Haven't listed to much Neil Young outside of Harvest, but this sounded pretty much how I expected it to. Not really to my tastes but not a waste of time either. Longer songs made it a little tougher to stick with but overall solid classic rock album.
Obviously there are two big hits on this record so it has that going for it. Outside of those heaters are some very solid tracks. Jangly guitar held together by a reliable rhythm section. (I'm convinced that The Edge doesn't really write anything but instead just strums whatever chords or plucks any notes that come to him as the song moves along).
First time listening to this all the way through and not just the one hit. Has some interesting stuff, but I found myself enjoying the hip-hop and stripped down songs the most. Overall, just too many songs. Trim this down to 10 good tracks and it gets a higher rating.
Just a standout example of the genre, one of the best of it's era and holds up today as an all-timer. A stripped down, jazzy sound that effortlessly flows from track to track. No skits and minimal featured guests, save for one of the best hip-hop tracks ever put to tape, the album closer "Scenario". You can put this on as background while you're working or blast it from your Honda or your Beemer or your Legend or your Benz. A work of art.
Never heard the entire album before and only remember the singles that came from it. Track one is good, mostly because I already knew it from when this came out. Other than that it's weird enough to be interesting and something very different at the time it came out. I've heard that later Björk albums are better so hopefully we'll get one of those to review as well.
By the time Hail To the Thief came out I had pretty much forgotten about Radiohead. Outside of the two songs I kinda remember, it doesn't really have anything that you can't get on earlier records and done better.
The two hits from this record still rattle around in my head over 30 years later, occasionally resurfacing when a word or phrase spins them up like an old hard drive. There's something to be said for that kind of staying power even if you don't consistently listen to the group or even the album very much. The rest of the record is well-played jazzy hip-hop that was gaining ground at this time. But unlike De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, this record never hit my airwaves outside of the videos I caught on MTV or the hits on the radio. This seems like something I would have been all over had I given it the time of day at the time.
Being into a lot of Epitaph/Fat Wreck at exactly the time that this was blowing up, you would think that I love this record. This exercise would be the first time I’ve ever listened to it all the way through. Most of these have not aged very well and the hits just benefit from being super familiar. Plenty of other bands and albums within range of this genre that are much better and probably deserved the success these guys had.
The sheer volume of FM rock radio staples alone should be enough to let you know how deep this record goes. You've heard all or parts of at least seven of these nine tracks somewhere, like a sporting event or film/tv (complimentary).
A record almost as old as I am yet still has a timeless feel to it. Not too stuck in the 70s and not too new wave to be assigned to the 80s.
Despite becoming aware of QoTSA around Songs For The Deaf, I only went back as far as Rated R when digging into them. Maybe I thought the cover to this one looked dumb and it turned me off from it? Not sure, but there are some good riffs in here and I'm glad this one came up. While I still prefer the next few records that came after this one, you could certainly do worse in the stoner rock via the desert genre.
Plenty of hits to give this record a 3 or 4 based on those songs alone. Classic all-piano ballads and genuine rock bangers with a sprinkle of dub thrown in the mix. Not all of these work for me though and I got bored with some of them, but this is a double album so that's to be expected. Anjoy the hits and maybe a deep cut or two, but don't be surprised if you reach for the skip button as well.
One of my favorites from REM and this era of "college rock", which was the genre at the time. This one is full of songs catchy enough to stick in your head but not too polished that you would be considered uncool for liking them, especially in the 1980s. Guitars that are often fully distorted can also give way to more jangly arrangements backed with a rock solid rhythm section. The two hits on here that just about everyone has heard come back to back right in the middle, but the surrounding tracks are still worth your time.
Great capture of a unique moment in music history with the Man in Black performing before what sounds like a lively crowd at Folsom Prison. The inclusion of the PA announcements and between song banter help make it feel like you are in that room along with everyone else, usually the sign of a great live album. Naturally, Cash and company play several hits, including the setlist opener "Folsom Prison Blues", and finishing with a song written by an inmate at the prison.
