Reviews

It’s fun!

Two tracks on here that I found okay, so 2 stars or D.

I don't know whether I'm supposed to be listening to the US or UK album here. Paint it Black obviously elevates this but I do like some of the more straight bluesy numbers like Doncha Bother Me. Under My Thumb is pretty gross. Overall it's quite samey, especially the UK version.

Grunge e metal não é meu tipo de coisa mas eu sempre aprecio o poder dessa galera que faz esse som. O vocalista do Pearl Jam tem uma das melhores vozes no rock, não preciso noticiar ninguém sobre isso, mas é só que eu fico supreso mesmo, não escuto a banda mas reconheço em segundos a voz dele, coisa que pouquíssimos cantores conseguem fazer. A guitarra é outro ponto de destaque, mas de novo, não to no meu lugar de fala.

God, this sucks. I think being a German speaker actually makes this a worse experience.

I think the rapturous reception of The Next Day revealed the thirst many music fans had for David Bowie to recapture some of his past glories. We all desperately wanted Bowie to have a late career resurgence, to come back from his creative hiatus with a meaningful and impactful record. The album went to Number 1 and onto Dimery's 1001 albums list, but time has not really been kind. Dimery removed it from the list because, truth be told, this is an OK album, but not special. Its place as the "late career capstone album" was superseded by Black Star, which had an emotional resonance associated our collective mourning for Bowie that The Next Day will never be able to overcome. I think the cover is the perfect metaphor for this album; a simple, minimal and tasteful design with the iconic past peeking out from behind. it may have been intended to show how the new is replacing and overlaying the past, but really just serves as a constant reminder of his past achievements, and how much more interesting they were. The record is OK, but forgettable, and not a patch on Bowie's greatest moments.

I'm sure Hanoi Rocks were pretty great live in a small club in 1981; a bit of glam, rock and roll fun. But this album is... just sadly amateurish. The very existence of this album is both a calling card to help the band get live bookings and a souvenir for their live fan base. But it's not a good record. The songwriting is basic, the lyrics were clearly written by someone with pretty rudimentary English, and it sounds like it was recorded in a cardboard box using a tin can on a string. I can hear their energy, which is commendable. I like an energetic album by an enthusiastic band, and I don't even mind if the recording is a bit shoddy, but this is just paper thin. I can hear how this was the beginning of 80s glam metal, but there are much better examples of that genre (if you really felt like 80s glam metal needed representation). Really, I suspect the main reason that this band is included on the list is the tragic death of drummer, Razzle, and the way that intersects with the more prominent story of Motley Crue. I am increasingly uncomfortable with the way that the story behind a record becomes an integral part of the status of that album, especially when predicated on the suffering or death of the people involved. I'm sure Razzle would rather be a live drummer (even a live retired drummer) than a dead legend. 2.5 stars, rounding down for the emotional vampirism on the basis of a dead man.

So is such an 80s album; the schmickly produced pop, the Fairlight CMI, the synth pads, the fretless bass, the digital reverb sheen are all very much of the time, but it still sounds great. It's smart, literate pop music that still has a great beat and some banging tunes. Gabriel skirts with the cultural appropriation issue, but I would argue that his work with "world" musicians is much more collaborative than the more exploitative work of, say, Paul Simon or Malcolm McLaren. 'Sledgehammer' cashes in on the nostalgia for 60s black RnB in a way that I am a bit uncomfortable with, but you can't argue that it is a cracking tune with an all-time classic video. Gabriel weaves a delicate line between his art-rock pretensions (check out the subject matter of many of these songs), with the need to be accessible and enjoyable. It's a fine line, and he dances it perfectly. This fits the criteria for a great album of "three great songs and no bad songs". (Interestingly, I was reading various reviews, and there is little agreement on what the three great songs are, which speaks to the high quality and broad appeal on this record). Personally, I prefer his earlier 'Melt' album, but that is a bit creepier and unsettling (which is to my taste), but for an example of an album with mass pop appeal that doesn't make you feel dumber for listening to it, this is hard to beat.

Smithers, have the B-52's killed.

I didn’t know wham made a Freeform jazz/bosssnova record. I also probably could have come up with a better example than wham, but my knowledge of 80s British pop isn’t great.

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.

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".

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??!!?

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.

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

Music for incels to wank furiously by

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!

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!

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.

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

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!!!!

"I hate the fucking eagles, man."

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened