Reviews by bt1001quest

Fitting for Oktoberfest kick-off day lol

Anything vaguely progressive electronic-related is going to be a huge hit for me. I had listened to this many times growing up as my dad is a big fan. So many great tracks. Their usage of the synthesizers is never corny- always super melodic and artistic yet still danceable. The influence permeating from the sound here is so widespread and undeniable. Think about what popular music sounded like for the next 10 years!

"Das Model" is my favorite, but "Metropolis" is also killer. All great songs present here. "Man Machine" sounds like a rap instrumental- so funky and ahead-of-its-time.

Great vocals and arrangements as to be expected. But I have to admit I sampled the highlights amongst this monstrous 195 minute compilation that had no business being on this list. A halfhearted 3/5 given to shoo this away. Sorry Ella.

Amazing acoustic record- the covers are where they really shine. But there is not a weak track amongst this bunch. Easy listening grunge??? It totally works, though. The 90s' response to the famed "Elvis comeback special" that defined the Vietnam era. Love the accordion and cello that spruce up the arrangements on some of these tracks. The Meat Puppets covers sound 10 years ahead of time- I'm convinced Cobain would have done alt country had he not passed. Of their records, this is the most Cobain-ish and signaled to me that he was headed for a solo career soon after in a world where his health improved.

"Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is the iconic track from this album, though. Powerful and almost scary how emotive his vocals are.

Three rock classics ["Highway Star," "Lazy," and "Smoke"] with a stretch of obvious filler in between. The strength of the highlights makes the album worthwhile, but my rating is solely based on the record's influence, and not on its continued listenability. I am curious to listen to more of their discography because I was expecting to like this more.

Arguably the pinnacle of popular music? The standard of excellence for jazz that has never been topped.

"So What" is endlessly endearing and feels like a cool refreshing breeze. "Freddie Freeloader" shuffles along like a city stroll, broken up by beautiful solos from Davis, Coltrane, and Adderley respectively. "Blue in Green" is basically the darkly-lit jazz club staple- so moody and tranquil.

"All Blues" is the most melody-driven track on the record with some of the smoothest drumming laid down on a jazz record by Jimmy Cobb. "Flamenco" makes for a melancholy closer, but still warm and beautiful nonetheless.

Glitzy 80s production effectively neuters a blues icon and creates a dry snoozefest that the guests do little to assist on (Besides maybe Los Lobos- but that just makes me want to listen to them). Disappointing

Overbearing in places, or missing some factors that would elevate things past being "okay" or "pleasant." I don't think her vocals are good enough to make things excellent, nor is the sound very consistent- she tries about 5 different genres to varying degrees of success. The album is nice but nothing more than a trifle overall

"Passin Me By" is a fantastic 90s jazz rap song that Lupe Fiasco basically created his whole career around. But the rest of the album? BORING

Damo Suzuki needed to be turned up in the mix. Instrumentally, I like bands influenced by this record a bit more than the actual thing (i.e. Goblin's Dawn of the Dead soundtrack, Air's Moon Safari). Decent krautrock/prog album

Good guitar work, drums, and bass, but the indecision that showed through on whether they wanted to focus on the noise rock or slacker rock sounds plus J Mascis' objectively bad vocals make the experience of listening more of a chore than enjoyment.

Stone-cold classic that I've probably heard front-to-back upwards of 50 times. The DNA that makes this album so amazing are the production and guitar sound (Scholz on both) and the cultivation of a variety of influences (prog, psychedelic rock, southern rock, and hard rock) that all culminate in an evidentiary groundbreaker for the "arena rock" genre. So many fantastic hooks and dual guitar eargasms!

Decently written and recorded country/americana music, but no real hard-hitting tracks.

Dated, but extremely fun early rap/techno hybridization. The title track is still a classic and I'm glad it has staying power in the decades since its release.

Basically the epitome of what you're looking for in an indie-folk project. Great lyrics, nice melodies, and a warm sound that is a perfect ode to the midwest. Loved the minimalist classical influence peeking through. Will be listening again.

Bob tries a Steve Earle/Dan Lanois outlaw blues sound here and it results in an okay record. Nothing I will take with me.

Garbage. Even if it’s meant ironically, his vocals are annoying and the music is not interesting

I have never cared for his vocals or lyrics. Production is also extremely dated- fuzzy and echoey

Prince succeeded a seminal record with one that was not your typical disappointing follow up. It’s not overwrought, or a failed experiment. The songs are actually intentionally de-weighted and made more low key, and as a result its 80 minute runtime ends up being pretty ho-hum save for a few good tracks on its second half. Non-committal to a sound, okay instrumentation, and mere glimpses of his boundary-pushing “demisexuality” on only some songs make the record strike a merely average reading.

Love the unique sound. Had never heard of these guys before but I get it- I think the political/heavy-hitting lyrics don’t particularly gel with the humorous sound on the second half. Still liked overall

More notable for its influence than the strength of the songs or instrumental performances. Not any bad tunes here, though, just some more interesting than others