We get it dude, you love your wife! Not my favorite macca, but it's still macca. Feels pretty disjointed throughout, but the highs are nice and high. The story and context surrounding Paul and the Beatles at the time is more interesting than the record itself, but it all adds to the album's lore and it does deserve some reverence.
Highlights: Every Night, Oo You, Maybe I'm Amazed
Skips: Junk, Teddy Boy, the first two minutes of Kreen-Akrore
Best hip-hop album of all-time? It just might be. It's hard to decide what's more impressive between the production or the lyricism. The production team's (Q-Tip, Pete Rock, DJ Premier...I mean c'mon?!?) immense individual talent shines through on every track but everything remains impressively cohesive throughout. The rhyme patterns are insane from beginning to end. Despite the fact that Nas' subsequent work has never reached Illmatic's height, this one, nearly perfect, album has properly cemented him as a living legend of hip hop and music at-large. I'm embarrassed to say it's probably been close to ten years since I've given this one a proper listen but it definitely won't take another decade until I throw Illmatic on again.
Highlights: 0:01-39:51...okay, fine! My favorites are Life's a Bitch, The World is Yours, Memory Lane, It Ain't Hard to Tell
Skip (if I had to pick one): Represent
An insanely cool album cover for a big band orchestra. Never really listened to or thought about any of Count Basie's work, but after listening to the podcast, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs (check it out, fellas), it's not an overstatement to say that rock and roll wouldn't be what it is/was without Count Basie. A lot of his earlier work was incredibly influential the jazz musicians and R&B singers that would begin creating some of the early proto-rock and roll songs of the 40s and 50s. The Atomic Mr. Basie feels like the last word from the era of big band orchestras that dominated American music up until the birth of rock and roll, and it's a last word worth hearing.
Never really been an Elliott Smith fan. This sounds like an okay Beatles album to me.
A fine album, but not my kinda thing.
You guys know me. I like loud. I like weird. But something tells me you got to be in the right mood for this album, and I guess I just wasn't. Cool sound though, fellas!
It's a classic for a reason! The original songs are all strong, even if a few of them have been mercilessly overplayed on classic rock stations for 40 years. Personally, I still get stoked when I hear those screeching guitars at the start of Run Through the Jungle. The danger feels imminent from start to finish; it sounds like getting chased. Probably my favorite CCR song. Four cover songs throughout the album and all of them are also pretty solid (Ooby Dooby? Gimme a "hell yeah").
The musicianship is a 5/5. But as someone who doesn’t play a single instrument, I have a hard time truly appreciating each member’s proficiency and skill. In most cases, if you ask me, what makes prog rock appealing is how incredibly talented the bands usually are and how they like show it off; it’s music for musicians. Tarkus from ELP is prog rock at its finest, I can acknowledge that. But I guess most of it is just one of those finer things in life that I can’t seem to get in rhythm with. For the record, I still enjoy lots of prog rock (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway better be on this list), but I often feel a lot of this scene was too full of itself and too difficult to digest for the average dumb guy like me.
I remember the title track for this album popping into my Spotify sometime during Covid and almost immediately becoming obsessed with it. I should've taken the time to listen to this album back then, because not only is it catchy as hell, but it's a near-perfect blend of most of my favorite genres of music. There's something for everybody on here! From country to rock to gospel and even a little psychedelic and funk.
I think the first half of the album is a little stronger than the second, but it all comes together nicely. Silver Raven sounds like a Townes Van Zandt song and is probably my favorite track besides No Other. Lady of the North was another beauty.
It's a shame to think about what Gene Clark probably thought of this album. After reading up on it, you find out that it was basically a critical and commercial flop and it essentially discarded Clark to the trash bin of has-been's. He died in 1991 from complications of his addictions to alcohol and heroine and one wonders if the failure of No Other contributed to his downward spiral. At the time of his passing, the album was slowly on its way to being rehabilitated, but he never got to see it get the true praise it deserved. Unfortunately, I'm sure we're going to come across several albums with similar stories.
I’m sure this album sounded much fresher upon release, but it comes off as a bit corny to my 21st century ears. The 80s ruined synths for a lot of people, and I think this album is a victim of it to some extent. The over-saturation of this type of music in the decade that followed this album is tough to ignore. That said, there’s still some great moments brought to us by straight up maestros. You’ve got Jaco on bass, Wayne Shorter on sax, and Zawinul on synths; these guys are literally legends of modern jazz. They knew how to make cutting-edge and incredible music, and maybe that’s exactly what they did on this album, but the shine has faded. Birdland is one hell of an opener, but unfortunately, it was also when the album peaked in my opinion.
Thought I was gonna like this a lot more than I did. I like Thin Lizzy and I think Phil Lynott was a hell of a front man, but this live album just didn’t do it for me. There’s still some great songs but it’s a little uneven for me.
Can’t go wrong with the King. The way he makes that guitar cry still blows my mind. You can tell that both he and the crowd are really into it and that makes for a fun listen. Makes me wanna go smoke a cigarette inside somewhere with sunglasses on.
Actually, *this" is the album that makes me want to throw on a pair of shades and chain smoke cigarettes in a dimly lit subterranean bar. Tom Waits does what he does best on this album. Genuinely funny at times and surprisingly tender in other spots. The atmosphere created throughout the album is really cool, too. Still can't believe this was recorded in a studio and not live in some tiny, hole-in-the-wall jazz club. I'm not the biggest Tom Waits fan but I won't hesitate to back to this album.
Just a lovely jazz album. Perfect for the autumn evening where it's pitch black outside by 6pm; a very cozy listen. Beautiful voice, beautiful set. Will definitely be coming back to this one over the next few weeks.
The Smiths are bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I know that Morrissey is like top-10 shittiest people in music but he knows how to write a good pop song, even if they all start to have a pretty similar vibe (i.e. I'm mopey and horny but nobody gets me). What I really like about the Smiths is Johnny Marr's guitar work. That jingle jangle sound he uses is infectious and it's his hooks that really get stuck in my head. I think it's fair to say he's one of the most influential guitarists of his generation given how many other bands and acts have built off his work (The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Oasis, etc.)
The Queen is Dead seems to be the consensus pick for The Smiths' best album and I can see why, but I'd personally take their debut over this. Marr's guitar work is incredible and Morrissey turns in some great songs, but that raw energy they exhibited when they first burst onto the scene is missing if you ask me.
Favorite Tracks: I Know It's Over, Cemetery Gates, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, There Is a Light that Never Goes Out
3.5/5
See this is the type of weird shit I'm here for! An album that I otherwise would've never come across, but I'm glad I did. No, I don't speak Portuguese. Yes, I do like avant garde music. It's out there, but in the best way possible. You can absolutely hear the Western psych influences but it's still taped together with elements of traditional Brazilian music (the drums on Bat Macumba!?!). If I ever see this in a record store, it's mine!
Favorite Tracks: A Minha Menina, Baby, Senhor F, Bat Macumba
Smarter people with better ears for music will probably rate this a 5/5 and I can understand why. But at the end of the day, despite giving it the ole college try every couple of years, this album has never done it for me. I've come to realize that Radiohead is not my kinda band but I'm still able get down with some of their other albums (The Bends, In Rainbows). I find OK Computer to be quite boring for long stretches, but I'm sure that says more about me. While I can still acknowledge how important and influential this album is for 21st century music, I'm finally saying it, once and for all:
I don't like OK Computer, and that's OK!
This one’s an all-timer for me. Whenever I listen to anything else, this is one of the albums against which all others are measured. Every part could exist on its own and still be incredible. The vocals, the bass, the drums, the guitar could be listened to in isolation and it’d still be a great piece of music. Every British band that have come after these guys have stolen from them whether they know it or not. Just one of my favorite pieces of recorded music in all of history. One of the great tragedies of modern music is Ian Curtis’ suicide. I truly believe Joy Division could’ve been the biggest British band of the 80s (not a diss to New Order). I’d give this 10 stars if I could.
It's hard to overstate how important Little Richard's impact on rock and roll was/is. I feel that 50s music is typically assigned a bit of a squeaky-clean image and maybe some of that is deserved. But "Here's Little Richard" is a toe-tapping reminder that even the earliest rock and roll, could still make you feel dirty in all the right ways. Audiences weren't stupid; they knew what a lot of these songs were about, but thank god they didn't care. A lot of these tracks begin to feel pretty repetitive, especially musically-speaking, but if it wasn't broke, then there was nothing to fix.
At the time of its release, Little Richard had just been surpassed by Elvis as the biggest musical star in America. Unfortunately, Little Richard had a hard time getting out of his own way over the next couple of years and eventually, his star faded. However, the fact that an effeminate, semi-openly gay black man from the deep South was able to reach the heights he did, when he did, really is kind of amazing. But when you can wop bop a-loo bop like that, it's easy to see why.
3.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Tutti Frutti, Can't Believe You Wanna Leave, Baby, Long Tall Sally
Funny that this is the album we got and upon my return home last evening, my wife wanted to show me the new Charli XCX song...featuring this random old guy named John Cale? Once I effectively mansplained who he was for about two minutes, I wrapped up my spiel with a line I find myself repeating to her often, "your Dad would know who he is."
I have immense respect for John Cale and believe he's one of the hidden architects of contemporary music that still can be seen today (a special thank you to Charli XCX for helping prove my point). His work with the Velvet Underground speaks for itself. If Lou Reed was the lyrical genius of the band, then Cale was the musical maestro. He was a classically-trained prodigy who kicked Beethoven for Chuck Berry but never lost touch with the elements of classical music he loved best. You can hear it in every piece of his work, including the Charli XCX song he released this week. Beyond his own personal work, he's produced for some of the most important and acts of the 20th century. Do we have punk music without John Cale? Probably, but it's fair to wonder.
Paris 1919 is a wonderful album and I really enjoy it, but it's not quite my favorite post-VU Cale album. I remember listening to a podcast about it once and the hosts posited that Americans typically don't appreciate this one as much as they do across the pond. The album's content is clearly Eurocentric, from the lyrics to the song titles themselves. John Cale grew up in post-WWII UK and it had a great impact on him throughout his life and especially, this album (The title, Paris 1919, was inspired by the 1919 Paris Accords that ended WWI). Maybe if my childhood neighborhood was bombed to rubble by Nazis, I'd like it a little more, but I'd prefer not to find out at this point.
Favorite Songs: Child's Christmas in Wales, Hanky Panky Nohow, Andalucia, Paris 1919, Half Past France
Never been a big Kate Bush fan but I can see the appeal. Stranger Things, which I loathe, has ruined the opening track for me.
Jack White is pretty hit or miss for me, but this one's got quite a few hits. A true student of the game we call rock and roll.
I know Thriller is bigger, but I think Off The Wall is better. My favorite MJ album. Quincy Jones worked his magic and his impact is immeasurable. But at the end of the day, Michael Jackson and his insane abilities makes this album what it is.
A Bee Gees concept album? Not one disco ball in sight? Pass!
Don't cross him! Don't boss him!
Love me some Willie and this album's a bonafide classic. Part of why I like the Red Headed Stranger is that it's not afraid to be really simple or sparse. A lot of the album is just Willie singing unaccompanied or with just a little bit of guitar or maybe a touch of percussion. Sometimes, I think simplicity brings out the best in country music. Another reason this album stands out is because of how much it went against the grain of what was popular in Nashville at the time. There's no string arrangements, no highly polished duets, no backup vocals from the Jordanaires. It sounds like something you'd hear some cowboy playing in a dusty old honky tonk outside of Amarillo.
One last thing that I think makes Red Headed Stranger special is the fact that it's a concept album with a coherent story that's pretty easy to follow but it’s largely made up of covers and traditional American songs. Willie's performance ties it all together and makes it all make sense. It sounds like he'd sung each of these songs a thousand times before, and he probably had.
4.5/5
P.S. There's a great live album from like 1977 where Willie plays this 20-minute medley of songs from Red Headed Stranger. Highly recommended!
Me at 9y/o: Man, ZZ Top rocks!
Me at 19y/o: Man, ZZ Top sucks.
Me at 29y/o: Man, ZZ Top rocks!
Quintessential beer drinking music. I’d do anything to grow a beard like that.
Caught Alex lip-syncing the second song….
Sly doesn’t get enough of the respect that he deserves when people are talking about great music of the 60s and 70s. Incredibly talented as a musician and songwriter but incredibly flawed as an individual. A classic combo
Favorite songs: Everyday People, Sing a Simple Song, Sex Machine
I haven't listened to this album in years, even with all the hype around their reuniting and touring again. I gotta say, those wankers were really onto something. Just a well-made album from start to end. Some great hooks and melodies throughout. Morning Glory still gets a ton of hype to this day and most of it's deserving. Champagne Supernova is goated. And for the record, I'm #TeamLiam
Favorite Tracks: Roll With It, Don't Look Back in Anger, Some Might Say, Champagne Supernova
Easily one of the best album openers we've gotten so far, at least if you're asking me. Any cover of Gloria feels like a guaranteed banger, but Patti Smith's might be my favorite. Land is a transcendent trip that I'm always happy to take. Indulgent, however, is a perfect way to describe some of the other songs on the album. It can feel like a little much at times. Big ups to Lenny Kaye and his guitar work on Horses.
3.75/5
Favorite Tracks: Gloria, Redondo Beach, Break it Up, Land
