3/5
Bob goes electric. Like a Rolling Stone is an evergreen classic. Inspired and influential, iconoclastic yet familiar, warm and fuzzy. I'm not a huge Dylan fan, but this was the peak of his popularity and creativity.
Neil Young is the soul and conscience of American (and Canadian) music and culture. A troubadour of rock and folk, akin to Springsteen and Dylan, but even more gritty and raw. Unflinching stories and commentary of contemporary events and emotions. A national treasure, it'll be a sad day when we lose him.
It's easy to compare this to 1989's Freedom which follows a similar format with several live or live-sounding tracks, but also features stronger, more impactful stories and arrangements. Both are epic efforts, but Freedom might be slightly better even if it does have more of a slicker, professional production.
Not sure if the whole album is worth being in the top 1001 records just for Under My Thumb, Paint it Black, and Mothers Little Helper. There are better Stones records than this one, but the Paint it Black is a classic for sure.
Fun big-band jazz from one of the greats. Very listenable.
Voice, band, and arrangements don't always hide a weak song, but they do their best. Son of a Preacher Man is a banger and a classic and most of the rest of the tracks are at least good, but there are a couple of weak ones. Mostly pretty good though.
Look, I know Thom Yorke is a miserable bastard, but he's got talent and skills and he's the closest thing we have to a protest-song maker these days.
This album is a slight return to a more rock-oriented effort after the twin electronic-based releases Kid A and Amnesiac. Even though they create vibin' grooves, they still manage to keep an original edge with lots of experimentation, using the studio as an instrument. And Jonny Greenwood has mad guitar skills.
Except for a couple songs that sound like a New Orleans jazz funeral, they mostly weave their typical claustrophobic sonic paranoia electronica-rock on this one like a spider wrapping up a late-night snack.
There really aren't any bad Radiohead records, but that doesn't mean that any of them are easy listening by any stretch of the imagination. There's a lot going on in their later work, and Thom's delivery can be kind of whine-y, but it works in the context of the music. After all, our culture is pretty shitty these days.
Standout tracks: Go To Sleep, Where I End and You Begin, 2+2=5, and Myxomatosis
Sometimes funky, sometimes folky, sometimes something else altogether, this is an eclectic collection that's pretty accessible. These guys have got legit chops and talent and are clearly influenced by more than just punk. The first two sides have some of the punk aesthetic (particularly the lyrics), but not as much of the chaotic, loose quality of stereotypical punk - almost all are impeccably performed and recorded. Many songs are often clearly homages to other styles, and in turn, I can hear bits of styles that were also used by bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Steve Albini's bands. The other half of the album is more frenetic and punky.
Short songs never overstay their welcome, but some have grooves that could have benefit from more time. That said, because there are a lot of songs, you probably need a few listens to fully appreciate all of it. On the other hand, it's probably perfect for just zoning out to, too.
Your typical thrash metal jams paired with lyrics that are either criticizing of society's ills or proposing weird conspiracies. Not as compelling nor slickly-produced as the next release, Countdown to Extinction. You pretty much know what you're getting with Megadeth - crunchy rhythms, shredding solos and sneering vocals. Sometimes you feel like head-banging and Megadeth is a reliable go-to for that.
The followup to their breakout blockbuster success White Blood Cells, this one opens with the steamrolling instaclassic Seven Nation Army. Jack White is a dude who knows what he wants and has the wherewithal to make it happen. Everything is carefully engineered to have that iconic style, feel, and sound - garage rock and blues with rockabilly retro sensibilities presented with theatrical flair. Not much sounds like White Stripes and very few are even close to this good. I particularly liked the excellent blues excursion, Ball and Biscuit - wicked blues guitar.
The first two songs have kind of a revival flavor to them. Which makes sense given that their recording space used to be a church. Rousing and kind of inspirational, Neon Bible gets the blood pumping. You could definitely imagine a congregation swaying and clapping along in ecstatic religious fervor. Their live shows carry on that conceit - the band is a pretty animated tour-de-force on the stage and frontman Win Butler is a tall and imposing yet genial preacher analogue. I'm not a huge fan, but I can see why they got the cred. This record is definitely listenable, but just a bit too extra for my taste.
Slightly off-kilter jangle-rock. Debut full-length from the band that's basically the godfather of college indie rock. Quality stuff, but I actually like their following release Reckoning better - the songs that stand out on that one really stand out more, I think.
You can hear Byrds and maybe some Talking Heads and Elvis Costello influences here in places. Good grooves and pleasant but unconventional song structures. The interesting thing is that except for a few albums later in their career, their sound never strays too far from this formula. Not to say they didn't grow and experiment, but they seemed to always return to their roots and strengths.
In all, a solid set of songs. Favorites: Radio Free Europe, Sitting Still
I didn't know anything about the Waterboys prior to listening to this - the only thing I knew about them was that Karl Wallinger of World Party was a member at some point. I read some of the reviews and the Wikipedia article before I had a chance to listen and I'm not normally a huge fan of Irish traditional music or pub music so I was a little leery, especially since the Amazon playlist is long and includes some extra tracks for a remastered edition. Thankfully this was a mix of styles and not just strictly folk-style music with fiddles and pipes and such. The first track Fisherman's Blues is a typical Irish pub raveup, but the next few tracks are more typical rock. After the Van Morrison cover Sweet Thing, it's back to traditional-sounding songs. I feel like this might be one of those records that was new and remarkable at the time, but since more bands have been influenced by it since then, it sounds a little boring and tame. It's not bad and I enjoyed it, but I don't know that I would add it into my library.
The only problem with hearing records you're not familiar with 10, 20, or 30 years after they were smash hits is that they are either ground-breaking masterpieces that everyone and their brother ripped off in the following couple of years or they are one of the many other records that ripped off some other ground-breaking act. Either way it can be easy to dismiss it as trite, over-played and over-rated. I expect Gen Z and Gen Alpha feel that way about Nirvana and grunge. Or Metallica and metal. Or Tears for Fears and 80's new wave.
I feel like this is overproduced club-lite stuff that influenced and is influenced by every other thing heard in pop music these days. I can see the Kate Bush comparisons sometimes. Arrangements have that epic, synth-full, multi-tracked, reverb-drenched wall of sound paired with melodramatic lyrics full of ennui and teen angst. At least it doesn't have that crappy cranked autotune. She seems to have a good voice. This record doesn't do much for me, but being an old GenX guy, I am very much not the target audience.
Bait and switch with the disco bass at the beginning of this record is wacky.
The rest is fun salsa from actor/musician/activist Rubén Blades and arranger/musician/band leader Willie Colón and their band. In case you didn't read the wiki article, this is the best-selling salsa record ever. I haven't ever deliberately listened to any other salsa records because I'm slightly allergic to congas and bongos, but this one is pretty OK. I would recommend this album if it was the only salsa record you hear before you die.
Sounds like a 90's alt-rock band. Some Nirvana, Pixies, maybe a little Green Day and proto-emo sound thrown in. Fine musicianship. Nothing particularly earth-shattering, but a decent listen.
"...A load of trashy old noise..." But what a wild load it is. Iggy took what Jim Morrison did and turned it up to 11. The music is heavy, lo-fi, and raw. I was familiar with the typical Stooges songs that everyone knows, "No Fun", "I Wanna Be Your Dog", and "Search and Destroy" - the rest of this album shows off the same kind of jams.
I haven't had a chance to listen to the earlier two stooges records yet, but this one is definitely an experience worth the 1001 records you must hear.
This was from still early in the band's career and even though it's pretty good, it's not their best. Fogerty is a peerless songwriter - there's so much soul in his work, even if they're not always top-ten tracks. Sure his vocal delivery can be a little affected and cringe sometimes, but the songs are clearly timeless. Proud Mary and Born on the Bayou are classics and banger grooves, but the Good Golly Miss Molly is a great interpretation too. The only track that feels like it phones it in is Graveyard Train. Proud Mary could have used another guitar solo instead. The guitar work on this one is stellar. The solos and fill licks are so sweet.
My initial reaction to this album is that it reminds me of contemporaries The Helio Sequence - it has overdriven distorted synth sounds and electronic grooves. It has a psychedelic, paisley underground undercurrent running through it. The vocals are lovely.
I'm not super familiar with the rest of their work but I'm aware that they are ostensibly an electronic/dance group. This record is much more straightforward pop though. There are some high points - A&E, Little Bird, Caravan Girl, and Happiness are all good - but the rest is not as remarkable. Pleasant and dreamy, 3.5
It's Queen doing prog. Curious selection from their catalog to represent them in this list, given that it doesn't have any of their well-known hits. I do like Queen and I'm a fan, but because of their ubiquity on the radio I never had any of their records, so I had never heard this one straight through. The typical Queen musicianship and studio wizardry are in evidence and provide for a lively and fun listen and the fantasy-flavored lyrics are just bonkers. The March of the Black Queen reminded me a little of Elton John's Love Lies Bleeding in some spots. Epic, stately, straight-up full-force rock magnificence. I really enjoyed this one - it's got all you could ask for from a great rock record and Queen in general. Surprising that their sound was fully realized on only their second album.
Obviously big fan of Beatles, but also Wings and him solo and with Linda. The post-Beatles stuff is plentiful and pleasant and this is no exception. Jet and Band on the Run are both classic and dated in that a lot of McCartney's stuff in the early 70's is of similar quality - that is, kind of fluffy and loose, frivolous even, but also inspired at the same time. Saw one of the top reviews that addressed the critical disdain Paul's solo work had (has) over Lennon's. Lennon definitely was up his own ass most of the time, but McCartney was always more fun and accessible while also being adventurous and experimental. This record is a good example of that.