Reviews by abrisskull

I'm familiar with Leonard Cohen as a poet turned folk singer-songwriter, having heard "Hallelujah" before. This is his debut album, and I must remind myself of that because it's impressive how good he was at this early stage.

There's something magical about Leonard's soulful low-register delivery, as he croons his way through songs of yearning not for love but friendship or fond memories. Likewise, his acoustic guitar work is spectacular, like on "The Stranger Song" where he pulls off some nifty tremolos.

There is a contentious point with Leonard Cohen's early work in that they tend to consist of minimalist compositions. That is why his debut album is largely him with his guitar save for a few tracks with drum, bass, and background vocals. Could there be more involved to engage the listener more? Perhaps. But that said, this is still impressive with just his presence alone. If you are curious, give it a chance.

I was already familiar with Bob Dylan as a folk legend who pivoted towards rock halfway through the 1960s. I saw that this album was the third of a trilogy where he was making that rock pivot. Yet, I was unprepared for the twisted marching band sound of the opening track "Rainy Day Women". That was surprising, but still pretty good.

The rest of Blonde on Blonde might not have the same initial shock value as that first track, but it's still got a lot of good folk-rock songs that occasionally dip into blues. Tracks like "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again", "Just Like a Woman" and "Obviously Five-Believers" are well executed by Dylan and the session musicians, as he delivers lyrics exploring difficult relationships and double entendres, all culminating into the 11-minute closer "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" in dedication to his first wife Sara Lownds.

There are only two contentious points to be had with the album. First is the overall length, clocking in at over 70 minutes where a break in between was necessary. Second is Dylan's vocal delivery, which is a make-or-break deal for getting into his work.

I enjoyed Blonde on Blonde as a whole, and look forward to checking out the other two albums in this rock trilogy.

I've heard of Bob Marley and the Wailers before, particularly the song "Stir it Up" from this album. As a reggae staple, they're generally pleasant, and I enjoy the rollicking guitars and meaningful song construction. They sound more involved than what could be pigeonholed as background music, especially with the large lyrical depth ranging from love like "Stir it Up" to political injustice like "Slave Driver".

The only problem I have is the similar sound and tempo carried across most songs, though that seems to be par for the course with the reggae genre. I will give them credit for some variance such as the slow burn intro to "No More Trouble" and the slide guitar work done on "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock it Baby)".

Overall, Catch a Fire was an enjoyable listen for its style. If you are into reggae or curious about the genre, then give it a listen.

Have you ever struggled to connect with an album? Because I'll admit I have struggled with this one.

A Northern Soul is the second studio album from The Verve, a Britpop group I've heard of from "Bittersweet Symphony". That track is from their follow-up Urban Hymns, with other notable hits like "The Drugs Won't Work". I point this out because I'm trying to reason why this album is included on the list in addition to Urban Hymns.

If I had to figure out why I can't connect, perhaps it has to do with the fact that A Northern Soul sonically makes it apparent how the band was going through chaotic turmoil during the writing and recording sessions, as they strayed away from their early psychedelic roots for more straightforward alternative rock. The genre shift is not inherently a bad fit for them, but outside of "History" as the standout single, they don't offer many hooks or melodies that could be retained in memory.

As it is, this album only makes me feel like Urban Hymns should have been the one contribution from The Verve on this list, because I don't see myself coming back to this.

Finally, a Beatles album on my journey. This is not only an album I've listened to before but one of the most notable. There's been plenty said about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band through the decades since its release, with the big takeaway being just how experimental and pivotal it was for popular music during the counterculture of the late 60s. It's hard to imagine how many mainstream groups before 1967 had songs like "A Day in the Life" with its swelling crescendo or "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" with its Hammond organ-driven carnival madness. It's a good kind of weird, and the boys have taken full advantage of different instruments and studio techniques since they stopped touring.

Other highlights include the comb and paper on the instrumental breaks of "Lovely Rita", the clarinets on "When I'm Sixty Four", the tambura and congas breakdown for the final verse of the otherwise uptempo "Getting Better", the harpsichord used throughout "Fixing a Hole", and the Indian instrumentation and overtly spiritual lyrics of "Within You Without You".

That all said, my main criticism of Sgt. Pepper is the replay value. The album is bookended by interlude pieces of the boys identifying as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band and the songs in between are performances from said band. It adds to the overall weirdness, and the opening track and reprise are well executed, though those songs do not get a lot of repeat listens out of me because they serve as loose narratives that segue into their respective next tracks. Also, while I appreciate the song construction and finality of "A Day in the Life", the high-pitched tone and spliced studio chatter at the end come off as a weird afterthought and don't meaningfully contribute to the overall track.

Overall, there's a reason why this album usually gets brought up when discussing the Beatles. It's one of those records that in its drug-induced madness helped widen the landscape for popular music. Give it a chance.

I hadn't heard of The Charlatans prior. They seem to be another Britpop group, and this fifth studio album would be the last with their keyboardist Rob Collins, who died in a car accident partway into recording sessions. Keyboard duties were passed on to Mark Duffy to help complete the album.

After listening to Tellin' Stories, I can say it's a fine album for the genre, as the Charlatans took a more bluesier approach than their contemporaries with the guitar riffs amidst the electronic loops. The singles are generally good, and they even add some interesting instrumentals with "Area 51" and the closer "Rob's Theme".

Unfortunately, it does not leave much of an impression. Most songs tend to go in one ear and out the other, aside from the ones mentioned earlier and "You're a Big Girl Now" where the lyrics did not sit well with me. In particular, the line "Leaders and your disused milk/Will quietly pass you by" made me wince a bit.

Overall, it's not bad as the Charlatans attempted to carve out their niche. Take it or leave it.

Okay, I get why this album is on the list. Elvis Presley was proclaimed the "King of Rock and Roll", one of the first white males to achieve commercial success, ushering that genre to a white audience. Much's been said about race relations in popular music, which I encourage you to look into.

Elvis's debut album accomplished what it set out to do - making covers of African-American tunes to present to the larger masses. It's certainly important for historical purposes, but as an album to listen to it leaves much to be desired. After all, this is a debut album consisting of mostly cover songs. There are some fun songs here like his cover of "Blue Suede Shoes" and the original song "One-Sided Love Affair". The rest either pale in comparison to the original such as with Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti", or don't bring a lot of energy like with Roy Hamilton's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)". Also, with the original songs from the respective artists being more available nowadays, Elvis's renditions are more reliant on how he was a performer.

The album is not bad, and it makes sense why it's on the list. But there ain't much to revisit here.

Alright, here we have the first album from The Boss to achieve mainstream success. I gather that it was a rather lengthy process to perfect his sound during the recording sessions. Hell, six months were spent working on just the title track. Suffice it to say, all that hard work paid off in dividends.

Born to Run contains some high-caliber piano-driven rock tunes, where Bruce was able to capture the essence of working class people trying to find their escape. Credit is due to him and the E Street Band for crafting and producing some true bangers on this album, and not just the singles. Even deep cuts like “Backstreets”, “She’s the One” and the 9-minute closer “Jungleland” prove to be exceptionally constructed with a sound that’s timeless.

If you haven’t already, give Born to Run a chance. I get not everyone’s fond of Springsteen’s music, but if there was at least one that deserves its place on this list, it would be this one.

Alright, let's get the technical nitpicks out of the way. This is a live album where there's uncertainty with which show each song was recorded, along with how many overdubs were used to polish up the sound. I don't mind the need for a little cleanup after recording to make the final product sound good, though it does come at the expense of some audience interaction not coming through as well.

That said, Live and Dangerous is still an amazing album from the Irish hard rockers. As expected, most of the songs performed live sound just as good as their studio releases, with some sporting instrumental breaks like the saxophone solo during "Dancing in the Moonlight" or the drum solo for "Sha La La". However, there are a few highlights I want to bring up to illustrate why this album is considered well-regarded.

In particular, there's the live performance of "Still in Love With You" - a much slower ballad than the original from Nightlife, enhanced with the epic guitar soloing of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. Later, there's the transition from "Cowboy Song" to "The Boys are Back in Town" off the same chord, making for a one-two punch. Finally, there were two new songs at the time, "Are You Ready" and "Baby Drives Me Crazy," that were never seen in a studio release. The former is such a fast infectious rocker of a tune, while the latter features the audience chanting "Baby" along with Lynott and harmonica soloing from a young Huey Lewis.

If those moments don't sell you on Live and Dangerous, I don't know what will. Because it was either this or Jailbreak making the list, and I'm glad to get some Thin Lizzy representation here.

I was initially looking forward to this album, based on how much I've enjoyed listening to "I Can See For Miles." But as soon as I started playing the opening track "Armenia City in the Sky" with its laden overdubs, I realized how trippy of a psychedelic rock affair this might be. It probably wouldn't be too out of left field, given how experimental rock music in the late '60s were. Then towards the end of that song and into "Heinz Baked Beans" I realized the album title and artwork weren't just for show.

The Who Sell Out is an honest-to-God concept album of songs played on a made-up station called Radio London, with adverts of real products that the band recorded and spliced between songs. Even the album version of "I Can See For Miles" has a commercial tacked on at the end for a Charles Atlas exercise program. I'm not a fan of the radio station concept album format. It's not the first time I've heard this format - The Weeknd's Dawn FM comes to mind. But this kind of framing hurts the replayability factor as the listener has to deal with the literal breaks in between to remind the audience that it's a radio station. At least with Dawn FM, the framing was a station being listened to in transition to the afterlife, which at least sounded interesting and lent itself to the narrative the songs build onto. The Radio London framing done on The Who Sell Out was done to take the piss on how big the band was getting at the time. At best, it was probably some fun jest the lads were having in the studio at the listener's expense. At worst, they faced lawsuits after the album was released, as the companies behind the real-world products they were making fun of caught wind.

It sucks because outside of the framing, the rest of the album is a decent if not great psychedelic rock album for the time. I certainly enjoyed songs like "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" and "Sunrise" as fun one-off songs. But at the end of the day, there's no denying that The Who Sell Out may very well be near the bottom of their discography.

I hadn't listened to Soul II Soul before, though I found that they were nominated as Best New Artist for the Grammys in 1990. After listening to this album, I feel that their recognition made sense for the time.

This debut album is easy to listen to R&B and dance, with occasional record-scratching and various vocal leads. It's not bad, as there are a couple of genuine bops like the opening single "Keep On Movin'" and "Back to Life" with how it transitions from acapella to full-on groove. However, not every track pops off well, and the production quality is inconsistent such as how "Feeling Free" was recorded live instead of in the studio.

Again, it probably made sense for 1990, but decades later this Soul II Soul does not feel like it needs to be listened to before you die.

This is another album that I got a physical copy of and thus am familiar with. However, before I dissect right away into this, I checked the background of how Siamese Dream was made in order to help build context.

This album was created out of pressure. Members of the Smashing Pumpkins were already dealing with their own problems after putting out their debut - depression, broken relationships, substance abuse, etc. Then they got moved to a major label and the public starts setting expectations for their next album after how well Nirvana did with their second album Nevermind. I can’t fathom how badly everyone must have felt during the writing and recording for this given these factors.

In spite of the obstacles, they were able to craft a successful album out of it. Yet, it should be noted that despite expectations, this is not quite the same sound as Nevermind. If anything, Siamese Dream sounds closer to a mix of shoegaze and alternative rock, with hints of heavy metal in between.

Sure, Billy Corgan worked alongside Bitch Vig to produce this album after the latter worked on Nevermind. But after the two cleaned up the sound and engineer Alan Moulder - who previously worked on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless - did the mix, the resulting textures are much warmer. The instrumentation does punch when it needs to on songs like the opener “Cherub Rock” and “Quiet”, but more often than not groove back into this pleasant dreamy atmosphere such as on the closer “Luna”, “Disarm” and passages of “Silverfuck”. All of that accentuated by Billy Corgan’s whispy vocals that I know aren’t gonna please everyone, but to me toe the line on effortless yet forceful.

As for the lyrics, after a bout with writer’s block, Billy penned songs that were cathartic for what he was going through. This mostly included songs about the brief breakup he went through with his girlfriend and future ex-wife Chris Fabian, though there were big exceptions to that theme. “Spaceboy” was written as a tribute to his half-brother Jesse, albeit with more abstract language that paints the anguish Billy was going through and looking to connect with family in that moment for a sense of comfort. “Today” is a rather bright song about depression and suicidal thoughts, which again he was going through at the time so in that spur of the moment it could be felt that maybe today is the greatest day, cause it can’t get much worse, right? Finally, as my favorite song on the album, “Cherub Rock” serves as a big old middle finger to the music industry, for all the needless pressure and societal expectations placed onto him and his group as they’re just looking to be let out of that discomfort and find some breathing room.

Overall, there’s no denying Siamese Dream is one of the biggest albums of the ‘90s, in spite of what the band went through. At the end of the day, that’s a dream worth enjoying.

Well, I wasn’t expecting to be finishing all the Beck albums on this journey within the first 100. Odelay seems to be the album that got Beck widely recognized, which makes sense for the late 90s mass appeal as the sound is alternative rock with hip-hop influences, sample use, and strong beats courtesy of the Dust Brothers. I know Beck and the Dust Brothers would team up again on Guero, and my enjoyment of Odelay is about the same as that album.

I will give the slight edge to Odelay for getting more varied in the style attempts from jazz fusion on "The New Pollution" with the clavinet to world music on "Derelict" with the tables and even punk on "Minus". Also, there's no denying that "Where It's At" is a bop.

Overall, a solid fun album. I'm glad to wrap up my time with Beck on this one.

On the surface, I hadn't heard of fIREHOSE before. But I ran a quick search and found out that this band was formed by bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley after their previous band Minutemen abruptly ended with the death of their frontman D. Boon. They ended up recruiting a Minutemen fan Ed Crawford as their new frontman and guitarist after he persistently wanted to join.

I already heard Minutemen's well-known album "Double Nickels on the Dime" before this journey, so I figured we would get the instrumental precision of that group with a different vocalist. While we end up with touches of the styles they usually mix with like jazz and funk, this album is not in the ballpark of hardcore punk that Minutemen were. If anything, it's more in the vein of the early experimental alternative rock that was prevalent in the underground of the late 1980s.

Not only do Watt and Hurley continue to shine in the rhythm section, with Hurley getting two excellent drum solo tracks, but I was impressed by Crawford's guitar work and vocal delivery on songs like "Time With You", "Some Things" and "Understanding" where he feels in tune with everyone else especially when he gets to solo off as well.

The only drawbacks to be had here stem from the experimental nature of this album where not everything works. I enjoyed parts of "If'n" but the stop-and-go nature of that song prevented any meaningful buildup. Also, I don't feel I got much of a lasting impression from the closer "The Softest Hammer" even when they were trying for a more ethereal vibe.

Still, I'm genuinely amazed by fROMOHIO as this niche experimental alternative album that maintained some accessibility. This was such a good find on this list, check it out!

Well, I'm already familiar with Slade, having heard the two songs of theirs covered by Quiet Riot. In fact, one of those songs "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" is on this album. It's clear from listening to Slayed? that this is pure 70s hard rock bliss, where Noddy Holder delivers powerful snarly vocals while the rest of the band plays well for raunchy party anthems. It's the dumb kind of fun if the sound and misspelled song titles are to go by. If you can get into that mindset, then absolutely give it a shot.

Alright, we got the debut album from the Notorious B.I.G., shortly before his demise. I will say after listening to Ready to Die, I do appreciate Biggie's flows and charisma, as they carry a lot of songs alongside the beats from the various producers. Songs like "Juicy", "Everyday Struggle" and "Big Poppa" carry this ethereal coolness even with the touches of dark lyricism drawn from Biggie's rough upbringing.

That said, one of the problems I found throughout this album was the egregious amount of sampling used here. Almost every track has various sound effects going off that interrupt the immersion for me. I get if they were trying to add context like with the guns going off on "Machine Gun Funk" or ringtones when a pager is brought up in a verse, but those kinds of sounds could've been left to the listener's imagination.

Similarly, some of the skits have not aged well. Again, it was probably meant for the context of this album, like the intro track sequencing Biggie's life from birth to gang violence or the contemplations made on "Suicidal Thoughts". But that said, I could've done without hearing Biggie getting sucked off at the end of "Respect", cause I otherwise liked that song up to that moment.

Production issues aside, I get why this is an influential hip-hop record from someone in their prime gone way too soon. It is worth a listen if you're curious.

Alright, first Michael Jackson album on this journey. I’ve already heard the title track, "Dirty Diana", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal" before. Surprisingly, that's only half the singles.

After listening to the album as a whole, it’s apparent that Michael wanted to take certain elements from Thriller that worked and turn them up a notch - more rock, more R&B, more dance, and make the lyrics more about world issues while still including the romantic songs.

It’s ambitious and for what it’s worth the album is mostly good in what it sets out to do, as there are a lot of pop bangers which is why most of this album got the single treatment. The ones that didn’t become a single simply don’t work effectively - “Speed Demon” for its lyrics about going fast can’t get out of the mid-tempo range, and “We’re Good Friends” doesn’t leave much of an impression even with Stevie Wonder on board.

The other problem that does hold Bad back is the dated sound. You can tell it’s late 80s cheese with the digital synthesizers that fill up the room. I can tolerate it to an extent, but it does make the project feel fixed to a time.

Still overall, Bad is a solid album and a noble attempt at trying to follow up Thriller. Give it a chance.

I’ve heard at least one album with Jack White on this journey already, as part of The White Stripes. This is his first solo album after the group’s breakup, and it becomes apparent that Jack had been greatly affected by not only his split from former bandmate Meg White but also his divorce from Karen Elson.

Throughout a fair amount of these songs, Jack makes clear that he’s not that sympathetic of a character, showcasing in the lyrics how damaged his views on love became, and characterized by the female vocals supporting him. It’s not inherently bad on the surface, but it might be uncomfortable given how frequent he plays the “evil woman” tropes here.

However, even if this album is lyrically difficult, the music is still pretty good. There’s solid guitar work, tight melodic compositions, and a fair amount of genre hopping between garage, blues, folk and even touches of hip hop done well to keep it varied. In particular, I enjoyed the rocking “Sixteen Saltines” that continued the bombast of past White Stripes hits, along with well done acoustic ballads like “Love Interruption” and the title track.

Overall, Blunderbuss is a hard pill to swallow lyrically, but worth checking out.

This is the second Neil Young album on my journey, following Harvest. Plus I’ve already heard acoustic opener “My, My, Hey, Hey” before. Rust Never Sleeps is Neil’s second album with the band Crazy Horse, with half of the songs left over from writing sessions for their first collab album Zuma.

The vibe I got from listening to this album was that it was meant to be a more experimental affair for Neil, particularly in how varied the lyricism can get. Some songs are statements Neil made in relation to his career and the lasting legacy of rock and roll music, like with the bookending songs “My, My, Hey, Hey” and “Hey, Hey, My, My” as well as “Thrasher”. Other songs paint well-written stories of tragedy like “Pochahontas” and “Powderfinger”. Then there’s “Ride the Llama” which is about travelling in space and rocking out with aliens. Needless to say, this album gets wild in places.

Add to all that, Rust Never Sleeps is split between acoustic pieces on side A, and the fuzzy guitar-driven rockers on side B. Side B in particular has been cited as influential to the grunge movement of the early 90s.

For as much as I appreciate the variation in songwriting and volume, I don’t think this album is as strong as Harvest. Not every experiment is a success if songs like “Ride the Llama” and “Sedan Delivery” are to go by. Also not helping matters is the inconsistent production quality given that some songs were recorded live and others were overdubbed. It is rather noticeable on the ears.

Still for what’s it worth, I had a fun time with Rust Never Sleeps as this album gets a solid recommendation.

Not only am I already familiar with the Stooges, but I’ve already listened to this debut album of theirs before. For what’s it worth, they were able to deliver a righteous rock sound that acts as a precursor to punk music.

I’ve always enjoyed Iggy Pop’s abrasive yet controlled vocal delivery, and it’s well complemented by Scott Asheton’s punching drums, and the excellent bass and guitar work of Dave Alexander and Ron Asheton. Songs like “No Fun” and “I Wanna Be Your Dog” exemplify a simple yet aggressive approach to songwriting.

The only song that doesn’t quite fit the vibes for me was the ten-minute “We Will Fall” that gets weird in movements, though I’m willing to give some slack cause it’s a debut album where the group will still defining their sound. Overall, a fun time and highly recommended.