I grew up with this in HS. It's slick, polished and represents the energy he brought to every performance. You have to see him in person for this to really hit hard because the man was the consummate performer. His studio albums were milquetoast, but that was not his passion. His passion was crowds and the stage and this album is the best example of it.
"Wonder Years" the Album... Quite a few tracks I knew existed -- and I like -- but I didn't realize were Van Morrison. Strong start, tapers at the end. (3.75/5)
This immediately evokes a mall in the late 2000's or early 2010's. "Auto tune crooning"... R&B for people who don't know good music. Technically, well produced but essentially boring. The same themes, lyrics, samples, and music you hear EVERYWHERE. How did this album make the list? This was a slog to get through. What exactly makes this special or stand out from the sea of R&B that sounds exactly like this?? Background music for a dying mall... 1/5, one point for the talented producers who can effortlessly spit this crap out.
Music for my younger self. I don't think I'm this depressed anymore, or maybe never was. Rage was and is more my style. Nothing on this album surprised me or awed me. Is it possible that The Cure was so successful they unknowingly became a cliche? It was exactly what I expected before I hit play, and that may be a testament to their vision, but it doesn't mean I like it. 2/5, to help support all of those Hot Topic kids who needed spending money in HS.
Kinetic and energetic. A rush of punk and a seminal album from my youth. Now that I'm older and wiser, it hits differently. There's an purposeful sameness to most of the tracks. Maybe in homage to the Ramones, many of the tracks that weren't given hit-status have a limited chord pallet and are rhythmically similar. That's not a jab, but it's not as exciting as it used to be. It was a stylistic choice. The hit-tracks, Longview, Welcome to Paradise, Basket Case, and When I Come Around are the standouts, for good reason. This is a solid (impressive, even) first effort and with the benefit of hindsight we know was a portent of much greater things to come. (4/5) This is a fun, frenetic album.
The track All By Myself took me back to the time when cassettes had the "secret hidden tracks" for when you left the tape playing past the final note on the last listed song. Analog secrets.
I flirted with club/dance music about a decade after this album's release. I see the appeal of smooth, danceable music for dancing. This is a new album to me and I want to meet this album where it is in time. The first two tracks' heavy snyth, driving beats, and soulful vocals conjure "New Jack Swing" and exist close in time. It wouldn't surprise me if this album was a deep influence or contemporary to that movement.
Deeper into the album, the rapping is not good.. at all..even and especially for it's time. It's as if De La Soul was on opioids and couldn't spit anything of value out. The rap tracks really detract from the more soulful ones and bring the album down. It almost sounds like Jermaine Clement of the Flight of the Conchords and like a parody of rap.
Then there's the obligatory remixes. Hard pass on this. I tried to meet this where it was and I didn't like that place. (2/5), mainly on the strength of the tracks with actual, decent singing and the instrumentals, even the jazz flute tracks..
Am i being punk'd? The opening tracks are kind of obnoxious. Slow jams with childish lyrics. Is this trip hop? Very dated sound. (1/5) Ugh.. Did they just learn what rhyming is? Supposedly Unfinished Sympathy is the standout track, and I'm sorry, I don't see it. Maybe this was a cultural touchstone in a certain time and place, but nothing on this album has held up to the passage of time. The samples are misplaced, just putting strings behind a beat does not make it "ethereal", and the songwriting is hot, steaming garbage. Perhaps I'm a cranky old man now, but I couldn't even see my teenage self liking this too much. There are better ways to create good music using these tools and this admixture of ingredients. Did that mf'er just try and rhyme "weebles wobbles" in a song?? How is this a classic?
Pop? Electronic? Dance? What a mongrel sound. That's not a slight and the light, bouncy opening tracks are off to a good start. I'm only familiar with the band's name and I don't have any experience with their music. A contemporary of Arcade Fire's Neon Bible -- which is personal favorite -- it shares some DNA. Complex, competent arrangements and an "epic" & dreamy feel. MGMT is buried behind some vocal effects, has less ennui, and layered in more sounds, but is still as knowledgeable and steeped in their influences. (4/5) A few of the later tracks seem to lose some focus and went from dreamy to forgetful... I will forgive it on the strength of the first half of the album and overall, I like it.
Music to get stoned with. Mostly blues-y, sludge rock -- with some folk-blues-rock -- that actively struggles to keep the tempo from slowing down any more than it has. I didn't need to look up anything about this album to immediately place it in the early 70s. It's sound is blue jeans, pot smoke, and long hair. The musicians are competent but the arrangements just sort of blend into one another. I don't hate it, but it's not a love connection. (3/5) I'd probably enjoy it more stoned. Tiresome after a while, too.. I read up on it and found out it is a double album. There's not enough "meat" here to make a double album IMO.
Sprawling, cumbersome, and a bit pretentious. The opening track's discordant music helps to set that tone early, and the rest of the album doesn't disappoint in that regard. It's a like a college band that is somewhat competent was given a big catalog of mediocre music and are just throwing out anything that will find an ear. Way more misses than any semblance of a hit. Boring and waaaayyy too long. Utterly forgettable. (1.5/5) I'll round down because this was a CHORE to get through.
Light, bouncy neon pop. I'm a sucker for good pop music and this fits the bill just fine for me. Slick production and an energetic pace throughout the album makes the experience brief, which helps excuse the excessive use of snyth and drum machines, which do wear out their welcome pretty quickly. (3.5/5), and I'm rounding up because it's such a good example of that era's music. You can point to it and say, "This is what early 80's pop sounded like," and still enjoy it on its merits.
Oh! What a treat! An Amy Winehouse album is an automatic 4-star from me. That's the floor. Amazing production gets paired with her smoky vocals. It's undeniable that she was a generational talent, but her producers are some superstars too. She could have been invisible or simply fine without her backing. Many of the tracks conjure leather seats, mixed drinks, and a dimly lit clubs with a single singer on stage visible through a haze of smoke. The songwriting isn't as polished as the instrumentals, so my (4.5/5) is getting rounded down, but it's still a great album. Her short, tragic life is just one in a long line of musical talents gone too soon. It's fun to speculate on how much more she could have done if she hadn't died so young.
Background music. Non-threatening and just there. Strongly reminiscent of the movie "Hackers" from the early 90s. As a teen, it was cool, but now it's just kinda boring. (2/5).. I guess... There's some technical competency here and it seems the artist(s?) are trying, but it just doesn't work, now anyway. Dated.
A poet with backing tracks. It was pretty clear, early into the album, that the songwriting seems to be the draw. The music felt like an afterthought or that the music was built around the lyrics. It reminded me of something I'd have expected to hear on a soft rock station, which I diligently avoid. It was... Fine... But I didn't need help falling asleep.
This is my first time with Morrissey, so I'll just say it like this. I am surmising that his lyrics are the draw, but I don't have the time or patience to sift through them like they might deserve. I won't fault anyone for liking it. A few of the lyrics jumped out -- a little -- so I recognize there is something there, but it's not my cup of tea. (2.5/5) On the strength of the lyrics, but push it down to a 2 for the "my parents' rock" vibe that came off it.
This album deserves a 5 just for Desafinado, but the rest of the tracks don't disappoint either. This silky, soft sound is music that you LISTEN to. It envelopes you and warms you like a potent drink. Getz (and Byrd) can do no wrong in my eyes. I want to sit on a patio by the beach, in the evening, let the warm air blow, and let these sounds just transport me away for a while. For the record, I'm not a beach 'person'. If I had a seat at a beach with this on, however, I would be. Absolute jazz classic with some of the best music ever committed to vinyl. (5/5). My only critique is that it's over too soon. I'll settle for a taste of heaven rather than none at all. My first 5 for this project, and worth every point of it.
Hindsight is a powerful perspective. 90's "alt rock", grunge, alternative, whatever... exists on a spectrum in my mind. It blasted into my young, impressionable brain with the opening chords of Smells Like Teen Spirit (yup, I'm basic, but it was one of my first rock albums on cassette tape that I bought with my own money. Does that give me street cred?) and faded away with the dawn of the new millennium and the era of Creed-like slop and nu-metal. This album is a transition to that end. It's slickly produced, musically competent, and in many parts a good listen, but it's more "American Pie" than heroin-chic and for me it's lost a little appeal. Early Hole was and is more to my taste. While I was living it, I couldn't see the era fading into the rearview. Now I can see the whole road. I don't begrudge Love her drama. She was a magnificent mess for a while and in music, especially rock, that's fine. But hindsight has dimmed this period for me. It's good and a high-3, but not quite a 4. It's the highest 3 I've rated so far, but just so. (3.95/5), rounded down for it's place in my musical history.
A laborious slog, even at 30-ish minutes. Vanilla soft rock that's eternally an eighth of a beat too slow. I'd fall asleep to it, if it's navel gazing and pretentiousness didn't piss me off. 1,001 Albums to Listen to Before I Die? To know to never listen to this crap again? Is that the purpose of this entry? A tale of warning? Beware the boomers and their famous producers!! Ugh .. (1/5) Zero if I could.. can't wait for all the Bread and Gordon Lightfoot to pollute my algorithms for a week until I slowly purge it. Maybe some speed metal or some punk will clean it out, like a fast-acting Drano or something?
Ren Faire Rock. I've never been a fan of "prog" rock, progressive, whatever and this album hasn't changed my mind, but unlike my younger self that would dismiss this outright, I guess I have softened some. I read many of the reviews for this project complaining about the flute, but I feel that's unwarranted. It was tastefully layered and doesn't offend me. It even slaps a little on a few of the tracks. Overall, though, it's just not to my tastes. Too "cerebral" for me, I guess.. (3/5), just middle of the road. I'm glad I've heard it now but I'm not going back to it. I can now appreciate Will Ferrell's throwaway joke in "Anchorman" better, when he howls "Hey Aqualung!!!" at the end of his ridiculous flute solo. I always knew it was a reference, I just never spent time with the source material.
Competent, confident, and incredible. Arena/Dad Rock at its finest. The album is just a super-hit factory with so many widely known and played songs, I don't think it's fair to call any of the songs "B-Sides". They just don't qualify for that "status". All of the tracks are radio-ready blasts of juicy rock-goodness, no matter where on the vinyl they sit. Since I knew almost everything by heart I tried to tune into the musicians and all I found was just talent overflowing and spilling out. That guitar!! It's otherworldly at times. Are they aliens as the cover suggests? This is the first album I've encountered in this list that is a truly a "must hear before you die", IMO. Exemplary rock and just amazing, heart-pumping music. (5/5). I enjoy a lot of music, and have tons of favorites. This is easily in my top 100, maybe my top 50. I'll never complain if it's on and it has basically never worn out it's welcome. I'm pretty sure many in my generational cohort were conceived to or because of this music (born '78) and I'm perfectly fine with that. Proud, even.
Oh, my heart. It's hard to say anything about this album that hasn't already been said before. Genius, perfection, classic -- take your pick. Of the collection of music I have, this is in the top 10 for me. Wonder's whole "classic"/"imperial" period in the 70's is one of the most creative bursts of musical energy ever released. We're all lucky to live in it's aftermath and enjoy all the fruits this period bore. This album, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life all have permanent homes in my mind and heart, but if I had to choose just one of those three however... (what a Sophies choice!!) this is probably my favorite. It's so tight. Not a note out of place, not a beat where it shouldn't be, and in my mind Stevie had it all planned that way. There's not an ounce of filler on this album. Every song is a distinct and clear rendition of an emotion. Some of these emotions are so pure, in the right context, it just fills you up.
The opener "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is adoration. "Maybe Your Baby" is the early stages of heartbreak and paranoia. The feeling of impending loss. "You and I" is a mature reflection of a long relationship. A deep, textured love. "Tuesday Heartbreak" is the bargaining and pleading after a breakup. Begging. "You've got it Bad Girl" is the confident acknowledgement of a mutual interest and a blossoming relationship. Confidence. Why is she so coy? "Superstition", the creative peak of this album, is a reflection on trying to see things for what they are. A demand to be realistic and clear eyed -- to stop making excuses. Clarity. Resolve. "Big Brother" is a very political song. It's a condemnation of the establishment/government and Stevie's frustration and deep well of generational anger are palpable. Frustration and anger. "Blame it on the Sun" is regret. A powerful wail of self-hate. How could he have been so stupid? "Lookin' for Another Pure Love" is resignation. She's left and gone. "I Believe..." Is hope. What a majestic song. The funky coda at the end is so perfect. Hope becomes a question mark "Don't you wanna fall in love again?" as the track fades out.
Sorry I gushed so hard, but this is a "must hear". No opinion, just fact. Stevie Wonder may not know blue from green, but he sees music and how it speaks about our emotions more clearly than any of us. He wrote this book of emotions to talk to us. He can't read the words on the page, but heard what it said and transposed it for our ears and hearts on to this album.
Perfection.
Lazer Blaze music. As a teenager in the 90's, this music appealed to my sensibilities. It was loud, aggressive, driving, and hyperactive. I recall going to the laser tag ("Lazer Blaze". See what they did there?) place and being bombarded with tracks like this. The Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack was a cousin of this. I even bought and enjoyed a few Chemical Brothers albums although not this one. Time hasn't been kind to this, for me. A few of the tracks standout with the notable highs being Block Rockin Beats, Piku, & Setting Sun. I'm just not this energetic or hyperactive anymore and the electronic/dance/noise genre just doesn't appeal to me as much. I'm too tired . This used to be a high 3, or possibly a 4 to my 15-20 year old self, but my 45-50 year old self is tiring of this. High 2, low 3, and mainly on the appreciation of what it WAS to me rather than on the quality of the music. The real low point came from the ceaseless repetition of "It doesn't matter.." on the eponymous track. I literally, like an old man, yelled "Shut up!" and hovered my finger over the skip button. I took a breath, composed myself and kept going but only out of loyalty. (3/5), because it used to mean something. It's a "low" 3, however. Block Rockin Beats still has it.
U2 is like the floor of "good rock" in my mind. They're undeniably excellent musicians, many of their tracks are classics, but I just don't get excited when I hear them. Case in point, "One" is a great song by all accounts, but Johnny Cash did it better. Maybe it's Bono? His larger than life public persona seems to scream "look at me!" and I think that detracts from the band's better qualities, which IMO does not include his voice. Sure, he can sing better than me, but there's plenty of people who can sing (at least compellingly) better than him. Cash took their song, just like Reznor's "Hurt", and filled it with so much more feeling and sang to the lyrics. The only track that gets me even close to excited on this album is "Mysterious Ways"... And just close. This album gets a shrug and a middle of the road 3. Yeah it's good, but I don't even remotely believe it's great, a classic, or timeless. Just a good (enough) example of popular rock at the time. A solid enough floor for better bands to stand on.
