I found thid a tough one to score, but in the end I decided:
Historical significance 5
Personal enjoyment 3
Overall 4
Hendrix was undoubtedly a groundbreaking guitarist and hugely influential. But I didn't enjoy much of it. Tracks I do like (and didn't know before)
Gypsy Eyes
Burning of the Midnight Lamp, with its memorable riff played in unison on keyboard and guitar
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Really not my cup of tea.
The songs are OK and I'm familiar with the first five. But they're ruined by the sound recording IMO. It lacks clarity anf space between the instruments and there's a harshness anf density to the sound that makes it hard to listen to.
Over his career Bowie created some truly amazing music, especially in the 70s. I have copies of Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Pinups, Diamond Dogs, Low & Scary Monsters, all of which I would score 5 out of 5., Young Americans though, with Bowie trying to be a soul artist, doesn't work for me. If it wasn't for Fame, I might well have gone with a 3!
Irritating smug tongue-in-cheek tunes. No thanks.
It's a dark and poignant album, with Ian Curtis's real-life pain apparent on every track. The songs are powerful and the recording is excellent, with Martin Hannett's production emphasising the starkness of the songs. It's not something I want to listen to all that often, but it's a landmark album all the same.
Well recorded catchy tunes, but I don't like them
Poor songs, growling incoherent vocals. It sounds, aptly, like it was recorded in a cave. Worse than I expected.
Slick Michael Jackson-ish soul with big 80s production and mechanical drums. A bit reminiscent of the Eurythmics. To me, it's as dull as dishwater.
Queen at their peak. A rich and varied album with incredible musicianship throughout. Arguably some of the best guitar and vocals ever recorded. It's a long time since I listened to the whole album and hearing it now on a half-decent sound system, I'm amazed at how fresh and dynamic it still sounds.
I know this has its fans, but I just can't stand it.
Not really my thing. There are a couple of tracks I don't mind:
Starfish and Coffee
Strange Relationship
Xmas music that's not infuriating. If I have to hear festive music every year, then this will do fine.
Gritty guitar, with minimal processing. Vocals and drums to match. Songs are very simple and not particularly original. Simple predictable chord sequences & cliched delivery. I don't find it very exciting or interesting.
The Union Forever sounds promising to start with but doesn't really go anywhere.
Famously a band with no bassist, but I don't think adding one would have improved things much.
The sound quality is pretty good for a live 1956 recording, no doubt due to some digital enhancement. It's not really my kind of jazz, but Pt III Newport Up is quite good (the version on disc 1). All the lengthy spoken introductions are a bit annoying, but I do like the fact that there's a track called Riot Prevention, which consists of a just over a minute of noise from an unhappy crowd who've been told the show is over. This is then followed by a 9 min drum solo. Rock 'n' Roll! Or not.
Great songs and a great recording. Richard Butler's inimitable vocals are carried along by rock solid drums and bass. There's a lot of great interplay between the two guitars and sax which results in a rich variety of textures. The opening track is perhaps slightly weak, but after that it's all solid stuff, particularly the superb All of This and Nothing.
Not radical or groundbreaking and the title track overshadows the rest, but it's a well-performed and well-produced 70s rock album, with sound quality that puts a lot of 21st century recordings to shame.
Prior to this I knew nothing by Leonard Cohen except Hallelujah. I've heard his music referred to as depressing and I don't think this album is going to convince anyone otherwise. After forcing myself to endure three tracks, I decided to give his earlier work a try to see if that might give me a handle on things. Songs of Leonard Cohen from 1967 is certainly an easier listen. Still not for me though. OK, so I've ploughed on through the rest of YWID. Traveling Light and Steer Your Way are not bad. Sticking some Joy Division on now, though, to cheer myself up.
If it wasn't for Monkey's Gone to Heaven, which I really like, I'd have given this a 2. The rest of the album is pretty poor.
This may or may not be a great rap album. Unfortunately I'm supremely unqualified to make any kind of judgement about that. So my score is purely based on the strength of my urge to turn it off.
One-dimensional misogynistic posturing, replete with obscenities. And musically, it's of no interest to me.
I'm only familiar with the title track, but the rest sound pretty good too. Quality soul and a great recording too.
Favourite tracks:
La-la for You
So You're Leaving
A promising start to the first track, but around the halfway mark it just started to repeat a rather dull piano riff over and over. The rest of the album is similarly repetitive. Not the worst electronic dance music I suppose.
Least annoying track:
10th & Crenshaw
Neil Peart is renowned for his superb drumming and I can't argue with that. I've never been a fan of Geddy Lee's vocals, though or Rush's style of rock. The first 20 min track was a chore to get through. The rest was better, but still not particularly enjoyable.
The first three songs didn't do much for me, but then it picks up. These are all great:
Southern Man
Till the Morning Comes
Don't Let It Bring You Down
When You Dance...
Cripple Creek Ferry
I tried, but no.
An iconic album. It still sounds incredible to me 52 years after its release.
Muse have a very distinctive and powerful sound. There's a lot I do like about this, but Matt's voice can get a bit wearing and the songs don't really speak to me. I'd also perhaps like it better if the recording had more space and clarity. It's very dense and quite muddy, even on the quieter songs.
Best Tracks
Assassin
City of Delusion - nice latin elements
Knights of Cydonia
There's something about Van Morrison's voice that grates on me, so I really just don't like this.
Clearer a talented singer and I love You're So Vain but most of the songs on this are very sparse and maudlin. I enjoyed Carey, California and This Flight Tonight, but the rest were not for me.
