It's Zeppelin. Starts off with a banger in Immigrant Song and just keeps trucking. Since I've Been Loving You is among their best songs; a 5* song for me. Over half the album is 4* or higher. Hard to get much better than that.
The Beatles are my favorite band of all time by far. With that said, this one starts off with one of the most iconic songs of all time, followed by the equally excellent Jealous Guy, however the rest of the album is pretty hit or miss. Musically, there's plenty to appreciate, but Lennon's solo songwriting can be a little too simple and his lyrics a little too literal for my taste. A few songs are enjoyable enough, but most aren't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to again. It's not a bad album by any means, just not a particularly great one.
I guess I can see why this album has its place in music history, but it just isn't for me. There's some interesting stuff going on musically, but the songs never really build toward anything. The production has its moments, but I found myself losing interest more often than not. It's not unpleasant to listen to and would work perfectly well as background music, but nothing here makes me want to come back for another listen.
I've enjoyed Springsteen's music for years, so I was already familiar with and loved many of the bigger songs on this album. Thunder Road is an incredible opener, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out is fantastic, and Jungleland is a nearly ten-minute epic that somehow never feels its length, thanks in no small part to Clarence's brilliant saxophone work. Unfortunately, some of the lesser-known tracks don't do much for me, with Backstreets in particular losing my interest well before it finished. There's a lot of great music here, but the album as a whole is a little too inconsistent for me to rate it any higher.
A decent album with some enjoyable moments, but at first listen it didn't leave much of an impression on me. I like Blondie's sound and there's certainly some good songwriting here, but too many of the songs felt repetitive or just didn't hold my interest. One Way or Another is too played out for me at this point in my life but Heart of Glass still has that nostaligia factor to it. A few non singles stood out enough, Picture This and Fade Away and Radiate, that I'd happily listen to them again, but most were pleasant enough without being particularly memorable. Not a bad album by any means, just not one I see myself returning to very often. Probably give it 2.5 stars if it was an option.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this album, but I came away pleasantly surprised. There's a lot to appreciate, with an interesting blend of psychedelic rock and soul. I kept hearing shades of Traffic, the Beatles, and especially Broken Bells, which makes sense given Danger Mouse's involvement. Not every song held my attention, but there were enough interesting moments and a few genuine standouts to make me want to give the album another listen. This feels like one that could grow on me with time.
Apple Music doesn't have the original release, so I reconstructed the six-track album from the 1995 remaster for this challenge. I've never been much of a live album guy, but it's hard not to appreciate just how good The Who sound here. The band is absolutely explosive, with Keith Moon's relentless drumming, Pete Townshend's crisp guitar work, and John Entwistle's bass all sounding fantastic. The setlist isn't necessarily my favorite selection of The Who songs, but the performances more than make up for it. I'm a sucker for a good medley, so My Generation was easily the highlight for me. An excellent live album that captures a great band firing on all cylinders.
Given how much I love albums like Déjà Vu and Tapestry, Joni Mitchell seems like an artist that should be in my wheelhouse, but I've never been able to connect with her music. I went into Court and Spark hoping this would be the album to change that, but unfortunately it only reinforced my feelings. There's some excellent musicianship here, but the polished, almost adult contemporary sound, Joni's vocal delivery, and her overly poetic lyrics just aren't for me. As the album progressed, I found myself increasingly losing interest, and by the end I was struggling to get through it. The whole thing insists upon itself. I can appreciate the talent involved, but this was a frustrating listen, especially because I genuinely wanted to like it.
I've always enjoyed Bob Marley in small doses, but reggae is one of those genres I really have to be in the mood for, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about an entire album. The first half was a bit of a struggle, with several songs settling into repetitive grooves that didn't do much to hold my interest. Fortunately, the second half is considerably stronger, with familiar favorites like Jamming, Three Little Birds, and One Love. There's plenty to enjoy here, but ultimately I think Marley's music works better for me mixed into a playlist than listened to as a full album.
I've enjoyed Bon Jovi's music since I was a kid, but I'm not sure I'd ever listened to this album straight through before. The big hits still hold up remarkably well despite being played to death over the years. Some of the deeper cuts feel like fairly generic '80s arena rock, but there's enough energy and good songwriting throughout to keep things enjoyable. It's not a consistently great album, but it's a solid listen and one I could easily see myself spinning on vinyl. This was definitely a good time. Probably a 3.5 if half-stars were an option.
What needs to be said here? I've been listening to Zeppelin for nearly 30 years, and these songs still sound just as incredible as ever. From the opening punch of Black Dog and Rock and Roll to the sheer power of Bonham's drums on When the Levee Breaks, this album is packed with classics. Even after all these years, Page's solo on Stairway to Heaven still gives me chills (even though the solo is better on BBC Sessions). A masterpiece.
It's fine. The album opens with four really strong songs, including some of U2's best work, but unfortunately the rest never comes close to reaching those heights. There's nothing particularly bad about the deeper cuts, but very little that stands out or makes me want to hear them again. Given this album's reputation, I was hoping to discover something beyond the familiar hits, but ultimately came away underwhelmed. I'm perfectly happy sticking with the singles rather than revisiting the album as a whole.
It's country, and for the most part, it's boring. The sparse arrangements and Prine's sleepy, twangy vocals just weren't for me. There are occasional moments of enjoyable musicianship and some clever songwriting, but musically very little held my interest. By the end, I felt like I'd spent more time waiting for something interesting to happen than actually enjoying the music. It wasn't unlistenable, but there's not a single song here I'd go out of my way to hear again. If this is your thing, well, enjoy it, but it ain't mine.
What can I say? I gravitate towards Chicago's "cringier" soft rock material, so this was my first real dive into their early sound. There's some terrific musicianship here, particularly Terry Kath's guitar work, but the band seems determined to stretch every musical idea until it wears out its welcome. Between the extended jams, unnecessary intros and outros, and seemingly endless horns, I found myself wishing someone had stepped in and reeled them in. There's plenty of talent on display, but this album desperately needed someone who knew when to say enough is enough.
Some albums are personal. This one shaped me. One of my most listened to albums of all time from my favorite band of all time. 30 years later, I still get chills. Side one is full of great music, but the medley is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. An absolute masterpiece.
I wasn't sure what to expect from an entire hour of Fatboy Slim, especially since I was never particularly into the late-'90s electronic music scene. As it turns out, this was a surprisingly fun listen, and the nostalgia of revisiting a few songs from high school certainly helped. There's a lot of repetition, and not every track held my attention, but the energy and infectious grooves kept me entertained for most of the album. By the end, I was starting to wear out on the sound, but I would happily give it another spin. Maybe I just caught it on the right day, but this was exactly what I needed on a Friday morning.
I went into this album knowing next to nothing about Funkadelic and initially found myself enjoying their sound, particularly the guitar work on the opening track. Unfortunately, as the album progressed, the songs became increasingly repetitive and rarely seemed to build toward anything. There's some good music here, but not enough to hold my attention. I started out thinking this might deserve another listen, but by the end I'd completely changed my mind.
I'm sure this album was groundbreaking when it came out, but listening to it 36 years later, I just didn't find much that interested me. I've enjoyed my share of '90s hip-hop, but it's not a genre I'm particularly interested in exploring further at this point in my life. I realize someone hearing my favorite classic rock albums for the first time today might feel exactly the same way. There's nothing particularly unpleasant about this record, but ultimately it felt like an album I didn't need to hear.
