I grew up hearing all of Rod Stewart's 80s hits, and the big 70s hits. I liked a few songs, but overall was never a fan. So I wondered why there was a lot of praise for his early albums.
I'm glad I finally listened to this one. It's definitely more interesting and varied than the later pop hits. There are some good grooves, great guitar lines, and lyrics that resonate with the ups and downs of young love. I don't know that I'll come back to this album much, but if someone else puts it on I'll be happy to hear it again.
Potent! This album is wildly varied and feels a bit unconnected, but there's a powerful rock 'n roll core and some great guitar work. Going to listen again!
This is close to 3.5 stars. There's a lot of good stuff going here. On several songs Prince is at his peak, with observant lyrics and good rock-funk brews. He plays a lot of good lead guitar lines. But on other songs, it feels like he gets obsessed and won't quit. There are a few that go on too long, seemingly so that he could add some more overdubs. The album overall includes all the elements that made Prince great, but just doesn't add up to a cohesive whole.
I see why so many have called this the originator (or epitome) of trip-hop. But it's darker and slower than a lot of other trip-hop I've heard. For me, the vocals almost but don't quite work with the instrument sound. But this is groundbreaking and mesmerizing work, for sure.
I'd describe the sound of this album as ramshackle-inspired, and there was less of the inspired than I was hoping for. I was a bit let down. "The Weight" is a great song and there are a couple of others that are nearly as good, but many other songs feel like a jam session that needed some revisiting before pressing it onto a record.
What a voice, and what great retro-modern sound for the mid-00s.
It lives up to its reputation! I was impressed by the consistency here -- I knew the famous songs (Sunshine of Your Love, Tales of Brave Ulysses), but the others are great to.. (OK, the last track is just weird.) Three great musicians cooking up strange wonderful brews.
This is semi-adventurous territory for sure, a mix of driving rock, pop, and dance music. They hit some unique notes. I’ve never heard a dance song in 9/8 time before. But overall it doesn’t grab me and make me wanna listen again.
Rap feels largely foreign to me, and this album didn't get me a lot closer to understanding it. Some of the lyrics are brutally honest and self-reflective, and I respect that.
Really enjoyed this one. It's kind of a perfect party album. Turn it up and everyone can dance to the beats. Turn it down, and it's background music while people chill and talk. If there's a lull in conversation, there's plenty here to catch your ear.
Given how many samples are mixed in to these tracks, it's amazing how coherent and organic it feels. Gonna check out other albums this group has made.
It has all the elements of great blues-rock, but the pieces just don't add up to great songs.
I was expecting something heavy, dark, and brooding. This album was heavy, but surprisingly (to me) bright and poppy. The playing is tight and energetic, and you can sing along to everything. Job well done.
The musicianship here is clearly high-quality: relaxed, economical, flowing. But the songs don't move me a lot. Maybe you have to be in a café in Cuba -- or have the memory of it -- to really appreciate this.
Such a sweet album. It's probably Nick Drake's least good, but the bar is so high from the other two albums, it's still great. The only "weakness" of this album is that the instrumental backing feels a little random at times (here's a flute solo out of nowhere!). But it's all high quality. And the consistency comes from Drake's ruminant lyrics and his beautiful soft voice.
I love this project for bringing me albums like this -- unlikely gems that I had no idea existed.
Willie Nelson singing old Broadway and jazz standards? It works, and in fact, it's magical. Every one of these is a tall cool drink on a warm breezy day, gentle and soothing.
If the old standard songs aren't your thing, this album probably won't convert you. But it's unique, and gorgeous.
He could sing with passion for sure, and I enjoyed some of his piano licks. But overall this didn't grab me. Give me Nat King Cole.
Is there any type of music that polarizes opinions more than punk?
If you want something loud that you can shout or scream along to, lets you vent rage or desperation or nervous energy, that never sounds corny or sleepy or weird, then this is for you. And credit to the band, these short songs get in and out without lingering too long on anything.
If you want melody, harmony, innovation, chords you've never heard, comfort, poetry, or sweetness, there's nothing here for you.
My main criticism is that this album offers the same thing, over and over again. That may appeal to some. Not to me.
This feels like a best in class album, more a representative of the top class of a music genre rather than particular artistic brilliance. The genre here is big band blues, led by a confident, experienced singer. Overall good stuff. What’s missing for me is more guitar. I think King’s guitar playing is his best asset, and here it’s more of a garnish than a main course.
Beautiful a cappella singing, and really distinctive. Highly recommend seeing them live -- but after 30 minutes, it's all the same. Same for this album.
I'm not much of a hip-hop fan, but I can imagine putting this on for pleasure listening. The rapping is clear and usually meaningful. The tracks have more than just beats (which are really good) -- in fact, there's usually a lot mixed in, but it's coherent. Rich stuff here.
I'm always impressed by Neil Young's ability to swing from the dark and serious to the silly within a single album.
Looking back 46 years, it's easy to appreciate where this album sits and why it still sounds great. It draws on earlier-70s rock and roll, embraces the punk of the day, and foreshadows 80s alternative (check out the jangly guitar on multiple tracks). It's relentless, committed, and FUN.
I've loved this album for a long time. A top-notch rock band in peak form playing great songs. There's some prog-rock experimentation but they never lose track of the grooves and power chords. What a pleasure to come back to this. Check out "Won't Get Fooled Again" for some utterly insane drumming.
There were some good tracks. Still don't engage with the rapping.
Listened to about half of this. Loud, heavy, angry industrial hard rock with vocals that are mostly controlled screaming. No thank you. I can appreciate that there's craft in how these tracks are assembled, but I can't listen to more of it. Also don't want to support a guy with a trail of sexual assault allegations.
Mmm, delicious. Like hot chocolate on a cold afternoon, but the most interesting hot chocolate. What are all those subtle flavors? The tone is constantly shifting from melancholy to happy, cool to warm, still to moving. I'll be coming back to this one.
Ah, this is the edgy, inventive post-Genesis Peter Gabriel that I've heard about. Much more interesting than his later albums like So and Us. I don't like everything on this album, but he's creating new textures and not trying to polish everything into radio-friendly formats, and I love that kind of creative energy. Also, "Biko" is a forgotten classic and a story we need to remember.
This album helped me understand why I've always felt meh about the Rolling Stones. It's partly that they almost always sound ramshackle, which only appeals to me in small doses. But it's mostly that I just don't like Mick Jagger's singing. If that's a not a problem for you, then maybe you'll love this album. There are some undeniably good songs here. But I'd rather hear someone else sing them.
This is what I imagine vintage country sounding like. Strong singing, homespun-sounding lyrics about love and life, lots of space in the arrangements for the steel guitar to resonate. Goes by quickly and smoothly.
I really enjoyed this album. Have I said that about a rap album before? Something about the tag-team rapping really works here, and the energy is forward-moving and positive. Other than "One of Them", this is a great album.
The vision and genius here is awesome. The guitar work isn't work -- it's pure creative energy unleashed, the fingers and effects united with the imagination. The album as a whole is sprawling and a lot to take in all at once -- too long for me.
For all the apocalyptic lyrics and heavy sound, this is ultimately melodramatic pop music -- with heavy distortion and fuzz. It's a spectacle, expertly delivered with full commitment from the band.
Peppy alternative rock... didn't grab me.
Wow. There is some crazy genius talent here, both the rapping and the production. I may never be a real rap fan, but I can appreciate the delivery, the sway, the creativity on this record. The backward rapping on "Work It" is just awesome.
Really had trouble getting into this one, other than the beats.
I remember hearing the name Franz Ferdinand a lot 20 years ago, but I didn't recognize any of the songs... and I wonder why this album is on the 1001 list. It's not bad musics, but I didn't find it catchy or engaging or skillfully played. Just indie rock. Someone else enlighten me.
Creative AND catchy. Very singable pop tunes with a lot of fun hooks and experimentation with electronic tools.
After reading some reviews, I was expecting this album to be terrible or very distinctive (maybe both). It turned out to be really normal and average. Early 70s rock 'n roll with a lot of looks back to the 60s. The lyrics are more overtly and consistently sex-focused than a lot of other records, but they're not at all extreme for rock music.
Like some of the other reviews, I don't see how this made the 1001 list. It's fine, it's fun, but it's not remarkable. Alex Harvey was apparently an influence for punk and alternative, but I don't hear why on this record.
This album feels like a relic now, but I think it's a bit of a forgotten treasure. It was an update of a lot of traditional American music forms, it still sounds great, and it's really well played.
IT'S SO GOOD.
I played this album a lot for a year or two when it was first out, but I hadn't listened from at least 30 years. It's not only held up, I think it sounds even better with age. In 1990 it was talked about as a retro alternative album, an old-school rock 'n roll statement in the era of hair metal. But now it just sounds timeless.
What struck me today was how The Black Crowes took their time here. They rock steady in their grooves and build their songs without high-speed attacks, and I love it. If your guitar riffs and lines are this good, please do linger on them and let them grow. I'm here for all of it.
What a singer.
I've heard lots of Elvis songs over the years, but I can't remember listening to a full album before. This was a great place to start. A lot less rockabilly than his early smashes, and a lot more schmaltzy, but his singing is so rich and mature. Forget the tracks if you don't fancy them, just enjoy the voice.
I don't see the greatness here. There is some interesting tonal stuff at times -- unexpected chords or harmony -- but overall, I think you have to love Wainwright's singing or this is just a lot of melodrama. Didn't work for me.
If you wanted to make a trance album, but all you had was an electric guitar, an effects pedal, and a microphone, I guess you'd make this album? It drones on and on and never gets interesting... which I know is kind of the aim of trance music, but I couldn't find a way into it. Boring.
I didn't like this at all. I expected more energy from Iggy Pop, but he sounds dull here, and his lyrics just aren't interesting. The tracks plod, plod, plod. The last two songs get a little more interesting, but I probably should have quit by that point.
So I'm stunned by all the 5-star reviews here, describing these songs as basically the opposite of what I heard. Amazing how we can all hear music so differently.
The reviews informed me this was a collab with David Bowie. I didn't know that until after I listened, and honestly this did not sound like a Bowie record to me at all. There's Bowie I like and Bowie I hate (including his later version of China Girl), but at least all of it is inventive. This was boring.
Strange to come back to this album, which I owned when it came out and listened to a lot and never really loved, so many years later. I'm trying to listen with fresh ears, but it doesn't sound fresh.
This is a muscular album with a lot of strong, loud beats. Most of the songs are very dance-floor friendly. But a lot of that muscular feeling comes from later 80s sounds that feel really dated now: reverb-heavy drum machines, synth bass, and brassy keyboards. In fact, there's a lot here that epitomizes Top 40 music of the time: massively hyped, big bold sounds, mostly synths, and a couple of dreamy ballads. Michael Jackson's singing is still unique, but he's leaning so hard into his gasps and affects that he sounds impersonal much of the time.
A bigger problems is that a lot of the songs just aren't that good. The Way You Make Me Feel is a standout dance track, and Another Part of Me and Just Good Friends have strong grooves. But many of the rest are uninspired.
It feels like Jackson is trying really hard to prove that he's still the king of pop. Trying too hard
It's a mix. There are some twangy ballads, some even-keel instrumentals, and a couple of sillier upbeat instrumentals. It feels like Willie inviting some friends over on a warm afternoon, trying out some different styles, and sending it off to the record company without worrying about sequencing or consistency. There's a gentleness to all of it that holds it together.
Suzanne Vega's first album... she's already really good at making songs that take you into gray moods and liminal spaces. Her acoustic guitar work is sharp. The downside is that her vocals are mixed kind of low, and her voice fades into the background enough that it's hard to make out her words sometimes... and we should hear her words! The Queen and the Soldier is an early classic. 3.5 stars.
