Rated 8/10
Bold of Gary Numan to pay homage to the greatest film of all time Freddy Got Fingered in the tracklist
As good as recall it being from middle school. Eerie, but still has sort of a danceable quality. The synthesizers both carry the melody and contribute to a cold, anxious atmosphere. His odd lyrics and vocal delivery make the thing still sound futuristic today.
Love this band. Their vibe and sound are so singular- sure it’s not anything high-brow, but it just makes you wanna crank the volume. Songs like “Rollin’,” “Take a Look Around,” and “My Way” are in total bangers of meathead attitude and 2000s nu metal nonsense. The problem here is its length. There’s a solid stretch of weaker tracks in the middle and the DMX and Xzibit remixes were very unnecessary. Despite the amazing work by the musicians and my overall loving the project, it gets a 3
Rated 10/10
One of the most influential albums of all time on my life. Controlled aggression and anger, with moments of beauty and interspersed melody peeking through. Simply one of the greatest moments in metal history. Metallica have been one of my favorite bands for many years and have provided me so much enjoyment. While the entire record has dips in quality, it is undeniable how much power songs like "Battery," the title track, and "Orion" have and will always have for me.
That being said, how in the hell is Ride the Lightning also included on this list. That's clearly the superior record between the two lmao
Incredibly smooth- feels 90s but not dated. Speech fits into this weird pocket where he's both singing and rapping. The conscious hip hop messaging is mostly pretty likable and inoffensive stuff, which is why I think people call them "corny," but with instrumentals, melodies, and vibes this good, it does not bother me that they are borderline a Christian group.
Rated 8/10
The post-chorus riff on "Hanging on the Telephone" is such an earworm. There's quite a bit of that on this iconic album. Debbie Harry has so much swagger from song-to-song, and while not everything reaches the heights of that excellent opener, the power pop flair of "One Way or Another" or the smooth new wave classic "Heart of Glass," the vibes are strong throughout and it feels like the band was really coalescent.
And why did the riff on "I Know But I Don't Know" sound like "Octavarium" by Dream Theater lol
Was excited to revisit because I used to hate this record. My appreciation has definitely grown, but I still find this thing massively disjointed. Nico's tracks are all great and the instrumentation throughout is so ahead-of-its-time, but the mid tempo pop rock tracks are so lousy and Lou Reed is a bit of a charisma vacuum. And just because the sounds attempted here are progressive, does not mean that the production sounds good- most of it sounds really dated.
Rated 10/10
Always liked Steely Dan but this listen was so eye-opening for me. Such incredible music-making. Immaculate production and the entire thing feels so full- the lyrics never detract from the artistry of the music and vice versa. Everything fits together so well into this massive slice of timeless music. Pretty instantaneously elevated this band into my favorites. This record feels like a pop progressive rock and jazz combination without ever feeling offputting, boring, or messy. Cannot wait to hear more SD now.
Rated 8/10
What I most admire about Neil Young is his ability to punctuate his incredible lyrics and really make them stick out. They don't just lie there- his attention to writing excellent melodies allows that to occur. You can tell he has an ear for a tune- the title track's somber horn/piano duet, the grunge guitar on "Southern Man." Lovely album. May be his best
Rated 6/10
The softer Aretha Franklin worship stuff does not work for me. Pretty great stuff to be had, here, though, as her voice really elevates the songs. "Mercedes Benz" is such a banger though
Rated 4/10
The stuff that sounds like Gram Parsons is not great, but the psychedelic rock stuff like the title track is a lot cooler, but the entire thing is a little overdramatic for me and very forgettable.
Rated 6/10
The vitriolic hatred some have toward this album is really strange to me. The title track is simply one of the greatest songs ever written. Who doesn't know that song? Its influence and appeal being as widespread as it is contrasts its odd B minor key, its extended dual guitar solo, and the inscrutable, oft-discussed lyrics. It's on the "Hey Jude" tier for me- a pure pop song that will remain timeless, deserves so much praise, and carries with it an intangible quality of what Jack Black might call a "rocket sauce" song.
The other songs on Side 1 are all at the very least pleasant and, at their best, are great songs in their own right. "New Kid in Town" is a pretty Glenn Frey countrypolitan ballad reminiscent of Gram Parsons featuring some actually resonant lyrics. "Life in the Fast Lane" was another huge hit, very much Joe Walsh's big track here with its riff-driven melody.
Side 2, on the other hand, peaks early with the hard-edged "Victim of Love" and leans into a sappy AOR sound that unfortunately drags the album down a peg from being great to just good overall.
Rated 8/10
Tracks 1-3 fail to grab me in any way, but once that cover of JJ Cale's "Call Me the Breeze" revs into gear the album is a fantastic psychedelic experience of super cool production and sound. So many neat parts you would not expect to be included on a psych pop record fade in and out, like the honky tonk piano on "Take Your Time" or the bass saxophone on "Shine a Light."
I can see why people would find this boring, but I was engaged throughout by the warm, smooth mix and the max-reverbed instrumentation.
Rated 4/10
It may be sacrilegious for me to say as a Wisconsinite, but I absolutely despise "Blister in the Sun." It's this twee, commercial-core garbage sung horribly and overplayed to death since its release 40 years ago.
The rest of the album was all new to me, and it was fine, I guess. Like a lot of one-hit wonder bands, the other stuff is better than their one hit. Super lo-fi which is not usually my sound, but overall it reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel, but not as good. Would not listen again, but defo not in "Incredible String Band" tier.
Rated 6/10
Scratches do nothing for me. I like the band better without them for sure. Chester's shouty vocals have never been my thing. He sounds great when he croons but the throaty yelling gets very old for me. Shinoda's flows are mostly very dated and he interrupts the experience quite a bit. That being said, there are some really great songs here and I understand why it made the list.
Rated 4/10
lol so you're telling me this was nearly 0.90 higher in rating than the Nico album when this was less interesting by a mile in comparison? Yeah, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" are both amazing songs, but the non-hits kinda suck ass. So much variance in quality across this band's entire career. For every "Jane" or "White Rabbit" there was also a "We Built This City"
Rated 6/10
A very solid punk crossover album- the more melodic songs are the highlights. "Mannequin" is of course the big track here, just impressively influential. The whole thing never made me feel anything more than respect for how ahead-of-its-time it was
Rated 6/10
Finally listened to one of my dad's all-time favorite albums. He bought it very shortly after it came out when he was 17 years old. So the album is special to me regardless of what I would rate it overall.
Good album- certainly well produced and all the performances are good. A little bit too inconsistent to fully award a 4 to, and too long. I think I prefer their softer, poppier tracks to the punk. I will say that "Space Invader" is a really cool instrumental- that track took me by surprise. "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket" are also so nostalgic and lovely.
Has way better records across his discography than this one. "Breakdown" is so smooth, and "American Girl" is an iconic 70s track (makes me think of Silence of the Lambs every time I hear it) but the rest of the record is pretty generic and even somewhat bad- "Strangered in the Night" for instance is a sloppy Eagles castoff. And why did "Luna" sound like Bob Dylan singing a Christmas song?
Rated 8/10
Hot damn the intro to "Where the Streets Have No Name" is one of the most amazing-sounding things ever. Across the entire record, The Edge gives some of the most amazing guitar performances ever recorded. His sound was so distinctive and carried their sound so hard. Those punchy stings he builds up to on "With or Without You" are so emotive. Brian Eno is also a huge asset here with his timeless, full production. While the deep tracks aren't nearly as good as the big singles, they are still quite enjoyable.
Rated 8/10
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