This album is a classic, perhaps, Peter Gabriel's most well known album. Peter Gabriel is a master craftsman working with top-notch musicians to create a masterpiece. The only thing keeping this from being a 5 are two songs I'd skip toward the end: "We Do What We're Told" and "This is the Picture." Every other song is still a delightful surprise. Just listening to the bass lines alone, gives insight into song structure.
The bass slaps all through the album. The opener, "Good Times," should be on every dance party playlist. Top-notch musicianship all the way through. Disco was unfairly maligned back in the '70s.
Some great songs: Heaven, Life During Wartime. Tina Weymouth's bass lines contribute so much to the songs. There are a few skips here.
Classic teenage angst. So many memories of singing this entire album on long car rides.
The technical chops to play metal at this level are completely insane.
The guitar solos sound like they are not part of the songs.
The songs all blend together as one.
I've never been a fan of Willie Nelson's voice, but his authenticity often makes up for it. The songs on this are solid and Willie is a national treasure.
Kinda hard to listen to an album that's not on your streaming service - listened to it on YouTube.
This is the sound of early rock & roll. I think we overlook how influential Fats Domino was.
Blueberry Hill is certainly a foundational song.
I enjoy discovering a band and album I have not heard of before. Have I been out of touch, or did this one escape my attention for a reason. (The year it was released I was the busy parent of a 1-year-old)
At first glance, it's a decent album. Probably one I would like with repeated exposure.
No stasnd out songs
A true classic that catapulted the Boss into superstardom. Listening to this record is to appreciate the rich storytelling he brings to his songs.
It's also interesting that the chorus to a song about a dispossessed Vietnam veteran could be stripped of its meaning by people who only hear "Born in the USA" as an anthem of pride.
The songs on this record are heartbreaking ("Downbound Train", the title track), full of desire ("I'm on Fire"), funny ("Darlington County," "Glory Days").
Great musicianship. It sounds like a relic of its era in the opening number with its heavy disco influence.
Not something I would have discovered on my own.
I rate this only through "Las Vegas Basement" where the original album ends.
A great album. I listened to this a lot in my college years in the 90s.
"Soldier Blue" is so pertinent at this moment in time with all of the atrocities ICE is committing.
Good variety in their songs. Nothing immediately stands out, but a solid effort.
When listening to music in a language you don't understand, you can either find a translation, learn the language or go with the vibes. Caetano Veloso has god some vibes. Great voice. The music, and the album cover are a product of its time, but it still holds up.
If they removed any attempt at singing this would be a halfway decent album. This is a product of its time and will hopefully stay there.
Tight songwriting. Well-told stories. Great voice. Everything a country record should be.
Not as incredible as "OK Computer" or "Kid A" but this album has some great songs:
Planet Telex
The Bends
High and Dry
Fake Plastic Trees
Just
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Typical late '90s alt-rock. Loud guitars, so-so singing. Nothing memorable.
I'd forgotten how many memorable songs were on this album. The Cars were a pretty solid band.
Kate Bush needs to be listened to multiple times. Her songs diverge from what you think a pop song is supposed to be. She's a true pioneer of the artform.
Bowie was never complacent. He would often explore new territories and personas with each album.
The ending jam on this album is phenomenal. Had to listen on YouTube unfortunately.
This could be an album I could really get into with repeated listening. I like the interplay of the instruments, particularly the traditional sounds.
This is a delightful surprise. I only knew of Youssou N'Dour from the Peter Gabriel song "Shaking the Tree." The music and the rhythms are excellent.
I'm not the best judge at evaluating what is "good" rap. Sure, I have my preferences, but rap is not a genre I ever fully committed to. That said, evaluating a rap album seems anathema to me. Knowing that Illmatic is not necessarily the style of music I would listen to, how should I judge it? Lyrical fluidity: the best rappers can amaze you with their rhyme schemes. Nas scores highly here. Choice of music: again this scores highly here. Window into an experience removed from my own: again, scores highly.
Led Zeppelin was one of my favorite bands in high school. When I started playing guitar I wanted to play like Jimmy Page. Zep II is a true classic and often considered the "heaviest" Led Zeppelin album. John Paul Jones is so underrated: the bass lines add so much depth to songs like "What Is And What Should Never Be," "Living Loving Maid," and "Ramble On." This album has everything a teenage boy could want: sex, Lord of the Rings references, sloppy guitar solos, killer riffs, and utter bombast.
A true disappointment. The Casio-like synth arrangements sound incredibly dated. When You See A Chance and Night Train are great songs. The rest grew on me upon a second listen. Except for Dust, which is a treacly way to end an album. I'd love to hear these songs played with a real piano or Hammond B3 organ.
Talking Heads is a band I want to, but just can't quite, love. They have a catalog of great songs. This album got better with a second listen. The musicianship is fantastic. Tina Weymouth is an underrated bass player; she adds so much depth to these songs.
Everything in it's right place here. An absolute masterpiece.
When I want to get an earworm stuck in my spouse's head, "Karma Chameleon" is my go-to track. It's such a well-crafted pop song. I'm old enough (b. 1972) to remember when Culture Club burst onto the scene. Boy George's cross-dressing queerness was anathema to an era of hyper-masculinity. In many ways he paved a path for, if not acceptance, then visibility. Mostly passable pop; nothing spectacular.
Kids has a memorable hook. Other than that, this is pretty forgettable.
The best live albums and best concerts aren't note for note recreations of an artist's catalog. They reimagine the songs and explore the possibilities of the music. Sometimes that disappoints fans who go to the concert expecting the hits, or people who like "songs" but don't really care about "music." Made in Japan is an epic exploration of music that transcends the actual "songs" in Deep Purple's catalog.
When do we separate the art from the artist? How could the person responsible for this sublime record be such a contemptible jerk? There isn't a skip on this record and every song is the work of a craftsman in peak form.
Pure classic. The production, the songs, the cultural impact.
Nothing special. Listenable rock. It occurs to me that someone could write speculative fiction about a world in which the brothers Gallagher had murdered each other before becoming famous, but then the only change in this world is that Oasis would not exist. Everything else would be the same, and no one would be aware of a giant void in their life.
There is no denying the outsized cultural impact of this album. When the "Thriller" video was released on MTV it was an event. Michael went from a superstar to a mega super star. The good songs on this record are good. There are some forgettable tracks, but the Michael Jackson phenomenon was more than just the music: it was the whole aesthetic.
My first experience with The Pogues was seeing them open for U2 on the Joshua Tree stadium tour in 1987. Shane McGowan had bad teeth and swigged from a bottle between shouting incomprehensible lyrics. Traditional Irish music with an edge that tells a story. The music tends to run together.
Abrasive for the sake of being abrasive. It has its moments, but seems to revel in irritating the listener.
Perhaps my favorite Beatles album. This album that proved to the Beatles they could get away with anything. A transition between the pure pop of the early years, and the more experimental records to follow. So many great songs on this one, and one of the best closing songs of all time ("Tomorrow Never Knows"). I often wonder how fans of the Beatles viewed this album. Were they repulsed at first? Or did they go along with it? Every song feels like a different experiment.
This has not aged well. I used to listen to this quite a bit back when it came out. I can't believe I used to think I liked it. Everything sounds like mud: the mix, the vocals, the lyrics. Even the cover leaves a lot to be desired. "The Rooster" and "Would?" are this album's saving graces, but they aren't enough to overcome the unrelenting sameness of the other tracks.
