Reviews

Decent. Chaotic and noisy but there's an art to it.

Super sick. I gotta hear some more of this guy!!

I had first heard this album a couple of years ago and quite liked it. I was mistaken in thinking it was a late 70’s / early 80’s album rather than a product of early Britpop. Very solid album from beginning to end.

I was always more of a fan of the earlier VH I and VH II albums, but the global appeal of 1984 can’t be denied. Upon relistening I was surprised at how much synth there actually was on this album. And the fact that Jump, Panama and Hot For Teacher ruled the airwaves and were played incessantly on MTV is further testament. There are some nice prog nuggets here and there too, and the level of musicianship of both Eddie and Alex is just plain sick. Still, while this album shows a focus more on songwriting rather than just the hard rock power they were known for, a few of the songs don’t quite rise to meet the four hits.

great Vocals

Early 90s gangsta rap. One of the best examples of the genre, but this type of hip hop left me cold at the time and continues to leave me cold to this day. I don't mind the politics, but the extraordinary misogyny and violence make me uncomfortable and nauseated. I haven't listened closely enough to accurately determine the level of homophobic content, but you gotta imagine there's some of that too. I really don't want to listen to this again.

Trying to convert the success of their allegedly 'live' album into sustained popularity, Kiss's management roped in Bob ezrin to produce, hot off his string of Alice Cooper albums. Ezrin realised that Kiss aspired to be rock and roll heroes, but should be aiming to be rock and roll SUPERHEROES. He whipped them into musical shape with a view to presenting them as superheroes, reflected in the cover art. And it worked. Many rock critics, Dimery included, are obsessed with notions of credibility. This often manifests as a disdain for any artform that is _too_ popular. Carl Wilson breaks down this urge in detail in his wonderful book 'Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste'. I highly recommend his analysis, go read it. Needless to say, it tends to be white, male, middle-class critics claiming cultural capital by denigrating mass popularity. Gene Simmons bypassed this whole issue by explicitly rejecting the notion of credibility: "It's a delusional notion, credibility. ... You either succeed - in which case people are going to be willing to put their money down - or you don't." Or even more succinctly: "I would urge all bands that say they only care about credibility and don’t care about money to send Gene Simmons every dollar that they don’t want. I’d be happy to take it off them." Don't get me wrong -- Gene Simmons is a reprehensible human being in many ways, but he has a point about the intersecting role of artistic and commercial ambition. And I do note that he wasn't saying this kind of stuff until he was already rich as Croesus, and maybe he didn't always feel that way. But it is true that this is the first studio album where Kiss really let go of going for credibility (even as a hard rock band) or critical acclaim to reach for the brass ring. If Kiss Alive was a Hail Mary to save their career, with Destroyer they deliberately aimed for massive success. It is designed from the ground up for mass appeal. It's dangerous, but not too dangerous, sexy, but not too sexy, rebellious, but not too rebellious, and largely coded as fun and entertaining rather than actually subversive. Plenty of hard rock bands have done this over the years -- Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, AC/DC, and even Metallica -- but Kiss are pretty much the first. They sacrificed critical approval for the money and chicks (Christgau said of them "You know damn well that if they didn't have both eyes on maximum commerciality they'd call themselves Blow Job"). But this represents a non-trivial segment of the music industry. Is it less artistically worthwhile to make a record that millions of people enjoy? Sniffy rock nerds might say so (and I have to admit that I fit that description myself for a looooong time), but frankly, as Duke Ellington repeatedly said "if it sounds good, it is good". It might not be precisely to my taste, but let's not yuck anyone's yum. Like the Alice Cooper records that precede this, it's a big, cartoonish Bob Ezrin production; fun, technicolor, dramatic. Lots of bright colours, flashy moves, big riffs, dumb lyrics, and cinematic orchestration. This is good example of the 70s tendency towards big stage shows, with a clear agenda to entertain. This is a fun and funny record, that roars in with 10 kick-arse songs in 34 minutes, taking no prisoners, and blazing off into the sunset, leaving nothing but the smell of gunpowder and greasepaint, fake blood, and a ringing in your ears. It's a hoot and a half, and deserves to be on this list, but not an album I need to own.

Far and away my favorite Dylan I've gotten on this list. The opening track might be my favorite song of his. Another classic. 5 stars all day.

Whether you like Bob Dylan's nasal voice or not, many of his songs are still very listenable, intense and timeless - It's NOT all over Baby Blue

Just splendid - can't fault it.

Brings back vivid memories of when me and my mate Ray went on a trip to Dresden. We met this rotund goth in a bar, head to toe with tattoos and piercings, real filth and after a while took her into the disabled bogs for a spit roast. We were both pumping away in her with Napalm Death on in the background and her wailing "MEIN GOTT" at the top of her lungs. I remember spaffing all over her back just as Siege of Power kicked in. As i shoot over her, she takes Ray's cock out of her gob and says "do you want fries with that?" in a faux American accent. Anyway, we go outside and there's this gammy little geezer in a wheelchair sitting there furious, giving me daggers, because he's had to wait so long, so I lean into him and I go "I hope you have as much fun in there as we just did you little cunt".

I can’t believe the top review for this record (as of Dec 2023) is from someone trying to use their PhD in Mathematics as justification for not liking hip-hop. Weak.

Oh fuck yeah, now we're talking. Wait no, I swear I'm not being pretentious. This is the lowest rated album on this site because I guess mostly people aren't very fond of German people smashing metal plates together - who would have guessed. But halle-fucking-lujah, this is something this list needs more of. Albums that make you go "well, that was an experience and now I'm a changed man". Nobody is lying on their deathbed wishing they heard more crappy 80s post-punk or late 60s psychedelic rock. THIS is what we all deserve to be listening to as we embrace eternal oblivion. I'm giving this a high rating not only because I genuinely really love it, but also to help Kid Rock move to his rightful place as the actual worst album on this list. Together we can make a difference. Save the turtles.

Sorry Boomers/Gen X, I was like 20 when this came out so it's one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sorry it's not King Crimson or whatever.

Shit like this on the list is both refreshing and infuriating. Refreshing because it is good, fun, interesting, and also not something I would regularly be exposed to! It's why I started this project and keeps me coming back. It's infuriating because the fact that it is included here means that Robert Dimery, the original author of the 1001 albums list is aware that music like this exists. He's clearly aware that there is an entire world of music out there. SO WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO 200 80s BRITISH NEW WAVE ALBUMS AND 200 SCOTTISH ROCK ALBUMS FROM THE 90S??!!?

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

This is the 4th Springsteen album I have gotten out of 70, 2nd this week. After listening to the album I ate at a McDonalds, read a Ronald Reagan biography and punch a commie in the dick. MERICA!

Music for incels to wank furiously by

The only reason this is here is because it’s from before streaming, when if you bought a shit album you had to convince yourself you liked it.

5: The moustache that appear on Art if you put your thumb on Pauls face on the album cover. 5: The songs.

Most 60's groups had three choices: copy the beatles, copy the beach boys, or sexually abuse minors. These guys changed the game and did all three- Four stars!

Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Favorite tracks: Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Album art: Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. Around the world, around the world. 4.5/5

Really enjoyed this. Of course by enjoyed, I mean I tolerated it. By tolerated it, I mean I'd rather smother by body in chilli and get fucked by all members of The Incredible String Band wearing condoms laced with razor blades, whilst my Internet search history is read to everyone I've ever met, than ever listen to this ever again.

Hehehe balls

Hey, reader! If you can't find the full album anywhere, email me at sodaco3@gmail.com and I'll send a zipped file of the songs. John Zorn. Hmmm.....let's talk about John Zorn. He's a jazz artist (saxophone) who specializes in avant-garde jazz. This alone will turn away quite a few people, and I can't blame them: avant-garde art is inherently pretentious with it's "ooo, look at how I deconstruct certain pervasive elements in art and rearrange them for new experiences". It's pretty anarchist, and anarchists SUCK! Given this, I'm pretty surprised that Zorn is even on this list. I would've went with his much more popular "Naked City", but maybe that was too "jazz-rock" for 1001. Regardless, most people are going to walk away not enjoying John Zorn's work. So, what is he doing with this album? Well, he's got a 5-piece band built of two alto-saxophones, a bass, and TWO DRUMMERS! Neat. Double drummers is always risky but it's avant-garde so we'll let it slide. Cool production note: each saxophone is playing in a different channel (Zorn is in the right; listen for his licks!). Also of note is that everyone playing is improvising, giving a sort of full sound that surrounds the listener like a chaotic hug. Can you feel it? Zorn's compositions are interesting, as he opts to do these much shorter tracks that don't stick around for long before moving on the the next one. Zorn is heavily inspired by the hardcore punk scene in New York, London, and Tokyo at the time, particularly the rise in grindcore (see: Scum by Napalm Death). That sort of quick-and-dirty, attack on the ears is something that was very much inspired from grindcore and can be seen crossing over in jazz through Zorn. Again, most people will not like this, but for what it's worth I think it's a cool approach to jazz. By the 80's, Jazz had pretty well split; smooth jazz was on the rise with the likes of Kenny G, producing the most accessible, commercial music possible. Meanwhile, Jazz was being used more as a prop for other genres, such as acid jazz in the UK being a combination of electronic beats with jazz (great for clubs), or hip-hop producers incorporating jazz samples in their beats, leading to the rise of jazz rap in the late 80's and early 90's. This comes AFTER the prominence of avant-garde jazz actually, so Zorn is late to the party and very much on his own. Regardless, his approach to jazz with the mindset of hardcore punk makes for a fresh and thrilling listening experience. Overall, I think there's a lot one can take from this album, but they'll need to be open to the weirdness of it all. Do not expect structure, melodies, and rhythms that ground most songs. Instead, listen for how each instrument is playing off the others while also being totally independent from the song. There are times in this record where the stars align and you can hear the purposefulness of Zorn's band coming together in creating some really rad shit. But you gotta be open to it, or you'll just walk away thinking it's a total stinker. If you liked this record, consider listening to Ornette Coleman's stuff! I recommend "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Free Jazz", both records that did NOT make this list because Coleman ISN'T ANYWHERE ON THE LIST, DESPITE HIS NAME BEING HONORED BY THIS ALBUM. FUCK YOUUUUUUU 1001 ALBUMS!!!!