I’m not familiar with basically anything on this album and it’s a very different vibe from most of their hits, but this is definitely still a showcase of Queen’s gorgeous musicality. It’s interesting to hear a fairly delicate approach to the vocals compared to the bombastic belting that people usually associate with Freddie. His range and control were definitely exceptional. “Ogre Battle” is a lot more in line with their hits. Actually a lot of the latter half is. It gets pretty goofy.
Alright. I get why people liked this, it is musically interesting, but honestly the vocals take a lot out of it for me. They’re very hard to process but not even in the interesting Cocteau Twins or Beck kind of way. It seems like the lyrics should be what carries or maybe justifies the mood/atmosphere but that’s not happening for me. It could just be my problem between my hearing loss and auditory processing difficulties. I enjoy the slightly heavier/grungier stuff but this just isn’t for me.
Man I’m sorry but I simply can’t. I get why this is important and there’s no denying that Dylan was a great lyricist but I just find folk music grating. I also really wish his lyrical style varied like… at all.
Hell yeah brother. Chill and sweet, vocally gorgeous. I really like this recording of Everybody’s Talkin’.
I think listening to this in 2026 and not in the mid 60s makes it extremely difficult to appreciate what’s so special about this. The Who stated that the album really doesn’t reflect their stage performance from the time and I do imagine this hit very differently live, especially given the novelty for British audiences. I just think that listening to this now highlights that the blues-y influences leaning more into what would become “hard rock” have been done better in the intervening time. I do think this is interesting particularly when compared to what the Beatles had done just a few years ago. Their early pop hits still work for me, whereas early Who recordings don’t particularly make me feel any sort of way. Maybe not doing this list in chronological order is actually a disadvantage.
Shame about Bowie as a person but… come on man. It’s good. You know it’s good, I know it’s good, hell yeah. The horns…. The HORNS! The production, mixing, mastering!
Sorry, but… I’m bored. It’s just not good. I’m sure they’re better live but these recordings feel so flat, and there’s so little variety that each song just kind of melts into the next but not in a good way. I don’t really understand why this was included. It doesn’t help that I was dreading listening because I really hated their most popular hits so maybe i’m bringing prejudice into it. Regardless, not coming back to this.
It’s fun, it’s flirty, it’s a party! It’s also 2 goddamn hours long, but who doesn’t like a good mambo? So far, it hasn’t overstayed its welcome because it brings a lot of variety in instrumentation. The production is very good too, nothing feels over or under-emphasized and the dynamics are… dynamic! From a dancing point of view there’s an interesting mix of pacing and attitude going on as well. I am adding Tito Puente to my dream blunt rotation
I don’t know how I didn’t know about The Band but I sure am glad I do now. They’re a great example of a group that’s better than the sum of its parts. I got the impression that they really enjoyed working with everyone’s strengths. The result is interesting instrumentals, great vocals, and a very healthy amount of variety within their very distinct style. I’m grateful this was on the list.
Right off the bat, The Cure’s influence is very clear. The Police also. Some ska portions too which is interesting, especially in Monday Morning. Overall it’s a really interesting album and a really good example of some of the best that time and place had to offer. And also it’s relentlessly horny lmao
Extremely 70s in the best way. It’s honestly bizarre that I didn’t know about this band or The Band. Hearing the origin of the That 70’s Show theme was a bit of whiplash. It’s a good song. I feel like I’ve heard covers of some of these songs elsewhere too. Anyway, it was a fun listen with some really nice instrumentation. They do what they do really well here.
Oh brother. I really can’t stand this extremely cheesy edgelord shit. The drums are good but that’s my only concession. The lyrics suck, the guitar is overwrought, and frankly it’s embarrassing to listen to. I try to be generous with inclusions that just don’t appeal to me when I get why they’re on the list, but surely there were better options for representing this point in time in the genre of punk/metal. Also you can’t be saying that white baby
I find myself with a lot less tolerance for hair metal these days but there’s no denying that this album does have some of their best on it. You can definitely hear a lot of the progression from early to late 70s sensibilities when you compare this to the Queen album earlier in the list. This is another genre that has to feel completely different played live and you can’t recreate that energy. I wish they had been more adventurous with the drums. Also these lyrics are dogshit lmao
Got a little less than half way through before tapping out. This is clown music (derogatory). I want the vocalist to take a vow of silence. It’s a shame because they are doing something musically interesting, it’s just also musically obnoxious. I’m not going to give it one star because I get why this is here but it’s the very first album to make me tap out nevertheless.
Smoooooooooth. Everything from the instrumentals to lyrics to vocals work together beautifully. This is an album arranged so meticulously that there’s no altering the set list- it needs to be exactly the way it is, and that’s not been true very often for the other albums we’ve covered so far. I also really like the interludes because while they don’t necessarily need to be here to get the themes across, their inclusion still really ties the album together while walking the walk. It would have been a crime not to include this album.
Another nostalgic band for me and also a work that absolutely could not exist without the work of black artists that came before. This is a great representation of what this flavor of rock/country/blues fusion had to offer at the time but it does bring that fact in very sharp relief. The vocals are really nice and the lyrics are mostly very thoughtful. Overall an album that flows well and scratches the 60s itch really effectively but I wouldn’t blame other people for lacking patience with it. My reviews for this type of band are always going to be especially biased.
This really grew on me over the years. This album really leans into both their popular appeal and their more experimental and musically complex tendencies (case in point, the transition from Waterfall to Don’t Stop). When I was a bit younger I found them a bit cheesy but honestly that’s part of what makes them good. This album stays relevant for very good reason.
I had no particularly strong feelings about this album until the end. I thought Song for Sathima was very nice and that the instrumentation was very good (although I don’t think they would let you in the recording booth for a jazz album if you weren’t exceptional). And then came Sameeda, an extremely interesting choice for closing out the album. It has a real stank on it that wasn’t really present anywhere else. It also played a little more dynamically than some of the other inclusions. Overall I’m glad I listened and some of it will stick with me, but it’s not one I’m passionate about.
I know it goes without saying but these shows must have gone fucking CRAZY. Once again you’re never going to recreate that experience through a recording, but this is a pretty good attempt. I don’t have to look to know that this album is extremely divisive but it definitely belongs on the list- you can’t reasonably deny the impact DKs continues to have. Garages and house parties across the world would never be the same.
