Let’s do this internet style:
1. Suite Judy Blue Eyes 9/10
2. Huh- I nodded off- BORING 5/10
3. Guinevere… 6.5/10
4. Nodded off again… 4.5/10
5. Pre Road Downs 7/10
6. Wooden Ships 6/10
7. lady of the island 2/10
8. Helplessly Hoping 7/10
9. long Time Gone 7.510
10. 49 Bye Byes 7.5/10
Geez- this is an album that is lesser than the sum of its parts.
3 part harmonies- A
Guitar work - B+
Best songs - A-
Worst Songs -C-
Would I turn it off- No
Would I ever put it on- Nope
Whole album Average: 6.1
I guess that’s about right, barely passable. One of the most overrated bands/collaborations of all time and a great example of an act that was considered so highly influential long after the fact when they were never as influential musically as the were socially. They were much more important act once Young joined.
2.5/5 stars, I’m rounding down
Possibly the best Cure record I’ve heard aside from Disintegration.
Still not my thing on most days
Meh
Listened to it twice and enjoyed it
3.5 stars
Oooh boy…. BD
Probably not in my top 5- maybe
Still a great album- 9/10
So much to say but just remember that The Beatles and Zeppelin were gone and the top artists of the day were The Bee Gees. And then the sound of those wacky car horns- that thump-thump- duh duh da dah duh - whooooooo
And then there’s Eddie.
giving it another listen I caught something new- the amount of overt classic rock- I mean 50s and 60s stuff- that is all
Over this album. Not just Dave and his doo-wah stuff.
The swing, the walking bass lines, the harmonized echo vocals are all Motown. As many times as I’ve heard this album I never really caught that. And that’s why music is so great, you can always find something new.
One of the best debut rock albums- if not the best- of all time.
And as great as the well known songs are some of my favorites are Little Dreamer, Ice Cream Man, I’m the one.
Anyway, probably not everyone’s cup of tea but if you’re a rocker you’ve at least gotta respect the hell out of it. And that’s NOT even talking about Eddie and his effect on his instrument.
10/10
Jesus- two in a row!!!!!
This album is something that could never happen today. It has no definable singles or ‘classic’ hits (aside from Seven Seas and that’s a generous stretch) but in its entirety, as an album, it had as much to do with saving Rock and Roll as anything else from that decade.
That said it’s never been my thing. I’d give it a 2.5 but I’m feeling generous
Is it talent? Absolutely
Is it musicianship? Yep
Is it enjoyable to listen to. Sure
Then why does it at times feel fraudulent?
I don’t know- plus I think Moby may be a POS- possibly.
This album changed my life: twice.
This album is undoubtedly on my 5 desert island disks.
The depth of both the lyrics and the music is incredible. Every song. The whole album.
11/10
Regardless of my own opinion this record is- and deserves to be- in the top 25 records ever made.
Ummmm
Uhhhhhhh
PunkMathMetalGarageAvantegardeNoise
I listened 3 complete times and it got better each time. By the time I was halfway through the third listen I was beginning to really like it.
This album confused me immensely.
Was it comedy? Farce?
Punk? Are they racists?!?! WTH is happening.
So I’ve never heard of them before but I bet that most of the punk bands in the late 70s and 80s have and that’s good enough for me.
5/10
Well, in honor of Bobby let’s do some Dead.
Have you ever talked to someone who is really into soccer or hockey? When they tell you the game was incredible- thrilling, intense and you ask what the score was and they say 0-1 final. Welcome to the Grateful Dead.
The opening track is exactly what is right and what is wrong with the Dead. It’s about the process, not the product. The journey, not the destination, right. Well on the way you may get bored, you may get sidetracked, you may see something incredible and you may get there with every person who you traveled with recounting different opinions on what the trip was like. What a long strange trip it’s been, right Jer?
At their worst they are terrible: noodly, out of tune, out of sync. And that is what makes those moments when it all hits sound so damn great- it’s always darkest right before the dawn.
I challenge you to find a time when you can actually set aside 30 minutes- that you will just allow the album to go on around you and be part of the journey with the band. That’s what makes the Dead- and many other live acts- so much better and exciting and addicting than a pop star: they include you. You, the listener, are actually included because you may hear a snippet that half the band misses. You may miss the cue and be shocked when the drummer tightens up. You may feel the highs as if you’re up there playing with them just as much as you may feel the impatient ‘get on with it’ while waiting for someone- anyone- to steer the ship that seems aimless. You are emotionally attached and included as part of the experience.
To this day I have to be in the mood for the Dead. This is honestly one of my least favorite live Dead records. They have better. And once again that’s the point. Sometimes watching a 7-3 football gar is more fun than a 28-24 game.
I’ve played improvisational music and maybe that lets me hear it differently than someone who hasn’t- maybe it has nothing to do with it. Maybe you just have to be open to the experience just being an experience rather than it having to have a catchy hooky chorus to bring home the bacon and get played million times in rotation.
Well, well, well
8.5/10
Yes!!!
I’m glad this one came up because I love Either/Or - it is incredible- but the first time o listened to Figure8 I didn’t love it. It let me down, so overproduced.
The songs aren’t as great as E/O at their peaks but at second listen this is a far better album than I remembered.
I wish he was still around. He was a tremendous songwriter and it’s a shame we had so little of him to hear.
I’d probably say 6.5 or 7 out of 10 but I’m feeling like a 4/5 feels more right than a 3.
At one point in my life I found the song “Girls” by the Beastie Boys funny. I don’t now.
Same here. Maybe when I was younger I may have thought this was cool but not now. Misogyny. Check. ‘Gangster’ shit, check check. Guns this and murder that and nigga this… it’s just tough for me to sing along to cuz I can’t identify at all.
Incredible samples (thanks Dre) and his deadly drawl delivery save it as solid background music but as soon as my ears open I want nothing to do with it.
The Taylor Swift effect
20 years from now we will be able to look back and see the amount of influence Taylor Swift had on music and realize she has- for better or worse- had as much influence as The Clash, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Eminem, Pearl Jam and on and on.
There are now catalogs of music built on her influence and generations of second level acts building off of those foundations.
This is a good record. Not my thing.
And…..
9/10
Pretty interesting
Definitely should have been a single album. A few gems, some shit.
5/10
No notes.
Honestly a damn near perfect record.
This is not my favorite Police album but if you want to hear a trio of musicians at their peak here it is.
Half this album is incredible- some of the best music ever recorded. If you would like to hear some of the best plumbing of all time, it is also cute. Anyone that does not list Stuart Copeland as one of the top Summers of the 80s, if not ever, check this record out. The same could be said for Andy Summers and Sting as well.
Unfortunately this band is the greatest example of excellence when following the lead of one particular songwriter. There is nothing wrong with Stew’s songs but when you put them up against some of Stings they are weak.
Anyway: 7/10
Interesting.
I only found the 2010 version and if it is unaltered as far as the music itself then this is absolutely groundbreaking.
I still didn’t love it as far as driving around listening to it but as background or film score it’s pretty cool. I’ll do a 3-10, but as always- round down..
Yet another…..
I love the idea of Zappa. I love Frank. His influence is enormous. His musicianship is nearly unparalleled.
I still don’t like to listen to him very much.
Good listen.
Not my style but pretty damn good
9/10
Pinnacle
No
There is often a fine line between honesty and just being an asshole. I’ve always somewhat respected Johnny rotten for dancing around that line playfully to make political points.
John Lyon, however somewhere along the line seems to have decided that being an asshole is pushing that boundary and I do not agree. More often than not he comes off as Boris and just an overall prick.
In this case, if this record was released under the name, Sex Pistols, it likely would have been panned. If any unknown artist released it, it would’ve been laughed at. Because it was lighten it got a record deal. It’s shit, plain and simple.
No, thanks.
Enjoyable
Forgettable
A man walks into a mechanic shop and says “my car won’t stop making these weird noises“
The mechanic looks at the car, opens the hood, starts the engine and looks back at the man and says “have you tried taking the Radiohead CD out?“
I LOVE Radiohead but this album is the reason that joke exists. There’s some good stuff but a lot of the throw aways from Kid A too. 5/10 rounded down
This album- this as- are great and I see why people love them so much.
Unfortunately this is wrong timeline for me personally ti fall in luv
4/10 rounding up to
This is hard.
I love FionaApple. I got to see her live. And as good as this record is, it is not her best.
The highs are perfection (Never is a Promise, Shadowboxer), the good are great ( Slee to Dream, Criminal, Carrion) but the mediocre- albeit still good- are exactly that: mediocre (The First Taste, Child is Gone).
She once said that she couldn’t sing yet on this record. Not sure how accurate that is but this one sounds ‘immature’ relative to her next record.
In any case, it’s Fiona. Killer, Killer album.
Speechless.
Honestly, I listened to this album all the way through twice and I’m still not entirely sure what to say about it except I think I really really like it.
I sent to my friend Ron, and this is what Morrissey would sound like if he didn’t suck.
Rarely do we get an album here that is something I have never even heard of. Most things on here is that I’ve never listened to or out of either ignorance or choice, but I at least knew of their existence prior. Apparently, this artist has been making music for 30 years, fairly prolifically, and somehow I never even heard of them.
So, so the first couple songs on the record had me thinking that I would not like this. By the end of the record, I was enjoying it and wanted to listen again.
This really is an excellent album.
It really is incredible to think about this in context of the time- imagine hearing this in 1970. Honestly, an entire genre of music may not have existed if not for this band, this album and Tony Iommi.
This is Beatles album therefore it is good.
It has the tootles track and Can’t Buy Me Lovewhich are incredible songs.
It has that early FF energy
It’s great. I’m not sure it’s even in their top 10 albums. Insanity
I suspect I’m going to like this
I do
But Q … the N … ugh … hard to sing along, then it’s harder to hear…
I’d say 6/10
Nope
This is one of my favorite albums.
God Put a Smile, A Rush of Blood, Politik, Scientist…. So many
I’ll give it a 9/10 solely because it truly is the sum of its parts- individually there are songs that removes from the album are just “good” but not great like Warning and Amsterdam.
5 stars. No notes.
Well….. as a rock and roll experience? As a 13 year old? A 23 year old?? An angry young man??? Yeah, 11/10
As a rock purist it is arguably one of the absolute best debuts ever. 10/10
As a 50year old feminist leaning father of 2….. ummmmm …… a little harder to hear now. There’s some stuff lyrically that is downright wrong and unacceptable.
However, I’ll rate it based on historical sensibilities minus half a star for Axl and his blatant misogyny.
Bonus point:
I’m not sure there is another bass player in rock that is as undervalued as Duff McKagan.
9/10
No emotional connection for me. Mwh
It’s good. Really good. An album full of 89bpm groove, my favorite groove tempo.
It’s a shame that L boogie became such a diva asshole.
The kind of music that I enjoy most is when I can comprehend and musicality and still feel the emotion. This hits the mark.
This is a monumentally important record and much of it is incredible.
This is about the fifth time I’ve listened to it front to back and it grows on me every time.
I still don’t connect with it though. So rounding down it is to a 6/10
Nope
Fuck Morrissey and his yodeling
I was intrigued and impressed enough to listen to this twice
I’m still not sure what I feel about it but I’m certain I like it.
Damn.
I always like this record when I hear it but I never go back and listen again. I guess that says something. I’m gonna try again later- wrong vibe for today
I’ve listened to this record a multitude of times, but I did relisten front to back yesterday.
This may be the best Radiohead album to display their range- in a bad way. “ the gloaming” is the epitome of just making strange noises and calling it a song
On on this record there are Also some of my favorites such as “There, There” and “Myxamatosis”.
It is possibly one of my least favorite Radiohead records.
FIONA!!!
I LOOOVED this album when it came out and there are still so many things about it that are great.
It is so obviously a self-made, locked in a cell (pandemic) album that it is both incredible and horrible to listen to in a lot of ways.
As always some stellar lyrics and songwriting but there are some songs that havnt aged as well for me as others.
I’ll go 7/10
Love me some good jazz
Less in love with big band
Much better than I remember. Also way more political and socially relevant today than I would’ve hoped.
Glad I listened to this again.
It’s much better than I remember.
Some of this intrigued me but much of it just started to grate on me.
Ooooooh
I was in the perfect head space for this.
4/10 ….. it sucked but had moments where I could almost hear “the other”- the music in my mind that goes over the top of it.
Rush. I felt I had to speak now.
They are so polarizing for so many reasons- most particular the testicle- crunched voice of Geddy Lee.
Let’s set that aside.
Musically, at least capabilty, come on. They’re 3 absolutely peerless musicians. They’re incredible. The Professor. Lurch. Geddy. Some of the most acrobatic- but still accessible- hard rock bands ever.
Lyrically, sometimes brilliant. Sometimes evocative. Sometimes very very deeply connective. Others… a bit weird. Occasionally trite.
Although I enjoy Rush, I don’t particularly like them. Although I think the three men that are Rush are stellar writers, people, musicians, activists and altogether great men I just can’t have an emotional connection to the music.
I feel 13 when I hear them. Every time. And that’s both good and bad. They’re incredible but bland. So inspiring musically and so uninspiring emotionally for me.
And now the vocals. They’re incredible cat scratch, balls in the stomach, helium and cocaine and gravel gargled mediocrity. But they really don’t bother me. I can get past them. Every time.
It’s the Rush-ness that I can’t connect with. I have found deep emotional connection to other bands with trite lyrics, other bands with acrobatic music, other bands with slightly annoying vocals.
It’s always a the same barometer for me: do I ever proactively put Rush on? Nope. Never (except when I was a teenager amd even then rarely). Do I rock the fuck out to Sawyer, YYZ, Radio, Freewill, Strangiato??? Fuck yeah I do. Do I ever grunt and turn them off, no I do not.
So this album is pretty great. Impactful. Drove musicians and rock music leaps forward. Inspired drummers and guitarists and bassists from many incredible bands to pick up their instruments- and for all of that it’s great. Is Tom Sawyer stellar? Limelight? Camera? Barchetta? Yep.
So 7/10 I suppose, with a round up this time. And as soon as I finalize this review I’ll turn the rest of the live album off and move on to something else and forget all about them.
Half of this album blew me away and the other half made me feel like it was my band Paradox in 1995.
I love lo-fi when it adds to the feeling of the album and hate it when I’m hearing something “greater” in my own head. Again, half and half.
A sadly overlooked band. J Mascis rocks.
There is such a rawness and excitement to this album.
I love this record.
So many thoughts….
Influence: 5 stars
Songwriting: 3 1/2 stars … the good is great, the rest is between “standard” and shit
Performance: man, Lars really isn’t very good. And a lot of the solos are bland.
Overall: this album has gotten worse and worse every time I’ve listened to it.
3 stars. I could live the rest of my life and never hear a song off it again.
