Something Good: Liked the really heavy percussion hits. Very 80s.
Something Bad: Eh nothing stands out in a bad way, but nothing really in a good way.
Best song: Come to My Aid
This is just a guy singing by a campfire making up lyrics as he goes. And, like, he's pretty good at it as campfire singers go, but there's a reason why people don't line up to see the one guy at a frat party who brings an acoustic guitar.
I don't like Bob Dylan.
A palatable listen - I can see why people like this but I don't think it's necessarily for me. I like the droning in the background that seems to be omnipresent. And I like how the voice seems intentionally unpolished. Loses points because it lacks musical complexity, and a lot of the songs sound similar.
Best song: Heroin
First 5 star rating and well deserved. Classic after classic on this album. It’s overplayed but only because it should be. I’ll listen to this one many more times.
Best song: Stairway to Heaven
Cool sound but just way too long and repetitive. If you’re not experiencing live jazz live then it loses a lot of luster.
Fun listen. Love the book of sounds they used, especially the harmonica in the beginning. A little cheesy but in an endearing way.
Starts off really strong, but at the end I realized how similarly a lot of the songs sounded. With the cool intro to Foreplay/Long Time, I had a hope that we could get some more "out there" stuff - but by the end I was left wanting a bit more.
All in al, though, 4 or 5 songs on this album that I would describe as "classics". Great listen, just hoped for a bit more variability.
What a great voice! Joan brings the funk when we need it but also can hold back and sing with soul and emotion. Great listen that I will come back to
After the first 2 songs I was excited for the rest of the album to begin. With 2 songs left I was excited for the album to be over. He's got a great voice but the songs all blended together. Very “cruiseship-core”Won't be returning to this one.
Well, well, well, if it isn't the best album of all time. What can I say about this album? Simply incomparable. Stevie Wonder keeps every single song on this album unique.
Love's in Need of Love Today - Listening to this, especially the intro, is like landing in a soft, grassy meadow. Easy to get stuck in your head.
Have a Talk with God - So many bits and bobbles to this track! All of the background auxiliary percussion, the background singers, harmonica flourishes? A joy to listen to.
Village Ghetto Land - A jarring difference between the pompness of the "strings" in the background and the sad, stark lyrics. Love the use of the synth in this track and the lack of reverb. Emotions come through on this track.
Contusion - Fuck yeah. If I could give a gripe with this album, it's that there's not more jazz fusion tracks like this. Because it fuckin' rocks.
Sir Duke - One of my very first favorite songs. When I learned trumpet, this was the first some I wanted to learn. When I bought a bass, this was the first song I wanted to learn. The shout chorus is an all-timer, and the chord movement in the chorus is a thing of beauty. If I have to pick a favorite track on this album, it might have to be this one.
I Wish - The bass line is elite. The brass thrown in the track and the drum fills and Stevie's screaming in the end is infectious.
Knocks Me Off My Feet - If I'm honest, Stevie's slow songs very rarely do much for me. But the soul definitely comes through, the chords and their crunchy upper extensions are satisfying, and the KEY CHANGE? That's delicious, delectable even. Second half of the song really brings it home.
Pastime Paradise - Wow, I can't believe Stevie ripped off Weird Al's "Amish Paradise". Honestly this one isn't totally my jam but also...you know...what influence this had on music.
Summer Soft - At first you think this one is going to be overly saccharine, but then when you get to the chorus? We start to bring the funk with the bass and the drums. And remember the key change from Knocks Me Off My Feet? How about a few more of those puppies? Yum.
Ordinary Pain - A lot like Summer Soft, in a way. At first you worry it's gonna be too sweet and corny, and then Stevie goes into another mode and it transforms the track into something that kind of hits you in the gut. Does it drag on too much at the end? No - it's fun to listen to all the way to the fade out.
Isn't She Lovely - Another one of my favorites on the album. I think I've listened to this one enough where I can, and will at every opportunity, whistle the entire harmonica solo at the end.
Joy Inside my Tears - OK I'll be honest - every album has a dud. Too slow and saccharine for my taste.
Black Man - This song just makes me want to strut. Just so much funk from beginning to end, love the synthy horn punches in the background. If anyone thinks the end goes on too long, I will disagree wholeheartedly, because the beat is just so good. My only complaint is they don't name MORE black men at the end!
Ngiculela - This has become a favorite for me to sing in the shower. Great chords and upper extensions, and a great book of sounds used in this song. And a great song to show off Stevie's voice.
If It's Magic - In the lower tier of songs on the album, and yet it's still phenomenal. The use of harp makes it unique from the other tracks, and the reverbs harmonicas in the end wrap it up in a bow.
As - Anytime Stevie gets gravelly with his voice, it's an instant classic - gives me chills every time. Love when he vamps with the constant force of the background singers holding it down.
Another Star - The drums and horns almost give this a Copacabana feel, and then the jazz flute? Magnifique. We need more jazz flute in our life.
Saturn - Love the triumphant vibes of this track, I feel like I am in an 80s movie and I just feel in love while winning a sports game or something.
Ebony Eyes - Of all the songs on the album, this is definitely on the simpler side. And yet, it's just such a fun listen. Easy on the ears, a fun talkbox solo, easy chords that tickle the brain, just a great one.
All Day Sucker - Has the "tough" energy of "Higher Ground", but not as good as Higher Ground. A good listen, but another that doesn't stand out from the crowd. Certainly unique though!
Easy Goin' Evening - ...we do unfortunately end my favorite album of all time with a whimper instead of a bang - I think this one just seemed like filler and could've been kept off. But...after 1:40 of hit after hit, I'll allow a miss.
So, all this being said - it's all downhill from here, unless I can be proven otherwise. Thanks Stevie for an all-time unmatched masterpiece.
Not really my thing. I appreciate Lorde’s haunting voice but I didn’t necessarily enjoy it or the album as a whole.
I think Neil Young wrote an album that his voice was not compatible with. His voice is almost too meek to keep up with the intense orchestral tracks. That said, it wasn’t bad, and I can appreciate the stark difference. Just wish this album had a different singer.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a blues album as much as this. Typically they get boring after a few songs but this kept me interested the whole time.
I’ll be honest I listened to two songs and then got distracted elsewhere
Fairly unmemorable to me, though I did particularly enjoy the last track.
I appreciated the novelty of it but that’s about it - a bit too aggressive for my tastes.
Good, but lacked the hits of other Led Zeppelin albums. Still overall love the sound, and the haunting nature of Robert Plant’s voice. And Kashmir is an all timer, of course.
Didn't think I would enjoy this nearly as much as I did! Strong voice and catchy tunes. A bit long for my linking but still an enjoyable listen.
The songs I knew I still liked, and the new songs were decent to good. Kind of one note, but a good note at that. It's not the most exciting album I've heard but I think it was pretty solid.
Meh. Not much to say about this album good or bad. Just no aspirations to listen to this again.
Good song list! Loved the sounds of the first track vis a vis the title of the track. Might not flock back to this one but there was a lot I enjoyed and little that I disliked.
Maximum cheese factor…and yet it’s just so much fun to listen to! Everything is turned up to 11 in the best way - will definitely return to this one on a rainy day :)
Won't return to this one - not terrible but just not inspired to listen to it again.
Another Stevie album and another 5/5 - Living for the City is an all-time great, and its supporting cast on this album elevate. Crazy that Stevie wrote this album at 24.
I didn't NOT enjoy listening to this. But the first track made me think it was going to be a lot more ethereal than the rest of the album was. With little exception (shoutout Knights of Cydonia and Guitar Hero 3), the tracks were mostly forgettable.
I enjoyed the composition of the album, with the spoken interludes, and I enjoyed the realness of the album. But I don’t think it would stand up on its own with out the interludes, and the songs themselves were largely bland.
I think it says a lot that there are no songs on this album that are longer than 3 minutes long. This album sounds like they just pressed record, played for on average 90 seconds, and then moved on to the next one. I cannot find anything good to say about this album, but I wish the band success at their high school's upcoming Battle of the Bands.
Well it was a breath of fresh air from yesterday, but I was hoping to get more out of it than I did. I appreciated that there were peaks and valleys to the album but it just a didn’t have the X factor I was looking for.
Didn’t listen to all of it to be honest.
Hell yeah some proper funk. One of the coolest voices out there, with some good horns to boot. Very fun listen, will return!
Great background music. Not great foreground music.
Certainly stands out from other albums from the 60s. I enjoyed the contrast between the Byrds earlier last week and this because it really contextualized what the Beatles started to do with music. Some great songs on this album but a lot of forgettable ones. I’d give it a 7/10, but we must go by a 5 star rating.
I had no reason to like this album but it really stood out for me. Did not understand a single word but I loved the sound.
Delightfully bombastic drumming, great hits, and an exciting sound to the album. Obviously Baba O’Reilly is an all timer but this album just did it for me. Will certainly come back.
This album is like if you turned on the "Top 10,000 Classic Rock Hits of All Time" playlist and got to like 2,300-2,310 on the list. None of these songs are bad, but they're all a bit short of the hits. This is a perfectly cromulent album.
Happy that I listened to this, because if I truly have to listen to all of these albums before I die, then the rest of my life will be blissfully and cognizantly void of this album.
I loooove long songs on an album…usually. This one, while not outwardly bad, just seemed to drag on forever, with not much novelty or excitement to keep my attention.
This album perfectly exemplifies the phrase "it's not a phase, mom, it's who I am". I appreciate the novelty of this, they use a lot of sounds that I've never heard in music before. And there are certainly lots of bits and baubles that keep my attention.
But yeah don't get me wrong, this album is not at all an enjoyable listen and I am excited for it to be over so I can cleanse my ears.
I love Nina Simone. I've yet to find anyone who pours her soul and sadness into their voice quite like her. Her cascades of piano are like waterfalls, and her use of block chords are almost Rachmaninoff-like. She touches on emotions deeper than I think I have felt. She is just incomparable, and thus I can't give this album any lower than 5 stars.
I’m no rap buff but this just seems like a seminal album in rap and hip hop and it’s easy to tell why (if I’m right). Fun use of samples, and a casual coolness that permeates the album.
Just effortlessly smooth. It's not the most exciting jazz album I've heard, but it's just such a smooth and chill listen. Accessible by jazz standards, but still enough in here for jazz lovers to grab on to. Fun instrumentation. A treat all around.
As a direct opposite to our last two albums, this sounded “effortfully uncool”. If I never listened to this album, then “Clocks” and “The Scientist” would’ve stayed as pleasant songs in my head - but having to listen to this whole album at once really knocked them down. Not a good listen.
Somewhat forgettable- appreciated the novelty and attempt at a cool felt album but with the offputting voice and lack of catchiness, it didn’t land at all for me.
Definitely on this list because of its musical relevance rather than its catchy tunes. But the first track I genuinely enjoy, the others not so much. This is one I listen to when it’s focus time at work. A tricky one to rate but because I really like listening to 1/1, I’ll give it 3 stars.
I think this is one I will come back to - I listened to it twice and liked it more on the second listen. There's celarly a lot to "get" about this album that I am still getting. But the highlights (Pyramid Song and Life in a Glasshouse) I really enjoyed.
There was just nothing remotely exciting about this album. Like I feel like none of the songs had bridges, weird chords, fun instrumentation or time signatures. This was just 40 minutes of yet another 4 chords, 4/4 song. Nothing offensive but at a certain point I forgot I was listening to music.
This has all the Christmas hits! I didn’t realize these were all on the same album. It’s cool to listen to an album that probably helped revolutionize pop/rock music, and then realize that it’s a Christmas album. Fun listen. And also fuck Phil Spector.
Not bad but I think a lot of CCR sounds the exact same. In isolation their sound is nice, but a whole album starts to get old.
Something about this stood out compared to the other 90s alt-rock albums I’ve heard so far - I liked that it wasn’t directly angry, the songs all had little uniquenesses to them, and I really liked the track in 5/4. Maybe this is generous but take 4 stars!
First album I reviewed before the group came in. Still the same sentiment - very 80s but not totally my scene. Not an unenjoyable listen though.
A new standard for modern concept albums - what an enjoyable listen. The variance between songs and even within songs kept me entertained, and Janelle Monae really composed a story with this album. Will definitely come back again (and again?).
I didn’t want to feel this way but this album just kinda bored me. It wasn’t unpleasant, and it’s good backyard barbecue background music, but nothing will stick with me about this album. If this wasn’t by The Rolling Stones I wonder if we would remember it at all.
Still, not unpleasant, so a 5.5/10.
Highs and lows - liked a lot of the instrumentals, really disliked the guy's voice. Overall I’m confused how I feel about the album, if it was a different singer then it might be higher.
The late 00’s indie acoustic music is very far away from my wheelhouse for music - that said, this was some of the better music from that genre. Rather calming, and I appreciate the music on this album. Just not for me.
This album pleasantly surprised me - I was expecting another self-indulgent, whiny Britpop album, but this seemed deeper both musically and content-wise than others I listened to. I especially liked the title track, which I am surprisingly adding to my normal rotation.
While I acknowledge this album has a lot of classic hits on it, I just find it exceptionally boring to listen to. Those hits were clearly meant to be listened to in isolation from one another.
Neil Young's voice went from bad to worse as this album went through, and the quality of music following IMO. He's kind of approaching Bob Dylan territory for me.
The same song, over and over again. All samples lead to almost no harmonic interest. Could not hear the flow in this album that I hear from other hip hop albums. Not a fan one bit.
Great start with Paint it Black!
And then, 37 minutes of lame music with misogynistic lyrics and one of the worst 10 minute songs I’ve ever heard!
Vocally this was a drag, but I ended up really liking the blues and rockabilly influences. Possibly 4 stars with more appealing vocals but they grated me a bit.
This album makes me feel I like I can do something great with my meek and pathetic life. The raw emotion in Bruce’s voice is borderline inspiring. Loved this listen - a rare 10/10.
Really liked the title track, kind of went downhill from there a bit but still kind of a fun listen. Not sure I would listen to a full album but a couple of these songs sprinkled into my life wouldn't hurt.
Ambient music but not the kind of ambiance I would ever want
A bit too airy, lacking substance and heft, for my personal tastes. I get why people may like this album but it was not for me.
Tough to judge with no other Indian music to judge it against. I like the educational aspect of this, and it’s a pretty chill album, but it lacks the heft I typically look for.
Very cool, liked the emotion and the “community” feel to these tracks.
I can only take so much noodling over blues chords, and I love jazz too. Great musicianship, infinite influence, but overall just kind of an okay listen.
Eh. Liked the instrumentation with the organ, the blues feel is nice but gets old a little bit. Not bad but I don't think I would return to this album.
So much more depth than the other Byrds album we’ve had. Some cool musical effects, decent variety, and even some lyrical depth.
Every once in a while, there was something I could pick out that I liked.
But, for the vast majority of the album, I was just hoping it would be over.
I can see how this helped shape hip hop but this aged incredibly poorly to me. It would be nice if they have any lyrical depth besides “we’re the funkiest guys in town and we’re gonna party with some tunes”
Lots of smoothness and coolness on the album, but definitely not my cup of tea.
Great stadium rock, not as great for reading emails in the office. This is good music situationally but it lacks the next level to transcend into greatness for me.
This album was weird in a decent way. I enjoyed the theatrics of the album. I think it's clear that David Bowie's voice was past its prime at this point, and I wasn't overall impressed with the musicality of the album. But I liked this more than I thought I would.
Appreciate the originality but it was too scattered for my taste.
This Kate Bush album is a great example of why I like this journey so much. This wasn’t my favorite album we have heard but this music is unique and all its own! I agree that her voice is a bit grating but the emotion in the voice and strength in the lyrics makes up for it. I think it’s been a bit since we’ve had an album with passion but this has passion. I especially liked the first and last song. A 7.5/10 for me yesterday!
I give this album a 5/10, one point for each chord they used.
Tremendous! An album where every song is catchy and, more importantly, unique. Elton John is a storyteller both with his lyrics and instrumentals.
Some people love a big juicy cheeseburger. And I do too. They’re delicious.
But sometimes, I will stare in awe at a dish prepared by the most meticulous chef, where every event on the plate is slaved over, each individual garnish is placed carefully by a set of tweezers, and each component makes something larger than itself. In the end you have a plate of food that is, of course, delicious; but more so, you have a physical manifestation of culinary perfection - or at least, the chef’s version of it.
We’ve listened to a lot of juicy cheeseburger albums so far. But today, Chef Steely Dan has prepared us a Michelin Star feast of an album, and a I’ll love to dig my teeth into this one whenever I have the chance.
