This sounds exactly like you want it to. Solid gold soul with R&B roots. An all time great voice in the prime of his talent with a stellar backing band, Booker T & the MG’s with Issac Hayes on piano. It’s all good but the highlights for me are the more pared down, slow jam affairs that end both sides. Side one closes with the now classic Redding penned I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, and the album closes with the incredibly plaintive You Don’t Miss Your Water. Despite having such an accomplished band, it’s these musically simple songs with great vocals that really let Otis shine and shows just how truly compelling his voice is by itself. Of course it has to be said that Aretha did it better when it comes to asking for some Respect, but the Stones can’t get no Satisfaction compared to Otis’s version here. All in all a masterful example of the genre. Giving it a 9 out of 10 only because even an exceptional genre piece like this cannot to me fully embody the concept of a perfect album when it’s mostly covers. It’s an awesome set. Not a 10.
I have a strong association with this album. My family used to listen to this all the time. And there’s also Running On Empty, a movie with (I think) River Phoenix, that had a huge impact on me as a kid. At the end of the movie there is a very emotional sequence that is scored with Into The Mystic from this album. “I wanna hear it. I don’t have to fear and I wanna rock your Gypsy soul…com on girl” transcendent horns. Beautiful. But the tracks that I was less familiar with don’t always succeed here and sometimes come across as a fine example of music which could easily be parodied.
It’s amazing how a couple of decades can make a protest record against the “establishment” seem like a bunch of callow and insincere millionaires whinging. Maybe it’s the promise this music held to a young man that someone was out there fighting the man and saying the inflammatory things that drove our fantasies of a better tomorrow. A promise that feel more fraudulent as you age because you discover that everything is “the man” and you are a part of the establishment by proxy no matter what you think or hate. There are hits here, Keep The Car Running, Ocean of Noise, that stand the test of time, but others fall short. Having been rent from the naive energy that drives them they seem overwrought and ultimately silly at times. Also one has to consider the band’s own opus when gauging this album and though better than some of the later outings, this is no Funeral and we’re the poorer for it.
Well I’ll start by saying that I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would going into it. Of course I’ve suffered the obligatory but brief fascination with Bob Marley’s Legend album that seems to possess many a young white man when they discover weed. Otherwise I find the reggae to be pretty generally bereft of ideas and rather childish. This album shows a surprising amount of range within the genre and the songs seem fresh and fun. It’s an album to be enjoyed under an umbrella on a beach with an adult beverage. Unfortunately though I’m not much for the beach…or reggae for that matter.
These guys wrote the book on riff rock and this is for sure their consummate outing. The rhythm guitar sound is iconic rock and roll and the tightness of the rhythm section is remarkable. And this is one of the best selling albums of all time having spent a stint on the charts that rivals Thriller. What can that possibly mean? Most people are idiots. Nah there’s something undeniable here for the straight forward rock fan. That’s just not what I am. Also “Let Me Put My Love Into You”?! Real subtle guys.
Wow! This is by far the sleeper hit so far. I remember this album coming out and being enamored of the single Take Me Out like everyone else at the time (it has over a billion streams on Spotify). But I also recall listening to the rest of the album and being frankly unimpressed. How wrong I was. Not only is this an excellent guitar rock extravaganza but I surprised to find that I now knew a lot of these tunes. It seems that in the intervening time since its release this album’s songs has been gaining traction in the zeitgeist. In this case, I’m glad to admit that I was wrong and happy to have found another audio gem to listen to.
Found this very soothing to have on in the background while working. The artistry is apparent and the scales used are exotic and interesting. But I don’t imagine myself needing to revisit it as I would a great album.
Surprisingly fresh and relatable for a fifty year old Afro-Brazilian record. Very enjoyable but it lost a star because many songs have someone yelping or making a sound like pulling a straw in and out of a McDonald’s cup. I found it very irritating and distracting. I’m sure it’s traditional AF but I hate it.
This is a fine example of a style of music that I don’t find especially moving or interesting. SZA is well respected in this genre and has worked with several artists that I respect and enjoy, like Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino, but I can’t say I found her superlative to others in this category.
Just awful. Such a surprising let down by an artist I truly respect. The first half, the acoustic side, sounds like any a collection of any post Peter Paul and Mary folk tunes about nothing in particular and I’ve spent a lifetime as a musician and listener trying to avoid exactly the sort of pointless rock & roll epitomized by the electric b-side. I will do everything in my power to never listen to another bar of music from this album ever again.
A solid album for PJ. It shows both the grit and the songwriting chops that make her great. However I’m not a fan of the way the guitars are produced. A little too slick to handle the bigger guitar parts that anchor some of the songs. It it is effective on some of the songs which bear more production weight like A Place Called Home and Beautiful Feeling but less so with material like the opening track.
One of my all time favorites. Hot on the heels of the breakup of his hit duo, Paul establishes the world music and eclectic influences that would mark his solo career while still being rooted in the songwriting sensibilities that made Simon & Garfunkel successful.
A million perfectly played notes. A fine example of the genre which encompasses smoky bar piano jazz. Have to say though I was only dimly aware of its completion when Spotify started playing other jazz albums.
I’m as unmoved by this album as I was when I was 16. The ubiquitous There She Goes was a long time hit on “alternative” radio and was the bane of my existence when it was continuously featured on MTV’s 120 Minutes which was the outlet through which I found new music. When one of my friends, also regular 120 Minutes watchers, inevitably got the album, I gave it one listen and dismissed it. My reaction is much the same now.
This is gonna date me. There was a time before this when the only entertainment I could muster for the frequent long drives I took was a box of old cassettes whose contents seldom changed or grew. In this box was Tears Roll Down, the first Tears For Fears greatest hits compilation, that I bought from a gas station checkout line. I knew and loved the well known singles (most of which come from the album being reviewed here). But I found the other songs at times challenging to like. Given time though and infinite replays, I came to cherish all of the songs. What I didn’t know at the time was that over half the songs from Songs from the Big Chair were on there. This is a nearly flawless album. All of the songs are it could be hits. There is thematic cohesion, incredible production, and tons of songwriting nuance. Love it.
This album will always hold a special place in my heart. This came out when i was 11 and it reminds me of Friday nights at the roller rink, drinking suicides and playing Donkey Kong 3. And the rhythm guitar on Panama is still one of my favorite guitar parts of all time. However besides the singles this album doesn’t have much more to offer. EVH though heralded as one of rock’s greatest guitarist is shamelessly self-indulgent as a lead guitar player and most of the band besides the bass player seem to revel in this same indulgence. For the memories it gets an extra star.
Even in the heyday of my obsession with The Cure this album was a bit much for me. Its relentless mood and full dedication to an aesthetic make it remarkable and one of the most thematically consistent Cure albums. However if you’re not invested by the first song, it’s unlikely that’s full listen will change your mind. Personally I like my maudlin with a dash of pop and melody.
I’m glad that this exists but it’s a difficult listen for the most part. It’s an amazing technical achievement and definitely defies all expectation of what an album comprised of only voices can be. This is not a cappella music as you think of it. But ultimately I found it at times unpleasant and unsatisfying.
mudpie - “ That was quite a double turd that Jagger and co. collectively shat out. I don’t understand why a single song on that record even exists. Can you imagine that there are people to whom that album is very dear? Really, each song was more pointless, boring, and sloppy than the one before it.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
It must be an incredible feeling to approach an instrument completely unfettered by anything save your own imagination. While this consummate ability may cause you to shit out a goofy, Django Reinhardt-style ditty like The Clap (and then name the composition after a venereal disease), it certainly leads to other gems here. Free of some of the excess that can mark the more didactic offerings of the genre and Yes’s own discography. There are some great rock jams, Starship Troopers pt2, and some, for lack of a better word, poppier tunes, All Good People. On the whole though it doesn’t beg me to relisten to it.
This is gonna be controversial but Low is not my favorite Bowie album. I appreciate the artistry and the choice of a world famous singer to put out a very instrumentally focused album. But the cumulative effect is a soundtrack for a movie that never was. The set of songs lacks the storytelling that underpins much of Bowie’s catalog. All in all a technical and artistic achievement to be sure but not a very compelling listen to me.
Post-goth and pre-punk, I was a bit of a metalhead. Even then I despised Megadeth. Dave Mustaine’s faux operatic nasal drivel is more than I can bear or take seriously. While I respect some of the musicality of this record in a purely technical way, it’s too silly to even bang you head to post ironically. I definitely laughed out loud more than once.
Mostly harmless. It’s lush and beautiful and I’m somewhat glad it exists. It even grabbed me a couple of times, like The Ocean’s glorious guitar climax or the haunting Last Orders. The exaggerated cowboy songs weren’t particularly up my liking but an overall decent listen.
There is an otherworldly texture that Fleetwood Mac is privy to that defies all sense. Songs like Sara achieve that quality. They are haunting and incredibly compelling. Others are not. Mostly everything that Lyndsey Buckingham takes lead vocal on has an unfortunate stink I’d call boogie-woogie and we’re the poorer for it.
I’m not super-familiar with Fiona’s catalog but this offering certainly demonstrates a wholly unique songwriting technique. For at least the first third of album this technique is hard understand and not particularly fun to listen to. After this opening salvo the songs become a little easier to digest while maintaining a similar aesthetic. All told this makes for a somewhat unbalanced listening experience.
I like a rap album that has a strong stylistic musical voice as this certainly does. Unfortunately I don’t think the performer was able to pull off raps with as much character and nuance as the backing tracks demonstrate.
Her voice is beautiful, the performances compelling, the songwriting on point…but I just don’t like this album.
mudpie: “This album was an absolute celebration of all the very worst aspects of 80s music production.”
me: “The songs on this album barely exist.”
Truly unbearable.
I think this is what rap is supposed to sound like. Easy Coast 90’s hip hop at its absolute finest. Found drum loops, musical samples, scratching, and a flurry of words, ideas, and expletives interwoven. A hook here or there but no real push to make pop songs. And the artistry of Nas’ flows are obviously dripping with talent. He has so much to say in every song. The stories are real and compelling. An undeniable Rap Hall Of Fame inductee on this effort alone. I dock it one point because the production is pretty typical. There’s nothing groundbreaking in the beats and they starve for differentiation.
This is proto-everything-I-love… but I don’t connect to it. I honestly don’t know why. Maybe it was just not the moment for me to hear it? Maybe it was the vocals? They’re eclectic and unique. I usually like that, right? Who knows. It just wasn’t for me but I respect it in the pantheon of music.
There are two Elliott Smith albums that mean a lot to me. This isn’t one of them. His masterful songwriting and sonorous voice are in full effect here, but it lacks much deviation from his typical style besides being a bit more produced. I was honestly left with more of a desire to go back and listen to the two albums of his I really love than to revisit this one.
This was my mother’s favorite album. I knew she loved Joni Mitchell and that we listened to her a lot in our house. But I didn’t know this was THE album until I heard the first few notes of the opening song. Then countless evenings of hanging out with my parents after dinner while they drank toddies and listened to this album flooded back from my memory. I began weeping and didn’t stop until the album was done. I cannot express the singularity of moment that I experienced driving into the winter sunset listening to River, my mom’s favorite song from this album, while sobbing, form missing her, from missing that time, the simplicity, the joy, the sorrow. It was everything. I will never forget this album.
My first reaction to seeing this selection, “Led Zeppelin! Yes!…three?!?! Why?!”, and I stand by that assessment. Of all the incredible albums in their catalog they chose this one? Not the record-setting 4 or the solid 2 or my favorite Houses of the Holy or the impressive debut or really any other selection. This isn’t a bad album, messy in places, but not bad. It just isn’t their best in my opinion.
Masterful composition throughout and incredible tones from the keyboards of the day. He seems to use an auto wah or envelope filter in several songs that sculpts the attack and adds a bouncy, almost plucked sound that complements his intricate phrasing. A lot of the album is his fully detailed keyboard or piano part, drums, and voices. Some songs run long in the tooth, and I find his lyrics a little hard to take seriously. But generally a fun listen.
Hated it. The kind of honky tonk, blues, riff rock that I find most useless and self-indulgent on full blast for an hour. Smoke On The Water is such a cliche of the horrible first riff that a neophyte guitar player learns that when they started the song I thought it was a joke until I remembered that it was their horrible song. It’s just as awkward and unimpressive here as when you play it at home I assure you. The whole thing is truly a frenzy of notes without a single original idea.
This list has established a habit of including artists I like, but then choosing an album that I think is an inferior offering to other items in their bin. So it goes with this one. However in this relisten to an album I’d once written off, I can’t deny liking some bits far more than I remember. The bass player and I had a love affair throughout the album, and he knew all the right notes to play. Their most successful moments are the ones where they strip away all the songwriter-y parts leaving the deadly rhythm section and just the accentuating production pieces, a flute segue here, a splash of synth there. Then there’s Wayne’s signature delivery which, though teetering on the edge, often rings true to me. He seems earnest and that’s part of their schtick. I think this is intended to be music for (pseudo-)intelligent, progressive(-seeming) listeners, but they usually get there by playing and singing with recklessly juvenile earnestness. And it works…sometimes. I mostly believe them.
I was familiar with this artist from her radio hits, and frankly I was not looking forward to this. However I found a set of song more charming than they had a right to be. The songwriters and producers seemed to have found more interesting things of her to sing and she sings more interestingly. Her delivery is more breathy, nuanced, and dynamic than your typical pop singer and the production serves her style by being unobtrusive and allowing her to stretch out. The songs are minimal and pretty. All that’s to say though that it was only mediocre and not bad.
I’m not a huge Stevie fan and I’m unfamiliar with most of his catalog except Innervisions which was on this list, but I associate the sound of this album with his later work. The difference in these two records in both quality and style is so great that if his voice wasn’t familiar I would have attributed it to someone else entirely. While Innervisions epitomized funk jazz soul, very little of that is in evidence here. FFF is more a gospelized pop album of the sort that would eventually give us I Just Called To Say I Love You and other tripe. His approach to his instrument even seems to be different. In that album he approached the keys as the cornerstone to the song and managed to play a funky bass line, rhythm chords, and melody lines all at once in a flurry of notes. Accordingly it required less accompaniment since it cover so much ground. In this album, the keys are primarily used to play very simple chord based lines that need more added to the production to fill out the space. He’s like a keyboard player for a lounge singer here. All around a less successful outing than Innervisions and pretty disappointing.
This is the only Elton John album I like. I’ve never been a fan of his really but this one I like. There’s a lot more going on musically than in most of his catalog. But god is this album long. Not just time wise but the listening experience just feels long. By the end of disc 1 he’s pretty much said all he has to say, for the album and his career really. Then there’s a whole other album which includes the dreadful Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, possibly his worst song ever. Some self-editing would have made for a fine album.
I’m not 100% certain what I expected, but I’m 100% sure it was 20% better than that. First of all, for better or worse this is what a 5 million dollar record sounds like. It is sonically very clean and mixed perfectly for what it is. The low end is warm and present and the detail in the textures is clear even at low volumes. As far as the songs themselves I think I anticipated more songs like “Rocket”, modern R&B hip pop (sic), and less like “Haunted”, interesting and not purely centered on the vocals. I don’t think I’ll run to listen to this again in the near future but I’m glad to have listened to it.
From the first bar of the first song you know you’re in uncharted territory. Layered, syncopated rhythm guitars pulling off something akin to some vein of world music, new wave funk dub bass, groovy solid drum lines, and a front man just dripping with bravado who sings the only thing that can be sung over these tunes while remaining firmly rooted in his own unique style without being gimmicky. These songs are weird and thoroughly pretentious in a way, but they’re great. Maybe it’s exactly that weirdness that makes this so fresh and captivating. The songs never really change. There’s seldom to never a verse/chorus structure. The songs never really end either. They just groove off into the sunset to make way for the next experience. Adrian Belew’s guitar solos are bizarre and somehow always perfect. This is a masterful set of songs.
This put me in mind of music by an artist named George Winston that my parents use to listen to. I believe this style of music is rather pejoratively called New Age Jazz. Apparently there’s nothing new about it. The wiki talks gleefully about the “8 minute vamp in D major” or the “12 minute vamp in G and A”, and I think, “my god how boring!” And I wasn’t wrong. This isn’t a terrible album to have on in the background of a pleasant dinner party but it’s not music to pay attention to.
Meh. Mostly harmless. Some of the ideas are laughably dated (synth string stabs?!), and Janet does not have Michael’s instrument. Ultimately though I’d say the result is no worse than any decent early 90’s R&B/pop album. It may even have had something to do with defining that sound, but mostly I’m unmoved. Miss You Much is a high note in this otherwise mediocre affair.
Fucking hated every moment of it, and it deserves no more of my time. Ever.
They have all the right moves for a modern indie rock band, but I find them unbelievable. There’s no real soul and I’m not convinced they really had anything to say.
This album holds up very well. The sound is at once wholly Portishead and completely different from the sound they pioneered in their first 2 albums. Their sense of mood and longing and payoff are unparalleled. I think Adrian Utley’s approach to guitar might be in my top five personal influences.
