I’ve always liked the Boss, but I wasn’t too familiar with this whole album. Recognised the obvious ones like Thunder Road and Born To Run but really enjoyed Meeting Across The River and Jungleland. A decent short album as well which is a rarity these days.
I wasn’t expecting to like this, but it was a bit of a revelation. Excellent all the way through with the highlights being Diminuendo and Crescendo in blue
4 stars.
A total classic. Not a bad track on it. Still sounds as good today as it ever did. And not even their best album. Or maybe it is. 5/5
Pleasant enough , definitely not for me. Title track outstays its welcome by about 4 minutes. At latest the whole thing was quite short. Onwards
Alanis Morrisette- Jagged Little Pill (1995)
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was quite surprised that I seemed to know most of this album already. Her voice grated on track 1 and I thought this would be a 2 star rating but the quality of the songs, the 90s nostalgia and Alanis reining in the vocal histrionics a bit rescued an extra star from me.
Good album that I probably won’t listen to again
Album no 6
Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968)
Pleasant enough. Johnnys voice is obviously great. I can’t really pick out a favourite track.. maybe the green green grass of home. Not for me.
The prison announcements for inmates to report to various places were interesting though..
EDIT- Greystone Chapel is probably the best track
⭐️⭐️
Enjoyed this. Listened to it twice. Great voice
Album 8
Yes - The Yes Album
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I approached this with trepidation – prog rock! It was actually not too bad. Quite enjoyed the guitar wankery and noodling. “Perpetual Motion” and “i’ve seen all good people” are probably the best tracks. And the least weird and proggy. Probably won’t listen again though…
Iron Maiden – the number of the beast
⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am in no way a metal fan. Turned out it was pretty good- a mix of the absolutely terrible (22 Acacia Avenue), and brilliant (run to the hills and Hallowed be thy Name).
I probably won’t be back but largely a fun 40 minutes
Beck - Guero
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This Beck album was new to me, but i bought, Odelay, Midnite Vultures and Sea Changes back in my CD buying days. This was often very reminiscent of Odelay.
Not listened to Beck in years and I’d forgot how good he was. This is a cracking album, would’ve given it 5 stars if it weren’t for a couple of 3/5 songs and loads of 4/5 tunes meaning the average was 4.2 ( trying to be a bit more scientific about my scoring!!)
Standout track: Broken Drum.
The Only Ones - The Only Ones
Enjoyed this. Sounded like it could have been from the 90s or noughties. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can hear the influence they had on Blur and The Libertines.
Standout tracks : Another Girl Another Planet, The Beast, The Immortal Story
Tupac (2pac?) - me against the world.
Hmm rap, not my thing unless doing a challenge like this…but of the G funk variety which I used to quite like. I was expecting this to be a slog, but it was actually pretty good all the way through. Some very prescient stuff here. Death really was around the corner for this guy. A strong 3, so I’ll give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon collie yada yada
Infinite is right. I’ve just listened to this album for what seems like a week. First half much stronger than the second half in my opinion. They could’ve dropped half of this thing and had a really strong 4 or 5* album but as it is, too many average tracks pulled the score down. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rock opera, FFS. This was a struggle to get through. Pinball wizard and the last track served it from a one star review.
Missed a few days so have some catching up to do
What a great album to kick things off with again
Gang of Four - Entertainment
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Superb bass and drum driven songs with stabs of guitar and minimalist lyrics. I kept thinking of margin walker era Fugazi - one of the best bands ever. Go4 were clearly a big influence.
Standout tracks - nearly all of them!
Naturals not in it Damaged goods Guns before butter I found that essence rare Contract At home he’s a tourist 5.45 Love like anthrax
All 5/5 tracks
Ian Dury - new boots and panties
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of those “ of its time” records that would get cancelled now. Good fun all the way through
Standout tracks
My old man
Blockheads
Falling a bit behind. Forced myself to listen to
NWA - Straight Outta Compton
Being 56 year old white guy i am clearly the target demographic. ( being 19 when this came out).
Pretty good. First three tracks and the final one stood out.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Hadn’t heard this one before other than the singles sure shot and sabotage. Enjoyed it on the whole especially the instrumental jazzy tracks and the Tibetan throat singing!
Average song score 3.75
Standouts: Sabotage, Shambala
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Still trying to catchup
Today I had the pleasure of
Lou Reed - Transformer (1972)
Great album. The 3 singles ( perfect day, walk on the wild side, satellite of love) are the best tracks. Loved the sax and other wind instruments. Lou in great voice at this stage of life.
Standout track: Satellite of Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ABBA - Arrival
Hmmm. Thought I’d like this more. A bit shit apart from Dancing Queen. Music inoffensive enough but the lyrics are pretty buns throughout.
I like the idea of abba, the occasional hit single, rather than sitting through an actual album. No hidden gems here. A bit boring.
Best track : dancing queen
⭐️⭐️
2 albums and counting today (trying to catch up )
Dirty Projectors- Bitte Orca
I bought this when it came out but haven’t listened to it for 17 years. Good album, a little arty but the tunes are there. Probably won’t listen to it again though
Standout track: Stillness Is the Move
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3rd album of the day in my effort to catch up was
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces (1979)
I bought this in the early 90s on vinyl after Michael Stipe had named it in Rolling Stone as one of his albums of the 80s (even though it was released in the 70s).
So consistent. Not a bad track on it. A very solid 4 stars.
Best track : Party Girl
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Avalanches - Since I left you
Bought this at the time. Forgot how good this is - the final quarter is excellent.
Good , not great , so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Strong album all the way through. I think I bought this on CD at the time
Standout : Time to Pretend
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Kinks - Arthur - or the decline and fall of the British empire
I’ve had a semi enforced (by holiday) break from the album-a-day routine so my generator has stopped generating and I have a lot of albums queued up to listen to. This is the first in the queue. I pretty much enjoyed most of this with the standard track being Australia.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bon jovi - slippery when wet
This was an ordeal. First album on this challenge which I have actually skipped forward when I’ve got the gist of a track rather than playing each track to its end. Boring. Elevated from one star by Wanted Dead or Alive and Springsteen pastiche Wild in the Streets
⭐️⭐️
Machito - Kenya (1957)
Very funky. Top congas. Nice and short. Toe tapping. 4 stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Beatles - Revolver
My first generated Beatles album. Its albums like this that make this project a joy rather than the chore it occasionally can feel like.
Of course I knew some of this already but not all of it.
I scored each track and the average came to 4.2 - i’d normally round this down to 4* for the album but it seemed wrong in this case.
Standout tracks – Taxman, Eleanor Rigby, Got to Get You Into My Life, Tomorrow Never Knows
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Crap
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde
Really enjoyed this-I like this style of hip-hop. Back in 1992 I got heavily into the Goats - Tricks of the Shade which this was very reminiscent of. Good fun, good rapping.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
AC/DC - highway to hell
Good fun in a meat n potatoes bluesy pub rock way. Lyrics were mostly about shagging, or not getting shagged. Enjoyed it but won’t be back.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
I already know and love this album but on relisten I confirmed that it’s an absolute classic with no bad tracks. Whooo!. Alright!!!
Standout tracks:
Under the pressure
Red Eyes
An Ocean In Between the Waves
Disappearing
Eyes To The Wind
Burning
Lost in the Dream
In Reverse
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tim Buckley - Happy Sad
Could definitely hear hints of Jeff though Jeff did it better. A lot of this descended into noodling and there’s a bit too much vibraphone. I nodded off during Love From Room 109.
Best tracks: Strange Feelin’ , Buzzin’ Fly
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Black Flag - Damaged
Thought I’d like this a bit more as I’m a big fan of Fugazi and I like Henry Rollins solo stuff. A bit samey. Maybe required a couple of listens
Standout track: Damaged I
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sex Pistols - never mind the bollocks here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
A surprisingly solid album where the quality didn’t drop too much. I enjoyed this the whole way through so I’m giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Prodigy- The Fat Of The Land (1997)
I had the CD at the time and listened to it a fair bit. Saw them live a few times. Listened to this on my floor standers and a decent volume. It’s basically full of bangers. Best tracks are those with no singing or a guest vocal.
Standout tracks:
Diesel Power
Mindfields
Narayan
Climbatise
A strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Orbital - Snivilisation (1994)
I bought the CD at the time and loved it. Haven’t listened in years but played it loud on a decent pair of speakers and it was a huge rush of nostalgia. I shared a house with friends in the 90s and this was the soundtrack to numerous summer barbecues. Not a bad track on it, not even Quality Seconds.
Standout tracks
Forever
I wish I had duck feet
Sad but true
Crash and carry
Science Friction
Kevin Trink Wasser
Are We Here?
Attached
An easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (1978)
Enjoyed most of this although the first track “Kizza Me” wasn’t a great start. Solid album once it got going although it was tricky to find the definitive track listing so I think I listened in the wrong order.
Standout track : Femme Fatale ( VU cover!)
A strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bruce Springsteen- Born in the USA (1984)
Bought this on vinyl when it came out. One of the first albums I’d ever bought. I was 14. I haven’t listened to it in 40 years. It all came back to me this evening. This is a classic. This is my 2nd generated Springsteen album but this is better than Born to Run. A very strong 4 stars so I’ll give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jorge Ben - África Brasil (1976)
V good all the way through. Samba rock album. Very funky. Always wondered what that instrument that sounds like a monkey was ( also heard in the White Lotus theme song). It’s a cuica. It can be heard all the way through this great album
Also sounded really good given it was made in 1976
A very strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Muddy Waters - Hard Again (1977)
The mind boggles over the possible meaning of this album title. Muddy was 71 at the time!
This is a juggernaut of an album. Yeah sure a lot of it is the same song with different harmonica and vocals on top but that’s the blues.
Standout tracks:
Mannish Boy ( obviously)
Bus Driver
I can’t be satisfied
Cross eyed cat
Little girl
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
REM - Automatic for the People (1992)
A classic. I’m a lifelong fan and knew this was getting the full 5. And this , contrary to popular opinion, isn’t even their best ( that would Green of course). Still sounds really good. Much missed.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)
Proggy, funky, pastoral, slightly bluesy. Long songs. Winwood’s soulful voice. A good listen. Scraping a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (1983)
I’ve owned a couple of other Tom Waits albums (Raindogs , Bon Machine and The Black Rider). I prefer Raindogs to this one. I think I admire Tom rather than love him. Definitely music to listen to after 11pm, not at 3 on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Best tracks
16 Shells….
In The Neighborhood
Franks Wild Years 🐶🔥
Swordfishtrombone
Soldiers Things
Gin Soaked Boy
Rainbirds
Ok so I liked quite a bit of it but disliked a fair bit as well.. so ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid (2010)
Mostly good, sometimes great. Soul and RnB is not my cup of tea normally but this had some good stuff. The whole concept of this concept album passed me by - something to do with Janelle being an alien ?
Standout tracks
Dance or Die
Tightrope
Mushrooms and Roses
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hole - Celebrity Skin (1998)
I bought this when it came out but haven’t listened for years. It’s full of bangers. I probably prefer this to Live Through This. Very 90s polished grunge.
An easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stephen Stills- Stephen Stills (1970)
This was a game of 2 halves. All the good stuff seemed to be packed into side 1…Church, Old Times Good Times, Go Back Home , the last two with Hendrix and Clapton respectively. The 2nd half was let down with a couple of pretty bad inclusions: To A Flame and Black Queen.
And then the weirdest and clunkiest transition between the last 2 songs on the album.
Definition of a mixed bag
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Rattlesnakes (1984)
Some pretty good songs on here, some fairly average ones. Got used to his voice in the end. Some of it was very Pulp reminiscent – I guess they both started around the same time.
Best tracks:
Speedboat
Forest Fire
2CV
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
I probably won’t be back but it was a decent⭐️⭐️⭐️
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
I’ve been slacking recently, so what a great album with which to return to the challenge.
I’ve never listened to this all the way through, but knew about half of the album. Virtuoso playing all the way through, especially the bass and drums.
I’m not a metal fan, but this is more blues rock with a metal edge. An easy⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretenders - Pretenders (1980)
Was kind of looking forward to this as it had Brass in Pocket on it. It was all ok, a bit lacking in tunes in places. I won’t be back but it wasn’t offensive. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pixies - Bossanova (1990)
Ah this took me back. I bought this on vinyl and then CD at the time. Went to see them at Brixton Academy. Album still holds up. Good, but not as good as Doolittle
Best tracks:
All Over The World
Dig For Fire
The Happening
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Duran Duran - Rio (1982)
I was 12. Never a fan but this album is pretty good. Great bass lines throughout. At one point it sounded just like The War On Drugs.
Highlights
All the hits plus The Chauffeur
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York (1994)
I played the CD tonight on my hi fi. Forgotten how good this is. . Probably haven’t heard this for over 25 years but it’s so familiar.
An easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lemonheads- It’s A Shame About Ray (1992)
I bought this on vinyl and it definitely didn’t have the Mrs Robinson cover on the end.
I haven’t felt the urge to listen to this in 34 years , never replaced it on CD and never felt the urge to stream it. Always felt it was poppy but a bit average. Here’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️ to you Mr Dando.
Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin (1999)
A bizarre album. A few good tracks (Homelands, Nadia, Serpents), some meh stuff, and then there’s The Conference which is a couple of guys doing some very high speed scatting which is kind of impressive but a bit odd. This album is a mess. But it’s not terrible. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)
Not bad - as 70s and proggy and jazzy as expected. First Steely Dan of the list, I see there are three more. I was awoken from my stupor by the line from Super Furry Animals - The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, lifted from Show Biz Kids.
3.5/5
Best track - Show Biz Kids
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anita Baker - Rapture (1986)
Pretty boring and lacking any tunes. Apart from Sweet Love which is good. And Same Ol’ Love. Good voice but started to grate a bit.
Seemed to go on for a lot longer than 37 minutes. 2.5/5 rounded down.
⭐️⭐️
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
Some top rapping and some good tunes. Subject matter: being a gangsta and hos. 3.5/5 which I’ll round up as I enjoyed most of it
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry (1996)
I approached this with a slight sense of forboding. I actually bought this when it came out on the strength of a review but probably haven’t played the CD for 29 years.
Once the first two tracks were out of the way I actually settled into this and quite enjoyed the vast majority of it. Some of it is pretty abrasive but there are some good tunes buried in here and some interesting sounds. I probably won’t be returning voluntarily, however.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)
I’ve heard one of their more recent albums but hadn’t heard this one before. Solid all the way through with the track Jenny being the standout. Enjoyed it 3.7/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model (1978)
Not a massive fan of Elvis but this was pretty good – I see it’s regarded as his best album by some.
Standout tracks
The Beat
Pump it up
Little triggers
I don’t want to go to Chelsea
Living in Paradise
Lipstick Vogue
Night Rally
3.6/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
T.Rex - Electric Warrior (1971)
I knew a bit of this already – Jeepster and get it on and cosmic dancer but the whole thing was really good and considering it was recorded in 1971 sounded really fresh. Best album I’ve heard in a while on this challenge.
Best tracks
Cosmic Dancer
Get It On
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020)
Interesting album. Excellent sounding drums and percussion on a decent system despite the random dogs barking. A strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aimee Mann - whatever (1993)
My thoughts exactly. I’m 3 songs in and I’m not sure I can arsed to sit through all 52 minutes. Bland alt-pop which sounds exactly like 1993.
I’m giving it 2/5. Will come back and edit if it improves
⭐️⭐️
Edit - no change to the rating. It’s only getting 2 stars as it was not overly offensive at any point (despite the stupid piano and hidden 5 second track at the end)
Peter Gabriel - So (1986)
Despite showing its age with the gated drums and rubbery bass ( both of which are great) this is a 5 star classic where the quality just does not drop. I’ve listened to this loads and had it in vinyl in the 80s but I can’t for the life of me remember a song called “This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)”but there it is. It’s good as well. 5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Firehose - Fromohio (1989)
Enjoyed this. Reminded me of Minutemen ( of course) and Shellac (but less shouty). Liked the bass first nature of it. Nice and short as well. 4/5
Best track: Mas Cojones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
