It's good pop music with a couple of bangers. However as an album, not overly special. Brilliant cover art.
The three track run is legendary, the rest is fine... Never been a huge MJ fan. Boring cover art.
A new one to me but very enjoyable. Seriously funky, seriously influential. Really enjoyed reading about and exploring this band.
Struggled to rate this one. A couple of incredible songs, and contextually very important. Just a little bit of fill takes it down to a 4, as well as the strange switch from song cycle to a standard album. It's very good, but not quite perfect imo
Found this very tough to review since this style of music is something I would never listen to and I therefore have very little to benchmark this against.
A 2 seems harsh, but I'd only be giving it higher based on other people's reviews. For me, it wasn't rubbish, it was entertaining, but due to my own ignorance of the genre, I can't rate it particularly highly.
Also the cover art is weird.
I love The Weight. I liked a couple of the other songs. But overall it just wasn't for me. I appreciate the significance of the album but I didn't love listening to it. Also, Richard Manuel's strained voice just annoys me.
Straightforward five for me. Musically beautiful, lyrically great. Life on Mars is one of my favourite songs of all time.
This is on the list purely because of what came to be of The Rolling Stones. It's an album to listen to before you die in that you will listen to it and go "hmm that's interesting to hear how they sounded early in their career" but never ever listen again because it's totally unremarkable.
It gains a point because it's technically and musically quite good, but cover albums don't really have a place on this list imo.
Proper heavy metal with a lot of Sabbath songs I didn't know but enjoyed. Defo one I'd listen through again. Think the first 4 BS albums can be played through entirely in one run, they're all soo good. Minus a point for some weakened flow, while Changes is a great song, I think it spoils the flow. Same story with Laguna Sunrise, would work better as an outro.
Pleasantly surprised. I'm generally not a fan of Solsbury Hill so wasn't looking forward to this album but actually enjoyed listening through. Lot's of interesting styles and variety. Album flow is kinda non existent due to this though... Not an album I'd rush back to, but still quite enjoyable.
6 stars. This is probably my favourite album of all time, so it's almost a shame to have it so early.
You could argue that there is a touch of filler in On the Run and Any Colour You Like, but it doesn't bother me. If anything, it aids the flow. An other worldly album. £30 well spent on Clarie Torry! Time is the greatest song of all time.
I think I thought I liked Bob Dylan more than I actually do, perhaps I love his music but only when he isn't singing it.
Some beautifully written songs on here, but after 50 minutes of blaring harmonica and Bob's nasally tones I was wishing for the album's conclusion.
For me it's one to listen to a select few songs off but as a whole album it's not something I'd return to in a hurry.
Love listening to Queen outside of a greatest hits context. It can't be a 5 due to a weak song or two, "She Makes Me" which is dreadful, but the rock heavy opening is really strong. Definitely one I'd revisit. Keen to hear more Queen albums.
I quite enjoyed this musically, but the lyrics and the male vocals didn't work for me at all. The female vocals were better, but they're still ultimately singing about nothing at all, which whilst being the entire point, does little for me, especially across an entire album.
Not a big Prince fan. 1999 is decent. The album isn't inherently terrible, it just goes on and on and on. Automatic is just the same annoying sound for 9 and a half minutes. D.M.S.R was fun, but also too long. Skipped the last few songs, got bored.
Love the kinks. Love this album. Pure brilliance.
Victoria is a brilliant opener and the brilliance continues in the next two tracks. Songwriting is incredible throughout and appreciation only increases through further listens as the story becomes increasingly clear. Splendid.
I find Sting's reggae-esque voice quite irritating but didn't find this too terrible. Nothing particularly remarkable and an absolute clanger in "mother" which absolutely kills the album. I'm probably at a 2.5 but will round up to 3 as I suppose I would listen to this again at some point.
As I was totally unfamiliar with this work, I read some reviews before listening (something I try not to do). Seeing they were overwhelmingly negative, I went into the listen with an incredibly open mind, after all this isn't just a list of 70s and 80s rock and pop albums as some reviews seem to wish for.
The large positive is the backing music from the Diving Comedy, who provide some excellent orchestration throughout, particularly in the darker, more powerful numbers. Ute's voice is also strong in these darker, Bond theme like songs.
Lyrically however, I struggled with this album. As many have said, it is like listening to a musical to which you don't know the story. Lots of that talking/singing type of thing with forced rhymes and crammed in lyrics which don't flow particularly well.
It's a 2 because I didn't totally despise it and there's definitely talent in there. However, not one I'd return to, and certainly not an album I'd suggest people to listen to before they die.
Very easy listening. Neil's falsetto vocals always kinda grate on me but I didn't mind too much. 4 is probably a tad generous but 3 seems a bit harsh since it's an album I would return to.
Just joyful listening. Not overly polished or life changing, but incredibly fun. A variety of styles mean it isn't the greatest album but that didn't detract too much from my listening, just don't take it too seriously.
I listened to this whilst operating noisy machinery, which I must say helped enormously. Silly lyrics only saved somewhat by a bit of nice guitar playing. Might revise to a 1 eventually.
This started as a 5 with holes but got slightly weaker throughout. Definitely one of return to as I was totally unfamiliar to begin with.
This album was like a terrible handjob.
Track 1 - Intro promised interest, arousal, perhaps even brilliance.
What followed was 35 minutes of musical edging, slow strokes of melodramatic, yet simultaneously entirely emotionless dirge. It's going nowhere, you want it to stop, but out of respect for the other party you stay quiet, allowing your mind to wander to anything but the matter at hand.
After 25 minutes the quest for climax intensifies, but the wolf is far from the door. It is only as the final track - Stars comes to a blissful end that anything close to a climax is reached.
It's over. Sweet, orgasmic silence.
Not really for me. Female vocals grated on me. I'd listen to one or two songs again, but definitely not an album I'd return to.
It's objectively fine. Not special in anyway, deeply surprised it's on a list of albums to hear before you die.
I kinda enjoyed the opening with Perfect Skin but as the album slows towards the end, Cole's yearning vocals become rather grating.
Overall, unremarkable yet inoffensive, not one I'd listen to again.
Agree with other reviews that the songs never quite reach the crescendo you hope for. It's okay. Bit bored by the end, lots of very similar sounds.
