My first full Jimi Hendrix album experience, and it did not disappoint. After listening to the first few songs, I was concerned that the sound was going to be lost on me. That I was simply not able to appreciate how new and exciting this music was at the time. However, upon reaching "Voodoo Child", without realising the song's runtime, I truly began to understand the love for Jimi Hendrix's playing. Sure some songs are very experimental and weird, playing with many effects (and a lot of audio panning) but when those guitar solos take centre-stage you cannot help but lose yourself a little. Each solo is unique and played with a palpable passion with a specific sound that is just wonderful to hear. Quite simply, I just love hearing the way he plays guitar solos. So while there are some songs I didn't enjoy as much, the songs that I did enjoy made up for them tenfold. Seems like the perfect album to listen to lying on the floor, doing nothing for an hour and a half
Not really for me, and while I would be interested in listening to more progressive rock, I would not want to listen to this album again. It is a little all over the place in my opinion and not in a free flowing way that usually interests me. I can acknowledge its influence, but there was not a song on the album I would personally like to listen to again.
On an initial listen, I wasn't all that impressed with the album as a whole. I found it to be one of those albums which just didn't match my musical tastes. However, after realising a few of the songs had gotten stuck in my head, I had another listen. That, plus the context I learned about the Kinks and this album specifically allowed me to appreciate it as an interesting commentary on the fragility of nostalgia and a parody of those who have a strong desire to protect the "old ways". Being British, these themes really did resonate with me and were highlighted best by my two favourite songs off the album "The village Green Preservation Society" and "Where's Walter". Overall though, it's only 3 stars as I won't be listening to the whole album through and my favourite songs aren't enough to bring it up to that 4 star rating
A really fun listening experience, especially with the little interludes set in the classroom discussing love which perfectly match some of the songs in the album. In terms of those songs, Lost Ones and Ex-Factor were my favourite with Everything is Everything coming in a close second. After looking up the context in which the album was released, I truly began to appreciate it as a key contribution to rap-singing and what a voice Lauryn has. From meaningful ballads to catchy main verses, the variety was amazing and meant that I could not really label any song in this album as "bad". If I could give it a 4.5 I would, simply because a 5 star seems too strong now, especially for something that did not hold my attention for all the songs. However, I think subsequent listens, of which I hope there will be many more, may sneak it into that 5 star rating.
This one is hard for me. On the one hand, the context of this album makes me appreciate just how hard it hits and sometimes that did win me over, especially near the end. On the other hand, I was struggling to enjoy this album. I just found it was mixed poorly, with Johnny's voice sounding to close. While some say this helps with the sombre tone of the album, I just found it takes away from the experience. Covers are fine but some of them didn't seem to fit. Moreover, the original songs were just confusing to me, especially the first song. Overall, I think this might be more a dig at Rick Ruben but I wouldn't want to listen to it again.
I couldn't say that I hated it, but I really could not say I enjoyed it. I liked the idea of the album but all the songs seemed to mesh into one and the singer's voice was not really for me. Another point was that any guitar solos usually fell quite flat for me which made it even worse. It is a shame since they are an interesting British band but I won't be listening to the album again unfortunately.
Verse 3 on For The Love of Ivy. Yeah, I'm not listening to anymore
I really enjoyed this album surprisingly. It is definitely an album based around music which is older than the release date, however, that doesn't make it less enjoyable. A compilation of lovely campfire songs and just flat out enjoyable tunes. Music to die to, Dad music, whatever it is, I'm here for it
My first 5 so far. I thought it would be a very hard decision and was trying to figure out if my love for these songs was only coming from it being the first album that was not American/British. However, after listening to the album (with the help of a bright sunny day) I couldn't find a single song with a problem. It was so FUN. Dancing music to be sure and more than happy for it to be my first high score.
I don't think it shouldn't exist, put it that way. But it isn't for me and it's hard to differentiate it from other British rock albums I've listened to before and here without acknowledging the slightly sloppy performances.
It is perfectly fine and that is not to its discredit. There are some fun songs and of course some classics from my early 2000s childhood. However, it is just a very middle-of-the-road R&B album which I cannot say I will be desperate to listen to again to in the near future.
I might be being generous with this score and maybe that is reason enough to keep it lower but regardless, I am giving it a 5. My reasons are simple, most of the tracks have a guitar solo. All of these guitar solos are very good. The tracks themselves are also proper Dad rock energy that you could sing your heart out to. Realistically, it is a 4.7. It is not absolutely perfect in every way, but it is close. Simply put, it would feel wrong, for me, to round its score down given how many boxes it ticks for me.
This is another tough one but I want to stand by my choice of a 2. Realistically, this is more like a 2.4 even a 2.5. It is simply a case of a singer's voice just not resonating with me. Do not get me wrong, there is passion there which you can feel and some songs really make you feel something. For example, "My Precious Love" was filled with great build up, passionate singing which matched the tone, and some incredible solos on keys. However, this just did not carry on through out the album so I cannot in good heart give it a 3.
At first, I was pleasantly surprised and thought that this might sneak into one of my 5 out of 5s. Near the end, I feel more than happy giving this a 4. Simply put, I hadn't listened to much Blur bar their most popular songs. As a result, some of the songs I heard on this album really surprised me at how complex and interesting they were. A prime example being my favourite song of the album "For Tomorrow". This song featured orchestral strings, ghostly gospel backing vocals and a fun structure. Some of the other later songs on the album just didn't scratch the itch as much. I am looking forward to the other Blur albums since, apparently, it only gets better from here...
