Great first track but I can do without track 3s bleating hipster incantations. Didn’t know where « very nice » was from though. Solid drum breakdown at the end though.
Track 4 is why I haven’t listened to The Smiths until now. Proto-hipter pablum with elevatory chorus that grates the longer it goes on. Mercifully, the song ends before it goes anywhere as though they couldn’t be bothered to finish writing it.
Track 5: great bridge that makes me think I’ll love the smiths. Solid chorus too. And I like his vocals on this type of track vs the next one, 6, where I feel like he erroneously gave a generation of plaintive hipster bands permission to be whiney.
Track 6: notwithstanding the above, when he actually opens up and sings I like his voice (not the falsetto).
Track 8: meh. I can’t believe anyone thought this chord progression was song worthy.
Track 9: could definitely grow on me a lot, I like it already at first listen. Overall, I’m getting the sense that I like upbeat smiths. And loath their ballady stuff—I think I don’t believe the emotional feel / it has none. Conceptually sad, without any sadness.
Track 10: case in point. Can’t stand the plaintive sadness, feels fake.
Track 2: missed it earlier. I like this. More confirmation of I like upbeat smiths.
1) Yours is No Disgrace: Coming back to this after listening to the whole album, it is maybe the only song I truly like. While jam-bandy, it feels like it has progression/transformation, without being lame/cheesy, notwithstanding the key change towards the end.
2) The Clap: Would I rather contract the clap or listen to the Clap on repeat forever...Idk.
3) Starship Trooper: Too jam bandy by a mile, but I do like the outro guitar riff that starts around ~6 mins in. And then the guitar solo that comes in the last ~2 min, chef's kiss. And the drums just make it harder. Maybe the first half was worth it. After listening to the album through and coming back to this a second time: it's growing on me, a ton. There's more going on here than aimless noodling. Still kinda annoying at times early on, but the back half is fire.
4) I've Seen All Good People: I guess it would be worse if they couldn't play their instruments or sing. They're solid musicians but this is why I don't like jam bandy. 2nd listen: f'%k, even this song is growing on me.
5) A Venture: great opening, nice groove with good rythmic synch among the instruments. If this was the only jam bandy track on the album I'd love it.
6) Perpetual Change: I do not like this, even on 2nd listen. Comically bad lyrics and whatever the bridge thing is that sounds like a marching band takes over for 10 secs, just no.
I only got one listen of this and from a first listen I like it. I feel like it’s maybe hard to fully appreciate given how generative this feels like it probably was of so much that came after. Easily 4 great songs and other ms that may grow on me.
1) I wanna be adored: What luscious synths, they add such welcome nuance to an already great guitar backed drums classic intro. Don't love the singer's choice on vocal lines or lyrices, but solid first track.
2)She bangs the drums: interesting hearing this now, having heard much more of what came after. I don't love it, seems like a very early example of certain type of rock song that's now ubiquitous.
3) Waterfall: I like this.
4) Don't stop
5) Bye Bye Bad Man
6) Elizabeth My Dear
7) (Song for My) Sugar Spun Sister: this song is annoying--it's a certain type of poppy soft-rock that I don't like unless it's imbued with tons of feeling, which this is not.
8) Made of Stone
9) Shoot You Down: love the intro groove.
10) This Is the One
11) I am the Resurrection: great song. Among my favs on the album
12) Fools Gold: holy shit.
Somehow this album is both derivative and stuffed with classics. 4 of 11 tracks are covers and a 5th sounds like an outright copy. But then there's at least 3 all-time classics of their own--and one of those covers is arguably a classic in its own right. Honestly if they hadn't ripped off Little Richard, and hadn't included the bland "Ooby Dooby", this would be a 4 star album. Fogerty's solo on Ramble Tamble--and his vocals throughout are untouchable, but I never want to hear Ooby Dooby again--and f' 'em for stealing from Little Richard un-credited.
Addendum: Apple music played a Chris Stapleton song after playing through this album, which feels about right. Stapleton's output now feels more obviously poppy than CCR, but seeing how many hits CCR covered, I think they were self-consciously pop-driven at the time.
1. "Ramble Tamble": great opening song.
2. "Before You Accuse Me": there's something off, in retrospect, about a bunch of white dudes getting big off of straight-up blues music.
3. "Travelin' Band": Sounds like a Little Richard rip-off. Well-done though.
4. "Ooby Dooby": derivative and forgettable. Oh, just realized it's also a cover.
5. "Lookin' out My Back Door": still a solid, classic song.
6. "Run Through the Jungle": one of my fav CCR songs, the vibe, the vocals and the harmonica, such a solid track.
Side 2:
1. "Up Around the Bend": I've never really like this song. Idk, nothing really to it apart from a boring riff and a repetitive chorus. Were the feel right, that can be enough, but in this case the song never goes anywhere, and it just feels like a chorus played on repeat until it was time to fade out.
2. "My Baby Left Me": another cover?
3. "Who'll Stop the Rain"
4. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine": I wasn't sure this needed to be 11 minutes, but Fogerty's version is excellent.
5. "Long as I Can See the Light"
In high-school, I at least thought the singles were good--like I'd defend them to friends. But listening to this start to finish does it no favors: poor songwriting, weak rapping, and largely mediocre production. This gets 1 extra star for the singles, and because I always like Eminem--but that's generous.
Idk how to rate this. Not my thing--or maybe just not the right entry point into heavy metal for me, a genre I don't really know. Also, I haven't yet had the opportunity to blast this on my stereo. That may be what it needs. All that said, it's obvious in listening even on my headphones why some people love motorhead. Driving, powerful songs, and a sound that, at the time at least, was very original.
New band to me, though on first listen I recognized A Minha Menina, though maybe just because it's a cover. Overall, feels like a band with lots of potential, but a little to unfinished for my liking, but maybe that's just the psy-music vibe.
Punchbag - this is a solid first track. Nice interplay of the intstruments, keyboard, drums, bass, and horn all working together. Even got a nice contribution to the groove from a triangle, which maybe a first. Writing this on my second listen and still wish they had a stronger vocalist, though I don't hate his contributions here...well, maybe, "use me like a punchbag" just doesn't fit with the overall groove, like someone just decided to sing some gibberish just because.
Angryman - also a great vibe--and and again more contributions from a triangle, but I really want them to get a better vocalist.
No Trophy - I'm not convinced by their attempt at dub. Feels like they got stoned and were like, we could play this, but it's mediocre.
Binnel Bay - No. BS psy-rock stoner drivel.
Sunshine - this is solid. I think they're at their best in instrument drive low-key vibes. Honestly, would like this to be longer some musical development, but otherwise good.
A Minha Menina - can't complain, nice catchy groove and first time I haven't actively disliked the vocals. I can't place it, but besides actually being a cover this feels rhythmically like a cover of some alt group from the 90s, maybe Janes' Addiction--but I don't think that's right.
This Town
Sweet Like A Champion
Lying In The Snow
Zia - meh. This is a vibe track, but doesn't quite nail the vibe.
Sky Holds the Sun - This gets the vibe better. The interplay of the rhythm section and the horns creates a great groove. But I could do without the vapid vocals.
Seeds - liking the intro groove, but again I could do without the vocals.
You Got to Leave - weird vibe change. Little bit of Lou Reed, little bit of White Stripes, little bit of please don't play this again.
Elain
Whistle Chop - I can get behind this. Has a psy-rock-jazzy vibe that I like. Drum line is nice 'n tasty. Maybe you need to be high to truly enjoy this album?
Jackel Head -
Out for the Count
God damn, I did not know what I was missing. There are some awesome, awesome songs on here. That said, there's some long-winded jam bandy stuff that lost me. Still, 4-stars for some outright classics, and for an album that I'm sure will grow on me with more listens.
I only got one full listen so far, but what a great album.
I tried to like this. I listened to it almost 3 times through, but it largely feels like an 80s rehash with some Daft Punk ripoff that we didn't need.
1. "Dreamin" - not bad, but not dying to play this again.
2. "Music Makes You Lose Control" - one of the better tracks
3. "Soft Machine" - feels like mid 90s rock meets EDM, like if Filter made a dance album
4. "Hypnotise" - I can def see the influence on what came later. Heavy 80s throwback but with a modern twist. One of the better tracks in some ways, though also kind of annoying.
5. "(Hey You) What's That Sound?"
6. "Take a Little Time" - Am I listening to a Madonna album? Not that I don't like it.
7. "From: Disco to: Disco" - If this is an ode to how much he hates disco, kudos. Most annoying track so far by a mile. I'd almost remove a star for this track alone. There's a repetitive whining wah sound that feels like it speaks for my soul being forced to listen to this all the way through.
8. "Brothers" - not sure we needed this 80s rehash.
9. MDC Vendredi -
9. "Jacques Your Body (Make Me Sweat)" - mediocre Daft Punk impersonation.
10. "About Funk" - no.
11. "Sometimes" - Also no.
12. "Damaged People"
Is there such a think as a perfect album? This comes close. One of the greatest musicians of the 20th century playing the apotheosis of the blues/rock he co-invented--it doesn't get better than this. The version of Mannish Boy on here is fire, as are like 4 or 5 other songs. The whole thing sounds like it was recorded live, and like your listening to it in a little concert hall, absolute gold.
This album starts with Walk On, which is confirmation of why I never listened to Young growing up. Man can't sing--not in any normal sense of it at least--and his guitar playing is meh. But as you go deeper, Wow. If ever there is proof that songwriting, and that the ability to imbue a song and its performance with feeling--with soul--is more important than chops, this is it. Even just 3 tracks in, Revolution Blues is got a classic laid back drivin' Young vibe. The next few tracks until On the Beach I can live without. But my god, absolutely floored by On the Beach: what a glorious bluesy lamentation. I could listen to this on repeat for days and it'd do my sould good. Rest of the album seems solid, but didn't get more than a first listen on this first pass.
I think this album deserves multiple listens, preferably on a rainy day where you have nothing else to do. Even over the course of a single listen, the moody ambiance grew on me. There are hauntingly beautiful moments even on first pass and I suspect a lot I’ll grow to love with more listens. Maybe I’m a Nick Cave fan now?
This album in particular--by one of the creators of what became Rap/Hip-hop, raises the question of do you rate based on historical importance, impact, etc., or on how much you actually like the music, today? This is a classic, important album, but I'm not sure it's stood the test of time. There's a couple tracks on here that will always be bangers at a party but otherwise I'm never likely to play this again.
Again I don't know where to land--obviously a hugely influential album, in particular to many subsequent bands that I grew up on and love. I think what surprised me the most was that I like some of tracks more than I expected. I'd always assumed Bad Brains was "just" punk, but the influences of funk and metal on this are interesting.
Halfway through this album, I was thinking 2 stars and would have described this as it sounds like Led Zeppelin forgot how to write songs and morphed into a jam band. But by the time I got to the extended version of My Generation, I found there's more to like. It's a magisterial live performance, full of energy with an amazing ability to ride a knife's edge that feels like at any moment could devolve into chaos and yet holds together--in large part thanks to Moon's excellent drumming. And yet it still feels more documentary than musical statement. I may play this a few more times, the better to grasp the influence The Who had on so much of what was to come--Led Zeppelin included. But it's not an album, and the individual songs are largely forgettable.
I considered giving this one star, but it's not worse than 50 Center, which in retrospect should have gotten one star.
Side One:
Strange Brew - feels like pre-schoolers trying to make rock. Has the right parts, but kinda vapid. And Clapton can't sing.
Sunshine of Your Love - A classic guitar riff sure, but the rest of kind meh. Ginger's drums are hurt by the shoddy recording that was the norm of the time. The song is better sampled that listened too.
World of Pain - Not bad.
Dance the Night Away - I like the vibe at the start, but then like most every song on this album, it goes nowhere interesting.
Blue Condition - what is this droney BS. Sounds like they took too many quaaludes.
Side Two:
Tales of Brave Ulysses - Perhaps my fav song on the album.
SWLABR - Not the worst song on the album
We're Going Wrong - No.
Outside Woman Blues - Also no
Take It Back - Feels like parts of 3 different songs played at the same time.
Mother's Lament - bunch of wankers
After so much mediocre 70s rock, it was a relief to get a classic Hip Hop album. This came out when I was in college and immediately takes my back to chill afternoons in the sun and house parties. The intro track, "Intro", is iconic, in my memory at least. And the f'ing gorgeous groove continues into The Corner, perhaps the best track of the album. If the rest of the album sustained this fresh low-key yet powerful vibe, this would be a five star album no question. But this album was always a source for mixtapes or dance mixes more than it was a full-play listen.
Intro - have always loved the way the bass drops into this track, a classic intro
The Corner - maybe the track of the album, nice laid back textured vibe and Common's rapping on this moves across the beat in a way he doesn't usually
Go - I never loved this song, but it's good for a chill-out song in a dance mix
Faithful - not bad/not great. Neither production nor his rapping shine on this, feels more like a spoken word piece.
Testify - close-second for song of the album.
Love Is - perhaps the weakest track on the album.
Chi-City - meh
The Food - why is Dave Chapelle on this? Recorded version of this might have been better. Would love to have seen what Kanye would do in the studio with this.
Real People - one of the weakest tracks on the album
They Say - almost a great track, but doesn't quite come together
It's Your World - meh
It feels apocrypha to not give this album 5 stars. And really the only reason I'm not is because all these years later, I don't find it that interesting. Is it a classic? Does snoop have perhaps the most iconic flow, next to Biggie, and maybe Eminem, okay also Andre 3000? Yes. But is he a top 10 rapper? No, maybe not even top 20 imo. And so while I love to appreciate this album, and it was interesting to come back to, it feels like a high-school project that you unexpectedly knocked out of the park. It doesn't have anything to say--apart from, "hey, aren't we cool". Heck, I could even talk myself into 3 stars, on the basis of its musicality, were it not so iconic.
This was weird. And not weird-good, but maybe, possibly, weird-interesting, provided many listens, which I just didn't have the heart for yesterday. The first song I though I truly kinda liked by this album turned out to be the Apple Music auto-play of another artist after this album ended. This is better than 50 Cent though--I think I will forever regret giving that album 2 stars.
This is another example of such a classic album. It starts off with a series of rock bangers, songs that immediately feel like you should be cruising in an American v8, windows down, burning out of suburban stop signs for no reason. And yet, listening to it now, I think it's just not my thing. It's not hard enough, imo, to be true hard rock. And if I'm going to listen to stadium rock, I'd rather it be Queen.
Listening to the album's lead track for the first time, Watch That Man, I worried that maybe this was album was just more 70s rock with a glammy flair. But Lady Grinning Soul is a beautiful song. It's textured and soulful and still has a freshness fifty-two years later. That said, Cracked Actor may be the only other song I like. Overall, it doesn't come together as an album, at least the first couple listens, but it's still got at least a couple gems.
There's obvious musical talent here, but I doubt it will ever grace my ears again.
I think the last song alone earned a star: it was the first I liked on first listen, and may be the only song I liked. While listening I had the thought that only Dylan and Young had earned the right to release entire albums filled with terrible singing--and right on cue Apple Music played a Dylan song right after this, like, "oh, you like acoustic music by people who can't sing", how about this.
Reading a little about the band, and this album, the morning after listening I find myself thinking I should go back and listen again--and actually pay attention to the lyrics, which I always come around to last. Apparently they're really good, according to various reviewers. Yet, my first impression is still that most of this is unfinished or just not very good. It would be 2 stars, but I do love that last song.
I've never been a big Depeche Mode fan. But I've also never listened to any of their albums all the way through. I'm finishing a 2nd listen as I write this and more than anything I am struck by how this is, on the one hand, obviously early synth pop, but on the other hand there are a surprisingly large number of timeless songs--songs that to my ears at least still sound good 35 years later. And that's not easy to do. There are a lot of classic early albums that, while you can appreciate them now for what they represented then, fall flat so many years later, at the very least, or are even boring and bad, even comical.
Not every song is solid here. At least a couple do fall prey to the trap of their time, sounding comically kind of dumb now. I think Mephisto is a great (bad) example in this vein. Their attempt at moody drama is laughably tame, like a toddler jammin' on a fisher price keyboard, compared to what musicians have been able to do since with better tech.
So, if I could give this 4.5 stars, I think that's where it lands for me, but I'm going to round up, given how much its grown on me with only 2 listens.
Is there any other possible rating? I actually considered a 4, only because there's something almost too sentimental, maybe a little cheesy, to me about some of the arrangements on this album. It's a little too self-conscious, trying a little too hard. It feels like it could be a soundtrack, or worse, a musical, especially the title track, which just has too many soaring violins for my liking. But maybe it's just that, as someone who generally prefers sad music, this album is unrepentantly upbeat, even when the lyrics are mournful, like a hippie sing-a-long. Hippie-sing-a-long vibes notwithstanding, what jumped out at me the most listening to this all the way through is how much they owe to the very produced rock 'n roll of the 50/60s. It's like they took that sensibility and infused it with a hippie folk vibe.
But I couldn't give any less than 5 to the album that has The Boxer, The Only Living Boy in New York, Song for the Asking, and of course Cecilia, plus a great version of Bye Bye Love
Listening to this, I was thinking about why I've never really listened to their music. I think it's the name. The band name is stupid. But that's a bad reason to not give something a chance, so I listened. There's a couple tracks on here that I love, but I don't get the hype. This was apparently album of the year among pitchfork readers back in the heyday of when pitchfork mattered. And this does exist in a pitchfork sweetspot, somewhere at the intersection of arty and pop, but I don't think it does either really well. Is it kind of interesting? Yes. Is it a little pop-y in a good way? Absolutely. But there's nothing truly experimental here, and as pop it hasn't aged especially well. It's possible this would grow on me with more listning, but othe of the gate, nearly twenty years after release, meh.
I tried to like this, but no. A couple songs early on stood out as listenable, maybe even likeable, but this isn’t anything I’ll come back to.
An artist and album I didn’t know but at the confluence of two things I love: big band and latin jazz. I didn’t fall I love with the songwriting/arrangements, or this would be a 5 for me, but the playing is gorgeous.
This was close to a 5 for me, such an untouchable voice, such heart and feeling, and thing that fell short was some of the songwriting.
This should be rated higher but I'm still learning to love progressive, arena, whatever this is rock. Had to break my first listen into 3 just to make it through this lol.
Interesting pick for Waits. I don’t know how catalog that well but am a fan of his later work. This was an interesting insight into his early work but something I’ll come back to
This was interesting to sit down with. While I think I'd heard of the band by name, I'm not sure I'd every listened to any. The songwriting and production grew on me over the course of a listen. This is probably 3.5 for me, but rounding down as I can't tell which way this is going to go for me. Is it canned 80s pop? Or is it a piece of brilliantly sparse yet lush songwriting that, while very much of its time, still sounds fresh so many years later. I'm not sure yet.
This was an interesting listen, but I don’t feel like aged super well.
First song could be a Raffi song. Is Springsteen the source of Eddie Vedder "I'm constipated" while I'm singing vocal styling?
2nd song: love how it kick in, this may be my fav song of the album, though I wish the recording of the drums sucked less. And this has a bit more of a talking screaming, a la Waits, vs the constipated Vedder, which I like better on Springsteen.
3rd song: more Raffi? yeah, no. "I just relieved my constipation" Springsteen and a piano are not it. And my god, who recorded that snare drum, awful.
I don't have time for a full 2nd listen, but I'm close to rating this a 2, but just can't because I'm sure if I listen to it a few times, some of it will grow on me. And it's not as bad as 50 Cent, which I will forever regret no giving 1 to.
This was close to a five for me--and maybe should be, but I only got in one listen. What a stellar recording of such a fantastic musician.
Despite owning Paranoid, the 2nd album, in highschool, I don't think I've every listened to this one. Wow. May inspire be to go and listen to more of their catalogue.
I've never listened to anything apart from the singles of this album. One of those, Time to Pretend, I won't mind if I never hear again, but the other 2, Kids and in particular Electric Feel, still bring a smile and make me wanna dance. Add to those one new-to-me song, Of Moons, Birds & Monsters, which I quite like after a couple listens, and this is a solid 3.
This album came out during the years when I wasn't buying albums--and I kinda regret maybe never listening to this all the way through (honestly can't recall). It's an album that makes me wish I had a record player and that I could put this on and listen with that visceral connection that I picked this album to play and now I'm going to listen to this. In other words, it's fantastic album. This is the kind of music I love: grounded in real human suffering, which is to say in true feeling, yet also expressive of the optimism and even joy that can come out of engaging, directly, in that suffering. Let us weep and let us smile because in true sadness there is also joy. There's a lot of music I listened to in the years around when this came out that I've totally forgotten. I had forgotten this too, in that it's been too long since I've listened to it, but coming back was such a delight.
Beautifully crafted, wonderful music, but a little boring at times. As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate Sinatra's singing more. Years ago, when I played drums, I practiced to his music as his band was unparalleled. But I always found his singing too pop-y, too produced. But what a gorgeous voice. It remains "Christmas" music for me, i.e. it's music I gravitate too when the days are short, when the weather outside is frightful, and I want to bring some cheer into the house. On any given day, I'm still 10x more likely to listen to Duke Ellington or Nina Simone, but I've finally come to appreciate Sinatra.
Hadn’t previously listened to this all the way through, but wow! Iconic and truly exceptional.
I got so bored about halfway through this album that I skipped to "Layla" to confirm it was in fact still good. It is, but doesn't rescue an otherwise bunch of meh.
One start for obvious musical talent, but this ain't my thing. Not the worst album we've suffered through in this series, but not one I'll every put on again.
This was almost a 4 for me, but considering I didn’t think I like The Bee Gees this was a major revelation.
