Knew this one well, fun to revisit! High highs but the filler is very filler-y. Nostalgic and classic, but of a time and rightly overshadowed by where they went afterward.
I was a little unfamiliar with some of the deepest tracks, which are much weirder than one would think from the record's hits. Put this in a category with Bob Marley's Exodus, a weirder/vibier Side 1 and a parade of classics on Side 2. A mature and daring swan-song. Really really good!
Love! Incredible classic. Know it like the back of my hand! But still prefer De La Soul Is Dead.
Had this on CD, but didn't listen to it too many times. Really enjoyed this listen. Cool guest appearances and fun to remember when Kanye was just an innovative producer. His verse is great on They Say.
More groovy and less song-oriented, but this is cool, looking forward to giving it some more spins. Less enamored with Side 2 (especially the 11 minute song about doodoo) than Side 1. I can hear the influence on Fishbone, including the approach to song titles.
Didn't know this one as well as Funeral or The Suburbs, but much like with Funeral, I mostly prefer the singles to the deep tracks. The Suburbs is an absolute masterpiece and for my money their crowning achievement.
Seeing Elliott live at NYU and then wearing out XO were formative experiences for me, thus I've always been more into the lush arrangements of the major label output, so diving into the album right before that was fun. Great songs!
Like if Neil Diamond wrote Broadway songs with no hooks. Well-executed musicianship, I suppose, but I don’t get it.
Have always meant to dive a little deeper into their stuff, in general a fan of melodic 80s thrash. This was pretty fun at the gym. Really liked the title track, but mostly had hoped for a few more hooks.
Undoubtedly a big influence on some bands I really like, I've never made much of an effort with the Fall in the past, but I could see this growing on me with multiple listens. Gut of the Quantifier & the concurrent single Cruiser's Creek stood out and Paint Work is fascinating!
The sweet spot between punk band and arena behemoth. I'm old enough to find the former much more formative and interesting, but there's no denying the cultural impact of this record or the way it single-handedly solidified the band's iconic status. Hardly a wasted moment in this nearly hour-long collection of vitriol, vulnerability, and effortless pop hooks.
Have had this on vinyl since I started collecting back in college! A classic debut! Love love love!
Know it well, love it! Their best and one of the great examples of going bigger without losing idiosyncrasy.
Like Neon Bible, there are high highs, but I don't think it’s the masterpiece some make it out to be. That would be The Suburbs.
Mostly unfamiliar with Bragg’s work outside of the Mermaid Avenue collabs with Wilco, but saw him live once and he was great. A fun listen! This is the record with “There Is Power…” classic! Some tunes have a surprising chamber pop vibe.
Know it well! Half of it is classic stuff and such growth from the first record, but the filler is still pretty filler-y.
Like a lot of hip hop albums of the era, too long and full of skits and filler and a lot of the shock stuff is much harder to be entertained by now. Conservatives hated this at the time, liberals would hate it if it came out now! But there's no denying the skill, the innovation, the impact. The classic high points still slap. "Stan" hasn't lost an ounce of its power. As the deep cuts go, I really like "Drug Ballad."
One of my favorite bands and albums of all time! Fun to pay attention to one aspect, like the bass parts, or another that I haven't particularly before. Much more of a production than the captured sound of a raucous proto-punk band. Always love hearing Pete sing as much as he does here. Starts and finishes with all-timers!
I love this period of Miles and had never listened to the one that kicked it off. Beautiful and compelling, gonna be listening to this more and digging deeper into this era for sure!
Never heard this before, other than the couple of singles. I'm not sure I really like this band, even though I know I'm "supposed" to. Get It On is... fine and that's the best song here. Mostly boring, sometimes even annoying. I can see this possibly growing on me a little with more effort, but didn't grab me at the moment. Maybe all of the iconography sets expectations too high.
Love Cash, love these records! Curious that this is the one in the book, as I prefer the volumes that came before it. His last album, some powerful stuff on here.
The groundbreaking template. What turned out to be a brief era in terms of both the venue and this lineup of the band was thankfully captured for posterity. I just prefer the tighter songcraft of the following years.
Not at all unpleasant, but didn't grab me as hard as Steely Dan does on first listen.
I’ve never thought this kind of thing was for me and I’ve confirmed that I was correct.
