Chirpy yet soulful 60s bops, not as interesting as their later work but just a really enjoyable listen with lots of catchy tunes I already knew
Over-engineered 70s jazz vibes, slickly produced and I suppose it's good if you like this sort of music but it's really not my thing - edgy as a boiled potato, save it as background noise for the after-work fondue party
Well fuck... I really didn't want to like this, but it is undeniably good. Great production and lyrical work, I loved the range of musical influences, samples and guest artists. Monster, Runaway, Hell of a Life and Blame Game were particular highlights for me. Still only 4 stars because it's Kanye and he's a trash human
Impressive debut album! Chilled grooves and clever lyrics, definitely the lighter, more humorous side of hiphop with some great storytelling. Can I Kick It is obviously one of the all time bangers but I also particularly enjoyed Luck of Lucien, I Left My Wallet, Youthful Expression and the cheeky Bonita Applebum
Lots of bluesy meat in this sandwich, between two slices of their finest work. Gimme Shelter is one of my fave RS songs, and You Can't Always Get What You Want is a classic. Some of the honky tonk/blues/country content in between gets a bit samey at points, but it's all solid. I enjoyed the feral energy of Monkey Man, and defy anyone not to bust a few Jagger moves along to Live with Me. Feels like a good soundtrack for an American road trip, albeit a short one!
I only had only known the big hits in here and found many of the other tracks a bit meh but I quite liked Hold Back The Rain (spoke to me as a gardener lol) and New Religion. I enjoy a bit of synth pop/new wave but too much of this sounds the same, the over-processed vocals become irritating at points and the lyrics are pretty naff ("I smell like I sound" - I bet you do luv). That bass tho... there must have been smoke coming off John Taylor's fingers, these stars are all for you baybee ✨
Definitely captures a specific vibe of the 80s (the power dressing, hairspray and coke end) so indesputably a classic of the era but having done the whole album I'm probably still just gonna be skipping to Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf (although honorable mention for the instrumental version of My Own Way on the collectors edition)
Ahhh this is a shot of pure nostalgia, I don't think I ever listened to the album in its entirety but I knew at least half the tracks on here - the opening four songs hit like a Mortal Kombat combo, banger after banger. Not the place to come for profound observations or deep feelings, and it doesn't have the same degree of high production and lyrical genius you see later on in hiphop's evolution, but it's a really fun listen and a genuine classic that takes me right back to my school days. That collabo with Aerosmith blew my li'l mind at the time (mainly being a rock fan back then) - it was a really enjoyable, light-hearted era in rap and they were clearly a major influence on the Beastie Boys who I love. I needed this today, thanks Run DMC!
Having only known the same big hits everyone knows I didn't expect to be much into this, but I actually enjoyed the tracks I hadn't heard before more than the ones I had. Thunder Road is a great opener, I liked Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and Backstreets too. There are some Meatloaf vibes throughout, Bruce must have been an influence. It's still probably not gonna be a keeper for me, but I can appreciate the the pure passion the Boss injects into every word.
I must have owned this album at some point since I remembered most of the songs. There are plenty of catchy tunes here, it's basically candyfloss for your ears; not much of real substance, but fun to consume when you're in the mood for some fluffy sugar
So first I was like what in the Good Ol' Boys 'Murica f**k yeah is this, this is the first album that's come up for me so far that I hadn't heard of or known the artist before. I actually liked the first track best as it had more of a post-rock vibe than most of the others here, but I reached a point half way through the album where I couldn't cope with any more of it and just skipped to hear short bits of each subsequent track to get the vibe. Having said that, the album has more depth than I would have expected, the Alabama icons bit being particularly interesting. I'm sure people who like southern rock are into it but it's not my thing - maybe I'm too European for this lol. I recommend turning this into a drinking game to take the edge off, 2 fingers at every mention of Skynyrd
I would love to have been there at the height of rock n roll when this album dropped, gone to a Little Richard gig, and danced myself silly because you know that would have been a blast - I defy anyone to stay still while listening to this bop-fest. Sure the wall to wall 12 bar blues can get repetitive, but LR keeps this album short and sweet - it's pure entertainment, enjoy it. Put it on to cheer yourself up and have a wee dance around the kitchen
I mean it's just obviously really good isn't it. I remember when Bjork emerged from the fae realm (also known as Iceland) with this amazing debut album and thinking it was so fresh and different, it didn't sound like anything else. She has such a unique voice and there's a good mix of styles here while still identifiably very 90s. I think her later albums Post and Homogenics are a bit more interesting but this is solid. I hadn't listened to Bjork in ages so revisiting Debut was a real pleasure
Well ramblin' is an accurate description - an enjoyable listen but if I'm in the mood for this sort of thing, I have other go-to artists. A pleasant folksy meander, but not the best example of the genre
Big meh tbh. It's fine and pretty catchy but it's all so samey, there are no standout tracks here. I don't hate it but there were more interesting offerings from the 80s than this, surprised it made the list
I used to quite like some of their tunes back in the day and even saw them live, but I am reminded of how much I always kinda disliked Stipe's vocals and tbh this didn't do much for me although there's nothing technically bad here... I'd given the Haircut 100 album 2 stars and I liked that better than this. As I said in that review, there were things I enjoyed more from the 80s, and this album was a bit of a snoozefest for me. Reckon my R.E.M. sleep stats will be good tonight!
Holy cultural appropriation Batman! I can see why this would have made a splash at the time bringing a colourful mix of hip hop and world music (and oddly, a bit of country) to British listeners, but we all know McLaren was a right so and so for taking credit for the work and talent of others. This feels more like an eclectic DJ set or someone switching between radio stations than a cohesive album, but it is interesting. Probably not interesting enough to merit a second listen through tbh, although I did get a little buzz from recognising the Eminem hat tip. Disappointing lack of ducks
I am partial to a bit of Zappa and co, although I hadn't heard this album before. The musical genres he played around in are ones I usually enjoy (although not so much the weirder avant garde stuff) and I've always been tickled by his humour although it's not everyone's cup of tea (there's definitely a lot that would get him cancelled these days). The tail end of this album was kinda hard work but there are some good tunes here
Too looong... It's all okay, but if you're going to release a huge joint opus like this you need more standout tracks than there are here, it's more enjoyable background beats than bangers, particularly The Love Below (aside from the hits). I liked more on Speakerboxx, that's an easy 4 stars. Bowtie, the Way You Move, the Rooster, both Killer Mike's tracks and Last Call were the main standouts for me. The Love Below has Hey Ya and Roses but other than that, mostly meh. A lot of filler and kinda juvenile in its humour (I know that's a bit rich since my last review was Frank Zappa, but I don't mind when he does it 😂). So probably only 2-3 stars for that one... but since they come as a package deal I'll say 4 stars, but the 4th is for Killer Mike
Ngl I pulled a face when I got Snorah Jones - this is the kind of album you hear as background music in a cafe or restaurant, or that you buy your nan for Christmas. There's no question NJ is good at what she does, she has a silky voice and it's all pretty relaxing, the kind of thing you'd put on for bathtime listening or to help you sleep. But while I do have go-to tunes for relaxing, this sort of thing isn't it for me
While not the best example of 60s psychedelia or even the best of Love's albums, I found this a pleasant enough listen for the most part up to the last track, where at points it sounds like the singer is having some sort of episode... The main standout track for me was Seven and Seven Is, I like that it had a more garagey vibe. Wish there had been more like that!
I had known of the Meat Puppets via Nirvana like a lot of people, but never listened to a whole album of theirs. It's a bit messy and chaotic but the musicianship is decent - the vocals are... Well they're a bit painful to listen to. I'm not sure how much of it is lack of ability vs stylistic choice, but either way it doesn't make listening easy. Which is a shame because the musical stylings here are good examples of their genres, stuff I'd been pretty into in my teen grunge era. It was cool to hear the original versions of Plateau and Lake of Fire, but I prefer to listen to Nirvana
Both the artist and album were new to me, but I quite liked this. I always enjoy the blues, but this introduced me to 'desert blues' - the meshing of African and American musical styles is interesting and works well. My standout tracks were Yer Bounda Fara which is the most bluesy offering here, and Savane is soothing soul balm.
I've heard bits of Tom Waits before (I only knew Goin' Out West on this album) so was familiar with the vibe. I appreciate the stripped down bluesy style as if he's making music with found objects and I liked the lyrics and general weirdness of the darker tracks (the Ocean Doesn't Want Me was my fave) but sitting through a whole album of these gravelly vocals was kinda hard work. Get this man a lozenge and a cocoa
Great stuff, this album is a nice tight length (ahem) with some memorable bangers - love Nightclubbing and China Girl especially, but it's all good
I got this album on cassette when it came out and played it to death, it's just fucking great. Some might see it as overrated but it wasn't for me - it absolutely deserves its classic status and even now after so many plays, it still stirs excitement in my jaded soul
I liked WTC back in the day but hadn't explored the solo albums much. I enjoyed this album, there was nothing that really blew my mind but it was solid throughout, no skippers here. No major standouts but Release Yo' Delf is a particular banger and All I Need was a surprise (I wasn't expecting a straight up love song!). Have saved a few tracks and will listen again for sure
Damn I'm finding it harder to find the time to get through this album list, and this was a long one! There was plenty here that I liked though, Kashmir being an obvious standout. While definitely self indulgent, there is of course massive musical talent here and although Zep aren't one of my absolute favourite rock bands, I always enjoy their stuff
Oh my god... Why did no one ever sit me down and make me listen to this before... I never really explored Eno's work proper although obviously I was aware of his importance and impact on other artists. Now I'm glad I did, it so rarely happens that I come across an album that excites me any more and this is such a delight I've been listening to it repeatedly over a couple of days and saving tracks to playlists.
I said a few albums back that Norah Jones was not the sort of thing I go to for relaxing listening but this right here? THIS is it exactly. I swear I can feel it curing my ADHD
I don't think I've ever listened to a whole album of GM, but the songs of his I like, I really like. Freedom 90 slaps obviously - not just his voice which is always gorgeous but the heartfelt lyrics and iconic video are great too. I also loved his take on Stevie Wonder's They Won't Go When I Go, and Mother's Pride gave me goosebumps. However on the whole the album isn't that exciting and probably not his best, I'll be interested to see which others turn up on this list
Meh, it's okay - not really my thing. Those lyrics to Money For Nothing really didn't age well, but it remains annoyingly catchy and I'll give some props for the groundbreaking music video
