I enjoy the twee/ indie pop leanings more than I do the dub touches, but overall, it's a smooth hybrid and the vocals are always fetching.
Since I was a high school junior when this album (and, of course, the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit") rattled youth culture like an earthquake, it's hard for me to offer an objective appraisal of the music 30 years later. Songs like the aforementioned anarchy cheerleader tune-- plus "Lithium", "Come as You Are", etc.-- have become as overplayed in our collective mind as "Sweet Caroline", but you can't penalize a band for ubiquity, and deep tracks like "Lounge Act" and "On a Plain" sound as fresh as ever. Great raging punk-grunge-pop, and (I guess) as good a 90's album as you can ask for to merit a bunch of Gen Alphas to (inexplicably!) buy the t-shirts at Hot Topic and turn Kurt into a Gen X icon.
Maybe the epitome of the "separate the artist from the art" phenomenon.
What more needs to be say about this thing? It really is a Maximalist Pop/ Id Rap masterpiece.
I defy anyone to find a project with as eclectic (and brilliant) a "feat." list as this: Rhianna, Nicki Minaj, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver, Sir Elton, etc., etc...
Not one man should have all that power.
Some great individual tunes (“Christmas”, “Pinball Wizard”, etc), but the whole rock opera/ “narrative” (those quotes are for ironic effect, btw ;) ) set up just doesn’t come together for me.
I prefer the Dan’s earlier sound: jazz-inflected rock, blues, and soul (as opposed to this rock-inflected jazz and schmaltz). “Peg” is a great tune, though.
I might like “Doolittle” more than this one by a hair, but they’re both fabuloso. Best buzzsaw-guitar-pop out there.
No one needs to write anything else about this album.
Sure, “groundbreaking” and all that, but hard to listen to. (I’ll take the more melodic/ tempered Pink Floyd stuff when I want my psychedelic fix.)
Trip Hop is not my jam, but I can see why this (and earlier Massive Attack) is considered essential listening in this genre
Maybe the best folk rock album ever? It’d be between this, peak Byrds, and Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” era.
Prob tied for first (alongside their first LP) for my favorite Doors record. This one is more… playful? I was always a bit confused by the dramatic shifts in style and mood between Doors songs (revved-up blues, psychedelic, brooding, pretty pop songs, etc…) but the jauntier songs on this one all work as nice compliments to Jim’s more “poetic” offerings.
Alas, more disco than soul or funk. I did like those ‘79 Pirates, though!
Talk-singing folk indie. (Too many nouns as adjectives, I know, but it is what it is. 😉) For this “genre”, I generally like Mt. Eerie more than Callahan, but both are similarly engaging in some spots, dull in others.
Super catchy, impeccably produced, classic “New Wave” power pop. Ocasek bests this effort ONLY in his production work on the first Weezer!
Wall of Sound+ Classic Girl Bands= Brilliant
Overplayed Christmas Songs in Dec= Pass
Catchy, campy, not quite as good as “A Night at the Opera”
Specter’s Wall of Sound meets Orbison’s voice meets Dylan’s lyricism— all a little bit hyperbolic but still a great capsule summary for this RnR masterpiece.
I think I like “Sister” a little more, but this one does contain the iconic Teenage Riot and lots of (SY trademark) guitar textures.
Liked it more than I thought I would. There’s just as much Breeders/ Belly going on (melody and 60’s vibe) as there is Mudhoney/ Nirvana.
Not as good as “Odelay” or “Mellow Gold”, but better than “Midnight Vultures”.
Beautiful 80’s synth-art-pop! A Kate Bush feat.! Who doesn’t love “In Your Eyes” and “Sledgehammer”?!
Guess what— sounds like Talking Heads minus Byrne! I do like the female (Weymouth’s?) chipper vocals, and the tunes are catchy and rhythmic, but truly miss Byrne’s one-of-a-kind lyrics.
Meh. I like “Jane Says” (who doesn’t?), but otherwise I don’t care much about the thrashy screamy stuff. Sounds like Soundgarden at times, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. (Funny how I really love Zeppelin’s metallic material, but not most of the bands that it inspired!)
I tend to admire his unique style more than actually enjoying it. Nick Cave and Tom Waits sure do appreciate Scott, though!!!
I WAS going to say that the Police are the ultimate “the Greatest Hits suffice” type of band, and that I didn’t care much about the “deep tracks” on the individual albums, but then I listened to this one in full and decided that it’s actually pretty good Clash-lite edgy pop/ reggae/ punk!
Loved this album as a high schooler in the 90’s! Haven’t listened to it in full in a quite a while (15 years?). Y’know what? It holds up well! The crunchy guitar parts (“alternative”, but not-quite-grungy) and quiet-loud-quiet sequences really build angsty vibes, and feature sneaky melodies too.
Pretty good. Def the most classic rock (ie over-wanking?) influences of any of the 90’s grunge bands, but there are some gems on here that do stand the test of time.
It’s hard to deny the earworm qualities of the big hits from this set, but overall the jammy-ness of the songs overwhelm (and leave the tread thin on) the rocking-ness. Also, I was surprised to find the recording quality a little uneven for such a celebrated live album.
I don’t listen to ska often, but when I do it’s this infectious band (or Operation Ivy, or Gville’s own The Usuals ;) ).
A pretty solid set of mostly trad. folk stylings, but I tend to enjoy the next batch of S&G albums more (“Bookends”, “Bridge over Troubled Waters”) for Simon’s expansionist musical stylings. I’d give this one a 4.5 if I could.
Babe Ruth. Michael Jordan. Tom Brady. Serena Williams. Citizen Kane. Billie Holliday. Monet. Shakespeare. “Sergeant Pepper.”
Lovely Brazilian trad music / pop / jazz. I can see how the eclectic moods and arrangements make it a seminal world music “fusion” record.
Interesting! (Discoveries like this are why I signed up for this 1001 expedition.) Maybe the Beatles at their most scewed-pop experimental? (Or Pink Floyd at their most accessible!) Given the jittery, electronically layered nature of some tunes, it can be hit or miss, but overall, I like the proggy pop melodies more often than not. (One more reference more: maybe a progenitor to a more contemporary band like black country, new road?
Just as solid as “ lowlife”, “ power, corruption, and lies” and “ republic”. Damn, this band was really consistent. Sorry for the cliché genre word soufflé, but: IT REALLY IS electro-pop-dance -postpunk-disco-Brit club music at its best. It’ll warm up the joy division fans to the idea of dance clubs, and might nudge the club kids towards some punk.
Yeah, sure, why not?
Ehhh…. Nu Metal….. in my bottom three genres. LP is prob the best at this emo-rap-electronica-rock thing, but I’ll just listen to My Chemical Romance when I have any kind of hankering for this sorta thing (and blessedly replace the rap with more punk influence).
The Apple Music bio actually says it perfectly: “…the (Britpop) movement was actually born in an explosion of glitter, androgyny, and misfit deviance—all thanks to Suede.” Great album, right up there with the best of Pulp, Blur, or Oasis.
I always read of this band being a progenitor of post-punk… but that’s a pretty wide-open subgenre (Sonic Youth, Wire, and Echo & the Bunnymen in the same bucket?!?). From this album, I hear some industrial/ goth, chugga-chugga hardcore, and maybe a dose of 80’s Brit glam. SY and Ministry (and maybe Mission of Burma?) seem like good ref points.
“The Joshua Tree” is still my favorite of theirs, but this one is rock solid. Pretty driving and intense, musically and lyrically (their punkiest album, you can say). 4.5 stars
A top 5 album from the 60’s— right up there with “Sgt Pepper” and “Village Green”.
My favorite indie folk/ “twee” album of all time. Sufjan at his best (with “Carrie & Lowell” and his most recent one right behind). “Casimir Pulaski Day” is brilliant lyricism paired with beautiful, heartbreaking folk
A surprising listen for me. Everyone knows the cheesy (but still good!) MTV and radio-friendly hits from this album, but I didn’t realize that the rest of the tunes were jammy-blues and more muted/ textured, as per Knopfler’s MO as a virtuoso guitarist and “soundscapes” guy.
I was surprised by how disappointed I was by the full album. There’s the beautiful harmonious hits (you know ‘em!) but then most of the rest leans into too much orchestrated schmaltz to overwhelm the vocal harmonious and counterculture touches. Funny how the 60’s “Baroque Pop” mode can either sound like lovely pseudo psychedelic (see: Left Banke) or veer too much into Brill Building dreck (see: this!)
Infectious.
4.5 stars. I prefer the “primal scream” qualities (lyrically and musically) of his first solo record to the polish of this one, but his highs are high.
Good, not great, Miles. A def bridge album b/w Hard Bop and Fusion. McLaughlin’s guitar noodling pretty well defines this one.
Nobody ever said “More sitar!”
Oh, Zappa. Impossible to sum up in a capsule review. Sometimes compelling, other times utterly annoying. About five of these tunes groove in a satisfying warped-pop way, and more than that are too snarky and “polymath” for their own good. Give me the Greatest Hits and “Overnight Sensation”!
Two Zappas in a row! The 1001 algorithm is broken! 😵💫 And I’m not enough of a Mothers fan to absorb two wacko pop and experimental—not to mention overstuffed—records in two days.
(This one does have a higher ratio of catchy/ accessible tunes, though… if only there weren’t the silly voices and skits!)
4.5 stars. Really pleasant bebop/ soothing jazz outta South Africa.
Probably their 3rd or 4th best album— so not a home run, but a solid double. Would be higher if there were more than 7 tunes (one of them being an unnecessary, jammy Little Richard cover).
Should we deduct points for Axel’s occasionally offensive lyrics, not to mention the inside cover art? If not, then we’re lookin’ at a bonafide 5-star 80’s metal/ hard rock banger.
I love The Who, and this is a sturdy live set. Concert albums don’t usually do it for me, though— gimme the polished studio versions of the tunes! (Especially with a fine-print guy like Townsend in charge.)
I never knew this funkier version of the Temptations existed! Sounds like the Motown dudes wanted to throw some Sly and the Family Stone grit into their usually polished sound. There are some good tunes here… but I still prefer the honied harmonies.
Juvenile lyrics, somehow fewer chords than even the Ramones, catchy as hell, brilliant. The gold standard for pop-punk.
Their best album. Take Velvets garage rock, add a little Stooges, extra auto tune-y vocal effects, very memorable choppy/ buzzsaw guitar licks. (Most derivative review ever, but like this band itself, all the stolen pieces add up to something special qnd unique! ;) )
Gothy.
Respect the early 80’s NYC Rap but the simple beats sound dated. Lacks the Dada of the Beasties or the political urgency of P.E. 3.5 stars
My top five Miles albums are all from the bebop/ cool jazz phase, but this noodley (but compelling) offering might be number eight or nine.
4.5 stars. Pulp’s best (w/ This is Hardcore close behind). Jarvis Cocker’s “theatrical” elements can get a bit too much, but he is a great storyteller in the Ray Davies or Ian Dury mold.
Beats Destiny’s Child. I still couldn’t tell you what exactly defines “New Jack Swing” R&B, but these three def had some catchy hooks and sweet but steely vocal harmonies
4.5 stars. If you like fuzzy, blistering hardcore punk, then you’ll like Husker Du (you prob already do!). I’d say “New Day Rising” and “Flip Your Wig” are the two essential Husker albums, but this one might slide in at third place.
4.5 stars. Here, he hasn’t quite reached his peak songwriting power (“Freewheelin’”, “Another Side”, and “Highway 61” are soon to come), but there are some folk beauties in here, somewhat watered down by a few joke songs and outright Guthrie poses.
Turntablism. Good-ish. Add DJ Shadow to my list of people whom I know are good at this shit: him, RZA, MF Doom.
His best.
Good art rock/ jittery noise punk. Dave Thomas’ singing can get a bit much, but this band is just as seminal as Wire.
Steve Winwood meets Dub?! After listening to the first three songs, I was ready to move on from Martyn, but then I realized (via the last half of the record) that he can write some tuneful and textured folk-pop. Vocally, I prefer when he sounds more like Nick Drake than (a more strangled) Joe Cocker, but overall, his guitar work and artsy hooks are pretty enjoyable.
Do believe the hype. Some hipstery fans may argue that “Tusk” is better (in a less commercial / more “indie pop” sort of way), but sometimes the pop music masses are just right.
Good not great Beasties. When I listen to them I tend to stick to the first two albums, but they were pretty darned consistent throughout their career— great samples, madcap lyrics, interesting melting of genres. Love the Q-Tip feat. on this one, plus no on can deny the iconic spike jonze “Sabotage” video!
Pretty good alt country/ “countrypolitan”/ hipster easy listening… if too prolific. I wish Kurt Wagner put together a (one stop shopping) greatest hits, like Robert Pollard did with “Human Amusements…”
Lots of baggage/ antiquity when you’re appraising “The Chairman of the Board” (jazz-crooning will always exude a certain schmaltz), but Sinatra’s voice really is something to admire. The kind of legend that requires owning at least one album, I’d say, if you’re a connoisseur of American Pazz & Jop.
I’m not much into Metal, but this one is the gold standard, I suppose
Earns four stars on just the iconic title track alone. There are other great organ-based rhythm and blues head-boppers on there besides that, but given the instrumental nature and the handful of unnecessary covers (no one needs to hear “Twist and Shout” as a instrumental jam), it stays a 4.
The missing link between Pink Floyd and Flaming Lips? I like “soundscapes” well enough, but I like verse-chorus-verse more.
Shoe (shoe [shoegaze] gaze) gaze.
Not too much of a deviation from Minutemen— just a bit more “pop” (accessible) in the melodies and vocals. Still doodley-doodley-doo, though! 😀
If you only own Cash record…
Good.
Pretty good Brit pop. Strangely bar-band-tinged.
4.5 stars.
Infectious.
I know this project aims to be (and ought to be) eclectic in its genres, and I can respect electronica and DJ-type stuff, but sometimes going from jazz crooners to classic rockers to something like this in the same week can be like eating at a tacky Chinese buffet. (Pass the cheeseburger to go along with the lo mein?)
A jazz-rap masterpiece.
If you only own one Elton record… As with most double LP’s, there’s a little bit of filler (reggae tinges?!), but there are at least 5 or 6 all-timers. A lot of piano pop, a little glam, a little schmaltz, but always hooky and memorable. 4.5 stars
Still a rockin’ album, but my least favorite of the main VU records. Too few songs, a bit too much jamminess. The garage rock sound is intriguing, but they’ve written better melodies. 4.3 stars
I really hear different facets of this band’s sound depending on my mood. I can appreciate the soul influences and the big band/ brassy orchestral flourishes in spots, but today it just sounds like Tom Jones or some other Vegas schlock.
Catchy, sharply produced, funky and rocking in equal measures… but a little bit too silly/ lightweight for its own durability
Right in the middle of Stevie’s fabled peak period. Maybe just a slight notch below Inner Visions and Key of Life. Remarkably textured and vibrant funk-soul-pop.
Great Bowie-helmed Glam. Probably Reed’s best overall solo album.
Elvis does Memphis Soul… better than the Vegas era, but still nowhere near as essential as his early-stage rockabilly explosion.
Maybe a bit giallo and over the top at times (especially some of the later tracks), but material like this is sure in Cave’s wheelhouse. Not the best 80’s-era Bad Seeds record (that would prob be either Let Love In or The Boatman’s Call), but prob in the top five.
Yup…this is some slaaaaacker grunge for ya. Mark Arm’s yowls and drawls sound even more indifferent to you than J. Mascis’, and the buzzy guitars are right at about the midpoint between Melvins and Nirvana. 3.5 stars
Top-notch R&B pop. Adele’s voice really is up there with Aretha, Etta, and Amy
Great Bowie-helmed Glam. Probably Reed’s best overall solo album.
Overall a very good collection of AMC songs (maybe their best album overall?), mostly in their brooding/ REM-on-downers style, but the band was always so erratic song-to-style, both in quality control and genre experiments (witness the plucky county tune that starts this otherwise mopey record!), that I prefer to just put on their Greatest Hits rather than delve into the albums.
I like Wu Tang and some of the spin-off stuff (esp RZA and ODB) but hadn’t spent much time with this one. Good lyrics and flow, but def not as standout to me as the full Staten Island Avengers assembly!
Deserves the hype. Top 5 all-time live rock concert recording (but just a notch down “seminal”, at 4.5 stars, because C.T.’s first three studio albums proper are still the ones to beat).
Probably Van’s best (though “Veedon Fleece” and “St. Dom’s Preview” are close!); if you love Dylan but don’t know Van the Man, please please put some time into studying this record (and at least four others of his) of sublime folk, soul, and Irish-tinged magic.
She’s got a great jazz-pop voice (right in the sweet spot b/w sweet and sultry), and this makes for lovely dinner-party background music, but it is a little placid. Check out Norah and Billie Joe duetting on folk songs instead! 3.5 stars
Spacey, indeed. These guys have been pretty consistent in their sound and quality over the years. Their more recent albums have a bit more hooks, I’d say, but they drone-y but fitfully melodic songs here on their first record are mostly satisfying.
A worthy follow up to “ what’s going on?”. It can be kind of fun to debate one’s preference for the sociopolitical lyrics of the earlier versus the super sexy style of this one, but in the end, they both got great grooves, and of course Gaye’s impeccable, soul voice. Another thing they both have in common is the occasionally grating strings. (.5 pt off).
Some classics deserve the hype. Bits of disco flourishes I could do without, and the teenage stoner/ Wizard of Oz cliches leave a slight taint (though not the band’s fault!). Those quibbles aside, it’s a record with both great “soundscapes” and tunes.
I never got into Industrial (Hardcore with more theatrics!), but I know that people who dig it do admire this album. 🤷
The best (the only?) prog-new wave-world beat-Brit pop out there. I enjoy Gabriel’s “So” a bit more (because…all the hits!), but this is a solid set of weirdo rock songs too (and it rocks harder… prob thanks to Fripp’s guitar contributions). Just enough pop hooks to keep the experimental parts approachable. 4.5 stars
The Queen.
I grew up in the 80’s, so I was oversaturated by 24 hour MTV videos of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, et al. The album does stand the test of time PRETTY well, though.
Pretty good tunes, cleverly ironic cover/ title, but Brian Wilson’s minimal involvement leaves the overall sound lacking
Fantastic 80’s goth-pop-new wave. The vocals are the best maudlin theatrical belty style this side of early U2/ Bono
Such an interesting band trajectory, The Cure. Hard to rate a singular album for such an ambitious and expansive group as this: with the retrospective of the career-spanning narrative arc, it’s hard not to view the forest rather than this tree, etc. All that said, this relatively early record of theirs is a key bridge to the Goth and bombast: brooding but minimalist; good not great; their best was yet to come.
To my ears, this curiosity reflects some Eno, Pink Floyd, and electro-disco that came before it, and leads to Debo, Flaming Lips, and MGMT after it. Def a worthwhile musical path, but the robo voices and other dated/ campy production things leave it feeling a bit too Buck Rogers SciFi schmaltz. 3.5 stars
Miles’ consensus masterpiece… and rightly so.
There are definitely some hard-to-deny piano pop melodies on this album… but it’s still cringy Yacht Rock.
Long instrumental/ artsy electronica bleepy soundscapes— def makes me think of Eno. Not nearly as kitsch as the other Kraftwerk assignment I got this week!
Yeah, it’s ok.
The best Smiths album. The perfect fusion of Marr’s jangly and unique guitar playing and Morrissey’s brilliantly ironic lyrics and vocalizations.
“Are You Experienced?” has more of the trademark (more accessible) Hendrix hits, whereas this one is a bit more experimental and jammy (see: “Voodoo Chile”). Still lots of great blues-rock hooks, though, and the guitar play might be even more impressive. 4.5 stars
This is a step towards Neil’s ascent to brilliance— but not there yet. “Down by the River” is a great murder ballad… but does it need to be 10 min long?
Pretty good guitar-pop with keen production sheen. I prefer Elliot’s earlier acoustic/ indie folk stylings, though. (Is that cliche to say? Well, sometimes cliches are there for a reason!!!) 4.3 stars
There are 2-3 excellent songs, and the genre experiment of “Plastic Soul” is an interesting premise, but the album overall is Bowie’s most uneven since the early folk/ hippie records (prob at least partially due to the miles of coke lines the glittered one was doing at this time, according to the legends).
Pretty solid if you think of it as a run-of-the-mill folk rock album; disappointing if you perceive it through a “super group” lens.
Epochal 80’s hard-drivin’ guitar rock. Is it wrong to take one star off for the novelty beards? (No.)
In my top five all-time rap albums. Both musically and lyrically dense. It’s a shame Kendrick wasted so much time and energy dissing Drake lately, when he could’ve been writing more meaningful songs like “These Walls”, “Complexion”, “Wesley’s Theory”, etc
Pretty good neo-soul… but give me Goodie Mob over this.
Rocking, rollicking, silly singalongs, novelty band aesthetic, lots of whoahs and yeahs to scream along to. Sign me up! 4.5 stars
One of my favorite bands ever. Their first 5-6 records are all top-notch. Where British Invasion meets power pop. This one might come in slightly behind Village Green and Face to Face, but it’s right up there. Infectious tunes, great production, always clever lyrics.
Probably Beck’s best overall album. Like the Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique”, you can really go to town trying to ID all the classic rock, soul, country, and old hip hop samples (if you’re into that sort of thing). 4.5 stars
Fantabulous. The gold standard for New Wave-power pop-just plain kick ass rock n roll
