So first I didn't even realize Van Morrison was from Northern Ireland. Secondly, I didn't expect this many good songs. I thought he was just a blue-eyed soul, but "And It Stoned Me". Great songwriting. Good music for me and my Loce. I never would've expected as much Jazz as him. I look forward to trying out his discography like Astral Weeks.
No Action. I like the irony of the lyrics. 2 songs in, I can see why listeners hear misogyny. First side is pretty good. Listening, it's more like a dude who's going through a heartbreak, and he's working through his emotions.
Can't say I've ever really listened to Elvis Costello before. I like it. Pretty abrupt way to end an album.
Speakerboxx:
The Way You Move: Who doesn't want to hear Patti LaBelle?
Rooster: Talking a/b kids who don't want you to be in their lives, that hit home.
War: Wait, was this written in 2003 or last week?
Reset: Goodie Mob. ATL hip hop is so flowin.
Second double-album in a row.
Love Lies Bleeding: like the interplay of the piano with the lyrics. Reference to stigmata?
Candle in the Wind: Poor Marilyn. But not really feeling the electric guitar.
Bennie and the Jets: Great song. I love the production.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Amazing songwriting. I need to listen closer to lyrics.
I've Seen that Movie, Too: Great metaphor of a breakup to cinema.
Sweet Painted Lady: I see where "Roxanne" came from...
The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934): Need more fictional biographical songs about gangsters.
Dirty Little Girl: This is a Stones song.
All the Girls Love Alice: /Eyes opening/ Oh.
Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock & Roll): Great rock vibes.
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting): Just a banger.
Harmony: That's how you end a double album.
Just an awesome album. Most double albums have some filler tracks. This is just great song after great song. Especially the second album. Most of the time the second seems to be just experimental stuff, but this has a ton of great tracks.
The first all-like album. Raw power. And jumping on the drums on the finale. What a performer.
What a pleasant surprise. I have never heard of this artist, but what talent. Heartfelt lyrics with a pained voice. I'll definitely listen to more in the future.
"Love and Affection" is a real stunner.
This was a collab between Iggy and Bowie, and it shows. I like Bowie, and I appreciated Iggy from the few hits he has, but this is the first proper album of his I listened to. I can hear the talent of the musicians, and I like his rock voice, but his songwriting is only decent. There are a couple of jump-shocks in terms of lyrics, but the majority of the songs seemed a little distant. I did like "China Girl".
I heard Lou Reed before only in passing. This album brings people to NYC at a very specific place and time. Walk on the Wild Side would be subversive now; crazy it was recorded in 1972. Perfect Day is an absolute bang
A virtuoso with the electric guitar. Unmistakable craft. Fantastic interplay with the audience.
Sweet Little Angel: Yeah, I think that's what he's talking about.
How Blue Can You Get?: Gen Xers will hear this for the first time and recall this being sampled.
36 in the bust, 28 in the waist, 44 in the hips.
When you listen to Dirt after knowing what happened to Layne, it's a tough listen. But art isn't always pretty. It's like life that it's sometimes painful, rough, tragic. And that's this album. It's not easy to listen to the songs that directly discuss his addiction, but it paints an unmistakable picture of the pain involved.
Having said that, I love every time Layne and Jerry harmonize. It's different than most rock groups in that regards. For all the harsh sludge-style rock they put out, their harmonies give it a smoothness over the guitars.
They are part of the early 90s Seattle scene, but they had their own lane (no pun intended), and excelled in it. Just a great band.
Despite living through the 90s, I never really got around to listening to PJ Harvey. This album is a recollection of NYC in 2000, where her life crossed with love and hope. She has a dynamic voice suited for rock, soft at times, belting in others. Plus three tracks with Thom Yorke can make any album intense.
"Good Fortune": How a new love arrives and puts you where you seem to draw blackjack on every hand.
"A Place Called Home": discusses love as a metaphor for home
"You Said Something": puts the listener on that rooftop in Brooklyn.
I'm torn. I've always liked Duran Duran, I remember these songs on the radio when I was young. They were at the vanguard of British New Wave in the 80s. Sharp production, eclectic musicians including a marimba in one track, and these are all classic party pop bops. I'm just a little disappointed in the songwriting. It comes off as if they have nothing to say. Which is fine with pop music in general, but I know they can do better. I'm going to chalk it up to youth and 80s excess, because they showed their writing chops later (see the Wedding Album, 1993).
Fun album cover, though.
"Rio": Fun, classic 80s pop.
"Hungry Like the Wolf": Ditto
"Hold Back the Rain": Best-written track. Good use of metaphor for telling you buddy that he needs to dial back the partying.
"Save a Prayer": Smooth groove. What a one-night-stand needs to be.
Interesting sound. I never heard these dudes before, but I recognized "Squares" from an ad for a tech device. Shades of Trip Hop, Soul, and EDM. And for ambient, the songwriting isn't inane. It's not profound, but it doesn't need to be. Altogether a fun listen.
Wild this was done in six days by only one guy. Great 90s rock classics.
Sly Stone is the link that connects rock to hip-hop through funk. The heavy bass, drum machines, and lyrical skill is the link and generational step that branches music. And this album is his master class. Bass that rattles your tummy, and songwriting that paints clear pictures. An absolute landmark from one of the true innovators.
A hidden gem. Stripped down, it's just Drake and his guitar. Sparse but hopeful lyrics, delivered with his soft but melodic voice. Some of the songs are sad, but the album ends on a thoughtful point. Very sweet, but not saccharine.
Beck is a master of getting a bunch of different genres in a blender, putting it on "High", pouring the mix out, and then sprinkling goofy, expressive lyrics over it. And this album is his style turned to 11.
Having said that, the criticism of people saying "is he just messing with us" is perfectly valid.
Take my opinion with a grain of salt; I never actually listened to Ryan Adam’s until after his more notorious history came to light. But I don’t see this as much more than replacement-level indie rock. There are a couple of songs that I flagged, but this seemed forgettable.
Pleasant surprise. Harkened back to the mid-90s Britpop era. Talented musicality.
Santana is an absolute guitar virtuoso, and this album shows the breadth of his talent. He mixes rock electric guitar with Caribbean beats, and ends up with a singular sound.
Great album cover too.
If you are part of Gen X like me, this album is part of the soundtrack of your life. This is the album when U2 moved from their 80s sound into something more experimental. This is another full-like album for me. The Edge was doing some intense guitar work.
What's there to say about the highest selling album of the century? It's the perfect breakup album. Adele can do things with her voice that evokes the greats like Tina and Aretha could do. An underappreciated quality on this album is song order. Listening to it straight through is the path of any painful breakup: anger at your ex, anger at your supposed friends for not sticking up for you, reflection, bargaining with your ex, reflection, acceptance, and then crashing your ex's wedding to wish him well.
This is the quintessential Chili Peppers, meaning your opinion of this record is totally dependent on your overall opinion of the band. My call is three of the four artists in RCHP are at the top of their fields. Chad Smith on drums drives the beat. Flea on bass is distinctive, and instantly recognizable as the talent he is. And with John Frusciante returning on lead guitar, the musicians really make this album sing.
Speaking of singing, though, it falls on your opinion of Anthony Keidis. If you think his scatting and vocal runs marry the California utopia of his lyrics, you'll love this album. If you think he's all show creating a false fantasy of The Golden State, then you won't.
I personally like this record for the chance to hear some top-notch musicians jamming. I can appreciate the singles, and take AK for what he is.
This is Aerosmith getting back to what they do best. Hard, poppy, funny rock. Their sense of humor never left, Steven Tyler still has the pipes, and they bring serious (“Janie’s Got a Gun”) and the fun (“Love in an Elevator”).
This album takes me back to that specific time in NYC right in 2001, both before and after. Gritty sound, the single-take recordings is ideal for them as they sound as if they’re performing live. The 21st Century rock, for better or for worse, starts with them. Too bad the US didn’t get the international album cover.
“Barely Legal” is a bit problematic…
If you’re younger than Gen X, I need to explain this. Radiohead had a huge hit with “Cresp”, but just about everyone thrift they were one hit wonders on the early 90s alt-rock beat.
Instead, they ho back in the studio and create an introspective, critical album that is the new British Rick sound of, in the words of Nick Hornby, “… a cocktail of rage, sarcasm, self-pity, exquisite tunefulness and braininess.”. Radiohead the band that people know as the genre-pushing artists started here.
These guys come at you hard and driving, and I imagine they were the soundtrack for birds and blokes all over the UK. And even though their faster songs get the pub, “A Certain Romance”, a five-minute song half with guitar solos, is a real standout.
I have only a trace knowledge of psychedelic rock, and zero experience with psychedelics or The 13th Floor Elevators. While it isn’t my cup of tea, I can see, however, their influence on bands moving forward. The jug is a distinctive sound. “You’re Gonna Miss Me” is a good track.
Didn’t realize you can mix folk, psychedelic, and jazz all together, but apparently it’s possible. Crazy the common talent and tragedy between Tim Buckley and his son. Great vocal skills in emoting. While the free jams have their fans, if you’re not a fan of 10+ minute tracks you might be disappointed.
Dylan is a master songwriter, and this album shows it. He runs the whole gamut: serious, biting, mournful, inspirational, accusatory, even simple storytelling. He is an artist that benefits from having the liner notes lyrics out while you listen for the first time.
Still not a huge fan of his singing voice, though.
