Okay, I gave it two listens, and I was enriched by the broadening of new music. However, this kind of sonic quality, this kind of production does not appeal to me...I would even say I have an almost physical aversion to it. I did my best to hear past that and listen to the songs and the message and I think I got something from it. Trying to place it in context helped but I think that's the main thing I'm missing. Yeah geez it's just so clean and "80s" hahaha.
Okay WOW I used to think that I wasn't crazy about these sonics (no pun intended). However, listening to this record directly after Heaven 17 is like "okay, at the very least it's in my neighborhood of interest...it's got something I can bite into". For whatever combination of reasons, now that I'm older this record has been much more accessible to me, even evoking some strong emotions at times.
A classic sounding 60s records with a lot of sonic qualities that I love. I was surprised to notice some of the fidelity of the room sounds present on one of the vocal takes early on in the record; a very noticeable "room tone" that sounded...pretty rugged. A couple of covers, no notably huge ear-worms for me. Enjoyable listen
Okay yeah obviously a classic record. Listening to it with intent gave me a fresh perspective. I didn't realise how politically loaded the namesake hit is. Also some of the "romantic" songs are kind of predatory (lyrically). Sonically, well...not my fav sounds. Too 'eighties'. Also some pretty rough-around-the-edges guitar and vocal performances that I haven't noticed before.
Now, this is an absolute classic, hands down. I'm definitely biased, because this was the first jazz record I thrashed. Still, love it. Paul Desmond's soft sax tone shaped my taste for sax tones. Joe Morello's simple yet conceptually sophisticated solos informed my early drumming. The solo piano sections also influenced me in a big way, opening the door for me to explore more than just drum-centric music. Top-tier, gold standard for me.
Obvs some massive songs on here, hard not to enjoy. Very into the 70s sounds. Some interesting chord changes in ABBA songs, I wish I could identify more of what's going on; I really appreciated quite a lot of the harmonic progressions in the filler tracks. Over all, not really my thing though.
Hey, I gave this one a GOOD hoon, about ten listens. I don't hate it, I think I got a lot from it. The era really shows in the songwriting. It's somewhere between the Beatles, Elton John, and Steely Dan. Some real solid grooves on here, not to mention huge HITS. I like a lot of the sonics. Some really rich harmonic ideas. So many long songs and tempo changes...what's up with that?
A stone cold classic. Ashamed to admit I was previously unfamiliar with this. Five Years is a real huge hook of a song that really sets the mood. This record is a self-defining 'sound', with some compelling sonic moments. Healthy amounts of tension, intrigue, and release.
Okay, yeah...it's good. I can't fault it for quality. Very creative rapping, classic hiphop production. But...damn it's a difficult listen for me at this stage in my life. There's so much negative, angry energy. Good record.
I was not familiar with this record before today. I had an impression in my head that these guys were a really good, solid band of top-notch performers. I'm not sure if times have changed or if my standards / expectations have changed, but I was a little underwhelmed. As far as the record goes, it plays like a collection of songs, a playlist; there doesn't seem to be any cohesive theme to the lyrical content. Sonically, I like the way the instruments are captured. It's quite a folky collection of instruments (incl the way they're played) which is not really my thing. Some quite catchy numbers though, could imagine enjoying this at some hipster party in the 70s.
I could already tell pretty soon into this record that I was going to enjoy it. I've never listened to it before. Records with these sonics would have turned me off 20 years ago simply because they were over-used and ubiquitous at that point. Where I am now on my musical journey, this comes through as quite refreshing.
I've heard a few of these tracks on Spotify playlists, fits into a "chill electronica" kind of vibe...sounds a little bit generic to my ears, a tier or two above muzak, but not something I'd consciously LISTEN to. Safe production, safe mixing, just...safe.
This sounds like nascent era-defining electronica. It's not something I would choose to listen to. I can imagine how this influenced artists that I do listen to. I can also hear samples from music that I listen to. It's lacking a little depth and character for my taste, as if it were created by people with little knowledge or interest in music theory. However, there are some moments where it all comes together for an enjoyable listen.
This record definitely a vibe I can dig. It's quite a rich sonic quality; so saccharine it almost makes my teeth hurt. I wouldn't normally choose to listen to this much of this kind of sound. Trying to decipher the lyrics is pointless for me, it sounds like sexy gibberish (in a good way). It's difficult for me to latch onto anything in particular apart from the songs I already knew (and whose lyrics I was wildly wrong about)...too much clean reverb? I don't know.
Obvs a classic. Pretty dang... rock-and-roll-blues-band-y. Personally, I have never been able to dig the sound of this record. Maybe it just ain't my thing? Is it the mix? The instrumentation? The wandering vocal "melodies"? Nothing futuristic about it? I'm stumped. To me it sounds like the taste of an over-cooked beef stew. Sure, it's tangy and beefy but the beef is dry and there's a slight acidity from too many tomatoes which isn't balanced by any sweetness or fat. On re-listens I find I'm not singing along to anything. Re-listens are actually making me like it less. It's too long. Yes, I know about the history and about the exile. This would have been a hell of an undertaking. It's just...not for me.
Yeah this is cool, some classic country. Very on-brand all the way through, thematically, sonically, musically, instrumentationally...Not often in the mood for this kind of thing but it's a vibe I can dig.
This is working really well for me. I love the sound of these recordings. I love the way it combines grooves and orchestral arrangements in non-standard song formats. Yeah there's some cheesy parts what stands out to me are all the solid gold nuggets of feel in here. I'm attracted to how different it sounds to me; as in, it's not in my normal circle of listening. It's very satisfying to hear something from an obviously talented and prolific composer that has been capture so well.
Was lucky to be introduced to this at an impressionable stage of my music listening, so I already love this record. 5 stars yeeha!
A landmark record. Some benchmark beats / lyrics / flow / sketches etc. Quiiiite disrespectful lyrical content but hey what ya gonna do. Repetitive nature of the backing tracks gets a bit annoying.
Woah this is a buzzy record. The songs are kinda wispy, hard to grab onto. Real floaty intellectual stuff and then Mrs Robinson drops near the end. Like, okay?? Not a lot of steez going on. The mix is kind of awful in places.
Listening because technically I haven't and I "had to" to complete this challenge. This is a pretty solid nope from me. Even the big hooky songs fall flat to my ears. Where they WERE (Aha shake heartbreak) compared to where they landed with this turns me off the band. It's like they said "okay now we are a stadium band" and dusted their hands. That 'thwack' of a snare grates me. The playing is actually kind of loose, in a crap way. Singer's got pipes...but he's singing about 17-year-olds...*vomit* Christ, I couldn't even finish it. Kept skipping tracks bc BOOORING. Nah these guys for real fell OFF
This is sick. Blues rock that I can dig, quite jam-bandy, sounds like a bunch of decent musicians getting into a trance-like state. Some serious groove and nice rhythmic turns, cool covers and that one big (OG?) track. Yeah this is cool.
Pretty squarely in a genre that I have paid very little attention to. It's a nice listen though, very skilled musicians and plenty of thoughtful lyrics / song arrangements. I don't think I'd reach for this to put it on again but I'm glad to have crossed paths and have an understanding of what sort of thing I was almost completely ignoring hahaha
Solid gold
I was not aware of this band. I am now enlightened; this was an enjoyable listen for me. I didn’t know chamber pop was a genre, but I’m into it. Reminds me of Prefab Sprout.
First listen I was like "UGH another one of these inaccessible art-pop blunders". Second and third listens it started to grab me, now I'm bopping to some of the tracks (Love Hangover especially) and feeling FEELINGS to the ballad-y numbers. Have never enjoyed this kind of 80s production, don't love his vocal delivery (although he can sing), and can't help thinking "didn't other bands do this same thing but, better?" so the value for me is in the obscure novelty.
This sums up the best of Radiohead for me. Dips back to their live band-y kind of roots while incorporating many of the forward-thinking elements introduced with Kid-A. This is my personal fav of their records.
It's a blessing and a curse: My mother thrashed this record when I was a kid. I went through a long phase of finding it incredibly annoying. After growing up I learned of the critical merits of Bob Dylan's music. This (and many of his other records) will always be entwined with my childhood memories; an integral part of my musical upbringing. While that may sound profound, I have a collection of Mondegreens of which "Tiger-loving blues" for Tangled Up In Blue being my favourite. Which, is interesting because the lyrics I think are a huge part of Dylan's critical acclaim; sadly I looked past those as a youngster and can only appreciate them now.
Dang I thought I knew this one. I’m familiar with a lot of Miles Davis records but for some reason I’ve never listened to this. I can hear how it slots into his œuvre…and although I’m aware of its historic significance it sounds so “classic” that none of it sounds particularly groundbreaking from this distance. I’m more about that On The Corner / Bitches Brew vibe. Would give it 4.5 if poss, gonna round it up bc he’s the MAN.
Enjoyed this vicariously in my teenage body. If I'd discovered this when I was bopping to Jamiroquai I would have loved it. This is on the very accessible end of the jazz spectrum; a style of music that has been filtered out of mainstream existence by lack of popular demand. It's a shame because the musicianship is very impressive. Nice background music.
Look, it's fine. The production is a bit too clean for my taste, and the theme is depressing, full of pining. Makes me think of a rainy grey London day. Before Today has popped up on my Spotify algorithm before but I tend to skip it. Has some moments, but overal: not my thing
Solid gold. Interesting backstory; a testament to giving the artist full creative control. Labels, take heed!
Used to crank this. I do have a kind of magnetic repulsion / attraction to the folk scene in general, sometimes I'm super into it and other times I cringe. This record's got some bangers tho, and I became familiar with it during an impressionable time in my life. Simon and Garfunkel at their best. Art Garfunkel is such a cool name, what happened to him? My impression is that he kinda fell off whereas Paul Simon went big...? The crowd clapping along in Bye Bye Love annoys me. Shaddap.
This is dope, love it.
This one took me by surprise. I have typically written off records with this 80s (I know, it was release in 1990) "sound" simply because I used to not really be able to stand it. Thanks to this 1001 album generator I have been trying to hear past the production to the songs beneath. Apart from the obvious hits, I enjoyed this one. Probably wouldn't pick it up again, but it ain't getting a 1 or 2 either.
Quite like the sound of this one. Enjoyed the production. Thought it may not be an actual rock opera, I'd park this with records like Pink Floyd and The Who...there's an exploratory (self-indulgent?) attitude in the music that somehow comes across. For either that or some other mysterious reason I'm not getting swept up on the ride. The song that I was vaguely familiar with ("Bloody Well Right") surprised me with it's non-conventional pop form. I applaud the risk-taking and wish more artist would. Not really my thing, but clearly is for plenty of others. Popular music really has gotten more and more same-y!
This is an interesting listen. The title track sticks out to me as by FAR the best pop song. I really like the experimental / ambient stuff on Side B. Songs like "Joe the Lion" and "Beauty and the Beast" leave me wondering what he's on about. I would probably appreciate these songs more if I knew, but I'm not intrigued enough to find out more. "Sons of the Silent Age" by comparison has a similar mystique, but I actually want to know more about it. I mean, what a legend. Guitars getting pretty noodly, like Low and Lodger, which in the past has been sorta off-putting for me but I found myself appreciating the guitar tones on these listens.
Yeah okay, no real surprises here. I don't recall listening to this record specifically but I know Neil Young's sound and have enjoyed seeing him play live. What is this, is this still folk rock? I can see how this would have been very influential as it is pretty heavy for that genre. Neil Young is an absolute vibe king and Crazy Horse are solid as. They eclipse The Band and CCR, imo; they're channeling something more exciting, but I suppose it is a whole decade later.
A hugely influential classic.
One of those bands I kinda got into during my punk phase. I had bandmates who got me hooked on the Buzzcocks, but for some reason The Jam didn't land as strongly for me at the time so I didn't buy any of their records. The opening track is dope, I love a short and sweet power pop tune. This could find its way into my regular rotation.
I'm a fan of these guys...but I haven't listened to them critically like this before. I would have thought I Left My Wallet and Kick It were on one of their later records! The lyrics are actually kinda umm...irreverent, goofy...dorky? The sample-based production quite rough around the edges, but there are some killer beats in here that I'm disappointed I haven't heard before. The flow sounds about as dated as ya might expect for a record from 1990. Massive record in the scheme of things though, and a fun listen. Family-friendly hip-hop.
I was there, and yes...it was cool. This record still kinda rips. Are there any bands doing this these days? Today — what a song — still plucks at my forgotten heartstrings. It's kind of ... "clean" for grunge...? The drummer was ON. Great teen angst / nihilist music.
This is quite a well-formed record. I tried to get into it for a while, I think I lived in Portland at the time. I couldn't quiiite crack it, but listening back now I can hear that it is a well-rounded representation of ...indie I guess? They guy can clearly write a song and has plenty of musical ideas to go with his lyrical ones. I can't really separate my memories of portland from it, even though I was there years after his death. A little bit folky for me, maybe? 3 stars seems frugal but 4 seems too many.
This had some unexpected moments for me that I really enjoyed. I can see how it would be considered important / groundbreaking / controversial...but now it's just kind of ...classic folk.
Already know this record back to front. I was hooked from the first listen, as soon as the bass riff comes in. It was just the right mix of different to catch my young ear. I remember asking the guy at the pizza shop what it was. Went across the street to the record store to buy it. I remember feeling a bit ripped-off by how short the record is (??), something like 35mins. I was used to getting almost an hour of music for my money (c.f. Siamese Dream). Anyway, instant classic. They're still hawking the same schtick 25 years later. 5 stars because of what it represents for me.
Another record by Everything But The Girl? I mean, I can hear something in here, early shades of bands that came later on, but that is true of other earlier acts also. I just don't think they're my thing. It's so...clean...lifeless; there's no edge to hang on to. Is this the singer that featured with Massive Attack on Protection? Mezzanine...now THAT'S a record.
I was there (again lol) but this time quite literally. The band I was playing for supported the White Stripes on their Elephant tour in Australia. This was a huge record for them. Seven Nation Army is one of THE big songs of all time due to that undeniable riff. This was around the same time as a lot of other "indie" sounding music was making it into the mainstream, against the current. They had the whole package, good songs, live show, intrigue, unique sound...Good on them for doing something interesting. That said...this record doesn't beg me for another spin. I found myself slightly relieved when it was over...so many songs! Blessedly a lot of them are quite short.
5 stars, I already know. Back when bands had to be able to sing and play. The songwriting / arrangements / vocal harmonies / 60s sound / steez. Yup!
I suspected by the cover art and the song names that this was gonna be some lost 80s experimental pop. The drums don't sound tooooo 80s, but then that slap bass comes in (dead giveaway). To my surprise this depressed singer has actually caught my ear a few times! This record has grown on me, there's some catchy hooks and cool bleeps and bloops in here. Wouldn't say no to a re-listen.
I wasn't expecting this to sound so vintage. I quite like the sonic quality of the band, reportedly the Faces for a large part. I can imagine this going hard in the pub scene...sort of in the same realm as AC/DC with that gravelly vocal and up-tempo rock. Didn't know Rod Stewart had such a rockin' early career...my familiarity with his music was his soft-pop ballads from the 90s lol.
I've never quite been able to grab onto the Boss' vibe. I love the guy and what he stands for and what he achieved. Amazing that he recorded this on a four track cassette. I don't understand though, to me there's no real stand out singles on here. It sounds quite inaccessible (and honestly rather samey...I swear I heard him sing "I've got debts no honest man can pay" twice on this record), more like a Tom Waits type of thing — although hang on...who did it first? Some great songs didn't make the cut for the record and ended up coming out as band arrangements on the following record...like, massive hits that I think could have been arranged for solo guitar and still been huge. Not sure if that was a planned move or if that's how it shook out due to the way the music biz worked back then. I've heard it described as a record 'for the fans' and I have to agree.
It sounds like Radiohead with training wheels, and 10 years too late.
Legendary band...surprisingly I'm not familiar with this whole record. I know a handful of the tracks. I must have stopped my Led Zep journey at Houses of the Holy. I enjoyed this a lot, though it was not the record I would have picked to represent this band. I loved a lot of the experimental stuff on Disc 2 but jeez there's just too much of that traditional blues for my taste. That said...what a band!
Classic 90s rock. It's grunge, but it's not. There are hints of psych that I wish they explored more. Sounds like a good live band too. PNW vibes. One of those bands that kind of got lost in the mess...? They're not as 'cool' as Nirvana / Soundgarden / Pearl Jam, they're more Grateful Dead-y or something. Band name is a bit lame. It's a good sounding 90s rock record.
Neither here nor there on this. Maybe has become so imitated that it sounds uninteresting? Unsure. Might go back and listen to the Byrds. Guy can obvs sing and play, just ain't my thing I think.
I thought I had this record...I recognise the cover art. I must be thinking of Protection. Okay, so I get that this would have been revolutionary at the time but like, it's not their best record...? I could be showing some ignorance here but it seems like the samples aren't even really dressed up, they've just sung over the top of Billy Cobham etc. Maybe that's what they also did later but I was too young to realise? Anyway, yeah pretty cool genre-defining trip-hop type thing out of the Bristol scene. Mezzanine is still my pick.
This is cool, kind of like a one-man north american Beatle. Even a timeless hit in there! I can see how this would have been a pioneering record and had an extensive influence on subsequent recorded music projects. Yeeha
Really enjoyed this one, she can really sing. Record captures a unique essence, a band that is a real tight unit. A nice range of music and yeeha what a belter of a voice she had. Losing a singer like this was a real tragedy.
Welllllll I love this record too much. I think historically, late 20th and early 21st century pop music will forever live in the shadow of the Beatles.
I like the Tom Waits records I've listened to but admittedly it's only a couple Bone Machine and Closing Time. After listening and really enjoying Bone Machine I was surprised that Closing Time was so...friendly. Heartattack and Vine is kind of somewhere in the middle. It has some beautiful heart-wrenching moments and then some brutal "it is what it is" stretches. I would pick either Closing Time or Bone Machine over this record.
Music for depressed white people. I kiiiinda dig it, the nihilism / existentialism etc. Probably would have loved it 15 years ago when I got into Cass McCombs (for whom this sounds like a huge influence). Will likely explore some other records by this guy at some point. Seems to be prolific.
Well...at the time I remember thinking it was kind of backpacking off of Radiohead's more accessible stuff. Radiohead were going more experimental so these guys got sucked into the vacuum left behind. Relistening now I still think I nailed it hahaha. This is good pop songwriting though and the guy can sing. It's where they went after this record that disappoints me. It';s a bit white-boy depresso, however it is polished and dressed up and then you get smacked in the face with YELLOW which as a song lyric doesn't make much sense, and despite the production not ageing well the song still slaps. Sparks was a fav.. oh snap I forgot about Trouble! That spoke to my broken teen heart.
Yeah, hard to find a fault with this one.
Very good. I was afraid to listen to this when I was younger because I was worried I wouldn't like it. Partly that and I would have had to buy it (these days it's so much easier to enjoy music as a listener!). Anyway, too bad I didn't get it, because it's great!
This was a fun one. Way too much misogyny. Lotsa hype; a party record. The shows on this tour would have been pretty awesome I reckon.
Pretty special record, very unique in terms of lyrical content and instrumentation. A tad blues-y for my taste, but a well constructed work with a timeless quality.
Not my thing at all but I guess now I understand why Hot Chip got popular. Enjoyed some moments, but mostly found it boring.
This is a candidate for greatest record of all time.
This bored me. Just made me think: Off-brand oasis. To be fair there were some short (short! 5–10 second stretches) that caught my ear. Other than that this was very forgettable.
