Reviews by avoidperil

The first track had me convinced the genre was CIA Torture Music but it was only 11 minutes of repetitive drone before they switched up for the Elevator Music genre.

If nothing else, this has solidified my opinion that Jazz is not actually real music. It's the Emperor's Clothes of music. Anyone who is telling you they enjoy it is probably an NPC.

I might have a soft spot for this band because of a fun little song called "Gravity's Gone" which has been on my playlists for the last couple decades. But this is a different project entirely, and one that I probably should dive into a bit deeper.

Getting through it was a bit tough on first listen. Definitely not worth the dunking most listeners are giving it. A solid 3/5.

I actually didn't anticipate enjoying this album so much after not having listened to it in at least 20 years. About 8 of the tracks were immediately recognisable and absolute bops.

The sampling work is incredible, especially considering how much effort would have gone into finding some of these records at the time before mp3 and the internet media. Nothing is worse for a song than to go unheard and yet here we have these songs finding a new audience. Beautiful.

If you asked a punk enthusiast which albums are essential listens to understand the evolution of the punk scene, I guess this is what they come up with? It's another case of those who do it first not doing it the best.

I don't actually care about punk and I don't care about this album. This is an album and review that I will not remember in a week's time.

It's fine. Not mind-blowing, but not as bad or annoying as most of the stuff I've heard.

Maybe it's just the abundance of ancient, poorly recorded albums on this list that it makes Muse sound great by comparison, or this album is actually a bit of fun. I don't particularly feel anything listening to this, but I don't immediately hate it and there's a nice groove through the whole thing with good variation.

Not my favourite Muse effort but a solid album that I see myself listening to again or adding songs from it to my playlist. Solid 4/5.

I remember my mum buying this album on CD in the 90s and hearing it played a few times. Like most albums of this era, the years have not been kind. The sound of the recording is flat and muddy and Carole's voice is definitely not the best. Add to this that the songs are just middle-of-the-road love songs.

The only song that remotely hits anywhere near good is "It's Too Late". The whole album just feels tired to me. 3/5 is being generous.

Oh boy, this draaaaaags. I don't have time for an album of country song covers that's so antique and out of touch with modern sensibilities. Ray's voice isn't suited for this style, the playing is repetitive, the lyrics are downright dreary.

I can't find any possible reason anyone would want to listen to this, unless you're 60+

When this album came out and was the talk of the music press, I kept it at arms length and chose not to engage with it. It finally crept up on me after their superior follow-up album (Helplessness Blues) and I saw them live.

Take every folk album before this one and throw it in the bin. Start here. This is the pinnacle of folk music up to this point. It's mature and real and gorgeous.

There was a moment when I was in my late teens and I heard I'm Waiting For The Man and was swayed by the apparent coolness of whatever statement it was trying to make.

There has been so much development in my own taste and in the progress of music in general that this just isn't relevant any more. VU didn't open a door for anyone - the saw an open door that no one else wanted to walk through and helped themselves to a banquet they didn't deserve.

3 stars, minus 1 for Nico's terrible singing.

Totally indifferent.

Not really my thing. I acknowledge there was this big neo-psychedlic rock movement going on, but I don't like the original stuff and this is no better. Entirely forgettable when placed beside its peers.

Better than I thought it would be at the beginning. Still a lot of cringe and dated cliche lyrics that just don't work for me. It might have been a solid 5 the year it came out but it's not timeless at all. Solid 3.

Bob Dylan is fine, but his style gets so cloying. I've had to listen to his songs done by the Byrds and the Fairport Convention, and it's always the same disjointed mess of lyrics. I'm a lyrics guy at heart, and there's just not enough here sung with meaning and purpose for me to enjoy.

There are probably better Lambchop albums, and better respresentations of this genre. It's fine. Didn't really grab me.

Half way through listening to this album I remembered that I don't like Metallica. What revelation did I hope to achieve by listening to this? The growled vocals delivering pseudo-dark imagery, the tinny drums dominating half of each track and constantly changing direction while somehow never finding a groove.

If I was ever going to like metal as a genre (and I don't), I feel like this is the least convincing argument for me to hop on board.

I was fully prepared to slap a 3 on this and move on with my life. But then I listened to it from beginning to end. It's like watching the Louvre burn down before your eyes, but the audio equivalent.

The lead single was so overplayed it's not even a song any more. Then you get stuck in a song and you can't get out of it. By the time Elevation comes along you want to dig a hole in your soul like a mole.

Oh the nonsensical rhymes! The song Grace made me cringe out of my skin. I can't even remember why and there is no way I'm going back there to remember. I will leave any situation where this album plays.

This is so dry. Half of these songs had me thinking that I know them, but there's a better version of it out there. If you were deep in the 60s and desperate for good music, this might be great. But like almost everything back then, it's a little too dated now unless it brings good lyrics. And this does not.

It's Queen but it's boring prog rock about fantasy crap. I'm a huge nerd but I don't get it. So you read Lord of the Rings. I feel like Led Zeppelin put out some stuff like this too in this era.

Whatever, it's not for me.

I've vaguely known this album for about 20 years. I don't really rate the start of the album. From Catch The Sun onwards it really picks up, but the beginning is quite muddy.