Previously, I had only delved into the shallow end of the soul/funk pool and even less so with Mr. Wonder. I had up to this point only heard Superstition due to it being a huge hit, but this record really opened me up to trying more Stevie. Songs in the Key of Life was always something I'd "get to eventually" with how big it is in online music discourse, but man I wish I took that step soon after this listen. The funky instrumentals got me wanting to get up and dance in the office or the more tender moments have you sitting with just the music and Stevie's vocals pondering life. Such a powerful voice that can cut through the instrumentals and deliver amazing performances to fit any mood this record presents. Boogie on Reggae Woman was an especially soaring high point. Again great vocal delivery with some high energy ad libs and a fucking incredible instrumental that's got you swinging, then that harmonica kicks in and absolutely rips the rest of the track in its direction. Very fucking awesome track. As if that's not enough, Creepin' comes through with this smooth feeling and delivers a gut punch with its verses that take me straight back to yearning for somebody who may not even be aware of you. The backing vocals on the chorus are just the cherry on top to an emotionally poignant song like this. Not to mention surprise feature by the Jacksons on You Haven't Done Nothin' a song that still sadly applies to the modern political landscape just as much as it did then :(. The emotionally high point, They Won't Go When I Go gave me actually goosebumps, the piano is so simple here but sets the perfect mood for Wonder to layout some incredibly thoughtful and introspective lyrics after experiencing such a personally tragic shake up in life.
Overall, really glad to have finally given a Stevie album a shot. Some incredible songs on here, and this isn't even his peak according to fans. Absolutely incredible.
Honestly, was not to excited going in to this as U2 has always been a band that's just never grabbed my attention before. With Or Without You continues to stand as a classic song and the South Park Bono episode is still hilarious, but beyond that I've never really had a drive to listen to U2. After listening, I think my opinion mostly still stands. Don't get me wrong this is a great album, but I don't see myself returning to the full project often. For me, there's no real hook that gets me to go "fuck yeah this is sick" compared to many of their rock contemporaries from around the same time. That opening 3 track run is great and there are some awesome guitar parts and Bono can really carry a note, but again nothing that really gets me excited to talk much. Solid but far from my favorites.
The Cure, one of the greatest rock acts ever and a personal favorite of mine. Disintegration was already an album I loved and that remains true no matter how many times I spin it. One of the best records to ever release, every single note is perfectly placed for the moody atmosphere. Some the best writing on any album here from Robert. A near perfect album and an easy 5 for me.
First of (probably) a few albums I had zero knowledge on before listening, but what a listen! Smooth groove throughout that really just fills the whole project. Makes for a really engaging record especially that opening track, damn. I enjoyed the vocals throughout but the female vocals on here especially were great. I could see me enjoying this even more on subsequent listens, but as of now, I gotta listen to some more Bossa nova.
Already a enjoyed Smoke on the Water and Highway Star prior to listening so was pretty excited going into this (especially at 37 minutes long). Very straight forward album, quick and straight to the punch. All killer no filler if you would. Lazy's opening is pretty insane though very cool way to open a track. The story behind this album is also pretty neat, definitely adds to the enjoyment of the record.
Born In The U.S.A. was previously one of those songs for me that's overplayed at events or stores that I'd just tune out it was even playing. That was until I found it had a deeper meaning behind it if you actually pay attention that gave me a new found respect for the song. Despite that, I wouldn't say I would really want to play it in my free time and I feel pretty similar about the album. Solid project especially at the time, but not something I'm personally gonna reach for when I wanna listen to something. Bruce has a great voice and there's some catchy melodies, but I'm not much in the audience this record would garner. All this though I can say does not apply to Dancing in the Dark which is a great tune and easily my favorite here.
Definitely a neat listen. Beck's guitar here is super smooth, some of those riffs are absolutely incredible and very easily a highlight throughout. Also enjoyed the piano bits that appeared throughout. Rod Stewart does a fine job on vocals, but lyrical content don't really hold much weight here for me. Super cool instrumentals made this an enjoyable listen.
Knew I'd be in for a good listen after recognizing the opener. Fun record with some nice vocals from Burke.
Fun album from a group I was aware of but knew very little about. Nice guitar throughout. Mixed well.
Already knew I was really going to enjoy this the moment I opened the page. Alternative rock is one of my favorite genres, so no surprise that I really enjoyed this album. Influential group to many, including some of my absolute favorite acts and its very easy to see why. I could only imagine how groundbreaking this was at the time, since its a project that still very much holds up in the modern day. Raw noise of the guitars here sound incredible only to be followed up by vocals that are sometimes odd, but perfect capture the chaotic sound they're going for.
Wasn't sure what to expect here but pretty neat record. Psychedelic, noisy, and dreamy all throughout and its done quite well. Nothing too mind blowing here, but some great work throughout. Kinda drags a bit with the long length, but never found myself wanting it off.
Very middle of the road for me be leaning on the more positive side. Decent rock songs, but there's nothing here unique enough to my ears to really grab my attention. Solid songs that all just sort of blend together to me an leave me feeling a bit disassociated by the end of the runtime which was wayyyyy longer than it needed to be. I had already felt like I had gotten my fill with this album halfway though, only to look and realize there were STILL 10 more songs.
Pretty smooth jazz performance. The guy on the trump had rent due I guess because he kinda went in.
Despite current reputation, Coldplay's debut still holds up as pretty good Radiohead inspired pop rock. The Radiohead comparisons as they came up were definitely not unfounded, but I think they do well enough to set them selves apart from what the Head was up to at this time by focusing on a more acoustic sound. I enjoyed my time here although, I think that feeling would diminish the further towards present day in their catalogue your listening though. A band that started with a great initial sound, but never really evolved into something more interesting.
I really enjoy electronic, but I've only heard a handful of Kraftwerk and this was pretty good. Very innovative for the time with some really catchy synth lines.
Considering I am not at all a country fan, this is not bad. I found myself swaying and tapping my foot to a few songs. The plucky guitar really fit with the cadence of the vocalist and come together in a really fun rock country fusion. Life in Prison is actually an awesome song and definitely my favorite on the record. Very surprisingly solid listen.
Janis was a name I had known, but I had never listened to her work up til this point. Got to say I enjoyed it quite a bit. Her raspy vocal delivery sounds passionate and powerful. Her voice up against the piano on some of these tracks just sounds incredible.
Yet another seminal release in a career full of them. Stevie had incredible way of making incredibly soulful and catchy tunes especially at this point in his career. Another great batch of songs the feel so smooth and easy on the ears. Every instrument comes together perfectly to craft a sound space that really bring you into his world. Also some incredible guitar work when it comes though as well.
Pretty solid bluesy rock album. Only ever heard a few of their songs up to this point, but full listen was interesting. Not super attention grabbing but sets a nice mood.
Very poignant record that still has a lot to say almost 40 years later. Shows just how forward thinking Chapman was for her time. There's probably never been a vocalist quite like Tracy Chapman and her debut shows her incredible song writing as well as her extraordinary vocal talent. Fast Car continues to be the big hit from this record, but cuts like Baby Can I Hold You and Why really stood out to me.
Very samey to the other Byrds album I got. It's not bad but its also not that exciting to me. Just very much fades into the background for me.
Yet another big group where this is my first full listen to one of their projects and its great. The overwhelming sense of dread and despair in some of these instrumentals really make the record for me. Especially with how haunting the vocals sound with that reverb. Type of record I'd want to hear at the end of the world. Awesome intro to this group (beyond some of their bigger songs) that gets me excited to listen to more.
Groovy enough instrumental jazz. Fun listen. I like the dog on the cover.
Beautiful debut album from an stellar voice. What a release this is if you're only going to release one project. Some very thoughtful writing here across a number of topics that paint such a vivid picture of everything Ms. Lauryn Hill was experiencing at the time of its release. From the breakup of the Fugees and the fallout of the members, to pregnancy and the pressures of fame, every subject she explores is truly vibrant not to mention the delivery and flow of these songs is so extremely catchy that they will get stuck in your head. Every collaborator brings their absolute best effort forward as well and elevate this record even further. She truly was once of the greats not just as a female rapper\R&B artists, but across both genres in general.
I like the instrumentals more than the lyrics. Mark E. Smith's vocals are just weird enough to give the delivery a sense of charm, but the writing of the lyrics themselves just don't really click for me. Perhaps I'd like other The Fall albums, but this one was just alright for me.
Uh wow… even going in knowing this was going to be a challenging listen, there was nothing that could have prepared me for it. I don’t hate it as there’s actually parts that I really liked, but there is just so much going on that I can’t focus on anything too closely which is the point I guess. Some instrumentals have some catchy parts and I can even get into Beefheart’s on some tracks, however that’s with caveat that for every few things I enjoyed there’s about 50 more pieces than completely confuse and disorientate me. Like halfway through I thought ‘I have to be close to done right?’ just for another 14 songs to be sitting in the queue. I can definitely see why this was influential especially at the time. Could not imagine how it was to hear this as it came out. I though do not plan to come back to this for a LONGGGGG time lmao.
Very danceable and overall a good time. Its meant to get you to move and it succeeds pretty well in that aspect.
Big Gorillaz fan, but had not yet gotten around to Blur so I was pleasantly surprised to see this waiting for me. SO glad to have finally got to this one and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Beetlebum show the great lyrical writing that he would go on to hone later in his career and its a great opening track, only to be followed by one of the best song Damon ever made. Song 2 is an eternal classic. A riff on grunge at the peak of its popularity, but holy shit do they absolutely eviscerate this track. So unbelievably catchy from every single instrument and the very Kurt Cobain inspired nonsense verses are phenomenal. Despite my praise for Albarn, I have to also give huge props to the rest of the band, they allow his vocals to sound even punchy with the fantastic instrumentals behind him. Some sick guitar on songs like M.O.R and On Your Own. The drums on On Your Own as well sound so dynamic and completely force its way to the front of the noise. Coxon also gives a pretty solid vocal performance on You're So Great. Definitely hear some proto-Gorillaz sounds (Death of a Party just straight up sounds like a Demon Days cut in a best way) throughout as well. Second half is not as strong for me, but its still pretty listenable. Definitely worth the listen for the evolution of British music in the 90's and Damon as an artist.
Very good blues album from a legendary artist. However, for my personal taste it doesn't do too much for me. Jeff Buckely's Lilac Wine being a cover by Nina was new too me, so that was neat to learn.
I like this, but I don't quite love it yet. If I listen to this in the right mood, I think it'll really click for me. Regardless, the drums on here sounds great, so punchy and loud. They really lead a lot of these tracks sitting right in the front of the mix. Nick Cave's vocals are also a standout for me. His voice sounds very goth rock to me and its awesome on these songs. This is one I plan to revisit.
Very different tonal shift from my last Springsteen record. A much more depressing take on folk rock compared to the more anthemic yet critical take on America take of Born In the USA. And in saying that, I have to say I enjoyed this record a bit less. Still listenable, but not my personal taste. A bit disappointed especially as Born In the USA gave me a new appreciation for Springsteen as someone only familiar with the titular track. Bruce still brings great performances here fitting of the background instrumentals.
Prior, my only full length album experience with Sabbath was Paranoid which btw is perfection and their debut holds up just as well. As soon as the intro to the self titled opener kicks in I knew this was just as great as their follow up. Not to mention that outro had me ascending. Just an incredible start to the record and a great introduction to this band and what they would go on to accomplish. Its so impressive to me that they found their signature sound so early into their career, especially being the first of their time to take this sound as create an entire project around it. Everyone is in top form here and gives everything they have to these performances. The riffs, bass, and drums are all creating this desolate sounds scape that allows the vocals to drag you into this dark and spooky world the band builds throughout. Not to mention some very interesting choice for a record like this with stuff like the harmonica in The Wizard. Widely regarded as the first heavy metal album and what a beautiful start to a genre. Great instrumentals, dark and at times unnerving lyrics, and incredible vocal delivery from metal legend Ozzy Osbourne. This thing is concise at just under 40 minutes and they fill every minute up with engaging music. Just an incredible piece of history that still sounds as flawless, if not better than it did at the time.
R.I.P. Ozzy
Awesome listen with this one. Somehow both chill and engaging tunes throughout. I felt at peace listening while still being enthralled with the instrumentals. Every vocalist just glides across these beats and adds to the beautiful atmosphere the production builds.
One of my absolute favorite hip hop albums. De La created such a funny and enjoyable experience throughout. Great and catchy beats by Maseo and Prince Paul and incredible verses by both Trugoy and Posdnuos. Awesome tracks throughout laced with lots of personality and humor. The skits are also surprisingly great and are genuinely pretty silly. The sample flips on here are especially one of the biggest highlights of the record. One of the most influential in not just hip hop, but I'd say music in general when it comes to sampling. Anything from Steve Miller Band to Schoolhouse Rock is fair game on this album and it all comes together to create wholly new sounds. My personal favorite is easily the 'Peg' by Steely Dan sample on Eye Know. Easily one of the best groups to ever do it in hip hop.
My first introduction to the legendary group, Grateful Dead and its just good to me. I can appreciate the musicianship in this album, but it's just not my personal taste. This being a live set though is especially impressive with the really long songs like Dark Star and Turn on Your Love Light though. Neat sounds throughout.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this as I only had a passing knowledge of the name Little Simz and I had apperantly heard Venom before without knowing the artist behind it, but I was pleasantly surprised and happy to say I enjoyed this quite a bit. Especially nice to get a pretty new record compared to my list thus far. Simz really glides over these beats with a smooth rhyme flow and rapid fire delivery. Selfish in particular has an amazing chorus courtesy of Cleo Sol to say nothing of how smooth this beat is. The drums pack an incredible punch on that track in particular, but throughout the whole project the drums stand as one of my favorite parts. Every collaborator on here provides a nice contrast from Simz and add quite a bit to their respective songs. Production on here is just incredible in general, great instrumentation on hip hop albums is always a plus for me. Definitely interested in hearing more from her as this was lovely.
Had only heard these guys' name mentioned in passing, but this was a pretty cool prog rock album. Going in I was a bit intimidated as I had no clue what to expect, but reading up on the album concept sounded interesting and they do a great job showing early on what this project is all about. I was really surprised by the vocals. He almost sounds like he's an emo vocalist and it really added to my enjoyment of the record. Super cool instrumentals throughout as expected for prog, but its more on the abrasive side at times and sounded really math rocky to me at times. My only real complaint is it does run a bit longer than I'd like. Definitely an album I'll have to sit with and listen to multiples times, but very fun first listen.
Good enough folk music, but very much not to my personal taste. Nice acoustic guitar though.
Over 50 years removed from its initial release, Beggars Banquet is considered by many a classic in their catalogue, but I felt just alright on. Featuring one of the Stones' all time classics, Sympathy for the Devil which still stands as a truly magical song, however the sound of the rest of the album is personally just ok. Not bad, but nothing really sticks with me as much as that opening track. Not that there aren't other good songs here, standouts being Jigsaw Puzzle and Street Fighting Man, but I'd rather return to a few other Stones records. There are definitely more interesting and cohesive records in the Stones discography for my money, but again this one is worth it for the opening alone.
One of the few records thus far that I was completely and utterly bored with. There were times where I couldn't even tell a track had ended and a new one had begun as these sound like the same song repeated ad nauseum. It's not down right unlistenable, but just the least engaged I've been in an album on this list. Not a single instrumental made me think 'that's interesting, how did they do that?' and the vocals are just the most cookie cutter delivery with lyrics that don't have anything memorable about them.
Been meaning to listen to Nick Drake for a while now, so I was pretty happy to give this a listen and I quite enjoyed it. The finger picked acoustic guitar sounds so cozy and Nick delivers a great performance vocally throughout. Drake's words provide a melancholic feel over these calm plucky instrumentals. Interesting choice too on this record to include violin and congas which I definitely wasn't expecting to hear with what I had know about his work before going in.
Three hours in particular was a stand out with its loud instrumentation. Both the guitar and the percussion are front and center here, not to be out done by Nick himself who cuts through the mix to deliver some beautiful story telling. I also enjoyed Thoughts of Mary Jane and Cello Song a lot.
His ability to create these slow introspective songs and go into a loud theatric feeling track while still pondering some interesting here on the next is enthralling. Great listen, I can't wait to listen to more of his music.
