that connected most with me were the funk/disco songs. Her band was phenomenal. Right now I'm between a 2 and a 3 for the album. I wish I could do a half star. I'm thinking that 3 will be the marker of would I listen to this again. Right now, I wouldnt listen to the album again, but certain tracks I would definitely listen to again.
Great band. Great songs. 38 Minutes. The first two songs are the best on the album.
Really good. Great band, surprised that I hadnt heard this before because it seems to be a classic. But, I really enjoyed this.
A pretty great album. I think Bob Marley gets overshadowed by his legacy and image, but there is a reason for that. The band is really tight, and the songs are great.
I'm not the biggest John Lennon fan, although I am a big Beatles fan. I am glad that I listened to this, but I think it is reminiscent of a lot of other post-Beatles albums by the members of the Beatles. 1 or 2 standout, classic tracks, surrounded by fine songs that are not very memorable. John and Paul brought out the best in each other, so this ultimately doesnt live up to any of the late-period Beatles albums. But yeah, it was fine.
Cool that I learned the Flight of the Conchords reference on Timeless. But let's be honest, I'm never going to listen to this again. For me, Goldie will mostly be known as the henchmen in The World Is Not Enough.
Pretty standard early 90s rock album and thats a good thing! There are enough production techniques and ideas that the album feels pretty exciting. It's a bit long, love those 90's CD lengths, but all in all a very solid album
Oh no, those Gibb boys have done it again, and gone country! All in all this did not need to be a double album. Some very cool ideas that couldve been trimmed. You can definitely hear the influence from the Beatles, and it's interesting that this came out a few years before Sticky Fingers, which was also country-inflected. Never listened to a non-Disco BeeGee's album, but this was pretty decent.
A really amazing album. An album about trying to figure things out. Political fear, war, violence, ecological disaster. An incredibly timely album, but one that also feels timeless. The production and musicianship is second to none. One of my favorite albums before starting this 1001 album journey, and it was a great experience getting to relisten to this.
A pretty straight ahead rock record. Pretty cool, but a bit repetitive, and I don't know if it fully holds up. Get It On is a great song though.
Not my thing. I can understand why Tom Waits is considered a unique musician, but I think he's just alright. I wonder if most people like Tom Waits, because cool people like Tom Waits. I don't know. This was ok.
A great album. I think that George Michael is underrated in the US, and his output is generally pretty outstanding. From the WHAM! days to his solo work, it is a shame that George Michael is not as well remembered over here. I think this album is very good. If half stars were possible I would probably give a 4.5, but since they are not, its a 5 star album for me. Faith - Father Figure - I Want Your Sex is a new contender for any 3 song run on an album.
Good! Very good musicianship, I can definitely see how this rocked people's shit in the 1950s.
An album which has 3.5 Stones classics (Gimme Shelter, Let It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, the country version of Honky Tonk Woman) and 1 Stones minor classic (Midnight Rambler). The rest is ok. I think that's worth 4 stars.
Never listened to the whole album before, but it's not bad. I think my rating really just comes down to the fact that I find Jim Morrison annoying. Musically, the album is really good. Feels of it's time, but some songs do feel current.
I just listened to this album for the first time a few months ago. I really liked it then, and I think I liked it more on this listen. Lots of cool choices, and he really plays well within different styles and genres. It's cool to learn that Lowell George played guitar on this album. Listening with that in mind, I feel like the guitar adds a lot more than I realized on first listen.
Lots of thoughts on this one. This came out when I was in middle school, which is probably the perfect age for an album like this. I personally was never a huge Green Day fan, but my brother was, and this CD was stuck in his car, so we listened to it alot. That being said, I probably havent listened to this since 2006. All in all, it holds up, even if it seems a little quaint now. Definitely some good Bush-era protest music, which was very of its time. The rock opera elements of this are interesting too, and they probably are a more explicit "rock opera" than many famous concept albums. I do think the songs are generally ok, but can't really sustain the length of the album. I would love to give it 2.5, but I can't, so I think 2 is a fair rating.
Hell yeah. Not an everyday listen, but this goes hard.
Growing up means that I can freely admit that this isnt my shit. As a too-smart indie teenager I always had to go along with this. And that's fine, I can appreciate the music, and how orchestral and cinematic it is. But is this something that I feel particularly drawn towards? Nah. Glad that I listened though. I can hear Radiohead and early Coldplay, so this album was probably very influential to others. Yeah...right down the middle. 3/5.
I feel like your could copy my Sigur Ros review here, and it lines up exactly. I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would, but still, meh. Radiohead just isnt my thing. They annoy me, but, I can still recognize that this album is good.
Really enjoyed this. Love the Phil Spector 70s production. Sounds like George Harrison, but more focused on New York. Really cool.
Very cool. Got to be a bit repetitive, but still enjoyable. I didn’t know that Roky Erickson was in this band.
This was very good. The backing band was excellent and that really made the whole album a great listen.
This was very good. The backing band was excellent and that really made the whole album a great listen.
This was going to be a one, but then I found a different remaster. Then it was going to be a 2 until the song I Ain’t Superstitious. That song sucks.
Not necessarily my cup of tea. But I can appreciate this, and I support anyone who promotes guitar pedals.
Not quite as good as Ziggy Stardust, but a cool exploration of the glam sounds.
A dumb rock record. Nothing wrong with that.
A dumb rock record. Nothing wrong with that.
Kitschy. Fun. Great musicianship.
A bunch of dorks, playing music very well.
Not something I’m always in the mood for, but great songwriting.
Not the best Curtis album, but still really great. Instrumentation is second to none.
I was thinking four, but Purple Rain (song) is very very good.
Five star without a doubt
I can appreciate this as art but not something I want to listen to.
A good jangly pop album with just enough weirdness to make it a little more interesting.
There’s a reason why lame white dudes made this their personality.
I listened to this a few years ago, and didn’t remember enjoying it this much.
A classic. Incredible bass. Two modern jazz standards.
I liked this more than the stars would indicate. But as an album, it’s very repetitive. But I don’t know if it was designed for sitting and listening. In a club I can see how this would be awesome.
Another album where I thought it was cool, but wouldn’t necessarily listen again. The production was great, and I can see how this helped usher blues into the 70s
I think I gave American Idiot 2 stars and I liked this more.
