"Personal Rating: ★★★
Recommend to Listen: ★★★
Favorite Song: Almost Cut My Hair
Honorable Mention(s): Our House
Album Notes: CSN+Y always had that chimey sound to all of their records that never really resonated with me. These songs are definitely different than what would come from the later years of all of these guys, but it stands its place in time as a unique sound with their song writing along with how well they all harmonized. Very soulful. I could definitely see most of these songs really excelling live, especially something like Woodstock which was clearly a product of its time and a Joni Mitchell classic.
"Personal Rating: ★★
Recommend to Listen: ★★
Favorite Song: A Punch Up at a Wedding
Honorable Mention(s): There, There
Album Notes: This was certainly experimental. I really do not have much to say as this seemed more like a dark and depressing "enlightenment" record than it did a musically interesting piece. I feel like i'm supposed to feel a certain way after listening to it when in reality i feel like i wasted my time instead. There were flashes of something and then it would go back to what felt like early stages of eargasm type smut songs. By far the least interesting Radiohead record i've heard so far.
"Personal Rating: ★★★★⯪
Recommend to Listen: ★★★★⯪
Favorite Song: Funky Munks / Apache Rose Peacock
Honorable Mention(s): Sir Psycho Sexy
Album Notes: This is arguably peak Chili Peppers. Has some greasy dark sounding funk songs, some of their biggest rock hits in Under the Bridge, Give It Away, Suck My Kiss, and some songs you don't really hear matched by other adjacent bands. Fleas bass is powerful but melodic, Frusciante's guitar is perfectly blended, honestly there isn't much bad here outside of the overall record length being arguably too long. You could have made an insane record and a really good second with any of the 17 tracks split apart, which is why I docked it from a 5 star.
"Personal Rating: ★★
Recommend to Listen: ★★
Favorite Song: Death of a Disco Dancer
Honorable Mention(s): Girlfriend in a Coma
Album Notes: I did not enjoy anything about this record. I believe if it was made in the 21st century, the entire complexion of this would sound much better. I do not find the groove, songwriting, or lyrics appealing at all. The early indie sound from the 80s is all over this and didn't really let up the entire way through. I tried very hard to listen objectively and, sans a few songs, I did not believe there was much redeemable material from this record. I think The Smith's leaving this as their last release before breaking up is honestly leaving with a whimper.
Personal Rating: ★★★☆☆
Recommend to Listen: ★★★☆☆
Favorite Song: Son of a Preacher Man
Honorable Mention(s): So Much Love
Album Notes: Aside from Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty is not someone I am really familiar with past their name. Reading some reviews, its a bit surprising that Dusty was intimidated by the R&B artists in Memphis to record some of these tracks, cause she absolutely kills it on a lot of these tracks. Warm, pleasant, and soulful! Probably not something I would return to but definitely worth a listen to hear another beauitful voice lost in the shuffle of a lot of music between now and 1969.
Personal Rating: ★★⯪☆☆
Recommend to Listen: ★★⯪☆☆
Favorite Song: I Want You Right Now
Honorable Mention(s): Motor City Is Burning
Album Notes: This is required to be turned up to 12 on your speakers before playing. What an almost egregiously loud and energetic recording from a band that tapped into ALL of their energy before going on that stage. This is very proto-punk as it mentions, but unfortunately I do not find this type of rock enjoyable, however this could be a great litmus test on where your taste in the expansive genre will lead you
Personal Rating: ★★★★☆
Recommend to Listen: ★★★★☆
Favorite Song: Got Me Under Pressure
Honorable Mention(s): I Need You Tonight, Legs (Edit), TV Dinners
Album Notes: Huge ZZ Top fan, and this was by far their mainstream pinnacle. The fact that this little band from Texas playing the blues with a little bit of boogie tapped into 80s New Wave influences like drum tracks and synths, and still manage to get it to sound like them and not totally leave their DNA was an impressive part on Billy Gibbons and co-conspirators. Hot rods, furry guitars, doesn't matter, they rock and this record lives comfortably on my shelf.
Personal Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Recommend to Listen: ★☆☆☆☆
Favorite Song: Jimmy
Honorable Mention(s): Paper Planes
Album Notes: Sterile and bad. This is like some sort of elaborate troll making me believed this influenced anyone to do anything but consider self harm. No amount of MDMA could make me enjoy this, in fact it may scare me. This sucks. Waste of time.
Personal Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Recommend to Listen: ★⯪☆☆☆
Favorite Song: Seven Days Too Long (2000 Remastered Version)
Honorable Mention(s): Keep It (2000 Remastered Version)
Album Notes: This was impressively not memorable. The horns were probably the best part as there was nothing else that any of these songs really brought that got me excited or interested. The peak of this band being Come On Eileen makes a lot of sense hearing this all the way through.
Personal Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Recommend to Listen: ★⯪☆☆☆
Favorite Song: Stillness Is the Move
Honorable Mention(s): Useful Chamber
Album Notes: I don’t exactly know who this type of record is for. It doesn’t really have a great groove on any song, everything is weird and choppy with sheets of sound that are, clearly thoughtfully placed but do not click in just about any circumstance. It honestly felt closer to experimenting with some new ideas than it did being a “break out record”. I like to hear new and fresh ideas, but this fell really flat. The indie/alternative moaning/singing/whining style is also really grating and gets frustrating to hear after a few songs. Would not recommend
Personal Rating: ★★★★☆
Recommend to Listen: ★★★★☆
Favorite Song: Sister Morphine
Honorable Mention(s): Brown Sugar, Bitch, Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Album Notes: What a great listen. This is the Stones beginning to reach full strength, in what would arguably be one of the most dominant runs of music in the next ten years.. Radio hits, deep cuts, and genre borrowing that never really ended until the mid 80s. Jagger and Richards did this band well.
Not really a track to skip, just some that fall a little flat, but also some welcomed surprises.