Upbeat and fun at times but mostly giving melancholic vibes. It’s as if Glass, Eno and Fripp formed a chamber pop band obsessed with manic depression and suicide.
Tracks 1-8 really hit; masterfully produced, akin to old folk murder ballads the story-telling is shocking and raw, but similar to Greek tragedy; satirical and relatable. Slim’s hamartia is on full display. Track 9 feels like a forced cameo and 10 is a path back from the detour. On track 11 we, the demos, once again delve back into the beautifully violent and shocking catharsis of Mathers. 12-15 present more detours and cameos… and then we are faced with the deus ex machina; the full force of Mather’s violent psychosis on track 16. The emotion is palpable. Tracks 17 and 18 are similar to a choral ode.
On first listen it sounds like a fun pop album with enough quirkiness throughout to make it interesting. Rundgren’s dynamic production shines.
However, some of the lyrics are cheesy and full of contrived rhymes; “the man who sailed around his soul, came back again to find a hole” or “fire they cried, so evil must die” “did you make disease and the diamond blue.” Overall I feel like I should be at some posh garden party, just outside of London, sipping G&Ts, surrounded by obnoxious people and revolting small talk.
Mojo-tastic!
Imagine if Van Halen was made up of castrated eunuchs.
Fan-fucking-tastic!!!!
Sheer genius! Stewpot & company shine on this amazing recording!
How can such a talented artists make such a cheesy, disjointed, and pathetic album? No one can question his skill as a musician, composer, performer, and all around artist, but Damn!, this album is just sad.
Rain Dogs is theatrical like indie films of yore, budding with freakish absurdity and vice. Waits transports us to the back alleys and the outskirts of town where depression mixes with longing and conflict is ripe; a nuanced beauty!
Memorable bars & crazy beats! Bringing anyone to their feet.
The creative genius of Ray Davies; Quay Street carpet-layers and more!
Great album, with some standout tracks, but it ultimately lives in the shadows of Smith’s lofi legacy.
This album has some great tracks but at time it feels like listening to rehearsals or demo recordings.
They got their name from a Motörhead song but this album is a far cry from Lemmy. Apparently it’s an album even hated by Metal heads for it’s simplicity and trendiness. I could have gone my whole life and my next life, and the one after that, without ever hearing this garbage.
Amazing vocals, exquisite production. Spector may be a murdering asshole, but damn he was a musical mastermind!
90s Trip-Hop classic. Love the 007-vibe of Sour Times and the groovy Magic Mountain sample on Wandering Star. The repetitive slow tempo can get tiresome.
R E S P E C T the Queen of Soul!
Madonna trying to be a bit like Bjork….?
Honey!
Unfortunately this album has not aged like fine wine or imported cheese. The late 80s and early 90s production with its over indulgences smack the listener bluntly in the face! I’m not going to lie, when the mood fits, one can rock out hard to this album, but there is always a grungy-camp-factor to that dynamic. I have respect for Vedder and company, but not their strongest work by far.
I remember eagerly anticipating the release of this album; knowing the band was composed of former members Nirvana and Sunny Day Real Estate. I remember loving Nirvana’s ‘Heart Shaped Box’ import single,which B-side was ‘Marygold,’ an amazing track, where you can hear Grohl and Cobain switch spots, with Grohl taking on lead vocals and guitar. Upon first listen, years ago, I did not like the direction Grohl was going, upon re-listening I find elements fun but some over-indulgent like the abrupt nods to metal and so-forth.
High caliber musicianship matched with adolescent buffoonery. Even with the high cheese factor, Eddie and crew craft some of the best riffs to come out of the 80s!
Epidemic… Postmortem… Raining Blood!!! HELL YEAH!!! WHAT A FINALE!
Everything you want in a live recording and more! Amazing dynamic performances, excellent recording quality, and the energy and vibe is palpable!
Had this cassette back in the day. Never got into it. Would’ve rather listened to Sufer Rosa or Doolittle, but upon listening again it resonates more with me. Definitely appreciate the production and sonic craftsmanship much more.
Does EDM get much better than ‘Setting Sun’ ‘Block Rockin’ Beats,’ and ‘Elektrobank?’ I think as a whole ‘Surrender’ is a better album, but the singles from ‘Dig Your Own Hole’ are magnificent!
…the album isn’t really giving me what I want… vocals are nasally and whiny… and production is a little too clean… for a Thrash Metal band it sounds Hairspray throughout…
Generic mid-to-late 90s Alt Rock 🫤
Reminds me of a fun Jungle Boat ride at the mouse’s magical kingdom… but seriously Mr. Hansen’s genre blurring 90’s masterpiece still slaps!
“I'm all lost in the supermarket.
I can no longer shop happily. I came in here for that special offer; a guaranteed personality.” Sheer perfection; much like the rest of this amazing gem of an album… Punk… or Post-Punk at it’s best!
Dig the “Plastic Soul!” You were truly one of a kind Mr. David Robert Jones!
🫤
‘Sweet Little Angel’ is a beaut!
The title says it all…
Mr Penniman was a true innovator and this debt album helped lay the foundation for Rock ‘n’ Roll!
Following the release of ‘Meat Is Murder,’ the Smiths retreated to Manchester to start working on new material. Marr and Morrissey wrote at Marr's home to avoid the trappings of London and pressure from their label; Rough Trade. The next album was produced by Morrissey and Marr and is “far superior“ (as the Brits say) to ‘Meat Is Murder.’ Do yourself a huge favor and listen to the amazing; ‘The Queen Is Dead.’
“…the loves that love to love that loves to love that loves to love the loves that loves to love…” Madame George is subtle perfection!
“…Don’t look back in anger…” perhaps the Gallagher brothers should heed their verse.
Random and ubiquitous media dialed in on the telly and the transistor; beautifully meshed with bass slaps, synth noodles, and subtle vocals to create a lush soundscape full of whimsical and dramatic twist and turns.
“…exit light, enter night, take my hand, we're off to never-never land!”; the dark beauty of Metallica!
“NOW GO, CAT, GO!”
Pollard‘s continual churning of Lo-Fi musings are not without their gems, but I find the moments of raw beauty few and far between on this 1995 release. I highly recommend listening to his 1996 masterpiece, “Under The Bushes Under The Stars.”
There’s a smoldering bag on the album cover, but what’s inside isn’t really “fire,” but more “ding-dong-ditch” material.
I don’t know where to begin. Even if you can get past the feigned vocal morphing to hide an absence of range or get past the 90s teen-pop-star-esque lyrics, play the last 20 seconds of ‘Love And Anger’ into the first 20 seconds of ‘The Fog’ and please explain to me how this is an artist that takes their craft seriously.
“Hear me. You Lords and Lady Preachers. I descend upon your Earth from the skies!” -‘Seven Seas Of Rhye’ 🤘
“Let 'em understand perfection.
Let knowledge be the tool for suckers to stop guessing. Cause I don't give a fuck about radio play. Observe the English I display.” -‘Parental Discretion Iz Advised’
🫤
“Fatboy Slim is fucking in heaven. Fucking 'n fucking 'n fucking in heaven.”
“Jack it up, jack up Jack up, jack up Jack it up, jack up.”
The beauty is in the repetition.
😎
Vapid 80s pop from MTV darlings; Duran Duran. An arrogant pretty-boy band, that was far more concerned with image rather than substance.
“Girls just wanna have fun... They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girls, girls just wanna have fun!” -pure 80s gold!
“I called this number three
times already today, but I, I got scared, I put it back in place.” Poor Hippie Johnny. Love this Massachusetts masterpiece!
“I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm. Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm.” -Cohen’s undeniable masterful word-play at its finest!
“Now Peter Piper picked peppers, but Run rocked rhymes. Humpty Dumpty fell down, that's his hard time.
Jack B. Nimble was nimble and he was quick, but Jam Master cut faster…” -one of the Golden Age of Hip Hop’s standout gems!
🫤
One of the best albums ever made! …so amazing it makes one wonder; did they make a deal with Mephistopheles?
Sappy, watered-down jazz, that’s been repackaged with a folksy-country sound for bland mainstream audiences.
“yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah! Got an urge, got a surge and it's outta control. Got an urge I wanna purge!” The surreal and beautifully dysfunctional Akron art rock that took the world by storm!
Stevie Wonder’s career and contributions to contemporary music are unparalleled. He is truly an American treasure. Don’t sleep on this album, which many consider to be made during a high-water-mark period of his career.
Doug, do you even know who Bob Dylan is?
No. But I know he died of drugs.
No, he didn't die of drugs. Bob Dylan is alive, Doug. In fact, I produced his last two records.
Oh, you mean Uncle Robert?
“Oh baby, you sure love to ball.” Mr. Gaye ain’t talking bout Abdul-Jabbar, he’s got one thing on his mind throughout this smoldering LP.
“Some of them are old, some of them are new. Some of them will turn up when you least expect them to
And when they do, remember me…” We certainly will, for there are few artists that push the avant-garde with such grace and abandonment. And yes, I am aware that may be an oxymoreon; but somehow it works with Brian Eno. This debut album is a testament to his burgeoning pursuit of imperfect-perfection.
At first listen, I thought; “a diminutive title for a diminutive album,” but then “I’ll Be Around” smacked me upside the head and I remembered who I was listening to; The Chairman Of The Board, Ol’ Blue Eyes. So, raise a glass of the gods’ nectar to The Voice; the most dapper crooner to have ever walked the Earth.
“The magic carpet waits
for you, so don't you be late… angels will spread their wings… electric love penetrates…” One of the greatest musicians of all time wants to take you on a journey; let you serotonin receptors bind… “you think you were loosing your mind, hmmm…float in liquid gardens… taste the honey from a flower…” and “let the good times roll!” He doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, because he’s the one and only VOODOO CHILE!
The one and only genre bending jester, maestro of mercurial mischief, Mr. Franklin Zappa! With this 1969 bluesy-jazz masterpiece he presents the world a gift, dedicated to his newly born son; Dweezil —HOT RATS!
I feel like I walked into a fancy department store, but the piano player isn’t fully warmed up. The pause before the applause is kind of telling, “was that the end?!… I don’t remember the crescendo?” Jarrett is without a doubt a talented musician, but this album falls very short of a piano performance that I would want to revisit.
I never understood this album, even after repeated listenings, it always struck me as a rehearsal session. I understand that it's considered a pivotal album for jazz fusion; combining a contemporary electrified sound along with modern production elements, but I feel all the tracks could benefit from trimming and directional tweaks. The tracks can get monotonous and at times seem like a cacophony of noise. Miles Davis was a visionary and his experimentation deserves to be applauded, but this album could've greatly benefited from a more mapped approach.
“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see.”
Mr. Young brings the Topanga Canyon-Dean Stockwell-magic in spades on this must hear 1970 folk rock masterpiece!