Much more Blues than rock and roll. Some of it fairly standard, some of it really well done. Not revolutionary, nothing mind-blowing, but really good. Sympathy For the Devil is the obvious exception, a perfect rock song that is just as good today as it was then. Also Jigsaw Puzzle, Factory Girl and Salt of the Earth were very good as well. Overall I didn't hate any of it, and I would listen to it again, which for an album is high praise for me.
I like U2, but this is not the most interesting album ever. Certainly is a great example of U2's sound sonically, but it feels less angry and spiritual than previous records. It also has the infamous line about a fish riding a bicycle, so that's not great either. Highlights are One and Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.
Boring, dull, whinging, take your pick, that's what this album is. It's not terrible, I was able to listen to it, but its just so bland and forgettable that I'll never return to it as an album.
There are only two songs I'll remember: God Put a Smile upon Your Face, which I quite liked, and The Scientist, which sounds like if a less talented Morrisey tried to bring U2s sound to one of Bono's more annoying tirades. Other than that, forgettable. Not bad, mind you, just forgettable. Which may be even worse than bad.
What a great first half of an album that finishes fantastically. The production is fantastic and Jackson's lyrics and singing is phenomenal and gives off pure boogie. You can't not dance to these songs.
That being said, Girlfriend goes on too long and is the least interesting production on the album. A lot of the songs in the second half are similar, with the exception of Burn This Disco Out.
Overall, an unimpeachable first half and ending mixed with less interesting and good songs in the second half. Highlights for me are Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough, Get on the Floor and Burn This Disco Out.
I forgot I listened to this album after my first listen. With the exception of the title track and (part of) the chorus of Life in the Fast Lane I had no memory of anything in the album. Guitar rifts, lyrics, production, nothing. I remembered thinking the songs were alright, nothing interesting but also nothing spectacular, and was shocked when the album finished because it went by surprisingly fast given the bloated length of much of the songs, and then... nothing. I forgot everything. During my second listening it felt like the first time I was listening to most of the songs. And even afterwards on that trip, I could barely remember anything from the album. I've never experienced that with... well anything before.
I don't know of this is a good album. It's not horrible, I can't say that. It's standard, nothing special. It is what people think of when they think of 70's rock. Typical of it's genre and it's constraints and tendencies. But the fact I can't recall anything specific, besides the first song, should mark this as a bad album, right? It has to right?
The album doesn't sound horrible, it's not in terrible taste. It just passes the time. It's 43 minutes of rock's elevator music. It will stop you from experiencing the upcoming and slow journey in pure emptiness. But hell you'll remember, or care, about what you just listened to. Highlights are Hotel California (though the cover by the Gypsy Kings is the best version of the song).
Great jazz-funk record that I will definitely return too. The mix of synthetic and classic instrumentals is amazing to listen to to this day. Only reason that it's not a 5 is that I'm not the biggest fan of the last track, which I don't thi know builds on the sound Hancock creates throughout the rest of the album. But still, an amazing record.
Amazing. Iconic. Derivative. These are the words I would use to describe Suede's self-titled album, and I don't use any of those words lightly.
Firstly, the album is fantastic. It's a fun album from top to bottom. Even the more serious and atmospheric songs were engaging in a way that most songs of that ilk aren't to me. I listened to it the whole day, both in bits and pieces and all together, and I never tired of it. The lyrics somehow avoid what I would expect from an album like this, in that while they are certainly self-aggrandizing it never becomes onanistic. There is a sense of honesty in the lyrics that a lot of Britpop (and music that's liked by a certain section of the male population that is both completely lads while trying to be somewhat intellectual) don't, and that goes a long way. Also the guitar rifts are absolutely fantastic.
Second, this is the album that jump-started Britpop mania. While Suede's contemporaries (Pulp, Blur, and of course Oasis) all achieved far more cultural cache in the 30 years since the craze ended, Suede did start the whole thing with this album. The success of those other artist's albums were entirely due to them, of course, but Suede and did start the whole thing, and that's worth something.
Now, with all that praise aside, the elephant in the room should probably be addressed. This album is incredibly derivative, to a degree I've never heard even amongst Britpop albums. It's Bowie does The Smiths, with rifts like a glam rock version of the Stone Roses. This album can only exist because of it's precursors, less in the "direct conversation" way that more unique pieces of music tend to be framed, and more in the "little brother becomes obsessed with the same bands that his older brother is so that he can seem cool" kind of way. And that brother really like The Cure. Suede's wears their inspiration on their sleeves, in giant neon letters, so if that's a problem this album is not for you. For me, though, I don't particularly care. But I understand if it is.
If you're looking for originality, this album is not it. While, again, it is far less fallacious than a lot of other acts of it's ilk, this is still a self-serving album that only exists because of the shadow Morrissey left on the UK music industry. If you like that and don't mind unoriginality, then this album is fantastic. I will definitely be returning to this album again in the near future. Highlights for me are So Young, Animal Nitrate, Moving, and The Drowners.
Bob Mould is one of the most important and underappreciated voices in alternative music, directly inspiring acts like The Pixies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and many more. The sound of his work has been the defining sound of alternative music since the 80s, and as such has an important place on a list like this. If you're interested in the history of this type of music, listening to him is a must.
Copper Wire feels like a response to the genre the world that Mould created, looking at the landscape and taking the parts that have been created by other artists and arranging them into something similar but new. The power punk sound that the album became the defining sound of alternative music afterwards. Even the parts that are obviously taken from grunge acts at the time are transformed into something that is more akin to Green Day, and certain songs from The Tragically Hip. Hell, in general much of this album precipitates the sounds of Canadian rock in the 90s and 2000s. It's a fun album with great guitar rifts and pop punk arrangements that is a breezy listen.
That doesn't make the album great, though. Most of the songs on the album you can hear a version of the same song but done better on other albums, both from the time and since. As well, the album turns away from the post-hardcore sound that made Mould's work so influential. It's a lot more clean than his other works, which makes it slightly less interesting.
It's a fine album, one that I enjoyed listening to from beginning to end. But there isn't a lot here that would enthused me to listen to it again. Mould has made much better albums (the fact that Zen Arcade is not on this list is baffling), and a lot of my enjoyment is centered on thr fact that I know and appreciate him. It's a fun album, if not highly original, that I may not listen to again but that wasn't a waste of time by any stretch. My highlights are Changes and Hoover Dam.
Queen is what I would call a "Singles band." They are best listened to one song at a time, or in a Playlist with their "greatest of." Doing that, you get nothing but arena rock hit after arena rock hit, guitar rifts and Mercury's charisma paving the way for a good time. If you don't, though, you're set to listen to a lot of fluff. Case in point, Sheer Heart Attack.
The best song off this album, Killer Queen, may be my favourite Queen song outside of Bohemian Rhapsody, and it's absolutely fantastic. There are other songs that are fun, like Brighton Rock and Now I'm Here, but I wouldn't say you have to listen to them. The rest of the songs are glam/arena rock that isn't particularly interesting to me. Arena rock really only works for me when it's at its best, and a lot of these songs are not. May's guitar rifts are great, but they aren't attached to anything I'd like to listen to again. And while Queen's audacity and pretention started on this album, it's ironic that I could have done with a little more. The sheer bombasity that Mercury and co are known for is missing from this album l, or rather wasn't developed fully until later. Also there are just some bad songs on here. In the Lap of the Gods is eyerolling, pretentious without the fun, and Bring Back Leroy Brown is actually funny in how bad it is.
That all being said, it is impressive how fun this is to listen to. I wouldn't say it's good, but I can understand why people enjoy it even if it wasn't for me. Also, an album that's about 30 minutes long should be commended whenever the chance arises. Not a good album, but one I don't regret listening to. Highlights are Killer Queen.
I was dreading this album. Not because I don't like Burce Spingsteen. I grew up on him, and have been a fan my whole life. The reason why I wasn't anticipating this is because this is his most popular album, and as such it gets overplayed and its also Spingsteen's least interesting album from this era. The use of synthesizers is makes it feel less real than Springsteen's ither albums from the time, and it also seems designed to be marketable. The lyrics are less soulful and poetic, and feels designed for mass appeal. Did I mention that these songs are overplayed? If I have to listen to Born in the USA on the radio one more time, I may actually set the station on fire, or at least that was my opinion back when I listened to the radio. As such, this was the least exciting album I could've listened to by Springsteen.
Now that I've listened to it, though, years after I moved countries and not from a world obsesses with his music? I can admit that it's a great album. The Boss, even when he's commercial, is still a great artist. The songs are fun to listen to, the E Street Band kills it as always, and I've even gained an appreciation for the most overplayed songs on this album (yes, even Born in the USA, which is an amazing song that unfortunately is so good that people play it ad infinitum). Even the songs I don't like as much are still good, just a wee bit boring. That is one great things about Springsteen: the man cant really make bad songs. Boring, absolutely, but truly bad I have yet to find one. And this album is mostly killer, great anthems about the problems that you have from being, well, Born in the USA.
This is Springsteen's most commercial album, both in terms of production and success. It's a fun album that is a great listen back to front, even if some of the songs feel to designed to be hits than his other songs do. But unfortunately Springsteen can write a killer hook and and they players still give you great killer rifts and drum beats to jam to. Special consideration to Clarence Clemons, whose saxophone rips are always a pleasure to listen to, and Danny Federici, whose piano backing gives so much weight to every song that he plays with The Boss. This is the standard for heartland rock, and if you're in the mood this is the album to listen to. Springsteen definitely mad better, but it's still a classic. Highlights include Bobby Jean, Glory Days, Dancing in the Dark, and, yes even despite of my notes from before, Born in the USA.
Due to the amount of different versions of this album, I will say that I listened to the 1991 American release of The White Room. If other versions of this album have a vastly different listening experience, cool, but this is the one I listened to.
Any rating of an album like this comes down to two question; 1) Do you like electronica music, and 2) Are you in the mood for electronica music? While I'm not the biggest fan of electronica, I know when it is good and can appreciate it, which I did while listening to The White Room. The problem is that at different times of the day when I was listening to it I was either very much in the mood and enjoying myself, or slogging through this album as a chore. But this is the problem with electronica as a whole I think. If I was getting ready to go to a club, this would be an absolute banger. But seeing as I hate clubs, haven't been to one in ages, and spent the whole day working, it's not the best environment to listen to an album like this.
As a result my review has to be middle of the road, only because my appreciation and fondness for this album is entirely dependent on if I am in the mood, more so than most other albums. If I'm in the mood, this is easily a 5/5. If not, it's a 1/5. So, I'll give it a 3/5 as a good middle ground for my feelings. If you're into electronica, though, this album is absolutely fantastic and a must listen to show it's origins in the UK. Also, that beat drop going from an excerpt of Justified and Ancient to What Time is Love? is an absolute masterclass is building and releasing tension. My highlights include 3 AM Eternal, and Last Train to Trancentral, the latter of which is the only song I'd listen to no matter what the situation was.
Psychedelic jam band with some really interesting jazz influences and some not so interesting prog behaviours. Honestly, on second listen to Facelift, I thought it was really interesting and well done, especially the second part of it. But overall my your mileage on this album with depend on how much you're able to deal with jazz and prog rock. I like jazz, but even for me 18 minute songs is a rough ask for anything but the best. And prog, well I like some songs but I am certainly not an aficionado. I've listened to some Yes and King Crimson, and Soft Machine they are not. Honestly you can jettison Moon in June entirely and I wouldn't miss it at all.
Overall, not great, though certainly not bad. It's just... tiring. It's not an easy album to get anyone to listen to a four song album that lasts almost an hour and a half. Maybe if I was in the mood for it I would have liked it more. The instrumentation after all is astounding. But that'll take a while to get back into the mood to listen to this again. The highlight is Facelift (though I have yet to decide whether to add it to my highlights playlist).
This is one of those albums that I was preparing for when I started this challenge and it did not disappoint.
In a Silent Way was released between two eras of Miles Davis' music. Not quite the standard but amazingly performed jazz that made him famous, and not yet in fully in his revolutionary era that truly began with Bitches Brew. As such, the album mixes both the jazz and jazz-fusion of both eras, stripping back the instrumentation that was normal for jazz albums in a way that is very daring even now to really question what jazz can be and do.
That may be boring for some, of course. After all the two songs on the album, Shh/Peaceful and In a Silent Way/It's About That Time are so stripped back that if you aren't ready for it, or if you don't care for jazz at all, will sound like the hold music your internet provider puts on to try and subtly convince you that you can't do better. And, to be frank, I'm not a jazz connoisseur, so it risked that for me as well. But as I kept listening to the album, and played it again and again, the genius of Davis' decisions becomes more and more apparent. Stripping back the arrangements and focusing on the rock influences that Davis became enamoured with emphasizes the key parts of the songs in a way that jazz rarely does, and in a form that jazz had barely began to dream about. It is truly engaging listen.
If you do decide to listen to this album, let me give you one piece of advice: listen to it more than once. That may be a tall order for an album that is essentially two 20 minute songs of experimentation, but it is worth it. While this is certainly not my favourite jazz album (I'm more partial to hard bop a la Art Blakey, an artist that should have been included in this list either for Moanin' or Ugetsu), it is an engaging album of someone who is figuring out where he wants to go. In this album we see the beginning of a turn that would be fully committed to in his next album, and it is a very rare thing to see an artist fully progress in a singular album.
If you're into jazz and it's history, listen to it. If you are interested in experimentation in different genres, listen to it. And if you aren't into jazz at all, or want to start to listen to it... don't. Or not yet if you're the latter. The album is two 20 minute songs of experimental jazz after all, so it's not exactly the most listener friendly of albums. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, or the works of John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Art Blakey are a much better place to start. But if you're up to the challenge, and have at least listened to a few jazz albums, this is a fantastic listen that will stay with you (and me) for a long time. Highlights include the whole album (two songs will do that for a highlight list).
Nothing much to say about this album other than I wished I liked it more. The instrumentation is smooth and good, Sade Adu is a fantastic singer, and the songs are good. Just... not great. Or maybe they are great, but it's just not for me. I would never say that this album is bad, and there is a lot to love here, but it's nothing I find incredibly interesting. I had a fine time listening to the album, but it's not fantastic and the chances of me re-listening to this album are slim to none. Good, but not great. The highlight for this album is Hang On to Your Love, which is a great song that is so well done.
God this album just works. Holiday near the end of her career and life has a voice that has lost all of it's lustre, but without all of that shine the true emotion and pain that she is singing about pierces through this record and into your ears. Maybe there are other versions of these songs sung by people whose voices are in better shape, but the pain and humanity that Holiday brings is completely unmatched. The big band backing is also fantastic, giving an ethereal backing as Holiday sings herself into her grave.
I really like this album, but even with all that is has it's flaws, mainly that it has the exact same sound throughout. That's normal for albums like this, where the artist is recording standards and songs from the Great American Songbook, but the lack of originality is noticeable throughout. As a result, this album is less what we would call an album today (i.e. a compilation of songs that create a story or feeling that is controlled tightly by the artist to give you a unique experience while you listen to it), and instead is just a collection of songs that the artist wanted to sing. As an album, it doesnàt really work because of that. But as a collection of songs it is great, and I will definitely be listening to it again. Just, one song at a time maybe, as by the end the tracks started to blend into each other. Highlights include I Get Along Without You Very Well, Violets for Your Furs, Glad to Be Unhappy and The End of a Love Affair.
I grew up listening to The Band, so this is completely expected. The Band's The Band (Also known as the Brown Album) has some of their best work, along with a lot of fantastic and fun songs. And that's what this album has that a lot of great albums lack: fun. This album brings me back to my childhood, being on a road trip where the destination is completely unknown and incomprehensible to me.
I don't know if I can critique this album because The Band were so integral to my childhood and their folk rock sound has influenced my taste in music tremendously. I guess the only thing I can say is that Robbie Robertson is a snake that stole credit from everyone else in the band and that Levon Helm should be known as the most important member of The Band, but that's just gossip and conjecture. Other than that, listen to this album with an open heart. You'll love it. Highlights are Rag Mama Rag, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (the songs that is absolutely not pro-confederacy), Look Out Cleveland, Jawbone and King Harvest.
