4/5 — anyone who likes smart jazzy rock will likely enjoy this album.
It's a phenomenal debut for one of the most talented bands of the time. It has a lot to recommend it, and though most will only know "Do It Again," and "Reelin' in the Years," I'm most drawn to "Kings," "Only a Fool Would Say That," and the sickly sinister "Fire in the Hole." On the flip side, the other songs on the album don't capture me as much. "Dirty Work" is pretty but forgettable. "Brooklyn," "Changing," and "Heartbeat" all fit that bill as well. They're not necessarily bad, but feel like filler compared to the five other stellar songs.
Overall, a truly excellent album.
3/5. This is an interesting, fun album, that I'm sure is beloved by those who want this exact type of music, but the average person is liable to only really like one or two of the songs here.
It's a cool album. Sometimes it sounds like Buddy Holly or Eddie Cochran with brain damage.
4/5. An extremely interesting and unique piece of work. I think most people can find something here they might like, with the major caveat being that you sorta need to be in the right headspace for this music for it to really work. I don't really know how to describe that headspace quite yet. Maybe you need a slight buzz, maybe you need to be a bit manic. Not really sure.
That said, it really is a cool album. The singer's vocals are one of a kind. Production does an amazing job taking this voice and giving it a haunting, hypnotic quality to it. I'm a semi-competent guitarist and personally was enchanted with a majority of the guitar and bass, both in arrangement and the tone they got out of these instruments.
Standout song for me was Houses in Motion.
3/5. A remarkable album that starts off dubiously with the title track, has four excellent songs, and then has a rocky descent down from there. I don't think this album is terribly accessible — ironically the song I like the least is probably its easiest to get into — but it has some real genius tucked away here.
I'll start with saying I didn't really get why Prince is so beloved before I started the album. Every past encounter has left me grossly underwhelmed at best to outright repulsed at worst. Which is why I did my damnedest to keep an open mind as I listen.
The song '1999"'s popularity is bizarre to me. You have this mind-numbingly boring riff being synthed out on repeat throughout the entirety of the song and an uninspired vocal melody calling over it, the only relief from the monotony being some bog-standard funk guitar fills and obnoxious "oohs!" It's just awful. Maybe you *NEED* to be high on Quaaludes on the dancefloor to enjoy it.
"Little Red Corvette" was a really welcome change, what a great song. "Delirious" is a tad less exciting than the prior songs, but it's fun and the standout squeaking hypnotic riff that plays throughout is charming.
"Let's Pretend We're Married" is nuts. I love the unison of chime and voice, the unapologetic corniness of the lyrics and the weirdly mystic feel of the melody. It's bizarre and I get the feeling that it'd an awesome song to jam on.
"D.M.S.R" is remarkably tame for a song compared to "Let's Pretend ..." both in terms of subject matter and composition. This song feels the most straightforward 80's funk song melodically, harmonically, arrangement, etc., but it does it well. On the other hand, "Automatic" is a little boring and drones on for about twice as long as it ought to. There's some decent stuff here, but there's not enough to keep it interesting.
"Something in the Water" is a strange mirror of "Automatic." It's interesting but borders on unlistenable at moments. It's a cool song, and it seems like it's aim was capturing the (Does Not Compute) piece in every aspect, from the rhythm to the dissonant digital runs.
"Free" is alright. For me it's weaker than most other songs on the album despite its epic build up and chorus. "Lady Cab Driver" ends up bringing back some rising action to the album, replete with the Prince's absurd interjections.
The final two songs, however, sorta reverse the reversal. Both "All the Critics ..." and "International" lack the oomph that characterized the first half of 1999. They're, again, not bad, but cause the album to overstay its welcome.
4/5 — a must for those who enjoy the genre.
Production and arrangement are outstanding — harps, brass, record scratches, classical guitar, and other sounds flow throughout the album, enriching the solid structure already present for each song. Despite the veritable army of instruments and outside influences that back this album, nothing feels out of place.
Lyricism ranges from average to excellent; spoken word delivery is a little hit or miss too, but as a whole the album delivers well on the vocal front, especially when the choral and lead portions are considered.
My personal favorites:
Lost Ones
To Zion
Final Hour
4/5. The average person will likely really enjoy at least a couple songs here, and those who like smart pop infused with R&B will probably love the album.
My first intentional listening to Carole King. Her voice and style of singing have this unique quality to them. They're sort of raw, which contrasts nicely with the refined smart pop that makes up the rest of the album. She has great command of her voice, and can belt out some powerful lines with the best of them. Some of my favorite moments in this album were where she supplemented her voice with additional vocal backup.
The piano can be wonderful. Sometimes it sounds downright majestic, taking the lead on some songs, while on others it takes on a homey rhythmic role. The other instruments also never take on a concrete role either — the guitar is used for slick jazz lead fills, classic bluesy runs, and countrified rock riffs.
My only personal point against Tapestry is that it's so passive. It lives in this space where it can be really reflective and clever at times but is pretty run of the mill lyrically and melodically otherwise. Songs have standout moments but they really only stand out as much because the rest of the song feels calm enough to lull you to sleep. To me, it's an album that you put on an easy early morning and have playing in the background as you drink coffee — which for me is a spot that has a lot of other contenders.
5/5. Outstanding album that I think everyone should give a full listen at least once.
It's a fantastic piece. The singer is wonderfully expressive, using volume and texture to greater effect than most. I feel this is somewhat at the cost of vocal melody execution, which can feel loose and outright lost at times.
Maybe that's by design. The instrumentation does more than enough in putting a strong structure around her voice. That's where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs really kill it for me here; the way they use their keyboards and guitars is supreme.
Final thoughts are that every song is good in its own right. I was expecting to like "Heads Will Roll" the most, but several beat it out. There's a lot of variety here, and at no expense to cohesion. They maintain their iconic sound the whole way through. Awesome.
Standouts:
Dull Life
Runaway
1/5, it's something to someone, I'm sure, and it isn't hard on the ears at all times. I imagine it must have been groundbreaking for 1978. I imagine some electronica aficionados prize this album. But Holy Christ, was it boring to listen to.
I will probably never play a single song on this album ever again. Weird yet inoffensive. Strange yet uninteresting. It's genuinely discouraging to think people bought this album after hearing it instead of something more melodically, harmonically, poetically accomplished, simply because of the novelty.
2/5. If you like Cobain and co., I'm sure you'll love this. For anyone who isn't already attached at the hip to grunge's Romeo, I really don't think you'll find this album special.
The playing is competent. Some of Cobain's signing is great and expressive. Some of the riffs smart and catchy. The mixing is pleasantly raw. But that doesn't change the fact that so many of the songs here are lifeless and uninspired.
A touch of the personal here: I understand loving music for the poetry or realness of it. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, and others fit that for me. Those artists can be musically uninteresting at times, but the sincerity and thought put into the lyrics can win me over. I presume that's what Cobain does for people.
3/5. Good for what it is. Charming folk pop(?) with some really lovely arrangement bolstering some decent songs. But very forgettable.
5/5. A truly unique album from a man who epitomizes Soul. Everyone should give this at least a single listen.
It is not amazing all the way through — some songs, especially those at the start, are comparably plain when set against the better songs. But those better songs are incredible. "Mercy Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues" are legendary.
Gaye is a wonderful singer the whole way through though, and the instrumentation is spectacular. The ominous choral backing and strings on some songs imbue them with an otherworldly quality. A joy to listen to.
1/5. Seems like an earnest attempt at making something unique, and I can see it being a decent listen for some people who like this era of music. There are some fun and interesting pieces on here. There are a lot more really rough and unlistenable tracks though. The latter really outweigh the former, and make this an album I wouldn't recommend to anyone, even fans of Pink Floyd.
5/5. Masterful album. The production, the arrangement, the bare bones structure of each song, the vocal performance, everything is outstanding.
3/5, a pleasant listen and has a couple amazing songs. "Sunshine of Your Love," a wonderful song whose legendary riff launched the sale of 10,000,000 super strats, is the obvious champ of the album, but there are a few that I enjoyed more: "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "SWABLR," and "World of Pain" were my favorites.
2/5. An hour of anemic blues tinted with Malian folk and Malian folk tinted with blues. An album whose claims to fame are (1) having a riff show up on a quiz show segment and (2) appearing in the book that inspired this website.
The guitar playing is competent and the composition is too, but that's not saying much given the simplicity of the songs.
I'm reminded of my time at college where a friend of mine would excitedly share some music from a foreign artist every other week or so. The music, almost invariably, was a mediocre execution of a genre already available in the West but with foreign singing over it. And this fits that bill just about perfectly.
That said: there are some pleasant listening moments here. Not enough to return though.
2/5. Very samey and dreamlike. Lots of it's listenable but forgettable. Not worth asphyxiating for.
3/5, a good album that's certainly worth a listen. Cash's performance here is lively, energetic, and engaging. Some of his vocal delivery is top tier; the way he growls, barks out, or cracks his voice just perfectly for a given lyric is awesome.
The songs are old country and folk with some rock and roll twang, so don't expect a lot of variety melodically, harmonically, rhythmically.
2/5. So much of this music was novel back in the day; not in the slightest now. There's some decent songs here and there but not enough to make me return.
It is kinda incredible how badly this is balanced outta the box. It's really unpleasant to listen to. This comes from someone who has a poor ear for that stuff, so when *I* notice poor mixing, it tends to be particularly egregious.
Run DMC shines best with its vocal delivery. They have fun with aggressive punctuations, usually delivered with a loudly belted duet. They do it a lot.
Some grooves and instrumental backing can be great, but other songs can be outright misery-inducing. Some of the guitar sounds downright amateurish, like they let a 12yo record a couple licks.
My final note for this album is that a man can only take so many record scratches in one lifetime.
5/5, an incredible rock album that is totally in its own category. All the members of the band are amazing musicians, and they're all perfectly on display here, but I obviously have to spotlight Diamond Dave and EVH.
David Lee Roth's performances on here are LEGENDARY — he perfected stage peacocking so early in his career that he manages to verbally strut on stage throughout the album, and it's a riot. But Dave doesn't get enough credit, because the truth is that he's also a killer singer even without the constant stage diving. Just the diction in certain lines is inspired (e.g., "no love you cahreyaeahhh"). Another piece that DLH deserves major credit on is the song selection and composition: a huge fan of old blues, "Ice Cream Man" would've likely never made it on this album without him. The amazing barbershop harmonies would've likely never seen the light of day.
That brings us to Eddie, THE guitar hero of his day. Eddie almost comes off as the too-professional virtuoso when set by Dave, but he was a showman on record and on stage in his own right. Some reviews say that some of his solos simply sound like a collection of hot licks and techniques, relatively disjointed, and they're right. EVH loved guitar, and would spend six hours a day practicing and improvising, unplugged, even after they made it big. Many solos were just a collection of hot licks that he came up with while practicing transposed into the right key. That said, even those solos are awesome — they're technically dazzling, fun, and give their songs an extra bit of oomph.
And the solos where he composed them especially for the song are fantastic. "Runnin' from the Devil," and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" are brilliant.
So what does all this amazing musicianship get us in this album? Ten outstanding songs and one kickass guitar solo demonstration. Every song is worth listening to several times over. It's a masterpiece of rock. Easy recommend to anyone who wants a raucous good time.
2/5. Listenable but uninteresting. It's not bad, but it isn't worth listening to twice. Some nice vocal harmonies spice up some otherwise uninspired early 70s pop.
3/5, but it is so close to a 4. It's a lovely album. Simon is a wonderful composer, and the album is arranged and produced well. He also has this honesty and down-to-earth quality about him that really endears me to his music, and those are both on display here.
What pulls me back from a 4 is that only two songs stand out: "Me and Julio," and "Run That Body Down." The rest are a nice listen but on the whole forgettable.
2/5. A listenable album that maintains a consistent mood and sound the whole way through. That's a double edged sword: while the whole of it is cohesive and artistically sound, it can be a little boring hearing the same guitar effects and vocal modifiers song after song.
The melodies are generally underwhelming. I think the singer tries to compensate for this through delivery (e.g., whispering, slurring words), but it falls flat.
Not a bad album. But not really worth revisiting.
4/5, an excellent album for those who enjoy reggae; the average person will find at least two or three great songs here too.
I was admittedly a little worried when I received this album in my queue. Reggae is one of those haiku genres where it has enough rigidly defining features that it can feel monotonous a few songs in, and even good albums can feel old fast unless you're in the mood for it.
That said, I think Exodus is great the whole way through, and it rarely overstays its welcome on any given song. There are some legendary ones on here, and most of the lesser known pieces are fantastic on their own.
I will admit that the instrumentation, the rhythm, can be samey, but Marley and his band take advantage of what is often a weakness for other reggae bands. Marley's vocals are sincere, warm, and comforting, and they take center stage against what is a pretty consistent background of down-down-up strumming and wah effect'd guitar. It's a joy.
Another thing that needs to be said, which is present on other Wailer songs: the few spotlights of lead guitar are *brilliant.* I'm most familiar with Marley's "Natty Dread" album, and was absolutely enthralled by the guitar solo in "No Woman No Cry" as a kid; I am so pleased to find the same brilliance here, mainly in "Waiting in Vain."
3/5. I think people seeking a smartly composed and arranged alt-rock double album will get a lot out of this, provided they can weather Corgan's singing.
This is one of those albums that is legendary. What I mean by that is every serious music hobbyist has this album in their top alt rock albums, or at least that's how it seems to me. It's my first time giving it an honest shot.
The instrumentation is awesome. Corgan and co. did a wonderful job with incorporating all their own instruments and then some. It all comes together really well. Piano, strings, harp, and others join the guitar, drums, bass, and vocals that make the backbone of the band. Many of Corgan's riffs are incredible, and the tones he gets on his guitar can be top-notch.
There are lots of really beautiful songs on here. Some kickass riffs. A great mix of genres.
At the end of the day though, Corgan's singing is just not enjoyable. It's really frustrating, because in some songs you can hear him sing pleasantly, competently, but in so many songs he grates on your ears so much that it's almost too much. There's this awful contrast between the expertly made instrumental pieces and then you get the most whinging, cringey vocal delivery possible over it. And it didn't HAVE to be that way. Some songs showcase perfectly fine Corgan vocals. Most don't.
I imagine if Corgan approached vocal delivery differently, this album would be a 4, if not a 5. Some of the music is that good. But the vocals knock this down a great bit for me.
4/5. A good album, and an excellent rep of its genre. Most people will find a couple songs that they like here, and the rest of the album is very listenable. If you like synth pop a ton, you probably already listen to and love this album already.
It's New Wave, almost the platonic ideal of it. When God thinks of New Wave, a mix of cleverly arranged synths dance over an infectious beat as a distinct overdubbed British voice sings wavely over it, a perfect mix of quirkiness and then-cutting-edge music production techniques. This album, in other words.
It's really pleasant. The melodies, both the vocal lines and some of the synth lines that accompany them, range from decent to great. The singer is awesome, especially when he enters the deep end of his register.
2/5. A perfectly fine country rock pop album.
Solid musicianship, mostly standard country rock arrangement with some curveballs thrown every now and then. Emmylou has a regal voice, and she uses it well. There are some really pretty songs on here: "Tragedy" and "J'ai fait tout" come to mind, but as a whole the album doesn't really feel like anything special. Won't revisit a single song.
4/5. I think this can be a tough listen outside of the major singles for the average person — but for those who like this type of music, it's probably an outstanding album.
My read on it is this is a couple of extremely talented dweebs having fun. It's a fun and competent album, oftentimes purposely ridiculous and silly.
Naturally we have to talk about "Tainted Love," a legendary cover. It's punchy, dramatic, and keeps attention the whole way through. The bass double stops provide chills even on repeated listens. "Where Did Our Love Go?" is the other knockout here, and although not as hard hitting as "Tainted," it's just as timeless. It has a jaunty quality that is very much welcome considering the otherwise frenetic and aggressive nature of the album.
But there's other good stuff here. "Youth" is haunting and beautiful. "Sex Dwarf" has a sinister chord progression and has a sick synth riff (I'm pretty sure it's a synth — I'm referring to the theremin sounding ooos that follow verses) throughout. You get lifting vocal melodies backed by churchlike synths, expressive vocals, and creative synth all the way through the album, and it never gets old despite safely staying within the synth pop guardrails.
There's so much amazing stuff here — there's constant flashes of untamed brilliance. That untamed qualifier is a double-edged sword: Soft Cell appears to have put no limits on this album, trying everything they wanted to, whether it was old hat or cutting edge. I feel it would've benefited from some a stronger vision, or perhaps a more ruthless and destructive producer that might've cut or lessened some of the more madcap and distracting pieces in the album. But overall? It's great. A worthwhile listen for sure.
3/5. If you like blues rock, you'll dig the album. If you don't care for it, you'll probably enjoy at least one song (i.e. "La Grange") but otherwise find the rest just listenable.
ZZ Top is one of the finest purveyors of listenable blues rock. Kings of the call-and-response method, they put tasty riff after tasty riff down with juicy solo after juicy solo to cut it all up. The vocals are well done, and range from chill to expressive.
That said, the album is not particularly impressive outside of a few moments. "La Grange," is a Guitar Hero song through and through, and it still shines today, but the rest is fairly standard for blue rock and lacks anything to keep you coming back.
3/5. If you like jamming, I think this album is closer to a 4 than a 3. If you don't, it's a 3, maybe even a 2. Most people don't like jamming, in my experience.
As a guitarist who does, what I'll say is that this album is pretty damn decent. The tone, the song selection, the tightness of the band as a whole; everything is executed really well here. That said, there are better jam albums out there, and I severely doubt this will hold any sort of appeal to the average person.
4/5. This is a really lovely album and has a lot for those who enjoy the genre. Really not much to say, it's a near perfect execution of salsa. The disco influence at the start is excellent.
3/5. I think there's a decent amount of things to recommend this album. There's some lovely melodies and arrangements here, and the singing is this great opera-tinged pop style. That said, the genre is best known for it's lyricism, which will be lost on non-francophones (I am one).
The one other pleasant side to this music is it's not like listening to early Bob Dylan as a non-anglophone — in that case, some of the music would not be good enough to justify the rough singing. The music stands on its own.
1/5. Proto-sadboy music that tries to compensate for meh compositions/lyrics by overselling the emotional aspect of it all.
Singing is unenjoyable, lyricism is unimpressive, melody and harmony are unremarkable, and some of the arrangements are god awful.
It's lazy, its lame, you could easily forgo listening to this before you die.
5/5. An astonishingly good album all around, but may not appeal to everyone. That said, if someone enjoys the genre, I think it's a must.
Some of the beats are extremely good — Kanye has always had a gift for writing and arranging brilliant hooks to sing/speak over, and this album is absolute proof of that.
The cast he gets to feature on this album is absurd — Jay-Z is perhaps the most impressive name, and there is so much other talent here. Twista, J. Ivy, Ludacris, the names go on. And they're all so well-placed.
And the songs — the album is cohesive the whole way through, there really isn't a single bad song, and there are plenty of excellent ones. "All Falls Down," "Never Let Me Down," "Breathe In Breathe Out," "Two Words," "Jesus Walks;" honestly it would just be easier to say what's *not* brilliant.
The worst thing I can say for the album is Kanye is not a particularly impressive rapper in his own right — he handles himself well but his bag of tricks gets exhausted pretty quickly. But he knows this. He leans into his musical talent, willingness to tackle sacred cows in the genre, and skill as a producer, and those more than take care of his rather average ability as a rapper.
A fantastic work.
5/5. Incredible album. Concept, execution, and production are all on point. Absolutely worth a full listen or two.
2/5. This is easy listening, but it's honestly not all that special.
It is interesting to know that this album spawned several well-performing songs beyond the famous "Take It Easy." After listening through, I can see why that song is the sole survivor: a lot of the album is subdued (relatively speaking; "Take It Easy" isn't exactly raucous, so to go mellower is quite a step to take). It kinda reminds me of an evolved cowboy pop: twangy guitar are strumming and meting out sharp lead accompaniment, simple melodies augmented with other vocalists at the right moments. Everything is competent, but so much of it is forgettable.
I'm more familiar with later albums and know that the band put out some downright legendary songs. A lot of the skill and care for their craft is still present here in their debut, but it apparently took a while for their true talent to show. Not a bad album, but I won't likely return to it in the future.
2/5. I'm more familiar with their later work, and goodness, they've improved since their debut. Their distinctive sound is still here, albeit often covered up by the trappings of other genres. Some of the songs have this rockabilly style to them, which were a shock to hear listening to their later material. The guitarist is excellent — some of the solos are really solid. The singer, whose voice is generally outstanding, is all over the place here. Sometimes you get later KoL, smoothe but defined pop vocals; others you get him purposely throwing some grit and screaming in. The latter bits are not good.
There's definitely some decent songs here, but not worth a revisit.
4/5. A great swamp rock album. CCR is a remarkable band. They do so much with relatively little in the way of instrumentation, and Fogerty's vocals are in a class of their own.
There's a few songs on here that have serious staying power, like "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," and "Good Golly Miss Molly," but the rest of it is great too. It's not CCR's best album, but it's a damn good one and worth a listen or two.
4/5. Excellent album, a real treat, and a reminder on why I am going through 30m — 120m of quasi-random album listening every weekday. If you enjoy prog rock, this album is a must. It's fun, exciting, and technically masterful, all the best parts of the genre.
I wasn't familiar with Queen's non-hits, and goddamn, I wish I knew about this album sooner. May and Mercury are obvious callouts, and I have to focus on them. They're on point throughout the entirety of the album. May is one of the finest guitarists of his generation, both in terms of technical skill and creativity, and he's absolutely killing it here. Mercury's iconic vocals, overdubbed here in true Queen fashion, are fantastic.
1/5. Perhaps only listenable if you're a musicologist or anthropologist. A herald of the multiple-layers-of-irony attitude that infested American media for much of the 2010s.
Vile and insincere lyricism, unimpressive music, and corporate shock marketing is here in full force. That's all that's here.
3/5. It's a decent album. They went way too hard with the synthesizer, and the lead vocalist would've done better if he didn't rely so much on the same set of tricks over and over. The songs are good though, and all the covers pay homage to the creators while making something unique and interesting. Most people will find at least one or two songs on here worthwhile.
2/5. This is an odd album that I think will clash with the average listener, but there's some gold here. It ping pongs from amazing to tiresome to obnoxious moments. It's really crazy how varied the sounds are. Some songs are pure noise with little artistry or thought behind them, and others show a real mastery over their instruments/production. Some vocals are absolute dynamite, and others are ugly and cringe inducing. Lyricism ranges from "why did you write this" to brilliant. It's just all over the place.
It's a more artsy album than most will listen to, but I think it's worth a try. Ideally when you can sit down and truly focus on it — the amazing moments really are amazing, and you can overlook the painful and cringey stuff, albeit with effort.
