This is an album you can fall between the notes on and get lost. It's a true psychedelic experience: overly long, constantly morphing, with pockets of glossy fluff alongside glimpses of resonant, timeless themes and deep creative innovation.
There's no question that Electric Ladyland deserves its place in the pantheon of legendary 60's albums. It contains some all time classic anthems (Watchtower, Voodoo Child Slight Return), along with some hidden gems (Crosstown Traffic, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, 1983). It's also an album that could have benefitted from an editing pass on the track list. Songs like Little Miss Strange, Come On (Let the Good Times Roll), and Long Hot Summer Night, while not bad songs, divert away from the sound and motifs of the rest of the album; carefree dittys diluting a project that otherwise leans epic in scale.
One thing that struck me on this listen (I've heard this album many many times, funny that it's my first pull on the 1001 albums) is how masterfully emotive Jimi's vocals are. Obviously his guitar prowess is unchallenged, but I think his vocals have long been taken for granted. They're undeniably raw, powerfully expressive, and could never be mistaken for anyone else.
All said, this gets a 4 from me, it would be a 5 if not for the inconsistent tracks and meandering tendencies. It's really a 4.5, if we could do half steps.
This is a good album. It plays it straight down the middle and delivers a solid, consistently listenable experience. Petty has a distinctive voice and wrote some good songs, and while I don't think this is his best album, it has a couple classic tracks tucked away amongst the more standard album cuts. There's nothing groundbreaking here for the mid 1970's, but it's something you can safely put on for almost anyone without fear of offense, and get a taste of wholesome Americana rock. Probably best listened to while driving, smoking a Marlboro or two, and having a Bud. 3-3.5 for me.
Stone cold classic. By turns anthemic, twisty, gritty, and squonky, the tracks on this album combine to create a demanding experience that rewards close listening and suspension of disbelief.
Probably my favorite Zappa album alongside Apostrophe', though I haven't heard anywhere close to all of them. It checks a lot of boxes for me, and was formative in my music listening history. It's a solid 4.5 from me.
Superb album that sees Kendrick coming into his own as an artist. Like any good hip hop album, it's so densely layered with meaning and sounds that one listen hardly does it justice. I listened through twice today, and the second play definitely crystalized some things, as well as revealed an interesting feature of the album's narrative timeline (it's essentially an endless loop). As many of his projects do, this album sees Kendrick treading a careful balance of gritty gangsta bravado, cerebral introspection, and heady storytelling wrapped up in flawless production that blends live instrumentation and samples. The beats hit hard.
I missed this album when it first came out, but have been a fan of a number of his other projects and I'm glad I finally made the leap. 4.5/5.
My fifth album generated, and my first five star rating. One of those albums that's just an instant classic, with themes that reverberate loud and clear through the decades. Is his voice abrasive? Perhaps. Is the harmonica ear-piercing at times? Yeah, probably. Does this album contain some of the best American folk songs of all time? Absolutely. Undeniably prophetic songs that twist your ears and heart in unexpected ways, accomplished with super stripped down instrumentation, even for its time. Not even my favorite Dylan album, but still a 5/5 for sure.
This the first full Police album I've listened to, and I'd say it was about what I was expecting, given familiarity with their radio hits. The songs aren't bad, and the playing is good throughout, especially Stewart Copland's drumming, which has some interesting tempo changes and time signatures. For the most part, though, the album is a collection of glossy radio ballads with varying amounts of "world music" pastiche draped over top. I don't mean that as a bad thing necessarily, it's just not the most engaging listen to my ear.
There are a couple twists I wan't expecting, including "Mother" which feels like a fever dreaming Tom Waits doing some kind of proto-punk. I don't know anything about the band's history, but that track feels like a different band entirely, and I'm interested if there are more pockets of it on other Police albums.
Overall, it's a nice sounding record with ultimately forgettable songs. 3 from me.
I liked this album. I'm not familiar with a ton of punk beyond the Misfits and a couple more modern acts, so it's always good to expand my knowledge a bit. Nothing blew my socks off here, but I do enjoy when a punk band vocalist takes a kind of lounge singer approach.
My thing with punk is that it tends to be more of an expression of raw feeling, sometimes lacking in interesting musical ideas. There are some engaging moments here, but for the most part I wasn't swept away. 3/5 from me.
I almost bounced completely off this album based on the first couple of tracks, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because I ended up enjoying a lot of it. One of the only things that turns me off certain music is scream-y, unmusical vocals, and while this album has a fair amount of that, it's also got a lot of interesting stuff going on. Many of the tracks are on the long side, which allows them to open up into some really cool, hard, angular grooves that I was rocking out to.
Still not going to be one of my all timers, but overall I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. I can see why people love it. 3/5 from me.
