y'all ever put this on with The Wizard of Oz??
gimme the kinks any day over this. there were a couple songs that stood out, but the rest feels like a product of the era.
first VU LP without John Cale, so the melodic sensibilities come more to the forefront here. you also get vocal turns from Doug Yule on the opening track and from Mo Tucker on the closer track, and they both crush. "What Goes On" is one of the all time greatest rhythm jams, especially their live recordings from other releases (notably the version from The Matrix Tapes).
This gets 4 stars due to the first half of the record. I could do without the lower tempo tracks, but the psychedelic aspects to this grunge record help it stand out above the rest. I'm also typically not a big fan of "showy" vocals, but Chris Cornell hard to deny on his performances here. "Black Hole Sun" itself is massively overrated and exists alongside other 90s singles that were/are popular but straggle behind the other songs on the album (see also: Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" and Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm").
they're all great players and I'm sure there's a lot to appreciate about this record. it's not something I'll circle back to but would be easy to put on to provide some sound in most polite environments.
my first time listening to this. I'm fairly neutral on DC hardcore in general (I prefer the Minneapolis strains). still, I appreciate music that gets to the point quickly and then moves on. I enjoyed this record more in its second half.
tension and menace coursing through the music and the vocals from start to finish. fuck yeah
endlessly gorgeous. you know when you see Dave Fridmann in the credits that you're in for an incredible headphones experience. these basslines rip.
the inclusion of this album raises significant questions about the creation of this list. what about this album qualifies it as music that I must hear before I die?? especially considering the wealth of alternatives in this genre that relegate The Offspring to lower tier?
I didn’t think this record was bad, but it doesn’t introduce anything new, nor does it push existing sounds to exciting new places. run-of-the-mill.
my first time listening to this straight through. I've heard some of these songs before, either by The Band or other groups covering them (most recently I saw MJ Lenderman cover "Long Black Veil" in Chicago a couple years ago).
strong songwriting here, tho I have to set aside everything else I'm doing to really pick up on lyrics.
I was surprised how low tempo most of this was. these dudes were sad in the late '60s. would be nice to have more songs in the "Chest Fever" arena to mix things up a bit, but ah well.
stirring string arrangements and her voice enrapturing. not the type of music I throw on often // this was excellent in its own right.
dance music LPs can be tough. the genre is primarily created to be absorbed in a room with other people and volumes to the point where you feel the music resonate in your body, not just heard with your ears. there are some outstanding dance/electronic albums out there, but many don’t catch the essence of what’s being created. I saw The Chemical Brothers play a massive festival set in Belgium, and it was one of the most thrilling sets I had ever seen.
that said, this album is front-loaded and feels like some killer singles filled out with studio fodder. the approach to electronic music very emblematic of the late ‘90s.
I wish The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Underworld was here instead.
first time listening to this. been meaning to check out Steely Dan for a while now, if only to more fully appreciate the memes.
my reaction upon listening: aight then
abrasive and energetic, delivered with conviction. some of the tracks feel extraneous. with a select 15-20 min cut out it would feel more explosive.
clear masterpiece. so much wonder and genius packed into 37 min.
first time listening to this. I dug some of the early tracks but nothing in the second half of the record stood out to me. I enjoyed the sparseness and space amongst the instruments. some of these songs sounded like precursor to Taylor Swift (mix of songwriting and alto voice) — I don’t think I’ve met a Swiftie who’s also into Tori Amos or Joni Mitchell, despite there being plenty of parallels, which is kinda wild.
first time listening to this. I'm not huge into blues - much prefer to experience live than to listen to studio recordings.
I'm not familiar with the studio recordings of John Lee Hooker, but I can't imagine that this LP is his definitive album or even in the top 5. you can tell this was recorded in the late '80s -- awful studio sheen and everything feels sterilized within an inch of its life.
fun fact -- John Lee Hooker played his first live gigs at a now-closed bar a couple blocks from my house in Detroit (Apex Bar). apparently his song "Boom Boom" was written about the doorman at the bar.
first time listening to this. for as much incredible music that was made in the 90s, feels like the bar was pretty low for some of the more popular acts.
this one didn't resonate with me and I thought it was kinda boring tbh.
originally heard this record by receiving it as a record of the month thru Vinyl Me, Please (which used to be great but now is 100% scam).
very cool to listen to this compared to Jorge Ben Jorge’s earlier recordings. the rhythm section throughout is so much fun, and the group/backing vocals elevate these tracks to another level.
also did Rod Stewart rip off Taj Majal for Do Ya Think I’m Sexy???
first time listening thru but obviously have heard most of these songs before as they’ve been inescapable since release.
kinda enjoyed “I’ll Be Waiting”
powerhouse voice duh but I was surprised how underdeveloped some of the instruments / tracks felt.
this ended up being way more stylistically eclectic than I was expecting based off the single. doesn’t mean I enjoyed it, but good for them I guess?
there’s way better albums among the 3-5 genres they try to execute here and I’m sure we’ll experience some of those at some point (Scritti Politti? Prefab Sprout?). this album features a lot of what I find distasteful about a lot of popular music from the 1980s (emotive vocals drenched in cheap reverb, dinky production values, lazy approximation of music from the southern hemisphere).
some bangers on here for sure. excellent when the voice matches the repetition and impact of the production. doesn’t feel essential overall but still a great listen.
yoooo I liked this way more than I expected. I’ve heard Come On Eileen 5000 times before at bars and have fond cocaine come up memories on makeshift dance floors that come back when I hear it.
there’s a bunch of great songs on here — well played and well captured with a fair share of thrilling and earnest moments. I’m not familiar with any of the rest of their music but this has me intrigued.
