I really enjoyed listening to this album. As someone who hasn't listened to a lot of Blues in the past, I felt like was a great introduction, and the fact that it's a live album really adds to the energy and brings even more life to the music.
One of my all time favourites
One of the best punk albums - I find some punk albums can be fairly repetitive but this one kept things varied and interesting throughout. ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ is the obvious highlight, but ‘California Uber Alles’, ‘Let’s Lynch the Landlord’ and ‘Ill in the Head’ are also personal favourites.
My impression of Muse as a second-rate Radiohead isn’t really dispelled by this album, Matt Bellamy is still putting on his best Thom Yorke impression throughout. They seem to be heading in more of a pop direction though. I liked the first half better, particularly the opener and ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, and ‘Soldier’s Poem’ works well as a quieter, more reflective track amidst all the bombast. But I found it started to drag a bit in the second half and a lot of the music felt quite generic.
Possibly my favourite Rolling Stones album. The musicianship and songwriting throughout is incredible and the album is bookended by two of their finest songs in 'Sympathy for the Devil' and 'Salt of the Earth'. I'm also a big fan of 'No Expectations' and 'Stray Cat Blues'.
A good album, on balance I probably prefer What's the Story (Morning Glory) but there's plenty to enjoy here. 'Supersonic', 'Up In the Sky' and 'Married with Children' are my personal favourites.
The Smiths' swan song sees them branching out musically, with strings and keyboards playing a more prominent role. It works well, not least because the record contains some of their strongest songs, although these are mostly front-loaded into the first half. 'I've Started Something I Couldn't Finish' and 'Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before' might well be the finest songs the band ever made. The second half is less strong, however, which is why I'm giving this a 4 rather than a 5.
Went into this one blind as I was completely unfamiliar with Mike Ladd coming into this. I felt it was an interesting mix of hip hop and electronic music which worked well for the most part. The main highlights for me are ‘The Animist’ and ‘5000 Miles West of the Future’. I wasn’t immediately taken by it at first, but it grew on me the second time of listening. I suspect it might be one of those albums which rewards repeat listening, but at the moment I would give it a solid 3.
An album I really enjoyed. The opening track is the standout for me, although I also enjoy ‘Jet’ and ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five’ and have a soft spot for ‘Mamunia’. The references to earlier sections of the album on ‘Picasso’s Last Words’ gave the album a cyclical feel.
Almost a 5 but the middle few tracks didn’t have quite the same impact as the opening tracks and final few. Still, it’s a brilliant collection of songs. Outstanding songwriting and production that surprisingly doesn’t really feel dated in the same way a lot of 80s records do.
An album combining poppier melodies (like in the opener and ‘Silver Rocket’) balanced with plenty of abrasive guitars and longer improvised sections, that works really well. I enjoyed it throughout, although like many albums (especially double albums) it tended to lull a bit towards the end.
I really enjoyed the wider range of instrumentation on this record, with the use of strings and the folkier influences. While more obviously hard rock opener ‘Immmigrant Song’ is one of the best tracks, the more acoustic songs are among the strongest tracks here. I’m particularly fond of ‘Tangerine.’
As someone who’s still only really scratching the surface of jazz music, this was a good introduction to the more abstract side of it, as it didn’t just feel avant garde for the sake of being avant garde. I loved the overall feeling the album gave me.
This was a perfectly enjoyable album to listen to - though it didn't feel particularly innovative or original. It's 60s psychedelic-tinged folk rock, which was the style at the time. The songs I enjoyed best were the more jazz influenced tracks like 'Sunlight', 'Trillium' and album closer 'Ride the Wind'.
Nothing on this album is shocking, this is true, but there’s also not much that’s great or memorable either. Maybe with further listens it will grow on me, but for now it’s getting a 2.
A brilliant album, possibly the best of the britpop era. Jarvis Cocker’s talent for storytelling and character studies is fully in evidence here, and it’s backed up by lush instrumentation. There isn’t a bad or even mediocre song here. “Common People” and “Disco 2000” are the big hits, and deservedly so, but “Mis-Shapes”, “Something Changed” and “Live Bed Show” are the other highlights.
I’ve known this album for a long time, and have memories attached to it, which colours my perception of this album to a large degree. I think this is a great collection of songs, with opener ‘The Shining’ and ‘Camping Next to Water’ being favourites. At over an hour and with 18 tracks, there is a certain amount of what could be called filler, but that’s all part of the experience as far as I’m concerned.
This album represents a return to the blues rock style but it’s actually the more psychedelic tracks I’m drawn to on this album, “Waiting for the Sun” in particular. I’m also very fond of “Blue Sunday” and “Indian Summer.” Overall, a decent collection of tracks strong enough for a 4.
I really enjoyed this album - the storytelling and songwriting is at such a high level, especially considering she was 19 at the time of release. Great production too.
This album redeemed itself towards the end. The middle part in particular wasn’t great, with the rather tuneless vocals we hear throughout really starting to grate when combined with slower paced tracks. I was about ready to give it a 2. But then ‘Abernant 1984/5’ and ‘Last Dance’ came along - two faster-paced tracks sufficiently good to warrant this album a generous 3.
An enthralling mixture of indie, folk, and experimental music. Gorgeous melodies on songs like ‘While You Wait for the Others’. There’s very little to dislike about this album.
I enjoyed elements of this, it was very Beatles-y and there were some funk elements on some tracks, but I have to say there wasn’t a lot that stuck in my mind. ‘Mr. Cab Driver’ and the title track ‘Let Love Rule’ were the highlights.
There’s a lot to like about this album. The songwriting is great, and the grooves are still infectious, especially on tracks like ‘Brave and Strong’ and ‘Family Affair’. There aren’t as many obvious hits as there were on their previous album and they’ve shed some of their sixties optimism in favour of a darker sound which, although I prefer ‘Stand!’ overall, I think works very well indeed.
This is a strong 4 for me. The start of the album is excellent, especially the first four tracks. ‘Animal Nitrate’ might well be my favourite britpop song (though the band themselves hated the britpop label) ‘So Young’ and ‘Moving’ are also bangers and ‘She’s Not Dead’ has an ethereal beauty to it. The rest of the album, while still very good, didn’t grab me in quite the same way, which is why I’m giving this a 4 and not a 5.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this album. The varying styles of the songs kept the album interesting throughout its long run time. My three favourite tracks ‘Over and Over’, ‘That’s All for Everyone’ and the title track are all representative of different styles. That being said, it’s an album I like rather than love, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars.
A really good album. Going into this I was only familiar with the track ‘Alright’ which as it turns out is markedly different from much of the rest of the album! Much of the album is quite punky but combined with memorable pop melodies, a combination that’s right up my street.
This was a fascinating, intense album that is a lot to take in upon first listen. Bleak and uncompromising with dark lyrics matched with a ferocious energy that’s maintained over the 50 minute runtime. There isn’t really a bad song here and no song really outstays its welcome. Even the 6-minute ‘Intense Humming of Evil’ works well in further developing the dark feel of the album.
Of all Stevie Wonder’s classic period albums I would say this is his third best. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Innervisions of Songs in the Key of Life, but it’s still a brilliant collection of songs. ‘Superstition’ is deservedly the best known song on here, but the album contains plenty of other gems like ‘Tuesday Heartbreak’ and ‘I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will be Forever)’ Even as someone who’s usually less of a fan of ballads (of which there are quite a few on this album) I enjoy them when Stevie Wonder does them!
Their first album with Brian Eno as producer is a step up from an already good debut, with a range of brilliant well-crafted tracks. The musicianship is impeccable and tracks such as ‘Warning Sign’ and ‘Artists Only’ demonstrate Eno’s influence and serve as indication of the direction they take on the next two albums. Other highlights are the opener, ‘The Girl Wants to Be With the Girls’, and ‘Take Me to the River’. I didn’t love it quite as much as their next three which is why I’m not giving it the maximum 5 stars, but still a very strong 4.
This was all rather run-of-the-mill pop punk with nothing particularly original or engaging. The best track by a long way was ‘Come and Play’ which had a nice surf guitar riff, but other than that it felt like a rehash of what’s been done before, which is often a problem with newer punk releases.
