A surprisingly enjoyable listen as I hadn’t really heard any Doors apart from the absolutely obvious starter songs. So much more bluesy than I expected. A great start to my 1001 albums journey.
I went to see them live, and I want to like it more but it is a little bit too lo-fi for me, and a bit same-y
I’d forgotten how lyrically clever Eminem is. The album as a whole works really well together however the genre isn’t quite where I’m at. For occasional listening however, when I’m in the mood? Perfect.
I love Nick Drake. I get an immediate sense of calm whenever he is on. I hadn’t however heard this album before, it had been a welcome addition to my knowledge of his work. Will definitely be listening to this again.
A beautiful album that I have listened to many times. Tracy’s voice is like velvet. 4/5
A lovely album, and one that I hadn’t heard from start to finish before. It felt very top-loaded but I very much enjoyed Roy Rogers towards the end. I understand the acclaim this record has received. Whilst not perfectly in my wheelhouse, I spent a nice hour and a bit with it. 3/5.
Not my cup of tea. Maybe I just like certain songs in Hair Rock. A full album such as this leaves me a little cold. Pleasant enough but doesn’t butter my parsnips. 2/5.
I was so tempted to give this my first 1-star as it was unremittingly one paced and felt like one long diatribe with a couple of breaks in. But then we had a couple of “slightly” more upbeat numbers (e.g. So Long, Marianne) which uplifted things slightly. Not one I shall be returning to, however. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be my cup of tea, and so it proved. 2/5 (just).
This album was a pleasant surprise. I’ve clearly listened to Pet Sounds but none of the back catalogue or side projects from any of the members. This is the joy of this project. I can’t ever see a time I would have decided to give this a spin, but having listened to it, I’m so glad I did.
You can hear the Beach Boys in there but there are large parts that have a real jazz/funk vibe and they really resonated.
Time & Pacific Ocean Blues stand out tracks for me.
4/5
I love this album. It’s the last time I will look at the reviews before putting an album on as I was expecting this to be a really tough listen. Instead I had a smile on my face the whole way through. Maybe it’s because 1989 is right in my sweet spot, I don’t know but this really did the trick. QL’s rapping is on point and the samples didn’t bother me as this is really what I’ve grown up with. It’s just another musical device and she uses it brilliantly.
A straightforward 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This is almost the quintessential ’80’s album. Full of life and made by a band who truly believe in what they are doing. The Hurting was a terrific first album but they raised all levels with this. The singles are all terrific, of course, but the whole album speaks to me. It came along just at the time I was starting to appreciate music so that is part of it, but it just signifies the era for me in a way that almost nothing else does.
Another 5/5 for me. The peak of Robert Smith’s power.
I dismissed The Cure growing up (there was also a Robert Smith lookalike at University and that put me off!) but I have come to appreciate them so much more over the last few years.
Smith’s retreat back to melancholia works perfectly and the result is a true piece of work.
I was so prepared to dislike this album. Admittedly I was only going on the premise that “Groove is in the Heart” would be their only decent song and I have heard that one to death. However, it is a much fresher sound than I expected and a very pleasant listen. 3/5
Another really pleasant surprise. A record I’ve never owned so this was a voyage of discover outside of the singles. The title track at 11 minutes was a glorious prog-pop masterpiece and I really enjoyed the cover in the middle. Overall an ambitious pop record that stands the test of time. 4/5.
Rockabilly doesn’t massively do it for me, although it does give me Easy Rider vibes, which is no bad thing.
Pleasant enough but not one that I would be playing again.
I can, however, appreciate how this must sound to lovers of this type of music. Pleased to have heard it, 3/5.
This is what makes this website so powerful - I had never heard of this album or group and I would certainly never have hit play. This sort of hip-hop is not massively my bag but I did enjoy a c couple of numbers - Oh Shit and Ya Mama were highlights for me.
There are clearly so many bands that I’ve listened to the singles of and never bought the albums. The Specials are another one of these. I had my fears during the first half of this that this would be singles plus filler but things notably picked up for me, not least with Concrete Jungle and Monkey Man.
The Specials define an era as well as any other band and there wouldn’t really be much Ska without them. For that, it is a solid 3/5.
The only Steely Dan album I had listened to prior to this is “Aja” so I had high hopes. It didn’t disappoint. I like their approach fusing jazz with rock - their sound appeals to me.
“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” is a stellar way to start things off and it continues in that vein.
You have to hand it to them, within the first couple of bars, you are under no illusion as to who you are listening to. Quite the achievement. 4/5
I wanted to like this, I really did, but I got extremely bored very quickly. One continuous noise for 45 minutes as far as I could make out. Jack’s nasal whining did nothing for me, but Meg’s drum work did offer a little bit of salvation. Not enough though. 2/5.
Perfectly pleasant and as far as country albums go, most enjoyable. RIP Dolly, you were a force of nature. 3/5.
A pleasant listening experience and not what I was expecting. More of an Americana/Country mix than pure Country which I enjoyed. It was, however, a bit one paced and bar a couple of examples it is difficult to pick out one song from another. I do see the appeal of Emmylou, but not really my cup of tea. 2/5
I have such a love/hate relationship with Bob Dylan. I normally find him extremely difficult to listen to and find his nasal whine a little off putting. However, everything came together (for me) perfectly in this album and it is a true masterpiece. It is heartfelt and brilliantly written. A tour de force and a very easy 5/5.
I was poised, ready to give my first 1-star review until I started to just get into this a little. The noise rock of The Icarus Line made me think of At The Drive In, a band I haven’t given two hoots about for 20 years. An assault on the ears, yes, but there were some tunes in there.
I can’t say I wasn’t glad when it finished though. 2/5.
I imagine that The Temptations were purely Motown based on what I’d heard so was pleasantly surprised when there was a large amount of funk thrown in.
The album however was very front loaded for me and I became slightly fatigued towards the end.
An enjoyable trip through the psychedelic late-60’s. I hadn’t heard anything from The Zombies (or so I thought) so it was a fresh listen. Until “Time of the Season” showed up as the last track and it all started to make a bit of sense. 3/5
Farcically, this is the first time I have listened to a Bowie album from start to finish (case in point, I had always assumed that Life on Mars would be on Ziggy Stardust). I really enjoyed it.
It wasn’t as earth shattering as I wanted it to be, but that isn’t to say that it isn’t a great record. Life on Mars is one of the best songs ever committed to vinyl and Changed is a great track also. 4/5.
So having gone from never listening to a Bowie album I’ve now had two in two days. I prefer this to Hunky Dory. Heroes is a masterpiece and I have to say, I really enjoyed the Eno-inspired synth arrangements in side 2. 4/5.
